Major Events in the Trojan War

The ancient Greeks traced their history to mythological events and their genealogy to the gods and goddesses. Perhaps the most pivotal event in the early history of ancient Greece was the Trojan War. This is that most famous of ancient wars that the Greeks ended with an insidious gift. We call it the Trojan Horse. We know about the Trojan War primarily from the works of the poet Homer (the Iliad and the Odyssey), as well as stories told in other ancient literature, known as the Epic Cycle. ​Goddesses Set the Trojan War in Motion According to ancient, non-eye-witness reports, a conflict among the goddesses started the Trojan War. This conflict led to the famous story of Paris (known as The Judgment of Paris) awarding a golden apple to the goddess, Aphrodite. In return for Paris judgment, Aphrodite promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. This world-class Greek beauty is known as Helen of Troy and called the face that launched a thousand ships. Perhaps it didnt matter to the gods--especially the goddess of love--whether Helen was already taken, but for mere mortals it did. Unfortunately, Helen was already married. She was the wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Paris Abducts Helen Discussed in more detail in connection with Odysseus--who was one of the leaders of the Greek (Achaean) side of the Trojan War--is the importance of hospitality in the ancient world. While Odysseus was away, suitors abused the hospitality of Odysseus wife and household. Odysseus, however, relied on the hospitality of strangers to survive his 10-year odyssey home. Without certain standards of expected behavior on the part of host and visitor, anything could happen, as, indeed, it did when the Trojan prince Paris, a guest of Menelaus, stole from his host. Now, Menelaus had been aware of the possibility that his wife, Helen, would be snatched from him. Helen had been snatched before their marriage, by Theseus, and she had been courted by almost all the Achaean leaders. When Menelaus finally won the hand of Helen, he (and Helens father) extracted a promise from all the other suitors that they would come to his aid should Helen be taken away again. It was on the basis of this promise that Agamemnon--acting on brother Menelaus behalf--was able to coerce the Achaeans to join forces with him and his brother and sail against the Asian city-state of Troy to win back Helen. Trojan War Draft Dodgers Agamemnon had trouble rounding up the men. Odysseus feigned madness. Achilles tried to pretend he was a woman. But Agamemnon saw through Odysseus ruse and Odysseus tricked Achilles into revealing himself, and so, all the leaders who had promised to join did so. Each leader brought his own troops, weapons, and ships and stood, poised to sail, at Aulis. Agamemnon and His Family Agamemnon was from the  House of Atreus, that cursed family that stemmed from Tantalus, a son of Zeus. Tantalus had spitefully served the gods a feast with an awful main course, the cooked body of his own son Pelops. Demeter was upset at the time because her daughter, Persephone, had disappeared. This left her distracted, so unlike all the other gods and goddesses, she failed to recognize the meat dish as human flesh. As a result, Demeter ate some of the stew.  Afterward, the gods put Pelops back together again, but there was, of course, a missing part. Demeter had eaten one of Pelops shoulders, so she replaced it with a piece of ivory. Tantalus did not get off unscathed. His well-suited punishment helped inform the Christian vision of Hell. Tantalus  familys behavior remained unimproved through the generations. Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus (Helens husband) were among his descendants. Raising the ire of the gods seems to have come very naturally to all the descendants of Tantalus. The Greek troops heading for Troy, under the lead of Agamemnon, waited at Aulis for  a wind  that just wouldnt come.  Eventually, a seer named Calchas deduced the problem: The virgin huntress and goddess, Artemis, had been offended by a boast Agamemnon had made about his own hunting skills. To appease Artemis, Agamemnon had to sacrifice his own daughter Iphigenia. Only then would the winds come to fill their sails and let them set off from Aulis to Troy. To put his daughter Iphigenia to the sacrificial knife was hard for Agamemnon the father, but not for Agamemnon the military leader. He sent word to his wife that Iphigenia was to marry Achilles at Aulis (Achilles was left out of the loop). Clytemnestra and their daughter  Iphigenia  went happily to Aulis for a wedding to the great Greek warrior. But there, instead of a marriage, Agamemnon performed the deadly ritual. Clytemnestra would never forgive her husband. The goddess Artemis  appeased, favorable winds filled the sails of Achaean ships so they could sail to Troy. The Action of the Iliad Begins in the Tenth Year Well-matched forces dragged the Trojan War on and on. It was in its tenth year when the climactic and most dramatic events finally took place. First, a sacrilegious Agamemnon, leader of all the Achaeans (Greeks), captured a priestess of Apollo. When the Greek leader refused to return the priestess to her father,  a plague  struck the Achaeans. This plague may have been  bubonic since it was connected with the  mouse-aspect  of Apollo. Calchas, the seer, summoned once again, augured that health would be restored only when the priestess was returned. Agamemnon agreed, but only if he could have a substitute war prize: Briseis, Achilles concubine. When Agamemnon took Briseis from Achilles, the hero was outraged and refused to fight. Thetis, Achilles immortal mother, prevailed upon Zeus to punish Agamemnon by making the Trojans stymy the Achaeans--at least for a while. Patroclus Fights as Achilles Achilles had a dear friend and companion at Troy named Patroclus. In the movie  Troy, he is Achilles cousin. While thats a possibility, many consider the two not so much cousins, in the sense of son of ones uncle, as lovers. Patroclus tried to persuade Achilles to fight because Achilles was so capable a warrior that he could turn the tide of battle. Nothing had changed for Achilles, so he refused. Patroclus presented an alternative. He asked Achilles to let him lead Achilles troops, the Myrmidons. Achilles  agreed and even  lent  Patroclus his armor. Dressed like Achilles and accompanied by the Myrmidons, Patroclus went into battle. He acquitted himself well, killing a number of Trojans. But then the greatest of the Trojan heroes, Hector, mistaking  Patroclus  for Achilles, killed him. Now the situation was different for Achilles. Agamemnon was an annoyance, but the Trojans were, once again, the enemy. Achilles was so grieved by the death of his dear Patroclus that he reconciled with Agamemnon (who returned Briseis), and entered the battle. A Madman Kills and Disgraces Hector Achilles met Hector in single combat and killed him. Then, in his madness and grief over Patroclus, Achilles dishonored the Trojan heros body by dragging it  around  the ground tied to his chariot by a belt. This belt had been given Hector by the Achaean hero Ajax in exchange for a sword. Days later, Priam, Hectors aged father and  the king of Troy, persuaded Achilles to stop abusing the body and return it for proper burial. The Achilles Heel Soon after, Achilles was killed, wounded in the one spot  where  legend tells us he was not immortal--his heel. When Achilles was born, his mother, the nymph Thetis, had dipped him into the river Styx to confer immortality, but the spot where she held him, his heel, remained dry.  