Thursday, November 28, 2019

A Definition of the Literary Term, Cacophony

A Definition of the Literary Term, Cacophony Similar to its counterpart in music, a cacophony in literature is a combination of words or phrases that sound harsh, jarring, and generally unpleasant. Pronounced Kuh-koff-uh-nee, the noun cacophony and its adjective form cacophonous, refer to the â€Å"musicality† of writing- how it sounds to the reader when spoken aloud.     Ã‚   Coming from a Greek word literally meaning â€Å"bad sound,† cacophony as used in both prose and poetry typically  produces its desired unharmonious effect through the repeated use of â€Å"explosive† consonants, like T, P, or K. The word cacophony itself is cacophonous because of its repetition of the â€Å"K† sound. On the other hand, some words like â€Å"screeching,† â€Å"scratching,† or â€Å"oozing† are cacophonies simply because they are unpleasant to hear. The opposite of cacophony is â€Å"euphony,† a mixture of words that sound pleasant or melodious to the reader. A common misconception is that any tongue-twister, like â€Å"She sells seashells by the seashore† is an example of cacophony. While cacophonous phrases can be tricky to pronounce, not every tongue-twister is a cacophony. For example, â€Å"She sells seashells by the seashore† is actually an example of sibilance- the repeated use of soft consonants to produce hissing sounds- and is thus more euphony than cacophony. Explosive Consonants: A Key to Cacophony In many cases, â€Å"explosive† consonants are the key ingredient of cacophony. Explosive or â€Å"stop† consonants are those after which all sound abruptly stops, producing tiny verbal explosions or â€Å"pops† when spoken aloud. The consonants B, D, K, P, T, and G are the consonants most commonly used in creating a cacophony. For example, imagine writing about a metal pot falling down a stairway. The pot would ping, ting, bong, dong, clang, and bang before going whack against your head. Other explosive consonants  or stop sounds include C, CH, Q, and X. Individual words, sentences, paragraphs, or entire poems are considered cacophonous when they contain explosive consonants occurring in relatively close succession. For example, in his classic poem â€Å"The Raven,† Edgar Allan Poe uses the â€Å"G† sound in a cacophony when he writes, â€Å"What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore.†Or in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Macbeth,† the three witches’ chant of â€Å"Double, double toil and trouble,† repeats the â€Å"D† and â€Å"T† sounds to create a cacophony. However, this does not mean that every consonant must be explosive or that explosive sounds must come in rapid succession. Indeed, most cacophonies use other, non-explosive consonant sounds to add to the passage’s expression of uncomfortable discord. In contrast, euphony- the opposite of cacophony- uses soft consonant sounds, like â€Å"floral† or â€Å"euphoria,† or â€Å"cellar door,† which linguists consider the most pleasing combination of two words in the English language. Why Authors Use Cacophony In both prose and poetry, authors use cacophony to help bring life to their writing by making the sound of their words reflect or even mimic the subject, mood, or setting they are writing about. For example, cacophony might be used in writing about: The tolling of distant bells.The noise of a busy city street or classroom full of unruly children.The chaotic violence of a battleground.Dark emotions like guilt, regret, or sorrow.A world filled with fantasy and mysterious settings. By using cacophony and euphony- alone or together- authors can add tone and feeling to their writing in much the same way graphic artists use clashing and complementary colors to bring depth and emotion to their paintings.   Cacophony in Lewis Carroll’sâ€Å"Jabberwocky† In his 1871 novel, â€Å"Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There,† Lewis Carroll created perhaps the best-known example of cacophony by the inclusion of the classic poem, â€Å"Jabberwocky.† The poem, which at once fascinated and confounded the novel’s main character Alice, uses cacophony in the form of invented, unmelodious words spiked with the explosive constants T, B, K to paint  a picture of life in a fantastical world terrorized by a gang of menacing monsters. (Listen to Benedict Cumberbatch read the poem in this video.) Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the momeraths outgrabe.Beware the Jabberwock, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!Beware the Jubjub bird, and shunThe frumious Bandersnatch! Carroll’s cacophony of confusion clearly worked on the novel’s main character Alice, who after reading the poem, exclaimed: â€Å"Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas- only I don’t exactly know what they are! However, somebody killed something: that’s clear, at any rate.† Contrast Carrolls use of cacophony in â€Å"Jabberwocky† with the pleasurable euphony used by John Keats in his pastoral ode, â€Å"To Autumn.† Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;Conspiring with him how to load and blessWith fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run. Cacophony in Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Cat’s Cradle† In his 1963 novel â€Å"Cat’s Cradle,† Kurt Vonnegut creates the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo, the natives of which speak a vaguely recognizable dialect of English. The San Lorenzan dialect is dominated by the explosive consonant sounds of TSVs, Ks, and hard Ps and Bs.   At one point, Vonnegut translates the well-known nursery rhyme â€Å"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star† (albeit the version used in Alice in Wonderland) into Lorenzan: Tsvent-kiul, tsvent-kiul, lett-pool store,(Twinkle, twinkle, little star,)  Kojytsvantoor bat voo yore.(How I wonder what you are,)        Ã‚  Ã‚     Put-shinik on lo sheezobrath,(Shining in the sky so bright,)Kam oon teetron on lo nath,(Like a tea tray in the night,) Throughout the novel, Vonnegut  uses cacophony comically to illustrate the absurdities of subjects like science, technology, religion, and the arms race by creating characters like Zinka and Bokonon and invented words like sinookas and wampeters, which are decidedly cacophonic due to their use of explosive consonants. Cacophony in Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"Gullivers Travels† In his satirical novel on human nature â€Å"Gullivers Travels,† Jonathan Swift uses cacophony to  create a graphic mental image of the horrors of war. I could not forbear shaking my head, and smiling a little at his ignorance. And being no stranger to the art of war, I gave him a description of cannons, culverins, muskets, carbines, pistols, bullets, powder, swords, bayonets, battles, sieges, retreats, attacks, undermines, countermines, bombardments, sea fights, ships sunk with a thousand men†¦ In similar passages, combining sharp sounds of the explosive consonants C and K add a nature of ruggedness and violence to words like â€Å"cannons† and â€Å"muskets, while P and B add to the discomfort felt while reading words like â€Å"pistols† and â€Å"bombardments.† But Does Cacophony Always Work?   While it can clearly add color and tone to writing, cacophony can sometimes do more harm than good.   If used for no good reason or too often, it can distract and even aggravate readers, making it hard for them to follow the work’s main plot or to understand its intent. Indeed, many authors strive to avoid injecting â€Å"accidental cacophony† into their works. As the noted literary critic M. H. Abrams points out in his book, â€Å"A Glossary of Literary Terms,† a cacophony may be written, â€Å"inadvertent, through a lapse in the writers attention or skill.† However, he stresses, â€Å"cacophony may also be deliberate and functional: for humor, or else for other purposes.† Key Points A cacophony in literature is a combination of words or phrases that sound harsh, jarring, and generally unpleasant.The opposite of cacophony is â€Å"euphony,† a mixture of pleasant or melodious words.The repeated use of â€Å"explosive† or â€Å"stop† consonants like B, D, K, P, T, and G are often used to create a cacophony.Cacophony is used in both poetry and prose.Writers use cacophony to help readers picture and feel the situations or conditions they are describing. Sources â€Å"Euphony and Cacophony.†Encyclopedia Britannica. Online.Bureman, Liz. â€Å"Euphony and Cacophony: A Writer’s Guide.† The Write Practice. Online.Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). â€Å"The Sounds of the Worlds Languages.†Oxford: Blackwell. p. 102. ISBN 0-631-19814-8.Abrams, M. H., â€Å"A Glossary of Literary Terms.†Wadsworth Publishing; 11 edition (January 1, 2014).   ISBN 978-1285465067

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Essay on The case of unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice fieldEssay Writing Service

Essay on The case of unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice fieldEssay Writing Service Essay on The case of unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field Essay on The case of unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice fieldToday special attention is paid to the importance of ethics in Criminal Justice. Ethics in the Criminal Justice field has been a hot topic since the late 1990s and it continues to be important in the 21-st century. The issue of ethics in the Criminal Justice filed is considered to be similar to the police ethics. However, ethics refers to all branches of the Criminal Justice system. Because of the increased role of policing, many ethical issues are connected with policing in today’s society. This paper explores the case of unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field. The case under discussion is the case of Kalvin Michael Smith (1997). This paper provides much important information about unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field, providing the overview of the facts of the case, the explanation of the violation of written and unwritten ethical code, and the ways to prevent this type of situation.In troduction  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethics plays a significant role in the Criminal Justice field. Unethical behavior varies from one case to another, but the practice of criminal justice is influenced by the four â€Å"root sins†, including â€Å"lying and deception; prejudice and racial discrimination; egoism and the abuse of