Penelopes Role In The Odyssey Essays - Odyssey,

Penelope's Role In The Odyssey The character of Penelope in Homer's Odyssey reflects the faithful wife who waits twenty years for the arrival of her husband. Only a strong woman could sustain the stress, anxiety and confusion resulting from the chaos of a palace with a missing king whose fate is unknown. Her responsibilities and commitments toward the man she loves are particularly difficult to keep, under the strain of the situation. Although she does not actively pursue an effort to find him, her participation in the success of Odysseus' homecoming can be seen in her efforts to defend and protect the heritage, reputation and the House of Odysseus in his absence. As Odysseus withstands his trial, Penelope withstands her trials against temptations to give in to the many anxious suitors, to give up on her faith and respect for her religion, her husband and even her self. Penelope's strength in keeping the highest standards in her function as a wife, woman and mother contributes to the success of Odysseus' homecomin g by keeping the home and family for him to come back to. Through many examples Homer indicates to us the standards of those times. Major examples about what is valued in a wife are encapsulated in book 6 (about Nausikaa). Homer uses this short story to present a standard from which we can evaluate Penelope's performance. In making a comparison we see that Penelope never stood idle and helpless. She continued to perform the duties expected of her, while her husband was missing. Athena guides Nausikaa with a list of how to prepare herself for marriage. Of major importance is the upkeep of the household as well as good personal hygiene (starting as line 25), and as a young woman must try to please her parents. In all the instances Penelope scores perfectly. Penelope is always bathing, protects her beauty, and she respects her parents. Also in book 6 we have a reinforcement of the standard functions of the woman and the man. Nausikaas mother is with her female attendants, weaving clothes. Nausikaas father is shown on his way to the council with other male officials (line 50). This same distinction of roles is often referred to in the whole poem. Telemachos often tells his mother, as in book 1 line 356, to go back to her distaff, while he was to attend political councils: Go therefore back in the house and take up your own work, the loom and distaff, and see to it that your handmates ply their work also; but the men must see a discussion, all men, but I most of all. Penelope as usual performs this duty of the household faithfully. All those duties however are a part of a larger goal, the goal keeping a good name for oneself in the eyes of others and the eyes of gods. We see finally in the Nausikaas short episode, the most important factor a woman must realize. Nausikaa directs Odysseus to the city but recommends that he goes by himself to avoid the scandal that might arise if she were seen bringing in a male stranger. It is Precisely this the best reputation which is presented in the Odyssey as the most valued goal in life. Penelope's responsibility is to develop and maintain the best reputation. As wife she must preserve the reputation of her husband, her family, and must maintain the system of the household. As a woman she must arise above scandal and maintain a position in society. Her position in society is only revealed in relationship to the patriarchy. As a wife and family member, she preserves the heritage and foundation of her patriarchal lineage. Whenever she approaches the suitors she continually reminds them to their sense of history, their fathers, and the past. She further admonishes them for not behaving in a manner appropriate to their past: You keep gathering here consuming away much livelihood, the propery of wise Telemachos, nor have you listened to what you heard from you fathers before you... (Book IV 686-689) In direct relationship to her defense of her patriarchal heritage is the defense of her husband's reputation. She protects her husband's position by never compromising to marry the many suitors until the hour she

