The Conquest Of Mexico Essay Example for Free

The Conquest Of Mexico Essay The Spaniards, in the conquest of the Mexican people, relied just as heavily on chance and luck as they did on their on their skills on diplomacy and military prowess. The sicknesses that the Spaniards brought over with them in addition to the political situation that the Mexica had established with their neighbors is what really brought about the downfall of the great Mexican civilizations. In addition to these factors there was also the fact that up to this point in history the Americas have had very little in the way of contact from the outside world and consequently had next to no knowledge of the civilizations across the sea. When they first encountered the Spanish Conquistadors they held the belief that they were from the gods and that Cortez was the reincarnation of one of their gods and as such welcomed them with open arms. When you take into consideration all of the factors mentioned above you will see that the conquest of Aztecs and other Native American civilizations by the Spanish was accomplished by three major factors: diplomacy, military prowess, and no small amount of luck. The first of those factors is the diseases that the Europeans brought across the Atlantic with them. The most notable disease that caused the majority of the deaths among the Native American people was the pestilence of smallpox. An account of just how devastating smallpox was among a populace whose immune systems had no prior experience with or any way to combat European diseases can be found in book twelve of the Florentine Codex. â€Å"Before the Spaniards came to us, first an epidemic broke out, a sickness of pustules. It began in Tepeilhuitl. Large bumps spread on people; some where completely covered. They spread everywhere, on the face, the head, the chest, etc. [The disease] brought great desolation, a great many died of it. (Lockhart, 1993, 190)† The account goes on to describe the horrors that the disease had left behind in the lives of those who were lucky enough to survive. Many of the survivors had been left horribly scared or even blinded if they were unlucky enough for the disease to spread into their eyes. The main reason that these diseases had such a devastating effect on the natives and not on the Spaniards is the fact that the natives had very little in the way of domesticated animals. The Europeans had for thousands of years been in possession of a great many domesticated animal, such as pigs, horses, chickens, and cows, and it is these animals that are usually the incubators and carriers of a great many deadly diseases. Since the Europeans had been around them for so long their immune systems had adapted to the situation and were able to combat the diseases. The Aztecs had no such advantage. The deadly diseases of Europe were something completely new to them and their immune systems had no way to combat them. The Spaniards had no compunctions about taking advantage of the situation in their conquest of Mexico. Another huge factor that the Spanish had in their favor was the superior weapons that they had at their disposal and huge advantage that the weapons gave them in battle. The Aztec people were severely limited in the type of weapon that they could wield in battle due to the simple fact that their civilization had never discovered the art of metallurgy which Europe had discovered long prior. The weapons that they created were made from wood and stone. One such weapon that the majority of the Aztec warriors had in their possession is described in the book titled Victors and Vanquished. â€Å"Their primary weapon was a kind of wooden sword set with obsidian blades designed for slashing and incapacitating rather than killing an opponent. (Schwartz 2000 11)† The weapons of the Aztec warriors were all similar to that in that they were designed to incapacitate instead of kill. The entire reason for the Aztecs to be at war was the capture of prisoners that they could sacrifice to their gods. The Spaniards were not like that. Their weapons were designed for one purpose, to kill. Many of those weapons, such as the musket or crossbow, had a much greater range than any of the weapons that the natives could field in battle and they had no answer at all to the power of the Spaniards canons. The one factor that made all of every weapon that the Spaniards had at their disposal superior to any Aztec weapon is the simple fact that they were made of steel. There was one obstacle that the Conquistadors had that would prevent them from overwhelming the Aztecs even with their superior weaponry. That aforementioned obstacle was the fact that the Spanish only numbered in the hundreds while the Aztecs had their entire civilization backing them. The way that they were able to overcome that obstacle was through the art of diplomacy. The constant invasions and taking of prisoners by the Aztecs for their human sacrifices had earned them many enemies among their neighbors. When Spain began its exploration of the new world those very same neighbors saw their chance to finally bring about the destruction of their oppressors. An example of this can be found in a Spanish account of the invasion of Chapultepec. â€Å"The war was sustained fiercely on both sides, since on our side we had the help of many Tlaxacalan warriors †¦(Aguilar, 1993, 196)† The constant warfare and human sacrifice that the gods of the Aztecs demanded of them had finally helped to bring about the downfall of that great civilization. There was no one thing that brought about the downfall of the Mexican people. It was a conglomeration of events that finally toppled the great civilizations. The sicknesses and plaques that the Europeans brought over with them played no small part. The way in which the natives waged war was also a significant factor. The factor that really broke the back of the Aztecs was the constant need for human sacrifice. In their dealings with their neighbors they had created the foundation that Spaniards used for the negotiating of allies in the conquest of Mexico. In this collision of two previously separate worlds it was the Spanish who came out as the victor and the Aztecs as the vanquished.

