When we take a glimpse of the past, we often find things that we find cruel and evil, especially their methods of punishment and extracting information. For them, it was just another way of doing things, as was torture, which was considered a generally acceptable way of obtaining information in the Medieval time period. This is just skin deep though, we must look at the key values and principles of their society, and figure out what Medieval values torture represents. So, underlying all of this information and various techniques of torture, there was a social science perspective, and that was psychological as; “The purpose of torture is not getting information. It 's spreading fear” (Galeano). If we consider torture to almost be a psychological
Torture played a huge role in the powers of the inquisitors. “Document 5: The Case of Marina Gonzalez” in the book The Spanish Inquisition written by Lu Ann Homza, is an example of how important torture was for confessions however torture was ineffective when revealing truths. To torture an entire group of a population, it would have required a very thorough process. An inquisition began with an Edict of Grace after a Catholic Mass, in which those in community who were guilty of heresy were invited to the town center to declare any acts against the church.
In reality torturing includes physical, mental, or verbal to be exact. Article 5 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, “Nobody has the right to torture, harm, or humiliate you. Presently, in the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel in chapter 4 pg.64 says, “I saw Idek with a young Polish girl, half-naked on a mattress. Idek leapt up turned around and saw me while the girl tried to cover up her breasts.” Also on chapter 4 pg.65 states, “Lie down on it, on your stomach!”
Some of the psychological methods included blackmailing, exploitation of phobias; e.g., mock execution, leaving suspects in a room full of spiders, interrogations that lasted for an unreasonable
The Guillotine was a commonly used torture device used in Medieval Europe to punish an accused of murder or torture. This torture was a solid wooden frame in which house a large angled blade at the top which is suspended. The condemned person then had his head and arms suspended in stocks which are wooden boards which have cut out holes for the person hands and head. After being locked down in these stocks their neck is positioned directly under the blade. Not long after a man in a hooded mask much like an executioner would tug on a rope in which would release the large metal blade onto the person 's neck.
In order to better understand how torture is used in the Salem Witch Trials, it is necessary to examine the usage of torture and interrogation in the modern
In discussions of torture, one controversial issue has been whether torture is an effective mean to gain information from terrorists. On the one hand, many people would argue that torture is a very effective mean to gain information. On the other hand, there is a large amount of people who contends that torture is not the only means to gain the same information. My own view is that there are better ways to gain information from terrorists other than torturing them. I disagree with torture being an effective mean to gain information because; as recent research has shown it can be ineffective.
In medieval times, torture was used to punish criminals, deter crime, and gather information. There were many different types of tortures, most of which were brutal and painful. At the time, torture was deemed necessary to maintain order. Laws were harsh and torture was severe, but effective form of punishment. Despite its effectiveness, torture was often an unfair and extremely cruel punishment, and should have been eliminated in all forms.
Many people use torture to mess with people's mind and to use it against them. They force people to confess and use it to their advantage against people. Orwell states, “A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people ... turning one even against one's will like an electric current, turning one even against one's will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic” (Orwell 11). In the book, 1984 Big Brother used torture to their advantage to gain power. In many countries, they do the same thing and many people believe this is not the right thing to do.
In this article the author asks the question as to whether torture is a viable source in getting information. Since there is other moral ways of getting information. Some of these methods have shown to be more efficient. They also leave the victim’s mind intact. Janoff-Bulman, Ronnie.
While analyzing “The Torture Myth” and “The Case for Torture”, it is very clear to see the type of rhetorical appeals used to persuade the audience. Anne Applebaum, the writer of “The Torture Myth” --in context of the decision of electing a new Attorney General--would argue that torture is very seldomly effective, violates a person’s rights, and should be outlawed due to the irrational need upon which physical torture is used. On the other hand, Michael Levin strongly argues that physical torture is crucial to solving every imminent danger to civilians. Levin claims that if you don’t physically torture someone, you are being weak and want to allow innocent people to die over something that could have been simply done.
Queen Elizabeth’s rule sported a new humanistic culture and higher literacy rates in England that have not been seen before with previous ruling monarchs. According to Elizabethan England, more books and pamphlets were published in England. This is caused by a growth in printing which in turn means books could be made for less money and significantly less time. The sheer amounts of books now being produced allows cheaper and easier access to books for everyone. With more access to books, literacy rates were able to increase such as the yeomen who “were illiterate at the start of Elizabeth’s reign but literate by its end” (177).
Instead, it only obviated the flaws of the monarchy to people once again leading to more opposition especially because the torture methods were incredibly cruel. Everyone was subjected to torture including women and children showing the brutality and extent to which authority would go to control people. Although spilling blood was prohibited according to Catholic law, other methods were used with water, rope, and fire that were even more painful. Catholics knew they should not have been inflicting pain upon people, but they found a loophole so they could maintain power. Many people were tortured under false pretenses and were usually innocent causing conflict to arise.
In Michael Levin’s “The Case for Torture”, he uses many cases of emotional appeal to persuade the reader that torture is necessary in extreme cases. There are many terms/statements that stick with the reader throughout the essay so that they will have more attachment to what is being said. Levin is particularly leaning to an audience based in the United States because he uses an allusion to reference an event that happened within the states and will better relate to the people that were impacted by it. The emotional appeals used in this essay are used for the purpose of persuading the reader to agree that in extreme instances torture is necessary and the United States should begin considering it as a tactic for future cases of extremity. One major eye catching factor of this essay is the repetitive use of words that imply certain stigmas.
In Michael Levin's The Case for Torture, Levin provides an argument in which he discusses the significance of inflicting torture to perpetrators as a way of punishment. In his argument, he dispenses a critical approach into what he believes justifies torture in certain situations. Torture is assumed to be banned in our culture and the thought of it takes society back to the brutal ages. He argues that societies that are enlightened reject torture and the authoritative figure that engage in its application risk the displeasure of the United States. In his perspective, he provides instances in which wrongdoers put the lives of innocent people at risk and discusses the aspect of death and idealism.
Torture is universally prohibited in both national and International law worldwide. It is a fundamental violation of human rights that cannot be derogated from. Essentially, torture is said to constitute any physical and mental act by which severe pain or suffering is intentionally inflicted upon a person ( UNCAT).Torture is mainly used for purposes that are set out to degraded, embarrass, and induce destruction in the person being subjected to torture and those in close relation to the person being tortured .Torture is a mechanism used by those in authoritative positions to preserve themselves in power (Power, 2006:2). Despite the universal prohibition on torture, its use has been widespread throughout history, and especially of late in the wake of September 11 2001 and other recent terrorist atrocities to combat the aforementioned heinous terrorist attacks.