Order to create comedy Essay Example for Free

Order to create comedy Essay Bob Acres is seen as a comic character within The Rivals and this is for various reasons. He communicates a contrast between town and country, which immediately depicts Acres as a target for humour. I want my audience to find sympathy with the character and his nai ve attitude towards town life, this will be achieved by Acres creating comic moments within scenes and becoming a victim. For the role of Acres I feel he would be a small man, in build and height with an attractive face. This would emphasise his cowardice, particularly within the duel scene. I would like Bob Acres mannerisms and movement to take on an effeminate, almost foppish characteristic, yet I would like the character to appear uncomfortable with taking on these mannerisms as it will create the effect of comedy with Acres not fully being able to take on town life and show his country booby characteristics. I feel Acres accent should have a slight lilt of a Northern accent, again to create humour and show his country origin. With Acres having an accent, I think this would make his endeavour at imitating the speech patterns of town life more comic as the stereotype carried with the accents completely contrasts his speech pattern, particularly when using his genteel sentimental swearing If I were to perform the role of Bob Acres I would employ various styles of comedy to create the comic effect of Acres on the audience. Physical, visual comedy would be the key style, concentrating on the characters physicality. As Acres is trying to fit in with the town lifestyle his costume would be the foremost source of comedy that the audience would recognise. The Rivals is a comedy of manners and in the period in which it was written fashion was seen as very important. Wigs were worn and the dress style was very loud and flamboyant. When the audience first meet Acres I would want to create the impression of a country bumpkin immediately so that the next time he is introduced the contrast will be great therefore causing much humour. In Act 1 I would have materials such as tweed and very exaggerated styles associated with people who live in the country. To contrast this I would want my costume to be greatly exaggerated using absurd colours such as purple and yellow silk, with a great deal of lace trimming to represent Acres outlandish approach. I would also uses wigs to represent his outrageous take on fashion, by using a very large, sensational wig. The effect I wish to have with this is once the audience have discovered the humour and comedy of Acres they would rake pity on the character. It would also allow the audience to see Acres disastrous attempt at becoming a man of fashion. At heart I feel Acres is a good hearted man and would play him thus, this is show in his perseverance to fit in with his friends, Absolute and Faulkland. This simplicity of the character again creates sympathy between the actor and the audience, mainly due to the comedy created by him. Acres also has a range of scenes when interacting with characters that would help create comedy. In Act 2 Scene 1 in Captain Absolutes lodgings, Acres relays information about Julia to Faulkland. I would have Acres does this in a very jovial tone, making of use hand movements and open body language to exaggerate Julias merriment. This would show Acres tactless, clumsy nature as he would be oblivious to Faulklands reaction, the audience however would see the effect it had on him and finding it a comic moment. The audiences sympathy would spark again from Acres naivety. Although Acres appears to be ridiculous in his behaviour he does try to maintain the concept of honour by challenging Ensign Beverly to a duel. This in turn proves to show more of the cowardly humour within him. When he is talking to Jack Absolute I would play Acres as being very nervous and uneasy, trying to show a guise of false bravery. This would add to the humour of the scene as his attempts at trying to be brave would be failing, which the audience will recognise and find humour within it. At closer inspection of Acres discomfort the audience again would be made to feel sympathy with this character. The final duel scene within the play would also reinforce the characteristics. He would again show his nervous characteristics by trying to avoid fighting and showing his inexperience at duelling. Firstly when Sir Lucius is trying to show Bob the distance the duellists must stand from each other, when this is happening I would have Acres trying to get as far away from the gun as possible, firstly by walking as far from Lucius as possible, and running around him dodging the barrel of the pistol. When Acres takes the pistol, I would play him very apprehensive of holding the pistol, having a limp wrist when holding it so it would droop to show Acres inexperience again. This would also create humour within the audience as the visual comedy would be almost farcical and highly entertaining as well and creating sympathy for the character and his tense situation. I feel the comedy would assist in this characters portrayal as any victim of humour can manipulate the audience, particularly if they display and innocence similar to Bob Acres.

