Is Odysseus a True Epic Hero Essay Example

Is Odysseus a True Epic Hero? Essay How do you define a hero? Some may define a hero as someone with courage and bravery, someone who knows how to fight monsters and win historic battles, remain loyal to himself and or his or her men, or someone who has intelligence to overthrow an evil kingdom and make everything â€Å"right†. My definition of an epic hero is someone who can overcome passed mistakes and struggle to become a better person internally, while leading, staying loyal and sacrificing what needs to be sacrificed for the sake of his or her people. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus, son of Laertes, is challenged to his true potential of being an epic hero. He is challenged to make decisions not only for his sake, but for his men’s sake. He was cursed to be lost out at sea by Poseidon, god of the sea, after the long Trojan War and travels for ten years on a dangerous journey to get back home to Ithaca. On Odysseus’ journey, he is challenged by the Cyclops, the giant with one eye, Circe, the goddess of witchery, the beautiful singing Sirens, Scylla, and more. They all challenge his true ambition of getting back home by temptation. Odysseus is easily tempted. With temptation being so easy, there’s no way this â€Å"epic hero† can really be classified as a true epic hero. Odysseus has strong focal points as well as weaknesses. He knows how to lead a big group of men, keep his composure and think of quick plans to help him and his men through obstacles, but Odysseus doesn’t know how to stay focused. He can easily be tempted to stay in one place on his journey for many years. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Odysseus a True Epic Hero? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Is Odysseus a True Epic Hero? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Is Odysseus a True Epic Hero? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Even though he tries to get his ship load of men back home, he focuses on the obstacles that are happening at that time, he doesn’t think about the future until someone reminds him of their journey to get home. Odysseus reacts without thinking and that’s his major downfall. A true epic hero weighs out his or her options and thinks what would be best for his or her men. Odysseus on the other hand reacts to the obstacles at a quick pace, without thinking and analyzing the situation and doesn’t remain loyal to his men. Loyalty was very important back in The Odyssey’s time, because during the Trojan War, if you weren’t loyal to your men, you were to be killed. Odysseus knew he was returning home, but without the accompaniment of his men. They were all going to be killed, but Odysseus didn’t tell them, he just let fate take over and kept the death of all of his crewmen to himself. Not true epic hero quality. Being an epic hero does not mean you are the best and will forever hold the title as the best epic hero. Epic heroes make mistakes sometimes, but they learn from previous mistakes and learn lessons from them. Epic heroes remain loyal to their men no matter what the circumstance is. Only egotistical cowards withhold valuable information from their crewmates and make continuous mistakes. Odysseus’s character does not change from the beginning of the book to the end, which is a major reason why he is an egotistical coward. Epic heroes know they are epic heroes and their actions prove it. Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, but lacks the epic hero qualities like being loyal and learning from passed mistakes. These characteristics of Odysseus make him an epic failure.

