12 Angry men Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

12 Angry men - Essay Example The courthouse of which the movie was filmed was filled with 12 men all who seem to be of the same race and of the same general age. It seems that the only difference between the jurors are their social and economic backgrounds which the movie had illustrated on it could influence a person’s mindset and judgment. For example, Juror 5 shared the â€Å"slum upbringing â€Å" as the young boy being charged, that allowed him to relate to his living conditions but other juror like Juror 4 seemed to judge the boy harshly based on where he was raised. Juror 4 even as far to say†¦ â€Å" If you live in slum you become slum†. These statements indicates the biases of the jurors due to their backgrounds that reflect in their faulty reasoning as well as their erroneous judgment. When these prior biases and prejudices were overcome however, the jury begins to realize the error in their reasoning that finally led them to vote for non-conviction of the boy. They are many reasoning and thinking errors in film. Some of the thinking errors identified in the movie, â€Å"12 angry men† was being closed-minded, being prejudice and being impatient. We identify these as thinking errors because it demonstrates how our faulty judgment just like the case of the jurors are influenced by their background to erroneously judge the case of the boy. As an example of the thinking error of being impatient was when one of the jurors does not want to engage in a lengthy discussion about the case for fear of running late for the baseball game. Another thinking error in the film was being closed-minded and prejudice. This was shown in the case of Juror 3 whose estranged relationship with his son affected his judgment in the case of wanting to convict the suspect just because of his strained relationship with his son. Another is juror 10 who is prejudiced against the slums dwellers as killers and people

Report Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Report Summary - Essay Example Intellectuals state that the internet has availed enormous information that even a crummy institutional library’s resources cannot have any comparison (Greenblatt 777). Since through internet search machines, a person can access diverse and adequate information within a small duration. This is far from comparing with an individual in a library where physically has to peruse books and probably may lack refined required information. Some intellectuals’ arguments, is that internet aids humanity in becoming smarter, since it strengthens some parts of the brain. Conversely, Thompson from Syracuse University argues that much of internet information undergoes utter filtering, which makes it somehow shallow for reliance (Greenblatt 777). Since internet researchers, especially the students fail in digging deeply to attain the subject’s background. Consequently, yielding to students and other persons who may be looking for similar information citing one source, which is li mited. David Levy from University of Washington warns of evil negatives regarding material overload that leaves one with no time meant for reflection. This leaves one with much information and devoid of necessary capability to utilize it. Since the attained information, act as stored facts that have no purpose in life or formulation of other essential ideas (Greenblatt 778). Carr states that the web has grievous results on its clients; because it affects the mind especially in the manner, it processes information. Primarily, this is evident in the people who study short pieces of literature with hyperlink embedded, for they have less attention on them than the actual physical books’ readers. Internet bears positive and harmful aspects, but these depend on individuals’ context, which implies that the internet does not make us either smarter or stupid. Hence, altering the way we think (Greenblatt 778). Numerous people argue that

Bechtel Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Bechtel Corporation - Essay Example Its signature projects include: the Bay Area Rapid Transit; Channel Tunnel & Rail Link; Cingular wireless expansion; Hong Kong International Airport; Hoover Dam; Hurricane Katrina disaster relief; Iraq reconstruction; Jubail Industrial City; Kuwait oil fires; Tacoma Narrows Bride; and the Three Mile Island cleanup. The firm remains a privately owned business. It now has its headquarters in San Francisco, with offices worldwide employing 53,000 employees. Its 2011 revenues amount to USD$32.9 billion, and its new contract awards are valued at US$53 billion (Bechtel Corp.com., 1). The company continues to grow its revenues and projects, but faces a possible weakening of the economy the in the coming years which may adversely affect the construction industry (O’Connor, 1), Bechtel included. General Statement of Results Bechtel is one of the leading international construction firms. It has developed competitive competencies in various other specialized but fields. Supporting this special capability is the firm’s commitment to ethical business principles, quality of output, and safety of employees