Managing Stress in the Workplace Research Paper

Managing Stress in the Workplace - Research Paper Example Persistent stress in an individual is reflected on the behaviors, responses, result delivery and attitude towards different people within an organization. It is characterized by continued headache, fatigue, lack of motivation to work and deliver severe withdrawal symptoms and depression (Leka, 2003). A number of workplace events create stressful employees and this reduces the overall productivity of the employees as they exhibit severe depression and lack of motivation to work on particular assignments. Stress is caused by time-constrained events, high expectation from the employer, family and relationship problems, job security and related issues and unrealistic deadlines imposed by supervisor. It is worth noting that despite the desire by a company to achieve its objectives within a specified period, the employees are overall responsible for the implementation of the policy and they are psychological beings. Pressure increases the urgency of delivering on a specific assignment but also decreases the productivity as the employees are forced to deal with both job related stress and psychological stress because of the pressures from the employees (Lee, 2000). Stress management at the work place has been given significant time in current management practices at is affects the overall productivity of the business. ... The paper will seek to provide the best approaches that an organization can develop in the management of stress and the different roles the employees play in these approaches. This paper will also seek to persuade organizational managements that stress management begins with the development of positive policies and regulation and not necessarily the adoption of the health and safety policies (Lee, 2000). Impacts of stress to employees and employer Stress is an all round problem that affects both the employees and the employer in equal proportion since the productivity of the employee is of much concern to the employer. Employees are affected in a number of ways by stressful work environments and these have significant impacts on their personal health, work productivity and the overall stat e of wellbeing. Excessive stress affects the normal brain functioning abilities resulting into significant brain related complications on employees. The brain works well in a stable emotional envir onment where an individual views the environment positively and enjoys every moment and responsibilities assigned to them (Leka, 2003). However, stress affects the emotional balance of an employee resulting into increased depression, emotional instability and psychological trauma. This affects the normal functioning of the human brain resulting into loss of coordination and concentration for the employees. Headache, fatigue, loss of interest and concentration, loss of appetite and emotional instability and the resultant effects of stressed brain and this affects the normal health of an employee (Lee, 2000). Employees enjoy working in a free environment free of intimidation, stress, strict and punishing deadline, features that characterize stressful workplaces.

Diet and coronary heart disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diet and coronary heart disease - Essay Example High calorie intake and related to it obesity is the major risk factor – obese people have hisgher risk of coronary heart disease. Consequently, the quote of total fat (and especially saturated and trans-fatty acids) should be restricted as well as the consumption of refined sugars and other sources of carbohydrates. The increased amount of food fiber in the diet is good alternative to unhealthy eating ( ). The lowest risk of coronarey heart disease is determined for vegetarians. The have risk of cardiovascular death (e.g. related to heart disease) which is lower in 1.33 folds than amongst non-vegetarians. A good choice for preventive purposes is Mediterranean diet which is characterising with high intake of fruits and evegetables, olive oil, sea food and a moderate amount of red dry wine. Seafood and the source of essential ï  ·-3 fatty acids and trace elements is useful for control of the level of cholesterol. There were proposed special preventive diets decreasing the risk of coronary disease. Thus Pritikin diet is enriched with food -fiber, unprocessed carbohydrates and contains low amount of fat ( ). Ornish diet restricts the consumption of animal fat (e.g. fatty fish or meat). Only non-fat dairy products and egg whites are allowed in the dietic system. Also Ornish diet restricts simple sugars and give the preferences for complex carbohydrates food. Traditional British diet is healthy enough because of high intake of complex carbohydrates nevetheless the restriction of animal food consumption and replacing these products with vegetables and fruits are expedient. The usage of alcohol beverages should be restriected in the persons with high risk of coronary disease (e.g. with high level of blood choleterol). Only small amount of red wine is permitted. Some food products contains essential nutrients and biologically active substances which are necessary for the prevention of coronary heart disease. Thus pine

New Social Media Vs Traditional Media Media Essay

New Social Media Vs Traditional Media Media Essay Can you spot the difference between new media and traditional media? The traditional media consists of prints and broadcasts such as newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasting books and CDs etc. On the other hand, social media, which grows with technology, includes the use of Twitter, social networks as well as blogs -using internet as a platform. Not only has advanced technology facilitated internet consumption, it has also promoted new media to the extent that majority now believe new media will one day succeed traditional media. New media has the foundations of traditional media in serving the same purpose, similar procedures in gathering information and sharing the same audiences; however, it may succeed traditional media due to the differences in the freedom of speech, coupled with social networking services entitled to users and the hastened speed broadcasting. The purpose of new media is very much built on the traditional media. Both new media and traditional media have the same objective to keep you informed. It does not matter if you read a newspaper or magazine, or even webzines, also known as e-newsletters. Both media platforms serve to provide news and articles to inform you of the happenings around the world. Books you find in libraries and online communities like Wikipedia offer you bits of facts for your general knowledge, providing basic knowledge on certain topics. We are also alerted about fashion trends through both media platforms. The television programme, Entertainment Channel, is no different from the fashion website, Chictopia, in providing insights to the latest fashion trends. (The Peoples Fashion Destination Chictopia, 2010) Besides global news, the information both new media and traditional media provides extends to advertisements as well. Both media platforms provide advertorial information for readers of prints, br oadcasts and the online community. When you flip through a consumer magazine, you will notice advertisements on jewellery, cosmetics and even clothes on different pages. Similarly, banners and pop-ups on various websites you visit are methods of advertisements on the internet. Even though advertisements account for 70% of the revenue produced by newspapers, there has been a declined in the printing of newspapers due to lack of advertisements. (G. E. Belch M. A. Belch, 2004, p. 392) The truth is technology has made internet a better alternative for marketing and advertising. Thus, companies tend to use internet platforms over print or broadcast media to achieve branding. Based on website Clickz, each one of us receives an estimate of 5000 commercial messages daily. (Massey, 2010) However, it is impossible to view 1000 advertisements from the number of newspapers or magazines that we read, inclusive of advertisements on televisions and radios. Therefore, new media might exceed