Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Research design and methodology Essay Example for Free

Research design and methodology Essay Despite the fact that the complete genome of the organism was already sequenced, the specific genes coding for the needed enzymes to form pores in the host cell were still unidentified. With this lack of information, this study is formulated and designed. Culturing of B. bacteriovorus HD100 on prey dependent and prey independent set-ups: Predatory (HD) cultures of B. bacteriovorus HD100 will be grown on E. coli in Ca2_-HEPES buffer at 30Â °C, with shaking at 200 rpm (8). Escherichia coli ML35 and E. coli W7-M5 (10) will be used as the prey throughout the experiments. Escherichia coli ML35 will be cultured in nutrient broth (Difco Laboratories), and E. coli W7-M5, a lysine and DAP auxotroph, will be cultured in nutrient broth supplemented with 0. 2 mM lysine and 0. 1 mM DAP at 37Â °C with shaking at 200 rpm. Prey-independent HI strains will be plated on rich peptone-yeast extract (PY) medium (8). Synchronous cultures: Synchronous cultures will be used for performing various experiments as described below. Briefly, fresh bdellovibrios will be added to prey cells in HM buffer (3 mM N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-1 mM CaCl. LQ. One mM of MgCl2 will be adjusted to pH 7. 6 using NaOH (10). The organisms will be grown until a final concentration of 1010 bdellovibrios per ml and 5 x 109 E. coli per ml is reached. For proper aeration, volumes will be kept to ? 20% of the flask’s volume and incubated at 30Â °C with shaking at 400 rpm. Synchronous cultures will be examined at intervals for attachment and penetration with a Nikon model L-Ke microscope (Nippon Kogaku Inc. ) equipped with phase-contrast optics and a Nikon model AF camera. Time course Microarray analysis. Time course Microarray analysis will be performed to identify the genes to be expressed during the entry phase, specifically during pore formation on the host cell membrane of B. bacterovorus H100. Microarray slides of B. bacteriovorus H100 will be ordered from Advanced Throughput, Inc Services. Total cellular RNA will be extracted from B. bacteriovorus H100 cells at entry phase using the RNeasy mid kit (Qiagen). The RNA of the organism will also be extracted during the other stages of infection. This will serve as a reference for comparison of the genes expressed and not expressed at the desired stage. Complementary DNA synthesis, fragmentation, labeling, hybridization, staining and washing will be performed according to the Affymetrix B. bacteriovorus H100 GeneChip array expression analysis protocol (Affymetrix). Briefly, cDNA will be synthesized from RNA using Superscript II (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. RNA will be removed by alkaline treatment and subsequent neutralization. Complementary DNA will be purified with QIAquick PCR purification columns (Qiagen). Purified cDNA will be fragmented by DNase I (Amersham) at 37Â °C for 10 min followed by end labeling with biotinddUTP, using an Enzo BioArray terminal labeling kit (Affymetrix), at 37Â °C for 60 min. Hybridization will be performed in an Affymetrix GeneChip hybridization Oven 640. Washing and staining will be performed using an Affymetrix Fluidics Station 400. Arrays will be scanned with an Agilent GeneArray Scanner G2500A. GeneChip scans will be initially analyzed using the Affymetrix Microarray Suite 5. 1 software, from which PivotData tables will be exported. Raw data from the PivotData Tables will be analyzed in GeneSpring software version 6 (Silicon Genetics), using the parameters suggested by Silicon Genetics for analysis of Affymetrix Microarrays. Real-time PCR: Real-time PCR using the Applied Biosystems 7500 Real-time PCR system will be performed to confirm microarray results. RNA will be extracted from B. bacteriovorus H100 at initial phases of predatory life cycle up to entry phase as described above. RNA will be reverse transcribed into cDNA and simultaneously labelled using the iScript One-step RT-PCR kit with SYBR Green (Biorad). RT-PCR reactions will also be performed to amplify cDNA of housekeeping genes (identified from micro array studies) for normalization of fluorescence values. Identifying the specific hydrolytic enzymes of B. bacteriovorus which are involved in pore formation on host cell membrane. Many experiments showed that B. bacteriovorus H100 releases hydrolytic enzymes during predatory life cycle. According to Thomashow and Ritterberg, glycanases and lipopolysaccharideases are required for pore formation in the prey’s peptidoglycan and LPS layers respectively. The glycanase and/or peptidase could be responsible for weakening the peptidoglycan layer of the prey and thereby responsible for permitting conversion of the substrate cell to a spherical shape (10). Tudor et al. proposed another model for penetration. According to them peptidase is responsible for pore formation but not glycanase (11). Specific enzymes involved in pore formation are not known. The genes identified from the time course micro array technique will be mutated as described previously using suicide vector pSSK10. Resulting mutants will be complemented by using vector