Racial Prejudices Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Racial Prejudices - Research Paper Example According to Allport (1954), definition of prejudice is a negative bias directed to a particular group of people. On the hand, racism is has a foundation on beliefs and shown in behaviors that believes race to be a biological entity and claims other racial groups apart from their own are psychologically, intellectually and physically inferior (Allport, 1954). Pascoe (1985) describes racism that it results from race prejudice transformation and ethnocentrism through power exercise against another racial group regarded as inferior by institutions and individuals with unintentional and intentional support of the whole culture. Therefore, the racism core includes prejudiced mentality of superiority in a in group with a power exercise to subjugate a group considered out. Therefore, as prejudice is attitudinal in nature mainly, racism extends the attitude into a discriminating behavior against another group. Many theorists have tended to explain why racial prejudice is easy to develop. Som e claim that racial prejudice is one of the by-products of evolution for adaptive strategies for survival that make humans beings to distinguish between a foe and a friend (Oskamp, 2000). Furthermore, the process of natural selection programmed the human brain to depend on physical markers in assessment of a potential threat among competing different racial groupings. This perspective is echoed in prehistoric societies where interpersonal interactions among different tribes were noted to be dangerous in transmission of deadly diseases (Allport, 1954). Adaptive reactions to these threats were to attribute a potential threat to people of an out group who were identified by different physical features. From this perspective, racism and prejudice can be and has been embedded in the cultural, biological and social collective human consciousness. Pascoe (1985) points out that many scholars have conceptualized the psychodynamic of psychological processes thought to explain racial prejudice development and maintenance among the whites. The conceptual perspective views racial prejudice as an unconscious ego mechanism for defense designed for reduction of anxiety among most experience of white people due to conflicted super ego and id based racial feelings and thoughts (Oskamp, 2000). There are different sources of racial prejudice; key among them are various forms of fear. The expectation that another person will do harm , perception that the other’s difference in viewing the world will create to one’s own challenges, presumption that by interacting it will lead to rejection, embarrassment or ridicule and the fear generation of negative consequences due to negative stereotypes. According to Allport (1954), the theoretical support that suggests forcing of people to change their behaviors will results to a long term in change of attitude relates to the theory of cognitive dissonance that stipulates that people cannot think in a particular way and contrarily behave in a manner without interfering with the belief structure. Therefore, according to Pascoe (1985), two strategies can work to this problem: First, attention should be paid to the normative exertion to change behavior as contrary to legal pressure. Second, steps to be taken to make sure that the moral pressure conveyor is someone respected, similar to the target. Oskamp (2000) adds that strategies that try to change the

Wedgwoods Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wedgwoods Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Rudzki et.al) Planning: A strategy is to be developed for the cost-effective utilization of resources required to develop the product that meets the demands of customer. The planning of the supply chain thus should be such that it is efficient, less costly and the products that are delivered are of high quality and value to customers. Source: The important thing is finding suppliers, who can effectively deliver the services or goods to the customers. An improvement in the relationship should be developed with the suppliers for delivery, payment process and pricing. In short, improving the processes for the management of inventories received from the suppliers including receiving, verifying shipments, transferring to the manufacturing facilities and authorizing payments to the suppliers. Making: This is the step, manufacturing step, where intensive study is required to improve the quality levels, production out-put and workers productivity. For the effective delivery of the goods, there should be scheduling of activities such as testing, packaging and preparation for the delivery. Delivering: This is referred to as logistics, there should be an improvement in the coordination of the activities such as taking the receipt of orders from customers, developing a network of warehouses, picking the carriers so that customers receive the products and setting up an effective in-voice system for payments. Returning: The most important and the problematic part of the supply chain that needs improvement is creating a network for receiving defective and excessive products from the customers and checking the delivered products which have problems and supporting customers with problems. Operation management issues at Wedgwood: The company adopted the inflexible push model which is driven by the forecasts of the expected sales which were generated centrally, and the challenge for the company is now that the company is