Category: Uncategorized

A movie star SimonIntroduction

A movie star is a person with powerful personalities, and abilities of easily switching to different characters, and personalities that the audiences watching are left guessing who is really performing. To be a movie star there are some things that one has to do , start training early as it helps one to gain experience, attend acting lessons ,audition for local theatre and also attend as many productions as possible.

To become an actor no educational requirement is needed, but the more the person is used to acting the flexible one becomes; joining a regular performing drama group is significant. One also has to learn the art of filming, participation in school projects on filming is also vital as one still gains experience from watching other people perform. When in this field and still learning one can be given extra work and being ready to do them is an advantage because in itself one gains more experience and knowledge and also one gets to know more people who might get more work and also can help advance one’s career.

Audition for any role because the more roles you get the more experience gained, as it is not always easy for one to get the roles one desires. By persevering one may end up getting the roles one desires to play. It also helps one physiologically that at times one can be denied the chance to play a particular role, and meeting different types of casting directors who always criticize. Always remember to take it in stride and improve on whatever that they say. Attend shows which can provide a job opening and always be ready for any audition.

To get connections always work with an agent as they know more people in the field and they are also powerful negotiators and can always land a better deal. Image is very important in the acting world so presenting quality headshots is always an advantage, so this means one has to get a professional to take the head shots because when one lands an audition the first thing that is looked at is the headshots that you send along with your resume. you might spend some considerable amount of money but it in the acting industry it is worth the sacrifice Always remember in acting one needs some very good headshots and in that case attend headshots sessions and try different looks and make sure a makeup artist is present seek advice from professional photographers as they will tell the truth about ones headshots

Conclusion

There no warranty in the film business, apart from that there will be a film needing some work. So in the film industry to become a movie star one needs not to be rigid as at times one may need to move, multitask and also be knowledgeable in the field of acting and business. participate in any local and school production and never ever allow pride prevent you from participating in low budget films and always be ready to do any extra work as it helps in building your resume, always be flexible, move to where there is work and work with an agent who will be helpful in getting the roles ones want and the most important thing never ever give up as in persevering the role that ones always dream about will come true.

(Name)

(Instructors’ name)

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Little Women

This paper presents a critical examination of the relationship between Jo, Amy and Laurie in the novel, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Apart from the obvious family relationship and ties that exit between Jo Amy and Laurie, these three characters in the novel, inherently, bring out and build each other with relation to the novel. Alcott has used each of the characters in her novel to bring out the various themes of the novel, as well as, help in the development of the story. Jo, who is evidently the central character of the story, is Amy’s elder sister, and she is seen as the character who sets the pace for all other characters in the novel. At the outset, as the girls’ parents wish to teach the girls lessons regarding poverty, she is the first one to learn and catch what their parents are trying to teach them. She is very outspoken and outgoing, and for that reason, helps the readers understand the natures and characters of other people in the novel.

When she came out as the first sister to help Laurie when he was sick, and also as the first sister to develop an intimate relationship with him, most readers assume that these two characters will eventually marry each other. However, they do not marry each other, and instead she marries her professor who is atud bit older than her. Arguably, readers can see that her actions towards Laurie during the time of need, were a way of setting an example for her younger sister Amy, as to which actions are moral and good. Observably, Jo is quick to take on the role of a mother in her mother’s absence, something that Amy may not have been so amused about. For that reason, Jo can be considered also as a guide and parental figure to Amy, as well as, the other March sisters. In the development of Jo’s character, Alcott created her as a strong and independent woman, which in turn, illustrates her relation to Laurie as a character. She rebelliously refuses Laurie’s offer of marriage, which sequentially breaks his heart and compels him to look for marriage from the other sister in the family. He does eventually gain the love of Amy, which in turn builds on Jo’s character as a pacesetter and a guide.

The second character in the novel is Amy who is the youngest March sister. As a character, she is quite manipulative and she, in one way or another, influences most people in the book to do things her way. However, because Jo steps in to act as her mother, she is unable to manipulate Jo, and for that reason, the readers are exposed to a number of fights and disagreements between the two. She is a people pleaser, which explains, her relationship with Laurie. Readers can assume that being the youngest March sister, she observed how Jo treated Laurie and emulated these actions to make him fall in love with her. Fundamentally, her relationship with Jo and Laurie can be observed from two different perspectives. Whereas she accentuates Jo’s character in the novel, and provides a contrast between the natures of women, her relationship with Laurie carries plenty of romantic connotations. Amy is a lovable character, which helps reader understand why Laurie fell in love with her in the first place. By the novel’s end, she bares a child for Laurie, hence bringing out another relationship to him, as the mother of his child.

Laurie is the last character in the Novel who clearly has been brought out as having a unique relationship between the two sisters Jo an Amy. In both cases, the relationship with the two sisters is that of a romantic love, with an added friendship between himself and Jo. As a character, Laurie is intelligent and charming, which in turn explains why the sisters grew fond of him throughout the novel. The readers first observe his relationship with Jo in the first sections of the book, where the two experience a strong friendship with each other. They are there for one another at all times, especially in times of sorrow, thus illustrating the deepness of their friendship. However, their relationship to each other takes a turn where the two do not get married, as readers would expect. Arguably, this illustrates the strength of the bond between these two characters, as one can see that they are more than lovers, and are the best of friends. Readers may assume that this relationship is based on the similarity in their personal lives where they both struggle to become what the society expects them to be. As for his relationship with Amy, readers can see that the two are romantically involved as they fall in love and get married. The two also start a family with each other, further illustrating their relationship with each other. They have no ill feeling regarding Jo, and for that reason bring out the theme of family and its importance in the novel.

Name

Institution

Date

Turning the Thinking Curve

Mass Incarceration in the United States

Background

The population of the United States makes up about 5 percent of the global population while, the nation has 25 percent of the global population of prisoners (Wagner, & Sakala, 2014). Approximately 2.2 million Americans are in prison. This population began growing at a rapid rate in the early 1980s due to a number of factors that will be discussed in this paper. The rate of incarceration grew by an annual average of 12 percent between 1970 and 2000, bringing the total growth increase to about 400 percent, which the highest rate of imprisonment recorded anywhere in the world. The 2.2 million people in confinement are locked in the following categories:

1,772 juvenile correctional centers

over 3,000 local jails

80 Indian county jails.

1,833 state prisons

110 federal correctional centers

218 migrant detention centers

Military prisons

Psychiatric hospitals

Civil commitment facilities

Wagner & Sakala (2014). How many people are locked up in the United States? (chart). In Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017. Prison Policy Initiative.

The information in this pie chart details the actual facilities where people are locked, indicates the reason why rectifies speculations about the drivers of mass incarceration, and focuses on the real reasons for such a huge number of people in prison such as the exceedingly punitive action taken against even the least offenses. Looking at the chart allows a reader to focus on the crucial drivers of mass incarceration and point out crucial but ignored confinement establishments. Local jails are not significantly included in the discussion on mass incarceration as one of the main contributors to this huge number and have a more significant impact that the population suggests.

It is important to note that this pie chart does not include the huge churn of people going in and out of correctional facilities or an even larger group that is affected by mass incarceration or the criminal justice system. Over 600,000 people go through prison gates each year, although people find themselves in jails 10.6 million times annually. The number is greater than those in prison because most people that have been to jail have not been convicted. Some get arrested and make bail within a few hours or days, while the poor that cannot afford bail are remain in locked up until they can face trial. Usually, about 160,000 people on average in a single day find themselves convicted for small offenses or misdemeanors carrying sentences bellow one year. Al least one in four people arrested will be arrested again in the same year particular the poor, those with mental illness, and those battling substance abuse disorders, whose problems even become larger with incarceration.

Reasons for a Disproportionate Prison Population

The reason why many people are locked up can be explained through the number arrested for drug offenses, the profit motives of bail corporations with a direct interest in mass incarceration, or whether it is a response to threats on societies. Today they are various myths circulating as to why America harbors so many people in its confinement facilities. Some have a substantial amount of truth in them, such as the over-criminalization of drug use, the use of unpaid prison labor, or the use of private prisons. However, looking at this myths, they do not actually explain why many people are found with offenses that warrant their arrest and conviction, or how the nation can dramatically and cautiously bring down the number of people in our prisons.

