Greek Mythology: The Muses

Greek Mythology The Muses Sister Goddesses, The Muses, were in charge of the world of Literature, Art, and Society. The Nine Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; they gave inspiration to artist, writers and other artistically gifted people. â€Å"The Nine Muses have been inspiring artists since the antiquity and there countless paintings, drawings, designs, poems and statues dedicated to them. All artists of the Renaissance acknowledged their importance in artistic creation, dedicating their works to the Muses. †[1] The number of Muses varies over time.At first only one Muse was spoken of but later poets mention three: Melete (Practice, Study), Mneme (Memory), and Aoede (Song). They were nymphs in Pieria, which is found in western Thrace, and their cult was brought to Mount Helicon in Boeotia by the Aloads. Eventually it became accepted that there were nine muses: Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. The Muse Clio discovered histo ry and guitar. History was named Clio in the ancient years, because it refers to â€Å"Kleos† the Greek word for the heroic acts.Clio was always represented with a clarion in the right arm and a book in the left hand. Muse Euterpe discovered several musical instruments, courses and dialectic. She was always depicted holding a flute, while many instruments were always around her. Muse Thalia was the protector of comedy; she discovered comedy, geometry, architectural science and agriculture. She was also protector of Symposiums. She was always depicted holding a theatrical – comedy mask. Opposite from Thalia, Muse Melpomene was the protector of Tragedy; she invented tragedy, rhetoric speech and Melos.She was depicted holding a tragedy mask and usually bearing a bat. Terpsichore was the protector of dance; she invented dances, the harp and education. She was called Terpsichore because she was enjoying and having fun with dancing ( â€Å"Terpo† in Greek refers to be amused). She was depicted wearing laurels on her head, holding a harp and dancing. Muse Erato was the protector of Love and Love Poetry – as well as wedding. Her name comes from the Greek word â€Å"Eros† that refers to the feeling of falling in love.She was depicted holding a lyre and love arrows and bows. Muse Polymnia was the protector of the divine hymns and mimic art; she invented geometry and grammar. She was depicted looking up to the Sky, holding a lyre. Muse Ourania was the protector of the celestial objects and stars; she invented astronomy. She was always depicted bearing stars, a celestial sphere and a bow compass. Muse Calliope was the superior Muse. She was accompanying kings and princes in order to impose justice and serenity. She was the protector of heroic poems and rhetoric art.According to the myth, Homer asks from Calliope to inspire him while writing Iliad and Odyssey, and, thus, Calliope is depicted holding laurels in one hand and the two Homeric poems in the other hand. The ancient writer Hesiod said of them, â€Å"They are all of one mind, their hearts are set upon song and their spirit is free from care. He is happy whom the Muses love. For though a man has sorrow and grief in his soul, yet when the servant of the Muses sings, at once he forgets his dark thoughts and remembers not his troubles.Such is the holy gift of the Muses to men. â€Å"[2] The Myth â€Å"[The Muses] are all of one mind, their hearts are set upon song and their spirit is free from care. He is happy whom the Muses love. For though a man has sorrow and grief in his soul, yet when the servant of the Muses sings, at once he forgets his dark thoughts and remembers not his troubles. Such is the holy gift of the Muses to men. † ~Hesiod~[3] Ancient Greek legend tells us that Pegasus often wandered, stopping to rest on Mt. Olympus.One day, when his hoofs touched the ground on Mount Helicon, four sacred springs of water formed and from these springs the Muses (goddesses of inspiration) were born. The Muses were the nine beautiful chosen goddesses that reigned over the liberal arts and sciences, especially music, poetry, and all of the visual arts. Athena caught and tamed the wild Pegasus and kindly presented him to the Muses. One day the muses began to sing on Mt. Helicon. The mountain, so filled with ecstasy, it rose to the heavens until Pegasus, under Poseidon's command, kicked his hoof, stopping the mountain's upward progress.A fountain of water gushed forth called the Fountain of Hippocrene. The fountain was sacred to the Muses and is believed to be the source of music and poetic inspiration. According to legend, the birth of both wine and art occurred when Pegasus' hooves unleashed the sacred spring of the Muses. [4] Norn's [5] The Goddesses of Destiny In Norse mythology, the Norn’s are the demi-goddesses of destiny. They control the destinies of both gods and men, as well as the unchanging laws of the cosmos.They a re represented as three sisters: Urd (â€Å"fate†), Verdandi (â€Å"necessity†) and Skuld (â€Å"being†). They live at the base of the World Tree Yggdrasil in the realm of Asgard. Nothing lasts forever, and even the mighty Yggdrasil is subject to decay. The Norn’s try to stop this process, or at least slow it down, by pouring mud and water from the Well of Fate over its branches. This magical liquid stops the rotting process for the time being. In other myths, the Norn’s were thought to give assistance at birth, and that each person has his own personal Norn. [6]

A Pursuit to Compromise Happiness

Everyone that is living in the world we live in today are all making their best efforts to obtain that which we all want the most, happiness. Many individuals will pursue that happiness, while others manage to compromise that happiness. Everyone has their own methods at trying to achieve happiness, but sometimes they just cannot pursue it and when they realize that what they want, they cannot have. Their happiness will become compromised. When at the same time some individuals can pursue that happiness and achieve what they truly want in life.Other times those who pursue their happiness, end up compromising their happiness in the process. The image â€Å"New York, ca. 1962† can be shown to prove what an individual’s happiness can be like when it is compromised. With that in mind it can be determined that when an individual makes an attempt to pursue their own happiness, that how they pursue that happiness can lead to the compromise of what they are truly trying to find. In the image â€Å"New York, ca. 1962†, from the second I lay my eyes on the image the first thing that I see is the sense of being trapped in a prison from all of the bars and fences that just surrounds the image.This sense of being trapped and not being able to roam or act freely to most people is a huge compromise of their happiness. That they can no longer pursue their happiness or anything for that matter besides their own survival behind the bars. It is also shown that the wolf that is trapped behind the bars is clearly showing his compromised happiness by his pose. His head slightly bowed, and his tail down between his legs. Just staring out at all the people who pass by with their freedom to still pursue their happiness.Being trapped behind bars in a jail is almost always caused by someone’s pursuit of happiness. Someone tries to pursue their happiness in the wrong ways and ends up getting themselves into trouble that they cannot get themselves out of, and in doing so their compromise their happiness in the process because they will not be able to pursue anything due to the consequences of their actions. With all this said it can easily be shown that with some individual’s pursuit of happiness, if they take the wrong path of pursuit they can overall end up compromising their happiness in an attempt to pursue it.I have been through many small pursuits of happiness, some of them were achieve, but most of the time all my pursuits to achieve that small moment of happiness were compromised by the path I choose to pursue them with. The best example of this is when I decided that to achieve happiness through a new, sportier car than what I had because it had always been what I wanted to have as an actual first car. The path I choose to achieve this involved sneaking around behind my parents backs to the extend where I had no help besides myself and no one else but a select few knew what I was truly up to.The reason I had to sneak around behind my parents backs were because they didn’t want me to have the car I was looking to get so if I had told them anything I would have compromised my happiness. Although after I had obtained the car they were bound to find out eventually. Due to the path I choose to take it caused myself a lot of trouble on multiple fronts because due to me doing everything by myself I later found out that the car did have a couple problems that I was going to have to deal with which was just the start to the compromise of my happiness through the path I choose to take.The final blow was when my parents found out about it and had me thrown out of the house for a few nights. This was the final compromise of my happiness, just the feeling of having no one there for you if you needed them. This all backs up that in ones pursuit of happiness, if the wrong path of pursuit is taken to achieve happiness, an individual will actually end up compromising their happiness instead of achieving it.It ca n be seen through the image â€Å"New York, ca.  1962† that one’s pursuit of happiness can be compromised by being trapped behind bars by the actions they take to achieve they happiness, while they get to watch others still pursue what they cannot anymore. Also it can be seen through my own actions and experience that if the wrong path to pursue happiness is chosen, it can not only compromise an individual’s happiness, but it can even have an impact on their life as well and how people see them. Overall it can be said that through an individual’s pursuit of happiness, that pursuit can cause the compromise of an individual’s happiness.

Costs associated with ground work, brick purchasing and roofing and Essay

Costs associated with ground work, brick purchasing and roofing and cladding of the walls - Essay Example Assuming that workers are expected to work for eight hours a day, construction work is done six days in a week; the exaction work is expected to take a total of 96 hours since the contractor’s program allows maximum of two weeks of excavation. Assuming also that, on the first day of the first week, it is only the excavator and the driver were present on the site since there would have been no material for the loader and the lorry to work on the first day. That means as the excavator and general operations covered 12 days; the lorry and the loader were present in the site for 11 days in the two excavation weeks time. Assuming also, that two Lorries were used to ferry the waste material to the tipping site and as the first lorry got loaded, it was taking the same time to and fro the site and the tipping site as loading the next lorry. Since the distance from the excavation site to the tipping site is 5miles, by converting it to kilometers , its’ equal to 8 kilometers as 1 mile is equivalent to 1.6 km. Assuming the time to load the waste to be 30 minutes (0.5 hours) . Hence the lorry will travel at a speed of 32 kilometers per hour. That means in a day the Lorries will cover 16 trips, subtracting the 1 trip lost at the start of every day while loading the first lorry. The total cost to be incurred can be established as below; General operation costs (12*8*12) =1152 Euros. Lorry and Driver (11*8*38) =3344 Euros. Wheel excavator and driver (12*8*35) =3072 Euros. Loader backhoe (11*8*32) =2816 Euros. Tipping fees (15*20*11) =3300 Euros. Therefore, the total excavation cost for the two weeks will be; (1152 Euros + 3344 Euros + 3072 Euros +2816 Euros + 3300 Euros= 13684 Euros).... This research will begin with the statement that the ground work of a construction includes the laying down of a building’s foundation. The foundation is that part of walls, piers and a column which is in direct contact with, and transmits loads to the ground. The most basic and fundamental requirement of a foundation is strength and stability; therefore the foundation should be deep enough in order to foster stability of the building. The excavated soil should be transported to another site away from the construction site in order to create space. Brick work involves making of the bricks at Edenhall facing bricks and from Strawbone facing bricks. The perimeter, height and partition of the six unit workshop will determine the number of bricks to be used. The overall cost of the exercise will include the cost of material, 8% on overhead cost and profit. The perimeter of the wall is (85364* 2 +25464 *2) =221656mm. The lump sum price amounts to 121000 pounds while scaffolding cos ts 10,000. So the net amount for the rest part of work is (121000-10000) = 111000 pounds. This is the amount that will be spent on buying the materials and the cost of labor. Cost of materials delivered to the site in roofing and wall cladding phase can be found by working on this equation; (number of sheets*price per sheet) + (number of Plastic headed stainless steel screws* price per unit) i.e. (n.s*p.s) + (n.ps*p.u) Cost of labor will be equated as following; (labour cost of cladding the wall +labour cost of roofing, i.e. ( c.cw+c.r).