Investigation into the Force of a Bullet

Investigation into the Force of a Bullet The Force of a Bullet             Abstract: The aim of the experiment was to uncover whether or not, if when a person is shot in a movie and falls backwards is realistic. As the experiment was to see how far back a person goes when shot, the following hypothesis was made: if the momentum of a bullet out of a nerf gun is passed on to a toy soldier, then it will travel backwards because of the Momentum Conservation Principle. The hypothesis will be tested by using a nerf gun and bullet that will be shot at a toy soldier from various distances. Through the experimental data recorded, the hypothesis was found to be supported, however a new hypothesis could be developed to better suit this experiment. Introduction: 21st century movies show dramatic improvements in the special effects that are used to make a better movie. Over time, shooting scenes have been the main point decider in movies in whether or not it seemed realistic or over exaggerated. Although Computer-Generated-Imagery (CGI) helps to make these scenes better, how reliable is the recoil of a person falling back from taking a shot in the chest, shoulder or even the head. The realism of shooting in movies will be explored through investigating and experimenting to find out how realistic someone being shot and falling backwards is. The movie that will be used as the reference or comparison for this experiment is The Brothers Grimsby released in 2016 as an action cross adventure genre. The key scene that will be used from the movie is when Nobby, played by Sacha Baron Cohen, shoots two enemies using a 9mm gun as shown in the photo. This movie is used as the comparison due to the shooting scene looking realistic, in that when the two enemies are shot, they only fall backwards and dont jump back five meters, giving the appearance of a realistic shot or kill. For the experiment, a nerf gun was used as the replica gun for this experiment. The areas that will be explored in the experiment include Newtons Third Law, which is defined as For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (Physicsclassroom.com, 2017). Newtons Third Law affects the experiment in that when the bullet is shot from the nerf gun, the energy behind the bullet is equal to that of when it hits the object and pushes it back while the bullet deflects in any given direction. Newtons Third Law relates to the Momentum Conservation Principle. The principle is a collision between object 1 and object 2 in an isolated system. The total momentum of the two objects before the collision is equal to the amount of momentum after the collision (Physicsclassroom.com, 2017). The expression of the above text can be shown through the equation of, F1 = -F2. It shows that the magnitude is the same but in opposite directions. The impulse in an object is equal to the change in momentum of that object (the impulse momentum change theorem). This means that the object contains positive and equal impulses. As an equation, this is expressed as:- p1xà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  V1=p2x à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  V2 p= momentum à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  V= change in velocity Theoretical Calculations: The scale that is used is 1:32 and came from the size of the object in which it represents a six and a half foot tall person. Nerf gun bullet speed is 44.6 ft/s or 13.6 m/s meaning when scaled to see if the bullet is roughly the same speed of a 9mm bullet (Stoked About Science, 2017). The results came from an external experiment where the average firing speed was found. Scale used is 1:32, therefore 3244.6 = 1427.2 ft/s 3213.6 = 435.2 m/s The muzzle velocity of a 9mm bullet is 1246.7 ft/s or 380 m/s. The nerf gun when scaled is around the same speed of a 9mm, therefore it allows the experiment to be a realistic scale replica of the movies shooting scene. Momentum of the nerf bullet where mass of bullet equals 0.001kg. Momentum= mass x velocity p= m x v p= 0.001 x 13.6 p= 0.0136 kg/ms-1 m= mass of nerf bullet (1 gram) v= speed of nerf bullet in (13.6 ms-1) Momentum of the bullet equals 0.0136 kilograms-metre per second. Using the momentum change theorem to find how far back the soldier went. P= momentum P1=0.0136 P2=Unknown à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  v= change in velocity à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  v1=13.6 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  v2=0.036 The equation is rearranged to find m2 Therefore the momentum of the toy soldier is equal to change in momentum of p1-p2. Change in momentum To find the length of how far back the toy soldier went, the acceleration formula is used. a = acceleration (ms2) 13.60 = 13.6-2.6810-3 vf = the final velocity (m/s) vi = the initial velocity (m/s) t = the time in which the change occurs (s) By finding the time, we can now calculate the distance by using the formula The theoretical length of the distance of how far back the toy soldier should go is 0.49 meters. Hypothesis: By using the background research that has been collected, the following hypothesis for the experiment was formed. If the momentum of a bullet out of a nerf gun is passed on to a toy soldier, then it will travel backwards because of the Momentum Conservation Principle. Material List: Nerf Gun The nerf gun was used as the comparison weapon to the 9mm gun used in