Thursday, November 28, 2019

Analysis of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God free essay sample

Edwards once gave a sermon titled â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God†. As a priest it was his duty to persuade his congregation to live a just life free of sins. It was his responsibility to strengthen his congregation’s belief in God and to always guide them down the righteous path. These ideas eventually served as the foundation/ purpose for delivering this speech to the public. In his speech he focuses on the ideas of hell, predetermined destinies, and an angry god. He constantly repeats these topics throughout his speech while incorporating very powerful and dark diction and imagery. His word choice and imagery truly has an impact on the audience. It manipulates the reader’s /listener’s subconscious and leaves them terrified of what future lay ahead for them if they continue to live an immoral life. For example, in paragraph two, sentence four, he states â€Å"There is a dreadful glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell’s wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor anything to take hold of; there is nothing between you and hell but air; it is only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From this sentence alone you are given the impression that the author has a very angry, ominous, condescending, indignant, judgmental, and pessimistic tone. He does all this in an effort to show that God is a very powerful, all knowing being that has control of all aspects of life and death. Although he is understanding and watches over his followers, he has an inescapable grasp and is capable of showing no mercy to sinners. I personally like this piece because it truly persuades the reader/listener to second guess their every move in order to follow the path to virtuousness. I also really enjoyed their powerful use of imagery because with every phrase they used my mind was capable of conjuring up dark images of God’s almighty power and wrath as well as the fiery pit of hell. After closely analyzing this speech and the time period in which it was written I was able to infer that the Puritan culture was very religious and close minded due to their quite extremist views of God, hell, and life in general.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Nonsense and Absurd Literature Essays

Nonsense and Absurd Literature Essays Nonsense and Absurd Literature Essay Nonsense and Absurd Literature Essay Essay Topic: Waiting for Godot Similarities between non-sense and absurd literature: challenge, deny and even deride reason, rationality and the quest for meaning. Differences: both existentialism and absurd literature is historically more recent in British culture, whereas non-sense is at least a century older and is a local tradition of British (L. Carrol, non-sense verse-limericks). Nonsense is mainly a comic genre, a form of humor, whereas existentialism and the absurd have a tragic extent to it, are depressive. Nonsense literature apparently constructs the same meaningless literature, but it is done while still preserving a concern for humanity, for a good-natured attitude. There is a sense of social criticism for turning them into caricatures. The excess imposed by the non-sense literature has a complex role: the tension of being British is released through non-sense literature: a form of excess accepted. The British eccentricity is another form of realizing this tension. Absurd literature has been greatly developed in the 20th-century British literature especially through plays, for example, â€Å"Waiting for Godot† by Samuel Beckett. Based on the ideas of existentialism, this play is characterized by a lack of coherence where characters are full of despair, anxiety, having no meaning or purpose in life. They are confused and they spend their time doing nothing. They have a circular life, repeating the same actions each day; there is a lack of communion. They suffer from amnesia: memory is also absent, which is one of the characteristics of the traditional theatre. Another difference between the absurd theatre and traditional theatre is represented by the structure of the play: the characters do not evolve; we have no climax and no conclusion. Time passes, but nothing happens and nobody comes. They do not know where they are or what they are waiting for. They do not know who is Godot or if he will certainly come (â€Å"He did not say for sure he’d come†) but

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Basic Principle of Finite Element Analysis Case Study

The Basic Principle of Finite Element Analysis - Case Study Example The distribution of meshes is based on the type of problem. If a location requires very refined analysis this region could have very fine meshes (Widas, 1997). A typical finite element application is shown below. Here, the finite element model of the problem is shown in figure 1. The material is divided into small triangle shaped elements and hence it can be said that the body is meshed using triangular elements. The FEA software consists of different type of elements that could be used in the analysis. The element refers to the geometrical shapes that are used to mesh the system. Some of the types of elements used usually used are rod elements, beam elements, plate/shell/composite elements and Solid elements The process of dividing the problem element into the fine grids is known as meshing. The mesh would consist