The Heabas Corpus and Its Evolution Essay Example for Free

The Heabas Corpus and Its Evolution Essay An ancient law writ which detains aliens of war in a detention facility by the Supreme Court’s expanded jurisdiction leaves those without knowledge of the Habeas Corpus Act means to understand what the act entitles, its originality, and the evolution. The word habeas corpus in the Latin language means â€Å"you have the body†, which represents an important right granted to individuals in America (Kelly, M.). This is a judicial mandate requiring that a prisoner be brought before the court to determine whether the government has the right to continue detaining them in a detention facility (Kelly, M. ). The person or persons’ being held can petition the court for a writ of habeas corpus if he or she objects to the imprisonment. The petition must explain to the court the imprisonment order is an order of wrongful imprisonment. The right of habeas corpus is the constitutionally bestowed right of a person to present evidence before a court that he or she has been wrongfully accused (Kelly, M.). â€Å"The right of writs of habeas corpus are granted in Article I, Section 9, clause 2 of the Constitution, which states, The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.†(The United States Constitution, 2004) The establishment of the habeas corpus is not certainly clear, but it seems to date back to Magna Carta in 1215 (Robertson, J.D.). According to Robertson, its principle effect was achieved in the Middle Ages by various wits, of which gave similar effect as the modern writ (Robertson, J.D.). The habeas corpus was originally established as a prerogative writ of the King and his courts, now as time passes, the habeas corpus has evolved into a writ petitioned by a person imprisoned acting in his or her own interest (Robertson, J.D.). After reading the article by Robertson it was made clear, during Magna Carta time, habeas corpus was referenced to â€Å"the law of the land†(Robertson, J.D.). With the exact quote: â€Å"No free man shall be taken or imprisoned of disseized or exiled or in any way destroyed except by the lawful judgment of their peers or by the law of the land† (Robertson, J.D.). Shortly after the start of the American War President Abraham Lincoln ordered the suspension of the constitutionally protected right to writs of habeas corpus in 1861(Langley, R.). The reason being was the arrest of John Merryman by the Union troops, but the Chief of Justice of the Supreme Court Roger B. Taney decline Lincoln’s order and issued a writ of habeas corpus with orders for the U.S. Military to bring Merryman before the Supreme Court (Langley, R.). The Chief Justice Taney declared Lincoln’s suspension of the habeas corpus unconstitutional, after Lincoln and the military refuse to abide by the order of the Chief Justice (Langley, R.). On September 24, 1862, President Lincoln issued a proclamation suspending the right to writs of habeas corpus nationwide (Langley, R.). Which states; â€Å"Whereas, it has become necessary to call into service not only volunteers but also portions of the militia of the States by draft in order to suppress the insurrection existing in the United States, and disloyal persons are not adequately restrained by the ordinary processes of law from hindering this measure and from giving aid and comfort in various ways to the insurrection;† â€Å"Now, therefore, be it ordered, first, that during the existing insurrection and as a necessary measure for suppressing the same, all Rebels and Insurgents, their aiders and abettors within the United States, and all persons discouraging volunteer enlistments, resisting militia drafts, or guilty of any disloyal practice, affording aid and comfort to Rebels against the authority of United States, shall be subject to martial law and liable to trial and punishment by Courts Martial or Military Commission:† â€Å"Second. That the Writ of Habeas Corpus is suspended in respect to all persons arrested, or who are now, or hereafter during the rebellion shall be, imprisoned in any fort, camp, arsenal, military prison, or other place of confinement by any military authority of by the sentence of any Court Martial or Military Commission.†(Langley, R.) As time moves forward to the year of 2006, President Bush signed a law suspending the right of habeas corpus to persons deemed by the United States to be â€Å"enemy combatant† in the Global War on Terror (Langley, R.). This action caused a lot of confusion and criticism because the law did not specify who in the United States would be considered an â€Å"enemy combatant† (Langley, R.). With this action by the Bush administration, the terrorists and other combatants are not covered by the Geneva Conventions due the fact these people are not soldiers and not covered by the U.S. Bill of Rights because they are not considered citizens (Langley, R.). In 2008, after the Boumediene v. Bush, a case which was held in the Supreme Court in regards to five young men were placed in a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that any enemy combatants held in the U.S. territory are entitled to the writ of Habeas Corpus as stated in the United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 9 (Newman, Gerald L.). The evolution of the Habeas Corpus Act was and is intention of ones’ civil rights and liberties. In violation of this act of detaining