the movie as it had similar speeds when scaled. Toy Soldier The toy soldier was the scaled replica of a human which was also the item that was shot at. Tape measure A tape measure was used to calculate the distance from where the shooter would be and to measure the length of how far back the toy soldier went when shot. 30cm ruler A ruler was used to keep the toy soldier parallel to the spot where they were going to be shot from. Enclosed Dome measuring scale The scale was used to measure the mass of the soldier to help with calculations for the theoretical data. Method: As the materials required could be sourced from home, there wasnt any needed to be ordered at school. Finding a suitable place that wouldnt be affected was the first priority as wind could easily blow the bullets around and have made the experiment harder to do. The classroom next to the physics room wasnt in use and due to it having enough room to shoot; it was the perfect area to conduct the experiment. Some desk and chairs needed to be moved to allow a wide and long enough section where the tape measure could be laid out. A 30cm ruler was used as a reference point and laid across the two metre mark on the measuring tape. The toy soldiers were placed just behind the ruler so they were parallel to the two metre mark on the tape measure. The shooter held the nerf gun at the four metre mark (two meters away from the targets) and shot the soldiers five times. Before every shot was taken, the shooter made sure that the front of the gun wasnt past the four metre mark on the barrel so then the results would be as consistent as they could be. The range of where the shooter was changed at the end of the five shots by one metre (three metres away from the target) to see if there would be a change in the distance of how far back the toy soldier went. Five shots (that hit the targets) were fired again and the results recorded into a table. The distance was changed for the final length to be four metres away from the toy soldiers with five shots that hit the toy soldiers to be recorded. The results that were recorded took the data of the travel of the toy soldier from where it had been placed. The dependent variable for the experiment is the change in distances of how far back the bullet was shot from. The independent variable of the test was the speed of the bullet as it didnt change (the same gun was used). The controlled variable of the test was the object being hit and the room that the experiment was conducted in. A layout of the experiment is shown below. Safety: The safety procedures that were followed consisted of wearing safety glasses and having an empty room. Although there was minimal chance of a bullet deflecting into an eye, glasses were worn to prevent any injuries to the eye. Having an empty room meant that there wasnt anyone to accidently hit compared to if the experiment was conducted in the main teaching room where there were other experiments being conducted. Results: The results of the experiment have been collected and recorded into the table below. Table 1. Shot No. Range from target (m) Distance from where the toy soldier was placed (m) 1 2 1.48 2 2 1.37 3 2 0.15* 4 2 1.89 5 2 0.95 Average of shot 1-5 excluding shot 3(*) 2 1.42 6 3 1.63 7 3 0.62 8 3 0.84 9 3 1.47 10 3 1.12 Average of shot 6-10 3 1.13 11 4 0.96 12 4 1.15 13 4 1.21 14 4 0.76 15 4 0.89 Average of shot 11-15 4 0.99 (*) means that shot 3 is not included in average calculation due to it being an anomaly. Result from theoretical calculations. Table 2. Shot No. Range from target (m) Distance from where the toy soldier was placed (m) 1 unknown 0.49 A chart of the average distance of how far back the toy soldier is displayed below to show the averages from the distances shot. Graph 1 Discussion and Conclusion: Looking at the results from table one and the graph one, a pattern emerges that shows how the further away the shooter is, the less the toy soldier goes back. Table one shows that although there is a decrease in the length of how far back the toy soldier goes; the results were not all similar to each other in that there wasnt just a two or five centimetre difference, but a 10-30 cm difference. Graph one shows the average of how far back the toy soldier goes and shows that the further back the shooter is, the less momentum there is to pass onto the object. In the first five shots, (range of two metres) an anomaly occurred that was not included in graph one. Compared to the other distances, it was not included as it had an 80cm gap between the next smallest distance that was recorded. The reason for why this occurred is unknown but the most logical reason for this anomaly is that the bullet hit the ground just before hitting the toy soldier loosing most of its momentum before impact. The results from the experiment also are similar to a real world bullet, in that when a bullet is fired, wind, air resistance and gravity affect the travel and trajectory of where it will land. Wind impacts the sideways movement and with air resistance, it slows down the speed of the bullet. Gravity impacts the height and overall distance of the bullet. These three impacts affect the nerf bullet just the same, but a lot more as the bullet its lighter and has less energy behind it. The results from the experiment shown in table one and graph one show the distance decreases as the shot is taken further back. Compared to the theoretical table, the results between the theoretical