If the object of love is to have the good forever, the function of love is "giving birth in beauty both in body and in mind." (206b) Diotima begins her explanation of how "all human beings are pregnant in body and in mind" (206c) by discussing the concrete, physical pregnancy of the body. ... The ultimate function of love is given to be the labor of the pregnant mind as it attempts to bring forth "what it is suitable for a mind to bear and bring to birth," (209a) namely wisdom and other virtues. ... Diotima says that men who try to gain the immortality they love by fathering children are only ...

• Word Count: 1318
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Throughout Homer's The Iliad, Hera's unwavering determination and resourcefulness from the poem's start to finish is a testament to the goddess's character. Particularly in book fourteen, Hera exemplifies her power and audacity by manipulating several gods so that her favored Achaeans can gain the u...

• Word Count: 939
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein explores many aspects of the conscious and unconscious mind. Shelley uses light and dark throughout the novel to symbolize the duality of the mind, a representation of Victor's conscious and unconscious mind. Victor's conscious behavior is clouded by his unconscious repressed desires, as he struggles with the Oedipus complex, defined as subconscious feelings in children of intense competition and even hatred toward the parent of the same sex, and feelings of romantic love toward the parent of the opposite sex, if these conflicting feelings are not s...

• Word Count: 2532
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate