Abstract The author compares and contrasts two poems, Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress." According to the author youth and time are two common threads in these poems, although each poet has a slightly different take on the role it plays in influencing people's lives. The poets also differ on their opinions of importance of growing old, and what lessons we can learn as we age.
From the Paper "Marvell looks at the aspects of death more than the aspects of living life because he feels that he needs to be rejuvenated back to life by a lady who will not give him what he wants. He is facing the fact of his own death, not anyone else's. "But at my back I always hear / Time's winged chariot hurrying near; / And yonder all before us lie / Deserts of vast eternity. / They beauty shall no more be found." It doesn't seem like Marvell cares about how his "Lady" feels. He just thinks that she will regret not being one with him after she dies because "her quaint honor" would be turned to dust and his "lust" would be converted to "ashes.""
Abstract This paper looks at lines 175 through 188 of the epic "Beowulf" in order to examine the author's views of paganism and Christianity. It is also important to look at when and where this was written in order to understand the conflict surrounding the lines discussed. The author's choice of words, structure and cadence of the passage in question are also examined.
From the Paper "The speaker seems to be creating a degradation of the people involved since the progression goes from heathenish hope, to the back of the heart, and then to hell. The line following this uses the same alliteration, but all words beginning with "h" are capitalized: Head, Heavens, High. These words all refer to a memory of God who rules all, which takes the previous line's degradation into a new perspective regarding the goodness of Christianity. Another interesting method used by the speaker in Beowulf is the placement of the phrases "cursed is he" and "blessed is he," considering they appear at the ends of their respective lines, which creates a stronger emphasis on these two bold statements. The final line of this passage states "find friendship in the Father's embrace." This shifts the alliteration to a new sound, while at the same time reveals the fact that these people are indeed Christian at heart whether they struggle to show it or not."
Abstract The essay explains the different aspects of romantic love through an explication of Sonnets 116, 130 and 138. According to the author, the three types of love are, respectively, real love, ideal love, and lying love. The poems emphasize different aspects of love, but all three kinds are required for love to stand the test of time.
From the Paper "In Sonnet 116, Shakespeare makes several claims about ideal love. As described in this poem, ideal love is permanent. If someone is truly in love with another, his love will never end. "Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,/ But bears it out even to the edge of doom" (ln. 10-11). This love, according to Shakespeare will never wither away or be broken down by any obstacle (ln. 6). Nothing can stand in the way of this feeling, true and strong. Ideal love will also never change, even as the possessors do. As they change, they will still love each other just as strongly, or even more so (ln. 2-3). This is the most important and most difficult aspect of reaching ideal love. Though many believe they have achieved it, they fall short as they come to realize that as they learn more about each other, they drift apart."
Abstract This essay examines the ideological roles of women in society. Clarissa Dalloway's unhappiness in marriage reflects defiance in the social ideal. Clarissa's marriage to Richard Dalloway is an action, which supposedly, should make her feel complete. Instead, marriage contributes to her sense of non-being. Clarissa's internal and external state of being is analysed in the first section of the essay. This section looks at Woolf's narrative technique. Woolf uses juxtaposition of male, female; internal, external thought to highlight Clarissa's inability to act upon desire. The second topic of analysis in the essay is Clarissa's loss of identity. Clarissa becomes "Mrs.Dalloway" and defines herself by her new title. She plays the role that is expected in her social group. Though she works hard to maintain the perfect image she is not truly happy with her life. The third part of the essay examines Clarissa's interest in alternative lifestyles as a result of her unhappiness. Clarissa dreams about achieving goals that are unheard of for women of the time. She thinks about alternative relationships with both men and women. Though to weak to act upon such thoughts, Clarissa expresses defiance through her desire. Clarissa's internal resistance is intimately connected to the ideology of her social system.
From the Paper "In Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf, the actions, thoughts and experiences of Clarissa Dalloway reflect the pressures on women to play ideological roles in society. Clarissa is an upper class mother, wife and hostess, whose thoughts and desires challenge her domestic role. She is not happy, yet she chooses to maintain the illusion of happiness in her life as a means of survival in a society that shuns independent women. Woolf's narrative serves to deconstruct the politics of gender and masculine privilege through Clarissa's internal discontent. Clarissa Dalloway is externally controlled by the dominant systems of belief in her high-class society. Clarissa's internal resistance to social order is apparent in her state of division, loss of identity, and interest in alternative lifestyles. Through the social interactions and thoughts of Clarissa Dalloway, the ideological and the internal are intimately connected."
Abstract This paper briefly takes a look at the arguments presented in Winkler's book "Home Front USA." The author claims that American society changed dramatically as a result of World War Two and the writer looks at these claims on a social, racial and cultural level. The country as a whole changed on a industrial level.