The Significance Of Sociological Work Practices

The Significance Of Sociological Work Practices This essay will examine the significance of sociology and the importance of a good understanding of the society in which we live. This essay will also provide an understanding of what sociology is, and an insight into each perspective in relation to a particular concept and some of the social problems surrounding it. It will identify how an understanding of sociology is useful in helping social workers understand, evaluate and resolve the potential problems faced by their client groups, and will assess the importance of sociology in social work practice. Sociology differs to psychology, in as much as psychology studies the individual and that individuals reactions and involvement within society. Sociology concentrates its approach on a much wider level, looking at the bigger picture. Giddens (1989:18) reports that the study of sociology offers the individual an opportunity to detach oneself from preconceived ideas about social life, however it does pose specific problems, mainly because of the complex problems involved in subjecting our own behaviour to study. It is hard to be objective which you are directly involved in, and later on in the essay, it is apparent how this has influenced, and biased some perspectives. Sociology developed as a science in the late 1700s. It was initially a way of attempting to understand the great changes happening in industry and society around that time, following a period of social and industrial revolutions throughout England and the transition from feudal England, into a more capitalist and industrialised society. Although there are many definitions of sociology, there is no clear cut definition as to what it encompasses. Macionis and Plummer (1997:4) say that the definition of sociology is the systematic study of human society, whilst The study of human social behaviour, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society is the definition taken from http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sociology We can therefore deduce that sociology is a study of looking at things from a wider angle. So, what psychologists may view as a personal tragedy to one person, when viewed from the wider angle, can provide an insight into imbalances in the equilibrium of society. For example, C Wright Mills (taken from Macionis and Plummer) wrote famously about the Sociological Imagination, which enables the individual to reflect upon the societal impact of what can be apparently individual events, such as divorce, and unemployment. Whilst divorce is a personal tragedy for the individual, the impact of it nationally becomes a social problem, given that Britain statistically has one of the highest divorce rates in Europe. So, sociology is about learning how to look at things with more than just knowledge or common sense, it is about being able to turn situations around and examine the impact on both the individual and the surrounding society. To do this however, one must be able to identify what society actually is. What does it encompass? How many people does it take to make a society? Even if we assume that a society is, for example, a group of people with self perpetuating rules, living within a particular framework of social relationships, we still have to question to whos rules are they are adhering, and to what extent is the framework of social relationship to be extended? Classical sociologists had no problems in identifying what constitutes a society, as they assumed that society was something that could be investigated or analysed in a laboratory, such as with any other science. Classical sociology was in effect the scientific study of society. Whilst more modernist approaches such as Cree (as quoted in Cree:1997:276), have identified that todays society is a much more mosaic and fragmented society, and realises that much as we all have more than one identity, so we live and move in many different, and at times competing, societies. To enable them to study this, sociologists have identified many different perspectives on different sociological concepts. A concept is an issue that is directly related to sociology or society, and as such includes issues such as the family, crime and deviance, the community, class, status, poverty, race and youth. All these concepts have a direct impact on society and so sociologists are interested in studying them. Each concept is often intrinsically linked to the remaining ones. If we take as a simplistic example, a young black boy who has been caught stealing, he is from an impoverished background and is being brought up by his single parent mother. In this single example, a sociologist could choose to look at this case study from any or all of the above concepts. The family unit has broken down, leading the youth to commit acts of crime and deviance, possibly because the familys standard of living has deteriorated, leading to a lowering in class and status, which in turn could have led to prejudice and isolation from the surrounding community. A perspective however, is the actual viewpoint and theory which surrounds the explanation used to evaluate and identify society and social problems. For example, classical perspectives include Marxism, Interactionism, and Functionalism. In the very simplest of definitions a Marxist perspective would examine a concept with its relativity to social class, and class conflict. Interactionists would be examining the meanings and interpretations of the study matter, and would focus on the individual. A Functionalist perspective, however, would examine the purpose and needs of the social structure surrounding the concept, and would be looking at the social system and sub systems. These classical perspectives originated mainly from Western, heterosexual, middle class men, and highlight one of the many problems sociologists face, and that is distancing oneself from the matter which is being studied. The viewpoints of the classical sociologists appear to be from white, heterosexual