At the Minimum

The main reason for the huge number of incarcerated people in the United States includes the reliance on sentencing guidelines by judges when imposing penalties for crimes. Judges also consider mitigating factors during sentencing. It happens that when a crime is subject to a stipulated minimum according to sentencing laws, the judges are required to impose this minimum or higher. The war on drugs introduced in the 1970s introduced the use of minimum sentencing. This was followed harsher mandatory minimum sentences passed by Congress in the 1980s, particularly in connection to federal drug possession. Since then, these requirements have been adopted for sex and crimes related to gangs. Thus, mandatory minimum sentences have hugely contributed to the increase in prison populations.

The American Center for prison studies reports that one in every 107 Americans is locked up in a confinement facility. The land of the free is ironically the land with the most number of unfree people in the entire globe. Although this paper mentioned the war on drugs as a mythical factor contributing to the rise in prison populations, it does so indirectly as it influence greatly minimum sentencing laws that extended to other offences. This has led to misdemeanours with significantly disproportionate consequences.

The mandatory minimum sentences introduced in the 1980s and 1990s ensured that people served longer sentences or forced convicts to service a predetermined number of years in prison (Kang-Brown, Hinds, Heiss, & Lu, 2018). On particularly inconsiderate sentences was the one introduced under the “three-strikes” laws, which forced a person convicted of their third felony to serve a prison sentence amounting to 25 years to life. There is also the “truth-in-sentencing” laws that required convicts to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before they were legible for parole. The harsher sentencing policies of the 1980s and 1990s and the increased probability of imprisonment per arrest are the biggest causes of the explosion of mass incarceration.

Small offenses with huge consequences, or the “massive misdemeanor system” is significant but hugely overlooked contributor of mass incarceration and overcriminalization. Offenses such as jaywalking or sitting on the sidewalk contribute a jaw-dropping 13 million misdemeanor charges that drive a similar number of Americans to the criminal justice system annually (This number does not include speeding and civil violations) (Alkon, 2015). These low-level offenses make up about a quarter of all daily arrests nationwide, and a significantly higher proportion in certain states and counties.

Reading or hearing about this misdemeanors without actually experiencing their consequences makes them look like small offenses until the reality of serious financial, personal and social costs sinks. This effect is not just felt by individuals but also the society that bears the cost of these court processes and the unwarranted incarceration that accompanies. There are also moral costs: people charged with misdemeanors are often pressured to accept a guilty plea in order to get probation and avoid jail time. However, this information goes into their criminal record, which significantly influences sentencing in case an individual is charged again. Other collateral consequences of accepting a guilty plea in order to get probation include the high risk of violating probation, which increases the probability for future incarceration for the violation offense. This misdemeanor system that pressures people to plead guilty undermines the American principles of justice by a huge extent.

The Impossibility of parole

Before the 1970s, a life sentence did not mean a convict spent their entire life in prison. People sentenced to life in prison were given their first parole after 15 years. However, when the supreme court withdrew the death penalty in 1972, most states responded by introducing life sentences without the possibility of parole. Since then, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and the state of South Dakota have withdrawn the possibility for parole altogether. As of 2012, 160,000 Americans were serving life sentences.

Juvenile Incarceration

For almost a century, the criminal justice system has distinguished between juvenile and adult crimes, recommending counselling, training, and rehabilitation for those considered of minority age or too young to be held accountable for their actions. However, a dramatic increase in the rate of crime committed by minors in the late 1980s contributed to public support for dealing with juveniles as adults and moving juvenile cases to adult courts. Since then, juveniles tried and convicted in adult courts were moved to adult correctional facilities. In the last decade, the number of people under the majority age serving time in adult prisons has increased two-fold. By 2010, 9,855 juveniles each day on average were incarcerated in adult correctional facilities.

Fifteen-Hundred Fold Increase

When the founding fathers finished drafting the constitution, they identified three federal crimes-piracy, treason, and counterfeiting. Since then, the number of federal crimes stands at 4,500, which means they have increased by a jaw-dropping 1,500-fold. Most significantly, is the decrease in laws written that require proof of intent in order to be found guilty and be convicted of a particular crime. In the decade between 2000 and 2010, over 780,000 people were found guilty and sent to prison for federal crimes and received sentences that ranged from up to a year for misdemeanors to multiples of 10 years for felonies.

There is also the issue that most people arrested today are more likely to go to jail because the prosecution and the court process has apparently become more effective over the years. According to the National Research Council (NRC), the prosecution has become more efficient, significantly contributing to the explosion of the number of incarcerated people (Travis, Western, & Redburn, 2014). More people who are arrested and charged with a crime are more likely to go to prison today than they would have three decades ago. This is partly because most crimes today require prison sentences that they did in 1980, meaning more people found guilty end up serving a prison sentence rather than getting a fine or serving probation (Tonry, 2016). There is also the issue that most people who are convicted today do not even go to trial-they take plea bargains, which are agreements between the defense and the prosecution for the defendant to plead guilty for a reduced sentence instead of having to go to trial and face the risk of a full-sentence if found guilty. The court system uses this method to reduce pilling up of cases and reduce workload. A plea bargain is not a question of effectiveness but of necessity and undermines the theoretical point of the prosecution working to figure out if a person committed an offense or not.

Various Stakeholders have a role to play in dealing with the issue of mass incarceration.

Federal prosecutors are considered to be tough-minded, strict on enforcing the law, and dedicated to dealing with crime wherever it lurks. There is a bipartite agreement today that too many people are being locked up for far too long. Although nobody would fancy going back to an era where they genuinely fear for their safety, public safety can be maintained without having to rely on stratospheric levels of incarceration seen today. Nobody understands this better than federal prosecutors. The role of prosecutors in the criminal justice system is significant, and one that comes with immense power. They decide whether a person should be charged, with what offense, and what plea bargains to reject or accept. Judges highly rate sentencing recommendations from prosecutors, which makes it safe to say that they influence the decisions of the judges greatly.

The Congress also has a significant role to play in reducing mass incarceration. Republican and Democratic leaders both agree that long prison sentences get in the way of rehabilitation, encourage economic inequality, and drive recidivism (Schiraldi, 2018). However, these two parties are so torn on issues such that it becomes tempting to assume that the progress towards a federal reform has no chance. Congress needs to redefine the way the nation confronts problems in the way Americans are arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated.

The White House and the Justice department also have a major role to play in addressing the problems in our criminal justice Department that have caused these bizarre numbers of incarcerated people. The White House and the Criminal Department need to support this work fully. The president should outline clear views on the issue and put his team, including the Vice President, his Senior Advisor, among others in line with these views. The Attorney General should also be instrumental in efforts aimed at reducing the prison population.

Formerly incarcerated leaders known as “leaders with conviction” also have a crucial role to play in dealing with mass incarceration. To be fair, this group is working to achieve this reality in their effort to rebuild communities (Sturm, & Tae, 2017). To date, these “leaders with conviction” have been able to gather a set of capacities that put them in a position to drive change not only in the lives of individual affected by mass incarceration but also in the criminal legal systems that have caused devastation in the lives of individuals and communities.

Leaders with conviction have been able to mobilize various forms of social capital that are unusually diverse. They have been using this resources shred through relationships and networks to help those affected by mass incarceration to move forward. They have also used this social capital to catalyze change. They are equipped with extensive experience to speak the language of various communities allowing them to communicate effectively with different audiences. They are trusted by people that have suffered recurring stigmatization and dispel myths among people who hold the stereotype that prevent them from the actual realities of the criminal justice system. They have the ability to influence public opinion and rally the public towards federal and criminal justice reform.

