Comparing the Struggle in Dante’s Inferno and Book VI of...

The Infernal Struggle in Dante’s Inferno and Book VI of The Aeneid Does hell have its own history? For Dante, the structural and thematic history of ‘hell’ in the Inferno begins with the Roman epic tradition and its champion poet, Virgil. By drawing heavily from the characteristics of hell in Book VI of The Aeneid, Dante carries the epic tradition into the medieval world and affirms his indebtedness to Virgil’s poetry. Moreover, Virgil becomes a central character in the Inferno as he guides Dante, the pilgrim, who has no knowledge of hell, through his own historical model. Similarly, the protagonist of The Aeneid, Aeneas, lacks the foresight necessary to make the journey through hell on his own and thus places his trust in the†¦show more content†¦The historical relationship between the Aeneid and the Inferno originates with Dante’s own definition of the former as â€Å"the canonic epic model† (Jacoff 3). By definition an â€Å"epic model† dramatizes events of historical or legendary importance (Webs ter). Thus Dante, who â€Å"had no direct access to Homer† and the first epic models of Western literature--The Illiad and The Odyssey--chose Rome’s national epic, The Aeneid, as his historical inspiration (Jacoff 3). Specifically, the Inferno finds its overarching structural and thematic antecedent in Book VI of The Aeneid, where Aeneas descends into the realm of the shades. Here among hell’s carnage Aeneas finds his idea of eternal beauty embodied within the shade of his father, Anchises, who has survived in the heaven-like Elysian Fields. In the Inferno, the pilgrim undertakes the same journey as his historical prototype but instead searches for spiritual absolution in a Christian heaven. The motif of the journey remains, but the specific religious overtones of hell become slippery from the time of Aeneas to the pilgrim. For example, in his essay entitled Imagination and Thought in the Middle Ages, Umberto Eco notes that â€Å"the medieval period was a prolo ngation of the mythopoetic dimension of the Classical period, though

Leadership Style at Nike - 2715 Words

MBA FIRST YEAR 2012 MBA 8105 – ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR LEADERSHIP CONUNDRUM: NIKE AFTER KNIGHT Prepared by Narendra Hirani Registration Number MBA/2443/12 April 2012 1a) Discuss and evaluate the appropriateness of the leadership style adopted by Phil Knight. Philip Knight’s leadership style can be analysed using the various leadership theories that have been developed. Their appropriateness can be evaluated based on the information available in the case study. Rensis Liekert developed four systems of leadership, exploitative autocratic, benevolent authoritative, participative and democratic. Knight’s leadership style at Nike can be described as democratic as per the systems developed by Riekert. According to Riekert, the†¦show more content†¦We are also informed that Knight is subordinate oriented, as per the leadership continuum developed by Tannenbaum and Schmidt. In this approach the manager allows the team to develop options and make decisions within their mandate which has been agreed upon at the onset. In the case of Knight, it is demonstrated on more than one occasion that he is prepared to sit and watch from t he sidelines, whilst his executives make decisions. This style is very suitable for industries whereby there is a need for development of new products within the organization. In Nike, we observe that they are always in the process of developing new products and therefore giving his senior executives a â€Å"free hand† in developing new ideas and executing them is vital to the success of the organization. Knight adopts the participative mode of leadership. The key characteristics of a participative leader are: * maintains free-flowing and honest communication; * remains easily accessible; * stresses development for his subordinates; * expresses consideration and support; * is willing to change. We note that Knight demonstrated all the traits listed above. The traits listed above allowed the other Nike employees to express their creative thoughts and allow Nike to develop new products and also new marketing strategies which have assisted Nike in achieving the success it h as achieved so far. It is alsoShow MoreRelatedTheories of Management in Practice1274 Words   |  5 Pages Nike seems to be led in a leadership style that is more akin to Theory Y. Phil Knight and his successor Bill Perez are known in the press such as in the Stanford University alumni magazine, Business Week, Forbes, and official Nike press releases that proclaim that they do what is best for the company and not what is best for them personally as individuals. Nike is one of the first major western