men, FOR white, heterosexual men. These early classical attempts to study a society which is in itself a constantly changing and nebulous mass, has meant that new sociologists have had to emerge, bringing with them new, broader perspectives, and these are called contemporary sociologists. Contemporary sociologists include views of society from perspectives such as Feminism, Anti Racism, Disablism, and the Gay Rights lobby, and the perspectives from which they write are fairly self explanatory, but Feminism will be discussed in more detail further on. When examining one concept in detail, such as the family, and viewing it from each different perspective, we are provided with an insight on not only the historical background of the viewpoint from which it was written (eg Marxism and Feminism were established in very different historical episodes), but it also enables us to lay this across different aspects of working practice in social work. Therefore in order to operate in the social work profession efficiently, one needs to be able to look at the bigger picture, and put aside our own values and opinions of the family i.e. all the differing family types etc, as it is hard to be objective about something with which you have direct experience of. We have all had experience of family, and so our expectations of the family life of our client groups will ultimately be influenced by this, much in the same way as sociologists will be influenced by the society in which they are part of, To identify the family from differing perspectives, one must first reach an agreed definition as to what the family is in sociological terms, broadly speaking because if there is no agreed definitive answer as to what the family consists of, then each perspective may be constructing theories about what could fundamentally be very different social groups. As a society we have stereo-typical ideas and ideologies of what a family should consist of and these are perpetuated through the media and advertising with images of the ideal family (i.e. husband, wife, 2 children, dog), and through humour, with television programmes such as 2.4 Children, My Family etc. Macionis and Plummer (1997:438) suggest that the family has been seen as a social institution that unites individuals into co-operative groups that oversee the bearing and raising of children. Cree however, (2000:26) defines the family as a group of people bound together by blood and marriage ties, but not necessarily located in one geographical place. When providing a definition, it has to adequately address the changing nature of family life in Britain throughout the last century. For example, using statistics from Giddens (1989: 181) over 20 per cent of dependent children now live in lone parent households. In addition to the rise in lone parent households, there have also been a significant increase in the emergence of differing family compositions.. It is easy to see that family structure and composition has changed greatly over the last century, and this could be due to the way that society adapts to accommodate social problems, for example, an increased number of lone parents, gay couples and sexual relationships outside of marriage etc. These were social problems during the 1900s and earlier, and were immoral, which in the local communities at that time, could have been punishable by law, but todays society has started to adapt and accept these changes, making something which was originally perceived as deviant into a social norm, and this will lead eventually into this behaviour becoming part of the social mores of our society. It is therefore safe to say, that in order for society to be maintained it has to accept the changing threats to values and adapt around the social problems it encounters. Using statistics from Giddens (1989:176) we can see that the number of couples with dependent children has dropped significantly from 38% in 1961 to only 23% in 1998, whilst this signifies a decline in the amount of young married couples having children, it also highlights the fact that our society is also now increasing in age. This shows that the current population is likely to be comprised of adults without dependent children. In addition to this, the number of lone parents has risen dramatically from 2% in 1961 to 7% in 1998. Using figures from Macionis and Plummer (1997:447) which state that, the numbers in adoption have sharply fallen. 6,000 in England in Wales in 1994, compared with 21,000 in 1971, we can see how society has accommodated the issue of unmarried mothers. The number of one person households has also risen from 11% in 1961 to 28% in 1998, and this is probably due to the rise in divorcees having to find alternative accommodation following the breakdown of a marriag e. So, whilst we have identified what a family is, and an example of the social problems surrounding it, it is useful now to look at how each perspective views the family and its purpose and usefulness in society. Looking at the functionalist perspective, who provide the most positive view of family life, it is essential to understand that functionalists view the family as the basic social unit and the core institution of society (Jorgensen et al:1997:72) The functionalists see one of the integral familial contributions as social integration. They view the familys main function as teaching the family members how to belong within the group (ie: society) around them. This function of the family stems from the fact that functionalists believe the family exists as the primary institution in any society, for the initial socialisation of children. In this respect any institution charged with this responsibility will play a large part in producing and maintaining cultural norms and values. In addition to the socialisation function, they also believe the family plays a part in stabilising society. They believe the family reinforces values such as emotional and sexual stability, economic co-dependence etc. These regulations are an integral part of the society in which we