of similar elements or a combination of different elements. Like for an irregular body the using square or rectangular elements might be useful in proper division of the domain space into small elements. This disadvantage shall be overcome by a different type of elements like triangular elements to wards the boundary or irregular side for proper geometrical matching between the finite element model and the actual physical body. ... This disadvantage shall be overcome by a different type of elements like triangular elements to wards the boundary or irregular side for proper geometrical matching between the finite element model and the actual physical body. Another important aspect that needs to be considered is the size of meshes that are used for the process of discretisation. The size of meshes could be course, large and well spread, or fine, small size and closer placed.  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Internet and Social networking Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Internet and Social networking Privacy - Essay Example The author of the essay "Internet and Social Networking Privacy" thinks that privacy concerns is one of the most troubling issues for users of social networking sites today, but this problem has been largely underresearched. Social networking sites are online communities that connect people through the Internet and Web 2.0.Facebook, MySpace, Tribe, the Classmates are just a few online social networking sites that attract thousands of people ever day worldwide. Whatever their real purpose, they enable users to upload lots of personal images, exchange messages, chat in chat rooms online, and actively share photos and files. Some sites allow informing the rest of the world about the individual’s movements. In conclusion, the specifics of social networking sites functioning (e.g. invite buddies function or openness of personal profile) often lead to undesirable exposure to the third parties. This, however, does not prevent most users from using the limitations on their profiles. Raising awareness among users about perceived dangers of excessive disclosure is one way to handle the situation. Some other ways should include enhancing the privacy policy of certain websites, legislative restrictions, etc. This is because studies show that users are so much willing to share that they may neglect the risks even being aware of dangers. Out of the studies discussed above, the first one seems most credible since it uses the largest sample of 4, 000 students. Besides, it has the strongest theoretical basis and a broader range of research.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Auditing theory and practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Auditing theory and practice - Essay Example fy these weaknesses or considered as risks associated with these financial statements, we perform comparative year-on-year and ratio analyses which may be effective for us to identify possible problem areas for additional analysis and audit testing and for which we can provide other assistance. Among other: The company’s short-term debt paying ability. We analyse the company’s liquidity status, such as its current ratio is 1.28 (lower than 1.31 in 2004) but it indicates that the company should have sufficient fund to pay its short-term debts. Our calculation also indicates that the company will be able collect the amount owed by its customers, except the average day of collecting payment of 82 days (15 days longer than the previous year). This may have an affect on negative cash flow. Since the company does not have sufficient cash to meet its short-term obligations, the company may consider lengthening the time it takes to convert less liquid assets into cash. Short-term liquidity. The company’s balance sheet shows that it has negative cash balance. It is likely that the company or that the record shows that the company cannot meet its obligation. Therefore, its debt-paying ability would be the length of time it takes the company to convert its current assets into cash. The company’s balance sheet indicates a huge amount of bank overdraft. In case of necessary, the company has 2.5 times cash turnover rate (down by .89), 4.36 times of receivables turnover rate (down by .94), can recover the value of its fixed assets 51.17 (down from 56.93), and over all, 2.5 times (down from 3.2) chance to convert its assets into cash to cover bank over draft. With the absence of inventory, it may be possible that the company is having inventory obsolescence problem. Ability to meet long-term debt obligations. The company’s debt-to-equity ratio is 3.35, down from 3.97 in 2004. There is a possibility that the company would be able to raise fund through borrowing.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Importance of Stakeholders

