Abstract This paper discusses the idea of democracy as given by Alexis de Tocqueville who wrote a comprehensive book on the democratic system of America. He was of the view that though American democratic system was working successfully, it still had some weaknesses, which should be addressed effectively.
Abstract This paper compares the America of today to the America of Alexis De Tocqueville, claiming that were De Tocqueville alive today to see what America has become he would snicker at what he wrote about America being a society that gave equal opportunities to all.
From the Paper "Alexis De Tocqueville seemed smitten with the freedom and the lack of hereditary privilege he found in America in the first half of the nineteenth Century. What he saw then was a nation not bound by hereditary estates or titles, but supposedly gave equal opportunities to all. His revolution created Napoleon. The American Revolution produced the Constitution, Washington Jefferson and Madison."
Tags: liberals, left-wingers, democracy, vote, elections, intellect, unequal, distribution
Abstract This paper examines how Alexis de Tocqueville describes through his literature, the philosophical strain of American religious and political thought in the mid 19th century as a philosophy of pantheism, pluralism, materialism and above all, of the tyranny of the American democratic majority.
From the Paper "Religion in America, Tocqueville suggested, and faith in America was not necessarily freely chosen, but determined upon by popular consensus as an alternative to the hierarchical dogma that predominated in European forms of faith. Material goods in the here and now rather than faith in the beyond were the American measure of a person's glory and socially isolates human beings, because this is what the common people responded to. "It must be acknowledged that equality, which brings great benefits into the world, nevertheless suggests to men (as will be shown hereafter) some very dangerous propensities. It tends to isolate them from one another, to concentrate every man's attention upon himself; and it lays open the soul to an inordinate love of material gratification.""
Tags: pantheism, pluralism, materialism, majority, europe
Abstract In this article, the writer examines "Captivity," a stream-of-consciousness piece by Sherman Alexie. The writer points out that this work explores Alexie's reaction as a Native-American who grew up on a reservation, amid squalor, alcoholism, poverty, and hopelessness, to one of the classic narratives of a brave white woman enduring the grim experience of being held captive by Native-Americans. The writer discusses that Sherman Alexie, in touch with his tribal past and all of the imagery that it entails, also steps out to do his own dancing, the prolific author of novels, stories, poetry and pieces such as "Captivity," as well as the director of the movie versions of his books.
From the Paper "In "Captivity," Mary Rowlandson is a recurring image: the white, especially the white girl, alone on the reservation. One version of Mary Rowlandson is the daughter of a white reservation worker. Stepping into her first classroom filled with young tribal members, she carries with her a "memory" distilled from the captivity her namesake endured three centuries earlier, at a time when the Wampanoags might well have thought that they had a chance to clear their traditional lands of the grasping colonists. Terrified, the modern Mary Rowlandson flees the school, envisioning each boy as her would-be captor."
Abstract Sherman Alexie, in his book "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven", takes the role of the storyteller in society, the one who puts the attitudes and concerns of the community into narrative form. The paper shows that Alexie is dealing directly with the role of the storyteller in Native American society and how that role affects the social order, is fed by that same order and both conveys and creates myths as a result. The paper shows that a theme that recurs in the stories in this collection concerns the birthright of the Indian and the way it has been compromised by white society, which seeks to adapt it to its own uses.
From the Paper "Poverty is another theme in this book, for poverty is the condition to which the people on the reservation have become accustomed as they have become more alienated from their birthright. This is also a condition passed from father to son: "On Christmas Eve when he was five, Victor's father wept because he didn't have any money for gifts" ("Every Little Hurricane" 4). This is another reason for the alcoholism, which in turn contributes to the poverty. A deadly cycle is thus created, a cycle that continues from one generation to the next with little sign of any change. There is some memory of earlier times when Indians believed they had achieved something by selling land or oil rights to whites, but that was an illusion. Poverty is the reality and alcohol the way to make it all seem better: "He thought one more beer could save the world.""
Abstract This paper examines the short story collection, "Ten Little Indians," by Sherman Alexie, in which the guests are mysteriously eliminated, one by one, in bloody and ingenious fashions. It looks at how Sherman Alexie's tales attempt to eliminate stereotypes about Indians, one by one, and how, in this collection of short stories, which itself is ironic in its structure because it contains nine rather than ten stories of thwarted individuals, sex, and sexuality that is always displaced rather than directed towards its original object of desire.
From the Paper "Desire, and feeling passion in a world where desire only seems to lead to futility, because the society denies the identity of even the most successful Indian, causes Indian people to divert their desires into other, often ineffective ways. Jackson Jackson turns to gambling and drink, his uncle to murder. The scholarly heroine of the library set tale, entitled "The Search Engine," turns to books and literature, for the "huge number of books confirmed how much magic she'd been denied for most of her life, and now she hungrily wanted to read every book on every shelf. An impossible task, to be sure, Herculean in its exaggeration, but Corliss wanted to read herself to death," in a fashion that suggests this spinster has diverted her sexual desires into words and literature with a ferocious appetite."
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the book "Reservation Blues," by Sherman Alexie. Specifically, it looks at the musical poem at the beginning of the chapter "My God Has Dark Skin," and how it relates to the beliefs and religion of the characters throughout the book.
From the Paper "These words tell the story of how the Native American's had to give up their beliefs, and their religion for the white man's religion, in the name of "modernity" and "Christianity." The numerous Native American tribes each had a complex religious system, made up of folk tales, and a wide variety of gods and goddesses. Yet, when the white men came and took over the Indian lands, they tried to convert them to the "true" religion of Christianity, while they gave up their old ways and beliefs."
