Monday, November 4, 2019
13 Ways Essay Stop And Frisk
1000C November 30, 2013 NYPD Stop and Frisk Laws: The Inevitable Reform New York City being one of the original immigration destinations for people immigrating to the United States should represent freedom; it should be a land of equality where an individualââ¬â¢s race will not hold them back and they will not be judged upon their accent or ethnicity; isnââ¬â¢t that the whole idea of the United States? If all of this is true, it makes no sense how the New York Police Department is allowed to use such intrusive, abusive, and embarrassing tactics such as Stop and Frisk. Being an average white suburban teen, I havenââ¬â¢t personally seen the effects of Stop and Frisk on a first hand account but to me it is clear that these practices are a problem. Stop and Frisk practices are associated with illegal stops, racial profiling, and violating privacy rights, the worst part is that this is all caused by the people who are supposed to be protecting citizens, the police, reform is detrimental for the future of New York City. For anyone unaware of Stop and Frisk Laws, they pretty much give police officers the right to stop whomever they deem as suspicious. After stopping an individual with little to no evidence of any crime stop and frisk gives police officers the right to question them and search them for weapons and other sorts of contraband. This leaves a lot of room for error due to the fact that police officers receive no extra training to help them decide who is or is not suspicious looking(Mathias). I couldnââ¬â¢t have put it better than one of my peers who answered one of the questions on my survey saying ââ¬Å"No one knows how to judge who should be frisked and who shouldnt.â⬠Honestly there is no way anyone can decide who is suspicious and who isnââ¬â¢t; police officers simply have to go with their gut and this is what usually leads to racial profiling. Stop and Frisk can lead to racial profiling because if an officer already has a preconceived idea that a certain race is more violent, more likely to commit crimes, or simply more sketchy then this will drastically affect who they stop and donââ¬â¢t stop. Sadly Black and Latino citizens are the oneââ¬â¢s being profiled and discriminated against. The amount of data supporting this is uncanny, for example 87 percent of the people stopped in 2011 were Latino or Black (Mathias). To go even further, this gives racist police officers the power to stop and harass someone simply because they donââ¬â¢t like the way they look or talk. This practice put so many people at risk it is insane! Another problem of the Stop and Frisk practices are that they violate citizensââ¬â¢ right to privacy. It is completely intrusive and simply embarrassing to be stopped while youââ¬â¢re walking the street just because an officer thought you looked like a criminal. Now if police arenââ¬â¢t protecting citizenââ¬â¢s or their rights, rather theyââ¬â¢re violating them this must take a toll on the NYPD-Citizen relationship. Thanks to Stop and Frisk practices the NYPD is looked down upon and even seen as lazy. These laws lead to citizens losing faith and trust in the NYPD, and without the police to depend on for security society could crumble. If people donââ¬â¢t believe that the police have their best interests in mind and are not there to protect them, they will feel defenseless and naturally will look somewhere else for protection; this could lead to a boom in gangs and mafias. All of this may seem far-fetched but thinking long term if Stop and Frisk laws are not reformed this is very possible. If these laws are not reformed there is potential for chaosâ⬠¦imagine riots lead by the thousands of people who feel singled out and discriminated against calling for a revolution. Although many people believe stop and frisk is bad for everyone, some people disagree and think that the stop and frisk laws are helping keep people safe. An example of this is when I interviewed one of my old martial arts instructors who is a police officer, he said that even though some police officers use racial profiling when deciding who to frisk not all police officers do and the entire NYPD shouldnââ¬â¢t be judged upon a few bad apples. He said at the end of the day no one created these laws with malicious intent. Another thing people might say to condone stop and frisk is that it is a necessary evil, that even though peopleââ¬â¢s rights are violated in the end these laws are there just to keep people safe. Bloomberg supports stop and frisk saying that NYPD finds 900 guns per year thanks to stop and frisk. Police officers say that even if an innocent is stopped it was a necessary precaution to keeping society safe because what if that person was bad and that hadnââ¬â¢t stopped them. And dealing with the racial profiling lawsuit against the NYPD some people may argue that there is no way around claims of profiling and it would be counterintuitive to not stop someone just because they are a certain race after all said and done no matter race is stopped people are going to have something to