No Child Left Behind Act Vs. Every Student Succeeds Act Essay

Mike Jean 12/4/16 EDUC 480B Prof. Boesenberg No Child Left Behind Act vs. Every Student Succeeds Act December 10, 2015: We Won, RIP No Child Left Behind! Headlines such as this one, seen on the American Federation of Teachers newsletter, were commonplace on this momentous day for all involved in the American educational system. Newspapers ranging from the New York Times to the Washington Post, to nearly every small town daily chronicle, celebrated the end of a much-maligned era; that of No Child Left Behind. On this momentous occasion, President Barack Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. This measure was meant to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 that was introduced during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society Reform. Most importantly, for Americans, it replaced the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) instituted during the presidency of George W. Bush. The Every Student Succeeds Act was touted by lawmakers for returning power back to the states by taking a more flexible approach to student testing and school accountability. This measure is a step in the efforts to return American to its place as a leader in education worldwide, but this bill is not without its pundits as well. One of the leaders in the staunch opposition to the Every Student Succeeds Act is none other than Diane Ravitch. Ravitch, a former Undersecretary of Education during the Bush administration, whoShow MoreRelatedThe No Child Left Behind Act990 Words   |  4 PagesThe purpose of this paper is to address the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 10, 2015. The paper will also address the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002. The paper will talk about some of the key components of ESSA in comparison with NCLB and identify some possible strengths and weaknesses in ESSA’s new approach. ESSA was signed into law on December 10, 2015 by PresidentRead MoreThe Role Of State And Local Control Of Education850 Words   |  4 Pagesschool elementary and secondary teachers to meet their state’s definition of highly qualified in the core academic subjects they teach. No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which was established by former President George W. Bush; is a United States Act of Congress that is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which includes Teacher Title I. The nation standards vary upon the NCLB are diverse into Highly Qualified Teacher, Accountability and StandardRead MoreHistory of Special Education1216 Words   |  5 PagesHistory of Special Education The field of education has been around for a very long time, but special education has not always been around. In fact, for many years it wasn’t even accepted in the world of education. In the past, students with special needs were often not allowed to go to public school because of their disabilities. However, in today’s world, they have a right to free public education and most of the time benefit greatly from some of the resources that are available. Special educationRead MoreThe Brown Vs. Board Of Education Essay1195 Words   |  5 Pagesdivided as new housing development plans take place. Many students go to their closest schools due to lack of transportation and in response, the schools become either rich schools, or poor schools. This then results in unfair education opportunities. Many residents of Charlotte NC are unaware of this, or feel they have no voice. It is however the law for students to receive equal education, and North Carolina has a No Child left Behind Act that is clearly not in full effect in CMS, which will eventuallyRead MoreThe Importance Of Education In Education1303 Words   |  6 Pageseducation than low income students due to the fact that wealthy people tend to send their children to private institutions that have a different curriculum than public schools. This problem has limited American equity because â€Å"Only 28% of high school graduates from high-poverty schools enrolled in four-year universities, compared to 52% of graduates from low-poverty schools† (Chen, pg 3). This is a very important problem because the education system isn’t helping students â€Å"dig their way out of theRead MoreParagraph On Education Within Countries1040 Words   |  5 PagesEducation within Countries Many people have always thought, that the United States of America has always been ahead of every other country in the world. Whether it is in the economy, army, or in the educational field people think that the U.S is superior. What people do not know is that we are not the only country out there. The United States might be greater and better in quality in some areas, but education is definitely not. We are the U.S and we struggle because we want to! because we are lazyRead MoreThe Desegregation Of The United States1633 Words   |  7 Pagesmandated school districts to bus students to different schools so integration would be possible (Wilson). President Lyndon B. Johnson was also a key part in education reform during this time period, which will be discussed later. The federal government became involved to create additional benefits for low-income students. Head Start and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) were created to reduce poverty by providing equal opportuni ties for all students (Cross). Leading up to the 21stRead More The No Child Left Behind Act and Educational Technology Essays3120 Words   |  13 PagesThe No Child Left Behind Act and Educational Technology Overview of Act: What it entails The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has become a large, nationwide issue, since President George Bush signed it into law on January 8, 2002, giving the schools the responsibility to keep every student’s academic achievement at a passing level. (Florida Department of Education; 2003; pg. 1) Each state had twelve years to have all students proficient in reading and math, which gave each state less than aRead More`` Looks Like 10 Miles Of Bad Road : Cheating, Gaming, Mistrust, And An Interim Principal1500 Words   |  6 Pagesmeasurement stemming from Federal educational policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) and continuing with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). With increasing pressure to raise student test scores and subsequently overall school performance ratings, administrators and teachers in some schools and districts have unfortunately begun using strategies, which are not ethical (and sometimes illegal) to increase student achievement. This paper is i n response to a fictional case study basedRead MoreA Balanced System Of The Republican Party And The Democratic Party1541 Words   |  7 Pagesbe supported. The democrats support the â€Å"No Child Left Behind† initiative and, when necessary, to close consistently failing schools that refuse help to make way for new schools with new approaches. Although in 2012 even Democrat, US Rep George Miller agrees that this program needs a rewrite. He stated, â€Å"We have learned a lot since the law’s enactment. Thanks to NCLB, the evidence is irrefutable that all kids can learn if given an opportunity to succeed, regardless of their zip code or income. However

The Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. - 728 Words

Martin Luther King Jr. gives this speech on September 28, 1965. This time period was the heart of the Civil Rights movement in America. Slaves received their freedom at the end of the Civil War, in 1865. However, the battle for former slaves did not end there. While they may have earned their freedom, there was still a long road ahead to achieving equality. Martin Luther King Jr., was a Civil Rights activist and speaker. In this speech, he talked not only about what has been accomplished, but about everything that was still a problem. Touching on the KKK, racism, troubles voting, and even the unemployment of African Americans in Chicago. He touched on how during slavery, slaves often referred to the story of Moses leading the Israelites†¦show more content†¦The reader’s interpretation of this text is highly influenced by the narrator. For example, he painted the character of Pharao by describing his reaction when the Israelites do not make the amount of bricks he orde red: â€Å"And the supervisors of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten†(Exodus 5:14). The narrator pictured Pharaoh as evil here, by describing how he beats his people for not reaching their goal, when he took away their straw that was used to make bricks. By showing Pharaoh to be evil this makes God seem even more graceful and caring when he saves the Israelites from. God is also seen as persistent in his goal to free the Israelites because he asks Moses multiple times to go to Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites go (Exodus 7:16, 8:1, 9:1). By showing that God asked the Pharaoh multiple times, it again presents a loving God, who cares lots about his children and wants them to be free. After seeing that God is represented of caring towards his people and loving, it would be easy to interpret that is something that remains true today. If God does still care about his people, which can be inferred from the representation of Go d in this story, then one could assume that God would help African Americans overcome the oppression and racism they face. So, while the directShow MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.1046 Words   |  5 PagesRhetorical Analysis Essay Civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech while standing at the feet of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. His uplifting speech is one of the most admired during the civil rights era and arguably one of the best in American history. On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the true American dream: equality. Although the video of his oral spectacle is powerful, the written document portrays exactly howRead MoreThe Rhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.1139 Words   |  5 Pagesuse rhetorical devices and strategies to get their point across and try to convince the reader to believe in their perspective. It can also be used to get emotions from its readers, but that isn’t really the whole point of persuading someone. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. uses an abundance of pathos in order to make the reader or clergymen feel sympathy towards the black people. Along with pathos, he uses lo gos and a bundle of hypophora. In order to obtain the goal of persuasion, Martin LutherRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr847 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King Jr and The Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther King Jr was a protestor who became the most important spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement.  He was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) and in 1954, he decided to take a position as a preacher at Dexter Avenue Church in Montgomery, Alabama. King felt as though it was his moral duty to help the civil rights movement which is why he planned many activities that will helpRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.976 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. wrote numerous speeches in efforts to inspire the idea of non-violent protesting in hopes of eventually reaching racial equality. Under what conditions can a man with seemingly no connection to a local community step in and assume the mantle of leadership as a spokesman for a segment of that community’s population? In all of the speeches, one way or another, Dr. King used several different rhetorical devices in order to defend his ow n actions. In specific, two of his speechesRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr1689 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther King Junior is often known as the leader of African American civil rights in the United States. His infamous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech brought a crowd of over two hundred and fifty thousand people to the steps and lake of the Lincoln Monument in Washington D.C. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. led a protest in Birmingham, Alabama that focused on the unfair treatment and the segregation of African Americans. The court ruled that he was not allowed to hold protests. Therefore, he was arrestedRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1996 Words   |  8 PagesIn 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter while incarcerated in Birmingham jail to eight clergymen in response to their letter known as â€Å" A Call For Unity.