Iliad as a war literature Essay Example for Free

Iliad as a war literature Essay Homer’s epic poem, â€Å"The Iliad,† is probably one of the best stories that tell us about war. In this poem, we see humans fighting with humans, gods fighting with humans, and even gods fighting with gods. Even though it was made some time around the 7th century BC, we can associate with our modern warfare. In Homer’s â€Å"Iliad,† we see how the gods manipulated the people in fighting their own wars, just like how political leaders of different countries manipulate their army to fight another country. We can also see that modern wars, just like the Trojan war in â€Å"the Iliad,† can be caused by small matters which were just blown up to huge proportions by those who manipulate these wars. The book can be seen as Homer’s perspective of war. It is somewhat an anti-war literature because it showed how wars usually end. Both sides lost great lives, including some of their respected heroes. In the Greeks’ side, they lost Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus (23. 1-7). On the Trojans’ side, they lost their prince, Hector (24. 21-23). Achilles eventually died some time after, when he was shot by Paris, Hector’s brother in the heel of his foot which was his weakness. It showed that no one really reigns victorious, even after winning the war. This is because both sides suffer great losses, not only in properties, but also the lives of those who are involved in the war, both armies and civilians. Some attitudes towards war that Homer depicted in Iliad were the possible motives of engaging in wars. The most evident motive in the Trojan War was to retrieve the wife of Menelaus, the brother of the Greek King Agamemnon. They decided to launch an all out war, deploying a fleet of more than a thousand ships in order to retrieve Helen (of Troy) who was abducted by a Trojan prince, Paris (3. 29-31). Another attitude towards war shown in this epic poem was the intervention by higher powers. With the intervention of the Olympian gods and goddesses, the war to regain Helen of Troy was blown up to greater proportions. It became a personal war for these gods and goddesses, especially when they chose to take sides between the Trojans and the Greeks. The gods and goddesses who took the side of the Greeks include Hera, Athena, Poseidon, and Hermes (4. 37-49). On the other hand, the gods who took the side of the Trojans include Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, and Leto (1. 10-15). They backed up the soldiers whenever they fight and are usually the ones who decide on how the fight would end. Only Zeus remained in the middle, wherein he forbade the intervention of these gods in the war. Homer was able to depict a war which is similar to our modern day warfare. His depiction of gods was like the political leaders of various nations who would encourage their people to engage in wars against other nations. These are the leaders who are not physically in battle, but are the ones who actually dictate how the wars would go. Also, the wars that they often start would usually mean great losses for both warring sides. The reasons for these wars were very much the same like that of Homer’s â€Å"the Iliad. † These are usually small things which could be solved by negotiations, but the pride of the leaders is usually the ones that fuel the war. Leaders like Menelaus and Agamemnon are the same as the political leaders that we have today, who prefers violent negotiations rather than peaceful means to solve conflicts. This usually leaves the country with great problems, like loses of lives and property and a bad economy. Works Cited: Homer. The Iliad. 2006. Spark Notes. October 15 2007. http://pd. sparknotes. com/lit/iliad/section2. html. Sienkewicz, Tom. The Gods in the Iliad. 2002. October 15 2007. http://department. monm. edu/classics/Courses/CLAS210/CourseDocuments/Epic/gods_in_the_iliad. htm.

Manhattan Project :: essays research papers

Manhattan Project II. The Race for the Bomb The theoretical possibility that an explosion could be brought about by atomic fission became known in 1939, the year that war broke out in Europe. Scientists discovered then that uranium atoms can fission when struck by neutrons to split other atoms in a chain reaction, releasing large amounts of energy. Two Hungarian physicists who had recently emigrated to the United States, Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner, alerted the US government to the possibility of an atomic bomb. Along with Albert Einstein, they wrote a letter to President Roosevelt warning that Nazi Germany might also be working towards a uranium bomb; many of the important discoveries in atomic physics had been made at German universities. Roosevelt responded by setting up an advisory committee on uranium in October 1939. Under the aegis of this committee, American scientists at several centres examined the problem. The uranium that fissions is an isotope, a variation of an element that is chemically indistinguishable but different in its atomic structure. It is uranium-235, which constitutes only 0.7 per cent of uranium. Scientists questioned whether significant quantities could ever be separated. Much of the initial work was done at Columbia University in New York, and the military direction was from an office in Manhattan. This was located in the Manhattan Engineering District, and the whole programme became the Manhattan Project, under the command of Major General Leslie Groves. Meanwhile, in Britain, two immigrant physicists, the Austrian Otto Frisch and the German Rudolf Peierls, decided that an atomic explosion using uranium-235 was a practical possibility. They alerted the British authorities in early 1940 with a memorandum showing how such a bomb could be produced. After more studies, the British government set up a project to build an atomic bomb. The United States and Britain exchanged information on weapons developments. British progress towards an atomic bomb convinced American scientists in the summer of 1941 that it could be done, and spurred on their work. In November 1941 a committee of scientists recommended that the United States embark on an all-out research programme, and President Roosevelt gave the go-ahead the following January.

