Bibliographical Study of Giovanni Boccaccio Essay

Bibliographical Study of Giovanni Boccaccio - Essay Example Giovanni Boccaccio spent his boyhood in the hills about Settignago in the woods above the Mensola and the valley of the Affrico. There is little information available regarding his early years. According to the writings of Giovanni , he was able to read and write at the age of seven, further with Giovanni di Domenico Mazzuoli da Strada he began the study of grammar. (Hutton, E. 12) After that Giovanni was set to study Mathematics and the more he knew about accounting and bookkeeping, the more he hated it. Still hoping to see the son prosperous in a classical way, Giovanni’s father sent him Naples to become a merchant. Giovanni writes later, that â€Å"If my father had dealt wisely with me I might have been among the great poets.† (Hutton, E. 19) Either this way or the other, Giovanni ended up studying law, which, as it seems, he enjoyed no more then banking. The studying of the law allowed him to establish good contact with students. Humanists Barbato da Sulmona and Gio vanni Barrili, and the theologian Dionigi da San Sepolcro should be emphasized when it comes to speaking about the early influences of Boccaccio. Giovanni managed to put up with his stepmother until the moment, when she gave birth to his stepbrother – Francesco. The reflections of Giovanni back on his childhood seem to be filled with grief and sorrow. (Hutton, E. 15-20). Boccaccio saw Maria d'Acquino, a married woman and natural daughter of King Robert, in 1334 for the first time. The woman was the inspiration of his early works, once coming into his life, she never left him. The golden hair, shining eyes, and the milk-white skin, her love was the greatest prize of his youth. (Hutton, E. 30) Even though the fact that Boccaccio found his inspiration in a woman can hardly be doubted, still there is no documental proof that Maria ever existed and was not a product of wild imagination of one of the greatest writers that had ever existed. The reason why particular consideration sh ould be given to the early years of Boccaccio and his first romantic love is that these events pre-determined his further life. Maria introduced Boccaccio to court and merged him to write. 2. Petrarch: Lifelong Friend and Teacher After being called by father back to Florence in 1341, Boccaccio met his lifelong friend and master Petrarch. Undoubtedly, ever since the moment in 1350, when Boccaccio met Petrarch, he was under his influence. This resulted in a

The Design of a Voltmeter-Ammeter Using PIC Microcontroller

The Design of a Voltmeter-Ammeter Using PIC Microcontroller In electrical or electronic engineering, the voltmeter and ammeter are important devices and are used to measure current and voltage. These devices are very important as they give you an understanding of what is happening in an electrical or electronic circuit. Without these devices we wouldnt be able to determine numerical values of voltage and current therefore we wouldnt have the ability to solve electrical problems. The main objective of this project is to gain experience with the design process covering all aspects of the design process. Two software packages will be used to orchestrate the design process of the circuit and complete build of the project. These packages are OrCAD PCB Editor and Auto-Cad Inventor. This will entail everything from the designing and building of the circuit, using the software package OrCAD PCB Editor the design process will begin designing the circuit by applying all the necessary components for the Volt-Ammeter. The circuit will be built using a PIC microcontroller with a built in LCD screen which will illuminate the voltage and current readings. The second stage will be using the design package AutoCAD Inventor. This is a design software that is used to design the casing of the product with all the specifications needed to give the product the compact finish needed to complete the product before presenting it to the customer. A volt-ammeter is the project designed for Napier University so the students can benefit from an easy to use product having the ability to test, measure and do calculations when measuring voltage and current. The finished product must have certain specifications which will make the device portable, easy to use and compact and also making the device durable so the students can use the device safely without encountering any problems or difficulties. The budget for the project has to be under  £40 per unit so the university can benefit from the finished designed product. 1.2.1 Functionality Electrical measurement devices are used to digitally calculate electrical quantities. Two of the more common quantities are voltage and current. A volt-ammeter is perfect as an addition to any electronic projects like battery chargers or power supplies where it is a necessity to monitor current and voltage consumption. Regarding this project, a PIC16F876A microcontroller will be used to interface the LCD screen. 1.2.2 Engineering requirements The volt-ammeter device will be designed to measure an output voltage ranging from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   0-70v/0-500V with a resolution of 100mV which will be carrying a current between 0-10A with a resolution of 10mA. The volt-ammeter will have a step up and step down button for added calibration to make it possible to measure voltages over 70V and to measure current over 10A. A PIC 16F876A microcontroller will be used in the volt-ammeter. The microcontroller will have a built in analogue to digital controller with a blue/green illuminated LCD display. Voltage Supply 6V-30V Voltage Input 0-70V / 0-500V Voltage Resolution 100 mV Current Consumption 100mA LCD Backlight Current Input 0-10A (or more) Current Resolution mA Figure 1- performance table 1.2.3 Additional Specifications Because the Volt-Ammeter is designed with very few External components it will be made possible to meet the specifications fitting all the components onto a small PCB making it possible for the finished product to be a very handy and portable meter. The meter will be able to produce readings that are accurate, this is due to the calibrated software that is built in and additionally the 1%metal film resistors. There is only one supply voltage needed and this can be acquired by using any mains power supply. The completed meter will only consume 10mA from the backlight of the LCD screen when switched on and 3mA when not in use. When the 10 Ohm resistor is disconnected the backlight of the LCD display will be switched off   Ã‚   Figure 2 external components 1.2.5 Casing Specifications The casing needs to be compact so it can be hand held for ease of use. Compact with all wires concealed to illustrate a safe finished product. Waterproof for protection from electrocution and to prevent damage to components. Additional fittings for PCB placement. LCD Screen placement on front of casing. (central) CMOS FLASH-based 8-bit microcontroller. Performance speed of 200 Nano Seconds. Flash Program Memory. Program Memory 14 KB. 368 RAM Bytes. 2 x 8-bit, 1 x 16-bit Timers. Analogue to Digital Converter- 5 channel, 10-bit. 2 Comparators. Temperature Range -40 to 125 degrees Celsius. Figure 3 PIC Microcontroller 2.1.1 Voltmeter when measuring voltage between two points in an electrical or electronic circuit a certain device must be used. This device is a voltmeter and is intended to measure either direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC). There are two types of voltmeter, these devices are either analogue voltmeters or digital voltmeters. The analogue meter has a current meter in series with a high resistance. This high resistance is needed otherwise the circuit being tested will be disturbed due to a significant amount of current being drawn. A digital voltmeter displays numerical values; these values can range of 1000v to 3000v and can increase in powers of 10. 2.1.2 Ammeter An ammeter is the instrument needed to measure electrical current that flows through a circuit. The ampere or amp is the unit of measure for current. Conclusion The writing and design of this project has been made possible due to the applied theories and practical skills that I have learnt and administered in integrated circuit design. The knowledge I have gained has given me the skills to produce design and construct operating systems that are capable of performing practical tasks. Because of these skills it has given me the confidence to write design and produce this project which is titled The Design of a Volt-Ammeter using PIC microcontroller. http://pic-microcontroller.com/voltmeter-ammeter-using-pic-microcontroller/ http://www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/PIC16F876A http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/voltmeter http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-an-ammeter-definition-function-quiz.html

Video games Essay -- Government, Censoring Video Games

Do videogames really need to be censored by the United States’ Government? Over the past several years there has been a controversial court case under discussion to censor videogames. This case is trying to get the United States’ Government to prohibit the selling of all videogames that may include graphic violence, virtual sex, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, portrayal of criminal behavior or other provocative and objectionable material (Mears, Para 1). There are numerous arguments why videogames should or should not be censored. Videogames should not be censored because parents should show responsibility in raising their children, it is unconstitutional, videogame companies take enough steps to already censor their products already, and censorship would impact the videogame industry tremendously. During the past years there has been the first ever videogame court case called Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association, trying to pass a law against selling or renting violent games to minors (Scholssman, Para 1). This case has been going on for several years and has recently escalated all the way to the Supreme Court. The morning of November 2, 2010, the United States Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments for this case. During the oral arguments; both sides gave their reasons of why they thought the bill should be approved or thrown out. During the oral arguments of the Californian Representative; Justice Scalia brought up the point that even Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a series of German household and children fairy tales, are violent and could these be excluded by the law. This brought up instant argument weather or not could this be broadened to just video games or all sources of entertainme... ...ame Votes Network say â€Å"government regulation based on games’ content will stifle creativity, and will have a chilling effect on game publishers who may feel the need to dilute content due to the threat of government action and fines† (2010, Para 2). These regulations will put vast limitations on videogame producers that producers of other forms of media don’t face. This case is still going on and under dispute in the Supreme Court. The fact that Entertainment Merchants Association has won all of the cases in the lower courts gives them a huge advantage in the Supreme Court ruling. They are expecting to hear a ruling in late February or early March of 2011, but in June at the latest because that is when this term of the Supreme Court ends. When a ruling is made there will be no warnings and once the ruling is dropped everyone will have to go from there.

Explore and evaluate Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in Macbeth Essay

