Abstract This paper explains that "The Big Money" is really the story of the beginning of corporate and individual greed in America. The author points out that Dos Passos not only uses greed as a motivation for his characters, but also shows how it affected some of the top technologists and businesspeople of the time. The paper relates that Dos Passos's unusual style weaves fiction with current "newsreels" and events of the day, including Henry Ford and William Randolph Hearst.
From the Paper "Two of the characters in "The Big Money" typify these brash young entrepreneurs, who make wads of money in the stock market, and are the foundation for corporate and personal greed and excess in our country. Charley Anderson is an alcoholic aviation engineer who makes a killing in the stock market. He is quite successful in his business, but miserable in his personal life. "Charley wouldn't eat anything. Bill ate up both their steaks. Charley kept on drinking whiskey out of a bottle he had under the table and beer for chasers. 'But tell me . . . your wife, does she let you have it any time you want it?'" (Dos Passos 310). Margo Dowling is a stock speculator and actress. Both become wildly successful in the stock market, and both begin to live life to excess. All of the characters feel better when they have money, and it seems to give them all some kind of false sense of security, even though it can be taken away at any moment, as the crash of the stock market shows. These people may be rich, but they are morally poor, and the technologies of the day all helped build upon this foundation of greed and need that plagued the wealthy of the day. In the end, neither Margo nor Charley are happy because of their money, and their lives degenerate into meaningless loneliness."
Abstract This paper examines how, in the short story, "Cathedral", by Raymond Carver, the narrator referred to as 'Bub' learns a lesson in being human from the stranger who visits him and his wife. It looks at how, from the first thought, it is clear that Bub is bitter toward the blind man for a number of reasons, since Bub is a man who is not as observant as he believes and who has long failed to understand his own blindness. It shows how, by the end of the story, that bitterness has evaporated as Bub metaphorically walks in the other man's shoes and learns a valuable lesson in perception.
From the Paper "Bub is in many ways an unpleasant man throughout most of this story. He is bitter to the blind man even before he arrives. He is somewhat unreasonable about it to his wife, because the blind man is her friend and should be treated with more respect just for that reason. Bub does not like to have his routine interrupted and is even rude to the man directly once he arrives. Bub seems to take it offensive that the other man is blind, and yet as the story progresses, we discover that the man who cannot see with his eyes can "see" better than Bub as far as having an understanding of the world and the people in it."
Abstract This paper presents a brief review of Dylan Thomas's poem, "Fern Hill". The poem revolves around the theme of time and how each one of us is a victim of this mighty force. The writer includes some commentary on direct quotes from the poem and explains why many think this is Thomas's best poem.
From the Paper "Dylan recognizes and acknowledges the power and might of Time from the very beginning of the poem, and all his verses indicate certain submissiveness to this mighty force. Instead of resisting Time or its influence, the poet accepts its perpetual presence and acknowledges its impact on one's life. And this is clear from various lines where the poet mentions that it was with the permission and mercy of Time, that he enjoyed his childhood days. ?Thomas from his opening words declares himself, in insistent hindsight, to have been all the while in the thrall of a powerful personified Time: "As I was young," occurring in three of the poem's six verses, is on each occasion subordinate to an instance of Time's mastery over the speaker."
This paper discusses Sharon Olds's poem, "Rites of Passage", which describes the way society conditions young girls and boys to behave in a manner befitting their gender.
Abstract This paper relates that, in this poem, Olds is surprised to see that boys, from a very young age, are aggressive in nature and therefore love playing generals and soldiers. The author points out that the tone of the poem is ironic in the sense that, while on the surface it seams to be celebrating the birthday of first-grade child, on closer study, it contains heavy undertones. The paper stresses that the reason boys? behavior and their psyche are seen as the actual themes of the poem is because Olds hardly mentions anything else. There are no descriptions of the location or dresses the guests are wearing.
