Love and Literature Essay - 877 Words

Love is an inborn suffering proceeding from the sight and immoderate thought upon the beauty of the other sex, for which cause above all other things one wishes to embrace the other and, by common assent, in this embrace to fulfill the commandments of love. . . . once said Andreas Capellanus, the twelfth century French author of a well-known but skeptical book, The Art of Courtly Love. Despite Capellanus’s attempt to provide others with an accurate definition of love, he fails in doing so; trying to achieve the impossible; Capellanus is unaware in composing a meaning of love that with its great ambiguity, love cannot ever be defined as a single phrase; its true meaning, which lies in the eyes of each different individual, includes a vast†¦show more content†¦While the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the concept of courtly love, a notion dealing with the affection men and women felt for each other, as â€Å"a late medieval conventionalized code prescribing conduct and emotions of ladies and their lovers,† the Oxford English dictionary defines courtly love as â€Å"a highly conventionalized medieval tradition of love between a knight and a married noblewoman, first developed by the troubadours of Southern France and extensively employed in European literature of the time . The love of the knight for his lady was regarded as an ennobling passion and the relationship was typically unconsummated.† Said to have been practiced first in the year 1702, courtly love seems to exemplify dignified and sophisticated culture, and offers what might have been the origin of romanticism, a word defined by the Encarta Dictionary as â€Å"the quality of being romantic or having romantic inclinations.† The practice of courtly love, one that derived from the group known as the troubadours, or musicians of the early twelfth century encouraged a formalized new system of paganism called Gai Saber, meaning literally â€Å"the happy wisdom†. Troubadours, imaginative people from the Provence region of southern France successfully challenged and attempted to redefine the customary Christian ideals of love, including: marital relationships, masculine andShow MoreRelatedLove in Literature2486 Words   |  10 PagesLove in Literature We live in a complex world, where love and logic do not always exist cohesively, however, literature often brings these two elements together. Authors sometimes use the concept of love as a theme for their work, logically, and methodically using it as a tool in their writing. The different forms of love are often used by authors as a catalyst for positive character development. In this essay, works by different authors will be used to demonstrate some of the forms of love usedRead MoreLove Is A Cornerstone Of Literature1331 Words   |  6 PagesLove is something that every human being as capable of feeling. No matter how hard an individual tries to avoid it, they will at one time or another will be blindsided by love. Love can come in many different forms, love for parents, love for money, love for country, to name of few. Love is something that our race has been focused on since the beginning. Civilizations have written about love throughout the ages and it has been a cornerstone o f literature. Love has started wars, ended nations, createdRead MoreLove and Sacrifice in Literature2318 Words   |  10 PagesThe concepts of love and sacrifice are closely related and feature consistently throughout literature. To study the relationship between these ideas in more depth I have selected a range of texts over an extensive time period, these include Romeo and Juliet by Sir William Shakespeare, Titanic by James Cameron, Saint Joan by Bernard Shaw and Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. The different eras that these texts explore will be instrumental in establishing the type of connection the two conceptsRead MoreLove and Marriage in Renaissance Literature1228 Words   |  5 Pagesfirst began to write poems about humble men falling in love with women who were admirer and adored by their lovers. Furthermore, intense love between men and women became a central subject in European literature, like between Tristan and Iseult, Lancelot and Guinevere, or Aeneas and D ido. But it was not question of marriage. Actually, marriage and love did not match very well together but then Renaissance literature developed the concepts of love and marriage and recorded the evolution of the relationRead MoreThemes Of Love And Freedom In World Literature837 Words   |  4 PagesLove and freedom! Where do Love and Freedom show up in the same place? They come together as themes in World Literature. World Literature is the diverse variety of genres in books that have been spread worldwide and have become well known. It is important to know about these two themes to share and understand everyones unique perspectives. The large collection of striking viewpoints creates many diverse and intriguing themes. Two of the biggest themes that can be found in books are Love and FreedomRead MoreLove and Lust in Indian Literature Essay1297 Words   |  6 PagesThe pursuit of love and pleasure is well documented in Indian literature and theoretical texts, its sensual and powe rful nature weaving its way into the history of Indian culture. Kama, as this pursuit is so called, is all encompassing of pleasures of both carnal and more educated stature, such as the pursuit of enjoyment in drama and musical endeavors. In the literature based on the more literal sense of â€Å"love between two people† there are two distinct types of this affection: that of the carnalRead MoreLove and Marriage in Renaissance Literature Essay973 Words   |  4 PagesLove and Marriage in Renaissance Literature In medieval Europe, the troubadours (poets of the southern part of France), like Guilhem IX, or Cercamon, first began to write poems about humble men falling in love with women who were admirer and adored by their lovers. Furthermore, intense love between men and women became a central subject in European literature, like between Tristan and Iseult, Lancelot and Guinevere, or Aeneas and Dido. But it was not question of marriageRead MoreLove, Sex, and the Gods in World Literature2160 Words   |  9 PagesLove, Sex, and the Gods in World Literature Literature throughout world history contains many of the same themes and motifs. The works that will be discussed in this paper: Homer’s The Iliad, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, and Ovid’s Metamophoses, all contain common themes. The first theme is love, whether it is the love between a man and a woman, parent and child, or the love of siblings. Love is a driving force for many of the characters in these works. The second theme is sex, whether it is symbolicRead MoreThe Changing Face of Love in English Literature1528 Words   |  7 PagesLove is a common theme in most literature, as either an underlying theme or as the stimulus for the story, as it is an emotion that has great power and is also universally understood. The writers we have studied have written about love in its many forms, from the cerebral to the visceral and they have used this complex emotion to propel their stories and their sonnets. As we progress forward in time we see a distinct change in th e freedom writers had as they addressed this theme and a change in theRead MoreEssay on Attitudes Toward Love in French literature838 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the centuries, literature has provided a way to express oneself, while at the same time, allowing the reader to experience a different kind of life through the stories. As a creation of humans, literature tends to reflect the ideals and thoughts of its writer, while also providing a glimpse into the society, in which the writer penned the story. Perhaps one of the greatest and most intriguing human emotions is love and this theme is present in literature from its beginning to the present

