Beowulf Deeper Understanding Essay Example for Free

Beowulf Deeper Understanding Essay In the epic poem Beowulf there is a more universal understanding that can be seen once a reader has taken the time to look deeper into the text of the poem. A characters intentions are not always seen instantaneously. To understand the full meaning of why someone might go out of their way to help another is not always in the kindness of their own heart. A more intense and complicated plot is behind the thoughts of a character named Beowulf. Everything he does always has a catch to it and requires more then a personal thank you. In the poem Beowulf has three battles against foes. The first foe that he encountered was the man beast Grendel. Grendel lived in Denmark, which was a great distance from Beowulfs homeland. On his journey to Grendel he came upon and slayed nicors. Nicors are sea demons and their occurrence in his journey brought Beowulf more honors. The significance of Beowulfs journey and the killing of those beasts was that they brought him glory. This glory was not only shown through his pride although it was also shown through the inhabatince of the land towards Beowulf. The people of the land also gave him precious gifts. These gifts brought out the self-centered and materialistic sides of Beowulf. He didnt slay Grendel to help the people, because his intentions of getting a reward were not accepted out of the kindness of his heart. They were accepted in the sense that he knew that he deserved them and that they should be required to pay him tribute to his greatness. The following foe the Beowulf slayed was Grendels mother. His mother wasnt of any threat to the Danes until Beowulf killed her son. This caused a sedate and low key monster to take offense to the people who she has never tried to revenge against. Beowulfs ways in which he killed Grendel would be offensive to any parent either human or beast. When your sons arm is seen lying torn off his body symbolizing the greatness of his death and the excellence of a human being revenge is the only answer to the situation. The point in which Beowulf was trying to make when killing Grendels mother was that he was showing them that he not only got rid of their biggest  problem but he got rid of the following problem as well. He knew that if he slayed the mother following the son that a more exceptional reward would be given to him. The battle with the mother was more intense then the battle with Grendel because it took place underwater and in that place Beowulf found the deceased body of Grendel. To tip off his fame amongst the Danes he cut off Gredels head and returned home with it to signify his notability once again. Since the first and second beasts were off the hands of the Danes and Beowulf has receive enough personal gratification to meet his needs he now travels back home. All of his gifts of gratitude are brought back with him and a few outstanding items are given to the king in honor of Beowulfs loyalty towards him, although his intentions are not what they seem. His true intentions are to rule the kingdom and he does get his wish once the king dies in battle. While Beowulf is king the people gain much security in him due to his strength in battle. Knowing that Beowulf is less likely to be defeated in battle causes the people to want to treat him better because of the protection that he posses. The last foe the Beowulf goes into battle with is the fire-breathing dragon. The dragon has been in slumber for 300 years until one of Beowulfs peasants disturbs him by stealing his gold from his cave. Once this occurs the dragon periodically comes out of the cave and torments the Geats. Since the dragon is disturbing Beowulfs people he takes it upon himself to slay the dragon, although this will end up being the last battle that he is going to be alive to fight in. Once he returns home he dies shortly after asking to see the treasure that he has won from fighting the dragon. In the battle between the dragon and Beowulf him wanting to see his treasure before he dies acknowledges his materialistic ways. He doesnt ask to see any of his loved ones of the people who have been with him along his journeys, he asks to see what is in his possession before he dies. Beginning the battle he shows his loyalty to his people although his people dont show loyalty towards him because when he went to fight the dragon majority of them ran away. Therefore, Beowulfs dignity and strength traits are not  passed on to majority his people and they are only supporting him when they are not involved in dangerous battles. Beowulf wanted to be appreciated. He knew that his strength was rare and he wanted to be treated as a rare stone would be treated. Everything that he did had to be praised and had to have treasure in the end or it wouldnt be good enough for Beowulf. The fact that he made his people build him a grave and put all of his treasures in it with him shows that his peoples love towards him was not voluntary given. He forced the people to understand that with out him they were nothing and that they would be unable to survive in battle with out him. I believe that he made himself out to be more then he was to make himself feel more out of the crowd then anyone else that obtained a special talent. A persons innermost feelings are never clearly visible physically. To understand how a person thinks and why they feel the way that they feel is a very hard task. One may never understand the human feelings and what their results may concluded too, although ones inner thoughts or feelings (such as Beowulfs) may bring upon a deeper level of frustration. In the epic poem of Beowulf such human actions are expresses once a reader looks deeper into the poems story to see that there are more interpretations that can be made on a larger, more universal level.

