Abstract This paper takes a look at "Aiding a Comrade", a painting by Frederic Remington. The paper also gives a brief biographical sketch of Remington.
Abstract "For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War", by James M. McPherson, addresses the question why U.S. citizens chose to enlist in the Confederate or Union armies, while attacking several other issues, such as slavery, religion, patriotism, and issues of humanity. The paper analyzes the book and shows how the author used documents written by soldiers to get their feelings across, without riddling the book with his own opinions.
From the Paper "After President Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, slavery became an issue for the Union soldiers as well as the South. Most Union soldier had no real concept of what slavery was like until they reached the southern states. "I thought I hated slavery before I came here, but here, where I can see some of its workings, I am more then ever convinced of the cruelty and inhumanity of the system" (118). As the Union armies began to free the slaves, the former slave owners would attempt to recover their lost property, only to be pounced on by the Union soldiers. The freed slaves would often contribute to the day-to-day chores that had to be accomplished such as washing, cooking, and cleaning and this aided the Union soldiers by adding more soldiers to the line to fight."
Abstract This paper examines the characters of Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Agent", and Rosa Luxembourg's personal novella, "Comrade and Lover". These three novels each present a female character that shares similar characteristics with the other female characters. Esmerelda (the gypsy), Winnie Verloc (a revolutionary's wife), and Rosa Luxembourg (a revolutionary), while they provide contrasting circumstances, have striking similarities.
From the Paper "A gypsy in 19th century Paris who spends her days as an independent performer, entertaining spectators with her dazzling dance moves, Esmerelda earns a meager income that condemns her to a life of poverty. While she is dependant upon herself for survival, her yearning to be in the arms of the dashing Phoebus reveals her dependence on man to complete her ?emotional sense of self.? Since his rescue of her from the beastly arms of Quasimodo, Esmerelda has shown an infatuation with Phoebes, due in most to his handsomeness. She reveals her love for the shallow Phoebus when she says to Frollo, ?I belong to my Phoebus. It is Phoebus whom I love. It is Phoebus who is handsome!? (Hugo, 471). The passion Esmerelda feels for Phoebus is exquisite, however, her choice of object makes it ridiculous. Her inability to look beyond his dashing appearance reveals her naivety and her desire to have a man whom she can depend on."
Tags: criticism, dame, hugo, notre, security, victor
Abstract This paper compares how both Walt Whitman, in "Poetry and Prose" and James M. McPherson, in "For Cause and Comrades", portray the experiences of soldiers in the Civil War as hell. It looks at McPherson's account of the carnage and Whitman's account of loss and wasted humanity.
From the Paper "A review of the poetry and prose of Walt Whitman and James M McPherson in Civil War Poetry and Prose and For Cause and Comrades respectively demonstrates that both individuals have one main theme about war. War is hell. In his book .."
Tags: Civil War, heroism, carnage, death, America, poetry, fear
Abstract This paper discusses the legacy of the poet, Wilfred Owen. The paper analyzes Owen's critics with regard to the debate over whether or not Owen should be classified as a war poet, or a poet who writes in a socially provocative manner in order to effect social change, or whether Owen should be classified as an elegist, with his work serving as a memorial for his dead comrades. The paper concludes that if the majority of Owen's work can be shown to be operating as a funeral song or lament for the dead, then Owen may be classified as primarily an elegist.
From the Paper "The legacy of Wilfred Owen is one that has grown in the century since his death. While critics pore over his poems, analyzing the significance of the changing of single words, one debate that has blossomed since the 1980s is the critical debate over whether or not Owen should be classified as a war poet, or a poet who writes in a socially provocative manner in order to evoke outrage from his readers and effect social change, or whether Owen should be classified as an elegist at heart, with his work serving as a memorial for his dead comrades. On one side of the debate, arguing for Owen to be considered primarily as an elegist, lies Dominic Hibberd, Owen's biographer. Representing the other side, those in favour of classifying Owen as an outrageous poet, working to shock and stir his audience to action, can be found Jon Silkin, an authority on British War Poetry of the First World War. Also arguing for Owen to be considered as an outrageous poet is Marie Gardett, writing in the contemporary scholarly journal Explicator. The proofs offered by Silkin and Gardett, coupled with Owen's "lists of contents", offer a convincing and powerful argument for Silkin's vision of Owen that Hibberd cannot persuasively counter. The working definition of "elegist" that I will use is to refer to a poet who writes "funeral song[s] or lament[s] for the dead" (OED "Elegy"). This definition, adapted from the Oxford English Dictionary's definition of "elegy", comes from the most authoritative source on the definitions of words in the English Language; also, this definition is specific enough to work practically in this essay. If the majority of Owen's work can be shown to be operating as a funeral song or lament for the dead, then Owen may be classified as primarily an elegist."