Paris  is said to have hit that one spot with his arrow, but Paris wasnt that good a marksman. He could only have hit it with divine guidance--in this case, with the help of Apollo. The Next Greatest Hero The Achaeans and Trojans valued the armor of fallen soldiers. They triumphed in capturing the helmets, weapons, and armor of the enemy, but also prized that of their own dead. The Achaeans wanted to award the armor of Achilles to the Achaean hero they thought came next in stature to Achilles. Odysseus won. Ajax, who thought the armor should have been his, went mad with rage, tried to kill his fellow countrymen, and killed himself with the sword which he had received from his belt-exchange with Hector. Aphrodite Continues to Help Paris What had Paris been up to all this time? Besides his dalliance with Helen of Troy and slaying of Achilles, Paris had shot and killed a number of Achaeans. He had even fought one-on-one with Menelaus. When Paris was in danger of being killed, his divine protector, Aphrodite, broke the strap of the helmet, which Menelaus was clutching. Aphrodite then shrouded Paris in a mist so that he could escape back to  Helen of Troy. The Arrows of Hercules After the death of Achilles, Calchas uttered yet another prophecy. He told the Achaeans they needed the bow and arrows of Hercules (Herakles) to defeat the Trojans and end the war. Philoctetes, who had been left wounded on  the island of Lemnos, had said bow and poisoned arrows. So an embassy was sent to bring Philoctetes to the battlefront. Before he joined the Greek battle line, one of the sons of Asclepius healed him. Philoctetes then shot one of  Hercules  arrows  at  Paris. There was barely a scratch. But ironically, like the  wound  Paris had inflicted on Achilles one weak spot, that scratch was enough to kill the Trojan prince. The Return of Odysseus Odysseus  soon devised a way to end the Trojan War--the erection of a giant wooden horse filled with Achaean (Greek) men to be left at the gates of Troy. The Trojans had noticed Achaean ships sailing away earlier that day and thought the giant horse was a peace (or sacrificial) offering from the Achaeans. Rejoicing, they opened the gates and led the horse into their city. Then, after 10 years of privations for the sake of the war, the Trojans brought out their equivalent of champagne. They feasted, drank hard, and fell asleep. During the night, the Achaeans stationed inside the horse opened the trap door, crept down, opened the gates, and let in their countrymen who had only pretended to slip away. The Achaeans then torched Troy, killing the men and taking the women prisoner. Helen, now  middle-aged but still a  beauty,  was reunited with her husband Menelaus. So ended the Trojan War and so began the Achaean leaders torturous and mostly deadly trips home, some of which are told in the sequel to The Iliad, The Odyssey, which is also attributed to Homer. Agamemnon  got his comeuppance at the hand of his wife Clytemnestra and her lover, Agamemnons cousin Aegisthus. Patroclus, Hector, Achilles, Ajax, Paris, and countless others were dead, but the Trojan War dragged on.

Essay on Walt Disney Company Analysis - 1652 Words

Walt Disney is extremely known for being a film producer and popular showman. He was very recognizing for being an innovator in animation and theme park design. Disney was a visionary in terms of cartoons. Disney views and visions came from his persistence for the future. Walt Disney strives upon building Disney’s to have core strengths in three areas of entertainment and recreation, motion pictures and videos. Walt created his first animated character, Mickey Mouse. Mickey made his first debut on November 18, 1928, in a black and white cartoon called the â€Å"Steamboat Willie†. What distinguishes Mickey from the rest of the cartoons was the modern day appearance with his white gloves on his hands. With Walt as the voice of Mickey, it†¦show more content†¦The success of movies and television programs were due to diversity and distribution. It does its own distribution and targets several markets from children to adults. Finally, the Disney character consu mer product sector, which includes clothing, home goods, and toys, has been an extremely important asset to the company. For example, by establishing deals such as an agreement with Mattel, Disney was able to manufacture more than 14,000 Disney licensed products. Furthermore, Disney expanded it’s retailing by opening up Disney stores. Under Eisner leadership, Disney became owners of many television cable shows. Eisner also established the company’s own cable network, the Disney Channel which earned a huge following among kids of all ages. Eisner made a comeback in the film department by creating movies for adults as well as scoring new hits with their traditional animation for the children. His huge success came from the animated classics theatrical versions of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Regardless of Disney’s stock price, it is clearly a profitable empire with a strong reputation. Consumers are loyal to the brand and it’s myriad of offerings. It is a company that will be successful forever because of its history and expanded market including entertainment, recreation, and consumer products. The decreasing share price of Disney happened suddenly, because of its poor performing assets. The $19Show MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Walt Disney Company5222 Words   |  21 PagesAnalysis of the Walt Disney Company Tarleton State University – Central Texas October 17, 2005 A Research Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for MGMT 5073.301 Responsibilities and Ethics of Leadership Executive Summary Analysis of the Walt Disney Company – Case Outline Situation Analysis Introduction: The Walt Disney Company is on the threshold of a new era. Michael Eisner has stepped down from his position as CEO and turned over the reigns to Robert Iger. A lot of turmoilRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Disney s The Disney Company1126 Words   |  5 PagesThe Walt Disney Company Walt and Roy Disney founded the Walt Disney Company on October 16 of 1923, as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Established leader in the American animation industry that began with the Creation of Mickey Mouse; today, the Walt Disney Company is a diversified worldwide entertainment company. The company is the largest media conglomerate in the world and represents a collection of brands includes ESPN, ABC, Pixar and Marvel. The Walt Disney Company has different divisions:Read MoreThe Walt Disney Company Analysis873 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Walt Disney Company is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media.