This paper compares four characters in Emile Zola "Germinal" and their strategies for winning the support of workers in their struggle with capitalists.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, 1995, $ 47.95
From the Paper "This study will compare and evaluate four characters in Emile Zola's novel Germinal, focusing specifically on the contrasting strategies and philosophies of Etienne, Rasseneur, Pluchart, and Souvarine in their efforts to win the support of the miners. The study will also speculate about which of these potential leaders' philosophy for action Zola most agrees with, and why.
Zola has deliberately created these four characters in order to demonstrate the various alternatives to action available to the workers in their struggle against the oppression of the mineowners, the capitalists. The four characters are meant to stand in stark contrast to one another, so that the reader can clearly see these alternatives in their various imperfect personifications."
Abstract This paper gives a stanza-by-stanza analysis of John Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale", written in 1819. It shows how Keats mingles the beauty of the nightingale with the morbidity of death in his poem. It also questions whether Keats actually witnessed the nightingale he wrote about or whether it was a fancy of his imagination.
From the Paper "In the fourth stanza, Keats rejects his desire to get drunk as a means of escape. Instead, he turns to ?the viewless wings of Poesy.? Poetry can remove him from himself faster and better than wine can. He allows the bird song to carry him off: ?Away! Away! For I will fly to thee.? In so doing, he escapes "the dull brain, which perplexes and retards" and forgets himself long enough to see ?the Queen Moon is on her throne/Clustered around by all her starry fays.?"
Abstract This paper examines the arguments of both sides of the abortion debate. It evaluates the ethical issues underlying the anti-abortion crusade, with particular emphasis on the rights of the fetus. The paper then looks at the pro-abortion movement, focusing on the constitutional underpinnings of reproductive rights. In the conclusion, the paper argues against criminalizing abortion once again, because making abortion a crime will not stop abortions from occurring. Instead, making abortion illegal will only serve to hurt women's reproductive rights without adequately addressing the central concerns of the pro-life movement.
From the Paper "In 1973, through the landmark case of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court made first trimester abortions legal in the United States. The decision struck down a host of state anti-abortion statutes and was hailed as a landmark of women's reproductive rights. It also gave birth to a vocal umbrella movement of anti-abortion groups which continue to challenge Roe vs. Wade both on moral and legal grounds.
Almost three decades later, the issue of abortion remains the greatest moral flashpoint facing America today. More than any other moral issue, the question of abortion has divided communities, determined the outcome of many elections and incited quiet citizens to become activists."
Abstract Analysis of Yuan-tsung Chen's 1980 story of a young Chinese woman. Fictional tale is paralleled with struggles Chinese people go through as their country adopts Communism. Role of women in China and how the Revolution effected them. Protagonist's fight for equality; breaking down barriers between the sexes.
From the Paper "In Yuan-tsung Chen's The Dragon's Village (1980), the coming of age of a young woman, Ling-ling, is paralleled with the struggles that the people of China are going through as their country adopts communism. In the middle of revolution, land reform, and the Korean War, Ling-ling matures and discovers who she is as a woman and a person. Her tale reflects how the role of women in China frequently vacillated between emancipation and oppression during this time in history. Chen uses Ling-ling as well as the other women in her story as an example of what women in China were experiencing during this turbulent time, whether they were old, young, rich, poor, bourgeois, urban, or rural.
To understand how the revolution effected the lives of these women, one should first take a look at Chinese society and..."
Abstract This paper examines Michael Drayton's sonnet "Since There's No Help" which describes the uncertainty associated with ending a relationship. It analyzes how Drayton begins by asserting that the relationship is ending and by trying to convince himself that he is glad of this. Then he surrenders to his real feelings and offers the real sadness of the situation. It looks at how, overall, the poem shows the process of being powerless to another person, fighting this power because of pride and then eventually admitting true feelings and begging for love to continue.
From the Paper "The first eight lines set up the problem, with these lines focusing on the confusion of the individual. The first line introduces the fact that the relationship is ending, "Since there's no help, come let us kiss and part." This line expresses the certainty that the relationship is ending. There is no question in this line over whether or not the relationship will end. Instead, it is clear that the two will part. This introduces a tone of needing to accept the situation. This is important because the following seven lines all suggest uncertainty. This assurance that the relationship will ends means that the poem is not focused on whether or not they are parting, but on how the individual feels about their parting."
Abstract This paper relates Thomas Bell's late nineteenth century portrayal of life in Pittsburgh to the of a melting pot, or gathering of immigrants of all shapes, sizes and cultures into one community. The late 19th century in Pittsburgh, much like anywhere in the U.S. during the time reflected an era of economic and social growth and change. This influx of people from so many different countries, with little skills and high hopes paved the way for low-paying labor. Thomas Bell's "Out of this Furnace" tells the story of three generations of Slovaks that moved to America, and the challenges they faced in the new land.