Importance of Stakeholders Project management is the discipline of supervising all the different resources and aspects of the project in such a way so that the resources will deliver all the output that is required to complete the project within the defined scope, time, and cost constraints (Lewis A. , 2010). It is the application of skill, knowledge, tools and techniques to project activities to achieve project requirements. It can be accomplished through the application of initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing (Lewis, 2007). This is mainly done in order to meet the exceeding needs and expectations of the stakeholders (Introduction to Project Management Principles, 2003). The call for project management was determined by the various businesses that realised the benefits of organising, communicating and co-ordinating work across the various departments and professions. This helps in coordinating the various resources of a project durning the project initiation stage so that by the time the project has begun its work all stakeholders and team members will have a clear cut understanding and acceptance of the process, methodology and expected outcomes of the project. (Lewis A. , 2010) Stakeholders refers to those individuals or a group who has vested interest in the outcome or the results of the body of a work in an organisation. (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008) defined stakeholders as the people or small groups who depend on the organisation to fulfill their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organisation depends. They may be actively involved in the project and may have an interest on the total performance or completion of the project. They have the power to exert positive or negative influence over the project, its deliverables and its team members.(Bourne, 2009). Hence stakeholders can be called as the key people involved in a project. They have an interest in the execution of the project, getting the approvals and resources, and they also have a stake in the project outcome. Although they may not have an official role on the project, these are the people who will ultimately estimate the success or failure of a project (Koning, 2009). IMPORTANCE OF STAKEHOLDERS All projects, in spite of its size, needs to have a clear cut idea and agreement about: who will decide the requirements of the project, the budget, resources, standards and in case of any change in the project, who will do the authorization of the changes and so on. Although a project manager could independently decide all these factors, unless and until the key stakeholders agree to the decision made, the project will not be able to progress and will have no scope for success (Koning, 2009). STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT The term stakeholder engagement is budding as a means of describing a broader, more inclusive, and continuous process. It takes place between the company and the potentially impacted stakeholders that encompasses a range of activities, approaches and, the entire span of a project. The change that is likely to occur reflects the broader change in the business and financial worlds. It increasingly recognizes the business and reputational risks that may occur as a result of poor stakeholder relations. It also places a growing emphasis on corporate social responsibility, transparency and reporting (Corporation, 2007) . Stakeholder engagement can therefore be defined as the process of effectively eliciting the stakeholders views on their relationship with the organization (Friedman Miles, 2006). Stakeholder engagement is increasingly becoming a part of mainstream business and is being used to improve communications, obtain wider community support or buy-in for projects, gather useful data and ideas, enhance public sector or corporate reputation and encourages more sustainable decision making (Gray, 2002). Without proper engagement of the stakeholders, it is impossible to have a common abiding agreement, ownership and support for a particular project. Any company or an organisation is likely to benefit if it takes care of the environment in which it is operating and aiming to meet the needs of its stakeholders (Gray, 2002). Stakeholder engagement gives the impression of corporate responsibility. It appears evident that if an organisation shows commitment, through policy and practice, to stakeholder involvement it is acting responsibly towards these stakeholders: the more an organisation engages with its stakeholders, the more accountable and responsible that organisation is t owards these stakeholders (Greenwood, 2007). It is traditionally seen as a corporate responsibility in action. The impetus behind the use of the term engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the need to emphasize that, for firms merely to interact with stakeholders is no longer sufficient and the interaction with stakeholders is a logically necessary activity of business (Noland Phillips, 2010). WHY ENGAGE WITH STAKEHOLDERS IS NECESSARY? Effective stakeholder engagement relies on a commitment to engage and communicate openly and honestly with stakeholders. The benefits an organization gets from stakeholder engagement activities are cooperation on operations/activities and at times on policy development as well. It enhances the community confidence and creates a more user-friendly, community/industry targeted service. Future costs can be reduced: for example, times spend in managing the crises with regard to the confidence level of the stakeholders can be avoided. It also helps in improving the access to emerging issues and communities, and helps in gaining the capacity to handle them before they develop a negative vibe in the community. This will include avoiding negative press releases. In the case of changes and benefits that can take place inside the organisation are as follows: It increases the organisational effectiveness which will result in more effective and efficient practice and high quality policy input within the organisation It enhances the two-way communication skills and better