Poetry and War Essay Example for Free

Poetry and War Essay How does Owen explore the themes of war through the power of his poetry? Written by: vdg How does Owen explore the themes of war through the power of his poetry? Answer Q Owen expresses the themes of war through the unique power of poetry. Both the mental and physical brutality of war is emphasised in the poems, â€Å"The Send off,† â€Å"Anthem for doomed youth† and â€Å"Spring Offensive,† furthering the responder’s understanding of a soldier’s life on the western front. Owen employs various poetic devices such as imagery, symbolism and sound techniques, and powerful language features, together helping to convey the different aspects of war, such as the themes of ___ (maybe 4 main themes). 100 words on extract, linking to q Wilfred Owen’s, â€Å"The send-off,† illustrates the consequences of war and reveals its cynical, secretive nature through the use of poetic devices. The title, â€Å"The Send-off,† depicts two different images about the nature of war. â€Å"Send-off† could be interpreted as a farewell to soldiers, in the hope of their return, or metaphorically could convey their literal fighting till death. The composer’s use of symbolism, â€Å"darkening lane,† portrays the sinister side of war, while the alliteration, â€Å"grimly gay,† creates irony. This depicts the soldiers’ hidden fear of going into battlefield, compared with their initial excitement at â€Å"send-off. † The composer also emphasises the fact that the â€Å"typical† send-off is an emotionless, mechanical procedure for many military personal, rather than a cheerful experience. Owen’s choice of diction is used to convey the horrors and themes of war. The metaphor, â€Å"Their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray. As men’s are, dead,† reinforces the concept of doom and sacrifice during war, through the onomatopoeia of â€Å"stuck† and the negative connotations associated with the word â€Å"dead†. Diction is used, â€Å"Dull porters watched them, and a casual tramp†¦staring hard, sorry to miss them†¦,† to demonstrate that most onlookers have a lack of emotion towards war. The rhetorical question, â€Å"Shall they return to beatings of great bells in wild train-loads? ,† conveys the uncertainty of war, where a soldier’s fate is unknown to many. The composer’s use of repetition â€Å"A few, a few, too few for drums and yells†, conveys a sense of loneliness, as there are only a handful of soldiers who have returned home, depicting the horrors of the aftermath of war. The composer’s use of imagery, â€Å"May creep back, silent†¦up half-known roads†, portrays the returned soldiers’ disillusioned state of mind, effectively giving the responder an insight into the consequences of war. The composer’s successful use of personification in this poem, â€Å"Then, unmoved, signals nodded† and â€Å"a lamp winked to the guard†, illustrates the secretive and cynical nature of war, and presents the mental assumptions about a typical war. Personification is also used, â€Å"So secretly, like wrongs hushed-up, they went,† to communicate the soldier’s unfair treatment at the hands of the government, while the phrase â€Å"they were not ours†, alludes to the soldier’s lack of belongingness. LINK TO Q Another poem, in which Owen uses the power of poetry to convey the themes of war, is â€Å"Anthem for doomed youth. † The title, â€Å"Anthem for doomed youth,† acts as an extended metaphor for the sacrificial and improvident consequences of war. Owen uses religious imagery, â€Å"candles† and â€Å"choirs†, alluding to the funeral ceremonies associated with such religious symbols, while also depicting the inhumane nature of killing during the war. â€Å"Doomed,† conveys a pessimistic tone and creates an image of entrapment. The opening rhetorical question, â€Å"What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? †, illustrates the dehumanisation of war through the use of animal imagery. Moreover, the composer’s repetition, â€Å"only,† highlights the insufficient homage paid to death. Owen also employs alliteration and symbolism to convey the themes related with war. Alliteration, â€Å"rapid-rattle†¦,† is used to assist the responder’s knowledge of the nature of death, and heightens our aural and visual senses to these disorientating images. Another example of alliteration, â€Å"sad shires†¦,† conveys the after effects of war and its devastating consequences. Owen also tries to convey the horrifying nature of war through his vivid use of symbolism. Religious and church symbols such as â€Å"bells† and â€Å"choirs,† denote religion as a sanctuary from the horrors and evils of war. Imagery, â€Å"What candles maybe held†¦shall shine in the holy glimmers of good-byes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , transforms the mourner’s candlelight into tears and the â€Å"pallor† of mourners faces are compared to a â€Å"pall†, contrasting the different funeral images in war and peace. Also, the connotation of â€Å"each slow dusk†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , reinforces the cycle of life and death. It is evident that through the composer’s power of poetry, various themes