An Analysis of Fairies as a Literary Device In Medieval Folklore Essay

An Analysis of Fairies as a Literary Device In Medieval Folklore - Essay Example A number of saints holidays (that happened to coincide with older holidays) help to ease the layperson's transition from pagan beliefs into a more Christian view of the world. These beliefs in the old magic evolved into literary devices when incorporated into folk tales, frequently used to either juxtapose the new and old beliefs, to distinguish between the two, to either reconcile them or to show the superiority of the new religion, as Christianity soon became omnipresent in medieval life. These Christian elements came to be exhibited retroactively through romantic tales of chivalry, for what was once an ethos of "might makes right" soon were thought to exemplify such Christian ethics as the mighty defending the weak, or the application of mercy. The reverence of the Virgin Mary developed into a reverence of all women and the notion of courtly love. However, these patterns spread slowly. To examine these elements in an evolutionary, if not exactly chronological, orderone can focus o n such examples as the lais "Bisclavret" and "Yonic" by Marie de France and the J. R. R. Tolkien translations of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Sir Orfeo." Marie de France's lais "Bisclavret," or "The Werewolf," approaches the notion of magic through the title character's curse of transforming into a werewolf. A brief summary of the plot describes Bisclavaret's curse, his wife discovering it, and then her subsequent betrayal of her husband in favor of another man which results in Bisclavret being trapped in wolf form. As a wolf, he eventually wins the respect of the king, who allows the wolf to stay at the castle. The wolf is well behaved until he meets is betrayers, at which point his animosity is so great that the court recalls the woman's lost husband. She confesses, Bisclavret is restored and the couple are exiled. In the context of this story, the author holds no implicit distrust of magic: it is viewed as a condition pre-dating the arrival of Christianity (paralleling evils of human nature), and while it proves a cursed inconvenience, it in no way prohibits Bisclavret from acting nobly while in wolf form: "He's never touched anyo ne, / or shown any wickedness, / except to this woman."1 The plot instead focuses on Christian moralizing, i.e. the evils of the wife and knight's betrayal of their lord (thereby breaking the holy covenant of marriage, as wel as the knight's forswearing of fealty to his lord) , and their subsequent punishment. The loophole provided by magic actually provides a more satisfactory retribution than mere Christian conscience would allow, for the Church would undoubtedly promote the notion of mercy, forgiveness and leniency. The couple are allowed this to an extent, as they are merely exiled with no other pronouncement of punishment. But magic allows a more telling retribution: when the wolf attacked the woman, he bit off her nose. Not only is she nose-less for the rest of her life, but several of her daughters were also born without noses, thus continuing the medieval tradition of a flawed character revealing itself in physical defect. While Bisclavret's condition proves the means of his eventual revenge, the father of the title character "Yonec" uses magical transformation for different reasons and with different results. This

Rock and Roll Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rock and Roll - Essay Example As the decade reached its end, the Rock and Roll had become a phenomenon that helped delineate the differences between the children and the adults. Rock and Roll originated in African American Blues and Gospel. Suburban teens were attracted to the sounds of Rhythm and Blues with the migration of the African Americans to the northern cities in large numbers. However, racism and segregation deterred many great artists of the genre from getting much exposure or attention. Alan Freed, the Disc jockey started a show of rhythm-and-blues played on the Cleveland radio station. The number of people liking the show grew in no time, thus causing Freed to coin the â€Å"rock and roll† term (Halper, 2001, p. 169). White artists first tried to cover the R&B songs but that led to weaker renditions which were not comparable to the originals in any way. This caused the record producers to start searching for a white artist for capturing the African American sound. â€Å"In 1955 â€Å"Rock around the Clock† was rock and roll: the first number 1 hit that was neither pop nor a white cover of a rhythm-and-blues song† (Campbell and Brody, 2007, p. 105). A Memphis record producer, Sam Phillips, identified the answer in Elvis Presley who took an old style and with his pouty lips, deep Southern sound, and gyrating hips, made it his own. The sound extended far and wide from Memphis, causing a drastic increase in the demand for Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley gained immense popularity in the entertainment business in a span of time as short as two years. â€Å"With his totally uninhibited stage manner, teen-tough dress, greased hair in a pompadour, and energetic singing style, Elvis projected a rebellious attitude that many teens found overwhelmingly attractive† (Campbell and Brody, 2007, p. 105). After the opening up of the door to the acceptance of rock and roll, many performers of the African American origin including Fats Domino, Chuck

