Sophocles Antigone - Creon is Donig the Right Thing :: Antigone essays

Defending Creon: a monarch within his rights to rule In Antigone, especially with the feminist movement now holding the title character, as prototypical downtrodden woman, the king Creon is often villified. While accepting the fact that Creon has misogynist tendencies, the gender issues can cause the pure argument of validity of actions, to fall by the wayside. So supposing for a moment, that Antigone's rebellion had been undertaken by a male, would Creon's choices have been different. Did he choose such harsh punishment and intractable course because Antigone was a woman ? As I read him, this is not the case. He has made a value judgement as to who is traitor and who is worthy. He has made a secondary judgement as to the rights of traitors, and the need of the people to know the consequences of traitorous acts. While one may disagree, with the value judgements he has made, as king he is well within his rights, indeed his obligation, to rule according to what he believes best at the time. Outcomes are not always the best vantage point from which to judge a man. Creon did not have the advantage the reader has of seeing final outcomes, indeed we must remember these outcomes were contrived by Sophocles, to illustrate his point of view. Is it not conceivable that in real life, these outcomes are far from assured, indeed a bit preposterous ? So then to summarize, Creon simply made his best decision, and that decision was with in his right to rule as the recognized sovereign. Â   On the surface, Antigone is the classic tragic hero, it is she that Sophocles wants us to be drawn to. It is Creon against who he stacks the cards. A writer's value judgement, nothing more. So then, once more assuming Antigone is a male instead, are her or his actions noble or foolhardy, and irresponsible. While on the surface it appears noble to risk death for a principle, is it really ? Aren't relationships more important than principles ? Much is made of Creon sentencing his own son's fiance to death, did she not by her foolhardy, kneejerk reaction sentence herself. Where is her consideration for her husband to be ? And her sister, who has lost so much, and now clings to her so desparately, is rebuffed and dismissed as not worthy of the glorious Antigone.

African Folktales Essay

In the actual Nigeria tribe African folktales, form a very important part of the African culture. There are different ways in how those folktales affect the African culture in general; one of this ways is that it’s used as a way of communicating. There is a rich, fertile legacy of folklore from Africa. On this vast continent, folk tales and myths serve as a means of handing down traditions and customs from one generation to the next. The storytelling tradition has thrived for generations because of the absence of printed material. Folk tales prepare young people for life, as there are many lessons to be learned from the tales from the history of this large continent, this includes the forceful transplanting of the people into slavery on other continents. In addition to the folk tales, there are myths, legends, many proverbs, tongue twisters, and riddles. In the African folk tales, the stories reflect the culture where animals abound; consequently, the monkey, elephant, giraffe, lion, zebra, crocodile, and rhinoceros appear frequently along with a wide variety of birds such as the ostrich, the secretary bird, and the eagle. The animals and birds take on human characteristics of greed, jealousy, honesty, loneliness, etc. Through their behavior, many valuable lessons are learned. Also, the surroundings in which the tales take place reveal the vastness of the land and educate the reader about the climate, such as the dry season when it hasn’t rained for several years, or the rainy season when the hills are slick with mud. The acacia trees swaying in a gentle breeze, muddy streams that are home to fish, hippos and crocodiles, moss covered rocks, and giant ant hills that serve as a â€Å"back scratcher† for huge elephants, give the reader a sense of the variety of life in this parched or lush land in this part of the world. There is wealth of folktales in the African culture of different kinds some examples of them are: Uncle Remus Tales, Tortoise and the Hare, Crocodile Tales, The voice of the Drums, The Kind of Lion, String Tales, The Sacred Vulture, Anansi, and Dilemma Tales. Those kinds of tales above are just some examples of the huge African folktales repertory, and the subcategories which take a major role in the African and Nigerian culture and society, reflecting the animals that abound there. In conclusion, I can say that folktales plays an important role in the African Society, even more than books or other kind of source, this is because in Africa are very few resources of written history, so they know more about their history via these folktales; without folktales, African history may be inexistent CITATIONS: Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Random house, Inc., 1995 http://www.teachervision.fen.com/folk-tales/resource/3716.html?page=1&detoured=1

