Landmark Supreme Court Cases - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1556 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category Law Essay Level High school Tags: Supreme Court Cases Essay Did you like this example? New Jersey v. T.L.O.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At a New Jersey High School, specifically Piscataway High School, a teacher found two girls smoking cigarettes and proceeded to escort them to the principals office. The first girl admitted to smoking but the second girl, T.L.O., denied smoking anything. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Landmark Supreme Court Cases" essay for you Create order The principal eventually searched the girls purse and found cigarettes, marijuana, and a list with the names of fellow students who owed T.L.O. money. T.L.O. was charged with the possession of marijuana but before her trial, she moved to suppress evidence discovered in the search, and was denied by the Court. She was found guilty and sentenced to one year on probation by the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County. The defendant appealed to the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division and they held the original Courts findings. After that, the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed the ruling, saying that the exclusionary rule of the Fourth Amendment applies to searches and seizures conducted by school officials in public schools. Once it reached the Supreme Court of the United States, by a 6 to 3 ruling, ruled that Piscataway High School and the State of New Jersey had met a reasonableness standard for conducting such searches at school because stude nts have a reduced expectation of privacy when in school.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This case was an example of   judicial restraint because they upheld the ability of the administration to search and seize with probable cause. There was smoke in the bathroom, and only those two girls were in there. The Piscataway principle had every right to search her bag, it says so in the fourth amendment. Gideon v. Wainwright   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clarence Earl Gideon was charged in the State of Florida for breaking and entering with the intent to commit a misdemeanor, which is a felony under Florida Law. Gideon appeared to court without having an attorney, and in open court, he requested that the judge appoint counsel for him because he could not afford counsel. The judge denied the request because Florida law only allowed appointment of counsel for poor defendants charged with capital offenses. Gideon represented himself, cross-examined witnesses, presented witnesses, argued his innocence, and declined to testify himself. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. Gideon filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the Florida Supreme Court on the ground that the judge refused to appoint counsel for him, which violated his   constitutional rights, but he was denied. He then filed a handwritten petition to the Supreme Court of the United States, and they agreed to hear the cas e. The Supreme Court of the United States unanimously agreed to uphold the Sixth Amendments guarantee of counsel because it is a fundamental right to a fair trial, and this is applied through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. (USCourts.gov)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Supreme Court of the United States ruling in this was judicial activism because they overturned a previous ruling, that being the ruling of Betts v. Brady (1942) where they held that the refusal to appoint counsel for an indigent defendant charged with a felony in the state court did not necessarily violate the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Gideon v. Wainwright was a momentous ruling for the rights of the accused because of the new precedence it had set.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This ruling set a new precedent, guaranteeing that if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Justice Hugo Black, the Justice that wrote the opinion of the Court, said that reason and reflection require us to recognize that in our adversary system of criminal justice, any person haled into court, who is too poor to hire a lawyer, cannot be assured a fair trial unless counsel is provided for him (USCourts.gov). It made all state laws allowing for counsel not to be provided unconstitutional because they did not follow due process. The Supreme Court overruled Floridas law in this, changing their power for the benefit of the accused. Korematsu v. United States   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On February 19, 1942, President F. D. Roosevelt signed an Executive Order authorizing the Secretary of War and the military to remove people of Japanese ancestry from designated military areas and neighboring communities. Eventually this lead to the mass relocation of 120,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese aliens to internment camps mostly along the West Coast. Fred Korematsu was one of them, a 23 year old Japanese-American. He did not follow the order to leave his home and job. He even went as far to get plastic surgery, changed his name, and said