complain about. In my opinion although stop and frisk can be proved effective in some cases it is not worth risking peopleââ¬â¢s rights and mainly these tactics are illegal. So clearly that view is very different from mine, but another view is one where people say that instead of reforming the stop and frisk laws people say that these laws or practices are so despicable the need to be stopped completely without reform. Clearly the two sides discussed in this paragraph are extremes and I think my side is the most rational. I surveyed five of my peers to see how they felt on the topic, and as I suspected most of my peers strongly support the reform of stop and frisk. One of my questions was, has anyone in your family been affected by any of these laws? One individual responded with, ââ¬Å"Yes my boyfriend has been stopped twice. He is the most straight-laced person I know, it is ridiculous that he has been stopped at all! â⬠This quote proves my point that people are stopped completely without cause and if I had to guess I bet this girls boyfriend was stopped due to his race or color. Another example of my peers supporting my thesis is the majority of them said police officers misuse their power instead of using it responsibly and 100% of participants agreed that police officers use racial profiling when deciding who to stop. Another unanimous response was my question asking what ethnicity or race was most likely stopped the most frequently and everyone said African American. Some of the people who took my survey were black so imagine how they feel that the NYPD singles them out. Obviously these stop and frisk laws should clearly be reformed so that no one is being picked on or discriminated against. If you are white and do not care of feel affected by any of this, just imagine the roles were reversed and you were the one being discriminated against and stopped unjustly. I donââ¬â¢t know about you but I would definitely want everyone to help change this no matter what race they are, simply because these practices are wrong and everyone is supposed to be equal. Some ways we can fix this could be making stricter rules and regulations for officers and having the police department take responsibility when someone is wrongly stopped; the NYPD needs to be accountable for their actions. There should be a supervisor that the NYPD specifically has to answer to when dealing with stop and frisk so this problem gets the attention it deserves. In conclusion there are many ways to fix stop and frisk and reform is inevitable, so lets make it happen now! Works Cited Mathias, Christopher. NYPD Stop And Frisks: 15 Shocking Facts About A Controversial Program. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 13 May 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. . Stop and Frisk Practices | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) American Civil Liberties Union of New York State. Stop and Frisk Practices | New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) American Civil Liberties Union of New York State. NYCLU, n. d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .
Saturday, November 2, 2019
EPL Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
EPL - Dissertation Example The proposed research study intends to examine the issue focusing specifically upon the English Premier League as it has been found from the analysis of the premier hiring records that the conception of internationalization of players is deeply embedded in the British soccer league and for many years, the foreign players are frequently hired in the teams and as the time passes, the ratio of international players is increasing in the EPL players. The proposed research study aims to investigate the evolution of the practice of hiring foreign players in the team and describes the conceptions and theories associated with this trend. The research study aims to illustrate the implication of the described literature and theories in to the English premier leagueââ¬â¢s traditions of inviting foreign players in the team and their performances after becoming part of EPL.à It is also revealed that the foreign players are commonly hired in the team against high fees because they are expected to gear up the performance level of the team carrying it towards the victory stand. Thus, the economic aspect of the management decision to hire foreign players is also an important point of focus for this research study that would be covered by discussing the amount spent by the English soccer team on the foreign players.à The practice of internationalization of football players has become very common in most of the western countries and alon g with England, some other countries like Spain, Germany and France also use to hire the services of the players from other countries.Ã
