Women and Financial Responsibilities free essay sample

A look at the changing financial responsibilities of women in this day and age. The paper explores how the financial responsibilities of women have changed over the years. It looks at the factors responsible for these changes, namely the high incidence of divorce, current no fault divorce, and inadequate child support laws. It also looks at prudent educational and career choices for women of today. Todays young women must be prepared to take on the traditionally male financial responsibilities of raising a family. The high incidence of divorce, current no fault divorce, and inadequate child support laws have resulted in an increasing number of young women assuming the position of sole breadwinner for their children. Prudent educational and career choices can help young women prepare for the very real possibility that they will assume sole financial support for their children.

Giraffe Facts

Giraffe Facts Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are quadrupeds, four-legged hooved mammals who roam the savannas and woodlands of Africa. Their long necks, richly patterned coats, and stubby ossicones on their heads make them the most easily recognizable of all the animals on earth.   Fast Facts: Giraffe Scientific Name: Giraffa camelopardalisCommon Name(s): Nubian giraffe, reticulated giraffe, Angolan giraffe, Kordofan giraffe, Masai giraffe, South African giraffe, West African giraffe, Rhodesian giraffe, and Rothschilds giraffeBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 16–20 feetWeight: 1,600–3,000 poundsLifespan: 20–30 yearsDiet: HerbivoreHabitat: Woodland and savanna AfricaPopulation: UnknownConservation Status: Vulnerable Description Technically, giraffes are classified as artiodactyls, or even-toed ungulates- which puts them in the same mammalian family as whales, pigs, deer, and cows, all of which evolved from a last common ancestor that probably lived sometime during the Eocene epoch, about 50 million years ago. Like most artiodactyls, giraffes are sexually dimorphic- that is, males are significantly bigger than females, and the ossicones atop their heads have a slightly different appearance. When fully grown, male giraffes can attain a height of almost 20 feet- most of that, of course, taken up by this mammals elongated neck- and weigh between 2,400 and 3,000 pounds. Females weigh between 1,600 and 2,600 pounds and stand about 16 feet tall. That makes the giraffe the tallest living animal on earth. On the top of a giraffes head are ossicones, unique structures that are neither horns nor ornamental bumps; rather, theyre hardened bits of cartilage covered by skin and anchored firmly to the animals skull. Its unclear what the purpose of ossicones are; they may help males to intimidate one another during mating season, they may be a sexually selected characteristic (that is, males with more impressive ossicones may be more attractive to females), or they may even help to dissipate heat in the blazing African sun.     Anton Petrus / Getty Images Species and Subspecies Traditionally, all giraffes belong to the same genus and species, Giraffa camelopardalis. Naturalists have recognized nine separate subspecies: the Nubian giraffe, the reticulated giraffe, the Angolan giraffe, the Kordofan giraffe, the Masai giraffe, the South African giraffe, the West African giraffe, the Rhodesian giraffe, and Rothschilds giraffe. Most zoo giraffes are either the reticulated or Rothschild variety, which are roughly comparable in size but can be distinguished by the patterns of their coats. German ecologist Axel Janke has argued that multi-local DNA analysis of giraffe genetic structure shows that there are actually four separate giraffe species: Northern giraffe (G. cameloparalis, and including Nubian and Rothschilds, with Korofan and West African as subspecies),Reticulated giraffe (G. reticulata),Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi, now known as Rhodesian or Thornicrofts giraffe), andSouthern giraffe (G. giraffa, with two subspecies the Angolan and South African giraffes). These suggestions are not accepted by all scholars. Habitat Giraffes range in the wild throughout Africa, but are most often found are in combined savannas and woodlands. They are social creatures who mostly live in one of two types of herds: adult females and their offspring, and bachelor herds. There are also isolates, male bulls who live alone. The most common herd is made up of adult females and their calves, and a few males- these are typically between 10 and 20 individuals, although some can grow as large as 50. Typically, such herds are egalitarian, with no clear leaders or pecking order. Studies show that