Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Linear Programming Essay Example

Linear Programming Essay Example Linear Programming Essay Linear Programming Essay Linear Programming After completing this chapter you should be able to: identify a product which maximises the contribution per unit of scarce resource when there is only one scarce resource, and determine the optimum solution. formulate an LP model to solve for the optimal product mix which maximises profits, or for cost minimisation problems to minimise costs. solve 2 variable problems graphically. use a spreadsheet to solve LP problems with any number of variables. interpret the sensitivity reports of spreadsheet solutions to LP problems to test objective function coefficient sensitivity, determine shadow prices and RHS ranging. rform throughput accounting and solve problems using the concept of the Theory of Constraints. Introduction In this chapter we continue with our profit planning, or product mix, decisions. We extend CVP analysis in the last chapter by introducing the notion of scarce resources. Although CVP analysis does not provide answers regarding optimum product mixes (mixes which maximise profits or minimise costs) one advantage of CVP analysis is that it focuses attention on products with high contribution margins. Managers and salespeople can often direct their efforts to increasing output and sales of high ontribution margin products and thereby maximise the contribution towards fixed costs and profits. Unfortunately, it is not always desirable to attempt to maximise the sales of high contribution margin products, at the expense of those with lower margins. Most firms have constraintsl (in the short run) on production constraints which limit the volume of output. In such cases it is preferable sometimes not to emphasise the sales of high contribution margin products. Rather, attention should be directed to the contribution margin per unit of scarce resources required to produce the products. Thus, sometimes products with low contribution margins also have low resource requirements, and can be highly profitable. We shall now focus on this type of analysis. Multi 9 9-1 A firms two products are both produced on a single machine. Product 1 requires 2 hours of machine time per unit of product while Product 2 requires 4 hours per unit. There is a maximum of 20 000 hours of machine time available per time period. Product 1 has a contribution margin of $4 per unit, Product 2 a margin of $5 per unit. profitable, generating $5 per unit as against Product 1 s $4 per unit. But let us check this out. If all machine time were devoted to Product 2, which requires 4 hours per unit, it would be possible to produce 20 000/4 = 5000 units per period. These 5000 units would each generate $5 contribution margin, providing a total contribution (variable profit) of 5000($5) = $25 000. If, instead, we concentrated on Product 1, which requires 2 hours of machine time per unit, it would be possible to produce 20 000/2 = 0 000 units, each earning $4 contribution margin, giving a variable profit of 10 000($4) = $40 000. This is $15 000 more than it is possible to earn from Product 2. It may seem surprising that the product with the lower contribution margin is the more profitable to produce. What is important, however, is not the contribution margin per unit of product, but the contribution margin per unit of the limiting resource. As Table 9-1 demonstrates, Product 1 earns the higher contribution margin per machine hour, $2. 00 per MH versus only $1. 25 per MH for Product 2. Contribution Margin per unit Machine Hours per unit Contribution Margin per Machine Hour Product 1 $4 2 $4/2=$2. oo Product 2 $5 4 $5/4=$1. 25 Table 9-1 : Contribution margin per unit of limiting resource Thus, with one limiting resource, we should produce only one product, the one with the highest contribution margin per unit of that limiting resource. In example 9-1 we should maximise the production of Product 1 which has the higher contribution margin per machine hour. It would not pay to produce a mix of the two, that is, some of each product. The reason is that for every unit of Product 2 which is produced a ontribution of $5 would be earned but an opportunity cost of $8 is incurred. That is, in the time that it takes to produce one unit of Product 2 (4 hours of machine time) two units of Product 1 could be made earning a contribution margin of 2x$4 = $8, leaving the firm $3 worse off. Two Limiting Resources production, because it may not be possible to obtain the same profitability rankings on different scarce resources. Consider example 9-2. Example 9 9-1, both products have to proceed through a labour-intensive finishing process. Both products require hour of finishing labour, but there is a maximum of 8000 hours of skilled finishing labour available per time period. Having learned our lesson about calculating contribution margin per unit of scarce resource, we now proceed to calculate the contribution margin per hour of finishing labour for each product, as shown in Table 9-2. Finishing Labour Hours per Finishing Hour $411-$4. 00 $511-$5. 