finding hard, to match the high quality of the product with equal levels of service to the customers. According to the operations director of the company, when benchmarking was done with the other companies, they found out that there is a need for improvement in the area of customer service and responsiveness. The overdue orders were high, despite there were high inventory levels. The main objectives of the company is thus to reduce inventory, cutting the supply cycle time. The company therefore has decided to overhaul the supply chain processes to achieve the goals. As identified by the experts of operations management of the company, in three areas of the supply chain. Dealing with customers and order fulfilling is the first one, the second area is operations in the manufacturing and supply, the third one is introducing new products To tackle the problems, the company formed different teams to tackle each area, the teams were instructed to look into the key processes which are existing and bench mark them against the other parties so that they can redesign. The teams were supported by the methodology and expertise from the consultancy wing of the Texas instruments. The main objectives of the company are reducing the inventory, cutting the supply cycle time and overall improvement of the customer services. (Buy IT, 2002). Key performance objectives at Wedgwood: Existing model has been changed to the pull model driven by the real demand from the customers, even this new

Oodgeroo Noonuccal Biography Essay Example for Free

Oodgeroo Noonuccal Biography Essay Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born in 1920 on Stradbroke island (Minjerriba to the Aboriginal people), which was in Queensland, and she was born into the Noonuccal people of the Yuggera group. She was an actress, writer, teacher, artist and a campaigner for the Aboriginal people. Oodgeroo shared a trait with her father that was the sense of injustice. She left school at the age of 13 and worked as a domestic servant until 1939. After that she volunteered for service in the Australian Woman’s Army Service. Between 1961 and 1970 Oodgeroo popular poetry and writing made her very popular to the aboriginal people, Torre Strait Islanders and the people of Queensland. Oodgeroo Noonuccal became the first published Aboriginal woman when she wrote ‘We are Going’, which was sold out in only three days breaking some Australian records. Between 1964 and 1988 Oodgeroo wrote many Children’s books, short stories, new poems, essays and speeches. Oodgeroo Noonuccal was involved in many Aboriginal right organizations. Now her work is recognized worldwide and the themes in most of her poems in the need for peace between the black and white Australians. Her aboriginal upbringing helped her for inspiration, what she used to be surrounded to and the way she had been treated. Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s father had taught her to be stubborn and to be proud of being Aboriginal and with this, Oodgeroo would push through discriminations and penalties. Oodgeroo’s campaigning for Aboriginal voting rights started in 1960 when she strived for equality. She traveled Australia giving talks and doing all sorts of stuff to make more people aware. Finally in 1967 the campaigning showed to be successful and the Aboriginals got their rights. When she tried to campaign Globally nobody would listen to her and she got quite frustrated. She went back to her home, on Stradbroke Island, to build an Aboriginal Museum but the government would not allow it.

Invention Of Mass Media Media Essay

Invention Of Mass Media Media Essay Introduction Since the invention of mass media, mass media has always view as a big influence to the society and threat for certain group of people. This can be trace back to the 18th century, when the first theory about media- mass media theory was created and talks about how strong media is in directly influence people perception and action. Over the years, there are lots of mass media theories that talk about the power of media and how media is use to manipulate and influence people especially the folk culture or so call ordinary people. When talk about mass media theory, a big point that shouldnt be misses out is the rise of media theory in the age of propaganda. Propagandists rely on mass media very much as media reached mass audience. It is the best way for propagandist to change people action according to their own belief and expectation. One of the successful propaganda that has been widely practice was Nazis propaganda during world war one in 1933 to 1939. There are also others famous mass media theory like magic bullet theory, behaviorism, Freudianism and a lot more. Most of the time media often view as a negative influence especially for the elite group, and they claim that media should be control. There are also some theories that talk about the positive of mass media theory. For example, libertarianism theory says that people are good and rational. So media should have 100% freedom to report on everything and people can able to judge and differentiate what is right and wrong by themselves. Although there are a lots of theory argue about the pros and cons of mass media. However, one thing that everyone cannot denial is that mass media are one of the important things in human history especially the digital era like nowadays. The invention of mass media has brought human life to the whole new era and it has become an essential in human life. It helps human to convenient the process of