Pick the film Gone Baby Gone or Sleepers. Judge (moral or immoral) the Essay

Pick the film Gone Baby Gone or Sleepers. Judge (moral or immoral) the main action (ONE single main action) of the film . Support your position by using Kant's moral philosophy - Essay Example Gone, Baby, Gone is a film directed by Ben Affleck which follows the case of a kidnapped girl, Amanda, whose family approaches the Boston-based private investigator, Patrick Kenzie, to follow up the case. Patrick, along with his partner, Angie Gennaro, discovers the perplexing and highly complex web of corruption as they go about investigating upon the case. As the case progresses along the length of the film, the lines between good and bad are nearly blurred due to interest and mysterious motives. Based on Kant’s moral philosophy, Amanda’s uncle was motivated by greed and a dishonest intention of freeing Amanda from her failing parents. Although the consequences would have been good for Amanda as well as her aunt, the action was immoral due to its immoral motives. As Patrick uncovers the corruption embedded in the case, it becomes clear that Amanda’s aunt and uncle are immoral. Their scheme to free Amanda from her neglectful parents would have had a good consequence as the girl would have escaped her parents’ neglect and would have come under the care of more responsible guardians. However, Kant’s theory of morality depends not on the consequence but on the motive which had undoubtedly been immoral and treacherous. Through a well-planned plot, her uncle was able to stage Amanda abduction and then approach Patrick for a fake investigation. Amanda’s uncle had been aiming to cleverly fool the investigators and obtain the traded drug money by involving many of the investigation police officials. In fact, man personnel from the police department had been involved including Captain Doyle who had hidden Amanda in his house along with his wife. The kidnap had been attempted with great planning and dishonest motive which in volved immense corruption from the reputed police department of Boston. Therefore, all the individuals involved in the staged kidnapping of Amanda had a bad motive for their immoral action. The

Following Military Orders That May Be Unethical Research Paper

Following Military Orders That May Be Unethical - Research Paper Example There are many legal and social standards through which an action is ethical, but these standards do not solve the contradiction that comes with the relativity in situations, individuals and societies. While soldiers pledge to obey their superior’s orders they do so in view of the uniform code of military justice and the constitution. As such, soldiers â€Å"should not† obey illegal commands. Establishing the legality or illegality of a command has over the years has raised controversial ethical issues. Under the UCMJ, articles 90 to 92 hold that willful or un-willful disobedience of lawful orders from a senior officer is a criminal offence (Mason, 2011). During war, article 90 further stipulates that such an action is punishable by death (Mason, 2011). Unlawful orders are those that are repugnant to the Constitution seeing as the constitution is the supreme law of the land. The constitution derives form societal ethics and religious doctrines. However, the constitution does not take into account all societal ethics and religious standings of a people (Mason, 2011). There are many examples of illegal or potentially unethical orders issued every day in the army and other military organizations. This paper examines two accounts of death orders. The first example is that of William Calley 1968 during the Vietnam War (Thomas, 2012). The then Second Lieutenant claimed to have received orders from his superior to open fire and subsequently kill civilians. He then passed these orders to his juniors who, like him opened fire on innocent, unarmed civilians in the absence of duress (enemy fire) (Thomas, 2012). In 1971, William received a life sentence with the charge of premeditated murder. The aftermath of the sentence aside, Lieutenant William was guilty of murder while following the orders of a superior (Thomas, 2012). With the rise of terrorism threats cases of inhumane, unconstitutional mistreatment of prisoners is on the rise. A second example is an i ncident that occurred in the year 2004 during America’s invasion of Iraq. The 343rd Quartermaster Company on 13th October refused to go on a mission as ordered by their superiors (Mason, 2011). The unit cited unsafe and insufficient equipment as their reason to disobey orders claiming that the order was a suicide mission. The consequences of their actions have negative far reaching effects on their careers. These consequences include detainment, dishonorable discharge and forfeit of pay (Mason, 2011). In 1986, the U.S army listed some values an organization should have considered to form the foundation on which ethics stems from. These values included integrity, loyalty, selflessness and duty (Mason, 2011). For the individual, the army listed courage, commitment, candor and competence. This proclamation spells out two things. The first is that the superior officer (representative of the organization) should give due consideration to ethical matters while giving orders. Second ly, the officer receiving the orders should follow them while maintaining an ethical approach. Military laws and courts hold military persons accountable if their actions are unlawful regardless of the situation (whether they were following orders from a superior or not) (Mason, 2011). There are various theories that one can apply to examine the above situations. These theories include utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics relativism, emotivism and ethical egoism. John Stuart Mill advanced Consequentialism, a