0 Table 9-2: Contribution margin per unit of limiting resource Product 1 generates $4 per finishing hour, while Product 2 generates $5 per finishing hour. Thus Product 2 is more profitable in terms of contribution per hour of finishing abour. We are now faced with a problem of conflicting profitability rankings. There are two scarce resources, machine time and finishing time. Product 1 is more profitable in terms of machine resources consumed but Product 2 is more profitable in terms of finishing resources. Since these profitability rankings conflict, we cannot determine the optimum action using this type of analysis. We have to use a technique known as linear programming. In general, when there are multiple constraining resources there are usually conflicting profitability rankings, and linear programming must be used to determine the optimum product mix. Linear Programming achieve some objective such as profit maximisation or cost minimisation. It is assumed that there are constraining resources (such as limited production or distribution facilities) or market factors (demand etc. ) which prevent a firm from producing and selling unlimited quantities of individual products, and hence the aim is to optimise the use of these constraining resources. The word linear indicates that linearity is an assumption behind this technique. It is assumed that cost and revenue functions are linear, and that there is a linear relationship between inputs and outputs. If the output of a product is doubled, resource requirements are doubled. Care is needed when using this analysis that linearity is a reasonable assumption, and that the data are reasonably accurate. A convenient way of introducing LP is by means of the graphical method, but this restricts us to somewhat trivial examples involving two variables. For problems with more than two variables we need to use the simplex method. There are many specialised LP computer programs employing the simplex method. Also, these problems can be solved using most popular spreadsheets. Spreadsheet solutions will lso be illustrated. Maximisation Problems Example 9 9-2, where we have two products and two constraints (machine hours and finishing hours). In addition, period fixed costs are $18 000. We are required to formulate an LP model for this example and solve it to determine the product mix which will maximise the firms period net profit. A linear programming model consists of two parts, an objective function and a set of constraints. First, we formulate the objective function. Let xl represent the number of units of Product 1 to be produced, and x2 the number f units of Product 2. The objective is to maximise period net profit, which could be expressed in the form Maxtrntse P = 41+52 18 OOO (9-1) where the coefficients of xl and x2 are 4 and 5, which are the respective contribution margins of products 1 and 2, and 18 000 represents the period fixed costs. We can, however, simplify the analysis by ignoring fixed costs at this stage, and simply maximise variable profit (total contribution margin): Maximise P = 41 +52 (9-2) Fixed costs can then be subtracted from the optimum variable profit to give optimum net profit. Now we turn to the constraint set. First, there is a machine constraint: Product 1 there is a maximum of 20 000 machine hours available per period. Then, 2X1+4X2 = 20 ooo (9-3) is one of several ways of stating this information. This expression states that the machine time is to be fully used (i. e. to capacity). Graphically, Equation (9-3) would appear as shown in Figure 9-1 . Figure 9-1 The graph of Equation (9-3) is obtained by finding the two points 10 000 and 5000 on the xl and x2 axes respectively, and Joining them with a straight line. If no units of product 2 are made, then x2 = O, and we have 21 + 20000, e 21 = 20000, and hus xl = 10 000. Similarly; if no units of product 1 are made, then xl = O, and we have 2(0) + 42 = 20 000 and hence x2 = 5000. Strictly, the line should extend further at each end, but since on either of these extensions one of the variables would be negative, indicating negative production, interest is focused only in the positive quadrant. The line segment in Figure 9-1 represents combinations of xl and x2 which fully utilise the machine capacity of 20 000 hours. There are many possible solutions, some being integer values of xl and x2 while others are non-integer solutions. In eneral, LP solutions may be non-integral, and if only integers are acceptable one should use Integer Programming. Some possible solutions which represent combinations of whole units of production of xl and x2 are: (0,5000), ie xl † O, 12 (2000,4000), 2 000, (4000000), 4 000, 6 000, 2000 (8000,1000), 8 000, 1 ooo (10000,0), 10000, If the assumption of fully utilising machine capacity is relaxed, so that although 20 000 hours represents maximum machine time, less than 20 000 hours may be consumed if desirable, Equation (9-3) is converted to the inequality (which is graphed in Figure 9-2): 2X1+4X2 20 ooo Figure 9-2 Graphically, possible solutions are now extended to encompass not only points along the line segment, but also all of the area below the line, anywhere in the shaded portion of Figure 9-2. In addition to the solutions possible in (9-3), further possibilities exist in (9-4), such as Xl = 3000, = 1000, or Xl = 2000, 12 = 2000. It may be noted that in general, equations are tighter than inequalities, and restrict the number of alternative solutions. The second constraint, finishing labour, must also be considered. Given that both products require 1 hour of finishing time, and a maximum availability of 8000 hours, his constraint may be expressed in the form IXI+1X2 8000, or Simply Xl+ 12 08000 (9-5) Considered on its own, this constraint is shown in Figure 9-3. But this second constraint cannot be considered alone. It must be considered simultaneously with the first constraint. That is, the two inequalities must be considered together: Xl+X20 8000 (9-6) Both of these constraints should be drawn on one graph (superimposed on each other) to form the area of feasible solutions, illustrated as the shaded portion of Figure 9-4. Only the shaded area satisfies both constraints, being the area common to both constraints. This shaded area is a polygon containing the solution set. The set of points described by the polygon is convex. Figure 9-4 It will be noticed that once the second constraint was added the area of feasible solutions was reduced. Whenever another constraint having no new variables is added, the area of feasible solutions is less than or equal to the prior situation. We have already mentioned that we ignore negative values for xl and x2, because negative production values are not economically meaningful. Nevertheless, such a restriction is made explicit in an LP model, so that to (9-6) we should add the non- egativity constraints xl ,x200: That is, xl or x2 may be greater than zero, or equal to zero, but not less than zero (e, not negative). Although the constraints in (9-7) limit the available alternatives, they do not provide a unique answer to the decision problem of how much of each product to produce. The objective function in (9-2) which indicates the aim of maximising variable profit, is used to appraise the various possible solutions, and must be added to (9-7) to present a full statement of the problem: subject to 21+42 20 OOO so-profit Line Solution Method (machine constraint) finishing constraint) (9-8) can be added to the graph depicted in Figure 9-4. The objective function can take an infinite number of positions on the graph, each position being an so-profit line. If we examine the objective function P = 41+52 we note that it is the equation of a straight line with a negative slope of -4/5 (which can be read straight from the coefficients if xl is plotted on the horizontal axis). Formally, we can show that this is correct. The equation of a straight line is usually of the form y = mx+b where y is plotted on the vertical axis, m is the gradient and b is the y-intercept. We have placed x2 on the vertical axis, so let us convert the objective function to a form which corresponds with y = mx+b: 41+52 is converted to 52 = -4xl 12 = +P/5 So in (9-9) we verify that the slope (m) is equal to -4/5. The x2 intercept (not of great interest to us) is P/5. Thus the objective function has a slope of -4/5, and can take on many parallel positions each of which gives a different value for P. So, if one position is plotted, other positions are merely parallel shifts of this line. The further from the origin the objective function line is, the higher is the profit level. Therefore the optimum solution occurs when the objective function is as far from the origin as possible, but is Just touching the solution set. At its highest point it may touch a vertex on either axis, such as xl=8000 or x2=5000, or at the point of intersection of the two constraints, in all three cases there being a unique solution. In some cases it may lie along a constraint, indicating multiple optima. To make an initial plot of this objective function which has a slope of -4/5, we Join the points 4 on the vertical axis and 5 on the horizontal, or some multiple of them; for xample, 4000 on the vertical (x2) axis and 5000 on the horizontal (xl) axis, shown as a broken line in Figure 9-5. We then use a ruler and move it parallel to and up from the initial plot until we get a line Just touching the solution set. In this case there is a unique solution because the objective function (broken line) is Just touching a vertex at the point (6000,2000) meaning a production of 6000 units of Product 1 and 2000 units of Product 2. We either read these values directly from the graph, or else we determine them by solving simultaneously the equations of the two straight lines hich intersect at the desired point. Figure 9-5 Solving simultaneously: 8 ooo so 12=2000 and by substitution Xl = 6000 Note that the optimum solution, given two constraints, calls for production of both products. In fact, there can never be more products than the number of constraints, but there may be fewer. The solution (6000,2000) is the point of maximum profit. We calculate the variable profit by substituting 6000 for xl and 2000 for x2 into the objective function: p = 4xl +512 = $34 000. Finally, we can subtract the period fixed costs to obtain net profit: Net profit = $34 000-$18 OOO = $16 000. Relative Gradient Solution Method Instead of actually plotting the objective function to determine the optimum product mix we could simply compare the gradients of the objective function and the constraints. Reading from (9-8) we have the following gradients: Objective function -4/5 = -0. Machine constraint -2/4 = -1/2=-0. 5 Finishing constraint -1/1 † We note that the gradient of the objective function (-0. 8) lies between the gradients of the two constraints (-0. 5 and -1. 0). Therefore the optimum solution will be at the intersection of the two constraints. If the objective function were flatter than either onstraint (for example, a gradient of -0. 