been conveyed about war, thus heightening the responder’s understanding of the war experience. SUM UP THEMES In the final two lines of the poem, the composer makes successful use of imagery together with alliteration to convey the horrors of war, â€Å"Each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds,† revealing the end for many soldiers’ lives. LINK TO Q Through the poem, â€Å"Spring offensive†, the composer conveys the various themes about war, through contrast, imagery and simile. The positive connotation, â€Å"Spring,† reinforces the idea of rebirth and renewal, which is juxtaposed with the destructive connotations associated with â€Å"offensive†. Owen awakens the audience through the harshness of the sound â€Å"f† in the alliteration, â€Å"fearfully flashed†. In so doing, the composer provides an ominous warning on the battlefield. Owen’s vivid use of death imagery, â€Å"Knowing their feet had come to the end of the world†, portrays a rather chilling and detrimental perspective of the battlefield. Owen continues to mix the ideas of war and nature in the third stanza. Here the composer effectively juxtaposes the beauty of â€Å"buttercups† with the men’s â€Å"boots,† to emphasise war’s unnatural repulsiveness. Owen’s use of simile, â€Å"clutched to them and to them like sorrowing hands†¦,† conveys mother nature’s unwillingness to relinquish the soldier’s lives. Simile is also used, â€Å"like a cold gust†, to depict the lack of warmth and quiet beginnings of confrontation, as war commences in the fourth stanza. Owen also successfully uses vivid war imagery to convey the various concepts of war in â€Å"Spring-offensive† and thus portraying the horrors present in war. The imagery, â€Å"So soon they topped the hill, and raced together†¦instantly the whole sky burned with fury†¦,† illustrates the dark and frightening nature of war amongst this peaceful physical environment, while the unity, â€Å"together,† highlights that the men go into battlefield as a group. Finally, the composer’s use of the rhetorical question â€Å"Why speak not they of comrades that went under? †, conveys the ghastly and silent nature of the battlefield, as the battle nears to an end. LINK TO Q Consequently, it is evident Owen has been able to integrate various poetic devices and language features into his poems, to reveal numerous ideas within war. Owen has been able to successfully convey the horrors of war through his power of poetry and his influential words. ANSWER THE Q Where ever possible, LINK TO Q!!! MEMORISE â€Å"The Send-Off† is a poem written about WW1 soldiers leaving their homes to go off to war. It is set in a train station where a soldier is watching the new recruits boarding the train. You can tell it is written by an on looking soldier because in line 12 he says, â€Å"They were not ours†; where as previously he had been referring to them as â€Å"them†. In â€Å"The Send-Off†, Owen conveys his feelings about the war and the young soldiers going off to die. You can tell he has a very pessimistic attitude to the likelihood of the soldiers surviving. You can see this from his continual references to death, â€Å"Their breasts were stuck all stuck with wreath and spray/As men’s are, dead†. To convey his emotions and foretelling further he uses a range of language. The actual words that he uses are quite simple, but he uses many effects to create imagery. In line 3, Owen uses the oxymoron, â€Å"grimly gay†, this gives the impression that the soldiers know what is going to happen to them and they are scared, but they put on a brave face anyway so as not to upset their families, each-other and also, if they don’t admit their fear to themselves, then maybe it will go away. In the poem there is often para-rhym, for example, â€Å"They were not ours†¦who gave them flowers†. There is more often though just a normal rhyme. This rhyme scheme seems to have no particular pattern; it will start a pattern, and then change it. It starts off A, B, A, A, B, C, B, C, and carries on in the same sort of irregular patterns. Maybe Owen is trying to convey the mixed, uncertain feelings and lives that can change so quickly, with a mixed, uncertain rhyme scheme. This is the same with the rhythm; I think this is to represent, instead of the regular, ordered marching step that the army is renowned for, there is disorder and chaos. I think that he is trying to convey the truth of war. Analysis of The send off 2006-09-10 Added by: John Terry This poem actually conveys a message to the readers. That war is not as glorious and honourable as it is always portrayed as. The pun in the title also shows this. The send-off could mean two things. Firstly, it could mean that the soldiers were being sent off to war. However, it could also mean that the soldiers were being sent off to their deaths. This emphasizes the fact that war actually is not what it is portrayed to be. It is not glorious and honourable to fight in war but the people and soldiers going through it are actually filled with grieve and most soldiers do not survive in war. The pun has brought across this message to the reader. WAR IS not an honourable and glorious thing to be in.