corporations that has adopted human resource, management, and organisational leadership styles foundRead MoreNikes Approach To Compete International Case Study1234 Words   |  5 Pagestime they were distributing running shoes for a company in Japan. (Nike, 2015). One could say they were ahead of their time and true visionaries; moreover, they were doing business with a foreign country and would soon branch out to Asia. They designed and tested their shoes in America; however, they soon realized the value in overseas manufacturing, so they outsourced the manufacturing to Asia. Competing Internationally Since Nike started their business with Japan, they were familiar with the policiesRead MoreLeadership Practices in The Post-Bureaucratic Era1575 Words   |  7 Pagesgoing to argue that leadership practices bring impacts on sustainable development in the post-bureaucratic era. World Commission on Economic Development(WCED) defines sustainable development as development that satisfies the needs in the present as well as in the future (Bansal 2005). Business is considered as an aspect of the society as a whole (Evans 1992) and it can be seen that the society is more concerned about ethics,law and regulations,thus a more sustainable management style is widely appliedRead MoreNike Case Answers1120 Words   |  5 PagesNike Case Answers– Spreading out to stay together 1. When Nike CEO Phil Knight stepped down and handed his job to Bill Perez, he stayed on as chairman of the board. In what ways could Knight’s continued presence on the board have created an informal structure that prevented Perez from achieving full and complete leadership of Nike? Answer: Informal structures are the set of unofficial relationships between organization members. Potential advantages of informal structures: ââ€" ª Helping peopleRead MoreNike, Mission, Vision, Values, Principles Essay704 Words   |  3 PagesRunning head: NIKE, Inc. Mission, Vision, Principles 1 NIKE, Inc. Mission, Vision, Principles Ameirah Aldahmani MSM631 – Strategic Management and Financial Reports Analysis Regis University Saturday, September 04, 2010 Abstract This paper is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of NIKE, Inc., done as six separate sections. The six sections of the project are external environment analysis, S.W.O.T analysis, executive interview, strategic and tactical plans and controls, structure,Read MoreNike Business Analysis Essay1378 Words   |  6 Pagesattributed to its shrewd marketing strategy. As reported in its 2009-2010 Annual report, because NIKE is a consumer products company, â€Å"the relative popularity of various sports and fitness activities and changing design trends affect the demand for our products†. Therefore, Nike must â€Å"respond to trends and shifts in consumer preferences by adjusting the mix of existing product offerings, developing new products, styles and categories, and influencing sports and fitness preferences through aggressive marketing†Read MoreCase Study - Nike: Spreading Out to Stay Together1343 Words   |  6 PagesCase Study: Amazon: Nike: Spreading Out to Stay To gether Nike, Inc. is an American  multinational corporation  that is engaged in the design, development and worldwide marketing and selling of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services. The company is headquartered near  Beaverton, Oregon, in the  Portland metropolitan area. It is the world s leading supplier of  athletic shoes  and  apparel  and a major manufacturer of  sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$24.1  billion in its fiscalRead MoreNike s Offensive Competitive Advantage1206 Words   |  5 Pagescompetitive advantage. Therefore, this subject is difficult to understand and then apply to a company. The Five Generic Competitive Strategies that Michael E. Porter developed are not really five strategies, more like five with subsets under them. Nike does not fit neatly into a specific strategy. The first factor within the competitive strategy as described in the Essentials of Strategic Management textbook is a broad target market or a narrow target market. The second factor considers the competitiveRead MoreNikes Core Competencies Exist In Their1511 Words   |  7 Pagestheir products and markets. Although Nike does not manufacture any of its own shoes, the company is still today’s leader in selling athletic shoes and apparel. Nikes marketing strategy is an important component of the companys success. Nike is located as a premium-brand, selling well-designed and costly products. Nike lures clients with a marketing strategy centring on their brand image: a distinctive logo (the Swoosh ) and the advertising slogan Just Do It. Nike promotes its products by supportRead MoreNike Marketing Strategy Review1044 Words   |  5 PagesMurad Tahirov Marketing Spotlight-Nike The Nike story begins with its founder, running enthusiast Phil Knight. In 1962, Knight started Blue Ribbon Sports, the precursor to Nike. At the time, the athletic shoe industry was dominated by two German companies, Adidas and Puma. Knight recognized a neglected segment of serious athletes whose specialized needs were not being addressed. The concept was simple: Provide high-quality running shoes designed especially for athletes by athletes. Knight

