Literature

Spending a day without my cell phone, iPod and Facebook seemed almost impossible to me. Just the thought of doing away with them made me cringe already even before disregarding them. I would say it was an empty feeling I first had when I took away these important gadgets. How was I going to contact my friends and family during the day without my cell phone How would I know the latest happenings on campus without Facebook Wouldnt I get bored without my iPod These are some of the questions that kept running through my mind when I begun this experience.

As if to confirm my initial fears, reaching my friends and colleagues was quite a challenging task. This was especially manifested when I had to pick my book from my friends room only to find that she would not be around till late that evening. I could have avoided this situation if I had my cell phone. Apart from that, I was not settled throughout the day. This is because I kept thinking that maybe there was an emergency yet my people could not reach me. What is more, it was very hard to make any plans since without my cell phone I could not reach my friends so as to establish what they are up to.

Further still, spending the day without Facebook was also quite challenging. I could not tell what new developments had occurred on campus, in my social affiliations or even among my friends. What is more, I felt like I had completely lost contact with my peers. Some of my friends on Facebook are from distant countries there was no way I could bump on them on my way. This was even intensified by the fact that I did not have my cell phone therefore there was no way I could reach them. In just a day, I was already missing my peers. I felt like I had completely lost contact and was missing out on important happenings.

Switching off my iPod for the whole day was also not an interesting thing to do. This made me realize how much boredom I manage to cut off with my iPod. I must admit this was one of the most boring days I ever experienced. What is more, I could not stay away from conversations I didnt want to participate in. In such situations, I would normally just turn on my iPod and enjoy my music. On this day, I was compelled to listen to conversations I was not interested in just because I had no iPod to bail me out of the situation.

On the other hand, though, I also realized how I spent so much of my time using these gadgets. The experience helped me to realize how much I usually cut myself off from my family. On a normal day, I would only have short conversations with them before turning to my social applications. On this day, I spent more time with my dad and we even had a long conversation. A day without these gadgets helped me to bond with my family better than I usually did.

Still on the same note, I also realized that I managed to complete most of my assignments. These were finished quite on time and I even had more time left to do other things. It was clear to me that most of my time was spent on all or one of these gadgets such that I barely had time to finish my assignments or even do other things such as bonding with my family and close friends. At the end of the day, I realized that as important as these gadgets are to me they also had a negative impact on my life. While it may be difficult to completely discard these gadgets, I could still try to spend less time using them. This will help me to ensure that I do not compromise my relationships with family and friends or any of my responsibilities.

Separated by two centuries Geoffrey Chaucer and John Milton were two very different authors, who nonetheless reflected the lessons of classical myth and literature, as well as the more contemporary influence of Christianity. In his poem  Ode on the Morning of Christs Nativity  Milton uses allusions to classical figures such as Apollo, the Fates, Pan, and other mythical deities to juxtapose the emergence of Christ in both a religious and cultural context. Similarly, Geoffrey Chaucer in  The Friars Tale  from the Canterbury tales uses religion and classical imagery such as Dante Alligheris tales of hell and purgatory and Virgil to compliment and at times mock one another. While Chaucers use of mythical and classical imagery is more subtle, in both instances we can see how the influences of ancient and classical cultures and civilizations influenced not only the building of modern civilization but the foundations of literature.

Centered around the birth of Christ  Ode on the Morning of Christs Nativity  is a mixture of the divine and the ancient. There is no doubt that Milton wishes to impart the sacredness of Christs birth as a catalyst for humanity,  That glorious form, that Light insufferable, And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty   here with us to be, Forsook the courts of everlasting day, And chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay. Humanity itself is base, becoming only divine through its relationship with God and his son. Milton prompts the Muse of classical myth to sing a praise to the birth of Christ, this event that acted not simply as a beginning for Christianity but also as an end for some more ancient forms of religion and culture. The Muse is not simply the Greek ideal of creativity but also Miltons own creativity. He is showing the convergence of two sides of himself, both the learned and the religious. More importantly, he uses this type of classical imagery to show a continuity of thought. While Christianity is certainly a divergence from the type of religion that created the idea of the Muse as a physical being, Milton is illustrating how the two can work within a complimentary manner,  join thy voice unto the Angel quire.

In the hymn part of the poem there is almost a historical progression of beliefs and imagery Milton moves from imagery of nature to the more classical images of Greek and Roman mythology and legend. When Christ is born, he is greeted with a personification of nature herself, she is a being unto herself who  had doffd her gaudy trim to greet the birth of this savior. Like the pagan belief in Nature as a living being, Milton plays on this imagery to show the move from one belief to another but also to show a unification between the two. God is Natures  Master. However, even as Milton illustrates a unity between nature and God, he also condemns this personification as no longer in  season   To wanton with the sun, her lusty paramour. Nature is the baseness of human nature, in Miltons view she is not rebirth and life but rather the animal tendencies of humanity. The Sun receives equally harsh treatment. Perhaps indicative of the more ancient beliefs of Egypt, where the sun was the supreme god, in the light of Christianity this belief becomes diminished,  As his inferior flame The new enlightend world no more should need He saw a greater Sun appear Than his bright throne, or burning axle tree could bear. The natural sun becomes a product of God as well. The world no longer revolves around the sun but both the sun and the earth revolve around the concept of God.

As much as Milton condemns some of the ancient religions and beliefs, utilizing their own imagery, he also employs it within the context of this new belief. In doing so he gives new life to some of the old beliefs. An excellent example of this is the use of the imagery in lines 133-150, where Milton uses the image of ideas such as mercy, justice, fate, truth and vanity which are commonplace in classical works. The underlining message of the poemhymn however, is pointedly clear as he switches once more to the use of classical imagery as a way to illustrate the decadence and falsity of the past while promoting the truth of Christianity. Turning his sharp tongue to Greece, Milton states,  The Oracles are dumb No voice or hideous hum Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving. The lessons learned from the ancients and the great thinkers of the classical age become based in folly, their belief in such things as Oracles and great gods such as Apollo who  from his shrine Can no more divine is made false by the birth of Christ and the rise of Christianity.

The Greeks are not the only ones to suffer this fate, as Christianity moves farther to the east great ancient kingdoms and their beliefs fall to the wayside with the influence of Christianity,  Peor and Baalim Forsake their temples dim, with that twice batterd god of Palestine. What Milton primarily appears to be saying is not that these beliefs have died but have become irrelevant. A god who was once strong due to the belief of its followers will weaken and eventually disappear as people begin to forget. However, Milton himself in using the images and names of these ancient and classical deities and virtues is in effect keeping them alive. Language, as Milton shows, is the basis of belief. Without the stories, there is little to inspire belief. More importantly, without someone to pass the stories along the legend dies. In his discussion of the birth of Christ, Milton is molding these traditions to Christianity and Christ, even if it is only to show how they have become debunk in the face of a newer ideology.

Religion is as much culture as faith, finding its way into everyday understanding and logic. The practices of a people, the rise and fall of civilizations can be tied to the rise and fall of their beliefs. In comparing Christianity to Greek mythology or eastern religions, Milton may be pointedly marking their downfall but is also showing a kinship between the ideals of faith that hold all of their beliefs together. Based on these rules, Christianity could as easily find its downfall in the advent of another more powerful and pervasive basis of faith. But faith is the central tenet of this poem, because there is no doubt concerning Miltons own faith in Christianity and that Milton does not contemplate a similarity between his faith and those of the past shows how he believes it to be a culmination of understanding.

Chaucer, coming before Milton, saw religion in a more practical light. Seeing the abuses of the clergy and recognizing the hypocrisies that sometimes arise between faith and the practice of faith, his characters were based in human nature and not the divine. Perhaps having been chronologically closer to the older pagan religions of Britain, Geoffrey Chaucers  The Friars Tale  shows more of a pessimism towards Christianity and its ability to abide by its own values and beliefs. The summoner, working on behalf of the church, summoning those who owe debts or have created transgressions to come before the courts for judgment. This is the court of man and not of God, which Milton speaks of. Finding a kinship with the demon along the roadside, Chaucer exposes the hypocrisy of a man who supposedly works for the church but exploits his fellow man for his own benefits.

Unlike Milton, Chaucers use of the classical allusion is much more subtle. The conflict between good and evil, the eventual fable-like karma of the summoners demise is an old context but is not as specific as that presented by Milton. Instead of relying heavily on allusion like Milton, Chaucer brushes lightly against the history of thought and belief. At one point he makes reference to the great classical thinker Virgil, who takes Dante through the levels of hell in Aligheris Inferno,  For you shall, of your own experience, In a red chair have much more evidence Than Virgil ever did while yet alive, Or ever Dante  (Chaucer). A man such as the summoner would know the truths of Dantes hell more thoroughly and completely than the observing Dante and Virgil as they went down through the levels. In his misdeeds, in his inability to live up to the standards not simply of his own faith but of common decency, the summoner is eventually pulled into hell. Like Milton, Chaucer is providing a continuity in literature and in the idea of retribution. For his sins, the summoner does indeed suffer. The satirical nature of the piece lies in the summoners connections to the church which reveal Chaucers own pessimism and distrust.

