Friday, November 29, 2019

Hamlet Nature Essays - Characters In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet, Hamlet

Hamlet Nature The obscurity of human thought and sentiment inhibits the possibility of understanding an individual's actions. The human mind is composed of its own due process, which, in certain individuals, might disable the ability to make decisions and act. In the play Hamlet the protagonist is marked by an indecisive nature. By analyzing every aspect of a possible action, Hamlet inevitably finds a reason not to act. His actions are untimely. The often procrastination of serious acts lead to an even more complicated situation. The complexities of the events which take place in the play do not always provide Hamlet with a possible clear decision. He is constantly faced with a challenging dilemma that adds to the intricacy of his life. Hamlet is overly conscious and unable to make a decision because of the uncertainty of the consequences that might follow. There is a constant threat that reaction these consequences will not be what he expects, possibly being detrimental to his cause. This deters him from attempting to execute any of his machinations. All these factor demonstrate that Hamlet does not suffer from a failure of will, but rather of an over analytical character that impedes him from taking any significant action. By constantly questioning every aspect of a possible action, Hamlet ultimately finds a reason no to act. He is constantly contemplating on the possibility of self-slaughter. This is evident in his soliloquies and disregard towards life. Hamlet expresses his sentiments, regarding the fact that his dear mother married his uncle only two months after the death of his father, by saying these lines: "O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! ...How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world!" ( I ii, 129-130, 133-134) This excerpt clearly demonstrates Hamlet's belief that suicide is a possible and realistic option. His grief is so immense and his mother's actions are so repugnant the life has no meaning for him. But Hamlet does not kill himself, he finds a reason not to; "Or that the Everlasting had not fixed -- His cannon ?gainst self- slaughter!"( I ii, 131-32) he explains. Hamlet fears damnation, he will not kill himself because it is a mortal sin allowing no possibility for salvation. Hamlet also express the same feelings when he says: "...To die, to sleep ? No more ? and by a sleep to say we end ? The heartache and the thousand natural shocks ? That flesh is heir to." ( III I, 61-64) Again suicide was in his mind, and again he found an excuse no to further his thoughts. "But that the drear of something after death, - - The undiscovered country from whose bourn ? No traveler returns, puzzles the will." ( III I, 179-181) The fear of what will happen after death deters him. Hamlet also fails to take any significant action in many other occasions. He does not kill Claudius immediately after the apparition of the Ghost, in which he discovered that his father was really murdered by him. "The spirit that I have seen -- May be the devil..."( II ii, 599-600 ) Hamlet subconsciously finds a reason not to act by doubting the validity and origin of the apparition. Hamlet encounters another chance to kill Claudius. It is after a play, set up by Hamlet to verify Claudius' guilt. Claudius clearly expresses his guilt by standing up as the murder of Hamlet's father was reenacted. Now Hamlet is absolutely certain that Claudius is the perpetrator of the most foul and unusual murder. But Hamlet finds yet another reason to postpone his deed. "When he is drunk asleep, r in his rage, Or in th' incestuous pleasure of his bed, At game a-swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation in ?t? Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be as damned and black As hell, whereto it goes."( III iv, 89-95) Claudius is in a chapel, apparently praying; therefore Hamlet hesitates killing him because at this moment he believes Claudius will not go to heaven. One must also consider the fact that Hamlet cannot simply disregard his morals and values. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." ( III I, 84) Hamlet understands that conscience, or what society has taught individuals to believe, is an impediment. To go against what one holds as true and right is to go against one self. Hamlet realizes that his

Monday, November 25, 2019

Brain Chemicals essays

Brain Chemicals essays Has anyone ever thought about what actually separates people from one another? I believe people are controlled by chemicals that are produced in the brain called seratonin and dopamine. I once took in the idea that ethics, role models, and the government play an enormous role in who we are. We develop ethics through our family and our religion, observing the habits of those we love, and learning morals and ethics through our religion. We will later teach our ethics to our children, and hopefully in return, we will receive a large bonus check when we check out. Our role models, whether good or bad, give us an example of who to become, or even what is ordinary and creative to believe. The government controls everyone, everyday of every week. History tells us that no single community has ever survived without some sort government, because something has to control the giant masses before we devour ourselves in war, death, and plague. For the most part, this is what I believed to be true. However, this didnt answer my question. What is the difference between two best friends who share similar morals, role models, and are both ruled by the same government? I believe that every person lives in a different mind-set, and depending on how his or her chemicals are set up inside the brain, could determine whether they are mentally stable, or legally insane. Albert Einstein once said, Man tries to fashion for himself a simplified and intelligible picture of the world; he then tries to substitute this cosmos for his own world of experience. ...Each makes this cosmos and its construction the pivot of his emotional life in order to find the peace and security he cant find in the narrow whirlpool of personal experience. Albert Einstein was ahead of his time when thinking of something of this degree. Studies of perception were only beginning to take place in the late 60s. Seratonin is the chemical inside ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - Case Study Example Dunkin Dollars is one of the strongest donut chains worldwide enjoying the sales of forty fiver percent from the market. Tim Hortons is a Canada based company which has international operations in many countries. What Dunkin Donuts did to boost up its sales and earn customer loyalty was to focus more on selling coffee and other beverages instead of donuts. Dunkin Donuts became a strong brand in the market in less time than expected. Credit for this probably goes to their strong advertisement campaigns, attractive slogans and drive thru service. Tim Hortons, although not as popular as Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme, is a top brand for donuts in Canada and New York. Apart from the direct competitors, indirect competitors such as bakeries, cafes and retailers play a vital role in challenging the profits of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Although the competition in the industry is growing but Krispy Kreme is fairly satisfied with the revenue it generates from its franchises by selling donut mix es, donut making equipments and royalty. The Organization Krispy Kreme owns a simple organizational structure. It relies heavily on the revenues it earns from its franchising strategy. With this strategy, the company is in a way a little relaxed because major responsibility falls on the shoulders of Krispy Kreme’s franchise owners. Moreover, the franchising option comes with a little risk and more revenue generating methods such as selling authentic donut mixes, donut manufacturing equipments, franchising fees and royalties. Brand image of Krispy Kreme was outstanding so it was never difficult to attract franchisers from various locations. The overall strategies pursued by Krispy Kreme were not really suitable in the competitive environment. This is because they focused only on the sales of donuts-a confectionary item which is sold by a number of bakeries and cafes. So the product was easy to imitate. Whenever Krispy Kreme opened up its franchise in any new area, it brought b enefits to the competitors. Donuts, being an average confectionary item have never gained so much attention among the public. With the opening of Krispy Kreme, people gained awareness on how good and light can little donuts make them feel. So indirectly, the sales of competitors rose up. In the mid of year 2004, it was announced by Krispy Kreme that they are launching an inquiry into the accounting system and later in the same year they reported some accounting errors that were expected to cause a drop the annual sales and net income from an estimated 2.7 percent to 8.6 percent.. The same year, the share price of Krispy Kreme dropped from forty dollars to the range of 10 to 13 dollars per share. This was a huge setback for Krispy Kreme. Time had come when the company’s top heads seriously need to think of ways to save the company from drowning. Marketing Strategy It must be admitted that Krispy Kreme does not have a well developed marketing department so their marketing effor ts are limited. The company only relies on its advertisement campaigns, most of which are associated with the opening of new stores. They also earn revenue from local publicity, newspapers and majorly from word of mouth. When new outlets of Krispy Kreme are opened, media does free publicity and communities associated also become a part of this event. Although Krispy Kreme was opening