4) the optimum solution would be on the x2 axis at (0,5000); if it were steeper than either constraint (say -2) the optimum solution would be on the xl axis at (8000,0). Check these out by altering the angle of your ruler and pushing it away from the origin. Corner Point Solution Method A third method for determining the optimum solution is to evaluate the objective function at each corner point of the feasible set. This is the way the simplex method works, starting from the point (0,0) and working around from vertex to vertex until the largest objective function value is found. So we simply substitute the co-ordinates for each extreme vertex (corner point) in the feasible set into the objective function to find the maximum value. In Figures 9 9 9-3, plus the additional information that no ore than 3000 units of Product 2 can be sold per time period. Determine the optimum mix and period net profit. The new LP model will be simply the previous one in (9-8) augmented by the inclusion of the additional market constraint: Maximise 41+52 Subject to 21+42 0 20 000 (machine constraint) xl+ x2 0 8 000 (finishing constraint) 12 C] 3000 (market constraint) (9-10) Observation of Figure 9-6 reveals that the previous solution still holds: xl=6000, x2=2000, net profit = $16 000. Although the new constraint has reduced the size of the solution set, it has had no impact on the optimum solution. Spreadsheet

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Differences Between Spanish and English Verb Tenses

Differences Between Spanish and English Verb Tenses Spanish speakers and English speakers think of their verb tenses in much the same way: The present tense of English functions much like the present tense of Spanish, and the same can be said of other tenses. But there are some differences youll come across as you get past the beginners level of Spanish. Here are some of the most significant ones: Using the Present Tense to Discuss the Future It is possible in both languages to discuss the future while using a present tense, but you can do so more flexibly in English. In English, you can use either the simple present or the present progressive to refer to the future. For example, you could say either The bus arrives at 2 or The bus is arriving at 2. In Spanish, however, you must use the simple present: El bus llega a las dos. (The bus arrives at 2)La pelà ­cula comienza a las 8:45. (The film begins at 8:45.) The present progressive in Spanish suggests that something is happening now. El bus est llegando means something like The bus is in the process of arriving, so it doesnt make sense to add a future time element. You could also use the future tense in either language for these situations. Using the Present Tense for What Is Happening Now In both languages, the simple present is used to refer to something that happens continuously, regularly, or repeatedly. Thus Los elefantes comen raà ­ces can mean Elephants eat roots, and Hago muchos errores can mean I make many mistakes. In Spanish but not English, however, the simple present can also be used to refer to something that is happening now, a concept that in English is expressed using the present progressive. Thus Los elefantes comen raà ­ces can also mean The elephants are eating roots, and Hago muchos errores can also mean I am making many mistakes. To determine what the Spanish means, you need to look at the context. You could also use the present progressive in Spanish to indicate that something is happening now (such as Los elefantes estn comiendo raà ­ces), but that verb form isnt used nearly as much in Spanish as in English. Tense for Activities That Continue The idiom in Spanish for indicating when an activity began is hace time period, the equivalent of ago in English. If the event is completed, both languages use the preterite: Comimos hace dos horas. (We ate two hours ago.)Viajaron a Madrid. (They traveled to Madrid.) If the action is still continuing, however, Spanish typically uses the phrase hace time period que followed by a simple present-tense verb, while English usually uses a have or has verb form followed by for and the time period: Hace dos aà ±os que vivo con à ©l. (I have been living with him for two years.)Hace 36 horas que Roberta est aquà ­. (Roberta has been here for 36 hours.) Using the Future Tense for Likelihood Although the future tense in both languages is mostly used to indicate what will happen, in Spanish it can also be used to indicate that something seems probable. There is no English equivalent to this suppositional future based on verb tense: Guillermo estar en casa. (Guillermo is probably at home.) ¡Ser la verdad! (It must be true!) In a question, the suppositional future is often used to express lack of knowledge or wondering:  ¿Dà ³nde estar Catalina? (Where could Catalina be?) ¿Quà © ser eso? (What could that be?) Tense and the Beginning of Actions In Spanish, use of the preterite tense rather than the imperfect tense can indicate when the verbs action began. English may use a different word or sentence structure rather than tense to convey the same thing. For example, conocer often refers to knowing someone. To say you knew someone, youd use the imperfect in Spanish but the preterite in English: Yo conocà ­a a Gabriela. (I knew Gabriela). Using the preterite in Spanish would usually be understood as referring to when the knowing began: Conocà ­ a Gabriela. (I met Gabriela.) In this way, the choice of verb tense can affect how a Spanish verb is translated to English: Sabà ­a nadar. (I knew how to swim.)Supe nadar. (I