A Comparison of Beowulf and Icelandic Sagas Essay

Beowulf and Icelandic Sagas There are many similarities between the hero of the poem Beowulf and the heroes of the two Icelandic sagas, The Saga of The Volsungs and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki. The former saga is an Icelandic saga representing oral traditions dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, when Attila the Hun was fighting on the northern fringes of the Roman Empire; the latter is an Icelandic saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300’s when it was written. An unknown author wrote The Saga of The Volsungs in the thirteenth century, basing his story on far older Norse poetry. Iceland was settled by the Vikings about 870-930, who took to that land the famous lay of†¦show more content†¦Concerning Sigurd, â€Å"none was his match in conduct and size† (55); concerning Beowulf, he was â€Å"noble and huge† (198), and had â€Å"the strength of thirty in his mighty hand-grip (380-81). Sigurd â€Å"was raised there with King Hjalprek† (5); Beowulf was raised with King Hrethel. â€Å"And when all the most renowned men and kings in the ancient sagas are named, Sigurd must be counted the foremost in strength and accomplishments, in zeal and valor† (55); King Hrothgar said to Beowulf, â€Å"Your glorious name is raised on high over every nation, Beowulf my friend, your fame spreads far† (1703). Sigurd had contact with runes; Beowulf experienced runes on the sword hilt after the death of Grendel’s mother. Sigurd experienced magic from an old man living in the woods; Beowulf experienced magic in a sword which melted. Sigurd was taunted by Regin (57); Beowulf was taunted by Unferth before facing Grendel. Sigurd had made a sword for himself whose â€Å"equal has never been made† (59); Beowulf had more than one famous sword. Sigurd was so strong that he broke swords; likewise Beowulf. Sigurd went by ship to avenge his family members who had fallen in battle; Beowulf went by ship to avenge his family (Heardred and Daghrefin) who had fallen in battle. Sigurd was feared by other tribes; Beowulf was feared by other tribes. Sigurd killed King LyngviShow MoreRelated A Comparison of Women in Beowulf, Widsith and Icelandic Sagas4023 Words   |  17 PagesWomen in Beowulf , Widsith and Icelandic Sagas  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Are women in these poems active equals of the men? Or are they passive victims of the men? The roles of the women in Beowulf, Widsith, The Saga of The Volsungs, and the Saga of King Hrolf Kraki are not always stereotyped ones of passive homemaker and childbearer and peaceweaver, but sometimes ones giving freedom of choice, range of activity, and opportunity for personal growth and development.    Let us first ofRead MoreBeowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem Essay1356 Words   |  6 Pagesepic poem Beowulf, is a work of fiction and was composed sometime between the middle of the seventh and the end of the tenth century of the first millennium, in the language today called Anglo- Saxon or Old English. This story is a heroic narrative, more than three thousand lines long, concerning the deeds of the Scandinavian prince, also called Beowulf, and it stands as one of the foundation works of poetry in English. Beowulf is obviously a creation of the poet, through partial comparisons have been

Censorship Through Mccarthyism And Blacklisting In Hollywood

Censorship through McCarthyism and Blacklisting in Hollywood One s surroundings ultimately impact their thought process and decisions. In order to spread ideas, people often look to the media. However, individuals ideas can only spread as long as freedom of expression is present and the element of fear is not. When individuals do not have this freedom or they have a fear of sharing their opinions, they filter or censor their work. The idea of censorship is a prominent element of today’s society and is apparent throughout history. Examples of censorship include the banning of books, movie ratings, music lyrics and governmental attempts to control the press and the media. Governments often use censorship with the goal of controlling the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Burdened by an uneventful political career and having an eye towards reelection, McCarthy claimed that 205 communists had infiltrated the U.S. State Department and soon after claimed to have the names of 57 State Department communists, despite having little knowledge of international espionage†(â€Å"Joseph McCarthy†). This led McCarthy to be chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Government Operations in 1952 and be re elected in the senate. He took over this committee for two years with anti communist investigations and questioned suspected officials. This all began the â€Å"Red Scare† which was the fear of communism and it coming into the United States. McCarthy continued to make claims about people, but he was not able to validate any of these claims. Although he could not validate a claim, he was still popular widely throughout America due to concerns of communism in China and Eastern Europe†(â€Å"Joseph McCarthy†). The term â€Å"McCarthyism† has become a second name for all of the allegations with the unsubstantial charges involving Joseph McCarthy. Although Joseph McCarthy was unsuccessful with his attempts of finding people involved with communism, many people lost their jobs and had their lives altered forever. The peak and decline of McCarthyism was during the â€Å"McCarthy Hearings† televised in thirty six days. McCarthy first investigated possible spying of soldiers at the Army Signal Corps Engineering