communication between each other and also government nowadays to spread news and new policy to the people. According to Wang Lay Kim (2001), the first media in Malaysia was the English language Government Gazette call as the Prince of Whales Island Gazette (PWIG) in 1st of March 1806 in Penang Island. The last publication was on 21st of July 1827 total duration of 21 years. The first TV station in Malaysia are RTM1 and RTM 2 and then follow by the first privatization TV station which is TV3 in 1984. As mass media act as an important agent between a country and its people or government with the people, there is no exception for Malaysia to use mass media as the change agent for government policies. The mainstream media in Malaysia has always been perceived as an important agent of change for most of the governments policies. The mainstream media include TV stations, radio stations and also newspapers. As a developing country, Malaysias 4th prime minister Tun Dr.Mahathir Bin Mohammad have come out with the policy of vision 2020 which aim to further develop Malaysia into a fully develop country in the year 2020. In the year 2010, Malaysias current prime minister Dato Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak introduced the concept of one Malaysia which mainly focus on unite multi races of Malaysian to view themselves as Malaysian without looking at skin, races and language. It is also focus on economic of Malaysia and development of Malaysia to help Malaysia to achieve the g oal of vision 2020. Since the introduction of 1 Malaysia concept, this concept has been widely promote by the government to the citizen using the mainstream media. As the government realizes that peoples reliability towards media is getting more nowadays, people receive most of their information through different type of media. So media is view as the most suitable way to promote the new 1 Malaysia concept. The messages that promote through mass media are not as simple as audience view. Those ideas and concepts have been carefully defined and structure before reach the target audience. Government has used several type of mass media theory to promote the concept of 1 Malaysia. With the help of the theory, it encourages Malaysian to accept the concept of 1 Malaysia mentally and physically. Political economy theory Political economy theory is mainly focus on the study of how the elite control the economics of a country based on the link between politics and base to maintain the hegemonic culture. In this context, the elite will be the government of Malaysia. Political economy theory also says that to understand the media, ones must look at the whole picture which includes the ownership of media and the control group of media. In Malaysia, although most of the mainstream media are privatization but all the media are closely related to the government and political party. For example, according to Wang Lay Kim (2001), Fleet holding, a company that arm by UMNO which have 80% share of the News straits Times Press (NSTP) and majority share in Utusan Melayu Press sin year 1973. Both of these presses have majority readership and circulation in Malaysias newspaper.Fleet holding also have the share of 40% in Malaysia TV station, TV3. Besides, the other Malaysia main English paper, 58% of theStar newspaper is also own by Huaren holding Sdn.Bhd which link to MCA, one of the political party under the government. Cleary, we can see that there is a tight relationship between mainstream media with the political parties. With this point, it is not hard for the government to promote the idea of 1 Malaysia and gain acceptance by the people. The messages first come out by the elite or government through allocative control. Then the media under government in charge of the operational control which manipulate the word and idea before promote to the public to achieve the goal. It is not a surprise that thestar newspaper report atleast one article about the 1 Malaysia concepts per week. For example, 13 September 2012 thestar report about another 1 Malaysia clinic open. 15 September 2012 is about 175 1 Malaysia clinics by year end.16 September 2012, A truly 1 Malaysia day for both side of S.china sea. 19 September 2012, PM launches books of 1 Malaysia. 29 September 2012, Lots of goodies under 1 Malaysia schemes. As we know that, newspaper has always acted as a medium for people to receive information and people tend to believe newspaper as it is more accurate and professional. Government take control on the production of media by reporting the positive news about the 1 Malaysia concepts can surely gain support from the citizen. Hegemony Hegemony talks about elite stay their status quo through coercion and consent. Besides, it also states that force cannot maintain the power of the elite. Persuasion, explanation and understanding make people act willing and happily towards order. The best way for government to spread consent was using the mass media, especially the mainstream media that closely related to the government. Through hegemony and media, media act as a way to educate people how to behave and what to do in their life that consistent with the government goal. We can see how hegemony is use by government to promote the concept of 1 Malaysia in mainstream media like TV and newspaper in Malaysia. First of all, the slogan itself for 1 Malaysia concept Rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamankan in English it means people first, performance now. This is obviously telling people that the government care about the