Through a post-modern lens, I will primarily focus on comics books published by Marvel Comics to demonstrate the myriad of ways in which graphic literature is used as a subversive tool of sociopolitical discourse. I will demonstrate this by deconstructing and redefining the role of myth as a means of transferring ethical practices through societies and the ways in which graphic literature serves this function within the space of a modern and increasingly atheistic society. The thesis first demonstrates how the American Civil Rights Movement was metaphorically translated and depicted to the pages of Marvel’s X-Men comics to expose its primarily white/ male readership to the plight of discriminated Black Americans through the juxtaposition of depicting white super heroes who represented the segregated experiences of othered or unwanted communities. Secondly, the X-Man Beast is closely analyzed to demonstrate the ways in which the rhetoric and depictions of graphic literature are altered through decades of publication to adapt its messages of social tolerance and peaceful coexistence to its contemporary audiences.

This dissertation is a study of appetite in Plato’s Timaeus, Republic and Phaedrus. In recent research is it often suggested that Plato considers appetite (i) to pertain to the essential needs of the body, (ii) to relate to a distinct set of objects, e.g. food or drink, and (iii) to cause behaviour aiming at sensory pleasure. Exploring how the notion of appetite, directly and indirectly, connects with Plato’s other purposes in these dialogues, this dissertation sets out to evaluate these ideas. By asking, and answering, three philosophically and interpretatively crucial questions, individually linked to the arguments of the dialogues, this thesis aims to show (i) that the relationship between appetite and the body is not a matter of survival, and that appetite is better understood in terms of excess; (ii) that appetite is multiform and cannot be defined in terms of a distinct set of objects; and (iii) that appetite, in Plato, can also pertain to non-sensory objects, such as articulated discourse. Chapter one asks what the universe can teach us about embodied life. It argues that Plato, in the Timaeus, works with an important link between the universe and the soul, and that the account of disorder, irrationality and multiformity identifying a pre-cosmic condition of the universe provides a key to understanding the excessive behaviour and condition of a soul dominated by appetite. Chapter two asks why the philosophers of the Republic’s Kallipolis return to the cave, and suggests that Plato’s notion of the noble lie provides a reasonable account of this. By exploring the Republic’s ideas of education, poetry and tradition, it argues that appetite – a multiform and appearance oriented source of motivation – is an essential part of this account. Chapter three asks why Socrates characterizes the speeches of the Phaedrus as deceptive games. It proposes that this question should be understood in the light of two distinctions: one between playful and serious discourse and one between simple and multiform. It argues that the speeches of the Phaedrus are multiform games, and suggests that appetite is the primary source of motivation of the soul addressed, personified by Phaedrus.

This thesis focuses on phylogenetic relationships among some of the major lineages in Silene subgenus Behenantha (Caryophyllaceae) using DNA sequences from multiple, potentially unlinked gene regions from a large taxonomic and geographic sample. Both traditional phylogenetic analyses and a strategy to infer species trees and gene trees in a joint approach are used. A new strategy to optimize species classifications, based on the likelihoods of the observed gene trees, is presented. Silene latifolia, S. dioica and the other dioecious species previously classified in section Elisanthe are not closely related to the type of the section (S. noctiflora). The correct name for the group of dioecious species is section Melandrium. The chloroplast DNA data presented indicate a geographic, rather than a taxonomic, structure in section Melandrium. The nuclear genes investigated correlate more to the current taxonomy, although hybridization has likely been influencing the relationships within section Melandrium. Incongruence between different parts of the gene SlXY1 in two Silene lineages is investigated, using phylogenetic methods and a novel probabilistic, multiple primer-pair PCR approach. The incongruence is best explained by ancient hybridization and recombination events. A survey of mitochondrial substitution rate variation in Sileneae is presented. Silene section Conoimorpha, S. noctiflora and the closely related S. turkestanica have elevated synonymous substitution rates in the mitochondrial genes investigated. Morphological and phylogenetic data reject that the Californian S. multinervia should be treated as a synonym to the Asian S. coniflora, as has previously been suggested. Furthermore, none of the genes investigated, or a chromosome count, support the inclusion of S. multinervia in section Conoimorpha. Data from multiple genes suggest that S. noctiflora and S. turkestanica form a sister group to section Conoimorpha. The calyx nervature, which is a potential synapomorphy for S. multinervia and section Conoimorpha, may be explained either by parallelism or by sorting effects.