Feeling like “Other” Essay Example for Free

Feeling like â€Å"Other† Essay I will be exploring a time when I felt like â€Å"other†, in this situation I was made to feel invisible, excluded and too visible all at the same time. In this situation I mainly felt excluded but nonetheless I felt all of the above. My husband is Nigerian and I am African American, he attends a Nigerian church and all of the members are Nigerian. Every time I go to church with him I feel as if I am too visible because I am the only non-Nigerian person there, yes we are all black but I know nothing about their culture and I do not speak their language. They often sing Nigerian praise songs and do traditional dances and when this is occurring I often feel excluded and invisible because it seem like it doesn’t matter if I’m included since I’m the only one who doesn’t understand what is going on. Because of this I very seldom go to church with him, it would be nice for us to go to church together all the time but it’s not comfortable to feel excluded or invisible. You wouldn’t think you could feel excluded or invisible around your own race but subgroups of the same race often have different cultures and traditions that the other doesn’t understand. In a lot of cases African’s who live in America feel that African Americans have acculturated into society which is â€Å"a form of assimilation wherein an ethnic or racial group or an individual takes on the cultural ways of another group, usually that of mainstream culture, often at the expense of traditional cultural ways†(2014). Being African American around Africans you often get a sense of ethnocentrism from this culture in regards to language, religion and behavior. Sometimes people are not aware that they are making the â€Å"other† feel uncomfortable or excluded simply because they don’t know how to include the â€Å"other†. Many people are not as culturally competent as they may think and this can cause a lot of discord between different  cultural groups. Unfortunately both groups have been marginalized, having diminished value, importance, contributions, or attributes. Because both groups notice cultural differences we feel the need to be guarded and defensive at all times. This does not help with communication and interaction between our cultures. One way for me to overcome this is exercising emotional intelligence which involves developing the ability to manage and appreciate differences. References (2014, November 1). Identity and Difference . Weekly Lecture. Lecture conducted from , . Harvey, C., Allard, M. J. (2011). Understanding and Managing Diversity, 5th Edition. [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://devry.vitalsource.com/books/9781269562744/id/ch01lev2sec22

Reggae Music Jamaican

Reggae Music Jamaican â€Å"A perspective of Reggae as a music Genre, History, and the Legendary.† Caribbean music has entertained many music fans and has a great influence on the rest of the world. Music from the Caribbean islands such as ska, rock steady and dancehall have changed from each other and combined into what we know as â€Å"reggae† music. This music genre has also been influenced by parts of African rhythms and American blues. In the midst of all these influences, there rises a perspective of Reggae as a music genre, history, and the Legendary.† The word reggae may have been first used by the vocal group the Maytals, in the title of their 1968 hit â€Å"Do the Reggay† (Wikipedia, 2007). Although a definition of the word ‘reggae is controversial as the Oxford English Dictionary says â€Å"the origin of the word is unknown.† On the other hand, Piero Scaruffi (2003) claim that the word reggae was coined around 1960 in Jamaica to identify a ragged style of dance music, that still had its roots in New Orleans rhythmnblues. Reggae was an evolution of what had been happening in Jamaican music, and was the next evolution step up from the other types of Jamaican music that had been enjoyed before it. These styles were ska, and rock steady. Wikipedia (2007) has indicated that compared with rock music, reggae music basically inverted the role of bass and guitar: the former was the lead, the latter beat the typical hiccupping pattern. The vocals in reggae are less of a defining characteristic of the genre than the instrumentation and rhythm. Almost any song can be performed in a reggae style. Vocal harmony parts are often used either throughout the melody or as a counterpoint to the main vocal line. Reggae lyrics is noted for its tradition of social criticism, although many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects such as love, sex and socializing. Some reggae lyrics attempt to raise the political perception of the audience, such as by criticizing materialism or by informing the listener about certain controversial subjects such as apartheid. There are many artists and songs that use religious themes in their music, whether it be discussing a religious topic or simply giving praise to the Rastafari God, called Jah. Other socio-political topics in reggae songs include: Black Nationalism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, anti capitalism, criticism of political systems, and criticism of the colonial education system. Harmonically, the music is often very simple, and sometimes a whole song will have no more than one or two chords. The Bob Marley and the Wailers song Exodus is almost entirely comprised of A-minor chords. However, Bob Marley also wrote more complex chord structures, and the band Steel Pulse has often used very complex chord structures. The bass guitar often plays a very dominant role in reggae, and the drum and bass is often called the riddim. A rhythm, riddim in reggae vocabulary, is a rhythm pattern. Its basically a bassline and usually a special drum pattern is used with the bassline (Jam2jamdis, n.d.) Reggae music had its origin with ska in the late 1950s right about the time Jamaica got its independence from England. Though this style of music is original only to Jamaica, its known and loved globally. The Reggae beat has been through many stages since its formulation in Jamaica in the early 1960s. It began with the Ska beat which derives from a strong influence of rhythm blues, and then Rocksteady, before reaching its worldwide appeal as Reggae during the Seventies to early Eighties. Jamaica first started their own label of music in the 50s. Edward Sega, the man who was to become the president of Jamaica, was first known as the founder of a company called WIRL, or West Indian Records Limited, this company began releasing the work of local artists. Many more recorders began to follow suit, once the pressing plants were established on the island, the Jamaican recording industry was born. An independent label, Island, distributed Jamaican records in the UK throughout the 1960s, but reggae became popular in the UK only when Prince Busters Al Capone (1967) started a brief dance craze. Jamaican music was very much a ghetto phenomenon, associated with gang-style violence, but Jimmy Cliffs Wonderful World Beautiful People (1969) wed reggae with the peace and love philosophy of the hippies, an association that would not die away. In the USA, Neil Diamonds Red Red Wine (1967) was the first reggae hit by a pop musician. Shortly afterwards, Johnny Nashs Hold Me Tight (1968) propelled reggae onto the charts. Do The Reggay (1968) by Toots (Hibbert) And The Maytals was the record that gave the music its name. Fredrick Toots Hibberts vocal style was actually closer to gospel, as proved by their other hits (54-46, 1967; Monkey Man, 1969; Pressure Drop, 1970). It was in the 1970s that the late Bob Marley took this art and made it an international craze with roots reggae, which was a heavy, spiritual and conscious sound. Roots reggae is the name given to a spiritual type of music whose lyrics are mainly in praise of Jah (God). On the other hand, roots music, which had a heavy Reggae bass line and lyrics to match, really captured the mood of what life is like living in the ghetto. The 70s saw the creation and international success of Roots Reggae. With this style, the tempo was slowed down even more, and the electric bass was lower and more important in the mix. Along with this change in musical approach was the increased intensity and depth of the lyrical content. Influenced by suffering, corrupt politicians and police, and the religion of Rastafari, the lyrics of Roots music ranged from powerful protest music to beautiful spiritual music. It had a passion that moved and still moves people around the globe (Jeff Reiss n.d.) Jeff Reis (n.d.) also has indicated that in the 90s, Reggae history is moving right along, dancehall began to show influence of Roots rhythms and ideology. With a focus back to Rastafari, artists such as Sizzla, Capleton, Anthony B, and Buju Banton, have become world famous musicians. In the twentieth century Jamaica was famous with reggae, the Rastafarians and Bob Marley. Here constantly reggae concerts, music of love and revolution take place. Nowadays, when every fiftieth person on the Earth is Rastafarian, Jamaica became their Mecca and a house-museum of Bob Marley becomes a temple at the date of his death. Reggae music has moved through many different variations. Performances have been seen and heard from rhythms such as Dub, Ska, Congo, and Dancehall. The dancehall genre developed around 1980, with artists such as Yellowman, Super Cat, and Shabba Ranks. The style is characterized by a deejay singing and rapping or toasting over raw and fast rhythms. As mentioned on Music Lesson Online (n.d.) with the loss of its biggest name, Bob Marley, reggae seemed to strike a slow period, when the music had no direction. That changed in the mid 1980s with the advent of dancehall. This was faster than reggae, the rebellious music of youth that also drew influences from American hip-hop. Ragga is a subgenre of dancehall, in which the instrumentation primarily consists of electronic music and sampling. Reggaeton is a form of dance music that first became popular with Latino youths in the early 1990s. Reggae rock is a genre that combines elements of reggae and rock music. The bands Sublime and 311 are known for this reggae rock. The Reggae beat also became faster and more sophisticated musically, to keep up with the new sound coming in from the USA called Funk which used the aid of the new electronic musical instruments and included the famous syndrome used on many a tune. In the 1990s dancehall and reggae evolved, accompanied by the opinion that it contained more offensive lyrics that would encourage street violence and dismay. However, there is a recent development going back to more socially and spiritually aware lyrics known by some to be the New Roots Movement. The old-style roots reggae has also become global, with reggae bands springing up all over, many of whom had achieved great critical success, like the African reggae of Lucky Dube or Alpha Blondy. Today reggae has grown as the artists are showcased at events such as the Caribbean Music Expo, and Jamaica Sumfest. It is