Abstract This paper explains that Boris Karloff, one of the most notable names in 20th century, cinematic horror, is best known for bringing Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" monster to life in the 1931 black-and-white horror film by Universal Studios. The author points out that Karloff did not consider "type casting" to be a curse and thought himself fortunate that audiences and studios had recognized and appreciated his talent for certain parts. The paper lists other major films: "The Mask of Fu Manchu," which required extensive make-up and heavy dialogue; "The Raven," with Bela Lugosi playing another villain with serious deformities; "The Bride of Frankenstein," considered to be the best of the Frankenstein series; and "Son of Frankenstein," the final Frankenstein film starring Karloff as the Monster, although he would actually make appearances in later Frankenstein films.
From the Paper "Boris Karloff was not the given name of the famous actor. Born in London, England, his given name was actually far more British than stage-friendly; William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887. He was the youngest of eight children, and it was actually his older brothers that would raise him. His father actually died when he was a young infant. Karloff's father had been a public official in India, and the family expected that the child would follow a similar path and take the place of the father in the family. One of his older brothers, the longest surviving Sir John Pratt, was himself a diplomat. For his early school days, he attended Merchant Taylor's School at Uppingham, a prestigious institution. For higher education, he would attend London University, where he specialized in Chinese customs in the Consular Service program."
Abstract The paper provides a synopsis of Alexandr Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman", the drama "Boris Godunov" and the tale of "Boris and Gleb". The paper describes the profoundly Christian morals of "Boris and Gleb" which defined early middle ages Russia, the political tribulations behind the accession to the throne in imperialistic Russia of the 17th century depicted in "Boris Godunov" and the social consequences of Russian expansionism as suggested through metaphors in "The Bronze Horseman". The paper also shows how each of these three literary works are valuable pieces of literature as well as testimonials of their eras.
From the Paper "Before writing plays, Pushkin was an accomplished poet. But then he discovered Shakespeare and his manner of writing changed forever. Although his plays were revolutionary, the state of the theater during Pushkin's time was not favorable to his writings mainly because people went to the theater to see old-fashioned historical tragedies and the French vaudeville that was penetrating the Russian theater scene. Moreover, the theater lacked good Russian plays on Russian themes despite the fact that the Russian theater was never short of good playwrights. "
Abstract This paper suggests that because of the creation of certain institutions of government, Russia is institutionally closer to democracy than it was ten years ago. Its newly structured (some would say deconstructed) economy has generated enough new wealth that its populace will not accept a return to a command economy. But its ability to create a functional democracy that will honor a people's social and civil rights is just as tenuous as it was in 1991 when Boris Yeltsin came to power.
From the Paper "According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th edition, a democracy is a "a philosophy that insists on the right and the capacity of a people, acting either directly or through representatives, to control their institutions for their own purposes. Such a philosophy places a high value on the equality of individuals and would free people as far as possible from restraints not self-imposed. It insists that necessary restraints be imposed only by the consent of the majority and that they conform to the principle of equality." Given this definition of democracy, is Russia any closer to a fully functioning, democratic system of government than it was ten years ago when Boris Yeltsin assumed the presidency?"
Abstract This paper examines how the life and literary work of Russian emigres draws upon a very distinct Russian tradition of intellectuals in exile and how both the Russian Empire and Soviet Union had many exiles, both inside the empire and outside it. It looks at how many of those that left voluntarily early in their lives such as Vladimir Nabokov, Boris Pasternak, and Ayn Rand, reflected the sentiments of those that were later forced into political exile, which include Brodsky, Solzhenitsyn and Sakhalov. In particular, it focuses on Nabokov's cohort of Russian emigres to Europe and America.
From the Paper "Nabokov was a native of Saint Petersburg, which at the time of his childhood dominated Russian culture as it had been the home of the Czar and represented not only the seat of the Russian government but also its connection to the commerce of the west. Nabokov, like Rand and other emigres who grew up in Piter during the aughts and teens, was a child of privilege who vacationed in the Crimea and in continental Europe; in many respects he was similar to the upper middle class that one finds today in Moscow. Nabokov grew up in a wealthy suburb of St. Petersburg; at that time, small villages like Vyra and Tsarsky Celo had regular rail service to the center of town. He was taught by private tutors and spoke several languages from a very early age."
Abstract This paper examines how two particularly influential writers from 20th century Soviet Russia are Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Boris Pasternak. It looks at how each of these authors contributed both to literary movements of their time and to political disputes and policies. It explores how, although both men's works of literature were officially banned by the state at some point, the notions published within eventually influenced the political minds and philosophies that came to dominate Russia.
From the Paper "Boris Pasternak took a unique view of literature by comparison to his predecessors in that he refused to overtly endorse or condemn the events of history-most significantly, the Bolshevik revolution. On one level, this made his writing non-threatening to the communist party, but on another, it made is omissions of undeniable patriotism highly questionable in the views of party authorities. "While opportunists celebrated five-year plans, Stalin's wisdom, and official enlightenment, Pasternak refused to see literature as a means of mass communications and to compose topical and functional verse." (Slonim, 218). This perspective parallels that of his central character in his most famous work, Dr. Zhivago."
Tags: doctor, zhivago, bolshevik, revolution, communist
Abstract The end of the Cold War found Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin seeking solutions for problems that needed to be solved. Their attempts to reform the socialist state are reviewed in this paper, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
Outline
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Gorbachev's Glasnost
Yeltsin and Democratization
Analysis
Conclusion
From the Paper "In many ways, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power during a period in Soviet history where things had been going downhill for some time, and the Old Guard was dying off; however, the primary catalyst for reform during Gorbachev period of glasnost, or "openness," was one of economics. For example, in their book, Glasnost, Perestroika and the Socialist Community, Bukowski and Walsh (1990) report that, "The impetus for reform in the Soviet Union came from a number of directions, but the factor of fundamental importance was the economic one. Gorbachev's economic reforms are meant to revitalize a stagnant Soviet economy that has been growing at only about 2 percent annually for a decade. The reasons for the slowdown are partly internal and structural, and partly external." "
Abstract This paper studies the themes of ascent and descent represented in the film "The Cranes Are Flying", directed by Mikhail Kalatozov. The author shows how straight, dramatic slopes of all kinds are seen throughout the film, as the main characters, Veronica and Boris, run past them, creep up them, step on and off them and experience literal and figurative death at their lowest points. The paper argues that these visual cues enable the film to be emotionally compelling. The paper concludes that the angular mise-en-scene provides symbolism to punctuate the film's emotional peaks and valleys.
From the Paper "The film opens with Veronica and Boris running in the streets. They run on flat ground, but profiles of tremendous stairways loom behind them. The streets are wet and uninhabited, as if the couple is coasting along in a dream - a fantasy world that exists on a plane directly in front of reality. This scene gives the viewer an idea of the carefree love that the two characters share while allowing only subtle premonitions of things to come. At a later point, when Fyodor enters the kitchen after Veronica has left and begins to make negative comments to Boris regarding the relationship, he does so after ascending a staircase. He invades their plane."
Abstract The writer of this paper explores the character of Larissa Fyodorovna Guishar in Boris Pasternak's Russian novel "Dr. Zhivago." This paper considers Larissa's background, lifestyle and relationships while emphasizing the turmoil during the Russian revolution. Throughout the novel Larissa is portrayed as extremely irrational and potentially dangerous while at the same time reasonable and affectionate. Her role in the novel is to assist in developing the theme of the love between a man and a woman. This paper describes the plot of the novel while detailing the growing bond between Larissa and Dr. Yuri Zhivago.
From the Paper "Larrisa, or Lara as she is usually called, is a graceful, intelligent, and beautiful woman. She was motivated to make the best marks at school in order to pay reduced fees, and had a fully formed figure at the age of 16. As a young girl she attracted the attention of her mother's friend Komarovsky, which lead to a strange relationship between the two. She seems like a victim to the rich, older Komarovsky but she does not resist his advances. The relationship they have is a secret and if Lara is uncomfortable with the situation, she certainly is not uncomfortable with the money and attention she receives. After finally breaking away from him, she plans to marry Pasha Antipov but finds herself tied up with Komarovsky again. When preparing to ask Komoravsky for money, she brings a loaded revolver planning to shoot him if he refuses but shoots another man instead."
Abstract The paper examines whether Russia, which had made significant progress towards democracy under Gorbachev, is slowly being led back to an authoritarian-like rule by Putin or whether Putin is hamstrung by his predecessor, Yeltsin. The author believes that Gorbachev made exemplary strides in taking Russia on the path of democracy. His successors' policies, however, caused Russia to take serious steps backwards in this process. The paper is especially critical of Yeltsin and Putin, citing their backgrounds and personalities as leading to the current backward trends in Russian attempts at democracy.
From the Paper "Over the past century, the Russian Federation has undergone numerous changes in government. From a Tsarist regime in the early 1900s to a totalitarian state under brutal dictator Joseph Stalin, to its present, semi-democracy under ex-KGB leader Vladimir Putin, it's a wonder that Russia has been able to sustain its position as a world power for all these years. In the past decade, Russia had been making an effort to rid themselves of their totalitarian (and communist) past, by moving the government towards democracy, thanks to progressive leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. However, in recent years, Putin has strayed from the democratic path. By taking such measures as jailing his main Presidential opposition, and with the Duma, Russia's parliament, practically controlled by his party, Putin has given himself more power than his predecessors ever had. This, combined with what many call an "anti-democratic culture", has outsiders questioning whether Russia is again veering off course. The main question is whether it's solely Putin's fault for the present state of the Russian government, or if his predecessors left him with little room to maneuver."
Abstract This paper reviews James Whale's 1931 movie "Frankenstein" with Boris Karloff as the Monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein and how it turned out to be an extremely profitable and entertaining rendition of Shelley's novel. It looks at how the differences between Shelley's original novel, "Frankenstein", and Whale's film version in the context of what was gained and what was lost can be explained by the artistic need to simplify and condense Shelley's long and complex plot into an enjoyable ninety minutes of sheer terror, mayhem and murder.
From the Paper A"nother important film addition is that Dr. Frankenstein, just prior to bringing his creation to life with the assistance of a ferocious electrical storm, explains in no uncertain terms his lifelong quest to create life to his friend Victor Moritz (John Boles), his fiancee Elizabeth (Mae Clarke) and his former university professor Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan). This alteration adds much to the relationship between Dr. Frankenstein and those who sincerely doubt his ability to create a living and breathing man from dead body parts, not to mention doubting his sanity. In Shelley's novel, most of the suspense and horror is founded on Victor Frankenstein's solitary experiments with electricity and his overwhelming desire to create a living man, one who will prove to the world that science is far more powerful than religion. Also, Victor Frankenstein in the novel works completely in solitude and tells no one about his experiments, not even his parents nor his closest friend Clerval. "
Abstract A paper discussing the topic of music therapy. Several instances of how music has been proven to have healing qualities for the mind, body, and soul are examined. The author looks at topic of vibrational healing.
From the Paper "Music has always been a part of our lives. It can make us sing, dance, and tap our toes to its rhythms. It has the power to make us laugh or cry. Music can help us remember special times or create a new memory. Over the years, the interest in the amazing effects of music on our lives has dramatically increased. The study of these effects of music is called music therapy. Although many different types of music can yield many different results, researchers discovered that most of these results come from either baroque or classical music, such as music composed by Bach or Mozart and improve the well being of people. This is also known as vibrational healing, which is the utilization of the sounds of the voice and instruments to improve the body; the instruments may be musical or just ordinary objects that make a particular sound, such as a tuning fork. Because of this, people of all ages have been shown to benefit from the positive effects music has on the body and the mind."
From the Paper "This study will examine Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, focusing on the spiritual aspects of the novel and particularly of the character of Yuri Zhivago. The study will consider the theme of death and resurrection as it reflects upon the symbolic nature of the novel and the spiritual philosophy of Yuri as an artist and as a man. The thesis of the study will be that Zhivago's entire novel is a spiritual universe unto itself, with the author's having depicted characters who, whatever their individual flaws, together form a symbolic unity of life and spirit.
This thesis is supported by the argument of Angela Livingstone in Pasternak: Doctor Zhivago. Of the main characters, Livingstone writes that " . . . Yuri, Lara and (through his influence) Vedenyapin [Uncle Nikolai] constitute at ..."
From the Paper "Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago challenged a number of socialist tenets in political, social, and literary terms, and it was banned in the Soviet Union as a consequence for 30 years. Politically, the novel questions the reality of the Soviet system as it developed, finding that the promise of the Bolsheviks was dissipated in the early years as changes were made in the social and political beliefs they had offered. In literary terms, the novel breaks away from the prevailing school of social realism, which in itself had been turned into a deliberate political statement and almost a political requirement for socialist-accepted writing. The novel intentionally deals with the early years of the Soviet system rather than with the Stalinist years. Pasternak had lived through both eras, but in this novel he was only challenging the way the Bolsheviks had abandoned their..."
Abstract The paper provides an overview of Russia's bid to change from a communist to a capitalist economy.The paper discusses how its antiquated infrastructure presents major, but not insurmountable problems for the Russian people and their economy. As the infrastructure improves, the author of the paper believes that there will be more foreign investment and a greater infusion of foreign ideas and technologies. The paper shows that building up the infrastructure is not the only task facing the new Russia. Old ways of thinking frequently get in the way of modern capitalism. The paper examines how centuries of Tsarism, followed by an even more oppressive communism, have inculcated in the minds of the Russian people a distrust for authority, and yet, at the same time, a complete reliance upon it. They have developed a herd mentality, while at the same time each individual tries to be the one antelope who snatches the extra blade of grass. The paper shows how an inefficient regulation and an overly personal political and governmental structure mean that Russia, even after all these years, is still, in the main, a society built upon direct personal bonds. The paper suggests that the Russian Federation has great potential, but first it must move forward into the Twenty-first Century and into the heart of the Western World.
From the Paper "According to the American steel producers, its Russian counterparts are stuck in a system that is midway between that of a state supported and state run system, and that of a free market economy. Often, Federation steel mills do not have to actually even pay for their supplies. They may simply barter for what they need. Furthermore, financial concerns are wholly different for the Russian manufacturer. Wages, taxes, and even suppliers? bills frequently go unpaid, and in spite of all this, there is little fear of bankruptcy. All of this is just the normal Russian way of doing business, an inheritance of more than sixty years of hard-line communism. One might call it the "lazy" faire way of doing business. With no profit motive, and no competitive impetus, Russian manufacturers operated solely under the guidelines of government bureaucrats."
Abstract E. E. Evans-Pritchard was the founder and first president of the Association of Social Anthropologists. His seminal work on indigenous, African tribes has preserved a unique perspective of primitive societies or societies that retain their aboriginal features even in modern times --their mental processes more than the social constructs. This essay presents a societal perspective of the Azande tribes of southern Sudan, based on Evans-Pritchard's research which was conducted at a time when every Zande (singular for Azande) paid abeyance to either the British or the Arabs, whichever happened to wield influence at the time. The thesis of this essay is: ?The Azande society (as a whole) and each individual was driven by a quest to avoid the ill effects of witchcraft.? This essay defines societal ramifications of witchcraft among the Azande and clarifies the meaning of the term 'witchcraft'.
From the Paper "Direct confrontation was the alternatively: directly by the kin of the victim or by complaining to the prince. The prince, presented with the wing of the dead chicken (poison oracle), would appoint an emissary to present the wing to the witch. The emissary would cautiously and respectfully announce that the witch had been identified as afflicting the victim. Azande recognized that witchcraft could be transferred even when the witch was ignorant of it; therefore their accusations were couched in polite language. The witch when confronted with the wing, sought to assuage the emissary and the victim's kin that he or she was ignorant of the witchcraft, that it was unintentional. He demonstrated his benignity by swilling a mouthful of water and blowing it at the chicken wing. This was to show that the water had calmed the witchcraft (if any) that resided in his belly rendering it dormant. It behoved the accused not to show affront (though instances of these were recorded by the author) to prevent being ostracized and victimized by others."
