In Homer’s The Odyssey, there are a number of women presented in the storyline from goddesses, lower-class women, to upper-class women. Throughout his journey, Odysseus interacts with a number of female figures that reveal the nature of women in Ancient Greece. The characters of The Odyssey show the respect of mortal women that women were respected and regarded in their society. The text shows examples of how women were treated as second-class citizens but also foreshadows the changes in gender roles and over time makes history. By analyzing the women in Homer’s The Odyssey, the readers can understand the role of women as a secondary citizen, the support towards men, and through displaying certain characteristics not seen in men.
With historical equivalence, the women’s role in society in Ancient Greece were that of a secondary citizen where they were denied political freedom, were subject to their husbands, and limited in their duties and household activities. Although women were above slaves, they were beneath their male counterparts because they were denied political freedom. As seen in the epic poem, Athenian women had the same rights and responsibilities as Athenian men. The difference lies in political freedom which excited in a significant law disadvantage. It was a belief this period that man had This birthright [which] constitutes men as individuals possessing a natural political right, and as `individuals’ all men are owners, in that they all own the property in their persons and capacities over which they alone have right of jurisdiction (Katy 82). By contrast, women did not have the same legal rights compared to their male counterpart. In the modern day, romantic love is the reason people marry. However, during this period, women were subject to their fathers until they become subject to their husbands. Unlike her husband that can travel and meet people, Penelope is defined exclusively by her marital status. She has the option to either wait for Odysseus or marry someone else, but the suitors in the later years start forcing her hand.
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Another example of women subject to men can be seen in Nausicaa of the Phaecians who is subjected to her father until a male heir is found. Not only were women regarded as second class citizens, but they were limited to their abilities of household activities in their own home. Women in Ancient Greece, if they had wealth, were limited to the duties of the household that did not require heavy work since they left it towards the slave. They were in charge of the heir of the household, so women were limited to the rule of childbirth. The women in the work also present support towards men through the use of their voice, remaining loyal, and protecting them. Due to customs, women have supported men, whether they wanted to or not, through the use of their voice, or lack of one. In The Odyssey, there exist the first instance where men tell women to essentially shut up. The silencing of the female voice in Book One shows the problem of supporting men as, Penelope was stunned and turned to go, / Her son’s masterful words pressed to her heart (lines 380-381). The quote provides support showing how Telemachus tells Penelope to be silent when she asks the poet performing in her house to sing a different tune. Although older, she allowed her son to take her voice away in her household. There exist both positive and negative forms loyalty that women present towards men as seen in The Odyssey. Penelope had exhibited a positive loyalty by remaining loyal towards Odysseus for 20 years despite the realism she faced with the suitors entering her husband’s land. This is a sharp distinction to what Odysseus faces where he believes that after 20 years things will go back to the way they were (Combellack 164). The female slaves had exhibited a negative loyalty towards Odysseus by sleeping with the suitors. In turn for their disloyalty, they were faced with a justified massacre. Through the envisioning of empowerment, many people believe that women were protecting men, at least those that had the power such as the gods. Through the wise-one, Athena, she can protect her favorite human from the wrath of the sirens, other goddesses, and monsters on his journey. The imagery of the birds allude towards the sense of freedom of women, The Odyssey traces deep male fears about female power, and it shows the terrible damage done to women (Wilson). Thus, one can infer that the Goddess Athena, often seen throughout the epic poem transforming herself into a bird, fits the idea of a liberator by not wanting to silence the voices of women.
Whether it is their physic or cunningness, women display certain characteristics such as real feelings, real plans, and characteristics not seen in men. Unlike the common man, women are not afraid to show their real feelings. Whether they need to weep or use facial expressions to convey how they feel, there is not a moment in which a solid emotion cannot be seen from women’s characters in the epic poem. Women tend to have a goal in life while a man tends to be impulsive. Belsky stated that through Odysseus listening to his self over the needs of his crewmates was the reason he was blinded from the situation at hand with the Cyclops. As can be seen, Through, examination of Odysseus’s response suggest that he perpetuates his own blindness to the severe reality of the situation (Belsky 218). This quote symbolizes his flaw that ego gets in the way of doing things for the better, as well as him impulsive behavior. Differences between men and women go beyond the physical body, as seen in the epic story women present characteristics not seen in men. The divine Calypso and Circe showed the power of seduction that allowed them to transform themselves and entrap Odysseus with their feminine charms. The Homeric poem, with its marginalization of women through its emphasis on conventionally masculine heroic values, could offer a fitting framework within which to think about women’s experiences (Bridges 73). This included their nature where women are supposed to be pure, innocent, and righteous. Through the rules defined by men, women hold the power to start or end wars. A woman was the reason that the characters in the previous epic story went towards war.
