A Hero Is No Braver Than An Ordinary Man - 1387 Words

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, â€Å"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.† Yet, if you ask anyone else, he will likely give you a completely different definition of heroism. Heroism is an inconsistent social construct that all may interpret to suit their own wants and beliefs. My personal definition of a hero comes not from the virtues of man, but the flaws. While heroes today are often seen as perfect individuals with a single flaw in order to make them â€Å"relatable,† real heroes are much more complex. Someone who is heroic may need their own, special opportunity to be heroic just because â€Å"random acts of kindness† simply do not exist in day-to-day life, but heroes do. A hero’s influence does not have to be widespread, nor does it have to be deep-seated in our modern culture. However, the main trait that prevents everybody from being a hero is the ability to act on one’s dreams and follow through on one’s commitments. Simply put, it takes perseverance and tenacity in order to reach for one’s dreams and achieve one’s goals. A hero must also have the good sense and intelligence it takes in order to be able to overcome one’s own imperfections or weaknesses. A man who possessed the wherewithal to achieve his goals and more was Nikola Tesla. Tesla was born in Smiljan, Croatia, on July 10, 1856. His true academic career began in college, where he studied at both the Polytechnic School at Graz, as well as the University of Prague. While he wasShow MoreRelatedLeiningen vs. the Ants Essay903 Words   |  4 PagesA hero is â€Å"one that shows great courage† according to Webster’s Dictionary. In Leiningen versus the Ants by Carl Stephenson, the protagonist Leiningen can be considered a hero. Not only does he risk his life to save his peon workers and farm, but he is respected by all in every way, shape, and form. Although he has many advantageous characteristics, he also has some that are quite dubious, making a slight dent in his bold delineation. In total, Leiningen has both positive and problematic attributesRead MoreAre Heroes Born or Made?1263 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer. Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes †What is a hero? Is a hero someone who flies around wearing a red cape and blue tights? Is a hero someone in comic books who always fights the bad guys? Or is a hero an ordinary person who just does what they can to help others. Well in my opinion a hero is anyone who can show courage when faced with a problem. A hero is a person who is able to help another in various ways. A person canRead MoreOdysseus Defines an Epic Hero Essay950 Words   |  4 PagesOdysseus Defines an Epic Hero On a website posted by teachers at Harker Heights High, an epic hero is someone who embodies the values of a particular society. He is superhuman. An epic hero is braver, stronger, and cleverer than an ordinary person. He is on a quest for something of great value to him or his people. The villains that try to keep the hero from his quest are usually uglier, more evil, and more cunning than anyone we know in ordinary life. The epic hero is often of mixed divineRead MoreSimilarities Between Odysseus And Macbeth1357 Words   |  6 Pagesfrom the fact that Odysseus is an epic hero, while Macbeth is a tragic hero. Common traits of a tragic hero are the hero is of noble birth the hero possesses a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. The flaw offer has to do with excessive pride also known as hubris. On the other hand, epic heroes are larger than life and embody the values of particular society, an epic hero is superhuman. He is braver, stronger, smarter and cleverer t han an ordinary man. Many times they are on a quest forRead MoreGoing Out of Their Way for the Well-being of Another...That Is a Hero645 Words   |  3 PagesA hero is defined as a person, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. What is your perception of a hero? Is it a â€Å"hero† from the movies, like spiderman or batman? The idea of heroism is widespread and many opinions arise from the concept. A hero is someone who goes out of their way for another’s well being. Calvin Coolidge, a writer, once said, â€Å"Heroism is not only in the man, but in the occasion.† (Brainy quote). For one to actually be a hero, oneRead More Beowulf vs. Gilgamesh as Epic Heroes Essay1025 Words   |  5 Pagesimportant part of a man’s life back during the seventh and eighth centuries. Every battle has a man who stands out at the forefront and shines above the rest. During these two time periods there stood two great men: Gilg amesh, the selfish, lustful king, and Beowulf the proud and boastful warrior. These two men, both powerful and well-respected, embody the true essence of what it means to be an epic hero. Gilgamesh’s lifestyle and rash decisions make him the perfect candidate for a life lesson by theRead MoreHector And Achilles : The Values Of Achilles And Hector787 Words   |  4 PagesHomer, Achilles and Hector, although different personality wise, they both portray the ideal values of an epic hero. An epic hero, according to Greek mythology, is a human being with characteristics that society admires and wishes to emulate. He fights for a noble cause, defending those who cannot defend themselves. He is a superhuman; he is braver, stronger and smarter than any ordinary person. And yet, even though extraordinary in all ways, he has a mix of divine and mortal blood in him, makingRead MoreWhat Makes a Hero? Essay1377 Words   |  6 PagesEveryday, society misconceives identities. In the eyes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, â€Å"A hero is no braver than any ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.