...missing for ten years after the Trojan War, Odysseus is finally able to make it back to his home in Ithaca with the help of Athena and his son Telemachus. But while he is gone a group of men, suitors, are camped in his castle attempting to woo his wife Penelope. Upon his return, Athena disguises him as an old dirty beggar so no one would recognize him entering the castles, but as soon as Penelope spots him, she has a hunch that that man was indeed her husband Odysseus. In order to prove that this man was her long awaited lover and not a homeless street urchin, she held a bow and arrow contest between the beggar and all of the suitors. The prize is her hand in marriage. Sure enough Odysseus wins and proves himself when Athena’s disguise disappears and revels his true form. Odysseus and his son then murder all the wooers and everyone who was involved with the plot to kill Telemachus. Although he was right to murder Antious and Eurymachus, his massacre is not justified for murdering an innocent man such as Amphinomus....
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...Odysseus and Telemachus are morally justified in the slaughtering of the suitors. Throughout the epic, the suitors’ actions are described as “reckless and shameful”. They greatly disrespected and made a mockery of Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus, both as people and their collective household. By feverishly attempting to court Penelope, disrespecting Telemachus and plotting to kill him, treating Odysseus’ household as their own, the suitors were deserved to be punished. As pointed out by the suitors, Antinoos was the ring leader of the suitors and did deserve to be punished. But, to only kill Antinoos would not be enough revenge for the shame all the suitors inflicted on Odysseus, so he was justified in slaying the evil suitors. As Odysseus said to Eurykleia after killing the suitors, “they were destroyed by the doom of the gods and their own hard actions” (332). There are many qualities a person must possess to be a Homeric hero. First, they must by vengeful. They must also be physically strong, and have a slightly overblown ego. However, they must also be wise, smart, and intelligent. Lastly, they are required to be very affluent. Odysseus fulfilled all of these qualities, in the book The Odyssey. Odysseus’ successful journey of returning home and getting revenge on the suitors that wronged him specifically bring out some of the qualities of the Homeric hero. Odysseus also showed vengeance when he had to fight off many an enemy to save those he was fighting with. Odysseus...
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...Odysseus of Ithaca: Famed or Fraud? Homer’s Odyssey tells the tale of the Trojan War hero Odysseus’s return home to his land of origin, Ithaca. Homer describes Odysseus as being one of, or possibly the greatest hero in all of Greece’s history. He is characterized as being a fearless, heroic man, who, with divine assistance, bests even the greatest monsters, and overcomes the most troublesome and life-threatening situations that he encounters, or the gods throw at him. However, if not for the assistance given to him by Athena, or any other divine figure, Odysseus’s journey would most likely have not worked out in his favor as it did, and he most likely would have perished within the very first books of The Odyssey. If divine assistance is what gave Odysseus his spark, courage and abilities, then are his abilities really justified? Who is the real Odysseus of Ithaca? Throughout many instances of The Odyssey, Odysseus is seen as this “almighty figure of excellence,” that can “never be beat or conquered.” However, despite the recognition that Odysseus deserves for accomplishing most of his feats, most of the work and assistance given to him was crafted by the goddess Athena; who constantly monitors Odysseus’s every move and protects him throughout the course of the tale. For example, on page 175 of the text, when Odysseus confronts the Phaecian princess Nausicaa, Athena personally makes him appear less menacing and worn. By doing this, Athena guaranteed that Odysseus would...
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...even justified intentions can result in the deadliest of consequences. In addition, society often aims to choose the most viable of opportunities, however a compromise is usually forced and as a result, progress is made in irrelevant fields. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, many conflicts occur between Odysseus and his enemies, however the entirety of them have legitimate reasons. Odysseus injures Polyphemus out of necessity for the survival of his crew. Also, he kills the suitors as compensation for tarnishing his home. Similarly, the servants and other such characters are killed for betraying Odysseus’s household and supporting the suitors. To begin, Odysseus drugs and blinds Polyphemus, not...
