...Amy Hankins LE300 capstone: serial killers as heroes in popular culture Final Project The Evolution of serial killers and societies fascination A serial killer is someone who is known as a friend, father, co-worker, politician, in fact a serial killer can be anybody. For centuries stories about serial killers have graced the covers of newspapers and magazines. Many famous stories have influenced a lot of films that have been produced and continue to be produced. There is an endless amount of questions as to how serial killers become serial killers, which falls under nature vs. nurture. “The causes of psychopaths remain a mystery. We don’t even have a satisfactory answer to the question of whether psychopath is a product of Mother Nature or a feature of upbringing (Brogaard & Marlow, 2012).” Nevertheless, due to the many serial killers that plague this country, they have come from a very unstable background mostly during the childhood years. Within this essay I would like to discuss not only what has been learned throughout the semester but also bring to light the possible reasons as to why serial killers kill and why society has such an enormous fascination with them. According to the dictionary a serial killers is a person who commits two or more murders at different times. Serial killers are extremely intelligent and some have most likely obtained a degree of some sort. This sort of intelligence is evident in Mr. Brooks, Dexter, silence of the lamb and perfume. All...
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...yells a blind comment within the rage and before anyone knows it, fights break out over causes that no one even understands anymore. Teeth fly, blood sprays the walls like a fresh coat of crimson paint, over causes that will soon be long forgotten. The minds of the fans are stolen by this mentality that forms in the group. Innocent bystanders get wrapped up into these rioting mobs and police are left to wonder who is responsible...
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...“creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction”. Literature is considered by many, an essential part of life, which it can be in many senses. One’s thought process or knowledge may grow and evolve through the journey taken by reading literature. Literature is a major part of education. It may seem trivial, but in reality it helps build new perspective and introduce one to new world experiences. Literature is a prominent part of any race, religion, language or people and it represents culture and tradition. Prejudice and discrimination are not new subjects, but nevertheless it does not mean it should not be discussed. This has been an issue for as far back as history has documented between different races or ethnicities. Though racism has mostly ceased, it still reigns around the world. The theme in this essay is friendship, regardless of race or rumors that have been told about Boo Radley in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Shmuel in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” friendship overcomes prejudice by the innocence of a child. Mallea 2 Writing about this topic sensitive, because there have been many gruesome issues with prejudice and discrimination through the years, but it is one’s personal duty to voice her/his perspective and thoughts. “To Kill A Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee expounds a message of prejudice between African Americans and Caucasians living in the south in the 1930’s when a black man is sentenced...
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...Name: Patrick Amara Essay #4: Research Paper Pro. Murray March 28, 2013 Human Trafficking INTRODUCTION The social issue of human trafficking has garnered the attention of the United Nations, as a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. A global problem exists reaching every developed, developing, and undeveloped country on the planet. The first ever global forum to fight human trafficking was held February 13-15, 2008 in Vienna. One of the major issues addressed was the lack of information and varied responses from countries and their agencies formed to combat the growing crime. In attendance were delegates from more than 100 countries, law enforcement teams, business leaders, legislators, and recognized experts on human trafficking (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, n.d). The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, described the problem as "a monster whose shape, size and ferocity we can only guess" (UNODC, n.d). Throughout this paper the researchers will examine the nature of the population and social issues confronting them and explore the macro practice interventions. First, look at human trafficking and what defines it. DEFINITION Human Trafficking is the modern day practice of slavery, according to the Polaris Project (Polaris Project, n.d.). Human trafficking has a basis of the recruitment, harboring, and transportation of people solely for the purpose of exploitation...
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...Inside the Mind of Giselle Esteban Giselle Esteban, 27 has been accused of murdering Michelle Le, 26. Le went missing on May 27, 2011 and was found in a shallow grave in the Sunol-Pleasanton wilderness on September 17, 2011. Esteban was indicted on December 14, 2011 and entered a plea of not guilty. In November of 2011, Giselle gave birth to her 2nd child. Her trial date is set for September 17, 2012. (Kurhi, 2011). Using a bio-psychosocial approach, we are trying to understand why she thought, acted and felt the way that she did. One can consider, what was the biology of her mind, the psychology of her motivation, and the social aspect of her memories? Here we consider the possibilities of what causes a person to terminate another human’s life? Esteban 3 Giselle and Michelle were friends at Mt. Carmel high school in San Diego. Eventually, they relocated to the bay area. Giselle lived in an apartment in Union City. She was involved with a man named Scott Marasigan and their relationship resulted in a daughter who is now about five years old. Scott was awarded custody of their daughter and a restraining order, to prevent Giselle from having access to either Scott or their daughter, on May 24, 2011, just 3 days before Michelle disappeared. Giselle has accused Michelle and Scott of having an affair. Michelle was a nursing student at Samuel Merritt University Kaiser in Oakland, California and worked for Kaiser Permanente Medical...