citizen and the future of the country through the promotion of mainstream media every day. In order to achieve the part of consent that stated in hegemony, one of the main focuses of 1 Malaysia concept is to help Malaysia to achieve the goal of vision 2020 which is a fully develop country. Since the introduce of 1 Malaysia concept, Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is introduce by the current prime minister to improve the effectiveness of Malaysian government department for satisfaction of the citizen towards the service and try to shape the positive image of citizen towards the government. Under KPI, a mechanism is provided to evaluate the effectiveness of government agency towards crime prevention, reducing government corruption, increased to quality education, improvement of public transportation, improve the living of low income citizen and rural are infrastructure. Since the election of 2008, electors have lost confident on the government which means Barisan Nasional. It is very important for government to fulfill the need and satisfaction of the citizen which is the part of consent in hegemony. The result of KPI is keep highlight by the mainstream media. In long term effect, people will start to believe that the government did do some changes on the transparency of politic. These help the government to gain confident of the citizen. Besides, mainstream media often cover other news about 1 Malaysia. For example, thestar report an article about the new open 1 Malaysia clinic and grocery shop. This is also a long term effect of persuasion to told the citizen about 1 Malaysia concept are always for the benefit of the citizen, in the other hand, it also means that everyone should support the concept as it only bring benefit to the public. Moreover, the song and slogan of 1 Malaysia are often playing in TV station and radio station. It acts to reinforce people about 1 Malaysia concept are always for the public. Just like the lyrics of 1 Malaysia song. Im 4 U. The use of coercion in hegemony which is law state to control over the content of media towards government report like the printing press and publication act, broadcasting act and official secret act. Combine with the use of consent like ownership of media and control over the content of media. Surely the government can maintain their status quo and spread their ideology to the citizen without the consciousness of the people. People will also accept the concept willing without any force. Marxist Theory Marxist theory talks about that hierarchical class system are the roots of social problem. How base, superstructure and capitalism are closely related to each other. The main premises of Marxism said if the idea of production can be control, people can be control. The ideology of the elite are widely use to dominant public thinking and to maintain the inequality of social class. In human history, social class problem have been discuss generation over generation. However, the inequalities between social classes are still appearing in todays world. For example, riots happened in Malaysia on 13 May 1969 was happen due to the imbalance of economy and social classes between races. It makes Malaysia government realize about the important of economy balance between races. Although the large economy gaps between races in Malaysia are solve through New Economic Policy (NEP), but the problem of social classes are still remain. The government member and royal family of Malaysia are defining as the elite group or aristocrat in Marxist theory. In order for the government to maintain their status quo, the elite own the capitalism with their base. However, for their ideology to spread and accept by people, media are use as a tool by government. According to Wang Lay Kim (2001), Malaysias second privatize TV station Metrovision, the four share holder company was closely related to UMNO. The companies are City television Sdn.Bhd, Melewar Corporation, Utusan Melayu and Medanmas Sdn. Bhd. This can explain how government act as capitalism, own the base which are the media and message production and spread of 1 Malaysia concept which is government ideology to maintain their status quo. In literal, 1Malaysia concept is use to help Malaysian to improve their living condition and upgrade the overall citizen social classes to eliminate poverty. But in the other hand, it is also an ideology to maintain their power. Government realize that to maintain their status quo while achieve peaceful among the bourgeoisie and proletariat or so call Malaysian, 1 Malaysia concept are one of the best way to achieve goal for mutual benefit of the country and the elite. By own the mainstream media and control of the message production, people can be control. Conclusion In conclusion, with the support of political economy, hegemony theory and Marxist theory, I strongly agree that 1 Malaysia concept can be accept by Malaysian with the use of mainstream media. Most of the media theories agree that media have the long term effect on people but not direct effect. When people expose to something for a long term, they tend to believe it. Mainstream media keep reporting the positive news of 1 Malaysian; time by time people will accept it without conscious about it. Besides, mainstream media in Malaysia are directly control by legislative law and indirectly own by the government. With the support of Marxist theory, which says control of the media production, people can be control. It strengthens my opinion towards Malaysian acceptance of 1 Malaysia concept.

