Oedipus the King Essay

In the play written by Sophocles â€Å"Oedipus the King,† is depicted as one who is blind to his own ego, pride stubbornness, anger and lack of knowledge. First written in Greek mythology this play is about a King of Thebes whose ego overshadowed his ability to focus on his the necessary things to stabilize his kingdom; his anger and pride eventually led to his down fall. Having solved the riddle of the Sphinx, (an evil creature) King Oedipus was able to succeed as the new king of Thebes and became the new husband of the queen Jocaster, not knowing that she was his biological mother. Oedipus son of king Laius and Queen Jocaster was doomed from birth, fearing that their son Oedipus will take his father’s life Jocaster give him (Oedipus) to a herdsman to be killed, he was then given to another herds man in the fields In a twist of faith who then returned him to Corinth where he was adopted by King Polybus and his wife Queen Merope, who raised him as their own. It would seem the gods will have their fun day with Oedipus. Blinded by ego as a king Oedipus seeks only to please his people, his city and himself. Plagued with sufferings throughout his kingdom in which famines, diseases animals becoming extinct, and the women who were stricken with bareness were becoming a desaster. With no end to their sufferings the people of Thebes turned to the king for guidance and to help appease their discomfort. Obligated to his people, his city, and himself the king in his search for answers, summons Creon his brother in law and uncle to provide him advice from the wise council of the Oracle in Delphi. Creon learns from the oracle that the kingdom was plagued by a series of unfortunate events and revealed it to the King. According to Creon the plague in the land must be driven out by bringing the murderer of the previous king to justice. â€Å"I will tell you, then, what I heard from the God. King Phoebus in plain words commanded us to drive out a pollution from our land, pollution grown ingrained within the land; drive it out, said the God, not cherish it. † (Sophocles 105-110). The plague was as a result of the murder of King Laius (Oedipus’s biological father) whose killer was never found and brought to justice. Oedipus felt it was his duty to find the killer and have justice served. Not satisfied with the answers he had gotten from Creon, Oedipus sent out for Tiresias a prophet. â€Å"Tiresias you are well versed in everything, things teachable and things not to be spoken, things of Heaven and Earth – creeping things. You have no eyes but in your mind you know with what plaque our city is afflicted. †(Sophocles 315-320). Again Oedipus’s ego drives him to pursue answers to which the end result will only destroy himself; the gods must be laughing now. Oedipus points out the fact that Tiresias is blind, but he fails to see that he himself is blind to the events taking place within his kingdom. Oedipus acknowledges that although Tiresias is physically blind he has discerning capabilities that allow him to see what others cannot, moreover he knows of the plaque in the city. It is Oedipus’s pride that compels him to seek the truth in order to bring freedom to the people of Thebes in hope of gaining more power from them. As Tiresias became hesitant and refuses to speak what he knows Oedipus became angry. There is no fairer duty than helping those in distress. † (C & B 301-302). Oedipus made this remark because he wants to be the savior of the city, the man who will bring it out of distress and misery. He sees Tiresias as hard headed individual and a man with no feelings; making reference to his eyes being cold (C & B lines 307-308). Oedipus continues to accuse Tiresias of his faults, finally! Tiresias decides to speak the truth behind Oedipus’s own blindness to which he is blind and thus cannot see the nature of his own wrong doings (C & B Lines 324). Tiresias revealed that Oedipus himself was the pollutant of the land because he (Oedipus) is the murderer of King Laius. It would seem the gods got their wishes in spite of Oedipus unknowingly killed his biological father. Oedipus stated,† it has but not for you; it has no strength for you, because you are blind in mind and ears as well as in your eyes. †(Sophocles 400-410). Oedipus refuses to believe Tiresias words and continues to provoke him, exclaiming: â€Å"your life is one long night so that you cannot hurt me or any other who sees light,† (Sophocles 410-420) although it is he Oedipus who cannot see the light. The irony here is supported by the metaphor of knowledge as vision. Tiresias though being sightless discerns the truth through wisdom, while Oedipus is essentially in a sense, blinded by his anger and cannot see the truth. Oedipus secret of killing his father is no longer remaining unknown for the Shepard, and Tiresias know of Oedipus hidden past. Blinded by lack of knowledge towards his past he accused his brother in law Creon of treason and plot to destroy he (Oedipus) an argument between Oedipus and Creon lures Jocasta towards Oedipus in which she tries to calm him down. Jocasta goes on to say that the oracle cannot be trusted. Throughout the story of her former husband death, she mentioned he died on the three way crossroads just before Oedipus arrive to Thebes. After Jocasta has mentioned how Laius died, Oedipus realized that he may be the one who murdered Laius (his father). Hoping that he is not identified as Laius’s murder, Oedipus sends for the shepherd that survives the attack. As he Oedipus finds out the truth about himself, his past, his biological father and mother his physical and spiritual eyes became opened. In his conviction as well as guilt he then blinded himself, the irony here, is just when he saw the light, he took his own sight, â€Å"what use are my eyes if I cannot see? † Oedipus was blind towards the past, not knowing his real parents, the present, putting pride ego and anger before rationalization, and the future, physically taking his own sight away by blinding himself. The play begins with the praise and love for a king, Oedipus is praised at the beginning of the play and is looked up to by the people, Tereisais refuses to speak the truth and Oedipus refuses to see the truth. Finally Oedipus went from being a blind man with seeing eyes to a man with sight, but his real eyes destroyed. This hero fell because his pride and ego made him blind to the truth that was right before his eyes. The gods got what they desired did they desire more?

Devil in the white City Summary

The World's Fair was an amazing event for our country. It represented how capable we were and how amazing our technology could become. It negated many of the stereotypes surrounding Chicago that it was only a city of animal butchery. It set a standard for how cities should be run and it picked up the economy with all of the work and tourism It created. But, hidden within all of this good was evil. Although pick pockets and thieves were very common, largely represented In the book Is murder.Holmes takes advantage of this situation and lures In young women who are traveling alone. Without the magnificent fair, he would have had a much more difficult time doing what he did. The good that people were creating within the fair created this room for evil. Honestly, It seems this Is a real world theme as well. Wherever good Is done, corruption Is always a possibility and often this opportunity Is taken. The sad theme that permeates this book Is that where there Is good, there will be evil.An d although unfortunate, It is reality-To me, the text had one BIG theme: evil as the result of good. The World's Fair was an amazing event for our country. It represented how capable we were and how amazing our technology could become. It negated many of the stereotypes surrounding Chicago that it was only a city of animal butchery. It set a standard for how cities should be run and it picked up the economy with all of the work and tourism it created. But, hidden within all of this good was evil. Although pick pockets and thieves were very common, largely represented in the book is ruder.Holmes takes advantage of this situation and lures in young women who are traveling alone. Without the magnificent fair, he would have had a much more difficult time doing what he did. The good that people were creating within the fair created this room for evil. Honestly, it seems this is a real world theme as well. Wherever good is done, corruption is always a possibility and often this opportunit y is taken. The sad theme that permeates this book is that where there is good, there will be evil. And although unfortunate, it is reality.

Project Management Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Management Theory - Essay Example People that studied specific professions such as law, accounting, medical would not fit the profile of union member and there weren’t any unions for these types of workers. In order to meet the social and professional needs of this segment of the workforce professional associations were created to serve them. The project management profession is no exception. The Project Management Institute (PMI) is the organization that serves project managers across the world. The Project Management Institute was created in 1969. The organization has taken been very innovative and its overall reach and has been able to effectively expose the profession worldwide. The Institute has a membership of over 200,000 people from over 125 different countries (Pmi, 2007). Project management is a profession that attracts people from different specialization since within virtually every industry there are always projects that need guidance for successful completion. The PMI realized the needs of professionals from different industries and their assistance is guided towards helping profession in the financial services, aerospace, automobile, pharmaceutical, healthcare, construction, engineering, information technology, business management among many others. The institution has done a great job creating professional standards, conducting research and promoting the profession through certifications, networking and community involvement opportunities (Pmi, 2007). The project management institute has accomplished great social initiatives throughout the community including outreach programs in developing nation such as Brazil. In Sao Paolo, Brazil the local PMI chapter developed a pilot program which offered project management classes to teenagers from low income families. The classes were designed to expose students to the basic principles of project management and to teach them how these principles can be applied to improve their everyday

4th amendment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

4th amendment - Essay Example Scaros (2011) describes the Katz case where such a violation did occur. In the case, Katz, who was the petitioner, did not know that the FBI had fixed an eavesdropping device on the telephone booth he used that documented his conversations. He was found guilty, but on appealing, the majority of seven judges on the jury judged that his 4th amendment rights had been violated by the FBI. In the same way, the gathering of my phone records and emails without my consent and knowledge is a violation of the amendment. In the case, the court noted that as long as an individual would logically know that their conversation is and remains private, then such a conversation is protected by the 4th amendment (Scaros 2011). In support of the view that it is a violation, and it amounts to unreasonable search, Hess and Orthmann (2011) argue that warrantless search is validated when approval for the search is given or if no right to privacy exists. Hence, as gathering phone records and emails is not undertaken with a search warrant or my approval, then it violates the 4th amendment and is unreasonable (Hess and Orthmann

2 pages single spaced. Question is too long write in here Essay

2 pages single spaced. Question is too long write in here - Essay Example Barnum was a business man at heart and he wanted to find a way to do exhibitions instead of working in the stagnant position of a grocery store. He was tired of dead end jobs and wanted something more substantial (p. 3). The people in the United States were already used to seeing exhibits and these exhibits were part of pop culture. Barnum just saw an opportunity and he went with it. Everyone loves a good story and this is one of the reasons why Barnum was so successful. As an example, the Joice Heth exhibit was a very old woman that Barnum built a story around. He gave the public an understanding of this exhibit before he actually showed it and people became so curious about the exhibit that they had to go and see it. He took over the exhibit from some other people who were selling it; Barnum saw this as his opportunity and looked for ways to market her. Capitalizing on the "fact" that she was 161 years old and a slave of George Washington, (p. 6) Barnum was able to create a mystery around her and make people want to see her. Barnum was also smart because he changed Heths story for each of the towns he visited. He elaborated the story where necessary and he seemed to be able to "read" the crowd. This may have meant that he did research ahead of time on the area (maybe through newspapers) and then went into the town and gave the presentation. Although newspapers criticized him, he kept going. As an example of his genius, when he booked the Heth exhibit, it was at a time when Manhattan, and particularly Broadway was going through a "massive expansion of commercial entertainment" (p. 3). This allowed Barnum to easily fall into American pop culture and find a place that would last him for many years. People were already used to seeing "artful deceptions" and Barnum just created more of them. Besides his exhibits, Barnum developed a pseudonym to write -- Barnaby Diddleum

What if Alexander Graham Bell Did Not Invent the Telephone Essay

What if Alexander Graham Bell Did Not Invent the Telephone - Essay Example High-end communication devices at present are products of a gradual and consistent innovation of telephone to become cellular phones or the so-called wireless communication devices. Now, consumers are no longer satisfied with the primitive capacity and purpose of telephones or cellular phones which is to be able to hear and talk to important people. With the invention of Internet by Tim Berners-Lee, phones are now capable of surfing the Web, tracking locations, and capturing images. Now, we ask, would we have the kind of luxury and convenience in doing our everyday tasks if, first and foremost, no one invented the telephone? What if Alexander Graham Bell did not think of creating a magnificent machine that allows people to speak to people separated by geographical distance? Well, the answer might vary and would depend on probabilities, like other inventors in the likes of Joseph Henry, who invented the electric telegraph, or Thomas Edison, could actually thought of inventing the tele phone. A reluctant response might be that cellular phones are impossible to surface, and the Internet remains a mystery to the humanity. This essay attempts to present the possibilities if Alexander Graham Bell had never created the electric telephone, and highlights the importance of this invention to humanity’s history. ... Meucci, among other telephone inventors, was reportedly the first â€Å"to have a functioning electric telephone† which he attempted to patent (Meucci 9). Then there was Elisha Gray who was also regarded as the one who first patented the telephone close with Bell’s filing of patency in 1876 (Evenson 3). There were conspiracies regarding who really is to be credited for the telephone’s invention, but the federal government credited Alexander Graham Bell for patenting the telephone’s creation (Evenson 3). Alexander Graham Bell undoubtedly has been part of the pages of world history. Bell is a notable inventor, scientist, and teacher. Born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bell was known for his pet name Alec (Feinstein 1). His contemporary, Samuel Morse, also invented a communication device, which was the telegraph, which enables the transmission of electrical impulses that result in dots and dashes (Feinstein 10). These dots and dashes represent the letters of the alphabet and can be interpreted using the Morse code (Feinstein 11). Although he received a patent in 1840, Morse’s electric telegraph had certain shortcomings. It did not cater the needs of ordinary people since it cannot be connected to their respective homes, and second, it was quite expensive. Feinstein wrote that, while the telegraph was a big leap towards the advances in communication, Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone â€Å"truly conquered time and distance† and â€Å"create a world in which people were as close to each other as the nearest phone† (19). 3.0 Period of Natural Science and Technology Early and late nineteenth century was a period marked by the fall of European and Asian empires and the rise of the German, British, American, and Japanese