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...I believe Odysseus was justified in all his actions after he returned to Ithaca. Odysseus had left home to go fight the Trojan War, but when he tried to return home, he was thrown out to sea to endure a journey controlled by gods. When he finally returns home from his journey, the wooers and his own handmaids had ransacked his manor and were drinking his wine and using his property. They were also trying to take over Odysseus’ royalty by convincing his wife, Penelope, to marry them. They did all this without even thinking that Odysseus could somehow be alive somewhere and should respect him and his things. Odysseus had the right to take back his manor from the wooers and take revenge on them, so he did. However, the handmaids involved were his, and it took a lot of guts to hang them after the battle was through. It seemed like the handmaids were doing wrong, but they also could have been keeping the wooers happy so they wouldn’t marry Penelope and take Odysseus’ place. Odysseus did not think that was what was happening, so he did hang them. In the end, the handmaids deserved it because they should have been loyal enough to Odysseus to not be on the side of the wooers....
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...When Odysseus came back to his home there was a great battle between him and the wooers. Odysseus served justice the wooers by massacring them and liberating his home from them. This was the fate they deserved because of entering another man's home. Odysseus brought justice on the people who invaded his home. Odysseus' actions were completely justified. They shouldn't have come into his home like he did. He defended was was rightfully his in the most honorable way possible. The wooers had it coming for them, they knew he would kill them if he came home with them there trying to do what they were doing. Odysseus was right in what he did to them people. The punishment that Odysseus wielded was not too severe, it was perfect for the actions...
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...When Odysseus slaughtered the suitors, he spared the lives of Medon the herald and the minstrel Phemios (xxii, 320). However, he didn’t spare the life of the priest Leiodes. Why didn’t Odysseus spare Leiodes’ life? According to The Odyssey, “he [Leiodes] was the only man to whom their [the suitors] evil deeds were hateful and indignant with the others” (xxi, 146). He also tried to stop the suitors from courting Odysseus’ wife, although unsuccessful (xxii, 315). Leiodes was the “sacrificial priest’’, why didn’t Odysseus take pity on him (xxi, 146)? Leiodes saw the error in the ways of the suitors, but he was killed all the same. Yes, he did partake in the courting and eating at Odysseus’ house, but was it really justified to murder him? Sparing Medon the herald I can understand, he was a loyal servant, like Eurykleia. The situation with the bard would be understandable, too. Phemios said to Odysseus that “your own son will tell you that I did not want to frequent your house and sing to the suitors after their meals, but they were too many and too strong for me, so they made me”, and Telemakhos did confirm the bard’s statement (xxii, 350). Maybe the priest also didn’t want to partake in the activities of the suitors; maybe he was forced to participate, just like Phemios. What really puzzles me is when Odysseus said to the herald “…that you may know in the future, and tell other people, how greatly better good deeds prosper than evil ones” (xxii, 371). If because...
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...The feeling when something someone loves is snatched from them uncontrollably is a terrible one. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is stranded far from home after a war. His wife and son were both left alone, and men begin to try to take her hand in marriage, presuming Odysseus dead or unable to return. When he finds out the lengths to which they would go to steal his wife from him, he mercilessly murders everyone involved in their plans. While this would be absolutely unacceptable today, I feel Odysseus may have been somewhat justified in his actions back then. First of all, to have people try to steal from him because of circumstances beyond his grasp must have been devastating, his wife was one of the few things he could cherish and love, and I would presume that any plot involving the murder of you or someone you love would be enough to enrage you quite substantially....
