Aristophanes Account of Love in Platos Symposium Essay Example for Free

Aristophanes Account of Love in Platos Symposium Essay Plato’s Symposium contains several intriguing accounts of the nature of love. Describe in detail either the account of love offered by Aristophanes or Socrates/Diotima. What arguments could be given for thinking that this is the correct conception of love? DO you find this account compelling? Be sure to explain you reasons for taking the position that you do. The Symposium, written by Plato, is an account of the different speeches given during a dinner party. Each speech given is by a different person and each speech is the speaker’s own theory on love. An intriguing speech given is the one by Aristophanes, the comedian. In Aristophanes’ speech he starts out by saying that he has a thought of plan for how humans might have come to be the way they are now. His speech is based completely on a madeup idea that he came up with. He describes the natural form of humans as two technically connected humans that together form a perfect sphere. The humans in this form had three genders. The genders were either made up of male-male, male-female, or female-female. The male-male gender was superior, as coinciding with this time, and was the offspring of the sun; the sun often referred to as a god. The androgynous gender, or male-female, was the offspring of the moon. The moon shares both the sun and the earth. The female-female then were offspring of the earth. The earth was not highly thought of, just being where humans lived and so quite used and abused [190b]. These humans all made an attempt to attack the gods which then caused the gods to take retaliatory action back. The gods decided that the human race could not be wiped out completely because that would eliminate the worship and sacrifices the gods receive. Zeus, instead, decided to cut the beings in two [190d]. â€Å"Now, since their natural form had been cut in two each one longed for its own other half† [191b]. This is where Aristophanes’ theory on love comes to. He believed each person has another half, or soul mate, they are in search of. â€Å"Love is born into every human being; [191d] it calls back the halves of our original nature together. Aristophanes suggests that one is in constant search of their other half that matches, then once found the desire they had felt because of having been separated is now healed. â€Å"The two are struck from their senses†¦don’t want to be separated from one another, not even for a moment† [192c]. In one way I find Aristophanes’ argument correct. People do seem to be in constant search for whom they want, or som etimes feel they are meant to be with. It is very interesting, however, that Aristophanes relates one’s longing and desire as a form of punishment. In the tory the longing and desire came as a punishment from the gods; the only cure for this was when the two halves were reunited. Aristophanes makes it clear two halves are meant to be together but he also contradicts his own statement, â€Å"whenever one of the halves died and one was left, the one that was left still sought another and wove itself together with that†[191b-191c]. If two halves have a certain match that they are always in constant search of, and are meant to be with, wouldn’t it only make sense that there would then not be another being that one could simply find and then weave itself with. As I previously stated, I agree with Aristophanes in one way. I think that the idea of two people being meant to be together is plausible. People are always in constant search for a soul mate. Not necessarily the â€Å"one† per say, but a person they can spend the rest of their life with. There are billions of people in the world are I think it is very possible to have multiple compatible people who can fall in love. Thus, I agree more with Aristophanes own contradiction of himself; there are multiple people who match up together and get woven together in the right way.

Dress Code Dilemma :: School Education Clothing Essays

Dress Code Dilemma Dear Dr. Pettigrew, Imagine this situation: I walk into my third period class and my teacher says to me, â€Å"Joell I think your skirt is too short. You need to get it checked by the office.† I do not understand why my first or second period teacher said nothing to me about my skirt. However, I go to the office, and wait for the principal or vice principal to measure my skirt. Forty-five minutes pass and it is time for my fourth period class. Finally, the principal steps out of her office and measures my skirt. According to the dress code, a skirt has to be four and a half inches above the knees, but mine is five inches. I now have two options: 1) I could put on my gym clothes that I have worn in gym class all week or 2) I could sit in the in-school suspension room, missing more classes until one of my parents can bring me a change of clothes. If I choose not to put on my dirty gym clothes and both of my parents are not able to bring me a change of clothes, then I am forced to sit in the in-school suspension room for the rest of the day. In this situation, I chose to have my mother bring me a change of clothes. When she arrived twenty minutes later, she was furious and demanded to speak with the principal. She wanted to know why her daughter had to miss three classes. This experience examines a policy I struggled with while attending Mars High School. There is a great deal of confusion about what is considered legal or illegal according to the dress code. Students’ getting cheated out of class time is the detrimental result of this confusion. Now that I have graduated, I want to express my concern because my younger cousin is going to be a freshman next year and I do not want her to face the same hassles. I feel our administration places too much emphasis on the specifics of the dress code and forces students to miss important education.

