Iliad-Odyssey Paper Essays - Trojans, Iliad, Epic Cycle,

Iliad-Odyssey Paper Hate to Love ?I lie upon my bed with my afflicted heart, besieged by tears so stubborn and so sharp that, even as I mourn, tear me apart? (Odyssey 19.610-13). The preceding quote made by the heartbroken and devoted Penelope in Homer's the Odyssey shows an intensity of feeling that is lacking within his earlier work, the Iliad. It is amid the latter epic that the female roles are able to step into the limelight and express the befitting emotion that give the Odyssey a philanthropic feel. Therefore it is the female characters within the Odyssey that incorporate attention to compassion because they demonstrate greater altruistic expression than men especially here when compared with the Iliad. In the Iliad the dominant role is played by men hence women had to wait backstage to prove their own complexity of character. The highly regarded ancient Greek society was overseen by the males, that is, the women weren't involved unless they had permission by the men. Women were valued -- the Iliad opens with the Achaian army's capturing of two beautiful enemy maidens, Chryseis and Briseis, who are then awarded as prizes to Agamemnon -- but, in comparison to men, their concerns weren't as proclaimed in early epic poetry. In the Iliad, for example, Hektor orders Andromache back into the house during the ensuing Trojan War: Go home, attend to your own handiwork at the loom and spindle, and command the maids to busy themselves, too. As for the war, that is for the men, all who were born at Ilion, to put their minds on -- most of all for me (Iliad 6.436- 40). Hektor also desires his own baby son to be a great warrior rather than being active in domestic affairs as he prays: O Zeus and all immortals, may this child, my son, become like me a prince among the Trojans. Let him be strong and brave and rule in power at Ilion; then someday men will say ?this fellow is far better than his father!' seeing him home from war, and in his arms the bloodstained gear of some tall warrior slain -- making his mother proud (Iliad 6.419-27). (Ironically, just before Hektor made this plea to the gods his baby ?squirmed round...and began to wail, terrified by his father's great war helm? and thereafter was comforted by his mother's ?fragrant breast? as she ?held and cherished? her small son.) Later when Hektor becomes frightened of the realness of encountering Achilles he says, ?Aye, then and there he'll kill me, unprotected as I am, my gear laid by, defenseless as a woman? (Iliad 22.149-51). However, it's in the Odyssey that a man puts his trust -- his own life's safety -- in a woman to direct and protect him on his arduous journey. The men of the Iliad are incredibly jealous creatures whereas in the Odyssey they show sensitivity that rivals that of the women who have enhanced their shrewdness. Achilles gets angry because Agamemnon acquires the ?best? war prizes without fairly earning them: You [Agamemnon] thick-skinned, shameless, greedy fool!.. . . Never have I had a plunder like your own from any Trojan stronghold battered down by the Akhaians. I have seen more action hand to hand in those assaults than you have, but when the time for sharing comes, the greater share is always yours. Worn out with battle I carry off some trifle to my ships (Iliad 1.175-196). -#- Achilles later sits and weeps childishly to his mother, Thetis, over his prize being rewarded to his adversary. Thetis actually feels responsible for her son's misery as she declares, ?Oh early death! Oh broken heart! No destiny so cruel! And I bore you to this evil!? (Iliad 1.481-2). The mother never scolds her son. In contrast, Odysseus becomes more empathetic throughout the Odyssey because Athena brings out a new humaneness within the hero. Odysseus refrains from gloating after he kills the suitors that have overtaken his palace and scolds his maid for rejoicing: ?Old woman, check yourself; you must restrain your joy -- don't shout aloud. It is profane to let your voice exult when men are slain? (Odyssey 22.480-83). His selfless attitude gives the poem passion, warmth, and balance all of which set it apart from the tone of harshness within the Iliad. There's little opposition from the female characters while the revengeful men of the Iliad are constantly fighting one another whereas in the Odyssey battle is less of

