The Legacy of the Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

The Legacy of the Holocaust - Essay Example The Holocaust damaged society. The consequence of the Jewish Holocaust had a great effect on society in Germany and the entire world. This devastating murder of the Jewish people in Germany left thousands in mental and physical pain, and affect current society in a negative manner. It is estimated that more than ten million people were killed by the authoritarian Nazi regime under the leadership of Hitler (Haran 25). The effects of Holocaust continue to haunt those people who were exposed to it. For instance, as children and other survivors started aging the terrifying past returns to their mind. In turn, insecurities start to control their physiologic mind. It is also significant to note that the holocaust did not only affect the survivors and those who died but it affected the entire world. For instance, the holocaust provides an example of how dictatorship and prejudice in our society can be costly or detrimental (Haran 36-39). Following liberation, many survivors, especially of J ewish ancestry, feared to go back to the former homes due to anti-Semitism that existed in some parts of Europe and the trauma they had experienced in the concentration camps. Some survivors who returned to their homes feared for their security. For instance, in Poland, the presence of pogroms or violent anti-Jewish protests in towns like Kielce in 1946 made the Jewish fearful to return home (Haran 47). The holocaust and its effects left million of Jewish and non-Jewish refugees who lost their families and property. They experienced relentless anti-Semitism in their home nations. This made many people not ready to return to their homes. Most displaced Jewish preferred to settle in Palestine.

Relationship between Byzantium and Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Relationship between Byzantium and Islam - Essay Example According to the research findings, administrative and doctrinal differences caused the Eastern and Western churches to divide in 1054, ending a centuries-long partition between Greek and Latin Christendom.   Byzantium attained its political height through Justinian, who re-conquered the old Western empire parts.   Successive attacks from various peoples, including Latin Christians, made Byzantium weak, finally falling to the Ottoman Turks (1454). As the 7th century began, vast territories that extended from Egypt to Syria and across North African territories were under the rule of Byzantine Empire from Constantinople (modern Istanbul), its capital. Critical to the power and wealth of the empire, these southern territories long influenced by the Greco-Roman traditions held Orthodox, Syriac, and Coptic, Christians, Jewish communities, among other many religions. Great pilgrimage centers engrossed the faithful followers from as far away as Scandinavia in the west and Yemen in the e ast. Major trade routes extended down the Red Sea to eastward past Jordan to Indian lands in the south, bringing ivories and silks to the imperial territories. Key cities made wealthy by commerce protracted along inland trade routes Constantinople north and along the coastline of Mediterranean sea. Commerce carried ideas and images freely through the region. In the same 7th century, the newly founded faith of Islam began from Medina and Mecca along the Red Sea trade way and reached westward to the Byzantium Empire’s southern provinces. Religious and political authority was conveyed from the long conventional Christian Byzantine to the newly founded Umayyad and well along Abbasid Muslim dynasties. These new powers capitalized on the advantage of existing region traditions in developing their compelling religious and secular visual identities. This exhibition shadows the Byzantine Empire southern provinces artistic traditions from the 7th century to the 9th, as they were change d from being fundamental to the Byzantine tradition and beliefs to being a critical Islamic world part.

