Cool Hand Luke :: essays research papers

In Cool Hand Luke, the movie begins with the word, VIOLATION, across the screen. The word is from a parking meter and sets the tone for the entire movie. Luke Jackson, the title character, is arrested for cutting off the heads of the town’s parking meters while drunk, or in legal terms, for destroying municipal property while under the influence of alcohol. When asked why he cut the heads off the parking meters, Luke answers, â€Å"You could say I was settling an old score.† While it leaves the viewers believing that he probably received a parking ticket at some time in the past, no clues are given to what the old score may have been. He is sentenced to two years in a road prison, in a chain gang. His punishment did not fit the crime, and today, such an act would probably result in time spent in community service rather than a hard labor prison gang. To further accentuate that his sentence is worse than his crime, Luke Jackson dies at the end of his story. Luke is a decorated veteran, yet left the military service just as he went in, as a Private. This indicates that he had authority problems while there. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and a couple of Purple Hearts and that indicates that he is brave and probably humanitarian, because the Silver Star is usually given in recognition of a life-saving deed of valor. That he was never promoted, or else promoted and consequently demoted, (the story does not elaborate on the details) indicates that his superiors, those who had the authority to promote him, did not react well to his achievements. For Luke, death represents ultimate freedom. There is no doubt that he believes in God, in that he talks to God several times throughout the movie, yet his conversations are always more like arguments than prayers. In one of the final scenes, the empty shell of a church represents Luke’s relationship with God, and even the emptiness in himself. Luke feels that God has never been there for him. He tells God just before the end of the story that God hasn’t ever dealt him a good hand. That military authorities considered him a hero, decorating him with medals, doesn’t make him a hero in his own eyes. Luke is a tortured soul, in that he tells God that he doesn’t deserve any good thing because he killed people in the war. Still, Luke is a free spirit, true to himself, with no regard for the rules and regulations of other human beings. The crime he is arrested for is not one of violence toward any person, it is

Historical Events Since 1945 Essay

The formation of the United Nations (1945) Kegley (2007) mentions that the failure of the League of Nations, brought about the creation of the United Nations in 1945. Following the planning of the American, British and Soviet allies for a new international organization to maintain peace and security, the United Nations came into existence on 24 October 1945. Today, the United Nations has many departments that deal with vast global issues mainly humanitarian, economic and social. The creation of the United Nations has also brought the birth of other organizations such as the European Union in 1993 and the World Trade organization in 1995. Internationally, the living standards of many have positively changed since the founding of the United Nations The creation of the declaration of Human Rights (1948) According to Hass (2008), the second charter of the United Nations after peace promotions is human rights. ( Vandersluis and Yerous in Kegley 2007, p. 220) state that â€Å" the universalist claim, that all human beings have the same moral status; to accept universal human rights the moral demand to respect the life, integrity, well-being and flourishing of all human beings†. This was the general idea when the declaration of human rights was created. Violence, racial and gender discrimination, child abuse, religion and immigration laws are now governed by these laws. This has encouraged peace and development across the globe. The introduction of oral contraception (1958) Oral contraception is a means of preventing unwanted pregnancies through the ingesting of the pill. The pill was first introduced in the United States as an alternative to minimize infant mortality and enforce women rights with issues concerning child birth. Prior to the use of the oral pill, women used to go to extreme measure to exercise birth control. Women used to nurse their children for two to three years. This would suppress ovulation protecting them from pregnancy. Another natural method is coitus reservatus or withholding ejaculation† Elder (n. d). This development is a safer, efficient and reliable method for women today. Other methods of contraception where then introduced to suit different women across the world. The Entebbe Raid (1976) This eve nt occurred when Air France departed from Paris to Athens bound to Israel was hijacked by seven Palestinians and diverted to Entebbe airport in Uganda. Haas (2008) reports that there were Jewish and Israeli passengers on board. The battle on the airfield was a result of the fear of a massacre portrayed by the hijackers. Ugandan soldiers and a small number of hostages were killed. This event marked the beginning of air flight hijackings. In 2001, the Americans were attacked by the Taliban in a similar manner and many perished. Due to such an event, strict rules and regulations for passengers have been enforced globally to ensure the safety of the innocent. The Bhopal industrial accident (1984) The Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India experienced the worst industrial accident in history. A leakage of forty tons of chemicals resulted in the death of over seven thousand and two hundred thousand injuries according to Haas (2008). This was a wakeup call for many industrial plants to exercise extreme caution. Codes of conduct in the workplace are of major importance today. Companies are now required to ensure that health and safety procedures are implemented. Environmental awareness is also a major topic of discussion as this accident had an impact on the environment.

