Capital Punishment :: essays research papers

Capital Punishment is the legal infliction of death as a penalty for violating criminal law. It has been around for thousands of years and still continues to execute people today. Capital Punishment is inhumane and in some cases sentences the innocent to death. It is obviously the most severe form of criminal punishment. Being morally unjust, the purpose of it has no significance. Killing a person for their wrongdoings does not in anyway help our society. Capital Punishment must be abolished. Capital Punishment originated in Ancient Times. The first evidence of capital punishment is from Hammurabi’s Code, a book of Babylonian Law, from 1700 B.C. Hammurabi himself suggested: â€Å"an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth.† Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. This is one form of capital punishment. The bible talks about capital punishment. One example of capital punishment in the bible is â€Å"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death† (Exodus 21:12). It also suggest stoning a woman is she has unmarried sex. By the end of the 15th century, England had recognized 7 major crimes that deserved the death penalty. Throughout the 1800’s more than 200 crimes were recognized as punishable by death. Many countries in our present day world applied the death penalty throughout the past. Some reasons for the death penalty include betraying the King or Queen, going against ones religion, cheating on your spouse, theft, murder, burglary, r ape, and arson. Also, in early Egypt one could be put to death for disclosing the location of sacred burial sites. Some methods of capital punishment include crucifixion, stoning, drowning, burning at the stake, impaling, beheading, and the electric chair. Today, capital punishment is accomplished by lethal gas or injection, electrocution, hanging, or shooting. As of 2000, 72 countries no longer used the death penalty for any crimes. Another 13 countries authorized it only for exceptional crimes. It is reserved for individuals who commit the most violent or serious crimes, such as murder or treason. None of the countries in Western Europe utilize the trend of capital punishment, nor do most countries in South America. Asian and Islamic nations tend to practice capital punishment. The majority of countries in Africa, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo also make use of it.

Harivansh Rai Bachan Essay

Harivanshrai Srivastav (November 27, 1907 – January 18, 2003) was a Hindi poet. He born in an ordinary Kayasth family in a small town near Allahabad. He was called â€Å"bachchan† at home, which means â€Å"child.† He received his formal schooling in a municipal school and attended Kayasth Paathshaalas to learn Urdu, which was the family tradition so as to help getting jobs in court. He completed his later education both at the Allahabad University and Banaras Hindu University. Since he gave up his university education to participate in the great upsurge of nationalism that began in 1930. Realizing that this was not the path he wanted to follow, he went back to university. However from 1941 to 1952 he taught in the English Department at the Allahabad University and after that he spent the next two years at Cambridge University doing his doctoral thesis on W.B. Yeats. It was then, that he used ‘Bachchan’ as his last name instead of Srivasta. Harivanshrai’s thesis got him his PhD at Cambridge. He however is the second Indian to get his doctorate in English literature from Cambridge. After returning to India he again took to teaching and also served at All India Radio, Allahabad. In 1955, Harivanshrai shifted to Delhi to join the External Affairs Ministry as an officer on Special duty and during the period of 10 years that he served he was also associated with the evolution of Hindi as the official language. He also enriched Hindi through his translations of major writings. As a poet is famous for his poem Madhushala (a bar selling alcoholic drinks). Besides Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, he will also be remembered for his Hindi translations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Othello and also the Bhagvad Gita. However in Nov 1984 he wrote his last poem ‘Ek November1984’ on Indira Gandhi’s assassination. He got married to Shyama his first wife in 1926. She was just 14 yrs old. But she died 10 yrs later after suffering from a long spell of TB. Shortly after her death Harivanshrai married Teji Suri in 1942. The birth of his two sons Amitabh and Ajitabh changed the course of his life as his days of hardship ended when both his sons did extremely well in their careers – Amitabh became a superstar and a multi billionaire and Ajitab turned out to be a successful business magnate in England. Harivanshrai was nominated to the Indian Rajya Sabha in 1966 and received the Sahitya Akademi award three years later. In 1976 he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his immense contribution to Hindi literature. He was also honoured with the Saraswati Samman, the Sovietland Nehru Award and the Lotus Award of the Afro-Asian writers’ conference, for his unique contribution to the world of letters. But if ever asked to introduce himself, he had a simple introduction: Mitti ka tan, masti ka man, kshan-bhar jivan — mera parichay. (A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment’s life – that is me.). Dr. Harivanshrai Bachchan’ passed away on January 18, 2003, Dr Bachchan was 94 years old and had been suffering from serious respiratory ailments.

Three Books Written by Indias Author, Anand Neelakantan...

Devayani - A divine demonic love story Devayani is the only daughter of the Asura Guru Shukracharya and her father dotes on the motherless child. A spirited and sprightly girl, Devayani thinks that she is the most beautiful girl in the Asura kingdom. At eighteen, she is not short of suitors in her country. Asura civilization is at its peak and her father, Guru Shukracharya is the most important man in her country. He has discovered the secret to immortality with his tapasya and King Vruvpaksha will do anything the Guru asks for. In his quest for Maha Mrityunjaya Sanjeevini Mantra, the elixir of immortality, the Asura Guru has beaten his friend turned foe, Guru Brihaspathy, the teacher of Devas. With the secret mantra to wake up all the†¦show more content†¦They kill Kacha in the forest and feed him to the wolves. Devayani begs her father to bring Kacha back. Risking the wrath of Asura King, Shukracharya brings Kacha back to life for the sake of his daughter. The entire country starts treating the father and daugh ter as pariahs, but Shukracharya would do anything for the sake of his beloved daughter. Asura spies strike again. When there are only a few hours to go for Indra’s deadline to be over, Asuras kill Kacha, chop him into pieces and mix the pieces with the meat that is served to Shukracharya in the Royal Banquet. When Devayani knows about it, she begs her father to revive Kacha again. Shukracharya is in a fix. If he revives Kacha, who is already in his stomach, he will be killed. He asks his daughter to choose whether she wants her father alive or Kacha. Devayani is shattered, but she chooses her lover over her father who had doted on her from childhood. A heartbroken Shukracharya says he will sacrifice his life and the trust an entire country had placed on him for the sake of his daughter’s happiness. When Kacha starts coming out of Shukracharya’s stomach and as Shukracharya is dying, Devayani panics and asks Shukracharya to teach Kacha the mantra. She extracts a promise from Kacha that he would revive her father once he learns the secret. However,