Lord Of The Flies Essay -- essays research papers

How mankind can’t survive without rules and laws   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Could civilization live a normal and stable life, without any rules and orders to obey? Could you picture, New York City, with no laws to follow and everyone doing as they please? Just imagine the disasters that we will experience. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding, we see how each individual character reacts differently to the exposure of complete freedom from an organized society. Also, awe see how this separation from a structural society causes chaos among all these different characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story begins with 20 pre-adolescent boys who are on an airplane and the airplane crashes on a remote jungle-island, which is a very effective setting to establish the idea of savagery. The setting of the story is very important because it shows how the boys are given their own paradise and destroy it. The airplane crew is killed and the boys are left on their own, with no adult supervision. At the beginning of the story, we meet the character, Ralph, the protagonist of the novel. Ralph is an example of the ethical citizen, intelligent and responsible but, on many occasions, is caught up in the opinion of others. The leadership that Ralph offers isn’t as stable and organized because he isn’t able to control the â€Å"littluns† and the others after a certain point. This is when the society that Ralph tries to create starts to break apart and Jack takes control.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then immediately comes Piggy, a chubby asthmatic but intelligent kid, who becomes â€Å"friends† with Ralph. He is teased relentlessly by the other boys but is highly respected by Ralph for his ability to think. Piggy is considered the adult voice on the island, which often spoils the fun for the other boys. He also becomes Ralph’s right-hand man. Whenever Ralph can’t think straight, Piggy is there to put some common sense into him. Just like Ralph, Piggy wants to be rescued desperately. A while later, Ralph finds a conch. He then uses the conch to call upon the other kids. The conch is presented as a symbol of authority and order. It is used to summon all the boys from the island to the assembly and it gives its holder the right to speak. The conch also sets Ralph apart from the other boys and is what helps him be categorized as chief and leader. The c... ...ll Ralph because he feels that by doing this he will remain chief and leader and he will take away the idea of being civilized and having a democracy. Again we see how the fire symbolizes power but this time differently because instead of being used for survival and rescue it’s used as destruction and as a weapon for hunting. Jack uses the fire by burning a thicket where Ralph is hiding to be able to take him out. He then hunts him down to mount his head on the sharp stick like the pig’s head. Jack loses complete sense of his mind and is definitely stripped away from what is considered civilized. His immoral actions take the best of him and the others in the island and led them all to forget what is truly important, which is to be rescued. At the end, they are rescued and Ralph is saved from being killed from Jack and his tribe. The novel, Lord of the Flies, gives you, the reader, a clear image of how easily a society could fall apart if we allow ourselves to only live by the day and not care what tomorrow brings. Also, it shows how a society can’t survive without any rules to be followed and that there must be laws and rules in order, to have an established society to live in.

Mini Position Paper Essay

Many schools exist that don’t create student success. In too many school systems today, students are deprived of the education they need to become successful in life. What is society doing to make sure these students find their way? What does it take for them to become successful participants of society? After reading Freire’s, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I must say there is some truth to students being oppressed for they are being forced to matriculate in an educational environment they aren’t familiar with; can’t survive in; or don’t want to be in. Students who are in the predicament noted above are not able to thrive in a strong academic environment because, as Freire states, they don’t know their reality. If they knew their reality, they would be better prepared to adjust to what they need for academic success. My position is that students that will better succeed in vocational or magnet schools. The vocational option is best suited for students that are not college bound and need to learn hands-on job skills to work right out of high school. For the nontraditional student the magnet option can work well. As a dancer, I attended magnet performing art school and this opportunity allowed me to learn about my craft and move on to earning a scholarship to Temple University in dance and theater. It allowed me the option to get involved in a field that I love and having a love for what you do makes the difference in which you become. There is no denying that people are mentally in different places at