The True Tragic Hero of Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Antigone: The True Tragic Hero Antigone, is the drama written by Sohpocles. There is still a great debate on who is the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone, Creon or Antigone. Many people believes that it must be Antigone, herself. This is because Antigone is an outstanding example of someone who did what she thought was right, while she was among fools, many hardships, and people who were discouragingly uncourageous. When the king Creon ordered that the body of Polyneices, Antigone's brother, be left to rot unburied because he had died as a traitor, she tried to buried him even she knew that she would be punished. She believed that a dead person's soul could not rest if that person's body was not buried so she chooses to challenge a powerful Creon, the king of Thebes in order to let her brother rest peacefully. This presents a huge problem for Antigone; she feels she must obey the laws of the gods and bury her brother, but the penalty would be earthly death. To me, Antigone is a hero, what she did for her bro ther was very respectful, not many could have the strength to do so in the same situation. However, I believe the true tragic hero in Sophocles' Antigone is Creon, not Antigone. Creon, as king of Thebes, is at the top of the social ladder. Yet, not only is he king, he is also human and possesses frailties, which qualify him to make serious mistakes, and he possesses talents, which allow him also to excel. Hence, Creon is neither overly good nor bad. Appropriately, Creon's station as king place shim in a position of great power, influence and responsibility. The extent of this power was quite evident when he sentenced Antigone to death for disobeying his proclamation. Creon's tragic flaw was his hubris or his pride and arrogance in the face of divine powers. His downfall began when he denied the basic divine right of burial to Polyneices and was cemented when he condemned Antigone for her opposition to his law. When one closely examines Antigone's reasons for burying her brother, it becomes clear that she was simply demonstrating her love, honor, and loyalty to her family. However, the reason that Creon is angered is that he feels injured and insulted that Antigone flagrantly and publicly disobeyed him.

Rhetorical analysis essay examples Essay

In the essay, â€Å"Education†, Ralph Waldo Emerson, a transcendentalist thinker, asserts that Education is damaged and he knows of a solution – the educators. He develops this claim by first introducing the paradox linking â€Å"Genius and Drill†, expressing his ideal method of teaching. Throughout the essay, Emerson tends to have a condemning tone against the educator but towards the end he changes it into a comforting one. Emerson’s purpose is to present an alternative style of teaching in order to persuade educators to use the teaching method by using paradoxes, rhetorical questions, and shifts in tone. He establishes an informative and didactic tone for educators who value attention to detail. Emerson begins his essay by explaining why educators must respect the child in order to create an ideal educational system. He states a paradox between genius and drill in which he backs up by giving insight to the educators about the natural abilities of the scholar. He does this in order to resemble how complex and developed these young students minds are and that they need room to develop their minds on their own. To address drill, Emerson uses short, straightforward sentences like, â€Å"Give a boy accurate perceptions. Make him call things by their right names. Pardon him in no blunder† to dictate the reader in what they have to drill into the children’s minds (Emerson 103). The use of short sentences also serves to relate to the ethos of the reader by making the sentences â€Å"larger† than what they mean, earning Emerson his credibility and persuading the educators. He then uses longer sentences to describe how genius should be implemented. The manipulation of sentence length assists in describing his method of educating the youth by providing declarative or descriptive sentences. Emerson illustrates his theory through an anecdote about how the natural way of learning is possible and actually more efficient than its traditional counterpart. He does this by giving examples of how Charles Fellows completed his ambitions without the traditional education system. This paradigm provides a real life example providing ethos for his audience by giving a real example of his theory being implemented. Rhetorical questions induce an emotional appeal from educators. Emerson’s use of rhetorical questions attacks the educator in such a way that they question their original methods. After describing the current systems militaristic ways, he asks the educators â€Å"What reformer will it nurse? What poet will it  breed to sing to the human race?†(105). He condemns the current system and asks how it could possibly benefit students. Furthermore Emerson provides an analogy comparing the patience needed to teach a student and the â€Å"dint of obstinate sitting still† to arouse animals. He then goes on to ask the educators, â€Å"Can you not wait for him, as Nature and Providence do† to taunt the educators of their definitive ways of teaching(107). All of these methods gear the audience toward a path of naturalistic standards. The shift in tone throughout the essay describes Emerson’s main argument. He transitions from asserting the defects in the system to bringing the educators together to repair the problem. In the beginning Emerson instructs the educator by using commanding verbs. For instance when he says to†Give a boy accurate perceptions. Teach him the difference between the similar and the same. Make him call things by their right names† (103). The continual use of verbs to start sentences sets a didactic tone that undermines the educator. Emerson accentuates an educator’s capacity to inspire students to thrive in a natural learning environment. Through strong commanding sentences, rhetorical question, and empowering tone Emerson strives to persuades the educator in reforming the education system.