Explore and evaluate Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in Macbeth, supporting your answer with a detailed discussion of two scenes of your choice. In the play Macbeth, the supernatural is a major theme, and is important on a number of levels: firstly, it held many attractions for its original audience, both general and specific; secondly, the supernatural is an intriguing dramatic device, used to drive the play along and to keep it exciting; finally, the supernatural also has a great thematic significance to the play. This essay will look at each of these points in turn, and supplement them with a detailed analysis of exactly how Shakespeare uses the supernatural in relation to two scenes; Act One Scene One, and Act Five Scene One. It is important, however, to begin with a definition of the supernatural and what it encompasses. The supernatural is defined as forces, occurrences, and beings that cannot be explained by science. When people think of the supernatural they automatically think of dark and mysterious beings such as ghosts and witches, but phenomena such as hallucinations, prophecies, vision and apparitions can also be grouped under the supernatural. The supernatural comes from the two words â€Å"super† and â€Å"nature†. In this case the word â€Å"super† means â€Å"beyond†, so the supernatural can encompass all things beyond nature, or perversions of nature, such as unusual weather and weather and sleep disorders. Finally, the supernatural can also mean disrupting the natural order, such as regicide. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he wrote it for a specific as well as a general audience: The specific audience was James I, and the general audience were the theatregoers of Elizabethan and Jacobean England. It was very important that when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he wrote in a way that would appeal to James I. James I had been the Patron of Shakespeare’s band of actors, The King’s Men, since 1603, and it is thought that Macbeth was first performed in August 1606 to celebrate the visit of James’ brother-in-law, King Christian of Denmark, so James I would have been the Patron of The King’s Men for three years. It was important that the Patron enjoyed the plays because he or she was one of the main sources of money for the actors. In Macbeth, witches were the main supernatural phenomenon in the play, and for the audience of the time, witches were believed to be very real, and a subject of great conversation, not only with the regular working-class, but also with the great thinkers of that time. This notion was also memorably and hilariously in the famous debate scene from â€Å"Monty Python and the Holy Grail.† Most importantly, though, the use of witchcraft in Macbeth would have appealed greatly to King James I. James I always had a fascination with witches. In 1950, while he was still King of Scotland, he had over 300 â€Å"witches† tortured in order to extract confessions that they were conspiring against him. King James took an active part in these trials, believing that, since the Kings was believed to be God’s representative on Earth, he would obviously be the main target of these â€Å"agents of the devil†. Also, James himself wrote and published a book about witchcraft around 1597, the Demonology, in which he detailed their supposed powers of predicting the future, affecting the weather, defying all laws of physics and taking demonic possession of innocent people. In 1592, King James had a meeting with a lady called Agnes Simpson, someone who for a long time had been suspected of being a practising witch. James met with her to interrogate her about her witchcraft, but was highly disturbed when Simpson began quoting the exact same words James’s wife said to him on their wedding night. This made James far more engrossed with witchcraft, and made him even more determined to rid the world of these â€Å"agents of the devil†. Finally, in 1604, new laws were enacted by James I stating that practising witches would be punished by execution. Shakespeare not only used the witches to grab the attention of James I; he also used them as a way to flatter James, his friends and his relatives. The witches are used to prophesise the succession of Banquo’s progeny as King, and help to show Banquo favourably: In the original story of Macbeth, found in Holinshed’s Chronicles of Scotland, Banquo is complicit to Duncan’s murder, but Shakespeare changes this to show that Banquo is a honest, pure-of-heart person, which will please James I as Banquo is a old ancestor of his. He also shows Banquo to be a wise person in Act One Scene Three, where Banquo and Macbeth meet the witches for the first time. Macbeth’s reaction is one of ambition, and is captivated by what the witches say, whereas Banquo has a far more cautious response, and is aware that the witches could well be up to no good. I, iii 123 – 126 And oftentimes to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s In deepest consequence.- This will please James I, to know that his relatives were also aware of witches’ evil. James I is also mentioned in Macbeth, when Macbeth has a vision of eight King’s, on with â€Å"two-fold balls and treble sceptres†. These were James’ regalia, and symbolised James’s power over Macbeth. James I is also seen to have power of Macbeth when Banquo’s ghost is seen sitting in Macbeth’s chair. This use of the supernatural suggests that Banquo’s ancestors will one day take over the throne from Macbeth. Macbeth’s fear of Banquo’s ghost also suggests again that Banquo is superior to Macbeth. Finally, Shakespeare uses the supernatural to interest James I when Macbeth seems powerless in the face of Lady Macbeth’s illness. Malcolm and Macduff talk about how the true king has the power to cure the King’s Evil, as disease called scrofula. James I was believed to have this power and it would have pleased James to know that Shakespeare has shown him to be more powerful than Macbeth. Shakespeare also realised how important it is for plays to appeal to their general audience, and uses a number of different methods to carry this out. The regular people of Elizabethan and Jacobean England also had a fascination with witches, and every town in England would have suspected witches, so it was a common subject of conversation. From these conversations sprouted rumours about the ways and lifestyles of witches, and Shakespeare put hints of these stories into Macbeth. In Act 1 Scene 3, Witch 2 says she has been â€Å"Killing swine†, whilst witch 1 says that â€Å"in a sieve I’ll hither sail†. The people of that time did actually believe that witches killed pigs and sailed over the ocean in a sieve, and hearing these things in a play would have lit up their enthusiastic fascination and would have grabbed their attention. In Macbeth the witches are not only used to fascinate the audience but also to amuse them. The audience would have enjoyed the reference to the witches â€Å"beards† in Act 1 Scene 3, as the witches would have been played by men, and the self-aware joking from the actors would have gone down well with the whole audience. Shakespeare also uses recent events to attract the audience. Macbeth becomes very concerned about the fact that he has no heir to his throne, and the audience will be able to relate this to their recent experience of Queen Elizabeth, who died with no natural heir. The supernatural also adds to Macbeth on a dramatic level, and is used to create suspense, embellish themes of the play and to accentuate the characters personalities, amongst other things. As previously mentioned, the supernatural encompasses hallucinations, and Macbeth’s hallucination of a dagger is a great dramatic device to give the audience the full, haunting extent of Macbeth’s inner turmoil. In some performances of Macbeth, the dagger actually appears hovering onstage, and whilst that maybe an interesting use of special effects, I think it is far more effective when the dagger is invisible, as we can see that he is in fact seeing things, and that what is going on is just in his mind. Similarly, when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair, having no one sitting in the chair shows how disturbed Macbeth is. Also, this would the audience in the same position as his friends at the table, perplexed and worried about what is happening. On the other hand, if someone was to play Banquo’s ghost, it would allow for the actor to make use of the stage trapdoor, which would have gone down very well with the audience. Another use of Banquo’s ghost is to mark a turning point in the play; before the ghost’s arrival, Macbeth is authoritative and respected, but his reaction to the ghost shows him in a completely different light, nervous and vulnerable, and this would change his friends’ opinions. This signifies a big change in the play, and from this point onward things become progressively words for Macbeth. Another example of how the supernatural is used as a dramatic device is when Macbeth and Banquo first meet with the witches. The audience know that Macbeth is to be soon hailed Thane of Cawdor, but Macbeth is unaware. This use of dramatic irony gives the audience a sense of superiority, and draws them into the play. Finally, in Act 2 and Scene 4 Ross and the Old Man are commenting on how the events of Macbeth’s regicide have affected the wider world. Here they act almost like a Greek chorus, providing a running commentary on events. The events they describe, such as Duncan’s horses eating each other and a Falcon being eaten by a Mousing Owl effectively tell the audience that Macbeth’s actions have far-reaching consequences. Macbeth is a tragedy, and Shakespeare uses the supernatural to reinforce this. Macbeth is tragic because at the beginning of the play Macbeth is a brave, honourable man, but by the end he is a weak, self centred man, who is eventually killed through fault of his own. This fits Aristotle’s notion of what a tragedy is. In his Poetics he says that a good tragedy has to be about the downfall of a man from a position of greatness to one of lowliness and death. However, Aristotle then goes on to say that it is only a true tragedy if the downfall was brought about by an aspect of the man’s personality, what Aristotle called his â€Å"fatal flaw†. Macbeth’s fatal flaw is his ambition, and the supernatural is used to back this up in a number of ways: The witches in Macbeth are used to show how Macbeth’s ambition takes over everything in his life, and is responsible for Macbeth’s killing of Duncan. In Act 1 Scene 3, the witches don’t say anything about killing Duncan, but Macbeth is so captivated by the fact that he has been told he could be King, his ambition takes over and he would do anything to get to the crown. Shakespeare also uses Banquo’s reaction to the witches’ prophecies to bring out Macbeth’s burning ambition further still. Banquo hears the same things from the witches, but responds in a far more level-headed way, which shows how great an effect Macbeth’s ambition has on his thoughts. Ambition is one of the main themes in Macbeth, but perhaps the most important theme is that of Kingship, and the lengths Macbeth will go to to become King, which includes Regicide. In Shakespearean times people were far more aware of The Divine Right of Kings, and therefore killing a King was the next crime down from killing God. An assault on the King is an assault on God, and it was shown by Ross and the Old Man in Act 2 Scene 4 that the killing of Duncan had supernatural consequences. These consequences are an example of how nature is disordered and unnatural, and the supernatural also conveys this in a number of ways: In the opening scene, the witches talk about paradoxes such as â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair†, and they say Banquo is â€Å"lesser that Macbeth, and greater.† This is Shakespeare’s way of showing that things in the play are the opposite of what they seem, and that there are many double meanings to what the witches say. Even the appearance of the witches show that things are reversed and upside down, as displayed by the witches beards. Also, Shakespeare uses the interruption of natural rhythms such as sleep to show how the natural order has been interrupted. Lady Macbeth’s somnambulance is a clear example of how disturbed she is over the death of Duncan, and because Lady Macbeth is always putting a front on in public laced with smiles, sleepwalking is a highly effective way of bringing out her inner turmoil. Finally, Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy to show what effect Macbeth’s actions have on the rest of the world. The stormy weather and earthquakes described once again by Ross and Old Man demonstrate that there not just a few people suffering from Macbeth’s actions, it encompasses a whole nation. This essay has shown how Shakespeare uses the supernatural in a dramatic, thematic and audience-specific ways, but in order to see just how effectively he integrates into the text, it is important to look at two scenes where it is most memorably used. This essay will be looking at Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 1. ACT 1 SCENE 1 The opening scene is an excellent platform to see the supernatural in its most common manifestation in Macbeth: the three witches. The first scene introduces the audience to the witches, and Shakespeare uses the witches to set the scene for the rest of the play. Before the witches even speak, we know this is going to be a dark, intense play from the stage directions. Firstly, thunder and lightning is Shakespeare’s way of using pathetic fallacy to tell us what sort of mood the play has. Thunder and lightning creates a very tense mood, as you never know when the lightning will strike. It will also create a dark sky, making it every scarier. Thunder and lightning also symbolises that everything is not in order, and things aren’t running smoothly. The second part of the stage directions simply says â€Å"Enter THREE WITCHES.† I have already said how fascinated people were with witches in Shakespearean times, and seeing on stage as soon as the play begins would have lit their enthusiasm and grabbed their attention instantaneously. Witches are of course encompassed by the supernatural. These agents of the devil are there to show that the natural order of things and the natural order of God has been disrupted, and all is not well. When the Witches begin talking, it becomes apparent that they want to meet with Macbeth, and that things in the play aren’t all well. When they say â€Å"when the battle’s lost and won†, these oxymoronic statements show that everything is upside down, and that one thing can quite easily mean the other. It emerges that they will meet again with Macbeth upon the heath before the set of the sun, meaning today. They also talk about their â€Å"demons†, Paddock and Greymalkin, a toad and a cat. People at the time believed witches kept pets to spy on people so they could posses them. James I wrote about it in his book. The language that witches use and the way they talk is quite unusual, and shows why the three have been branded â€Å"The Wyrd Sisters†. When the witches are talking, they never talk in iambic pentameter, the usual pattern of Shakespeare’s writing. The iambic pentameter symbolises a natural rhythm, and the disruption of this rhythm demonstrates the natural order of things has been disrupted. This is very similar to Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking in Act 5 Scene 1. Also, the witches’ phrases seem to carry on from one another. An example of this is when Witch 2 says â€Å"When the battle’s lost and won†, and Witch 3 immediately replies â€Å"That will be the ere the set of sun.† This sort of language could mean that they are all part of one body, and controlled by one greater power, namely the Devil. It also could be seen to show that the witches are using telepathic powers to communicate with one another. The people of Shakespearean times were firm believers that witches could communicate with each other through the power of their minds, and James I also wrote about it in his book The Demonology. The penultimate line in this scene, â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair† once again shows how one thing can mean the other, and that the witches are turning over God’s natural order. The first scene in this play isn’t very long at all, but in it Shakespeare manages to tell us an awful lot about the nature of the play, and sets the scene well for the rest of the play. This haunting scene shows the final degeneration of Lady Macbeth, in which the supernatural plays an important part in conveying the full extent of Lady Macbeth’s troubles. Prior to this scene, Lady Macbeth has never let her cover slip. She has remained â€Å"th’innocent flower† in public, and only alone or with Macbeth has she been â€Å"the serpent under’t†. This is the first point where she subconsciously lets her facade slip. Only when she says she would have murdered Duncan â€Å"had he not resembles / [her] father as he slept† does the audience see she has the tiny piece of humanity, and the audience also sees a glimpse of her guilt when she says that â€Å"Naught’s had, all’s spent, / Where our desire is got without consent.† Apart from these two comments, Lady Macbeth has appeared strong and not let her front slip, so it is a great shock to see her so vulnerable and weak in such a verbal and visual way. The stage directions of this scene are â€Å"Enter a DOCTOR OF PHYSIC and a WAITING-GENTLEWOMAN.† The fact that there is a Doctor is a concern to the audience, because a doctor is only ever present when someone is ill (nature being disordered), or there is a need to stave off death. Also, a waiting-gentlewoman suggests that Lady Macbeth that has to depend on someone else, which is a huge contrast to her ever-independent personality, especially since the waiting-gentlewoman is of a lower status to herself. So just by the stage directions, we know that Lady Macbeth is in need of help. We are also aware of that Lady Macbeth is troubled from the conversation between the Doctor and waiting-gentlewoman. For a start, it turns out that that the pair have been watching Lady Macbeth for two nights now. The fact that Lady Macbeth has let people watch her without her realising shows how vulnerable she is because she doesn’t know what information she is giving to the audience. The gentlewoman then goes on to tell the Doctor (and the audience) a list of what Lady Macbeth has done â€Å"Since his majesty went into the field†. The fact that she automatically throws â€Å"her night-gown upon her† suggests that she is subconsciously ashamed of herself and has a desire to conceal her true self. This is a very effective insight to Lady Macbeth’s inner thoughts, although this is lost in the Polanski version of Macbeth, where she appears naked. This essay has already discussed how Macbeth is full of oxymorons and contradictions, and this scene is no exception. When the waiting-gentlewoman talks about how Lady Macbeth has managed to complete all these actions that usually occur when people are awake (she manages to â€Å"unlock he closet, take forth paper† etc.), it is highly strange for anyone to do them â€Å"in a most fast sleep†. This is another way of Shakespeare showing that nature has been disrupted. The Doctor explains it well that there has to be â€Å"A great perturbation in nature, to receive at once the benefit of sleep, and do the effects of watching!† He then follows this with the oxymoronic â€Å"slumbery agitation†, another sign of a natural rhythm being overturned. Lady Macbeth’s actions are also full of contradictions, as noted by the comments: â€Å"her eyes are open† †¦ â€Å"but their senses are still shut†; and also â€Å"she has spoke what she should not†, displaying once again the fact that she has no control over what people hear her say. Finally, the fact that the servant won’t tell the Doctor what she has seen her do previously heightens the suspense. When Lady Macbeth finally arrives onstage, the stage directions say â€Å"with a taper.† The taper could resemble her isolation, a small candle in a dark room, or it could emphasise her desire for light, in contrast too her â€Å"dark desires†. It would also give extra meaning to Macbeth’s famous â€Å"out, out brief candle† speech, which he gave just after the news of his wife’s death. Sleepwalking is unnatural, as a natural bodily cycle is being interrupted. The audience may have seen this as supernatural possession, possibly by the witches, which would have made the scene even more intense. When Lady Macbeth is in her â€Å"slumbery agitation† it seems as if she is in another world. The fact that she is being commented on by the Doctor and waiting-woman emphasises her isolation from the rest of the world. Also, the fact that the audience can see hear Lady Macbeth without her knowing will give them a feeling of superiority over her, and make her feel less powerful. When Lady Macbeth comes onstage the audience is drawn to â€Å"how she rubs her hands.† The audience are told that she has been known to do this for a quarter of an hour makes clear the extent of her deterioration. When Lady Macbeth first speaks, she talks of the imaginary, supernatural â€Å"spot† of blood on her hand. This mirrors Macbeth’s hallucination of the â€Å"air-drawn dagger†. Lady Macbeth is experiencing what Macbeth has already encountered, but she has suppressed all humanity and compassion in her to such an extent that it has to find a way out, and the only way is when she is unconscious. When Macbeth sees the dagger he appears to have gone mad to the audience, but his cathartic projection of his fears is far healthier. In this scene, Lady Macbeth’s language has changed dramatically. Her first speech is only four syllables long, but it is in prose, as opposed to the formal iambic pentameter verse. Her speech is disjointed, which represents her isolation from the world. Also, there is so little rhythm to it, although it could be argued that the phrase takes a spondaic form, which would suggest a very disordered state and lack of control. Also, her speech is purposefully bland, reserved for those of a lower status, and most certainly not royalty like herself. This is very similar to Macbeth’s linguistic degeneration, when he addresses the Murderers in prose. Lady Macbeth’s language is a highly telling manifestation of her degeneration. The contrast between her poetic, calculated persuasion of Act One to the child-like drivel of â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife†. Lady Macbeth’s final speech is of a woman who is no longer exists in the present: she is in the past reliving her memories, almost in some horrifying reverie. The fact she is reliving the past is backed up with â€Å"there’s knocking at the gate†, reflects a reliving of the last few moments before their act of murder was discovered. The speech is also crammed with repetition, with â€Å"come† repeated four times and â€Å"to bed† five. Finally, the phrase â€Å"give me your hand† is a perfect expression of her feelings towards her husband – she still loves him but she still feels the desire to command and control. The doctor’s final speech widens the scope of Lady Macbeth’s experiences to take in the whole world: â€Å"Foul whisperings are abroad† can be used to apply to the death of Lady Macbeth herself, but can also relate to the supernatural side-effects of Macbeth’s regicide. After the degeneration of Lady Macbeth, one of the most powerful and vivid character in all of drama, it is the lowly doctor who talks in poetry, not his usual prose. â€Å"Unnatural deeds/ Do breed unnatural troubles† sums up the play brilliantly, but a terrifying reminder of the consequences the Macbeths have to live with. SECTION SEVEN: conclusion This essay has looked at Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural in great detail, commenting on it in a thematic, dramatic and audience-specific sense and focusing in extra detail on Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 1. Shakespeare makes excellent use of the supernatural through witches, hallucinations, prophecies, somnambulance and freak weather. Whether they dominate the scene or not, the many manifestations of the supernatural are used precisely and effectively to add an extra dimension to Macbeth.

