High Rates Among Various Ethnic Backgrounds - 1060 Words

Healthcare disparities exist at higher rates among various ethnic backgrounds as well as individuals with disabilities. Although receiving good healthcare should be a privilege, statistics have shown that social determinants such as poor education, low income, limited access to quality care, as well as environmental factors have contributed to healthcare disparities. If society could improve barriers like health education, communication, and healthcare cost, quality healthcare could be successfully provided to every person. Different levels of wellness, the underutilization of available care, and outcomes of illnesses and injuries are all concepts that define health disparities, (Buchbinder Shanks, 2012). The social injustice of class inequalities directly affects health and education all over the world. There are two models of human behavior that, when properly addressed, could positively decrease the imbalance in society. The individual model is one of two models of human beha vior that could be considered a strain on health and education disparities. An individual’s values, beliefs, traits and skills are characteristics of the individual model. Children who come from impoverished areas may not possess the skills or language abilities needed to receive the appropriate levels of academic achievement. Lower income areas have a higher number of non-completion of high school youth. Additionally, important academic resources such as textbooks, technology, andShow MoreRelatedCauses And Treatment Of Cervical Cancer1335 Words   |  6 Pagesthird most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer death in females worldwide with over 527,000 new cases 1,2 and perhaps the second most common cancer among women in the third world countries 3-5 It accounts for 9% of the total new cancer cases and 8% (more than 265,000) of the total cancer deaths among females.1,2 More than 80% of these cases and deaths occur in developing countries.1-4 Although cancer of the cervix is known to be a preventable cancer, it still remains oneRead MoreAn Estimate Of The Total Population895 Words   |  4 Pagescompleted some form high school diploma or equivalent, 194,460 or 59.9% had post secondary certificate, diploma or degree, and 52,050 or 16% had completed neither high school nor any postsecondary certificates, diplomas or degrees. Ethnic background: According to 2011 National Household Survey, 31,245 (8.1%) of the total population are foreign-born (immigrants), 348,350 (90.6%) are Canadian-born (non-immigrants) and 4,735 (1.2%) are non-permanent residents. Most frequently reported ethnic origins were CanadianRead MoreRace And Ethnicity : The Primary Care Provider792 Words   |  4 PagesRace and Ethnicity The primary care provider needs to consider the patient s race and ethnic group when treating diabetes and discussing health issues such as obesity. Literature reveals that certain ethnic groups respond better to selected medications, like the drug Metformin, in the treatment of diabetes (Woo Wynne, 2013 p. 1096-97). Thus, the caregiver must be knowledgeable about all medications used in the treatment of diabetes. Asking the patient both direct and open-end questions duringRead MoreAuthor Lives In Mississauga City, Canada. And Her Background1736 Words   |  7 Pages Author lives in Mississauga city, Canada. And her background is from one of the ethnic minority. In Canada Ontario is one of the populated provinces. Mississauga is situated in the Southern Ontario and 6th most populated city in the Canada and the part of the Greater Toronto area and lies on the shores of Lake Ontario. The city has a 713,443 population (Statistics Canada, 2011 Census). Toronto is the main destination for migrants to Canada and Mississauga city has a multicultural population. Read MoreEconomy and History of Conflict in Myanmar Essay867 Words   |  4 Pagesabundant natural resources, a relatively high literacy rate, absence of population pressure and a rigid caste system, and a relatively high social status given to women in the society† (Than and Tan 1990:1). However, political instability following independence had led to the collapse of the Burmese economy in the mid-1980s. The GDP growth rate of 5.5 percent from 1985 to 1986 can be starkly compared to that of 1989 to 1990, which showed negative growth rates. For instance, earning from foreign tradeRead MoreHow Can Education Be A Solution For Increase Cultural Competency?1386 Words   |  6 Pagesespecially as there continues to be growth in the minority population. Cultural competencies must be meaningfully incorporated into the curriculum to show student for how important it is for their community to be able to help people of different ethnic backgrounds (Knox and Haupt, 2015). Cultural com petency can be incorporated into education by having students learn through definitions, discussions, and training modules. Students in a dynamic process incorporate experiences such as internships, studyRead MoreThe Veterans Of Foreign Wars Organization Essay1187 Words   |  5 Pagessacrifice they have made for this great country. The VFW of Rapid City, South Dakota is one of many locations in the United States. They offer many resources to their local veterans as well as promote awareness regarding war-associated illnesses. Background of the VFW The VFW is an establishment dedicated to helping veterans across the United States. According to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (2016), the VFW was founded when veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection wantedRead MoreLanguage Variation And Language Variations1596 Words   |  7 Pagesone of the important means that people used to establish and maintain relationships with other people (Wolfram, 2007). It is often that people talk differently when they are in various situations. They modify their way of speaking in order to adapt at matching their style as appropriate to the social settings. The various choices of speaking is known as ‘style’. According to Stockwell (2002), style is defined as variations within registers that can represent individual choices along social dimensionsRead MoreOcclusion the performance of the face recognition algorithms under occlusion is in general poor.700 Words   |  3 Pagesimages are different. Pose variation still presents a challenge for face recognition. Frontal training images have better performance to novel poses than do non-frontal training images. For a frontal training pose, can achieve reasonable recognition rates of above 90 percent. Illumination Pure illumination changes on the face are handled well by current face recognition algorithms. However, face recognition systems have difficulties in extreme illumination conditions in which significant parts of theRead MoreRacial And Ethnic Disparities Throughout Theu.s. Health Care1156 Words   |  5 PagesRacial and Ethnic Disparities in U.S. Health Care There continues to be racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, and these problems need to be addressed since the rate of racial/ethnic populations in the country are steadily rising. According to the 2001 United States Census, â€Å"racial/ethnic minority populations are growing at such a fast rate that by 2050 more than 50% of the population will belong to a minority group† (Weech-Maldonado, Al-Amin, Nishimi, Salam, 2011). Race and ethnicity

The Canadian Association Of Social Work - 1277 Words

In the profession of Social Work there are several policies, procedures, rules and guidelines that govern the way we make ethical decisions. Our job as Social Workers is to be knowledgeable of the professions needs and engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families and organizations in order to help them understand the value and importance of self-worth and self-determination when making decisions. The Canadian Association of Social Work (CASW) provides us with a Code of Ethics, which outlines the mission and values of the profession when dealing with ethical dilemmas. It creates a common framework for workers to develop approaches, understanding and boundaries to follow when working with clients (CASW, 2005). From†¦show more content†¦Being integrated with Social Work allows you to separate the cause and effect factors when counseling and helping clients through a broad range of situations. Your ethical behavior within the practice strives from your individual commitment to engage within the ethical practice (CASW, 2005). Generally speaking, you are working in the Child Protection department at the Children Aid’s Society when you are contacted by the school board regarding a 7-year-old girl named Anna. You have now been seeing Anna for six weeks, once a week. She has been sexually abused and this was verified by a medical examination, however, she has not disclosed who the perpetrator is. Despite no disclosure, the school and the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto speculate it is her mother’s boyfriend and the boyfriend still has access to her. The more time you spend with her the more she opens up to you. You feel she is getting closer to disclosing who the perpetrator is. During a session, she tells you that she has a â€Å"secret† she wants to tell you about â€Å"the bad man that hurt her† but she asks you to promise her first that you won’t tell anyone and if you can promise her that she will not tell you her â€Å"secret.† Building rapport and trustful relationships with clients is important to pull out aspects of situations that may otherwise be difficult to find, and help guide the dilemma accordingly based on the facts of the case. Social Workers have a

