Stanley Books

This book is very well written and a great source for Daily Devotional. I feel as though I'm learning so much more about God's grace.

I purchased Pathways to His Presence as a Christmas gift. From the feedback I've received my father-in-law looks forward to his devotional time and seems to be enjoying it more each day. Dr. Stanley's work is always an inspiration and is highly recommended.

My wife and I are always looking for a good daily devotional but they are hard to find. And very good couple devotionals are even harder to find. We are still finishing up a devotional book for this year. But I think we found one, this book, "Pathways To His Presence", for 2007.

There are many devotionals out there that are called "daily devotionals" but only have Monday through Friday or they lump together the weekend putting Saturday and Sunday together for one reading. Whatever happened to reading your Bible daily and spending time with God daily?

This devotional book is truly a daily devotional with 365 daily readings.

Even though my wife and I are not going to start using this devotional until January 1, 2007, I already read two devotionals from each month. The devotionals are easy to understand. Very down to earth. And Charles Stanley does a very good job showing what God has in store for us and also hits on the many different things we as christians face in our day to day life.

I like the layout of each daily devotional. You start with the scripture reading. Then you have the key verse. Then the main story and devotion. And you finish with a short prayer.

I also like that each month has a theme or as Charles Stanley calls them, Pathways:

January: Pathway To God's Will
February: Pathway To Forgiveness
March: Pathway TO Victory
April: Pathway To The Cross
May: Pathway To Prayer
June: Pathway To Faith
July: Pathway To Freedom
August: Pathway To Peace
September: Pathway To Assurance
October: Pathway To Success
November: Pathway To Spiritual Maturity
DEcember: Pathway To The Futute

I would highly recommended this devotional either for yourself or as a couples devotional.

A true blessing from in my opinion the finest Bible teacher today. Highly recommended for both morning and evening devotional. Easy to understand and shows the love that God has for each and everyone of us. It hits on many things we as christians face in day to day life.

Charles Stanley has out done himself this time. It is a wonderful guide to God's plan of glory for our lives. Every time I read it through I get a different blessing. It is always just what I need. The first one was a surprise gift and since then I have bought 14 to continue the pay it forward tradition. Everyone has said what a special this one is.

This is one of the best books for high performance PLLs IC designers. The book guides us through design, simulation, and troubleshooting, turn to this collection of practical solutions, SPICE listings, simulation techniques, and testing set-ups. It contains an amazing amount of information on PLLs of various kinds and on their applications in systems. The challenges to integrate more and more functions onto a single chip are well explained by the author with apparent ease and rigor. This is an excellent book for an IC designer who wants to be excellent.

This book fills a much needed gap in the texts on the market on PLL design. As a student and then a practising engineer who has designed several PLLs for commercially successful ICs, I find that this book serves as a good college text as well as a handy reference to industrial designers who have to make critical design trade-offs.

If someone were to ask the question - "why should I buy this book versus the rest?" here is what sets this book a class apart.

1. It deals with theory, circuit simulation and testing of PLLs.
2. For those who like math - it has rigorous equations to go with the intuitive analysis. The math is reinforced with examples and SPICE simulations and waveforms. For example section 3.2 - phase noise, 3.5 - acquisition of lock are difficult topics that are presented in a clear manner.
3. For students the extensive references at the back of each chapter will prove very handy. The subjective questions and numerical problems will serve to reinforce understanding of the material. Although the solutions/answers are not shown in the text, this should not discourage anyone from trying the problems out.
4. One of my favorite sections is the chapter 7 on test and measurements.
PLL measurements are to be done with care and the author covers all critical measurements such as jitter and even provides suggestions for instruments to be used and how to set them up. For a test engineer, this is quite obviously a superior method as opposed to learning by trial and error. Sections 7.6 and 7.9 are especially worth reading.
5. My other favorite chapter 8 is on simulation. I have not seen a more concise yet wide coverage of simulation methodology for PLLs in a text yet. The author shows options for transistor level and behavioral modelling, uses simulators such as SPICE and POWERMILL to highlight how different parameters can be tested effectively and indicates how one can visualize non-ideal behaviors.