Effects of Reality Tv on Society free essay sample

There are many discussions about the effects of reality TV on society. Positive and negative effects of reality TV are two parts of a coin. Unfortunately the coin mostly falls on the negative side. Many reality TV shows are created purely for profit without thinking about its consequences on the mindsets of viewers, especially young viewers . Media companies accept that they make these shows for profit and they do not care about the effects on people. They say that they just show us what we want. Is it right not to care about the viewers mental health just to make more money? Most of these shows do not portray reality and this weakens the ability of critical thinking, causes to depict a false image of life, develops wrong notions, erodes some ethical and moral practices. Reality TV shows give a false image of reality, since the people watching them are under the impression that everything happening in the show is real. According to a Time magazine article, some reality TV shows are edited to be dramatic and some quotes may actually be manufactured. Clashes and ugly feuds between the reality stars may be constructed and some parts of the shows may also be completely edited and cut out so they dont make the final show that people see on TV. Some critics actually charge that reality TV is not so real and that these shows may be far more manipulative than we think. When all is said and done, some people on the reality shows say that they were unfairly represented and the reality taken out of the show therefore making the show pure entertainment. In some ways, this gives the audience that the characters in these shows are real and acting normal. Some viewers empathize with the show’s stars. Viewers tend to behave, feel, think like the stars and during this process they lose their critical thinking skills. A great example can be seen in John Cheveer’s article ‘’The Enormous Radio’’. In the article a woman has a radio that is capable of playing the neighbor’s conversations. The woman has created an apished public self, and when she hears the neighbor’s private conversations she is witnessed to the nakedness of their misery. She asks her husband ‘’We’re happy, aren’t we, darling? We are happy, aren’t we? ’’ (Cheever, pg. 83) . So she lost her ability to judge her own happiness by being witnessing other people’s life’s, just like some reality TV shows . Certain shows are filled with glamour, filtrations, indecent acts, promiscuity, greed, jealousy, conflict and other sensitive issues. These create a controversy in the society where this society begins to support unethical and immoral practices. Humans take the negative parts of these shows causing increased rates in murder, corruption in society and antisocial behaviors. As Salman Rushdie claims, ‘’ The television set once so idealistically thought of as our window on the world , has become a dime-store mirror instead. ’ (2001, pg. 63) . Values such as being successful, smart, educated, acting polite has less value nowadays. A glaring example on mental effects ‘’ When the sister of a woman who appeared on ABC’s Extreme Makeover committed suicide in 2004, the contestant sued the network for wrongful death and other charges . The contestant, who was competing to win free plastic surgery but lost, claimed that her sister had felt so guilty about mocking her appearance on the program that she killed herself. ABC settled the case for an undisclosed amount last year. ‘’ (W. Peters, 2010, pg. 74) . This example also shows producers of reality shows do not care about the consequences on society as long as they are making money. As Jeremy W. Peters claims ‘’In recent years producers and networks have increasingly pushed the boundaries of television voyeurism in search of another ratings hit’’ (2007, pg. 73) . Since there is not a law against producers to harming people, they do not be careful on what they show on programmes. Therefore there are social organizations which want to make a law against reality TV or completely ban reality shows. Many programmes insult and degrade moral values. ‘‘It ? s hard to defend the deception of Joe Millionaire which set up twenty women to court construction worker Evan Marriott by telling them he was a