giraffe cows stay with the same group at least as long as six years. Young bachelor males who are old enough to fend for themselves form temporary herds of between 10 and 20, essentially training camps in which they play and challenge each other before leaving the group to become isolates. They practice what adult males do during mating season, for instance: male giraffes will engage in necking, in which two combatants jostle one another and attempt to land blows with their ossicones. Yann Arthus-Bertrand / Getty Images Diet and Behavior Giraffes subsist on a variable vegetarian diet that includes leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits. Like camels, they dont need to drink on a daily basis. They have a diverse diet which can include as much as 93 different species of plants; but typically, only about a half dozen of those plants make up 75 percent of their summer diets. The main plant varies between members of the Acacia tree; giraffes are the only predator for acacia trees over 10 feet tall.  Ã‚   Giraffes are ruminants, mammals equipped with specialized stomachs that pre-digest their food; theyre constantly chewing their cud, a mass of semi-digested food ejected from their stomach and in need of further breakdown. Herds forage together. Each adult giraffe weighs about 1,700 pounds and needs as much as 75 pounds of plants each day. Herds have a home range that averages about 100 square miles, and the herds intersect, sharing one anothers ranges without a social issue.   Pal Teravagimov Photography/Getty Images Reproduction and Offspring Granted, very few animals (other than humans) tend to linger in the act of mating, but at least giraffes have a good reason to rush. During copulation, male giraffes stand almost straight up on their hind legs, resting their front legs along the females flanks, an awkward posture that would be unsustainable for more than a few minutes. Interestingly, giraffe sex can provide clues about how dinosaurs like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus had sex- doubtless equally quickly, and with roughly the same posture. The gestation period for giraffes is approximately 15 months. At birth, calves are about five and a half feet tall, and at about one-year-old, they are 10.5 feet tall. Giraffes are weaned at 15–18 months, although some suckle up to 22 months of age. Sexual maturation occurs about 5 years of age, and females generally have their first calves at 5–6 years.   brytta/Getty Images Threats Once a giraffe has reached its adult size, its extremely unusual for it to be attacked, much less killed, by lions or hyenas; instead, these predators will target juvenile, sick, or aged individuals. However, an insufficiently wary giraffe can easily be ambushed at a water hole, since it has to adopt an ungainly posture when taking a drink. Nile crocodiles have been known to chomp on the necks of full-grown giraffes, drag them into the water, and feast at leisure on their copious carcasses. BirdImages  / Getty Images Conservation Status Giraffes are classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), because of ongoing habitat loss (deforestation, land use conversion, expansion of agriculture and human population growth), civil unrest (ethnic violence, rebel militias, paramilitary and military operations), illegal hunting (poaching), and ecological changes (climate change, mining activity).   In some countries in southern Africa, hunting giraffes is legal, especially where populations are increasing. In other countries, such as Tanzania, poaching is associated with declines.   Sources Bercovitch, Fred B., et al. How Many Species of Giraffe Are There? Current Biology 27.4 (2017): R136–R37. Print.Carter, Kerryn D., et al. Social Networks, Long-Term Associations and Age-Related Sociability of Wild Giraffes. Animal Behaviour 86.5 (2013): 901–10. Print.Dagg, Anne Innis. Giraffe: Biology, Behaviour, and Conservation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.Deacon, Francois, and Nico Smit. Spatial Ecology and Habitat Use of Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis) in South Africa. Basic and Applied Ecology 21 (2017): 55–65. Print.Fennessy, Julian, et al. Multi-Locus Analyses Reveal Four Giraffe Species Instead of One. Current Biology 26.18 (2016): 2543–49. Print.Lee, D. E., and M. K. L. Strauss. Giraffe Demography and Population Ecology. Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Elsevier, 2016. Print.Muller, Z. et al. Giraffa camelopardalis (amended version of 2016 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T9 194A136266699, 2018. Shorrocks, Bryan. The Giraffe: Biology, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior. Oxford: John Wiley and Sons, 2016.

