Criminal Law and Procedure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Law and Procedure - Essay Example If the officer is in hot pursuit of the defendant the officer may make a warrant less search of the subject2, but other circumstances need to indicate probable cause to apprehend the suspect or make a warrant less entry into a private home3. Flight alone would not merit probable cause4, but the immediate knowledge of the defendant in flight of a felony such as armed assault would be probable cause and justify an arrest. If the suspect is injured and unarmed then the officer may still enter the garage under the emergency doctrine. Under the emergency doctrine, law enforcement officers may enter a dwelling without a warrant when they reasonably believe that a person within is in need of immediate aid5. 2) Formulate a set of circumstances in which there is probable cause to search but not arrest, in which there is probable cause to arrest but not probable cause to search, in which there is probable cause to both arrest and to search. At 9:35pm officer McCoy notices a blue sedan parked in the parking lot of Clemency Park. Clemency Park is not open to the public after 9:45pm. Officer McCoy gets out of his cruiser and approaches the blue sedan with the intention of informing the driver that he will not be allowed to be on Park ground including the parking lot in another 10 minutes. Officer McCoy, who is familiar with the smell of marijuana, catches a strong odor of marijuana 3 feet from the blue sedan. The officer takes note that there are no other vehicles in the parking lot and the odor must be coming from the sedan. Officer McCoy approaches the vehicle with his flash light positioned toward the driver side and knocks on the driver side window. The driver rolls down the window. Officer McCoy catches an even stronger sent of marijuana coming from the inside of the vehicle. Upon questioning the driver refuses to answer any of the officer's inquiries. Officer McCoy now has probable cause to search the vehicle. After a search of the driver's person and vehicle Officer McCoy found no drugs or drug paraphernalia or any other contraband. The officer had the right to make a warrant less search but not a warrant less arrest. Probable Cause to Arrest but not Probable Cause to Search Mr. Tomas was distributing pamphlets in the lobby of a Masonic Temple. An authorized representative of the temple asked Mr. Tomas to leave the building. Mr. Thomas refused to leave the building and continued distributing pamphlets. About Ten minutes later two officers arrived by call of the temple representative. The officers asked Mr. Thomas to leave the temple. Mr. Thomas refused to comply with the officer's request. The two officer's subsequently arrested Mr. Thomas on the charge of Trespassing. The officers had probable cause to arrest Mr. Thomas but no cause to search without a warrant. Probable Cause to both Arrest and to Search At 1:15am The 35th precinct had gotten reports from two different calls that gun shots were fired at residence 56 West Elmhurst. The nearest police cruisers responded to the radio dispatch. Three cruisers appeared on the scene and parked in front of the residence.

As momentum gathers Essay Example for Free

As momentum gathers Essay As we know from Act 1 John has committed adultery with Abigail Williams, at this stage Elizabeth has not forgiven him, sees Abigail as a threat, and does not trust John She has an arrow in you yet John  John does try to make it up to Elizabeth but is it only when they are both threatened with death/imprisonment that they both really show their love for each other.  JohnI will fall like an ocean on that court! In addition, when they are both in prison He pats her hand; she covers his hand with hers. Salems problems begin when Abigail along with her cousin and friends are seen dancing and practicing voodoo in the forest. In an attempt to get them selves out of trouble (as both are very sinful actions) the girls accuse others in the community of witchcraft. As momentum gathers, villagers turn against each other in a desire to save themselves but also use the situation in a vicious attempt to settle old scores. John having spoken to Abigail Williams before the accusations started knows that Abigail has lied, because when he told her that the town was rumbling witchcraft and replied oh posh! We were dancin in the woods last night and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright thats all. John hesitates to speak out because he is afraid of publically admitting his adultery and the effect it will have on his good name and his relationship with his wife and friends. Here he is showing no goodness at all because he is putting his self-preservation above honesty and what he knows he should morally do. His fear is allowing unjust and untrue accusations to continue.  By the time he comes to his senses and tells the truth many people have been imprisoned including his own wife (who is there because of Abigail Williams maliciousness and desire to have John to herself) and some have already been hanged. It is too late to undo the wrong and too late to stop it continuing. John and Elizabeth are re-united in prison after three months separation and their relationship has changed. It is now honest and they both have more goodness. Elizabeth forgives John for his adultery by admitting that she was cold within the marriage I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me! I never knew how to say my love. It were a cold house I kept! You take my sins upon you She also goes against her strict religious principles and lies thinking this will save her husband but it has totally the opposite effect. John does not think he is worthy enough to die like his friends because he still feels guilt for his sins I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. My honesty is broke, I am no good man, Nothings spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before So he begins by confessing that he saw the devil but then Elizabeth forgiveness makes him realise that this is the wrong moral decision because it would be calling his friends liars. He will now die but has chosen the truth at last For now I do think I see a shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs There is a moral story though out the play. If John Proctor had told the community in the beginning that Abigail Williams was lying before the situation had escalated I think the fate of the whole of Salem would have been very different. If he had not have committed adultery he would not have hesitated. He did not have the courage to be judged for his sin and as result allowed innocent people to suffer. I think that John and Elizabeth Proctor are heroes because they were killed for their friends and religion and were killed for something they did not do but still took the punishment.  To summarize I would say that John now has his Goodness because he has told the truth at last and Elizabeth feels she has no right to influence his morally correct decision in any way. He can therefore he can die a good man, with his conscience clear, ready to meet God.