† (The walt disney, n.d.) At year end of 2013, the company had net revenues of $45 billion, up from $42.3 billion the previous year and net income of $6.1 billion, up from $5.7 billion the previous year. (Walt disney co, 2014) Enterprise Risk Management Risk managementRead MoreThe Walt Disney Company: a Financial and Organizational Analysis3139 Words   |  13 PagesThe Walt Disney Company: A Financial and Organizational Analysis Authors: Cliff Anderson, John Morris, Jacob Lawrentz, And Donna Munsey Financial Environments of Organizations, MOL 503, MMOL 1-11 Professor: Kari Day Warner Pacific College September 10th, 2009 The Walt Disney Company: A Financial and Organizational Analysis The Organizational History of Disney Before WWII In 1939, the Valley Progress newspaper (History, p. 3) announced that San Fernando Valley in southern CaliforniaRead MoreMarketing Analysis : Walt Disney Company810 Words   |  4 PagesThe Walt Disney Company must penetrate global market with its existing products, create a collaborative culture of kids and family oriented that brings family together, satisfy shareholder with their financial need, expand new portfolio and lead in the digital and internet world. Disney needs to diversify into new products and services to keep up with its 20% projected growth and develop a market using its brand a household name for many millions of consumer throughout the world for an expansionRead MoreWalt Disney Company Analysis and Marketing2995 Words   |  12 PagesWALT DISNEY COMPANY PROJECT With a dream and an ambition, a young man, Walt Disney arrived in Santa Fe California with a cartoon character named Alice. Within months after the Alice cartoon became a hit, Walt and his brother created the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, which after a couple of years was renamed to Walt Disney Studio. In 1928, five years after his arrival to California, Walt was able to introduce a new cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. With this introduction, people were seekingRead MoreSwot Analysis of Walt Disney Company Essay2999 Words   |  12 PagesCOMPANY PROFILE The Walt Disney Company REFERENCE CODE: 8C7AE530-4ECC-4EF5-AC18-370E646FD097 PUBLICATION DATE: 31 May 2013 www.marketline.com COPYRIGHT MARKETLINE. THIS CONTENT IS A LICENSED PRODUCT AND IS NOT TO BE PHOTOCOPIED OR DISTRIBUTED. The Walt Disney Company TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Company Overview..............................................................................................3 Key Facts...........................................................Read MoreAnalysis Of Netflix, Amazon, And The Walt Disney Company987 Words   |  4 Pages Without innovation, companies like Netflix, Amazon, and the Walt Disney Company would not be the big-name brands like they are today. These three companies are perfect examples of innovating the market spaces such as entertainment and online shopping. In this paper, the following will be discussed: organization’s culture, processes, management systems, how these companies capitalize on innovation, what stifles innovation, and applying the things learned from other companies and applying into a futureRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Disney Company And Discussing All Of The Topics Listed Above1084 Words   |  5 PagesW.O.T analyses on multiple companies. A SWOT analysis â€Å"is an analytical framework that can help your company face its greatest challenges and find its most promising new markets† (Taylor). The discussions in class talked about several topics including the company’s background information, strengths weaknesses, opportunities, threats, corporate strategy, business strategy, structures/ controls and recommendations. In this paper I will be analyzing The Walt Disney Company and discussing all of theRead MoreThe Walt Disney Company Strategic Planning Analysis1139 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Walt Disney Company Strategic Planning Analysis Executive Summary Strategic Planning is the process of developing and maintaining a strategic fit between the organizations goals and capabilities as well as emerging market conditions and opportunities. Disneys primary strategic objective is to product high-quality content through their entire product mix. The company also had a record financial performance in 2010 led by the Disney movie studio last year was the first in history to make

Business Ethics for Oxymoron or Good Business

Question: Discuss about the Business Ethics for Oxymoron or Good Business. Answer: Introduction: I am Anith Goud Abbagoni. I did my bachelors in Electronics and Communication Engineering. I have also done my masters in Control Systems (Electric and Electronics Engineering) and at present I am pursuing Masters of Business and Project Management. I was always into all these electric and electronics thing from my childhood which gave me the zeal to opt for these subject in my higher studies. Five years from now I would like to see myself working in a Multinational company in a comparative high post with great responsibilities of the company on me. I am doing all these hardships in my life not just to increase the number of degrees that I have but because I value the importance of education in life. I believe that education has no end. We are all learning in every aspect of life. I have this zeal of learning new things from every part of my life. This is what the most positive point in me is. I am a very optimist kind of a person. I always find reasons to motivate me and others in life. Woking in a Multinational Company does not require degrees and certificates. It also requires some experiences also. Yes, I do have fewer experiences regarding the role that I am opting for in the upcoming companies but everybody has got the first day in their life. I might also have to go through that phase of so call first day in my life. And the company that I join shall achieve more an d more prosperity in its future by hiring me as one of their employees. Mega trends and challenges I am the marketing executive in my company. In my industry, there are many aspects that are going around all the time. We have many employees who work in a coordinated manner. I have many challenged to face in my company which includes both internal and external factors. Internal factor includes the working environment within the industry and external include the society and other outside factors (Farris, 2006). MACRO - ELEMENT Reference Political This involves all the legal matters and scenarios that a company has to go through during its reign in the market. All laws are not always written, some are acknowledged during working environment (Fukuyama, 2016). Economic It includes all the factors that influence the buying patterns of the customers. Social This includes the society which is directly or indirectly involved with the company. Technology This enhances and ensures that the company is never technologically lame. It should also upgrade with the growth of its efficiency. Demographic This is the personal one. But then the personal factor also affect the market overall (Billari, 2004). Natural It includes the naturals criterion that might affect the company in any way. Goals My professional goals shall be very simple and especially positive for the company. The first goal shall be to bring about technological up gradation in the company, the second goal shall be to maintain and preserve new and old customers, third shall be to provide a comfort zone for the employees, so that they can approach me whenever they are in need, the fourth shall be to provide quality product to the customers and other clients in general and the fifth shall be to see that my company does not cause any harm to the natural environment. Ethics and professional values I do have some ethics in my life that I like to maintain irrespective of the situation. My main ethic is that I like to provide quality service to the company. And I also prefer maintaining loyalty with my company when I am in or out of the company. My father is a businessman. And I have seen him face many issues like this in his life. So it can be told that these ethics came to me from my father only as he has shared many of his business related problems with me (Naagarazan, 2006). Ethics are some personal way of looking at matters. It can be business ethics and personal ethics also. Business ethics include many points related to both the company and the customers. In the case of the company, we have to look at not only the