Despite the varying degrees of use, the allusions to the past and to classical heroes and imagery effect the overall impact of both Milton and Chaucers work. In laying the ideas of the past beside the ideology and the human applications of religion and belief, both Milton and Chaucer show the continuance of knowledge. While Milton seems to want to trump the past, he also draws on it as a source for inspiration and his understanding of his faith in Christianity while Chaucer views the future within the context of the unchanging precepts of human behavior.

These our actors,  As I foretold you, were all spirits and  Are melted into air, into thin air Prospero

This tale of The Tempest by William Shakespeare deals about the staging and orchestration. Just like all the other works of William Shakespeare, The Tempest was able to receive positive critical regard since the time it was first published. The Tempest talks about one of the most wondrous association ever tackled in a romantic play. The aforementioned passage from the play speaks of the main protagonist, Prosperos thoughts about actors. In this story, it can be recalled that Prospero once has to stage a mock tragedy so as to save his life from his assassinators. At this point, Prospero regarded the people involved as actors.

Majority of the play consisted of fantasy and elements of magic. In fantasy novels, magic has been a common element as it involved supernatural and bizarre phenomena. In this story, Prospero as the main protagonist also served as the main object of fantasy and supernaturality. In this play, Prospero was depicted as a man with extra-ordinary and magical capabilities. This can be specifically observed in these lines

Of whence I am nor that I am more better
Than Prospero, master of a full poor cell,
And thy no greater father
Tis time
I should inform thee father. Lend thy hand,
And pluck my magic garment from me. Prospero (Shakespeare 11)

Magic appears to be a fundamental element in this play. Since the main protagonist held some supernatural capabilities that altered some of the events in the play, the play was actually made up inter-woven supernaturalities and bizarre phenomenon such as a man turning into an invisible nymph, ship men surviving a ship wreck, and two individuals suddenly falling in love through a mystic tune. Apart from this, the significance of magic as an element of this play also appears very evident with how Prospero creates an identity through his relationship with his magic. It can be observed that most of Prosperos relationships have been implicated by his supernatural abilities. For one, he has always put his daughter Miranda to sleep, through a spell since ever since she was a little girl. As Miranda grew up, Prospero used to meddle with Mirandas dealings still, through his magical capabilities. Moreover, his relationship with the invisible sea nymph, Ariel was also bound by magic. Prospero once saved Ariel from a miserable fate, and as a deed in return, Ariel submitted to most of Prosperos demands that usually involved. Considering these, it can be inferred that indeed magic and supernaturality played an elemental role in this play. The main protagonists relation to magic made the impact of fantasy more perceivable in the plot. Dymkowski, a critique of Shakespeares plays even remarked

Prosperos relationship to his magic often plays a crucial role in our perceptions of the characters humanity its importance is neatly highlighted by the different approaches taken by Michael Redgrave, who played Prospero in Michael Benthalls 1951 Stratford Production  (Shakespeare and Dymkowski 24)
Apparently, every depiction of this story goes with the element of magic in it. It is evident that whoever plays the role of Prospero will always be connected to fantasy and supernaturality as Prosperos character has been deeply intertwined with it. The strong impact of magic in this play can also be observed in Prosperos language. During Shakespeares time, a lot of plays about sorcery and fantasy have been produced however, not all of them made lasting impacts to the audience through the characters dialogues. In this play however, it was observed that Prosperos dialogues appear to be some of the most stirring forces that strengthened the role and implications of magic in the entire plot.

Prospero also uses language as a weapon against his slave, the monstrous Caliban. He constantly threatens to torture Caliban, but the audience does not witness these events. Instead, Prospero describes them in exact detail Tonight, thou shall have cramps, he tells the man-beast in Act 1, Scene 2. In both of these cases, Prospero holds power over other characters onstage because of his mastery over language.

Apparently, through spells and captivating dialogues that relate to magic and sorcery, the story directed the audience to an amusing world of fantasy. The story was filled with characters that all had connections to supernaturality, and this connection moved the plot forward.

Obviously, magic played a fundamental role in this story by Shakespeare as what the abovementioned proof show. However, as what the introductory quote entails, there is still one elemental feature which made this story fascinating. In the introductory quote, it can be recalled that Prospero, the main protagonist, mentions about actors. Literally, by actors, he meant the individuals who participated in the tragedy he had to stage in order to save the life of his and his daughters life. In this story, these two elemental aspects appear to have a significant relationship and connection to each other. Considering the aforementioned quote, what could the author meant when he associated magic to actors And how could these two elements be related when it comes to the plot These issues shall be addressed in the succeeding parts of this discussion

Aside from magic, it could be observed that Prospero made a meaningful mention of actors. Although Prospero literally pin points the persons who contributed to the staged tragedy, in consideration of the story, it could be observed that this symbol may hold a deeper explication. If a reader would observe the story in a deeper and a more critical perspective, he or she will see that the story was actually made up of actors who stages different kinds of orchestrated or directed situations. In this story, almost all these situations were directed by Prospero himself. One specific example is when Prospero planned the meeting of Miranda and her supposed love interest, Ferdinand. In order to arrange a pleasant marriage for her daughter, Prospero was forced to command Ariel to use his music spell to enchant the Miranda and Ferdinand into falling in love with each other. At first, Miranda and Ferdinand were greatly puzzled as they wonder where the music goes on. However, it was evident that Ariels enchantment worked as Ferdinand immediately sought Mirandas attention.

Most sure, the goddess
On whom these airs attend  Vouchsafe, my prayer
May know if you remain upon this island
And that you will some good instruction give
How I may bear me here my prime request,
Which I do last pronounce is  O you wonder
If you be maid or no Ferdinand, The Tempest (Shakespeare 37)

At this point, the two strangers started becoming acquainted, and Prosperos plan was again working toward his will. In this situation, the role of Ariel was that of an actor which also serve as an accessory to a secret plan which has to be done. Ariel played as an actor who guised himself as the music in the wind as to enchant the supposed lovers through his mystical music. Aside from this, there are also several instances where Prospero had to stage situations in order to achieve something which is supposed to work for his advantage. One of the most observable is the staged tragedy at sea where Prospero and Miranda had to appear like they died. In this situation, Prospero had to fix a plan with several shipmen which will show his assassinators that he and his daughter died in a tragedy at sea. A ship was set sail consisting Ferdinand, Antonio, Alonso, Gonzalo, Sebastian, Stephano, and Trinculo. They were on their route to the wedding of Alonsos daughter when the ship was destroyed by a horrible storm. It was made to appear like everybody on board died so as to make the people from Milan believe that Prospero died from the accident too and that there was no need to assassinate him anymore. Just like the previous situation where Prospero staged the meeting of Miranda and Ferdinand, this situation is again another depiction of actors staging a situation which actually changes the course of the plot. Apparently, just like magic, actors also appear to elemental aspects of this play. Most of the situations in this story were staged, which also means that such situations involved characters that had to play as actors. It appears that without this role, some of the protagonists plans would not have been achieved.

Magic and actors appear to have a contributing relationship in this story. Considering the persona of Propero, it could be assumed that making magic and acting cannot are essential elements that make up his identity. Without these elements, most of his ventures would not have been successful. Hence, considering the introductory quote, it could be inferred that Prospero actually meant that actors are like music which blends into the air in order to enchant people. However, without magic this would not be possible. This also appears to imply that manipulating destiny and fate can oftentimes be effective in working toward ones impossible goal however, again without actors and magic, this may never be feasible as well.

The greed of power blinds human conscience and provokes an individual to commit unethical acts. The character of Claudius in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare succumbs to his greed for power and acts maliciously. The play focuses on the revenge exacted by Prince Hamlet of Denmark on his uncle Claudius. Claudius had killed Hamlets father, the King and taken the throne. Claudius even marries Gertrude, Hamlets mother. Prince Hamlet resolves to kill Claudius when the ghost of his father reveals to him that Claudius has murdered him and he wants his son to avenge his death. Hamlets revenge is justified because the manner in which Claudius seeks to fulfill his selfish desire of ascending the throne is not only unethical but also demeaning.

The evil actions of Claudius are revealed to Hamlet by the ghost of his father. Sleeping within my orchard, My custom always of the afternoon,Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole, With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial. Upon knowing the truth, Hamlet avenges his fathers death by killing Claudius. Considering Claudius evil intentions and greed for power, Hamlets revenge is justified, for Claudiuss behavior goes against the ethics of humanity. Claudius is a man who gives significance to the fulfillment of his desires more than his brothers life and morals. For the fulfillment of his selfish desire of acquiring the throne of Denmark, Claudius commits the unethical act of killing his own brother whom he is supposed to protect and care for.

The behavior of Claudius as a brother is shameful and pusillanimous, for he chooses to poison his brother when he is asleep, a time when one is most vulnerable. The cowardly way, in which Claudius brings an end to his brothers life, is demeaning. Even after his brothers death, Claudius goes on to carry out the shameful act of marrying his brothers wife. During a time, when he is supposed to be mourning the death of his brother, Claudius decides to marry his brothers widow. Hamlets revenge serves as an appropriate and just punishment for Claudiuss debasing act of murdering ones own brother.

Claudius even plans to kill Hamlet when he realizes that Hamlet has become a threat to his throne and his life. He hatches a plan to kill Hamlet by utilizing Laertes hatred for Hamlet. Here also, Claudius chooses to kill Hamlet through deceit and utilize a poisoned wine for achieving his aim. And that he calls for drink, Ill have prepared him A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping, If he by chance escape your venomd stuck, Our purpose may hold there. Claudius does not display any kind of regret or guilt for committing an atrocious act of murdering his own brother. On the contrary, he plans to kill Hamlet so that his life and throne are secure. By killing a man like Claudius, Hamlet brings an end to his crimes.

