Cleopatra Study Guide - Important Facts and Timeline

Cleopatra Study Guide - Important Facts and Timeline Study Guides Cleopatra OverviewImportant FactsDiscussion QuestionsWhat Did Cleopatra Look Like?PicturesTimelineTerms Cleopatra (January 69 B.C. - August 12, 30 B.C.) was the last pharaoh of Egypt. Following her death, Rome took over as ruler of Egypt. She was not an Egyptian, however, despite being pharaoh, but a Macedonian in the Ptolemaic dynasty that a Macedonian Ptolemy I Soter started. Ptolemy was a military leader under Alexander the Great and possibly a close relative. Cleopatra was one of several children of a descendant of this first Ptolemy, Ptolemy XII Auletes. Her two older sisters were Berenice IV and Cleopatra VI who may have died early in life. Berenice staged a coup while Ptolemy Auletes was in power. With Roman backing, Auletes was able to regain the throne and have his daughter Berenice executed. An Egyptian custom that the Macedonian Ptolemies adopted was for pharaohs to marry their siblings. Thus, when Ptolemy XII Auletes died, he left the care of Egypt in the hand of Cleopatra (aged about 18) and her younger brother Ptolemy XIII (aged about 12). Ptolemy XIII, influenced by his courtiers, forced Cleopatra to flee from Egypt. She regained control of Egypt through the help of Julius Caesar, with whom she had an affair and a son named Caesarion. Following the death of Ptolemy XIII, Cleopatra married an even younger brother, Ptolemy XIV. In time, she ruled along with another Ptolemaic male, her son Caesarion. Cleopatra is known best for her love affairs with Caesar and Mark Antony, by whom she had three children, and her suicide by snake bite after her husband Antony took his own life. The death of Cleopatra put an end to Egyptian pharaohs ruling Egypt. After Cleopatras suicide, Octavian took control of Egypt, putting it into Roman hands. OverviewDiscussion QuestionsWhat Did Cleopatra Look Like?PicturesTimelineTerms Overview | Important Facts | Discussion Questions | What Did Cleopatra Look Like? | Pictures | Timeline | Terms OverviewImportant FactsStudy QuestionsWhat Did Cleopatra Look Like?PicturesTimelineTerms Study Guide Describe the relationship between Octavian and Cleopatra.Why did Caesar not adopt Caesarion as his heir?What gave Rome the right to Egypt?Does Cleopatra deserve her reputation as a seductress?Was Cleopatra more of an Egyptian or Greek monarch? Bibliography , edited by Susan Walker and Peter HiggsShakespearesGeorge Bernard Shaws OverviewImportant FactsStudy QuestionsWhat Did Cleopatra Look Like?PicturesTimelineTerms This is part of a series (study guide) on the legendary Egyptian queen Cleopatra. On this page youll find basic facts like her birthday and names of members of her family. The Cleopatra Study Guide: OverviewImportant FactsStudy QuestionsWhat Did Cleopatra Look Like?PicturesTimelineTerms BirthCleopatra was born in 69 B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. She died August 12, 30 B.C.Family of OriginShe was a daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy XII Auletes. Her mother is subject to dispute. She may have been the daughter of Cleopatra V Tryphaina, although Strabo 17.1.11 says only one of the daughters of Ptolemy was legitimate, and that not Cleopatra.Cleopatra married her younger brother Ptolemy XIII and after his death, married her younger brother Ptolemy XIV. Later she married the Roman Mark Antony.ChildrenCleopatra had one son by Caesar, named Caesarion. She had twins with Mark Antony, Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene, and later, a son, Ptolemy Philadelphos.Name/TitleShe was actually Cleopatra VII, the last pharaoh of Egypt (although you could argue that role was her sons) because Rome took control of Egypt following her death.DeathAfter Mark Antony committed suicide, so did Cleopatra. The story is that she took an asp to her breast and let the poisonous snake bite her.AncestorsAlt hough her family had adopted Egyptian customs, like having pharaohs marry their siblings, Cleopatra and her family were really Macedonians who had gone to Egypt with Alexander the Great. Overview | Important Facts | Study Questions | What Did Cleopatra Look Like? | Pictures | Timeline | Terms

Why Duke Essay 4 Tips for a Great Essay

Why Duke Essay 4 Tips for a Great Essay SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you hoping to become a Blue Devil? The Why Duke essay is a small but important part of your Duke application. This is the place where you explain exactly why you love Duke so much.However, there are thousands of students who want to attend Duke, and only a small percentage of them get in. What can you do to make sure your Why Duke essay sets you apart and helps you get accepted? Keep reading to learn what the Why Duke essay prompts are, exactly what Duke is looking for when they read them, and what you should write about to and convince Duke you’d be an asset to their school. We also include a Why Duke essay example so you can see what an actual essay response looks like. The Why Duke Essay Prompts The Why Duke essay prompt is one of several essay prompts