Ancient Homosexuality Essay Example for Free

Ancient Homosexuality Essay The modern self is primarily built up of one’s history, body, religion, politics and entertainment – a Freudian composition of what identity is. And all of these things, the very factors that make the modern self the way it is, roots from the ancients. Cicero once thought that without the knowledge of the past, once shall remain a child, hence, Simon Goldhill’s Love, Sex and Tragedy: How the Ancient World Shapes Our Lives. With Cicero’s principle in mind, Goldhill wishes his readers to have a full understanding of who they are and how they came to be the way they are. Among the very controversial societal issues that Goldhill discussed pertained to homosexuality. Sexuality, in the time of the Greco-Romans, meant a love-affair with the phallus. They paraded it in the theatres, processions, public road, and even public memorials. The phallus was part of the classical man’s body, sexuality and sensuality – which, by the way, not only applies to men, but for females as well. The Greco-Romans had a profound relationship with sexual organs and acts, which, the modern man – apparently influenced by the rules of Christianity, might find obscene. A part of Simon Goldhill’s discussions on sexuality is the root of homosexuality. The Greeks had a particular fondness over a scenario where a bearded male desires a beardless lad. In today’s terms, this is the so-called pedophilia, as practiced through the inter-crural activity. This involves the placing of one’s penis between the partner’s thighs, may it be front or rear, followed by thrusting to attain sexual pleasure. Greeks from the seventh century, reinforced pederasty among men from the upper-class society, especially in their twenties, to acquire a young boy approximately aged 12 to love and nurture until he grows to marry at age 30, and later take a boy of his own. Practicing pederasty reinforced late marriage for these males, in the hopes of reducing the possibility of overpopulation, as well as to improve the education – initiation and instruction, of the ancient Greek youth. On Greek vases, one can find a picture of the bearded man – erastes, and the beardless youth – eromenos, as the erastes touches the eromenos’s genitals. The erastes takes the intiative as the eromenos remains passive. But, the ancient Greeks prohibited the relationship between a bearded man with yet another bearded man, and it was shameful that a bearded man becomes the passive one – or pathikos. The pedagogical pederasty is an illustration of a father-son relationship, where the erastes acts as a substitute father to help the young lad on his way to manhood, maturity, and to orient him to become a productive part of the society. The erastes demonstrates this affection by little presents ranging from a bottle of oil to money. The relationship was beneficial in both parties – the erastes provides education, protection, love and a role model for the eromenos – who offers beauty and admiration in turn. In modern theory, this is called sexual reciprocity. Gay does not necessarily mean one is less man or woman than a heterosexual. The ancient Greeks have never defined it in that way. Pedagogical pederasty and the sexual reciprocity that follows it are acts that only show the so-called love – in whichever form you wish to see it, may it be erotic or platonic. However, if we do know the origins of homosexuality, how does it actually affect us as individuals? We do obtain the full understanding of our identities in terms of our sexuality, and the understanding of others’ sexuality. This book simply implies the basic lesson of respect.

Sarcasm and Irony in Jonathan Swifts A Modest Proposal :: A Modest Proposal Jonathan Swift

Sarcasm and Irony in Swift's A Modest Proposal In his lengthy literary career, Jonathan Swift wrote many stories that used a broad range of voices that were used to make some compelling personal statements. For example, Swifts, A Modest Proposal, is often heralded as his best use of both sarcasm and irony. Yet taking into account the persona of Swift, as well as the period in which it was written, one can prove that through that same use of sarcasm and irony, this proposal is actually written to entertain the upper-class. Therefore the true irony in this story lies not in the analyzation of minute details in the story, but rather in the context of the story as it is written. One of the voices that is present throughout the story is that of irony. The story itself is ironic since no one can take Swifts proposal seriously. This irony is clearly demonstrated at the end of the story; Swift makes it clear that this proposal would not affect him since his children were grown and his wife unable to have any more children. It would be rather absurd to think that a rational man would want to both propose this and partake in the eating of another human being. Therefore, before an analyzation can continue, one has to make the assumption that this is strictly a fictional work and Swift had no intention of pursuing his proposal any further. One of the other voices that is present throughout the entire story is that of sarcasm. In order to understand this further, a reader has to comprehend that Swift, becoming infamous after Gullivers Travels, was a member of the upper-class. Right from the first paragraph Swift attempts to fool his readers by the sarcasm of the dreary scene that Swift presents. For example, he mentions that it is a melancholy sight to see beggars and their children on the street. The sarcastic paradox in this statement is whether it is a melancholy object for him, having to see homeless people every day, or for the beggars lifestyle? Upon first reading this one may be led to believe that Swift is a compassionate writer attempting to feel the pain of the beggars. But as the story continues, a reader can look back and note that he is using a sarcastic tone and the only sad sight that he sees is the fact that people of his status have to deal with commoners.