Development of Urbanization

Development of Urbanization Introduction: General overview of the subject: Through most of the human history, the human beings have lived rural areas for most of the human history, human beings depended on agricultural activities and hunting in order to survive. In 1800, only 3 percent of the worlds population lived in cities or urban areas. After one century, in 1900, about 14 percent of the world population were living in urban areas, although at that time only 12 cities had 1 million or more inhabitants. The increase of the urban citizens has continued in the industrial world until 1950, 30 percent of the worlds population resided in urban centres. The number of cities with over 1 million people had grown to 83, Champion, A (1989). Urbanization definition: Refers to the process of increasing proportion of an entire population lives in cities and the suburbs of cities. Historically, it has been closely linked with the industrial revolution where more people started moving to the cities in order to find jobs. This has happened,when more and more sources of energy were used to enhance and increase human productivity or industrialization, surpluses increased in both agriculture and industry. Larger and larger proportions of a population could live in cities. Economic forces were such that cities became the ideal places to locate factories and their workers. Counter urbanization: we are witnessing an anti-urbanization movement at the time beings people are trying to escape from living in the centres of large cities and escaping to outside the cities, this is creating mega cities and metropolitan regions. Counter urbanization trends: Counter urbanization in the UK in the 1980s Evidence from previous studies done by several research bodies including DEFRA (the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) highlights an increasing decline in population in large urban areas and main cities while an increase in population in rural areas, Evans, A Eversely, D(1980). Between 1981 and 1991, the population of the capital city of London and the metropolitan districts that surround London fell by approximately 903,000, whilst the population of the rest of England and Wales increased by approximately 846,000, Breheny and Rockwood, 1993), this information refers clearly to the fact that people are moving away from main cities. The population dispersal trends between 1981 and 1991 are a continuation of trends over a longer time of 50 years or more, Fothergill, S Gudgin, G (1982); this big movement from cities has started after the Second World War. Rural areas and small cities have experienced the highest population increases in percentage points and absolute terms. These changes in the number of the residents of rural areas have been accompanied by shifts in employment, retailing and economic structure but evidence suggests that the dispersal is associated with new ways of transportation such as fewer journeys by foot or bicycle and the increased reliance on private transport; people want to release themselves from the stress of travelling by tubes and buses inside big cities. Travel distance by trains in rural areas is more than 50 per cent higher than in large metropolitan areas, whilst travel distance by foot in rural areas is below half that in metropolitan areas. Counter urbanization in the UK in the 1990s: In the 1990s, the European and especially the British cities appear to be developing in a very complex ways, which make it harder to predict and plan urban and rural economic and social development programmers, there are contradictory and confusing results from the data that have been published by the European government. Much of the difficulty of the data, which are related to population growth, lies in the variation of population growth in different cities and different rural regions. Information about capital cities such as London indicate that there is continued growth of major-urban regions, particularly around the big cities such as London, Paris and Berlin, this expansion has been mainly caused by immigration, Stillwell, J . Rees, P Boden, P (1992) In the UK for example, the South East is the fastest growing region in the country. The same data also indicate that there is a major and continued geographical dispersal from the most heavily populated areas, which form the heart of these regions, including most of the capital cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, with the most major counter urbanization happening where urban counter urbanization is driven by a major decline in the industrial production and the losses of major city jobs to rural areas such as Northampton. The major winners of this change are smaller cities and semi-urban areas within the outer parts of the same regions, which have been among the fastest growing urban Areas in Europe; in the very largest and densest urban regions (London, Randstad Holland), there is a process of long-distance counter-urbanization from the major capital cities to medium-sized cities in the surrounding rural areas. This shift is causing a rapid increase in the size of the Greater cities such as Greater London and Greater Paris while there is a clear trend of decline in the number of people who are living in the central parts of the city, Cameron, C (1980). Change in Land use in the UK: The urban exodus of the population and its economic activities has caused a substantial increase in pressure and urgency to develop semi-urban land. More than half of the area that the government has used in order to develop new housing projects was developed on Greenfield land in 1985. Whereas just under 40 per cent of the area of new housing was built on Greenfield land in 1994. The substantial increase in the use of Greenfield land continues to rise although it