The Media s Influence On Society - 1929 Words

With reference to academic sources and focusing on one particular example of your choice, how do the media challenge or reinforce traditional ideas about gender. Jiangying Yang W1565168 We have to admit that media is a central and essential part of modern life which brings a huge impact on our ideology. At the same time, gender and media are connected in an inextricable way; gender remains the foremost position of how we think about our identity. Media creates tons of images of male and female and passes the message about gender role today. However, what we saw in the media about gender recent decades year ago might not be so relevant what we see today, because the media has changed, so was gender role. Like John Fiske’s audience power theory, I think popular culture is made and chosen by people, because our society creates and shapes popular culture; the characteristic of culture is continuous developing and it changing with attitude of society because media needs to produce something related with the society to make people consume. So I am going to talk about how media challenge traditional ideas about gender, and I used representations of gender in the pas t compare with nowadays, no matter in the film or advertising. Culture is an active process so it can be developed or changed, and plenty of popular culture is media cultures. Media is changing with the attitude of society because media needs to produce something related to what people liked to see andShow MoreRelatedThe Media s Influence On Society1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe media s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that s power. Because they control the minds of the masses† (Ruddy, 2002). Malcolm X, a prominent African American human rights activist, strongly believed that the media played a vital role in how they make society perceive events and people. An issue that is present, historically and currently, is media contributing to racism. When news is reported involvingRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1454 Words   |  6 PagesThe Media’s Chokehold The media s influence on society is suffocating and undeniable. Body image has become overwhelmingly present in most media today. The front cover of a magazine may critically exclaim â€Å"so-and-so has cellulite† or â€Å"so and so is too thin†. Popular reality stars like Nicole Polizzi (otherwise known as â€Å"Snooki†) have been criticized for being to large and then criticized for being too thin after dropping the weight. The media teaches people to be unsatisfied with their bodiesRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1269 Words   |  6 Pages The media is full of countless things, it has completely changed the world and is now a part of our everyday lives (Bookman, 64). With television, radio, newspapers, books, etc†¦ working their way into our everyday lives it is impossible to live without the media today. Along with it being persuasive, informational and a great source for entertainment it also has a large binding influence on societies all over the world. Media aspects are radically reshaping the world (Marina 240) and though someRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1256 Words   |  6 PagesThe media are full of countless things, they have completely changed the world we live in and are now a part of our everyday lives (Bookman, 64). With television, radio, newspapers, books, etc†¦ working their way into our everyday lives it is almost impossible to live without the media. Along with it being persuasive, informative and a great source for entertainment, it also has a large binding influence on societies all over the world. Media aspects are radically reshaping the world (Marina 240)Read MoreMedia s Influence On Society1293 Words   |  6 PagesMedia is a major contributor of how social groups are perceived in today’s society. Mediais around us every day almost all day, and it constantly sends messages about the world’s environment. There are many indicators shown pertaining to how media really af fects society. One of the most prominent explanations of those questions is the way media influences stereotypes. There has been previous research linking media sources and biased attitudes. This research paper explores articles supporting mediaRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society Essay1250 Words   |  5 Pagescapitalist society the United States has developed a media centered culture. Society has been influenced tremendously by mass media it seems as if it has become a necessity in life. Nine DVDs worth of data per person every day is the amount of all media delivered to consumers whether it be visual or auditorial on a daily basis. As consumers and technology develop that number will continue to increase because of the multi-tasking abilities that will be created (Zverina 13). The hold media has on societyRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Society1654 Words   |  7 PagesMass media is perhaps the most powerful tool in the world for creating, changing or perpetuating societyâ⠂¬â„¢s ideas about an issue or group of people. It works both blatantly and subconsciously by deciding which issues are important, how to frame those issues, who to show as affected by them, and, increasingly, providing personal commentaries on the matters at hand. Because the majority of media outlets are owned by corporations dominated by white heterosexual men, many minorities are portrayed in waysRead MoreMedia s Influence On Society1475 Words   |  6 PagesMass media has affected our view as a society on social class and what defines one’s social class. Throughout this article called â€Å"Making Class Invisible† by Gregory Mantsios, we evaluate the influence media has on our society and as Mr. Mantsios states how â€Å"media plays a key role in defining our cultural tastes, helping us locate ourselves in history, establishing our national identity, and ascertaining the range of national and social possibilities† (para. 1). Our social class determines wh atRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Society1560 Words   |  7 Pagesare. How many times have we heard this, yet we live in a society that appears to contradict this very idea. If looks don’t matter then why do women and girls live in a society where their bodies define who they are? If looks don t matter then why is airbrushing used by the media to hide any flaws a person has? What exactly is causing this, why do we feel like we are just not beautiful the way we are? Its the media. It’s because the media promotes a certain body image as being beautiful, and it’sRead MoreThe Media s Influence On Society1416 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The media s the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that s power. Because they control the minds of the [people]† (Malcolm X). The message of this Malcolm X quote is that society can control the mind of the individual. This is true. For many years, society has influenced everyone worldwide both negatively and positively. That is because society has the ability to control the individual’s decisions. They can control

Techniques for Middle and High School Teaching Essay Sample free essay sample

Education encompasses learning and larning accomplishments or constructs. When person is educated   it means that that individual is being drawn out in a procedure designed to ease the realisation of self-potential and latent endowments thats  why high school life is very important https://studymoose.com/high-school-life-essay   The instructors. as facilitators of this learning procedure. must larn to develop methods that would leave cognition in the most effectual mode. These larning methods would necessitate to take in students’ different larning abilities.Personally. I prefer a module-based instruction where those that have higher acquisition abilities could continue at more progress lessons without the demand to wait for those who need more clip to understand a peculiar subject. However. in a more traditional scene. where all pupils are taught the same subject in a unvarying gait. these are the techniques I would follow to supervise student public presentation and reference acquisition demands:Daily Review and Pre-Requisite Checksre-teaching. We will write a custom essay sample on Techniques for Middle and High School Teaching Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Presentation of New ConceptsIn utilizing the acquisition by learning construct. pupils will be assigned subjects to discourse all throughout the semester. This is utile in giving bright pupils the opportunity to larn in front and discourse their acquisition with their schoolmates. This will besides supply for an chance for non-bright pupils to endeavor harder and engage in research in order to show the day’s lessons accurately. Bright pupils will be given the more hard and complicated lessons to discourse. while the non-bright pupils will be assigned easier subjects. The acquisition by learning could be done separately. by brace. or by group. Guided PracticeIndependent PracticeWeekly and Monthly ReappraisalsMentionsMultiple Methods of Assessment[ Electronic version ] . Retrieved Oct. 12. 2007. fromhypertext transfer protocol: //xnet. rrc. megabit. ca/glenh/effective_teaching. htm