knew I had to swim.) Regional Differences for the Present Perfect In both languages, the present perfect can refer to events that happened at some unspecified time in the past: Hemos identificado los problemas. (We have identified the problems.)Ha estudiado para ser actriz. (She has studied to be an actress.) But in some areas, especially Spain, the Spanish present perfect is used primarily to refer to events that occurred in the very recent past. Hace un minuto he llamado a mi madre. (A minute ago I called my mother.) ¡Mi perro se ha comido el collar antiparasitario! (My dog just hate his antiparasite collar!) But in other areas, the preterite or some construction other than the present perfect would be preferred: Hace un minuto llamà © a mi madre. (A minute ago I called my mother.) ¡Mi perro se acaba de comer el collar antiparasitario! (My dog just hate his antiparasite collar!)

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Federal Reserve Controls the American Economy Term Paper

The Federal Reserve Controls the American Economy - Term Paper Example It is obvious that the economy is all about managing finances, and since the Federal Reserve has oversight authority over the country’s financial administration it controls the entire economy. As a central bank, the Federal Reserve sets the rates for other commercial banks thus influencing the interest rates. Similarly, the Federal Reserve determines the circulation of money thus influencing inflation and flow of money. Through these two dynamic roles of the Federal Reserve, it is evident that the US economy lies directly in the hands of the Federal Reserve. Several developments in the US economy, like the great depression, have seen the augmentation of the evolution and transformation of the roles of the Federal Reserve. The congress developed three crucial goals regarding monetary policy in the Federal Act namely; utmost employment, constant prices, and reasonable long-term interest rates. To be relevant to the growing economic realities the roles of Federal Reserve have gro wn to include other areas like performing the nation's monetary policy, managing and regulating banking entities, maintaining the steadiness of the financial arrangement and offering financial services to reservoir organizations, the U.S. government, and abroad executive institutions. The Beige Book is a manual usually published by the Federal Reserve that contains research on various aspects of the US economy. Structure of the Federal Reserve System and Its Core Functions The federal system structure constitutes of governors selected by the president, Federal Open Market Committee, twelve local Federal Reserve Banks situated in main cities all over the nation, plentiful surreptitiously owned U.S. affiliate banks and assorted advisory committees (Willis 48). The FOMC is the board in charge of establishing monetary policy, which comprises all seven affiliates of the Board of Governors along with the twelve local bank heads. Nonetheless, simply five bank presidents take part in an ele ction at whichever time. The Federal Reserve System intention is to serve the purposes of both the broad public as well as clandestine bankers. The outcome is a structure that is painstakingly unique with central banks. Federal Reserve is further remarkable in that Department of the Treasury, an entity out of the central bank, makes the currency used. The Federal Reserve is independent, and its decision needs not to be approved by the executive or government. Hence, it base its mandate on laws ratified under which it operates with autonomy under congress oversight. However, the executive select the leaders of the Federal Reserve while the congress does the confirmation. The government has some control over the Federal Reserve because it sets the remuneration of the highest leaders of the system. All profits derived by the Federal Reserve System go to the government. Federal Reserve System and the US Economy The Federal Reserve has oversight authority on the American economy, therefo re, exercising overall control on the country’s economy (Meltzer 32-35). The functions of the Federal Reserve regard overall economic management. The Fed controls inflation in a manner that keeps recession at bay. Other significant roles of the Fed in US economy include supervision of the country’s banking system to cushion customers, maintaining steadiness of monetary markets and confine probable crises, and functioning as a

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Al Qaeda Manual Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Al Qaeda Manual - Essay Example The manual demonstrates that Al Qaeda is more than just a religious militant terrorist group set on destroying western interests and attacking western values, it also highlights the difficult task that law enforcement is faced with in the modern war on terror. There is little doubt that the Al Qaeda manual asks its followers to be specifically anti-Western and anti-US. The manual proclaims that "Colonialism and its followers, the apostate rulers, then started to openly erect crusader centers, societies, and organizations like Masonic Lodges, Lions and Rotary clubs, and foreign schools" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.8). These are the symbols that they perceive as American. The manual further radicalizes its readers by tying these activities to religion. "The bitter situation that the nation has reached is a result of its divergence from Allah's course and his righteous law for all places and times" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.9). By casting the Western symbols as anti-Islamic they are able to exploit the centuries old religious fears and furors that have historically pitted Islam against Christianity. 