Definition Of Juvenile Delinquency Criminology Essay

Definition Of Juvenile Delinquency Criminology Essay This chapter includes the basic definition as to who is considered to be juvenile delinquent and there is an in-depth look of the different theories together with the various causes of juvenile delinquency. Academics within the discipline have regarded juvenile delinquency differently. Therefore, there are a multitude theories and factors concerning this social plague but not a single answer as how to curb it. Many theories have been propounded and can be classifies as follows: Biological Theory Rational Choice Theory Labelling Theory Strain Theory Social Disorganization Differential Association 2.1.1 Definition of juvenile delinquency When you input the word juvenile delinquency in your search engine, you will get the answer as antisocial or criminal behaviour by children or adolescents. Juvenile delinquency is a social phenomenon and may have the definition of young children being involve in felonious and criminal activities. Delinquent acts are a special category of deviant acts. Every deviant act involves the violation of social rules that regulate the behaviour of participants in a social system (Cloward and Ohlin, 1960). Worldwide, criminal acts of young persons are referred to as juvenile delinquency (Cohen, 1964). In the US, since the 1980s, juvenile delinquency has often been referred to as youth offences. The age at which juveniles legally become adults differs from country to country, but in most states, young people are considered juveniles until the age of 18 years (Clements, 1987, cited in Mzinyathi, 1992). In Mauritius people are considered juveniles until the age of 18. However, some countries set the limit at the age of 16 or 17. 2.2 The Biological Theory This theory states that the biogenetic factors are the key causes of behavioural changes in young people. It draws a link between behaviour and hormones. The presence of testosterone hormone is a strong predictor of sexual motivation and influences boys in their behaviour. The lack of oestrogen in girls can lead to depression and to react in negative moods. An undeniable fact is that most illegal rebellious acts are disproportionately carried out by young men. While girls are regarded as soft and tender, boys are regarded as strong and aggressive. Attempts in expressing ones masculinity may be a factor to be involved in illegal activities  [1]  . Being vigorous, powerful and to show ones prowess may be a way for young boys to express their masculinity. Acting out these ideals may make young men more likely to engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour  [2]  . Other than biological factors, the way parents behave with young boys may make them more susceptible to offending. According to a study which appeared in the Journal of Genetic Psychology September 2008, there exists a significant association between an affinity for antisocial peer groups and a particular variation called the 10-repaet allele of the dopamine transporter genes (DAT1). Florida State University criminologist M. Kevin Beamer conducted a study whereby adolescent males who possess a certain type of variation in a specific gene are more likely to flock to delinquent peers  [3]  . 2.3 The Rational Choice Theory Seeing an increase in the recorded rate of juvenile delinquency and the failure of rehabilitation purposes, researchers emerged with the Rational Choice Theory  [4]  . According to this research, offenders are motivated in committing any delinquent act when they decide to violate the rules and regulations after considering their personal interests, i.e, self-interest, learning experiences and personal values. For researchers in this domain, the causes of crime lie within the offender rather than in their external environment. This theory stresses on the act of engaging in delinquent activity rather than on the delinquent act itself. It is believed that before choosing to commit a non-conforming act, the deviant evaluates the seriousness and the degree of the punishment and the risk of apprehension. Moreover, the value of the felonious act as seen by the peer group and the extent the personal needs of the delinquent is taken into consideration by the latter. It cannot be denied that young people will indulge in deviant activities if they do not fear punishment and the risk of being apprehended. 2.4 Labelling Theory An act may become delinquent only if it is perceived and considered as delinquent. It may have been done for the first time and is known as a primary deviance. The person may be consequently punished for this misbehaviour. He is given an official label and is considered a as a thug. From then onwards, all his acts are viewed from a different perspective. According to Labelling Theory, once young people have been labelled as criminal they are more prone to offend. All those who are labelled as such are expected to behave accordingly. Once labelled as deviant, a youth may accept that role and be more likely to associate with others who have been similarly labelled  [5]  . The young person ends up by accepting the label imposed upon him and develops a deviant self-image  [6]  . Labelling theorists say that male children from poor families are more likely to be labelled deviant and that this may partially why there are more lower-class young male offenders  [7]  . The crux of labelling perspective lies not in whether ones norm violating behaviour is known but whether others decided to do something about it.  [8]   Any form of social reaction to delinquency may therefore amplify it rather than reduce it. 2.5 The Strain Theory Robert Merton (1968) has carried out an analysis where he felt that there are institutionalized paths to success in society. He came up with two concepts: ends and means. The ends are the goals that one tries to achieve when indulging in any kind of social behaviour. The main ends are money, possessions, status, power and an affluent standard of living. They can be achieved by conforming. People have accepted the ends and try to achieve them by legitimate means. The means would refer to the methods used to reach the goals. Strain Theory stresses that crime is mostly caused by people having difficulty in achieving socially valued goals by legitimate means, i.e, people who live in poverty. Example: A conformist means of obtaining wealth and status is by high educational attainment and securing well paid job. However, a delinquent means can be used to achieve the ends and this could be by robbing a bank, i.e, by bending the means he seeks to attain the desired ends. Merton has classified this dilemma into five stages: Innovation At this stage, delinquents accept the conforming goals but are unable to achieve them by the socially approved means. They use deviant methods which may or may not gain the approval of the society. Ritualism The deviants are not capable of achieving the conformist goals at this stage. They lose sight of the goals but continue to conform to the socially approved means. Retreatism These people reject the society and its values. They do not have faith in both the means and the ends and give up both. This is due mainly to failures experienced earlier and in almost all quarters- homes, school and work. E.g, drug addicts. Conformity At this particular stage people conform to both the systems means and goals. Rebellion Some people reject both the approved goals and means and replace them by a new system of acceptable ends and means. E.g, the socialists idea of redistribution of wealth in a capitalist economy or the activities of a religious group like Hare Rama Hare Krishna Mission in an Arab country. The extreme case may be the terrorists who reject the society and along with it the institutions and the rules. They seek to replace them by their own society through deviant means, usually rebellion. 2.6 Social Disorganization This theory generally focuses on the culture. Criminological theory attributes variation in crime and delinquency to the absence or breakdown of communal institutions, e.g, family. The personality of the child is affected due to poor or defective relationship with and between parents and being subject to frequent humiliations. Parents have been aggressive, disrupting frequently, using abusive language and are living separately in certain cases. A research carried out by Olweus (1995) shows the following factors can affect the development of a child during the course of his growing up  [9]  : Lack of emotional involvement by parents at early age Parents do not set limits to the degree of deviance tolerable Discipline being too strict by parents who use a rigidly authoritarian type of upbringing There are certain open causes in the family, which encourage behavioural deviations. These can be because of alcoholism or drug usage, bad examples of elders and an unorganised or asocial home. There are concealed causes which include some problems within the family and are hidden from outside. The symptoms of these problems are shown by the childs behaviours. All these lead us to suppose that there are families, which seem to produce children with behavioural deviations deviations or where the socialisation process is abnormal. 2.7 Differential Association With industrialisation, the family has witnessed various changes in its structures. The process has created a lot of instability in the family causing some form of disintegration. It cannot put into operation many of its fundamental functions as an institution. In the process of modernisation it is the young people who often have to bear the cost of the change. The family is incapable of providing the basic element of security to the young generation. The school, too, is not in a position to provide that care. It has become more like an A producing factory which is in one way the requirement for better jobs. The youngsters are uncertain about their position and try to find other shelters for security and stability. They turn towards the peer group, which plays an important role in compensation for the family and school. The delinquents form a common group and seek the support of each other. The theory of Differential Association suggests youngsters are motivated to commit crimes by delinquent peers and learn criminal skills from them. The peer group is able to exert a lot of influence on young people. It is very powerful; it helps to produce tendencies towards disintegration, which can result into various forms of deviant acts. Young people are unstable, uncertain and have problems of adaptation. They see their future prospects less bright, competition becoming tougher and social relationships being less stable  [10]  . In these conditions, it is most probable that they will come across other young people who are mentally and socially insecure. It forms a vicious circle. Altogether they will find solutions to their problems by going against the normal channel. The Differential Association Theory deals with young people in a group context and looks at how peer pressure and the existence of gangs could lead them into crime. Deviance is a means of coming to terms with anomic situations and also represents, if there are no alternative means of proving oneself, to make clear and excessive demanding clear and- even if only briefing- understable in a single act. Delinquency is therefore a reaction by young people to the process of disintegration and anomie in all social fields. 