Week Six

Use the Internet to research and evaluate two (2) commercial HR database systems for your organization. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each system and, based on your knowledge of human resources and database systems, propose one (1) package that would fit the needs of your organization. Suggest three (3) specific reasons why you would recommend that system over the other. Capterra is a HR database provider that can provide the needs an organization to help with their HR needs. Their fully integrated, web-based suite automates and simplifies performance appraisals, 360 degree feedback, learning management, succession planning, compensation management, job descriptions and recruiting. Halogen's products make HR best-practices accessible to companies of all sizes. They also offer specific suites to meet the unique needs of a variety of industries. † (capterra. com) â€Å"Waypoint open source and other web-based software applications outlined on this website have bee n developed by HR-Fundamentals limited.Since 2002 HR-Fundamentals ltd has been providing online tools to help employers manage their staff and their business more effectively. Our friendly and approachable attitude enables us to work with different types of organizations, in many industries, across many continents, to deliver visible results to their business. HR-Fundamentals ltd offer a wide range of bespoke and personal services to employers, directors, line managers and employees. Our services include web based software applications and online employment related documentation available for immediate download. † (waypointhr. om) One of the advantages that Capterra has to offers program that can track holiday and sick time, along providing software to process payroll. It handles HR needs such as pre-employment testing and background checks. Capterra assist with all onboarding needs such as applicant tracking. Capterra can assist with all of a company’s recruitment need s. The disadvantage that Capterra has is there are a lot of options to choose from, and the website doesn’t seem to be easy to follow. The customer can easily be lost and maybe confused on what type of service they may need to choose from.With Waypoint I feel it can provide more support what a company is looking for and the website is easier to understand. Customer will get the feeling this company understand their needs and is willing to give them the service they are looking for. Waypoint specializes in HR Software and Web Development. They have modules that assist with Exit Interviews, HR Intranets, Online Appraisals, and Online Recruitment. The disadvantage that Waypoint may have is that their website is vague and it may give a potential customer the impression that it doesn’t have the areas of expertise a company is looking for.I would propose the absence management online program â€Å"Absence levels can be reduced through monitoring and management, sending empl oyees a clear message that you take sickness absence seriously. Our web-based Online Absence Management software is easy-to-use and accessible from any PC via a web browser and includes many features to help you and your line managers monitor, manage and handle sickness, injury and medical related absences. †(WaypointHR. com) I would recommend Waypoint because the services are on point with a customer needs. They can provide services such as online absences, and Exit Interview, and Online Intranet.These are basic services that most companies would like and want to promote. I would use Waypoint because it has the recognizes what companies needs are what they needs to make HRIS more efficient within the company. Waypoint specialty is Web Development and that is a must for HRIS to be utilized to its full capacity. To reduce using a lot of paper, Waypoint has an option that will allow important forms to be downloaded instead of always printing forms out. Suggest three (3) efficien cies that an organization would gain from using a SAAS for its HRIS needs and three (3) inefficiencies from maintaining an MS Access-based database application. The efficiency of HRIS, the systems are able to produce more effective and faster outcomes than can be done on paper. Some of the many applications of HRIS are: Clerical applications, applicant search expenditures, risk management, training management, training experiences, financial planning, turnover analysis, succession planning, flexible-benefits administration, compliance with government regulations, attendance reporting and analysis, human resource planning, accident reporting and prevention and strategic planning.With the many different applications of HRIS, it is difficult to understand how the programs benefit companies without looking at companies that have already benefited from such programs. † (ezinearticles. com) â€Å"One such company is IBM. IBM has a paperless online enrollment plan for all of its emp loyees. Not only has the online enrollment saved the company 1. 