Reducing Mass Incarceration

It is important to mention that bipartisan criminal justice reform is a key issue in the upcoming presidential election and a very hot topic today. Senator Cory Booker and Senator Richard Blumenthal brought the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act back to the floor of the house with the aim of mending the country’s criminal justice system just like the Step Act that passed last fall intended to do. The former bill gives $20 billion from the Federal Reserve to states that reduce their prison population by a minimum of 7 percent in the course of three years while maintaining a low crime rate. This money will be offered over a 10-year period.

Although the intention of the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act is good, it will not effect any changes as long as certain laws are still in the book. Meaningful reform must start with the restructuring of the most common and fastest-growing form of punishment in the country-parole, probation, and various types of community supervision (Dagan & Teles, 2014). The number of adults under community supervision in the country stands at 4.5 million, which is double the number in prison and jails.

Although community supervision was introduced as an alternative to imprisonment but has turn into a key driver for mass incarceration. The technical requirements for adhering to community supervision should be revised because some are too demanding and appear to create a trap for incarceration. Violations of these requirements lead to further restrictions that end up in incarceration. People are supposed to adhere to between 10 and 20 conditions; some that appear to invade on the rights of people found guilty of even the small offenses (Subramanian, Moreno, & Broomhead, 2014). Fines, fees and restitution should be revised because they are one of the major traps for people with low incomes who most times cannot genuinely afford these amounts. It is enough to have someone fulfill work and community service requirements without the need to add a financial burden on them. Some requirements, such as disassociating with criminals, are understandable.

The enforcement of these requirements through sophisticated monitoring devices that are highly intrusive sometimes sends inaccurate information because they are too close and collect even the slightest of mistakes that are translated into a violation. It does not help to mention that private vendors who are working to boost their income blurring the moral line peddle these gadgets. Judges are ready to penalize these easily detected violations with punitive “backup time” sentences. Because of parole and probation violations, more than 50 percent of people serving prison sentences having been charged with violations that have nothing to do with public safety or criminal acts.

Congress should pass the Smarter Sentencing Act that would reduce mandatory sentences for non-violent drug offenders. The Act allows for some convicted of drug offenses to apply for a sentence reduction. The Recidivism Reduction and Public Safety Act should also be a priority. This Act provides more drug treatment and job training for inmates rehabilitating them to be useful members of the community. Those inmates who complete these programs are eligible for reduced sentences.

The National Research Council (NRC) has called on policymakers to revise criminal justice policies to prevent to aide mass incarceration. These policies revisions include a review of mandatory minimums, drug laws and long sentences. The consideration of more community-based alternatives to imprisonment is not necessarily a recommendation because it is already a failed experiment. Rather, it should be an introduction of new and revised community-based alternatives to the penitentiary. These alternatives should not be punitive all round but should include resources that ensure those found guilty of a particular offense do not re-offend. The goal should be to reduce recidivism that is encouraged by the current “massive misdemeanor system” that set up numerous requirements that create a trap for people service community sentences to land in prison eventually. Resources should also be available in prisons, including vocational training and improved convict re-entry programs.

The other issue is to allocate resources to collect information on how social and economic conditions cause crime. Mental illnesses are also important issues that should be evaluated for its effect of incarceration and recidivism. This will inform the development of resources to aid people dealing with mental health issues that require health care rather than jail terms.

The criminal justice system should identify a model correctional facility that has effectively adopted “intermediate care units” which help people with severe mental conditions to switch from inpatient correctional amenities to the general prison population. The initial attempt should, however, be working to keep people with mental problems out of jail in the first place using drug courts, veterans’ courts, and health courts.

Not all these programs will be effective without a single unit coordinating these policies reforms and other measures nationwide. The single unit or agency is the first point to showing the nation’s will for improvements in the criminal justice system. The nation is a very long way from desirable prison numbers, which means relentlessness and aggressive ways of doing things. Before these goals are realized, the people currently in prison should have services that increase their chances of integrating into the community once they are free.

Conclusion

More prisoners per arrest and handing each prisoner long sentences are the huge causes of the most significant causes of mass incarceration with the punitive sentencing policies enacted in the 1980s and the 1990s being the common denominator for both. Sentencing reform policies proposed by politicians, pursued by some state government, and recommended by other stakeholders is a decent place to begin. Stakeholders should take execute their responsibilities in this transformative phase with conviction. Prosecutors should ensure that they deal with crime but ensure they do it by executing there primary role to the best of their ability rather than relying on plea bargains just to close a case. The Congress should revise old laws and introduce new ones that will change this curve. The federal and state government should provide the necessary support to make this goal a reality. Non-governmental agencies should act as reform catalysts in bridging, bonding and linking social capital. They should work to shift the narrative and increase the capacity for collaboration with people at every government level by ensuring civic participation.

References

Alkon, C. (2015). An overlooked key to reversing mass incarceration: Reforming the law to reduce prosecutorial power in plea bargaining. U. Md. LJ Race, Religion, Gender & Class, 15, 191.

Dagan, D., & Teles, S. M. (2014). Locked in? Conservative reform and the future of mass incarceration. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 651(1), 266-276.

Kang-Brown, J., Hinds, O., Heiss, J., & Lu, O. (2018). The new dynamics of mass incarceration. Vera Institute of Justice.

Schiraldi, V. N. (2018). Too big to succeed: The impact of the growth of community corrections and what should be done about it.

Sturm, S. P., & Tae, H. (2017). Leading with conviction: The transformative role of formerly incarcerated leaders in reducing mass incarceration. Columbia Public Law Research Paper, (14-547).

Subramanian, R., Moreno, R., & Broomhead, S. (2014). Recalibrating justice: A review of 2013 state sentencing and corrections trends. New York: Vera Institute of Justice.

Tonry, M. H. (2016). Sentencing fragments: Penal reform in America, 1975-2025. Oxford University Press.

Travis, J., Western, B., & Redburn, F. S. (2014). The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences.

Wagner, P., & Sakala, L. (2014). Mass incarceration: The whole pie. Prison Policy Initiative, 12.

Lauren Williams

Florida A&M University

CCJ 5446

Dr. Felecia Dix Richardson

Turning the Thinking Curve

Mass Incarceration in the United States

Background

The population of the United States makes up about 5 percent of the global population while, the nation has 25 percent of the global population of prisoners (Wagner, & Sakala, 2014). Approximately 2.2 million Americans are in prison. This population began growing at a rapid rate in the early 1980s due to a number of factors that will be discussed in this paper. The rate of incarceration grew by an annual average of 12 percent between 1970 and 2000, bringing the total growth increase to about 400 percent, which the highest rate of imprisonment recorded anywhere in the world. The 2.2 million people in confinement are locked in the following categories:

1,772 juvenile correctional centers

over 3,000 local jails

80 Indian county jails.

1,833 state prisons

110 federal correctional centers

218 migrant detention centers

Military prisons

Psychiatric hospitals

Civil commitment facilities

Wagner & Sakala (2014). How many people are locked up in the United States? (chart). In Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2017. Prison Policy Initiative.

The information in this pie chart details the actual facilities where people are locked, indicates the reason why rectifies speculations about the drivers of mass incarceration, and focuses on the real reasons for such a huge number of people in prison such as the exceedingly punitive action taken against even the least offenses. Looking at the chart allows a reader to focus on the crucial drivers of mass incarceration and point out crucial but ignored confinement establishments. Local jails are not significantly included in the discussion on mass incarceration as one of the main contributors to this huge number and have a more significant impact that the population suggests.

It is important to note that this pie chart does not include the huge churn of people going in and out of correctional facilities or an even larger group that is affected by mass incarceration or the criminal justice system. Over 600,000 people go through prison gates each year, although people find themselves in jails 10.6 million times annually. The number is greater than those in prison because most people that have been to jail have not been convicted. Some get arrested and make bail within a few hours or days, while the poor that cannot afford bail are remain in locked up until they can face trial. Usually, about 160,000 people on average in a single day find themselves convicted for small offenses or misdemeanors carrying sentences bellow one year. Al least one in four people arrested will be arrested again in the same year particular the poor, those with mental illness, and those battling substance abuse disorders, whose problems even become larger with incarceration.