live, and include moral boundaries, for example, such as incest. This is a purely human concept, and we are the only species which impose regulations on sexual interaction between family members. Our own society forbids the act of sexual relations between family members, but limits it to close relatives, such as those included in our extended family. In some societies however, it is permissible for siblings to marry. There are biological reasons why incest is not advised, however, the primary concerns are societal. Macionis and Plummer (1997) suggest that the reasons for this taboo are to minimise sexual competition within the family, it also forces people to marry outside of the family encouraging wider alliances to form, and it also protects kinship from falling into chaos. They suggest that as kinship defines peoples rights and obligations towards each other, forbidding reproduction between close relatives protects the family. Another relevant example of the functionalist perspective is in the institution of marriage. For example, when an individual chooses to marry, they do so within the predetermined constraints of their individual society. In Britain for example, marriage partners are chosen at will, and marriage is based on personal choice and love. But in other societies, such as the Hindu religion, the couple have often not met before the marriage, which will have been arranged by the two families involved and is considered to be a suitable union. So in this respect, the family is itself an institution in charge of maintaining the social equilibrium. Talcott Parsons called these two features of the family Primary socialization and Personality stabilization. As quoted in Giddens (2000:175) Parsons regarded the nuclear family as the unit best equipped to handle the demands of industrial society. In the conventional family one adult can work outside the home, while the second adult cares for the home and children. This has meant that Parsons view of the family is now seen as outdated, and critics have implied that the functionalist perspective reinforces the division of labour between men and women. Giddens (2000) however said this apparently sexist view could be explained primarily given the historical context in which Parsons was writing. He was writing immediately following the Second World War, which saw an immediate return of women to their traditional roles in the household, and men returning to their roles as sole breadwinners. However, I would dispute this, as upon reflection of Parsons quote, he doesnt actually specify gender, in his quote, he just reflects that one adult can work outside the home, therefore whilst he is outdated in his view that there are two parents, it could be perceived as forward thinking for being non gender specific.. The Functionalist perspective also negates the influence of other social institutions such as schools, the government etc and their important roles in the socialisation of children. This perspective does not account for the breakdown of the traditional model of the family, and the fact that more children are now being raised outside of this. There is no real mention either of the incidents of abuse and violence, of which there is strong evidence to suggest that the family is in fact a very dysfunctional place in which to raise children, and this could be due to the fact that the sociologists writing on this perspective at the time were white, middle class me and not looking outside of the society they are a part of. Moving on to the contemporary perspectives, the Feminists bring this to the forefront in their approaches to the family. The feminists believe that unequal power relationships exist within families. Not least importantly then, are the issues of domestic violence, marital rape, incest and sexual abuse. The feminist perspective does not perceive the family as a haven for love and support, but that issues such as incest and domestic violence provide a further opportunity for men to dominate and oppress women. Feminism became influential in the 1970s and 1980s and has continued to grow in strength and followers to this day. Before feminism, sociologists have been criticised for the male bias in their studies of society as a whole. From a feminists sociological viewpoint, women had previously always been viewed as appendages to men. Feminism has been concerned with the analysis of male/female relationships in terms of the relative significance of sex, class and patriarchy ie; Male headed dominance There are several different views within the feminist perspective, with as Lena Dominelli writes a plurality of views, liberal, radical, socialist, anti-racist and post-modernist which can be held by both black and white feminists; for example, white radical feminism, black socialist feminism (1997:97) Neil Thompson (1993:53) writes that whilst there is no such thing as uniformed and consistent feminism, there are common themes and points of argument, they all share a focus on the critique of patriarchy and the need to establish a fairer society in which women are no longer marginalised, alienated and pushed into secondary roles. It also does not account for the fact that when women come out of the home, and enter the employment arena they are still being discriminated against, with low pay, maternity issues etc, which is perpetuating social problems. Marxist feminism portrays the womans role in the family environment to that of the Proletariat, or exploited class, and the mans role as that of the Bourgeoisie or exploiter. Seen from the Marxist feminist viewpoint, the woman is the loser in the inequal marriage partnership. Marxist feminists believe that marriage is perpetuating the capitalist industry by prostituting the domestic services of the woman in return for financial security. What this means essentially is that by staying at home and looking after the children in an unpaid capacity, the woman is not only helping the man to work in the capitalist industry, but providing heirs to perpetuate the class division further. Thus, patriarchy