The Green Knight Calls! Essays -- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essa

The Green Knight Calls! The passage in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, from line 203 to line 278, sets the stage for the rest of the poem by introducing the Green Knight's challenge to King Arthur. The haughty and reckless Green Knight rides into Arthur's court, demands the attention of the knights and issues a challenge to exchange blows with his axe. The Green Knight's axe is a symbol of the judgment that is to come to men at the end of their time in this world. The confidence possessed by the Green Knight in riding thus into Arthur's court, is later shown to be due to the enchantment put on him by Morgan Le Faye. The Green Knight's confidence and his challenges to the court create a caricature of the bravery of knighthood and excessive pride is indeed the excess that this cautionary tale warns against. Sir Gawain meets the challenge but his actions show that even the bravest knight must not be too proud or sure of himself. The Green Knight's Challenge! The scene begins with the continuing description of the Green Knight as one who had come with "no helm, nor hauberk neither." The Green Knight has no helmet or armor. In his hands are a holly branch and an enormous green axe. The axe is described as having a head an ell in length. An ell is equivalent to forty-five inches. This is no ordinary axe. He claims that the branch shows he comes in peace but the axe belies his deadly mission. Although his green color may symbolize rebirth and the coming of spring, surely the axe is reminiscent of the executioner and the coming day of judgment. The Green Knight rides directly up to the dais and demands the audience of the "captain of this crowd." At this point, no one has addressed him or tried to stop him. Surely go... ...th. That judgment can come upon you in your finest hour, in the midst of a party. Sir Gawain ultimately learns the lesson that men must be mindful of their pride. Although he almost completely resists the temptations set before him by the Green Knight, he does falter slightly, although only for fear of his own life. He thus realizes that the flesh is weak, even in the most noble of men. He takes on the belt that saves his life as a symbol to remind himself of his own weakness. He becomes wiser for having faced death because he realizes that symbols, like the green belt he wears, like the cross of Christ, can be powerful reminders of lessons and ideas forgotten in the rush of daily life and human vanity. Credits "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition. Vol. 1. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton 1993 202-254

Greek Goddesses Essay -- essays research papers

The Greek Goddesses In Greek mythology the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus played a major role in everyday life. The Greeks respected them and thought of the gods as all mighty. In Ancient Greece the people honored and believe in the deities. Myths, poems, and epics tell the stories and beliefs referring to the gods and goddesses. Many literary works display the power and jobs of the goddesses. The Greek people lived to please the deities in hope of gaining a better lifestyle. The goddesses of Greece acted as an important part of Greek mythology ( Hamilton 28-35 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Historians placed the goddesses into categories. The first category included the major goddesses of Olympus. The goddesses placed in this category were Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Hestia, Demeter, and Artemis because most people knew and worshipped them. The people held these six goddesses the most high and with the most respect ( Hamilton 28 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hera, the goddess of the protection of marriage, took care of married women. The sister and also wife of Zeus, the king of the gods, Hera may be the most well known of the goddesses. The Titans of the Ocean along with the Tethys raised Hera ( Hamilton 28 ). Most people knew Ilithyia , Hera’s daughter, for her help of women through childbirth. Hera held the city of Argos sacred along with the peacock and cow. In Roman mythology, the name of Hera was changed to Juno, queen of goddesses ( Pinset 20 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Artemis, or Diana in Roman mythology, had the role of Leto and Zeus’s daughter and also twin sister of god Apollo. Known as the goddess of wildlife and hunting, Artemis held all animals sacred, but the deer more then any other. Artemis also held the cypress tree sacred. Not many myths feature this goddess, but she lives on through the years in poems and other works ( Hunt 3 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many myths from the Greeks feature Athena, or Minerva as known to the Romans. Myths say that Athena had a very original birth. Some writers have said that Hephaestus took an ax and shaved her from Zeus’s forehead and therefore she has no mother ( Pinset 22 ). Zeus thought of Athena as his favorite child and she had the privilege of using his weapons. First known as the guardian of the city and ... ... they harmed the Earth in any way that Gaea would smite them. This goddess protected the planet and so played an important role in the Greek beliefs ( Hamilton 64 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hebe, the goddess of youth and wife of Hercules, maintained throughout time an image like that of a child. The Greeks thought of her as playful, sweet, kind, and trusting. Along with Ganymede, Hebe acted as a cupbearer to the Gods of Olympus ( Hunt 2 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The portrayal of the goddesses in many myths was that of a beautiful and majestic creature which contained many aspects to her personality. These personalities live on today through stories in the forms of poems, myths, and epic tales. Modern movies, art, and literature help to show these creations of the Greeks in powerful along with interesting ways. The goddesses of Ancient Greece impacted Greek culture in such ways that people today know the goddesses in the same aspect the Greeks did. The Greek goddesses of Mount Olympus will forever live in the literature of Greek writers along with writers of today. The importance of the goddesses to the Greeks will remain high for years to come.

