The Tragic Hero Essays - English-language Films, Death Of A Salesman

The Tragic Hero Man is here too little and too passive to play the tragic hero. In Death of a Salesman, Miller presents us with a new version of what we define as tragedy. If we look to the Greek plays such as Oedipus Rex, we are shown very fixed ideas of tragedy that involve a hero falling from high stature to the depths of depravity by the mistakes that he has made. Indeed, Aristotle termed tragedy as downfall that was not the fault of the hero. However, he produced his definitions based largely on The Theban Plays and so perhaps gives us reason to question these archaic prescriptive terms. Moreover, if we are to ascertain whether or not Willy Lowman is able to play the tragic hero, we must surmise how effectively Miller's writing conforms to our preconceptions of the tragedy genre. It would be luxurious to suppose that these preconceptions are changeable, for to give the above quote any credence, we are acknowledging the tragic hero as being one of many such figures that have made literary fame (or indeed infamy) before it. Miller has willingly spoken of his play as being tragic and calls on the reader and his critics to acknowledge it so. I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were. (1949 cited Weales 1967) This view forces us to question our initial interpretations of the tragic hero. Miller writes in a way that forces us to see each character as symbolic and not as individuals, and we may argue that this gives the story a certain myth. However, what seems more likely is that the characters have no individuality in areas such as what Willy sells or his name (Low-man), so that we perceive them in the same way they feel they are perceived by others. If we examine for one moment, the more confident and separate the character is from the American Dream, the more detail and information we learn of their lives. We know a great deal about the most far removed character, Biff, and know a little less about Happy; the other characters follow suit. Therefore, rather than attribute tragic status based on depth and lack of specificity, we must look to character stature for information. Indeed, we have often associated tragedy with someone who starts on a high level (and falls), however, we may suppose that the same is true of Willy Lowman. In many people's eyes, a hard-working common man, is the archetypal hero and indeed worthy of our respect. We are preconditioned, even outside of the American Dream, to believe that a few shillings for a honest days work is what makes an honourable man. However, how then are we defining honour? From the opening and indeed our initial perceptions of Willy, are that he is conscious of the world around him and enjoys all that is natural, ?it's so beautiful up there, Linda, the trees are so thick, and the sun is so warm. (9) However, this honourable character is then seen to disillusion the reader by his reluctance to conform to the reader's expectations of honourable behaviour. On the other hand, if we are not to blame Willy for his own nemesis, then he is not only honourable but his end is indeed tragic. The American Dream had (some argue still does have), the ability to give you everything; if you only stretched out, the world was within your reach. In the same breath that Willy speaks of being vital in New England (10), he exemplifies everyone's belief that they were someone and could be someone more if they wanted. There is little doubt that Willy buys into this ideology from the beginning of the play. Talking in slogans and adverts, Chevrolet, Linda, is the greatest car ever built, (26) Willy believes in what he is selling, albeit not a product but an ideology. Miller removes responsibility for this dream from Willy's shoulders, by depicting the country as ganging up against him in a conspiracy of apartment houses. Willy feigns his own escape from responsibility by speaking of the population as getting out of control. (12) It is of

Gender Differences in Pain Perception essays

Gender Differences in Pain Perception essays We have all experienced physical pain sometime in our life. Some of us even must suffer it on a day to day basis. But are some people genetically made to handle pain easier than most? Sure, why not? I mean, we are all made differently and react differently to special stimuli. Most believe that men are able to bare pain better than the average woman. Others agree that because of childbirth, women are able to withstand pain at the same level or even better than a man. The question is which theory is correct? Could there be a defining difference between the two genders or does it depend mainly on the individual? There has been research and studies conducted over the years to find the answers to these questions. In the experimental report, Gender differences in pain perception: the mediating role of self-efficacy beliefs by Jackson, Iezzi, Gunderson, Nagasaka, and Fritch, researchers hypothesize the reasoning behind the differences of pain perception of the genders and test the ir theories. You will find that their research findings are not much different from those of other research groups, but that their reasoning is a bit different. This project will tell of psychological influences on pain, as well as the physical influences on pain. To begin their work on the proposition, Jackson et al. (2002) had based their theory on the many studies done throughout the years that agree that women in general have been thought to suffer more with pain. They have been subjected to more persistent, severe, and longer-lasting pain than men. Many of the studies have shown that the women in the reports were more susceptible and less tolerant of pain than the men but the psychological reasoning behind it was not determined. Psychologically, there are many ideas as to why this may be, but the main issue up for discussion in this article was self-efficacy. According to Jackson et al. (2002), self-effi ...