Affects of globalisation on children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Affects of globalisation on children - Essay Example For a child a happy home is the heaven on the earth. It turns to the saddest part of life when they are left as orphans on the street for no fault of theirs. Parents are no able provide essentialities whether physically or mentally through all the corners of the world as the world is a small global village.The surrounding environment to which the child gets exposed could mould their attitudes. And this can be highly influenced by globalisation through various options. Their communication levels, their capabilities, their positive traits and their negative qualities can be monitored, and rectified with all the security.If a child has a special diseases and needs some group of blood or bone marrow or any thing else or any serious health query it can be placed on the net and it is a global news within no time and there is more than 90% of chance that the problem could be solved. An organization for drought hit children has opened site on the net to collect relief funds through email and it successfully collected lot of funds. But all this is possible only to those who are rich. What about the poor families who cannot afford a computer or have enough knowledge to help themselves to come out of the problematic situations So the globalisation is justifying only the rich and catering their needs. Health is wealth and the proverb is but for those who don't have wealth may die for medicine when seriously ill. Also World Health Organisation conducts health check-up camps and often helps out the needy. One thing can be appreciated; these camps have eradicated to a great extent as much as 90% the Polio among children by giving Polio drops freely to all. Present dreadful disease Aids, which is affecting children, are experiencing a very secluded life. The health camp organizations are providing them dormitories but still a global awareness is needed to protect children falling prey to such diseases that are infectious. Those who don't opt for family planning are providing very poor quality of life for their unlimited children. Education Standards Poor standard may result in a poor talent of the youth. So the young generation needs a good standard of education for them to shine in the fields that they are interested. They are kept in good disciplined and are imbibed good habits, a good friends circle and a good social life. But too much long hours of dedication towards school and study hours can be cause for their stress and strain that they don't deserve. Financial Access Those whose have a special interest for child's development can go for loans and other sources and schemes which are specially meant for children's education and marriage in insurance companies and trusts etc. and also some government policies for girl child's education and marriage. Modern technology Children use computers for video games with lot of interest and enthusiasm. And recently World Games Authorities, which conducts competitions annually. They also use Internet and many electronic toys, which needs some intelligence. Children are also given computer education right from the school days. Ideal childhood This is the period have no care and anxiety. They must get something to eat, something to wear and something to enjoy. Child hood is the best part of any ones life. One is the monarch and every one fall at the beck and call. The lovely tricks of childhood, the innocence, the obedient attitude, the devotion for parents, elders and gurus all come from a

Marketing Cmmunications Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Cmmunications Plan - Essay Example We are suggesting a few ideas in the form of our marketing communication plan which are as follows: we would put up posters everywhere and hand out leaflets containing our telephone number and web address and also advertise on the TV and on internet, we would try to promote our website, giving links to it on famous websites such as www.yahoo.com and www.msn.com and others. People with houses and businesses around the areas that would be affected by the London 2012 Olympics are no doubt not in complete darkness and probably do have a hint of what business opportunities might come their way when Olympics comes to their neighborhood but once people have established their firms and businesses, getting them to conform according to the need of the times can be at times a tedious but worthwhile task to undertake. Hence we felt that there is a dire need to put a promotional plan into action to persuade people to gear up for the games. One problem we face is that people might perceive these p rofit opportunities to be of a short-term nature, most businesses are of the opinion that these opportunities would arise during the games and would go away when the Olympics is over and leaves town, so changing the whole nature of their operations to be perfect for the business needs of few days is an idea not very appealing to both the small scale as well as the extremely well developed businesses, especially the well developed ones. People are comfortable making minor alterations but when it comes to total restructuring people are quite iffy over it. ... are no doubt not in complete darkness and probably do have a hint of what business opportunities might come their way when Olympics comes to their neighborhood but once people have established their firms and businesses, getting them to conform according to the need of the times can be at times a tedious but worthwhile task to undertake. Hence we felt that there is a dire need to put a promotional plan into action to persuade people to gear up for the games. One problem we face is that people might perceive these profit opportunities to be of a short-term nature, most businesses are of the opinion that these opportunities would arise during the games and would go away when the Olympics is over and leaves town, so changing the whole nature of their operations to be perfect for the business needs of few days is an idea not very appealing to both the small scale as well as the extremely well developed businesses, especially the well developed ones. People are comfortable making minor alterations but when it comes to total restructuring people are quite iffy over it. So we feel that there is a need to project the fact that firstly the event doesn't merely bring short-term benefits but rather an opportunity to form ties and long term contacts, it provides them with the opportunity of projecting their business and companies all over the world, a chance to represent them selves and secondly even if you consider only the massive short-term sale, only for the

Customer Service Excellence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Customer Service Excellence - Essay Example Further theoretical insights would be rendered in terms of understanding potential service strategies that needs to be developed or followed in by organisations to gain an enhanced space in the target market for its products and services. The Case of Google The level of consumer trust for the online services rendered by Google in terms of operating as an effective search engine and faster networking site has countered problems owing to the failure of the company to sustain the parameter of privacy. Google is found to have entered with a contract with another online advertising firm DoubleClick thereby servicing the same with encrypted information relating to the Internet Protocol or IP Addresses of the users through their clicking on the search engine to retrieve results. This activity of the concern is taken as a breach of trust for the user base spread around the world in that the company failed to inform the same about the reason for their merger with DoubleClick. Moreover the org anisation looking after elements concerning electronic privacy also mentioned about the same as a case of deception in trade practices for the online company. This case strongly reflects in how the deceptive practices of Google in terms of its merging with the online advertising company happens to potentially disturb the privacy of users in terms of conducting online surfing. Thus the level of trust for Google actively declines in the online user sphere (Pasquale, 2010, p.405). The Case of Starbucks The case of Starbucks also reflects a reduction in the level of consumer satisfaction and trust in savouring coffee preparations from its different outlets owing to reduction of focus on customer servicing standards. Starbucks is found to focus on moving over to an opening spree where it focuses on opening a large number of different outlets spread along a small region. These large number of outlets created in a closed network tends to increase the level of competition between the differ ent outlets thereby cannibalising its own sales and consumer force. Moreover the company is also found to focus on diversifying into sales of compact discs such that the initial focus of the company on developing its coffee brand goes for a toss. Thus other small coffee brands operating in the same sector are found to gain the lead over Starbucks to help gain over cultivating a larger market share. It is also found that the brand identity of Starbucks in the coffee market is easily copied over by other firms like McDonald’s and similarly by Dunkin Donuts in terms of enhancing their product and service portfolio. This fact adds to the problem of the company in failing to sustain the consumer trust and loyalty (Smale, 2008). The Case of Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) The case of Royal Bank of Scotland reflects that how the banking corporation happened to strike on a low customer servicing event owing to the emergence of a software problem. The software of the bank was held for up gradation matters that in turn created a problem for the bank executives in servicing the needs of its customers pertaining to banking transactions. The

The Lady’s Maid and Cinderella Essay Example for Free

The Lady’s Maid and Cinderella Essay In â€Å"The Lady’s Maid,† by Katherine Mansfield, the narrator and maid is named Ellen. (Name similarity?) She, much like Cinderella, is loyal and quiet in performing her daily duties. Ellen is also searching for something to complete her life. But several incidents in Ellen’s life contribute to her un-Cinderella-like ending, including the fact that she does not have a mythical figure to help her out. These scenes, which are shown through Ellen’s responses to interactions with characters around her, prove Ellen to be a very complex character. Both Ellen and Cinderella experience sadness from childhood experiences and devotion to the ladies that they serve, but whereas Cinderella overcomes her problems in the end and finds happiness, Ellen carries her emotions so deeply that she cannot break free from her enslaved life. When comparing Cinderella and Ellen, a their childhoods are obviously similar in many respects. Both the girls lack a constant loving home and a strong mother figure. Losing a parent at a young age is distressing to Cinderella in much the same way as it is for Ellen. Because the girls were never close with their parents because of death, they never developed the ties of loving mother-daughter relationships. Cinderella worked for her stepmother at a very young age, and after Ellen lived with her grandfather and an aunt, she was sent to work as a maid at age thirteen. The shuffling of parental figures for both Cinderella and Ellen causes them intense emotional trauma and likely triggers feelings of guilt for the loss of their parents. Cinderella and Ellen spend their days devoting much time and attention to those people in their lives who do give them attention. Because they never feel the true love that a parent can give, they mistake the orders from the old ladies as parental love. The maternal instincts that these girls both feel are similar, because they are struggling with the lack of parental influence and consequently cope by devoting their energy to those who give them any attention at all. And because they end up devoting much of their lives to those people who give them negative attention, neither Cinderella nor Ellen have anyone who truly care for them. As Cinderella and Ellen were growing up, they had no one that loved them the way a parent can love. Cinderella and Ellen had unfulfilling childhoods that later caused them to attach later in life to anyone who should care for them. Because of their dependence to these people, the girls are both easily manipulated. Cinderella does all her chores for her stepmother and constantly cooks and cleans for the family. She feels that it is her duty to serve the family for allowing her to live with them. Cinderella is very dependent on the malicious, unloving family because she has no one else who cares about her. The stepmother and stepsisters are very cruel to Cinderella, and she does not like the way she is treated, yet she still does her work cheerfully, constantly singing and talking with the birds and the dog. Cinderella seems to create happiness for her and for others, seemingly drawing from an internal reservoir of pure heartedness, goodness, and beauty. There is no external source refilling her with love, support, and comfort. Ellen’s lady does not treat her cruelly, but Ellen’s life is emotionally unfulfilling, like Cinderella. Her lady wants her to be happy, but still places high demands on Ellen, like an employer. The lady does not offer any true feelings of love to Ellen that a young woman needs to feel. At this age in the girls’ lives, they need to be feeling love as experienced in a marriage. Similar to Cinderella, Ellen attaches herself to the lady because there is no one else, and is controlled into pleasing the lady. Ellen has become so devoted that her primary concern is pleasing the lady. She says, â€Å"I’ve got nobody but my lady† (Mansfield 37). Ellen and Cinderella feel emotionally isolated throughout their young adult lives, and in order to feel needed, they attach themselves to their respective ladies. Cinderella and Ellen have very similar lives until it comes time for them to break free of their mundane lives. Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appears on the night of the ball, makes her a beautiful dress, and whisks her off to the ball in a pumpkin carriage. There, she meets Prince Charming, and eventually they are married and live â€Å"happily ever after† (Cinderella). She overcomes her problems and escapes her cruel stepfamily, to eventually be happy. Perhaps this is because of the intervention of her Fairy Godmother, a luxury that Ellen does not have. The mythical godmother provides outside assistance that may be paralleled to divine intervention, referring to a force that is greater than one. Perhaps, when Cinderella was written, this force was very important in daily lives. And when â€Å"A Lady’s Maid† was written, this divine force was not as powerful as a truth in daily lives, which is why Mansfield did not include it in her story. Ellen cannot esc ape her life with the lady. Harry, Ellen’s suitor, has lives full of flowers and family planned out. The couple will live above his flower shop while running the business. However, Ellen rejects the idea of marriage, telling Harry â€Å"I’m not going to marry you. I can’t leave my lady† (Mansfield 40). Ellen’s choice to stay with her lady over being with a man that cares about her shows her abnormal amount of loyalty and devotion (almost puppy-like) to her lady. There is no one to show Ellen the way to happiness, as there was for Cinderella. Ellen concludes her story by saying, â€Å"She says, ‘Good night, Ellen. Sleep sound and wake early!’ I don’t know what I would do if she didn’t say that, now† (Mansfield 40). Ellen is so devoted to her lady that she cannot leave her, even though she had a better life with Harry. Her guilt, desperation to please, dependence, and devotion to her lady overcome her desire to have an emotionally fulfilling adult relationship in the end. Instead, she stays with her lady. The loss or gain of marital love is a prevailing theme throughout both stories. The difference in the endings for Cinderella and Ellen is significant; Cinderella obtains happiness while Ellen remains in her state of near-slavery. The reason for the difference is not in their characters, because they have experienced the emotional trauma from an early age, and consequently both have very similar thoughts, actions, and emotions. From Cinderella, the reader sees an oppressed young girl who obtains freedom from her evil stepmother by marrying Prince Charming with the help of her Fairy Godmother. The reader understands that mythical forces, such as fairy godmothers, are there to help out when times are tough, and that eventually everyone will get their own Prince Charming. Katherine Mansfield wants the reader of â€Å"A Lady’s Maid† to see Ellen’s desperation to please and her devout service to the lady, all while revealing deep inner troubles of a character who is not able to resolve herself in the end. While Cinderella is a charming, mythical story that children of all ages love, Mansfield’s modern story form provides a realistic and truthful ending.