you’ll need to answer in your Duke application. You can learn more about the other Duke essays in our in-depth guide.There are actually two Why Duke essay prompts, and you’ll answer one of them. The prompt you answer is based on which college you apply to within Duke, either the Trinity College of Arts Sciences or the Pratt School of Engineering. Here’s the Why Duke essay prompt for Arts Science applicants: If you are applying to the Trinity College of Arts Sciences as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something particular about Duke that attracts you? (150 words maximum) Here’s the Why Duke essay prompt for Engineering applicants: If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as either a first-year or transfer applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke. (150 words maximum) As you can see, the two prompts are very similar to each other. Both want to know why you want to study at Duke, although the engineering prompt does also explicitly ask you to discuss why you want to study engineering. Both prompts have the same word count limit of 150 words. What Is the Purpose of the Why Duke Essay? Why does Duke require applicants to answer this essay? What are they really looking for in your response to â€Å"why Duke†? Let’s analyze these prompts.No matter which schools you’re applying to, the â€Å"why this school† prompt is probably the most common prompt you’ll on college applications. Why? Because colleges want to see that you really want to attend their school. Students who love the school they attend and feel that it’s a good fit are more likely to accept an offer of admission, be interested in their studies, take advantage of what the school offers, and give back after they graduate. Basically, Duke and other schools which include this prompt are looking for students who will take advantage of all the unique opportunities they offer so they have the biggest impact at the school and when they’re alumni. If you show that you really love Duke and are ready to make the most of your time there, it makes admissions officers feel more confident you’re going to have a significant and positive impact on their school. If you can’t give any compelling reasons for choosing Duke or you don’t seem to have done much research on the school, that makes Duke worry that you don’t really want to attend the school and will only do the bare minimum in college, without having much of an impact during your time at Duke or afterwards.Additionally, Duke asks you to write this essay to make sure you and their school are a good fit for each other. If you use this essay to talk about majors, classes, internships, study abroad options, etc. that Duke doesn’t offer, the admissions team may be hesitant to offer you a place at Duke since it may not be the best place for you to reach your goals. Basically. the purpose of this essay is two part: Duke wants to make sure you know and value what they offer, and they also want to see how you’re going to make use of these opportunities to reach your goals for the future. What Should You Write About in Your Why Duke Essay? Because Duke has so many opportunities to offer students, there are many ways to approach this essay topic. Here's a list of potential ideas: Majors, minors, certificates, and/or classes Duke offers that you’re especially interested in. This also includes Program II, where you can design your own individual degree program. The Focus Program, which lets first-year students take classes on unique topics. Duke professors whose work you admire and with whom you’d like to study or conduct research. Duke’s Service Learning or DukeEngage programs which give students the opportunity to provide services to communities in need. Clubs or sports teams that you’d be interesting in joining. The Duke Startup Challenge which helps students who want to be entrepreneurs. Research opportunities you’d like to have (the more specific you can be, the better). Internship opportunities Duke offers. Duke students or alumni you’ve met who you admire. Financial aid opportunities Duke offers that make it possible for you to attend. In your response, you should choose about one or two reasons why you think Duke is the best school for you. For each reason, you should describe what Duke offers and connect it back to your interest and skills to show how you’re a good match for the school. For example, you could write that you’ve always been interested in global health, and you have an idea for an invention/idea that could improve global health in developing countries. You want to attend Duke to take advantage of the Duke Startup Challenge to get your product out there, then participate in DukeEngage or a similar program Duke offers to try the product out in the field. Or, you may be a mechanical engineering student who wants to work with a specific professor at Pratt and take advantage of the research opportunities Duke offers to study thermal and fluids systems. Remember to be as specific as possible to show Duke that you’ve done your research, and show both what you care about/want to do with the rest of your life and how