Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Tobacco And The Abuse Of Other Smoked Drugs Essay

Introduction. Tobacco and the abuse of other smoked drugs is still among the top most causes of mortality and disease in the United States. In 2013, Center for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) published a report unveiling that 18.1% of U.S adults smoke. From the report, Tobacco use topped the list of the most dreaded etiologies of preventable mortality killing more than 480,000 people annually. This has necessitated the initiation of campaigns to promote healthy lifestyles among the population. The Get up and Run campaign is therefore among the evidence of how committed the US government is with regards to smoking cessation. Individuals are categorised as smokers if they use more than a hundred cigarretes during their lifetime. In 2013, approximately 17.8 %( 42.1 million) U.S adults were current cigarrete smokers. Among these, 76.9% (32.4 million) were daily smokers while and 23.1 %( 9.7 million) were not daily smokers (Estate 2004). The CQI is the legal federal organization for nationwide smoking prevention and control. It does so through the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH). OSH is a division within the National Centre for Chronic disease Prevention and health promotion, which is located within CDSs coordinating center for health promotion. It was developed as the national Clearing for smoking and Health and is dedicated to cut down the effects of tobacco use (Cairney, Studlar, Mamudu, 2011). A tobacco management system has evolved out of government s attemptsShow MoreRelatedDrug Addiction : Bad And The Bone1247 Words   |  5 PagesDrug Addiction: Bad to the Bone The world, holistically, has faced many dilemmas. One that has plagued society for centuries is drug addiction. One might feel as if they’re too wise, too dominant, too up to speed to become addicted to drugs however addiction can lure anyone. Drug addiction has been an obstacle that has been a quandary for the nation, and people must be informed about. This includes the different addictive drugs and how they affect society. According to webmd.com, the definitionRead MoreFact Sheet on Effects of Marijuana on the Body1325 Words   |  6 Pageseffects even after a day of supervised abstinence from the drug. Heavy users displayed significantly greater impairment than light users on attention/executive functions, as evidenced particularly by greater preservations on card sorting and reduced learning of word lists. These differences remained after controlling for potential confounding variables, such as estimated levels of premorbid cognitive functioning, and for use of alcohol and other substances in the two groups. However, the question remainsRead MoreEssay about Marijuana807 Words   |  4 Pages Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. A dry, shredded greenish brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, usually is smoked as a cigarette or in a pipe. It also is smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug. As a more concentrated form it is called hashish and as a sticky blackRead MoreLegalization Of Marijuana For Medical Use1537 Words   |  7 Pagespublic. Some of these negative side effects include marijuana being very dangerous when it is smoked, although that’s the most effective way to ingest the substance, it dangerously raises the heart rate, can cause mental illness, or even make current mental illness worse, and it is also considered to be very addictive with withdrawal symptoms including irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, and drug cravings. Legalizing Medical Marijuana Popularly known on the streets as pot, grass, Mary JaneRead MoreEssay Recreational Marijuana Should NOT Be Legal1698 Words   |  7 Pagesclothing, rope, and other materials, but â€Å"as early as 1840, doctors recognized the medical applications of marijuana, and the drug was freely sold in pharmacies for over a century.† (Rich and Stingl). In 1937, the use and possession of marijuana was made illegal, but â€Å"before 1937 marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown, and used.†(Rich and Stingl). In 1970 the congress decided to classify marijuana as a schedule one drug, which has made the legalization more difficult, â€Å"schedule one drugs are consideredRead MoreJuvenile Smoking and Marijuana Use1622 Words   |  7 Pagesthat use of marijuana affects dopamine levels in the brain in a similar way to nicotine. Cigarette smoking facilitates consumption of other substances. Smoking cigarettes initiate juveniles into the sensation of drug inhalation, which desensitizes them from the feeling of smoke clouding their lungs. This paper finds that marijuana pervades the life of a juvenile tobacco smoker. Teenagers who smoke cigarettes are six times more likely to try buying marijuana in one hour, and eighteen times more likelyRead More Should Marijuana be Legalized? Essay1439 Words   |  6 Pagesas support for a continued crackdown; others argue that pot arrests are a waste of time and money, and a sign that it’s -- forgive the pun -- high time to legalize marijuana. What do you think: should lighting up a joint, join, beer drinking and puffing tobacco as an inalienable American rights? Supporters of legalized marijuana argue that it should be legalized to protect the greater social