SOCIAL FACTORS

Social Factors

Table of Content

SOCIAL FACTORS1

INTRODUCTION1

RESEARCH QUESTIONS2

RATIONALE2

LITERATURE REVIEW2

RESEARCH METHOD7

Literature Search8

PROPOSED DISSERTATION REFLECTION8

TIMETABLE9

ANTICIPATED RESULTS11

CONCLUSION13

REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY14

Social Factors

Introduction

Knives have been used as weapons, tools and eating utensils since prehistoric times. However, it is only in fairly recent times that knives have been designed specifically for table use. Hosts did not provide Cutlery for their guests in the Middle Ages in Europe. Most people carried their own knives in sheaths attached to their belts. These knives were narrow and their sharply pointed ends were used to spear food to raise it to their mouth to eat. (Koons, 2003, 361)

Long after knives were adopted for table use, however, they continued to be used as weapons. Thus, the multi-purpose nature of the knife continued to pose the threat of danger at the dinner table. However, once forks started to gain acceptance as a more efficient way to pick up food, there was no longer any need for the dangerous pointed tip of the 'dinner knife'.

In 1669 King Louis XIV of France decreed all pointed knives on the street or used at the dinner table 'illegal' and he ordered all knife points ground down, like those similarly used today...in order to reduce violence.

Other design changes took place following the grinding down of the knife point...cutlers began to make the blunt ends wider and rounder to make for ease of use, in combination with the early 'two pronged' fork. Many knives were designed with handles rather like 'pistol' grips and a blade which curved backwards so that the wrist would not have to be contorted to get food to the mouth! (Chu, 2004, 71)

Research Questions

The research will be based on the following questions;

Why knife crime are increasing in the UK.

effect of Social factors on the increasing percentage of knife crimes

Rationale

'Knife crime' is an expression that covers any crime that involves a knife. This includes:

carrying or trying to buy a knife if you're under 18

threatening people with a knife

carrying a knife that is banned

a murder where the victim was stabbed with a knife

a robbery or burglary where the thieves carried a knife as a weapon (Chilton, 2004, 40)

Literature Review

Crime is an epidemic that is infecting today's global society. In the United States the subject of crime has risen to the forefront of social and political issues due to the recent elections. This problem of crime does not effect just the United States but it is a hot topic in many other nations of the world. Crime is not a problem that can be addressed by individuals, but by ruling governments. This paper will discuss the articles that show the methods the United States and foreign countries are dealing with the problem of crime. (Addington, 2004, 194)

The issue of crime is inextricably linked to the government. The government is the body responsible for creating laws. Also the government is obligated to enforce the laws it decides to create. The fact of having laws is not enough to help in the prevention of ...