2 million per year on printing and mailing costs, the employees enjoy working with the online plan. Since we began offering online enrollment, we've learned that employees want web access,† Donnelly [Senior Communications Specialist] says, so they can log on at home rather than through the company intranet. So the company has been working to put in place a web-based enrollment system that employees and retirees can access from anywhere (Huering, 2003). By utilizing the flexible-benefits application HRIS has to offer, IBM was able to cut costs and give employees the freedom to discover their benefits on their own time and pace. † (ezinearticles. om) â€Å"The privacy of employee information has become a major issue in recent years. With identity theft becoming a common problem, employees are becoming more sensitive about who sees their personal information, and the security it is kept in. By making sure empl oyee information that is kept in the HRIS is relevant to the company and making sure there is limited access (password protection) to such information, companies can make its employees more secure with the safety of their information. Whether electronic or paper, employee files deserve to be treated with great care.Establishing security and end-user privileges calls for a balance of incorporating, HR policy, system knowledge and day-to-day operations (O’Connell, 1994). † (ezinearticles. com) â€Å"Illogically or inconsistently stored data can cause a number of problems. In a relational database, a logical and efficient design is just as critical. A poorly designed database may provide erroneous information, may be difficult to use, or may even fail to work properly. Most of these problems are the result of two bad design features called: redundant data and anomalies.Redundant data is unnecessary reoccurring data (repeating groups of data). Anomalies are any occurrence that weakens the integrity of your data due to irregular or inconsistent storage (delete, insert and update irregularity, that generates the inconsistent data). † (www. databasedev. co. uk) Assess the (3) most significant risks associated with combining products from multiple vendors into one (1) HRIS. â€Å"IaaS allows organizations to avoid the large capital expenses associated with infrastructure and data centers.It also has a low barrier to entry and enables automated scaling. One negative aspect of IaaS is that it brings with it new security risks that require different measures. For example, due to stringent information requirements associated with regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), enterprises must carefully assess where such information resides and mitigate any privacy risks. In addition, how well IaaS works is vendor dependent. † (cloudcomputing. ys-con. com) The major drawback that mus t be mitigated is the security risk associated with centralization. In addition, since applications are centralized, version control and updates are relatively headache free and deploying software becomes instantaneous. On the other hand, applications that are centralized present enhanced security risks. (cloudcomputing. sys-con. com) Predict three (3) unintended consequences of not managing an HR database properly and how you would circumvent those situations from occurring.What is the impact of a poorly structured performance management process? If individual goals are not aligned with business strategy, then time and resources are wasted. Low employee engagement levels may mean that individuals are not performing at their best. Inconsistent evaluation criteria and rewards can lead to mistrust, lower productivity and higher attrition. If top performers see no differentiation in performance ratings, opportunities and compensation from underperformers, morale can suffer.Lack of docu mentation, visibility, and accountability can negatively affect stakeholders who are demanding more and more transparency. If accurate performance information is unavailable or difficult to access, training and development decisions along with project assignment decisions may not be made in the company's or the individual's best interests. An annual process will not adequately alert managers to problems in a timely manner. Last, but not least, a lack of proper documentation related to performance may result in legal issues. (www. successfactors. com)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huck and His Free Spirit - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1288 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/17 Category Literature Essay Level High school Topics: Huckleberry Finn Essay Mark Twain Essay Did you like this example? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain writes about Huck and his free spirit. Whenever he falls in the care or presence of rules he wants out and he wants to leave. Twain proves that rules and order dont make sense to Huck and always leaves him asking why. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Huck and His Free Spirit" essay for you Create order Huck has trouble following rules and understanding how serious they are especially if he doesnt like them. While in the care of the widow who has all these rules Huck is exasperated at the number of rules he is needing to follow, as Huck explains The widow rung the bell for supper and you had to come to time. When you got to the table you couldnt go right to eating (Cite chapter and name). As we get to know Huck in these first chapters we realize that Huck believes that some rules are silly and just plain dumb to follow. Huck feels like he can decide when to eat, he can decide when to pray, Huck may not agree with the widow, but he is not ill-mannered about her beliefs. Being a deep thinker Huck believes that rules can be dumb. Huck wonders about the difference between rules as dumb as that and then the rules that allow half of humanity to enslave and abuse the other half. Hucks friend Tom is also a rule follower, except his rules are about