Antigone’s Judicial Hierarchy Essay -- Sophocles Antigone Papers

Antigone’s Judicial Hierarchy In Antigone, one of the most renowned Greek tragedies, Sophocles constructs a conflict that questions the very definition of justice. Considering a play based almost entirely on the acts of a single individual in clear defiance of a king’s decree, questions of right and wrong necessarily persist. It is difficult, however, for one to understand justice in deciphering the opinions of the two conflicting parties, Creon and Antigone, as these two clearly have opposing biased perspectives. It becomes prudent to examine the concept of justice in the eyes of the chorus, who has the necessary perspective to provide unbiased commentary in Antigone. Throughout Antigone, the chorus constructs a judicial hierarchy in which the subjects of the polis must submit to the laws of their king, and the king must fulfill his obligations according to the universal law established by the gods. The judicial hierarchy of Antigone is established early on in the tragedy, and is finally articulated clearly in the final lines spoken by the chorus. For the chorus, justice requires that the ruler of a polis have absolute power, and that his subjects follow his decrees to the letter. Early on, the chorus says, â€Å"to use any legal means lies in your power, both about the dead and those of us who live,† (ln.213-214). This could be interpreted simply as a citizen appealing to the hubris of his ruler, straying from honesty and moving toward appeasement, but given the manner in which the chorus interacts with Creon later in the play, it is much more likely that he truly believes that Creon, or any leader for that matter, is just in demanding that his laws be followed by his subjects. The implication here is that Creon has absolut... ...us in Antigone constructs a controversial conception of judicial hierarchy, which places accountability for the actions of a country’s subjects in the hands of the ruler and the accountability of that ruler in the hands of the gods. According to this system, both Antigone and Creon are guilty of injustices, and both received the just punishment for their actions. Antigone suffered at the hands of her ruler for the violation of his decrees, and rightly so. For what is a constitution in which the word of the sovereign is inefficacious? Creon suffered at the hands of the gods, to whom he alone was accountable. The pain that he feels as a result of the death of his son and wife is swift retribution from the gods, cutting off his foolish path, a path toward injustice. Works Cited Sophocles, Antigone. Trans. Grene. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1991.

Analysis of The Time Machine Essay -- essays papers

Analysis of The Time Machine The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is considered a â€Å"classic† in today’s literary community. I also believe that this novel is a good book. It was an interesting story the first time I studied it, and I have found new ideas each time I have read it since. It is amazing that such a simple narrative could have so many complex ideas. Unfortunately, some do not take the same position that I do. They cast it off as a silly little novel that deserves no merit. Obviously I disagree with these critics. The Time Machine follows the criteria that I believe a good novel should have. A good novel should include an element of fantasy and should stimulate ideas in the audience that they never came to realize before. The aspect of good versus evil should also be incorporated into a novel, mainly to capture the reader’s attention. If readers find themselves rooting for a particular character or set of characters against another, they become involved in the novel. The chara cters should also be realistic so the audience can relate to them. The Time Machine follows these criteria with few exceptions. Why should this novel be looked at now, 100 years after it was written? The Time Machine is a science fiction novel that has a much different view of the future than the view that is commonly held today. Modern society foresees the future as a technologically advanced society that would make our present society look primitive. Many movies today portray this view of the future. Wells’s view of the future is the antithesis to the one that is held today. The regression of society is rarely discussed as the future. The idea that human beings have reached their progressive and evolutionary peak could be an actuality. The Time Machine could be a possibility for the future despite the universal belief that humans still have a long way to progress. Neither technology nor peacefulness exists in the future that The Time Machine portrays. Wells apparently has a grim outlook for what society will evolve to in the future. Wells introduces a meta-utopia or a dystopian future, which is, to say the least, a radically unique idea. A meta-utopian society is one that regresses instead of progresses. The protagonist of the book, the Time Traveller, builds a time machine and travels to the year 802,701. The landscape that he relates to the reader is a he... ...he realism of the novel. The one character that is realistic is the Time Traveller. He is an integral character the audience identifies with. He is not portrayed as a crazy scientist performing a maniacal experiment. Readers can see themselves as the Time Traveller. He is a normal guy that happens to travel through time. Without the realism of the Time Traveller Wells loses the audience. The Time Machine still holds the same appeal today as it did 100 years ago. The essential elements for a successful novel are incorporated into Wells’s greatest work. He is able to keep the audience interested and has set the precedent for the science fiction genre. The use of a time machine has been used in movies and other novels throughout the years. The idea that one can travel through time is a concept that appeals to many and to our memories of the past. As children, we would pretend we were some sort of hero that would have great adventures. The Time Machine’s premise is similar to these childhood fantasies. The Time Machine remains popular because of its introduction of new ideas of the future, and the fantasy that it portrays brings the reader to a world quite different than our own.

