Abstract This paper will present a leadership critique of John F. Kennedy in the book "The Dark Side of Camelot" by Seymour Hersh. By analyzing Kennedey's weaknesses, we can debate on the validity of Hersh's thesis.
Abstract "The Dark Side of Camelot" is a book that strips away the sanitized versions about the Kennedy administration and replaces it with some harsher truths. It explains that the book demonstrates how, because of the Kennedy family's power, and because of his family's position of wealth and privilege, John F. Kennedy, Jr. did not have to live by the rules and restrictions most people have to live by. He was able to indulge in extensive behaviors such as womanizing without having these behaviors leaked to the public.
From the Paper "The book also describes how John F. Kennedy, Jr. benefited from his father's and grandfather's political connections. The book suggests that the president's father, Joe Kennedy, used his money and influence to essentially purchase a senate seat for the future senator. This was a pattern he repeated for the 1960 presidential election. By controlling Chicago's politics, Joseph P. Kennedy was able to essentially buy Illinois' Electoral College votes, which tipped the scale for John F. Kennedy, Jr., giving him the presidency."
Abstract This paper examines the relationship of Sir Lanval/Launfal with women from two different interpretations of the story of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. In "Sir Lanval", the female characters have no real substance, they seem to appear merely to help the plot along and increase the trials and triumphs of the protagonist. In "Sir Launfal", Chester gives these important female characters more depth by giving both the fairy princess and the queen names. Neither writer develops these important female characters to their fullest potential.
From the Paper Many Medieval English works contained tails of the legendary King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Marie de France's Lanval is yet another medieval work set primarily in Camelot and contains the Knights of the Round Table -- As well as Thomas Chester's Sir Launfal, which is influenced greatly by Marie de France's work. Sir Launfal varies slightly from Lanval, but the plot is basically the same.
Tags: arthur, fairy, france, king, medieval, sir, camelot, knights
Abstract This paper explains that "The Lady of Shalott" is narrative poetry in the form of a ballad, which displays a central theme of diligence in occupation in opposition to the theme of complacence and relaxation. The author points out that the Lady of Shalott represents a person who is wholly engrossed in her occupation; whereas Lancelot and the people of Camelot represent complacency and relaxation. The paper relates that Tennyson expresses the relationship between diligence and relaxation through his use of imagery, symbolism, and action.
From the Paper "Imagery plays a crucial role in ?The Lady of Shalott.? Shalott is an island; singular in its position, The Lady of Shalott is a woman whom is also singular in her position since she is constant in her loom work, and she is isolated like the island itself. The Lady is embowered in "four gray walls and four gray towers" that look upon a field of lilies. The image of gray walls and towers imparts a feeling of a dreary, monotonous routine, and the lilies of purity and a pallid existence. The weaving however, a result of The Lady's occupation, is ?a magic web with colours gay.? The connection that The Lady has with the outside world, her mirror, presents her with shadows, a perception of only images and shapes, devoid of soul and thought, mere pictures to her."
Abstract This paper centers on the tragic story of Lancelot and Guinevere and examines how their love brings about not only their own ruin, but also the disintegration of the kingdom of Camelot. The paper discusses that this meant the end to all the dreams of glory and honor that Arthur and his knights envisioned when they founded the Round Table. The tragedy is a tale of both courtly love and adultery, for as this paper argues, the two concepts were in fact closely entwined with each other.
From the Paper "Although Romeo and Juliet are probably the couple most associated with tragic love within the canon of English literature, in many ways the story of Lancelot and Guinevere is fare more tragic. Their love after all brings about not only their own ruin but also brings about the disintegration of the kingdom of Camelot and with this all of the dreams of glory and honor that Arthur and his knights envisioned when they founded the Round Table."
A paper which discusses to what extent Lancelot and his love for Guinevere contributed to the downfall of the Round Table, as seen in different versions of the story throughout history.
Abstract The love story of Lancelot and Guinevere is one of the most tragic love stories in Western literature because their love brings about not only their own ruin but that of the kingdom itself and of all the dreams that Arthur and his knights brought to the founding of the Round Table. This paper examines the role that Lancelot plays in bringing about the downfall of the Round Table. Beyond the specific fates that befall Lancelot, Guinevere, and the other denizens of Camelot, this paper explores to some extent the idea of sexual pollution and the reasons why adultery -- surely a far lesser sin than murder or rape or pillage -- looms so large in this narrative.