good, to prevent government hypocrisy towards recreational drug use, and to protect individual rights ofRead MoreMarijuana Mysteries : 5 Things We Still Don t Know About Marijuana1121 Words   |  5 Pagesbodies Let’s be blunt – marijuana is a hot topic in today’s political atmosphere. With more and more states legalizing it for medicinal and recreational use, the drug will likely appear on the ballot come November. Yet, despite being historically popular – the most widely used recreational drug in the world behind alcohol and tobacco – we don’t know much about this notorious plant. Marijuana remains a mysterious substance whose effects – both risky and beneficial – are widely debated. So what doRead MoreInterview : Interview And Observation1348 Words   |  6 Pagestelephone and email . To select people I asked if any of my friends would like to take place in a survey possibly leading to an interview. I picked from close friends and family. The survey questions were: Do you smoke cigarettes? How long have you smoked? How often do you smoke? Do you consider yourself addicted or a social smoker? Would you like to quit? Have you ever tried? If yes, what happened? My first interviewee was a male 40 years of age who admitted to being a smoker of cigarettes sinceRead MoreDrug Abuse: A Rising Concern in America1359 Words   |  5 Pageswhy drug abuse is a rising concern in this nation? Have you ever wondered what types of drugs get abused? Drug abuse is the new leading cause of death over vehicle related accidents, How drugs have overcome our society and innocence. Drug abuse is a growing problem that is sweeping across our nation. The many stresses of today’s modern living adds a new level to how children are raised, the influences surrounding them and the resources available. Universally the influence of drugs touches

Monday, May 18, 2020

The Justice Theatre At A Young Age - 1011 Words

The Justice Theatre presentation #2 that we watched in the gym was very interesting and it gave a huge example of the gang lifestyle. We focus on the fun things of joining a gang and we don’t understand the negative side. When you do notice the negative side, you might feel like you have no hope for the future to what you have chosen. Gang members lead very dangerous lives. Discrimination attitudes are behind some gang violence. Joining a gang at a young age is a big problem itself. Gang members are often involved to violence, drugs and crime. Also, once a gang member joins it can be very difficult for them to get out of the gang. Gangs affect communities as well because violence can often lead to innocent people being injured or killed.†¦show more content†¦Just like last time I thought this was going to be a fake scene but this time it was something that actually happen before in vancouver but the characters was not the actual as the ones in the real situation. We all were settled and as the judge and the others were ready, we all rose up just for showing respect because that is what always happens in a real court .The accused came up to the judge and swore to say everything as the truth but only as the truth. After this it started. The accused name was, Harjit and he blamed justin (I think this was the name) as guilty for kidnapping Harjit. This changed Harjit and Harjit started to live a fearful life. Harjit started to tell his story of how he got involved with all this. He started it by saying that when he used to go to school, he used to see this group of other people who used to have expensive cars and other things and when Harjit asked where they got that cool car, the person said that you just have to do tiny tasks in return of cool cars, money, and other expensive things. When the other person (gang member) said that would you like to join us and Harjit said yeh. Harjit never knew that this was going to lead him to a total opposite world. The gang member told him that he had to transport drugs over the border. Harjit knew that this was illegal, but he still said yes. Harjit transported drugs about 2 or 3 times. And once when Harjit got

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Crime and Delinquency Subculture - 2061 Words

Crime and delinquency subculture reflects on culture patterns surrounding crime and juvenile delinquency. It is created not only by individuals, but as one culture, the American culture. Subculture is derivative of, but different from some larger referential cultures. This term is used to share systems of norms, values, individual, groups and the cultural system itself. Criminal or delinquent subcultures indicate systems of norms, values, or interest that support criminal or delinquent behavior. Thats why many juveniles are linked to the same criminal acts as youngsters. They tend to follow a pattern that is expected in their age group, like stealing. Young people experience their opportunity as being blocked out. They engage in†¦show more content†¦In contract to accounts of the origins of Western European youth cultures, Ko-lin Chin traces the development of Chinese youth delinquents in the United States to ancient secret society traditions, and to the more recent Triad societies that formed in the late seventeenth century in China ( 1996). The violence and crime among the Chinese youth in the U.S did not increase dramatically until immigration laws permitted more. While the origins of delinquent