Analysis of Burial at Thebes

The opening events of the play quickly establish the central conflict. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices must not be given proper burial, and Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insist on the sacredness of family. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon’s point of view is exactly opposite.He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices. Creon’s first speech, which is dominated by words such as â€Å"principle,† â€Å"law,† â€Å"policy,† and â€Å"decree,† shows the extent to which Creon fixates on government and law as the supreme authority. Between Antigone and Creon there can be no compromise—they both find absolute validity in the respective loyalties they uphold.In the struggle between Creon and Antigone, Sop hocles’ audience would have recognized a genuine conflict of duties and values. In their ethical philosophy, the ancient Athenians clearly recognized that conflicts can arise between two separate but valid principles, and that such situations call for practical judgment and deliberation. From the Greek point of view, both Creon’s and Antigone’s positions are flawed, because both oversimplify ethical life by recognizing only one kind of â€Å"good† or duty.By oversimplifying, each ignores the fact that a conflict exists at all, or that deliberation is necessary. Moreover, both Creon and Antigone display the dangerous flaw of pride in the way they justify and carry out their decisions. Antigone admits right from the beginning that she wants to carry out the burial because the action is â€Å"glorious. † Creon’s pride is that of a tyrant. He is inflexible and unyielding, unwilling throughout the play to listen to advice.The danger of pride is t hat it leads both these characters to overlook their own human finitude—the limitations of their own powers. Oddly enough, the comical, lower-class messenger is the only character to exhibit the uncertainty and careful weighing of alternatives required by practical judgment. The sentry has no fixed idea of an appropriate course of action. He says that as he was coming to deliver his message, he was lost in thought, turning back and forth, pondering the consequences of what he might say and do.The sentry’s comic wavering seems, at this point, like the only sensible way of acting in this society: unlike Creon or Antigone or even Ismene, the sentry considers the possible alternatives to his present situation. As a comic character, the sentry offsets the brutal force of Creon’s will. Whereas the conflict between Creon and Antigone is a violent clash of two opposing, forceful wills, Creon’s injustice is clearest when he promises to kill the sentry if the perso n responsible for Polynices’ burial is not found.The two times the Chorus speaks in this section, it seems to side with Creon and the established power of Thebes. The Chorus’s first speech (117–179) describes the thwarted pride of the invading enemy: Zeus hates bravado and bragging. Yet this paean to the victory of Thebes through the graces of Zeus has a subtly critical edge. The Chorus’s focus on pride and the fall of the prideful comments underhandedly on the willfulness we have just seen in Antigone and will see in Creon.Few speeches in the Oedipus plays are more swollen with self-importance than Creon’s first speech, where he assumes the â€Å"awesome task of setting the city’s course† and reiterates his decree against the traitor Polynices (199). The second choral ode begins on an optimistic note but becomes darker toward the end. This ode celebrates the â€Å"wonder† of man, but the Greek word for wonderful (deinon) has a lready been used twice in the play with the connotation of â€Å"horrible† or â€Å"frightening† (the messenger and Chorus use it to describe the mysterious burial of the body).The Chorus seems to praise man for being able to accomplish whatever goal he sets his sights on—crossing the sea in winter, snaring birds and beasts, taming wild horses. But the point of the ode is that while man may be able to master nature by developing techniques to achieve his goals, man should formulate those goals by taking into consideration the â€Å"mood and mind for law,† justice, and the common good. Otherwise, man becomes a monster.In his first speech, Creon also uses imagery of mastery to describe the way he governs—he holds the â€Å"ship of state† on course (180). The logical problem with Creon’s rhetoric is that maintaining the ship cannot be the ultimate good or goal in life, as he seems to think. Ships travel with some further end in mind, not for the sake of traveling. Similarly, the stability of the state may be important, but only because that stability enables the pursuit of other human goals, such as honoring family, gods, and loved ones.

