The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero Essay Example

The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? Essay Odysseus a hero? The only heroes I know are Superman, Batman, and Ironman. How can someone as normal as Odysseus be compared to someone as strong as Batman? The truth is Odysseus, raider of cities, is in fact an archetypal hero. The four characteristics Odysseus exemplified to make himself a hero are: bravery, faithfulness, intelligence, and determination. First off, Odysseus was a very brave person. Even though and underdog, Odysseus never backed down. His first act of bravery was his ability to face the mighty Trojan army. He was selected to join the war and refused. So the Greeks put his baby Telemachus in front of a plow. He quickly stopped it and accepted the challenge being the brave person he was. † But the ‘draft board’ was smarter than Odysseus. They threw his baby Telemachus in front of his oncoming plow. †(David Adams Leeming 643) Another act of bravery on Odysseus’ part, was taunting the massive Cyclops Polyphemus. †O Cyclops! Would you feast on my companions? Puny, am I, in a caveman’s hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal? †(Homer 476) The last act of Odysseus’ bravery was his willingness to go to the underworld. There Odysseus met Thebes. Thebes requested that Odysseus let him taste blood. We will write a custom essay sample on The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Odysseus, the brave man that he was, cut himself to please Thebes. â€Å"At this I stepped aside, and in the scabbard let the long sword ring home to the pommel silver as he bent down to taste the somber blood. †(Homer 615) Odysseus, as brave as he was, was also faithful. His first act was his ability to leave Calypso. He said he had to get home. In the process Odysseus gave up eternal life. â€Å"If you could see it all, before you go all the adversity you face at sea-you would stay here, and guard this house, and be immortal. †(Homer 104) As with Calypso, Circe also fell to the faithful Odysseus. Circe was the goddess of lust. It is told that Circe was the most beautiful woman for miles. Again, Odysseus pleads to go home. † Odysseus and his men beg Circe to help them return home. †(Homer ) The final way Odysseus was faithful was he fought all of the suitors for Penelope and Telemachus. He wanted to serve his duty as a father and save Telemachus. Instead of letting the suitors steal his wife Odysseus fought more that a hundred men. â€Å"Although Odyseeus is ready to reclaim his rightful kingdom, he must first confront more than a hundred hostile suitors. †(Homer ) He faced off for his wife and defeated all of the suitors. Odysseus, you’ve probably already guessed is a very determined person. He never thought about giving up on home. â€Å"Yet, it is true, each day Odysseus long for home, long for the sight of home. †(Homer 117) He also wanted to see his son. In the 20 years Telemachus was alive, Odysseus hadn’t seen him one. Telemachus was born shortly after Odysseus left for Troy. Although his determination was greater than ever, It didn’t stop the obstacles in his way from appearing. One of the obstacles that really tested his determination was Scyclla. Scyclla was a three-headed serpent that lived between a strait. As we sailed toward Scyclla I said nothing, as we could do nothing. †(Homer 791) Scyclla proved no match for the small boat as the boat and some of Odysseus’ warriors were diminished. Still, Odysseus trudged on. Last, Odysseus was intelligent. He first tricked the Cyclops into thinking his name was nohbdy. This way the Cyclops would tell his frien ds that nohbdy was there when he attacked. â€Å"Remember the gift you promised me and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy. †(Homer 360) The Cyclops believed him because he was drunk and was eventually defeated by him. He also fooled the Trojans. The Trojans believed the horse that Odysseus made was a gift that the greeks surrendered. When, in fact, the the Greeks were hiding in it. The Trojans partied and when everyone was sleep, the Greeks went in and slit everyone’s throat. Last he had his friends move all the suitors weapons. The suitor’s died from the strength of Odysseus and their lack of weapons. Overall, Odysseus was a strong and powerful hero. He was: brave, faithful, intelligent, and determined. These four things make Odysseus an archetypal hero. He preserved and won the battle. Now, only now may Odysseus rest at home.

