Iliad-Odyssey Paper Essays - Trojans, Ancient Greek Religion

Iliad-Odyssey Paper Essays - Trojans, Ancient Greek Religion Iliad-Odyssey Paper Hate to Love ?I lie upon my bed with my afflicted heart, besieged by tears so stubborn and so sharp that, even as I mourn, tear me apart? (Odyssey 19.610-13). The preceding quote made by the heartbroken and devoted Penelope in Homer?s the Odyssey shows an intensity of feeling that is lacking within his earlier work, the Iliad. It is amid the latter epic that the female roles are able to step into the limelight and express the befitting emotion that give the Odyssey a philanthropic feel. Therefore it is the female characters within the Odyssey that incorporate attention to compassion because they demonstrate greater altruistic expression than men especially here when compared with the Iliad. In the Iliad the dominant role is played by men hence women had to wait backstage to prove their own complexity of character. The highly regarded ancient Greek society was overseen by the males, that is, the women weren?t involved unless they had permission by the men. Women were valued the Iliad opens with the Achaian army?s capturing of two beautiful enemy maidens, Chryseis and Briseis, who are then awarded as prizes to Agamemnon but, in comparison to men, their concerns weren?t as proclaimed in early epic poetry. In the Iliad, for example, Hektor orders Andromache back into the house during the ensuing Trojan War: Go home, attend to your own handiwork at the loom and spindle, and command the maids to busy themselves, too. As for the war, that is for the men, all who were born at Ilion, to put their minds on most of all for me (Iliad 6.436- 40). Hektor also desires his own baby son to be a great warrior rather than being active in domestic affairs as he prays: O Zeus and all immortals, may this child, my son, become like me a prince among the Trojans. Let him be strong and brave and rule in power at Ilion; then someday men will say ?this fellow is far better than his father!? seeing him home from war, and in his arms the bloodstained gear of some tall warrior slain making his mother proud (Iliad 6.419-27). (Ironically, just before Hektor made this plea to the gods his baby ?squirmed round...and began to wail, terrified by his father?s great war helm? and thereafter was comforted by his mother?s ?fragrant breast? as she ?held and cherished? her small son.) Later when Hektor becomes frightened of the realness of encountering Achilles he says, ?Aye, then and there he?ll kill me, unprotected as I am, my gear laid by, defenseless as a woman? (Iliad 22.149-51). However, it?s in the Odyssey that a man puts his trust his own life?s safety in a woman to direct and protect him on his arduous journey. The men of the Iliad are incredibly jealous creatures whereas in the Odyssey they show sensitivity that rivals that of the women who have enhanced their shrewdness. Achilles gets angry because Agamemnon acquires the ?best? war prizes without fairly earning them: You [Agamemnon] thick-skinned, shameless, greedy fool!.. . . Never have I had a plunder like your own from any Trojan stronghold battered down by the Akhaians. I have seen more action hand to hand in those assaults than you have, but when the time for sharing comes, the greater share is always yours. Worn out with battle I carry off some trifle to my ships (Iliad 1.175-196). -#- Achilles later sits and weeps childishly to his mother, Thetis, over his prize being rewarded to his adversary. Thetis actually feels responsible for her son?s misery as she declares, ?Oh early death! Oh broken heart! No destiny so cruel! And I bore you to this evil!? (Iliad 1.481-2). The mother never scolds her son. In contrast, Odysseus becomes more empathetic throughout the Odyssey because Athena brings out a new humaneness within the hero. Odysseus refrains from gloating after he kills the suitors that have overtaken his palace and scolds his maid for rejoicing: ?Old woman, check yourself; you must restrain your joy don?t shout aloud. It is profane to let your voice exult when men are slain? (Odyssey 22.480-83). His selfless attitude gives the

