Beowulf’s Pride, Good, Bad, or Both free essay sample

The hero has forever stood as a prime example of who we should be and who we should strive to become. However most stories which that have a hero tell the tale of how the hero overcame tribulation in his own life or perhaps within his own character to rise to the challenge set before him. So if a hero is who we should strive to be, which of the hero’s flaws do we accept, or are his flaws simply something that helped him become the hero he is? Beowulf is one of the first epic stories of time which has been properly recorded and just like any other heroic ballad our hero is not perfect. From the onset of the story it is easy to see that Beowulf is a very hubris or prideful young man, but is that a good thing or does it hinder him in his quest? The story itself brings to light Beowulfs pridefulness when Healfdene’s son Hrothgar warns Beowulf about being too prideful: â€Å"Pride overpowering gathers and grows! The warder slumbers, the guard of his spirit; Too sound is that sleep, too sluggish the weight Of worldly affairs, too pressing the Foe, The Archer who loses the arrows of sin†. We will write a custom essay sample on Beowulf’s Pride, Good, Bad, or Both? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The older and wiser of the two men, the king is warning Beowulf that his hubris might be his downfall, like so many other young heroes. The fact that Christians were the ones to document this story also adds to the importance of humility, which is a strong Christian belief. When Beowulf first arrives, Queen Wealtheow thanks God for sending him to fight Grendel and whish’s him luck. Beowulf replies boastfully that he will either distinguish himself with his heroic deed or die trying. We see here that he is so sure of himself that he is willing to literally bet his life on his skill as a warrior. This act of pride could bring him an untimely death. As night falls Beowulf readies for his fight against Grendal we see one of the most blatant acts of hubris on Beowulfs part at this time, he decides against using armor or weapons to battle Grendal. His reasoning being that he considers himself to be as dangerous as Grendel. In this situation by being so prideful he is taking an unneeded risk, his pride and need to â€Å"showboat† are putting his life at higher risk than needed. Beowulf knows that no weapon could harm Grendel by surrendering his weapons and armor did he help himself by having realistic expectation of what he had to do or was he simply taking an unnecessary risk to make himself look better. After defeating Grendel’s mother Hrothgar for the second time in the story warns Beowulf of the dangers of success and pride â€Å"Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is in bloom but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low†. Hrothgar warns against perhaps missing future perils if his pride got in the way. Hrothfar also emphasized how short life is and how little time Beowulf has to be young, noting that â€Å"his blossom will fade quickly†. His speech conveys that Beowulf must learn to be not just prideful but also honorable and a good leader because he will not always have his youth and brute strength to relay upon. Jump ahead Fifty years and Beowulf is ruling his own kingdom when a fierce dragon starts to plague his lands. Being the brave ruler of his lands Beowulf brings the task to kill the dragon upon himself. With age Beowulf has become known as a great leader to his people however his prideful streak is still fully intact. Being to prideful to assemble an army to battle the dragon he assembles only a few men in preparation for the battle. He reminisces back to his youth when he single handedly defeated Grendel this memory instills a fearlessness towards the dragon. However fifty years have passed since Beowulfs great defeat of Grendal and Beowulf has aged considerable. The fight does not last long between Beowulf and the dragon with a little help from one of his men Beowulf does manage to slay the dragon however before he was able to kill the beast it delivered a deathly blow to Beowulf in the form of a venomous bite which proves to be fatal to the great warrior. As he dies he asked one of his men the only who stayed with him Wiglaf to fetch him some treasure so he might see what he won in his battle. Throughout the entirety of the poem we see Beowulf grow from a valiant but prideful young warrior to an old and wise leader of his people. In Beowulfs first two fights that with Grendel and Grendel’s mother we see a young brash warrior confident in not only his abilities but also in the fact that he is indestructible. However in the last fight Beowulf is forced to come face to face with his mortality. We see the change in the character from the young warrior who had nothing to lose and everything to gain to the older wiser warrior who is still willing to put his life on the line for his people but is aware of his own mortality. While it is hard to say whether Beowulfs hubris helped or hurt him more during his life time in the end it did get him killed. By being to prideful to bring an army to battle the dragon he got himself killed. And by dyeing he left his kingdom open for attacks without a proper leader. While he was a good leader, in the end he put his pride before the welfare of his people.