Duke can help you get there. A note about basketball: Duke’s basketball team has an extremely dedicated fan base, and many students choose to go to Duke at least partly because they love the basketball team. However, we strongly discourage you from using this essay to discuss your love of Duke basketball. There are several reasons for this. First, many, many applicants mention the basketball team as a reason they want to attend Duke, so you won’t make your essay unique or memorable if you give the same reason most other people do. Second, Duke is foremost an academic institution, and it wants students who are dedicated to their studies. Duke classes require a lot of work, and if you give the impression that all you’ll be doing at Duke is waiting hours in line so you can be the first one in Cameron Stadium for each game, they may wonder if you’ll succeed at the school. So write about something other than the basketball team, and then once you get in, feel free to paint yourself blue an d join the other Cameron Crazies. Tips for Writing a Great Why Duke Essay No matter how you decide to answer the â€Å"Why Duke† prompt, here are four tips you should keep in mind to make sure you stand out from the crowd and show Duke that you’re a student they want to have at their school. #1: Do Your Research Before you start writing, you should know a lot about the opportunities Duke offers and why you want to go there. Here are some places to start your research: Duke website Duke majors, minors, and certificates Course catalog The Duke Chronicle (school newspaper) Duke internship opportunities Duke research opportunities Campus visit Meeting with an alum or current student Meeting with a professor #2: Be Specific From your research, you now have multiple reasons as to why Duke is a great school for you. Choose one or two of them to write about in your essay. The more specific you can be when answering the â€Å"Why Duke† prompt, the better. Don’t just say that Duke has great classes, smart professors, and an interesting student body. Most schools have that, and the people reading your essay will wonder if you’re using an identical essay for every school you’re applying to. Instead, try to mention opportunities only Duke can provide, such as specific professors, course names, extracurriculars, or research opportunities.The things you discuss should be things your other top schools don’t offer, things that really make Duke stand out. #3: Show Your Passion Duke students are a passionate bunch, and Duke wants students who care a lot about what their studies and their school. A generic statement like, â€Å"I am impressed by Duke’s strong engineering programs† doesn’t tell the school anything about you or help you stand out from other applicants. Why does the engineering program make you so excited? How do you want to use your engineering skills in the future? Write about those things instead.Showing a passion that’s unique will help differentiate you from other applicants and show Duke that you’ll take your studies seriously. #4: Make Every Word Count The 150 word limit on this essay means that it’s going to be very short, so you want to get the most out of those words. Start with an outline of your main points: why you want to go to Duke and how you’ll make the most of those opportunities at the school and after graduation, then expand from there until you hit 150 words. This isn’t the essay to tell an in-depth story about your childhood or go into flowery descriptions. Instead,make your main points strong and don’t worry about adding too many embellishments to the essay. Why Duke Essay Example Sometimes the best way to understand what a great Duke essay looks like is to look at an example. Below is a Why Duke essay example (for the Trinity school) followed by an explanation of what makes it stand out. I love many things, but learning and sports top the list. The moment I stepped onto Duke’s campus, I leaned over to my mother, gasping, and said, â€Å"Whoa,† even before beginning my tour. I was stunned to immediately see signs of my loves everywhere. My dreams of tenting in K-Ville for the annual Duke-UNC game almost made my mouth water. As for learning, the cross-disciplinary study options that Duke offers ignite my passions. I have always loved business, and as I have aged, I discovered a deep interest in education. At Duke, I saw the opportunity to combine these two interests in many ways. I would love to initiate lunches with Professor Elizabeth Garcia, whose work focuses on educational motivation, and Mark T. Brown, Director of the Management Communications Center. Exploring commonalities in business and educational spheres would be uplifting, and will engage all of my most profound interests. -Calvin Thompson What Makes This Essay Work? This essay is strong in three key ways: Shows Passion:It’s clear that this student loves Duke. From gasping at his first look at campus to his mouth almost watering at the thought of going there, he’s clearly committed to the school. Mentions Specific Details:This is a short essay, but the writer still manages to mention multiple professors, programs, and