Comparison of Characters in the Odyssey Essay

In Homer’s famous epic poem The Odyssey he displays the characters with a wide variety of morals. These morals influence decisions made by them which provide a looking glass for the reader to see their true nature. In a certain scene, the characters discuss Odysseus to what seems to be a beggar; however, the beggar is truly Odysseus in disguise. One way to clearly test a person’s character is through an idea provided by Bob Sutton: â€Å"The best judge of character is how he or she treats those with less power† (Sutton). Melanthius, Philoetius, and Ctesippus all are examples of how Sutton’s theory applies to people. Through making observations on how the selected characters act when speaking with the disguised Odysseus a solid conclusion can be made on their overall character. The goatherd Melanthius at first can appear mean and vicious; moreover, he remains loyal to Odysseus by disrespecting the person, whom he perceived to be a beggar. Melanthius is tired of seeing a beggar in the halls of Odysseus’ home and finally decides to confront him about it. â€Å"Still alive? Still hounding your betters, begging round the house? Why don’t you cart yourself away? Get out!† (20). Melanthius shows no sympathy for the seemingly impoverished beggar. He has no idea that the beggar is in fact his own master, Odysseus. He violates traditional Ancient Greek hospitality towards guests. When this scene is applied to Sutton’s theory, Melanthius’ character is revealed as harsh and vicious. The fact that Melanthius is upset with how suitors and beggars are intruding on Odysseus’ land may play into his stern confrontation with the lingering beggar. Melanthius has no way of knowing that the beggar was in fact Odysseus; therefore, he exposes his true character when he acts as though he is confronting someone of lesser power. In contrast, when Philoetius, the good cowherd, approaches Eumaeus (the disguised Odysseus) he is extremely respectful. Although he has no clue who Eumaeus is, he still treats him like he has met him before: â€Å"Cheers, old friend, old father, here’s to your luck, great days from this day on saddled now as you are with so much trouble† (20). Before approaching the beggar Philoetius said to himself â€Å"What roots does this man claim-who are his people? . . . Poor beggar† (20). Clearly Philoetius has no idea who Odysseus is and thinks he is just a homeless man on Odysseus’ land. Despite these  ideas in his head he still treats Eumaeus with the utmost respect and even wished him luck. The beggar appears to certainly be on a lower level that Philoetius according to standards of power; however, Philoetius demonstrates excellent character when speaking with him, for he disregards the social difference. Ctesippus, being a suitor, is different from the other two characters. From the beginning it is clear he thinks highly of himself. â€Å"Ctesippus was his name, he made his home in Same, a fellow so impressed with his own astounding wealth he courted the wife of Odysseus† (20). Despite the fact that Telemachus orders the suitors to respect his visitor (Eumaeus), Ctesippus does not obey. â€Å"Grabbing an oxhoof out of a basket where it lay, with a brawny hand he flung it straight at the king† (20). Ctesippus has no way of knowing the beggar he has just attacked is actually his king, the great Odysseus. Since Ctesippus thinks that Odysseus is nothing more than a poor visitor, he does not act respectfully towards him. Ctesippus is never seen being rude to his fellow suitors; however he is extremely disrespectful to someone of lower power. This reflects on his aggressive and disobeying character. Sutton’s theory can be used to give an accurate conclusion about a character. Between the three characters different actions are made which reflect that personal character’s morals. The morals in the core of each character are easily revealed by how they treated the disguised Odysseus. None of the characters have any way of identifying Eumaeus as their king, so there appears to be no problem with treating him poorly. One must always remember that things might not be as they seem. That should be kept in mind before making drastic actions or poor decisions. It is important to think clearly before treating someone of lesser power poorly, just because of their power status or initial appearance. If a truly wholesome good character is desired, truly good choices and actions should be made.

Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership Personal Statement

Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experience - Personal Statement Example However, I realized that due to my relative inexperience, I would be facing two immediate problems. First, I had no experience of how to allot shares and at what prices. I approached managers of the firm to know their intentions and discussed with them the different parameters to be followed in the proposed buyout. I than approached a Merger & Acquisition expert to work as our consultant. Through formation of dynamic and multi-dimensional team, I succeeded in defining criteria for allotting shares as well as their prices. Secondly, due to my unknown business characters, I was unaware of how to acquire bank loans to finance the acquisition of shares by the managers. I had to coordinate with the local municipal government to facilitate us through banks and pursue them to provide necessary finance for buyout. I pursued them because my mother grew in reputation because of her contribution to the local society and government. Finally, we were able to sign off the deals with the banks to get bank financing for our managers to get the shares in acquisition. The second occasion when I was able to demonstrate leadership was during 2007 when I was working at IBM's China Development Lab. I served as the project manager for the renovation of the Next Generation TPMS (Translation Planning and Management System), a tool for managing the IBM globalization and localization processes. The previous generation system, developed by a team in Egypt, had failed to deliver what users really needed, which translated into super-low customer satisfaction ratio at 26 percent. My background investigation suggested four important variables which were the main cause of the failure of the system to deliver the results. This included the fact that system was slow, did not cater user requirements, too complicated as well as difficult to use. Building on that information, I thought that an upgraded system should be built around with more of the customer focus rather than technology driven as it should attempt to reflect what actually end users require. During our investigation, some of the users required us to develop a web based application whereas some of the users demanded that the system may be developed as a desktop application therefore we also decided to build a system which serve both the purposes. We begun our work around this idea and succeed in developing a systems which was hybrid of a web application as well as desktop application and which catered most of the needs of our end users. Subsequent testing by most of the users across different countries appreciated our efforts and due to my strong presentation and persuasion they agreed to test the application and provide their feedback on the new system after thoroughly using it. Both of these situations were unique for me however I believe an MBA would have provided me a better understanding of both the situations and I would have been able to address both of these issues with much more details as well as professional maturity. An MBA would also provide me more theoretical as well as practical education regarding the nature of leadership and how it can be effectively used to get things done through others. I also believe that an MBA will make my