authority; and misguided loyalties† (Souryal, 2009, p. 214). The case of Kalvin Michael Smith is an example of unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field caused by unethical behavior and corruption in the system. Actually, ethics has always been an important issue within the criminal justice practice because criminal justice practitioners, including the police investigators and prosecutors are kept under scrutiny. Therefore, the case of Kalvin Michael Smith can be used to improve ethical behavior through the promotion of the study of ethics. According to researchers, â€Å"scholars can be of assistance to practitioners by studying the sociological and psychological forces that impact ethical and unethical behavior† (Byers, 2014, p.1). The facts of Kalvin Michael Smith’s case point out to the violation of ethical code by the criminal justice practitioners. It is necessary to use the proper methods to prevent this type of situation in the future.The major goal of this paper is to research the case of unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field, providing the overview of the facts of the case, the explanation of the violation of written and unwritten ethical code, and the ways to prevent this type of situation.The overview of the facts of the caseThe case of Kalvin Michael Smith is also known as the Silk Plant Forest case. Mr. Kalvin Michael Smith was charged of â€Å"Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault with a Deadly Weapon with the Intent to Kill inflicting serious injury† (Cunningham, 2010, p. 29). The incident occurred on December 9, 1995 in Winston-Salem. The assi stant manager of Silk Plant Forest shop, Jill Marker (33), worked in the shop. At 8:55 pm, Jill was found seriously injured. The man was attacked by a thief who used a blunt instrument to beat his victim. The cash was opened, and the sum of $304 was taken by the thief.The thief attacked the shop at 8:45 pm 8:55 pm. The witness informed the time of attack as he left the shop several minutes prior to the incident. Jill was severely beaten and the healthcare professionals did not expect her to survive. The case was given to a homicide detective Williams two days later, when the police were told that the victim would survive. When the perpetrator attacked Jill, she was pregnant. Being in coma, she gave birth to her child via cesarean section. There were no people in the shop except Jill and the perpetrator or perpetrators; therefore, there were no eye-victims to the crime. The pool of blood on the floor at the crime scene was analyzed and all samples belonged to the victim (Silk Plant Forest Truth Committee, 2009).Six months after the crime, a young black man Kalvin Michael Smith (25) was involved in the case. On June 1, 1996, a woman â€Å"A† accused Kalvin Michael Smith. On July 22, 1996, the man was arrested base on the woman’s report. The man was brought to the Winston-Salem Police Department and denied his involvement in the crime. The suspect l took a polygraph test (or a lie detector). The polygraph test results were used as evidence. According to Detective Williams report, Michael was identified as truthful based on the polygraph testing. The police did not continue any further investigation of the man’s fault. On January 24, 1997, he was arrested. Michael’s photo was presented to the victim, who pointed out to the fact that the perpetrator was a black man, but failed to identify him. Another suspect Kenneth Lamoureux (40), a white man, was identified by the victim as a man who visited the shop that day (Silk Plant Forest Truth Committee, 2009).Kalvin Michael Smith was involved in the case based on the reports of his women whom he deceived. In fact, there were no eyewitnesses in the case, as well as there were no physical evidence. Detective Williams’s investigation process led to the trial, based on four witnesses’ reports who testified against Kalvin Michael Smith. In addition, Jill Marker identified the black man Kalvin Michael Smith as the perpetrator who caused injury to her at the Silk Plant Forest shop. The judge reviewed the evidence, including the victim’s identification of the perpetrator in the court, and brought in a verdict against Kalvin Michael Smith of â€Å"guilty on both counts: assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill; and armed robbery† (Silk Plant Forest Truth Committee, 2009, p.1). Michael was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 28 years and11 months.The explanation of the violation of written and unwritten ethical code In the Silk Plant Forest, Kalvin Michael Smith was brought to trial by jury, but he had the right to appeal on several circumstances. The officials within the criminal justice system studied his case and have found that there were â€Å"not significant flaws in the process that convicted Mr. Smith† (Cunningham, 2010, p. 29). They argued that the flaws found in the legal and judicial process could not lead to the miscarriage of justice. Moreover, they stated that the results of criminal trial would be the same even if these flaws were absent (Cunningham, 2010).