Bradykinesia :: Disease Medical Health Essays

Bradykinesia Perception is an intangible part of every being. It cannot be explained, defined, or nailed down the way that most scientists would like. In some ways, perception can be taught-a person's circumstance and background would cause him or her to perceive a situation in a particular way. In other ways, perception is unpredictable and ever changing. Even here, attempting to describe the indescribable, there are flaws in the last two sentences because they are based on the writer's perceptions of perception. It is too subjective for a "scientific" definition. What does it mean for a person suffering from bradykinesia? If the individual understands the condition, she will realize that the perceptions she has are not always correct. She may perceive herself to be making a fist, or spreading her fingers, but in fact she may not have accomplished this. (1) A blind and deaf person may have perceptions about the world around her. Most likely, her only correct perceptions are those perception s about herself such as: "I am moving my arm," or "I am swinging my legs." The external stimuli are ineffective in this person, whereas a person with bradykinesia can only react completely and at a normal speed to external stimuli. Because of damage to signal pathways, the internal stimuli are ineffectively activated. (1) Bradykinesia is a Greek term that means "slow movement", and it is one of the constituents of Parkinson's disease (2), although it is also associated with other diseases. For patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, it is usually the most tiring and frustrating of the associated conditions. Small muscle movement is one of the first affected areas of the body. Therefore, a common test is to ask the patient to tap her finger. Normal individuals tap their fingers at 4 or 5 Hz, someone afflicted with bradykinesia can usually manage only up to 1 Hz.(3) There is no cure for bradykinesia. Certain surgeries may help decrease the condition. Hope remains for the future while researchers continue to explore different possibilities, examining causes and treatments that will lead to a cure and to more clues about Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and other conditions with which bradykinesia is associated. (4) Not only does bradykinesia affect the speed of movement, the person's ability to complete a motion suffers. While walking, the arms no longer swing, but remain lax at the person's sides. (2) If a person suffering from bradykinesia is asked to make a fist without looking, he or she can tell that their movements are slow. Bradykinesia :: Disease Medical Health Essays Bradykinesia Perception is an intangible part of every being. It cannot be explained, defined, or nailed down the way that most scientists would like. In some ways, perception can be taught-a person's circumstance and background would cause him or her to perceive a situation in a particular way. In other ways, perception is unpredictable and ever changing. Even here, attempting to describe the indescribable, there are flaws in the last two sentences because they are based on the writer's perceptions of perception. It is too subjective for a "scientific" definition. What does it mean for a person suffering from bradykinesia? If the individual understands the condition, she will realize that the perceptions she has are not always correct. She may perceive herself to be making a fist, or spreading her fingers, but in fact she may not have accomplished this. (1) A blind and deaf person may have perceptions about the world around her. Most likely, her only correct perceptions are those perception s about herself such as: "I am moving my arm," or "I am swinging my legs." The external stimuli are ineffective in this person, whereas a person with bradykinesia can only react completely and at a normal speed to external stimuli. Because of damage to signal pathways, the internal stimuli are ineffectively activated. (1) Bradykinesia is a Greek term that means "slow movement", and it is one of the constituents of Parkinson's disease (2), although it is also associated with other diseases. For patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, it is usually the most tiring and frustrating of the associated conditions. Small muscle movement is one of the first affected areas of the body. Therefore, a common test is to ask the patient to tap her finger. Normal individuals tap their fingers at 4 or 5 Hz, someone afflicted with bradykinesia can usually manage only up to 1 Hz.(3) There is no cure for bradykinesia. Certain surgeries may help decrease the condition. Hope remains for the future while researchers continue to explore different possibilities, examining causes and treatments that will lead to a cure and to more clues about Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and other conditions with which bradykinesia is associated. (4) Not only does bradykinesia affect the speed of movement, the person's ability to complete a motion suffers. While walking, the arms no longer swing, but remain lax at the person's sides. (2) If a person suffering from bradykinesia is asked to make a fist without looking, he or she can tell that their movements are slow.

Fall in and Who’s for the game? Essay -- English Literature

Fall in and Who’s for the game? These two examples of poems are typical of the war propaganda of the period, they are propaganda posters to make normal people get up, tell their friends and to join the army, navy or RAF. They try to embarrass people who like to be masculine and question their masculinity; this makes them prove to people that they are a man so they go to fight in the war. The poem teases unmasculine men and tries to make them feel bad for not going to fight. Harold Begbie exclaims that all the MEN who fight in the war will be praised in the street, women will love them (which is not true if they are severely handicapped), everyone will ignore you if you don’t go and everyone who does will be heroes. Men hate getting ignored by women therefore they will want to join up Jessie Pope’s idea of a game makes the reader feel as if war is a football ball match or a great sporting event. Going with the LADS makes it feel like there is comradery and a good time to be had with cool people, there’s no mention of any death, killing people, blood or any oth...

Sir Gawain in Transition Essays -- Sir Gawain Papers

Sir Gawain in Transition Sir Gawain has played a significant role in Arthurian legends since the Middle Ages. His first major appearance in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight depicts Gawain as a warrior rather than a womanizing knight like others from King Arthur's court. Even in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain focuses on his battle with the green knight rather than the advances of Bercilak's wife. During Gawain's visit to Bercilak's castle, his wife makes three specific advances to entice Gawain into an adulteress relationship. Although Gawain faces certain death with the Green Knight, he declines any sexual involvement with Bercilak's wife. Gawain's character remains faithful to his warrior image by rushing into battle with the green knight rather than prolonging his stay at Bercilak's castle. Although he exhibits this obsession with battle in many stories, Gawain's role changes drastically between his appearance in The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell and his later appearance in Howard Pyle's "The Story of King Arthur and His Knights." Although these stories employ similar plots, Gawain's character undergoes's a dramatic transformation. In The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell Gawain reveals his loyalty to King Arthur by agreeing the marry the "Loathly" lady after she saves the king's life. This not the first appearance of the "loathly" lady in Medieval literature. In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the "Knight's Tale" reiterates the "familiar folklore motif [that] concerns the transformation of the ugly hag into a beautiful woman after a man has placed himself under her 'sovereynte'" and incorporates "the theme of A Riddle Asked and Answered" (Wilhelm 467). .. ...en he learns to love the women he marries, Gawain argues with his new wife and then mutters "so be it" when confronted with her choice. Gawain refuses to learn from his mistakes in Pyle's story. In both Pyle's story and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell, Gawain does not battle as he does with the green knight; instead, he marries and enters the marital war zone rather than those fought on the battlefield. Bibliography Lupack, Alan, ed. Modern Arthurian Literature. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1992. Vasta, Edward. "Chaucer, Gower, and the Unknown Minstrel: The Literary Liberation of the Loathly Lady." Exemplaria. 395-419. Wilhelm, James J., ed. The Romance of Arthur. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1994. Web Text version of The Marriage of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell is at http://rodent.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/ragnell.htm