From the Paper "Djuro Kracha is a recent immigrant from Hungary in Bell's novel that desires more than anything to leave his native country and restart life in America. America became a melting pot because of immigrants such as Kracha. Many people flooded the U.S. during this time, from Hungary and other Eastern European countries, from Ireland, Mexico and China, all in the hopes of economic opportunity. Ethnically, socially and politically all of the people that came to live here were different. In Bell's novel, Djuro is the first member of his family to come to live in the U.S. Like many immigrants his initial struggles include working in a Steel Mill for terrible wages and long hours."
Tags: immigration, melting, pot, culture, labour, class, society
Abstract Second Language Acquisition is a field of inquiry that abounds in theories, while at the same time no single approach has adequately explained how language acquisition takes place. One reason for this might be that linguists interested in SLA have been trained in different disciplines, such as linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics and neurolinguistics. The paper explains that, naturally, they have approached SLA from very different perspectives and treat all the variables involved in the learning process differently. The situation appears to be very confusing and frustrating. All the present theories, hypotheses, and models are all preliminary work done toward the ultimate goal of a true theory. The paper shows that in this sense, the different approaches taken by linguists and researchers are never worthless. They have uncovered bits and pieces of the whole complexity of language acquisition. Hopefully, the continuing and combined efforts made by linguists and researchers will lead to the ultimate success of establishing the true theory in language acquisition as well as in SLA.
From the Paper "Linguistics is one of the newest fields of scientific inquiry. It was developed into an independent discipline of social science in the United Sates first "as an offshoot of anthropology" in the first half of the twentieth century in an attempt to investigate into the disappearing American indigenous languages (Lakoff, 2000, p. 2-3). Traditionally, it has been concerned with the analysis of language, namely its phonology, morphology and syntax. Following this tradition, Norm Chomsky in the 1950s put forward his milestone transformational generative grammar (TGG), which assumed "an ideal speaker-listener, in a completely homogeneous speech-community" unaffected by any external factors in his exploration of the Universal Grammar (UG), the general rules of language (Chomsky, 1965, p.3). This is basically an asocial or theoretical view in linguistic studies as opposed to the social view which claims knowing a language also means "knowing how to use that language"(Wardhaugh, 2002, p.3) in social contexts. Adopting either or both of the two views, linguistics and researchers alike have postulated a multitude of theories, approaches, and models in the inquiry into the nature of language and language acquisition, which appear to be conflicting ones fighting against one another."
Abstract This paper introduces and analyzes the book "Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team and a Dream" by H.G. Bissinger. Specifically, it discusses the philosophical, psychological, social and ethical views from the book, in regards to life, sports, coaching and the students/players. Football in Odessa is the only reason most people live, and "Friday Night Lights" vividly shows the petty small town bigotry, small mindedness and mentalities that create a culture out of football and create life or death drama over winning or losing.
From the Paper "Psychologically, the people of Odessa seem not only extremely simple minded, they obsess over the games as if they were life and death. One prominent businessman says, "'Life really wouldn't be worth livin' if you didn't have a high school football team to support'" (Bissinger 20). It would be funny if it were not so sad. These people, even those who are happy and successful, seem to have nothing else in their lives but these Friday night games. What causes them to lead such empty and superficial lives that football is the only entertainment? Admittedly, Odessa is a "wretched" place to live, and there seems to be little else to do there to keep society interested and involved."
Analyzes Christopher R. Browning's history of the German Police Battalion in Nazi Germany, comparing it to Daniel Goldhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners".
Abstract According to Christopher R. Browning's aptly-titled history of the German Reserve Police Battalion 101, "Ordinary Men", the most significant single factor influencing any given policeman's decision to participate in acts of Nazi genocide, was that individual's personal willingness to obey the orders given to him as a soldier and as a German. In other words, how much was that individual willing to be subject to, for want of a better word, ?peer pressure.? The paper shows that this is in direct contrast to the thesis advocated by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen in his book, "Hitler's Willing Executioners". Goldhagen stresses that the actions of the policemen, soldiers and citizens who enforced the larger Reich ideological agenda were performed enthusiastically. The paper explains Goldhagen's belief that this willingness was the result of many years of anti-Semitic propaganda in Germany, extending back in historical time to the earliest days of German Lutheranism's influences on Christianity.