a person for unjustifiable cause is stripping this person of their liberties, but as time go by there will be more debates to justify this act. As for now, the Habeas Corpus Act is in effect and is very well understood. It can be well said, any one person detained, can well be heard in the case of an unlawful act by the detainee. References Kelly, Martin Definition of Habeas Corpus Retrieved from; americanhistory.about.com The United States Constitution (2004, September) Retrieved from; www.house.gov/house/constitution/Constitution.html Habeas Corpus the Most Extraordinary Writ Retrieved from; www.habeascorpus.net/hcwrit.html Langley, Robert Lincoln Issues Proclamation Suspending the Habeas Corpus Rights Retrieved from; www.usgovinfo.about.com/od/historic/documents/a/Lincolnhabeas.html Newman, Gerald L. The Habeas Corpus Suspension Clause After Boumediene V. Bush Retrieved from; http: //web.ebscohost.com

Public Display of the Ten Commandments Essay Example for Free

Public Display of the Ten Commandments Essay People often find memorization exhausting and more like tiresome. All those numerous words and lines to remember tend to tire and bore most of them. Moreover, most of the time, they tend to memorize just for the heck of it and not for the benefit of understanding and knowledge. The Ten Commandments are some of the most popular lines that Christians should memorize and know by heart. These lines have long served as Christians’ guiding passages and words towards the path to righteousness and morality. However, considering the generation today—when more and more people detest the idea of memorizing and reading very thick pages—will the Ten Commandments still possess their utmost effect? Will they be able to serve their purpose of guiding the people towards goodness when not all Christians nowadays are able to memorize them? In what ways can the Christian Church assure that people are still living up to the message presented by the Ten Commandments? These are just some of the uncertainties on the effectiveness of the Holy Bible in reminding people about the Ten Commandments. Is Reading Enough? Today, as the developments in the information technologies continue to rise, the usual activities like conversing, sending messages, and even reading can be done through the use of a computer and an internet connection. Considering this reality, doubts on whether people nowadays are still grasping the idea of the Ten Commandments by reading the Bible may arise. However, this can be possible if there are numerous electronic copies of the Holy Bible available for people to access anywhere, and such copies have plenty of attractive visual designs, as humans are inherently visual beings (Pahlavan 270). Human’s visual system is supported by other sensory organs which empower and strengthen its sensitivity to stimuli. Putting these facts in simpler terms, a person is said to have a natural tendency to prefer things which are more attractive to the sense of sight above other senses. Hence, it may be understandable why people tend to read more colorful and visually attractive materials compared to the intimidating and profound words of the Holy Bible. Knowing this, it can be inferred that putting a Bible beside a person who has the access to the internet and all its wonders would assure that that person would read it and understand what it says. Furthermore, people can no longer expect most children to prioritize the memorization of the Ten Commandments when they have all those tough and demanding homework and projects to do. Thus, is the Christian Church still assured that people read The Bible and the Ten Commandments everyday? If not, then how can the Ten Commandments be further promoted? Appealing to Human’s Visual Preference At present, the huge banners, billboards, posters, and different visual advertisements are typical scenery along roads, malls, and literally almost everywhere. Various creative, artistic, and innovative ways are now used just to disseminate information better. Nowadays, these methods are typically through very visual advertisements. The message of the Holy Bible, specifically the Ten Commandments, is considered as the most important and relevant teaching of the Christian faith. Compared to the public service announcements of the government, malls’ sales promotion, introduction of a new brand of soda, and all the other popular topics of ads today, it seems that the promotion of the Ten Commandments and all the other relevant messages of the Holy Bible has become a little unmerited. It is ironic that these messages are what appears to be the most significant and relevant messages for the people, yet why are there more ads for sodas, clothing lines, celebrities, and TV shows as compared to these important reminders? Also, if the Ten Commandments appear to be the greatest instructions and guidelines the people must comply with, why are there simpler and shorter road signs and traffic rules displayed compared to these profound yet very important words to follow and live by? This seems to be the greatest irony in today’s advertisements and visual display practices. The significance of the Ten Commandments has been an eternal and undying idea among Christians. People exactly know that the Ten Commandments are the written key for salvation and freedom for sin, yet these commandments are still left unadvertised and