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Medieval Torture Techniques, 2006.
This paper explores the true depths of human torment that were endured during medieval times.
2,130 words (approx. 8.5 pages), 5 sources, APA, AU$ 109.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the various torture devices used in medieval times including the head crusher, the hanging cages, the wheel, thumbscrews and the rack among others. This paper details how each torture mechanism had its own method for pushing the physical and psychological limits of a fellow human being to the maximum.
From the Paper
"The Wheel was one of the most excruciating methods of torture and execution practiced in medieval Europe, in that it was not only painful but also humiliating. Second only to hanging the wheel was the most prevalent means of execution employed throughout Germanic Europe from the early Middle Ages until the dawn of the eighteenth century. In this particular process the victim was forced to lie naked on the ground, with all four of his limbs spread out and bound to stakes or iron rings."
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The Justification of Torture, 2008.
An overview of the torture techniques used by the French in the Battle of Algiers.
1,647 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 5 sources, APA, AU$ 88.95
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Abstract
This paper gives an overview of the use of torture in general and specifically the torture techniques used by the French military in their interrogation efforts during the Battle of Algiers. The paper also discusses the rationale behind the use of torture. Additionally, the paper identifies the costs and benefits of using torture and looks at the lessons that can be learned from France's use of torture during the Battle of Algiers. Lastly, the writer discusses his own views on the use of torture.
Outline;
Torture
Rationalization for Torture
Benefits of Torture
Costs of Torture
Battle of Algiers and the U.S. War on Terror
Analysis
From the Paper
"Although the French military won the first round in the Battle of Algiers, France ultimately lost the war and withdrew from Algeria in 1962 leaving the FLN as the new rulers. The use of torture and notorious interrogation techniques may have been a tactical success, but it was undoubtedly a strategic failure for the French. The torture techniques used by French military heightened support for nationalists in and out of Algeria. Torture use also discredited the French army and in the process, senior ranks in the French military became disenchanted with the French civilian leadership which eventually led to several senior officers to turn against the government and to attempt to assassinate French President De Gaulle. Torture further led to domestic political scandals in France, and traumatized French political life for decades. "
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Torture Defined, 2008.
A descriptive essay on torture, covering the historical background and the support for and against this treatment.
2,046 words (approx. 8.2 pages), 4 sources, MLA, AU$ 106.95
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Abstract
The paper defines torture and describes the two types of torture, physical and mental. The paper elucidates on the results of torture having life-long negative emotional and psychological effects. The paper then also describes torture as the utilization or threatened utilization of mind and body altering drugs, or the threat of imminent death or severe physical or mental pain. . The paper concludes that there is ample evidence that there is little if any validity to the use of torture in actually gaining information, or making the world a safer place, in fact in the case of terrorists our own acts of hypocrisy further feed the fire of hatred for the West and all she stands for.
Outline:
Introduction
History of Torture
Support for Torture
Arguments against Torture
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The work then goes on to describe the utilization or threatened utilization of mind and body altering drugs, the threat of imminent death, or the threat of imminent death or severe physical or mental pain to another. (29) In this message the acknowledgement of the legal and social restrictions of the use of torture is not only implied but demonstratively agreed upon by the preeminent legal body of the United States. It would seem strange then that this nation and others who have taken public stands against the utilization of torture continue to keep it in their own arsenal of tactics for use against those who are perceived as threatening to the nation or the world. In fact in Levinson's introduction it is stated that at the time of the compilation and publish of the work 130 nations had ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which went into force in 1987 some nations and organizations have spoken out individually in addition through national legislation and the ratification of other documents which are to be considered core national and international doctrines and law, and yet torture still occurs on a daily basis, and is condoned and utilized even by those nations that profess through official means to never use or condone it, including but certainly not limited to the US, Great Britain and Israel, all of who have been found in legal arenas to be guilty of it. Levinson even quotes a confessed and convicted torturer as saying that when we as a world stop speaking out against torture in official ways, we as a world will cease to be human. Of coarse this is not to say that rogue nations, terrorists and other political bodies do not also use such tactics, as can be seen in the autobiographical work, Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number, by Jacobo Timmerman. The work accounts a long ordeal of torture and imprisonment at the hands of the Argentinean government under a totalitarian regime in the 1970s. "
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Torture, 2004.
An analysis of the possible benefits of torture as a measure to ensure national security.
5,330 words (approx. 21.3 pages), 13 sources, MLA, AU$ 216.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the timeliness of torture as a current issue. Additionally, international laws in place today are investigated and evaluated. The nature of information obtained in the practice of torture and its reliability is examined. The paper puts forward necessary qualifications for the potential legitimization of torture in accordance with recommendations for the future. The paper contends that, essentially, the possible benefits of torture as a measure to ensure national security demand that its uses be formally assessed.