Cuban Revolution Essay Example for Free

Cuban Revolution Essay The effects of the Cuban Revolution on women’s lives and gender relations in Cuba from 1959 to 1990 include that some say women have not reached equality yet with men, women gained more opportunities for themselves, economy and politics, and also how women still had responsibility for children and home, not men. One effect of the Cuban Revolution on women was the thought that women still have not reached equality with men. Ofelia Dominguez Navarra (#1), a female Cuban socialist feminist, believes an effect of the Cuban Revolution will change the social status of women to be less patriarchal. As a Cuban feminist, she probably believed this because the revolutionaries could change the Cuban Civil Code. Fidel Castro (#5), the Cuban president, believes an effect of the Cuban Revolution on women’s gender relations is that they will still be discriminated against, but will take some more time before women have full equality. Castro probably has this point of view because his audience was women and he wanted to be realistic so they understand the effort it is going to take to stop the oppression of women. Alina Fernandez (#6), a new mother and the daughter of president Castro, believes that despite the Cuban Revolution, there was no effect change in women’s rights in the home. Being expelled by her own father, she probably believes this because she lost her future job and now must struggle on her own to support her baby. An additional document that would help see their point of views how women did not gain much would be a letter from a single mother or supporter that did not get help with her problems. This would be helpful because it would show that even after the revolution, there was not a great effect for some women in a good way, and possibly even made it a harder life to care for her kids and herself. Another effect of the Cuban Revolution on women was that women gained more opportunities for themselves, economy, and politics. Yolanda Ferrer (#2), a female politician of Cuba, expresses her belief that an effect of the Cuban Revolution on women was that a school for peasant women was created to teach basic job skills. As a woman, she probably believed this was good because it educated women and got them out of the house into jobs, which they had previously been excluded from. Genoveva Diaz, daughter of a Cuban revolutionary (#4), states her belief in an interview in 1970 that an effect on women from the Cuban Revolution gave women more opportunities to work in society and become equal to men. She probably had this point of view because before the revolution, women did not have freedom, money, or facilities to study; which are accessible now for women to use and work in society. A Cuban mother interviewed by a United States journalist in 1980(#7), believes that an effect of the Cuban Revolution on women was the Family Code introduction, which guarantees equal rights to women in their homes. She probably believes this because day care centers help them and her daughters are able to collect an education. The United Nations, along with other international organizations (#8), collected data from Latin American communities to show that an effect of the Cuban Revolution was that women went from being significantly less educated than men to ability to be equally literate and involve a contribution to the economy. They had this point of view because of the social changes happening between 1953 and 1982 that caused the illiteracy rate of women to drop, as well as men, and increased the participation of women in the economy. The Communist Party (#9), showed an effect of the Cuban Revolution on women over time had an increased say in government and women’s rights. As politicians in Cuba, the Communists party published this because it made them look like a better political party due to the increased number of women participating in political matters, which they approve. An additional document that would be helpful seeing the positive effects of the revolution would be a speech from a political leader about how the growth of women has been surprising and helpful to the country. This would help because it would recognize how women’s contributions are needed to strengthen the country and prosper. Also, an effect of the Cuban Revolution on women was how women were still responsible for taking care of the children and home, not the men. A male Cuban revolutionary sympathizer (#3), expresses his thoughts about women’s rights to an anthropologist in 1969, believing that an effect on women’s lives from the Cuban Revolution was that it gave women more freedom by gaining jobs, which he thought was wrong. As a male Cuban, he has this belief because it takes power away from men and time away from household tasks that aren’t preformed throughout the day by the woman. Vilma Espin, a female scientist, president of the Federation of Cuban women, and a member of the Cuban Communist Party’s Central Committee (#10), believes an effect of the Cuban Revolution on women is that they created a more stressful life to handle. She probably believes this because women gained jobs, but are still held responsible for raising children and household chores, rather than men contribute. An additional document that would be helpful on understanding this effect would be a journal entry or letter from a wife with children who had a job, creating a â€Å"double work shift. This would be helpful because we would get a look at first hand experience how hard and tiring it was to be responsible for so many things at high expectations from men. Thus, the effects of the Cuban Revolution on women’s lives and gender relations in Cuba from 1959 to 1990 include that some say women have not reached equality yet with men, women gained more opportunities for themselves, economy and politics, and also how women still had responsibility for children and home, rather than men.