Case Study: Britannia Industries

Case Study: Britannia Industries In 2007, Britannia, one of the Indias largest biscuit brands held a market share of 38% in terms of value. Indian biscuit industry, the third largest producer of the biscuits in the world was highly under-penetrated. This presented numerous growth opportunities to new as well as existing players. Apart from the presence of big players like ITC Foods and Parle, the local manufacturers of biscuits and other Indian snacks had been raising concerns for Britannia. Besides competition, Britannia faced critical challenges due to declining margins in the biscuit industry due to the increasing costs of raw materials. Its profit had been on a decline since 2005. Though Britannia had forayed into dairy and bakery products, 90% of its revenues still came from its core business in biscuits category which was largely driven by product innovation. (www.ibscds.com) A Britannia industry limited is successful Indian company since 1892, started in India with initial investment of Rs.295. this company is very well known for its biscuits (Britannia Tiger). Britannia is one of the largest biscuits selling company and leading biscuit firm of India with estimated 38% market share. (www.britannia.co.in) In 1997, Britannia jumped into dairy product market with its two new products (Processed Cheese Dairy Whitener), In 2002, Britannias New Business Division namely Britannia Milkman formed a joint venture with Fonterra, the worlds second largest Dairy Company, and Britannia New Zealand Foods Pvt. Ltd. was born. (www.wadiagroup.com) The company is a growing and profitable one. Between 1998 and 2001, the companys sales grew at a compound annual rate of 16 per cent against the market, and operating profits reached 18 per cent. More recently, the company has been growing at 27 per cent a year, compared to the industrys growth rate of 20 per cent. At present, 90 per cent of Britannias annual revenue of Rs2,200 crore comes from biscuits. (www.wikipidia.com) and Dairy Product gives almost 10% revenue to Britannia. N.P.I. approach Britannia Dairy Products targets specially in urban areas of the country. It is less popular in rural areas and rarely available. They believe to sell quality products thats why they have slogan Eat Healthy, Think Better because the one common threat emerged in recent times has been shift in lifestyles and a corresponding awareness of health. People are increasingly becoming conscious of dietary care. They targeted in urban area because their products are little bit expensive than their competitive products but with good quality and wide range of products, with their products more of the upper middle class families targeted, especially those are food loving and want healthy, so they give healthy, nutritious, optimistic and combining it with a delightful product range to offer verity and choice to consumers. The above products present the approach that has been adopted in order to introduce and manufacture the different verity. Britannia generates $722.55 million revenue this year (2009-10). Britannia dairy firm was de-licensed in 1991 with given a reasons to encourage private investment and flow of capital and new technology in the segment. MMPO (Milk and Milk Products Order) regulates milk and milk products production in country. this was like there was no permission to handle more than 10,000 to 75,000 litres of liquid milk par day or solid milk up to 500 tonnes per annum this license was given by the state government but they were handling more than75,000 litres of liquid milk and 500 to 3750 tonnes of solid milk per year, so the firm had to registered with the central government. (www.aavinmilk.com) Britannia New Zealand Food Pvt Ltd was trying to pay attention on cheese product to expand their market because at that time in India this was at its worst condition with 5% only. Where the joint venture company already cornered with 45% of 450 crore. In the cheese market this was the rapid growth they seen before, because last year this was growing with 5% but now this is growing with 12%. The market of cheese in India is estimated at almost 9000 tonnes and is rapidly increasing with 15% per year, because cheese is mainly used in cities or in metro cities. This shows that only in four main metro cities cheese consume more than 50% of consumption. They have got a very tough competition with their other business rivals amul, Dabon international, vijaya this was creating competition tougher day by day. But Britannia was having their own customers with pride. Britannia has faced this threat reasonably well over the past one year, without a visible impact on its financial performance. The proposed foray by Nestle India and Hindustan Lever into confectionery and dairy products. Business strategy (2007-08) Britannia strategy is simple to get more people to buy enjoy more of their brands anytime, anywhere everyday. Britannias performance in 2007-08 was strong, with a sales growth 17.5 per cent, besides a 27.5 per cent growth in the previous year, adding Rs 800 crore of incremental revenue during this period (total revenue for 2007-08 was Rs 2,617 crore). Britannia is among the fastest growing FMCG companies in the last two years. Its net profit increased by 77.5 per cent and operating margin by 307 basis points to 7.5 per cent in 2007-08, despite inflation in key commodities by 20-25 per cent in the last two years. In a survey conducted by AC Nielsen ORG-Marg, consumers voted brand Britannia among the Top 10 most trusted brands across categories for the fifth successive year. It was also rated as the second most trusted food brand in 2008 and first in 2007. It was rated as the seventh most trusted brand across all categories in 2008. Consistent with its credo of swasth khao, tan man jagao, Britannia created a partnership with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Naandi Foundation to supply iron fortified Tiger biscuits to supplement the mid-day meal programme in schools. This has been recognised as a unique programme globally by GAIN. The World Bank Institute has written a case study and Britannia was invited to make a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative, a non-partisan catalyst for action that brings together a community of global leaders to devise and implement solutions for some of the worlds pressing challenges like nutrition. (www.alibaba.com)

The Rebirth of a Game :: Basketball NBA Athletics Sports Essays

The Rebirth of a Game Basketball in my home state goes way back, straight to the beginning. The University of Kansas (KU) hired James Naismith, the inventor of the game, as its first basketball coach in 1898. The fledgling sport caught on, and has gained force ever since. KU was also the scene of the emergence of Wilt Chamberlain, who dominated the game like none other. At the same time that â€Å"Wilt the Stilt† was breaking out, Kansas State University (KSU) had a basketball coach by the name of Tex Winter. While not as well known as Chamberlain, Winter’s contributions to the game of basketball may have been even more significant. Ask any Bulls or Lakers fan where the â€Å"triangle† offense (and resulting championships) came from. So, with my birth in 1979 in a small town in Kansas, this was the world I stepped into. Naismith, Chamberlain, Winter, and others had been incorporated into a basketball pantheon by the public. They were part of the public consciousness, but only in a supporting role. The game of basketball itself was lifted above them all, the true source of the passion. Before I was ten years old I had seen this passion at its peak. The NCAA Tournament of 1988 turned out to be a great showcase of Kansas and Big 8 basketball. The team I loved, KSU, made an improbable run in the tournament, winning their first three games. This set up a Sunflower State showdown between KSU and KU in the round of eight. The game ended up being a blowout, with KU dominating. KU went on to win the national championship in exciting fashion, beating Big 8 rivals Oklahoma in an exciting championship game. As an impressionable eight-year-old, I soaked up the emotions. The hopes and expectations, the ecstasy and the heartbre ak. These feelings stuck with me. When I reached seventh grade, basketball took a different role in my life. I played on my junior high basketball team and absolutely loved it. From November to March, my life revolved around an orange ball. From seventh grade to eleventh grade, this was winter to me. I was a true student of the game, learning and improving constantly. I became fairly good, and even won some awards my eighth grade season. During my freshman year in high school, I once scored 29 points in a junior varsity game. When I stopped growing at 6’, however, it became fairly clear that there was no future in it for me as a player.

Body Composition :: essays research papers

According to Mosbey's Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health Dictionary, Body Composition is defined as the relative proportions of protein, fat, water, and mineral components in the body. It varies as a result of differences in body density and degree of obesity. Basically body composition describes the percentages of fat, bone, and muscle in a persons body. The percentages of body fat a person has determines their overall health and fitness when compared to factors like age, weight, and sex. Body composition also contributes to a persons overall appearance. A healthy male should have about12 to 18 percent of fat. Females should have around 14 to 20 percent. Any thing over or under these percentages would be considered unhealthy.The term's weight and fat are usually used in the same context when discussing physical fitness. Under certain circumstances, being overweight doesn't mean that a person is unhealthy. A person could be in good physical shape but considered overweight because the y have excess muscle. People with a lot of muscle mass usually have body weight, which is disproportional to their height. Having a high percentage of fat is unhealthy because it can cause heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.It is important to know your body fat percentage because it can help you put together a realistic exercise program with goals that are attainable. A good exercise program incorporates both aerobic exercises, which burn fat and anaerobic exercises, which build muscle. It is healthier to turn fat into muscle instead of just trying to loose weight without thinking about gaining strength. The best way for a person to change his or her body composition is to improve their fitness levels. Fitness has different meanings to different people. Some people define fitness as having a small waistline. Other people may feel that fitness is the ability to bench-press their body weight ten times.

Classical and Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema Essay -- History Hollywo

Classical and Post-Classical Hollywood Cinema INTRODUCTION During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that, examining post classical at which time the relationship between them will become evident. It is my intention to reference films from both movements and also published texts relative to the subject matter. In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformati on, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content. Classical Hollywood Classical Hollywood is a tradition of methods and structures that were prominent American cinema between 1916 and 1960.Its heritage stems from earlier American cinema Melodrama and to theatrical melodrama before that. Its tradition lives on in mainstream Hollywood to this day. But what is it? Classic narrative cinema is what Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson (The classic Hollywood Cinema, Columbia University press 1985) 1, calls â€Å"an excessively obvious cinema†1 in which cinematic style serves to explain and not to obscure the narrative. In this way it is made up of motivated events that lead the spectator to its inevitable conclusion. It causes the spectator to have an emotional investment in this conclusion coming to pass which in turn makes the predictable the most desirable outcome. The films are structured to create an atmosphere of verisimilitude, which is to give a perception of reality. On closer inspection it they are often far from realistic in a social sense but possibly portray a realism desired by the patriarchal and family value orientated society of the time. I feel that it is often the black and white representation of good and evil that creates such an atmosphere of predic... ... ed (BFI, 1990) we read †¦ â€Å"contrary to all trendy journalism about the ‘New Hollywood’ and the imagined rise of artistic freedom in American films, the ‘New Hollywood’ remains as crass and commercial as the old†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson (The classic Hollywood Cinema, Columbia University press 1985) 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bordwell, Thompson Film Art, An Introduction ,7th ed (Mcgraw Hill, 2004) 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pam Cooke(ed) The Cinema Book,1st ed (BFI, 1990) 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Susan Hayward Cinema Studies The Key Concepts(, Routledge, 1999) 5. Jill Nelmes (ed) An introduction to film studies 3rd edition (Routeledge, 2003) Filmography TOUCH OF EVIL (Orson Welles, USA, 1958) Dracula (Tod Browning, Universal, US, 1931) Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Rouben Mamoulian, Paramount, US, 1931) The War of the Worlds (Byron Haskin, Paramount, US, 1953) Invasion of the body snatchers (Don Siegel, Allied Artists, US, 1955) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, Shamley, US, 1960) Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, Image Ten, US 1968) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, Warner, US 1980) Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, Columbia, US, 1976) Blue velvet (David Lynch, De Laurentis, US, 1986)

Location Matters

Twenty-five cent lemonade stands have cornered the market in beverage sales in neighborhoods across America. Lemonade stand â€Å"franchisers† have figured out that cute kids on sunny days with cool beverages in convenient corner locations can bring in pretty decent revenue. Unfortunately for them, their market is limited†¦to those within walking distance of the lemonade stand and those who happen to be driving through the neighborhood. Deciding where to run a business can be a pretty daunting task. There are six areas in which a businessperson can choose to operate his business, and the final decision will have a great impact on its success. Among locations from which to choose are central business districts (CBD), neighborhood locations, malls and shopping centers, near competitors, outlying areas, and home offices. Considering what the â€Å"type† of business is, the target market and the area surrounding the prospective location are all factors that will assist in determining where the best place to operate will be. Central Business Districts are located in the heart of a city, and are usually referred to as â€Å"downtown† in America (Wikipedia, 2006). One advantage to operating a business in a CBD is exposure, due to being surrounded by an assortment of retailers and services, allowing people who are not necessarily a target market to become aware of the business. However, disadvantages such as saturation, traffic and costs of purchasing a space could outweigh advantages, depending on the type of business (Leposky, 2005). Neighborhood locations offer a more intimate setting for a business’s customer base. Away from the hustle and bustle of CBD’s, neighborhood locations generally offer lower rental rates, more support from neighboring businesses and assist in adding vitality to surrounding neighborhoods . Malls and shopping centers offer locations which are usually equipped with fixtures, on-site maintenance, and  assistance with marketing. Conversely, these locations often charge steeply for space. For some businesses, such as McDonalds and Burger King, operating near competitors has proven success. This type of local provides choice for consumers, and the opportunity to shine for the business†¦but lack of performance could win business for the competitor. Conveniently, operating in an outlying area allows rest in the matter of competition. However, â€Å"inconvenience† also has the opportunity to slow business. Home-based operations are becoming more and more popular these days. Advantages such as low overhead, more time with family and, of course, no commute are among the factors leading to the growing transition from business office to home office (Pratt, 2006). But operating from home sometimes projects un-professionalism, constant interruptions and the inconvenience of friends and family assuming that you are always available. Setting up shop just â€Å"anywhere† is not as easy as it seems. There is a strategy to choosing a location, and a business owner’s final decision could make or break his business. Each one of the locations offer benefits as well as challenges, but ultimately, the saying â€Å"location, location, location† holds true†¦ success will not find the business whose location is amiss. References: Choosing a Business Location. (2005) Ampersand Communications: Leposky, G. March 2007. www.members.aol.com/amprsnd/location.html Definition of Central Business District. (2006) Wikimedia, Inc.: Wikipedia Writing Staff. March 2007. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_business_district The Impact of Location on Net Income: A Comparison of Home based and Non-Home based Sole Proprietors. (May 2006) SBA Office of Advocacy: Pratt, J. March 2007. www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs275.pdf      