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Complaints Against an Attorney Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Complaints Against an Attorney - Essay Example The subchapter 8.100 of the Michigan Court rules clearly states some rules that regulate the conduct of attorneys. In addition, the Michigan Supreme Court occasionally produces administrative orders, which can have the same effect of the Michigan Court Rules governing attorney practices. (Michigan legal ethics). Michigan attorneys are accountable for their misconducts regardless of whether or not they are occurred in the course of an attorney-client relationship. According to the section 0.2:240 of the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct, misconduct can be referred to as ââ¬Å"conduct prejudicial to the proper administration of justiceâ⬠or ââ¬Å"conduct that exposes the legal profession or the courts to obloquy contempt, censure or reproachâ⬠(Michigan legal ethics). An individual can file a complaint against the attorney if the individual truly believes that the attorneyââ¬â¢s conduct was against justice, professional ethics, honesty and good morals. If the attorneyââ¬â¢s conduct does not meet the Standards of Professional Responsibility set by the Supreme Court, he will be found guilty. An individual can file a Request for Investigation if the attorneyââ¬â¢s conduct is contrary to USââ¬â¢ or any of its statesââ¬â¢ criminal law. An attorney will be found accountable for his misconduct if he intentionally misrepresents any fact or circumstance. In short, an individual can file a Request for Investigation against an attorney if the complainant really believes that the conduct of the attorney was against his professional ethics. Anyone can file a complaint against an attorney licensed by the State Bar of Michigan or permitted by an authoritative court by filling and signing the Request for Investigation form of AGC. In addition, the complaint can also be filed by sending in a signed letter. According to the Attorney Grievance Commission, ââ¬Å"The form or letter must be signed and sufficiently describe the alleged
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Process Essay How to Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Process How to - Essay Example Next, once you have understood what kind of job you would be working in, researching on the different operation you will have to perform as a part of the job would be helpful, since the interview questions could bear direct or indirect relevance to the job profile. It would of great significance, to conduct a research no the company or organisation you would be working for, since you need to ensure and convince the interviewer that the mission statement fo the company coincides with your personal aim; and that a combination of the two can be of great use, mutually. Once you have done the background research, it's time you get into the groove, and reserahc on some FAQs at interviews. Numerous websites and books these days offer questions that are most often asked. Consecutive rounds in an interview could be different. For instance you could have a simulation round or a telephonic conversation round. This requires you to be spontaneous, simple and creative. It is the safest bet to be completely thorough with one's resume and be prepared for questions based on your job experiences or qualifications. Putting forth false claims no t he resume is a complete no-no, since questions on them could bowl you over! Good command over your communication, both verbal and non-verbal, is a must. Besides this, a grasp on the current affairs could be very useful as well. All said and done, we all know that exams can either be a nightmarish experience or a cakewalk, depending upon the official who sets the question paper! The same formula applies to an interview setup; the progress in your interview depends on your interviewer. Like some stereotypes that we come across in our daily lives, a close assessment on the different kinds of interviewers can leave you surprised! You simply need to prepare your interaction, on the basis of these stereotypic interviewers and lo, your job is done! Here are a few typical interviewers whom you are likely to come across in a number of interviews. The lets-talk-Business type This is the kind of interviewer, who is typically serious and jumps direct to the point. You can spot him weighing options and thinking pensively regarding his decision-making. He questions you about your past work experiences, the role you have played at your previous job, your skill-sets and the like. He does not start of by conversing or small-talk, and rather tackles all that he wants to, right away! In order to tackle this serious interviewer, take care to answer to-the-point and keep your answers informative and substantially rounded and clear. Do stress on the fact that you would be an asset for the organisation and show enough proof, to support that statement! The Simulating Brainy type He is the interviewer who conjures situations and trying circumstances and rather
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Virtualization Concept and History
