Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Military And Political Tension During The Cold War

Cold War is the name given to military and political tension during 1947-1991, between the two countries that emerged as the world super powers at the end of the World War II, the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Quite a few events took place during the cold war that shape the country and its foreign policies during the cold war and a few years after it. Some of the events or policies that took place in the 1950’s pertaining to the cold war are: The Warsaw pact, the invention of U2 spy planes, Truman signing the Mutual Security Act, the construction of a nationwide of highway network system, Fidel Castro comes into power and many more. The first Lockheed U2 to took flight in 1955. These were used to fly over countries like the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam and Cuba during the cold war. These planes were capable of taking detailed photos of the ground from as high as 70,000 feet. One of these was shot down in the 1960 by the USSR. This was an event of great embarra ssment for Eisenhower and his administration. Eisenhower had first claimed it to be a weather plane that might have veered off course, but Khrushchev produced the U2 plane which was mostly intact and had captured the pilot, who had not taken his poison pill as expected by the CIA, historian Vince Houghton explains. This led to great hostility between the two nations. As of today, the US still flies about 50 U2s. Another development from the 1950s is the national highway system. Eisenhower had signedShow MoreRelatedKorean War a Proxy War?1468 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent can the Korean War be regarded as a Cold War proxy war?   The Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition existing after World War II between the Communist World – primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies – and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States and its allies. The Korean War was a military conflict between the Republic of Korea, supported by the United Nations, andRead More Causes Of The Cold War Essay608 Words   |  3 Pagesof the Cold War nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; The Cold War occurred during a time of rebuilding for Europe. It characterized international relations and dominated the foreign policies of Europe. It affected all of Europe and determined lasting alliances. The Cold War was caused by the social climate and tension in Europe at the end of World War II and by the increasing power struggles between the Soviet Union. Economic separation between the Soviets and the west also heightened tensions, alongRead MoreThe Cold War Between The United States And The Soviet Union1268 Words   |  6 PagesThe Cold War grew out of post-World War II tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the war did not bring about large scale fighting, there remained a constant threat of a catastrophic nuclear war. During the war, the US sought to strictly limit the spread of communism through containment, an idea formulated by US diplomat George Kennan, which became the basis of Harry Truman’s foreign policy. The containment policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet UnionRead More The World During The Cold War Essay1379 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferences found between the world during the Cold War and the present in terms of security challenges and issues faced by states when investigating the fine details of documents and actions but when retrospective on overall effect and our current global situation there are significant similarities can be found. The security and protection of the state has fundamental always been a priority of importance for any government or organisation since the unforeseen end to the Cold War between Soviet Russia andRead More Cold War Essay1103 Words   |  5 Pages THE COLD WAR The Cold War was the longated tension between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. It started in the mid 40’s after WWII had left Europe in shambles and Russia and the USA in superpower positions. The Cold War was a clash of these supergiants in political, ideological, military, and economic values and ideas. Though military build up was great on both sides neither one ever directly fought each other. In this essay I’m going to bring forth the following points: RiseRead MoreThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization1424 Words   |  6 Pagesit’s influence into our political lives today and the political lives of people during the Cold War. This new alliance, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was one of the most needed alliances in history. In addition, NATO has also made many large political decisions, even forcing the Cold War into its most tense stage. Finally, NATO has made many large influences into our governments today, keeping each o ther’s countries up-to-date on such welfare projects, military experiments, or just needingRead MoreThe Cold War On The Soviet Union1230 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cold War’s effect on the Soviet Union Shortly after the World War 2 ended, the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies entered the cold war with the Soviet Union. Germany was divided in half and later, the Berlin Wall was constructed as a physical boundary between the Soviet controlled East Germany and NATO controlled West Germany. This standoff continued until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. The cold war had a huge influence on the world stage, but also had a majorRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1173 