Steinbeck's depiction of the struggle of Agricultural workers during Essay

Steinbeck's depiction of the struggle of Agricultural workers during the Depression, his role as a social commentator, and its impact upon his work - Essay Example The novels also serve the purpose of a social documentary and present a picture of the prevailing systemic injustices in the United States. It is fashionable with the new breed of novelists to separate politics from art. But in the case of John Steinbeck, this distinction is not evident. The author, in the process of creating a work of art had also taken upon himself to ask questions of social injustices in general and economic disparities in particular. Hence, Steinbeck’s body of work are in essence are full of his own perspective on the state of rural American society; the medium of the novel have given Steinbeck the requisite scope and opportunity to fulfill his role as a social commentator. The rest of the essay will cite instances from the two novels as well as foray into the biographical aspects of the author himself to support this assertion. To understand this social activist trait in Steinbeck’s character one has to look at the experiences and circumstances that shaped his vision of America. Firstly, his years as an adolescent in Salinas, where he got a first hand experience of his parents’ struggle for survival is a formative influence. It is the next phase of his life however, that will prove more important – his long-time relationship with the radical social worker Carol Henning. The influence of Carol Henning cannot be underestimated, for her socialist views on life had clearly rubbed off on Steinbeck, which is evident from the earliest journalistic assignments that Steinbeck undertook. His years as a novice journalist also had a key role in the shaping of his character, for these early writing assignments were the foundations for his later literary pursuits. In both the works in discussion – The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, the influences of these formative stages of his early l ife are quite obvious. While Steinbeck never really espoused a

Introduction to criminal justice system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to criminal justice system - Essay Example nal Justice Act of 2003, Section 148, a Crown court is not to pass a community sentence except as a last resort, if the seriousness of the crime merits it3. The Magistrate Court and Crown Court are both courts of first instance and deal with criminal law offences. All criminal offences initially come to the magistrate Court, however the summary offences are dealt with here while offences that are classed as triable are sent up to the crown Court. Offences fall into two primary categories – summary offences where a defendant may not be entitled to a trial by jury and indictable offences which include serious charges such as murder and manslaughter4. Summary offences dealt with at the Magistrate Court include less serious ones such as traffic offences or failure to pay taxes and will generally include all cases, including triable offences, where the defendant has opted for a summary trial. However, the Crown Court hears those cases involving indictable offences which include the category of serious offences such as rape or murder. Approximately ninety six percent of criminal cases are dealt with summarily at a magistrates Court.â⠂¬ 5 The legal system is essentially an adversarial one and thus expensive; for example studies conducted on divorce have revealed that adversarial litigation costs 66 percent more than mediation.6 In the conventional legal environment, lawyers are trained to adopt an adversarial position in regard to the opposite party and the formal, court based, procedural environment that is laden with codes and rules of conduct. In a criminal trial, one of the most important rights that will accrue to any person accused of a crime is the constitutional right to every aspect of the due process of law that will ensure that his or her guilt is established by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.7 The due process of law is the right accorded to every person alleged to have committed a crime to be treated fairly when involved in a legal action. The notion that