Chapters 1-5

Summary: Mr. Jones is the owner of the Manor Farm, and he lives with his wife and the farm animals. After Old Major, the white boar had his dream he wanted to share it with his fellow farm animals so they had a meeting. He talked about passing on his wisdom about how the animals were being used and taken advantage of. He then said they would overcome their oppression with a rebellion, he didn't know when it would come. Hours, days, or years, he just knew it was going to come. He then introduced a song called the Beasts of England to the animals. unfortunately, three days later he died, and all the animals continued to talk about the rebellion. After Mr. Jones not feeding them and ignoring the animals they attacked him and ran him out of Manor Farm, they named it Animal Farm. They later wrote seven commandments that had to be followed by all comrades. All of the animals worked together to keep the farm running and maintain order. The rats and cats were learning how to behave, and the pigs, who were the smartest educated all of their fellow comrades. It was hard for many animals to keep up, and learn the alphabet. The pigeons and the birds spread thew word about the rebellion, and many animals on different farms became aware of the rebellion on Manor Farm. Some farm owners because frightened because of the possibility of their animals rebelling. A few days later Mr. Jones came back to his farm with some men. After getting by several animals they eventually ran off and were defeated again, unfortunately a sheep died. The animals later named the battle the Battle of the Cowshed. Winter was very harsh for the animals, and Mollie stayed in contact with the humans, and she eventually ran away to one. They never speak about her.

Quote: "By the late summer the news of what had happened on Animal Farm had spread across half the county" (Orwell 44).

Reflection: This book is very symbolic, and alludes to something big. I do not know the historical context of the story, or where this derives from other than what was said in the introduction so its intriguing. So far I am enjoying the book, it is very entertaining, whenever I read it it feels like I am watching a movie or television. The details and descriptions are very vibrant.

The 20th Century, pages 134-188

Summary: Execution in the 21st century has been very controversial. Some states support the death penalty, while others don't. After many pain full years the guillotine was abolished in 1981. The electric chair is known as t"Sparky", "The Hot Squat" and "Old Smokey. I t was first used in New York on August 6, 1980. Thew gas chamber was first used in 1936. It takes about 18 minutes for the body to give up its life. About 35 states have been using lethal injection since 1977. It provides a slow, and quiet death to the criminal. Firing squads were very common in Mexico. There are more than thousands of people on death row. About one in fifty teenagers are on death row. There are not a lot of people ion death row in Asia, compared to America. In Japan there are approximately 50 people on death row. Drugs are taken very seriously, so smugglers face very harsh consequences. There are state-sponsored tortures. Chain gangs had to do a lot of hard work. Prison conditions vary from place to place. There are a lot of gangs, and rivalry fights between the gangs, poor living conditions, drug smuggling and more. Some people, in government and out have planned and and done crimes against the state. Lynchings have been around for hundreds of years, they are all used for different reasons, but all have that one intention of killing someone.War crimes have played a huge part of WWI, WWII, and war crimes in Asia.

Quote:"Since 1985 more than 35 countries have scrapped capital punishment or restricted its application"(Kellaway 134).

Reflection: Torture and execution has transformed a lot, the modern punishments are completely different from how they are considered to be now. Some of the things done back then are probably illegal now, which is crazy. All of these transformations and progress show the growth and development of the world. I am still very confused as to why criminals have beds, shelter, and food while poor innocent people are forced to live on the streets.

A New World, Pages 88-133

Summary: Poor houses were used to supply and help the needy, men and women had separate wards. Some prisoners were clapped with irons, they were bound to furniture, walls and doors, left for days, weeks or even months. In Asylums intended to help mentally ill patients many people were thrown in the asylum; and subjected to the behaviors of the sane, and insane. These many problems led to prison reforms. Many people like Elizabeth Fry tried to help change these prisons with prison reforms. From silence and solitary it was hoped that criminals would've repented. Solitary confinement lasted for long periods of time, it left the victims helpless and agonizing. During the silences the victims created their own special hand languages and signed words to each other, they created new ways to speak to each other. Hulk ships were used during transportation to hold the prisoners captive. Hangmen were all called Jack Ketch, but most had different methods. Gallows were an advancement to hanging, there was a part of the floor that dropped, and the victims dropped as well, hanging by the rope leading to their deaths. Some people were even hung behind closed doors. Pirates and being accused of being a pirate was a serious issue, there were some serious consequences and death methods if you were caught. Slavery was a form of torture, and it has been around for many years and more years to come; there were many punishments and cruel torture. The army was disciplined also, they were whipped with swords, and lashes. Some navy discipline meant being shot, or strictly disciplined and punished. The guillotine had been along for a long time, but it was actually named in 1789, after it had been perfected by Dr. Joseph Guillotin. Many more advancements had come to the guillotine after it had been created.

Quote: "The abuses suffered, particularly by the burgeoning working classes created in the Industrial Revolution, were still intense"(Kellaway 88).

Reflection: This is told mostly from European counties and rules. Many types of punishments have been used. Some for thousands of years, and others hundreds. They all have huge affects on their victims.

