Expository/Persuasive Writing: Romeo & Juliet Essay

Is Romeo & Juliet still relevant to a modern audience? Romeo and Juliet’s story is still relevant today, as people in society and religion have similar experiences with what they went through. For example: -Gang warfare (Capulet vs Montague) -Strength of love (Romeo & Juliet) -Strength of friendship (Romeo & Mercutio). Don’t you agree? Romeo and Juliet is a play that shows how prejudice leads to escalating violence, In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare teaches that families can divide a relationship. It took both families the deaths of their own children to realize the family feud had to be ended immediately. The two key factors of this message: Love is blind Vengeance never ends well. ‘Romeo and Juliet were silly kids who asked for trouble and got it’ is this fair to say? Was this Love or Stupidity? It was love alright. Love at its purest and most intense. I think that’s why Shakespeare chose such young people to be the lovers. And yes, they’re stupid. Young love often is. Unfortunately for Romeo and Juliet, they die before they get wiser, or more disillusioned. What lessons can we learn from Romeo and Juliet? We can learn that Romantic love can be beautiful and ennobling, Passion Can Overtake Reason and Common Sense, Immaturity and inexperience can lead to tragic endings, Judge People by their character and personal qualities, not by their name or social standing and Innocent children sometimes pay for the sins of their parents.