Deforestation Causes Climate Change Essay -- Global Warming Essays

"Ladies and gentlemen, the world's forests need to be seen for what they are—giant global utilities, providing essential public services to humanity on a vast scale." -- Prince Charles on Deforestation Many development institutions and politicians regard population pressure as the major factor causing rainforest destruction. Nobody can deny the serious global problem of population growth. However, the belief that this is the main cause of rainforest loss is used by many governments and businesses to imply that there is little or nothing they can do about the problem of rainforest destruction. An examination of forest destruction on a regional basis reveals that this is not so. In fact it is large companies and the inequities of international trade which are the root causes of rainforest destruction. For instance, millions of hectares of primary rainforests are being destroyed in South East Asia by logging, and the driving force in this industry is not the local population but international demand for timber. Because landless people will follow logging roads into primary rainforest areas, it is the logging industry which is the main immediate factor responsible for colonisation of rainforest. In Central America, 40% of all the rainforests have been cleared or burned down in the last 40 years, mostly for cattle pasture to feed the export market (often for US beefburgers). This industry in particular, and the continuing consolidation of land ownership in general, force the poor into rainforest in their search for land. Latin American environment groups have cited skewed land distribution as the most important factor frustrating the conservation and sustainable use of rainforest areas. Throughout South East Asia there are the... ...an 7 per cent of the planet's surface. They generate the bulk of rainfall worldwide and act as a thermostat for the Earth. Forests are also home to 1.6 billion of the world's poorest people who rely on them for subsistence. However, forest experts say governments continue to pursue science fiction solutions to the coming climate catastrophe, preferring bio-fuel subsidies, carbon capture schemes and next-generation power stations. Putting a price on the carbon these vital forests contain is the only way to slow their destruction. Hylton Philipson, a trustee of Rainforest Concern, explained: "In a world where we are witnessing a mounting clash between food security, energy security and environmental security - while there's money to be made from food and energy and no income to be derived from the standing forest, it's obvious that the forest will take the hit." Deforestation Causes Climate Change Essay -- Global Warming Essays "Ladies and gentlemen, the world's forests need to be seen for what they are—giant global utilities, providing essential public services to humanity on a vast scale." -- Prince Charles on Deforestation Many development institutions and politicians regard population pressure as the major factor causing rainforest destruction. Nobody can deny the serious global problem of population growth. However, the belief that this is the main cause of rainforest loss is used by many governments and businesses to imply that there is little or nothing they can do about the problem of rainforest destruction. An examination of forest destruction on a regional basis reveals that this is not so. In fact it is large companies and the inequities of international trade which are the root causes of rainforest destruction. For instance, millions of hectares of primary rainforests are being destroyed in South East Asia by logging, and the driving force in this industry is not the local population but international demand for timber. Because landless people will follow logging roads into primary rainforest areas, it is the logging industry which is the main immediate factor responsible for colonisation of rainforest. In Central America, 40% of all the rainforests have been cleared or burned down in the last 40 years, mostly for cattle pasture to feed the export market (often for US beefburgers). This industry in particular, and the continuing consolidation of land ownership in general, force the poor into rainforest in their search for land. Latin American environment groups have cited skewed land distribution as the most important factor frustrating the conservation and sustainable use of rainforest areas. Throughout South East Asia there are the... ...an 7 per cent of the planet's surface. They generate the bulk of rainfall worldwide and act as a thermostat for the Earth. Forests are also home to 1.6 billion of the world's poorest people who rely on them for subsistence. However, forest experts say governments continue to pursue science fiction solutions to the coming climate catastrophe, preferring bio-fuel subsidies, carbon capture schemes and next-generation power stations. Putting a price on the carbon these vital forests contain is the only way to slow their destruction. Hylton Philipson, a trustee of Rainforest Concern, explained: "In a world where we are witnessing a mounting clash between food security, energy security and environmental security - while there's money to be made from food and energy and no income to be derived from the standing forest, it's obvious that the forest will take the hit."

Television Media Analysis: The Cosby Show

These important interpretations can help individuals cake wise decisions about what they should watch, read, listen to and rely on for Information and entertainment (Barman and Davis). Although many people now rely on sources such as the Internet and smartness for breaking news stories, television still remains a major source for information and entertainment for many Individuals and families. This paper will attempt to presents model for television media analysis using Art Silversmith's keys to media analysis.The TV show that will be analyzed Is regarded as one of the most famous television programs in history, â€Å"The Cowboys Show†. Silversmith's keys for Interpreting media messages as well as critical thinking skills will be incorporated in this selection analysis. In 1939 when television began, blacks were projected as mere servants and simple-minded people. Blacks and whites were certainly depicted as inherently different beings. Early sitcoms in the 1 sass such as Amos n Andy continues with negative portrayals of black people which depicted mostly lazy, loud, uneducated blacks as the stereotype for their race.Then In the sass other sitcoms followed along the same lines such as Sanford and Son and Good Times (Cesareans). The Cowboys Show, which first aired in 1984, was the most popular television program in the nation for four consecutive years and remained a favorite show for a total of seven years. This Important show effectively functioned to change the way Americans would view the roles of race and gender on television forever. The Cowboys Show was a sitcom on NBC about a successful black American family. Cliff, the father, was an obstetrician and his wife Claim was a successful attorney.The story was about their daily lives and challenges of raising five children In a very busy household. The show offered a different theme when compared to all other shows being televised at that time. The Washable family was an upstanding upper-middle class b lack family who offered sharp contrast to other programs that portrayed blacks as stereotypical low- Income, uneducated hustlers (White Racism). Bill Cowboys and script consultant Alvin Postnasal functioned as media communicators as they shared the common purpose of incorporating humor as a means to help project a more positive image of the black American family.They purposefully avoided overt racial issues but chose to SE a softer approach such as referring to the names of black colleges Instead of predominantly white colleges. One of the episodes showed the Washables celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday as they discussed his famous â€Å"l Have a Dream† speech (Cesareans). The use of nationally broadcast television allowed the subtle content of tons snow Into ten majority AT American noses. I Nils post call ruling movement era was a perfect time to provide a more diverse ethnic awareness for the American public. The intended audience for this show included both white a nd black American families.Overt racial issues were avoided in an effort to avoid making the audience uncomfortable. Family values as well as current social issues were common themes on the program. The father, Cliff, also overtly supported his wife's feminist stances on some episodes, which was also not common in the media during that era. This was truly the first family of television for many years. The scripts were constantly screened to make certain that no humor would be demeaning. The show really acted as a catalyst for changing how television portrayed black Americans.