Secrets of Finding and Keeping Good Employees

Lebanese American University Business Department Management Theory Secrets of Finding and Keeping Good Employees Presented to: Dr. N. Beyruti Presented by: Mahdi El Horchi Hussein Marmar Date: 02/10/2006 Introduction: In our days, employment became a hard process in which many managers are complaining about it. In addition, hiring good employees is essential to run a good business on a daily basis and for a long run. Thus, employees would be the heart and the soul of a business. On the other hand, Interviewing is an important process in the preselection of good employees and so opening a gate to have the right person in the right position. Interviewing is an art of gathering information and trying to learn about candidates before selection. Furthermore, Recruitment is a chain of events that could have sequential and disastrous consequences. Thus, designing a good interview should not address or talk about job requirements before the interview starts. On the other side, many savvy applicants could mask their true capabilities and thus inaccurate image could be drawn. Interview Requirements: The interview process should: – Define the position that the applicant is admitting for. – Address questions specific to the position and requires conscious behavior. Check or test the ability of interviewer to do the interview. – Be more scientific and less emotional – Check the steps that are taken for the final hiring process. – Avoid group interviewing that would become a â€Å"game of tag† Consequences of Bad Employment: Bad employees not only affect an employer by driving down sales, co sting the company unwanted expenses due to negligence or simple lack of motivation, but affect customer as well. In addition, wrong decisions and demotivated employees could lead to: – Heightened feelings of stress for the employee in his daily work. – A chain of disastrous events that does irreparable damage. An increase in absenteeism. – Frustrated and angry mangers that try to employ motivation techniques; KITA (kick-in-the-ankle) – A â€Å"lose-lose† situation for all company stakeholders. Hiring Strategies: Selecting and hiring candidates could take several forms: – Interviewing to check the background of the interviewer – Personality characteristics assessments. – Abilities assessments – Interest assessments – Integrated assessments. These assessments facilitate dramatically the hiring process by identifying the thinking styles, occupational interests and behavioral traits and allow the visualization of the â€Å"total person†. To complete the assessment process behavior tendencies play an important role in increasing individual productivity by identifying personal accommodation , assertiveness, attitudes, energy level, independence, objective judgment, sociability, manageability and decisiveness. Keeping and Maintaining Good Employees: As important as attracting good employees is, it is just as important to retain them. As always, benefit packages help to retain employees. After spending as much time as you should have in attracting good employees, it only makes sense that you would go to certain lengths to keep them. Essential tools in keeping and maintaining good employees: – Offer opportunities for personal growth. – Build an organization culture that appreciates personal achievement and performance. – Construct a newsletter that nominates the employee-of-the-month. – Sustain a comfortable environment that empowers employees. – Understand that many employees are motivated by their social networks at work. – Encourage team involvement. – Make benefits more accessible. – Create clear paths at the company. – Share challenges and successes. Hiring and retaining good employees goes hand in hand; and the assessment process should be tested for their ability and reliability to establish a â€Å"win-win† situation for people to be happier, produce more and experience less stress. In addition organizational culture should build into it an employer recognition and appreciation to look to their strengths over their weaknesses and their power over their problems. Finally, companies should be aware of matching the right person to the right job and secure its employees in a more convenient and comfortable environment.

Dramatic Importance of Similar Themes Essay

A distinct art form like a poem, novel or play, a short story is a short piece of writing, having few characters, conflicts, a theme, a setting and a point of view, usually fewer than 10,000 words. Every detail contributes to the unity of effect. Most short stories can connect if they include similar elements, characteristics or qualities including character development and themes. In the short stories: A Deal in Ostriches, The Beautiful Suit, and The Triumphs of a Taxidermist, all written by H. G. Wells, there are similar features in the way the author writes about the theme of humans going through major changes in their lifetime, which shows how important this fundamental is in the plot development of a short story. Whether the change is positive or negative; all humans go through many changes that could as well be life altering. In A Deal in Ostriches, this theme is situated to play out a role, so the main character goes through a dramatic change from start to finish, ending with a twist to show the main characters true side. In The Beautiful suit, the main character goes through his major change at the end as well, starting off as a man boy, but dying happily in the end. In The triumphs of a Taxidermist, the taxidermist starts off as a man of an unintelligent nature, but concludes in the founding of an extinct species of a New Zealand bird, showing his true identity. These factors help prove that the consistency of having the same theme, helps plot development and structure greatly in short stories. In A Deal in Ostriches, the theme is showing that the main character goes through a vivid change in his life and role as the story progress to the finish. The main character Padishah, tends to be a loyal character who needs help finding his jewel. We believe he is against Potter, who is trying to steal his jewel for his own contentment. In the end we consider the fact that Padishah changes throughout the story and turns against everyone to be on Potters side. This story concludes with a bit of a twist, â€Å"A week or so after landing I was down Regent-street doing a bit of shopping, and who should I see arm-in-arm and having a purple time of it but Padishah and Potter. †(Wells 4) This shows that even if someone is reliable or trustworthy at the start, it does not mean they will never change. Padishah is a perfect example of how life situations will always change over time. In The Beautiful Suit, the main character is a little man, who goes through a major change at the end of the story, showing the theme of how life changes can occur in very little periods of time. He starts off as a sad man because his mother would never let him wear his favourite suit, but dies happily in the end. â€Å"But his face was a face of such happiness that, had you seen it, you would have understood indeed how that he had died happy. †(Wells 4) He is the one who changes his feelings; he decides to go out and live his life the way he wanted to. One night he decided he was going to do everything he ever wished to do, including wearing his suit. We find out that his negative attitude turned into a positive one just by changing the way he felt he should be doing things. This little man starts his life in a way he did not feel was right, so he took a chance to turn his life around, and he did. He died happily, just as he wished he would. This shows the theme of human life changing noticeably, and how it can also change in an encouraging way. In The triumphs of a Taxidermist, the main character who is a taxidermist starts off hiding who he truly is, but ends up showing how truly smart and sneaky he is in the end. The taxidermist does not tell or show anyone his uniqueness until the end of the story when he reveals that he found a species of a New Zealand bird which is extinct. One man questioned â€Å"Is it one of those big birds recently extinct in New Zealand? †(Wells 2) No one truly believed that the taxidermist actually founded this spices, but life is full of unexpected surprises. If you are gentle and composed, you can always change your ways in life and become a man of great power. The taxidermist showed that humans go through major changes or chose to make those changes themselves, sometime throughout their lifetime. In conclusion all three of these well written short stories by H. G Wells, brought me to the attention that similar themes, such as the theme of humans going through major changes, is very important in plot development of a short story. These short stories all include a main character that goes through dramatic changes from start to finish presenting its similarities. Everything has something in common; you just need to be imaginative to find it out.