he was of Hawaiian and Spanish ancestry. On May 30, 1942, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Fred Korematsu for not reporting to the internment camp. Korematsu allowed the American Civil Liberties Union to represent him. He was tried in San Francisco, convicted of violating the military orders issued under the Executive Order FDR authorized. He was sentenced to five years on probation, and got sent t o an Assembly Center in San Bruno, CA. Korematsus attorneys appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals, and they upheld the trial courts decision. He then asked the Supreme Court to hear his case, and they ruled 6-3 in favor that the detention was based on military necessity, and not race. (USCourts.gov)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Supreme Court, at the time very divided, ruled 6-3 in favor of the lower courts ruling. This ruling was one of judicial restraint because they upheld the implied powers taken from the expressed powers in Articles 1 2 of the Constitution and that the military knew what was best.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This had a great impact on how the United States could act during a time of War. It is allowed in the Constitution for the government to incarcerate an entire group of people with no crimes being committed for the security of the entire people. In the 1980s, the district court ruling cleared Korematsus name on the grounds of the governments legal team suppressing or destroying evidence from intelligence agencies stating that Japanese-Americans posed no military threat. With that being said, the Supreme Court upheld their verdict from 40 years prior; Justice Hugo Black said Pressing public necessity may sometimes justify the existence of such restrictions; racial antagonism never can (USCourts.gov). Mapp v. Ohio   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cleveland Police Officers, without a search warrant, busted their way into Dollree Mapps house looking for a suspected bomber. CPD Officers didnt find a suspect but they did find a trunk of obscene pictures in her basement. She was arrested for possession of the obscene pictures but argued that her fourth amendment rights had been violated by the search. Her appeal finally reached the Supreme Court where they ruled 5-3 in favor of Mapp. They said that evidence seized without a search warrant couldnt be used in criminal prosecutions in state courts. For reference: during this time, evidence seized illegally was banned from federal courts but not from state courts. (USCourts.gov)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ruling in Mapp v. Ohio was one of judicial activism because they set a new precedent by making all evidence seized unlawfully banned from both state and federal courts. The Fourth Amendment states that ,The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, support by Oath of affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized (U.S. Constitution, Amendment IV). The Supreme Court upheld what is written in the Constitution, but mandated that all state courts follow what the Constitution states because, in this case, Ohio was denying Mapp her civil rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This ruling changed the powers that the states had at the time. The Supreme Court, having set this precedent, made any and all evidence obtained without a search warrant or probable cause, illegal at all state courts. Federally, it was already at this precedent. Along with Gideon v. Wainwright, this was a huge ruling for the rights of the accused in the state court systems. Activism v. Restraint   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If I were the President, I would want an activist judge. Some of the most important protections we have as citizens have come from cases deemed as being judicial activism such as Brown v. Board of Education, Mapp v. Ohio, and Gideon v. Wainwright. We need certain protections from the government, which are our civil liberties and right. It is crucial to our freedom as we know it, and times change, as should the laws except for the Second Amendment. Works Cited Facts and Case Summary Gideon v. Wainwright. United States Courts, https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-gideon-v-wainwright. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. Facts and Case Summary Korematsu v. U.S. United States Courts, https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-korematsu-v-us. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/323us214. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1960/236. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1962/155. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1983/83-712. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. Korematsu v. United States. Prezi.Com, https://prezi.com/lsyxlxwmzpo7/korematsu-v-united-states/. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. Mapp v. Ohio Podcast. United States Courts, https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/supreme-court-landmarks/mapp-v-ohio-podcast. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018. New Jersey v. T.L.O. United States Courts, https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/new-jersey-v-tlo. Accessed 14 Dec. 2018.