subjects Duke has that he’s interested in. That shows he did his research and definitely isn’t using the same generic essay for each school he applies to. Shows a Plan for the Future:His plans for the future (education + business) aren’t super specific, but that’s fine since most students start college don’t know exactly what they want to do in the future, and Duke doesn’t expect you to have everything figured out already. However, he has a plan to get started and see where those interests take him, which shows motivation and initiative. Summary: Writing a Great Why Duke Essay The Why Duke essay is a key part of your Duke application since it lets the school know why you want to go to Duke, what you want to get out of your time there, and how Duke will prepare you for the future. For this essay, there are two very similar prompts, and the one you answer is based on whether you’re applying to Trinity or Pratt. In 150 words or less, you need to explain why Duke is the school you want to attend. There are many ways to answer the prompt, but you should always make sure to do your research on the school, use specific examples, show your passion for the school, and make every word count. What's Next? Want to know how to answer the other Duke essay prompts?Check out our guide on the Duke essays for everything you need to know! Is Duke an Ivy League School?Learn more about the Ivy League and whether Duke is part of it by reading our guide to Ivy League schools. Want to stand apart from other Duke applicants?Learnhow to score aperfect 1600 on the SAT, so you can increase your shot at getting into the school of your dreams!

Choose one option and write a response paper Essay - 1

Choose one option and write a response paper - Essay Example Researchers have concluded that the reasons behind the patrolling include food availability, hunting activities, intruder pressures and male party size. The following essay looks at the case of the 2012 Oregon Sanctuary Chimp attack. While cleaning the Chimpanzee cage at a sanctuary, the intern and Charla Nash were brutally attacked by a chimpanzee leaving the two brutally injured. The two were cleaning the sanctuary while in the safety of the thought that the chimpanzee was in another area, and it could not get to them through the tunnels. The tunnel enclosure was not properly locked, and the chimpanzee, unfortunately, attacked them. The brutal chimpanzee attack is a normal behavior for chimpanzees that feel that their territory is under threat as previously stated. Charla Nash was also attacked by a friend’s pet chimpanzee in 2009. The chimpanzee weighing at least 200 pounds was outside, and she had gone to help in luring it back to the friend’s house. The two individuals apparently did not understand that chimpanzees are extremely territorial animals, and they can become violent when they are threatened or in the case that someone enters their territory. It was reported that Charla Nash and the owner of the pet were warned about the dangers of having the chimpanzee around. The chimpanzee was maturing and becoming extremely strong, and it has been reported and researched that chimpanzees viciously attack other animals and chimpanzees that pose a threat to its territory. The chimpanzees viciously attack those who are weaker or do no match them in terms of strength. Anthropologists have said that today’s chimpanzees are aggressive because they are endangered by human impact on their natural environment (Watts 317). The reason can perhaps explain the two chimpanzee incidences in this case study. In the Charla Nash, the fast maturing Chimpanzee was forced to live in proximity to human beings and not in their natural

The Battles of Lexington and Concord Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Battles of Lexington and Concord - Essay Example oiling conflict between the British and the colonists which stemmed from the determination of George III and the British Parliament to make the colonies pay the tea tax and force them to abide by the coercive regulations that followed the Tea Party. General Gage, the military governor of Massachusetts, was ordered to enforce the tax laws. His first move was to send troops, led by Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Major John Pitcairn, to Concord to seize stores of arms from which the rapidly forming companies of militia were being supplied. On the night April 18, the British started from Boston. Three colonists known as the riders became pivotal in the colonists answer to this move. Paul Revere and William Dawes, riding by different routes, warned Hancock and Adams of their arrest and aroused the whole countryside along the fifteen miles to Lexington. The third rider, Dr. Samuel Prescott, got the warning to Concord so that when the British arrived, the colonials were ready and expecting them. By April 19, the colonials were ready and they were led by Captain John Parker. The Triangular town common at Lexington was where the British encountered the colonials. Both of the military leaders have ordered their men not fire unless fired upon. Captain Pitcairn, who was leading the assault, declared: â€Å"Ye villains, ye rebels disperse! Lay down your arms!† (Uschan 2003, p. 28) The heavily outnumbered rebels started to leave when, suddenly, a shot was fired. No one know who fired first but after the shot hundreds the firefight began. There were eight dead rebels in the wake of the British army which started for Concorde. At Concord, the people of the town had been busy hiding the Patriots store of arms and ammunition when the British arrived. They set fire to some wooden houses believed to have housed cannons and firearms. By this time, the countryside was swarming with colonial militia and they were angry. (Cook, Perry and Ward, p. 217) From Concord to back to

