The Importance Of Peat Bogs Environmental Sciences Essay

The Importance Of Peat Bogs Environmental Sciences Essay Peat is a material that is left in the ground by decaying vegetation, and is found in many parts of the world. Conditions most favourable to peat are low temperatures and a fairly moist atmosphere. Peat is formed in waterlogged, sterile, acidic conditions of bogs. These conditions favour the growth of mosses, especially Sphagnum. Sphagnum is a pale or ashy moss from the genus Sphagnum whose decomposed remains from peat. Peat is brownish/black in colour and in its natural state is composed of 90% water and 10% solid material. Peat consists of sphagnum moss along with roots, leaves, flowers, seeds of heathers, grasses and sedges. There are several types of peat: Fen Peat: is a black peat and contains a large amount of lime. It is usually found in hollows or in the beds of shallow lakes. This is found mainly off the Curragh, Co.Kildare. Blanket bog Peat: is generally found in Irish mountains and in flat areas in Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Kerry. It is composed primarily of grasses. Raised bog Peat: is formed mainly from sphagnum moss. Sphagnum is the main type. These are found exclusively in central Ireland, mainly in the Shannon basin. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 2002). Here is an example of a peat bog landscape taken in Dublin, Eastern Ireland. (Travel Pod, Peat Bogs Dublin, Ireland). What is a bog? A bog is a type of wetland characterized by a thick mat of partially decomposed material and highly acidic water. Bogs have been useful to humans for thousands of years, providing a source of fuel in the form of peat and food in the form of berries which grow on bog shrubs such as cranberries. Peat bogs are wetland sites with poor drainage. Peat bogs are fed by rainwater and the soil builds up its own water table and acidity. Sphagnum mosses grow and decompose eventually forming layers of peat. Peat piles below the surface and may be many metres deep. (Environment and Heritage Service 2004). Formation of a Peat Bog: Flooded hollows and basins provide idyllic growing conditions for reeds and sedges. When the vegetation dies, it does not rot away completely as the water in the hollows prevents oxygen from reaching the dead plants. The partly-rotted plants steadily build up to form fen peat. Eventually dark fibrous peat completely fills the hollow to form a fen. Most of the nutrients are tied up in the peat and so the only minerals available for plant growth are those dissolved in rainfall. Layers of bog moss, which has the ability to create their own acid environment, begin to replace the fen vegetation and alter fen into true bog. A growing thickness of sphagnum peat slowly accumulates and the surface of the bog starts to rise above the surrounding land. The original fen has now become a raised bog. Raised bogs are mostly found on the lowlands around Lough Neagh, along the Bann Valley and in counties, such as Fermanagh and Tyrone. (Natural Heritage 2005 Abbot 1997). This image is of a raised bog in the Bann River Valley, which is situated in Northern Ireland, separating Londonderry from Antrim. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1998). The importance of peat bogs and there benefits. Peat bogs are very important and extremely beneficial to the environment and humans. They are; A living archive. A rich record of information lies sealed in our bogs. Much of this is organic and has a capacity to expand our understanding of people, culture, economy and climate far back to prehistory. Peat bogs have produced some of the most impressive finds of Irish archaeology, including extremely fresh-looking bodies of some of our ancestors. The lack of oxygen in the peat prevents the normal decomposing processes from taking place and so bogs have sealed within them a vast assortment of gold, bronze, amber, wooden and stone objects. These can tell us about how and where people lived in ancient Ireland. Archaeologists have discovered many fascinating structures within and below the peat. Some remains can be revealed without digging the peat. For example; the Stone Age farmland in the Cà ©ide fields, co. Mayo, is covered by up to 4 metres deep. The outline of the farm walls can be mapped by probing with iron rods which go down through the peat until they hit a solid structure. By inquiring at the right angles to the wall, its possible to establish the level of the old ground surface under the bog and the location and elevation of the wall built on the surface. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 2002). A Habitat. Peat bogs are rich in range of plants and wildlife, some of which are exclusive to these environments. They are home to thousands of insects, including butterflies, dragonflies, and a rare raft spider. Nearly up to a thousand plants grow here, including carnivorous plants such as the great sundew as well as mosses and fungi. Birdlife is rich with waders, wildfowl, nightjar, winchat, merlin and the short-eared owl. A Carbon Source. Peat is rich in fossil carbon which has been removed from the atmosphere by plants accumulated over many years. Drainage and damage of raised bogs results in the quick loss of the stored carbon in the form of greenhouse gases, as the peat decays. Globally, Peat stores twice as much carbon as forests. A fuel source. Peat has been the traditional domestic fuel in Ireland since the early 1300s when peatlands were more widespread. Traditionally peat was cut by hand, using a special turf-spade called a sleà ¡n/slane. It is a slow, labour intensive process that can allow the bog to recover partially. (Godwin 1981) Endangered species. Many rare and unprotected species of plant and animal are found on bogs. For example, The GreenLand White-fronted Goose relies on wet bogs with pools for feeding and