†   The letter asked for the halt of direct action type protest in Birmingham, Alabama that Martin Luther King was leading.   The letter has become known as one of the greatest works of argument in American history. Part of the reason for the letter’s notoriety and effectiveness is due to its eloquent use of pathos. King’s use of pathos in hisRead MoreThe Rhetorical Analysis Of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.764 Words   |  4 PagesWhile sitting in a jail cell, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. uses this time of reflection to write a letter to the 7 white church leaders in the south in rebuttal to their recent criticisms of the Civil Rights Movement. The letter comes after the recent protest in Birmingham, and the criticisms of his work form the Southern leaders. King crafts his argument in a cause and effect style to illustrate the direct problems or criticisms, and refutes these claims with substantial support in favor of hisRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.769 Words   |  4 Pagesactivists in the nation such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After his assassination, people took their grief to the public and called for acts of violence to deal with the sudden loss. As their anger continued to rise, Cesar Chavez published an article, in which he urged people to com e to their senses and take a less violent approach to the situation. Chavez states that only through nonviolence will people continue to strive towards the peace that they and Dr. King have so long looked forward to. HeRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr. s I Have A Dream 1132 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. was the man who wrote the speech entitled â€Å"I have a dream† and presented it to nearly 250,000 people on August 23, 1963. In that speech, MLK Jr. used several different types of figurative language/rhetorical devices in order to convey his message to the people on a deeper level. These devices include personification, allusion, symbolism, hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and anaphora. Personification is a form of figurative language in which something has nonhuman human qualitiesRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of I Have A Dream Speech By Martin Luther King Jr.815 Words   |  4 PagesMemorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous I Have a Dream speech. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to all under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative

The Influence of Music free essay sample

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the Imagination, and life to everything. (Plato, 428-348 BC ) Music Is Inseparable part of our everyday life; we can face It In every corner of our town, on TV commercial, films, radio etc. Music can be understood everywhere, even if you cannot speak the language of other countries, but you move, dance, sing and enjoy the music while listening to it. We may not understand the words of a musical selection but we do understand the tatty of songs.We cannot avoid it and we cannot disclaim that music has an impact on humans behavior, mood and attitudes. Music can affect us In ways In which people are not even aware of, and for this reason, music Is simply amazing. Therefore, this issue has been studied for decades, by unrelated people for each other, such as music educators, neuroscience, composers, psychologists, singers, philosophers, mathematics, therapists, medical researchers and others. That is why music is used in millions of places. The first question of inquiry chart is: how does music affect our emotions?Music can produce deferent emotions in listeners. Also, It is a form of expression, because artists often express their feelings through songs. They write songs when they are happy, sad, angry. And even when they are in love. It has been proven that certain types of music can evoke sadness, while others can give you an excitement. Also, music has the ability to change the emotional and physical status of people, whether they are in bad moods, good moods, or sad moods. As health reporter of BBC news Sonny Musicologist (2011) wrote Music releases a chemical in the brain that has a key role In setting good moods.Also, when people listen to music, their body produces serotonin, which Is known as the happiness hormone and that Is why, lovely songs can make them happy. According to Emperor State Research, which was conducted by Christopher Rear, Pamela Macdonald and Gwen Scares (2010), they investigated the effects of different types of music on moods. They took fifty four participants, who were undergraduate college students. Sixteen of them were men, thirty seven of participants were women, and one participant was unspecified. The age range of participants was from eighteen to thirty years.Materials which were used In an Investigation were three compact discs [CD]: pop, heavy metal and classical music with approximately ten minutes music on each CD. According to results of Rear et al. (2010), nineteen of participants reported that they felt themselves more relaxed and calm while listening to classical music, seventeen of partakers who listened to heavy metal, reported increases in Jitteriness, and decreases In calmness, security, satisfaction, comfortableness, relaxation, contentedness, steadiness, and pleasantness. Other seventeen students felt more types of music make us feel and behave in different ways. I would agree that music impacts on our emotions, because when I listen to the song with the title Dont Worry e Happy by Bobby Mesmeric, all problems go far away from me for three minutes. Actually, I see myself as a melanoma, because I try to listen to different types of music, pop, rap, rock, classical, house, soul etc. However my tastes change due to time, now I prefer to listen to rap music, tomorrow I can listen to club music. Additionally, I want to add that music can transport memories from past to present, for example when I hear some songs from school time, I remember my classmates and school.As Abss Happy New Year brings us emotions and atmosphere of the New Year. In conclusion, music communicates with our hearts and minds; it serves as a powerful connection into our emotions. Music is not only for entertainment and for pleasure, but has been used for a wide range of purposes due to its social and physiological effects. Music