Examination of the book, "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures," by Anne Fadiman.
Abstract This paper discusses the role of ethnocentrism in the book. "Ethnocentrism" is the belief that your culture is "better" or "superior" to other cultures and that cultural standards are universal. It is often the wedge that keeps people from many cultures from blending into a cohesive unit, and in "The Spirit Catches You," it is quite common to see how the Hmong, with their culture of beliefs and superstitions, and American doctors, with their medicines and science, would clash and never see eye to eye.
From the Paper ""The Spirit Catches You" is the story of a Hmong family, the Lees, and their young daughter Lia. Lia is diagnosed with epilepsy, which the Hmong call "the spirit catches you and you fall down" disease. The story graphically illustrates two cultures that meet head on - with each one having absolutely no understanding of the other. The Hmong's entire culture is built on a series of beliefs and superstitions that they use nearly everyday to combat illness and appearance. For example, the author notes early in the book, "Although the Hmong believe that illness can be caused by a variety of sources - [...] by far the most common cause of illness is soul loss" (Fadiman 10). Thus, the Hmong use spiritual and holistic approaches to their daughter's health problems because it is all they know. The American doctors, on the other hand, want the Hmong to use American medicines and treatments, and the Hmong have no idea what these treatments are, or how they will benefit their daughter. What happens as the two cultures collide is a comedy of errors and misunderstanding, except that it is not funny, and Lia pays the price in the end."
Abstract This paper examines how, through the novel "Mrs Dalloway", Virginia Woolf captures the character of a whole society. In comparison, it looks at how, through Clarissa Vaughan in "The Hours", Michael Cunningham takes the reader through a literary time-travel and a coming to terms with change, ageing and societal restrictions.
From the Paper "After having alienated herself, Clarissa returns to the party, and having conquered a feeling of loneliness, she is now filled with a sense of life. She needs to be with the people who have been important to her: Peter and Sally. And the reader, just like Peter, becomes filled with 'extraordinary excitement' because Clarissa is there. It is not so much what Clarissa does that makes her important enough to carry the title of the novel. In fact her actions and the sequence of her day are rather superficial: she buys flowers, prepares for a party and hosts that party perfectly well. She represents a shallow upper-class woman with a very singular outlook on life. However, it is her omnipresence that is of considerable significance."
Abstract This paper argues that any text is a source of endless speculation, argument and debate in relation to three poems by William Butler Yeats: "Sailing to Byzantium", "Easter 1916" and "Wild Swans at Coole". Each poem is analysed through two critical approaches, namely New Critical, which focuses on the specific devices used by the poet in the actual poems and Marxist, which looks at the context of the poet and poem to extract meaning.
From the Paper ""Sailing to Byzantium" is not an exception to the fact that any text is a source of endless speculation, argument and debate. The debate in this poem arises over the interpretation of the golden bird that is "set upon a bough to sing". A New Critical reading of the golden bird holds that it is a symbol of the "artifice of eternity" and the ideal world of art. The golden bird defies all change and, as apart of art, comments on life and the natural world which is subject to mutability and transformation. A Marxism, however, argues that the golden bird along with the "holy city of Byzantium" represent aristocratic values, and the stability and immutability of the aristocracy is what Yeats yearns for. To a Marxist, nature symbolizes a society that changes."
Abstract In her 1797 novel, "The Coquette," Hannah Foster presents her critical analysis of female freedom and the politics of courtship and marriage within the restrictive confines of a conventional seduction novel. The paper shows that through her protagonist, Eliza Wharton, Foster creates a woman who goes against the social conformity of a virtuous life, questioning the restrictions that marriage placed on women.
From the Paper "The real, final decline of Eliza's physical and mental stability occurs when she learns that she is pregnant, "At the first discovery, absolute distraction seized the soul of Eliza, which has since terminated in a fixed melancholy" (Foster, 140). Eliza's moral redemption rests on her acceptance of the ethics of female self-sacrifice. Paradoxically, it is only by losing her fife that Eliza regains part of the power she relinquished from her seduction. On the other hand, her death finally puts her beyond the reach of the libertine who has pursued her, physically as well as psychologically, throughout the novel."
Abstract This paper analyzes Ehrenreich's book which deals with the issues of poverty in America, the ignorance of most citizens to the problem and the fight for the minimum wage law. The paper shows how the author's counterfeit foray into the world of the working poor offers a lingering glimpse of the true asperity of poverty to a deliberately ignorant audience.
From the Paper "As a culture, we shelter ourselves from the consummate implications of a society that necessitates a substandard manner of both wage earning and living for a substantial portion of its members. However, Enrenreich's over-the-counter delivery forces a cognizance of those forgotten, those so easily banished, literally, to their hands and knees. She carefully whittles precarious images of broken people, awkwardly perched on the edge of existence."
This paper discusses Benjamin Barber's views on "thin democracy" and "strong democracy" as expresses in his book "Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age".
Abstract This paper explains that Benjamin Barber in his book "Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age" defines 'thin democracy" as a democracy in which leaders are elected but they are left to their own devices concerning the majority of issues; people have the powers, which democracy provides, but the demonstration of these powers is primarily manifested in the form of elections. The author points out that Barber is convincing in making his point that "thin democracy" has a tendency to strip citizens of their sense of purpose as manifested by the voter participation rate stagnating in the U.S. at about half of those eligible. The paper stress that Barber loves the thought of a "strong democracy" in which it is not the leaders who make a democracy great but rather an active, informed citizenry.