† Heroism, in Emerson’s perspective, is the ability to stand out for longer, and to endure hardships for greater durations. The passengers on United Flight 93, which was hijacked by terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks on the U.S demonstrated bravery like few other civilians can measure up to. Although it is not clear whetherRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Be owulf - Noble Or Narcissistic1002 Words   |  5 Pages Noble or Narcissistic Many people have different understandings of what it is to be a hero. In the dictionary the definition of a hero is a person, typically a man, who people admire or idolize for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Beowulf lacks noble qualities. Noble qualities show what he will fight for what they believe in no matter the cost or the benefits. A true hero fights for the good in the world and what they believe in their heart. In the epic poem BeowulfRead MoreAchilles: A Classical Hero Essay example1091 Words   |  5 PagesAcross the world, ordinary people find heroes that they aspire to imitate. Comic books portray heroes as super strong men in spandex suits, and although a three-year-old child might aspire to be superman, more mature audiences hopefully find more realistic figures to idolize. Take Barack Obama, the President of the United States; he worked his entire life to attain the highest position in our government, President. Obama was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth but to a single mother in Hawaii

Global Warming The Kyoto Protocol - 1183 Words

Introduction According to the American Meteorological Society, there is a 90 percent probability that the global temperature will increase between 3.5 to 7.4 â„Æ' by 2100 [1]. This increase in global warming could trigger widespread catastrophes such as rising sea levels and famine. International cooperation is crucial because there is not a single country that accounts for 26% of global emissions, and mitigation will require more than 15 countries in order to account for at least 75% of emissions [2]. Also, some countries may free ride other countries’ efforts and gain a competitive advantage because they will continue maintaining their current carbon footprint [2]. Thus, international cooperation will also satisfy a country’s political and economical concerns. In response to the threat climate change poses, the Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty adopted by the UNFCC in the year 1997, which entered into force in 2005 [3]. In particular, the protocol hopes to legally compel ratifying and industrialized countries into lowering global warming through the reduction of six greenhouse gases that affect it. Quantifiable targets included reducing collective emissions by 5.2% compared to 1990 levels, with each country having a â€Å"common, but differentiated† responsibility that was based on their contribution to global emissions (see Appendix A) [3]. Each country’s target had to be met with either national measures or the following three flexibility mechanisms that wouldShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And The Kyoto Protocol1470 Words   |  6 Pagesthe global warming agenda and tackle the issues surrounding the Kyoto Protocol. The second part will look at climate change and the protocol from the respective lenses of realism a nd liberalism. I will argue that while none of the theories precisely covers the entirety of the issue, each provides helpful analysis falls short of clarifying the entire climate change picture. Can states cooperate effectively through the structure of the Kyoto protocol to solve an international problem of global warmingRead MoreKyoto Protocol And Global Warming1173 Words   |  5 PagesIn December 1997, Kyoto protocol was signed to address global warming specifically. Global warming is the â€Å"gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth s atmosphere and its oceans due to green house gases emissions.†(NRDC, 2005) In the past 100 years, the rate of global warming is unprecedented. In fact, global warming has become one of the most challenging environmental problems in the 21st century. In order to effectively address this issue, international cooperation is necessary.Read MoreGlobal Warming And The Kyoto Protocol1737 Words   |  7 Pagesgovernments have bee n working on addressing one of the major challenges the world has been challenged to this day which widely is known as Global Warming. The Kyoto protocol is the well-known abiding playground internationally recognized as a global treaty placing obligations on developed nations to significantly minimize their Green House Gas emissions first adopted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997. Three actions are recommended for the UN to take up on: First, the UN shall bring all the major actors onboard toRead More Global Warming and the Kyoto Protocol Essay886 Words   |  4 Pages Global Warming and the Kyoto Protocol   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the world today there are talks about why and how the people of this planet are polluting the rivers, lakes, soil, and even air. With these talks countries are coming up with great ways to reduce this problem. They see the effects and they are happy and life goes on but there is another problem, the one the everyday people just can’t solve with their own hands, that problem is the theory of global warming. During December of 1997, a meeting inRead More Global Warming and the Kyoto Protocol Essay1229 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal Warming and the Kyoto Protocol Environmental issues are becoming a growing concern for the world as well as for the worlds leaders. Pollution, littering and the burning of fossil fuels are all problems that have drastically affected humans over the past few years. Impure