Oedipus The King Essays (787 words) - Oedipus, Creon, Jocasta, Laius

Oedipus The King In Oedipus the King the knowledge that some characters in the play possess is very crucial in developing the plot. The knowledge in the play is the basic foundation of Oedipus' future, either to remain as the King of Thebes or to be sentenced to death or exile forever. The ironic outcome of the play is tragic. One mans attempt to escape his unfortunate fate leads him into the hands of what he dreaded the most. Every man is born with a predestined future. No matter how hard you try to avoid it one way or another it will come back to haunt you. The play takes place in Thebes; the plot of the play thickens as Oedipus is trying to rid the city of a terrible plague that infects the streets and homes. In order to do so he must find and avenge the killer of the late King Laios. One of the characters in Oedipus the King who possesses this gift of knowledge is the profit Teiresias. Teiresias is a wise, old man who has supernatural powers to interpret the past and predict the future. He is somewhat like a modern psychic, gifted in the art of foretelling things to come. He knows what the god Apollo knows. The fact that Teiresias is blind makes his visionary abilities even more mysterious. At the start of the play Oedipus sends his brother-in-law Creon to call upon Teiresias so he could tell about the murderer of Laios. Teiresias knows of the destiny that Oedipus was born with. He was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. When he was called upon to share what he knows about Laios' murder, Teiresias refuses to answer Oedipus' questions about the prophecy. When he was threatened with death he finally revealed what he knew using riddles and slogans, which confuses even the brilliant Oedipus. He then blames Creon and Teiresias for the murder of Laios, saying that they conspired to kill Laios, and now they are trying to steal the thrown from him by accusing him of such a horrible act. Jocasta is the current wife of Oedipus and the widow of Laios. When her husband was murdered she was in a very vulnerable position. It was hard to rule Thebes by herself so she asked her brother Creon to help her. When Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx she was very happy, so she married Oedipus and made him king of Thebes. She was not aware of the fate that Oedipus was born with, but her and Laios did have a son who was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. To make sure he never lives out his fate they sent a shaped to leave their son on a mountain to die. In search of the cure for the plague Oedipus demands to see the shaped who witnessed the murder of Laios, Jocasta agrees without hesitation. Innocently, she has no reason to suspect that Oedipus is her son until the herdsman reveals the truth. When horrible truth finally came out Jocasta couldn't take the pain of what she had done, and she killed herself. The appearance of the shaped in the play is the final turning point in the plot. The job of the shaped was to take the ill-destined son of Jocasta and Laios to the mountains and leave him there to die. But instead of following directions he pitied the baby and gave him to another herdsman who gave the son to another king who was unable to have children. This shaped was called upon to find out the exact truth and discover if the accusations that Teiresias made at the beginning weren't made up lies. At first he did not want to reveal what he knew, he wanted to prevent whatever pain he would cause with the news. But after much discussion he finally revealed that Oedipus was in fact the son they once banished and Jocasta was his wife/mother and his children were also his brothers and sisters. Every man is born with a predestined future. No matter how hard you try to avoid it one way or another it will come back to haunt you. Knowledge is very strong when one possesses it. It can change the way of life of a person either towards the bad or the good. The saying "what you don't know won't hurt you" is very true. If Oedipus or the people of Thebes had never found

Gawain’s Preparations essay

Gawain’s Preparations essay Gawain’s Preparations essay Gawain’s Preparations essaySir Gawain, being a responsible and honest knight, prepares for the journey to meet the Green Knight, when the time comes. At the same time, his preparations are careful and thorough because he wants to fulfill his promise and duty as an honorable and noble man. Therefore, the preparation for the journey is an important part since Sir Gawain prepares for the journey, which he is uncertain whether he returns or not.First, he takes his ornate armor that gives implications of his military background and his readiness to confront the fight, whenever he faces the enemy and, on the other hand, he manifests his readiness to die as a knight in his full armor, which is shining bright. Even his horse Gringolet is thoroughly prepared to the journey and the poem uncovers the close attachment of the knight to his horse because in the battle the knight relies heavily on his horse. In the course of preparation, it turns out that Gringolet is like a friend for Gawai n as he talks to his horse.Nevertheless, the primary concern of the knight is his armor and weapon. The poem describes in details his helmet decorated with priceless veil embroidered with parrots and turtledoves. On the top of his helmet, he wears a diamond-studded crown. Such decorations manifest his noble origin and proximity to the royal family. However, his shield is the most important because traditionally the shield of a knight contains the information about the knight’s family and his history. His shield bears a pentangle, which symbolizes the truth. The five points of the pentangle manifests five virtues, franchise, fellowship, cleanness, courtesy and charity.