subcultures may reside in ancient times, the formation can be explained in macro-level. All macro-level theories make certain assumptions about the individual level of explanation. By documenting the ongoing relationship and actions of an individual or group, one can analyze the process of macro-levels of explanation. According to differential association theory, interactions with other and social structural context are important because they shape the learning of violent definitions, which in turn affects the like hood that youths engage in violent delinquency (Hawkins 1998). Delinquents behave violently because they want to win acceptance by older criminals.Show MoreRelatedTheory of Delinquency1458 Words   |  6 PagesTheory of delinquency Deviant sub-cultural theories of crime focus on subcultures, i.e. groups within wider society with norms, lifestyles and values distinct from those of mainstream society. The focus in sub-cultural theories is on delinquency. In the UK, a preoccupation with the idea that future crime was determined by juvenile delinquency came about as a result of the 1895 UK Gladstone Committee, wherein research focused on gang culture among young males (aged 16-25). Deviance is perceivedRead MoreThe Cultural Theory Of Crime And Violence1515 Words   |  7 PagesDefined, a subculture is a culture that exists within the main dominant culture of a society. Therefore, members of a subculture will have different norms and values to those in the rest of society, which in turn could lead to them being seen as deviant because of this. Youth subcultures provide members with an identity that sits outside of that assigned by social foundations such as family, school, home and work. Participants of a subculture often make people aware of their membership by makingRead MoreYouth Deviance Essay1376 Words   |  6 Pagesdefinition can mean a variety of different things. Critically examine the theory of deviance with reference to young people and their membership in deviant subcultures or gangs. Deviance is associated with young people today and is rapidly on the increase within the street and school environment. Young deviants are engaging in gang membership and subcultures with a means of social belonging, social interest and ethnic identity. There are several sociological and subcultural theories which deem to explainRead MoreOutline and Evaluate Functionalist Explanation of Crime.1442 Words   |  6 Pagessees the source of crime and deviance located in the structure of society. Although crime and deviance might be stigmatised in society, some sociologist think it is important to have it occur and there are some benefits to it. Durkheim (1982) argued that crime is an inevitable feature of social life, because individuals are composed to different influences and circumstances, and so not everyone can be equally committed to the shared values and moral beliefs of society. Despite crime and deviance’s threatRead MoreSocial Disorganization Theory And Cultural Deviance Theory1325 Words   |  6 PagesThis was groundbreaking principle that focus on quality of life crimes the plagued cities across the nation. It was based on the belief that breakdown of the physical appearance of a community will have a direct effect on the increase in deviant behaviors such as vandalism and crime. The criminology of place also lead to an idea that a members of a community can regain influence by increasing observations of areas that enhance delinquency with actual and meaningful hurdles for criminals. The conceptRead MoreDifference Between Integrated Theory And Holistic Theory1200 Words   |  5 Pagescriminal behavior, but a holistic (general) theory of crime attempts to explain all forms of criminal behavior through a single approach.There are four examples of a holistic (general) theory of crime John Braithwaite’s theory of crime shaming and reintegration, Gottfredson and Hirschi s General theory of crime, Sue Weaver Multi-paradigm Theory, and Robert Agnew’s General Theory of crime and delinquency. John Braithwaite’s theory of crime shaming and reintegration is based on a fully integratedRead MoreThe Theories Of Crime And Criminal Behavior1493 Words   |  6 Pagesthe author will be drawing up on three different criminological theories and how they can explain crime and criminal behaviour differently. There is no universal definition of crime that gives a simple and straight forward definition. Crime is a constantly changing idea that changes due to the persons perceptions of what they would classify as ‘crime’ and what is regarded as criminal behaviour (crim e and criminology). There is also no straightforward way of explaining what criminal behaviour is, asRead MoreBiological Determinism, Subculture Crime And Conflict Theories1652 Words   |  7 Pagestheories that will be looked at in order to provide a sufficient report for the judge on what caused Albert to enter a life of crime which culminated in his conviction for murder are; biological determinism, ecological determinism, subculture crime and conflict theories. Biological determinism One of the best known application of biological determinism in relation to crime is from Cesare Lombroso who â€Å"Viewed criminals as suffering from a depravity caused by an atavistic reversion:† In other wordsRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency, A And Violent Criminal Activities1530 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile Delinquency Analytical Essay In the country we live in today the number of juvenile delinquents in America has grown rapidly. There are many different theories on why society may think juveniles commit crimes. Some believe it can be due to that lack of attention or their low self-esteem and even the lack of support they receive from their parents. Delinquency is found in all nations and is particularly popular in highly industrialized nations that tend to have large cities. Delinquency is alsoRead MoreSubcultural Inequality Theory921 Words   |  4 Pagessubcultural delinquency. 