Hercules His 12 Quests Essays - Labours Of Hercules, Eurystheus

Hercules His 12 Quests Hercules: His 12 Quests Like Perseus, Hercules was required to perform the miracu-lous. But instead of having to bring only one mission to a successful close, Hercules was ordered to complete twelve great tasks, which are often referred to in literature as "the labors of Hercules." This is how the challenge came about. Hercules was the son of Jupiter and Alcmene, daughter of the king of Mycenae. When Hercules was born, Juno in a jealous anger sent two serpents to destroy him in his cradle. But Hercules, even then showing the strength for which he later became famous, strangled them. Juno's hatred, however, was not easily appeased. She waited until Hercules reached manhood and had achieved some fame; then she placed a spell on him that made him insane. In his fit of madness he slew his wife and children. But he was cured by Minerva and saved by her from shedding more blood. In payment for his crime, for which he had really not been responsible, he was made the servant of his cousin, King Eurystheus of Argos, whose commands he was compelled to obey. (Juno's hand was in this, too.) Eurystheus thought up twelve tasks that seemed clearly impossible of fu~llment. The Nemean Lion. Eurystheus first ordered Hercules to kill the Nemean lion, a terrible beast that had defied all would-be captors. The combat between Hercules and the lion was brutal and cruel. .Seeing that his club and arrows were of no avail in the battle, Hercules grasped the lion in his hands and strangled it to death. He returned to Eurystheus, wearing the skin of the lion as a cloak and the head as a helmet. The Hydra, or Water SerpenL Hercules was ordered next to slay the Hydra, a many-headed water serpent that had taken a heavy toll in the country of Argos. The middle head of the Hydra was immortal, indestructible. Hercules attacked the monster valiantly, but as he struck off one head, two others grew in its place. Hercules realized that he must change his plan of attack. With the assistance of his faithful nephew, he built a huge fire and burnt away the many heads before they could multiply further. The middle head, which was immortal, he buried under a rock. The Arcadian Stag. Eurystheus commanded Hercules to capture the Arcadian stag, a magnificent beast with antlers of gold and hoofs of brass. Its speed was far beyond that of the swiftest beast known. Hercules pursued it in vain for a year before he succeeded in inflicting a slight wound. Thus handicapped, the stag was captured by Hercules, who carried it, on his shoulders, to his tyrant cousin. The Boar of Eiymanthus. Like the Hydra and the Nemean lion, a huge boar had been laying waste the peaceful countryside. Eurystheus commanded Hercules to capture the beast. He pursued the boar relentlessly, finally captured it in a huge net, and carried it to his cousin. The Augean Stables. For thirty years the stables of Augeas, king of Elis, had been neglected. Hercules was commanded to clean these stables, which housed three thousand oxen. He succeeded in doing s~in a single day. How? He simply diverted two rivers so that they them. Juno's hatred, however, was not easily appeased. She waited until Hercules reached manhood and had achieved some fame; then she placed a spell on him that made him insane. In his fit of madness he slew his wife and children. But he was cured by Minerva and saved by her from shedding more blood. In payment for his crime, for which he had really not been responsible, he was made the servant of his cousin, King Eurystheus of Argos, whose commands he was compelled to obey. (Juno's hand was in this, too.) Eurystheus thought up twelve tasks that seemed clearly impossible of fulfillment. The Man-Eating Birds. In Arcadia there lived a strange flock of birds. Their wings, claws, and beaks were of brass and they used their feathers as arrows. Their favorite food being human flesh, they preyed upon the hapless inhabitants of the country. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to destroy these man-eating birds. As the renowned hero approached the flock, he