Ratio Analysis of Hcl Tech Essay

It provides software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management and BPO services, focused mainly on transformational outsourcing. The company leverages its extensive offshore infrastructure and global network of offices in 31 countries to deliver solutions across selected verticals including financial services, retail and consumer, life sciences, aerospace, automotive, semiconductors, telecom, media publishing and entertainment. HCL takes pride in its philosophy of â€Å"Employees First, Customers Second† which empowers their 84,403 employees to create a real value for the customers. HCL Technologies, along with its subsidiaries, had consolidated revenues of US$ 4. 5 billion, as on 31st March 2013. HCL Leadership team 2. Objectives of Study Development of industries depends on several factors such as financial, personnel, technology, quality of product and marketing. Financial aspects assume a significant role in determining the growth of industries. All the company’s operations virtually affect its need for cash. Most of these data covering operations area are however outside the direct responsibility of the financial executives. The firm whose present operations are inherently difficult should try to makes its financial analysis to enable its management to stay on top of its working position. In this context I am undertaking financial ratio analysis of HCL Technologies to examine and understand financial performance of the company. Using ratio analysis this project will provide the insights of – * The growth and development of HCL Technologies for last 5 years (FY 08-12) * The behavior of liquidity and profitability of HCL Technologies * The factors determining the liquidity and profitability of HCL Technologies Scope The scope of the study is limited to financial data published in the annual reports of the company every year. The analysis is done to suggest possible solutions for financial growth of the organization. This study is carried out for 5 years (2008-2012). Also data provided by external agencies are used for analysis of future predication. 3. Concept of Financial Statement & Ratio Analysis 2 3. 2 Financial Statement To understand the information contained in financial statements with a view to know the strength or weaknesses of the organization, to make forecast about future prospects and thereby enabling the management and external parties to take different decisions regarding the operations. Fundamental analysis has a very broad scope. One aspect looks at the general (qualitative) factors of the company. The other side considers tangible and measurable factors (quantitative). This means crunching and analyzing numbers from the financial statements if used in conjunction with other methods, quantitative analysis can produce excellent results. Ratio Analysis Ratio analysis is the method or process by which relationship/group of items in the financial statement are computed, determined and presented. Ratio analysis is an attempt to derive quantitative measure or guides concerning the financial health and profitability of business enterprises. Ratio analysis can be used both in trend and static analysis. Purpose of several ratios depends on the objective of analysis. A financial ratio measures a company’s performance in a specific area. For example, you could use a ratio of a company’s debt to its equity to measure a company’s gearing. By comparing the gearing ratios of two companies, you can determine which company uses greater debt per equity. You can use this information to make a judgment as to which company is better investment risk. However, you must be careful not to place too much importance on one ratio. You obtain better indication of the direction in which a company is moving when several ratios are taken as a group. Ratios are worked out to analyze the following aspects of an enterprise: a. Solvency: i. Long term ii. Short term iii. Immediate b. Profitability c. Operational Efficiency d. Credit standing e. Effective utilization of resources f. Investment Analysis 3. 4 Significance of Ratio Analysis in Financial Statement Ratio analysis is very important in revealing the financial position and soundness of the business so used by various parties * Management: The group that has the most interest in financial statement analysis is management. Management needs to discover quickly any area of mismanagement so that corrective action can be quickly taken. It mainly helps in: * Decision making: Ratio analysis helps in making decision from the information provided in these financial Statements. Financial forecasting and planning: Planning is looking ahead and the ratios calculated for a number of years a work as a guide for the future. * Communicating: The financial strength and weakness of a firm are communicated in a more easy and understandable manner using ratios. * Co-ordination: Better communication of efficiency and weakness of an enterprise result in better co-ordination in the enterprise * Control: The weaknesses are otherwise, if any, come to the knowledge of the managerial, which helps, in effective control of the business. * Investors or Shareholders Investors are interested in financial statements to evaluate current earnings and to predict future earnings. Financial statements influence greatly the price at which stock is bought and sold. * Lenders: Bankers before granting loans usually require that financial statements be submitted. Whether or not a loan is made depends heavily on a company’s financial condition and its prospects for the future. * Employees: Employees are mainly concerned about the profitability. Their salaries and increments are dependent on the profit made by the company. * Government:

Effect of Ethnocentrism on an Individual and Society

Effect of Ethnocentrism on an Individual and Society Defined as a universal syndrome of attitude and behaviour that entails the tendency to view the world from the perspective of one’s culture (Brown, 2003), ethnocentrism has profound impact on individuals, society and multinational corporations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Ethnocentrism on an Individual and Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is because an entrenched belief in one’s cultural superiority over the others determines the forms of relationship an individual extends towards people of different cultures. However, research abides in the fact that everyone is ethnocentric and it is almost impossible to avoid being ethnocentric. After watching Dream keepers: A Spirit Journey into Aboriginal Australia by Harvey Arden, what rings into the mind is the effect of ethnocentrism on an individual and society. Total neglect and marginalization encompass the daily lives of the aborig ines because of the ethnocentric belief that their culture are not only inferior, but they are not fit enough to join the Australian mainstream society. The effect of ethnocentrism on an individual is precipitated by false assumptions about cultural differences. It reinforces wrong assumptions and premature judgements on people of different cultures and therefore gives a vague feeling of superiority. Through such a wrong evaluation, an individual misses important aspects of life because ethnocentrism tends to evaluate others by what we are best at. According to Sanders (2002), â€Å"membership in an ethnic group is typically evaluated in terms of one or more observable characteristics (such as language, accent, physical features, or religion) that are regarded as indicating common descent.† Furthermore, it affects interpersonal relationship an individual develops with a person of a different culture. At the society levels, ethnocentrism deters the interaction among people of different cultures, ethnic groups, gender and age. Chirot and Seligman (2001) indicate that ethnocentrism has impacted largely on ethnic conflicts, wars and patterns of voting. It is pointed out as a major impediment to societal cohesion and peaceful co-existence among people of different cultures. According to Rogers and Laitin (1998), â€Å"ethnocentrism can be in-group favouritism or out-group hostility.† This is a pointer to the fact that societal problems such as ethnic cleansing, colonialism and racism are products of ethnocentrism of out-group hostility. Multiple forms of discrimination against members of different societies have denied people their human rights and fundamental freedoms. Furthermore, governmental neglect and group marginalization are directly linked to ethnocentrism.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In multinational corporations, ethnocent rism presents the biggest challenge in diversity management and is a determinant to consumer choice. In the understanding that appreciating diversity in organizations demand that each individual form a bigger part of the business entity and must work together knowing that their objectives and goals are far greater than their differences, ethnocentrism deters collective appreciation and the sharing of common purpose. Despite being a major component of an organization’s life and forms the very foundation of organization’s stability, diversity management remains a challenge to multinational firms because of the premature judgment of an individual’s or group’s superiority. Furthermore, it negatively effects communication, which is as a key success factor in organizational climate and it has been directly linked to job satisfaction, performance, and overall organizational effectiveness. Consumers have become complex the choices of their products. Driven by cul tural beliefs and ethnocentrism, consumers would easily shun a product because of perceived cultural inferiority of country of origin. A car manufactured in China would definitely not expect good reviews in the United States. In summary, it can be discerned from the above discussions that knowingly or unknowingly, ethnocentrism plays a critical role in the relationship we develop and the choices we make. References Brown, D.E. (2003). Ethnicity and ethnocentrism; Are they natural? In Race and ethnicity: An anthropological focus on the United States and the world (ed.) R. Scupin. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Chirot, D. and Seligman, M.E.P. (2001). Ethno political Warfare: Causes, Consequences, and Possible Solutions. Washington DC: American psychological Association Rogers, R. and Laitin, D.D. (1998). Ethnic and National Violence. Annual Review of Sociology. 24:423-452. Sanders, J. M. (2002). Ethnic Boundaries and Identity in Plural Societies. Annual Review of Sociol ogy. 28:327-57.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Ethnocentrism on an Individual and Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