Communication and Language Immigration Challenge †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Communication and Language Immigration Challenge. Answer: Introduction: Australia was the first country in the entire world to have established a department specifically meant for immigration back in 1945 (JuradoBrochmann, 2013). Millions of nurses have since then settled in Australia through migration program for skilled and family migrants and through humanitarian programs for refugees. It has since then evolved to the present day, nurses from especially developing countries around the world are migrating to developed countries mainly in search for what they call as greener pastier or in other terms, employment opportunities which are better. They are mostly nurses who are skilled or semi-skilled and looking for employment. Some also migrate due to political instability in their motherland to seek refuge in the neighboring countries. The main motive of this report is to evaluate the merits and demerits which come along with employing this nurses in hospitals and how the demerits can be solved. A Skilled worker can be defined in simple terms as a worker who has special training, knowledge and acquired ability in what they do. On the other hand, the term Migrant has no single universally agreed upon definition. According to McNamee, Pearson, Boer, and Palgrave (2015), a migrant is that person who owns a foreign citizenship or has moved to another country to stay temporarily or to settle for a long term. It generally means that a skilled migrant is that person who possesses a special knowledge in what he does and is based in a country which he is not a citizen. They moved to a foreign country to work specifically on their area of expertise. Benefits of Employing Migrant Nurses One of the main benefits of employing this nurses is that they provide cheap labor. Generally, economically stronger countries have greater job opportunities which attract foreign nurses to apply for this job. In the countries they come from, payment is always very low and therefore what they are being offered in the foreign countries is much more competitive as compared to what they can or get in their motherland (Tejada, Bhattacharya, KhadriaKuptsch, 2014). On the other hand what most of the companies offer them in the migrant country is obviously lesser than what they offer or could have offered to the domestic workers hence cheap labor. The other thing is that most of this nurses have been without a job in their motherland, this means they are desperate for money and they can settle for almost any amount offered to them as either salary or wages hence cheap labor (McNamee et al., 2014). In the long run, it helps the company to minimize its expenses thus leading to high profits wh ich can be plowed back into the business to expand its production. Another benefit the hospital can get from employing migrant nurses is ease of training facilities for the local or domestic workers. Training facilities are always very important to local workers or employees of a new organization (KellVogl, 2012). These training cost employer a lot of money to facilitate, as a result of this, they hire skilled migrant labors who are being paid a minimal amount of money and ask them to train others. It is important to note that skills are not only acquired through going to college or university. Foreign workers have versatile knowledge as compared to domestic workers, as a result employer get good talent at less expense. Hiring migrant nurses promotes diversity in an organization. Diversity is the difference in race, cultural differences, ethnicity and other social practices among people working together (Nohl, Schittenhelm, Schmidtke Weiss, 2014). It comes with a bunch of advantages to the hospital and employees too. Diversity in an organization develops a diverse experience among employees, it promotes learning, increases adaptability in an organization, increase productivity which is very essential to any sector, it promotes the hospital to offer range of services to different clients who might not have liked the hospitals services due to issues like language barrier, cultural differences, and difference in social practices between employees of an organization (Yeung, Brown Lee, 2012). All these advantages of diversity enable hospitals to boost its profits and return on investment management. The above advantages of employing migrant nurses clearly demonstrate that an organization can grow very fast and also make profits if they hire skilled migrants. The country also benefits indirectly as the growth of the companies increases its Gross Domestic Product in the international market. Disadvantages of Employing Migrant Nurses One of the disadvantages of employing migrant nurses is lack of commitment on their side. An employer invest on the employee in terms of organizing visa and how they settle, after a period of time they decide to quit due to an issue with being homesick and the employers investment goes in vain. Moreover, foreign workers will require longer holidays to travel back to their motherland and again to travel back (Nohl, Schittenhelm, Schmidtke Weiss, 2015). This time is essential to the company and it might cost it a lot in terms of customer relationship and profits. They might also be reluctant due to the fact that they feel to be working as the expatriate and hence cannot be fired easily. Another challenge of employing migrant nurses is the lack of lingua franca. Lingua franca simply means the common language (Yeung et al., 2012). The language barrier issue can be a great problem to organizations which hire skilled migrants, the nurses are skilled but there is always high possibility that they cannot speak the common language in the country they have been employed (Yeung et al., 2012). This forces the employer to invest in training this employee the common language as it will not only affect the employees confidence but also the organizations progress management. For example; a skilled migrant nurse can do the hospital work but it may be difficult to communicate with patients who are not able to express themselves in the language he or she understands. This means patients will not attend such hospital due to lack of the lingua franca thus leading to the downfall of the hospital. Risk Management of Migrant Nurses Whatever has its advantages must also have some challenges which come on board with it, the question is, how do you whether down the challenges if you have decided to employ migrant nurses? An employer needs to treat this nurses with dignity and without favor, once they feel they are being treated well, they will give back by being dedicated to doing their work promptly (Bauder, 2012). They will take most of their time trying to return the organization that favor and the more time they give dedicate in doing their work the more the organization benefits. A nurse, for example, will take his or her time to listen carefully to patients and provide them with the necessary services with honor, this will brighten the image of that hospital and attract more customers who will be flocking in thereby leading to it making more profits (Goldin, 2013). Employers should be very sensitive to the language barrier and invest in training the nurses employed. It may be costly but it will be a one-off training which when done will benefit the company (Yeung et al., 2012). Once employees are able to communicate in the language which is common in the country, they will gain confidence and do their work with ease avoiding the risk of being left out in terms of freedom of expression during group work. In the section of decision-making, an employer should involve this nurses in some decision making in order to build their confidence that they are also part of the company and their opinions are valued (Tejada et al,. 2013). They should be placed in departments where they work closely with the domestic workers to help them understand that they are not there to simply do specific duties which domestic workers are excluded from. When all this are practiced by the employer, they will realize the beauty in employing migrant nurses. They will work all heartedly to the hospital and the benefits of their dedication will grow the company to a higher level, increase profits and give a return on capital. Conclusion The issue of employing migrant nurses is not a new in hospitals, it has been practiced in Australia for decades since the number of graduate nurses within the country has always been low. Many hospitals are coming up due to demand but there is no manpower to fill the vacancies, this is a main reason why employing nurses on the 457 visa is still important and the government cannot remove those nurses once they are employed even if the law changes. Therefor an employer should not be worried about future change of laws, the country need these nurses more than ever. The human resource department should be trained on the features to look at when employing these workers in order to reduce some risk at the stage hiring (KellVogl, 2012). Having looked at the advantages which come along with hiring migrant nurses and also the challenges, it is crystal clear that employers should not be afraid of employing migrant nurses, they should simply find ways of handling the challenges which might come out of it as the benefits are much better. It will boost the hospitals growth and the countrys as a whole gross domestic product also goes high in the international market. References Ahsan, A., Abella, M., Beath, A. (2014). International Migration and Development in East Asia and the Pacific. Washington: World Bank Publications. Bauder, H. (2012). Immigration and settlement: Challenges, experiences, and opportunities. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press Inc. Goldin, I. (2013). Divided nations: Why global governance is failing, and what we can do about it. Jurado, E., Brochmann, G. (2013). Europe's immigration challenge management: Reconciling work, welfare and mobility. London: I.B. Tauris. Kell, P., Vogl, G. (2012). International students in the Asia Pacific: Mobility, risks and global optimism. Dordrecht: Springer. McNamee, T., In Pearson, M., In Boer, W., Palgrave Connect (Online service). (2015). Africans investing in Africa. Nohl, A.-M., Schittenhelm, K., Schmidtke, O., Weiss, A. (2014). Work in transition: Cultural capital and highly skilled migrants' passages into the labour market. Tejada, G. G., Bhattacharya, U. K.,Khadria, B., In Kuptsch, C. (2014). Indian skilled migration and development: To Europe and back. Yeung, A. S., Brown, E. L., Lee, C. F. K. (2012). Communication and language: Surmounting barriers to cross-cultural understanding. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Pub. World migration 2008: Managing labour mobility in the evolving global economy. (2008). Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Migration.