Upon knowing the truth regarding his fathers death, Hamlet makes up his mind to avenge his fathers murder by killing Claudius, his fathers murderer. Hamlet succeeds in accomplishing his aim of revenge when he kills Claudius. Hamlets revenge is justified, for Claudius poisons his own brother for fulfilling his desire of becoming the King of Denmark. Claudius act of cowardice of killing his brother while he is sleeping, and later marrying his brothers wife is unethical and demeaning. Hamlets revenge puts an end to the life of an individual who is so blinded with his greed for power that he goes to the extent of committing the appalling act of killing his own brother.

Night is an autobiographical book by the award-winning writer Ellie Wiesel that contains the account of the authors experience in a prison camp during World War II. Elie almost gives up, but the people he interacts with, one way or another, keep his hope alive and strengthen his will to survive.

Elie witnesses countless horrifying sights in the camp that are more than enough to churn the stomach of even the most hardened man. One of those is the hanging of a very young boy, who dies slowly because his weight cannot break his neck. As the boy struggles for half an hour, Elies spirit begins to sink and his faith in God starts to diminish. However, his will to survive does not leave him. I was no longer able to lament. On the contrary, I felt very strong. His mind becomes rebellious against the unimaginable cruelty of their captors. This makes him strong, and, after that incident in the gallows, surviving becomes his main goal.

Aside from the poor young boy, Juliek and the French girl contribute significantly to strengthen Elies will to survive. Juliek does not know Elie personally, but the music from his violin gives tranquillity to Elie. How could I forget that concert, given to an audience of dying and dead men. More importantly, it shows Elie that everything is not lost there is still hope. The French girl, on the other hand, is soothing, calming his heart when he is about to burst.  Keep your anger and hatred for another day...but not now....Wait.She symbolizes serenity amidst the chaos, and her words keeps Elies sanity.

The life in Auschwitz prison camp is hellish it can drive anyone to insanity or to invite death as the only escape. However, despite of all this madness, Elie survives because of the people he meets or interacts with. It is not justifiable to assume that he survives by his own merit. Those people are there to remind him not to lose hope everytime he falters.

There are many different forms of literature but perhaps most famous and most loved of the many kinds is poetry. Compared to other forms of literature like short stories and  even that of the novel, poetry has been famous dating back to the time of Ancient Greece until now wherein even poems are converted into modern songs. The wonderful thing about poetry is that not only would the readers be able to imagine the images conjured by the carefully selected the words, the lines in poems would also appeal to the hearing of a person as it involves rhyme and rhythm. After all, poetry is both sights and sounds sights being the images imagined by a reader and the sounds being the playful or melodramatic onslaught of words. These sights and sounds are what both appears in Lisa Parkers Snapping Beans, Mary Olivers Answer and Glenis Redmonds Naming. But more important than these images and sounds are the lessons or messages that the poems want to show the readers, in this case, the essay will discuss the theme of the three poems as well as what the readers can infer from and between the lines which makes the unquestionable truth of the poems as well as its message.

In the poem Snapping Beans by Lisa Parker, the usual problems of a student who is at lost over a new culture and new life is portrayed. The persona (though it is questionable whether it is male or female) comes home from school for a vacation as what appears in lines 4-5 of Lisa Parkers Snapping Beans  I was home for the weekend from school, from the North . The descriptions of the surrounding seem to suggest that the home is located in the countryside or province  as the sun rose, pushing its pink spikes through the slant of cornstalks. The main issue that the poem presents is the dishonesty of the student as hisher grandmother wants to know hisher school life and though the student wants to tell the real things that happens in school and the feelings that heshe has about it, heshe opted not to. The poem concludes when the grandmother makes an ominous statement about how funny  things blow loose like that which could just mean that the student might suddenly explode one day and hisher feelings of misery might take over himher entirely.

On the other hand, in Glenis Redmonds Naming, a misunderstanding (though not quite seriously) happens between a mother and the child over the  naming  of a flower. The persona who is also the child (and again, is not identified of whether being a girl or a boy) tries to explain to the mother about the  Forsythia  but the mother tells the child that they  call it Yellow Bell and the other word is too hard. This naming of the same flower is what causes the conflict as the child uses a more complicated term most likely learned from school and the mother uses a much simpler term most likely learned from their community. The persona goes on about the differences that the two words cause to both of them with the mother being able to look back on her life caused by the mention of the flower and the child being able to appreciate the simplicity of life brought on by the mention of the simpler term for the flower.

In Mary Olivers poem, Answers, the same sentiments were expressed as that of the poems of Parker and Redmond. The persona in the third poem seems be a person to have advanced in the ways of the world and this persona recalls hisher time with the grandmother who has encouraged himher with such ways.  The poem features the wide gap between the grandmother and the grandchild like the lines of the grandmother being  uneducated  with  faulty grammar  and how there is such  confusion  within her. The grandchild meanwhile is the one who is supposedly educated with hisher  books and music and circling philosophies  and with the  lofty career  that the grandmother even encouraged. But even if the grandchild and the grandmother are very different from one another, the grandchild still envies the grandmother while the grandmother is very much supportive of the grandchild and even cooled...hisher wild sauces.

A deeper understanding and appreciation for the poem can be done with a comparison of the three poems. First of all, the theme revolves around a disagreement of the persona with the other character mentioned in the poem. This disagreement can be seen as that of a conflict between youth versus the elderly or even to a greater and specific extent, the differences between tradition and that of modernity. In Naming, the term used for the flower causes conflict and the fact that the younger person used a more complex term manifests that heshe has had an education while the mother is more used to the simper and non-complex things provided by her being uneducated or just not knowing a lot of technical things. For example, like the way the persona perceives that  foreign words anguish her mothers tongue. On the other hand, Snapping Beans also has the same theme that revolves around the conflict between the old versus the new or the ignorant versus the educated.  The student was in conflict of whether informing the grandmother the reality of things about life and school such as  the evening star was a planet that my friends wore noserings and wrote poetry About sex, about alcoholism, about Buddha. As what transpired in the poem of Parker, the student in Olivers Answers also has the same situation wherein the student has changed because of what heshe has experienced but the student still relies on the grandmother to comfort and console himher with the innocence and naivete that the grandmother knows with her being  uneducated.

In conclusion, the three poems revolve around the young and the educated telling the old and the ignorant about the complex, the real and the technical and yet even if the young knows more, they are not that happy compared to the old nor do they want their situation. Both poems give out a lesson on how things are with the young and the ability to not be contented with who they are, what they have and what they are undergoing through. Though the old and the provincial would seem ignorant of things, it does not mean that they are unhappy. Naming, Answers and Snapping Beans give out an invaluable lesson of life as what poems always do, in this case, it is about how the old, though they are ignorant, would always be there for the young no matter what.

The Futurists Manifesto is an art movement in the early 20th century that rejects the ideals and foundations of the past, but upholds and worships the dynamism of the future. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was the one who originally wrote the manifesto, but he was later joined by Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carr, Luigi Russolo, Giacomo Balla, Gino Severini.

The tone of the Futurists Manifesto is rebellious in nature. They deviate from the principles of other art movements that are mostly influenced and rooted from the past. As young artists, they overwhelmed by the fast changes in society and science in a sense that they apply these changes and development in their art works, be it a painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, theatre, film, fashion, textiles, literature, music, architecture or even gastronomy. That is their purpose to eradicate the standard, imitation, worship, obsession, and ideals hinged on the past and surface the novel and the innovation.

Personally, I do not agree with this art manifesto. Of all the art manifestos I have read, I think that this is the most illogical of all. Futurism discards the past while promoting the future. I believe that this is very irrationally unsound since in whatever field, whether it is art or science, philosophy or religion, history or literature, the past is always important because it explains and foreshadows what is in the present or in the future. Hence, it is impossible to move on to the future without looking back to the past.

From the moment John Waters bought his first art print at the Baltimore Museum of Art at the age of eight, he began forming his manifesto. The print was a mass-produced Mir copy which he took home and hung proudly on his wall. Instead of being impressed, his friends taunted him for purchasing such an ugly painting. From this devastating experience John Waters learned that art does not exist simply to induce a pleasant feeling. Instead, according to him, art should both  provoke and inspire.

Waters tone is both enlightening and entertaining. His story regarding the Mir is meant to be found amusing, but the lesson that he took from that experience is very real. Despite the teasing from his friends, Waters did not give up his pursuit to define what art is, and what good art should do. Instead, he translated what he had learned into the films he created. Rather than creating films based on beautiful people, he chose to focus his work on the bottom-feeders of society.

John Waters manifesto in regards to both art and film seems to be that as long as a piece of art inspires some sort of reaction, it can be considered good art. John Waters states in the clip that  art is not about pleasing people, but about making connections. To him, art is all about feeling. Whether the emotions evoked are disgust, disdain, intrigue, or peace, its the evocative nature of art that he finds to be important.

