Medea’s murder of her children Essay

The image of Medea presented by Euripides in the exodos is undoubtedly largely horrifying and appalling to the audience. Medea manifestly presents her desire for revenge and it is difficult to sympathise with her character. However, in many respects her character fits the image of a tragic hero. Although, it is widely controversial to associate Medea with heroic aspects in modern days, from an ancient Greek’s perspective her actions and personality might well match aspects of the tragic hero such as consistency, appropriation, noble state, and tragic flaw. This essay will explore whether her presentation in the exodos as well as her actions in other circumstances justify her tragic hero status. First of all, Medea has always enjoyed a good reputation and high-rank in society. Her heroic identity symbolises the fact that she is a grand- daughter of the Sun. Moreover, Medea was a princess of Colchis and displayed a vast knowledge of enchantments and medicine. When Jason abandons her in a foreign land she becomes a ‘stateless refugee’ and her pride suffers. It has also been stated by the Chorus in the play: ‘Of all pains and hardships none is worse Than to be deprived of your native land’. [L. 651-652] It seems intolerable for her to be rejected & homeless in a foreign land. We can infer this by the use of words such as ‘pains and hardships’ which emphasises her dramatic position through an accumulation of two similar meanings. Also, the word ‘deprived’ implies that Jason has taken her land almost physically. Here, the role of chorus modifies the structure in the play as they appearance break up the acts in the play. Thus, Euripides attaches an important role of the chorus to construct the play. Her behaviour has been farther explored by E. R Dodds who states that members of an ancient Greek society acknowledged ‘anything which exposes a man to the contempt or ridicule of his fellows, which causes them to â€Å"lose face,† †¦ as unbearable’. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must hold noble, respected social status. It can be argued therefore that Medea’s murder of her children in exodos was a desperate and impulsive response to ‘the pressure of social conformity’ (Dodds) and a diseased attempt to gain back her reputation. Such actions are common in Greek tragedies such as The Oresteia where Atreus admitted an even larger horrific act of revenge against his brother who had affair with Atreus’s wife. Similarly, while Medea loses face when Jason abandons her, Atreus’s reputation suffers when his wife commits adultery. Nevertheless, later Atreus’s takes care of his brother’s son. This, as opposed to Medea, can be considered as tragic hero’s sense of guilt or, perhaps, the way to dispense justice. On the other hand, Medea doesn’t regret her actions. Her sense of guilt does not exist. Contrarily, she seems to be proud of her murder as she uses cynical and sarcastic techniques while she responds to Jason’s accusations in stichomythia: ‘Go home; your wife waits to be buried. ‘ The mention of Jason’s would-be wife is extremely cruel and tactless as previously, Medea mercilessly murdered her. In the exodos, Medea and Jason have a short and sharp exchange after Jason sees the dead bodies of his children. Questionably, Medea appears here to be extremely exultant, victoriously using cynical techniques untypical for the tragic hero such as ‘You grieve too soon. Old age is coming’. It is clear that Medea identifies her murder with a triumph over Jason. This opposes the fact that Medea can be regarded as a tragic hero because members of an ancient Greek society, despite their desire for high reputation, had a sense of guilt and justice which is described by E. R Dodds as a ‘gradually growing sense of guilt†¦ which transformed into a punishment’ and ’embodiment of cosmic justice’. This implies that Medea as a tragic hero should regret her actions however, this never occurs. Instead, at the ending of the play, Medea and the bodies of her children are taken away by the gods in the shape of Deus ex Machina. Up until the exodos, Medea has had some features of a tragic hero. However in the exodos, the absence of any kind of regrets opens up a debate over whether Medea’s presentation can be truly regarded as a tragic hero. Here, the gods seem to appear strangely sympathetic in her murderous sufferings and surprisingly shocking in supporting Medea’s actions and punishing Jason. It can be argued that the gods support Medea and Deus ex Machina occurs in order to dispense justice by not allowing Jason to bury his children and leaving him unsatisfied. Although, the gods not always seem to make ‘right’ decision and sometimes their will performs as cruel and unmoral. It isn’t just the fact that Medea kills her children that seem to be questioning Medea’s heroic aspects. It is also true that Medea does not die. The play is in fact the only surviving Greek tragedy where the tragic hero doesn’t die. Furthermore, Medea is a woman driven by ‘male desire’. Her desire for revenge