pMMB206 (8). Mutants will be analysed for the specific enzymes (using 2D-gel electrophoresis) and their actions on host cell i. e, as a glycanase, LPSase or peptidase will be observed by radio labelling experiments (10). Wild-type B. bacteriovorus H100 and complemented strains will be used as controls. Radio labeling experiments: Escherichia. coli W7-M5, auxotroph for lysine and DAP and cannot metabolize glucosamine, will be radiolabelled as described previously (9,10). Peptide portion of E.coli W7-M5 peptidoglycan will be labelled with [3H] DAP and the lipopolysaccharides and glycan portions of the peptidoglycan will be labeled with [3H]glucosamine. Various mutants and wild-type strains will be tested for predation using this radiolabelled strain. Solubilisation of glucosamine and DAP from labelled prey peptidoglycan will be measured as described previously (11). Briefly, samples taken at intervals will be precipitated with an equal volume of cold 10% trichloroacetic acid for 30 min followed by centrifugation. Resulting supernatants will be assayed for soluble radioactivity in a scintillation counter (Rackbeta II). Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis: The hydrolytic enzymes released by B. bacteriovorus H100 during its predatory life cycle will be analyzed by performing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Sample preparation for 2D-gel electrophoresis: Escherichia coli ML35 cells will be challenged with B. bacteriovorus H100 wild-type as well as the mutant strain. Culture fluid will be drawn from synchronous cultures during attachment and entry phases of B. bacteriovorus H100. Culture fluid will be centrifuged to discard any cell debris. Proteins in the supernatant will be precipitated using cold acetone. The precipitated proteins will be separated by centrifugation. The precipitated pellet will be air dried and will be dissolved in rehydration solution (8M urea, 2% CHAPS {3-[3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate}, 18 mM DTT, 0. 5% IPG buffer pH range 4-7; Amersham Biosciences), plus a trace of bromophenol blue. Sample protein concentrations will be determined using the BCA protein assay (Pierce). Resulting protein pellet will be subjected to 2D-gel electrophoresis.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The Benefits of Attending an Inner-City School :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Advantages of Attending an Inner-City School Imagine having a gun stare you straight in the face. What do you do? How do you react? Luckily most people do not have to face a situation like this in their lives. However, this happened to me once while walking to my high school which is located in the middle of a large city. Another young man who was walking past me decided to show off in front of his friends and show them how "manly" he really was. Without saying a word, he walked up to me and began punching me. Once I began fighting back, he pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at me. After seeing this, I ran as fast as I could towards my school, hearing the group of boys laughing hysterically behind me. While this occurrence by no means typifies St. Ignatius High School, going to school did prove to be dangerous at times. While most people hold the belief that inner-city schools can only hinder the learning process, I would argue that these schools provide experiences which enrich one's education simply because of their loc ation in the city. To clarify this point, I must first describe the ways in which Saint Ignatius High School is different from the typical inner-city school. Most people define inner-city schools as institutions which are in the city and have a comparatively inferior education system. This private, Catholic institution consists mostly of white students who come from wealthy families. Although Saint Ignatius is in the city, it also gives its students one of the best educations in the state. In fact, the surrounding city contrasts the school in almost every way. Robberies and fights occur almost daily in this poor area of the city. Mexicans make up the majority of the residents in the surrounding neighborhood. The minute I stepped off the campus of the school, I realized I had entered an entirely new world. Society usually tends to focus on the negative side of inner-city schools. Many people like to stereotype these schools which, while these generalizations may be true in some cases, tend to be exaggerated most of the time. People think that the students of these schools receive inferior educations. My school is regarded as one of the best in the state. People also believe that violence occurs on a daily basis, both in the school itself and in the surrounding city.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Growth of Insurance Industry Post Liberalisation

GROWTH OF INSURANCE INDUSTRY – POST LIBERALIZATION INTRODUCTION : The journey of insurance liberalization process in India is now several years old. The first major milestone in this journey has been the passing of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999. This along with amendments to the Insurance Act 1983, LIC and GIC Acts paves the way for the entry of private players and possibly the privatization of the hitherto public monopolies LIC and GIC. Opening up of insurance to private sector including foreign participation has resulted into various opportunities and challenges. CONCEPT OF INSURANCE : In our daily life, whenever there is uncertainly there is an involvement of risk. The instinct of security against such risk is one of the basic motivating forces for determining human attitudes. As a sequel to this quest for security, the concept of insurance must have been born. The urge to provide insurance or protection against the loss of life and property must have promoted people to make some sort of sacrifice willingly in order to achieve security through collective co-operation. In this sense, the story of insurance is probably as old as the story of mankind. LIFE INSURANCE : n particular provides protection to household against the risk of premature death of its income earning member. Life insurance in modern times also provides protection against other life related risks such as that of longevity (i. e. risk of outliving of source of income) and risk of disabled and sickness (health insurance). The products provide for longevity are pensions and annu ities (insurance against old age). Non-life insurance provides protection against accidents, property damage, theft and other liabilities. Non-life insurance contracts are typically shorter in duration as compared to life insurance contracts. The bundling together of risk coverage and saving is peculiar of life insurance. Life insurance provides both protection and investment. Insurance is a boon to business concerns. Insurance provides short range and long range relief. The short-term relief is aimed at protecting the insured from loss of property and life by distributing the loss amongst large number of persons through the medium of professional risk bearers such as insurers. It enables a businessman to face an unforeseen loss and, therefore, he need not worry about the possible loss. The long-range object being the economic and industrial growth of the country by making an investment of huge funds available with insurers in the organized industry and commerce. GENERAL INSURANCE : Prior to nationalizations of General insurance industry in 1973 the GIC Act was passed in the Parliament in 1971, but it came into effect in 1973. There was 107 General insurance companies including branches of foreign companies operating in the country upon nationalization, these companies were amalgamated and grouped into the following four subsidiaries of GIC such as National Insurance Co. Ltd. , Calcutta; The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. , Mumbai; The Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd. , New Delhi and United India Insurance Co. Ltd. , Chennai and Now delinked. General insurance business in India is broadly divided into fire, marine and miscellaneous GIC apart from directly handling Aviation and Reinsurance business administers the Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme, Personal Accident Insurance, Social Security Scheme etc. The GIC and its subsidiaries in keeping with the objective of nationalization to spread the message of insurance far and wide and to provide insurance protection to weaker section of the society are making efforts to design new covers and also to popularize other non-traditional business. LIBERALIZATION OF INSURANCE : The comprehensive regulation of insurance business in India was brought into effect with the enactment of the Insurance Act, 1983. It tried to create a strong and powerful supervision and regulatory authority in the Controller of Insurance with powers to direct, advise, investigate, register and liquidate insurance companies etc. However, consequent upon the nationalization of insurance business, most of the regulatory functions were taken away from the Controller of Insurance and vested in the insurers themselves. The Government of India in 1993 had set up a high powered committee by R. N. Malhotra, former Governor, Reserve Bank of India, to examine the structure of the insurance industry and recommend changes to ake it more efficient and competitive keeping in view the structural changes in other parts of the financial system on the country. Malhotra Committee's Recommendations The committee submitted its report in January 1994 recommending that private insurers be allowed to co-exist along with government companies like LIC and GIC companies. This recommendation had been prompted by several factors such as ne ed for greater deeper insurance coverage in the economy, and a much a greater scale of mobilization of funds from the economy, and a much a greater scale of mobilization of funds from the economy for infrastructural development. Liberalization of the insurance sector is at least partly driven by fiscal necessity of tapping the big reserve of savings in the economy. Committee's recommendations were as follows: †¢ Raising the capital base of LIC and GIC up to Rs. 200 crores, half retained by the government and rest sold to the public at large with suitable reservations for its employees. †¢ Private sector is granted to enter insurance industry with a minimum paid up capital of Rs. 100 crores. †¢ Foreign insurance be allowed