Author Archives: limor.shalev

In Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince, Machiavelli outlines his beliefs relating to sovereign, governance and power. Machiavelli describes the characteristics a Prince should possess. He believed a Prince should establish ambitious goals even if such goals were unattainable. Of utmost importance to Machiavelli, was the idea that a ruler shouldn’t rely on fortune but rather their natural skill and intelligence. That talent would help a Prince rule more effectively and efficiently. Machiavelli says “those who, like these men, become princes by means of ingenuity, acquire their principality with difficulty, but hold on to it with ease” (C,235). He advises that although it is more difficult to gain power through inventiveness, it is easier to hold that power once it is won. In the alternative, Machiavelli believed that even if one doesn’t possess the requisite skill and abilities to govern, they should nevertheless act as if they do. Princes must work on their image and how they appear to the people they govern.

In the New York Times article “A former schools chief shapes her comeback” by Trip Gabriel, Michelle Rhee follows some of Machiavelli’s advice. Ms. Rhee, who is known as an important figure in public education, resigned her seat as chancellor of Washington D.C. schools in October due to pressure. However still passionate saving the education system, she announced this week that her next move is to lead a new advocacy group, called Studentfirst. She plans to set ambitious goals to repair the public school system, she says “The ultimate goal is to shift the power dynamic of education in this country, which I think for far too long has been dominated by special interests, whether the teachers’ unions or textbook manufacturers”. She intends to raise a billion dollars for Studentfirst, which Machiavelli would consider as an ambitious goal. However her authoritative tactics has also caused her to gain enemies. To help salvage her image, Ms. Rhee hired Anita Dunn, former communication director for President Obama. She plans to reform the education system from its corrupt ways in a manner Machiavelli would endorse.

             When tragedies strike a person’s true character is tested. Sometimes a person is able to learn from these unfortunate events and sometimes it can bring the worst in people. In The Thousand and One Nights, King Shahrayar finds out that his wife has betrayed him  by having an affair. Upon hearing this news King Shahrayar was furious. Thereafter, the king began acting irrationally. To save himself from the “wickedness and cunning of women” (B,413), King Shahrayar decided to marry a woman, sleep with her and have her killed the next morning. He believed that “there is not a single chaste women anywhere on the entire face of the earth” (B, 413), and instead of punishing the one women who betrayed him, he decides to punish all women. He overcame his emotional tragedy by punishing the entire female race. From his killings he hoped to achieve satisfaction.

       In the NY Times article “An Israeli novelist writes of pain, private and public” by Ethan Bronner, David Grossman deals with his tragedy differently. In 2005, Grossman lost his son in combat in the Lebanon War. Grossman’s whole world was shattered. He was lost and confused as to how to go on with his life. The answers to his confusion came in his writings. In the article, Grossman says ” writing is my home, it was a place where I again recognized myself”. Instead of becoming bitter and punishing the world around him, he coped with his tragedy by writing. He was able to translate his pained emotions into a great novel.

Many teachers aspire to influence at least one student in their career. Some teachers create such an impact that students live by their teachings and their influence is carried on even after they graduate. Students always remember a wise teacher’s words. This is seen in both “The Analects” and the New York Times article about the teacher Fred Goldhaber. In “The Analects” students are mesmorized by the teachings of Confucius. His students admired him and considered his teachings to be a way of life. Confucius taught his students how they could live happy lives by spreading the importance of humanity. Confucius writes “seeking to achieve humanity leaves no room for evil” (A, 1049). His teachings were so influencial in China that it led to the spread of Confucianism. Even after his death Confucius’ teachings were still being taught and practiced.

In The New York Times article “Fred Goldhaber, 1st teacher at school for gays, dies at 63″ by Dennis Hevesi, students mourn the loss of a great teacher, Mr. Goldhaber. He was a very influencial teacher since 1985 for runaway homosexuals who believed they had nowhere to go. Many gays and lesbians took comfort in Mr. Goldhaber’s teachings and seeked his guidence at the Harvey Milk School of Manhattan. He was the first and for the first four year the only teacher at the school. A fellow collegue describes Mr. Goldhaber saying ” kids idolized him, many of them would have never gotten diplomas had it not been for the way he treated them”. Like Confucius, Mr. Goldhaber was