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, as the alliance between America and the USSR dissolved after the second World War, the relationship between both superpowers began to fluctuate as they competed to spread their varying ideologies. This unique time period became known as the Cold War, a conflict unique as it was not fought with normal methods of warfare. In fact, it was not fought with weapons at all. To fully understand this unconventional war, it is important to understand the background to the hostile relationship between theRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe Cold War was a state of political rivalry and tension existing between the Soviet Union and Western allies. This war is categorized by distrust, espionage, the storing of weapons, and a race to develop technologies. The struggle for global supremacy lasted for more than forty years. Cold War was the name given to the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States that was developed after World War 2. The Cold War existed to manage international affairs for many years. Many big crisesRead MoreThe Invention Of The World War II1367 Words   |  6 Pageshistory, war has been both a cause and a means of solving political conflict (Military Technology). The technology used in a war determines the strategies, methods, and almost every other aspect of the war (Military Technology). There have been many pivotal points in warfare driven by advancements in technology. For instance, the invention of gunpowder eventually led to the creation of many new weapons which called for changes in the way battles were fought. Nuclear weapons ended World War II and caused

Monday, December 16, 2019

Competitive Anxiety in Sports Performance - 722 Words

Competitive Anxiety is one of the most widely researched topics in sport psychology (Woodman Hardy, 2001), focusing on the symptoms and consequences of Competitive Anxiety. The reason why Competitive Anxiety has been selected is because it is able to look at the effects of Anxiety on Sport Performance. I believe this is important as it distinguishes the difference between those who are able to calm competitive anxiety (such as Self Talk), which may suggest a reason as to why certain athletes achieve more in their sport than others. McGowan’s concept of Competitive anxiety (C.A) focuses on self-presentation, looking at the relationship between athletes and self-perceived presentation, trying to create desired impressions or avoid undesired ones (Wilson and Eklund, 1998), whereas Conroy (2003) concentrates on patterns of Self-Talk and its different forms associated with Competitive Anxiety, looking at the effects of negative and positive self-talk on anxiety. The research articl e by McGowan was chosen as it closely looks at competitive anxiety in athletes, both male and female, which explores the relationship between self-presentational concerns and C.A, giving knowledge into how athletes deal with C.A and if a relationship exists between the two. The research by Conroy was selected as it examines the effect of Self-Talk in relation to Competitive Anxiety, looking at how different negative types of Self-Talk (such as self-blame) are positively linked to anxiety, asShow MoreRelatedCompetitive Anxiety Theory Analysis1724 Words   |  7 Pagesthat may negatively affect their performance abilities. Stress, arousal, and anxiety are terms used to describe this condition. Competitive state-anxiety usually follows a pattern of subjective feelings such as tension and inadequacy, combined with heightened arousal of the autonomic nervous system. This anxiety type includes state and trait dimensions both of which can show themselves as cognitive and somatic sympto ms. Over the years many distinguished sports psychologists have developed variousRead MoreThe Effects Of Psychological Emotional On Sport Performance1582 Words   |  7 Pagesemotional states on sport performance Literature Review In Martin and Gill’s experiment done in 1991, the relationship among trait and state psychological variables and performance in male high school distance runners were measured. 73 male middle and long distance runners ranging from 14 to 18 years of age were used to examine trait and state psychological variables and performance. A Competitive Orientation Inventory and Sport Orientation Questionnaire were used to measure competitive orientation measuresRead MoreAn Outline of Performance Anxiety in Female Athletes871 Words   |  4 PagesAn Outline of Performance Anxiety in Female Athletes Gena Petrick 102160287 University of the Fraser Valley Roger Friesen February 21, 2012 Introduction Have you ever felt an overwhelming feeling of fear or nervousness, prior to competing in an important event? Did it affect your ability to perform? If so, you may be familiar with performance anxiety. An athlete suffering from performance anxiety often will perceive competitive situations as threatening, which can resultRead MoreThe Physiological Demands Of Women s Competitive Gymnastics Routines999 Words   |  4 PagesGymnastics is one of the most demanding and dangerous collegiate sports. Marina and Rodriguez (2014) investigated the physiological demands of women’s competitive gymnastics routines. Post-exercise heart rate, oxygen uptake, and peak blood lactate concentration were studied from eight elite female gymnasts. The gymnasts reached their highest heart rates (183-199 beats/minute), their highest oxygen uptake (33-44 mL/kg), and their highest blood lactate levels (7-9 mmol) following the floor and theRead MoreThe Effects Of Optimal Arousal And Performance16 86 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The