Robert Mondavi Corp. †Executive Summary

Robert Mondavi Corp. – Executive Summary Free Online Research Papers The purpose of this report is to provide the Executive team with a series of recommendations to minimize the impact of the current production deficit of our Chilean joint venture, Caliterra, and therefore minimize lost revenue. This report also aims to provide recommendations to put in place an infrastructure that will support the Mondavi Corporation’s strategy of growth through international expansion. Since the inception of the joint venture between the Mondavi and the Errazuriz wineries, sales have been extremely positive. The outlook for Caliterra remains positive, with sales estimated to increase 20% in the coming year, it is important due to the negative impact of poor weather conditions and a phylloxera outbreak on Mondavi’s California harvest coupled with the drought conditions in Europe. Acknowledging that we cannot rely on the opening of our new winery at La Arboleda within 10 months, below are my recommendations to minimize lost revenue while putting in place the infrastructure to take advantage of increased harvest sizes predicted by the Wine Availability Reports: ? Appoint a joint Caliterra-Mondavi project team to oversee the build of the La Arboleda winery with the project goal to complete within 10 months; ? Approve financial and contractual terms with the â€Å"lost merlot† winery for the investment and implementation of modern equipment and technology to be installed within six months; ? Organize a Mondavi based team to oversee modernization of the â€Å"lost merlot† winery and subsequent fermentation; and ? Move the less premium wine to the lost merlot† winery for production replacing the higher end Merlot. Analysis Poor quality control and the â€Å"lost merlot† are two of the underlying root causes of our involvement with Caliterra. After entering into the joint venture, we quickly discovered that the focus on cost versus quality was very different. The focus was in part due to the traditional market that Chilean wine was marketed to – locals who preferred value for money over product quality and also due to the operational and cultural differences between Mondavi and Caliterra. Quality has always been critical to Mondavi and it will continue to be, even in our Chilean operations. The analysis below is aligned with each of the recommendations. La Arboleda winery is currently scheduled for completion in 2000 based on a conservative project plan. There are a number of geographical and logistical challenges that need to be addressed in progressing with the build, namely accessibility and supply of water and utilities. In order to complete the project in a 10 month period in time for the Caliterra harvest, we need to acceleration the above geographical and logistical challenges, which will increase costs in the short term. However, the cost increase (estimated at 11% compared with the current build timeline and budget) will be more than offset by the additional production capacity it will provide in the future. La Arboleda would be able not only be able to accommodate the five million liter shortfall we currently have but also the harvest projections deliver the needs from the Wine Availability reports for the foreseeable future. To successfully complete the build we need to have the correct management team in place and to motivate workforce. The ideal management team should be a mix of Mondavi and Caliterra staff, bringing the wine growing expertise and quality control procedures of Mondavi while taking advantage of local staff to bridge the cultural and linguistic challenges. A portion of the planned additional expenditure is allocated to bonuses payable to the workforce and management team upon successful completion of the winery in 10 months. Lastly, we need to understand the benefits of using the â€Å"lost merlot† winery. There is not enough time to use or to buy a competing winery that has a successful infrastructure to manufacture wine to our quality levels. Aiding the â€Å"lost merlot† winery will initiate discussions surrounding a future reduced price for wine in exchange for modern technology and processes. All of the above will help in reducing any net cost to Mondavi over a five year period. Recommendations The ability to take advantage of the growth within the Caliterra brand and the Errazuriz wines is crucial; therefore immediate additional capacity resources need to be discovered. ? Appoint a joint Caliterra-Mondavi project team, one that understands both the culture and the quality constraints needed to succeed. The construction of the La Arboleda winery project will be aimed for completion within 10 months. When completed, La Arboleda will have all the capacity to produce all the ultra-premium product while the remaining wineries handle the lower end product and overflow. ? As a long term and contingency plan we need to agree to financial and contractual terms with the â€Å"lost merlot† winery for the provision of modern equipment and technology to be installed within six months. The improved technology includes standing a team from Mondavi to oversee the modernization of the â€Å"lost merlot† winery and subsequent fermentation process. These improvements will bring the standards to the winery up par with the Errazuriz and surrounding wineries. Additionally it will be a fail safe if the La Arboleda project slips its deadline for completion and will give us additional capacity for short term and long term growth. ? Move the less premium wine to the â€Å"lost merlot† winery for production helps our business control the quality of the higher end product by keeping in within the Errazuriz wineries walls. By avoiding these risks, the higher margin product would get the attention it needed compared to the earlier â€Å"lost merlot† example and leave the lower end product for the â€Å"lost merlot† winery, where the quality will not be as crucial immediately. Conclusion In conclusion, to minimize the impact of the current production deficit of our Chilean joint venture, we need to act immediately by moving forward with the La Arboleda project as well as aiding the â€Å"lost merlot† winery by â€Å"Mondavi-izing† it. This will give us the capacity we need and will support the Mondavi Corporation’s strategy of growth through international expansion. Following these recommendations will be set up to win for years to come! Research Papers on Robert Mondavi Corp. - Executive SummaryThe Project Managment Office SystemAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeLifes What Ifs