is still a smaller proportion of total land used. The use of Greenfield land could also increase more if the supply of abandoned land or Brownfield land falls. Government statistics show that the increase in the Greenfield land could be well beyond the government expectations because the increase in the use of Greenfield land will not be exclusively for housing; building houses will require building power stations, refineries, factories, roads and other facilities that are required in order to make life possible in the new housing centres. The government want the number of new households to increase by 4.4 million by 2016, Rural Development Commission (1998). The HM is addressing the problem by giving the following prediction: if we assume that 40 per cent of these newly-built houses are built on Greenfield sites at a gross density of 40 houses per hectare (which is well above the average local authority density standard reported by Breheny and Archer, 1998), 44,000 hectares of Greenfield land will be required (equivalent to 1,760 hectares per year). A similar amount of land may be required to accommodate the development of industry, commerce and transport infrastructure, HM Government (1996) The increase in the number of houses in small and semi-urban towns and some villages can create opportunities; this urban exodus could help develop rural areas which have suffered from economic decline for a long-time or suffered from a prolonged population imbalances such as the number of males is bigger than the number of females or the number of elderly is bigger than the number of young people this type of socio-economic structural problems could be solved by the new use of land; meeting the needs of the British People by building affordable housing in rural areas could encourage many young people to choose to live in rural areas where they can work and create value to the local economy of that area; and, if the government could carefully plan these local economies by providing schools and hospitals, the employment rate will increase and there would be a better quality of life for all the citizens of that area. The impact on employment: The continuing decline of the industrial sector and the rise in the service sector made the service sector dominate the economy and demand skills and expertise very different to those demanded of an industrial economy. The service sector has created job opportunities in a different urban and rural locations. There is now greater choice in terms of workplace locations, the service sector has improved the quality of life to the people who choose to live outside big cities, the service sector is providing its employees with spacious car parks, huge shopping centers, cheaper prices and good quality of air and high standard of living One consequence has been the depletion of those industries and services that were once the cornerstone of urban living. The city centre is not the only place where people get jobs and buy their essentials in the same time longer, Massey,D Meegan, R(1982). The end of the dominance of the city centre has caused important economic consequences known as â€Å"centralization of services† Companies and governments are trying to concentrate their services in the city in few places in order to increase the efficiency of their investments. This is very noticeable in the retail sector; for example, Tesco has concentrated most of its stores in major places in the city. This increased concentration by big companies has caused a decline of competition because small retailers are not able to compete on an equal footing with big retailers. The impact of the urban exodus on the economic activity in the city: The evolving development of out-of-town shopping centres and retail parks has increased the demand to the use of green field land and has also contributed to the noticeable decline of major city centres. Large out of town retail centres covered an estimated 1.4 million square metres in 1985 and almost 4.7 million square metres by the end of 1990, representing more than a three-fold increase in 5 years (Department of the Environment, 1996). Even when the general growth in the economic activity was slower the increase in out of town development has continued although the industrial output continued to drop for reasons related to the lack of competitiveness of Britain compared to India and china W. Lever (1987). The government is finding itself obliged to build more hospitals, schools and public transport as a result of this exodus from the city. The single most important fact here is the how to predict the expansion of the metropolitan cities and the new semi-urban regions in order to start providing the infrastructure for the citizens. In a society where people are trying to work less hours, the government will find it extremely difficult to provide the infrastructure and the services that the people need to live in the new regions. Postindustrial thinkers argue that since the end of Second World War there has been a major shift in the values of most of the industrial world towards peaceful coexistence and understanding of the notion of the life and appreciating this virtue. These postindustrial values of peace, freedom, creativity, coexistence, belonging, and democracy. The old values of the past which depended on materialism and political extremism in order to control markets, occupy countries and sell products overseas has finished now and has been replaced by more noble values, embraced by dynamic populations who want to live away from the materialist values of the big cities, the people of Britain today want to live the emotional side of the live and become more passionate This is the value of the post-industrialization in the British and the European societies, Fielding, A(1982). The other side of the