Project Failure Deepwater Horizon and the Bp Oil Spill Essay Example

Project Failure: Deepwater Horizon and the Bp Oil Spill Essay Introduction The Deepwater Horizon rig sank on April 22, 2010, two days after the Macondo well blowout and explosion that killed 11 workers. The Deepwater Horizon accident, also known as the BP Oil Spill, was a project failure of immense proportions. It went from an oil exploration â€Å"project† to a massive program with portfolios of projects related to dealing with the families of those killed on the oil rig, stopping the oil leak, capturing the oil (from the well and from the ocean), cleaning the environment (seashores, wetlands, Gulf of Mexico), saving and cleaning wildlife (underwater and on shores), responding to human needs (fishermen, economically impacted families), dealing with the public (PR campaigns), dealing with shareholders and employees, and dealing with governments(state and federal). The mission and scope changed and grew significantly over night. It changed from a $500 million oil prospect development project to over a $100 billion program with global reach and hundreds of projects. In addition, the inability of BP to stop the flow in a timely manner, communication problems by BP management, and long lasting negative media coverage of the slow reaction to the spill have resulted in serious negative consequences for BP, subcontractors on the project and the oil exploration industry as a whole. Additionally, the US federal government responded to the accident with poor organization and leadership. We will write a custom essay sample on Project Failure: Deepwater Horizon and the Bp Oil Spill specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Project Failure: Deepwater Horizon and the Bp Oil Spill specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Project Failure: Deepwater Horizon and the Bp Oil Spill specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Analyzing the chain of events, some of the lessons from the failure become very apparent including the facts that BP and Transocean risk management plans were inadequate, BP was not prepared for the accident (or any accident for the most part), project management mistakes were made during drilling of the well, communication blunders were made by BP executives following the accident, the impact on the environment and stakeholders were underestimated, and the future of a company can be at risk from a critical failure of this magnitude. The DeepWater incident was largely a result of poor initial project planning, inadequate project risk management, poor project management execution including decision making and communication, and unprepared crisis management on the part of BP and the US government in the event of project failure. This paper will analyze the series of events leading up to the April 20, 2011, disaster, the decisions and lack of actions which compounded the possibility and severity of project failure and the mishandling of the crisis that ensued after the failure of the well. Background On March 19, 2008, BP acquired the federal lease for Mississippi Canyon Block 252, located in 4,992 feet of water 50 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana for just over $34 Million from the Minerals Management Service (MMS). BP was highly confident in the seismic data and the presence of oil that the company proceeded to implement the project of drilling a $100 Million well named, Macondo. BP hired Transocean to supply the crew and the oil drilling rig to drill the well. On October 7, 2009, drilling began on the Macondo well using Transocean’s Marianas semisubmersible oil rig. The Marianas operated to a depth of 4,023 feet below the mudline, or 9,000 feet below sea level before it was damaged on November 9, 2009, by Hurricane Ida. Work on the Macondo well was suspended until January 31, 2010, when the Deepwater Horizon rig was delivered to the site. The Deepwater Horizon was a 33,000 ton semisubmersible oil rig which was controlled by a satellite guided dynamic positioning system and had a series of thrusters to keep it afloat. The Deepwater rig was extremely technologically advanced and viewed by many in the oil industry as having superior technology that was foolproof to error. On February 8, 2010, the Deepwater crew placed a blowout preventer on the well in 5,067 feet of water and used remotely operated vehicles to guide the preventer to the latching collet on the well head using video feeds. Once the preventer was latched up, the riser was hung in the tensioning system, the other necessary lines were hung, and the drilling commenced on the well. Research now shows that over the ensuing next three months, the Macondo well had multiple incidents of trouble which continued until the disastrous day when the well blew out and went out of control. During the early drilling in shallow depths, the crew experienced multiple well problems, gas kicks, and dangerous lost circulation zones-sometimes all at once. On four occasions prior to the blowout, the crew experienced well-control events. During one of the well-control problems, a drill pipe became stuck and could not move in or out of the hole. A stuck pipe can be very dangerous and is indicative of poor well hole conditions. After fighting the stuck pipe for a week, the crew separated the pipe from the assembly and placed a cement cap plug on it and continued to drill a sidetrack hole at 17,500 feet. As the days wore on, the crew became wary after experiencing multiple kicks, lost circulation, and stuck pipe to the point that Mike Williams testified to the Joint Investigation Committee in July 2010 that the crew had been calling it the â€Å"Well from Hell†. (In Too Deep pg25) After weeks of battling the well, the well reached its total depth of over 18,200 feet and the engineers ran measurements to analyze the subsurface intervals, their content, and their pressures. These measurements were used to make the decision to run pipe to the bottom of the well and to prepare the well for temporary abandonment prior to production. At this point, the engineers may have made a mistake which contributed to the well blow out. BP engineers decided to run one long string of casing from the bottom of the well all the way to the wellhead. This decision resulted in the only protection provided for the flow of oil and gas in to the wellbore was the cement that would be pumped down the casing and capped with a seal assembly at the well head. If the cement failed, the oil and gas could travel up the pipe to the well head and escape uncontrolled. BP chose a cementing design which had one avenue of protection through a single cap as opposed to other designs that had multiple layers cementing and caps which provided additional protection in case of well failure. By choosing this single cap well design, the BP engineers knowingly chose a less safe design and their managers willingly approved the decision. Haliburton was the cementing servicing company hired by BP to cement the well and attach the seal assembly to cap off the well until a new rig was connected to initial actual oil production. Haliburton supplied the cement used in the sealing of the well which is now known to have been of inferior quality. According to the BP team’s plan, if the cementing went smoothly, Haliburton could skip a scheduled cement evaluation. Planning The project plan for the Macondo well should have been one unique to the well itself. The research of the Deepwater incident indicates that the plan for the well was changed on multiple occasions and management seemed to be influencing decisions based on financial and schedule implications rather that the risk implications the decisions might present. Additionally, the lack of a clear project plan resulted in a poor organizational structure and accountability of the multiple subcontractors involved with the project. There were numerous occasions in which the crew of the Deepwater which was comprised of employees from BP, Transocean and Haliburton were unsure of which company was in charge at different points of the project. The lack of planning was even more evident within the issues of the inadequate risk planning and the execution problems that contributed to the failure of the project. As a result of the failure, a disaster comprised of death and monumental environmental damage was poorly addressed in that crisis management planning had not been addressed in the planning for the project as well. The crisis to contain the well itself would have been more readily addressed by BP had the company anticipated a blowout as a possible risk and therefore had a crisis management plan which had been communicated to all of its crew members. Instead the crisis itself is a First, on April 20, the oil and gas industry was unprepared to respond to a deepwater blowout, and the federal government was similarly unprepared to provide meaningful supervision. Second, in a compressed timeframe, BP was able to design, build, and use new containment technologies, while the federal government was able to develop effective oversight capacity. Both industry and government must build on knowledge acquired during the Deepwater Horizon spill to ensure that such a failure of planning does not recur Planning is even more important during a crisis. Such projects can be described as turnaround projects, where every minute is critical. Turnaround projects are often planned for months in advance, scheduled in minutes, with a well defined set of actions which are constantly monitored, and everyone prepared in advance for everything they need to do. BP and its subcontractors did not use their initial planning to develop disaster response or recovery plans. Without this type of planning built into the initial framework, time and lives can be lost when a company is forced to react to a disaster such as the Deepwater. ttp://www. oilspillcommission. gov/sites/default/files/documents/C21462-408_CCR_for_web_0. pdf Execution Failure The lack of a clear, unique plan for the Macondo project exacerbated the likelihood of problems during the execution of the drilling of the well. Additionally, Deepwater rig had several players involved with the project which resulted in a complex interrelationship among several companies all of whom had differ ent roles and conflicting interpretations of their accountability and responsibilities. Transocean was the owner and responsible for running the rig. Haliburton was a servicing subcontractor who was responsible for cementing the well. BP was lease owner and operator of the Macondo well and in that capacity had both the overall responsibility for everything that went on including promoting a culture of safety on the rig. BP’s safety culture failed on the night of April 20, 2010, as reflected in the actions of BP personnel on- and offshore and in the actions of BP’s contractors Research prior to April 20 shows that most crew members felt that safety was not a priority for BP or any of the other contractors on the rig. A survey during the second week of March showed that 46 percent of crew members surveyed felt that crewmembers feared reprisals for reporting unsafe situations and 15 percent felt that there were not always enough people available to carry out work safely. This extensive involvement of these contractors underscored the compelling need for BP to properly communicate a clear decision making process as well as emphasize safety. This poor safety culture was also evident in the meeting the day before the Deepwater accident in which the Transocean managers discussed with their BP counterparts the backlog of rig maintenance. A September 2009 BP safety audit had produced a 30-page list of 390 items requiring 3,545 man-hours of work. The lack of a safety culture may have contributed to the fact that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean did not adequately identify or address risks of an accident—not in the well design, cementing, or temporary abandonment procedures. Their management systems were marked by poor communications among BP, Transocean, and Halliburton employees regarding the risks associated with decisions being made. The decision making process on the rig was excessively compartmentalized, so individuals on the rig frequently made critical decisions without fully appreciating just how essential the decisions were to well safety—singly and in combination. As a result, officials made a series of decisions that saved BP, Halliburton, and Transocean time and money—but without full appreciation of the associated risks. There were several causes for execution failure that were identified after the accident. First, the cement that BP and Halliburton pumped into to the bottom of the well did not seal off hydrocarbons in the well. This was caused by the engineers changing the plans for the cement job during the effort due to drilling complications that were encountered. As a result, the engineers approved a lower volume of cement to be used in the process. This lower amount of cement resulted in the well not being sealed with a proper amount of cement weight. Second, the cement slurry used in the sealing of the well was poorly designed. Halliburton’s own internal tests showed that the cement mixture was unstable but the company still used the mixture on the Deepwater well. Lastly, the temporary abandonment procedures for the well were finalized at the last minute by BP and required the crew to severely underbalance the well before installing any additional barriers to back up the cement job. Risk Management BP failed to analyze the risk possibilities and plan risk mitigation strategies for the Macondo project. This lack of risk planning and mitigation can be attributed to several factors including: a bias in the oil industry itself which dismissed the possibility of a disaster as monumental as the Deepwater Horizon, a BP management culture which stressed cost savings and time savings in decision making, and a lack of a detailed crisis management plan in an industry whose failures can be monumental. Risk Management and the Oil Industry Bias The Deepwater incident has resulted in a dramatic reassessment of the risks associated with offshore drilling. Before April 20, many in the oil industry felt that drilling was safer in deep than in shallow waters. Since deepwater rigs worked farther off the coast, it would take longer for spilt oil to reach shore, giving more time for intervention to protect the coast. Also, the companies working in the deeper waters were typically the â€Å"big guys† of the oil industry who could afford to utilize more advanced technologies than the smaller firms working near the coast. Therefore, many believed that these companies were more adept at handling challenging conditions with the more technologically advanced equipment. Additionally, there had been no major well blowouts in federal offshore waters since 1970, which made the chances of another one seem remote. Another problem for appropriate risk assessment was the failure to adequately consider published data on recurring problems in offshore drilling. This included powerful â€Å"kicks† of unexpected pressures that sometimes led to a loss of well control, failing blowout preventer systems, and the drilling of relief wells. These problems occurred rarely and were of minor consequence relative to the number of wells in the world. However, these issues demonstrated that wells do not perform in a flawless manner and must be assessed for in risk planning. Additionally, working in the deeper depths of the ocean posed a numerous problems after a loss of well control or a blow out due to failure of the blow out preventer. Before the Deepwater accident, little attention was devoted to containment of a blown out well in the deepwater, largely because its occurrence was considered so unlikely. Therefore, many of the same technologies used for the blow out preventers in shallow water drilling were used in deepwater drilling with little innovation. That is despite the fact that containment problems become much more challenging and real-time decisions become more difficult when working in extreme depths of the ocean. Connecting and maintaining blowout preventers thousands of feet beneath the surface can only be performed by remote-operating vehicles. â€Å"A 2007 article in Drilling Contractor described how blowout preventer requirements got tougher as drilling went deeper, because of low temperatures and high pressures at the ocean bottom. The author discussed taking advantage of advances in metallurgy to use higher-strength materials in the blowout preventers’ ram connecting rods or ram-shafts. More generally, he suggested â€Å"some fundamental paradigm shifts† were needed across a broad range of blowout-preventer technologies to deal with deepwater conditions. † Page 51 pres book All things considered, the oil industry itself was overconfident and somewhat negligent in assessing the need for comprehensive and detailed risk management planning that addressed all facets of possibilities of failure within an oil well. Instead, the industry disregarded many of the possibilities as impossibilities despite the contrary research. This widespread view among the oil industry was reflected in the culture of the BP management and may have influenced some of appeasement with the lack of planning on the Macondo project. Risk Management and Decision Making BP had a tarnished reputation for safety. Among other BP accidents, 15 workers died in a 2005 explosion at its Texas City, Texas, refinery. In 2006, there was a major oil spill from a badly corroded BP pipeline in Alaska. As of April 20, BP and the Macondo well were almost six weeks behind schedule and more than $58 million over budget. BP did not adequately identify or address risks created by last-minute changes to well design and procedures. BP changed its plans repeatedly and up to the very last minute, sometimes causing confusion and frustration among BP employees and rig personnel. ? When BP did send instructions and procedures to rig personnel, it often provided inadequate detail and guidance. ? It is common in the offshore oil industry to focus on increasing efficiency to save rig time and associated costs. But management processes must ensure that measures taken to save time and reduce costs do not adversely affect overall risk. BP‘s management processes did not do so. ? Halliburton appears to have done little to supervise the work of its key cementing personnel and does not appear to have meaningfully reviewed data that should have prompted it to redesign the Macondo cement slurry. ? Transocean did not adequately train its employees in emergency procedures and kick detection, and did not inform them of crucial lessons learned from a similar and recent near-miss drilling incident When the BP engineers were faced with making a decision on the well design, they chose a design with one preventative layer. If the engineers would have put more credence into the high risks associated with deep well drilling, they may have picked a design which encompassed risk mitigation of several layers which prepared for failure. Additionally, by not really putting credence into the possibility of a well blowout, the engineers and BP management negated risk planning for the possibility of the environmental amage which could be caused by such a sizeable well having a blowout. In a case of an uncontrolled blowout, large volumes of oil and gas would be uncontrollably spewed into the environment. Transocean, for instance, was a major contractor for the Macondo well and is the world’s largest operator of offshore oil rigs, including the Deepwater Horizon; Transocean personnel made up the largest number of crew members on the rig at the time of the accident, and 9 of the 11 men who died on April 20 worked for the company. number of the mistakes made on the rig can be directly traced to Transocean personnel, including inadequate monitoring of the Macondo well for problems during the temporary abandonment procedures and failure to divert the mud and gas away from the rig during the first few minutes of the blowout. Project Crisis Management The effort and resources needed to contain and control the blowout of the Macondo well were unprecedented. From April 20, 2010, the day the well blew out, until September 19, 2010, when the government finally declared it dead, BP expended enormous resources to develop and deploy new technologies that eventually captured a substantial amount of oil at the wellhead and, after 87 days, stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The government organized a team of scientists and engineers, who took a crash course in petroleum engineering and, over time, were able to provide oversight of BP, in combination with the Coast Guard and the Minerals Management Service (MMS). BP had to construct novel devices, and the government had to mobilize personnel on the fly, because neither was ready for a disaster of this nature in such ocean depths. BP initially underestimated the scale of the disaster and overestimated their ability to address it. Therefore, there was little action in the days following the accident that resembled crisis management. Two days after the explosion, BP had mobilized a mere 32 vessels and 4 aircraft. To be in full response capacity, BP needed 205 times the number of vessels and 32 times the number of aircraft initially deployed. It took until nearly Day 80 before BP was a full response capacity. http://strategicppm. wordpress. com/2010/08/03/bps-project-management-of-the-deepwater-disaster/ This understated reaction was driven by the belief that the well was only leaking 5,000 barrels a day. In reality, the well was leaking ten times that amount. At day 31, the government established a public underwater feed and panel of experts to analyze the flow rate. This resulted in all parties becoming fully aware as of the amount of oil leaking from the well and the response effort of BP and the US government continued to increase. BP immediately focused on repairing the failed the blowout preventer for the first ten days after the explosion. BP did not have planned alternatives to address the incident of a blown out well. Therefore, when the blowout preventer could not be repaired, BP had to develop alternate solutions. These solutions were explored sequentially,  rather than in parallel, which caused further delay. The exception to that was the digging of relief wells which take several months to complete. BP did not have any alternate solutions prepared and developed in advance to be deployed immediately during a time of crisis. The facts indicate that BP didn’t understand (or didn’t want to understand) the scale of the project it was involved in. Government Response Failure The failure of the US federal government to react to the Deepwater disaster is comprised of two components- pre-disaster regulatory efforts and post disaster readiness and response preparedness. First, the government organizations which were tasked to regulate the oil industry for safety compliance were not doing their jobs. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) was responsible for approving the disaster plans of the oil companies as well as regulating their actions in the environment with the Environmental Protection Agency. It is now evident that MMS failed miserably in the oversight of the offshore oil industry. The agency’s resources did not keep pace with the oil industry’s expansion into deeper waters and reliance on more demanding technologies. As a result, MMS was not familiar with many of the technologies presented by oil companies and as a result it frequently relented to a lower number of required tests including testing on blow out preventers. Ironically, BP did have an Oil Spill Response Plan for the Gulf of Mexico applicable to the Macondo well in the MMSfiles. The plan identified three different worst-case scenarios that ranged from 28,033 to 250,000 barrels of oil discharge and used identical language to analyze the shoreline impacts under each scenario. Five of the pages were copied from material on NOAA websites and as a result were not specific to the Gulf of Mexico region. As a result, the BP Oil Spill Response Plan described biological resources nonexistent in the Gulf—including sea lions, sea otters, and walruses. Even more troubling, the MMS Gulf of Mexico Regional Office approved the BP plan without additional analysis. There is little evidence that MMS or BP gave any scrutiny to the contents of the Oil Spill Response Plan submitted. However, the MMS Regional Office did adhere to the timeline to review and approve oil-spill response plans within 30 days of their receipt. This lack of emphasis on the content of the response plan surely contributed to the lack of planning on both the part of the government and BP. As a result, when the disaster struck the MMS and the US federal government reacted slowly to the event. For the first couple of weeks the government barely reacted as it thought BP was more prepared and capable to deal with the spill. When it became evident that BP was coming up with solutions on a day to day basis, the government became more involved with the process. MMS was disbanded 19 days into the disaster. The government continued to work with BP and the other parties to find solutions to killing the well as well as manage the economic impact the disaster was having on the Gulf states. All in all it can be assessed that the US federal government was even less prepared than BP itself. Conclusion Based on the mindset and common practices, it was only a matter of time for this kind of accident to occur within the oil industry. An accident, and certainly any disaster, can be considered as a disruptive event. After a disruptive event, anything and everything can change, with serious repercussions. Many disruptive events can be both predicted and planned for. This should be a major element of the risk planning associated with major programs and projects. And disruptive events can have unexpected and significant consequences – in this case, enormous impact on the environment, BP market valuation, BP’s public image and credibility, many other BP projects and people, public perception of both BP and the oil industry itself, and possibly BP survival. The lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon project disaster and the BP Oil Spill will continue to influence the regulation of the oil industry into the future. BP learned that adequate project planning and risk management analysis is essential in the event of a project failure. Additionally, a crisis management plan for an unplanned disaster should always be in place prior to any possibility of occurrence. BP’s $500 million oil prospect development project became a crisis management project which has cost over $100 billion to date. BP will continue to struggle with its public relations image as well as continue to deal with endless lawsuits and environmental and economic claims into the future. BP’s lack of planning, lack of risk management analysis and lack of a crisis management plan in the face of project failure could have resulted in the demise of the company altogether. The Deepwater incident will continue to serve as an example to project managers everywhere that the basic concepts of project management should never be neglected, even when you are one of the largest companies in the world. - Bibliography â€Å"BP’s Project Management of the  Deepwater  Disaster† StrategicPPM. com. 3 August 2010. 28 May 2011 http://strategicppm. wordpress. com/2010/08/03/bps-project-management-of-the-deepwater-disaster/ Cavnar, Bob. Disaster on the Horizon: High Stakes, High Risks, and the Story Behind the Deepwater Well Blowout. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2010. Kuzmeski, Maribeth. â€Å"Pinpointing BP’s Pitfalls: Eight Ways to Reconnect After a Disaster† PM World Today, Vol. XII Issue VII July 2010. 28 May 2011 http://www. pmworldtoday. net/tips/2010/july/Pinpointing-BP-Pitfalls. html Lepsinger, Rick. â€Å"Execution Meltdown: Four Key Failures That Sank BP. † . † PM World Today, Vol. XII Issue VIII August 2010. 28 May 2011 http://www. pmworldtoday. net/tips/2010/aug/Execution-Meltdown. html Maltzman, Rich, et al. â€Å"Green Project Management and the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill. † PM World Today, Vol. XII Issue IX- September 2010. 28 May