William Shakespeare wrote over 37 plays that are categorized histories, tragedies, romances, and of course, comedies.  His drama Much Ado About Nothing falls into the category of comedy, but by the standards of the modern world, the comedy is missing.  The drama shows the deception of class and actions can be achieved by all, and that one may not believe only their eyes, but must question even sight.  This comedic tragedy focuses on how evidence can be swayed, even when the evidence is seen by several people and even mentions the differences in classes even though at some times, the class lines are blurred. The classes, power and the truth are the basis of this drama, and through those misgiving topics is the world shown the jest in both.

Within the very first act the concept of classes is given to the audience.  A messenger arrives at the home of Leonato with a letter from Don Pedro of Arragon.  His response to Leonato upon the number of men lost in the war is But few of any sort, and none of name (I.i.7).  This sets the tone that those without name are not as worthy as those of noble birth.  This is exemplified by Leonato, A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers (I.i.8-9).

The other way in which the classes are shown, and even how they are blurred, is through the waiting gentlewomen Ursula and Margaret that are not noble, but are not true servants other than they wait on Hero and Beatrice and are their companions, and through the persona of the Prince, Don Pedros brother, Don John, the bastard brother (Shakespeare 366), and While Don John is not called a bastard aloud in the drama, it is how he is introduced in the cast.  The fact that he is an illegitimate son of the Princes father makes it known that while the Prince accepts him as a noble, his is not a true noble, and others only give him respect because of his brother.  This plays out in Leonatos greeting to Don John in which he says, Let me bid you welcome, my lord, being reconcild with your brother I owe you all duty (I.i.154-156). Even from the beginning, Don John is seen as a type of outcast and thus he uses his outcast status to reek havoc on the people of Messina and to those noble of birth that are in the service of his brother.

In Act 2, Scene I as the revelers enter the festival, it is apparent that they are all wearing masks and are thus all of the same class.  The only differences would be in the clothes that are worn, but even the gentlewomen are dressed fashionably but not lavishly.  The soldiers all wear similar attire, and only differing masks, which shows they are all of the Princes soldiers, but does not let the Prince stand out.  However, this is also the scene in which Don John begins his deceptions.  Don Pedro and Claudio devise a plan in which Don Pedro will court Hero in the name of Claudio, and will get her fathers approval to the match (I.i.315-329).

Don John hears about this plan and as it is being fulfilled whispers to Claudio I heard him swear his affection of Hero (II.i.168), but he also insinuates the difference in class, I pray you dissuade him from her, she is no equal for his birth (II.i.164-165).  These statements are coming from the illegitimate brother who is not of equal birth, but still believes that he his of higher birth then Hero.  It is also from this piece of spoken evidence that Claudio is overcome with belief that the Prince is stealing Hero from him.  Luckily this farce does not play out for very long.  Beatrice brings Claudio back and the situation is resolved as Don Pedro hands Hero over to Claudio and the wedding day is set (II.i.296-301). Immediately, after the correction of this initial deception of Don John, the Prince, Leonato, Claudio, and Hero, decide on playing cupid between Benedict and Beatrice.  In the time until the wedding of Hero and Claudio, the next deception will be completed but only with the help of those present. All agree and the plan is set to begin, in hopes that Beatrice and Benedict will marry (II.i.362-370).  Nothing more is said at this point and the time continues, but merriness continues.

This first deception of Don John easily undone, that a new deception of Don John is again placed in the minds of the audience. The plot is between Borachio and Don John and is laid out.  In the ensuing discussion, it is explained that Borachio will call Margaret by the name of Hero, and she will call him Borachio.  It is up to Don John to get the Prince, Don Pedro, and Count Claudio in place so that they can see this occur in Heros bedroom window.  Borachio explains that this plan will misuse the Prince, to vex Claudio, to undo Hero and kill Leonato (II.ii28-29).  Of course, any plan to deceive and cause problems for his brother, Don Pedro, and the favorite, Claudio, is a grand plan to Don John.  He offers Borachio one thousand ducats if all goes as planned (II.ii.51-53). The plan is set, on the part of Don John, but there is more deception afoot.

Don Pedro, Leonato, and Claudio began the charade with allowing Benedick to over hear them talking about the love that Beatrice, supposedly, had for him.  They find him hidden in a garden and sit to discuss this new event. Don Pedro starts it What was it you told me to-day, that your niece Beatrice was in love with Signior Benedick (II.iii.90-91). Benedick even thinks for a moment that this is a ploy, but because the white-bearded fellow speaks it then in Benedicks mind it is the truth (II.iii.118-119). The farce continues on with the decision not to tell Benedick of the love stating he would make but a sport of it and torment the lady worse (II.iii.156-157). After they leave, Benedick looks into himself, and realizes that he does favor Beatrice, and even resolves When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married (II.iii.242-244). Benedick has taken the bait and is falling in love with Beatrice.

Hero employs the help of two gentlewomen, Ursula and Margaret.  Margret is to bring Beatrice to the garden with the ploy that Ursula and Hero are talking of her (III.i.4-12).  When Beatrice arrives, the two women talk of the love that Benedick has for Beatrice (III.i.37-39).  However, just as the men stating that Benedick would scorn Beatrices love, Hero and Ursula state similar beliefs it were not good she knew his love, lest shell make sport at it (III.i.57-58). Just as Benedick gave into his true feelings, so does Beatrice in that she states I will require thee, taming my wild heart to thy loving hand (III.i.111112).

Act 3, Scene 2 enters Don John again with news that disheartens Claudio and the Prince, Don Pedro.  On the eve of the wedding, Don John takes Don Pedro and Claudio to an orchard to hide and watch Heros bedroom window.  Don John promises that they will see her with another man (III.ii.109-116). The scene does not play out that the audience gets to see the action and events that lead up to the deception but are placed in an alley with the culprit who has deceived Claudio and slandered Hero (III.iii.144-152).  This speech also says that the orchard in which Claudio, Don John, and Don Pedro were hidden was afar off and not very close to the actual window (III.iii.151).  This would seem to have created the misunderstanding that Margaret was hero and that she was with another man, Borachio.  The evidence to some seems to be obvious, but to the audience, it is known to be false.

As promised, the Prince and Claudio defile and slander Hero at the altar.  They call her rotten orange (IV.i.32), approved wanton (IV.i.44), and that she is like those pampred animals that rage in savage sensuality (IV.i.60-61). They accuse Hero, with their own eyes and say that she was with another man the night before.  Even though she begs that it was not her and that she is a maid, it is obvious that the men are not going to accept her words.   Even her father turns on her and states death is the fairest cover for her shame (IV.i.116). Here not just class, but gender plays a major role.  Leonato refuses to believe his only child, who is female, but will believe men, one prince, one count, and an illegitimate bother to the prince over his daughter.  He states, Would the two princes lie, and Claudio lie (IV.i.152).

Most of the wedding guests left and believed Hero to be dead.  However, in truth she had only fainted, but this led to one last deception.  The Friar officiating the wedding create the deception of the death of Hero until her name could be cleared, or she could be sent to a nunnery (IV.i.210-243). Thus Hero left with the Friar to be hidden.  The others left to mourn the loss of Hero to the world.  This left only Beatrice and Benedick alone in the church where they finally admit their love (IV.i.267-273), and Benedick promises to challenge Claudio for the slander of an innocent lady (V.i185-193).

The deceptions begin to fall apart once more, for the night before the wedding, Borachio and Conrad, Don Johns manservant, were discovered in the alley, where Borachio confessed all to Conrad.  Unfortunately, Leonato would not hear the claims that morning since the wedding was that day, but the sexton was found and the villains were brought before him.  The guard told the sexton what had transpired, and the Sexton, verified that Don John had fled just that morning.  When they were finally brought before the Prince and Claudio, the scheme was uncovered, and both Don Pedro and Claudio repented, and begged forgiveness of Leonato.

There is one last deception that the audience knows must come to light, but the revenge and sufferance that must be first achieved to fulfill the punishment of Leonato.  After the night of mourning for Hero, Claudio is to marry the niece of Leonato.  He agrees without thinking of it twice.  He realizes that he has been deceived, not just by Don John and Borachio, but by his own eyes.  He can trust nothing any longer.  Thus when it is time to marry, the women enter the church in masks, and he is told he cannot see her face until after he is wed.  Thus he states
Claudio Give me your hand before this holy friar  I am your husband if you like of me.
Hero And when I livd, I was your other wife, and when you lovd, you were my other husband
(V.iv.58-62).

This is the best deception uncovered in the entire play.  The audience must believe that the drama is done and no more deceptions are left, but there is one more.  Beatrice and Benedick are still refusing to admit their love before anyone but themselves and one another.  They both deny to love one another, and even when told that they were tricked into their affections, and only after proof given of their love in the form of letters and verse, did the two finally admit to their love and wed as well (V.iv.73-99).

Throughout this drama, it the deceptions grow and grow.  The beginning deception is just an appetizer for the larger and more dramatic deceptions that follow.  From the beginning, the only evidence that was ever used, were lies and sight.  The deceptions were not only intricate, but the fact that those being deceived were easily turned to the belief of the worst shows that people would prefer to believe the worst in those around them.  The use of Beatrice and Benedick and the deceptions used to make them fall in love with one another, shows how easily people can be swayed by words, whether true or not.  One would love to believe that another loved them.  If they over hear it, they will believe it.