and customers. The company’s policies are people-centric, placing emphasis on the welfare of customers, employees, suppliers, and the community above the prospects of profits. Its leadership is value driven, both within and outside the organization, as evident in Bechtel’s mentoring program that has midway in its second decade. Objectives are set by management with the participation of the organization’s stakeholders, and performance measures. Quality of inputs is ascertained by a system of registration of suppliers who are oriented and trained according to Bechtel’s standards. ... General Statement of Results Bechtel is one of the leading international construction firms. It has developed competitive competencies in various other specialized but fields. Supporting this special capability is the firm’s commitment to ethical business principles, quality of output, and safety of employees and customers. The company’s policies are people-centric, placing emphasis on the welfare of customers, employees, suppliers, and the community above the prospects of profits. Its leadership is value driven, both within and outside the organization, as evident in Bechtel’s mentoring program that has midway in its second decade. Objectives are set by management with the participation of the organization’s stakeholders, and performance measures. Quality of inputs is ascertained by a system of registration of suppliers who are oriented and trained according to Bechtel’s standards. Technology is at a premium in Bechtel, with several of the innovati ons the company intended for application in the construction industry being accorded recognition through prestigious international awards. Work procedures at the company have consistently stressed quality but not at the expense of employee and customer safety. As with all firms, however, Bechtel has problems with its unions, and accusations of cronyism and taking advantage of Iraq’s destruction as a result of the U.S.-led invasion, since it received one of the first and largest contracts in Iraq. It appears from this that Bechtel’s very competence and success has been the cause of aspersions levelled at its reputation. Analysis (positive or negative impact, especially positive consequences) a. Policy Bechtel’s vision is to be the world’s premier engineering, construction, and project

A Short Story By O’ Henry Essay Example for Free

A Short Story By O’ Henry Essay Themes: Death and Dying: Last leaf is a short story that entails the treasury of life and the existence of faith and hope. It need to the importance of living and how we deal with the hindrances we battle through our life story. It is a moving story across the traps that come across us in the most significant parts of our lives, the value of life is the centerpiece of story, where all the things go back and revolve†¦Apart of this story gives us a hint that God is the only one who knows that whether we ride on with life and chances or trail on and be drawn against the judgment, the melodramatic and picturesque setting of the story connects to the negative status of main character facing life and death subject matter. Pessimism: Johnsy the main character seems to be a very pessimistic person. She has lost the entire positive attitude in life due to her disease and she is waiting for her death. â€Å"Your little lady has made up her mind that she’s not going to get well. Has she anything on her mind† That is the first step of Jhonsy that she has made up her mind that she will die when the last leaf fall. That signifies the mental and psychological conditionn of her and is describing the theme of pessimistic. â€Å"She was looking out of window and counting -counting backwards† The psychological disturbances shown by O’ Henry in these lines as she is tired of waiting that when the last leaf falls, she will be near to death. â€Å"When the last one falls I must go, too.† Here in these lines Henry has showed extreme pessimism. It is the last one, said Johnsy â€Å"I thought it would surely fall during the night. I heard the wind. It will fall today, and I shall die at the same time.† These words literated by jonsy again show her desperate and chaotic state of mind. She has supposed the things which have no logic and waiting for her death, or waiting for the last leaf to fall. Self-Sacrifice: Mr. Behrman risks his life for Johnsy. He has sacrificed his own life, to give life to Johnsy the painting he made at the wall, shows his self sacrificing, kind and noble nature. He himself catches the pneumonia and  dies, but he didn’t let Johnsy to die. With the character of Mr. Buhrmann, O’ Henry is showing the sacrificing mature of a man and it gives us a message that self sacrificing is a great deed and one has to kind and gentle towards others. â€Å"Mr. Buhrmann died of pneumonia today in hospital.† Hope: Theme of hope is very nicely presented in this story. Doctor is a very optimistic person and he tries to make Johnsy realized that is she has made her mind that she will die when the last leaf fall that could be harmful for her. He told her that he can only provide her medicine and that is effective as 50 cent, the next situation is in her hand. â€Å"I subtract 50 percent from the curative power of medicines.