Jesus of Nazareth Essay -- Christianity

One of the most controversial figures of history, Jesus of Nazareth is also one of the most influential. His short life and ministry sparked the beginning of a new religion that has grown to be one of the biggest in the world today, and has been the subject of intense debate among scholars and the population in general for centuries now. Some groups, such as the Jesus Seminar, assert that the historical Jesus did not say or do most of the things attested to Him in the New Testament, while more conservative scholars believe that most, if not all of the statements and actions in the New Testament were factual. Still others, such as Rudolf Bultmann, believe that it does not matter if Jesus were historical or not – one can still have faith apart from history. Some people believe that Jesus was a real person, but He was not the Messiah for which the Jewish people were waiting. Rather, He was simply a good person and a good teacher who was killed unjustly. Many others have based the ir faith and even their life on Jesus’ teachings and call Him Lord, among them C.S. Lewis, who went on to further suggest that you cannot call Jesus a good teacher and be done with it. According to Lewis’ trilemma, because Jesus claimed to be God, then He must either be God, be crazy, or be a liar (Lewis 51). Before forming an opinion on the person of Jesus, however, it is essential to examine the documents related to His life and what they say about Him, as well as His teachings and mission. There is too much debate surrounding the person of Jesus to find a consesus among scholars with which one can agree – it is an opinion that must be formed on one’s own. Our primary source for learning about the person of Jesus is the Bible, which includes both the Old ... ...gh Jesus’ divinity is widely debated, one cannot deny the fact that Jesus of Nazareth existed. Many sources, biblical and extra-biblical, mention this historical figure and discuss His life and His teaching. Every person who hears about Jesus must ultimately make a decision about who He actually was, and that decision could be a life changing one. Regardless of what one thinks about Jesus, He was certainly a high influential individual who changed the course of history, and His ideas are still relevant today. Carver, Stephen. â€Å"Sources for Studying Jesus.† BI 250. Warner Pacific College, Portland. 7 Oct. 2010. Lecture. —. â€Å"The Historical Background of Jesus’ Life.† BI 250. Warner Pacific College, Portland. 16 Sept. 2010. Lecture. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Print. Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. New York: Macmillan, 1952. Print.