This is an essential book for PLL designers. It covers all the practical aspects. First two chapters explain the system-level basics, where it can be found in any PLL book. However, the remaining chapters make this book unique. Third chapter explains phase noise, jitter, and spurious signals. Especially, the phase noise theory and connection between phase noise and jitter is very useful to see the big picture. Chapter 4 and 5 explain individual loop components. Detailed explanations of lock detection and acquisition techniques are very helpful. The testing and simulation of PLLs are explained with all practical aspects. In summary, this book is highly recommended to everyone who is interested in PLLs.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book to the experienced PLL designer, the practicing engineer who is starting to design PLLs, system designers who need an understanding of the care-abouts of PLLs and system level effects, as well as students who need some understanding on all levels. This is the best book to date that I have seen discussing the topic.

Although some background is assumed, it is on a level that 3rd year undergraduate students should be able to comprehend. The book starts off with an overview of PLL and its applications in Ch.1. Then it looks at PLLs from a system view in Ch.2. and Ch.3. with Ch.3 concentrating on key design issues such as jitter, locking, and spurs. Ch.4 and Ch.5 concentrate upon the building blocks of the PLL (dividers, oscillators, detectors, and the loop filter). Ch.6 concentrates upon stability. The last three chapters, 7, 8, and 9 concentrate upon real life design of PLLs. Ch.7 discusses the testing of PLLs; Ch.8, with the simulations of PLLs; and Ch.9 with the a discussion of the tradeoffs in the design and big picture effect of PLLs upon the complete system.

This book is not only ideal for a student but also a practicing engineer who may have a rudimentary understanding of PLLs and wishes to learn from the experience of an expert in the field. Unlike other books that deal solely with theory, this book spends a fair amount of time discussing the practical aspects of the design. It actually has SPICE netlists which you can implement to learn about the building blocks or PLL system. But it is thorough as well. Those wishing to delve into the rigorous mathematics will not be disappointed while those who are at a stage where they need a general understanding can gloss over the theory and not lose insight into the operating principles. To cater to both audiences is not an easy thing to accomplish and Mr. Goldman is able to do so because of his expertise in the field and having first-hand design experience in numerous applications.

This is the best book for integrated circuit designers who have to design high performance PLLs in their jobs. Not only does it review the fundamental theories of different PLL architectures but also discusses the subtleties of each design. This is by far the best book for real world PLL designs. It should be in every integrated circuit designer's library. I am amazed how many inside tricks and subtleties this book explains. You get up to date on important circuits for high perfomance PLL design that yield in the real world.

This is a excellent selection of poems by the great Russian poet Anna Akhmatova. The translations are by the noted Russian scholar Max Hayward and the noted American poet Stanley Kunitz. As a non-Russian speaker, I can't really judge the quality of translations but the end product is terrific. There are a number of wondeful short lyrics. The peak of this selection is a powerful version of the great Requiem, Akhmatova's memorial for the victims of Stalin's purges. A truly great poem.

I grew up in Russia reading Akhmatova, Esenin and other great poets of the "Silver Period". To this day, Akhmatova is the poet I turn to when nostalgia hits. So when I wanted to introduce Russian poetry to my English-speaking husband, I bought this volume.
I am giving this book only four stars because of the somewhat limited selection of the poems: some of her greatest (and best known in Russia) are missing. Kunitz really shines in being able to relay the mood and (surprisingly) the rythm of Akhmatova, even if the actual translatoin is not quite accurate. Overall, this is a great introduction to the poems of a truly talented poet. However, you will soon find yourself shopping for the complete works.

This is a marvelous book. It is extremely difficult to accurately capture the flavor of the original writing in translation, but Kunitz has done this and more - the English itself is poetry. The book is dual language, so readers of Russian can read the original next to the English. Both are excellent.

The selection is fairly representative of Akhmatova's life work, with early poems from 1909, through her affair with the poet Blok in the teens, the Terror and War, to her deathbed in 1961. I particularly enjoyed the translation of the epic "Requiem". Without a doubt, this is the best English version I have ever read. My only complaint is its berevity - at 40 poems, it merely whets the readers appetite for more - a pity, given the outstanding nature of both poet and translator.

For those who are not familiar with Anna Akhmatova, this is a gem. If you have read some of her work, this is a must-have volume. Enjoy!