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Ethics and Moral Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethics and Moral Theories - Essay Example This doctrine assumes that we cannot ask others to act in their own self interest because it can negatively affect my self interest. 2) Individual Ethical Egoism: This is the belief that every individual should work for my interest. This is also termed as egotism and goes to an extreme level of selfishness whereby we believe that not only we should act for our self interests, others in the universe shall also act for our interests. There is no practical justification of this doctrine as it borders on extraordinary levels of selfishness (Pojman & Fieser, 2011). 3) Universal Ethical Egoism: This doctrine argues that all individuals should pursue their own self interest exclusively with no regard to the interest of others or no intention to contribute towards their interest. An issue with this theory is that without appropriate knowledge of the world, it will be difficult to understand our own interest. Furthermore, there can be debate over to what constitutes self interest. Act Utilitarianism:- Act utilitarianism states that our duty on any specific occasion is to act in a way that will produce greater total good and better consequences than what any other act will produce. This rule is applied directly to a selection of particular actions under particular events. Rule Utilitarianism:- Rule utilitarianism states that it is our duty to abide by rules designed for the greater total good and produce consequences better than those produced by any other rules. This doctrine is applied to a selection of a set of rules which are then used to determine what to do in particular situations. Feminist ethics is an attempt to reformulate the traditional theories of ethics with respect to the aspects that devalue women’s moral experience. It aims to correct male biases in historical and traditional ethical theory by emphasizing relationships

Monday, November 18, 2019

Desert Flora Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Desert Flora - Essay Example Olive trees are in abundance in the Mediterranean desert toward the north of the Sahara desert. Plants found in the desert of Utah include mesquite (Prosopis), Cacti, and Yucca. Perennials, unlike, annuals, survive in the Utah desert all the time. Some perennials have deep root systems to reach the subterranean water. For example, Yucca’s roots exist 40 feet below the ground surface whereas the roots of mesquite (Prosopis) can penetrate up to 100 feet below the surface (Andersen, 1996, p. 5). The desert of Utah has an open nature with shrubs spaced widely apart. This speaks of the low content of moisture and is suggestive of extensive underground roots’ pattern. The main factor the limits the plants’ survival in the desert of Utah is water. Plants have different structural mechanisms to deal with this problem. Waxy coatings on the plants’ stems serve to reflect heat and reduce evaporation e.g. the leaves of Incienso covered with dense fine hairs serve the very

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The power of music

The power of music The Power of Music Music surrounds us in our everyday lives. We hear it when we are in the car, at work, when we are shopping, at restaurants, at doctors offices, and many more places. The music serves a purpose other than entertainment at many of these places.   Music has the power to influence mood and behavior in people and it is no secret that it is used at every available opportunity. We are introduced to music in our mothers womb even before we are born. It is used to sooth, to hype up, to educate, for entertainment, as a medium to remember information, for medical purposes, and so much more. Music is used in many ways to improve and enhance the lives of people. It is meant to be consumed, whether it is by the listener, performer, or composer. It is a way to translate feelings and desires that are sometimes difficult to express using language. The style of music has changed dramatically throughout the ages. For instance, there are six main eras in music history. The Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Twentieth Century. The music in these eras reflects the time period. Music has been and always will be a popular form of entertainment for many. The dictionary defines music as an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color(Dictionary). Music has the ability and power to influence human thoughts and behaviors. Employers and retail stores use the power of music to produce a desired behavior from their employees and customers. For example, according to The Journal of Marketing, background music is thought to improve the stores image, make employees happier, reduce employee turnover rate, and to stimulate customer purchasing (Milliman). Does music actually influence mood and behavior? What is it about music that affects mood? According to an article in the Music Educators Journal, volume, tempo, consonance, dissonance, tone color and form all may have an effect on a persons mood (Gaston). It is not just the music itself that has an effect on people; the lyrics of a song can also have an effect. Many people are concerned that music with violent or derogatory lyrics may have a negative effect on youth and provoke violent behavior. Many researchers have examined the effects of how music provokes violent behavior. In a study conducted at Western Connecticut State University researchers examined whether or not watching a violent music video would provoke the participants to answer questions with violent responses. There were thirty-three participants, eleven in each of three groups; one group watched violent music videos, another group watched non-violent music videos, and the last group did not watch any videos. Afterw ard, the participants were given a questionnaire. The study found that the violent music videos did provoke participants to react more violently when answering questions about hypothetical scenarios (Tropeano). People are introduced to music even before they are born. According to an article in Pregnancy Today, by the fifth month of pregnancy the babys hearing is completely developed and they are able to hear noises that are outside the womb. Prenatal stimulation through music may provide some babies with a sense of confidence and relaxation when they are born (Lacey). In 1993 a study was conducted in Irvine, California by Dr. Francis Raucher, Dr. Gordon L. Shaw, and their colleagues on a group of thirty-six undergraduate college students it was found that they improved their spatial-temporal intelligence (the ability to mentally manipulate objects in three-dimensional space) after listening to 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata. The results of the study showed that student IQ scores improved by 8-9 points and lasted for 10-15 minutes. This study was coined the Mozart effect (Jones). Music is sometimes used to relax and soothe people. After a stressful event, listening to calming or classical music relaxes the body and mind. Music can also induce a more positive state of mind. It has long been believed that music can also act as an aphrodisiac (an element, either natural or chemical, that stimulates a sexual desire). Human senses are powerful and can trigger emotion. The type of music depends on the person. Music triggers different emotions in different people. What one person enjoys and is stimulated by could disgust and upset someone else. Many people use music as a way to get pumped up. Gyms usually play music with a faster tempo to increase speed and motivation. According to a study on musical tempo an increased tempo increased the speed in which people preformed simple tasks. It also affected the participants in the study by acting as a stressor and increasing their heart rate. When the tempo of the music was reduced the heart rate decreased (Mayfield). Music with a fast tempo and stimulates and demands physical activity. Music therapy is growing in the field of medicine. Its calming effects can help reduce anxiety and ward off the negative effects of stress (Stress and the Environment). This can help by reducing the negative effect t the stress response has on the body and mind. Music is used for medical purposes such as lowering blood pressure and autism. In an Italian study twenty-eight peoples blood pressure was monitored for twenty-four hours. They were then given a CD of classical, Celtic, or Indian music to listen to for thirty minutes per day for one month. After the month the patients blood pressure was monitored once again. The patients blood pressure did in fact drop. Their average systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped three points, and their average diastolic blood pressure (the second number in a blood pressure reading) had dropped four points. There were twenty other patients who did not listen to music and after monitoring their blood pressu re, there was no change (Hitti). Children who have been diagnosed with autism receive many benefits from music therapy. Depending on where children are placed on the autism spectrum music can assist with communication and provide structural regularity that the children need (downey). We have seen that music is used for healing but what about as a weapon of war? In 1989, music used as a weapon to torture first came into light. U.S. Troops blared loud music in an effort to induce the surrender of Manual Norriega, the Panamanian president. According to an article written by Suzanne G. Cusick this form of torture, called acoustic bombardment went mainstream after the cold war and is a common practice on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom (Cusick). The US also used this acoustic bombardment during interrogations in Guantanamo (Rapp). What is it about music that has such a profound effect on the human mind and body? Research has shown that music with a strong beat can stimulate brain waves to sync with the beat. The fast beat encourages sharper thinking and better concentration whereas the slower beat creates a relaxed almost meditative state. Music can also stimulate the brain to change gears easier. It effects remain evident even when you are done listening (Saarman). Using music to advertise is a good way to for a company to get the attention of a potential client or customer and for them to purchase the product or service that they are offering. Jingles are often easier for people to remember than just plain information. Many companies use popular artists or songs as a medium to advertise their products. One such company is Dr. Pepper. Their advertisements feature popular songs in hopes of getting the attention and marketing to the specific demographic associated with the song. By using music in advertising the company wants the listener to associate the song or tune with the product or service so when they hear the song they will think of the product or service. This is a great way for people to remember what they are selling. Religion uses music as a means to express ones faith and devotion. Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the worlds most famous and influential composers, wrote most of his music for the Lutheran church. Modern Christian songs are derived from popular music tunes and uses religious lyrics. According to an article written by Lorenzo Candelaria who is an assistant music professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Sacred music and art allow us to touch the face of God, through our perception of the world around us.' He believes that music is a way for people to understand their faith and spirituality and is a direct way for people to try to make sense of life and the afterlife (Moini). Music is sometimes used solely for entertainment purposes and accompanies many group and individual activities. Must is played in places such as dance clubs and skating rinks and produces a feeling of power. Faster music will control the speed at which you skate or dance or put you in the mood to do any of these activities.   Music is almost always used in movies. It can used to produce the feeling of suspense or excitement. It is used in tear-jerkers to solicit an emotional response of empathy. As you can see music has been and will always be woven into the fabric of our society. There are many uses for music and it has many hidden meaning and uses. Who knew that music was such a powerful tool and could have so many effects on the human body and mind? Its power spans from entertainment and fun to the ability to heal, reducing stress, creating a desired atmosphere for shoppers and employees, and so much more. What does the future of music hold for us?

