Time Management and Study
Time management simply means planning your time. In study, it involves organising assessment deadlines (e.g. for essays) into paced, easier-to-meet, interim deadlines that take account of the other demands on your time.

Time management can dramatically decrease the pressures you create for yourself during your course of study. It can enable you to pace your study, and so experience study as a source of pleasure, rather than of stress.

Time management can free you from the limitations and the anxieties of goal-oriented study. Without excessive pressures on your time, you will be able to relax and explore the subjects that interest you for your own pleasure. Such learning will help you to develop your understanding and widen your knowledge much more effectively.

Clearly, such learning is much more rewarding: you will be responding to your own desires, rather than the (apparent) desires of others.

Managing Your Time
To manage your time effectively, you will need to begin by recording times that are fixed. Fixed times will include the times of lectures, seminars, assessment deadlines (usually provided at the start of each academic year or term), tutorials and personal appointments. Fixed times will also include times to meet your regular responsibilities, such as childcare and work. Record these on your weekly plan and, in the case of assessment deadlines, on your monthly plan as well.

The time that remains on your weekly plan is your personal time. You will need to divide this time into Leisure Time and Study Time. Leisure time includes time regularly set aside for sharing with the other people in your life. If you fail to set this time aside, the problems that will arise will affect your ability to study. Record your leisure time on your weekly plan. The time that remains is your study time.

Study Time
Study time will be used for:

• Preparation of plans
• Reading and note-making
• Production of essays and assignments.

To reduce the pressure on this time, you should do as much of your reading as possible whilst carrying out other tasks, such as travel. Wherever you go, inside or outside, if you are on your own, carry a book to read.

To manage your study time effectively, you will need to refer to your monthly plan. Your monthly plan shows when assessments are to be handed in. You should now record when you will begin work on each assessment on the monthly plan.

Divide the time between the start and end date of each assessment into the stages - preparation reading and production - necessary to complete each assessment. Record the deadline of each of these stages on your monthly plan. Record your short-term stage deadlines on your weekly plan - for example, first draft of essay.

Finally, divide the study time available for each stage into specific tasks (such as "read pages of …." Or "draft outline plan"). Record these specific tasks onto your weekly plan.

Experience will show you whether you are giving yourself too much or too little time for each task.

Time management allows you to break down large tasks into less demanding smaller tasks. Providing that you keep to the specific task deadlines, you will have no difficulty meeting your assessment deadlines.

1. Think carefully about the title will it inform the reader properly as to what the essay is.
2. If the title is given to you, underline key words and think carefully about the title.
3. Gather information from the radio, newspapers, Internet, class notes, course material, lecture notes and from books etc.
4. In order to get good marks it is essential that you analyse what you can on the subject.
5. Put all your thoughts and notes on paper marked rough work. It doesn't have to be in any particular shape or order. After a while your ideas, thoughts and concepts on the subject will be on paper.
6. Organise your notes into a simple outline plan. Beginning, middle and end.
7. Use headings where necessary.
8. Write a draft and afterwards come back to it, check that it looks OK and has covered everything you wanted to cover. Check this using your rough work notes.
9. If you are happy with your first draft and have corrected spelling mistakes, write a final draft.
10. You should use page numbers if you are handing in loose sheets.
11. Before handing your essay in, always check your spelling. Also the final draft must have good handwriting if not done on a computer and it be well presented.
12. Always proof read what you have done before you hand in anything.

Essay 1-Trips to Underworld (Aeneid and Odyssey)

Differences

• Description/Geography
• O-We get very little description of Homer’s Hades in the Odyssey as Odysseus doesn’t even enter it. All we learn about is that King Minos is a judge.
• A-In the Aeneid, on the other hand, we are overcome with description as he is guided by the Sybyl of Apollo. We learn about the River Tartarus with its “boiling whirlpools which belches sand and slime”. ( a big fortress where people are punished) and the Fields of Mourning as well as the Fields of Elysium (seen as a paradise where people play sport and music where poets and patriots end up) with descriptions of why people had ended up there e.g. “souls of infants who had lost their share of sweetness of life on its very threshold/raised their innocent hands against themselves. Also description of Cerebus (3-headed dog).
• There is also a lot of description in both epics about certain people who are punished in the underworld. In the Odyssey, Sisiphus who tricked the god of death has to constantly push a rock uphill whereas in the Aeneid Tityos has his reforming liver eaten by a vulture.
• Philosophy
• O-The most we find out here is that Achilles does not want to be there when he says that he would “rather slave on earth for another man than rule down here over the breathless dead”.
• A-Here we find out a lot more such as where a person’s soul goes when he dies, what bad people are punished for and how rebirth comes about. We learn about the River Lethe where people forget before they are reincarnated. We learn that is people are not buried they must wait 100 years.
• Communication with Dead
• O-They come up to him, can only talk if they drink the blood.
• A-he goes down to them and can communicate with them all.