Corporate Finance Investment Banker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporate Finance Investment Banker - Essay Example The age of globalization has also opened up new paths for this career. My multi-lingual abilities can prove invaluable in the area of foreign investment when dealing with contractors and clients in differing areas of the world. My interest in the cultures of other countries will aid me in researching the policies, laws, and business traditions necessary to cooperate anywhere on the globe. These talents will be especially valuable as I become involved with international mergers and acquisitions. The dynamic market conditions of China make it particularly suitable as an environment to do business in and I plan to expand with it in the coming years. I hope to become a point of contact for the mutual cooperation between Chinese corporations and industries from around the world. Being a Corporate Investment Banker also has a more pragmatic side that lends itself to the ability to work well with other people. Decisions are often based on consensus and it is important to enlist the support of all participating parties. I possess the insight required to bring together differing viewpoints and am able to offer unique solutions that satisfy the requirements of the interests of everyone involved. This is important when trying to balance the client's requests with the fiscal responsibility you have to senior officials. A failure to accommodate all concerns can result in a poorly budgeted project or missing a deadline for a key decision. It requires the thorough examination of the various facets of the problem to be able to offer a unique solution to a complicated problem in a timely fashion. The talent to solve problems is centered on my talent for paying attention to the details and being thoroughly organized. I meticulously plan projects and anticipate any possible problems or areas that may place the outcome in jeopardy.

Event Leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Event Leadership - Research Paper Example The role of the event producer is a major one and usually inter-links with the event manager. In an event management company the role of the event producer is a representative who is the lead producer of the event who evaluates the supplies, vendors, number of staffs and subcontractors who will work on the event. Together they become the production team (Matthews 2007). Event manager: The event manager has an overlapping role of administration, coordination, marketing, and managing legal, risks or ethical issues. The event manager either supports or is the same as the event producer. He has similar responsibilities in the production of the special event depending on the width and breadth of the event (Goldblatt 2004). Administrating contractor: This is the person or organization responsible for recruiting the staffs necessary for carrying out the tasks during the event. The event producer sometimes take on the task of hiring, training, and firing of personnel involved in the team but is not directly responsible for contracting them. The event producer pays for them and even provides the technical expertise to effectively coordinate the activities but the staffs remain under the supervision of the contractor. Directors: These individuals are those who are the stakeholders such as the financiers, organizations, individuals or officials who are paying for the event. They usually have direct influence over the flow of the event, its successful production and its completion. They are in essence the "boss". Legal representatives: Sometimes the nature of the event requires intervention from public organizations which are external to the event such as the government, police department, fire brigade department and officials. To ensure that the event complies with local policies and procedures, state, provincial or federal laws, legal representatives may be recruited to guide the event producer in this arena (Goldblatt

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications Essay

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications - Essay Example In the financial market, the demand for credit in the different districts has shown a mixed trend compared to the previous Beige report. The Federal Reserve has also reported that the pressure of prices in the economy has eased from that recorded before. To maintain price stability and stabilize the economy, the Federal Reserve uses the Monetary Tools of Open Market Operations, Discount Rate, Reserve Requirements, Interest on Required Reserve Balances and Excess Balances, Term-Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility and Term Deposit Facility. Ultimately, the paper enumerates an outlook for the economy in the coming twelve to eighteen months. The Federal Reserve System is U.S.A.’s central banking system. It is also known as The Federal Reserve and sometimes informally referred to as the Fed. The enactment of the Federal Reserve Act established the Federal Reserve System in 1913. The Federal Reserve conducts the nation’s monetary policy, supervises and regulates the banking institutions, maintains the stability of the financial system and provides financial services to the Government of U.S.A, the country’s depository institutions and foreign official institutions. The Federal Reserve offers to the general public a variety of publications including the Federal Reserve Board testimonies, press releases, monetary policy reports, the Beige Book etc. which offer a detailed analysis of the current economic activity, the financial markets and the monetary policy tools used to maintain price stability and foster economic activity. Federal Reserve’s assessment of the current economic activity and financial markets According to the Federal Reserve Beige Book of July 2011, economic activity in the twelve districts of the U.S.A continued to grow. However, in many districts the rate of growth has been moderate than that reported before. Overall assessment of consumer spending indicated an increase and a majority of the districts reported a humble in crease in the non-auto retail sales. Auto sale slowed down compared to the previous Beige Book report and the disruptions in the Japanese supply chain caused the auto inventories to remain lean. The retail margins continued to be squeezed under pressure in prices from ‘food, energy, cotton, and other supplier inputs’. The Federal Reserve presumes that a decrease in the gasoline prices could have provided an impetus to shopping trips and other additional spending. The summer flavor of tourism had initiated better performance than last year in most of the areas. In most of the districts, activity in the non-financial service sectors reported a growth overall. Manufacturing activity also increased overall in the districts. Firms generally retained their optimistic manufacturing outlook, but were cautious regarding their capital spending strategy. Activity in the residential real estate market remained weak although construction as well as movement in the residential rental sphere improved from before. The agricultural sector in seven districts (which reported on the sector) was unfavorably affected by both drought and extreme flood conditions. However, the energy and mining sectors in the districts which reported on these sectors recorded a robust growth for majority of energy-related products. The production of coal was sluggish. The labor market conditions in the U.S economy remained moderate and most of the districts reported modest increases in the hiring of labor. (The Federal Reserve, July 2011, p. 4, 5) In the financial market, the Federal Reserve reported a mixed loan demand from the districts in comparison to the previous report. Total increase in loan demand was recorded in the New York, Chicago and Richmond districts although they originated from different

Market Model Patterns of Change (Apple) Assignment

Market Model Patterns of Change (Apple) - Assignment Example The company issued a statement describing Apple demand for a 30 percent cut of the 20 percent it gets from each sale as "economically untenable," adding that it would be collaborating with our market peers in determining an appropriate legal and business response to this latest development. The point is, Apple is no longer the no-hoper it was during the Mac-vs.-Windows wars of the 80s and 90s.In fact, in many markets -- particularly those supported by the iTunes/iOS ecosystem -- Apple is more powerful than Microsoft ever was since it controls the hardware, the OS, the online store, and the terms by which third parties can do business in its space. Apple, in turn, might define the market to comprise all digital and print media and counter that any issuer not happy with Apple terms is free to still reach its customers through much other print and digital outlets. IOS applications cannot be distributed anywhere other than the Application Store. Mac applications can be bought via the Application Store or online or in a store. Ever wonder if maybe this is a good idea? Look at what is happening with Windows viruses; they get installed on your computer through the internet in a shady manner. While we have gotten used to having and living with this risk on a PC, I absolutely do not want someone or their software to take over my cell phone (directing me to the wrong place on a map, calling 911 on its own, calling some guy in Kazakhstan, sending text messages, tracking me in real time, sending e-mails to my boss and taking all my stored passwords)!!! What a fantastic target it could be while it roams around with you, seeing different access points and other users on the network at Starbucks or your college campus or even simply on the carrier’s data network.