Benefits of a Liberal Arts Degree Essay

The student who decides to pursue a liberal arts education in University often faces a discouraging reaction from family and friends. Everyone seems to know a B. A. in Philosophy who is flipping burgers at Wendy’s, or an M. A. in English who is clerking at Wal-Mart. Students who choose liberal arts hear the same remarks over and over: â€Å"What good is a degree in Medieval History, or Chinese literature, or Classics? Study something practical and get a real job! † In fact, however, no degree provides an automatic job ticket, since the market for employment is constantly in flux. The liberal arts offer education, not training, and thus prepare students for a wide range of possibilities in both work and life. By developing their minds through a liberal arts education, students benefit themselves, their eventual careers, and the culture at large . For anyone interested in personal and intellectual growth, the liberal arts offer immeasurable benefits. Studies in such fields as English and Philosophy introduce a student to the great writers and thinkers whose ideas have shaped our culture. By working through the dialogues of Plato, students see logic in action; by studying the plays of Shakespeare, the poetry of Wordsworth, or the novels of Dickens, they realize the power of language. Without knowledge of the great writers and thinkers of the past, people operate in a vacuum, unable to see beyond their immediate world. How can they gauge the validity of ideas if they know nothing except the present moment? In a media-driven culture of instant celebrity, students need to experience truths that have endured over hundreds and even thousands of years. These truths expand their thinking beyond their immediate limitations, and they discover new insights into their own minds. The benefits of a liberal arts education, however, go beyond personal growth into longer-term career skills. Every liberal arts course from Art History to Women’s Studies requires proficiency in reading and writing. Graduates with Arts degrees find their communication skills in demand by employers seeking people who can read, write, and speak well. As Francis Bacon observed nearly 400 years ago, â€Å"Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man, and writing an exact man†(106). No courses develop these skills more fully than do those in the liberal arts. In addition, the liberal arts foster analytical thought: the ability to break an argument into its parts and assess its validity. Clear analysis is fundamental to the practical worlds of trade  and commerce. Finally, the liberal arts encourage originality, as students learn to think in creative ways. The student who gives an inventive presentation or develops a fresh perception will enhance the workplace with that creativity. It’s no surprise that law schools actively seek liberal arts graduates for its programs, or that jobs in the civil service, human resources, and upper management are typically staffed by people with Arts degrees. The only surprise is that anyone still scoffs at the notion that a general B. A. is a useful degree. As significant as its impact may be on personal and career growth, the real value of a liberal arts education is found in its benefits to the culture as a whole. The liberal arts retain and transmit the history of civilization itself. Without a commitment to preserving that history, our culture runs the risk of forgetting or distorting its past. Liberal arts students serve as guardians of intellectual thought for the next generation. Writers, journalists, film-makers, and politicians – the people shaping the thoughts and actions of the future – are drawn from the ranks of liberal arts majors. For example, the creator of the Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling, has an undergraduate degree in Classics, and Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff earned degrees in History. Moreover, the liberal arts tend to be interdisciplinary in nature. Knowledge in one area illuminates another, so that instead of creating a society of narrow specialists, liberal arts studies actually encourage a culture of educated, open-minded people. Such individuals have both the capacity and the training to address practical problems in society. Leading reformers of the 20th century, including Nelson Mandela (â€Å"Nelson†) and Martin Luther King, Jr. (â€Å"Martin†), profited from their liberal arts studies. A degree in the liberal arts is not a dead-end route that culminates in a lifetime of serving fries or stocking shelves. Rather, it is a doorway that opens to paths heading in every direction. Students who expand their minds through liberal arts benefit themselves, their future career choices, and the wider culture.

