African-American History and Women Timeline 1990-1999

African-American History and Women Timeline 1990-1999 More of the  Timeline:  1980 - 1989  /  2000 - 1990 Sharon Pratt Kelly elected mayor of Washington, DC, the first African-American mayor of a major American city Roselyn Payne Epps became the first woman president of the American Medical Association Debbye Turner became third African American Miss America Sarah Vaughan died (singer) 1991 Clarence Thomas nominated for a seat on the US Supreme Court; Anita Hill, who had worked for Thomas in the federal government, testified about repeated sexual harassment, bringing the issue of sexual harassment to public attention (Thomas was confirmed as Justice) Marjorie Vincent became fourth African American Miss America 1992 (August 3) Jackie Joyner-Kersee became the first woman to win two Olympic heptathlons (September 12) Mae Jemison, astronaut, became the first African-American woman in space (November 3) Carol Moseley Braun elected to the US Senate, the first African-American woman to hold that office   (November 17)  Ã‚  Audre Lorde  died (poet, essayist, educator)   Rita Dove named the US Poet Laureate. 1993 Rita Dove became the first African American poet laureate   Toni Morrison  became the first  African-American  winner of the  Nobel Prize for Literature. (September 7) Joycelyn Elders became the first African American and first woman US Surgeon General (April 8) Marian Anderson died (singer) 1994 Kimberly Aiken became fifth African American Miss America 1995 (June 12) Supreme Court, in Adarand v. Pena, called for strict scrutiny before establishing any federal affirmative action requirements Ruth J. Simmons installed as president of Smith College in 1995. becoming the first African-American president of one of the Seven Sisters 1996 1997 (June 23) Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X, died of burns sustained in a June 1 fire in her home 1998 DNA evidence was used to test the theory that Thomas Jefferson fathered the children of a woman he enslaved, Sally Hemings most concluded that the DNA and other evidence confirmed the theory (September 21) track and field great Florence Griffith-Joyner died (athlete; first African-American to win four medals in one Olympics; sister-in-law of Jackie Joyner-Kersee) (September 26) Betty Carter died (jazz singer) 1999 (November 4) Daisy Bates died (civil rights activist) More of the Timeline:  1980 - 1989 / 2000 -

Study on Liza Minnelli essays

Study on Liza Minnelli essays The pinnacle of Liza Minnelli ¡s career as an actress is her role as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. The movie is a terrific piece, scoring seven academy awards in 1972, including Minnelli ¡s Oscar for Best Actress. Bob Fosse, the director, has brilliantly illustrated the lives of several people and the time they lived in. All characters driven by sympathetic goals, but their futures are complicated by the events of their locale ¡XGermany in 1931, the dawn of Nazi dominion. Intertwined in the narrative of these characters ¡ stories are musical scores, complete with girls and dancing, to emphasize and/or to foreshadow the intensity of these lives. Minnelli ¡s contribution to Cabaret lies in her superb portrayal of Sally Bowles, the singer of the Kit Kat Klub. Bowles is a bundle of contradictions. In the beginning of the film, the audience is greeted by her flightiness when she first meets Brian Roberts, the Englishman of letters who is to become her housemate. She flits ab out, throwing comments, making impressions and changing topics of conversations. At one point, she asks him to tell her all about himself, but interrupts him before he begins. She carries herself very swiftly and very self-assuredly, perhaps to allow no audible rejections. Nonetheless, by midway of the film, Sally ¡s strong will and ability to face reality with humor seep out. She is not easily embarrassed (by Brian ¡s rejection when she made a seductive move on him); she is not beaten by her father ¡s lack of love for her; she undergoes an abortion to keep her dream of becoming a movie star afloat; she is aware of her gold-digging motives. Minnelli could pull off Sally ¡s idiosyncrasies because she doesn ¡t demonize Sally ¡s flamboyance, nor glorify Sally ¡s strength to survive. She played Sally with one specific action: Sally ¡s thirst for attention, hence she can say vain little lines ¡X ¡Do I shock you, darling? ¡Ã‚ ¡Xand commit adultery without aggra va...

Cloud-based information services Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cloud-based information services - Coursework Example The cloud has changed this by allowing the same employees to work without the inconvenience and cost of additional hardware. This has the effect of increasing productivity which drives revenue up while pushing the cost down. Second is that allows many users to work with many applications and softwares without having the need to purchase individual apps and softwares in each workstation because it is already in the cloud where they can readily work without the added software. This empowers the employees because they are given access to data and information which would not have been possible before again allowing greater productivity in the organization. Cloud also facilitates sharing of information which is critical among teams working in big projects. It cuts the time of sending and sharing it through the traditional methods of emails and is more secure than using file sharing

File Systems, Remote Access, and Monitoring Essay - 1

File Systems, Remote Access, and Monitoring - Essay Example This essay stresses that VPN connections allow users working at home or on the road to connect in a secure fashion to a remote organization server using the routing infrastructure provided by a public internetwork (such as the Internet). From the user’s perspective, the VPN connection is a point-to-point connection between the user’s computer and an organization server. This paper declares that the particular policy settings available under Security Options are determined by the security template file, that was imported into the Group Policy object (GPO). These security templates are .inf files stored in your computer's %windir%\security\templates folder, and by default Windows Server 2003 includes a number of standard templates. The securedc.inf template can be used to harden the security settings on your Windows Server 2003 domain controller, while hisecdc.inf can be used to harden these settings to an even greater degree. Windows Server 2003 offers two MMC snap-ins dedicated to security templates: The Security Templates snap-in and the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in. The Security Templates snap-in is used for creating security templates; and the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in is used to see what's in a template. Windows Server 2003 doesn't come with a preconfigured console for the snap-ins, so you must open the MMC and a dd them yourself. Each template configures settings in seven areas: Account Policies, Local Policies, Event Log, Restricted Groups, System Services, Registry and File System.

Hurricane Katrina Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Katrina Essay Many countries that face the catastrophes today need the relief assistance particularly in the floods and the devastation of the earthquakes. The countries, particularly those undergoing difficult transitions, lack the public and private institutions and infrastructure necessary to meet the challenges posed by complex humanitarian emergencies need a collaborated effort to overcome the effects of the devastations. The requirement is to identify the need of a joint effort by the organizations and political stability is required to take timely actions. The disaster relief efforts are also to be identified which are to be continued to support developing and transitional states in a unified operational concept and the Disaster Prevention and Disaster Response cooperative initiatives. (Anna, 2005) The Japan for example experiences hundreds of seismic events annually; tropical cyclones (typhoons) are so frequent they are numbered and not named; and heavy rains accompanying typhoons often result in devastating mudslides that annually claim many lives. Although Japan seems to be well prepared to cope with natural disasters. Organizations with emergency response duties including fire, medical, police, environmental, etc. are professional and well equipped. (NPR, 2005) This expanded role of agencies in a collaborated disaster relief can be further defined to ensure the availability of technical competence in order to make their participation meaningful. The local agencies and community groups should not be underutilized and undermined by relief organizations. The knowledge, expertise and ability to communicate with local people can be invaluable for humanitarian relief programmers. The challenge for international agencies and NGOs is to assure, wherever possible and useful, the appropriate inclusion and collaboration of the local agencies into the system. Prior identification of local civil possible partners in disaster-prone countries and training of the required staff is one way to prepare for unexpected crisis. In some countries, local agencies and community groups exist with high levels of competence but may require outside technical and logistic support. In the United States, the Federal Response Plan describes how the federal government will assist the state and local governments when a major disaster or emergency overwhelms their ability to respond effectively (LeClaire, 2005). The plan assigns federal agency responsibility for twelve Emergency Support Functions. These cover the world of disaster response from transportation, public works and engineering, mass care, food energy and those to those functions that are vital to meet the challenges of the disasters. A few weeks ago, Hurricane Katrina, a category 5 hurricane, stormed the Gulf coast of the USA, affecting an area as large as the UK. Katrina completely destroyed of individuals. New Orleans is a major American city, with a devastated and evacuated exercise, with a fictitious category 3 hurricane named Pam, predicted the scenario accurately,1 As we impotently watched television, the disaster unfolded. The hospital scenes of combined internal and external disasters already described in Houston2 repeated prevent them. (Television Week, 2005) electricity, water, communication, and other vital services; Local and national leaders underestimated the storm and failed to the size of the tragedy in human lives and future ecological repercussions. Katrina left the affected region teams, evidence of complete lack of preparedness with insufficient immediately available physical and human resources, health-care systems incapacitated, urban anarchy, despicable crimes, while the world criticized American leaders and emergency organizations. Millions of jobs have been lost to the storm. New Orleans largest employer, Tulane University, hopes to reopen to students for the spring semester. The casino barges that helped revitalize the Mississippi coast are no more. Right now, only insurance agents and construction workers seem to have guaranteed employment in the storm-damaged areas. Disasters and Urban Renewal Monitoring of field activities is always difficult without the setting of objectives and standards for joint relief actions. Minimum operational goals should be defined for performance evaluation. Goal setting would also bring into focus the impact of the joint relief on the beneficiaries, both for acute and chronic disasters. Co-ordination and communication are the central point for the success of a joint disaster relief operation. In disaster situations, the joint and rapid operational decisions within a political and media environment can be very vital (WaterWorld, 2005). A rapid assessment of needs following a disaster is always a clearly and critical aspect of effective humanitarian action. The local Civil Hospital and other installation medical treatment facilities can have agreements with local hospitals covering certain medical procedures and emergencies on. These agreements can be extended to post disaster emergency care also. It is vital that a Manual should be developed as a Coordinating Manual for Disaster Relief Operations to provide basic coordination procedures between different agencies. There are an increasing number of disasters with a conflict dimension. The areas of further development in the field of collaborated disaster relief operation can be areas of research that can be proposed as having immediate utility to field operations. Disasters have security as well as other dimensions. After Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans the rest of the country became aware of the citys extreme poverty. This however, is not a new issue for the city of New Orleans. It was an obvious demonstration of how our country needs to step up its emergency relief effort to respond faster to these situations. But, was it a mistake they did not respond immediately? This is a question that is recently up for debate and we have decided to look deeper into. 67. 3% of the cities population is African American (68% of whom are in poverty) compared to the 28. 1% of whites. (2000 Census) It is interesting to compare the response to September 11, 2001 to the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina. The response the terrorist attacks in New York, whose population is almost the reverse of New Orleans 67. 9% White and 15. 9% African American (NY Census 2000), was immediate. It is amazing that New Orleans had days to prepare for Hurricane Katrina and they were well aware of its potential to destroy the city- however it never occurred to them to make everyone aware of the destruction this hurricane could cause. Through the Hurricane Pam simulation, scientists knew the level of damage that was going to be caused and knew that it would take at least 72 hours to evacuate before the hurricane made landfall. New Orleans had an evacuation plan that they poorly enforced when it came time to really implement it. Many valuable resources that could have saved lives went unused such as Amtrak trains evacuating valuable equipment from the area and offering to take several hundred passengers along with them. Lack of transportation was a major reason many people died. A large percentage of the people in poverty did not have their own means of transportation to get out of the city and could have put these offered resources to good use. It is unfortunate that these people were basically ignored when it came to the rescue effort. I feel that Louisiana Governor Blanco and New Orleans mayor Nagin could have made much better decisions when it came to evacuating the city that could have potentially saved thousands of lives. They let many resources go wasted and the poor decisions made by these people cannot be taken back. People will always be attracted to live near the shore, which leads to serious problems when evacuation is required. No matter the administration, Hurricane Katrina would still have had a devastating impact on the citizens and landscape of New Orleans. However, many lives would have been spared were it not for the mistakes of President Bush, Gov. Blanco, Mayor Nagin, and ex-FEMA director Michael Brown, in their unsuccessful attempts to contain the damage. The act of carrying out a complete mandatory evacuation is where most administrative mistakes were made. When officials made the order for evacuation, they ignored the fact that New Orleans has a poverty rate of 38 %(Wikipedia 4), one of the highest in the country. In addition to this, they did not account for the 120,000 people in New Orleans who were without transportation, which led to chaos after the order was given for a mandatory evacuation. Individuals were expected to find their own way out of the city, and due to an inadequate evacuation plan, thousands were left stranded in the city to survive on their own, most of which were poor, elderly, or sick(Wikipedia 4). New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, realizing the threat Katrina posed to his city, was the first to call for a full evacuation. He pleaded with Gov. Blanco to call for a mandatory evacuation, but Blanco was reluctant and decided to take 24 hours to make the decision, a delay that the people of New Orleans could not afford. Had this delay not occurred, there would have been adequate time to prepare mass public transportation of evacuees. Mayor Nagin was enraged by the governments reluctance to aid, and further expedited the evacuation process. Nagin publicly criticized the federal involvement in the evacuation, primarily attacking their failure to quickly provide buses. This lack of communication between city, state, and federal officials continues, and occurs throughout the disasters response and recovery efforts. Criticism of local and national response to the hurricane is widespread in the media. Local officials complain just days after the disaster about the lack visible presence of troops and FEMA. The presidential response to the hurricane was embarrassing. The day Katrina hit, Bush was at a ceremony in California, and did not break from his vacation until the next Wednesday, which left those affected by the hurricane with a feeling of abandonment. President Bush is also responsible for appointing an unqualified lawyer, Brown, to be the director of FEMA. Browns most critical mistake was his urging of all fire and emergency services departments not to respond to the counties and states affected by Hurricane Katrina without being requested and lawfully dispatched by state and local authorities(Wikipedia 8). This caused a serious clash between state, local, and federal governments, resulting in the loss of tons of critical aid materials. Having never dealt with crisis and natural disaster relief, Brown continued to inhibit the reconstructive and rescue efforts, resulting in many fatalities that could have been prevented had a more qualified individual been in the position. Similar delaying acts were performed by Vice President Dick Cheney. The day after the hurricane, Cheney ordered workers of the power company to divert power crews, who, at the time were restoring power to local hospitals, to substations that control the diesel fuel and gasoline flow from Texas to the northeast. The workers upsettingly questioned this diversion of labor and were told to perform it anyway. Cheney did this in an attempt to avoid fuel price gouging, however it proved to be unsuccessful, and there was an enormous spike in fuel costs following the hurricane. This graph, and attached data sheet show this dramatic increase: This action reaffirms the perceived attitude of unreceptiveness displayed by the government and authorities toward the victims of Katrina during the hurricanes relief effort. It is an undeniable fact that a category five hurricane will have devastating effects, no matter where it makes landfall. Due to the citys cultural and racial diversity, geographical structure, and inflated poverty, it was clear that Katrina was going to hit fast and hard. Just as predicted by weather forecasters, the hurricane quickly flooded the city and those who attempted to ride the storm out perished. Unfortunately, the governments policies implemented to help did not come as quickly, and as a result thousands of fatalities that could have been avoided were not. Three places in your home that are usually damaged by hurricanes are the roof, windows, doors, and there are things that can be done to strengthen these areas to minimize damage. Firstly investing in a stronger roof by placing more beams and securing the trusses by placing brasses to strengthen the roof structure, to protect your windows and doors the simplest effective method is by installing storms shutters which are basically thick boards of wood coving windows and doors. When it comes to prevention with hurricanes of a category 4 nature governments should have emergency plans in place, George Bush was criticized in the handling of hurricane Katrina, it even sparked of arguments that New Orleans was neglected due to its poverty stricken black communities. Although warnings were in place 24 hours before the hurricane hit and there was time for evacuation, a lack of services was provided. Although in the following hurricane Rita, The US government was quick to act while sending hundreds of busses to evacuate cities. Some officials in high positions were accused of a good-riddance insensitivity toward the export of the citys poverty and accompanying social ills. On a more positive note, many planners and scholars have called for the development of mechanisms that can accommodate the displaced poor population, who should be encouraged to return. The storm may have created an opportunity to address the issue of poverty and land use in a way that is much smarter than previous approaches (Cutter and others 2006). Racial and Economy Perspectives A major question affecting the future cultural and racial geography of New Orleans is how much of the African American population will return to the city. About two-thirds of Orleans Parish was African American before the storm; now the percentage is generally assumed to be much lower, although nobody really knows by how much. Half is a popularly held local presumption, but I have found no official figures to support it; data are difficult to come by. Will the loss of African Americans be permanent? If so, what will the cultural and racial imprint of the city be? What will its political geography look like if a large and reliably Democratic voting block disappears? Mayor Ray Nagin was clearly alarmed by the possibility of a permanent loss of the African American population when he steadfastly affirmed that displaced African Americans would return to a rebuilt city and that New Orleans would be chocolate at the end of the day. †¦ This city will be a majority African American city. Its the way God wants it to be. †¦ You cant have it no other way. It wouldnt be New Orleans (Pope 2006, 1). Part of the mayors angst arose from concern that a major influx of Hispanic workers to help rebuild the city, and the possibility that many in-migrants might stay permanently, would potentially alter the cultural and political balance of power in New Orleans. Although much of the storms face was poor and African American, in the final analysis Katrina was no respecter of class and race. One of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in New Orleans, Lakeview, is mainly Caucasian and middle-to-high income. New Orleans East, which some observers argue should never be rebuilt, is a suburb populated by a growing African American middle class. Venetian Isles and south Slidell contain some of the most desirable waterfront properties in the metropolitan area, many of which were adorned with beached sailboats after the storm. Meghan Stromberg observed that Katrinas obvious disregard for areas of wealth and privilege may work in favor of the citys recovery: Homeowners there have greater resources to rebuild sooner (Stromberg 2006). Of great concern is whether people with the technical and entrepreneurial skills needed by a rebuilding city will return. Unfortunately, these skills are often in high demand elsewhere, so people may be enticed to stay in their adopted homes. Mark Drennen, head of Greater New Orleans Inc. , a public-private partnership whose mission is to spearhead economic development in the New Orleans region, commented that this prospect is a huge concern. It occupies almost every meeting Im in all day long (Mowbray 2005). The longer companies put off returning to New Orleans, the more likely it is that they and their employees will not come back. On the bright side, there is always the red-beans-and-rice effectthe soul and culture of New Orleansthat keeps the natives coming back, even in the face of better economic opportunities elsewhere. Some commentators also speculate that there may be an influx of risk takers who spy opportunity in the rebuilding of New Orleans, giving the city a flesh jolt of people with entrepreneurial skills (Mowbray 2005). The absence of workers of all types is already being felt. Estimates that the Gulf Coast currently lacks 150,000 construction and maintenance workers have prompted the Business Roundtable, a Washington-based association of large-company chief executive officers, to develop a plan to recruit and train 20,000 new construction workers for the region (Sayre 2006). Accompanying the departure of the citys poor population was its supply of minimum-wage workers. Fast-food and convenience outlets are especially desperate for employees, to the point that one major hamburger chain is offering a bonus to new hires of $500 per month; other chains are advertising entry wage rates in excess of $9 per hour. Plumbers, electricians, and other tradespeople are in extremely short supply, partly because many of them never returned after evacuating and partly as a result of the huge surge in demand. The most common sign at business entrances today is Now Hiring. In a sense, future demography is destiny for New Orleans, not only in terms of racial and cultural makeup but also with respect to economic vitality (Frey 2005). Its cultural geography will be shaped by who comes back and who does not and by as yet unknown new migrants to the city. Conclusion The immensity of the disaster and the long rebuilding process will offer abundant research opportunities for geographers. The new footprint of the New Orleans metropolitan area will provide intriguing areas of study for planners as well as for economic, urban, and cultural geographers. Along the same lines, population geographers will want to track the status of the great New Orleans Diaspora. Of considerable interest to researchers will be the geography of debris and the environmental impact of millions of cubic yards of waste. Biogeographers will have an interest in the disruption of bird and animal habitats; and of course physical and environmental geographers will find a renewed impetus to continue their examination of the environmental risks associated with eroding coastlines. Hurricane Katrina laid bare New Orleans environmental vulnerabilities, social ills, and policy deficiencies. At the same time, the city that everybody knew before the storm was not destroyed and is slowly coming back. Already tourists have returned to the French Quarter, with its raucous good times; and the convention industry is regaining its footing. (If Katrina was Gods attempt to punish the city for its night life, it failed. ) Gradually, trust is being placed in a restored levee system. A new normal is emerging, unfortunately in some cases eerily reminiscent of the old normal. Only time will tell if the â€Å"new† New Orleans has learned its lessons from Katrina, or if sentimentality for the old New Orleans will set the city up for a repeat disaster. One can hope that future scholars will not worry again about how people manage to survive in such an unnatural and impossible city. As a hurricane can never actually be stopped or destroyed prevention is a little more vague it’s more of damage prevention rather than hurricane prevention. Although there are scientist researching in possible ways to lower storm intensity some of which include a substance that absorbs large amounts of water with small amounts of the substance being used up the idea is simple but somewhat impractical. In Conclusion, with today’s modern equipment we can predict and perceive a hurricanes power easily but it is nearly impossible to stop a hurricane, so prevention needs to be researched more, if any lesson was learnt from Katrina it is this. Many of the people included in the Diaspora and most visibly affected by the storm were poor and members of minorities, as for example in the hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward. They were among the thousands initially stranded, and then bused to out-of-town shelters. After Katrina an avalanche of media accounts and academic articles appeared on how the storm laid bare the environmentally linked economic and racial inequities within New Orleans, inequities with a long history. References Hurricane Katrina. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 22 July 2004, 10:55 UTC May03, 2007 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina/. Storm Surge. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 22 July 2004, 10:55 UTC May03, 2007 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Storm_surge. Anna Badkhen. Hurricane Katrina: Relief Effort / Response Like Second Disaster; San Francisco Chronicle (CA), 09/11/2005 Congress Reacts to Hurricane Katrina Disaster. Water World, Oct2005, Vol. 21 Issue 10, p8-9, 2p Cutter, S. L. , C. T. Emrich, J. T. Mitchell, B. J. Boruff, M. Gall, and others. 2006. The Long Road Home. Environment 48 (2): 8-20. Frey, W. H. 2005. City Can Lure Back Its Reluctant Migrants (New Orleans). Times-Picayune [New Orleans], 30 November,  §B, 7. Jarrell, Jerry D. , Max Mayfield, and Edward N. Rappaport. The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Hurricanes from 1900 to 2000. Oct. 2001. NOAA/NWS/ Tropical Prediction Center. 28 Sept. 2005. Katz, B. , M. Fellowes, and M. Mabanta. 2006. Katrina Index: Tracking Variables of Post-Katrina Reconstruction. 3 May update. Washington, D. C. : The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program. LeClaire, Jennifer. Katrina disaster trains a spotlight on homeowners policies. Christian Science Monitor, 9/8/2005, Vol. 97 Issue 200, p12-16, 2p Medias Role Vital in Katrina Disaster. Television Week, 9/12/2005, Vol. 24 Issue 37, p9-9, 1/4p Mowbray, R. 2005. Brightest Evacuees Weigh Option: Return to N. O. or Stay? NOLA. com. NPR; Analysis: Katrinas economic disaster Talk of the Nation, 09/0