highly recommended that those who are truly interested in Jamaicas music attend one of these shows. Some of these stage shows can be days long, so if you cant be there for the entire show, you can catch at least one day of it. New Reggae artists such as Shaggy and Sean Paul have brought reggae even further internationally. An example of how reggae has grown globally is Shaggys concert in Kuala Lumpur on 1 December 2007. When one thinks of Reggae music, the first name that comes to mind is Bob Marley. Rustic Girls (n.d.) has indicated that even though the world first met Bob Marley in the 70s, the name still lingers to this day, because he was the man who turned Jamaican Reggae music into an international phenomenon, and with the help of a few others along the way established reggae as a worldwide genre of music. Bob Marley had established himself as an early leading influence, with his creative style and unique stage presence. He adopted Rastafarianism; bring in his reggae music with greater soul and more touching lyrics. Bob Marley became an international superstar and is considered a prophet by the followers of the Rastafarian religion. It is Bob Marley legend because he managed to bring reggae music to the non-African and non-Jamaican population of the world and made them love it as it was their own natural spiritual legacy. He showed people the everlasting backbeat that goes along with the wailing soft words like â€Å"No Woman, No Cry ¨ and† Is This Love ¨. Morgan Hamilton (n.d.) claimed that the legend has his name because Bob Marley was the one who actually made it in the conformist society of those days by first getting there, finding his place to fit into that specific social environment, playing by their rules, wearing their clothes and hairstyles. Afterwards he managed to grow and evolve both in a spiritual and a physical aspect keeping in mind all the dreads, but following his own ways in philosophy as well as in religion and in the general attitude as well as in the very words. For people of the different ages the Bob Marley legend has different meaning, and they vary from peaceful love to melancholia. Some people connect him with superior reggae inspiring music with meaningful lyrics, others think of him as a part of their own search for self, and still others connect him mostly with deep and true love. The legend of Bob Marley still lives with those who remember him, and remember how it started with him and was only because of him. The album Bob Marley Legend is one of the best albums of all time, especially in the sector of reggae. Bob Marley Legend tells you the story of the world- famous Bob Marley and the Wailers, by having such classic tracks and all time hits as Buffalo Soldier, Stir it Up, Get Up Stand Up, Is This Love, just to name a few. In 2002 Bob Marleys album Exodus won album of the century. This proud, bold island had now made its mark on the world first because of its music. It was proposed by Glenn B. Porter (n.d.) that Bob Marley is one of the most phenomenal musicians in history, and almost single-handedly pioneered the art of reggae music. It is a testament to him that, despite the fact that he is probably more famous worldwide than all other reggae artists combined, he is still adored and respected in his native Jamaica rather than resented for permanently acing the rest of the local music. Bob Marley himself always succeed for noble causes such as independence and the right of ordinary people, and his radical spirit is still fresh in the songs that he plays. Wailers songs are not just meant as party music, although of course, they are lots of fun to party too. They are meant to make the listener feel a thirst for justice and peace, and sow the seeds of hope for a better world. Though Marley died in 1981, Reggae has gone from strength to strength. International stars such as Eric Clapton and Paul Simon even began to incorporate Reggae tunes into their smash hit reggae albums. Roots Reggae Club (n.d.) mentioned that Bob Marley has sold more reggae albums than any other reggae recording reggae artist. On his birthday, February 6, 2001 Bob Marley was awarded a star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame. He receives many awards for his contributions to reggae music each year. Finally we can say Bob Marley legend because no matter where we were, what we were doing, what we were trying to get, or to escape from, he was always there, always ready to help and support us with his music and his words spreading his great spirit all over telling us that what we really need is just love, respect, unity and spirituality. Bob Marley helped all of us to  ¨stir it up ¨, to â€Å"put it on ¨ and to â€Å"rock it baby ¨, there was also encouragement in his words with â€Å"pass it on ¨ with â€Å"stand alone ¨ and with â€Å"keep on moving ¨. All he did actually tell us through his music was that we should try living our lives according to our and to Gods rules. He taught us to know what our rights are and to never quit until we get them granted and then use them properly. Reggae to me is not just a great beat or music just to dance to. Many songs in the reggae genre are spiritual in their sound and lyrics. Songs performed by reggae artists such as Bob Marley and the others consist of not simply great lyrics but a message. A message that inspires, motivates, and reminds us of the past and where we are coming from. Beside that, there are some things that are associated with both reggae music and Jamaican culture that are deemed unacceptable in some societies such as the use of marijuana. However, it cannot be disputed that there are a lot of positive aspects to it. These include principles such as unity, freedom, peace, love and anti-racism which are essential to all of us. Its global appeal continues to grow, as a form of music and knowledge. References Glenn B. Porter, n.d. Retrieved: November 10, 2007, from http://ezinearticles.com//?Bob-MarleyLegend:The-Ultimate-Collectors-Albumid=296642 Jam2jamdis, n.d. Retrieved: November 10, 2007, from http://www.jam2dis.com/j2dreggaehistory1.htm Jeff Reiss n.d. Retrieved: November 11, 2007, from http://www.lionvibes.com/reggae-history.html Morgan Hamilton, n.d. Retrieved: November 11, 2007, from http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Review-of-Bob-Marley-Legendid=263009 Music Lesson Online, 2007. Retrieved: November, 11, 2007, from http://www.musiclessonsonline.co.uk/ReggaeMusic.html Piero Scaruffi, 2003. Retrieved: November 11, 2007, from http://www.scaruffi.com/history/reggae.html. Roots Reggae Club, n.d. Retrieved: November 10, 2007, from http://www.rootsreggaeclub.com/culture_reggae_afro/reggae/reggae.htm Rustic Girls, n.d. Retrieved: November 11, 2007, from http://www.rusticgirls.com/fun/history-of-reggae-music.html Wikipedia, 2007. Retrieved: November 11, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae

Free Essay on Homers Odyssey - Odysseus and Telemachus :: Homer Odyssey Essays

The Odyssey - Odysseus and Telemakhos At the beginning of the book Telemakhos is troubled with the suitors trying to marry his mother. He tries to keep them in line but they are rampant, especially when they're drunk. They kill Odysseus's herd for their own feedings and disrespect the house of Odysseus. So Telemakhos is obliged to search for his father because he is his last and only hope of keeping the suitors away. He is determined to search for his father and must find him at all costs. When Odysseus is stuck on the island of Kalypso, Athena had obliged him to leave the island in search of his home, Ithaka. She tells him of the memories he had there and he remembered how much he had longed for Ithaka. So he was determined to get home. Just like how Telemakhos was determined to find his father. They were destined by the gods to come together. In book 16, it talks about Telemakhos and his father talking to each other planning how they were going to take over the suitors. They talked and talked an d were happy to see each other. When Odysseus told Telemakhos that he wished to stay as a beggar for a little while and get used to the town before he attacks the suitors, Telemakhos didn't feel it was right. He knew that if he were to go into town he would be mocked by the suitors and antagonized by them. He may even be beaten. This shows that Telemakhos cares for Odysseus and his honor. But Odysseus knew that he must be a beggar until it is the right time. "Let your ribs cage up your springing heart, no matter what I suffer, no matter if they pull me by the heels or practice shots at me, to drive me out. Look on, hold down your anger." (16, 326) So Telemakhos had no choice but to agree. "Ah, father, even when danger comes I think you'll find courage in me. I am not scatterbrained." (16, 369) This may greatly affect his honor and maybe create hatred towards the suitors so he will be pumped up and ready to kill the suitors at any time.

Compare Foxs The Case for Animal Experimentation vs Darnovskys Revisi

Fox's The Case for Animal Experimentation Chapter 2 and 3 and Darnovsky's "Revisiting Sex Selection" 1. What is the challenge/problem presented in this article? Darnovsky’s article explores the upcoming moral challenges that are tied to the renewed interest in marketing sex selection to parents. There are a myriad of ethical issues tied to the option of deciding the sex of one’s child that fall far outside the scope of the question â€Å"Are we playing God?† However, it is the implications of the option to decide the gender of a baby that are more profoundly disturbing. In a society where perfection in appearance and â€Å"brains† is already prized above all else, it seems unlikely that wealthy parents could resist the urge to guarantee that their child will be, really and truly â€Å"perfect.† In the class discussion following her presentation, the sentiment that â€Å"no one would try to make their baby perfect,† emerged. This is easily refutable by the work already being done in the field towards this end, as well as the phenomenon of â€Å"baby Einstein† products and other contemporary voodoo that promise parents that their babies will score extremely high on the SATs. Darnovsky explains the possible repercussions of the irresponsible marketing of sex selection including the challenges it will present to feminism, the resurgence of eugenics as well as the key transnational issues that are at stake. One of the biggest dangers highlighted is the rapid pace at which technologies are progressing. Darnovsky describes new technology like a runaway train progressing far faster than corresponding ethical considerations. In The Case for Animal Experimentation by Michael Fox, the philosophical, evolutionary and moral issues surrounding... ...ith Michael Fox that the unique human capacities make us very distinct from other animal species. However, we believe that saying that these capacities make us a superior species is an anthropocentric viewpoint, because it stems from the idea that our place in the world is the best possible. We do not think animals should be denied â€Å"full membership in the moral community† because of their â€Å" lack of autonomy and moral agency†. This judgment is entirely based on anthropocentric ideas of animals’ social organization and emotions. We do not agree with Fox that animals’ lives lack intrinsic value and that they are essentially meant for us to be used. Works Cited Darnovsky, Marcy. 2004. "Revisiting Sex Selection.† GeneWatch Volume 17: Number 1. Fox, Michael Allen. 1986. The Case for Animal Experimentation. pp. 31-90. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Demonstrating the Virtues of the Just Life Essay -- Essays Papers

Demonstrating the Virtues of the Just Life The character of Socrates in Plato’s Republic is a curious one. Socrates is rarely satisfied with widely or casually accepted statements, and is fearless in taking on enormous topics for debate. One such topic that Socrates tackles early and often in the Republic is that of justice and the just life. It takes little time for Socrates to begin an attempt at demonstrating to two of his friends, Glaucon and Adeimantus, that in fact it pays to be just. After much debate and even the creation of a fictional city, a resolution of some kind is reached. Socrates does succeed in convincing his opposition that it pays to be just, however he does not demonstrate said fact. The difference is subtle, but profound. The debate begins when Glaucon makes the powerful claim that, â€Å"the life of the unjust man is, after all, far better than that of the just man† (Plato, Republic[1], 358c[2]). He and Adeimantus beg Socrates to respond, and in response Socrates decides that to consider justice in a man, it would be easier to consider justice in something larger, namely a city. He begins the creation of a fictional city with the necessities of the citizens, and then the responsibilities each citizen has to the city, namely, to inhabit the profession that one is best at. To protect the city, its citizens, and its land, a class of â€Å"guardians† is to be created. This leads to the discussion of education, and finally to the third class of the population, the wise rulers. Socrates has created a three-tiered city that he claims is just. Once the city has been completed and it is inspected, Socrates declares that the definition of justice that they have been search... ...y saying that, â€Å"isn’t to produce justice to establish the parts of the soul in a relation of mastering, and being mastered by, one another that is according to nature, while to produce injustice is to establish a relation of ruling, and being ruled by, one another that is contrary to nature?† (444d). Isn’t it better to lead a just life if doing so prevents internal chaos and maintains order in the soul? It seems that answer is yes, but the question rests on a fallacy. The connection between injustice in a city as chaos among the classes, and injustice in a man as chaos in the soul has never been sufficiently shown. Socrates has failed his demonstration. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Plato. Republic. Trans. Allan Bloom. Basic Books, 1968. [2] Stephanus numbers and letters used to cite all works of Plato.

“That’s Not My Job” †Learning Delegation at Cin-Made

â€Å"THAT'S NOT MY JOB† – LEARNING DELEGATION AT CIN-MADE When Robert Frey purchased Cin – Made in 1984, the company was near ruin. The Cincinnati, Ohi-based manufacturer of paper packaging had not altered its product line in 20 years. Labor costs had hit the ceiling, while profits were falling through the floor. A solid quarter of the company's shipments were late and absenteeism was high. Management and workers were at each other's throats. Ten years later, Cin – Made is producing a new assortment of highly differentiated composite cans, and pre-tax profits have increased more than five times. The Cin – Made workforce is both flexible and deeply committed to the success of the company. On-time delivery of products has reached 98 percent, and absenteeism has virtually disappeared. There are even plans to form two spin – off companies to be owned and operated by Cin-Made employees. In fact, at the one day â€Å"Future of the American Workforce† conference held in July 1993, Cin-Made was recognized by President Clinton as one of the best – run companies in the United States. â€Å"How did we achieve this startling turnaround? †    Mused Frey. â€Å"Employee empowerment is one part of the answer. Profit sharing is another. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late spring of 1986, relations between management and labor had reached rock bottom. Having recently suffered a pay cut, employees at Cin- Made came to work each day, performed the duties required of their particular positions, and returned home-nothing more. Frey could see that his company was suffering. â€Å"To survive we needed to stop being worthy adversaries and start being worthy partners,† he realized. Toward this end, Frey decided to call a meeting with the union. He offered to restore worker pay to its previous level by the end of the year. On top of that, he offered  something no one expected: a 15 percent share of Cin-Made's pre-tax profits. † I do not choose to own a company that has an adversarial relationship with its employees. † Frey proclaimed at the meeting. He therefore proposed a new arrangement that would encourage a collaborative employee-management relationship â€Å"Employee participation will play an essential role in management. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Managers within the company were among the first people to oppose Frey's new idea of employee involvement. â€Å"My three managers felt they were paid to be worthy adversaries of the unions.    Frey recalled. It's what they'd been trained for. It's what made them good managers. Moreover, they were not used to participation in any form, certainly not in decision making. †    The workers also resisted the idea of extending themselves beyond the written requirements of their jobs. † (Employees) wan ted generous wages and benefits, of course, but they did not want to take responsibility for anything more than doing their own jobs the way they had always done them,† Frey noted. Employees were therefore skeptical of Frey's overtures toward â€Å"employee participation.   Ã‚   â€Å"We thought he was trying to rip us off and shaft us,† explained Ocelia Williams, one of many Cin-Made employees who distrusted Frey's plans. Frey, however, did not give up, and he eventually convinced the union to agree to his terms. † I wouldn't take no for an answer,† he asserted. â€Å"Once I had made my two grand pronouncements, I was determined to press ahead and make them come true. †    But still ahead lay the considerable challenge of convincing employees to take charge   :   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I made people meet with me, then instead   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of telling them what to do, I asked them. They resisted. † How can we cut the waste on his run ? † I'd   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   say, or â€Å"How are we going to allocate the overtime on this order ? † â€Å"That's not my job,† they'd say. â€Å"But I need your input,† I'd say. â€Å"How in the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   World can we have participative management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If you won't participate? â€Å"I don't know,† they'd say. â€Å"Because that's   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   not my job either. That's your job. ?† Gradually, Frey made progress. Managers began sharing more information with employees. Frey was able slowly to expand the responsibilities workers would carry. Managers who were unable to work with employees left, and union relations began to improve. Empowerment began to happen. By 1993, Cin Made employees were taking responsibility for numerous tasks. Williams, for example, used to operate a tin-slitting machine on the company's factory floor. She still runs that same machine, but now is also responsible for ordering almost $ 100,000 in supplies. Williams is just one example of how job roles and duties have been redefined throughout Cin-Made. Joyce Bell, president of the local union, still runs the punch press she always has, but now also serves as Cin- Made's corporate safety director. The company's scheduling team, composed of one manager and five lead workers from various plant areas, is charged with setting hours, designating layoffs, and deciding when temporary help is needed. The hiring review team, staffed by three hourly employees and two managers, is responsible for interviewing applicants and deciding whom to hire. An employee committee performs both short – and long – term planning of labor, materials, equipment, production runs, packing, and delivery. Employees even meet daily in order to set their own production schedules. â€Å"We empower employees to make decisions, not just have input,† Frey remarked. â€Å"I just coach. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Under Frey's new management regime, company secrets have virtually disappeared. All Cin-Made employees, from entry-level employees all the way to the top, take part in running the company. In fact, Frey has delegated so much of the company's operations to its workers that he now feels little in the dark. â€Å"I now know very little about what's going on, on a day-to-day basis,† he confessed. At Cin-Made, empowerment and delegation are more than mere buzzwords; they are the way of doing business – good business. â€Å"We, as workers, have a lot of opportunities,† said Williams. â€Å"If we want to take leadership, it's offered to us. † Questions and answers: Q. 1   How were principles of delegation and decentralization incorporated into Cine – Made operations? Answer :- a. The employee participation was made an integral part of the company's management practices. b. Establishing Participative Management c. Centralized hiring process which was independent in itself and managed by esignated managers. Q. 2  Ã‚   What are the sources and uses of power at Cin – Made? Answer : Collaboration, Innovation, Participative management Empowerment through delegation and decentralization Deriving more output through employees' sense of ownership for their actions Improving flexibility of the companies' employees. Giving a free hand to their imagina tion rather than reining it in. Q. 3. What were some of the barriers to delegation and empowerment at Cin –Made? Answer : Our perceptions about work and the way we are part of it need to change. These are the lessons in management that can be learnt from the Cin-Made experience. a. Transparent management policies are the call of the day b. Managers must lead by example rather than simply lecturing and ordering the employees. c. Any status quo achieved or stagnation point reached by way of policies being in place for long term must be challenged and remedied with cautious efforts; that to while taking care of sentimentalities and emotional attachments of old employees of company – all leading to change for the better.