Gulliver’s Travels: Don Pedro de Mendez

In the beginning, Book IV of Gulliver’s Travels starts off as an almost comedic anarchist story of a captain being held hostage on his own ship and being thrown off board on a strange unknown island, but in reality ends up being a satiric comment on society with a deep philosophical meaning. The author, Jonathan Swift, cleverly intertwined many intelligent, complex and interesting characters into the voyages of the antagonist: Lemuel Gulliver. Don Pedro De Mendez, a character introduced by Swift in the eleventh chapter, serves great use to the plot as well as to the readers’ understanding of Book IV of Gulliver’s Travels.Particularly as a bridge between two worlds; the reason (being the land of the Houyhnhnms) and the lawless (the yahoos or humankind around the world). Don Pedro De Mendez serves as a function of making the antagonist reflect. When the first encounter is made with Don Pedro we see that he is an outstanding â€Å"Yahoo†. â€Å"He was a very courteous and generous person; {†¦} desired to know what I would eat or drink {†¦} but he ordered me a chicken and some excellent wine. † (Swift 2456). The reader acknowledges from the start that he is a kind, generous, amiable and loving man.Many manners Don Pedro presents towards Gulliver lead’s him to commence his questioning in regard of whether humankind is really as awful as the Houyhnhnms have portrayed. â€Å"that I wondered to find such civilities in a Yahoo† (Swift 2456). Don Pedro showed care for Gulliver not only when he took him on board gratis but when he saved him from jumping off the boat to his death. â€Å"He desired to know my reason for so desperate an attempt; assured me he only meant to do me all the service he was able {†¦} that at last I descended to treat him like an animal which had some little portion of reason† (Swift 2456).At this point Gulliver begins to realise that, even though he is still repulsed by human l ook and smell, not every Yahoo is as appalling as he is lead to believe. At this point, it is quite obvious that Don Pedro is inserted into the plot for a definite reason and it starts to take effect on Gulliver. Not only does he manage to withstand Don Pedro and his sailor’s company but he begins to create false pretences â€Å"but pretending I was sick, kept close in my cabin. (Swift 2458) while he says that only Yahoos lie â€Å"the use of speech was to make us understand one another, and to receive information of facts; now, if any one said the thing which was not, these ends were defeated, because I cannot properly be said to understand him; and I am so far from receiving information, that he leaves me worse than in ignorance; for I am led to believe a thing black, when it is white, and short, when it is long. † (Swift 2428). â€Å"For I had quite forgot the faculty of lying, so particular to Yahoos in all countries where they preside, and consequently the dispo sition of suspecting truth in others of their own species. (Swift 2456). More and more as the plot refines itself, Gulliver begins to regain old everyday humanoid habits. â€Å"I only desired he would lend me two clean shirts, which having been washed since he wore them, I believed would not so much defile me. These I changed every second day, and washed them myself. † (Swift 2457). â€Å"The captain persuaded me to accept a suit of clothes newly made {†¦} which I aired for twenty-four hours before I would use them. † (Swift 2457). Jonathan Swift also used the character of Don Pedro as a plot mover. He helps advance and continue the plot in many ways.Primarily, if his ship was not spotted at just the perfect time by Gulliver, Gulliver would have continued to the northern end of the peninsula and probably have been hunted down by natives and murdered. The presence of Don Pedro saves Gulliver’s life twice that day, â€Å"and in half an hour stole out, when I thought the crew was at dinner; and getting to the side of the ship, was going to leap into the sea, and swim for my life, rather than continue among Yahoos. But one of the seamen prevented me {†¦} I was chained to my bed† (Swift 2456) so if Don Pedro’s men would not have been there to stop Gulliver from jumping, the plot would have ended. When they began to talk, I thought I never heard or saw any thing so unnatural, for it appeared to me as monstrous as if a dog or a cow should speak in England, or a Yahoo in Houyhnhnmland† (Swift 2456). Also, Don Pedro and his men were the first Yahoos he spoke to in five years, which helped his progression from a houyhnhnm to a humanoid. â€Å"When they began to talk {†¦} they spoke to me with great humanity, and said they were sure their captain would carry me gratis to Lisbon. † (Swift 2456). Finally, thinking that Gulliver is ready, shown in this quote: â€Å"In a week’s time he seduced me down to the door.I found my terror gradually lessened, but my hatred and contempt seemed to increase. I was at last bold enough to walk the streets in his company. † (Swift 2458). Don Pedro assists the plot by persuasively pushing Gulliver to return to his hometown in England and try to weave back into society. â€Å"Don Pedro {†¦} put it upon me as a point of honour and conscience that I ought to return to my native country, and live at home with my wife and children. † (Swift 2457). Although Don Pedro’s intentions were kind and comely, the attempt was a failure.Once arrived in Redriff, his hometown, he realised that he was not cured. â€Å"The sight of them filled me only with hatred, disgust and contempt; {†¦} my wife took me in her arms, and kissed me; at which, having not been used to the touch of that odious animal for so many years, I fell in a swoon for almost an hour. † (Swift 2459). In conclusion, Don Pedro De Mendez serves as a function of mak ing the antagonist reflect on whether he shall return to the world of the Yahoos or not, in this sense Jonathan Swift uses his character as a plot mover thus demonstrating a bridge between two worlds.Don Pedro also serves as a summary clearly stating the most important part of the climax to the readers so they may understand better what is going on. In general, Swift uses Don Pedro as a coin flip; on one side we find the rational world of the Houyhnhnms and on the other side the â€Å"irrational† world of the Yahoos or humankind. If you compared the situation between the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos to present society throughout the world, how rational are we exactly?Difference in opinions has cost many millions of lives: for instance, whether flesh be bread, or bread be flesh; whether the juice of a certain berry be blood or wine; whether whistling be a vice or a virtue; whether it be better to kiss a post, or throw it into the fire; what is the best colour for a coat, whether black, white, red, or gray; and whether it should be long or short, narrow or wide, dirty or clean; with many more. Neither are any wars so furious and bloody, or of so long a continuance, as those occasioned by difference in opinion, especially if it be in things indifferent. (Swift 2432).

