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 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 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 There are many similarities between Gilgamesh, the legendary Babylonian king, and Odysseus, the Greek warrior famous for his cunning and fortitude. The paper shows that both characters' stories are told in poetic epics ("The Epic of Gilgamesh" by an anonymous author and ancient Greek writer, Homer's "The Odyssey"). The paper shows how both characters are engaged in quests - Gilgamesh, who is partially divine, does not wish to die and searches for a way to achieve immortality, whilst Odysseus is fully human and even rejects an offer of immortality in order to continue his struggle to return home after the end of the Trojan war. Both epics also feature the interference of the gods who encourage, assist, or thwart the two heroes and debate among themselves about the courses they should take in regard to the relatively insignificant human beings. The paper shows that the endings of the two epics are different--as might be expected from the differences in the two characters' goals. However, the basic themes of the endings have much more in common than might be expected. Gilgamesh is eventually convinced that immortality is something reserved for the gods. His partially mortal parentage means that he must die and that he should, therefore, take pleasure and pride in what is best about life rather than worrying about living forever. The paper shows that Odysseus is also intent on restoring order by returning home and in doing so, he makes the best of life, accepting fate and eventual death.
From the Paper "The episodes involving the offers of the goddesses also provide similarities and differences. In the case of Gilgamesh Ishtar "looked with longing" on his beauty and begged him to be her "bridegroom" (6.6-7). But Gilgamesh boldly rejected her, despite the list of beautiful things that she promised him, because he was aware of the sad histories of all the men and animals that she had taken for her lovers in the past. In the case of Calypso and Odysseus, however, the goddess is not accused of falseness and her offers of everything wonderful are quite serious. She does indeed want Odysseus to remain with her forever and makes the offer of immortality. He would be ageless and would "preside in our house with me / and be immortal"."
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 is a brief book report which includes a summary of the topic of the book, a critical analysis, and a conclusion including the lessons learned and the effect the book has on people's minds. It shows how the authors give a detailed and in-depth account of American millionaires and how they acquired their wealth. The book provides a straightforward blueprint to improve one's financial circumstances, as well as secrets concerning millionaires in the United States.
From the Paper "When we think of American millionaires, we immediately think of those we see on “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Most of us believe them to be flamboyant characters who buy what they want and lead exciting lifestyles. However, that assumption is very wrong. It seems that the majority of millionaires are actually frugal bargain hunters and live relatively boring lives (Stanley 1998). In The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy, Thomas Stanley and William Danko give a detailed and in-depth account of American millionaires and how they acquired their wealth. The book provides a straightforward blueprint to improve one’s financial circumstances, as well as secrets concerning millionaires in the United States (Stanley 1998). The authors summarize their findings from research of the methods millionaires use to acquire their wealth."
Abstract The paper compares the two poets and notes the major differences in their styles, focusing on length of poems, tension within the poems, meter and syntax. The paper also examines the similarities the two poets shared, most notable of which was that both invented their own form of verse and the fact that they were both not too popular with publishers because of the content of their poetry.
From the Paper "The styles of both Whitman and Dickinson are completely different, the style of the poet can also define how much tension a poem contains. Dickinson's own idiosyncratic style simply lends itself to tensions. Her lines are almost always short and she uses syntax in a very specific way which helps to build up the tensions in her work, which does often prove as Gelpi points out to be the coherence of it. Whereas Whitman's style is free verse and his lines are often as long as her wants them to be, they don?t have the same tensions as Dickinson's simply down to the way they were written."
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."