Patience The modern author’s lost virtue

Patience The modern author’s lost virtue Patience: The modern author’s lost virtue In our last article, we enumerated the different qualities successful indie authors usually have: they’re great writers, entrepreneurial-minded, good at marketing, etc. But here’s one quality only a select few possess: patience.The rise of self-publishing has brought with it the decline of this all-important virtue. There always seems to be a rush- to write, to get the next book out, to sell it. We’re in the pre-ordering, pre-promoting, pre-emptive stage of publishing. And if you’re like us, racing against the clock is starting to feel preposterous.Even established writers are ruled by the clock. Let’s consider Hugh Howey’s website: the first thing you see is this little widget indicating his progress on his upcoming books. I almost want to bet on which bar is going to be filled first, and that’s just one author! Why is this â€Å"race† so characteristic of self-publishing? Well, first, because indie authors are in charge of all the work- including how quickly pages go to print (concretely or digitally). The pace of a book’s release used to be determined by a publishing house; indies don’t face that controlling force.The second big reason is financial. Self-publishing authors don’t get advances. They are only able to earn money when the book is out and selling. A sense of urgency is a foregone conclusion, until you realize that your first book won’t sell as well as you hoped (gaining market traction is no quick or easy task). So you feel an even greater sense of urgency to churn out book #2†¦and 3†¦and so on and so forth.This can be perfectly fine and even prove advantageous, but can easily ruin all your hard work: with urgency comes precipitation. What’s precipitation? Well, it can be Joanna Penn ordering several thousand print copies of he r first non-fiction book before knowing how to market it, for example. Or in most less-extreme cases, releasing a first book that hasn’t been copy edited or proofread- or one full of formatting issues.When you enter the self-publishing race and start producing content at a fast pace, you can miss out on great opportunities- and I’m not even talking about the opportunity to simply spend more time on each book (before releasing it) to make it better.I’m talking about marketing opportunities. I’m talking about something that might sound like a sacrilege to many indie authors: sitting on finished work. I first thought of this when reading the excellent blog post by Hugh Howey on â€Å"The Liliana Nirvana Technique†, which basically consists of â€Å"publishing 5 works at once† and the 6th one shortly after.If you go through the comments below the post, you can get a sense of how crazy this sounds to many indie authors. However, when you think ab out it, it makes sense: by â€Å"flooding† Amazon all at once with your work, you dramatically increase your exposure; your books get linked to each other, â€Å"every sale leading to recommendations for 4 or 5 more of your works†, and readers looking for content see your name everywhere.Sure, this means your readers have to wait longer for your next book, but if they’re already your readers, the only thing you’re creating is anticipation and suspense (just as you should have done in your narrative)! Case in point: How many of us are chomping at the bit just to pre-order The Winds of Winter?The good thing is that all this â€Å"theoretical thinking† has actually been validated by several of â€Å"Liliana’s peers†, as Hugh puts it. It takes guts to sit on a book (let alone 4 or 5), but patience is a virtue even in a digital age.

Law of Obligations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law of Obligations - Essay Example In this regard, an offer is terminated if it is not accepted within a reasonable time.4 An offer can be withdrawn at any time prior to its acceptance, although withdrawal must be communicated to the offeree.5 However, if the subject matter of the offer is sold prior to its acceptance, the acceptance is not valid because an offer cannot be accepted for the purchase of property that has already passed from the offerer to another.6However, Contemporary Caravan did not sell the motor home, although it claimed to have sold the property prior to receiving the acceptance from Ideal Homes. Nevertheless, an offer and acceptance will not form a legally binding contract unless there is consideration.7 Since there was no consideration, there is no binding contract and Ideal Homes cannot force Contemporary Caravan to sell the motor home to them. Nathan Nobel The communication between Nathan Nobel and Contemporary Caravans indicates a request for information and a response to that request. There w as no definitive offer and acceptance communicated between the parties. Nobel simply asked for the lowest cash price applicable to the luxury motor home and Contemporary Caravans responded. Nothing more was said, and thus Contemporary Caravans had no reason to assume that the stated lowest cash price was accepted by Nathan Nobel. There must be some indication that there was an intention to form legal relations. A mere inquiry as to price will not be sufficient to substantiate that there was an intention to create legal relations on the part of Nobel.8 Moreover, assuming that Contemporary Caravans made an offer in its response to Nobel’s inquiry, Nobel failed to indicate one way or another that he accepted or rejected the... This essay discusses that In light of the fact that the new arrangements were ongoing for 8 months, Right On had a legitimate expectation that these arrangements would continue for the full 12 months. Since Right On had a legitimate expectation that the new arrangements would continue for a year and acted accordingly, it would be unfair for Contemporary Caravans to withdraw their promise. Since the arrangements were ongoing for 8 months, Right On had a reasonable expectation that the new arrangements were genuine or honest and nature and would continue as promised by Contemporary Caravans.Since there was a consideration in the sense that the new arrangements provide for a new method of discharging the loans, Right On can bring an action against Contemporary Caravans for breach of contract or anticipatory breach. In the latter case, Right On may if it likes, apply to the courts for injunctive relief prohibiting Contemporary Caravans reneging on the new arrangements.Whether or not ther e was a consideration, is immaterial because the doctrine of promissory estoppel can be invoked to prevent Contemporary Caravans altering the terms of the new arrangements unilaterally. It is therefore suggested that Contemporary Caravans continue to keep its promise and to allow Right On to continue to make the reduced payments until the 12 month period expires. Since no reasons are given for the desire to back out of the promise and the new arrangements it is likely that a court would find that Contemporary Caravans were not acting in good faith.