Financial Ratio Analysis

Financial Ratio Analysis Ratio analysis is of great importance when it comes to the assessment of the financial position and health of any business enterprise. It may be a tedious activity but once results have been obtained from the computation, interpretation is fast and easy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Ratio Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ratios can therefore be used by potential investors, creditors, and money lending institutions such as banks as well as the company management to judge how the company is progressing (Jan et al, 2008, p. 266). Ratios work by comparing two or more items on any of the prepared financial statements of a company such as the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement and many others (McManus, 2009, p.1). Ratios are grouped into different classes depending on their final use. These classes include: liquidity ratios which give an indication of whether the company is able to m eet its liabilities in the short run. Profitability ratios are used to determine whether the enterprise has the ability to handle its expenses and make profit in return to the resources it has put into the enterprise (Houston and Brigham, 2009, p. 90). The list of the type of ratios that can be calculated from any financial statement is endless since almost all items on these financial statements have some degree of correlation. The information obtained from financial ratios analysis, other than giving an impression of how the company is fairing on, it can be used by external bodies to determine the credit worthiness of the company A common example of a liquidity ratio is the current ratio which compares the liquid assets of a company to the non-fixed or current liabilities. It is therefore calculated as follows: Current ratio = Current assets/ Current liabilities This ratio is very important as it shows the company’s potential to pay for its short term liabilities. Any credi tor to the company will have to look at this ratio so as to depict the credit worthiness of the company in the short-term which will depict its ability to pay the long-term as well.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second ratio is the Return on capital employed (ROCE) which is a profitability ratio. This ratio as the name suggests shows the correlation between the operating profits that has been generated during a certain trading period from the average long-term capital that has been invested in the company. In other words it shows what the company has managed to reap from the resources that it has invested for a certain period of time. It is calculated as follows: ROCE= Net profit prior taxation and interest x 100 Share capital + long-term loans+ Reserves This ratio is of great significance to the investors as they are able to predict how their investments ar e bound to fair in the targeted company. Another common profitability ratio is the Gross profit margin which depicts the relationship of the sales of the company and the generated gross profit. It is therefore calculated as: Gross profit x 100 Sales revenue This ratio shows how profitable the company is and is therefore used by money lending institutions such as banks as well as investors before making the decision of entering into financial transactions with the company (Jan et al, 2008, p. 266). Last but not least is an example of efficiency ratios that show how the company makes use of the resources it has. This is the Average inventories turnover period calculated as: Average inventories held x 365Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Ratio Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cost of sales This ratio is used to determine the average number of days that the company is holding inventories. Again the inv estors and banking institutions use this ratio as a gauge of the company’s progress. From the aforementioned examples of ratios, it can be deduced that ratio analysis is an important process of the business enterprise as it provides information to external users such as banks, creditors and investors in addition to assisting in the management of the enterprise or company (McManus, 2009, p.1). Reference List Houston, F. And Brigham, E. (2009). Fundamentals of Financial Management. [Cincinnati, Ohio]: South-Western College Pub. Jan, W. Haka, S. Bettner, M. And Carcello, J. (2008). Financial Managerial Accounting. McGraw-Hill Irwin. McManus, G. (2009). Financial ratio analysis. Retrieved from https://www.bizmove.com/finance/m3b3.htm

