Xena vs. The Odyssey :: Compare Comparing Contrast

Xena vs. The Odyssey In this episode of "Xena: The Warrior princess," the story of Odysseus return to Ithaca after the Trojan War is told. The episode starts when Xena and Gabriel are walking down a beach and they see a man fighting alone against a small army, so they decide to help him out. After the battle was over, they found out that the man fighting was Odysseus. He told Xena his story and how he had been traveling for ten years to get home because Poseidon was angry with him. Xena and Gabriel decide to help him get to Ithaca, so they sail off. First they got cut up in a terrible storm that Poseidon sent them. Most Odysseus' men(of the ones he had left after ten years) died here, but still the ship survived. After this they had to sail close to the island of the sirens. Xena knowing the effect of their singing in men tied up every man left in the boat including Odysseus. The closed they got to the island the stronger the singing. The effect of the voices of the sirens was so strong that Odysse us almost broke away to go to them, but then Xena started singing really loud to contra rest the effect. Finally Xena wan they sail safely through the island. Finally they got to Ithaca, where Odysseus found out that Penelope's hand would be given in marriage to the winner of the contest taking place the next day. Odysseus, helped by Xena, also found out that Penelope had been faithful to him all those years by rejecting every suitor she had. Yet after ten years, they had finally pressure her to decide, so she decided that whomever wan the contest would be her husband. The contest consisted of the trial of the bow, every suitor had to first string it and then shut an arrow through 12 arrows. None even got close, until Odysseus tried it, he was really close to making it. However, he could not quite do it alone, so Xena without anyone seen her, nor even Odysseus himself, help him out. Ones Odysseus had wan the contest he revealed his identity and helped by Xena, they killed all of the suitors. During the trip, Xena and Odysseus got quite close, in fact they felt in love, so when Odysseus attended to leave his kingdom to Penelope to go with Xena, she convinced him that it was not wise and that his place was with his wife, who had been waiting for him for ten years, ruling Ithaca.

Discuss the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Movie Ma Vie En Rose

Human societies all over the world believe in gender identities and expect an individual to behave in accordance to the rules of gender, laid by the society. When a person defies these rules, the society reacts negatively and compels the person to alter his/her behavior. The conflicts that arise between the society and the person struggling with his/her sexual identity are depicted in the movie Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink), directed by Alain Berliner. The protagonist of the movie is a seven year old boy, Ludovic who believes that he is a girl and behaves like one.The family members of Ludovic and the neighbors are the secondary characters in the movie. The theme of the movie states that defying one’s sexual identity and behaving like the opposite sex is not an anomalous behavior, the society should realize this and accept the person as he/she is. The movie presents a touching portrayal of the dilemmas faced by Ludovic and his family members, owing to the manner in which Lu dovic exhibits his sexual identify. But the film lacks in one aspect, for it fails to provide any insights regarding Ludovic’s future in a society bound by its rules.Strengths The movie focuses on the innocent world of a boy who believes that he is destined to be a woman when he grows up. Ludovic dresses and acts like a girl, and this behavior of Ludovic astounds his family members and the neighbors. Ludovic is advised by his family members to give up his unusual thoughts and act like a boy but Ludovic refuses to listen to them. Being a seven year old boy, he fails to understand the consequences of his actions. The dilemma of the parents who discover that their child is different from other children is very well captured in the movie.The fear that they will be alienated from their society if they accepted Ludovic’s sexual identity disturbs Ludovic’s parents to such an extent that they ignore the feelings their own son. Ludovic’s parents are torn between t he love for their son and the expectations of the neighbors. â€Å"They love their son, but don't know how to (or whether they should) break him of his feminine obsession. The resulting stress tears at the fabric of their marriage, and their disapproval threatens to destroy Ludovic. † (Berardinelli).Instead of accepting their child as he is, Ludovic’s parents attempt to alter his thoughts regarding his sexual identity. Ludovic’s persistence in his views about his sexual identity, lead to anxiety and stress for his parents. The conservative thinking of adults is incapable of understanding Ludovic’s state of mind. The pain and anguish faced by Ludovic’s parents is very well depicted in the movie along with the confusion that prevails in Ludovic’s mind regarding the harsh reactions of the society and family towards the expression of his sexual identity.Weakness The movie brings forth the responses of a family and society when they realize that Ludovic is crossing the lines of sexual identity, which are drawn by the society. But it fails to comment on the future of an individual whose sexual identity differs from the notion of sexual identity held by the society. Ludovic’s dilemmas are resolved for the time being when his parents accept his feminine sexual identity. As Ludovic and his parents have moved in a new locality, Ludovic is also saved from the contempt of his old neighbors.The new neighbors understand Ludovic’s feelings and provide him with the freedom to act according to his desires. But what will happen when he grows up and enters the adult world? Will he be accepted by the society at that time? Or will he face criticism for being different from the other members of the society? Can a child like Ludovic overcome the obstacles placed by society in his life and emerge as a winner? The movie fails to answer these questions. The problems that Ludovic will face as an adult are not included in the movie, which leaves the future of Ludovic ambiguous. ConclusionThe movie Ma Vie en Rose (My Life in Pink) comments on the expectations of the society regarding the expression of sexual identity by an individual. It brings forth the reaction of the society when a person flouts those expectations and follows his/her own sexual identity. Ludovic’s struggle against his parents and society, points towards the rigidity of the people who aim to deprive a human being from the freedom of expression of sexual identity of his/her preference. The circumstances in which Ludovic is placed by his parents and society present the influence of conservative thinking on the society.