Virtualization Concept and History Virtualization refers to a creation of software- based representation or a virtual resource that can apply on application, servers, desktop, operating system storage and network. It is used to reduce the expense while increasing the ability of businesses. The concept of virtualization is to provide an environment where multiple independent systems can run at the same time sharing a resource.(1) [ref: vmware.com] History of virtualization Virtualization is believed to have its origin, when IBM started to develop robust time sharing solution in late 1960s and early 1970s. The aim of IBM was to develop a robust time sharing solution which will increase efficiency among a group of users who share a common resource. It helped in dropping the cost of providing computing capability for each individual in an organization. market.(2)[Ref: docs.oracle] IBM worked on S/360 mainframe system design as a replacement to other system to maintain compatibility. On July 1, 1963 MIT introduced project MAC which stands for Mathematical and Computation. They were in need for new computer hardware capability for simultaneous user, since GE had a commitment towards a time sharing method MIT choose GE as their vendor. Bell Labs were also in need for similar system. In response to MIT and Bell Labs IBM designed CP-40 mainframe.CP-40 was not sold to customer and was used only in labs.CP-40 was later evolved into a commercial Main Frame to support virtualization called CP-67.CP-67 was referred to as CP/CMS where CP was the program in virtual machine and CMS stood for Console Monitor System. CMS was single operating system designed to be interactive. CP/CMS was released to public in 1968, but the stable version was released in 1972. Now VMware, Microsofts Hyper-V, Xen and KVM take up to 93% of the total market share in virtualization.(3)[Ref:everyth ingvm.com] Relevant for data centers: Virtualization technique is used in data centers for abstraction of physical hardware, create pools of logical resource consisting of CPUs, file storage, memory, and networking and offer those resources to users in virtual machines. There are various advantages of data center virtualization, some of them are heat reduction, cost reduction, easy backup, testing using snapshot (if a mistake is done it can be easily tested by backtracking the snapshots), vendor lock-in not required as the abstraction between hardware and software makes the virtual machine run on any hardware, and easier to migrate on cloud.(4)[Ref: techrepublic.com] Relevant for cloud computing: Virtualization is the basics for data sharing in cloud computing. It helps the guest user with tools required to execute their request and it helps the provider with giving the ability to house different guests with no additional cost. Virtual machines from the providers server to the users screen is one of the different various approaches developed to secure and ensure privacy of the cloud. Cloud computing can exist without virtualization but it will be inefficient and difficult as it enables rapid scaling of resources. It can be practical only if the backend is flexible and efficient.(5)[ref IEEE paper by Meryeme Alouane and Hana El Bakkali] Virtual Machine running in different servers and emulating hardware can create complexity in virtualization. There are security issues working for and against virtualization. If virtual servers are isolated it helps in reducing security issues although it may not be aware of each other guest system and an attack to the host may impact all the running virtual machine on that particular server. Until every company integrate virtualization into their existing IT framework, the standard of virtualization will not exist. Bibliography http://www.vmware.com/solutions/virtualization.html https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E26996_01/E18549/html/VMUSG1010.html http://www.everythingvm.com/content/history-virtualization http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-benefits-of-virtualization-in-the-data-center/ IEEE paper- Virtualization in Cloud Computing: existing solution and new approach by Meryeme Alouane and Hana El Bakkali. Published : 2016 2nd International Conference on Cloud Computing Technologies and Applications (CloudTech) http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7847687/
Friday, October 25, 2019
Human Rights Issues in Malaysia Essay -- Human Rights
Human rights violations occur on a daily basis in Malaysia. Recently, according to the Associated Press in an article published in The Hindu, an estimated 25,000 protestors rallied on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, demanding electoral reforms prior to the next national polls (Associted Press, 2012). Police fired ââ¬Å"tear gas and water laced with stinging chemicalsâ⬠into the crowd of protestors as retaliation to violation of pre-set barriers by the protestors (Associted Press, 2012). However, prior to that, there were several hours of peaceful protest. Authorities stated that the demonstrators had no right to use Independent Square, ââ¬Å"a symbolically important venue that hosts parades and high-profile celebrationsâ⬠as their protest site (Associted Press, 2012). Activists feel that the Election Commission is prejudiced citing falsified voter