The best way to describe this is that humans are fickle.  This drama shows that whether the deceit is for happy purposes, or bad, the human will believe what they are told, and will see what they want to see as long as it reinforces what they are told.  It would have been easy for the Prince or Claudio to justify that the evidence was not hard core because of the distance they were from the window, however, because they knew that it was Heros bedroom window and they were told that it was Hero in the window, that is what they saw in the middle of the night from the orchard.

The issue of class was another factor in the drama.  It should be noted that only nobles were of any consequence in regards to deaths in battle.  However, it was also the lower born gentlewoman that was used by the common soldier to slander Hero.  The actions of the gentlewoman were within her class whereas they were unacceptable to the noble born Beatrice and Hero. The other account in which Leonato believes noble born men, even one that was illegitimate over his own daughter proves that class was not just by birth, but by gender as well.

Much Ado About Nothing is exactly that.  There were problems, issues, deceptions and fights all over a misunderstanding.  The morale of the story is to not just trust words and eyes, but question everything and think for yourself.  It is not that all humans are fickle, but only those that would allow themselves to be tricked into believing that lies were truth and truth were lies.   The drama also gives insight into the times, where men were believed over women in most cases.  While this has little to do with being tricked, it does say much for the society in which Shakespeare lived and the actions of those around him.  Shakespeare wrote nothing without hidden meanings, and this drama is no different.  He used Much Ado About Nothing to show his countrymen and peers the perils of their society and their ways.  

Since the beginning of the 20th century, high schools in America and all over the world have been striving to maximally reduce the levels of inequality among students and attendants. Those inequality movements and initiatives were particularly relevant for the United States, which had been traditionally characterized by high levels of population diversity. Needless to say, throughout the 20th century, America had been able to significantly improve the quality of social and educational approaches to high school students many of them were given a unique opportunity to graduate and make a good career. But despite relative improvements, the current state of inequality in high schools leaves much to be desired gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality hinders the quality of the educational processes and leaves many potential and current students beyond the boundaries of quality education. It would be fair to assume, that although the United States claims its education in general and high schools, in particular, to be the basic carrier of the democratic equity vision, racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality remains the determining feature of high school performance and leaves thousands of students no chance to succeed in their educational and career strivings.

Despite the growing inequality awareness in high schools, racial inequality remains the subject of the major educational concern. That high schools are characterized by severe ethnic and racial disparities is a well-known fact, but the more important are the impacts which these disparities produce on the quality of educational achievement in students with different ethnic  racial backgrounds. Racial inequality in high school impacts attendance and student achievement and makes it difficult for education professionals to develop learning approaches that would suit the needs of all population groups. For example, Lleras refers to the successes of black and white students in high school mathematics, noting that students in high minority high schools leave with lower math achievement, lower student engagement, and having taken less demanding math classes compared to students in Low Minority high schools (908). Moreover, the racial disparities that exist between students when they enter the high school later cumulate into even greater gaps in their learning outcomes, particularly for those who attend high schools with the high percentage of black students (Lleras 908). Lleras implies that segregation is increasingly negative for high schools and that it works against reducing racial inequality in these educational facilities. Unfortunately, desegregation alone cannot contribute to reducing the rates of racial inequality in high schools the example of Berkeley High School reveals the difficulties and inconsistencies, which high schools face on their way to racial ethnic equity. BHS is included into the list of relatively large schools with approximately three thousand students, of which approximately 40 are white, 40 are African American, 10 are Latino, and 10 are Asian American (Noguera). BHSs desire to address the issues of racial inequality ended up in the establishment of the first African American Studies department  a step that signified the growing gap between white and African American ethnic groups (Noguera). Today, the majority of white students at BHS are concentrated in the honors and college track courses, whilst Latino and African American students are bound to attend less demanding remedial courses (Noguera). These divisions further extend to impact extracurricular activities, including sports, clubbing, theater, etc. (Noguera). As a result, it is at least too early to say that high schools were able to distance themselves from the issues of racial and ethnic inequality and the situation with gender issues is no better.

The level of gender equality in American high schools is dangerously low. Gender equality is particularly problematic in high school athletics, and numerous gender obstacles prevent female students from participating in high school sports. No, that does not mean that girls are prohibited from participating in high school sport activities the rates of their participation and admission gradually increase. For example, from 1971-80, the number of female athletes at the high school level increased 616, with females accounting for approximately 35 of high school athletes in 1980. Today, girls still account for about 35 of high school athletes, although at 1.9 million participants the number of females in sports at the high school level has never been higher (Priest). But while the absolute number of female athletes in high school sports increases, the percentage of female participation in high school athletics has not changed much. Several laws and regulations have slightly facilitated female students entrance to high school sports. For example, Title IX resulted in the immediate increase of female high school students in sports (Priest), but there are still problems with how high schools address gender inequality issues. For example, high schools were never required to report the rates of female participation in high school athletics, and the enforcement of Title IX in high schools was increasingly problematic. However, the new High School Athletics Accountability Act of 2009 is expected to facilitate the process of Title IX implementation in high schools (White). High schools will be required to gather and publicize the data with regard to the number of male and female students participating in sports and the number of boys and girls sports teams (Womens Sports Foundation). It is very probable that public accountability will resolve the issue of gender inequality in high schools but it is also clear that in no way will the new regulatory requirements work to address the issues of socioeconomic inequality in high school environments.

High schools undertake serious attempts to reduce the issue and the incidence of racial and gender inequality, but socioeconomic inequality is still a problem socioeconomic disparities in students impact the quality of the educational process, and even the existing laws and regulations do not leave poorer students a chance to become successful graduates. For example, McCaul refers to socioeconomic inequality in high schools as the basic predictor of high levels of dropouts among children from families with low socioeconomic status (22). Another interesting example is in that socioeconomic inequality pushes poorer children to quit high school or to stay away from high school for a number of reasons, from being part-time employed to being unable to find agreement with teachers (Caldwell  Ginthier 30). Numerous laws and regulations were aimed to reduce the existing social disparities in high schools (for example, Title I), but they failed to mediate the effects of socioeconomic inequality on the quality of the learning process. Even if students choose to continue their learning, they face significant difficulties in the process of adjusting to, and trying to comply with, even the basic educational requirements. For example, socioeconomic inequality in high schools is a serious obstacle on the disadvantaged students way to computer use Lowe, Harvey and Sosteric report that the level and access of computer use among high school students largely depends on the parental education and family income (47). As a result, students who do not have access to or for some reason cannot use computers at home find it difficult to learn, and lag behind their peers. In this sense, the effects of Title I and related regulations is minimal, and it is obvious that for high schools to promote better quality of learning and knowledge delivery, the issues of racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality should be timely addressed.

Conclusion
Inequality in high schools remains the issue of the major educational and social concern. Despite the growing number of laws and regulations, as well as the growing level of inequality awareness, the issues of racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality in high schools require immediate resolution. Numerous examples confirm the urgency of inequality issues in high schools and the negative impacts, which these issues produce on the quality of learning processes and outcomes. As such, for schools to promote better quality of knowledge delivery among students, the issues of racial, gender, and socioeconomic inequality should be timely addressed.

Athena and Odysseus share a common character trait in the Odyssey they are liars. There are some similarities and differences in the way that they use lies. The reasons that these characters use lies are also different. They also use the lies on different occasions. Odysseus lies to Polyphemus and uses Cretan lies on Athena, Eumaeus and Penelope. Athena uses disguise to lie. She disguises herself as Mentor, a herdsman in Ithaca, Mentes and as a young girl in Phaecia. Even though Odysseus and Athena are presented as liars in the text, Athena proves to be a better liar than Odysseus.

Discussion
Odysseus as a liar
Odysseus has been portrayed a liar in the Odyssey. Odysseus lies to Athena, Eumaeus and Penelope his wife. The lies that he tells vary according to the circumstances that he is faced with as well as the person that he lies to. Odysseus does not lie deliberately instead he lies for a certain purpose. Odysseus lies are well crafted and he executes them with high skills. This shows his ability to lie and not his moral failure. Even though he lies, he does not expect people to believe in his lies at face value.

In the thirteenth book of the odyssey, Odysseus lies to Athena. Odysseus is taken back to Ithaca by the Phaenicians and he is left on shore fast asleep. When he wakes up he does not recognize where he is since Athena has covered everything with mist. At this point Athena is disguised as a young herdsman. When Athena reveals he is in Ithaca, Odysseus starts his lying tales. The story that he uses at this point serves several purposes. The first purpose is to explain his presence in Ithaca as well as his accompanying treasures. The second purpose is to show that he is a man worth of getting assistance and support. It is at this point that Athena reveals herself and calls Odysseus the mortal equivalent of her in subtleties and deceit.

Odysseus lies to Eumaeus using a disguise that he gets through Athena. Athena changes Odysseus into a beggar and he uses the guise to present himself to Eumaeus. When Odysseus tells his story to Eumaeus, he is more interested in creating a particular impression of himself rather than actually deceiving Eumaeus. The purpose of using the disguise of a beggar at this point is to discover the character of the suitors who have invaded his house. He is interested in finding out which of the suitors would defend a beggar. This disguise also serves a very important purpose for Odysseus. Through this disguise he is able to speak to Penelope in order to test how much she really loves him. He is also able to participate in the bow contest where he emerges the winner.

