Oedipus Is to Blame in Oedipus Rex Essay -- Oedipus the King Oedipus R

Oedipus Is to Blame In Sophicle's Oedipus The King, Oedipus plays the lead character in the play. Oedipus plays blindfolded throughout the play. His character that he betrays is typical of those who honestly believe they have no part in the situation that occurs. I agree with Bernard Knox that Oedipus is responsible for the tragic outcome of the play. Oedipus's investigation of the death of King Laius is the reason for the tragic ending. The scene where Oedipus opens the investigation is the first step toward his downfall. Oedipus covers up the murder and is nervous when he hears the news. It is Oedipus's continuous effort to find the murderer. He wants to find the murderers of the king, not knowing that he is the murderer. Oedipus is the head investigator for the murder of King Laius. Even though he tells the people of Thebes that, "I am ready to help." He promises the people that he would do anything t...

john kerry :: essays research papers

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry was the second Democrat to enter the race, announcing on December 1, 2002. Going into 2004, he was not considered a front-runner but came back to win the Iowa caucuses and almost every primary and caucus afterward, gathering enough delegates to be the Democratic nominee. His history includes a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1966 and a law degree from Boston College in 1976. His military service includes the Navy from 1966 to 1970 and the Naval Reserves from 1972 to 1978. He was first elected Massachusetts lieutenant governor in 1982 until 1984. He was then elected as a U.S. senator in 1984, and he considered a presidential run in 2000. Kerry has his own unique position on many key issues, including national security, the environment and energy, and education just being a few. One issue that Kerry has spoken about is our national security. Especially after September 11th, many people want a president who will be able to provide us with a safe place to live. Kerry has many new plans that he will put into effect to do this. First, he backs letting the Patriot Act expire without congressional approval. He does not believe that this act will make Americans safer, but instead feels that it infringes on our rights as citizens. Also to protect our rights, he is against labeling U.S. citizens "enemy combatants". Next we need to be able to track and stop terrorists before they are able to strike. Many of the intelligence problems that allowed terrorists to slip into our country before 9/11 have not been addressed. Kerry will improve our ability to gather, analyze, and share information so we can track down and stop terrorists before they cause us harm by setting up new organizations and reforming the ones in place already. We then need to protect our bord ers and shores. Today, our borders, our ports, and our airports are not as secure as they must be. Kerry will make our airports, seaports, and borders more secure without intruding upon personal liberties by giving these areas the resources and training that they desperately need. Also to help improve the border situation, Kerry will speed the immigration process to help unite families and decrease the amount of illegal aliens crossing into the country. The hardening of vulnerable targets is also part of his plan to protect Americans.

Black Plague Wh2

Where did the plague begin and spread? The plague began in 1348 in East Asia but very quickly spread to Florence, Italy. 1b. What two possible cause did Boccaccio suggest for such a terrible event? Boccaccio suggested that it was through the influence of heavenly bodies or that it was God’s anger because of our wicked deeds. 2. How did people behave to those that were sick? Why? The city ordered that the streets be cleansed and any sick person was forbidden from entering the city. Many people acted this way out of fear of catching the disease themselves. 3. How did the plague affect city government and laws? Many of the upper class citizens stayed inside their homes, secluded from the outside world. 4. What aspect of people’s behavior seems to shock Boccaccio the most? The cruel opinions people had of the plague. Many citizens stayed away from each other and many others abandoned the city, leaving no one to care for the sick people. 5. Most of the upper-class stayed inside and stayed secluded from the outside world. While hiding they ate and drank plentifully, while trying to stay merry and positive. The lower and middle classes used flowers to hide the odor while on the street/ personally I would have chosen staying in seclusion. 6. The plague had to be one of the most devastating epidemic to sweep Europe in the 14th century and in their history. I don’t think that any moment during this time frame even compares to the damage the Black Plague did to Europe.