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nevertheless, the Criminal Justice System Failure is obvious. In 1998, Kalvin Michael Smith’s appeal of the court’s judgment was denied. In 1999, Kalvin Michael Smith wanted to correct errors, filing a motion for appropriate relief (MAR) without the attorney’s benefit, which was also denied. In 2003, the case of Kalvin Michael Smith was reviewed by the mem bers of the Duke University Law School Innocence Project. The investigation of the case took one year. The members of the Duke University Law School Innocence Project proved that Michael was not involved in the crime, as well as in the scene of the Silk Plant Forest shop (Kalvin Michael Smith vs. Todd Pinion, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 2013).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although, it has been found that the investigative report of Smith’s case failed to â€Å"constitute clear and convincing evidence to rebut the presumption of correctness regarding these findings,† the case of Kalvin Michael Smith remains unclear to the public and experts (Kalvin Michael Smith vs. Todd Pinion, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 2013). There is much evidence that the existing ethical code was violated. In other words, the case of Kalvin Michael Smith proves that unethical behavior by the police investigators and prosecutors resulted in a wrongful conviction of a black man ( Kalvin Michael Smith vs. Todd Pinion, Memorandum Opinion and Order, 2013). In his interview at the correctional institution (Taylorsville City, Utah), Kalvin Michael Smith said, â€Å"It bothers me being in here (prison) for something I know I didnt do. Its an unexplainable feeling. It tears you up on the inside† (Zerwick, 2013, p.2). The traumatic injury Jill Marker got seriously damaged some portion of her brain that is responsible for memory storage and organizing. Besides, the police investigator played an important role in formation of her memory (Zerwick, 2013). In fact, Detective Williams was determined to find the perpetrator; therefore, he used Kalvin Michael Smith as the prime suspect. The major violation of written and unwritten ethical code is caused by mistaken identification.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the case of Kalvin Michael Smith, Detective Williams asked the victim to explore six photographs in order to identify the perpetrator who atta cked the victim. Jill Marker pointed to Smith’s photograph. However, Detective Williams violated ethical code (Zerwick, 2013). The interview was not videotaped. As a result, he did not provide any records, except for his notes and the notes of another police officer about Jill Marker’s identification of Smith’s photograph. According to researchers, â€Å"There’s no way to know for sure what was said or suggested† (Zerwick, 2013, p.2). The police did not find any physical evidence that could be used to link Kalvin Michael Smith to the crime. This fact means the charge against Smith was based only on Jill Marker’s identification and the statements given by three people who knew Smith.According to neuropsychologists place emphasis on the role of memory function in the criminal justice practice. Many tests are developed to evaluate different aspects of a patient’s memory (Zerwick, 2013).   However, none of these tests was used in the ca se of Jill Marker, who suffered severe brain injury. Based on the report findings, Jill Marker’s doctor affirmed that the woman suffered from some form of amnesia. However, the attorney of Kalvin Michael Smith did not use this information (Zerwick, 2013). The jurors and the police investigator violated ethical code because of the breaches of professional ethics, the law and professional responsibilities (Crowder Turvey, 2013; Zerwick, 2013).The ways to prevent unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice fieldThis type of situation should be prevented. Mistaken identification is a real problem that should be solved to prevent unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field. According to the member of the N.C. Commission on Actual Innocence, appointed by the Chief Justice of the N.C. Supreme Court to promote effective reforms in the Criminal Justice field aimed at stopping wrongful convictions, Kalvin Michael Smith is innocent (Zerwick, 2013). The black man was wrongly accused . The commission helps to tackle the problem of mistaken identification in the Criminal Justice field (Zerwick, 2013). This is one of the effective tools to prevent unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice system. One of the first reforms proposed by the commission was to prevent a police investigator from inducing psychological pressure on the witness’s or victim’s choice, both intentionally and unintentionally. In this case, â€Å"the commission recommends that an investigator with no knowledge of the case should conduct police lineups to prevent an investigator from influencing the witnesss choice, intentionally or unintentionally† (Zerwick, 2013, p. 2).Moreover, unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field can be prevented by the application of whistleblowing practice. According to Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012, the staff members of federal agencies should be protected from punishment for reporting misconduct, illegal