Geat Vs. Greek Essays - Beowulf, English-language Films, Geats

Geat Vs. Greek Beth Lewis English 288 02/28/00 Geat vs. Greek: Paternal Injunction in Beowulf and The Iliad Picture this. Inside the hall, mighty shields and glistening swords await the visitors' arrival. Skillfully crafted armor decorations proclaim great battles and fierce hunts. The prevailing warrior ethos and his manly power are evident throughout. It is these strong patriarchal images which gave birth to two epics from two totally different cultures: The tale of Beowulf from Scandinavia and The Iliad from Greece. To better understand the works themselves and their parallels, it is best to first define an epic. In order to be considered an epic, there are certain qualifications and standards that a piece of literature must meet. These epics are long poems that were originally expressed orally and later were put into writing. Both stories tell the tale of brave young heroes, always believing that their fight, their cause, is the true cause. In both stories, the heroes understand the role of fate. In Beowulf, the hero of that name understands that the monster Grendel may end his life, but is not deterred. He is not aware of his destiny, but realizes without qualms that if Grendel does kill him, then that was his time to die. In Iliad, both Hector and Achilles are keenly aware that their lives will end in battle. Although there is an emotional struggle in these characters not seen in Beowulf, their knowledge of their own fates does not stop them from fighting. This is what we might call bravery today, but in the past it was better thought of as a ?warrior code?. And in both stories, it is not fate that matters in the end, but glory. The attitude is that if death shall come, so be it. But better to die fighting, immortalized in glory. The hero code itself is based on patriarchal injunction. In Beowulf, the first character introduced in the prologue is the king Shield Sheafson, who bears the name of the founder of the Danish nation, making him a sort of father to his kingdom. The prologue of Beowulf takes on an Old-Testament form of sorts, introducing the characters by their lineage. Shield is father to Halfdane, who is father to Hrothgar, one of the main characters in Beowulf. The hero himself makes his introduction on the Danish shore by saying, ?We belong by birth to the Geat people and owe allegiance to Lord Hygelac. In his day, my father was a famous man, a noble warrior-lord named Ecgtheow? (260-263). Like Beowulf, warriors in Iliad are introduced by their lineage. The first line begins, ?Sing, goddess, the anger of Peleus' son Achilles(1,1). By this opening, we see how important a father's name is in describing the identity of the hero. In book 3 there is an intervention by Aphrodite. ?But Aphrodite caught up Paris/easily, since she was divine, and wrapped him in a thick mist/ and set him down again in his own perfumed bedchamber?(379-382). Aphrodite's way of saving Paris' life ruins his reputation, and in the long run she has done a greater wrong than if she had let him die. She has taken away Paris' chance to prove himself as a warrior, and live up to the paternal injunction. Although Homer presents these characters which are opposing the heroic code, these counter-voices are only vehicles by which the making of the hero is solidified. However, Beowulf also has characters who do not abide by or live by the paternal warrior ways. Unferth, for example, is a low man who does not sit high with the warriors, but crouches at the king's feet. He is a jealous Iago who does not rejoice at Beowulf's presence. ?Unferth, a son of Ecglaf's spoke contrary words. Beowulf's coming, his sea-braving, made him sick with envy? (500-502). In this respect, Unferth is as foolish as Aphrodite and as spoiled as Paris. King Hrothgar is perhaps the closest comparison to Agamemmnon. Both seem to watch as their men do all the fighting (and all the dying). Although Hrothgar has done well at keeping his people loyal, he does not live up to the warrior code and is seen as something less than heroic. Beowulf and Achilles learn to keep

Six

Six Executive Summary In medical facilities, cost incurred in different sectors need to be managed in an effective manner. Both medical and support staffs need to be incorporated in designing of policies and mechanisms to maintain their expenses at low costs and yet offer quality services.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Six-Sigma at Academic Medical Hospital specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Quality medical attention is a human right, to ensure that they are available at an appropriate cost, all sectors in the hospital need to be analysed and areas of inefficiency recognised. Six-sigma is a management tool that approaches management from a scientific angle; it analyses an entire organizations processes and by creating relationships and data analysis, the area with a deficit is recognized, then coming up with appropriate strategies to minimize threats brought about by the inefficient system. Background Academic Medic al Centre  is a leading medical facility situated in Bijlmer, Netherlands; it doubles as a medical facility and a teaching centre for    University of Amsterdam. To give quality services, resources are required; however, resources are limited, there is need to use the available resources in an appropriate manner. When resources are used in the right manner, then the facility will offer services at an affordable rate and support research and development projects that are crucial in a medical facility. Efficiency in medical facilities has numerous benefits to the business; for example, it gives a facility competitive advantage in terms of expertise, research and customer base. When a company implements a six sigma procedure, it ensure that there is efficiency in all processes in a business it uses scientific methods like data analysis to make decisions in a certain area. The process aims at attaining specializations in areas of interest in a way that the result will give an overal l efficiency in an organization (Snee Hoerl, 2002). It creates special infrastructure and labels the users of such processes as â€Å"Belts†. There are â€Å"green belts† and â€Å"barrack belt† among others. Analysis of six-sigma policy in Academic Medical Centre When implementing a six-sigma policy in business, a number of steps that need to be followed, they follow the policy of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control). All the above areas are looked into when developing a Six-sigma element in an organisation. Let us analyse the steps involved in each section: Define Academic Medical Centre  has to understand the need to develop a six-sigma management tool; the tool should be taken as a strategic management tool when the company have recognised a deficit between the planned operation and the real operation. In a medical facility, the areas to consider include the costs expenditure, the satisfaction  of patients and customer care. Concerns of customers are noted, the trade of profit is analyzed.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After the problem has been defined, the next stage is for the management to gather all relevant data and facts. Using the facts and data, alternatives of choices are formulated; customers who have complained may be called to give more details, budgets and corporate plans reviewed compare the company with other companies in the same industry, consider data from published and UN published sources. The information gotten will assist is establishing potential benefits (IPBs) and critical to quality factors (CTQ). Measure This stage the management takes time to identify the key factors that influence potential benefits (IPBs) and critical to quality factors (CTQ); it is the stage that is more time consuming because the management need to device measurement to be use to gauge the performance of the entire organization. This stage the management with the assistance of departmental head should devise minimal standards required to be set for an appropriate implementation; they are guided by the corporate plan that was initially operating in the company. This happens after understanding the potential of a certain process. It is appreciated that it may not be possible to get a 100% outcome out of the projects/process in an organization; however, there is a minimal level that the system should not go (Pande, Neuman Cavanagh, 2001). Analyse At this stage having, the potential benefits (IPBs) and critical to quality factors (CTQ) and the key factors that affect them, then an analysis of the root causes of the problem is embarked. The relationship among different variables is established and the areas that require immediate attention recognised. Inefficiency in one-area leads to an inefficiency in another area, thus the source area should be interpolated and p roblem addressed directly. There are different method of analysing data, they include, Z-test, T-test, the chi-square and F-test. The method to be used in on particular approach is dependent with the organisation. Since Academic Medical Centre, has a variety of customer form different social classes, it is important to use Z-test (Pyzdek Paul, 2009). Improve With deep problem understanding and having analysed data, the next stage is to choose the best alternative to implement. Since in a hospital situation there are a number of departments, various alternatives may need to be developed each responsive to the needs of a certain department. Implementation team has a deep understanding of the problem at hand, has a well-defined picture of what is going on in an organization, understand departments with inefficiencies and the financial implications of the gaps. Alternatives are derived and the best alternative among the many is considered.Advertising We will write a custom as sessment sample on Six-Sigma at Academic Medical Hospital specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is important to follow a scientific managerial decision making process. Managerial decision-making is the process through which managers arrive at the alternative solution to a given challenge facing an organization. The success of an organization is dependent on the quality of decision made its manager. One of the major attributes that make a good manager stand out is his or her decisiveness. The quality of decisions made will directly be reflected in the performance of his or her organization. Control The last stage is control of the implemented project; controlling teams need to have a experienced personnel’s who have been recognized to have a certain efficiency level in an area, they should be empowered to conduct their duties. Though it is the final stage, it carries a lot of weight since it oversees that every process in the organizat ion has been fully upgraded. Feedback is of importance and considered for further decision making. The following are some of the tools for this work quality control process charts, control charts, and standardization practices. Repeatedly there may be possibility that the company devise better ways of doing things and this should not be locked out be the system (Pande, Neuman Cavanagh, 2001). Recommendations and Conclusion Academic Medical Centre  need to develop an efficient Six-sigma management system; under the system the company will establish its areas of weakness and determine the appropriate strategies to implement to improve the overall performance of a the medical facility. Other than focusing in one area, the policy will assist the company look into both medical staffs and support departments. The managers will be able to control cost so as they can offer quality services at an affordable rate and have enough finances for research and development. References Pande, S., Neuman, P., Cavanagh, R. (2001).  The Six Sigma Way: How GE, Motorola, and Other Top Companies are Honing Their Performance. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. Pyzdek, T., Paul, A. (2009).  The Six Sigma Handbook. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Snee, D., Hoerl, W. (2002).  Leading Six Sigma: A Step-by-Step Guide Based on Experience with GE and Other Six Sigma Companies. Upper Saddle River: FT Press.