A Literary Analysis of Margaret Atwoods Happy Endings

In the story â€Å"Happy Endings† the author Margaret Atwood gives 6 scenarios in alphabetical order from A to F of how a couples life could play out over the span of their lives. In these six scenarios Atwood uses satire to emphasize how interchangeable and simple each couples life is. In this story Atwood uses character, style, and point of view to chastise the desire for the everyday common life and the concern for only the â€Å"whats† in life and not â€Å"how or why†. The use of flat characters in â€Å"Happy Endings† is one of the ways Atwood’s satirical tone is especially emphasized. The first characters introduced, Mary and John, are barely developed and we only learn simple details about their life that appears to be happy and comfortable. For example, we learn that they both have jobs but not what they do for these jobs. The narrator describes them as â€Å"worth while and remunerative jobs, which they find stimulating and challenging. † We also learn that they continue to enjoy their lives but are still not given any exciting details. For example, all the important aspects of their life are described by the narrator as â€Å"they buy a charming house†, â€Å"when they can afford live in help, they have two children. They turn out well. † â€Å"They go on vacations together. They retire† , â€Å"They both have hobbies they find stimulating and challenging. † Atwood uses this lack of detail to emphasize how flat and dull the characters are, building the idea that the main desire in life is focused on the â€Å"whats†. Throughout the different scenarios Atwood continues to use the writing style of repetition to make the point that the root of each story is the same. For example, almost everything in the characters lives throughout the six scenarios are described as â€Å"stimulating and challenging†, all the houses in the story are described as â€Å"charming†, and the real estate market is always mentioned. The most important thing that is repeated at the end of every story is that they all die, no matter what happened in their life, they all eventually die. Death is key to this story because regardless of the â€Å"whats† the characters have in life, Atwood wants to emphasize that death will always equal us out. For example, in scenario F these exact ideas are mentioned by the author â€Å"you’ll have to face it, the endings are always the same however you slice it† and â€Å"the only authentic ending is the one provided here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die. † The third person objective point of view that this story is written in is what makes the characters so flat, the repetition so empty, and the story so simple. For example, a much more descriptive story in B is emotionally detached and flat because of how the author purposely lacks passion by writing, â€Å"Mary falls in love with John but John doesn’t fall in love with Mary. He merely uses her body for selfish pleasure and ego gratification of a tepid kind. † This statement is so emotionally loaded and could be very upsetting but the way its delivered, so fat and blunt, takes away the emotional attachment. The death as well in story B is a dark and heart breaking part but is also told so bluntly to remind you of death being the equalizer. For example, the author writes so easily about the death â€Å"Mary collects all the sleeping pills and aspirin she can find, and takes them and a half bottle of sherry. You can see what kind of woman she is by the fact that its not even whiskey. She leaves a note for John. She hopes he’ll discover her and get her to the hospital in time and repent and then they can get married, but this fails to happen and she dies. † The non-emotional way her death is described is an indicator of the flatness. The use of character, style, and point of view that Atwood uses to write this story gives you a real feeling of pity for these characters, only having horrible lows or average highs in their relationships. It appears that there is no great place to be in her story. Reading this story for the first time, the reader could assume Atwood has an obsession with bad relationships, boring average marriages, and death. The key to understanding what the author is trying to convey is realizing how the stories all link together and how they all lack the essence of excitement and desire. The author brings the idea that without focusing on the â€Å"how and why† of life and only focusing on the â€Å"what, what, what† will leave you with an average life. Reference Endings, and Margaret Atwood. 2016. Happy Endings. Goodreads. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28673445-happy-endings. Topics, Sample Papers Articles Online for Free. (2016). Happy Endings – Margaret Atwood. [online] Available at: http://studymoose.com/an-analysis-of-margaret-atwoods-happy-endings-essay [Accessed 21 Nov. 2016]. Happy Endings Summary. 2016. Www.Bookrags.Com. http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-happyendings/chapanal001.html.

Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis Research Paper

Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis - Research Paper Example The research paper "Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis" presents the strengths and weaknesses of Starbucks’s products and services as it ventures into the new target market. One of Starbuck’s key strengths is seen to pertain to the company’s strong market position and global brand recognition. Starbucks enjoys a significant geographical presence across the world in addition to its maintaining an estimated 36.7% of the market share within the United States. The company will be able to leverage is rich brand equity by merchandising a wide range of products as well as licensing its brand logo to outlets across its new venture market of Xiamen, China. The company produces products of the highest quality. Starbucks gives the highest importance to the quality of their products as well as avoids the standardization of quality even in the face of higher production output levels. This attribute is expected to aid the company in the quick capture of a significantly large share of the Xiamen market. As a result of its numerous social responsibility initiatives, Starbucks benefits from enjoying the goodwill of all its customers across the world. Starbucks stores are designed to be community friendly and focused on the recycling and reduction of waste products. This attribute is expected to help the company attract more customers as it expands into the new market. And one of Starbucks’ key weaknesses is the fact that most of its products are generally perceived to be quite expensive.