Community Base Correction Essay

Community based correction is a more effective means of criminal punishment in comparison to incarceration. Community based corrections is a program which supervises people who have been convicted or are facing conviction. It is a non-incarcerate system of correction. These offenders have been convicted or are facing conviction. Some offenders have entered these programs before being in jail and some serve a part of their sentence in jail before entering the program. Community corrections have gained acceptance across the United States as a response to the growing costs of traditional correctional settings. Their increased use is based on the fact that such programs are generally cheaper, because they entail shorter periods of control, but also thought to be more effective than residential prisons and jails in reducing future criminal behavior. In Ohio, community-based alternatives to prison were established in HB 1000, also known as the Community Corrections Act (CCA). Under this bi ll, non-residential prison alternatives were established that would allow lower level felons to be diverted from expensive state penal institutions into cheaper community based programs. Over time, community alternatives expanded across the state and became an integral part of the correctional scene. By FiscalYear 2000, CCA programs expanded to 85 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Typically, these facilities and programs house non-violent, first and second time offenders who might be sentenced to prison if not for the community alternative. It is reported that in 2000, over 8,698 offenders were diverted from the state prison system and 18,344 offenders from local jails (Ohio DRC website). According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Ohio has a smaller proportion of its correctional population in prison and jail than other states in the mid-West, and the nation (Glaze, 2002), and this may be  reflective of the state use of community corrections systems. Currently, community based alternatives to prison are either state run programs, or county run programs that are subsidized by the state. There are also nonprofit organizations throughout the state that administer prog rams such as halfway houses, which are also subsidized by the state. Nationwide, however, there is an expanding notion of community corrections that goes beyond the concept of sending offenders to locked facilities: More and more states and communities are experimenting with less and less restrictive forms of supervision and treatment, and are seeing treatment programs as part of a vital system that rehabilitates offenders. These programs help to maintain public safety through a balanced use of secure detention, corrections and community based alternatives because they help to reduce facility crowding. Community Corrections programs are programs designed to divert offenders from incarceration by providing alternatives to prison and help reduce jail overcrowding. They are there to support the offenders to intermingle with the community while being monitored in their activities. Community based corrections consists of probation, intermediate sanction, parole and re-entry programs. Parole and probation have always been a way of community based correction s. In recent years with the technological advancement and considering the psychology of convicted people, correction programs have widened to accommodate work releases, day fine programs, electronic monitoring, home confinement, community service, half way houses, boot camp prisons, restitution, check-in programs, mediation, curfews, restorative justice centers, drug checks, alcohol checks and other methods where there is a certain level of trust between the offenders and the people involved. Jail affects a person psychologically and he or she can lose his self-esteem which eventually leads to disinterest in normal life. Many jail inmates who are there for petty reasons turn to become hard core criminals with the company they get in jails. There are thousands of people in jails and more than 5 times are on probation or parole at any given point of time. ‘Jails were never made for people, it were made for crimes,’ says a famous crime based fiction writer. It is not that jail authorities want to solve the problem of overcrowding of jails through community based correction. However  it is one of the minor reasons which lead to the start of these methods of correction. Society has valid and legitimate reasons to stay away from offenders but this may turn them towards crime again. Almost one quarter of people who have spent time in jails return mostly with the same kind of offence or some other type of anti-social activities. Braithwaite put forth the philosophy of restorative justice which advocates a change of behavior of convicts through holistic methods. It works on the principle of reintegration. It is like helping offenders to enter the society in a way where they can be accepted by the society. This system has its impact on the society in general as well, as it helps the society understand and accept the fact that offenders are also a part of the society. There are some offenders who enter the community based correction programs without entering jails and some serve a part of their sentence in jail before entering the program. We all commit mistakes and get an opportunity to learn and same goes for offenders. The process of learning starts when the person involved comes to know his mistake and accepts it. Eventually, the process may be difficult but it has helped many people, which gives a positive signal for other offenders. In conclusion, community based correction programs are more effective than institutional corrections because they are less expensive to operate. They have many ways of funding so the burden is not only on the government. Overcrowding is lessened by offering prison education programs that make possible offenders aware of the lifestyle in prison and by o ffering many different programs that accept numerous offenders. The offender learns accountability and the programs are individualized so the offender can gain the maximum rehabilitation. There are some that may oppose the community based correction programs because they may be scared for the safety of the community. The programs may be hard to place in the community due to locations of schools and businesses and some people may be worried about the property value. Even with these objections the community based correction programs have proven to be more beneficial than a correctional institution. â€Æ' References (2010, 2008, 2007). In J. J. Macionis, Sociology —Thirteenth ed. Upper Saddle River,: Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall,. Crime Reduction: Prision Overcrowding. (2003-04). Retrieved from American Community Corrections Institute: http://www.accilifeskills.com/prison/overcrowding.php Marion, P. N. (2002, November). Community Corrections in Ohio: Cost Savings and Program Effectiveness. Retrieved from Justice Policy: http://www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents.ohio_community.pdf John Byrne & Donald Yanich, 1982. â€Å"Incarceration Vs. Community-Based Corrections: More Than Just Politics ,† Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 2(2), pages 216-223, November. Watson, R. (2012). Benifits of Community Corrections. Retrieved from Hamilton County, Indiana: http://www.hamiltoncounty.in.gov/topic/?topicid=165&structureid=9 (2011, 01). Community Based Corrections. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 01, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Community-Based-Corrections-555395.html

