The Transformation of Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh :: Epic Gilgamesh essays

The Transformation of Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh In many literary works we see significant transitions in the hero's character as the story is developed. This is also true in the Epic of Gilgamesh with its hero, Gilgamesh. In this narrative poem, we get glimpses of who Gilgamesh is and what his purposes and goals are. We see Gilgamesh act in many different ways -- as an overbearing ruler resented by his people, a courageous and strong fighter, a deflated, depressed man, and finally as a man who seems content with what he's accomplished. Through all of these transitions, we see Gilgamesh's attitude toward life change. The goals he has for his own life alter dramatically, and it is in these goals that we see Gilgamesh's transition from being a shallow, ruthless ruler to being an introspective, content man. The epic begins with the men of Uruk describing Gilgamesh as an overly aggressive ruler. "'Gilgamesh leaves no son to his father; day and night his outrageousness continues unrestrained; And he is the shepherd of Uruk, the enclosure; He is their shepherd, and yet he oppresses them. Strong, handsome, and wise. . . Gilgamesh leaves no virgin to her lover.'"(p.18, Line 23-27) The citizens respect him, but they resent his sexual and physical aggression, so they plead to the gods to alleviate some of their burden. The gods resolve to create an equal for Gilgamesh to tame him and keep him in line. This equal, Enkidu, has an immediate impact on Gilgamesh. When they first meet, both having never before met a man equal in stature, they brawl. "They grappled with each other, Snorting like bulls; They shattered the doorpost, that the wall shook."(p.32, lines 15-18)   In giving Gilgamesh a real battle, Enkidu instantly changes him; having this equal gives Gilgamesh a sense of respect for anoth er man. These two men fighting each other creates a serious mess, but they both end up without animosity toward the other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The next time we see them, their friendship is concrete. "They kissed one another, And formed a friendship."(p.33, line 19-20) Gilgamesh seems to be the leader at the start of their relationship, and right away, he plans an adventure for them. "In the forest dwells the terrible Huwawa. Let us, me and thee, kill him, And let us destroy all the evil in the land."(p. 34, line 96-98) Here, Gilgamesh reveals one reason that he wants to kill Huwawa - to destroy the evil in the land.