Dual-career families Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dual-career families - Essay Example , couples in a dual-career relationship have jobs that require a high degree of commitment and effectively the developmental nature of the professions these couples engage in is high. In effect, such couples pursue careers while still performing their main roles in parenting. These relationships have certain characteristics such as economic rewards for the couples and ultimately to the family. In addition, the family derives an added social prestige when both parents are working. Furthermore, a personal investment on the part of both partners is evident when they commit their time and energy to their careers. However, the commitment of time and energy can influence the relationship of the couples within the family setup. Hamner & Turner (2000) noted that, many working couples with children experienced conflicts in their work and family relationships effectively influencing their performance and creating stress at both work and in the family. Such conflicts influenced greatly on the children’s behavior. In this regard, one big issue in dual-career families concerns absentee parents. As such, house helps, who at most instances lack the basic knowledge in parentage, have the biggest responsibility on children. On the other hand, commitment to work drains the energy out of the parents once they reach home and eventually fail to spend quality time with their children. Effectively, children will pick behavior, at times undesirable, from other people since the parents are not monitoring their children progress closely as should be the case. Faced with such challenges, there are various ways that dual-career families can overcome them. According to Hester & Dickerson (1984), different programs devised by extension personnel are essential in training couples on ways of improving their relationship. Such programs establish unique responsibilities in each relationship advising each couple on the best way to parent their children while both juggle with their careers,

