Identity Crisis in Don Delillos White Noise Essay -- White Noise Essa

Don Delillo's White Noise is a novel set in twentieth century Middle America. The story follows the life and journey of Jack Gladney, a teacher of Hitler studies and his family through their lives invaded by white noise, the constant murmur of American consumerism. The narrative follows these characters as they struggle to live life distracting themselves from their sense of reality. White Noise explores a host of character's deep underlying fears and uncertainties that keep them from discovering and revealing their true identities. The first character I would like to discuss is the protagonist, Jack Gladney. It seems as if Jack distracts himself from discovering his own identity, without it life is a mystery to him and it makes death even more mysterious. As Jack talks to Murray about death, he states that The deepest regret is death. The only thing to face is death. This is all I think about. There's only one issue here, I want to live. (270) Jack is obsessed with his fear of the unexpected. He explains to Murry that death does not make his life more satisfying, but only filled with anxiety. Jack does not want to know any information predicting his own demise, he is afraid of finding out his own "code", as in the case of his medical report that forecasts his death. There are many indications of Jack's identity crisis throughout the story-- a more prominent one is that of his identity as a teacher of Hitler studies. It seems as if Jack is fascinated with a man so in touch with death, and when teaching he hides behind large dark glasses and... ...sulting in death, Murry considers the idea that one can become an instrument of death, by taking death into one's own hands. Murry may mask his character in a way to deflect death, but he is not afraid to take interest in the mystical concepts such as religion and science, the two sources that can cause and possibly cure death itself. Fear in a person's life can cause him or her to withdraw themself, or hide from certain situations thought to be associated with his or her underlying anxieties. In White Noise, the fear of death is a prominent factor that provokes the identity crisis these characters face. It is not until a person can face, and possibly overcome, these internal fears that one can obtain his or her true identity and understand truly who he or she really is.