Plato Vs Shelley :: essays research papers

Many works of literature provide responses to much debated topics. Opinions are brought forth by means of rhetorical devices and supported by some type of accepted truth. In two such pieces, The Republic by Plato and â€Å"A Defense of Poetry† by Shelley, Plato expresses a belief about poetry that Shelley disagrees with and responds to. Through rhetorical devices such as metaphors and symbolism and the use of deductive logic and Socratic writing, Plato provides a strong, very supported argument while Shelley’s long sentence structure, analogies and metaphors are weak in comparison.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The way in which Plato uses deductive logic to express his opinion allows him to fully develop his ideas without making assertions that are incredible. Plato begins with the idea of the ultimate â€Å"maker of the bed†, which he refers to as G-d which is easily accepted by the majority of an audience. Plato believed that there is only one who â€Å"makes the essence of the bed,† (44) the single idea and therefore that is the truth. From there he goes to the carpenter. â€Å"There is another (bed) which is the work of the carpenter.† (44) And finally Plato defines his thesis through metaphor. He uses a metaphor that compares the work of a poet to a mirror. â€Å"Turning a mirror round and round – you would soon enough make the sun and the heavens, and the earth and yourself, and other animals and plants, and all other things of which we were just speaking, in the mirror†¦but they would be appearances only.† (44) The way in wh ich the writing is interactive with two people creates contradictions, which challenge Plato’s beliefs, yet they are still proven throughout. â€Å"Why not? For the duller eye may often see a thing sooner than the keener. â€Å"Very true, but in your presence, even if I had any further notion, I could not muster courage to utter it.† (43) While this Socratic writing helps Plato to make his argument even more concrete, Shelley uses essay form to portray his ideas somewhat in response to beliefs like those of Plato.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shelley’s writing differs in form from Plato’s in that Shelley’s is more straight forward and seems almost as if it were meant to be preached. â€Å"Reason is to the imagination as the instrument to the agent, as the body to the spirit, as the shadow to the substance.† (429) The analogy that Shelley uses portrays that reason is the basis of the imagination, implying that poetry holds truth, yet it is an idealized truth, which is determined by Plato in The Republic to be essentially false.

Meritocracy: Sociology and American Dream Essay

Peter Saunders (1990, 1996) has been one of the most vocal critics of the British tradition of social mobility research encompassing studies such as those done by Glass and Goldthorpe. According to Saunders, Britian is a true meritocracy because rewards go naturally to those who are best able to ‘perform’ and achieve. In his view, ability and effort are the key factors in occupational success, not class background. Saunders uses empirical data from the National Child Development Study to show that children who are bright and hard-working will succeed regardless of the social advantages or disadvantages they may experience. In his estimation, Britain may be an unequal society, but it is a fair one. In response to such claims, Richard Breen and John Goldthorpe criticize Saunders on both theoretical and methodological grounds. The authors conclude that individual merit is certainly a contributing factor in dterminng individuals’ class positions, but that ‘class of origin’ remains a powerful influence. According to Breen and Goldthorpe, children from disadvantaged must show more merit that those who are advantaged to acquire similar class positions. Page 303 Sociology 4th edition by Anthony Giddens 2001 Blackwell Publishing ltd Oxford uk Meritiocracy – A system in which social positions are filled on the basis of individual merit and achievement, rather than ascribed criteria such as inherited wealth, sex or social background. Pg 693 Schools and Society – info in blue book If the American Dream of meritocracy is our country’s promise, public education is what ensures that promise to all children. Education more than any institution is the system’s way of making certain that achievement is independently earned, not tied to one’s background. Pg 274 The American Dream does not guarantee that everyone will make it in America but it presumes that despite inequalities in their circumstances each individual will have a fair chance, an equal opportunity and no one will be unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged. Given that we are born into different families with very different backgrounds, the system must provide some way to balance our opportunities. A major role of the institution of education is to do just that it is supposed to level out what is an initially uneven playing field. Pg 274 Education was viewed as the Great Equalizer making the American Dream real, and also as the key to the dream. Education provides at least in theory a clear route to follow : ifi you work hard enough in school, then you can be anything, do anything, rise up to any level you choose. Pg 274 What was considered to be a â€Å"good school†? . Parents said that good schools had updated facilities and equipment, stimulating atmospheres and high-quality educational programs. They said they are safe, had teachers who are dedicated, small class sizes, computers, healthy environments and successful graduates who went on to excel academically and occupationally. Pg 277 Sociology making sense of society 4th ed – Marsh Keating Here we can see a continuation of Durkheim’s psotiivist approach, with its emphasis on description rather than criticism. Its implication that education contributes towards a meritocratic system (in which pupils’ educational achievements are based only on ability and effort† has been severelet challenged. As research has repeatedly highlighted the profound effects of social inequalities on educational outcomes.