Native American Culture †The Micmac

It is not known when the Micmac first arrived in the Canadian Maritime provinces. Sea levels have risen such that early sites are now underwater. The earliest descriptions that we have are of people who already had contact with the westThe Micmac, along with the Beothuk of Newfoundland, may well be the first of the first peoples to have had contact with Europeans. This could have occurred with the Vikings in the 11th century and / or with Basque and other European fishing fleets that fished on the Grand Banks, but did not publicly reveal the source of their large catches. All this was well before Columbus in 1492. In 1497 when John Cabot returned to England he took three members of the Micmac tribe back with him.The Basques fished off Canadian shores, and by 1519 would dry their catch and to carry out trade shore. By 1578 there were about 400 European boats coming in summer. Trade with the Micmac for furs, especially beaver, was profitable for both sides. The demand was greater than the Micmac could supply and quickly adopted the role of middlemen for tribes such as the Algonquian who lived far from shore. The metal weapons received in trade mean the Micmac had a tremendous advantage in battle over other Canadian tribes.[1]Rivalry over trade eventually led to the Tarrateen war of 1607 when the Micmac moved in as far as Massachusetts. However, they contracted a disease that eventually killed three quarters of the population. In 1613, the British, anxious to make claim to territories held by the French, destroyed Port Royal and the mission at Mont Desert. The Micmac were caught in the raid and were sold by the British as slaves. The original Micmac population number has been estimated to reach as high as 30,000 but was probably less. Contact with westerners lowered their numbers to around 1,800 in the 1820’s after contracting various diseases including a devastating epidemic of smallpox.They occupied the Canadian Maritimes including eastern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Gaspà © Peninsula in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and after about 1630, a Micmac band also lived in southwestern Newfoundland. There were now about 25,000 members of the tribe in Canada. The Jay treaty of 1794 between the newly formed United States and England allowed the Micmac to cross and re-cross the border freely. Nowadays there are groups in New York and Maine, where in 1991 they finally gained official federal recognition particularly in Boston where they make up the largest first peoples group in New England.[2]The original spelling of their name was Mi’kmaq, which means ‘allies’. Over time, Micmac became the commonly used spelling, although it has several variations. Various groups have also been known as Cape Sable Indians, Gaspesian, Matueswiskitchinuuk (Malecite â€Å"Porcupine Indians†) and Shonack (Beothuk â€Å"Bad Indians†), The French called them Souriquois and the British Tarrateen.Their language is a branch of A lgonquian, although somewhat different from that used further south. There are links with other local languages such as that of the Cree and the Montagnais. Most Micmac still use it as their first language, with either English or French being the second. Regional dialects are so strong that for instance those in Quebec have difficulties communicating with those in Nova Scotia. Because their language is similar to that of the Cree it is possible that they moved into the Maritimes from the north.The people did very little farming since they lived too far north to be able to grow corn, though some was done in the warm summer months. Instead they were skilled in hunting, gathering and fishing, especially with regard to the catching of fish and sea mammals. This made them skilled in the making and use of birch bark canoes and those made of caribou skin. After 1600 they also used sails. Their larger distinctive light, humpbacked canoes could be used even on the open sea. However they quic kly learnt that some European vessels were also useful and adopted them.The birch bark, poles and skins were also used to construct their homes – smaller conical ones in cold weather and long house types used in warmer times. They were semi-nomadic living near the shore during the summer fishing season and inland during the colder weather when it was easier to track moose and deer in the snow. Snowshoes, sledges and toboggans were used to make movement easier in the deep snow. Hunting camps would consist of only one family but in spring and summer, families would come together and form villages of several hundred people able to take advantage of plentiful food supplies. Before the arrival of metal kettles, water was heated by placing hot stones in wooden kettles.[3]Clans are patrilineal and the tribes are confederacies of these smaller groups. Each clan had and still has a symbol, used to mark possessions such as homes and canoes. Local chiefs and a group of elders governed t he villages. The oldest male in the area became the district chief. His importance was linked to the size of his family hence polygamy was practiced.   The leaders would decide when and where to hunt and fish. For instance in December they would ice fish for cod, in January they would hunt seals, in February move inland to hunt moose, deer and bear as well as smaller game by the end of March they would move to the coast to begin fishing again, they would begin to catch eels in the estuaries in mid September and then move into the forests when the snow came.This pattern started when they were trading beaver with the Europeans, as the furs would be thicker in winter. Also they had to be on the coasts in summer in order to meet with trading vessels. Methods used to catch game were varied. Spears or bows and arrows would be used to catch larger game and snares and traps were used for smaller creatures. They made ingenious callers form birch bark to attract moose.