outcome of the company but also the people who are behind these outcomes. They are the employees. If the employees are comfortable in the company then the working environment becomes very simple and also easier even for the head of the institution to take proper decisions (Beghtol, 2008). But if the employees are not happy then the company shall move down. The owner has to look after the basic needs of the employees including their health issues, their security, their pension plans and others. All these give a positive sight to the employee towards the company. Moreover, the facilities of the customer shall also not be neglected. The employees should be trained in such a way that they should always be able to solve the problems of the custom ers with a smile on their faces. The customers should never be disregarded or mistreated in any condition (Duska, 2000). We have to remember that all the customers are very important whether he or she is a big or a small customer. Customers are customers whether they give bring any business to the company or not. But in this also some customers have to be neglected if they are found to be spreading negative vibes for the company ("Executive summary of "Customers helping customers: payoffs for linking customers"", 2014). Competency assessment SKILLS RANK 1 Analytical skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 Creative thinking skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 3 Critical thinking skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 4 Decision making skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 5 Interpersonal skills(talking, listening, networking etc) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 Organising skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 Planning skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Problem Solving skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 Self-confidence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 Teamwork 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 Technology (IT - computers) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 Time Management skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13 Verbal communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 14 Written communication skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 References Beghtol, C. (2008). Professional Values and Ethics in Knowledge Organization and Cataloging.Journal Of Information Ethics,17(1), 12-19. https://dx.doi.org/10.3172/jie.17.1.12 Billari, F. (2004). Becoming an Adult in Europe: A Macro(/Micro)-Demographic Perspective.Demographic Research,Special 3, 15-44. https://dx.doi.org/10.4054/demres.2004.s3.2 Duska, R. (2000). Business Ethics: Oxymoron or Good Business?.Business Ethics Quarterly,10(1), 111. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3857699 Executive summary of "Customers helping customers: payoffs for linking customers". (2014).Journal Of Services Marketing,28(5). https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jsm-06-2014-0220 Farris, P. (2006).Marketing metrics. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Wharton School Pub. Fukuyama, F. (2016). Macro Theory and the Study of Political Development.Scandinavian Political Studies,39(3), 207-225. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9477.12064 Naagarazan, R. (2006).Textbook on professional ethics and human values. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers.

CERA - Performance Measurement Case Study Free Sample

Question: Discuss about the Performance Measurement in CERA. Answer: Introduction: This assignment is intended to demonstrate the individual performance measurement scheme of the CERA, which is one of the consulting companies that provide their consultation regarding the civil construction. As stated by Sanchez et al. (2015), performance management mainly includes different types of activities that ensure that the organizational goals can be consistently addressed in most efficient and appropriate manner. It is seen that CERA has achieved the competitive advantage for their qualified as well as skilled consultants who are useful in their field. Some of the senior level managers of the company are well convinced regarding their effective HR practices, but some of the managers still think that their organization do not have the effective HR practices to measure the individual performances of their employee. Therefore along with showing the limitation in the individual performance at the CERA, this assignment also provides a recommendation regarding the performance me asurement approaches by applying which the company can get an extensive and more efficient human resource. Limitation in the individual performance measurement of the CERA: To manage performance most effectively in CERA, it is imperative to measure the employee performance with more effectiveness by facilitating the close monitoring. As per the viewpoint of Ferreira Otley (2013), performance measurement can be defined as the process of the collection, analysis and report the evidence related to the fulfilment of the group, individual, system or the organization. Mainly an effective performance management system has five different parts such as defining the expectation regarding the performances, facilitating the performances, encouraging the employees to achieve the optimum level of performances, performance measurements and proving feedback to the employees regarding their performance. However, it is that CERA set some objective for their employees and asks them to achieve this. Therefore, they measure the employee performance by reviewing how many objectives they are achieving with quality. For example, to assess the performance level of the junior c onsultants they facilitate the performance appraisal by following the management by objective strategy. As per the viewpoint of Tseng (2014), management by objective is one of the model regarding management that mainly improves the performance of any organization by defining several objectives, which are agreed by both the employees as well as management. Moreover, to achieve those objectives they treat their employees like a school student because here the involvement of the senior level management is very high. They provide a brief and sufficient knowledge to their employee regarding how they can achieve those objectives, but by following this strategy, they do not get any sufficient knowledge regarding individual employee performance (Mayer Davis, 2012). However, this strategy of them makes their organization to achieve more and effective output, but this strategy is not sufficient to produce highly effective and experienced employee. Along with that, this strategy suppressed the innovation capability and individual performances of the employee. CERA facilitates the performance management in their company to encourage the employees. The senior level managers have observed that the CERA is effective to achieve a good level of productivity, but they do not have any effective motivation technique by which they can retain their experie nced employees. Therefore, there are high levels of possibility that after sometimes depression can be generated among employees. To reduce the chances of that, they need to involve an effective level of performance management system. Moreover, after measuring the performance, they apply a wrong strategy to provide employees with a reward (Boland Fowler, 2011). They provide more facilities or more financial reward to their senior level employees rather than their junior level employees. Therefore, this creates tremendous