The Effect of Using Facebook as a Teaching Tool on Students Interest Research Paper

The Effect of Using Facebook as a Teaching Tool on Students Interest and Motivation in Learning English - Research Paper Example The interest of students and their motivation have always been a concern for many scholars like Fenfanng Li and Fushan Sun. Li’s contribution is well evidenced in the work EFL Learners’ Belief and Learning Strategy Use by English Majors while Sun’s work is on Pedagogical Implications to Teaching English Writing. According to Begawan (2009), the perspective with which many students have taken learning English as a new language can be attributed to the lack of interest or key goal towards its overall achievement. On the same note, it is critical to note that the mode of learning the languages devised is not motivating students to read and research extensively on the language concepts. According to Liao, (2009), a portion of language educators have relied heavily on the transmission model, which emphasizes on the teachers’ responsibility of conveying the knowledge and correcting errors. With respect to this practice, more students get tired of this teacher-ce ntered model of English learning and end up terming English as a very boring and monotonous instead of being update and informative. One crucial attempt to solve this would be the utilization of approaches that stimulate students’ interest in language learning.... On the same note, it is critical to note that the mode of learning the languages devised is not motivating students to read and research extensively on the language concepts. According to Liao, (2009), a portion of language educators have relied heavily on the transmission model, which emphasizes on the teachers’ responsibility of conveying the knowledge and correcting errors. With respect to this practice, more students get tired of this teacher-centered model of English learning and end up terming English as a very boring and monotonous instead of being update and informative. One crucial attempt to solve this would be the utilization of approaches that stimulate students’ interest in language learning. National Council of Education Research and Training (2006) argue that the growth and development of technology, with the booming digital revolution; English language has been incorporated in multimedia as the means of instruction. This is highly critical to influence E nglish language among the users of digital technology. With increased immersion of students in Web 2.0 technologies like the blogs, twitter, social networks like Facebook, virtual worlds, video sharing and photo sharing, these can effectively be utilized as means of encouraging students to learn English to fully participate in them (Fang, 2010). My interest has been driven to Facebook owing to its ease and interactive features that are highly crucial in motivating the language teaching (Childs, 2009). This is with respect to the language of instructions used for the social network sites. This research study aimed at looking on the effect Facebook has, as a tool on the students’ interest and motivation in learning of

Environmental Biology and Conservation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmental Biology and Conservation - Essay Example The elephants are particularly killed for their valuable ivory that is used in the manufacture of traditional medicine especially in China and Taiwan and making of game trophies and ornaments. In this respect, the conservation of the animals especially in the African continent has become one of top priorities in order to safeguard their crucial role they play in the ecosystem. Destroying local elephant habitats to create room for human settlement is an important local issue in Africa that has resulted to deaths of the African elephant. This paper examines the impact of killing the African elephant one of the threatened species, with special focus on its role in the ecosystem and the conservation measures put in place to ensure its survival. Population trends of African elephant and its major habitats The population of the African elephant has dropped sharply from about 1.3 million animals in the 1970s to about 450,000 animals today (Chris, 1999). The population of these animals has reduced drastically in their main habitats across the African continent presenting serious ecological challenges in the affected region. In view of the declining numbers, some African countries have established conservancies such as game reserves, game parks and national parks in addition to lobbying for international ban on ivory. According to Chris (1999), the African elephant, Loxodanta africana inhabited virtually all parts of the continent for many centuries. Currently, the animals are mostly concentrated on the southern Saharan desert, and their numbers are scattered and disjointed in the region. The habitats of elephants in the sub-Saharan Africa are divided into four main zones that include central, southern, western and eastern Africa (Anderson and Coe 1974). These regions have varying human p opulation that plays a critical role in determining the destruction of the habits and the subsequent animal population. Human population in the central Africa is quite sparse and this region has one of the largest forest cover on the continent. The forests form an important habitat of the forest elephant, the Loxodonta African cyclotis subspecies (White and Child 1988). Due to the dense forests, low human population and limited destruction of the habitats, central Africa is home to about 45% of the total African elephant population (Chris, 1999). Western Africa is one of the regions in the continent that has the highest human population. Consequently, the