Analyse Nora’s character throughout the play Essay

In ‘A Doll’s House’ Ibsen’s use of language reflects on the dramatic change we see in Nora’s character. Ibsen uses issues that arose during the 19th century to construct themes and most importantly build up characters, all with their own distinctive language. Nora’s character changes from the beginning of the play to the end and Ibsen does this with the use of her change in language. At the beginning of the play, Nora is still a child in many ways, listening at doors and guiltily eating forbidden sweets behind her husband’s back. She has gone straight from her father’s house to her husband’s, bringing along her nursemaid to emphasize the fact that she’s never grown up. She’s also never developed a sense of self. She’s always accepted her father’s and her husband’s opinions. And she’s aware that Torvald would have no use for a wife who was his equal. But like many children, Nora knows how to manipulate Torvald by pouting or by performing for him. In the end, it is the truth about her marriage that awakens Nora. Although she may suspect that Torvald is a weak, petty man, she clings to the illusion that he’s strong, that he’ll protect her from the consequences of her act. But at the moment of truth, he abandons her completely. She is shocked into reality and sees what a sham their relationship has been. She becomes aware that her father and her husband have seen her as a doll to be played with, a figure without opinion or will of her own; first a doll-child, then a doll-wife. She also realizes that she is treating her children the same way. Her whole life has been based on illusion rather than reality. When we first see Nora and Helmer together in the beginning of Act One she is Extravagant and we notice that she is financially reckless; â€Å"Oh yes, Torvald, we can be a little extravagant now can’t we? Just a tiny bit? You’re getting a big salary now, and you’re going to make lots of money†. She uses short phrases within a series of questions and exclamations: this shows her child-like behaviour. She is influenced by money, having no independence and always relying on Helmer, she doesn’t understand the value of it. He gives her status. Nora has a Fast tempo whilst speaking; this shows her excitement and childlike behaviour, â€Å"pooh†. When talking to Helmer Nora is manipulative, she uses his nicknames on herself in order to please Helmer, â€Å"squanderbird†. She is scared of Helmer (as a father figure he may punish her), therefore accepting anything he says; â€Å"Very well, Torvald. As you say†. She is Flirtatious and ‘plays with his coat buttons’ in order to get what she wants. Nora’s domination in the conversation with Mrs Linde and her use of repetition of the word ‘I’ shows that she is in a sense showing off and trying to be superior in front of Miss Linde. We see this in Act One when she meets with Mrs Linde; â€Å"I too have done something to be happy and proud about. It was I who saved Torvald’s life†. Nora is trying to gain respect from her friend by revealing a secret that she thinks will illustrate her practical side, showing that she is a supportive wife and has also had to face troubles. â€Å"Years from now, when I am no longer pretty†, Nora keeps the secret from her husband to maintain status quo. She will tell him in the future when she is no longer pretty and she will need to gain his respect through other means than playing games and dressing up. Ibsen uses Prosodic features: fast tempo, emotional; in order for us to know that that here Nora is erratic. In Nora’s two long speeches, on pages thirty six and thirty seven we learn more about her character through her use of language.

Microeconomics †Product & Resource Markets

It was at Menlo Park Laboratory Complex that Thomas Edison first unveiled the incandescent light bulb in December 1879 (Bellis 2006). More than a century has passed and, in that time, his famed invention has spread all over the world, marking great cities visible to passing planes. It has diminished from an astonishing wonder to an everyday, commonplace thing. In a large portion of the globe, light bulbs have become a basic necessity, placing it among products with inelastic demand. Without the artificial lighting, all manner of work at night would have to be severely limited. Artificial lighting also satisfies the demand for abstract concepts like the feeling of security and comfort. Demand for this product is inelastic because there are no substitutes for light bulbs; no other invention can efficiently produce artificial lighting. Incandescent light bulbs can be sold for less than a dollar a piece and requires a very small proportion of income. Changes in the price of artificial lighting is likely to cause only relatively small shifts in demand. If more than a century after Edison invented incandescent lighting, a new invention was placed in the market- a paint product that provided light when supplied with a weak electrical current. This new product presents itself as a substitute, which in turn, steals dollar votes for light bulbs. The quantity of light bulbs is sure to go down as some consumers favor the new product, forcing light bulb manufacturers to either exit the industry, increase prices, lower manufacturing costs, or innovate. A lot of women around the world, even those who don’t know fashion TV and the like, want a Prada bag. They can fetch a price of some hundreds to thousands of dollars. The supply for these bags, however, is inelastic. Even if the tiniest bag were to suddenly jack up in price, the quantity of Prada bags in the market would remain the same, or even go down as Prada will realize that their market has shrunk considerably. A Prada bag is unique, requiring very specific materials and highly skilled labor, including that of the designer, put together in a controlled manner. Because there is only one fashion house for Miuccia Prada, she, as a resource, has no substitution possibility contributing to the inelasticity of supply. Reference List: Bellis, M. (2006). The inventions of Thomas Edison. Retrieved November 2, 2006, from: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bledison.htm   