Bulacan Sweets Essay

Success, they say, is sweeter when earned the hard way. For entrepreneur Lydia Veneracion, 60, her Bulacan Sweets was nurtured with hard work and perseverance. Over the last 24 years — and still going strong — Bulacan Sweets’ specialties like pastillas and candied fruits have become household names. Starting with only 10 kinds of sweets and candies in 1970, Bulacan Sweets is now manufacturing and selling over 200 products. It has also expanded its product lines and now engages in the canning and bottling of Bagoong, Lechon Paksiw, taba ng talangka (crab fat paste) and binagoongan (shrimp paste). From only one display shelf in 1970, it now has 13 outlets in most shopping malls in Metro Manila. â€Å"I was happy if I earned P100 per day during that time,† Veneracion says of her business, which has since grown into a multi-million-peso venture. Veneracion recalls she only had P1,000 as capital in 1970 when she started her business in an aprtment in Retiro Street (now Amoranto Street) n La Loma, Quezon City. Today, she has a candy factory, a kitchen and a laboratory. She says she used to buy pastillas and other candies from her relatives in her hometown of San Miguel, Bulacan. At that time, she only had two helpers to assist her in making some of the products she sells. Bulacan Sweets now employs over 60 workers. She takes pride that most of her sales ladies can afford to go to school during their spare time. Natural Interest Making candies has always interested Veneracion. She inherited her love for cooking and food preparation from her grandmother, also a Bulakeà ±a. At an early age, she learned how to make fruits like mangoes and kamias into mouth-watering candies. Veneracion, who used to work as a government nurse in the 1960’s, opted to retire early when her four children were growing up. Setting up a store then was just a hobby to ease the boredom she felt while wating for her children to rturn from school. Lucky for her, husband Lorenzo  Veneracion — now a Regional Trial Court Judge of Manila — has always been supportive of her endeavor. The growth of the Bulacan Sweets business exemplifies Filipino entrepreneurship, partnership and creativity. Veneracion relates that during the first two years of her business, the store only had a handful of buyers. It was her husband who helped in the initial marketing of their products when he used direct mail to attract customers. She remembers her husband sending letters to people listed on the telephone directory. It so happened that one of the letters reached a writer of a national daily. The writer who dropped by her store was so impressed with her products that she featured her in her column. â€Å"The next day, I was shocked when so many people flocked to our store. I even sold all the items in the glass shelf,† Veneracion relates. As sales continued to grow, the Veneracion couple visited several provinces nationwide to include regional delicacies in their product lines. â€Å"We have to do this because our customers were asking for these products,† Veneracion says. Bulacan Sweets doesn’t only offer delicacies from Bulacan, but also sells pili nuts from Bicol, vinegar from Ilocos, broas from Quezon, bokayo from Pangasinan and pure honey from Palawan. The creativity of the people behind Bulacan Sweets is evident with the stores’ colorful boxes and artfully-wrapped products, which have set a trend in the packaging of native delicacies. These artistic wrappers have become so popular that they are now sold separately. Veneracion hires the services of an expert designer to create beautiful wrappers for the sweets. Preserved fruits in the bottles are also distinctively prepared with their handcrafted designs. Fruit preserves, too, are shaped creatively. Several hotels and catering businesses are also ordering Bulacan Sweets products for their customers. To improve her products, Veneracion takes time to attend seminars here and overseas. She recently attended a seminar in Japan to get ideas on the latest technology n the food sector, including the packaging of delicacies. She is also part of a nationwide organization called Integrated Manufacturers of Food Products Philippines that aims to help food manufacturers improve their products and find solutions to problems nagging the industry. Veneracion says the main problem of her business is the expensive price of sugar and sometimes, the lack of fruit supply, which are th e main ingredients of her products. Sweet Dreams To preserve the continuity of the business, Veneracion has asked her daughter — Loli, a graduate of hotel and restaurant management — to help her in the business. She adds that she wants the business to be a family tradition. Both mother and daughter help each other to assess the market situation and decide on the need to open new outlets. The Bulacan Sweets owner, meantime, has for her most fervent wish the sale of her products nationwide, and even in overseas markets. Although Bulacan Sweets has yet to have an overseas outlet, its products are now sold in the United States and some countries in Asia. Regular distributors are selling the products overseas under different brands. The products also reach foreign shore because many balikbayans are buying them as pasalubong to their friends and relatives overseas. Veneracions says she hopes to continue with the sweet success of her products by ensuring quality produce in excellent packaging. More importantly, she recognize s the value of good customer relations. For someone in the business for the last 24 years, the Bulacan Sweets entrepreneur knows what it takes to make a success story.