How to Write an Argument Essay on American Dream

How to Write an Argument Essay on American DreamWhen you are writing an argument essay on the American Dream, you want to make sure that you have chosen the right question to ask. Unfortunately, there are many arguments out there that you will never find the answers to.The first thing that you want to do is look at the American Dream and examine what it means to the person who is living the American Dream. Do they have a house, or is it just a vehicle that is used for transportation? Is it a car, truck, or RV? If they have a house, then the next question you need to ask is why do they live in a house?You need to understand why the person that is living the American Dream lives in a house and this will give you an idea of what the essay you are writing will be about. Do not forget to look at the cars that they use because they need to be able to drive it.Then look at the car for the American Dream and make sure that the driver is licensed. Look at their truck and see if it is motorize d or not. If it is, you can even take into account how long the trip will take.Also look at their car for the American Dream and see if it is still safe to drive. Even if they do not own a car, this will give you an idea of how far they have traveled in order to get to the city. They could have traveled as far as Alaska or Canada or even farther than that.Finally, look at the American Dream by checking into what would allow them to afford the car, or other pieces of property that they need to live in a city like the one that they live in. This will give you an idea of the area where they live and where they get the money to pay the bills.With all of this information, you will have a sample of how to write an argument essay on the American Dream. However, this does not mean that you will be able to write a better essay than anyone else. You will need to remember that this is the only essay that you will ever get and you should do your best to make it a good one.When you write an argu ment essay on the American Dream, you want to use the right questions so that you know what to write. This will ensure that you do not write an essay that is too long. Remember, this is the only essay that you will ever get and you should make it one of the best that you can.

