Free Essays on Rape

Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. Date rape is not an unusual occurrence that only happens in isolated situations. In fact, some surveys suggest that in 84% of rape cases, the victim knew her attacker, and in 57% of rapes occurred while on dates (Warshaw 11). However, what is even more surprising than these high figures is that most occurrences of date rape go unreported. Several theories exist that try to explain this phenomenon. For example, many women may refuse to believe that their â€Å"friend† raped them. In fact, they could ultimately convince themselves that that horrid night never actually occurred. Moreover, there is embarrassment following the attack in which memory and emotions become mixed up. When alcohol or drugs are involved, the women may have no memory of the attack whatsoever. Even if the victim does remember the attack, they could be left with a sense that they let themselves be taken advantage of. In cases such as this, the victim may blame them self instead of the attacker. Rape is an offense that uses sex and violence that makes sex the weapon in an act of violence. The humiliation involved in either being battered by or hurting someone we care for makes it hard to tell anyone, even those closest to us. People in abusive relationships often work hard at making it seem as if nothing is wrong. They try to convince themselves and others that â€Å"it’s not really that bad,† or that â€Å"it doesn’t happen all the time.† (Hicks 18) Additionally, societal perceptions dictate that a woman should know how to set limits, and that they are responsible for their own actions. Many wom... Free Essays on Rape Free Essays on Rape What is rape? Rape is defined as according to Dictionary.com as the crime of forcing another person to submit sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. In all of the selected readings, one specific rape case was discussed as well as the significant changes that occurred with marriage. Harry Bedlow was a man from New York City who was brought up on rape charges by a woman named Lannah Sawyer in October of 1793. Bedlow met Sawyer on her father’s stoop one summer night and invited her for walk and in those days if you hung with an older man it usually meant you were to have sexual relations with him. As they continued to walk around New York they came across an alley where Bedlow brought Sawyer down to. He invited her into the home of a Mrs. Cary where he allegedly raped her in one of Mrs. Cary’s bedrooms. However, the defense argued against that allegation and said that Sawyer was seduced by Bedlow and that the sex they had was consensual. As a result of the defense’s argument, the jury’s verdict was not guilty in favor of Mr. Bedlow. Marriage had always been very traditional where a man and a woman were set up by each other’s parents and they were to wed when the time was right. However, there was a change in the 1730s when â€Å"selection of your mate was based on personal taste and emotions rather than practical and familiar concerns,† (D’Emilo and Freedman, pg 43). D’Emilo and Freedman then say â€Å"Sons and Daughters not only chose mates with less attention to property and family considerations, but some young people even disregarded parental opinion all together,† (pg 43). Many of these couples also had premarital pregnancy so they would have no other choice but to marry each other without the disapproval of their parents. Even today this still occurs where men and women are choosing who they want to spend the rest of their life with. However, the premarital pregnancy is not common today with couple be... Free Essays on Rape Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. Date rape is not an unusual occurrence that only happens in isolated situations. In fact, some surveys suggest that in 84% of rape cases, the victim knew her attacker, and in 57% of rapes occurred while on dates (Warshaw 11). However, what is even more surprising than these high figures is that most occurrences of date rape go unreported. Several theories exist that try to explain this phenomenon. For example, many women may refuse to believe that their â€Å"friend† raped them. In fact, they could ultimately convince themselves that that horrid night never actually occurred. Moreover, there is embarrassment following the attack in which memory and emotions become mixed up. When alcohol or drugs are involved, the women may have no memory of the attack whatsoever. Even if the victim does remember the attack, they could be left with a sense that they let themselves be taken advantage of. In cases such as this, the victim may blame them self instead of the attacker. Rape is an offense that uses sex and violence that makes sex the weapon in an act of violence. The humiliation involved in either being battered by or hurting someone we care for makes it hard to tell anyone, even those closest to us. People in abusive relationships often work hard at making it seem as if nothing is wrong. They try to convince themselves and others that â€Å"it’s not really that bad,† or that â€Å"it doesn’t happen all the time.† (Hicks 18) Additionally, societal perceptions dictate that a woman should know how to set limits, and that they are responsible for their own actions. Many wom...

