These strange Japanese Review Essay Example

These strange Japanese Review Paper Essay on These strange Japanese In this series, I like the fact that her people write in the subject line, for example. Living in the territory, have the nationality. For example, in this case, the authors well known both East and West. So, probably, the book is close to the truth. I like a man who knows the Land of the Rising exclusively for anime and Cultural DVD, we can only trust the authors, the more they are so clearly set out:) In the text affected by little all aspects of Japanese life self-image, character, values, etiquette, customs and traditions, family relations, etc. In general, as in the other books of the series reveals the features of the mentality of the distinguishing features of nationality. A lot of different interesting and informative information. the style of a thorough and all the same irony, but the text flows smoothly and meditative. As if youre reading this little book on the river bank of a crumbling, shed their sakura flowers After reading my perception of this nation has become more logical Quote:.. We will write a custom essay sample on These strange Japanese Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on These strange Japanese Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on These strange Japanese Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer As there are many ways to express the same idea or concept, just one statement can serve for all occasions. The word domo means thank you, hello, cool, Long time no see, terribly sorry, good-good and so on. There is no way to tell a clear yes or no at least as the word is understood in the West. High is most often translated as yes, but in fact it means I hear you and understand you, and now I think that answer. Foreigners often take the high of the agreement, whereas in fact it is hidden behind the opposite To fluently speak and read Japanese, you need to know Chinese characters Kanji, nbsp; used in the Japanese language (a minimum of 2000; educated Japanese know 5000 or even 80,000 characters, some of which have more than 30 lines). Plus two syllabaries hiragana and katakana the first to write native Japanese things and concepts, and the second for the borrowed items and foreign names. But this is too simple an explanation hybrid Pictography phonetics and written Japanese language The missionaries who came to Japan from Europe in the 19th century, were convinced that the Japanese language -. This invention of the devil, which prevents them in their work. Modern students of Japanese, nbsp; whether foreign or Japanese themselves, nbsp; may or may not believe in the devil, but, no doubt, feel the same .

What Really Happened to Kurt Cobain essays

What Really Happened to Kurt Cobain essays What Really Happened to Kurt Cobain? On April 8, 1994, at 8:40am in a quaint and quiet home in Madrona, Washington, Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, was found dead with a shotgun wound to his head in the greenhouse above his garage. Also present was a cigar box containing drug paraphernalia, needles, lighters, etc. A suicide note was also discovered. From this scene, it is almost too obvious what happened; at least, that was the conclusion immediately drawn, and eventually made final, by the police. Yet, not everyone was so quick to close the case. Many remained skeptical on the issue. Some pondered the idea that maybe he was murdered, while others wish to leave it as is. I join the millions of people in the world that just dont buy into the suicide theory and that are curious about the details of the case, circumstances surrounding the murder scene, and the people closest to Kurt Cobain that could have been involved in his death. The voice of a generation was dead. Thus was the world ushered into a world without Kurt Cobain. For millions, April 8, 1994 became a day as indelibly branded into their memories as November 22, 1963, August 16, 1977, and December 8, 1980-the deathdates of JFK, Elvis, and John Lennon (Halperin 3,4). Ian Halperin and Max Wallace tragically outline the day America was told another cherished icon had died. For many who did not know of Kurt Cobain, just another musician had emotionally crashed and killed himself. Some people, however, continued to explore other possibilities. Curiosity caught my attention after realizing how many others held the same speculations as I did. To learn more, I gathered several resources to assist me in my study. Although I read each, most of my information comes from four resources. The book Kurt Cobain, Beyond Nirvana: The Legacy of Kurt Cobain, by Hank Harrison (father of Courtney Love, Kurts wife), not only gives an exc...

The Long Walk of the Navajo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Long Walk of the Navajo - Essay Example This was done by the government in reaction to the retaliation of the Navajos to the western people. They did not want to leave their ancestral places and thus did not allow any foreigner to have a share in the territory. This made the government to remove the Indians from their ancestral land to ensure that other people could live in that territory. However before reaching such a decision different treaties were also made by the government with Navajos to ensure peace in the area but such treaties did not last long when both the military and Navajos started having conflicts. The government ordered the Navajos to leave their homeland and agricultural properties and move over to the fort Sumner. In August 1863 the first group of Navajos left for Fort Sumner which was 400 miles away from their homeland. While they had to walk barefoot to the fort they had to face many difficulties in their way such as the harsh weather. It took them a total of 21 days to reach the Fort Sumner and while reaching the fort many of the Navajos died because of starvation. However after reaching the Fort also the Indians were not provided with any proper water or food treatment. The farmers were also not given favorable conditions in which they could grow crops for their livelihood.