1 Along with being an extremist religious organization, the manual indoctrinates the reader to the military arm of Al Qaeda. The document professes its need for illegal documents and counterfeit currency. These resources are then to be used to commit violence against the US and their interests anywhere around the world. There is no doubt about their propensity for violence when the state that their goals are "Kidnaping enemy personnel, assassinating enemy personnel as well as foreign tourists, blasting and destroying the places of amusement, the embassies and attacking vital economic centers, [and] bridges leading into and out of the cities" (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.13). The manual is also quite detailed in the requirements for forged documents. It explains what type of documents are needed, how many to possess, and requires that members' documents have a picture without a beard (Al Qaeda Manual, n.d., p.23). While this non-dated document may be more difficult to implement in today 's world of heightened security, it demonstrates their organizational commitment to doing anything necessary to subvert US interests around the world. 2 There is the question as to whether or not the possession of this document could identify someone as a terrorist and subject them to arrest under the current US Law. The professing of violence against specific targets, advocating illegal activity, and the ties to an organization labeled by the State Department as a terrorist group, would place the person who posses this document at some risk of being suspected of being a terrorist. This brings into question whether I will be at risk since I have downloaded a copy to my computer and I do not have the technology to eradicate it from the disc drive. While I would like to think that justice would win out and an explanation of "used for academic purposes" would be enough, the headlines are full of the innocent people who are still in obscure prisons for terrorist activities. This could be further complicated if I was an Islamic student that was studying in America. This manual not only illustrates the depth of commitment that Al Qaeda h as to its goals, it also shows the difficulty that law enforcement has in regards to its ability to evaluate motivation, intent, and

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Comparison of Characters in the Odyssey Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Characters in the Odyssey Essay In Homer’s famous epic poem The Odyssey he displays the characters with a wide variety of morals. These morals influence decisions made by them which provide a looking glass for the reader to see their true nature. In a certain scene, the characters discuss Odysseus to what seems to be a beggar; however, the beggar is truly Odysseus in disguise. One way to clearly test a person’s character is through an idea provided by Bob Sutton: â€Å"The best judge of character is how he or she treats those with less power† (Sutton). Melanthius, Philoetius, and Ctesippus all are examples of how Sutton’s theory applies to people. Through making observations on how the selected characters act when speaking with the disguised Odysseus a solid conclusion can be made on their overall character. The goatherd Melanthius at first can appear mean and vicious; moreover, he remains loyal to Odysseus by disrespecting the person, whom he perceived to be a beggar. Melanthius is tired of seeing a beggar in the halls of Odysseus’ home and finally decides to confront him about it. â€Å"Still alive? Still hounding your betters, begging round the house? Why don’t you cart yourself away? Get out!† (20). Melanthius shows no sympathy for the seemingly impoverished beggar. He has no idea that the beggar is in fact his own master, Odysseus. He violates traditional Ancient Greek hospitality towards guests. When this scene is applied to Sutton’s theory, Melanthius’ character is revealed as harsh and vicious. The fact that Melanthius is upset with how suitors and beggars are intruding on Odysseus’ land may play into his stern confrontation with the lingering beggar. Melanthius has no way of knowing that the beggar was in fact Odysseus; therefore, he exposes his true character when he acts as though he is confronting someone of lesser power. In contrast, when Philoetius, the good cowherd, approaches Eumaeus (the disguised Odysseus) he is extremely respectful. Although he has no clue who Eumaeus is, he still treats him like he has met him before: â€Å"Cheers, old friend, old father, here’s to your luck, great days from this day on saddled now as you are with so much trouble† (20). Before approaching the beggar Philoetius said to himself â€Å"What roots does this man claim-who are his people? . . . Poor beggar† (20). Clearly Philoetius has no idea who Odysseus is and thinks he is just a homeless man on Odysseus’ land. Despite these  ideas in his head he still treats Eumaeus with the utmost respect and even wished him luck. The beggar appears to certainly be on a lower level that Philoetius according to standards of power; however, Philoetius demonstrates