Outline
Introduction
Why Should Torture Be Discussed?
Current International Law
Effectiveness of Torture
Arguments For and Against Legitimized Torture
Possible Qualifications for Legitimization of Torture
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The mere utterance of the word ?torture? immediately demands a psychological response from any who hear it. Most individuals feel uncomfortable even imagining it, let alone acknowledging that it has happened to people before, and that it will probably happen to people again. A common response is to simply not allow the concept to enter your mind?if someone is in excruciating pain, look away. This is the response most analogous to the face governments attempt to put on the practice. Obviously, no democratic government wants to be thought of as cruel or inhumane by its citizenry or by the international community. Accordingly, torture remains a topic generally outlawed, and yet unhindered by rigid repercussions. To personify most governments, when torture is used in other parts of the world they turn their heads."
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Outsiders of the Medieval Imagination, 2001.
A discussion of Medieval spirituality and imagination that guided Medieval people's belief system and differentiated between conformer and non-conformer.
5,055 words (approx. 20.2 pages), 7 sources, AU$ 210.95
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Abstract
A look at the Medieval imagination. The author discusses the idea of spirituality of the Medieval people that considered outsiders as non-conformists, or people that were viewed as sub-human (people with abnormalities etc.) and used the imagination to differentiate between the real and the spiritual world.
From the Paper
"The idea of an outsider is present in all medieval works, this is a society of conformists and those non-conformists were all looked upon as outsiders; but what about the idea of outsiders that come not from the community but from another invisible world altogether. The idea of monsters have existed from ancient times, and even to the modern day with bogey men, but in the middle ages we find a plethora of monsters of all shapes and sizes. One need only look in the elaborately illuminated bestiaries of the medieval period to discover creatures from every realm of the imagination, from the saintly unicorn to the demonic dragon. These creatures, widely influenced by pagan mythology but with their own Christian twists, served an important part of the concept of the medieval persons concept of otherness. If the limit of otherness was not defined by only the human spectrum there was no limit to the amount of difference that a medieval person could differentiate between themselves and those seen as sub-human, such as Jews, heretics, and lepers."
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Medieval Societies, 2005.
This paper discusses some works of medieval literature that focus on medieval warrior societies.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 5 sources, MLA, AU$ 104.95
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Abstract
This paper studies Chretien De Troyes "Arthurian Romances", Seamus Heaney's "Beowulf" and other medieval literature that focus on medieval warrior societies, particularly concepts of heroism, ethics and spirituality as illustrated in the works.
From the Paper
"Medieval societies during the era of Beowulf and the Arthurian Romances were undergoing transformation from pagan illiterate societieswhere codes of conduct governed social relations and together with reason brought happiness. The warrior societies described in Chretien de Troyes' "Arthurian Romances" and Seamus Heaney's "Beowulf" along with other literature of the medieval era, show the ideals of reason and code of conduct as the foundation of human happiness. The character of Beowulf clearly expresses this ideal."
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The Use of Torture, 2006.
A look at arguments against the use of torture, even in extreme circumstances.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 5 sources, AU$ 58.95
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Abstract
Arguments against the use of torture, even in rare extreme circumstances, generally focus on the violation of humanity that occurs when a person is tortured. Torture, critics state, has a devastating affect on a victim's physical, mental, and social well being; it inflicts psychological agony which lasts indefinitely, creates a sense of disconnection in the individual and violates the tortured person's dignity and trust, as stated by Allen S. Keller, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the Director of the Bellevue NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. This paper reviews and discusses arguments put forth against the use of torture.
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"Medieval Women" by Eileen Power, 2001.
This paper reviews the book, "Medieval Women" by Eileen Power, which pieces together the often-fragmented histories of medieval women using a variety of primary sources.
750 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 1 source, AU$ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, according to Eileen Power in ?Medieval Women?, early social notions regarding the nature of women and their role in society were created by the two most powerful classes of the age, the Church and the aristocracy, and only later were modified slightly by the urban middle class, which rose to prominence in the later Middle Ages. The author points out that, in the area of home and marriage, Power uses letters, wills, and household inventories to support her depiction of women. The paper relates that, because the proportion of women to men was greater within the noble ranks, many women were unable to wed; therefore, for them, monasticism was the only alternative to marriage.
From the Paper
"A considerable portion of the book is spent discussing various facets of the medieval lady?s life and when the bourgeois and peasants are discussed she often presents them in contrast to the noble woman. Many accounts of medieval women nobility often present only one view of their experience, depicting either a fanciful and luxurious life or the bleakness of being regarded as chattel. Fortunately Power draws from the writings of Christine De Pisan, one of the rare women of the Middle Ages to earn a living solely through her writing, to address the way in which the romanticized chivalry of the age overshadows the reality of their existence."