effects of optimal arousal and performance has been studied extensively in psychology. Throughout sports psychology it is known that there is an optimal arousal level at which athletes perform their best. In previous studies surrounding the relationship between emotional states and performance, have been examined using the individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF). IZOF is a sport-specific framework that describes the relationship between emotional experiences and success onRead MoreEssay Anxiety in Sports938 Words   |  4 Pagestheir stomach or a sudden rush of adrenaline before an important game. This feeling can either translate into legendary performances or monumental failures. According to Sharon D. Hoar (2007), to fully comprehend anxiety’s effect on performance, one must understand the discrimination between two unique sets of sources: trait and state anxiety, and cognitive and somatic anxiety. Anxiety symptoms are numerous and unique to every athlete. Hoar s uggests that athletes might report cognitive symptoms (eg.Read MoreHelping Athletes to Perform Better under Pressure1541 Words   |  6 PagesWith it being known that pressure on an athlete to not let their team down increases anxiety, Otten and Barrett (2013) decided to look at which aspect of baseball (pitching or batting) would be most prone to choking. They looked over archives from the Baseball Reference website which includes statistics from the last 109 years. Hitting, pitching, and team-level statistics were all operationally defined and then examined. They found that pitching statistics were significantly correlated from regularRead More Applying Psychological Thinking To Sports Essays1687 Words   |  7 Pages quot;Sports is by far one of the fastest growing pass times in the United Statesquot; (Rainer 1987). Even if people dont take it to the professional level, sporting events are happening in our backyards, and at all of our local schools around the country. With the growing popularity and the increasing competitiveness of the sports, it will take more than just a physical advantage to compete at the highest level. This is where the psychology of sports comes into play. In my research I willRead MoreDifferent Types Of Anxiety And Anxiety800 Words   |  4 Pagesdescribed anxiety as ‘an unpleasant emotion, which is characterised by vague but persistent feelings of apprehension and dread’ (Cashmoore, 2002). There are many different types of anxiety including state, trait, somatic and cognitive (Moran, 2004, pp. 72-75). State anxiety has been defined as ‘subjective, consciously perceived feelings of tension and apprehension’ (Spielberger, 1966, p. 17), whereas trait anxiety is an acquired behavioral tendency (Spielberger, 1966). Somatic anxiety relates toRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Medications In Sports1602 Words   |  7 Pagesassisted off the field, diagnosed, treated and sent to physical therapy; often to return miraculously in a week or two. Yet when that same athlete has a mental disorder, there is no armada of medical personnel, but rather an athlete often left abandoned. Spor ts, too often, are concealed to hide deeply rooted mental health issues. The better the athlete, the more desperate they are to reach the next level; the less likely they will reach out for help. The abiding irony is that athletes--our indestructible

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Issuses In International Business Nation Branding

Question: Discuss about the Report for Issuses In International Business of Nation Branding. Answer: Introduction: Culture of a country reflects the way people think and behave. Understanding the culture is important to create a significant value for effective and successful communication. On the other hand, ignorance can result in creation of a cultural barrier that would have a detrimental effect on any kind of activities (Cavusgil et al., 2014). When it comes to a company to operate in another nation rather its home country, it is important for the company to be completely aware of the clearly distinct nature of culture of the host country. The report is based on a market cultural report of United Kingdom. The paper will analyze the cultural values of United Kingdom that has been selected as the host country for this report. A detail analysis of the unique cultural components of the host country will be done. In addition to this, a comparison of the host country with respect to the home country, Singapore will also be carried on. Based on the analysis a conclusion will be drawn that would narrate the important features that a company must undertake to operate in the market of United Kingdom. Rationale of selecting United Kingdom as the host country: United Kingdom has been selected as the host country for the analysis of this report because this country holds great importance in terms of its business and culture. United Kingdom has that colonial history that the world has witnessed. There is no doubt that British culture has influenced the world largely (Geppert, Matten Williams, 2016). UK is also the base for a huge number of manufacturing companies and industries. The country stands at 5th position in terms of it GDP. In terms of tourism, London is the most desirable place for tourists destination. UK truly has that cultural heritage that can attract anyone towards its culture. This is the reason for selecting United Kingdom as the host country and as a case study for this report. Some of my relatives also reside in UK and they have adopted the European culture. I like their culture and their social aspects. I have even plans for going on a tour to London and other places of UK. These are