Plato †Justice Essay

1. Introduction In this essay in is a discussion about based on philosopher and which group of people Plato thinks should be ruling and why. The essay will start off with clarifying key concepts, for example what is a philosopher because it is much easier to understand the easy when one understands the key terms in it, terms that will appear throughout the essay itself. Then Plato’s theory will then be analysed in more detail and it is also of great importance that one also talks about Plato’s background because that is where he started to see things and that is when he started having ideas as to how the country should be ruled or governed and who should be doing the governing. It is also very important for a person to look at what was said by other people about Plato’s ideal state. 2. Clarification of key concepts. Bellow will be the clarification of key concepts and by that it simply means that the key words that will be used in this essay will be defined and understood a little more better for convenient reading. 2. 1 What is a philosopher? When one is tackling such an essay it is very important that one understands what a philosopher is and what makes one a philosopher. Well a philosopher is a person who always trying to understand life and why things are done the way they are being done and also find better ways of doing things. Philosophers seek answers to the questions of life and seek solutions. Philosophers use their intellect and also their personal experiences. Philosophers are also people that love to share wisdom and teach others what they already know so that they can also grow. When one talks about philosophers it is mostly about people that are deep thinkers and they think about life and the things that happen around them on a daily basis. According to Benson (1992: 63) â€Å"during the ancient times Greek philosophers would sometimes spend the whole day thinking and for that day they would not talk to anyone, it would be just them and their thoughts†. A philosopher can be anyone and from any gender, anyone who has an interest in the study of knowledge. 2. 2 Theory of Justice According to Pappas (1995: 32) â€Å"justice is defined by Polemarchus as the act of giving what belongs to the person and doing good to friends and not good by enemies†. Theory of justice is all about treating people fairly and by fairly it means as they deserve. Rawls (2001: 83) points out that justice can be defined two different ways, one definition being that a person must earn it for example by merit or an individual can lack it. So according to this definition it is clear that it simply means that one must be treated exactly as they deserve. This â€Å"merit theory† of justice, reflecting utilitarian ethics, uses merit to determine just how individual members of society will be rewarded or punished based solely upon whether one’s conduct is useful or harmful to society. The â€Å"need theory† of justice, which assumes that individual members of society should help those other members who are most in need so as to redress their disadvantages. So this is all about treating people as they deserve and rewarding them as they should be or for some punishing them. 3. 3 Theory of Souls Plato’s Theories of Soul According to Lorenz & Hendrik â€Å"there were various developments that were occurring in the sixth and fifth centuries in the way Greeks thought and spoke of the soul resulted in a very complex notion that strikes one as amazingly close to conceptions of the soul that we find in fourth century philosophical theories, notably Plato’s†. There is thus some reason to think that the philosophical theories in question are best interpreted as working with, and on, the relatively non-theoretical notion of the soul that by the end of the fifth century has come to be embedded in ordinary language. In what follows our main concern will be to characterize some of the theories in question. But we should also attend, wherever this seems appropriate and helpful, to ways in which familiarity with the ordinary notion of the soul might enable us better to understand why a theory or an argument proceeds the way it does. In addition, we should note ways in which philosophical theories might seem to clarify and further articulate the ordinary notion. We begin with Plato, and with a question that is intimately tied up with the ordinary notion of the soul as it developed from the Homeric poems onwards, namely whether a person’s soul does indeed survive the person’s death. 3. Plato’s background In understanding Plato more it is very important that one also knows Plato’s background. Plato was born in the year 427 BC and was born in an Aristocratic family. An Aristocratic family is one that is on the one hand impractical, reason being that they were based on a God-like willingness to place the good of the community before the rulers own interest (Heywood, 2007:28). According to Plato politics in natural and not artificial. It is also important that one states that Plato’s greatest influence was Socrates as he learned a lot from him. 4. How Plato views democracy and who should rule according to Plato Heywood (2007: 71) states that thinkers such as Plato as well as Aristotle had a different view to democracy and they saw it as a system that was there to rule masses at the expense of wisdom and property. Plato wanted people to be ruled by philosophers. According to Heywood (2007: 76) â€Å"political equality was useless and he attacked it on grounds that the people possess neither the wisdom nor the experience to rule wisely on their behalf†. So according to Plato the best people for the job of representing the people it was the philosophers. Plato believed that the philosophers were wise educated people that would apply logical thinking and also use experience too. According to Plato in his book â€Å"the republic† Plato stated that government should be placed in the hands of the philosophers being the kings and guardians. And their rule will be that viewed as dictatorship. Plato called this â€Å"Rule by the virtuous† (Heywood, 2007:76). As it was said by Plato himself that the states troubles will never end and civilisation itself, till the world is ruled by philosophers being kings. Plato states that political power must be in the hands of kings (Plato, 2007: 192). One can say that Plato came with really good points as to why knowledgeable person should be the one’s put in charge to rule and govern the world and for them to bring happiness and justice to the world; it may look like the ideal Republic. But still with all that said it is still unrealistic. And to further show that that is unrealistic, as it was said by Aristotle â€Å"man by nature is a political animal and it is inevitable for all†. People will always have something to say as to how they would like to see things happening and people will always want to voice out their opinions about what they do not like and how it should be done. People want to be involved in decisions that will affect them at the end of the day. Plato’s argument is seen as unrealistic because it is like he is asking people to just turn a blind eye in the political process and also to leave their rights and opinions in the hands of the philosophers and is so doing they will be giving in to being dictated. All one sees is that Plato’s ideal state will be just unfit, the same thing that he said about a democratic state, and it is just unfit. Plato’s argument could be seen as valid as he states that philosophers have the â€Å"capacity to grasp the eternal and absolute†, as it is clear to see that common men or the public have no true knowledge of reality to govern themselves (Plato, 2007: 204). Nevertheless, this argument is not persuasive or realistic in contemporary politics and the modern state, for a number of reasons. Plato’s idea of specialization is also linked to justice, which he considers to be structural, as political justice is a result of a structured city, where individual justice is a result of a structured soul, and where each member of the polis has a â€Å"specific craft for which he has a natural aptitude† (Reeve; 2009, 69). â€Å"Ruling †¦ is a skill† (Wolff; 2006, 68), which requires special training available to few. At the same time, philosophers must possess qualities that enable them to rule; for instance, they must be able to recognize the difference between friend and foe, good and bad. Above all, philosophers must â€Å"love wisdom† (Nichols; 1984, 254), as the rule of the wise leads to the reigning of justice, as philosophy becomes sovereign. Justice is a virtue, as is knowledge, which requires understanding. Understanding refers to goodness, and thus, knowledge and goodness are one. The philosopher kings have virtue as they have knowledge, and thus, according to Plato, their rule is justified. Conclusion.