is not simply a matter of biological difference, but is directly related to the economic base and the emphasis on comparing the womans role in the family to the exploitation of the capitalist class over the working class. According to Thompson(1993:56) this is one of the main weaknesses in the theory, as it does not explain how there is still continuation of male dominance in the non-capitalist societies Liberal feminism has been evident since the early eighteenth century, and its main objective was to make it illegal to discriminate against, or use unequal treatment for women, and it was largely based on notions of free choice, empowering women to take control of their own lives. Liberal feminism is primarily concerned with issues of overt discrimination against women in all areas of social life, in particular, work education and the portrayal of women in the media, as well as arguing for legal protection and social rights. It argues that women are not inferior to men and should be allowed to compete equally in all aspects of life, especially education and work. It has been successful so far in using its main weapon (the legal system) in outlawing discriminatory behaviour towards women, and in establishing legislation to protect female workers in the UK and USA, such as equal pay etc. The main criticism of this perspective is that the women involved in the writing were middle class women, therefore the changes implemented were benefiting middle class women. I understand that sociology can assist the social work practitioner in assessing situations from the wider picture and drawing on relevant perspectives in their own merit to help the client group involved in reaching a suitable resolution. I therefore believe that an understanding of sociology can help social workers to develop a mind set which will provide the foundations for the commencement of good practice skills. I think that society modifies itself to accommodate social problems and that sociology itself has adapted to identify these, therefore, as sociology helps us to identify what the social problems are, it can help social workers to help the society in which they work. TOTAL WORD COUNT = 3282

The Yellow Wallpaper: A Stifling Relationship -- essays research paper

Husband-Doctor: A Stifling Relationship In Gilman’s â€Å"the Yellow Wallpaper† At the beginning of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, the protagonist, Jane, has just given birth to a baby boy. Although for most mothers a newborn infant is a joyous time, for others, like Jane, it becomes a trying emotional period that is now popularly understood to be the common disorder, postpartum depression. For example, Jane describes herself as feeling a â€Å"lack of strength† (Colm, 3) and as becoming â€Å"dreadfully fretful and querulous† (Jeannette and Morris, 25). In addition, she writes, â€Å"I cry at nothing and cry most of the time† (Jeannette and Morris, 23). However, as the term postpartum depression was not in the vocabulary of this time period, John, Jane’s husband and doctor, has diagnosed Jane as suffering from â€Å"temporary nervous depression [with] a slight hysterical tendency† (30).(Colm) It may be more accurate to view the symptoms she develops later in the story—visual hallucinations, delusions, paranoia—as stemming from a psychotic condition that, prior to the birth of her son, was subdued or in control. The birth of her son precipitated a confrontation with John and became a catalyst of her psychosis. Jane's child may be considered a catalyst because, although he is not named for us by the narrator, he will be the recipient of his father's last name. Walsh points out â€Å"the stress laid in the clinic on the father as word and figure, so that what is finally important might be called the perception of paternity or the relation to paternity† (78). When applied to a reading of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† this translates into the following: The birth event is one of the times, perhaps the first, that Jane actually confronts her relation to the father of her son, John. In relation to the above, until the very last few lines of the story, Jane herself, is unnamed.(Hume, 477) This absence correlates with the void she has in the place at which a non-psychotic person would have a relation to the Husband/Father. Furthermore, even though her name eventually is revealed, it is, in essence, a no name: Jane, as in Jane Doe, as in anonymous, without a history or connections of any sort. Aside from Jane's anonymity, there are other indications that Jane does not fit into the wife/mother relationship. From the opening lines, Gilman makes it clear that the world of the story is feminist. For example... ... Psychoses.† Criticism & Lacon. Eds. Patrick Colm Hogan and Lalita Pandit. Athens: U of Georgia P, 1990. 64–73. Dock, Julie Bates. ‘But No One Expects That’ Charlotte Perkins Oilman's â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper' and the Shifting Light of Scholarship.† PLMA 111.1 (Jan 1996): 52–65. Gilbert, Sandra M. and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale UP. 2000. Treichler, Paula A. â€Å"Escaping the Sentence: Diagnosis and Discourse in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’† Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature 3. 1–2 (Spring-Fall 1984):61–77. Johnson, Greg. â€Å"Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Range and Redemption in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper.’† Studies in Short Fiction 26.4 (Fall 1989): 521–30. Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. Trans. Leon S. Roudiez. New York: Columbia UP, 1982. Kristeva, Julia. Desire in Language: A Semiotic Approach to Literature and Art. New York: Columbia UP, 1980. Tripathi, Vanashree. â€Å"Charlotte Perkins Gilman's ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’: A Gynograph.† Indian Journal of American Studies 27.1 (Winter 1997): 65–69. Lacan, Jacques. Ecrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. New York: W.W. Norton &Co., 1977.