From the Paper ""Thin democracy" takes the stance that average citizens are not interested in political matters and are not capable or adequate enough to directly participate in the political process themselves, beyond electing officials. Benjamin Barber feels that the United States democracy is thin and poorly represents the entire population at large. Significant portions of citizens are unable to vote due to restrictions or simply choose to be complacent and abstain from voting. Citizens under the age of eighteen are restricted from voting, as are prisoners, and persons living within the borders who are not nationalized. Citizens who are active in a thin democracy mainly participate in it by electing persons and then monitoring their political decisions (if they choose to do so), allowing the elected (those seen by the majority to have the most expertise and capability to discern what best represents the will of the majority) to do the actual work."
Abstract This paper considers the role of fate in "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles and suggests that fate is ultimately a force that cannot be defeated. It looks at Sophocles' depiction of fate as an unalterable force in the lives of the characters of the play.
From the Paper "In Sophocles' play Oedipus The King the title character has been given a glimpse of the bleak future that Fate has in store for him. Oedipus refused to accept that this prophecy must become a reality and fought to ensure that he would not murder his father .."
Abstract This paper explains that Assata Shakur's "Assata: An Autobiography" relates her experiences as an activist with the Black Panthers. The author points out her imprisonment as an accomplice to murder. The paper recounts the racism of police officers and cites Assata Shakur's courage.
From the Paper "In Assata Shakur's "Assata: An Autobiography"-- African American activist and Blank Panther member-- Assata Shakur reveals her involvement with Black nationalist organizers and their leaders. Her experiences leading an activist's life demonstrates courage and determination."
Tags: African Americans, racism, prejudice, Black Panthers, activism, violence, prison
How, in the story of "Gimpel The Fool", Isaac Bashevis Singer develops his characters in such a way that Gimpel is portrayed as a symbol of a stereotype.
870 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 1 source, 2001, $ 30.95
From the Paper "In the story of Gimpel The Fool, Isaac Bashevis Singer develops his characters in such a way that Gimpel is portrayed as a symbol of a stereotype. Throughout the story Gimpel gives nothing but honesty and trust to everyone. Gimpel is in turn stereotyped and plagued by his society as a senseless fool. If he indeed is a real fool, then he would lack the insight of realizing the motives behind all the people that function in his life. "I don"t think of myself as a fool (68),? and ?What was I to do, I believed them (69)? were remarks that Gimpel made that fell into his two reasons for his gullibility. The first was that ?everything is possible (69),? and his second was ?I had to believe when the whole town came down on me (69). "
Abstract This paper is an analysis of the cultural influences that young Maya and Bailey Junior are subjected to as children. The book "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" depicts a number of these influences, and this paper names and analyzes a select number of them. The paper format is a thesis introduction, three main points with paragraphs on each, and a conclusion.
Tags: and, bailey, cultural, influences, junior, maya, on, young
From the Paper " The creature in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein commits several evil acts, and at times creates the impression that he possesses an evil heart and soul. However, when he and his actions are fully observed, one can see that he is not truly demonic, but simply a being who is the result of great physical and emotional hardships. He is a product of different strong underlying factors, which together make him appear to be one of true evil. His reasons for killing, the remorse he feels for his horrible actions, the hope he has of having a female companion, and the reasons which lead him to the far north in the end, all, unprejudicedly examined, show that though he may act in sinful ways, deep down he is not a true evil being. "
Abstract This paper addresses the character of Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and how Tom is an example of how the author viewed the role of the diligent and loyal slave during the pre-Civil War era.
From the Paper "At the risk or resorting to clich"s, it is generally accepted that beauty means different things to different people. How did Socrates know that the attendees of the banquet would judge him based primarily on physical appearance" Perhaps he believed similar people with similar beliefs, such as pederasty, share similar views of beauty and love. Socrates is acknowledging the fact that the pederasts judge and value physical beauty above other forms. Apollodorus is not unprepared to tell us this story, if it is what he must do; but why is he prepared to tell it? What have we to learn from this? Each is free to take from The Symposium what they choose, to filter out the verbose eulogies and determine the true nature of eros for ones self. However, Socrates and Diotima's fascinating interpretation on the evolution of the perception of beauty is arguably the most compelling and revealing concept that should be extracted from this reading."
Abstract This paper analyzes and explores the character of Antoinette Jean Rhys's "Wide Sargasso Sea". The paper attempts to examine her role as a woman, a native of the Caribbean, and a wife.
From the Paper "Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of a woman who most readers are familiar with, but know very little about. Antoinette is better known to most as ?Rochester's mad wife,? from Jane Eyre, a portrayal that is slightly less than three dimensional and, as she is nowhere near being the story's main character, gives little in the way of deep characterization. Rhys picked up the character and gave her a backstory, a history that helps us better understand her "madness" and, in general, who she is. Rhys? Antoinette is fully fleshed out, and through examining her text, Antoinette's madness in Eyre and the latter portion of Wide Sargasso Sea is easier to rationalize. "
Abstract This paper is all about prosody. The poem, Countee Cullen's "Incident" is the analyzed work. In this paper, the author looks at the rhythm of the poem, likening it to cinematic scores.
From the Paper "Countee Cullen was an African-American poet born in New York, and a contributor to the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote of the black experience as he lived it, writing lyrically and imaginatively. His Incident is a short poem describing a brief incident in the speaker's life. While told in retrospect, and with few carefully chosen words, the relation of the experience speaks volumes about racism and how one must deal with it even from a young age. The format of the poem provides meaty contrast to the poem's subject matter, staying at one tempo even when the mood of the poem changes dramatically."