2.8 Causes of Juvenile Delinquency Every society has certain modes of behaviour to be acceptable or rebellious in nature from the very first civilisation. Every deviant act involves the violation of social system (Cloward and Ohlin, 1960). Researchers the world over have long debated the various causes of delinquency. Yet juvenile delinquency continues to be a salient topic and no single cause has been able to answer as to what leads a juvenile to become delinquent, Delinquency should not be seen as a surprising phenomenon but as something all adolescents will participate in unless obstacles are placed in their paths by a disapproving society.  [11]   Glasser (1965) believes a youth may become deviant if his lifestyle is based upon consistently meeting ones needs in such a way that it deprives others of the ability to meet their needs. Behavioural specialists indicate that socio-economic conditions like poverty hold a key importance in a youngsters life. Furthermore, peer pressure makes young people more vulnerable to conform to certain values and norms which are not socially acceptable. Other theorists believe experience of a childhood trauma such as child abuse and family dysfunctioning lead youngsters to be indulged in criminal activities. This chapter will address some of the factors and their attempts to explain why some young people are more susceptible to deviant behaviour. 2.8.1 Family structure and delinquency According to Wright and Wright (1994) the family is the foundation of human society. As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world we live in, said Pope John Paul II Norms, values, model of behaviour emanate from the family unit and these factors create an internalised blueprint for the childs personality, beliefs and attitudes  [12]  . Families can teach children to be aggressive, antisocial and violent (Wright and Wright 1994). Family Dysfunctioning Gorman-Smith and Tolan (1998) state that parental aggressiveness and parental conflict predict violent offending; whereas, lack of maternal affection and paternal criminality predict involvement in property crimes  [13]  . There is a strong link between delinquency and familial antisocial behaviour and family conflict. Children are more bent to violence if there is violence between relationships that they share with their family  [14]  . Amato and Sobolewski indicated associations between exposure to parental divorce and marital discord while growing and childrens psychological distress in adulthood  [15]  . Communication Communication plays a pivotal role in the functioning of family. As stated by Clark and Shields (1997) effective communication is important for optimal family functioning as it can have major implications for delinquent behaviour  [16]  . With continuous family communication in a compassionate and non-judgemental tones will make children feel understood and accepted leading to a positive self-image and higher sense of self-esteem. Parental Monitoring Monitoring becomes necessary as children moves into adolescence as the latter spend more time with peers than under the supervision of parents. Kim et al. showed that coercive parental and lack of monitoring leads directly not only to antisocial behaviours but also contributes to increase peer association which is predictive of higher levels of delinquency. However, it is also seen that when parents are too strict and maintain a harsh monitoring, adolescents are likely to 2.8.2 Peer influence Peer pressure can influence a childs behaviour just as the family can. When youths face lack of social support and response from their families and communities, they turn to their peer groups for support  [17]  . The peer group is an adolescents main source of social interaction. According to Agnew (1991) and Lamson(1993) juveniles substitute peer groups for parents when they see the latter as uncaring. Spending time with deviant peers exerts much pressure on the youth to adopt the same behaviour  [18]  . Weak bonding to conventional peers lead to association with deviant peers which results into initiation or aggravation of delinquent behaviour  [19]  . 