Housing Industry Research Essay Example for Free

Housing Industry Research Essay People would often refer to real estate and housing industry as the best way to build up riches, or possibly the best, easiest and fastest way for anybody to get rich. Most of the time, the terms real estate industry and housing industry are being used interchangeably by people, not knowing the very basic distinctions between the two terminologies. Real estate industry more formally refers to the industry that focuses on simply buying and selling real estate properties. Whereas, the housing industry is more concerned on developing and incorporating improvements to a real estate property. Basically, those that are in the real estate industry are doing much more of retail business, while those in the housing industry are doing much more of service and nonetheless, research, design, and manual work. The housing industry is the industry which is primarily concerned in building and developing houses and housing designs for private individuals, for government housing projects and for a local community. Moreover this is also the industry which provides the basic materials such as the building materials, and hard escape materials for a housing project. When you drive or ride through a community, the variety of architecture often reflects some of the history of the community or the locality. Architectural styles of the past are illustrated in the older neighborhoods but also influence the styles of homes built today. In a community, the housing industry is the one which is mainly concerned in all these. For most communities, there is only one housing industry which can be regarded as the main housing industry of the community. This can be a company, or a group of companies that would generally dominate all the housing projects within the locality, be it a private housing project or a housing project from the government. Mostly, these housing industries would dominate the landscaping industry, hard escape industry, and the hardware, building equipments and materials industry as well. Since most people believe in the logical trend that as one industry goes up the black, a counter industry would fall down the red; this would lead many to believe that the immediate spike in the information technology and communications industry would leave other industries such as the real estate industry and housing industry, to experience its most protracted slump for several years. This is actually the opposite of what’s really happening in the economy, for many years, the housing industry has remained as one of the most stable industries all over the globe. Indeed the housing industry has had its share of downs and suffered greatly from economic destabilizations, inflations and other economic fluctuations, but in spite of all these, it has retained itself as still one of the most promising, and stable industry. With nearly 17 million new conventional homes added over the past decade, the home building industry continues to set new records and standards. In 2005 alone, single-family starts exceeded 1. 7 million—far and away the largest number ever. Thanks to a stable economy and low mortgage interest rates, the home building industry has not seen a significant downturn since the early 1990s. This undeniable stretch of strong, stable growth in the home building industry has ushered-in a period of prosperity for major builders and supported a wave of mergers and acquisitions within the industry. In the early 1990s, the top 10 builders in the country accounted for less than 10 percent of all conventional new single-family home sales. By 2004, their share had risen to over 20 percent in most major metropolitan areas; larger builders hold an even greater market share. There are three major reasons for the dramatic increase in the scale among the home builders. The change in the access to capital is one of these reasons. After World War II, the savings and loan industry was the principal source of capital for the home building industry. With the collapse of many of these institutions in the late 1980s, builders had to turn to other sources of financing. Banks and private funds companies have thus, stepped in to fill the need for capitals and investments. These funding companies gave an edge to the housing industries since their presence meant easier access to capitals. Another reason is the change in the land use regulation. More and more communities are restricting residential development in an effort to manage growth. As a result, the development process in many locations takes longer than it once did, with land assembly and entitlement typically more complex and costly. This again creates a premium for scale of operations, since smaller builders often lack the resources to work with local officials over extended periods to secure the necessary approvals. The third reason is the change in economic environment. This has favored large-scale home builder industries. The strong economic environment for home construction over the past decades has ushered a stable growth and low mortgage interest rates that have prevented a major recession in the home building industry since 1991. This combination of market conditions has produced stunning increases in top-line growth and bottom-line financial performance for large home building companies. Between 1999 and 2004, builders of 500 units or more each year realized inflation-adjusted revenue growth of 135 percent. In addition, their gross margins on homes sold and net income each increased about 4. 5 percentage points. With industry consolidation have come new opportunities. To increase their scale and overall capabilities, larger-scale builders have incentives to reinvest in their operations by adding information systems for estimating, scheduling, and purchasing, or investing in panel plants to save time and costs in the construction process. With such investments, larger home builders continue to improve their operating performance, at a much faster rate relative to smaller builders. Better performance encourages even more builder consolidation, which in turn produces even greater scale economies, creates more incentives for investments to leverage these opportunities, and so on. This cycle would dictate further consolidation and greater efficiency in the home building industry in the years ahead. When asked to name the single most important reason for their recent financial performance, over half of the corporate-level survey respondents attributed their success to strong housing market fundamentals, and nearly a third cited their land assembly strategies. Another 13 percent considered improved customer satisfaction the key to profitability. In sharp contrast, few respondents attributed their success to shorter construction cycles, savings on product purchase, man power, on-site construction costs, and other operational efficiencies. Still, evidence of operational improvements does exist, particularly within the divisions of national and international home builders. Although their homes have become bigger and have incorporated higher-quality materials in recent years, national and international home builders have been cut the construction time to minimal, keep cost increases at modest levels, and significantly improve customer satisfaction scores, in parallel to improvements in the quality of finished products. Local divisions of regional builders have been less successful in improving the efficiency of their operations. Improvements in home building efficiency were the most common results from the implementing of innovative operating practices. Studies from Harvard have cited four general types of operating practices that homebuilders especially those at large scale, have used to their advantage. 1. Coordination with subcontractors. Subcontractors are typically the ones who purchase the materials used in home building, making payments to contractors a major expense category for homebuilders. Innovative builder practices in this area include initiatives such as making scheduling information easily accessible to subcontractors, automatically notifying subcontractors of schedule changes, and frequently updating the job site production schedule. As a result, increased efficiencies in the building process and lower production costs is maintained. 2. Component preassembly. Preassembling major components such as roof trusses allows greater precision in manufacturing and often provides cost savings by substituting semi-skilled off-site labor for skilled on-site labor. The preassembly process is also more efficient when done off-site, thereby creating the potential for shorter construction cycle time, and even so, smaller labor costs. 3. Supplier installation. In many product categories, builders have begun to purchase installation services from the manufacturers or distributors. Supplier installation helps to limit product disputes over the source of any problems. In addition, this practice can reduce construction labor needs since product manufacturers and distributors typically serve broader geographic areas than subcontractors. 