Arrogance of Greek Heroes Essay -- Epic Conceit Aeneid Odysseus Essays

Arrogance of Greek Heroes Often readers will criticize the champions of classical and medieval epics for egotism. Critics cite examples from the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and Beowulf of conceit and egocentric behavior. Odysseus, Aeneas, and Beowulf display a well-known arrogance befitting their accomplishments. The motivation for this arrogance, to complete these tasks, to perform these feats, is often over-generalized to the point of inaccuracy and confusion. One must not let such misinterpretations interrupt the humanization of these characters. Through the examination of the desires and behavior of these epic heroes, we can discover an underlying need for recognition or honor. In classical and medieval western epics, the hero’s desire to complete a given quest is fueled by their desire to gain or maintain honor or fame. The first hero to be considered is one of the original Greek champions. Odysseus, often characterized as a braggart and self-centered, displays all the traits of a man doing his best to leave his mark. He will never take the simplest of routes to solve a problem; he would much rather use his cunning and inventiveness to contrive a plan that exploits the weaknesses of his foe and uses all the resources at his disposal: â€Å"‘God help me!’ the man of intrigue broke out†¦ ‘Come weave us a scheme so I can pay them back! Stand beside me, Athena, fire me with daring, fierce as the day we ripped Troy’s glittering crown of towers down. Stand by me—furious now as then, my bright-eyed one— and I would fight three hundred men, great goddess, with you to brace me, comrade-in-arms in battle!’†(l.437-47, VIII) Odysseus would rather orchestrate a plan that ensures a total elimination of the suit... ... wife and home as well as his place in Carthage in the name of the gods, in the name of a quest that does not directly benefit him. From this pursuit, he does not stand to gain spoils, and the most that could be said of his fame would be drawn from his descendents. It is this moral stance, this understanding of universal placement, of purpose, that sets Aeneas apart from other heroes. Not every hero is a perfect model of character, but these well-known heroes of epic poetry do have powerful senses of honor and endeavor. Perhaps the authors meant these characters to exhibit flaws, or to relate to an idealized hero image that modern readers cannot understand. Regardless, it cannot be assumed that these characters are driven by a simple egotism, but rather by the same desire of many other men to be remembered, especially to be remembered for great things.

Nike-High End Shoe Market Survey in Bangladesh.Doc

This report was collected from : [email  protected] com 01. INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Consumer Behavior The term consumer behavior is defined as the behavior that consumers display in searching for purchasing, using, evaluating & disposing of products & services that they expect will satisfy their needs. Consumer behavior focuses on how individuals make decisions to spend their available resources (time, money, effort) on consumption related items. That includes what they buy, why they buy it, when they buy it, where they buy it, how often they buy it, how often they use it, how they evaluate it after the purchase and impact of such evaluation on future purchases & disposal. Nike shoes are sold worldwide at high price. People tend to associate high price positively with good quality & maximum performance. Because of the high price, before buying Nike shoes, people undergo extensive information processing, i. e. – ask friends or search the internet to find information about the product. 1. Origin of Report The report has been prepared for Mr. Junaid Khan, faculty at School of Business in North South University as a requirement of MKT344 course. This report is compulsory for students majoring in marketing. 1. 3 Limitations We had faced many obstacles whilst carrying out the survey. Some of the limitations faced were as (a). The survey sample was 50 persons, which was a negligible amount to obtain accurate answer. (b). Peop le were not eager to disclose their true income. (c). The survey was carried out in a posh area of Dhaka city i. . – in Banani, thus leaving a huge number of respondents outside the survey. (d). Some people didn’t read the questionnaire carefully and they gave results which may not reflect their true opinion. 02. RESEARCH STRUCTURE 2. 