English Literature Coursework Essay

Compare and contrast at least two short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, paying particular attention to setting, atmosphere, characterisation, theme and language. Throughout this essay I will be comparing and contrasting Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘The Cask of Amontillado’. Edgar Allen Poe had a particular preference to what though was good writing he believed that a story should build suspense and tension and all techniques should be used to build this tension for a big finish, his ‘unity of effects’. Many of Poe’s stories are very gothic and sinister, this can be seen to have been influenced by the long chain of very traumatic events in his life such as losing both parents, losing his wife, alcoholism and hallucinations. He should never be called crazy himself but his stories often involve ‘crazy’ narrators and characters. I will firstly start of with the setting in ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, this is a story set in old Italy in which our main character ‘Montressor’ has been gravely insulted by ‘Fortunato’ and to find his revenge he buries him alive deep underneath his mansion. The setting in the Cask is sinister and also ironic. Its set in a mansion during the carnival, the mansion itself is very gothic and creepy which gives us the gothic element, but the fact that its set during carnival is very ironic as carnival is supposed to be a time of joy and gaiety not a time for evil murders such as this. The reason this murder actually takes place is also due to the carnival, as during it a lot of social boundaries are dropped and laws are less firmly enforced which gives him this chance to ‘get away with murder’. The deed itself is set deep in Montressors cellar, his catacombs, which provides is with a very gothic atmosphere. The deeper they descend into the cellar can also been seen as irony for descending into hell which gives us another layer to the setting of this tale. ‘The Black Cat’ is a story set all at home in which a very strange series of events take place and the narrator who was once a very fond animal lover becomes their enemy and ends up killing one cat and attempting to kill his second but instead kills his wife, who he walls up in his cellar and accidently walls up the cat alive with her. During this time we witness his slow decent into utter madness. The setting as I said is all at the narrator home, this is ironic as the home is where we are supposed to feel most secure and most safe but it this tale its where these crazy and rather disturbing events take place, this affects the reader in a way which makes them think that the home is maybe not so secure as they once thought and challenges their views of safety and security. The safety of home is a total contrast to the sinister events that take place. This is similar to the Cask as all deaths in both stories take place in the narrators home, but is contrasted as in the Cask he was more in control of where the death could have taken place as he was more ‘sane’, but it in ‘The Black Cat’ he is less in control and the death of his wife was more spur of the moment. The murder in the cask was very much thought out and everything was planned to the last detail but in the black cat he is often drunk or not in a safe state of mind when the murders are committed. I will now compare and contrast the atmosphere in both stories. In the Cask Poe creates a gothic atmosphere by describing the scenery very vivid and in a hugely gothic detail. Such as ‘upon the damp ground of the catacombs of the montressors’ which gives up a vivid image of a huge damp cellar lined with cob-webs and rats. Also the ‘madness’ of the carnival is ironic for the madness of the deeds that’s going to take place. In the black cat the gothic atmosphere is created by the huge range of gothic literature and very dramatic writing. During the story there are series of very perverse doings such as the pair of deaths one being a cat and the other his wife. There are also lots of hints towards to supernatural elements starting off with the connection between black cats and witches by the narrator’s wife, which we can assume played on his mind throughout the story and may have lead to part of his downfall. Both stories have a huge intensity and a great build up of tension. Both stories create terror and a gothic atmosphere. Now I will discuss the largest of all subjects from the two stories, the narrators. The narrator in the Cask is a very proud man and not easily annoyed as Poe says that he say bared most of Forunato’s but once he is gravely insulted he believes he has to go to the extremity of murder to gain his revenge and regain his dignity. I’d say the character is actually rather reliable as he doesn’t seem to be ‘insane’, just getting revenge the only way he thinks he can, and he often mentions that what he’s doing is just part of human nature and everyone does it just maybe not on this scale. His state of mind is pretty secure, he seems to know exactly what he’s doing and just how he’s going to do it and everything seems very much planned out to the utter last detail. His only slip would seem to be right at the end when he starts to call out Fortunato’s name where it would seem that he’s starting to feel regret already for wha t he’s doing. He’s very manipulative as he knows exactly what