From the Paper "We are most familiar with the story of Lancelot and how his inability to control his sexuality becomes a metaphor for the inability of humans to control their animal natures and so a metaphor for all of the ways in which humans are divorced from divinity through Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur. This telling of the Grail story remains a significant work over 500 years after its publication not only for the clarity of its prose but also because it helped to codify and circulate the Arthurian legend (which is something of a cosmological origin story for the British), as well as for the important role the work had in creating a vernacular tradition of written English literature."
Abstract The paper shows that if there was an historical King Arthur he would have existed centuries before the era of knighthood, probably sometime in the sixth century. It discusses how the historical reality of Arthur is much in doubt and remains a controversy, though Arthur has his champions who believe the stories of his reign began with a real personage and then were turned into myth and legend by various writers, each treating Arthur differently. The author traces the history of the stories relating to Arthur, and analyzes some of these works such as Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur" and "The History of the Kings of Britain" by Welsh monk Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1135.
From the Paper " Many of the elements that would be part of the later tradition were missing, however. Arthur's court is not at Camelot but at a place called Caerlon-on-Usk, or City of Legions. Geoffrey contributed at least three new elements to the existing histories of Arthur--he supplied Arthur with a family tree, told of Arthur's association with Merlin, and described his burial at Avalon. Later chroniclers would use Geoffrey's account as a source and would develop more complex stories establishing Arthur as a king in the popular imagination."
Tags:Camelot, Merlin, Christien, de, Troyes, Sir, Lancelot, Holy, Grail, Mordred, Alfred, Lord, Tennyson, Idylls, of, the, King
Abstract The author presents a detailed dictionary meaning of ?Chivalry.? The paper then asks how does one preserve, in a modern moral context, what is good about chivalry, without rendering it either sexist or feudal in the estimation of contemporary viewers and readers? The author answers her question by reviewing in detail the novel, "The Crystal Cave" by Mary Stewart and the film "First Knight". Both modern works are set during Arthurian times and attempt to reinterpret chivalric values for a modern audience.
From the Paper "The notion of "chivalry" thus has both concrete aspects to its definition, including denoting the medieval system of knighthood, as well as more abstract moral connotations. The latter aspect of "chivalry" has come under attack in recent years for both its antiquated notions of class and attitudes towards women. How does one preserve, in a modern moral context, what is good about chivalry, without rendering it either sexist or feudal in the estimation of contemporary viewers and readers? The novel, The Crystal Cave, and the film First Knight, attempt to answer this question. "
An analysis of the attitude towards foreigners and strangers in the books "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" in the courts of King Hrothgar and King Arthur.
Abstract This paper discusses how masterpieces of English Medieval literature help us understand the relationship between people and standards of behavior that were considered proper and ethical all those years ago. It shows how in particular from the books "Beowulf" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" we can learn how foreigners were accepted and of the customs at the courts by analysis of the arrival Beowulf and the Green Knight at the courts of Kings Hrothgar and Arthur.
From the Paper "It is worth noticing that Beowulf did not reveal his name to the guard. Obviously at this point the information about his "birth and breeding" is much more important than his name. After this "passport control" Beowulf with his band are brought to the king's herald who in his turn organized them a meeting with king Hrothgar. All these precautions indicate order, hierarchy and subordination at Hrothgar's kingdom and court. At the court of King Arthur (as it is described in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) the situation is quite opposite. The Green Knight appeared all of a sudden in the middle of the celebration of the Christmas in Camelot."
A discussion of the role of temptation within the context of the play, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and the novel, "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Abstract This paper describes how "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and the "Fellowship of the Ring" are both literary pieces which show how a character can be tempted by the necessity for survival and the desire for self-pleasure. It examines how being devoted to their quests Sir Gawain and Frodo are often ignorant of enticements and often obliged to settle according to the situation and of all the great hurdles that they face on their quests, none is as imposing as that of temptation. Both characters eventually fall from grace and give in to temptation but don?t stay damned by their actions because they rely on faith to guide and redeem.