Serving in the Army Free Essays

Serving in the army In America, serving in the army is often associated with respect and honour. From an outsider’s view, America has always been a very patriotic country based on a strong passion for freedom and democracy. So is that the driving power that makes so many young American men and women to enlist themselves in the Army? Yet it seems that not everyone looks upon the army with the same amount of respect, and maybe America today isn’t as patriotic as it used to be. We will write a custom essay sample on Serving in the Army or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the text â€Å"A soldier’s story: War affects whole family† the parents of Army Sergeant Ryan Kahlor express their recent opposition to the army, after their son’s traumatizing experience. Ryan Kahlor’s father explains he had felt a patriotic surge after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and had therefore been proud of his son joining the army. But his thoughts about the war already changed during Ryan’s first tour where he complained about ineffective body armour and poorly armoured vehicles. The war has left Ryan with a series of complications, both physical and psychological. He says that in combat there is no time to grieve, and when you see a friend die you just go back to work. And he explains that without the help from the National Center for PTSD, he’d probably be dead. But Ryan still suffers from survivor’s guilt and still has a lot to work on. Yet it seems that he doesn’t regret his time in the army because it has matured him and made him stronger and more confident. The only thing he has to say about the war, is that they are fighting for peoples’ right to speak out. His parents, however, wish that he had never gone in. The text â€Å"The Making of a Marine Officer† illustrates a different look upon warfare. Lieutenant Fick, a former marine officer explains that the marines made him become a man. He says he joined the marines in search of a transformative adventure that could make him stronger and more capable. In the marines you develop a powerful group and a strong bond with the men you fight with and therefore the men in the same combat units tend to keep in touch for the rest of their lives, and there a only few who have the honour of understanding the sacred brotherhood that develops in combat. Fick explains that he grew up in the marines and it taught him the meaning of words like duty, honour and love and to be a citizen. But he already left after two tours of duty because he could kill when it was called for in combat, but he couldn’t do it again and again throughout his professional life. Sarah Palin expresses her opinion about serving in the army in an autobiographical text called â€Å"Why They Serve†. She believes that young American men and women choose to serve in the army because it is about fighting for freedom and democracy and fighting for America. And they are willing to sacrifice their lives for a cause bigger than themselves, for defending freedom. Sarah Palin is excellent at engaging the reader in her ideas. First off, she appeals to the everyday family by showing herself as an ordinary mother: â€Å"I was just one of thousands of proud but wary American women. † She makes it easy for people to relate to what she is saying by using a lot of references to her own personal experiences and feelings, using the appeal form pathos, like: â€Å"When I think of Track (her son) and the young women and men he serves with, I am filled with a genuine sense of awe† and: â€Å"For Track, the reason he serves starts with his family. †¦) He wants a world that is safe and welcoming for them. † She also appeals to people’s patriotic feelings, saying that they, in America, are privileged and they live in a completely unique country â€Å"founded not on a particular territory or culture or people, but on an idea. That idea is that all human beings have a God-given right to be free. † And therefore, when peo ple serve in the military: â€Å"They are defending the idea of America itself. † At last she also uses the appeal form ethos by quoting both John McCain and Ronald Reagan. So by using all of her rhetoric skills, she can easily convince a lot of people to believe in what she is trying to convey. I think Sarah Palin is on the right track concerning her ideas on what motivates young people to fight for their country. I think that defending democracy and freedom and defending what your country stands for, is a very big motivation for young Americans. And I believe that a lot of young people are willing to risk their lives to defend the values they have grown up with and believe so highly in. It can also be a big motivation that they are elping someone else. They are fighting for someone else to have a better future and to make broken countries work again. But sometimes the media and politicians idealize war, mainly in patriotic countries like America. Sarah Palin is especially idealizing war as a very honourable and brave act, which can encourage a lot of young people to seek that recognition of being brave and admirable. Following September 11, a lot of p eople felt very angry and vengeful, not only in America but in other democratic countries as well, and therefore they wanted to see justice done. Also, nobody wants something like that to happen again, and some young people might thereby find the urge to defend their country from terrorist attacks and be a part of the war against terrorism. The mindset of