different times in their lives. Whether they have been raised in a single parent home, or whether they grew up in an environment that isn’t conducive to learning, it is important that students know what they can handle in an educational setting. For some students, an advanced math class or AP courses may not be reasonable. There are some students that understand where they stand academically and know that they aren’t able to learn under the same conditions as other students. These students need to develop other avenues in which to become successful. Vocational and Magnet schools are a great source for students that aren’t ready for a rigorous academic curriculum. Although students will still get the core courses they need to graduate, they will also have a trade that will at least keep them employed and able to take care of them after graduating. There are students that have a love for cosmetology, auto mechanics or even plumbing. One important fact is that there are colleges that offer two year degrees in these vocational trades. It is crucial that today’s generation know that there are options outside of becoming a doctor or lawyer. While we always need lawyers, doctors, and teachers, the world also needs mechanics to fix cars, a plumber to fix leaks the correct way or even a specialist to make sure a heating or air conditioning system is properly working. It is important that today’s student be comfortable in knowing that being academically challenged is okay, and that choosing a vocational education is an option. Vocational Magnet educations are just as important and should be interjected in all of today’s schools for they too serve a vital function in preparing our students in life. â€Å"The Guardian†, a newspaper printed in the U. K. , ran an article in 2013 regarding vocational educations. It questioned the validity of the concept of vocational educations by asking the public if they value vocational skills. The article allowed people to give their opinions. Although most people were in support of vocational education, there were some that weren’t. One person commented that though he didn’t look down on vocational education, he would not consider the vocational route if he didn’t get the grades needed to attend a university. He finished by explaining he would definitely go for A-levels because in his opinion, â€Å"they are far more respected by employers and universities†. In his opinion, having a career rather than a skill is more esteemed. After reading the article, I was stunned at the idea that vocational educations aren’t respected. That a plumber or custodian is not valued is a disrespectful and cocky position to take. Society will always needs someone to make sure offices are clean and bathroom toilets run properly. People underestimate that diverse careers are needed for the world to effectively revolve. Unfortunately vocational skills like plumbing, carpentry, and electricians have been downgraded in social status over the years. One of the biggest issues in education today is low graduation rates, low college entry and a growing rate of unemployment. Vocational education can be the resolution to this problem. What are missing in schools are alternatives like a technical baccalaureate, which offers valuable learning and real skills, and leads to real jobs for young people. Getting children in the right program for their learning needs is what leads to success. Vocational qualifications serve a need for particular kinds of students and are very important skills. Vocational education training provides career and technical education for students interested in jobs that are based upon labor-intensive or real-world jobs. The plus side to vocational education is that students have the opportunity to work in their field while in school; it requires less education than four year degree programs; the vocational fields are vast and varied such as, pharmacy and medical technicians, paralegals, medical assistants, office assistants, cosmetologists, mechanics and construction workers; it assists in higher graduation rates; increased employment; and overall student achievement. The objective in education is to assist students in their quest of having a stable life. A vocational education reinforces the connections between secondary and postsecondary education, and improves accountability for students.

Athena in Greek Mythology Essay

ii Outline Thesis: Athena is regarded as a powerful female figure within Greek mythology; however there are obvious contradictions between the perception of Athena and the reality of how the goddess is represented within Greek Literature and these contradictions need to be examined given Greek Literatures foundational role in molding our perceptions of a heroine. I. Description how women were viewed in Ancient Greece II. Common perception of Athena in Greek Mythology a) Goddess of War b) Powerful c) Equal to Zeus III. Role that Athena truly played as Zeus’s daughter a) Non threatening: enable the end of Kingship of Heaven b) Virgin daughter, purity IV. Examples supporting the repositioning of Athena as a determent to women within Greek culture a) Athena and Poseidon clash over Athens b) Athena’s mothering role in Odyssey c) Athena’s role within Aeschylus’s Eumenides