dissatisfaction among the employees. Therefore, it can be said that there is a misalignment among their organizational objective and their actual performances. CERA advertise their organization as one of the specialist's companies who has excellence compensation strategy for their employees. However, it has been observed in the present situation; CERA do not have any excellence in the compensation strategy, and they do not provide compensation based on the performan ces of the employees. This is because; they think that they can get more effective output from their senior level employees. Their ineffectiveness to provide preferences to their lower level employee may create a sense of de-motivation among the employee so that there is a high level of possibility that affords of the employee can be decreased gradually (Brignall Modell, 2010). Additionally, it is also observed that CERA does not have any active feedback strategy that any company provides to their employee so that their employees can correct their performance and assists their company to achieve their pre-determined level of returns. In the case of CERA, it has been observed that they do not have any active feedback strategy. As stated by Kaplan Norton (2013), feedback can be provided in oral or written mode and offers different advantages to both the employees as well as the company. The main benefits of effective feedback are it helps both the company and employee to improve the performances. Along with that it boosts the employee retentions and decreases employee turnover. Therefore, employee loyalty can be increased by following a feedback strategy (Folger, Konovsky Cropanzano, 2011). Moreover, effective feedback reduces the cost due to fewer requirements of the training and development and increases the sales of a company. From the case of CERA, it is seen that they have very few employees; therefore, if they do not follow an effective strategy to handle their performances then they may face huge problems regarding employee turnover in their near future. One of the effective rationales regarding the re-boot ing of the performance management scheme of the CERA is identification and elimination of weaknesses in the traditional approaches that they mainly follow. Their performance management system must be effective to provide a timely as well as meaningful feedback to their staffs (Yahya Goh, 2012). Another limitation in the CERA is the higher level management does not take feedback from the lower level employees because they do not have any believe that the lower level employee can provide an effective feedback that can support their company to achieve a better level of output. However, taking feedback from different sources such as customers, subordinates, and peers can develop the innovativeness of any company. Recommendation regarding measurement approaches and different indicative methods: It is seen that CERA only follow the management by the objective approach. Therefore, it is highly imperative for them to follow more efficient performance appraisal process by which they can judge the employee performance with more effectiveness and can provide them with the effective feedback by which they can lower their weaknesses. As the senior level management are very much effective to monitor their employees closely so that they can implement the 360-degree performance appraisal process. As stated by Levy Williams (2014), 360-degree performance appraisal feedback is one of the processes that is utilized by any company to collect information regarding their employees from different sources to assess the work related behaviour of the employee. I order to facilitate the 360-degree feedback in the business; CERA can take the feedback from the immediate boss, supervisor and the peers. CERA can also solicit the feedback from different external sources that regularly interact with their employees. After the implementation of the 360-degree feedback in the company, CERA can assess the actual behaviour of their employees. After that, it is highly important to provide feedback to the employee regarding their performance so that their strength can boost and weaknesses can decrease. As opined by Alimo?Metcalfe (2012), the 360-degree appraisal can help the CERA to measure several things such as it helps to measure the competencies as well as the behaviour of employees. Moreover, it focuses on several areas such as character, leadership and teamwork. Along with that, it helps the upper-level management to conduct the planning and set their business related goals. As per the viewpoint of Bohl (2013), 360-degree performance appraisal also helps the employees as well as management to identify the business related objectives by improving the communication among the employee and employer. Additionally, 360-degree performance appraisal helps the organisation to focuses on their core competencies. However, there are several issues involved in 360-degree feedback that is this tool is not customised according to the requirement of the company. It is imperative to take information from different stakeholders of the enterprise because it enriches any business with the different innovative idea that helps them to facilitate more growth. However, there is one of the disadvantages of the multisource information because it may generate the conflict in the company (Carless, Mann Wearing, 2015). Therefore, before taking the multi-source feedback, CERA must be careful regarding that. Therefore, to make this tool more useful, it is important for CERA to customize the tool according to the need of the company. Moreover, manipulation of the employee to provide a rating to the employee may lead some biases because this process can be partial in some cases. There are enormous possibilities here that higher level manager can provide more efficient feedback regarding those employees with whom they have the practical relationship (Brutus, Fleenor London, 2016). Along with the 360-degree performance appraisal method, it is also important for CERA to follow the behaviourally anchored rating scale. As per the viewpoint of Murphy Constans (2014), behaviourally anchored rating scales rate the performance of any employees based on some specific criteria. This performance appraisal process is mainly presented in the vertical mode by involving the point in the scales up to 9 from 5.As opined by Saal, Downey Lahey (2012), this performance appraisal procedure merges the benefits of critical incidents, narratives as well as the quantified rating in the company to assess the employee performance against different criteria such as poor, good and moderate. Rather than graphically anchored rating scales, behaviourally anchored rating scales are more efficient because it helps the organization to eliminate some of the rater error. There are several advantages for which CERA must follow the behaviourally anchored rating scales which is it reduces the pote ntial for the biased responses in the company. Along with that, this performance appraisal process only measures the observable as well as specific behaviours. Moreover, it is effective to provide the standard as well as specific comments regarding the fulfilment of the job. As a contrast to different traditionally rating scales, this rating scale provides more accurate evaluation regarding the performances as well as the behaviour of the target persons. This effective tool also has some disadvantages that may create some problem for the managers of the CERA.As mentioned by Bernardin Smith (2011), the main drawback is this performance appraisal process requires only effective and skilled staff. Moreover, the