Tragic Hero in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

The Tragic Hero in Antigone Antigone is a Greek tragic piece that stresses the use of power and morality versus the law written by Sophocles. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters in the play, could represent the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists to his or her downfall. In my opinion, Creon best qualifies for being the tragic hero and fitting the definition read in the previous sentence. The things he said, did, and the comments that were made by those around him show how a man with everything could lose it all due to his own behavior. To open, the things he said showed how he changed and became the tragic hero of the play. Many of his statements reveal his personality including his admirable parts and his flaws. When Creon says: "I call to God to witness that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not be afraid to speak out plainly," (Sophocles, scene 1,24-26), it shows his strong sense of nationalism and leadership which catches up with him in the end. "The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks at the pull of the smallest curb" (scene 2,76-79) is what Creon says to Antigone after finding out she is the one who buried Polynieces. He thinks that if Antigone wasn't so headstrong and arrogant then she could have avoided the consequence he was about to give her. I think Creon was being a hypocrite because he is just as stubborn as she is. The reason why Creon and Antigone come in to so much conflict is because their ways of thinking are almost exa ctly alike. "It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny" (scene 5, 100), is a statement that shows Creon detecting his fault and how he needs to correct it. After talking to Teiresias, the blind prophet, he realizes in order for the higher powers to forgive him he needs to release Antigone. "Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust" (exodos, 138). Creon recognizes his flaw and its consequences but it is too late because fate has already occurred. Moreover, many people say that actions speak louder than words.

Forward Software Essay

Forward Software, Inc. is a software company potentially facing a copyright infringement lawsuit. The spreadsheet product Forward sells includes an optional menu navigation system identical to that of Focus Software, the original developer of the menu system. Forward’s spreadsheet product currently dominates the market. Focus Software is currently suing a smaller software company that has also used this identical menu system in their spreadsheet software. It is believed that based on the outcome of this pending lawsuit, Forward Software, Inc. may also be sued. Forward has to decide between offering Focus an unsolicited settlement prior to the pending trial’s conclusion or waiting for the outcome and possibly facing litigation. To do this, Forward needs to determine the optimal decision strategy to take and how much the strategy is expected to cost. The hiring of an outside law firm that may be able to provide a prediction of the company’s success in winning a trial must also be considered, as well as the maximum that should be paid for that service. Savings associated with hiring the firm need to be determined and analysis of the best decision strategy will also need to be done. Based on our analysis, the best strategy is to wait until the outcome of the pending lawsuit. If Focus wins that lawsuit and files a lawsuit against Forward, Forward should hire the law firm to conduct the proposed study for the lawsuit. Based on the law firm’s findings (predicted win, predicted loss, can’t predict) Forward will have to decide to go to trial or settle out of court. The results show that unless the firm can make the prediction that Focus would likely win the lawsuit, Focus should settle out of court. The expected costs of this strategy range between $9 – $12.8 million dollars. This includes expected costs associated with hiring the firm. The maximum amount that should be paid for hiring the firm is $1.14 million. If the firm could accurately predict the outcome of the Forward versus Focus case, Forward could expect to save $2.4 million. A decision tree was constructed to determine the best strategy for Forward. This approach was chosen as there were many decisions and states of nature to consider and chronology was important. The decision tree allowed for evaluation in a chronological pattern. In determining the optimal strategy, analysis was performed to determine if it is best to settle now or wait on the verdict of a pending trial, whether to hire or not hire a law firm if sued, and also to determine the value of information that could be provided. Our analysis is as follows -Settle Now or Wait? The optimal strategy indicates that it best is to wait until the outcome of the pending trial. Following the optimal strategy, there is a probability of .64 that Focus will not have to make any payout, this is based highly on waiting on the outcome of the trial as there is a .60 probability that Focus will lose and not initiate a lawsuit. As the bulk of the non-payout probability is based on the out come of the current Focus case, this event was included in a sensitivity analysis of the overall strategy. The analysis was performed to assess how sensitive the strategy is to changes: in the probability of Focus winning its pending lawsuit (0-1); the probability of Forward winning a suit if brought (0-1); the maximum expected settlement if sued (+/-50%); the maximum expected judgment (+/-50%); and the cost of the firm’s research prediction (+/-100%). The torpedo graph below shows that the optimal path is influenced most highly by the probability of 1) Focus winning the pending suit and 2) the probability of Forward winning if sued. Of particular importance is the increase in cost (expected value) based on changes in the probability of the outcome of the pending Focus vs. Discount Software trial. The increase in expected cost to over $6 million indicates that the decision to wait or offer settlement prior to the pending suit’s outcome changed. To determine the point at which the strategy changed base on the probability of the current suit’s outcome, a second sensitivity analysis was performed focusing on this event. The strategy region chart below indicates that the decision to wait or settle now changes if there is a chance great than 67% that Focus will win its pending suit. As there is currently only a 40% chance given to Focus winning its pending trial, the recommended strategy of waiting for the outcome should be followed. (Though Forward should confirm the probabilities assigned to this event.) Do or Don’t Hire a Firm? Should Sam hire this law firm to do a study for the lawsuit and what is the maximum amount of money Sam should pay for the service? Important considerations in determining whether to hire the firm include the value of the information the firm can provide and the cost for this information. To determine the value of the information provided by the firm, expected costs of making the decision with and without the firm’s (free) information must be compared. Without the law firm’s analysis, Forward’s expected cost is $12.1 million. With the firm’s analysis, Forward’s expected cost is reduced to $10.96 million. (This figure assumes the information is provided for free.) The difference in the expected cost with and without the information is $1.14 million. This is the value of the information the firm can provide and is also the maximum amount Forward should pay for the service. If the law firm could accurately predict the outcome of the Forward versus Focus case, how much money can he expect to save? If the firm was able to accurately predict a win or loss, this would be considered perfect information. The expected cost in this case is $9.7 million. The difference between this expected cost and the expected cost of proceeding without the firm’s perfect information ($12.1 million) is $2.4 million. This is the amount Forward could expect to save if the firm was able to accurately predict the outcome of the Forward versus Focus case.

Lowering the Drinking Age from 21 Would be Irresponsible...

Lowering the drinking age from 21 would be irresponsible. People argue that lowering the drinking age is not smart because most youths still have not yet reached a mature age to handle alcohol. Teens that include themselves in an unsafe environment are likely to endure in self-harm and encounter in binge drinking. The Alcohol Policy Information System says, â€Å"Annually, about 5,000 youth under the age of 21 die in incidents due to underage drinking† (â€Å"Drinking†). I believe the drinking age should not be lowered because of the major hazards that could occur, an increase in traffic accidents, and the age maturity to handle alcohol responsibly. Many risks and hazards can be caused from the use of alcohol. Binge drinking is extremely†¦show more content†¦al). Drinking is dangerous as it is, but underage drinking just upsurges the risk of wrecks, the health problems, and dependence on alcohol through adulthood (â€Å"Underage†). Age maturity is a big when dealing with alcohol. It’s obvious that teenagers under 21 are not yet mature, and are still trying to figure out their life. Even at the age of 18 they are entering a new phase with work, college, and a stage of independence. Nowadays parents allow their teens to consume alcohol as long as it is at their home, so they are sure they have a place to stay and can be in control. Some parents introduce alcohol to their teen in a responsible way to teach them and ensure they are safe when they become independent. In this case, teens think drinking is okay. Handling alcohol irresponsibly like this increases the teens killing themselves due to high alcohol content. Research states that if a child under 18 is drinking, they are also getting drunk. They report that 65 % of teens who drink monthly show that they are getting drunk at least once a month (â€Å"Underage†). Anything lowered from Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) 21 would be medically irresponsible. The early adult brain can be easily affected and when alcohol interferes it can cause addiction, memory loss, and violence (â€Å"Underage†). Teenagers are not responsible enough for MLDA to be lowered. There are many risks to what could happen if the drinking ageShow MoreRelatedThe Legal Drinking Age Should Be Lowered Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesIn the United States, the legal drinking age is twenty-one. In all fifty states, however, there are exceptions for underaged drinking at home, under adult supervision, or for medical purposes (â€Å"Drinking Age†). Overall, the legal opportunities for any person under twenty-one to legally drink alcohol are very scarce. There are many different points, made by people from both sides of the issue about whether or not to lower the drinking age to eighteen, or leave it where it currently stands at twenty-oneRead MoreShould The Drinking Age Be Lowered?995 Words   |  4 Pageslegal drinking age be lowered to age 18? 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