Technological Changes in Primary Education Literature review

Technological Changes in Primary Education - Literature review Example cationists and the tutors to posses certain essential features that in turn would enhance and bring out the innate skills and attributes of the small children. The first concept is related to the aspect of designing teaching curriculums based on the child’s or the pupil’s ability to learn. However it is also reflected that over dependence on the parameter of ability tends to stereotype the pupils and thus limits one’s potency to learn which at a later stage leads to a loss of the child’s interest to the learning provided. The second concept relates that the teachers operating in a primary education system must be largely accountable for their actions while tending to impart education to the children. They must understand the considerable amount of investments being rendered by the public authorities for establishing primary educational institutions and centres of learning. The third concept related by the author focuses on enhancing the ability of the chil d to learn and excel in the process of motivating them and creating interests to the relevant subjects. A child may excel in certain related fields and may fall short in some where the tutor is required to aptly evaluate and understand the reasons for such shortfalls to which the child ceases to avoid learning such. Relating to the third concept, Hayes (2006) further observes that children that continually tend to suffer from a fear pertaining to certain subjects reflect a feeling of anxiety for which they start avoiding learning the same. Herein the teacher needs to act as a potential leader empathising with the pupil’s situation and thereby helping the child to effectively cope with the subject (Hayes, 2006, p 2-10). Primary Education Process Ohle (2010) observes that the process of primary education is... This essay stresses that in the previous days the education system failed to render noteworthy differences in the education framework that could discern the primary from the secondary tutorial stage. However with the emergence of the twentieth century the Primary Education system gained a formidable stand where children undergoing such education were started being identified as ‘Pupils’ as against ‘Students’ to those in the Secondary education framework. Moreover the Primary Education framework gained further enhancements and a systematic outlook with the designing of effective curriculums by the educational authorities and organisations. The current age framework decided for the pupils belonging to the elementary education system is taken to range from 5 to 11 years where effective lessons and time tables are planned in the process of teaching them. A child may excel in certain related fields and may fall short in some where the tutor is required to aptly e valuate and understand the reasons for such shortfalls to which the child ceases to avoid learning such. This paper makes a conclusion that Primary Education has evolved a lot owing to the use of information technology pursuits with other technological domains and infrastructures like radio, television and video conferencing facilities. These incorporations has led the benefits of primary education system to be availed by a large number of individuals residing across remote corners of both developed and emerging economies.

Review of the movie Outbreak 1995 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Of the Outbreak 1995 - Movie Review Example This paper will highlight the manner in which the movie is linked to biology, as well as how the virus and antibiotic is carried by the monkey. The new strain of the Motaba virus was caused by a white-headed capuchin monkey that had been stolen from Biotest animal holding facility by one of the employees, James ‘Jimbo’ Scott. Jimbo stole the monkey with hopes of selling it in the black market; however, after failing to sell the monkey he releases it into the jungle (Petersen). Despite releasing it, he is already infected with the virus, and so is the pet store owner whom he wanted to sell the monkey to. He also infects his girlfriend when they kiss. The virus spreads so fast after mutating into a strain capable of spreading like influenza. For instance, several people get infected in the cinema hall after an infected person sneezes into the air (Petersen). It is because of its mutation that the antidote previously prepared cannot be effective to the already infected people. In this regard, the biological nature of the whole situation came into play since the host animal had to be found in order to create an eff ective serum to remedy the situation. In conclusion, Outbreak raises several questions as to what the government would do in case something of the sort happens. Consequently, concerns are raised whether CDC has plans to contain any contagion in case any outbreak occurs. The film combines medical detective work, marital and professional jealousy, military conspiracy, as well as action to create one gripping story

