Abstract This paper discusses "The Kingdom of Matthias", focusing on the main themes and ideas and whether it acheived its purpose of identifying what factors made the characters change their views about life itself and the world around them. The author illustrates how the book paints a realistic picture of the environment and ambiance of that period of history and of the mood and tone of perfectionism that people embodied.
From the Paper "There are several significant ideas brought up by the author's which come together to form the main theme of the story: why did the character's involved fall dupe to an insane and unconventional "storyteller" and even more so why did Robert Matthews either portray or believe that he was the Prophet Matthias, the "Spirit of Truth" (94). First of all we will look at the true main argument of the book, which is how and why Robert Matthews became the self-proclaimed prophet Matthias. He seemed to fail at everything that he did whether it was with his trade as a carpenter, being shunned by his friends and co-workers on account of relaying his religious beliefs to them, or ?his home life [being] degenerated into a nightmare of wife-beating and child abuse.? (49)."
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..."
From the Paper "Abraham Lincoln: Man and Myth
Stephen Oates believes the grandiose dimensions and symbol-building power of the myths people create reveal their deepest longings (Oates 4). He argues this is especially true of the myths Americans have created about Abraham Lincoln, the powerful figure who presided over the country's greatest trial, the Civil War (Oates 4). However, he argues that rather than reflect any actual truths about Lincoln the man and President, the American mythology surrounding Lincoln reflects the spiritual and psychological needs of America's culture (Oates 4).
Oates argues that mythology carries a different truth than that of historical truth. In the case of Abraham Lincoln, the myth is what Americans wish the man had been rather than what he really was. The Lincoln myth has imbued him with the traits Americans consider..."
From the Paper "War is a devastating human activity, one that decimates populations, destroys property, and alters political and social structures for both victor and vanquished. The history of mankind has been a history of warfare to a great extent, and few civilizations have been able to avoid war for long. At certain points in history war has been aggrandized as a glorious effort to promote a social or political agenda, while at other times society has frowned on war and has resorted to it only when all else fails. The world of ancient Greece produced some of the most important philosophical concepts in human history, ideas that have continued to prevail to this day. Yet, the Greeks as well were subject to war both with outside forces and among themselves. An example of the latter was the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, an event that had major consequences for the development of the ..."
This paper reviews the oral history presented in Theodore Rosengarten's :All God's Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw" about the struggles of black sharecropper in South before WWII.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, 1995, $ 47.95
From the Paper "Theodore Rosengarten's :All God's Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw" depicts the labor struggle of a black sharecropper in the years before World War II. It stands as the oral history of blacks in a southern rural economy, as recounted by Nate Shaw. Nate narrates his personal history involving the landlord-tenant system (sharecropping), the struggle for economic survival in the white man's world, and his enduring faith in the sanctity of hard work over adversity. Unfortunately, Nate's life was an uphill battle to change that which changed anyway, as New Deal policies made life easier for laborers everywhere, on the farm or in the city.
The landlord-tenant system of sharecropping favored the white man; in reality, it was slavery in another guise. The relationship between owner and sharecropper was one of exploitation, the white owner in most cases exploiting the black tenant. Theoretically, blacks should have been able to purchase and contract out land, just as whites did, but, as Nate explains, whites wrote the ... "
This paper is a critical review of Joseph Plumb Martin's "Ordinary Courage", an 18th Century Revolutionary War soldier's autobiographical account of battle from the average citizen's perspective.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, 1995, $ 47.95
From the Paper "Joseph Plumb Martin, the author of the autobiography Ordinary Courage: The Revolutionary War Adventures of Joseph Plumb Martin, presents a compelling portrait of what that war was like from the perspective of an average citizen. At the outbreak of the war, Martin was sixteen years old, a young man who, like the country itself, was in his early formative years. His development in the course of the war parallels the simultaneous development of the nation, both being formed and toughened in the forge of the war.
The portrait of the war and the birth of the nation painted by Martin is a realistic, down-to-earth portrait. Martin clearly wants to do away with any romantic or idealistic notions about the war or the founding of the nation. He wants to show how it was for an average soldier to fight in that particular war, and ... "
Abstract Examines the differing political ideas of each man. Their differences of background. How their concepts of government and civil society developed. How their different views helped shape the new U.S. government. Jeffersonian democracy and his philosophy of limited national government. Hamilton's elitist philosophy and belief in a strong central government.