to enter by floating an Indian company preferably a joint venture with Indian partners. Steps are initiated to set up a strong and effective insurance regulatory in the form of a statutory autonomous board on the lines of SEBI. †¢ Limited number of private companies to be allowed in the sector. But no firm is allowed in the sector. But no firm is allowed to operate in both lines of insurance (life or non-life). †¢ Tariff Advisory Committee (TAC) is delinked form GIC to function as a separate statuary body under necessary supervision by the insurance regulatory authority. †¢All insurance companies be treated on equal footing and governed by the provisions of insurance Act. No special dispensation is given to government companies. †¢Setting up of a strong and effective regulatory body with independent source for financing before allowing private companies into sector. COMPETITION TO GOVERNMENT SECTOR: Government companies have now to face competition to private sector insurance companies not only in issuing various range of insurance products but also in various aspects in terms of customer service, channels of distribution, effective techniques of selling the products etc. privatization of the insurance sector has opened the doors to innovations in the way business can be transacted. New age insurance companies are embarking on new concepts and more cost effective way of transacting business. The idea is clear to cater to the maximum business at the lest cost. And slowly with time, the age-old norm prevalent with government companies to expand by setting up branches seems getting lost. Among the techniques that seem to catching up fast as an alternative to cater to the rural and social sector insurance is hub and spoke arrangement. These along with the participants of NGOs and Self Help Group (SHGs) have done with most of the selling of the rural and social sector policies. The main challenges is from the commercial banks that have vast network of branches. In this regard, it is important to mention here that LIC has entered into an arrangement with Mangalore based Corporations Bank to leverage their infrastructure for mutual benefit with the insurance monolith acquiring a strategic stake 27 per cent, Corporation Bank has decided to abandon its plans of promoting a life insurance company. The bank will act as a corporate agent for LIC in future and receive commission on policies sold through its branches. LIC with its branch network of close to 2100 offices will allow Corporation Bank to set up extension centers. ATMs or branches with in its premises. Corporation Bank would in turn implement an effective Cash Flow Management System for LIC. IRDA Act, 1999 Preamble of IRDA Act 1999 reads ‘An Act to provide for the establishment of an authority to protect the interests of holders of insurance policies, to regulate, to promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. Section 14 of IRDA Act, lays the duties, powers and functions of the authority. The powers and functions of the authority. The powers and functions of the Authority shall include the following. †¢ Issue to the applicant a certificate of registration, to renew, modify withdraw, suspend or cancel such registration. †¢ To protect the interest of policy holders in all matters concerning nomination of policy, surrender value f policy, insurable interest, settlement of insurance claims, other terms and conditions of contract of insurance. †¢ Specifying requisite qualification and practical training for insurance intermediates and agents. Specifying code of conduct for surveyors and loss assessors. †¢ Promoting efficiency in the conduct of insurance business †¢ Promoting and regulating professional regulators connected with the insurance and reinsurance business. †¢ Specifying the form and manner in which books of accounts will be maintained and statement of accounts rendered by insurers and insurance intermediaries. †¢ Adjudication o f disputes between insurers and intermediates. †¢ Specifying the percentage of life insurance and general and general business to be undertaken by the insurers in rural or social sectors etc. Section 25 provides that Insurance Advisory Committee will be constituted and shall consist of not more than 25 members. Section 26 provides that Authority may in consultation with Insurance Advisory Committee make regulations consists with this Act and the rules made there under to carry the purpose of this Act. Section 29 seeks amendment in certain provisions of Insurance Act, 1938 in the manner as set out in First Schedule. The amendments to the Insurance Act are consequential in order to empower IRDA to effectively regulate, promote, and ensure orderly growth of the Insurance industry. Section 30 & 31seek to amend LIC Act 1956 and GIC Act 1972. IMPACT OF LIBERALIZATION While nationalized insurance companies have done a commendable job in extending volume of the business opening up of insurance sector to private players was a necessity in the context of liberalization of financial sector. If traditional infrastructural and semipublic goods industries such as banking, airlines, telecom, power etc. have significant private sector presence, continuing state monopoly in provision of insurance was indefensible and therefore, the privatization of insurance has been done as discussed earlier. Its impact has to be seen in the form of creating various opportunities and challenges. Opportunities 1. Privatization if Insurance was eliminated the monopolistic business of Life Insurance Corporation of India. It may help to cover the wide range of risk in general insurance and also in life insurance. It helps to introduce new range of products. 