Ellingtonia Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Ellingtonia Music - Essay Example The two principles that he applied to his life and which could guide others to achieve success were (a) willingness to learn, and (b) capacity to move with the demand of times. One, who rose from the grassroots level in life, knew the value of success and how to maintain that level, once he reached the top. His upbringing had much to do with the leadership qualities in his professional life that led him to success. John Edward Hasse writes, â€Å" Even before he acquired the nickname â€Å"Duke,† young Ellington was a natural aristocrat—in bearing, manners, taste, dress, and self-confidence. Cultivating airs and graces, and foreshadowing his future relationships with women, he even had his female cousin bow down to him as a sign of respect.†(24)To him, music was the passion and mission of life and not commission. (Meaning earning money for self-aggrandizement, forsaking the business ethics) It was a rare combination of qualities for an artist to be guided by busi ness acumen. He began taking lessons in piano at the age of seven, and by then his family friends had recognized his latent genius in music. Hasse writes, â€Å"When he was seven or eight, attending Garnet Elementary School, his mother signed him for his first formal training in music.†(26)At the age of 18, he entered the music world with a bang, and this was his first master-stroke to make an entry in the business world in relation to music. He issued the biggest advertisement in the telephone yellow pages regarding his aspirations to become a bandleader.

American Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Politics - Essay Example Madison successfully helped in winning the Constitution ratification after the constitution (Kernell, Jacobson & Kousser, 2012). Madison, with his knowledge on various forms of government, blended the principles of governance that had a profound effect on American Constitution. He noticed that small scale republics were coupled with problems due to their sizes. Also, he noticed from studies that confederated form of governance was not the best. He embarked on an alternative Constitutional design that avoided these shortcomings. This alternative Constitutional framework was introduced by Virginia delegates and named the Virginia Plan at the Convention. In his writing, he made it clear that governance administered over men by men was to be constituted in such a way that it could control itself and those whom it governs (Kernell & Smith, 2013). The Virginia Plan can be said to compose of the following notable features as listed in what follows; these features paved way to the most demon strative constitutional reforms in the history of America. 1) Two chamber legislature; a representation in each chamber based on state population. 2) Lower chamber of the legislature elected by the citizens of each state; upper chamber, executive, and courts elected by the lower house. 3) Legislature can make any law regarding any national problem. 4) Legislature can veto state legislation that it believes conflicts with national laws or the constitution. 5) Council of Revision (composed of executive and the court) can veto legislation passed by the national legislature, but legislature can override by majority vote (Kernell, Jacobson & Kousser, 2012). According to the Virginia Plan, the apportioning of both houses was to be done according to the contributions of states or the numbers of inhabitants. It was obviously the just way of ensuring that equality and standard representation by all. The larger populations were obviously supported in this reasoning though much thought also co uld be regarded in smaller states’ inclusion. This would have ensured equity and equality as larger states would have parted with some portions of power. Though this inclusion was seen by others as giving too much power to the people than expected, the people of America were more inclusive and united in decision making (Kernell, Jacobson & Kousser, 2012). The Plan supported the formation of a national executive. This national executive was to dispense a much more authoritative power than the then unicameral, feeble regime that was in existence then. The national government would wield much power effectively without states being coerced into action. Since it was a national issue, many people would be served inclusively and effectively. This national executive was to serve the whole country. As a national figure, the national executive gave the overall view of a democratic representation (Kernell & Smith, 2013). It is common knowledge that if the states are given the power to s elect the senate, the system would just be flawed and democratically misguided. The senate was thus selected by members of the lower house. In doing this, both houses would have been made as independent as possible. In fact, this might have enabled the defense of the minorities much easier. Also, the enforcement of this law would