and experimental calculations are not similar as there is a significant difference in the distances when compared. The theoretical result is close to the distance of how far back the two people go in the movie The Brothers Grimsby where the experimental results are about a metre off. The results from the table and chart from the experiment show that increasing distance from where the shooter shoots from will reduce the distance of how far the toy soldier travels backwards. Therefore the hypothesis, If the momentum of a bullet out of a nerf gun is passed on to a toy soldier, then it will travel backwards because of the Momentum Conservation Principle is shown to be supported. Evaluation: The errors of the experiment consist of the shooter and the environment. The errors of the shooter involve accuracy, data recording and the position of where the gun was held. The environment that the experiment was held in also affected the results in how the bullet was affected by its surroundings (air conditions) and also the room itself. Accuracy of the bullet hitting the toy soldier had a major effect to how far back the soldier would go backwards. The reason why this was a problem is because if the bullet hits the soldier in the arm, then it wont go straight back, but more of a diagonally path that is to the left or right of the soldier. The momentum transfer is also affected because the arm is smaller than the bullet, not all of the energy will transfer compared to if it was shot in the chest. Data recording was done to a good standard, yet improvements can be made to make sure the right length is recorded to improve overall accuracy. As the toy soldier is five centimetres long, choosing what spot (head, feet or the chest) to look at to measure from when next to the tape measure was a problem. The solution to fix this is to have a laser set up with the point of the toy soldier that it furthest away from where it was when shot. This solution would give an increase in accuracy with the way data is recorded. The position of where the shot was made from also affected the results taken, but also how much momentum the bullet had upon impact. If the gun is in front of the point where it should be on the measuring tape, then the bullet will have more momentum than if it was shot from behind the point on the measuring tape. Although this will have only minor affects, a centimetre or two will decrease the accuracy of the average distance of how far back the toy soldier went. The overall experiment can be improved to help the accuracy of the results. Although the nerf gun is scaled down in the speed of a real gun, by having real guns and bullets the experiment will be similar to that of the movie scene. The object that would be shot at could be a pig or mannequin (as shown in MythBusters) that is similar in size and weight of a real person and placed on a stand to hold it up right. In the experiment, different bullet sizes can be used to see the differences of a .22 to a 9mm to a 50 calibre. The hypothesis for the experiment that was conducted can be improved. The new hypothesis that could be tested is, when a nerf bullet is shot at a toy soldier, the distance of how far back it moves will decrease as the range is increased. Bibliography In-text: (Grimsby Brothers,2016) Your Bibliography: Grimsbys Finest Nobby Opens Up About New Film Detailing His Life. Newscom Au. N.p., 2017. Web. 4 Mar. 2017. In-text: (9mm Ammo, 2017) Your Bibliography: 9mm Ammo. (2017). [online] Available at: http://9ammo.com/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. TOY MICROWAVE PICTURE In-text: (Aliexpress.com, 2017) Your Bibliography: Aliexpress.com. (2017). toy microwave Picture [online] Available at: http://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/1-Soft-Bullet-Clip-And-20-Pcs-Bullets-For-Nerf-Gun-Toy-Cartridge-Dart-Magazine-Ammo/32510200688.html# [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. MOMENTUM In-text: (Physicsclassroom.com, 2017) Your Bibliography: Physicsclassroom.com. (2017). Momentum. [online] Available at: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/momentum/u4l1a.cfm [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. MOMENTUM CONSERVATION PRINCIPLE In-text: (Physicsclassroom.com, 2017) Your Bibliography: Physicsclassroom.com. (2017). Momentum Conservation Principle. [online] Available at: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/momentum/Lesson-2/Momentum-Conservation-Principle [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. NEWTONS THIRD LAW In-text: (Physicsclassroom.com, 2017) Your Bibliography: Physicsclassroom.com. (2017). Newtons Third Law. [online] Available at: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-4/Newton-s-Third-Law [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. NERF GUN DART SPEED-PART 2 STOKED ABOUT SCIENCE In-text: (Stoked About Science, 2017) Your Bibliography: Stoked About Science. (2017). Nerf Gun Dart Speed-part 2 Stoked About Science. [online] Available at: http://stokedaboutscience.com/episodes/nerf-guns2/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017]. WHAT ARE INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES?-NCES KIDS ZONE In-text: (Nces.ed.gov, 2017) Your Bibliography: Nces.ed.gov. (2017). What are Independent and Dependent Variables?-NCES Kids Zone. [online] Available at: https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/help/user_guide/graph/variables.asp [Accessed 18 Mar. 2017].

