Oedipus The King Free Will Vs Fate Essays - Greek Mythology

Oedipus the King: Free Will vs Fate Oedipus the King: Free Will vs Fate The events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, show an underlying relationship of man's free will existing within the cosmic order or fate which the Greeks believed guided the universe in a harmonious purpose. Man was free to choose and was ultimately held responsible for his own actions. Both the concept of fate and free will played an itregal part in Oedipus' destruction. Although he was a victim of fate, he was not controlled by it. Oedipus was destined from birth to someday marry his mother and to murder his father. This prophecy, as warned by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi was unconditional and inevitably would come to pass, no matter what he may have done to avoid it. His past actions were determined by fate, but what he did in Thebes, he did so of his own will. From the beginning of this tragedy, Oedipus took many actions leading to his own downfall. Oedipus could have waited for the plague to end, but out of compassion for his suffering people, he had Creon go to Delphi. When he learned of Apollo's word, he could have calmly investigated the murder of the former King Laius, but in his hastiness, he passionately curses the murderer, and in so, unknowingly curses himself. "Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out his life in misery or doom! If with my knowledge he lives at my hearth, I pray that I myself may feel my curse." (pg. 438; lines 266-271) In order for Sophecles' Greek audience to relate to the tragic figure, he had to have some type of flaws or an error of ways. This brought the character down to a human level, invoking in them the fear that "it could happen to them." And Oedipus certainly is not one without flaws. His pride, ingnorance, insolence and disbelief in the gods, and unrelenting quest for the truth ultimately contributed to his destuction. When Oedipus was told (after threatening Teiresias), that he was responsible for the murder of Laius, he became enraged and calls the old oracle a liar. He ran away from his home, Corinth, in hopes of outsmarting the gods divine will. Like his father, Oedipus also sought ways to escape the horrible destiny told by the oracle of Apollo. The chorus warns us of man's need to have reverence for the gods, and the dangers of too much pride. "If a man walks with haughtiness of hand or word and gives no heed to Justice and the shrines of Gods despises- may an evil doom smite him for his ill-starred pride of heart!- if he reaps gains without justice and will not hold from impiety and his fingers itch for untouchable things. When such things are done, what man shall contrive to shield his soul from the shafts of the God?" (pg. 452; 975-984) Oedipus' unyielding desire to uncover the truth about Laius' murder and the mystery surrounding his own birth, led him to the tragic realization of his horrific deeds. Teiresias, Jocasta and the herdsman tried to stop him from pursuing the truth. Take for example a part of the last conversation between Jocasta and Oedipus. After realizing that the prophecy had came true, Jacasta begs him to just let the mystery go unsolved for once. "I beg you- do not hunt this out- I beg you, if you have any care for your own life. What I am suffering is enough." (pg. 461; 1158-1161) Oedipus replies, "I will not be persuaded to let chance of finding out the whole thing clearly." (pg. 461; 1166-1167) He is unable to stop his quest for the truth, even under his wife's pleading. For it is in his own vain that he must solve the final riddle, the riddle of his own life. Upon discovery of the truth of his birth from the herdsman, Oedipus cries, "I who first saw the light bred of a match accursed, and accursed in my living with them, cursed in my killing." (pg. 465; 1300-1303) Oedipus knew that his fate had indeed come to pass and feels cursed by it. The chorus then sings an ode on the sorrow of life and the tragic fate to which even the most honored, like Oedipus are ultimately subject. "What man, what man on earth wins more happiness than a seeming and after that turning away? Oedipus you are my pattern of