Restoration Period

The restoration is an interesting time in history. People from all over the world, especially Europe, were moving to American. It was during this time that the colonies rebelled and we soon became our own nation. When the period started England had just ended a 20 year civil war. The plague had killed many and England was finally settling down. When the restoration was starting, most authors still modeled everything they did on the classics: Greek, Roman, etc. People were starting to gain an understanding of the world and be less superstitious.With all of the new reasons for things being given by science, religion had to change too. This was also when the smaller minorities of society became more ignored and repressed. But when the puritans fell out of power things started to happen. Theaters re-opened, satire appeared, and so did journalism. The Restoration period was marked by an advance in colonization and overseas trade, by the Dutch Wars, by the great plague (1665) and the great fire of London (1666), by the birth of the Whig and Tory parties, and by the Popish Plot and other manifestations of anti-Catholicism.In literature perhaps the most outstanding result of the Restoration was the reopening of the theaters, which had been closed since 1642, and a consequent great revival of the drama (see English literature). The drama of the period was marked by brilliance of wit and by licentiousness, which may have been a reflection of the freeness of court manners. The last and greatest works of John Milton fall within the period but are not typical of it; the same is true of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (1678).The age is vividly brought to life in the diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn, and in poetry the Restoration is distinguished by the work of John Dryden and a number of other poets. Restoration literature, English literature written after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following the period of the Commonwealth. Some literary historians speak of the period as bounded by the reign of Charles II (1660–85), while others prefer to include within its scope the writings produced during the reign of James II (1685–88), and even literature of the 1690s is often spoken of as â€Å"Restoration. By that time, however, the reign of William III and Mary II (1689–1702) had begun, and the ethos of courtly and urban fashion was as a result sober, Protestant, and even pious, in contrast to the sexually and intellectually libertine spirit of court life under Charles II. Many typical literary forms of the modern world—including the novel, biography, history, travel writing, and journalism—gained confidence during the Restoration period, when new scientific discoveries and philosophical concepts as well as new social and economic conditions came into play.There was a great outpouring of pamphlet literature, too, much of it politico-religious, while John Bunyan’s great allegory, Pilgrim’s Pr ogress, also belongs to this period. Much of the best poetry, notably that of John Dryden (the great literary figure of his time, in both poetry and prose), the earl of Rochester, Samuel Butler, and John Oldham, was satirical and led directly to the later achievements of Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, and John Gay in the Augustan Age. The Restoration period was, above all, a great age of drama.Heroic plays, influenced by principles of French Neoclassicism, enjoyed a vogue, but the age is chiefly remembered for its glittering, critical comedies of manners by such playwrights as George Etherege, William Wycherley, Sir John Vanbrugh, and William Congreve. (For further discussion of this period, see English literature: The Restoration. ) King Charles I was executed in the January of 1649. He was the supreme King of Britain, with suzerainty over England, Scotland and Ireland. However, he earned a lot of disrespect from the Parliament for his preposterous theory known as Divine Rights of Kings.The Parliament feared he was turning into an absolutist monarch and would eventually sideline the democracy that was so carefully established in Britain. In his final years, he was engaged in Civil Wars. The First English Civil War (1642) was against the Parliament and the Puritans of England. He was defeated in this War in 1645, but he continued his ideologies. In 1948, there was a Second Civil War, and he was defeated again in 1649. This time, he was captured, tried, convicted and finally executed for treason. The Parliament took over, formed a republic that came to be known as the Commonwealth of England.Monarchy, apparently, came to an end. Restoration of Monarchy by Charles II But, what seemed to be an end for monarchy actually turned out to be only a pause. 11 years later, in 1660, Charles I's son, Charles II assumed monarchy once again. The resurgence of monarchy was brought about by a series of historically significant incidents. One of the main leaders of the republi can government formed after Charles I was Oliver Cromwell, who was by title the Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland. He was also the commander of the armies that fought against Charles I in the English Civil Wars.Old Ironsides, as he was referred to, valiantly brought England, Scotland and Ireland under a unanimous republican rule after the execution of Charles I, and he was in fact one of the main persons responsible for his execution. Oliver Cromwell died in 1658 of a host of ailments. Historians attribute his death to malaria and urinary infections, but there could have been several other reasons. Cromwell was succeeded by his son Richard as the Lord Protectorate. However, Richard was not popular with the Army. The Army was prompt in removing him.Several other transfers of power later, Charles II issued what is known as the Declaration of Breda on April 4, 1660. This declaration was to lay down the fact that he was interested in accepting the Crown of England. Taking into consideration the various failed seizes of power in England, the Parliament accepted the terms. On 8 May, 1649, the Parliament accepted that Charles II had been the lawful monarch of England after the death of Charles I. Charles II returned from The Hague, where he was exiling, and assumed monarchy of England. This is what is known as the English Restoration.

