Master's Reading and Writing, Definition Essay

What is Crime?

A crime is what the government says is illegal; a crime is something unacceptable to the society; a crime is a bad thing, but not all bad things are crimes

 

                                                            Example Essay: 

Any news addict can tell you that crime-related stories saturate our airwaves.  That’s because crime is such a pervasive problem throughout the world.  Every day, you hear stories of murder, assault, and robbery just to name a few committed by criminals.  But, even though these are types of crimes, the exact definition of a crime is a bit more vague.  So, when we say something is a crime, what do we exactly mean by this term?  I would say a crime is something the government forbids and something society does not accept.

A crime is something the government forbids.  If they say you can’t do it, then you can’t do it.    It’s a crime because the government, or whoever the authorities are, said you cannot do this action without facing some kind of consequence.  That doesn’t mean this same exact action is a crime everywhere necessarily, but if the government says it’s a crime, then it’s a crime there.

Now, the reason crimes are different from place to place has a lot more to do with the type of society we come from.  A crime is something society has deemed as unacceptable.  What I mean by this is the government makes things crimes because of how the society feels about them, at least most of the time.  If the society accepts this thing, they won’t make it a crime.  For example, in some countries, something like littering is seen more as a criminal offense than in other places.  Why?  Because that society views this action as completely unacceptable while other countries might be  slightly more indifferent to it.  

I think if you asked most people, they would define crime as a bad thing.  But, the truth is while a crime is a bad thing, not all bad things are crimes.  For example, spitting on the ground is disgusting and bad and people hate it.  But, it’s not a crime.  You will not go to jail for that.  Also, lying to people is bad, but it’s not a crime either.  People may distrust you and you could become somewhat of a social outcast, but it will not give you a criminal record either.  So, you can’t say the definition of crime is a bad thing.  

To conclude, crime is a hard thing to define.  But, I will say that it is what the government forbids and what the society doesn’t accept.  All crimes are bad, but remember not all bad things are crimes.  So, whatever you do, don’t commit one.  See you in jail! 

For discussion:

*What is your definition of crime?  

*Do you consider yourself a news addict?  If not, what kind of television are you an addict of?  A sports addict?  A TV show addict?

*What problems are pervasive throughout the world?

*What saturates the airwaves in your country, or throughout the world?

*What is something deemed unacceptable in your society?

*What do people face consequences for?

*What do you think too many people are indifferent to?

*What can make someone become an outcast?