An Analysis of the Epic Poem, Beowulf - The Character of Beowulf :: Epic Beowulf essays

The Character of Beowulf When he arrived at the Danish land, Beowulf was a young man seeking adventure and glory. Beowulf was distinguished among his people, the Geats, for his bravery. As a young man Beowulf fought in many battles and as a result showed his great character to others. Beowulf had many characteristics which helped him to succeed in battle. As a young man, Beowulf was known as the strongest man alive. His strength allowed him to dominate in battle. If it were not for his pure strength, he would not have been able to defeat Grendel, for weapons would not work. By fighting Grendel without weapons, he opened himself up to greater glorification. Beowulf's strength could not be seen as a disadvantage, while the results of his strength could. Beowulf's strength allowed him dominance in battle, but it also made him cocky. While his cockiness allowed Beowulf to be sure of himself in battle, some of his peers found it to be a character flaw. Ecglaf, in particular, saw Beowulf as cocky and vain, questioning, "Are you the Beowulf who competed with Breca...swollen with vanity..." So, while his cockiness was a flaw in the eyes of others, Beowulf saw it as self assurance and used it to his advantage. Beowulf also had a strong spirit of adventure. His spirit of adventure was part of the reason that Beowulf went to fight Grendel. Beowulf's strength and spirit of adventure had also led him to glory in many battles, including that with Grendel. Beowulf used his glory in previous battles to justify himself when coming to help Hrothgar. In addition, his self assurance, and known bravery probably guided his decision. Beowulf's spirit of adventure gained him a lot of glory, however, it could have gotten him into trouble, if he were to have taken an adventure too far. While in his young age, Beowulf used his strength for glory and recognition. As he became older his great strength was taken away from him, and Beowulf found himself without one of his greatest abilities. Beowulf then was king of the Geats, and when a dragon attacked his land, it was his responsibility to protect his people.

Nature Imagery in Othello

Nature imagery in Othello There are quite a few imageries about nature in the book written by William Shakespeare named Othello, were the two male leads named Iago and Othello are the ones who use them the most, Iago talks about how people are gardens also how easy it is to manipulate other peoples garden and he also uses poisonous plants to explain how much harm he has done, while Othello talks about how flowers represent his wife and how they die once they are plucked just like his lover for her.Iago in one of his most famous speeches in the book while having a conversation with Roderigo â€Å"Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners: so that if we will plant nettles, or sow lettuce [†¦] either to have it sterile with idleness, or manured with industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. † He uses imagery to explain that people and he are gardens, the things we do and think are what we plant in it, it also takes ti me to take care of it you need to have patience and plant everything, people can manipulate it and it’s up to us to take care of it.He also says this during another conversation with Roderigo â€Å"Though other things grow fair against the sun, / Yet fruits that blossom first will first be ripe† which goes back to referring to his garden, that even after he plants multiple things the first thing he plants will always come first, which refers to Othello and the revenge Iago wants from him after taking the spot he has been working on since he started and he just came in and snatched it from him. The last imagery used by Iago says â€Å"The Moor already changes with my poison. Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons, / . . . / . . . Not poppy nor mandragora / Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world / Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep† He is saying that he has corrupted Othello so much that not even poppy or mandragora/mandrake, mandrake was used t o cleanse the body, could heal him from all the corruption he has put in Othello. â€Å"O thou weed,/ Who art so lovely fair and smell’st so sweet/ That the sense aches at thee, would thou hadst ne'er been born! Othello compares Desdemona with a weed since he has been deceived by Iago making him think that Desdemona cheated on him with Cassio and since he thinks this way about Desdemona now he decided to compare her to a weed that is so beautiful when in reality it’s the opposite and know that Othello knows the â€Å"real† Desdemona she will now wish she was never born since Othello is going to get revenge from all the â€Å"wrongs† she did to him.On the last scene where Othello kills Desdemona he comes to her chamber and sees her sleeping, he tells her â€Å"When I have plucked thy rose/ I cannot give it vital growth again,/ It must needs wither† What Othello means is that after he kills her there is no going back, he uses a rose that once that r ose is plucked it starts to slowly die and there is no way for the rose to stop from dying which is what is happening here.This can also signify the love that he has lost for Desdemona since she cheated on him with Cassio, when Othello plucked Desdemona’s love from his heart and it can never grow back again, since he doesn’t want for her to do this again he decides to kill her just like a flower will die from being plucked.The night that Desdemona was going to be murdered by Othello she sang the willow song â€Å"The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Sing all a green willow: Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, willow, willow: The fresh streams ran by her, and murmur'd her moans; Sing willow, willow, willow; Her salt tears fell from her, and soften'd the stones; Lay by these:– Sing willow, willow, willow; Prithee, hie thee; he'll come anon:– Sing all a green willow must be my garland. Let nobody blame him; his scorn approve,- Nay, that's not next. -Hark! who is't that knocks? † Willow trees are often associated with mourning and grief, which is why they are often called weeping willow, which fits perfectly to what Desdemona is feeling. Desdemona singing this song reflects how she is feeling about Othello, even though she is being accused for something that isn’t true she doesn’t say that he is wrong, even when she knows that he is, she goes along with what he says because she loves him so much, even though it hurts her to be thought like that by the love of her life.When I first read the book Othello, I didn’t pay attention to the references about nature that William Shakespeare used in this particular text, after reading it and getting this assignment I decided to go back and re-read it on my own. After reading the book I noticed that the main characters used plants to explain what they were feeling or going through, for someone to be able to understand and catch on to all of this one needed to be very oriented in nature.