Abolishing the Death Penalty Thesis

Abolishing the Death Penalty October 18, 2010 Abolishing the Death Penalty The death penalty has been an active force in the United States for decades. In the early history of our country, public executions were quite popular. Thousands have been executed with the majority occurring in the early twentieth century. But public sentiment towards the executions began to wane as the concepts of basic human rights were being developed throughout the century. As a result, a kind of unofficial moratorium was placed on all executions while several Supreme Court cases were taking place to determine the legality of the punishment.The result of the cases actually made the death penalty illegal as it stood, so several states rewrote their laws, being more specific as to the circumstances as to which the penalty can be applied. The Supreme Court reversed its decision and those states that met the new compliance could reinstate the death penalty. Today, it is legal to execute death row prisoners in all but fifteen states. While it may be legal, it still holds that the death penalty has not and cannot accomplish the task that it has been reinstated to fulfill. Part I: ThesisThe death penalty should be abolished for a variety of reasons. Initially, the death penalty has long been held to be inherently unjust. It is considered unjust in relation to its application, unjust as to the type of punishment utilized and unjust as a punishment at all. It has and continues to be argued in court that the executions amount to what is considered cruel and unusual punishment and so barbaric that it should be done away with as a type of punishment. It is a sad but true statement to say that the United States is one of the last democratic nations to continue to utilize the death penalty.Our country has wavered back in forth on the issue of capital punishment being illegal and a breach of human rights. Additionally, even while continuing to use the death penalty it has not shown to be a deterre nt of crime and actually may increase it. Opponents of the death penalty also recognize that it has not been applied fairly. For instance, minorities, the poor, and the mentally disabled tend to receive the death penalty with far greater consistency than their counterparts. That cannot be a punishment representative of a great industrialized country.Those against the death penalty also recognize the cost involved with executing a prisoner. To actually take a death row inmate through the complete appellate system, so as to ensure the inmate’s guilt without any doubt, would cost exponentially more than housing the same inmate for the duration of their life. The monies saved could be better served if used towards something positive, like victim’s programs or the like. Lastly, the death penalty is a punishment that is irrevocable; its effects are permanent and there is the sad reality that innocent lives may be lost. There is no perfect system and mistakes are bound to be made.This is one mistake, however, that cannot be corrected. This is why the death penalty cannot be the United States’ answer for grave offenders of the law. Part II: Anti-Thesis Proponents of the death penalty are large in number. According to many polls, as many as 80% of the American population still favor capital punishment. One reason for this is society as a whole believes that if a person kills another person, the killer forfeits his right to his own life. (Christie, 1990). If a person shows such complete and utter disregard for human life, the question is posed, why should any regard be shown for the person?Also, those in favor of using the death penalty argue that it is a just punishment for the crime and it is reliable. After all, though some states are trying to punish people with death for other heinous crimes, such as rape and repeat child molestation, so far the death penalty can only be imposed on murder cases. As far as the reliability argument, supporters wi ll always point out that because of the thoroughness in applying and appealing death penalty cases, the process itself will weed out the innocent and wrongly convicted. Proponents of the death penalty also view it as a deterrent to crime. â€Å"Same old†, 1990). Just by having the possible punishment of death as an end result to a heinous crime has lowered the murder rate in some states. The feeling is that the more executions you have, the lower the homicide rate you will have. Not to mention the innocent lives you will save. Supporters of capital punishment will cite studies showing that murderers who are allowed to live will inevitably kill again. Studies have shown that murderers awaiting their death penalty sentence to be carried out have killed correction officers, knowing there could be no additional fate assigned to them.Another argument made in favor of the death penalty is one of Biblical proportions. There are some activists that say the Bible itself proclaims the right to execute a perpetrator of the most serious of crimes by quoting a scripture from Leviticus 24:20 – â€Å"†¦fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. † The old adage has not been lost on those who feel that it is their God given right to enforce the laws that God has given them regarding the taking of a human life. Gray, 2010) Lastly, many supporters of capital punishment feel that it is appropriate to give a punishment that fits the crime and one that is universal. It doesn’t matter a person’s color, race, creed, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or financial status; if two people, one white and one â€Å"non-white†, commit the exact same crime under the exact same circumstances, they in fact should receive the exact same punishment. It is believed that the death penalty, when applied under the circumstance of murder in the first degree with aggravating circumstances, is the great equalizer, with everyone being treated the same in the eyes of the law.Part III: Synthesis It is important that the United States realizes, sooner than later, that the death penalty has to be abolished. Proponents want us to think that a killer forfeits his own life. But the reality is all life is precious, regardless of its form or merit. (Thomson, 2001). Although someone has taken a life, and in no way should that be trivialized, it does not change that situation by killing the offender. All it does is show that two wrongs do not make a right. The execution of the murderer does not bring the victim back to life.Quite frankly, the death penalty often provides a way out for the offender and if punishment was the true desire of the sentence then there are situations, other than execution that may be far more punitive than the taking of his or her life. (Thomson, 2001). When it comes to reliability, the argument on behalf of the death penalty doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Yes, it is true that the exhaustive appeals process does on occasion help to find innocent people who have been convicted of murder. This is largely due to the relatively new innovation of DNA technology as it relates to crime scene investigation. (Gzedit, 2010).Well, if anything, this proves the fallibility of the death penalty process. If over 131 death row inmates could be exonerated and released from death row, that shows just how faulty the system is and proves it is unreliable. Again, as stated previously, once a prisoner has been executed, there is no returning from the grave to say a mistake has been made. At least if the inmate was serving a life sentence and found innocent, they could be released, although still wronged by a jail sentence, but it is a correctable injustice. One of the main arguments in favor of the death penalty is that it serves as a deterrent to serious crime.Would it surprise you to know that this simply is not true? It is a proven fact that the death penalty has not demonstrably deterred crime. (â€Å"Same old†, 1990). The 2004 Uniform Crime Report that was published by the FBI published that Southern states demonstrated the highest murder rate in the country, despite being responsible for 85% of the nation’s executions. (Friedman, 2006, p. 37). As further evidence that the death penalty doesn’t deter crime I introduce you to the state of Texas which has been nicknamed the â€Å"killing machine† because they tend to exercise the death penalty frequently and rapidly.Even with capital punishment Texas has a disturbing murder rate of 5. 6 per 100,000 persons s opposed to Massachusetts, which banned executions and only has a murder rate of 2. 6. (Gzedit, 2010). As for the idea that people who kill once develop an appetite to kill again, there have been no definitive studies that prove this theory. This mindset is based on gut reaction, conjecture, and hysteria. Perhaps one of the most controversial argume nts in favor of the death penalty is the interpreted law given by God to exact the same punishment on the criminal as was forced upon the victim.Supporters of this notion quote scripture from the Holy Bible as a sort of guideline to follow. However the Bible also has scripture that specifically refutes the idea of the death penalty as retribution for man to man. For example, Matthew 5:38-39 insists that violence shall not beget violence. James 4:12 says that God is the only one who can take a life in the name of justice. Leviticus 19:18 warns against vengeance (which, really, is what the death penalty amounts to). In John 8:7, Jesus himself says, â€Å"let he who is without sin cast the first stone. This is truly what Jesus would do! Finally, proponents of the death penalty exclaim that executions are given with perfect exactness according to the crime, without regard to race, color, creed, nationality, etc†¦ , basically saying without bias. However, many different studies hav e show that the likelihood of you receiving the death penalty increases according to those very attributes. People of color are more likely than their white counterparts to receive the death penalty for committing the same crime under the same circumstances.Also, blacks that murder white victims are far likelier to end up on death row than whites killing blacks. Furthermore, studies show that prosecutors are more likely to seek the death penalty against blacks than they will for whites who commit the same crime. (Friedman, 2006, pp. 86-89). So much for all being equal under the law! So, as you see, we are a country somewhat divided. While the majority of Americans still favour the idea of using the death penalty, it has become an increasingly more controversial subject.The United States always holds its head up high as the leader of the free world and is quick to condemn other countries with regards to their human rights violations. How then can we continue to justify our use of thi s antiquated, archaic method of punishment? It is time that our country steps in line with the rest of the industrialized countries into the 21st century and do away with the death penalty once and for all.References Gzedit. (2010, January 27). Pro-death: :America alone. The Charleston Gazette,A. 4. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. Document ID: 1948771421). Christie, J. (1990, March 29). At Last, Punishment Fits the Crime Death penalty: It has wide support because ordinary citizens identify with media images of brutalized victims :[Home Edition]. Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext),p. 7. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from Los Angeles Times. (Document ID: 60026222). Friedman, L. (2006). The death penalty. Greenhaven Press Gray, L. (4   November). Houston Chronicle Lisa Gray column: Life, death and the prodigal son. McClatchy – Tribune Business News. Retrieved October 19, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID:  1893533451). Same old anti-crime hype . (1990, October 15). Milwaukee Journal,p. a06. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID: 64063217). Thomson, R. (2001, June 18). A consistent pro-life stance rules out the death penalty :[SARASOTA Edition]. Sarasota Herald Tribune,p. BS1. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 74204727).

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Case study - Essay Example However for those opposing the application of market-driven approach in health care, the argument is that the model reverses the ethical priorities, by putting costs minimization measures and profits earning motives first, while rendering patient care the secondary objective. 3. Columbia/HCA applied mixed strategies, with some of them being sound while others were flawed and wrong. The strategy regarding physicians’ equity and the one involving national branding were flawed strategies. However, all of the other strategies applied were sound, since they have been applied by the nonprofit hospitals and remained successful. The physicians’ equity and the national branding strategies were wrong, since they caused tradeoffs between patient care and profits, thus encouraging the compromise of health care to patients. The other strategies were appropriate, seeking to improve the efficiency of the institution. The problem is that the degree of tenacity with which these strategies were implemented with, was so strong, such that it caused the compromise of services offered to patients, while advancing the profit making motives of the organization. However, the subsequent strategies that redefined the mission of the organization and renamed, it made t he whole situation

Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law - Research Paper Example Gradually, all relevant operations led to a scenario where human beings started to excessively interfere with Mother Nature, so as to create imbalance in the environment, not to mention the another obvious grave outcome – increase in pollution. These exploration and exploitation activities, coupled with all other developments related to rapid urbanization, have led to the advent of serious issues such as the Greenhouse Effect and global warming. As a matter of fact, all these started to jeopardize the well-being of the denizens of this planet. It was at this juncture that various governments across the globe fully realized the gravity of the situation and promptly started to initiate various measures aimed at minimizing pollution and restoration of balance in the nature. Consequently, there is now a comparative improvement in the relevant state of affairs, as all the commercial operations involving exploitation of natural resources are strictly bound by diverse laws and legislations. But for the purpose of this particular research paper, the focus would be on the environmental issues that are an inevitable consequence of the International Petroleum Agreements (IPAs). It (Research Paper) would elaborate on the alarming manner in which IPAs have contributed to the environmental pollution. Subsequently, this paper would examine the manner in which various committed governments have effectively tackled the situation by making it mandatory for all the IPAs, coming under their purview, to abide by the related environmental laws. Before dwelling upon the various pertinent aspects of IPAs, as well as on the related legal and environmental issues, it would be immensely helping to briefly focus on having a basic understanding of International Petroleum Agreements. International Petroleum Agreements, which encompass the aspects of exploration and exploitation operations related to obtaining of oil or natural gas in a specific region, involve entities that are

Describe the importance of having a sound business continuity plan Essay

Describe the importance of having a sound business continuity plan - Essay Example There are numerous benefits derived from business continuity planning including increasing the ability of the firm in avoiding problems in the business environment to the highest level possible. This is due to business continuity giving the firm a chance to assess current risks and as well as forecast future risks. Business continuity also aid in demonstrating credibility in responding to the customers, as the plans for planning on project implementation and completion are already put in place where disruptions occur (Watters, 2010). Business continuity also aids firms to have a competitive advantage due to the ability to continue and complete projects despite disruptions in the business environment that may affect other firms in the industry. Other benefits of business continuity include enhancing the reputation of the business through the ability to meet projects with or without disruptions. Business continuity enhances the resilience of an organization in times of disruptions on the achievement of set goals and objectives. Business continuity also aids in the development of a proven mechanism for the management of business disruption and protect the brand of the company to the clients (Watters, 2010). In conclusion, business continuity is an important factor of a business as demonstrated by the benefits derived by the company in making plans and mechanisms for the business to undertake when disasters strikes. It ensures the firm minimizes loses and comes out of the disruption with minimum negative impact on the business potential of the