The Scream essays

The Scream essays The Scream For my paper I selected The Scream by Edvard Munch on page 398. Edvard Munch is looked upon as one of the most significant influences on the development of expressionism. Edvard Munch was quoted as saying "We want more than a mere photograph of nature. We do not want to paint pretty pictures to be hung on drawing-room walls. We want to create, or at least lay the foundations of, an art that gives something to humanity. An art that arrests and engages. An art created of one's innermost heart." I believe in The Scream Munch did just as he said. The expressionism period was a movement to invoke emotions through art work. In The Scream Munch stirs up emotions through his heavy brush work and the use of unnatural colors. The use of red orange or warm colors in the sunset seems to make them advance or stand out. The thick swirling lines of the sunset and the river create the sanitation of movement. Munch relies on atmospheric perspective to create the illusion of depth. The warm colors in the sunset stand out while the cool colors of the river seem to go backwards. The shapes in The Scream are organic, object found in nature, but Munch has distorted this objects to echos causes by the sunken head. I selected this painting for the fact that it disturbs me and at the same time intrigues me. In an interview about the painting Munch said " I was walking along the road with two friends- watching the sunset- the sky suddenly turned red as blood- I stopped, leant against the fence, deadly tired- my friends walked on and I was left, trembling with fear- and I could feel an infinite scream passing through the landscape." Edvard Munch's emotional unbalance is a great credit to his work. In 1908, Munch had a nervous breakdown, a culmination of his anxiety and fears going all the way back to his childhood. During the years pervious to this he had experienced som ...

The transformation that took place in the book Always Running By Luis Essay

The transformation that took place in the book Always Running By Luis J. Rodriguez - Essay Example ‘Always Running’ presents a powerful narrative account of Luis life. This story begins with Luis remembering his childhood. It relays conflicts his mother and father had regarding whether to stay in the United States or return to Mexico. The narrative then goes on to explore Luis’ childhood and education. It indicates that because of his language barrier he had difficulty in school. These challenges led him to eventually join a gang to achieve a sense of belonging and protection. Luis progressed along this negative path for a period of his life, before becoming involved in a community center. Through the community center he was given a chance to renew his life. He soon becomes involved with painting murals and getting away from his gang life. This account of Luis life is moving for its demonstration of his transformation. This essay considers the nature of this transformation in more depth. The novel begins by demonstrating the factors that led to Luis becoming in volved in a gang. The reasons behind Luis’ development are highly complex, so the novel approaches them from a number of perspectives. One of the most recurring reasons is the troubled nature of Luis’ home-life. Luis mother and father experienced a number of arguments regarding whether to say in the country. ... The text states, â€Å"But on those days the perils came out too - you could see it in the faces of the street warriors, in the play of children, too innocent to know what lurked about, but often the first to fall during a gang war or family scuffle† (Rodriguez, pg. 29). This indicates that Luis daily existence growing up held many of the components that would later become indicative of his later life in a gang. After Luis joins the gang the text spends a considerable amount of time considering his actions and daily life therein. Luis’ life in the gang is relayed in the novel through stories about his criminal activities. While Luis involvement with the gang started out small, it eventually became more intense. Similarly, the types of activities the gang participates in become progressively more intense as the novel progresses. At one point, Luis states, â€Å"Shit, I thought, they want to firebomb a house. This mean somebody's mother, little sister or brother could be hurt or killed. But this is how things had gotten by then. Everyone was fair game in barrio wars; people's families were being hit all the time† (Rodriguez, pg. 118). This quote is speaking about the barrio wars that had overtaken Luis’ neighborhood. The quote also demonstrates Luis’ partial alienation from the activities the gang is participating in. While it’s difficult to precisely pinpoint the instant Luis made the change from a negative to positive existence, it’s clear that the seeds of his change were rooted in the alienation he began to develop at these gang activities. As the text progresses, Luis eventually becomes alienated from his gang life. The pivotal element in Luis transformation occurs when he becomes involved in the local community center. Here he comes into contact