Naipaul essays

Naipaul essays In V.S. Naipaul's novel, Literary Occasions, he discusses how he came to be an author and what attracted him to this profession. As a result of choosing this occupation, he needed to find out more information on his heritage and his own personal identity. In the section "Prologue to an Autobiography," he recounts how he came to possess this knowledge, especially since his father's family was shrouded in mystery. In the very beginning of the book, in "Reading and Writing," Naipaul states that he wanted to be a writer ever since he was eleven (Literary Occasions 3). However, some may find this unusual considering Naipaul was never an avid reader. At this point, he hadn't developed a passion for writing either. Where did this literary interest come from? Naipaul attributes it to his father and says the involvement was "built up from the little things my father read to me from time to time (Literary Occasions 5)." Naipaul states later that he did not know his father well and the only time spent with him was during Naipaul's impressionable childhood years. The author recounts the manner in which his father read and how it later became his own style: He read in his own way... He read many books at once, finishing none, looking not for the story or the argument in any book but for the special qualities or character of the writer. That was where he found his pleasure, and he could savour writers only in little bursts (Literary Occasions 5). Throughout his schooling and the early years of his career, Naipaul adopted this same method of reading and often found he had trouble losing himself in a book. He doubted his abilities as a writer and struggled for several years with finding a topic that he could write about. Later, he was asked by an American publisher to contribute to a series for travelers on the colony of Trinidad. Realizing he knew very little about his family, he turned to history books and found little more (Literary Occasions...

Voter Turnout in Local Election Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Voter Turnout in Local Election - Research Paper Example Turnout is bad enough during the a federal election cycle, but when there are no national politics involved, that statistics get even poorer. As a result, it becomes increasingly difficult to unseat incumbents, many of whom have grown too comfortable in their position to enact meaningful change. There are other issues involved, as well, in the record low numbers of voters turning out in local elections. This paper aims to examine some of those issues, provide implications for such voter apathy should it continue, and propose possible solutions for increasing voter turnout in local elections in the future. There is a wealth of current research looking into possible reasons that local election typically draw such abysmal voter turnout year after year. Many simply blame this on voter apathy, a frustration with current politicians and government in general, or simply on a mismanagement of the election calendar, resulting in elections in off years simply not gaining the attention that the y need to in order to garner a deeper interest in local government. While the reality is that it is likely a combination of these factors that have created the problem, a solution centered on having local elections coincide with the federal cycle will likely be a quick way to improve initial voter turnout numbers. Then, attention could be directed into getting more local involvement in government and restoring trust to the people in their own political system. To begin, let us consider the state of California. Hajinal and Lewis (2003) looked at some empirical research to determine various factors that are leading to low voter turnout in elections for various mayoral and city council races. The feeling was that something needed to be done to combat these low turnout numbers in order to have a more active and politically sensitive government. The study revealed that many residents in various towns and cities throughout the state had lost faith in their local government, so they have c eased any type of involvement in their community political system, most of all among these local elections. As a result, many incumbents are running unchallenged and seemingly unabated in their quest for a career in local politics. Not only has this phenomenon resulted in voter apathy, as it is difficult to get excited about voting when there is only candidate running for various offices, but it has also cheapened the entire political process of local government. The author’s of this study concluded that many local politicians who had been in office for numerous election cycles were now unmotivated to really invoked lasting change in the community, because they had no fear of being unseated. Similar to other studies, it was also uncovered that the same incumbents were supported in every campaign by the same special interest groups who could count on the local politicians to keep voting their way on various issues. It has been little wonder that many local communities simply h ave low turnout on voting day (Hajinal & Lewis, 2003). This study employed a methodology whereby current voting data was triangulated with current events in an effort to determine what remedies could be found to help encourage higher numbers of voters to actually turn out and cast their vote on election day. The research findings and data led to the eventual conclusion that shifting local