Radio Frequency Identification Essay Example for Free

Radio Frequency Identification Essay The literature review is a very important introductory task in order to gain adequate information and perspectives on the relevant area of the research. This review summarizes updated comprehensive and critical discussions of each and other material related to the topic. This literature review brings clarity, focus and it improves the conceptualization of the research problem making it understandable. The literature review also improves the methodology as it reveals a similar type of research, which recommends the procedures and methods to accommodate the problems. Foreign RFID (Radio Frequency Identification): Principles and Applications RFID is a complete system that is composed of important components: the RFID tags, the RFID readers or transceivers, and the database. The tags carry object-identifying data. RFID readers or transceivers can read and write tag data, while the database stores records that is used for tag identification. (Weis, S., 2007) RFID tags can be divided into three classes based on their power source: active, semi-passive and passive. Active tags have their own source of power source, such as a battery, and can initiate communication to a reader or other active tags. Semi-passive tags also have their own internal battery, but they are unable of initiating communication. This ensures that it is only active when readers query it. Passive tags have neither a power source nor a capability of initiating communication but are the cheapest among the three. (Weis, S., 2007) RFID systems can operate at a variety of radio frequencies. Each of these frequencies has its own operating range, power requirements and performance. Low Frequency, or LF, operates at 120-149 KHz and have a read distance of 10-20 cm. High Frequency, or HF, operates at 12.56 MHz and have a read distance of 10-20 cm. Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) operates at 868-928 MHz and has a range of 3 meters. Microwave operates at 2.45 and 5.78 GHz and can read up to 3 meters. Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) operates at 3.1-10.6 GHz and has a read distance of 10 meters.