From the Paper "The actions of the Reserve Police Battalion 101 become, in essence, even more chilling when viewed through Browning's schema of explanation. It is easy to rationalize inhumanity as a symptom of German culture, and to state that all human beings have pure free will to resist the pressures of position, country, and ideology. The idea that one can still retain one's ethical, moral compass (as evidenced by the disgust and horror of the policemen) and act against it when structural pressures persuade one to do otherwise is far more disturbing and a far more bracing slap in the ethical face of one's judgment."
Abstract This paper will compare the poetry of Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor as they implicitly set forth their perceptions of God and his kingdom and their stance toward divinities in two or three works. By understanding this way of divine poetry, we can see how they use God as a position for inquiry into the matters of theology and the beliefs they have in a higher power.
Abstract This paper will discuss Edward Abbey's book entitled "Desert Solitaire" and begin to understand the motives that lie beneath the book's seemingly barren landscape. By visualizing Abbey's philosophy, we can see why he wrote this book in the way he intended to. This analysis will argue for the "values" that Abbey places within the text about the region of desert that he lived in and find out what he meant by these values within the scope of the book.
Abstract This paper is a critical review of Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America". It discusses Ehrenreich's account of her undercover experience as a non-skilled, low-wage worker, and the challenge presented in the book to minimum wage legislation and its perceived benefits. Ehrenreich's interesting assertion that low-wage workers represent the biggest, most philanthropic section of society is also discussed and explained.
From the Paper "Low-wage earners are probably one of the most neglected sections of the American workforce. While minimum wage is a highly controversial subject and often sparks hot discussions in social and political circles, no one is really interested in the lives of the real recipients of this legislation. When an increase is made in minimum wage, the government and others are more concerned about the reaction of the employers instead of the response of the low wage section. This says a great deal about social discrimination and division that prevails in our society and which severely hurts the cause of unskilled workers."
Abstract Through a reading of her memoir "Living History", this paper assesses Clinton's rise to leadership and her various strengths and weaknesses as a leader. The first part of the paper studies the first leadership roles of the young Hillary. The next part then evaluates Clinton's actions in light of the various theories discussed in Peter G. Northouse's "Leadership" and Lee G. Bolman's "Reframing Organizations". The next parts examine how she has gone on assuming new roles, from her political conversion to a Democrat and her early career as a lawyer in Arkansas. Much of the paper is necessarily devoted to her leadership role as the First Lady amid much scandal, public adulation, and public censure. In the last section, the paper summarizes how the theories on leadership help shed light on the processes and decisions made by Clinton through various points in her career.
From the Paper "Unlike them, Clinton was clearly not interested in this delicate, secondary form of leadership. Rather, she became an active participant in several of her husband's most important campaigns ? from health care to welfare reform. When her term as First Lady ended, she extended her leadership role further in her new position as New York's junior senator."
Abstract This paper summarizes the main points of the book, while examining the capitalistic implications of the immigrant family's experiences and horrific situations they face. The trials and tribulations of one such immigrant family are written about in detail.
From the Paper "Upton Sinclair's devotion to shedding light on the corruptive system known as capitalism is evident and clearly illustrated in The Jungle. Sinclair uses a fictional family of immigrants from Lithuania to display his theory that capitalism has no ends beyond a corruptive, manipulative and eventually deadly demise. Jurgis Rudkus, then hopeful and optimistic, convinces his then fianc?, her family, and his own to leave Lithuania to pursue his dream of wealth and comfort in America. Rudkus forms a dream of sorts of what American society can offer to him and his family. The story begins at Jurgis's and Ona's ceremonial Lithuania wedding that illustrates that the family is not going to fully assimilate into American life, but rather implement their religious and cultural former lives into their new lives in America."
This paper reviews Julia Alvarez's "How the Garcia Girls lost their Accent", which is about four sisters who experienced a lifestyle change in coming to America from the Dominican Republic.
Abstract This paper examines the four sisters, their parents, the political backdrop, and the Dominican Republic's male-female nexus, which is so different from what one has come to view in America. The author points out that, in "How the Garcia Girls lost their Accent", which is set from the early 1960s to the mid 1980s, each sister brings her own dimensionality, which is a slice of what constitutes a woman. The paper states that the sisters? accents have completely changed; but, for better or worse, they have been fully assimilated into American culture.
From the Paper "It is in Fifi's relationships with men that we see the most vagaries. The start of the novel shows that she is really a person who would support a stable family. She is headstrong and independent. She generally gets what she wants. She presents her parents with their first grandchildren"a boy. She is the only one among her siblings that does not have a college degree, though there is no lack of intellect. Her husband is the most accomplished of all" ?? the German nobody turned out to be a world class chemist.?(p. 31) She seems to hold equal say in her marriage though her husband's character is not explored. Surprisingly, Fifi can adopt different roles."