The System that Couldnt Deliver Essay Example for Free

The System that Couldnt Deliver Essay Three years ago, Diana Sullivan, was recruited by Lenox from a major competitor to work as its Chief Information Officer. Sullivan, a 20-year veteran information systems executive, knew going into this job that computers had never been one of Lenoxs strengths. James Bennett, Lenoxs Chief Executive Officer told Sullivan that they simply need a tool that would help their agents provide fast and reliable information needed to close a sale. After years of hard work, Sullivan thought she had done her job well by delivering Lifexpress on time and on budget. Lifexpress is a sophisticated computer-aided system that enabled Lenoxs 10,000-plus agents to do everything from establishing a prospects financial profile, to selecting the most appropriate products from the companys myriad policies and generating all the paperwork needed to close a sale. Lifexpress, however, wasnt boosting sales productivity as much as management had expected. Two of Lenoxs competitors had launched similar systems and are already running ahead of them. Sullivans Boss, Chief Financial Officer Clay Fontana seems to be blaming Sullivan for the problem. Bennett appeared to correspond with Fontana. They believe that since Lifexpress is Sullivans system then she should be accountable not only for its creation and implementation but for realizing the business goals that goes with it as well. Yet Sullivan believes that had already taken what the necessary steps to bring the company up to speed. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM How can information technology projects help Lenox achieve its business goals?OBJECTIVES1.To describe the companys attitude towards information technology2.To determine how Lenox can achieve radical performance improvements through the use of information technology THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Decisions on investments in IT are both critical and contentious. With a thorough understanding of a companys strategic context, managers can identify business and IT maxims that can help determine the IT infrastructure capabilities necessary to achieve their business goals.Management by Maxims The framework is made up of four components. 1.Considering Strategic Context. To clarify infrastructure requirements, companies also need to understand the current strategies and strategic intents of each business unit, the synergies between units and the firms experiences and beliefs in the value of leveraging those synergies.2.Articulating Business Maxims. Business Maxims capture the essence of a firms future direction. It is grouped into six categories: cost focus; value differentiation as perceived by customers; flexibility and agility; growth; human resources; and management orientation. It is therefore important for managers to prioritize the relative importance of maxims to ensure that the most important messages are understood. Business Maxims form a base from which business and IT executives can work together to identify IT maxims. 3.Identifying IT Maxims. IT Maxims describe how a firm needs to connect, share, and structure information and deploy IT across the firm. It is grouped into five categories: expectations for IT investments in the firm; data access and use; hardware and software resources; communications capabilities and services; and architecture standards approach. 4.Clarifying a Firms View of IT Infrastructure. IT Infrastructure has four views: none, utility, dependent and enabling. Firms take on one view. There is no one best view but rather one is more appropriate for a particular firm, according to its strategic context and business and IT Maxims. A firms view of infrastructure should change together with its strategic context and business maxims. a.None View. It is when a firm decides to do without IT economies among its businesses. It does not invest in IT infrastructures at the firmwide level. b.Utility View. IT infrastructure is viewed as a way to reduce costs through economies of scale and sharing. c.Dependent View. IT infrastructure is viewed as a response to specific strategies. d.Enabling View. IT infrastructure is viewed as a core competence that provides competitive advantage. Firms with this view are industry leaders in terms of infrastructure investment levels and provide extensive infrastructure services in a highly centralized way. CASE ANALYSIS