Percy Bysshe Shelleys The Cloud and the Romantic Theme of Deity in Nat

Percy Bysshe Shelley's The Cloud and the Romantic Theme of Deity in Nature    Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in 1792, the eldest of seven children. Shelley was very hostile to organized religion, declaring religion must perish. Moroever, Shelley read widely, including the Bible, and thus knew his opponents. "The Cloud," written in 1820 is a short poem written in abcb (as opposed to the heroic couplets of previous generations) rhyme scheme but this feature is the least of its norm breaking properties. In "The Cloud," Shelley expresses the Romantic theme of man finding deity in nature. In the first stanza, Shelley reveals the cloud's deity by expressing the multiple functions of the cloud. In the same way the Christian God has multiple functions like Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, the cloud has many functions. First, Shelley portrays the cloud as a gardener. He brings water to the thirsty flowers. This is a picture of a nurturer. Second, Shelley personifies the leaves as Mother Nature's children. The cloud is a shade bearer for the leaves who take a noonday nap. In addition, Shelley personifies the buds as Mother Nature's children. Each night Mother Nature rocks the buds to rest at her breast, a symbol of nurture. Moreover, Shelley gives Mother Nature human characteristics by saying she dances around the moon. This is simply Shelley's symbolism for the rotation of the Earth. In addition, the wind showers forth hail as a sign of judgement. Then he shows his power over the hail by dissolving it in rain. Finally, Shelley gives the cloud the ability to laugh like a human being. The cloud's laughing is his thunder. This is the laughing of a boastful arrogant deity as he shows his power. Shelley believes nature to be a more be... ...ase after an immortal Spirit. This is a highly figurative expression of science with a double meaning. Furthermore, Shelley continues to describe the cloud in terms of bird imagery. Like a bird, the cloud soars on the wind. In addition the cloud boastfully exclaims his deity. He does this by inferring he is not mortal. In this same stanza Shelley gives an intense reflection on the activity of the cloud during the night. Then Shelley displays a glowing representation of nature by alluding to biblical images. The devout Anglican would easily pick up on this reflection and relate the likeness in his head. Finally, the last stanza displays the life cycle of a cloud. Shelley does this by describing the precipitation cycle in poetic language.    Works Cited: MacEachen, Dougald. Cliffs Notes on Keats and Shelley. Lincoln, Nebraska: Cliffs Notes Incorporated, 1996.