National Institute of Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

National Institute of Health - Essay Example And they are more inconsistent, affected by momentary events and dominated by objects in their immediate environment". However, when every function of the child is predominated by such behaviour then it is time to take cognizance. (Barkley, Russell. A, 1998). This disorder was first described by Heinrich Hoffman in 1845. A child with this affliction will either be hyperactive or will seem to be always lost in a brown study. The main causes for this disease are supposed to be neurobiological and genetic. A possible correlation between the use of alcohol and nicotine during pregnancy has been established by various studies. (Stock, Margaret, n.d). The hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), is released during stressful situations producing an increased heart rate and increased blood flow to the muscles. Stimulants act similarly by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. In addition they also act on the limbic system that reward behaviours like sexual intercourse, eating and drinking or in other words actions that are beneficial to the continuation of the species. These are normally accompanied by positive sensations due to increased levels of dopamine in the limbic system. Stimulants mimic this activity but at a much more enhanced level producing euphoric sensations by directly increasing dopamine level

Should Films and Computer Games with Violence be Restricted Essay

Should Films and Computer Games with Violence be Restricted - Essay Example Today computer games such as Grand Theft Auto allow users to actively engage in car theft and murder. Films such as Die Hard glorify violence. With the increasing liberalization of subject matter, a growing body of concern has emerged as to the extent that films and computer games with violence should be restricted. This essay examines this question through an examination of opinions both in favor and against restrictions on film and computer game violence before ultimately arguing that there should be a level of restrictions on violent video games and films. Analysis Perhaps the most pervasive argument in favor of restrictive measures on violent films and video games is that these media outlets cause real life crime through desensitizing the viewers and game players. There are a variety of perspectives on this issue. Some of the most powerful and convincing arguments have emerged as a direct result of psychological research. Dill (2000) conducted a study that is argued to demonstrat e engagement with violent films and video games â€Å"provide a forum for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations† and there is the understanding that such violence â€Å"appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts. Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting as well, as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that can become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise." If true, these are powerful conclusions. Essentially, Dill is arguing that through participation in violent video games and films, participants are actually able to rehearse how they will act in violent or criminal contexts. This perspective is not far-fetched when one considers that violent films often implicitly ask the viewer to identify with a protagonist who is willing to engage in violent acts as a means of solving conflicts. Video games go even further in allowing the user to actually participate i n the violence. Ultimately, it’s clear that the potential desensitizing effects of violent films and video games is a pressing concern. Another prominent concern is that violent video games have a detrimental effect on the individual’s cognitive development. While traditional video games have been demonstrated to contain addictive qualities, growing bodies of researchers argue that the addictive quality of violent video games has an increasingly negative impact on cognitive development. The addictive nature of video games has been a long established fact with a sect of players referred to as ‘gamers’ oftentimes participating in upwards of 40-50 hours of video game playing per week. When such video game playing occurs in the context of a violence gaming world, the potential for negative cognitive development occurrences is argued to become a readily apparent fact. Indeed, a number of instances have been recorded where extreme consequences have occurred for individuals. In one instances, regarding a child in Moscow it’s noted that, â€Å"He had not only received bad marks but was also known for bad behavior in class.   Denial of video games is, by all rights, appropriate punishment and I’m sure no one thought that it would lead to his jumping  from his 19th floor apartment

