Abstract This paper deals with David Mamet as an icon of American literature. Mamet's own life, interviews, and especially his play "The Cryptogram", are used to illustrate the paradoxical nature of his work: creative genius on one side, personal anguish on the other. How Mamet's own past expresses itself in his work is a major concern.
From the Paper "A paranoid recluse, yet a brilliant social critic, David Mamet has become an icon of modern American literature. He has perplexed readers and audiences worldwide with his quintessential blend of vulgarity, conflict, and keen intellectualism. But if his writing presents a paradox, it is only because his thoughts and the life that has formed them are a paradox. Refusing to grant reporters and interviewers direct access to the details of his abusive and dysfunctional childhood home, elucidating only on the rarest of occasions (Interview 52), his writing is a fountain of conscious and unconscious expression, golden to the psychoanalyst, and at the very least fascinating to the literary eye. Mamet's many ?disguises,? which changed frequently throughout the 1970s and 1980s to reflect the attitudes in his writing (Lahr 70), are just one example of his desire to cloak his inner self from the outside world. The language, themes, and characters in his interviews, autobiographical pieces, and his play, The Cryptogram, make it clear that to uncover the mystery of David Mamet is to make it infinitely more complex. David Mamet is an essential paradox of the conflict of his past and the clarity of his creative vision."
Abstract This paper discusses the overall themes that flow through "In Snow Falling on Cedars" and "No-No Boy" focusing on the themes of pain, anguish and the struggle of a person to find themselves within their environment.
From the Paper "In each novel the authors used combines techniques to express their ideas. They use the basic story line as well as a range of underlying themes. In each of the novels the search for meaning is a basic underlying theme, and in both of the novels the meaning becomes clear on so many levels: while the environment does not define us, we are defined by how we react to that environment."
Abstract This essay explores the existentialist theme in Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" and how it is used in the play.
From the Paper "In Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot, Existentialism is the prevailing source of inspiration.
Beckett uses his characters to show that waiting is truly anguish and one must actively pursue the
meaning in their life. This essay explores both existentialism as well as its use in this play."
Abstract This paper defines the Oedipal Complex and show how it emerges as a theme in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', through the relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude, his mother. The closet theme is shown as a major scene that reflects their relationship, as well as other scenes which show Hamlet's anguish at being replaced in his mother's affection by another man.
From the Paper "A young boy suffering from the Oedipal Complex has sexual desires for his mother and aggressive feelings toward his father. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the object of Hamlet's Oedipal Complex, Gertrude, follows the criteria of this theory. Although Hamlet outwardly disapproves of his mother's marriage, Gertrude constantly expresses her undying affection for her son. The Closet Scene, in addition to revealing the Oedipal Complex, best exemplifies the conflict in Hamlet's relationship with his mother. "
Abstract This paper takes a brief look at brief look at the poetic technique of Emily Dickinson. By analyzing some of her poems, we are shown her attitude towards nature, death, pain and religion.
From the paper:
"Emily Dickinson was a poet whose power stemmed from her ability to present the simplest scenes of life shrouded in imagery. On first reading her poems would be natural and meaningless but a deeper look would reveal the intricacies present within them that had a lot of meanings and revealed a multitude of themes that evoked images of the unseen. "
Abstract This paper critiques the article "No End of Lessons," found in "The Economist" in May 1995. "No End of Lessons" discusses the anguish of World War II for the countries involved in the struggle. The paper includes a discussion of the article's strengths, weaknesses, biases, main idea, sources, uses of evidence and the usefulness of the article in the study of modern Europe.
From the Paper "The article I am reviewing is No End of Lessons, which was first published in The Economist on May 6, 1995. The thesis of this article is best summed up by the following statement taken from the article - "Half a century after then end of the second world war, how - and whether - to remember it still causes more anguish and ambivalence than pride among most of the peoples caught up in it." The author of this article will attempt to prove why exactly World War II is a bad memory that is best forgotten, and how the actions of World War II are now regarded by the nations involved. "
Tags: america, england, fascism, germany, hitler, ii, japan, nationalism, nazis, nazism, soviets, war, world
Abstract This paper examines Cooper's opinion that argues that Woodrow Wilson felt that it was his responsibility to prevent the United States from participating in the First World War. The paper looks at statements made by Wilson which show his true opinion and briefly cites arguments that he put forward against joining WWI.
From the Paper "Wilson understood the realities of war and hoped that the United States could remain neutral. He felt that a war could tear the U.S. apart. War would divide the American people and result in countless deaths. In fact, Wilson felt that death and destruction were too large a price to pay for a victory in war."
Abstract The paper discusses the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque about a young German soldier during World War I. The paper studies, through the eyes of the main character of the book, Paul B?umer, how modern warfare, especially trench fighting, affects the soldier by destroying him and inflicting him with physical hardships and mental anguish.
From the Paper "The physical hardships are hard to endure. The men fight off more than the enemy. They have to battle hunger and disease. Their food is little and far in between because there are not enough rations. When they do receive food, Paul says, ? We pull in our belts tighter and chew every mouthful three times as long. Still the food does not last out; we are damnably hungry. I take out a scrap of bread, eat the white and put the crust back in my knapsack; from time to time I nibble at it?(108). Paul does whatever he can to make to food as long as possible."
Abstract The paper discusses the play 1944 play "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams whose plot draws loosely on autobiographical material from the writer's own life. The paper shows how the play describes the main character (Tom Wingfield)'s anguished struggle between the call of duty towards his mother (Amanda Wingfield) and sister (Laura Wingfield) and his desire to ?live his own life.? Tom is also the "narrator" in the play who often moves in and out of the action. The paper discusses how, apart from the use of a narrator, "The Glass Menagerie" is notable for the use of music, screen projections and lighting effects that helped to create a dream-like effect that is appropriate for a ?memory play.? This was unusual for the time and challenged the naturalistic convention of plays of the period.