4. Supply chain management. Supply chain management covers a broad range of practices from price negotiations for products and value-added services to the implementation of information systems to support purchasing and inventory management. Supply chain management is an area where scale economies give larger builders an obvious edge over their smaller competitors. Innovative operating practices help large home builders not only run their operations more efficiently and use their market power more effectively, but also better manage risk especially financial risks and risks in operations. Builders have reduced their exposure by controlling more land through options, joint ventures, and other approaches that keep land costs off their books until they buy the entitled lots. In this way, builders only incur these expenses close to the time of construction. With more efficient operations and better management controls, large builders typically do not begin construction until a home is pre-sold. Across builders surveyed, 73 percent of all homes closed in 2004 were sold before construction began an increase from 70 percent in 1999. National builders pre-sold over three-quarters of homes closed in 2004, while regional builders pre-sold about two-thirds. Larger builders have incentives to adopt innovative operating practices because they have the market power to implement these efficiencies and can leverage the benefits across a broader range of operating divisions. The financial payback for these improvements, however, depends greatly on conditions in the local market. Over the past years, consolidation of the home builders has dramatically changed the home building industry. In addition to improved financial performance, the adoption of innovative practices and methodologies related to product distribution and assembly line and development, has improved the operational performance of large builders along such dimensions as construction cycle time, efficiency of the building process, stability, style, and overall quality of structures, and customer satisfaction. In generating these efficiencies, builders have helped to streamline processes throughout the entire homebuilding industry. Home buyers have also benefited in parallel to the home building improvements. More efficient builder operations have kept construction costs low and customer satisfaction levels high, allowing builders to offer more model home options and more product choices without any corresponding increases in prices. In addition, greater efficiency has enabled builders to pre-sell more homes, which in turn has reduced the risk of overbuilding, and thus reduced the risk or putting the company financial trend line on the red. By keeping supply in line with demand, home builders have helped to bring greater stability to house prices, since overbuilding has historically been a principal cause of house price declines. Whether these improvements will continue as market conditions change remains to be seen. One encouraging sign is that operating efficiencies, as opposed to financial performance, have increased most in more competitive markets. If the housing market weakens in the years ahead and competition increases, larger builders still have the potential to improve their operations and maintain their strong financial performance. In communities where demand is strong but residential development opportunities are limited, house price appreciation tends to be high. In markets where price appreciation is low, land is generally more accessible and builders face fewer barriers to entry. As a result, construction activity can respond very quickly to changes in demand. As market conditions shift, however, builders can get caught with excess inventory, which drives down area-wide house prices. In these markets, builders must run their operations efficiently to remain profitable. In high-appreciation markets, demand for new homes is generally greater than the number of homes that can be added under existing land use and building regulations. This limits the risk of rapid overbuilding. Given that it takes more time and resources to build in these markets, higher barriers to entry and higher land costs push up the average price of homes sold. Builders working in these communities generally put a premium on their land acquisition and development strategy. Since they are often able to achieve higher margins on homes sold in these markets, they may put less emphasis on operational efficiencies. The market conditions that have helped to create a more efficient home building industry over the past years have also, in turn, favored the housing consumers. A more stable economy, with more muted cycles and low inflation, has produced some of the lowest long-term interest rates in a generation. Low interest rates, together with low unemployment rates, have also provided greater financial security for many citizens and thus given them more initiative to build their own households or improve their current household. Internationally, house prices have raised an average of 127 percent since 1990, with nearly half of this increase coming since 2000. Until recently, economic cycles interacted with housing cycles to produce tremendous volatility in home prices. From 1975 to 1993, house prices rose more slowly than overall inflation in 10 of the 19 years, or over half of the time. In each of the 12 years since 1993, however, house price appreciation has exceeded the pace of inflation. Builders that have already adopted more innovative practices have clearly profited from their investments. New practices related to product distribution and assembly has improved the operational performance of large builders, particularly in terms of construction cycle time and customer satisfaction, and thus greatly increasing their profits. Although being in the housing industry has a lot of economic advantages it is undeniable that there are still various external, economical, factors that can negatively affect this industry. A low economy, and low living standards, would most likely correspond to a decrease in the demands for housing industries. Natural disasters and calamities such as earthquakes, floods and typhoons that would occur at an unfortunate time, would leave home builders hanging in the deadlines for finishing their projects, since building cannot continued during such occasions. Generally speaking, the housing industry reflects the type of economy in a given region or locality. A region with a high economic state, low inflation, and high monetary value would most likely have a high level of housing industry in turn. The houses in the said region would also be of high quality; however, man power for construction would also come at higher rates at such an area. A stable economy in terms of monetary value and inflation would be the most ideal economy for a successful housing industry. Even high-performing builders still have the potential to make more improvements. Given that their strong financial performance has largely resulted from their leading land positions in booming housing markets, builders just have not to focus on implementing innovative practices and on maximizing operational efficiencies. Larger builders are those that would especially benefit from focusing on efficiency. Local builders with closings of 10,000 homes or more in 2004 reported implementing only half of the common innovative practices, while the divisions of builders with sales of 2,500 to 10,000 homes implemented less than 40 percent of the innovative practices. There are many valid reasons why implementation has been relatively weak. The corporate offices of larger builders report above-average development of innovative procedures, but implementation at the division level has often lagged. With the increase in the number of acquisitions in recent years, many of these divisions have only recently come under management of the acquiring builder and may thus need additional time to implement new systems and procedures. Furthermore, given their strong financial performance in recent years, corporate offices have less incentive and reason to develop new procedures for their local divisions, and local divisions have less incentive and reason to implement such changes. Whether builders will seize these opportunities remains to be seen. One encouraging sign, however, is that operational improvements have increased the most where house price appreciation is relatively low and no one builder dominates the market. If the house building industry weakens in the years ahead, house price appreciation is likely to slow and more builders are likely to compete within individual markets, these are exactly the conditions that lead to the development and implementation of operational improvements made in recent years. This means that a crisis such as the weakening of the economy leading to the weakening of the housing market, although has its undeniable negative effects in the housing industry, on the positive side, it would somehow force the home building industry to continuously and further develop and implement more and more innovations in their systems. Nonetheless, this would consequently lead to further innovations and efficiencies in the home building industry, and thus more high quality and affordable choices of homes for the consumers. References What’s next for housing industy CIOs. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. cio. com/article/134004 Seiders, D. F. (2006, September 19). Housing economics. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. nbnnews. com/houseecon/issues/2006-09-19. html Milt N. (2005, April 27). Housing market crisis threatens economy. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. workers. org/2005/us/housing-0505/ Schoen J. W. (2007, June 19). Housing industry still looking for the bottom. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/19311316/ Buban C. E. (2007, December 22). Housing developers and current industry trends. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://showbizandstyle. inquirer. net/ lifestyle/view_article. php? article_id=108293 Zito K. (2006, June 16). Billions to state from housing. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. sfgate. com/cgi-bin/article. cgi? f=/c/a/2006/06/16/BUG77JER951. DTL Housing slump reflects worsening economic crisis. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://en. internationalism. org/inter/144/housing-slump A new paradigm of the housing industry. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. meti. go. jp/english/newtopics/data/nBackIssue20080408_01. html Brief overview of the housing economy. Retrieved April 20, 2008, from http://www. oppapers. com/essays/Brief-Overview-Housing-Economy/116741 Barry S. Housing industry, subprime loans and mortgage woes: how serious is it? Retrieved

