Gates of Fire Essay Example for Free

Gates of Fire Essay Why I chose this book: I have no particular reason why I chose this book. While searching through the commandant’s new reading list, the title of the book stood out to me. It did not seam like a boring documentary or and endless biography that goes on and on but rather an interesting read that would keep me interested. When I went to go check it out from training I read the summary on the back of the book and was immediately intrigued about the storyline. I like the adventure and thrill of the Spartans as well as reading about war battles. Give a brief description about this book: This book is about a legendary Battle of Thermopylae and the Spartan culture. In 480 BC the Persian Empire marched with a force of two million men against Greece. In Greeces defense a small army of 2,500 Greek soldiers marched out in an attempt to slow the Persian advance. 300 Spartans were among this squadron, willing to fight to the death for their homeland. The two armies crashed at the narrow pass of Thermopylae. For six days the small force held off the entire Persian army, inflicting an estimated 20,000 casualties on the enemy. On the seventh day the main Greek force withdrew. The remaining Spartan force and a small number of Thespians stayed giving their comrades time for escape. The residual Greek forces fought heroically to the death. The slowed Persian advance gave Greek forces added time to muster men and eventually repel the invasion. The author depicts the story from a Spartan soldiers squire (armor bearer) point of view. The armor bearer, Xeo, tells his life story from his youth as an outcast to his acceptation into the Spartan military. Through the eyes of Xeo, the author tells of an armor bearers duties, soldiers thoughts and attitudes, Spartas military training, and Spartas military based culture. While he tells that Sparta is a cruel and brutal military society he also tells of the beauty and love that the civilization also possesses. Tactical lessons learned from this book: Some of the tactical leassons I learned from this book come from the battle at Thermopylae. Some of the tactics that interestead me, even back in those days, is when the Spartan army first arived at Themopylae. They scouted the area to see it they could possibly be flanked by the opposing army. They rounded up all of the random people that were not part of the battle so that their opposition could not use them for land navigation. The Spartans even burnned all the fields of crops so that their foe could not use the crops for rations. It is clear to me that fighting a battle is not all about who is the better fighter. I learned that witts and logistics are key elements for victory. Leadership lessons learned from this book: One of the leadership lessons that could be learned from this book involves courage. On multiple occasions in the book the leadership tries to instill in their men the philosophy that training for war has little to do with strengthening the war fighter physically but rather to toughen the mind. Polynikes also had the men realize that any army can win a battle with its legs still under it, it is when all strength has fled and the men must produce victory on will alone. I learned that if I want my Marines to be the best, I have to expect the best as well as adopt this mentality so that I may lead by example. How can the lessons learned be used today: The spartans trained to achieve victory while face whith constant adversity. Today the younger generation has adopted the attitude of, if it can’t be done with a reassonable amount of effort, then it can’t be done and they give up. We as leaders can learn from the spartans will to push through anything against all odds. So, by pushing our Marines until they give up and then pushing them more with expectaions of exelence can be a useful tool in teaching our Marines that they can jump over the wall instead of running into it. I would or would not recommend this book to my peers, and why: The author gives interesting facts about Spartan culture, its soldiers, attitudes of religion, and gripping battle scenes. The novel is extremely entertaining and gives a fascinating insight into courage, discipline, love, and war. Based on all of these reason I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading of history or war.