It is evidently seen to the reader that women were regarded as second-class citizens, provided support towards men, and displayed certain characteristics not seen in men in Homer’s The Odyssey. All women in the epic were different, but they all helped to define the role of the women in Ancient Greece. Often considered inferior, women played important roles in The Odyssey that was seen as different in other stories at the time. As barrier continues to be pushed for women, people should remember that work is still needed to be done to erase the discrepancies that exist between men and women.
Work Cited
- Belsky, Scott A. The Poet Who Sings through Us: Homer’s Influence in Contemporary Western Culture. College Literature, vol. 34, no. 2, 2007, pp. 216-228. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25115428.
- Bridges, Emma. Left behind: Naomi Mitchison’s Cloud Cuckoo Land (1925) and the women of ancient Greece and the First World War. Classical Receptions Journal, Vol. 10, no. 1, 1 January 2018, pp, 70-85, Oxford University Press, https://doi-org.ezproxy.uta.edu/10.1093/crj/clx014
- Combellack, Frederick M. Homer and the Heroic Tradition. Comparative Literature, vol. 12, no. 2, 1960, pp. 159-166. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1768338.
- Homer. The Odyssey. Trans Stanley Lombardo, The Norton Anthology of World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, 3rd ed, Vol. A. Norton, 2012, pp 340.
- Katz, Marilyn. Ideology and The Status of Women’ in Ancient Greece. History and Theory, vol. 31, no. 4, 1992, pp. 70-97. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2505416.
- Wilson, Emily. A Translator’s Reckoning With the Women of the Odyssey. The New Yorker, 8 Dec. 2017, Conde Nast, https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-translators-reckoning-with-the-women-of-the-odyssey
Effect Of Exercise On The Rate Of Respiration And The Heart Rate
How does increase the number of jumping jacks affect the rate of respiration and the heart rate per minute in teenagers aged 17-18?
Background Information: Different types of activity will have a different effect on the rate of respiration as well as the heart rate because of certain factors. These include the level of intensity and difficulty of the exercise, as well as determining whether it is an aerobic or anaerobic activity. Aerobic respiration requires the presence of oxygen. (Haldane, 2013). An example of this is a cardio activity, and in this case, jumping jacks fall under the category of cardio activity, so they require aerobic respiration. In contrast, anaerobic respiration does not require the presence of oxygen and is present in more high-intensity activities such as sprinting, releasing lactic acid which is broken down by the liver and combined with oxygen. Consequently, more oxygen is needed to pay off the oxygen debt’ that occurs during anaerobic activities. Aerobic respiration, performed at all times by all living organisms including plants and animals, is a process where the chemical energy of organic molecules gets transformed into a form that is suitable for organisms. (Ernst, 2016).
The organisms oxidize glucose for energy, and with the obtained energy usually derived from carbohydrates and fats, Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) is converted into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), a crucial reaction to sustain life. ATP is constantly being used by the body, therefore it needs to be replaced and regenerated on a regular basis. This is achieved either through the consumption of food and by the generation of glucose, or by respiration. The cellular respiration formula formed by combining three processes i.e. glycolysis, Krebs cycle and electron transport chain. (Ernst, 2016) In the cellular respiration formula, glucose is broken down to release ATP (that can be utilized by cell) the cell respiration formula can be simplified as Glucose + 6 molecule of oxygen gas = to produce 6 molecules of carbon dioxide + 6 molecules of water + energy (as ATP)Respiratory quotient can be defined as the ration of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen being consumed for food to be broken down.
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Therefore, it is necessary that one should consume food that is rich in carbohydrates during exercise since it has got high calories as shown by RQ. Normally, a teenager aged 17-18 will have a resting breathing rate of 12-20 breaths per minute. The normal resting heart rate for teenagers ranges from 60-100 beats per minute. The breathing rate and heart rates may be higher for males since they tend to have a bigger body structure and require more energy. This is because as the level of activity increases, the rate of respiration and heart rate will automatically increase to bring more oxygen into the lungs so that the lungs can provide more oxygen to the blood, and out to the muscles which need that energy in order to keep working.
Controlled variables: Controlled variable Why it must be controlled How it will be controlled Same speed of jumping all the time If the speed of jumping is different throughout the different rounds, the effort will be different and this will affect the results as they will not be accurate. Develop a steady rhythm. Starting respiration and heart rates should be the same at every round of jumping jacks If the starting respiration and heart rates is not the same every time, the results won’t be accurate. To be fully rested before going for the next round and not do round after round straight away. The age of people performing experiments should be approximately the same This is important because a teenager will have drastically different results to a middle-aged person due to different health factors. Gather 30 people all of the same age between 17 to 18 Room temperature If it is too hot, the results won’t be accurate as the heat causes you to be tired faster, so the temperature should be optimized for best results.