the people around you is also very important when making the choice of joining the military. If your parents frequently express their support to the troops or their hatred toward terrorists, it might feel natural to join the army, and I can imagine that many young people feel as though they are doing something that matters and feel righteousness when choosing to fight for their country. Then again, there are also the ones who are only doing it for the thrill, the experience or the money. Furthermore, being at war gives you life-long friendships and can give you an exceptional feeling of belonging and being a part of a brotherhood. Being a part of a brotherhood like that can be very attractive if you have a broken family or a feeling of not really belonging anywhere in the society. Being at war can also teach you a lot of things about death and life when it is as rough as it gets. Being close to death may even give life a higher purpose or meaning. Some people might just be bored with the trivial everyday life of the western culture and are missing some challenge or excitement, which the warzones offer. At last, it can’t be denied that many people only choose the military because it is their only chance of making some kind of career because the military will provide their education. How to cite Serving in the Army, Essay examples Serving in the Army Free Essays She alas about what drives young men and women, to fight in a country on the other side of the world instead of being out partying with their friends. For her own son she thinks the motivation is to be found in the family, and his wish that his younger siblings shall grow up in a more peaceful world. Plain means that, because America is build on the idea that all human beings have a God-given right to be free the American soldiers work for â€Å"a cause bigger than themselves†, when they sacrifice for the military. We will write a custom essay sample on Serving in the Army or any similar topic only for you Order Now Therefore she thinks that everybody should support the soldiers, as they work hard to defend the idea of America itself. Tim Sailor, who is the father to former deployed Army Sergeant Ryan Sailor, used to agree with the point of views of Plain and thought that fighting for your country was a patriotic thing to do. But as he expresses in text 2, his opinion has changed drastically after his son has returned from Iraq. Ryan Sailor has suffered from all kind of disorders after his deployment in Iraq, both physical and mental. He has been diagnosed with P T SD and traumatic brain injury. He has been treated for his EST. in an intensive 65-day group program with other veterans. But although he has now begun to recover, his parents, who encouraged him to join the army in the first place, regret that they ever allowed him to sign up. They do not think that the patriotic aspect in any way makes up for all the problems afterwards. Text 3 is about Nathaniel Pick, who is the author of a book about his time as a Marine Officer. Pick has a very different opinion about what deployment in the army can do for you, than the Sailor family. Pick sees it as a highly positive experience. He joined the army to get adventure and learn about manhood. He thinks being that being a soldier has helped him to understand what words like Serving in the Army – Engel’s still duty, honor and love means. In the army he discovered a brotherhood, which means a lot to him, because you it is a very special friendship which is build between men who goes through training and combats together. 2. To engage the reader Sarah Plain describes herself like any other American woman, when she talks about sending her son to war but she also presents herself as the vice-presidential running mate for John McCain, which is use of the appeal form ethos. By focusing on these two aspects she seems like a person with authority but also as a person who it is possibly to relate to. Plain rise to wake a patriotic feeling for America by talking about how America isn’t just another country but an exceptional country. † She continues by describing how it is the whole idea of America the deployed are defending. She is very passionate about that everybody should be supporting the soldiers as they live in hellish conditions and she also wakes sympathy for the soldiers by talking about how they have to be away from their families and risk their lives for their country. When talking about how her own son, and many other young men and women, join the army to have a chance to do, what they can to make the oral a better place to grow up for their smaller family members instead of being off partying on spring break or working their way up a hedgehopped career ladder she leaves no doubt that that these young people should get all the support they can from the American people and since they are willing make these sacrifices they most feel there is â€Å"a cause bigger than themselves† which they are fighting for. Plain also uses a reference to the old president Ronald Reagan. As he is a much respected former president the use of one of his famous quotations: â€Å"You all knew that some things are worth dying for. , can also help to wake the patriots in the readers and make them more engaged in the cause. 