Air Asia Berhard Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Air Asia Berhard - Research Paper Example This section of the paper seeks to assess how Air Asia would change its business model in its effort to expand its operations in the UK market. One of the major initiatives that the company has emulated in order to improve its profitability is expansion of operations through increasing the number of routes. For example, the company has created connection with various regions within Asia such as Vietnam, Shenzen, Indonesia among others. Even though the company enjoys strong customer loyalty in the domestic market, it has to emulate different strategies in order to penetrate UK market. This is based on the stiff competition and diversified environmental factors that determine the operations of UK airline industry. In the Malaysian market, Air Asia has remained competitive by offering low travelling fares to its customers. However, this is achieved at the expense of its employees who are given lower salaries. Due to the stiff competition in the UK airline industry, Air Asia has to incre ase its wages and salaries in order to motivate its employees. Otherwise, its employees will search for jobs in UK airline companies that are offering competitive prices. In the same way, Air Asia has low overhead costs. It is fundamental to note that in its effort to attain a significant share in the UK market, the company must emulate expansion strategies that are similar to those of UK companies. This implies that the company will have to increase the fare in order to generate more revenue thus enhancing its ability to carry out its operations in the UK market. In order to effectively penetrate the market, Air Asia will need to establish its own maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in UK (Aruan 36). Additionally, the company must establish administration offices in various UK cities. Thus resulting to increased administration costs an aspect that the company is currently trying to avoid. Based on the above discussion, it is clear that Air Asia will have to break a numb er of its business model to remain competitive in the UK market. However, it is crucial to note that a strategy such as increasing the travelling costs will ultimately affect the loyalty of its customers both locally and internationally. In the same way, increasing employee’s salaries is a strategy that the company will not only initiate in UK but also in all countries it has established operations. Thus resulting to increased costs and reduced profits. This implies that Air Asia entry of the UK market will be difficult. Paper 2. First Solar’s multinational business context and internal resources First Solar is a technology company that is based in Arizona. One of the key aspects that have enhanced the production capacity of the company is experienced and motivated work force. With more than 5,200 associates, the company has been able to raise a significant capital that has made it possible to diversify its product line thus attracting large number of customers especia lly in the European market. During its establishment, First solar specialized in the production of glass products rather than manufacturing of photovoltaics. Based on the expertise of the company founder Harold McMaster in the glass manufacturing, he diverted his skills to the solar industry. He was also

Social Disorganization Theory

Social Disorganization Theory The social disorganisation theory was one of the most important criminological theories developed from the Chicago School of thought, namely research conducted by Shaw and Mckay (1942). Shaw and McKay (1942) used spatial maps to study the residential locations of juveniles referred to Chicago courts, they discovered that rates of crime were not equally dispersed. Instead, crime was concentrated in certain areas and interestingly remained stable in such areas despite the changes of the individuals who lived there. Unlike other theories of delinquency, The Social Disorganisation Theory suggested that where an individual lived was more instrumental in determining the likelihood that an individual will become involved in criminal activities than individual characteristics such as age and gender. The theory was not intended to be applicable to all types of crimes but mainly to street crimes at neighbourhood level. The Social disorganization theory directly linked high crime rates to neigh bourhood ecological characteristics such as poverty, residential mobility, family disruption and racial heterogeneity (Gaines and Miller, 2011). All of which will be discussed in more detail throughout this essay. The first core element of the social disorganization theory to be discussed is Poverty, which can be defined as the state of being extremely poor. Such a lack of wealth is often seen to be due to the lack of employment opportunities. Such incentives like the Princes Trust and Catch 22 focus on poorer areas of society and seek to increase the employment opportunities for young people there. Jenson (2003) found that when employment opportunities increase pressures on residents to flee decrease ensuring more stable and improved communities. However it is when employment opportunities remain low that economic deprivation grows which could lead to social disorganization, which in turn leads to crime (Shaw and McKay, 1942). Other theories such as The Strain Theory (Merton, 1957) support the impact that poverty can have on a communities crime rates as due to lack of employment opportunities people turn to other methods of fulfilling their financial and material needs in an anti social way i f this cannot be done pro-socially such as through employment. Racial Heterogeneity is the second element of the social disorganisation theory to be reveiwed; this notion is related to the diverseness of races within a society. The social disorganization theory proposes that crime occurs when the methods of social control are weakened (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). Interestingly it is racial heterogeneity and urbanization that are predicted to weaken the control of individuals to most, due to lack of communication and interaction among residents (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). It is the lack of knowledge that allows for the racial separation along with the media often using particular races as scapegoats for certain crimes almost creating a moral panic within the communities singling out a certain race which would then increase the likelihood of their engagement in criminal activity (Bowling, 2002). This is supported by the findings that even among poorer neighborhoods, some racially diverse and others racially homogeneous, local friendship s lower certain crime rates such as assault (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). The third element of the social disorganisation theory to be considered is residential mobility this refers to the frequency of which individuals change their residence. Residential mobility has proven to help to explain the social disorganization theory, it has successfully explained automobile theft (Rice and Smith, 2002), gang crime (Lane and Meeker, 2000) and sexual re-offending (Mustaine, Tewksbury and Stengel ,2006). Shaw and McKay (1942) also noted that socially disorganized communities tended to produce criminal traditions that could be passed to successive generations of youths, due to the lack of residential mobility; criminal subcultures developed and overrun communities. It was hard for people to re-locate for reasons such as financial and fears of leaving that community. Residential mobility and poverty were often seen as interrelating factors in research on the social disorganisation theory as they were both significant predictors of delinquency but were stronger predic tors when looked at together (Blau and Blau, 1982). The final element to be discussed is family disruption; family has proven to be leading process within the social disorganisation theory (Sun, Triplett and Gainey, 2004). Sampson (1986) suggested that social disorganization may affect youth crime in particular its effects on family structures and stability. Consistent with the previous research social disorganization may influence the level of crime through its effect on family, however other researchers found that family may be used to alleviate the damaging effects of social disorganization. Tolan, Gorman-Smith and Henry (2003) found that parenting practices somewhat mediated the correlation between disorganised community and delinquency. However this study looked at families who were not seen to be disrupted. Burfeind (1984) found that that family disruption influenced delinquency in different ways, such as: the level of attachment to the father and paternal discipline. However the majority of studies that looked at the interactio n of family disruption and social disorganisation theory focused on male offenders and did not consider female crime; something which has been steadily on the increase in todays society. Despite its early origins, social disorganization theory continues to be prominent in the study of delinquency. In fact, Kubrin and Weizer (2003) suggested that the theory may be stronger now than when it was first proposed. As suggested in this essay, social disorganization theory continues to dominate in explaining delinquency in regards to the neighbourhood characteristics such as; poverty, racial heterogeneity, family disruption and residential mobility. It could be suggested that to prevent delinquency it is important to organise communities who are disorganized for example providing youth centres, employment opportunities and empowering individuals to maintain their homes in disorganized communities. By improving neighbourhoods and making them more appealing, social controls and relationships will be strengthened. All the elements discussed within the essay have a clear impact on the social disorganisation theory and the more of which are present in a community increases the li kelihood of social disorganisation and delinquency (Shaw and McKay, 1942). However it must be noted that poverty was often found to be the strongest and most consistent predictor of crime compared to the other three core elements: racial heterogeneity, racial mobility and family disruption (Warner and Pierce, 1993).