From the Paper "World War II transformed the map of Europe. It changed the balance of power across the world. It also changed the face and the structure of American society. According to Allan M. Winkler's Home Front U.S.A.: America, during World War II, American society was completely reconfigured. These changes continue to impact our lives today.
Winkler does not deny the fact that certain changes were already underway before the even of war. Yet he states that the impact of the war was such that without it, today we would be living in a completely different world from both a social and an industrial perspective."
Tags: image, war, effort, mobilization, government, independence, development
Abstract This paper looks at the two elderly female characters in two of O?Connor's short stories. The paper discusses each character and the way that they perceive themselves as good Christian women. It then shows how both behave under stress, becoming arrogant, racist, blasphemous and hypocritical.
From the Paper "Flannery O"Connor writes short stories filled with horror, comedy, and religion. However, her religious themes sometimes go unnoticed. O"Connor was a devout Catholic living in the South and she was often disturbed about the world around her. She saw the hypocrisy in those who claimed to be Christian and good. Moreover, O"Connor was worried about the downfall of man due to this hypocrisy she witnessed. O"Connor channeled these feelings into her own work. Her stories are satirical and humorous, but the deeper meaning, if found, is serious. For example, O?Connor's short stories, ?A Good Man is Hard to Find,? and ?Everything That Rises Must Converge,? are not simply stories about a family getting murdered or an old lady getting beat to death. Rather, the stories portray two old ladies, both claiming to be good Christians, who come to face the horrible reality that they are hypocrites."
Abstract This paper discusses the works of Thoreau and Emerson and the birth of the transcendentalist movement in U.S. literature. The author looks at Emerson's essay "Self Reliance" and "The American Scholar" and Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and "Walden".
From the Paper "Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson were two of the romantic American writers of the transcendentalist movement, which in essence stresses that less is more, that nature is to be studied, to be a true intellect you must read the classics and that living a life off the beaten path is more satisfying than one on the beaten path. Though Emerson began his writings first, Thoreau and Emerson are both credited with this movement. Emerson was clearly the founder of this initial movement, but Thoreau's writings were also critically acclaimed."
Abstract The writer examines the characteristics of Hamlet and the forces that drove him to act as he did. The writer believes that Hamlet's melancholic behavior, his ?tragic flaw,? and his procrastination to fulfill the task of revenge are factors that cause him to fall victim to obstacles that he is unable to overcome.
From the Paper "In the play "Hamlet" the protagonist is concerned with situations involving not only social but also moral pressures as well. There are many reasons to believe that Hamlet's actions were not in vain. Although Hamlet kills Claudius, the plan for revenge is not properly fulfilled due to elements that cause Hamlet's downfall and his unfortunate demise. "
Abstract This paper analyzes Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story about a minister's life. This minister preaches his regular sermon in church usually in an uninspiring way until one Sunday, he shows up with a black veil on his face. This paper discusses the effects this had on his congregation and its symbolism. It details how Hawthorne's story, and the veil itself, is a metaphor for all of our sins and transgressions.
From the Paper "Hawthorne's short story is deceptively simple. He tells the tale of a minister, Parson Hooper, who comes to church one Sunday wearing a black veil over his face. Nothing else about him has changed, but this veil frightens the worshippers, and sets off all kinds of rumors, including that Parson Hooper has gone mad. ?Such was the effect of this simple piece of crepe, that more than one woman of delicate nerves was forced to leave the meetinghouse. Yet perhaps the pale-faced congregation was almost as fearful a sight to the minister, as his black veil to them.? As he preaches his sermon, the congregation seems to find this sermon special, and somehow it touches each one. Hawthorne says that Hooper was normally a rather "uninspired" preacher, and today was no exception, but the people perceive his words differently. They frighten many of them. ?Each member of the congregation, the most innocent girl, and the man of hardened breast, felt as if the preacher had crept upon them, behind his awful veil, and discovered their hoarded iniquity of deed or thought.? Perhaps Hooper's words are hitting a little close to home, and people are seeing some of the things they cover up in their own lives, as Hooper covers his face with the veil."
Tags: minister, black, veil, Nathaniel, Hawthorne, congregation, preach, sermon, sins
Abstract The different characters in this play are all analyzed and looked at, and then compared to Laura, who is thoroughly analyzed herself. It shows how all the characters are like in little "glass bubbles" and do not interact with the world, yet despite this, their necessary interactions with each other are analyzed.
From the Paper "The characters in Williams's The Glass Menagerie are all living in their own world. They do not seem to come out of their own dream world, in which they have clearly found comfort and shelter. Especially Laura has great problems being a part of society, she, of all characters, has most clearly fled into a lonely fantasy world. In this essay I will compare the character of Laura to the other characters in the play."