excellent character when speaking with him, for he disregards the social difference. Ctesippus, being a suitor, is different from the other two characters. From the beginning it is clear he thinks highly of himself. â€Å"Ctesippus was his name, he made his home in Same, a fellow so impressed with his own astounding wealth he courted the wife of Odysseus† (20). Despite the fact that Telemachus orders the suitors to respect his visitor (Eumaeus), Ctesippus does not obey. â€Å"Grabbing an oxhoof out of a basket where it lay, with a brawny hand he flung it straight at the king† (20). Ctesippus has no way of knowing the beggar he has just attacked is actually his king, the great Odysseus. Since Ctesippus thinks that Odysseus is nothing more than a poor visitor, he does not act respectfully towards him. Ctesippus is never seen being rude to his fellow suitors; however he is extremely disrespectful to someone of lower power. This reflects on his aggressive and disobeying character. Sutton’s theory can be used to give an accurate conclusion about a character. Between the three characters different actions are made which reflect that personal character’s morals. The morals in the core of each character are easily revealed by how they treated the disguised Odysseus. None of the characters have any way of identifying Eumaeus as their king, so there appears to be no problem with treating him poorly. One must always remember that things might not be as they seem. That should be kept in mind before making drastic actions or poor decisions. It is important to think clearly before treating someone of lesser power poorly, just because of their power status or initial appearance. If a truly wholesome good character is desired, truly good choices and actions should be made.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

How Does the Tell Tale Heart Fulfil Your Expectations of A Gothic Essay

How Does the Tell Tale Heart Fulfil Your Expectations of A Gothic Story? From a gothic story such as the tell tale heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, I expect numerous amounts of gory deaths, intense suspense, hideous horror, plently of fear and espically paranoia. They should also contain a variety of literacy techniques including imagery, sentence structure, punctation and repititation in my essay I will be focusing on the amounts of death, horror, fear, suspense and the amount of literacy techniques used throughout the story. Edgar Allan Poe uses a lot of suspense in the Tell Tale Heart. To increase the effect the suspense he incorprates it with literacy techniques. One example of mixing literacty techniques with suspense is when Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery to descirbe the man creeping into the old mans bedroom when the old man wakes up. ‘I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out --"Who's there?" I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour, I did not mo...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Green Lantern and Mythology Essay

Green lantern is a long running comic book series. The early years the story of a prophecy that had been handed to Abin sur, an alien, who eventually dies from fear of this prophecy and his ring is given to a human the first human from earth to possess a power ring. This prophecy comes to be in the series called blackest night. It is a tale of evil trying to take over the universe. Black Hand is main Black lantern when a person is killed there body basically becomes a zombie possessing a black power ring. The green lantern corp is the original police forces of the universe there were created by a group of immortals that could be seen as gods possibly. The rings give normal beings great powers to create anything they can image with a solid light it is powered by their will power and lack of fear. But they are not the only heroes (lanterns) in the universe that is needed to stop this growing evil force. There is group for each of the colors of the spectrum. Each is powered by a different emotion. Red is rage, orange is greed, and green is will, blue is hope, indigo is mostly compassion, and finally violet is love. To destroy a Black lantern takes more than one colored power. So they have to learn to work together and give over their own personal differences. This shows how many cultures have to work together. But in a way it shows that you can’t allow only one emotion to rule over you because it will lead possibly your doom, because in the story to face the evil lantern alone is definite doom and you will be consumed by the evil and become that which you had been fighting against. It also shows that sometimes you just can’t do something’s alone that you need to rely on others to succeed. No matter how strong or smart you are that it can take more than one person to do the job right. I see it as a way of showing children that no matter how different we are, whether we are from different worlds or different countries no matter how different we look we can work together. Kids now days are very interested in comics or the movies based on comics so these stories are becoming the new myths of our time. These people are the heroes our children look to for role models nowadays. In the movie Green Lantern it shows the determination to show that no matter what others think of you if you have the strenght and determination you can prove that you can be a hero or anything you set your mind to.