Timaeus essays

Timaeus essays R.G. Bury. Timaeus: The Loeb Classical Library, Vol. IX. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1989. Platos Timaeus was written in an attempt to make sense of the beginnings of time, of the world, as we know it. It is an attempt to describe how the world came into being. It is important to note that even Plato states that this is only a likely account(53). Nonetheless, it is an excellent summary of Platonic philosophy and was extremely influential in later years over the ancient and mediaeval world. To the modern reader, such as a college student, it proves to be quite obscure and repulsive, but interesting just the same. Plato first argues that since the sensible world is that which is becoming always and never existent(49) it must have come to be. Therefore, the world must have some for of cause, a cause to be. He refers to the cause as the maker and father of the universe(51) as well as the Mind(109) and God(127) later in the work. It is very common to hear Platos god referred to as the Demiurge, which literally means craftsman. Now then, since the Demiurge was depicted as good, he desired that, so far as possible, all things should be good and nothing evil(55). This is where Plato begins to describe the qualities of the universe that the Demiurge is creating. The deductions that Plato makes involving the forming of the universe shows his optimism concerning humankind. He views humankind as formed for the greater good of the universe. The world created by the Demiurge is alive, intelligent, eternal, and good, and therefore it is a blessed god(65). It just so happens that along with the influence of the Demiurge there was another factor at work. Plato refers to this as the Errant Cause(111). It is apparent that this other principle could be likened to the mother of the cosmos, sense t ...

The French Expression Cest le pied

The French Expression Cest le pied The French expression cest le pied means that something is great, terrific. This positive meaning of pied is left over from old slang, in which it referred to ones share of the loot. Cest le pied can also be negated: ce nest pas le pied and- even more familiarly- cest pas le pied mean its no good, no picnic, no fun. Ne is often dropped in informal/familiar French. Expression: Cest le piedPronunciation: [say leu pyay]Meaning: its greatLiteral translation: its the footRegister: familiar Examples of Using Cest le Pied Tu dois voir ma nouvelle bagnole - cest le pied  !   Ã‚  Ã‚  Youve got to see my new car - its great!   Travailler de nuit, ce nest pas le pied.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Working nights is no picnic. Synonymous expression: quel pied ! (But be careful, because that can also mean what an idiot! Context is everything.)Related expression: prendre son pied - to get ones kicks, enjoy doing (particularly when talking about sex)

Physical security and risk assessment of the alfred p.murrah building Term Paper

Physical security and risk assessment of the alfred p.murrah building - Term Paper Example A commission was formed to deal with rectifications of the existing principles that had been used to direct the construction of the Murray building. It was found that use of beam columns provided the highest degree of vulnerability in the event of explosion attacks thus the propping up of three edge bond with all having completely diverse technique. First there was the pre-Northridge moment-resisting bond was looked into. This majorly looked at three distinct areas that might create points of weakness. These are the preliminary error extent, beam susceptibility to succumb to pressure and finally the fracture strength that the fused parts contained was put into perspective. Second model put into question the independent manner of each element then later on putting together these elements to have them form one strong connection. These elements were the T-stub, panel zone and the shear tab. Those already built buildings that were constructed by method of riveting the joints, it was deci ded that an alternative better method be used. This method had to withstand earthquakes and the uneven constricting and none rigid nature in the joint section as well as the caternary action. The pre-Northridge moment-resisting frames degree of success was gauged by mean-centered deterministic technique as well as the likelihood technique according to Goldstein (2010). First a resolving reviewing of frames with complete and incomplete force wielded T-stub joint was put to test having in mind three beam spans from both bearings. Buildings that were initially built and had unsupported concrete mixture as well as unsupported brickwork infill plates were looked into. To achieve the need for comparative simple method for the preliminary vulnerability assessment, an energy-oriented nonlinear fixed pushdown analysis method was developed. This method offers a different procedure of

Hell angels the Motorcycle riders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hell angels the Motorcycle riders - Essay Example It was not long before other chapters throughout California were established and the group gained increasing prominence. During these early years the insignia and many membership elements were established (Winterhalder 2005). Today for an individual to become a member of the Hell’s Angels they must be a white male, have a driver’s license, an American made working motorcycle, and can never have applied to be a police officer or prison guard (Winterhalder 2005). Similar to the mafia there are a highly structured variety of stages an individual must progress through – including hang around, associate, and prospect stages – before becoming a fully-fledged member (Winterhalder 2005). Today there are over one hundred chapters of the Hell’s Angels. Surprisingly these chapters are not limited to the United States, but are spread out over 29 countries globally, with the first international chapter established in New Zealand in 1961 (Winterhalder 2005). While the members of Hell’s Angels contend they make great contributions to society, they have also been involved in a high number of criminal incidents. Perhaps the most seminal incident occurred at the 1969 Altamont Free Concert, a free Rolling Stones concert (Lavigne 2010). The Hell’s Angels were hired as security for the event, but during one incident greatly overstepped their bounds and killed one of the concertgoers. This incident is only the most publicized in a long-history of criminal incidents. In recent years the Hell’s Angels were involved in a shooting in Sparks, Nevada. Jeffrey Pettigrew, president of the San Jose chapter, was shot in the back two times by members of a rival gang (Lavigne 2010). In 2002 another incident occurred in Nevada. Referred to the River Run Riot the Hell’s Angels engaged in physical conflict on the casino floor (Lavigne 2010). This incident