roosting. The invertebrates found on bogs contain many rare species. The bog moss Sphagnum imbricatum is entirely restricted to bogs and is the main peat performing species in the oceanic peatland types. Sphagnum imbricatum is becoming rarer as further sites are brought into development and bogs are being destroyed therefore killing off this bog moss. An electricity source. Milled peat moss is used to produce electricity. Milled peat is air dried peat in the form of powder or crumbs. This began first in co.Offaly in the year 1957. Bord na Mà ³na is responsible for peat production in Ireland. Bord na mà ³na owns 80,000ha of peatland and harvest 4 million tonnes of milled peat per year. The main market for milled peat is the energy sector both for burning in power stations and for domestic consumption via briquettes production. A tourist attraction. Due to huge areas of bog land in Ireland, many tourists visit the peat bogs. This is benefiting the local surrounding area economically and making people more aware of the importance of peat bogs. Peat bogs are a great place for Bird watchers as there is a huge diversity of birds. (Godwin 1981 Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1996). Although peat bogs are very important, they do however face many threats, the main one being; Peat extraction and human intervention, the introduction of machines for peat-cutting and milling has destroyed vast areas of bogland. Once the peat is cut, the area is drained and in turn damages the delicate ecosystem. The surface of the peat bog lowers and becomes drier and the wildlife there begins to die or leave. Humans can benefit from cutting peat economically. When humans cut too much peat at one time out of greed, they damage the bog as the peat does not have sufficient time to recover. If the peat was extracted gradually, the bog has a better and longer chance of survival. (Natural Heritage 2005 Environment Waikato Regional Council 1997-2007). There is a huge demand for peat from amateur gardeners. Peat actually isnt a great source of nutrients for plants as it contains very little biological activity. Manufacturers add nutrients to boost its chemical fertility. If gardeners were to make their own compost our peatland wildlife would have a more secure future and there would be less peat extracted from our peat bogs. Another threat faced by our peat bogs is silage run-off. This poisonous run-off can seep into the bogs water table; the results are devastating to both animal and plant life within, killing large numbers of different species present here. Overgrazing can have huge effects on our bogs. This can disturb wildlife and it damages the surface of the bogland. However, it has the ability to increase nutrient levels through animal urine and dung. When there are plant pests present and living, they threaten the biodiversity. They can grow very quickly and will compete against native plants for space, light and nutrients. These pests are reducing the original and native plant diversity. (Backyard Gardener) The Government has had a huge success in introducing laws to protect our peat lands. This was mainly prompted by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council. Our peat bogs need to be protected for many reasons. Bogs contain a wide variety of plants and animals. Without bogs as a habitat some of these animals may become extinct. Animals and plants can live and breed there without being disturbed. (Godwin 1981). Bogs contain a lot of water. Most of the water comes from rainfall. This is an excellent source of water when the community is in need. The peat bogs also help to filter water, leaving it fairly clean. The carbon contained in peat bogs make up 60% of the carbon in terrestrial ecosystems. If the bog is still living, (not destroyed or damaged) then carbon is slowly emitted to the atmosphere which helps reduce carbon dioxide pollution. In return, this provides for a better and cleaner environment. (Poland. Pl 2009) Peat bogs are a natural archive to our past. We can investigate into the changes of climate and the anthropogenic history of the area. Peat takes a long time to accumulate, so by analyzing the remains of plants preserved in peat, we can research changes which took place in the environment over the years. To observe nature in its natural condition unchanged by human intervention becomes a very popular way of spending free time. Therefore, people travel to see this landscape and it becomes a tourist attraction in many ways. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1996). What can we do to help save our peat bogs? Its easy and requires simple tasks such as; Refuse to buy peat or plants grown in peat. Stop using peat in your garden; you can start a compost heap as an alternative. Visit a peatland reserve close to you and see the wildlife. Once you do this, youll never want to buy peat again. Raise awareness of the importance of our bogs and inform the local community about our peat bogs. If you live near one, keep an eye out and report any illegal cutting or dumping. Recycle kitchen/garden waste to make your own compost and persuade others to do the same. Oxigen waste company have even introduced a brown bin collection day for all kitchen and garden waste that can decompose. (Irish Peatland Conservation Council 1996). In conclusion, although we may not think about it, peat and peat bogs have a huge influence on humans and the environment and vice versa. Without bogs, a wide variety of species would be killed off, there would be no natural source of history available to historians etc., there would be a lot more carbon in the air which would result in ozone damage, some animals would be left without a habitat and finally, they are a source of water when we are in need. However, Peat lands help humans in many ways and have a huge importance in the world today.