leads to her overcoming the sense of maternal instinct. Therefore, the Greek audience couldn’t completely regard Medea as a tragic hero and ‘yet the audience (†¦ ) shudder at the ruthless of her anger and passion for vengeance’ (Easterling). It is unclear whether Medea aims to portray herself as a woman or to employ the â€Å"heroic ‘male’ weapon†. She often sympathise with females as a group ‘We were born women – useless for honest purposes. But in all kinds of evil skilled practitioners’ [l. 406-407] Here, Medea uses first person plural verb in order to become a representative of females. However, the fact that she lacks her maternal instinct and kills her children in ‘reaction to her dishonour’ and ‘her violence, which she herself abhors’ follow the idea of a male desire. At this point, it is difficult to define Medea as a tragic hero because she evidently contradicts the idea of consistency in that she portrays herself sometimes as a representative of oppressed women and sometimes as a ‘male hero’. It is largely controversial to argue that Medea’s presentation in the play (particularly in the exodos) is ‘good and appropriate’ (Aristotle). The tragic hero’s character should be ‘good if the purpose is good’ (Aristotle). Euripides’s presentation of Medea at the beginning of the play is to make the audience pity her dramatic position however, if we consider the fact that previously Medea has committed two acts of murder in order to marry Jason it is difficult to sympathise her. The murder of her children is a highly horrifying act of the play as the children plead for help (‘Help, help, for the gods’ sake! She’s killing us! ). The repetitiveness of a word ‘help’ and their imprecations gives us a sense of their desperation. In this way, Medea fits her image of a tragic hero because according to Aristotle, ‘fear and pity must be aroused’ in circumstances in which a ‘tragic incident between those who are near or dear to one another’. Indeed, we pity characters in the exodos as the act of murder has been done at the expense of innocent children pleading for help. On the other hand, it has been investigated by P.E Easterling that â€Å"Euripides’ many imitators have tended to present Medea’s behaviour as that of madwomen†. This is because the way in which Medea murders her children is largely brutal as she uses a sword and seem to be murdering them in a mercilessly pattern. Therefore, even the Ancient Greek audience seems to reject the idea of Medea being ‘good and appropriate’. In addition, for Medea to fully fit the image of a Greek tragic hero it is essential that she has her tragic flaw which contributes to the downfall. It is necessary for the tragic heroes to be â€Å"wrapped in the mystery (†¦) with that ‘something beyond’ which we can only see through them, and which is the source of their strength and their fate alike†¦ † (Anderson) Without this, tragedy cannot be regarded as a tragedy itself. Therefore, in context of Medea, the equivalent of ‘something beyond’ can be considered her excessive pride and obsession with the ‘laughter of my enemies’. Even if the audience does not point out any indication of the ‘laughter’ of Medea’s enemies, she still insists their presence. She does not perceive the support of the women of Corinth (meaning the Chorus) or -perhaps, she does not want to perceive it. Therefore, Medea’s obsession with the ‘laughter’ of her enemies can be considered as the catalyst of her tragic downfall. However, it might be believed that this obsession cannot be regarded as the catalyst of her tragic downfall because it is clear that Medea fully acknowledges her flaws and in her horrific act in the exodos she recognises that what’s she’s doing is wrong. In the line 1077 she says: ‘I understand The horror of what I am going to do’ Evidently, Medea appears to be aware of her tragic flaw and to accept the consequences. In this case, Medea cannot be regarded as a tragic hero because she acknowledges her flaws. Therefore, the Greek audience could not be entertained or surprised by Medea’s actions. We do not pity her because she accepts her tragic flaws throughout the play. Medea’s self-awareness of her immorality contradicts Anderson’s belief that ‘the message of tragedy is that men are better than they think they are. The message needs to be said over and over lest the race lose faith in itself entirely’. There is a large distinction between the recognition of a tragic hero in Ancient Greece and the modern world. We associate heroic aspects with goodness, appropriation and a well-developed sense of forgiveness. The presentation of Medea in the exodos as well as her actions throughout the play, strongly contradict with the principles of Christianity and her character appears as irrelevant to modern ideas. Unfortunately, Medea from the Ancient Greek’s point of view can be regarded as a tragic hero to a significant extent. The horrific act of murdering her children is insane and sickening; however, it is without doubt that it fits with the image of a tragic hero in a several respects. Bibliography Aristotle, Poetics. Trans. S.H. Butcher. www.classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/poetics/html Accessed 5th January 2012 P.E Easterling – ‘The Infanticide in Euripides’ Medea’, Yale Classical Studies, 25(1997) 193-225 Dodds, E.R. The Greeks and the Irrational. University of California Press, (2000). Allan, William. Euripides: Medea Duckworth Companions for Greek and Roman tragedy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, (2002) Anderson, The Essence of Tragedy Northrop Frye,† The Mythos of Autumn†