Whistleblowing. Whistle Blowing Issues That a Potential Whistleblower Essay

Whistleblowing. Whistle Blowing Issues That a Potential Whistleblower Should Consider Before Blowing a Whistle in the Public Sector - Essay Example Secondly, he should consider whether the issue involves are a breach of legal obligation like a contractual obligation awarded to the said officer. Thirdly, the case should involve an issue where justice was not effectively and fairly awarded to a victim or a party. Fourthly, the case should be one involving an issue concerning the endangerment of the public like a health or war issue. Lastly, the whistle blower should consider the issue of the state’s security by revealing such information to various parties as it might lead to chaos and unrest among the public. A case example of whistle blowing against the public sector involves where an individuals notices some abnormities in the armed service recruitment process. An example is when the concerned armed service officials are not selecting individuals based on their qualifications, but based on bribes, tribalism, nepotism or favors given to them. The second example is when a public servant tasked with ministerial office uses the office for selfish materialist gains like engaging with unscrupulous dealers to provide the public with poor quality products whose origins and sale have not been certified with the body concerned with monitoring of goods sold to the public (Arszulowicz & Gasparski, 2011, 97). . The Wikileaks Case as Whistle Blowing Case In my opinion, Wikileaks case is a whistle blowing cases as evidenced in many issues being raised about the company by various individuals. Most cases being brought up by the company against individuals or companies always involves circumstances where various issues are being perpetrated against the citizens or an individual. An example is the PFC or the Bradley Manning case where he believed that the issues Wikileaks was whistle blowing on has the capability of plunging the country into a state of unrest or would jeopardize the security of the nation. This was an issue concerning the armed services and the whistleblower has every intention to believe that their activities would lead to an overkill of various civilians involved. Manning provided a video that killed numerous citizens in Baghdad to the public which showed them of the government’s irresponsibility in taking care of the civilians. In my views, this information revealed the government’s role in failing to deliver its legal obligation to protect the citizens even in times of emergency (Arszulowicz & Gasparski, 2011, 45). . The Pros and Cons of the False Claim Act That Offers Payment to Whistle Blowers False claim Act cases are known to offer payment to whistle blowers because it considers the whistle blower as a significant person in aiding in the process of justice to the citizens and various parties concerned. However, false claims acts have both advantages and disadvantages to the whistle blowers in numerous instances. Advantages The false claim offers a pay-out to the whistle blower as way of showing gratitude in revealing various unethical issues happening in various state departments or aiding in the process of finding justice to various helpless victims who are not capable of protecting themselves. Secondly, false claim act offers payment to the whistle blower by ensuring public safety for various concerned individuals and stakeholders. A whistle blower will feel satisfied because the issue he or she has raised was disturbing to him and that is why he decided to blow the whistle on various concerned officials. When concerned officials take responsibility of a disturbing issue confessed by a whistle blower, then the whistle blower feels that he or she is compensated as his worries are addressed. Thirdly, many

Commodity Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Commodity Trade - Essay Example The agreement aims at covering the bulk of the world trade in the commodity concerned and seeks to ensure corporative nature of the association. The associations also aim at safeguarding through participation, the interest of the producers and the consumers and insert provision that cater for all other entities (21). Any organization aims at implementing its provisions by carrying out specific functions that establish and strengthen their international accord. Challenges faced by the organizations International commodity agreements have been difficult to run and administer due to the current global economic crisis. There has been difficulties in the arranging and administering agreements partly due to technological problems surrounding the production and trading of products(27). The organizations have been facing the problem of conflicting interest between the importers and exporters where the importers want low quality products but of high prices. On the non-competitive imports, the importers require commodities of low prices and their respective quantity determined by demand. The international distribution of products is directly affected by government policy and the manner of trade restrictions within national bounds. Commodities transferred from the rich to the poor countries have an impact of accelerated economic impact. Large capitals are required to fulfill growth targets for the organizations and their payments are from the exchange earnings (29). For commodities that are largely produced in poor countries but consumed at the rich countries the agreement price set might be above the market levels or inelastic. These incidences give the market organizations to make negotiations with the producers who end up incurring losses or failing to strike a deal (31). The international trade organization having been facing another major challenge in the price stabilization, meant to implement support purchases. Theoretically, prices are set by the long term interli nk of the supply and demand to bring the equilibrium price and commodity. However, stabilization effect is not achieved in buffer stocks without heavy financial commitment (37). Failure to obey these, upward price fluctuations or heavy accumulation of inventories and burdensome will ultimately result. Currently (in order to reduce the risk of market volatile global markets) the international commodity trades are giving loans to the less developed countries. These loans are available to countries that have an annual shortage in annual shortage in the foreign exchange earnings due to commodity price declines. These loans are for compensatory effect to these countries (41). The compensatory financial scheme is operated strictly as a program to offset short-term market instability and global volatility. The recipient countries are to repay within five years. In order to curb the risk of volatility in the global market the terms of finances should be liberalized and the repayment made co ntingent upon recovery of the exports of a certain country (43). This makes the loan doable in all season unlike now where it can be taken only if the trading prices are high enough. ICC INCOTERMS Inco terms are international rules that are accepted rules accepted by governments, legal authorities, as well as practitioners