multimillionaire’’(Poniewozik, 2003, pg. 69) . This example shows us how the show degrades women . Also on some shows great portion of the African American contestants are shown as bad. For example the show ‘’Love Cruise’’ is where singles pair up on cruise ships and get married. The women were told to hook up with whomever they want, but every woman chose a white man. The one guy left standing was the black man. Of course we cannot claim that reality shows effect every human in a negative way . In fact there are people who claim reality TV has positive effects on the society . Such as James Poniewozik ‘’It has given the networks water-cooler buzz again; it has reminded viewers jaded by sitcoms and dramas why TV can be exciting; and at its best, its teaching TV a new way to tell involving human stories. ’’ ( 2003, pg. 67) . Also these shows are a place where people could show their talents and get rewarded for it. On the show American Idol, a woman had two children but she did not have enough money to raise them. She had a great voice, so she won the money prize and now the family has a great life. Unfortunately these kinds of positive effects are only a small part of the pie . By considering all of the points made above the effects of reality shows on people may not be crucial, but it is definitely taken in great importance. The ignorance of producers and effects on mental health and social talents are unjust and corruptive. Maybe strict laws could put a stop to all of it but until that time comes the community will still get effected by reality TV.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth free essay sample

Macbeth answers, We will speak further (1. 5. 71), but if he intends to appear noncommittal, he hasnt fooled his wife. She tells him that all he has to do is put on a pleasant face, and Leave all the rest to me (1. 5. 73). With that, the partners in crime hurry out to welcome the King they are going to kill. While King Duncan is having supper in Macbeths castle, Macbeth steps out to think about the plan to kill the King. When Lady Macbeth finds Macbeth, she exclaims, He has almost suppd: why have you left the chamber? (1. 7. 29). Then, in order to keep Macbeth committed to the murder plan, she verbally assaults his courage and manhood. She accuses him of being the kind of person who can dream of wearing kingly robes only when hes drunk. She asks sarcastically, Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dressd yourself? Hath it slept since? Macbeth tries to defend himself by saying, I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none (1. We will write a custom essay sample on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 7. 46-47), but Lady Macbeth declares that shes more man than he is:I have given suck, and know. (1. 7. 54-59) After this, its really all over. Lady Macbeth wins. Macbeth asks what happens if they fail, and his wife disapprove the very idea. She will get King Duncans two attendants drunk, so they wont be able to protect him, and then theyll take the blame for the Kings death. Macbeth replies with admiration (or fear? ), Bring forth men-children only As she waits for her husband to come with the news that he has murdered King Duncan, Lady Macbeth says to herself, I laid their daggers ready; but shes worried he wont get the job done. Then, after murdering the King, Macbeth comes to her with his hands all covered with blood and carrying the grooms daggers. Not only that, but hes so unnerved that all he can do is look at his hands and talk about voices that he heard. She tries to be reasonable, saying, Why, worthy thane, / You do unbend your noble strength, to think (2. 2. 41-43), but hes paralyzed with horror. Finally, she has to do what he should have done. She takes the daggers from him, carries them back to place them with the grooms, and smears the grooms with the Kings blood. When she returns, Lady Macbeth hears Macbeth talking about his bloody hands, and she comments, My hands are of your colour; but I shame / To wear a heart so white (2. 2. 61-62). She means that her hands are red, too (because she has been busy smearing the Kings blood on the grooms), but that she would be ashamed to have a heart as white as Macbeths. A white heart is white because it has no blood, and the person with a white heart is a coward. As she delivers this insult, we hear the knocking again, and Lady Macbeth takes her husband away, telling him that A little water clears us of this deedAt this point in the play, it appears that Macbeth would be helpless without his wife. After the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth does all she can to protect herself and her husband from suspicion. Without telling his wife a thing about it, Macbeth arranges for the murder of Banquo. In the next scene, Lady Macbeth has a short soliloquy in which she expresses whats weighing on her mind: Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy (3. 