Answering the questionaries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answering the questionaries - Essay Example Similarly, I am very altruistic, which often seems like a weakness in this rational and materialistic world. However, all these strengths and weaknesses have made me a stable and realistic person, who can bring some change in this globe. As earlier mentioned in my personal statement, I have always been curious to know the reason of my existence, and this curiosity brought me closer to underprivileged and stressed people. My intellectual competence has allowed me to analyze the change that can be brought by dentists around the globe. My concern for others, and intellectual curiosity has prompted me to pursue dentistry. During the last couple of years, I got the opportunity to work with different people from diverse backgrounds, and it helped me understand the way people work and communicate with each other. Effective articulation of language and academic understanding are some of the imperative factors that helped me in working effectively with colleagues during my individual research at Madison, Wisconsin, as well as, during other associations at UW-Madison Pre-Dental Society. Self-esteem and a desire to learn are some of the factors that stand me out from rest of the applicants. It is very important that an individual should be able to incorporate her academic ability with stability, which is one of the important requirements for being a competitive applicant. During the learning process, individuals have to work under different supervisions, as well as, work according to the instructions, and therefore, a person should be emotional matured enough to learn and work, in order to become one of the successful individuals in this globe. Our globe is a practical world that respects people with rationale, and therefore, it is imperative that individuals should set and organize realistic goals, in order to prolong learning process and achieve the

Psychological Testing and Assessment Paper Essay - 1

Psychological Testing and Assessment Paper - Essay Example Psychological tests are important in the entire field of psychology and human behavior including counseling, family therapy and marriage. In counseling, a counselor may use psychological testing in interviewing clients to understand hidden yet crucial information that can aid in the effective treatment of the given client. Testing can also help a counselor observe behaviors of a client and assist in devising of techniques to absolve imminent challenges or problems faced. In family therapy, therapists can use psychological tests to administer questionnaires to the members of the troubled family. In addition, a therapist can use psychological tests to explore interests and attitudes of each family member usually through direct interaction, and identify dysfunctional elements resulting instability in the family (Cohen, Swerdlik & Sturnam, 2013). Marriage counselors can also make use of psychology tests in executing their functions. Counselors can use the test to determine values of the individual partners by simply observing behaviors of the partners during interaction. With psychological tests, marriage counselors are able to interview couples about the challenges they have realized in the marriage and efforts attempted to stabilize

War on Terrorism Essay Example for Free

War on Terrorism Essay During the year 1998, a group of American ‘neoconservatives’ openly wrote to President Clinton to attack Iraq. This group was known as the Committee for Peace and Security in the Gulf. They were in real sense calling for the Americans to form part of a proxy army of attack for Israel. The signatories included Paul Wolforitz, Richard Perle and Eliot Abrams among others. Of course Clinton resisted these ventures and instead indicated support for the Iraq Liberation Act providing $ 97 million for training and equipping Iraqi exile groups. Come 2000, this particular group went ahead to organize the think tank the Project for the New American Century con cofounded by the likes of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Lewis Libby and Paul Wolforwitz (Flum, 2008). A Break with Previous United States Foreign and Defense Policy During this time, three think tanks which were pro-Israel were championing similar ideas: The Jewish Institute for national Security Affairs (JINSA), The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), as well as the Center for Security Policy (CSP). These neoconservatives formed an integral part of the Bush 2000 presidential campaign as foreign-policy advisors (Flum, 2008). At this point in time, these powerful personalities easily influenced Bush with the ideological obsessions they had. What can be said here is that the Operation Iraqi Freedom, a description given to the invasion and occupation of Iraq by the U. S and affiliates represents a new dimension with regards to post-conflict humanitarian action. This new approach integrates security, humanitarian response, reconstruction as well as governance under the umbrella of the Department of Defense. The war on terrorism represents a break with previous United States foreign and defense policy to the extent that the UN agencies and non governmental organizations which conventionally had coordinated and implemented humanitarian assistance as well as post conflict reconstruction activities, are now relegated only to playing supportive roles within efforts supervised from the Pentagon (Charny, 2003). Again the war on terrorism represents a break with previous United States foreign and defense policy to the extent that the Iraq