2-Diffential Opportunity Theory: Developed by Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin by utilizing Merton’s observation to explain that conventional means to conventional success are not equally distributed among social classes and that criminal behavior is learned and culturally transmitted. There is an opportunity in the United States to achieve through education for society members but many people think it’s unachievable or unavailable. 3-Subculture of violence: A subculture of violence

Analysis Of The Prologue Of Ralph Ellison s Invisible Man

In the prologue of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, the unnamed narrator says that he is invisible, for he is not actually seen—or rather recognized—for his true self but through the imaginations of others’ minds. As surreal as his life under this â€Å"invisibility† and, literally, the ground is, the Invisible Man convinces with vivid details and emphatic diction. But the passage detailing his hallucination seems out of place, as it has far more ambiguous language and moral. However, his hallucination, the pilgrimage into the â€Å"underworld of sound†, shouldn’t be discredited as merely a drug-induced episode, but a reflection of himself, revealing of his hidden character, one that’s likewise ambivalent and confused (Ellison 8). The dichotomy†¦show more content†¦an’ black won’t†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ‘Naw, it won’t!’† (Ellison 7). The content of the sermon is omitted by the ellipses, and the parallelism only seems self-contradictory. A casual reader might dismiss this section as one that has little meaning or relation to the Invisible Man’s character since the ambiguous language here has little resemblance to his clear, decisive voice earlier, and he is, after all, a passive observer within. Indeed, even the italicization seems to suggest a certain degree of detachment of this story from the rest. But that would be an oversight—the passage is closely connected to the narrator’s (hidden) identity. Among others, the use of dialect, with words like â€Å"git† and â€Å"naw†, grounds this dialogue firmly in the Invisible Man’s ethnic background. The analysis on sound vs. sight (which will be deferred for now) also supports such connection. Hence, this â€Å"underworld of sound† can be viewed as indicative of the Invisible Man—they are the voices in his head. The hallucination reveals the narrator’s hidden insecurity, in contrast to his projected confidence. Ambiguity not only of style but of value is predominant in the dream. The old woman says she both loved and hated her master and even poisoned him in an act of mercy. With that, the lines between love and hate, good and evil are blurred. In regard to freedom, a central concept in the (African) American conscious, she says, â€Å"I done forgot, son. It’s all mixed up. First I think it’s one thing, then I think it’sShow MoreRelatedInvisible Man11097 Words   |  45 Pageshyperbolic nature of Goethe s statement, it holds some truth. Because of this element of truth, society looks to psychoanalysis as an important tool for understanding human nature. Furthermore, psychoanalytic criticism of authors, characters, and readers has a place in literary criticism that is as important as the place of psychoanalysis in society. This is because of the mimetic nature of much of modern literature. In fact, the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan wrote, If psycho-analysis is to be constitutedRead MoreRalf Ellisons The Invisible Man Essay1927 Words   |  8 PagesAt the time the Invisible Man was published segregation was in full force in many parts of America, making certain scenes of the novel obscene and outlandish (Holland 34). To his peers Ellison was a thinker as well as writer he had the capability of repairing automobiles and electronic devices; â€Å"He had a particular passion for high quality audio equipment, and found a hobby in building and customizing stereo systems.† (LitCharts 3) After writing the Invisible Man Ellison found it to be an arduousRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesnovel is sometimes used interchangeably with Bildungsroman, but its use is usually wider and less technical. The birth of the Bildungsroman is normally dated to the publication of Wilhelm Meister s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1795–96,[8] or, sometimes, to Christoph Martin Wieland s Geschichte des Agathon of 1767.[9] Although the Bildungsroman arose in Germany, it has had extensive influence first in Europe and later throughout the world. Thomas Carlyle translated Goethe’s novel

Faith and Freedom in Christianity for Eternity - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theFaith and Freedom in Christianity for Eternity. Answer: Introduction: Faith and freedom are the two pillars human life those provide strength and support in the most hard and darkest period of life. In the following discussion, analysis has been provided on the studies of Christian Faith and Freedom. Author- Rudolph Bultmann (History and Eschatology: The Presence of Eternity): Human actions are the results of purposes and intentions of them and that gives the proof that the direction of the progression of the human life is always towards future. Present can never satisfy a human completely as he remain discontent with the present to some extent. All the expectations, hopes, intentions and fears of human are linked with his future. None can rest by acknowledging that the present is the best moment. It seems that life always remain a step ahead for human and every time it has to be understood and captured (Bultmann 1962). Therefore all the actions become unpredictable for future and the essence is revealed in future. However, the fact that demand of the life brings the realisation of the genuineness of the life to a human, at the present time. It is believed by Christian faith that a man does not have the freedom on the basis of presumption of historical decisions. According to the author, the features of a man is acknowledged form the past. The duty of fulfilling the responsibilities comes from the relative freedom in decision making for everyone but the freedom remains relative then it will be something which is barred with past. Radical freedom makes a person to understand himself from the perspective of future (Migliore 2014). Historicity of a man misleads him and brings the illusion of having power of disposal. Only a radical human can fulfil responsibilities, though without guarantee. The freedom that a man requires from himself can only be come as a gift according to Christian faith. The idea is to lose ones life so that he can find it back and it only happens by the grace of God. The legitimation of this message comes from the disclosure of the grace of God by Jesus Christ. The action of God, the eschatological event is the arrival of Jesus Christ, which is mentioned in the New Testament so the old world can come to an end. It can be judged that an old man has reached his end and there arrived a new, free man. Author- Soren Kierkegaard (Papers and Journals: A Selection): Theory cannot be built for something that does not exist. Therefore, at first comes the art or the work of the art and afterwards comes the theory for explanation. The similarity has been acknowledged by the author in case of life and theory and the life always comes before theory (Kierkegaard 1996). However, there is a third matter, which is an attempt for formation of a life according to the theory ad at the end comes the parody, the end of the process and the platform from where a new life begins. The above theory shows a similarity between it and Christianity, which came as a life full of utter bravery that can accept any consequences and risks in its path towards faith. Christianity is a belief, a theory of trust regarding the living (Niebuhr 2013). The belief or doctrine life and death disputes and matters of vitality among the living. The course of the existence of human being is determined by this doctrine of Christianity. The beginning of a fresh life is the key element of Christianity. Conclusion: Therefore, concluding the discussion, it can be mentioned that Christianity is a prospect of a new life. Different theoretical approaches have proved the same point from different perspectives. References: Bultmann, R.K., 1962. History and Eschatology the Presence of Eternity; the Gifford Lectures 1955. Kierkegaard, S., 1996.Papers and journals: A selection. Penguin. Migliore, D.L., 2014.Faith seeking understanding: An introduction to Christian theology. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Niebuhr, R., 2013.Faith and History-A Comparison of Christian and Modern Views of History. Read Books Ltd.

CHARACTERIZATION Essay Example For Students

CHARACTERIZATION Essay The main characters of Dostoevskys novel The Brothers Karamazov are, as the title suggests, the members of the Karamazov family, if it can indeed be called such. The only things that the members of this family share are a name and the Karamazov curse, a legacy of base impulses and voluptuous lust. References to this tendency towards immorality are sprinkled heavily throughout the novel; phrases such as a brazen brow and a Karamazov conscience, voluptuary streak, and Karamazovian baseness abound. Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, the father of the brothers Karamazov, is the embodiment and the source of this immorality. In him Dostoevsky creates such perversity and depravity that one can feel no positive emotions for the man. His physical appearancehe is flabby with small, suspicious eyes and a long, cavernous mouth with puffy lips, behind which could be glimpsed small fragments of black teethaccurately reflects his foul, disgusting character. He has no respect for himself; he enjoys playing the part of the shameless buffoon for attention, even though the attention he receives is negative. Because he has no respect for himself, he can have no respect for others, either. He has no respect for women, for example; he is a despicable voluptuary, and he satisfies his lust at any cost. He drives his wife to madness by bringing women of ill-repute into their house right in front of her. Even more shockingly, he rapes a mentally retarded woman, who later dies giving birth to his illegitimat e son, Smerdyakov, who grows up as his fathers servant.Fyodor is even more blatantly disrespectful to his three legitimate children.After his wifes death, he abandons them, for they would have been a hindrance to his debaucheries. He is never a true father to any of them. When his oldest son, Dmitry, becomes an adult, Fyodor is even so cruel as to deny Dmitry his inheritance and instead use the money to seduce Grushenka, with whom his son is in love. It is Alyosha, the youngest brother, that is most successful in escaping the curse of the Karamazovs. Miraculously, he is almost the complete opposite of his father; he is an easygoing lover of mankind whom everyone likes. When the reader first meets Alyosha, he is a young monk of strong faith, a disciple of the Elder Zosima; he is the embodiment of Zosimas teachings that one must love man unconditionally and not condemn mans actions. Indeed, Alyosha treats everyone he meets with respect and love, and consequently everyone responds to h im in the same way. He tolerates anything without censure, even the filthy lewdness of his father. As a result, even his father grows to be sincerely fond of him.Alyosha plays the role of the mediator in the novel. Dostoevsky deliberately creates Alyosha as a static character who undergoes few changes, and, therefore, he is the stable, solid character around whom the conflicts of the novel unfold. He moves in and out of these various conflicts and attempts to ameliorate the existing tensions and solve the problems. And, indeed, the other characters open up to him and trust him because of his refusal to judge them and their actions. Alyosha is not a Christ figure, however, nor is he a mere holy fool. He is, in fact, a real Karamazov , and he has more credibility as a mediator because as a Karamazov, he knows and understands the lowest depths of the soul. The ability that he has to understand the depravity inherent in man gives him, and therefore the reader, great insights into the personalities and motives of the other characters. For example, it is Alyosha that guesses that Katerina Ivanovna does not truly love Dmitry, and that she acts out this false love only so that she can, out of pride, observe her heroic sacrifice of faithfulness and reproach Dmitry for his unfaithfulness. Dostoevsky uses Alyoshas insights into the minds of others as a unique way by which to develop his characters. Ivan, the second youngest of the brothers, is much different from both Fyodor and Alyosha. Ivan is a cold and haughty yet brilliant man incapable of forming lasting relationships with anyone; his intellect is the only thing he values. He rarely talks to anyone about anything but his ideas; he is, as Dostoevsky describes him, a man who needs nothing but the resolution of his ideas. As Dostoevsky develops Ivans character, however, one sees that it is his intellect, the very thing that he most prizes, that is the cause of anguish and eventual madness. Ivan, unlike Alyosha, does change in the course of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Ivan, although he is a self-proclaimed atheist, is struggling with conflicting views about God. He struggles with this interior conflict during the entire course of the novel, and his inability to resolve it causes him to slowly change from a rational, albeit confused, man to an incoherent, delirious one. At the end of the novel, at Dmitrys trial, Ivan is so deranged that he has to be dragged out of the courtroom, kicking and fighting and howling with a loud voice. After the courtroom scene Ivan immediately comes down with a severe fever, and he lays in a state of unconsciousness for the remainder of the novel. Dostoevsky ultimately leaves Ivans fate unresolved. It is Dmitry, the oldest of the brothers, that is, in a way, the central character of the novel. Dostoevsky creates in Dmitry a dual character that is the most complex of all of the major characters, and therefore the most human. Dmitry is the brother most driven by the Karamazovian virtues of unrestraint and depravity. At the same time, however, Dmitry is an honorable man capable of the noblest of impulses. This duality in character is summed up in his conflict between his reverence for his betrothed, Katerina Ivanovna, a noble, beautiful, educated girl, and his passion for Grushenka, a woman of questionable morals. Several of Dmitrys actions as well help to develop his paradoxical character. For example, when Dmitry first meets Katerina, she is in desperate need of money; Dmitrys first thought is to use money to seduce her. When Katerina comes to collect the money, however, Dmitrys sense of honor causes him to simply give her the money along with a reverential and most heartfelt bo w. Mountains EssayTHEMEOne of the major themes of The Brothers Karamazov is the idea that life without God can only lead to destruction. Dostoevsky develops the theme largely through the description of Ivans struggle between acceptance and renunciation of God; Ivan is, in fact, a representation of the Western world, which has dealt with the same struggle for centuries. Ivan believes that mans suffering and unhappiness are caused by the freedom that God gave him to choose between material objects and heavenly rewards. Most men cannot differentiate between material objects and life, however, and thus the decision torments them. Ivan, therefore, believes that man should establish a state of government akin to socialism, in which God is abolished and in which obedience and material wealth are emphasized; the government would, in other words, take away the freedom which so torments man and reinforce the belief that material wealth is, indeed, life. Dostoevsky warns, however, that a mans renunciation of God will eventually destroy him. He may be made falsely happy, for a while, but he will soon realize, as Ivan does, that without God there can be no virtue. He will both descend into madness and despair, as Ivan does, and destroy himself and others, as Smerdyakov does. Dostoevsky emphasizes that it is only those that decide to live for God, as Dmitry eventually does, that can truly be happy. Dmitrys unhappiness and despair throughout much of the novel stems from his preoccupation with material objects, especially money. It is largely because of this preoccupation that he commits the immoral actions that he does. It is only at the end of the book, when he renounces his past sins, accepts God, and begins to live for Him that he becomes truly happy. He realizes that he may now rise up in joy, for his soul has been brought from the den of thieves into the light. POINT OF VIEWThe point of view of The Brothers Karamazov is that of an impartial, omniscient narrator, a narrator that is never developed as a character in the novel. Dostoevsky uses the omniscient point of view out of necessity; for the reader to truly comprehend Dostoevskys ideas, the reader must know every characters perception of every aspect of the novel, not merely the perceptions of one character. If Dostoevsky had, for example, written the novel from the point of view of Alyosha, the novel would have lost a great deal of its meaning. The reader would not have been able to so clearly comprehend the inner conflict with which Ivan struggles, for example, and thus the reader would probably overlook one of Dostoevskys major themes. It is also important that Dostoevsky uses a first person omniscient point of viewthat is, an omniscient narratorrather than a third person omniscient point of view. Although Dostoevsky never develops his narrator, the narrator still serves to draw the reader into the novel. The narrator establishes a familiarity with the reader and puts the reader at ease. Additionally, the narrator tells the story excitedly and sometimes almost impatiently; he is constantly getting ahead of himself in his impatience to tell the story. The reader, whether he knows it or not, adopts this excitement himself, and thus becomes more eager to learn the outcome of the story. SETTING AND ATMOSPHEREDostoevsky purposely reveals little about the basic setting of the novel. He merely reveals that the story takes place in a relatively small provincial town in Russia, and he forces the reader to infer the time period in which it is set from his descriptions of historical events. Dostoevsky deliberately describes his setting vaguely in order to emphasize that the themes and ideas of the novel are so universal that they transcend time and place. Although Dostoevsky reveals almost nothing about the setting of the novel, he is still able to develop an almost tangible atmosphere of tension and tragedy through his choice of words. Dostoevsky establishes the atmosphere in the first sentence of the novel; he states that Fyodor Karamazov is to die a tragic and fishy death. He reinforces the uneasy, dire atmosphere throughout the novel with subtle yet descriptive phrases; he says several times, for example, that a catastrophe is about to occur, and that the Karamazov household reeks of foul play. The words and actions of the characters exude anxiousness and despair as well, and therefore help to contribute to the development of the tense and oppressive atmosphere. Dmitrys impassioned vows that he will kill his father, for example, serves to heighten tenseness and suspense. Similarly, the scorn inherent in all of Ivans words and actions adds to the negativity of the atmosphere. STYLEDostoevskys style is very realistic and straightforward. He almost never uses flowery or poetic language or figures of speech; his language is simple and spare, as if he tried to eliminate all that wasnt absolutely necessary. Similarly, he is unpretentious in his choice of words. He generally states things in the simplest terms possible. Contrastingly, however, his sentences are often fairly complex; despite their complexity, though, they are easy to understand and thus do not detract from his simplicity and straightforwardness. Because the book consists largely of dialogue, Dostoevsky changes his style frequently, for each of his characters has a unique style of speaking that complements his character. Dostoevsky writes Ivans dialogue, for example, in a very verbose, complex style that reinforces Ivans characterization as an intellectual. He writes Dmitrys dialogue in a very random, disjointed style that underscores Dmitrys tendency to allow his passion and his emotions to cloud his logic. Finally, he writes Alyoshas dialogue in a simple style very similar to his own, as Alyosha is himself simple and unpretentious.O