elephant habits have largely been interfered with, causing drastic reduction in the animal population. According to Chris (1999), elephant population in the region is restricted in the fragmented habitats raging from the savannah and the remaining forested areas. According to Chris (1999), western Africa comprises of just about 2% on the entire population of the African elephant. The countries with the highest numbers of elephants in western Africa include Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast (Chris, 1999). The eastern Africa is another important habitat for the elephant population. Geographically, the region comprises of highlands endowed with rich volcanic soils. Consequently, the dense human population engaged in crop farming in the fertile highlands has destroyed habitats for the African elephant. From early 1970, to 1980, the region experienced high level of elephant poaching and the high population decimated the elephants further (Bengis, 1996). Chris (1999) estimated that the region accounts to about 20% of the total elephant population in the continent. Tanzania is one of the few countries with high elephant population but Kenya is recording an increasing in numbers after enforcing stringent conservation measures (Bengis, 1996). In southern Africa region, the

Gender Bias in Education Essay Example for Free

ï » ¿Gender Bias in Education Essay Sitting in the same classroom, reading the same textbook, listening to the same teacher, boys and girls receive very different educations. (Sadker, 1994) In fact, upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college, they have fallen behind. (Sadker, 1994) However, discrepancies between the performance of girls and the performance of boys in elementary education leads some critics to argue that boys are being neglected within the education system: Across the country, boys have never been in more trouble: They earn 70 percent of the Ds and Fs that teachers dole out. They make up two thirds of students labeled learning disabled. They are the culprits in a whopping 9 of 10 alcohol and drug violations and the suspected perpetrators in 4 out of 5 crimes that end up in juvenile court. They account for 80 percent of high school dropouts and attention deficit disorder diagnoses. (Mulrine, 2001) This performance discrepancy is notable throughout Canada. In Ontario, Education Minister Janet Ecker said that the results of the standardized grade 3 and grade 6 testing in math and reading showed, persistent and glaring discrepancies in achievements and attitudes between boys and girls. (ONeill, 2000) In British Columbia, standardized testing indicates that girls outperform boys at all levels of reading and writing and in Alberta testing shows that girls, significantly outperform boys on reading and writing tests, while almost matching them in math and science. (ONeill, 2000) However, the American Association of University Women published a report in 1992 indicating that females receive less attention from teachers and the attention that female students do receive is often more negative than attention received by boys. (Bailey, 1992) In fact, examination of the socialization of gender within schools and evidence of a gender biased hidden curriculum demonstrates that girls are shortchanged in the classroom. Furthermore, there is significant research indicating steps that can be taken to minimize or eliminate the gender bias currently present in our education system. The socialization of gender within our schools assures that girls are made aware that they are unequal to boys. Every time students are seated or lined up by gender, teachers are affirming that girls and boys should be treated differently. When an administrator ignores an act of sexual harassment, he or she is allowing the degradation of girls. When different behaviors are tolerated for boys than for girls because boys will be boys, schools are perpetuating the oppression of females. There is some evidence that girls are becoming more academically successful than boys, however examination of the classroom shows that girls and boys continue to be socialized in ways that work against gender equity. Teachers socialize girls towards a feminine ideal. Girls are praised for being neat, quiet, and calm, whereas boys are encouraged to think independently, be active and speak up. Girls are socialized in schools to recognize popularity as being important, and learn that educational performance and ability are not as important. Girls in grades six and seven rate being popular and well-liked as more important than being perceived as competent or independent. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to rank independence and competence as more important. (Bailey, 1992) This socialization of femininity begins much earlier than the middle grades. At very early ages, girls begin defining their femininities in relation to boys. One study of a third grade classroom examined four self-sorted groups of girls within the classroom: the nice girls, the girlies, the spice girls and the tomboys. Through interviews researcher Diane Reay found that nice girls was considered a derogatory term indicating, an absence of toughness and attitude. (Reay, 2001) Furthermore, the girlies were a group of girls who focused their time on flirting with and writing love letters to boys, the tomboys were girls who played sports with the boys, and the spice girls espoused girl-power and played rate-the-boy on the playground. Reays research shows that each of the groups of girls defined their own femininities in relation to boys. (2001) The Reay study further demonstrates how socialization of girls occurs at the school level by tolerating different behaviors from boys than