Reasons for a Disproportionate Prison Population

The reason why many people are locked up can be explained through the number arrested for drug offenses, the profit motives of bail corporations with a direct interest in mass incarceration, or whether it is a response to threats on societies. Today they are various myths circulating as to why America harbors so many people in its confinement facilities. Some have a substantial amount of truth in them, such as the over-criminalization of drug use, the use of unpaid prison labor, or the use of private prisons. However, looking at this myths, they do not actually explain why many people are found with offenses that warrant their arrest and conviction, or how the nation can dramatically and cautiously bring down the number of people in our prisons.

At the Minimum

The main reason for the huge number of incarcerated people in the United States includes the reliance on sentencing guidelines by judges when imposing penalties for crimes. Judges also consider mitigating factors during sentencing. It happens that when a crime is subject to a stipulated minimum according to sentencing laws, the judges are required to impose this minimum or higher. The war on drugs introduced in the 1970s introduced the use of minimum sentencing. This was followed harsher mandatory minimum sentences passed by Congress in the 1980s, particularly in connection to federal drug possession. Since then, these requirements have been adopted for sex and crimes related to gangs. Thus, mandatory minimum sentences have hugely contributed to the increase in prison populations.

The American Center for prison studies reports that one in every 107 Americans is locked up in a confinement facility. The land of the free is ironically the land with the most number of unfree people in the entire globe. Although this paper mentioned the war on drugs as a mythical factor contributing to the rise in prison populations, it does so indirectly as it influence greatly minimum sentencing laws that extended to other offences. This has led to misdemeanours with significantly disproportionate consequences.

The mandatory minimum sentences introduced in the 1980s and 1990s ensured that people served longer sentences or forced convicts to service a predetermined number of years in prison (Kang-Brown, Hinds, Heiss, & Lu, 2018). On particularly inconsiderate sentences was the one introduced under the “three-strikes” laws, which forced a person convicted of their third felony to serve a prison sentence amounting to 25 years to life. There is also the “truth-in-sentencing” laws that required convicts to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before they were legible for parole. The harsher sentencing policies of the 1980s and 1990s and the increased probability of imprisonment per arrest are the biggest causes of the explosion of mass incarceration.

Small offenses with huge consequences, or the “massive misdemeanor system” is significant but hugely overlooked contributor of mass incarceration and overcriminalization. Offenses such as jaywalking or sitting on the sidewalk contribute a jaw-dropping 13 million misdemeanor charges that drive a similar number of Americans to the criminal justice system annually (This number does not include speeding and civil violations) (Alkon, 2015). These low-level offenses make up about a quarter of all daily arrests nationwide, and a significantly higher proportion in certain states and counties.

Reading or hearing about this misdemeanors without actually experiencing their consequences makes them look like small offenses until the reality of serious financial, personal and social costs sinks. This effect is not just felt by individuals but also the society that bears the cost of these court processes and the unwarranted incarceration that accompanies. There are also moral costs: people charged with misdemeanors are often pressured to accept a guilty plea in order to get probation and avoid jail time. However, this information goes into their criminal record, which significantly influences sentencing in case an individual is charged again. Other collateral consequences of accepting a guilty plea in order to get probation include the high risk of violating probation, which increases the probability for future incarceration for the violation offense. This misdemeanor system that pressures people to plead guilty undermines the American principles of justice by a huge extent.

The Impossibility of parole

Before the 1970s, a life sentence did not mean a convict spent their entire life in prison. People sentenced to life in prison were given their first parole after 15 years. However, when the supreme court withdrew the death penalty in 1972, most states responded by introducing life sentences without the possibility of parole. Since then, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and the state of South Dakota have withdrawn the possibility for parole altogether. As of 2012, 160,000 Americans were serving life sentences.

Juvenile Incarceration

For almost a century, the criminal justice system has distinguished between juvenile and adult crimes, recommending counselling, training, and rehabilitation for those considered of minority age or too young to be held accountable for their actions. However, a dramatic increase in the rate of crime committed by minors in the late 1980s contributed to public support for dealing with juveniles as adults and moving juvenile cases to adult courts. Since then, juveniles tried and convicted in adult courts were moved to adult correctional facilities. In the last decade, the number of people under the majority age serving time in adult prisons has increased two-fold. By 2010, 9,855 juveniles each day on average were incarcerated in adult correctional facilities.

Fifteen-Hundred Fold Increase

When the founding fathers finished drafting the constitution, they identified three federal crimes-piracy, treason, and counterfeiting. Since then, the number of federal crimes stands at 4,500, which means they have increased by a jaw-dropping 1,500-fold. Most significantly, is the decrease in laws written that require proof of intent in order to be found guilty and be convicted of a particular crime. In the decade between 2000 and 2010, over 780,000 people were found guilty and sent to prison for federal crimes and received sentences that ranged from up to a year for misdemeanors to multiples of 10 years for felonies.

There is also the issue that most people arrested today are more likely to go to jail because the prosecution and the court process has apparently become more effective over the years. According to the National Research Council (NRC), the prosecution has become more efficient, significantly contributing to the explosion of the number of incarcerated people (Travis, Western, & Redburn, 2014). More people who are arrested and charged with a crime are more likely to go to prison today than they would have three decades ago. This is partly because most crimes today require prison sentences that they did in 1980, meaning more people found guilty end up serving a prison sentence rather than getting a fine or serving probation (Tonry, 2016). There is also the issue that most people who are convicted today do not even go to trial-they take plea bargains, which are agreements between the defense and the prosecution for the defendant to plead guilty for a reduced sentence instead of having to go to trial and face the risk of a full-sentence if found guilty. The court system uses this method to reduce pilling up of cases and reduce workload. A plea bargain is not a question of effectiveness but of necessity and undermines the theoretical point of the prosecution working to figure out if a person committed an offense or not.

Various Stakeholders have a role to play in dealing with the issue of mass incarceration.

Federal prosecutors are considered to be tough-minded, strict on enforcing the law, and dedicated to dealing with crime wherever it lurks. There is a bipartite agreement today that too many people are being locked up for far too long. Although nobody would fancy going back to an era where they genuinely fear for their safety, public safety can be maintained without having to rely on stratospheric levels of incarceration seen today. Nobody understands this better than federal prosecutors. The role of prosecutors in the criminal justice system is significant, and one that comes with immense power. They decide whether a person should be charged, with what offense, and what plea bargains to reject or accept. Judges highly rate sentencing recommendations from prosecutors, which makes it safe to say that they influence the decisions of the judges greatly.

The Congress also has a significant role to play in reducing mass incarceration. Republican and Democratic leaders both agree that long prison sentences get in the way of rehabilitation, encourage economic inequality, and drive recidivism (Schiraldi, 2018). However, these two parties are so torn on issues such that it becomes tempting to assume that the progress towards a federal reform has no chance. Congress needs to redefine the way the nation confronts problems in the way Americans are arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated.

The White House and the Justice department also have a major role to play in addressing the problems in our criminal justice Department that have caused these bizarre numbers of incarcerated people. The White House and the Criminal Department need to support this work fully. The president should outline clear views on the issue and put his team, including the Vice President, his Senior Advisor, among others in line with these views. The Attorney General should also be instrumental in efforts aimed at reducing the prison population.

Formerly incarcerated leaders known as “leaders with conviction” also have a crucial role to play in dealing with mass incarceration. To be fair, this group is working to achieve this reality in their effort to rebuild communities (Sturm, & Tae, 2017). To date, these “leaders with conviction” have been able to gather a set of capacities that put them in a position to drive change not only in the lives of individual affected by mass incarceration but also in the criminal legal systems that have caused devastation in the lives of individuals and communities.

Leaders with conviction have been able to mobilize various forms of social capital that are unusually diverse. They have been using this resources shred through relationships and networks to help those affected by mass incarceration to move forward. They have also used this social capital to catalyze change. They are equipped with extensive experience to speak the language of various communities allowing them to communicate effectively with different audiences. They are trusted by people that have suffered recurring stigmatization and dispel myths among people who hold the stereotype that prevent them from the actual realities of the criminal justice system. They have the ability to influence public opinion and rally the public towards federal and criminal justice reform.