Race And Crime In The United States Criminology Essay

Race And Crime In The United States Criminology Essay The relationship between race and crime in the United States has been a topic of public controversy and scholarly debate for more than a century.[1] Since the 1980s, the debate has centered around the causes of and contributing factors to the disproportional representation of racial minorities (particularly African Americans, hence Black crime) at all stages of the criminal justice system, including arrests, prosecutions and incarcerations.[2] Many theories of causation have been proposed, the most prominent of which assume predominantly social and/or environmental causes, though notable exceptions argue for a reconsideration of the role of biology.[3] Sociologist Orlando Patterson has summarized the controversy as a dispute between liberal and conservative criminologists in which both parties focus on a single aspect of the causal net, with liberals focusing on factors external to the groups in question and conservatives focusing on internal cultural and behavioral factors.[4] History Further information: Anthropological criminology http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/WEB_DuBois_1918.jpg/150px-WEB_DuBois_1918.jpg http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png W. E. B. Du Bois, one of the pioneers in the study of race and crime in the United States. The relationship between race and crime has been an area of study for criminologists since the emergence of anthropological criminology in the late 19th century.[5] Cesare Lombroso, founder of the Italian school of criminology, argued that criminal behavior was the product of biological factors, including race. This biological perspective was criticized by early 20th century scholars, including Frances Kellor, Johan Thorsten Sellin and William Du Bois, who argued that other circumstances, such as social and economic conditions, were the central factors which led to criminal behavior, regardless of race. Du Bois traced the causes of the disproportional representation of Blacks in the criminal justice system back to the improperly handled emancipation of Black slaves in general and the convict leasing program in particular. In 1901, he wrote: There are no reliable statistics to which one can safely appeal to measure exactly the growth of crime among the emancipated slaves. About seventy per cent of all prisoners in the South are black; this, however, is in part explained by the fact that accused Negroes are still easily convicted and get long sentences, while whites still continue to escape the penalty of many crimes even among themselves. And yet allowing for all this, there can be no reasonable doubt but that there has arisen in the South since the [civil] war a class of black criminals, loafers, and neer-do-wells who are a menace to their fellows, both black and white.[6] The debate that ensued remained largely academic until the late 20th century, when the relationship between race and crime became a recognized field of specialized study in criminology. As Helen T. Greene and Shaun L. Gabbidon, professor of criminal justice at Pennsylvania State University, note in their recently published Encyclopedia of Race and Crime (2009), many criminology and criminal justice programs now either require or offer elective courses on the topic of the relationship between race and crime.[7] Crime rate statistics Murder and non-negligent homicide There were 14,180 victims and 16,277 perpetrators of murder and non-negligent homicide reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI in 2008.[25] The following table presents the racial demographics of murder in the United States for 2008 (with other including Asian American, Native American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander American):[26] à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Offendersà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Black victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Other victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Unknown victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 32.8% 48.2% 83.3% 7.6% 30.0% 37.0% Black 36.5% 47.8% 13.8% 90.0% 16.7% 29.0% Other 1.7% 2.3% 1.2% 0.3% 52.0% 3.0% Unknown 29.0% 1.7% 1.6% 2.1% 1.2% 31.0% African Americans, constituting approximately 12% of the general population, were significantly overrepresented in the total arrests made. African Americans were also significantly overrepresented in victimization, representing 47% of all murder victims. White Americans and individuals of Other race were significantly underrepresented in cases of murder and non-negligible homicide in 2008. Murder in White American and African American populations were overwhelmingly intraracial, with 83% of all White victims and 90% of all Black victims having been murdered by individuals of the same race. The same was true, though to a lesser degree, for individuals of Other race, with 52% having been murdered by individuals also of Other race. [edit] Non-lethal violent crime Law enforcement agencies made 2,487 arrests for forcible rape, 27,476 arrests for robbery and 42,779 arrests for aggravated assault in 2008.[27] The following table presents the racial demographics of these non-lethal violent crimes in the United States for 2008: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Rapeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Robberyà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Aggravated assaultà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 58.3% 65.2% 41.7% 63.3% Black 39.4% 32.2% 56.7% 34.2% Native 1.2% 1.2% 0.7% 1.4% Asian/Pacific Islander 1.1% 1.4% 0.9% 1.2% White Americans were arrested more than any other race for non-lethal violent crimes in 2008, making up 58% of all arrests. White Americans, constituted approximately 79% of the total population. This survey does not make a distinction between non hispanic whites and hispanic whites. Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans, constituted approximately 4% of the total population made up only 1% of total arrests. African Americans contituted approximately 12% of the population, and made up 39% of all arrests for non-lethal violent crimes in 2008. The following table presents the racial and ethnic demographics of non-lethal violent crime victimization per 1000 persons age 12 or older in 2008 (with other including Asian American, Native American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander American):[28] à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Rapeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Robberyà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Aggravated assaultà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Simple assaultà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 18.1 0.6 1.6 3.0 12.8 Black 25.9 1.9 5.5 5.3 13.3 Hispanic 16.4 0.6 3.4 3.5 8.9 Other 15.2 0.9 3.0 2.8 8.5 Multi 51.6 1.9 6.8 6.8 36.1 Multiracial Americans reported being victimized by non-lethal violent crime at rates 2 to 3 times higher than White Americans, African Americans, and individuals of Other race. Hispanic Americans reported being victimized by non-lethal violent crime at rates lower than that of non-Hispanic White Americans and African Americans. With the exception of simple assault, African Americans reported being victimized by non-lethal violent crime at rates significantly higher than those of White Americans, Hispanic Americans, and individuals of Other race. [edit] Property crime Law enforcement agencies made 235,407 arrests for burglary, 979,145 arrests for larceny/theft, 74,881 arrests for motor vehicle theft and 10,734 arrests for arson in 2008.[27] The following table presents the racial demographics of these property crimes in the United States for 2008: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Burglaryà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Larceny-theftà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Motor vehicle theftà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Arsonà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 67.4% 66.8% 68.1% 59.7% 78.8% Black 30.1% 31.4% 29.3% 38.1% 21.7% Native 1.2% 0.9% 1.3% 1.1% 1.2% Asian/Pacific Islander 1.3% 0.9% 1.4% 1.2% 1.2% White Americans (including hispanics and non hispanics) were arrested more than any other race for property crimes in 2008, making up 67% of all arrests. With the exception of arson, White Americans were significantly underrepresented in all property crimes, as were Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans. African Americans were significantly overrepresented in all forms of property crime, making up 30% of all arrests. [edit] Racially motivated hate crime There were 3,870 incidents of racially motivated hate crime reported in 2007, with 4,724 individual offenses, 4,956 victims and 3,707 known offenders.[29] The following table presents the racial demographics of these hates crimes in the United States for 2007:[30] à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Offendersà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Victimsà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Whiteà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Blackà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Nativeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Asian/Pac. Isl.à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Anti-Multià ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 45.9% 18.3% 18.5% 54.1% 58.6% 41.5% 36.6% Black 10.6% 69.2% 45.2% 2.4% 4.0% 8.2% 2.1% Native 1.5% 1.1% 2.5% 0.6% 9.3% 0.5% 1.4% Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4% 4.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.0% 1.4% 0.0% Multi 2.5% 6.1% 2.4% 2.0% 0.0% 5.0% 6.7% Unknown race/Other 6.7% 0.5% 5.4% 7.1% 5.3% 6.0% 6.3% Unknown offender 32.7% 25.2% 33.4% 22.7% 37.4% 46.8% White Americans were identified as having committed the most racially motivated hate crimes in 2007, making up nearly 46% of all reported offenders. Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans were identified as having committed the least racially motivated hate crimes, making up less than 1% of all reported offenders. African Americans reported being victimized by racially motivated hate crime more frequently than any other race, making up 69% of all victims. [edit] White-collar crime Law enforcement agencies made 68,586 arrests for forgery and counterfeiting, 173,567 arrests for fraud and 16,314 arrests for embezzlement in 2008.[27] The following table presents the racial demographics of these white-collar crimes in the United States for 2008: à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Totalà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Forgery-counterfeitingà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Fraudà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Embezzlementà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å" White 67.4% 67.7% 67.5% 64.5% Black 30.9% 30.7% 30.8% 33.4% Native 0.7% 0.5% 0.8% 0.6% Asian/Pacific Islander 0.9% 1.1% 0.8% 1.5% White Americans (including hispanics and non hispanics) were arrested more than any other race for these white-collar crimes in 2008, making up 67% of all arrests. White Americans, constituting approximately 79% of the total population, were significantly underrepresented in the total arrests made, as were Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans. African Americans were significantly overrepresented in forgery/counterfeiting, fraud and embezzlement, making up nearly 31% of all arrests.

