The Waterways to freedom Essay Example for Free

The Waterways to freedom Essay As human beings, we ought to be endowed with the freedom of choice for we are naturally striving for channels of free will. We have a propensity to perceive life in an individualistic manner as we are all distinct entities. The art of entrapment we see from time to time deprives and suffocates our very being as individuals. However, the struggles we overcome are not always resolved by our own involuntary response to problems, but at times our very survival depends on the help of others to conquer a period of difficulty. Homers The Odyssey is a primary example of the idea of mans reliance on oneself and the occasional need for the assistance of others. Under Calypsos power, Odysseus is entrapped in her possession and loses all hope to escape on his own. After seven lengthy years of Odysseuss imprisonment, Hermes, the messenger of the gods, is sent by the gods to Calypsos island to order the release of Odysseus so that he can continue on with his voyage home. At times throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus did not consider the consequences of his actions and depended on guidance from the gods to steer him in the right direction. This particular passage describes Odysseus as a lowly mortal and reinforces his need of the aid of higher beings to help him surmount his struggles. Homer employs the act of the will to survive with the additional help of the immortals using diction, imagery, and structure to establish an apparent passage that focuses directly on mans struggle for freedom and the belief that man cannot escape his fate. One time or another, everyone has yearned for the comfort of having someone nearby, someone that leaves you feeling reassured and intact. For this need for companionship, the beautiful seductive magical (36) nymph Calypso seizes Odysseus and compels him to live a sensual yet vegetative existence where he wastes seven years of his ten year journey home on the lavish, luxurious island of Ogygia. For ten years, surrounded by men, Odysseus lives out the male heroic ideal image of a warrior and then spends several years further testing himself against life-threatening obstacles. In the process, he loses all of his followers, and has nothing left but the little that remains of himself. Here on Calypsos island, he lives in majestic paradise: A deep wood grew outside, with summer leaves of alder and black poplar, pungent cypress. Ornate birds rested there stretched wing horned owls, falcons, cormorants long-tongued beachcombing birds, and followers of the sea (22-26). With the use of diction Calypsos diatribe on Odysseus can be seen as a reaction to the reality of her life where she is a crooking vine (27) holding purple clusters under ply of green (28). The purple clusters effectively signifies Odysseus identity of a heroic leader, as the color purple represents royalty, who is twisted and detained under Calypsos crooking vine of power. Homer employs the use of his selected words to also establish Odysseus ongoing journey where he took channels here and there (30). Odysseus waterways of home shifts through beds of violets and tender parsley (31), indicating his temptations of sexual relationships with various women, including Calypso, throughout his voyage home. Violet is an enticing color which Homer utilizes to suggest Calypsos love and desire for Odysseus where he is entrapped on her island surrounded by the violet ocean (14). Through Homers establishment of words, he guides us to identify with Odysseus search for freedom under constraints of those who hold him back. Emancipated nature imagery displays the contrast between Odysseus suppressed captivity with the vast open world around him. The images of wild animals and plant life, alder and black poplar, pungent cypress (23) and ornate birds (24), denote Odysseus loss of hope of escape which contrasts with the serene tranquility of the environment around him. The image of birds is constantly utilized in the epic as omens that rely on the perception of Odysseus as an aggressive, predatory creature. With their stretched wings (24) the birds in this passage implies Odysseus stretched capability as a war hero in search of his homeland but is kept back by obstacles, just like the birds are kept from flying further because of their need to rest (24). The comparison of Hermes and Odysseus is evident in the beginning of the passage where it is seen through the imagery of Hermes movement. Whilst Odysseus is racked in confinement with his own heart groaning (42), Hermes is swiftly carried over water and over endless land in a swish of the wind (4). The high-speed action imagery of Hermes is illustrated to imply the higher being of an immortal and the never-ending limits of his freedom as he paced into the air (7), shot down to sea level (8), and veered to skim the swell (9). Odysseus and Hermes, who is wearing ambrosial, golden (3) sandals, which signifies his divine godly position, both possess brilliant godlike features, but differ in that Odysseus is a man of the mortal world while Hermes is immortal. However, although Odysseus and Hermes share common characteristics, in this passage, Odysseus is portrayed as a pitiable human with eyes wet scanning the bare horizon of the sea (42) who is in need of help from a higher being. The image of Hermes rescuing Odysseus is painted with the accompaniment of the seas and personified as the gull patrolling between the wave crests of the desolate sea (9-10). The desolate, barren sea suggests Odysseus loss of hope, loss of perseverance, and loss of will to survive, where the gull, Hermes, swoops down and douse his wings (11) to set Odysseus back on track along his journey home. All of this imagery imparts not only an in-depth depiction of the relationship between the lowly mortal of Odysseus and the glorified immortal being of Hermes, but also reinforces the deepness of his tragedy and depth of his sorrow. With the arrangement of structure, an understanding of the central idea can be communicated where both repetitions of common sounds are used and the order of the passage is recognized to grasp the fundamental concept of Odysseus survival. The repetitive use of s sounds is displayed within every line of the passage and as the poem is being spoken aloud, the s sounds transmits the serenity of the language but at the same time uncertainty of his undetermined fate. Each line is comprised of at least one s sound and can go to as many as four, for instance, scented the farthest shore with cedar smoke (18). The use of s sounds not only bestows the calmness of the atmosphere and the indecisiveness of what is yet to come, but also conveys Odysseus situation of captivity of being held back from his freedom against his own will as a thousand times before (40). The structure of mood within the passage enhances the extremity of Odysseus need for guidance from the gods. With the help of s sounds, the mood is displayed as tranquil and peaceful throughout the beginning of the passage but transitions into a sorrowful mood when Odysseus who sat apart racked with his own heart groaning and with eyes wet, is mentioned. The order of the mood change establishes the atmosphere to the central idea of freedom and Odysseus need for the assistance of a higher being for the outcome of his future. Homer successfully led us to develop a certain predetermined picture of Odysseus journey with the excessive amount of pain and sorrow he endured throughout his voyage home. One of the major themes of The Odyssey is the belief that man cannot escape the destiny which has been fated for him by the gods. Destiny plays an imperative role in the survival of Odysseus throughout his adventures. Finally, after seven years of languishing in Calypsos island, with the help of Hermes, Odysseus continues on with his journey and follows his fate the gods bestowed upon him. Through diction, structure, nature and contrasting imagery, as well as the relationship between mortal and immortals, the theme of mans act of will to survive and the struggle for freedom with the additional help of others is visibly recognized. Some people believe they can make it through life on their own two feet, but at times, the waterway in the course of life needs the assistance of a strong current to push us along and guide us to surpass the slow, immobile areas along the channels to our destination.