My Year Of Meats, By Ruth L. Ozeki - 941 Words

How The Media Shapes Us Media has a strong impact on the way we perceive what is good or bad. In the end it is all about money and not about the welfare of people. The media will manipulate ideas around to persuade us to see only the good side but not the bad. Due to the patriarchal nature of our society, women aren’t in any leading media stories instead the appealing women are telling the stories. In the novel, My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki, features a Japanese-American documentary filmmaker Jane Takagi-little in the show â€Å"My American Wife,† sponsored by the BEEF-EX to promote meat consumption of the people in Japan. They show how the media want American to be seen as attractive white women cooking in their show. Jane tries to use the power of the media to show authentic American housewives by including different types of women. She also exploit BEEF-EX of their manipulative use of media to show the dark secret behind their meat and Using the media is how they promot e their meat as healthy meat. Nguyen The media has set the view of women being the ones to stay at home and take care of house chore while men become the bread maker of the house. She features different women from Japan and America; Akiko Ueno, Jane Takagi-Little, and Suzie Flowers. Ueno is a traditional Japanese wife that’s shy and does women dutie of house chores. Flower is an American housewife starred in theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Ruth Ozeki s My Year Of Meats Essay1395 Words   |  6 PagesA central theme within Ruth Ozeki’s My Year of Meats is the idea of authenticity. It appears in the very core of the show My American Wife!, where the goal is to find â€Å"authentic,† â€Å"attractive† wives with attractive families and lifestyles so that BEEF-EX can make meat look appealing to Japanese viewers. However, many characters in the book have different views on what authenticity means, and the definitive definition is never r evealed by Ozeki. In fact, My American Wife!, the authentic reality showRead MoreFeminism in My Year of Meats Essay1460 Words   |  6 PagesAmanda Shaw English Comp 3 The Message of Meat Ruth L. Ozeki, in her novel My Year of Meats, utilizes epiphanies in her development of female characters in order to reveal the flaws of a patriarchal society. These epiphanies are employed in order to emphasis that women should take charge over their lives and to not be constrained to keeping secrets as a result of their fear of repercussion. Ozeki presents a vision of a progressive, feminist global community through her characters Akiko and