Argumentative Essay Topics

The Top 10 Argumentative Essay Topics There is no limit when it comes to these contemporary issues that are often ignored in many areas of mass media. Let’s start with the coveted list of hot topics. Abortion – There is no cap on how much controversy the simple word of abortion sparks. Ever since the controversial Roe vs. Wade court case, the notion of abortion have spawned many riots, picketing and of course, violence. Pro-Lifers and Pro-Choicers often collide in a venomous war of words that often leads to violence of the highest form.Animal rights and experimentation – there is one acronym that reigns supreme when it comes to the rights of animals and that is PETA. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is a group that sparks controversy wherever their representatives are. Whether it is dumping red paint on women who wear furs or just simply picketing on the steps of Congress, PETA is definitely at the forefront of controversy. Animal rights and experimen tation is one topic that will always ignite raw feelings and a heated debate. Breast Cancer and the effects of chemicals in soaps, deodorants, etc. Where there are pink ribbons there is bound to be controversy. The Susan G. Komen Foundation is at the forefront of creating a bit of a stir when it comes to finding a cure for breast cancer, whether it is through walkathons, or charitable events, the foundation strives for proper education, and continuous research on the eradication of breast cancer as evident in their â€Å"race for the cure† events. Writing an argumentative essay on breast cancer and the possible irritants in everyday things such as soaps, laundry detergents and deodorants as being possible causes of breast cancer will undoubtedly create a bit of a stir.Border Control – With America being the land of the free and the home of the brave, there have been continuous efforts to prevent immigrant entry through closing down the borders of the country. This will always be a hot topic of conversation, arguments and debates because it seeks to answer â€Å"what is an American since this is a country of blended cultures. † The Pharmaceutical Industry – Never have three simple words sparked such explosive debates coast-to-coast and around the world. The pharmaceutical industry has been alleged to be responsible for many things.Ethnic Adoption – This is fast being a hot topic of interest for many people because it explores the notion of couples adopting non-American babies. The Death Penalty – With so many people on death row, people have much to say about how the country handles death row inmates as well as what happens when an inmate is forced to walk the green mile and their number is literally up. Genetic Cloning – There has always been a way to get a rise out of people when the topic of genetic cloning comes into play.It forces people to contemplate the idea of man take on the roles that were meant for Go d. Plastic Surgery – With the addiction and deaths attributed to a gross fixation on plastic surgery procedures, many people attribute the rise of prescription medicine addiction and deaths to plastic surgery. This is one topic that is steadily gaining momentum when it comes to argumentative essays. Human Trafficking – This is one topic where you just can’t go wrong when looking for controversy.

Consider the dramatic significance of Act 1, Scene 5 Essay

William Shakespeare introduces the story of Romeo and Juliet by using a prologue. The function of the prologue is to explain the situation, setting the scene in Verona and the quarrel between the families is old, ‘ancient grudge’. The prologue informs the audience that the lovers are ‘star-cross’d’ and that their death ends the feud between the families; the prologue creates the dramatic back-drop of the play. By using a prologue, Shakespeare introduces the theme of love, informing the audience of the lovers. During Shakespeare’s time, it was not unusual to introduce the play by using a chorus. The chorus would silence the audience and create an appropriate mood for the first scene. The chorus emphasizes that the lovers are fated and their love is ‘death-marked’. The prologue helps create dramatic irony, the audience are aware that the play is a tragedy. Shakespeare’s audience did not mind being given the same narrative structure; however, Shakespeare introduced a new level of contemporary entertainment. It is said that for this particular play, Shakespeare relies upon a narrative poem, â€Å"The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet† published in 1562 and translated into English. However, Shakespeare’s play is not an adaptation of the poem because the relationship between Romeo and Juliet is much deeper and dramatised; the couple do not have many scenes together. In Act 1 Scene 1, two Capulet servants wander through the streets of Verona. They see servants from the house of Montague, they quarrel. This scene is opened by fighting; this is a dramatic opening and shows how deep the feud between the Montagues and Cauplets is. The speed in which the fighting breaks out prepares the audience for the way haste and speed plays a big part in the coming tragedy; the play starts on Sunday morning and ends on Thursday afternoon. This quarrel begins almost as a farce; biting your thumb at someone is an ancient Italian insult. In Romeo and Juliet’s world, the old and foolish overrule the young; Capulet and Montague’s quarrel is shown in a foolish light, however this also heightens dramatic tension. The town’s people and the Prince are tried of this enmity. Escalus, Prince of Verona, is the representative of law and order in the play. Escalus is furious with both families; he compares their behaviour to that of beasts. He is angry because their pointless fighting is disrupting the social life of the city. The Prince commands them to restore the peace or it will end in death. This dramatic irony allows the audience to be aware that the feud will end in death and no family will succeed, but they will cause problems for themselves. The families are ‘forsworn to love’ between themselves. The Prince’s name means justice and this is his role on each of the three occasions he appears. In less then a hundred lines, Shakespeare has created a tense atmosphere where even one word can trigger off unthinking violence. As the Prince departs, the mood changes because Lady Montague asks the question that the audience want to ask, ‘O where is Romeo? ‘ Benvolio becomes poetic as he talks about Romeo; he talks about sunlight and silence. This use of imagery by Shakespeare creates a deliberate atmosphere around the lovers in several scenes. Benvolio says that Romeo has been walking underneath a grove of sycamore trees; the name is being used as a pun, ‘sick amour’. Romeo is compared to Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, by Montague because of his speed. This is significant because this is the dawn of the lovers’ tragedy. These references to mythology are only connected with Romeo or Juliet. When the audience meet Romeo, he is in a melancholy mood, however, it is shown that Romeo enjoys his misery. Romeo loves Rosaline who does not love him, he plays with words of how love confuses and mixes up, turning order into chaos. Romeo’s speech is full of opposites, ‘brawling love’, ‘loving hate’ and ‘feather of lead’. This grouping together of opposites in the imagery is known as ‘oxymoron’. These images of chaos and confusion are repeated throughout the play. Romeo mentions of ‘still-waking sleep, that is not what it is’; this is almost a vision of the future, were he will find Juliet seemingly dead. Romeo’s language is artificial and forced. He uses so many ornate and different descriptions for his feelings because he is not really in love at all; he is in love with the idea of being in love. Romeo talks a lot in rhyming couplets, which makes his speech sound more like a well-rehearsed speech than a true expression of emotional torment. When Romeo meets Juliet, his language becomes more sincere and passionate. Romeo seems desperate to fall in love, but it is an idealised kind of love that he wants; he is realistic, uncompromising and given to extremes, which helps the audience to prepare for his headlong fall into passionate love in Juliet. The audience can conclude that Rosaline is only his fancy and he could be cured if he would follow Benvolio’s prescription and ‘Examine other beauties’. In Act 1 Scene 2, the real twist of the play begins. The audience have not yet met Juliet but hear Paris confidently asking Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage; this therefore produces tragic complications for Romeo and Juliet although they have not yet met. Capulet uses imagery to describe how young and unprepared Juliet is to become a bride. Juliet’s ‘ripeness’ to be a bride is talked of in the same breath as summer ‘withering’. Montague talks about Romeo being blighted like a bud bitten by a worm. These hints in the imagery prepare the audience for the upcoming tragedy. The love of Romeo and Juliet is full of promise and hope but doomed by fate. Capulet decides to hold a ball in which Juliet can meet with Paris. This idea of marriage to Paris creates a dramatic complexity; how is she going to meet and fall in love with Romeo if she is promised to Paris. In Act 1 Scene 3, the audience realise the importance of the Nurse, as the Nurse is more of a mother of Juliet than Lady Capulet; we realise this because of her emotional speech of Juliet’s childhood. We learn about Juliet’s age and a great deal about the personal sorrow of the Nurse. Lady Capulet is a contrast to the Nurse; she introduces the topic of marriage to Paris very abruptly and without sensitivity. ‘Tell me, daughter Juliet, how stands your dispositions to be married? ‘ she expects Juliet to obey her commands without question. Lady Capulet describes Paris in a sonnet, an elaborate comparison of Paris with a book. However, her extended metaphor has no impact upon Juliet’s feelings. Juliet’s reply to meet Paris shows only a young girl’s obedience. Act 1 Scene 4 shows Romeo openly being teased by his friends for his false love in Rosaline. Romeo and his friends are about to gatecrash the Capulet’s ball. The audience meet Mercutio; he describes Romeo’s dreams as being enchanted by Queen Mab. In such dreams, reality and madness seem to meet, and it is this sort of lovers’ dream that is about to come true for Romeo. Romeo agrees to go to the ball because Rosaline will be there but he feels uneasy and has a premonition of death. Romeo uses legal language prophesying that his premature death will result from what he begins tonight at Capulet’s mansion. This again shows dramatic irony as the lovers meet at this feast. The opening of Act1 Scene 5 is calm because we see domestic matters as the servants clear up after dinner. This dramatic delay sharpens the audiences desire to see what happens when they meet. Romeo and his friends enter as masquers and are greeted by Capulet; they mix in with the guests. Romeo catches his first glimpse of Juliet as she dances with Paris. Rosaline was invited to the ball, but we do not hear of her; Romeo has no eyes for her. Immediately, Romeo’s language becomes poetic as he describes Juliet’s beauty. Romeo considers her beauty as ‘too rich for use’ and ‘for earth too dear’; he feels that she is too fine for the uses of this world and too precious for earth. This sounds ominous and reinforces the sense of forbidden love. Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, recognises Romeo’s voice and is ready to fight; however, he is stopped by Capulet, who has become wiser since this morning’s quarrel. This gives time for Romeo to approach Juliet. Romeo and Juliet share a sonnet; sonnets were popular during the sixteenth century. Romeo compares Juliet to a saint; religious imagery is used throughout their conversation. Their formal use of language is rather dignified and stresses the purity and sincerity of their love for each other. The sonnet’s use of religious words isolates the characters from the rest of the scene. Romeo and Juliet kiss and are about to start a second sonnet but they are disturbed by the Nurse. The interruption by the Nurse brings the lovers back into the real world from their state of isolation and they begin to understand what has happened. From the Nurse, Romeo learns that Juliet is a Capulet, the family so bitterly at odds with his own and whoever marries her will be very rich, although her wealth is of no interest to Romeo. Juliet wants to know if Romeo is married; if he is then her wedding bed will be her grave. Juliet’s character has changed from an obedient child to determine and strong-minded young woman; however this could lead conflict with her parents’ wishes to marry Paris. Again the Nurse is the source of information as Juliet learns that Romeo is her enemy; ‘My only love sprung from my only hate’, the audience feel sorry for the ill-fated lovers. Romeo and Juliet’s hearts are tearing up as they learn that it will be difficult to be with their love, although it will be painful to be without; no matter what they do, they will suffer. This underlines the folly of the feud; if the two families would just accept each other, the feud would end and the lovers’ would be able to be with their other-half. The audience will want to know how the next scene is laid out. The stage is at a tense and worried atmosphere after many opposites and contrasting moods, it is at an appropriate mood for the tragedy to unfold.