Thorn Queen Chapter Twenty-Five

Leith stood there, frozen, eyes on the gun. Finally, swallowing, he slowly lifted his gaze to my face. He was pale, so pale that he could have been on the verge of passing out. â€Å"Eugenie†¦you're hurt†¦are you okay? There's blood on your bandage†¦.† I didn't doubt it and didn't bother to check. â€Å"Stop it. Just stop your fucking concerned act. I don't want to hear it.† In the corners of my eyes, I saw the gentry girls edge their way toward me like some sort of honor guard. I started to tell them to back off, but Leith had no real magic, and I was the one with the gun. â€Å"What are you†¦? It-it's not an act, I swear it. I care about you. I love you.† â€Å"Love me?† I snarled. â€Å"People in love don't fucking drug and rape other people!† â€Å"It wasn't rape. Did I ever hurt you? Did I beat you?† For a moment, I was so stunned that I couldn't even speak. â€Å"You†¦you're serious, aren't you? You really believe that? You really believe you didn't do anything wrong!† â€Å"It was the only way I could convince you†¦the only way I could convince you that we're meant to be together. Normal courtship didn't work. Neither did Mother's attempt to just capture you and bring you to the Rowan-â€Å" â€Å"Her attempt to what?† â€Å"She used her magic to bind the power of several animals together and-â€Å" â€Å"Jesus Christ! That was her?† Katrice had sent Smokey to bring me back for Leith. Lovely. Girard had mentioned her love of woodland animals but not her ability to control them. â€Å"Look,† Leith rambled desperately. â€Å"We'd be a great team-you know we would. We'd have two kingdoms. You saw what I was able to do to help yours! With your power and my ingenuity-â€Å" â€Å"Ingenuity?† I cried. I would have laughed if it wasn't all so horrible. â€Å"You have none! You've got a tiny bit more technological know-how than the average gentry, but everything else you stole from humans. You traded it in exchange for these girls' self-respect. You didn't even have the balls to kidnap from your own people!† Again, much like when he'd raped me, I wished he'd be more belligerent. This idyllic, faux love was worse. It made everything he'd done to me worse. I could feel my temper surging, anger racing through me. I could hardly see because of my fury. Or maybe it was the blood loss. Odder still was a strange shift in the air, a cooling off. It had been humid and stuffy before, but it was definitely cooler now. Not in the way that heralded a Volusian appearance but something different altogether that I couldn't quite put my finger on. â€Å"I won't do it again, I swear. If that's what you want, if that's what'll make you happy and let us be together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He took a step toward me, and I fired a warning shot that just cleared his arm and hit the cupboard behind him. He promptly stopped moving, face going paler still. â€Å"Don't move!† I screamed. â€Å"Don't even think about touching me.† I still couldn't believe it, still couldn't believe he was going on like this. I kept thinking about what it had been like in bed with him, that forcing and total violation of my body. Once more, there was a slight shift in the air, and I realized what it was. The barometric pressure. I didn't know how I knew, but I did. It was dropping. Rapidly. Ozone wafted through the air. â€Å"I love you,† he said in a small voice. â€Å"You are a self-centered, fucking asshole rapist,† I replied evenly. â€Å"And I-I am the Thorn Queen.† As the words left my mouth, I suddenly understood what Dorian had meant about me needing to believe I was queen. In that moment, I did. And a person like Leith did not do something like that to someone like me. â€Å"I'm the Thorn Queen,† I repeated. Now the air stirred, around us, causing the curtains to flutter and a few things to fall off the counter. â€Å"And you are going to pay for what you've done.† â€Å"Eugenie, stop. Put the gun down.† I lifted my eyes from Leith's cringing form, and this time, I did laugh-but it was more of a choking sound. Kiyo, Dorian, and Roland stood in the entrance to the kitchen. My saviors. After leaving that front door open when Art had come home, it was like anyone could just traipse right in. â€Å"Jesus Christ,† I said. â€Å"You guys are a little too late.† It was Kiyo who had spoken, his face tense and worried. â€Å"Everyone needs to calm down. You got him, Eugenie. It's over. Put the gun away now.† Roland was tense too, his face unreadable as he stood with his own gun. Beside him, Dorian didn't seem overly worried, but there was none of that usual laughter on his face. â€Å"You don't know what he's done,† I growled. â€Å"You keep talking about mercy, but at some point it has to end. He needs to die.