Diversification Strategies Southwest Airlines Assignment

Diversification Strategies Southwest Airlines - Assignment Example Corporate Culture The case study clearly indicates that Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture greatly differs from that of other airlines. As Bermont (2004, p. 101) points out, when other airlines focus on profit maximization, the Southwest Airlines specifically tries to provide its customers with funny flight experiences at affordable rates. Since the company prioritizes customer satisfaction, it provides passengers with several financial benefits that other competing airlines hesitate to offer. To illustrate, when other airlines began to charge for customers’ checked baggage, Southwest Airlines stood firmly against those kinds of additional charges. Instead of charging customers’ baggage, the firm integrated taglines saying ‘We Love Your Bags’ into its advertising campaigns (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 237). These operational policies of the organization greatly impressed customers and, therefore, contributed to customer loyalty. The most distinguishin g feature of Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture is that it attaches specific importance to humor and energy from the time of its founder Herb Kelleher. The company management holds the view that if it can keep its employees happy, they, in turn, will ensure high quality services to their customers. According to the president Colleen Barrett, â€Å"Southwest likes to think of itself as a customer service organization that happens to fly airplanes†; and as per the company’s corporate culture, â€Å"servant’s heart† must be a necessary characteristic that every employee must possess (as cited in Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 237). The company management conducts group interviews to evaluate how their employees would interact with a customer. In contrast to other airlines, Southwest Airlines provides its employees with a common platform so as to express their opinions, attain education and training, and ultimately improve their performance. Thus the organ ization greatly fosters employee creativity. The Southwest management encourages its employees to be proactive and take decisions from the heart. As Southwest’s middle level managers, supervisors, and frontline employees are allowed to take decisions, passengers would not face any difficulty in obtaining timely and quality services. According to employees and passengers, a key factor that distinguishes Southwest’s corporate culture from others is that the organization holds a ‘heart’ (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 238). How the Southwest’s Culture has benefited its Growth? While analyzing the company’s extensive corporate history, it is clear that the firm’s unique culture has benefited the airlines and its employees. High level customer loyalty, low cost, and employee empowerment are the major three ways that aided the organization and its employees. Firstly, strong customer loyalty helped the company to survive market difficulties includin g global financial recession of 2008. The case study clearly reflects that the company offers only reasonable fares to its customers and refuses to charge for additional services such as baggage. As Lovelock, Wirtz, and Chatterjee (2004) point out, Southwest’s convenient flight schedules are really helpful for passengers, because most of other airlines do not provide such flexible time schedules. Furthermore, the organization always strives to maintain cheerful services and a genuine interest in its passengers. Such positive

Retirement Age Policy Essay Example for Free

Retirement Age Policy Essay The issue whether government should set a limit on the retirement age remains controversial. Some people believe that there would be infeasible for different people who have different needs while others claim regardless of distinctions in people’s priorities, this policy guarantees fairness for all. I agree with the former view. It is undeniable that the nature of work has a big say over people’s length of working time. While some builders, cleaners find that they can only work till the age of forty for their assiduous and tedious labor, politicians who gain experience through time can only reach their zenith in their sixties or seventies, as in the case of Hilary Clinton or Geogre. W. Bush. As for writers whose inspiration springs up at any time of their life, whether young or old, the limitation on their age retirement would stifle their creativity and render them less discouraged to pursue this career. Another reason for the absolute impossibility in the implementation of this policy is the variance in people’s priorities. Unlike women who may be concerned with their families rather than their own jobs and cut-short their career by staying at home and taking care of their families, some scientists are able to dedicate their entire life to the cause of giving birth to revolutionary ideas and would feel unfair if they are supposed to say goodbye to their unfinished dreams. Equally important, the current state of health and economic scenario of the whole nation should be taken into consideration when it comes to the decision of setting age retirement. In case of people handicapped, it would be far-fetching for them to prolong their career till the required age, as opposed to others who struggle with cancer and are reluctant to terminate their desired career. Regarding the picture of workforce of each nation, say, Vietnam where young labor is redundant, this policy is workable. However, Japan is likely to lengthen age retirement when faced with the overwhelming domination of aging population and a serious dearth of young labor.