drinking water, radiation, less ecological diversity and cancer are a few of such harms that the world has experienced. However, one of the most prominent concerns is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect, a naturalRead MoreThe Kyoto Protocol: An Attempt to Manage Global Warming Essay1010 Words   |  5 PagesThe Kyoto protocol is one of the most important treaties signed in contemporary days. It has great limitations and is yet to evolve to another level, but it addresses an issue that affects not one, two or ten countries – it affects the entire world. That is why countries have to work and cooperate to create a binding legal document that sets specific standards to greenhouse gas emissions. In recent decades we have witnessed a gradual change in our environment. Our planet is heating up very quicklyRead MoreThe Kyoto Protocol Essay1388 Words   |  6 Pagespaper examines the Kyoto Protocol and the United States position on their participation in the Kyoto Protocol. To understand the underpinnings of the Kyoto Protocol one must agree that our planet is warming, and we (its citizens) are contributing to its warming. Any general argument about global warming has to address at least the following five questions: 1. Is global warming really occurring? 2. If global warming is occurring, are humans responsible for it? 3. If global warming is occurring, whatRead More Global Warming Blown Out of Proportion Essay1126 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal Warming Blown Out of Proportion The United States by no means should consider complying with the Kyoto Protocols. My conviction in the negation towards passing this bill is that the whole Global Warming idea is highly blown out of proportion by politicians and the mass media. Global warming, as it may exist in the most gentle form, is the result of natural changes and could yield positive benefits. It is a predictable, quantifiable process. Thus the Kyoto planRead MoreGlobal Warming And Climate Change1339 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Environmental Problem Kyoto was created in 1997 during the Third Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC with the objective to globally reduce GHG emissions and ultimately address climate change (United Nations, 1997). This international agreement is based on the premise that global warming is mostly due to GHG emissions and those emissions are undeniably anthropogenic (United Nations, 1997). International Cooperation Because the atmosphere is a public good, individual countries haveRead MoreKyoto Protocol And Its Effect On The Earth s Natural Cycles999 Words   |  4 Pages20th century, global changes were measurable. This marked the beginning of the â€Å"Anthropocene†, and era where human activity became a force affecting the Earth’s natural cycles. One of these changes is a global planetary warming, causing more frequent droughts or heavy rains depending on the locations, ice cap melting at the Earth’s poles and rising sea levels, triggered by the emission of massive amounts of man-made greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide (Holland 2015). This warming impacts everyone

Emergence of Critical and Cultural Theories free essay sample

Culture : the learned behavior of members of a given social group. Cultural studies: Focus use of media to create forms of culture that structure everyday life. Political economy theories: Focus on social elites use of economic power to exploit media institutions. 2 There are microscopic interpretive theories that focus on how individuals and social groups use media to create and foster forms of culture that structure everyday life. These theories are referred to as cultural studies theories. There are macroscopic structural theories that focus on how social elites use their economic power to gain ontrol over and 3 Cultural Theory: Theories openly espousing certain values and using these values to evaluate and criticize the status quo providing alternate ways of interpreting the social role of mass media. Those who develop critical theories seek to initiate social change that will implement their values. Political economy theories are inherently critical but some cultural studies 4 Critical theories often provides complex explanations for this tendency of media to consistently do so. We will write a custom essay sample on Emergence of Critical and Cultural Theories or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page E. g: some critical theorists identify constraints on media practitioners that limit their ability to challenge established authority. They charge that few incentives exist to encourage media professionals to overcome these constraints and that media 5 Critical theory often analyzes specific social institutions, probing the extent to which valued objects are sought and achieved. Mass Media and the mass culture have been linked to a variety of social problems, they are criticized for aggravating or preventing problems from being identified or addressed. A common theme in critical theories of media is that content production is so constrained 6 Consider for example, the last time you read news about members of a social ovement that strongly challenged the status quo? Why were the college students who protested against the Communist Chinese government in Tiananmen Square heroes of democracy and those in American anti-war hippies and radicals? Stories about movements imply problems with 7 controntation. Movement leaders demand coverage ot their complaints and they stage demonstrations designed to draw public attention to their concerns. Elites seek to minimize coverage or to exercise spin control so that the coverage favors their position. How do Journalists handle this? How should they handle it? Existing research indicates that this coverage almost always degenerates movements and supports elites. 