The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur...

This book Monster: the Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur aka Kody Scott depicts all of the events that Kody went through from the day he joined a gang up until when he decides to leave the gang, and his life after the gang. He joined the Eight Tray Crips when he was only eleven years old. He gets initiated into the gang after his sixth grade graduation, and he describes his initiation as an even bigger right of passage into society than his own graduation. The reasons that Kody suggests that he had joined a gang has to do a lot with the whole concept of belonging. He makes it sound like his family life was not a very good one, and that in school he felt as if he had no power because he hints at being bullied as a†¦show more content†¦In this story Kody’s actions are learned first through the observations of others in his neighborhood or school. People all around him at the time were deciding to join gangs; it was the thing to do. During his initia tion he observed what the others did when it was his turn to shoot at the people in the streets, and after he shot and potentially killed them he was praised and rewarded with officially being a member of the gang. After that night his gang members positively reinforced him anytime he killed or hurt anyone from the enemy gangs, at times even civilians. Even while his mother was disapproving and there was a potential for severe punishment from the police, the positive reinforcement from his friends was more powerful because of his level of respect and admiration for them. An aspect of this theory that Albert Bandura claims teaches people violence is behavioral modeling, which states that people learn how to act by modeling what they have seen others do. This is shown throughout the book because Kody ends up joining a gang, like many others that he knows have done, and he goes along with what other people in the gang are doing and saying. He grows up around his gang members and fashio ns his behaviors to be similar to the ones that he looks up to, and this behavior is repeated with his younger brother, who idolizes Kody, when he joins

Should Prostitution Be A Victimless Crime - 1506 Words

The act of prostitution has been a leading topic of moral and legislative debate for centuries. Sometimes referred to as the ‘world’s oldest profession’ because it dates back to around 2400 B.C., prostitution is the practice of exchanging, selling or trading of sexual acts for payment. Although this service is forbidden amongst the world more often than it is not, the debate of its legalization has remained a heated issue (ProQuest Staff).The legalization of prostitution and whether or not prostitution should be considered a victimless crime are two of the main controversies that surround the matter of prostitution. The idea of prostitution engenders conflict of morality and constitutional rights and freedom. Many perceive the bartering of sex as a crime and some even view it as a form of sexual abuse (Klinger). Extremists have gone so far as to claim that prostitution is â€Å"indistinguishable† from sex trafficking. It is easy to see where the confusion s tems from but prostitution and sex trafficking are two entirely different things. Prostitution is sex in return for compensation of some form while sex trafficking is the purchase, the sale and the transfer of a human for commercial sex and is often considered to be a modern day form of slavery (ProCon.org). The Prostitutes’ Education Network stated in its article â€Å"Prostitution Act of 1996†, that prostitution is merely a service like every other in which people are selling and exchanging their skills and talents for money.Show MoreRelatedConsent Is A Vital Part Of Human Socialization1593 Words   |  7 Pageswatch. There are also some crimes that people consent to taking part in. In the eyes of the law, these crimes are considered â€Å"victimless† because the would-be victim consented to the crime. (Dempsey, 2013) There are two sides to every jail cell, meaning that the question â€Å"Does victimless crime exist?† has contrary answers depending on who’s answering. This paper’s assertion is in support of the present factor of victimhood for an act to be considered a crime. In Crime and Morality by Hans BoutellierRead MoreVictimless Crimes Not To Be Decriminalized Essay1120 Words   |  5 PagesVictimless crimes, the illegal act(s) that involves consenting adults and lacks a complaining participant, have been the topic of heated debate for some time now (Kendall, 2014). This debate centers primarily on the question as to whether these acts should be crimes at all. The arguments take several forms. One of the controversies involves the importance of personal freedom versus society’s idea to uphold moral standards. A second issue addresses the problem of the conception of harm. PeopleRead MoreTo what Extent Are Prostitution and Drug Use Associated with Sociological Variables?1214 Words   |  5 Pagesextent are prostitution and drug use associated with sociological variables and are they truly victimless? Prostitution and illicit drug use are contentious topics, not only in North America but around the world. The issues of how to police, as well as whether or not to decriminalize prostitution and drug use are multifaceted and encompass sociological, economic, and health