Lee’s Function in East of Eden Essay Example for Free

Lee’s Function in East of Eden Essay 1. Introduction As Shimomura(1982) points out, Steinbeck’s non-teleological thinking and the Taoism, which was put forward by the ancient Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu, share a great deal of similarity, in that both of them view human beings from a detached and holistic standpoint. It is not clearly known how Steinbeck, who is certainly a product of his time and his American milieu, came to be acquainted with and interested in Lao Tzus philosophy, but in Journal of A Novel, he appreciates Lao Tzu so highly that he places Lao Tzu beside Plato, Buddha, Christ, Paul, and the Great Hebrew prophets. It might safely be said that there must have been a seedbed in his indigenous thought where a seed of Lao Tzu was sown, germinated, and at last bloomed into a beautiful and fragrant flower so attractive for the Oriental reader. Thus, the purpose of this paper is first to focus on Lee in East of Eden, then to make clear the relationship between non-teleology and the philosophy of Lao Tzu, and finally to show how closely Lao Tzu’s philosophy is related to the idea of timshel. 2. Lee as a servant and philosopher As is well known to his reader, Steinbeck creates three Chinese characters throughout his novels from the first, Cup of Gold, to the last, The Winter of Our Discontent. To list them, they are Lee Chong, who is an owner of a grocery store, a flip-flopping old Chinaman who is not identified by name in Cannery Row, and Lee, who appears in East of Eden. Though these Chinese characters may respectively perform significant functions in their own rights in their stories, the one who particularly warrants considerable attention among these characters is Lee, who is more active and more influential in determining the fates of the major characters in the novel. Moreover, it is noteworthy that Oriental philosophy, which is a deciding factor in the outcome of this novel, is conveyed to the reader through the mouth of this Chinese character, who is actually thought to be a spokesman of Steinbeck himself. Though Lee makes his first appearance in chapter 15 of East of Eden as a faithful servant to the family of Adam Trask, it is when he first meets Samuel Hamilton by chance in the later scene that he turns out to be something more than a mere servant and also begins to carry his own significance in the novel. This scene should acquire great importance, in that Lee first clarifies his general view of life as a spokesman of the author. Even in the first conversation he has with Samuel, Lee is instinctively aware that Samuel is a person whom he can trust. Just after exchanging a few words with him, Lee quits speaking in pidgin English, as if he cast away his protective shell into which he has secretly retired until then. And in the course of the conversation, he spontaneously confides to Samuel his idea on what it is like to be a servant: I dont know where being a servant came into disrepute. It is a refuge of a philosopher, the food of the lazy, and, properly carried out, it is a position of power, even of love. I cant understand why more intelligent people dont take it as a career learn to do it well and reap its benefits. But a good servant, and I am an excellent one, can completely control his master, tell him what to think, how to act, Finally, in my circumstances I am unprotected. 1 This philosophical view on servantship which is uttered through the mouth of a Chinese character apparently reflects the authors basic view toward life, for it is easy to imagine that Steinbecks manner of describing the predominance of servantship over the mastership oozes from the idea of relativity which he attained as the outcome of his favorite non-teleological thinking. The idea tells the reader that any standard, as far as it is built around the artificially contrived system of values, loses its significant validity when seen in the light of non-teleological standpoint. According to this view, a person in a socially reputed position of power cannot avoid the possibility of losing his power when seen through another different â€Å"peep-hole. † And it is possible that in fact a low and unrespected person may gain predominating influence upon the people who are ranked far above in the so-called social status. Furthermore, another interesting point in this relation lies in the passiveness of such a low position. A person in a low position is unprotected by himself, but by becoming a servant to another person in a higher position he begins to play a role in his own right and at last controls his master. This master-servant relationship uttered by Lee reveals that once he has gotten employment by his master, even a helpless person who has little social function by himself not only begins to fulfill his own function but also gains predominance over his master. Consequently, this means that in this relationship a master is no longer a master and a servant is also no longer a servant. Eventually in this work this relationship results in the fact that Lee actually controls Adam in every situation. 3. Lee as a spokesman of Lao Tzu’s philosophy Similarly in the Lao Tzu, a collection of wise-sayings which were written by a person named Lao Tzu about in the fourth century BC(Fukunaga, Hachiya, Takahashi), the same topsy-turveydom in the sense of values can be found in one of the eighty fragmentary writings. In chapter 78 it says: In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water. Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it. This is because there is nothing that can take its place. That the weak overcomes the strong, And the submissive overcomes the hard, Everyone in the world knows yet no one can put this knowledge into practice. Therefore the sage says, One who takes on himself the humiliation of the state Is called a ruler worthy of offering sacrifices to the gods of earth and millets; Straightforward words Seems paradoxical. 2 In this passage quoted above, Lao Tzu explains the victory of the submissive and the weak over the hard and the strong, just in the same way that servantship finally achieves victory over mastership. Clearly enough, there is a great deal of similarity between Lee’s general attitude toward life and Lao Tzu’s precept of holding fast to the submissive. Needless to say, the common belief which underlies their paradoxical view stems from the idea that man-made values are nothing but relative, and this relativity is resulted from their attempt to rest their standpoint on a place which is as  free from human-centered arrangement as possible. There is no doubt about the idea that Steinbeck created Lee as a deciding factor of the outcome from this novel framed with a good and evil story, and it is not too much to say that Lee’s appearance reveals the authors strong consciousness of the relativity between good and evil. This becomes clear when Lee encourages Adam by saying, â€Å"What your wife is doing is neither good nor bad. There’s no springboard to philanthropy like a bad conscience. †3 Additionally, there is another similarity between them also in their manners of describing such relativity. Both Steinbeck and Lao Tzu clarify the interdependence between the weak and the strong by emphasizing the predominance of the former over the latter. This is because they think that the weak is more closely related to the natural processes of the universe than the strong is. That is to say, in the philosophy of Lao Tzu there is nothing like water that follows the way that the tao is and on the other hand, according to Steinbecks non-teleological thinking, Lee occupies an ideal position in life. Based on the assumption that the Lees view of life involves such relativity in itself as a main factor, it is quite convincing that the word â€Å"timshel,† which means â€Å"thou mayest† in English, is introduced through the mouth of Lee in the novel. Probably one of the most impressive scenes in the novel is where Lee, Samuel, and Adam meet together to decide on names for the twins. Located almost in the center of this long novel, this naming scene actually shows the reader a certain turning point from which East of Eden meanders between good and evil all the way to the final scene. In this scene Samuel reads a long passage from the Old Testament. This passage includes the Cain-Abel story, and they eagerly talk about the views of the original sin which Cain committed by killing Abel. Lee is so strongly struck by this story that he feels that â€Å"it is a chart of our souls. † Though he never refers to them on this scene, deep in his mind remains the Lords word to Cain after rejecting his sacrifice: â€Å"And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. † This naming scene, where Lee is exposed to the Cain-Abel story, effectively leads to the scene in chapter 24 where he puts a new interpretation on words of the above passage. 4. â€Å"Timshel† interpreted from the Oriental viewpoint Chapter 24 in East of Eden warrants the most careful attention: first because it develops the motif of the Cain-Abel story discussed in the previous scene, and also because it crucially affects the direction of this work. This chapter reveals that Lee has given his thought to the story for almost ten years since his serious discussion he had with Adam and Samuel. A certain part of the Lords words to Cain has bothered this Chinese for such a long period. It is â€Å"thou shalt over him. † In the course of these years he went to the head quarters of his family association and asked for Chinese scholars to take on the study of Hebrew, in order to find the more appropriate reading of the part. And finally in this scene he excitedly explains the importance of his finding in the presence of Samuel: Lees hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. â€Å"Dont you see? † he cried. â€Å"The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou Shalt’, meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word the timshel – ‘Thou mayest’ that gives a choice. It might be the most important word. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’, it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not. ’ Don’t you see? †4. The above-quoted revelation made by Lee vividly reflects his idea of relativity between good and evil. To begin with, Lee, who has been bothered long by â€Å"Thou shalt,† reaches the conclusion that it never lightens the burden imposed on the shoulders of a man who suffers sense of sin. The chief reason why Lee turns his back to â€Å"Thou shalt† lies in the assumption that eventually it is not completely free from a human-centered viewpoint. When the Lord says, â€Å"Thou shalt† to Cain, the most fundamental idea that strongly supports the words on the back is that of love. But the love, though it is thought to be more universal and crucially different than human love in quality, is not entirely free from mans viewpoint as far as the Lord in Christianity is a personified god. Basically such love, like one side of a coin, is inevitably sustained by hatred on the other side. Therefore, it follows that even when â€Å"thou shalt† is thrown to man through the mouth of Lord, his conduct has been already judged evil, more or less, by the artificially contrived standard of value which unavoidably lacks in the idea of relativity. When seen from another different angle, such conduct may appear to be good, because there might be good in it. After all, â€Å"thou shalt† works the salvation of man only in the teleological manner. On the other hand, Lee’s new interpretation shows an utter indifference of the Lord to human conduct. It does not definitely order man to overcome evil nor involve any promise in it. Actually such characteristic of his interpretation may perhaps plunge man into desperation because superficially it seems to lack love and intention to guide him to emancipation from the sin that he has committed. But Lee thinks that it is such an indifferent attitude that leads him to real salvation of his soul. â€Å"Timshel,† which is evidently a product of Lee’s assiduous study of the Cain-Abel story, is based on the idea of relativity just as are non-teleological thinking and Lao Tzu’s philosophy. This is clearly exemplified by the fact that â€Å"thou mayest† is always supported by the opposite prerequisite, â€Å"thou mayest not. † In other words it means that there is neither good nor evil in every human conduct, and at the same time, what is more important, it also means that there is both good and evil involved in it. â€Å"Thou mayest† only allows man to say, â€Å"This is relatively good and that is relatively evil. † In this way Lee, as a Steinbeck’s spokesman, ‘non-teleologically’ thinks that â€Å"timshel† unites good and evil into one body. Steinbeck’s notion of good and evil shown in East of Eden begins with the idea that both of them fundamentally derive from the same state, and, no doubt, it is a product of his favorite non-teleological thinking. He never believes in a logical theory such as laws of the excluded middle where good and evil are orderly and clearly distinguished from each other. He usually places his main viewpoint in a chaotic place where there is neither good nor evil, and applies such a viewpoint to human conducts, with the ultimate result that an evil person should be saved in the same way a good person is saved. Though the optimistic attitude of his indigenous thinking has been repeatedly attacked for its lack of serious consideration toward evil, Steinbeck thinks that good and evil are relative, and, as a result, evil is nothing but a negative state which is lacking in good; it is more appropriate to say that it is merely a paradoxical state which is devoid of a strong consciousness of good. When employed as the framework of East of Eden, his non-teleological idea of good and evil crystallizes into the new interpretation of the Cain-Abel story, and the word â€Å"timshel,† on one hand, thoroughly awakens Adam, an allegorical figure of Abel, from his vain dream to sober reality, and, on the other hand, it emancipates Caleb, an allegorical figure of Cain, from the thralldom of sin. This manner of treating good and evil, needless to say, has great similarity to the philosophy of Lao Tzu, who writes â€Å"the good man is the teacher that the bad learns from; And the bad man is the material the good works on. †5 As Steinbeck views the world from the detached standpoint of â€Å"the infinite whole,† so Lao Tzu has created the notion of the tao to eradicate a human-centered view of the world out of his philosophy. This attempt has brought about the same result as Steinbeck has achieved. That is to say, they have both reached the same conception of man’s true place in the universe, and his relation to the world about him, which enables both of them to place an emphasis on the relation of individuals to the whole and treat individuals for their own sake. Such treatment of individuals is summarized by saying that â€Å"everything is an index of everything else†6 and that â€Å"The heavy is the root of the light. †7 Finally, the quintessence of Steinbeck as a novelist undoubtedly lies in the employment of non-teleological thinking as the frameworks of his novels. The adoption of this method does not allow him to achieve invariable success in his literary works, but, at least, it can be said that it enables him to view human conduct from the broadest and highest standpoint possible, which Lao Tzu paradoxically describes by adopting negative terms such as â€Å"Nothing† and â€Å"The Nameless. † Notes 1. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 190. (Penguin Books, 1976), All citations from Steinbeck are from Penguin editions and will be noted by page numbers following the citations. 2. D. C. Lau, Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, p. 140. (Penguin Books, 1963), All citations from Steinbeck are from Penguin editions and will be noted by page numbers following the citations. 3. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 434 4. John Steinbeck, East of Eden, p. 349 5. D. C. Lau, Tao Te Ching, p. 84. 6. John Steinbeck, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, p. 259 7. D. C. Lau, Tao Te Ching, p. 83 . Works Cited Fukunaga, Mituji. Roshi (On Lao Tzu ), Tokyo: Asahishinbun-sha, 1968 Hachiya, Kunio. Ro-So wo yomu (A Study of Lao Tzu and Zhuang Tzu). Tokyo: Kodansha, 1987. John Steinbeck. The Log from the â€Å"Sea of Cortez†, Penguin Books. 1976 -. East of Eden, NewYork: Penguin Books. 1976 Lau, D. C. , trans. Lao Tzu :Tao Te Ching,New York: Penguin Books, 1963. Shimomura, Noboru. A Study of John Steinbeck: Mysticism in His Novel . Tokyo: The Hokuseido Press, 1982. Takahashi, Susumu. Roshi (On Lao Tzu ), Tokyo: Shimizu-shoin, 1970.

Satan As An Epic Hero In Paradise Lost Religion Essay

Satan As An Epic Hero In Paradise Lost Religion Essay The greatest writer after Shakespeare in 17 century is John Milton. John Milton (1608 -1674) was the most prominent English poet, thinker, and civil servant for the Commonwealth of England. His masterpiece Paradise Lost arouses hot debates among scholars since it appeared. In that era, England is a religious unsteady and political shake-up nation. Concerning about the fate of his country, John Miltons poetry and prose all reflect deep confirmations and deal with contemporary issues. After his death, Miltons critical reception on a state of affairs continued to make great influence towards the masses through the centuries. He is still generally regarded as one of the remarkable writers and thinkers in English.Although he was born in a puritan family, John Milton boldly chose God and the devil Satan as the main roles in his work. Whats more, he endowed the latter one with heroic spirit which may risk everyones condemnation. Satans resistance to God mirrors the revolutionary and heroic spirit of the bourgeoisie. While he finally loses the joyful heaven and Adam and Eve lose the Eden. All these consequences are the hints of the capitalist classs failure and the feudalistic classs restoration. Can the devil be an epic hero? In John Miltons Paradise Lost- the great epic from the English Renaissance, this topic was discussed time and again. Numbers of scholars believe that Paradise lost should be one of the most outstanding products of the Renaissance, especially when talking about the question can the devil be an epic hero? For Miltons part, Satan is dauntless, quick-witted and powerful and he is also an excellent leader. He is quite distinctive from the traditional heroes in many famous works. In Paradise Lost, the Genesis story upon the corruption of man was recreated by the author, as a matter of fact, caused by Satan. For the sake of Satans deadly shortcomings of arrogance and ambition, he decided to fight with Heaven. In the end, even though he was defeated, he refused to give up his war against God, always betting to do wrong against the heaven and the human beings succeeding with mans fall from grace. Paradise Lost starts, not with the expected potential heroes of th e Genesis stories, God or man, but it begins instead with Satan, therefore paying great attention to him, his actions and characteristics. Milton, introduce Satan by condemning him as the reason leader to the fall of man, Who first seduced them to that foul revolt? /the infernal Serpent (1.33-34). in this sentence it implied that Satan had begun to be set up as the final rebel, not just of the epic, but of humanity. Milton easily represented Satans pride that led to his ultimate failure. He tried to overthrow God; while unluckily he was cast into the Hell, but Milton also told us, for now the thought/both of lost happiness and lasting pain/Torments him(1.55-56). At once, the author tried to make Satan to be a pitied, more human and less evil role. He also described Satans physical character to be in bulk as huge/as whom the fables name of monstrous size, / Titanian(1.196-198), and then Deeming some island, (1.205), which means that Satan has a vast figure and even a sailor would mak e a mistake. He may think that Satan is an island on which he can moor his boat. Satans size growing extreme larger comparing with the others supports Satan as the hero. Satan is so physically impressive that Milton cant find anyone who can match him. Hence he is distinctive from the other angels and men. In the English Renaissance, theres no doubt that John Miltons Paradise Lost was generally regarded as the main work. The Renaissance is believed to have originated in Florence in the fourteenth century, in which there was a revival of interest in the classical antiquity. Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, but also painters like Giotto were the important figures of that age. From the end of the fifteenth century on, it has become known as the High Renaissance, when some Italian cities started to compete with Florence upon the leading position. Therefore, the thought of Renaissance spread out from the early sixteenth century onwards. This revival and influence of classical culture, art and literature was typically represented in both Paradise Lost and La Divine Commedia, especially describing the setting of the underworld. This is a general literary motivation of the classical epic works. Inspired by all the literatures at that era, Milton decided to write his epic poem. Milton had a purpo se of writing an epic poem upon a noble subject decades before he started writing Paradise Lost in 1658. In his famous work At a vacation Exercise in the College (1628), he already mentioned that he would like to devote himself to singing in the manner of Homer and at the same time, he envisioned writing a poem concerning wars and heaven under Jupiter. Notes and drafts from around 1640 include four drafts of projections of the fall of man, one of them called Paradise Lost and another Adam unparadizd. It took Milton almost twenty years writing controversial prose and political pamphlets and he was a strong supporter of liberty of conscience, free will and human choice. The story itself shows that the fall from heaven of Satan and the other angels who betrayed against God. As a matter of fact, the Renaissance humanism can be easily found in this work. It quickly developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth century, and was also a resounding response to the challe nge of medieval scholastic education. It emphasized the practical, scientific and pre-professional studies. On the contrary, sHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholasticismcholasticism pay much attention to cultivating the preparing men to be doctors, lawyers or professional theologians, and their subjects contain logic, natural philosophy, medicine, law and theology, etc.. Opposite from the training professionals in jargon and serious drill, humanists did all they could to create a citizenry who was able to speak and write with eloquence and clearness. For this reason, they would be capable of persuading others to engage the civic life of their communities virtuously and do some cautious actions. Because Miltons work was deeply influenced by the Classics, Paradise Lost can be classified as an epic. Thanks to this masterpiece, the poet Milton is still famous until now. Many scholars believe that this work is one of the most prominent products of the Renaissance and particularly as to the topic can the devil be an epic hero? Satan in Miltons eyes was bold, resourceful and formidable and as well an excellent leader. When reading the work, after a few pages, the reader may indeed get the impression that Satan is a great epic hero of that age. Milton did not deny the truth of the bible so as to establish the freedom of the individual. He built on the great Christian paradox which asserted that true freedom depended on the service for God. This pull the traditional thought into a new setting, even a revolutionary setting, is Miltons great power. When talked about the aim of the poet to write this poem, it was to find the root of the humans unfortunateness. For his part, he believed the reason that human beings were easy to be swayed by their emotions, chose the wrong way and finally lose their joyful paradise was for the sake of their weak reason and nerves. The fall of Eve was due to her aimlessness for finding new knowledge. The fall of Adam was due to his indulgence to Eve. The fall of Satan was due to his great ambitions and self-satisfaction. Through their bitter experience, Milton wanted to imply that the English capitalist classs bitter loss was due to their moral corruption and voluptuousness. He inherited the humanism in 16 century and at the same time, accepted the new scientific achievement in 17 century. However, he held a critical attitude towards them. He confirmed life trick but he denied the unlimited pleasure. He confirmed enterprise and sense of proud while he denied the ambitions and proud which evolve fro m them. He confirmed science while he also thought that science didnt mean all. If people only had science but no ideal and justice, they would never get peace and happy. Such kind of thinking was the reflection of his Puritanism. Milton criticized the proud Satan inwardly, while emotionally he sympathized Satans status, because the punishment of Satan looks so much like the pressure of the capital class. When descried the hell, although Milton kept on saying that Satan was proud, ambitious, from the dialogues, Satan was just a vivid oppressed revolutionary. This image was so splendid, and his fighting determination stood out brightly against the extreme dangerous hell. This was the indelible memory of English bourgeoisie, also a prominent art achievement. Satan was a role who had significant obstacles to overcome in order to realize his goals. In the historical long river, epic heroes in epic poetry shared some similar characteristics, thus it seems like Milton felt his own duty to make Satan to be the epic hero in Paradise Lost. His characteristics in the poem shared some similarities with those of previous epic heroes such as Odysseus. Epic heroes have some likeness. They are quite powerful, brave, and convincing; no matter what odds are against them, they will get rid of the difficulties and achieve their goals, and most important of all, they are leaders. Actually, Satan possesses of such kind of the qualities in Paradise Lost. First of all, in the first beginning, Satan had lost the war he fight against God and the angels in heaven and was chained on the burning lake. Satan and his fellow rebel angels were banished to live in horrid dwellings. Milton described the discomfort of hell mentioned by Satan Oh how unlike the place from whence they fell! There the companions of his fall, overwhelmed with floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire (1.97). This shows that Satan met with important obstacles as most epic heroes encounter. Satan was powerful and large in size which usually personifies epic heroes. Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge as whom the fables name of monstrous size, Titanian or Earth-born, which warred on Jove (1.95).    Milton shows that Satan was also the reflection of bravery and leadership because Satan, although currently in censure, still upholds his principles that enlisted him in hell in the first place. He says all is not lost the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might extort from me (1.106-111). The core of Satans heroism in this poem is that though that he would fight against all the odds, he was still in favor of his own beliefs and fought till the end to preserve his beliefs. He says We shall be free; the Almighty hath not built Here for his envy, will not drive us hence: Here we may reign secure; and, in my choice, to reign is worth ambition, though in Hell: Better to reign in the Hell than serve in Heaven (1.259-263). Satan and his rebel angels achieve the ideology which was As being the contrary to His high with whom we resist. If then His providence, Out of our evil seek to bring forth good, Our labor must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find means of evil(1.161-165). Satan inspired the openly opposition to God and uprooted the passion of his followers to continue their fury of damaging God. All he his followers were persuaded during his speech Can make a Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven (1.255). Satan and his adherents wanted no parts of Heaven any more because they couldnt bear to service for God any longer. Thus they were adamant about creating their own Kingdom in hell where they would call Gods precious mankind up. All in all, the characteristics of Satan and his actions corporately made him the competitor of the epic hero role in Paradise Lost.    Milton portrayed Satan as a vengeful, manipulative, trickish, lying, and vicious individual. Nevertheless, Milton also showed Satans loyalty to the objective that he and the rebellious angels were pursuing. But first of all, lets begin with Satins vengeful ways. To begin with, Satan was seen as vengeful because even though hed already been punished and thrown to the pits of hell from heaven, he still remains firm in his rebellion of the Almighty and seeks to damage heaven. Satan and his constituents s malevolence was so obvious in their decision that they wouldnt attack Heaven through war, but attack the newest creation of God, Man. Satan volunteered his services to seduce them to our party, that their God May prove their foe, and with repenting hand Abolish his own works. This would surpass Common revenge, and interrupt his joy (2.-371). Besides, Satan was manipulative and trickish because to further his mission of seducing and corrupting man on earth, he had to design a perfect met hod to enter the gate of earth, and thus he casts to change his proper shape which else might work him danger or delay: and now a stripling Cherub he appears(634-636). In an attempt to cheat and manipulate the guard Uriel, Satan transformed into a cherub which is a humbly ranked angel in heaven. From this we can find that he is quite a scheming individual. Whats more, Satan demonstrated the acts of lying and deceit when he corrupted Eves mind in the Garden of Eden and persuaded her to pick the fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge. He transformed himself once again into a snake, and instigated Eve that she could eat from the tree of knowledge. So glistered the dire Snake, and into fraud Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree of prohibition, root of all our woe (10.643-645). All of these actions- lying, manipulation, deceit, and the risks committed by Satan show his loyalty to the purpose. For the sake of destroying mankind just to annoy God immensely shows his loyalty and c ontribution. Milton clearly emphasizes the character of Satan through his high detailed recounts of Satans mischief. Satan had become a by any means type of attitude when it came to pleading his honor and upholding his beliefs which led to the deception, manipulation, and lying that he was notorious for throughout Paradise Lost. He was the epic hero in the story because in this story he was the underdog. No one expected for him to be fully victorious in his displays, and while he might not fully accomplished all goals. It was proved that he was firm in his plot against God. In the summary part, Milton expressed the differences between human beings and Satan. Different from Satan and his followers, Adam and Eve didnt choose a destructive gamble. Adversely, they kept a hopeful and humble behavior. Adam even assimilated himself to the corruptive archangel saying that his pain was never before and never again. Nevertheless, the biggest difference was when they faced with the possible choices, human beings chose hope while Satan chose a gambling revenge. An essential conception here was that previous life was doomed. John Milton quite opposed this idea. He was strongly in favor of the free willingness. As the plot spread, the distinctions between human and Satan gradually expressed. Adam and Eve denied the opinion of Satan that all people should sink with ignorance, and they decided to be submissive to God under his arrangement. Different from Satans determination to revenge on all the violated deities, people chose to be peaceful to the omnipotent God. Sata n couldnt absolutely repent and mend his ways or pray for forgiveness in such a desperate condition. Although he was firm, he was defeated by the holy son who was bestowed the spirit and power by God. No matter whether we were in favor of Satan and his troops sacrifice or human beings final submission, Milton insisted on the terminal decision of the inner heart throughout. In spite of failure, Satan was fully confident that he couldnt help facing with such condition. And that Adam and Eve knew their happy heaven had been lost, so they hope to regard it as a realm which their soul could arrive. They hoped that their spirit could live here. Though won the war and be called the winner, the holy son didnt experience the conversion or adventure like other characters. Although the revolution was a failure, the revolutionaries were bloodily suppressed; Miltons revolutionary fighting would never be deducted. To convey this topic, the devout believer Milton described God as a cruel feudal monarchy and a blinkered tyrant at all cost so that he could allude to the cruel repression to the puritans of Charlie à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ at that black age. The greatest opponent and the most vicious devil Satan was fashioned into a handsome, tall and smart revolutionary leader for the sake of singing the praises of revolutionaries. Satans rebellion was put down by God, and the devil party was thrown into the fire lake for sufferings; however, Satan never loses his fighting will, he was adversely active to organize his own force and waited for rising from the ashes. He built his own palace as a new kingdom in the hell and openly content against God. He preferred being the king in the hell to submitting to God as an official in the heaven. From this we can find his tire less fighting spirit towards the God, the authority and the highest dictator. The author borrowed the image of Satan to express his own anger and contempt towards the feudal tyrant Charlie à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ¡ and his firm confidence towards the revolutionary success. Thanks to his revolutionary passion, his Satan was full of sound and color and surpassed his god morally. The hero of this poem is a man named Satan who is banished for challenging the leadership of the clan. This man Satan makes a vow to destroy or corrupt anything created by the clan. This Satan was resourceful, making the best of what he had, very little, and accomplishing his goal. Satan may just be the nonconformist who couldnt abide by what was considered normal. In any case one must show their admiration for Satan in his unwillingness to serve in Heaven, and then in the way he accepted his resulting role in Hell. Although it was quite hard to prove who the real hero was in Paradise Lost, as a whole, sprit-internal perfect, intelligent independence and individual power in this masterpiece give people the comprehensive epic virtue. Fundamentally, Milton abandoned the whole epic conception in this work and changed it into an experience of immediate concern to himself. This experience wasnt his flattery to his culture and beliefs, but a real chance for readers spiritual practice. No matter how painful a person is, John Miltons Paradise Lost will awake him up after experiencing such a spiritual trip and convert the intangible blackness into wholesome consciousness and bright mind. People may say that Milton fight for republic form of government and exposed Satan. While from his condemnation to Satans audaciousness and infidelity, more than once display the false faces and insincere attitude of English bourgeoisie activists. Yet Satans fearless lofty quality, to a large extent, eulogized his cotemp oraries heroic dauntless spirit.

Dress Codes :: essays research papers

It is in the middle of summer and very hot and humid. You are in complete uniform, wearing the long wool pants with the shirt, tie and sweater. Your whole body is uncontrollably sweating. Instead of paying attention in class, you wipe yourself down every second.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uniforms are uncomfortable, cause distractions and are expensive. They serve no purpose in getting the proper knowledge that one is in school to earn. One that is not comfortable, may not concentrate in class. He/she will move around their seat impatiently trying to get comfortable. Uniforms always cause problems in the summer and winter. The girls complain about wearing short dresses in the winter, arguing that it gets too cold to have their bare legs showing outside in the freezing weather conditions. The boys complain about wearing the hot long pants in the summer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I attended a school that required a uniform. I wear boxers longer than the girls’ skirts. Although my values were strongly set on education, my mind wondered, trying to get a glimpse of a girl bending over. Some girls deny it, they wear their dresses too short. This causes a distraction. The guys will not pay attention in class, instead they will stare at the short dresses. This causes the boys to do work at a lower level. The schools should make a rule on the skirt lengths and enforce it with severe punishments such as detentions, suspensions, and expulsions. This rule should make the lengths below the knees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most uniforms are very expensive. The whole uniform may cost about $250.00. This is expensive for a normal family. Since some schools require uniforms, the family is forced to buy the uniform. This puts the family back financially. This might force the family to live on bread and water due to the fact that they have spent all the food money on ties dressshoes and dress pants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How can uniforms change the way people act? They can not. No matter what the opposing argument may be, it can not be logically correct.

Richard Fairbanks and Takeshi Yasudas Ceramics Essay example -- Arti

Richard Fairbanks' and Takeshi Yasuda's Ceramics Richard Fairbanks, although many times overlooked, was an important American ceramist. He was known as a "loner" and because of this he was never really appreciated for his talent. Fairbanks was greatly influence by his professors. Professor Paul Bonifas, who taught at the University of Washington, was one who left a huge impact on Fairbanks work. Fairbanks created a system of sketching pottery profiles, which stemmed from Bonifas’ teachings, as a mean of "thinking on paper." This approach to pottery through sketching was a crucial element that separated Fairbanks from many other Asian-inspired American peers. Although, Fairbanks was a wheel thrown expert, he continued to "think on paper" throughout his creative life. Much of what absorbs Fairbanks interests can be seen in his making of candlesticks, casseroles, and vases. During the later part of his life he created three of his final pieces. One being the Stoneware Heart Plate, 1985, secondly the Stoneware server, 1985, and thirdly the Stoneware Vase, 1985. These were three of Fairbanks last works, which suggest the direction in which he was headed, in terms of what defined his style, before he became deathly ill. The plate, which is an exploration of decoration, is liquid clay or "slip pattern" of concentric circles around a valentine heart. This plate was wheel thrown, and glazed with iron oxide and copper red washes. I find it very interesting because it seems to portray more emotion than most of his other pieces. This can probably be indirectly associated with Fairbanks illness and how he was feeling at the time. The next piece he made during his period of illness was called the "Stoneware Server." The server can be explained by "unadorned simplicity." It also takes on some style of the art deco period. Fairbanks decided that for the server, he would decorate a new style of handles. The thrown thread-spool shape. Many people explained this server as a "model of modernist formal unity." The server is covered with red matte glaze. I became attracted to this piece because of its simplicity. It creates room for interpretation, which I find culminating. His last and final piece, which is very interesting, is called the "Stoneware Vase*" It has two curled spiral handles, suggestive of ancient or pre-historic civilizat... ...s Platter is made from Creamware, which was an invention of 18th century Staffordshire. Creamware was what eventually replaced the popular thin glazed products. Yasuda gave a new name to creamware. He was impressed with its "optimistic and visually liberating appearance." Though not strongly shown in the pieces above, Yasuda's ability to control and rescue a form before a complete collapse takes place amazes me. His interest in gravity and directional pull played a huge role in Yasuda’s style. I feel strongly that Yasuda’s success comes from his love of exploration, especially of the unknown. By challenging the "normal" his pots engage and provoke his audience. Richard Fairbanks and Takeshi Yasuda are very different in nature, but I find each of their works visually and aesthetically compelling. Difference creates questions, which creates interests, which creates answers. I feel both of these men treasured simplicity in its realist form! Fairbanks and Takeshi both explored the "unknown" to create identity for themselves. The creativity, ingeniousness, and capacity of knowledge that these men display helps identify who they are and what they stand for as artists.