2.8.3 Educational experiences Education is instrumental in this competitive environment, for instance, what we call the rat-race in Mauritius, to find a respectable source of income and to survive. High level of education for survive is responsible for changes in crimes and delinquency rates  [20]  . There is a well-established correlation between school failure and deviancy  [21]   Difficulty in the school environment often contributed to truancy and more serious offences  [22]  . School environment may shape a youth sense of opportunity and self-worth. In Mauritius, academic achievement is one of the principal stepping stone towards success. Socio-economic and demographic factors also impact on educational opportunities and performance  [23]  . For instance, in Mauritius educational environments are not always the same. It is apparent in underclass environment, e.g, outskirts of cities like Roche Bois where education is usually not a strong norm of behaviour. Moreover, school dropout and poor academic achievers are more likely to be involved in criminal acts. 2.8.4 Socio-economic class The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. According to Merton (1968), children from poor families do not have sufficient means to achieve status, employment, etc. hence, they turn to criminal behaviour to achieve the same things, i.e, through ways not being accepted by the society. Juvenile delinquency is influenced by the negative consequences of social and economic development. Furthermore, unemployment among youngsters can increase the likelihood of their involvement in illegal activity. 2.8.5 Trauma A grim reality in our modern world is that many young people are abused and traumatized every day. The abuse, whatever its nature, may have a long-lasting and profound effect on a youths life. Numerous studies over the past 10 years have shown a clear relationship between youth victimization and a variety of problems in later life, including mental health problems, substance abuse, impaired social relationships, suicide and delinquency.  [24]   2.9 Juvenile delinquency in Mauritius In Mauritius, delinquency includes conduct that is antisocial, dangerous, or harmful to the goals or norms of the society. The Brigade pour la protection des mineurs, a unit at the MPF, is specialized in the detection and prevention of juvenile delinquency. In 2011, around 700 juvenile offenders were involved in crime and misdemeanours, of whom 300 in assaults and 130 in thefts. About 800 juveniles were contravened for road traffic offences. 2.9.1 Juvenile offenders The juvenile delinquency rate (excluding contraventions) was 5.8 per 1,000 juvenile population in 2011 compared to 5.2 in 2010. The rate for boys (10.6) was much higher than that for girls (0.9) in 2011. In fact, juvenile delinquency rate has been rising for the past years: from 1.0 in 2000 to 5.8 per 1,000 juvenile population in 2011. According to experts in criminology, this rising trend has a direct link with the rise in the number of family issues (e.g. divorce, domestic violence, etc). Table 1.1 Juvenile offences reported, Republic of Mauritius, 2010 2011 Number 2010 2011 Juvenile offences 1,348 1,518 Juvenile offenders 1,395 1,572 Juvenile delinquency rate per 1,000 juvenile population 5.2 5.8 (Juvenile delinquency rate excludes contraventions) 2.9.2 Juveniles convictions in court (a) Around 300 convictions involved juveniles in 2011; almost three quarter of the sentences were fines. (b) A significant rise was noted in the number of convictions involving juveniles, with a fourfold increase since 2007 (from 75 in 2007 to 300 in 2011). Juvenile detainees Overview of juvenile detention Low but rising number of juveniles being sent on remand Male juvenile offenders are either admitted to Correctional Youth Centre (CYC) or Rehabilitation Youth Centre (RYC) according to the gravity of the cases and age of the offender. Those who commit serious offences are sent to CYC. However, all female juvenile/child offenders are sent to RYC as there is no CYC for female juveniles. Child/ juveniles beyond control are also sent to probation homes. The conviction rate (CYC RYC) per 100,000 juveniles was 22 in 2011 compared to 28 in 2010. Correctional Youth Centre (CYC) The CYC is under the aegis of the Mauritius Prisons Services. Male juvenile offenders aged 14 to 17 years old are admitted to CYC. (a) In 2011, the daily average population of detainees in CYC was 5 convicts and 20 remands. (b) More than three quarter of the 18 juvenile convicts admitted to CYC in 2011 had committed theft. Table 5.3 Juvenile detainees admitted to CYC, Republic of Mauritius, 2010 2011 Number Detainees 2010 2011 Convicts 24 18 Assault 1 1 Sodomy 1 1 Theft 14 14 Other offences 8 2 Remand 129 149 Total 153 167 Rehabilitational Youth Centre (RYC) The RYC is under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions. Child/ juvenile offenders aged 10 to 17 years old are admitted to RYC. (a) In 2011, the daily average population of RYC comprised 30 convicts (20 girls and 10 boys) and 10 remands (5 girls and 5 boys). (b) The number of juveniles admitted to RYC in 2011 was 161. Out of them:  · 131 were on remand and 30 were convicts,  · 23 were admitted as child/juvenile beyond control, of whom 19 were girls and 4 boys. Table 5.4 Juvenile detainees admitted to RYC, Republic of Mauritius, 2010 2011 Number Cases 2010 2011 Male Female Total Male Female Total Convicts 6 10 16 9 21 30 Sexual offences 1 0 1 2 0 2 Theft 1 1 2 1 1 2 Other cases 4 9 13 6 20 26 of which child/juvenile beyond control 4 9 13 4 19 23 Remand 48 56 104 71 60 131 Total 54 66 120 80 81 161 Probation homes/hostels Juveniles/children beyond control are also sent to probation homes/hostels under the aegis of the Probation and After-care Services. (a) In 2011, a daily average of 9 juveniles/children stayed (5 boys and 4 girls) in probation homes/ hostels (b) About 15 juveniles were admitted in probation homes in both 2010 and 2011. Other juvenile sentencing (a) Some 53 juveniles (up from 93 in 2010) were sentenced with probation orders in 2011, of whom 52 boys. (b) The number of juveniles were committed to community service work was 3 in 2011 compared to 8 in 2010.