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

What is an expert? Essay -- essays research papers

Currently the most prevalent is that an expert is a person who has some skill or knowledge in some domain that is matched by only a few other people. These people are thus extraordinary in some way. Anders Ericsson, probably the best known of the researchers on expertise defines expertise as Relatively stable outstanding performance.Experts are often labeled as such. People called exceptional, superior, gifted, talented, specialist, expert, etc. tend to belong to the set of experts. There is no doubt that there are large differences in the quality of performance of different people on different tasks or in different domains. We can think of this difference as a scale of expertise. Novices are those who do not perform very well, and we can move through different levels of expertise until we find some individuals that we might say are skilled or knowledgeable beyond that of almost everyone else in the world, or world class. What is the nature of this dimension? What are the categories within which this level of expertise motif applies? Becoming an expert in any domain requires experience and effort. Don Norman introduced the notion that an someone requires 10,000 hours of experience and practice for reasonably complex domains to have the possibility of being an expert. Most people seem to agree with that assessment. In order for someone to become an expert in physics, music, chess, psychology, mathematics, baseball, etc. takes many hours, even years, of hard work and practice. ***Keith Ericsson in viewing the development of expertise argued that the most important factor, perhaps even necessary and sufficient for developing expertise is deliberative practice. Deliberative practice has four properties: (1) it is at an appropriate level of difficulty, (2) the participant receives informative feedback, (3) the participant has many opportunities for repetition, and (4) the participant has th opportunity to correct for errors (from Ericsson (1996; found in Sternberg & Ben-Zeev (2001). If we focus on the process of becoming an expert rather than the claim that only a few become expert, we may come to a position I first heard from Micki Chi. Children are universal novices. They have not developed very many of the component skills needed for any domain. Decalage is the order of the day; many of the skills needed are relatively domain specific. The topics in t... ...wa workshops; Miss America candidates from Texas; Prodigies of all sorts. Winton Marsalis view on becoming an expert: commitment, listening, training, practice, confidence, independence. Component skills and knowledges. Must borrow many of them, learn to apply them in the right places, and integrate them to the new task. Some knowledge and skill must be learned from scratch. Many skills need to be developed more highly. It is possible that all of the component skills can be decomposed into simple enough parts that they are known a priori; however, expertise still requires integrating and restructuring them into usable schemata. What is the state of novice performance? Inchoate states, random trial and error, frustration, backward chaining, small units, surface form, separate nonintegrated components, bottom-up Expert performance--focused, much forward chaining, top-down, coherent and integrated, abstract organization, large units, proceduralization, integrated sequences, skillful, selective. Ericsson, K. A. (1996). The road to excellence. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Sternberg, R. J. & Ben-Zeev, T. (2001) Complex Cognition: The psychology of human thought. New York: Oxford.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Thorn Queen Chapter Eighteen