has been used in stores, offices, and as a background in advertisements and has been reported to influence listeners emotions and behaviors. So, the second question of the chart would be: How does music affect consumer behavior?It is a simple fact that most music of today is composed, strutted, sold and bought, performed and listened to for some commercial purposes. One of the main purposes is selling. Nowadays the main concept of this modern world is to make more money, as everybody knows; customers are the main source of the companies income, whether you make products, goods or service. Moreover, managers and marketers try to attract more consumers by using different tricks. One of them is to influence customers behavior by music and sounds.First of all, on an average day, the average person watches an hour and a half of the commercial television stations, of which fifteen minutes will be made up solely of advertisements. Approximately half of all advertisements will have music (Fellows, 1998, Para. L). Good music can contribute to the effectiveness of an advertisement by making it more attractive. A good music engages the attention of an audience, evoke emotions and sometimes make audience to dance and sing. Music plays an important role in marketing business, by appealing customers through their emotions, as it was mentioned before.In this case, music should send messages about products brand name, shape, and even taste etc. For example, according to Michael Morrison (2009), Victoria Secret is a good example of this phenomenon. The playing of classical music in their stores, as contributed to a prestigious store atmosphere, leading to a customer perception of higher merchandise and service quality. The atmosphere of the shopping environment can influence customer attitudes and their perceptions in relation to the overall quality of the store in terms of the product, service the purchase price.Music can be helpful element of a stores atmosphere. Also, Morrison made several case studies; one of them is about Borders asks, book retailer, which wanted to maximize the amount of time people stay in the store. Music in the store is slow and relaxed, designed to maximize customer visit time. Research showed that if shoppers stay longer and travel more slowly throughout the store, they are likely to purchase more. This case can be proved by Mailmans study (1982) that found that the tempo of music can effect shoppers movements around the stores. In my point of view, music can affect our music, our appreciation may be changed in various ways. For example, I listen to classical music when I stand in the traffic Jams; I feel myself less stressed and more relaxed. Finally, we face ads with music everywhere, while shopping, watching ivies, driving cars, surfing the internet and so on. The third question of the chart is: how does music affect education? Albert Einstein (n. D) asked about his theory of relativity, It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception. There have been a number of studies done on the effect of music on academic development. US Irvine researchers Frances Earaches, Gordon Shaw, and Katherine Ky (1993) published an article entitled Music and spatial task performance, they exposed college students o listen to ten minutes of Mozart Sonata in D major for Two Pianos, KICK, to ten minutes of a relaxation tape, or ten minutes of silence, which was followed by a test on spatial reasoning. Earaches et al. Research showed a significant rise in scores from students who listened to the Mozart Sonata.The students who listened to the Mozart sonata showed eight and nine point increase in their IQ scores over their scores when they took the test after a period of silence or listening to the relaxation tape. These finding nowadays is known as Mozart Effect. In addition, recent researches proved that music affects the body. As Laurence ODonnell (1999) stated Classical music from the baroque period causes the heart beat and pulse rate to relax to the beat of the music. As the body becomes relaxed and alert, the mind is able to concentrate more easily. Furthermore, baroque music decreases blood pressure and increases the ability to learn. Mozart music and baroque music, with sixty beats per minute beat pattern, activate the left and right brain. More importantly, research has proven that the limbic part of the brain is responsible for long term memory, which means when information is learned with music; there is a rater chance that the brain will encode it in long term memory. (Dry Roy Page, 2006) In my opinion, sitting in the silence is the best condition of learning. I have tried to listen to Vivaldi and Mozart, but songs did not made me more attentive or smarter.However I will attempt to listen to classical music every day. I consider this type of music would help children and pupils, because their brain enhance day by day till they got eighteen years old. Thus, music carries with it more than Just feelings, it can be a powerful transportation for information. In conclusion, music can be a positive force for relaxing, calming and learning. Music can serve many different purposes. Some people uplift their mood and emotions, some people make money by influencing others, nevertheless everybody benefits from music.

Role of Zeus in the Iliad free essay sample

But Rhea hid the newborn in a cave on Mount Dicte in Crete. (To this day, the guides at the cave of Zeus use their flashlights to cast shadow puppets in the cave, creating images of baby Zeus from the myth. ) When he had grown up, Zeus caused Cronus to vomit up his sisters and brothers, and these gods joined him in fighting to wrest control of the universe from the Titans and Cronus, their king. Having vanquished his father and the other Titans, Zeus imprisoned most of them in the underworld of Tartarus. Then he and his brothers Poseidon and Hades divided up creation. Poseidon received the sea as his domain, Hades got the Underworld and Zeus took the sky. Zeus also was accorded supreme authority on earth and on Mount Olympus. Zeus was also known for having many relations with mortal and immortal alike. His offspring include Ares god of war, Eris goddess of discord, Apollo god of light, Aphrodite goddess of beauty, Hermes god of thieves and commerce, Artemis huntsman of the gods, Hephaestus god of the forge, Persephone wife of Hades, Hebe goddess of youth, Dionysus god of the vine, Epaphus, Minos King of Create, Rhadamanthus, the Muses namely, Clio (History), Urania (Astronomy), Melpomene (Tragedy), Thalia (Comedy), Terpsichore (Dance), Calliope (Epic Poetry), Erato (Love Poetry), Polyhymnia (Songs to the Gods), Euterpe (Lyric Poetry), and his favourite Athena. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Zeus in the Iliad or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Other stories in Greek mythology include the creation of the world, the overthrowing of Cronos, creation of man by Prometheus, the lovers of Zeus who all have stories of their own, the birth of Athena, the wanderings of Dionysus and the labours of Hercules. The story of the Iliad is focusing on the Trojan War. This war is between the Trojans and the Achaeans. There are several themes in the story, one of them being the wrath of Achilles and the will of Zeus. With this I will end my introduction. The Role of the Gods in Homers Iliad If one holds the contemporary view of the Christian God then it may be difficult to comprehend the actions and motivation of the Greek deities. The Christian God does not tend to take such an active role in the affairs of peoples lives, where, on the other hand, the Greeks regarded direct involvement by the gods as a daily, uncontrollable part of life(Guthrie 17). Needless to say, divine intervention was a major variable in the equation of Homers Iliad. The gods picked who they would favor for different reasons, except Zeus. As the symbol of supreme authority and justice, he makes judgment calls as to the other gods involvement in the war, remains impartial, and doesnt seem to get caught up in picking favorites. Even when his own son, Sarpedon, was about to die, Zeus chose to let the outcome go unaltered. On the other hand, Zeuss wife, Hera, displayed the more typical actions of a god. After Paris, a Trojan, judged Aphrodite the fairest over Hera, and, after her daughter Hebe was replaced as cupbearer to the gods by a young Trojan boy, she was quite resentful towards Troy and its people. Obviously, she sided with the Greeks and would stop at nothing to express her will. Scheming and manipulating, she even dared to trick her husband, King of the Gods. Hera, along with Athena, who was also passed over by Paris, is seen as the chief divine aid to the Greeks. Being the god of the sea, Poseidon was another strong supporter of the ocean-faring Greeks. Whenever Zeus turned his back, Poseidon tried to help the Greeks in the fight. Poseidon felt that he was somewhat Zeuss equal, as his brother, but recognizing Zeuss authority and experience, he looked to Zeus as an elder. There were also Gods who favored the Trojan side of the conflict. Both Apollo and Artemis, twin brother and sister, gave aid to the city of Troy. Although Artemis takes a rather minor role, Apollo, perhaps angered by Agamemmnons refusal to ransom Khryseis, the daughter of one of his priests, and was constantly changing the course of the war in favor of the Trojans. Responsible for sending plague to the Greeks, Apollo was the first god to make an appearance in the Iliad. Also, mainly because Apollo and Artemis were on the Trojan side, their mother, Leto, also helped the Trojans. Aphrodite, obviously supporting Pariss judgement, sided with the Trojans. Although she was insignificant on the battlefield, Aphrodite was successful in convincing Ares, her lover and the god of war, to help the Trojans. One view of the gods seemingly constant intervention in the war was that they were just setting fate back on the right course. For instance, when Patroklos was killed outside of Troy, Apollo felt no guilt for his doings. It had already been decided that Patroklos would not take Troy, he should never have disobeyed Achilles in the first place. As a god, he was just setting fate on a straight line. Achilles laid blame on Hektor and the Trojans. He did not even consider accusing Apollo, who never came into question, although he was primarily responsible for the kill. Apollos part in the matter was merely accepted as a natural disaster, or illness, would be today. This general acceptance of a gods will is a recurring trend throughout the poem. A prime example of this trend is in book XXIV. Achilles, angry over the death of Patroklos brutally disgraced Hektors body. Tethering Hektors corpse through the ankles, Achilles dragged him around Patroklos tomb every day for twelve days. This barbaric treatment was uncalled for and displeased the gods greatly. Achilles mother, Thetis, was sent by Zeus to tell him to ransom the body back to the Trojans. One may think Achilles would be possessive of the body and attempt to put up a fuss as he did before with Agamemmnon in Book I. But, Achilles showed humility and respect for the gods and immediately agreed to ransom the body to the Trojans, showing that all mortals, even god-like Achilles, were answerable to the gods. This ideology would seem to give the gods a sort of unlimited freedom on earth, although, the gods could not always do as they pleased and, eventually, had to come before Zeus. Zeus acted as a balance of sorts throughout the Iliad. He had to keep the gods in order and make sure that what fate decreed, would happen. For example, after Achilles re-enters the battle, Zeus declared that if Achilles was allowed to go on slaughtering the Trojans with nothing to slow him down, he would take Troy before fate said it would happen. Therefore, to counter Achilles massive retaliation against the Trojans, Zeus allowed the gods to go back to the battle field. In Zeuss own interests, he preferred to deal with issues more personal to the individual heroes of the Iliad. This can be seen throughout the book as Zeus attempted to increase the honour of certain individuals. Zeus knew that Hektor was going to be killed by Achilles, and, feeling sorry for Hektor, Zeus attempted to allow Hektor to die an honourable death. For instance, when Hektor stripped Achilles armor off Patroklos, Zeus helped Hektor fill out the armor so he would not seem like less of a man than Achilles. Zeus also gave his word to Thetis that Achilles would gain much glory showing his involvement on a personal level. Homer used the gods, and their actions, to establish twists on the plot of the war. It would not have been possible for him to write the story without