acts and behavi ors, violation of the established ethical code, etc. (Crowder Turvey, 2013). Today special attention is paid to the â€Å"ethical obligations, policies and laws associated with reporting misconduct by employees within the criminal justice system† (Crowder Turvey, 2013, p. 435). Any whistleblowing practice used by criminal justice practitioners is based on the obligation to inform any act of misconduct or unethical behavior they are aware of and have enough evidence to prove these acts (Crowder Turvey).Undoubtedly, these obligations can be regarded as part of professional ethics, a criminal justice organization’s policy or the law. In case of Kalvin Michael Smith discussed in this paper, Detective Williams’s unethical behavior should have been reported by his colleagues who had direct knowledge of this behavior. Criminal justice practitioners should understand that the stakes are high and the lives of people depend on their response to misconduct or unethical behavior (Crowder Turvey). In other words, the â€Å"failure to report misconduct is likely to result in someone losing their life, their job and their family, along with their basic liberties†( Crowder Turvey, 2013, p. 436).Besides, unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field can be prevented by means of an effective anti-corruption policy that will include the proper mechanisms to address problems caused by unethical behavior and misconduct of criminal justice practitioners (Pollock, 2011). Researchers recommend including the following aspects in this policy: the proactive methods to identify wrongdoing; to provide screening of the staff members, using effective psychological tests, to improve the existing working conditions of employees; and to provide reliable role models to motivate employees following the established code of ethics (Pollock, 2011).Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the case of Kalvin Mich ael Smith can be viewed as the case, in which unethical behavior of the criminal justice practitioners has led to destroying one’s life, as well as the basic liberties. The attack of a young woman at the Silk Plant Forest shop on December 9, 1995 was investigated by the police. The prosecution and conviction of Kalvin Michael Smith caused by unethical behavior of criminal justice practitioners destroyed the life of a young man. Jill Marker, an assistant manager at the shop, was a victim.   Based on the police report, her head trauma was serious enough and could influence her memory functions. As a result, her identification of the attacker could be a mistake. There are several ways to prevent unethical behavior in the Criminal Justice field, including the formation of the commission that will help to tackle the problem of mistaken identification, unethical behavior and misconduct in the Criminal Justice field; to apply the whistleblowing practice; and to develop effective a nti-corruption policy.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Initial conclusions regarding whether or not terrorist groups are Essay

Initial conclusions regarding whether or not terrorist groups are likely to use WMD - Essay Example The disastrous events of September 11, 2001 and other similar attacks on the American nation and on our allies provide proof to that claim. These increasing threats to our very lives have made us adopt better measures on security front although the possibility of another terrorist attack looms consistently over us. In forcing their own ideologies onto free men these terrorists have no regard for loss of human lives including that of women and children, as witnessed throughout our struggle against them these tyrants would use any means necessary to inflict fear amongst us. The use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) against the United States is dominantly the most considerable threat. These WMDs in form of biological, nuclear and chemical weapons are not easy to acquire but non-state actors belonging to enemy states such as Iran and North Korea or friendly states such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and others consistently try to get their hands on these weapons in order to inflict destruct ion on a massive scale. In an interview with CNN, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlights the concern of WMD when she asserted he biggest threat to America’s national security doesn’t come from North Korea or Iran but from trans-national non-state actors (Clinton 2010). She proclaimed, â€Å"Most of us believe the greater threats are the trans-national non-state networks, primarily the extremists, the fundamentalist Islamic extremists who are connected to al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula or al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They continue to try to increase the sophistication of their capacity, the attacks that they’re going to make and the biggest nightmare we have is that one of these terrorist member organizations within this syndicate of terror will get their hands on a weapon of mass destruction† (CNN 2010). In the pages that follow we will comprehensively examine the use to weapons of mass destruction and the possibility of terrorists using them against the