September 1913 Essay Example for Free

September 1913 Essay Unlike some of his earlier work, this poem adopts a new tone and style which expresses a hatred for the Catholic Bourgeoisie. [2] Yeats new use of unpleasant adjectives such as greasy is very much indicative of the tone, as he expresses that religion and the middle class is crafty and sly. Moreover, the use of the strong ABAB rhyme scheme maintains a spiteful and accusatory tone. The poem focuses on manifesting Yeats new stance of belief exploring his new political mind and celebrating those, whom he believes worth of praise. Notably, in all four of the refrains, Yeats mentions John OLeary, who was an Irish separatist of a different kind. His political stance was much less self-interested, compared with many of Yeats contemporaries, as he instead focused on getting the greatest good for Ireland. It is clear through the poem, Yeats admires this and wishes for a return to the less egotistical and self-driven politics of a bygone era. 3] Yeats does, however, appear to question whether these great historical figures, whom he admired and previously emulated in the style of his earlier work, are comprehensive in their understanding of the world in which they lived. Yeats wrote this poem following the Dublin Lock-Out and The Hugh Lane Bequest. Robert Emmet, mentioned in the poem, planned for a revolution several times, unsuccessfully. When he was finally successful, he was said to try and stop everything mid-rebellion, because he witnessed a man being pulled from his horse and killed. Considering that Emmet had spent months previously manufacturing explosives and weapons, this sudden drawback at the sight of violence, suggests that he did not fully understand the implications of a revolution. Perhaps Yeats is acknowledging the naivety of some Irish Republican figures like Robert Emmet, and himself, following public violence as a result of attempts at revolution.

Joe Conrad :: essays research papers fc

Joseph Conrad was a very talented author. He started writing at the age of thirty-two, and began telling many tales of his life on the sea. In his youth he was a sailor and traveled to many places such as the Orient, and the Congo. It are his experiences on the Congo that serves as his primary source for his story The Heart of Darkness. This book was actually a story of a man, Charles Marlow, telling the story of his experience in Africa. While in Africa, Marlow's attitude towards life changes as can be seen in the following excerpts from the book. "We live in the flicker-may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling!" (68). When Marlow gives that quote, he has not yet started his story. He is on a ship after a bad storm, and is about to begin. This particular quote has a zest to it. It tells one to live every moment to the fullest because life is but a flicker. This quote also tells the reader that Marlow wants to live a long life. After finishing the book, his statement seemed a bit strange because Marlow's tone became less enthusiastic at the end. However, Marlow survived through the experiences he told in his story. If he is still able to look back at his life and say, "may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling!," then he must make the most out of it, and not let a few bad experiences change his attitude towards it. I couldn't help asking him once what he meant by coming there at all. 'To make money of course. what do you think?' he said, scornfully. Then he got fever, and had to be carried in a hammock slung under a pole...(86) This quote tells the reader much about the type of men that went to Africa. Most went only for the money-not giving a second thought to their health and safety. This particular man got deathly ill, and still was concerned only for money. Conrad was making a statement in this quote that too many people today do things only for money. Nobody works because they have a passion for what they do. People are too willing to put their lives on the line just to make a little money. Marlow was disgusted when the man snapped at him. Marlow he went to Africa because he had desired to do so since he was a little boy. He was an explorer at heart, and did not risk his