Willis Carrier and the Invention of Air Conditioning

I fish only for edible fish, and hunt only for edible game, even in the laboratory, Willis Haviland Carrier once said about being practical. In 1902, only one year after Willis  Carrier graduated from Cornell University with a Masters in  Engineering,  his first air conditioning unit was in operation. This made one Brooklyn printing plant owner very happy. Fluctuations in heat and humidity in his plant kept causing the dimensions of his printing paper to alter and create misalignment of the colored inks. The new air conditioning machine created a stable environment and, as a result, aligned four-color printing became possible – all thanks to Carrier, a new employee at the Buffalo Forge Company who started working for a salary of only $10 a week. The â€Å"Apparatus for Treating Air† The â€Å"Apparatus for Treating Air† was the first of several patents awarded to Willis Carrier in 1906. Although he’s recognized as the â€Å"father of air conditioning,† the term â€Å"air conditioning† actually originated with textile engineer Stuart H. Cramer. Cramer used the phrase â€Å"air conditioning† in a 1906 patent claim he  filed for a device that added water vapor to the air in textile plants to condition the yarn. Carrier disclosed his basic Rational Psychrometric Formulae to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1911. The formula still stands today as the basis in all fundamental calculations for the air conditioning industry. Carrier said he received his â€Å"flash of genius† while he was waiting for a train on a foggy night. He was thinking about the problem of temperature and humidity control and by the time the train arrived, he said he had an understanding of the relationship between temperature, humidity and dew point. The Carrier Engineering Corporation Industries flourished with this new ability to control the temperature and humidity levels during and after production. Film, tobacco, processed meats, medical capsules, textiles and other products gained significant improvements as a result. Willis Carrier  and six other engineers formed the Carrier Engineering Corporation in 1915 with starting capital of $35,000. In 1995, sales topped $5 billion. The company was dedicated to improving air conditioning technology. The Centrifugal Refrigeration Machine Carrier patented the centrifugal refrigeration machine in 1921. This centrifugal chiller was the first practical method for  air conditioning large spaces. Previous refrigeration machines used reciprocating piston-driven compressors to pump refrigerant through the system, which was often toxic and flammable ammonia. Carrier designed a centrifugal compressor similar to the centrifugal turning blades of a water pump. The result was a safer and more efficient chiller. Consumer Comfort Cooling for human comfort rather than industrial need began in 1924 when three Carrier centrifugal chillers were installed in the J.L. Hudson Department Store in Detroit, Michigan. Shoppers flocked to the â€Å"air  conditioned† store. This boom in human cooling spread from department stores to the movie theaters, most notably the Rivoli Theater in New York whose summer film business skyrocketed when it heavily advertised cool comfort. Demand increased for smaller units and the Carrier Company obliged. Residential Air Conditioners Willis Carrier developed the first residential â€Å"Weathermaker† in 1928, an air conditioner for private home use. The Great Depression and  World War II slowed the non-industrial use of air conditioning, but consumer sales rebounded after the war. The rest is cool and comfortable history.