† The wind grew stronger. Some of my hair whipped in my face, but I had no free hand to brush it aside. â€Å"I didn't do anything!† exclaimed Leith. He looked to the other men, face desperate and pleading. â€Å"I won her fairly. You know how it is. Back in the old days, that's how it was. The man who caught the queen became king. If she's pregnant, she's my common-law wife.† I saw disgust on Roland's face, his hand tightening on the gun. He started to lift it, but Kiyo, still apparently the spokesperson, made a small motion that caused my stepfather to lower the gun back down. Slightly. â€Å"That tradition is like a thousand years old,† Kiyo told Lieth. â€Å"It means nothing anymore. She's not yours.† â€Å"Besides,† I said, my gaze back on Lieth. â€Å"Do you really think I'd have your baby if I didn't want to? If I'm pregnant, it's an easy problem to fix.† His mouth dropped open. â€Å"You wouldn't†¦that's blasphemous†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And indeed it was among the child-hungry gentry. Abortion was nothing I relished either, but there was no way on this earth I would bear a child born of such brutality. A gust of wind suddenly picked up considerably, nearly knocking me over. The kitchen window shattered. Kiyo was still unmoved. â€Å"Eugenie, stop it. Stop the magic. Put the gun down. We'll take him and the girls back. We'll deal with him in the Otherworld.† â€Å"How can you say that?† I shouted. â€Å"You heard him! How can you let him walk after all this? You don't know what he's done!† â€Å"He doesn't necessarily have to go free,† argued Kiyo. â€Å"There are other ways.† A blinding flash suddenly burst in the kitchen, leaving me dazzled and unable to see for a moment. At the same instance, there was a crackling roar, so loud that I thought my eardrums would burst. And like that, the means to control lightning clicked in my brain. I understood the patterns, what I needed to summon it-and how to work my emotion into it as Ysabel had said. I set the gun on the counter. â€Å"I don't need this,† I told Leith. The wind was roaring around us now, knocking objects everywhere, blowing my hair like a cloud of fire. I was the center of the storm. A very, very faint roll of thunder-nowhere near as loud as the last one-sounded around us. I turned my gaze to Leith, wondering if my violet eyes had darkened the way Storm King's had when angry. â€Å"I'm going to suck the air from you and then blast you out of existence with lightning.† Leith sank to his knees. â€Å"Please†¦please don't do this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The same words I'd uttered to him the first time he'd assaulted me. The storm raged more strongly around me. â€Å"I'm the Storm Queen,† I said in a low voice. â€Å"And you will pay for what you've done to me.† Kiyo took a step forward. I knew him well enough to guess his thoughts. He was considering attacking me but too greatly feared what I could do with the magic as it grew stronger and stronger. He made one last desperate plea. â€Å"If you care anything about your people-about those girls-you won't do this. He's a prince. You kill him, and his mother will declare war on you. You think the drought was bad? Imagine armies sweeping in and devastating your land. Villages burned. Innocent people killed. Is that what you want? Can you do that to them?† Around us, the storm raged, and within me, my hate for Leith was a storm of its own, a poison running through my veins. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him blighted. I wanted him dead. He could not be allowed to be free of his sins. And yet†¦somewhere in all that hate, all that fury, Kiyo's words penetrated. Is that what you want? Can you do that to them? I stared at Leith for several more heavy seconds. And then, bit by bit, the storm began to recede. No more lightning. The wind faded. Clouds vaporized. The pressure rose to levels similar to those outside. Leith sagged in relief, and I noticed how ragged my breathing was from the exertion of such power. â€Å"No,† I said softly, feeling all the energy run out of me. I was tired. So, so tired. â€Å"I don't want a war. I†¦I can't unleash something like that.