Economic Developments Essay

The current system of the world economy has emerged as a result of the historical trends and economic developments that occurred in the past particularly during the periods of World War I, World War II and the Cold War. To a significant extent, the current world order and the capitalist and industrial prosperity that is being experienced today are products of historical economic developments. This paper examines the economic developments from 1913 to the present including the history of self-determination in the world economy in relation to the current world economy. Consequently, the role of the United States from being an isolationist to an economic hegemon is analyzed. Economic Developments from 1913-Present The period from Post World War I up to the present can be considered to be a see-saw of economic prosperity and economic crises for most countries. For countries like the United States the war had brought about economic development but it also caused the economic downturn for countries like France and Germany. Capitalism began to ensue and trading had been more active. Hence, the period from 1920-1929 signaled the massive economic progress in the world economy- industries were established and the percentage of industries to agriculture rose. After this massive growth however, the unemployment rate and poverty that ensued from the period of 1929-1941 had led to the Great Depression- interest rates were high, hyperinflation ensued and the rise in debt had led to stock market collapse. The world economy had experienced a systemic recession leading the collapse of markets worldwide. In this era, the GDP and GNP of nations dropped and poverty ensued as world trade had been inactive. After the Great Depression, the World War II had created another economic era- post World War II had been considered to be a golden era for capitalism worldwide. This is because of the rapid rise in industries, the technological advancement, the prospering and stabilization of world trade, domestic and international institutions had been established in order to facilitate the world economy. Consequently, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and the IMF were established in order to aid countries needing economic lift in order to aid in their industrialization. Backed by capitalism and foreign direct investments, this era can be considered the time when the world economy had boomed. However, after this period the time between 1970s-1980s, inflation and interest rates grew up and the fixed interest rates were deregulated in order to let the world economy repair itself. This era had however, contributed in terms of the massive plan to reorganize domestic economies through fiscal policies. The post Cold War on the other hand, marked the era when the US became the sole hegemon after the downfall of Russia. Before the Cold War, democratic countries can only trade with democratic countries and communist countries are only limited to trade with communist countries- the downfall of Russia opened the doors for all countries to be participants in the world economy. Hence, during the period of 1990 and up to the present times, despite some economic fluctuations, the world economy can be considered as stable and progressive. While there are ups and downs, the stability of the world economy in the present times cannot easily succumb to another depression. Self-Determination and in the World Economy Self-determination started after the World War I as a result of the Treaty of Versailles- it declared that the sovereignty of the states should take charge of the whole population. World War I led to the breakup of the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires and the birth of a new generation of nation-states. At Versailles, U. S. President Woodrow Wilson’s famous Fourteen Points–the fifth of which declared that sovereignty should take full account of the interests of the populations concerned–formed the basis for the treaty ending the war. After World Wars One and Two, self-determination inspired the demolition of empires and the formation of new sovereign states; the concept being thus extended in the 1940s and 1950s to apply in the context of the decolonisation process. In the 1960s and 1970s, the principle of self-determination clashes with the principle of territorial integrity and global leaders are increasingly seeing this angle to the problem. In fact, even the UN resolution 1514 adopted in 1960 which elevated the status of self-determination, had