Women In Art Essay examples -- essays research papers

Women throughout history, from the 1500’s till now have been looked at as objects. In the 1500’s during the time of the Renaissance woman were often portrayed in art in the nude. Curves at that time showed women as being goddess like. The more curvy and voluptuous you were the more beautiful men saw you. Artists who painted the female body were often commissioned by rich men to paint these paintings to hang in their houses. Women in this age are still portrayed in art in the nude. Mostly in nude magazines. Some people would consider these magazines to be vulgar and raw however men still look at these magazines for enjoyment making them a form of art.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Looking at Women†, by Scott Russell Sanders, he looks into his experiences with women throughout his life...

The Mention of the Israelites in Egyptian Scriptures :: essays research papers fc

There are several Egyptian documents that not only mention the Israelites in their texts, but also tie the Bible to historical facts. Egyptian documents such as the Tell el-Amarna letters, a large â€Å"stele† of the Menephtah, and the Elephantine papyri not only tell the history of Egypt, they also coincide with biblical scripture. The documents confirm not only dates, certain numbers, and rituals, such as circumcision, but places and event, e.g. The Exodus, of biblical stories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to James Orr, general editor for â€Å"The Definition for Egypt,† the Tell el-Amarna Letters were discovered in 1887. â€Å"These documents refer to many Biblical cities; they also give much direct information concerning the political and social conditions at that period† (Orr, Palestine). Damien Mackey’s â€Å"The House of David,† shows the remarkable similarities between several rulers in Egypt and the three kings (Saul, David, and Salomon) mentioned in the Bible. In Michael Grant’s â€Å"The History of Ancient Israel,† he states that a ruler in the 14th century named Labayu ruled over Shechem and extended his kingdom as far as the Mediterranean coast (18). One model given in the case of Saul tells of a second name stated in Psalm 57; the name is Lebaim, â€Å"a unique word in the Old Testament meaning great lions.† In line with this passage comes a reference from the Amarna letters; an Egyptian pharaoh whose name was Labayu, meaning â€Å"Great Lion of (N)’ where N is a god’s name† (Mackey 1). The Amarna letters could also wrap together David and Tuthmosis III as one and the same. Labayu had sons that battled for an equally important roll after his death (Grant 18). In II Samuel 3:1, the passage tells of how Saul’s two sons Ish-Bosheth and David fought for power. This leads Mackey to a comprehensive comparison between David and Tuthmosis I & III. A few illustrations in the contrast are ranging from military campaigns to coronation ceremonies (Mackey 3-5). In the military campaign of Megiddo, the records by Tuthmosis III describe the split of his armies to defeat scattered forces in separate Canaanite towns. Later, Tuthmosis rejoins his armies to capture of Megiddo (Orr, Palestine). This corresponds with II Samuel 11:1 account of David’s conquest of Rabbah (Mackey 5). Although, not as much information is found on the Elephantine papyri and the â€Å"stele† of Menephtah, they still display the bonds between the history of Egypt and biblical scriptures.