Electrical Detection Of Liquid Lithium Leaks from Pipe Joint

Electrical Detection Of Liquid Lithium Leaks from Pipe Joint Contents (Jump to) 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Theory Of Operation 3.0 Hardware and Electrical Circuit 4.0 Result from Test Circuit 5.0 Summary 1.0 Introduction Liquid lithium is a candidate plasma facing component (PFC) material for a fusion reactor, and lithium PFCs have been shown to improve plasma confinement and reduce impurities in tokamaks such as TFTR, 1 CDX-U, 2 NSTX,3, 4 FTU,5 and HT-7.6 In a reactor, the liquid lithium would have to be circulated in a loop system for power handling and the removal of impurities including tritium. A circulating system is more complicated than the static configurations used to date in fusion devices, and so requires further development and testing: for example, in a liquid lithium system, the ability of a system to safely freeze, re-liquefy, and then continue operation without leaks is essential. The Liquid Lithium Test Stand (LLTS) is being constructed at Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPL) to gain experience with flowing lithium systems, and as a prototype for circulating lithium in future PFC test modules. The LLTS consists of an upper and lower reservoir, a rotating permanent magnet pump, and an electromagnetic flow meter. The top of the reservoirs are kept under vacuum. The LLTS is designed to operate at up to 500 à ¢- ¦C and contain up to 2 l of lithium. Connections of the pipe to the reservoirs are welded, but all other joints are demountable VCR fittings to ease construction, maintenance, and reconfiguration of the loop. Compared to a weld, a demountable joint is more likely to leak, which is a major safety concern since liquid lithium is hot (over 200 à ¢- ¦C) and reacts with atmospheric gases, water, and concrete. The LLTS therefore requires a design to minimize the impact of potential leaks, including a system to detect leaks and actuate control systems. 2.0 Theory of Operation We monitor for leaks of liquid lithium from a pipe joint by using the conductivity of the leaking liquid metal to complete a circuit. Liquid lithium at 400 à ¢- ¦C has a resistivity9 of 32 ÃŽ ¼ cm, roughly three times less than that of 316 stainless steel at the same temperature, 10 102 ÃŽ ¼ cm. A conducting shell, normally electrically isolated from the pipe, surrounds each VCR fitting. If lithium leaks it will contact the shell, which will no longer be electrically isolated from the pipe. A circuit monitors for continuity between the pipe and the shell. If continuity is detected, the control systems are actuated: power to the heaters and pump motor is turned off so that the lithium in the loop can cool down and solidify. 3.0 Hardware and Electrical Circuit The loop is constructed from 316 stainless steel, which is resistant to corrosion by liquid lithium. The pipe of the loop has a 3/8 in. diameter and pipe joints are 5/8 in. Swages lock VCR fittings, with special non-silver-coated stainless steel gaskets. Each VCR fitting is surrounded by a 0.050 in. thick cylindrical copper shell, electrically isolated from the pipe by Cotronics Ultra Temp 390 ceramic tape. A mockup of the shell around VCR fittings is shown in Figure 1. The ends of the cylinders are attached to the body by a temperature compatible braze. The shell is cut in half so that it can be positioned around the fitting. The two halves then are fastened in place by a metal band. A wire lug for the leak detector circuit is attached by a tapped hole on one cylinder end face. While copper readily alloys with lithium, it was chosen as the shell material because of its high thermal diffusivity. The shells will not be thermally insulated as the pipes will, so they will be cooler than the liquid lithium inside the pipe. If lithium leaks out of a VCR fitting, it will be physically contained by the shell and cooled down by the copper acting as a heat sink. The combination of alloying and lower temperature reduces reactivity. On this principle, copper powder fire extinguishers for lithium fires were developed.11 In order to prevent lithium from reacting with air, and that which might leak from the shells from contacting the concrete floor, the loop will be surrounded by an argon-filled stainless steel enclosure which includes a floor plate with walls sufficiently high to contain the entire inventory of liquid lithium. An electrical circuit, shown in Figure 2, monitors for continuity between the copper shell and the pipe. The inputs to the circuit are the two lea ds in the lower left of the figure: the upper lead is attached to a copper shell, and the lower (ground) lead is attached to the loop. Normally, the â€Å"+† input of the comparator is pulled up above the â€Å"–† Comparator Reference Voltage by a 100 k resistor attached to a 5 V supply. If there is a fault in the loop such as a leak of lithium or a physical contact between some part of the copper shell and the pipe that allows current to flow from the upper lead to ground, the â€Å"+† input of the comparator is pulled below the