From the Paper "Ivo Andric's novel The Bridge on the Drina is unusual in its plot development, in its focus (or lack of focus) on characters, and in its basic meaning. Although the book covers four centuries--from the mid-sixteenth to the early twentieth--the plot does not have the sweeping feeling of an epic because the author focuses on the town of Visegrad in Bosnia and the bridge rather than on the people or even the events which take place. The work is less a novel, in fact, than an extended fictionalized declaration of the author's philosophy, which can be essentially boiled down to the view that despite many surface changes in history and in human relationships, nothing really changes at its core. The individual human being may meet death, and may be suffering at any moment, but elsewhere another human life is just beginning and joy is in another's heart. Another essential..."
Abstract "Edward Albee's play The Zoo Story is a play about communication, or rather, the lack of communication between people who believe they are communicating.
From the Paper "Edward Albee's play The Zoo Story is a play about communication, or rather, the lack of communication between people who believe they are communicating. The play is both comic and tragic, for the same lack of communication which brings laughter can the next moment bring pathos as the consequences of isolated human beings (human beings who cannot or will not communicate openly and honestly) brings death, even murder, or murder by suicide.
The play features two men, Jerry and Peter. Jerry is either mad or so eccentric and troubled that he might as well be mad, and Peter is conservative and completely ignorant of the world beyond his little married life. On one level, the men appear to be trying to communicate, although there are obvious roadblocks to that end."
Abstract This paper explores the works of philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud (""Twilight of the Idols" and "Civilization and Its Discontents" respectively). It outlines and compares their views on science, religion, nature, the individual and society. The paper also focuses on the subject of instincts/passions vs. reason.
From the Paper "In the midst of so much confusion, so many contrasting affirmations, opinions and perspectives, what conclusions can be drawn? What lasting truths can one hold on to? Sigmund Freud, in his Civilization and Its Discontents, and Friedrich Nietzsche, in Twilight of the Idols, offer a good summary of many of their views. Freud and Nietzsche, both complex men of enormous egos, share many of the same ideas on the topics of science, religion, the individual and society, with the exception of a few minor differences."
Abstract Analysis of Sherman Alexie's novel. Centers on character of John Smith, a man caught between two worlds: the Indian and the White and not at home in either world. Issue of John's intolerance; his suffering, alientation and violence. Negative impact of intolerance of white society and co-workers. Author's message.
From the Paper "John Smith, the protagonist of Sherman Alexie's novel Indian Killer, is a man caught between the white world and the Indian world, and at home in neither. He is a full-blooded Native American Indian, but was raised by whites, and knows little about his Indian roots. As a result of these circumstances, and the fact that he is a man who appears to be an Indian in a nation of prejudice against Indians, he is a man without an identity. With respect to the issue of intolerance, one could say that John has become a man without the capacity for tolerance at all, including tolerance for himself and his confusing situation in life. In other words, he has been shaped by an unforgiving and intolerant culture which does its worst in creating human beings who are such victims of intolerance that they practically do not even exist. They have been made invisible by intolerance. In fact, John is certainly mentally ill to some degree, and it is clear from the book that his madness is a direct result of living in an intolerant society which tries to take away his history, identity, cultural roots and his very humanity at every turn. It should come as no shock that in his suffering and alienation and madness, he turns to ..."
Abstract Examines the character of Delaney in T. Coraghesson Boyle's novel. Argues that the character is a stereotypical racist who is intolerant of the differences between himself and Mexicans and Mexican Americans who interfere with his Southern California Yuppie lifestyle. Features of his intolerance. Depicts Delaney as a man whose intolerance overrides his conscience.
From the Paper "The character of Delaney, in T. Coraghessan Boyle's novel Tortilla Curtain, is a stereotypical racist intolerant of the differences between himself and the Mexicans or Mexican-Americans who interfere with his wealthy, yuppie lifestyle in Southern California. They interfere, first, by simply existing, because their existence, to Delaney, brings with it many undesirable qualities and habits:
There wasn't a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains that didn't have its crushed beer cans, its carpet of glass, its candy wrappers and cigarette butts, and it was people like this Mexican or whatever he was who were responsible, thoughtless people, stupid people, people who wanted to turn the whole world into a garbage dump, a little Tijuana . . . (Boyle 11)."