Should Prayer Be Allowed School - 1623 Words

Research has found that there is a correlation between those that feel the federal government is too powerful and those that would agree that prayer should be allowed in school. On the flip side to that those that feel the government does not have enough power and tend to disagree with pear being allowed in school. Based off articles researched and statistics gathered as well summarized it can be determined that those that are of the conservative and or republican party tend to feel that the government should not have a say in prayer in school. This may be because of religious preference or their belief that government should not have enough power to interfere in the religious beliefs of citizens. The flipside to that is that those on the†¦show more content†¦Most individuals on the liberal spectrum tend to agree with the courts when it declared government sponsored prayers are unconstitutional. The less conservative individuals show a tendency to believe that any amendment that allows for voluntary prayer would contradict the first amendment guarantee against government establishment of religion. Most on the liberal spectrum or those that feel the government does not have enough power feel that any sort of Government action to allow voluntary prayer in schools could be at the cost of the civil rights of students. It is believed that any amendment or law consenting for voluntary prayer would diminish the very heart of the Bill of Rights; which protects the rights of people from the oppression from the majority. Those that do not allow or want to allow prayer in school think that any amendment affirming that prayer should be allowed in school would actually introduce assembled prayer or force persons into prayer. Those that clash with prayer in school fear that judgement against those that do not participate in school prayer. Those in the small percentage that do not want to participate would be obligated to follow to a belief or ritual that which the y do not believe. This could cause the individual to suffer the humiliation or burden of submitting a day-to-day spiritual exercise continuously in order to avoid being singled out by mainstream colleagues and educators. Grafton, C., Show MoreRelatedEssay on School Prayer Should Be Allowed729 Words   |  3 Pages School Prayer Should Be Allowed I attended twelve years of Catholic School. My parents consented to the decision of my enrollment and they knew what was involved. They knew that the study of God and prayer was mandatory. Prayer in school in my case produced and environment of discipline and respect for the teachers. The involvement of my parents and the faculty in the use of prayer was in full agreement. However, my view was not even considered important. My rights had been violated. The FirstRead MoreEssay on Prayer Should Be Allowed in Public Schools1727 Words   |  7 PagesPrayer Should Be Allowed in Public Schools School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. The issue of school prayer is about whether the public school systems should let the students pray, at the start of the school day, as a class. The issue of school prayer began in the late sixteenth century when people in England did not approve of the way one religion was forced upon them, so the Puritans, known as the Pilgrims decided to come to the colonies. Even in the colonies theRead MoreEssay on Prayer Should Not be Allowed in Public Schools1051 Words   |  5 PagesPrayer Should Not be Allowed in Public Schools School prayer is a very controversial issue in today’s society. This issue has been a problem since America was first founded, in that the country was founded on religious beliefs. The Pilgrims wanted to be able to express their beliefs freely, but in England this freedom was not found, so they decided to come to the Americas, where their beliefs could be expressed freely. As time passed they realized that having this kind of freedomRead MoreThe Constitutionality of Prayer in Public Schools Essay698 Words   |  3 PagesMany people agree against prayer in public schools, while others think that people should be able to express their religion in their own ways. In public schools, they are not allowed to hold prayers at all during the school day due to the mixed religion students that are attending the school. Over the past few years, this has become an extremely controversial issue in our nation. Many people find it proper to pray in school but many people also agree that it is extremely wrong and that if thereRead MoreReligion in Public Schools Essay1131 Words   |  5 PagesReligion in school is the practice of any personal religious beliefs in a place of education. Introduction: In recent years teaching or the individual practice of religion in school has become a very controversial topic. There are many different views on this matter and even more opinions on how it should be handled. There are people on both sides of the spectrum, there are those who believe that it should be taught and allowed in school, and there are those who believe it should not be taughtRead MorePrayer in Schools Essay1215 Words   |  5 PagesPrayer in Public School There are many different philosophies regarding prayer in public school. It seems to be a difficult issue to decide upon. The opinions are wide-ranging and convoluted. This paper will attempt to highlight the many ideas and opinions as to whether prayers in public school should be allowed and to what extent. It will further show how our founders idea of a separate church and state has been taken out of context and why prayer in school should be allowed, but not requiredRead MoreThe Issue of School Prayer1009 Words   |  4 PagesThe issue of school prayer has been a thorny one in the United States for many years now. In the beginning of the nineteenth century readings of the Bible and prayer were common practices in public schools. However prayer was banned in 1962 due to claims that it was violating the First Amendment right that the government was not allowed to support religion, and from then on the Supreme Court has ruled against any and all forms of prayer in schools. Schoo ls cannot however ban students from prayingRead MorePosition Paper1680 Words   |  7 PagesPosition Paper Introduction Looking back over the past two hundred and seven years, every session of the United States Senate has been opened with a prayer. Doing so has reaffirmed the Senates faith that God is the Sovereign Lord of our Nation. Barry C. Black currently serves as the spiritual advisor and counselor for the United States Senate with the title of Chaplin. Over the years, this position has ranged from part time, to now a full time position (United States Senate, 2011). EverRead MoreEssay on Prayer in Public Schools1051 Words   |  5 PagesPrayer in Public Schools An issue that has been constantly debated for years is whether voluntary prayer in public schools should be permitted. A student should be allowed to pray voluntarily at the beginning of each school day based on many reasons. Prayer based on moral beliefs reinforce good citizenship as defined by our forefathers. A daily reminder of a need for the belief of good over evil is a necessary part of this society. Daily voluntary school prayer should be re-instated in publicRead More Religion in Public Schools - More Questions than Answers Essay examples1161 Words   |  5 PagesPrayer in Public Schools - More Questions than Answers    Censorship is a very broad topic.   Is it good or bad?   Often, we ask ourselves if such things need to exist because of the First Amendment right.   It states, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.   (Amendments