reference voltage. This causes the comparator to output 0 V and the relay latches off the power to the heaters and pump. A fault draws current through the 100 k pull up resistor and also through a front panel LED, which lights. FIG. 1. One channel of the interlock circuit. If there is a fault (such as a leak) that causes the open circuit at left to be shorted, the â€Å"+† input of the comparator will be pulled down, the comparator will output 0 V, and the relay will open, latching off the power to the heaters and pump. FIG. 2. Block diagram of the interlock system for the heaters and pump motor. If the leak detector circuit detects a fault, or the E-stop button is pushed, power to the pump motor and heaters will be turned off until the leak detectors register no fault on all channels and the start button is pushed. â€Å"MC† is the motor controller and â€Å"SSR† is the solid state relays. In order to ensure that it is easy to identify the location of a fault, for each channel there is an analog LED on a front panel display that will light up in case of a fault. One additional normally-on LED for each board shows that the interlock system itself is powered on. The fault status of each channel in the interlock system is monitored and recorded by a PC with lab VIEW. The digital output of the comparator for each channel is sent to a SCB- 68A connector box which is attached to a 6323 National Instruments card in the PC. The lab VIEW program polls each interlock channel at 1 kHz, in order to record intermittent faults. Each channel has two displays in lab VIEW: one for its present status, and one indicating whether there has ever been a fault in the time since a â€Å"reset† was clicked. Since the analog front panel display shows the present status, this lab VIEW display would allow an operator to see where a past fault occurred. Additionally, for ease of monitoring, a schematic of the loop shows the status of each leak detector in its proper location. Every second, for each channel, the program logs to a file whether there has been any fault during that 1 s period. Along with thermocouple and pressure data in the same file, this could aid in reconstruction of the circumstances surrounding a fault. Note that the PC with Lab VIEW is for monitoring and logging only, and it is not at present part of any control loop. 4.0 Result from Test Circuit The electrical systems described were constructed. The open-circuit voltage between the sensing terminals was 3.5 V, and the short-circuit current (limited by the 220 resistor) was 15 mA. The reference voltage potentiometers were adjusted for maximum sensitivity so that any resistance between the sensing terminals of less than 2 k triggers the interlock. A test of the interlock system was performed in air with gallium as a surrogate liquid metal. Gallium was poured into a section of pipe with a VCR fitting gasket that was intentionally damaged by cutting a small slit. As expected, gallium leaked out from the damaged gasket, contacted the copper shell, and triggered the interlock. 5.0 Summary The resistance of a liquid lithium leak should be much less than the 2 k maximum resistance to trigger the interlock: even a 1 cm long, 1 ÃŽ ¼m radius cylinder of liquid lithium between the copper shell and pipe would have a resistance of only 1 k and would trigger the interlock. The LTS will be in an argon-filled enclosure to minimize lithium reactions if leaks occur. Lithium compounds that do form with any residual gases will dissolve in the liquid lithium, 12 and should not affect its electrical conductivity in the time it takes to trigger the interlock system. One potential problem of this system is that an open circuit between the two sensing terminals is the normal condition: if one of the sensing wires were to become disconnected or be cut, that channel would cease to be able to detect a fault, but there would be no indication in the system of a problem. A testing procedure or additional system could be developed to ensure operation of all leak detector channels. Another issue is that only VCR fitting joints are monitored. A leak elsewhere in the LTS would not trigger the interlock system. It could be advantageous to have an additional non-localized leak detection system, for example, by monitoring for a sudden change in pressure in the loop. While the vacuum pressure above the reservoirs is monitored and logged, pressure readings are not at present incorporated into the interlock system. The LTS, a test stand for flowing liquid lithium and liquid lithium PFC test modules at PPL, is being constructed. A circuit to detect leaks at the demountable joints in the loop has been constructed and tested with a surrogate liquid metal, gallium. If a leak is detected, the circuit actuates a control system, latching off power to the heaters and pump in order to bring the loop to a safer state. Liquid lithium leaking from joint contacts the surrounding copper shell, completing the leak detector circuit. The copper shell helps lower the reactivity of leaking lithium b y alloying with the lithium and by acting as a heat sink.