Secularism, fundamentalism and Sectarianism as causes of war Essays

Secularism, fundamentalism and Sectarianism as causes of war Essays Secularism, fundamentalism and Sectarianism as causes of war Essay Secularism, fundamentalism and Sectarianism as causes of war Essay Secularism is a term used to mean that certain issues or practices of religious nature should exist separately from other public or private settings.   Therefore, in this argument, it entails a matter of promoting secular ideas in public and private settings. In other words, it can be said that it is a way of avoiding to impose a religious belief to the citizens of a country by the government, especially in a neutral state. In fundamentalism, it is a religious movement that primarily believes and professing completely in the bible. They support reading of the bible and strictly following what has been read to the latter. The followers of this message believe that acceptance of the message means a virtue in life and to have eternal life in heaven, and rejection of the message implies leading to path that will take one to be tortured in hell. When talking about sectarianism, it is a strong devotion to a particular kind of religious sect that makes followers to prejudice other religions. This is because of the strong belief and trust in their religion being the only correct to be followed. Therefore, the issues of secularism, fundamentalism and sectarianism, have had various conflicts on different nations or among citizens of the same nation leading to war due to different believes that people hold. For instance, India and Pakistan have completely irreconcilable definition of the ideological bases of the state On the one hand, the earlier ideology of the INC carried over into the construction of the Indian state with the political system placed firmly on a constitutional framework of secularism. On the other hand, the state of Pakistan although certainly not designed to be a theocracy owned its very existence to the concept that religion can (and should) serve as the basis for political sovereignty and political identity The competing states ‘upped the ante’ for the two states when it came to territorial disputes, (Cashman Robinson 2007 pp 216). Pakistan’s aim was to prove that religion could be a legitimate source of state identity. For India, if Bangladesh’s successful guest for independence from Pakistan meant prove of religious based state legitimacy, then it could have brought an interest superiority of the secular culture. (Cashman Robinson 2007 pp 216). And if Kashmir had integrated into India, it would have led to reinforcement of the triumph of secularism over religious particularism. These two religious states therefore had a strong struggle to win the inspiring of their ideologies on Kashmir and thus led to unending struggle. Therefore, by â€Å"permitting Pakistan to absorb Kashmir would have signaled the triumph of one ideology and the defeat of the other. By acquiescing in Kashmir’s conquest, India would have for all practical purposes conceded Pakistan’s claim to the loyalty of all Muslims in the sub-continent† (Cashman Robinson, 2007 pp 216). These conflicts continued and in 1967, Pakistan launched war against India. These attack although were utter failure, as India had anticipated war and thus had her military ready. â€Å"As a result of the war, Bangladesh gained its long sought independence. A desperately poor but very proud country, Bangladesh jealously guarded its sovereignty and independence in the face of India pressure to accept the role of a quasi-client state of India’s (Cashman Robinson, 2007 pp 263). There have been fights in various nations also as a result of fundamentalism ideologies. This was experienced in the war of the Iraqis and the Iranians. The Iraqis were against the fundamentalism ideas of the Iranians. There were also â€Å"other Arab states in the region [who] felt equally threatened by Islamic fundamentalism in Iran†, (Cashman Robinson, pp 280). These threats made countries like the Saudi Arabia and Iraq to cooperate so as to counter the fundamentalism threat from Iran. This cooperation led to the invasion of Iran in 1980 by the Iraqis with the support from the Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Iraqi government was opposed to the Shi’a Muslims in Iran and this was the cause for the conflictual interaction between the two states. The Iraq government used several ways of cracking down the Shi’a political activities in Iran. For instance, there was the crack down of the Shi’a leaders and the other and the dissident members of al Daawa. On the other hand the Shi’a Masses were offered with economic enticement and development assistance so as they can change their religious stand. Finally, war broke out between Iran and Iraq. Iraq spearheaded her war against Iran by destroying the air capabilities of Iran.   Iraq bombed 10 airfields of Iran, while Iran was only able to respond with two divisions of its own, (Cashman Robinson, 2007 pp 291). Religions identity has a big influence on people’s life. It gives the believers a sense of belonging to a community, defining a pattern of belief and morals. These religious identities can at a time cause problems. It can be used for justifying sectarianism and in the extreme violence and ethnic cleansings (Crawford Rositter, 2006 pp 193). England is one country that experienced conflict arising due to those who believe in catholic ideologies, Protestants and Dissenters. According to Marshal (2006), Hostility towards protestant dissenters was especially strong against Baptists, repeatedly excoriated as Anabaptists and against Quakers who were seen as having turned the world upside down in the revolution by their challenges to hierarchies in family church and state by refusal of oaths, address to others as ‘thee’ and ‘thou’, allowance of preaching against luxury and corruption†, (Pp 95). There were laws that were passed to deal with non conformity which saw many dissenters being fined, imprisoned and become financially ruined. The laws also led to many Protestants and dissenters being killed for their faith. In the end, it led to rebellious acts by the Protestants, which erupted to civil wars and revolutions against the catholic rule. For instance, in the seventh century, the Protestants took up arms against their ruler in significant part on the basis of a perceived religious duty to reform the religion of the church of England from its allegedly ‘heretical’ tendencies to ‘popery’ and ‘Arminism’ leading to a teeming liberty of protestant sectarianism and execution of their king, Charles I† (Marshal, 2006 pp266). Rulers of other nations also who become protestants were excommunicated by the pope, deported and assassinated. Therefore, looking at secularism, fundamentalism and sectarianism, it is neither possible nor easy to say that the war will end or is nearly ending. This is because there are still many fights taken place all over the world, despite the enlightenment in the current society. For instance, the current fundamentalism of the Muslim religion is being felt all over the world. The war in Iraq, Lebanon, India and parts of Africa are a clear sign of the unending war. The current war among different human communities is not only for materialistic gain as happened with the World War I II and the cold war. But it is a war that represents spiritual self-defeat of man .As Horowitz (2007) argues, â€Å"as long as Christian values remain in the shadows of scientific advance, peace will be impossible to reach, secularism is the ultimate heresy the root cause of war†, (pp28). It has also been argued that the intervention of the war that has been going in countries like Iraq by the united state has due to taking advantage of the historic sectarian differences. Taras (2006) argued that â€Å"western intervention in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq were intervention in states with pre existing ethnic and sectarian cleavages†, (Para. 3). Also the unending war is culminated by the various stands of different groups of fundamentalists. For instance, as â€Å"most self described Christian fundamentalists are united by their agreement on the nine principles that first defined the movement, Sunni and Shi’a fundamentalist have shared few theological or political principles†, (Levine 2007, Para 9). Levine still explains that â€Å"al- Qaeda’s leadership seeks to unite all Muslims and establish a government, which follow the rule of Caliphs The only way to establish the caliphate is by force†, (Para 10). This means that the al â₠¬â€œQaeda has to overthrow all the Muslim governments and abolish the state boundaries. In such a case, there shall never be end to these wars, as each group will be standing its ground. nbsp;

How Stress can be Damaging to an Individual Employee Essay - 2

How Stress can be Damaging to an Individual Employee - Essay Example From this study it is clear that the stressors in the workplace are able to stimulate physiological reactions that will eventually lead a person to become physically and mentally ill. As commonly observed, the common stressors that are found in the workplace that can affect a person physically and mentally include but not limited to the number of workloads given to them, the seclusion, excessive hours given to work, a stressful environments because of pressures, the inability of a person to engage in self-rule, problematic relationships with colleagues and management, presence of intimidation among members in the organisation, pestering, and the lack of either provocation or openings for career-pathing advancement via improvement of skills, abilities, knowledge, position and accountability.   This paper highlights that  theories of occupational stress are linked to the theory pertaining to workplace support and work-life balance, emphasising that the stressful conditions will hav e greater negative impact on the individual’s psychological health and well-being especially if there is absence of support. Therefore, it is of no great surprise as to why many research studies would want to find out the effects when there is absence of balance, the effects are mostly in line with the stress created due to conflict between the demands of work and non-work activities, and the level of satisfaction in work and non-work activities.

Scientology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Scientology - Essay Example (Hubbarb, Miscavage, 2006). L. Ron Hubbarb is the founder of Scientology he defines it as"the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life." Base on Hubbarb's book there is no indication that it may cause problem and conflict with other religions. Below are some of it's believes and principles. Scientology is not a religion who asks you to believe on something but what you observed to be true is the truth. Believers discover that Scientology works personally by applying its principles and observing or experiencing results. This paper will show some facts that religion should not be banned no matter what their principles are as long as they not affect any important matter in a person's life. The goal of the Scientology religion as stated in the book written by Hubbarb (2007) is to achieve complete certainty of one's spiritual existence, one's relationship to the Supreme Being, and his role in eternity. Scientologist aims to have "A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights." This is why the number of Scientologist increases faster because of its aims. If one religion aims for peace and prosperity how can it promote war and disparity Religions differ only on their patron but they all aim for peace and happiness. Like any religion Scientology has its own "scripture" only in the form of principles written by Hubbarb. Scientology Scripture recognizes that there is an entire dynamic (urge or motivation in life) devoted to the Supreme Being (the eighth dynamic) and another dynamic that deals solely with one's urge toward existence as a spirit (the seventh dynamic). Principles of Scientology Looking at the principles of Scientology we will be able to foresee what will happen if this religion becomes the religion of choice in the future. Below are the principles based on the book written by the founder L.Ron Hubbard. 1. The Bridge to Total Freedom - Scientology practices (called "Technology" or "Tech" in Scientology jargon) are structured in sequential levels, reflecting Hubbard's belief that rehabilitation takes place on a "gradient", that is, easier steps are taken first and only then greater complexities are handled. 2. Dianetics - One principle in scientology is solving problems using your self. In Dianetics there is only one source of all your problems, stress, unhappiness and self-doubt. It's called the reactive mind - the hidden part of your mind that stores all painful experiences and then uses them against you. 3. The ARC and KRC triangles - ARC stands for Affinity (emotional responses), Reality ( an agreement on what is real), Communication. KRC stands for Knowledge, Responsibility, and Control. Scientologists believe that improving one aspect of the triangle increases the level of the other two. ARC and KRC triangles can be found in the Scientology symbol. 4. The Dynamics - Scientology and Dianetics state that the dynamic principle of existence is to survive and that man survives across the "eight dynamics of Self, Family and Sex, Group, Humanity, the Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms, the Physical