The village I'd passed earlier was called Marmant, and I had to get directions from Maiwenn's guards to make sure I didn't accidentally take some twisted Otherworldly path in my attempt to return. I rode there with troubled feelings, still replaying the events with Kiyo and trying to decide if our assorted arguments today had qualified as true fights. I soothed myself a little by reaching out and manipulating the air, creating gusts and eddies and attempting to see how big a blast I could make. At one point, I made a scrubby tree bend pretty far, but it tired me out. I had to practice more to sustain true gale-force winds, and lightning still remained out of my grasp. The people of Marmant greeted me with that same mix of fear and awe I had come to expect. Word of the changes being wrought in the land was getting around, so they were grateful and allowing themselves optimism at last. Yet, my fearsome reputation always lurked on the horizon, so they spoke gingerly around me, fearful of enraging the dangerous monarch who had forced this dangerous land upon them. â€Å"How is everything?† I asked, hoping I seemed concerned and nonthreatening. Rather than a mayor, this town had a council of five that made decisions, and they'd invited me inside for a private meeting. They were ordinary-looking men and women-still with that peasant feel so common in the Otherworld-but there was an air of competence around them. â€Å"You've got water and food now?† â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said a middle-aged woman who seemed to be the speaker of the group. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Good. I'm sorry it's been so hard on you. Things should be better now.† There was a brief silence in the group, one heavy with unspoken meaning. I looked from face to face. â€Å"What?† â€Å"We don't want to trouble your majesty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Trouble away. It's what I'm here for.† This got another round of exchanged looks. It was still apparently an odd concept for these people. â€Å"Well,† began the woman, â€Å"near the outskirts of our town's boundaries, there have been some attacks.† â€Å"What kind?† â€Å"Bandits, your majesty.† â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said. We'd known the group had moved, but they'd been quiet thus far, allowing me to hope I could take Kiyo up on his offer and deal with them before they caused more trouble. â€Å"We actually have many fighters and strong magic users,† she said with some pride. â€Å"But we could not stand against their monsters.† â€Å"You mean demons.† She gave a nervous nod. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said again. This had to be dealt with, and at this point, I really was willing to be a bastard and hold a gun to Jasmine's head. â€Å"Don't worry. They're going to be taken care of. Soon. Very soon.† The woman looked startled at the menacing tone in my voice, but her words were grateful. â€Å"Thank you, your majesty.† â€Å"Anything else I should know about?† This time, it was a man who spoke up. â€Å"We don't want to trouble you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I groaned. â€Å"Just tell me what it is.† â€Å"We heard your majesty has been seeking missing girls.† I straightened up. â€Å"Yes. What about it?† â€Å"One of ours disappeared two days ago. My neighbor's daughter, Markelle.† A small, wry smile crossed his lips. â€Å"She's a wild one, often wandering off where she shouldn't. But she hasn't come back†¦and she always does†¦.† I felt my fists clenching and forcibly relaxed them. I didn't need to scare these people any further. â€Å"Aside from the bandits, have you seen anyone else lurking around? Humans, maybe?† He seemed even more afraid to discuss this topic. â€Å"We see humans sometimes, your majesty.† I think he thought mentioning my own kind would anger me. â€Å"It's not uncommon. Often there are humans who†¦ah, give chase to some of the denizens of this world.† Shamans like me, he meant. â€Å"Usually, they leave us alone once they've found their quarry.† I thought back to Jasmine. â€Å"Any soldiers or warriors of the gent-shining ones?† â€Å"Occasionally. I presume they're deserters from King Aeson.† Not a bad theory, actually. â€Å"But we see none of them regularly. There's no one in particular who keeps returning.† I leaned forward, some part of me feeling like everything was about to fall together. â€Å"But there is a human you keep seeing, isn't there? Especially since the girls began disappearing?† He nodded. It was here. Everything was here. â€Å"A man, right? A man with a red snake tattoo?† â€Å"No, your majesty.† â€Å"I-what?† I froze for a moment. â€Å"Then who?† â€Å"A woman, your majesty. A woman with graying hair that she wears in a long braid.† I stared at him for several seconds, and then I laughed. This seemed to scare them all more than if I had burst into a rage. â€Å"Abigail,† I said at last, more to myself than them. â€Å"Your majesty?† I waved a hand at them. â€Å"Never mind.† Abigail. Fucking Abigail and Art. Working together to†¦what? Abduct gentry girls? But why? I'd toyed with the idea of Art as some kind of sick rapist, but where did Abigail fit in with this? Surely that would hold no interest for her. With a sigh, I pushed the questions to a small box in my mind, needing to wrap this up and get back to the human world. I needed to have that talk with Roland. â€Å"Anything else going on I need to know about? You've got copper nearby, right?† Finding water and food was naturally essential, but it was copper that was going to truly change things in the Thorn Land. It was what all our trade agreements were being based on. â€Å"How's the extraction going?† â€Å"Slowly until today, your majesty,† the woman admitted. â€Å"Our magic users are skilled in many things, but we have few who can work with metal. Much of our labor has been manual.† I frowned. â€Å"Why did things change today?† â€Å"Why,† she said in surprise, â€Å"because you sent the Oak King to us.† â€Å"The Oak-wait. You mean Dorian?† I exclaimed. â€Å"He's not here now, is he?† They were all clearly surprised at my surprise. â€Å"Yes, your majesty,† said the guy who'd spoken earlier. â€Å"He's out with the workers now. I thought you knew.† I stood up, still full of shock. â€Å"I have to see him. Excuse me.† They all murmured polite farewells and nearly knocked each other over with bows. I didn't stick around to return the formality. Instead, I headed back out into the bright afternoon sun, lightly jogging to where I'd seen the workers on the far side of the village. At first, I saw no indication of Dorian. Men and a few women were digging diligently, sweat rolling down their faces. Then, suddenly, I heard a slight rumbling, and the ground trembled. Huge chunks of rock rose from the earth, a few of them glinting in the sunlight. They lifted in a cluster and then slowly drifted off to the side of the work site, gently coming to rest on a pile of similar stones. Turning, I looked to the opposite side of the area and finally found Dorian, his hands moving in the air as he guided the ore. His clothes were simple today, but that hair burned and rippled in the sunshine like liquid fire. His face was filled with concentration as he watched the rocks, but once they'd come to a halt, he broke into a smile as he strode forward. â€Å"My lady Thorn Queen, what a delight.† I let him kiss my hand for the sake of appearances-seriously, why were the gentry so into that?-and then pulled him out of earshot of the others. â€Å"What the hell are you doing here?† I exclaimed. â€Å"Why, retrieving my copper.† â€Å"That's not what I mean!† He shrugged and wiped sweat off his brow. His devil-may-care expression aside, it was clear he was tired. I grabbed hold of his arm and led him back toward the town. â€Å"Come on, get something to drink before you get dehydrated. And start explaining.† â€Å"I heard there was some difficulty with your copper, and I decided to come help, seeing as it benefits me too. My sword is in need of replacement, you know-and that's not a metaphor. The metaphorical one is just fine. Besides, you don't honestly think I can let you take all the glory as being the most helpful monarch around, do you? You're making us all look bad.† â€Å"Dorian,† I groaned. Because there was really no other response. If people had fallen all over me when I arrived, the two of us together created quite the stir. Again, I was reminded of some celebrity tabloid couple. We returned to the council hall, at which point I used my queenly authority to get some privacy and some refreshment. It was a bit startling to see how quickly my orders were obeyed. Once we were alone and Dorian was sprawled in a chair, I truly got a good look at just how exhausted he was. â€Å"How long have you been out there doing this?† I asked, pouring him water from a pitcher. â€Å"Most of the day. And I'll take the wine, my dear.† He nodded toward a nearby decanter. â€Å"It'll dehydrate you further,† I scolded, handing him the cup of water. He scowled but drank it down eagerly. I watched him, still perplexed. â€Å"But why? You don't need the copper that badly.† â€Å"Perhaps not. But you do.† He finished the water, and I gave him a refill. â€Å"Thank you. Waited on by a queen-truly the dream of many a man.† I pulled over a chair of my own. â€Å"You didn't need to do it,† I protested. â€Å"You've practically killed yourself.† â€Å"Hardly. Give me and my stamina some credit.† â€Å"I still don't get it.† He finished this cup too and then gave me a look that was both exasperated and amused. â€Å"Eugenie, why do you keep having such a hard time believing I'd do things for you?† There was earnestness in his voice, and I realized we kept having this conversation over and over. Out of everyone in my life lately, it seemed like he was the only reliable one. â€Å"I don't know why. I'm sorry. I just run into few people who give something for nothing. Mining isn't going to get me into your bed.† â€Å"Well,† he said cheerfully, â€Å"nobody knows that for sure, but even if not? It doesn't matter. You need it. It makes you happy. End of story.† I looked away. Dorian truly was my friend. â€Å"Thank you. It does make me happy. One less thing in a sea of problems today.† He handed me the cup. â€Å"Get me wine this time, and tell me what your problems are. You can even sit on my lap.† â€Å"No thanks,† I said, but I did get him the wine. â€Å"I saw you and the kitsune pass earlier, actually. Is that part of your problem?† He answered his own question. â€Å"Yes, yes. Of course it is.† I was a bit surprised to hear myself pouring my thoughts out to him again. I didn't even have the excuse of being drunk this time. â€Å"I saw the baby today.† â€Å"Cute?† â€Å"Very. And it just made me feel†¦I don't know. Kiyo thinks it's jealousy, but it's more than that. I just can't explain it.† â€Å"Kind of a questioning of your own life and the choices-or lack thereof-before you?† I looked up, startled, and met his eyes. They were unusually serious. â€Å"Yes, exactly.† Dorian remained silent, and I found myself rambling more. â€Å"He's having a hard time getting all of it lately-the magic, the girls, the demons†¦he doesn't like me spending time over here. Neither does Roland.† I couldn't help a smile. â€Å"Hell, neither do I. But†¦I have to. I have to put things right around here.† â€Å"I know you do,† he said, face serious. â€Å"Dorian†¦what would happen if I got a crown?† This made him a smile a little. â€Å"It would make you look even more beautiful.† â€Å"No, I'm serious. Kiyo says it's a bad idea. That it would make all this real.† â€Å"It's already about as real as it's going to get, my dear.† â€Å"That's what I told him! But I don't get the big deal. You never wear a crown.† â€Å"Not often. But I have one, and I was crowned and all my people swore fealty to me. That's what a crown would lead to. You want one for ornamentation? Sure, that's easy. But put one on and walk out among your people-especially in a city like Highmore-and say, ‘This is who I am, I am your queen†¦' Well, that's what the kitsune fears. You're already queen. No crown can affect that. But you accepting one and declaring your authority is when you truly believe you're a queen. And as far as Kiyo is concerned, that's where the danger is.† â€Å"Wow,† I said, nearly as surprised to have such a thorough explanation from him as I was by the content itself. â€Å"Are you afraid of it?† He snorted. â€Å"Hardly. I don't need a crown to know you're a queen. It radiates off of you. But I would like for you to know you're a queen.† If dealing with all the crap I had on my plate didn't make me think I was a queen, then I didn't really know what else would. I let the crown issue go and instead recapped my latest intel about the bandits and Abigail. â€Å"I can't figure out her role here. You mentioned before that Art's motives would be†¦uh, understandable. But why her? Unless she's just enough of a pal to help him score some gentry action.† Dorian was still in his pensive mode. He'd poured himself yet another glass of wine and handed me one too that I sipped sparingly. â€Å"Let me ask you this. Why do men of the shining ones so often abduct your women?† â€Å"Easy,† I returned. â€Å"Because we're more fertile. You guys might have sex in public, but it doesn't usually result in anything. A guy who wants a kid has better luck with a human.† Dorian nodded. I had a feeling he'd already made some leap of logic and was prompting me here to figure it out myself. â€Å"And what about humans? Are you hoping for children each time you make love?† I laughed, thinking of my stock of condoms and birth control pills. â€Å"Hardly. We go to a lot of trouble not to. Too easy for us.† He leaned toward me, green eyes shrewd. â€Å"Then think about it. You understand why we would want humans. Why would humans want us?† I studied him, trying to catch up to what he'd already thought of. A few moments later, I got it. â€Å"Because you'd fulfill the opposite need. A human could have sex with a gentry girl and not worry too much about her getting pregnant. Or getting a disease.† Gentry were healthier than us in that regard. It seemed to go along with them having such long life spans- â€Å"Oh God. That would be part of it.† The more I followed his logic, the clearer and clearer it became. â€Å"You guys live longer. Gentry girls would stay young and beautiful for a long time†¦.† The horror of it was setting in. Until that moment, I had thought there were few sexual crimes worse than gentry guys consistently trying to rape me to get me pregnant. As shocking as it seemed, I was wrong. If this were true†¦if this idea that Dorian was suggesting was true†¦well. That was worse. Gentry girls taken because they were the ideal sexual partners: young, disease resistant, hard to get pregnant-even with a human. I almost laughed. It was like Tim's poem about the maiden who'd come from another world, whose beauty and youth were so great that mortal men had coveted her. The question was, how did the gentry girls feel about this role? A lot of girls wanting to get pregnant might wholeheartedly embrace human lovers-literally and figuratively. But Moria's traumatized state suggested her stint with Art hadn't been welcome†¦ I stood up and rubbed my eyes. â€Å"Oh God,† I repeated. â€Å"The stuff†¦all the stuff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?† asked Dorian, understandably confused. Dropping my hands, I looked back at him. â€Å"These shamans, Abigail and Art. They live well. They have more possessions†¦nicer things than they should for the jobs they have.† Art's giant house in an upper-class neighborhood. The shiny SUV. Abigail's luxurious-albeit messy-apartment. Her extensive jewelry collection. â€Å"I don't know how, but they're making money off it. Off these girls.† I slumped against the wall. â€Å"And I don't know what to do about it.† Dorian rose and came to stand by me. â€Å"You'll stop them.† I shook my head. â€Å"It's not that simple. Art was right-there's no shaman council. I can't report them to anyone, certainly not human authorities. There's no accountability, no laws that apply here.† â€Å"They're breaking your laws,† he said, leaning toward me. â€Å"Therefore you have every right to stop them. Treat them as you would any other criminal in your land. Kill them.† â€Å"I can't!† I exclaimed. â€Å"I'd have to actually catch them here, and so far I haven't been able to. And I'm certainly not going to go to Texas and kill them there.† â€Å"Why not? If a murderer from my kingdom killed someone in yours, I wouldn't bat an eye if you came to slay him.† â€Å"It's different. They're†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Human?† I hated to admit, but yes, there it was. I had chased Otherworldly monsters from my world back to this one and never hesitated to kill them or banish them directly to the Underworld. But somehow, the thought of intentionally tracking humans and killing them†¦ I didn't need to voice my answer for Dorian to understand. Exasperation flared on his face, this time mixed with†¦anger. â€Å"Damn it, Eugenie. You just told me you had to put things right! Which is it? Or does it only depend on what's easy at any given time? What your mood is? Who you like better that day?† â€Å"It's not that easy!† I exclaimed. â€Å"You don't understand. You can't understand. I'm caught between two worlds here, with two sets of loyalties. I've spent my entire life being human-being part of that world. You can't expect me to throw all that away and betray my own kind.† He opened his mouth to retort and was interrupted by a faint roll of thunder. Whatever words he'd been about to utter disappeared, and he laughed. â€Å"Do you hear that? That's you, Eugenie. Your anger.† I shook my head. â€Å"I can't control thunder and lightning yet.† â€Å"Not control, no. But you can summon it unconsciously. Do you think there's anything in this land that isn't tied to you?† He gestured around us. â€Å"All these people here†¦all the people in this village looking at you with adoring eyes†¦they are your own kind too. This is what I meant when I said you're the only one who doesn't seem to realize you're a queen yet! All these people are looking to you to protect them and do what's right. If you can't do that, then you might as well back off and do what the kitsune and your stepfather want you to do.† â€Å"Dorian, I can't kill in cold blood!† He gripped me by the arms, voice calm but infused with anger. â€Å"You can do whatever it is you have to do! You are a queen. Forget all this talk about Storm King's grandson. Right now, you are his heir. You are on the verge of becoming one of the most powerful rulers in this world, which means you don't have the luxury of being squeamish. You can rule with love, but you have to rule with ruthlessness too. You are going to go down in history, Eugenie, as one of the greatest monarchs we have ever seen. And it is going to start with this-this wrong that you're going to right. If you can't do it, if you can't stop those who are hurting your people, then you might as well stop the rest of this charade. Go out there and tell those people you can't do anything for them, that you can't feed them or protect them because they aren't your kind and aren't worth bloodying your hands for!† He was shouting now, breathing heavily. I stared at him, eyes wide, filled with a little of that fear I always got when his temper rose. Moments like these reminded me of just how powerful Dorian was physically and magically. His lazy, lean appearance was deceptive; I'd seen him fight. Between that and the power he wielded, I hoped there would never come a day when we were truly antagonists. Outside, I heard thunder again. It took me several seconds to muster an answer, and when I spoke, my voice was very small. â€Å"I can't,† I said. â€Å"I can't tell them that.† â€Å"I know you can't,† he whispered. And then, still gripping me, he leaned down and kissed me. More astonishingly, I kissed him back. It seemed like all the emotions that had consumed me recently-all the rage and confusion-were poured into that kiss. My teeth bit against his lips, and when he shoved me against the wall, I welcomed the brief pain. Our hands were all over each other as we kissed, mine running the length of his body while his more aggressively hiked up the dress I'd earlier regretted wearing. In a matter of seconds, it was pushed over my hips, leaving my legs bare. With one hand still holding the skirt up, his other pushed between my thighs, slipping underneath the thong I'd put on this morning in the hopes of getting intimate with Kiyo. Those clever fingers slid into me, stoking a wetness I hadn't thought could come on so fast. My small exclamation was muffled in his crushing kiss as he alternately thrust his fingers into me and pulled out to tease and dance with my clit. It was the latter he eventually settled on, circling and stroking as heat built between my legs and made all my muscles tense up. Then, the burning flood of sensation exploded, and I came with another cry that his kiss smothered, a cry that faded into a moan as my body trembled and spasmed from the shock waves of heat and electricity still shooting through me from his touch. My orgasm created no pause in the action, though. The hand that had just brought me such pleasure moved from between my legs to his pants as he began to unfasten them. His mouth finally left mine, moving on to my neck, his kisses hot and fierce. He shoved his pants down, and I felt him against me, hard and ready as he pressed his hips to mine. My hands were tangled in his hair as I tilted my head back to receive his kisses, but his hands, busy as always, were prying off my underwear. The reality of what was happening sank in. â€Å"Wait†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I murmured, lost as his mouth bit against my skin. â€Å"No, we can't†¦I can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You can,† he breathed in my ear. â€Å"Let me†¦let me do it. Let me bury myself in you. Let me spread your legs and take you like I did before. We are gods in this world, Eugenie, with no other lovers who are our equals. No others who are worthy of this joining.† The thong was on the ground now, and I could feel his erection pressed against my skin, so, so close to sliding in and doing all the things he promised. He rested his hands under my thighs and hoisted me up against the wall so that my legs wrapped around his hips. â€Å"Dorian†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I gasped. â€Å"I'm with Kiyo†¦.† â€Å"So? You're a queen. Do you think you can't have as many lovers as you like?† â€Å"It's†¦it's wrong. We can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"We can,† he said, voice low and full of promise. â€Å"And when we do, this land will be reborn†¦.† Afterward, I would never be entirely sure if I would have let him do it. I like to think I would have stopped him. I was in love with Kiyo, after all, and loyal to him. Surely I would have said no and shoved Dorian aside. I wasn't in love with him†¦or was I? In those moments before we'd kissed, I'd felt like he truly got me and understood the things in my head. I think I'd probably loved him since around the time we'd met; I certainly never lost the attraction. Still, that didn't make cheating on Kiyo right. Whatever decision I would have made was taken from me when there was a knock at the door. I jerked away from Dorian and hastily shoved my skirt down. He more casually turned away to pull his pants back up, seeming in no particular hurry. The door opened, and the lead councilwoman stuck her head in. Even with Dorian's back to her and me dressed, it had to have been obvious what was going on-particularly with my underwear on the floor. If she found it shocking, though, she didn't show it, and I recalled how free the gentry were in public. â€Å"Your majesties,† she said politely, â€Å"there's a storm coming in, and the workers were wondering what the Oak King wanted to do.† Dorian, decent once more, turned around and gave her a laconic, charming smile. â€Å"A storm? Really? How truly unexpected. Well, tell them to bring as much of the ore as they can into storage before the rain and cover the rest up. I'll come check on it in a moment since I have a feeling the Thorn Queen is about to depart with some haste.† The woman gave a quick curtsey and shut the door once more. â€Å"You're right,† I said, jerking my thong back on. â€Å"I'm leaving.† â€Å"Yes,† he agreed, still smiling. â€Å"Because that's your normal course of action when something happens that you don't know how to process.† â€Å"That's the thing,† I growled. â€Å"Nothing happened here, okay? None of this did.† His eyebrows rose. â€Å"Really? Because I could have sworn that something happened when my hand was between your-â€Å" â€Å"No!† I would have approached him with clenched fists to drive home my threat but was afraid of what would happen if I was close to him again. â€Å"This didn't happen. This was anger and confusion and me in a weak place, okay? I appreciate what you've done here with the copper-really. And for the advice on the girls. But that's it.† I turned, not wanting to look into those green eyes or see that smirk anymore. I didn't want to admit that loving two men was just like the rest of my life, ripped into two worlds. I needed to get out of here and get back home-though I wasn't sure which home I meant. Dorian didn't try to stop me, but his voice rang out after me as I hurried out and rain began to fall outside. â€Å"Don't forget what I said, Eugenie. Crown or not, you are a queen, so don't be afraid to do what you have to do. Love and ruthlessness. Those are the keys.†