Central Banks and Monetary Policy Research Paper

Central Banks and Monetary Policy - Research Paper Example There are four main objectives of the central bank such as stable inflation, high and stable real growth, stable interest rates and stable exchange rates (Almoayed Group, 2007).   It will also address how the central bank monitors the money supply and the numerous tools of the monetary control will also be discussed in this study. The most significant part of this research paper is to study the association between price stability as well as other goals of the central bank. The behavior of the monetary aggregates, inflation as well as output in the context of UAE will also be discussed in a detailed way in this study. Last but not the least, the research study will endeavor to review the performance of the UAE central bank and discussion regarding interest rate as well as exchange rate stability in the UAE will be explained in brief. 1. Discuss briefly the five objectives of central banks. In their pursuit of maintaining price stability, central banks are said to manage the money su pply process. The central bank in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was set up in the year 1980 and is considered to be the chief regulatory as well as the supervisory body with regard to the overall banking industry. The central banks of the UAE are believed to exert increasingly stringent vigilance on the financial institutions. Apart from this, the main objectives of the central banks operating in the UAE region are principally concentrated on issuing currencies, suggesting the government regarding the monetary as well as the financial issues, acting as the last resort lender for the other member banks and likewise, it is held to be responsible for managing the supply of money in the market and ascertain the way an economy operates. The initial objective of the central banks have been identified as being the responsible authority is to set up and preserve financial stability within the economy or rather stable real growth. It is since central banks are known to possess quite inclusi ve information regarding the risks in terms of financial stability with the assistance of its research as well as surveillance activities. The second objective of the central banks has been stated as the exercise of its essential roles for promoting and monitoring the reliability of the various financial institutions, particularly the banks since they are known to enjoy regulatory as well as supervisory control over those institutions. The third main objective of the central banks is the application of their respective tools to make certain of the prevalence of price stability such as the functions related to the open market and the interest rates. The tools are regarded as the effectual instruments for the purpose of manipulating financial stability through the intermediary procedures along with manipulating the aspect of demand with regard to the economy (Almoayed Group, 2007). The fourth objective of the central banks is to discharge its role as the ‘lender of the last reso rt’.

Beef Hormone Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Beef Hormone Crisis - Essay Example The future implications of what could turn out to be a drastic exploitation of science are uncertain, but should they prove to be negative, someone will have to be held responsible. Experimentation with hormones has been taking place for approximately fifty years. In the early 1980s the potential use for hormones as growth stimulants in cattle were realised: "A hormone-treated animal gains weight more rapidly, producing a more flavorful and tender product. By reaching market weight sooner, there is a reduction in the cost of beef production. Thus, consumers are provided with a higher quality of meat at lower prices" (A Primer On Beef Hormones). Research intensified in attempts to better understand and ultimately put to use potentially revolutionary procedures in hormone administration. Six hormones became the focus of attention for scientists and agriculturalists alike, three of which occur naturally within humans and animals (estradiol, progesterone and testosterone), and three synthetic hormones (trenbolone acetate, zeranol and melengestrol acetate). As early as 1981, Europe's stance concerning hormones became clear as the European Commission (EC) Council "adopts Directive 81/602 to prohibit the use of hormones, except for therapeutic purposes, but later postpones action on five hormones pending EC study" (Chronology of the EU's hormone ban). The United States adopted a more lenient policy towards the use of hormones as growth stimulants, encouraging the use of both naturally occurring and synthetic hormones as growth stimulants. Problems immediately arose as both parties either side of the Atlantic began to realise the financial implications of their differing views. Finding themselves on the raw end of the deal, in September 1986 the United States "raises EC hormone ban in the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade ("Standards Code") of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)", and then early in 1987 "invokes dispute settlement under the Tokyo Round Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade" (Chronology of the EU's hormone ban). Hence a virtual trade war begins. The main results are a European Commission ban on all U.S. meat, and, in retaliation, one hundred percent tariffs on many millions of dollars worth of EC imports. Following the climax of trade disputes between Europe and the U.S., a relatively quiet period ensued leading up to 1993. The greatest significance of this year was perhaps the development and introduction of a new synthetic hormone, "Posilac", otherwise known as bovine somatotropin. According to its manufacturer, "supplementing dairy cows with bovine somatotropin safely enhances milk production and serves as an important tool to help dairy producers improve the efficiency of their operations" (Posilac; Bovine Somatotropin). Quite clearly the financial potential associated with such a product is considerable, and, just a few years after its introduction into the U.S. market, a new series of appeals arose as the United States bombarded the World Trade Organization (WTO) with complaints that Europe was not complying with International trade law. Canada also joined in the protestations summarised in the Iowa Agricultural Review: In 1996 the United States