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...Comparison Of The Crucible and McCarthyism The quality of being wise is not given by age, but by experience. Knowledge and upstanding judgment must be earned, even by men in power. Senator Joseph McCarthy tampered with the minds of thousands by using their lack of sagacity against them. During his term, McCarthy named playwright Arthur Miller, along with over 200 others a communist. In the early 1950s, many looked to McCarthy as protection against the Cold War, but for Miller, it was the spark that lit the match. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the Red Scare are direct correlates because The Crucible is based on the selfish intentions Senator McCarthy possesses, “witches” were shunned just as the individuals blacklisted for communist...
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...The society consists of a general public who don’t seem to do anything except feeding their minds with anything that will entertain them. There are firemen whose job is to burn books to rid the community of the past and the valuable knowledge that books contain. These people are conditioned to think that their simple, routine life, makes them happy. In the beginning of the book, the main character, Montag, doesn’t even realize how dissatisfied he is with life until a teenager named Clarisse brings it up to him. She asked Montag if he was happy and his first thought was to be stunned at such a question. When Clarisse asked him he responded by saying “ ‘am I what?... happy! Of all the nonsense.’ ” (Bradbury 7-8). Montag was so greatly affected by society that he thinks it’s impossible for someone to be sad. This is Bradbury’s way of providing...
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...Early in his childhood, Fish was introduced to violence which led to his sadistic realizations (Brisbon, H. 2007). The culture between 1870 and 1936 in which he lives was a very violent time in America with a lot of violent crimes related to racism and homophobia, making following in those footsteps a very easy option for a person like Albert Fish. Due to the violent historical occurrences, Fish felt as though he was dominant over African American, handicapped and homosexual people, which led him to exploit them as his primary targets (Brisbon, H. 2007). This shows that the culture and society he was brought up in caused Fish to abide dominance against other humans and displayed violence as an easy outlet for that hate which led to the many gruesome assaults and murders he proceeded with throughout his lifetime (Brisbon, H. 2007). The anthropological circumstances contribute to Albert Fish seeing the world through a lens of arrogant entitlement and treating people as targets. Albert fish could also be understood through the lens of sociology. Sociology looks at how members of society interact with one another. To the public, Albert fish was a gentle and frail looking, loving grandfather, though a much closer look reveals otherwise. Fish manipulated his victims by playing as a grandfather figure to them in order to gain their trust (Brisbon, H. 2007). He infiltrates the lives of his victims seducing them with promises and flattery (Brisbon, H. 2007). He recognized his victim’s weaknesses...
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...In the sick minds of those who murder again and again, rape, pain and death are twisted into a passion to kill. Otherwise a “typical” individual, serial killers turn to violence and death in search of power over others, and to explore their fatal addiction to their monstrous thrills. Most of society views serial killers as they are portrayed on television. There’s Dexter, the handsome serial killer who, while leading a normal life, takes it upon himself to rid all of the “bad guys” in the world in order to fulfill his need to kill. Then there’s Freddy Kruger, a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the waking world as well. Just to name a few others, there's also The Jigsaw Killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Leatherface, Michael Meyers and the infamous Chucky. All of these characters are created to exaggerate something that is not only feared in movie theaters, but in real life as well. But what exactly makes a serial killer? While many of these movies and television programs try and make our minds believe that fiction is reality, there are no such things as ‘dream stalkers’ and talking dolls. A real-life serial killer can be distinguished (not by a scary masks) through the many distinctive patterns in their social and mental behavior, unusual childhood, murder periods, and Modus Operandi; all of which are fashioned in different ways to create a cold blooded murderer. Serial Killers are...
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...'White City' of a Lie H.H. Holmes proved his madness in his design of his hotel near the World's Fair in Chicago. He had a litany of evil deeds that would take a lot of lives of innocent people. Holmes’s personality is perfect for someone who could be able to commit murder, someone with, “dark hair, and striking blue eyes” (35). On the surface H.H. Holmes seemed to be a productive member of society. Born and raised in the small state of New Hampshire, he turned his fascination with the human body into a career when he graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1884. Wealthy, well-educated and refined, the young doctor moved to Chicago where he became the owner of a drugstore, and eventually opened a hotel. His design of the building reflected Holmes’s desires to hide bodies, and clothing within the basement of the building to cover his crime. Later, the building was destroyed as a death chamber. Holmes wanted his hotel, “just comfortable enough and cheap enough to lure a certain kind of clientele and convincing enough to justify a large fire insurance policy” (85). He was a total lady-killer. Holmes knew how to make women feel special and knew how to use the greater liberalism of the time by carefully, gently flouting convention, which women away from their homes and families desired: "He stood too close, stared too hard, touched too much and long. And women adore him for it." (5). Even after he was discovered women defended him: "Holmes, she swore, had...