understanding on both sides and thereby bridges the cultural gaps. It develops a culture of innovation and learning, for example by building the knowledge into our decisions and practices. Simplifies the conflict resolution through building trust, and a clearer articulation of what cannot be resolved. STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT PLANNING Often the importance of stakeholder engagement is overlooked. It allows you to identify strengths and weaknesses and ultimately develop strategies to engage effectively. The stakeholder engagement is a critical element to the success of the project and it may be useful to develop a stakeholder engagement plan. For this, various sources, conventional and unconventional is used such as the media, online, literature or even word of mouth. As a part of the analysis, it is important to examine existing, current and past relationships, available resources and constraints and the desirable outcomes it looks forward to. For this purpose, the different desired outcomes of the stakeholders as well as the stakeholders engagement processes is analysed and studied. DESIRED OUTCOMES Desired outcomes are nothing but the overall aims of the engagement process. The desired outcomes for undertaking stakeholder engagement process would be Improved personal or working relationships Changed attitudes Improved communication channels Promotion of expansive circle of responsibility for actions and decisions Identification of key issues, conflicts and benefits Creation of new ideas Establishment of new orderly partnerships Improved services for society Change in policy Cost savings to long term Betterment of individual and organisational learning Local support and hostility supported for a new initiative Increased community union and strengthened shared identity (Gray, 2002) STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESSES Stakeholder is an umbrella term which incorporates range of activities and interactions over the project life cycle. These activities can be divided into following components (Corporation, 2007): Stakeholder Identification and Analysis Information Disclosure Stakeholder Consultation Negotiation and Partnerships Stakeholder Involvement in Project Monitoring Reporting to Stakeholders (Appendix 2) STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS When it comes to identifying the key stakeholders, the project sponsor works along with the project manager to identify the stakeholders. Stakeholders may comprise of a wide range of people that come from different areas of business. It may be people from senior management, human resources, finance, marketing and IT departments. They typically have a particular business stream and their interest in the project is focused on the needs of their particular area. Some stakeholders will have more interest and involvement than the others. (Koning, 2009) When identifying stakeholders, it may be helpful to first determine the most relevant dimensions: organisational unit, process, function, job role, geographic area and so on. It is more important to consider the external stakeholders including partners, suppliers, customers, customers cutomers, consumers and those who would wish they were not stakeholders, such as victims of crimes etc (Bradley, 2006). It is quite important to note that stakeholders are selected with a verification process. It is necessary to ensure that all relevant parties are represented and those participants indicate the interests of those they claim to speak on behalf of (Friedman Miles, 2006). Once the identificationis completed, the group of stakeholders are analysised. It is important to understand the interests and opinions of every stakeholder as they may affect the project work. All the stakeholders may not share the same opinion and may have a unified opinion or priorities. Hence conducting a stakeholder analysis has become so important because of its increased interconnected nature of the world (Ketti, 2002). Hence, finding out what the problemis and what is the right solutions might be taken as a way to overcome this problem. This will also help in identifying the stakeholders who are a part of this crucial aspect of problem solving (Bardach, 1998). Stakeholder Analyses mainly helps in better organisational performance and fulfilling its mission. Fulfilling the mission should arise from producing fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what the organisation is, what it does and why it does it (Bryson, 1995). Hence it is quite important to study and f ind out the key players amongst the stakeholders itself for the successful completion of the project. Again as said above, the success of the project, not only depends on being able to deliver customers demand but also in being able to met all the stakeholder expectations as well.. The selected stakeholders play a primary task in making the important decisions during the time of initiation, planning and execution of the project. The five primary project stakeholders that are present in most of the projects are: the project manager, the project team, the functional management, the sponsor, and the customer.