war is perceived as an expression of a new national security policy of pre-emptive self defense by the Bush administration (Charny, 2003). In spite of this new perception, it has there seems to be no public discussion of the long-term implications of the new approach to humanitarian assistance and post-conflict reconstruction the administration has embraced. Still, this break with the previous U. S foreign and defense policy is evident in the way humanitarian assistance has been militarized, the military given political, diplomatic and humanitarian responsibilities as well as the fact that donor government and independent agency contributions have been minimized. It has been argued that it is unclear the extent to which these new approaches can be considered new U. S doctrines more so regarding humanitarian emergencies. A discussion concerning NGO’s with Joseph Collins, the assistant secretary of Defense and the person charged with running the pentagon’s Stability Office clearly suggests that at least in the meantime, the Department of Defense will lead humanitarian operations in emergencies surrounding the military. According to Dr. Collins, the taking over of the humanitarian and reconstruction activities in the post-conflict Iraq by the Pentagon is a reflection of the assessment of lessons learned from post-conflict reconstruction efforts (Charny, 2003). In the opinion of Dr Collins, there lacked a clear overall authority who could coordinate the diverse players like the government leaders, UN agencies and personnel, as well as the peacekeeping forces among others, thereby plaguing the efforts in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Following those events, the conclusion of the Pentagon was that there was a need for a single unit to command all the aspects of the post-conflict response, thus placing these activities in the hands of the Department of Defense (Charny, 2003). This is a further illustration of the way the war on terrorism represents a break with previous United States foreign and defense policy. Conclusion In the final analysis, all these attempts represent a radical shift in the multicultural character of post-conflict endeavors over the past years in areas like Cambodia, East Timor, Afghanistan and the Balkans. It therefore means that the war on terrorism represents a break with previous United States foreign and defense policy. It should be noted however that this approach has not yielded positive results in Iraq. The Pentagon’s Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) did not include the UN and the NGO’s during its pre-war planning. The overall implication for this has been the ORHA’s slowness in restoring basic services as well as its failure to establish a legitimate Iraqi authority to locally run the state (Charny, 2003). References Charny, J. R. (2003). The United States in Iraq: An Experiment With Unilateral Humanitarianism. Institute for Policy Studies, (IPS); Foreign Policy in Focus, Washington DC. Retrieved December 29, 2008 from http://www. fpif. org/commentary/2003/0306dodreconst_body. html Flum, P. (2008). The Origins of the Iraqi War: The ‘Neoconservative’ Agenda for Middle East Conflict. Linpage Place, St. Louis. Retrieved December 29, 2008 from http://www. goalsforamericans. org/2004/07/07/the-origins-of-the-iraq-war-the-neoconservative-agenda-for-middle-east-conflict/

Emily Brontes Wuthering Heights - Class Struggles :: Wuthering Heights Essays

Wuthering Heights   - Class Struggles   Conflict is a basic foundation for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Much of this conflict results from a distinct division of classes and is portrayed through such ways as personal relationships, appearance of characters, and even the setting. The division of classes is based on cultural, economic, and social differences, and it greatly affects the general behavior and actions of each character. The setting of the story at Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange provides a clear example of social contrast. While the Heights is depicted as simply typical and "domestic," the Grange is described as a "scene of unprecedented richness" (80). Each house is associated with behavior fitting the description. For example, when Catherine is taken into the Grange, she experiences drastic changes, thus going from a "savage" to a "lady" (80). While at this house, she rises in status, learns manners, and receives great privileges such as not having to work. Heathcliff, on the other hand, learns to classify himself as a member of the lower class, as he does not possess the qualities of those at the Grange. The critical essay explains a main point in Wuthering Heights, Catherine's decision to marry Edgar Linton rather than Heathcliff, and this decision widens the gap between social classes. Edgar Linton is a wealthy man of high status, and Heathcliff is poor and possesses no assets. Catherine does not consider personal feelings, but instead, she focuses on her outward appearance to society. "Edgar Linton will be rich and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighborhood whereas if Heathcliff and I married, we should be beggars (81). It is obvious that wealth justifies social class, and Catherine strives to achieve high status. The struggle between social classes roughly resembles a real-life conflict during this time. The book was published during the Industrial Revolution, a time of great economic change in which laborers fought for fair conditions in the workplace, and employers fought to defend themselves. People formed groups to work for their own benefit, thus, causing the separation of classes.

Comparing and Contrasting Tragic Heroes †Oedipus and Prufrock Essay

Introduction: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896 –1940) the Irish American novelist and short story writer of the twentieth century said â€Å"Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy†(as quoted in memorablequotations.com). Indeed more often than not, great tragedies of yore were always centered round the deeds or the misdeeds of a hero (usually a man of noble birth) his misfortunes and the cursed nature of his life, fated to suffer and fall from glory. The concepts of heroes and heroism have themselves undergone vast changes from Sophocles’ (496-406 B.C) times. Consequently, the idea of hero-based tragedy indeed, even the basic traits of heroism has undergone transformation. As against the noble-born, valorous hero of Sophocles and Aristotle (in The Poetics of 30 B. C.), the common man who struggles to make a decent living, and fulfill ordinary aspirations such as wanting to be loved, given affection, loyalty, friendship etc, in a mundane, mechanized, and mad-after-money world (bereft of human values) – his life has become the focus of the twentieth century tragedies. This essay, shall take two characters, Oedipus – the King (425 B.C), in the ancient drama of Sophocles, and J. Alfred Prufrock, in the twentieth century poet T.S. Eliot’s (1888 –1965) â€Å"Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock† (1915), and analyze their similarities and dissimilarities, with a brief definition of Tragic Hero as given by Sophocles, and the definition of a Tragic Hero in modern times. Definitions with illustrations of Tragic Heroes – Ancient and Twentieth Century: First, the idea of a tragic hero, in the ancient times shall be discussed.   Aristotle, who was a great Greek philosopher and thinker, stipulated a couple of traits as absolutely necessary for a tragic hero: he must be noble origin, or at least possess a noble spirit, and he must be the cause of his own suffering. Aristotle (384-322 B.C), quoting the character of Oedipus depicted by Sophocles, laid down certain rules that a tragic hero must possess: a leader who is filled with good and bad elements – Oedipus was of noble birth and had many noble characters like wanting redeem his kingdom from the plague, but he also was too proud etc; he is ignorant of his imminent fall, though the audience have prior knowledge of it – in case of Oedipus the audience had prior knowledge of his birth and identity, while he considers himself the son of Polybus, the king of Corinth; his inherent flaw or â€Å"hamartia† is the cause of his fall – his belief that he can over come the prophecy that he will kill his father; suffers isolation because of this – self-exile from Corinth; suffering is irreversible – the blinding he causes to himself later; undergoes punishment because of his own pride or â€Å"hubris† – Oedipus pursues the killer of King Laius, despite counsel against it; a misguided sense of heroism, wherein he is prepared to take on the guilt of the state or kingdom on himself – his belief that he can somehow overcome the prophecy of the oracle by leaving his parents; resulting in greater conflict with fate – Oedipus finally goes to Thebes and killed his own father, without knowing who the latter was, thereby fulfilling the oracle; a restoration of balance to the original state of social harmony through cleansing of pity and fear – Oedipus undertakes to go away in exile which was the punishment he had ordered for the killer of the previous king handing over the kingdom to Creon; which he called â€Å"catharsis† or â€Å"tragic satisfaction† (adapted from Allingham, 2002:1). Thus Oedipus exactly fits the role with of a tragic hero, as laid down by Aristotle. Coming to modern tragic hero of the twentieth century, as mentioned earlier, has come a long way from the stipulations of the ancients for tragic-heroism.   Daniel J. Boorstin (1914 –2004), an American writer, and the Librarian of Congress, talks of the heroes of the modern world as being â€Å"anonymous† and â€Å"the unsung hero: †¦ the honest cop, the hard worker at lonely, underpaid, unglamorous, unpublicized jobs† (as in memorablequotations.com). A modern tragic hero may described as someone who does not hold any of the ancient lofty ideals, rather as an ordinary man who is disillusioned with the ruthless world around him and is not able to come to terms with it and suffers thereby with a feeling of helplessness, and is unable to realize his full potential because of this. Typically, he is subjected to moods, driven by extreme happiness or plunged into extreme sorrow, very sophisticated, filled with doubts, lives in the crowded cities yet suffers desperately from isolation, smart yet sensitive, and often disillusioned to such an extent that he feels life itself has lost all meaning or relevance to him. Eliot’s Prufrock, typically suffers all these qualities. For example, he is always filled with self-doubt, â€Å"a deep phobia of life, turning into what one could perhaps best describe as complete biological defeatism† (Mirsky, undated). He seems to be the very best representation of so many negative attributes, like procrastination, indecision, doubts, frustration that reflects the impotent helplessness of the modern, urban man. The first few lines in the poem are from Dante’s Inferno, which is used as a prelude, to show that Prufrock, the protagonist is already doomed and is voicing out his thoughts because he is so sure that no-one is hearing them. The poem describes the innermost feelings, extremely tortured with a wanting, to disclose his love to his chosen woman, but prevented from self-doubt, and fear, phobia, â€Å"Do I dare / Disturb the universe?† (Eliot, lines 44-45), because he only knew too well the out come of such expression â€Å"That is not what I meant at all† (Eliot, line 97). The vivid description of the places, possibly his dwelling place, reflects the sordid state in which the typical twentieth century man lived, and the isolation he felt â€Å"of lonely men in shirt-sleeves† (Eliot, line 73). Eliot’s Prufrock, ultimately fails even to begin his proposal to his lady love, because he could not muster the courage to do it, with a premonition of failure overcoming him and, grows old, suffering life-long loneliness. In a sense this defeatism, is his flaw that proves to be the cause of his woes. He claims that he is not â€Å"Prince Hamlet† (Eliot, line 111), referring to the Shakespearean tragic hero, implying his lack of royal lineage, but the irony is that he is, in fact exactly like Hamlet, who by postponing his decision avenge his father’s death, by killing kill Claudius, leads to the death of many others, and finally his own. All this prove that, he does conform to the image of a twentieth century tragic-hero. Comparing and Contrasting, the two tragic heroes: One similarity between the two characters that strikes a literature student immediately is that, both Oedipus and Prufrock, actually are depicted as surviving long into old age, despite all their sadness and failures and disillusionment. Almost as if to chew cud, ruminate all that had gone by and to die a slow painful death of their miserable actions; misguided in Oedipus’ case, â€Å"Woe, woe, and woe again! / How through my soul there darts the sting of pain, / The memory of my crimes† (Sophocles, lines 1372-74) and inactions in the case of Prufrock, â€Å"I grow old† (Eliot, line 120). Both, ultimately realize their folly, or flaw, but are helpless to reverse the situation. In Prufrock’s case, he is entirely the cause of his own suffering, but still is impotent to change the situation. Both despise themselves for their helplessness. Thus, their sufferings seem amplified and add to the brooding quality of their tragic lives. Both are isolated and are despised by the world, in their thinking. Prufrock states that he doesn’t think that the mermaids will sing to him; Oedipus begs to be led away hurriedly, being the most polluted of all, and â€Å"Of all men most accursed† (Sophocles, line1396). Though the two characters share the above stated common traits and both are tragic heroes, there are quite a few dissimilarities too. The first difference is the form of portrayal of the tragic heroes. Oedipus is the hero of the dramatic form, and hence his character is more clear and open to study, presenting a fuller picture of all his characteristic traits and complex behavior. Prufrock, on the other hand is neither a king, nor of noble thinking, and he is the tragic hero in a poem. Implicitly, the shortage of space in a poem puts limitations