Virginia Woolf’s Feminism

Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women In 1797. Her tract was based on the enlightenment that she used in many of her arguments. She believed that reason, rationality and virtue lead to a better society. She also believed that reason and education would improve the status of women, and that the improvement of women leads to the improvement of society.Some of the most important principles of feminism are relying on rationality, voicing your pinion, developing the right terminology and that gender definitions are based on social norms. Another feminist who influenced Woolf was John Stewart Mill who discussed another Important principle of feminism, understanding what â€Å"nature† Is. He argued that what goes by the name â€Å"unnatural† generally means â€Å"uncustomary. Feminism debates what society thinks Is unnatural. He believes that the subjection of women is a universal custom making feminism a universal issue.Mill also argues that women have al ways been subjected to men so one cannot claim that It Is it natural. He asserts that to decide what is natural is highly debatable. What Is now called the nature of women is an artificial result of forced repression and unnatural stimulation where women are treated as a commodity. Being influenced by other feminists and her own personal experiences, Virginia Woolf developed her own feminist tract A Room of One's Own in 1929. It has been called the â€Å"founding book of feminist literary criticism†.The book covered the following principles. The book opens with Woolf announcing her maln argument. women need to be free to have their own economical independence and have their own identity. Only when they have their own sanctuary of ones self, can they have artistic freedom which means being economically independent and not having to write Just in order to make money. Woolf Insists that poverty Is key and women were not allowed to own anything, Just as John Stewart Mill and Mary Wollstonecraft claimed that women were repressed.Women have been Impoverished and undereducated that is the reason they were few female writers, not because women were useless and did not know how to write. Women were made Inferior, Woolf continues by speaking about the British Library, hich was under patriarchal rule. Woolf could only go to specific places in the library and eat In certain places as well. That shows that men governed the society and they were considered to be the more superior and capable gender.The narrator then moved on to another point, stating that the superiority of men is constantly being reinforced In literature. The weakness of women was structured by men. Woolf insists that the weakness of women is not innate; it is because women were repressed into being the way they were. Men continuously reinforced the stereotype nternalizing that form of reception and values. Woolf then proposes a question: † If women are so Inferior then why are there so many I nteresting heroines in literature? showing us that the role of exceptional female characters was highlighted. However, 1 OF2 traditional roles were considered far less important than men's. Woolf believed that we should change the status of women's â€Å"work† which is domestic and not belittle the role of women, instead reconceptualize the role of women. Woolf also believed that if you confine women into a limited environment how do you expect them to write bout something else? Women are confined to the domestic sphere, which limits their writing abilities.Great art is produced by those who are free in mind and spirit. If women write knowing that they will be disapproved of or laughed at this will affect the quality of their work. Freedom and creativity go hand in hand. Woolf believes the first great writer is Jane Austen. She also believes that writing is not about gender, it is about something much deeper. Finally Woolf argues that the truly great minds are androgynous whi ch means belonging to neither sex. A writer should be neither asculine nor feminine but a combination of both.Virginia Woolf's themes in her feminist tract are equal opportunity for both sexes, which does not mean erasing differences, but to â€Å"invalidate the gender class system†. One must differentiate and realize that equal opportunity does not mean melting away the differences between male and female. Another theme that was covered was truth versus opinion. One must distinguish between theory and opinion from truth. The third and final theme is changing men's attitudes towards women, and more crucially women's attitudes towards themselves.

Ethan Frome - Character Analysis

Ethan Frome - Character Analysis A disabled man, his wife and his mistress, living alone at the top of a hill in a small New England town; these elements seem to belong in the beginning of a cryptic murder mystery. Instead, it is the outcome of Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome. Ethan, the protagonist, is affected by many circumstances surrounding him. Events spanning from the death of his mother to a tragic tobogganing accident have taken a toll on Ethan's mental and physical condition. The protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, is highly influenced by the situations and circumstances he encounters.The most obvious circumstance affecting Ethan's life is the women that live with him. His wife, Zeena, is really a distant cousin that came to live with Ethan to care for his sick mother. Once his mother died, Zeena planned on moving back with her family. Suddenly she got 'sick' and needed Ethan to take care of her, so they married and Zeena stayed in Ethan's house.EthanWith all of Zeena's sudden ailments, t hey needed a girl to help around the house. Zeena's second cousin's daughter, Mattie, then came to live with the Fromes. Zeena continues to fake illness in order to get Ethan to pay attention to her. For instance, when Zeena and Ethan would fight and he said something to offend her, she would launch into a coughing fit, distracting Ethan from the argument and forcing him to pity her. On the other hand, there was the young girl Mattie. She was Zeena's absolute opposite. Where Zeena was quick-witted and smart, Mattie was absentminded, but she was the obvious beauty when compared to Zeena. To Ethan, Mattie was everything Zeena couldn't give him. Ethan was overcome with lust for this young girl. She used her positive qualities...

Relection Piece of trip to DC essays

Relection Piece of trip to DC essays The trip to Washington DC was the greatest trip in my life; there was a lot of history there. I think the tour of the capital building was the greatest part. Actual seeing the capital building from inside was so cool. Also, first getting to DC when I saw all the buildings it was amazing. In addition, walking on the steps of the Lincoln memorial was exciting. It really seeing the statue was very awesome and seeing the quotes of what he said was cool. When we preformed at the elderly center I think we really influenced those people because music is everything and I think we played well for them and I think they enjoyed it and I think our younger audience liked it too. I hope we could do that again some day. However, I know it was a once in a lifetime experience Later that night we went to a cruise on the Potomac River. I had a blast, when I started dancing with Carol and Kay it was fun. Moreover, seeing Jerry our tour guide swing dance was awesome, he was a good dancer, I could not swing dance worth anything. However, I did try to learn it but I just was tired and could not learn. When we finally hit a slow dance, I danced with Molly, which was awesome. Dancing with a beautiful girl was awesome, but the highlight of that night was when we were doing group dancing. That was kind of fun. But anyway, it was a very cool cruise. Now that night can never be repeated, it was so awesome I could not believe that we had a chance to do that. However, one down side of it, it was not a real dinner. We had pizza, what type of dinner is that? I thought we were going have a real dinner like steak and potatoes. But oh well, I loved the cruise, and loved dancing with all those people. Nevertheless, there was some down sides like our sleeping arrangements. I did not sleep in a bed until the last night we stayed at the hotel. My back was cramped and my ankle started to hurt the day of the parade. I was so tired all of the time. However, I did...

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book Do it Well

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book Do it Well How Long Does it Take to Write a Book? The most valuable thing a writer can learn is how long does it take to write a book. And while most sources say it depends, we break it down for you.According to this article that interviewed famous authors, when asked how long it took to produce their debut novels, the answers ranged from four years to a decade. In other words, a very long time.While it’s nice to be able to take your time honing and polishing your new book, a rough draft sitting on your hard drive isn’t doing anything for you. It’s not building your author name, spreading your message, or growing your audience.Moreover, it’s not earning you a single cent.But there is amazing news:Writing your book can take far less time than you think. You just need to have the right mindset and stay motivated.Heres what youll learn about how long it takes to write a book:How to create a deadlinePrioritizing to take less time to write a bookCreate word count goalsFind accountability to write a book faster Set challenges to finish writing your bookHere at Self-Publishing School, our goal is to improve this arduous writing process. Right now, we coach our students to routinely complete a new book in just 90 days, finishing their first draft in as little as 30 days!They are able to accomplish this by following a simple step-by-step guide that were going to share with you today.NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereHow long does it take to write a book?Many authors report that it takes up to a year to write a book, but more recently, authors are finishing their books in as little as a month to 90 days. How long it takes to write a book largely depends on how much time the writer puts in to actually writing it, though.The truth about how long it takes to write a book depends on how many words are in it.Heres a guideline for how long it takes to write a book: 30,000 50,000 words: 500 words/day = 60 100 days50,000 80,000 words: 500 words/day = 100 160 days80,000 100,000 words: 500 words/day = 160 200 daysEssentially, the length of time it takes can be anywhere from two months to 7 months depending on how often you write and how many words you write per session.Following the guidelines below, you can learn to supercharge your own book writing process, and you’ll become a published author much faster.How to Write a Book Faster so it Doesnt Take as LongIf you want to know how to write a book faster so it doesnt take as long, here are our best tips.#1 Establishing a Strategic DeadlineDeadlines are designed to help you inch closer to completing your book. It also encourages you to work every day hitting both short-term and long-term goals. However, you wont find success by setting arbitrary due dates. They must be set up for your books success.Here are3 ways to establish strategic deadlines:Define realistic deadlines.Set short te rm and long term deadlines for each portion of your draft that breaks down your entire book.Set honest expectations.If youre only able to write 500 words a day, so be it. Dont push yourself into thinking that you can complete an unrealistic task. Be honest with your abilities and align it with your deadline.Implement rewards. Dont make writing a book feel like a tedious job. Reward yourself for achieving your goals! Attaching rewards to each accomplishment will make finishing your book much more aspiring to complete.Action Step:Before writing, set your first draft time frame between 30-90 days and set target dates that tackle both short term and long term goals for your first draft.#2 Prioritizing Your Writing Into TasksWhat separates those who can write multiple books to those who can barely write a page isthe ability to prioritize. Because there are so many competing factors that pull away our time and energy,prioritizing is actually a very hard concept to implement.But in order to write your book, you need to establish clear priorities to get anything done.Here are some ways to prioritize your work:List out every detail of your book and turn them into tasksAssess each task to identify what carries the biggest value to completing your bookOrder tasks by its immediate priority and length of time to completeAnticipate unexpected changes to your schedule, and plan an alternative schedule to stay on trackAction Step:Make the effort and spend a few hours prioritizing your writing process. You will be surprised with how much writing you can accomplish with a well thought out task plan.#3 Creating Word Count GoalsOne of the best ways to accelerate the writing process is to set word count goals. Like training intervals, setting up word count goals will pace how many words to write a day.First you have to understand how many words in a novel for your genre. Once you know this, you can work backward to figure out how much you have to write each day in order to reach your deadline.By establishing these parameters for your own success, not only will you be more likely to accomplish these goals, but you will also notice improvements to your writing.Heres an example of a tracking sheet you can set up in order to accomplish your word count goals:We recommend writing down your daily, weekly, and monthly word count goals to not only show your current progress, but to keep you motivated until you reach the end. It also helps to include rewards for every new milestone!Action Step:Start your daily word count goal to 500-1,000 words per day. By completing 1,000 words per day, you’ll be looking at your completed 30,000 word first draft in one month!#4 Finding Your Accountability PartnerA supportive partner can be a great soundboard, a first pair of eyes, and a protector of your sanity. They can also be the extrinsic motivation you need to meet your own deadlines and word counts.When you have an accountability partner backing you up, it makes it ha rder to procrastinate because they expect great results from you!At Self-Publishing School, we believe in the accountability system and encourage our students to pair up with other like-minded students to encourage one another and hold each other accountable for reaching goals and deadlines.This is done through our Mastermind Community, so everyone has the same goal in mind: start writing a book and finish by self-publishing a book.It’s a great motivating tactic and helps our students complete their books on time.Action Step:Find an accountability partner who is willing to encourage and hold you accountable to meet your deadlines!#5 Setting Challenges for YourselfFollowing the same routine can get old quickly especially for something lengthy like writing the first draft of your book.To combat the fear of boredom and add more spark to your writing project, we encourage you to set challenges for yourself!Here are some simple challenges to set to write your book faster:Double t he word count youve originally set daily, monthly, yearlyPurposely tighten deadlines to increase pressureBan the use of your phone or all forms of distractions until youve completed your taskRead your unfinished draft out loud to someone new for feedbackAction Step:Include a few of these challenges every so often to increase the intensity of your writing. You may tack on even better rewards for each successful challenge youve completed.If you ever dream of becoming a self-published author, now is the time to finally make it a reality.By following these guidelines on how to develop a robust writing process, you will have your first book ready to publish in no time.Ready to become a successful author?You already know you want to write a book. Your problem is howtogetitdonetimely. Because lets be honest, we all dont have years to get a book done.But thats where we come in.

Scientific Method Exercise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific Method Exercise - Assignment Example The damage caused them to produce sperms for reproduction and hence their population eventually ended (Gould, 1984). Drugs. There was an evolution of flowering plants known as angiosperms which were toxic to the liver. The livers of the dinosaurs were unable to detoxify the substance and their tongues unable to taste the bitterness that would have prevented them from eating them. Disasters. Sunlight was blocked by dust raised by a large asteroid which landed on earth. Temperatures were lowered and photosynthesis could not take place leading to massive loss of the animals (Gould, 1984). It is not a possible hypothesis. There is no way to test the dinosaur to verify about their body temperature being lower or higher than that of the earth and also no way of testing about whether or not they became sterile. This is possible as there is evidence of the dinosaurs being found in contorted positions from liver failure and also being the only mammals to die due to the flowers as the other mammals avoided eating them. It is possible based on research on asteroids falling on the earth during that period. It would also explain the reason the extinction of the dinosaurs happened during the same timeline and not over an extended period of

Child-Centered Curriculum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Child-Centered Curriculum - Assignment Example Thus, he uses four instincts to determine the character of the child. These are social, constructive, expressive, and artistic. Moreover, he accentuates that in every instinct, there's a corresponding curriculum that best suits the child. At first sight, John Dewey's child-centered curriculum may looked biased. However, I see it more effective rather than the philosophy proposed by disciplinarists who are main skeptics of John Dewey's belief. I discern that giving importance to a child's' decision help them restrain unnecessary actions and make them more responsible in their own lives. It not only set a perception where they are trusted but also divulge things they are capable of doing. Students, in able to be more effective should know what they really want. This will help them decide which field to pursue. Here, they are more assured to keep on track because they go in the path that interests them. As a shift manager, I seldom put my team under pressure. I motivate them through engaging them with healthy challenges, achievements and fair recognitions. As aforementioned above, I am sensitive to my team's' feelings rather than the goal. If truth be told, my management style varies towards different people just like curriculum towards students. In my job, I tend to handle different people. Same with John Dewey's treatment to students, I prefer giving my team the right to discover their individuality beyond rules and regulations.