Famous People from West Virgina

Famous People from West Virginia Thomas â€Å"Stonewall† Jackson (1824-1863) Jackson was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He was a Confederate general and won at the First Battle of Bull Run during the Civil War. He was accidentally killed by one of his men at Chanvellorsville. Anna Jarvis (1864-1948) Jarvis was born in Grafton, West Virginia. She was a promoter who worked to make Mother's Day a nationally celebrated holiday. Morgan Morgan (1688-1766) Morgan was a pioneer and the first white settler in West Virginia. He built a log cabin near Bunker Hill. Mary Lou Retton (1968- )Retton was born in Fairmont, West Virginia, and was a gymnast. She won a gold medal for the best all-around gymnast performance in the 1984 Olympics and was the first American gymnast to win a medal since 1948. Cyrus Vance (1917- ) Vance was born Clarksburg, West Virginia, and was a diplomat. He represented President Johnson in Panama, Cyprus and in urban riot centers. He negotiated the release of th e USS Pueblo and its crew. Vance was the United States secretary of state from 1977-1981. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) Washington grew up in Malden, West Virginia, and was and educator and reformer.He thought that blacks should work for education and employment instead of fighting social equality with whites. He founded the National Negro Business League. He wrote a book called Up. West Virginia Fun Facts West Virginia is the only state in the Union to have acquired its sovereignty by proclamation of the President of the United States. West Virginia is considered the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state. Mother’s Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Gafton on May 10, 1908. West Virginia has the oldest population of any state.The median age is 40. Jackson’s Mill is the site of the first 4-H Camp in the United States. The first federal prison exclusively for women in the United States was opened in 1926 in West Virginia. The New Ri ver Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville is the second highest steel arch bridge in the United States. The bridge is also the longest steel arch bridge (1,700 feet) in the world. Every October on Bridge Day, the road is closed and individuals parachute and bungee cord jump 876 feet off the bridge. It is West Virginia’s largest single day event and attracts about 100,000 people each year.The first major land battle fought between Union and Confederate soldiers in the Civil War was the Battle of Philippi on June 3, 1861. One of the nation’s oldest and largest Indian burial grounds is located in Moundsville. It is 69 feet high, 900 feet in circumference, and 50 feet high. An inscribed stone was removed from the vault and is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D. C. The first rural free mail delivery was started in Charles Town on October 6, 1896, and then spread throughout the United States.A naval battle was fought in West Virginia waters during the Civil Wa r. United States armored steamers were actively engaged in the Battle of Buffington Island near Ravenswood on July 19, 1863. A variety of the yellow apple, the Golden Delicious, originated in Clay County. The original Grimes Golden Apple Tree was discovered in 1775 near Wellsburg. West Virginia has a mean altitude of 1,500 feet, giving it the highest average altitude east of the Mississippi. The first electric railroad in the world, built as a commercial enterprise, was constructed between Huntington and Guyandotte.William Tompkins used natural gas to evaporate salt brine in 1841, thus becoming the first person in the United States to use natural gas for industrial purposes. Bailey Brown, the first Union soldier killed in the Civil War, died on May 22, 1861, at Fetterman, Taylor County. Chester Merriman of Romney was the youngest soldier of World War I, having enlisted at the age of 14. The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, on October 23, 1870, on Summers Stree t, between Kanawha and Virginia Streets.