Free Essays on Beowulf

and deeds suggest numerous things about traditional Anglo-Saxton values. The tale of Beowulf is of good against evil; man against demon; ethics and morals against personal gain from murdering others. In this story all of the monsters are associated with Cain, who, in the bible, is the first murderer that ever existed. The main monster in Beowulf is Grendel, and that is who Beowulf faces against. Grendel represents everything that opposes the Anglo-Saxton values and beliefs. Grendel is extremely irate, insecure, and unaware of himself, while Beowulf is loyal, courageous, and confident and, of course, the exemplification that all other Anglo-Saxton’s desired to be. Firstly, there is the idea of being courageous and standing up for something a person may believe in. Beowulf believed in destroying the monster, and saving all of the people. He did so. Grendel was not brave enough to stand up to Beowulf, and therefore, he was destroyed. ". . . Grendel's one thought was to run. From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:† demonstrates this point. He was not able to escape, and he did not deserve the chance to, because he lacked the audacity in which Beowulf had. Courage is one value the Anglo-Saxons seemed to hold close at heart. Secondly, there was the factor of confidence. Grendel did not have confidence in himself, whereas Beowulf was overly confident, and arrogant. The people of the story seemed to admire this attribute of Beowulf, and therefore it could be considered another value. Beowulf knew he could win, and claim victory over Grendel, and had no problem proving it to his fellow peers. "He remembered his final Boast and, standing erect, stopped. The monster's flight,† through the entire fight Beowulf was able to keep his confidence and cocky attitude, all the way to the very end. Confidence is another trait that the Anglo-Saxon people seemed to admire. Finally, Beowulf is loyal to his men and... Free Essays on Beowulf Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf-the three divisions The epic poem, Beowulf, is composed of three main divisions, and they each possess their own significance toward the outcome of the hero’s life. Each division of the poem contains a battle or struggle in which Beowulf had to overcome insurmountable odds if order to obtain victory. As Beowulf conquered his enemies, he became a distinguished hero, and was known throughout the world for his bravery and courage. The first main division begins on line 86, where we begin to learn about Hrothgar’s struggles with Grendel, â€Å"a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark †¦ a fiend from hell.† It ends on line 1250 after Hrothgar rewards Beowulf for saving Heorot from the monster’s constant night attacks. In this first division, Beowulf proves himself as a great warrior to Hrothgar, and gains the respect of the Danes. It is significant because it establishes a background of Beowulf for the reader, as well as, demonstrating his characteristics in battle. The second main division begins with the vengeful night attack from Grendel’s mother, and the killing of one of Hrothgar’s head mentors, Aeschere. Once again Beowulf is ready to battle with a great monster in order to save Hrothgar and his people. He proves himself to be a brave and courageous warrior again, when he and several others journey to the lake where the monster dwells, and he single-handedly kills her. And as a tribute to Aeschere, Beowulf brings back the head of Grendel for Hrothgar. When the monster was defeated and Heorot was safe again, Hrothgar showered Beowulf and his followers with many esteemed gifts to bring back to their king, Hygelac. This second tale truly established Beowulf as a distinguished hero, and earned him great respect in the land of the Danes. This great feat also gained him respect in his own land, and Hygelac presented Beowulf with a gem-studded sword, land, a hall and a throne for his courageous deeds. ... Free Essays on Beowulf John Gardener’s novel, Grendel retells the epic of Beowulf from Grendel’s point of view. Grendel lives in a large cavern under a lake with his mother in Hrothgar’s kingdom. For twelve-years Grendel has been at â€Å"war† with Hrothgar, king of the Danes, intent â€Å"on destroying him- slowly and cruelly.† When Grendel first meets Hrothgar he has no plan to destroy him, but after watching Hrothgar and the other kingdoms systematically destroy each other while wasting so much Grendel turns on Hrothgar. While Grendel is the anti-hero he flourishes in the Danish world because he sees the weaknesses of the Danes. John Gardener is able to show the reader his view of human society through Grendel’s thoughts and observations of the social, religious, and psychological aspects of human life. Through Grendel’s observations of the Danes, Gardener makes mankind out as cruel, weakminded, and apathetic. In the epic of Beowulf the author portrays th e social life of the Danes while talking about the feasts and stories of the men. The author also touches on the idea of the psychology of th eDanes when talking about the Shaper. In Grendel, John Gardener likewise writes about the social and psychological world of the Danes while also commenting on religion. Gardener accomplishes this by telling the epic from the anti-heroe’s, Grendel’s point of view. Grendel is developed as the anti-hero through his actions and thoughts. Grendel tells the reader of the times he has killed the outcasts from Herot because their presence by his home annoys him. The reader also learns of his nihilistic view that there is nothing worth existing for. Lastly, the reader meets Grendel’s teacher, the dragon, who tells Grendel that the humans are fools and Grendel would be best suited to leave them alone and then go out to â€Å"find gold and just sit on it.† While Grendel is an anti-hero Gardener does build up some sympathy for Grendel so the reader will seriously l... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf Loyalty and Generosity in Beowulf The society depicted in the poem â€Å"Beowulf† depended on two basic characteristics of its people. Loyalty and generosity are the two characteristics that bound this culture together. Throughout the poem, the people must depend on the loyalty and generosity of Beowulf and his warriors to defend them from evil. Society as described in Beowulf, was a very warlike society therefore, if Beowulf and his warriors were not giving of themselves in order to protect their people, the end result might have been drastically different. In the days of Beowulf the only reason for living was to be a loyal person, even if that meant death. If you were not a loyal person you basically had no reason to live because people would not even recognize you as a normal man. So it seems pretty obvious why most people during this time in society, were very loyal to their society and families. And in being a loyal person, also came giving of yourself. When the monster G rendel hears of the joy in Heorot and comes down to attack Beowulf’s people the Danes, this is the first time we see loyalty When Beowulf hears of what Grendel did to the Heorot and the Danes, he gathers fifteen of his best men across the sea to help. Some critics argue that because of how Beowulf responds to situations such as this, he is full of pride and not loyalty. William Lawrence argues that since Beowulf is so quick to respond to a challenge and never backs down, that he is way to prideful. Lawrence writes that, although Beowulf is the hero of the poem, his eagerness to take a challenge is a symbol of his downfall, pride. However, Beowulf does what he says he will do and so therefore he has a right to brag to others. In this situation when he goes to fight with Grendel, Beowulf asks that he fight the monster alone. He knows that God will decide the outcome, so relying on that, he is loyal to his people by fighting the deadly monster. While ... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf The three main events of Beowulf are the fight with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. The first section of the poem deals with the lineage of the king and Beowulf’s family background. Some of the values that a good hero should have are explained, and related to the main character, Beowulf. The next section involves revenge and how the Danes need a hero to defeat the monster Grendel who is attacking the people of the town. The tension between good, evil, right, and wrong are themes that radiates throughout the entire course of Beowulf. Grendel, the first monster that Beowulf fights is one of the first true Biblical references that appear in the poem. Grendel is said to have descended from Cain who in the Old Testament book of Genesis, who kills his own brother Abel. This statement makes you believe that Grendel has some human characteristics, and is a representation of evil. Moreover, you can infer that if Grendel is a descendent of Cain, so is his mother. The three monsters in the poem are clear examples of evil, but are also symbols of the internal tension between right and wrong within an individual. Beowulf’s first fight against evil represented by Grendel, ends with â€Å"good† winning, his second fight with Grendel’s mother, ends with â€Å"good† triumphing over evil; however, the last battle 50 years after the second ends with evil and self destruction. The results of these battles can be seen as the confrontation with evil, vengeance, and one’s own mortality. Beowulf is portrayed as being almost beyond human in strength and character. The way that Beowulf is structured is reminiscent of a classic epic with the build up of the main character, the description of community, and challenges that the main character has to overcome. Beowulf becomes the hero of his entire community, the Danes, Geats, and is celebrated. Another theme that is presented in Beowulf is age. There is a fifty year gap bet... Free Essays on Beowulf Title Beowulf, an epic poem, was written around the ninth century A.D., and was also written in Old English. Beowulf was authorized by a Roman Catholic Priest, which is acknowledged due to numerous references to the Bible. Beowulf, the main character is a mighty warrior with great pride and concern for his fellow comrades and The Land of the Geats. Throughout the poem there are several challenges that Beowulf has to confront. The first is the battle with Grendel, a horrific monster, because he has been terrorizing the Geats. Beowulf defeats Grendel in the battle but has to face another one with Grendel’s mother who wants to get revenge for the death of her son. Beowulf finally defeats Grendel’s mother. In the third battle Beowulf has to fight a dragon that has wreaked havoc on the Geats society due to a servant that had stolen a golden goblet from his home. The dragon was defeated with the help of a young kinsman, Wiglaf, but not before biting Beowulf in the neck and eventua lly destroying him. Although dying, Beowulf was glad that he had won the treasure for his people. The second poem is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is a romance written about six hundred years ago. The author is known as the Pearl Poet. This poem is a moral allegory, which means that the poem is glorified in a way, but also represents a moral idea. This poem is about a knight that has to go and find the Green Chapel where a Green Knight lives and respectfully get his head cut off just like he did to him. This called the ‘Beheading Game†. Both of these poems characters illustrate right living, the consequences of failing to live rightly, and the rewards of it. In the poem â€Å"Beowulf†, Beowulf illustrates various ways of how to live rightly. The first is when he went out by himself to conquer Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf went out to fight Grendel and his mother because he knew that he had to do a favor for Hrothgar. When Beowulf was yo... Free Essays on Beowulf The Plight of the Hero Imagine living in the year 700 A.D. The evening’s entertainment is a poet, and he tells the story of Beowulf. Beowulf is an all-around hero, and he dazzles the audience with his determined nature and vows to right wrongs. Now fast-forward to the year 2002. The evening’s entertainment is a Batman movie. The screen shows Batman to be a present-day Beowulf, as he fights villains and makes the city a better place. This shows that the perfect hero has been recurrent in society for centuries. But, there are differences between Beowulf and fictional heroes from the twenty-first century. A significant difference between Beowulf and modern-day heroes is the distinction between mortality and vulnerability. Roger B. Rollin wrote the following: â€Å"Heroes like Batman are always being threatened with death but never die (or even age), whereas Beowulf not only ages but dies. He is intensely aware of fate and almost preoccupied with death. Transience is his reality and this gives his story an additional dimension.