How Are Human Beings Similar to and Different from the Gods Essay Example for Free

How Are Human Beings Similar to and Different from the Gods Essay In Greek mythology, specifically in Homer’s eminent epics; (the Iliad and the Odyssey), the gods are depicted according to anthropological means. They basically resemble human beings in form as well as in behavior. One must understand first that the Greeks had very much appreciated the human form. Contrary to the Egyptians, for example, who had portrayed their gods with human features incorporating some animalistic bodily features as well. Many other civilizations’ gods also had a certain idiosyncratic factor; they were above human beings, on an entirely superior level, to a point where there was a palpable barrier between gods and humans. A Pharaoh, for instance, would be like a god but there would still be a division between him and the people. The Greeks also had no bible, or holy sacrament. All they had were myths with no precise moral or lesson, other than the mere fact that â€Å"life’s a bitch†. Throughout Homer’s epics, the gods display human emotions such as anger and love. They were petty, having numerous sexual affairs with humans. And like humans, they even shared a diverse personality range. Each god acted very differently from the other. Zeus, for example, was a womanizer and could even be viewed as a knave. Whereas Neptune loved humankind; always helping humans in need. Or Poseidon, as seen in the Odyssey, liked to hold a grudge on Odysseus for blinding his son. The gods were all over the place with emotions and personalities. They would even love you one day and then stab you in the back the next. However, there is one very crucial difference between the two: gods, unlike the humans, were immortal, and being immortal was one of the attributes which rendered them as gods aside from having certain powers. It was also nearly impossible to become a god, and if one had become a god there was always a catch. Achilles, for instance, had become immortal except for one place on his body which was vulnerable – his heel (since it didn’t touch the â€Å"holy water† his goddess mother, Thetis, immersed him in). And of all the places that one could attack him; Paris, according to myth, had ended up killing him with an arrow aimed at his heel, thus infecting him and ultimately ending his â€Å"immortal† life. In conclusion, there is very little that can differentiate the Greek gods with humans, because essentially the gods were humans, sharing many similarities, since the Greeks were true humanists.

The Force of Hydropulsion Essay -- Hydrogen Force Physics Essays Paper

The Force of Hydropulsion Executive Summary For our project, our client, gave us the task of designing and developing a teaching aid that uses hydrogen to power a mechanical device. This task led us to the construction of a hybrid fuel cell/battery-powered model hovercraft. The hovercraft, which we call â€Å"Hovercraftica†, uses a battery to power the lift fan and two hydrogen fuel cells to power the fan that provides thrust. Hovercraftica is a self-contained demonstration unit with every aspect of its propulsion onboard. The hydrogen for the fuel cells is produced through the electrolysis of water. This is achieved by collecting light energy via a solar panel and sending it through the fuel cells. In order to work as efficiently as possible, our team split into three different groups: writing/ presentation, construction design, and electrical. While the construction and electrical teams worked on building and testing the hovercraft, the writing/presentation group created a 220-page teaching manual with student activities, wrote the final proposal, and designed the final presentation. During construction, our team ran into several problems with the hovercraft. First, we had problems trying to find the necessary parts. Second, the parts that we needed (especially the fuel cells) were more expensive than our budget allowed. Third, we had problems with integrating the hovercraft and fuel cells, and lastly, with finding the motor speed that worked. Eventually we solved these issues, only to be set back again when we fried one of the fuel cells. After we had our parts, we tested each of them separately to make sure that they worked as needed. We also tested the hovercraft as a whole upo... ...ww.olshove.com/HoverHome/hoverfaq.html Quick Facts About Wind Energy. US Department of Energy: Wind Energy Program. Retrieved October 19, 2003, from http://www.eere.energy.gov/wind/web.html Solarbotics.net. Retrieved November 17, 2003, from http://www.solarbotics.net Solar Cars - Solar Energy and Photovoltics. What You Need To Know About. Retrieved October 14, 2003, from http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsolarcar.htm Solar Energy†¦. SunWater. Retrieved September 18, 2003, from http://wave.prohosting.com/sunwater/solar.html Urban Air: Health Effects of Particulates, Sulfur Dioxide, and Ozone. World Resource Institute. Retrieved September 27, 2003, from http://www.wri.org Why A Hovercraft? Universal Hovercraft. Retrieved November 2, 2003, from http://www.hovercraft.com/menu_why_a_hovercraft.html The Force of Hydropulsion Essay -- Hydrogen Force Physics Essays Paper The Force of Hydropulsion Executive Summary For our project, our client, gave us the task of designing and developing a teaching aid that uses hydrogen to power a mechanical device. This task led us to the construction of a hybrid fuel cell/battery-powered model hovercraft. The hovercraft, which we call â€Å"Hovercraftica†, uses a battery to power the lift fan and two hydrogen fuel cells to power the fan that provides thrust. Hovercraftica is a self-contained demonstration unit with every aspect of its propulsion onboard. The hydrogen for the fuel cells is produced through the electrolysis of water. This is achieved by collecting light energy via a solar panel and sending it through the fuel cells. In order to work as efficiently as possible, our team split into three different groups: writing/ presentation, construction design, and electrical. While the construction and electrical teams worked on building and testing the hovercraft, the writing/presentation group created a 220-page teaching manual with student activities, wrote the final proposal, and designed the final presentation. During construction, our team ran into several problems with the hovercraft. First, we had problems trying to find the necessary parts. Second, the parts that we needed (especially the fuel cells) were more expensive than our budget allowed. Third, we had problems with integrating the hovercraft and fuel cells, and lastly, with finding the motor speed that worked. Eventually we solved these issues, only to be set back again when we fried one of the fuel cells. After we had our parts, we tested each of them separately to make sure that they worked as needed. We also tested the hovercraft as a whole upo... ...ww.olshove.com/HoverHome/hoverfaq.html Quick Facts About Wind Energy. US Department of Energy: Wind Energy Program. Retrieved October 19, 2003, from http://www.eere.energy.gov/wind/web.html Solarbotics.net. Retrieved November 17, 2003, from http://www.solarbotics.net Solar Cars - Solar Energy and Photovoltics. What You Need To Know About. Retrieved October 14, 2003, from http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsolarcar.htm Solar Energy†¦. SunWater. Retrieved September 18, 2003, from http://wave.prohosting.com/sunwater/solar.html Urban Air: Health Effects of Particulates, Sulfur Dioxide, and Ozone. World Resource Institute. Retrieved September 27, 2003, from http://www.wri.org Why A Hovercraft? Universal Hovercraft. Retrieved November 2, 2003, from http://www.hovercraft.com/menu_why_a_hovercraft.html