A Case of Corporate Ethical Failure, and Discuss Where Blame Might Be Essay

A Case of Corporate Ethical Failure, and Discuss Where Blame Might Be Assigned - Essay Example According to the research findings, in an environment where an employee does what he or she wants, there tends to be the ethical failure in the leadership. These failures often affect the productivity of an organization because there is lack of clear direction on how things should be done in the organization. Organisations need to establish an ethical code that guides the behaviors of employees including the top management. However, where such the ethical code of conduct is ignored by the workers, then an organization is exposed to different problems including ethical leadership failures. Ethical failures in any organization result from what people do at the workplace. In addition, ethical failures are created as a result of the behaviors and thinking that is supported by the organization in general. The individual behaviors that may cause ethical failures include ignoring boundaries, lack of self-control, the entitlement view, self-interest, lacking moral compass and crowd following . On the other hand, organization culture that can lead to ethical failures include lack of clarity regarding ethical conduct in the organization, lack of effective leaders to act as role models, lack of accountability, shifting blame and there is no performance integration and things are done incorrectly in the organization. A former manager of the Siemens testified regarding unethical practice in the company that involved slashing funds and bribery which amounted to corporate corruption. The manager testified on his role in the bribery scandal that was first exposed by German prosecutors in 2006. This corruption scandal has tarnished the name of the company resulting in two top executives losing their jobs. In addition, the remaining executives still faced fines and indictments that amounted to billions of euros because of the corporate corruption.

The status of the jews and christians in muslim lands 1772CE Essay

The status of the jews and christians in muslim lands 1772CE - Essay Example The status of Jews and Muslims Lands in 1772 CE was more or less similar; they were at the receiving end, notwithstanding the protection available to them under the umbrella of the laws of the land or favorable dispositions of conservative Muslims. On a fair interpretation of the literature available on the subject, it is reasonable to assume that Jews and Christians in Muslim Lands lived in constant fear and their status was less than second-grade citizens. â€Å"In 1772 a Muslim scholar in Cairo was asked how Jews and Christians should be treated. The answer is found in this selection, issued four years before the American Declaration of Independence. This answer is not law, but only the opinion of a conservative Muslim. The opinion is in Arabic.†(Jacob†¦)The very basis of terms of references smacks of inferior treatment, as otherwise why such a situation should emerge at all for making a reference about non-Muslims? Thus it is taken for granted by the Muslim rulers tha t their religious tenets are superior and others have to fall in line. The medieval mind-set is showing in the questions listed in the reference and the answers provided. The attitude of the conservative Muslim is no better than the thinking process of a fundamentalist Muslim and the difference is only in degrees and nowhere full protection is guaranteed to the Jews and Christians. The word â€Å"unbelievers† as addressed to Jews and Christians in the questionnaire smacks of fundamentalism and it is certain that the issue will not be judged in an impartial manner. The first rank Muslim cities have been hailed as â€Å"splendor in legal and philosophic studies.† The normal lifestyles of these religions have been described as â€Å"innovations introduced by the cursed unbelievers.† Another charge is â€Å"they have put themselves on a footing of equality with the chiefs, scholars, and nobles, wearing, like them; costly garments of cloth of India, expensive silk a nd cashmere fabrics, and they imitate them even in the cut of these very garments.†(Jacob†¦) This insinuation which denies the Jews and Christians to practice their social customs and follow traditions is nothing but the imposition of their will by the Muslim governing authorities, the highest authority being the King. Throughout the history of any Nation, class conflict in one way or the other existed. The reference â€Å"they ride on saddles which are of the same type as those of chiefs, scholars, and officers, with servants at their right, at their left, and behind them, scattering and pushing back Muslims for whom they thus block the streets† (Jacob†¦)clearly indicates the gap between the rich and the poor existing at that time. With the details of the perquisites enjoyed by the rich, obviously belonging to Jew and Christian Communities, the gap as per the economic scale was wide and this must have created heartburning amongst the Muslims. The reference, à ¢â‚¬Å"they carry small batons in their hands just like the chiefs. They buy Muslim slaves, the offspring of Negro, Abyssinian, and even white slaves; this has become so common and so frequent among them that they no longer consider this offensive. They even buy slaves publicly, just like the Muslims,† (Jacob†¦) clearly indicates that slavery, the evil social system was in practice and the rich Jews and Christia