Similarities

• Tasks performed to get in
• O-Here he has to dig a trench, pour offerings to dead with honey, milk, wine, promise to sacrifice a barren heifer once in Ithaca, sacrifice a lamb and a black ewe, order men to flaw sheep as soon as dead come up.
• A-Aeneas, on the other hand, must first pluck a golden bough from a tree to present to Charon as well as burying his dead comrade Misenus.
• Elpanor vs Dido
• O-Odysseus comes into contact with his dead comrade, Elpenor, who has yet to be buried after he drunkenly fell of the roof at Circe.
• A-Here Aeneas meets his former lover Dido who simply ignores him when they meet and goes off with her husband which leaves Aeneas hurt. He also meets a dead comrade who is yet to be buried Palinarus.
• Members of Family
• O-He meets his dead mother Anticleia and tries to hold her three times but can’t.
• A-Aeneas meets his dead father Anchises and tries to grab him three times but he can’t.
• Literary Device
• For both of the epics it acts as the halfway mark of the story.
• In both, the heroes receive some important advice/prophecies. Odysseus receives information from Teiresias about getting home and “winnowing fan” and that he must not harm Helios’ cattle otherwise he will end up a broken man as well as sacrificing to Poseidon. Whereas Aeneas receives the prophecy of Rome from his father.
• Finally, we see a change in their characters after this point. Both of them change in their own way. Odysseus becomes a better leader which is shown when he doesn’t retaliate after attacks from Suitors and Aeneas become a lot more sure of himself and even more devoted to his mission.

Essay 2-Compare Medb and Penelope

Similarities

• Strong Position

1. oPenelope is the Queen of Ithaca.
2. oMedb is the Queen of Connacht. Ailill “I never heard of a province run by a woman except this one”.

• Perseverance

1. oPenelope managers to cope without Odysseus for 20 years and doesn’t give in to marrying a suitor.
2. oMedb shows her strength in the way that she wishes to prove herself on the battlefield and also prove herself equal to her husband. She never gives up no matter how many men Cu Chulainn kills.

• Cunning

1. oAntinious says of Penelope “she has misguided the Suitors for nearly four years”. Uses schemes to avoid marrying them e.g Laertes’ shroud, sending letters to the Suitors, Odysseus’ bed etc.
2. oMedb convinces men to fight for her even though they may not want to. She compliments them, gets them drunk, offers them Finnabair and even “her own friendly thighs”. She also sends handmaids to lament upon CuChulainn so that they can upon up his wounds and she gives a false offer of peace to find him.

Differences

• Way of life

1. oPenelope is domesticated. She lives in her palace in Ithaca and does not move from their throughout the epic.
2. oMedb is constantly on the move as she goes from Connacht to Ulster.

• Medb stronger than Penelope

1. oPenelope lacks the natural character to remove the Suitors and gets ordered around by Telemachus
2. oMedb stands up to her husband, makes all the decisions including invading Ulster in the first place. She also constantly motivates her army and gets into the thick of the battle.

• Moral Character

1. oPenelope is a very pure woman-never angry, rude and doesn’t cheat on Odysseus.
2. oMedb is vain when she tries to get the Galeóin killed and she cheats on Ailill with Fergus as well as offering her “friendly thighs”.

Essay 1-Plato’s Discussion with Cephalus on old age

• Introduction-Plato is persuaded to go to Polemarchus’s house.
• Cephalus says how he would visit Plato if he wasn’t so old.
• Desire for conversation/experience-How older men have more of a desire for conversation. Also they are better to speak to as they have more experience ‘they have gone before us’.
• Most miss youth/some enjoy old age-Cephalus talks about how most miss their youth and the things that go along with it i.e. sex, drinking etc.
• He also speaks about why many prefer the peace of old age using the example of Sophacles who said that he is ‘glad to have left it behind’.
• Character to blame-Cephlus then says that if people are not happy in their old age that it is due to the type of character that they have.
• Wealth in old age-Plato then asks about whether wealth makes old age easier.
• Cephalus talks about people’s characters again when he says that ‘a bad man won’t be at peace even if he is rich’.
• However, he says that having more money has its advantages as people are more assured that they have sacrificed to the gods etc, left debts unpaid. It also helps to avoid unintentional cheating or lying,