NIKE CASE STUDY based on Corporate Strategy Essay

NIKE CASE STUDY based on Corporate Strategy - Essay Example By focusing differentition on product, businesses could commnd premium prices for their products. Products represented top-of-the-line offerings in the industry. In this mrket, degree of differentition is not lrge. Nike entrees mrket where competitors cn differentite their products nd tht is why hve less rivlry. Rivlry is reduced where customers hve high switching costs - i.e. there is significnt cost ssocited with the decision to receive products from n lterntive competitor. Nike proposes to its customers competitive prices nd ensure customer stisfction. Nike's min competitor (Dniels et l 2006), dids, follows the strtegy which hs gret impct on competition. The nlysis suggests tht ny superior mtch between compny competencies nd customers needs permits the firm to outperform competitors. In generl, Nike bses its competitive strtegy on overll ledership nd differentition constructing the most efficient fcilities (in terms of scle or technology) nd obtins the lrgest shre of mrket. These dvntges, in turn, give them substntil led in terms of experience with building the service. Experience then leds to more refinements of the entire process of production, delivery, nd service, which leds to further cost reductions. Nike hs mrketble portfolio which ensures its ledership position on the mrket. The study reveled tht Nike does not pursue low-cost strtegies. Within these globl competitive environments, Nike overwhelmingly emphsizes differentition strtegies, where competitive positioning is predominntly bsed on qulity offerings nd brnd imge. Qulity is lmost universlly stressed s necessry determinnt of competitiveness. nother theme evident in the findings is the importnce strtegy-industry fit plys in determining business unit performnce. Here it is recognized tht perceptions of industry pressures my be more importnt thn the ctul pressures in determining strtegies nd hence performnce (Johnson & Scholes 2003). Question 2 In order to improve its strtegies position, Nike should chieve competition dvntge nd re-position itself. The compny cn position itself s premium brnd which proposes exceptionl qulity. While ll businesses my emphsize qulity, some my select strtegy bsed on further differentiting their offerings ccording to the qulity of the products nd services they provide. Indeed, in this study one of the dominnt competitive positioning strtegy types identified is 'high-qulity" (Johnson & Scholes 2003). Here, the emphsis on qulity permetes every ctivity long the vlue chin; qulity is clerly the overriding determinnt of competitive positioning. The exceptionl qulity is crucil for footbll tems nd the 2008 Europen Chmpionship. In this cse, qulity domintes competitive positioning nd differentites businesses in globl scle. Here, qulity is consistent with both innovtion nd speciliztion (Dniels et l 2006). Mngeril perceptions of strong pressures re evidence tht lrge number of businesses competing in globl industries mke imprecise ssessments of globl industry opportunities nd threts. It is possible to ssume tht Nike's competitors will follow cost focus strtegy nd cost differentition. dids, direct competitor of Nike, provides comprble buyer vlue but perform the ctivities less efficiently. In contorts, Nike performs the ctivities in unique wy which rises the vlue to the consumer nd thus llows them to commnd premium price - the