This is the volume that introduced me to the works of Anna Akhmatova. After having read this in one evening, I could not sleep - I was so moved by her poetry. The translation must have captured her heart and soul because it certainly captured mine - it inspired me to get up in the middle of the night and draw pictures to go with what I had read. I understood at once the love the Russian people have for her. Since then, I have gobbled up everything translated into English that I can find, but I still think this little volume is the best of all and return to it again and again. Enjoy......

I'm not a great poetry lover, but the simplicity and meaning of her poems is even enough to turn me on to poetry!!!! Her words reach my life experiences and touch my soul.

This is my second copy of this book. I wore out the first copy. A great life story!

Smith Wigglesworth was a true man of God. This book will cause you to trust in the Lord with all of your heart. It will make you proud of your Penticostal heritage. Finally,it will provide you with a benchmark for serving the Lord. You will enjoy this wonderful book.

This book is an example of what can happen when a man will follow Jesus completely. Just like a second book of Acts but in the 1900's. Great reading and cheap at twice the price.

Best Smith Wigglesworth book! Written by his son-in-law while he was alive. Major faith builder!!!

Smith Wigglesworth lived a life of total dependence upon God. His life is a great inspiration to those who will step out into the unknown and trust God to provide for them.

Each of the five short stories in this book focuses on a single aspect of old age and, collectively, they illustrate the myriad of horrors that plague the elderly.

Though the general theme provides a common thread throughout, the stories themselves do not follow a predictable pattern; the author portrays a variety of situations, some alarmingly real and others perhaps more hypothetical in some future life.

The most eventful and touching tale is "City Life," which places the reader in the very epi-center of a city divided by growth and deterioration. "Reunion" tells a somewhat more mundane story, though one to which nearly every reader will relate. "The Home" moves us into a future world, exposing the implications of a government-mandated lifestyle -- but at the same time uncovering the horrific nursing home situations that currently exist.

The book itself is not full of action-packed drama, nor is it a "feel good" kind of story that will serve as pleasurable reading. The stories are here to serve a purpose, to open our eyes to the issues that confront the elderly. The characters that we meet here could easily be our own mothers and fathers, or even you and I. As our average population continues to grow older, it's important that we try to come to terms with these issues, and the author has accomplished this purpose with his sincerity, clarity, and insight.

Each of the five short stories in this book focuses on a single aspect of old age and, collectively, they illustrate the myriad of horrors that plague the elderly.

Though the general theme provides a common thread throughout, the stories themselves do not follow a predictable pattern; the author portrays a variety of situations, some alarmingly real and others perhaps more hypothetical in some future life.

The most eventful and touching tale is "City Life," which places the reader in the very epi-center of a city divided by growth and deterioration. "Reunion" tells a somewhat more mundane story, though one to which nearly every reader will relate. "The Home" moves us into a future world, exposing the implications of a government-mandated lifestyle -- but at the same time uncovering the horrific nursing home situations that currently exist.

The book itself is not full of action-packed drama, nor is it a "feel good" kind of story that will serve as pleasurable reading. The stories are here to serve a purpose, to open our eyes to the issues that confront the elderly. The characters that we meet here could easily be our own mothers and fathers, or even you and I. As our average population continues to grow older, it's important that we try to come to terms with these issues, and the author has accomplished this purpose with his sincerity, clarity, and insight.

This is a poignant and tenderly written set of five short stories about the elderly in our society that brings our attention to the many psychological and medical issues faced by them. We are able to view their concerns, hopes and dreams and and how we in turn respond to them. The book is moving and sensitively written.Each story evoked many different emotions, from laughter to tears. The characters remain with you long after the last page is turned. This is a book you'll want to read again and again and share with others.

This is a poignant and tenderly written set of five short stories about the elderly in our society that brings our attention to the many psychological and medical issues faced by them. We are able to view their concerns, hopes and dreams and and how we in turn respond to them. The book is moving and sensitively written.Each story evoked many different emotions, from laughter to tears. The characters remain with you long after the last page is turned. This is a book you'll want to read again and again and share with others.

This is a wonderful series of five short stories that bring our attention to the issues of the elderly in America. Each story is better than the previous in which we are made to smile, laugh, cry and become very aware of the psychological and physical concerns of the elderly and how we in the U.S. view and respond to them.