Book Emperor Of The Air English Literature Essay

Book Emperor Of The Air English Literature Essay Throughout many of his stories in his book Emperor of the Air author Ethan Canin explores the theme of happiness in relation to his characters. Depending on which source one uses, happiness ranges from the quality or state of being happy to a state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy and according to the Oxford English Dictionary Good fortune or luck in life or in a particular affair; success, prosperity. Based on this, happiness is subjective to the individual. Every story in the book deals with the theme in its various forms but the three pieces I will examine each deal with this subject and its various definitions in their own ways, and I feel are the best representations of happiness. In his second story The Year of Getting to Know Us Canin introduces the idea of happiness directly and very matter-of-factly. Canin first questions the happiness of Lenny while he is at the counselors when he is asked You sound as if you dont want to let people near youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Right? and Lenny responds with Im a reasonably happy man (Canin 26). After reading this, we get a sense that maybe Lenny is lying, that he is holding something back. How can someone be happy, going through what he has, and will continue to go through? The events that are explained further in the story: his fathers death and his wifes affair, impose on this question further. On the very next page Lenny goes on to talk about his life saying I am struck by the good fortune of my life (Canin, 1988). Perhaps Lenny truly is happy, as he early states an exact definition of the word in his thought of good fortune. Despite all that has happened in his life, he remains optimistic, and believes himself to be happy, and maybe he is. The opposition to Lennys apparent happiness is the nearly constant nagging he receives questioning his emotions and ability to feel anything at all. Canin mentions such an instance immediately after mentioning Lennys good fortune in life when he states Anne says that I dont feel things (Canin 27). Lenny never questions whether or not if he is able to feel, but also never goes out of his way to show any emotion other than stating that he is indeed happy. Even after witnessing his wifes affair firsthand, the only way Lenny can express himself is by writing down on a napkin you are a 40 year old man with no children and your wife is having an affair (Canin, 1988). Lennys apparent lack of any emotion that would come naturally to anyone in the same circumstance is quite intriguing and leaves the reader questioning his feelings, if he has any. Another moment where Lennys feelings are under fire comes when he is a child and his mother asks him if he is angry and he responds with I dont know (Canin, 1988). This shows the reader that even though he was young, Lenny was indecisive about his feelings, and whether or not he felt anything. Canin leaves the decision of whether or not this character is happy or if he can feel, up to the reader. I believe that Lenny is and was happy, and just because a person may not show outward expressions of emotion, or whether they know exactly what they are feeling at a given time or not, does not mean they are not happy or unable to feel. Lenny has more than likely felt very conflicted about things as is stated by Canin near the end of the story after Lennys father has passed away But I didnt feel what I thought I would. Just the wind on my throat, the chill of the morning. (Canin 40). Given such circumstances it is easy to see why some may view him as being unhappy or without feeling completely, but with that being said, it is all subjective. Lies is the third story in Canins collection and unlike The Year of Getting to Know Us it does not introduce the concept of happiness quite as clearly. From the very first paragraph we see a certain sense of naivety about the character Jack, which is no more evident than when he says to himself Some guys my age are kids, but Im eighteen and getting married and thats a big difference (Canin, 1988). This thought alone says a lot about Jack, and what he must be telling himself happiness is, and what happiness can be. We do not yet know that Katy, his girlfriend, is pregnant, or that he is soon to be a father. Canin does not tell the reader this outright, but hints at it, and leaves the reader to question Jacks motives, and his state of mind. Jack is trying to convince himself that things are good, and that everything will be O.K. but the truth of the matter is, that things will probably not be good, and he does not want to acknowledge this. He chooses to live in the moment, and lies to himself to be happy. Jack has no problems lying and Canin gives us an example of this when Katy says that she loves him, and Jack says to himself I dont mind lying, but not about that as if to say that it is O.K. to lie about some things, but not about others (Canin 50). When Jack does tell Katy that he loves her, it comes at the end of the story and almost seems forced, as if even he doesnt believe it and the lies he has been telling himself are starting to fade through. For a while jack is happy, but it is only a false sense of happiness because he had to lie to himself, had to trick himself into believing it. He acted in ways he normally never would have, and had to compensate with the lies. A question one should take into consideration when thinking about Jacks situation is should he be happy? Does jack have the right to be happy by whatever means necessary, even if it means lying to himself with no mind of the repercussions? The answer to this is yes. Jack realizes his situation, as Canin states I think about how this bit with Katy started and how fast its gone, and it kind of stuns me that this is what happened, that of all the ways a life can turn out this is the way mine is going to go (Canin 52). Despite his circumstances Jack chooses to remain optimistic about his future, and goes about this by lying to himself, hence the title of the story; Lies. Pitch Memory is similar to The Year of Getting to Know Us in a couple of ways. Both of the main characters insist that they are happy, both have dilemmas they need to overcome, and both have people in their lives who believe they are not happy. Lenny had both his mother and wife, and the main character of PM, who is suspiciously nameless, has her klepto-mother. Canin gives us insight into why she may not be happy through a first person narrative perspective. Through this perspective it is not really necessary to know her name, and was a wise decision on Canins part because we are able to keep an objectionable distance from the character. Although we do not know her name, we do know about her family and her profession, as Canin states on page one-hundred Tessa is a heart surgeon and I am a waitress (Canin 100). From here we can see as to why she may be not as happy as what she says or thinks, but then again, does ones occupation really determine ones overall happiness? The answer to this is no, people can love their job but still be miserable and vice-a-versa. It does not matter that she is a waitress, but this is a fact that her mother cannot seem to comprehend. I have dealt with similar issues in my own life. I once told my mother that I would be perfectly happy with a career at Pizza-Hut, so long as I was able to live how I wanted. Granted this was a lie, but I was trying to make a point, and she understood this. Sometimes it takes people a little longer to come around, but if they truly care; they will. The first example Canin gives of her mothers thoughts occurs when she receives a phone call from one her fathers old acquaintances who said Your mother is concerned about what youre doing with your life. This shows not only that her mother cares about her life, but also that she is still somewhat confused as to how someone could be happy serving pancakes. She actually goes on to tell her mother directly that she is happy as Canin illustrates Im happy, Mother. I dont want another job, I dont need a husband. Im happy (Canin 107). With this Canin directly tells us that she is happy, as she lists reasons to her happiness, and gives her a uniqu e sense of logic about it. People make their own happiness, there is no standard as to what constitutes being happy. Thanksgiving dinner is when she proclaims her happiness yet again during dialogue with her mother: My Mother asks the waiter whether he minds working on Thanksgiving Day and he tells her that everybodys got to earn a living. Thats right, my mother says when the waiter leaves. Mom, I am earning a living. Are you going to serve pancakes the rest of your life? I think I will, I say, and this makes my mother start to cry (Canin, 1988). This is the most obvious declaration of happiness in the entire book, as she is able to firmly stand her ground and tell her mother that she is happy, and will continue to do what makes her happy, be it serving pancakes or cleaning the bathrooms at the restaurant. Canins theme of happiness in each of these stories takes on its own forms, and leaves the readers asking themselves questions about their own happiness. He addresses if one can be happy despite the gravest of circumstances, whether happiness can be attained by lying to oneself, and if someone can be happy despite not having the best standing in life and by doing what they love to do. He addresses each story with a realistic yet optimistic viewpoint on the subject, and is able to maintain it to the very last sentence in each.