Kelly Miller

Kelly Miller was Johns Hopkins University's  first black student. Kelly Miller was born July 18, 1863 in Winnsboro, South Carolina and died December 29, 1939. Kelly Miller was the sixth of ten children born to Kelly Miller, a free Negro who served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and Elizabeth Miller, a slave. Miller received his early education in one of the local primary schools established during Reconstruction and was recommended to an institute by a missionary who recognized Miller's mathematical abilities.Miller attended the Fairfield Institute in Winnsboro, South Carolina from 1878 to 1880. Awarded a scholarship to Howard University, he completed the Preparatory Department's three-year curriculum in Latin, Greek, and mathematics in two years, then attended the College Department at Howard from 1882 to 1886. Kelly Miller was a force in the intellectual life of black America for close to half a century. Miller was a mathematician, a sociologist, an essayist, and a newspaper columnist.Born in South Carolina in 1863, he worked his way through Howard University, then did postgraduate work at Johns Hopkins, the first black ever admitted to that university. Appointed professor of mathematics at Howard in 1890, Miller introduced sociology into the curriculum in 1895, serving as professor of sociology from 1895 to 1934. As dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, he modernized the classical curriculum, strengthening the natural and social sciences. Miller was a prolific writer whose articles appeared in the major newspapers and magazines of the day.In the 1920s and 1930s, his weekly column appeared in more than 100 newspapers. On African-American education policy, Miller aligned himself with neither the radicals – Du Bois and the Niagara Movement — or the â€Å"conservatives† – the followers of Booker T. Washington. Miller sought a middle way, a comprehensive education system that would provide for â€Å"symmetrical de velopment† of African-American citizens by offering both vocational and intellectual instruction. Equally active outside the university, he wrote an influential column circulated in more than one hundred newspapers across the country, assisted W.E. B. Du Bois as an editor of the Crisis magazine, and authored several important pamphlets, including â€Å"The Disgrace of Democracy: An Open Letter to President Woodrow Wilson† , and a series of essays, some of which were compiled and published as books. The best of these include From Servitude to Service , Race Adjustment , Out of the House of Bondage , and The Everlasting Stain . During the period from 1882 to 1886, while Miller attended the College Department at Howard University, he also worked as a clerk for the U. S. Pension Office for two years.Kelly Miller was appointed to the position in the Pension Office after taking the civil service examination a test prescribed by the Civil Service Act passed during the administ ration of President Grover Cleveland. Miller's greatest influence while at Howard University where his professors of Latin (James Monroe Gregory) and History (President William Weston Patton, who also taught philosophy and conducted weekly vesper services required of all students). He received a Bachelor of Science from Howard University in 1886, a Master of Arts in 1901 and a law degree in 1903.Miller continued to work at the Pension Office after graduation in 1886. Miller studied mathematics at The Johns Hopkins University from 1886 to 1887 under the direction of Captain Edgar Frisby, an English mathematician at the U. S. Naval Observatory. Frisby was also the assistant of the person who recommended Miller for graduate study, Simon Newcomb, a famous astronomer in charge o the the U. S. Naval Observatory and a Professor of Mathematics at The Johns Hopkins University. At the end of 1887, Miller asked Newcombe to recommend Miller's admission to The Johns Hopkins University to Univers ity President Daniel Coit Gilman.As Miller was to be the first African American student admitted to the university, the recommendation was decided by the Board of Trustees, who decided to admit Miller based on the university founder's known Quaker beliefs. From 1887 to 1889 Miller performed postgraduate work in Mathematics, Physics, and Astronomy. When an increase in tuition prevented Miller from continuing his post-graduate studies Kelly Miller taught at the M Street High School in Washington, D. C. , whose principal was Francis L. Cardozo.He was appointed as Professor of Mathematics at Howard University in 1890. During his service there, he introduced sociology in the curriculum and gave a new dimension to the classical curriculum during his tenure as a dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. His articles and essays were published in various magazines, newspapers and included in various famous books. He endorsed the concept of a symmetrical development through education, which o ffered both vocational and intellectual instruction. He retired as Howard University Administrator in 1935.