argument says that the government might be right in reducing the deindustrialization in the UK because some areas are losing their ability to recreate their economic power in creating values the transition is better if it is slow, R. Martin B Rowthorn(1986) Economic growth and immigration: Controlled immigration is the only way to help economic growth and social coherence in the society. Immigration could have a positive economic impact but it may cause social unrest if immigrants did not blend into the society, P. Boyle, K. Halfacree and V. Robinson(1998) The impact of the change in land use on the British energy sector: Energy supply is one of the fundamental issues that determine the competitiveness of the British economy; the change in land use will change the consumption of energy in the UK. Generally, Britain is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, which are CO2 intensive fuels and the source of theses fuels is outside the UK, the increasing consumption of the fossil fuel indicates to the increasing depletion of non-renewable resources and the emissions of greenhouse gases, which is the major pollutant associated with the combustion of fossil fuels (such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides). Statistics refer to the fact that the UK energy consumption per capita remained fairly constant in the last ten years, Energy consumption in the industry and commerce sectors decreased because of the contraction of the industrial activity in the UK, whilst domestic energy consumption per capita remained fairly constant. At the same time, energy consumption in the transport sector increased. The transport sector is now considered to be the largest and fastest increasing consumer of energy, this is due principally to the increase in travel distances resulting from the change in the land use in Britain, the growth in long-distance road and air transport and the decline in sustainable ways of transportation such as walking and cycling has affected the energy consumption, this has made the cost of travelling by trains very expensive. Regarding using cars, the UK is constantly changing the legislations regarding vehicle engines in order to make them more energy-efficient by using improved fuels such as unleaded petrol, catalytic converters and higher specifications and performance which is tended to counter the fuel efficiency gains from improved engine design. These factors, together with a fall in the average numbers of passengers per car and a fall in bus use, caused a reduction in the overall fuel efficiency of long-distance road passenger transport. The change of land use resulting from urban exodus is causing an increase in the usage of fossil fuels because transportation is increasingly becoming between more distant places, this has a negative effect on the competitiveness of the British Economy. The impact of change of land use on the composition of the labour force: Women are finding it extremely difficult to live in crowded cities, women think that there is a continuous deterioration in the standard of life in big cities; the increasing crime in major cities is being viewed as a threatening environment to women and children. The exodus of workingwomen from big cities is linked to women’s inability to deal with violent environment that has been caused by the inability of the citizens to live side by side with each other in urban places. Stress also is a major driver for the exodus of women from big cities for example the delay that is caused by broken lifts and crowded streets is considered a major cause of women urban exodus. Women also tend to see big cities as dirty and unhealthy; women do not like litter, cracked pavements, and polluted air. Racism against women in big cities is a major cause of women exodus from urban areas, the current work environment in big cities is very competitive and women are reported to be the victim of this competition, Lever, W Bailly, A(1996). The impact of counter urbanization on families and spatial dynamics: The family is the basic cell in the society, the family n its own is an economy cell; in each family there are producers and consumers, having a family could be an incentive to produce and be more productive, the deindustrialization and the preferences to live longer time without bringing children could have a negative impact on the wealth of the society if no other forms of economic growth has been enhanced Crafts, N (1993) Counter urbanization has an impact on the family and in turn on the whole economy. The shape of the family is more dynamic and fluid than ever before, members of the families do not live together for a long time as they used to do before The UK has a diverse family patterns and structures, Family life also has a strong spatial dynamics, fathers and mothers prefer to live in rural or semi-urban places once they get a job opportunity outside the city or once they retire while their children prefer to stay in the city because they do not feel the stress that the fathers and mothers feel and because they enjoy the buzz of the city. This has a big economic impact on the economics of cities and rural areas. Cities are getting crowded with young enthusiastic people who are ready to do anything possible in order to build their lives while the rural or semi-urban regions are getting more middle age and old man and women, this makes the rural areas less productive, Hausner, V (1985). The break of the families put an increasing pressure on the transportation system because young people prefer to travel in the weekend and the public holidays to see their parents in the rural and semi-urban regions, this will mean building more roads and causing pollution and increase in the energy use in the country. Conclusion: the government will have a difficult task in planning