A Comparison of Antigones and Ismenes Reactions to Grief in Antigone by Sophocles

A Comparison of Antigone's and Ismene's Reactions to Grief in Antigone by Sophocles Response Paper to Antigone The tale of Antigone is one of the oldest pieces of literature that is still being studied today. The play is able to explore the psychology of many different characters as they are all forced to deal with the death Polyneices. While the differences between how Antigone, Haimon, and Creon respond to the situation may be widely discussed, another interesting relationship to analyze in the text is that between Antigone and Ismene. Both sisters experience a tragedy as their brothers kill each other, yet their responses are quite different. Antigone’s response to the grief is to focus on the injustice of the situation and risk herself to set things right, while Ismene is filled with sadness, yet fears the ramifications of breaking the law. Both responses are results of love, yet the specifics of each case allow a deeper look into the psychology of these characters. When reading and discussing the play of Antigone, Antigone herself is most often seen as the heroin. However, it could be argued that Antigone is the reason for the tragedy. If Antigone had expressed her grief with Haimon, it is possible that he could have convinced his father to lift the law against burying Polyneices body. Also, her rash decision to kill herself leads to the death of both Haimon and the queen as they are filled with grief. After thinking through the different endings that could have occurred if Antigone had responded calmer, it is reasonable to conclude that Antigone’s plan of rebellion was not the most practical response. Ismene, on the other hand, responds with grief but no action. It could be argued that this is a more practical response as it prevents any further harm, yet with Ismene’s response nothing is really fixed, it is all merely pushed aside as if it did not happen. After analyzing the practicality of the girls’ responses, the question of morality is raised. Was Antigone doing the right thing, standing up for her family and offering herself as a sacrifice? Or was Ismene correct in avoiding further conflict and simply grieving for the loss of her brother and his honor? This is a very difficult thing to analyze as the grief in this situation is almost unfathomable. It may be most reasonable to argue that neither girl was in the right mindset to make a moral, practical decision. They have just learned that their brothers have killed each other and one will die with honor, while the other may not. Thinking about this situation, it becomes clear that neither girl responded ethically nor practically, but they both responded emotionally according to their own personalities. The play Antigone by Sophocles includes multiple complex situations and relationships, and that of Antigone and her sister Ismene is one of the most intriguing. Watching these girls deal with the pain of losing their brothers and then deal with the pain of losing each other in disagreement over the situation makes the tragedy more powerful. Sophocles is able to include human nature in this situation as both sisters behave impractically and unethically. This is seen often in life as well as emotions overcome logic and may lead to even more tragic situations as those that occur in Antigone.

Impact and Outcomes of Effectual Risk Based Planning Applications Essay

Impact and Outcomes of Effectual Risk Based Planning Applications - Essay Example Broad policy alternatives and a process of restructuring the existing practices have to be adopted in order to overcome the present impasse. I advocate a local level policy shift rather than a Federal level overhaul. Public administration consists of non-profit governmental institutions that form the bulk of a country’s administrative system. The process of planning at institutional level might require a cohesive and articulate strategy with a particular focus on existing inadequacies of the system. Non-profit public sector institutions operate on the principle of public welfare at the grassroots. However, there is an imbalance in these institutions when it comes to efficient management processes and institutional structures. Ill-defined targets often serve as hurdles that have to be surmounted even before the project is started. Project risk perception and management is another such area in which both leadership and intelligence are lacking. It is imperative to question the unprivileged immunity from public scrutiny that is almost taken for granted by local level administrators whose attitudes have, over the years, been conducive to producing negative outcomes in the sphere of public adm inistration. Causal factors include a host of fallacious assumptions too. Risk has a variety of meanings and senses that defy our articulation or assessment capabilities. Therefore in risk-based planning process there can be no perfection or certainty in determining a set of variables that impact on the planning process and the eventual outcomes. Both endogenous and exogenous variables impact on these outcomes, irrespective of our hypothetical presumptions on what shape those outcomes should take. Community or county level administration might seek to exert pressure on Federal bodies to facilitate legislation that cohort principles of public choice theory. For instance the Risk-Based Homeland Security Grants Act

The U.S cultures and business perspectives Essay

The U.S cultures and business perspectives - Essay Example Just like the U.S.A, Brazil is a melting pot of nationalities due to long periods of slavery and European domination. The country has about 190 million people, whereby 50% of the people are white. Majority of the Brazilian people are Catholics and speak Portuguese as a national language. Bananas are the staple food in Brazil. Bananas are also grown in America, Texas. The Brazilians prefer to deal with companies, rather than individuals when doing business. The people have a close adherence to business etiquette like the Americans. The Saudi Arabians are primarily Arabs and Muslims. Greetings are very formal in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, people in the U.S don’t take too much time greeting each other. Women in Saudi Arabia dress in abayas (cloths that cover the entire body except the face and hands). The manner of doing business in Saudi Arabia is largely similar to that of the U.S.A in terms of etiquette and communication style. The country is the Middle East’s lar gest trading partner of the U.K. Dressing in suits and ties is a similarity for Saudi and American businessmen.  Territorial-wise, Russia is the largest country in the world. With Russian serving as the main language, the country has over 190 ethnic groups. Christianity, Islam and Tengrism are the primary religions of Russia. The Russians eat unique foods such as Borshch, Caviar and Pirozhkis. The Russians value time keeping highly when doing business. The ceremonial practice of receiving and exchanging business cards is taken seriously in Russia.