Reducing Mass Incarceration

It is important to mention that bipartisan criminal justice reform is a key issue in the upcoming presidential election and a very hot topic today. Senator Cory Booker and Senator Richard Blumenthal brought the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act back to the floor of the house with the aim of mending the country’s criminal justice system just like the Step Act that passed last fall intended to do. The former bill gives $20 billion from the Federal Reserve to states that reduce their prison population by a minimum of 7 percent in the course of three years while maintaining a low crime rate. This money will be offered over a 10-year period.

Although the intention of the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act is good, it will not effect any changes as long as certain laws are still in the book. Meaningful reform must start with the restructuring of the most common and fastest-growing form of punishment in the country-parole, probation, and various types of community supervision (Dagan & Teles, 2014). The number of adults under community supervision in the country stands at 4.5 million, which is double the number in prison and jails.

Although community supervision was introduced as an alternative to imprisonment but has turn into a key driver for mass incarceration. The technical requirements for adhering to community supervision should be revised because some are too demanding and appear to create a trap for incarceration. Violations of these requirements lead to further restrictions that end up in incarceration. People are supposed to adhere to between 10 and 20 conditions; some that appear to invade on the rights of people found guilty of even the small offenses (Subramanian, Moreno, & Broomhead, 2014). Fines, fees and restitution should be revised because they are one of the major traps for people with low incomes who most times cannot genuinely afford these amounts. It is enough to have someone fulfill work and community service requirements without the need to add a financial burden on them. Some requirements, such as disassociating with criminals, are understandable.

The enforcement of these requirements through sophisticated monitoring devices that are highly intrusive sometimes sends inaccurate information because they are too close and collect even the slightest of mistakes that are translated into a violation. It does not help to mention that private vendors who are working to boost their income blurring the moral line peddle these gadgets. Judges are ready to penalize these easily detected violations with punitive “backup time” sentences. Because of parole and probation violations, more than 50 percent of people serving prison sentences having been charged with violations that have nothing to do with public safety or criminal acts.

Congress should pass the Smarter Sentencing Act that would reduce mandatory sentences for non-violent drug offenders. The Act allows for some convicted of drug offenses to apply for a sentence reduction. The Recidivism Reduction and Public Safety Act should also be a priority. This Act provides more drug treatment and job training for inmates rehabilitating them to be useful members of the community. Those inmates who complete these programs are eligible for reduced sentences.

The National Research Council (NRC) has called on policymakers to revise criminal justice policies to prevent to aide mass incarceration. These policies revisions include a review of mandatory minimums, drug laws and long sentences. The consideration of more community-based alternatives to imprisonment is not necessarily a recommendation because it is already a failed experiment. Rather, it should be an introduction of new and revised community-based alternatives to the penitentiary. These alternatives should not be punitive all round but should include resources that ensure those found guilty of a particular offense do not re-offend. The goal should be to reduce recidivism that is encouraged by the current “massive misdemeanor system” that set up numerous requirements that create a trap for people service community sentences to land in prison eventually. Resources should also be available in prisons, including vocational training and improved convict re-entry programs.

The other issue is to allocate resources to collect information on how social and economic conditions cause crime. Mental illnesses are also important issues that should be evaluated for its effect of incarceration and recidivism. This will inform the development of resources to aid people dealing with mental health issues that require health care rather than jail terms.

The criminal justice system should identify a model correctional facility that has effectively adopted “intermediate care units” which help people with severe mental conditions to switch from inpatient correctional amenities to the general prison population. The initial attempt should, however, be working to keep people with mental problems out of jail in the first place using drug courts, veterans’ courts, and health courts.

Not all these programs will be effective without a single unit coordinating these policies reforms and other measures nationwide. The single unit or agency is the first point to showing the nation’s will for improvements in the criminal justice system. The nation is a very long way from desirable prison numbers, which means relentlessness and aggressive ways of doing things. Before these goals are realized, the people currently in prison should have services that increase their chances of integrating into the community once they are free.

Conclusion

More prisoners per arrest and handing each prisoner long sentences are the huge causes of the most significant causes of mass incarceration with the punitive sentencing policies enacted in the 1980s and the 1990s being the common denominator for both. Sentencing reform policies proposed by politicians, pursued by some state government, and recommended by other stakeholders is a decent place to begin. Stakeholders should take execute their responsibilities in this transformative phase with conviction. Prosecutors should ensure that they deal with crime but ensure they do it by executing there primary role to the best of their ability rather than relying on plea bargains just to close a case. The Congress should revise old laws and introduce new ones that will change this curve. The federal and state government should provide the necessary support to make this goal a reality. Non-governmental agencies should act as reform catalysts in bridging, bonding and linking social capital. They should work to shift the narrative and increase the capacity for collaboration with people at every government level by ensuring civic participation.

References

Alkon, C. (2015). An overlooked key to reversing mass incarceration: Reforming the law to reduce prosecutorial power in plea bargaining. U. Md. LJ Race, Religion, Gender & Class, 15, 191.

Dagan, D., & Teles, S. M. (2014). Locked in? Conservative reform and the future of mass incarceration. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 651(1), 266-276.

Kang-Brown, J., Hinds, O., Heiss, J., & Lu, O. (2018). The new dynamics of mass incarceration. Vera Institute of Justice.

Schiraldi, V. N. (2018). Too big to succeed: The impact of the growth of community corrections and what should be done about it.

Sturm, S. P., & Tae, H. (2017). Leading with conviction: The transformative role of formerly incarcerated leaders in reducing mass incarceration. Columbia Public Law Research Paper, (14-547).

Subramanian, R., Moreno, R., & Broomhead, S. (2014). Recalibrating justice: A review of 2013 state sentencing and corrections trends. New York: Vera Institute of Justice.

Tonry, M. H. (2016). Sentencing fragments: Penal reform in America, 1975-2025. Oxford University Press.

Travis, J., Western, B., & Redburn, F. S. (2014). The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences.

Wagner, P., & Sakala, L. (2014). Mass incarceration: The whole pie. Prison Policy Initiative, 12.

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A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

In his book, Eckhart Tolle introduces readers to the concept of the power of now. In essence, the book examines the state of humanity, highlighting the different ways through which people live their daily lives based on a mistaken identity. He examines humanity’s egoism and how human beings have used their intellect for survival. As the author explains, the world presents humanity with plenty of opportunities for personal growth and self-improvement. However, this opportunities are only available to those who have the ability to recognize them and accept them into their personal lives. The author further explains that all human beings face plenty of challenges, which they need to accept and confront at all times.

This paper presents a critical analysis of the book, A New Earth: Awakening Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. Specifically, the paper explains how the book teaches its readers on how to overcome their life challenges

New Journey

In his book, Tolle writes ‘‘to forgive is to overlook, or rather to look through. You look through the ego to the sanity that is in every human being as his or her essence.’’(Tolle63). This statement simply means that forgiveness is a crucial aspect in the human life and that individuals must practice forgiveness in order to survive their life’s challenges. In support of this statement, my personal life has been a good example of what Tolle proposes. After a fight with my parents, I experience a swam of negative thoughts owing to the conflict between my parents and me. However, through forgiveness, I am able to overcome some of these negative feelings and be able to let go of these challenge with ease. Every time I practice forgiveness, it feels like a new awakening, just as Tolle explains. Forgiveness is the first step towards overcoming life’s challenges, as it allows individuals to evade the potential for suffering. As Tolle explains, “How you react to people and situations, especially when challenges arise, is the best indicator of how deeply you know yourself.” (Tolle188). Put simply, if one decides to forgive others for their shortcomings, there is a higher likelihood of such an individual to successfully proceed on with their lives with minimal disruptions.