C-span, The Cable Tv Channel :: essays research papers

C-SPAN, the Cable TV channel C-SPAN, the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network is a medium that truly brings the government to the people. By presenting live and uncut footage of our government in action, the citizens of the United States can get a bit closer to what the founding fathers had in mind when they created our government. C-SPAN is truly a unique channel amongst the mass of today's viewing options. C-SPAN was launched March 19, 1979, "to provide live, gavel to gavel coverage of the United States House of Representatives."1, but the enterprise has been expanded beyond the original one channel and now utilizes several mediums to reach its goal. The originator of this idea of bringing government into peoples' homes was Brian Lamb, who in addition to being the chairman and CEO of C-SPAN, is also a host on many of C-SPAN's programs. Brian's primary belief is that people should be able to see government in action without soundbites, computer maps, models, images, music, and news anchor commentary. Brian feels that if people can see government in action without the normal clutter, then they can more easily make decisions for themselves about politics and the workings of their government. In addition to C-SPAN, a second channel, C-SPAN2 has also been created. C-SPAN2 is committed to providing live and uncut coverage of the U.S. Senate when it is in session. C-SPAN2 continues the tradition of the original channel by giving an even wider unfiltered and unplugged view of our government in action. In addition to video, C-SPAN also has 2 different audio networks that broadcast international and American political content, unfiltered and uncut. Also, C-SPAN has moved into the computer world and has established a homepage to provide information to people about its services, as well as receive feedback from viewers via email. One of the most unique aspects of C-SPAN is that all of its services are offered totally commercial free. C-SPAN is paid for by cable and satellite operators who each pay a per-subscriber fee to C-SPAN when the channels are carried on their cable systems. C-SPAN does sell merchandise bearing its logo, such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and hats, however these are certainly intended as advertising for the network itself rather than a direct source of income. As of July 1995, C-SPAN is received by over 64.3 million or 71 percent of U.S. households, and C-SPAN2 is received by over 41.1 million or 46 percent of U.S. households. C-SPAN is distributed primarily through cable TV systems, however it can also received by both analog and digital satellite receivers.

Bad-Bad Words (Term Paper)

Bad-Bad Words Der’rik Hardin Psych 326 December 1, 2012 Dr. Hennon Bad-Bad Words The goal of this paper is to conduct a series of research on curse words, their meanings, and a brief history of profanity. I also intend to show that curse words are deemed acceptable in certain social situations in the American culture. To begin we must define semantic. Semantics is a branch of linguistics that deals with the study of meaning, changes in meaning, and the principles that govern the relationship between sentences or words and their meanings (Weinreich, Labov, & Weinreich, (1980).It can also be referred to as the study of the relationships between signs and symbols and what they represent. But presently, does the meaning of the curse word matter anymore or is it the way we portray these bad words in a specific social situation? Ambiguity and Curse Words Currently there is no exact theory to explain why humans curse or why we chose the words we use to define these curse words. Psych ologists, linguists, speech pathologists and a number of other researchers have been pondering on such an explanation for some time.According to Jay, (2000), cursing is an essential element of language in linguistics and psycholinguistics that refers to multiple uses of offensive speech. The term cursing is subjected to many ambiguous words such as swearing, obscenity, name calling, insulting, ethnic-racial slurs, vulgarity and slang, (Jay, 2000). These terms will be used interchangeably throughout the paper. Thanks to research conducted by Timothy Jay in 1992, it was quite simple to distinguish between the use of cursing and its many ambiguous terms.For starters, cursing is more than name calling. In fact, to curse is to call upon divine or supernatural power in order to cause harm to another, (Jay, 2000). The intent behind cursing is to cause physical harm on another through the use of words and phrases. Most Americans use cursing in short phrases, out of anger and frustration to get their point across with strong emphasis of the portrayed emotion, (Jay, 2000). Swearing is the use of any word or phrase that is likely to cause offense when used in middle class polite conversation (McEnery, 2005).Swearing originally meant to take an oath legally or religiously until a second meaning allowed the term to take on the use of offensive language (Hughes, 2006). Initially, swearing seemed to induce positivity in sentences as it replaced violent actions as a means of expressing anger (Jay, 1992) and still considered to be a synonym to the closely related word curse. To the American culture, obscenity is viewed as sexual in nature (Jay, 1992). Obscene language may consist of words such as