Economic Liberalism Essay

Economic liberalism was the prevailing economic philosophy in much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the U. S. economy developed within its framework. Economic liberalism promoted freedom of action for die indivi ¬dual and the firm through the doctrines of free trade, self-interest, private prop ¬erty and competition. According to this philosophy, individuals were free to seek their own occupa ¬tions, to enter any business, and to act as they saw fit to improve their economic welfare. Economic society was held together by mutual exchanges founded on the division of labor and prompted by self-interest. Self-interest was thus the motivat ¬ing force of the economy. For example, to increase personal economic welfare, an individual might decide to produce goods and sell them for a profit. Bur. in so doing, that individual automatically benefited the community as well—by pur ¬chasing raw materials, providing employment, and supplying goods or services. Workers seeking to increase their wages could do so by increasing productivity. This, too, benefited the employer and the community in general. According to Adam Smith (often called the father of economics), the individual, in seeking personal gain, was led by an invisible hand to promote the welfare of the whole community. Under economic liberalism, individuals were free to engage in the trade, occupation, or business they desired. Workers were free to move from one job to another and to enter into or exit from any industry. Workers were free to work or not to work, and businesses were free to produce or nor to produce. Competition was the regulator of the economy under economic liberalism. Businesses competed with one another for consumer trade by developing new and better products and by selling existing products at lower prices. Free entry into the market ensured ample competition, and prices were determined by the free forces of supply and demand. Equilibrium prices were determined by the actions of individual buyers and sellers, with each buyer and seller acting in his or her own self-interest. Whenever there was excesses on either the supply or the demand side, markets behaved as though there were an invisible hand of competition guiding them back toward equilibrium, where supply equaled demand. This unseen force seemed to select prices that cleared the market by eliminating surpluses and shortages. Equilibrium prices received by sellers and paid by consumers were equal to production costs. Thus, by each individual max ¬imizing his or her own self-interest, everyone benefited. Competitive forces deter ¬mined not only the prices of goods and services but also wage rates. In theory, economic liberalism was a sound philosophy, and the early U. S. economy prospered under it. But it was not without its weaknesses. The most pronounced weaknesses were its dependence on the beneficial effects of self- interest and its undue reliance on competition to regulate the economy and pro ¬mote the general welfare. Unfortunately, self-interest in many cases translated into greed and abuse of economic liberty. At the same time, competition proved to be an inadequate guarantor of the free market.

Feral Children Essay

Genie was a modern wild-child, discovered on 1970. She had been isolated from society for something about ten years. When she was discovered, she had suffered from severe social deprivation. Among the problems that were caused by lifestyle she was imposed to, were significant physical problems. According to Ward (2007): â€Å"She had a strange bunny-like walk— she held her hands up in front of her like paws and moved in a halting way. She could not chew solid food and could hardly swallow. She spat constantly. She sniffed. She was not toilet-trained and could not focus her eyes beyond 12 feet. She weighed 59 pounds and was 54 inches tall. † Some of these problems are undoubtedly caused by girl’s extremely limited social interactions. Her habit to spit and sniff, her strange style of walking are caused by lack of social interaction. Normally an average child is surrounded by the adults who give to it plenty of examples as to how to walk, how to do things and how to behave. Toilet-training also is an acquired skill that is learned only in constant interaction with parents or fosterers, i. e. in constant social interaction. Genie’s inability to focus her eyes at objects that were at relatively long distance from her is a result of life in an environment that had almost no visual stimuli, and hence this physical problem is also result of social deprivation. Genie’s inability to chew solid food and swallow, along with her height and weight are rather the result of her food ration than the aftermath of long-term social isolation. Genie’s amazing initial ability to learn human behaviors from those around her is not surprising, because her ability to perceive and learn from the local environment was not satisfied by the poor environment she lived in for many years. And when her environment was significantly enriched with irritants and stimuli, the mind of Genie had awakened from artificial slumber by the potent stream of new information from her sensory organs. Her ability to copy and took part into the physical actions like dressing are explained well by the initial imprinting that was even more efficient than usually due to the contrast between the emotionally and sensory poor environment she used to live in and new enriched with information and interactions environment she went into. As Genie was found and rescued she immediately became the subject of diversified scientific studies that took significant part of her everyday life. This raises the question – was such intensive study of Genie ethical towards her? Considering the conditions that Genie lived in before she was found, considering the fact that scientists tried to spent with her more time than it was necessary to carry out current tests in order to build a sense of family to the girl that never knew what a family is before, it is possible to say that interactions with scientists were beneficial to Genie. She immediately started to advance in a lot of things she never had a single chance to learn before. She had found people that took care of her and emulated the family to her. And whereas the studies she was subjected to had accompanied her interactions with people and were intended to find out if Genie had retained her ability to learn and socialize and how did her long isolation from society affected her, it is possible to say that such an social symbiosis between socially deprived child and scientists is perfectly acceptable. Scientists quickly found out that, despite the long time spent in environment harsh and deprived both of information and emotions, Genie had retained ability and desire for learning and manifested this ability and eager for learning very quickly after being transferred into more favorable environment. This is quite natural. The young organism with inviolate ability to study and learn her local neighborhood, being transferred from the conditions that disfavored any investigative activity to the conditions that encourage observation and learning, started to overtake the lack of information about the local environment. This is perfectly normal because it is natural to any mammal to explore his local environment to find out where the safe places are and where the places to feed and places to be avoided located. This is an instinctive set of actions that guarantees the organism better adaptation to this local environment and, therefore, better chances to survive. To explore one’s local neighborhood is instinctive, and human child is not immune to these instincts. But in humans the ability to learn and the need to explore his neighborhood is expressed much more than in any other mammal, even in other Primates, thus creating more eminent appetite for learning. But the single need for learning for a human is not enough. Need for learning and appropriate conditions to satisfy this need are important of course, but these factors are enough to learn only physical and emotional aspects of human life. As to more abstract components, for example, ability to speak certain language correctly, putting the words into the logical order in accordance with rules of the language, there are more conditions needed, some of them quite specific. Coming back to Genie example: â€Å"One of the last tests †¦ measured what parts of her brain were active as she conducted different kinds of tasks. †¦ There was almost no left brain activity. Her tests looked similar to tests of children who had to have their left brains removed. † (Ward, 2007) This shows how important is socialization in development of activities that are build on logic and that are physiologically bound to activity of the left hemisphere of the brain. On the example of Genie it becomes clear that early socialization is the key to normal development of intellectual skills based on left brain activity, and the deficit of social interactions in these early years can lead to irreversible underdevelopment of skills vitally important to contemporary human. References: 1. Ward, Andrew. (2007). Genie, a modern-day Wild Child. Retrieved September 15, 2008 from http://www. feralchildren. com/en/showchild. php? ch=genie