unannounced compared to how the big ad agencies promote different products which do not actually level to the significance of the Ten Commandments in people’s everyday lives. Looking at this truth, it may seem disturbing and appalling how people value information that modern advertisements promote while they leave the message of the Ten Commandments unnoticed or disregarded. It also seems depressing, considering how the attitude of people towards these commandments has changed over the generations. This change in attitude and interest might have been caused by the technological advancements that the intelligent and creative minds of people themselves have created. Thus, it may appear necessary for the advocates of the Holy Bible and the Ten Commandments to go and ride with the growing technology in order to assure that people are not forgetting the Ten Commandments. With this effort, it can also be assured that people will always be reminded about these commandments and what they really mean. The display of the Ten Commandments can be most typically seen in churches. People seldom see these messages displayed in billboards or in freedom walls and posters. However, knowing the importance of these commandments in the lives of people, will it be improper to publicly display this message, or is it more appropriate to leave these messages in the pages of the Bible, hence leaving the choice to people whether they will choose to read it or not. Considering the abovementioned claims about human beings as visual creatures, and about the growth of very powerful advertising techniques, it may indeed be necessary for the Ten Commandments to appeal to the human sense of sight in order to keep up with the powerful advertisements people see nowadays. There could be several ways on how this special message can be promoted in order not to violate other beliefs and culture. What matters most is to send the message and assure that Christians will always remember its significance wherever they go. A variety of learning theories attest that remembering does not usually happen in the blink of an eye. In reality, it actually takes most people a certain period of time to remember something and fully understand its meaning. Memorizing and remembering the Ten Commandment are not an easy task as well. It is not also everyday that a teacher asks their students to memorize the Ten Commandments. Thus, people are not really sure as to whether the Ten Commandments are still remembered and observed nowadays. With this, it only goes to show that proper endorsement, exposure, and promotion are what these commandments really need. If public displays make a brand of soda very popular worldwide, how much more help it could do if a list of simple messages would be displayed to remind the people about moral stability and righteousness of the world? If powerful advertisements can make a politician and a celebrity known globally, how much more can it remind people about God who should be the most influential and the most popular idol above anyone else? This is not a major impossibility; people are just being hesitant to make it happen. The Bottom Line The Ten Commandments, in reality, may not be the most popular set of phrases and commands there are for people to remember. Yet, these commandments must be the most popular and the most significant set of messages that people should remember to live by everyday. While most people nowadays tend to overlook and disregard the Ten Commandments, people can never deny or refute the fact that the commandments are the simplest and the most fundamental set of laws that Christians must follow each day of their lives in order to preserve their moral stability and their positive and open connection to the Lord. The Ten Commandments are even considered as the fence which, when broken, may let a sheep out in an open field without any direction and sense of security (Frederick 1). It does not actually take a Bible genius to understand and fully grasp the message of the Ten Commandments; what someone needs is a person who is ready and willing to embrace what the Ten Commandments say in order to understand it fully. Perhaps, having these commandments displayed publicly may not violate God’s will, for it might even give Him great help in disseminating the good news. If people are able to remember the many traffic rules there are on the roads. It may not be that hard to remember these simple commandments. If people are able to internalize popular phrases and quotes from politicians, it may not be that impossible as well for them to grasp what God is trying to teach people through the Ten Commandments. People are not always reminded everyday about the importance of the Ten Commandments and how these commandments should be lived out as well. Thus, displaying these special messages for public view may appear not just as a reminder but as an eternal and unchanging message as well of how the Lord wants His people to be always righteous and be on the right track. Works Cited Frederick, Allen. â€Å"Do the Ten Commandments Matter? †. Helium. com. 13 March 2009 http://www. helium. com/items/1206086-thou-shalt-not. Pahlavan, Kourosh. â€Å"Designing an Anthropomorphic Head-Eye System. † Visual Attention and Cognition. Eds. C. Freska, H. S. Stiehl, and W. H. Zangemeister. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Science, 1996. 269-292.