fiction. When talking with Huck, Tom explains How you talk Huck Finn. Why youd HAVE to come when he rubbed it, whether you wanted to or not (Cite name and chapter). After having this conversation with Tom, Huck decides to give it a try, after rubbing the lamp he realizes the rules are fake and are lies. Tom continues to try and coax Huck into thinking that if genies were real; they would follow the rules as well. Huck starts to make out the differences between the widows and societies arbitrary rules and another set of arbitrary rules, fiction. As Huck grows in th e book he realizes the different types of rules; both are arbitrary, the widows/societies and then the ones about fiction and make-believe stories. At certain points in the book, Huck feels annoyed with the rules, some of them make him unable to do things that would benefit him or he just feels that the rules are weird or dumb as they may be could save his life one day. As Huck goes on to talk about his father and the history they have together he mentions how Pap went to court to take me away with him. When Pap went to the court the widow went to court to take me away from him (cite chapter and name). Sometimes it might be fairer to break the rules; however, the judge doesnt agree. It may be breaking the rules but we all know Huck is better off without his dad, Huck doesnt even want the widow to have custody of him Huck wants to live on his own, with his own rules, on his own time; however, living without his dad is better than living with him. Huck is afraid to be living with Pap or being in the care of him. While talking to Buck about feuds between people and how they are almost governed, to the point where it makes no sense and its confusing to why anyone would ever use these rules. Buck explains by and by everybodys killed off, and there aint no more feud. But its kinda slow and takes a long time (cite chapter and name). This is but another exa mple of an arbitrary rule about the governing of feuds, the only difference is that these rules will leave everybody dead. Thinking about this Huck probably chooses to listen to this rule for there is a reason to be following it; to save his life rather than sitting straight at a dinner table and praying before everytime you eat it wont kill you if you dont do it. Huck never has the mindset of staying out of trouble, when he gets into trouble he always seems to know about all the consequences. Being knowledgeable about the consequences. Huck actions can have on him he proceeds to explain, it would get all around [] Huck Finn helped a nigger [] I was ever to see anybody from that town again Id [] get down and lick his boots for shame (cite chapter name). Huck knows and understands what consequences are and how they affect people, for example if you went to a midnight movie Thursday night instead of studying or finishing an essay you fail. Or if you help a slave escape and then everyone makes fun of you for doing that. Consequences can affect people in many ways big or small it can lead to bigger things down the road. Huck always knows when he is in trouble but never knows how to get out of it, he gets trapped by decisions and cant make the right one, while helping Jim escape Huck understands how I was full of trouble, full as I could be; and d idnt know what to do (cite chapter and name). To Huck breaking the rules is like driving on the left side of the road, no only is it exciting and fun; it is dangerous and wrong and breaking the law. Huck would feel alot better, at least for a small portion of time if he followed the rules; even if the lines on the road are arbitrary. Breaking the rules may excite Huck but in the end Huck always knows what is consequences are coming for him. Although Huck understands there are consequences for his actions he seems to act like it is a game, he doesnt understand the severity of consequences or rules, he thinks they can even be fun and silly. While talking Huck explains, I shoved the whole thing out of my head and said I would take up wickedness again (cite chapter and name). Huck talks about how he shoved all the thoughts of maybe I shouldnt do this or what consequences will come of this action, out of his mind and decides to go in and embrace the evil inside of him; even though Huck doesnt have much if any at all. As a reader it is hard to believe that someone like Huck thinks they have enough evil or corruption to break all the rules he finds. As Huck continues to explain his pla n he mentions because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog (cite name and chapter). Huck seems to think rules are a game and he can play around with them as he sees fit, because Huck seems to think about this being a game he doesnt realize what going for the whole hog really means. Huck never seems to think things through, he never seems to understand rules and why they are there. Understanding what Huck is thinking of doing is crucial to make rational decisions. Understanding consequences is only half of what is important, understanding why the rules are there in the first place is just as important; maybe even a little more. As Huck grows in this book he never seems to fully understand rules, even after he breaks them and gets in trouble, he always seems to ask why. Hucks free spirit will always be noticed, there will never be a time when Huck isnt free and does his own thing; bad or good. He may want out of rules but as he grows even more hell understand that he cant live without them.