old media with the use of technology, as can be seen from the ease of advertising. Another similarity in traditional media that extends to new media is the tedious method of gathering information, drafting and proofreading. In order for the newspaper readers and e-newsletter viewers to obtain only the correct news, newspaper companies engage reporters, journalists and editors in order to print a factual article without mistakes. (U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2010) Similarly, to uphold reputation as well as to ensure that the electronic sources tally with the printed media, a piece of article has to go through the same procedure in order to be published. (Simmons, 2009) The strenuous practice of gathering information is also used in broadcast media to produce drama serials and videos of new media. Television programmes and videos posted online require many takes and much editing for the final product. (Duncan, 2010) Television series as well as short clips online from BBC News, National Geographic etc, have to go through a long process of inspection before it i s ready to be broadcasted on air or uploaded on their websites. In an interview on George Negus Tonight, it was estimated that a television advertisement may take up to three months, requiring 100 people. The process includes generation of concepts, pitching the idea, developing a script and writing a storyboard before filming can take place. (George Negus Tonight, 2003) Despite the problematic procedures, technology has smoothened these processes, making new media superior to old media. An example would be Google Docs which allows users to share their work online and make revisions together with others at the same time. This saves time as a report can be completed faster. However, this requires internet as a platform and tends to promote new media, emphasizing its functions over old media. Both media platform serve the same target audience be it online, in print or broadcast. As mentioned, each form of media has an objective which is to disseminate a particular message and keep the masses informed. However, for those whom purposes resemble each other, they have same target audience to cater to and thus, garnering the same audience. Readers of fashion magazines such as Style or Vogue are most likely to be the avid viewers of fashion sites like Lookbook. In a similar way, readers of forums and the home section of local newspapers are most likely to be blog-hoppers. Furthermore, ardent fans of the broadcast media such as television and radio are likely to be audiences of new media such as Youtube. If you find yourself watching music videos on MTV, you are most likely to subscribe to Youtube or Hulu channels like Vevo that plays music videos online for fans. Both new media and traditional media serving the same purpose would therefore engage the same target audience. In addition, technology has made replaying, fast-forwarding and rewinding of videos much easier. Imagine trying to rewind the music video that you are currently watching on MTV, you would probably have to purchase the pay-per-view offer, also known as On-Demand. The next best alternative would be to watch the video on Youtube and have it replayed over and over again, or just that particular segment that you like. The ease of video watching can be seen from the 2 billion views daily based on Youtube statistics. (Website Monitoring, 2010) Such flexibility in technology generates more audience towards new media even if both media platforms were providing the same video, song or news article. Although new media shares similarities with traditional media, new media appears to be an improved version of old media. Out of the many differences, an obvious one is the magnitude in freedom of speech exercised in new media versus traditional media. Before the print media is disseminated to the masses, the editors would have vetted and censored, following strict laws that applies. In Singapores radio broadcasting network, deejay duo also known as The Muttons were suspended due to their participation in No Bra Day. It was an activity that required young female models to remove their bras in the shortest possible time. The video taken in the studio was posted on YouTube and the station was fined due to inappropriate content. (98.7FM Encyclopaedia Topics, 2008) On the contrary, it is almost impossible to censor all articles or advertisements on the website; only users in social media can be banned. Youtube reports hundreds of thousands of videos are being uploaded every day. (Youtube, 2010) With videos being uploaded at such an alarming rate, it stresses the difficulty in censoring contents. Undeniably, technology has improved almost every aspect of media development. Its failure to make censorship across the board available, however, allows netizens to speak up. Yet, this apparent freedom of speech which is only made available through internet appears to promote opposition of various political stances and an eye-opener to liberal views. Especially with people more acceptable of liberal mindsets, freedom of speech is censored in old media will result in technology will garnering more supporters of new media. Although both media platforms serve to keep you informed of news, social media has an added feature that allows users to network. With traditional media, there is no room for networking. You would have noticed advertisers leaving their contact number. However, you would only contact them to only engage or enquiry about a deal. Seldom would you notice an ad which purpose is to look for a friend or a wife. More importantly, you would not publish your address for snail mails or provide your contact number for interested members of the public to call you. There is no opportunity to discuss or socialised since everything is publicised. On the other hand, based on references gather by the website Pingdom, there are 350 million people on Facebook as of January 2010. (Pingdom, 2010) Facebook, similar to Friendster has not only made social networking easier as users can add friends whom share common interests but has also improved the search for long lost friends. Furthermore, there is a priv acy setting which you can adjust, allowing you to provide information to only people whom you want to. This allows you to form a connection with a stranger before committing in a friendship. New media also offers interactive activities such as game communities or internet chat relays. Through these game communities, players can gather teammates for online gaming and establish stronger relationships with strangers. Whereas chatting alone helps introverts make friends without having to meet people in the real world. (Whats New Media?, 2010) Although these contributions by technology are seemingly beneficial, social networking through new media has increased crime rates, often acted against minors. Paedophiles are known to use social network sites to prey on victims. They are able to do so as they can remain anonymous or adopt false personalities that would not be validated. (William-Thomas, 2009) Perhaps, social networking is the only bane of new media which most internet users embrace as reason for new media to succeed traditional media. Lastly, another improvement can also be seen from the extremely shortened publication time for new media. Publication time differs from the aforementioned methods of gathering and refers to the time it takes for the end product to reach out to the masses. As mentioned, it takes reporters, journalists and editors to create an article on the newspaper, making the process of getting a written article printed very long. Even if the information is ready for dissemination, the newsletter has not been printed and thus cannot be distributed. Furthermore once erred, it takes half or a day to correct the error and send an apology letter for the mistake or post an article the next day. If a mistake is made on a newspaper article, the journalist has to prepare an apology letter or a new article for the paper tomorrow, informing readers of the errata. On the contrary, with new media, it only takes the author a click of the button to have any information disseminated around the world on the World