Confession Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Confession - Case Study Example Fiona, who has a mental age of 12, is also questioned before the arrival of her solicitor and she admits after 2 hours of questioning that she did assist Elizabeth, but she only did so because she finds her intimidating. Elizabeth and Fiona have previous convictions for burglary and theft and are anxious that these should not be revealed to the jury. Elizabeth informs you that she was at home with her partner James at the time of the alleged offence and has therefore been wrongfully charged. Elizabeth instructs you that James is willing to give evidence on her behalf. Fiona claims that she did inform the interviewing officer of her wish to have her solicitor present before she was interviewed, the officer she claims offered to deal with her leniently if she admitted to her participation in the offence. Are the confessions obtained by the police from Elizabeth and Fiona in the interview admissible as evidence in the offence charged against them Is James qualified to give testimonial evidence in behalf of Elizabeth And will the previous conviction of Elizabeth and Fiona for burglary and theft admissible as evidence against them in this case The current laws of the United Kingdom admit confession as a form of testimonial evidence in an offence charged against a defendant. However, in order to be admissible, a confession is subject to certain conditions or requirements. Confession that was obtained through oppression or violation of the defendant's (human) rights is excluded or inadmissible as evidence in the offence charged against him. To understand the admissibility of the confessions and to answer other relevant issues in this case, it is first essential to analyze history, definition and the conditions for a confession to be admissible as evidence in criminal cases. Historical Perspectives on the Issues Relating to Confessions Most of the decisions in criminal cases at the United Kingdom were based on common law. Under this law, evidence even if improperly obtained is admissible as long as it is relevant to an issue of a case. "A trial judge has no discretion to refuse the acceptance of relevant evidences on the ground that it was improperly obtained or obtained through unfair means" (R v Sang, 1979, UKHL 3). However, with the passage of time, new codes were passed in the United Kingdom that limited or modified the use of common law in deciding cases. Important of these laws are the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, herein referred to as PACE 1984, and the Criminal Justice Act 2003 that will be the primary bases of the arguments to be laid down in this presentation. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 (PACE) (1984 c. 60) is an Act of Parliament which instituted a legislative framework for the powers of police officers in England and Wales to combat crime, as well as providing codes of practice for the exercise of this powers" On the other hand, the Criminal Justice Act of 2003 provides guidelines on the admissibility in criminal proceedings of various evidences. The passage of these laws gave a new requirement for evidence to be admissible in criminal cases, that is, competency. In general, evidence is admissible in court proceedings if it is competent and relevant. Evidence is competent if it is not excluded by any rule of law, and it is relevant if it has a logical connection in the facts in issue. Evidence obtained violating these requirements is inadmissible in cour

Effects Of Adoption On Young Adoptees Assignment

Effects Of Adoption On Young Adoptees - Assignment Example Parents without adopted children think adoption is a simple process whereby the adopted child has only to seek truth about his or her true parentage. This is not the correct because the child experiences other emotional and psychological effects. In this article, the author outlines common feelings adopted kids have. They feelings include a sense of loss and grief over real parentage, lack of control over life, curiosity about family heritage, feels abandoned, guilt, and fear of rejection. In addition, the writer mentions that the adopted children thinks about how life would have been with the birth parents, feels angered by real parent or adoptive ones and feels unworthy of love and fear getting emotionally involved with other people. However, due to the difference in the adoption situation, some children do not experience the feelings since they are at peace with the adoptive parents. They are exceptional. Despite this, parents should work hard to help children learn and cope with the emotions accompanying adoption

Discussion Questions Week One Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Questions Week One - Essay Example When applying a check and balance system in a business function, the most common approach is auditing. Outside auditors help business with inventory, expenditures, payroll, business credit cards, and so forth. This helps check employees and management holding them accountable for their business practices. On the other hand, if an auditor does not do a good job, like in the case of Enron’s auditors they can be held accountable to state and federal law. The three check and balance branches of the government can also be useful in business. Laws, implementing the laws, and enforcing the laws constitutionally can help businesses. I would apply a check and balance system similar to the federal checks and balance system. Charles-Louis de Secondat, a French philosopher, introduced the concept several hundred years ago of separation of powers. It has been used as an example for not only the U.S., but many other democracies. The check and balance I would apply would be managerial (Executive), board of directors (Legislative), and shareholders (Judicial). These branches could execute many decisions, like the auditor brought in by the board of directors, or even a merger voted on by shareholders. The value of the checks and balance system on a business would depend on how successful the business was. Enron and WorldCom did not have a good check and balance system or they would not have gone bankrupt. On the other hand, Exxon/Mobile, IBM, and other successful companies execute their checks and balance system efficiently, hence their success. 2. What are some examples of several methods of discovery? How would you differentiate between these types of discoveries? How would you determine what must be provided by the party receiving the discovery request? A few examples of discovery are depositions, interrogatories, request for an admission, request for a physical examination (teeth impressions, DNA, hair

MGMT 4350 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MGMT 4350 - Essay Example and the processes of change and transition in order to articulate all the available mental and physical resource to ensure that the process goes on seamlessly. This paper seeks to discuss the various factors worth considering while managing change and transition. Particularly, the paper will focus on managing an organization culture transition in a student organization in which I am the leader. Â   The change transition objective is to change the organizational culture of our students’ organization. The university requires that students form a student union that will be mandated with the responsibility of representing the issues to the university management board. The student union is a leadership team selected, through voting, by the university students. The university implemented the student union in early 1950s. Therefore, most of the organizational culture of the student union reflects the ideas that the university senate had in 1950s. The university and world at large has undergone tremendous changes in various facets of life. Many changes have occurred in the management styles due to improvement in technology and the emergence of new theories and models of leadership. Therefore, the student union has been left behind with its old organizational culture when other universities have embraced the power of information technology in management. In order to make the stu dent union to cope with the challenges of modernity, the organizational culture needs to be changed from the conventional leadership culture to technologically powered type of organizational culture. The transition seeks to transform the student union from conventional based to technologically based organizational culture. The student union is ripe and ready for transition. Indeed, the challenges that the student union is facing is overwhelming. The conventional type of organizational culture has become a burden for the student union in terms of meeting its obligations. Since the student union is

Discussion Questions Week One Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion Questions Week One - Essay Example When applying a check and balance system in a business function, the most common approach is auditing. Outside auditors help business with inventory, expenditures, payroll, business credit cards, and so forth. This helps check employees and management holding them accountable for their business practices. On the other hand, if an auditor does not do a good job, like in the case of Enron’s auditors they can be held accountable to state and federal law. The three check and balance branches of the government can also be useful in business. Laws, implementing the laws, and enforcing the laws constitutionally can help businesses. I would apply a check and balance system similar to the federal checks and balance system. Charles-Louis de Secondat, a French philosopher, introduced the concept several hundred years ago of separation of powers. It has been used as an example for not only the U.S., but many other democracies. The check and balance I would apply would be managerial (Executive), board of directors (Legislative), and shareholders (Judicial). These branches could execute many decisions, like the auditor brought in by the board of directors, or even a merger voted on by shareholders. The value of the checks and balance system on a business would depend on how successful the business was. Enron and WorldCom did not have a good check and balance system or they would not have gone bankrupt. On the other hand, Exxon/Mobile, IBM, and other successful companies execute their checks and balance system efficiently, hence their success. 2. What are some examples of several methods of discovery? How would you differentiate between these types of discoveries? How would you determine what must be provided by the party receiving the discovery request? A few examples of discovery are depositions, interrogatories, request for an admission, request for a physical examination (teeth impressions, DNA, hair

Automation Assembly Parts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Automation Assembly Parts - Essay Example QFD has evolved from being a tool for product and process design to being used for strategic planning systematically linking customer requirements with organisational functions and processes. A study has been proposed to review QFD practices and develop a mechanism for implementing QFD. The objective of the study is to review available literature on QFD, and develop a methodology for QFD implementation within an organisation. Published literature in journals, conferences, and case studies would be considered for the study. The development of a product includes several processes, and QFD enables an analysis of every process for satisfying customer requirements within the functional constraints of the organisation. The scope of this study is QFD in a manufacturing organisation. The report will include an understanding of best QFD practices and an illustration for implementing QFD. It is expected that the results of the study will reinforce the use of QFD as a quality management techniq ue, and help identify the ideal ways of implementing QFD in a manufacturing organisation. The assurance of quality in a manufacturing organisation does not only help satisfy customer requirements, but also cut costs and improve efficiency. A study has been proposed to study statistical tools that have been deployed in the manufacturing industry to assure quality. Statistical tools include testing of hypotheses, analysis of regression, control charts, process capability, and six sigma. The study will include review of published literature in journals, conferences, books and case studies to identify best practices involving the use of statistical tools in a manufacturing organisation. Statistical distributions have been used to characterize populations based on a sample. Hypothesis testing has been deployed to help distinguish between areas of concern. Experiments are designed to