Strengths and Weaknesses of Crime Statistics and Victimisation Surveys

Strengths and Weaknesses of Crime Statistics and Victimisation Surveys Rates of crime are recorded using two key sources; Police Recorded Crime (PRC) and Victimisation Surveys. Both will be explored and examined to see how they can, effectively assist policy makers in targeting areas for change. In addition the advantages and disadvantages of each method will be discussed along with their similarities and differences. To understand why it is important to record crime levels, three key notions must be clarified. Firstly, crime is legally defined as any act or omission outlawed by the criminal law and thus punishable (Odgers,1911). Secondly, the purpose of the judicial system is to enforce the law and protect victims of crime. Thirdly, criminal guilt relates to premeditated intention. Universal law is non-existent; therefore each country or locality has its own legal system. The shared aim is to hold person/s accountable for their behaviour. Substructures of the judiciary may focus on specific areas of interest. These may include the courts, and penal system and constabulary. The role of the courts and penal system is specific. It is in place to serve and protect the innocent, to pass judgement on the guilt or innocence of persons presented and to serve a proportionate punishment in response to the criminal act committed. Any form of justice served must remember the civil liberties of all concerned, including the offender. Crime prevention and law enforcement are a separate division provided by the constabulary. The term criminal guilt stems from two fundamental Latin principles. These are actus reus which translates as bad act and mens rea guilty mind. The accused must be found to have committed actus reus with the willing intention to perpetrate the act and/or to have assessed the risk i.e. accident or fear may be experienced as a direct result of the action (Dubber, Markus D. (2002). Few exceptions to being found guilty of one of these alone exist, these concern whether a person can be fully answerable for their actions. Examples of mens rea without actus reus can relate to crimes, where although the action is deemed illegal, the act may not have the deliberate intention to harm another. Examples of this could involve driving at excessive speed, an act of accidental manslaughter or self-defence. (law.jrank.org) Two comparable sources are used to measure crime rates within the UK. Police recorded crime measures the volume of notifiable offences committed over a fixed period, within the jurisdiction that the constabulary serves. Crime-related statistics are obtained at request of the British Home Office, where they are collated, analysed, and published throughout the year. The figures provide the government and the public with a summarised account of the information obtained. They aim to reveal and compare crime rates within specific localities. They are also used to demonstrate the effectiveness of policing. This information can be used to suggest areas for improvement and assist in the constant struggle to prevent crime occurring. The second method that is utilised, verifies the extent to which crime is perpetrated and is a valuable tool when combatting crime. Victimisation surveys; primarily recognised as the British Crime Survey (BCS) is a form of crime-related statistical research that was established in 1982. It was introduced in response for an alternative complementary system to exist alongside using police records alone. It aimed to gather intelligence on the public attitudes towards crime and their opinions relating to the judicial system. Although operationally independent from any government body, the BCS is still conducted for the British Home Office (First BCS report, Hough and Mayhew, 1983). The survey confidentially canvasses in the region of forty to fifty thousand individuals (Office for National Statistics, 2005) to uncover various information relating to crime-related experiences, including anti-social behaviour and police interaction and response to criminal activity. The people questioned span various demographics and aim to be representative of society. They are interviewed anonymously via door to door visits or telecommunications. Police recorded crime statistics are easy to conduct and provide a good measure of criminal cases both regionally and nationally. Because the statistics are compiled from police reports readily available, the only additional cost incurred involves the information being sent, analysed and evaluated. Over time re-occurring inclines and declines in illegal behaviour can be identified and used when analysing patterns of crime, in particular to risk assess, highlight and tackle crime hotspots. Crime statistics can also indicate the workload and performance level of police forces throughout the country.  [1]   An indication of a reduction in crime related incidents could boost public morale. If necessary the findings could influence change surrounding governing policy. For example, the allocation or re-allocation of specific resources within a police department could lead to a more efficient service. Identifying the need to place patrol officers where the greatest street crime occurs would be one way to maximise effectiveness of the police service. Unless a crime has been reported to the police and they have classified it as criminal it will not be included. This means that all minor misdemeanours that would be trialled as summary offences in court such as, crimes relating to anti social behaviour, assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass, along with most either-way offences for example theft and drug offences are excluded from being recorded  [2]  . This highlights one of the main failings of this form of data collection as it leads to discrepancies when analysing the results, especially when comparing between PRC and victimisation surveys. Data collection and recording of PRC statistics are affected by the regulations implemented by the current governing body  [3]  . The results uncovered may point to a rise in criminal acts being committed. This could have a negative impact on society. As a result the published findings could become biased and used as propaganda to mislead people into believing that crime rates are more favourable than factual. In some situations the volume of crime could be falsely recorded to meet performance and administrative targets (Chambliss, 2001). This is in direct contradiction of