Abstract The paper looks at the theme of existence in short stories written by Donald Bartholomew, Jorges Borges and Huraki Murakami. While many of the characters seem to negotiate and struggle with life and death, they invariably are unable to explain the feeling of non-existence with their own lives. This problem arises when the question of reality is brought forth and what meaning life truly has within their actions and behaviors in society. Each work is analysed and the paper looks at the how the questions asked and the philosophical points of view advocated in each story relate to the issue of non-existence and existence.
From the Paper "This literary study will examine the theme of existence within the short story works of Jorges Borges, Huraki Murakami, and Donald Barthelme. In three short story selections by each author, one can realize the question of existence that appears within the various characters that narrate through the tales. In this manner, many of the characters portray the theme of non-existence (or existence) within their environments, and through the tenants of individual experience. In essence, these three authors present questions and philosophical points of view that relate to the problem of non-existence and existence within their lives. In the short story "The Airplane" Murakami creates a dialogue that relates a man's view of woman that he is having an affair with. In many ways, she appears ordinary, but remains stoic in her attitude.."
This paper compares the nonlinear time construct presented in the essay, "A New Refutation of Time," by Jorge Luis Borges, and the stories "The Garden of Forking Paths," by Jorge Luis Borges, and "Confession" by Algernon Blackwood.
Abstract This paper compares the different essays dealing with the issue of time. It explains that Borges's essay provides a beautiful backdrop from which to discuss the literary use of a nonlinear time construct. The bending of time in "The Garden of Forking Paths," by Jorge Luis Borges, and "Confession," by Algernon Blackwood, provides an interesting way for the authors to invite the reader into a twisted world of endless possibilities.
From the Paper "Many people think of time as a linear construct: yesterday, today, tomorrow, but what if it was possible to warp that construct? It would be nothingness, like a clock without hands, leaving open a wide range of possibilities: traveling back and forth, seeing past present, and future converge into a single moment, or just being a thing of fiction created by the minds of people. Time, then, would be like a maze; the past, present, and future would come together as one, creating an almost endless array of possibilities for outcomes of events and interactions. This idea of nonlinear time is captured in the essay "A New Refutation of Time," by Jorge Luis Borges and the stories "The Garden of Forking Paths," by Jorge Luis Borges, and "Confession," by Algernon Blackwood."
Tags: algernon, blackwood, borges, constructs, jorge, luis, nonlinear, time
Abstract This paper examines how Jorge Luis Borges' famous short story "The Garden of Forking Paths" circles around the subject of time. The paper asserts that Borges writing styles lives in the now. The paper also adds that, although there are references to the past in the story, they do not serve to describe history, but rather to question it. The paper concludes that Borges uses the ideas of living in the moment or "carpe diem" in his writing, as a literary tool, which he uses to contradict the past.
From the Paper "Another technique I noticed in Borges writing is that everything he writes is a rising moment up until the point of the climax. Like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Borges refuses to give us any back story. Often times however, the back story can be trivial to the story itself, resulting in boredom or useless information that, sometimes, can limit the progress of the story. I am not saying that stories with a past or explanation of history are boring, on the contrary, but, Borges writing style allows him to be able to write in such a way that allows the reader to skip the formalities and move right along to the substance of the story. Upon my reading and analysis of "The Garden of Forking Paths", I perceive that Borges is trying to force us to live in the now, and teach us that the information we are given will be sufficient enough to create, continue, and end a story. Even though the reader still has questions, it is inconsequential to know, because perhaps even if we did, it wouldn't make a difference in the long run."
Abstract In this paper, the writer contends that a common thread throughout the works of writer Jorge Luis Borges is a distrust of order, predictability and linearity as related to memory. To illustrate this contention, the writer examines short stories by Borges: "Funes the Memorious", "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", and "The Circular Ruins". The paper concludes that Borges reads as being averse to totalizing order, which creates a complex literary oeuvre that charms and yet disturbs the reader, which thus offers new paths to understanding this world.
From the Paper "Borges also challenges the merit of the imagination and the danger of reliance upon memory in "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius". This story is a sustained portrayal of imagination through Borges' traditional short-story format. It tells the tale of an imaginary country created by an underground society of individuals. This country, Uqbar, is a small part of a world called Tlon, created by the Orbis Tertius, or secret creators."