from girls. Assertive behavior from girls is often seen as disruptive and may be viewed more negatively by adults. In Reays study, the fact that the spice girls asserted themselves in ways contrary to traditional femininity caused them to be labeled by teachers as real bitches. (2001) This reinforces the notion that girls misbehavior to be looked upon as a character defect, whilst boys misbehavior is viewed as a desire to assert themselves. (Reay, 2001) A permissive attitude towards sexual harassment is another way in  which schools reinforce the socialization of girls as inferior. When schools ignore sexist, racist, homophobic, and violent interactions between students, they are giving tacit approval to such behaviors. (Bailey, 1992) Yet boys are taunted for throwing like a girl, or crying like a girl, which implies that being a girl is worse than being a boy. According to the American Association of University Women Report, The clear message to both boys and girls is that girls are not worthy of respect and that appropriate behavior for boys includes exerting power over girls or over other, weaker boys. (Bailey, 1992) Clearly the socialization of gender is reinforced at school, Because classrooms are microcosms of society, mirroring its strengths and ills alike, it follows that the normal socialization patterns of young children that often lead to distorted perceptions of gender roles are reflected in the classrooms. (Marshall, 1997) Yet gender bias in education reaches beyond socialization patterns, bias is embedded in textbooks, lessons, and teacher interactions with students. This type of gender bias is part of the hidden curriculum of lessons taught implicitly to students through the every day functioning of their classroom. In Myra and David Sadkers research, they noted four types of teacher responses to students: teacher praises, providing positive feedback for a response; teacher remediates, encouraging a student to correct or expand their answer; teacher criticizes, explicitly stating that the answer is incorrect; teacher accepts, acknowledging that a student has responded. The Sadkers found that boys were far more likely to receive praise or remediation from a teacher than were girls. The girls were most likely to receive an acknowledgement response from their teacher. (Sadker, 1994) These findings are confirmed by a 1990 study by Good and Brophy that noted that teachers give boys greater opportunity to expand ideas and be animated than they do girls and that they reinforce boys more for general responses than they do for girls. (Marshall, 1997) Beyond teacher responses, special services in education appear to be applied more liberally to boys than to girls. Research shows that boys are referred for testing for gifted programs twice as often as girls, which may be because, giftedness is seen as aberrant, and girls strive to conform. (Orenstein, 1994) Boys represent more than two-thirds of all students in special education programs and there is a higher the proportion of male  students receiving diagnoses that are considered to be subjective. While medical reports indicate that learning disabilities occur in nearly equal numbers of in boys and girls, it may be the case that, Rather than identifying learning problems, school personnel may be mislabeling behavioral problems. Girls who sit quietly are ignored; boys who act out are placed in special programs that may not meet their needs. (Bailey, 1992) Gender bias is also taught implicitly through the resources chosen for classroom use. Using texts that omit contributions of women, that tokenize the experiences of women, or that stereotype gender roles, further compounds gender bias in schools curriculum. While research shows that the use of gender-equitable materials allows students to have more gender-balanced knowledge, to develop more flexible attitudes towards gender roles, and to imitate role behaviors contained in the materials (Klein, 1985) schools continue to use gender-biased texts: Researchers at a 1990 conference reported that even texts designed to fit within the current California guidelines on gender and race equity for textbook adoption showed subtle language bias, neglect of scholarship on women, omission of women as developers of history and initiators of events, and absence of women from accounts of technological developments. (Bailey, 1992) Clearly the socialization of gender roles and the use of a gender-biased hidden curriculum lead to an inequitable education for boys and girls. What changes can be made to create a more equitable learning environment for all children? First, teachers need to be made aware of their gender-biased tendencies. Next, they need to be provided with strategies for altering the behavior. Finally, efforts need to be made to combat gender bias in educational materials. A study by Kelly Jones, Cay Evans, Ronald Byrd, and Kathleen Campbell (2000) used analysis of videotaped lessons in order to introduce teachers to their own gender-biased behavior. Requiring in-service programs to address gender bias in the classroom will make teachers more aware of their own behaviors: As a teacher, I was struck by the Sadkers research on classroom exchanges and was forced to acknowledge the disproportionate amount of time and energy, as well as the different sorts of attention, I give to male students. (McCormick, 1995) Once teachers have recognized their gender-biased behaviors, they need to be provided with resources to help them change. In their study focusing on how the effects of  a gender resource model would affect gender-biased teaching behaviors, Jones, Evans, Burns, and Campbell (2000) provided teachers with a self-directed module aimed at reducing gender bias in the