Developing Leadership Attributes

Successful leaders are not born but made; everybody else has the chance to become the effective leader they desire to be. The development of good leadership is a never ending process that involves education self study, training as well as experience. Great leaders are impeccable persons who speak with integrity, one who does not take anything at a personal level. A person with a conviction that other people do and say things in a way that projects own perception is definitely a great leader. An effective leader is that individual who never makes assumptions about things that they do not understand.They always have the courage to ask and seek answers and do normally express themselves on what they actually want or need to be done. Through proper communication styles, an effective leader is able to establish clearly what his or her follows and anyone else want so as to avoid any chance of a misunderstanding. Through this the leader is able to transform an otherwise ordinary management into successful leadership. A great leader always does his best and in the best interest of the organization or followers.This is because, when a leader performs his or her best, he or she is able to change from one moment to another and will also enable him or her to avoid situations of self-abuse, self-judgment as well as regret. This paper is about leadership attributes. It is a discussion on various interviews carried out what managers as well as employees think of a leader and why they think certain people are successful leaders while others do not. It begins with an introduction of what leadership is, then in the second section it describes the three various attributes that are considered by the interviewees.Also discussed are recommendations on how to effectively implement and develop the plan for these attributes. Leadership can generally be termed as a process through which an individual is able to influence others to achieve an objective, while at the same time directing t he organization or followers in such a way that they operate coherently and cohesively. In order to achieve this, effective leaders manage this process through their leadership attributes, like beliefs, ethics, values, knowledge, skills as well as character.Often, people confuse management with leadership. Albeit the position an individual has in an organization or the society as a whole enables him or her to be in a position of authority to carry out specific tasks it does not however make him or her leader. In fact all it does is guaranteeing you the position of a boss from which to exercise the power bestowed. The difference between leadership and management is that a leader does certain things that make his or her followers want to accomplish high goals, instead of just bossing them around.When an individual qualifies you as a leader, she or he is not necessarily thinking about your attributes, but instead observes the things that you do in order for him or her to understand who you really. For instance, when an employee in one of the leading food stores was asked why she has been at the same work place for over 10 years, her response was â€Å" I have never met any person who believes in me like my first branch manager. When I joined the company, I used to be a waitress with no college degree said Chantel. â€Å"But with time, my manger realized the potential I had, and advised me to register for part time classes.Through this is i have managed to rise through the ranks and right now am manager†. Another employee in the medium level industry who believes that a great leader is someone who is able to help others advance by aiding them to overcome, barriers to personal effectiveness was Jefferson. He said â€Å"When I was faced with an eviction notice, I could not find a place to put up, and my performance at work deteriorated. But before I could discuss it with anyone, my immediate supervisor approached me and we talked about my dilemma.Later the manger called me and told me what the supervisor had suggested. The following day I was given a cheque (advance) and thereafter my performance, attitude and punctuality tremendously improve† Said he. He further adds that ever since he has always tried to get the best out of everyone by focusing on their strengths and at the same looking for ways to overcome the barriers. Largely I have been successful even though there are a few people who have disappointed by I learned a lot of respect with so many people looking up to me† said Jefferson.In order to develop this attribute one must first of all understand who and what they are. This can be achieved through being technically, proficient – a leader must know his or her job and have a familiarity with his or her employee. He or she must also make sound decisions through good problem solving skills, being good role model by setting good examples and at the same time now and understand the people you are dealing or wor king by and understanding of human nature as well as the significant of sincerity while caring for others.For instance, Jefferson was able to develop because he had a boss who believed in him and understand his problems with good problem solving skills the supervisor was able to get him out of the situation and at the same time motivate him while also showing that he cares. An effective leader too, should be one who is ready to take risks by proposing new ideas and supporting those of others. A nurse at Healing Hands Hospital says that when she first started working at the hospital six years ago, the problem of bed space for patients was very acute.However, when the manager called for staff meeting and asked for proposals on how to handle the situation. She remembers making a contribution of contracting various insurance agencies to build the extra bed spaces. On her part the manager proposed that home-based care be practiced through electronic transmission. Both of the ideas were i ncorporated and up to now the hospital have managed to provide acute health care 3 fold the initial number. This is a demonstration of effective leadership according to this nurse. To her when the manger decided the new idea, which had not been anywhere else, she took a great risk.Even though, she manger had implemented the electronic system, she did not just stop these and incorporated others ideas. The nurse has been able to practice the art of risk taking while also listening to new ideas while not paying lip service. Supporting this idea was a college tutor who had been approached by his principle on which methods of teaching could be adopted by the college to improve their performance. When asked what made this special to him Shawn says â€Å"just by the mere thought of approaching me alone was a great idea, even if it was not implement it meant so much to me.It made a whole difference when I realized part of my suggestions were considered. † Being that I was new at the college I did not envisage this situation. But, it was timely as I was able to bring new ideas from my old school that worked for the school alongside others. When a manager engages in risks and listens to others according to these two it is a sure way of being an effective leader. There are sure ways in which these can be achieved. First design the plan of seeking responsibility and at the same time take responsibility for the actions by finding new ways to lead the organizations to new heights.Always do an analysis of the situation never lay the blame on others. Through risk taking a leader can begin by making timely and sound decisions through good problem solving skills, planning tools as well as good decision-making. Great leaders inspire their followers toward a shared hopeful vision and future. This can be achieved by first articulating the vision to the followers by finding a process that they believe in then sharing the vision in ways and works than can be understood by eve ryone (followers).The leader can then empower the followers with tools as well as methods to solve problems and improve their solution. He ors he can then model the way in case the situation gets murky, the leader is able to demonstrate what can be done while at the same time sharing the glory with the heart of the followers and keeping the pain in his or her own heart. A manager at a local retail store believes that her effective leadership has be achieved through her actions.For instance, she makes it her business to help employees understand the corporations overall business strategy, how they can contribute toward achieving the essential goals and sharing information with them. All these she summarizes by effectively communicating the company’s vision. Supporting this attribute is a waitress at liquor store who has been amazed by her manager’s makes it his point to attend to patrons who seem unruly and disrespectful. Instead of forcing them to handle the situations he makes it his business. She says â€Å"He does it with finesse that you can’t help but admire and then apply his skills later. References Concepts of leadership: last updated date March 10, 2007. http://www.nwlink.com/~Donclark/leader/leadcom.html Retrieved on 9 November 2007