Holocaust: Nazi Propaganda, Anti-Semitism, Auschwitz, Survivors, and Rescue in Denmark

Nazi Propaganda and Censorship While Hitler was coming to power, the Nazis orchestrated a massive propaganda campaign to win the loyalty and cooperation of Germans. All media whose viewpoints threatened Nazi beliefs were either censored or eliminated altogether. In May of 1933, more than 25,000 books written by both Jewish and non-Jewish authors including Helen Keller were burned. On December 5th in 1930, Joseph Goebbels disrupted the premiere of â€Å"All Quiet on the Western Front† with smoke and sneezing bombs because its views were considered â€Å"un-German. Even schoolbooks were censored from classrooms. The Nazi’s controlled the media so they could integrate Nazi racism and ideas into it. On March 13th, 1933, Goebbels was appointed head of the Reich Propaganda Ministry. As the head, he condemned works written by Jews, liberals, leftists, pacifists, foreigners, and many others. New textbooks were put into classrooms praising Hitler and anti-Semitism. Hence, peopl e were taught blind obedience to the Nazi party. Anti-Semitism Jewish people have been faced with prejudices and discriminations throughout istory. They were isolated in Christian societies, which, if you can remember, were almost everywhere. The Church taught that the Jews were responsible for Jesus’s death, and that they also caused the â€Å"Black Death,† which was the plague that killed thousands of people. The ignorance of people never ceases to surprise me. Because of these accusations, Jews couldn’t hold certain jobs or own land. It must’ve been hard not being able to express yourself the way everyone else did. Jews either had to convert to Christianity, leave the country, or be persecuted. Influential people mistakenly defined them as a race, which ultimately meant that even if they did convert to Christianity, they were still Jews by blood. The government either organized or didn’t prevent violent attacks on Jews, which involved murder and then looting. Why was so much hate projected towards the Jews? Auschwitz When educated people hear â€Å"Auschwitz,† a pretty picture does not come to mind. Auschwitz was the largest concentration camp established by the Germans in the 1940s. It was altogether a concentration, extermination, and forced-labor camp. In just five years, over one million innocent people lost their lives. If they could work or were some use to the Germans, their lives were spared. If they couldn’t work, this includes the sick, the elderly, children, et cetera, they were sent to gas chambers. Auschwitz’s four LARGEST gas chambers could hold and kill 2,000 people at once. Afterwards, their bodies were burned. As mentioned earlier, the workers were left alive, but had live in unbearable conditions. They were not insulated from the heat or cold; they wore the same clothes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They were malnourished and were often fed rotten, molded food. Dr. Josef Mengele performed cruel experiments on twins, dwarves, as well as the sick, and then killed them if they didn’t die during the experiments. It really is no surprise that most prisoners survived only a few weeks to months in Auschwitz. Survivors Returning to life before the Holocaust was impossible for victims. Not only was it impossible, but it was also dangerous. People would think that after all the Jews had been through, that they’d learn to take it easy on them. But still, there were anti-Jewish riots and pogroms when survivors returned. Rumors spread about Jewish people killing Polish children and using their blood for rituals. Due to these rumors, even more riots broke out, one in particular where 41 people were murdered, and 50 more were wounded. Even if the people had been peaceful to the survivors, they wouldn’t have had a place to live. Many came home to find that their homes had been looted and/or taken over. With nowhere to live, the Jewish people were put into Displaced Persons’ camps. After being ejected by many countries, the United Nations finally voted to divide Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state. Even the United States changed their immigration policy to allow more Jews to enter. I guess the survivors had found hope after all. Rescue in Denmark Not everyone actively supported and collaborated with the Nazi Germans. Yet again, nor did they take a stand on what was happening and help the Jewish and minority grou ps. Millions of people nationwide stood by as the Holocaust occurred. People told themselves that it was none of their business. Many others were just frightened. Helping Jews was punishable by death, after all. Only one country stood up for their Jewish people, and that was Denmark. They had help from many outside forces to help smuggle almost 8000 Jews, almost the entire Jewish population in Denmark, out before the Nazis could come. Even with all the combined efforts though, about 500 Jews were still deported to a concentration camp. Still, all but 51 survived due to the Danish government pestering the Nazis about the welfare of their people. A French clergyman smuggled about 12,000 Jewish children into Switzerland and Spain.