† If you will get her to ask one question about the new writer styles in cloak sleeves I will promise you one-in-five chance for her, instead of† So O’ Henry conveys message one never let go for hope and optimist approach in life. It is out state of mind which can bring worse or better for us in our lives â€Å"Sadie, someday I hope to point the bay of Naples† These lines show Johnsy’s desires and aspirations. It gives the picture of hope and this hope in life gives us the spirit of living in this world. Love and Friendship: In last leaf O’ Henry describes friendship and bondage between two friends. They care and love each other, and she supports Johnsy morally when she falls ill. She proves to be great support for Johnsy and she tries her level best to bring back Johnsy towards life and in the world of optimism. â€Å"Dear, Dear!† said she, learning her won face down to the pillow † think of me, if you won’t think of yourself. What would I do?† These lines show the effective relationship between two friends. Mr. Behrman also shows great deal of love for these girls. Although he is bit careless person but he really cared for Johnsy and his love is shown by his painting for the sake of Johnsy’s life. What is the theme of The Last Leaf by O Henry? The theme of this story is definitely self-sacrifice. Mr. Behrman sacraficed his own health for Johnsy. One theme of this story is that you should never judge someone by what they appear to be, but by their actions. Behrman acts fierce and aggressive, but his actions show how much he cares about Johnsy. I learned to judge people, not by their looks, but by their actions, because ultimately, actions are the things that make an impact Passion, hope and personal sacrifice. O Henry gives people hope in a quickly transforming world where big bussinesses and technology were taking over artsy New York. it is about the love between those friends

Good Will Hunting Biopsychological Approach Essay Example for Free

Good Will Hunting Biopsychological Approach Essay The biopshychological approach to Wills behavior would suggest that he is like he is because of his brain chemistry. The chemicals in his brain cause him to respond violently to pressure. The make up of his genetics cause him to be the way he is and he would be this way no matter how he was raised. This approach would also suggest that he could be changed by drugs to balance the chemicals in his brain. Behavioral Approach: The behavioral approach would imply that all of Wills behavior is learned and he is a product of his environment. He is violent because he was probably beaten as a child and as he grew up he learned to handle his problems through violence. He kept up this behavior because he was never punished severely enough to get him to stop. He learned that he could go to court and talk his way out of his situations which did not give him any reason to stop doing what he was doing. He also learned not to get to close to anybody or open up to them. This was learned because some of the people in his life who were supposed to love him had abandoned him. Psychoanalitic Approach: The psychoanalitic approach would indicate that Wills behavior was from his subconscious mind and were impulses from childhood experiences. For example, Will was beaten up in kindergarten by a bully, later on in his life he sees the bully and starts a fight with him. His decision to fight was made subconsciously from an impulse from a childhood experience. When he was a child he was also abused by his parents. Later in Wills life, he often resorts to violence subconsciously due to his childhood beatings. Humanistic Approach: The humanistic approach would state that Will makes his decisions based on free will and is basically a good person. Will is how he is because that is how he wants to be. Will does not realize until later in life that he has to much potential to waste his life. Will is an overall good person. This is shown in his in his actions throughout the movie, for example, when he decided to keep working construction instead of taking a job with mil itary intelligence because he would rather help people by making housing than get people killed. Cognitive Approach: The cognitive approach would suggest Will is how he is because that is how he sees himself. Will is a well educated man but for most of the movie Will sees himself as a nobody who will work for cheap and stay in the ghetto. Once his intelligence is noticed realizes that he has the opportunity to use his knowledge and make something of himself. Sociocultural Approach: The sociocultural approach would say that Will is how he is because of influences from society. Society usually views people from the ghetto as people who will never make something of themselves so he feels the same way about himself. Society expects people from the ghetto to resort to violence to solve their problems. This is why Will usually resorts to violence in tough situations. Society also does not allow for men to open up and share their feeling freely. This is the reason why it is so hard for will to open up and get emotional.