Scientists study how HIV hides in body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scientists study how HIV hides in body - Essay Example Yet those drugs don't eliminate HIV because they can't reach the two known pools of cells where the virus can lie dormant, ever ready to resurface. So-called memory T cells form one such pool. As the name implies, these are the cells that ensure if you get, say, measles as a child, you're forever immune. They live for years, even decades, making them a logical HIV hideout, and one that scientists have repeatedly sought to dismantle to no avail. Macrophages, another type of immune cell, form the second pool. They roam the body looking for invaders like bacteria to gobble up. If they get harmed, such as becoming infected by a virus, they're supposed to commit suicide. But HIV instead keeps them alive long past their normal lifespan. "Up to now, nobody has really thought about how to eliminate the macrophage reservoir," said Dr. Kuan-Teh Jeang, an HIV specialist at the National Institutes of Health. "The imagination now has turned toward, 'How do we eliminate reservoirs' ... The best way to address our problem is to simply kill those cells." The Rochester team found that HIV produces a protein that turns on a particular cell-survival pathway. After a multistep process, it ultimately activates an enzyme called Akt that in turn prevents cell suicide, the researchers reported Thursday online in the journal Retrovirology. That was g

Seminar in criminology - Discussion 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar in criminology - Discussion 10 - Essay Example However, it cannot be determined chiefly by looking at the offender’s arrest data. The drawback is that not all forms of crimes get recorded in official police documents. Nonetheless, by measuring the time that has elapsed until the offender committed another crime is one of the ways of measuring recidivism and has no drawback. Interviewing the offender to establish whether he or she has committed more crimes after enrolling in a probation program is also helpful. The drawback is that the offender may lie. Another way to measure would be to make charts of the new offenses that the offender commits over the amount of time that elapses. Lastly, making an analysis of the criminal events that the offender carries out such as violations, convictions and new arrests is also helpful. The drawback in this case is that not all offenders get arrested based on truthful causes. Burgess found that those offenders who had no favorable items and those who had nine unfavorable items were the ones who were not likely to succeed while on probation (Thistlethwaite & Wooldredge, 2014). On page 294, it is evident that Burgess found that they only had a 45% chance of succeeding (Thistlethwaite & Wooldredge,

Managing hospitality resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing hospitality resources - Essay Example This paper takes a glance at the factors which influenced at the survival and economic prosperity of the hotel industry: the availability of leisure time for people and the possession of a high disposable income by them. This is so because; most people will go to the hotels after they have serviced the domestic needs and remain with extra disposable income, which they can use for leisure, recreation, and entertainment. Without ample leisure time however, it is difficult for them to attend to such activities. Since the industry mostly offers food service and accommodation, competition in this field is inevitable. With the advances in technology witnessed of late, the industry can take the advantage of these advances to obtain a competitive edge over its competitors. Technology can therefore be used in the industry to improve operational efficiencies, afford the hotel guests enhanced and quality services, and increase the income earned by the hotels. The pace and rate at which technolo gy is changing is too high, so that it leaves the whole industry confused in the right technology to adopt. Since a technology considered superior today might be found redundant after a few months or years, the industry has a difficult time deciding on which ones to incorporate into their systems. Thus, the choice of appropriate technology for the hotel industry is a paramount issue. Technology can support the management of the hotel industry through many ways. It can be used to enhance the guest experience, an aspect that will allow them visit the hotel again or recommend others to the same facility. This way, technology can be used to enhance customer services, through creating avenues that will enhance faster check- ins and check-outs, allow a timely response to any of the customer requests and enhance their stay environment through a range of entertainment and recreation activities (Bentley, 2005 p66). The other way in which technology can support the management of the hotel ind ustry is in improving the operational efficiencies. This can be achieved through applying technology to reduce the administrative requirements, lean the staff requirement in the facility to sizeable and manageable level, and enhance the cross-functional training. Technology can also be used to centralize most of the functions of the hotel, so that they are operated from a centralized locality, while at the same time enable the management of the hotel to distribute widely its services to the point of easy access by their clients. Since customer expectations as to the services they should receive from the hotel industry are increasing by the day, incorporation of appropriate technology can enhance the possibility of meeting their requirements. Presently, customers expect to be served within the least time possible when they enter into a hotel facility. In such a case, the incorporation of advanced technology that will be used to communicate the requirements of the customers from the r eception department to the kitchen and lodging department will go a long way to ensure that customers are not delayed (Lew, 2008 p412). Management can also use technology to enhance their cost control functions. Appropriate technology such as a system to procure, order, receive and store raw materials and other products required by the hotel facility can serve to reduce the cost incurrence by the hotel (Patrick, 2010 p35). For example, if a hotel lacks a good stock control system, it is likely to find itself lacking some materials while they are highly demanded. This would mean that the hotel would fail to meet their customer needs and consequently lose their loyalty and goodwill. If a hotel facility incorporates a good stock