Tolle also explains that

Travel to an unknown destination may lead to unpredictable dangers but I believe that is a challenge for me. When I travel to new cities or new countries, I make it a point to talk to as many locals as possible. You can learn so much more from one conversation than you can from one hundred tour books, so I introduce myself to strangers, share experiences with travelers, bargain with shopkeepers and ask taxi drivers questions. When I speak to a waitress, I ask her where she’s from and what life is like there. If you open yourself up to strangers this way, you can learn so much not just about this new place in the world but also about yourself. Sometimes there is no way to predict what balance of enlightenment and endangerment might occur when one takes a chance with the unfamiliar such as venturing to speak to an unknown member of the opposite sex may lead to embarrassment, or a high seas adventure might well lead to scurvy, but there is, to be sure, value in the experience either way. To this end, great challenge has the capacity to bring about great insight.

4. In the journey of my life, any conflict and unhappiness is a kind of test. Also, this is a best practice opportunities for the awareness. I remember when I attended the growth groups; the speaker Mr. Chen tells a story about awareness: At the first time, when you walk on the road, you don’t notice that there has a big hole on the middle and then you will always fall into it. At that time, you need to spend lots of time to climb out from the hole. The second time, you walk on the road, and fall into the hole again. However, you stay in the hole’s time is shorter than before. Again, you walk on the road, and you try to go around, but still fall into it accidentally. But, you know how to climb out. Finally one day, you know there has a hole on the middle of the road, and you are able to bypass. On the other hand, this does not guarantee that you will not fall into another the hole. The hole perhaps is depression, sadness, anger, or the pain, and the only thing you can do that is we need to maintain awareness. This story makes me realize that we must be willing to fail, to falter, to suffer, in order to become greater versions of ourselves. Sometimes, being shown lesser versions of us can be the key to this personal evolution.

5. And perhaps most importantly, we must recognize that this personal evolution doesn’t occur in a freedom like Albert Einstein says that “A human being is a part of a whole, called by us the ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space.”To the contrary, we improve ourselves only if we improve the value we represent for the whole of humanity, in whatever modest capacity this may be possible. By dispatching with these prejudices, we have a chance to know so much more, not just about the world but also about ourselves.

6.This is perhaps the standard in our discussion. Nothing that we do occurs independently of the needs and wishes of family, friends, communities, societies, civilizations and so on. We are insignificant units of an infinitude that is well beyond our comprehension. The best we can do is attempt to comprehend this notion as a function of that which we can impact. Where we can improve our lives, the lives of those around us and the lives of those beyond us, we have a responsibility to attempt to do so. Only through openness to the unfamiliar, a willingness to learn from suffering and recognition of the broader level of the universe will allow us to do this.

Work Cited

Tolle, Eckhart. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. New York: The plum Book, 2005. Print

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Benefits/ drawbacks of reducing (banning) single-use of plastics

Single-use of plastics is often described as the one-time use and disposal or recycling of plastics such as straws, bottles, bags and other common types of packaging. As much of these plastics are designed to be thrown away or disposed of after use. Banning and reducing single-use of plastics is made possible by the adoption of bans and levies by governments policies on the production of the plastics with the aim of replacing them with more environmentally friendly alternatives (Lambert, Scott, and Wagner, 6870). The advantages of the single-use of plastics recorded are undeniable thus the reducing and banning of single-use plastics is set to weigh on drawbacks. The effects of single plastics usage impact both the environment and the living creatures. Through their impact on society, the benefits and drawbacks of single-use of plastic papers are evaluated. As much as it is easily disposable, majority of the single-use plastic takes years to decompose, they are easily available and cheap a factors that make their usage more common in various places (Bartolotta & Hardy).

In the year 2008 according to UN a report generated by global analyst’s industry, 260 million tons was the world’s plastic consumption rate. The benefits and drawbacks are evident with most literature and research recording more benefits arising from banning single-use of plastics due to its effects as related to drawbacks. This paper sets to evaluate countries worldwide with a focus on the 68 countries that decided to adopt the banning and regulation of plastic paper usage. Benefits of single-use of plastic highlighted include cheap packaging, 40 per cent of the world packaging rely on the single-use plastics whose pollution causes are termed to be unnecessary as this resource’s pollution effective are becoming unsustainable (Bartolotta et. al). The benefits draw from single-use of plastics in the world agenda of fighting hunger and famine, the single-use of plastic come in handy as they help keep food protected and fresh for a longer period of time. Thus the banning of this miracle material will imply that foods will not be preserved effectively leading to wastages thus increasing the stains of hunger. The banning of the use of paper has seen countries record high numbers of unemployment as plastic producing companies shut down as a result of the banning legislation aimed at checking and controlling the unnecessary disposal and consumption of plastics (Romer, Jennie Reilly, 439). These companies, however, have developed mechanisms to restore operation with a shift to developing non-replaceable plastics.

The elimination of plastics is essential as it can help shoppers lower their prices helping shoppers in saving. shoppers can save $18 to $ 30 annually as it would see into a reduction in the cost of goods (Bartolotta et. al). The banning of plastics helps in reducing litter and lowering the pollution levels as these plastics are non- biodegradable, their disposal would mean litter and more pollution. Rwanda developed sanctions and hefty penalties on the usage of plastics and as a result, it is regarded as the cleanest city in the world (Danielsson, Michaela). A study that was carried by a group from a Western university in Ontario developed a conclusion that single use of plastics should be banned upon assessing plastic pollution and its mitigation in Lake Harun. The findings were regarded as a sample of the general population in other water bodies. Plastics banning was developed as a long term solution to help combat the unnecessary use and disposable of the plastics. The effect of banning would suggest that people’s daily routine would be interrupted resulting to change with customers being advised on the usage of reusable bags or even reusing plastics. The scientific studies carried have indicated over 5 trillion bags with an average weight of 250,000 tons are today floating of oceans thus competing and choking marine life which is a crucial element in the world food chain elements (Lambert, Scott, and Wagner, 6870). Planktons in the marine form a source of food for seeing animals and produces oxygen for land animals as a byproduct and with the floating plastics blocking sunrays essential for their growth has led to the death of hundreds and thousands of marine animals, sea birds among others. 86 per cent of turtles, 44 per cent of marine birds, and 43 per cent of marine mammals have plastic in their guts (Xanthos, Dirk, and Tony R. Walker, 64). In business, the ban on single-use paper can lead to an enhanced economy as more opportunities for employment are developed in the creation and development of reusable bags manufacturers. The ban will ensure efficient growth and development of marine life. As a result, the drainage clogged by plastics will significantly reduce thus ensuring drainage systems run effectively avoiding floods. The reduction of plastic bags who essential cause breeding of diseases such as malaria will see a reduction in the breeding as the breeding grounds are discarded upon the limitation of use of the bags(Suhail).

With no doubt single-use plastics has in modern life become a major source of pollution hence calls for a well-legislated ban on almost all these products are a good idea. The debate in which we can live without them, there has been a debate of smart ways to replace plastic use, as the application of metal straws, using of wood made cutlery, developing glass bottles and even use of canvas and muslin bags Lambert, Scott, and Wagner, 6870). The approach to ban and introduce levies in order to reduce the single-use of plastics is informed from the vast environment effects and pollution affecting the world, these materials have at times led to blocking of drainage that causes flooding thus allowing breeding of diseases. This essay evaluation is aimed at informing the users who mostly are the governments on the perks around benefits and drawbacks of banning the single-use of paper. Although their due to lack of enough monitoring there are no conclusive information to ascertain the impacts of banning and levies measures of the assessment and evaluation analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of the banning of single-use of plastics in controlling the rate of environment pollutions shows a huge benefit for people and the environment that seeks to avert pollution crisis with the reduction or banning being a painless but profitable initiative (Suhail).