Wide Web. Although there are specific rules to follow if a reputable site makes an error, it does not require more than a day to have its entry edited on the site. When an error is made, the author can simply press edit and post again. Or in Twitter, you can simply delete your Tweet, another name for your entry, and post again. The convenience can be experienced when you upload a video on Youtube. After all the tedious filming and editing, all you need to do is to click on your computer screen is the word upload. Similarly for online news articles, a simple click is all it takes to have it published on a website. Moreover, the internet has become more mobile with technology and people around the world are choosing to read news online instead. If you do recall the 2007 Burmese anti-government attacks, had it not been for the internet, history would have repeated and we would have been misinformed of the total death toll, similar to the uprising in 1988. (Sai, 2008) The use of the internet through blogging of pictures taken in Burma allowed traditional media in other countries to cover the attacks. Similarly in todays context, information is readily available to us with the shortened publication time in new media compared to old media, all thanks to technology. The new media and traditional media are similar in their purposes, procedures and target audience. However, they differ in publication time, availability to networking and censorship. Both serve to keep their viewers informed and involve tedious procedures before getting the end product. Also, serve the same target audience be it electronic or print. However, with the drastic increase in internet users, social media has minimal censorship as it is unachievable with the vast volume of websites, unlike traditional media. Furthermore, new media tends disseminate messages faster than traditional media due to the short time needed in posting. Lastly, it provides opportunities for users to socialise and network. New media has its foundations built on traditional media and definitely has improved services and caters to the generations born in the era of technology. They key success, if new media is to ever succeed traditional media, is advanced technology in internet. Although social networking through new media has increased crime rates, it is one of the shortcomings that can be eradicated. With technology, new media has definitely exceeded the abilities of traditional media as an advertising alternative and smoothened the process of gathering concrete information for news articles. Ease in obtaining information and flexibility has also encouraged traditional media followers to convert to new media. With technology backing new media, is it possible traditional media will one day cease to exist?

Use of Symbolism in Hawthornes The House of the Seven Gables Essay

Use of Symbolism in Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables In the novel The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne portrays Alice Pyncheon as a unique and compelling character, placing her in contrast with a story full of greed, lies and betrayal. Hawthorne reveals her fantastic character to us in numerous uses of symbolism throughout the novel. By painting a picture of a gentle yet proud woman, Hawthorne chooses to represent Alice's impressive characteristics using images that come up repeatedly in his novel such as the nature and flowers in the garden as well as Alice's Posies. Hawthorne also makes reference to the Maule "mastery" and its power over Alice and the playing of the harpsichord during a Pyncheon death. All the symbols culminated above, lead to an in depth analysis of Alice Pyncheon's character, her innocence, pride, beauty and mournful sorrow. According to Hawthorne, Alice had an uncanny resemblance to the flowers of the Pyncheon garden represented by her beauty and presence. Just as flowers hold a purity and freedom in their appearance, Alice was described as a "lady that was born and set apart from the world's vulgar mass by a certain gentle and cold stateliness" (178). Her strong appearance, as Hawthorne states, was "combined of beauty, high, unsullied purity, and the preservative force of womanhood" (180). Hawthorne shows that Alice represents the beauty of a flower as well as its scent when he says "the fragrance of her rich and delightful character still lingered . . . as a dried rosebud scents the drawer where it has withered and perished" (79). Even after her death, the "scent" of Alice's character still haunts the House of the Seven Gables with its beauty and tenderness like that of the flo... ... on a note from Alice's harpsichord off a new sheet of music for the Pyncheon family. By using the nature of the garden to prolong the tenderness and purity of Alice's character and spirit even after death, Hawthorne entices the reader to dig deeper into the character of Alice Pyncheon and search for the symbols present that shape her undying character. With her loss of pride to the Maule "mastery" and the sorrow expressed through her untimely and unnecessary death, there is no question as to why Alice's harpsichord plays such a mournful tune throughout the novel. It is only in the end that her life and her happiness are rewarded and her long awaiting spirit is drawn towards the heavens to have her spirit rest in peace. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The House of the Seven Gables. New York: The New American Library of World Literature, Inc, 1961. Use of Symbolism in Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables Essay Use of Symbolism in Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables In the novel The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne portrays Alice Pyncheon as a unique and compelling character, placing her in contrast with a story full of greed, lies and betrayal. Hawthorne reveals her fantastic character to us in numerous uses of symbolism throughout the novel. By painting a picture of a gentle yet proud woman, Hawthorne chooses to represent Alice's impressive characteristics using images that come up repeatedly in his novel such as the nature and flowers in the garden as well as Alice's Posies. Hawthorne also makes reference to the Maule "mastery" and its power over Alice and the playing of the harpsichord during a Pyncheon death. All the symbols culminated above, lead to an in depth analysis of Alice Pyncheon's character, her innocence, pride, beauty and mournful sorrow. According to Hawthorne, Alice had an uncanny resemblance to the flowers of the Pyncheon garden represented by her beauty and presence. Just as flowers hold a purity and freedom in their appearance, Alice was described as a "lady that was born and set apart from the world's vulgar mass by a certain gentle and cold stateliness" (178). Her strong appearance, as Hawthorne states, was "combined of beauty, high, unsullied purity, and the preservative force of womanhood" (180). Hawthorne shows that Alice represents the beauty of a flower as well as its scent when he says "the fragrance of her rich and delightful character still lingered . . . as a dried rosebud scents the drawer where it has withered and perished" (79). Even after her death, the "scent" of Alice's character still haunts the House of the Seven Gables with its beauty and tenderness like that of the flo... ... on a note from Alice's harpsichord off a new sheet of music for the Pyncheon family. By using the nature of the garden to prolong the tenderness and purity of Alice's character and spirit even after death, Hawthorne entices the reader to dig deeper into the character of Alice Pyncheon and search for the symbols present that shape her undying character. With her loss of pride to the Maule "mastery" and the sorrow expressed through her untimely and unnecessary death, there is no question as to why Alice's harpsichord plays such a mournful tune throughout the novel. It is only in the end that her life and her happiness are rewarded and her long awaiting spirit is drawn towards the heavens to have her spirit rest in peace. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The House of the Seven Gables. New York: The New American Library of World Literature, Inc, 1961.