The Anatomy Of A Modern Revolution :: Political Politics

The Anatomy Of A Modern Revolution? A revolution is a general and fundamental change in the political order when the mass of people rejects its government and the way things are run and is the result of failure to introduce gradual form. The people come together and there is a dramatic violent and forceful movement to change the way society is structured. A revolution itself is successful when one political, social and economic system has been replaced with an alternative that will bring about the necessary changes needed to remove the major sources of discontent and to improve life. The first stage of a revolution is the development of a revolutionary situation. It is characterised by increasingly widespread opposition to the existing government, which has lost effective control of the nation. The people then try to attack their government; this attack sometimes involves strikes, assassinations, demonstrations and riots. The government usually responds to these acts with a refusal to grant reform. From this, the accumulated anger inside the people explodes and the result is the overthrow of the old order. This always involves some form of military action in the capital, including taking over government buildings and occupying key transport and communication centres. There is not always only one group wanting to take power but a number of groups with quite different programs usually emerge. When the new government has taken power, it usually introduces policies that are very different from those of the previous government. People are asked to make sacrifices in order to ensure the changes work out. The relationships between classes and groups in society are affected, and a new group seeking dominance for itself usually pushes down a previously dominant class. However, many problems inherited from the previous government limit the extent of its reform. Next may be the most violent phase of the struggle - the consolidation of power. Loyalty to the new government is usually expected and demanded but allies of the old government may attempt to overthrow the new revolutionary government, to reinstate those who used to enjoy power and privilege and to restore the old order totally. The Anatomy Of A Modern Revolution :: Political Politics The Anatomy Of A Modern Revolution? A revolution is a general and fundamental change in the political order when the mass of people rejects its government and the way things are run and is the result of failure to introduce gradual form. The people come together and there is a dramatic violent and forceful movement to change the way society is structured. A revolution itself is successful when one political, social and economic system has been replaced with an alternative that will bring about the necessary changes needed to remove the major sources of discontent and to improve life. The first stage of a revolution is the development of a revolutionary situation. It is characterised by increasingly widespread opposition to the existing government, which has lost effective control of the nation. The people then try to attack their government; this attack sometimes involves strikes, assassinations, demonstrations and riots. The government usually responds to these acts with a refusal to grant reform. From this, the accumulated anger inside the people explodes and the result is the overthrow of the old order. This always involves some form of military action in the capital, including taking over government buildings and occupying key transport and communication centres. There is not always only one group wanting to take power but a number of groups with quite different programs usually emerge. When the new government has taken power, it usually introduces policies that are very different from those of the previous government. People are asked to make sacrifices in order to ensure the changes work out. The relationships between classes and groups in society are affected, and a new group seeking dominance for itself usually pushes down a previously dominant class. However, many problems inherited from the previous government limit the extent of its reform. Next may be the most violent phase of the struggle - the consolidation of power. Loyalty to the new government is usually expected and demanded but allies of the old government may attempt to overthrow the new revolutionary government, to reinstate those who used to enjoy power and privilege and to restore the old order totally.

