Eric Holder (born January 21, 1951) is an American attorney. He served as the Attorney General of the United States, under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015. He is the first African-American to hold that post. Before being named as Attorney General, he was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia under President Clinton and help pick Joe Biden as Obama's running mate. Holder was born in the Bronx.
On September 25, 2014, the Justice Department said Holder would resign as soon as his successor is confirmed. He was succeeded by Loretta Lynch on April 27, 2015.
The Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers Karamazov () is a Russian novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky said, "I'd die happy if I could finish this final [last] novel, for I would have expressed myself completely."
"The Brothers Karamazov" is the story of the lives of three Russian brothers who are very different in body, mind, and spirit, and are often thought of as representing those three parts of mankind. It was written in 1879 to 1880 in Russia, mostly in St. Petersburg. It was published in 1879 to 1880 in a series. It is his most complicated and deep novel, and most people think it is Dostoevsky’s greatest.
There are four brothers in the Karamazov family: Ivan, the atheist ; Dmitry, the emotional lover of women; Alyosha, the "hero" and Christian; and twisted, Smerdyakov, the child, who is treated as the family servant. Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov is a very careless father and woman-lover. Dmitry comes to hate him because his father loves the same woman as he does, Grushenka, and because of this, he often threatens that he will kill his father. When Fyodor Pavlovich is killed by Smerdyakov, he is accused of killing his father.
Throughout the book there is a search for truth: about man, about life, and about God. After it was published, all kinds of people such as Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Pope Benedict XVI thought it was the greatest book in all literature.
Fyodor Dostoevsky was born in 1821, the son of an army doctor. While he was away at the Academy of Engineers, his father died - reportedly murdered by his own servants. Though disagree whether Dostoevsky's father was really murdered or not, Dostoevsky apparently believed that his father had been murdered, and it is even possible that he felt feelings of guilt for it, as if he had been the one who had killed his father. People like Sigmund Freud argue that this had an influence when he wrote "The Brothers Karamazov". After 17 years of schooling and family life in Moscow, he spent six years in St Petersburg as an officer. He resigned in 1844, and two years later became famous with his first published book, "Poor Folk". Young Dostoevsky began to become involved with the Petrashevsky Circle - a group of political discussion groups by young people in St Petersburg who did not like the rule of Emperor Nicholas I. Because of this, Dostoevsky was arrested and held for eight months in the prisons of the Fortress of St Peter and St Paul. Meanwhile, he was put on trial while he was away and sentenced to death.
On 22 December 1849 8 A.M. he was pretended to be led out, with twenty other people, for execution by firing squad in the Semenovsky Square in St Petersburg. The first group was actually and tied up, while the second group watched. This terrible mock execution made one of the prisoners go insane. But then the order was suddenly changed, and he was given "katorga" (labor in Siberia) for four years. This had a great influence on his life. After that, he was to serve the military in Siberian .
Dostoevsky’s four years in prison camp greatly influenced his book and his life. He began to suffer from epilepsy when he was in prison, and would have epilepsy for the rest of his life. He shows how epilepsy feels like through the character Smerdyakov. Also, in prison he began believing in God, and having religious and philosophical inclinations. Through the character Rakitin, Dostoevsky makes fun of the “clever people” who jumped from one popular idea to another without caring about the truth. In prison, he also met Ilyinsky, who had been sent to prison for killing his father. Almost ten years after he met Ilyinsky, Dostoevsky found out that Ilyinsky was innocent and later became free when the real murderer confessed. Dmitry Karamazov is like Ilyinsky in many ways.
Also, shortly before he wrote "The Brothers Karamazov", his own son, Alexei, died. He creates in Alyosha what his son possibly might have been like, and reflects his own sadness in scenes where Captain Snegriev loses Ilyusha, or when Zosima comforts a woman who has lost her little son, Alexei.
Throughout, Dostoevsky was concerned with the justice of God and the idea that "if God does not exist, then everything is permitted (allowed)."
When he was young, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov was a and man who liked money and women too much. From his first wife, Adelaida, he had one son, Dmitry Karamazov. From his second wife, Sophia, he had Ivan and Alyosha Karamazov. Karamazov does not care about his sons, and they are all brought up by friends and relatives. Dmitry, who is a soldier, comes back when he is twenty-eight years old to take an his mother had left to him. Karamazov wants the inheritance for himself, and they get angry and fight with each other. Cold, clever Ivan is called to stop their fight, and the , kind Alyosha, who also lives at the town, comes to help. Alyosha studies in a monastery with the Elder Zosima. Dmitry and Fyodor agree that maybe Elder Zosima can help stop their fight, and Alyosha, though feeling worried about the meeting, says he will arrange it.
Fyodor Karamazov is vulgar, sarcastic and mocking at the meeting, and tries to make everybody angry and uncomfortable with his talk and stories. Alyosha is very sad and embarrassed. The Elder Zosima, however, is calm, polite, and even kind to him even when Karamazov is mocking (making fun of) him, telling him to be honest with himself.
Dmitry arrives late, and the meeting soon becomes a big fight between father and son. They are not only angry at each other because of money: they are both in love with Grushenka, a beautiful woman living in the town. While they are fighting, the Elder Zosima suddenly bows down to Dmitry, saying, “Forgive me!” Dmitry is very shocked, and later Zosima explains to Alyosha that he knows Dmitry is going to have very much suffering. In the middle of their fight, the elder also goes out to give advice to lots of people, including Mrs. Khokhlakov, whose daughter, Lise, keeps on laughing at the awkward Alyosha. He also comforts a woman whose three-year-old-son has died. This is probably an echo of Dostoevsky’s sadness about his dead son.
Four years ago, Fyodor Karamazov became a father to a fourth son, Smerdyakov. Smerdyakov’s mother was a retarded and mute (unable to speak) woman called “Stinking Lizaveta.” Lizaveta died when she gave birth to Smerdyakov, and he became Karamazov’s servant. Smerdyakov grows up to have a strange and mean personality, and has epilepsy. Even though Karamazov always treats him like a servant, though, he is not stupid. He likes to talk about philosophy with Ivan and soon agrees with lots of Ivan’s ideas, especially the idea that the soul does not live forever and so there is no good or evil.