Creon’s Speech

English EssayZita Chan4G (7) How is Creon’s character introduced through his opening speech in the First Episode (lines 159-195) and how does this speech create tension? The bestowal of ruling legitimacy upon Creon sparks off the Greek tragedy. Polyneices and Eteocles, brothers of Antigone killed each other during their fateful battle for the Theban throne and Creon, as the closest surviving kinsman, rules as the Theban king.Creon then approaches the chorus of elders privately and pronounces his first speech, wishing to draw himself support from the group of elite elders to prevent further mutiny against his rule among the Theban public. Through declaring his legitimacy as a ruler, establishing his authority and outlining his manifesto in his speech, Creon aims to mask himself as an apt leader; yet unconsciously exposes his flawed authentic self as a polarized absolutist and an arrogant ruler through the language, the uses of rhetorical and literary techniques, the syntactic a nd the overall structures of his opening speech.Tension is generated by the speech through the juxtaposition of Antigone and Creons’ equally headstrong character but opposing beliefs- man- made laws which Creon values and that of divine laws that Antigone reveres, presenting to the audience the conflicting concepts of philos and loyalty to polis. Creon as a demagogue employs various rhetorical techniques in his opening speech, including the uses of flattery, pronouns and declaratives to convince the chorus of elders of his beliefs through appealing to their emotions rather than their logic, in turn exhibiting his political astuteness, absolutist and hypocritical nature.At the outset of his speech, Creon commends the chorus on their ‘unwavering loyalty’ in ‘I know you always respected the power of Laius’ throne†¦ when he died, you still stood by his children with unwavering loyalty’ (lines 162- 165). He flatters the chorus with praises on their loyalty to the country and the ruler, leaving a positive impression on the chorus and increases his appeal as a leader.Creon is denoted as an astute and shrewd politician as he understood that flattery will mould himself a more favorable condition to progress on in asking for their support as the chorus feels gratified at the flattery that Creon has bestowed upon them. Thus, Creon will be more likely to achieve his primary goal to draw support from the chorus. In addition, Creon also used the inclusive pronoun ‘our’ in ‘our city’ (line 159) and ‘our city is our safety’ (line 178) in the course of his speech.This on one hand creates a sense of unity and Creon, by using the pronoun ‘we’, identifies himself as a democratic ruler that shares the rule of the nation with his people and as a caring king that sides with his people, considering the common good of his nation; on the other hand, Creon also establishes familiarity and go od relations with the chorus by the inclusive pronoun ‘we’, enabling himself to continue on with his speech and gaining trust among the elders and consequentially his subjects, appealing to their emotions.However, it should be noted that the pronoun has changed to ‘my’ at the close of his speech in ‘by my consent’ (line 193) and ‘honoured by me’ (line 194). Creon clearly believes that the city belongs to the ruler by law as shown later on in the Third Episode and hence, the autocratic and absolute nature of Creon is revealed, which he has sought to conceal by the use of the inclusive pronoun at the previous parts of his speech.More vitally, his character is shown to be hypocritical as he soon defies his own proposed principles. Also, declaratives are present in his speech throughout, as in ‘A man in command of an entire city, who does not adhere to the best policies, but keeps his mouth closed through fear, is worthlessâ€⠄¢ (lines 170-172). Creon uses a series of declaratives in laying down his laws and principles as a ruler in his entire speech; as in the above example, Creon states his belief to man- made laws.The bluntness of the statement gives the audience the impression that Creon is seemingly stating a fact, and the inflexible tone of the statement suggests the assertive, absolute and arrogant nature of Creon yet once again, when he labelled his principles as ‘correctness’. Similarly, the emotive and extreme language of the speech, as well as specific lexical choices discloses to the audience Creon’s character as a polarised and absolute demagogue. For instance, as in ‘Polyneices†¦ returned from exile to the land of his fathers†¦ prepared to burn it to the ground’ (lines 186-188).The words ‘burn to the ground’ contains extreme colours of chaos and tumult, which will arouse the elders’ horror towards the ‘outrageous’ a cts of Polyneices, thus affirming Ceron’s proclamation of leaving Polyneices unburied. We can once again see the demagogic nature of Creon. Apart from emotive language that arouses pathos, Creon also uses extreme language as he describes a man that ‘considers someone he loves to be more important than his country’ as ‘he is nothing’ (lines 173- 174). The word ‘nothing’ is radical in nature. The polarised language also suggests the polarised character of Creon himself.His degrading comment to others also gets to depict his arrogant nature as he places himself at a more superior status as the ruler. The lexical choices in Creon’s opening speech have also slit apart Creon’s veneer as a strong and appropriate leader and reveal his traits of absolutism and extremity. When Creon describes Eteocles as the ‘greatest spearsman’ (line 184) in Thebes, he uses the superlative form of the adjective ‘great’, con veying the message that Eteocles died as the best swordsman in Thebes, which again gets to exhibit the polarised and extreme nature of Creon.As well as in ‘he