classroom. The module contained research on gender equity in the classroom, specific activities to reduce stereotypical thinking in students, and self-evaluation worksheets for teachers. The findings from this study support the hypothesis that female students would move from a position of relative deficiency toward more equity in total interactions. (Jones, 2000) This demonstrates that teachers who are made aware of their gender-biased teaching behaviors and then provided with strategies and resources to combat bias are better able to promote gender equity in their classrooms. However, beyond changing their own teaching behaviors, teachers need to be aware of the gender bias imbedded in many educational materials and texts and need to take steps to combat this bias. Curriculum researchers have established six attributes that need to be considered when trying to establish a gender-equitable curriculum. Gender-fair materials need to acknowledge and affirm variation. They need to be inclusive, accurate, affirmative, representative, and integrated, weaving together the experiences, needs, and interests of both males and females. (Bailey, 1992) We need to look at the stories we are telling our students and children. Far too many of our classroom examples, storybooks, and texts describe a world in which boys and men are bright, curious, brave, inventive, and powerful, but girls and women are silent, passive, and invisible. (McCormick, 1995) Furthermore, teachers can help students identify gender-bias in texts and facilitate critical discussions as to why that bias exists. Gender bias in education is an insidious problem that causes very few people to stand up and take notice. The victims of this bias have been trained through years of schooling to be silent and passive, and are therefore unwilling to stand up and make noise about the unfair treatment they are receiving. Over the course of years the uneven distribution of teacher time, energy, attention, and talent, with boys getting the lions share, takes its toll on girls. (Sadker, 1994) Teachers are generally unaware of their own biased teaching behaviors because they are simply teaching how they were taught and the subtle gender inequities found in teaching materials are often overlooked. Girls and boys today are receiving separate and unequal educations due to the gender  socialization that takes place in our schools and due to the sexist hidden curriculum students are faced with every day. Unless teachers are made aware of the gender-role socialization and the biased messages they are unintentionally imparting to students everyday, and until teachers are provided with the methods and resources necessary to eliminate gender-bias in their classrooms, girls will continue to receive an inequitable education. Departments of education should be providing mandatory gender-equity resource modules to in-service teachers, and gender bias needs to be addressed with all pre-service teachers. Educators need to be made aware of the bias they are reinforcing in their students through socialization messages, inequitable division of special education services, sexist texts and materials, and unbalanced time and types of attention spent on boys and girls in the classroom. Until educational sexism is eradicated, more than half our children will be shortchanged and their gifts lost to society. (Sadker, 1994) References  Bailey, S. (1992) How Schools Shortchange Girls: The AAUW Report. New York, NY: Marlowe Company. Jones, K., Evans, C., Byrd, R., Campbell, K. (2000) Gender equity training and teaching behavior. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 27 (3), 173-178. Klein, S. (1985) Handbook for Achieving Sex Equity Through Education. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Marshall, C.S. Reihartz, J. (1997) Gender issues in the classroom. Clearinghouse, 70 (6), 333-338. McCormick, P. (1995) Are girls taught to fail? U.S. Catholic, 60, (2), 38-42. Mulrine, A. (2001) Are Boys the Weaker Sex? U.S. News World Report, 131 (4), 40-48. ONeill, T. (2000) Boys problems dont matter. Report/ Newsmagazine (National Edition), 27 (15), 54-56. Orenstein, P. (1994) Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap. New York, NY: Doubleday. Reay, D. (2001) Spice girls, Nice Girls, Girlies, and Tomboys; gender discourses. Girls cultures and femininities in the primary classroom. Gender and Education, 13 (2), 153-167. Sadker, D., Sadker, M. (1994) Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls. Toronto, ON: Simon Schuster Inc.

Gothic Horror Stories Essay Example for Free

Gothic Horror Stories Essay Gothic horror is a type of romantic, horror fiction based on irrational fear that predominated in 18th century England. The term gothic originated from the architectural style of the middle ages, but came to describe the dark, terrifying tales that achieved such popularity. Gothic horror can be determined by many things which exist in all gothic horror stories, for example eerie settings such as gothic monasteries, bleak comfortless castles, grave yards and cobwebbed rooms lit by guttering candles. It can also be determined by a unique character such as a beast, monster, ghost, evil creature and innocent person. Usually the innocent person is killed by the evil creature in a gothic horror story. Fear, supernatural and the macabre were also essential elements in gothic horror. I looked at six stories but I will focus on three of the stories which appear to fit the genre, these stories are The Judges House written by Bram Stoker who lived from 1847 to 1912. It is about a person called Malcomson who moves into an old house. He gets disturbed by rats while living in the house and then gets killed by a judge. The Tell Tale Heart