Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interpretation - Essay Example I, in this paper, explore the extent of society’s impact on people’s individual thought. Individuals are the elementary units that form a society and the people’s unique behaviors and practices define cultures and traditions that play direct roles on people and the way they think. This is because culture defines norms and thoughts that are in some cases sacred. The story, ‘A very old man with enormous wings,’ identifies the active role of the society on people’s thoughts as the author demonstrates actions and opinions that are illustrated at individual level, but with great influence from the society. Such a position of the society’s influence is attributable to the author’s style of portraying thoughts and behaviors as norms that. Pelayo, one of the main characters, demonstrates this through his response to his child’s temperature during a night. Though he is not an expert in health matters, he and his wife holds an abstr act opinion that crabs are the cause of the child’s temperature, an abstraction that can only emanate from generally held constructs, either implicitly or explicitly. The position that Pelayo and his wife hold after a scrutiny of an old stranger in their compound also identifies effects of the society on an individual’s thoughts. ... The high level of faith in the woman from members of the society is also demonstrated by other people’s reliance on her opinion to regard the old man as an angel. If the society had not dictated faith in her then some people could have come up with different views about the man’s possible origin (Marqueze, 1-2). Significance of the society is also demonstrated through Father Gonzaga’s approach to understanding the man. The Father’s society, defined by religious beliefs, dictates his understanding of the possible identity of the old man and he casts doubts on the man’s identity of an angel. The social construct of his religion further bars him from making a pronouncement on the man and extensive communication and bureaucracy have to be followed in determining who, or what the old man is. Such identification is further based on social practices among some communities such as the Aramaic. Another aspect that communicates the society’s effect on individual’s thoughts is the people’s generally held opinions that angels have extraordinary powers and can perform miracles. People from different places exhibit this general perception, come to the old man for cleansing and healing and their faith manifest through changes in their various conditions. Similarly, the society’s influence on individual’s thoughts is evident from the fact that a perception that is generally held by many people can change, abruptly, because of developed knowledge from social issues. People do not need persuasion on social mattes and quickly understands them without any consultation. When a girl who disobeyed her parent and as a punishment turned to a different creature comes to the society, no one seeks the counsel of either

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment Essay - 1

Pedophiles and Lack of Harsher Punishment - Essay Example Thus, for most people, the term pedophilia is not a legal term but a diagnostic one. Prosecutors and law enforcement in cases involving computers frequently use the word pedophilia (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Hall and Hall (2007) state that pedophilia is a clinical diagnosis generally made by a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is neither a legal nor criminal term like forcible sexual offense, and legal term id generally used in criminal statistics. There are laws that govern acts committed by pedophiles. One such law is the Megan’s law. However, it is difficult to estimate how the Megan’s law affects pedophiles. The definition of the term pedophilia does not allow the determination of whether the pedophilic individual is a sexual offender (a child molester) or not. It is important to note that not all pedophilic individuals are child molesters. An individual with any paraphilia condition can be legally involved in it through masturbation and fantasizing (Borgeson and Kuehnle, 2010). Punishments given to those who commit pedophilia usually vary. There are states where the punishment is harsher compared to other states. In regard to punishment, there is an ongoing debate on whether the punishment for those committing sexual assault crimes should be made harsher or not. However, majority of the people are of the opinion that harsher or tougher laws will reduce the occurrence of these crimes (CQ Press, 2006). Thus, punishments for those who have committed pedophilic crimes should be made harsher. Harsher punishment will reduce the rate of pedophilic crimes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the form of punishment given to sexual offenders such as pedophilic individuals and propose the punishments to be harsher or tougher. As stated before, experts are of the opinion that harsher punishment will reduce the incidences of sexual crimes. In some states, there are tests done to ascertain if the individual has really reformed before release from prison . In Texas, sixteen months before the release of an offender, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice can have the individual evaluated to know whether he is an SVP (sexually violent predator). If the individual is found to be an SVP, then he is eligible for treatment as an outpatient sex offender upon his release (Garib, 2011). The study is of great significance because the majority of the sex offenders are treated with blanket punishment, thus, they cause collateral consequences which develop more risk to the entire public (Hiller, 2011). Failure to treat pedophilic individuals and their release back to the society defeat the whole purpose of child protection. Despite the fact that experts are advocating for harsher punishments, there is a need for an individual to be treated before he is released to the society. This makes sure that the individual is fully reformed after he has served his sentence in prison and the risk of children being harmed is reduced. Literature Review A pe dophile and a child molester have been often confused by child abuse professionals, the media, and the general public. They regard pedophiles as all individuals who sexually victimize children. However, there is no uniform definition of the word pedophile. It is important to note that pedophilia is a psychiatric diagnosis done only by qualified psychiatrists or psychologists. Not all child molesters are