must be left unburied’ (line 191), Creon employs the modal verb ‘must’. The declaration is dogmatic and affirmative in tone, thus the declaration itself is a ‘command’ that Creon has pronounced on the elders and his people. This in turn reveals Creon as an absolute and even arrogant ruler, who demands complete compliance from his subjects. Another means that Sophocles introduces Creon’s contradictory, polarised and cruel character from his opening speech is the inclusion of literary techniques in the speech: hyperbole, imagery and proleptic irony.Creon accused Polyneices of not only burning Thebes to the ground, but also ‘throw the rest into slavery’ (line 189). Creon condemns Polyneices of putting the entire nation under ‘slavery’ hyperbolically. The mess age of his message suggests an extreme state of suffering of the nation, which is merely Creon’s own projection. Creon here is thus shown to be polarised, by claiming Polyneices guilty of a hyperbolic crime of ‘enslaving’ the nation.This is also to show is arrogant and judgmental nature when he proclaims the position of the judge and jury, accusing Polyneices of a crime which had never occurred and which was a result of his own stereotypical mindset about a ‘traitor’. The Gothic imagery ‘drink blood that he shared’ (line 188) echoes in a certain way with the Chorus using ‘gorge his throat with our blood’ in the Parados- the entry of the chorus. The imagery itself is gothic in nature and extremely bold and vile, therefore it is also another form of yperbole of exaggerating Polyneices’ act of killing his blood- bonded brother- his philoi in the battle by suggesting that he ‘drinks his blood’ metaphorically, creating a shock effect on the audience and the elders as they envisage the act of ‘drinking blood’. Creon’s trait of a demagogue is still evident in the employment of such imagery to emphasise and reinforce the horror of Polyneices’ act. Another explicit imagery is present in ‘corpse for the birds and dogs to eat’ (line 191). The audience again visualises a cruel and repellent scene of animals feeding on a decayed corpse.The explicit and gory image once again is a showcase of Creon’s sadistic nature, which contradicts with what he previously suggested by using inclusive pronouns in his speech, thus we question his identity as a caring ruler. Creon, in addition, uses the metaphor of a ship to describe Thebes, as in ‘tossing the life of our city on the great waves of the ocean’ (lines 159-160). The verb ‘tossing’ is only applicable to a ship in the context, thus it is deduced that Thebes is out as a ‘ship ’ here.The metaphor is highly effective as Thebes is located along the coastline of Greece and is near the sea, thus the metaphor can be comprehended easily by the audience; also Creon conveys the message that Thebes has experienced tumult, just as that of a ship encountering tides and waves at the course of sail, the turbulence however, cannot be righted or controlled by men. The metaphor is further elaborated and completed in ‘only when she sails safely that we can make friendship’ (lines 179-180). The pronoun ‘she’ refers to Thebes and the word ‘sails’ again implies a comparison of Thebes to a ship.Creon aims to draw support to himself by contrasting between the tumultuous Thebes before his rule- the one that is ‘tossed’ on the waves of the ocean and the one that is about to be under his rule. With ‘tossing the life of our city’ (line 179), Creon again tries to identify the chorus as his ‘comradesâ€⠄¢ which has experienced tumult with him, appealing to their emotions and thus, it is revealed that Creon is an effective demagogue. One other vital literary device is proleptic irony that Sophocles has included in Creon’s speech.In particular when Creon regards an individual that does not punish traitors accordingly to uphold the rule of law as ‘he is nothing’ (line 174). Yet he later exclaims that ‘I who am less than nothing’ (line 1242). In the end, Creon views himself even more worthless than a weak ruler that does not punish traitors after he has suffered the punishment that the Gods have exerted on him because of his arrogant nature- hubris, when he disregards the divine laws on burial rites in hopes to uphold the man- made laws or punishing the traitor.There is a vivid contrast between the attitudes of Creon as a ruler, from confident and even arrogant to hopelessly desperate. Beforehand, he utters his principles that ‘A man in command o f an entire city, who does not adhere to the best policies, but keeps his mouth closed through fear, is worthless’ (lines 170-172) with full confidence and assertively; however, he later on cries in hopelessness and desperation that he is nothing. Another example of proleptic irony will be when Creon declares that ‘It is impossible to learn everything of a man†¦ until he is seen pratising government and law’ (lines 168-170).The audience can later use Creon’s own words in condemning him when the rule of Creon has resorted into fiasco after the triple occurrence of the tragic deaths of Haemon, Eurydice and Antigone. This is ironic in a sense that by making this statement during his first speech, Creon has already presume and even arrogantly confidently that he will be a successful ruler and gain respect from his subjects soon after they have witnessed his rule on Thebes; nevertheless, his rule finally results in chaotic tragedy and he is not only ultima tely indicted by the chorus of hubris but also, he is condemned by himself and asked to be taken to his death.Proleptic irony in general reveals the arrogant nature of Creon; it is arrogance (hubris) that is Creon’s fatal flaw (hamartia)and brings about his own downfall, thus Creon is the victim of his own character. The syntactic structures of Creon’s speech is also thought over and