Recycling of plastic only encourages the production of more single-use plastics making the current situation worse thus not a viable idea to develop or even validate. It is recorded that only 7-18 per cent of the world plastic used to make it to recycling. With recycling and cleaning costs being shifted to taxpayers (Romer, Jennie Reilly,439). With a few positive impacts evaluated by the essay as compared to the negative costs single-use plastic has. The paper can conclusively recommend the effecting of banning and other levies to help combat the single-use of plastics menace. The evaluation of the essay may, however, be out of balance as the plastics under study are not the problem but rather the focus should be on how the people choose to use the plastics and what they do with it. Which illustrates that it is should be left for the people to decide in smarter ways what they ought to do with the plastics (Foster et al, 1392). The evaluation should also help to enhance or focus on other actions to be pursued in efforts to reduce single-use of plastics rather than banning. Other methods can include the development of waste management systems through enhancing technology (Schnurr, Riley EJ, et al, 158)

Works cited

Analysts, Global Industry. “Plastics: A Global Outlook.” San Jose, CA: GIA (2012).

Bartolotta, Jill, Scott Hardy, and Susan Bixler. “Partners in Plastic Reduction.” (2019).

Danielsson, Michaela. “The plastic bag ban in Rwanda: local procedures and successful outcomes.” (2017).

Foster, Stephen, Ricardo Hirata, and Bartolome Andreo. “The aquifer pollution vulnerability concept: aid or impediment in promoting groundwater protection?” Hydrogeology Journal 21.7 (2013): 1389-1392.

Lambert, Scott, and Martin Wagner. “Environmental performance of bio-based and biodegradable plastics: the road ahead.” Chemical Society Reviews 46.22 (2017): 6855-6871.

Romer, Jennie Reilly. “The evolution of San Francisco’s plastic-bag ban.” Golden Gate U. Envtl. LJ 1 (2007): 439.

Schnurr, Riley EJ, et al. “Reducing marine pollution from single-use plastics (SUPs): A review.” Marine pollution bulletin 137 (2018): 157-171.

Suhail, Obed. “Plastic pollution.” (2018).

Xanthos, Dirk, and Tony R. Walker. “International policies to reduce plastic marine pollution from single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads): a review.” Marine pollution bulletin 118.1-2 (2017): 17-26.

A movie, She is a Man

Shakespeare is one of the great play write in history; His numerous plays have received recognition all over the world, as a result many of his original plays have been showcased all over the world by different casts. Some of his plays have been adapted and changed in to very successful movies. This paper will analyze the success of the movie “She is a Man”, which is an adaptation of the play Twelfth Night, in terms of character development, Editing of text, themes, language, addition or removal of characters, and also the editing of the original text.

She is a Man is a movie that premiered in the year 2006, some of the starring actors include; David Cross, Channing Tatum, Vinnie Jones, Amanda Bynes, and Laura Ramsey. The story revolves around Viola, and her attempts to become to become a huge soccer player. When her girls’ soccer team is cut off she decides to masquerade herself as her twin brother by the name of Sebastian. Viola resolves to masquerade as his brother who has apparently left for London to join the boys’ team at his new boarding school as well as join a rock band. She does her best and proves that she can play soccer just like the boys, in the end she falls for her roommate by the name of Duke. Duke is interested in Olivia and asks for the help of Viola to win her heart; on the other hand Malcolm is determined to have Olivia’s affection.

In terms of plot, the movie has fully adopted the plot of the original play by Shakespeare; the theme of the screen play is also the same as the one from the original play as they both revolve around determination. The screen play has a lot of very weird supporting characters, who does a good work in supporting the main actors; just like the original play the movie puts a lot of emphasis on the supporting cast as they are vital to the success of the story. While in the original play the brother and sister are involved in a ship wreck in the screen play the brother leaves for London. The characters names in the screen play are also similar to the one in the original play.

The dialogue in the screen play is not as sparkling as in the original text, but it is also quite hilarious. Some of the dialogues from the original text were edited to conform to the modern day scenario, and the scenes changed a bit. Some of the characters from the original play such as Malvolio the servant is done away with and replaced with Malcolm.

Conclusion

Shakespeare was a great play write, whose plays have been adored by many around the world, due to the quality and themes of the plays written by him most of them have been turned in to movies. “She is a Man,” is a good example of an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play. The play was a great adaptation of the play Twelfth Night. This can be ascertained from the various aspects of the movie from the theme, characters, and even the plot of the play which is very similar to the ones from the original play. Despite the elimination of some characters the screen play is still a success.

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Benefits

Glassdoor is a firm that provides reviews on the best and worst firms to work for based on employee reviews. According to the firm, four in five employees prefer ne benefits over a pay raise. There are several reasons for this. The first is that the composition of the workplace is fast changing. Many new employees are millennials who have brought with them a new way of thinking. Student debt is one of the most debated issues in recent years, and millennials are the most burdened with debts incurred in the course of their college education. When these millennials get into the workplace, the first thing they would like to do is make enough money to pay off their debts. Some firms have benefits that would help the students pay off their student Leona, and they use such a benefit as a way to recruit employees.

The second reason why four in five employees prefer benefits to par raises is that the millennial workforce has different ideas about work-life balance. In the past generations, people believed in hard work even if it meant taking little or no time in a year. The main goal was to make as much money as possible. This has changed with the entry of millennials into the workforce. Millennials believe firmly in finding a balance between work and life. They would like to spend time traveling the world, developing hobbies, or sending time with their family. Work is not everything to them. They would, therefore, prefer that employers give them new benefits that enhance their work-life balance. Companies such as Airbnb give their employees offers that encourage them to take time off work. For the employees to be as productive as possible, they have to be motivated. Finding a balance between work and life gives millennials a sense of purpose and growth that enables them performs to the best of their ability at work.

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A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier

Joseph Plumb Martin was born in November 21st of the year 1760 in Becket, Massachusetts. He was the son to Reverend Ebenezer Martin and Susannah Plumb. When he was seven years he was sent to live with his grandparents in Milford, Connecticut and because his family was well to do, Martin was privileged to receive a well-rounded education to which included reading and writing. Plumb Martin was a soldier in the Continental Army and as well a Connecticut Militia during the American Revolutionary War. During the war, Martin possessed the rank of private for most of the war. After the war, Martin considering that he was educated, was devoted to writing a memoir of his experiences as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The narrative that punished his encounters was rediscovered in the 1950s and became one of the most valuable resources for the historians in the attempt to understand the conditions of a common soldier during the era. Besides understanding the conditions of war, the historians were as well enlightened about the battles that Martin participated.

When Martin was 15 year of age in the year 1775, he was eager to join the revolutionary war just like most of his age mates in the region following the Battles of Lexington and Concord. At first, his grandparents were opposed to the idea but later agreed after Martin’ threats to run away and join the naval ship as a privateer in case the grandparents didn’t allow him to leave. In June 1776, Martin joined the Connecticut Militia and was assigned duty in the New York region as he arrived just before the opening of the British Long Island Campaign. Martin’s first tour of duty ended in December of the same year 1776, and therefore he was forced to return home before the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. Plumb Martin later reenlisted in the Continental army in April 1777 and this time signed for the duration of the American Revolutionary War. Martin served with the 17th Continental Regiment under the command of General James Varnum.

Joseph Plumb Martin participated in various notable battles that included the Battle of White Plains, Battle of Brooklyn, and the siege on Fort Mifflin as well as the Battle of Monmouth. Plumb Martin was encamped at Valley Forge, he witnessed John Andre’s escort for his prosecution, and as well he was present during the climatic Siege of Yorktown. In 1778, Marin was assigned to the Light Infantry, and here he attained the rank of Corporal. In the summer of 1780 under the directives of Washington for the formation of Corps of Sappers and Miners, Martin got a recommendation by his superior officers to be a non-commissioned officer of the regiment. After being selected, Martin was promoted to the rank of a Sergeant. Unlike the duties in Yorktown, the corps were commissioned and made responsible for the digging of the entrenchments for the Continental army. During the battle, the corps were also a Vanguard for the regiment command by Alexander Hamilton and were therefore mandated with the duties of clearing the fields of sharpened logs that were known as abates would be able to capture Redoubt number ten.

Plumb Martin was discharged from his duties in June of the year 1783, just a few months before the Continental Army was disbanded in October. From there, Martin became a teacher and taught in the New York for a year eventually settling in Maine’s frontier becoming one of the founders of the town of Prospect that is near the modern-day Stockton Springs. He was known locally as being a farmer, a selectman and as well a Justice of the peace and town clerk, one of his last positions that he served for 25 years. He married Lucy Clewely 1794, who was born in 1776 and together had five children. Plumb Martin wrote many stories and poems, and one of the most famous is the narrative of his experiences during the revolutionary war in the 1830s.