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Possessive or Genitive Case Definition and Examples

Possessive or Genitive Case Definition and Examples Also Known As: possessive determiner, genitive case, second case In English grammar, possessive case is the case (or function) of an inflected form of a noun (Santas, the bosss) showing ownership, measurement, or source. In addition to the -s ending (a clitic), the possessive can be expressed with of, particularly when the possessor is not alive (the top floor of the building, the base of the statue). Possessive case also refers to a type of pronoun (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs) or determiner (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) that indicates ownership, measurement, or source. (Note that his and its function as both pronouns and determiners.) Examples and Observations I will not hide the teachers Prozac.(Bart Simpson, The Simpsons)People who have given us their complete confidence believe that they have a right to ours. The inference is false: a gift confers no rights.(Friedrich Nietzsche)Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a persons character lies in their own hands.(Anne Frank)The winners edge is all in the attitude, not aptitude.(Denis Waitley)An Englishmans way of speaking absolutely classifies him.(Alan Jay Lerner)What precedes the possessive ending need not be a single-word compound but can be a phrase, as in my neighbor next doors dog, or even a clause, as in a woman I knows niece. (Laurel J. Brinton, The Structure of Modern English: A Linguistic Introduction. John Benjamins, 2000) Possessives Before Gerunds In your writing, when a pronoun appears before a gerund (an -ing verbal used as a noun), use the possessive case. We have tasted their cooking. In this example, cooking is used as a noun and is the direct object of have tasted. If a pronoun appears before a participle, use the objective case. We have watched them cooking. In this second example, cooking is used as a participle to describe them. (Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy, The Scribner Handbook for Writers, 3rd ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2001) The Decline of the Possessive Apostrophe The apostrophe is the stepchild of English orthography. It is neither fish nor fowl, typographers convenience, nor true punctuation...The possessive apostrophe is a grammatical anomaly, a vestigial case marker- appropriately shaped like the human appendix- in a noun system that has otherwise dispensed with cases... Evidence of its demise is apparent in newspapers, on billboards, on menus. Our students, understandably confused, alternately abuse it and feel abused by it... ...Thus we may contemplate with relative equanimity the eventual loss- for such seems inevitable in time- of the possessive apostrophe. We may mourn its passing and, perhaps, armed with grammar texts and rules (poor weapons at best) prolong its stay for awhile. But we cannot, nor should we wish to, preserve it indefinitely. We would do well to recognize that the outrages perpetrated upon the apostrophe by our students reflect an increasingly common practice outside the classroom, and temper the insistence of our lessons... ...And, when all is said and done, the loss will not be a great one.(Elizabeth S. Sklar, The Possessive Apostrophe: The Development and Decline of a Crooked Mark. College English, October 1976) Possessive and Genitive The genitive has also been called the possessive, since one of its meanings has been to denote the possessor of what is referred to by the second noun phrase, as in The couples home. But possession has to be interpreted liberally if it is to cover many instances of the genitive and the of-phrase. In a liberal interpretation, we could count as possession any connections between the two nouns where the verbs possess or have can be used in a paraphrase; for example, family relationships: Toms son (the son that Tom has). Mexico Citys(Sidney Greenbaum, The Oxford English Grammar. Oxford Univ. Press, 1996) False Possessives The apostrophe generally should not be used after a word that is more descriptive than possessive, except for a plural not ending in s: Explorers Hall, Diners Club, the Department of Veterans Affairs, teachers college but teachers guide, St. Elizabeths Hospital, Teamsters Union, visitors center, childrens hospital. But the Ladies Home Journal, the National Governors Association.(The National Geographic Style Manual. National Geographic Society, 2012) The Lighter Side of Possessives Cartman: Give me back my kidney! Stan: Dude, please, Kyle needs it! Cartman: Its mine! Not yours, mine! Give it back right now or theres going to be Hell to pay!(Cherokee Hair Tampons. South Park, 2000) Danny Butterman: All right, Pete?Nicholas Angel: Do you know this man?Danny Butterman: Yeah. Hes Auntie Jackies sisters brothers boy.(Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, Hot Fuzz, 2007) My best friends sisters boyfriends brothers girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid whos going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess its pretty serious.(Kristy Swanson as Simone, Ferris Buellers Day Off, 1986)