The Cretan lies that Odysseus uses are a combination of fact and fiction. The lies can be seen as factual, in the sense that he draws upon his own experiences of how he got back to Ithaca in order to create his lie. He lies to Eumaeus that he is from Crete and that he fled his home after he killed the son of Idomeneus.
Odysseus also lies to Polyphemus. When Polyphemus asks Odysseus whether he is a merchant or a pirate, Odysseus boasts that he is from the Agamemnon army and claims to have the backing of Zeus. At this point, Polyphemus does not buy Odysseus lies since he does not answer his question directly. When Polyphemus asks Odysseus where he moored his ship, Odysseus lies. He does this because he realizes that Polyphemus is testing him. Instead of replying to Odysseus lies, Polyphemus eats two people in his crew. He is then able to trick Polyphemus. This lie enables Odysseus and his men to escape by poking out his eye. Odysseus uses disguise to lie. In Book 4, Odysseus beats himself up so that he can look like a slave he also dresses up like a slave so that he can have easy entrance in troy.

Athena as a liar
Athenas uses disguise to lie. This is one of the similarities of that Odysseus and Athena share as liars. She uses disguise so that she can conceal her identity. Some of the disguises that she uses are Mentor, a herdsman in Ithaca, Mentes and as a young girl in Phaecia. Athena extends her lies to Odysseus as she disguises him on several occasions. At one time she disguises him as a beggar so that he can deceive the suitors that want to marry his wife. When Odysseus is speaking to Athena who is disguised as a herdsman, the similarity in the nature of their deceit is revealed. Athena lies with disguise while Odysseus lies about his identity. In book 13 (p.295300), Athena is impressed by Odysseus ability to lie and she admires his lies. In book 16 (p. 343344), Athena behaves differently when she is talking with Odysseus, she wants him to stop using lies and to reveal himself to his son.

Athena is a better liar than Odysseus. The difference between Odysseus lies and Athenas lies is that Athena is able to disguise herself so well when she is lying such that no one ever notices. Even though Odysseus uses disguise when lying, some people are able to see beyond the disguise. One of the people that recognize Odysseus lies is Helen. She realizes that Odysseus is lying about his identity. She then swears using an oath that she will not disclose his real identity. When he is disguised as a beggar the nurse that bathes him notices a mark on Odysseus foot and she recognizes him. She also swears not to reveal his identity and she helps him to identify the hand maidens that are loyal.

Athena uses disguise to lie to Telemachus. Disguised as Mentes, Athena enters Odysseus hall in order to encourage Odysseus son (Telemachus) to leave. In this disguise Athena lies about her identity as well as where she is from. One of the stories told disguised as Mentes is that he is on a voyage of trade he states that his father was a friend of Odysseus father. He says that Odysseus is been delayed by the gods. He tells Telamachus that Odysseus would take revenge if he was present. Using another disguise as Mentor, Athena orchestrates every part of the journey while Telemachus deals with household affairs. The story she tells using this disguise is that she is an old friend of Odysseus. This disguise enables her to achieve her purpose which is to secure a ship and crewmen for the upcoming journey. She also uses this disguise to guide and manipulate Telamachus. Towards the end of the Odyssey, Athena uses this disguise to fight alongside Odysseus and they are able to kill many men.

Athena also uses disguise to present herself as a friend of Nausicaa. The purpose of this disguise is to manipulate Nausicaa. She tells Nausicaa to go to the river so that she can meet Odysseus. Athena uses the disguise of a little girl in order to help Odysseus. In order to make sure that no one disrupts Odysseus on the way to the castle, Athena uses a cloud to disguise Odysseus.

Athena uses disguise to lie to Odysseus. When Athena wakes Odysseus after he is taken back to Ithaca by the Phaenicians, she uses the disguise of a herdsman to convince Odysseus that he is home. Athena disguises Odysseus several times so that he may appear credible. One good example of this is when Odysseus speaks to his son and reveals his identity and then when Eumaeus returns she changes him back into a beggar.

Conclusion
Athena and Odysseus use lies in the Odyssey on different occasions and for different purposes. One of the similarities in their lies is that they both use disguise to lie. The major difference between their lies is that Athenas lies are never discovered. Other differences emerge in the purpose of their lies. In most occasions, Athena uses lies to help Odysseus as well as to motivate and to change people.

Jabberwocky is the quintessential nonsense poem throughout time. Even though it is considered a nonsense poem, the words are placed in such a way as to lend them to definitions of words that may sound similar in the modern language. Another poet that is world renowned in the genre of nonsensical poetry is Dr. Seuss.

The parents of the world have used his books and stories to teach children about values, morals, and equality. Carroll however, takes the nonsense a step further and upon first read the poem is completely nonsensical, and unless a person takes the poem line by line, the nonsense is entrenched even further. To truly understand Carroll meaning, one must look up some of those nonsensical words, or think of words that are semantically or diction based in similar terms. Only then can the meaning of the poem be understood.  

By modern vocabulary there are many words that many are sure have no meaning. To think in this way is completely wrong. In fact just about every nonsensical word used is a word found in old English or is a combined effort of two words to give itself a new meaning. He also created words that would be similar to the word that would have fit better, but because of the inflection of the word or the syntax used, the word fits and can be defined with limited problems.

The first section of the poem gives a perfect example as to the use of diction and syntax in the use of made up and nonsensical words
 Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves,
and the mome raths outgrabe. (Lines 1-4)

Upon first look it would seem that this is just a bunch of garbled words and phrases. But take a deeper look and the meaning can be determined. The first possible nonsensical word is brillig but if one uses old dictionaries one would discover that this word is of German origin and actually fits nicely into the poem. The meaning is the preparation of the evening meal (allwords.com). This shows the time frame and location of the story within the poem. By continuing in this way the remainder of the first stanza tells of the superstitions of the people and that they have built walls to keep out those creatures and things that scare them.

The second verse introduces the creatures that the people want to keep out of their village. The Jabberwock is mentioned first and is the most fearsome and ferocious. After the Jabberwock is the mythical Jubjub bird that represents the superstitions of the villagers, because there is nothing even remotely similar to this creature. The last of the imaginative creatures is the bandersnatch. This creature is the combination of two words, bander and snatch. Carroll used these words to affect the ideal of wit and take, through the use of similar sounds, bander and banter and snatch, meaning to tease and take.

Through the use of nonsensical words Carroll illicit the fear of the reader to the unknown, making the reader more of the child and the author the parent.  For the parent knows of things the child cannot comprehend. The fact that the remainder of the poem has more nonsensical words that work within the poem to give it definition shows that there will always be obstacles causing people to have to re-evaluate their plans and lives.

This brings the poem to its last stanza which is exactly the same as the first.  Therefore, the journey of the reader is over, and the creature that makes the villagers fear is gone.  However, the fact that the villagers still fear the Jabberwock and still maintain their shields around their village makes the reader wonder if anyone else has realized that the mythical creatures are not to be feared but defeated.  Carroll does not let the villagers grow as the reader and young protagonist do within the story.  The use of nonsensical words to end the poem shows this inability to give up superstitions of things that are unknown.

This Memo discusses a number of issues related to the Pumps For All (PFA) organizations and the problems that the organization currently faces. There are a number of issues and factors that ought to be considered in order to ensure that the problems which the PFA organization is facing are properly and adequately addressed. The issues of concern include the need to address the perceived improper employee recruitment strategies and constant assignment of many duties to the employees who may never have the required competencies to perform the assigned tasks.

Pumps For All Resolution Memo
You asked that I send you an outlined memo regarding the issues we seem to be having with the company engineers. Resolution of these issues is of paramount importance, and I looked into the two areas of most concern, possible adverse impact and a drop in production.

I. There has been a claim that our human resource policies and practices are having an adverse impact on protected classes of people.

A. There seems to be some legitimacy to this concern. I had our attorney check our company for compliance with the laws and regulations in regards to adverse impact.

Compliance Issues and the Relevant Contributing Factors
The need for the Pumps For All organization to fully adhere to the necessary laws and regulation in its business operations is very paramount. The first issue of compliance is the need for the organization to ensure that it portrays a global perspective to its business operations. In order to have a positive appeal to the customers and other relevant stakeholders, the need to ensure that the organization portrays itself as an international organization is vital (Bider 2005, pp.18-21). This would ensure that the recruited employees have a global outlook that would be appealing to the outside world.

The second issue of compliance is the need to ensure that there is specialization and division of labor. Division of labor would ensure that an employee only concentrates in the section of employment in which she or he is would greatly contribute thus ensuring that quality and production levels are steadily improved.
The second issue of compliance is the need to ensure specialization levels in the company greatly increase and the quality of the pumps are not compromised. The major contributing factor to this issue is the fact that the company has a very huge percentage of its employees from certain specific educational institutions.

Additionally, the employees have specific competencies which could in the long run compromise the quality of production. This is related to the second contributing factor that relates to the need for collaborative employment strategy with other related companies in the industry. Specialization in the PFA Organization, according to Bider (2005, pp.18-21), would also ensure that technology is properly integrated into the operation of PFA thus improving efficiency, integrity and productions levels. The need for compliance with technology and security issues would also be crucial in the operations of the PFA organization.