Midterm

Description: Preferred language style: English(U.S.) Please double-space the exam, 12 font, and send it to me thru the Assignment Drop Box. There are 3 questions worth a total of 50 points (about 16.6 points a piece). The questions have multiple-parts. Answer all of the parts for each question. 2. CJ experts know that it is difficult to evaluate just how risky an offender`s future behavior might be. What are some of the problems associated with measuring risk? Explain why it is important to try to measure an offender`s risk. How does measuring risk help the CJ system operate more effectively? http://www.francistimko.com/Risk/RISK%20ASSESSMENT.htm#TOC2_4 3. What does it mean to classify probationers? Why do probation departments classify the offenders on their caseloads? Imagine yourself as a probation officer – which classification of probationers would you prefer to supervise and why? HINTS: Write well, edit. DO NOT discuss prisoners, prisons, jails, incarceration. You aren`t in that class. You are in a community corrections class. All of these questions require some reading from you textbook. Don`t try to answer any of the questions without reading the appropriate section of your text. I expect and want you to read yout textbook as you prepare the mid-term. Answer the questions I asked. Don`t answer questions I didn`t ask. Intermediate Sanctions:   Range of sentencing options that, â€Å"fall somewhere between outright imprisonment and simple probationary release back into the community. Michael J. Russel, former director of the NIJ says that â€Å"intermediate punishments are intended to provide prosecutors, judges, and corrections officials with sentencing options that permit them to apply appropriate punishments to convicted offenders while not being constrained   by the traditional choice between prison and probation.   Rather than substituting for prison or probation, however, these sanctions, which include †¦ bridge the gap between those options and provide innovative ways to ensure swift and certain punishment. – From the introduction to James Austin, Michael Jones, and Melissa Boylard, The Growing Use of Jail 1. Some people argue that intermediate sanctions are the best new approach to sentencing offenders in the community.   Define what experts mean by ‘intermediate sanctions’ and what they are designed to do BOTH for offenders and the CJ system.   How do experts justify the need for intermediate sanctions?   Intermediate sanctions are controversial.   Why? â€Å"Intermediate sanctions† is a term used for punishments that bridge the spectrum between prison and probation.   They include intensive supervision probation, work release, house arrest, day fines, asset forfeiture, restitution, community service, boot camp and, occasionally, substance abuse treatment programs. These programs are intended to provide swift and certain punishment while decreasing the economic burden of the prison system, and simultaneously helping society feel that criminals are punished with something more than a slap on the wrist. They are also intended to provide low risk offenders with the intervention and assistance that they need in the hopes of reducing recidivism.   Intermediate sanctions also theoretically decrease the risk that a low level offender will become â€Å"hardened† during incarceration. IS is controversial, for the most part, because research has shown that it does not accomplish the goals that have been set.   Random experiments involving the assignment of offenders to ISP or probation showed no statistical differences in rearrest, but significantly increased technical violations of parole among the offenders enrolled in the intensively supervised program. From that experiment, it is assumed that although ISP programs cost MORE to run, they are no more effective in reducing recidivism than traditional probation programs.   Forfeiture judgments, in which the government confiscates property obtained with illegal money, have been successfully challenged in court.   NIJ department studies of boot camp programs have shown that the programs generally do not last long enough to reduce recidivism.   When the programs did last long enough to have that impact, they offered no real cost benefits to traditional incarceration. 2. CJ experts know that it is difficult to evaluate just how risky an offender`s future behavior might be. What are some of the problems associated with measuring risk? Explain why it is important to try to measure an offender`s risk. How does measuring risk help the CJ system operate more effectively? Although many assessments exist to evaluate an offender’s future risk, all assessments contain some flaws – They assess different values (which may vary, depending on the community’s needs), every prediction instrument contains hidden policy and value decisions, and anyone using a standardized assessment has to pay yearly fees to the proprietary vendor.   For the above reasons, several societies have elected to develop their own assessments – but with this choice comes the problems associated with working the bugs out and making sure that the assessments are accurately measuring that which is intended. It is important to measure an offender’s risk of recidivism as well as his risk of escalating the violence of his attacks in order to adequately protect society while keeping the cost of the criminal justice system to its absolute minimum.   Measuring offender’s risk and adjusting the conditions of probation or intermediate sanctions accordingly theoretically decreases the likelihood of a repeat offense, which physically protects society and assists in keeping the operating costs of the system lower due to NOT having to re-house this particular offender. 3. What does it mean to classify probationers? Why do probation departments classify the offenders on their caseloads? Imagine yourself as a probation officer – which classification of probationers would you prefer to supervise and why? Probationers are classified by risk and need within the first thirty days hat they are assigned to a PO.   The risk is the total of the scores for address changes, employment, substance abuse, attitude, age at first conviction, prior offenses and prior assault offenses.   Each item is weighted and totaled, and the result is combined with the need score. Need scores are based on vocational skills, employment issues, financial stability, family stability, emotional and psychological issues, substance abuse, health, sexual behavior, and officer’s impression.   Probationers are the classified into high, medium, and low categories using predetermined values.   A higher risk assessment is considered to correlate to an increased risk of probation violations.   Probation officers use this risk assessment to determine how to most effectively allocate their resources of time and energy, while attempting to insure that each offender receives sufficient amounts of each to prevent violations of the probation agreement, and to catch any violations that do occur. Although it may seem irrational, I believe that if I were a PO I would prefer to supervise medium to high level risks, simply because the research indicates that – regardless of risk assessment – there is an inverse relationship between repeat violations and the level of supervision offenders receive.   It is my opinion that officers who are assigned low risk offenders may be less vigilant about catching offenses, or that the offenders may feel like they have sufficient opportunity to engage in criminal behavior, which results in a greater danger to potential victims of these crimes.   An officer supervising a released rapist, for example, may find it easier to attain needed resources than one supervising an identity thief, despite the fact that the identity thief is as likely to re-offend – simply because rape is an assault crime. Midterm

The Things They Carried By Tim O Brian - 935 Words

Othering is the social outcasting of those who are different then the masses. This is the justification behind such events as the holocaust, segregation and assimilation. Today many books illustrate this. The book The Things They Carried,Tim O’Brian portrayed a character named Mary in the Sweetheart Song of Tra Bong. In Muas authored by Art Spiegelman the jews are othered in the most horrific way. Cristina Henriquez in her novel The Book of Unknown Americans she depicts the character Maribel is other because of her mental disability. During the Vietnam war the soldier had the most devastating ptsd often to comp the soldier would turn to things that would remind them of home. Mary is brought to Vietnam to comfort her man in such a place of turmoil. The men does not mind her presence and joke with each other about it. One man comments â€Å"‘A real tiger,’ said Eddie Diamond. ‘D-cup guts, trainer-bra brains.’† (92). The men like having a women a round to tease her boyfriend about. Although the men are not malicious towards her, their mindset about Mary is a form othering. She brakes this subordination by daring to mingle with the natives. the men so resent her â€Å"The girl joined the zoo. One more animal – end of story.† 102 it was like she switched breeds. this depict the deep rooted resentment the solders have for the vietnamese for because of them they had to be in the hell of war. By the end of the story Mary is a new women. In her last appearance she is in theShow MoreRelatedFake Love in The Things They Carried by Tim O ´Brian Essay518 Words   |  3 Pagesthe war is over. Jimmy Cross, for example, feels bereft after the war because his hope for happiness in Martha is dashed by her rejection.† (Loneliness and Isolation.) While reading the book The Things They Carried by Tim OBrian, a reader can easily come across many items that represent certain things for the carrier. All these items are symbols for those men and women. 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