through syntactic patterning and the extended sentences, Creon is depicted to be a polarised and an absolute demagogue.In ‘Eteocles, who died fighting for this city, proving himself its greatest spearsman, will be buried in a tomb and honoured with every rite that comes to the noble dead’ (lines 183-185) and ‘Polyneices, who returned from exile to the land of his fathers and the gods of his people, prepared to burn it to the ground, prepared to drink blood that he shared, and to throw the rest into slavery, this man, it has been proclaimed to the city, will not be dignif ied with burial or lamentation’ (lines 186-190), the structure of the two sentences describing the two brothers mirror each other.Both sentences first start with the names of the two brothers respectively- the described subject in the sentence. Then the sentence proceeds with a relative clause, which elaborating the deeds carried out by each brother respectively- Polyneices destroying his own country and Eteocles that dying as a martyr defending his country.The sentence finally closes with the stating of the arrangements of burial rites and lamentation of the two brothers according to their actions- Eteocles to be buried with all honour and Polyneices, on the other hand, left unburied and be fed on by animals, which follows the modal verb ‘will’, showing the absolutism and dogmatism of Creon as a ruler, demanding full obedience from his subjects to his ‘commands’.The use of syntactic patterning here is to contrast directly the heroic image of Eteocle s as a martyr, who died defending his country and that of the demoniac figure of Polyneices as a traitor destroying his homeland and slaughtering his family, placing the two brothers in completely opposite and very extreme categories correspondingly- one a hero and one a traitor. The polarised extremes of the character of the two brothers that Creon perceives and presents to the audience also give us an idea on the polarised nature of Creon himself. Polyneices†¦ will not be dignified with burial or lamentation’ (lines 186-190) itself is an extended sentence with discrete clauses linked by commas. Creon depicts to us the horrors committed by Polyneices through listing, overwhelming the audience with evidence supporting the fact that Polyneices is a traitor, destructor, which again creates a shock- effect on the audience and the chorus, leading the chorus to support and affirm his proclamation of the treatment of Polyneices.Creon is therefore a demagogue as shown here once again as he arouses the chorus’ shock and using this emotion to his advantage in convincing the chorus of his proclamations. In the same way, Creon is portrayed as an astute politician viewed from the adriot structure of the entire speech.The speech commences as Creon expresses gratitude to the Gods for righting Thebes in ‘the gods have safely righted it once more’ (line 160) – defeating the Argive army led by Polyneices into Thebes and the quieting of the choas brought about by the tragedy of Oedipus through employing the metaphor of a ship (line 159), implying the turbulence that Thebes has experienced. The conventional commencement of the speech helps Creon in establishing his image as a pious ruler that respect the Gods, sculpting for himself a more acceptable profile of a suitable Theban ruler, appealing to the elders who normally are religious.As revering the Gods should be one of the primary traits of an appropriate ruler perceived by the Theban pu blic and the elders, Creon possessing the trait makes him a more convincing leader and draws support to himself from the chorus, which is the ultimate goal of his speech. The speech then progresses by Creon’s flattery to the chorus as he praises them of their loyalty, followed by Creon’s assertion on his legitimacy to rule by kinship in ‘as I am closest kin to the dead’ (line 167). Creon subsequently lays down his manifesto, his political ideals on upholding man- made laws and loyalty to the city state.The speech ends with his proclamation of the contrasting treatment of Polyneices and Eteocles’ corpses. Through flattery, Creon leaves a good impression and befriends the chorus through bribing them with praises, gathering support for his rule. After Creon successfully get on good terms with the elders, he puts forth his image as a ruler through a series a declaratives to pronounce his rule. He utters his proclamation at last when his status as the ru ler and the foundation of his rule is laid.The proclamation not only reinforces his superior figure as a ruler, but also does not undermine his image as a gracious ruler that cares for his people. Hence, the entire speech is constructed in order for Creon to pronounce his proclamation without sounding despotic. He does not only justify his rule in the speech, but also justifies his proclamation by ‘a man†¦ who does not adhere to the best policies†¦ is worthless’ (lines 170-172) and ‘nor could I make a friend of a man who is hostile to this city’ (line 177)- upholding the rule of law to punish traitors and not to show mercy to traitors.The speech is also linked throughout by discourse markers, such as ‘So now’, which connects the Creon’s proposed ideals with his ensuing proclamation on Eteocles and Polyneices respectively as in ‘So now, in accordance with these principles’ (line 181). Then in ‘But his blood-br other, Polyneices’ (line 186), with the discourse marker ‘but’, Creon shows an abrupt turning point in tone- from commending to condemning, followed by the horrors that Polyneices has committed which in turn reflects a vivid contrast between the two brothers. Another example would be ‘Such is my will’ (line 192), which is the conclusive statement of the speech.Discourse markers help establish a logical connection between the ideas of Creon and