[4] In order to catch fish they used tridents, hooks, nets and weirs. Seals would be harpooned. In historical times bone or stone tools were replaced by iron and steel ones gained in trade.The groups would occasionally come together and elect a high king – the Grand Saqamaw. This method of political authority meant that in times of war organization was made easier.As with other woodland tribes clothing for both sexes was fringed buckskin. This was used for leggings, breechclouts and sleeves. At some point during the 1700’s the women began to wear pointed headdresses. Clothing, bags etc were decorated with porcupine quills, though traded glass beads largely replaced these after the arrival of the Europeans. They would originally be sewn together using sinews and bone needles. In areas where porcupines were not present trade would either obtain their quills or other items would be used in imitation of them e.g. spruce roots.   By the 18th century woolen blankets were being used, and in the 19th century men began to wear great coats and the women were using woolen and cotton cloth and steel needles.The Micmac feasted at weddings, funerals and before the hunting season began. Unusually funerals were conducted before the person had actually died. If someone was incurably ill dogs were killed as a sign of grief, then after much singing, the person would be allowed to make a last speech and then they would be abandoned and no one would help them.Regarding religion, one supreme god was believed in, but also there were lesser gods including those in human form. Stories often centered on Glooscap, a hero whose stories explain how the world came into being and how it works. The ancient Micmac did not distinguish between the natural and the supernatural. A spirit might inhabit everything from the large sun to a small rock. They had shamans known as puion who provided both curses and cures and interpreted the natural world. The missionaries discredited them but some traditional beliefs persist. In the 19th century missionary Silas Rand made a collection of these stories and beliefs. Even today a Micmac web site, Traditional Micmac culture, states that Glooscap still lives in every Micmac.[5]After the arrival of the French, who brought very few women with them, intermarriage became common and so did conversion to Christianity. The Jesuits arrived in 1610 and the first Micmac family was baptized in the same year. However the Micmac branch of Catholicism includes many native ideas. When the French gave up the Maritimes to the British in 1713 the Micmac remained loyal to French links and most now have French family names. They are proud of the way their culture has contributed to life and language in North America whereby the hand drawn toboggan and snowshoes are still in use. The fact that they now often speak English, drive cars and wear similar clothes to everyone else does not make them any less Micmac.Bibliography Swanton J. The Indian Tribes of North Ame rica, U.S. Government Printing Office 1952Micmac Indians of Canada retrieved 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.canadiangenealogy.net/indians/micmac_indians.htm This site quotes from Swanton’s book mentioned above.Micmac Indians of Maine found at retrieved on 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.micmac-nsn.gov/  Ã‚  Pastore, R. Traditional Micmac Culture retrieved on 22nd October 2007 from  http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/micmac_culture.htmlSultzman, L. Micmac history, retrieved 22nd October 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.dickshovel.com/mic.html[1] Swanton J. [2] http://www.canadiangenealogy.net [3] http://www.micmac-nsn.gov/ [4] http://www.heritage.nf.ca [5] http://www.dickshovel.com Native American Culture – The Micmac It is not known when the Micmac first arrived in the Canadian Maritime provinces. Sea levels have risen such that early sites are now underwater. The earliest descriptions that we have are of people who already had contact with the westThe Micmac, along with the Beothuk of Newfoundland, may well be the first of the first peoples to have had contact with Europeans. This could have occurred with the Vikings in the 11th century and / or with Basque and other European fishing fleets that fished on the Grand Banks, but did not publicly reveal the source of their large catches. All this was well before Columbus in 1492. In 1497 when John Cabot returned to England he took three members of the Micmac tribe back with him.The Basques fished off Canadian shores, and by 1519 would dry their catch and to carry out trade shore. By 1578 there were about 400 European boats coming in summer. Trade with the Micmac for furs, especially beaver, was profitable for both sides. The demand was greater than the Micmac could supply and quickly adopted the role of middlemen for tribes such as the Algonquian who lived far from shore. The metal weapons received in trade mean the Micmac had a tremendous advantage in battle over other Canadian tribes.