Courts' Blog!

Random Act of Kindness

This week has been a particularly rough one for my roommate. Someone vandalized her car, she is on her third week of unrelenting tests and schoolwork, and she was just all around stressed. It just seemed like a time where everything that could go wrong for her, was. The other night she was really busy and hadn’t had time to go to the grocery store to get food and was running really late for a meeting which she needed to get dressed up for to have time to cook anything. Even though I was tired from staying up late to do work the night before, and would have really liked to take a nap, to revive myself before another long night in the library. I decided it would be a really nice thing to make her dinner before her meeting. It turned out deliciously and didn’t take long. She was so grateful that I did that little favor for her and that made it worth it. She is a good friend and I know she would do the same for me (although I’m not sure I would trust anything she made except maybe boxed mac and cheese). So I’m really glad I did that, and I’m glad it helped her. It’s nice to know you were a bright spot in someones otherwise crappy day. 

SBB Mission Statement

http://www.shakespearebehindbars.org/about/mission.htm 

“convicted criminals have committed heinous crimes against other human beings” 

I gave this program a really positive review in my rumination, however on its’ webpage, in its’ mission statement, it says the statement above. I just hate that such a great program that really seems to see beyond the label of “criminal” makes such an ignorant blanket statement about all inmates. An overwhelming majority of criminals are not behind bars because they committed or were involved in a violent crime. Most crimes are actually drug crimes, and while people cannot be excused for breaking the law, people have to take into consideration all the factors involved such as poverty, social surroundings, and lack of opportunity for economic advancement, or traditional employment. A lot of the prisoners featured in the film really did do some bad things, but that isn’t representative of all prisoners. I still think this is a great program, it’s just that this statement made me uneasy and seemed to completely undermine the message they are trying to make. “Heinous” is just too strong a word. 

When Majors and Minors Overlap Rumination 6

     Being a Criminal Justice major, I thought the Shakespeare Behind Bars idea was absolutely awesome!   And as much as I dislike Shakespeare, his plays do have elements that are universal and can be applied to societies at any point in time. There is quite a bit of criminal activity and violence in Shakespeare, usually motivated by human characteristics and somewhat real life scenarios that seem to really resignate with the prisoners.

     Seeing the inmates get so passionate and immerse themselves into the plays really surprised me. Even as a criminal justice major, there is a certain stereotype associated with inmates and criminals and that stereotype is not usually in line with a Shakespearean thespian. I love that this program completely shatters this image. The fact in most cases is, that had it not been for one bad choice, or some unfortunate life circumstance that led them to their criminal act, they are no different than the average law abiding citizen. While some of the inmates really did do some bad things, this program gives testimony to one of the purposes that incarceration is supposed to serve, which is rehabilitation. A lot of times this goal seems to be lost, and prisoners are kind of like an afterthought, a population beyond redemption. I feel like this program gives some normalcy back to the inmates. For one of my CJ classes, I once had to read a story written by a woman who was incarcerated away from her two children for 20 years because of possession of heroin, it was one of the saddest most moving stories I’ve ever read and it was because of the way she described how the justice system affected her as a person. She said sentencing and the process of being booked in jail was the most degrading, dehumanizing experience in her life. She wasn’t a person anymore, just a number, to be forgotten and neglected by society. Shakespeare Behind Bars seems to give inmates a sense that they are still a person capable of something, and don’t have to be defined by their past conduct.  I really think this program should be implemented in more states and especially in more juvenile detention centers. 

Seven Deadly Sins

I really liked Colmors’ post about greed as one of the seven deadly sins. It reminded me of one of the earlier seasons of Americas Next Top Model (a guilty pleasure) where they did a photo shoot of the models depicting each of the seven deadly sins. Here’s a picture of them all. I could totally picture the characters from Volpone loving to be in her position.

http://royal-heiress.blogspot.com/2011/12/seven-deadly-sins.html

Rumination 4: I aint sayin’ he a gold digger… but he is, they all are

     “Volpone”, although centuries old, portrays a greedy reality that still very much motivates life today. Each character exhibits greed, the willingness to exploit others, especially women to get ahead in life. All members of the cast are totally motivated by self-interest. Even Mosca who is Volpones’ servant and confidant in the carrying out of his cons and schemes is ultimately unwilling to give up the wealth that would have been bestowed to him when Volpone fakes his own death. Ironically everyone is punished leaving everyone with nothing. There are several incidents in the play that lend particular testimony to the ruthless desire of the characters to get money no matter who they hurt in the process.

Volpone attempts to exploit Voltore, Carbaccio, and Corvino with the illusion that he is dying and looking for an heir. It is really messed up when anyone tries to take advantage of another persons’ unfortunate situation and that is what all three of these men aim to do.  The more awful part of the situation is that Volpone is able to predict the motivations of these men and then exploit their greed! It is part of Jonsons’ brilliance in satire, mocking the culture of greed. The next notable disregard for others in the pursuit of fortune, is Carbaccios’ willingness to deprive his sons’ title of heir, to give it to Volpone in order to benefit from his “ensuing” death. Once Bonario learns of his fathers’ plan, he is ready to seek revenge on his father. A father turning on his son, and a son turning on his father, a situation where money is stronger than blood.

The final scene the amazed in me in its’ inhumanity is the treatment of Corvinos’ wife Cerlia throughout the play. She is nothing but an object to all of the men. Corvino berates her when she gives her handkerchief to Volpone in disguise as a sign of infidelity, yet as soon as he hears that Volpone would be willing to make him an heir in exchange for sex with Cerlia he willingly offers her and then chastises her more when she resists, telling her to do her duty. Hypocritical much? I guess people were just as selfish 400 years ago as they are today, look at gold digging women (i.e. Anna Nicole Smith) or at defense attorneys who defend blatantly guilty defendants to make a quick buck.  

My favorite Fight Club quotes

Fight Club is one of my absolute favorite movies, and it’s really interesting to connect it to Mores’ Utopia. I have compiled a few of my favorite quotes from the movie!

“This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time”

“I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let… lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.”

” Fuck damnation, man! Fuck redemption! We are God’s unwanted children? So be it!”