Biography of Mary Jackson, NASAs First Female Black Engineer

Biography of Mary Jackson, NASA's First Female Black Engineer Mary Jackson (April 9, 1921 – February 11, 2005)  was an aerospace engineer and mathematician for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (later the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). She became NASA’s first black female engineer and worked to improve hiring practices for women at the administration. Fast Facts: Mary Jackson Full Name:  Mary Winston JacksonOccupation: Aeronautical engineer and mathematicianBorn: April 9, 1921 in  Hampton, VirginiaDied:  February 11, 2005 in Hampton,  VirginiaParents:  Frank and Ella WinstonSpouse:  Levi Jackson Sr.Children: Levi Jackson Jr. and Carolyn Marie Jackson LewisEducation: Hampton University, BA in mathematics and BA in physical science; further graduate training at the University of Virginia Personal Background Mary Jackson was the daughter of Ella and Frank Winston, from Hampton, Virginia. As a teenager, she attended the all-black George P. Phenix Training School and graduated with honors. She was then accepted to Hampton University, a private, historically black university in her hometown. Jackson earned dual bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and physical science and graduated in 1942. For a time, Jackson found only temporary employment and jobs that did not line up fully with her expertise. She worked as a teacher, a bookkeeper, and even as a receptionist at one point. Throughout this time- and, in fact, throughout her life- she also privately tutored high school and college students. In the 1940s, Mary married Levi Jackson. The couple had two children: Levi Jackson Jr. and Carolyn Marie Jackson (later Lewis). Computing Career Mary Jackson’s life continued in this pattern for nine years until 1951. That year, she became a clerk at the Office of the Chief Army Field Forces at Fort Monroe, but soon moved to another government job. She was recruited by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to be a â€Å"human computer† (formally, a research mathematician) in the West Computing group at the organization’s Langley, Virginia facility. For the next two years, she worked under Dorothy Vaughan in the West Computers, a segregated division of black female mathematicians. Mathematician Mary Jackson, the first black woman engineer at NASA poses for a photo at work at NASA Langley Research Center in 1977 in Hampton, Virginia.   Bob Nye / NASA / Getty Images In 1953, she began working for engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki in the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel. The tunnel was a crucial apparatus for research on aeronautical projects and, later, the space program. It functioned by generating winds so fast that they were nearly twice the speed of sound, which was used to study the effects of forces on models. Czarnecki was impressed by Jacksons work and encouraged her to get the qualifications necessary to be promoted to a full engineer position. However, she faced several obstacles to that goal. There had never been a black female engineer at NACA, and the classes Jackson needed to take in order to qualify weren’t easy to attend. The problem was that the graduate-level math and physics classes she needed to take were offered as night classes through the University of Virginia, but those night classes were held at the nearby Hampton High School, an all-white school. Jackson had to petition the courts for permission to attend those classes. She was successful and was permitted to finish the courses. In 1958, the same year that NACA became NASA, she was promoted to aerospace engineer, making history as the organization’s first black female engineer. Groundbreaking Engineer As an engineer, Jackson remained at the Langley facility, but moved over to work at the Theoretical Aerodynamics Branch of the Subsonic-Transonic Aerodynamics Division. Her work focused on analyzing data produced from those wind tunnel experiments as well as actual flight experiments. By gaining a better understanding of air flow, her work helped improve aircraft design. She also used her wind tunnel knowledge to help her community: in the 1970s, she worked with young African American children to create a mini version of a wind tunnel. Over the course of her career, Mary Jackson authored or co-authored twelve different technical papers, many about the results of the wind tunnel experiments. By 1979, she achieved the most senior position possible for a woman in the engineering department, but could not break through to management. Instead of remaining at this level, she agreed to take a demotion in order to work in the Equal Opportunity Specialist department instead. She received specialized training at NASA headquarters before returning to the Langley facility. Her work focused on helping women, black employees, and other minorities advance in their careers, advising them on how to get promotions and working to highlight those who were particularly high-achieving in their particular fields. During this time in her career, she held multiple titles, including Federal Women’s Program Manager in the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and Affirmative Action Program Manager. In 1985, Mary Jackson retired from NASA at the age of 64. She lived for another 20 years, working in her community and continuing her advocacy and community engagement. Mary Jackson died on February 11, 2005 at the age of 83. In 2016, she was one of three main women profiled in Margot Lee Shetterly’s book Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race and its subsequent movie adaptation, in which she was portrayed by Janelle Mone. Sources â€Å"Mary Winston-Jackson. Biography, https://www.biography.com/scientist/mary-winston-jackson.Shetterly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race. William Morrow Company, 2016.Shetterly, Margot Lee. â€Å"Mary Jackson Biography.† National Aeronautics and Space Administration, https://www.nasa.gov/content/mary-jackson-biography.