written by Edgar Allen Poe who lived from 1809 to 1849. This is about a man who is killed by another man at his house, police go to the house after getting a disturbance call from the neighbours then the killer confesses about the murder to the police. The Signalman written by Charles Dickens who lived from 1812 to 1870. The story is about a signalman who sees a ghost and every time he sees it, the ghost shows something in the future which is going to happen. The signalman tells a passing man about this incident, the man and him become friends. Then the signalman sees his own death without knowing, he tells the man about this, they think of a rational reason for this but however the signalman dies. All three stories were written in the 19th century. They were all set at the same time when they were written. This is a good effect because at the time when they were written, horror stories containing superstition and the macabre were popular because the people at that time believed in witchcraft, ghosts and demons. The location of the action is of great importance in the gothic novel because it creates an atmosphere and feeling to the story. The Judges House is located in the dining room of an old, quiet and isolated house. An old, rambling, heavy built house, this creates a scary atmosphere thus matching the typical setting of a gothic horror story. It goes on to describe the dining room as a, room in darkness, this also creates a scary and terrifying atmosphere because you cant see in the dark and you dont know whats in the dark, this also is an essential gothic horror element because darkness creates a creepy and scary atmosphere. The Tell Tale Heart is located in a house that is probably old as a lantern is used by the narrator, this creates a scary atmosphere like the Judges House because you cant see in the dark and you dont know what is in the darkness so the reader imagines things that create the scary atmosphere, for example, the reader may imagine evil creatures emerging from the darkness, or someone suddenly jumping out from the dark surroundings. The Signalman is located in a railway station that is isolated which is gloomy and dark. This creates an intimidating atmosphere because isolation makes the reader think why it is isolated and the darkness as I said before creates a scary atmosphere. Also it refers to the place as being a great dungeon which is a typical setting of a gothic horror story. From the three stories I have read, the plot in the story was similar, it is really about good versus evil and because its a gothic horror story evil is supposed to win. The Judges House it is about a person called Malcomson who moves into a old house because he wanted to get on with his studies he was doing, in this house Malcomson gets disturbed by rats, especially one rat that was bigger and looked evil. Then one day he was killed by the judge that haunted the house, who was in fact the bigger and evil rat. This is a typical gothic horror plot because the good is killed by the evil. I think Stoker wrote the story well because he always throughout the story created a scary and macabre atmosphere by using descriptive words baleful eyes to describe a thing such as the rat which would produce a frightening image in the readers mind. I think Stoker did this well because his usual style is horror. This is a typical gothic horror plot because the good is killed by the evil. The Tell Tale Heart is about a crazy man who kills an old man because he didnt like the old mans eye. I think Poe wrote the plot as he did because his usual style is being a critic, so he put a bit of criticism in the story as the man killed the old man because he didnt like his eye, he thought it resembled that of a vulture. This also is a typical gothic horror plot because the innocent person (the old man) is killed by the evil person (the crazy man). The Signalman differs from The Judges House and The Tell Tale Heart because the evil doesnt kill the good or innocent this time. The Signalman is about a signalman who sees a ghost which warns him about something which is going to happen. The thing which the ghost warns the signalman about is his death, and then the signalman dies. This isnt really a typical gothic horror plot. I think Dickens wanted to create a mystery in the story as well as horror because his usual style of writing is mystery and horror, so he put mystery in because he is use to it. Characterisation plays a major part in all three gothic horror stories. In The Judges House Malcomson is studying mathematics and people who study are thought to have a more mature approach to the supernatural, this is why he laughs when Mrs Dempster, the charwomen, warned him about mysterious somethings I think Stoker chose this character because he would fit a typical character as he is a innocent and rational person, Stoker knows this because horror is his usual style of writing. Also Malcomson is a very intrigued in his studies, I think Stoker gave these characteristics in Malcomson because Stoker himself went to college and knows how studying is interesting and affects a young person. The judge, who is another main character, only comes in the story at the end, but at the end we also find out that the judge is in the story before the end as the big, evil rat. I know that the judge is evil because every time this big rat comes, all the other rats go because of its present. I also know its evil by how Stoker described the rat, baleful eyes, and these descriptions produced, an image in my head showing that it was evil. The judge meets the character determinant as he is the evil creature, he is like a ghost that haunts the house and he is described in a certain way to make him look wicked and evil.