providing a good service to the public. British crime surveys are independent from government reports and not affected by changes in how crime is reported and documented. They play an important role in serving the public interest and governing change and policy. They provide a better indication relating to long-term trends of crime within society  [4]  , in particular highlighting crimes which affect different sociological groups. For example, crimes against women and those which affect minority groups such as the vulnerable, mentally ill, the disadvantaged and ethnic minorities. The BCS provides statistics which demonstrate the extent to which crime occurs. It accounts for minor offences, antisocial behaviour and victimless crime such as fraud. It also includes household and personal crime which may not be otherwise reported or deemed a criminal act  [5]  . The BCS is constantly changing to adapt to new concerns affecting society  [6]  . Recent expansion has seen the inclusion of acts committed against minors such as gadget theft which has seen a vast increase as technology advances; however this is only in the testing stage and is yet to be fully implemented. It has also seen the inclusion of crimes relating to identity theft  [7]  . The confidential method of surveying is flexible and can reach a wide proportion of people. Interviews conducted may take place at home, by visiting door to door or over the telephone. This can motivate people to openly speak their mind about their experiences and concerns. It may also lead to the discussion of topics of a sensitive nature for example, being the victim of racially incited or homophobic hate crimes, which they may not have wanted to report. This may be due to shame, embarrassment, a fear of repercussions or not being believed or taken seriously by the police service  [8]  . Over all the BCS appears to paint a broader picture of how a variety of crime-related issues really affect a range of varied people. Perhaps this is because they take the initiative and seek to learn more. Shortcomings surrounding this form of canvassing is that it is very costly to conduct, not only in man power but also time and resources. The effectiveness is questionable as the results gathered rely on a persons honesty and personal insight in to how they have been affected which may provide exaggerated responses or false information. The BCS also excludes the recording of commercial crimes and heinous crime such as murder. However, the Commercial Victimisation Survey and the Offending Crime and Justice Survey are both in place to ensure that crimes outside the boundaries of the BCS are still accounted for  [9]  . In summary, I have explored both methods used to research crime statistics and outlined the strengths and weaknesses of each. For example, The BCS relies on the respondents personal view of the effect of crime. PRC assumes that crime is always reported. Both methods are dependent on the classification of crime. Victimisation surveys fail to provide an accurate depiction of society. This is because surveys of this form assume that people interviewed can and will provide a reliable version of events. An effective source of information can not solely rely on the integrity and factual representation of those it surveys. Individual perception can vary hugely, and factors such as differences between living in a rural versus urban location and coming from differing socio-economic backgrounds can lead to ambiguous results. For example, certain groups of people may be targeted more or less than indicated. If these variables are not taken in to account then the measure of crime rates could be distorted and the overall findings in relation to the sample population unfounded. Overall it can be seen that both the BCS and PRC are adequate methods for collecting information. When trying to measure crime the most effective method is to examine BCS and PRC together as the results combined provide a more com prehensive picture of how crime really affects society.

Living in a Barbie World :: social issues

Living in a Barbie World She took the world by storm with her luxurious blond hair, blue eyes, and long legs. Soon, little girls all over the world were emulating and praising this eleven-and-a-half-inch-tall plastic doll (Napier). Throughout the decades, she has become an icon to little girls, so much that some are wondering whether the stereotypical ideals for women exemplified by Barbie have affected females in regards to body image. When Barbie first appeared, she bore her trademark black and white swimsuit and swirling ponytail. Over the years as fashion and teenage lifestyle trends have shifted, so has Barbie. She has evolved from having bendable legs, a twisting waist, long hair, and sophisticated look in the 1960s to the athletically inclined Barbie with bendable wrists, elbows, and ankles in the 1970s. In the 1980s, a new friendlier, open-mouthed smiling, and bright-eyed Barbie emerged on the scene (Riddick). Her wardrobe took on a bit of pizzazz in the 1990s when she started sporting clothes created by famous fashion designers such as Calvin Klein and Vera Wang (Fashion). Not only has this doll transformed into an internationally known fashion savvy doll, she has left psychologists and parents wondering if she may be at fault for many female body image problems because of her overly slender stature. It is incredibly amazing that anyone could consider the body measurements of 5'6", 110 pounds, and 39-18-33 attainable or at all a realistic womanly figure (Napier). These are Barbie's measurements in proportion to the size of a real woman and also the spark that started the fire of controversy concerning gender stereotyping in the nation. The accusations by feminists and doctors alike are that Mattel, the manufacturer of the doll, has projected harmful body images onto our female youth by subtly placing these stereotypes into the media and into little girls hands. The psychologists insist that the young girls notice the body shapes of the doll and translate them into what a female should physically look like thus creating a problem down the road such as low self-esteem or an eating disorder (Langley). Although the Barbie manufacturer's prime intention for the doll was to inspire self-esteem, glamour, and friendship, society's stereotypes have caused her much media strife. There has been so much controversy that in 1998 she underwent plastic surgery to reduce her breast size, liposuction her hips, and inject the fat into her waist.