P&I payment Essay Example for Free

PI payment Essay Technology is pervading all levels of mathematics teaching and learning in our modern world, bringing ever more sharply into focus the change from traditional pencil and paper learning to a mixture of calculator, computer and pencil and paper learning environments. Currently the loan has 25 years remaining. Therefore to find out the PI payment, you would plug in 300 for N (2512), 5.75% for I, 0 for FV, and $112,242.47 for PV, and then press PMT which gives you the $706.12. However, we want to find out how much more money they have to pay to pay off the loan in 20 years instead of 25. Therefore change N to 240 (2012) instead of 300. Then press PMT and we should get $788.04. Next, subtract the PI payment they are making now (706.12) from $788.04, which tells you they need to pay $81.92 extra towards the principal each month to have the loan paid off in 20 years instead of 25. This may be reasonable. $81.92 is pretty close to $100 so there really isn’t a lot of wiggle room after meeting the monthly expenses. However, it’s important to note that if you do this way (instead of refinancing), you are not obligated to pay this $81.92 each month if you needed it for something else. Since refinancing costs you $2,000 up-front, we’ll have to add this to the payoff of 112,242.47. This would cause the PV of the loan to be 114,242.47. The new loan would be based on the 30 years, so plug 360 in for N. FV will still be 0. In order to find the highest interest rate you can qualify for that still gives you a PI payment less than your current payment, let’s put in a payment of $706.11 (one penny less than the current payment). This gives us a maximum interest rate of 6.29%. By looking at interest rates in today’s markets, they seem to be around four percent. This is much less than the maximum amount required. At four percent, with $2,000 in closing costs, the new PI payment would be $545.41. This is a monthly savings of $160.71. You almost make up your money, or recoup the cost of refinancing, after a year of payments. This fact, along with the fact that you will be struggling to make these extra principal payments the other way, it makes more sense to refinance if you want to pay off your loan in 20 years instead of 25.

Babe Ruth :: essays research papers

Babe Ruth During the roaring twenties, there were many outstanding baseball players. One of the best outstanding baseball players of all times was Babe Ruth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Babe Ruth was born on February 6, 1895, on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of a saloonkeeper, George Herman Ruth, Sr. At age seven he was placed in the St. Mary’s Industrial School for boys because his parents couldn’t control him anymore. After twelve years of basically being locked up he was released in 1914 so that he could play professional baseball.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One key person in Ruth’s life was Brother Matthias. Matthias encouraged George to play baseball. By age 12, he was already on the varsity team. Matthias pushed Ruth to be a right-handed catcher since there was no left-handed catcher’s mitt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Herman’s professional career started in 1914 when the Boston Red Sox picked him up as a left-handed pitcher. After 158 games, Ruth had a pitching record of 89-46 and had 3 World Series wins and no losses. When Ruth’s pitching career ended, he had a 2.28 earned run average and was just getting started with his all time hitting career. Babe Ruth set many hitting records in his 22 years of baseball. â€Å"The Babe† was given many new nicknames over the years. Some for example were: â€Å"The Sultan of Swat,† â€Å"The Callasses of Clout,† â€Å"The Great Bambino,† and â€Å"The Babe.† In 22seasons, he led the league 12 times with home run records. In 1921, Ruth had a record setting 60 homers, which no one broke until Hank Aaron in 1974. In 1935, George Herman Ruth hung up his uniform for the last time with leaving professional baseball. With 714 career homeruns and some great memories, The Babe led his team to The World Series in 1923, 1927, 1928, and 1932.