performance measurements tool require huge time alongside it is very complicated too. BARS are mainly dependent upon the aptness and the precision of different anchored statements. Moreover, the frequent update is mandatory along with the change of the job requirements. During designing the performance appraisal process, the HR manager of CERA must consider different types of error that are mainly occurred in any company. Rater errors are the error that took place during the performance measurement procedures. As stated by Bernardin Walter (2013), rater error can be described as the credibility as well as the accuracy regarding the measurements of the performances. Rater errors are the human error which is very much common in any performance appraisal process because anyone cannot tell that any performance appraisal will be effective shortly. Different types of rater errors are a halo effect, leniency error, recency error, similar to me error, central tendency error etcetera. After implementing the proposed performance appraisal process, CERA may face problems due to below mentioned the reason. Halo effect error may occur in the CERA if the HR managers rate the dimensions of the performances either based on the positive or the negative rating. This is one of the errors because in this method there are not any rating criteria to judge the performance of employees who have scored the middle-level performances. Due to leniency error, the manager of the CERA may give the low end of the scale if they have achieved the middle position on the range, which called the negative leniency. The manager may also provide high end of the scale to the employees whose performances is in the middle position of the scale that is called the positive leniency. Along with that, recency error in the performance appraisal process of the CERA may occur if the HR manager rates any employee based on the recent incidents regarding any employees. As opined by Borman, Hough Dunnette (2012), central tendency error may be happened in the CERA, if the HR manager may rate the employee with higher performance by the average performance. HR manager may do an entirely wrong judgment to the subordinate employees if they can judge the lower level of employees base d on perspectives of other employees, which is called similar to me an error. Conclusion: The above facts can conclude that for achieving adequate performance, an effective performance management system is necessary. This is because effective performance management system always generates a productive organisation with efficient, skilled and motivated employees. The above fact also concludes that remuneration must be provided based on the performance so that the involvement of effective performance appraisal process in necessary. Performance appraisal process not only helps the organization to understand the capability of their employee but it also helps the employees to eliminate their present weaknesses and develops their strength. It has also becomes clear that as an innovative company, they are suppressing the innovative capability of the lower level staff. Moreover, they do not take feedback from the customers to provide consultation to them, which creates problem to understand the actual needs of the customer. In this context, performance measurement approaches beco mes evitable. The analysis in the report clears the fact that before implementing 360 degree appraisal system in their company, CERA must arrange a meeting with their employee where they should instruct their employees how they should provide feedback to a particular employee. On the other hand, it becomes clear that at present, there is not any rater error that is happening in the CERA because of the absent of their effective performance appraisal method, but it can be generated in the later time if the HR manager takes the performance appraisal process too casually. Further, it is found out that It is seen all of the modern organization provides feedback on the performances by facilitating an efficient performance appraisal method so that their employees can get a chance to understand and correct their weaknesses. Therefore, using error detection strategies might be effective in improving the overall performance of the organisation. Reference list: Alimo?Metcalfe, B. (2012). 360 degree feedback and leadership development.International Journal of Selection and Assessment,6(1), 35-44. Bernardin, H. J., Smith, P. C. (2011). A clarification of some issues regarding the development and use of behaviorally anchored ratings scales (BARS).Journal of Applied Psychology,66(4), 458. Bernardin, H. J., Walter, C. (2013).Effects of rater training and diary-keeping on psychometric error in ratings.Journal of Applied Psychology,62(1), 64. Bohl, D. L. (2013).Minisurvey: 360-Degree Appraisals Yield Superior Results, Survey Stows.Compensation Benefits Review,28(5), 16-19. Boland, T., Fowler, A. (2011).A systems perspective of performance management in public sector organisations.International Journal of Public Sector Management,13(5), 417-446. Borman, W. C., Hough, L. M., Dunnette, M. D. (2012).Performance ratings: An investigation of reliability, accuracy, and relationships between individual differences and rater error. PERSONNEL DECISIONS RESEARCH INST MINNEAPOLIS MN. Brignall, S., Modell, S. (2010).An institutional perspective on performance measurement and management in the new public sector.Management accounting research,11(3), 281-306. Brutus, S., Fleenor, J. W., London, M. (2016). Does 360-degree feedback work in different industries? A between-industry comparison of the reliability and validity of multi-source performance ratings.Journal of Management Development,17(3), 177-190. Carless, S. A., Mann, L., Wearing, A. J. (2015).Leadership, Managerial Performance and 360?Degree Feedback.Applied Psychology,47(4), 481-496. Ferreira, A., Otley, D. (2013). The design and use of performance management systems: An extended framework for analysis.Management accounting research,20(4), 263-282. Folger, R., Konovsky, M. A., Cropanzano, R. (2011).A due process metaphor for performance appraisal.Research in organizational behavior,14, 129-129. Kaplan, R. S., Norton, D. P. (2013).Transforming the balanced scorecard from performance measurement to strategic management: Part II.Accounting Horizons,15(2), 147-160. Keaveny, T. J., McGann, A. F. (2013).A comparison of behavioral expectation scales and graphic rating scales.Journal of Applied Psychology,60(6), 695. Levy, P. E., Williams, J. R. (2014). The social context of performance appraisal: A review and framework for the future.Journal of management,30(6), 881-905. Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H. (2012). The effect of the performance appraisal system on trust for management: A field quasi-experiment.Journal of applied psychology,84(1), 123. Murphy, K. R., Constans, J. I. (2014).Behavioral anchors as a source of bias in rating.Journal of Applied Psychology,72(4), 573. Saal, F. E., Downey, R. G., Lahey, M. A. (2012).Rating the ratings: Assessing the psychometric quality of rating data.Psychological Bulletin,88(2), 413. Sanchez, H., Kuttanna, B., Olson, T., Alexander, M., Gerosa, G., Philip, R., Alvarez, J. (2015, February).Thermal management system for high performance PowerPC/sup TM/microprocessors.InCompcon'97. Proceedings, IEEE(pp. 325-330). IEEE. Tseng, S. M. (2014). Knowledge management system performance measure index.Expert Systems with Applications,34(1), 734-745. Yahya, S., Goh, W. K. (2012).Managing human resources toward achieving knowledge management.Journal of knowledge management,6(5), 457-468.