1 Methodology In preparing this report we have used both qualitative & quantitative method. (a). Primary Data We collected primary data by carrying out a survey on 50 people. In the survey there were 16 questions, all of them close ended. We carried out the survey in three days. (b). Secondary Data We collected secondary data from the retail outlets. We collected a price list of Nike, Reebok & Adidas shoes from these outlets. 2. 2 Questionnaire Design The target sample was set up first before preparing the survey questionnaire. We choose the middle class & upper class educated people as our respondents. That’s why we distributed our questionnaires among the students, faculties & people in North South University. The survey questionnaire was divided in three major parts i. e. – demography, perception about Nike & perceptual mapping of Nike. In the demographic part we asked questions to determine the social class, age group & profession. In the perception section we developed questions in a way to identify consumer perception about Nike itself, usage of Nike & Nike users. In the last part, perceptual mapping we requested the respondents to rank (i. e. – 1, 2, 3 etc) Nike in terms of price, quality & performance compared with other leading brands. Also we asked the respondents to rank features (in order of importance i. e. – 1, 2, 3, 4 etc) that they would consider in buying Nike. 03. WHAT IS PERCEPTION? 3. 1 Perception Perception is defined as the process by which an individual select, organizes & interprets stimuli into a meaningful & coherent picture of the world. It can be described as ‘how see the world around us’. Indeed the study of perception is largely the study of what we subconsciously add to or subtract from raw sensory input to produce our own private picture of the world. Suppose two people being exposed to the same Nike product may perceive differently. One might perceive Nike shoes to be high in performance if he/she is satisfied using it, while the other person may perceive the same Nike shoe having low performance. This proves that perception varies from person to person. 3. 2 Product Positioning The essence of successful marketing is the image that a product or service has in the minds of consumers – that is, its positioning. Positioning is more important to the ultimate success of a product than are its actual characteristics. The core of effective positioning is a unique position that the product occupies in the minds of the consumer. (a). Positioning of Nike itself (1 = Very High, 2 = High, 3 = Average, 4 = Low, 5 = Poor) |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 | |Price |46% |42% |4% |2% |6% | |Brand Image |54% |42% |4% |0% |0% | |Quality |36% |42% |22% |0% |0% | |Satisfaction |26% |40% |30% |4% |0% | |Smartness |30% |42% |18% |2% |8% | (b). Positioning of Nike in terms of users (1 = Strongly Agree, 2 = Agree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Disagree, 5 = Strongly Disagree) |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 | |Rich People |50% |42% |8% |0% |0% | |Athletes |44% |40% |16% |0% |0% | |Satisfied Past Users |28% |38% |24% |10% |0% | |Brand Loyal C ustomers |30% |38% |20% |4% |8% | (c). Positioning of Nike in terms of use Nike shoes are suitable for ( + 4 = Strongly agree, + 2 = Agree, 0 = Neither agree nor disagree, – 2 = Disagree, – 4 = Strongly Disagree) |+ 4 |+ 2 |0 |- 2 |- 4 | |Only Sport activities |24% |44% |8% |12% |12% | |Only Work activities |8% |12% |42% |16% |22% | |Sports & work |26% |40% |26% |4% |4% | 3. 3 Perception & Purchase Based on perception the consumers purchase intentions occurs. How consumer perceives a product in terms of price, quality & status has a strong influence on purchase intentions & purchase satisfaction. In this section we have figured out only the future purchase intention of consumer about Nike. (a). Perception & Purchase ( + 4 = Definitely, + 2 = Probably, 0 = Uncertain, – 2 = Probably will not, – 4 = Definitely Will not) |+ 4 |+ 2 |0 |- 2 |- 4 | |I will buy Nike next time I buy a shoe |10% |14% |44% |14% |18% | |I will buy a Nike shoe during next 6 months |10 % |4% |36% |18% |32% | |I will recommend others to buy Nike |12% |24% |48% |6% |10% | |I will buy Nike for sports activities |20% |28% |20% |12% |20% | 04. PERCEPTUAL MAPPING 4. 1 Perceptual Mapping The technique of perceptual mapping helps marketers determine just how their products or service appears to consumers in relation to competitive brands on one or more relevant characteristics. It enables them to see gaps in the positioning of all brands in the product or service class and to identify areas in which consumer needs are not being adequately met. 4. 