The European Emissions Trading Scheme - A Critical Appraisal Essay

The European Emissions Trading Scheme - A Critical Appraisal - Essay Example The scheme also featured a ‘flexible’ arrangement where Member States created their own National Allocation Plans. Further on, the report looks into the aspects of the Emissions Trading Scheme in a comparative manner that is, the intention at the beginning, actualization stages and the present state. The main aspects include its boundary where at first the scheme focused on power generating companies and those that use energy-intensive operations that is, metal producing companies and oil refineries. The other aspect is extension where the EU Emissions Trading Scheme has formed links with other schemes through emissions-saving projects through two key mechanisms. Third world countries that have a compulsory cap-and-trade system and they have ratified the Kyoto Protocol have also formed links with the EU scheme. This has seen the carbon market expand to a global reach. Finally, there is the calculation aspect that presents three different models for calculating carbon dio xide emissions. Lastly, a breakdown of the issues has come into play since the inception of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. ... Introduction Having no prior experience with cap and trade as well as the need to develop knowledge along with architecture for the program, the European Union set out to begin with only carbon dioxide and a restricted number of sectors. This is following the established Kyoto Protocol that was created with the aim of averting hazardous human-induced interference to the climate system. As soon as the infrastructure was in place, additional greenhouse gases and sectors could be included in successive phases of the program. This would come into effect depending on any further emissions that needed to be reduced. Over time, a carbon price that is widely accepted in Europe was instituted, businesses embarked on including the price in their decision-making and the market infrastructure for a multi-national trading system came into existence (Ellerman, Perthuis and Convery 2010,p.2). The principal design of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme follows that all manufacturing sectors that are par ticularly energy-intensive and electricity generators are obligated to get a permit from regulators for every tone of carbon dioxide that they release. The first phase of the Scheme, taking place from 2005 to 2007, saw the permits being issued free based on companies’ historical emission levels. The second phase, taking place from 2008 to 2012, saw generators of electricity having to purchase some of their permits from auctions organized by the government; while, industrial companies continue to get their permits for free subject to some tightening of targets in acknowledgement of the risk of hurting their competitiveness. The third phase, taking place from 2013 to 2020, will see all permits being auctioned with the exception of particular manufacturing sectors that

General Electric's Allocation of Costs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

General Electric's Allocation of Costs - Essay Example General Electric and Cost Allocations At General Electric’s managers are very much concerned about the allocation of costs as these allocations are required for the proper delegation of resources and cost to the respective department. Manager at GE realize that the cost allocation to different divisions, plants, departments, contracts and/ or products will result in increased motivation for the organization, it will also justify costs of various expenditures as these would than be used by the auditors to audit and overlook all the managerial activities so that there are no issues arising at General Electric. Also, in order to justify cost plus pricing, General electric is involved in cost allocations and in strengthening the cost of the procedure. They are also involved in decision making with regards to joint costs, re allocation of costs from one department to another department as need arises. GE makes sure that the allocated costs are fair, workable, and rational and accor ding to the needs of what is required by all the departments. Allocating costs for the handling and managing of different activities have to be simplified in various ways, this simplification will ensure that the targets for the companies are achieved and that the targets achieved should give maximum profitability for the company. The products of General electrics include lights, bulbs etc all go through manufacturing process to the finished stage where it has to be marketed and sold in the market. So it is important that the manufacturing sector gets the required budget for the manufacturing through their raw materials, the proper supply chain processes and than the marketing should also get all the required budgets to handle proper marketing and selling for the company. The budget that is circulated in the company, managers can't surpass that and hence this is the only way through which employees can manage the way they negotiate in their dealings to conduct more cheaper and inexp ensive work. Departmental budgets and costs are a good way to keep the company and all department effective and informed about how they get their departments to work on these lines and hence they adapt themselves to work in a culture which motivates all the employees, justifies all the costs that are accrued and also it justifies the way they make their expenditures. All the departments' accrues costs, but the heaviest department is marketing, as all the marketing activities are very expensive and they are conducted on a large scale. The activities that are conducted on a large scale employs that bigger expenses would be done to meet the expectations of their competitors. Like if GE wants to make any advertisement, it will accrue cost, if they want to get some marketing done through sponsorships and other such related stuff than it is also expensive. So it's important to track all the activities and to see it's impact on sales. If sales are not improving than there's no point of all these heavy ativties and hence it is important to do all but keeping in track of the sales situation. As with inflation the cost of doing business is also increasing. The raw materials are expensive, the duty on these raw materials is also expensive and the way to procure them has also become very expensive. So at every stage proper analysis has to be done and controlled budgets have to be allocated with all the departments to keep a proper check and balance on these situations for

Social capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social capital - Essay Example 42) and intricacy and complexity associated with the word has not been reduced since then. But William Sewell (2008, p. 42) goes on to explain that culture is that part of the social life that needs to be separated from the actual human existence constituting economics, biology or politics. The concept culture has itself intrigued our lives and is the most crucial component of human existence yet its constituting elements are different for the people living in the different areas of the world. We are all identified and recognized by our culture we have adopted while living in our own family, society and even our country. Mathew Arnold, the nineteenth century poet and essayist, used the term culture to speak about as model of individual human refinement as he opined that culture means, â€Å"the best that has been thought and said in the world† (1999, p. 190). This conceptual analysis of this culture is quite similar to the German concept of the term bildung (Arnold 1999, p. 19 0). In other words it is an attempt to achieve total precision and a way of knowing others on the matters which are of deep concern to us. Yet the word itself is shrouded in the most debacle position as different propounders, anthropologists and even socialists are explaining the term in different contexts. They go on to the extent of explaining culture as a part of a science as it is associated with the human evolution, while others suggest that it germinates in the minds of the individuals who are more and more linked to their ancestral roots. Cultural socialists felt the necessity to show that culture has an impact on the upbringing of the children and to gain their identity and recognition in the society. This allowed many to formulate the culture as assortment of different items whose impact on the behavior can be scrupulously compared to that of standard sociological variables like class, gender, ethnicity, economic interest and level of education (Sewell 2008, p. 45). It was thus assumed that culture as a system of symbols and meanings defined by Weberian, Parsonian and Durkheimian as ambiguous rather metaphorically it’s a collection of tools understood as a way of carrying out combined activities in the society (Sewell 2008, p. 45). In the United Kingdom, Stuart Hall, Raymond Williams and other scholars as well as sociologists greatly influenced by Marxism formed cultural studies, and connected the culture with consumer goods and services and leisure activities like music, film, art, food, sports etc. It is the various means of production that determine the class relations and how the goods and services are consumed by the large number of people. The term â€Å"cultural studies† was first coined in 1964 by Richard Hoggart when Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies was founded by him in Birmingham. Since then it has been associated with Stuart Hall as he became the next director after Hoggart (Munt 2000, p.4). In United States of Americ a, the terms culture and cultural studies connote the study of the popular culture (Munt 2000, p. 6), in other words, it is the way people feel themselves associated and share voices and ideas and about the things we make use of in the daily life. Today what constitutes culture is the way we live, eat, wear, behave in the

Obesity and San Diego Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Obesity and San Diego - Term Paper Example Having been an experienced medic in the area, I have observed several cases; and even potential ones; of obesity and therefore there is need for a more inclusive approach in tackling the health condition. The various volunteer works I have been engaged in have further brought to my attention on the consequences of ignoring this issue especially by professionals in the medical field. In addition, my quest for eliminating this problem has been further motivated by the situation currently experienced in my own household. My teenage siblings are at high risk of being obese because of their lifestyle and their consumption habits. This paper focuses on the major contributors of obesity and how to eliminate them in the county of Florida. The various indications as will be discussed below show that this problem is becoming a critical issue in both the county and the whole nation of United States. Policy Plan The healthy people 2010 (2009) indicate that the county’s level of obesity, a t least for those who have reported, is about 15% among teenagers and about 18% among the adults in the county. This shows a very alarming trend that calls for intervention by the leadership of the county and overall, of the state. To draw a further highlight of this problem, it is better to mention that obesity is a major contributor of other life threatening conditions like: asthma, coronary diseases, diabetes, cancer and others according to the county’s health and human services agency. It is because of these findings that there was a decision to contact the local authority in this case, the mayor of San Diego City Council. The date identified for this visit will be the 23rd day of February, 2013. Policy making is very essential for eradication of this problem and therefore the justification of this choice. Since there is difficulty in securing appointment with the mayor, it is important that there are various people mobilized to help capture some attention. Another propos ed way is therefore through mobilization of affected people for a peaceful procession to the mayor’s office in which an appointment will be sought and the date above be pushed. The main policy proposal will be that of ensuring that there are campaigns and sensitization programs in the county to aid in the awareness creation that will help change the lifestyle and eating habits of the local people so that they do not succumb to this great problem. A report by Jeannie et al (2009) indicates that the HOPE project is one of the successful ways the nation has enabled the medics in the country provide necessary assistance and guidance to victims of this condition by establishing a curriculum for the medical professionals like nurses to enable them learn through the internet on ways to tackle this issue. Internet use has been widespread among the teenage population and that is why this project can be used as a guideline in developing a policy to combat this problem in the county. Th e healthy people 2020 (2012) suggest methods of tackling the problem of rising obesity among the teenagers in the country. Most importantly, it envisages the reduction of obesity cases by use of alternative prevention mechanisms of which campaign by professionals, especially the nurses, is one of them. It even goes further by pointing out the need for sufficient information on the causes of overweight among the county’s population. Story et al (2008) propose a combined policy and