Heavy Metal and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Heavy Metal and Society - Essay Example However, to "metalheads" themselves this perception seems absolutely inadequate, because heavy metal is both a message to society and a suggestion of a different type of order. If we try to look at heavy metal as an artistic movement we will see that it is communicating something with its loud, socially-unacceptable, hedonistic and barbarian sound. It does not aim for consonance, it has always had the most distorted and aggressive vocalists and its instrumentation has always been basic. Heavy metal has embraced everything that we normally don't think about socially: death, ugliness, terror, disease, warfare, sodomy. The type of heavy music, which is generalized as "heavy metal", is much larger than this only genre - it has a long history of four decades of progress and contains many different genres (Walser 15). Heavy Metal. Progressive rock from the late 1960s started the genre of heavy metal. It emerged from the proto-metal of bands like "King Crimson", "Black Sabbath", "Led Zeppelin", "Deep Purple" (often called hard rock bands). The musicians of "Black Sabbath' used power chord riffing and dark modalities to express the paranoid nihilism. The band became a proto-metal band with morbid, yet, as fans say, poetic songs. Soon this kind of music solidified into a 1970s style of heavy metal most notably represented by "Iron Maiden", 'Judas Priest" and "Motorhead". Unlike the harmony-based, short-cycle riffs of rock, metal almost exclusively used moveable power chords, which can be played in any position along the neck of the guitar in quick sequence. So, riffs are written as phrases (like classical, or jazz) more than rhythmic variations built around open chords. This both simplified the music to the point where it was highly accessible, and gave it a dark sound which lent itself, as in class ical composition, toward a narrative song structure in which riffs form motifs that resolve themselves over the course of a song. It had a gnarled, feral sound against a background of then everyday music. Speed Metal. In the early days of the cold war, speed metal arose to reflect the apocalyptic consciousness gripping heavy metal after fusion with antisocial and anarchistic hardcore punk. Bands influenced by the progressive styles of the 1970s and the abrupt, droning, explosive style of hardcore began making a fast type of metal which used palm muting as a strumming technique to produce bursts of alternating rhythmic emphasis. Classic speed metal bands are "Metallica", "Megadeth", "Slayer", "Anthrax" (these four are also sometimes called "Big Four of Thrash"), "Testament", and "Prong". Topics like war, pollution, nuclear weapons and corporate domination were sung of in either a male bass vocal or shouted in a riot style chorusing. While this music was highly complex and often inventive in structure, it remained roughly under the influence of rock-based mainstream music and passed its technique on to the underground death metal, thrash and grindcore to follow. Thrash. When hardcore and metal collided thrash emerged as a fusion of punk song stylings with metal riff styles and topics. These were one- and two-riff creations on the subject of apocalyptic and political nature. Vocals were shouted in a high-speed manner, the speed and abrupt percussive guitar techniques of the genre laid the foundation of death metal playing. Thrash remained

The Role of Culture in English Language Teaching Essay Example for Free

The Role of Culture in English Language Teaching Essay English Language is traditionally viewed as a code made up of words and a series of rules that connect them together. Language learning here, involves only vocabulary learning, and the rules for constructing ‘proper’ sentences. In most schools in Meghalaya, grammar is being taught at a very early age and students are expected to understand complex idiomatic phrases at the secondary level. Linguistic terminologies, rules of grammar, complex vocabulary, proverbs and their meanings have to be learnt by heart for them to overcome their board examinations. Such a situation only confuses the learners at a very early age and demotivates them from learning any further than what they have to write in their examinations. This narrow understanding of language sees it as a body of knowledge which is fixed and finite and does not explore the complexities involved in using language for communication. When language is seen as ‘open, dynamic, energetic, constantly evolving and personal’ (Shohamy, 2007:5) it acknowledges the rich complexities of communication. Language is no longer a thing to be studied but rather, a way of seeing, understanding and communicating about the world and each language user will use his language differently to do this. Such an expanded view will make the educational process more engaging. The communicative approach to teaching emphasizes elements of communication, including negotiation of meaning, expression, and interpretation (Brown 2000). Speaking is not the only skill that communicative language teaching focuses on but also involves reading, writing, grammar, and culture (Lee VanPatten, 2003). Brown (2007) also adds that students in such classrooms need to use the target language in a meaningful context. The purpose of Communicative language teaching is to improve the learners’ knowledge of the second language, as well as how to use it appropriately in a given context (Li Song, 2007). Learners acquire the second language through interaction with others rather than rote memorization and grammar rule learning. Language is first and foremost a tool for