the reasons that attracted me towards the country and I preferred to select United Kingdom as the host country. Cultural analysis of United Kingdom: UK has its own cultural heritage and identity. British people have their own dress style, food and language and some tradition that has different standard of morality (Ball et al., 2012). In the modern world due to increasing immigration, most of the ethnic groups of people have been found to live with British people. United Kingdom consists of four countries, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. However, a strong sense of nationalism and identity is felt among the population of these four nations. United Kingdom has a class system. However, this divisional characteristic has been found to faint in past decades (MacDonald Coffield, 2015). People from various backgrounds have greater access to higher education and have been found to level the difference of the class-based division. Consequently, division of class no longer depends on the possession of wealth or education. A unique culture consists of five basic components such as language, culture, custom, etiquette and values. UK has a unique cultural identity. As per 2014 statistics, population of UK is 63,742,970 that include a mixture of various ethnic groups such as English (83.7%), Scottish (8.5%), Welsh (5%), and Northern Irish (3%). The country also has immigrants that include black American, Indian, Pakistani and other mixed races (Ferrell Fraedrich, 2015). Majority of people, about 70% are Christian that includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian and Methodists along with Muslims, Hindu. Therefore, a multicultural environment has been created in the country. The constitution of UK does not predominantly state any official language for the country. English is the main language and majority of people speaks it. It is for this reason that English is the de facto official language of UK. Other native languages include Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, Cornish and Ulster Scots (Meyer, 2014). In addition to these, the immigrants have brought various foreign languages from around the globe. Unique cultural components of UK: Corporate and social responsibilities: Corporate social responsibilities have been becoming very vital for businesses in UK. People of UK are mainly concern about three major workplace issues. These are: Work place issues that include work life balance, right employment and basic human rights Community distribution regarding big societies and social justice The environment that focuses on sustainability of resources (Gangestad Simpson, (2016) The nation has even subscribed to the Millennium Goals of the United Nations to achieve the business goals. Even the UK government supports these CSR activities by the means of breaking taxes and encouraging charity. United Kingdom has been substantially found to reduce the industrial waste for sustainability purpose. Greetings and meetings: People of UK like to greet people with their first name rather than using their last name or family surname. They always add Miss or Mr. with the name as a symbol of their culture. If British Etiquette and Customs are to be considered, they meet people and greet them with a handshake (Bowley, 2016). They believe in exchanging gifts in festive occasions like Christmas and New Year. The gifts need not to be expensive. They like to celebrate with family members at their home rather than being outside. Time and punctuality: People of UK over-value time and punctuality. Unlike other Nations where participants of a meeting happen to arrive late, chances of people of UK are to arrive before time. However, their punctuality should not be confused with the fact that they are rushing in life. Body language and dress code: People of UK believe in over dressing than giving a poor impression on the people in meeting. Denims are not acceptable and the professionals even have some kind of specified uniform (Greenfield, 2013). They do not prefer any kind of informal look and still believes in being a gentle man or a lady. When in office, they always prefer to maintain that formal attitude that is suitable for a work culture. Business culture of UK in contrast to other countries If certain unique cultural perspectives are to be considered, it can be said that British people are very reserved and conservatives. Privacy is very important for them and they respect others privacy. In terms of business culture, people of UK show certain etiquette and protocol. If punctuality of the people is concerned, then it is better to postpone or cancel the meeting rather than arriving late for the meeting (Bakir et al., 2015). In major other countries people are usually greeted with their last name or surname in Business or professional meetings but the scenario is different for UK professionals. There is also tradition of exchanging gifts if business meetings in other countries like United States or Singapore just like United Kingdom. However, for People of UK, it is a token of gesture to express thanks to the business counterparts (Minkov Hofstede, 2012). Unlike culture of other countries where business meetings are held in corporate style, people of UK might send an inv itation for dinner at home if they wanted to develop a relationship beyond business. These factors are very important for a foreign company to take into consideration. People of UK also follow a classical and conservative dress code for business or corporate meetings. Both men and women prefer to wear dark colored clothes. This also distinguishes from other countries tradition where people wearing a white shirt depict formal attire. In other