Three Roads To One Hero Essays (1510 words) - Beowulf, Geats

Three Roads To One Hero Throughout the two epics, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh, and the novel Grendel, we see certain heroic characteristics of the main characters. Although Beowulf, Grendel, and Gilgamesh all come to a heroic end, they differ in way in which they came to that end. In Beowulf we read of a great warrior who cares about nothing but honor and his people. In Gilgamesh, we see a man who comes to a realization of his mortality, and then does all he can to overcome that weakness. Finally, in Grendel, we see a monster that was born in a cruel world, and comes to a cruel ending. Throughout the epic poem of Beowulf, we not only read of the heroism of Beowulf himself, but the guile of the antagonist, Grendel. By the fifth chapter, Beowulf is showing a characteristic that was vital to a Greek hero. He is boasting of his accomplishments. He tells of how he once fought a serpent in the open ocean. This might not seem to heroic, but you must attempt to become an archeological reader to begin fully understanding why this is so heroic. During the fist century of this millenium, one of the many things that scared people, and continues to do so today, is the unknown. Beowulf braved the unknown on not only land, but also where man has never belonged. He braved the unknown in the ocean. Grendel throughout the poem is, however, shown in a different light. He is a monster. He is a descendant of the first murderer, Cain. He kills simply for sport. He relishes in the blood of mankind. He is a monster who knows no bounds. In Grendel however, the point of view of the reader has changed. We now read from the point of view of the monster. We see how he has been born into a world where he understands next to nothing, and does not even have the comfort of a true mother. He can talk to no one, save for a dragon that sees everything, past, present and future, and he is alone in a world of humans. There is no place of refuge where he can escape the world of hate that he lives in. He is something that is unknown to humans, and is therefore unwanted, frightful, and must be either eliminated or banished form view. Although in both of the epics, one an English and the other a Mesopotamian, we read of heroic qualities of one main character, and through that main character the ideals of that culture as a whole, in Grendel, we read of an outcast, who is killed simply because he is an enigma to the people. This is where these three stories break down, in the way, not only in which they become heroes, but the way in which the author accomplishes this feat. In both Beowulf and Gilgamesh, we read of people who are highly esteemed, and emulate everything that those respective cultures hold dear. In Grendel, we see the cynicism of the twentieth century, and we read of all the ways in which our society and culture has become incongruent with that which we say we hold dear. In Gilgamesh, we read of a man who is stronger than all that are in the land, and his adventures to prove that to the world. He is a symbol of everything that his country and culture regards as praiseworthy. Not only, though, is he a physically strong person, but he is also given the gift or blessing of being able to reason. He is a man of not only sound body, but also of a sound mind. In addition to knowing how great and powerful he himself is, Gilgamesh also knows when to stop (sometimes). When he is fighting Enkidu, he discovers that his foe is his equal. Therefore, he does not become over-prideful, and deny that someone could be as great as he himself is, but he makes one of the best decisions that can be made by man. He makes his enemy his friend. The greatest interpretation of these three stories comes not only in seeing how well they are congruent, but also how they begin to differ when