Durkheims Approach to Sociological Analysis

Durkheims Approach to Sociological Analysis Outline the main features of Durkheims approach to sociological analysis, and discuss how this may be used to understand suicide rate. Durkheim was a French positivist, with an emphasis on functionalism, which revolves around a biological analogy where in society, is seen as an organic whole with each component working to maintain the others, similar to the human body. Its main interest is seeing how these parts create a stable whole. One of the main areas of Durkheims approach is the focus on social facts, these are social phenomena and ways of thinking and behaving that restrain individuals in some manner or other and can include institutions such as the state and education. They appear from collectively formed rules and practices, be they religious or secular and are beyond our control as individuals. Because of these social facts individuals have littler or no control over their own actions, rather than constructing their own world they are directed by the system as society needs certain social behaviours and phenomena to survive. These social facts are passed on from generation to generation and shared among the individuals. From this perspective it is not individual will that drives behaviours but rather the common norms and values of society that shape ones consciousness. Not only are these types of behaviour and thinking external to the individual, but they are endued with a compelling and coercive power b y virtue of which, whether he wishes it or not, they impose themselves upon him (Durkheim, 1895 pp50). These social facts form the basis of a collective consciousness, which Durkheim sees as the body of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society (Durkheim, 1893). This collective consciousness promotes solidarity, forging a common bond between individuals in a society, creating a form of order and stability. Without a form of moral consensus there would be conflict and disorder From where interest is the only ruling for each individual finds himself in a state of was with every other (Durkheim, 1973, p89) Since the collective consciousness is a social fact it too constrains individuals to act in terms of the greater good and for the good of the society and is deeply imprinted on the individual as without it there would be no society as we know it. These social facts can have problems if they regulate too much or not enough, without enough control the individual would give in to their own wants and desires, with too much they would feel repressed, inevitably both will lead to deviance, that being going against the norms and values of society. From a collective consciousness come two forms of solidarity, organic and mechanical. Organic solidarity is based upon a dependence that individuals in an advanced society place on each other. It is common among societies where the division of labor is high. Though individuals perform different tasks and often have different values and interests, the order and survival of society depends on their reliance on each other to perform their specific tasks. Mechanical solidarity on the other hand is based upon the similarities among individuals in a society, within it people feel connected through similar work, education and religious practices. It primarily exists in societies that possess a low division of labour where this is little interdependence between individuals and where there is a basic or lack of organisation and compared to societies with organic solidarity there is more value placed on religion, society and its interests and there is a greater collective consciousness and les s emphasise placed on individualism, that being where you count yourself as an individual rather than part of a group, putting yourself first etc (Haralambos 2004 pp). From organic solidarity and individualism can come anomie, this is a sense of normlessness, where norms themselves are unclear, broken down or unregulated If the rules of the conjugal morality lose their authority, and the mutual obligations of husband and wife become less respected, the emotions and appetites ruled by this sector of morality will become unrestricted and uncontained, and accentuated by this very release; powerless to fulfil themselves because they have been freed from all limitations, these emotions will produce a disillusionment which manifests itself visibly(Durkheim, 1972, p. 173) He noted that it was common in societies that possessed a less defined collective consciousness and a higher amount of individualismThe state of anomie is impossible whenever interdependent organs are sufficiently in cont act and sufficiently extensive. If they are close to each other, they are readily aware, in every situation, of the need which they have of one-another, and consequently they have an active and permanent feeling of mutual dependence.