The Feminist Pro-Woman Line

The Feminist Pro-Woman Line The Pro-Woman Line refers to the idea introduced by 1960s radical feminists that women should not be blamed for their own oppression. The Pro-Woman Line evolved out of consciousness-raising and became a significant part of the Womens Liberation movement. The Pro-Woman Argument The Pro-Woman Line sought to explain contradictory behavior. For example, feminists applied it to makeup and other beauty standards. The anti-woman argument was that women participate in their own oppression by wearing makeup, uncomfortable clothes, girdles, or high-heeled shoes. The Pro-Woman Line said that women are not at fault; they just do what they need to do in a world that creates impossible beauty standards. If women are treated better when they wear makeup, and are told they look sick when not wearing makeup, a woman who wears makeup to work does not create her own oppression. She is doing what society requires of her to succeed. During the 1968 Miss America Protest instigated by New York Radical Women, some protesters criticized the female contestants for participating in the pageant. According to the Pro-Woman Line, the contestants should not be criticized, but the society that put them in that situation should be criticized. However, the Pro-Woman Line also argues that women do resist negative portrayals and oppressive standards. In fact, the Womens Liberation Movement was a way to unite women in a struggle they were already fighting individually. The Pro-Woman Line in Feminist Theory Some radical feminist groups had disagreements about feminist theory. Redstockings, formed in 1969 by Shulamith Firestone and Ellen Willis, took the Pro-Woman stance that women must not be blamed for their oppression. Redstockings members asserted that women did not need to change themselves, but to change men. Other feminist groups criticized the Pro-Woman Line for being too simplistic and not leading to change. If womens behaviors were accepted as a necessary response to oppressive society, how would women ever change those behaviors? The Pro-Woman Line theory criticizes the prevailing myth that women are somehow lesser people than men, or that women are weaker and more emotional. Feminist critical thinker Carol Hanisch wrote that women are messed over, not messed up. Women have to make less-than-ideal choices to survive in an oppressive society. According to the Pro-Woman Line, it is not acceptable to criticize women for their survival strategies.