Change Over Time: The years 1670-1729 Essay -- History, European Power

From 1670 to 1870, the political regimes of the Atlantic Basin underwent drastic changes that were ultimately detrimental to today’s society. The new ideas of the Enlightenment sparked cultural, political, and social revolutions all the way from the newly established colonies of the United States to the ancien regime of the country of France. But how did these governments change during this era? The answers lie in the beginning, middle, and end of the 1670s to 1870s. The years 1670-1729 mark the beginning of this era, where the start of change takes place. During this period, European powers ruled in various places, such as in the colonies of America and in Haiti. In the colonies of America, there â€Å"was no sign that North America might become a center of revolution† (Bentley, p. 784). Britain imposed their culture on the colonists. The colonists â€Å"regarded themselves as British subjects: they recognized British law, read English-language books, and often braved†¦ the North Atlantic Ocean to visit family and friends in England† (Bentley, p. 784), with trade fueling the colonies’ wealth and reliable protection from the British militia. In France, Louis XVI reigned, and things were mainly prosperous. However, Louis was an absolute monarch, and he created three estates. The first estate â€Å"consisted of about 100,000 Roman Catholic clergy† (Bentley, p. 787). The second â€Å"included some four hundred thou sand nobles† (Bentley, p. 787), and the third was the rest of the population-â€Å"about 24 million serfs, free peasants, and urban residents ranging from laborers, artisans, and shopkeepers to physicians, bankers, and attorneys† (787). Nevertheless, the French mainly prospered under Louis XVI’s reign. However, in Haiti, things were not as prosper... ... off to France, where he died of maltreatment. The generals who succeeded Toussaint â€Å"defeated the remaining troops and drove them out of the colony† (Bentley, p. 796). In 1803, they declared independence and later â€Å"proclaimed the establishment of Haiti, meaning â€Å"land of mountains†. In conclusion, the governments of the Atlantic Basin evolved significantly between the 1670s and 1870s. Governments were established that shaped the beginning of human and political rights for generations to come. Without the ideals and beliefs of the Enlightenment thinkers, the rapid transformation of the Atlantic Basin probably would have never happened and the world would have been anything but recognizable at this time. Thanks to the work of many revolutionary leaders and philosophes, the Atlantic Basin was able to become one of the most influential areas in world history to date.