(Durkheim, 1895, p184) Imbalances in the amount of regulation caused by social facts and the amount of integration from solidarity are one of the main factors within suicide, less advanced societies having too much integration and regulation and industrial societies have too littler of either. Durkheim said that suicide was a social act, not entirely an individual one revolving around the relationships between the individual and society. He found that there was a correlation between the suicide rate and various social facts. For example he found that suicide rates were higher in protestant countries than catholic ones, he also found that there was a low rate during times of social and political upheaval due to the amount of solidarity that such events creates (Durkheim in Marsh, pp66-69). He laid out four types of suicide, depending on the degree that individuals were involved in society and on the degree that their behaviour was regulated. The four types being egoistic, anomic, altruistic and fatalistic. Egoistic suicide is common in industrial societies with high amounts of division of labour and comes from a high amount of individualism, which stems from a low amount of integration due to a weak collective consciousness from the social groups from which they originally belonged; in effect society allows the individual to escape it In this case the bond attaching man to life relaxes because that attaching himself to society is itself slack (Durkheim in Marsh pp67). This sort of suicide Durkheim said accounted for the differences of suicide rates between Protestants and Catholics, with Catholicisms demanding a higher amount of conformity, in comparison to the Protestant church that encouraged the individual to interpret the religious texts in their own way without stigma. Another type of suicide common in industrial societies is anomic which results from a low amount of regulation. It occurs when norms and values are disrupted by social change, procuring feelings of uncertainty with in the individual. Whenever serious readjustments take place in the social order, whether or not due to a sudden growth or to an unexpected catastrophe, men are more inclined to self destruction (Durkheim in K. Thompson, 1971, pp109) Durkheim found that suicide rates rose during positive as well as negative directions of social change. He noted that there was a rise after the crash of the Paris stock exchange in 1882 and the conquest of Rome in 1870 by Victor-Emmanuel which resulted in rising salaries and living standards but also a rise in the suicide rate. On the opposite side of the spectrum is altruistic suicide that comes from a high amount of integration and strong feeling of society and solid collective consciousness. This form of suicide is mostly present in pre-industrial societies who possess mechanical solidarity. This was seen as a self sacrifice for the good of the group This sacrifice then is imposed by society for social ends (Durkheim in Marsh, pp68). It is not done because it seen as the best option but more out of a sense of duty to said group. For someone to do such an act out of duty then they must have little self worth, the individual being fully submerged into a group and feeling like just a part of a greater thing, thus highly integrated. For society to be able to compel some of its members to kill themselves, the individual personality can have little value. For as soon as the latter begins to form, the right to existence is the first conceded (Ibid, pp68) Various examples of this can be seen throughout history, Vikings considers it dishonourable to die of old age or sickness and so ended their own lives to avoid social disgrace. Durkheim placed no importance on fatalistic suicide, saying that it had more place in history than in modern societies. It occurred when society restricted an individual so much that they were repressed, feeling that they had no futures or dreams. One of the major criticisms of Durkheims analysis is his concepts of integration and regulation. Durkheim gives no hint as to how one would measure integration or regulation for example he simply asks us to assume that such underlying concepts are significant in relation to the explanation of suicide. He assumes that suicidal behavior results from a deviation from normal levels of integration and regulation. We are given no idea what exactly is a normal level, so we cannot say what amount of regulation and integration is normal or abnormal (Web ref 1). However with some work, it could be possible to come up with various test relating to theses concepts, so that we could measure them among different groups in society. A second criticism is that his work on suicide is based upon official statistics from the 19th century He gives us little idea about the reliability of the source of the statistics and the methods used in recording them could not be up to scratch, some could be wrong, s ince they were hand written things could be misread and so on. Another factor is that the determination of suicide involves is process of interpretation by numerous people such as policemen, doctors, coroners etc (Ibid). In this respect, we have no real way of determining either the reliability or validity of suicide statistics. The coroner is the one who decides whether death was due to suicide or not and various factors can sway his judgment towards it not being so. The individuals verdict depends on their outlook on their work and on their outlook on suicide. Some would be thorough in the investigation whilst others would be concerned about not intruding upon the rights and feelings of the surviving relatives. For example if the victim was