From the Paper "Medieval literature often utilizes its characters to depict the consequences of human nature; moreover, medieval literature focuses on the fragility and power of the determined individual. In the Fellowship of the Ring and Sir Gawain, the main characters strive to retain their reputations while facing challenges which force them to encounter evil in the visage of nature, the supernatural and man. They have to attempt to succeed in rising above their human (and hobbit) driven tendencies to rely on instinct over integrity. Perhaps the greatest testament to the will of Frodo Baggins and Sir Gawain is their resilience and optimism."
Abstract John Fitzgerald Kennedy was President of the United States for less than three years, yet in that time he had a major impact on the country and on foreign and domestic policy lasting for a decade or more. Some of his actions produced effects that were beneficial, and others can be seen now as less effective, notably his enmeshing the country in the Vietnam War. This paper examines the "Camelot" myth surrounding the life and death of Kennedy, America's foreign policy under his leadership and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
From the Paper "The event that tested Kennedy's resolve most dramatically was the Cuban Missile Crisis, a success on the heels of the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. Kennedy's victory over Kruschev is remembered now as a high point for American power, which would have been otherwise for Kennedy had the Bay of Pigs fiasco been all that was remembered. The Bay of Pigs invasion was in April 1961. The Eisenhower Administration broke off relations with Cuba 17 days before Kennedy assumed office (Walton 39). The invasion involved 1400 Cuban exiles under the direction of the CIA. The Cuban militia crushed the invasion in a few days (Miroff 113)."
Tags: Eisenhower, Johnson, Viet, Minh, Bay, of, Pigs
Abstract As a critique of Victorian society and the rampant hypocrisy that marked the upper-class society's moral beliefs and practices, Tennyson portrays the Arthurian legend of Camelot in ways that are specifically familiar to the influence of John Milton's "Paradise Lost" and which comprise an allegorical interpretation of Victorian society. This paper considers the ways Tennyson's epic represent aspects of Victorian society in contexts of gender, social discourse and morality.
Abstract This paper explains that, after more than 100 years of union activity in the United States, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (also known as the Teamsters or Teamsters Union) leadership has harmed both labor relations and the union itself. The author points out that, from 1979 to 1984, a Teamster's official was indicted by federal authorities every eight days, 225 indictments for misdeeds ranging from racketeering to arson to aggravated assault to extortion, bribery, and pension fund embezzlement. The paper relates that, while the Teamsters are taken to task for flouting the law in ways that almost always cause harm to members, such as the continuing pension debacle, and while the leadership serves itself extremely well with salaries and perks, it continues to serve its members badly.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Worst of a Bad Lot
The Branch Doesn"t Fall Far from the Tree
What Would Have Changed"
Even Better Full-Time Jobs for Leaders
What's Good for the Goose?
A Brief Glimpse of Camelot Finest Hour
From the Paper "In fact, the federal government finally placed the Central States Pension Fund (also known as the mafia bank) in trusteeship because of the Teamsters? leadership spending million in funds supposedly for retirement benefits on Mafia-related loans to Las Vegas casinos. While it is, Waldman admits, likely the Teamsters membership had higher wages, and thus made higher pension contributions, than they would have without the union, the sting of losing a great deal of their expected retirement income was another example of the poor "labor relations" conduct of the leadership."
Abstract This paper examines how Chretien's "The Story of the Grail" introduced the audience of the Middle Ages to the spiritual realm of the grail quest, a theme which has dominated Arthurian legend and inspired its readers ever since. In particular, it looks at how in the same way, the "Grail Castle" episode adds an extended spiritual dimension to the romance, and may be likened to the rising "sun", the "grail" that eclipses the brilliance of the "stars and the moon" in Chretien's elusive Grail Kingdom..
From the Paper "The characters and adventures of Gawain and Perceval are differentiated through the dimension of the Grail Castle. The romance follows Perceval's ascending passage from ignorance in the Waste Forest, to knowledge through experience, a prerequisite for achievement in the Arthurian Kingdom. Gawain, however, is neither ascending nor descending, but represents the greatness of secular Knighthood in the Arthurian world. Perceval's greatest achievement in the romance is debatably his embrace of Gawain, symbolising his ascent to Gawain's level of Knighthood."