â€Å"fuck† â€Å"cunt,† or â€Å"motherfucker. † According to Jay (1992), to label a word as obscene is technically restricting that word to free speech.This means such a word cannot be used freely and can be subjected to restrictions or punishment from the head governing body. It is the American culture which gives obscene words the relation to sexual content and imagery. For this reason, courts deem obscenity as offensive and not to be freely uttered, especially in the media, books, and other forms of public entertainment (Jay, 1992). Written in The Mother Tongue, English and How it Got That Way (Bryson, 1996), it is mandatory that a film or motion picture be rated R using certain explicit words.The Federal Communications Commission, (FCC), attempted to exclude seven bad words from broadcast television; these consisted of â€Å"shit,† â€Å"piss,† â€Å"fuck,† â€Å"cunt,† â€Å"cocksucker,† â€Å"motherfucker,† and â€Å"tits,† (Sapolsky and Kaye, 2005). Even though Americans can be intolerant of swearing, some swearing does occur on U. S. television (Sapolsky and Kaye, 2005) such as South Park (Grimm, 2003). Producing several successful seasons, South Park used milder bad words like, â₠¬Å"hell,† â€Å"ass,† â€Å"screw you,† â€Å"bitch,† bastard†, and â€Å"son-of-bitch,† for example (Sapolsky and Kaye, 2005).Insults and slurs can be considered other forms of curse words, or bad words in general. They take on a similar meaning as curse words in their similar usage to cause harm to another individual. Although insults and slurs consist of different bad words, they are both forms of verbal attacks. While slurs deal with social background, race, and ethnicity indicating stereotypes, insults denote physical, mental, or psychological qualities (Jay, 1992). Lastly, scatology was a new word for me which refers to the use of human waste products, (Jay, 1992).Americans often hear the use of scatology amongst young adults and children more than older individuals. This is probably because the consept of human waste is humorous to the younger crowd. For example, my son, Aiden, likes to refer to his wet underwear as â€Å"pissy,† when he has an accident (which originated from his grandmother). Other words in scatology include â€Å"shit,† â€Å"ass,† â€Å"crap,† or â€Å"ka ka. † The classification of bad words is quite vital for the purposes of semantic evaluation. This allows linguists to define the different type of meanings these utterances employ on the human language (Jay, 1992).Some of these classifications, as there are more than what I have listed above, may overlap a lot. According to Bryson, (1996) in order to know the actual meaning behind a curse word, the listener must know the intent and evaluate the structure in which the curse word is being used. For example, Whitney tells her best friend to â€Å"shut the fuck up† as they are laughing hysterically opposed to Whitney telling her friend to â€Å"shut the fuck up! † as they are arguing over pizza. The example shows two different scenarios with the same word usage but different emotional intent behind them.In order for the listener to interpret the two scenarios differently they must pay attention and evaluate how Whitney is communicating in each sentence. As put by Dewaele (2004), the perceived strength behind curse words matters rather than reasoned on the basis of word semantics. Curse Words in their Proper Setting Although, mainly found offensive, curse words are not always used to cause harm. For example, in a jokingly conversation between two friends, one may utter the statement â€Å"kiss my ass† which may be found humorous to the other friend.Yet, still individuals do not always find curse words funny, such as when one is being told to â€Å"fuck off† during a disagreement. The use of cursing serves to exaggerate or put emphasis on the emotions of the speaker which also drags attention to the listener (Jay, 2000). For this reason some people curse to show how strongly they feel about the topic they may be speaking on. For example, in my experience, when an argument breaks out the audience will hear name calling, such as â€Å"bitch,† â€Å"whore,† etc. Behind the name calling is direct intent to harm the other person being argued with.Even though this is a bad example to show a positive use for curse words, it demonstrates the emotional anger and frustration that the two arguers are trying to convey through the use of name calling, or the term more widely accepted by the American public, curse words (Jay, 1992). It seems to be mutual knowledge that curse words are bad â€Å"pursue,† yet they are still commonly used depending on the situation or demographics. For example, most parents know not to use curse words around young children. So, when is it okay to use cursing terms and why is it situational based?Not only does the situation matter but the choice of curse words and culture makes a difference. Bryson (1996) provides a list of words found most offensive in certain cultures. Some of these bad words could be c lassified under slurs because they employ racial, social class and ethnic offense to a certain group of people. In Norwegian it is highly offensive to call someone a â€Å"devil† (Bryson, 1996), which is equivalent to the American â€Å"fucker. † Some cultures however do not swear at all as their native language does not contain swear/curse words.These cultures include the Japanese, Malayans, and most Polynesians and Native American Indians (Bryson, 