3. There are just as many different reasons to join the army as there are soldiers. Some Of them get their motivation from the simple wish to get an adventure that can be found nowhere else and learn about manhood as Nathaniel Pick in text 3. He wanted a break from college and joined the army 2 where he found a special brotherhood and protecting his brothers was as big a motivation for him in the combats as fighting for his country was. Others join the army to make money and some are drover by family traditions. Others again have more patriotic reasons to fight for their country, such as the hope of being able to help create a better world and being able to spread the freedom, which is so important to Americans, to other parts of the world, where there is people who have never experienced peace, democracy, freedom Of religion and all the other things We take as a matter Of course. I think that being able to help making a difference for people in a country ravaged by war must be the biggest motivation for many. It must be an amazing feeling to see that what you do actually helps creating peace in the world. How to cite Serving in the Army, Papers

Jimi Hendrix Rock n Roll Legend Essay Example For Students

Jimi Hendrix: Rock n Roll Legend Essay The extraordinary performances, recording, and lyrics ofJames Marshall Hendrix have made him impossible to forget. ThisAmerican rock music guitarist made a legendary mark not only inthe history of rock n roll but also on the pop culture as awhole (Ross 32). With unique techniques never seen before andblatant sex-related performances on stage, he became one of themost influential music figures of the 60s (Kamin). Hendrix was not born into stardom nor was it given to him byany means. He strived all throughout his life to be the verybest. Johnny Allen Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 inSeattle, Washington to Al and Lucille Hendrix, and not until fouryears later did his father change his sons name to JamesMarshall Hendrix. He certainly did not lead an easy life withhis sporadic schooling and his parents divorce in 1958. Addedto the building pressures, his mother died just one year later(Jimi, Rolling 42). Hendrix purchased his first guitar in 1958, probably torelieve tensions as it was the same year his parents divorced. It was a used acoustic for which he paid only five dollars. Atthe age of seventeen with only one years playing experience, hejoined his first band, the Rocking Kings. It may be hard toimagine because of his image, but Hendrix was also in the Armyfor a brief period of time. He was soon discharged as a resultof medical unsuitability after a parachuting accident in whichhe landed on his ankle (Jimi, Rolling 42). He ventured back tohis hometown of Seattle and began playing with Bobby Taylor andthe Vancouvers (Wolters, Pre-Experience). He seized the opportunity to go on the road after beingdiscovered by Little Richard in 1963 but soon regretted thedecision because he felt the tour was degrading, and he wasconstrained as being a sideman to Richard. His guitar was usedas little more than a background rhythm instrument, but Hendrixdeveloped his playing talent and soon discove red how to gaincontrol and take lead of the music. Unfortunately, he never wasable to get Richard to realize his talents, so he abandonedRichards tour in St. Louis (Wolters, Pre-Experience). After aimlessly wandering for awhile, Hendrix found himselfin Atlanta and once again teamed up with Little Richard. Thetour brought them to Los Angeles where he then went in his owndirection. He hooked up with Richard for a third time during thesummer of 1964 to record an album in which he again felt confinedas being only a backup to Little Richard (Wolters,Pre-Experience). Hendrix later joined the budding musician Arthur Lee, butthe partnership did not last long as he once again set out insearch of his own identity (Wolters, Pre-Experience). Heembarked as a traveling musician for various tours backing suchartists as Ike and Tina Turner, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, King Curtis, Solomon Burke, Chuck Jackson,Jackie Wilson, and several others (Wolters, Hendrix). On his next endeavor, he teamed up with saxophonist LonnieYoungblood. The pair was short-lived as Hendrix soon split, andhis adventurous spirit ended him up in New York where he rented asmall, cheap apartment and drifted from job to dead-end job(Wolters, Pre-Experience). The spring of 1964 brought better luck to Hendrix. RonnieIsley of the Isley Brothers hired him on the spot as leadguitarist after hearing him play for only a short amount of time. He lived with the group for a few months, and they actuallypurchased him his first Fender guitar (Jimi, Rolling 44). Theband toured in 1964 and also released some albums, but Hendrixwas still dissatisfied with his situation. He grew tired of thegroup and left the Isleys to join Curtis Knight and the Squires(Wolters, Pre-Experience). .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace , .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .postImageUrl , .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace , .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace:hover , .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace:visited , .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace:active { border:0!important; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace:active , .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u20e235d0feaa71c1396544468baf3ace:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Artificial Intelligence EssayNot long had the group been playing in the New Jersey areawhen Keith Richard, guitarist for the Rolling Stones, caught aglimpse of the stand-out guitarist and wanted to help the young, developing musician. He brought Hendrix to the attention ofimportant music industry people (Jimi, Facts 425). On October15, 1965, Hendrix signed his first recording contract with EdChalpin and PPX Productions in which he was paid a single dollarand promised one percent royalty on all future record sales(Wolters, Pre-Experience). Surprisingly, he only released five albums while he wasalive. They include, in order, Are You Experienced?, Axis: BoldAs Love, Electric Ladyland, Band of Gypsys, and Cry of Love(Wolters, Discography). He formed his dynamic rock band