also emphasized territorial integrity: any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of national unity and territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the Purposes and Principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The international system was caught up in the contradiction and had exhibited some degree of ambivalence at least after the post-war decolonisation. It can be observed that the further extension of the principle today, as it inspires the surge of ethnic politics and threatens the break-up of the established post-colonial order. The United States as the World’s Political and Economic Hegemon The United States before World War I cannot be considered to be an economic or a political superpower, it derived its wealth from World War I from selling ammunitions and exploiting the economic opportunities caused by the war. However, in World War II, the US emerged as one of the more powerful countries not only in terms of technology but also politically and economically after surviving the Great Depression. The Post World War II established the United States from a country in the middle to that of a global hegemon. For one, post World War I saw the US to be involved in trade, the importation and exportation of goods as well as in searching for new territories to expand its power and industries. Post World War II saw the United States cementing its economic and political hegemony- it had established itself as one of the most prosperous and progressive countries not only through its GDP and GNP but also in terms of its ability to impose upon other countries. The United States during this time served as one of the economic powers together with countries in Europe, Japan and the USSR. Upon entering the Cold War, the world became a division of the US and the USSR or democracy versus communism. During this era, the United States served as an international role model for democracies as well as the patron of democratic countries. The fall of the USSR catapulted the US to its role today as a global hegemon- except for North Korea, there had been no real threat to the supremacy of democracy and hence, the United States. During this time until the present times, the United States had been a major player in sanctioning countries that do not abide by international laws and regulations as well as being a forerunner in providing foreign aids as well as regulating trade activities. To be a partner with the US would be tantamount to economic growth. The power held by the US both politically and economically can be considered to spawn countries even in Asia and Third World countries. Needless to say, the United States can be considered to be the most important international player today.

Bicyclists and motorcyclists should be required by law t Essay

Bicyclists and motorcyclists should be required by law t - Essay Example When motorcycles and bicycles are involved in any accidents, the physical body of the human could be injured particularly the head or the brain part, leading to death and even if an individual survives, the life will be a living hell. This brings into the picture the importance of helmets and how helmets could save a person from death or from becoming a ‘Vegetable’. This being in argument, the other is how many motorcyclists and bicyclist are driving without helmets with a lot of comfort, and how helmets could cause accidents. Thus, this paper will focus on the role of helmet and how it can be a lifesaving tool on one side and how it is not such a lifesaving tool and could give discomforts on other side. Helmet worn by motorcyclists and bicyclists brings in a lot of advantages and importantly saves a lot of lives. That is, as helmets are like a strong armor for the head, any strong and dangerous impacts during an accident can be absorbed by the helmets. In most of the accidents and incidents involving motorcycles and bicycles, the riders will separate from the vehicle and the head of that individual will normally make a strong impact on other strong objects like the other vehicles, roadside objects and even the strong road. That impact could damage or break the skull leading to the damage to the brain resulting in death. Motorcyclists usually separate from the motorcycle at some time during a crash. It stands to reason that protective apparels like helmets are far more likely to be effective than protective equipment attached to the motorcycle In the event of a crash, no existing strategy or safety equipment offers protection comparable to a FMVSS 218 compliant helmet. (NHTSA). Helm eted riders have shown significantly lower injury impacts in all types of lesions in the body particularly in the head. A recent analysis from the Crash Outcomes Data Evaluation Systems (CODES) from six states demonstrated that helmets were 35 percent

Do you believe that life exists elsewhere in the universe Why or why Essay