Tags: Indian, god, christianity, modernity, native, american, white, men
Abstract One of the earliest analyses of American culture was that of Alexis de Tocqueville, who traveled the country in 1835 and 1840. In his Democracy in America, De Tocqueville reported on what Americans thought of themselves, and much of what he writes evokes the traditions and myths by which Americans are identified to this day.
From the Paper "One of the earliest analyses of American culture was that of Alexis de Tocqueville, who traveled the country in 1835 and 1840. In his Democracy in America, De Tocqueville reported on what Americans thought of themselves, and much of what he writes evokes the traditions and myths by which Americans are identified to this day. Among the traditions De Tocqueville cites about American society are the notion of rights for everyone, the public spirit of the people, and the general respect for law. He also addresses the question of the possibility of the tyranny of the majority and the ways in which this is mitigated as he writes: "But in the United States the majority which so frequently displays the tastes and the propensities of a despot, is still destitute of the more perfect instruments of tyranny" (De Tocqueville 261). De Tocqueville then shows how the minority is ..."
Abstract This is an examination of one of Alexie's short stories from the collection "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight In Heaven." In this specific short story the writer discusses how two different characters deal with human mortality and the role humor plays in both their grieving processes.
From the Paper "In the short story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight In Heaven Sherman Alexie deals with a number of difficult subjects and controversial issues with biting humor. Jimmy Many Horses, the main character in ?The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor,? approaches the idea of his impending death in the same manner. For this evident detachment, his wife leaves him. She returns however, when she discovers that he is as frightened about his illness as she is. Alexie explores the different ways in which two people react to the thought of human mortality and the way in which they finally come to understand one another."
This paper discusses the organization and history of Alexis De Tocqueville's "Analysis Of Democracy In America" and focuses on majority rule, lawyers & juries.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 1 source, 1972, $ 63.95
From the Paper "Often, we cannot impartially judge our political, social and cultural institutions from a position of within these institutions ("What knows he of England who only England knows?"). It takes an outside observer to define and evaluate the principles upon which we base our civilization.
During Andrew Jackson's second term as President, a Frenchman, Alexis de Toqueville, anxious to impress his own nation, in the midst of one of its characteristic political experiments, of the desirability and workability of representative democracy, travelled throughout the United States, studying and observing the political process in this country. His findings and conclusions were described in Democracy in America, first published in 1839. In this often-reprinted and retranslated work, Toqueville offers a remarkably perceptive view ... "
Tags: POLITICAL SCIENCE: POLITICAL THEORY, HISTORY: U.S. (Before 1865)
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 ..."
This paper reviews two novels, both related to Indian Society in the U.S.A. --"Indian Killer", by Sherman Alexie and "A House Made of Dawn", by N. Scott Momaday.
Abstract The writer compares and contrasts the works of these two writers whose novels both focus on the issues of cultural ties in a sub-culture that is dominated and oppressed by the white majority. The paper looks first at Sherman Alexie's novel where the main character John is caught between the two cultures, his Indian background by birth and his adopted white family. The paper then continues with a review of N. Scott Momaday's book, set in post-war America and analyzes the characters development as he struggles between the world he once valued and the white world.
From the Paper "In Alexie's murder story, a serial killer is operating in Seattle and leaving behind scalped corpses decorated with owl feathers. This leads to a good deal of anti-Indian rhetoric and some street violence, both white against Indian and Indian against white. The killer is John Smith, an Indian without a tribe, which alone sets him apart from both groups. His name is clearly an ironic reference to the white captain famous for the story of Pocahantas. John is caught between the two cultures, for while he is Indian by birth, he is Adopted by a white couple. He rapidly slips into a delusional fantasy life in which he is the Native American hero able to right all the wrongs inflicted on Native Americans by European settlers and all those who followed."
Abstract This paper discusses how Alexis de Tocqueville in "Democracy in America" and Michael J. Sandel in "Democracy's Discontent" both address issues of democracy, freedom, the role of government, and the good citizen. It looks at how their viewpoints differ because they write at different times of history. De Tocqueville writes at a time when democracy is a novel ideal. Aristocracy has been the main form of government, and this, therefore, plays a major role in his writing. Sandel, on the other hand, deals with contemporary issues such as the global community and the implications of new technology and diminishing boundaries among people.
From the Paper "De Tocqueville stresses the importance of civil equality in the achievement of true democracy. This equality implies the lack of divisions and barriers between social classes. This is the equality that he sees in American culture as opposed to European culture that still subscribes to the aristocratic means of government. The democratic ideal implies more freedom than would be possible with an aristocratic government: "Let us suppose that all the people take a part in the government, and that each one of them has an equal right to take a part in it. As no one is different from his fellows, none can exercise a tyrannical power; men will be perfectly free because they are all entirely equal"?(De Tocqueville, Book II, Chapter I)."
Abstract This paper examines Alexie's novel, in which the blues comprise more than an appearance of disaster entrenched in African-American understanding. This paper looks at the role of blues music in the African-American lifestyle as presented in "Reservation Blues".
From the Paper "The blues articulate chronicles that, as of the usual point of view, instigate in the practices of Africans in America. However, customarily the blues go beyond diverse, inflexible cultural boundaries. Ralph Ellison's well-known classifications of the blues propose a liberal view; one partial, no more than, by the speaker's capability to lyrically articulate his or her autobiographical chronicle of personal catastrophe (Ralph, 78)."
