The Greek mythology Essay Example for Free

The Greek mythology Essay The Greek mythology is one of the most exciting yet complicated subjects when studying literature. Not just because it’s a foreign subject but because the mythology itself, the stories about the Greek gods and the adventures of the mortals with superhuman strength, takes us out far and wide away from the four corners of the classroom. In Greek Mythology, there are two characters that would be the focus of this paper. This are Jason of Iolcus, of the Argonauts and Golden Fleece fame; and Paris of Troy, of the Trojan War and Helen of Troy fame. These two personalities will be introduced one after the other and their respective adventures will be narrated. Jason and Paris are one among many who were very controversial because of their decisions in life and their relationship with women. Henceforth, the topic of this paper is to point out the comparison between Paris and Jason, as well as their differences. In determining these things, we arrived with a question that in the course of this paper, we attempted to answer. [Given the circumstances of their existence, who was the better man?] The term better is subjective and would be matter of argument, but we have come up with a few criteria so as to have a basis for the final answer that would be summarized in the conclusion. The statement better man would be founded on this grounds: Valor, dignity, bravery, fighting skills, tasks performed (rate of success), relations with the gods, effect on history and mythology, relations with women (husband-like qualities), relations with offspring (Father-like attitude), relations with family member, relations with followers (leadership qualities), and the ability to survive. This paper will start off with the introduction of Greek mythology. Who are the gods and what their business are and what their powers are. Especially the god of gods Zeus, his brothers Poseidon and Hades, his wife Hera, his daughters Athena and Aphrodite and his son Apollo. Other minor gods who played a part on Jason and Paris’ lives such as Eris, Eros and Hermes would also be related. After which, Paris and Jason’s lives would be unraveled such as their birth and the oracle; their lives away from their supposed to be real lives; their adventures and their deaths. Through out this, an analysis of their judgment, personality and decision making based on the mentioned criteria would be applied. The Greek Mythology: Who are the gods? Greek mythology is one of the most widely read and most interesting subject in English literature. Its where most fascinating stories come from, from equally intriguing characters, akin to having an alternate universe where the gods were the movie stars and Olympus was Hollywood. The Olympian era starts off with Zeus overthrowing his father Cronus, who was the ruler of the elder gods known as the Titans. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and when Zeus won the battle, he exiled these Titans in a land called Tartarus in the underworld. Zeus then divided the Universe between himself and his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus took the heavens on top of Mount Olympus where he lived with his wife and his sisters and children. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain range in Greece located in the north of Greece. Zeus is the most powerful of all of the ancient gods; people loved and feared him at the same time. He embodies justice, morals and law. His weapon is a thunderbolt, and is also famous for his numerous infidelities to his wife Hera. Hera is also a sister of Zeus, and is worshipped as the goddess of marriage and birth. Hera is portrayed as a jealous wife always on the lookout for the various activities of Zeus and his numerous love affairs and his illegitimate children. Hera was always depicted as someone who would destroy with utmost and unreasonable fury the lives of Zeus’ lovers and their children. Zeus and Hera had three children, Hephaestus, the god of fire and volcano; Hebe, goddess of youth, and Ares, god of war. Hephaestus is said to be the ugliest of the gods and because of his physical appearance, it was said that Hera flung him from Mount Olympus to the ocean and in doing so broke his legs, that’s why Hephaestus is lame. He is the industrious forger who made all the weapons of the gods, he is also known as the patron of all craftsmen. Hephaestus married Aphrodite, who is also rumored as Zeus daughter with another minor goddess Dione. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire, sex and beauty. Like Zeus, Aphrodite’s love affairs are also well-publicized. Aside from her husband Hephaestus, she had an affair with the most handsome mortal named Adonis, the Trojan Anchises, the half-god half-mortal Dionysus, the winged god Hermes and Ares the god of war and brother of Hephaestus. The goddess of wisdom, Athena, is also one of Zeus children from his many infidelities. However, Athena was born in a very unique way, of springing forth from Zeus forehead all grown up and fully armored, that’s why Zeus favored Athena a lot, even having the privilege of using Zeus’ thunderbolt weapon at times. Apollo and Artemis are the twin children of Zeus from a Titan goddess named Leto. Apollo is the god of music, healing, truth and prophecy. The oracle of Delphi is dedicated to him. He is also known as the Archer and the patron god of the Trojans. Artemis, Apollo’s twin sister is the goddess of chastity, virginity and hunting. She was the one who calmed the seas when the Greek King Agamemnon killed one of her sacred deer so that they could not launch their ships in the start of the Trojan War. In order to appease her, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to be one of the goddess’s priestess. Another deity is Hermes, another one of Zeus’ illegitimate children, who is also known as the messenger of the gods. He is always depicted having winged sandals, winged helmet and a magic wand. Businessmen and thieves worship him as their god. Second in power to Zeus is his brother Poseidon, god of the sea. He holds a weapon called trident, which he uses in to strike the ground, causing earthquakes when he is angry. He is known for his violent behavior, temperamental disposition and like Zeus, also fathered a lot of children. Now, Eris, the goddess of discord and strife is also said to be one of Zeus’ children and is the constant companion of Ares, the murdering yet coward god of war. It is Eris who threw the apple of discord with the inscription â€Å"To the Fairest† in the wedding of the mortal Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis (parents of Achilles), wherein three of the goddesses, namely Aphrodite, Athena and Hera laid claim to it. They called on to Zeus to award the apple to the fairest of them but since Hera is his wife and Athena and Aphrodite are his daughters, he called on to the mortal Paris to do the judging. Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite because of her bribe of giving him Helen, the most beautiful woman on earth. This event is called the Judgment of Paris, and the commencement of the ever famous Trojan War. Who is Paris? His Birth and the Oracle When Hecuba, Queen of Troy was pregnant with Paris, she dreamt that she had brought forth a firebrand that would be the source of destruction of Troy. Seers or prophets interpreted her dream that the child she is carrying, which was Paris, would destroy the city of Troy, therefore the child should be killed. Priam, the King of Troy and Hecabe were not able to slay baby Paris when he was born, so instead, Priam gave the baby to a servant named Agelaus with the instruction to expose him on Mount Ida, a mountainous area near Troy. However, after nine days when the servant came back to bury the supposedly dead child, he was surprised to find baby Paris still alive, because apparently, a bear had nursed him. Astonished with the baby’s fate, Agelaus took baby Paris to his home and raised him up as his own son; he gave him the name Paris. Paris grew up to be a strong and handsome young man. Alexander was fair, tall, and brave. His eyes were very beautiful, his hair soft and blond, his mouth charming, and his voice pleasant. He was swift, and eager to take command. (qtd. In Dares the Phrygian)