factors. Although there is a general understanding amongst the public concerning the definitions of prostitution and drug useRead More There are no Truly Victimless Crimes Essay1026 Words   |  5 Pagesworth the risk. Should he be allowed to take the drug? Or should the government force him to abstain from it, in his own interest? He is not hurting anyone but himself, so why should there be a law against it? This debate has raged since the beginning of civilization. J. S. Mill, in his Essay on Liberty, takes the position that is commonly accepted: the government should not interfere with matters that do not involve more than one person. These matters are often called victimless crimes. Mill - alongRead MoreVictimles s Crime1399 Words   |  6 PagesVictimless crime is defined as a violation of community standards or an illicit act against a government policy or agency (Wisegeek, 2009) yet, which neither directly harms nor violates the rights of any specific person, although some people may claim it harms society as a whole. Many people consider such acts as drunk driving, prostitution, public drunkenness, assisting someone to die at his or her request, using drugs, white-collar crimes, and abortion to be victimless crimes. They feel, as thoughRead MoreA Crime Is a Violation of Established Law, but Not All Crimes Have a Readily Identifiable Victim. a Victimless Crime Is One Where an Act That Violates an Established Law Is Committed, Without Leaving a Victim Behind;1937 Words   |  8 PagesA crime is a violation of established law, but not all crimes have a readily identifiable victim. A victimless crime is one where an act that violates an established law is committed, without leaving a vic tim behind; that is, there is no resulting damage to a person or property. In these cases, there is usually no victim because the illegal activity was consensually entered into. For this reason, victimless crimes are often called consensual crimes. One common example of a victimless crime isRead MoreShould Prostitution Be Legal?1354 Words   |  6 PagesTopic: Should Prostitution be Legal? General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the pros and cons of prostitution being legalized. Central Idea: There are various valid points on both side of the controversial issue of prostitution. I. Introduction Attention-Getter. The only reason I d lift my skirt is to pull a pistol and plug you in the head. Reveal the Topic. Should prostitution be legalized? C. Audience Motivation. Most human beings enjoy sexRead MoreCrime, Morality And The Criminal Justice System1858 Words   |  8 PagesA victimless crime is an illegal act or offense that involves consenting adults and no party is harmed or injured during the act. Such offenses are considered illegal, but there is no apparent victim. Although there are several disagreements to whether or not a crime is victimless or not four of the most commonly identified victimless crimes, also known as public order offenses, are: drug use, prostitution, pornography through sexting, and gambling. Victimless crimes have been the topic of a heatedRead MoreDecriminalization Of Prostitution. Since Time Began, Women1266 Words   |  6 PagesDecriminalization of Prostitution Since time began, women have been selling sex through prostitution, men have been buying it, and society has been debating the legitimacy of the oldest profession in the world. The prevalence of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases have cast a new light on the old moral and victimless crime arguments against and for legalization of prostitution throughout the United States. There are convincing arguments on both sides of this issue, points on both sidesRead MoreVictimless Crimes1330 Words   |  6 PagesVictimless crime is defined as illegal behavior in which people willingly engage and in which there are no unwilling victims. Victimless crimes can be viewed as prostitution, illegal drug use, or illegal gambling. These are considered crimes because they can harm your body, or life in some way, and because you willingly do them. There are many other things in our lives that we can do such as smoking cigarettes, or drinking that can harm our lives and body in some way but are legal. In my opinion

Allama Iqbal free essay sample

Sir Muhammad Iqbal, also known as Allama Iqbal, was a philosopher, poet and politician in British India who is widely regarded to have inspired the Pakistan Movement. He is considered one of the most important figures in Urdu literature, with literary work in both the Urdu and Persian languages. Iqbal is admired as a prominent classical poet by Pakistani, Indian and other international scholars of literature. Although most well known as a poet, he has also been acclaimed as a modern Muslim philosopher. His first poetry book, Asrar-e-Khudi, appeared in the Persian language in 1915, and other books of poetry include Rumuz-i-Bekhudi, Payam-i-Mashriq and Zabur-i-Ajam. Some of his most well known Urdu works are Bang-i-Dara, Bal-i-Jibril and Zarb-i Kalim. Along with his Urdu and Persian poetry, his various Urdu and English lectures and letters have been very influential in cultural, social, religious and political disputes over the years. In 1922, he was knighted by King George V, giving him the title Sir. We will write a custom essay sample on Allama Iqbal or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Iqbal is