French Literature in the Age of Reason :: European Europe History

French Literature in the Age of Reason The Age of Reason, or the Enlightenment, was a period in France during the 1700's following the classical age. Within this time, philosophers placed the emphasis on reason as the best method for learning. It explored issues in education, law philosophy, and politics. It attacked tyranny, social injustice, superstition, and ignorance. This time produced advances in such areas as anatomy, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. These were the ideals taken up for both the American and French revolutions. A significant amount of the literature produced was philosophical, and written by important thinkers such as Voltaire, Denis Diderot, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Of the above, Voltaire was the most well-known literary figure of the time. He fought against intolerance and bigotry, and worked to promote rationalism through his literary skills. His most famous work is the novel Candide (1759). As well, Voltaire wrote tragedies influenced by the works of William Shakespeare. Through his many works on European and world history, he helped develop the principles of historical writing for modern times. Denis Diderot is most famously known for editing one of the great intellectual achievements of the Enlightenment, the French Encylopà ©die (1751-1772). The Encylopà ©die is a collection of articles written by many writers in several fields. The purpose of the book was to try and rationally explain recent scientific discoveries while attacking religous authority, economic inequality, and abuses of justice. In his novel The New Heloise (1761), Jean Jacques Rousseau suggested changes in French society, and in Emile (1762) put forward the idea of change in education. The autobiography Confessions (published in 1782 and 1789 after his death) helped to create the modern works that provoke self-analysis. Rousseau, with his sensitivity to nature, brought a more lyrical and meditative sensation back to French literature. An example of this can be found in Reveries of the Solitary Stroller (1782). There are several other major writers and works that helped contribute to the literary expression during the Age of Reason. There was Montesquieu, who wrote wittingly about social critisism in Persian Letters (1721). The well-known satirical novel Gil Blas (1715-1735) written by Alain Renà © Lesage.

Childless Couples on Television Essay -- Television Media TV Esays

Childless Couples on Television Throughout the evolution of television, there have always been TV shows of childless television couples, such as The Honeymooners or King of Queens. As television has changed throughout the decades, so have television’s childless couples. In the beginning of television series with childless couples, the wife was the one that stayed at home, cleaned, cooked, and did the laundry. The husband was the one that made the money by going to work. Television series always portrayed women as the weaker characters. â€Å"Women in the early 1950s family were weak, secondary characters, and as such were usually dominated by their husbands and their own conceptions of marriage† (Hastings, 1974). Certain episodes of these shows always tried to prove that women should stay at home. When I Love Lucy came out with a woman as the main star, they still had her stay at home, cooking and cleaning, but still made her seem useless. â€Å"Women characters frequently were shown as less mature and less capable human-beings and their husbands often took a quasi-parental role by... Childless Couples on Television Essay -- Television Media TV Esays Childless Couples on Television Throughout the evolution of television, there have always been TV shows of childless television couples, such as The Honeymooners or King of Queens. As television has changed throughout the decades, so have television’s childless couples. In the beginning of television series with childless couples, the wife was the one that stayed at home, cleaned, cooked, and did the laundry. The husband was the one that made the money by going to work. Television series always portrayed women as the weaker characters. â€Å"Women in the early 1950s family were weak, secondary characters, and as such were usually dominated by their husbands and their own conceptions of marriage† (Hastings, 1974). Certain episodes of these shows always tried to prove that women should stay at home. When I Love Lucy came out with a woman as the main star, they still had her stay at home, cooking and cleaning, but still made her seem useless. â€Å"Women characters frequently were shown as less mature and less capable human-beings and their husbands often took a quasi-parental role by...