When I first began to read "When Paradise Died" I could not stop until I had finished it from front to back! It truly captured my fullest attention. It was truly a great piece of work and I look forward to reading many more by this wonderful author! "When Paradise Died" is truly a spectacular novel full of incredible stories with a fantastic ending!!!

Non-Stop action, fantasy, and adventure.

This is a Harry Poter Book on seriods!!!

"When Paradise Died" totally intrigued me from start to finish. I couldn't put the book down. Total imagination from the author's account of the Garden of Eden, to the Great Flood, to a most spectacular "suprize" ending. This is a Harry Potter book on steroids, made for an adult imagination.

A totally origional approach to the beginning and the end of the world. The author exhibits immagination to the fullest in this bit of extreamly well written occult fiction. The story line covers it all--Witches, erotic mermaids, seductive nymphs, the battle between masculinity vs. femininity for ruler-ship of both the heavens as well as the Earth. Once I started reading "When Paradise Died", I couldn't put the book down. And what a suprise ending. I suspect that this author will go a long way.

Willie's Dad is a children's book that follows a young boy as he travels from his home to a large prison; a place he knows little about except that his father is living there and wants to see his son badly. This book is a little more serious than other children's books and it tackles a subject that many parents would rather not touch and would rather not discuss: Incarceration of a parent and the difficulties faced by everyone involved.

Willie's Dad is very different from most children's books. The majority of books in this genre focus on basic learning skills or achievement but Willie's Dad instead attempts to tackle an issue that is very realistic for many children, even though it is one most people do not want to deal with. A substantial percentage of the population is behind bars and there are many young children who have a parent incarcerated. These young children grow up knowing little about their real parent. The only contact they have is the occasional visit to the prison where the parent is detained and this is exactly the scenario presented in Willie's Dad. Young Willie doesn't necessarily know what is taking place. All he knows is that his daddy lives in this gigantic house and he wants to get the chance to see him, even if it only happens once in a great while.

The message of Willie's Dad is very clear, direct and to the point. There is some emotion displayed, but the emotion is presented via the illustrations and dialogue only for Willie's Dad. Willie is likely too confused to be sad. His mother and her friend Duane might be feeling sadness, but there is no display of grief, surprise, or any other emotion in the book's dialogue. They simply take Willie to see his father, let the two speak to each other, and leave. Willie's mom and Duane end up getting married in the end, but again, there is no sign of emotion at all.

The illustrations in Willie's Dad are different from other children's books. They are crayon and pencil drawings, and most of the images present the characters with a look of indifference on their faces. Like with the dialogue, there is little or no look of sadness, regret, disappointment, or anything else. There are not many illustrations of people, but the few that exist present the characters as indifferent, with at least one exception. The majority of the illustrations, while unique due to their use of crayons, present the characters as people who seem undecided about how they feel.

Overall, Willie's Dad is a very good book for children and it deals with a subject that is often brushed aside by most people because most do not want their children to understand what is going on when a parent is incarcerated. There is little emotion presented in the illustrations, but the one person who does show emotion is Willie's Dad and he is quick to set his son straight; telling him not to turn out like him and giving his blessing to the marriage of Willie's mother to Duane, for the good of his son. It's a serious book about a serious subject and while the topic might make some people feel uncomfortable, the book does address this difficult subject in a simple yet effective manner.

This book puts such an optimistic spin on non-traditional family structures. It is touching to both children and adults, and is a perfect teaching tool for classrooms around the country. The illustrations are brilliant and add to the positive vibes of the story.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2ESRM89PXINHV

This story is all too sad and all too frequent and yet it has a moderately happy ending. Willie is a young boy in kindergarten and his father is incarcerated for a serious crime. Willie, his mother and his mother's friend Duane go to the prison to meet his father. When they are allowed into the meeting area, Willie does not recognize his father. Despite his past, Willie's father does have a lot of good in him and he gives his blessing for Willie's mother to marry Duane and for Duane to be a father to him.
Williams is a former corrections officer, so he writes from experience and with measured but deep emotion. This is a story that, unfortunately many children and their imprisoned parents need to read and understand.

This is a unique, meaningful and moving book for children about unselfish love and the realities of having a parent, barely known, in prison.