B. There are several options we can pursue to bring ourselves into compliance and ensure that we stay so.
Specialization In order to enhance the quality of pumps to be provided by the PFA, there is need to integrate the relevant technologies. Employees in the organization need to specialize in the production stages in the areas where they have utmost skills based on the overall design of the organization. Since it is never possible for each person to perform well in every department, specialization would ensure that the employees concentrate their efforts in the specific areas where they are best skilled and with the greatest interest. Low and inadequate levels of production in the best pumps in the organization need to be addressed through ensuring that there is specialization of duties concerned (Castro  Teniente 2005, pp.12-35 Stone 2005).

Diversify the employment strategies Their need to diversify business operations and employees skills. This would lead to the organizations having individuals with mixed races and very competent skills. The problem of recruiting from a specific race in a give section of the world may work against the success of the organization. People all over the world may have a very negative perception of the organization based on its selective strategy. The PFA should fully understand that race does not have any significance in the performance of the employees in their duties rather it is their competencies and skills that mainly matters in the performance of the task at hand.

It is important that the employees recruitment strategies to be employed be compliant to different countries and international employment laws, procedures and agreed upon regulations that govern employees welfare and working patterns (Stone 2005).

There is always a big difference between academic excellence and the actual competencies at work. Academic excellences do not always translate to better performance at work. The fact that engineers are recruited from the leading engineering schools in the United States of America does not necessarily mean that the recruited engineers have the experience to perform better. The fact that the engineers recruited always have very similar job requirement could as mean that the organization does not pay attentions to other vital sections of production.

Recommendations for Things to be Changed
In order to fully bring the organization into compliance and prevent further occurrences of the problems currently being experienced, there is need to change a number of issues that regard the PFA organization. To begin with, the manner in which employees are recruited needs to be overhauled. Employees should never be recruited purely based on their academic prowess. Better job performance of an organization depends to a greater extend to the diversity in skills of the employees (Lee 1996, pp. 322498). Employees should therefore be assessed based on their experience in the field, their abilities to enhance greater performance and bring uniqueness in the organization and their other relevant skills.

Employees with diverse job designs should be recruited to the organization since this would enhance exchange of different ideas hence leading to better and unique organizational performance in the production of the pumps by PFA.

To stay into compliance and ensure that we fully stay so, the organization need to set new employee recruitment policies. The policies should ensure an equal balance in the gender, race, academic and cultural background of the employees to be recruited. There should also be policies to ensure that the recruited employees do not necessary come from a single region since this may not be a true reflection of the organizations vision, mission and the manner in which it operates.

Furthermore, there is need for the PFA Organization to ensure that it adheres to the laws and regulations in different countries in order to ensure that the recruitment procedure of its employees is not marred with any irregularities (Castro  Teniente 2005, pp.12-35). The engineer job design should therefore be more broadened to include people from other professions with other unique skills required in the companys better performance.

II. There has been a drop in production and our engineer job design might be contributing factor. I looked into this.

A. The process that we used to analyze the position follows.

Process Used to Analyze the Situation and Position
Process mining used was in the analysis of the situation and assessment of the position of the PFA organization. The process entailed in-depth analysis of the entire operations of the PFA organization, the skills of the company, the vision, mission, and the current performance of the business. This method is crucial as enabled proper understanding of the current situation without any levels of biasness (Dubin 1988). The actions suggested were based on the fact that the problems being faced were compromising on the production levels, perception of the public and the overall performance of the company. The methods suggested would also enhance flexibility in the business processes (Grigori, Castellanos, Casati, Sayal, Shan and Dayal 2004, pp.320-340).

B. There are several benefits to this process as indicated below
The process also ensures utilization of questionnaires and interviews carried out to employees and other stakeholders and shareholders that were considered to hold strategic positions in the company. This job analysis process helped in soliciting more information that helped in the preparation of this Memo. The use of questionnaire and interviews in the data collection and analysis of the PFA Organization provided room for continued assessment of the performance of the organization (Lee 1996, pp. 322498). The other benefit for the use of process mining and interview is the fact that more information is collected and the equal employment opportunities and the compliance issues are adequately addressed.

Conclusion
The methods outlined above best explain why I would conduct the job analysis in the above manner. From the above arguments, it is evident that proper planning and analysis and setting up of relevant policies would greatly help in ensuring that the problems of inequality in employment strategies employed and other compliance issues are fully addressed.

Aristotles Rhetoric is often seen as a contradiction of terms.  The first part of the book states that emotions should not be part of rhetoric and yet the remainder of the book tells the reader that the emotion of the audience is one of the three factors used to prove the art is well-defined.  This has created much discussion and much frustration, but the two apparent contradictions are really not contradictions, but both are required of rhetoric.

The article by Jamie Dow (383) divides into five sections to prove or at least to show an option that not only do the two supposed contradictory sections work together, but brings it back to prove that while the resistance to the emotional arousal in part 1 is not a contradiction at all for the remaining parts of the Rhetoric. In the first section, The Contradiction Problem and the Contradiction View, (Dow 383) Aristotle did apparently contradict himself, when he stated that oration should not be based on passions, but yet the passion of the audience affects the way in which the oration is understood.  The second part of the article, Dow differentiates between emotion or passion and activity.  He explains that Aristotle used the concepts pity, slander, anger, and other such passions as not necessarily passions or emotions but as activities (Dow 386).  Thereby the contradiction view between the first part and the remainder of the Rhetoric is shown to be more of a misunderstanding of the definitions of the activities associated with oratory. The third explanation of the article works with the concepts of ancient rhetorical set-pieces in general (Dow 391) that focus on the use of passion by other orators of the time, as a way in which to overpower the audience to their views using emotions rather than logic.  The fourth section distinguishes between the tools of the art of oration and the accessories.  The tools are used to gain logical understanding by the audience and their conviction to the topic via these tools (Dow 397).  For Aristotle, the accessories were nothing more and emotions that are used when the orator could not use logic.  The last section of the article talks about how the set-pieces, the tools of oration and the misunderstanding of emotion and activity all work together, but that others will still consider this to be a contradiction, but at least now there are other possibilities given to the interpretations of the book (Dow 398).

The article is very useful in that the explanation of the Rhetoric gives readers other options in the way they view and interpret Aristotles works.  The fact that the information is so different from other interpretations allows one to use their own logic and critical thinking to either accept or oppose the interpretations discussed in the article by Jamie Dow.  The fact is that no one really knows the interpretations of Aristotle works completely.  His perspectives and logic are bound in the 4th Century BCE and therefore, placing them within current modern day culture means that there is much assuming in the interpretations of his work which can lead to error.  By acknowledging there are other interpretations and other ways to understand this contradictive view means that more people will be able to understand Aristotle and his work in correlation to the modern world.

Love holds this world together. The very existence of human beings in this world is based on love that establishes human relations. Love is the most crucial emotion that binds individuals and keeps them happy. One of the most influential traditions of love in the Western world is Platonism. In the popular mind, Platonism is associated with the concept of Platonic love, which is understood today as a non-sexual relationship between heterosexual friends (Plato, 1951). As the concept of Platonic love is far from doing justice to Platos complex theory of love and sex, French scholars found it helpful to distinguish between amour platonique (the concept of non-sexual love) and amour platonicien (love according to Plato) (Plato, 1951). In Platos Symposium, Plato includes seven different points of view on love representing the speakers that participate in the symposium in honor of Agathon. It would be good if the different types of love covered by the speakers of the symposium are analyzed through the lives of characters of literary works. No piece of literature gives a more vivid manifestation of love than the Odyssey by Homer. The major emotional theme evident in this classic work is love. The characters of the Odyssey exhibit different forms of love that can be analyzed using the explanations of love given by symposium speakers. Pausanias explanation of love can be used for analyzing love found between different characters of the epic The Odyssey. Pausanias idea of dualism is evident in different types of love found in the Odyssey. Pausanias classifies love as sensual love (that which is common) and heavenly love that is based on mental and soul oriented interests.  Happiness and underlying interest of virtue constitute the superior love explained by Pausanias. Both these classifications of love are found among relationships we find in the Odyssey. True love that involves sacrifice is richly evident in the great epic. Common carnal love that is meant for exploitation and deception is also available. The great love relationship between Odysseus and Penelope perfectly illustrates the love explained by Pausanias. Eurykleia, Nausikaa and Queen Arete also exhibit the love of superior quality. The unselfish love between Odysseus and Telemachos the love between Odysseus and Laertes give two more examples of true love in the Odyssey. Examples of carnal or inferior love are also found in the Odyssey. The Seductress women show common inferior love. Helen and Klytaimnestra, Seirenes and Kalypso reveal inferior love.

Love is examined in a sequence by the speakers in the symposium. Pausanias brings up an excellent way of interpreting love. According to him, love can be broken down into two types, common love and heavenly love. Common love can be explained as the love between a man and woman who join for the gratification of the sexual desires. Heavenly love, on the other hand, includes the true love between two individuals that goes past physical appearance and other criterion. True love is a strong force that is born from the deepest heart.  Pausanias distinguishes both types of love. According to him, heavenly love has an honorable purpose.