known as Shair-e-Mushriq meaning Poet of the East. He is also called Muffakir-e-Pakistan The Inceptor of Pakistan, and Hakeem-ul-Ummat The Sage of the Ummah. Pakistan has officially recognised him as its national poet. In Iran and Afghanistan he is famous as Iqbal-e Lahori (Iqbal of Lahore), and he is most appreciated for his Persian work. His birthday is celebrated on November 9. Biography Iqbal was born in Sialkot, within the Punjab Province of British India (now in Pakistan). Iqbal ancestors were kashmiri Pandits, the Brahmins from Kashmir who converted to Islam. Iqbals father, Shaikh Noor Mohammad, was a tailor, not formally educated but a religious man. Iqbals mother Imam Bibi was a polite and humble woman who helped the poor and solved the problems of neighbours. Iqbal loved his mother, and on her death he expressed his feelings of pathos in a poetic form elegy. Who would wait for me anxiously in my native place? Who would display restlessness if my letter fails to arrive? I will visit thy grave with this complaint: Who will now think of me in midnight prayers? All thy life thy love served me with devotion— When I became fit to serve thee, thou hast departed. When Iqbal was four years old, he was sent to the mosque to learn the Quran. Later, Syed Mir Hassan, the head of the Madrassa in Sialkot, became his teacher. Iqbal received the Faculty of Arts diploma from Scotch Mission College in 1895, where his teacher Hassan was the professor of Arabic. In the same year Iqbal married Karim Bibi, the daughter of a Gujrati physician Khan Bahadur Ata Muhammad Khan, through a first arranged marriage. They had daughter Miraj Begum and son Aftab Iqbal. Later Iqbals second marriage was with Sardar Begum mother of Javid Iqbal and third marriage with Mukhtar Begum in December 1914. During first marriage at the same time, Iqbal also began to study philosophy, English literature and Arabic in Lahores Government college. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Higher Education in Europe Iqbal was close to Sir Thomas Arnold, an philosophy teacher at the college. Iqbal was influenced by Arnolds teachings and so traveled to Europe for his higher education. Iqbal qualified for a scholarship from Trinity College in Cambrige in 1907, and was called to the bar as a barrister from Lincolns Inn in 1908. During his study in Europe, Iqbal began to write poetry in Persian. He prioritized it because he believed he had found an easy way to express his thoughts. He would write continuously in Persian throughout his life. He continued with his PhD degree, receiving admission to the Faculty of Philosophy of the Ludwig Maximilian University in 1907 at Munich. Working under the guidance of Friedrich Hommel, Iqbal published his doctoral thesis in 1908 entitled: The Development of Metaphysics in Persia. Academic Career Iqbal took up an assistant professorship at Government College, Lahore, when he returned to India, but for financial reasons he relinquished it within a year to practice law. While maintaining his legal practice, Iqbal began concentrating on spiritual and religious subjects, and publishing poetry and literary works. He became active in the Anjuman-e-Himayat-e-Islam, a congress of Muslim intellectuals, writers and poets as well as politicians. In 1919, he became the general secretary of the organisation. Iqbals thoughts in his work primarily focus on the spiritual direction and development of human society, centred around experiences from his travels and stays in Western Europe and the Middle East. The poetry and philosophy of Mawlana Rumi bore the deepest influence on Iqbals mind. Deeply grounded in religion since childhood, Iqbal began intensely concentrating on the study of Islam, the culture and history of Islamic civilization and its political future, while embracing Rumi as his guide. Iqbal would feature Rumi in the role of guide in many of his poems. Iqbals works focus on reminding his readers of the past glories of Islamic civilization, and delivering the message of a pure, spiritual focus on Islam as a source for socio-political liberation and greatness. Iqbal denounced political divisions within and amongst Muslim nations, and frequently alluded to and spoke in terms of the global Muslim community, or the Ummah. Allama Iqbals poetry has also been translated into several European languages where his works were famous during the early part of the 20th century. Iqbal’s Asrar-i-Khudi and Javed Nama were translated into English by R A Nicholson and A J Arberry respectively. Political Life While dividing his time between law and poetry, Iqbal had remained active in the Muslim League. He did not support Indian involvement in World War I, as well as the Khilafat movement and remained in close touch with Muslim political leaders such as Maulana Mohammad Ali and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He was a critic of the mainstream Indian National Congress, which he regarded as dominated by Hindus and was disappointed with the League when during the 1920s, it was absorbed in factional divides between the pro-British group led by Sir Muhammad Shafi and the centrist group led by Jinnah. In November 1926, with the encouragement of friends and supporters, Iqbal contested for a seat in the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Muslim district of Lahore, and defeated his opponent by a margin of 3,177 votes. He