Characterization in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Austen usually presents her characters dramatically through their conversation, actions and letters. Darcy and Wickham, Lydia and Caroline are much revealed through their actions, while Collins and Lydia are revealed through their letters. A direct comment is sometimes added. The mean understanding of Mrs. Bennet and the sarcastic humour of Mr. Bennet have already been revealed in their dialogues before the direct comment of the novelist. Similarly before she tells us about Mr. Collins, we have already become aware from his letter that he is not a sensible man. Though Jane Austen does not conceive her characters in pairs yet her characters are revealed through comparison and contrast with others. Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennet balance each other in their vulgarity and match-making drills. Wickham serves a contrast to Darcy while Bingley is a foil to him. Elizabeth’s is compared and contrasted with Jane and Caroline Bingley. Austen builds character through piling an infinite succession of minute details about them. In â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†, the Elizabeth-Darcy relationship is traced through minute details, details which look trivial and insignificant in the first instance but whose significance is realized only after reading the novel. Austen is a great realist in art. She studies her characters kindly but objectively. She is constant in providing details about their outlook, attitude, manner and accomplishments. Jane Austen’s minor figures are flat. They do not grow and are fully developed when we first meet them. As the action progresses our first impressions of them get confirmed. Mrs. Bennet seems to be stupefied and vulgar right from the first scene. Her appearance at the Netherfield Park or her reaction to Lydia’s elopement confirms her stupidity and vulgarity. This is true of almost all of her minor figures. But her major characters are ever changing, ever growing. Usually self-deceived in initial stages, they are capable of understanding, growth and maturity. They are complex, dynamic and intricate. Her heroines, blinded by ego, vanity or over-confidence, commit gross errors and suffer bitter reverses. But by virtue of their insight they are gradually disillusioned and, thus, grow.  Minor or major all characters created by Jane Austen may be described as round inasmuch as they are all three-dimensional. Thus touched by the magic wand of Jane Austen’s art, even the fool and bore of real life became amusing figures. The pompous stupidity of Mrs. Collins and the absurdity and vulgarity of Mrs. Bennet should in real life, prove as irritating to us as to Elizabeth and Darcy. But even these characters become such a rich source of mirth and entertainment.