Imagine a Utopian Analysis free essay sample

John Lennon’s Imagine, released in 1971, is one of the most famous utopias ever composed. In his song, Lennon dreams of a world in which there is no religion, no countries, world peace, no possessions and no discrimination; his utopia is a world based on equality. This song was heavily influenced by all the ongoing events that were occurring at the time of its composition. Hundreds of thousands of Americans were calling for world peace and for America to cease its involvement in the Vietnam War, in which it was killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. This song that Lennon wrote is reflective of the need of many people in the ‘70s for there to be world peace and no discrimination. Lennon’s utopia features real people. In his song he speaks of hopefully changing the views and opinions of the world population, and instead of having all people worrying about what may happen tomorrow or sometime in the future, he wants them to start implementing change now. We will write a custom essay sample on Imagine: a Utopian Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Imagine all the people/living for today†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The repetition of this line in the song reinforces Lennon’s â€Å"dream† for a better world and it drills into the listener that this is what Lennon wants; a world in which people are trying to make a difference now, rather than at some unforeseeable time in the future. A common idea related to the utopian ideal of nature is that the removal of possessions could potentially lead to the end of the greed and ambition. This is what Lennon proposes in his utopia; â€Å"Imagine no possessions,/I wonder if you can,/No need for greed or hunger†. This line in the song is actually quite contentious, too. Many believe that what Lennon proposes – â€Å"Imagine no possessions† – is actually quite an easy thing for him to state because through the exuberant amount of money that he made as being a member of the Beatles, he could easily have any possession that he wanted and he would never have to endure the agony of hunger or the need for fresh water. However, others believe that this statement made by Lennon would be quite difficult for him to make and would involve self-sacrifice as he would lose all the wealth that he had gathered if his utopia was to become real. The third verse of Imagine focuses on the utopian ideal of equality. This is one of the key elements of Lennon’s utopia. He believes that through the abolishment of war, countries and discrimination in his utopia, that equality could be achieved. Through his simple wish of a world in which there could be â€Å"A brotherhood of man,/Imagine all the people/Sharing all the world†, one can’t help but sympathise with his dream. To share the world equally and for no race, creed or religion to affect the opinions of people about others would be a perfect world. Lennon’s world is just filled with â€Å"people†, not blacks, not Christians, not homosexuals, not Jews or whites, not Italians, not Buddhists; just people. And the world will live as one. † In his song Lennon also introduces a different utopian ideal to what is featured in most utopias, and this ideal is that of world peace. Through Lennon’s utopia removing countries and patriotism as well as religion, he believes that in his utopia there would be no wa rs because there would be nothing for the people to fight for. â€Å"Imagine there’s no countries,/It isn’t hard to do,/Nothing to kill or die for,/No religion too,/Imagine all the people/living life in peace†¦Ã¢â‚¬  John Lennon delivers his utopia to the listener through monotonous vocals that at time sound as if they are just droning on. However, this monotonous droning doesn’t bore the listener but instead gives the impression of someone having a dream. This, obviously, supports the purpose of the song which is to illustrate to the listener the utopia that Lennon has dreamt of. The vocals and simplistic language used also makes it easier for the listener to relate and sympathise with what Lennon’s utopia. The melody is quite personable, too. The repetition of different lines and phrases, such as â€Å"Imagine† emphasises the fact that this song is an illustration of what Lennon wishes the world to be like.

Did Society Help the BTK Killer Professor Ramos Blog

Did Society Help the BTK Killer On March 9, 1945, one of America’s most famous and heinous serial killers was born. One man viciously tortured and killed 10 random victims. He would stab them multiple times and in many cases, would strangle them with ropes, plastic bags, and belts until they suffocated. (Crawford). This man was named Dennis Radar and has been known as the â€Å"BTK killer†.   The acronym stands for â€Å"Blind, torture, and Kill†, which was his method for killing his victims. He also gained the name for writing letters to the public anonymously after each murder, signing off with this short name. Dennis Radar grew up in Kansas along with three other siblings. (biography.com Editors). Right from the bat, Dennis Radar was not an average citizen. At a young age he tortured several animals and had odd sexual fetishes with women. Rader is truly a monster in our society, but the question lies heavily on the reasons for his actions. Analyzing Radar’s childhood in torturing an imals and mental instability, his former job as a navy force and what was left after, and his yearn for attention in the public by taunting police officers about what he has done can give us a keen eye of what caused Dennis to become a monster in society. The necessary cause of Dennis Rader’s heinous acts and monster representation could be tied down to his mentally unstable health that has been dismissed as a child. Rader grew up in Kansas along with three other siblings. He had a decent family life but at a young age, Rader showed some abnormal and unstable traits. He would torture and hang the cats and dogs at his farm. (Biography.com staff). These actions show that there is something definitely corrupt about his mind already. If there was a chance that his friends or family were to see, he’d be able to get some kind of intervention that could aid his desires to develop farther. Furthermore, the article also states Radar would steal women’s underwear and keep them in his room. He also admitted that he would fantasize about torturing and killing women. (Crawford). This shows that Rader’s personality is a very abnormal and dominant personality, especially towards women. The abnormal and strange deeds along with his scary desires portrays this is a root cause for his actions. If possibly he could have had help in aiding his desires with the help of a psychiatric, it can be that these desires and deeds he had would not expand and grow deeper. The mental instability and desires he had is one of the necessary causes of his heinous actions. Along with the BTK Killers childhood, his previous employment could be another remote cause of his actions. A documentary geared towards Radar’s life explains that in his employment, Radar was enlisted in the navy force and had a high position. Afterwards, he quit and became a compliance officer. (AE documentaries). It states that the reason he took this job could be due to him satisfying his desires of being controlling and powerful. During his time here, he was known as being the most â€Å"disrespectful, crude person†. He would give citations to women only about the dogs in the neighborhood.   In the video on minutes 37:10, a fellow acquaintance of the BTK killer talks about how Rader would â€Å"look inside of her house and stare at her†. He had put down one of the residents dogs for no particular reason. This can perpetuate the fact that his former job caused him to feel more superior and powerful, thus eventually causing him to kill.   The former job he has had can be a reciprocal cause to why he committed the crimes because he had a high position in the navy force and after he wanted a more higher position that can help fulfill and grow his dominant sexual desires. Furthermore, after he went out of the navy, he was left with no job. He tried to enroll back in college but â€Å"earned nothing higher than a C†. He was left with nothing to do and after, he mentions that his fantasies have been going crazier than they have ever been before. This eventually led him to satisfy those desires and started off by staring at a neighborhood couple and imaging him torturing and killing them. (Crawford).   