registration lists and concerns regarding Prime Minister Najib Razakââ¬â¢s ruling coalition having an ââ¬Å"un fair upper handâ⬠in the elections. (Associted Press, 2012). Although elections do not need to be held until mid-2013, previous rumors state that Najib may dissolve Parliament next month and seek a new mandate in June. Other demands include longer campaigning times and absentee ballot problems, and although Foreign Minister Anifah Aman admits that there are issues, officials feel that many of these concerns are exaggerated (Associted Press, 2012). Although protest concerns merit consideration, primarily, what this event demonstrates is the continued disregard for basic human rights and freedoms in Malaysia. Clearly, government response to this protest supports the rejection of basic human rights and freedoms to Malaysian citizens. Additionally, a previous protest in July 2011 also di... ...rg/news/2012/01/23/malaysia-promises-reform-unfulfilled Human Rights Watch. (2012). World Report 2012: Malaysia. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-malaysia Pichai, U. (2010, March 25). Malaysian government urged to end abuse of migrant workers. Retrieved May 8, 2012, from Mizzima News: http://www.mizzima.com/news/regional/3722-malaysian-government-urged-to-end-abuse-of-migrant-workers.html The Sydney Morning Harold. (2012, April 29). Xenophon caught in Malaysia protests. Retrieved April 29, 2012, from The Sydney Morning Harold: http://www.smh.com.au/national/xenophon-caught-in-malaysia-protests-20120429-1xsjb.html Thompson, J. (July, 25 2011). Australia, Malaysia sign refugee deal. Retrieved May 7, 2012, from ABC News: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-25/malaysia-signs-refugee-deal/2809512
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Home Education: For better or for worse Essay
A home school, as the name implies, is basically an alternative form of education that allows students to receive their education at their own homes instead of going to traditional public or private schools. Students who study at home are either taught by personal tutors, their own parents, or sometimes the school sends the whole curriculum or all the lessons that need to be learned to them. Most of the time, home school students only need to go to their respective schools when they need to take an exam, for example, but in several cases, they take their quizzes or examination at home as well. There are several reasons why parents opt to have their children study at home instead of sending them to educational institutions. These reasons may include: the parentsââ¬â¢ belief that they can give their child better education at home, the childââ¬â¢s disabilities or psychological disorders which need special attention; the parents inability to afford sending their child to traditional schools, the childââ¬â¢s failure to learn anything in private or public schools, the desired school is too far from the childââ¬â¢s home, the childââ¬â¢s failure to pass the entrance exams in any school, problems with policies of the school, and even religious reasons. At present home education has helped a lot of students who are unable to study in traditional schools all around the world. However, while I acknowledge that there are millions of students that are home schooled and that the trend is growing almost every year, I am not entirely in favor of the concept due to various reasons. Although it may be true that home education provides a number of benefits for students, especially those who are impoverished, I believe that it defeats the other purposes of private and public schools, which is to ensure the childââ¬â¢s emotional, intellectual, and social growth and to prepare the child for the life after graduation. It is a well-known fact that a traditional school teaches not only the lessons found in textbooks but also certain aspects of life itself. In private or public schools, students get to interact with their peers. Interaction between students facilitates the exchange of new information, new insights, and new ideas which is highly essential for intellectual growth. Moreover, interacting with peers enables a student to create his own circle or network of friends which is important for social stability and growth. In addition, making friends can also be educational especially if it involves people from different cultures or nationalities. For example, an American student can learn a lot from his or her Chinese best friend regarding the lifestyle, food, beliefs, traditions, and history of China or vice versa. On the other hand, a home schooled student is strictly contained within the four corners of his or her house so he or she is unable to meet and interact with new people. In addition, since this student becomes isolated, he or she may develop a fear of other people or even the outside world in general. Moreover, although a home schooled student may be more intellectual than his or her traditionally educated counterparts since he or she is primarily focused on studying, he or she may not learn new information because of his or her