Midterm report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Midterm report - Essay Example The most important in the book is the topics it addresses; it is anthology of life in the USA because it traces local understanding of basic human values and needs people face in their lives. Each story in the book is an independent essay with developed story line and its characters. Out of all the stories, Im Jumping  Off  the Bridge by Kevin Sampsell is very special. Narrated in the first person, it tells a story of a man who convinces other man not to commit suicide. The savior, however, is trapped by suicidal thoughts and he has to survive a night fighting with his inner controversies to make the decision to live or not to live.   The other story, Confessions of an Ex-Mormon by Walter Kirn addresses the issue of religion and belief. It follows the narrator on his way from and back to Mormonism, showing how difficult it can be to find belief inside one’s heart. In His Last Game, Brian Doyle manages to render invisible connection between two brothers who are already grown up, but they keep their inner children alive thanks to each other.   Other stories, also written in the first person, deal with economics, politics, relationships, inner struggles, desi re to live, state of mind and many other vital things people can find interesting in literature. This collection of essays reflects current values of people in America. If one wants to have a glimpse in American culture and identity, these stories in their concentration comprehensively represent this hidden knowledge. They are not too philosophical or sophisticated; most of them are written in terms of ordinary daily life with the same ordinary problems. These stories do not offer solutions to global issues of greater gaps between the rich and poor or cure for lethal diseases. They offer a fresh look, a new point of view and ideas to think about in the future. They teach people to appreciate what they have here and now and love their closest people. They show that

Taiwan-China Conflict and Resolution Research Paper

Taiwan-China Conflict and Resolution - Research Paper Example China was fragment after the fall of Qing dynasty and civil war followed (Myers 1) in 1915. In this condition, the political party that gave birth to Taiwan, the  Guomindang  or GMD was formed and so was the ruling party in China, the Chinese Communist Party  (CCP). These two political parties however begun as allies in Southeast China in their effort to crush the warlords in 1923 that caused the civil war in China. The alliance however was short lived because it collapsed within four years and the two political parties became bitter enemies that precipitated another civil war. GMD’s generals pledge loyalty to its new leader Chiang  Kai ­shek and formed a new Republic of China in Nanjing and later formed a new ROC government in Nanjing in 1927 (Myers 1). Chiang  Kai ­shek had the upper hand over the CCP in 1937 as Chiang  Kai ­shek army drove the Communists into the Northwest region of China. Japan however attacked China in July 1937 to make Chiang  Kai ­ shek ROC a client state of Japan. The attack was thwarted because Taiwan and China again forged an alliance to defeat Japan. This alliance lasted for eight years until Japan was defeated in August 15, 1945. During this time, Chiang  Kai ­shek also allied with the United States which lasted until 1949. China on the other is building up its forces beginning in the Autumn of 1945 when it begun amassing weapons from the Russians in Manchuria. It also initiated land reform in the countryside as a precursor to Maoist strategy of encircling cities by cutting them off from the countryside. The strategy coupled with superior weapons proved to be effective in defeating Chiang  Kai ­shek’s forces and advanced further towards Northern China until finally, CPP soldiers captured Beijing on January 31, 1949. Months later, Mao declared the founding of the new  Chinese  state in October 1, 1949 which is the  People's Republic  of  China (13). Chiang Kai-shek on the other han d retreated to Formosa which is now Taiwan to seek refuge from Mao’s advancing armies (Ford 36) which it still continue to occupy until this day. II. Description of the various conflict management techniques used, the third parties that were active in attempts to resolve the conflict, and the outcomes of these conflict management efforts. Efforts however were made to reconcile Taiwan and China after Mao’s declaration of People's Republic  of  China or PROC as we know it today. On April 27, 1993, China and Taiwan begun negotiating the various Interpretations of Taiwan’s relationship  to  China,  or  the  "one ­China" principle† (Myers 1). The negotiation however was conducted and represented by third party private agencies. Taiwan was represented by Straits Exchange Foundation or SEF while China was represented Association for Relations across the  Taiwan  Strait,  or  ARATS. The negotiation however was short lived and collapse when President Lee Teng ­hui visited the US for a public address at Cornell University (Myers 1). The technique used in the attempt to resolve the conflict was negotiation by third parties composed of private NGOs. The negotiation however did not prosper because no confidence building measure was initiated by both parties. The negotiation finally collapsed when Taiwan’s President Lee Teng ­hui antagonized the Chinese by a visit to the Communist ideological nemesis, the US.