Time Of Change Essays - Beowulf, Geats, English-language Films

Time Of Change The amount of bravery and courage displayed by Beowulf in his fights with three different fiends surpasses that of most. Victories over his enemies demand massive power and strength, traits only evident in Beowulf. Each battle appears similar to the others in that Beowulf succeeds in killing his enemy, yet differences exist between the three confrontations. Each of the three battles differs from one another in the preparation leading in to the fight, the means of warfare, and its effect on Beowulf. The preparations made by Beowulf before each of his battles includes different strategies and plots. In preparing for his first battle, Beowulf lures the wretched monster Grendel in to Hrothgars hall. In order to direct Grendel into a favorable location for the fight, Beowulf sacrifices a Geat soldier. A helpless, despairing soldier perished when, Grendel snatched at the first Geat he came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to bits with powerful jaws, drank the blood from his veins and bolted him down, hands and feet (739). Prior to the clash, Beowulf calculated the importance of good fighting grounds. This brutal sacrifice granted Beowulf a favorable location to attack Grendel. To prepare for the battle with Grendels mother, Beowulf armored himself with chain mail and trudged out to the marsh of Grendels mothers residence. He ventured to find the greedy she-wolf whod ruled those waters for half a hundred years (1511). Rather than allowing Grendels mother to search for him, Beowulf s plashed down into the water with fearful Geats looking on. Beowulf chose to attack Grendels mother, opposed to allowing her come to him. A more aggressive approach gave him an early advantage in the fight. Old age crept up on Beowulf, the most experienced warrior of all, yet he placed aside his age and pronounced he would battle The Dragon, with his sights set on winning treasure. These fortunes included those discovered at Sutton Hoo, which were a helmet, gold coins and silver bowls (Sutton Hoo 34). Beowulfs courage and valor surface when he says, Ive never known fear; as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me (2511). Death seemed a likely possibility for Beowulf in the confrontation with The Dragon. This dual presented him with three main threats. In the Anglo-Saxon work The Seafarer, the old sailor identified these three threats when he says, No man has ever faced the dawn cer tain which of Fates three threats would fall: illness, or age, or an enemys sword, snatching the life from this soul (Seafarer 68). Knowing this battle would be the toughest he had ever faced, Beowulf prepared himself with armor, a shield, and a sword. The challenge of The Dragon surpassed any other previously presented to Beowulf; therefore weapons and protection were necessary. Each fight involving Beowulf saw him presented with different problems and challenges, therefore preparation for these fights altered between each. The means and methods of warfare differ in the battles involving Beowulf. In the fight with Grendel, Beowulf insisted on using no weapons other than his bare hands. Beowulfs mentality becomes evident when he says, This fiend is a bold and famous fighter, but his claws and teeth scratching my shield, his clumsy fists beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I will meet him with my hands empty (679). Beowulf takes pride in winning fair battles. Using weapons would, in his mind, give him an unfair advantage against the man-eating beast, thus making a victory dishonorable. The means of warfare in the clash between Beowulf and Grendels mother involved weapons, rather than sheer power. Grendels mother uses swords, and Beowulf uses chain mail and a helmet to protect himself. Beowulf swung his sword, his ring-marked blade, straight at her head; then iron sang its fierce song, sang Beowulfs strength (1543). Battling Grendels mother required much more protection than fighting her son, due to her immense strength and power. Even the sharpest and most deadly of Beowulfs weapons failed to penetrate the hide of her neck. The means of warfare used by The Dragon and Beowulf in

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) - Definition

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) - Definition Analysis of Variance, or ANOVA for short, is a statistical test that looks for significant differences between means on a particular measure. For example, say you are interested in studying the education level of athletes in a community, so you survey people on various teams. You start to wonder, however, if the education level is different among the different teams. You could use an ANOVA to determine if the mean education level is different among the softball team versus the rugby team versus the Ultimate Frisbee team. Key Takeaways: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Researchers conduct an ANOVA when they are interested in determining whether two groups differ significantly on a particular measure or test.There are four basic types of ANOVA models: one-way between groups, one-way repeated measures, two-way between groups, and two-way repeated measures.Statistical software programs can be used to make conducting an ANOVA easier and more efficient. ANOVA Models There are four types of basic ANOVA models (although it is also possible to conduct more complex ANOVA tests as well). Following are descriptions and examples of each. One-way between groups ANOVA A one-way between groups ANOVA is used when you want to test the difference between two or more groups. The example above, of education level among different sports teams, would be an example of this type of model. It is called a one-way ANOVA because there is only one variable (type of sport played) that is being used to divide participants into different groups. One-way repeated measures ANOVA If you are interested in assessing a single group at more than one time point, you should use a one-way repeated measures ANOVA. For example, if you wanted to test students’ understanding of a subject, you could administer the same test at the beginning of the course, in the middle of the course, and at the end of the course. Conducting a one-way repeated measures ANOVA would allow you to find out whether the students’ test scores changed significantly from the beginning to the end of the course. Two-way between groups ANOVA Imagine now that you have two different ways in which you want to group your participants (or, in statistical terms, you have two different independent variables). For example, imagine you were interested in testing whether test scores differed between student athletes and non-athletes, as well as for freshmen versus seniors. In this case, you would conduct a two-way between groups ANOVA. You would have three effects from this ANOVA- two main effects and an interaction effect. The main effects are the effect of being an athlete and the effect of class year. The interaction effect looks at the impact of both being an athlete and class year. Each of the main effects is a one-way test. The interaction effect is simply asking if the two main effects impact each other: for example, if student athletes scored differently than non-athletes did, but this was only the case when studying freshmen, there would be an interaction between class year and being an athlete. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA If you want to look at how different groups change across time, you can use a two-way repeated measures ANOVA. Imagine you’re interested in looking at how test scores change across time (as in the example above for a one-way repeated measures ANOVA). However, this time you’re also interested in assessing gender as well. For example, do males and females improve their test scores at the same rate, or is there a gender difference? A two-way repeated measures ANOVA can be used to answer these types of questions. Assumptions of ANOVA The following assumptions exist when you perform an analysis of variance: The expected values of the errors are zero.The variances of all errors are equal to each other.The errors are independent from one another.The errors are normally distributed. How an ANOVA is Done The mean is calculated for each of your groups. Using the example of education and sports teams from the introduction in the first paragraph above, the mean education level is calculated for each sports team.The overall mean is then calculated for all of the groups combined.Within each group, the total deviation of each individual’s score from the group mean is calculated. This tells us whether the individuals in the group tend to have similar scores or whether there is a lot of variability between different people in the same group. Statisticians call this within group variation.Next, how much each group mean deviates from the overall mean is calculated. This is called between group variation.Finally, an F statistic is calculated, which is the ratio of between group variation to the within group variation. If there is significantly greater between group variation than within group variation (in other words, when the F statistic is larger), then it is likely that the difference between the groups is statistically significant. Statistical software can be used to calculate the F statistic and determine whether it is significant or not. All types of ANOVA follow the basic principles outlined above. However, as the number of groups and the interaction effects increase, the sources of variation will become more complex. Performing an ANOVA Because conducting an ANOVA by hand is a time-consuming process, most researchers use statistical software programs when they are interested in conducting an ANOVA. SPSS can be used to conduct ANOVAs, as can R, a free software program. In Excel, you can do an ANOVA by using the Data Analysis Add-on. SAS, STATA, Minitab, and other  statistical software programs  that are equipped for handling bigger and more complex data sets can also be used to perform an ANOVA. References Monash University. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). csse.monash.edu.au/~smarkham/resources/anova.htm

Service Quality and Operations (A REPORT) Essay

Service Quality and Operations (A REPORT) - Essay Example Marriott Hotel Empire which started as a small company in 1927 in Washington D.C. by John Marriot of Utah. But due to its consistent efforts, today this company is serving in 67 countries and has about 3150 lodging properties. Different operation strategies, marketing strategies, maintenance of quality, employee empowerment and customer satisfaction are the key points that have enabled the success of this organization. Marriot has adopted a rigorous marketing policy, where this company is catering almost all market segments, i.e. it is not only allocating the high class but also deals with business class and the lower class. According to the research conducted in 2008, this company had built its strong network with its suppliers, customers and employees. it has also build a strong sense of teamwork among employees, maintained a positive and supportive management style. They believe customers as their guests and due to this they have enforced strict quality measures and strict quality control on all its hotels and motels. Kandampully et al. (2001) reported in his book that J.W. Marriott himself stated a philosophy in treating employees in the following statement, i.e. â€Å"take care of your employee and they will take care of you†. Every company whether it belongs to a manufacturing industry or a service sector has to carry out daily operations and transactions. Due to this operational management is extremely important OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT Not just Marriott but there are basic ten main tasks or critical decisions that every company, manager and an employee has to undertake in order to effectively manage operations. In the book by Henzer & Render (2006) mentioned the operations management ten strategic decisions, such as; service and product design, quality management, process and capacity design, location, layout design, human resource and job design, supply chain management,

Conduct a critical examination and discussion of the Assignment

Conduct a critical examination and discussion of the Marketing-Entrepreneurship interface and the proposed use of Entrepreneurial Marketing within small firms - Assignment Example These challenges include constraints such as financial, marketing, management, customer services and so on. Furthermore, Day and Reynolds, (2011) makes recommendations that in order to increase the survival rate of new and other small business, these businesses shall give considerable attention to the Entrepreneurial Marketing. Entrepreneurial Marketing as a system has evolved to reduce the gap between the resources and capabilities required for employing traditional marketing tactics and the constraint resources of the new venture (Collinson & Shaw, 2001). According to Morris et al. (2002) Entrepreneurial Marketing is a system through which the new business ventures attempts to exploit the opportunities proactively, that enables the business to serve the new customers and retaining profitable ones with ideas that have not been presented yet to the market. This proactive system of value creation also allows the small ventures for risk management by effectively and efficiently managing limited resources accordingly. Therefore, with the EM the entrepreneurs do not only rely on basic marketing of four Ps but also at the same time give consideration to the innovative ideas that rejuvenate the concept to the target customers. In addition to this, it also implies that small business shall have considered all per spective that reduces the risk of doing business (Hills, Hultman, & Miles, 2008). For example, Dindin Kitchen is among the recently opened restaurants in London. The food industry in London is highly mature and competitive; therefore, small business with the idea to enter the restaurant industry differentiated its business offering with the Persian cuisine. With a limited budget, the business not only offered the differentiated idea, but also the limited offerings in order to explore the market response. Additionally, the one pager website as well as the social media account have been used which is as

Emerging Business Themes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Emerging Business Themes - Essay Example It has a more than 7,500 restaurants in the United States and over 5,600 restaurants in 97 countries. (Yum! Brands, 2009). Social Media is defined as "a group of Internet-based applications that are build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content† (Kaplan Andreas M., 2010) . Pizza Hut, which started spreading as a franchise restaurant has evolved over a period of time keeping pace with the latest developments. Needless to say, that its diverse delivery format required huge investment in technology. Now, it is also investing in Social Media technology to keep up with its customers like many other ‘brands [which] are rushing to keep up with consumer behavior’ (Peter Kim, 2009). Pizza Hut is still testing grounds when it comes to social media technology. To find out what the customers want to hear, they engage in conversations with customers over the social media sites. It has initiated various campaigns targeted at increasing its online presence. It has marked its presence on Facebook and Twitter and is offering ‘hot’ deals to the users of these websites. However, a well defined marketing strategy regarding its social media networking is yet not in place. Pizza Hut has set its communication goals as – 1) giving people an engaging and fun way to find news and information from Pizza Hut, and 2) creating two-way relationships with our customers, built on trusted conversation. (Fuller, 2009) Probably its communication goals led Pizza Hut to announce its intention to hire an intern for managing its Twitter account. Although this piece of news was intended to establish camaraderie with the generation using Twitter, it gathered a lot of criticism from marketing gurus who thought it was a bad idea to let an intern handle an international brand on an international platform. (Evans, 2009) While social media technologies represent exciting new opportunities for

Early History Of Public Health Health And Social Care Essay

Early History Of Public Health Health And Social Care Essay Contemporary public health has evolved through various historical stages. Its development as a discipline has been shaped throughout many years from the ancient times to the present day and different pioneers from different countries tremendously contributed to its historical evolution. Furthermore, public health evolution has been marked by several changes since its inception and these changes were influenced by the newly developed ideas and scientific evidences for the purpose of improving the health of the population (Porter, 1994). The essay here, in its first part, will attempt to discuss in more details the most important changes that public health has undergone in the course of its evolution and why these changes occurred. In the second part, the explicit meaning of essential components of public health will be discussed and the way these should be achieved will be proposed throughout. MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND REASONS FOR THESE CHANGES Throughout human race history, health problems have existed and have been concerned mainly with community well-being. Most of these health problems were mostly caused by communicable diseases related to poor physical environment, insufficiency supply of water and food of good quality and poor provision of medical care. Interventions to cope with the above health issues have changed over time but closely linked and this led to what is known today as modern public health (Rosen, 1993, p.1). 1.1. Early history of public health Available literature demonstrates that there are evidences of activities associated with the improvement of community health that have existed from the ancient times. Rosen (1993:1) outlines that, in the north India some 4000 years ago, archaeological findings have shown that there has been a developed urban planning system with great sanitation and housing. He further adds that other evidences have shown, in other Asian countries, that the same system was largely developed mostly in Egypt to mention but a few. Apart from the above earliest development, public health continued its evolution over the centuries pioneered by several authors among them Hippocrates. This honored Greek physician, also known as the father of medicine because of his commendable contribution on the practice of medical ethics for physicians demonstrated how proper diet, fresh air, a moderate climate and attention to lifestyle and living conditions were important for healthy living (Schneider Lilienfeld, 2008:5). Later on, other societies inspired by the Greek civilisation, as it is the case for the Romans, continued to develop water and sanitation infrastructure and healthcare system. Schneider and Lilienfeld, (2008:5) reported that, further to the public health systems that were just introduced, Romans put in place governmental administration systems to overseeing the initiated changes. However, these early public health initiatives did not benefit all the population; vulnerable groups like slaves and those living in poverty did not have access to the safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and continuously suffered high rate of diseases as it is now noted in some parts of the world (Schneider Lilienfeld, 2008:5). 1.2. Middle Ages After these early development of public health, came the Medieval Ages (500-1500 A.D.) that were characterised by a decline of the Greco-Roman powers due to disintegration from within and invasions from outside that destroyed public health infrastructure(Rosen,1993:26). During this period, health problems were thought to be having spiritual causes and the remedy as well. This belief was shared by both pagans and Christians. It was believed, for Christians, that there was a link between sin and the occurrence of disease and the latter was considered to be a punishment (Rosen, 1993:26). Biological and physical environment as the main factors in transmissible disease causation were ignored and this was the main implication of the spiritualism during this era and as a result it was difficult to control the epidemics that erupted leaving millions of people dead and others suffering from their sequels (International Health Sciences University, 2012). Rosen (1993:35) states that the 2 devastating epidemics that may be considered which prevailed during this time are the Plague of Justinian and the Black Death in 543 and 1348 respectively. Moreover, other outbreaks between the above 2 dates ravaged Europe and other regions around Mediterranean Sea notably but not exhaustively: leprosy, smallpox, diphtheria, measles, tuberculosis, and scabies. Causes of these epidemics were not identified yet but it was thought that poor living conditions were highly associated. After these horrific epidemics occurrence, various measures were put in place in Europe cities to fight against them and consequently improve public health. Establishment of butcheries and regulation about livestock possession, regulation of food at public market, food preservation and garbage disposal are the measures that proved to be effective in preventing disease transmission from animals to people or between people. Additionally, food preservation regulation played a key role in prevention of food borne diseases from damaged and expired food (International Health Sciences University, 2011). 1.3. Renaissance Era The development of public health did not stop in Middle Ages. The followed period of renaissance (1500-1700 of Christian era) was marked by a rejection of older theories. However, the old theories helped in developing new ones. Spiritual theory about the cause of disease started to be doubtful as epidemics killed both sinners and saints. Environmental factors were uncovered to be the leading cause in the development of infectious diseases. Further critical observations of sick people, signs and symptoms they presented have shown that various illnesses were distinctly separate (International Health Sciences University, 2012). It is worth to note that, during renaissance era, various authors brought new discoveries in the development of public health. Rosen (1993) reported that the Italian Giolamo Fracastoro brought in the theory of contagion where he showed the role of microorganisms in infectious diseases development and the way the communicable diseases are transmitted. The Dutchman Anton von Leeuwenhoek, the inventor of microscope, was the first man to confirm that the theory Giolamo Fracastoro developed was probably true after his observation of microbes agents. Indeed, the contribution of other authors (Petty, John Graunt and Gottfried Achenwall) in this important era of public health evolution was significant. They introduced the concept of measurement in public health to quantify health problems like calculations of mortality, life expectancy and fertility (Rosen, 1993). Despite this new era of rethinking and developing new ideas about public health, some diseases like malaria, smallpox and plague continued ravaging and killing many people in some European countries. Also, travels and movements between urban and rural areas dominated this era, explaining the spread of these illnesses to other areas causing suffering to their inhabitants. 1.4. The enlightenment epoch This is the period from 1750 to mid-nineteenth century (Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2002).The enlightenment era is considered to be the era where public health discipline has known tremendous progress. Rosen (1993) states that enlightenment era was seen as pivotal in the development of public health. Industrial development was the main turning point during this era. Likewise, social and political development has remarkably had a great impact on societal transformation and the knowledge about the way communicable diseases are spread has increasingly improved. (Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2002). Despite the remarkable changes, it is stated that health conditions were still demanding due to the great number of people moving towards industrial areas in the cities, poor sanitation system and insufficiency in clean water supply. Additionally, working conditions were not conducive for those mainly working in mines and factories. All of these factors largely contributed to the spread of diseases (Rosen, 1993). In England, Edwin Chadwick demonstrated the reality of poverty disease cycle and attempted to measure the association between poverty and disease. Also, Chadwick linked the disease with environmental factors. His report