Lizzie Borden Essays - American Folklore, Axe Murder, Lizzie Borden

Lizzie Borden L I z z I e B o r d e n A little over a century ago a gruesome double murder was committed, in the 2-? story house at 92 Second Street, in Fall River, Massachusetts. This crime shocked the nation as Lizzie Borden, a 32-year-old Sunday school teacher, went on trial for the murder of her father and her stepmother. An all male jury eventually acquitted her on the accusations. To this day, the murderer of Andrew J. Borden and Abby Gray Borden is still unknown, but in the public mind everyone believes it was Lizzie Borden. Lizzie was born and grew up in Fall River, Mass. She was the youngest daughter of Andrew Jackson Borden, who was a very successful Banker and Sarah Morse Borden. Sarah died when Lizzie was very young and Andrew then married Abby Durfee Gray. Lizzie grew up with an elder sister, Emma. Neither of them has ever married. The sisters hated their stepmother, mainly because of the family's inferior social position. On the day of August 4, 1892, the bodies of Andrew Borden and his wife were found mutilated. As opposed to 40 whacks, in the popular rhyme, 19 blows struck Abby Borden by a hatchet or axe to the back of her head and neck. At the time she was cleaning the guestroom of the family home, at 9:30 am. Andrew Borden, who had returned home around 10:30 am, after his daily business had been attended to, was either napping or reading the newspaper on a couch in the parlor, when he was attacked. 11 blows were rained upon Mr. Borden's head and face, to the point that one eye hung from its socket upon his cheek, and his close friend and physician, Dr. Bowen, couldn't recognize him. There were only two people in or about the house at the time of the killings, Lizzie Andrew Borden and Bridget Sullivan, the Borden's maid. There is some speculation as to others that may have been responsible for these heinous acts. Among the other alleged killers are John Morse, the brother of Andrew's first wife, a secret lover Lizzie was said to have, though never named, Emma Borden, Lizzie's elder sister, and William Borden, who, while legally Andrew's second cousin, was rumored to really be his illegitimate son. Soon after the murders, Lizzie emerged as the prime suspect after John Morse's alibi checked out. She then was arrested and tried on three counts, the murder of Abbey, of Andrew, and of them both and, if found guilty, faced death by hanging. Six days after the murders occurred, she went to court. The all-male jury was put into a difficult position. It was the Victorian Era where women were considered delicate flowers and not capable of killing someone and it was not a common or working class woman they were to judge guilty or innocent, it was a wealthy society lady. After only an hour of deliberating, the jury declared Lizzie to be not guilty. It is said it only took them 15 minutes to decide, but out of respect for the prosecution, they waited another 45 minutes before they informed the court of their decision. What makes the Fall River murders so perplexing is that the motive, the weapon and the opportunity for such a crime are all seemingly absent. When the Fall River constabulary investigated the murders, they found no money or jewelry missing, not even small amounts of change or the packet of bus tickets as were taken in the daytime break-in at the Borden home twelve months earlier. Later, Prosecuting Attorney Knowlton hired a machinist who spent two days cracking open Andrew Borden's safe in hopes of finding a missing will disinheriting both daughters. But Borden died intestate, leaving Lizzie and Emma to inherit his entire fortune. Besides the lack of a clear motive for the murders, there was also the disconcerting lack of opportunity. Fall River found the entire Borden house locked up as usual, and during the two-and-a-half-hour period in which both murders were completed, the maid Bridget was outside the house washing windows and daughter Lizzie was inside the house reading a magazine. Even if one of the two committed the crime,

Essay on President Obama

Essay on President Obama Essay on President Obama Tobacco Use: (If you never use tobacco enter a score of 10 for this section and go to the next section) | | |Almost Always |Sometimes |Never | |1 |I avoid smoking tobacco. |2 |1 |0 | |2 |I avoid using a pipe or cigars. |2 |1 |0 | |3 |I avoid spit tobacco. |2 |1 |0 | |4 |I limit my exposure to environmental tobacco smoke |2 |1 |0 | | | | |Total: |10 | Alcohol and Other Drugs: | | |Almost Always |Sometimes |Never | |1 |I avoid alcohol or I drink no more than 1 (women) or 2 (men) drinks a day. |{4} |1 |0 | |2 |I avoid using alcohol or other drugs as a way of handling stressful situations or |{2} |1 |0 | | |problems in my life. | | | | |3 |I am careful not to drink alcohol when taking medications, such as for colds or |{2} |1 |0 | | |allergies, or when pregnant | | | | |4 |I read and follow the label directions when using prescribed and over-the-counter |{2} |1 |0 | | |drugs | | | | | | | |Total: |10 | Nutrition: | | |Almost Always |Sometimes |Never | |1 |I eat a variety of foods each day, including seven or more servings of fruits and |3 |{1} |0 | | |vegetables. | | | | |2 |I limit the amount of total fat and saturated and trans fat in my diet. |{3} |1 |0 | |3 |I avoid skipping meals |{2} |1 |0 | |4 |I limit the amount of salt and added sugar I eat |2 |{1} |0 | | | | |Total: |7 | Exercise/Fitness: | | |Almost Always |Sometimes |Never | |1 |I engage in moderate exercise for 20-60 minutes, 3-5 times a week |4 |{1} |0 | |2 |I maintain a healthy weight, avoiding overweight and underweight |2 |1 |{0} | |3 |I do exercises to develop muscular strength and endurance at least twice a week |2 |{1} |0 | |4 |I spend some of my

Child Abandonment kill(affect) children Research Paper

Child Abandonment kill(affect) children - Research Paper Example Additionally, political conditions may contribute towards abandonment as evident in the Romanian revolution (Nelson, Fox and Zeanah 64). Child abandonment may also be associated with the lack of institutions such as orphanages, which take care of children in case their parents or guardians fail to support them. Child abandonment is a very serious problem, which affects the long-term development of a child. Parents should be careful before abandoning their children because it can cause long-term psychological impact, raise trust issues and expose the child to physical and mental health problems. According to Karen Maier, children who are abandoned harbor long-standing senses of shame and loss. These children may either idealize or reject the absent parent. Karen (2013) stated, â€Å"children who completely reject their absent parents strive to be the exact opposite of the parent who abandoned them† (Maier 2). Conversely, children who idealize the parent who abandoned them have a tendency of developing fantasies about them in order to provide temporary comfort. Long-term psychological impact of child abandonment include issues such as problems maintaining long-term relationships, depression, eating disorders, social disabilities, cognitive or learning disabilities and low self-esteem. Children who have been abandoned experience disorganized or insecure attachment with other people. As a result, they have problems interacting with others or maintaining long-term relationships (Clothier 1). Patterns of child-parent or caregiver attachments are important during growth. These patterns determine the social and emotional development of the child. Children who have been abandoned have insecure attachment with others because their primary source of protection or safety, in this case the parent, abandoned them. These children consider their parents as a source of harm, which leaves the child in an irresolvable state of conflict. Abandoned