The language of misunderstanding Essay Example For Students

The language of misunderstanding Essay David Mamets new play, Oleanna, is an urgent, upsetting examination of sexual harassment, a subject that has gripped America since the Clarence Thomas hearings. When the play premiered last October in Cambridge, Mass. (produced by Mamets own Back Bay Theatre Company in conjunction with the American Repertory Theatre), Mamet was attacked by people on both sides of the sexual battlefront. Your play is politically irresponsible, one female student challenged the playwright. You dont take a position. Your political statement is wrong. What has Mamet wrought? Is he just another macho playwright lashing out at guerilla feminists? Or does his play legitimately explore the gender gap? Or is it about two human beings who misread each other, tragically? As a playwright, Mamet answered the student, I have no political responsibility. Im an artist. I write plays, not political propaganda. If you want easy solutions, turn on the boob tube. Social and political issues on TV are cartoons; the good guy wears a white hat, the bad guy a black hat. Cartoons dont interest me. We are living through a time of deep transition, so everyone is unsettled. Im as angry, scared and confused as the rest of you. I dont have answers. We will write a custom essay on The language of misunderstanding specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now If Mamet believes an artist has no political responsibility, what then is the function of theatre in society? In his collection of essays, Writing in Restaurants, Mamet provides an answer: In dreams we do not seek answers which our conscious (rational) mind is capable of supplying, we seek answers to those questions which the conscious mind is incompetent to deal with. So with the drama, if the question posed is one which can be answered rationally, e.g., how does one fix a car, should white people be nice to black people, are the physically handicapped entitled to our respect, our enjoyment of the drama is incomplete we feel diverted but not fulfilled. Only if the question posed is one whose complexity and depth renders it unsusceptible to rational examination does the dramatic treatment seem to us appropriate, and the dramatic solution become enlightening. Currently running at New Yorks Orpheum Theatre with Rebecca Pidgeon and William H. Macy, Oleanna focuses on a female student who accuses an older male professor of sexual harassment. Although the plays polarized subject matter might lead one to expect an overtly polemical approach, Mamets use of language gives the play rich texture. Speaking past each other and often at cross purposes, the two characters get trapped in a tragic comedy of errors in which misunderstanding piled on misunderstanding builds a labyrinth of ambiguity. Formalized, repetitive, hypnotic, Mamets language is both real and surreal. In his hands, it ceases to be a transparent medium of communication, translating thoughts and feelings clearly and unequivocally from one mind to another. Instead, language spins its wheels and gets nowhere. Sentences refuse to complete themselves; they run on, loop back, start over, peter out, or suspend flight mid-air as the other character butts in. This stop-and-go creates an hallucinatory rhythm, a litany of broken sentences. Rhythm gives Mamets dialogue its undeniable theatrical punch. When asked about the difference between dialogue in a novel and dialogue on the stage, Mamet made the following observations: I grappled with this problem when I was adapting The Postman Always Rings Twice for the screen. Once you take dialogue out of a novel and delete the descriptions and the |he said |she said, once you put pictures with this dialogue, it collapses. The rhythm is wrong. The rhythm of a line of prose on a page is not the rhythm of a line of dialogue on a stage. If you break the rhythm, you break the meaning. Rhythm conveys meaning. Its puzzling. I cant explain it. But my ear hears it. Each medium has its own rules. .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 , .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .postImageUrl , .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 , .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503:hover , .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503:visited , .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503:active { border:0!important; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503:active , .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503 .