† Then, for the first time so far, Dorian spoke. â€Å"I can,† he said. And before anyone really realized what was happening, he strode across the kitchen. His sword came out from its sheath, brilliant and deadly in the light, and he plunged it straight into Leith's body. The Rowan Prince stiffened, eyes going wide, as Dorian pushed the blade further into Leith's stomach. Time stood still for all of us. I don't think anyone-well, except for Dorian-really believed it had happened. A moment later, Dorian jerked the sword out in one swift, harsh motion. Leith's body fell to the ground. Dorian had used the new sword, I realized, the iron-laced one Girard had made. Blood poured out from where it had impaled Leith, as well as from his lips. It was a hundred times worse than the mess Art had left, and as that deep red liquid pooled and pooled, a bizarre image of blooming roses floated across my mind. I wondered if I was going to pass out. Kiyo surged forward, like he might save Leith, but we all knew it was too late. The prince was already dead. Kiyo turned to Dorian in rage. â€Å"What have you done?† Dorian's face was calm, voice smooth as he slid the sword-blood and all-back into its sheath. â€Å"What you should have done.† Kiyo stared at Dorian, who returned the gaze squarely. Kiyo's face was a mixture of many things: outrage, shock, fear. â€Å"You have no idea what you've done†¦what you've unleashed†¦what you've unleashed on her†¦.† Dorian glanced down at Leith's body, then Art's, and then back to Leith. The look of contempt on his face clearly showed just how beneath his acknowledgment they were. They were not even worth his notice, not even worth regarding as people as far as Dorian was concerned. He looked back up at Kiyo. â€Å"I know what I've done. And do you think I'd really abandon her to the consequences? Leave her alone to them? Besides†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A wry smirk crossed Dorian's face. â€Å"I'm the one who did it. I'm the one Katrice will come after.† Kiyo shook his head. â€Å"No. She'll come after both of you. You shouldn't have done it.† After what felt like an eternity, my voice had finally come back to me. I wet my lips, trying to speak. â€Å"Maybe,† I whispered. â€Å"Maybe he should have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Silence fell over us all, thick and heavy. Kiyo gave me a look†¦I couldn't fully interpret it. â€Å"You're in shock. You don't what you're saying. We'll get you and the girls back to the Otherworld. Art's records might show us how to track the others.† I looked back and forth between his and Dorian's faces. I wouldn't go so far as to say I hated all men, exactly, but suddenly, I just couldn't be with either of them, even though I loved them both. Plus, at the moment, I didn't want anything to do with the Otherworld. I shook my head. â€Å"No. Take the girls†¦I'm not going.† Dorian arched an eyebrow. â€Å"What will you do?† I turned toward Roland for the first time in a while. He still had his gun, but it was lowered now. He'd been ready to attack the whole time but had been content to let the other two men take the lead in this. Later, I would have to find out how this motley crew had banded together. Right now†¦right now I was more concerned with the look on Roland's face. He was regarding me like he didn't know me. I felt a piece of my heart break. â€Å"I want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And to my shame, I felt tears burn in my eyes, which was just stupid. Throughout this entire week, I'd never cried. I'd taken it all straight-faced. I'd fought and killed today without remorse. Now†¦now it was like a lifetime of sorrow was coming out of me. â€Å"I want to go home,† I said. The tears escaped, running down my cheeks. â€Å"I want to see my mom.† For a second, I thought Roland was going to turn away, condemn me as the half-gentry he'd always feared I would turn into, the one who'd lied to him about her involvement in the Otherworld. I think if he had turned away, I would have died then and there. Instead, he held out his hand. I couldn't actually bring myself to take it. I didn't think I could let anyone touch me right now. I loved all the men here, but right now, I was inexplicably afraid of them. Still, I felt safe leaving with Roland. Roland was my father. Understanding my feelings, he lowered his hand and simply beckoned. I approached him, stepping over the bodies in the kitchen. â€Å"Okay,† Roland said softly, his own eyes shining with tears. â€Å"Let's go home.†

Aeneas and Dido Essay