Drivers Education for Students with Multiple Disabilities Essay

Students with multiple disabilities are those who are experiencing more that one form of disability. Disability may be mental or physical or combination of both that hinders one from performing various life activities. Such students require much care as they cannot fully do what is required of them with help from another person. Such students should be given helpful education that would enable them contribute to the economy. Drivers’ education for students with multiple disabilities is required for none of the curriculum has considered this during their planning and implementation. Research question The main purpose of the paper is to identify whether there is any need to have drivers’ education for the people with multiple disabilities to offer services in special schools and in public schools. Another aim of the research is to determine how this education would be offered and what type of disability would benefit from the drivers education. How effective would this education be to the disabled. Justification of the research Students with multiple disabilities cannot perform a number of activities an able student can perform; this justifies the research because there is a need to have to have the disabled contribute to the nation building and economy. Drivers’ education would be necessary for the multi disabled students for there are those who can drive effectively despite of the disability. Review of the bibliography The provided bibliography would help in providing a critical review for the research and will give enough literature as to whether this drivers’ education for students with multiple disability is needed and to what extent. Bibliography (Video)The Los Angeles Club of the Deaf Story. DeBee Communications, 6965 El Camino Real, Ste. 105, Carlsbad, CA 92009 Bowe, F. (1978)Handicapping America: Barriers to disabled people, Harper & Row, Disability and Chronic Disease Quarterly, Department of Sociology, Brandeis University, Disability Grapevine Online Newsletter. http://www. disabilitygrapevine. com/ Disability Studies Online Magazine. http://www. disabilitystudies. com/index. htm Gary L. (2005)Encyclopedia of disability, SAGE Publ. , Gary L. et al. , eds. (2006) Encyclopedia of Disability. 5 vols. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Health Ethics, Policy and Law,† Cornell Journal of Law and Public http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=950878 Johnstone, D. (2001) An Introduction to Disability Studies, , 2nd edition, Kaushik, R. (1999) Access Denied: Can we overcome disabling attitudes ,† Museum International (UNESCO) , Vol. 51, No. 3, p. 48-52. Leonardi M; Bickenback, J; Ustin TB; Kostanjsek N; Chatterji S, and on behalf of the MHADIE Consortium (2006) â€Å"The definition of disability: what is in a name?,† Lancet 368(9543): 1219-1221 Mitra S (2006) â€Å"The Capability Approach and Disability† Journal of Disability National Center on Disability and Journalism. http://www. ncdj. org/links. html Paul T. (2005)Understanding Disability: Inclusion, Access, Diversity, and Civil Rights. Westport, CT: Greenwood Policy Studies, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 236-247 Policy, 15(2): 403-482 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=931703 Ruger JP (1998) â€Å"Aristotelian Justice and Health Policy: Capability and Incompletely Theorized Agreements† Harvard University, Ph. D. Thesis Ruger JP (2003) â€Å"Health and Development† Lancet, 362 (9385): 678 Ruger JP (2006) â€Å"Health, Capability, and Justice: Toward a New Paradigm of Ruger JP (2006) â€Å"Measuring Disparities in Healthcare†, British Medical Journal, 333:274 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=934987 Ruger JP (2007) â€Å"Rethinking Equal Access: Agency, Quality and Norms,† Global Public Health, 2(1): 78-96 Sen AK (2002) â€Å"Health: perception versus observation† British Medical Journal 324:860-861 Terzi L (2004) â€Å"The Social Model of Disability: A Philosophical Critique†, Journal of Applied Philosophy, 21 (2): 141-157 Terzi L (2005) â€Å"Beyond the Dilemma of Difference; The capability approach on disability and special educational needs†, Journal of Philosophy of Education, 39 (3): 443-459 Terzi L (2006) â€Å"Beyond the Dilemma of Difference: the capability approach to disability and special educational needs† R. Cigman (ed. ) Included or Excluded? The Challenge of the Mainstream for some SEN Children. London: Routledge

