Platos’ Lysis or Friendship Essay Example for Free

Platos’ Lysis or Friendship Essay Socrates advised Hippothales that the latter should not be so generous with his praises for the person he admires and loves because it would only make the beloved egoistic and vain.   Socrates believed that Hippothales will end up losing him that way.   Hippothales adored Lysis and Socrates likened his pursuit to a hunter scaring his prey away. Socrates asked to meet Lysis and with Menexenus engaged in philosophical discussions of love, friendship, desires, good and evil.   Following were the thoughts of Plato through Socrates: One is not truly happy if he is not at liberty to do the things he wants. I disagree on this.   Given an unlimited freedom to do as he pleases may not necessarily make a man happy in the end.   If a person without money chose to rob a bank instead of finding a decent job, the consequences of his action will make him miserable. People love those whom they find useful and who serve certain ends to them. I agree.   They value those who have done them a favor, those who cared and nurtured them, and those whom they depend upon.   Children love their parents for feeding and clothing them when they were young to do those things for themselves.   Parents love their children for the joys they bring.   Patients love their doctors for treating them of their illness and nursing them back to health. These things can not be said of others who have never been a part of their life. Those who still need a teacher are without knowledge or wisdom and therefore have  nothing to be arrogant about. I disagree on two counts.   First, knowledge and wisdom do not always come from the confines of a classroom. Like they say, experience is a great teacher. We learn from everyday encounters.   How we handle what life throws our way is knowledge nobody can teach us.   Second, good deeds and honest life do not require exceptional knowledge or wisdom.   These are enough reasons for a simple man to be proud of. Do not put your beloved in an exalted position by singing praises and feeding his ego  unceasingly.   It would be best to have him see himself as he is. Agree.   Love is real and true if one tries to see the beloved for what he is and not make someone out of him that he is not him at all.   This is to say that the lover must not be blind to the faults and imperfections of the beloved. Love is not always reciprocated, the lover loves the beloved and the beloved may not  love him back, at worst even hate him. Disagree.   I would say that they become true lovers only at the time when they had both seen the virtues and accepted the flaws of each other. They would commit to a relationship only when they are able to find comfort in their love for each other. Men are hated by people they love and loved by people they hate. Slightly agree.   Yes, people may hate those they love but only for reasons that may not necessarily cause them to love less.   They may just be minor irritants, like the wife hating the husband for always being late for dinner.   Ã‚  On the other hand, loving those they hate is the superficial love of the voters to a president who despite his personal indiscretions have done wonders for the economy. A man may be his friend’s enemy and his enemy’s friend. Agree.   A friend is one’s moral guardian.   A friend would not hesitate to stop a man from committing sin or what might cause him pain later.   The friend might not take it well at first and such might cause them misunderstanding, at which point they become enemies.   On the other hand, if his enemy’s life is at stake and it is only the man who can save him and he does, then they at that instant become friends. Like attracts like. Disagree.   It is not always the case.   It is more common to find opposites that attract.   People have always gone for the excitement of others completely different from them.   New ideas and novel ways of doing things that may complement his own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato, through Socrates, defended his philosophies with clarity and profundity that left Menexenus and Lysis in awe and admiration. References Stevenson, Daniel C. (1994-2000).   Lysis or Friendship by Platos.   Web Atomics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved April 29, 2008, from http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/lysis.1b.txt

Robert E. Lee :: essays research papers

The idol of the South to this day, Virginian Robert E. Lee had some difficulty in adjusting to the new form of warfare that unfolded with the Civil war, but this did not prevent him from keeping the Union armies in Virginia at bay for almost three years. The son of Revolutionary War hero "Light Horse" Harry Lee-who fell into disrepute in his later years attended West Point and graduated second in his class. During his four years at the military academy he did not earn a single demerit and served as the cadet corps' adjutant. Upon his 1829 graduation he was posted to the engineers. Before the Mexican War he served on engineering projects in Georgia, Virginia, and New York. During the war he served on the staffs of John Wool and Winfield Scott. Particularly distinguishing himself scouting for and guiding troops, he won three brevets and was slightly wounded at Chapultepec. Following a stint in Baltimore Harbor he became superintendent of the military academy in 1852. When the mounted arm was expanded in 1855, Lee accepted the lieutenant colonelcy of the 2nd Cavalry in order to escape from the painfully slow promotion in the engineers. Ordered to western Texas, he served with his regiment until the 1857 death of his father-in-law forced him to ask for a series of leaves to settle the estate. In 1859 he was called upon to lead a force of marines, to join with the militia on the scene, to put an end to John Brown's Harper's Ferry Raid. Thereafter he served again in Texas until summoned to Washington in 1861 by Winfield Scott who tried to retain Lee in the U. S. service. But the Virginian rejected the command of the Union's field forces on the day after Virginia seceded. He then accepted an invitation to visit Governor John Letcher in Virginia. His resignation as colonel, 1st Cavalry-to which he had recently been promoted-was accepted on April 25, 1861. His Southern assignments included: major general, Virginia's land and naval forces (April 23, 1861); commanding Virginia forces (April 23 July 1861); brigadier general, CSA (May 14, 186 1); general, CSA (from June 14, 186 1); commanding Department of Northwestern Virginia (late July-October 1861); commanding Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida (November 8, 186 1-March 3, 1862); and commanding Army of Northern Virginia June 1, 1862-April 9, 1865). In charge of Virginia's fledgling military might, he was mainly involved in organizational matters. As a Confederate brigadier general, and later full general, he was in charge of supervising all Southern forces in Virginia. In the first summer of the war he was given his first field command in