From the Paper "For example, all the six years olds in this poem behave in the same manner with everyone ready and willing to fight with others. There seems to be little compassion or empathy between the boys as they gear up for a "brawl". This is quite different from the behavior we would expect from a group of young girls. Not only would most of them be gathering around their dolls, they would also show little interest in waging a war against younger children. On the other hand, children in this party are looking for their potential victims and all younger kids are considered prime targets."
Abstract This paper discusses and analyzes the book, "The Hours", by Michael Cunningham, and the film, "The Hours", directed by Stephen Daldry. Specifically, it compares and contrasts the novel to the film adaptation and discusses whether the film succeeds in retaining the integrity of Cunningham's novel. "The Hours" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel adapted to the screen by writer David Hare.
From the Paper "Michael Cunningham's book follows a day in the lives of three women, while chronicling the last days of writer Virginia Woolf. One of the characters' stories, Clarissa Vaughn's, closely parallels the story of Clarissa Dalloway in Woolf's novel, "Mrs. Dalloway," and throughout the book, Woolf is writing "Mrs. Dalloway" while the other characters live their lives, always somehow in relation to "Mrs. Dalloway." The book is difficult to read in spots, and the language is often stilted and reminiscent of the early 20th century, and relies a bit too heavily on quotes from the original "Mrs. Dalloway." However, even if the book follows the lives of each woman in jumpy scenes, they are still quite specifically notated, which adds to the understanding of the novel, but the film jumps from scene to scene between the women, sometimes leaving the viewer disjointed and confused, especially if they have not read the novel."
Abstract This paper examines the article, "Technology Increases Workplace Stress, Tipping the Scales of Work-Life Balance", by the Kensington Technology Group, a study of home and office workers, and how their lives and professional careers are impacted by technology and stress. It looks at how their study confirms that workplace stress has increased as technological advances have increased and indicates that workers are now allowing workplace stress to invade their personal lives. It also includes an examination of the ethical issues inherent with workplace stress.
From the Paper "Another source of stress is attempting to maintain a balance between work and home life. Kensington's survey discovered "54 percent of workers feel that trying to maintain a work-life balance is a great source of additional stress at work" ("Technology," 1999). While it seems more employers are attempting to balance work and personal lives, there are still a myriad of ways for technology to intrude on personal time. Email, voicemail, cell phones, and laptop computers all allow workers to take their work literally home with them, and many do this on a regular basis. They may be away from the office, but they are still tied to it, and so, their family time suffers. This technology supports a mobile workforce, and often, the workforce is expected to perform for more than the 40-hour workweek."
Abstract Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" is the tale of a World War II veteran/soldier, Billy Pilgrim, whose wartime experiences and their effects lead him to the conclusion that war is unexplainable. The paper shows that to portray this effectively, Vonnegut presents the story in two dimensions. as history and science-fiction. and the irrationality of war is emphasized in each dimension by contrasts in its comic and tragic elements. The historical seriousness of the Battle of the Bulge and the bombing of Dresden are contrasted by many ironies and dark humor; the fantastical, science-fiction-type place of Tralfamadore is, in truth, an outlet for Vonnegut to show his incredibly serious fatalistic views. The paper shows that the surprising variations of the seriousness and light-heartedness allow Vonnegut to show effectively that war is absurd, making the story an anti-war novel.
From the Paper "As a result of the trauma of Billy's war experience; he faces an inability to deal with reality later in his life and the fantastical Tralfamadore is a planet where Billy escapes to when he feels life's stresses; however mad Billy seems to have become, Tralfamadore doubles to reveal Vonnegut's earnest fatalistic views. Tralfamadore is the epitome of all that is right in the universe and points out all that is wrong on Earth. The Tralfamadorians tell Billy that, although Earth is corrupt, there is nothing he can do about it: "Everything is all right, and everybody has to do exactly what he does? (Vonnegut, 146). Just as Billy was destined to go to war, decided on by a "higher being", the government was forced to go to war by a "higher being" than they, and the war was predestined and this idea of fatalism attempts to justify the irrationality of war."
A comparative analysis of the narrative of the "Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass and "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs.