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...Epic Of Gilgamesh the character Enkidu “gains and looses “ in his transformation as a human. He is created by the by the god of agriculture named Ninurta. He started off as animal like man. He shared characteristics of animals. He was described as “Shaggy with hair his whole body”(p102). His life starts off simple and he does not have any interactions with human beings. He is actually not even on the level of a baby. As a baby I had way more social interactions and social development then Enkidu. Enkidu comes off as soul less person, like animals. He is not aware of what the world holds and is subject to his own small surroundings with his animal counterparts. When he takes on his human characteristics and befriends Gilgamesh he is introduced to a whole new world. He is introduced to a completely different environment when he comes to Uruk. His human side comes in to play when he sees how Gilgamesh is treating the people. Enkidu and Gilgamesh became good friends and partners in adventures. He gains a great lot of experiences and a kind of love from Gilgamesh. Through his adventures with Gilgamesh he ends up loosing his life and right before he dies he wishes that he had stayed in his animal world and not join the world of man. Enkidu gets sick and tells Shamash that he wishes the hunter never met him, “…he cursed the hunter to his heart’s content” (p129). He ends up gaining a great friend and looses his life, through the friendship. Achilles comes off as a tragic...
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...reading Medea by Euripedes the character of Medea shows that she was a barbarian by nature, and she was considered a foreigner. Medea states that “I am the mother of your children, wither can I fly, since all Greece hates the barbarian ( www.theatre history.com). Medea tells this to Jason after the king tells her she must leave his kingdom. She was a beautiful intelligent woman, but she was a woman scorned. She displayed a woman who could not accept rejection, or by no means could she forgive. Medea was a mother, a lover a wife. She also was a loyal person. She displayed this by no matter what it took to help Jason, she took all necessary steps to fulfill her wishes so that she would be able to be with him. You ask yourself was Medea this way before Jason, yes I believe she was. This goes back to the fact that she really was a barbarian in a foreign land. In this story I came to the conclusion that Medea actions showed a woman who was truly mad. She was not aware of the cruel and barbaric actions she took out on people she knew and love. I felt this because she showed no compassion. She felt she was only doing what was necessary to have what she wanted, and that was to have Jason, or her revenge. The actions she demonstrated throughout the story shows that she felt these cruel actions were necessary and did not make her feel she was wrong. Medea only acted on her feelings of that this was necessary to fulfill her dreams. She felt that...
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...THE POETICS OF ARISTOTLE A TRANSLATION BY S. H. BUTCHER A Penn State Electronic Classics Series Publication THE POETICS OF ARISTOTLE trans. S. H. Butcher is a publication of the Pennsylvania State Univer- sity. This Portable Document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk. Neither the Pennsylvania State University nor Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, nor anyone associated with the Pennsylvania State University assumes any responsibility for the material contained within the document or for the file as an electronic transmission, in any way. THE POETICS OF ARISTOTLE trans. S. H. Butcher, the Pennsylvania State University, Electronic Classics Series, Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, Hazleton, PA 18201-1291 is a Portable Document File produced as part of an ongoing student publication project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access of those wishing to make use of them. Cover Design: Jim Manis Copyright © 2000 The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University is an equal opportunity university. THE POETICS OF ARISTOTLE THE POETICS OF ARISTOTLE Analysis of Contents A TRANSLATION BY S. H. BUTCHER I ‘Imitation’ the common principle of the Arts of Poetry. II The Objects of Imitation. III The Manner of Imitation. IV The Origin and Development of Poetry. V Definition of the Ludicrous, and a brief sketch of the rise...
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...hamartia. Hamartia may be interpreted as either a flaw in character or an error in judgement. Oedipus, the tragic character in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, certainly makes several such mistakes; however, the pervasive pattern of his judgemental errors seems to indicate a basic character flaw that precipitates them. Oedipus’ character flaw is ego. This is made evident in the opening lines of the prologue when he states "Here I am myself--you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus." (ll. 7-9) His conceit is the root cause of a number of related problems. Among these are recklessness, disrespect, and stubbornness. Oedipus displays an attitude of recklessness and disrespect throughout the play. When he makes his proclamation and no one confesses to the murder of Laius, Oedipus loses patience immediately and rushes into his curse. Later, he displays a short temper to Tiresias: "You, you scum of the earth . . . out with it, once and for all!," (ll. 381, 383) and "Enough! Such filth from him? Insufferable--what, still alive? Get out--faster, back where you came from--vanish!" (ll. 490-492) If an unwillingness to listen may be considered stubbornness, certainly Oedipus would take advice from no one who would tell him to drop the matter of his identity, among them Tiresias, the shepherd, and even Jocasta. Even after Oedipus thinks he has received a reprieve from the fate he fears when he hears that Polybus is dead, he does not have the sense to keep still. "So! Jocasta...