Relation Between the Oil Prices and the Sales of Automobiles

Relation Between the Oil Prices and the Sales of Automobiles Abstract The objective of this research is to study and understand the relation between the oil prices and the sales of automobiles. The escalation in the petroleum prices plays a major role in the automobile industry worldwide. When the price of oil increases, it evidently alarms the automobile industry because the auto companies are in the competition with one another to fulfill the new demands for more fuel efficient consumer mindful at condensed price. Furthermore, rise in the petroleum prices also impacts the kind of means of transportation demanded by the buyer and the way those vehicle motors are designed. However after studying the oil price impact on Pakistans automobile industry sales we have concluded that the relationship of oil prices and auto sales does not exists in Pakistan. Contents Acknowledgements II Abstract III Contents IV 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 The Impact of Rising Oil Prices on Automobile Sales: 1 Background of Pakistans Automobile industry 4 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 5 4.0 RESEARCH METHOD 14 5.0 HYPOTHESIS TESTING 15 5.1 INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLE 15 5.1.1 Independent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" domestic oil prices 15 5.1.2 Dependent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Pakistans Auto mobile Sales 16 6.0 DATA ANALYSIS: 17 7.0 CONCLUSION IMPLICATIONS 19 8.0 REFERENCES 20 List of Tables: Table 6.1 ANOVA and level of Significance 18 Table 6.2: Regression Statistics of the tested variables 18 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Impact of Rising Oil Prices on Automobile Sales: Impact of oil in daily life is quite evident. Oil is considered as a strategic energy for economic time line. The price of oil has an effect on cost of production in diversified ways such as with the increase in oil prices, there is an increase in the costs of transportation of export, import and goods for local expenditure. Apart from this there is also an upward slope in rates of air, road, rail and sea transportation with the rise in the price petroleum. Oil endows with 97% of the transportation fuels that facilitates in running the trucks cars and other automobiles in the countrys highway. Thus, when the price of the oil increases, it evidently alarms the automobile industry because the auto-companies are in competition with one another to fulfill the new demands for more fuel proficient consumer mindful at condensed price. There are no reservations that profit margin of the companies are affected by this. Furthermore, rise in oil price also affects the kind of means of transportation demanded by the buyer and the way those vehicle motors are designed. The escalation in the petroleum prices plays a major part in the automotive industry. The world consumes over 82 million barrels of oil per day (BPD), with the united states taking roughly 20 million BPD1. Petroleum is one of the most essential contributions in a nations economy and its price has extensive economic and social impacts. Various researches illustrate that the price of petroleum in Pakistan is considerably high either with or without involving per capita income and it needs to be leveled downwards in order to guarantee competitiveness of Pakistans exports and lessen the burden on the buying competence of the nation. Nevertheless, this cannot be a simple task as Pakistan heavily depends upon imported oil in order to fulfill its petroleum necessity and the development surcharges and the import revenues compose a major sector of the Government income. However, a feasible and reasonable solution to trim down oil price is needed keeping in sight the revenue making facet and the prevailing global prices of crude oil. The major reason of escalated oil prices is linked with the demand of oil and the complication in oil refineries. Petroleum is used usually for two reasons: Firstly, in the gasoline production and secondly in the production of tires. In the US, during the last few years the prices of gasoline have risen up considerably reaching on an average over $ 3.00/gallon (EIA-Energy Information Administration).Oil is considered as the main element in the tires production. With the increase in the oil prices, the cost and expenditure in making the tires escalates, the cost to heat up or cool the manufacturing plant where tires are produced increases, and eventually escalates the expenditure of shipping the tires to further destinations. Because of the rise in the price of petroleum, the tire makers are also increasing the price of tires. The automobile sector is affected by both, tire production and gasoline prices as the profit margins are affected by the rise in oil prices and tire production prices. The automobile industry catastrophe, currently worldwide phenomena, started during 2008-H2. The automotive sector is going through a crisis condition in US and Canada because of the Automobile products Trade Agreement. Nevertheless, all auto makers worldwide, especially in Japan and Europe are also facing the same crisis. The first fragile connection in the auto sector was the record high petroleum prices during 2008 which caused global oil crisis and made fuel costs and expenditures unreasonable, causing buyers to opt for smaller cars rather than larger SUVs (sports utility vehicles) and the pick up trucks. Background of Pakistans Automobile industry The global oil crisis has affected Pakistan economy severely. Automobile sector has been greatly impacted by the oil price shocks. There had been consistency in the Gross Profit Margin of Pakistans Automobile industry. It raised from FY01 (6.83) to FY03 (13.73).Then had a downward slope for two consecutive years to 12.17 (FY05), then remained stable for two more consecutive years (FY05 FY07).Since FY07 there has been a constant downward slope, reaching 6.14 (FY09) the diminishing Profit margin was because of the ever escalated cost of goods sold. The risen up cost is primarily due to the global oil price shocks and the high depreciation value of Rupee. The escalated costs were also linked to the high inflation rate during FY09. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Escalated oil prices have been accountable for periods of extreme inflation, recessions, and lower productivity and reduced economic growth. For the Automobile manufacturers the fuel price debate is nothing new. Due to predefined end of petroleum resources, the automakers have come up with various strategies to avert any sudden need for action. However till now, no one has clearly defined the oil supply definitive end. Kiseol Lee and Shawn Ni analyzed the effects of oil price shocks on demand and supply in automobile industry depicting the effect of oil price shocks mainly reducing demand. They suggested that oil price shocks influence economic activities. The first OPEC oil embargo in early 1970s has led to the start of debate over the oil shocks and its Macroeconomic effects. The most comprehensively surveyed theories on the direct consequence of oil price shocks incorporates that an input-cost effect, that higher energy cost lowers usage of oil which in turn lowers productivity of capital and labor; and an income effect, that higher cost of imported oil reduces disposable income of U.S. households. (K.Lee, 2002) According to an editorial in 1973-1974 oil crises: Automobile sales, especially for standard and medium-sized cars, began diminishing almost with the first realization that the energy crisis is reality. The trade-in value of big gas-guzzlers toppled unmercifully and some dealers were threatening not to take them in trade at all. Gasoline mileage, not size and comfort suddenly became the paramount concern for the consumer. (Wards Auto World) K.Lee contrasted to the situation in the petroleum refinery and industrial chemical industries which were bothered by the escalated cost of fuel, research in trade papers proposed considerable indications that the automotive industry distraught by the two fuel price shocks mainly due to the demand for larger vehicles stabbed. The effects of oil price hikes for nearly all other industries are less severe and intricate. The writings in trade journals of rubber, metals and other machinery industries often cited that the major factor of soggy economical activity is the dejected and depressed automotive market, however the highlighted that various sectors of these industries have also gained benefit from augmented economic activity in energy exploration and protection.(K Lee ,2002) The steel sector was adversely affected by the hunch in automotive sales. According to the Wards Auto World, Chemical week and Industry Week magazines, the oil prices crunches lowered the demand for the metals by their effect on automobiles, housing and consumer durables. Globally, the auto mobile assemblers are facing financial crisis at their worst which is eventually leading to recession. In the same way , as Pakistan s Auto Market is an export driven industry which attracts both foreign and locals investments, therefore is facing decreasing sales and production level and depicting a depressing future. Because of the present critical situation prevailing in the automobile sector, many companies are on the threshold of economic failure and bankruptcy. K Lee discussed that after an oil price shock, demand for vehicles is destabilized in view of the fact that a prospective new car holder may go for other ways of transportation to save the operating expenditure of vehicles, or delay buying a new car because ambiguity about future energy prices makes it difficult to come to a decision which type of automobile to purchase. Increase in Oil price also alters the composition of the automobile demand. As compared to the small-size cars, the demand for full-size cars is much more destabilized. The U.S. auto makers suffered more ruthlessly from rising and falling oil price because they manufacture inconsistently more full-size cars than their overseas competitors. Hamilton in 1988 mentioned in his writings that the oil crisis stimulate recessions primarily because a sharp increase in oil price escalates ambiguity and elevates operating costs and expenditures of several durable goods, which diminishes demand for durables, venture and investments. (Hamilton 1988, 1999). Brad M. Barber, Reid W. Click, Masako N. Darrough analyzed and empirically estimated the degree to which exchange rate and oil price alterations have contributed to this market swing. Increase in oil prices diminishes the amount of vehicles sold by the US auto makers, but conversely to the common idea, had minor effect on the Japanese auto mobile makers .That oil price effect reported 6.5 percent of the variance of alteration in monthly sales volume for US automobile manufacturers. They also discussed that productions costs are affected by oil prices hikes. For their research they used VAR to highlight the environmental issues that influence the cost of manufacturing and demand in the automobile industry. They clearly account for the effect of oil prices and exchange rates on manufacturing costs and the impact of oil prices and income on the demand for vehicles. Their outcomes suggested that the all the considered macroeconomic variables affected sales volumes as forecasted by the model they used. With reference to oil prices, escalated oil prices have certainly led to turn down in sales by the U.S automobile manufactures. Hamilton proposed that financial slumps tend to emerge after oil price trends. In particular, the worldwide inflationary strains of 2008 became rigorous with the spikes up in fuel prices shocks in the global financial system including Pakistan. Fuel prices with respect to domestic currency emphasized the fact that the delivering channels of global shocks via exchange rates variations put down major effects on the domestic inflation within the economy. According to Hamilton, the variations in oil prices in local currency are inflated and unpredictable in contrast to the variations in prices of oil in dollar terms particularly in 1999 and onwards. This underlines the details that the impacts of external oil price shocks have considerable effect upon local inflation via exchange rate variations in the economy (Hamilton, 2005). Bresnahan and Ramey discussed that the OPEC oil price shock in US during 1973 had major impact on the U.S auto mobile industry. It amplified the demand for smaller, fuel efficient cars and at the same time condensed the demand for larger cars. As the funds, financial stock and labor force were basically bound for the manufacturing and production of larger cars, therefore the U.S automotive companies were inadequate to respond to this oil price shock. As a result, capacity consumption, utilization and the output cut down during the period of Oil price shock. Only few plants were equipped to produce the small cars, manufacturing and operating at their peak capacity. (Bresnahan and Ramey ,1993). Steven J. Davis, John Haltiwanger studied the impact of oil price shocks on the creation and devastation of American automobile manufacturing employment from 1972 to 1988. The oil price shock unfavorably had an effect on the proximity between the preferred and actual characteristics of factor contributed in the automobile industry along different dimensions. Firstly, a large amount of the physical resources in the auto industry was devoted to the manufacture of larger cars instead of the smaller ones. Secondly, the American automobile labor had built up proficiency that was skilled and specialized in the manufacture and production of particular car models, and these were likely to be larger vehicle models. In Pakistan also the increase in oil prices had impact on many enterprises. Many different small to medium Automobile companies in the manufacturing sector are facing a severe threat of downsizing, closures, layoffs and limited production cuts due to an abrupt rise in their cost and expenditures of doing manufacturing and a significant reduction in their car sales. According to the owners of different small automakers, the sales of different auto parts have plunged downwards to 30%-in proportion to the reduction in the car sales. The overall margins have also dropped down. With reference to the statistics of Pakistan Automotive Manufactures Association, car sales during the period of 2008-09 positioned at 82,844 units, which were declined by 48% from 164,650 units in the 2007-08. According to Birol and Keppler (2007) the association between mobility, calculated as time spent in movement, and economic output is more stable than the relationship between output and fuel utilization, partly due to increased possibilities of substitution between the latter. This examination bears a significant policy lesson: relative price changes to decrease energy consumption per unit of output are most effective where possibilities for substitution are highest. (Birol, Keppler, 2007) Storchmann (2005) employed a pooled model to calculate approximate average fuel utilization using various explanatory variables such as, population, private income, urbanization rates, density, oil prices and automobile expenditures. The sales of automobile sector is affected by all these variables. Thomas Klier and Joshua Linn estimated the impact of the price of gasoline on the demand for fuel efficient vehicles. They institute the idea that gasoline prices considerably influence the new auto market and the price escalations explained almost half of the down turn in market share of U.S auto firms. The outcomes suggested that consumer demand reacts when the price of gasoline increases or rise up during 1970s and near the beginning of 1980s. During stable prices in the middle period, the sales had a negligible effect by the prices of gasoline; their results were steady with casual observation of the new auto market. Hamilton (1988) used a model called sectoral shifts that elucidated how an oil price slog might lower real GDP. The primary propagation method in this model is that an oil price escalation will lower consumer buying power of energy-using commodities such as automobiles. Goldberg (1998) determined the rebound effect by means of the Consumer Expenditure Survey for the years between 1984-1990, as an ingredient of a bigger equation system that also forecast the effect of oil on automobile sales and prices. Lutz Kilian in 2007 used Regression analysis to discuss that Automobile purchases were by far the most responsive expenditure item when the oil prices fluctuates. Purchase of other durables goods for instance appliances or furniture; by contrast, are far less responsive to energy price swings. Spending on public transportation and on food at home are few of the expenditure items that privileged from unexpected elevated energy prices. There will be a demand side impact of oil price increases. When oil prices rise, consumers are likely to delay or postpone their purchasing durables such as automobiles. This demand side impact leads to relative increase in inventories to sales and then decline industrial production. 4.0 RESEARCH METHOD The objective of this study is to determine the impact of local oil prices on Pakistans Automobile sales. The research is exploratory in nature and relied on secondary research and data collection, reviewing available literature and data. The sample data consists of five years monthly oil prices; taken from OGRA (Oil and Gas regulatory authority), and five years monthly auto sales; taken from PAMA (Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association.) An extensive secondary data analysis was done where the impact of oil prices were observed and the related research were also examined to find out the linkages of the oil prices with the auto sales, data analysis was done through Ms-excel. The statistical tool used is regression and correlation. The tables were also generated through Ms-Excel 2007 version. 5.0 HYPOTHESIS TESTING The purpose of this research is to find the relationship between Local oil prices and the Pakistans auto industry sales. Globally, researchers have observed that oil plays a major role in impacting the Automobile industry sales. In our research we are also testing the following hypothesis. H1: The local oil prices have a direct impact on Automobile sales in Pakistan. 5.1 INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLE 5.1.1 Independent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" domestic oil prices In Pakistan, the oil prices passed through to domestic consumers is determined by Oil and Gas regulatory authority (OGRA) and although the oil price in international oil market fluctuates on a daily basis, in Pakistan the pass through is carried out after every 15 days. The international oil prices impact almost every sector of the country from transportation to the Agriculture. Hence oil is the backbone of every sector of the economy and plays an important role in the development of any economy. 5.1.2 Dependent Variable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Pakistans Auto mobile Sales Pakistans automobile sales were taken from PAMA which is a registered Pakistan Automobiles Association company. The global oil crisis has affected Pakistan economy severely. Automobile sector has been greatly impacted by the oil price shocks. 6.0 DATA ANALYSIS: The data analysis was done through Ms-Excel 2007, Correlation and Regression analysis was done to find out the relationship between the two variables. The monthly local oil prices were compared with the monthly automobile sales. The regression Analysis was done to determine if escalation in oil prices affects the sales of automobile industry or not, to find out this the following equation has been used Y = a + bx Here Y= auto sales And X= oil prices Sales = f (oil price) S=16,150.92-32.03(oil price) Negative sign of X intercept shows that the result is inline with the literature review i.e. with the increase in oil prices, automobile sales is declining. However the relationship is insignificant because P value is 0.51 (greater that 0.05).Therefore, the research hypothesis has been rejected and there is no relationship between oil prices and sales of auto industry. Table 6.1 ANOVA and level of Significance ANOVA df SS MS F Significance F Regression 1.00 7,521,403.95 7,521,403.95 0.44 0.51 Residual 55.00 939,576,283.03 17,083,205.15 Total 56.00 947,097,686.98 Table 6.2: Regression Statistics of the tested variables Multiple R 0.09 R Square 0.01 Adjusted R Square (0.01) Multiple R is 0.09 which means the correlation between the two variables is negligible. R square is also 1% which also indicates negligible effect of oil on the auto sales .Y intercept signifies that if oil price is 0, still the auto sales will be 16,150.92 units. Whereas, the slope indicates that with the increase in oil prices, the auto sales will decrease with 32.03 units. Log of both the variables was tested in order to find out the linearity, but no such relationship exists between the two variables. 7.0 CONCLUSION IMPLICATIONS The purpose of this study is to find out the effect of local oil prices on automobile sales in Pakistan. After conducting this research the results indicates that there is no significant impact on the Auto sales when the oil price changes. The escalation in the petroleum prices plays a major role in the automobile industry worldwide. When the price of oil increases, it evidently alarms the automobile industry because the auto companies are in the competition with one another to fulfill the new demands for more fuel efficient consumer mindful at condensed price. Furthermore, rise in the petroleum prices also impacts the kind of means of transportation demanded by the buyer and the way those vehicle motors are designed. However after studying the oil price impact on Pakistans automobile industry sales the research concluded that the relationship of oil prices and auto sales does not exists in Pakistan. The result shows that the correlation between the two variables is very minor and the significance value F indicated that there is no linear relationship between the two variables.