and funding new housing and new infrastructure in rural and semi-urban areas, the societies of the Western World are aging and old people prefer to live in the countryside which makes them less-productive because they do not utilise their full potential after the age of sixty although they are able to work more hours. The government is trying to compensate that by allowing immigrants to the UK in order to work and create value, the number of immigrants to the UK is bigger than the number of new British born children, Champion, T Fotheringham, S (1998) The government should encourage immigrant to live where they can create value to the British economy, immigration has benefited Britain in creating economically active metropolitan cities such as London, Goddard, J Champion, A (1983). This is making a skills gap in the big cities; there is more unskilled labour in the cities than skilled labour, London has lost 212,000 jobs between 1981 and 1996 while the rest of the south east has gained 556,000 jobs, Turok Edge (1999). In my opinion the government should direct the people to reside in areas that have the potential to develop because not all areas have the same chances of growth, Allen, J Massey, D, Cochrane, A , Charlesworth,J, Court, G, Henry,N and Sarre, P(1998) Reference: Allen, J Massey, D, Cochrane, A , Charlesworth,J, Court, G, Henry,N and Sarre, P(1998): Rethinking the Region. Breheny M. (1992). Towards Sustainable Urban Development. In: Mannion, A.M. and Bowlby, S.R. (eds.) Environmental Issues in the 1990s . John Wiley and Sons Ltd., London. pp. 277-290. C.M. Law British Regional Development since World War I Cameron, C(1980): The Future of the British Conurbations. Champion, A (1989): Counter urbanization: The Changing Pace and Nature of Population De-concentration Champion, T Fotheringham, S? (1998): The Determinants of Migration Flows in England, the office of the deputy prime minister. Craft, N(1993): Can De-industrialisation Seriously Damage Your Wealth? Institute of Economic Affairs Hobart Paper 120, 1993. Evans, A Eversely, D(1980): The Inner City: Employment and Industry. Fielding, A(1982): Counter urbanisation in Western Europe, Progress in Planning Vol. 17, 1982 Fothergill, S Gudgin, G (1982) Unequal Growth: Urban and Regional Change in the U. K., Goddard, J Champion, A (1983): The Urban and Regional Transformation of Britain. Hausner, V(1985): Critical Issues in Urban Economic Development. HM Government (1996): Household Growth: Where Shall We Live? Lever, W Bailly, A(1996): The Spatial Impact of Economic Changes in Europe. Massey,D Meegan, R(1982): The Anatomy of Job Loss. P. Boyle, K. Halfacree and V. Robinson (1998): Exploring Contemporary Migration. R. Martin B Rowthorn(1986): The Geography of Deindustrialisation. Rural Development Commission (1998): Memorandum by the Rural Development Commission (H54) the United Kingdom Parliament. Stillwell, J. Rees, P Boden, P (1992): Migration Processes and Patterns, Volume 2: Population Redistribution in the U. K. Turok Edge (1999): The jobs gap in Britains cities. W. Lever(1987): Industrial Change in the United Kingdom.

The Theme of Power in Yellow Wallpaper and Bartleby -- The Yellow Wallp

The Theme of Power in Yellow Wallpaper and Bartleby   Ã‚  Ã‚   Many texts written in the nineteenth century have a very apparent theme of power. Authority can be seen very differently depending on the view of the transcript the audience is presented with. By looking at different transcripts within the text the reader has more realistic exposure to the resistance of power in that text. This paper will prove that transcripts of differing views allow for different interpretations of the power struggle itself. Using James C. Scott this paper will examine the transcripts of both Charlotte Perkins Gilman's, "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Herman Melville's "Bartleby." These two texts are opposite in many ways, which make them fascinating to study through Scotts eyes, because together they extensively cover the four situations he focuses on. The first transcript which Scott discusses is that of the public's view. He describes that "the public transcript is to put it crudely, the self-portrait of dominant elites as they would have themselves seen"(18). Since the narrator of "Bartleby" is a member of the "dominant elite" this text is a great example of how the public transcript is used to show resistance and power. Text written from this point of view, focus on trying to make the elite seem good, just, and noble. The narrator of this text did a wonderful job at doing just that. At one point while talking about Bartleby he told the audience "Not only did there seem to lurk in it a certain calm disdain, but his perverseness seemed ungrateful, considering the undeniable good usage and indulgence he had received from me"(Melville 18). The narrator was basically saying, I was so good to Bartleby, how dare he not appreciate all my kindness. It is... ...isplay, how within texts there could be many different forms of resistance and views of authority, depending on the transcripts used to understand them. Each text read in this class, on the surface value, provides an entertaining story, however the same text through deeper reading are able to decode much more complex plots. On the surface Bartleby is just a very strange employee, and the narrator of Gilman's story is just an insane woman, but by digging further this paper was able to display much more intensity to them both. Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper" and other Stories. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1997. Melville, Herman. Bartleby and Benito Cereno. 3rd ed. NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1990. Scott, James C. Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990.