Tags: extremes, reductio ad absurdum, minimalist faculties trickery
Abstract This paper compares the novels of Calvino's 'Invisible Cities' to Borges? 'The Library of Babel'. It summarizes the stylistic and thematic similarities between the work of the great Argentine, Borges and the postmodern Italian, Calvino. The author illustrates how these writers seeks to emphasize the reader in their stories.
From the Paper "Striking parallels exist between the work of Italo Calvino and the great Argentine, Jorge Luis Borges. To begin with, both writers, as John Barth deftly summarizes, ?wrote in a clear, straightforward, unmannered ? but rigorously scrupulous style?, (Barth, 2) or, as Mclaughlin put it: "the brevity that encompasses infinity" (Mclaughlin, 108). They preferred the laconic short take, and even Calvino's longer works are "modular and combinatory, built up from smaller, quicker units" (Barth, 2). They were prevailingly disinclined to social/psychological realism, favoring ?myth and fable and science in Calvino's case, literary/philosophical history and "the contamination of reality by dream" in Borges? case? (Barth, 2). In keeping with typically postmodern tendencies, "both writers inclined toward the ironic elevation of popular narrative genres", as well as the "ironic recycling of stock images" (Barth, 2-3). Finally, Barth explains how both of these brilliant authors managed to combine in their fiction the values he calls "Algebra" and "Fire", referring to formal ingenuity and passion. Two works that exemplify all of these characteristics are Calvino's Invisible Cities and Borges? The Library of Babel. These two works provide a suitable platform for discussion of some of the most salient themes and formal characteristics associated with these renowned authors."
Abstract This paper discusses the book "The Book of Sand" by Jorge Borges about a man who buys the infinite book and becomes haunted with the idea that something can exist with no beginning and no end. His obsession grows and begins to take over his life. Eventually he realizes what the book is, causing him to finally hide it and with its removal, the man feels better though forever changed. This paper analyzes the obsessions and desperate emotions and describes how similar they are to the crippling effect that a forbidden love affair can have.
From the Paper "He cannot bear to share the book with anyone; for fear that the book will no longer hold its magical esteem once others know about it. As if suddenly the book will no longer be infinite, and he will lose what has become the focus of his life. Those desperate emotions are like the crippling effect that a forbidden love affair can have ? as if the passion I feel will no longer exist if someone knows about the affair. As if the love I feel for the other person will cease once the love has been shared with the world. As if the love I feel will be taken from me by its rightful owner."
Abstract This twelve page undergraduate paper compares the modes of magical realism used by Laura Esquivel to those used by Borges. While there are similarities, the attitudes of the authors result in profound contrasts, primarily in terms of gender and philosophical outlook.
Abstract The paper offers an examination of Jorge Luis Borges' short story "The Garden of Forking Paths." The paper discusses its central themes and how the characters and structure of the work illustrate them.
From the Paper ""The Garden of Forking Paths" Jorge Luis Borges' short story. "The Garden of Forking Paths" is the story of Dr Yu Tsun, a spy in the services of the German army during WWII. Tsun is charged with discovering the town where the British are hiding an artillery encampment. Once he knows the name of the town, Albert, he figures out a plan to inform the Germans of the name of the town."
Abstract This paper explains that Jorge Luis Borges is a novelist known for using subjects that question God's existence and essence of life and that these themes appear in his short story, "The Lottery in Babylon". The author points out that, in the story, which is told in the first person point-of-view, the narrator is part of what is happening within the story but, despite his understanding of the people, cannot fathom the addiction of the community people to the lottery. The paper relates that "Lottery in Babylon" is full of symbolism and metaphors. For example, the term 'lottery' represents taking chances and the term 'company' represents God. The paper includes several quotations.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
"The Lottery in Babylon" - An Analysis
Plot
Theme
Conclusion
From the Paper "Lottery, as seen by the narrator's eyes, has undergone various evolutions. First, it was just like a very simple game played by the commoners. Then, the number of people who loved playing it increases, hence the rules of the game was changed. At first, the lottery only involves rewards that would be received by, of course, the winner. But when the game was eventually changed, punishments and irrelevant rewards were introduced. When still more and more people continue playing the game, the rules regarding the people who could join the game also changed."
Abstract This paper describes and discusses the major issues mentioned in "Meeting Jesus (Again) for the First Time", by Marcus J. Borg. A critical analysis of the author's theme is included, as are some critical questions an average reader might address to Borg if given the opportunity.