Oedipus the King: Oedipus And The Gods :: essays research papers fc

In Ancient Greece the existence of gods and fate prevailed. In the Greek tragedy King Oedipus by the playwright Sophocles these topics are heavily involved. We receive a clear insight into their roles in the play such as they both control man's actions and that challenging their authority leads to a fall. The concepts of the gods and fate were created to explain things. In Ancient Greece there was a lot that was not understood; science was in its infancy and everything that happened could be explained by the will of the gods or fate. The gods were the height of power; they supposedly existed since the beginning of time. They were immortal, omnipresent and omnipotent. However, the different gods had different personalities. In this sense they were anthropomorphic. Having such mastery of the world would enable them to control man's behavior, as is shown in King Oedipus. The idea of fate has existed for a long time and exists even today. Fate revolves around the idea that people's lives are predetermined and that no matter what is done it cannot be changed. With the gods it was used to explain events that seemed strange. Sophocles expands on this idea by introducing Oedipus' fate. The thought of fate is strong considering no matter how hard he struggles he still receives what was predetermined. As a baby he survived the elements on Mount Cithaeron. As Oedipus was destined to live, it shows the dominance of fate. Having fate play such a large part of the play is certainly an insight into the Greek's idea that fate controls us no matter how hard we struggle against it. In the play the dominance of the gods is shown again and again. In the second stasimon after Tiresias leaves the chorus chants "Zeus and Apollo know, they know, the great masters of all the dark and depth of human life", reasserting the belief in the god's power. At the very opening of the play, the priest who converses with Oedipus says ". . . You cannot equal the gods, your children know that. . . ", proving again the Greek belief that the gods are the height of power. However, it is not only the people that revere the gods. After Oedipus blinds himself, Creon takes control of Thebes. When Oedipus asks to be banished, Creon replies "Not I. Only the gods can give you that", again acknowledging the higher authority of the gods.

Comparison of a national sample of homicides committed by lone and multiple perpetrators Essay