Before The Age of Reason, Pages 36-86

Summary:

The Church wielded enormous power in the middle ages and did everything in its power to keep that position secure." An ax and block became popular from the 1500s to the 1700s. The ax was very hefty, the cut was forced and the killing was done by crushing. Several strikes were needed. Some beheaded were John Fisher and Lord Russell. The last victim of the ax was Lord Lovat, he died April 8, 1747 at Tower Hill. Also, during this time period swordsmen were used to execute convicts. A swordsman was dressed in a high horn shaped hat, with a tight black suit with a hefty sword. Like the one who executed queen Anne Boleyn. Prisoners hung at Tyburn were held at Newgate Prison in great Britain. Almost twenty four people were hung at a time, thousands were killed in total. The hangings were like fairs. There were a lot of people that came to see the criminal, especially if they were famous. Some 9,000 children died from drinking gin in celebration,. There was just a lot of commotion.There was no pleasure, but the gathering process and occurrences were interesting and fun to others. Executions had risen from hanging to drawing and quartering. Britain's Murder Act of 1752 permitted dead men to be hung by a chain. After this the gibbet was used, it was to make passer-byers fear doing bad things. Some victims of the gibbets were put in metal body cage on top of being exposed to everyone. Death by burning was abolished in Britain in 1790. Before than many people were burned. In 1349 about 2000 Jews were burned in Stratsbourg on St. Valentines Day. Water torture had been a new method of killed. Many people were ducked into water and others were boiled to death. Sometimes water was funneled down a victims throat, it was painful and provided a drowning feeling. Another form of torture was amputation, this was done to ensure hat the punishment for the crime was good enough. Criminals were often branded with their offenses. The pillory provided pain, and public shame to its victim. Most people were whipped, especially children at public schools in England. Some people were put in torture chambers. And some were even pressed to death, heavy weights would be placed on the abdomen causing pain and suffocation. There were about 100,00 deaths because of the witch hunts in Europe.

Quote: "The church wielded enormous power in the Middle Ages and did everything in its power to keep that position secure"(Kellaway 36).

Reflection: Many innocent people were killed. Not all these victims were criminals, some were innocent people who happened to say the wrong things. All of these punishments were harsh, and now when I think about it the criminals in jail are lucky they have to live in a place funded by the government instead of being harshly punished, tortured or killed.

First Millennium, pages 22-35

Summary: The Vikings had a complex system of penalties and punishments ranging from fines, banishment, to amputations and execution. Druids were secretive religious and scholarly class of the Europeans Celts. They created a wicker man and crammed criminals and sacrifices inside. Sacrifices were done by stabbing the victims in the back with a sword. In ancient China there were many forms of punishments, some of which included whipping the backside with a whip or a bamboo cane, kneeling on chains, and being chained but the neck. The Anglo Saxons' executions were being buried alive, and suffocation together known as 'face down burials'. Bog bodies were bodies thrown in a boggy or watery area that was marked out in a special way. After the the victims had been horrifically killed they were left to rot in bodies of water. At the end of the millennium barbaric tortures continued. People were still being buried alive, abut some others were burning up to their necks, this was known as 'sacrificed for the sun'; they were left to burn in the hot sun. During sacrifices severed limbs were eaten and cannibalism became widespread.

Quote: "The use of execution in religious rituals is older than any written history"(Kellaway 22).

Reflection: Some methods of execution have been common through out early civilization to the first millennium; but some newer harsher punishments have been created.

Early Civilization, pages 6-21

Summary:The progress of mankind has been shown through the history of torture and execution. History shows that leaders during tan age of despots and fanatics. During the early civilization deaths seems reasonable and well deserved. Roman and Greek prosecutors were delighted by their cruel methods of execution an. Ancient Egypt's execution consisted pf burial chambers, sacrifices, hangings, beheading, and strangulation. In deaths it was considered vital for the ba to unite with the deceased ka, or spiritual partner, so burning was not an option. The Greeks used the brazen bull, created by a man named Perilaus. The victim was forced to climb into the life size wooden, hallow bull while a fire was lit under the bull's stomach. Another torture device was a wooden effigy of Agepa, this caused the victim to die from strangulation. Romans tortured Christians mainly by mauling them with wild animals. In Biblical times death by stoning was a standard form of punishment in the Mosaic code. Crucifixion was a common form f punishment between the the sixth century B.C. and the fourth century A.D., Romans used torture methods to obtain the truth, they also sawed men in half and stretched limbs.

Quote: "The classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, together with the religious legacies of the Holy land, have shaped much of western society"(Kellaway 6).

Reflection: The methods of torture and execution were very harsh, and painful. This book is hard to read, knowing that these cruel methods were actually used.

Chapter 1, pages 3-33

Summary: The protagonist Claireece Precious Jones was born on November 4, 1970. She is illiterate and not very smart. Growing up Precious was constantly abused by both of her parents. Her mother physical and verbally abused her. Punches, kicks, stabs, and swears were all thrown at Precious. Her father physically abused her. He raped her constantly, her mother did nothing about it. He impregnated her twice in 1983, and 1987. Her first baby was a girl named Little Mongo. She was named after the illness she was born with, Mongol Down Syndrome. While she is pregnant with her second class she attends Higher Eduacation Alternative/ Each One Teach One. She got kicked out of high school because a disagreement between her and a teacher named Mrs. Lichenstein and more.

Quote: "Go get a plate and stop acting stupid 'fore I hurt your shoulder"(Sapphire, 20).

Reflection: This quote shows that Precious is forced to do things that she doesn't want to. This also shows the little control she has in her life.