Free Essays - Changes in Achilles of The Iliad :: Iliad essays

Changes in Achilles of The Iliad There are times in my own life in which I realize that a goal that I have been pursuing rigorously is really not worth my time and effort, or that the way I have been pursuing that particular goal is not the most effective way. After I come to these realizations I find it helpful, if not necessary, to step back and analyze the situation. This is what happened to Achilles throughout the first sixteen books of the epic. At first Achilles had a set of clearly defined goals, he was to fight side by side with the Achaeans, sack Troy, and, by doing these things, gain honor and wealth. As the war progressed a series of events took place that forced Achilles to step out of the fight. While he was inactive and had time to contemplate, he came to the realization that he had been fighting for nine years for the sake of a man whose woman has been stolen; now that his woman had been stolen no one fights for his sake. He also realizes that there are other, less risky ways of obtaining wealth and honor, including sending Patroklus out in his armor. Another thing he ponders on, but doesn't seem to take seriously, is whether or not honor is really worth the struggle. All these changes of mind take place throughout book nine in which the embassy composed of Aias, Odysseus, and Phoenix visits Achilles. By the time the embassy arrived at his hut Achilles had been toying with the idea of returning to his homeland and abandoning the struggle for wealth and honor. Because of the embassy Achilles' mind was changed, probably due to a sense of camaraderie, and he decides to stay but fight only if the struggle reaches his own camp. At this height of the epic we see that Achilles is still very much concerned with wealth and honor, the question now is "how to accomplish his goal". Achilles is aware of a few things and this puts him at an advantage over the rest. He knows that he will eventually be honored and that Agamemnon's debt to him will eventually be paid; he knows this because Athena had promised it to him if he didn't kill Agamemnon.

Is the Use of Tasers a Necessity

Name Essay Course Teacher Date Tasers: A Necessity In a society where crime exists such as robbers, burglars, shoplifters, or worse, black market sellers of drugs, electronic devices or designer products. Law enforcement is needed to maintain order which requires a method that is effective to apprehend suspects while keeping injuries to a minimum instead of using guns to solve every situation. Luckily the adoption of Tasers – by industry standards as electronic controlled device (ECD) or Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) – allows the law enforcement to apprehend a suspect without having to involve themselves in a close-range combative battle.Charlie Mesloh, a university professor at Florida Gulf Coast, Mark Henych, a researcher at Advanced Research Solutions, and Ross Wolf, a criminal justice professor at the University of Central Florida claim that the Tasers is a less-lethal weapon that inflicts a current of electricity throughout the body of the individual which temporar ily causes the loss of muscle control (25). TASER International, the inventors of ECD claims this as Neuromuscular Incapacitation (NMI) (1).TASER International asserts, â€Å"[t]he human nervous system communicates with simple electrical impulses . . . TASER technology uses similar electrical impulses to cause stimulation of the sensory and motor nerves† (1). Though there are many controversies on the use of Tasers in BC, it is still a much needed device to keep the community safe. Tasers has been shunned upon by many people in British Columbia because of the story’s circulating around and all the news reports on this tiny device.The most famous and memorable story would be the incident that happened at the Vancouver International Airport to Robert Dziekanski. CBC news reports that the video is in three segments, the first segment shows Dziekanski before police arrives being very agitated and yelling in Polish and seems to be very nervous, the second segment shows Dzie kanski picking up a computer then throwing it to the ground, then â€Å"[t]hree airport personnel arrive and block the exit from the secure area, but Dziekanski retreats inside and does not threaten them† (#).The third and final segment shows four RCMP officers arriving on scene and â€Å"can be heard mentioning the word Tasers† (#). Someone can also be heard responding â€Å"Yes† to the question (#). Police have said repeatedly that there were only three RCMP officers involved in the incident, but the video shows four men in RCMP uniforms. People in the lounge can be heard clearly telling the police Dziekanski speaks no English, only Russian. His mother later said he only spoke Polish. Police enter the secure area with no problems and an be seen with Dziekanski standing calmly talking with officers. They appear to direct him to stand against a wall, which he does. As he is standing there, one of the officers shoots him with a Taser . . . officers have also said police did not use pepper spray because of the large number of people at the airport at the time. But the video shows Dziekanski standing alone with the four officers in an otherwise empty area, which is separated from the public area by a thick glass wall. (CBC #)After the Taser shots, the sound from Dziekanski stopped and became silent, an officer can be heard saying, â€Å"code red† after checking on his condition and â€Å"minutes later, ambulance attendants arrived but their efforts to revive Dziekanski were unsuccessful and he was declared dead† (#). There are also other incidents that has happened in the past few years and there are definitely cases of misuse with this device which brings about the misconception people get from Tasers, but even though some tragic events happen, it is still one of the safest alternative to bring a healthy environment to everyone.There are people who strongly believe Tasers should be banned, however, banning Tasers will only resu lt in more injuries during arrests. David Hambling, a respected free lance writer on technology and military states, â€Å"[a] recent study in the American Journal of Public Health looked at 24, 000 cases in which police officers had used force, including Tasers, pepper spray, batons and manual methods . . . the study found that Taser use reduced the overall risk of injury by 65 percent.In other words, restricting Taser use could triple the number of injuries caused in this sort of incident† (1). Misconceptions on the use of Taser led to a comment by a person who goes by the name â€Å"the disturber† on CBC news website, he says, â€Å"what's wrong with people when they [start] using devices that can pump out over 1500 volts for self defence that's just not cool. [D]oesn't any one remember the guy who got [tasered] 5 times at the air port because he wasn't â€Å"co-operating† with the security; wasn't he killed because of the shock? I] think that they should be banned from use for a less [lethal] item like pepper spray† (#). Pepper sprays can not be used in closed areas because it will effect innocent bystanders, also, as Jim Wilkinson, the Vice President of the site Your Greatest Protection declares, â€Å"[pepper spray] works longer than Tasers or stun guns, it will cause coughing and choking, and it burns really bad . . . [s]tun guns work by disabling the nervous and the muscular system but only for a few moments. Pepper spray works by causing pain, blindness, and choking for up to 30 minutes† (1).Tasers only neutralize the suspect for several seconds which allows police to seize the suspect in that time and wouldn't cause the suspect to suffocate for â€Å"30 minutes. † Additionally, there are also many cases where the misuse of pepper spray also caused deaths. Just one mistake with the Taser will bring many people to disagree with the product, but if Taser were really banned, the law enforcement will be forced to use close-range strategies or guns just like in the video Back From The Brink, where Suisun City had to use 52% of the police budget to try and handle the problems in the crime-ridden crescent (video).Any sort of weapons can result in injuries if not used properly, Tasers included, but if used effectively, it will be the best weapon out there to safely neutralize a suspect and bringing a safe community. The incidents revolving around Tasers has angered the general public and as a result, the RCMP invoked strict new rules and training effective May of 2010. The Tasers operational manual provided by the RCMP states, â€Å"[m]embers certified to use the CEW must re-certify annually . . . m]embers whose CEW certification has lapsed must not use the CEW operationally until the re-certification training has been completed† (1). Every part of the Taser is also approved by the RCMP before being released in public. RCMP members must verbally let the subject know the CEW is about to be deployed (3). Additionally, whenever a member takes a CEW it must be thoroughly checked for damages, if no damages are found, a spark test will be conducted, if damages were found, it will be removed with haste and sent to qualified personnel’s (4).Any time the CEW is used it will be recorded down and supervisors will be notified (4). Many strict rules were set in motion to ensure the safety of the user and the subject as well as strict training methods to make the misuse of this product nonexistent. The operational manual also educates that â€Å"[m]ultiple deployment or continuous cycling of the CEW may be hazardous to a subject. Unless situational factors dictate otherwise, members must not cycle the CEW for more than 5 seconds on a subject and will avoid multiple deployments† (3).These new rules and regulations allow for members to thoroughly know the Tasers and assures the correct methods of use is performed. Tasers has been a very controversial device throughout Canada, especially when RCMP officers handle them. The major issue surrounding Tasers is that the citizens feel Tasers is a form of torture while others feel it is a necessary device to keep the community safe.Tasers could be lethal if used the wrong way, but even then Tasers will still be much safer compared to a gun as well as more incapacitating than the pepper spray, also would not cause suffocation to the suspect at hand. If Tasers were taken away, it will only result in more injuries given to the suspect or the officer. When an officer uses the Taser, they must show that their actions were reasonable and just, but good training, as always, is the key to effective use of Taser and to keep our neighborhood friendly. (1446 words)

Guidelines on grading a paper

When you read someones paper, you read the thoughts and ideas that this person had during writing. And it is very important to grade the writing properly. The common mistake that readers make is their grading the paper according to the personality that turned that paper in. And when doing that, the fairness of the grade is under a big question. We behave ourselves according to the society and of course we fall under the societal influence while being in class. But the paper one hands in, is the reflection of ones true personality and character. So this is why we must grade what we have read and felt about it, and not what we have experienced in the past. We should pay attention to the style of the written paper to be sure that the paper is written by a particular, writer and not plagiarized. The other thing you should make notice of is the grammar part. Because the grammar reflects how keen was the writer to write this paper and how much time did he spend on it. Try to pay as much attention to the words, phrases and sentences as possible. Also examine the word order and expressions used in the paper. The main purpose of the paper should be clear and exact in order not to get in a confusion of any type. Everything is supposed to be logically grounded, simple and understandable for the reader. The beginning of the paper must have at least 4 general statements. But then it is supposed to get more concrete. When you read the paper you should draw the outline in your mind, to make sure that this paper was planned and then written, otherwise the outline will be either too simple or too difficult to picture. Speaking in general, the gist of the paper should have sense and a particular opinion must be written, properly supported and presented. While writing a paper people use to have one common mistake they unconsciously retell the story mentioned in the source or in the requirements. If this happens correct the writer who made such a mistake and make a proper mark for him. I hope that with the help of these directions, you will be able to grade papers properly and fair.