Abstract
This paper analyzes the character of Paul Baumer in Remarque's novel. It highlights, through example from the text, the social and individual effects of war. The author discusses the message of the book, that war is savagery, senseless and soul destroying.

From the Paper
"One example of this hardening is seen in the fighting scenes. For example, we read, "The front is a cage in which we must await fearfully whatever may happen" (101). He and the others are forced to deal with change constantly. He tells us that it "makes us indifferent" (101). But change comes in different forms and not always at once. For instance, when Baumer comes face to face with an enemy soldier, he cannot bring himself to kill him. However, in an instant, a basic animal instinct comes over him and he suddenly throws a grenade at the man, killing him. He realizes, "We have become wild beasts. We do not fight, we defend ourselves against annihilation" (113). Another important point we find is how the soldiers are not actually fighting each other as much as they are avoiding death. These scenes allow us to see how the war has hardened the men into creatures that are simply fighting to stay alive."

Tags:war, soldier, literature, character

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that Michael MacDonald in his book 'All Souls: A Family Story from Southie' presents a true account of a family living in poverty in Boston, in the neighborhood known as Southie. The writer describes that the story takes place in the 1970s and details the sort of poverty many people associate only with a Third World country and not with people living within but also far from the affluence of the United States.

Tags:poverty, neighborhood

Abstract
This paper compares the paths to enlightenment espoused in Theravada, Zen, and Vajrayana Buddhism. The paper first relates that, from Siddhartha Guatama's teachings, were born numerous schools of Buddhism, each with similar Buddhist principles, but also with contrasting paths to enlightenment. The paper then relates in the Theravada school, nirvana and enlightenment can be reached through detachment from the greater world, possessions, and desire. Zen, however, holds that meditation, discipline, and defiance of rational thought can lead to enlightenment. Whereas, in Vajrayana Buddhism, ritual, meditation and shamanistic elements in "the Diamond Vehicle" are paramount. The paper concludes that all forms of Buddhism use similar core ideas, but use different methods to pursue the enlightenment of the soul.

From the Paper
"The ideal of Theravada is to become arhat, or arahant , in Pali. This is equivalent to "worthy one", or "perfect being" (144, Molloy). To become araht, one must have realized enlightenment, Nirvana, and at last be free of the cycle of reincarnation. Essential wisdom is attained through individual effort, guided by the principles outlined in the Tripitaka. Monks must come to wisdom by their own efforts. They do not rely on prayer or divine focal points. An understanding of anatman; the nature of the self, is key to Theraveda enlightenment. One must come to realize that ego, the self, is a delusion, one that must be released in order to reach nirvana (131, Molloy). A core practice in the pursuit of mindfulness, and subsequent wisdom in Theravada tradition is through Vipassana meditation. "

Tags:Siddhartha, Guatama, ritual, meditation, enlightenment

Abstract
This paper relates that, in her book "Hole in our Soul", which traces the origins of truly 'American' music back to the early days of New Orleans jazz and Chicago blues, Martha Bayles decries what she perceives to be the growing threat of musical perversity. The author contends that, while Bayles provides some compelling evidence, her thesis is too sweeping a generalization to take seriously. The paper concludes that, although the book is an excellent read, Bayles seems to be just another cranky elder criticizing anything new at all.

From the Paper
"When hip-hop took off though, after Sugar Hill's release of "Rapper's Delight," rap moved to the studio. There, alterations, lining-up tracks with samples, and other such technical feats were simple enough, and while they did require skill - it was not always musical skill that was required. Along with this, Bayles tell us, came the computerized and synthesized beats and rhythms that are supposedly plaguing modern music in general (ever since disco). The worst part of modern rap though, is the breaking from traditional Afro-American values and the introduction of obscenity and profanity and downright disgustingness as a major part of black rap."

Tags:modernism, profanity, backlash, afro-american, british

Abstract
This paper discusses soul music, focusing on its sound, its history, some of its composers and artists, and its cultural background. Soul music has become the anthem of African-Americans, and it is a unique and satisfying blend of blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues, that has become an important part of American music and culture. The paper shows that soul music is no longer simply a "black" thing; it is an American style of music that has become popular all over the world and has influenced many other types of music. The paper argues, however, that true soul still faces prejudice and an uphill battle for acceptance in white popular music.

From the Paper
"Some music critics believe soul branched into two areas' soul for blacks, and rock and roll for whites, but this theory is only one of several regarding soul. Soul music remains a bit mysterious because it is a black phenomenon, and so, many other races either do not relate to the music, or do not care to. However, soul jumped the boundaries of race, and became popular in white circles as well as black because of the entertainers, the lyrics, and the driving and catching beat of soul music. Soul was (and is) played on white radio stations, and soul artists appeared on the classic television show "American Bandstand" regularly, which also helped bring the music into the mainstream. One of the reasons that Bandstand featured so many soul artists is because the city where it originated, Philadelphia, was a hotbed of soul artists."

Tags:Chubby, Checker, Bandstand, Aretha, Franklin, Motown

Abstract
This paper analyzes the poem "The Soul Selects Her Own Society" by Emily Dickinson. The paper explains that Emily Dickinson wrote a number of poems which used religious symbols, which expressed solitariness, or which were related to the events in her own life, but "The Soul Selects Her Own Society" combines all three of these elements. The paper looks at how, by using very spare wording with a vocabulary charged with multiple layers of meaning, Dickinson sets out the absolute sovereignty of each person to decide who he will love and to make that choice irrevocable in the face of outside pressure. The paper also notes that the words of the poem contain their own meaning; it is not necessary to know the details of her life to understand and draw meaning from her words. The paper maintains that the poem's simplicity of imagery hides a complexity of meaning and, after savoring it, the reader can keep hold on it.