Death of a Salesman †Discuss the Importance of Dreams in the Play Essay

The American Dream is strongly linked to a consumer culture and capitalism, and this is the main theme of the play. Dreams are the main structure of the play. Dreams can be many things; they can be divided into two types. They can be your hopes and ambitions, fantasies, hallucinations, and can also the dreams in your subconscious mind whilst you are asleep. ‘The American Dream’ is what Willy bases his life on. The only way for him is up. Dreams seem to ‘motivate the characters’ actions, they express and explain their past and present behaviour. ‘The American Dream’ is the most important part in ‘A Death of a Salesman’. Willy strives to achieve for himself and his sons, Biff and Happy, to be rich and successful having money to pay off all the bills and not being in debt is the ideal. ‘The American Dream’ is literally having the best of everything, owning your own car and land, being popular and having the opportunity and qualifications to be successful. All the way through the play Willy strives for ‘The American Dream’. He idolizes two people. ‘His name was Dave Singleman. And he was eighty-four years old†¦And old Dave, he’d go up to his room, y’understand, put on his green velvet slippers-I’ll never forget-and pick up his phone and call the buyers, and without leaving his room at eighty-four he, made his living.’ The other is his elder brother Ben who had found wealth colourfully, romantically, by walking into the jungle and discovering diamonds. To Willy therefore success means two things being rich and being popular. Willy strives to the point of obsession to achieve this end. This obsession of ‘The American Dream’ pressurises Willy to bring up his sons to think the same and like a tree, the branches representing his sons reach up towards this dream and the subsequent pressure it puts on them. Biff begins to doubt ‘The American Dream’ when he says ‘†¦it’s me, I’m a bum’ and ‘I’m one dollar an hour’. Biff realizes that life is not always happy and sometimes you just have to settle with what you have got. Willy still thinks Biff will actually achieve all the aspects of his dream. Biff tries to tell him ‘Pop! I’m a dime a dozen and so are you!’ Willy responds ‘I’m not a dime a dozen I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman!’ Willy will not accept this and tries to shut and block out what Biff is saying. He cannot work out that there are an exceptional few that achieve the ‘The American Dream’. Happy is totally absorbed in his father’s dream, and tries to believe that he will achieve it. Happy tells Biff that he cannot be promoted. ‘All I can do now is wait for the merchandise manager to die.’ He does not appear to be working for promotion and is stuck in a dead end job. The author uses Bernard, Charley’s son as a story contrast to the two Loman brothers. Willy refers to him as an ‘aneamic’ and says although he gets the best marks at school he is not as popular and does not have the personality of Biff and Happy. But the complete opposite happens when they finish school and get into the big wide world. Bernard becomes part of the Supreme Court. ‘Oh, just a case I got there, Willy.’ Bernard was a hard working school pupil who seemed to have achieved the dream and also got married and had two children. This proves that popularity and a likeable character is not enough for the ‘American Dream’. Both Biff and Happy have many hopes and dreams dominated by their father Willy. Biff tries to fulfill his father’s dreams in the beginning. ‘Well, I spent six or seven years after high-school trying to work myself up. Shopping clerk, salesman, business of one kind or the another.’ This repeats the theme of the play that one cannot live by another’s dream. ‘What the hell am I doing, playing around with horses, twenty-eight dollars a week†¦And now, I get here, and I don’t know what to do with myself.’ Biff is so confused with life because he was brought up to believe that he should be ‘manager’ of a big company and will always be rich and successful. He seems to like his job in the open space but thinks that he should be earning more money than he is. Happy is like his brother Biff, lost but in a different way. He is thirty-two and is totally absorbed in his father’s dreams and ambitions. Happy continually boasts about his sex life. ‘About five-hundred women would like to know what was said in this room.’ he tells Biff. Happy’s dreams are like his bosses. He should be able to build a large estate and then sell it two months after, because he doesn’t like it and then start to build another. The two boy’s hopes and dreams come from their father. They were brought up to want the very best and are force-fed the wrong hopes and ambitions from childhood. The hopes and dreams that the Loman family have, have affected their lives in many different ways. Biff tries to live up to his father’s expectations but seems to realize that he cannot live other hopes. Happy is the only person with a steady job. Even though he is achieving one part of ‘The American Dream’ he is lonely and keeps telling Linda and Willy ‘Am gonna get married Pop.’ He is not content because he still wants everything beyond what his job can provide. He seems to still be absorbed in his father dreams. Willy is all talk and never achieves anything. He blames people for his downfalls in life. The only way he thinks he will resolve all of his problems in life is to commit suicide. Hopes and ambitions are extremely important for the people in the play as they are always striving for ‘success’. At the end of the play Biff says at Willy’s funeral ‘He had the wrong dreams. All, all, wrong.’ Willy needed to accept that he could not live his dreams and had to settle with what he had and make the best of the situation. Willy’s memories affect the main structure of the play. There are many types of stagecraft to show the difference between the past and present. Lighting is used in the way that in the present times the stage is very dull and gloomy showing misery and unhappiness. The stage is shown as bright and lively at the points of Willy’s daydreams and hallucinations of the past. Sounds depend on the mood of the occasion, faint and lifeless sounds seem to be in the background when the play is in the present. The tone of the music changes when Willy goes into the past, it appears chirpy and happy. Clouting plays an important role. The clothing also depended on the mood of the character the colours of the dress indicates what temperament they were in. Willy seems to always be in the past, this is because he feels it’s a refuge from the life that he is really living in and all the problems in it. The flashbacks Willy gets are all describing what happened in the past and show how the other characters were. ‘I got it, Pop. And remember, pal, when I take of my helmet, that touchdown is for you.’ Biff tries to impress his father; this shows that Biff was always the centre of his life at this time. These flashbacks show the sides of the characters in the play that we have not seen before. The flashbacks also show the way Willy has brought up his two sons. Willy brings Biff and Happy up in the hope that they will fulfil ‘The American Dream’, that popularity and good personalities will get them good jobs. This affects them in later life because they still believe that this doctrine will get those good jobs but it can not. Happy depends on the death of others higher ranked than him for promotion rather than his own skills. The past events are never shown as they actually happened, they are shown the way Willy interprets them. Willy seems to distort the event when Biff finds Willy and ‘The Woman’ in the bedroom in Brooklyn. He does this to try and block out the bad thoughts, and create a past he can hide in from others. Dreams are so important in the play because they seem to link everything together ‘The American Dream’, Hopes and Ambitions and ‘Daydreams, Fantasies and Memories’. Throughout this play, Miller is saying to the audience that our society, promotes things to strive for that are way beyond the reaches of that person. Peer pressure is mainly what drives us to want more and the best of everything, getting into debt. Miller says that the characters in the play are affected by the dream, ‘The American Dream’. Although the play was written over fifty years ago in 1949, it still has relevance today. In the 1950’s, capitalism was taking hold after the Second World War; today commercialism still has a powerful hold in the Western world’s culture. I think Miller is telling us to live our lives according to our own dreams and not others.

The Essence of Attribution Theory

There are many reasons why an individual behaves in a particular way. Correspondingly, there are numerous guesses a person makes about the behaviors and characteristics of another. This is the essence of attribution theory. Since its development, attribution theory has been applied to an array of disciplines. This facet of cognition is not only of interest to social psychologists, but also to educators, sociologists, marketing professionals, management personnel, and those in the medical field. Attribution theory states that humans ‘tend to give a causal explanation for someone's behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition' (Myers, 644). As such, it requires three components: an actor, behavior, and observer. For example, if a driver swerves in front of another's car, what is the explanation the latter will provide for the former's action? The observer may conclude that there was an obstacle in the road or that the actor has fallen ill. These two explanations credit situational causes to the behavior. What is more likely, however, is for the observer to attribute the actor's behavior to disposition, such as being a clumsy driver. The way in which an individual perceives another has important implications as it can alter subsequent attitudes and behaviors. Naturally, there are several possibilities why a person acts in a certain manner. Building on the example above, the actor's behavior may be due to drunkenness or automobile malfunctioning. There is a curious phenomenon in attribution theory. As alluded to above, research indicates a high occurence of undamental attribution error, which is ‘the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition' (Myers, 644). An internal attribution claims that the actor was responsible for the event. Using the ongoing example then, the observer will attribute the actor's behavior to internal, stable characteristics, such as being an aggressive driver. This is true even when other variables are introduced that clearly indicate situational influences. If the observer spots a deer quickly running to the periphery of the road, he is still likely to attribute the actor's behavior as Attribution theory includes providing explanations for one's own behaviors. An individual who receives a failing grade on an examination may attribute this outcome to several reasons, most of which will be situational. He may believe the teacher is incompetent, the examination obscure, or the textbook poorly written. This is an illustration of self-serving attributional bias which indicates ‘a tendency to attribute successful outcomes to dispositional factors and unsuccessful outcomes o situational factors' (Cardwell, 221). Self-serving attributional bias often helps an individual to rationalize an otherwise threatening situation. For example, if the individual who did not pass the examination admitted that he does not understand the material, this will likely lead him to feel uncomfortable about his intelligence or capabilities. To avoid this, he attributes the failure to circumstances beyond his control, which relieves his ego of admitting a personal incompetency. It is nteresting to note that humans usually view another's behavior as stemming from dispositional attributes, regardless of outcome or observable environmental variables, but then conversely attribute their own behaviors to dispositional influences in times of success and situational influences when the outcome is negative. Attribution theory has its origins in the 1950's with the pioneering work of Fritz Heider; his book The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships was instrumental in the development of this social psychology theory (Brown). He coined the term ‘naive psychology' which describes the way in which laypeople utilize pieces of information to construct explanations of others' behaviors. Edward Jones and Keith Davis' ‘systematic hypotheses about the perception of intention was published in 1965 in the essay ‘From Acts to Dipositions† (Brown, 1). Expanding on Heider's work, Harold Kelley stated that ‘people attempt to function as naive scientists' (Aronson, 118) and he added ‘hypotheses about the factors that affect the formation of attributions: consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus' Brown, 1). ‘Kelley published ‘Attribution in Social Psychology' in 1967†² (Brown, 1). During the 1970's ‘the field of social psychology was dominated by attribution theorists and researchers' (Brown, 1). In the 1980's Bernard Weiner added to the knowledge and scope of attribution theory with his focus on achievement. He identified ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck as the most important factors affecting attributions for achievement' (Attribution Theory, 1). Weiner added locus of control, stability, and controllability to the lexicon of attribution theory. Weiner's theory has been widely applied in education, law, clinical psychology, and the mental health domain' (Attribution Theory, 1). Schank's work on the structure of knowledge, particulary ‘in the the context of language understanding' (Script Theory, 1) is intimately tied to attribution theory. In the 1990's attribution theory was applied to the health care field with the works of Lewis and Daltroy (Attribution Theory). Additionally, ‘attribution theory applied to career development is provided by Daly (1996) who examined the attributions that employees held as to why they failed to receive romotions' (Attribution Theory, 1). Most recently, this influential theory has been utilized in studying phenomena such as consumer behavior and advertising Naturally the applications of attribution theory, due to its pervasive and pliability, are limitless. Understanding why people behave in one way over another and how an individual perceives others can lead to important developments in a variety of disciplines. Researchers have studied the different attribution attitudes of females and males. One's attribution style and his corresponding projection during counseling has been investigated. Seligman proposed an attribution model, which provides an explanation of learned helplessness (Schultz & Schultz). Even the children of holocaust survivors have not escaped the grasp of attribution Law is affected by attribution theory in that it comes into play when judges, lawyers, and jurors attempt to understand why a person committed a crime. Marketing and advertising specialists wish to know why consumers behave in a particular way and how their perceptions influence their consumption. Prudent managers seek insight into their employees' perspectives and consequent behaviors. Sociologists study how attributions affect the development of prejudices. The health care practices and attitudes of patients are of obvious importance to medical professionals. It appears the application of attribution theory to information technology is a newly developing area of interest. With a growing movement of educational reforms, it seems attribution theory will be increasingly directed toward this area of humanity. In fact, educational professionals are eager to examine and apply the principles of attribution theory to the learning process. Of particular interest to both educators and researchers are high- and low-achievers. ‘Since 1960, hundreds of studies have contributed to understanding why some are highly motivated to achieve and and others are not' (Tucker-Ladd, 1). Researchers have found that ‘high achievers will approach rather than avoid tasks related to succeeding because they believe success is due to high ability and effort which they are confident of' (Attribution Theory, 1). This means that failure is typically attributed to external variables, hich leaves their self-esteem intact. Low-achievers, on the other hand, ‘avoid success-related chores because they tend to (a) doubt their ability and/or (b) assume success is related to luck or to ‘who you know' or to other factors beyond their control' (Attribution Theory, 2). Therefore, when low-achievers experience success they tend to find it less rewarding than high-achievers because there exists no sense of personal influence over the outcome. Within the gifted and talented population of students, there is a segment of under-achievers. Under-achievers are those individuals in which a discrepancy between ability and performance exists. Educators are oftentimes unable to effectively manage such students who exhibit above average intelligence and capabilities but who are, for whatever reason, not performing at levels that correspond to such abilities. Research indicates that attributions which then affect motivation are a common cause of such under-achievement. It is an intuitive statement to say that modifying one's attributions will then create changes in one's motivation. It logically ollows that increased motivation will lead to increased efforts. These psychological phenomena are of particular interest to educators of gifted and talented under- achieving students as they can utilize such findings to increase performance. While some research has attempted to shed light on this particular educational occurrence, more investigation is necessary to obtain a fuller understanding. Furthermore, how such findings apply to the learning process is of utmost importance to educators that serve this subpopulation. Particular attention to the ttributional style differences between female and male gifted and talented students will enable educational personnel to more accurately attend to the needs of such learners. More specifically, the attributional style differences between middle school female and male gifted and talented under-achieving students and how this contributes to poor academic performance is valuable area of educational and psychological research. The findings of such research will undoubtedly enable school personnel to more effectively attend to the needs of this subpopulation with the ultimate end of aligning their performance with that of their ability.