Abstract This paper examines how female and male autobiographical narratives invariably take different forms because of the different, albeit culturally constructed, nature of male and female experience. In particular, it looks at the contrast between Frederick Douglass's narrative, its "plot" or true-life story structure and interest in comparison to Harriet Jacobs' tale of her escape from bondage. It explores how both tales are significantly impacted by the gender of the authors as well as the author's intent in writing and intended audience. Douglass tells the tale of a young man who escaped ignorance and violence through movement. Jacobs tells the tale of herself as a young woman and mother seeking escape from sexual exploitation, not through movement, but through hiding.
From the Paper "Both authors wrote against the institution of slavery, and used their own, personal experiences of slavery in the South to generate support for the national abolition of the institution. At the time, the abolitionist movement was mainly grounded in the Northern states of America. However, Douglass wrote, and also spoke as a gifted orator, mainly to Northern Whites. Thus his autobiography uses elements of how slavery it detrimental to the "souls of White folk" (to turn a phrase of W.E.B. Dubois on its head) as well as those of the enslaved, to generate support for the anti-slavery cause. An example of this can be found in his description of a White woman whom is one of the first mistresses of the young, enslaved Douglass."
Abstract This paper discusses Harriet Jacobs's novel, "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl". The paper describes the extraordinary strength of character exhibited by Jacobs in her quest for freedom from slavery. The paper portrays how Harriet Jacobs goes to almost superhuman lengths to assert her status as a person and rebel against the dehumanization of slavery.
From the Paper "In Harriet Jacobs' novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, the narrator takes several steps to assert her status as a person and to make a case against the dehumanization inherent in slavery. The dehumanization of Jacobs' and other slaves in the novel is clearly shown through the sexual exploitation that they face, and the separation of women and their children. Jacob's continually fights against this degradation, and asserts herself as a person. She refuses the advances of Mr. Flint, chooses another man with which to have an affair, and ultimately goes to the extremes of hiding in a cramped garret to assert her independence. Ultimately, Jacobs' is successful in obtaining her freedom, but she only obtains freedom through an extraordinary perseverance and force of will."
Abstract This paper looks at how "Fast Food Nation" is a broad, investigative journalism work that describes, examines, criticizes, and attacks the American fast food industry on several levels. It is also an eye-opener that reveals to the readers the whole new facet of this industry and makes links that no one could have imagined existed. It shows how the fast food industry is a multi-faceted entity that is affecting lives of millions, usually in a very negative way, and how the most rewarding part of reading the book is the amount of new knowledge and insights it provides.
From the Paper "Understanding the history of each event or chain of events that led to the development of American fast food industry is a key in order to be able to grasp the whole picture of it. The book starts with describing the very roots of hamburger industry in the U.S. and the "founding fathers" of it. McDonald's Corporation and the Walt Disney Company were the two giant corporations that were developing simultaneously. Both had the same great impact in creating the American nation as it is now: controlled by giant corporations, interested only in making profits and in spreading "americanization" around the world."
Abstract This paper explains that the Harlem or Negro Renaissance marked the 1920s and 1930s as a period during which the spirituality and potential of the African-American community was expressed in the most explosive way possible. The writer points out that, centered in the Southern states and with a freedom of expression generally trampled upon, black art expression was simply censored or manifested itself in its raw forms. The migration to the northern metropolis after the First World War was similar and implied the development, in all its forms, of black culture. The paper looks at how this impacted literature (poetry and prose), music (jazz played in the notorious Cotton Club and elsewhere), visual arts (painting), and acting in musicals.
From the Paper "Langston Hughes, one of the most representative creators of the Harlem Renaissance, best resumed this period as being a period when "Negro was in vogue" (Langston Hughes in his autobiography "The Big Sea". From Jackson, Caroline. Harlem Renaissance: Pivotal Period in the Development of Afro-American Culture. On the Internet at http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1978/2/78.02.03.x.html). This brief statement meant not only that the Harlem Renaissance was a period of awakening for the African American community, but also the fact that the white population enjoyed Black forms of creation. The rebel period after the First World War, with the Jazz Age and the prohibition, involved openness from the American towards the exotic and what they saw as unusual. In this sense, the African American culture was, for them, something different, as many of the White communities in Northern states had but minor contacts with it in history. They were interested in its forms of manifestation and the numerous patronages of black artists during this time created ripe premises for Black culture to develop and evolve."