on extensive character portrayal of the hero. Thus, the student is able to study only a portion of the character’s life-span of Prufrock, in contrast to the full life history of Oedipus. The other most striking contrast is that Oedipus is an ancient tragic hero – actively upholding the principles of high idealism, altruism, justice, and valor while being beleaguered by feelings of jealousy, treachery, disloyalty, dishonor, greed, lust for power etc, the modern,   tragic-hero is more of an anti-hero, and impotent. In the sense, he is so defeated by the power of the dull, uninspiring world around him, that he prefers to rather remain inactive, than to actively try to change his situation and be defeated. It is almost as if the uselessness of the attempts of the ancient tragic heroes have been embedded in the collective psyche of the modern tragic hero, and hence, he is already aware of the outcome, he doesn’t even want to attempt. Oedipus not being aware of his true identity, led him to wrongly believe that Polybus was his father, and thereafter his vow never to return to Corinth. But still he, as the mark of a true hero took an action of self-exile which ultimately led to fructify the designs of fate. Nevertheless, he was action-oriented and defeated. Whereas, the modern tragic hero in Prufrock, is so much a pessimist, that he remains defeated with inaction – by sheer preference. In fact, it is said that T.S. Eliot was reflecting on the dismal conditions of the world surrounding him, and this poem partially paved the way for his other later works like The Wasteland (1922). The differing time-periods of the two characters have resulted in the portrayal of the different societies in which these two heroes lived. For example, the people of the land of Thebes have been represented as the Chorus, and they are actively involved in the happenings of the state, the king and the welfare of the state, showing a healthy environment; whereas, the desolate depiction of the twentieth century environment, in Eliot’s poem is more dismal, and uninspiring. It seems the society as a common force had died out, or at least not visible. Conclusion: The tragic heroes Oedipus and Prufrock belong to totally different ages; consequently, present entirely different set of traits and ideals by which they are depicted. While both the heroes have some aspects common to all tragedies, they also display very contrasting traits which make their study, all the more interesting.   However, both are symbols of negative impact that afflict the state, ancient and the twentieth century.                  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   List of readings and works cited The sources on which this essay is based on are: Eliot, T.S.  (1888–1965).†The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† in Prufrock and Other Observations.  Ã‚  1917. On line edition Published May 1996 by Bartleby.com   Web address http://www.bartleby.com/198/1.html Accessed on June 12, 2006. Sophocles. Oedipus the King, translated by E. H. Plumptre. Vol. VIII, Part 5. The Harvard Classics. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14; Bartleby.com, 2001.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Website address and   http://www.bartleby.com/8/5/3.html Accessed on June 12, 2006. Other works cited and readings that have helped in gaining a better understanding towards writing this essay are: Allingham, V, Philip. 2002. â€Å"Aristotelian Tragedy and the Novels of Thomas Hardy† in The Victorian Web. Website: Accessed on June 12, 2006. McCoy, Kathleen., & Harlan, Judith. (1992). ENGLISH LITERATURE FROM 1785 (New   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   York: HarperCollins, 1992: 265-66) Web site address:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   < http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/English151W-03/prufrock.htm>   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accessed on June 12, 2006. memorablequotations.com (2005).   â€Å"Memorable Quotations: Heroes† website address Accessed on June 12, 2006. Mirsky, D.S. Undated.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"T. S. Eliot and The End of Bourgeois Poetry† trans. by Gunnar Jauch, Annelie Hultà ©n, and Arwin van Arum. Website address Accessed on June 12, 2006.