American History X :: essays research papers

In many ways, the media must be involved in ethnic and racial issues. The media is to provide the public with information useful to them. The media is on the public’s side. Racial stereotyping is a problem that is out in the public. Drugs, teen pregnancy, child abuse and rape are also problems that affect the people of the world everyday. The media has a job to make these issues aware to the people and possibly put together a form of solutions. Some ways of addressing issues are blunt and harsh but so are the problems. I don’t think the media can address the issue of racism without stepping into a stereotype somewhere but I also believe the media is obligated to address the obvious false stereotypes and offer ways to terminate them as well. American History X is a movie that directly addresses the issue of race and deals with some very serious issues in a small town. There are a group of white kids that have been influenced by Adolf Hitler’s beliefs and they are very hateful toward blacks, Jews, and any other race that is different than theirs. They all have Nazi signs tattooed on their bodies and their heads are completely shaved. There are very negative viewpoints in the first half of the movie toward blacks and Jews. The â€Å"N† word is used very freely and many of the actions of each group is quite accurate. Although this movie is very harsh and straight forward, their is a great amount of truth in all of the actions of each cultural group. One of the young white men witness a black man breaking into his truck and the black man ends up murdered in a very cruel manner. The movie is a lesson. A lesson about reality but also about how wrong reality can be. After spending years in prison, the attitude of this man is different toward black people and he has a hard time relaying this new attitude to his little brother back home and to the friends he had before going to prison.

Athens: The Acropolis and the Agora Essay -- History Historical Papers

Athens: The Acropolis and the Ago Modern day Athens has managed to maintain an ancient landscape.? The Acropolis and the Agora are two major features of ancient Greece that have a home in this metropolitan city.? Both of these ancient sites preserve their power and mystery in a modern day world. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, an agora is an open space in ancient Greek cities that served as both a meeting place and as an area for various civic activities (?Agora?).? The Agora of ancient Athens was rebuilt after the Persian Wars (490-449 BC) in response to a lengthy period of wealth and peace in the city (ibid).? The area demonstrates an archaic type of agora architecture (ibid).? This means that the colonnades and other buildings do not appear to coordinate, thus, creating the general impression of disorder (ibid).? The Agora contains three main architectural areas:? the colonnades, the government buildings, and the sacred area.? These three parts of the Agora combine to form a space that functions for public, private, and religious interests.? These functions can best be described by looking at a map of the ancient Agora of Athens (Quick Tour, Agora).? Publicly, the Agora served as a meeting place, market place, and a center for public activity.? The Agora once contained lush trees and fabulous fountains for public enjoyment (?Agora?).? These aesthetic elements combined to create an area that functioned as a public park and meeting space (ibid).? Athenians could engage in discussion, meet friends, or take their children to play in this free public area (?Athens?).? At the same time, the Agora created a public market for the sale of goods (?Agora?).? Two long stoas, or colonnade halls, once provided an area f... ...ns greatest treasures.? These architectural areas have provided insight into the culture, religion, and government of ancient Athens.? The Agora has become a symbol of civic space, and has influenced how modern architects plan public areas.? It has also provided scholars with understanding of religious and cultural aspects of Greek life.? The Acropolis has served as symbol of the power of both Athens of religion in Greek life.? This structure has unlocked questions about art and architecture, and it continues to symbolize perfection.? Together, these ancient sites unlock the mysterious of ancient Athens.? Bibliography http://search.eb.com/ebi/article?eu=294421 http://search.eb.com/ebi/article?eu=4106. http://search.eb.com/ebi/article?eu=294750. http://www.lfc.edu/academics/greece/AcropTour.html. http://www.lfc.edu/academics/greece/AgoraTour.html.