Indian Folk and Tribal Dances Essay

India is a land of diverse cultures and traditions. Each region of the country has a unique culture, which is also prominently visible in its various art forms. Almost all the regions of the country have their specific folk music and dance, which proves to be a wonderful way of expression of their community and its traditions. Though these folk dances are not as complex as the classical dance forms, they are very beautiful, because of the essence of rawness in them. Be it the Bihu of Assam, Dol-Cholom of Manipur, Hikal of Himachal Pradesh or Chhau of Bihar, each of the Indian folk dance forms comes across as a reflection of the deep sited beliefs and traditions of a particular culture. The folk dances of any community are performed on almost every special occasion and festival, to express elation and joy. These dances are also considered to be auspicious by many of the tribal communities in the country. Many folk dances are dedicated to the presiding deity of the specific community. The most interesting part of a folk dance is the attire required for its performance. Every folk dance has its own specific costume and jewelry, which differs from dance to dance. They are, in general, very bright and colorful, with traditional jewelries that give a folk touch to the performance. These dances are not only the exclusive art of a particular community, but also an asset of India’s cultural heritage. In our related section, we have discussed the different folk dances of India.

Leadership models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership models - Essay Example In this regard, the paper will endeavor to identify and analyze different characteristics of change models, and will attempt to discuss its advantages and drawbacks as well. In any organization, commitment plays a significant and decisive role in the success of any change process. However, studies indicated that organizations and business experts were unable to give importance to the notion of commitment that is an imperative component in the process. For such purpose, the identified change model has attempted to provide an illustration of the process of creation of commitment. Specifically, this model has provided three phases that are responsible for the development of commitment, and may have a significant impact on any change process in the organization (Burke, 2007). This model suggests that support is very crucial for any change, and thus, the first phase of ‘Inform’ focuses on the formation of basis for expansion of essential support. In specific, inform phase put efforts by providing awareness to individuals that is necessary for alteration in their behavior, a step that allows positive change in the organization. After some awareness, this model brings individuals and organizations into ‘Educate’ phase that involves recognition of the change and its effect that will create an environment encouraging individual decisions in the organization. Thus, advocates of this model argue that it is very imperative for employers to present a positive and efficient outcome of the change that will facilitate all the stakeholders to take their decision in favor of the change during this phase. After stages of information and education, the model has suggested the last phase of ‘commit’ that begins the implementation of change in the organization. In other words, the first two stages are the preparatory phases and the third one can be termed as executive phase (Burke, 2007). In brief, one of the advantages of this system is