The Future Of Fuel Cell Technology Engineering Essay

In our current universe of planetary heating, clime alteration, fuel insecurity, and high energy demand and ingestion from developing states, it is perfectly necessary we started looking into how to bring forth the power of the hereafter. Through research, development, and promotion of engineering, several beginnings of alternate, clean renewable energy have been identified. One of the alternate beginnings of energy for the hereafter is â€Å" The Fuel Cell Technology † . This engineering ( fuel cell engineering ) has the possible to be the drift which will transform the manner in which industries of today will bring forth energy of tomorrow. Fuel Cell can merely be describe as a power bring forthing system made up of electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of H into electrical energy. The electrical energy is generated from the reaction between H ( which is the fuel ) an O ( which is the oxidizer ) . The history of fuel cells history can be dated back to 1939 when William Grove, a British scientist foremost discovered its rule. He demonstrated this by utilizing four big cells ( each incorporating H and O ) to bring forth electric power which was so used to divide the H2O ( in a smaller upper cell ) into H and O. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) subsequently demonstrated their possible applications in supplying power during infinite flights. Since so, industry has been looking at the commercial viability of fuel cells engineering to bring forth energy in assorted applications in such a manner that it can vie with other sources/types of energy coevals.Fuel CellsTypesThere are several types of fuel cells being developed. The chief difference between fuel cells types is their electrolyte. The chief fuel cells types are listed below:Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells ( PEMFC ) :This is besides called the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell. It is the most favorable fuel cell engineering that offer alternate to the internal burning engine. The PEMFC uses a thin plastic membrane as its electrolyte. The reaction gases ( H and O ) are fed into the cell to respond with the anode and the cathode. The fuel H continuously flows to the anode. At the anode, H ions ( or protons ) and negatrons are produce from the H. Merely positively charged H ions pass through the membrane. The negatively charged negatrons flow to the electrical socket to bring forth electrical power. Oxygen continuously flow to the cathode. At the cathode the O combines with H ions and the negatrons to organize H2O which flows out of the cell. 2HA? a 4Ha + 4ea? » Equation for the reaction of the anode Oa‚‚ + 4Ha + 4ea? » a 2Ha‚‚O Equation for the reaction at the cathode 2Ha‚‚ + Oa‚‚ a 2Ha‚‚O Overall Equation Figure 1: How PEMFC works ( Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //altenergystation.com/fuel-cells.html ) The PEMFC has many advantages over all other types of fuel cell ; The PEMFC has a high power denseness and a low operating temperature ( of about 60-80 grades Celsius ) compared with other types of fuel cell. Its low operating temperature makes the fuel cell to warm up and get down bring forthing electricity within a short period of clip. Besides, the electrolyte is a solid stuff which makes it simpler to fabricate. The solid electrolyte of PEMFC makes it easier to orientate compared with other electrolytes. It is besides less caustic and has longer cell life and stack life. Other advantages of PEMFC are: It merely requires H and O as reactant. The by merchandise is H2O. It can be used as an option to internal burning engine. Although PEMFC has many benefits, it does hold some disadvantages excessively. The operating temperature is low ( about 80A °C ) ; which is non high plenty to execute utile cogeneration. It is an expensive signifier of electricity coevals. It cost about ?2500 – ?5000 per kilowatt. The control of wet in the cathode and anode watercourse is of import as the electrolyte is required to be saturated with H2O to run optimally.Direct Methanol Fuel Cells ( DMFC )These types of fuel cells are comparable to the PEMFC except that methyl alcohol is used as fuel alternatively of H. It works by oxidising of the liquid methyl alcohol ( CHa‚?OH ) in the presence of H2O at the anode. The DMFC uses the same type of electrolyte as the PEMFC, but with thicker membranes. The chemical equation ( reaction ) of the DMFC is as follow ; At the anode: CHa‚?OH + Ha‚‚O a COa‚‚ +6Ha + 6ea? » At the cathode: 3/2Oa‚‚ + 6Ha + 6ea? » a 3Ha‚‚O Overall Equation: CHa‚?OH + 3/2Oa‚‚ a COa‚‚+ 2Ha‚‚O DMFC engineering is really applicable for portable power devices like laptops, 2-way wirelesss, cell phones, PDA etc. This is due to the high energy denseness of the methyl alcohol fuel. The current DMFCs can bring forth power denseness between 300-1000mWcmA? compared to PEMFC power denseness of 300-1000mWcmA? . DMFC can run between 50A °C and 120A °C with an efficiency of approximately 40 % . The DMFC offers a batch of benefits compared with PEMFC ; nevertheless its development is still in its early phases. Some of its advantages are ; It uses a liquid ( methyl alcohol ) fuel for power. Methanol can incorporate efficaciously with transmittal and distribution systems that are already in being. It does non necessitate a complicated fuel storage system, as suppose to hydrogen fuel storage for PEMFC. It is simpler in its design, and has the possible for low-volume, lightweight packaging. Methanol is easier to transport and provide in commercial measures utilizing current gasolene substructure. The chief disadvantage nevertheless, is that the low oxidation of methyl alcohol to hydrogen ions and COa‚‚ requires a more active accelerator. The fuel stack requires big measures of Pt compared with the PEMFC. Due to the big measures of Pt requires, the DMFC are more expensive. Other disadvantages are ; methanol is extremely caustic and toxic, DMFC have low efficiency compared to PEMFC due to the high pervasion of methyl alcohol through the membrane.Alkaline Fuel Cells ( AFC )AFC were one of the first type of fuel cell engineerings developed and used in the United States infinite plan to bring forth electricity. AFC operates by utilizing a solution of K hydrated oxide ( KOH ) in H2O as the electrolyte. It can utilize a broad scope of assorted non-precious metals as a accelerator at the anode and the cathode. AFC operates at temperature between 100A °C and 250A °C, nevertheless, most recent design of AFC operate at lower temperature of approximately 23A °C to 70A °C. AFC have been proved to hold efficiency of stopping point to 60 % . Advantages of AFC are ; The costs of AFC are lowered compared to other signifiers of fuel cell engineerings because Alkaline engineering can work absolutely good without the usage of cherished metals. The AFC operates at a low temperature of about 70A °C. This lower its costs because the lower the operating temperature, the lower the cost of the stuffs needed to make a working and dependable system. AFC has the highest efficiency of all fuel cell type ( about 60 % ) . AFC nevertheless is susceptible to taint, hence requires pure H and O. Susceptibility of AFCs to taint besides affects the cell ‘s life-time, therefore extra cost.Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells ( PAFC )The PAFC is one of the modern fuel cell and the first to be used commercially. PAFC can bring forth up to 200 kilowatt of power and is chiefly used to power stationary power coevals and besides to power big vehicles like coachs. The PAFC uses liquid phosphorous acid as an electrolyte. The phosphorous acid is contained in a Teflon-bonded Si carbide matrix and porous C electrodes incorporating a Pt accelerator. The chief feature of PAFC is the impregnation of the phosphorous acid aqueous solution as the electrolyte in the matrix. The efficiency of PAFC is approximately 40 % but can be increased to over 70 % with combined heat and power. One of the chief advantages of PAFC is that they are more receptive to drosss in fossil fuels that have been reformed into H than PEMFC, which are easy poisoned by C monoxide. PAFC are besides more efficient when used for the cogeneration of electricity and heat ( about 85 % ) . Other benefit of PAFC is its first-class dependability and long-run public presentation. The disadvantage nevertheless is that it takes longer to warm up because it operates at a higher temperature ( between 150A °C and 200A °C ) , therefore doing it unsuitable for usage in autos. It besides requires Pt as a accelerator like most other types of fuel cells, but provides low power and current. Another deficit of PAFC is its size and volume in relation to their end product compared with other types of fuel cell. Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells ( MCFC ) Solid Oxide Fuel Cells ( SOFC ) Hydrogen Electrolysis PEM Fuel Cell and Electrolyser Operating Principles Table Fuel Cell Development in Future: An Independent Opinion Experiment: How to Better Output and Efficiency ofaˆÂ ¦ Consequence: Calculation of Improved Efficiency/Performance Decision Glossary Appendixs

Local Literature for Entrance Exam Registration Essay

Every year thousands of high school graduating students seek admission to PUP through its College Entrance Test (PUPCET). For the School Year 2008-2009, the Admissions Office recorded approximately 42,000 applicants. During peak periods of application, it takes several hours to complete this process. At times applicant has to return to PUP to finish the transaction. Time and resources spent by the applicants and by the University could have been used to more productive activities. Moreover, during the month of October and mid-December, the Admissions Office has to suspend processing of application to allocate their resources to the processing of mid-year graduation and to attend to the enrollment for second semester. The existing system does not integrate the data captured by various offices involved in the processing of the PUPCET. The Admissions Office, Accounting Department, Cashier, Guidance and Counseling, Scholarships, Student Services, Academic Units, Research and Development, Human Resources are just some of the units who will use the information by this system. In addition, the University is required to submit data and reports regularly to external agencies such as the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Congress, etc. The absence of an integrated database tends to result to data inefficiency, which affects the quality and objectivity of the recommendations, decisions and plans by the policy-making body or administrators and other stakeholders. In order to address this problem, PUP iApply (formerly codename â€Å"Project Silangan†) was conceptualized. Applicants benefit from the proposed system as compared to the existing systems, because they can Apply anytime, anywhere at their convenience using any personal computer connected to the Internet, save on cumulative expenses (transportation fare, food, etc. ), save on time and energy (transportation, falling-in-line), and verify status of application anywhere, anytime. These are just a few of the ways PUP iApply can impact the bottom line and simplify the admission process.