The Knights Templar vs. the Davinci Code

The Knights Templar have been a topic of speculation since 1119, nearly ten years after they banded together to protect pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. Questions arose about their origins just as soon as they were recognized by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem as a military order.It is not only their mystery that intrigues us but also who and what they were that titillate our curiosity. During their period of influence the Templars became the second most powerful entity in the known world; surpassed only by the Catholic Church and the papacy itself. It is their acquired power in such a short amount of time that is fascinating. The DaVinci Code[1] is the most popular work of fiction in all history (other than the Bible) and so Dan Brown’s use of the Knights Templar in this novel has brought them to the forefront of our awareness once again.Many readers of The DaVinci Code were introduced to the Knights Templar for the first time. Dan Brown portrayed the Templars as powerful guardi ans of a secret treasure that would destroy the image of the Catholic Church. His novel made many assertions regarding the Templars’ power. I will reiterate those claims and then compare them with factual knowledge from various sources. Through research, actual facts regarding the power behind the Templars will be disclosed. This paper will also explore how and why the Knights Templar lost that power.Ultimately, we will see where the real power of the Templars came from versus the claims made in The DaVinci Code and why this enigmatic group holds our attention nearly one thousand years after they became a recognized order of the Catholic Church. I argue against Brown’s claim that the Knights were controlled by a secret society called the Priory of Sion and that their power came from guarding the Holy Grail; defined in the novel as the sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene and the documentation of her descendents with Jesus of Nazareth.THE NON-EXISTENT SECRET SOCIETY AND THE MY STERY DOCUMENTS In the front of The DaVinci Code, before the novel begins, Dan Brown stipulates as â€Å"Fact† that the Priory of Sion was a secret society that was founded over 900 years ago: â€Å"The Priory of Sion – a European secret society founded in 1099 – is a real organization. † (Brown, page 1) Brown generates the following dialogue as back up to his initial claim of â€Å"Fact†: â€Å"The Priory of Sion,† he [Robert Langdon] began, â€Å"was founded in Jerusalem in 1099 by a French king named Godefroi de Bouillon, immediately after he had conquered the city. â€Å"King Godefroi was allegedly the possessor of a powerful secret – a secret that had been in his family since the time of Christ. Fearing his secret might be lost when he died, he founded a secret brotherhood – the Priory of Sion – charged them with protecting his secret by quietly passing it on from generation to generation. During their years in Je rusalem, the Priory learned of a stash of hidden documents buried beneath the ruins of Herod’s temple, which had been built atop the earlier ruins of Solomon’s Temple.These documents, they believed, corroborated Godefroi’s powerful secret and were so explosive in nature that the Church would stop at nothing to get them. † â€Å"The Priory vowed that no matter how long it took, these documents must be recovered from the rubble beneath the temple and protected forever, so the truth would never die. In order to retrieve the documents from within the ruins, the Priory created a military arm – a group of nine knights called the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and Temple of Solomon. † Langdon paused. â€Å"More commonly known as the Knights Templar. (Brown, page 171) So, according to Brown the Knights Templar acquired their very existence, as well as their power, exclusively from an organization known as the Priory of Sion that was established in 1099; however, research has revealed that there was no such organization from that time in history. There were two entities so named but they were created hundreds of years later: 1. ) â€Å"There was a medieval monastic order known as the Priory of Sion, but it died out and all its assets were absorbed by the Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in 1617. [2] 2. )†On May 7, 1956 Pierre Plantard legally incorporated in Annemasse, a municipality in France that lies on the Swiss border, an esoteric and political order known as the Priory of Sion – C. I. R. C. U. I. T. (Chivalry of Catholic Rule and Institution and of Independent Traditionalist Union). The politics of the Priory of Sion were quite modest and focused on supporting politicians determined to build low-cost houses for the working classes of Annemasse.By 1964, however, Plantard was ready to try again his luck with the Priory of Sion, this time through the version which eventually inspired The DaVinci Code. Plantard h ad come across the curious story of the parish church of a small French village of less than one hundred inhabitants in the Aude region, at the foot of the eastern Pyrenees Mountains, Rennes-le-Chateau, where a hidden treasure had been supposedly discovered in 1897 by the local parish priest, Berenger Sauniere (1852-1917) while renovating his church in Rennes-le-Chateau.There were those who claimed that the treasure consisted not of gold or antiques but of secret documents which enabled the parish priest to come into contact with the esoteric and political milieu of the time and become incredibly wealthy. †[3] It is these false documents that connected the Knights Templar to the Priory of Sion in The DaVinci Code: â€Å"Their [the Knights Templar’s] true goal in the Holy Land was to retrieve the documents from beneath the ruins of the temple. † â€Å"And did they find them? † Langdon grinned. Nobody knows for sure, but the one thing on which all academics agree is this: The Knights discovered something down there in the ruins †¦ something that made them wealthy and powerful beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. † (Brown, page 172) â€Å"The Templars’ potent treasure trove of documents, which had apparently been their source of power, was Clement’s true objective, but it slipped through his fingers. The documents had long since been entrusted to the Templars’ shadowy architects, the Priory of Sion, whose veil of secrecy had kept them safely out of range of the Vatican’s onslaught.As the Vatican closed in, the Priory smuggled their documents from a Paris preceptory by night onto Templar ships in La Rochelle. † (Brown, page 174) These parchments were known as the Les Dossiers Secrets and were actually produced in the twentieth century by Philippe de Cherisey, a friend and coconspirator of Plantard’s. [4] The name of Pierre Plantard’s original 1956 group, The Priory of Sio n, undoubtedly gave Plantard the subsequent idea to claim that his organization had been historically founded in Jerusalem during the Crusades (good thing that hill in Annemasse, France was named Sion).Plantard made up a fake pedigree of the Priory of Sion claiming that his order was the subsidiary of the Order of Sion (aka: Abbey de Notre Dame du Mont Sion) which had been founded in the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the First Crusade. Plantard manipulated Sauniere's activities at Rennes-le-Chateau in order to make the parchments appear valid and, thus, substantiate his claims regarding his Priory of Sion.During the 1960s, Plantard and de Cherisey then deposited the so-called Dossiers Secrets at the Bibliotheque nationale de France in Paris so that people who set out to research the Priory of Sion would come across these fake documents and further corroborate Plantard’s claims. It was the goal of Pierre Plantard that these documents act as independent sources revealing the surv ival of a Merovingian line of Frankish kings and connecting him directly to the French throne. Henry Lincoln, one of the Holy Blood / Holy Grail[5] authors, would oblige.We should note here that Pierre Plantard had some help with his ruse from an original story written by Noel Corbu (1912-1968), the restaurant owner and one-time detective fiction writer who acquired property in 1953 from Sauniere's housekeeper Marie Denarnaud. Mr. Corbu, in an attempt to generate a little extra income, wrote a story about a priest who lived in a little out of the way place known as Rennes-le-Chateau and found a secret treasure while renovating his church; an embellishment of a lie originally told by the priest to cover up ill-gotten gains (he was accused of trafficking in masses or simony in 1915). 6] It is upon this foundation that Plantard wove his connections to the 1956 Priory of Sion and then to the Knights Templar. Thus, the Knights Templar could not have originated from a secret society known as the Priory of Sion since no such entity co-existed at the time of the order. We can deduce further that the power and purpose behind the Templars was in no way connected to this non-existent organization. Having debunked this claim made in The DaVinci Code, let us now research the historical account of the power behind the Knights of the Temple.POWER BEGETS POWER The DaVinci Code informs us that the Knights Templar did not protect pilgrims: Sophie already looked troubled. â€Å"You’re saying the Knights Templar were founded by the Priory of Sion to retrieve a collection of secret documents? I thought the Templars were created to protect the Holy Land. † â€Å"A common misconception. The idea of protection of pilgrims was the guise under which the Templars ran their mission. Their true goal in the Holy Land was to retrieve the documents from beneath the ruins of the temple. (Brown, page 171-172) Jonathan Riley-Smith tells us in his book The Oxford Illustrated Histo ry of the Crusades that the first Crusade ended in 1099 with the Christian acquisition of Jerusalem, Tripoli, Antioch, and Acre; however, there were some other cities nearby that had not been conquered thus the roads between the occupied cities were basically still in the hands of the Muslims. [7] The taking of the Holy Land saw an influx of many Christian pilgrims but their journeys, and excursions to and from Jordan, were treacherous at best.A small group of religious men took up arms and set out to protect these pilgrims. The fact that these men were legitimate protectors of pilgrims and a group of religious men who wished to devote their military skill to defend the Holy Land made a huge difference in the eyes of King Baldwin II. John J. Robinson explains that it was a new paradigm for a knight to take on the same triple vow that was common only to monastic orders; poverty, chastity, and obedience. 8] These three pledges directly contrasted the life goals of secular medieval kni ghts. The service of protecting pilgrims was greatly needed. It had been twenty years since the taking of Jerusalem and the number of pilgrims had grown to the point that they had become a substantial source of revenue. The pilgrims spent their money on travel, tolls, gifts, and tithes to the church; thus, the greatest danger to those growing proceeds was the threat to the pilgrims’ life and property.All the lands between the Christian cities were subject to marauders, Muslim zealots, slave traders, rapists, and murderers; all of which kept those revenues from getting to the Holy Land. King Baldwin II must have been ecstatic when he heard the vows of that small group of knights who would fight to restore and maintain the flow of revenue; power begets power. The DaVinci Code continues with its own history of the Knights’ origins:Langdon quickly gave Sophie the standard academic sketch of the accepted Knights Templar history, explaining how the Knights were in the Holy L and during the Second Crusade and told King Baldwin II that they were there to protect Christian pilgrims on the roadways. Although unpaid and sworn to poverty, the Knights told the king they required basic shelter and requested his permission to take up residence in the stables under the ruins of the temple. King Baldwin granted the soldiers’ request, and Knights took up their meager residence inside the devastated shrine.The odd choice of lodging, Langdon explained, had been anything but random. The Knights believed the documents the Priory sought were buried deep under the ruins – beneath the Holy of Holies, a sacred chamber where God Himself was believed to reside. Literally, the very center of the Jewish faith. For almost a decade, the nine Knights lived in the ruins, excavating in total secrecy through solid rock. (Brown, page 172) Some of this depiction is true. The Knights received their secular military order, circa 1119, and were given shelter at King Baldwin ’s palace; specifically in the al-Aqsa Mosque (not just the stables).During the construction of the al-Aqsa Mosque in the 7th century, â€Å"†¦ contemporary Muslim and Jewish sources record that the site was covered with garbage dumped there by Byzantine Christians, and that the two communities participated in cleaning it up as Umar watched on, until the rock upon which the Temples of Jerusalem [Solomon’s Temple] were said to have been erected was revealed. †[9] So The Knights of the Temple, aka the Knights Templar, were so named. In the year 1128, Bernard of Clairvaux, the Abbot of Clairvaux and cousin to Hugues de Payens, assisted at the Council of Troyes.The purpose of this council was to settle certain disputes of the bishops of Paris, and regulate other matters of the Church of France. It was at this council that Bernard traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar and where the order was given papal recognition. [10] A letter from Saint Bern ard was written to Hugues de Payens and entitled De Laudibus Novae Militiae translated as In Praise of the New Knighthood. [11] It was this letter that propelled the Templars forward more then any other single event. The powerful association with the papacy and the Catholic Church started here; power begets power again.Once the Knights received official recognition from the papacy, Pope Honorius II, they set out with their Templar Rule to recruit more members and acquire donations to support their cause. The order owed its rapid growth in popularity to the fact that it combined the two great passions of the middle ages, religious fervor and martial prowess, into one entity. [12] This appealed to thousands of people who were willing to take up the cause, live by the Rule, and donate all their wealth. There is power behind wealth and in numbers of people; the Knights Templar attained both in unfathomable quantity.Dan Brown tells us in The DaVinci