Abstract This paper argues that the image of the speaker in Langston Hughes? s"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" as a wise figure representing the black community throughout the ages is conveyed not only in the poem's title, but also its concrete and plain diction, its repetition, and its free verse form.
From the Paper "The speaker's use of repetition relays the serious tone of the poem and the communal wisdom of the Black community. The poem's repetition is very formulaic, much like the oral traditions and histories passed down by African griots. The repetition drives home the point to the audience as well as tying the story together and making it easier for the griot to remember. The speaker begins by asserting, ?I"ve known rivers", a phrase that is repeated at the beginning of lines two and eight."
This paper analyzes Jonathan Swift's pamphlet, "A Modest Proposal", a satirical attack on the English for their inhumane treatment of the Irish in the 18th century.
Abstract This paper explains that Swift effectively parodies the cruel arrogance of the English and the submissiveness of the Irish parliament by presenting a horrific solution in well-reasoned and economically sound terms. The author points out that, instead of direct polemical criticism, Swift uses irony and parody to draw attention to the desperate conditions facing the poor of Ireland. The paper relates that the presenter employs pseudo-scientific statistics to make his argument appear more logical than it really is, thus creating the illusion of scientific certainty and reason by quoting numbers.
From the Paper "The pamphlet is a bold satire that excites the passion of readers even today, over two hundred years after it was written. Suggesting that the Irish poor eat their babies and thus make them beneficial to society is a point sure to demand attention. It works as a satire because the proposal is made with such a straight and sincere face. The narrator presents himself as a reasonable and humanitarian man."
Abstract This paper examines how Mitch Albom, author of the book, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven", effectively illustrates the stages in life that people go through as they reach past the prime of their lives. It looks at how, using the real-life character of Eddie, Albom details his life and the events surrounding the last 50 minutes he would spend on earth. By applying theories and concepts concerning human development, the paper brings into lucidity the importance of "Five People" in studying adulthood and aging and, more specifically, debates whether or not Eddie achieved self-actualization towards the end of his life.
From the Paper "Upon his retirement, Eddie goes back to memories of his life on earth: how, in each event and endeavor he considers as trivial or part of the mundane, lies the truth that he has done something important for other people. His work as maintenance head, Eddie realizes, is not just a mere job of checking the machinery, nut, bolts, cables, in order to ensure that the park's rides are functioning and safe for the passengers to ride on. Most importantly, as Albom tells his readers, Eddie has become significant for all the people in the park ?? because of the simple, mundane things Eddie had done in his life, the accidents he had prevented, the rides he had kept safe, the unnoticed turns he had affected every day?? This reflection on Eddie's part is already part of his life review, an appreciation of the things he have done while living on earth, and how, through deep reflection of his life, he was able to achieve integrity to replace the despair that he feels in life."
Abstract This paper summarizes and analyzes the self-defense Socrates presented at his trial and explains how Socrates was condemned to die not because he did not mount a successful defense, but because his accusers were threatened by Socrates's wisdom and perseverance. The paper concludes by pointing out that Socrates defended himself successfully by proving he was not an evildoer and that he never intentionally corrupted the youth and that God alone is wise.
From the Paper "Socrates was known as one of the most influential Greek philosophers of his time. "The Apology of Socrates" offers a self-portrait based not on false gods or corruption, but rather on a vigilant attention to and exposure of common thinking and false wisdom. Socrates strongly believed that just behavior was better than injustice, and that living morally correct would bring about happiness and well-being. For his life, that is proven to be true. Socrates lived a righteous life, and died a happy man. Throughout the "Apology", Socrates is falsely accused of being a "doer of evil, who corrupts the youth; and who does not believe in the gods of the state" (733). Socrates? self defense was a success because throughout his trial, he was able to prove he was not an evil doer, that he did not corrupt the youth, and that there was no man wiser than God."