dependence on textbooks. In short, he or she will have a narrower perspective about a lot of things as compared to a student in a traditional classroom setting where he or she can ask questions and give their own opinions regarding certain matter about the lesson. Furthermore, since a home-educated student is basically confined in his or her house, he or she may have a tendency of slacking off because there are no school rules. Home schooled students may study and may work when they want to provided that they pass the exams given to them. However, this defeats the purpose of having school rules and regulations which develop discipline in students. In traditional schools, students generally have to follow rules such as wearing of proper uniform, observing silence in hallways, displaying proper behavior while in the campus, and throwing of trash in the proper garbage cans, among many others. If they fail to abide by the rules and regulations of the schools they will be penalized. This ââ¬Å"penalty systemâ⬠in traditional schools instills in students the fear of breaking a rule due to the corresponding punishments and in effect, they become disciplined and follow the law. In addition, this system also teaches students to respect the authority and the law in general, which is basically what is lacking in home schools. Although the parents may have taught their home-educated children proper manners and respect, these children may only apply this when dealing with their parents since they never got to interact with other people. Furthermore, possibly the major disadvantage of home education is that it lacks an avenue for physical growth. Home-educated students generally have no physical activities such as sports which could lead to weight gain and possible health problems. In addition, since home education does not have extracurricular activities, students are unable to showcase the possible potentials they may have. For example, a home- schooled student may have the makings and traits of a leader, however, he or she cannot show his or her capabilities since there are no opportunities to show them. Moreover, a home-schooled student may have amazing talent in basketball and has the potential to be granted a scholarship in a prestigious university but is unable to do so since he or she is restricted within the comforts of his or her own home. In short, what home schools also lack is the avenue for students to be recognized for their talents and skills in activities other than academics. In fact, they may not be even recognized in academics since it is already an advantage for them to be studying at home. Basically, what I would like to point out is that there are necessary lessons in life that cannot be learned inside a home school or even inside a classroom. For a student to be well-equipped to face the real world, he or she should have experienced the little realities of life which are present in traditional schools. For me, I believe that home schools should only be applicable to students who have disabilities and psychological defects and who are too poor to afford private education. The other reasons are not justifiable since traditional schooling is basically a necessity for everyone. Parents who force their children to receive their education at home without valid are actually impeding their personal growth. If this is the case, they should not be surprised if their children grow up with various problems in life. Over-all, I believe that while a home school can provide intellectual growth for students, it lacks an avenue for equally important aspects of personal growth such as emotional, social, and sometimes even spiritual growth, which are all important for a student to understand and face life itself.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
A close reading of Beowulf Essay
The epic poem Beowulf contains contradictions about the heroic character of the protagonist Beowulf. Two certain passages in Beowulf, one at the beginning of the text and one near the end, offer evidence of inconsistencies within Beowulfââ¬â¢s character. We must ask one question of the poemââ¬â¢s protagonist: Is he really the hero he claims to be? Certain aspects of Beowulfââ¬â¢s integrity, mainly his lies about peopleââ¬â¢s perceptions of him, contradict the conventional classification of a hero. The legend of Beowulf begins with King Hrothgar, who is in a dilemma because Grendel, an evil monster, has been unremittingly attacking Heorot for twelve years. Beowulf, a warrior and thane of the Geat King Hygelac, hears of this and decides that he must go to Heorot to help Hrothgar, for he is the only one who can accomplish this great feat: ;He announced his plan: to sail the swanââ¬â¢s road and seek out that king, that famous prince who needed defenders. Nobody tried to keep him from going, No elder denied him, dear as he was to them. Instead they inspected omens and spurred His ambition to go [â⬠¦] (200-209). This passage is one of the first introductions to Beowulf as a character. The sentence ââ¬Å"â⬠¦prince who need defendersâ⬠portrays Beowulf as a noble warrior, well respected at home. He would ââ¬Å"seek out that king,â⬠the king who needed Beowulf the great warrior. Here, the poetââ¬â¢s word choice implies that Beowulf is fearless. Beowulf knows that he is the only one who can help Hrothgar, the ââ¬Å"famous prince who needed defenders.