The Lord Of The Flies: Themes Essay -- essays research papers

The Lord of the Flies: Themes The world had witnessed the atrocities of World War II and began to examine the defects of their social ethics. Man's purity and innocence was gone. Man's ability to remain civilized was faltering. This change of attitude was extremely evident in the literature of the age. Writers, who through the use of clever symbolism, mocked the tragedy of man's fate. One such writer was William Golding. An author who has seen the destruction of war and despises its inevitable return. Through the use of innocent and untainted children, Golding illustrates how man is doomed by his own instinct. The novel is called Lord of the Flies, and is of extreme importance to help reconstruct the current wave of revolutionary ideas that swept the twentieth-century generation. Lord of the Flies portrays the belief of the age that man is in a constant struggle between darkness and light, the defects of human nature, and a philosophical pessimism that seals the fate of man. Golding's work are, due to their rigid structure and style, are interpreted in many different ways. Its unique style is different from the contemporary thought and therefor open for criticism. The struggle between darkness and light is a major theme in all the works of William Golding. Strong examples of this are found throughout Lord of the Flies. The most obvious is the struggle between Ralph and Jack. The characters themselves have been heavily influenced by the war. Ralph is the representative of Democracy. Elected as the leader he and Piggy his companion keep order and maintain a civilized government. The strength of Ralph's character was supported by the power of World War II. Jack, on the other hand, represents authoritarianism. He rules as a dictator and is the exact opposite of Ralph. Jack is exemplifying the Hitler's and Mussolini's of the world. He is what the world fears and yet follows. This struggle is born at the very beginning and escalates till the very end. The struggle in the book is a negative outlook on life in the future. One other example is the debate over the existence of the beast. The idea of a beast brings all into a state of chaotic excitement in which Ralph and Piggy lose control. Ralph and especially Piggy try to convince everyone that there is no such thing as a beast to maintain order. Jack an... ...he war-paint and sticks of Jack and his followers. He too is chasing men in order to kill, and the dirty children mock the absurd civilized attempt to hide the power of evil. And so when Ralph weeps for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the death of his true wise friend, Piggy, he weeps for all the human race." (Cox 164) Such a tragic view of the future of mankind and their nature is a perfect window for people to understand how the impact of the war made the world rethink its ethics and how life was thought of as a punishment in the extreme sense and that there was no hope for the future except fear. This view has since changed but not greatly as one would imagine. The basic ideas are still their and modern society may still relate to this novel. The interpretation may not be exact but from now on mankind will always weep for " the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and" the most disturbing" for all the human race."

Achebe, C. (1994). Things Fall Apart. New York: Doubleday & Co., Inc. Essay

Achebe’s (1994) novel, Things Fall Apart, is a chronicle of societal change in the face of a colonial invasion. It describes the life of Okonkwo, a distinguished leader of a village in Nigeria. The rich, powerful, brave and intelligent man has worked hard to achieve his high status in his village. The village elders thus chose him to be the guardian of a boy named Ikemefuna, who has been made prisoner by Achebe’s tribe. Okonkwo must keep the boy with him until the Oracle decides otherwise. When the village elders decide that Ikemefuna must be killed, Okonkwo goes against the advice of the oldest man of the village by killing the boy himself. Subsequently, things start to fall apart for Okonkwo. He accidentally kills another individual at a funeral ceremony. For this act he must be sent into exile with his family for a period of seven years. After all, he has offended his gods by committing the murder. After Okonkwo and his family have been sent into exile, things start to fall apart for his people back home. White men begin to enter his village, amiably introducing their religion to the native people. As the number of people embracing the new faith increases, the white entrants grow in power. Ultimately, a new government is formed in the village – that of white people. When Okonkwo returns to his village, it is a different place altogether. The presence of white men is a change he had not expected. Unhappy with the change, he tries to work with other tribal leaders to reclaim the old government. They do this by destroying a Christian church that they believe has mocked their gods. The white government retaliates by taking Okonkwo and the other tribal leaders as prisoners, holding them for ransom, and humiliating the native leaders further. A great uprising ensues, as the native people of the village gather to oppose the white government. When the white government tries to stop their meeting by sending some of its messengers, Okonkwo is the only one who kills one of the messengers. His fellow native people allow the remaining messengers to escape, however. Okonkwo is made to understand thus that the villagers are too weak to fight for themselves and/or protect their rights. He therefore begins to believe in the end of his society, reinforcing its disintegration in the following words: â€Å"Now [the white man] has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.† Okonkwo kills himself soon after. The white government sends one of its local leaders to take the great man of the village to court. At this point, Okonkwo is found to have hanged himself. The great man’s death is a sign of the total demise of his people’s old ways of life. After all, it was Okonkwo alone who was strong enough to kill one of the white men in an attempt to eradicate their government. None of his fellow native people were as determined as he. Still, Okonkwo’s story is a powerful reminder that nothing can withstand forces of change at times. Even the heroes may turn to despair if the forces of change are too powerful to fight. Such forces may change people and their cultures for ever. Even so, the memories of the heroes remain, as in Things Fall Apart.