Lenox Insurance Company admits that computers were never their strength and with the way they are going, it will never be. Bringing in new technologies, updating key applications and the reorganizing and streamlining of the information services organization should never be seen as a cure all to the problems plaguing the organization. An information services overhaul is not a feel-good pill. New technologies should be met with fresh attitudes and ideas. Information Services is just one of Lenoxs many problems. In fact, it is not one of its biggest problems when Lifexpress became operational. It is that its top people, its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer have no idea about the concepts of product strategy and increased productivity. The way the Chief Executive Officer and the CFO understand increased productivity is how Lifexpress translates into increased sales. Lifexpress effect on Lenoxs productivity is that it cut the processing of all the necessary paperwork from four weeks minimum to a matter of hours. If thats not an increased in productivity, I do not know what is. Lifexpress should be assessed on its own merits and not on comparisons to competitor systems. Lifexpress was received positively by Lenoxs technologically challenged agents. This could only mean that the agents will get the hang of using the Lifexpress system given time. It is just that Lenoxs agents have a steeper learning curve having a handicap of technological incompetence. Ease of use is relative Lenox insurance company should take the steeper learning curve into consideration. The completion of the Lifexpress project in itself was a success and credit should be given to Sullivan. The project was made operational on time and in budget. It is hard to argue with these facts. It is given that Lenox Insurance Company has more product offerings than its competition so Lenoxs  Lifexpress project should be expected to be more complicated and therefore will take more time to cover all of its services. The Lenox Insurance case resonates with the parable of the mustard seed. As it is now, the proverbial mustard seed, the Lifexpress system cannot be brought into fruition with Lenox Insurance Companys initial technological shock. But it should not lose hope. Lenox Insurance Company can still cultivate its lad to be fertile, given time. Using the management by Maxim Framework, Lenox does have a clear strategic context improve productivity and help the sales force close on more new policies using information services. But it did not have a clear articulation of its business IT maxims. For one, Lenox confuses the goal of increased sales with Lifexpress effect of increased productivity. Starting from a technological handicap relative to competition, Lenoxs investment in Lifexpress was a big leap enough. It is time for them to get back to the drawing board and reassess their business strategies that need to be saved from the quicksand of confusion. The clear articulation of an agreed position in a form that executives understand and act on is sorely lacking in Lenox. Because of this, accountability is muddled and could lead as it is to Lenoxs case to endless and pointless finger pointing. To this end, Sullivan is partly to blame, she should have discussed her role in clear detail with Lenoxs top executives. She could have been spared of all the accusations being thrown at her. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Once and for all, Lenoxs top people should sit down and reassess their strategies using the 4-point Management by Maxim framework. They should agree on courses of action and execute them accordingly. Bibliography: Byron Reimus, The IT system that couldnt deliver, Harvard Business Review (May-June 1997)

Kant’s Categorical Imperatives Essay -- Kants Moral Philosophy

In order to evaluate whether one’s actions are moral, we use many moral dilemmas. One of them is Kant’s categorical imperative. This essay presents Kant’s project of categorical imperative. Then, I will explain that rulers should appeal to Kant’s categorical imperative when making foreign policy decision. In order to support my point of view, I will give importance to the reasons of why rulers appeal to categorical imperative when making foreign policy, so I have two reasons for this. One of them is that states depend on each other in economically and politically. Thus, in order to provide this stability which means that continue to stay among other states, states should act through the principles of categorical imperative which are universally valid, good intention and never using people or other states as means to end. The second reason is that if rulers appeal to categorical imperative when making foreign policy decisions, the world can be more pe aceful. Since, wars and conflicts which are caused by bad intention, using other people or states as means for gaining advantages which are not universally valid can be hindered by categorical imperatives. Finally, I will conclude that the Kant’s categorical imperatives are still valid and necessary when rulers are making foreign policy