Relationship Between Employees and Health Care Organizations free essay sample

Analyze the factors affecting the relationship between employees and health care organizations to determine which single factor is the most significant. Explain your reasoning. The long-term economic success of healthcare organizations depends on the efforts of employees with the appropriate capabilities and motivation to perform their jobs well. Organizations that are successful over time have understood that individual relationships do matter and should be managed. (Flynn, Mathis amp; Jackson, 2011) The relationship between individuals and healthcare organizations is influenced by outside forces. Four of the biggest influences are economic changes, the expectations of different generations of individuals, loyalty, and changing career expectations for women. These factors affect the psychological contracts in a number of ways. (Flynn, Mathis amp; Jackson, 2011) All of these factors are just as significant and important but the only that I feel has the more impact is the loyalty. One important organizational value that affects employee loyalty is trust. Employees who believe that they can trust their managers, coworkers, and the organizational justice systems are much less willing to leave their current employers. According to a survey conducted by a nursing magazine, one of the top reasons given for RNs leaving their previous employers was a lack of trust and confidence in management. (Flynn, Mathis amp; Jackson, 2011) Supportive learning and working environment are crucial factor for job satisfaction, especially in the field of nursing. An ageing population with an increasing number of patients suffering from chronic diseases are included in the factors affecting work environments negatively, resulting in dissatisfied employees. To improve the environment and prevent persistent employee dissatisfaction, Richer at al. 2009) suggested â€Å"appreciative inquiry† to create radical changes. Knowles (1990) reported that a supportive learning environment is considered to be a critical  element of human resource development, and he acknowledged the need for the development of individual workers through improvements to the educational aspect. Four of the biggest influences between employees and health care organizations are economic changes, the expectations of different generations of individuals, loyalty, and changing career expectations for women. All these factors play a significant role in the workplace and staff and leaders have to be cognizant of them. I believe the most significant in this relationship is the ever-changing economy, especially with the onset of the Affordable Care Act. The economy has been in a recession, and many organizations have had to cut their budgets to stay afloat. Personnel have been laid off, they have quit their jobs in healthcare to find a more stable job field, and providers have additional regulations that in turn change their practices. Healthcare is still appealing and a necessity, but the demands are becoming more and more stressful on employees. You absolutely need loyalty and managers and leaders can control it but they cannot control the economy hence why I believe it is more significant. You can’t control the difference in generations, but you can understand the differences and change the leadership style to accommodate those gaps. You cannot control the economy and it can drive substantial decisions that can be unfavorable * From in the e-Activity, determine how well the health care organization you found is addressing the factor you identified in the first part of this discussion. Discuss additional steps the organization could take to do a better job. Samaritan Medical Center is the largest hospital in the Watertown, New York area. It is a 294-bed community medical center. In order to retain their current employees Samaritan Full-time employees are eligible to participate after six months of employment and may be reimbursed up to $3,000 annually for tuition assistance. Part-time employees are eligible to participate after one year of service and may be reimbursed up to $1,500 annually. They offer 401(k) Retirement Benefit + Employer Match, RN, LPN, Tech Retirement and 403 (b) retirement plans. They offer paid time off and also the following other benefits: * Employee Referral Quit for Life Smoking Cessation * Employee Fitness Rebate * Aflac Cancer Coverage * Cafeteria and Gift Shop Discounts * Over the Counter Pharmaceutical Discounts * Employee Assistance Program (ESP) They also offer the following insurances for all employees: * Medical Insurance * Dental Insurance * Vision Insurance * Life Insurance * Accidental Death and Disme mberment Insurance * Short Term and Long Term Disability * Medical and Dependent Care Spending Accounts This hospital also recognizes that employees are happy when they continuously learn and grow in their jobs. They offer a professional development program as well. I think that this hospital does a terrific job at concentrating on all areas of incentives and purpose for their employees to retain the best qualified personnel. â€Å"Samaritan recognizes the importance of investing in their leaders with ongoing management training. Excel IV will assist leaders of all levels in developing greater efficiency through increased managerial competence. Excel IV focuses on the following Leadership Competencies: Communicating with Impact, Building a Successful Team, Facilitating Change, and Aligning Individual and Team Performance† (Samaritan Medical Center, 2013). References: http://www. samaritanhealth. com/join-our-team/why-choose-samaritan/professional-development ince the textbook indicated Griffin Hospital located in Derby, CT at number three on list of small companies in the Fortune magazine as one of the best companies to work for 10 years consecutively, I decided to look up this company on the internet. At Griffin Hospital, every employee is a caregiver and every employee makes a difference. We understand that employee satisfaction leads to patient satisfaction. Our culture of teamwork, professionalism, and respect makes Griffin Hospital a place where both patients and employees want to be. Griffin Hospital was named to  FORTUNE Magazines 100 Best Companies to Work for in America  list for ten consecutive years and our management team has been nationally recognized for listening and responding to employee feedback. Also looking at the hospital, they give recognition and much gratification to their employees for all their hard work and dedication by having an awards program. They also offer bonuses to their employees. I would suggest having a flexible schedule if possible but the hospital appears to offer an array of great benefits and compensation to their employees which is why the rank so highly in the Fortune. And this a highlight that has taken place at the hospital to turn things around according the CEO, â€Å"We surveyed all of our departments, and the one that came out worst was our obstetrics. In fact it was so bad an outside consultant suggested we close it. † What were the things he did to turn around the obstetrics department? We turned the traditional maternity unit on its head. We created a welcoming, home like environment for women, but it was really based on empowerment and information. First of all we moved to all private rooms. We installed a Jacuzzi in our maternity ward to help relieve pain early in a woman’s labor. We also embraced the whole family in the birthing experience by having specially designed double beds put into private rooms so the husband could sta y with his wife from start to when the three of them could leave. In the past the husbands were relegated to the proverbial waiting room. So our approach to vastly changing our obstetrics department was the start of the transformation of Griffin. † From that auspicious beginning, Pat Charmel has raised the profile and patient centric care to one of the highest in the nation. It has won numerous awards for their approach, including awards for their nursing staff and the NAACP for their diversity program. References: http://www. griffinhealth. org/About-Us/Careers-Volunteers. aspx   http://blog. istage. com/ceo-tv-show/pat-charmel-ceo-of-griffin-hospital-explains-what-he-did-to-turn-around-the-hospital The health care organization I chose is a local healthcare organization-Saint Francis Medical Center; I believe they facilitate employee loyalty because on their website numerous references are made where they address employees as being family and the benefits of employment page offers various healthcare programs, continued education savings, a nd reimbursement plans, and savings and annuity plans. Additional steps I believe additional steps the organization could take to do a better job are by following the Richard Branson method of celebrating employees. His business meetings often consist of employees meeting for lunch at his home, entire department vacations, and inter-office costumed events. I believe all organizations should follow this method. http://positivesharing. com/2011/09/richard-branson-celebrates-employees/ Baptist Health System (BHS) has five acute hospitals and offers benefits to their employees to create loyalty. BHS is committed to providing a stable, rewarding and generously incentivized relationship with their employees and start every relationship with incentives in hopes of getting the highest level of performance from the very best people (baptisthealth. com, n. d. )  to better attract and retain employees. Some for their benefits include: health, dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, accident and life insurance, short and long term disability, paid time off (PTO), extended illness days (EID), and tuition reimbursement (baptisthealth. om, n. d. ). Beginning August, 2012, BHS no longer hires individuals who use nicotine products. They intend to provide healthy, smoke free environment for their employees. Employee loyalty provides a competitive advantage and is necessary for a successful business. If BHS goes above and beyond for its employees, it is likely the employees will do the same for BHS. BHS could promote and provide a culture of communication, flexible schedules , employee praise and respect, and birthday celebrations.