Informative Speech Outline Essay Example for Free

Informative Speech Outline Essay Purpose: To inform my audience members about diabetes, the complications of diabetes, and what they can do to prevent diabetes from happening or how they can manage and maintain a healthy lifestyle if they are currently living with diabetes. Introduction I. Show of hands, how many of you know someone who has diabetes? Need/Connection II. According to the National Diabetes Report, 2014 from the centers for disease control and prevention, nearly 29.1 million people in the United States have Diabetes Speaker Credibility III. Almost all of my family are now currently living with diabetes, and one of them is my mom, she has type 2 Diabetes and having to see her inject herself with insulin every day and have to watch her not being able to eat all the food she wants is tough since she always has to watch how much sugar she intakes. Topic and Main Points IV. Now, although some of us may not all have diabetes, diabetes is the fastest growing disease in the country, and is also one of the top ten leading causes of death. Today I will speak to you about the types of diabetes, complications of diabetes, and steps you can do to prevent yourself from this disease or ways to keep your diabetes under control. Transition Statement V. I will begin by informing you all on what exactly diabetes is, and the types of VI. Body A. What is diabetes? According to the Joslin Diabetes Center; diabetes is defined as a disease in which the body is unable to properly use and store glucose. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body. And a person with diabetes cannot absorb glucose properly, and glucose stays circulating in the blood damaging tissues over time. B. Types of diabetes I. Type 1 Diabetes: Formally known as juvenile diabetes, which is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Type 1 diabetes is where the body does not produce any insulin, and people who have type 1 diabetes must take daily injections or pumps to be able to survive on a day to day basis. II. Type 2 diabetes: Formally known as adult-onset or non- insulin dependent diabetes, type 2 is much more common than type 1. Type 2 diabetes is where not enough insulin is produced, and people with type 2 diabetes will need to take either medication or insulin to help regulate the insulin in their body. III. Gestational Diabetes: According to the Baby Center Medical Advisory Board when the body needs additional insulin, the pancreas dutifully secrets more of it, but if your pancreas can’t keep up with the increased insulin demand during pregnancy, your blood levels rise, eventually resulting to gestational diabetes. Most woman with gestational diabetes don’t remain diabetic after the baby is born, but the women are at higher risk for getting it again during a future pregnancy and for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Transition Statement Keeping diabetes under control can reduce the risk of having future complications C. Complication of Diabetes I. There are many risks and complications with diabetes that are serious, and can sometimes even result to death. Just to give a couple examples: heart disease, nerve damage, amputations, and vision problems. II. According to the World Health Organization diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. 50% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease. Transition Statement There are many complications associated with diabetes that can be very scary, and life threating. But there are many steps you can do to keep your diabetes under control or prevent diabetes from entering your lifestyle. D. What we can do to maintain/prevent normal blood sugar levels. I. For those who are currently living with diabetes you can take some measures to keep your condition in line by exercising regularly, eating healthy, and taking medications instructed by your doctors. II. For those who don’t have diabetes we can take preventative measures to stop diabetes from happening  to us. Although it may tough to stay away from all those sweets, once in a while we can make some healthy eating choices and increase our physical activity. Transition Statement By better understanding of what diabetes is, and becoming knowledgeable on the consequences of diabetes we can prevent it or still maintain a healthy lifestyle while living with diabetes. Conclusion I. Diabetes is an incurable disease that affects a large amount of people today, but if we are well informed we can make smart decisions. II. There is no real cure for diabetes, but those who are diagnosed with it can still live a long healthy life if they take care of themselves. To better understand diabetes we need to recognize the types of diabetes, and realize the steps we can take to prevent and maintain this disease. Works Cited Gestational Diabetes: Causes, Diagnosis Treatment. BabyCenter. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014. What Is Gestational Diabetes? American Diabetes Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014. Translation, Division Of Diabetes. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014(n.d.): n. pag. Web. National Diabetes InformationClearinghouse (NDIC). Diabetes Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014. Large squirrel 556