† The image of Batman is our ideal rescuer- he is always there, ready and willing, and seems to be almost immortal. Batman has become an icon rather than an actual person. Why has our society evolved from the proper respect of praising a mortal hero to craving someone who has total immortality? The reality present in today’s society is in fact becoming less and less real. Computers, television, and video games have accelerated our society’s degeneration into a total and utter illusory lifestyle- a lifestyle where indeed the only hero es are the invulnerable. Beowulf in his vulnerability creates a perception to which the every-day person can identify. People of this time period did not have the distractions from one another like that which is present today. Being very pragmatic people, a hero like Batman would have never been allowed or accepted, let alone regarded as a hero. People like... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf: Themes and Motifs Beowulf is the most important work of Old English literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. Throughout the epic, the Anglo-Saxon storyteller uses many elements to build a certain depth to the characters. Just a few of the important character elements in Beowulf are Wealth & Honor, Biblical & Paganistic, and Man vs. Wild themes. Many of the characters in Beowulf are, like in most epics, defined by their status. But, in addition to status, the Anglo-Saxon culture also adds an element of honor. To the Anglo-Saxons, a character’s importance, as well as their wealth and status, where measured not only in monetary terms, but it was also measured in terms of honor, fame, and accomplishments. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, is one example of the Anglo-Saxon measurement of importance in Beowulf. In Canto 1 the story teller describes his wealth and importance, not as mounds of gold or jewels, but instead as his ability to â€Å"[lead] the Danes to such glory.† and as his tendency to â€Å"In battle, [leave] the common pasture untouched, and taking no lives.† Through this display of compassion for the commoner who doesn’t fight in battles, Hrothgar proves the full extent of his honor and therefore the extent of his wealth and status. Beowulf, the hero-prince, also proves his true wealth and status through his deeds as defender of the Danes.. As he fights and defeats Grendel, Beowulf Earns Fame and wealth from his companions, and from the Danes, but more importantly, he earns honor raising him to the level of an archetypal hero. Grendel, on the other hand, is the total opposite of Beowulf. He has no wealth, no honor, and he in infamous as an evil killer. This lack of wealth and honor defines Grendel as a symbol of evil and corruption. In addition to using Honor and wealth to define a character’s character, the story-teller(s) have incorporated alternating Biblical and Paganistic motifs... Free Essays on Beowulf BEOWULF ESSAY In the epic poem â€Å"Beowulf†, a monster named Grendel is terrorizing a city named Herot. The hero, Beowulf, comes to aid Hrothgar, the king of Herot. Beowulf needs to help Hrothgar, because he cowers when a problem emerges and sends other people to do his deeds. Later Beowulf becomes king and frees the city of many problems. Beowulf is a better leader because when problems appear he doesn’t back down, he faces the challenge with courage and leads from the front in battle. When the problem with Grendel emanates Beowulf doesn’t cower but faces it with courage. In addition, â€Å"After Beowulf defeats Grendel he, takes the initiative to defeat his mother.† Beowulf does this to show how powerful he really is. Beowulf’s ego can occasionally lead him in his actions. In conjunction, â€Å"Beowulf always finds a way to conquer his foes.† Beowulf’s cleverness helps him in many situations such as figuring out how to defeat Grendels mother with the giant’s sword. If Beowulf weren’t so clever he would have a more difficult time defeating his foes. Beowulf’s great abilities and strengths help him to lead his kingdom and fight well in battle. Beowulf is always leading by example and trying to give his men courage. For example, â€Å"Beowulf elects himself to fight the dragon alone.† (686-687) Beowulf does this in order to give his men courage. Beowulf’s men only retreat because they see Beowulf failing. Furthermore, â€Å"None of Beowulf’s comrades came to him, his Nobel followers; then ran for their lives but only one remained his name was Wiglaf.† (746-752) Wiglaf stays because he feels that he has a debt to pay to Beowulf. Wiglaf is also confident that Beowulf and himself can defeat the dragon together. Wiglaf is the only truly courageous warrior Beowulf has. Beowulf’s main concern when he dies is that people will remember him as a great warrior and leader. The thing that Beowulf wants most... Free Essays on Beowulf Throughout time, the world has seen many great leaders. King Arthur of â€Å"Morte D’ Arthur† and Beowulf of â€Å"Beowulf† are both considered excellent leaders. The two men share many qualities, but also greatly differ. While the men share many different traits, the ways in which they lead their men are very different. They both follow different codes, and ultimately, their admirable characteristics lead to their deaths. Beowulf and Arthur both posses many heroic traits. The men exhibit a great deal of bravery. When faced with death, neither man panics. Instead, they remain calm and fearless. Beowulf explains his death wishes before entering battle and requests to have his assets delivered to his people. â€Å"‘Take what I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, help them. My time is gone. Have the Geats build me a tomb†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (822-824). Arthur behaves in a similar manner. â€Å"Comfort thyself†¦ and do as well as thou mayest, for in me is no trust to trust in†¦ And if thou hear of me nevermore, pray for my soul† (160). Another heroic trait which the men posses is a great sense of duty. This is clearly illustrated by the way both men put their own lives at risk to protect their people from evil. Beowulf becomes excited about the opportunity to protect his people. â€Å"They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war†¦ That this one facor you should not refuse me- that I, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (46). Arthur also is quickly preparted to battle. â€Å"‘Alas! This unhappy day!’ and so rose to his party†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (157). Although both men are great leaders, they command their men differently. One such way is the way in which they lead their people. One such way is the way in which they lead their people. Beowuld is in many ways a one-man army. He fights Grendel without the assistance of any otheres that were in his company. Anoth... Free Essays on Beowulf In the Beginning A Quote from Beowulf â€Å"So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns. There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes. This terror of the hall-troops had come far. A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on as his powers waxed and his worth was proved. In the end each clan on the outlying coasts beyond the whale-road had to yield to him and begin to pay tribute. That was one good king (1-11).† These lines, which open the poem Beowulf establish the highly stylized nature of the poem as well as setting forth some of the poems central ideas. The beginning lines of Beowulf also introduce a number of thematic ideas that prove to be important throughout the poem. In the beginning Seamus Heaney chooses to translate the first word of the poem as â€Å"So.† I’ve also seen it translated as â€Å"Hark† but this translation grabs your attention right away. From the start the poem whips us into its world while maintaining an inviting, conversational tone. In these first few lines the translation recreates many of the conventions of Anglo-Saxon poetry. The translator breaks lines into two halves using strong pauses wherever possible giving it a dramatic affect. The translator also uses repetition of consonant-sounds to bind the broken lines together through sound like foundling†¦flourish. The translator also mimics the original writers use of multiple names like Shield Sheafson who is also referred to as â€Å"the scourge of many tribes,† and â€Å"a wrecker of mead-benches.† Additional to stylistic features thematic ideas that are found throughout the poem are exalted in these beginning lines. The poet’s presentation of Shield Sheafson as a model of heroism is an envoy of the poems fascination with patriarchal history. Characters a... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf Beowulf is a poem was written by Homer between the years 700 and 750. Homer’s poems are usually fifteen thousand lines long, but this poem is approximately three thousand, two hundred lines. This story is about a man, Beowulf, who is a Geat from Sweden, who crosses the Denmark to rescue King Hrothgar from the monster Grendel. The story Beowulf is considered the national epic of England. Two of the elements that are seen in Beowulf are Supernatural elements and Heroes are great leaders. Beowulf shows supernatural qualities when he went to kill Gendel’s mother as he â€Å"Swam under water for hours† (12.572). He also shows paranormal traits when he kills Grendel by ripping his am off. His strength is also another characteristic of supernatural qualities as he â€Å"He tears torn out of Grendel‘s taut throat...was the strongestâ€Å" (8.469-473). In this story, Beowulf shows bravery, courage, and the ability to do whatever he wants. While doing that, he brags too. He brags when he kills Grendel by ripping his arm off, and he brags when he kills his mother. Back then bragging was not considered wrong, in fact it was considered very right. He shows honor in everything he does too. There is not one point in the story when Beowulf does something good and he does not brag about it. The story Beowulf is considered the national epic of England. Two of the elements that are seen in Beowulf are Supernatural elements and Heroes are great leaders. Beowulf is a poem was written by Homer between the years 700 and 750. Homer’s poems are usually fifteen thousand lines long, but this poem is approximately three thousand, two hundred lines. This story is about a man, Beowulf, who is a Geat from Sweden, who crosses the Denmark to rescue King Hrothgar from the monster Grendel. In the end Beowulf kills everyone he plans on, and goes on with his life.... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf as hero of the time Every hero is known for taking a big journey. Beowulf’s journey begins when he decides to leave his home in the land of the Geats and travel to Denmark to help the Danes fight the creature named Grendel, which has been attacking them for twelve years. Once arriving Beowulf announces that he is the son of Ecgtheow, a man known for winning his battles. The assumption can be made that he is trying to live up to his father’s reputation. His leadership skills are superb and he is even able to boast about all his achievements. In his argument with Unferth, Beowulf explains the reason he "lost" a simple swimming match with his youthful opponent Brecca. Not only had he been swimming for seven nights, he had also stopped to kill nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Beowulf’s first encounter with Grendel is at night when the warriors are asleep. Beowulf is there, watching Grendel, waiting for him to strike. The creature picks up a warrior and swallows him completely, then decides to strike Beowulf but Beowulf seizes his vicious claw and holds on to it. At this point Grendel is confused and fearful as he tries to pull away. Grendel is in such agony that he finally rips from the grasp and runs away, leaving a bloody trail and his severed arm. Beowulf’s ability to beat the monster with his bear hands shows his super-human strength and courage to put his people before himself. After passing a day of mourning over her son, Grendel’s mother goes to heorot seeking vengeance for his death. She bursts into heorot and devours one man, then snatches the arm of her son that is mounted on the wall and returns to her home in the dark moors. Beowulf is summoned from his sleep and is led to the moors by Hrothgar. At the bloodstaine d lake the search party finds the head of the warrior Aeschere as well as the serpentine creatures that inhabit the murky lake, and they shake with fear. Beowulf simp... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf†¦ an Epic? In Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, is proclaimed a hero for slaying three large animals. In actuality, Beowulf is a cold-blooded murderer. Grendel, the first animal that Beowulf slaughtered, did nothing but mind his own business. He lived at the bottom of a lake, for cryin’ out loud. He did eat the occasional human, but is that really a crime? Humans eat nearly every other species without remorse or persecution so why is it bad when other creatures nibble on a human for a snack once in a while? The second animal Beowulf killed was Grendel’s mama. Her only crime was to try and avenge her son’s murder, something that is almost guaranteed to any human mother. She was also brutally terminated for her courageous efforts. In the storyline there was a dragon whose sole purpose in life was to guard human treasure. This task was obviously given to him by a human because what other being would want to protect something that is only valuable to humans? One day when t he dragon was just doing his job, Beowulf decided that he should die. Beowulf savagely exterminated the dragon for simply doing that which he was trained to do. Beowulf had an unsatisfyable craving for murder and he indulged in his hunger any chance that he got.... Free Essays on Beowulf In the epic â€Å"Beowulf†, Grendel is the wicked and naturally sinful character. The tale includes a few key elements which give the reader the impression that he is evil. The epic initially shows Grendel’s malevolence through his own actions and portrayals. The next is the depiction of Grendel’s menacing environment and surroundings. And lastly, biblical references in â€Å"Beowulf† notify you that Grendel is born into iniquity, and is not entirely liable for his immorality. One way that the epic describes that Grendel is evil, is through his actions, thoughts, and description. This is also established at the launch of the story. As â€Å"Beowulf† begins, Grendel grows impatient, as people are rejoicing in Herot day by day. The only justification that one can develop about why such happiness angers Grendel, is that he’s evil. The tale also tells us that Herot’s happiness is about to end because, "The monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel. " By describing him using words associated with sin, the author also associates Grendel with wickedness. The author also shows us how impious Grendel is through his actions, such as going into Herot and slaughtering thirty sleeping warriors. Using imagery to convey Grendel’s dwelling at the beginning and throughout the story also reveal his evil nature. Already, the very institute of the story opens with, "A powerful monster, living down in the darkness†¦" By saying that Grendel is living in the darkness implies his malicious nature, since darkness is always associated with evil. Not only did the author imply that Grendel is wicked, but he describes the other side - the fine people of Herot - to further strengthen this view. The epic displays Herot as a joyous place with singing, dancing, and story telling. By doing this, the epic informs us that the beast is not integrated with the greater inhabitants. Instead, he exists separately in obscurity, where he must lear... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf’s epic is the story of a great Pagan warrior who is known for his strength, courage and dignity but unlike Gilgamesh and Sir Gawain, Beowulf does not start off well known. While Beowulf is in Geatland, where he is the king of the Geats, he hears of King Hrothgar’s struggle with Grendle in Denmark. Grendle, the pagan monster who lives in the swamplands, is terrorizing the Danes every night, killing them and easily defeating their efforts to fight back. Inspired by the challenge, Beowulf travels to Denmark with fourteen Geats to help Hrothgar defeat Grendle. Hrothgar accepts Beowulf’s offer and holds a feast for him where he boasts about his accomplishments and his strength. At this point Beowulf’s hubris sets in and his downfall begins. He then goes on to beat kill Grendle with his bare hands where he continues to brag about his strength and ability to win a battle without weapons. â€Å"The lord of the Geats made good to the East-Danes, the boas t he had uttered: he ended their ill. And all their sorrow they suffered long, and needs must suffer a foul offense†. This describes how grateful the Danes are when Beowulf ends their suffering by killing Grendle. After Beowulf defeats Grendle he rips off his arm and presents it in mead-hall where it is hung as a trophy of victory and Beowulf is showered with gifts and songs of praise.... Free Essays on Beowulf â€Å"Across the centuries from the England of Bede Beowulf proclaims the ideal of gentleness united to strength, and valor enobled by virtue. It spreads to the modern world in moving accents of honor, of courage, of faith.† - Charles W. Kennedy A translator of Beowulf Like many great epics and novels of the ages, Beowulf is based on the triumph of good over evil. Its hero is the epitome of good; Beowulf is strong, brave, and full of virtue. He is the classic warrior; honorable, valiant, and loyal. Beowulf may represent the ideals of the Anglo-Saxon era, but those same ideals of honor, courage, and faith are prevalent in almost every period of history. In those respects, Beowulf is similar to King Arthur’s â€Å"Knights of the Round Table† and Odysseus, from Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Beowulf puts honor and loyalty above all else. Although he has already performed many great deeds and services before the time the story is set, Beowulf’s virtues are first shown when he travels to Denmark, with the purpose of saving Heorot, the great mead-hall, from the demon Grendel. He sets out to repay Hrothgar for helping his father, showing Beowulf’s loyalty and faith. Before Beowulf came, Grendel feasted on those in the mead-hall at night. The demon never used weapons; he slaughtered and ate those who tried to fight him. Beowulf honorably decides that since Grendel uses no weapons, he also shall fight weaponless. â€Å"When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel. So it won’t be a cutting edge I’ll wield to mow him down, easily as I might. He has no idea of the arts of war, or shield or sword-play, although he does possess a wild strength. No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares.† (677-685) Beowulf shows tremendous bravery and honor in fighting without a sword or shield. Beowulf’s loyalty is most evident after he has defeated Grendel. After Beow... Free Essays on Beowulf Beowulf’s words and deeds suggest numerous things about traditional Anglo-Saxton values. The tale of Beowulf is of good against evil; man against demon; ethics and morals against personal gain from murdering others. In this story all of the monsters are associated with Cain, who, in the bible, is the first murderer that ever existed. The main monster in Beowulf is Grendel, and that is who Beowulf faces against. Grendel represents everything that opposes the Anglo-Saxton values and beliefs. Grendel is extremely irate, insecure, and unaware of himself, while Beowulf is loyal, courageous, and confident and, of course, the exemplification that all other Anglo-Saxton’s desired to be. Firstly, there is the idea of being courageous and standing up for something a person may believe in. Beowulf believed in destroying the monster, and saving all of the people. He did so. Grendel was not brave enough to stand up to Beowulf, and therefore, he was destroyed. ". . . Grendel's one thought was to run. From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:† demonstrates this point. He was not able to escape, and he did not deserve the chance to, because he lacked the audacity in which Beowulf had. Courage is one value the Anglo-Saxons seemed to hold close at heart. Secondly, there was the factor of confidence. Grendel did not have confidence in himself, whereas Beowulf was overly confident, and arrogant. The people of the story seemed to admire this attribute of Beowulf, and therefore it could be considered another value. Beowulf knew he could win, and claim victory over Grendel, and had no problem proving it to his fellow peers. "He remembered his final Boast and, standing erect, stopped. The monster's flight,† through the entire fight Beowulf was able to keep his confidence and cocky attitude, all the way to the very end. Confidence is another trait that the Anglo-Saxon people seemed to admire. Finally, Beowulf is loyal to his men and...

How to Get Your Finances On Track in 2017

How to Get Your Finances On Track in 2017 Feeling like there’s never enough money or time? Want to get healthy or plan for the future? Try these steps to take charge of your life and build some real progress in the new year, while lowering your taxes so you’ll have more of your hard-earned fruits to enjoy for all that labor. 1. Spend money to make moneyGetting professional help to lose weight or quit smoking can pay off in the long run. So can soliciting proper legal advice on contracts and finances. So can giving to charity. All of these things are often tax-deductible ways to make your money work for you- and help you to grow. Oh, and shell out for a tax pro to help you out come tax time, too.2. Get organizedTrack your travel miles, your donations, and your time, and keep a clear log in an easy-to-remember place for tax time. You’ll be glad you did. Remember to keep your receipts so you can itemize. As intensive as it sounds, it can be worth the effort.The next time you see anything that might be relev ant to end-of-year tax prep, start gathering it together in dedicated envelopes. That way you won’t be digging around for things at the 11th hour.3. Plan your financial planningLook at your stock portfolio and your retirement accounts (if you have ‘em!) and make sure you’ve got everything in order. Are you making all the smartest bets? And if you don’t have an IRA consider getting one; you’ll have until April 18Â  to fund it, and you can deduct it on your 2015 taxes.4. Optimize your givingWhether to charity or to yourself, giving will get you there faster and keep your tax bill down in the process. You can do your part and beef up your savings in the process.

The Knowledge Based Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Knowledge Based Economy - Essay Example This will facilitate the transition of technological change into productivity gains that will ensure organizational changes and as such, raise flexibility (OECD, 1996). These changes shall be achieved through financial, information and competition changes. Using allocation, the government’s policy would be to upgrade the human capital. The policy would, for instance, provide a broad-based formal education. It will also handle creating incentives for organizations and people to take part in unceasing training and learning. Subsequently, through the policy, it will be easier for the government to match labor supply and demand by the skill requirements (OECD, 1996). Using distribution, the government’s policy would be to enhance knowledge diffusion. In this case, the policy will be geared towards supporting innovation so as to establish â€Å"diffusion-oriented† programs. The policy will lay out a clear framework for the collaborations and hence, promote the diffusi on of new technologies to various sectors in the economy. The policy will also be instrumental in facilitating the development of information infrastructures. All these approaches have both strengths and weaknesses. The use of all these policies will make it possible for the economy of a country to be knowledge-based. As such, it will benefit from all the advantages of a knowledge based economy. However, the policies require huge financial investments.  Using regulation, the government’s policy would be to promote organizational change.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 33

Management - Essay Example The future direction of the firm and the decisions that the human resources make relies on the human resource planning policy adopted, meaning that it enhances the direction that the firm follows in the future. Further, the human resource department manages to allocate its resources appropriately as well as budget its expenses, such as recruitment cost of new staff members, training costs and the department’s operational costs. Human resource planning helps in the attainment of the firm’s objectives, employee demands and ways employees’ motivation and productivity can be improved. For the human resource planning to be effective, the firm needs to have a well-structured organizational chart, which demonstrates how the firm operates, the departments and the individuals working in the departments and who they report to; that is the managers (Gatewood, Feild & Barrick, 2010). In other words, the organizational chart is an outlay of the roles, obligations and relationships amid individuals within the firm. Job description helps employees comprehend their roles and accountabilities in the firm, but specific decisions must be made by the individuals in authority (Ketola, 2010). Therefore, the job description and responsibility matrix helps determine the individual working on a give task at what