Mahashweta devi’s draupadi a narrative of nation free essay sample

The present paper is a modest attempt to analyze Mahashweta Devis Draupadi as a narrative of India- a narrative that explains how politics work in a society and that provides a profound insight into the forces that makes an attitudonal shift. Mahashweta Devis short story Draupadi captures the experiences of a tribal woman. She is involved in a social movement- the Naxalite movement in India. She is living in the Jharkhani forest with a group of Naxalite rebels. The story reveals several significant facts about the Santal tribe through the reminiscences of Draupadi. Firstly women are shown clearly protected by the men of the tribe as the phrase stood guard over their womens blood implies. Secondly, as a group that expected and received such patriarchal â€Å"protection,† the women seem not to have engaged in warfare for Dopdi does not mention foremothers in this regard. Thus the proud reference to the â€Å"black armour† of the forefathers is also significant, as this seems to indicate that the Santal men were perhaps (good) warriors. We will write a custom essay sample on Mahashweta devi’s draupadi: a narrative of nation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Alas! The same could be the state of tribal people today! The same could be the location of a woman today! It is indeed a matter of lamentation Mahashweta shows how a woman suffers in psychologically, emotionally and physically in society. She swings with oppression between the two versions of her name. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in her foreword to Draupadi observes: Draupadi is the name of the central character. She is introduced to the reader between two uniforms and between two versions of her name. Dopdi and Draupadi. It is either that as a tribal she cannot pronounce her own Sanskrit name Draupadi, or the tribalized form, Dopdi, is the proper name of the ancient Draupadi. It is also noticeable in the foreword that the tribes have no right to heroic names as Draupadi is perhaps the most celebrated heroine of the Indian epic Mahabharata. For this pious, domesticated Hindu name was given Dopdi at birth by her mistress, in the usual mood of benevolence felt by the oppressors wife towards the tribal bond servant. Here the name Dopdi, the protagonist is indicative of the doubly marginalized location of a woman in a nation. The change of name from Dopdi to Draupadi brings another kind of oppression to her. When the name gets transformed, she is raped and raped brutally. The comrades instead of saving her modesty through the implicit intervention of a benign and divine, raped her. Senanayak, the head asked others to Make her. Do the needful. Thus, after Senanayak leaves Draupdi, the narrative re-enacts Draupdi’s consciousness and loss of consciousness, opening and closing of eyes. â€Å"Shaming her, a tear trickles out of the corner of her eye. In the muddy moon light she lowers her lightless eye, sees her breasts, and understands that, indeed, she had been made up right. Her breasts are bitten raw, the nipples torn. How many? Four-five-six-seven There is however no room for doubt. The brutality of the rape is brought out in its stark reality through these â€Å"impressions. † Since Draupdi regains consciousness after this, the second rape sequence is actually presented. She doesnt have to wait long. And the process of making her begins. Goes on. † It is seen that the scene of rape in â€Å"Draupadi† occurs at the end of the short story. However, instead of building up to it as a kind of climax, it proves to be a â€Å"beginning. † Thus, while the apprehension of Draupdi is viewed as her end â€Å"Dopdi Mejhen is about to be apprehended. Will be destroyed† there is a sudden metamorphosis in Dopdi. Until this moment, when â€Å"she crosses the sexual differential into the field of what could only happen to a woman,† she remains faithful to the patriarchal (moral) code of her tribe handed down to her by her forefathers. Dopdi’s training has taught her to sacrifice herself for the cause. Her standards of conduct are governed