Alignment of HRM and Business Strategies Research Paper

Alignment of HRM and Business Strategies - Research Paper Example Managers can also find ways of enabling hotel employees to see how their improved actions impact on the hotel’s well-being. For instance, if the hotel’s training program is centered on the importance of decreasing accidents that take place in the workplace, the management could ensure that the workers are shown how average costs can be saved in their training programs through factors such as reduced medical expenses, employee compensation, and even legal expenses (Cho, Woods, Jang, & Erdem, 2006). Another way to ensure that HR functions are aligned with business objectives is by ensuring that the hotel’s management body is in support of all proposed programs, and generates partnerships with the team entrusted with dispensing the training programs. To determine the effectiveness of training programs, hotels can create engagement surveys that allow workers to offer feedback on the programs. The hotel could also conduct culture surveys as well as employee satisfaction surveys in order to collect important feedback that functions as an indicator of the impact being had by the program. Other factors that can be used to assess the performance of HR programs include productivity rates, the rate of turnover, and even profitability of the hotel (Davidson, Guilding, & Timo, 2006). The HR jobs included in the Marriott’s HR department include bell persons, door persons, vacation planners, front desk agents and room controllers, bell captains, supervisors, front desk managers, front office managers, room operations directors, service agents, runners and supervisors, reservation agents and group coordinators, sales and public relations coordinators, house keeping persons and administrative clerks, housekeeping managers, the director of services, loss prevention officers and drivers, casino compliance and supervisor agents, recreation attendants,

The personal qualities required to fulfill the role of the modern ambulance paramedic

The personal qualities required to fulfill the role of the modern ambulance paramedic The role of the modern paramedic is one of a highly trained emergency-care professional gone are the days of the stretcher-bearer (NHS careers booklet, p10) Paramedics are set the task of providing a rapid medical response to emergency situations like road traffic accidents (RTAs) accidents at home or even major incidents such as train crashes. This work involves on-site assessment of patients and their immediate needs, as well as providing necessary treatment. For example paramedics are trained to be able to administer intravenous drips and oxygen, and use equipment such as a heart defibrillator on patients that need immediate help. Through their work, paramedics are likely to encounter emotionally charged and distressing situations. There is also a danger element involved in the role when patients can become violent towards those trying to help them attacks on ambulance staff from one service have increased 23% over the last year alone (BBC). Paramedics can thus been seen to work within a stressful and pressured work environment, where lives can be affected by the outcome of their actions. This can be made even more difficult by the long working hours (a shift can be 12 hours) and shift pattern involved in the ambulance service. The role therefore has a large amount of responsibility, and the ambulance service has a number of qualities they look for in their applicants. The NHS careers booklet Becoming a member of the ambulance service (p8) lists that as a paramedic, the most important qualities include; responsibility, a caring attitude, good people skills, common sense, ability to keep cool in a crisis and academic ability. Why the ambulance service looks for these qualities will now be discussed. Intellectual ability identified through academic qualifications is required by the ambulance service. This is due to the amount of training and expert emergency care knowledge that must be gained before someone is able to qualify to work as a paramedic. Hospital and classroom based training is given to paramedics in subjects including trauma injuries, intubation, cannulation, pharmacology, the respiratory system and in how to use specialised equipment. A paramedic is also required to provide a driving function so must have a clean driving license which will be enhanced through emergency driving training. The ability to learn quickly is therefore a strong point to anyone wanting to join the service. On arriving at an emergency scene, a paramedic must be able to ascertain both what has happened, and which patients are to be given priority over others. Although other emergency services such as the fire brigade and police will also be present at many call-outs those first on the scene have to be able to quickly assess the situation. This is where the ability to keep a cool head and to not make rash decisions is important. Being able to stay calm despite what might be going on at the scene itself, will allow the paramedic to recall training on how to deal with different injuries, and to make tough decisions when needed about who to treat and perhaps who not to treat (when medical resources are scare a paramedic may have to decide who has the best chance of recovering and allocate assistance accordingly). Communication and people-skills are a necessity within the job. Good communication skills will allow a more accurate assessment of the situation through uncovering what has happened, how many people were involved (injured parties may not always be immediately visible for example a young child thrown from the window of a car in an RTA) or whether there is any remaining danger. As mentioned earlier, assessing whether danger is present (such as whether people at the scene are armed) is important for both the well being of the patient and the ambulance crew themselves. Being able to talk to people and keep both patients and family or others on the scene calm can make the situation easier to control, and maintaining conversation with a patient can help to retrieve important information that may be needed for their treatment (allergies, name of doctor, next of kin) but also to help keep people conscious which may be important for their chances of recovery. As many emergencies can be the result of a crime that has taken place, the ability to preserve evidence and remember information given by injured parties can be very important (for example, people that die later in hospital may have given important information to others at the scene potentially including the paramedic). The ability to take control in a situation is also an important quality needed for those working in emergency care. Paramedics may often have to direct recovery efforts in a team that may be made up of different emergency services where workers may not know each other, and where time may be of the essence. Leadership qualities are needed in order that control can be taken over a situation, to ensure that resources are allocated where needed, and that work is not being duplicated. Alongside the qualities discussed that are outlined in the careers booklet provided by the NHS, it will also be important for paramedics to be good team-players and trustworthy. These qualities are proposed as important due to the fact that paramedics may have to work within environments which are not safe. As a result it would be very important for the ambulance crew (usually comprising an ambulance technician and a paramedic, sometimes and emergency doctor) to trust each other and work well together within situations whereby teams may be forced to rely to a great extent possibly for their own well-being, on their team member (s). In summary the ambulance service are looking for very specific sort of person that matches the qualities outlines above, in order to perform the very difficult and distressing work involved in the emergency services to the capacity that they do London ambulance service alone receives 3000 emergency calls a day.