Bob and the Troubles of China

Name ________________________ The Odyssey Study Questions- ANSWERS Book One (p. 77-92): 1. What do you see as the attitude of the Gods' towards men? They think men are foolish. They bring most pain and suffering upon themselves. 2. What do you see as the attitude of the Greeks towards hospitality? They take the role of hosts seriously. The Greeks had to open their home, be gracious, and share their food, and drink with their guests. 3. How would you characterize Telemachus at this point? What are his strengths? Telemachus is trying to be a good host and holds himself to a higher set of standards.He is disgusted by the behaviors of the suitors around his home. He cares about the values and morals of the Greeks. 4. What are his weaknesses? He has allowed the suitors to overtake his father’s home. 5. How does Athena plan to affect Telemachus? Athena poses as a man, Mentes (Odysseus’ friend) and enters Telemachus’ home. She tells Telemachus that Odysseus is still ali ve and that he must rid the home of the suitors. 6. What tragic homecoming story do we hear of? How does it relate to the situation in Ithaca? The Achaeans’ Journey Home from Troy.It is the story of Odysseus and his men. 7. Who is Phemius? The bard- he tells stories and entertains. 8. How does Telemachus show strength with Penelope? He confronts her when she is weeping over Odysseus. â€Å"I hold the reins of power in this house† (p. 89) 9. How does this relate to the visit of Athena? Athena helps Telemachus to confront his mother and the suitors- something he would not have done on his own. Athena now sends him on a journey to find his father (Book Two). Book Two (p. 93-106): 1. What is the suitor's attitude towards Penelope's reluctance to choose one of them?The suitors think Penelope is toying with them. They want Telemachus to stand up to his mother and either make her choose a suitor or kick her out. 2. Why do they think it is their right to â€Å"demand† t hat she choose? They think they can demand Penelope choose because she has been leading them on for over three years. Penelope has been weaving a shroud for Laertes. She told the suitors she would choose from among them when she finished the shroud, but the men found out she has been unweaving it at night. 3. What are the two different interpretations of the omen?The omen: two eagles (Zeus’ animal) fly across the sky (p. 98). Interpretation 1: Halitherses says Zeus is saying Odysseus will return home shortly (p. 98). Interpretation 2: Eurymachus says they are just birds, but then offers his own prophecy: Telemachus will be hurt and Halitherses will be fined (p. 99). 4. How does Telemachus respond to the position put forward by Antinous? Antinous wants Telemachus to force his mother to choose and says that Telemachus should forget that he and his mother have been wronged and just feast with the suitors.Telemachus refuses on all accounts. Antinous says Telemachus will die on hi s journey. (p. 102-103) *He lets his nurse (nursemaid) know he is leaving to go to Sparta, but doesn’t want to tell his mother till â€Å"ten or a dozen days have passed / or she misses me herself and learns I’m gone† because â€Å"she mustn’t mar her lovely face with tears† (p. 105). BOOK THREE SUMMARY At Pylos, Telemachus and Mentor (Athena in disguise) witness an impressive religious ceremony in which dozens of bulls are sacrificed to Poseidon, the god of the sea.Although Telemachus has little experience with public speaking, Mentor gives him the encouragement that he needs to approach Nestor, the city’s king, and ask him about Odysseus. Nestor, however, has no information about the Greek hero. He recounts that after the fall of Troy a falling-out occurred between Agamemnon and Menelaus, the two Greek brothers who had led the expedition. Menelaus set sail for Greece immediately, while Agamemnon decided to wait a day and continue sacrifici ng on the shores of Troy. Nestor went with Menelaus, while Odysseus stayed with Agamemnon, and he has heard no news of Odysseus.He says that he can only pray that Athena will show Telemachus the kindness that she showed Odysseus. He adds that he has heard that suitors have taken over the prince’s house in Ithaca and that he hopes that Telemachus will achieve the renown in defense of his father that Orestes, son of Agamemnon, won in defense of his father. Telemachus then asks Nestor about Agamemnon’s fate. Nestor explains that Agamemnon returned from Troy to find that Aegisthus, a base coward who remained behind while the Greeks fought in Troy, had seduced and married his wife, Clytemnestra.With her approval, Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon. He would have then taken over Agamemnon’s kingdom had not Orestes, who was in exile in Athens, returned and killed Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. THIS IS THE STORY ZEUS WAS REFERRING TO IN BOOK 1. Nestor holds the courage of Oreste s up as an example for Telemachus. He sends his own son Pisistratus along to accompany Telemachus to Sparta, and the two set out by land the next day. Athena, who reveals her divinity by shedding the form of Mentor and changing into an eagle before the entire court of Pylos, stays behind to protect Telemachus’s ship and its crew.BOOK FOUR SUMMARY In Sparta, the king and queen, Menelaus and Helen (â€Å"THE FACE THAT LAUNCHED 1000 SHIPS†- THE ONE THE TROJAN WAR WAS OVER), are celebrating the separate marriages of their son and daughter. They happily greet Pisistratus and Telemachus, the latter of whom they soon recognize as the son of Odysseus because of the clear family resemblance. As they all feast, the king and queen recount with melancholy the many examples of Odysseus’s cunning at Troy. Helen recalls how Odysseus dressed as a beggar to infiltrate the city’s walls.Menelaus tells the famous story of the Trojan horse, Odysseus’s masterful gambit that allowed the Greeks to sneak into Troy and slaughter the Trojans. The following day, Menelaus recounts his own return from Troy. He says that, stranded in Egypt, he was forced to capture Proteus, the divine Old Man of the Sea. Proteus told him the way back to Sparta and then informed him of the fates of Agamemnon and Ajax, another Greek hero, who survived Troy only to perish back in Greece. Proteus also told him news of Odysseus—that he was still alive but was imprisoned by Calypso on her island.Buoyed by this report, Telemachus and Pisistratus return to Pylos to set sail for Ithaca. Meanwhile, the suitors at Odysseus’s house learn of Telemachus’s voyage and prepare to ambush him upon his return. The herald Medon overhears their plans and reports them to Penelope. She becomes distraught when she reflects that she may soon lose her son in addition to her husband, but Athena sends a phantom in the form of Penelope’s sister, Iphthime, to reassure her. Ip hthime tells her not to worry, for the goddess will protect Telemachus. Book Five (p. 152-167): 1.How long does Odysseus stay on Calypso's island? He was with Calypso for seven years (she got him on his way home from Troy). 2. What is the source of Calypso's power over Odysseus? She is an attractive goddess who is â€Å"lustrous† (p. 155, 157, 158). It is a sexual seductive power. 3. What do we learn of Calypso's feelings for Odysseus? She loves Odysseus and saved him. She wants to keep him (p. 156). He does not want her â€Å"unwilling lover alongside lover all too willing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 157). 4. What will Calypso give Odysseus if he stays with her? Hermes comes from Zeus and demands Calypso release him.She offers Odysseus immortality if he stays with her (p. 158-159). 5. Calypso asks Odysseus to compare her with Penelope; does Odysseus respond satisfactorily? â€Å"[Penelope] falls short of you [Calypso], / your beauty, stature. She is mortal after all / and you, you n ever age or die†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 159). REMEMBER, GODDESSES ARE ULTRA SENSITIVE. 6. How would you characterize the making of the raft, and the departure of Odysseus? Cut 20 trees and made his raft (more of a ship) with Calypso bringing him tools and showing him where things were. It took 4 days. On the 5th day, Calypso launched him from her island.On the 18th day, Poseidon noticed him â€Å"Outrageous! † (p. 161) and created chaos on the ocean. 7. For how many days does Odysseus swim? Three days (p. 164). 8. Why does Zeus, despite his liking of Odysseus, allow Poseidon to make this journey such an ordeal? Poseidon is a god and angry. Zeus will not allow him to kill Odysseus, but take out his frustration. 9. Ino-Leucothea, in the guise of a seabird, gives him her veil. Why veil? She felt bad for him, â€Å"Ah poor man, / why is the god of earthquakes so dead set against you? †¦ Here, take this scarf [veil], / tie it around your waist— it is immortal† (p. 63) . To save him. He could tie it around himself without weighing himself down. 10. Why does Odysseus return Ino's veil to the sea? He returned it to her as she was in the sea (he feared it at first thinking it might be a trick of another goddess) (p. 166). 11. After two days of swimming, note several phases of decision-making. Does Odysseus accomplish his rescue on his own? â€Å"If I clamber out, some big comber will hoist me, / dash me against that cliff†¦ If I keep on swimming down the coast, trying to find a seabeach †¦ another gale will snatch me up and hail me back†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 165).He needed help from Athena and Ino. BOOK SIX SUMMARY That night, Athena appears in a dream to the Phaeacian princess Nausicaa, disguised as her friend. She encourages the young princess to go to the river the next day to wash her clothes so that she will appear more fetching to the many men courting her. The next morning, Nausicaa goes to the river, and while she and her handmaidens a re naked, playing ball as their clothes dry on the ground, Odysseus wakes in the forest and encounters them. Naked himself, he humbly yet winningly pleads for their assistance, never revealing his identity.Nausicaa leaves him alone to wash the dirt and brine from his body, and Athena makes him look especially handsome, so that when Nausicaa sees him again she begins to fall in love with him. Afraid of causing a scene if she walks into the city with a strange man at her side, Nausicaa gives Odysseus directions to the palace and advice on how to approach Arete, queen of the Phaeacians, when he meets her. With a prayer to Athena for hospitality from the Phaeacians, Odysseus sets out for the palace. BOOK SEVEN SUMMARY On his way to the palace of Alcinous, the king of the Phaeacians, Odysseus is stopped by a young girl who is Athena in disguise.She offers to guide him to the king’s house and shrouds him in a protective mist that keeps the Phaeacians, a kind but somewhat xenophobic people, from harassing him. She also advises him to direct his plea for help to Arete, the wise and strong queen who will know how to get him home. Once Athena has delivered Odysseus to the palace, she departs from Scheria to her beloved city of Athens. Odysseus finds the palace residents holding a festival in honor of Poseidon. He is struck by the splendor of the palace and the king’s opulence.As soon as he sees the queen, he throws himself at her feet, and the mist about him dissipates. At first, the king wonders if this wayward traveler might be a god, but without revealing his identity, Odysseus puts the king’s suspicions to rest by declaring that he is indeed a mortal. He then explains his predicament, and the king and queen gladly promise to see him off the next day in a Phaeacian ship. Later that evening, when the king and queen are alone with Odysseus, the wise Arete recognizes the clothes that he is wearing as ones that she herself had made for her daughter N ausicaa.Suspicious, she interrogates Odysseus further. While still withholding his name, Odysseus responds by recounting the story of his journey from Calypso’s island and his encounter with Nausicaa that morning, which involved her giving him a set of clothes to wear. To absolve the princess for not accompanying him to the palace, Odysseus claims that it was his idea to come alone. Alcinous is so impressed with his visitor that he offers Odysseus his daughter’s hand in marriage. BOOK EIGHT SUMMARY The next day, Alcinous calls an assembly of his Phaeacian counselors.Athena, back from Athens, ensures attendance by spreading word that the topic of discussion will be the godlike visitor who recently appeared on the island. At the assembly, Alcinous proposes providing a ship for his visitor so that the man can return to his homeland. The measure is approved, and Alcinous invites the counselors to his palace for a feast and celebration of games in honor of his guest. There, a blind bard named Demodocus sings of the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. Everyone listens with pleasure except Odysseus, who weeps at the painful memories that the story recalls.The king notices Odysseus’s grief and ends the feast so that the games can begin. The games include the standard lineup of boxing, wrestling, racing, and throwing of the discus. At one point, Odysseus is asked to participate. Still overcome by his many hardships, he declines. One of the young athletes, Broadsea, then insults him, which goads his pride to action. Odysseus easily wins the discus toss and then challenges the Phaeacian athletes to any other form of competition they choose. The discussion becomes heated, but Alcinous diffuses the situation by insisting that Odysseus join them in another east, at which the Phaeacian youth entertain him and prove their preeminence in song and dance. Demodocus performs again, this time a light song about a tryst between Ares and Aphrodite. Af terward, Alcinous and each of the young Phaeacian men, including Broadsea, give Odysseus gifts to take with him on his journey home. At dinner that night, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing of the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy, but as he listens to the accomplished minstrel he again breaks down. King Alcinous again notices and stops the music. He asks Odysseus at last to tell him who he is, where he is from, and where he is going.Book Nine (p. 211-229): 1. Where do Odysseus and his men go first after they leave Troy? Ismarus- they raided the city, killed the men, and took the women. 