Axia College of University of Phoenix Essay

The purpose and meaning of life, is to live it in the most meaningful way a person can. I work hard on this daily, and try to show the younger generation that life can be so beautiful in a lot of positive ways if you lead it the way you want it. My personal narrative will be away to express myself like I have not done before by using theories in my readings. I am a thirty-year-old man who is very energetic, outgoing, hard working that not only values my life, but everyone else’s as well. The past five years of my life have been a five-part movie that could have big as the Lord of the Rings series. I started school, two businesses, regular job I got promoted, and bought a new house. I have had to take a back seat on being there for all my family, and friends like I am use to, because for once I had to utilize time for myself. My meaning of life stayed the same thru out these years; I think these things have made me more mature on things, and to love myself a little more. The major thing that made me really evolve in the past 5 years I believe is starting school. Six years prior to me starting at UOP I dropped out of college, because I had no clue what I wanted to use my skills for, I was very lost, unhappy, and I was doing nothing for myself it was for everyone else. That single event by enrolling back in school changed my personality over night for the better. The next day I started weeding people out of my life that where imputing nothing but negatives in it. That was defiantly the turning point for me without a doubt. This event came at the right time also in my life since I was in a very dark place at the time, so I guess you can say it was meant to be. Then I started two business ventures that I had wanted to start which proved to me that I could do something for myself to benefit my life and stability. I now have more than enough responsibilities that I did not have before, like keeping my business in order supplies to maintaining my customer relationships. My new house has been the biggest ordeal and not in a bad way it has been extremely difficult to get it to my standards, and since I am so busy I have not taking time just for my house. These challenging changes in my life now are very hard to deal with, but I would not make any changes at all, because this is the happiest I have been. I have been hard on myself, but not to the point of stressing. Happiness proves to be an interesting window through which to view continuity and change in personality (McAdams, 2006). With that said it shows in my everyday life that no matter what I am faced with today my life is a lot better now than then. I took a lot growing up without a father from not being able to afford things I wanted to not having the self-confidence in myself to make change. When you receive that unexpected high grade on a tough assignment, you are likely to feel good, and your well-being shoots way up (McAdams, 2006). Starting my businesses, buying the house, and getting promoted where some very tough assignments in the past five years, but I feel so much better about who I am with a better well being. What roles have religion, race, culture, family, and gender played in the development of my personality, well the major thing that played a role was family. My family pushed me so much to a point where failing would not be expectable in any manner. My girlfriend has never stopped believing in me she always said I will be somebody, and no one can take that from me. My race, and religion beliefs did not have a huge factor in any part of this, but my personality got me sixty percent of what I have today. Looking back on the past seeing the transition that has taking place in my life from five years ago is something in itself to boost my ego. Five years ago without UOP I can honestly say that there is no way I would be where I am now. Life is a wonderful thing to have, we make our own destiny, and being rich or poor should not make us who we are, but being in love with life and our good talents that we possess should play a huge part of what we are. McAdams, D. (2006). The person: a new introduction to personality psychology. (4th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.