In this essay I will be examining the characteristics of the characters Aeneas and Dido as they appear in the first book of the Aeneid. In the first book of the Aeneid, Virgil introduces Aeneas. Aeneas is shown to be a Trojan hero and prince who survived the siege and sacking of Troy and managed to lead a band of survivors to safety. Aeneas is the son of Anchises and the goddess of love, Venus. After fighting in the Trojan War, Aeneas escaped after the Greeks sacked the city, leading a small band of survivors on a quest to find Latium, where, it had been revealed, the descendants of Aeneas would found the beginnings of the Roman Empire. After leaving Sicily, on what the Trojans believe to be the final stage of their journey, Juno sends a storm, which wrecks some of the ships and scatters the rest. She does this because she believes a race descended from the Trojans will destroy her beloved city of Carthage. After the storm, Aeneas makes his way to the shores of Libya, where he is met by is mother, Venus, disguised as a huntress. She tells him to make for the city of Carthage. There he is welcomed by Queen Dido, and reunited with the rest of his followers who have survived the storm. Dido invites the Trojans to a great banquet where Venus arranges that Dido will fall in love with Aeneas. Aeneas displays many qualities that make him stand out. These include qualities associated with leadership and also others. These qualities are:   Responsible Leader – Aeneas is the leader of the group of survivors and he takes on those responsibilities. For example, upon landing on the shores of Libya, it is Aeneas who climbs to a vantage point to try and learn of the location of the rest of the fleet, â€Å"Aeneas climbed up a rock, looking for a good view out over the sea, in hope of seeing Trojan ships. † He is also the one who goes out to explore the surrounding land, â€Å"As soon as the kind light of day allowed, he determined to set out and explore this strange country, to find out where the wind had brought them. †   Provision for his men – Tying in with the responsible leader point, Aeneas is always the one to provide for his men. One of the first things he does after setting up camp on the shores of Libya is to find food for his men, â€Å"He kept on shooting until he’d triumphantly stretched on the ground seven great (deer) carcasses – one for each of the ships† * Encouraging – Aeneas gives speeches to inspire and encourage his men. One of the first examples of this is when Aeneas gives a speech to encourage and cheer up his men after they have been ravaged in a storm and cast upon an unknown shore. â€Å"My friends, we’ve known troubles enough in the past, and we’ve suffered still worse: god will bring an end to these too. You sailed right past that mad Scylla and her deeply resounding cavern: you survived the Cyclops’ rocks. Cheer up! Enough of sorrow and fear! One day, perhaps, even this will be something good to remember. Whatever the disasters we meet, whatever the crises we go through, our goal is Latium! The Fates point to a home for us there, and peace. There a kingdom of Troy can rise once again. Don’t give up now! Save yourselves for the good things to come! † Aeneas uses trying events that the survivors have already experienced to encourage them to go on. Emotional – Aeneas is emotional but he tries to hide his feelings if they would damage the morale of his group. For example Aeneas is grieving over the loss of his friends and followers in the storm sent by Juno, but he â€Å"buried the grief deep in his heart† and gave a speech to inspire and encourage his men.   Commands respect – King Aeneas is respected by his followers. Ilioneus praises him to Queen Dido â€Å"No man has been more just or dutiful, no one greater in war and fighting. † Self-Pitying – This ties in directly with the emotional point. Aeneas, despite being a courageous and good leader, occasionally enters into bouts of self-pity. One of these is when he is caught in the storm sent by Juno. He cries out, wishing that he had died a â€Å"hero’s death† on the fields of battle at Troy, rather than suffer in the storm. â€Å"You were the lucky ones,† he cries, â€Å"three times lucky and more, who had the good fortune to die under the walls of Troy, before the eyes of your fathers! Why couldn’t I have died and yielded my soul to Diomede, bravest of the Greeks, on the Trojan Plains? †   Warmth – When Aeneas meets Dido he shows warmth towards her. He compliments her and thanks her for her offer to allow the Trojans to live in Carthage. â€Å"What golden age were you born in? What great parents produced such a daughter? As long as rivers flow down to the seas, as long as the shadows sweep over the mountains, and the sky keeps the stars alight, your name shall live for ever in honour and praise†.   