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Italian Cities in Medieval Europe, 2002.
This paper examines why Italian cities in medieval times developed at a faster rate than other European cities, becoming the richest in medieval Europe, possibly the world.
1,354 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 8 sources, APA, AU$ 75.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the reasons behind the huge development of medieval Italian cities in relation to the rest of Europe. These factors include: Their superior organization, military history, geographical advantages in terms of trade and commerce and the unique form of government dividing the country into city states.
From the Paper
"Medieval times saw an expansion in city life all across Europe, but nowhere more so than in Italy. As early as the tenth century, Italian towns, though still inferior to those in the East, had become far larger than those in other Catholic European countries. From 1100-1250, the population of many Italian cities grew considerably, rising from around 5,000-6,000 people to between 30,000-40,000. This was because of a number of factors, most notably the commercial revolution and explosion of trade, which Italy was in a unique position to exploit, due, among other things, to her history and geographical location."
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"The Case for Torture", 2005.
Position paper arguing against Michael Levine's essay about the use of torture and when it is justifiable.
1,154 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, AU$ 65.95
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Abstract
The author of this paper takes a strong argument against Michael Levine's position that, under certain circumstances, governments are justified in using torture. The author of the paper criticizes the example Levine uses in his essay, "The Case for Torture", arguing that the premise of Levine's example is too simplistic and unrealistic. The author offers additional rebuttals to Levine's arguments for the use of torture, including the fact that torture is against international law, the validity of information received from someone who has been tortured is rarely reliable, and government-authorized torture threatens the very foundation of democracy.
From the Paper
"In my opinion, Michael Levin?s arguments in his essay, "The Case for Torture?, cannot be sustained and are easily dismantled for the simple fact that they are not fully logical and are too much based on simple suppositions and false premises. I will be able in my essay to dismantle his arguments one by one, so as in the end to prove that the use of torture, under any circumstances, is not only immoral, unethical and illegal (under international laws), but also impracticable."
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Medieval Towns: Crafts and Guilds, 2005.
A review of an article by Gervase Rosser about the economic and work culture dynamics of medieval communities.
2,373 words (approx. 9.5 pages), 6 sources, MLA, AU$ 119.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews Rosser's article about how medieval crafts and guilds functioned in a society in medieval England. The paper also talks about Rosser's effort to rebut many of the generalizations, myths, and factually incorrect views that are currently or previously held by scholars and historians of the medieval era.
The Emergence of Guilds and Their Impact on Workers and the Economy
The Rise of the Guilds in Social Power and Community Prominence
Were Guilds the Historical Framework for the Genesis and Evolution of Formal Organizations?
The Decline of the Crafts and Guilds
Weird Things about Medieval English Life and Times
Biographical Sketch of Gervase Rosser
From the Paper
"Rosser goes to enormous lengths to make clear why he is explaining the misconceptions and misunderstandings with reference to how life in the working world of Medieval England really took place. Rosser is a writer of obvious skill when it comes to deep scholarly thinking; he is a writer who more often than not takes the intellectual high road. But Rosser also apparently realizes that the reader may not be able to climb every step of the way with him on his scholarly ascent, so he takes brief moments to define his terms in more lay-friendly language."
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Torture and the American Culture, 2007.
This paper argues the conflict between the situation of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the American culture.
1,475 words (approx. 5.9 pages), 6 sources, APA, AU$ 80.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the use of torture is counter to the U.S. constitution; however, American ethnocentrism, which includes the beliefs that the country represents all that is good and decent and honorable and that freedom and the American way of life must be defended at all costs tend to underscore the acceptance of the use of torture in the case of preventing terrorism. The author believes that the White House response to photos of young military personnel at Abu Graib prision sexually assaulting and humiliating prisoners was to imply that only a few poorly supervised bad apple MPs would do such things. The paper states that, although President Bush says publicly that the U.S. is committed to the worldwide elimination of torture as an inalienable human right, the Bush administration actually fosters and encourages torture.
From the Paper
"Information and confessions obtained by torture are notoriously unreliable. People will say anything to escape the pain being inflicted upon them. Pain and fear are what torture is all about in tactics such as holding a person's head under water or wiring a mans hands, legs, and penis in order to deliver electric shocks. The people who are tortured are not necessarily guilty either. Many haven't even been charged. When Congress watched 1800 slides and several videos (three hours worth) of Abu Ghraib Prison, they saw American soldiers sexually assault prisoners with chemical light sticks."
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Medieval Philosophy, 2002.
This paper discusses Scholasticism and medieval culture.
1,170 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 5 sources, MLA, AU$ 67.95
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Abstract
This paper examines 11th and 12th century Scholasticism and the role it played in medieval culture. The author focuses on understanding scholasticism, scholasticism influences. Discusses the beginnings of scholasticism, the medieval cosmology, question of the universal, the "Book of Sentences", the translation of the work of Aristotle, and major philosophers of the medieval period.