Nature verses nurture Essay

The nature versus nurture debate is an argument over whether nature plays a primary role in the development of an individual (heredity), or the environment (nurture). Nature, as understood by Psychologists, refers to physical characteristics that are biologically inherited, such as the color of skin, eye or texture of hair. Nurture on the other hand, refers to environmental influences after conception, such as our experiences (McLeod 2011). The debate has been controversial and ongoing for decades; Psychologists have tried to determine whether a person’s development is predisposed by DNA or his environment. So the questions exists, is it inherited gene or is it the driving force such as upbringing and nurturing from parents and caregivers that influences a child to grow up to become a lawyer, doctor, or a professional athlete. Both theories are essentially at opposite ends of the spectrum. Those who adopt an extreme hereditary approach (nativists) are of the belief that the characteristics or the human specie are a product of evolution and that our individual differences are due to the unique genetic makeup of the individual. At the opposite end of the spectrum, are environmentalists (empiricists) who believe that at birth the human mind is a blank slate that during development is gradually filled with our experiences (McLeod, 2007). In this paper we will look to two studies exploring the controversial nature versus nurture debate, make comparisons between them and discuss the conclusion of each study. John Bowlby (1907-1990) was a psychoanalyst who believed that mental health and behavioral problems could be attributed to early childhood. In his evolutionary Theory of Attachment developed after World War II, he suggests that children come into the world â€Å"biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others,† as this is a means of survival. According to his original theory, infants have a universal need to seek close proximity with their caregiver. He observed that children experience intense distress when separated from their mothers and this shaped his belief that there is a fundamental link between early infant separations with the mother and later maladjustment (McLeod, 2009). Many subsequent theories have developed in support of this theory; Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy Emerson in 1964, studied 60 babies at monthly intervals for the first 18 months of life. The children were all studied in their own home and involved visiting the babies monthly for approximately one year. During this time, the caregivers were interviewed and all interactions with the babies were observed (McLeod, 2009). In contrast, Albert Bandura developed the Social Learning Theory in support of the nurture debate. He believed that people learn from each other through the process of observation, imitation and modeling. In 1961 he conducted an experiment called the â€Å"Bobo Doll Experiment,† to investigate if social behaviors can be acquired by imitation. The methodology of his study involved testing 36 boys and girls from the Stanford University Nursery School between the ages of three and six years. One male and female adult role model was chosen to demonstrate aggressive behavior. 24 boys and girls were allowed to watch a role model behaving aggressively towards a toy called a â€Å"Bobo doll. † The adults were told to attack the doll in destructive way, using hands, feet, weapons, or abusive language. Another 24 children were exposed to a non-aggressive model and the final 24 children were used as a controlled group and not exposed to any model or aggressive behavior at all. All the children were tested individually through three stages; â€Å"modeling, aggression arousal and delayed imitation† (McLeod, 2011). When the two studies are compared, many differences can be identified, but only a few similarities. In both studies, the subjects used were children. The researchers used an observational approach to undertake their study, the results of which support each theory. During both studies, the subjects were observed during normal activities and their behaviors evaluated through a series of stages. The first identifiable difference between studies was the type of study undertaken. A longitudinal study was undertaken in The Attachment Theory. It was conducted over a period of 18 months; while the Social Learning Theory was an experiment conducted over one day using matched pairs design. The second difference between studies was where they took place: the Attachment Theory studied infants in their own homes, while the Social Learning Theory conducted the experiment in a play nursery. Children at different ages were used in both studies: from birth to 18 months in the Attachment Theory, and from three to six years in the Social Learning Theory. In the Social Learning Theory experiment, all the children were pre-tested for aggression before the behavior was introduced to one group. No behavior was introduced in the Attachment Theory study, infants were observed in their normal routine and daily interactions. One final observable difference between the studies was that a controlled group was used in the â€Å"Bobo Doll Experiment† of The Social Learning Theory, while no controlled group was used in the Attachment Theory study (McLeod 2009, 2011). The Attachment Theory study results indicate that babies develop attachment in the following sequence: (1) up to three months of age where the baby responds equally to any caregiver, (2) after four months where there is a preference for certain people, (3) after seven months where there is a special preference for a single attachment figure, (4) and after nine months where they develop multiple attachments. The conclusion of the study proved babies look to particular people for security, comfort and protection. Fear and unhappiness is shown when separated from that special person. According to the study the most important thing in forming attachment is not who feeds and changes the child, but who plays and communicates with him or her (McLeod, 2009). In the second study, the â€Å"Bobo Doll Experiment† findings supported Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. Children learn social behavior such as aggression through the process of observation learning, i.e. watching the behavior of another person. During the â€Å"experiment† the children exposed to the violent model tended to imitate the exact behavior they had observed when the adult left the room. The children in the non-aggressive group behave less aggressively than those in the control group, and boys behaved more aggressively than girls. The study also showed that boys who observed an adult male behaving violently were more influenced than those who had observed a female model aggressive behavior. Boys were more likely to imitate physical acts of violence, while girls were more likely to imitate verbal aggression (McLeod, 2011). Many experts believe today, that behavior and development are influenced by both nature and nurture; one does not exist without the other. Some psychologists believe that learning continues even through adulthood. While few people take the extreme inherited or extreme environmental approach, researchers and experts are now consumed with the degree to which biology and environment influence behavior. References McLeod, S. A. (2011). Albert Bandura/ Social learning theory- Simply psychology. Retrieved 10/01/2013 from http://www. simplypsychology. org/baddura. html McLeod, S. A. (2009). Attachment Theory – Simply psychology. Retrieved 10/04/2013 from http://www. simplypsychology. org/attachment. html McLeod, S. A. (2011). Bobo Doll Experiment- Simply psychology. Retrieved 10/03/2013 from http://www. simplypsychology. org/bobo-doll. html McLeod, S. A. (2011). Nature Nurture in Psychology- Simply psychology. Retrieved 10/05/2013 from http://www. simplypsychology. org/naturevsnurture. html.

Posting on Reading Essay

Education   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How education is valued and how it is tied up with culture and the structure of society is the focus of the article. Moreover, several factors that encourage people to attend higher education are also explored in the article. For instance, several examples about the South Korean culture were revealed in the article in order to emphasize how the view of education changes depending on the culture. For the South Koreans, education is seen as a status symbol and not a stepping-stone to acquire a job in the future. The good thing about it though is that statistics has shown that the percentage of dropouts is less in areas that believe in the relationship between education and societal value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   People from different walks of life have varying points of view regarding education. A survey conducted in order to determine the reasons why people choose to attend higher education reveals that reputation or culture and the enhancement of an individual’s disposition are the topmost reasons why people value their education. At this point, people view the learning and understanding of the English language as an instrumental skill in order to accomplish an individual’s aims to gain a high and respectable social status. Koreans nowadays are struggling to learn the English language, as it gives one a high rank in the social climate. Koreans spend time and effort in studying English that they are willing to undergo rigorous testing just to speak English well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps, the article does not only discuss education as part of culture. I think the issues in this article also have strong connections with globalization. As the world moves to become a global village, people are forced to increase their chances of belonging to the international community. This objective shall only be accomplished through further education. This is probably one of the reasons why education is seen as a form of earning a high rank in society because being well educated and learning to speak English well keeps you in a range of belongingness with the rest of the global community. The Costs of Educational Zeal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The article explores the effects of Korea’s valuing of education to the costs of attending the educational institution. Apparently, with the Korean’s growing value for education and the educational institution’s goals to enhance the quality of education, the costs of higher educations have also reached a high. The reasons underlying the high cost of education in the country was explored under different regimes. The influence of colonialism to the educational system of the country contributed much to the high cost that they require of education. Moreover, majority of educational institutions in the country require expensive rates for their services because most of them are privately owned. At this point, I ask myself, why do they need to pay expensive taxes for education when most of the educational institutions are private?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was not any change during the Park Chung Hee’s term as president of the country. During this time, education was neglected, therefore there were no efforts coming from the government to fix the problem expensive costs of education. Reflecting on it, education in the country has really become a social status, such that only those who can afford it are able to gain the quality education that they deserve. Moreover, the government does not care less whether the people are able to afford education. This reveals how the voices of those people who cannot afford to attend educational institutions are not being heard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another factor that influenced the high costs of education was what the people called Kwaoe. Kwaoe is the Korean term for tutoring. This service requires large amounts of money that people cannot help but complain about its cost. At this point of time, the government was able to address this issue and ban tutoring all over the country. Throughout the years, noticeable efforts to alleviate the rising cost of education were evident when reviewing the performances of past governments. However, their efforts were not enough to lessen the cost of paying for an individual’s education. The failure of governments to remodel their educational system is understandable, because from the beginning, the faulty budgeting and financing for educational institutions was adapted by the country. What the country needs to work on is modifying the educational system in order to identify its flaws and once and for all end the high costs of education.

Dell Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dell Corporation - Essay Example However the company needs to take action fast. The main business is generated from PC sales. Most of Dell’s revenue stream is generated from sales of personal computers. The global economic downturn is having the greatest effect on PC sales as companies are reducing their spending on personal computers. Their spending may be going up in other product categories, but investments in PC are being reduced industry-wide. Because Dell’s main business is in PC sales, it is a strategic imperative for the company to craft a new strategic direction. The company does have diverse product offerings but the most important part of its resource base is dedicated to manufacturing personal computers such as desktops and laptops. Dell’s main competitors are HP, Acer and Apple. Dell faces rising competitive threat from these companies because they have invested in a wide variety of products and services. For example, Apple is generating profitability at the same level despite the e conomic downturn. This is because Apple maintains diverse product offerings based upon continuous innovation. HP is diversifying into service business. Because the western market is saturated, Dell has to focus on the fast growing markets of China and India. However in China Dell faces a major competitive threat from Lenovo. Therefore Dell Inc. ... Therefore the company has a skill in retaining large corporate accounts which will enable the company to face the competitive rivalry from HP. Dell also has core competencies in transferring knowledge across divisions in order to facilitate the highest level of quality in all the product categories. The company has shown great success in product diversification. These capabilities and resources form the core competencies of Dell Inc. The company’s strength is in the market leadership position that it holds in the industry with a loyal customer base of large commercial and institutional investors. The company has also been successful in diversifying into additional product categories. The company’s weakness may be its over-reliance upon PC sales which are being affected by the economic downturn. The opportunity is provided by the large corporate accounts which will enable the company to invest in additional product and service categories to strengthen the revenue base. T he threat is the rising level of competitive rivalry in the industry. Although Dell might reduce the competitive threat to some extent by expanding to growing markets these markets also have their share of competitors, two examples being Acer and Lenovo. Dell is customizing its products by providing value-added services in the enterprise market. This market has been growing steadily because corporate customers are looking for ways to cut IT costs. Therefore, by customizing its products for the enterprise market, Dell will be able to make up for the loss of revenue from decreasing PC sales. However the disadvantage is the possibility of over-diversification. In that case the company might lose money in areas which are not its

The Impacts Of Global Warming And Ways To Avoid Them Research Paper

The Impacts Of Global Warming And Ways To Avoid Them - Research Paper Example Critics of the global warming phenomenon argue that global warming is in fact not an environmental crisis but a manufactured issue artificially created for a variety of unsavory and politically-inspired reasons. Despite the shrinking number of detractors, global warming is a phenomenon which affects our planet every single day. Seeking to address the political issues surrounding global warming, this research paper will provide a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the global warming phenomenon. We will begin with a discussion of the evidence in support of global warming and explore the connection between global warming and climate change. Although the focus of this analysis will be the political ramifications of global warming, an introductory section must explain what global warming actually is. We then explore the Kyoto Accord and discuss the detractors of this international climate agreement. Due to the politically-charged nature of this international agreement, this essay will explore whether or not there will be a â€Å"post-Kyoto† international climate agreement, and discern whether or not it would be effective at reducing carbon emissions. Although the United States has controversially not implemented Kyoto, we will explore the possible consequences to the United States of the continuation of global warming. Global warming and climate change are two terms which are often used interchangeably. Has a link between global warming and climate change been established? Yes, global warming is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As we shall see below, the effects of global warming include changes in atmospheric temperatures and rainfall, which can lead to climate change (Arnella & Reynard 397). Global warming is most generally described as an average increase in the Earth’s temperatures.