Looking At Heroic Code In The Iliad English Literature Essay

Looking At Heroic Code In The Iliad English Literature Essay In book 9 of The Iliad, the greatest example of heroes, Achilles, questions in mid-way about the heroic code. However, it is just a shattering start for the process in seeking another point of view about what and how to construct a real hero. Through a miserable loss and ability to relate to other characters in the book, finally, Achilles ends up that process with a lesson: Rather than the honor gained in the battle, a hero is also inspired by the connectedness to other people, fighting for the survival of their city, families and companions. Achilless suspicion about the true value of heroic code brings up a new perspective to the Iliads readers, showing them how the heroic world may look from the position outside it. Initially, it seems to make sense that Nothing is worth my life, not all the riches/ They say Troy held before the Greeks came, (9.415-16) Achilles said, when he has plenty of possession, and those honor-conferring material gifts are not a worth-while compensation for the loss of his life on the battle. Also, it is hard to object when he criticizes the pointlessness of the heroic system: Coward and hero get the same reward:/You die whether you slack off or work. (9.326-27) However, those arguments are only subjective and associated with blindness. The speech of Phoenix, one of the ambassadors and Achilles beloved old tutor, fully answers Achilles concern and points out what Achilles cannot see. He tells the story of Meleager, a man who was wronged and refused to defend his country. He retired in his room wi th his beloved wife and stayed out of the fighting until the moment when his city was about to be destroyed. He realized that his wifes safety could be threatened if his country lost in the war. Therefore, he returned to battle and fought for his city, but at that point Meleager just won little honor. Phoenixs story responds to Achilles accusation that gifts are inadequate compensation for fighting by showing that there are still other reasons besides honor why people lose their lives for fighting. That is because of their family, their close friends, and any bonds of friendship in a small community. At this point, the family concept and the interrelation between individuals become revealing as an integral aspect of heroic code. This idea slowly develops in further Book through Achilles relationship to others on a personal basis. It is only after Patroclus death that Achilles realizes what is missing in his previous accusation, which also highlights those above newfound perspectives of human connectedness. A hero, of course, must fulfill his status in combat on the battlefield, to get honored for himself; besides, it is stressed that he has to respect his family, show loyalty to his friends, and protect his comrades. Achilles learns this precious lesson after a miserable loss: A mist black grief enveloped Achilles/He scooped up fistfuls of sunburnt dust/And poured it on his head, fouling/His beautiful face à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (18.23-26) The word envelope is used sophisticatedly as, like a letter is covered underneath another thick paper, Achilles gets stuck in a confusing thinking stream about if his own honor is an ultimate purpose he is seeking for throughout all his lie, or his close relationship with companions matters more to his true heroic value. He gets lost. He conflicts with himself. The image of self-w illed man with strong accusation at the beginning disappears; instead, that man is acting unconsciously: He scooped up fistfuls of sunburnt dust/And poured it on his head, fouling/His beautiful face à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (18.24-26) Beautiful face is a nice metaphor for the image of an ideal hero which Achilles mistakenly overvalues for himself, and dust can be understood as the force for Achilles to break against that monument and reach the underneath true heroic code. Now, Achilles begins to see life and relationships with other people from a mortal point of view. Patrocluss death is a strong reminder of those other reasons for fighting that Achilles forgets in his initial undermining of honor. In a material human world, heroes may treasure the reward and social status as a consequence of winning the fighting, but they are also motivated by the patriotism for the city they protect and by the love for family and friend they deeply involve. Family and deep bond of friendship also take part in constructing the moral aspect in a real heros character. This excites the readers profoundly besides many bloody brutal killing scenes throughout the book. In the scene Priam takes ransom to demand Hectors corpse back for a proper burial, the readers can witness a new side in Achilles behavior that never plays out before: full of sincere kindness and sympathy. Compared with the intense savagery when Achilles cruelly drags Hectors corpse around the walls of Troy, this move entirely surprises the readers. Priam huddled in grief at Achilles feet, cried/ And moaned softly for his man-slaying Hector. (24.547-49) Homer uses the verb huddle, somehow in contrast with high status of Priam, a king, to demonstrate that death is no barrier to the honor and glory achieved in life. Priams begging does not dishonor him; instead, he does that in the name of his family member. This action truly captures Achilles pity and breaks down his resistance. Achilles knows that his fate is to die at Troy and never return home in Phthia. He realizes how desperate his father, Peleus, feels once he knows that heart-breaking news of his son, which might happens to Priam if Achilles does not return Hectors corpse to him. And Achilles cried for this father and/ For Patroclus. The sound filled the room. (24.550-51) Just only any object that is visible and have weight can fill up a space, but Homer uses that verb for the sound to show that, this time, Achilles tear has value because he already learns his mistake in self-absorption and changes himself to care for other peoples feelings. Finally, he reaches to his identity as a mortal, letting go of his previous bitter outrage, and sharing the grief of loss with other mortals. Generosity, or forgiveness, also constructs a real hero. This is a precious lesson that Achilles learns till the end. The Iliad, set aside all of the brutal killing scenes, is a work deeply concerned with the true value of heroic system. Specifically, the questioning of Achilles in Book 9 brings up a new insight for the Iliads readers. The heros brilliant performance in the battlefield is fundamental to maintain his status. Furthermore, he had to fulfill his responsibility in accordance with his family, friends, and community in general.