New York City Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing Descriptive NYC

New York City Every time I hear this song it makes me long to leave all of my responsibilities and head off to the city of dreams. A trip to New York has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I have always wanted to visit the place of tall buildings, history, and where culture is intertwined with its people. I have wanted to live the fast pace life of a New Yorker, where I could stand outside and see, smell, and taste all of the experiences that this city has to offer. I have been building and building this ideal image in my mind for so long. If I ever get to New York, will I be disappointed by the city that never sleeps? The city that is a part of almost every movie I watch. Can New York live up to the expectations I have created? In the summer of 2004 my dream of visiting New York came to life. I could hardly contain my excitement to finally live the life of a New Yorker, even if it would only be for a couple of days. The plane ride itself was torture, because of my bubbling anticipation to get to my destination. Once the captain announced the descent into the New York airport my stomach became a bundle of knots. The arrival into the city was everything I had hoped it would be. My husband and I, of course, had trouble finding our way around JFK airport. We couldn't figure out the place that we were supposed to go to get our baggage. My husband and I and everyone from our plane ended up going outside of the airport to gain access to another part of the airport. Eventually things got cleared up and we found our terminal where our luggage was supposed to be. Finally after about a half an hour of being in the airport we figured out how to maneuver ourselves through the airport. As if we had passed our first test we... ...able to see, because of time restraints. The one sight I really wanted to see, but couldn't, was Ground Zero. Heading back to the hotel in the rain was one of my favorite parts of the trip. How awesome to let your guard down long enough for that child inside to take over. My husband and I tried so hard during our walk to keep dry and duck into stores when the rain got worse. My husband and I eventually gave up all hopes of staying dry. Instead we gave caution to the wind and splashed and played in the rain. It was like taking a walk while taking a shower. I know when we both got back to our room that there wasn't any part of our body that was dry. I will forever have this memory in my head for the rest of my life. I will have many wonderful and exciting memories of my trip to New York. I know if I never go back to this city, I will always remember my experiences.