[1]Rivalry over trade eventually led to the Tarrateen war of 1607 when the Micmac moved in as far as Massachusetts. However, they contracted a disease that eventually killed three quarters of the population. In 1613, the British, anxious to make claim to territories held by the French, destroyed Port Royal and the mission at Mont Desert. The Micmac were caught in the raid and were sold by the British as slaves. The original Micmac population number has been estimated to reach as high as 30,000 but was probably less. Contact with westerners lowered their numbers to around 1,800 in the 1820’s after contracting various diseases including a devastating epidemic of smallpox.They occupied the Canadian Maritimes including eastern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Gaspà © Peninsula in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and after about 1630, a Micmac band also lived in southwestern Newfoundland. There were now about 25,000 members of the tribe in Canada. The Jay treaty of 1794 between the newly formed United States and England allowed the Micmac to cross and re-cross the border freely. Nowadays there are groups in New York and Maine, where in 1991 they finally gained official federal recognition particularly in Boston where they make up the largest first peoples group in New England.[2]The original spelling of their name was Mi’kmaq, which means ‘allies’. Over time, Micmac became the commonly used spelling, although it has several variations. Various groups have also been known as Cape Sable Indians, Gaspesian, Matueswiskitchinuuk (Malecite â€Å"Porcupine Indians†) and Shonack (Beothuk â€Å"Bad Indians†), The French called them Souriquois and the British Tarrateen.Their language is a branch of A lgonquian, although somewhat different from that used further south. There are links with other local languages such as that of the Cree and the Montagnais. Most Micmac still use it as their first language, with either English or French being the second. Regional dialects are so strong that for instance those in Quebec have difficulties communicating with those in Nova Scotia. Because their language is similar to that of the Cree it is possible that they moved into the Maritimes from the north.The people did very little farming since they lived too far north to be able to grow corn, though some was done in the warm summer months. Instead they were skilled in hunting, gathering and fishing, especially with regard to the catching of fish and sea mammals. This made them skilled in the making and use of birch bark canoes and those made of caribou skin. After 1600 they also used sails. Their larger distinctive light, humpbacked canoes could be used even on the open sea. However they quic kly learnt that some European vessels were also useful and adopted them.The birch bark, poles and skins were also used to construct their homes – smaller conical ones in cold weather and long house types used in warmer times. They were semi-nomadic living near the shore during the summer fishing season and inland during the colder weather when it was easier to track moose and deer in the snow. Snowshoes, sledges and toboggans were used to make movement easier in the deep snow. Hunting camps would consist of only one family but in spring and summer, families would come together and form villages of several hundred people able to take advantage of plentiful food supplies. Before the arrival of metal kettles, water was heated by placing hot stones in wooden kettles.[3]Clans are patrilineal and the tribes are confederacies of these smaller groups. Each clan had and still has a symbol, used to mark possessions such as homes and canoes. Local chiefs and a group of elders governed t he villages. The oldest male in the area became the district chief. His importance was linked to the size of his family hence polygamy was practiced.   The leaders would decide when and where to hunt and fish. For instance in December they would ice fish for cod, in January they would hunt seals, in February move inland to hunt moose, deer and bear as well as smaller game by the end of March they would move to the coast to begin fishing again, they would begin to catch eels in the estuaries in mid September and then move into the forests when the snow came.This pattern started when they were trading beaver with the Europeans, as the furs would be thicker in winter. Also they had to be on the coasts in summer in order to meet with trading vessels. Methods used to catch game were varied. Spears or bows and arrows would be used to catch larger game and snares and traps were used for smaller creatures. They made ingenious callers form birch bark to attract moose.[4] In order to catch fish they used tridents, hooks, nets and weirs. Seals would be harpooned. In historical times bone or stone tools were replaced by iron and steel ones gained in trade.The groups would occasionally come together and elect a high king – the Grand Saqamaw. This method of political authority meant that in times of war organization was made easier.As with other woodland tribes clothing for both sexes was fringed buckskin. This was used for leggings, breechclouts and sleeves. At some point during the 1700’s the women began to wear pointed headdresses. Clothing, bags etc were decorated with porcupine quills, though traded glass beads largely replaced these after the arrival of the Europeans.They would originally be sewn together using sinews and bone needles. In areas where porcupines were not present trade would either obtain their quills or other items would be used in imitation of them e.g. spruce roots.   