Definition of a Boson Particle

Definition of a Boson Particle In particle physics, a boson is a type of particle that obeys the rules of Bose-Einstein statistics. These bosons also have a quantum spin with contains an integer value, such as 0, 1, -1, -2, 2, etc. (By comparison, there are other types of particles, called fermions, that have a half-integer spin, such as 1/2, -1/2, -3/2, and so on.) Whats So Special About a Boson? Bosons are sometimes called force particles, because it is the bosons that control the interaction of physical forces, such as electromagnetism and possibly even gravity itself. The name boson comes from the surname of Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, a brilliant physicist from the early twentieth century who worked with Albert Einstein to develop a method of analysis called Bose-Einstein statistics. In an effort to fully understand Plancks law (the thermodynamics equilibrium equation that came out of Max Plancks work on the blackbody radiation problem), Bose first proposed the method in a 1924 paper trying to analyze the behavior of photons. He sent the paper to Einstein, who was able to get it published ... and then went on to extend Boses reasoning beyond mere photons, but also to apply to matter particles. One of the most dramatic effects of Bose-Einstein statistics is the prediction that bosons can overlap and coexist with other bosons. Fermions, on the other hand, cannot do this, because they follow the Pauli Exclusion Principle  (chemists focus primarily on the way the Pauli Exclusion Principle impacts the behavior of electrons in orbit around an atomic nucleus.) Because of this, it is possible for photons to become a laser and some matter is able to form the exotic state of a Bose-Einstein condensate. Fundamental Bosons According to the Standard Model of quantum physics, there are a number of fundamental bosons, which are not made up of smaller particles. This includes the basic gauge bosons, the particles that mediate the fundamental forces of physics (except for gravity, which well get to in a moment). These four gauge bosons have spin 1 and have all been experimentally observed: Photon - Known as the particle of light, photons carry all electromagnetic energy and act as the gauge boson that mediates the force of electromagnetic interactions.Gluon - Gluons mediate the interactions of the strong nuclear force, which binds together quarks to form protons and neutrons and also holds the protons and neutrons together within an atoms nucleus.W Boson - One of the two gauge bosons involved in mediating the weak nuclear force.Z Boson - One of the two gauge bosons involved in mediating the weak nuclear force. In addition to the above, there are other fundamental bosons predicted, but without clear experimental confirmation (yet): Higgs Boson - According to the Standard Model, the Higgs Boson is the particle that gives rise to all mass. On July 4, 2012, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider announced that they had good reason to believe theyd found evidence of the Higgs Boson. Further research is ongoing in an attempt to get better information about the particles exact properties. The particle is predicted to have a quantum spin value of 0, which is why it is classified as a boson.Graviton - The graviton is a theoretical particle which has not yet been experimentally detected. Since the other fundamental forces - electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force - are all explained in terms of a gauge boson that mediates the force, it was only natural to attempt to use the same mechanism to explain gravity. The resulting theoretical particle is the graviton, which is predicted to have a quantum spin value of 2.Bosonic Superpartners - Under the theory of supersymmetry, every fermion would have a so-far-undetected bosonic counterpart. Since there are 12 fundamental fermions, this would suggest that - if supersymmetry is true - there are another 12 fundamental bosons that have not yet been detected, presumably because they are highly unstable and have decayed into other forms. Composite Bosons Some bosons are formed when two or more particles join together to create an integer-spin particle, such as: Mesons - Mesons are formed when two quarks bond together. Since quarks are fermions and have half-integer spins, if two of them are bonded together, then the spin of the resulting particle (which is the sum of the individual spins) would be an integer, making it a boson.Helium-4 atom - A helium-4 atom contains 2 protons, 2 neutrons, and 2 electrons ... and if you add up all of those spins, youll end up with an integer every time. Helium-4 is particularly noteworthy because it becomes a superfluid when cooled to ultra-low temperatures, making it a brilliant example of Bose-Einstein statistics in action. If youre following the math, any composite particle that contains an even number of fermions is going to be a boson, because an even number of half-integers is always going to add up to an integer.

Media reading analysis and response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media reading analysis and response - Essay Example Some scholars, like Myoshi, have argued that we are in many important ways living in a more mobile world where transient actors experience greater freedoms and decreased loyalties. Such a frame work implies a substantial decline in the significance of traditional notions of borders and the nation-state. In the field of education William Brody, the President of Johns Hopkins University, sees opportunities and constraints as knowledge and services become less connected to nation-states and physical sites. How one views the world therefore affects how one anticipates the future. This essay will examine Myoshi's suggestion that the nation-state has declined in important ways; in addition, it will discuss the future implications for the future development of media systems in the Asia-Pacific. As an initial matter, while conceding that Myoshi characterizes the modern world as less national and more ethnically-oriented, he does not state flatly that the nation-state is non-existent or wholly irrelevant; the specific problem, in his view, that "we face now is how to understand today's global configuration of power and culture that is both similar and different vis--vis the historical-colonial paradigm" (1993: 727). This new global configuration is traced from colonization to decolonization to the modern setting. It is ironic that Myoshi refers to the decline of the nation-state in the article's title. This is ironic because the nation-state is also characterized as a myth created and perpetuated by major western powers and one must reconcile whether the decline to which Myoshi refers is to a decline in the influence of an actual nation-state or a decrease in the effectiveness or the legitimacy of the nation-state myth. A careful reading suggests that it is the myth that is in decline. This conclusion is the most plausible for several reasons. First, Myoshi suggest that the goals and the powers have over time been rather consistent. What has changed, mostly, has been the proffered justification for engaging in exploitive behavior. The world has evolved, for instance, from the War on Communism to the War on Terrorism. The world has evolved from colonization to globalization. Labels and slogans change, but the pursuits and the consequences do not. Indeed, referring to a decolonized globe, Myoshi sees little change in terms of consequences for the exploited and the powerless, arguing that the nation-state was always a western-imposed "cartographic unit" (1993: 729), a "counterfeit reproduction" of the colonizer's own administrative structure (1993: 730), and, in effect, a contrived and disingenuous creation. Second, Myoshi argues that with the end of formal colonialism new myths and contrivances have been manufactured by capitalist powers. One set of myths has been sw ept under the rug and another risen to accomplish the same objectives. Third, and persuasively, Myoshi demonstrates how western notions of the nation-state and nationality conflict significantly with more local notions related to ethnicity and ethnic identity. People tend to align themselves more along ethnic lines than national identity and this suggests that Myoshi may be correct of both counts: that the