countries where multinational companies are coming out of t6he formal look in the office and opting for a semi-formal or smart casual approach towards dress code, people of UK still believes in properly dressed and presentable manner in arriving at a meeting (Dartey-Baah, 2013). In addition to all these inherited qualities, they also value the sense of fairness and honesty in their business dealings. The Nation has recorded and always top listed among the International Corruption Perception Index that compared the corruption level of other countries of the World. The risk of getting caught in cases of corruption and bribery is very high and it is strongly advisable not to bribe anyone in United Kingdom. Hofstedes cultural dimensions: The widely used framework for categorizing cultures of different Nations was developed by Greet Hofstede, a Dutch social psychologist. The most important cultural dimension identified by him was power distance. According to him, it is the power distance that that reinforces the fact of cultural status in the society. As pointed out by Dissanayake et al., (2015), that there always remains a cultural difference in the hierarchy of the people in an organization, there also exists a similar cultural and difference in status in different countries and culture. The second dimension identified by Hofstede was the idea of individualism or collectivism. According to his view, people of an individual nation such as UK always maintain a loose social culture (Hofstede, 2013). These characteristics are achieved by mere means of independence, the importance of an individuals personal right and recognition of personal achievements. On the other hand, members of collectivist society always distingui sh between the members of in-group and out-group. Third dimension has been termed as uncertainty avoidance that concerns the willingness of a particular culture to adopt the ambiguous and risky situation of a culture. Therefore, it is important to embrace new approaches or getting engaged in various entrepreneurial activities. Lastly, the fourth dimension identifies the difference based on masculinity or femininity. In some cultures, masculinity culture is found to be more dominating than femininity (Shore, 2013). Things to be considered by a foreign company: Hofstedes cultural dimensions theory is a cross-cultural communication framework that describes the effect of a societys culture on the values of the members of the country. These values on the other hand relate to the behavior of people of that country. If the culture of UK is to be considered, it can be said that there is no discrimination between masculine and feminine gender (Banks, 2015). People are very caring and they believe in keeping a personal relationship with each other. When a foreign company takes an initiative to carry business in United Kingdom, it is important for them to understand and abide by the cultural norms of the nation. UK has their specific and prominent culture that has to be understood by people. People of UK maintain a hierarchy in the business culture. It is for this reason that companies, which have been running from generations, are more welcomed in UK (Dinnie, 2015). The companies must be well structured and should follow well designed strategies to operate in the UK market. Other general characteristics include certain etiquette and general advice like respecting women and arriving to service to women whenever it is acceptable (Smith, 2013). People of UK always prefer keep things personal and it is advisable to keep business meetings limited to business culture and not to involve any kind of personal interaction with others. Conclusion: By the end of the discussion, it can be said that each and every country is distinguished based on their culture. It is very important to respect and abide by the cultures of the host country if a company is willing to business there. In case of UK, there is no doubt that the people have a distinguished work culture that is different from other countries of the World. It is important to respect that culture if a company wants to market in that place. Failing to adhere by the culture, it might result unfavorable conditions and the company might not perform the way as it had aimed to do. Understanding the culture of home country and recognizing the culture of the host country is important. In order to operate in other host country, it is advisable to adopt to their culture. Reference list: Bakir, A., Blodgett, J. G., Vitell, S. J., Rose, G. M. (2015). A preliminary investigation of the reliability and validity of Hofstedes cross cultural dimensions. InProceedings of the 2000 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 226-232). Springer International Publishing. Ball, D., Geringer, M., Minor, M., McNett, J. (2012).International business. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Banks, J. A. (2015).Cultural diversity and education. Routledge. Bowley, A. L. (2016).Wages and Income in the United Kingdom since 1860. Cambridge University Press. Cavusgil, S. T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J. R., Rammal, H. G., Rose, E. L. (2014).International business. Pearson Australia. Dartey-Baah, K. (2013). The Cultural Approach to the Management of the International Human Resource: An Analysis of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions.International Journal of Business Administration,4(2), 39. Dinnie, K. (2015).Nation branding: concepts, issues, practice. Routledge. Dissanayake, D. M. S. B., Niroshan, W. W. A. E., Nisansala, M. H., Rangani, M. L. D., Samarathunga, S. K. R. A., Subasinghe, S. E. I., ... Wickramasinghe, M. B. (2015). Cultural comparison in