supported the constitutional proposals presented by Jinnah with the aim of guaranteeing Muslim political rights and influence in a coalition with the Congress, and worked with the Aga Khan and other Muslim leaders to mend the factional divisions and achieve unity in the Muslim League. Literary Works Persian Iqbals poetic works are written primarily in Persian rather than Urdu. Among his 12,000 verses of poetry, about 7,000 verses are in Persian. In 1915, he published his first collection of poetry, the Asrar-e-Khudi (Secrets of the Self) in Persian. The poems emphasise the spirit and self from a religious, spiritual perspective. Many critics have called this Iqbals finest poetic work In Asrar-e-Khudi, Iqbal explains his philosophy of Khudi, or Self. Iqbals use of the term Khudi is synonymous with the word Rooh mentioned in the Quran. Rooh is that divine spark which is present in every human being, and was present in Adam, for which God ordered all of the angels to prostrate in front of Adam. One has to make a great journey of transformation to realize that divine spark which Iqbal calls Khudi. Iqbal condemns self-destruction. For him, the aim of life is self-realization and self-knowledge. He charts the stages through which the Self has to pass before finally arriving at its point of perfection, enabling the knower of the Self to become a viceregent of God. In his Rumuz-e-Bekhudi, Iqbal seeks to prove the Islamic way of life is the best code of conduct for a nations viability. A person must keep his individual characteristics intact, but once this is achieved he should sacrifice his personal ambitions for the needs of the nation. Man cannot realise the Self outside of society. Also in Persian and published in 1917, this group of poems has as its main themes the ideal community, Islamic ethical and social principles, and the relationship between the individual and society. Although he is true throughout to Islam, Iqbal also recognises the positive analogous aspects of other religions. The Rumuz-e-Bekhudi complements the emphasis on the self in the Asrar-e-Khudi and the two collections are often put in the same volume under the title Asrar-e-Rumuz (Hinting Secrets). It is addressed to the worlds Muslims. Iqbals 1924 publication, the Payam-e-Mashriq (The Message of the East) is closely connected to the West-ostlicher Diwan by the famous German poet Goethe. Goethe bemoans the West having become too materialistic in outlook, and expects the East will provide a message of hope to resuscitate spiritual values. In his first visit to Afghanistan, he presented his book Payam-e Mashreq to King Amanullah Khan in which he admired the liberal movements of Afghanistan against the British Empire. In 1933, he was officially invited to Afghanistan to join the meetings regarding the establishment of Kabul University. The Zabur-e-Ajam (Persian Psalms), published in 1927, includes the poems Gulshan-e-Raz-e-Jadeed and Bandagi Nama. In Gulshan-e-Raz-e-Jadeed, Iqbal first poses questions, then answers them with the help of ancient and modern insight, showing how it affects and concerns the world of action. Iqbals 1932 work, the Javed Nama (Book of Javed) is named after and in a manner addressed to his son, who is featured in the poems. It follows the examples of the works of Ibn Arabi and Dantes The Divine Comedy, through mystical and exaggerated depictions across time. Iqbal depicts himself as Zinda Rud (A stream full of life) guided by Rumi, the master, through various heavens and spheres, and has the honour of approaching divinity and coming in contact with divine illuminations. In a passage re-living a historical period, Iqbal condemns the Muslim who were instrumental in the defeat and death of Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal and Tipu Sultan of Mysore respectively by betraying them for the benefit of the British colonists, and thus delivering their country to the shackles of slavery. At the end, by addressing his son Javid, he speaks to the young people at large, and provides guidance to the new generation. His love of the Persian language is evident in his works and poetry. He says in one of his poems: Even though in sweetness Urdu is sugar (but) speech method in Dari (Persian) is sweeter Urdu Iqbals first work published in Urdu, the Bang-e-Dara (The Call of the Marching Bell) of 1924, was a collection of poetry written by him in three distinct phases of his life. The poems he wrote up to 1905, the year Iqbal left for England imbibe patriotism and imagery of landscape, and includes the Tarana-e-Hind (The Song of India), popularly known as Saare Jahan Se Achcha and another poem Tarana-e-Milli . The second set of poems date from between 1905 and 1908 when Iqbal studied in Europe and dwell upon the nature of European society, which he emphasized had lost spiritual and religious values. This inspired Iqbal to write poems on the historical and cultural heritage of Islamic culture and Muslim people, not from an Indian but a global perspective. Iqbal urges the global community of Muslims, addressed as the Ummah to define personal, social and political existence by the values and teachings of Islam. Iqbal preferred to work mainly in Persian for a predominant period of his career, but after 1930, his works were mainly in Urdu. The works of this period were often specifically directed at the Muslim masses of India, with an