2. Who are the Cicones? The people of Ismarus. They bring an army against Odysseus and kill six men from each of his twelve ships. 3. Who are the lotus eaters? They offer Odysseus’ men lotus flowers which make them uncaring about anything but eating more lotus flowers. 4. How does Polyphemus prevent Odysseus and his men from leaving his cave? He puts giant boulder in front of the mouth of the cav e. 5. What does Polyphemus' diet consist of?People, goats, cheese, milk. 6. Are the Cyclops in any way civilized? (Opinion) 7. What mistake does Odysseus makes as he sails away? He tells Polyphemus his real name and taunts him. Book Ten (p. 230-248): 1. After the attack from the Laestrygonians, how many ships are left out of the original twelve? One- only Odysseus’ ship. 2. What sort of character is Circe? What craft does she practice that Penelope also practices? She is immortal and a sensual woman. She is gifted in weaving like Penelope (remember her death shroud deal). 3. Why (aside from her magic) is she able to turn Odysseus' men into swine?How do they offend her? She drugged the men when they drank. She didn’t like their behavior. 4. Into what does Circe transform Odysseus' crew? Pigs. 5. What does Hermes give to Odysseus? Moly (a poisonous plant) to stop him from being changed by Circe’s wine potion; it is no longer poisonous because a god gave it to him. 6. What makes Odysseus give in to Circe's enticements? Is this typical of him? She is a beautiful immortal woman who promised to return his crew to their form. We know he stayed with Calypso, so it seems within character. 7. How long does Odysseus stay in Circe's palace? year. 8. Why does he want to leave? He wants to go back to Ithaca and his wife. 9. Where must Odysseus go to learn his way home? He must go to the Underworld and talk to Tiresias (the blind prophet- same one from Oedipus). Book Eleven (p. 249-270): 1. What favor does Elpenor ask of Odysseus? He wants Odysseus to give his body a proper burial- the one who fell off of the roof at Circe’s and died (p. 251). 2. What ritual does Odysseus perform in order to meet those in the Underworld? He gives libations (milk, honey, wine, water) and performs sacrifices (sheep). 3.What does Tiresias do in order to speak to Odysseus? He had to drink the blood of the sacrifices. 4. What does Odysseus learn about his journey from Tiresias in Hades? He will get home, but if he touches the cattle of Helios, he will lose all his men and have a more treacherous trip home (p. 253). He will have to make amends to Poseidon at the end of his journey. 5. What does Odysseus learn from Anticleia? What does he try to do after she speaks to him? Why does he fail? Anticleia is his mother. She died of grief while he was gone. Penelope is still waiting for him. His father is still alive but is ad because Odysseus is still gone. He kept trying to hold/hug her, but she kept dissolving because she is only a soul. 6. What does Agamemnon tell Odysseus about how men should feel about women? Is it significant that earlier in the book we hear about celebrated women? He thinks women are shameful. They are manipulative and wily (p. 262- 263). 7. What is the reason for Ajax's anger at Odysseus? Ajax refuses to talk to Odysseus. Ajax still holds a grudge over the fact that Odysseus won the armor of Achilles (during the Trojan War). 8. What is the Greek Underworld (Hades) like?The souls come up out of Erebus. As Persephone brings him through the Underworld, he sees Minos judged the dead. Orion is in a field, Tityus is being tortured with two eagles eating his liver. He sees torment and suffering everywhere. 9. What do you make of Tantalus and Sisyphus? They are being punished for eternity. Tantalus can’t eat or drink but is forever thirsty and hungry. Sisyphus is constantly pushing a boulder to the uphill and it rolls back down just as he is about to push it over the top. They are to suffer futility. Book Twelve (p. 271-285): 1. Why has Odysseus returned to Aeaea?He needs to bury the body of Elpenor as he promised. 2. How does Circe help him? She warns Odysseus of all the dangers that await them- the Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis, the cattle of the sun god and how to lose the fewest men. 3. What does the episode of the Sirens tell us about Odysseus' character? Homer's understanding of the power of music? He alo ne is to hear the Siren’s song. He is unique and stronger than the other men with whom he travels. Homer understands that music has power to seduce, tame, and incite. 4. What advice does Odysseus take that Circe gives him about Scylla and Charybdis?What does this tell us about leadership? He braves Scylla rather than Charybdis. If he took on the whirlpool, he would have lost his entire crew. He is willing, as a leader, to make hard choices. 5. Why are the cattle of Helios' island so tempting? The men have not eaten fresh meat in a long time. 6. What warning does Odysseus give his men? Do not eat the cattle of the sun god. 7. This is not the first time Odysseus' warnings are ignored. Whose fault is this? Opinion. 8. This is also not the first time Odysseus's orders are defied. Does this absolve him of responsibility? Opinion. BOOK THIRTEEN SUMMARYThe account of his wanderings now finished, Odysseus looks forward to leaving Scheria. The next day, Alcinous loads his gifts on boa rd the ship that will carry Odysseus to Ithaca. Odysseus sets sail as soon as the sun goes down. He sleeps the whole night, while the Phaeacian crew commands the ship. He remains asleep even when the ship lands the next morning. The crew gently carries him and his gifts to shore and then sails for home. When Poseidon spots Odysseus in Ithaca, he becomes enraged at the Phaeacians for assisting his nemesis. He complains to Zeus, who allows him to punish the Phaeacians.Just as their ship is pulling into harbor at Scheria, the prophecy mentioned at the end of Book 8 is fulfilled: the ship suddenly turns to stone and sinks to the bottom of the sea. The onlookers ashore immediately recognize the consummation of the prophecy and resolve to abandon their custom of helping wayward travelers. Back in Ithaca, Odysseus wakes to find a country that he doesn’t recognize, for Athena has shrouded it in mist to conceal its true form while she plans his next move. At first, he curses the Phaea cians, whom he thinks have duped him and left him in some unknown land.But Athena, disguised as a shepherd, meets him and tells him that he is indeed in Ithaca. With characteristic cunning, Odysseus acts to conceal his identity from her until she reveals hers. Delighted by Odysseus’s tricks, Athena announces that it is time for Odysseus to use his wits to punish the suitors. She tells him to hide out in the hut of his swineherd, Eumaeus. She informs him that Telemachus has gone in search of news of him and gives him the appearance of an old vagabond so that no one will recognize him. BOOK FOURTEEN SUMMARY Odysseus finds Eumaeus outside his hut. Although Eumaeus doesn’t recognize he withered traveler as his master, he invites him inside. There Odysseus has a hearty meal of pork and listens as Eumaeus heaps praise upon the memory of his former master, whom he fears is lost for good, and scorn upon the behavior of his new masters, the vile suitors. Odysseus predicts that Eumaeus will see his master again quite soon, but Eumaeus will hear none of it—he has encountered too many vagabonds looking for a handout from Penelope in return for fabricated news of Odysseus. Still, Eumaeus takes a liking to his guest. He puts him up for the night and even lets him borrow a cloak to keep out the cold.When Eumaeus asks Odysseus about his origins, Odysseus lies that he is from Crete. He fought with Odysseus at Troy and made it home safely, he claims, but a trip that he made later to Egypt went awry, and he was reduced to poverty. It was during this trip, he says, that he heard that Odysseus was still alive. BOOK FIFTEEN SUMMARY Athena travels to Sparta, where she finds Telemachus and Pisistratus, Nestor’s son. She tells Telemachus he must hurry home to Ithaca before the suitors succeed in winning his mother’s hand. She also warns him of the ambush that they have set and explains how to avoid it.Finally, she instructs him to head first for the home of the swineherd Eumaeus, who will convey the news of his safe return to Penelope. The next day, Telemachus announces his departure and accepts gifts from Menelaus and Helen. As Telemachus pulls away from the palace in his chariot, an eagle carrying a goose stolen from a pen swoops down beside him. Helen interprets the incident as an omen that Odysseus is about to swoop down on his home and exact revenge on the suitors. Once at Pylos, Telemachus has Pisistratus drop him off at his ship, insisting that he has no time to spare to visit Nestor again.The ship is about to set off when Theoclymenus, a famous prophet’s descendant who is fleeing prosecution for a crime of manslaughter that he committed in Argos, approaches Telemachus and asks to come aboard. Telemachus welcomes him and offers him hospitality when they get to Ithaca. In the hut of Eumaeus, Odysseus tests the limit of his hospitality by offering to leave in the morning, a false gesture that he hopes will prompt Eu maeus to offer to let him stay longer. He urges the old man not to go out of his way and says that he will earn his keep working for the suitors, butEumaeus will have none of it. To get mixed up with those suitors, he warns, would be suicide. Odysseus and the swineherd then swap stories. Eumaeus explains how he first came to Ithaca: the son of a king, he was stolen from his house by Phoenician pirates with the help of a maid that his father employed. The pirates took him all over the seas until Laertes, Odysseus’s father, bought him in Ithaca. There, Laertes’ wife brought him up alongside her own daughter, the youngest born. The next morning, Telemachus reaches the shores of Ithaca. He disembarks while the crew heads to the city by ship.He entrusts Theoclymenus to a loyal crewman, Piraeus. As they part, they see a hawk fly by carrying a dove in its talons, which Theoclymenus interprets as a favorable sign of the strength of Odysseus’s house and line. Book Sixtee n (p. 338-353): 1. How does Eumaeus greet Telemachus? He wept and sobbed. He greeted him as he would his own son. (p. 339) 2. What errand is Eumaeus sent on? He is to tell Penelope that Telemachus has returned and to have her housekeeper tell Odysseus’ father (Laertes) that he is home (p. 343). 3. Why does Odysseus reveal his identity to Telemachus?Athena urged him on so the two could plot the demise of the suitors (p. 343-344). 4. How does Odysseus' look when he reveals himself to his son? p. 344- He is tall, handsome, black hair, etc. He is heroic looking (godlike). 5. How does Telemachus react when Odysseus identifies himself? At first he does not believe it is him. â€Å"No, you’re not Odysseus! Not my father! † (p. 344). 6. What are the three major points of strategy in the plan which Odysseus tells to Telemachus? a. Odysseus will pretend to be a beggar as he enters the hall with the suitors.Telemachus will hide all the weapons except for 2 swords, 2 spears , and 2 oxhide bucklers for Odysseus and Telemachus. b. Athena ; Zeus will daze the suitors. c. Odysseus and Telemachus will kill all the suitors (and possibly Penelope if she has not been faithful). 7. What does Antinous try to get the suitors to do? He wants them to plot to kill Telemachus (p. 350). 8. Who offers a different perspective? Amphinomus says that it’s not right to kill the descendants of kings, but if Zeus wants it, then he will do it, but not before. 9. How does Penelope learn of what the suitors are thinking?The herald Medon told her what transpired (p. 351). 10. How does Penelope react to this information? She confronts Antinous (p. 351). 11. Which of the suitors attempts to reassure her? Eurymachus tells her no one will try to hurt her son. BOOK SEVENTEEN SUMMARY Telemachus leaves Odysseus at Eumaeus’s hut and heads to his palace, where he receives a tearful welcome from Penelope and the nurse Eurycleia. In the palace hall he meets Theoclymenus and Pi raeus. He tells Piraeus not to bring his gifts from Menelaus to the palace; he fears that the suitors will steal them if they kill him.When he sits down to eat with Penelope, Telemachus tells her what little news he received of Odysseus in Pylos and Sparta, but he doesn’t reveal that he has seen Odysseus with his own eyes in Eumaeus’s hut. Theoclymenus then speaks up and swears that Odysseus is in Ithaca at this very moment. Meanwhile, Eumaeus and Odysseus set out toward town in Telemachus’s footsteps. On the way they meet Melanthius, a base subordinate of the suitors, who heaps scorn on Eumaeus and kicks his beggar companion. Odysseus receives a similar welcome at the palace.The suitors give him food with great reluctance, and Antinous goes out of his way to insult him. When Odysseus answers insult with insult, Antinous gives him a blow with a stool that disgusts even the other suitors. Report of this cruelty reaches Penelope, who asks to have the beggar brough t to her so that she can question him about Odysseus. Odysseus, however, doesn’t want the suitors to see him heading toward the queen’s room. Eumaeus announces that he must return to his hut and hogs, leaving Odysseus alone with Telemachus and the suitors. BOOK EIGHTEEN SUMMARYAnother beggar, Arnaeus (nicknamed Irus), saunters into the palace. For a beggar, he is rather brash: he insults Odysseus and challenges him to a boxing match. He thinks that he will make quick work of the old man, but Athena gives Odysseus extra strength and stature. Irus soon regrets challenging the old man and tries to escape, but by now the suitors have taken notice and are egging on the fight for the sake of their own entertainment. It ends quickly as Odysseus floors Irus and stops just short of killing him. The suitors congratulate Odysseus.One in particular, the moderate Amphinomus, toasts him and gives him food. Odysseus, fully aware of the bloodshed to come and overcome by pity for Amphi nomus, pulls the man aside. He predicts to Amphinomus that Odysseus will soon be home and gives him a thinly veiled warning to abandon the palace and return to his own land. But Amphinomus doesn’t depart, despite being â€Å"fraught with grave forebodings,† for Athena has bound him to death at the hands of Telemachus (18. 