thus, justify his decisions, appealing to the chorus’ logic in this case. Creon is astute politically as he structures his speech skillfully, gradually creating his evident status as a superior leader. Creon effectively establishes a figure of an authoritative yet likeable ruler by rhetorical techniques such as flattery and emotive language, demagogically appeals to the irrational emotions of the chorus and through putting forth his agenda shrewdly without undermining his established image however, persu asive enough to convince the chorus of elders.Creon also rationalises his verdicts, which are largely based on subjective verdicts, and succeeded in appealing to the chorus’ rational mindset. Thus, Creon appeals to both the logic and the emotions of the elders and the audience in gathering support, which reflects visible traits of an astute politician. The opening speech of Creon gives rise to tension as the audience anticipates a destined collision between the two equally stubborn characters- Antigone and Creon who holds divergent values.In the Prologue, Antigone brings her sister Ismene out from the city to confide in her of the plan to bury her brother Polyneices, urging her to ‘lend your hands to mine’ (line 38). This scene is placed before Creon’s first speech. A parallel between the two scenes can be drawn as both Antigone and Creon aims to persuade by bringing out accordingly Ismene or the chorus privately. Due to the placement of the scenes, it is known before Creon’s opening speech that Antigone intends to defy Creon’s proclamation as in ‘it is not for him to keep me from my own’ (line 44) and bury her brother.Antigone is as extreme and unyielding in character as Creon, as in ‘soon you will show whether you are noble by birth, or a coward from a noble family’ apart from the strong language such as ‘coward’, the idea that there is no grey area in her mindset and the way she categorises people the same way that Creon does to Polyneices and Eteocles showcase her polarised nature. She is determined to bury her brother as in ‘When I have no strength left, I will stop’ (line 83), she is even willing to ‘die doing this’ (line 63-63).It is discerned that both Creon and Antigone share the same stubbornness and absoluteness as ‘such is my will’ (line 192) carries an inflexible and resolute tone. Nevertheless, the values of Antigone and Creon ar e conflicting in two ways. Antigone persists in not being ‘caught in betraying’ (line 42) ‘those we love’ (line 9) – her brother Polyneices whose corpse is left to rot without burial, thus she upholds the concept of philos- loyalty to family members.Yet, Creon in ‘a man who considers someone he loves to be more important than his country, I say that he is nothing’ (lines 172- 174) pronounces his principle of loyalty to city state- loyalty to polis, and that the concept of philos is to be despised and that the believer of such concept is ‘nothing’. Also, Antigone believes that she has to ‘please those below longer than those here’ (lines 65-66) and that she would honour ‘the laws honoured by the gods’ (line 67). It is clear that she values the divine law that every man should be given proper burial rites subsequent to their detah.On the contrary, Creon states that ‘a man†¦ who does not adh ere to the best policies†¦ is worthless’ (lines 170-173) in his inauguration speech. Creon thus upholds the rule of human law in Thebes, opposing to Antigone’s faith in divine laws, thus Antigone is viewed as ‘worthless’. Again, we can distinguish a clash of moral values of the two characters- divine law against human law. Antigone even phrases herself as ‘guilty of the crime of holy reverence’ (line 65), it is through the oxymoron that she accuses Creon’s rule of law turning ‘holy reverence’ into a crime.Though the two characters have not come in direct confrontation, however, we can already recognize underlying tension between the two characters through their dialogue with other supporting roles. Sophocles juxtapositions the similar character of Antigone and Creon as headstrong individuals who are determined in their decisions and their completely divergent values of philos against loyalty to polis, divine law agains t man- made laws. The accusations of ‘nothing’, ‘worthless’ and ‘crime’ provides the audience with understanding of the two characters as moral absolutists.Antigone is determined in burying Polyneices and defying Creon’s proclamation, whilst Creon persists in upholding the rule of law- to punish traitors and thus prohibiting the performance of burial rites on Polyneices’ corpse. Both are determined to uphold their respective moral values to the utmost extent, therefore we can foresee an ultimate collision between the two characters, which is precisely the central conflict presented in the play.To conclude, Creon’s opening speech is an attempt to justify his rule on Thebes. Creon endeavours to masquerade as a sound Theban ruler. However, in due course of his opening speech, his facade is slit open and gradually collapses, unveiling disagreeable traits of a polarised and absolute demagogue, and acknowledgeable qualities of an astute politician through various rhetorical, literary, lexical and structural attributes of Creon’s inauguration speech.The opening speech is an effective catalyst of the play as it sowed the seed of the destined discord between Antigone and Creon by displaying to the audience the similarly persistent character but completely divergent moral concepts valued by the two characters. Creon’s opening speech is a successful presentation of Creon’s multi- facetted character and the audience further anticipates a sudden reversal of fortune (peripeteia) begetting the revelation of Creon as a despotic ruler and his ultimate realisation of his fatal flaw- arrogance (hubris).