8 Critical theory: Strengths: 1. Is politically based, actionoriented. 2. Uses theory and research to plan change in the real world. 3. Asks big, important questions about media control and ownership. 9 Weaknesses: 3. When subjected to scientific verification, often employs innovative but controversial research methods. 0 Rise of Cultural Theories in Europe: Despite its long life in American Social Science, the Limited Effects Paradigm never enjoyed great popularity in europe. European social research has instead been characterized by what U. S. Observers regard as grand social theories. Grand Social Theory: Highly ambitious, 1 1 In Europe, the development of grand social theory remained a central concern in the social s ciences and humanities. Mass society theory gave way to a succession of alternate ideas. Some were limited to specific nations and others spread across many countries. Some of the most widely accepted have been based on the writings of Karl Marx. Marxist theory influenced even the theories that were created in reaction against it. Marxist ideas formed a foundation or touch stone for most postworld War II european social theory and research. 12 Cold War politics colored much of the U. S. Response to it. Ironically, in the 1970s and 1980s, at the very time that Marxist failed as a practical guide for politics and economics in Eastern Europe, grand social theories based on Marxist thought were gaining increasing acceptance in Western Europe. 3 MARXIST THEORY: Marxist Theory: Theory arguing that the hierarchical class system is at the root of all social problems and must be ended by a revolution of the proletariat. Karl Marx developed this theory in the latter part of the nineteenth century during one of the most volatile periods of social change in Europe. In some respects, his theory is yet another version ot mass society theory- but witn several ve ry important alterations and additions. 14 He identified industrialization and urbanization as problems but argued that these changes were not inherently bad. Instead, he blamed ruthless robber baron capitalists for exacerbating social problems because they maximized personal profits by exploiting workers. Marx argued that the hierarchical class system was the root of ll social problems and must be ended by a revolution of the workers or proletariat. He believed that elites dominated society primarily through their direct control over the means of production (i. e. , labor, factories, land) which he referred to as the base of society. 15 But elites also maintained themselves in power through their control over culture, or the superstructure of society. He saw culture as something that elites freely manipulated to mislead average people and encourage them to act against their own interest. He used the term ideology to refer to these forms of culture. To him, ideology operated much like a drug. Those who were under its influence fail to see how they are being exploited. In worst cases, they are so deceived, that they actually 16 undermine their own interests and do things that increase the power of elites while making their own lives even worse. Marx concluded that the only hope for social change was a revolution in which the masses seized control of the base the means of production. Control over the superstructure -over ideology would naturally follow. He saw little possibility that reforms in the super structure could ead to social evolution, or if it could, that -that transformation would be very slow in coming. Elites would never willingly surrender POWER. Power must be taken from them. Little purpose would be served by making minor changes in ideology 17 without first dominating the means of production. Neomarxist Theory: Contemporary incarnation of Marxist theory focusing attention on the super structure. The importance that Neomarxists attach to the super structure has created a fundamental division within Marxism. Many neomaxists assume that useful change can begin with peaceful, ideological reform rather than violent revolution in which he working class seizes control of the means of production. 18 Some neomarxists have developed critiques that call for radically transforming the superstructure while others call for modest reforms. Tensions have arisen among scholars who base their work on Marxs ideas over the value of the work being done by 19 the various neomarxist schools. Textual Analysis and Literary Criticism: Modern european cultural studies theories have a second, very different source a tradition of humanist criticism of religious and literary texts that is referred to hermeneutics. Hermeneutics: the interpretation f texts to identify their actual or real meaning. 20 -humanists who worked to identify and preserve what came to be known as the literary canon a body of the great literature. The literary canon was part of what was referred to as high culture, a set of cultural artifacts including music, art, literature, and poetry that humanists Judged to have the highest value. 1 the level of culture to enable even more people to become humane and civilized. Over the years, many different methods for analyzing written texts have emerged from hermeneutics. They share a common purpose: to criticize old and new cultural ractices so that those most deserving of attention can be identified and explained and the less deserving can be dismissed. This task can be compared with that of movie critics who tell us which films are good or bad and assist us in appreciating or avoiding them. The primary difference is that movie critics are typically not committed to promoting higher 22 cultural values; they only want to explain which movies we are likely to find entertaining. THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL One early prominent school of neo-marxist theory developed during the 1930s at the University of Frankfurt and became known as the Frankfurt School. 