From the Paper "The play is divided into seven acts and opens in the run-down St. Louis apartment of the family sometime in 1937 with the narrator Tom reflecting on his past memory. By speaking directly to the audience through the narrator the playwright makes a deliberate departure from the naturalistic convention of plays at the time. The essential characteristics of all the characters in the play are established quickly at the beginning with the use of this technique. Amanda is a loving but nagging and meddlesome mother who annoys Tom by her demanding ways. She is also apt to live in the past and far removed from the present realities of her life as she often recalls the days when she was a young Southern belle and a single evening in her past when seventeen gentlemen suitors came calling on her."
This paper examine themes associated with existentialism and characters that arise in "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner: Pessimism, anguish and isolation in a family context.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 1 source, 1991, $ 79.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine themes associated with existentialism that arise in As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner. The plan of the research will be to set forth the context of As I Lay Dying as one in which themes of pessimism, anguish, and isolation predominate, and then to discuss, with particular reference to the impossibility of familial communication, how the characters in the story may be said to symbolize or enact ideas that are consistent with an existential world view.
To discuss As I Lay Dying in terms of existentialist concerns of alienation and isolation is to discuss the whole of Faulkner's opus in those terms. Set in the milieu of a journey to Jefferson to bury the mother of a family, As I Lay Dying describes a condition of man in turmoil, powerlessness,
Abstract The first section focuses upon Keats' letters with regards to his ideas and attitudes reflected within his poetry. The second section analyzes what is described within the letters. It shows that the topics of the letters concern his life, character, family and critics as well as many other aspects of his career and life as a poet.
From the Paper "Keats' letters are a series of letters to his family and friends, expressing his views upon a wide range of issues, not the least of which were literary, moral and philosophical. It is deemed obvious that from his letters creates a man who had so much to say but so little time and space to say it all, and this becomes clear as the letters stray from one subject to another. It is apparent in many of his letters that his ideas are not fully developed and the reader can easily see his thoughts and ideas taking shape as he gropes for the right words. Within these letters Keats shows his mind at word as he grappled with his ideas about poetry, about the actual nature of a poet and the obvious relationships between poetry, reality, philosophy and most importantly feelings. He also had the ability to conjure up amazing imagery and phrases within his letters."
Abstract This paper examines how in "World War I: A Short History", Michael Lyons seeks to give an understanding of the nature of the conflict, starting with the socio-economic conditions, foreign policy atmosphere and general sensibilities of the continental leaders that started the Great War. It looks at how from there he goes on to describe the war itself, from the trenches to American involvement to the effect of the conflict on communist revolutions in eastern Europe. It shows how he concludes by showing how the Germans defeated themselves with the idealist principles that dominated the idyllic campus lives of trench-shirkers and leaves us with Europe unsettled and waiting for round two while America's young heroes suffer in anguish from a particularly bad flu season.
From the Paper "Unlike many of his contemporaries, Lyons also manages to satisfy his readers with an account of the wartime battles and strategies employed, playing both the role of a regular historian and a tactical one. He covers the nature of the conflict from an operational standpoint as well, and speaks of the home fronts of all of the respective states, ranging from the Russian embrace of Bolshevism to the defeat of American sanity at the hands of temperance-conscious American suffragettes. Lyons makes some effort to describe the economic situation in Europe, and talks of the rise in populist sentiments at the expense of traditional "night watchman" classical liberalism."
Abstract This paper explains the Sonnet VII, by John Milton, in general terms and in the context of the concept of "time". It shows, in particular, how Milton shows the inevitability of aging and of the mental anguish that Milton faces when facing the responsibility of adulthood. The second part of the paper offers an analysis of the sonnet, looking closely at how Milton plays with the concept of time in the sonnet.
From the Paper "The sonnet changes aspect from a spiritual level to a more inward looking level from line 6 onward. "Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth / That I to manhood am arrived so near" shows the internal struggle that Milton is having in coming to terms with the change in his stage of life. In the case of many young people on the threshold of "manhood" ? particularly those in the era of Milton - they are all too willing to jump headlong into it. However, Milton is somewhat more somnolent towards adulthood, perhaps since he was relatively mature intellectually speaking compared to his peers, and thus wishes to distance himself from it since he knows of the more serious aspects to it."
Abstract Depression is a very personal illness. The mental anguish of depression can be quite unimaginable to someone who has not experienced it. The purpose of this paper is to explore depression in older adults and what happens when the spouse of one older adult dies.
Abstract Each year approximately three million baby boomers turn 40. This is a time of introspection and re-evaluation of who the baby boomer is. This is the time of mid-life crisis and the American Dream. Most baby boomers went to college, got a successful job, married, had 2.5 children, and bought a house in the suburbs. Now they look at life and ask, "Is this all there is to life?" Many of these baby boomers are divorced, have quit their jobs, given up their home in the suburbs and find themselves in a mid-life crisis. It is the American Dream and the mid-life crisis that this paper will focus on. What is the mid-life crisis? Why has the American Dream failed for many? Why are the baby boomers finding themselves feeling unfulfilled in life? What does research show about mid-life crisis? Can mid-life crisis be considered an actual diagnosis for people suffering from mental anguish? What steps can the middle-age individual take to prevent the mid-crisis? How does this affect my worldview about those experiencing mid-life crisis? How does it relate to current news items on television? What are the ramifications of this research show in regards to mid-life crisis? As a counselor how will this research affect the way I might treat someone going through the mid-life crisis? How does this affect my viewpoint of my family, and perhaps my viewpoints of my family? Can I recognize how family members have suffered mid-life crisis and the effects of this in their life?