In The Skin Of A Lion Michael Ondaatje Essay

In the novel, In The Skin Of A Lion Michael Ondaatje anatomizes the relationship between power and language and their effect on oneself establishing a sense of identity. The manipulative language and the complex structure Ondaatje uses explores this idea of power and its inevitable relationship with a sense of identity, which is even further accentuated through use of characterization throughout the novel. Ondaatje shines light on the unheard corners of history to give the disenfranchised migrants a sense of power, which in turn provides them with an enriched sense of self. This is represented in the novel through the migrant workers. Ondaatje expresses this through harsh sensory imagery when describing them, by saying, â€Å"The smell of tar seeps up through the porous body of their clothes. The black of it permanent under their finger nail† This sensory imagery and hyperbole, â€Å"permanent under their finger nails,† allows the reader to empathise with the workers and therefore relate to the harsh conditions in the workplace. In this quote Ondaatje describes the workers through use of impersonal pronouns, â€Å"their†, thus taking away their sense of personal identity. The migrant workers not being allowed to keep their own name further depict lack of identity, seen in quote, â€Å"The labour agent giving them all English Names. Charlie Johnson. Nick Parker.† Enabling the reader to understand the complex effect a person’s identity has when establishing power. Language displays and intricate relationship with power and acquisition of a personal identity. The migrant workers are forced to communicate in English, a language they are not conversant in. â€Å"If they speak in any language other than English, they will be jailed. A rule of the city.† Thus the migrant workers are disempowered thus depriving them of their cultural identity and preventing them from uniting to become a powerful body. Ambrose, on the other hand, is a Canadian that has complete grasp on the English language. He is immediately portrayed as ‘a Jackel, a buying up every field of wealth’ thus representing the gap between the rich and the poor, the native and the foreign and the sense of power that is established through language. The notion of power, and its liaison with identity, is further develop through characterization. Nicholas Temelcoff is a character that shows immense power through his actions, Ondaatje describes him as â€Å"solitary†¦He is burly on the ground and then falls with terrific speed, grace, using the wind to push himself†¦He is a spinner. He links everyone† This description represents Temelcoffs power through his skill and mastery of his trade. Although he may be uneducated, he remains a figure of supreme skill and grace when he is on the bridge. It portrays Temelcoffs heroic nature, which is also an allusion to the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ in which the title is derived from. The use of repetition on â€Å"he is† shows Temelcoff’s masculinity and when intermingled with Ondaatje’s poetic prose he is portrayed as a powerful hero of the story. The audience immediately perceives Temelcoff as a hero and thus sympathizes with him and his plight. There are also distinct parallels between these characters and the Epic of Gilgamesh as the novel follows pattern of Legend, also seen in Christopher Vogler’s writing. Their cyclical nature is further accentuated, as certain lines out of Skin of a Lion are the same from Gilgamesh â€Å"these are the days that belong to the moon†. Thus, Ondaatje characterizes Temelcoff to glorify him and the workers, which in turn results in them being given prominence in the novel. This reveals that Temelcoff’s strong sense of identity, which he has established through his trade, has been crucial for his powerful status in the novel. The nonlinear plot structure that Ondaatje uses, portrays Patrick as having more power as the novel progresses, this enables him to establish a stronger sense of identity. In the chapter of ‘the searcher’ it is evident that Patrick is confused with his identity. Represented in the constant shifts in perspective and also the confusion Patrick shows in his life. When in his apartment, Patrick is described as walking, â€Å"Into the empty rooms, gesturing towards the broken things he was trying to assemble, broken glass and crockery.† Ondaatje uses the state of his apartment as a metaphor to describe the chaotic and disarrayed identity of Patrick, which is powerless and confused about who he truly is. An example of self-reflexivity in the novel is when Alice says to Patrick, â€Å"you reach people through metaphors,† this reflects that Ondaatje intentionally uses these metaphors to develop the story and create textual integrity. The fragmented state of Patrick in ‘the searcher’ is contrasted in the chapter ‘Maritime theatre’ where the writing structure is much more linear. This structure reflects that he has found a purpose and knows his objectives, subsequently leading to a heightened sense of identity; Ondaatje also uses the symbol of dynamite to show the power now has over Harris. When Harris asks Patrick, â€Å"What do you want? Who are you? Patrick replies, â€Å"I am Patrick Lewis.† This expresses the sense of identity Patrick has finally gained throughout the novel finally being able to answer the question of who he really was.

Policies, Finance, Global Prevention Initiatives And...

Policies, Finance, Global Prevention Initiatives and Ethical Principles Implementation of the Ryan White CARE Act of 1990 assures, people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and their families access to quality treatments (Akukwe, 2001). On July 2010, President Obama announced the National HIV/AIDS Strategy to reduce HIV incidence, optimizing better health outcomes, and to reduce HIV-related instances (Department of Veterans Affairs National HIV/AIDS Strategy Operation Plan, 2011). To accomplish these goals, several national agencies released plans and outlines to emphasize the initial steps to support this decision. â€Å"In the past 15 years, advocates have laid the groundwork on which a rapidly expanding enforcement paradigm has arisen at the intersection of human rights litigation and HIV/AIDS policy† (Meier Yamin, p. 81). These policies have been developing among multiple countries and transforming practice as a global response to HIV/AIDS. There have been numerous funding allocations and boosts for the HIV/AIDS treatment and vaccines. The Global Fund to fight AIDS was set up to disburse worldwide to control the disease. Countries would apply by submitting proposals and the board will approve to the most needed country. The 2010 Budget allocation to the National Advisory Committee was $500,000 (HIV/AIDS budget allocation, 2009). Education and counseling have been the most beneficial factors in the global preventionShow MoreRelatedThe Global Dimensions And The Issues Affecting The Business Environment1915 Words   |  8 Pagespersonal experience, financial availability, and mostly an educational view. Going into business is an idea that many people may have but being educated in the area of business requires understanding of business policy, foundation, marketing, and management. 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