From the Paper "This research examines differences between the political ideas of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. The research will set forth the context in which Hamilton's and Jefferson's concepts of government and civil society emerged and then discuss ways in which their different views determined the shape and substance of the U.S. government in its formative stages.
Jefferson's authorship of the Declaration of Independence is a commonplace of U.S. history, but the philosophy that Jefferson brought to the enterprise was key. He viewed the Declaration as the opportunity "to place before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent" (Fleming 53). Hamilton's force in US politics began with his contributions to The Federalist Papers, which systematically provided the rationale for national Constitutional government that ..."
Abstract This paper looks at the effects of immigration upon America. The paper examines the issue from a number of aspects including social, economic, political, religious, and cultural. The writer believes that immigration is ultimately a good thing, beneficial to the American people and country as a whole. Rather than looking at the history of immigration, the paper focuses on the modern day issues and how these immigrants have benefited the U.S.A.
From the Paper "The world of technology also has reaped the benefits of many immigrants. Silicon Valley and other high-tech sectors would cease to function if the borders were ever closed to skilled and educated immigrants. These immigrants represent human capital that can make our entire economy more productive. Immigrants have developed new products, such as the Java computer language, that have created employment opportunities for millions of Americans."
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 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.
This paper discusses Benjamin Franklin's "An Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" and Frederick Douglas's "A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave".
Abstract This paper explains that the experiences that changed both Franklin and Douglas had to do with the importance of education in enabling people to better themselves. The author points out that Franklin's education came when he worked as an apprentice printer with his brother during his teens. The paper relates that Frederick Douglas's life story tells a much bleaker tale and shows even more the ability of one man to use his wits and his natural talents to pull himself up by the bootstraps.
From the Paper "Indeed, it was because of the fact that he had such great access to books through his induction into the printer's trade that he was able to foster his love of books and learning and to begin to develop his persuasive rhetorical skills that would aid him not only in writing, but also in oratory. Without this love of books and learning being instilled in him Franklin could have never become the great thinker, speaker, author, and statesmen that he was to become."
This paper examines issues of marriage rights, abandonment, and religion in the context of 16th century France as illustrated by Natalie Zemon Davis's book, "The Return of Martin Guerre".
1,414 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 1 source, 2002, $ 47.95
Abstract This paper investigates how women's choices were severely limited in Catholic France of the 16th century, using as a source "The Return of Martin Guerre". Even though the main character had been abandoned by her husband for many years, according to law she could not seek a divorce. This examination shows how the growing influence of Protestantism and its more liberal views of marriage influenced the choices of the characters in the book, as well as those of everyone in Reformation Europe.
From the Paper "Marriages of the time, even among peasants, were often arranged more for economic reasons than for any idea of romantic love. There is no evidence presented in the book that Bertrande or Martin knew each other very well before getting married, much less that they were in love. The marriage was most likely arranged by their parents to maximize the economic resources of both families."
Abstract This paper discusses the main theme of Carlo Ginzburg's "The Cheese and the Worms". It explains that the book sets forth the story of a 16th century miller who has come to the realization of the existence of other cultures. It explores the existence and result of culture shock in the sixteenth century.
From the Paper ""In The Cheese and the Worms," Ginzburg sets forth the story of a miller who has come into the realization of the existence of other cultures. The micro history attempts to understand how a sixteenth century miller acquired ideas about the cosmos which the Catholic Church found heretical. In the process of coming to this understanding, Ginzburg seems to find that the exposure to new cultures produced a sort of culture shock as the miller was not accustomed to ..."
Tags: carlo ginzburg, culture, relativistic, shock, the cheese and the worms.
From the Paper "With few exceptions, before the dawn of the 19th century slavery had generally been accepted by society. Though a small abolitionist sentiment always existed, an influential and organized movement, recognizable as such, began in the 19th century. This abolitionist sentiment, though, was by no means boundless, as prejudice was ingrained in American culture, from the common people to the gentry. In addition to abolitionist sentiment among whites, the slaves themselves expressed discontentment with their plight. Essentially, though slavery was significant in American history, it was so deep-seated in American culture, that such a seemingly radical idea as abolition was met with significant resistance and the abolitionist's views were often assuaged in actual political functioning. "