When the Revolutionary war overwhelmed his country in the year 1776, Plumb Martin was just like any other sixteen-year-old kid and just like the other boys, and he was forced to join the Rebel Infantry. Unlike the other soldiers in the battle, Marin recorded his trials and tribulations after forty-seven years later in the memoir named A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier: Some of the Adventures, Dangers, and Suffering of Joseph Plumb Martin. In the true American style, the Narrative contradicts the standards of the time and rather than worshipping the Revolutionary Army for its moral perfection as well as flawless character, the Narrative provides an unflattering and realistic perception of the burdens and problems and through the book, Plumb Martin offers a staggering truthful image of the Revolutionary War.

Plumb Martin entered the Revolutionary war at a young age with the primary aim of protecting his country demonstrating his patriotism while at the same time wanted to experience the adventures in the war that was worth telling. Martin was devoted to fighting due to his patriotism and therefore engaged in the battle dutifully from 1776 to 1783. Together with his company, they participated in seven battles, and some of them include the Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Princeton and Fort Mifflin. Throughout the six years of service that Martin served as a Militia, he was lucky to escape serious wounds and capture and only got severely ill at a single occasion and this incidence exhibit the stunning physical impunity for the pre-medically competent times. Martin’s battles both minor and major were haunted by his ‘constant companion’ that is hunger that was punctuated by the almost unbearable cold during the night.

Throughout the Narrative, Plumb Martin disapproves the conception that war is combative as he describes arduous marches as well as tedious waiting far more than the battle itself, downplaying bloodshed while at the same time highlighting the daily struggles. The narrative being a historian report indicate that the revolutionary army was usually short on the supplies, but their deprivation is often minimized in the wake of the Battles such that of Princeton and New York battles. The author of the narrative brings to light the plight of the Revolutionary war soldiers through his story of the Continental Congress’ overlooking the troubles of the army during the winter of the year 1777. Where the Congress provided the military with a shockingly sparse thanksgiving dinner that constituted of a tablespoon of vinegar and a quarter cup of rice to the hungry soldiers indicating that the soldiers were starved as their welfare was not well catered. However, besides being malnourished, the revolutionary soldiers were not well furnished with clothes. According to the narrative, the horror stories of the 1777-78 Valley Forge winter report was only part of the deprivations that the revolutionary soldiers were subjected to and he narrates that men did not only march with their bloody bare feet but also went without socks, pants and even coats.

Apart from being honest regarding the nature of the war, Plumb Martin discloses the bare facts that concerned the soldiers fighting in the war. Ever since the end of the revolutionary war, the revolutionary officers and the footmen were lauded for their honesty, chivalry and near perfection, but unfortunately according to Plumb Martin, the stories exaggerate as it is proven by his description of the officers’ unfair treatment of their soldiers, disrespect from the citizens as well as their questionable treatment of both parties. The civilian distrust of the war soldiers were according to Martin was sadly founded as, although the American soldiers never abused the countryside as their enemies, they often scavenged or even stole from the available farms. According to Martin’s accounts, he himself admitted leading numerous of such raids to the farms to scavenge for food. As a result of their overbearing handling of their soldiers, the officers occasionally received harsh treatments from their subordinates. Plumb Martin narrates of several younger soldiers’ packing a musket with black powder and then setting it off near their elderly captain’s tent to make him terrified as a result of being mistreated.

Plumb Martin wrote the ‘Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier’ in a firsthand account, and therefore the reader is made to easily believe in Martins accounts as they are stimulated I the memoir. The reason is that when a narration is provided in the first account, it enables the reader’s trust the author as the author is considered as a credible source of truthful information as they provide information according to their experiences with the events. Therefore, with Plumb Martin detailing the problems to which the foot soldiers of the revolutionary war passed through that included neglect, starvation, disrespect, humiliation and harsh treatment. In overall, the Narrative is a realistic book that is recorded in unusual point of view and commonly readable details as the nineteenth-century authors were too lengthy in descriptions with an example of Adventures of Oliver Twist by Dicken. The book by Martin uses a straightforward language that is enough to make sense to a reader of the 21st century. The potential problem with the narrative is the repetition in storytelling as the reader is taken into circles of the problems such as freezing, starving marching and waiting, although they provide an accurate account of the events as they happened during the war.

Work Cited Leckie, Robert. George Washington’s War: the saga of the American Revolution. HarperCollins, 1992.

Martin, Joseph Plumb. A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier: Some Adventures, Dangers, and Sufferings of Joseph Plumb Martin. Penguin, 2010.

Washington, George, and Continental Army. The American Revolution: 1775-1783. Vol. II. Boston: Little, Brown, 2014.

Literature on microfinance and women’s empowerment

A comprehensive review of literature is essential for any good research endeavour as it provides background information to aid researcher in designing and analysing research work. Since the early 1980s, a large number of studies have examined the various dimensions of microfinance programmes and women empowerment. The majority of the past studies focus on microfinance empowerment that observes the financial sustainability approach, which defines and measures empowerment mainly in economic terms. There is an assumption that women who borrow successfully increase their income. The approach is problematic since it only addresses the economic component of employment, and does not emphasize on the multidimensionality of the construct. Additionally, Mayoux 2008 cautions that the underlying assumption on the financial sustainability approach is that females get control over salaries and can make decisions concerning their resources.

Some studies carried on beyond financial conceptualizations scope have provided contradicting results. The studies have shown that microfinance are essential to women and there exists a positive correlation between empowerment and participants. As well, the studies have shown that there is a negative effect of micro financing on women as illustrated by Piza and Candida 1990. Results from some studies showing evidence of empowerment potential have shown that women participants have experienced enhanced power of bargaining in their household and community, increased decision-making in their families (Wooten, 2003). Increased confidence and the ability to influence community-based politics have also been realized.

Enhanced confidence and other empowerment aspects are connected to the design and implementation of microfinance program more than to raise income levels. For instance, women in Hunt and Kasynathan‟s study highly recognized the skills and training they obtained from the program as compared to their ability to contribute financially to the families. The structure of the programs inspires women to participate in the community development and local politics. Additionally, the lending group modem mostly results to the formation of women’s social network in the communities they belong.

On the contrary to the former discussed findings, studies that have shown a negative correlation between microfinance and women empowerment show increased burden for women participants and domestic violence. According to Wichterich (2000), Borrowing money from MFI needs commitment to attend regular meetings as well as taking part in training programs offered by MFI. The added commitment on bowing money form MFI has shown an increased exhaustion and health problems (Wooten, 2003) for participants, and at times is considered adding more burden to the women and family as a whole both financially and time. However, since the women were satisfied with the outcome, they never considered the process burdensome.

The literature review highlights that changes in salary levels, and structure and microfinance implementation programs have effects on women empowerment. In line with this, research investigating connection between microfinance participants (women majorly) and empowerment should spread beyond the commercial sustainability model to discover various empowerment dimensions. According to Rahman 1997, A thin empowerment scope can lead to misleading conclusions and therefore the importance of incorporating various aspects of empowerment in research. This study conceives empowerment as a multilevel construct and also explores how women microfinance participants perceive and experience empowerment.

Bibliography

Wichterich C. (2000), The globalized woman: reports from a future of inequality.

Australia, Spinifex Press.

Wooten S. (2003), Women, Men, and Market-Gardens: Gender Relations and Income

Generation in Rural Mali in Human Organisation-Society for Applied Anthropology;

(Summer 2003) Vol. 62, No. 2. pp. 166-177.

Piza L., and Candida M. 1990. Gender Considerations in Economic Enterprises.

Oxford: Oxfam.

Rahman, R.I., 1997 “Poverty, Profitability of Microenterprise and the Role of NGO Credit,” in Wood and Sharif (eds.), 1997, pp.271-287.