           In The Odyssey, readers are introduced to a great Greek hero, Odysseus. After fighting an infamous war in Troy, most of the warriors returned home, all except the king of Ithica, Odysseus. Ten years elapsed and most of the townspeople gave up on the hope of Odysseus’s arrival. However, Odysseus’s wife , Penelope, and son, Telemachus, still believed he would return home. Meanwhile, suitors from all over Ithica were trying to take over the kingdom and court. During this time, Odysseus faced many obstacles in order to return home. He had to battle with the Cyclopes , Polyphemus, who was held captive by the Goddess Calypso and survived a brutal storm sent by Poisdon as punishment for blinding the Cyclops while he was at sea. Even through all these unfortunate events, Odysseus was determined to be reunited with his family. In book nine we read “So nothing is as sweet as a man’s own country”. Odysseus had a great longing to return home and would do go through even more hardships if it would mean he could return to his kingdom and family.

      We can compare Odysseus’s determination to the recent headlines of the Chilean miners. Since August 5^th, 33 Chilean men had been trapped in an underground mine. At first, no one had known if they were alive. After a starteling discovery of two notes sent by the trapped miners, rescue missions began. The mission was seen as a challenge from the start since no one had ever attempted to go so far underground. Engineers worked day after day to build a hole that would bring the men back to safety. On October 12th, after much aniticipation the miners were finally rescued. Much like Odysseus, the miners had undergone a struggle to return home. Most of their resources were limited, they were living in poor health conditions and couldn’t see their family for 68 days. However these men were determined to get home and kept positive that their life wasn’t over. In a quote from the New York Times article “Trapped 68 days, first Chilean miners taste freedom” written by Alexei Barrionuevo and Simon Romero, we read “during their more then two months confinement, the miners and their determination to survive have inspired this country and riveted the world”. Both the story of The Odyssey and the 33 Chilean miners teach us that once you set a goal for yourself you can accomplish it, and even though you might have to go through some obstacles, the reward will be that much greater.

              In a time of tragedy, one always questions if they deserve it. We are always taught that good things happen to good people but when something bad happens to a good person it blows us away. In The Book of Job, we see just that. Despite Job being a truly pious man who was admired by all, he suffered a string of misfortune caused by Satan. Satan was determined to prove to God that Job wasn’t as wise as he led on. First, Job’s children were killed and then Job himself became ill. None of Job’s friends could understand the reasoning behind what was happening. On page 131, line 8, Job’s friends asked him, “is not your wickedness great?” The only rational explanation they could come up with, was that he must’ve betrayed God. Job knew that he was innocent and never turned his back on God regardless of all the misfortune that came his way.  Job’s fear of God superseded his fear of Satan and as a result he was given back all that was lost.

               In the New York Times article “Defendant Ignited Fire, Cheshire Prosecutors Tells Jury”, Dr. William Petit Jr. was the sole survivor of a horrific event that killed his wife and his children.  Dr. William Petit Jr. and his family were robbed by two men. After they ransacked the house, the burglars raped and killed his wife, tied down his children, doused them in gasoline and lit the house ablaze. Now the two killers involved are facing trial. One man is being tried this year and may face the death penalty, while the other man’s trial is next year. When reading the article and seeing pictures of the victims, you have to question why this would happen to Dr. Petit and his family. What did they do to deserve this? Unfortunately there is no accurate answer to this question, everyone has their own perspective and we must accept that. The story of Job teaches us that we cannot judge or understand Gods plan, only God can see the big picture and we should not try to figure it out ourselves.

           In the epic, Gilgamesh had to conquer many hardships. He first had to overcome physical obstacles such as when he set out to destroy Humbaba the Terrible and killed the Bull of Heaven sent from the goddess Ishtar to punish him. In addition, he had to overcome an emotional struggle when his friend Enkidu died. Gilgameshs’ long journey to Utanapishtim also seemed to take a toll on him. We see this when Utanapishtim asks “why are your cheeks emaciated, your expression so desolate? Why is your heart so wretched, your features so haggard?” (pg 89, line 129). Even though Gilgamesh was a king and was meant to be an all powerful force, he still had some difficulties and it showed.

           In the New York Times’ article “Nadal savors latest role: A player for all courts” by Christopher Clarey, we can compare Rafael Nadal‘s obstacles to Gilgameshs’. He had to overcome physical pain, caused by a knee injury, which adversely affected his ability to play tennis. He also had some emotional pain because of his parents divorced. In the end he won the U.S. Open and is the seventh man to win all four Grand Slams singles title, which is a huge highlight in his career.  Nadal’s coach and uncle said “People see the victories, they don’t see the obstacles”, which is true about both Nadal and Gilgamesh.