decisions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If we explain briefly Kant’s categorical imperative, there are basically three principles that represent it. These are universal law, ends as a means and the importance of intention in conducting of human behaviour. Firstly, according to Kant, one’s action should be universally valid. Universal validity means that people should think behaviours and they need to judge their own behaviours or actions are morally acceptable or not. When you think of your behaviour, if you decide that everyone acts in the same way with me, then the action become universal and moral. The second principle of categorical imperative is that people must respect others and never use them for achieving some goals. Lastly, the third but the most important criterion of categorical imperative is maxim, which means intention. Moral value is determined by the intention of people, which is called general maxim. If your intention is good, then your action is moral. The consequences of your action are not important, the most important thing is your intention. For this reason, being moral in... ... a means to their ends. As a result of this kind of action, war between states is inevitable. It is because when one state can act in that way toward others then, other states also act in similar way. For this reason, their interests can be probably conflicted and chaos in world politics can arise. However, if states take into account the principles of categorical imperative, there will be probably no conflict or chaos in the world politics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, when the principles of categorical imperative are concerned, we easily realise that they depend on each other and they help us to evaluate the actions, which are moral. These principles of categorical imperative have the same goal that is being moral. For to be moral, the actions should be universal and should not have the aim of using others in order to gain advantages. If rulers conduct through the principles of categorical imperative then, it is obvious that the world would be more peaceful and fair. However, these obligations are not put into practise in today’s world politics. But, it is enough to know that categorical imperative is still valid and is necessary to apply to today’s conditions of foreign policy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

King Lear Essay

â€Å"King Lear† is one of the greatest dramas written by Shakespeare. It is a poetic tragedy in which the good as well as bad characters play their role. King Lear has three daughters; Goneril, Regan andCordelia. Cordelia is the youngest daughter. She is an important character of the play. In the last act, she is hanged and her death seems unjustified. But it is not true. Shakespeare changed his source material to give his â€Å"King Lear† a tragic ending. Thus there is the defeat of Cordelia’s army,the imprisonment of Lear and Cordelia, and Cordelia’s murder in the prison. This tragic end did not find favour with some critics who felt Cordelia’s death is unjustified. The other school of thought how ever feels that dramatic inevitability demands the death of Cordelia. Before justifying Cordelia’sdeath, it is necessary to understand some points of her nature. In the first Act of the Play, when it is Cordelia’s turn to tell her father how much she loves him, she surprises everybody by saying that she has â€Å"nothing† to say. In this context when asked by her father if she has really nothing to say, Cordelia repeats the word â€Å"nothing†. Lear then tells her:â€Å"Nothing will come of nothing. †Cordelia elaborates the reply she has already given. She says that he as her father, has brought her up and loved her and that in return she has always obeyed, loved and honoured him. She says thatwhen she gets married, half of her love will go to her husband and remaining half for her father. This reply irritates Lear and he dis inherits her. Then the Duke of Burgundy refuses to marry her on being told that she will bring him no dowry at all. Cordelia makes a dignified remark: â€Å"Peace be with Burgundy! Since, that respect of fortune are his love, I shall not be his wife. † We also see that she has a deep love for her father. Later in the play, when Cordelia and Lear are united, she looks after him in his illness. When Lear says that she has sufficient cause to be annoyed with him, she says: â€Å"No cause, no cause. † It is a touching moment in the play. As a consequence of a plot hatched by Edmond, Cordelia is hanged, and we then see Lear carrying her dead body. The death of Cordelia comes as a shock to all of us. To justify her death, we should look at the weakness of her nature. The whole conduct of Cordelia in the opening scene shows that she is a woman of few words. She is by nature reticent. She does not believe in showing off her affections for her father. At the sametime, we cannot deny that this incapacity on her part to express her love for her father is a fault in her nature. If the old man wanted to gratify his dignity, Cordelia should have come out with some sort of assurance that she loved her