things to say to make Fortunato come with him, such as mentioning ‘Luchresi’ as he knows that Fortunato would be in competition with him and would be jealous to see him take it to Luchresi instead of him, he basically uses him as a lure, even though that is all we hear about Luchresi its enough to sway Fortunato into the montressors deep vaults. Now for the narrator in the black cat, at the beginning of the story he is made out to be a very respectful and animal loving character. In the case of this particular character I can easily say that he is unreliable as he is clearly insane. Unlike the narrator in the cask, during his mental disintegration he starts to hallucinate. Such as the ‘enormous, flat’ cat he imagines in house after the death of his first cat, and secondly the gallows appearing in the tuft of white hair on the second cat. The gallows are used as foreshadowing, maybe his death, or another death in his household or his impending capture. Throughout the story the narrators state of mind deteriates slowly, one reason for this could be his alcoholism that had taken control of him. He calls the alcohol ‘fiend intemperance’ which he says had altered his for the worse, this shows that the narrator can see what’s slowly happening to himself but blames it on the alcohol as he calls it a fiend. This adds another layer to the alcohol and leads up to believe that the narrator’s state of mind is not totally secure. So unlike the narrator in the cask we feel that he is rather out of control of his actions and his state of mind. The third subject comparison I will make is in the language of the two stories. In the cask Poe uses a huge array of linguistic devices. There is extensive vocabulary throughout the prose which gives it depth and great vivid detail such as ‘deep dark crypt’; this has two descriptive adjectives and alliteration in a tiny space. This gives the tale imagery of this evil crypt and mysterious vaults. He also uses several instances of repetition to describe and give the story yet another layer or depth and emphasis in particular important events in the prose; ‘a succession of loud and shrill screams’. He also has a wide range of sentence structure, simple, compound and complex. The complex sentences in this prose build tension and then a compound or simple on for impact. All of these techniques create and build tension and intensity. There is also irony, for example the use of appearance versus reality where the narrator presents himself as one way when infact in reality it is clearly obvious they are not. Foreshadowing is also used, this is when a particular event is mentioned or hinted at will become later in the story. Such as when Fortunato is suffering from a cough and upon entering the vaults has a sudden coughing fit after which montressor requests that they leave but fortunate insists that; ‘the cough’s a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough’. This is seen as foreshadowing his future, true he will not die of a cough, but he will die in these vaults. In the black cat Poe uses irony in his very first paragraph, ‘mere household events’ when we know that they are clearly far from mere household events. Poe also uses personification; the most rhetorical is when he personifies the alcohol to give it another layer and it would also give ‘someone’ to blame his irrational behaviour on. The use of irony is noticeable when the narrator reveals that his first cats name was Pluto, who, in Greek mythology, is the lord of the underworld. This could also tap into the supernatural element of the tale which could be the reason for the narrator’s physiological downfall. Poe uses the technique of rhetorical questions to probe at the reader and leave an unanswered question in the readers head. Such as; ‘who has not, a hundred times, found himself committing a vile or a silly action, for no other reason that because he knows he should not?’. This particular rhetorical question is basically talking about this perverse side in everyone and about basic human nature, which is something that we can all relate to as readers and could also, be the narrator trying to justify his actions as part of everyday human nature. Poe’s vocabulary is very vicious, emotive and demonic, such as ‘demons’, ‘exhault’, ‘damned’ and ‘agony’. These emotive words play on the emotions and are much better than just normal descriptive words. Once again, like the Cask, intensity is created and built throughout the story, and both have foreshadowing, symbolism and good diction. An example of foreshadowing in the black cat could be the narrator’s hallucination of the gallows appearing in his second cat’s fur, this could be foreshadowing a death that he could be related to including himself. The last category I will be comparing and contrasting is themes in the tale. In the cask Poe explores several themes, such as the dropping of moral boundaries at the time of carnivals and their consequences, such as crime. Poe is just using this extremity to show this. Revenge is also another theme explored in this tale and once again this is an extremity to show that. It is also to explore the narrator’s state of mind and to entertain the reader. In the black cat Poe explores the idea that everyone has a perverse side and uses this extremity to show that. Like the cask, it also explores the narrator’s state of mind and to entertain the reader.