Heliosperma (nom. cons prop.) comprises 15—20 taxa, most of them endemic to the Balkan Peninsula. DNA sequences from the chloroplast (rps16 intron, psbE-petG spacer) and the nuclear genome (ITS and four putatively unlinked RNA polymerase genes) are used to elucidate phylogenetic relationships within Heliosperma, and its position within Sileneae. Three main lineages are found within Heliosperma: Heliosperma alpestre, H. macranthum and the H. pusillum-clade. The relationships among the lineages differ between the plastid and the nuclear trees. Relative dates are used to discriminate among inter- and intralineage processes causing such incongruences, and ancient homoploid hybridisation is the most likely explanation. The chloroplast data strongly support two, geographically correlated clades in the H. pusillum-group, whereas the relationships appear poorly resolved by the ITS data, when analysed under a phylogenetic tree model. However, a network analysis finds a geographic structuring similar to that in the chloroplast data. Ancient vicariant divergence followed by hybridisation events best explains the observed pattern. The morphological and taxonomical diversity in the H. pusillum-group is possibly ecology-induced, and is not correlated with the molecular data. Phylogenetic patterns regarding the origin of Heliosperma are complicated, probably influenced by reticulate and sorting events. At least two ancient lineages have been involved in its evolution, one most closely related to Viscaria/Atocion and the other to Eudianthe/Petrocoptis. Atocion and Viscaria are sister genera, most species-rich on the Balkans, and including six/three species. Phylogenies do not support their traditional classification, and provide a framework for a taxonomic revision. Atocion compactum is found in three different positions in the chloroplast tree, and in a single clade in the nuclear gene trees. Using relative dates we demonstrate that hybridisation with subsequent chloroplast capture is a feasible explanation for the pattern observed. This, and other observed reticulate patterns, highlights the importance of hybridisation in plant evolution.

The Mystery of the Woman and the Beast Rhetorical-Narrative Analysis of Revelation 17:1-18 This diploma thesis called "The Mystery of the Woman and the Beast" seeks to unveil the mysterious message of Revelation 17:1-18 by applying the rhetorical-narrative analysis to the text. This analysis entails a specific methodology drawn from the synthesis of both rhetorical and narrative criticism with special regard to persuasive features. The conception of the thesis is based on understanding the message of the text in its own right communicated primarily to its own implicit audience distancing itself from premature theologizing often done especially when dealing with the book of Revelation. Due to the narrative focus of the thesis, considerable space is devoted to analyzing apocalyptic literary tradition and literary aspects of the book itself. Attention is paid to the origin of the apocalyptic tradition as well as the nature of its genre together with its specific motifs and function. The book of Revelation is seen as a part of long-developing apocalyptic tradition sharing some common traits while still being original in its own right. The unique qualities of Revelation are then fully explored in the following chapter. Of particular importance are the genre, imagery, intertextuality, and structure of the book....

The following essay investigates the artificial magic environment in two fairy tales with similar tropes and themes, to find out if the magic is necessary for the growth of the characters. The ecocritical movement constitutes the essay’s theoretical background in order to shine a light on the physical nature that has been slightly neglected when it comes to discerning the inner nature of the heroines in these stories. By employing theoretical concepts from animal studies, the essay also examines the relationship between animals and humans for the purpose of including the portrayal of animals in an expanded view on nature. The major conclusion of the essay is that magic can both help and hinder the protagonist’s journey to maturity. Furthermore, these fairy tales portray different methods of downgrading animals, but they also challenge an anthropocentric view of the world.

The Master’s Thesis deals with the design and implementation of a web application for testing the security of SSL/TLS protocols on a remote server. The web application is developed in the Nette framework. The theoretical part describes SSL/TLS protocols, vulnerabilities, recommendations and technologies used in the practical part. The practical part is devoted to the creation of a web application with the process of using automatic scripts to test and display the results on the website with a rating of A+~to~C. The web application also displays a list of detected vulnerabilities and their recommendations.

No description available.

With the invention of the printing press, fairy tales became limited by the idea of an "original" (Pettitt, 2009; Blamires, 2003). However, in the past century, the retelling and changing of fairy tales has become incredibly popular in all forms of media, such as print, film, ballet, musicals, etc. Despite Western populations' familiarity with these tales, the demand for such retellings continues to rise, with the storytellers finding great financial success with each "new" version they provide. Researchers have many varying opinions on the reasons for such intense responses to retold fairy tales, but there is a gap of research on the actual changes made to the retold tales and what they mean. Through the use of Narrative Criticism, three of the most popularly retold fairy tales (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White) were analyzed for the biggest alterations, and what those alterations are meant to convey to consumers. Findings revealed that the biggest changes across all three retellings were those of character, narrator, audience, and setting. These changes indicate a switch from the authoritative nature of the first printed versions to an inferential nature with the subsequent retellings, with authors leaning into the Narrative Paradigm and forcing audiences to instead ruminate on the changes made in the familiar tales, and to decide for themselves what those changes mean for their personal lives.

No description available.