Modern Marriage: The Ultimate Test

Have the roles of men and women in marriage changed in modern society? There are many theories hoping to answer this controversial question. One theory comes from David Popenoe, a Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. Popenoe's theory of roles in marriage is that a modern marriage needs to be reestablished to a more traditional way of living, or to â€Å"restore the traditional nuclear family of bread-winning husband and full-time housewife that flourished in the 1950's† (Page 186). Another theory comes from Karen Zittleman (Ph. D), an education author and teacher; who takes her theory of modern marriage and brings it to a younger generation. Zittleman's theory of marriage roles is â€Å"in more ways than one, especially biologically, boys and girls are more similar than different and that gendered stereotypes and expectations have a developmental history that starts with learned notions of femininity and masculinity† (Page 236). Both Popenoe's and Zittleman's t heories are factually effective. Popenoe opens his reading with a firm questioning on the role shift in modern marriage, and he manages to effectively back his claims throughout the essay.Zittleman also opens her reading strongly, jumping right to the point of her thesis and study. Zittleman uses studies conducted by other psychologists, statistics, and many factual statements. Popenoe uses studies conducted by other psychologists and many facts to support his thesis. However, Popenoe's theory on such a controversial topic leaves very little or no room for ambiguity or interpretation while Zittleman leaves her theory open to her readers. Popenoe justifies his theory by first establishing the so-called confusion in today's marital roles.He explains how the right family life of having â€Å" a legally and culturally dominant bread-winning husband and an economically dependent full-time housewife† (Page 186) has drastically changed to â€Å"much confusion over family expectatio ns and marital gender roles† (Page 187). Throughout his study, he explained how there were three major downfalls for the shift in martial roles: broken families, women failing to juggle family and work life, and negative repercussions for men. After noting studies and works done by Bronfenbrenner and Bowlby, Popenoe discusses the biological attributions with the shift of family martial roles.Popenoe explains that â€Å"a stronger case should be presented at this time, one of declining family stability and personal well-being† (Page 193). With this, Popenoe reveals his â€Å"Seven Tenents for Establishing New Marital Norms,† which is a remedy for society's confusion over marital gender-role expectations. Step one in his â€Å"Seven Tenents† explains how both girls and boys should be trained according to their abilities. Step two explains that young people should grow up with the expectation that they will marry once, and they will wait for marriage until th ey are in their late 20's.Step three includes specific ages that are proper for men and women to marry. Step four explains that single men and women should start saving for their married lives. Step five infers that women are encouraged to leave the labor market once children are born. Step six explains that the father should take primary responsibility for the children after time with their mothers. Step seven infers the balancing of domestic and paid work. However, Zittleman would mostly disagree with Popenoe's theory. In Zittleman's study, she first justifies her theory by presenting two studies done by other psychologist on middle school children: â€Å"†¦ iddle school is a critical time for gender identity development† (Page 238). The first set of charts displays the sex and race of the students in 5 public middle schools. Zittleman reveals that â€Å"gender plays a significant role in the lives of middle school students, expanding some options, but more often limi ting the academic and social development of females and males† (Page 241). Zittleman then reveals charts that convey answers that display â€Å"The best thing about being a boy and the best thing about being a girl. † â€Å"Both sexes had more positive things to say about being a boy than being a girl† (Page 241).Zittleman then proceeds to pose the questions, â€Å"What is the worst thing about being a boy and what is the worst thing about being a girl? † For boys, â€Å"they listed fighting, discipline, poor grades, fear of homophobia, and difficulty with friendships and emotions† (Page 241). For girls, â€Å"relational aggression† was the top answer for most, and that included gossip, spreading rumors and the trust in friends. Zittleman jumps to her main point of importance in educating schools about gender equity. Like many theories, there is always room for critique, especially a theory about such a controversial topic.One of the main dow nfalls of Popenoe's essay was the overall structure and organization. For example, Popenoe opens his essay with an introduction that was not well fitted for a reader. Another organizational flaw in Popenoe's essay is the lack of charts. Popenoe brings a lot of studies and facts to his piece, but there were too many studies placed together which could confuse some of his readers. Popenoe says that although decline in population is not an imminent problem, this trend displays the sentiment among many adults that they do not value having a family as a lifestyle that will â€Å"fulfill their major values. In addition to this trend, he correlates the increase in divorces as an indication of a decline in the value of family. He points to the fact that women are increasingly economically independent and therefore able to divorce. He points out that regardless of the fact that this decline is seen in the eyes of feminists as a gain in equality for women, it does not change the fact that it could be seen as the main cause of the breaking up of the nuclear family unit. Popenoe's thesis and argument on the whole appear to be extremely obtuse.It seemed that he came at the issue through a very narrow track of research that did not take into account other societal problems that contribute to divorce and other reasons he cites for the shift in martial roles. Popenoe did a wonderful job when it came to finding facts and studies that proved his theory. Nevertheless, there were too many facts to register which depleted the essay’s effectiveness. Zittleman however faced a few challenges herself in her study of â€Å"Being a Girl and Being a Boy. † Like Popenoe, one of Zittleman's main downfalls in her essay was the organization.Unlike Popenoe, Zittleman opened her essay with a personal study. Zittleman, also took advantage of using charts, but there were an overwhelming amount. Some studies in Zittleman's essay really didn't need to be represented in chart form; a simple written explanation would have been better for the readers. There were a few charts that were sometimes unclear to the readers. At times throughout their essays, both Popenoe and Zittleman became unaware of their audience, which could have explained the distorted views in Popenoe's essay.It can be argued that Zittleman's target audience could be students, but it mostly pertains to the professors and teachers. When it came to Popenoe, his target audience was rather confusing at times; I really couldn't place a proper target audience for his essay. Both Popenoe's and Zittleman's essays try to answer the question of the shift of roles in modern marriage. Though Zittleman uses charts and Popenoe doesn't, the styles in both works are best understood by an audience of pre-educated readers in this topic. After re-reading both studies done by both authors, heir area of study is similar, but the way they approached it was completely different. All in all, both Zittleman and Popenoe d o a great job when it came to supporting their thesis. Zittleman achieved her goal as a writer when it came to appeasing for a wide range of audiences. Popenoe, however, focuses so much on proving his theory with facts that he fails to remember he has a wide variety of readers. Although I personally disagree with Popenoe's theory, he still did a great job in supporting his work factually.