2. It would also result in better customer services and help improve the variety and price of insurance products. 3. The entry of new player would speed up the spread of both life and general insurance. It will increase the insurance penetration and measure of density. 4. Entry of private players will ensure the mobilization of funds that can be utilized for the purpose of infrastructure development. 5. Allowing of commercial banks into insurance business will help to mobilization of funds from the rural areas because of the availability of vast branches of the banks. 6. Most important not the least tremendous employment opportunities will be created in the field of insurance which is a burning problem of the presence day today issues. CURRENT SCENARIO : After opening up of insurance in private sector, various leading private companies including joint ventures have entered the fields of insurance both life and non-life business. Tata – AIG, Birla Sun life, HDFC standard life Insurance, Reliance General Insurance, Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance, Bajaj Auto Alliance, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, INA Vysya Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, Dabur CJU Life Insurance and Max New York Life. SBI Life insurance has launched three products Sanjeevan, Sukhjeevan and Young Sanjeevan so far and it has already sold 320 policies under its plan. CONCLUSION : From the above discussion we can conclude that the entry of private players in insurance business is needful and justifiable in order to enhance the efficiency of operations, achieving greater density and insurance coverage in the country and for a greater mobilization of long term savings for long gestation infrastructure prefects. New players should not be treated as rivalries to government companies, but they can supplement in achieving the objective of growth of insurance business in india. THE GROWTH OF INSURANCE INDUSTRY – POST LIBERALIZATION Prepared by :ashish

Sunday, January 5, 2020

The Odyssey Books 1-4 Notes Essay - 1547 Words

The Odyssey Books 1-4: Notes due Friday 1/10 (3/5) and Monday 1/13 (2/4) An Uncertain Identity Prince Telemachus is the first human character whom the reader meets. He is the son of the long-missing Greek warrior Odysseus, King of Ithaca. Telemachus is too young, too untested, too unsure to have a firmly established sense of identity. Having grown up fatherless in a household full of insolent men who are besieging his mother and consuming his inheritance, he feels totally powerless. The goddess Athena appears to him in the form of a family friend, a captain named Mentes. Telemachus is naà ¯ve and ineffective! He is like the hero at the beginning of the epic cycle. Making Personal Connections How would you feel and what would you†¦show more content†¦The Behavior of Civilized Greeks Focus on the descriptions of the palaces of Nestor and Menelaus. Find quotations that describe their virtues: â€Å"A corded bed inside the echoing colonnade† (Homer 3.445) â€Å"Chambers deep within his lofty house† (Homer 3.449) â€Å"They feasted within the grand, high-roofed palace† (Homer 4.18) What tone (writer’s attitude toward subject matter) is used to describe these homes? How does Homer’s word choice (L2) help to illustrate Greek values (L4)? The author’s tone is excited yet maintains a calmness, like someone in modern times might talk about something expensive that they bought. At points the author speaks with reverence of the palaces. The use of words like â€Å"feasted† and â€Å"echoing† helps in demonstrating the enormity of what they do for things that may seem like every day encounters, such as having a visitor over. This idea helps to demonstrate that the Greeks valued luxury and leisure so they could reap the rewards from the work that they had done. Focus on the manners of hosts and guests. Find quotations to describe honorable and worthy behavior at feasts, sacrifices, during the sharing of stories, etc.: â€Å"Just think of the hospitality we enjoyed at the hands of other men before we made it home† (Homer 4.38-39) â€Å"Quick, unhitch their team. And bring them in, strangers, guests, to share our flowering feast†Show MoreRelatedGreek Mythology1294 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscussion and debate in tutorials, developing arguments, and writing essays. Required Texts: 1) Aeschylus, Oresteia, trans. C. Collard (Oxford World s Classics) 2) Euripides, Bacchae, trans. Paul Woodruff (Hackett) 3) Hesiod, Works and Days and Theogony, trans. Stanley Lombardo (Hackett) 4) Homer, The Iliad, trans. Robert Fitzgerald (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) 5) Homer, The Odyssey, trans. Robert Fitzgerald (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) 6) Virgil, The Aeneid, trans.Read MoreQuestion and Cornell Notes769 Words   |  4 PagesThe ODYSSEY PART: in the PRENTICE HALL Gold Edition Textbook: ASSIGNMENTS and DIRECTIONS on-line and in student’s binders: HW MONDAY night, 3/19.   