2. 4-7). The first rhyme expresses a common experience, which is that if we get what we want, but arent happy with it, we really dont have it. The second rhyme deepens the thought by saying that it would be better to be dead than to feel what Lady Macbeth is now feeling. She and her husband destroyed King Duncan, who is now safe from all the worlds problems. In contrast, the lady and her husband live in doubtful joy. In Shakespeares time the word doubt was commonly used to mean suspicion or fear, and the present king and queen live in fear that their guilt will be discovered and punished. Despite her own depression, Lady Macbeth tries to make her husband cheer up. She asks him why he has been keeping to himself, and why he has been keeping company with his sorriest fancies (3. 2. 9). A fancy is a daydream or fantasy; a sorry fancy is one that is depressing or frightening. He starts talking about the danger presented by Banquo and Fleance and hints that something will be done. Lady Macbeth asks whats going to be done, but her husband answers, Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed (3. 2. 46). Chuck is a pet name, a variant of chick. So it seems that now Macbeth has the upper hand in their relationship. Hes telling her that she doesnt need to worry herself about anything until it comes time to be his cheerleader. The night that he has Banquo murdered, Macbeth hosts a banquet for his nobles. Lady Macbeth, who does not know what has happened to Banquo, tries to play the gracious hostess. Lady Macbeth covers for her husband. She asks everyone to stay seated, and explains that Macbeth is often like this, and has been ever since he was young. Hell recover in a moment, she says, but if they stare at him, it will only make him worse, so they should just eat and pretend that nothing has happened. The guests do as they are told, and Lady Macbeth takes her husband aside. As she did early in the play, Lady Macbeth challenges her husbands manhood. .. This is the very painting of your fear: / This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said, / Led you to Duncan (3. 4. 59-62). She also tells him that hes making ridiculous faces, so that he reminds her of a woman telling a scary story that she heard from her grandmother. His fear is shameful because, When alls done, / You look but on a stool (3. 4. 66-67). This time unlike earlier in the play Lady Macbeths scorn seems to have no effect on Macbeth. He calms down only after the Ghost of Banquo leaves and she says (gently? ), My worthy lord, / Your noble friends do lack you When Banquos Ghost reappears to Macbeth the guests stare and ask questions, so Lady Macbeth gets rid of them by telling them that if they stay they will only make things worse. When theyre alone, he hints that hes going to take action against Macduff and that hes going to visit the witches, but she says little. By the end of the scene, she seems to have forgotten her anger against her husband. She tells him that You lack the season of all natures, sleep In her sleepwalking scene, Lady Macbeth thinks that a spot of King Duncans blood is on her hand and she tries to wash it off. She also relives other horrors, including her attempt to persuade her husband that Banquo couldnt possibly rise from his grave. As she exits, she imagines that Duncan has just been murdered, and that she is once again taking care of Macbeth. Her last lines in the scene are, To bed, to bed!. (5. 1. 66-68). [Scene Summary] As he tries to prepare himself for battle with the forces arrayed against him, Macbeth asks the doctor how Lady Macbeth is doing. The doctor replies, Not so sick, my lord, / As she is troubled with thick coming fancies The cure her of that appears to be an order, but the rest of the speech (which may be as much about Macbeth as his wife) seems to indicate that that Macbeth has no real hope that she can be cured, and the doctor replies, Therein the patient / Must minister to himself This angers Macbeth, and he curses medicine. Then he arms for battle. Apparently he has no more time to worry about his wife. As the forces under Malcolm approach Macbeths castle, Macbeth receives the news that The queen, my lord, is dead (5. 5. 16), but that is all he is told. Theres nothing about how or why she died, and he doesnt ask. In a show of callousness, he says he doesnt have time for her: She should have died hereafter; / There would have been a time for such a word (5. 5. 17-18). Thus begins the most famous passage in the play. The rest of the speech is despair masquerading as cynicism: To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow..