The Family Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Family Business - Essay Example However, growing up, my legs seemed to straighten out while my hair finally flattened out. However, this only preceded my puberty struggles with acne and braces. This period also marked a growing bond between my father and me as he taught me the power of words and how to use words to break barriers. It also marked my increased appreciation of family. My father was especially fond of what he liked to refer to as â€Å"a family night†, which was a monthly ritual where, as family members, we came together for various activities. It involved family councils that involved everyone speaking out their mind, and we believed that all we did and said really mattered and would result in actions. This would be followed by the board or card games that my father would use to incorporate moral lessons and the value of family. This would give way to song and inspired dance, which was interspersed with stories from my elder brother who was quite the master storyteller. Ice cream, of course, wa s never far off, and it was probably the only way to keep my younger sister interested. As the fifth child and second son in a family of eight children, these family nights were quite the event; rarely did any pass without some form of event. These varied from straight out fights, hair pulling, and a number of fistfights between my older brother and me. One evening, my mother insisted that we all sat down and watched Sound of Music, which I found quite long. In the end, she asked us if we had seen any similarities between the Vontrap family and our family. Seething from an earlier altercation with my brother, I replied that the eldest son did not seem to have a girlfriend. This resulted in a fight that my family enjoyed greatly except, of course, for my mother who was horrified. While everyone else seemed to have positive things to say about the movie, I had only seen a nun and children. It is only years later that I realized why my mother had insisted that we watch the movie, as we ll as the lesson she was trying to teach us. Growing up, my mother had to work long hours usually left us in the care of our elder siblings. This normally resulted in numerous fights, which ended up hurting my mother very much. She had wanted us to see that siblings should stick together through thick and thin and that we were all expected to get along. In addition, our father was home most of the time as he worked from home and we had given him a lot of problems growing up. He never complained, however, and was always smiling. In fact, he had wrinkles at the corners of his eyes from his smiling. The movie took a sympathetic view of a father left, with many children, to look after; I fail to remember how many children the Captain had. Thinking back, I wish I had given my father the peace he so craved, but being me, I always pestered him and never gave him a chance to rest. One July morning, when the dew was still nestling on the garden leaves, my father took me out into the woods an d sat me on a dead log. Slowly, he pulled out a cotton handkerchief from his pocket and unfolded it.

American legal system Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American legal system - Coursework Example The main justification for capital punishment in the United States is the concept of future dangerousness. Also referred to as incapacitation, this validation for penalty is founded on the danger that a criminal will probably pose to the society in the future. The need by the state to guard its citizens from the danger that the criminal poses to society is the rationale for punishing someone based on their dangerousness. This means that the state decides to incapacitate a criminal in order to make certain that the offender does not commit another criminal act (Berry, n.d). Judicial ambitions on the side of a prosecutor and personal interests may shape the outcome of a capital case. This is because once on the bench, judges in most of the states are put through elections, frequently partisan, where their verdicts in capital cases can be, and frequently are, used in efforts to overthrow them. A judge may unfairly convict an offender to the death penalty not because the offender deserve s it but merely because he fears loosing his position. Moreover, upgrades to superior courts need political sponsorship and in some cases, electoral backing that is shaped by compelling proof that the judge is â€Å"tough on crime† as he or she handles capital cases. ... This is one of the reasons why the penalty should be abolished. Still focusing on the point of personal interests and selfish gains, most judges decide capital cases in a way that they will be safe. For instance, where the victim is of the same race with the juror, wherein most jurors are often predominately white, the juror will most probably vote for death penalty for the offender. Presumably, this decision of the jury is partly based on the likelihood of the defendant posing a threat to the juror, his family or his friends. This is a very personal move for the jury based not on justice but rather on selfish gains and personal protection. Evidence also suggest that these jurors are always conscious of this analysis whereby they constantly consider the race of the defendant and of the victim to decide the capital case (Berry, n.d). According to Petrie & Coverdill (2010), death sentences are more expected when the victim is female, when there is an associated offense, when several vi ctims are involved and when the victim is a stranger to the offender. Additionally, analyses suggest that several victim and crime attributes shape the decision of capital cases. These include higher victim age, sexual harassments, victims who were police officers, kidnappings, young victims, and the existence of codefendants. These and many other attributes shape the verdict of capital cases thus not adhering to the set laws and fairness. Due to this, the death penalty should be done away with since there is no sincerity in deciding the cases. As stated earlier, future dangerousness of the offender is the main justification as foundation for death penalty. However, the unquestionable