2 Price vs. Quality How consumers perceive the quality of a product is important factor in determining the purchase intention. If the product is not one of high quality the consumer may not be interested in patronizing the product. Besides the quality of a product is a factor that sets the price that consumers are willing to pay. |Fila |Reebok |Puma |Nike |Adidas |Others | |Price |5 |2 |4 |1 |3 |6 | |Quality |5 |3 |4 |1 |2 |6 | [pic] Figure (price vs. quality) From the diagram it is inferred that people perceive Nike as a high priced shoe with high quality. 4. 3 Price vs. Performance How a product is perceived by consumers in terms of performance (output) is a factor that affects the brand equity of the product and influence repeat purchase intention of consumers. If the consumer is not satisfied with the performance of a product, then it is likely that purchase will not be repeated & the manufacturer will not be able to maintain brand loyal customers. | |Fila |Reebok |Puma |Nike |Adidas |Others | |Price |5 |2 |4 |1 |3 |6 | |Performance |4 |2 |5 |1 |3 |6 | [pic] Figure (price vs. performance) From the diagram it seen that Nike is perceived as a high priced shoe with high performance. 05. FINDINGS (a). Demographic Part 01. Gender Male |Female | |66% |34% | 02. Age Group |19-30 |31-45 |>45 | |80% |16% |4% | 03. Marital Status |Married |Unmarried | |8% |92% | 04. Education Level |HSC |A level |Graduate |Post Graduate |Doctoral | |38% |10% |40% |10% |2% | 05. Gross monthly family income (In Taka) |25,000-39,999 |40,000-54,999 |55,000-69,9999 |>70,000 | |30% |22% |20% |28% | 06. Profession Student |Government Service |Private Service |Business |Self Employed | |76% |0% |18% |0% |6% | 07. I live in a |Rented House |Own Apartment |Rented Apartment |Government |Own House |Hostel | | | | |House | | | |16% |26% |16% |6% |32% |4% | 08. I reside in Motijheel |Purana Paltan |Segunbagicha |Shantinagar |Malibagh | |0% |8% |2% |0% |4% | |Dhanmondi |Mohammadpur |Lalmatia |Mirpur |Gulshan | |8% |8% |0% |10% |8% | |Banani |DOHS |Baridhara |Uttara |Others | |4% |2% |2% |14% |30% | (b). General Part 09. I recognize Nike by Logo |Name |Logo & Name | |30% |6% |64% | 14. I know about Nike from (Rank in order of importance i. e. – 1,2,3 etc) |TV |Newspaper |Billboards |Magazine |Internet |Friends | |1 |6 |5 |2 |3 |4 | 15. If I buy Nike the most important fe ature to me would be (Rank in order of importance i. e. – 1,2,3 ) Self Image |Style |Color |Status | |6 |5 |4 |3 | |Price |Need Fulfillment |Original |Country of Origin | |8 |2 |1 |7 | 16. Please rank the following brands based on price, quality & performance (i. e. – 1, 2, 3 etc) |Fila |Reebok |Puma |Nike |Adidas |Others | |Price |5 |2 |4 |1 |3 |6 | |Quality |5 |3 |4 |1 |2 |6 | |Performance |4 |2 |5 |1 |3 |6 | 06. SURVEY ANALYSIS Most of our respondents said they recognize Nike by logo and name, because Nike symbols along with their name are stamped on shoes worldwide and also on various garments. The advertising emphasis of the use of Nike shoes by prominent sportsmen tends to make consumers feel that wearing Nike shoes is a form of smartness. The brand image is high because people who wear Nike shoes in general, are convinced that Nike keeps up to its standard and also after using Nike shoes, they are satisfied with the quality of the shoes and the purpose for which they bought the shoes. People think that price of Nike is high, because in comparison to other brands like Adidas, Reebok, Puma and Fila, the price is a bit on the high side. The price data collected from the outlets proved people’s perception to be true. Rich people because of their attempt to enhance their status symbol usually buy goods of reputed brands, so more rich people tend to buy Nike shoes. Athletes tend to buy Nike shoes because of the comfort and Nike has always promoted itself as being a sports oriented shoe company. In its advertisement, Nike has used mostly sportsmen like Andre Agassi and Michel Jordan to convey this message. Nike shoes ensure high performance for various sports activities and are smooth when it comes to running or playing sports and are durable, so people tend to think that Nike is suitable mostly for sports activities. Brand loyal customers are used to the comfort in using Nike brand, but when using other brands they don’t feel the same level of comfort or satisfaction that they get from Nike. As a reason they stick to using Nike shoes and for them it is a status symbol. Majority of our respondents were reluctant to buy Nike shoe, although they perceived Nike having a high brand image, maybe of the high pricing of Nike shoes. Since they do not have much disposable income, they cannot afford to buy Nike shoe (yet they wish to buy) and resort to buying cheaper brands like Fila and Puma, although they know that the quality of Nike is much better. In Bangladesh because of the cable television, people are exposed to enormous amount of foreign medium. People are