Asian countries: An Application of Greet Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J. (2015).Business ethics: Ethical decision making cases. Nelson Education. Gangestad, S. W., Simpson, J. A. (Eds.). (2016).The evolution of mind: Fundamental questions and controversies. Guilford Publications. Geppert, M., Matten, D., Williams, K. (Eds.). (2016).Challenges for European management in a global context: Experiences from Britain and Germany. Springer. Greenfield, P. M. (2013). The changing psychology of culture from 1800 through 2000.Psychological science,24(9), 1722-1731. Hofstede, G. "National Culture comparison (2nd January 2013)Comparison between national cultures of Ecuador, Denmark, and Sweden in accordance with the cultural dimensions by Prof. Geert Hofstede." (2013). MacDonald, R., Coffield, F. (2015).Risky business?: youth and the enterprise culture. Routledge. Meyer, E. (2014).The culture map: Breaking through the invisible boundaries of global business. PublicAffairs. Minkov, M., Hofstede, G. (2012).Cross-cultural analysis: the science and art of comparing the world's modern societies and their cultures. Sage. Shore, C. (2013).Building Europe: The cultural politics of European integration. Routledge. Smith, A. D. (2013).Nationalism: Theory, ideology, history. John Wiley Sons.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Paradise Lost By Milton Essays (1086 words) - Fallen Angels

Paradise Lost By Milton Leaving the underworld, once again, defeated by the heavens. Although John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost, is considered to be a tragedy, it displays some reminders of a comic end. In its tenth book, when Satan returns to hell, there is the realization of two of the poem's purposes: to "assert Eternal Providence" and to "justify the ways of God to men." Book Ten is the end of Satan's epic journey, portraying his return to hell. Throughout the poem, Satan, a figure of legendary signifigance, goes on a heroic quest. A quest in which he seeks power over God's creations, Adam and Eve, to prove he will not be subjected to God's ways. Satan's passing into God's paradise, the Garden of Eden, unveils his valour. He uses his superhuman forces to transform himself into a serpent and deceive Eve into eating a fruit from the forbidden tree of knowledge. This proves to be a tragic decision on his part, for when he returns home from his quest, he and the rest of the residents of hell are transformed into serpents. This is their punishment for betraying the ways of God. Satan's journey follows the usual tragic pattern, ending in horror. Due to fact that Satan is an evil character, and attempts to use God's own creation against him, it is difficult for some to believe that he is the hero in this epic story. In fact, Francis C. Blessington thinks of Satan as not a classical hero but a classical villain: Satan is made the archetype of the sophistical rhetoric, the shallow egotism, and the Stajan 2 destructive pride, the vices of the classical epic as well as of the classical world. In addition, he is the perversion of the classical heroic virtues. He often begins by resembling a victim, sometimes even a perversion of that.... [He is] not a classical hero but a classical villain who unheroically defeats creatures far below him in stature (18). Though he may not seem to be a hero to the conventional person, he still is the hero to the many leaders and followers in the depths of hell. He believes that God is wrong in his ways, and therefore tries to build an empire to replace the one in heaven. He has all of the characteristics of a heroic figure; "Indeed, you can't be really bad unless you do have most of the virtues. Look at Milton's Satan for example. Brave, strong, generous, loyal, prudent, temperate, self-sacrificing" (Bush 72). He is the heroic figure, who believes that he can be better than God. However, he finds that he is not powerful enough, and is brought to a tragic end. Although Satan and the rest of his followers are tragically defeated, there are still reminders of comedy toward the end of this epic. When Satan sets out on his quest, his goal is to corrupt Adam and Eve, and persuade them to betray God. He accomplishes this task, and rejoices in victory: For in possession such, not only of right, I call ye and declare ye now, returned Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth Triumphant out of this infernal pit Abominable, accursed, the house of woe, And dungeon of our tyrant!" (Milton, X. 461-466). This accomplishment in itself is a huge deal for Satan and his followers. It is because of him that man is disobedient, resulting in the harsh punishments bestowed on the human race, by God. Stajan 3 In hopes of turning God's na?ve creation against him. He succeeds in his quest; the devil himself is the main reason for hard child labour, death for all humans and the extinction of paradise. To Satan, this is victory; this is his comic end. Throughout the poem, Milton repeatedly "[justifies] the ways of God to men." In Book X, when Satan returns to hell and informs his followers of his victory, they hiss at him. They cannot help but hiss, for the reason that God turns them all into snakes and serpents. God is in the right when he does this; after all, Satan corrupted the entire human race. Satan persuades the naive Eve into thinking that if she disobeys God, and eats an apple from the tree of knowledge, life will improve. So as a punishment, God gives the snakes and serpents, "parched with scalding thirst and hunger," sodom thirst-quenching apples (Milton, X. 556). These apples look to be appetizing, but instead they dissolve into ashes when plucked from the tree. This punishment is a