176). Athena now puts it into Penelope’s head to make an appearance before her suitors.The goddess gives her extra stature and beauty to inflame their hearts. When Penelope speaks to the suitors, she leads them on by telling them that Odysseus had instructed her to take a new husband if he should fail to return before Telemachus began growing facial hair. She then tricks them, to the silent delight of Odysseus, into bringing her gifts by claiming that any suitor worth his salt would try to win her hand by giving things to her instead of taking what’s rightfully hers. The suitors shower her with presents, and, as they celebrate, Odysseus instructs the maidservants to go to Penelope.The maidservant Melantho, Melanthius’s sister, insults him as an inferior being and a drunk; Odysseus then scares them off with threats. Hoping to make Odysseus even more angry at the suitors, Athena now inspires Eurymachus to insult him. When Odysseus responds with insults of his own, Eurymachus throws a stool at him but misses, hitting a servant instead. Just as a riot is about to break out, Telemachus steps in and diffuses the situation, to the consternation of the suitors. Book Nineteen (p. 390-409): 1. What ruse does Odysseus tell Telemachus to carry out at the beginning of the book?Telemachus is to tell the suitors he is putting the weapons away for safe keeping and so that they will not hurt each other when they are drunk. 2. What does the stranger ask Penelope not to ask him? Why? Does she ask him anyway? He says, â€Å"don’t, please, search out my birth, my land, / or you’ll fill my heart to overflowing even more / as I bring back the past† (p. 394). The stranger is Odysseus and he doesn’t want to reveal himself yet. She wants to test his honesty. 3. Where does Odysseus tell Penelope he is from? Does this story have anything in common with the story he tells Eumaeus?He says he is from Crete. It parallels (many of the same strokes) the stories he has told in the past (he has to keep his lies in order). 4. How does Penelope react to what she hears of Odysseus? How does Odysseus react to her reaction? She is moved and upset. She weeps and says she believes he knew Odysseus. He reassures her. He is happy that she misses him and has been loyal to him. 5. What prediction does Odysseus give to Penelope? Odysseus will return within the month. â€Å"True, this very month- just as the old moon dies / and the new moon rises into life- Odysseus will return! (p. 400). 6. How did Odysseus obtain the scar that Eurycleia recognizes? (On his foot) He got it while hunting boar with his gra ndfather Autolycus. 7. What does Odysseus say to Eurycleia? He says he will kill all of the maids in the house, but Eurycleia says she will tell him who is guilty and who is innocent. 8. What is the dream which Penelope describes to Odysseus? How does he interpret it? An eagle kills all of her 20 geese. It then speaks â€Å"Courage, daughter of Famous King Icarus! / This is no dream but a happy waking vision, / real as day, that will come true for you. These geese were your suitors†¦ † (p. 407-409). Odysseus says it is a prophecy of the future- that Odysseus has basically told her through her dream what will happen. 9. How does the stranger affect Penelope? Why is she favorably disposed toward the stranger? She trusts him (because she can connect with him). 10. How does Penelope plan to test the suitors to see which one she will marry? She will marry the one who can string Odysseus’ bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axes set in a line (think the aspects of a hero- they have a special weapon only they can wield).BOOK TWENTY SUMMARY Penelope and Odysseus both have trouble sleeping that night. Odysseus worries that he and Telemachus will never be able to conquer so many suitors, but Athena reassures him that through the gods all things are possible. Tormented by the loss of her husband and her commitment to remarry, Penelope wakes and prays for Artemis to kill her. Her distress wakes Odysseus, who asks Zeus for a good omen. Zeus responds with a clap of thunder, and, at once, a maid in an adjacent room is heard cursing the suitors.As the palace springs to life the next day, Odysseus and Telemachus meet, in succession, the swineherd Eumaeus, the foul Melanthius, and Philoetius, a kindly and loyal herdsman who says that he has not yet given up hope of Odysseus’s return. The suitors enter, once again plotting Telemachus’s murder. Amphinomus convinces them to call it off, however, when a portent of doom appears in the form of an eagle carrying a dove in its talons. But Athena keeps the suitors antagonistic all through dinner to prevent Odysseus’s anger from losing its edge.Ctesippus, a wealthy and arrogant suitor, throws a cow’s hoof at Odysseus, in response to which Telemachus threatens to run him through with his sword. The suitors laugh and laugh, failing to notice that they and the walls of the room are covered in blood and that their faces have assumed a foreign, ghostly look—all of which Theoclymenus interprets as portents of inescapable doom. Book Twenty-One (p. 424-438): 1. What must the stringer of the bow do with his shot? Shoot the arrow through 12 axes in a line (almost impossible) with one arrow. 2.In what way do Telemachus' words after â€Å"giving up† show him to be a worthy son? He could have strung the bow, and is doing this on purpose to entice the suitors to the challenge, but in the process makes himself look weak- something he is willing to do for his father. 3. Wh at is Antinous' and Eurymachus' reaction to the challenge? Antinous yells at the servants for crying. He then admits it will be a difficult challenge to overcome (which he hopes to do). Eurymachus considers it a disgrace if they cannot string the bow. 4. Melanthius is ordered to do what in order to make the bow easier to bend?Get a fire going and grease. They will â€Å"Heat and limber the bow and rub it with grease† to make it easier to bend (p. 430). 5. How does Odysseus prove his identity to the cowherd and the swineherd? He showed them the scar on his foot. 6. What is the purpose of the â€Å"biography† of the bow? It shows us that his bow is special (only he can wield it). â€Å"His well-sprung bow was there, / and quivers, too, with lots of painful arrows, / gifts he had received from Iphitus, his friend, / son of Eurytus, a man like the immortals, / when they'd met in Lacedaemon, in Messene, / at the home of wise Ortilochus.Odysseus / had gone there to collect a debt the people owed— / Messenian men had run off with three hundred sheep / and seized the shepherds, too, leaving Ithaca  / in their ships with many oars. Because of this, / Odysseus, who was just a boy, had been sent  / a long way by his father and other senior men, / part of an embassy. Iphitus was searching / for twelve mares he'd lost and sturdy mules, as well, / still on the teat. Later on these animals / led him to a fatal destiny, the day he met / the mortal Hercules, Zeus' great-hearted son, / who knew all there was to know about great exploits. Hercules slaughtered him, although he was a guest  / in his own home—a cruel man who didn't care / about the anger of the gods or the dining table / he'd set before him. After their meal, he killed him / and kept the strong-hoofed mares with him at home  / for his own use. While Iphitus was enquiring / about these horses, he got to meet Odysseus / and gave him the bow. In earlier days, this weapon had been u sed by mighty Eurytus, and when he died, / he'd left it for his son in his high-roofed home. / Odysseus had given him a keen-edged sword  / and a powerful spear, as well. This was the start / of their close friendship.But they never bonded / as mutual dinner guests—before that happened / Zeus' son had murdered Iphitus, son of Eurytus, / a man like the immortals, who gave Odysseus / that bow of his. Lord Odysseus never took it / whenever he went off to war in his black ships. / It lay there in his home as a memorial  / to a dear friend. He carried it in his own land. † 7. Penelope's taking the bow from its hiding place is one of the most moving moments in this part of the poem – why? This is the first time we really see Penelope weep openly for Odysseus. She sobs and believes that he is never coming home. She then sat down, placed the bow case on her knees,/ and wept aloud, as she took out her husband's bow. † Book Twenty-Two (p. 439-454): 1. What is Ant inous doing when Odysseus shoots him? Why is he the first victim? He shoots him just as he’s about to drink. 2. How do the other suitors appeal to Odysseus? At first they turn on him (the stranger) and tell him he will be punished for killing a man of Ithaca. Once Odysseus reveals himself, they say he has gotten his revenge- Antinous was the one who spurred them on. They offer to repay him for all they have taken, eaten, and destroyed. (p. 440-441) 3. How does Eurymachus react to Mentor? 4. How much does Athena help Odysseus, and how much is the victory his? She gives him guidance and makes the suitors (most of) miss when they are throwing spears at Odysseus and Telemachus. Arguments can be made that he would not have won without her guidance and interference. 5. Who tests the strength and courage of Odysseus and Telemachus? Athena. â€Å"Athena spoke. But she did not give him the strength  / to win that fight decisively. She was still testing / the power and resolution of Odysseus / and his splendid son. So she flew up to the roof / inside the smoky hall, and sat there, taking on  / the appearance of a swallow. 6. The dead suitors are compared to what kind of creatures? Bodies= dead fish Bodies= ox lion (Odysseus) has â€Å"devoured† 7. Which appendages does Melanthius lose? Where do they end up? (Remember Antinous' threats to send Irus to Echetus in the beginning of Book 18; and a similar threat to Odysseus in Book 21) They â€Å"lopped (cut off) his nose and ears with a ruthless knife, / tore his genitals out for the dogs to eat raw / and in manic fury hacked off hands and feet† (p. 454). BOOK TWENTY-THREE SUMMARY Eurycleia goes upstairs to call Penelope, who has slept through the entire fight.Penelope doesn’t believe anything that Eurycleia says, and she remains in disbelief even when she comes downstairs and sees her husband with her own eyes. Telemachus rebukes her for not greeting Odysseus more lovingly after his long ab sence, but Odysseus has other problems to worry about. He has just killed all of the noble young men of Ithaca—their parents will surely be greatly distressed. He decides that he and his family will need to lay low at their farm for a while. In the meantime, a minstrel strikes up a happy song so that no passers-by will suspect what has taken place in the palace.Penelope remains wary, afraid that a god is playing a trick on her. She orders Eurycleia to move her bridal bed, and Odysseus suddenly flares up at her that their bed is immovable, explaining how it is built from the trunk of an olive tree around which the house had been constructed. Hearing him recount these details, she knows that this man must be her husband. They get reacquainted and, afterward, Odysseus gives his wife a brief account of his wanderings. He also tells her about the trip that he must make to fulfill the prophecy of Tiresias in Book 11.The next day, he leaves with Telemachus for Laertes’ orchar d. He gives Penelope instructions not to leave her room or receive any visitors. Athena cloaks Odysseus and Telemachus in darkness so that no one will see them as they walk through the town. BOOK TWENTY-FOUR SUMMARY The scene changes abruptly. Hermes leads the souls of the suitors, crying like bats, into Hades. Agamemnon and Achilles argue over who had the better death. Agamemnon describes Achilles’ funeral in detail. They see the suitors coming in and ask how so many noble young men met their end.The suitor Amphimedon, whom Agamemnon knew in life, gives a brief account of their ruin, pinning most of the blame on Penelope and her indecision. Agamemnon contrasts the constancy of Penelope with the treachery of Clytemnestra. Back in Ithaca, Odysseus travels to Laertes’ farm. He sends his servants into the house so that he can be alone with his father in the gardens. Odysseus finds that Laertes has aged prematurely out of grief for his son and wife. He doesn’t recog nize Odysseus, and Odysseus doesn’t immediately reveal himself, pretending instead that he is someone who once knew and befriended Odysseus.But when Laertes begins to cry at the memory of Odysseus, Odysseus throws his arms around Laertes and kisses him. He proves his identity with the scar and with his memories of the fruit trees that Laertes gave him when he was a little boy. He tells Laertes how he has avenged himself upon the suitors. Laertes and Odysseus have lunch together. Dolius, the father of Melanthius and Melantho, joins them. While they eat, the goddess Rumor flies through the city spreading the news of the massacre at the palace. The parents of the suitors hold an assembly at which they assess how to respond.Halitherses, the elder prophet, argues that the suitors merely got what they deserved for their wickedness, but Eupithes, Antinous’s father, encourages the parents to seek revenge on Odysseus. Their small army tracks Odysseus to Laertes’ house, b ut Athena, disguised again as Mentor, decides to put a stop to the violence. Antinous’s father is the only one killed, felled by one of Laertes’ spears. Athena makes the Ithacans forget the massacre of their children and recognize Odysseus as king. Peace is thus restored. *All summaries from SparkNotes. com