1996). Despite the small number of countries that do not condone to cursing, most cultures curse and have been doing so for a very long time (Bryson 1996). A study on Romans, done by Dr. J. N. Adams of Manchester University in England, found an estimated 800 bad words in their vocabulary. These findings are outstanding, compared to the English language containing roughly around twenty depending on how they are being used (Bryson, 1996).In an essay exploring the use of swear words during stand-up comedy, Susan Seizer found i t appropriate to use such obscenity and vulgar words despite the Supreme Court censorship rulings. Siezer (2011), uses swear/curse words in an idiomatic, non-denotational, and non-referential way to promote humor and laughter for the audience. Her goal, in this study, was to use words such as â€Å"fuck† or â€Å"holy shit† to promote something other than sexual or excretory images to the public.She also intends to further the effect of freeing Americans from these referential and denotational word uses in an attempt to open up poetic pleasures of word play (Seizer, 2011). Seizer’s hypothesis was confirmed concluding her study. Through her examples and experiment she proved that the comedic use of dirty words can be illustrated in a non-denotational manner for the sake of comedy and humor. By using obscenity this way a shift in the audiences expectations and moved away from sexual vulgarity to sorts of pleasure (Seizer, 2011).Obscenity throughout the experiment heightened and intensified the expressions of the speaker’s perspective and comical experiences which also put the audience at ease as the free play with words allow the comedian to open up and heighten the states of hilarity (Seizer, 2011). Seizer’s study promoted the idea that curse words are not always seen as a bad thing but more situational based. Depending on the environment, it seems to be okay to freely play with words such as â€Å"dick,† â€Å"fuck,† â€Å"pussy,† and â€Å"shit,† as Susan used in her experiment.Apparently, if it is humorous to the audience, freedom of speech is accepted anywhere. As reported by Andersson and Trudgill (1992), swearing may occur in jokes for humorous intent and many jokes depend on the shock value of swear words for humor; inversely relating curse words and comedy. Not only are curse words deemed acceptable through comedy but for entertainment purposes as well. Take pornography for example. Swear or bad words are used in porn to heightened erotic behavior between two actors. Coates (2003) also reported the use of swearing in social situations.According to Coates (2003), Adolescents may express their identity of being cool through curse words or to display closeness in friendships and popular group settings. Brief History in Profanity After searching through several articles and multiple books I came to realize that curse words has never had a scientific historian. Mencken, (1944) reports bad words, or profanity as he terms it in his article, came to America from England during the Seventeenth Century. In this age of time the use of curse words was not socially accepted.Mencken (1944) goes on to write about John Adams. In 1755, John Adams established rules for the Navy of the United Colonies in terms of profanity. Sailors who chose to speak profanely were authorized to wear a wooden collar or a shameful badge (Mencken, 1944). John Adams was not the only man in history to punish citizens for the use of profanity. One year prior to Adam’s rules, George Washington employed his own set of rules for soldiers in order to decrease the use of swearing or profane cursing (Mencken, 1944). Unfortunately, these rules did not hold many years.Near the end of the century Richard Parkinson stated the words â€Å"damned† and â€Å"hell† as a new phrase used by many Republicans. Parkinson pointed out that men in high power used profane language as well, including George Washington (Mencken, 1944). Accepting Curse Words Similar to our day in age, the restriction of cursing, profanity, and swearing was not successful and still widely used at the discretion of the public. Written in the North American Review of 1934, and cited in Mencken’s article (1944), Burges Johnson declared that American profanity was losing its† punch†.By that he means the severity of curse words has diminished over time. As we can see, the practice of curse words is becoming more socially accepted and used to express identities for some people while emphasizing the intent behind speech for others. Hinduja and Patchin (2008) reported the extent to which teens swear on social networks. Their research data on swearing and Myspace showed 19. 2 percent of participant’s personal profiles contained swearing and 32. 8 percent of participants swearing on their friends profile.Cursing has evolved and become a necessary part of language (Jay, 2000). Mentioned in Jay’s book (2000), a comprehensive theory of cursing must be incorporated into human linguistics and psychological models of language because it captures the emotional aspects of language along with the emphasized, offensive intent behind the speaker. This theory of cursing must be accepted and incorporated into human linguistics because human language does not exist without human emotion which cannot be separated from emotional reactions in the use of language (Jay, 2000).Works Cited Andersson, L. G. and P. Trudgill. (1992). Bad Language. London: Pengiun. Bryson, B. (1996). The Mother Tongue: English and how it got that way. New York: Avon Books. Coates, J. (2003). Men Talk. Maldon, MA: Blackwell. Dewaele, J. (2004). The emotional force of swearwords and taboo words in the speech of multilinguals'. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Developments,  25(2,3), 204-222. Hinduja, S. , ; Patchin, J. W. (2008). Personal information of adolescents on the internet: A quantitative content analysis of myspace.Journal of Adolescence, 31(1), 125-146. Hughes, G. (2006). An encyclopedia of swearing: The social history of oaths, profanity, foul language, and ethnic slurs in the English-speaking world. Armonk, NY [u. a. : Sharpe. ] Jay, T. (1992). Cursing in America: A psycholinguistic study of dirty language in the courts, in the movies, in the schoolyards, and on the streets. Philadelphia: J. Benjamins Pub. Co. Jay, T. (2000). Why we curse: A neuro-psycho-social theory of speech. Philadelphia, Pa. [u. a. : Benjamins. ] McEnery, T. (2005). Swearing in english.London: Routledge. Mencken, H. L. (1944). American profanity. American Speech, 109(4), 242-249. Sapolsky, B. S. , ; Kaye, B. K. (2005). The of offensive langauge by men and women in prime time television entertainment. Atlantic Journal of Communication,  13(4), 292-303 Seizer, S. (2011). The unmentionable: Verbal taboo and the moral life of language. On the Uses of Obscenity in Live Stand-Up Comedy,  84(1), 209-234. Weinreich, U. , Labov, W. , ; Weinreich, B. S. (1980). On semantics. Philadelphia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press.

View of Reputation in The Scarlet Letter - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 583 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/05/08 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Scarlet Letter Essay Did you like this example? Reputation is everything. Whether we like to admit it or not, we care how people perceive us, and we care about their opinions of us. This ideology is not something new, it is something that has been around as early as the time in which, The Scarlet Letter was written in. Throughout the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, you see many of the main characters including, Roger, Hester and Arthur, sacrifice various things for something they all value, reputation. The novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a story about an adulteress, Hester Prynne, who must wear a scarlet A to showcase her sin. Arthur Dimmesdale, Hesters lover, remains unknown to the reader until the end of the novel. While being unidentified, Dimmesdale is filled with guilt. Then to top it off, Hesters husband, Roger Chillingworth is in town seeking revenge on Hesters lover and will not stop until he gets his revenge. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "View of Reputation in The Scarlet Letter" essay for you Create order The first passage I have chosen demonstrates Hester Prynnes sacrifice. The passage describes an encounter Hester experienced while standing on the scaffold. Reverend Mr. Wilson and Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale urge Hester to reveal the identity of her paramour, so that he may stand there with her and share the responsibility or blame. Hester refuses to give her lover a name because she feels she might endure his agony, as well as mine!. This shows how much Hester valued the reputation of her lover, because she was willing to sacrifice her reputation in order to keep his reputation from being tarnished. Hesters sacrifices for Arthur make her an admirable and heroic character despite her newfound reputation as a marked outcast. The second passage that I have chosen showcases Rogers sacrifice to protect his reputation. This passage describes the encounter between Roger and Hester, while Hester is still in Jail. Roger asked Hester to keep his identity a secret because I will not encounter the dishonor that besmirches the husband of a faithless woman.. Roger did not want his name to be tarnished for being the husband of Hester Prynne, an adulteress. This idea of secrecy in order to protect your reputation is evident in The Scarlet Letter, especially in the character of Roger Chillingworth. The reader starts to see Roger sacrificing his health because he is so determined on torturing Arthur, Hesters paramour. The third and final passage I have chosen will be used to show Arthurs sacrifice. Arthur sacrificed his health and, in a sense, possibly even his life, because he was so wrapped up in the guilt and shame of not only being Hesters lover but in keeping it a secret just to protect his reputation. His inward trouble drove him to practices more in accordance with the old, corrupted faith of Rome, than with the better light of the church in which he had been born and bred. In Mr. Dimmesdales secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge, a scourge is a whip used as an instrument of punishment. Arthur was inflicting pain upon himself because he had so much guilt in keeping such a large secret just to uphold his reputation. Throughout the novel the reader begins to see Arthurs health deteriorate and the townspeople start to notice something is wrong with their beloved minister and they feel he will soon pass away. This passage clearly demonstrates the cause of Arthurs pain an d slow decline and that is the weight of being Hesters lover and keeping it a secret to maintain his reputation.