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u209e982e7134688919d52ac94c078503:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Fire down below EssayThe rhythm of the language translates directly into the rhythm of the scene in performance. During a rehearsal for the Cambridge production, Mamet talks the actors through the violent final moments of the play: Filming Homicide, I learned the traditional bang-bang-bang way is wrong. Its too fast. Do it like a slow dance. Let the audience take it in. Be gentle with the violence. Then it terrifies. Then drive, drive, drive to the end. The blood sugar level is a little low. Let me hear those words full voice. This play is a protest. Protest from the bottom of your balls and the bottom of your ovaries. The last 90 seconds are the most important part of the play. Wrap it up, but dont tell the audience something they already know. To act is to do, Mamet says later, casting himself as the, Hemingway of directors. The difference between what is actable and what is not is physical. Emotions are not important in acting. An actor cant act angry. But a reprimand can be acted, and the reprimand will convey anger to the audience. You get at the inner thread of a play by what a character does. If you write a play correctly, you dont need stage directions. Let the script do the work. A director brings the actor in line with the text. And the director must always remember that on stage, as Stanislavsky found out, real palm trees from Yalta look fake. The purpose of theatre is to express, not duplicate. In Oleanna, Mamet also exposes the contemporary university as the graveyard of our culture. As an institution dependent on language for its very definition, the university is revealed as little more than a house of cards, subject to linguistic instabilities. A thicket of questions emerges from the play: How does one define an educated person? What is the purpose of education? How is it best accomplished? What does one need to know to face the 21st century? A top-notch diploma today can run $100,000 is it worth it? As universities raise their tuition, they resort to Madison Avenue marketing techniques to lure dwindling students, Mamet suggests. The halls of ivy are now patrolled, on the one hand, by the guardians of political correctness, and on the other, by semi-literate students who cant read Charles Dickenss long sentences, but who deploy a brilliant array of blackmail tactics to con a grade. This befuddled situation, notes Robert Brustein, artistic director of the American Rep and professor of English at Harvard, reminds me of nothing so much as an academic version of the Stalinist purges. Mamets play functions like one of Strindbergs steam valves, explosive and angry. On an archtypal level, Mamets play a sexual minuet of violence deals with the unending struggle for power between male and female. Deep within, men and women mistrust each other, and the relationship between them can never be easy, owing to primal fears: the male fear of castration and the female fear of male force and rape. The play unsettles spectators because it taps deep into the collective unconscious where these instinctive fears lurk just beneath waking life. This archtypal level gives Oleanna its muscle. The moment this mythological situation reappears, writes Jung, is always characterized by a peculiar emotional intensity. It is as though forces whose existence we never suspected were unloosed. With his back to the wall, the professor discovers brutality within him he never knew existed. Mamet sums up his play with questions, not answers. My play is about two people looking for answers and torturing each other. Both characters are in a state of flux. In this play the unthinkable, the unbelievable becomes real. The point of the play is, at the end, to ask, |How did we get here? The professor adores his students and prides himself on being a good teacher. How did he wind up thrashing a student?

Lost Boy essays

Lost Boy essays Book Report - The Lost Boy by: Dave Peltzer Dave Peltzer the author of The Lost Boy tells his story from the time he left his abusive mother and alcoholic father, through his experiences in five foster homes and juvenile detention, and how he eventually made it into the Air Force. He was a defiant, rebellious boy who, despite his background and personality, managed to endear himself to many guardians, social workers, and teachers. Pelzer writes in an honest, sometimes rambling, style; he is never bitter, and his story will find many sympathetic readers. The main purpose for Dave to write this book is to show at what lengths children and adolescents have gone to over come the unmentionable hardships of and abusive family. The three most valuable things I have learned from this book are very hard to choose. The book was full of many things to help me in my everyday life. Ranging from how to deal with kids who have be through abusive situations to how kids of abuse act in general. The first one has to be, Dave was very tactful in how he handled his thoughts and feelings. Many children his age are running around chasing girls and hanging with the guys. Not him he was studying hard and trying to be better than his parents were. He would always squander away what he had, so no one could take what was rightfully his and that includes his life. The second thing that was useful was how Dave was never angry with his situation he would just look at it as another challenge. Many times through out the book Dave would have to change foster homes after being fairly settled in the way of living there. Most teens his age cant handle a great deal of change but Dave would just go with the flow and never bat an eye lash. The third most valuable thing has to be his willingness to help. I would think that since no one would help him he would not help anyone else. On the contr...