Catholic, since traditionally the Catholic Church view suicide as a sin, the coroner may well make his decision based on the effect that the stigma that a suicide verdict carries may have on the relatives. It is known that coroners in Catholic countries such as Italy and Mexico are more-reluctant to classify a suspicious death as suicide than coroners in non-Catholic countries. Another fact is that some countries suicide is classified as a crime, in such countries, coroners tend to be more-reluctant to classify a death as suicide than in countries where such a law does not apply, for example when suicide was illegal in Britain the punishment was that deceased property would be ceased by the state, so it would be justifiable to deem a suicide as something else to avert any more tragedy. Also where the victim was insured against death, coroners tend to be less likely to classify death as suicide than in instances where there is none, as such an act can void the coverage. One final criticism is that he does not take into look into individual action as a cause; however he does briefly acknowledge it but claims that it has no part in sociology (Ibid) Bibliography Durkheim, E (1973). Moral Education. Macmillan USA Durkheim, E (1975). On Morality and Society. revised ed. Chicago: Chicago University Press Durkheim, E (1982). The Rules of the Sociological Method. revised ed. London: The Free Press. Durkheim, E (1997). The Division of Labour in Society. revised ed. London: The Free Press Haralambos and Holborn (2004). Sociology themes and perspectives. 6th ed. London: Collin Marsh.I (1998). Classic and Contemporary Readings in Sociology. London: Pretince Hall. Thompson.K and Tunstall.J (1983). Sociological Perspectives. 9th ed. London: Penguin Books

The Great Gatsby Essay -- The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes many universal and timeless themes to make the novel a classic. He emphasizes that most people lack insight and can not see the truth. To the majority of the society, the reality is an illusion that they create in their minds. The characters, events, setting, symbols and imagery contribute to establishing this theme. Myrtle Wilson, a woman of ludicrous ostentation, yearns to escape her class to enter the higher ranks. She believes a marriage to Tom Buchanan will relieve her of this lower status. Myrtle is obsessed by appearances and unaware of realities, as is shown in her excessive concern of clothing. She attempts to impress the upper society while looking down upon the members of her class. "Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the stiflessness of the lower orders. 'These people! You have to keep after them." (Fitzgerald 36) Unfortunately, Myrtle does not realize that she will never transcend her class barrier or marry Tom. Her husband Wilson, a poor spiritless garage owner, discovers the affair but continues to do nothing about it. He is a tragically broken man living in a blighted world with his own dreams of success for his business and marriage. Wilson lives in the Valley of Ashes, a desolate place in New York, where gray heaps of ashes envelop him and his garage. The sy mbolic ashes of spiritual desolation create the "smoky air" (Fitzgerald 35) at the party in the New York apartment, where Myrtle struggles to raise her status. Tom Buchanan represents the brutality and moral carelessness of the established rich. He believes he is an intellectual with logical philosophies about the society. "Have you read 'The Rise of the Coloured Empires' by this man Goddard?†¦'Well it's a fine book and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don't look out the white race will be-will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it's been proved." (Fitzgerald 17) However, Tom is extremely injudicious and lacks intelligence. His concern for preserving the social status quo and the grammatical errors in his speech reveal his ignorance. He lacks integrity and idealism. Daisy Buchanan, silly and self-indulgent, drifts aimlessly through a world created by her wealth. Fay, her maiden name, suggests her ethereal insubstantial quality. Daisy knows about ... ...e was just an illusion and could not dissolve the strong undercurrent of sectionalism. The makers of the compromise and the majority of Americans could not see the reality of the coming of the Civil War; they simply tried to avoid it by formulating ineffective compromises. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a timeless and universal classic. In the novel, Fitzgerald underlines that most people can not see reality and drift through their own dreams and illusions. Fitzgerald suggests that most people lack insight and only see things for their face value. The details, characters, setting, symbolism, and imagery all contribute to the theme of the novel. The Great Gatsby is a classic because its issues can be related to the past and the present day societies. Today's conflicts at the beginning of the twenty-first century and yesterday's conflicts in the 1800's compare with those of Fitzgerlad's era. Bibliography 1. Andrew, Luke. " Titanic." http://www.jps.net/chambers/titanic/history.htm. 2. Brinkley, Alan, and Current, Richard N. American History: A Survey. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991.