Unearthing the meaning behind “the matrix”

What will you do if one day you wake up plugged into a computer, and that computer gives you a reality that is far from what you know? Will it change anything? Will it give less sense of the things that you thought are real? The Matrix is a dazzling depiction of the adventure of a computer programmer as he seeks to find answers to his mind’s multitude of questions. The Matrix was first shown on March 1999. It is a futuristic film which predicted that in the near future, humans’ lives will revolve around Matrix, a simulated reality. It tells the story of a computer programmer who lives under the pseudonym â€Å"Neo†. At the same time, he’s also a hacker who’s been dying to know the real enigma that lies behind the Matrix. In his desperation to find answers, he came across Morpheus, a man who promised him that he’d know the answer if he’d swallow a red pill. Neo doubtfully obeyed Morpheus and after he took the pill, he is unconsciously taken to a strange place wherein his body is connected to a wide array of wires. He woke up to an artificial program that nurses human beings by sustaining them with manufactured and trashed realities. He is rescued by a group of escapees by removing him from the pod that he’s attached with. The group saved Neo, for they believe that he is the one destined who will save the humankind from their doom. In the latter part, Neo found out that he’s in the year 2199 wherein a current rage between humans and intelligent machines is happening. Neo came to a realization that the world that he has inhabited in 1999 is just an illusion. It was made and developed by certain intelligent machines to keep the human population peaceful. Thus, it gave birth to the name Matrix. Morpheus and his team are lucky enough for they are free. Their duty is to remove other humans from their attachment to the Matrix and in return give them inhumane abilities. They believe that Neo is â€Å"the One† who will end the war because of his infinite control over the Matrix. To completely become a member of the group, Neo is trained to possess several self-defense disciplines which primarily include martial arts. Alongside with this, he’s also informed of the dangers that entail the Matrix life.   All the injuries that he will acquire in the Matrix will manifest in his physical body in the real world. As the time progressed, Neo gradually tagged along with the team’s operations. The group entered Matrix wherein Neo met the Oracle. She told Neo that he possessed a gift for being â€Å"the One† but that he is waiting for something. After this, the group was ambushed by Agents, the fast programs whose aim is to eradicate any threats to the simulation. Unfortunately, Morpheus is the only one who was captured by the Agents. All the members of Neo’s group died except him, Tank, Trinity and Morpheus. It turned out that they were betrayed by their own member, Cypher. A lot of things still happened but one of the most gripping scenes is when Neo is captured by the Agents and he was shot dead by one of them. Neo should’ve been dead if not for Trinity who kissed him. Long before that occurrence, Trinity was already warned that she would fall in love with â€Å"the One†. It’s hard for her to accept Neo’s sudden death so she kissed Neo. To her surprise, Neo’s heart starts beating again. The Agents tried to shoot him but Neo just raised his pal and stopped their bullets in the mid-air.   And finally, Neo saw the Matrix- an infinite number of streaming green lines. Hence, he became â€Å"The One†. The Matrix is indeed one of the most compelling examples that can illustrate some of the facets of the cultural anthropology. Anthropology, as defined â€Å"is the study of humankind, both ancient and contemporary.† (www2.cedarcrest.edu) Anthropology also examines the various facets of the society without any biases. Thus, it envisages society without putting any kind of stereotypes. The Matrix contains a lot of implications that which in return are just manifestations of humankind. The film somehow portrayed that humankind is currently driven by a lot of implicit yet unnoticeable things. Some might think that The Matrix is just a great and dazzling action movie but if you’ll really scratch beneath the surface, you’ll discover that a lot of realities about humankind are hidden in the film.   Innumerable people have watched this movie, but only few really understood the superb analogy that covers the film. Cultural anthropology is indeed vast as it curtains a lot of cultures from different sides of the world. However, The Matrix was able to come up with a coherent comprehension of what is happening in the cultures right now. Cultures now including its people are living in an illusory world that’s full of deceits, slavedom, economic turmoil, fear, media stereotypes and material indulgence. What humankinds fail to realize is that a real Matrix also exists within their cultures. They are driven by the wrong things that they gradually forget to value the things that really matter. Because of their struggle to be wealthy and powerful, their task to nurture and enrich their culture is disregarded. The Matrix gives the image of an existence that’s full of superficiality and trivialities. The image shows that people do everything to block an upsetting reality by wallowing themselves with material pretensions. It is quite intoxicating for some cultures that are drenched in wealth while the other cultures are wallowing in misery. The Matrix can also be connected to cultural anthropological perspectives as it neatly depicts the demarcation that the cultures have right now. The film evidently showed the conflict that’s present between Neo’s side and the Agents. It showed that cultures, despite some of their similarities with other cultures will still remain to be poles apart. It is primarily because these cultures live up to diverse ideals and beliefs. The Matrix is undeniably a worth watching film because it’s not just an ordinary action movie full of explosions, special effects, and adrenalins.   It is a movie that truly makes sense as it will help the people to reflect and realize what’s really going on. The film might also show them how to modify their distorted principles about their cultures. A film like this is quite moving because it offers the possible things that might happen to humankind in the future if the continuous clashing of culturally-acclaimed principles will continue. Although you have to really ponder on the film to see its relation with cultural anthropology, it’s still worth-watching because of its profound illustration. The entire hidden implications of the film are completely and utterly true. The Matrix is a ground-breaking film as it changed how action and sci-fi movies are supposed to be made. It demonstrated its own unique sense as it made people change how they look at their cultures. There are lots of symbolisms that were used in the film. Nevertheless, the spirit of humankind still managed to shine in its own way. Neo's journey toward understanding his real fate teaches a lot of lesson regarding culture. The diversities of the people in the film can be clearly related to the present culture. It gives a lot of anthropological manifestations, yet it still pursued the coherence of the factors that revolved around the film. The movie has generated a lot of controversies and questions until now- questions that remain undiscovered and will still continue to raise unfathomable debates and discussions. It was a revolutionary movie filled with mind-boggling questions and intrigues. Though many films before have already demonstrated their assumptions, nothing can beat The Matrix as it presented its ideas in a more graphical way.   In the end, it just sums up the film in a single question: â€Å"Are we really living in a real world right now?† References Cedarcrest Education. (2008. April). The Anthropological Perspective. Retrieved April 26 2008, from http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/socsci/anthropology_perspective.htm ;