A cold way to get a job - Emerging Trend Research Paper

A cold way to get a job - Emerging Trend - Research Paper Example For smaller organizations, the process of selecting the right candidate is much simpler as they review the resumes they receive until that time when they find the appropriate candidate for their position. Modern tracking systems are programmed the way that enable them to scan for keywords, former employers or the years of professional experience of the candidate. This help the companies to rank the applicants on the first step of the recruitment process. Those candidates who earned low scores do not pass on the next level. However, tracking system has its pitfalls. It sometimes misses the most- qualified candidate, because that person does not include the keywords from the job description. Moreover, the idea of the system is not in replacing the human screeners entirely. It simply allows the experts to narrow the field of search to the one that hiring manager can handle. In addition, the recruitment specialists state that the only successful method of getting a job for the candidate is to obtain the referral from a previous company employer. As it was stated before, small companies usually do not deal with tracking systems, but still the job seekers are often surprised when they do not hear back anything from small organizations. These companies rarely use an applicant-tracking system, as it is cost-effective, instead they use a well- trafficked job board to gather hundreds of responses. To help the applicant to find the job of his or her dream, hiring specialists recommend different methods. Every job advertisement is different and it requires the applicant to make sure one understands each requirement. That is to read carefully the  whole  announcement to make sure one follows all the requirements to apply. What any tracking system and them hiring specialist would notice is the accuracy of the entered information. Here spell check and proofread are essential,

Kinship, ritual , gender FINAL ANTHROPHOLOGY ESSAY

Kinship, ritual , gender FINAL ANTHROPHOLOGY - Essay Example seen the extent of shrinking (if any) of the specific, and why not crucial, role that they have played in forming and supporting the stability of those communities, and societies in question, in the context of the global social change. The paper argues that due to the more and more accelerating process of global culture change, driven by the steadily increasing contact between cultures and societies worldwide (whose first timid steps could be sought at some point in the distant Middle Ages), more or less, all existing societies have been heavily influenced in the sense of altering social dynamics and promoting new cultural models. This paper argues as well, that the phenomenon of cultural diffusion, first conceptualized by the influential American anthropologist Alfred L. Kroeber and fueled by the patterns of change for the world in the last several decades, is drifting the contemporary civilization toward creation of a global multicultural society with its own universal cultural form and content, including a new set of appropriate rituals, but also containing the traditional cultural patterns of its constituent communities. Given the aforesaid, the paper advocates the idea that the traditional tribal or religion- born rituals, in particular those with initiation meaning and function, though inevitably affected by the social shifts, will keep on playing an important role not just as an indicator of affiliation to a particular community, but also as a structurally bracing part of any community’s organism. Since the very dawn of the simplest human societies, even before the earliest civilizations to emerge, the rituals had taken up an immense room within the core and foundation of each of those societies. This is especially true for a particular class of rituals, which pervasively attend throughout the whole life cycle of an individual - male or female; named, analyzed and characterized for the first time by Arnold van Gennep as ‘rites of passage’- in his