Adaptive Block Steganography Based Crypting Technique

Adaptive Block Steganography Based Crypting Technique A Novel Approach on Adaptive Block Steganography Based Crypting Technique for Secure Message Passing AbhipsaKundu,  Sudipta Sahana Abstract The enhancement of using internet system has increased the ease of information communication which throws challenge in data security. Now in current days safe and sound data transfer become more essential and significant. Cryptography and Steganography are two significant areas of research that involve a number of applications. Cryptography is the technology that involves to encode a message text into an unreadable text form that is known as cipher text and thesteganography is an art and technology of hiding information in a multimedia file without causing statistically significant change to thisfile for involving a secret message transmission. In this proposed work the plain text is transformed to a cipher text using Cryptography technique, where different person can able to use their preferable key for encoding the text and also some Boolean algebraic operations are used in the succeeding steps and after that this cipher text is hidden inside a gray scale image as a cover media wit h dimension of 2n x 2n and a secure pictorial block steganography based encryptionalgorithm is proposed for transferring text messageand also mentioned the Cryptanalysis and Steganalysis method for retrieving data at receiver side. The experimental result shows that for using different length of text message the distortion of picture is very much less that is negligible in open eyes. At last it can be mentioned that without knowing the appropriate knowledge of cryptanalysisand steganalysis retrieving of message is quite impossible. Keywords Cryptography, Steganography, Plain text, Cipher text, Cryptanalysis, Steganalysis. 1. Introduction Cryptography is generally a key enabling technology for protecting distributed systems. An encryption algorithm takes the original message and a key, and alters the original message mathematically based on the key bits to create a new encrypted message. Likewise a decryption algorithm takes an encrypted message and restores it to its original form using one or more keys. There are two general concepts of cryptographic keys: Private key and public key system. When same key is use for encryption and decryption both purpose then this is identified as symmetric key encryption by using secret key. Where public-key encryption is also known as asymmetric-key encryption. The private key is known only to your computer, and used for only encrypt the message while the public key is given by your computer to any computer that wants to communicate securely with it.To decode an encrypted message, a computer must use the public key. SYMMETRIC KEY CRYPTOGRAPHY ASYMMETRIC KEY CRYPTOGRAPHY In this paper, secure data transfer by using cryptography with Boolean algebra and key concept is focused where different body can use a particular mentioned length key that generally cant be guessed by a third person. Steganography is the process of communication of secret data by using a multimedia carrier like image, video, audio or it also can be send by using an IP Datagram. Generally people cannot detect the secret communication of data. Message to be hidden is concealed in another file called cover media. Combination of secret message and cover file is called as – stego media. The stego function operates over cover media and the message (to be hidden) along with a stego-key (optionally) to produce a stego media. STEGANOGRAPHY AND STEGANALYSIS The paper is organized as follow. Section 2 describes the different types of steganography Techniques. In Section 3 section the algorithms of cryptography, steganography for data encryption techniqueon the other hand cryptanalysis and steganalysis forthe decryption technique are discussed followed by an example in Section 4. Section 5 shows the Analysis Work. Finally, in Section 6 the conclusion of this paper is included. 2. Related work In this section the past work related to the problem of hidden text in an image file is analyzed. A literature survey in this extent finds an amount of work is done in encrypting the text message and also decoding the text. Here the methodology and highlights of contributions, conventions is summarized. In M. Bellare [1] formalized the new cryptographic primitive, Message-Locked Encryption (MLE), where the key under which encryption and decryption are accomplished is itself derived from the message. MLE delivers a method to reach secured duplication (space-efficient secure outsourced storage), an objective currently embattled by numerous cloud-storage providers. On the theoretical side the challenge is standard model explanations, and this technique makes Rig Das et al. [2] performed the Huffman encoding upon the secret message /image and then embedded each of the encrypted bits, the size of Huffman encoded bit stream, Huffman table into the cover image by altering the least significant bit (LSB) of each of the pixels. G.KarthigaiSeivi at al. [3] proposed a technique of finding the edge of the image using the Least-Significant-Bit (LSB) algorithm by employing Laplacian detector, and then data is hidden on center pixels whose blocks are located at the sharper edges. Yam bernJinaChanu at al. [4] describes a short survey on different types of steganography techniques for imagein spatial and transform domains and steganalysis techniques for the detection of secret message in the image in spatial domain by mentioning the strong points and weak points of the techniques. In k. singla et al. [5] proposed a hash based Steganography approach for protected steganography