Mariah, by Che Husna Ashari

Mariah by Che Husna Azhari Introduction Mariah is a short story written by Che Husna Azhari who is a prominent Malaysian writer of literature. She received a degree from Tunku Khurshiah College, Seramban in 1973, and her A Levels from Oxford College of Further Education in 1975. In 1979, she received a degree from Brunel University of West London in Polymer Technology. In 1985, Che Husna was awarded a PhD in Response Engineering from Brunel University of West London. Che Husna is a Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, specializing in non-metallic materials processing.She also serves as the Director of the Center for Corporate Planning and Communications at that university. Ms. Che Husna’s writings are generally set in Kelantan, Malaysia, and her best known short stories are used as standard teaching texts in Malaysia. Synopsis Mariah is widower who sells her ‘Nasi Berlauk' at her stall in order to survive herse lf and being admired. This Che Husna Azhari artwork is about polygamy issue within Pak Imam, which can be considerd as a big character besides Mariah. Pak Imam already has a wife, Cik Yam, who is a loyal wife and being the icon of other woman with full package in her own.After Pak Imam had discussed with her about his intention to have another marriage with Mariah, Cik Yam felt upset and do not agree on the time. But because she loves his husband so much, he agreed to let Pak Imam to get married. As for Pak Imam, even though he is known as Imam and respected by the whole villagers, but he is still just an ordinary person that cannot being separate by other human being by behaving like he is (want to get married with Mariah although he already have Cik Yam as his wife).Themes The theme is about women’s discrimination, sacrificial love and polygamy. Cik Yam agreed to the second marriage of her husband because she loved him so much and did not want him to be sad. She did not pre vent Pak Imam to get married with Mariah, the Nasi Belauk seller. At first, when Pak Imam tell Cik Yam that he want to get married another one, she just get sad for a while and and she gave permission to Pak Imam after that to be married with Mariah. In this story, issue of polygamy is not a big issue. However, he issue of polygamy is important in this story when it is about Cik Yam decision, whether she want to give permission or not to let the polygamy between herself and Mariah. Character Mariah A beautiful widow Usually wears Baju Kebaya Sells Nasi Berlauk in Molo Admired by men in her village Pak Imam A pious man Respected by all people in the village Husband of Cik Yam Friend of Che Gu Leh Fell in love with Mariah Cik Yam Wife of Pak Imam Characterized as perfect wife based on the sentence â€Å"The Imam looked at his wife with obvious pride.There was not a living man in Molo who did not envy him for having such a devoted wife. † Barren according to Pak Imam â€Å"Why couldn’t his wife bear children like other women? Some women, it seemed, have the fecundity of rabbits, but not his wife. † – Very devoted and loyal to Pak Imam A former politician. Plot The story begins with the exposition of the main character who is Mariah as the beautiful Nasi berlauk seller. It describes how Mariah’s beautiful figure appears as she walks as in â€Å"all eyes were transfixed on a figure coming through the entrance. It was the figure of a woman.She was delicately balancing two huge basins on her head, her hips swaying gaily to and fro with the rhythm of the balancing. That particular gyrating seemed to mesmerise the men and glue them to their places†. It also describes how Mariah was admired by men in the village. The rising action starts when Mariah was accused of putting something into her nasi berlauk to enchant all men in the village including Pak Imam by the head of womenfolk Che Gu Nab. It follows with the flashback of Pak Imam’s past about his unforgettable secret love with the daughter of his master, the Sheikh.The climax of this story is when Pak Imam asks permission from his wife to marry Mariah as in â€Å"He then told Cik Yam of Mariah, how he had fought his emotions and how he had lost. He begged Cik Yam’s forgiveness, kissed the hem of Cik Yam’s sarong and asked for her permission to take Mariah as his second wife! †. The falling action of this story is when Cik Yam finally agree to let Pak Imam to marry Mariah under the condition of equality. The story resolves with Pak Imam finally marry Mariah.