the divine interventions of the gods. Indeed, they affected every aspect of the poem in some way, shape or form. Yet, from the immortal perspective of the Greek god, the Trojan War, and everything related to it, was only a passing adventure in the great expanse of time. The Role Of Zeus in Homers Iliad In the era of Homer, divine intervention was thought to be typical, and one of his foremost works, The Iliad, reflects this. Nearly all of the Greek gods are involved in the outcome of the Trojan War, which happens to be the background story of this epic poem. The gods are used by Homer to add twists on an otherwise standard plot of war. I shall concentrate on Zeus, however, and reflect on his actions and their outcomes on the Trojan War, and more importantly, the story of The Iliad. Zeus, very untypical of a Greek god in his lack of involvement in the Trojan War for selfish reasons, was portrayed as the father figure, being impartial and fair to both sides of the war. He remains this way to serve as a check for each gods involvement in the war. Without his presence at the head of the inner circle of Olympus, it is likely that the activity of the Trojan War would become chaotic, possibly even becoming a playground of war for the gods. With Zeuss majestic power, above all of the other gods combined, along with his experience, he is quite befitting to his role in the storyline of The Iliad. The Iliad was thought to be written by a Greek minstrel named Homer. The Iliad was the first of the major epics credited to him, the second being The Odyssey. Discussion about Homer among scholars inevitably leads to controversy on nearly every conceivable issue, ranging from his birthplace to his actual composition of either of these epics. Because of our lack of reliable information, we have but a small fragment of knowledge agreed on by scholars about the writer of the first great piece of literature of Western civilization. Homer in ancient Greece was conceived as a blind, old man, singing or reciting his own compositions (History of Horticulture), and at least seven ancient Greek cities claimed to be his birthplace. His work has been questioned as to two separate ways: if one minstrel, possibly named Homer, composed these works alone, and if so, if this minstrel wrote both of these epics. It has been argued that Homer is, in fact, the collective progression of minstrels that have passed this ever-evolving tale down until it was inscribed into the epic that we have today. The opposite has been argued also, however. Concerning the second question, that of if Homer wrote both The Iliad and The Odyssey, several points have been brought up. One point brought up is the fact that they have been thought to be written over a generation apart, which, if true, makes it very unlikely for one man to have composed both of these classic epics. The other point brought up is the amount of variances in the writing of these epics, especially in writing style and word choice and phrasing. It has been proposed by several scholars that the authors of The Iliad and The Odyssey be named Homer I and Homer II, respectively. However the origin of these epics, they are classics and served as cornerstones for the early Western literature, and possibly even modern as well. The Iliad has been ascribed to Homer in approximately 750 BC. This would put his writing several centuries after the completion of the Trojan War, currently thought to have occurred in 1185 BC. Homer is writing in what historians call the Dark Ages of Greek history, in which the Greek population saw a virtual elimination of literacy. By the time his epics were composed, literacy had begun to return, which is one of the reasons his works became so popular. Homer reflects on a different time, almost a half millennium earlier, reflecting on an era known as the Heroic Age. This contrasts directly with the contemporary society of Homer, in which the quality of life dropped tremendously. The Iliad, in essence, recounts the story of part of the tenth year of the Trojan War. It recounts of the anger of Achilles, the greatest warrior present at Troy, and of the background battle that is ensuing. The background story of the Trojan War is assumed to be known by the reader, and Homer focuses his energies on expanding the characters of the epic, showing the reader that he is more a dramatist than a pure historian, writing for pleasurable purposes rather than strictly educational purposes. The main theme of The Iliad is the anger of Achilles, even starting in the first line of the play. The wrath of Achilles is brought on by the irrational actions of the leader of the Greek forces, Agamemnon. Achilles refuses to fight against the Trojans, and the Greeks suffer accordingly without their top warrior. Two other themes are intertwined around this main theme, one being the Trojan War, and the final being the will of Zeus, my subject. These intertwining themes meet in the end of the epic, when Achilles wrath is curbed and he returns to battle. The role of Zeus in Homers Iliad is one of moderator and the overall director of all that occurs in this story. His position was to ensure that whatever fate decreed would happen. As I stated before, without his presence, the story would likely become a war playground for the gods instead of the Greeks and Trojans. Zeus stayed impartial throughout almost the entire epic in contrast to the other gods, who would scheme and contrive plans for the sides that they chose to ally with. For example, Hera, his wife, chose to display the more typical actions of a Greek divinity. Paris, a Trojan prince, chose Aphrodite as the fairest over Hera and Athena, and this infuriated her, and she went to no end to try to help the Greek army defeat the Trojan side (Classics in Translation, 14). However, Hera recognizes the superiority of Zeus over herself as well as the rest of the Olympian gods. Hera is obviously the subservient god, even becoming afraid and ceasing speaking when Zeus orders her under the possible occurrence of him laying his invincible hands on her (Iliad, Book I, 30). She does try to undermine his power by trickery, slyly getting him to sleep while her and her brother, Poseidon, god of the seas, influence the war in the favor of the Greeks (Iliad, Book XIV, 334). However, when Zeus awakens, his reemergence into the picture effectively eliminates