Homicides have been one of the crimes that are often committed in England and Wales. However, despite the great number of cases reported, there has been very minimal or limited research that could help establish the relationship between multiple-perpetrators of homicides the rates of homicides committed (Roscoe, et al., 2012). Furthermore, there is a lack of extensive research to help establish the effects of psychiatric differences that may contribute to the number of homicides. Research has indicated that there are many young people who are involved in homicides as well as those who have been convicted multiple times. Race also has been noted as one of the distinctive aspects of many cases of homicide. Previous research has indicated that most of the multiple perpetrators of homicide are likely to be young (Roscoe et al., 2012). Furthermore, they have come from minority ethnic groups and often are not married. Over the years, there has been a rise in the number of homicides reported across England and Wales. The purpose of this research was primarily to help provide sufficient information regarding homicides in England and Wales. Furthermore, the research was aimed at helping to identify the relationship that exists between multiple perpetrators of violence and homicide rates in the two regions. Another purpose of this research was to help identify the relationship between age and the number of homicides that are committed in England and Wales (Roscoe et al., 2012). The authors of this research also aimed to provide much-needed information on homicides and multiple perpetrators of violence because there has been limited or minimal research conducted that can be relied upon to make conclusions. The method of research involved the use of secondary data collected from various government databases on people who had been convicted for committing homicide. The researchers obtained records on the social and clinical histories of the participants, together with records of previous offenses (Roscoe et al., 2012). The researchers used questionnaires to collect data on participants who had mental health histories. Mental health teams and clinicians who had supervised the convicted persons completed questionnaires to help establish the mental health histories of the convicts. The questionnaires sought information regarding the characteristics of the offenders, the care provided, and their forensic and clinical histories (Roscoe et al., 2012). The researchers presented findings in the form of graphs and tables to help enhance understanding of the data and information. The conclusion of this research indicated that there is a difference between lone and multiple perpetrators of homicide. This research also concluded that young people are commonly involved in homicide cases with multiple perpetrators (Roscoe et al., 2012). Gang members have been seen to be less involved in homicides as a result of being identified by police and the courts (Roscoe et al., 2012). Therefore, it is important that young people be provided with services that are supportive to help reduce the possibility of their involvement in homicide cases (Roscoe et al., 2012). Reference Roscoe, A., Rahman, M. S., Mehta, H., While, D., Appleby, L., & Shaw, J. (2012). Comparison of a national sample of homicides committed by lone and multiple perpetrators. Journal Of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 23(4), 510-521. doi:10.1080/14789949.2012.704639 Source document

Exposition on Capital Punishment in Australia

Capital punishment was abolished in Australia since 1964, with many good reasons in support of this action. Death penalty was given to those who are found guilty of having committed a serious crime, by the government. It goes against human rights, shows no signs of deterrence of crime statistically, and there is always a great concern of wrongly charging innocents in case which the errors of justice cannot be rectified. It is basically a certainty that capital punishment could be forced upon innocent people. Execution is often referred to as the ultimate punishment, as death cannot be reversed, it is impossible to compensate innocent people who are falsely sentenced. In most cases, only the accused and deceased truly know what took place. There have been many cases in the past, where the justice system has been incorrect, and a person’s innocence has been proven-after being put to death. Relations between capital punishment and crime rates are virtually nonexistent. Many supporter of capital punishment expect executions to be deterrents of murder, however, there has been no demonstration statistically that killing murderers deters others. Therefore as a deterrent to other murderers the death penalty has proved a failure, shown by comparing the criminal statistics of those countries where the punishment is in force with those of countries where it has been abolished. This is due to the fact that murders are nearly always committed in sudden fits of passion or temporary insanity, when no consideration of reason or self-interest can appeal to the doer. Capital punishment is a direct violation of the most basic human right – the right to life. It immorally removes any chances for rehabilitation and improvement, and terminates all possibility of individuals finding salvation, forgiveness or making amends. It is reported that those who have served life sentences have bettered themselves, having made worthwhile contributions to the community. Furthermore, it is possible for prisoners to be kept on death row for many years, during which they are subjected to the cruel torture of mental suffering leading up to their execution. The government should not have the right to take lives, just as much as anyone else. In conclusion, capital punishment is an immoral act, possibly killing innocents whilst giving no returns in lower crime rates and forcing the abandonment of human rights. When it all come down to it, nobody has the right to take the life of another, so why should we?