Broken Windows, Damaged Gutters, and Police Supervision

For ten years Officer Mike Strzykalski worked with the Merrysville police department utilizing the principle of â€Å"no-nonsense† policing where the productivity of the police officers was governed by meeting quotas with regard to tickets and arrests. For many years this was how the police in Merrysville worked, with a barrier between the police officers and the citizens of the town. This was the way in which the police officers grew accustomed to working, how they evaluated themselves, and how they were evaluated by superiors for promotions.This all ended when Chief Harold Furman came into office. Chief Furman believed in a more progressive form of policing where interaction with the community is encouraged in order to solve problems, make the community a better place, and stop crime. Chief Furman set up mini precincts all over the city in order to make the police force more prominent in their areas, and also introduced a new form of evaluation where the officers were not gr aded on their tickets and arrests but on their community interaction. Quotas became a thing of the past.With the demise of the well known, comfortable evaluation system, the police officers rebelled as they no longer understood the system by which they were to operate. Officer Strzykalski fought these changes until he began to notice damage to houses in the neighborhood which he patrolled. Officer Strzykalski found out that the damage he viewed was the result of gang violence, so he arranged to speak with all of the affected residents privately and in a group setting, assisted in the security and repair of community homes, and related information to the officers investigating gangs that would help to eliminate gang violence.This experience gave Officer Strzykalski a new, reformed opinion on the progressive changes that Chief Furman was making in the department, leading to several commendations for many officers and a promotion for Strzykalski. Obstacles to Reform: When seeking to ma ke a drastic change in the philosophy of many different people concerning not only the way in which they do their job but how they see and approach it creates a type of chaos with those individuals.People as a group are less able to recognize the positive influence of change and as such are more likely to vehemently protest initiating any change. When change is forced on them, they rebel in an attempt to return things to the way in which they are comfortable for the majority of the people involved. Changing from traditional policing to community based policing requires a large amount of change on behalf of the officers because it takes them out of their comfort zone and places them in a position where they are more in control of their job and of how it is done.This control is based on their interactions with the community members as well as open communication with their superiors. There also has to be consideration given to the police officers’ union with regard to what chang es in labor practices the police Chief can make without infringing on the rights of the officers in his command. The main difference in supervision is that the officers are put more in a position of responsibility.Senior officers are used for oversight and administration while lower ranking officers are the ones who are expected to investigate crimes, seek out problems in the community and find effective ways to solve them, as well as to represent community members to the higher ranking officers where previously the officers were simply required to take orders with regards to what crimes to investigate and give out a certain number of tickets a month. The daily supervision of the community falls to the police officers while the supervision of the police officers falls into a more structured hierarchy.Supervision in Community Policing: The benefit to patrol officers in accepting the philosophy of community policing is that the officers are more in control of not only their beats but also their careers. Rather than being completely limited in their career evaluation by numbers concerning tickets and arrests, they are judged based on actual performance in the community, by the efforts that they are making to make their community a better, safer place. These patrol officers are able to voice their concerns and opinions to their supervising officers.They are also better in control of the information that is filtered up through the police hierarchy as well as how crimes and community issues are handled. Though the model is very different from traditional police work, many patrol officers would embrace this kind of change, even if they at first balk at it. The community policing philosophy allows them to better control their careers as well as their involvement in the community. By placing them more in a position of power, the benefits of community policing become more attractive to patrol officers.Frontline supervisors and sergeants should find the concept attractiv e as well because there is more supervisory demands placed on them with regard to other officers, but there is also a more formal structure that is in place which keeps them from being placed under overwhelming pressure. Also many of the supervisory officers’ lesser duties and community duties are placed in the hands of patrol officers which gives the supervisory officers more time to concentrate on other necessary duties.One of the main issues in this system that would face supervisory officers is keeping their patrol officers in line as well as validating the information that comes from those officers to ensure that nothing is being skewed in the best interests of the police rather than in the best interests of the community. Officer Strzykalski: Officer Strzykalski was extremely pessimistic about the change to community policing when it was first introduced to the Merrysville police department.He fought against the changes, however once he was won over by the philosophy St rzykalski became very idealistic about the changes that he and his officers could implement in the community. Strzykalski’s idealism came from the very realistic goals that were being met in the community on his beat as well as the commendations that he and the other officers were receiving for their good work in the community. Since the idealism came from a realistic place based on his experiences, I would not say that Strzykalski was too idealistic, especially taking into consideration his initial rebuking of the change to community policing.I believe that a lot of the fears of patrol officers could be addressed by simply explaining in detail to the officers what the changes are, what they will involved and what the consequences of those changes will be. By having a good understanding of what they are facing, it takes away some of the mystery that shrouds the outcome of the changes. Another way to address the fears of the patrol officers would be to not only state their sup port of the officers throughout the change but to also physically be there to assist the officers as they work through the new responsibilities of their jobs.While it would be impossible for a supervisor to be there on the job with the officers all the time, they can offer one on one coaching to assist the officers in making the transition. Conclusion: Though the patrol officers, particularly the ones that had been a part of the old regime of policing, fought stringently against the changes implemented by the new chief of police, they eventually came to not only accept their new roles as police officers but also to find pride in their work on a different level.Rather than simply being the tools of supervising officers, they became a force of good in their communities, actively seeking out ways in which they could improve life for the citizens rather than just being there to help out after something bad had already happened. This philosophy of police work allowed the officers to be m ore proactive rather than simply reactive when solving crimes.