V. Athena’s representation within Greek Mythology has proven to be a false icon for the empowerment of women. iii Abstract Athena is regarded as a powerful female figure within Greek mythology; however there are obvious contradictions between the perception of Athena and the reality of how the goddess is represented within Greek Literature and these contradictions need to be examined given Greek Literatures foundational role in molding our perceptions of a heroine. The undercurrent of conflicting messages between Athena’s iconic state as a powerful goddess and the general oppression of Greek woman supports the notion that there might be more to Athena then first meets the eye. Common myth and two great works of ancient Greek literature are used to support the thesis that Athena may have been a tool of oppression used against the women of ancient Greece. 1 The Importance of Athena in Greek Mythology The foremost powerful female figure in Greek Mythology was Athena, the grey eyed goddess. She is often hailed as being an icon for female power within Greek literature. This misperception adds to the mystic that Greek civilization was socially evolved beyond it’s time. By taking a closer look at how Athena was immortalized within the Parthenon, the role that the Goddess played in Homer’s Odyssey , and her role in Aeschylus’s Eumenides it quickly becomes clear that we have been romanticizing Athena’s power. By pulling back the curtain on the obvious and revealing what resides just below the surface a new pictures comes into focus. Athena is regarded as a powerful female figure within Greek mythology; however there are obvious contradictions between the perception of Athena and the reality of how the goddess is represented within Greek Literature, and these contradictions need to be examined given Greek Literatures foundational role in molding our perceptions of a heroine. To begin with it is important to come to a agreement regarding the daily life of an Athenian woman in Ancient Greece. Based upon the reading that I have done, there is little dispute that the women of that time had virtually no rights. The Ancient Greek society in many ways mirrors today’s modern conservative cultures of the middles east, as it pertains to women’s rights. The Greek culture was highly patriarchal. Ancient women were considered property of their fathers at the time of their birth, and then transferred to become the property of their husbands directly after marriage. Young women were often forced to marry men twice their age, whom they had never met. Women, of course, had no right to vote, no right to own property and oddly enough were not allowed to watch the iconic Olympic games. However, the most mind numbing realization for me was that women were not allowed to leave the house without permission. Women were not permitted to wonder in public unless they had an explicit reason approved by their husband. It is suspicious to me that given all of these widely accepted facts that we would so easily accept that Greek men were creating characters of power as great as Athena’s perceived power. If anything, I do give these Ancient Greek author’s credit for being sly. They created a goddess whom Greek men could idealize as the ‘perfect’ woman, fearing her power, while at the same time defining an all powerful goddess who was submissive to men. 2 A general definition of Athena provides us with an example to contrast against the â€Å"average† Athenian woman. Harris and Platzner provide a general description of Athena’s power in Classical Mythology Images & Insights. A powerful description is levied by the authors, â€Å"Athena, a potent manifestation of her father’s creative intelligence† (82). Athena is widely known as the goddess of wisdom and war. She is hailed as the protector of Athens and the equal to the omnipresent Zeus. However, and this is a big however, that is only upon first glance. As we dig deeper into Athena’s story a new spin begins to present itself. First, the legend of Athena’s remarkable birth, which in actualization is only a reflection of Zeus’s greatness. Athena is said to have sprung from Zeus’s head. The depiction of her birth is on the east pediment of the Parthenon, which ensures its role in the daily lives of Greek men. Zeus in an effort to deny the prophecy that Metis would someday bore a child who would overthrow his power; he ate Metis. By ingesting Metis he also ingests her powers and Athena his unborn daughter. In concept Zeus then gives birth, the ONLY uniquely female power that existed in Ancient Greece. Athena, now being directly ‘sprung’ from the body of her father is forever faithful, as he is now part of her. In this one sweeping myth Zeus outwits Metis, overcomes his fate, gives birth and creates an equal virginal partner whom has an undying faithfulness to her father. Even the focus on her virginal state, associates her with the traditional concept of ‘ownership’ by a woman’s father until she is married. Athena’s very birth contributes to increasing Zeus’s greatness and defining women as submissive. The second key piece of important information regarding why Athena was born a woman, is simple and calculated. The fact that Athena is a woman ends the tradition of The Kingdom of Heaven, and