Essay 2-Plato’s censorship of stories in education

• Introduction-We learn how these stories will only be censored for children and will be told to a select few under secrecy (Guardians).
• Most importantly deals with stories about gods and heroes.
• Plato then speaks of the types of stories which should be banned:

1.         Misrepresentation-misrepresenting the nature of gods or heroes such as what Cronos’ son did to him.

2.         Crimes-Not to show the gods acting in a evil way such as Hera being tied up by her son.

3.         Wars-Not to show any evil between the gods such as Homer’s Battle of the Gods. Tell that no quarrel ever took place between citizens.

4.         Responsibility-Gods are not responsible for everything but are only the cause of good (law). Sufferers are benefited by being punished by god.

5.         Changing/No Visions or Omens-The gods cannot be seen to take on different forms as they are already perfect, so why would they take on a worse form/no reason to tell lies. Guardians can lie but others will be punished.

6.         Mourning/Death-Any stories that talk about the terror of the after life or of people being sad after someone has dies such as River of Wailing. He says that famous men definitely cannot be seen to do this but maybe less reputable women can.

7.         Laughing-Any stories which such the characters being overcome with laughter.

8.         Mercenary-Any stories which make men out to seem bad by doing things such as rape.

9.         Just/Unjust-Any stories which claim that unjust men are happy and that just men are not.

• Justification-Plato also goes on to justify why he bans these particular stories:
• Plato talks about how they must leave an impression on children of as young age as it will ‘leave a permanent mark’. He says how it is for the good of the state.

1. 1.Imitation-He doesn’t want men to see the gods misbehaving as they will think that it’s ok to do and try to imitate the gods such as quarrelling between themselves.
2. 2.One man one job-If men see the gods changing form it will take away from the point of ‘one man, one job’.
3. 3.Scared-Plato doesn’t want the children to be scared as they can’t distinguish between what is real and what is fake.
4. 4.Perfect God-God is seen as perfect, if he is not it will have a bad affect on the civilians.
5. 5.Brave-Plato doesn’t want laughing in stories as he wants the Guardians to be brave and not overcome with laughter as ‘violent laughter invites a violent reaction.
6. 6.He also doesn’t want Guardians to be afraid of death and so bans lamentations as if they listen to them they will ‘feel no shame and show no endurance’.

Essay 3-Beginning of Primitive Community to Civilised Society

Primitive Community

• Development-Plato says that a community develops because the individual is not self sufficient and that each cannot fully provide for their Maslan needs-Food, shelter, clothing
• In this way everyone can work together and help provide for each other.
• Basic Structure-Plato says that they were need a farmer, a builder, a weaver, a shoemaker and a few others to provide these basic needs.
• One man, one job-Plato now talks about one of the main ideas put forward in The Republic which is ‘one man, one job’. This is as every person is suited to their own particular task and will ensure things are of the highest possible standard. It will also mean that a higher quantity can be produced.
• More professions-Plato says that thy will need people to make things for the farmer or the tools for the builder-smiths and craftsmen. They will also need imports from elsewhere and so they require merchants and sailors. This will then require a market and a currency and so will need retailers. Finally they need labourers for the hard work.
• Daily life-Plato then talks about their daily life which will include: producing, building houses. The food they have will be basic such as wheat meal. They will also be careful about how many children they have for fear of poverty.
• They will lead a simple life with their few luxuries including salt, olives, cheese and acorns (something which Glaucon picks up on and relates to them living as pigs with no luxuries).

Civilised Society

• Need for luxury-Plato now describes how it will develop into a civilised community.
• Plato describes this new society as “fevered” in comparison to the last one which was “true/healthy”.
• He says that as the community will want more luxuries the state will need to be enlarged and that more professions will need to come about such as artists, poets, actors , servants, doctors call-girls and new good such as clothes and furtniture etc.
• War-Soldiers-Guardians-Plato says that to acquire more space and land they will need to go to war with surrounding countries. Due to the ‘one man, one job’ rule they will need to be full time soldiers who will be known as Auxiliaries. And later on we find that the Guardians will come from this group.
• Plato stresses that they should be less like Athenian soldiers and more like Spartan ones with more training and practise.
• Qualities required in Guardians-Finally, Plato quickly outlines the qualities required in the Guardians. For this he uses the watchdog analogy. They must have courage, must be high-spirited and must have the disposition of a philosopher (so that they can tell the difference between their friends and enemies).