Abstract This essay generally discusses the concept of Postmodernism. It moves through basic attributes of Postmodernism and assesses the movement's originality by comparing passages and quotes from both Postmodernist and Modernist authors, including James Joyce, ee cummings, Eudora Welty, Truman Capote, William Carlos Williams, Jorge Luis Borges, Robert Frost, John Steinbeck, Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut.
From the Paper "Postmodernism as a literary movement began after World War II, following a long era of the Modernist period. Both Modernism and Postmodernism are typically characterized as the "playful" eras because they played with, or discarded, the Victorian ideas of "how art should be made, consumed, and what it should mean" (Klages). With the end of the conventional rules of literature, the Postmodernists prided themselves on being the celebrators of nothingness, innovative and spontaneously creative. While individual writers may have achieved these goals in their own works, as a whole, the movement was not an all-original upheaval. Postmodernism took not only its name, but many of its elements, from Modernism. In one way or another, the rejection of traditional concepts about point-of-view, the shift of emphasis from meaning to method, and the variations of disunity and unity in the work were all transmutations of Modernism."
Abstract In this paper, three short stories are analyzed for character development. Referring to a short story by Chinua Achebe and Jorge Luis Borges, the author of this essay discusses a thesis statement. This thesis statement asserts that short story development depends on the psychological of the main characters of the three stories selected for this analysis.
Abstract This paper examines the painting "Rex" by M. Ciurlionis, a famous Lithuanian artist and composer. It uses the short story by Borges, "The Mirror and the Mask," as a point of comparison and analysis, bringing together ideas about human nature and the nature of art that are present in both works.
An analysis of the transformation of betrayers to Christ-like figures in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" and Jorge Luis Borges's "Three Versions of Judas"
1,106 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 0 sources, 2006, $ 38.95
Abstract This paper discusses how, in many cultures Christ is viewed as a symbol of good, morality and love--a man who was able to face the difficult challenges presented to him by his society and continue in his mission to be giving and kind. The paper then looks at how, in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" and Jorge Luis Borges's short story "Three Versions of Judas," the authors create characters that are viewed as betrayers to and by their communities. The paper contends that both authors, through imagery, plot, symbolism, and characterization, transform the betrayers to Christ-like figures, smashing social standards and demonstrating that judgments are not always valid, signifying that even the most despised person can be innately good despite his outward appearance.
From the Paper "Nasar, not only through the plot and characters' action, but also through imagery is described as a Christ-like figure throughout the novella. Garcia Marquez opens the book describing Nasar: "Santiago Nasar put on a shirt and pants of white linen;" (3) "his skin was so delicate that it couldn't stand the noise of starch." (5). By dressing Nasar in white and describing him as "delicate," Garcia Marquez immediately begins using Nasar as a symbol for innocence, as white is traditionally associated with purity, despite that Nasar's supposed actions would not be generally coupled with purity and virtue. Later in the novella Garcia Marquez continues using imagery to symbolize Nasar as a Christ-like figure. "He looked like a little wet bird," (136), Garcia Marquez writes, characterizing Nasar as a chaste creature, similar to how Christ, throughout Christianity, is often symbolized as a sacrificial and helpless lamb. "
Abstract This paper gives a full account of Jack Welch's successful restructuring of General electric. It accounts the laying off of 10,000 staff and his focus on team work in small groups of jobs shifting workers. Also mentioned are the successful merger with Borg-Warner Chemicals and the alleviation of inter division rivalry which led to gross inefficiencies. A very full and informative essay.
From the paper:
"In April, 1981, Jack Welch, now the most famous CEO in America, succeeded Reg Jones at General Electric. Jones had led GE to 26 consecutive quarters of improved earnings through two recessions. Welch did him one better: during his tenure at GE the company outperformed 93% of the Fortune 500 in total return on investment. GE has become one of the most valuable companies on the globe.
Welch did this by restructuring General Electric in a revolutionary way?and by being committed to that restructuring. He ripped apart the company, laid off over 100,00 people (earning him the nickname "Neutron Jack") and created a company where teamwork was rewarded in many different ways. Through innovative restructuring, Welch was able to bring out the best in GE employees, so that they worked productively in small, high-performing groups, with incentives to not only perform well, but to help the company itself perform better. Competition between individuals and groups was often circumvented. The experiment in teamwork, or group behavior, is a fascinating one. "