Avalanches :: essays research papers

Avalanche Testing and Safety White soft fluffy snow, hard to imagine something so innocent could be so destructive. Just picture a few tons of snow traveling down the mountain at approximately 80 miles per hour, taking down everything in its path. Avalanches have been a threat as long as there has been snow and mountains. Since I’m an avid backcountry skier it is important to learn about these life threatening snow masses. So in order to protect yourself from anything you must first learn how it works. First off there is three main components to an avalanche, without them you can’t have an avalanche. They go as follows: 1) snow 2) slope 3) snow instability. Secondly, there are two kinds of avalanches; slab and loose snow. Loose snow are minor and usually never exceed 20 miles per hour. While slab avalanches are the destructive and deadly mountain slides. It is not uncommon for one of these to destroy a small town or forest. Since loose snow avalanches aren’t very dangerous, I will discuss slab avalanches. The fundamentals of how these snow masses occur, what to look for when testing and just all-together prevention. The basic chemistry behind a slab avalanche is when one layer of snow does not bond to the layer below it. Any kind of temperature change, fresh snowfall, the weight of a person, all can cause the slab to break free from the lower layer. The formation of a slab is possible in many ways. One way is for the snow to develop a crust and then there be more snowfall. Since snow doesn’t bond to the crust it becomes a potential for an avalanche zone. Another way is for surface hoar to develop, or large ice crystal on the snow. This is usually caused by condensation on the snow surface. This will also have poor bonding characteristics, and cause for a potential slide. The crystal itself is also very stable and will stay in that formation until melted usually. Slab avalanches usually only occur between 35-45 degree slopes and on a concave slope. There are ways possible to test for an avalanche zone. These tests have been developed over the years by ski patrollers, avalanche safety, and seasoned mountaineers. Make sure whenever performing an avalanche test you are not in an area where you could possibly trigger or be in the path of an avalanche. The most common test to use is the shear test.

Is Abortion the Best Option? Essay -- essays research papers

LIFE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many people talk about many issues. Some are more heated than others are. Abortion is an issue that divides are nation like no other. Religions, sexes, and even political parties take opposite sides on the issue. The question is, which opinion is morally permissible? What is abortion you might ask? In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, abortion was defined as induced termination of pregnancy and expulsion of embryo or fetus: cessation of normal growth, prior to full development or maturation. In simple terms, the killing of an embryo and extracting it. Where did all this rage and brewing arguments come from? Well, in 1973 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jane Roe in a 7-2 decision. This decision allowed abortions to be legal in all 50 states that were performed within the first trimester of pregnancy. Prior to this decision, an abortion was only performed to save a mother’s life. Since this controversial decision was made, the issue of abortion rings throughout American society everyday (Goldman, Jerry). As soon after the decision in 1973, the American people quickly jumped to one side or another. These two sides were pro-life and pro-choice. A pro-choice person believes that this developing embryo is merely a mass of tissue just as developing skin cells or liver cells. This person believes that it is the woman’s choice whether to have the baby or not. The baby is being carried within her body and being provided nutrients by her, and stopping the development of this fetus for any reason is not wrong. This group strongly agrees with the 1973 Supreme Court decision and pushes for more abortion rights. A pro-lifer believes that the unborn child is a human being and has the right to live. Aborting this unborn child is considered an act of murder to this group. John Noonan is a professor of law at the University of Berkeley. Noonan is a Roman Catholic philosopher who argues abortion is morally wrong. He defends the conservative view (pro-life) by stating, â€Å"an entity becomes a person at conception and that abortion, except to save the mother’s life, is morally wrong.† He believes that fetuses are innocent human beings, and since it is wrong to kill innocent human beings, which fetuses are innocent humans, it is wrong to kill fetuses. (Abortion) Noonan asks the question: How do you determine the humanity of a being? He goes o... ...hich 390 are ovulated. Once spermatozoon and ovum meet, studies show that only about 20 percent have a chance at spontaneous abortion. In simple terms, the chance of a fetus developing is 1 out of 5 times. This seems to be outstanding odds. (Biology Book)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next issue to be discussed is experience. Pro-choice would argue that one who has experienced, lived and suffered, one who possess memories, is more human than one who has not. This distinction is not serviceable. An embryo after eight weeks is experiencing, as it is responsive to touch and sensation. Furthermore, if a human has lost his memory due to say aphasia, then is he not human? Based on this issue he would not be. Nor would the man who has never loved or learned, for these are certainly human experiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, I must sum everything up with some biblical reasoning, being a strong believer in God. The word of God states, â€Å"do not injure your fellow man without reason.† In these terms, once the humanity of a fetus is perceived.(Abortion Facts) Abortion simply violates the equality of human life. So I end with a question, are abortions wrong? You decide.