The Greeks and gods Essay

The Greeks looked at their gods with attributes they only wished they could attain. They developed stories of extraordinary people that were the offspring of immortals such as Nymphs or gods like Hermes or Zeus. Most of these stories consisted of labors, quests, or bloody wars, where the heroes were at the epicenter of the tale. What made these heroes so great was not just the fact they had godly attributes or completed monumental tasks, but endured more tragedy or more bliss than any common Greek would undergo. One tale commonly told was that of a demigod named Achilles. His mother Thetis was a Sea Nymph, and his father was Peleus, was the king of the Myrmidons. Most stories of Achilles revolved around war, where either his gift was at his greatest or worst. Every Greek sought him for battle so his skills would tip the balance to their favor. No myth exemplified this more than that of the ten-year Trojan War. An excerpt from a translation written by Apollodorus that accounts this time state, â€Å"He also took Lesbos and Phocaea, then Colophon, and Smyrna, and Clazomenae, and Cyme; and afterwards Aegialus and Tenos, the so-called Hundred Cities; then, in order, Adramytium and Side; then Endium, and Linaeum, and Colone. He took also Hypoplacian Thebes and Lyrnessus, and further Antandrus, and many other cities. † (Frazer) By many accounts, you could argue that Achilles was the dealer of death and that he relished in every moment of his adventures. By his own words, this was not the case. For example, in the textbook the Classical Mythology it states, â€Å"The now dead Achilles laments, I should prefer as a slave to serve another man, even if he had no property and little to live on, than to rule all those dead who have done with life† (Morford, Lenardon, Sham, 2011). Another hero that many spoke of during that day an age was Odysseus. He was a descendant of Hermes who became king of Ithaca. The real stories of Odysseus that Greeks and many others embrace were of the Trojan War and Homers poem the Odyssey. Some Greeks would argue Odysseus came second only to Achilles as a hero due the trials he endured. Odysseus’s story began at the start of the Trojan War where he stood and fought for ten years. After nine years of failure, Odysseus was enlightened by Athena to trick the Trojans and capture its city. He erected a symbol, he knew only the Trojans would accept and embrace. He hid the strongest Greeks inside a giant wooden horse who laid and waited until nightfall. Once inside impenetrable walls the Greeks were able to sake the city. Once war was all but over, Odysseus  sailed for home. â€Å"Come then, do as I say, let us all be won over; let us run away with our ships to the beloved land of our fathers since no longer now shall we capture Troy of the wide ways. † (Lattimore, 1999) During this voyage, he encountered a man eating Cyclops named Polyphemus who he ended up blinding to escape. Unbeknownst to him Polyphemus was the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, who became enraged. The consequences of these actions did not lead him home to his kingdom and beloved wife, but astray for another ten years of wars and adventures. The one hero that endured more pain and suffering than any other was Heracles. He was the bastard son of the god Zeus and a beautiful Greek woman named Alcmena. Hera, the wife of Zeus, always showed distain for Zeus’s infidelities, yet took a close personal interest in Heracles. There are several instances where she intervened to cause him great tragedy. First, she tried to stop his birth. This was only overcome by tricking Ilithyia, the goddess of birth, who Hera had sent. Months after that Hera sent serpents to his cradle, but he grabbed them by the neck shacking them as if they were just one of his toys. The next obstacle came when he was a man after he was to wed the King Creon’s daughter, Megara. Seeing that Heracles had found his piece of happiness with his new wife and daughters Hera drove Heracles mad. In his fit of rage, he killed them. Overwhelmed with grief Heracles searched for a way of redemption. He came across the King of Tiryns, Eurystheus, who told him the only way he could cleanse his soul was to endure 12 impossible labors. One of his labours was to kill the Nemian lion, which was ironic. â€Å"The Nemeian Lion whom Hera, the queenly wife of Zeus, trained up and settled among the hills of Nemeia, to be a plague to mankind. There he preyed upon the tribes of the indwelling people, and was as a king over Tretos and Apesas and Nemeia. Nevertheless, the force of strong Heracles subdued him† (Evelyn-White, 1914). After completing the 12 labours, Heracles enjoyed many adventures. He saved Olympus from the Gigantes and assisted in conquering Troy. For a moment, life for him was peaceful until Hera drove him mad again. During that fit of rage, he threw his closest friend Iphitus over a wall to his death. After this tragedy, Heracles knew he would have to cleanse his soul again. Queen Omphale offered him a choice. A task that would require him to endure one of the worst shames a man could. Her proposal was for him to wear women’s clothing and conduct the tasks as one of her female servants. For the next three years, Heracles completed his servitude in shame without ever being honored for any of his previous glories. In conclusion, all these heroes had godly attributes which enabled them to complete monumental tasks, but at the same time endure more tragedy or bliss than any common Greek would undergo. Achilles was a great warrior but found no peace with what he had accomplished in his life. Heracles also endured much strife and ended up dying a gruesome fate. On the other hand, Odysseus left his home, endured many obstacles, but returned from twenty years of servitude with rejoices from all of Greece. One common fact remains, despite each hero’s fate no Greek would endure so much, but could look to these myths as a testament to great achievements or failures. References: Frazer, J. G. (1921) Apollodorus, Epitome 3. 33. Retrieved from http://www. theoi. com/Text/ApollodorusE. html Morford, M,Lenardon, R, Sham, M, (2011) Greek Mytholodgy 9th Ed. Oxford University Press Lattimore, R (1999). The Odyssey of Homer. New York, NY: Harper Perennial Modern Classics. Evelyn-White, H. The Theogony of Hesiod. (1914). Retrieved from http://www. sacred-texts. com/cla/hesiod/theogony. htm