Antibiotics for Treatment of Acute Otitis Media

Antibiotics for Treatment of Acute Otitis Media The role of Antibiotics for Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in Prevention of Subsequent Development of Acute Mastoiditis in Children Introduction Acute otitis media (AOM) is considered to be one of the most common infections in children. Most of the time it is self-limiting disease without need for antibiotic therapy; however, some children have individual potential for serious complications such as mastoiditis. Acute mastoiditis is still the most common complication of acute Otitis media and is defined as an acute inflammation of the mastoid air cells which are contiguous with the middle ear cleft and arising as a result of spread of infection from acute otitis media beyond the middle ear. The incidence of acute mastoiditis was signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cantly reduced following the antibiotic era and the overall incidence of mastoiditis as a complication of acute otitis media dropped to less than 1%.1,3. But some recent literature indicated an increase of the disease incidence especially in countries with less antibiotic prescription [2], while others reported that no increased incidence despite the national restriction guidelines of antibiotics prescription [4]. Most recently published guidelines reported that acute otitis media should be treated initially with supportive therapy with discretionary clinical follow-up and antibiotic treatment is reserved for cases in children younger than 6 months, unresolving cases, or otherwise complicated cases. The aim of this study was to carry out a retrospective analysis of all children admitted with acute mastoiditis and to study the role of antibiotics prescribed for acute otitis media on development of acute mastoiditis. Patients and Methods The medical records of all children admitted, diagnosed and treated as acute mastoiditis in the Ear, Nose and Throat department in King Hussein Medical center, Amman- Jordan during the period 2002 to 2012 were studied retrospectively. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Group I: patients who received antibiotics for acute otitis media 2 weeks pre hospitalization. Group II: patients who did not receive antibiotics prior to hospitalization. The clinical criteria for the diagnosis of acute mastoiditis were based on the following: Clinical and Otomicroscopic evidence of acute otitis media on admission or recent episode of otitis media within 2 weeks before admission. Post-auricular inflammatory signs (swelling, erythema and tenderness). Anteroinferior displacement of the auricle. Exclusion criteria were: Patients with incomplete data or in which the diagnosis was not conclusive. Patients suspected to have cholesteatoma. Immune compromised patients. Patients with ventilation tubes in situ. Patients who had undergone prior ear surgeries. Data regarding the age, gender, and duration of pre hospitalization antibiotic therapy, the clinical and microbiological findings, treatment modality and the outcome of the disease were recorded. Results During the study period, a total number of 63 children were admitted with the diagnosis of acute mastoiditis (42 males and 21 females) aged from 7 months to 13 years with a mean age of 5.7 years. Out of 63 patients, 56 (88.9%) patients had post auricular inflammation only whereas the remainder 7 (11.1%) cases had a subperiosteal abscess. The preadmission history demonstrated that 52 (82.5%) patients had a history of antecedent acute otitis media within 2 weeks before admission. Before the development of acute mastoiditis, we recorded that 41(65.1%) children were taking oral antibiotics 2 weeks before admission prescribed for acute otitis media (Group I) with duration of therapy ranging between 1-13 days (mean duration 3.6 days). The most commonly prescribed antibiotic prior to hospitalization was amoxicillin–clavulanic acid (n=30) followed by amoxicillin (n = 6), and à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ rst or second-generation cephalosporin (n = 5). On other hand 11 patients did not use any type of antibiotics before admission which was confirmed by the Parents of patients (Group II). The duration of illness before admission of patient was ranging between 1-14 days (mean 3.5  ± 3.1 days). Acute otitis media in the left side was reported to be more common than the right side (25 cases vs. 20 cases, respectively), Whereas 7 children were reported to have bilateral acute otitis media. None of our patients reported to have bilateral mastoiditis. The Clinical features of children with acute mastoiditis on admission are shown in table I. Computerized tomography of the Temporal bone was performed on admission in all patients and cloudiness of the mastoid was demonstrated in all the patients. In 7 cases there was destruction of cortex with subperiosteal abscess. Data regarding microbiological culture findings was recorded in 48 patients, of whom 25 (52%) cultures were taken from middle ear aspirate during myringotomy; culture of pus from the external auditory canal was obtained in 11 patients (23%), from subperiosteal abscess in 7 patients (14.6%) and from the mastoid cavity during mastoidectomy in 5 patients (10.4%). The most commonly isolated organisms were Streptococcus pneumonia, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Haemophilus inà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uenzae. On admission, all of the patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics and the most commonly used antibiotics were ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, Ceftazidime and Metronidazole. In addition to Intravenous antibiotics, some patients were underwent tympanostomy tube insertion, abscess drainage and cortical mastoidectomy. All patients in our study were recovered uneventfully with these treatment modalities and none of them developed recurrences of mastoiditis within a period of at least one year of clinical follow up. Discussion Although, in the literature the incidence of acute mastoiditis decreased in the last decades, there is some evidence that in recent years, this entity is rising, as Papournas and Kudo [6,9] have reported. However, our series includes 63 cases of acute mastoiditis in 10 years period. The demographic data collected in this study with regard to gender and age was consistent with other series [3, 7, 1 2]. Acute mastoiditis has been reported to be more predominant in boys as has been noted previously [11—14]. The use of broad spectrum antibiotics as initial treatment for acute otitis media, a rather common practice in our country, might play a role in selecting resistant microorganisms. In our study, in which 65.1% children were taking oral antibiotics for otitis media before admission provides evidence for the assumption that widespread use of antimicrobials in treatment of acute otitis media does not provide complete protection against acute mastoiditis. Furthermore, the symptoms of acute mastoiditis may be abated, in consequence of the treatment, requiring a high degree of awareness by contemporary clinicians to watch for manifestations. Therefore, antimicrobials should be used judiciously in treatment of acute otitis media, avoiding the employment of broad-spectrum drugs as an initial regimen. Yet, complete abstention from use of antibiotics in treatment of suppurative otitis media is not advisable, as this seems to increase the risk of complications in general and of acute mastoiditi s in particular [15,16]. Recently, some authors observed that the number of children admitted to some hospitals with acute mastoiditis has risen [12-14]. However, Luntz et al [15] reported that the use of antibiotics is not a safe guard against acute mastoiditis and it may lead to a latent (masked) mastoiditis. Also, Kvaerner et al [4] In their registry based study on 399 Norwegian children proved that the incidence of acute mastoiditis has not been increased in Norway despite the national restricted use of antibiotics in primary care. Findings in children with acute mastoiditis are well described in clinical studies. In agreement with our à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ndings the children are young, and present with retroauricular oedema, protrusion of the ear and abnormal tympanic membranes in addition to various degrees of general discomfort [1,5 – 9]. The most frequent symptom in our study was abnormal tympanic membrane with retroauricular erythema. During the last decade several reports show a decreasing rate of cortical mastoidectomy as the treatment of choice for acute mastoiditis. The rate of surgery varies greatly from 12 – 98% in different studies [1,4 – 8]. This may be due to different criteria for the diagnosis and may also reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ect the fact that an increasing portion of children are treated in pediatric wards. The increasing tendency for conservative treatment during the recent years may also reà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ect an increasing availability of CT or MR scans to exclude complications. Microbiological culture findings were recorded in 48 patients in this study and Streptococcus pneumonia was the most commonly isolated organism. Similar results have been reported by other authors [2,6,12,15,16]. Other identià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ed organisms were Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Haemophilus inà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uenzae. Our data do not support that general use of antibiotics in acute otitis media will prevent the subsequent development of acute mastoiditis. Neurological complications was reported in 5 – 20% in the literature [2,3,15], although recent publications show a lower rate of complications [6,12]. In our material none of the patients developed neurological complications. Conclusion References Table I Clinical features on admission of 63 children with Acute Mastoiditis