even stronger emphasis on Islam, and Muslim spiritual and political reawakening. Published in 1935, the Bal-e-Jibril (Wings of Gabriel) is considered by many critics as the finest of Iqbals Urdu poetry, and was inspired by his visit to Spain, where he visited the monuments and legacy of the kingdom of the Moors. It consists of ghazals, poems, quatrains, epigrams and carries a strong sense religious passion. The Pas Cheh Bayed Kard ai Aqwam-e-Sharq (What are we to do, O Nations of the East? ) includes the poem Musafir . Again, Iqbal depicts Rumi as a character and an exposition of the mysteries of Islamic laws and Sufi perceptions is given. Iqbal laments the dissension and disunity among the Indian Muslims as well as Muslim nations. Musafir is an account of one of Iqbals journeys to Afghanistan, in which the Pashtun people are counseled to learn the secret of Islam and to build up the self within themselves. Iqbals final work was the Armughan-e-Hijaz (The Gift of Hijaz), published posthumously in 1938. The first part contains quatrains in Persian, and the second part contains some poems and epigrams in Urdu. The Persian quatrains convey the impression as though the poet is travelling through the Hijaz in his imagination. Profundity of ideas and intensity of passion are the salient features of these short poems. Iqbals vision of mystical experience is clear in one of his Urdu ghazals which was written in London during his days of studing there. Some verses of that ghazal are: At last the silent tongue of Hijaz has announced to the ardent ear the tiding That the covenant which had been given to the desert-dwelles is going to be renewed vigorously: The lion who had emerged from the desert and had toppled the Roman Empire is As I am told by the angels, about to get up again (from his slumbers. ) You the dwelles of the West, should know that the world of God is not a shop (of yours). Your imagined pure gold is about to lose it standard value (as fixed by you). Your civilization will commit suicide with its own daggers. English Iqbal also wrote two books on the topic of The Development of Metaphysics in Persia and The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam and many letters in English language, beside of Urdu and Persian literary works. In which, he discussed about the Persian ideology and Islamic sufism in the way of his view that real Islamic sufism activates the awkward soul to superior idea of life. He also discussed philosophy, God and the meaning of prayer, human spirit and Muslim culture, political, social and religious problems. Iqbal was invited to Cambridge to participate in the conference in 1931, where he expressed his inspired vision to students and other audience. I would like to offer a few pieces of advice to the youngmen who are at present studying at Cambridge I advise you to guard against atheism and materialism. The biggest blunder made by Europe was the separation of Church and State. This deprived their culture of moral soul and diverted it to the atheistic materialism. I had twenty-five years ago seen through the drawbacks of this civilization and therefore had made some prophecies. They had been delivered by my tongue although I did not quite understand them. This happened in 1907.. After six or seven years, my prophecies came true, word by word. The European war of 1914 was an outcome of the aforesaid mistakes made by the European nations in the separation of the Church and the State. Final Years and Death In 1933, after returning from a trip to Spain and Afghanistan, Iqbal began suffering from a mysterious throat illness. He spent his final years helping Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan establish the Dar ul Islam Trust Institute at the latters Jamalpur estate near Pathankot, an institution where studies in classical Islam and contemporary social science would be subsidised, and advocating the demand for an independent Muslim state. Iqbal ceased practising law in 1934 and he was granted pension by the Nawab of Bhopal. In his final years he frequently visited the Dargah of famous Sufi Hazrat Ali Hujwiri in Lahore for spiritual guidance. After suffering for months from his illness, Iqbal died in Lahore on 21 April 1938. His tomb is located in Hazuri Bagh, the enclosed garden between the entrance of the Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort, and official guards are maintained there by the Government of Pakistan. Iqbal is commemorated widely in Pakistan, where he is regarded as the ideological founder of the state. His Tarana-e-Hind is a song that is widely used in India as a patriotic song speaking of communal harmony. His birthday is annually commemorated in Pakistan as Iqbal Day, a national holiday. Iqbal is the namesake of many public institutions, including the Allama Iqbal Campus Punjab University in Lahore, the Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Allama Iqbal Open University, the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, and Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town in Karachi. Government and public organizations have sponsored the establishment of colleges and schools dedicated to Iqbal, and have established the Iqbal Academy to research, teach and preserve the works, literature and philosophy of Iqbal. Allama Iqbal Stamps Society established for the promotion of Iqbaliyat in philately and in other hobbies.