using edge detection. The method accomplishes high embedding capacity and enhances the quality of the encoded image. This technique first detects the edges in the image by well-known canny method and then the hash sort is used to embed the text data in to the edges of the color image. The hash function delivers a secure and fast method for image steganography. InS.Malik, A. Sardana [6] proposed unique methodology A Keyless Approach to Image Encryption without the use of encryption keys. The core idea behind this technique employs Sieving, Separation and Shuffling to produce random portions such that with minimal computation, the original secret image can be recovered from the random portions without any loss of image quality. Ali Daneshkhah et al. in his A More Secure Steganography Method in Spatial Domain [7] paper proposed a technique in which, the two bits of message is embedded in a pixel in a way that not only the Least Significant Bit (LSB) of picture element is allowed to change but also the second bit plane and fourth bit plane are allowed to be manipulated, but the point is in each embedding process only one alternation inone bit plane is allowed to happen. It is compared by the method LSB-Matching, the results shows this S. Sarreshtedari et al. [8] proposed a high capacity method for transform domain image steganography and algorithm works on the wavelet transform coefficients of the original image to embed the secret data byretaining integrity of the wavelet coefficients at high capacity embedding. 3. Algorithm 3.1 Cryptography Algorithm: 3.1.1 Password Matrix: STEP-1: Different password can be chosen for different PT but always it will be reserved 8 characters length. STEP 2: Transformevery single character of the password into its corresponding ASCII value. STEP 3: Convert each ASCII value into its 8 bit binary representation and place them in separate rows to generate a password matrix. 3.1.2 Generation of Auxiliary Keys : STEP 4: For that purpose the diagonal elements of password matrix is chosen as the first auxiliary key AK1, beginning from bottom left corner bit toterminate in top right corner bit. STEP 5: The second auxiliary password AK2 is generated by retaining the 0th bit of AK1 as the 0th bit of AK2 and doing XOR operation between the nth bit and (n+1)th bit of AK1 to obtain (n+1)th bit of AK2. And this process has further carry on for other AKs where from AK2 to AK3 and from AK(n) to AK(n+1) has been got. STEP-6: The number of Auxiliary keys generated depends on the number of letters in the plain text. 3.1.3 Formation of Cipher Text: STEP-7: Choose a plain text of variable length and calculate its length. STEP-8:  Change each character into its ASCII value and then into its equivalent 8 bit binary representation at the end arrange them as a matrix of nx8 where n is size of letters in plain text. STEP-9:  Perform bitwise XOR operation in between the binary values P1, P2, P3,†¦,Pn and the auxiliary keys AK1, AK2, AK3, †¦.,AKn respectively. STEP-10:  Complement the evenposition bits (column no. : 2,4,6,8) of every row of the last transformed value. STEP-11:  Divide the last generated 8 bits values into 4 parts each part having 2 bits, numbering them 1,2,3,4 and now arrange them as 4,2,1,3. STEP-12:  8 bits of each row of the matrix now has to be reversed. STEP-13: At last get our Cipher text 8 bit binary representation and convert it tocorresponding decimal value or the ASCII Value. This text will be transferred. 3.2 Steganography Algorithm: In this paper we have considered a gray scale image first; where we can encrypt the cipher text (encrypted data after cryptography process). At first we calculate the length of the cipher text and converted the text into its corresponding ASCII value. The size of the gray scale image is 256256. STEP-1: Taken the ASCII value cipher text as an input. STEP-2: Calculate the number of ASCII value of cipher text and stored it into a variable CT . STEP-3: Taken a gray scale image with dimension of 2n x 2n. STEP-4: Apply the partial BTB technique on this image with n x n size block matrix and each matrix Contain 2(n-m) x 2(n-m) (where, n = 2m) matrix size. STEP-5: Calculate the number of ASCII value of cipher text and stored it into a variable CT. STEP-6: Now convert the ASCII value of CT to its binary value of 8 digit and for getting ‘1’ from the corresponding binary value of CT the image pixel value has been increased two and also for getting ‘0’ this pixel value has been increase one. STEP-7: Now check the number of digit in CT. If it is less than or equal to n then only the 1st block 1st bit placed into 1st image block (1,1 position ),then 1st block 2nd bit placed into 2nd image block(1,1 position) thus the process will continue less than n (no. of character) or equal to n time. STEP-4: If the no. of character is greater than n then the 8 bit greater positions will be considered or Then the n+1 character 1st block 1st bit placed into 1st image block(8,8 position), 1st block 2ndbit place into 2nd image block (8,8 position) such as 2n+1 character 1st block 1st bit placed into1st image block (16,16 position),1st block 2nd bit placed into 2nd image block(16,16 position),then for 3n+1 characters to 4n (24,24 positions) will be considered and for 4n+1 to 5n (32,32) positions will be considered. STEP-5: This coded image will be transferred to the receiver side. 3.3 Steganalysis Algorithm: At receiver side the reverse technique of the previous method hasto be followed for decaying the image matrix and easily the text will be retrieve by the decryption algorithm. STEP-1: At first we have taken the Stego image that is got from sender side and then collect the original cover image. STEP-2: Compare both image