Having A Gun :: essays research papers

Having A Gun Very often in life I would find myself strongly disagreeing and upholding the totally opposite point of view about the actions and behavior of those, whose deeds seemed to me rather disadvantageous and harmful to the entire community or society. These kind of actions were mostly coming from government authorities, and quite obviously, there was not much that could have been done in order to refute or override them. Therefore, not only once, the idea of having adequate power and authority to ban these kind of pernicious practices, would appeal to me. For the purpose of decreasing the crime rate, that was the top concern of the Ukrainian citizen, in 1994, some misguided politicians in government adopted the legislation repealing the previous amendment and thus, abolishing the constitutional right to own the handguns. Banning the sale of firearms seems to me a most malicious and reckless deed, that instead of safeguarding and protecting, endangers more the entire society. The Government justified this act by saying that it would protect the innocent citizens. But it failed to even entertain the notion that the enactment of this law would come to protect the right of those who violate the rights of others. It has never occurred to authorities that vicious criminals, in spite of this legislation, will still manage somehow to get the firearms. Innocent people, however, will suffer, because they will be less likely to obtain handguns in order to protect themselves and their families. Therefore, it would not be hard to imagine the carnage of the citizens, should there not be any guns in their homes. The criminals would walk in at any time they desired, they would take whatever they wanted, rape whom they wanted, and shoot whoever would resist. The Government defended the enactment of this law by declaring that people could not be secure as long as there would be handguns around; they could not be secure when three million people in the country had shotguns stuck in the glove compartment of their cars, bedside drawers, pockets and kitchen cabinets. But could they be secure if some criminal would try to take away somebody's car under the threat, rob and rape somebody in the street or try to burglarize somebody's home, knowing that they would not have any guns to protect themselves? The prompt and correct answer is "NO". The government was established to insure that none of our rights would be violated or taken away. It seems to me that the government, by infringing the right of people to keep and bear arms, has failed to provide its citizens with