Abstract Analysis of American-born writer's experiences and those of her Chinese-born mother. Differing customs, traditions and outlooks. Issues of gender. Family expectations for female children. Author's attempt to balance herself between two cultures. Difficulties faced by women in Chinese and American societies. Sense of loss and empowerment. Impact of Chinese woman warrior stories.
From the Paper "Gender issues are culturally defined, and gender can be one of the elements of culture shock occurring when a person moves from one culture to another. Maxine Hong Kingston's book The Woman Warrior is one of many stories by children of immigrants showing contrasts and tensions between the dual role the children assume, that of traditional child (a role imposed and expected by the parents) and that of American child (a role adopted by the children as they face the realities of their new culture). Her story takes a particular tack in that it also involves issues of gender, which have a special meaning in her culture and which bring about particular tensions given that the nature of gender roles in Chinese society are quite different from that in American society today. These tensions are evident in differences between her own experience in America and her ..."
Abstract This paper discusses the essay "Killings" by Andre Dubus about how Matt Fowler, struggles externally with the task of murdering another man in an effort to avenge the death of his son. It examines how Andre Dubus tells the story of a group of people who are faced with conflict on a daily basis and how the dominant idea or theme of the story is that all men will act on their emotions and every emotion exhibited in the story is anger. The end result is a group of characters that can only be classified as murderers and no one is truly better than the other. It shows how the story revolves around inner and external conflict and how the plot, setting and characters all reflect a dominant theme of darkness and despair.
From the Paper "The story later describes how each of the characters had experienced many emotional changes that caused their violent and sometimes bizarre behavior. Matt Fowlers aggressive and revengeful behavior certainly resulted from his feelings of remorse over the loss of his son. But what of the character that killed his son. What type of conflict did he face, and what caused him to be able to commit such a terrible act without any feelings of guilt or sorrow? What type of conflict did the other characters in the story feel, such as Matt Fowlers relations? Interestingly, Dubus describes each of these characters in great detail, elaborating on the ideas of conflict, and intertwining conflict with the mood and dreary theme of the story."
Abstract This paper introduces and discusses "The River Between" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o which tells the tale of two rival communities, Kameno and Makuyu, which face each other and are separated only by the Honia River. The paper describes how these two villages are in a constant battle over conflicting myths of leadership and religion, which have been the basis of their arguments for many generations. The paper shows how Ngugi focuses on the impact of Christian missionaries on the balance of African culture.
From the Paper "The inhabitants of the Kameno ridge have indigenous cultural traditions such as polytheism and circumcision, while those of the Makuyu ridge had already succumbed to Christianity and British colonization. This story is mainly about the conflicted relationship between two villages representing traditional African beliefs on the one side and Christianity on the other. In this novel, a mission-educated character tries unsuccessfully to synthesize the Christian worldview with the Gikuyu, even as he comes to understand the completely destructive force Christianity will have on his indigenous culture."
Abstract This paper examines how Edgar Allan Poe shows a fascination with death, disease and decay in his stories and poems and how he uses symbolism to represent death and dying as something that takes place not separate from life, but deeply embedded within it. Through a review of some of his works, it shows how Poe mixes life and death in a variety of ways, so much so that he seems to show a morbid fascination with the processes of dying and with the symbolism of death. It evaluates how his preoccupation with death and more specifically with death-in-life is seen in so many of his short stories.
From the Paper "A similar combination of time and death is expressed in the poem "The Raven," where the poet emphasizes that the events described take place at midnight when the black bird appears. Critic Vincent Buranelli emphasizes the dual meaning of the poem. The surface meaning is the narrative, with the poet asking questions of the raven and hearing the repeated "Nevermore, " leading to the final question of whether he and his mistress will ever be reunited--"Nevermore." The second meaning, says Buranelli, has to be interpreted through the symbols of the poem and through suggestive signs which represent ideas hidden below the surface. The principal symbol is the raven, which with its jet black feathers and harsh croak has been accepted by common consent to represent fate."
A discussion of whether Mikhail Bulgakov's use of the fantastic in "The Master and Margarita?" is designed to undermine, even to ridicule, the "certainties" of the materialist world-view.