ÂÂ   In a larger sense, anyone who participates in the project or is impacted by its results is a stakeholder. Each stakeholder has an essential contribution to make and they need to meet their expectations. Contribution made by different people to the project is the principal criteria for identifying stakeholders (Project Stakeholders, their Roles and Contribution, 2006) (Appendix 1) COMMUNICATION IN STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT The core of all relationships is communication and stakeholder engagement is essentially a complex relationship. Negotiation occurs when two or more people are prepared to bargain to achieve a mutually acceptable solution. It is important to acknowledge the effects it might have on the relationship with the organization. Communication also involves being open and honest about the objectives and planned activities. The stakeholders should be communicated in the loop as much as possible, whether it is through email trails, phone calls or face to face engagement. The latter is often the most effective form of stakeholder engagement as it gives the relationship a more human element. A well-informed stakeholder can prevent a project from continuing on a path that will fail to deliver the required benefits, by highlighting issues and concerns as soon as they arise. (Koning, 2009) STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT MONITORING Stakeholders involvement in any project improves the progression of the project and as project monitoring consists of collection of the data and reporting information according to the project plans, budget and requirements, stakeholder involvement and interaction is needed (Tammer, 2009). The assessment and reporting technique should depend on the size and complicatedness of the project and stakeholder position. If the stakeholders are lacking the required skills in monitoring, then adequate training need to be provided to them for fostering the participatory monitoring. The participation of the project affected stakeholders in monitoring the social and environmental affects is a good practice. External monitoring can lead to the development of trust between the project and the primary stakeholders. CONCLUSION The stakeholder engagement always provides opportunities to further align business practices with community needs and expectations aiding to drive long term sustainability and shareholder value. Stakeholder engagement must take place if the organisation truly needs the inputs from the people involved in the business for decision making. The stakeholder engagement planning should be done in such a manner that it remains beneficial to the organisation. Stakeholder engagement assists any organisation to compete with its rivals in a complex and changing business climates. Works Cited Bardach, E. (1998). Getting Agencies to Work Together. Washington: Brookings Institution Press. Bourne, L. (2009, September 22). Who is a Stakeholder? Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Project Management Institute: http://blogs.pmi.org/blog/voices_on_project_management/2009/09/who-is-a-stakeholder.html Bradley, G. (2006). Benefit Realisation Management. A Practical Guide to Achieving Benefits through change . Bryson, J. (1995). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Corporation, I. F. (2007). Stakeholder Engagement: A Good Practice Handbook for Companies Doing Business in Emerging Markets. Washington: International Finance corporation. Friedman, A. L., Miles, S. (2006). Stakeholders: Theory and Practice. New York: Oxford University Press. Gray, R. (2002). The Social Accounting Project and Accounting Organizations and Society (Vol. 27). Accounting Organizations and Society. Greenwood, M. (2007). Stakeholder Engagement: Beyond the Myth of Corporate Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics , 74, 315-327. Introduction to Project Management Principles. (2003). Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/hip/lld/olt/resources/toolkit/project_management/project_management_intro.shtml Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R. (2008). Exploring corporate strategy: text and cases. Peason Education. Ketti, D. (2002). TheTransformation of Governance: Public Adminitration Twenty-First Century America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Koning, L. (2009, May 1). Project Stakeholders. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from Insightful Writers: http://www.suite101.com/content/project-stakeholders-a114023 Lewis, A. (2010). Introduction to Project Management. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Project Smart: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/introduction-project-management.html Lewis, J. P. (2007). Fundamentals of Project Management. New York: AMACOM, American Management Assciation. Noland, J., Phillips, R. (2010). Stakeholder Engagement, Discourse Ethics and Strategic Management. International Journal of Management Reviews , 39-49. Project Stakeholders, their Roles and Contribution. (2006). Retrieved March 28, 2011, from Business e-coaching: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/project_stakeholders.html Stakeholders Engagement. (2010, October 25). Retrieved March 28, 2011, from Continuous Developer: http://continuousdevelopment.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/stakeholder-engagement/ Tammer, M. D. (2009). Early stakeholder involvement in projects. PM World Today , 9 (4). Bibliography Bardach, E. (1998). Getting Agencies to Work Together. Washington: Brookings Institution Press. Bourne, L. (2009, September 22). Who is a Stakeholder? Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Project Management Institute: http://blogs.pmi.org/blog/voices_on_project_management/2009/09/who-is-a-stakeholder.html Bradley, G. (2006). Benefit Realisation Management. A Practical Guide to Achieving Benefits through change . Bryson, J. (1995). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Carroll, A. B., Buccholtz, A. K. (2008). Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder. Management. Mason: Cengage Learning. Condrey, S. E. (2005). Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Corporation, I. F. (2007). Stakeholder Engagement: A Good Practice Handbook for Companies Doing Business in Emerging Markets. Washington: International Finance corporation. Friedman, A. L., Miles, S. (2006). Stakeholders: Theory and Practice. New York: Oxford University Press. Gray, R. (2002). The Social Accounting Project and Accounting Organizations and Society (Vol. 27). Accounting Organizations and Society. Greenwood, M. (2007). Stakeholder Engagement: Beyond the Myth of Corporate Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics , 74, 315-327. Introduction to Project Management Principles. (2003). Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/hip/lld/olt/resources/toolkit/project_management/project_management_intro.shtml Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R. (2008). Exploring corporate strategy: text and cases. Peason Education. Ketti, D. (2002). TheTransformation of Governance: Public Adminitration Twenty-First Century America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Koning, L. (2009, May 1). Project Stakeholders. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from Insightful Writers: http://www.suite101.com/content/project-stakeholders-a114023 Lewis, A. (2010). Introduction to Project Management. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from Project Smart: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/introduction-project-management.html Lewis, J. P. (2007). Fundamentals of Project Management. New York: AMACOM, American Management Assciation. Noland, J., Phillips, R. (2010). Stakeholder Engagement, Discourse Ethics and Strategic Management. International Journal of Management Reviews , 39-49. Phillips, R. (1997). Stakeholder Theory and a Principle of Fairness. Business Ethics Quarterly , 7, 51-66. Project Stakeholders, their Roles and Contribution. (2006). Retrieved March 28, 2011, from Business e-coaching: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/project_stakeholders.html Stakeholders Engagement. (2010, October 25). Retrieved March 28, 2011, from Continuous Developer: http://continuousdevelopment.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/stakeholder-engagement/ Tammer, M. D. (2009). Early stakeholder involvement in projects. PM World Today , 9 (4). APPENDIX APPENDIX 1 KEY STAKEHOLDER IN A PROJECT Internal Stakeholder External Stakeholders Project sponsor Customers Functional Department Government Corporate Leadership Competitors Other Project Teams Joint Venture Partners Employees Vendors Unions Investors/ Shareholders

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Homer’s Iliad - The Shield of Achilles Essay -- Iliad essays

Homer’s Iliad - The Shield of Achilles Homer devotes the final passages of Book 18 of The Iliad to the description of the shield of Achilles. Only a quarter of the description concerns warfare, the essential grist of the epic. Instead, the bulk of the description presents a peaceful society and rural idylls, a curious choice for the most ferocious warrior of the Greeks, and an odd thing for both armies to fear. A narrative emerges from the scenes of the shield, and it is this that fits Achilles and repulses everyone else. We expect Achilles’ shield to unsettle his adversaries—that is, after all, one of the objectives of a shield. Indeed, Achilles returns to battle "shining in all his armour, a man like the murderous war god" (Iliad 20.46).1 Once he and Hektor are alone on the battlefield, the shield shines: like that star which comes on in the autumn and whose conspicuous brightness far outshines the stars that are numbered in the night’s darkening, the star they give the name of Orion’s Dog, which is brightest among the stars, and yet is wrought as a sign of evil and brings on the great fever for unfortunate mortals. (22.26-31) We need not wonder, then, when Priam and Hecuba supplicate Hektor to return to Troy in the face of this practically cosmic onslaught. But what is unusual is that Achilles’ own men avoid the shield: "None had the courage / to look straight at it. They were afraid of it" (19.14-15). Here even the narration relies on the pronoun "it" instead of explicitly identifying the shield as the source of... ...ictory. If Achilles had chosen to leave, not only would he have been a good son, but the Trojans might have won the war, meaning both he and Priam would have had something to which they could look forward, and three-fourths of the shield’s story would not have been left unfulfilled. In staying, he contributes not only to his own demise, but also to that of the Trojans. This knowledge causes "the anger to come harder upon him" (19.16), and yet "he was glad" (19.18). The great dilemma of Achilles is forever immortalized on his shield, so that some lesser man in the future would be able to read the narrative upon it and say: "This armor was Achilles’, a man who forfeited the rest of his life for grim combat. The gods do not force most men to choose like that." NOTES 1. Homer, The Iliad, trans. Richmond Lattimore (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1951).