Greek mythology in western art and literature Essay

With the rediscovery of classical antiquity in Renaissance, the poetry of Ovid became a major influence on the imagination of poets and artists and remained a fundamental influence on the diffusion and perception of Greek mythology through subsequent centuries.[2] From the early years of Renaissance, artists portrayed subjects from Greek mythology alongside more conventional Christian themes. Among the best-known subjects of Italian artists are Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Pallas and the Centaur, the Ledas of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and Raphael’s Galatea.[2] Through the medium of Latin and the works of Ovid, Greek myth influenced medieval and Renaissance poets such as Petrarch, Boccaccio and Dante in Italy.[1] In northern Europe, Greek mythology never took the same hold of the visual arts, but its effect was very obvious on literature. Both Latin and Greek classical texts were translated, so that stories of mythology became available. In England, Chaucer, the Elizabethans and John Milton were among those influenced by Greek myths; nearly all the major English poets from Shakespeare to Robert Bridges turned for inspiration to Greek mythology. Jean Racine in France and Goethe in Germany revived Greek drama.[2] Racine reworked the ancient myths — including those of Phaidra, Andromache, Oedipus and Iphigeneia — to new purpose.[3] The 18th century saw the philosophical revolution of the Enlightenment spread throughout Europe and accompanied by a certain reaction against Greek myth; there was a tendency to insist on the scientific and philosophical achievements of Greece and Rome. The myths, however, continued to provide an important source of raw material for dramatists, including those who wrote the libretti for Handel’s operas Admeto and Semele, Mozart’s Idomeneo and Gluck’s Iphigà ©nie en Aulide.[3] By the end of the century, Romanticism initiated a surge of enthusiam for all things Greek, including Greek mythology. In Britain, it was a great period for new translations of Greek tragedies and Homer, and these in turn inspired contemporary poets, such as Keats, Byron and Shelley.[4] The Hellenism of Queen’s Victoria poet laureate, Alfred Lord Tennyson, was such that even his portraits of the quintessentially English court of King Arthrur are suffused with echoes of the Homeric epics. The visual arts kept pace, stimulated by the purchase of the Parthenon marbles in 1816; many of the â€Å"Greek† paintings of Lord Leighton and Lawrence Alma-Tadema were seriously accepted as part of the transmission of the Hellenic ideal.[5] The German composer of the 18th century Christoph Gluck was also influenced by Greek mythology.[1] American authors of the 19th century, such as Thomas Bulfinch and Nathaniel Hawthorne, believed that myths should provide pleasure, and held that the study of the classical myths was essential to the understanding of English and Americal literature.[6] According to Bulfinch, â€Å"the so-called divinities of Olympus have not a single worshipper among living men; they belong now not to the department of theology, but to those of literature and taste†.[7] In more recent times, classical themes have been reinterpreted by such major dramatists as Jean Anouilh, Jean Cocteau, and Jean Giraudoux in France, Eugene O’Neill in America, and T. S. Eliot in England and by great novelists such as the Irish James Joyce and the French Andrà © Gide. Richard Strauss, Jacques Offenbach and many others have set Greek mythological themes to music.[1] References 1. ^ a b c d â€Å"Greek Mythology†. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2002. 2. ^ a b c â€Å"Greek mythology†. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2002. * L. Burn, Greek Myths, 75 3. ^ a b l. Burn, Greek Myths, 75 4. ^ l. Burn, Greek Myths, 75-76 5. ^ l. Burn, Greek Myths, 76 6. ^ Klatt-Brazouski, Ancient Greek and Roman Mythology, 4 7. ^ T. Bulfinch, Bulfinch’s Greek and Roman Mythology, 1

What Are The Four Main Causes Of The French Revolution

Chapter 23 Questions 1. What are the four main causes of the French Revolution discussed on pages 652-653 in your text? In your opinion, which cause was the main reason for the revolution? Why did you pick this cause? Response to Question 1.1 : Two of the estates had privileges, including access to high offices and exemptions from paying taxes, that were not granted to the members of the third. This caused growing resentment among the lower classes. New philosophies about government helped create a desire for change. Awed by the success of the American Revolution, Members of the Third Estate started inquiring age-old concepts about the structure of society. Quoting Rousseau and Voltaire, they began to demand equality, liberty, and†¦show more content†¦Response to Question 1.3 : Wild rumors passed from town to town, village to village that the nobles were appointing outlaws to terrify the peasants. This caused a panic called the Great Fear across France. The peasants armed with pitch forks and other farm tools soon turn out to be outlaws themselves. They supported this movement and the nobles were targeted by them. Breaking into nobles’ manor houses, they demolished the old legal papers that assured them to pay outdated charges. At times, the peasants would burn down the manor house. Chapter 23, Section 2: 1. How did the slogan Liberty, Equality, Fraternity sum up the goals of the Revolution? Response to Question 2.1 : National Assembly accepted a declaration of revolutionary principles, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This document specified rights that included rights to security, property, liberty, resistance to unjust treatment and assured citizens freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and equal justice. Thus the slogan Liberty, Equality, Fraternity was adopted by revolutionary leaders. Liberty stood for individual freedom from governmental restrictions and intrusion. Equality stood for one law and one tax system for everyone, equal opportunity to advance based on merit, and political equality. Fraternity is the idea of brotherhood of all Frenchmen. 2. What major reforms did the National Assembly introduce? Response to Question 2.2 : The NationalShow MoreRelatedEnlightenment During The French Revolution1423 Words   |  6 PagesThe French Revolution: Two of the Greatest Eras Working Together Without Knowing Molly Dauk Honors World History Mrs. Bartosik May 5, 2017 The Enlightenment and the French Revolution, two of the most enriched periods of history, probably never to be left out of the history books. The French Revolution was influenced greatly by the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment period took place over about three-hundred years, whereas the French Revolution took place for only ten years. 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