This essay looks at how two poets utilize a spider in their poems for completely different purposes in Frost's "Design" and Whitman's "Noiseless Patient Spider".
1,000 words (approx. 4 pages), 2 sources, 2002, $ 35.95
Abstract This essay contrasts how poets, Robert Frost and Walt Whitman, both eloquently utilize a minute spider and turn this creature of nature into a grandiose display of life, but for opposite reasons. The author shows how Frost's spider is a mediation of man's attempts and failures in finding order and meaning in the universe, whereas, Whitman's is a contemplation of man's attempt to fully connect to and understand the world around him.
From the paper:
?Poems, unlike prose, are direct expressions of a creator's feelings. Though a poet also makes use of metaphors and figurative speech to convey images, it is something else beyond the upper layer of language that makes a poem work. It is something that relates directly to the feelings and passions of the poet. For example, Robert Frost's poem, "Design", is an exquisite play on striking images of dark and light, offering a look into this oppressive and isolated poet's stark outlook on life. Whereas, his comrade, Walt Whitman, goes far above and beyond in both voice and metrical line with such a striking mural expansion of his optimistic view of the world around him in his poem, "Noiseless, Patient Spider".
Abstract The paper analyzes central themes in the book "Black Snow" by Liu Heng about modern Chinese life. The paper includes character studies and explores the themes of depression, misery, sexuality and social problems in Beijing today.
From the Paper "Li Huiquan's trouble finding love or friendship is a direct result of his mistrust of the human race and also a mistrust of his own heart. He is besieged by unfulfilled sexual fantasies and longings for any kind of intimacy but has not a clue how to execute them. Intense insecurity and anxiety plague him wherever he goes and under every circumstance. When he drinks his inhibitions are only magnified, but he can't even fall back on his old standby, the rolling pin. Wanting so badly to conform to society's ideal of a man, Li Huiquan attempts to do good, to sell his clothes ethically, to be a loyal friend. He tries to open up to people like Cui Yongli and Zhao Yaqui, neither of whom are interested in cultivating a serious friendship with him. When he falls in love with the nightclub singer, Zhao Yaqui, we are made even more painfully aware of Li Huiquan's sense of isolation."
Abstract The characters of Snowball and Napoleon are the primary focus of the character analysis, and this analysis involves a comparison of the animal characters of Napoleon and Snowball with that of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, two famous Russian leaders during the post- World War I years. The novel is based on real-life events in the Russian society under Stalin's rule and includes the struggle of the proletarians (working class) against the ruling class (Farmer Jones and all humans). This paper analyzes the novel's character and plot in reference to the historiography of the Russian Revolution up to Stalin's rule in Russia.
From the Paper "George Orwell's satiric novel, ?The Animal Farm,? revolves around the issue of subordination of the animal working class to the ruling class in the Animal Farm society. The story started with Old Major's speech on the animal's rights to have their own property and possessions, most especially the farm that they till and the crops and goods that they produce and harvest. Following after this speech, a revolt occurred among the animals against the farm owner, leading to their triumph as the new owners of Manor Farm, which they aptly changed later to ?Animal Farm.? After Old Major's death, the issue of Animal Farm leadership cropped up, and Napoleon and Snowball took it upon themselves to assume the position as new Animal Farm leaders, since pigs are treated as the "most intelligent" animals in their farm. Napoleon and Snowball began arguing over policies and ideas for the animal farm, and in these conflicts, certain "atrocities" done to the animal members of the farm began happening, although most of the animals disregarded or ignored those inequalities, all for the sake of having Animal Farm, and for Farmer Jones (the owner of Manor Farm) not to return to the farm again. What follows next in the novel are parallelisms of the life of the working class and ruling class in a society, and how these stratification in the animal society was resolved or ended."