From the Paper
"In style, Dickinson was defiant of form but not careless nor working from whim. Her end rhymes in this poem were sometimes exact, but more often slanted or not there at all. She uses a parallel opening in the word "unmoved" in the first and third lines of the second stanza to give a stateliness to the rhythm and also to emphasize the adamancy of her position. Her line lengths followed no set pattern (Higginson). In just three short stanzas, she shows also the passionate feelings and deep conviction she brought to her examination of human nature, the world of souls."

Tags:human, nature, stanzas, feelings, religion, pressure

Abstract
This paper discusses the life of the Greek philosopher Socrates and how he set the standard for all subsequent western philosophy through his critical reasoning, by his unwavering commitment to truth and through his own example of his life. It examines how his influence on philosophy as a way of life is of central significance for he symbolizes the uneasiness of the relationship between society and philosophy. It evaluates the four doctrines of Socrates on life: virtue is knowledge, the Elenchus (method through which Socrates exposed his interlobular ignorance), the claim to ignorance and his view of the soul - the main focus of the paper. Socrates believed that the soul is eternal and in order to prove his argument he spent his life training it to separate itself from the basic requirements of the body.

From the Paper
"However, the first is called the Argument from Opposites. Here he argues that all the things that comes to be from out of its opposite, with the intention, for example, he says that a tall man becomes only tall due to the reason that earlier he was short (7). In Plato's dialogue, The Phaedo, Socrates holds that "life must be lived with a view to the cultivation of the Soul"."

Likewise, death is the opposite of life; therefore, living things come to be out of dead things and so going vice versa too. Thus, this argument and claim of Socrates means that there is a continuous cycle of life and death, resulting to the fact that when one dies they actually do not remain dead forever, but instead come back to life after a specific time frame. Wile on the other hand, Christians believe no life after death and have the opinion that once a human is dead there is no comeback as claimed by Socrates (7)."

Tags:argument, opposites, elenchus, virtue, doctrine, life, death, plato, interlobular

Abstract
This paper discusses how the veil metaphor according to Du Bois represents discrimination based on color and race in all aspects of the African-American's life: socially, economically, educationally and religiously.

From the Paper
"Du Bois borrows the veil notion which belongs to the religious women who cover themselves from strangers; cover their intelligence, beauty, souls and energies. They become not known or realized by others, and some of them may only wonder what's beneath the veil might be but without seeking to discover it. Du Bois uses of the metaphor Veil throughout the various chapters of his book to refer essentially to what separates blacks from whites, but he goes deeper and deeper to make us figure out the ugliest discrimination that based on color or race in the history. They didn't bother themselves to wonder what's beneath this veil, or seek to discover that marvelous beauty of their souls, intelligence, and their humanity; the veil prevents the whites to see the real blacks. "

Tags:blacks, discrimination

Abstract
This paper analyzes three directors, Douglass Sirk, R.W. Fassbinder and Todd Haynes and their respective films. The paper looks at the combined effects of these films as a social critique of 1950's small town America to provide insights or social commentary into the era.

From the Paper
"Film can play a significant role in the ways which society can twist and look inwardly upon itself. At times, it is only in art, through being shown these images of ourselves, that we can fully see ourselves. Many artists, novelists, philosophers and literary critics, among others, have attempted to hold up this mirror to society. Most recently, films have added themselves to this growing list. In film, often directors approach this relationship between movies and society, and critique the functions of our social reality through film. The directors Douglass Sirk, and the film All That Heaven Allows, R.W. Fassbinder and the film Fear Eats the Soul and Todd Haynes in his Far From Heaven all utilize the genre of the melodrama to incorporate social critique into their views of 1950's suburban America. Sirk, Fassbinder and Haynes all have aspects of this social critique in..."

Tags:sirk, haynes, fassbinder

Abstract
Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener" relates the story of an employee at a Wall Street firm whose unconventional behavior captures the attention of his employer and disrupts the functioning of the office. As Bartleby's supervisor becomes familiar with the scrivener's unorthodox behavior, his attitudes toward his nihilistic employee evolve. The selection chosen for analysis in this paper reflects in microcosm the lawyer's changing attitudes toward Bartleby. In this selection, Melville's changing diction, point of view and tone all help him to portray the narrator's changing attitudes toward Bartleby and his conclusion concerning Bartleby's soul.

From the Paper
"The narrator's point of view also evolves during the selection. As it begins, the narrator speaks in first person and has almost no insight into Bartleby's thoughts and feelings, which he describes as "dead-wall reveries" (p. 555), indicating his lack of insight. As the passage continues, the narrator develops a greater insight into Bartleby's actions. Although the passage continues to be narrated in the first person, Bartleby's employer indicates his increasing empathy and understanding. He states that "to a sensitive being, pity is not seldom pain. And when at last it is perceived that such pity cannot lead to effectual succor, common sense bids the soul be rid of it" (p. 556). This shows his increasing understanding of Bartleby's idiosyncrasies and the escalating level of empathy that he feels for his strange employee."

Tags:american, literature