Bob and the Troubles of China

Name ________________________ The Odyssey Study Questions- ANSWERS Book One (p. 77-92): 1. What do you see as the attitude of the Gods' towards men? They think men are foolish. They bring most pain and suffering upon themselves. 2. What do you see as the attitude of the Greeks towards hospitality? They take the role of hosts seriously. The Greeks had to open their home, be gracious, and share their food, and drink with their guests. 3. How would you characterize Telemachus at this point? What are his strengths? Telemachus is trying to be a good host and holds himself to a higher set of standards.He is disgusted by the behaviors of the suitors around his home. He cares about the values and morals of the Greeks. 4. What are his weaknesses? He has allowed the suitors to overtake his father’s home. 5. How does Athena plan to affect Telemachus? Athena poses as a man, Mentes (Odysseus’ friend) and enters Telemachus’ home. She tells Telemachus that Odysseus is still ali ve and that he must rid the home of the suitors. 6. What tragic homecoming story do we hear of? How does it relate to the situation in Ithaca? The Achaeans’ Journey Home from Troy.It is the story of Odysseus and his men. 7. Who is Phemius? The bard- he tells stories and entertains. 8. How does Telemachus show strength with Penelope? He confronts her when she is weeping over Odysseus. â€Å"I hold the reins of power in this house† (p. 89) 9. How does this relate to the visit of Athena? Athena helps Telemachus to confront his mother and the suitors- something he would not have done on his own. Athena now sends him on a journey to find his father (Book Two). Book Two (p. 93-106): 1. What is the suitor's attitude towards Penelope's reluctance to choose one of them?The suitors think Penelope is toying with them. They want Telemachus to stand up to his mother and either make her choose a suitor or kick her out. 2. Why do they think it is their right to â€Å"demand† t hat she choose? They think they can demand Penelope choose because she has been leading them on for over three years. Penelope has been weaving a shroud for Laertes. She told the suitors she would choose from among them when she finished the shroud, but the men found out she has been unweaving it at night. 3. What are the two different interpretations of the omen?The omen: two eagles (Zeus’ animal) fly across the sky (p. 98). Interpretation 1: Halitherses says Zeus is saying Odysseus will return home shortly (p. 98). Interpretation 2: Eurymachus says they are just birds, but then offers his own prophecy: Telemachus will be hurt and Halitherses will be fined (p. 99). 4. How does Telemachus respond to the position put forward by Antinous? Antinous wants Telemachus to force his mother to choose and says that Telemachus should forget that he and his mother have been wronged and just feast with the suitors.Telemachus refuses on all accounts. Antinous says Telemachus will die on hi s journey. (p. 102-103) *He lets his nurse (nursemaid) know he is leaving to go to Sparta, but doesn’t want to tell his mother till â€Å"ten or a dozen days have passed / or she misses me herself and learns I’m gone† because â€Å"she mustn’t mar her lovely face with tears† (p. 105). BOOK THREE SUMMARY At Pylos, Telemachus and Mentor (Athena in disguise) witness an impressive religious ceremony in which dozens of bulls are sacrificed to Poseidon, the god of the sea.Although Telemachus has little experience with public speaking, Mentor gives him the encouragement that he needs to approach Nestor, the city’s king, and ask him about Odysseus. Nestor, however, has no information about the Greek hero. He recounts that after the fall of Troy a falling-out occurred between Agamemnon and Menelaus, the two Greek brothers who had led the expedition. Menelaus set sail for Greece immediately, while Agamemnon decided to wait a day and continue sacrifici ng on the shores of Troy. Nestor went with Menelaus, while Odysseus stayed with Agamemnon, and he has heard no news of Odysseus.He says that he can only pray that Athena will show Telemachus the kindness that she showed Odysseus. He adds that he has heard that suitors have taken over the prince’s house in Ithaca and that he hopes that Telemachus will achieve the renown in defense of his father that Orestes, son of Agamemnon, won in defense of his father. Telemachus then asks Nestor about Agamemnon’s fate. Nestor explains that Agamemnon returned from Troy to find that Aegisthus, a base coward who remained behind while the Greeks fought in Troy, had seduced and married his wife, Clytemnestra.With her approval, Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon. He would have then taken over Agamemnon’s kingdom had not Orestes, who was in exile in Athens, returned and killed Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. THIS IS THE STORY ZEUS WAS REFERRING TO IN BOOK 1. Nestor holds the courage of Oreste s up as an example for Telemachus. He sends his own son Pisistratus along to accompany Telemachus to Sparta, and the two set out by land the next day. Athena, who reveals her divinity by shedding the form of Mentor and changing into an eagle before the entire court of Pylos, stays behind to protect Telemachus’s ship and its crew.BOOK FOUR SUMMARY In Sparta, the king and queen, Menelaus and Helen (â€Å"THE FACE THAT LAUNCHED 1000 SHIPS†- THE ONE THE TROJAN WAR WAS OVER), are celebrating the separate marriages of their son and daughter. They happily greet Pisistratus and Telemachus, the latter of whom they soon recognize as the son of Odysseus because of the clear family resemblance. As they all feast, the king and queen recount with melancholy the many examples of Odysseus’s cunning at Troy. Helen recalls how Odysseus dressed as a beggar to infiltrate the city’s walls.Menelaus tells the famous story of the Trojan horse, Odysseus’s masterful gambit that allowed the Greeks to sneak into Troy and slaughter the Trojans. The following day, Menelaus recounts his own return from Troy. He says that, stranded in Egypt, he was forced to capture Proteus, the divine Old Man of the Sea. Proteus told him the way back to Sparta and then informed him of the fates of Agamemnon and Ajax, another Greek hero, who survived Troy only to perish back in Greece. Proteus also told him news of Odysseus—that he was still alive but was imprisoned by Calypso on her island.Buoyed by this report, Telemachus and Pisistratus return to Pylos to set sail for Ithaca. Meanwhile, the suitors at Odysseus’s house learn of Telemachus’s voyage and prepare to ambush him upon his return. The herald Medon overhears their plans and reports them to Penelope. She becomes distraught when she reflects that she may soon lose her son in addition to her husband, but Athena sends a phantom in the form of Penelope’s sister, Iphthime, to reassure her. Ip hthime tells her not to worry, for the goddess will protect Telemachus. Book Five (p. 152-167): 1.How long does Odysseus stay on Calypso's island? He was with Calypso for seven years (she got him on his way home from Troy). 2. What is the source of Calypso's power over Odysseus? She is an attractive goddess who is â€Å"lustrous† (p. 155, 157, 158). It is a sexual seductive power. 3. What do we learn of Calypso's feelings for Odysseus? She loves Odysseus and saved him. She wants to keep him (p. 156). He does not want her â€Å"unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 157). 4. What will Calypso give Odysseus if he stays with her? Hermes comes from Zeus and demands Calypso release him.She offers Odysseus immortality if he stays with her (p. 158-159). 5. Calypso asks Odysseus to compare her with Penelope; does Odysseus respond satisfactorily? â€Å"[Penelope] falls short of you [Calypso], / your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all / and you, you n ever age or die†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 159). REMEMBER, GODDESSES ARE ULTRA SENSITIVE. 6. How would you characterize the making of the raft, and the departure of Odysseus? Cut 20 trees and made his raft (more of a ship) with Calypso bringing him tools and showing him where things were. It took 4 days. On the 5th day, Calypso launched him from her island.On the 18th day, Poseidon noticed him â€Å"Outrageous! † (p. 161) and created chaos on the ocean. 7. For how many days does Odysseus swim? Three days (p. 164). 8. Why does Zeus, despite his liking of Odysseus, allow Poseidon to make this journey such an ordeal? Poseidon is a god and angry. Zeus will not allow him to kill Odysseus, but take out his frustration. 9. Ino-Leucothea, in the guise of a seabird, gives him her veil. Why veil? She felt bad for him, â€Å"Ah poor man, / why is the god of earthquakes so dead set against you? †¦ Here, take this scarf [veil], / tie it around your waist— it is immortal† (p. 63) . To save him. He could tie it around himself without weighing himself down. 10. Why does Odysseus return Ino's veil to the sea? He returned it to her as she was in the sea (he feared it at first thinking it might be a trick of another goddess) (p. 166). 11. After two days of swimming, note several phases of decision-making. Does Odysseus accomplish his rescue on his own? â€Å"If I clamber out, some big comber will hoist me, / dash me against that cliff†¦ If I keep on swimming down the coast, trying to find a seabeach †¦ another gale will snatch me up and hail me back†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 165).He needed help from Athena and Ino. BOOK SIX SUMMARY That night, Athena appears in a dream to the Phaeacian princess Nausicaa, disguised as her friend. She encourages the young princess to go to the river the next day to wash her clothes so that she will appear more fetching to the many men courting her. The next morning, Nausicaa goes to the river, and while she and her handmaidens a re naked, playing ball as their clothes dry on the ground, Odysseus wakes in the forest and encounters them. Naked himself, he humbly yet winningly pleads for their assistance, never revealing his identity.Nausicaa leaves him alone to wash the dirt and brine from his body, and Athena makes him look especially handsome, so that when Nausicaa sees him again she begins to fall in love with him. Afraid of causing a scene if she walks into the city with a strange man at her side, Nausicaa gives Odysseus directions to the palace and advice on how to approach Arete, queen of the Phaeacians, when he meets her. With a prayer to Athena for hospitality from the Phaeacians, Odysseus sets out for the palace. BOOK SEVEN SUMMARY On his way to the palace of Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians, Odysseus is stopped by a young girl who is Athena in disguise.She offers to guide him to the king’s house and shrouds him in a protective mist that keeps the Phaeacians, a kind but somewhat xenophobic people, from harassing him. She also advises him to direct his plea for help to Arete, the wise and strong queen who will know how to get him home. Once Athena has delivered Odysseus to the palace, she departs from Scheria to her beloved city of Athens. Odysseus finds the palace residents holding a festival in honor of Poseidon. He is struck by the splendor of the palace and the king’s opulence.As soon as he sees the queen, he throws himself at her feet, and the mist about him dissipates. At first, the king wonders if this wayward traveler might be a god, but without revealing his identity, Odysseus puts the king’s suspicions to rest by declaring that he is indeed a mortal. He then explains his predicament, and the king and queen gladly promise to see him off the next day in a Phaeacian ship. Later that evening, when the king and queen are alone with Odysseus, the wise Arete recognizes the clothes that he is wearing as ones that she herself had made for her daughter N ausicaa.Suspicious, she interrogates Odysseus further. While still withholding his name, Odysseus responds by recounting the story of his journey from Calypso’s island and his encounter with Nausicaa that morning, which involved her giving him a set of clothes to wear. To absolve the princess for not accompanying him to the palace, Odysseus claims that it was his idea to come alone. Alcinous is so impressed with his visitor that he offers Odysseus his daughter’s hand in marriage. BOOK EIGHT SUMMARY The next day, Alcinous calls an assembly of his Phaeacian counselors.Athena, back from Athens, ensures attendance by spreading word that the topic of discussion will be the godlike visitor who recently appeared on the island. At the assembly, Alcinous proposes providing a ship for his visitor so that the man can return to his homeland. The measure is approved, and Alcinous invites the counselors to his palace for a feast and celebration of games in honor of his guest. There, a blind bard named Demodocus sings of the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. Everyone listens with pleasure except Odysseus, who weeps at the painful memories that the story recalls.The king notices Odysseus’s grief and ends the feast so that the games can begin. The games include the standard lineup of boxing, wrestling, racing, and throwing of the discus. At one point, Odysseus is asked to participate. Still overcome by his many hardships, he declines. One of the young athletes, Broadsea, then insults him, which goads his pride to action. Odysseus easily wins the discus toss and then challenges the Phaeacian athletes to any other form of competition they choose. The discussion becomes heated, but Alcinous diffuses the situation by insisting that Odysseus join them in another east, at which the Phaeacian youth entertain him and prove their preeminence in song and dance. Demodocus performs again, this time a light song about a tryst between Ares and Aphrodite. Af terward, Alcinous and each of the young Phaeacian men, including Broadsea, give Odysseus gifts to take with him on his journey home. At dinner that night, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing of the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy, but as he listens to the accomplished minstrel he again breaks down. King Alcinous again notices and stops the music. He asks Odysseus at last to tell him who he is, where he is from, and where he is going.Book Nine (p. 211-229): 1. Where do Odysseus and his men go first after they leave Troy? Ismarus- they raided the city, killed the men, and took the women. 2. Who are the Cicones? The people of Ismarus. They bring an army against Odysseus and kill six men from each of his twelve ships. 3. Who are the lotus eaters? They offer Odysseus’ men lotus flowers which make them uncaring about anything but eating more lotus flowers. 4. How does Polyphemus prevent Odysseus and his men from leaving his cave? He puts giant boulder in front of the mouth of the cav e. 5. What does Polyphemus' diet consist of?People, goats, cheese, milk. 6. Are the Cyclops in any way civilized? (Opinion) 7. What mistake does Odysseus makes as he sails away? He tells Polyphemus his real name and taunts him. Book Ten (p. 230-248): 1. After the attack from the Laestrygonians, how many ships are left out of the original twelve? One- only Odysseus’ ship. 2. What sort of character is Circe? What craft does she practice that Penelope also practices? She is immortal and a sensual woman. She is gifted in weaving like Penelope (remember her death shroud deal). 3. Why (aside from her magic) is she able to turn Odysseus' men into swine?How do they offend her? She drugged the men when they drank. She didn’t like their behavior. 4. Into what does Circe transform Odysseus' crew? Pigs. 5. What does Hermes give to Odysseus? Moly (a poisonous plant) to stop him from being changed by Circe’s wine potion; it is no longer poisonous because a god gave it to him. 6. What makes Odysseus give in to Circe's enticements? Is this typical of him? She is a beautiful immortal woman who promised to return his crew to their form. We know he stayed with Calypso, so it seems within character. 7. How long does Odysseus stay in Circe's palace? year. 8. Why does he want to leave? He wants to go back to Ithaca and his wife. 9. Where must Odysseus go to learn his way home? He must go to the Underworld and talk to Tiresias (the blind prophet- same one from Oedipus). Book Eleven (p. 249-270): 1. What favor does Elpenor ask of Odysseus? He wants Odysseus to give his body a proper burial- the one who fell off of the roof at Circe’s and died (p. 251). 2. What ritual does Odysseus perform in order to meet those in the Underworld? He gives libations (milk, honey, wine, water) and performs sacrifices (sheep). 3.What does Tiresias do in order to speak to Odysseus? He had to drink the blood of the sacrifices. 4. What does Odysseus learn about his journey from Tiresias in Hades? He will get home, but if he touches the cattle of Helios, he will lose all his men and have a more treacherous trip home (p. 253). He will have to make amends to Poseidon at the end of his journey. 5. What does Odysseus learn from Anticleia? What does he try to do after she speaks to him? Why does he fail? Anticleia is his mother. She died of grief while he was gone. Penelope is still waiting for him. His father is still alive but is ad because Odysseus is still gone. He kept trying to hold/hug her, but she kept dissolving because she is only a soul. 6. What does Agamemnon tell Odysseus about how men should feel about women? Is it significant that earlier in the book we hear about celebrated women? He thinks women are shameful. They are manipulative and wily (p. 262- 263). 7. What is the reason for Ajax's anger at Odysseus? Ajax refuses to talk to Odysseus. Ajax still holds a grudge over the fact that Odysseus won the armor of Achilles (during the Trojan War). 8. What is the Greek Underworld (Hades) like?The souls come up out of Erebus. As Persephone brings him through the Underworld, he sees Minos judged the dead. Orion is in a field, Tityus is being tortured with two eagles eating his liver. He sees torment and suffering everywhere. 9. What do you make of Tantalus and Sisyphus? They are being punished for eternity. Tantalus can’t eat or drink but is forever thirsty and hungry. Sisyphus is constantly pushing a boulder to the uphill and it rolls back down just as he is about to push it over the top. They are to suffer futility. Book Twelve (p. 271-285): 1. Why has Odysseus returned to Aeaea?He needs to bury the body of Elpenor as he promised. 2. How does Circe help him? She warns Odysseus of all the dangers that await them- the Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the cattle of the sun god and how to lose the fewest men. 3. What does the episode of the Sirens tell us about Odysseus' character? Homer's understanding of the power of music? He alo ne is to hear the Siren’s song. He is unique and stronger than the other men with whom he travels. Homer understands that music has power to seduce, tame, and incite. 4. What advice does Odysseus take that Circe gives him about Scylla and Charybdis?What does this tell us about leadership? He braves Scylla rather than Charybdis. If he took on the whirlpool, he would have lost his entire crew. He is willing, as a leader, to make hard choices. 5. Why are the cattle of Helios' island so tempting? The men have not eaten fresh meat in a long time. 6. What warning does Odysseus give his men? Do not eat the cattle of the sun god. 7. This is not the first time Odysseus' warnings are ignored. Whose fault is this? Opinion. 