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...WR-123 Research Paper NOT ALL MONSTERS ARE MAKE BELIEVE - A CASE STUDY ON THEODORE R. BUNDY What causes someone to become a serial killer? Is there something inherently evil about them that emerge as they age, or are they born that way? Do they become that way because of their upbringing? Most Psychologists feel that it is a combination of all these things that determine the psychosis exhibited by serial killers. (www.psychology.org/links) Psychologists have looked into the darkest recesses of human behavior, to try to figure out how and why people commit such gruesome and brutal atrocities against their fellow human beings. One of the best cases of documented psychopathic behavior is that of Theodore R. Bundy. On November 24, 1946 Theodore Robert Cowell (aka Ted Bundy) was born. His mother was a single young woman who decided the best course of action was to move back home to have her parents help her raise her son; as in the 40’s it was not acceptable for a young single woman to have a child out of wedlock. Until the age of four, Ted believed that his mother was his older sister, and grandparents were his mother and father. (Rule, A: The Stranger Beside Me) The signs that something was dreadfully wrong with Ted began to show themselves very early in his childhood. When Ted was barely three years old, one of his Aunt’s stayed the night with the family. The Aunt woke up in the early morning hours to find her young nephew Ted, lifting her blankets...
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...Freedom of speech is like breathing air, you don’t realize you need it until it’s gone. Can you picture an environment without freedom of speech? But unfortunately this is a reality for the most third world countries. Approximately 40% of the worlds population does not have freedom of speech. In the countries Vietnam, North Korea, and Pakistan many of its people are victimized through stringent laws such as killing of future generations, beheading of innocent people, and jailing for many years. The South Asian country of Vietnam is well known for its restriction on freedom of speech. Vietnam has been through many wars and revolutions that have affected its laws. In Vietnam’s penal code it states that the people of Vietnam have Freedom of speech,...
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...Stop and think. Visualize the clear tears dropping slowly in the human melancholic red as tomato eyes of the victims who suffer from the agonizing pain and starvation in their body and mind. In the eyes of humanity resemble their frustration and desperation to exit out the door of an unfair society, but they do not know the way out. They look up in the sky and see the deep gloomy blue world that never ends, and if they look down the deep black pavement that brings them more down and distinguishes itself like hell. A dystopia is basically a community where there is corruption or cruelty where people are destined to suffer. Have you ever thought what your life would be deserted in a snowy world where there is nobody there to accompany you? You...
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...3673 THE ‘UNCANNY’ (1919) Freud - Complete Works. Ivan Smith 2000. All Rights Reserved. 3675 THE ‘UNCANNY’ I It is only rarely that a psycho-analyst feels impelled to investigate the subject of aesthetics, even when aesthetics is understood to mean not merely the theory of beauty but the theory of the qualities of feeling. He works in other strata of mental life and has little to do with the subdued emotional impulses which, inhibited in their aims and dependent on a host of concurrent factors, usually furnish the material for the study of aesthetics. But it does occasionally happen that he has to interest himself in some particular province of that subject; and this province usually proves to be a rather remote one, and one which has been neglected in the specialist literature of aesthetics. The subject of the ‘uncanny’ is a province of this kind. It is undoubtedly related to what is frightening - to what arouses dread and horror; equally certainly, too, the word is not always used in a clearly definable sense, so that it tends to coincide with what excites fear in general. Yet we may expect that a special core of feeling is present which justifies the use of a special conceptual term. One is curious to know what this common core is which allows us to distinguish as ‘uncanny’ certain things which lie within the field of what is frightening. As good as nothing is to be found upon this subject in comprehensive treatises on aesthetics, which in general prefer to concern...
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...This paper aims to make an analysis of the short story entitled, “The Vendetta”, written by Guy de Maupassant. “Vendetta”, which means “revenge” in the English language, is the core of this short story, and the concept from which the main character depends upon in order to survive. The story revolved around the revenge of the Widow Saverini because of the death of her son Antoine Saverini. Antoine was killed by a man named, Nicolas Ravolati, who was the object of revenge of Antoine’s mother. The death of her son, and her plot for revenge made her restless and sleepless at nights, thus, motivating her to avenge the death of Antoine. The development of the story involves the important role played by Semillante, the dog of Antoine, which the Widow used in order to get on with her revenge. The plan of the widow is to starve the dog for two days, and using a scarecrow made of straw, she trained the dog to attack it by using a smoking sausage she tied to the neck of the straw man. She trained the dog for several months, and when she believed that both of them were ready to execute her plans, she went to the town with the dog to look for Nicolas Ravolati. Her plan was a success, as she already avenged the death of Antoine, thus, giving her peace after returning home. This short story was a simple story, with a simple plot and theme, which depicts what really happens in real life. Three important points can be recognized in this particular story, namely...
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