ensures Zeus’s dominate rule. If she were born a man, there would be threat of usurpation. Ss a woman; with no husband she serves no threat. Again, a myth calculated to support the greatness of Zeus. 3 The west side of the Parthenon serves as another example of how a myth, at first glance, appearing to support the great wisdom of Athena but in the end this myth serves the purpose of Greek men, and serves to repress Greek women. The west pediment depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon for the ‘sponsorship’ of Athens. Athena is said to have won the favor of the Greeks by offering an olive tree to the people of Athens. Poseidon offered the city a salt water spring which was rejected, thus offending Poseidon. Multiple points jump from the life of this myth. First, the obvious, by choosing Athena over Poseidon the Greek men have a direct link to Zeus. She is chosen because she is well connected! Secondly, and more manipulatively, in order to appease Poseidon’s wrath Greek woman are continued to be punished and not given the right to vote. The first advancement of a woman into a powerful position generates a backlash that will ensure that no woman is ever given any REAL form of power within Greek Culture (Harris and Platzner 9). The irony in this is so deep that it is almost comical. We have now established that the two key myths used to define Athena’s power are in actuality undermining her power. If anything, we begin to view her as Zeus’s public relations consultant. Now by looking at the way that Greek writers have translated Athena’s powers into actions, we can see that these nuances did not go unnoticed by Greece’s creative thinkers. A subtle example exists within Homer’s depiction of Athena in The Odyssey. Athena plays a motherly role to both Odysseus and Telemachus. She never gets directly involved in any conflict, she only provides guidance and support for the men. She is fulfilling the nurturing traditional role of a mother. In the stories opening when Athena disguises herself as Mentor (a man) to gain the trust of Telemachus her purpose is only to guide him on his path to manhood. She encourages him to take a stand on the issue of his mothers’ disrespectful suitors and to go on a rite of passage journey to find his father. The book is riddled with examples of how Athena provides a soft touch is supporting the advancement of Odysseus’s cause. She organizes the ship for Telemachus’s journey. She pleads with Zeus on their behalf in Book 5, she appears in a dream to Phaeacian urging her to be at the river to help Odysseus when we washes to shore. The list goes on and on, in Book 20 Athena helps Odysseus in his plot to overtake the suitors by ensuring the suitors antagonize the disguised Odysseus, which feeds his desire to win back Penelope. All of these actions mirror that of a mother, trying to encourage the best for and from her children. This further supports the notion that women in Athens are supposed to be the household support, and support the success of their fathers, and then their husbands. 4 The most glaring example of misuse of Athena’s perceived power occurs in Aeschylus, Eumenides. A jury is organized to judge Orestes for killing his mother and his father’s murder, Aegisthus. It is agreed that if the jury cannot come to an agreement of Orestes’ guilt then Athena will make the final decision. Athena’s ultimate verdict reads as follows, â€Å"The final judgment rests with me, and I Announce that my vote shall be given to Orestes. No mother gave me birth, and in all things Save marriage I commend with all my heart The masculine, my father’s child indeed. Therefore I cannot hold in higher esteem A woman killed because she killed her husband. If the votes are equal, Orestes wins. Let the appointed officers proceed To empty the urns and count the votes† (H & P 636). Athena says she is the servant of her father in this speech. Here is a son who has killed his own mother, and Athena explicitly states that she values the life of Orestes’ father greater than the life of his mother, Clytemnestra. Even when the literature explicitly gives Athena power, she only uses it to further confirm the dominance of men within Greek society. I am positive that there are numerous other examples that support my notion of a dual sided Athena. Every example that I found of Athena within Greek literature allows for a theoretical positioning of Athena as a Greek tool of female oppression. Athena is the Ancient Greek’s version of the women in the girdle commercials in the 50’s, Cindy Brady in the 70’s, or even more accurately the 5 Britney Spears of today. At first glance one thinks it’s nice to see positive imagines of women, but when you begin to look a little closer one can clearly see the shackles. 6 Working Bibliography Graham, Casey, â€Å"Ancient Athenian Women. † http://www. angelfire. com/ca3/ancientchix/ Harris, Stephen L, and Platzner, Gloria. Classical Mythology Images and Insights. 5th Edition. McGraw-Hill. 2008. â€Å"Role of Women in Ancient Greece. † http://www. factsmonk. com/role_of_women_in_ancient_greece Stebbins, Elinor. â€Å"Pallas Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. † < http://www. arthistory. sbc. edu/imageswomen/papers/stebbinsathena/athena2. html>