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...perspective. In such a perspective, a chief task is to determine the motives underlying most suicidal behaviour. Kant wrongly characterizes this motive as one of self-love or the pursuit of happiness. Psychiatric and scientific evidence suggests that suicide is instead motivated by a nihilistic disenchantment with the possibility of happiness which, at its apex, results in the loss of the individual’s conception of her practical identity. Because of this, methods of intervention that appeal to agents’ happiness, while morally benign, will prove ineffective in forestalling suicide. At the same time, more aggressive methods violate the Kantian concern for autonomy. This apparent dilemma can be resolved by seeing suicide intervention as an action undertaken in non-ideal circumstances, where otherwise unjustified manipulation, coercion, or paternalism are morally permitted. 1. The chances are good that each of us will some day confront a person close to us contemplating suicide. Every year in the United States, suicide attempts lead to 30,000 deaths and nearly half a million visits to emergency rooms [1]. This number does not even include another still larger group that contemplates suicide or forms suicidal intentions but never actually initiates a suicide attempt. And for each such suicidal person, there are numerous other persons — friends, family members, and health...
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...Principles of Measurement Mosso member of the FASB FASB’s Conceptual Framework project over the period 1973-1985 Define measurement Measurement is the assignment of numerals and other symbols to represent the magnitude of an attribute of a phenomenon Phenomenon A thing or event of interest E.g. a table, a performance, an exam Attribute A characteristic or quality of the phenomenon to be measured Magnitude The extent to which the phenomenon has the attribute Often we can’t directly observe a phenomenon of interest We need to find a substitute Direct observation- the only time we can accurately observe the attribute and phenomenon How happy is the baby? Phenomenon-baby Attribute-happiness Can you measure this attribute directly? NO Smiles per hour Laughter per day Financial Statements: When investors focus on a company’s net income, is net income necessarily the investors’ attribute of interest Firm performance Firm future performance What two things do accounting measures often represent Performance- what have we done? Position- what do we have? Business Strategy and Accounting USSBA Too many teams to manage What is strategy according to Porter? Strategy is creating a fit among an organization’s activities (to enable it to realize its goal or mission). The success of a strategy depends on doing many things well and integrating among them Operational Effectiveness versus Strategic Positioning Operational effectiveness Performing similar activities...
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...Credible Keynesianism?: New Labour Macroeconomic Policy and the Political Economy of Coarse Tuning Ben Clift & Jim Tomlinson The article has been accepted for publication in the British Journal of Political Science © Cambridge University Press, 2006. Forthcoming, Volume 36 (2006). Material on these pages is copyright Cambridge University Press or reproduced with permission from other copyright owners. It may be downloaded and printed for personal reference, but not otherwise copied, altered in any way or transmitted to others (unless explicitly stated otherwise) without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. Hypertext links to other Web locations are for the convenience of users and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by Cambridge University Press. Ben Clift, University of Warwick b.m.clift@warwick.ac.uk http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/staff/clift Jim Tomlinson, University of Dundee j.d.Tomlinson@dundee.ac.uk Abstract This article questions prevailing interpretations of New Labour’s political economy. New Labour’s doctrinal statements are analysed to establish to what extent these doctrinal positions involve a repudiation of Keynesianism. Although New Labour has explicitly renounced the ‘fine tuning’ often (somewhat problematically) associated with post-war Keynesian political economy, we argue that they have carved out policy space in which to engage in macroeconomic ‘coarse tuning’ inspired by Keynesian thinking. This capacity...
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