by the old code of the Santal tribe and that code dictates that one must never betray the members of one’s tribe. Dopdi’s current â€Å"tribe† consists also of her comrades in arms. Thus when she is captured and first questioned and later raped and tortured she adopts a mode of passive resistance, still holding on to the patriarchal traditions that inscribed her and the instructions imbibed through repeated listening. Although she has heard what it is to be tortured, —â€Å"when they counter you, your hands are tied behind you. All your bones are crushed, your sex is a terrible wound†Ã¢â‚¬â€ But in the final scene she realizes that the experiences she went through are those uniquely female ones and it is at this point that Draupadi recreates into a powerful agent. Unlike the mute women and asking for help Draupadi questions the sinners. Instead of crying she shakes the comrades who raped her. After rape, when a piece of cloth was given to her she tears her piece of cloth with her teeth. Senanayak is surprised on seeing her naked body and he is about to cry. Draupadi stands before him, naked. . Draupadi comes closer. Stands with her hand on her hip, and says. You asked them to make me up, dont you want to see how they made me? Draupadi says in a terrifying voice, Whats the use of clothes? You can strip me, but how can you clothe me again? Are you a man? There isn’t a man here that I should be ashamed†. Here she challenges and derides their â€Å"masculinity. † This is a reworking of the scene of humiliation in the Mahabharata where the mythical Draupadi was â€Å"saved† from the humiliating experience of being stripped, through divine intervention. But Draupadi re-writes this script. Dopdi does not let her nakedness shame her, her torture intimidate her, or her rape diminish her. Thus the Draupadi identity that she has been saddled with due to the name given to her by Surja Sahu’s wife in what Spivak calls the â€Å"usual mood of benevolence felt by the oppressor’s wife toward the tribal bond servant† is replaced with one based on the Goddess Kali. The fact that Dopdi models herself on Kali is significant for Kali, traditionally depicted as standing on top of Shiva, symbolizes Indian female power. Significantly therefore, the description of Dopdi/Draupadi in the last scene is very similar to traditional depictions of Kali. â€Å"Draupadi’s black body comes even closer. Draupadi shakes with an indomitable laughter that Senanayak simply cannot understand. Her ravaged lips bleed as she begins laughing. Draupadi wipes her blood on her palm† and issues a challenge to Senanayak and his armed force â€Å"I will not let you put my cloth on me. What more can you do? Come on counter me†. This last metamorphosis baffles even the all-knowing Senanayak and â€Å"for the first time Senanayak is afraid to stand before an unarmed target, terribly afraid† The reversal of traditional gender and authority roles is complete. Senanayak and the army, the dominant males, the tormentors and authority figures, now â€Å"stand before† Draupdi as though before an almighty and powerful force. Her refusal and indeed her challenge to the men â€Å"to put [her] cloth on† is a powerful refusal to revert back to the accepted status quo and to hide or blur her new identity as a primeval Indian female force. For, unlike Draupadi of the Mahabharata, Dopdi cannot escape her fate through divine intervention. But something much more dramatic happens. She survives the ordeal triumphantly and is thereby empowered to â€Å"become† the goddess. Her tormentors are now â€Å"terribly afraid. † This is how Mahashweta depicts how politics work in a society and crushes women, instead of shaping them. She is companion of man, but is still dominated and suppressed by men. She also creates an awareness amongst the nation that women of today can handle any difficulty with perseverance and her consciousness. Draupadi proved that woman is the magnificent creation of god, a multi faced personality with the power of integrity and tolerance. She proved the statement correct that The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.