8. This is also not the first time Odysseus's orders are defied. Does this absolve him of responsibility? Opinion. BOOK THIRTEEN SUMMARYThe account of his wanderings now finished, Odysseus looks forward to leaving Scheria. The next day, Alcinous loads his gifts on boa rd the ship that will carry Odysseus to Ithaca. Odysseus sets sail as soon as the sun goes down. He sleeps the whole night, while the Phaeacian crew commands the ship. He remains asleep even when the ship lands the next morning. The crew gently carries him and his gifts to shore and then sails for home. When Poseidon spots Odysseus in Ithaca, he becomes enraged at the Phaeacians for assisting his nemesis. He complains to Zeus, who allows him to punish the Phaeacians.Just as their ship is pulling into harbor at Scheria, the prophecy mentioned at the end of Book 8 is fulfilled: the ship suddenly turns to stone and sinks to the bottom of the sea. The onlookers ashore immediately recognize the consummation of the prophecy and resolve to abandon their custom of helping wayward travelers. Back in Ithaca, Odysseus wakes to find a country that he doesn’t recognize, for Athena has shrouded it in mist to conceal its true form while she plans his next move. At first, he curses the Phaea cians, whom he thinks have duped him and left him in some unknown land.But Athena, disguised as a shepherd, meets him and tells him that he is indeed in Ithaca. With characteristic cunning, Odysseus acts to conceal his identity from her until she reveals hers. Delighted by Odysseus’s tricks, Athena announces that it is time for Odysseus to use his wits to punish the suitors. She tells him to hide out in the hut of his swineherd, Eumaeus. She informs him that Telemachus has gone in search of news of him and gives him the appearance of an old vagabond so that no one will recognize him. BOOK FOURTEEN SUMMARY Odysseus finds Eumaeus outside his hut. Although Eumaeus doesn’t recognize he withered traveler as his master, he invites him inside. There Odysseus has a hearty meal of pork and listens as Eumaeus heaps praise upon the memory of his former master, whom he fears is lost for good, and scorn upon the behavior of his new masters, the vile suitors. Odysseus predicts that Eumaeus will see his master again quite soon, but Eumaeus will hear none of it—he has encountered too many vagabonds looking for a handout from Penelope in return for fabricated news of Odysseus. Still, Eumaeus takes a liking to his guest. He puts him up for the night and even lets him borrow a cloak to keep out the cold.When Eumaeus asks Odysseus about his origins, Odysseus lies that he is from Crete. He fought with Odysseus at Troy and made it home safely, he claims, but a trip that he made later to Egypt went awry, and he was reduced to poverty. It was during this trip, he says, that he heard that Odysseus was still alive. BOOK FIFTEEN SUMMARY Athena travels to Sparta, where she finds Telemachus and Pisistratus, Nestor’s son. She tells Telemachus he must hurry home to Ithaca before the suitors succeed in winning his mother’s hand. She also warns him of the ambush that they have set and explains how to avoid it.Finally, she instructs him to head first for the home of the swineherd Eumaeus, who will convey the news of his safe return to Penelope. The next day, Telemachus announces his departure and accepts gifts from Menelaus and Helen. As Telemachus pulls away from the palace in his chariot, an eagle carrying a goose stolen from a pen swoops down beside him. Helen interprets the incident as an omen that Odysseus is about to swoop down on his home and exact revenge on the suitors. Once at Pylos, Telemachus has Pisistratus drop him off at his ship, insisting that he has no time to spare to visit Nestor again.The ship is about to set off when Theoclymenus, a famous prophet’s descendant who is fleeing prosecution for a crime of manslaughter that he committed in Argos, approaches Telemachus and asks to come aboard. Telemachus welcomes him and offers him hospitality when they get to Ithaca. In the hut of Eumaeus, Odysseus tests the limit of his hospitality by offering to leave in the morning, a false gesture that he hopes will prompt Eu maeus to offer to let him stay longer. He urges the old man not to go out of his way and says that he will earn his keep working for the suitors, butEumaeus will have none of it. To get mixed up with those suitors, he warns, would be suicide. Odysseus and the swineherd then swap stories. Eumaeus explains how he first came to Ithaca: the son of a king, he was stolen from his house by Phoenician pirates with the help of a maid that his father employed. The pirates took him all over the seas until Laertes, Odysseus’s father, bought him in Ithaca. There, Laertes’ wife brought him up alongside her own daughter, the youngest born. The next morning, Telemachus reaches the shores of Ithaca. He disembarks while the crew heads to the city by ship.He entrusts Theoclymenus to a loyal crewman, Piraeus. As they part, they see a hawk fly by carrying a dove in its talons, which Theoclymenus interprets as a favorable sign of the strength of Odysseus’s house and line. Book Sixtee n (p. 338-353): 1. How does Eumaeus greet Telemachus? He wept and sobbed. He greeted him as he would his own son. (p. 339) 2. What errand is Eumaeus sent on? He is to tell Penelope that Telemachus has returned and to have her housekeeper tell Odysseus’ father (Laertes) that he is home (p. 343). 3. Why does Odysseus reveal his identity to Telemachus?Athena urged him on so the two could plot the demise of the suitors (p. 343-344). 4. How does Odysseus' look when he reveals himself to his son? p. 344- He is tall, handsome, black hair, etc. He is heroic looking (godlike). 5. How does Telemachus react when Odysseus identifies himself? At first he does not believe it is him. â€Å"No, you’re not Odysseus! Not my father! † (p. 344). 6. What are the three major points of strategy in the plan which Odysseus tells to Telemachus? a. Odysseus will pretend to be a beggar as he enters the hall with the suitors.Telemachus will hide all the weapons except for 2 swords, 2 spears , and 2 oxhide bucklers for Odysseus and Telemachus. b. Athena ; Zeus will daze the suitors. c. Odysseus and Telemachus will kill all the suitors (and possibly Penelope if she has not been faithful). 7. What does Antinous try to get the suitors to do? He wants them to plot to kill Telemachus (p. 350). 8. Who offers a different perspective? Amphinomus says that it’s not right to kill the descendants of kings, but if Zeus wants it, then he will do it, but not before. 9. How does Penelope learn of what the suitors are thinking?The herald Medon told her what transpired (p. 351). 10. How does Penelope react to this information? She confronts Antinous (p. 351). 11. Which of the suitors attempts to reassure her? Eurymachus tells her no one will try to hurt her son. BOOK SEVENTEEN SUMMARY Telemachus leaves Odysseus at Eumaeus’s hut and heads to his palace, where he receives a tearful welcome from Penelope and the nurse Eurycleia. In the palace hall he meets Theoclymenus and Pi raeus. He tells Piraeus not to bring his gifts from Menelaus to the palace; he fears that the suitors will steal them if they kill him.When he sits down to eat with Penelope, Telemachus tells her what little news he received of Odysseus in Pylos and Sparta, but he doesn’t reveal that he has seen Odysseus with his own eyes in Eumaeus’s hut. Theoclymenus then speaks up and swears that Odysseus is in Ithaca at this very moment. Meanwhile, Eumaeus and Odysseus set out toward town in Telemachus’s footsteps. On the way they meet Melanthius, a base subordinate of the suitors, who heaps scorn on Eumaeus and kicks his beggar companion. Odysseus receives a similar welcome at the palace.The suitors give him food with great reluctance, and Antinous goes out of his way to insult him. When Odysseus answers insult with insult, Antinous gives him a blow with a stool that disgusts even the other suitors. Report of this cruelty reaches Penelope, who asks to have the beggar brough t to her so that she can question him about Odysseus. Odysseus, however, doesn’t want the suitors to see him heading toward the queen’s room. Eumaeus announces that he must return to his hut and hogs, leaving Odysseus alone with Telemachus and the suitors. BOOK EIGHTEEN SUMMARYAnother beggar, Arnaeus (nicknamed Irus), saunters into the palace. For a beggar, he is rather brash: he insults Odysseus and challenges him to a boxing match. He thinks that he will make quick work of the old man, but Athena gives Odysseus extra strength and stature. Irus soon regrets challenging the old man and tries to escape, but by now the suitors have taken notice and are egging on the fight for the sake of their own entertainment. It ends quickly as Odysseus floors Irus and stops just short of killing him. The suitors congratulate Odysseus.One in particular, the moderate Amphinomus, toasts him and gives him food. Odysseus, fully aware of the bloodshed to come and overcome by pity for Amphi nomus, pulls the man aside. He predicts to Amphinomus that Odysseus will soon be home and gives him a thinly veiled warning to abandon the palace and return to his own land. But Amphinomus doesn’t depart, despite being â€Å"fraught with grave forebodings,† for Athena has bound him to death at the hands of Telemachus (18. 176). Athena now puts it into Penelope’s head to make an appearance before her suitors.The goddess gives her extra stature and beauty to inflame their hearts. When Penelope speaks to the suitors, she leads them on by telling them that Odysseus had instructed her to take a new husband if he should fail to return before Telemachus began growing facial hair. She then tricks them, to the silent delight of Odysseus, into bringing her gifts by claiming that any suitor worth his salt would try to win her hand by giving things to her instead of taking what’s rightfully hers. The suitors shower her with presents, and, as they celebrate, Odysseus instructs the maidservants to go to Penelope.The maidservant Melantho, Melanthius’s sister, insults him as an inferior being and a drunk; Odysseus then scares them off with threats. Hoping to make Odysseus even more angry at the suitors, Athena now inspires Eurymachus to insult him. When Odysseus responds with insults of his own, Eurymachus throws a stool at him but misses, hitting a servant instead. Just as a riot is about to break out, Telemachus steps in and diffuses the situation, to the consternation of the suitors. Book Nineteen (p. 390-409): 1. What ruse does Odysseus tell Telemachus to carry out at the beginning of the book?Telemachus is to tell the suitors he is putting the weapons away for safe keeping and so that they will not hurt each other when they are drunk. 2. What does the stranger ask Penelope not to ask him? Why? Does she ask him anyway? He says, â€Å"don’t, please, search out my birth, my land, / or you’ll fill my heart to overflowing even more / as I bring back the past† (p. 394). The stranger is Odysseus and he doesn’t want to reveal himself yet. She wants to test his honesty. 3. Where does Odysseus tell Penelope he is from? Does this story have anything in common with the story he tells Eumaeus?He says he is from Crete. It parallels (many of the same strokes) the stories he has told in the past (he has to keep his lies in order). 4. How does Penelope react to what she hears of Odysseus? How does Odysseus react to her reaction? She is moved and upset. She weeps and says she believes he knew Odysseus. He reassures her. He is happy that she misses him and has been loyal to him. 5. What prediction does Odysseus give to Penelope? Odysseus will return within the month. â€Å"True, this very month- just as the old moon dies / and the new moon rises into life- Odysseus will return! (p. 400). 6. How did Odysseus obtain the scar that Eurycleia recognizes? (On his foot) He got it while hunting boar with his gra ndfather Autolycus. 7. What does Odysseus say to Eurycleia? He says he will kill all of the maids in the house, but Eurycleia says she will tell him who is guilty and who is innocent. 8. What is the dream which Penelope describes to Odysseus? How does he interpret it? An eagle kills all of her 20 geese. It then speaks â€Å"Courage, daughter of Famous King Icarus! / This is no dream but a happy waking vision, / real as day, that will come true for you. These geese were your suitors†¦ † (p. 407-409). Odysseus says it is a prophecy of the future- that Odysseus has basically told her through her dream what will happen. 9. How does the stranger affect Penelope? Why is she favorably disposed toward the stranger? She trusts him (because she can connect with him). 10. How does Penelope plan to test the suitors to see which one she will marry? She will marry the one who can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axes set in a line (think the aspects of a hero- they have a special weapon only they can wield).BOOK TWENTY SUMMARY Penelope and Odysseus both have trouble sleeping that night. Odysseus worries that he and Telemachus will never be able to conquer so many suitors, but Athena reassures him that through the gods all things are possible. Tormented by the loss of her husband and her commitment to remarry, Penelope wakes and prays for Artemis to kill her. Her distress wakes Odysseus, who asks Zeus for a good omen. Zeus responds with a clap of thunder, and, at once, a maid in an adjacent room is heard cursing the suitors.As the palace springs to life the next day, Odysseus and Telemachus meet, in succession, the swineherd Eumaeus, the foul Melanthius, and Philoetius, a kindly and loyal herdsman who says that he has not yet given up hope of Odysseus’s return. The suitors enter, once again plotting Telemachus’s murder. Amphinomus convinces them to call it off, however, when a portent of doom appears in the form of an eagle carrying a dove in its talons. But Athena keeps the suitors antagonistic all through dinner to prevent Odysseus’s anger from losing its edge.Ctesippus, a wealthy and arrogant suitor, throws a cow’s hoof at Odysseus, in response to which Telemachus threatens to run him through with his sword. The suitors laugh and laugh, failing to notice that they and the walls of the room are covered in blood and that their faces have assumed a foreign, ghostly look—all of which Theoclymenus interprets as portents of inescapable doom. Book Twenty-One (p. 424-438): 1. What must the stringer of the bow do with his shot? Shoot the arrow through 12 axes in a line (almost impossible) with one arrow. 2.In what way do Telemachus' words after â€Å"giving up† show him to be a worthy son? He could have strung the bow, and is doing this on purpose to entice the suitors to the challenge, but in the process makes himself look weak- something he is willing to do for his father. 3. Wh at is Antinous' and Eurymachus' reaction to the challenge? Antinous yells at the servants for crying. He then admits it will be a difficult challenge to overcome (which he hopes to do). Eurymachus considers it a disgrace if they cannot string the bow. 4. Melanthius is ordered to do what in order to make the bow easier to bend?Get a fire going and grease. They will â€Å"Heat and limber the bow and rub it with grease† to make it easier to bend (p. 430). 5. How does Odysseus prove his identity to the cowherd and the swineherd? He showed them the scar on his foot. 6. What is the purpose of the â€Å"biography† of the bow? It shows us that his bow is special (only he can wield it). â€Å"His well-sprung bow was there, / and quivers, too, with lots of painful arrows, / gifts he had received from Iphitus, his friend, / son of Eurytus, a man like the immortals, / when they'd met in Lacedaemon, in Messene, / at the home of wise Ortilochus.Odysseus / had gone there to collect a debt the people owed— / Messenian men had run off with three hundred sheep / and seized the shepherds, too, leaving Ithaca  / in their ships with many oars. Because of this, / Odysseus, who was just a boy, had been sent  / a long way by his father and other senior men, / part of an embassy. Iphitus was searching / for twelve mares he'd lost and sturdy mules, as well, / still on the teat. Later on these animals / led him to a fatal destiny, the day he met / the mortal Hercules, Zeus' great-hearted son, / who knew all there was to know about great exploits. Hercules slaughtered him, although he was a guest  / in his own home—a cruel man who didn't care / about the anger of the gods or the dining table / he'd set before him. After their meal, he killed him / and kept the strong-hoofed mares with him at home  / for his own use. While Iphitus was enquiring / about these horses, he got to meet Odysseus / and gave him the bow. In earlier days, this weapon had been u sed by mighty Eurytus, and when he died, / he'd left it for his son in his high-roofed home. / Odysseus had given him a keen-edged sword  / and a powerful spear, as well. This was the start / of their close friendship.But they never bonded / as mutual dinner guests—before that happened / Zeus' son had murdered Iphitus, son of Eurytus, / a man like the immortals, who gave Odysseus / that bow of his. Lord Odysseus never took it / whenever he went off to war in his black ships. / It lay there in his home as a memorial  / to a dear friend. He carried it in his own land. † 7. Penelope's taking the bow from its hiding place is one of the most moving moments in this part of the poem – why? This is the first time we really see Penelope weep openly for Odysseus. She sobs and believes that he is never coming home. She then sat down, placed the bow case on her knees,/ and wept aloud, as she took out her husband's bow. † Book Twenty-Two (p. 439-454): 1. What is Ant inous doing when Odysseus shoots him? Why is he the first victim? He shoots him just as he’s about to drink. 2. How do the other suitors appeal to Odysseus? At first they turn on him (the stranger) and tell him he will be punished for killing a man of Ithaca. Once Odysseus reveals himself, they say he has gotten his revenge- Antinous was the one who spurred them on. They offer to repay him for all they have taken, eaten, and destroyed. (p. 440-441) 3. How does Eurymachus react to Mentor? 4. How much does Athena help Odysseus, and how much is the victory his? She gives him guidance and makes the suitors (most of) miss when they are throwing spears at Odysseus and Telemachus. Arguments can be made that he would not have won without her guidance and interference. 5. Who tests the strength and courage of Odysseus and Telemachus? Athena. â€Å"Athena spoke. But she did not give him the strength  / to win that fight decisively. She was still testing / the power and resolution of Odysseus / and his splendid son. So she flew up to the roof / inside the smoky hall, and sat there, taking on  / the appearance of a swallow. 6. The dead suitors are compared to what kind of creatures? Bodies= dead fish Bodies= ox lion (Odysseus) has â€Å"devoured† 7. Which appendages does Melanthius lose? Where do they end up? (Remember Antinous' threats to send Irus to Echetus in the beginning of Book 18; and a similar threat to Odysseus in Book 21) They â€Å"lopped (cut off) his nose and ears with a ruthless knife, / tore his genitals out for the dogs to eat raw / and in manic fury hacked off hands and feet† (p. 454). BOOK TWENTY-THREE SUMMARY Eurycleia goes upstairs to call Penelope, who has slept through the entire fight.Penelope doesn’t believe anything that Eurycleia says, and she remains in disbelief even when she comes downstairs and sees her husband with her own eyes. Telemachus rebukes her for not greeting Odysseus more lovingly after his long ab sence, but Odysseus has other problems to worry about. He has just killed all of the noble young men of Ithaca—their parents will surely be greatly distressed. He decides that he and his family will need to lay low at their farm for a while. In the meantime, a minstrel strikes up a happy song so that no passers-by will suspect what has taken place in the palace.Penelope remains wary, afraid that a god is playing a trick on her. She orders Eurycleia to move her bridal bed, and Odysseus suddenly flares up at her that their bed is immovable, explaining how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the house had been constructed. Hearing him recount these details, she knows that this man must be her husband. They get reacquainted and, afterward, Odysseus gives his wife a brief account of his wanderings. He also tells her about the trip that he must make to fulfill the prophecy of Tiresias in Book 11.The next day, he leaves with Telemachus for Laertes’ orchar d. He gives Penelope instructions not to leave her room or receive any visitors. Athena cloaks Odysseus and Telemachus in darkness so that no one will see them as they walk through the town. BOOK TWENTY-FOUR SUMMARY The scene changes abruptly. Hermes leads the souls of the suitors, crying like bats, into Hades. Agamemnon and Achilles argue over who had the better death. Agamemnon describes Achilles’ funeral in detail. They see the suitors coming in and ask how so many noble young men met their end.The suitor Amphimedon, whom Agamemnon knew in life, gives a brief account of their ruin, pinning most of the blame on Penelope and her indecision. Agamemnon contrasts the constancy of Penelope with the treachery of Clytemnestra. Back in Ithaca, Odysseus travels to Laertes’ farm. He sends his servants into the house so that he can be alone with his father in the gardens. Odysseus finds that Laertes has aged prematurely out of grief for his son and wife. He doesn’t recog nize Odysseus, and Odysseus doesn’t immediately reveal himself, pretending instead that he is someone who once knew and befriended Odysseus.But when Laertes begins to cry at the memory of Odysseus, Odysseus throws his arms around Laertes and kisses him. He proves his identity with the scar and with his memories of the fruit trees that Laertes gave him when he was a little boy. He tells Laertes how he has avenged himself upon the suitors. Laertes and Odysseus have lunch together. Dolius, the father of Melanthius and Melantho, joins them. While they eat, the goddess Rumor flies through the city spreading the news of the massacre at the palace. The parents of the suitors hold an assembly at which they assess how to respond.Halitherses, the elder prophet, argues that the suitors merely got what they deserved for their wickedness, but Eupithes, Antinous’s father, encourages the parents to seek revenge on Odysseus. Their small army tracks Odysseus to Laertes’ house, b ut Athena, disguised again as Mentor, decides to put a stop to the violence. Antinous’s father is the only one killed, felled by one of Laertes’ spears. Athena makes the Ithacans forget the massacre of their children and recognize Odysseus as king. Peace is thus restored. *All summaries from SparkNotes. com