Assisted Suicide Essay

Often labeled compassionate, according to the columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Joni Eareckson Tada, legalized assisted suicide or euthanasia is really a deadly double standard for those with severe disabilities, both conditions that are labeled terminal and those that are not. She seems to be of the opinion that euthanasia should never be considered an option no matter how severe or subjective suffering the person is facing. In the article, Tada claims that legalization of euthanasia, â€Å"sends a clear message that a person with a disability may not have a life worth living† (1). She touches on euthanasia in The Nethlands and Belguium . She stands for a powerful example of a person with this depilating condition, in this case quadriplegia, can accomplish in spite of her condition. However this is somewhat of a bias perspective because it implies that she has put a measure on the subjective pain this condition and similar to it entails. There should be certain conditions set in order to qualify for euthanasia so that it is an option for people who want it but we can also make a system to prevent people from misusing it. We were granted free will which includes the right to end our life when we chose. There does not need to be this all or nothing attitude towards assisted suicide and the disabled. Tada argues, â€Å"this ruling sends a clear message that a person with disability may not have a life worth living†(1). This law would bring nothing but a choice for the terminally ill. There are some disabilities that are incurable and cause tremendous suffering. They should not all fall under one umbrella. Andrew Btiva wrote in his article, Disability and physician-assisted suicide, â€Å"We do not believe that the right to assisted suicide is premised on a diminished quality of life for people with disabilities. It is based on respect for the autonomy of terminally ill individuals during their final days. It does not deny people with disabilities suicide prevention services, protection against murder, or protection from other abuses†(1). Tada is very bias in this article claiming that it would take away the disability will to live and go against their advocacy to have hope and live. When a person comes disabled and loses control in many ways, this in fact just gives them something that they can control. There are defiantly some factors that should qualify for a person requesting assisted suicide. They should be terminally ill with no hope of recovery and  in great physical pain. If it were legalized the disabled population would be majority of the prospect’s. I don’t believe that all disabled should qualify automatically as Tada argues in her article claiming that if legalized all disabled including children and obese would qualify for assisted suicide as an option. Tada states, â€Å"Society’s moral and unwritten law has always led us to save our children-and certainly not allow them to destroy themselves†(2). I do agree that children should ever be considered for assisted suicide unless they are in dire suffering with no hope of recovery. Tada argues, â€Å" a child lacks the mental, emotional and psychological maturity to make such a decision about death†(2). I completely agree with this but if you had your child suffering and in a vegetative state with no chance of recovery wouldn’t you want to put them out of their misery? We don’t let animals suffer so why let humans? My aunt had a very full life at 52 she found out that she had pancriaic cancer and after she went to the doctor twice she was informed that she had nothing more than IBS. I had advised her that she should get further checked out. And in June of 2010 she went to the doctor with horrible pain in her stomach and after many tests she was informed that she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. At that point she was also told that she would not be able to get the surgery to remove it because it was at the lower end of the pancreas where it would be more difficult and could pass from the operation. She was told she could do Chemotherapy. After doing 6 month of intensive pain ridden sessions she realized that she didn’t want to do that any more. Even tho she did not want to end her life she did request that when she was no longer responsive in the hospital that she have the ability to be taken home for the rest of her time. It was only then that the doctors were very opposed to us taking her from the hospital. Not caring that it was her request that she not suffer the were not willing to let us take her home. Before her death she wanted to die at home with dignity. She didn’t want to be in the hospital. She truly believed that it would have been harder on the family to take care of her and she her like that she wanted to stay beautiful and not have her loved ones remember her as a â€Å"vegitable† laying in a hospital bed. This can be a really slippery slope. Who decides for the children or senile women? I truly The person requesting needs to  mentally stable and there needs to be safeguards against any family or doctors so as not to persuade the person in to euthanasia  projects in her article Let’s make a distinchin are qualifier. Terminal and suffering ,incurable, if theres a huge financial burden. Depression and mental