A Christmas Memory: Truman Capote :: essays research papers

A Christmas Memory: Truman Capote This story, "A Christmas Memory," is a nonfiction reminence of one fond memory of Capotes'. A distant relative of Truman Capote's, Sook Faulk, took care of him through his childhood. Sook dubbed Truman with the nickname "Buddy," after a former best friend. During one November morning, when Buddy was seven, Sook decided it was fruitcake weather. She called him to get their buggy and her hat to go pick pecans. Queenie, their terrier who has survived illness and snake bites, follows them on their errand. After picking pecans for three hours, Buddy and Sook began hulling their buggyload. The discussion during dinnertime was the need of materials to make the cakes, and the lack of funding to do so. Sook and Buddy begin reminiscing about how they managed to gather their meager sums. People in the house donate a dime or two. Buddy and Sook make some money by selling jams and jellies, rounding up flowers for funerals and weddings, rummage sales, contests, and even a Fun and Freak museum. The secret fund is hidden in an old beaded purse under a loose board in the floor. They never remove the purse from under Sook's bed unless making a deposit or a ten-cent withdrawal on Saturdays. She allots Buddy ten cents to go to the picture show each Saturday. Sook has never visited one before, but asks Buddy to go instead to come back and tell she the stories of the picture show. After dinner, Sook and Buddy retire to a room in a faraway part of the house where her sleep's at night, to count their treasure. When finished counting, Buddy declares the total was thirteen dollars. Sook, being a very superstitious person, throws a penny out of the window. The next morning Sook and Buddy go to town to purchase the necessary ingredients for the cakes. Whiskey, the most expensive and hardest to obtain ingredient was needed to complete the day's shopping. Since whiskey sale was forbidden by law, they had to travel to Mr. Haha Jones for it. Mr. Haha owned a "sinful" bar near the river. When Sook receives a bottle of whiskey in exchange for a fruitcake, she decides to add an extra cup of raisins in his cake. The two go home and begin to make their cakes. These cakes where intended for friends or acquaintances, not necessarily neighbor friends. They sent most to people they have met once, or maybe not at all. The thank-you note cards sent in return made them feel connected to the world.

Education in Culture Essay

Education in today’s world is far more different from the education it was before. Nowadays, as technologies and industries progress onwards, the need for education becomes more vital. Education is about learning and also teaching skills. As a part of the society, education has played major roles not only on passing culture from one generation to another but also in helping establish a more stable society. Education also denotes on the process of drawing out certain skills or making someone realize the use of some skills that he has on its own. And as the world develops, the entirety of education also has changed. Now, it encompasses different disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, biology, history, sciences, sociology and many others. Education is believed to have started once a person is born and ends until he dies. Each and every person defines education differently from others. Education can be attained even without the presence of proper schooling. It is the experience and the applications of the things learned that counts on what one has attained. Different cultures in the world have a different point of view on the idea of education. Their definition and ideas about education is highly embarked on the way they spend their everyday lives, how they eat their food, how they please their gods or how they rear their young. Basically, perspectives about education and how learning is done in a particular place is based on their culture. The United States is one of the countries that belong to the Western culture. Its culture started even before it became a country. Now, as the world progresses and along with the different factors of culture combination and transfer, the United States is one of the diverse and multi cultural nations. Due to the strong British ties that have happened in the past, the United States’ culture is greatly influenced by the British culture. Other influences also include European countries who once take part in the history of the US such as Poland, Italy, Germany, Ireland and the Natives of America. Due to rampant migration and trade during the past, the western part of Africa has also played important roles in the structure of culture of the United States today. As one of the leading countries in the world today, the culture of the United States requires education as one of the needs of its each and every citizen. In its education system, children ranging from the ages five to six are necessitated to attend school. At the age of five most children starts schooling in kindergarten, then, they attend elementary from ages six to eleven, middle school from eleven to fourteen then high school from fourteen to eighteen. There are two forms of education in the States: public and private. Public education in the United States is funded by the federal government and by each of the individual states. These funds came mainly from the taxes in the city of the states and not as education fund given by the federal government. On the other hand, private education in the United States receives little or no government support at all. And since most of the private schools are governed by religious organizations, these private institutions are disqualified from direct government support. Students who have graduated from the secondary level may still pursue education in universities. There are different Universities in the States. Some are funded both by the local and federal government and some are governed by private institutions. Due to the status of the United States in the world today, it is one of the countries in the world with the most advanced and most extensive educational systems and procedures. Education as a primary requirement in the States is offered in all levels: from the children to the youth and even to the adults. Aside from learning as its main propose, education in the States seeks to promote wisdom, democracy, nationalism, equality and development not only of the state and the country but also the self. References: Greenberg, I. (2007). Vocational education, Work Culture and the Children of Immigrants in 1930’s Bridgeprort. Journal of Social History. Volume 41. No. 1. Reed. T. V. (2007). Popular Culture: Resources for Critical Analysis, Retrieved, November 23, 2005, from http://www. wsu. edu/~amerstu/pop/. USA Study Guide. (2007). American Culture: US Culture Info. Retrieved, November 23, 2007, from http://www. usastudyguide. com/americanculture. htm.