The Federal Governments Effect on Renewable Energy in the United State

The Federal Government's Effect on Renewable Energy in the United States In an article posted by Reuters on October 24, 2006, the global conservation group, formerly known as the WWF, stated that â€Å"humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends† (Blanchard). The report indicates that, if every other country were to use the same amount of energy as America does, five planets worth of resources would be needed to support the world. America, as one of the largest consumer countries of energy, has been making attempts to implement methods for using alternate energy sources in order to preserve the already dwindling resources of its environment. Although many advances have been made in alternate and renewable energy research, one major factor appears to stand in the way of its development: the federal budget. President George W. Bush and his administration have been making budget cuts in solar and other renewable energy programs due to the pro grams’ lack of popularity in the marketplace and little success in research and developmental advancements throughout the years. However, many advocate groups for the use of renewable energy blame the field’s slow advancement on the lack of funding it is being allotted by the federal government. Without interest, the government will not increase funding, but without funding, the opportunity for interest to expand is minimal. The question of why the federal government has allowed outside interest groups to play an influential role on the decisions it makes regarding the nation’s environmental well being comes into play, as the American public’s national opinion continues to be overlook... ...r Beyond Planet's Means: WWF." Reuters News Service. 24 Oct. 2006. 24 Oct. 2006. n.pag. Doggett, Tom. â€Å"UPDATE 2-Bush budget cuts solar, renewable energy programs.† Reuters New. 9 April 2001. 1-4. Morris, S.C. â€Å"Coal Conversion Technologies: Some Health and Environmental Effects.† Science Magazine. 206. 4419 (1979): 654-662. O'Neill, Brian C. and Michael Oppenheimer. â€Å"Climate Change: The Untold Story.† 13 Sept. 2006. Greenpeace UK. 15 Oct. 2006. 1971-1972. . Skylar, Scott and Kenneth Sheinkopf. Consumer Guide to Solar Energy. Chicago: Bonus Books, 2002. 2-24. "U.S. Public Favors Use of Renewable Energy." Xinhua New Agency. 3 Nov. 1998. 2 Oct. 2006. n.pag. The Federal Government's Effect on Renewable Energy in the United State The Federal Government's Effect on Renewable Energy in the United States In an article posted by Reuters on October 24, 2006, the global conservation group, formerly known as the WWF, stated that â€Å"humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends† (Blanchard). The report indicates that, if every other country were to use the same amount of energy as America does, five planets worth of resources would be needed to support the world. America, as one of the largest consumer countries of energy, has been making attempts to implement methods for using alternate energy sources in order to preserve the already dwindling resources of its environment. Although many advances have been made in alternate and renewable energy research, one major factor appears to stand in the way of its development: the federal budget. President George W. Bush and his administration have been making budget cuts in solar and other renewable energy programs due to the pro grams’ lack of popularity in the marketplace and little success in research and developmental advancements throughout the years. However, many advocate groups for the use of renewable energy blame the field’s slow advancement on the lack of funding it is being allotted by the federal government. Without interest, the government will not increase funding, but without funding, the opportunity for interest to expand is minimal. The question of why the federal government has allowed outside interest groups to play an influential role on the decisions it makes regarding the nation’s environmental well being comes into play, as the American public’s national opinion continues to be overlook... ...r Beyond Planet's Means: WWF." Reuters News Service. 24 Oct. 2006. 24 Oct. 2006. n.pag. Doggett, Tom. â€Å"UPDATE 2-Bush budget cuts solar, renewable energy programs.† Reuters New. 9 April 2001. 1-4. Morris, S.C. â€Å"Coal Conversion Technologies: Some Health and Environmental Effects.† Science Magazine. 206. 4419 (1979): 654-662. O'Neill, Brian C. and Michael Oppenheimer. â€Å"Climate Change: The Untold Story.† 13 Sept. 2006. Greenpeace UK. 15 Oct. 2006. 1971-1972. . Skylar, Scott and Kenneth Sheinkopf. Consumer Guide to Solar Energy. Chicago: Bonus Books, 2002. 2-24. "U.S. Public Favors Use of Renewable Energy." Xinhua New Agency. 3 Nov. 1998. 2 Oct. 2006. n.pag.