Code that it was the Catholic Church t hat was being blackmailed by the Knights of the Temple: â€Å"For almost a decade, the nine Knights lived in the ruins, excavating in total secrecy through solid rock. † Sophie looked over. â€Å"And you said they discovered something? † â€Å"They certainly did,† Langdon said, explaining how it had taken nine years, â€Å"but the Knights had finally found what they had been searching for. They took the treasure from the temple and traveled to Europe, where their influence seemed to solidify overnight.Nobody was certain whether the Knights had blackmailed the Vatican or whether the Church simply tried to buy the Knights’ silence, but Pope Innocent II immediately issued an unprecedented papal bull that afforded the Knights Templar limitless power and declared them ‘a law unto themselves’ – an autonomous army independent of all interference from kings and prelates, both religious and political. With their new carte blanche from the Vati can, the Knights Templar expanded at a staggering rate, both in numbers and political force, amassing vast estates in over a dozen countries.They began extending credit to bankrupt royals and charging interest in return, †¦. † (Brown, pages 172 – 173) Within ten years of their recognition by the Catholic Church that Pope Innocent II issued the bull Omne datum optimum (Every Great Gift) on the Templar order. This bull did exempt the Templars from all authority on earth, secular or temporal, except that of the pope. This enabled the Knights Templar to collect tithes but they didn’t have to pay any. No one could ask a Templar to swear an oath or demand any change in their Rule.No monarch could impose his own civil law; one result was that they didn’t have to pay taxes. No bishop, archbishop, or cardinal could give them an order or interfere with their activities. Templars even had the power to abolish priests that didn’t suit them. [13] This was a level of power unheard of before their time so the blackmailing scenario is feasible but not very probable. The Knights Templar were exempt from paying tithes and taxes because all their funds were used to fight for Christ. Building and maintaining fortifications required a stream of money and the Templars were ingenious in keeping it flowing.Regular income was generated from the much needed service of money-changing in the Holy Land. However, an order of the Catholic Church was not allowed to loan money and collect interest, so the Templars invented, or at least popularized, the concept of interest deducted in advance; give a man ten dollars but create a document that says he is to pay back eleven dollars. [14] Voila, they charged no interest and generated lots of wealth. The DaVinci Code says: â€Å"The Templars invented the concept of modern banking. For European nobility, traveling with gold was perilous, so the Templars allowed nobles o deposit gold in their nearest Temple Ch urch and then draw it from any other Temple Church across Europe. All they needed was proper documentation. † (Brown, page 375) The Knights Templar’s military strength, acuity, and perseverance really did make it possible to collect, store, and transport gold and other valuables to and from Europe and the Holy Land successfully. Kings, noblemen, and pilgrims used the Knights Templar as a kind of bank or armored truck; the concept of safe deposit boxes and travelers checks originated in these activities. 15] They did not, however, invent modern style banking; we have to give that credit to the Jews. The most obvious source of the Templars power was their fierce might and tenacity. â€Å"Knighthood, as known in Europe, was characterized by two elements, feudalism and service as a mounted combatant. Both arose under the reign of the Frankish emperor Charlemagne, from which the knighthood of the Middle Ages can be seen to have had its genesis. †[16] These men were wa rrior monks who fought courageously during the crusades.Malcolm Barber, a recognized Templar scholar, illustrates that the Knights Templar were extremely zealous and had a creed to never flee a battlefield[17] – this depiction leads many people to believe they were quite possibly insane. Fear is a powerful weapon to wield and in the Middle Ages, fear was key to control and domination in every aspect of life. To tell a ranking official that you were not afraid of them was considered in insult. [18] The DaVinci Code tells us that the Knights Templar were powerful due to their connection with the Holy Grail (as defined by Brown) which the following citations reveal: The Templars’ potent treasure trove of documents, which had apparently been their source of power, was Clement’s true objective, but it slipped through his fingers. The documents had long since been entrusted to the Templars’ shadowy architects, the Priory of Sion, whose veil of secrecy had kept them safely out of range of the Vatican’s onslaught. As the Vatican closed in, the Priory smuggled their documents from a Paris preceptory by night onto Templar ships in La Rochelle. † [Emphasis added] â€Å"Where did the documents go? † â€Å"The entire collection of documents, its power, and the secret it eveals have become known by a single name – Sangreal. † â€Å"The legend is complicated, but the important thing to remember is that the Priory guards the proof, and is purportedly awaiting the right moment in history to review the truth. † â€Å"What truth? What secret could possibly be that powerful? † â€Å"Sophie, the word Sangreal is an ancient word. It has evolved over the years into another term †¦ a more modern name. † â€Å"†¦ ‘Holy Grail’. † â€Å"†¦ but the Sangreal documents are only half of the Holy Grail treasure. They are buried with the Grail itself †¦ and reveal its tr ue meaning.The documents gave the Knights Templar so much power because the pages revealed the true nature of the Grail. † (Brown, pages 174 – 175) Sophie quickly outlined what Langdon had explained earlier – the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, the Sangreal documents, and the Holy Grail, which many claimed was not a cup †¦ but rather something far more powerful. (Brown, page 248) â€Å"The Holy Grail is not a thing. It is, in fact †¦ a person. † (Brown, page 256) â€Å"Legends of chivalric quests for the lost Grail were in fact stories of forbidden quests for the lost sacred feminine.Knights who claimed to be ‘searching for the chalice’ were speaking in code as a way to protect themselves from a Church that had subjugated women, banished the Goddess, burned nonbelievers, and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine. † (Brown, page 259) The Holy Grail is Mary Magdalene †¦ the mother of the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ. Sophie tilted her head and scanned the list of titles: THE TEMPLAR REVELATION: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ (Brown, page 273) Sophie was silent for a long moment. And these four chests of documents were the treasure that the Knights Templar found under Solomon’s Temple? † â€Å"Exactly. The documents that made the Knights so powerful. The documents that have been the object of countless Grail quests throughout history. † â€Å"But you said the Holy Grail was Mary Magdalene. If people are searching for documents, why would you call it a search for the Holy Grail? † Teabing eyed her, his expression softening. â€Å"Because the hiding place of the Holy Grail includes a sarcophagus. â€Å"The quest for the Holy Grail is literally the quest to kneel before the bones of Mary Magdalene. A journey to pray at the feet of the outcast one, the lost sacred feminine. † (Brown, page 277) Sophie felt an unexpected wonder. â₠¬Å"The hiding place of the Holy Grail is actually †¦ a tomb? † Teabing’s hazel eyes got misty. â€Å"It is. A tomb containing the body of Mary Magdalene and the documents that tell the true story of her life. At its heart, the quest for the Holy Grail has always been a quest for Magdalene – the wronged Queen, entombed with the proof of her family’s rightful claim to power. (Brown, page 278) †¦ [Godefroi de Bouillon, descendant in the Merovingian bloodline and founder of the Priory of Sion] â€Å"ordered the Knights Templar to recover the Sangreal documents from beneath Solomon’s Temple and thus provide the Merovingians proof of their hereditary ties to Jesus Christ† [through Christ’s marriage to and subsequent children with Mary Magdalene]. (Brown, page 279) This personification of the Knights Templar by Dan Brown is simply not true; he created it to further his plot and keep the readers enthralled. Mission accomplished.As p reviously illustrated, the Knights Templar were powerful in their own right and not because they were created to protect the holy grail for a secret society known as the Priory of Sion. The things that actually made the Knights Templar powerful were as follows: 1. ) the papacy and their association with the Catholic Church; 2. ) the view the masses had of them as good, righteous, and true; 3. ) the trust that the nobles and lay peoples put in them; 4. ) their wealth and ingenuity in creating and sustaining that wealth; 5. ) their own righteous attitude, tenacity, and fervor; 6. the fear they invoked – including fear on the battlefield; and 7. ) the secrecy that they were determined to sustain. CONCLUSION / HYPOTHESIS The enigmatic Knights Templar would have probably faded into history if it had not been for the mention of knights (secular or devout) in the popular literary works of the Templar’s time. The unfinished poem of Chretien de Troyes, regarded by many as the o ldest known Grail romance, tells of the adventures of a knight named Perceval, also the name of his poem. Another name for the same poem is Conte del Graal translated as The Story of the Grail (c. 190). [19] Chretien died before he revealed exactly what the grail was; however, the knights did not cease to exist in the written word. Wolfram von Eschenbach (1170-1220) continued the thread with his grail romance poem known as Parzival. Wolfram’s character, Parzival, is the representation of the slow and stumbling progress of an honorable man reaching toward the highest earthly responsibilities. In parallel incidents, it tells of a knight’s adventures that have already been recognized by his peers as unmatched by any other knight. 20] Even though the Knights Templar were not named specifically they are assumed to be the basis for the character since the Templars coexisted with the authors. Here is where the connection between the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar begins; in poems and other fictional writings that made people feel good. In many of these grail romances it was discerned that the grail was a plate or a vessel that Christ was believed to have ate off of or drank out of at the last supper. This item was then used to catch droplets of his blood while he hung from the cross, dying.So, from a vessel holding the blood of Christ we don’t have to jump very far to get to a pregnant woman carrying Jesus’ baby (still a vessel holding the blood of Christ). Mary Magdalene was merely a logical choice as the notorious vessel. Referencing the Templars as the guardian of the Holy Grail was also a logical choice; they had been depicted in literature doing just that for hundreds of years. I must say that Dan Brown’s idea of having Mary Magdalene’s physical remains as the actual object was a bit gruesome. Writers still find it easy to use the Templars in their tales because the Knights were a secretive order.The Knights Templar Encyclopedia tells us that the Templars’ central archives were shipped to Cyprus while the Saracens were taking Acre in August of 1291. After the Templars were suppressed in 1312 all of their records were passed on to their rivals, the Knights Hospitallars who were also residing on Cyprus. It is believed that when the Turks took Cyprus in 1571 most of these archives were destroyed;[21] however, it is through the Hospitallars’, and a few other sources such as the chronicles of William of Tyre, that we still have some records today, a few of which still await translation.These facts are not only enlightening but assist our understanding of why there is so much myth and mystery surrounding the order. The fact that the Knights Templar have remained in the forefront of our thoughts all these years is simply amazing. The Templars continue to be used by everyday writers in all kinds of genre and forums which touch the varying aspects of individual interests and personalities. Yes, all of their efforts keep us coming back for more. Dan Brown’s novel The DaVinci Code entertained readers everywhere.Sony Pictures’ movie of his story spread the tale to an even wider audience. New video games rose up everywhere and in all different languages. The Knights Templar were introduced to new generations for the first time and this is why we remain fascinated with them. Whether they are depicted as bad guys or good guys they were once a real order of warrior monks and that fact gives at least a little credence to all new manifestations. It is from this research that I hypothesize the true power behind the Knights Templar comes from the universal psychology of the masses.We, as human beings, have basic needs that must be met (food, shelter, and security) and when we find a safe source to fulfill any of those needs, we latch on to it. Initially the Templars came to us in a manner that provided protection of our physical well being, enabling us to seek spi ritual fulfillment. As our protectors of faith they took on an even stronger idealistic role that helped them to become ‘established’ within the universal psyche. Once fully accepted by the people of the day to be their protectors, the people supported them without question. This is where the true power lies, in the minds and actions of the masses.Any entity with the ability to control the perception of the majority is a powerful entity indeed. BIBLIOGRAPHY Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. Holy Blood Holy Grail. New York: Dell Publishing, 1982. I actually bought this book for my research. It was used to establish an understanding of where Dan Brown came up with his crazy facts. de Troyes, Chretien. Perceval, Or, The Story of The Grail. New York: Pergamon Press, 1983. This is the version I referenced for the noted source. The actual unfinished work was circa 1190 and is not listed in the Library of Congress. Barber, Malcolm. â€Å"The Knights Templar. Slate, April 20, 2006, http://www. slate. com/id/2140307/? nav=tap3 (accessed October 26, 2008). This was a good place to start. It established a basic scholarly overview of my topic by a renowned and trusted source. Barber, Malcolm. The New Knighthood. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Malcolm Barber is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Reading. This was my bible. I was able to use this book as noted in this paper and to verify or throw out information from other sources. Barber, Malcolm, and Keith Bate. The Templars: Selected Sources. Manchester: Manchester University Press.Reprint, New York: Palgrave, 2002. Malcolm Barber is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Reading. This book was translated and Annotated by Malcolm Barber and Keith Bate and it comprises a substantial collection of translated material illustrative of its history. I used it only for the noted referenced. Bernard of Clairvaux; translated by M. Conrad Greenia. In Praise o f The New Knighthood: A Treatise On The Knights Templar and The Holy Places of Jerusalem. Kalamazoo, Mich. : Cistercian Publications, 2000. Very important document; without it, there may never have been a Catholic order called the Knights of the Temple.Bold, Kevin. â€Å"Baphomet: A â€Å"Mystery† Solved At Last? ,† 1995. Stephen Dafoe. http://www. templarhistory. com/solved. html. Interesting article, I did not use it in this paper. Boudicca, Laura. â€Å"Knights Templar Page,† April 10, 2008. Church of Y Dynion Mwyn. http://www. tylwythteg. com/templar. html. Interesting article, I did not use it in this paper. Brown, Dan. The Davinci Code. New York: Anchor Books, 2003. I liked this book and the creativity of those who were responsible for its basis; Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln (especially Lincoln). Not to forget Noel Corbu and Pierre Plantard.If you take out the FACT page it is an entertaining work of fiction without as much controversy . Fodor's Guide to The Davinci Code: On The Trail to The Best-Selling Novel. Edited by Jennifer Paull, and Christopher Culwell. First ed. New York: Fodor's Travel / Random House, 2006. This book was okay; however, I did not find it very useful in my research. I am glad I bought it though; it is fun to see the pictures of the actual places. Charbonnel, Josaephe Chartrou. (From Old Catalog). Paris: Les Presses universitaires de France, 1928. This source was translated by Malcolm Barber. I used it only for the noted reference.Correll, Larry, and Susan Correll. â€Å"Priory of Sion,† Timothy Ministries. http://timothyministries. org/theologicaldictionary/default. aspx? theword=priory%20of%20sion This is merely one definition of the Priory of Sion; short and to the point. The Vatican Publishing House. â€Å"THE PARCHMENT OF CHINON – Chinon, Diocese of Tours, 1308 August 17th – 20th,† Unknown. The Vatican Publishing House. http://asv. vatican. va/en/doc/1308. h tm#top. I used this source only for the noted reference. This website appears to be the official website of the Vatican – it says it is the Holy See. Dafoe, Stephen. Baphomet: The Pentagram Connection,† Stephen Dafoe. http://www. templarhistory. com/pentagram. html. TemplarHistory. com is an online resource of information on the history, mystery, myth and legacy of the Knights Templar that was started by Templar author Stephen Dafoe in the fall of 1997. Interesting article, I did not use it in this paper. Dafoe, Stephen. â€Å"The Templar Hierarchy,† Stephen Dafoe. http://www. templarhistory. com/hierarchy. html. TemplarHistory. com is an online resource of information on the history, mystery, myth and legacy of the Knights Templar that was started by Templar author Stephen Dafoe in the fall of 1997.Interesting article, it was my first resource regarding the structure of the order. I received the same information in several other sources; however, the Templar hie rarchy was not used in this paper. Dafoe, Stephen. â€Å"Who Were The Knights Templar? ,† Stephen Dafoe. http://www. templarhistory. com/who. html. TemplarHistory. com is an online resource of information on the history, mystery, myth and legacy of the Knights Templar that was started by Templar author Stephen Dafoe in the fall of 1997. An overview. de Sede, Gerard;. The Accursed Treasure of Rennes-le-chateau. Translated by Bill Kersey. Worcester Park: DEK, 2001.Gerard de Sede was a surrealist writer. This book reveals a plausible explanation of the source of Sauniere's wealth and untangles the astounding hoax which includes false genealogies and international conspiracies. Gerard de Sede wrote a magazine article about Gisors, which in turn was responsible for his acquainting himself with Pierre Plantard and soon a collaboration developed between them that inspired Gerard de Sede's 1962 book, Les Templiers sont parmi nous, ou, L'Enigme de Gisors (â€Å"The Templars are Among st Us, or The Enigma of Gisors†), which also paved the way for the introduction of the mythical Priory of Sion.Pretty interesting stuff these collaborations. Editee pour la premiere fois et traduite en fran? cais par J. -B. Chabot. Chronique De Michel Le Syrien, Patriarche Jacobite D'antioche (1166-1199). 4 vols. Bruxelles: Culture et Civilisation, 1963. This source was translated by Malcolm Barber. I used it only for the noted reference. Gonen, Rivka. Contested Holiness: Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Perspectives On The Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Jersey City, NJ: KTAV Pub. House, 2003. Rivka Gonen is the former Senior Curator of the Department of Jewish Ethnography at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and a participant in the Temple Mount Excavations.The book is a straightforward survey and history enhanced with modern-day perspectives on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. I used it only for the noted reference. Griffith-Jones, Robin. The Da Vinci Code and The Secrets of The Temple. Grand Rapids, Mich. : William B. Eerdmans Pub. , 2006. Robin Griffith-Jones works at the Temple Church in England and this book is the accumulation of what her presents to visitors. Parchments known as the Les Dossiers Secrets which were actually produced by Philippe de Cherisey is hat I pulled from an excerpt of this source, although it is common knowledge and found in many sources. GNU Free Documentation License. â€Å"Origins of medieval knighthood,† Last updated 10-18-2008: 22:50. The Wikimedia Foundation. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Knight. This provided me with the definition of secular knight. I could then compare it with the definition of a Knights Templar. Haag, Michael, Veronica Haag, and James McConnachie. The Rough Guide to The Davinci Code. Edited by Mark Ellingham. rev. ed. N. p. : Rough Guides Ltd. , 2006. This was a somewhat useful source.Some of the websites no longer work but we needed it for class and it was handy to look up other peoples topics. Hindley , Geoffrey. The Crusades: A History of Armed Pilgrimage and Holy War. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003. This work chronicles the numerous expeditions to recover Jerusalem for Christendom. It was useful in my research. Geoffrey Hindley is a lecturer/writer educated at University College, Oxford. This was a useful and reliable source. Housley, Norman. The Avignon Papacy and The Crusades, 1305-1378. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Reprint, New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.While focusing on the relationship between the papacy and the 14th-century crusades, this study illuminates other fields of activity in Avignon, such as papal taxation and interaction with Byzantium. Housley analyzes the Curia's approach to related issues such as peacemaking between warring Christian powers, the work of Military Orders, and western attempts to maintain a trade embargo on Mamluk, Egypt. I used it only for the noted reference. Housley, Norman, ed. Knighthoods of Christ: Essays On The History of The Crusades and The Knights Templar, Presented to Malcolm Barber. Aldershot, England. Reprint, Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2007.Technically the essay I pulled this from was called â€Å"The Military Orders and the East, 1149-1291 written by Jonathan Riley-Smith which begins on page 137 of the collection edited by Norman Housley. It provide the information I needed and was a good source. Introvigne, Massimo. â€Å"Beyond The Da Vinci Code: History and Myth of the Priory of Sion,† June, 2005. CESNUR Center for Studies On New Religions. http://www. cesnur. org/2005/pa_introvigne. htm. Massimo Introvigne is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements.Introvigne is the author of numerous books and hundreds of articles in the field of sociology of religion. Finding a scholarly source on this topic was not easy. I was grateful to find this work by him and gave it to Emil y to use in their research. Very important to my research on this topic. Jones, Greg. Beyond Da Vinci. New York: Seabury Books, 2004. This book is short, concise, and understandable. Greg Jones presents the facts openly and shows the flaws when they are there in a way that is simply debatable. I used it only for the noted reference. Moore, Malcolm. â€Å"Vatican paper set to clear Knights Templar,† October 7, 2007.Telegraph Media Group Limited 2008. http://www. telegraph. co. uk/news/worldnews/1565252/Vatican-paper-set-to-clear-Knights-Templar. html. Article was printed verbatim under the CHINON PARCHMENT. Very useful. Riley-Smith, Jonathan, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of The Crusades, Oxford ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Jonathan Riley-Smith is Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the University of Cambridge. This was a great source that I referenced it often. Malcolm Barber also references his work. Ruth Mazo Karras, Joel Kaye, William Kenan, a nd E. Ann Matter, eds.Law and The Illicit in Medieval Europe. Middle Ages series. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. Ruth Mazo Karras is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. Joel Kaye is Professor of History at Barnard College. William R. Kenan is Jr. Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. E. Ann Matter is Associate Dean for Arts and Letters in the School of Arts and Sciences. Various scholars make the case that the development of law is deeply implicated in the growth of medieval theology and Christian doctrine. I used it only for the noted reference.Schein, Sylvia. Fideles Crucis: The Papacy, The West, and The Recovery of The Holy Land, 1274-1314. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Reprint, New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. Schein is a PhD who challenges the view that the fall of Acre in 1291 was a watershed dividing the â€Å"classical age† of the crusade from the late Middle Ages, when the ideal had become ste rile, the obsessive dream of a handful of individuals. She shows instead that the desire to recover the Holy Land remained powerful and pervasive, and was an important consideration in the policy-making of European rulers.She uses an enormous range of sources consulted and collated: papal bulls, chronicles, prophecies, apocalyptic treatises and letters. Very useful source. Strayer, Joseph R. The Reign of Philip The Fair. Princeton, N. J. : Princeton University Press, 1980. Strayer (1904-1987) taught at Princeton University and was chair of their History Department from 1941-1961. I wasn’t able to get my hands on this book, only the noted reference. Newman, Sharan. The Real History Behind The Templars, 10th ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Sharan Newman was a PhD candidate at UC Santa Barbara, CA at the time this book was published.She is also a longtime member of the Medieval Academy and has served on the advisory board for the Medieval Association of the Pacific. I bought this book for my research and found it very useful in collaborating less scholarly sources as well as the noted reference. Nicholson, Helen, and David Nicolle. God's Warriors: Knights Templar, Saracens and The Battle for Jerusalem, Pbk ed. New York, NY, USA: Osprey Pub. , 2006. This is a good source for information about the battle of Hattin in 1187 and â€Å"rival military elites†. Helen Nicholson actually wrote about the Knights Templar.I used it only for the noted reference. Phillips, Jonathan. Defenders of The Holy Land: Relations Between The Latin East and The West, 1119-1187. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Reprint, New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. I used this source only for the noted reference; however, I also viewed various clips on you-tube with this author in them. I took notes because he was very good. The author has his doctorate. Ralls, Karen. Knights Templar Encyclopedia. Edited by Gina Talucci. New Jersey: The Career Press, Inc. , 2007. The author is a Ph. D. medieval historian and religious studies scholar.I bought this one for my research and used to confirm or debunk various other sources. Robinson, John J. Dungeon, Fire, and Sword: The Knights Templar in The Crusades. New York: M. Evans & Co. , 1991. The author is a member of the Medieval Academy of America, the Organization of American Historians, and Royal Overseas League of London. This was the most enjoyable research book of them all. I lost many hours just because I couldn’t stop reading it. The context is not dry but flows more like novel. Valletta, Malta. â€Å"The â€Å"Priory of Sion† Hoax / Part 1: A Barkeeper's Myth,† MalGo Media Services Ltd. http://www. avinci-the-movie. com/priory-of-sion-1. html. Part one: This was a good site for getting the explanation in chronological order with a lot more detail. I also verified information found in Massimo Introvigne’s site. There is no author listed on site so it was very suspect until verified. Valle tta, Malta. â€Å"The â€Å"Priory of Sion† Hoax / Part 2: The rich, poor Priest,† MalGo Media Services Ltd. http://www. davinci-the-movie. com/priory-of-sion-2. html. Part two: This was a good site for getting the explanation in chronological order with a lot more detail. I also verified information found in Massimo Introvigne’s site.There is no author listed on site so it was very suspect until verified. Valletta, Malta. â€Å"The â€Å"Priory of Sion† Hoax / Part 3: BCC is taken by,† MalGo Media Services Ltd. http://www. davinci-the-movie. com/priory-of-sion-3. html. Part three: This was a good site for getting the explanation in chronological order with a lot more detail. I also verified information found in Massimo Introvigne’s site. There is no author listed on site so it was very suspect until verified. von Eschenbach, Wolfram. Parzival. Harmondsworth, Eng. Reprint, New York, N. Y. : Penguin Books, 1980. This is the version I referenc ed for the noted source.The actual works were written between 1200 and 1210 and are not listed in the Library of Congress. William Chester Jordan. The French Monarchy and The Jews: From Philip Augustus to The Last Capetians. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1989. I used this source only for the noted reference. APPENDIX – THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR CITATIONS IN THE DAVINCI CODE Pages 171 – 173 {prelude citation in this instance will be important to my research. } â€Å"The Priory of Sion,† he began, â€Å"was founded in Jerusalem in 1099 by a French king named Godefori de Bouillon, immediately after he had conquered the city. â€Å"King Godefroi was allegedly the possessor of a powerful secret – a secret that had been in his family since the time of Christ. Fearing his secret might be lost when he died, he founded a secret brotherhood – the Priory of Sion – charged them with protecting his secret by quietly passing it on from gener ation to generation. During their years in Jerusalem, the Priory learned of stash of hidden documents buried beneath the ruins of Herod’s temple, which had been built atop the earlier ruins of Solomon’s Temple.These documents, they believed, corroborated Godefroi’s powerful secret and were so explosive in nature that the Church would stop at nothing to get them. † â€Å"The Priory vowed that no matter how long it took, these documents must be recovered from the rubble beneath the temple and protected forever, so the truth would never die. In order to retrieve the documents from within the ruins, the Priory created a military arm – a group of nine knights called the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and Temple of Solomon. † Langdon paused. â€Å"More commonly known as the Knights Templar. †Langdon had lectured often enough on the Knights Templar to know that almost everyone on earth had heard of them, at least abstractedly. For academ ics, the Templars’ history was a precarious world where fact, lore, and misinformation had become so intertwined that extracting a pristine truth was almost impossible. Nowadays, Langdon hesitated even to mention the Knights Templar while lecturing because it invariably led to a barrage of convoluted inquiries into assorted conspiracy theories. Sophie already looked troubled. â€Å"You’re saying the Knights Templar were founded by the Priory of Sion to retrieve a collection of secret documents?I thought the Templars were created to protect the Holy Land. † â€Å"A common misconception. The idea of protection of pilgrims was the guise under which the Templars ran their mission. Their true goal in the Holy Land was to retrieve the documents from beneath the ruins of the temple. † â€Å"And did they find them? † Langdon grinned. â€Å"Nobody knows for sure, but the one thing on which all academics agree is this: The Knights discovered something down there in the ruins †¦ something that made them wealthy and powerful beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. † {Emphasis added}Langdon quickly gave Sophie the standard academic sketch of the accepted Knights Templar history, explaining how the Knights were in the Holy Land during the Second Crusade and told King Baldwin II that they were there to protect Christian pilgrims on the roadways. Although unpaid and sworn to poverty, the Knights told the king they required basic shelter and requested his permission to take up residence in the stables under the ruins of the temple. King Baldwin granted the soldiers’ request, and Knights took up their meager residence inside the devastated shrine.The odd choice of lodging, Langdon explained, had been anything but random. The Knights believed the documents the Priory sought were buried deep under the ruins – beneath the Holy of Holies, a sacred chamber where God Himself was believed to reside. Literally, the very c enter of the Jewish faith. For almost a decade, the nine Knights lived in the ruins, excavating in total secrecy through solid rock. Sophie looked over. â€Å"And you said they discovered something? † â€Å"They certainly did,† Langdon said, explaining how it had taken nine years, but the Knights had finally found what they had been searching for.They took the treasure from the temple and traveled to Europe, where their influence seemed to solidify overnight. Nobody was certain whether the Knights had blackmailed the Vatican or whether the Church simply tried to buy the Knights’ silence, but Pope Innocent II immediately issued an unprecedented papal bull that afforded the Knights Templar limitless power and declared them ‘a law unto themselves’ – an autonomous army independent of all interference from kings and prelates, both religious and political. {Emphasis added}With their new carte blanche from the Vatican, the Knights Templar expanded a t a staggering rate, both in numbers and political force, amassing vast estates in over a dozen countries. The began extending credit to bankrupt royals and charging interest in return, thereby establish modern banking and broadening their wealth and influence still further. {After the citation above Brown begins to talk about the fall of the Knights, where they went, and states that they still exist under other names and â€Å"fraternities†. } Pages 174 – 175 The Templars’ potent treasure trove of documents, which had apparently been their source of power, was Clement’s true objective, but it slipped through his fingers. The documents had long since been entrusted to the Templars’ shadowy architects, the Priory of Sion, whose veil of secrecy had kept them safely out of range of the Vatican’s onslaught. As the Vatican closed in, the Priory smuggled their documents from a Paris preceptory by night onto Templar ships in La Rochelle. † {E mphasis added} â€Å"Where did the documents go? â€Å"The entire collection of documents, its power, and the secret it reveals have become known by a single name – Sangreal. † {Emphasis added} â€Å"The legend is complicated, but the important thing to remember is that the Priory guards the proof, and is purportedly awaiting the right moment in history to review the truth. † â€Å"What truth? What secret could possibly be that powerful? † â€Å"Sophie, the word Sangreal is an ancient word. It has evolved over the years into another term †¦ a more modern name. † â€Å"†¦ ‘Holy Grail’. † †¦ but the Sangreal documents are only half of the Holy Grail treasure. They are buried with the Grail itself †¦ and reveal its true meaning. The documents gave the Knights Templar so much power because the pages revealed the true nature of the Grail. † {Emphasis added} Pages 182 – 183 {Langdon and Sophie are in the taxi on the way to 24 Rue Haxo – also known as the Depository Bank of Zurich. My point, the Knights initiation of international banking as a source of power. } â€Å"Langdon pulled the heavy key from his pocket †¦ Earlier, while tellingSophie about the Knights Templar, Langdon had realized that this key, in addition to having the Priory seal embossed on it, possessed a more subtle tie to the Priory of Sion. The equal-armed cruciform was symbolic of the balance and harmony but also of the Knights Templar. Everyone had seen the paintings of Knights Templar wearing white tunics emblazoned with the red equal-armed crosses. Granted, the arms of the Templar cross were slightly flared at the ends, but they were still of equal length. A square cross. Just like the one on this key.The Grail was believed to be somewhere in England, buried in a hidden chamber beneath one of the many Templar churches, where it had been hidden since at least 1500. Page 185 â€Å"Is it possible, † Sophie asked, â€Å"that the key you’re holding unlocks the hiding place of the Holy Grail? † â€Å"We have an extremely secure key, stamped with the Priory of Sion seal, delivered to us by a member of the Priory of Sion – a brotherhood which, you just told me, are guardians of the Holy Grail. † Pages 186 – 187 †¦ Langdon had entirely forgotten that the peaceful, equal-armed cross had been adopted as the perfect symbol for the flag of neutral Switzerland.At least the mystery was solved. Sophie and Langdon were holding the key to a Swiss bank deposit box. Page 248 Sophie quickly outlined what Langdon had explained earlier – the Priory of Sion, the Knights Templar, the Sangreal documents, and the Holy Grail, which many claimed was not a cup †¦ but rather something far more powerful. {Emphasis added} {These next citations identify the novel’s description of the ‘thing’ that gave the documents that the Knigh ts Templar guarded, their power. } Page 253 â€Å"It was all about power,† Teabing continued. Christ as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state. Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power. † {Emphasis added} Page 256 â€Å"The Holy Grail is not a thing. It is, in fact †¦ a person. † Page 258 â€Å"The Grail is literally the ancient symbol for womanhood, and the Holy Grail represents the sacred feminine and the goddess, which of course has now been lost, virtually eliminated by the Church.The power of the female and her ability to produce life was once very sacred, but it posed a threat to the rise of the predominantly male Church †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Page 259 â€Å"Legends of chivalric quests for the lost Grail were in fact stories of forbidden quests for the lost sacred femin ine. Knights who claimed to be ‘searching for the chalice’ were speaking in code as a way to protect themselves from a Church that had subjugated women, banished the Goddess, burned nonbelievers, and forbidden the pagan reverence for the sacred feminine. Page 273 The Holy Grail is Mary Magdalene †¦ the mother of the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ. Sophie tilted her head and scanned the list of titles: THE TEMPLAR REVELATION: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ Page 277 â€Å"The Sangreal documents simply tell the other side of the Christ story. In the end, which side of the story you believe becomes a matter of faith and personal exploration, but at least the information has survived. The Sangreal documents include tens of thousands of pages of information.Eyewitness accounts of the Sangreal treasure describe it as being carried in four enormous trunks. In those trunks are reputed to be the Purist Documents – thousands of pages of unaltered, pr e-Constantine documents, written by the early followers of Jesus, revering Him as a wholly human teacher and prophet. Also rumored to be part of the treasure is the legendary â€Å"Q† Documents – a manuscript that even the Vatican admits they believe exists. Allegedly, it is a book of Jesus’ teachings, possibly written in His own hand. † Sophie was silent for a long moment. And these four chests of documents were the treasure that the Knights Templar found under Solomon’s Temple? † â€Å"Exactly. The documents that made the Knights so powerful. The documents that have been the object of countless Grail quests throughout history. † {Emphasis added} â€Å"But you said the Holy Grail was Mary Magdalene. If people are searching for documents, why would you call it a search for the Holy Grail? † Teabing eyed her, his expression softening. â€Å"Because the hiding place of the Holy Grail includes a sarcophagus. † The quest for t he Holy Grail is literally the quest to kneel before the bones of Mary Magdalene. A journey to pray at the feet of the outcast one, the lost sacred feminine. † Page 278 Sophie felt an unexpected wonder.â€Å"The hiding place of the Holy Grail is actually †¦ a tomb? † Teabing’s hazel eyes got misty. â€Å"It is. A tomb containing the body of Mary Magdalene and the documents that tell the true story of her life. At its heart, the quest for the Holy Grail has always been a quest for Magdalene – the wronged Queen, entombed with the proof of her family’s rightful claim to power. {Emphasis added} Page 279 â€Å"†¦ {Godefroi de Bouillon, descendant in the Merovingian bloodline and founder of the Priory of Sion} ordered the Knights Templar to recover the Sangreal documents from beneath Solomon’s Temple and thus provide the Merovingians proof of their hereditary ties to Jesus Christ [through Christ’s marriage to and subsequent child ren with Mary Magdalene]. Pages 328 – 329 An ancient word of wisdom frees this scroll †¦ and helps us keep her scatter’d family whole †¦ a headstone praised by templars is the key †¦ and atbash will reveal the truth to thee. This poem,† Teabing gushed, â€Å"references not only the Grail, but the Knights Templar and scattered family of Mary Magdalene! What more could we ask for? † Page 366 â€Å"Robert, for heaven’s sake! The church built in London by the Priory’s military arm – the Knights Templar themselves! † â€Å"The Temple Church? † Once the epicenter of all Templar/Priory activities in the United Kingdom, the Temple Church had been so named in honor of Solomon’s Temple, from which the Knights Templar had extracted theirs own title, as well as the Sangreal documents that gave them all their influence in Rome.Tales abounded of knights performing strange, secretive rituals within the Temple Churc h’s unusual sanctuary. Page 375 â€Å"The Knights Templar were warriors,† Teabing reminded †¦ â€Å"A religio-military society. Their churches were their strongholds and their banks. † â€Å"Banks? † Sophie asked, glancing at Leigh. â€Å"Heavens, yes. The Templars invented the concept of modern banking. For European nobility, traveling with gold was perilous, so the Templars allowed nobles to deposit gold in their nearest Temple Church and the draw it from any other Temple Church across Europe. All they needed was proper documentation. † Alanus Marcel†, Teabing said, â€Å"The master of the Temple in the early twelve hundreds. He and his successors actually held the Parliamentary chair of Primus Baro Angiae. † Langdon was surprised. â€Å"First Baron of the Realm? † Teabing nodded.â€Å"The Master of the Temple, some claim, held more influence than the king himself. † {Emphasis added} â€Å"You know,† Teabing whispered to Sophie, â€Å"the Holy Grail is said to once have been stored in this church overnight while the Templars moved it from one hiding place to another. Can you imagine the four chests of Sangreal documents sitting right here with Mary Magdalene’s sarcophagus? Pages 466 – 467 The Knights Templar had designed Rosslyn Chapel as an exact architectural blueprint of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem – compete with a west wall, a narrow rectangular sanctuary, and a subterranean vault like the Holy of Holies, in which the original nine knights had first unearthed their priceless treasure. Langdon had to admit, there existed an intriguing symmetry in the idea of the Templars building a modern Grail repository that echoed of the Grail’s original hiding place.