Ethical Perspectives Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical Perspectives - Research Paper Example pt different cultures, and more importantly operate within different cultures in a more successful manner that transcends all personal organizational grounds. Due to this, every global organization may be identified with one form of cultural issue or the other that they have to deal with. Chevron is no exception when it comes to these issues of culture and globalization. At Chevron the major cultural issue that is identified has to do with cultural diversity among employees. Of the over 62,000 employees that Chevron has across the globe, close to a quarter of the number is found in the United States alone and another quarter of this is at the head quarters of the organization (Chevron, 2013). Among the total population of employees, people have been identified to come from as many as 40 different cultural backgrounds. Even within its head office San Ramon, California, US, there are people from over 12 cultural backgrounds (Chevron, 2013). This means that cultural diversity among empl oyees is a very huge issue that the company deals with at the local and international levels. As it is held by Graham (2006), cultural diversity comes with a lot of ethical and social responsibilities if an organization wants to hold a very balanced status or image as a global organization. In the case of Chevron, there are specific ethical and social responsibility issues that the company must be engaged in so as to satisfy its culturally diverse workforce to ensure that the fact that employees come from different cultural backgrounds and are mostly found working under the same roof does not pose any labor related issues for the company. At the same time, the company has ethical and social responsibilities to keep ensuring that the company is able to have a single and balanced ethical and social standard that works for its entire workforce no matter the part of the world they find themselves. One of these ethical issues is the need to have a common standard of ethical practice that

A Doll's House by Henrik Iben Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A Doll's House by Henrik Iben - Essay Example Most of Henrik Ibsen’s plays revolve around the struggling of people for an authentic identity for themselves. The backdrop of this struggle is a tyrannical society in which individuals struggle between their duty towards themselves and towards their families and society in general. One such woman is our protagonist Nora who represents such women who are repressed by society. Nora’s husband is Torvald Helmer, who is a rather controlling type of individual and treats her as one of his responsibilities and he is the one that portrays her identity. Most women in those days were not educated and so were easily relegated into a corner and never came out to voice their opinion. In this deductive essay, we are going to make an investigation on the theme of identity and how it was reflected in ancient society. Women in the 19th century were expected to be the typical stereotype subservient housewife, but one would be surprised at the turn of events in Henrik Ibsen’s play . Nora Helmer, who is the chief protagonist of this play, has all the characteristics of this stereotype woman, who does not possess an identity of her own and hence is depicted as an oppressed individual who possesses an inauthentic identity because of the societal demands of those times. In the beginning Nora is seen responding to her husband’s teasing and does not seem to care about her doll- like existence and with no identity to call her own. In sharp contrast to Nora, we have the contemporary woman of today with a world of difference in their attitudes and reactions to such a situation. Modern women in our present society has her own identity because she has made herself so strong, powerful and full of confidence in all that she does. However, as the play progresses we find Nora shedding some of her inauthentic identity by playing a more specific role in the family. The author highlights various facets of her intelligent and courageous nature which is far from the †Å"silly girl† her husband made her out to be. One such incident that was highlighted was the loan she had taken to preserve her husband’s health after forging her father’s signature, which proved that she was quite intelligent and possessed qualities that were beyond mere wifehood. However, Nora was quite inexperienced in many ways and did not understand the ways of the world, because she always lived under the care of her father and later on her husband. This statement is very clear when she tells her husband Torvald in no uncertain terms that, "I've been your wife-doll here, just as at home I was Papa's doll-child."(1608) However, as the play progresses, we find a great change taking place as Nora emerges as a strong and confident individual who refuses to be a doll any longer and rejects the false union of marriage and the burden of motherhood. This image of Nora identifies with the image of today’s strong and confident women, who like to live life acco rding to their own terms and not remain a scapegoat to be targeted at all times. The changing phase of Nora, is further augmented when she connects once again with her childhood friend Mrs. Linde who suffers the loss of her mother and husband. Mrs. Linde was a very down to earth person whose life was a big struggle due to poverty. Her adherence to the norms of society provides a perfect foil to the impetuous nature of Nora. Linde is a perfect foil to Nora’s lively exuberance in addition to her feminist ideas which explode towards the end of the play. Mrs. Linde is an archetype of the woman of those days, whose qualities Michael Meyer has described as â€Å"stuffy Victorianisms. Kristine Linde is in fact a sharp contrast to