"Willie's Dad," written by Special Education teacher and one time Correctional Officer Stanley Williams, takes us into the pained and confused world of a child whose father has been in prison for most of his son's young life and who doesn't expect to be released until the boy is grown. With pained and clearly altruistic motives, on one of the boy's rare visits to see him, accompanied by the child's mother, Tina, and her boyfriend Duane, he gives his blessing to Tina and Duane to get married and thus afford his son the opportunity to have a real father in his life.

Leading up to this moment behind the concrete and steel prison referred to by Tina and Willie simply as "The Place," Willie's dad observes the way in which Duane relates to both Willie and his mom. Willie clearly likes and trusts him and he is protective and assuring to both Tina and the boy. Duane keeps his place as Willie's Dad tells his son what he needs to and shows great respect for this incarcerated father by the way he does so.

Later, as the three of them drive away from "The Place," Duane reinforces his regard for the dad by telling Willie that his father has a lot of good in him. If he didn't he could never have done what he had just done. He willingly, lovingly and tearfully removed himself from Willie's parent equation to allow him to have a better father experience than either he or, as it turns out, Duane had ever had.

In my practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for a large HMO, I see children from time to time who have a parent in jail. Their resilience and loyalty is sometimes astounding. Most also feel that they have a secret that no one else is supposed to know about. I have never heard, in real life, of the situation so gently and lyrically described by Stanley Williams in this book. I wish I could say that I had!

This book is moving into my office tomorrow. It will live there in a small library of books I keep for children on subjects like death, divorce and abuse. "Willie's Dad" is the kind of book that tells a story rarely told in a form that can be understood and appreciated by youngsters. To a child therapist - or to any caring parent, this is a special resource and treasure.

The illustrations are drawn by Mr. Williams' teaching colleague, Naima Abdul-Haqq. When I say that they look like the drawings of an adolescent, I mean no disrespect because the drawings themselves are a part of what I believe will make this book credible and accessible to the young. I don't know if this was done deliberately - But I DO know that it works.

Writing about fantasy beings and worlds, about playful animals and going potty, about brothers and sisters - All these themes are well and good. They all have their place in the library of children's literature. Writing about the really hard things in life, though, takes a very special courage and talent and fills a very special and powerful need.

Stanley Williams has done a service for children with "Willie's Dad" and for those of us who are in positions of being helpful to them. This is a brave, touching and profoundly necessary addition to the shelf of books for children. It is one that is intended to help them grasp some of the most confusing and painful things that can and do happen in this world controlled by the adults.

This is the most authentic book i have ever read on the articulative personality of zulfikar ali bhutto shaheed.I congratulate Prof Stanley Wolpert for writting such a terrific book.

May be it wasn't the man. It was just the times. But Bhutto's significance, nonetheless, is that that those times ended with Bhutto's life. What debates took place at UN those days. Since 1979, world stopped and changed course, arriving to fascism that is being witnessed today, and from here forward only worse is to look forward to.

This is an absolute gem of a book. I have read his biographies of Jinnah and Nehru and I have to say this one is the best. It is amazing how much of a genuine grasp Mr. Wolpert has for the very complex and non-transparent nature of politics of South Asia.
Highly non judgemental work with very intelligent insight about a man who is surrounded by a cloak of hero worship and at times loathing. Mr. Wolpert cuts through the myth and reveals the man for what he was, what he did and what he was capable of. For anyone interested in South Asian politics or the life of Zulfiqar Bhutto, this book has it all. I just could not put the book down and read it in one go on a lazy sunday...
excellent...unbiased....absorbing...

Zulfi Bhutto is arguably the only interesting politician produced by his country, thus far. In a land known for its drab, faceless politicians who are just about as intriguing as a door knob ,ZAB was a whiff of fresh air_____and the crowds took to him in droves .Stanley Wolpert paints a remarkably life-like portrait of this gifted but tragically flawed former prime minister of Pakistan.To this day ZAB's mention stokes heated arguments across most segments of the political spectrum in his country____a man Pakistanis loved , as well as loved to hate .A strange admixture of Machiavelli , chairman Mao and Mussolini ___all rolled into one! A larger than life figure (by Pakistan's much diminished standards) he could be__ by turns__ charming , arrogant , vindictive ,compassionate,fascist and a democrat....a strange product of enlightened western education and dark atavistic-feudal forces.Wolpert traces Bhutto's life through his privileged childhood in pre-partition India onto his student years at UC Berkeeley and Oxford.His meteoric rise through Pakistan politics is ably narrated right upto the final denoument____his execution on cooked-up murder charges by the military junta that deposed him.This book is very well researched and draws upon extensive first hand interviews with Bhutto's friends & associates.It is peppered with interesting nuggets of information which would interest any student of Pakistan history.It is fairly "well-padded"Z.A Bhutto was a deeply divisive and polarising figure whose tragic end added a certain mystique to his legacy.This balanced ,objective but sympathetic account is a must read for Bhutto bashers as well as those who take a more kindly view of this complex figure.