Death Penalty should be Illegal Essay Example for Free

Death Penalty should be Illegal Essay Each year in America there are about 250 people added to death row and 35 executed. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment in the United States today. Once the jury has proved a criminal guilty they go to the second part of the trial the punishment phase. Lethal injection is the most common form of death. Capital Punishment is a difficult issue and there are as many different opinions as there are people. In this country Capital Punishment is not allowed but in America it is legal and it should not be. I think that Capital Punishment should be made illegal in America. The reasons I think that this should be illegal are. Firstly it is possible to execute someone who is innocent. If this does happen it cannot be undone whereas if they had been put in jail they could be released and given compensation. Secondly I think that death penalty is almost not a punishment because you are not around to be punished like if you were in jail with the poor living conditions and no freedom. The opposing side strongest argument would be in 1991; a young mother was rendered helpless and made to watch as her baby was executed. The mother was then mutilated and killed. The killer should not live in some prison with three meals a day, clean sheets, cable TV, family visits and endless appeals. For justice to prevail, some killers just need to die. Another reason I think that Capital Punishment should be made illegal is that life imprisonment without parole serves the same purposes as this at less cost. Right now, to execute someone in The U.S it costs approximately three times the amount it would to have them serve a life sentence in prison. The money used to pay for the death row (including court appeals) comes out of the taxpayers wallets. If Capital Punishment was made illegal, this money could go to other projects in need of the funds like building new prisons. A while ago in Britain, a man was released from prison who was wrongly  accused of committing murder. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment, for this murder. While he was in prison he always maintained he was innocent. It took years on campaigning while he was in prison to prove that he actually was innocent. If such a crime like this had been committed in America he could have been put on death row and been executed. If later on they found out he was innocent there would be nothing they could do to bring him back to life. In Britain the man was released and given compensation. There have been cases in America where innocent people have been executed, and this is the main reason I think it should be illegal. I hope most of you will now see the reasons why capital punishment is a waste of time and should not be made legal.