The Kafka s The Metamorphosis - 959 Words

â€Å"When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous insect† (Kafka 269). The opening line of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis has been known as the best opening line in modern literature (X. J. Kennedy 269), and still critics stumble over that single opening line. Kafka was always hesitant to publish his work and published very few short works in his actual life time one of which was The Metamorphosis. Kafka died at a young age from tuberculosis; he asked for his other works to be destroyed soon after his death and not published. His wishes were not granted. He was his biggest critic. He did chose to publish The Metamorphosis when he was alive, though it took longer than he expected. The short novel has three equal sections that cover Gregor’s transformation into some kind of insect, transition into bug life, and his death. Due to the diction and plot Kafka used in the Metamorphosis there are a n umber of literary critics who interpret his meaning differently than the next because of translation and difference in opinion. Gorge Henson, and writer for world literature today described Kafka’s opening line similarly to X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia from their literature book. He said it â€Å"is one of twentieth-century literature s most iconic first lines† (Henson). Henson also went on to say that Kafka’s word choice of that opening line alone left a lot of room for reinterpretation through translation. There are manyShow MoreRelatedThe Metamorphosis Franz Kafka s Metamorphosis1663 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka tells the story of a young man named Gregor who observes the radical changes in his life after transforming into an insect. Gregor’s life was centered on his job as a traveling salesperson and his family. One morning Gregor woke up transformed into an insect. Afraid of the transformation Gregor stays in his room and ig nores calls from his family. When Gregor realized that his new body did not allow him to have a normal life, he tried to adapt. After his metamorphosisRead MoreMetamorphosis By Franz Kafka s Metamorphosis1496 Words   |  6 PagesIn Franz Kafka s Metamorphosis, Grete changes from a child into an adult while also trying to do the opposite with her own family. Gregor’s metamorphosis leaves her family without anybody money to pay for their needs. Consequently, Grete replaces Gregor and begins to cook and clean for her family and go to work. These jobs allow Grete to become more experienced and to mature. Similarly, Grete shows displays these changes by dressing more provocatively and becoming more interested in romance. HoweverRead MoreThe Kafka s The Metamorphosis997 Words   |  4 Pagespushed them far from investing quality energy with their friends and family. In Kafka s The Metamorphosis it is seen that Gregor s transformation in to a bug renders him helpless to communica te and part take his job as the earner of the family. Gregor’s family is not seen to have empathized with him after his sudden life changing transformation. Despite some good family members who support the individual when one s family turns against them it leaves the individual feeling dead on the inside andRead MoreAnalysis Of Kafka s The Metamorphosis 1166 Words   |  5 PagesKafka is ranked among the most important writers of the twentieth century for works that express modern humanity s loss of personal and collective order. His writing describes the situations of psychological, social, political, and physical instability and confusion that defy logical explanation and which typify Kafka s conception of humanity s absurd relationship with the universe (Kafka, 2013). Although Kafka s work has elicited various critical interpretations, he himself characterized hisRead MoreThe Kafka s The Metamorphosis1062 Words   |  5 Pagesto find himself transformed into a human-sized insect in the short story The Metamorphosis by Kafka. He’s disoriented and thinks that he’s dreaming, but, through his family’s shocked reactions, finds out that he actually is an insect. The Metamorphosis is laced with dark humor, but Wallace, in his analysis of Kafka’s works, Laughing with Kafka, says that â€Å"it is next to impossible to get them [students] to see that Kafka is funny† (23). Kafka’s piece usually fascinates readers, but it is difficultRead MoreThe Existentialist Philosophy Of Kafka s The Metamorphosis1364 Words   |  6 PagesThesis Assignment The existentialist philosophy of Kafka is presented in the metamorphosis is a picture of isolation and despair, something which prevailed in Kafka’s life. The diary of Kafka which was later found also showed Kafka’s intense imagination about his existence and extinction. It became apparent that at the heart of metamorphosis lies deep rooted feelings of Kafka himself. (Kafka.org ). The Metamorphosis a novel written by Franz Kafka is about a man, Gregor Samsa, who wakes up to findRead MoreReview Of Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis 958 Words   |  4 PagesFranz Kafka There are several aspects about the writing of Franz Kafka that make it enticing to the reader and tantalizing enough to keep the reader intrigued. The narrative that I find most intriguing by Kafka is The Metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis is a tale wherein Kafka essentially gives his perception of the story of his life through the use of storytelling devices, which without the use of them would have made it a less interesting tale. Franz Kafka was born on July 3rd, 1883. Kafka was aRead MoreAnalysis Of Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis 3979 Words   |  16 PagesAustin Day Professor Imali Abala English 357 18 February 2015 The Theme of Alienation in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis written by Franz Kafka in 1915 is said to be one of the greatest literary works of all time and is seen as one of Kafka’s best and most popular works of literature. A relatively short novel; the story explains how the protagonist, Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a vermin which completely estranges him from the world even moreRead MoreFranz Kafka s The Metamorphosis882 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Metamorphosis† is a surreal story by Franz Kafka surrounding the transformation and betrayal of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day, reborn into a large insect. Along with the bizarre and nightmarish appearance of his new hard back, brown segmented belly, and many legs, Gregor only desire is to live a normal life, unfortunately, this is impossible because he struggles to even get out of bed. Gregor transformation into an insect is a vivid metaphor for the alienation of humans from around theRead MoreAnalysis Of Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis 1087 Words   |  5 Pagesdictator that he ever go to. Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, is about a young man that wakes up one day and is a vermin and has to maneuver around his home and come to terms with his six itchy legs. It probably sounds like a load of fictitious ramblings that somehow became a classical novel. Wrong! Look a little closer and the secret message Franz Kafka wrote for his father will slowly emerge from in between the lines. In his secret message, Kafka evinces that a dictator will be a person’s end if