purposeful communication and this involves learning the vocabulary and the rules of how to use them in various cultural contexts. Hence, language does not imply a body of knowledge to be learnt but a social practice in which to participate (Kramsch, 1994). It is something that people do in their daily lives, something that they use to express, create and interpret meanings and to establish and maintain social and inter-personal relationships. Learners can no longer be seen as passive recipients of knowledge, but rather, active participants in a dynamic, complex, personal communication system. Language learning should involve them talking analytically about language, exploring and discovering the ways in which it works in order to create and convey meanings. On the surface, culture can be seen as a body of knowledge that we have about a particular society. These may include cultural artefacts, tools, institutions, rituals, dress, food etc. On a deeper level, culture is a framework in which people live their lives and communicate shared meanings with each other. Creating and interpreting meaning always happens within this cultural framework wherein both cultures simultaneously influence the learners’ understanding. Learning to communicate in English involves an awareness of the ways in which culture inter-relates with language whenever it is used. Many scholars today believe that culture and language are inseparable and culture learning must be an integral part of language learning. According to Kramsch (1993) there are three ways how language and culture are bound together. Firstly, language expresses cultural reality (people express ideas, facts and reflect their attitudes through words). Secondly, language embodies cultural reality (it helps people give meaning and understand their own experiences). And thirdly, language symbolizes cultural reality (it serves as a social identity for people). Learning a second language necessarily involves comparison with the learners’ first language, but the latter is generally perceived as causing ‘interference’ in the learning of the target language. So, students are taught to imitate, practice drills, and create speaking habits without addressing the larger complexities of language learning. In the language classroom, learners do not only learn about a culture but they try to understand themselves in relation to that culture. This process entails the transformational engagement of the learner in the act of learning. Students bring with them their own conceptions, misconceptions, experiences, feelings and understanding to the classroom, and as they interact with another culture, their views will continue to change and shape their learning as well as their identity. The diverse cultural understandings and experiences of the students are highly influential and therefore need to be taken into account. There are many approaches to teaching culture in language learning. Saluveer (2004) has divided them into two broad categories: Those that focus only on the culture of the target language (mono-cultural approach) and those that are based on comparing the learners’ own and the other culture (comparative approach). Risager (1998) describes four approaches to teaching of culture, namely, the intercultural approach, the multicultural approach, the trans-cultural approach, and the foreign-cultural approach. Of these, the intercultural approach seem most appropriate for a study on Khasi-dominated classrooms as it draws upon the idea that culture is best learned through comparison of the target and the learners’ own culture. Though the main focus is on the target culture, the intercultural approach emphasizes the connections between the two cultures, thereby developing the learners’ intercultural and communicative competences, and enabling them to act as mediators betwe en the two cultures. Saluveer (2004) points out two categories of foreign language textbooks used in English language classrooms: Global textbooks which cover issues which appeal to people from different cultural backgrounds and include topics that can be set anywhere; and Locally produced textbooks which include materials which are consistent with the requirements of the national curriculum and such books usually foster learners’ awareness of both their own cultural identity and the target culture. Analysis of the current English textbooks being used by schools would prove to be very useful for the study. According to the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 the goals for a second language curriculum are attainment of basic proficiency and the development of language into an instrument for abstract thought and knowledge acquisition through literacy. It believes that children learn much better in holistic situations that make sense rather than a linear and additive way that often has no meaning. Rich and comprehensible input is necessary for acquisition of the different skills of language. The NCF (2005) encourages a multi-lingual approach to schooling right from the beginning of a child’s education. It states that the success of â€Å"English medium† schools shows that language is learnt when it is not being taught as a language but rather, through exposure in a meaningful context. It is also of the opinion that input-rich communicational environments are essential for effective language learning. This includes learner chosen texts, parallel books and materials in more than one language, multi-media, â€Å"authentic materials† and so on. It states that a variety of materials should be available to provide an input-rich curriculum which focuses on meaning. The textbooks of Meghalaya have been recently revised as per the directives of the NCF 2005 wherein the focus is on developing an activity-based communicative approach towards teaching and learning. They have tried to incorporate culturally authentic materials which are relevant to the immediate environment of the child. The NCF 2005 has suggested the use of locally available resources such as folklore, storytelling, community singing and theatre. Listening should also be enriched with music such as folk, classical and popular compositions. Today, there is a unanimous agreement amongst scholars that teachers should integrate language and culture into their classrooms and they should not perceive them as two separate entities. Language is seen as part of culture and culture a part of language, which is why they cannot be separated and should be taught together. (Brown , 2007) Hence, we need to better our understanding of learners, recognize differences in their social and cultural worlds – their experiences, motivations and aspirations, and incorporate this diversity into our teaching and learning. When students communicate in such a classroom, they become both participants and observers of ideas, expressions, feelings and experiences, thereby engendering a greater awareness of themselves in relation to others. Research Problem Students of Shillong vary widely in terms of language use in their homes and communities depending on their socio-economic backgrounds. A major challenge faced by teachers today is enabling economically-disadvantaged tribal students to communicate effectively in English at the school level. The ones who are privileged enough to attend expensive multicultural English medium schools communicate exceptionally well compared to the under-privileged majority of students. The word-knowledge before they come to school also varies accordingly and greatly influences how they perform in the later levels of school. If there is a significant gap in the vocabulary at the primary level, it will widen as the student progresses. Such students become poor readers and consequently, they read less, thereby learning fewer new words. They usually do not develop fluency even in the later stages of education, either in speaking or writing. On the other hand, students with good vocabulary generally read more, thereby learning more words and improving their reading skills (Stanovich, 1986). This downward spiral is especially true with students from rural areas. They are hardly exposed to any English text except those which are essential in school and there is no opportunity for them to converse in English. Similarly, urban English-medium schools which are predominantly mono-lingual harbour secondary level students who generally avoid using English, except in situations when they have to. An inferiority complex coupled with intense peer pressure usually seals their mouths shut whenever an English-speaking situation emerges. To further complicate the situation, students from rural areas usually migrate to such schools at the elementary and secondary level. A study into the real or actual classroom situations and the effectiveness of ELT methods and approaches used in such schools would give a clearer understanding of the problems that are hindering the acquisition and learning of English. English language teachers have to cater to the context of the target students and since the problems of underprivileged Khasi children are similar to some extent, a clear understanding of the teaching-learning relationship between them can be achieved. Hence, language learning should build on the students’ prior knowledge, conceptions and misconceptions through an interactive and communicative process. Utilizing culturally â€Å"authentic† materials that students are already familiar with will encourage discussion and meaning making in the classroom. Audio-visual aids and other multimedia materials which are relevant to the immediate environment of the students have great potential for motivating the students to participate more actively in the language learning process. The current methods, strategies, and evaluation of teaching English do not give importance to integrating the students’ culture into language learning. The researcher believes that investigating the selection of textbooks, assessing the textbooks themselves, the teachers’ use of culturally relevant materials, and their creation of a learner-centered classroom environment for social interactive learning is a worthwhile enterprise not only for pedagogical purposes but also for insights into second language learning for monolingual classrooms in general. Area of Study The study focuses mainly at the elementary level. It will select 8 schools; four government schools and four private schools within the semi-urban areas of Shillong. The schools selected will be the schools following the MBOSE syllabus. Aims and Objective The main goal of the present study is to find out if integration of culturally relevant material into the teaching and learning of English as a second language would help promote communication skills in semi-urban English medium schools. The main objectives of the research are: †¢ The textbooks: A description of the textbooks in terms of its aim, content, approach and design will be presented in the study. †¢ If there is integration of culturally relevant materials in the textbooks, the study will examine how integration is being carried out: I. in actual classroom situation. II. in the audio-visual aids or tools available in actual classroom situation. †¢ The study will also examine the evaluation and assessment tools commonly practiced in the schools. †¢ The study will also provide a brief description of the teacher training programmes. †¢ Since the study focuses mainly on integration of local cultural materials to promote communicative skills, it will also document available materials to be incorporated appropriately at the elementary level. †¢ Tools and techniques incorporating culturally relevant materials to test development of communication skills for children at the elementary level. Methodology Both primary and secondary resources will be adopted in the study. For collection of Primary data, the study will incorporate the following methods: 1. The participant–observation method. This method will be used to examine the teaching practices, audio-visual aids, common language assessment strategies adopted in actual classroom situation. 2. The questionnaire method: This method will be used for analyzing the textbooks, and teacher training programmes. 3. The interview method: Interview schedule will be adopted for a study of teacher’s and student’s background. 4. Tools and techniques incorporating local and culturally relevant materials for testing communication skills. For secondary data, the study will try to collect materials from educational institutions, such as teacher training institutes, University libraries, and the State and National institute of school education. Fieldwork for the study will be carried out in the 8 selected schools located within the semi-urban areas of the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Tentative Chapterisation 1. Introduction 2. Contemporary methods of English language teaching 3. Methodology 4. Data Analysis and Presentation of Materials 5. Summary and Future Projections of the Study

The Joy of Hate :: Example Personal Narratives

The Joy of Hate About ten years ago my dad was pastor in a church near Charleston. Two centuries ago, this was a prominent area in the slave industry, and after the Civil War, many harbored hateful attitudes toward blacks. Many families passed down this legacy of prejudice to the present day. After my father had been at this church for six months, one of the deacons asked him for a favor. Every year the town, mainly the church, held a youth baseball league and the deacon wanted my dad to announce the beginning of the season to the congregation and have my older brother play on a team. My father initially accepted the invitation but wanted to know more. He asked the deacon how the church had advertised the league and was told that the church did nothing else to publicize the program. Dad thought this a bit strange. Didn't the congregation want as many kids as possible to show up? When my dad investigated this puzzling question, he didn't like what he found. They weren't advertising because they didn't want the whole town to participate, especially the black families. This made my dad reconsider making the announcement to the church. He talked to my mom and prayed very hard for many days. Finally my father decided he would make the announcement and allow my brother to play. Although he didn't want to do this, my father knew that if he didn't, someone else would, and they'd twist it so he would look like a bad guy. There was one condition, though: If my father found out any black family who signed up their child to play was rejected, my brother would not play. Although he never found any proof of this, my father had a feeling it had happened. Daddy knew he couldn't change the league, so he decided instead to start a soccer team and advertise it clearly as a "for-everyone" event. He invited many families, black and white, to sign up their kids, and his hard work paid off. About 80 kids showed up for the first practice, half black and half white. Our entire family rejoiced at the large turnout, but soon something strange began to happen. Week by week the number of players declined. By the fourth practice, not enough showed up to even resemble a team.

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The death penalty SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA Capital punishment or the death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The judicial decree that someone be punished in this manner is a death sentence, while the actual process of killing the person is an execution. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally â€Å"regarding the head† (referring to execution by beheading). 1] Capital punishment has, in the past, been practised by most societies (one notable exception being Kievan Rus);[2] currently 58 nations actively practise it, and 97 countries have abolished it (the remainder have not used it for 10 years or allow it only in exceptional circumstances such as wartime). [3] It is a matter of active controversy in various countries and states, and positions can vary within a single political ideology or cultural region. In the European Union member states, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment. 4] Currently, Amnesty International considers most countries abolitionist. [5] The UN General Assembly has adopted, in 2007, 2008 and 2010, non-binding resolutions calling for a global moratorium on executions, with a view to eventual abolition. [6] Although many nations have abolished capital punishment, over 60% of the world's population live in countries where executions take place, such as the People's Republic of China, India, the United States of America and Indonesia, the four most-populous countries in the world, which continue to apply the death penalty (although in India, Indonesia and in many US states it is rarely employed).Each of these four nations voted against the General Assembly resolutions. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Contents [hide] 1 History 1. 1 Ancient history 1. 2 Ancient Tang China 1. 3 Middle Ages 1. 4 Mod ern era 1. 5 Contemporary era 2 Movements towards humane execution 3 Abolitionism 4 Contemporary use 4. 1 Global distribution 4. 2 Execution for drug-related offences 4. 3 Juvenile offenders 4. 3. 1 Iran 4. 3. 2 Somalia 4. 4 Methods 5 Controversy and debate 5. 1 Human rights 5. 2 Wrongful execution 5. 3 Retribution 5. 4 International views 6 Religious views 6. 1 Buddhism 6. 2 Christianity 6. 2. 1 Roman Catholic Church 6. 2. 2 Protestants 6. . 3 Mormonism 6. 3 Hinduism 6. 4 Islam 6. 5 Judaism 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links 10. 1 Opposing 10. 2 In favour 10. 3 Religious views History Execution of criminals and political opponents has been used by nearly all societies—both to punish crime and to suppress political dissent. In most places that practise capital punishment it is reserved for murder, espionage, treason, or as part of military justice. In some countries sexual crimes, such as rape, adultery, incest and sodomy, carry the death penalty, as do religious crimes such as apostasy in Islamic nations (the formal renunciation of the state religion).In many countries that use the death penalty, drug trafficking is also a capital offence. In China, human trafficking and serious cases of corruption are punished by the death penalty. In militaries around the world courts-martial have imposed death sentences for offences such as cowardice, desertion, insubordination, and mutiny. [16] Anarchist Auguste Vaillant guillotined in France in 1894 The use of formal execution extends to the beginning of recorded history. Most historical records and various primitive tribal practices indicate that the death penalty was a part of their justice system.Communal punishment for wrongdoing generally included compensation by the wrongdoer, corporal punishment, shunning, banishment and execution. Usually, compensation and shunning were enough as a form of justice. [17] The response to crime committed by neighbouring tribes or communities included formal apology, compensation or blood feuds. A blood feud or vendetta occurs when arbitration between families or tribes fails or an arbitration system is non-existent. This form of justice was common before the emergence of an arbitration system based on state or organised religion. It may result from crime, land disputes or a code of honour. Acts of retaliation underscore the ability of the social collective to defend itself and demonstrate to enemies (as well as potential allies) that injury to property, rights, or the person will not go unpunished. â€Å"[18] However, in practice, it is often difficult to distinguish between a war of vendetta and one of conquest. Severe historical penalties include breaking wheel, boiling to death, flaying, slow slicing, disembowelment, crucifixion, impalement, crushing (including crushing by elephant), stoning, execution by burning, dismemberment, sawing, decapitation, scaphism, necklacing or blowing from a gun.The Christian Martyrs' Last Pray er, by Jean-Leon Gerome (1883). Roman Colosseum. Islam on the whole accepts capital punishment,[19] and the Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad, such as Al-Mu'tadid, were often cruel in their punishments. [20] Nevertheless, mercy is considered preferable in Islam,[citation needed], and in Sharia law the victim's family can choose to spare the life of the killer, which is not uncommon. citation needed] In the One Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, the fictional storyteller Sheherazade is portrayed as being the â€Å"voice of sanity and mercy†, with her philosophical position being generally opposed to punishment by death. She expresses this through several of her tales, including â€Å"The Merchant and the Jinni†, â€Å"The Fisherman and the Jinni†, â€Å"The Three Apples†, and â€Å"The Hunchback†. [21] The breaking wheel was used during the Middle Ages and was still in use into the 19th century. Ancient historyElaborations of tribal arbitration of feuds included peace settlements often done in a religious context and compensation system. Compensation was based on the principle of substitution which might include material (for example, cattle, slave) compensation, exchange of brides or grooms, or payment of the blood debt. Settlement rules could allow for animal blood to replace human blood, or transfers of property or blood money or in some case an offer of a person for execution. The person offered for execution did not have to be an original perpetrator of the crime because the system was based on tribes, not individuals.Blood feuds could be regulated at meetings, such as the Viking things. [22] Systems deriving from blood feuds may survive alongside more advanced legal systems or be given recognition by courts (for example, trial by combat). One of the more modern refinements of the blood feud is the duel. Giovanni Battista Bugatti, executioner of the Papal States between 1796 and 1865, carried out 516 exec utions (Bugatti pictured offering snuff to a condemned prisoner). Vatican City abolished its capital punishment statute in 1969. In certain parts of the world, nations in the form of ancient republics, monarchies or tribal oligarchies emerged.These nations were often united by common linguistic, religious or family ties. Moreover, expansion of these nations often occurred by conquest of neighbouring tribes or nations. Consequently, various classes of royalty, nobility, various commoners and slave emerged. Accordingly, the systems of tribal arbitration were submerged into a more unified system of justice which formalised the relation between the different â€Å"classes† rather than â€Å"tribes†. The earliest and most famous example is Code of Hammurabi which set the different punishment and compensation according to the different class/group of victims and perpetrators.The Torah (Jewish Law), also known as the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Christian Old Testa ment), lays down the death penalty for murder, kidnapping, magic, violation of the Sabbath, blasphemy, and a wide range of sexual crimes, although evidence suggests that actual executions were rare. [23] A further example comes from Ancient Greece, where the Athenian legal system was first written down by Draco in about 621 BC: the death penalty was applied for a particularly wide range of crimes, though Solon later repealed Draco's code and published new laws, retaining only Draco's homicide statutes. 24] The word draconian derives from Draco's laws. The Romans also used death penalty for a wide range of offenses. [25][26] Ancient Tang China Although many are executed in China each year in the present day, there was a time in Tang Dynasty China when the death penalty was abolished. [27] This was in the year 747, enacted by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (r. 712–756). When abolishing the death penalty Xuanzong ordered his officials to refer to the nearest regulation by analogy when sentencing those found guilty of crimes for which the prescribed punishment was execution.Thus depending on the severity of the crime a punishment of severe scourging with the thick rod or of exile to the remote Lingnan region might take the place of capital punishment. However the death penalty was restored only 12 years later in 759 in response to the An Lushan Rebellion. [28] At this time in China only the emperor had the authority to sentence criminals to execution. Under Xuanzong capital punishment was relatively infrequent, with only 24 executions in the year 730 and 58 executions in the year 736. [27]Ling Chi – execution by slow slicing – in Beijing around 1910. The two most common forms of execution in China in the Tang period were strangulation and decapitation, which were the prescribed methods of execution for 144 and 89 offences respectively. Strangulation was the prescribed sentence for lodging an accusation against one's parents or grandparents with a ma gistrate, scheming to kidnap a person and sell them into slavery and opening a coffin while desecrating a tomb. Decapitation was the method of execution prescribed for more serious crimes such as treason and sedition.Interestingly, and despite the great discomfort involved, most Chinese during the Tang preferred strangulation to decapitation, as a result of the traditional Chinese belief that the body is a gift from the parents and that it is therefore disrespectful to one's ancestors to die without returning one's body to the grave intact. Some further forms of capital punishment were practised in Tang China, of which the first two that follow at least were extralegal. The first of these was scourging to death with the thick rod which was common throughout the Tang especially in cases of gross corruption.The second was truncation, in which the convicted person was cut in two at the waist with a fodder knife and then left to bleed to death. [29] A further form of execution called Li ng Chi (slow slicing), or death by/of a thousand cuts, was used in China from the close of the Tang dynasty (around 900) to its abolition in 1905. When a minister of the fifth grade or above received a death sentence the emperor might grant him a special dispensation allowing him to commit suicide in lieu of execution.Even when this privilege was not granted, the law required that the condemned minister be provided with food and ale by his keepers and transported to the execution ground in a cart rather than having to walk there. Nearly all executions under the Tang took place in public as a warning to the population. The heads of the executed were displayed on poles or spears. When local authorities decapitated a convicted criminal, the head was boxed and sent to the capital as proof of identity and that the execution had taken place.In Tang China, when a person was sentenced to decapitation for rebellion or sedition, punishment was also imposed on their relatives, whether or not t he relatives were guilty of participation in the crime. In such cases fathers of the convicted under 79 years of age and sons aged over 15 were strangled. Sons under 15, daughters, mothers, wives, concubines, grandfathers, grandsons, brothers and sisters were enslaved and uncles and nephews were banished to the remotest reaches of the empire. Sometimes the tombs of the family's ancestors were levelled, the ancestors' coffins were destroyed and their bones scattered. 29] Middle Ages In medieval and early modern Europe, before the development of modern prison systems, the death penalty was also used as a generalised form of punishment. During the reign of Henry VIII, as many as 72,000 people are estimated to have been executed. [30] Despite its wide use, calls for reform were not unknown. The 12th century Sephardic legal scholar, Moses Maimonides, wrote, â€Å"It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent man to death. He argued that executing an accused criminal on anything less than absolute certainty would lead to a slippery slope of decreasing burdens of proof, until we would be convicting merely â€Å"according to the judge's caprice. † Caprice of various sorts are more visible now with DNA testing, and digital computer searches and discovery requirements opening DA's files. Maimonides' concern was maintaining popular respect for law, and he saw errors of commission as much more threatening than errors of omission. [31]