Comparing and contrasting the poems Essay

The poems ‘Vultures’ by Chinua Achebe and ‘What were they like? ‘ by Denise Levertov are the same in that they both about war and conflict between two different tribes or regions within one country. Both poems reflect the effects of war and how can dramatically change history. Chinua Achebe uses vultures to explore his thought and ideas of war. He starts by introducing us to their foul diet of dead humans and animal flesh, and then they appear to care and love for one another. Achebe feels that people should be hopeful that the goodness and love will one day overcome the evil inside others an that deep down there lies goodness and love in even the worlds most evil people, like Aldolf Hitler for example. Vultures is about the Biafran War in Nigeria which began in 1967 between the Hausan and Yoruban tribes. The poem is also about the concentration camps in Belsen. The theme of the poem is to show a contrast between good and evil. The poet uses metaphoric images of vultures to describe how a person or creature can be horrible and disgusting and do evil, horrific things but somewhere deep down inside there is a tiny speck of goodness and love. ‘Thus the commandant at Belsen Camp going home for the day with fumes of human roast clinging rebelliously to his hairy nostrils will stop at the wayside sweet-shop and pick up a chocolate for his tender offspring’. This stanza is clearly contrasts good and evil. A tremendously evil man who spends his days slaughtering innocent families will go home to his family with goodies for his children and where he is a completely different person, a caring father and a loving husband. The theme is similar to that in the poem ‘What were they like? ‘ The US Forces killed many innocent men, women and children and caused devastating affects to the countries land and lives of millions in order to win a war. Only when they realised the terror they had caused and that it was too late, they withdrew they part in the war returned home to they families to live happily ever after. Although the themes of the poems are practically the same each poet delivers their point in different ways and also describes different aspects of war. Chinua Achebe choose to describe war from the side of the commanders and soldiers and Denise Levertov choose to describe war from the side of the countries people and how war effected them. The meaning of each poem lives up to the titles. By reading the title ‘Vultures’ you immediately think of the scavenger creature. And ‘What they were like?’ a phrase like this will be used to describe how something or someone was meaning they are no longer like that. In the poem ‘they’ are no longer the way they were because ‘they’ have been killed and forgotten about, ‘they’ meaning the peasant of Vietnam during the war. Denise Levertov uses the word ‘Sir’ more than once. I think she choose to use this word to show how soldiers would address their commanders. Denise Levertov uses a unique structure for the poem. She uses a sequence of numbered questions followed by the answers. The questions are to the point and reflect the innocent lives of the poor peasants living in Vietnam at the time of the war. Chinua Achebe’s poem seems to be set out in four verses but actually it is two. The verses are separated by the word ‘Strange’. Between lines 21-40 Achebe uses emphasis (†¦ ) to show that it’s continuing but then he moves the subject to show there’s something missing. Like this phrase ‘in easy range of cold telescopic eyes†¦ Strange indeed how love in the other ways so particular’, he seems to be observing the animals from a distance. At first he has just finished describing the nasty side of the creature then it’s as if his is interrupted by what we see as strange behaviour for a vulture, where they show each other love. Denise Levertov wanted to put across the fact that no justice was bought to those who lost their lives due to war, instead they were silenced; she felt very strongly about this a put her view down very straight forward. Her questions are to the point but the questions are a bit vague, they have a deeper mean than they appear. In Levertov’s poem she says ‘their singing resembled the flight of moths in the moonlight. Who can I say? It is silent now’. This reflects how people especially the men who caused the suffering, would rather forget the horrendous images of dying innocence and pretend it never happened. For example, ‘Sir, their light hearts turned to stone. It is not remembered whether in gardens stone lanterns illumined pleasant ways ‘ this means that it is not remembered because when the land was bombed the people and land was burnt down to nothing. The poems appear on the outside to be about simple ideas but between the lines there are some powerful thoughts. Vultures seem to be about the disgusting creature, Chinua Achebe uses them only to comment of a particular type of people. In what were they like? It seems to be only about individuals-the peasants but it’s really about big political events. Vultures symbolises people who benefit from others who are suffering and again this also contrasts with the Northern Communists in Vietnam who won a brutal war at the expense of innocent people.