the other gods from intervening in the war due to his sheer will and backing power (Iliad, Book XV, 349). The opposing gods were mainly Apollo and Artemis, twin brother and sister. They favored the Trojan side, and were constantly turning the tide in favor of the Trojans. Apollo respected Zeus and his enforcing of the laws of fate, however, and kept fate as it was deemed to be. An example of this is when Achilles servant, Patroclus, tries to take the city of Troy. Before Patroclus was allowed to wear Achilles armor into battle, he promised only to drive the Trojans away from the ships and not to take an offensive against the city of Troy. Only the reflection of Patroclus by Apollos shield three times prevents this. This lack of moderation shown by Patroclus, as well as the deeming of death before the end of battle by fate, granted by Zeus, leads to his death (Iliad, Book XVI, 398). Zeus serves as an enforcer of fate in the epic, giving no ground to anyone, even his blood relatives. Zeus also shows no mercy to mortals in The Iliad. His own son, Sarpedon, was allowed to die at the hands of Patroclus while Zeus looked on, unwilling to break fate and save even his own son. Zeus was debating whether or not to take him from the battlefield, but Hera convinced him by expressing the feelings other gods would have, namely anger. She told him that he would not be praised and that other gods would possibly take their loved ones out of battle as well (Iliad, Book XVI, 391). Zeus was confined to his own sorrow because he was not willing to take his son out of the battle. Zeus was able, however, to have Apollo take his body from the battlefield and take him back to Lykia, where he could be buried as a hero (Iliad, Book XVI, 397). Patroclus, another example somewhat discussed previously, was also fated to die when he took an offensive against the Trojan city. It was fated for him to die in battle, and it was Zeus who then aroused the spirit in Patroclus breast (Classics In Translation, 37). This led him into his inescapable fate, to which Zeus was unerring and emotionless. Zeus will only enter into the fray of the Trojan War if fate is not being followed, and will only alter situations until fate has been met. At the end of the epic, when Achilles is finally roused back into battle, he turns the fate of the war so much to the Greek side that Zeus temporarily allows the other gods back into the war to ensure the city of Troy is only sacked when fate decrees, and not a second earlier. Zeus interferes in the war in areas that fate has nothing to do with, such as glory and honour. Zeus helps Hector, the main hero of the Trojan side, in his attainment of honour when he takes the armour of Achilles off the body of Patroclus. Only Achilles could fit into the incredible armour, but with Zeus intervention, Hector was enabled to fit into the armour as well, proving himself no less of a man than Achilles (Iliad, Book XVII, 408). Zeus knew of the fate of death of Hector at the hands of Achilles, and felt that the increase in honour of Hector was necessary. Zeus also wanted a respectable and honourable death for Hector, the Trojan hero, and was infuriated when Achilles decided to desecrate the body of Hector. This epic ends when Hectors body is ransomed back to the Trojan side to the pleasure of Zeus, in essence wrapping together the themes of the wrath of Achilles and the presence of all-powerful Zeus. Zeus has an overriding presence in The Iliad, sometimes not directly present, but always in the mix. He is the only presence in the epic that stresses the Greek ideals of moderation and fate. The Greeks believed in the ideal of moderation and the essence that moderation was the key to becoming a better person. Fate also could not be avoided in the eyes of the Greeks, and when fate was trifled with, bad things happened, as they did when fate was trifled with in The Iliad. The presence of Zeus in the epic affected every action taken or avoided in some shape, way, or form. His allowance of other gods intervening in the war at times strengthens the idea that he is all-seeing, all-powerful, due to the fact that the other gods intervention inevitably led fate back onto its original course. In the eyes of the Greeks, the Trojan War was a spectacular event to the mortals, but to the gods, it was nothing more than a mere petty struggle. However, the idea of fate must always be kept under all circumstances, and Zeus was the overseeing power that ensured this in The Iliad. Chapter III Analysis Sub Topic I: Zeus’ Personal Intentions Zeus acted in a way that was not considered normal for the Greek Gods, because in Greek mythology the gods were always intervening. This was considered as a part of life. Zeus was portrayed as a father figure because he was fair to both sides. Without him the Trojan War would become a battleground for the gods themselves. Zeus is befitting to his role because of his power which is greater than all the other gods combined and also because of his experience. The main theme of the Iliad is the anger of Achilles. This is brought about by the irrational acts of Agamemnon the leader of the Greeks. This causes the Greek army to suffer accordingly. There are also two other themes in the story. One is the Trojan War itself and the other is the will of Zeus. The will of Zeus is so great that it is regarded as a theme in itself. These themes meet in the end resulting in Achilles wrath being curbed and he returns to battle. Zeus’ will was to allow things to happen in the way that fate decreed it should happen. Zeus stayed impartial to the sides in contrast to the other gods which include Athena, Hera, Poseidon and Hermes on the side of the Greeks and Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis and Leto for the Trojans. A simple example of the typical behaviour of a Greek god/goddess would be the actions of Hera. When Paris decided that Aphrodite was the fairest god over Hera and Athena, Hera was infuriated and went to no end to help the Greeks. However Hera knows that Zeus is mightier than her and ceases speaking when Zeus threatens her with is invincible hands (Iliad, book I). Even after this Hera still tries to help the Greeks by tricking Zeus into sleeping with her, while Poseidon influenced the war (Iliad, book XIV). An example of Zeus enforcing fate was when Patroclus tried to take the city of Troy. Before