Free Essays on Bordieu + Habitus

Explain Bourdieu’s notions of habitus and cultural capital and how you believe they might influence the art education of young people. The Concept of Habitus For Bourdieu, habitus refers to socially acquire, embodied systems of durable dispositions, tendencies and inclinations, which he calls ‘the embodied history of being in social life’. These are manifested into outlooks, opinions and mannerisms. We are not normally consciously aware of habitus but we may become aware of it through conscious reflection or finding our selves in an alien environment. Habitus is defined by Bourdieu as â€Å"the generative principle of responses more or less well adapted to the demands of a certain field, is the product of individual history, but also, through the formative experiences of earliest infancy, of the whole collective history of family and class†¦.† (Bourdieu, 1990, 91) Habitus is constructed through our acculturation into certain social groups such as social classes, a particular gender, our family, our peer group or even our nationality. There are different habituses associated with each of these groups and each individual’s habitus is a complex mix of these different habituses together with certain individual peculiarities. Concept of cultural capital and the relationship between habitus and cultural capital Cultural capital is something that we acquire via our habitus, and the kind of cultural capital we do acquire depends on the kind of habitus we have. Cultural capital includes three states: embodied in the individual, objectified in cultural products and institutionalized as academic qualifications. Cultural capital is bought into play when we find ourselves in strange situations or environments. If one’s habitus has allowed one to acquire the necessary cultural capital then one will be able to deal with the strange experience, and if not we can conclude that one’s habitus lacks the appropriate cultural capital.... Free Essays on Bordieu + Habitus Free Essays on Bordieu + Habitus Explain Bourdieu’s notions of habitus and cultural capital and how you believe they might influence the art education of young people. The Concept of Habitus For Bourdieu, habitus refers to socially acquire, embodied systems of durable dispositions, tendencies and inclinations, which he calls ‘the embodied history of being in social life’. These are manifested into outlooks, opinions and mannerisms. We are not normally consciously aware of habitus but we may become aware of it through conscious reflection or finding our selves in an alien environment. Habitus is defined by Bourdieu as â€Å"the generative principle of responses more or less well adapted to the demands of a certain field, is the product of individual history, but also, through the formative experiences of earliest infancy, of the whole collective history of family and class†¦.† (Bourdieu, 1990, 91) Habitus is constructed through our acculturation into certain social groups such as social classes, a particular gender, our family, our peer group or even our nationality. There are different habituses associated with each of these groups and each individual’s habitus is a complex mix of these different habituses together with certain individual peculiarities. Concept of cultural capital and the relationship between habitus and cultural capital Cultural capital is something that we acquire via our habitus, and the kind of cultural capital we do acquire depends on the kind of habitus we have. Cultural capital includes three states: embodied in the individual, objectified in cultural products and institutionalized as academic qualifications. Cultural capital is bought into play when we find ourselves in strange situations or environments. If one’s habitus has allowed one to acquire the necessary cultural capital then one will be able to deal with the strange experience, and if not we can conclude that one’s habitus lacks the appropriate cultural capital....

BTEX in an Urban Setting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BTEX in an Urban Setting - Essay Example Furthermore, the chemicals are also widely used in the urban setting for several purposes. The components of BTEX have effects on both human and environment. However, the effects are more serious on human since the environmental effects also affects human indirectly. This is because human resides I the environment and uses most of the resources that BTEX has adverse effects on. For instance BTEX contaminates water and water is life to human. It also contaminates soils and this is one of the most important resources for human especially in agricultural production. However, these components have different effects on human depending on the degree of concentration. Furthermore, they have both long-term and short-term effects on human life. Human are greatly exposed to effects of BTEX because its components are encountered by man regularly. There are several short-term effects of these components. They include; respiratory effects especially nose and eye irritation due to inhalation. It may also cause problems to the central nervous system and this may further lead to dizziness, loss of coordination, headache and tiredness. Additionally, prolonged exposure to the chemicals may lead to other complications in the blood system, liver, and kidneys. However, these are the combined effects of the acronym, but the individual chemicals have other effects on human life. There are other individual effects that these chemicals cause the human life, for instance, benzene. Long-term exposure to benzene may lead to production of phenol after high concentration of the chemical in fatty tissues of the blood stream. This chemical produced is more carcinogenic than benzene hence harmful to human life. Furthermore, high exposure leads to fatality. Therefore, benzene is poisonous and toxic. Individuals have to be careful when exposed substances that produce the chemical. This is because even small quantities of the chemicals are harmful to human health. Furthermore,

Operationalisation of management and leadership development into Essay

Operationalisation of management and leadership development into practice - Essay Example Leadership and management are the two most confused terms in the corporate world, with both used interchangeably in the corporate parlance. One is thought to be the replacement of the other. Although, management or managers and leaders are two different spheres in an organisational environment, at many places both of them overlap each other. So, we will look at the various aspects of leadership and management with respect to the company GE (General Electric) and see how the two integrate while maintaining the disparity to make this organisation number one enterprise and importantly the best training or developmental ‘school’ for future leaders and managers. To discuss, the management and leadership development, the paper will first critically discuss the current literature on leadership development, focusing on the two leadership developmental processes, leadership training (Flowers 2004) and leadership development programs. Then the paper will delve into pros and cons o f each process to judge whether both the leadership development processes can work effectively with specific emphasis on GE. In recent years the importance of leadership in the organisation has become an area of principle interest. Leadership has been noted to impact corporate culture (Ruchlin 2004), employee commitment and response (Chiok 2001) and the overall performance of the organisation (Peterson, Smith, and Martorana 2003). A precursory overview of the current literature on leadership in the organisation suggests that there are currently two different programs that are utilized for improving the outcomes of leadership: leadership training (Flowers 2004) and leadership development programs (Pernick 2001). While each type of program appears to have the same intent in terms of optimizing leader efficiency, both types of programs are different with each having pros and cons. With the realization that optimizing leadership in the organisation is such an important, there is a