A discussion of the sense of reality in "The Kiss" by Anton Chekhov, "How to Tell a True War Story" by Joseph Conran and "The Secret Sharer" by Tim O'Brien.
Abstract This paper reviews the above novels and looks at how truthful perceptions are hard won by the characters in each case. It examines how the protagonists in each story do not first perceive themselves or the world in a way that is commensurate with reality and how through the juxtaposition of reality and the character's dreams, a sense of truth is created and a sense of a character's final coming to terms with some self-knowledge is created at the narrative's closure. It looks at how all three protagonists swim in a sea of contradictions between a truth that can never be expressed or known to the outer world and to the strife they feel within themselves. In all three short stories, the true depths of the character's inner turmoil are never completely revealed to all. No one ever understands how much "The Kiss" meant to the soldier, O?Brien's soldiers never say quite what happened to their comrades during the Vietnam War and Leggatt leaves the tale a mysterious "floppy" had on shallow water.
From the Paper "Tim O?Brien's "How to Tell a True War Story" also creates ironic juxtaposition between perceived reality and what is actually true. In this case, the juxtaposition is between the characters? real experience of war and the propaganda the characters were fed before they began to fight the war in Vietnam. As in Chekhov's short story, this juxtaposition ultimately proves embittering to the protagonists. The narrator of O?Brien's narrative states that ?in the end, really, there's nothing much to say about a true war story, except maybe ?Oh.? True war stories do not generalize. They do not indulge in abstraction or analysis.? "
Abstract This paper will seek to compare the lives of two slaves in Latin America. Mary Prince and Esteban Montejo will be discussed to reveal the nature of their lives and how they lived them in similar capacities. By understanding some of the lifestyles that these women lived, we can understand the message that they are giving in a comrade sense of slave life.
A look at Drew Gilpin Faust's book, "Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War", about the American Civil War and how it impacted Southern women.
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes two chapters from the book, "Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War" by Drew Gilpin Faust. Specifically, the paper explains how the instabilities of the Civil War South forced Southern white women to alter their behavior.
From the Paper "The South, being at a distinct disadvantage for most of the Civil War, sent as many able-bodied men as they possibly could to the fighting front. Women had to step in and run the farms and plantations in their men's' absence, and this included managing an increasingly volatile slave population. Historian Faust notes, "Women called to manage increasingly restive and even rebellious slaves were in a significant sense garrisoning a second front in the South's war against Yankee domination" (Faust 54). Obviously, this was a new and different role for most of these women, and many of the men left behind in the South did not appreciate or value it. In fact, many of them fought against female management, as Faust notes, "These issues went beyond questions of gender; they represented deep-seated worries about sex" (Faust 55). The key issue facing most of these women forced into unfamiliar roles was fear. They felt incapable of managing a large group of slaves, and some of them even feared for their safety and their lives."
Abstract This paper discusses the sculptures done by the Etruscans in ancient history. The paper presents the sculpture, "Etruscan warrior supporting a wounded comrade", from the early 5th century BCE, describing the era when it was created. The paper compares this sculpture to "Augustus in Armor", another sculpture created in 20 BCE. The paper illustrates the differences in these two sculptures according to the time period that they were created.
From the Paper "While we think of the Etruscans as a monolithic group, in fact, they covered a wide geographic area with a civilization that spans many centuries from a millennium BCE to their putative dissolution a couple of decades BCE (Time International, 2001). The sculpture Etruscan warrior supporting a wounded comrade, from the early fifth century BCE, was created in about the middle of the Etruscan era. At the time this sculpture was created, the Etruscans had begun exploring the coast of what is now known as the Italian peninsula. The Etruscans enjoyed dominion on the seas at the time, giving them "tremendous potential for trade as well as piracy" (Time International, 2001). It is obvious from the embellishment on the clothing of the two warriors that the Etruscans enjoyed their sea-based wealth. It is also easy to believe, as Time (2001) contends, that the Etruscans were a more jovial people than were the Romans who supplanted them; despite the obviously unpleasant fact of the warrior being wounded, neither face is particularly anguished, and, indeed, the wound is probably not all that grave."