and make a size of 256256 matrix contained the differentiate value of these two images where most of the values are zero excepting some are 2s and 1s. STEP-3: Neglect all those 0 values and arrange the others digits in a separate matrix whose size of column is 8. It is very imperative that the arrangement of the digits must not be hampered from the previous order. STEP-4:After getting the new matrix the number of the row signifies the number of characters present in the CT. STEP-5: Now replace the value of 2 with ‘1’ and 1 with ‘0’ and after that which matrix will be generated this is the 8 bit binary representation of our CT. STEP-6: Now convert the binary value with the corresponding decimal value and got the ASCII value representation of CT. 3.4 Cryptanalysis Algorithm: STEP-1: Generate the PASSWORD MATRIX that was described in the previous section 3.1. STEP-2: As well as create the AUXILARY KEYS from password matrix maintain the same rule followed as 3.1. STEP-3: Taken the ASCII value of Cipher text and convert them as 8 bit binary representation. Arrange the value of bits in nx8 matrix where n = size of CT. STEP-4: Reverse the each 8 bits values of every single row. STEP-5: Divide the last generated 8 bits values into 4 parts each part having 2 bits, numbering them 4,2,1,3 and now arrange them as 1,2,3,4. STEP-6:  Complement the odd bits (column no.:1,3,5,7) of every row of the last transformed value. STEP-7: Perform bitwise XOR operation in between the binary values of last transformed CT1, CT2, CT3,†¦,CTn and the auxiliary keys AK1, AK2, AK3, †¦.,AKn respectively And then got the original P1, P2, P3,†¦.Pn. 4. Example: 4.1 Cryptography Algorithm: Suppose our plain text is EARTH that has to be securely transferred to the receiver side. 4.1.1 Password Matrix: Suppose our 8 letter word password matrix is UNIVERSE= Table 4.1.1: 8 Bit Binary Representation As per mentioned in the algorithm for 5 letter plain text 5 auxiliary key will be formed at first. 4.1.2 Auxiliary Key Formation: After taking bottom left corner to top right corner diagonally elements we will get 01000011. That is AK1. Table: 4.1.2(Formation of auxiliary keys)Table: 4.1.3 (8 bits representation of plain text) Table: 4.1.4 (XOR operation between AKs with plain text)Table 4.1.5(Complement even bit position) Table: 4.1.6 (Rearrangement of columns)Table : 4.1.7(Reverse Each 8 bits of every Row) 4.2 Steganography Algorithm: Consider n = 8 and m = 3. The ASCII value representation of the Cipher text is 8 bit Binary value representation. We have reserved a 256 x 256 size of gray scale image for hiding the bit representation of cipher text, as the distortion of gray scale image is very much less than color image so it is considered. At first we will decompose this image at 8X8 matrix, where each cell of 8X8 matrix will consist 3232 size of matrix. N00 N01 N02 N03 N04 N05 N06 N07 N10 N11 N12 N13 N14 N15 N16 N17 N20 N21 N22 N23 N24 N25 N26 N27 N30 N31 N32 N33 N34 N35 N36 N37 N40 N41 N42 N43 N44 N45 N46 N47 N50 N51 N52 N53 N54 N55 N

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas Essay -- Segregation Rac

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas On May 17, 1954 the United States Supreme Court handed down the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas ruling. The supreme court’s ruling stated that separate was in fact not equal. The court ordered that all schools desegregate. This ruling had finally and once and for all put a stop to the dejure segregation of our nation’s schools that had existed since the time when African Americans were allowed to attend schools. This ruling was definitely one of the most significant legal victories in the history of the civil rights movement and possibly the entire twentieth century. It is viewed this way because â€Å"This movement rebuked centuries of government-sanctioned black inferiority† (Cohen p. 22) and most importantly it overturned the Plessey v. Ferguson ruling. The Brown decision breathed new life for the hope of America’s future, that all children regardless of race would be able to receive an equal education. In addition, the NAACP had gained momentum and had big plans to continue the civil rights movement in other areas. Their agenda included housing segregation and employment discrimination. Thurgood Marshall and other members of the NAACP’s law team were confident in their success and believed that it would only be a short period of time of five years before school segregation would be totally eliminated. Sadly, desegregation was not achieved as rapidly and as smoothly as anticipated. In fact, many people claim that in many areas today the schools are resegregating. According to Ted Shaw, head of the NAACP’s legal defense fund, â€Å"we are currently resegregating, and no none seems to care† (regression on integration). Since this year marks the fiftieth ann... ... from. However, the thing that disappoints me the most is that after conducting more in depth reading than I previously had done, I still have no answer of how to fix the problem. I realize that it would be foolish of me to realistically think that I could fix the problem with what little I have studied the subject in this class, but out of all the reading I have done, I could not find a single article that actually gave a solution of how to fix the problem other than continuing the battle in the courts. This is the part that this is so disheartening to me. There is a real problem and I want to fix it, but apparently it is going to be a long struggle to get things back on track. Works Cited 1. Holst, B. (2004, July). Resegregation's aftermath. The Atlantic Monthly, 294, 64. 2. Cohen, A. (2004, Jan. 18).The supreme struggle. The New York Times, pp. 22.