In the beginning of this book Professor Wolpert writes aboout the two extreme opinions, he found, about Bhutto, everywhere he went in Pakistan. People either hated him or worshipped him, there was no other way about it. Wolpert says that in this book he has sought to reconcile the two Bhuttos or at least his two popular images. I don't think he quite succeeds. Though that does not mean he has failed either...it's just that Bhutto's was a schizoid personality. There were many Bhuttos, there was Bhutto the socialist, Bhutto the liberal but also the feudal Bhutto and the reactionary Bhutto. This is no bad book. Instead Mr Wolpert does manage to show us glimpses of all these Bhuttos but just glimpses...he never delves deeply into anyone of them. At times Wolpert is too severe on his subject, at other times, not severe enough. For instance one gets the feeling that he almost overlooks the responsibility Bhutto bore in the breakup of Pakistan. No matter how successful Wolpert really is in resolving all the contradictions and paradoxes within Bhutto's personality, I can attest that there was no want of effort. A must read for those interested in Post Partition Pakistani history. Never drab and always riveting!

The 3 Sue Brothers are always coming out with books about Abnormal Psychology. I have read their texts while in both undergrad and graduate school. It provides a lot of good information about abnormal behaviors that are commonly seen in mental illness.

I highly recommend this textbook as a keepsake in your Pysch. library. As an undergrad, we used this text in Personality and Psychopathology. As a grad student of Social Work, I have still referred back to this text book. Very comprehensive and formatted perfectly.

As an undergrad currently grappling with an Abnormal Psychology class, I find this book both instructional and interesting. Its many colorful graphs and charts help illustrate points and most importantly, the writing style used is engaging and comprehensive -- fantastic for helping keep the reader awake!

As a college student, I appreciated the quality of the material contained in this book and the clarity of it. No sitting with a dictionary to try and read a textbook. The layout of the book was wonderful as well as the descriptive manner it was written in, the pictures that accentuated the points delivered by the text. All around, an awesome text!

The Classics are not so-called because they are old, but because they are most worthy. Plays by Sophocles survive today because they have spoken to every generation between his time and ours. "Ajax" tells the story of one of the great heroes of the Trojan War and how he destroyed himself through his own overweening pride. Hubris remains very much an issue among the powerful today. Ajax's inability to accept that Odysseus could be awarded the armor of Achilles instead of him, Ajax's rationalization that Odysseus could only achieve such an award by scheming against him, and Ajax's unwillingness to admit his mistakes to his superiors, all seem like things that only someone totally foolish would do. Yet the world's political and economic landscape today is littered with leaders and businessmen who are jealous, paranoid, dishonest, and unwilling to admit failure.

There is real drama in reading this play, it does not feel stale or antique but rather resonates and makes the reader want to join the chorus in admonishing Ajax to do the right thing. Sophocles also gives us an engaging depiction of Odysseus. Odysseus shows the reader how to win graciously, lobbying for an honorable burial for a bitter adversary, which he does because he must answer to the gods for his behavior at all times -- the very lesson that Ajax refused to learn.

I recommend this play unconditionally, it is something everyone should read. I do not highly recommend this particular edition, however (thus the 4 rather than 5 stars). The translation seems good and a lot of the notes add interesting information. But some of the marginal commentary consists of overly simplistic questions (e.g., "How does X make you feel?") that seem like they would insult almost anyone's intelligence and not be all that helpful as a teaching aide. I bought this edition because I wanted a slim volume that contained only this play, and it may yet be the best purchase for that purpose. Whether you buy this version or browse for another, read this play.