Bill Gates And The Microsoft Corporation :: essays research papers

Bill Gates - you love him, you hate him, maybe you should get to know him. The founder of the Microsoft has a lot of admirers and we can tell that for sure just by looking at his fortune. There are however people who not only despise him, but dedicate entire web-sites to criticizing him and his company; if you are one of those people you can check out www.onmacon.com (access will not be granted if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer). Some have even gone as far as throwing pies in his face... It’s an irony that one of the world’s smartest people didn’t even finish college. In 1975 he dropped out of Harvard to form an informal partnership with Paul Allen, â€Å"Micro-soft†; they invested all their time in BASIC, the first computer language program written for a personal computer. It wasn’t until November 1976 that Microsoft became official, when it was registered at the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico, and only in 1977 did the partnership between Bill and Paul Allen become official. That’s also when they deliver their second language product, FORTRAN. In 1978, besides launching a third language, COBOL-80, Microsoft goes international by forming a strategic partnership with the founder of ASCII Corporation in Japan. The following year, the company also enters the European market and wins the ICP Million Dollar Award with the 8080 BASIC. This is an important indicative of the growth and acceptance of the PC industr y. Starting with the early 80s, Microsoft starts expanding the product range from languages to operating systems and its first hardware product, the SoftCard, designed for the Apple II users. The newly incorporated business signs a contract with IBM, the first version of MS-DOS being the primary result. Unfortunately, this operating system wasn’t a very good one, requiring its users a thorough knowledge of command syntax. The company moves into the realm of business with an electronic spreadsheet program, the Multiplan. Also at this time, the Microsoft Local Area Network (MILAN) becomes functional, linking all of Microsoft’s in-house development computers. 1983 is an important year toward the development of a more user-friendly computer. In May the mouse is introduced, in September the Word processing program and in November Windows is announced, an extension of the MS-DOS operating system that provides a graphical operating environment. Windows allows a user to view unrelated application programs simultaneously and it provides the capability to transfer data from one application program to another.