Comparison between Life of Pi and Brave New World Essay

The heroes, Piscine Molitor Patel in â€Å"Life of Pi† by Yann Martel, and John in â€Å"Brave New World† by Aldous Huxley view their fears as an obstacle that they must overcome. Both heroes were faced with immediate challenges in their life. Through challenging their fears, personal or community morale benefits from their perceived success. In such a way, the hero’s success manipulates the situation as the feared become afraid. Each hero battled their fear differently and thus discovered a hidden truth behind the challenge they were faced with. John was born into his fear. He had no say or no choice. He had to find the positive out of every situation throughout his life. â€Å"Never put off till tomorrow the fun you can have today. † John did what he could to service happily with himself. Adversity was a struggle for him. His hidden truth was his ability to feel and show affection, of which no one was able to understand. This proved to be difficult for John being somewhat isolated. On the other hand, Pi was a quick and decisive learner. His fear was conquered through his self-determination. Fishing and taming Mr. Parker (the tiger) revealed much of his hidden truth. Pi revealed, â€Å"The presence of God is the finest of rewards. † To him, it was as if his fear now became the feared. Pi was rewarded with self-empowerment. With the conquering of the hero’s fears, different aspects of their lives were affected with their efforts. Individually, Pi was rewarded. Pi quoted, â€Å"Can there be any happiness greater than the happiness of salvation? † This can be related to the Warden from â€Å"Shawshank Redemption† saying, â€Å"Salvation lies within†. For Pi this meant he had the power in saving himself from any terrible circumstances. Being considered an anti-hero, John did not necessarily individually benefit from his fight against his fear from the world state itself, but he may have influenced others who might possibly follow his path. As for John, he believed suicide was an option under his situation, â€Å"Ending is better than mending. † He finally decided there wasn’t a way in changing the â€Å"New World† in which he committed suicide. In an effort to impact his fear, he was able to potentially influence others, like a domino effect. As this was easily the most feared situation the world state could be faced with. With the hero’s efforts, personal and community morale benefited. No matter the aspiration, change for the better will occur. As my mother has always told me, â€Å"Everything happens for a reason. † In both situations, Pi and John found a way through their fears, and influenced themselves and others as the feared are now the afraid.

A Character Analysis

One of the most significant characters within Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is that of Brutus, a very complex individual whose actions have significant impact upon the events on the play. This paper examines the character of Brutus and assesses both the good and bad elements of his character. A critique of how these qualities present inner conflict within Brutus is offered together with an explanation of the ways in which these conflicts manifest themselves.It is the intention of this paper to prove that despite the fact that Brutus was able to murder his closest friends, he is essentially a moral man who maintained his honor to the end. One of the most significant elements of Brutus’ character is his strict ideals. He is a nobleman, â€Å"the noblest of Romans† (V. v. 75) who is strongly guided and influenced by matters of honor. He demonstrates a continual obsession with acting in a way that is right and just and speaks regularly of the need to create a republic in Rome that is ruled by the votes of the senate as opposed to a single dictator.This creates a problem in his relationship with Caesar. Despite their close friendship, Brutus is concerned that Caesar will rise to power and then commit an act of betrayal by enforcing a dictatorship on the people of Rome, â€Å"climber-upward†¦ He then unto the ladder turns his back†¦ † (II. ii. 24,26). It is clear that, for Brutus, his moral and ethical ideals are of higher importance than his friendship and love for Caesar and thus he is able to commit the inhumane act of murder.However, whilst the murder itself is wrong, the fact that Brutus himself believes so strongly in the fact that his actions are for the good of Rome, entails that he does, to an extent, maintain his honor. Brutus’ single minded obsession with morality entails that he can be easily persuaded by others to carry out their will, provided it is presented as being for the good of Rome. This reveals a furthe r, negative, element to his character; he is naive. Cassius is able to manipulate Brutus’ obsession with honor in order to persuade him to murder Caesar, an ironic turn of events that on face value is anything but honorable.Brutus fails to recognize that he is being used by Cassius and Antony and seems to accept everything on face value, failing to question facts or consider the possibility that he could be deceived. This can be