exposed to Nike shoes advertisement on foreign channels, so majority said they came to know about Nike shoes first on television. Also in Bangladesh a lot of foreign magazines including sports magazines are available. From these magazines, in hich Nike ads are depicted, people came to know a great deal about Nike shoes. In the Bangladeshi newspapers, there are hardly any ads of Nike shoes, so only a tiny portion of our respondents came to know about Nike shoes from newspaper The people in Banglades h who intend to buy Nike first see whether the Nike shoe is original. Consumers want original shoes because of their status and self-esteem and it helps them fulfill their ego need. Price comes last for these customers, because most consumers can afford the price. 07. CONCLUSION Nike manufacturers have tried to create a distinct positioning of the Nike shoe in terms of quality and satisfaction in comparison to its other competitors i. e. – Adidas, Reebok etc. People in Bangladesh have found Nike to be of high quality and to be of great satisfaction to them, but due to their income limitations, most of people are uncertain as to whether they will buy a Nike shoe now or in the near future. Manufacturers have tried to create a distinct image of Nike in consumers mind, which proved to be successful according to our survey result. From the survey we found that Nike is perceived as a high priced & high brand image shoe in the consumers mind. Thus it can be said that Nike is a mega brand in Bangladesh, like it is in other parts of the world. 08. BIBLIOGRAPHY (i). www. nike. com (ii). Consumer Behavior, LEON, G. SCHIFFMAN AND LESLIE LAZAR, 8th Ed, Pearson Education, Singapore.

Cultural Differences in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Who knew that the most opposite of people could become one in the same? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini shows a capacious amount of love, betrayal, and friendship towards two completely different people. Amir, the son of a wealthy man in Kabul, Afghanistan, develops a friendship with his servant, Hassan. Amir and Hassan have a rather complicated relationship for two personalities that are originally very different. Hassan has strong feelings for Amir, but Amir never admits to their friendship because of their difference in social standing. As the years progressed, Amir is put in a difficult situation, during which his actions affect their lives forever which led them to follow two separate paths. Looking into his past, aged and wise†¦show more content†¦What Amir learns while visiting his friend, Rahim Khan, would lead him to what he considered redemption. Amir discovers Hassan had been killed, but his son is still alive, and the shocker is that Hassan and Amir are half-b rothers. With the original idea of giving his son to a placement organization, Amir sets out to save him from the orphanage to provide him a better home. Amir finally decides to stand up for himself, unlike his childhood self, and knew that he had to find this child. He was not going to be the same coward that was back as a child. Along his journey to find his nephew, he stays at a house with a family in a poor financial state, and decides to leave them money under their mattress. This action truly shows how he has changed to be more similar to Hassan. As recalled from the beginning of the novel, Amir puts money under a mattress to hurt someone, but now later in his life, he redeems himself by doing it for good. Amir is adopting the caring traits that Hassan had throughout his childhood when Amir struggled to be thoughtful of others. During Amir’s trip back to Afghanistan, his personality starts to transform and soon after, he completes his transformation into Hassan. During the process of retrieving Hassan’s son, Amir finally is able to accept his past and is shown to be very similar to Hassan both in physical features and personality. Amir travels to a Taliban building, where heShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Kite Runner 1229 Words   |  5 PagesThe Kite Runner’s plot is centered on the story of Amir, a young boy who grew up in Afghanistan with his father, and friend, Hassan. Amir was raised without a mother, and had no womanly influence in his life until he was married. This lack of women in the storyline has caused some to argue that the novel is demeaning to women (Gomez). The vulgar language and explicit themes are seen as demoralizing towards the female gender (Schaub). In the novel the women are required to remain committed and submissiveRead MoreKhaled Hosseini is the Man Who Makes a Difference with His Novels808 Words   |  4 Pageseven today† (Hower). 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