father deeply because sometimes it is better for a person toexpress his love in words in order to satisfy the other person. There was no need for her to be asblunt as she has proved to be. Her father is aware that she loves him the best but he wants to hear her speak about her love; and her failure to speak annoys him greatly. Thus the fault is not entirelyon Lear’s side; Cordelia cannot completely be exonerated. Her sere nature proves to be the, causeof Lear’s undoing (ruin) and her undoing too. Later on, when she comes to fight against the BritishForces, she makes it clear that it is not on account of any military ambition or any desire for conquest that this invasion is taking place but on account of her love for her father an for therestoration of his rights to him. Thus it cannot be another fault because she could succeed in her purpose by some other means than by fighting. .Bradley rightly points out that Cordelia suffers from a tragic imperfection. It is true that she isdeeply wronged by Lear in the opening scene, but we cannot assert that she her was wholly rig inher behaviour. At a moment, when a momentous issue is under discussion, Fate makes on her theone demand which she is unable to meet. It is a demand which other heroin of Shakespeare’s playscould have met. They could have made the old, unreasonable king feel that he was loved fondly bythem . But Cordelia could not do so because she is Cordelia. We neither blame her, nor justify her completely; we simply experience the tragic emotions of pity. It is noteworthy that Cordelia is notalways reticent; she is not always tongue-tied as several passages show in the play. But tender emotion, for her father makes her dumb as she says: â€Å"Unhappy that I am; I cannot heaveMy heart into my mouth. † But this particular trait in Cordelia’s nature is n the only cause of Lear’s rage in the opening scene. When he asks her to mend her speech a little, she gives him a lengthy answer saying that half of her love will go her husband and that she cannot â€Å"love her father all†. Now even if she is speakingthe truth here, she is not speaking the absolute truth because to give love to a husband cannotmean taking away any part of love from a father. Her responsibility for tragic events cannot bedenied. Through her tragic imperfection, she contributes something to the conflict. While thetragedy is largely due to Lear’s own fault, it is in no small measure due to a deficiency in Cordelia. As the dying Lear gives us a perfect picture of her nature in a few Words: â€Å"Her voice was ever soft;gentle and low, an excellent thing in woman. † She is a loving daughter as in the play it has beensaid:â€Å"Thou hast one daughter,Who redeems nature from the general curseWhich twain have brought her to. †Mrs. Jameson compares Cordelia as the heroine of filial tenderness, with the self-devotion of Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, saying: â€Å"To Antigone, we give our admiration; to Cordelia our tears. Dr Johnson felt that the tragic ending of â€Å"King Lear†, especially the death of Cordelia,violates poetic justice (the virtuous to be rewarded and the wicked to be punished). Besides, he feltthat is the play, the wicked prosper, and the virtuous miscarry (be unsuccessful). The veryconception of a Shakespearean tragedy cannot be squared with such a simple theory of poetic justice of the reward due to virtue. The wages of sin is always death though the rew ard of virtue isnot always happiness. Cordelia’s death is a final crushing blow inflicted upon the repentant King. Atragedy in which everything can be explained and justified is not a tragedy at all. Dr Bradley is of the opinion that the end is to be tragic, it is bound to be completed with the death of Cordelia. It was not possible for Shakespeare to have given King Lear peace and happiness at Cordelia’s fire-side. We cannot dissociate Lear from Cordelia and think of one surviving the other. Lear’s fate,therefore, involves the fate of Cordelia. Her death is sacrificial, and upon such sacrifices whatever gods there may be pour their incense. Goodness and wickedness are each its reward and a truereward— that reconciles us to the close of tragedies in which the great suffer, Lear and Cordelia aremore victims than offenders. The death of Cordelia constitutes an appropriate ending for the play. Some critics are of the opinionthat this death makes the play too sad. Nahum Tate went to the extent of altering the event at theend in order to give it a happy ending. But a happy ending to the play would not really be suitable. Cordelia’s death seems to be gratuitous (uncalled-for) but in tragedy, the suffering of a goodcharacter is always excessive. Therefore, if Cordelia meets her death in spite of her being innocent,we should not protest against the author’s judgment. The divine forces are not unjust. It should be remembered that it is human error that has broughtabout the sufferings of Lear and Cordelia; fate has little role in the matter. Cordelia’s dumbnesscaused all her suffering— that indeed is a concept of justice few can quarrel with, and her deathmakes her character memorable.