PS4 Situational Analysis Essay

Sony is a Japan based company that operates in over 180 countries worldwide. (Company Profile for Sony Corporation, 2011) Sony was co-founded by Masaru Ibuka and Aki Miruta in 1946 and since then has grown into an international multimillion dollar company (Sony Corporation, 2014). Ibuka and Miruta originally started out manufacturing measuring equipment (Sony Corporation, 2014), and have expanded into more complex technological solutions, such as laptops, gaming consoles, and communications devices. One product in particular is the PlayStation 4. The PS4 is the most recent of Sony’s gaming consoles and since its release at the end of 2013 has sold 7 million units (Plafke, 2013), raking in 45 billion dollars of revenue for Sony (n4g, 2014). The aim of this report is to assist Sony in identifying markets that they have the potential to enter. The report will include a situational analysis on Sony’s most recent product, the PlayStation 4. Through looking at the companyâ₠¬â„¢s current market, competitors and the external macro environment that has second hand effects on them. Furthermore, I will conduct a TOWS analysis, and then go on to make recommendations in relation to improving Sony’s corporate strategy. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS: Market Analysis: The current market for technological goods and services is very high and will only rise in the future as consumers and other companies become more reliant on it for day to day use. Competitor Analysis: Sony has many different competitors because they are so diverse and have many different areas of technology in which they operate. An example of Product Competition is Microsoft, as they released their Xbox One just one month before the PS4 was released. They are in a similar price range, with the Xbox One selling for $750 and the PS4 selling for $650. Since the release of these gaming consoles last year, Sony and Microsoft have been neck in neck with sales volumes and profits, but it appears that overall Son has come out on top, with 7 Million units sold by March 2014 compared to the 6 Million sold by Microsoft. Another case of product competition is Samsung. Both Samsung and Sony produce innovative technology in the form of video solutions and televisions. Samsung’s strategy however, is to go for the  higher income consumers, while Sony targets the middle class. Sony has many competitors, but it handles them very well. Macro environmental Analysis: Political: A political factor that affects Sony is government law, and more specifically, minimum wage. This increases almost every year and causes Sony’s costs to increase. Sony also needs to take into account some of the substances they use to create their products. There are a couple of class 1 substances and several class 3 ones. The government in most countries have very strict laws about how to dispose the wastes. To comply with certain standards of operation, Sony bases its disposal of dangerous substances around the Japan’s pollutant Release and Transfer Register (Sony Corporation, 2014). Environmental: Despite being a large cooperation, Sony is very conscious of effects to the natural environment. The company Technological: Sony always tries to be at the front of technological change. This can be seen with their attempts to reduce the amount of resources in their products, epically the VAIO laptops. They recycle all of their wastes and their inputs largely come from recycled materials. Social: The social macro environment refers to how they relate to societal culture. This includes their employee and customer relations. In terms of employees, Sony has proven that they care about their staff, by providing them with numerous benefits such as health care. (Singh, 2010). Technological: This macro environmental factor can only be seen as an opportunity for Sony, as they are constantly creating new technological solutions and try to stay ahead of the curve. The company is often the one creating the newest technology, like in the case of the Walkman. (Sony Corporation, 2014). TOWS ANALYSIS: Threats: The main threat Sony faces is price competition from every angle of the market. The company is competing with Microsoft in the computer and gaming  consoles product area, then with Panasonic in the television and music department and with LG’s communications products. A second threat Sony faces relates to most of its production being in Japan. The company is susceptible to a fluctuating currency rate. For example the Japanese Yen has been steadily rising against both the US dollar and the Euro since November 2013 and experienced a 5% increase against the US dollar in December 2013. (OANDA, 2014). This made Sony’s imports to these countries from Japan seem relatively more expensive than products made locally. Another threat Sony faces is one relating to the specific product being discussed in this report. Recently the PS4 network was hacked, allowing users’ credit card details and other private information to be taken. (MacManus, 2012). Being vulnerable to attac ks from hackers is a very big threat for the Sony Corporation. Opportunities: The Sony brand has been given many opportunities. One of these is that Blu-ray is become increasingly more popular, which gives Sony the opportunity to make these players as cheaply and efficiently as they can. A second opportunity is their partnership with the big gaming franchise Fifa. This enhances Sony’s corporate value. Weaknesses: One weakness of the Sony Corporation is its location. Almost its entire manufacturing takes place in Japan, which means it is very far away from 60% of its other consumers. A second weakness is that the company’s revenue appears to be decreasing over the past several years, with revenues falling constantly by just under 20%. (Sony Global, 2012). Strengths: One strength of the Sony brand is that its name is very well established and is internationally known as a household brand name when it comes to technology. These deep roots allowed it to take 29th place at the InterBrands in 2009, (InterBrand, 2009) which means that comes to the mind of a potential consumer before a company competing for brand recognition. A second strength is that it is an internationally recognized company, with almost products and services available in almost 200 countries throughout the world. For example, Sony receives revenue from all over the world, for example, in the 2012 financial year the company received 18% of revenues  from the United States, 14% from Europe, 42% from Japan and 25% from other countries. (Sony Global, 2012). This example of market diversification is a strength to Sony’s cooperate strategy because it minimizes and even offsets impacts of adverse macro conditions (e.g. economical) that may occur in one region of operation. TARGET MARKETS: Sony’s overall target market is very broad. They aim their products at upper middle class people in developed countries. These people earn an average salary and Sony prices their products accordingly. The specific product I am researching, the PS4, has a slight more specific target market. This product is aimed at the younger generations, people under 30. Their marketing was directed towards â€Å"gamers in every sense of the word† (Placeholder2). RECOMMENDATIONS: One recommendation I would make to the Sony Corporation is to consider market development, where they sell their lower budget products in places like India. For example, Samsung sells their cheaper headsets in India because there is a high demand. If Sony did this they would increase their market share and gain a whole new chuck of consumers. BIBLIOGRAPHY Company Profile for Sony Corporation. (2011). Retrieved from in.reuters: http://in.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=SNE.N InterBrand. (2009). InterBrands 2009. Retrieved from InterBrand: http://www.interbrand.com/en/ Joseph, S. (2013, November 18). Sony to Switch PS4 Marketing from low key to high impact. Retrieved from Marketing Week: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/sony-to-switch-ps4-marketing-from-low-key-to-high-impact-in-2014/4008590.article MacManus, C. (2012, October 24). Sony’s PlayStation network hack. Retrieved from cnet.com: http://www.cnet.com/news/sonys-playstation-3-experiences-its-biggest-hack-yet/ n4g. (2014, March 28). PS4 reaches 7 million worldwide. Retrieved from n4g: http://n4g.com/news/1483878/ps4-reaches-7-million-worldwide-as-infamous-second-son-sells-a-million-at-launch OANDA. (2014). Historical Exchange Rates. Retrieved from OANDA: http://www.oanda.com/currency/historical-rates/ Plafke, J. (2013, November 28). PS4 sale make more pr ofit for AMD than Sony. Retrieved from geek.com:

Black Slavery An Essential Part Of The American Economy

During the 1800s, black slavery was an essential part of the American economy. Abolitionism, a movement existing concurrently with the institution of slavery, arose aiming to eradicate the practice of slavery and to provide equal rights for black Americans. Determined abolitionists turned to literature, activism, and progressive action to work toward their goal. Extreme abolitionists even went was far as participating illegally in a network of northbound trails located in the south which came to be known as the Underground Railroad. Founded in the early 1800s, the Underground Railroad consisted of abolitionist â€Å"conductors† and other activists working to liberate individual slaves. Conductors and hosts of safe houses such as Harriet Tubman and William Still, moved slaves from the slavery ridden South to the free soil of the North. Federal and state attempts to maintain slavery proved to be setbacks for the participants in Underground Railroad, however, despite these setbac ks, the Underground Railroad had substantial success in liberating many individuals. Outspoken and active abolitionism among determined individuals, both white and black, and religious groups in the nineteenth century contributed to the success of the Underground Railroad in helping black individuals at the same time as both governmental and societal attempts to continue the institution of slavery.†¨ During the United States’ early stages of independence, the American economy was in need of aShow MoreRelatedSlavery During The American Colonies Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesSlavery in the American colonies had greatly shaped the nation as we know it to be today. After the discovery of the New World, Spanish conquerors intended to enslave Native Americans, but punishment, overwork, and diseases such as small pox and malaria decreased their population rapidly. The only solution was to kidnap African Americans from their homeland and transport them on ships under poor, u nsanitary conditions, many of which died of yellow fever, dysentery, or suicide. Upon arrival, theyRead MoreSlavery And The American Economy1284 Words   |  6 PagesSlavery spans to nearly every culture, nationally, and religion and from ancient times to the present day. Slavery was a legal institution in which humans were legally considered property of another. In the 18th century, new ideas of human rights and freedom emerged out of the European Enlightenment stretching across the Americas and Europe. By the era of the American Revolution, the belief that slavery was wrong and would ultimately have to be abolished was widespread, in both the Americas and northernRead MoreSlavery And Its Effects On Society1440 Words   |  6 PagesSlavery spans to nearly every culture, nationality, and religion and from ancient times to the present day. Slavery was a legal institution in which humans were legally considered property of another. Slaves were brought to the American colonies, and were utilized in building the economic foundations of the new world. In the 18th century, new ideas of human rights and freedom emerged out of the European Enlightenment stretching across the Americas and Europe. By the era of the American RevolutionRead MoreSlavery1503 Words   |  7 PagesTOPIC ONE: SLAVERY During the first half of the nineteenth century, the South was dominated by an elite group of White men who made their profits off the labor of Black slaves. Only 12% of southern white slaveholders owned twenty or more slaves, the amount used to distinguish between a planter and a farmer. Planters owned more than half of all the slaves and produced three-quarters of the South’s cotton, making these men very wealthy and allowing them to establish the social, political, and economicRead MoreRacism : A Modern Day Institution861 Words   |  4 Pagesuphold the oppression of black people, it is also important to recognize the institutions initiated these injustices. Racism as a modern-day institution is the consequence of slavery because the initial enslavement of people has historically been used as part of an economic agenda. Considering this, African slaves were perceived to be assets that were essential to the economy of the Americas. Nonetheless, while slavery was used as a s ystem to promote the growth of economies, the decision to enslaveRead MoreEssay about Freedom and Slavery772 Words   |  4 PagesFreedom and Slavery The United States promotes that freedom is a right deserved by all humanity. Throughout the history of America the government has found ways to deprive selected people this right by race, gender, class and in other ways as well for its own benefit. This is a boundary of freedom. Boundaries of freedom outline who is able to enjoy their freedom and who isn’t. These people alter with time and as history unfolds. Slavery and the journey of their freedom was a big part of the foundationRead MoreEducation And Complex Communication : Booker T Washington1071 Words   |  5 Pagesseparate us from animals. When slavery was abolished in the early 19th century, people knew it would take some time for African Americans to progress as a race, and most importantly to join in contributing to an integral part of society. To say people knew might be a tough assumption to make, many people doubted this to ever be a possibility. One of the people who contributed to making this a possibility was Booker T Washington. Booker Taliaferro Washington was an African American educator, author, and advisorRead MoreEssay on Slavery and the American Revolution1243 Words   |  5 Pagesthe slave population in the United States of America grew to 500,000 in 1176, documenting slavery as part of the American Revolution became increasingly important. America was rooted in slavery; and it contributed to the economy and social structure. The revolution forced citizens of the new nation to be conscious of slavery and its potential dismissal from every day life. Two articles that prove slavery only succeeded because of the false reality that slave owners created and the conformity toRead MoreSlavery : The Ironic Cornerstone Of The American Republic Essay1710 Words   |  7 PagesSlavery: The Ironic Cornerstone of the American Republic Slavery is the greatest paradox in American history. Slavery represents the biggest contradiction between the ideals of liberty that fuel the American Revolution and America’s actual practice after the constitution. America called for a break from Britain to be able to get the liberty, equality and justice they believed mankind deserve. The American fight for freedom was almost hypocritical for many Americans would continue to own enslavedRead MoreAp U.S. History Chapter 161577 Words   |  7 PagesChapter 16 THE SOUTH AND SLAVERY, 1793–1860 1. Part Three Introduction This introduction gives you a preview of the authors’ answers to certain key questions about the causes and consequences of the nation’s â€Å"awesome trial by fire,† the Civil War. Look at this section and list three major questions you think the authors will be addressing in the next seven chapters. (1) (2) (3) 2. Southern Economy and Social Structure a. Explain the connection between the invention