Chattanooga Ice Cream Case Essay

ABSTRACT In this paper I will do an analysis on what I think cause the downfall of Chattanooga Ice Cream. I will also give and observation of the Chattanooga Ice Cream Division and how lack of respect and communication caused them to lose one of their biggest clients. I assay Charlie Moore’s leadership style. I will see how things could have been handled differently, if they would have applied teamwork and good leadership to the equation. INTRODUCTION Chattanooga Ice Cream, Inc. was a division of Chattanooga Food Corporation, which was founded in 1936. The Ice Cream Division of Chattanooga Foods was one of the largest regional ice cream manufacturers in the United States, (Sloane, The Chattanooga Ice Cream Division, HBR, p.2). Following the loss of Stay & Shop one of their largest customer, Charlie Moore the division’s president and general manager, and his executive management had several  meetings to discuss the future of the division and their product. Moore was responsible for the outcome of the company’s future, and dealing with the conflicting attitudes and opinions of the members of his team. It was his responsibility to make sure everyone was on the same page to get the company back up and running properly. CHARLIE MOORE AS A LEADER If I had to give detail as to what type of leader Charlie Moore was on the DiSC he would be a S & C leader. He preferred an orderly environment. He believed in collaborating to get things accomplished. The Downfall of Chattanooga Ice Cream 4 He strived to make progress in the company. He wanted to help the company meet its goals with getting its products back on the market and being competitive. He also wanted to have the team make steady and careful progress toward meeting the goals for the company. Moore values group’s efforts. He is not an aggressive leader and tends to avoid competitive environments and conflict. â€Å"Disdaining such behavior, Moore feigned a deaf ear to it, hoping his subordinates would get the signal and cease complaining about each other.†,(Sloane,2003, p.2). These are all good qualities to have in a leader, but I think it also led to his failure as a leader. When Moore took over the division he came with a history of leading openly, preferring to operate in an environment of group decision making. He assumed that everyone would be able to come together in agreement as to what direction the company should go in. His judgment proved detrimental to the team. As the management team was incapable of coming to a compromise, because they had no respect for their teammates. Their action physically and verbally showed a lack of trust for one another. Everyone was pointing the finger, and no one person saw fault in their part of the company’s downfall. Moore never developed an environment of trust among his team members. Moore did not prepare the team for the change that was to come. He needed to â€Å"prepare organizations for change and help them cope as they struggle through it† Week 2, Lecture -What Great Leaders Do. Instead of showing â€Å"positive energy† (Welch, 2005, p.84) he called the team together to â€Å"mourn† (Sloane, 2003, p.1). So he had already set a negative atmosphere for the meeting. Moore showed a lack of Candor. As a leader he should have all the questions, and those questions should create a debate among the team members, â€Å"Rule 6: Leaders probe with curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure your questions unleash debate and raise issues that get action† (Welch,2005,p.74). Charlie should have come into those meetings with a communication strategy. That way the team would have understanding, and everyone would support a common vision. THE TEAM DYNAMIC AND DYSFUNCTION All companies have ups and downs. All companies win accounts and loose accounts. What all companies should not have are teams that bicker, point the finger at each other and don’t communicate. This type of behavior is symptomatic of an unhealthy environment, and will be detrimental to a company. That is the type of behavior that was displayed by the Chattanooga Ice Cream Division. When the Shop & Stay account was lost each of the management team members seemed to think that the blame for the loss of the account laid in every other department other than their own. They thought that, that department needed to be corrected. Rather than taking a good close look at their department, and seeing what could be improved there. There were a lot of negative energy and emotions involved in the meetings, which halted the chance for real teamwork. There were too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. Everyone was acting as managers except for the real  manager. Moore was a leader who made decisions publically. Unlike the former manager of the division who made decisions privately without the consensus of the rest of the team. THE DOWNFALL OF CHATTANOOGA ICE CREAM 7 The old leadership did not foster an environment where team work and group decisions were accommodated. They in turn did not know how to communicate with one another, and the team dynamic became one of conflict. There were no clear operating rules for the team on how decisions were going to be made. Week 4, Lecture – Building High Performance Teams suggests that â€Å"when managers agree on ground rules in advance, the teams are much more likely to run efficiently,† which Moore did not do. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHATTANOOGA ICE CREAM DIVISION My first recommendation would be for Charlie Moore to see that is not just one of the team members. He is the Manager, their Supervisor. No goals can be obtained and no decisions can be made if he as there leader does not step up and take ownership of his role. You want bigger solutions ask questions; healthy debate, decisions, and actions will get everyone there† (Welch, 2005, p. 76). A team will only be as good as its leader. If I were the leader I would have the teams do research on the competitors. Then I would have them target other clients to take on our product to make up for the clients we lost. I would also create an environment to get the team motivated to accomplish a new goal, and have them focus their efforts on one vision. I would also strategically pair the team member’s individual weaknesses and strengths together, not only to complement each other, but to build credibility and trust among the team. As a leader I would start to build a foundation for candor, voice, and dignity going forward. By setting these rules in place the team will learn how to communicate effectively. By making  these changes this will ensure each individual has a voice, while not obstructing the process of productivity.

Ceo Robert A. Disney Corporation - 1561 Words

In his letter to shareholders that proceeds the 2014 financial report, Disney’s CEO Robert A. Iger divulges Disney’s brand strategy, he states, â€Å"we’ve reached this level of sustained success by focusing on three strategic priorities that unlock the limitless potential of this remarkable company: unparalleled creativity, innovative technology, and global expansion† (Fiscal Year 2014 3). Though Iger does not specifically refer to Disney Theatrical Productions (DTP) in his letter, the company’s strategic priorities most certainly extend to DTP. The Walt Disney Corporation (WDC) is divided into four segments: Media Networks (ABC, ESPN, Disney Channel), Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, and Consumer Products. DTP is a part of the Studio Entertainment Division. According the Fiscal Year 2014 Annual Financial Report, Disney Theatrical Group develops, produces and licenses live entertainment events. The Company has produced and licensed Broadway productions around the world†¦Disney Theatrical Group licenses the Company’s intellectual property to Feld Entertainment, the producer of Disney On Ice and Disney Live!. (14) This statement makes up merely one small paragraph in a 214 page document, which parallels the reality that DTP is but one tiny drop in the Walt Disney Corporation bucket. It is also difficult to track what percentage of the WDC DTP represents for several reasons. 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