Carry out an experiment in a place with room temperature/ cool. Measure respiration and heart rates the same way It is important to measure the respiration and heart rates straight after the jumping time is up in each case for fair results- not wait to record results. Turning stopwatch on the second the person has finished jumping and recording breathing rate and heart rate Equipment: Heart monitor, stopwatch, paper, pencil method:? Pick 14 volunteers, 7 females and 7 males?· Draw a table labeled rounds 1, 2, 3, and 4 with space for results underneath each round for 14 people, male and female separate?· Prepare stopwatch, paper, and pencil to time and for easy access to writing down results immediately after jumping jacks are done?· Find a free space, check surroundings for safety reasons?· Note down resting breathing rate ?· Start jumping jacks? Do jumping jacks for 1 minute the first round, increasing the time by one minute every round i.e, second round: 2 minutes, third round: 3 minutes, and fourth-round.?· Measure breathing rate as soon as a volunteer has completed the jumping jacks?·
Write the results of the breathing rate in the table ?· Wait until resting breathing rate?· In between resting time, record another volunteer’s results for efficient use of time?· Start jumping jacks again for each volunteer, do until third round: 3 minutes of jumping jacks?· Using collected results, plot a graph Safety:?· To have no surroundings: a space large enough for arms and legs to extend freely?· Take off all jewellery and items with sharp edges, anything that could get stuck or harm you i.e. necklace?· To ensure no food is in your mouth while you are exercising to avoid risks of choking?· Make sure you are doing jumping jacks correctly, with knowledge on how to do it safelyResultsThe following are the results for the males who participated in the exercise.
The orange bar represents no. of jumps at the third minute
The grey bar represents no. of jumps at the start of the experiment For Kevin, Brian, and Enoch respectively. From the graph and the table above, we are able to view the following trends
On the first minute after doing the jumps, there is a rapid increase of beats per minute on every individual selected. Continuous jumping results in the decline of a beat per minute. In the fourth minute, there is the stabilization of the beat per minute compared to the resting beat per minute. As one exercise more, one’s body adapts to the system thus does not require much breathing like in the start of the jumping jacks, For example, people like Kevin is used in exercising, that is why he does not require to breathe at a higher rate, unlike Brian. Also, their heart rate always returns to normal faster after physical activity
Justification and discussion
We can surely deduce that when one increases the number of jumping jacks, there will be a correspondence increase in heartbeat until it arrives at an optimal rate. Also, it will ensure that there is an increase of food being burned to produce Adenosine Triphosphate (which will be utilized by the muscle). (Haldane, 2013)
Moreover, jumping jacks requires muscle to be supplied with blood rich in oxygen since it is an example of aerobic respiration. As the muscle continues to work hard, the blood need to supply oxygen continually so that food can be oxidized. All the process named above will result to an increase at which the heart is beating. Remember that when you are exercising, heat is usually the by-product of the reactions taking place. Thus there will an increase in body temperature of the people in the case study above. For the body to cool, there will an increase at which blood will flow nearby the skin or vasodilation. Sweet will be produced via the skin thus bringing about the cooling effect. We can conclude that both the amalgamation of amplified demand from both the muscle and the skin allows the heart to pump blood at a faster rate, hence increased supply of blood in both organs (Ernst, 2016)
It is of importance that we note there is increase at which the one breathes while he/she is exercising. increase at which heart beats is directly proportional to the rate at which one inhales oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Thus heart rate and rate of respiration need to work together during exercise. If one of the fail, it will result to one being sick.It is necessary that one should take note at the way he/she is breathing. When the rate of heart beat is higher that then the expected normal, then there are high chances that you will get ill. From the experiment above we are able to deduce that it takes about four-minute, for the heart rate to return to normal. When someone is fit this will lower the rate of respiration and heart beat since they are used to the conditions. One is recommended that he or she should train in the morning hours or in the evening when the rate of respiration is high and once should eat earlier for him or her to gain fully.
Conclusion
The aim of this experiment was to find out whether the breathing rate and heart rate are affected by exercise. It is obvious that the breathing rate is directly proportional to heart rate and both should amalgamate during exercise to prevent illness (Haldane, 2013). It is important to note that jumping jacks it’s an example of cardiovascular exercise and therefore it demands to a continuous supply of oxygen.
References
- Ernst, G. (2016). Heart rate variability. Place of publication not identified: Springer London Ltd.
- Haldane, J. S. (2013). Respiration.