This comes to show that the isolation and loneliness of Radar’s life has got him to become left with nothing but his own thoughts and needs to feel powerful. He had nothing left to preoccupy his desires and shortly after that, he committed his first brutal murder. This illustrates that having no job and not being preoccupied can be a sufficient cause as to why he had projected the fantasies of torturing and killing citizens into reality. Another reason as to why Dennis Rader committed his acts and is known as a monster is his yearn for publicity and attention. Rader taunted former police officers about what he’s done in order to gain publicity. For example, an article analyzing Rader’s past states that â€Å"Seeking attention, Rader sent a letter to the Eagle, taking responsibility for an unsolved 1986 murder†. He’d constantly send out letters about what he did to the public and even wrote a book. (Rosen, J.).He’d leave notes to public libraries and tell them to refer to him as the â€Å"BTK killer†. In another peer reviewed article, it states that â€Å"serial killers in our society are treated as celebrities.† (Wiest). Serial killers get interviewed, their pictures get shown everywhere, and there name gets known just like celebrities. Rader’s name, BTK killer, was and is known after the actions he committed. At the time, â€Å"BTK killer† was well-known and discussed. A remote cause for Rader’s action to become a monster could be because of the publicity he was seeking. The actions of him going out of his way to admit that he did the crime and sending out letters to public officials could mean and indicate he wanted to gain attention for his actions or possibly his name known to the public. This shows that this can be a remote cause and one of his main reasons as to why he has become today’s monster. He wanted attention, so he killed more people. After that, he wanted more and more attention. This shows that this can be a reciprocal cause as well as a remote cause into why he is a monster. Dennis Rader fits the definition of the monster for the actions he has done. In Cohen’s Thesis 4, they state that the monster â€Å"dwells at the gate of differences†. (pg. 7). For example, in a short story, it discusses how the monster broke a sexual taboo (pg.9)   and â€Å"embodies sexual practices that must not be committed, only through the body of a monster. (p. 14). This can correlate with Dennis Raders actions. Rader tortured, blinded, and killed all of his victims. It states that most of his victims were women and hed find sexual pleasure in torturing and killing them. (AE docs). Rader definitely broke a sexual taboo and something that should not be committed, but he was also able to do it through the body of a monster. For him, the body of a monster was his cover as the BTK Killer. Furthermore, Rader fits Cohens Monster thesis 5 because the monster polices the borders of which to cross. It shows what is acceptable and is not acceptable in society and Raders actions help society show what we can and can not do. Overall, it is very evident that Dennis Rader is considered a monster today and fits Cohens seven monster theses. His mental instability and dominant powerful trait starting from a child, his previous job that sprouted his fantasies and desires, and the aftermath of his actions and publicity give us a brief explanation of what might have rooted his actions on why he committed such evil acts. The actions and deeds he has done is still widely talked about and known in our society today. He has opened our eyes on crime by his malice acts. Annotated Bib 1.) AE documentaries. â€Å"AE Biography the BTK Killer Speaks†. YouTube, uploaded by Thomas Day, 13 October 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCtBQQbZD-8 This is a documentary film about Dennis Raders life. They have gathered numerous reports from several different sources and real life people and victims to talk about Dennis Rader’s life. This documentary discusses all about Dennis’s life. I will use this source in order to help prove why his former life as a job showed evidence in him leading up to his image today. 2.) Biography.com Editors. (November 16 2017). â€Å"Dennis Rader Biography†. A+E Networks.                 https://www.biography.com/people/dennis-rader-241487 This article is about the serial killer Dennis Radar, known as â€Å"The BTK Killer†. It   discusses how the mind of Radar and what might have precipitated his actions in  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   becoming a serial killer. I will use this to start out the background of what he went   through and how I can use it to explain the cause of his actions. The article is credible  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   due to the source is funded by A+E, a government funded program that links with the  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   juvenile and jail system. The author is also a credible author for she has been studying  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   crime and criminology. 3.) Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. â€Å"Monster Culture (Seven Theses)† Speaking of Monsters,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   doi:10.1057/9781137101495.0007. pp. 3-25 The reason for using Cohen’s article is to show how Dennis Radar has been referred to  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and known as the BTK killer and a monster. I will be using this to discuss how BTK   killer is considered a monster in our society today and how his actions and traits have led  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   up to him being a monster. 4.) Rosen, R. (2014). The Atlantic.   https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/the-floppy-did-me-in/283132/ Accessed 07 July 2018 This article is about Dennis Rader’s former life. It states that he’d constantly send out letters to the public after his crimes and also taunted police officers. I will be using this source in order to show the possible reason for him murdering was tied down to him wanting to gain publicity and attention. He wanted his name to be known. The author is credible due to being a Senior Writer and writing 45 articles. 5.) Wiest, Julie B. Casting Cultural Monsters: Representations of Serial Killers in U.S. And U.K.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   News Media. Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 27, no. 4, Oct-Dec2016, pp.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   327-346. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10646175.2016.1202876. This article discusses how Serial Killers in the media are represented in the mass media. They are either referred to as monsters or celebrities. This source can be easily used in order to explain how or why might have drove Radar to be a monster.

Paintings by Ilya Repin, Frederic Edwin Church, Peter Paul Rubens Essay

Paintings by Ilya Repin, Frederic Edwin Church, Peter Paul Rubens - Essay Example The essay "Paintings by Ilya Repin, Frederic Edwin Church, Peter Paul Rubens" discovers three paintings by such famous artists as Ilya Repin, Frederic Edwin Church, Peter Paul Rubens. The discussed paintings are â€Å"The Volga Boatmen† (1870-1873), â€Å"Heart of the Andes† (1859) and â€Å"The Battle of the Amazons† (1618-1620). While there have been several periods in history where artists from a given region or working on a particular subject have following a seemingly ‘set’ approach to how to convey their ideas, these approaches can often be traced backward or forward to other periods, artists and regions. The earliest of these paintings is the Rubens, in which the artist depicts a battle scene carried out between the legendary female warrior clan of the Amazons with the Athenian king Theseus and his men. Presented with a color palette dominated by golds and browns, the scene is difficult to make out because Rubens generally avoids using sharp l ines except in the definition of the bridge they are fighting on and the shaping of some of the horses involved. This suggests a feeling of softness even in the middle of the fighting, suggesting that the battle is somehow less fierce than it might have been if the combatants were all male. The soft shapes falling into the river have an impression of being women, indicating that they are losing the battle. Perhaps because of the softness, the mood is somehow romantic, as if this were a struggle of men and women that ends not in death but in sexual conquest.