Abstract This paper explains how Saint-Exupery uses allegory and poetic, elliptical conversations to indirectly convey the deeper meanings of Exupery's life, love, mission, and forthcoming death. The paper also demonstrates the autobiographical nature of "The Little Prince" by citing passages from the story that parallel Saint-Exupery's life.
From the Paper "The autobiographical nature of the book is very clear if one considers the history of Exupery's own life, and only by understanding the autobiographical nature of the book can one understand the subtle messianic claims made through-out. Though there are a very large number of parallels through-out the book to Exupery's life, for the sake of space only a few major points can be touched on here: the relationship between the crashed-pilot-as-narrator and Exupery (himself a pilot) as the author, the relationship between the little prince and Exupery's own childhood self whom he always drew as an observer to his personal experiences, the parallels between the rose and Consuelo Exupery, and the importance of love and responsibility as they relate to the war which Exupery fought and the little prince's war against the baobabs. Of course, the final parallel between the death of the prince and the death of Exupery is also important."
This paper discusses maturation, a common theme in 20th century American literature, as found in Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat", John Steinbeck's "Flight", Zora Neale Hurston's "The Gilded Six Bits" and Richard Wright's "The Man Who was Almost a Man".
1,460 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 0 sources, 2004, $ 48.95
Abstract This paper explains that these maturation novels are a genre of literature called Bildungsroman, German for "formation novel", in which the main character usually is involved in a crisis and ends up recognizing his role in the world, a process that is usually typical of the maturation of the character throughout the story. The author points out that in these stories the process is an intellectual and moral growth: "The Open Boat", the growth is caused by experience, allowing the correspondent to finally feel the loss of the soldier through his comrade; "Flight", the growth takes place in the journey of a boy too eager to be a man; "The Gilded Six Bits" a full transformation from boy to man takes place as the character learns to deal with his emotions, feelings and responsibility; "The Boy Who was Almost a Man", the character never quite fully completes the maturity process, but the reader is taken through his bumpy ordeal. The paper concludes that all of these growths are very real and natural, leaving the reader with a new sense of understanding in this process of self-development and change.
From the Paper "In Wright's "The Man Who was Almost a Man," the journey of maturing into manhood is left unfinished. Dave Saunders, although thinking otherwise, never becomes a man. Dave sees men in the field one-day shooting, so he decides to purchase a gun. He associates the obtaining of a gun with becoming a man; to him the gun represents manhood. The pistol also has phallic connotation as well. After accidentally shooting the mule, Dave is not received by the other men around him, causing him to run away in search of acknowledgment somewhere else. He practices shooting, hesitant at first with his eyes closed and his head turned, he fires the pistol. It isn't until after he has fired the pistol that he realizes it wasn't as scary as he made it out to be. Once he overcomes this small hurdle he immediately feels he is a man."
Abstract Stephen Crane's thesis of "The Red Badge of Courage" is the physical danger of war and the psychological effects this danger has on man. The paper shows that, through vivid imagery and attention to detail, Crane illustrates Henry's ability to cope with the danger of war and the psychological effects that war brings. Part of the book's achievement is the development of Henry's character. The paper shows how Crane delivers the story with an objective point of view, allowing Henry to grow through his experiences and while he has difficulty with the war at the beginning of the novel, he is able cope and come to terms with his lot in life.
From the Paper "We can see how the war has a powerful impact on Henry when we read that in a moment of "intense hate" (111), he "was firing, when all those near him had ceased. He was so engrossed in his occupation that he was not aware of a lull" (111). Afterward, he throws himself on the ground "like a man who had been thrashed" (111). His comrades watched him and "looked upon him as a war devil" (112). In this scene, Crane is demonstrating the sometimes animalistic response to war. The pressure of war and fighting often result in bizarre, inexplicable behavior."