INTRODUCTION: Read + take 1-page of Test-Review Notes on lined paper (or type them) for pages 641-646; copy definitions/lists as found on pages: EPIC POEM, EPIC HERO, CONCEPTS/top/p.643.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PART I: HW TUESDAY, 3/20: Read Sailing from Troy,  647-648.   In 3-4 sentences, TYPE responses to questions: #1,3, 4. [Optional Extra quiz: Cornell notes.] Read MoreTransformation of Telemachos1232 Words   |  5 PagesPrompt Topic 1: The Odyssey begins not with the adventures of the hero Odysseus himself but instead with four books devoted to the plight and travels of Telemachos. Within these four books (which are often called the Telemachy), we see Odysseus son undergo a transition in which he goes from being a helpless victim among his mother s suitors to a young man actively winning a good reputation among other Greek heroes. Describe this process in which Telemachos matures, paying close attention notRead MoreOf Mice and Men2671 Words   |  11 PagesOf Mice and Men Chapter-by-Chapter Reading Notes and Questions Please answer all questions on a separate page. Of Mice and Men Reading Notes: Chapter One (pgs. 1–16) Introduction While reading Of Mice and Men, we will pause to make some observations. These observations are intended to improve your ability to see and interpret key ideas and events in the story. Write your responses to these questions on a separate sheet of paper as you read. It’s fine to type your responses if you preferRead MoreIliad - Self image1193 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿The Iliad Essay Prompt 1. Complete one take home essay. Provide textual evidence, specific lines and incidents from The Iliad that proves your thesis. You may also draw from The Odyssey. Use in text parenthetical documentation according to MLA standards. The style guide that many colleges use is DianaHacker.com. We will use this style guide for both MLA format and grammar and mechanics. If you have any questions about MLA format, refer to DianaHacker.com. This paper needs to read asRead MoreNotes On The Book The Odyssey 1275 Words   |  6 PagesReading Notes The Odyssey book 1-4 Mena Salman Honors 155 September 10, 2014 Characters introduced in book 5: - Hermes: also known as â€Å"Hermes of the golden wand† or â€Å"the giant killer† is the messenger and son of the god Zeus. He was sent by Zues to inform Calypso of Zeus’s order to free Odysseus. -Leucothoe: also known as Leucothoes the white goddess. Daughter of Cadmus, Ino of the slim ankles she was once an immortal but now a goddess who lives in the salt depths of the sea. Leucothoe offersRead MoreThe Odyssey : An Epic Tale Of One Man s Expedition For Nostos1403 Words   |  6 PagesThe Odyssey, is known as an epic tale of one man’s expedition for nostos. In the beginning of Homer’s Odyssey, it is evident Telemakhos has not yet matured to manhood despite his age; throughout the first four books, known as the telemachy, he goes through a journey in which he develops and ultimately helps with Odysseus’ nostos. Athena has an important role in Telemakhos’ growth to manhood. It is Athena who encourages Telemakhos to go on a quest to find his father. Within this quest Telemakhos maturesRead More Music and the Brain Essays1320 Words   |  6 PagesMusic and the Brain In Macedonian hills, the music of Orpheus was said to possess certain magical qualities, having powers strong enough to alter the very behavior of people and animals. Among its abilities, the notes of Orpheus lyre were said to calm the guard-dog of Hades (1), to cause the evil Furies to cry, and to tame the deadly voices of the Sirens (2). Was this power simply a divine and magical gift with no other explanation, or can we explain more specifically the connections betweenRead MoreEssay on Homers Odyssey as a Moral Epic2528 Words   |  11 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   A large number of the works of ancient poetry and literature have been said to carry a moral undertone. Homers Odyssey is no exception. This essay explores the moral positions that the poem seems to adopt. Subsequently, it will show that while the Odyssey is indeed a moral epic, the moral position of the main characters themselves, namely Odysseus and the Gods, can, at times, be questionable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Loyalty is one moral value that is evident throughout the poem. NoRead MoreEssay on The Enduring Loyalty, Love, and Compassion of Eumaios847 Words   |  4 Pagespossessions, seduce your spouse, and act as though you will never return. Most likely, more people will try to harm your estate than those who will continue working and behaving in an honest manner. This notion holds true in Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. While Odysseus wages war and struggles to return to Ithaka , a multitude of suitors court his wife and live at the cost of his possessions. On the other hand, a few people like Eumaios remain steadfast to the truth and work to maintain Odysseus’