Tags: literature, play, tennessee, theater, williams
Abstract In the play "Hedda Gabler" by Ibsen, the main character Hedda's ultimate goal is her independence. This paper shows how ultimately, however, her quest for independence leads to her destruction.
From the Paper "There are several characters in the play "Hedda Gabler" by Ibsen who have a delusive view of life. Hedda Gabler lives in a world of her own creation. Hedda believes she is an independent woman who will never be at the mercy of others. Throughout the play, Hedda asserts her independence by attempting to control and manipulate other characters. Hedda's misconstrued view of reality regarding her own independence serves to impact her life in self-destructive ways."
This paper reviews the book "Gideon's Trumpet," about a hobo and real-life convict in Florida in the 1960s whose fight for freedom led to a landmark case being heard in the United States Supreme Court.
Abstract This is a book review of Anthony Lewis' book, "Gideon's Trumpet." The legal figures and details of this case are presented to the reader, who is taken through all of the different stages in order to understand the process involved this type of legal case. The book gives the reader insight into how legal verdicts are reached, including the process the judge must go through in order to reach a binding decision. It looks at an individual's right to counsel, how the courts can influence the formulation of state and federal laws and serves as a good resource for law students seeking to learn about the legal system in the United States.
From the Paper "The book as a highly informational literary work to the ordinary reader sends that reader to a crash course in rules of court and how judges and justices reach verdicts. It tells him how a complaint moves from the first step to the middle and the last, how it is taken up or rejected. And because it talks about a true-to-life case of a convict who petitions the highest Court of the land for his own release and obtains that petition, the book is a call for courage and encouragement in the presence and supremacy of justice even among weak, erratic human beings in robes."
Abstract The following paper examines how the character of Holden Caulfield still reminds us that cynicism and self-doubt are not characteristics that are proprietary to adults. The writer examines how teen-age Holden is cynical, defiant, and blind to what is actually going on around him, yet to the very end of the novel he continues to berate the "phoniness" of others, particularly adults. The irony of Holden's seeing the faults and foibles of others while not being able to recognize them in himself is Salinger's comment on the way society views the human condition . This paper discusses how society always views the human condition as "the other guy".
From the Paper "The novel begins with Holden proving this point: We"re introduced to Holden by his telling us that he doesn?t want to talk about his "lousy childhood" -- he doesn?t "feel like going into it" (Salinger 1). Holden is self-destructing but doesn?t realize it because he's so intent on blaming everyone else for his problems. These psychological battles within Holden's own head serve as the basis for critical argument. As we read and learn more about Holden's situation, we must accept that society does indeed fail us because the finger is always pointed toward someone other than ourselves, whether it's to help someone in need or accept that we ourselves need help. Holden's character has sometimes been criticized for possessing the same characteristics he abhors in other people, but that, as I see it, is the point ? he is a teenager and as such, rather self-centered. He doesn?t choose to see that the very qualities he finds fault with in other people.?
Abstract This paper is an analysis of Maxine Hong Kingston's memoir, "The Woman Warrior". It examines the themes of silence, invisibility, ghosts and using words as weapons found throughout the book. Examples from the text are provided to support the claims.
From the Paper "It may be said that each section of Maxine Hong Kingston's memoir, The Woman Warrior, may be considered a microcosm of the work as a whole. The section "No Name Woman" incorporates the recurring themes of silence, invisibility, ghosts and using words as weapons.
It is argued, that the story's central theme is the process of "finding a personal voice" (Ling). This is mainly about the Aunt, but also about the mother and the narrator. It is a combination of three female characters each trying to find a voice and fighting against silence, some by choice such as the narrator, some by force, such as the mother, that makes this a powerful theme."
Abstract This paper briefly explores the role of the narrator and shows how it is related to the presentation of the cultural conflict existent in society and its aim to raise an awareness of the role of the women in African American society, which has been largely ignored. This book explores the creative legacy of Southern black women.
From the Paper "In her short story "Everyday Use" Walker explores the theme of the quilt as one significant medium through which black women were allowed to express their creativity. "Everyday Use" is narrated by a woman who is "a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands." Through her narrator, Walker emphasizes the significance of the quilt by contrasting two sisters: the seemingly ignorant Maggie who has not gone to school, but knows how to quilt, and the educated, fashionable Wangero who assesses quilts primarily as works of art to enhance her own value. Their mother tells this story and ends her contrast of the two sisters' characters by snatching the quilts away from the selfish Wangero, who does not care about her family, and giving them to Maggie, who loves her people and makes quilts from their worn clothes."