Literary Traditions

A king is technically a male ruler of a land, but what really is a king? What truly makes a king? That question could be answered in many ways through the knowledge of kings in our real world or even those in the literature we read. Gilgamesh, Odysseus and Oedipus are all kings in classic literary texts. Each king has a completely different dynamic than the other; likeable qualities and unlikeable qualities. All three of these men have qualities of what the model of a king should be, however they also lack certain aspects of the equation.A king should always have the ellness of his people and land come first, as well as have the utmost respect for his people. A king should never abuse his power, but use his power to better his kingdom. When we are first introduced to Gilgamesh, he is a far cry from the model of what a true king should be. Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk, he is also two parts god, one part man. It is obvious that he considers himself more godly than he actually is. He i s almighty and is feared by his people. In the beginning of the story he is the paragon of a king that abuses his power with no respect or thought for his people.Gilgamesh has absolutely no regard for the lives of his soldiers, as he utilizes their forces whenever he feels necessary, even if it is not necessary to fight at all. On top of abusing the servitude of his soldiers, he also abuses his workers. Although Uruk is comprised of beautiful temples and ziggurats, Gilgamesh's only effort towards eradicating these extravagant structures was to force this labor onto his people. Gilgamesh seems to be fitting the character of a dictator better than that of a king. One of Gilgamesh's most horrifying qualities involves his lust for having sexual elations with women.Gilgamesh would rape the wives of his nobles, sleep with a man's bride before her husband, and even go to the extent of laying with their daughters as well. In no way does Gilgamesh model what a king should be. The gods heard the towns desperate pleas to be freed of this monster of a king, Gilgamesh and this is where Enkidu comes into play. Enkidu is a vital force in changing the direction of Gilgamesh's leadership qualities. The gods create Enkidu to counter Gilgamesh and stand up to him. Gilgamesh was very strong and ferocious.Enkidu was made to be Just as strong as Gilgamesh, so that he would actually have a chance at overcoming Gilgamesh's cruel ways. Enkidu and Gilgamesh brawl, but then become best friends. It seems as if Enkidu has knocked some sensibility and sudden kindness into Gilgamesh. The two adventurously and bravely set off into the wilderness to the cedar forest. They plan on bringing the cedar back to the town, as its very fine wood for structures. A king should be adventurous and brave, even if he is scared, he should not show his people that he is, for he is their ruler.Gilgamesh and Enkidu ventured towards the edar forest in conquest for the wood even though they were told that it was guarded by the vicious Humbaba. Whether or not their intentions were to bring the cedar back and build something of it without the forced labor of Uruks people is unknown, however it would be honorable if Gilgamesh had good intentions of building a beautitul structure tor his town. What really gains the respect ot a mass ot people is knowing that their ruler is willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of his domain.The wrongs Gilgamesh committed against his people will never be made right, however his conquest for cedar for the town is a first step. Gilgamesh also proves that his humanity has grown when he attempts to bring back a plant that keeps men young to the people of his town, even after he has failed to save himself from eventual death. Gilgamesh shows that he has some sense of compassion and care for the people of his town through this act of kindness. Although the plant is taken by a snake, as many say â€Å"it is the thought that counts. Gilgamesh is far from what a king should be; he is more of an example of the qualities a king should not possess, however he demonstrates a few admirable, king-like qualities. Odysseus is the husband of Queen Penelope of lthika. Odysseus has many more admirable qualities that a king should have, as opposed to Gilgamesh. Odysseus is a great warrior that fights alongside his men and has gained the trust and respect of his men. He may be a ruler but he sees himself as equals to them on the battlefield; a very honorable quality to have, which demonstrates a genuine care for the country and its people.Odysseus is also very convincing and sneaky. In many cases these would be bad characteristics of a king, however Odysseus uses these talents to his advantage in a way that does not belittle his people. A king should have a natural way with words† since they