Chinese Gardens essays

Chinese Gardens essays Tu Fu once said Even if the nation should be destroyed, the mountains and rivers will remain. The Chinese people are well aware of the grandeour in the geography of their land. Chinese civilization has developed over thousands of years in an environment composed of five mountain ranges forming a criss-crossing grid and whose upland account for eighty-five percent of the country, leaving a mere fifteen percent of land available for farming. In addition to the mountains is the element of water. There run three great rivers and their tributaries which flow into the East China Sea, with the East China Sea accounting for Chinas entire eastern boarder. These geographical features have long been ingrained into their culture. The view of landscape as well as villages have long been partitioned by the mountains and the rivers and ocean have long played a part in fertility and deployment of goods. The facination with such enviornmental elements as discussed in the former can been seen reflect ed in the Chinese garden as well as many other elements of importance to their culture. The desire for and luxury of having a garden in China grew out of the lack of ownable land. Starting from the beginning of society all farmable land was being carefully used and recycled to feed the growing population through hunting and farming. Then thorough time hunting was stopped and the population piled up in both the countryside and in large cities which developed though thoughtful organization. The repercussions of this are threefold; first, gardens created a space to retreat to in such crowded conditions; second, the gardens needed to be designed in such a way as to maxamize the asthetic capabilities in a limited spaces; and thirdly, these spaces needed to appear in contrast with the planned space. Hense owning land soaley for personal, aesthetic pursposes in China developed as an attribute to the wealthy. The earliest conc...