The warmth of human emotion :: essays research papers

The Warmth of Human Emotion Heat and warmth are usually depicted as elements of comfort and security. This warmth is what people crave to achieve this comfort. In Evelyn Lau’s â€Å"Family,† the heat and warmth give deeper meaning in regards to human emotion. The contrasting images of ice and cold as well resemble the abstract human emotion in the short story. The elements are used in such a way as to satisfy the hunger of emotional warmth in regards to the characters Zoe and Douglas. As the story unfolds there is a sense of coldness surrounding the community. The setting stage for the action is in fact a community in a cold winter. Through warmth is how one reaches one’s own comfort level. It is noted to the extent that one must almost search for the warmth inside one’s self to achieve this comfort. In the case of Zoe she achieves warmth though emotional stability. Both Zoe and Douglas do search for this but by intention are both quite different. As the friendly relationship between the two progresses, it soon evolves into a hot and steamy relationship full of adultery and deception. Lam 2 Zoe in the case of the relationship is the one who seems to crave this warmth. It is soon noted that her attraction towards Douglas becomes almost too great for her to control herself. Even though she knows that the man she desires is a well-respected man with a wife and children, she feels compelled to satisfy her own desire, thus deeming herself as being selfish. Yet at this point, as she is acquainted with the wife, Ellen, she still thinks about the warm touch of Douglas’ hand and how she is drawn to his warmth. As Zoe is left alone by herself, thoughts of sexual depictions come into her mind. As cold as she feels she pictures Douglas and his Wife in a cuddling scenario in the master bedroom. At this point she feels somewhat jealous of the fact that Ellen is his wife instead if herself. By occupying her mind with images of Douglas â€Å"wrapp[ing] his arms around his wife, her stomach and, her breasts† (Lau 1153), Zoe feels even more compelled to satisfy her desire f or Douglas. Her craving for Douglas’ emotional warmth becomes too unbearable for her as she watches the dead animals hung up in the organic-foods market. She â€Å"resist[s] the urge to lean forward and stroke her fingertips down the grain of their feathers and fur, towards the belly warm as the belly of a sleeping man† (Lau 1154).