Freedom and Huckleberry Finn essays

Freedom and Huckleberry Finn essays What is America all about? The land of the free and home of the brave. Although this infamous quote is true today, hundreds of years ago this quote was a lie. Not only were some white men not free to do certain things, but all blacks were discriminated against greatly and most if not all were slaves. Not only is slavery an important issue in Mark Twain's novel, Huckleberry Finn, but also the entire issue of freedom is an important factor. Two characters who show a substantial amount of lost freedom in Huckleberry Finn are Huck and Tom. Huckleberry Finn demonstrates his loss of freedom in two ways. Firstly, Huck is forced to live with his Aunt who makes him practice religion and get an education. Huck does not want to do this. Huck feels he has lost his freedom when his Aunt forces him to do things he doesn't want to. Secondly, Huck's alcoholic father who rarely visits, stops into town and forces Huck to give him his own money. Not only does he steal Huck's money, but he then decides to take Huck into his own custody and keeps Huck locked up in a spot in the woods. Huck is forbidden to leave. Huck has his freedom taken away much like a prisoner or a slave. Tom, a black slave in Mark Twain's novel, exhibits a strong attitude although his freedom has been taken away from him. Although Tom escapes during the novel, he still shows an attitude that his freedom is lost. Tom, an innocent man of any crime has had his freedom taken away for no other reason than the fact that he is black. Although Tom is just one example of the many of blacks that were sold into slavery during this time period, he is a great example of the loss of freedom most if not all black lost. Finally, freedom is an important factor in America's history. Huckleberry Finn gives a great example of the loss of freedom that people share. Freedom exists in many different forms whether it is the freedom to watch a ce ...

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness Essay - 1

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness - Essay Example The main purpose of the research is to present that Life, Liberty and pursuit of happiness is a phrase which outline and indicate the unalienable rights given to all human beings by the God and the institution of government is formed to protect those rights. Jefferson’s original draft suggests that all men are created equal and from this creation, each of them derive and inherent the right to preservation of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. The overall emphasis therefore is upon creation of men as equal and from within this equality, all men have the undeniable rights to preserve the life, have liberty and pursue the happiness. While this phrase is one of the well-known phrases in the declaration however, it is argued that Jefferson was largely influenced by Locke when he decided to include this phrase in declaration. Though, the original draft of Jefferson was refined subsequently however, debate remains regarding what were the actual influences on Jefferson to include this in the original draft. One argument is based upon the assumption that Jefferson was impressed by what Locke termed as the protection of property. Locke suggested that the very purpose of political society is to actually protect the property of individuals. Property, according to Locke, comprises of life, liberty or freedom and estate. Jefferson however, replaced the word estate with the word pursuit of happiness. The right to preserve the life has liberty and pursuit of happiness therefore was the basic promise State actually made to its citizens as one of its basic duties towards citizens.

Problem set22 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Problem set22 - Assignment Example Based on the presented data regarding the phonology of Ojibwa native language, the morphemes meaning â€Å"I† and "you" take the forms of Verbs animate intransitive (vai) as they are primarily used to refer to animate subjects rather than objects. In this regard, when using the morphemes meaning â€Å"I† and â€Å"you† the verb conjugates or changes their forms depending on the number and person. However, personal affixes are used in conjugation as opposed to personal pronouns. b. Yes, the allomorphs for I† are in a complementary distribution while the allomorphs for â€Å"you† .This is particularly because the allomorphs for I† only appears before the voiceless [-voice] consonants while the allomorphs for â€Å"you† comes before voiced [+voice] consonants and in open syllables. a. What happens to the final consonants of in each of the two children’s language is that the first child (Child1) omits the voice stops and devoice [z] while child 2(the second child) seems to be devoicing the final consonants. However, not all the consonants behave the same way. I would argue that although the statement â€Å"I won’t get nothin’ seems illogical because it involves two negatives, it makes sense in that it has been used in an informal way as seen in the use of the word nothin to mean â€Å"nothing’ I observed a female and a male talking in a popular TV program. Differences between male and female have existed and in different dimensions (Holtgraves, 2013). It has been said that the use of words would tell more about a person’s social inclination and feeling. When it comes to gender differentiation based on the use of language, many differences can be identified. A lot of research has been carried out to identify the linguistic differences between the two genders (Charness & Gneezy, 2012). The common question has been to which extent does each gender use words showing differences from each other? Do differences in language use exist in the current world? If so how