Definition and Examples of Heat Energy

Definition and Examples of Heat Energy Most people use the word heat to describe something that feels warm, however in science, thermodynamic equations, in particular, heat is defined as the flow of energy between two systems by means of kinetic energy. This can take the form of transferring energy from a warm object to a cooler object. More simply put, heat energy, also called thermal energy or simply heat, is transferred from one location to another by particles bouncing into each other. All matter contains heat energy, and the more heat energy that is present, the hotter an item or area will be. Heat vs. Temperature The distinction between heat and  temperature  is  subtle  but very important. Heat refers to the transfer of energy between systems (or bodies), whereas temperature is determined by the energy contained within a singular system (or body). In other words, heat is energy, while temperature is a measure of energy. Adding heat will increase a bodys temperature while removing heat will lower the temperature, thus changes in temperature are the result of the presence of heat, or conversely, the lack of heat. You can measure the temperature of a room by placing a thermometer in the room and measuring the ambient air temperature. You can add heat to a room by turning on a space  heater. As the heat is added to the room, the temperature rises. Particles have more energy at higher temperatures, and as this energy is transferred from one system to another, the fast-moving particles will collide with slower moving particles. As they collide, the faster particle will transfer some of its energy to the slower particle, and the process will continue until all the particles are operating at the same rate. This is called thermal  equilibrium. Units of Heat The SI unit for heat is a form of energy called the joule (J). Heat is frequently also measured in the calorie (cal), which is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water from 14.5 degrees Celsius to 15.5 degrees Celsius. Heat is also sometimes measured in British thermal units or Btu. Sign Conventions for Heat Energy Transfer In physical equations, the amount of heat transferred is usually denoted by the symbol Q. Heat transfer may be indicated by either a positive or negative number. Heat that is released into the surroundings is written as a negative quantity (Q 0). When heat is absorbed from the surroundings, it is written as a positive value (Q 0). Ways of Transferring Heat There are three basic ways to transfer heat: convection, conduction, and radiation. Many homes are heated through the convection process, which  transfers heat energy through gases or liquids. In the home, as the air is heated, the particles gain heat energy allowing them to move faster, warming the cooler particles. Since hot  air is  less dense than cold air, it will rise.  As the cooler air falls, it can be drawn into our heating systems which will again allow the faster particles to heat up the air. This is considered a circular flow of air and is called a  convection current.  These currents  circle  and heat  our homes. The conduction process is the transfer of heat energy from one solid to another, basically, two things that are touching. We can see an example of this can be seen when we cook on the stove. When we place the cool pan down on the hot burner, heat energy is transferred from the burner to the pan, which in turn heats up. Radiation is a process in which heat moves through places where there are no molecules, and is actually a form of electromagnetic energy. Any item whose heat can be felt without direct connection is radiating energy. You can see this in the heat of the sun, the feeling of heat coming off a bonfire thats several feet away, and even in the fact that rooms full of people will naturally being warmer than empty rooms because each persons body is radiating heat.

Goldman Sachs and the Future of the Internet Essay

Goldman Sachs and the Future of the Internet - Essay Example Gus Levy, senior partner of the firm from1969 until 1976, is known for articulating the firm’s investment strategy as being â€Å"long-term greedy;† i.e. willing to absorb short term losses in exchange for the promise of long term profits. The dark side of the company’s dealings has been the fodder of many a polemical writer, however, and not without cause. In 1928 it started the Goldman Sachs Trading Company, which operated much like a Ponzi scheme and collapsed in the crash of 1929. In 1970 it nearly went under when the Penn Central Transportation Company went bankrupt, owing tens of millions of dollars in commercial paper from Goldman Sachs. A crisis erupted which involved numerous lawsuits. In 2007 Two Goldman traders, Michael Swenson and Josh Birnbaum, made a $4 billion profit by short-selling subprime mortgage securities. By 2008 their involvement in the financial products contributed to the global meltdown that occurred that year. A source of long-term con troversy has been the ease with which Sachs employees transition into government roles. American president George H.W. Bush made former Goldman CEO Henry Paulson his Secretary of the Treasury. Current Secretary Timothy Geitner’s chief of staff is former Goldman lobbyist Mark Patterson. The current CEO of the company has visited the White House at least ten times since Barak Obama became president. It is reported that the firm was a major contributor to Obama’s 2008 campaign. (A Brief) This dichotomous image of being at once financial geniuses and underhanded opportunists is buttressed by Goldman’s activities since the early days of public Internet use. The company handled the IPO of Microsoft,... This essay stresses that Goldman profits regardless of how the company they promote fares over time. However, there are two possible disadvantages in this scenario. Goldman may not sell its holdings in the company before the bubble bursts. It will then lose the profits earned from the stock’s price going up. Additionally, investors may be reluctant to invest money in firms promoted by Goldman if their reputation suffers over the long term. This paper makes a conclusion that it is worthwhile for Goldman to invest in Internet firms such as Facebook is dependent on which scenario best benefits its overall profitability. Given that the last dot-com bubble is still remembered, a cautious strategy would be for the firm to exercise due diligence practices before promoting such companies. Unlike the 1990s, there now exist mature, stable web-based companies that show strong prospects for solid, continued growth into the future. The aforementioned Facebook is one example. This paper has only considered the question from a monetary viewpoint. There are also ethical considerations, however. Deliberately creating bubbles may benefit the firm doing so, but it virtually guarantees an economic contraction and ruined portfolios in the longer term. That same outcome can also be seen as undesirable purely from a selfish viewpoint. The world economy is currently in a very fragile state, largely due to the real estate bubble aftermath.