Do you believe that life exists elsewhere in the universe Why or why not Please use science to support your claims - Essay Example facing of UFO’s and many discoveries of water and bones on different planets has confirmed that water is the source of life in the extraterrestrial world same as it is in plane earth. In 2011, Richard Hoover, a famous astrobiologist US space centre Alabama , claimed that filaments, meteoroids and other substances are giving the glimpse of microscopic fossils of extraterrestrial life that resemble cyanobacteria which is known as a phylum of photosynthetic bacteria (Science News). The extraterrestrial world tries to communicate with us using different UFO based vehicles, radio signals which are caught by scientists and travelers but there is a massive study going on about the means of communication the people of human beings should use in order to communicate with what we call â€Å"aliens†. Language is the main hindrance and the science can carry out the way in which we can use the decoding of the alien language and then the humans can send the synchronizing messages to interact with the living beings outside the

Fashion and its importance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fashion and its importance - Essay Example The essay "Fashion and its importance" explores what is fashion and analyzes its importance. Fashion designers’ lives revolve around fashion, they start outfit trends and people follow them based on their taste. People may use fashion for many different reasons, some might use it for self-expression; the way they dress and appear might seem extreme and that might be what they personally feel about life. Also, other people might use fashion to communicate and present their status. Apart from personal usage, the economy uses fashion to grow. Some might think that the fashion industry is not important and does not need to be taken serious or be interested in. They might see it in a negative way that can be offensive to the fashion icons. Fashion is an important aspect in the day-to-day life in society because it defines a person’s personality; it is used as a way of communication and benefits the economy.Fashion does define a person’s personality in the way an indiv idual dresses. The phrase ‘you are what you wear’ that was made famous by fashionistas has been proven to be correct. says that a person’s fashion personality defines who they are, and it is shown in the way they dress. People will always classify others according to the clothes that they wear. One can be said to be classy, elegant, decent or indecent depending on how they dress. Most of the people do not pay attention to others outfits, while some who are interested in fashion tend to complement their outfits. These could be simple things. like color clashing, accessorizing and making sure that clothes are a perfect fit and not a size bigger. Fashion also helps in the identification of a person’s career, attitude towards certain things and personality (Ingram, 2000). This is more obvious in careers like police service, nursing, doctors and pilots among others that require their professionals to have a specified form of dressing/uniform that can be used to identify them easily. Fashion is a major tool used to express ones personality. This is evident in most communities in Africa and the various religions of the world. The Maasai of Kenya have a distinct way of dressing, which shows that they value their tradition that has stood the test of time for centuries. This community in Kenya is famous for its red shukas that have even been imitated by some designers in the west for their uniqueness, (Werlin, 2011). The Gothic community is yet another example of fashion been used to express attitude, and to show personality. These people often prefer to wear dark colors mostly black with black make up, and accessories. Fashion does not only represent personality but also defines people’s status in the society. Important people in the society, have defining dress codes that distinguish them for the general public (Ingram, 2011). The Royal family of the United Kingdom has expensive, elegant clothing that are custom made and not many can afford. Status of a person is shown in the way they are dressed, not only the status but also a person’s inner expression. Fashion has been used as a form of self-expression in many occasions. Valens (2013) says that â€Å"colors have meanings and we often express the same feeling as the colors that we wear on our clothes†. Fashion used in dull occasions is utilized in such a way that the mood of the people in that occasion is brought out in the fashion used during the occasion. In sad occasions, dull colors are