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Beowulf Research Paper Essays

Beowulf Research Paper Essays Beowulf Research Paper Essay Beowulf Research Paper Essay Essay Topic: Beowulf Im doing my three page research paper over Beowulf, the story of a warrior from ancient times when monsters, goblins, and demons still plagued the Earth that we live on still today. Beowulf was a tall tale told for many, years to children before they fell asleep at night. Its a story that has been around from 720-796 a. d. And hasnt gotten old yet, because it inspires people and tells people what real hero’ s are capable of and what theyre made of and the limits they can surpass all on their own will and strength. Beowulf isnt just a play, a movie, or a video game. ts also a poem that is considered to be the longest and most amazing poems in existence in Old English. It has been taken care of in the Cotton Vitellius A XV manuscript, in the British Museum, which was written around 1000 years ago scientists do believe. Scientists have not found a literary source for the amazing story of Beowulf. Many of the characters in Beowulf belong to the Germanic tradition of storytelling t hat has been shared throughout the years. The story of Beowulf, however, goes something along the lines of this.. Beowulf begins with a history of the great Danish King Scyld. King Hrothgar, Scyld’s great-grandson, is well loved by his people and successful in war. He builds a lavish hall, called Heorot, to house his vast army, and when the hall is finished, the Danish warriors gather under its roof to celebrate. Now Grendel is a monster who lives at the bottom of a nearby swamp, and is provoked by the singing and celebrating of Hrothgars friends, family, and followers. He appears at the hall late one night and kills many of the warriors in their sleep. For the next twelve years, the fear of Grendels fury and anger casts a shadow over the lives of the Hrothgar and his followers. Hrothgar and his followers cannot think of anything to calm the Grendels anger. Prince of the Geats, Beowulf, hears about Hrothgars trouble with the monster Grendel, puts together a band of warriors of the bravest Geat warriors he could find, and sets sail from his home in southern Sweden. The Geats are greeted by the members of Hrothgars court, and Beowulf boasts to the king of his previous battles won as a warrior, especially his success in fighting the monsters that once lived in the sea.. well until he killed them anyways. Hrothgar welcomes the arrival of all of the Geat warriors, hoping that Beowulf and his warrior friends will live up to the expectations that Hrothgar has for them. Because little did Beowulf know what he was up against this time around. On the same night that Beowulf and his warriors came, Grendel came in the pitch black of night and attacked! Beowulf, being the amazing and strong warrior that he is, bare handedly wrestled Grendel for his life and in the end Beowulf tore off Grendels arm and claimed it as a trophy of his glorious battle with Grendel. The wounded monster, knowing that it was time to retreat, hurried back to his watery hell of a swamp. As Hrothgar promised, for Beowulfs courage, bravery, and honor, Hrothgar gave Beowulf a great amount of treasure for his trouble and kindness. Little did Beowulf and his warriors know though that Grendel had a mother, and she was coming back with revenge. Grendels mother comes at night when all is quiet and all the warriors are sleeping, and she takes away with her one of Hrothgars followers in the dead of night. She also takes with her, her son’s claw that Beowulf had claimed from Grendel as a trophy. Beowulf, being the hero of this whole story, goes to track down this fierce beast. So Beowulf goes down deeper and deeper into the watery hell where Grendel once lived and his mother still lives, and he comes upon Grendels mother. Thank goodness that before Beowulf had lept into the sea his warrior friend gave him his sword, and he called it Hurnting. Once Beowulf found the mother the fighting began, after a horrible, epic battle Beowulf won, stabbing Grendels mother through the chest with a magical sward he had found on the wall, (blessed with strong magic from Giants, so huge and massive that no ordinary man could pick it up and hold it). Then, for good measure, Beowulf walks towards Grendels body and with his sward thats blessed with Giant magic, slices off Grendels head. After the fierce battle that he had won, Beowulf had to say goodbye to Hrothgar, but he goes home and tells his father of the great, epic journey he had taken. After the battle he had won Hrothgar had also presented Beowulf with more treasure than he has ever imagined. Beowulf had also told the Geats that if they are ever in rouble again or just need his help, that he will be there once again when they need him to be. That is the end of the first part of the story of Beowulf, the second part is about Beowulf when hes already been the king of the Geats for about 50 years and a guy steals a jewelled cup from a dragon and the dragon gets really mad and starts burning down everything in its path until it finds its cup. Then Beowulf becomes the hero once again and defeats the dragon. Though after the battle with the dragon, Beowulf dies and in his honor his best friend builds a tower for him and calls it â€Å"Beowulfs Tower†. Sites: beowulfepic. com/ http://csis. pace. edu/grendel/projf981e/story. html

Monday, November 4, 2019

Men are better managers as compared to the women for a variety of Essay

Men are better managers as compared to the women for a variety of reasons - Essay Example There has been a lot of debate about the effectiveness of women as managers. Women are stereotyped to be too delicate to give their best in the position of a manager since most organizations require the managers to be rough and tough in order to be effective. â€Å"W[omen] managers could be $13,500 a year better off a year on average if only they had a sex change. That is the penalty managers pay simply for being female† (Horin, 2009). A vast majority of the contemporary organizations are quite unlike the misogynist workplaces that were omnipresent in the 1960s. Despite that, there is a significant discrimination on the basis of gender in the workplace today, with the women full-time managers earning 25 per cent lesser as compared to the male managers. Although men working more hours than women is frequently identified as a causal factor of this disparity in earning between the women and male managers, yet it is not the only factor that explains the difference in earning. In s pite of the women’s empowerment over the decades, gender-based discrimination is still a common factor that influences the organizational culture in the present age. Leila Abdalla is a General Manager who shares her experience of management in these words: â€Å"It’s never been a walk through the park to get to the top – and the challenges are more when you are up there because there are some people, who were not very comfortable working for me† (Kibakaya, 2011). There are many factors that make women too weak to be good managers. This paper discusses the gender issues at the workplace and supports the belief that women lack the strength for management. Women are very concerned about their impression on others. â€Å"Professional women often come to executive coaches to work on their perceived "weaknesses" in the workplace, with an express wish to change an undesirable behavior or pattern† (Doyle-Morris, 2007). It matters to the female managers a l ot how others think of them. While it can be a good thing for a woman in her personal life because this lets her adjust herself according to people’s expectations to gain their love and admiration, this attitude is not quite suitable for a manager. Managers need to know what they are doing and should not care about what others think of them. Otherwise, they are not in a position to do what they think is right for the organization. Female managers display a lack of confidence in their abilities particularly when the circumstances become too tough. Men least care what others think of them. They do what they think is right and it does not matter to them how it affects their image. Such an attitude helps the male managers get through in tough times. Female managers are put off by the criticism that surfaces as a result of their actions while male managers are stubborn and determined. A manager has to take a lot of criticism for his/her actions. Every strong manager takes bold ste ps that may be found offensive by many employees and stakeholders. These steps are necessary in order to execute the strategies made by the manager. This requires a lot of boldness. One has to take full responsibility for one’s actions as a manager. In such circumstances, a woman manager is often not able to take the criticism. She backs off when the stakeholders threaten her. Bullying at workplace is not

Saturday, November 2, 2019

According to the article and answer the question Assignment

According to the article and answer the question - Assignment Example The behaviors suggest that orangutans are intelligent species with different personality and mentality compared to chimpanzees and gorillas. Orangutans of different groups are found to have different behaviors and practices than each other. The existence of culture in animal species, as a result, is evident keeping the findings of the article in view. The way of hunting, extracting insects with sticks, making pillow of twigs or wiping faces with leaves as with a napkin are different behaviors found in different groups. The conclusion, as a result, is the confirmation of culture’s existence among Orangutans. The close association of such behaviors is found in human cultures. The different behaviors are important to understand the personality of red-haired apes from others. Furthermore, the way orangutans teach their behaviors to their young ones show the level of responsibility they take to nurture their breed and to extend their cultural norms ahead. These behaviors are significant to show the existence of culture in animals, and specifically in orangutans. 2.Drugs: Angiosperms plants are known to have a bitter taste and contain high amounts of psychoactive agents. Since Dinosaurs could not identify the bitterness and detoxify the substances with their less effective levers, they died after having a lot of angiosperms. 1. Sex: The claim is proposed as a negation to high temperatures being the reason for killing the gigantic animals, dinosaurs. However, to support the theory that rising temperatures remained the cause of their extinction, Cowles proposed the idea of testes being non-functional in such high temperature leading to natural contraception and, at extreme, the extinction of dinosaurs. The hypothesis, hence, is a mere idea which is not supported or backed up with proper evidences or experiments thereof. 2.