do hold the voice for the whole country. This quality can be useful in negotiation if used honorably. Odysseus puts his quick words and thinking into effect when him and his men are trapped in the cave with the Cyclops. He blinds the cyclops and his men and him ride out of the cave clinging onto the bellies of the sheep.Although his actions saved him and his men, a quality of Odysseus that is not so admirable revealed itself as they were sailing away. As the Cyclops was blindly throwing boulders at Odysseus and his crew escaping, Odysseus yelled back to the Cyclops his identity. Cyclops, if any mortal man ever asks you who it was that inflicted upon your eye this shameful blinding, tell him that you were blinded by Odysseus, sacker of cities. Laertes is his father, and he makes his home on Ithaka† Odysseus has too much pride and ego to Just quietly sail away. He wants his bold actions to be known that they were indeed his actions.Having too much pride counteracts the act of being brave. Is Odysseus brave because he is genuinely a heroic fighter or is he brave because he desires the attention that comes with being brave? He also p roves disloyal to his wife after years of trying to get home. Penelope, his wife, stayed loyal and faithful to her husband throughout the many years that he was gone, as well as hopeful of his return. Odysseus went astray sleeping with calypso for seven years. If Odysseus was so set on getting home, his genuine intentions are questionable if he spent that long of a period with calypso, practically being pampered.Odysseus' genuineness is questionable as well as his ego, however he have many more admirable qualities as a leader than Gilgamesh possessed. Oedipus is the king of Thebes. Of the two previously discussed kings, Oedipus est fits the more suitable qualities of what a king should be, although he is cursed. Oedipus has been ruler for quite some time now. If a king can rule a parcel of land tor a great period ot time and keep the peace in his domain, he must be doing his Job correctly He is a respectable leader who has brought good fortune for his people under his leadership.Oed ipus seems to have the genuineness that Odysseus lacked. Oedipus seems to genuinely care about his land and its people, as he listens and tends to their problems. He managed to solve the riddle of the sphinx and save his people from famine and sickness. He brought it upon himself to do this to lift the curse from his land. What really proves Oedipus' genuine nature is when he accepts the fate that he gave whomever was the killer of Laius. Despite Oedipus' fortune in being a successful leader, misfortune sought refuge in his ultimate fate.When Oedipus was born he was sent out to the hills to die because an oracle stated that it was in the infant's fate to grow up and kill his father and murder his mother. However baby Oedipus was pitied and taken far away to live so that he would never know this fate. When the murder of Laius came into question Oedipus stated that whomever illed him should be punished and exiled. A negative quality emerges when this comes into question. Oedipus point s his finger at Creon as the murder and is in complete denial of the accusations that he himself is the murderer.Denial is never a good quality to have. As a king, a leader must accept what is and do what is necessary to move on or solve the problem at hand. Well as the oracle predicted, Oedipus killed his father, who turned out to be Laius. When he found his fate to be true he gouged his eyes out because he could not bare to see the reality that had become his life and the people who were affected by it. Oedipus wanted to be taken away, he exiled himself as he said the killer should be. Oedipus shows much shame and humility in these acts, even though he had been in severe denial before the truth surfaced.A king such as Gilgamesh, in this situation might have Just blamed another man for the crimes and continued with his life. Although it is a shame what happened to Oedipus, the fact that he accepted the fate that was his speaks for the type of person he is. A king is a real person, although with higher power, under it all he is a human like the rest of mankind. Although he was a great leader he shows rue emotions and remorse, that any decent human being has; Oedipus shows that he is not above the law by accepting his own fate that he pinned on himself.Not abusing his high status is a true quality of an admirable king. Gilgamesh, Odysseus and Oedipus when compared are vastly different kings from one another. They all have qualities that make them a good king and qualities that make them a bad king; some more than others. When it comes down to what a good king is, decency is what really is most important when having such great power. When this decency is lost and power is abused, a bad king is in throne.