seen in the way he blindly accepts the letters from Cassius as being sent from the people of Rome and thus demonstrative of their will for Cesar to be removed. His nativity entails that he allows others to play upon his ideals in order to convince him to perform the act of murder. Despite the fact this murder causes him anguish, â€Å"Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful; and pity to the general wrong of Rome†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (III, i, 185-186), he allows Cassius and Anthony to convince him that committing such acts will win the hearts of the people of Rome, â€Å"If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. † (III. ii. 21-24). Brutus’ gullibility is something that he carries with him to the grave, even on his deathbed he believes that he has shared his life with true and honorable men, â€Å"My heart doth joy that yet in all my life I found no man but he was true to me† (V. v. 38-39). Such a naive and trusting nature allows the audience to perceive Brutus as honorable.He is innocent and trusting and truly believes that he is acting on behalf of the people of Rome. A further negative element of Brutus’ character is his poor judgment. He believes that he will win the support of the people of Rome because he acts in their interests. This is evident when he addresses the Roman citizens in the forum and in his general treatment of the Roman crowds. He incorrectly perceives them as intelligent individuals who will b e able to understand his reasoned approach to the murder of Caesar. However, the reality is that the crowd is not able to understand his intellect and is thus left vulnerable to the words of Antony.Here, despite Cassius’ advice to the contrary, he allows Antony to have the last word at the funeral and is thus once again betrayed as a direct result of his naivety. Antony is able to utilize Brutus’ words and actions against him and generate hatred and animosity in the crowd. The same crowd that Brutus judged to be reasonable and intellectual. A further significant component of Brutus’ character is that of his philosophical nature. He is a believer in Stoicism, a philosophy that dictates living side by side with nature and existing in a carefree and indifferent manner. Such a philosophy manifests itself in an unemotional manner.This can be observed when Brutus hears of the death of his beloved wife and simply replies, â€Å"Why farewell Portia, We must die, Messal a† (IV. iii. 218). His stoic nature can be seen as a possible explanation for the way in which he is able to restrict his focus to the political and ethical reasons for his murder of Caesar. Brutus’ stoic nature is further enhanced by the fact that he is able to put the good of the public before his own personal feelings. He does not think of Caesar as a man or a friend, but as a political entity, a future dictator, who threatens the good of Rome.This is one possible explanation for why he appears to show no grief for the acts he has committed or for his dead friend; he is too entrenched in his political objectives. The political focus of Brutus’ character proves to be a further flaw that allows others to use him to their advantage. His apparent lack of emotion is something that Cassius is able to utilize when he addresses the crowd and convinces them that Brutus is inherently bad. As readers though we have an insight into Brutus’ actions and understand th e causes for his lack of emotion.He is so intent on doing what he believes to be right that, in our eyes, he maintains an honorable image. One of Brutus’ biggest faults is his inflexible nature. His stubbornness and inability to adapt to the events that occur ultimately leads to his downfall. Despite the fact that he is so politically focused, he fails to play the game of politics himself and thus leaves himself open to manipulation. Unlike Antony and Cassius, he is unable to strategically plan the best means of achieving his intentions, instead acting upon his blind faith that what he is doing is what the people want.However, although this is a flaw, it is something that maintains his honor; he is not a cheat or a conspirator at heart. This paper has discussed a number of Brutus’ character traits, both good and bad. A number of his qualities both serve in his favor and lead to his downfall. Whilst he is trusting, true to his beliefs and resolute, his naivety, poor jud gment and single mindedness entail that he leaves himself vulnerable to the dishonest actions of those around him.However, it is such naivety that allows the readers to maintain an image of Brutus as an honorable man, who tries to act in the best interests of his people. The last word on the character of Brutus is expressed extremely well by the words of Mark Antony: â€Å"This was the noblest Roman of them all:? All the conspirators, save only he? Did that they did in envy of great Caesar,? He, only in a general honest thought? And common good to all, made one of them† (V,V, 68-72) For the characters in the play, and for the reader, Brutus maintains an element of honorability that even his most disgraceful acts cannot eradicate.