Socrates Versus Athenian Democracy essays

Socrates Versus Athenian Democracy essays Socrates and the Athenian democracy of the fifth century BC are very well known to us today. The first, a great Greek philosopher who profoundly affected Western philosophy. The second, a great idea and form of government of the ancient city-state of Athens. These two would come to a clash, resulting the condemnation and death of Socrates, after trial. Socrates' conflict with the Athenian democracy was theoretically reconcilable, but not practicable. His beliefs and the way he supports them, seem to be ideal. This though does not necessarily mean that they are applicable in the Athenian society of that time. This I will try to prove in the continuation. It is important to understand first the norms of conventional, good Athenian citizenship and what were exactly the beliefs and practices of Socrates. The most important aspect of Athenian democracy is the fact that "power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people"(Thucydides, II.37). Decisions are made after being discussed and voted. Each citizen's vote stands equal, regardless of occupation or economic status. This is (according to the Athenians) the fairest political system, which actually helps the city-state improve and develop. The majority of the citizens are satisfied, since decisions are made based on their votes, and those who don't agree could present their arguments and try to persuade others. It is the duty and responsibility of the Athenian citizen to be interested and to participate in public affairs since they are considered to be most important for the general good. Citizens have the freedom to express their opinions, elaborate on them, and to listen to what others have to say. This gives them the chance to contradict what they believe is not right and the opportunity to hear perhaps a better suggestion. It can be concluded, therefore, that they are able to improve themselves by developing their ideas, and hearing propositions, which perhaps they...

ARE POLICE ABOVE THE LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ARE POLICE ABOVE THE LAW - Essay Example However, at the same time police are in the best position to be tempted by corruption, kickbacks, dealing in contraband, and covering up excessive force. While violating the law is not the norm for the vast majority of good officers that play by the rules, for those that don't the system and organization places them above the law. Police officers are in a position to abuse the law and will naturally take advantage of their position when the opportunity arises, and are in fact encouraged by the system to do so. According to Johnson and Cox, "Police officers are exposed to an extraordinary level of temptation in such areas as drug investigations" (70). As with any cross section of Americans, some people will be more prone to violate social values when there is an opportunity for economic gain. This factor is exacerbated by the fact that "little or no discipline is imposed when police officers witness fellow officers engaging in misconduct. As a result, public safety officers believe that it is acceptable to break the law or the rules of the department" (70). In many routine instances police officers, and the department, places their actions above the law. The police department not only provides the opportunity fo... Police are conditioned to form an unbreakable bond with their peers. As part of their training, "Police rookies are given the impression that they are under attack by the public and can only rely on one another" (Terrance and Cox 73). This carries over through generations and pervades the entire department. According to Terrance and Cox, "The problem is not a "few bad apples," but an organizational climate that molds new officers into thinking and doing as the organization wishes" (74). If the officer was honest when he or she entered the academy, by the time they hit the street they will encouraged to turn a blind eye to corruption and abuse. Incidents involving police misbehavior confirms the theory that when police are given a considerable opportunity to break the law they will take advantage of a system that will refuse to report or punish them. In 1998, Human Rights Watch reported that police brutality was a persistent problem in US law enforcement. They cited cases of "unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and unnecessarily rough treatment" and while they represented a minority of the total officers they found that "law enforcement supervisors, as well as local and federal government leadership-often fail to act decisively to restrain or penalize such acts" (Police Brutality). Police officers that operate outside and above the law have become a growing national problem. Critics will argue that the public exposes the police to too much scrutiny and places unreasonable expectations on the officers. They will say that officers are often in life and death situations that call for immediate reactions and split second decisions. The heat of the moment can cause an officer to over-react, but should be considered