The Report of a General Plan for the Promotion of Public and Personal Health (1850) attracted attention and is considered by many as one of the important documents of modern public health (Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2002). Chadwicks evidences were later proved by John Snows work during the famous 1848 London cholera outbreak where he identified that the contamination of water pump was the probable origin of the epidemic (International Health Sciences University, 2012). Towards 19th century, new discoveries in bacteriology emerged. The great work of the Frenchman Luis Pasteur collaboratively with other scientists showed that micro-organisms were responsible of diseases occurrence thus proving to be false the theory of spontaneous generation developed before; henceforth the germ theory was born. Later on, the Germany Robert Koch proved that one micro-organism causes specific disease (International Health Sciences University, 2012). Following these remarkable findings, some medicaments were developed including some disinfectants which became popular in medical practice and as a result, mortality and morbidity rates declined significantly. Additionally, the identification of microbes as causative agents of diseases resulted in an establishment of immunology as a science and subsequently the vaccines were developed (International Health Sciences University, 2012). 1.5. Twentieth Century Early on, decrease in mortality and morbidity rate was significant following the bacteriology emergence in later 19th Century. On the other hand, serious health problems did not disappear; infant mortality among others. It is reported that, for the time being, in Europe and in the United States of America health programs for improving maternal and child health were developed (Encyclopedia of Public Health, 2002). Academic programs in public health were developed, given the growing scope and complexity of public health problems, to deal with research issues and to train public health personnel. Health organisations agencies and charities were established in tackling public health concerns for particular groups of population (Rosen, 1993). Later on in twentieth century, expansion of public health roles continued and its horizon broadened. However, 1920s and early 1930s saw a slow development of public health. There was a decline in disease prevalence as a result of establishment of sanitary measures. In the aftermath of World War II, there was an increasing growth of health infrastructure in the curative field but little attention was paid to planning 1960s and early 1970s marked what was named period of social engineering. The main characteristic of this period was the economic growth chiefly in the United States of America but part of the population were medically uncovered (International Health Sciences University, 2012). Later 1970s to 1980s, health promotion initiatives, eradication of certain diseases that ravaged the world before and the emergence of new infectious disease were making headlines. Encyclopedia of public health (2002) states that the emergence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection, use of addictive drugs and air pollution were the main preoccupations of World Health Organisation and other international agencies. Conclusion As a final point, it is obvious that public health as a discipline has its own history which evolved over time from the early history of human race till today. The focus of public health enlarged as time advanced as health problems. At the same time, the future of public health will be and will remain of an utmost importance in solving populations health where everyone is invited to play his/her active role. MEANING OF ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH COMPONENTS AND THE WAY THEY SHOULD BE ACHIEVED 2.1. Collective responsibility for health and the major role of the state in protecting and promoting health Health sector is the main sector that deals with the health of populations. However, this does not mean that its activities are the only concerned with the promotion of community health. World Health Organisation (2013) states that the health of populations is determined not only by the health sector but also by social and economic factors, and henceforth, policies and other actions other than of those of health sector. In developing health policies, governments should work collaboratively with other sectors involved in development process such as finance, education, agriculture, environment, housing and transport to see how their planning can reach their objectives while also improving health. Also, this intersectoral partnership helps in tackling other health related issues such as those activities that pollute environment or promote those activities aimed at having access to quality education or gender equality. 2.2. Focus on the whole population Public health activities are intended to promote the health of the whole population rather than individuals health. According to Riegelman (2010) the first thing to come to mind, in public health, is the health of the community and the society in general. Indeed, in public health the activities to improve the health are no longer individual-centered but rather population-centered. To achieve this, collaboration between all development sectors is needed given the wide view of public health. The involvement of all development actors is seen as a comprehensive way of thinking about the scope of public health and it is an evidence-based approach for the analysis of health determinants and illnesses. This leads to evidence-based interventions to protect and improve health (Riegelman, 2010). 2.3. Emphasis upon prevention Prevention constitutes a key component of public health practice. It has been said that prevention is better than cure; this statement shows how much prevention activities are of a paramount importance in public health. Health promotion and disease prevention activities play a key role in tackling health problems that the community faces which, in many cases, are preventable (World Health Organisation, 2002). Strategies for prevention that aim to alleviate the risk factors by promoting healthy behaviours and reducing dangerous exposures need a collaboration between government and different stakeholders and active participation of the population(World Health Organisation,2002). 2.4. Recognizing underlying socio-economic determinants of health and disease Socioeconomic determinants with other determinants of health (biological, environment, culture, personal behaviour, living and working conditions) mostly influence the health status of population. Further, these health determinants may interact with other factors for better or worse. Importantly, socioeconomic factors are thought to be major determinants of health. Washington State Department of Health (2007) reports that Health impacts associated with lower socioeconomic position accumulate and persist throughout the lifespan. The partnership between public health professionals, community, nongovernmental organisations and governmental institutions is a major force to fix this issue (Washington State Department of Health, 2007). 2.5. Partnership with the population served The collaboration with the community in addressing health issues is a core part of health promotion activities. Declaration of Alma Ata (1978) claims that the maximum involvement of community and individual self-reliance and the active participation in planning, organisation, operation and control of primary healthcare are the basis of success in health promotional activities. Therefore, policies, strategies and plan of action should be established by the government to ensure that primary healthcare is launched and sustained as a core part of health system in partnership with other sectors. 2.6. Multidisciplinary basis Multidisciplinary feature of public health is unquestionable. According to Tzenalis Sotiriadou (2010:50), the engagement of various stakeholders in the task of improving health of population shows that promoting health does not belong to one group of professionals or sector of health services. The joint action from various professional groups at every level is reported to be effective and recommended in providing health promotion services (Solheim, Memory Kimm 2007 cited in Tzenalis Sotiriadou, 2010). Conclusion Altogether, the above described core components of modern public demonstrate how much wide the discipline of public health is. The active participation of all involved stakeholders is the key towards the success of public health practice.