1,851 words (approx. 7.4 pages), 0 sources, 2002, $ 59.95
Abstract This paper reviews Mikhail Bulgakov's book "The Master and Margarita" and examines his views on the accepted Soviet stand on fate, human nature, atheism, censorship, personal identity documentation and forced literature. It looks at how through the use of the fantastic in his novel Bulgakov seeks to ridicule and undermine the foundations of these Soviet certainties. It shows how throughout the novel Bulgakov's use of implausible and incredible happenings effectively undermine the "certainties" of the materialist world. It analyzes how Massolit is destroyed, bureaucracy is ridiculed, xenophobic attitudes are parodied and institutions and theories are mocked relentlessly, even in the epilogue. It examines how the Soviet machine is even able to rationalize the supernatural and how this rationale creates such absurdities as people arresting cats and furthermore, giving glowing references for their release. Bulgakov's use of the fantastical as a device to satirize and thereby undermine accepted "certainties" of his time is genuinely masterful.
From the Paper "Throughout the novel, Bulgakov bends the parameters of space, time and imagination, for the Moscow residents, and the reader. Passports, papers, people and money all come and go at Woland's will. Parties that last for hours take only minutes. Guns have no effect and people start to fly. Despite the fact that Soviet Citizens are generally used to mysterious disappearances, and unexplained circumstances, such as those that often lead to arrest, during the Devil's stay in Moscow, they are understandably bewildered. The rumours cannot be put down until the Devil and his retinue have left."
Abstract A thorough analysis of whether the character of Hamlet can be considered to be sane or insane. The paper looks at several examples and scenes of the play in order to examine this question and concludes that Hamlet was not insane, but it was simply a cover-up to confuse his enemies.
From the Paper "In both theatrical and academic circles alike a common topic of conversation is whether or not the character of Hamlet in William Shakespeare's masterpiece is insane or simply feigning insanity. Throughout the years since this play was first produced many theatre artists have made the strong choice to define Hamlet as insane. This choice is decidedly wrong. Hamlet is not insane. The Danish Prince is merely pretending such so that he might understand the deception revolving around him more clearly while developing a strategy of revenge."
Abstract This paper reviews Caputo's "A Rumor of War", which describes his first-hand experiences in the Vietnam battle fields. The paper explains how the Vietnam War is one of the most problematic wars to relate in a literary fashion because of the many controversies which surround it, but discusses how Caputo manages to capture the reader's attention due to the personal details of his account.
From the Paper "Vietnam war is one of the most talked about conflicts events in American history. Not only because of the 11 year long conflict that existed between the two countries but mainly because of the bitterness and casualties that it left behind. It is still not easy for many war veterans to talk about the most horrible experience of their lives. While it is true that most war veterans think they were lucky to serve their country but they also admit that they wee not prepared for what they experienced and saw during the war. It has been one of the most terrible examples of war crimes and today most war veterans associate war with bitterness and disillusionment instead of patriotism or service. One such story of disillusionment appeared in Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War, which a war memoir that depicts Caputo's experience during Vietnam conflict."
Abstract George Orwell's discourse on the political and social significance of the modern English writing is the primary theme shown in his essay, "Politics and the English Language," (1945). The paper shows that in this discourse, Orwell discusses the faults of modern English language regarding the gradual spread of vagueness and insincerity in the meaning of prose text. The paper shows Orwell's proposed solutions to this problem of vagueness in the English language, especially with regard to political writings. To convey Orwell's idea of poor English prose, this paper analyzes Abraham Lincoln's "The Gettysburg Address," delivered in 1863 as the President's reaction to the ongoing Civil War during that period.
From the Paper "For Orwell, thought must definitely determine language, and not the other way around. This means that there must first be clarity and sincerity of thought before effective writing will take place. This way, problems of vagueness will be avoided, an element of writing that results to insincerity. This means that the use of elaborate explanations to express a feeling or thought is an ineffective way of explaining and describing these thoughts, and Orwell suggests that long and elaborate sentences must be replaced with short, concise ones, where meaning will become clearer to the audience. While avoiding an imposition of definite rules in English writing and composition, Orwell enumerated and discussed the common mistakes and faults that prose writers commit in expressing their thoughts on important issues, especially those that are political and social in nature."
Abstract In the classic tale "Rip van Winkle" by Washington Irving, the story of a man that sleeps through the American Revolutionary War is presented. Yet while the story is intended to be a work of humor, Irving also works to present the war of the sexes as manifest in the conflict between the character of Rip van Winkle and the various female characters that van Winkle encounters within the story. This paper investigates the gender roles in this story.
Abstract This paper states that Campbell's chronological approach to Houston's public life provides a good insight into the public and political climate of Houston's time. The author believes that this approach tends to push Campbell into depicting his subject as a very heroic and public man, perhaps at the expense of smaller and less flattering stories about Houston.