â⬠But Hrothgar had other warriors who helped to defend Heorot from Grendel, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦powerful counselors, theà highest in the land, would lend advice, plotting how best the bold defenders might resist and beat off sudden attacksâ⬠(171-74). Here, it is evident that Beowulf has told a lie. It is not true that Hrothgar needed defenders. Although Hrothgar had defenders that may have been unsuccessful in the slaying of the monster, that does not imply that he needed defenders, or more specifically, Beowulf himself. A different version of how the elders viewed Beowulf becomes apparent after his victorious defeats of both Grendel and his mother. Beowulf returns home to be greeted with this speech from Hygelac: ââ¬Å"How did you fare on your foreign voyage, dear Beowulf, when you abruptly decided to sail away across the salt water and fight at Heorot? Did you help Hrothgar much in the end? [â⬠¦] (1987-1991). Apparently, Hygelac did not fully support Beowulfââ¬â¢s ambitions to rescue Heorot. It is obvious Hygelac views Beowulfââ¬â¢s undertaking as childish and quite impulsive, which is made clear by his using of the word ââ¬Å"abruptly.â⬠When Hygelac says ââ¬Å"did you help Hrothgar much in the end?â⬠he doubts Beowulfââ¬â¢s ability to defeat Grendel. It is obvious that he did not think he would see Beowulf alive again. This feeling is reinforced a few lines later when Hygelac says, ââ¬Å"I dreaded the outcome of your expedition [â⬠¦]â⬠(1993-94). The sudden apprehensiveness on Hygelacââ¬â¢s part creates a sharp contrast to the first introduction to Beowulf, where he is seemingly the Geatââ¬â¢s top warrior, who could not be defeated; ââ¬Å"he was the mightiest man on earthâ⬠(197). This poses the question; are we to believe anything Beowulf has said so far in relation to his heroic accomplishments? Does this contradiction make him a liar? If he is a liar, does it diminish the feats he has achieved, such as the slaying of Grendel and Grendelââ¬â¢s mother? Another one of Beowulfââ¬â¢s contradictory lies can be found within these passages. The first passage states that ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ no elder denied him,â⬠while in the second passage the poetââ¬â¢s words, such as when Hygelac asks Beowulf if he ââ¬Å"helped Hrothgar much in the end,â⬠imply that the Geats were less than thrilled about Beowulfââ¬â¢s decision to go to Heorot. It is obvious that Hygelacââ¬â¢s words are contemptuous and that he is not asking Beowulf what happened at Heorot because he truly wants to know if Heorot is saved. Hygelac is asking Beowulf in a mocking manner because the elders did indeed deny Beowulf in his endeavor to help Heorot. Evidence of the true sentiments toward Beowulf from his kin can be seen when the poet writes ââ¬Å"he had been poorly regarded for a long time, was taken by the Geats for less than he was worth: and their lord too had never much esteemed him in the mead-hallâ⬠(2183-2186). This sentence explains that Beowulf was not held in such high esteem as he would have liked. His decision to go to Heorot is an attempt to assert his worth to his family and people because they ââ¬Å"firmly believed he lacked force, that the prince was a weakling [â⬠¦]â⬠(2187-88). Beowulf, who holds Hygelac in high regard, wants to defeat Grendel to make Hygelac proud. If Beowulf is a weakling, how is it that he was the only one able to fight and defeat the indestructible Grendel? Beowulf somehow knows that it is his destiny to defeat Grendel, which may be the true reason for ââ¬Å"abruptlyâ⬠deciding to travel to Heorot. For twelve years, no one in Heorot could stop Grendel. They tried time and again to kill him by using any kind of weaponry they could forge. How is it that a newly arrived foreigner defeat Grendel without any armor or weapons? It must be because God had helped the ââ¬Å"hero.â⬠This is apparent in Beowulfââ¬â¢s many references to God: ââ¬Å"Whichever one death fells must deem it a just judgment by Godâ⬠(440-41) and ââ¬Å"the Geat placed complete trust in his strength of limb in the Lordââ¬â¢s favorâ⬠(669-670). The Oxford English dictionary defines a hero as ââ¬Å"a man distinguished by extraordinary valour and martial achievements; one who does brave or noble deeds; an illustrious warrior.â⬠Valor, braveness and nobility are notà characteristics usually found in people who are liars. Noble warriors do not have to lie to assert their worth, their actions speak for themselves. Brave warriors do not lie because they are courageous and do not fear anything, especially the truth. Because one cannot be brave and noble while also being a liar, and because being brave and noble are characteristics of being a hero, it is clear that Beowulf cannot be called a hero.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)