Ethan Frome Key Passage Analysis Essay

Edith Wharton quite deliberately brings together human emotion and the environment in her novella Ethan Frome. The characters are circumscribed by the environment in which they exist and the impossibility of escape from the environmental forces of nature, heredity and place shape the characters of the text. A moment of hope arises as Mattie and Ethan walk home together from the dance and a more romantic sense of possibility emerges. The reader is drawn to the love of Ethan and Mattie quite subtly – it grows almost organically from innocent moments shared and this is perhaps why the reader does not see their ‘affair’ as adulterous. We share the hope that glimmers in the bleak cold that is Starkfield and its characters. Ethan’s sensitivity reflects an important aspect of his character that is shown to us in this section. His intelligence and the study in Worcester has exacerbated his isolation within the Starkfield community. Harmon Gow’s ironic observation that ‘most of the smart one’s got away’ heightens the reader’s perception that Ethan is trapped. The ‘appeal of natural beauty’ suggests a connection with the landscape that is romantic in its conception. Ethan ‘communes’ with the environment and is able to see beyond the harshness in a way that the frame narrator cannot. The fact that he feels this appreciation of beauty as a silent and solitary emotion typifies the lack of communication within his world. Similarly, the night walks of Mattie and Ethan become moments of ‘communion’. Wharton’s choice of diction suggests that their relationship is more than a response to the physical harshness of the environment or repressed emotions – the ‘sweetness of this communion’ implies a genuine meeting of souls and minds that transcends the physical. The fact that Mattie’s ‘spirit†¦ trembled with the same touch of wonder’ is inspiring for Ethan and the reader is encouraged to view the relationship as one of purity and innocence rather than adulterous. Wharton uses the environment as the meeting point for the lovers’ ‘wonder’ – looking up to the stars (an image often synonymous with dreams and hope) or across the fields. It is interesting to note the descriptive language Wharton uses to describe Ethan’s vision when he is with Mattie. The sunset is red with ‘cloud flocks over slopes of golden stubble’ with strong ‘blue hemlocks’ – the intensity of the colours reflect the intensity of his emotions and contrast with the blank, barren whiteness that has characterised descriptions of Starkfield up to this point. It is as if Mattie, whose surname sparkles with colour, transforms the landscape and Ethan sees the world anew when he is with her. His masculine ego is hinted at by Wharton in the admiration Mattie displays for his knowledge of the environment. We have been encouraged to view him as the powerless and emasculated husband, browbeaten by a shrewish wife. Mattie inspires a sense of manhood within him. This is interestingly displayed at the moment of crisis when the pickle dish is shattered as Ethan takes control and feels the ‘thrilling sense of mastery’ as he reassembles the dish. The symbolic nature of the dish representing the marriage of Ethan to Zeena is shattered and Ethan is liberated by the moment – however fleetingly. Wharton suggests that Mattie and Ethan are closely (and perhaps idealistically) suited to each other – she describes their walks as a ‘communion’. Mattie’s description of the landscape looking as it had been painted strikes a deep chord within Ethan and he feels that Mattie is able to articulate ‘his secret soul’. The closeness and intensity of their relationship is perhaps understated – depicted in the language of the environment rather than through eloquent dialogue. Wharton often plays upon Ethan’s lack of eloquence to show the difficulty he has in expressing his emotions.

Emerging Themes Project The Toys and Games Industry Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Globalisation has made it easier for companies operating in different countries to run their businesses with much ease. It has resulted to increase in demand of various products and services due to the improved systems of transportation and communications. In addition, IT is the main reason for the positive effects of globalisation (China Labour Watch, 2005, pp. 6-23). The countries that adopted international business early have enjoyed the benefits of globalisation. The problem is that, these countries are developed. The less developed countries, which are the third world countries, are behind when it comes to globalisation. They do not enjoy its benefits. Furthermore, globalisation has caused outsourcing of third world countries by the developed countries. Outsourcing happens because the developed countries own the multinational companies that reduce the costs in the developing countries (Wes, 1996, pp. 40-60). The world currently is experiencing situations where large corporations find single nation markets to be small for them. Globalisation is the reason for these situations to happen. Big corporations can cross borders and establish businesses all over the world. Businesspersons across the world are working tirelessly to reduce costs. We will write a custom essay sample on Emerging Themes Project: The Toys and Games Industry or any topic spe cifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Outsourcing has been the main and popular solution for this problem. By making outsourcing to be effective, big corporations shift their attention to poor countries because it easy and cheap to obtain labour in those countries. Globalisation is very wide. In addition, it has attracted many controversies. The effects of globalisation started in the early 1970s. The economic field felt much of these effects. It was the basis for introduction of competitive era. Most companies nowadays want to improve their competitive margins. It is their first priority ahead of maximising their profits (Brill, 2011, p. 2). Globalisation has changed in the recent years. It has affected all aspects of human life. The aspects are social, political, economical and technological. The new globalisation is much different from the first globalisation. The increased use of IT has resulted to turmoil in divisions of labour across the life aspects. There is experience of turmoi l because the traditional Keynesian theory on employment has not worked with the new globalisation. The new globalisation has forced the markets to adopt the competitive strategy. Firms have realised competition nowadays is the source of pride. These firms have to identify strategies to cope with globalisation as a way of maintaining the ever-changing consumption patterns.