The History and Purpose of the European Union

The History and Purpose of the European Union The European Union (EU) is a unification of 28 member states (including the United Kingdom) united to create a political and economic community throughout Europe. Though the idea of the EU might sound simple at the outset, the European Union has a rich history and a unique organization, both of which aid in its current success and its ability to fulfill its mission for the 21st Century. History The precursor to the European Union was established after World War II in the late 1940s in an effort to unite the countries of Europe and end the period of wars between neighboring countries. These nations began to officially unite in 1949 with the Council of Europe. In 1950, the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community expanded the cooperation. The six nations involved in this initial treaty were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Today, these countries are referred to as the founding members. During the 1950s, the Cold War, protests, and divisions between Eastern and Western Europe showed the need for further European unification. In order to do this, the Treaty of Rome was signed on March 25, 1957, thus creating the European Economic Community and allowing people and products to move throughout Europe. Throughout the decades, additional countries joined the community. In order to further unify Europe, the Single European Act was signed in 1987 with the aim of eventually creating a single market for trade. Europe was further unified in 1989 with the elimination of the boundary between Eastern and Western Europe- the Berlin Wall. The Modern Day EU Throughout the 1990s, the single market idea allowed easier trade, more citizen interaction on issues such as the environment and security, and easier travel through the different countries. Even though the countries of Europe had various treaties in place prior to the early 1990s, this time is generally recognized as the period when the modern day European Union arose due to the Treaty of Maastricht on the European Union- which was signed on February 7, 1992, and put into action on November 1, 1993. The Treaty of Maastricht identified five goals designed to unify Europe in more ways than just economically: 1. To strengthen the democratic governing of participating nations.2. To improve the efficiency of the nations.3. To establish economic and financial unification.4. To develop the community social dimension.5. To establish a security policy for involved nations. In order to reach these goals, the Treaty of Maastricht has various policies dealing with issues such as industry, education, and youth. In addition, the treaty put a single European currency, the euro, in the works to establish fiscal unification in 1999. The EU expanded in 2004 and 2007, bringing the total number of member states to 27. There are 28 member states today. In December 2007, all of the member nations signed the Treaty of Lisbon in hopes of making the EU more democratic and efficient to deal with climate change, national security, and sustainable development. How a Country Joins the EU For countries interested in joining the EU, there are several requirements that they must meet in order to proceed to accession and become a member state. The first requirement has to do with the political aspect. All countries in the EU are required to have a government that guarantees democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, as well as protects the rights of minorities. In addition to these political areas, each country must have a market economy that is strong enough to stand on its own within the competitive EU marketplace. Finally, the candidate country must be willing to follow the objectives of the EU that deal with politics, the economy, and monetary issues. This also requires that they be prepared to be a part of the administrative and judicial structures of the EU. After it is believed that the candidate nation has met each of these requirements, the country is screened, and if approved the Council of the European Union and the country draft a Treaty of Accession which then goes to the European Commission and European Parliament ratification and approval. If successful after this process, the nation is able to become a member state. How the EU Works With so many different nations participating, the governance of the EU is challenging. However, it is a structure that continually changes to become the most effective for the conditions of the time. Today, treaties and laws are created by the institutional triangle that is composed of the Council representing national governments, the European Parliament representing the people, and the European Commission that is responsible for holding up Europes main interests. The Council is formally called the Council of the European Union and is the main decision-making body present. There is also a Council President here, with each member state serving a six-month term in the position. In addition, the Council has the legislative power and decisions are made with a majority vote, a qualified majority, or a unanimous vote from member state representatives. The European Parliament is an elected body representing the citizens of the EU and participates in the legislative process as well. These representative members are directly elected every five years. Finally, the European Commission manages the EU with members that are appointed by the Council for five-year terms- usually one commissioner from each member state. Its main job is to uphold the common interest of the EU. In addition to these three main divisions, the EU also has courts, committees, and banks which participate in certain issues and aid in successful management. The EU Mission As in 1949 when it was founded with the creation of the Council of Europe, the European Unions mission for today is to continue prosperity, freedom, communication, and ease of travel and commerce for its citizens. The EU is able to maintain this mission through the various treaties making it function, cooperation from member states, and its unique governmental structure.