Ajax is the perfect example of what happens to a man when he does not take God into consideration before an endevour. This book, in my opinion, should be read by all Christians and Stoics that like to read the classics.

This is probably the earliest extant play of Sophocles. Sophocles is the earliest known playwright to use painted scenery. He also decreased the importance of the chorus, added a third actor, and abandoned the trilogy format (each play is complete by itself). Ajax is the classical Greek tragedy about the downfall of a man who is sinned against and has a tragic flaw; in this case, insolence and pride. Ajax becomes enraged when Achilles' armor is awarded to Odysseus instead of to him. Agamemnon and Menelaus also exhibit insolence when they refuse to bury Ajax after his suicide. But, Odysseus changes their minds. This play is probably the earliest known example of a play containing a scene of violence on the stage instead of offstage. The play should be required reading of all serious students.

I have always thought of the character of Ajax from the Trojan War to be the prototype of the "dumb jock" stereotype. Next to Achilles he was the best of the Achean warriors, but Ajax was deeply flawed in that he was stubborn and egotistical. I think his intelligence is further called into question by the myth regarding his death, which is the subject of this play by Sophocles. After the death of Achilles it is decided his glorious armor, forged by Hephaestus, will be given to the worthiest of the chieftains. Ajax expects the prize to come to him, but instead the other chieftains vote to give it to "wily" Odysseus. The inference to be drawn is that craftiness and intelligence are to be prize more than brute strength, which is why I tend to identify Odysseus and Ajax with that distinction between brains and brawn. Enraged by this slight, Ajax decides to kill Odysseus and the other chieftains who have slighted him, but Athena clouds his sight and he thinks the camp's livestock are his intended victims. When he comes to his senses, butchering a sheep he thought was Odysseus, Ajax is humiliated to the point he chooses to kill himself. The climax of this play, the oldest of the seven surviving plays written by Sophocles, is not the suicide of Ajax but rather a debate amongst the Achean leaders as to whether or not Ajax should be buried.

The issue central to the play "Ajax" is whether the title character should or should not be considered a true hero by the Greek audience attending the play. Homer, of course, has nothing to say regarding Ajax's fate in the "Iliad," although in the "Odyssey" when Odysseus encounters the shade of Ajax, the dead hero refuses to speak and turns away. However, in his telling of the tale Sophocles adds an important element to the suicide of Ajax. In his first scene when he is discovered amongst the slaughtered livestock, Ajax realizes that his intentions were wrong and that what he has done will make him look ridiculous; he decides to kill himself, ignores the pleas of the chorus, says his farewells to his son and departs. However, in the next episode Ajax returns, apparently reconciled to life; instead of killing himself he will bury his unlucky sword and live a peaceful life. Then a messenger brings the warning of Calchas that Ajax must be kept out of the battle that day. The next thing we know Ajax is cursing the Atreidae and falling on his sword. The change is significant because it makes Ajax's suicide a more rational act. Instead of taking his life in the heat of his embarrassment over what he has done, Sophocles has the character changing his mind twice and ending his life in the grips of a cold hatred against the chieftains.

This sets the stage for the debate amongst the chieftains regarding the burial of Ajax. When Teucer wants to bury the body he is forbidden to do so by Menelaus, who calls Ajax his murderer, focusing on the intentions behind his rampage. Agamemnon also forbids the burial, making an impassioned argument for the rule of law and warning against the reliance of the army upon the strength of a single man, whether he be Ajax or Achilles. Ironically (and we surely expect no less from Sophocles), it is Odysseus who makes the argument in favor of burial. For Odysseus the good outweighs the bad and it is not right to do a man injury when he is dead. This argument certainly echoes the moral at the end of the "Iliad" with regards to way Achilles treats the corpse of Hector. Certainly Ajax was a arrogant brute, obsessed with self-glorification and unfeeling towards his family and people. But when the Trojan army almost succeeded in burning the Achean ships, it was Ajax who stemmed their attack. For Odysseus, and for Sophocles, it is clear that such a man deserves to be considered a hero and demands an appropriate burial. "Ajax" is a minor play by Sophocles, relative to what little has survived of his work, but it does speak to one of the playwright central themes, which is to find that which is heroic in a tragic situation. Having found that spark in the life of Ajax, Sophocles seeks to redeem the tragic figure in this play.