Plutarchs Aims and Achievements as a Biographer Essay -- English Lite

A critical study of a significant aspect or aspects of Plutarch's aims and achievements as a biographer -To what extent does Plutarch achieve his aims for the lives of Marius and Caesar? We are able to establish Plutarch's aims in creating his biographies by looking at his background and influences. Plutarch was born in Greece to a wealthy established family. He was well educated, studying rhetoric in Athens, and then travelled to Rome where he established connections with some important political figures. Despite being an outsider (a Greek), Plutarch accepted Roman aristocratic tradition as well as the moralising of some key Roman figures. This is reflected in the 'Lives' which in effect provide moral guidelines, prescribing how one should live a virtuous life. He viewed himself as an artist or moraliser rather than a historian, believing, "It is not so much history that we are writing but lives."[1] Plutarch was deeply into the platonic approach to ethics, and therefore was also influenced by Socrates. Plato was a pupil of Socrates who claimed that the most important thing in life was to know how one should live; an emphasis on moral conduct was therefore passed down to Plutarch. He is fascinated not only by great deeds and battles but, "often a little matter, like a saying or a joke,"[2] which can be more revealing in terms of character and virtue. Plato's philosophy was about the search for absolute standards of truth and moral certainty and almost all of his works are about ethics, or moral philosophy. His aim was therefore to create a, "revelation of virtue or vice,"[3] intending to "shape the life of each man"[4] in terms of moral not financial or political stature, and hopes the reader gains... ...against him but achieved less (although still a few) of his aims in the 'Life of Caesar'. --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Plutarch, Fall of the Roman Republic, Alexander, 1.1-3, Penguin [2] Plutarch, Alexander, 1.1-3, [3] Plutarch, Alexander, 1.1-3, [4] Plutarch, Alexander, 1.1-3, [5] Russell, p105 [6] Russell, Plutarch quote, p80 [7] Plutarch, Alexander, 1.1-3 [8] Plutarch, Marius [3] [9] Plutarch, Marius [7] [10] Plutarch, Marius [9] [11] Plutarch, Marius [2,5] [12] Plutarch, Marius [10] [13] Plutarch, Marius [45] [14] Plutarch, Marius [46] [15] Plutarch, Marius [7] [16] Plutarch, Marius notes by Robin Seager [17] Plutarch, Alexander, 1.1-3 [18] Plutarch, Marius [6] [19] Plutarch, Marius [46] [20] Plutarch, Caesar [1] [21] Cicero [22] Plutarch, Caesar [69]