By the 18th century woolen blankets were being used, and in the 1 9th century men began to wear great coats and the women were using woolen and cotton cloth and steel needles.The Micmac feasted at weddings, funerals and before the hunting season began. Unusually funerals were conducted before the person had actually died. If someone was incurably ill dogs were killed as a sign of grief, then after much singing, the person would be allowed to make a last speech and then they would be abandoned and no one would help them.Regarding religion, one supreme god was believed in, but also there were lesser gods including those in human form. Stories often centered on Glooscap, a hero whose stories explain how the world came into being and how it works. The ancient Micmac did not distinguish between the natural and the supernatural. A spirit might inhabit everything from the large sun to a small rock.They had shamans known as puion who provided both curses and cures and interpreted the natural world. The missionaries discredited them but some traditional be liefs persist. In the 19th century missionary Silas Rand made a collection of these stories and beliefs. Even today a Micmac web site, Traditional Micmac culture, states that Glooscap still lives in every Micmac.[5]After the arrival of the French, who brought very few women with them, intermarriage became common and so did conversion to Christianity. The Jesuits arrived in 1610 and the first Micmac family was baptized in the same year. However the Micmac branch of Catholicism includes many native ideas. When the French gave up the Maritimes to the British in 1713 the Micmac remained loyal to French links and most now have French family names.They are proud of the way their culture has contributed to life and language in North America whereby the hand drawn toboggan and snowshoes are still in use. The fact that they now often speak English, drive cars and wear similar clothes to everyone else does not make them any less Micmac.Bibliography Swanton J. The Indian Tribes of North Americ a, U.S. Government Printing Office 1952Micmac Indians of Canada retrieved 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.canadiangenealogy.net/indians/micmac_indians.htm This site quotes from Swanton’s book mentioned above.Micmac Indians of Maine found at retrieved on 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.micmac-nsn.gov/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pastore, R. Traditional Micmac Culture retrieved on 22nd October 2007 from  http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/micmac_culture.htmlSultzman, L. Micmac history, retrieved 22nd October 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.dickshovel.com/mic.html[1] Swanton J. [2] http://www.canadiangenealogy.net [3] http://www.micmac-nsn.gov/ [4] http://www.heritage.nf.ca [5] http://www.dickshovel.com

The Ghost of King Hamlet - 661 Words

In the play Hamlet, the deceased King Hamlet comes back as a ghost to tell his son the truth about the events surrounding his death. He then proceeds to ask Hamlet to get revenge for his death. In Hamlet, the king is a character who appears briefly throughout the play; however, his character serves to further the action and theme of the play and the development of his sons character. The King serves to further the plays actions by asking his son to get revenge for his unjust death. He tells Hamlet that Claudius, Hamlets uncle, killed him and that he wants Hamlet to avenge his death. He then further instructs Hamlet to leave his mothers transgressions to Heaven. Through the quote, â€Å"Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damned incest. But howsomever thou pursues this act, Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother aught. Leave her to Heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge To prick and sting her† (Act 1, Scene 5), t he ghost of King Hamlet directs the course of the play. While it is up to Hamlet as to how he proceeds to get revenge, it is now his duty to his fathers memory and honor to get revenge on Claudius, but he is to leave his beloved mother to God. I thought the King wanted Hamlet to get revenge for what Claudius and Gertrude had done, but he didnt ask Hamlet to punish his mother because he didnt want Hamlet to have to live with the guilt of killing his own beloved mother. He furthered the action ofShow MoreRelatedThe Ghost Of The Late King Hamlet1374 Words   |  6 PagesAlthough some may think the ghost of the late King Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet is a demon, but the truth is that Hamlet’s father didn t reveal himself to anyone besides Hamlet because he knew his son would avenge his death allowing him to receive divine in Heaven. 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In the tragedy by Shakespeare, Hamlet as well as all the characters haveRead MoreAnalysis Of Shakespeare s Hamlet 1278 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet â€Å"To be or not to be, that is the question† Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Laurence Olivier states in his famous redemption of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where Laurence Oliver played as Hamlet. Characters Laurence Olivier- Prince Hamlet Eileen Herlie – Queen Gertrude Basil Sydney- King Claudius (current king of Denmark) Jean Simmons- Ophelia (Polonius’s Daughter) Norman Wooland –Horatio (Hamlet’s friend) Felix Aylmer -Polonius John Laurie –FranciscoRead MoreWhen Reading Any Article, Novel Or Play, Readers Are Always1510 Words   |  7 Pagesaudience and his readers the freedom to interpret the deeper meaning of his work. Of all themes in the play â€Å"Hamlet†, the concept of memory is the most influential, more specifically, the memory of King Hamlet represented by the ghost. 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