3 Two of the most prominent individuals associated with the school were Max Horkheimer, its long time head, and Theodor Adorno, a prolific and cogent theorist. Horheimer and Adorno were openly skeptical that high culture could or should be communicated through mass media. Adorno argued that radio broadcasts or records couldnt begin to adequately reproduce the sound of a live symphony orchestra. He ridiculed the reproduction of great art in 24 magazines or the reprinting of great novels in condensed, serialized form. He claimed that mass media reproductions of high culture were inferior and diverted eople from seeking out (and paying for) the real thing if bad substitutes for high culture were readily available, he believed too many people would settle for them and fail to support better forms of culture. The Frankfurt School has been criticized along with other forms of traditional humanism for being too elitist and paternalistic. By rejecting the possibility of using media to disseminate 25 high culture, most ot the population was ettectively denied access to it Many ot the schools criticisms of media paralleled those of mass society theory and had the same limitations. The Frankfurt School eventually had a direct impact on American social research because the rise of the Nazis forced its Jewish members into exile. 26 During the period of exile, however, Frankfurt School Theorists remained prodductive. They devoted considerable effort, for example, to the critical analysis of Nazi culture and the way it undermined and perverted high culture. In their view, Nazism grounded on a phony, artificially constructed folk culture that had been cynically created and manipulated by Hitler and his propagandists. 27 Nazism helped them envision the Germany they longed to see a unified, proud ation with a long history of achievement and a glorious future. As they rose to power, the Nazis replaced high culture with their pseudofolk culture and discredited important forms of high culture, especially those created by Jews. 8 DEVELOPMENT OF NEOMARXIST THEORY IN BRITAIN: Dunng the 1960s and 1970s , two important schools of neomarxist theory emerged in Great Britain. British Cultural studies and political economy theory. British cultural studies combines neomarxist theory with ideas and research methods derived from diverse sources including literary criticism, linguistics, anthropology, and history. This theory has attempted to trace historic elite domination over culture, to criticize the 29 social consequence of this domination and to demonstrate how it continues to be exercised over specific minority groups or subcultures. British cultural studies criticizes and contrasts elite notions of culture, including high culture, with popular, every day forms practiced by minorities. The superiority of all forms of elite culture including high culture is challenged and compared with useful, valuable forms of popular culture. Hermeneutic attention is shifted from the study of elite cultural rtifacts to the study of minority grouped Lived culture. 30 Graham Murdock(1989) traced the rise of British cultural studies during the 1950s and 1960s. Most important theorists came from the lower social classes that were the focus of the movies. The British cultural studies critique of high culture and ideology was an explicit rejection of what its proponents saw as alien forms of culture imposed on minorities. They defended indigenous forms of popular culture as legitimate expressions of minority groups/ A dominant early theorist was Raymond Williams, a literary scholar who achieved 31 Notoriety with his reappraisals of cultural development in England. Williams ideas were viewd with suspicion and skepticism by many of his colleagues at Cambridge University. Toward the end of 1960s and into the 1970s, Williams turned his attention to mass media. He was more broadly concerned with issues of cultural change and development as well as elite domination ot culture. 3 repackaged as popular, mass media content. If there were to be genuine progress, he felt, it would have to come through significant reform of social institutions. The first important school of cultural studies theorists was formed at the University of Birmingham, during the 1960s and was led by Stuart Hall. Hall (1982) was especially influential in directing several analyses of mass media that directly challenge limited effects notions and in introducing innovative alternatives. Building on ideas developed by Jurgen Habermas(1971 , 1989) and Williams, Hall argued that mass media liberal -democracies can be best understood as a pluralistic public forum in which various forces struggle to shape popular notions about social reality. Pluralistic Public Forum: In critical theory, the idea that media provide a place where the power of dominant lite can be challenged. British Cultural Studies: Strengths: 1 . Asserts value of popular culture 2. Empowers Common Man 34 3. Empowers minorities and values their culture. 4. Stresses cultural pluralism and egalitarianism. Weaknesses: 1. Is too political; call to action is to subjective 2. Typically lacks scientific verification; is based on subjective observation. 3. When subjected to scientific verification, often employs innovative but controversial research methods. 35 Unlike traditional Marxists, Hall did not argue that elites can maintain complete control over this forum. In his view, elites dont need that power to advance their interests. The culture expressed in this forum is not a mere superficial reflection of the superstructure but is instead a dynamic creation of opposing groups.