From the Paper
"In the Middle Ages, there was a philosophy and theology of Western Christendom known scholasticism (scholasticism, 1993). Almost any accomplished philosopher at this time was also a theologian. This was evident in the way they included theological writings in many of their philosophies. Although the Middle Ages had several scholastic philosophies, the basis of ?all scholastic thought was the conjunction of faith and reason (scholasticism, 1993).? The greatest philosophers were able to rationalize and understand faith by the use of reason. Through this reasoning, philosophies not related to theology were developed and taught by these ?medieval thinkers (scholasticism, 1993).?"
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"Medieval Stereotypes and Modern Antisemitism", 2005.
A review of the book "Medieval Stereotypes and Modern Antisemitism" by Robert Chazan.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 1 source, AU$ 73.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how in "Medieval Stereotypes and Modern Antisemitism", Robert Chazan addresses the complexities of modern antisemitism within a broader historical context. It looks at how he notes in his introduction, that critical analyses of antisemitism and anti Judaism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries confidently rooted these prejudices within the complex political and religious relations of medieval Christian Europe. However the Nazi Holocaust of the twentieth century compelled a radical revision of these earlier assumptions with many commentators arguing that modern antisemitism must be dissociated from the anti Judaism of medieval Europe.
From the Paper
"In Medieval Stereotypes and Modern Antisemitism Robert Chazan addresses the complexities of modern antisemitism within a broader historical context. As he notes in his introduction, critical analyses of antisemitism and anti-Judaism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had confidently rooted these prejudices within the complex political and religious relations of medieval Christian Europe. However, the Nazi Holocaust of the twentieth century compelled a radical revision of these earlier assumptions, with many commentators arguing that modern antisemitism must be dissociated from the anti-Judaism of medieval Europe (Chazan ix-x). "
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Medieval Romantic Literature, 2004.
An exploration of the element of the medieval in Keats, Tennyson, Carlyle and Ruskin.
3,653 words (approx. 14.6 pages), 10 sources, MLA, AU$ 167.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the literary works of Keats, Tennyson, Carlyle and Ruskin, focusing on the medieval element in their works. The paper analyzes how John Keats and Alfred Tennyson captured the essence of the medieval in their work, returning to a time that was simpler but just as exotic. The paper presents Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin, who also refer to medieval aspects of society to enhance and emphasize their messages about society. The paper contends that these writers build on themes that are familiar to us, explaining that their references allow us to make connections that might otherwise be lost in the barrage of descriptions.
From the Paper
"The notion of the medieval romance has inspired literature for generations. The magic of the Arthurian romance can be traced to Celtic origins, which adds to it appeal when we look at it through the prism of post-medieval literature. The revival of the medieval romance can be viewed as an opposition against modern and intellectual movement that became vogue in modern Europe. These romances often emphasized the human emotions rather than the human intellect and a return to more classical traditions. Poets and writers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries did not want to feel the oppression from the constraints of their time. Instead, they looked beyond the intellectual to a more mystical and emotional realm. They wanted to achieve another level in their writing--one that allowed them to stretch their imaginations and their knowledge. The medieval aspects that we find in literature from this era accentuates a different type of thinking and writing that desired to be different yet familiar."
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Medieval Art and Architecture, 2004.
An analysis of medieval art and architecture.
1,526 words (approx. 6.1 pages), 5 sources, MLA, AU$ 83.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the notion that architects and artists working in medieval Europe borrowed ideas from all the cultures surrounding the Mediterranean or coming across the central European mountain ranges. The paper presents examples of this cross-culturalism, with a focus on Islam being the most influential of the cultural donors to medieval art and architecture. The paper contends that, although these examples do not definitively trace any single aspect of Islam into Western ecclesiastical art, they do serve as an indication that it is impossible to consider any medieval art, no matter how isolated we think Europe of the Middle Ages must have been, without considering the very substantial trade, not to mention wars and incursions, that made the traditions of one culture available to the others.
From the Paper
"In addition, the precursors of Islamic art and architecture?elements that continued to inform their vision throughout their expansion into Spain and later, via their export to ?corporate? Europe by returning Crusaders?cannot be surgically removed from any consideration of so-called Islamic influences on medieval European art and architecture. Rather, they must be viewed as a substrate that upheld the Islamic vision by virtue of continuous adherence in the society in which Islam was born, and therefore as an unbroken line into the monastic traditions of medieval Europe. It was, moreover, the monastic tradition that formed the bedrock on which all other medieval art and architecture achievements were based; the monasteries were the repositories, after all, of the learning that would otherwise have been lost."
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