Heavenly love is ever faithful and includes no lust. Common love, on the other hand, is the love of the physical body, not the real individual. The lasting relationship of Odysseus and Penelope in the Odyssey is an example of heavenly love. Even though through Odysseus is gone for twenty years we never find him forgetting his faithful wife who waits for him. His love for his wife made him persevere through all the difficulties and struggles that he encountered in his journey. Penelope also exhibits the same love towards her husband. Her love for Odysseus is found to be the heavenly love as explained by the symposium speaker Pausanias. Penelope, the wife of Odysseus is a true example of true love. She is the synonym of steadfastness and commitment. We find her waiting several years for the return of Odysseus. Even the intimidating suitors could not distract her away from her commitment and constancy. She successfully maintains the love she has for Odysseus. She patiently waits for his return. This is a wonderful manifestation of heavenly love. We find her telling to a stranger (who is Odysseus in disguise) Stranger, my beauty went forfeit to the Gods the day my Husband sailed with the Argives, for Troy. Should he return, to cherish me, my fortune and favour would improve. As it is, Heaven afflicts me too sorely. All the island Chiefs court me uninvited, and ravage the Estate While I neglect my guests, the suppliants that come, and even Heralds on a mission, to eat my heart out for Odysseus. We find her giving a strange beggar a place by Telemachoss side, for he brought the news of her husband. We find her telling But come, handmaidens, give him a wash and spread a...will accomplish nothing here for all his terriblespite. (19.317-325). Odysseus love for Penelope is true and great. We find him telling her Wife, one thing is certainnot all our soldiers will return from Troyunhurt  So I cannot say whether the gods will let me come back or whether I shall fall on Trojan soil. But I leave everything here in your charge. Look after my father and mother in the house as you do now  And when you see a beard on our boys chin, marry whomsoever you fancy and leave your home. Odysseus returns to his loving wife and understands that she still loves her. He finally tells her So you see that he is safe and will soon be back. Indeed he is very close  I swear first by Zeus, the best and greatest of the gods, and then by the good Odysseus hearth which I have come to, that everything will happen as I foretell. This very year Odysseuswill be here, between the waning of the old moon and the waxing of the new. The love between Odysseus and Penelope thus shows the heavenly love that is beyond all barriers.

We further find Eurykleia who matches Penelope in her commitment. Hers is also a good manifestation of selfless love. We find her being steadfast in her job as Telemakhos nurse. This is an example of love that is unconditional. Pausanias proposed nothing but this type of unconditional love. Nausikaa is yet another example of true love. She is found to be an excellent hostess to Odysseus. She gives him food, good clothing and advice. Her service is also an example of true love and faithfulness. Her mother, Queen Arete is also an example of faithful service which is done out of love. We find her as a good hostess. Her help provided Odysseus a ship to ride to home.

Yet another relationship in Odyssey in which love is manifested is the relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos. The father-son relationship between Odysseus and Telemachos is an example of true love. Even though they do not know each other, they love and care for each other. When Odysseus comes to know that suitors are devouring Telemachos and illtreating him, he thirsts to return and take revenge. Telemachos exhibits a great love for his father. We find him setting out from Ithaca, searching for his father, believing that he is still alive. Telemachos desired for guidance and help from Odysseus. Their relationship is an example of love that strengthens people in their difficult lives. Yet another important love we find in Odyssey is the love between Odysseus and Laertes. We find Odysseus desiring to see his father as he returns. When he meets his father and attempts to conceal his identity he is not able to explain his story seeing the sorrow in fathers eyes. This very incident explains his love for his father. The pain of Laertes explains how much love he had for his son. As Odysseus was thought to be dead, Laertes had reached depression. Laertes was overwhelmed with joy to find Odysseus returning.  Here we find love being a cure for pain and grief.

All these examples of true love explained in the Odyssey confirms to the explanations given by Pausanias. Pausanias claims that not every love is worth pursuing or praiseworthy. The love of the body has foolish things as its end and is not constant or stable. Each person becomes replaceable and is pursued only as long as the bloom of youth flourishes after beauty has passed and withered, the lover discards the person like an object (Plato, 1951). The love between Penelope and Odysseus describes this love. The true lover who loves reason and intelligence more than outward appearance would remain faithful to his partner. These types of love are true and permanent. Such love gives no room for money, wealth or position. According to Pausanias the motive of true love would be the education, enlightenment or improvement of the loved one. The purpose of love is creating virtue. Love pursued for other means is wrong, no matter what consequence it brings. Pausanias explains that a loved one who gratifies his lover in the hopes of gaining virtue is partaking in Heavenly Love, while gratification given for any other reason is simply Common Love (Plato, 1951).
Pausanias discusses various types of common love. According to him, virtue is the key to love. Love without virtue is considered by Pausanias as Common, inferior love. Intentions should be seeded in virtue for giving birth to true love. In Odyssey we find several examples of characters whose intentions are not true. They are pure examples of common love which is inferior. Seductress women in Odyssey manifest this common inferior love.

Two less benevolent seductress women are half-sisters Helen and Klytaimnestra. We find that the entire Trojan War is caused by Helens disloyalty towards Menelaos. Her affair caused several deaths. Odysseus would have avoided leaving home if she had not left with Paris. Klytaimnestra also became the reason for agony and sufferings by maintaining an affair and later killing her husband on his homecoming day. The seductress women, who are examples of common love, are always considered as perilous and harmful to mankind. The character Seirenes is yet another example. We find that their song seducing and compelling the listening people to linger until they die. Kirke attempts to seduce Odysseus before she helps him. The charming Kalypso tries to attract him with sex and immortality and never allows him to go home. These characters in Odyssey are examples of weak, common love. They look for inferior relationships and never desire true love.

The Odyssey by Homer thus include several characters whose love for each other give a strong example for the love explained by Pausanias in Platos The Symposium.

The main character in The Epic of Gilgamesh is frequently blinded by his superior physical and intellectual gifts.   Gilgamesh is a powerful king, he is widely admired for his many special talents, and though he is cruel his position of authority is never questioned.  There is, however, one goal that eludes Gilgamesh despite his deepest desires and his quest to find the knowledge necessary to defeat death and to thereby become immortal.  Gilgamesh, in effect, views himself as a sort of transcendental figure entitled to escape the inevitability of death.  It is only after a number of failed attempts to secure the secret to immortality that Gilgamesh ultimately realizes that death cannot be escaped and that the limits of immortality relate to what humans contribute and leave for future generations.  His ultimate recognition of mortality therefore underpins his decision to transform from a cruel authoritarian king into a more benevolent leadership figure.  In support of this thesis, that Gilgameshs character was essentially a device to show the inevitability of death and that life should be used for good deeds, this essay will discuss his initial arrogance and how this arrogance is ultimately tempered and channeled into more selfless types of human behavior.  It is in this way, how human beings come to grudgingly accept the inevitability of death, that Gilgamesh is truly representative of all men.

As an initial matter, Gilgamesh pursues a lifestyle that stresses the satisfaction of his personal needs rather than the needs or the desires of other people.  He rapes women when he is sexually attracted, he forces his subjects to build monuments to satisfy his enormous ego, and  he seems to view the kingdom as existing to refelect his own superiority rather than existing to benefit all of its inhabitants.  The turning point is when Gilgameshs arrogance is at its peak, when he and Enkido are returning from the forest of cedar trees, and he pompously rejects the romantic advances made by Ishtar.  She is a goddess, she represents love, and Gilgamesh views himself as being too important for the love of a single woman even if she is a goddess.  The text provides the severity of this rebuke, Gilgamesh attracts the eye of Ishtar, goddess of love. She proposes marriage, sweetening the proposal with offers of power and wealth. He rejects her, contemptuously listing the miseries she has caused her previous lovers.  This is a pivotal moment in the text because it is the height of Gilgameshs arrogance and it is the event which ultimately persuades the Gods to kill Enkido in a manner that forces Gilgamesh to grapple with his own potential mortality.  There are events in the lives of all men which suddenly reinforce the inevitability of death these events are various and might include the death of a parent or the onset of an unanticipated illness.  For Gilgamesh, Enkidos death forces him to question whether he might be able to escape death.

Gilgamesh consequently engages in a quest to find the secret knowledge whereby immortality can be achieved.  In this respect, Gilgamesh is again representative of all men.  Stem cell research and cryogenics are scientific areas of knowledge in which human beings seek to delay or to evade death.  The knowledge which Gilgamesh seeks, though hardly as advanced as todays scientific theories, is nevertheless the same in terms of seeking to acquire a type of knowledge through which his death can be delayed or evaded.  Indeed, confronted by the scorpion guards, Gilgamesh explicitly states the purpose of his quest, I have come on account of my ancestor Utanapishtim, who joined the Assembly of the Gods, and was given eternal life. About Death and Life I must ask him.  He ultimately fails to secure this knowledge, as all men throughout history have consistently failed, and it is only when he realizes that he cannot escape death that he begins to transform from a cruel figure into a more benevolent figure.  This is because his that human mortality applies to him forces Gilgamesh to seek his immortality by being a good king in a way that will create an everlasting legacy even though he will physically die.

In the final analysis, Gilgamesh is representative of all men in several respects.  He lives a youthful life in which arrogance predominates and death seems an impossibility later however, with the death of his closest friend, it suddenly becomes clear that death is an extraordinarily pervasive phenomenon.  Rather than admitting his own mortality with the death of Enkido, Gilgamesh instead attempts to secure the secret knowledge necessary to delay or eliminate this future death.  Maturity and wisdom come when he finally accepts that this type of knowledge is inaccessible and that immortality is achieved through good deeds rather than everlasting life.