Pagan Elements in Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf Essay -- Whos Afraid

Pagan Elements in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf    "I am preoccupied with history" George observes in Act I (p. 50) of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. But his relationship with his wife, Martha, seems to lean almost towards anthropology. Pagan social and religious elements in Albee's work seem to clarify and enhance the basic themes of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pagan trappings adorn the whole structure of the play: the prevalence of alcohol, the "goddamn Saturday night orgies" (p. 7) Martha's father throws, Martha's identification as "the only true pagan on the eastern seaboard... [who] paints blue circles [of woad?] around her things" (p. 73) or "the Earth Mother" (p. 189), or George's injunction, in Old Testament language, to "just gird your blue-veined loins, girl" (p. 205). The stage seems set for religious ritual. Even the act titles have pagan religious significance. "Fun and Games" are of course the prelude to many a religious event, even in the Christian Easter and Christmas. "Walpurgisnacht" or "St. Walburga's Night" is the evening before May Day, when Christians claim witches and nightmares are on the roam. But May Day and the evening before is also the pagan Beltaine, a day of fertility rituals as the God and Goddess bring vitality and passion to Nature -- a maypole signifies masculine fertility; the flowers about it show feminine vitality ("flores para los muertos"? (p. 195)). And "The Exorcism" is a banishment of the spirit of evil, in the sacrifice of the imaginary child who has become a scapegoat bearing all George and Martha's sins. Martha tries to wield her power like an old-style matriarch, saying "I wear the pants in this house" (p. 157) and controlling Nick as a "houseboy" (p. 1... ...avior by sweeping away its very foundation, by changing her beloved son into the pagan scapegoat who bears away all the twisted, hateful history they have both constructed around him. The pagan elements in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? strengthen the main themes and plot of Albee's play. Martha's boisterousness and sexuality make her a sort of pagan priestess, but one trapped by the myths and illusions she has constructed in her worship. But George's Latin burial service at last banishes the restless spirit who had so haunted his relationship with Martha, and it bears away much of their tortured past, making a fresh slate. Samhain has been fulfilled: the God and Goddess begin again, to build a new, more fertile relationship between themselves for the new year. Page numbers for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? are taken from the 1984 Atheneum edition.

societhf Rejection of Civilization in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Rejection of Civilization in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck decides to reject civilization. At the end of the story Aunt Sally wants to civilize him, but he refuses. He says "I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally, she's going to adopt me civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before." Huck decides to choose against society because of all the harsh realities that he has seen first hand. Huck's early doubts of the civilized world all started with Pap. During most of his childhood, Huck had been abused both physically and mentally by his redneck guardian Pap. This man had walked into and out of Huck's life on numerous occasions. He was the only father figure in Huck's life and failed miserably at the job. Pap was the first representation of civilization to Huck and it was a sour one. It was also civilization that awarded custody of Huck to Pap. He had been screwed over too many times by the civilized world, and that was the main reason he decided to leave home. Huck ran from his troubles at home down the Mississippi River. The river is where he found his sanctuary. Jim and Huck were always safe, independent, and free out on the raft. It seemed that every time they would go to shore, something negative involving civilization would arise. The dark side of human nature and suffering would meet up with the two of them. They always stumbled upon the under-belly of society. The symbol of human suffering was the Grangerfords family. When Huck found himself in front of their farm after the ship wreck, his first impression was a positive one. He thought that the Grangerfords were a pleasant, normal family. However the dark secrets that existed within the family could make skin crawl. The paintings and writings made by Emmeline Grangerford, who died when she was fourteen, are of rather morbid subjects. She was a messed up child that came from a bizarre, disturbed family. They had a feudal war going with another family where constant deaths and suffering took place. Just before Huck leaves, his age equivalent and societhf Rejection of Civilization in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays Rejection of Civilization in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck decides to reject civilization. At the end of the story Aunt Sally wants to civilize him, but he refuses. He says "I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally, she's going to adopt me civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before." Huck decides to choose against society because of all the harsh realities that he has seen first hand. Huck's early doubts of the civilized world all started with Pap. During most of his childhood, Huck had been abused both physically and mentally by his redneck guardian Pap. This man had walked into and out of Huck's life on numerous occasions. He was the only father figure in Huck's life and failed miserably at the job. Pap was the first representation of civilization to Huck and it was a sour one. It was also civilization that awarded custody of Huck to Pap. He had been screwed over too many times by the civilized world, and that was the main reason he decided to leave home. Huck ran from his troubles at home down the Mississippi River. The river is where he found his sanctuary. Jim and Huck were always safe, independent, and free out on the raft. It seemed that every time they would go to shore, something negative involving civilization would arise. The dark side of human nature and suffering would meet up with the two of them. They always stumbled upon the under-belly of society. The symbol of human suffering was the Grangerfords family. When Huck found himself in front of their farm after the ship wreck, his first impression was a positive one. He thought that the Grangerfords were a pleasant, normal family. However the dark secrets that existed within the family could make skin crawl. The paintings and writings made by Emmeline Grangerford, who died when she was fourteen, are of rather morbid subjects. She was a messed up child that came from a bizarre, disturbed family. They had a feudal war going with another family where constant deaths and suffering took place. Just before Huck leaves, his age equivalent and