Essay --

Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Exploitation Teams (HET), now referred to as Counterintelligence/HUMINT Detachments (CHD), have proven to be highly valuable and effective intelligence collection assets and have provided a significant amount of actionable intelligence during counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, very little HUMINT has been gathered by Marines from the female populations within these population culture. Despite the introduction of female Marines into the Counterintelligence/HUMINT (CI/HUMINT) community in September 2008, it has been difficult to gain access to potential female sources without female CI/HUMINT Marines employed with the maneuver infantry units down to the lowest tactical level. Counterinsurgency (COIN) collection operations hinges on the intelligence community’s ability to locate, contact, and learn from the indigenous population at large in order to glean potentially time-sensitive and valuable information which may save l ives or answer pertinent collection requirements above the tactical level. This task is very difficult for male Marines who are not only ill-prepared and rarely trained to interact with female members of any local community to which they are deployed, but they are also formally and rigidly restricted from direct contact with females in the majority of the Middle East cultures. The employment of Female CI/HUMINT Marines at the lowest tactical level within a counterinsurgency environment is imperative to operational level mission accomplishment. In 2013, the Secretary of Defense overturned a 1994 rule that had previously prohibited women from being assigned to smaller tactical ground combat units. The individual United States military branches have ... ...y combatants or insurgents. Combat experiences allow commanders to operate within a shorter decision-making cycle due to their successes and failures from previous COIN operations. Combat units remain focused on achieving situational understanding of their assigned area of responsibility and thus are willing to employ any and all resources available to achieve mission accomplishment. Units or individuals attached, but not assigned, to combat units provide a capability requested or required by the operating unit to enhance its combat effectiveness and its likelihood of mission accomplishment. The counter-insurgency environments in Iraq and Afghanistan required quality HUMINT collection, to be successful. Ensuring that qualified and dedicated CI/HUMINT women Marines are a fundamental part of the future tactical environment is an imperative that cannot be ignored. Essay -- Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Exploitation Teams (HET), now referred to as Counterintelligence/HUMINT Detachments (CHD), have proven to be highly valuable and effective intelligence collection assets and have provided a significant amount of actionable intelligence during counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, very little HUMINT has been gathered by Marines from the female populations within these population culture. Despite the introduction of female Marines into the Counterintelligence/HUMINT (CI/HUMINT) community in September 2008, it has been difficult to gain access to potential female sources without female CI/HUMINT Marines employed with the maneuver infantry units down to the lowest tactical level. Counterinsurgency (COIN) collection operations hinges on the intelligence community’s ability to locate, contact, and learn from the indigenous population at large in order to glean potentially time-sensitive and valuable information which may save l ives or answer pertinent collection requirements above the tactical level. This task is very difficult for male Marines who are not only ill-prepared and rarely trained to interact with female members of any local community to which they are deployed, but they are also formally and rigidly restricted from direct contact with females in the majority of the Middle East cultures. The employment of Female CI/HUMINT Marines at the lowest tactical level within a counterinsurgency environment is imperative to operational level mission accomplishment. In 2013, the Secretary of Defense overturned a 1994 rule that had previously prohibited women from being assigned to smaller tactical ground combat units. The individual United States military branches have ... ...y combatants or insurgents. Combat experiences allow commanders to operate within a shorter decision-making cycle due to their successes and failures from previous COIN operations. Combat units remain focused on achieving situational understanding of their assigned area of responsibility and thus are willing to employ any and all resources available to achieve mission accomplishment. Units or individuals attached, but not assigned, to combat units provide a capability requested or required by the operating unit to enhance its combat effectiveness and its likelihood of mission accomplishment. The counter-insurgency environments in Iraq and Afghanistan required quality HUMINT collection, to be successful. Ensuring that qualified and dedicated CI/HUMINT women Marines are a fundamental part of the future tactical environment is an imperative that cannot be ignored.

Pans labyrinth

To start off, I am absolutely speechless. I honestly don't know how to feel after watching and researching the movie as well as its concepts. Watching Pan's Labyrinth gave me so much more than Just a cultural connection. In the beginning, I Immediately thought â€Å"what is this? What am I watching? â€Å". I paused the movie midway lust to do a background check on the author! I think that Guillemot De Tort did a fabulous Job directing this movie. There were no famous actors In the movie but I can't even tell you how many times my mother yelled at me for my outbursts.For mineral background information to the story, It takes place In Spain during the Spanish Civil War In 1944. Beginning In July of 1963 and ending on April 1st, 1969, the war highlighted Socialism vs.. Fascism. Spain was once a very powerful country, but was In ruins before the 20th century. The Spaniards were divided Into different forms of government. The monarchists were very conservative while the Catholics refuse d to reform. Those who wanted a republic believed the country needed reformation In areas such as agriculture, regionalism, the church and the army.Francisco Franco represented the fascist and monarchs and eventually won the war in 1939. He left half a million people dead from the war and established a dictatorship. Franco also received military support from Hitler (l find it ironic they strongly resembled each other in the movie) and Mussolini. Guillemot held a great balance between the history and fairy tale concepts of the movie. The story started off by telling its' viewers that a king was waiting for the lost soul of his dead daughter.Soon things renditions to a young girl named Offline and her pregnant mother, Carmen. They were riding to see Franco, to whom Offline was told to call father. Throughout the story, Carmen is very ill and soon stops the car. Offline wonders off and finds a stone on the ground as well as the statue it belongs to. She fixes it, in turn finding a fair y that follows her. That night, the fairy leads her to a labyrinth where she finds a faun. This mystical creature identifies her as the lost princess.