Public Restrooms in Franceâ€Les Toilettes Publiques

When you travel to France, one thing is certain—youll have to use the restroom. Politely asking where the toilets are is a delicate thing in French. Now that youve mastered the toilet-related vocabulary and the strange double flush tank, you are ready for your next challenge: using (and surviving) Les toilettes publiques! In a small (or huge) town, using les W.C  of a restaurant or a cafà © should not be a problem. Just ask oà ¹ sont les toilettes sil vous plaà ®t, and you should be fine. But unless you are a patron, in many very touristy areas, youll have to use the public restrooms. It may be worth buying un cafà ©, even if you dont drink it, so you can use the cafà ©s bathroom. Some very old fashioned public restrooms or very old fashioned restaurants will have what we used to call une dame pipi (literally a pee lady ... a more PC term is agent dentretien— maintenance officer). This person cleans and takes care of the place. Its customary to leave them a tip—50 centimes or one Euro. Les Urinoirs (urinals) are still very common and not so discreet in France. Its not uncommon in a public restroom to have a urinal section facing the closed toilets so that when you enter/exit the restroom you will pass in front of urinating men ...  how nice. More modern public restrooms will be some sort of a cabin (called une sanisette) which opens up when you insert a coin (they are free in Paris since 2006 ... and more or less  dirty ... and always lacking toilet paper, so plan on bringing tissues). The instructions are pretty clear, and there are usually drawings. However, a  Skype student of mine had an interesting story with one of these. He had to pay one Euro to get in. So, after he did his business, as he left and the door opened, he let his spouse in. And she got ... a free shower! Some of these cabins get fully rinsed after each use, from top to bottom. So ... pay the extra one Euro. And yes, it is still very true, many public restrooms (rarely in cities, but frequently highway restrooms) are what we call des toilettes à   la turque—no seat but a hole. I hate these, as Im pretty sure every other woman does. Basically, there is a hole, and two rectangles to place your feet, supposedly out of the pee route. Face the door if you want to limit the damage. No, French women dont have a secret about using these. We are all created equal when it comes to using these awful devices.   Last thing ... the French are not really shy when it comes to peeing al fresco—outside! If you drive around France, you may sometimes see a car stopped on the side of the road, with a guy facing the fields and relieving himself. Well, at least he is not facing the road. Nothing shocking here for the French, its only human nature!