Kant vs. Virtue Ethics Essay

When we talk about whether or not a person is ethically right, we can look at the actions that he or she may partake in. These actions maybe studied in different situations such as the one that we were told to evaluate. While leaving the grocery store, one witnesses an old man struggling with his oxygen tank. Without thinking, you lift the tank and help the elderly man. This action is a kind gesture, but would we consider this a moral act? One could analyze this situation with two different ethical theories, by Kantian and/or Aristotelian views. The approach that we take with Kant's views is strictly based on reason. The key factor in this situation with Kant would ask if we did this action without any thought. Because Kant heavily This case only brings the group off track again as yet another disagreement has to be resolved. While these conflicts themselves might have held the jurors back, the competition approach to these sources of conflict moved the group in the right direction. For example, Juror #9, the old man, approached Juror #10’s insults and stereotyping in competitive fashion, claiming that people are not simply born liars. Later, Juror #10 calls the accused boy a â€Å"common ignorant slob [that] don’t even speak good English,† after which immigrant Juror #11 competitively corrects him. In the end, almost every juror takes a competitive approach to juror #10’s insulting in one of the film’s most powerful scenes as they, one by one, leave the table and turn their backs on him. The jurors unsympathizing intolerance of Juror #10’s bigoted views serve as a prime example of a competitive approach to conflict. The conflict and the approach to the conflict between the jurors and Juror #10 bring the group together as the votes slowly change from guilty to not guilty. Another major source of conflict is the other jurors’ disinterested approach to the trial. Almost every juror approaches Juror #8’s insistence on a not guilty vote with avoidance. They care little about the case and do not grasp its gravity,