Flattering – Aeneas is charming. Aeneas, unlike Odysseus of Homer’s Odyssey, does not use flattery to achieve gains, but merely to charm the person he is talking to. When he meets his mother, Venus, disguised as a huntress he compliments and flatters her, â€Å"Your face is no mortals, no more your voice; you must be a goddess – Apollo’s sister, or one of the nymphs? †   Capable of admiration – Aeneas recognises the good things about the city of Carthage and he admires the way the city is built. â€Å"Aeneas was standing in awe, gazing spellbound and lost in these marvellous pictures†. This shows us that Aeneas is not arrogant and is capable of recognising beauty and greatness. In the first book, Virgil also introduces Dido. Dido is the Queen and founder of Carthage, the city where Aeneas finds himself after the storm. Dido originates from Tyre, where she was married to the richest of all men in the land, Sychaeus. Dido loved Sychaeus and was devoted to him. Dido’s brother was the King of Tyre and he was a man of unparalleled evil. His name was Pygmalion. One day, blinded by greed, Pygmalion cut down Sychaeus while he was off guard, praying at the altar. Pygmalion then tried to hide his crime, fobbing Dido off with lie after lie. However, the ghost of the dead man appeared to Dido in a dream, he told her of all that happened, showing the sword wound in his chest. The ghost urged Dido to escape the country in haste, revealing to her the location of an unknown hoard of buried treasure. Dido gathered her friends and haters of the king and stole a fleet of ships, sailing overseas with Pygmalion’s treasure safely stored on board. They came to a place in the north of Africa where they bought land â€Å"as much as a bull’s hide would surround† and there they founded a city, the city of Carthage. Dido also displays many favourable qualities. Some of these are:   Beauty – Queen Dido is beautiful. She is compared to the goddess Diana, â€Å"Just like (Diana), Queen Dido was happily moving through her courtiers to urge on the work, to hasten her future realm. † Concerned for the defence of her city – Queen Dido places guards around her city to protect it. She explains why to Ilioneus, â€Å"My city is young: that’s why I have to do such things, and guard every inch of my frontiers†.   Knowledgeable – Queen Dido has knowledge of affairs outside her kingdom, even as far away as Troy. She knows of the Trojan War and of Aeneas, â€Å"who has not heard of Aeneas’ men, of the city of Troy, the courage of its heroes, and the fires of its awful wars? Our Carthaginian wits are not as dull as that, nor is our city so cut off from the rest of the world! †   Hospitable – When the Trojan survivors arrive, Queen Dido offers them food and wine. The Queen also sends food down to the survivors camped on the shore, â€Å"She sent twenty bulls to his companions down on the shore, a hundred huge, bristly-backed swine, the same number of ewes and fat lambs, and gifts of wine to delight them. † Queen Dido even offers the Trojans a permanent home in Carthage, where they are to be treated as equals, â€Å"This city I’m building, it’s yours. Haul up your ships. Trojan or Tyrian I’ll treat you the same. † * Warmth – Queen Dido shows warmth and affection to Aeneas and his son. She hugs them and is touched by their gifts to her. â€Å"Fondly she hugs him (Aeneas’ son), again and again to her breast†. * Fair and Just – Queen Dido is fair to all her subjects. She allocates responsibility and labour equally and she makes fair and just laws. The way Virgil introduces Aeneas and Dido in the first book of the Aeneid makes the similarities between them easy to identify: They have both suffered hardships and have subsequently been forced to leave their native lands; they both are on quests to found new cities for their people; they both display distinctive leadership qualities; they are both capable of affection and warmth. It is these similarities between the two that makes it easier to identify them as both being the heroes in the book.

Leadership Styles And Bank Of America Essay - 1456 Words

Leadership Styles and Bank of America There are multiple ways and styles in which one may lead a group of people or an organization. In some organizations there may be several leadership styles being used concurrently within it. This is usually dependent on the specific tasks and departmental needs of the organization. This report will describe nine leadership styles, those being: authoritarian, democratic, laissez-faire, situational, charismatic, transactional, transformational, caring, and servant. As well as divulging into which of these or what combination of these, if any, are utilized by the Bank of America. Bank of America is considered the second largest bank in the United States by assets; it is the twenty-sixth largest company by revenue. It was also listed as the eleventh largest company in the world by Forbes magazine. It is believed leadership can be taught. 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