Term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Term paper - Essay Example describes the desired method of handling patient care and the type of interpersonal skills development necessary to achieve patient satisfaction and personal satisfaction in this career. This paper describes the important components of a philosophy and applies them to the field of nursing. â€Å"Nurses who are self-motivated, continue their education, and are active in professional organizations enjoy career satisfaction and provide better healthcare† (Smalley, 2005, p.59). In the nursing environment, being self-motivated is part of an internal desire to be responsive and dynamic when delivering patient care. Less-motivated nurses rely on policy and procedure to drive their decision-making, moving around the patient environment waiting for their next round of administrative instructions. Self-motivation is a very important component of having a philosophy, as the desire to provide patient care must include the ability to regulate one’s own actions. For example, a nurse is going to be exposed to different patients with different emotional needs, therefore a successful nurse must be able to respond to these needs in ways which are meaningful to the patient, culturally. It should be part of the nurse’s internal beliefs where the patient’s need s are put first and should be a paramount objective. However, a nurse with a total self-motivated philosophy might conduct additional, self-motivated research on cultural or sociological patterns of patients so that they can relate to them better at the emotional or cultural level. The self-motivated aspect of nursing philosophy can also be a career goal philosophy, where superior performance without the need for administrative intervention can lead to a better nursing reputation or better, measurable patient care. Another component which is important for a philosophy is to realize that â€Å"health is the expression of physical, psychological, spiritual, and social well-being† (ju.edu, 2009, p.1). A caregiver who only

Revolutionary China- chinese history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Revolutionary China- chinese history - Essay Example The situation in China changed dramatically after the civil war victory of Mao Tse-tung in 1949, which led to the fleeing of the government of Republic of China (ROC) led by Chiang Kaishek and the Kuomintang (KMT) to Taiwan. This led to the United States to continue its recognition of the ROC government based in Taiwan as both regimes that is the government in Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of China based in mainland fought for legitimacy. This paper seeks to discuss the implications of the recognition of the CCP government in PRC and the GMD in Taiwan in the period 1952 by the United States and whether there is need to change that position. China since 1921 and its Relations with Taiwan After the end of the Qing dynasty, China had undergone several periods of trials and tribulations which it wanted to overcome in the shortest time possible. In 1928, the Kuomintang (KMT), which had ruled China, got into constant conflict with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that made governance al most impossible. The Kuomintang was later defeated and retreated to Taiwan after it had made several political, economical and military missteps. As at the year 1934, Chiang Kai-shek, the Nationalist leader in collaboration with Song Meiling had called for China to carry out a â€Å"New Life Movement which aimed at the promotion of a regular life guided by four principles and virtues namely ritual or decorum, rightness or duty, integrity or honesty and the sense of shame†.1 These were aimed at promoting morality, dealing with people in their human affairs and whoever violated the rules would fail in the society and they were meant for the prosperity of the nation. According to 2 the new life movement was initiated after Generalissimo realized that military conquest of the community alone would not be enough to remedy the psychological damage that the communist rule had caused. â€Å"†¦communism crushed the spirit people in addition to robbing them or material thingsâ₠¬ . The rules were also meant to instill discipline and social order amongst the members of the society at any moment of the life of the citizens as contained in the â€Å"Essentials of the New Life Movement speech in 1934 by Chiang Kai-shek. The principles were frequently criticized owing to the fact that there was hardly any food, let alone patience for people to exercise them. However, in defense of the movement Meiling argues that â€Å"†¦ if everyone from the highest official to the lowest wheel barrow man would conscientiously practice these principles in everyday life, there would be food for all†3 of the rules. Shih-wei, had argued along similar lines as he saw the communist movement as an embodiment of inequality where the ranking members in the â€Å"rankles† society got more food than they needed, but the lower cadres were given the basic minimum. Ironically, whenever they were asked if they had eaten â€Å"†¦ Party members are expected to lead the rest in a chorus of ‘Yes, we’re full!’†.4 In addition, Chen Xuezhao became sympathetic to the Communist Party after her return to China and found china was faced with deepening national crisis â€Å"†¦ Chen was formally accepted in the year 1945†.5 In her work â€Å"Wandering through the Liberated Zones†, Chen shows her allegiance to the CCP and was published on the eve of the Communist victory. Further, in her