Patroclus was allowed to wear Achilles armour into battle, he promised to only drive the Trojans away from the ships and not take an offensive to the city. Only the reflection of Patroclus by Apollo’s shield prevents this. The lack of moderation by Patroclus and the decision of death before the battle by fate granted by Zeus, leads to his death (Iliad, Book XVI). Zeus gives no ground to anyone, even his son Sarpedon whom he let die under the hand of Patroclus. Zeus however was able to make Apollo take out the body from the battlefield and send him back to Lykia, where he would be buried a hero (Iliad, XVI). Even in the example of Patroclus it was already decided that he was to die in battle and it was Zeus who â€Å"aroused the spirit in Patroclus’ breast†. At the end of the story, Achilles goes back into battle he turns the fate of the war so much towards the Greek side that Zeus allowed the other gods to temporarily go back to war to ensure that Troy is only sacked when fate says so. Zeus’ personal intentions lie in the areas where fate plays no part, such as glory and honour. Zeus helps Hector in the attainment of honour when he takes Achilles’ armour off Patroclus and puts it on himself. Only Achilles could fit in the incredible armour but with the help of Zeus, Hector fits in it as well, proving himself no less of a man than Achilles (Iliad, XVII). Zeus knew that Hector was going to die and that an increase in glory and honour was necessary. Zeus also intervened when Achilles, after killing Hector, decided to desecrate Hector’s body. The epic ends when the body is ransomed back to Troy to the pleasure of Zeus. This wraps up the themes of the will of Zeus and the wrath of Achilles. Zeus has an overriding presence and is the only presence which upheld the Greek ideals of moderation and fate. This ends my analysis on the personal intentions of Zeus. Sub Topic II: How Zeus helped the Trojans One of the most notable ways that Zeus helped Troy was when Achilles overcame his wrath and decided to com back to the battlefield. When Achilles returned, his retaliation was so great. Because of this Zeus feared that Troy would be taken before it was the right time. In response to Achilles massive retaliation, Zeus allowed the gods to return to the battlefield. This allowed more time for Troy and in the end allowed Troy to fall at the time fate decreed it to fall. Another way that Zeus helped Troy was when Hera seduced Zeus with glamour and love charms from Aphrodite. When Zeus saw her, he was so overwhelmed and he said that she was more beautiful than the wife of Ixion who bore him Peirithoos, sweet Danae who bore him Perseus, Europa who bore him Minos and Rhadamanthys, Semele who bore him Dionysos, Alkmene (Alcmene) who bore him Herakles (Heracles), the queen Demeter, and glorious Leto, mother of Apollon and Artemis (Iliad, book 14). While Zeus was asleep, Poseidon then went to help the Achaians. Luckily for the Trojans, Poseidon’s bellowing and shrieking awakened Zeus. When Zeus awoke he realized Hera’s treachery and Poseidon’s boldness. He then sent Iris to warn Poseidon of his folly. Poseidon saw the wisdom of retreating and did so. Then Zeus sent Apollo to revive Hector and charge the Achaians back to their ships, thus rebalancing the battle. Zeus did several other things for Troy, including raising the honour of his beloved Hector and sending Sarpedon’s body back to Lykia where he would be buried a hero. Sub Topic III: How Zeus helped the Achaians Zeus helped the Achaians directly by allowing fate to happen. That act in itself gave the Achaians the victory because Troy was already fated to fall. If Zeus had gone against fate, the Achaians would fail and Troy would not fall. Zeus also helped the Achaians indirectly by falling for the charms Hera used on him. This gave Poseidon the chance to help the Achaians turn away the Trojans who already reached the ships of the Achaians. Another way that Zeus helped the Achaians indirectly was by sending Agamemnon a sinister dream. The dream then took the form of old Nestor and said to Agamemnon â€Å"Sleeping, son of Atreus, tamer of horses? You should not sleep all night, not as a captain responsible for his men, with many duties, a great voice in the conferences of war. Follow me closely: I am a messenger from Zeus, who is far away but holds you dear. ‘Prepare the troops,’ he said, ‘to take the field without delay: now may you take by storm the spacious town of Troy. The Olympian gods are of two minds no longer: Hera’s pleading swayed them all, and bitter days from Zeus await the Trojans. ’ Hold on to this message against forgetfulness in tides of day when blissful sleep is gone. Zeus intended to destroy the Achaians in windrows by their ships but instead of this happening, Achilles came back and the Achaians succeeded. With this Zeus hit two birds with one stone. He did glorify Achilles because of his promise to Thetis and he also followed fate by allowing the Achaians to triumph and overthrow Troy. Chapter IV Conclusion My conclusion on the role of Zeus is that Zeus is a moderator and overall director of everything that occurs in the story. His job in the story is to ensure that everything fate decreed would happen. As was stated before, without Zeus’ presence the story would become a war playground for the gods, instead of the Achaians and the Trojans. Unlike the other gods who wanted to help the sides they were allied to Zeus’ interests lie in things that are not affected by fate like glory and honour. Compared to the other gods, Zeus stayed impartial to any side through the whole epic. The other gods would scheme and make plans to give the side they allied with the upper hand. The result of Zeus’ impartiality was that Zeus was not considered as a typical Greek divinity. The more common action of a Greek divinity would be to destroy any person who infuriates him or her. A perfect example, albeit a commonly used one, would be Hera. When Paris chose Aphrodite over Hera and Athena, Hera was infuriated and went to no end to defeat the Trojans. Comments My comments on this book would be very positive. As I am an avid fan of Greek mythology, this story really appealed to me. The translation puts out all doubts as to how the original writer would want it written. The description and detail are so precise, which is great and it makes the book so much better.