Life as We Know It Concept Paper

Movie Concept Paper The Movie Life As We Know It stars Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel who play the main characters Holly and Messer. These two were brought together when their best friends married and tried to start a life together. Sadly, one year after they had their first baby, Sophie, they were killed in a car accident. Holly and Messer were left their roles as parents to Sophie. After moving on from the hostile feelings for each other, the three made their own happy family. Within this movie there are concepts displayed that we have discussed in class.A few are motor skills, identity diffusion, identity commitment, triangulation, and Gottman’s â€Å"four horseman of the apocalypse†. Within this paper you will read about each of these five concepts and how they are shown throughout the movie. The first concept is motor skills. In early childhood children usually gain their gross motor skills around the age of two and their fine motor skills take longer to develop. Since Holly was given the role of a mother she started reading books about kids and at what age Sophie should be doing things; walking and talking.She became worried as Sophie was approaching her second birthday quickly and was not showing any signs of either walking or talking. Shortly after expressing these worries to Messer, Sophie stands up and begins to take her first steps. Soon after she wouldn’t stop running throughout the house. This shows Sophie’s gross motor skills developing and allows her to run freely. The definition of identity diffusion is the lack of commitment to who one is and what they stand for. People who fall under this category often do not explore options, do not have a set moral compass, and do not commit.Out of the characters in the movie, Messer fits this description best. Messer does not commit when it comes to relationships. He hooks up with girls and tells them what they want to hear before they part their ways. One point in the movie Me sser had a girl stay the night and as they were saying their good-byes he said, â€Å"next time dinner’s on me†. However, he had no intentions to ever call her again. This shows that Messer does not have a good set of morals and he cannot commit to one girl; that is until the end of the movie here he finally commits to Holly. On the other hand, Holly is more on the identity commitment side of the scale. Identity commitment involves having a relatively firm idea of who one is and what they stand for. This type of person also shows exploration and commitment. Holly is committed to her baking business she started all on her own and was immediately committed to Sophie, although it took some adjusting. When Messer and Holly were told they would become the parents of Sophie, Messer was looking for a way out.He was looking into other family members to care for her when Holly offered for her to do it alone. Holly also explores her options for a boyfriend and succeeds in findin g one. When Messer leaves for his new job in Phoenix, Holly begins to date Sophie’s doctor and stays with him for a while. Another concept displayed in this movie is triangulation, which is when you have anxiety with one thing or person and focus your attention on something/someone else to avoid your anxiety. Messer and Holly are great examples of this.There is anxiety between the two when Messer is offered his dream job in Phoenix, which Holly does not want Messer to take. While questioning him about this job offer Holly ends up pushing him toward the job. While Messer is gone, she focuses on another guy to get feelings for Messer out of her mind. For Messer, he focuses on his new dream job and tries not to think about the only girl he really has ever loved. This works out for a while until Messer comes home for Thanksgiving and all feelings for each other come flooding back in.In class we talked about how many people argue and all the wrong ways they go about discussions. W ell John Gottman discovered the proper way of going about arguments. Within his method there is a time-out section, this is a very important aspect to arguments. When the conversation gets to be out of control it’s best to be alone and come back when you have calmed down. During the time-out you should do something healthy to calm yourself down and then come back to the discussion when you both can talk constructively.In the movie Messer and Holly argue about how they are responsible for Sophie, this is when Messer finally freaks out and says, â€Å"She’s not my kid†. Right after the argument he leaves the house and goes for a drive on his motorcycle. When he gets back Holly shows him a tape of Sophie’s actual parents. This tape shows her real parents arguing over Sophie’s bedroom. By showing Messer this tape Holly tells him that it’s okay that they argue every now and then and they have to mess up. If they don’t mess up then they are not doing it right. This time-out worked very effectively for Messer and Holly.The movie Life As We Know It is a very good example for the concepts we have discussed throughout the semester of class. With Sophie being a very young child you can see her motor skills developing and with Messer and Holly becoming unexpected parents you can see who shows signs of identity diffusion and identity commitment. There are also many moments in the movie where people are arguing which can show the wrong ways to go about an intense discussion and others show a better way to talk constructively. It is important to know and identify these concepts to better yourself and others around you.