This paper compares and contrasts two characters from "The Great Gatsby" (Gatsby) by F. Scott Fitzgerald's and "The Age of Innocence" (Newland Archer) by Edith Wharton.
1,640 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 0 sources, 1999, $ 53.95
Abstract This essay takes a look at two characters from two classic American novels, Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". This paper has basically four parts: Introduction, analysis of Newland Archer, analysis of Gatsby, conclusion. The two middle sections include passages from the texts to enunciate points made in the paper. The conclusion focuses more on these characters comparisons rather than their contrasting traits.
From the Paper "Newland Archer and Gatsby are similar because they are both American males from New York. There are different types of New Yorkers, which is constrained by the time period in which they respectively live. This chronological boundary does effect what type of men they are, in the way that they relate to women, but doesn?t alter the American essence that these two men possess. Gatsby and Newland Archer are comparable Americans, but contrasting New Yorkers."
Abstract This paper discusses the iconography of the images depicted on the three Wu Family Shrines in Jiaxiang that date from the Han Dynasty. The author explains that the most important function of these images is to portray how an offering ceremony should be carried out in accordance with Confucian ethics, and discusses their symbolic meanings. The author considers the reasons for believing that the archer figure represents the mythological archer Yi, and explains that the myth of Yi is out of context with the other symbols, which all have something to with maintaining proper Confucian relationships or how to act in an virtuous manner. An alternative explanation within the context of the offering shrine is the ritual of the palace overseer discharging arrows at birds of ill omen. If the archers in the Wu Family Shrines are doing this, then they are portraying people acting in a virtuous manner by fulfilling their duties, which is much more in tune with the filial sons displaying reverence for their father and the officials paying respect to their fallen colleague, as well as the fenghuang representing good government. This paper contains figures.
Outline:
Introduction
Purpose of Shrine
The Central Homage Scene
Procession of Chariots
The Unused Chariot
Fenghuang
The Tree
The Archer Yi Explanation
Appendix
From the Paper "Two Fenghuang, or phoenixes, appear on the roofs of each of the homage scenes, and can be identified by their extravagant tales. The symbolism of the fenghuang is remarked on in the Bo Hu Tong, a prominent text from the Han era, which states "The feng huang is the chief among the birds. When above there is an enlightened King, and general peach, then it appears." From this, it would appear that these birds symbolize the existence of good government and peace. If one remembers to bring Confucian ethics into consideration, then this symbol can just as easily be applied to a household as it can be applied to China as a whole. This would entirely appropriate for a tomb or shrine which wishes to portray the virtuosity of the deceased."
Abstract This paper reviews Archer Jones's book on the U.S. Civil War, "Civil War and Strategy: The Process of Victory and Defeat", and summarizes the parameters of the book's content and the thesis Archer presents in the book. It looks at what the reaction to the book has been.
From the Paper "The Civil War is often called, in military terms, the first modern war. However, although the war did blend technological and tactical elements that had never been deployed upon American soil, it was more of a heterogeneous mix of ancient and contemporary modes and means of warfare, than a truly modern war. In his text, Civil War and Strategy: The Process of Victory and Defeat, Archer Jones attempts to give a balanced study of Union and Confederate tactical and political decision-making. He attempts to illustrate how the ancient ideals of military history, as learned in the American nation's service academies, were embodied in the conflict, as well as modern elements of strategy and weaponry that could only have been produced in a nation at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution."
Abstract It may seem at first as though John Huston's film "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) is a detective story about the search for the title object; a story with a fatalistic ending in which the object is found to be a fake. The paper shows, however, that the search for the falcon is not nearly as important as the search for the killer of Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) and the story is, in fact, a triumphant account of Sam Spade's (Humphrey Bogart) defense of his masculinity, and of American masculinity in general, against those who would destroy, distort, question, or undermine it.
From the Paper "The third group is the trio of homosexuals involved in the search for the falcon: the effeminate Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre), the erudite and frightening Kasper Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet), and his "gunsel" Wilmer Cook (Elisha Cook, Jr.). Arranged like a bizarre version of a family, this trio represents the various ways in which someone can be male but still fail to meet the requirements of the masculine code Spade adheres to. The fourth group is the trio of law enforcement officials: Detective Tom Polhaus (Ward Bond), Detective Lieutenant Dundy (Barton MacLane), and District Attorney Bryan (John Hamilton) who questions Spade in an 'informal' hearing. They function as official representatives of society and of the world of normal, acceptably masculine men who, throughout the film, question Spade's actions and motives."
Abstract "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton is an enchanting Victorian era novel that eloquently illustrates the price of being among New York's high society during the late nineteenth century. The paper examines the relationship between the three main characters of the book. It shows how Archer and Ellen resemble and differ from one another in their outlook on the customs and values of society and their speculation of life.
From the Paper "Archer is the character chosen to reveal the author's sentiments on the inadequacies of American society. Wharton "uses frequently the concept of the tribe, with its tribal principles and tabus, the most important of which existed to secure its own survival and purity of race by breeding and its protection against social contamination by exclusion from its environment of alien elements. She sees that in America, against the need and power of money and the lure of sex, tribal instincts and customs, family pride and hereditary principles are bound to go down" the wasting away of an aristocracy.? (Lovett, 47)"
Abstract This paper looks at two of Edith Wharton's famous works: "Ethan Frome" and "The Age of Innocence". The essay examines the ways that society impedes the consummation of relationships throughout the two novels. Both Ethan Frome and Newland Archer are thwarted in their attempts to acquire love, but their adversary is both an invisible and ever-present one. Both men suffer from the strict moral principles underlying the foundation of society. This essay looks at the consequences and sacrifices that one might suffer under strict moral conventions.
From the Paper "Humans have always been magnetized by the irrepressible influences of passion and desire. Spinoza once said, ?Desire is the very essence of man.? Many levels of desire infiltrate human society, but there are also obstructions that can stand in the way of satiating this human yearning. In Edith Wharton's famous novels, Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence, we find two men in such predicaments. Both Ethan Frome and Newland Archer are cursed to ache with wretchedly interminable unsatisfied desires. Together, they epitomize the tragic consequences of life lived beneath a microscope of societal criticism. Though both characters differ in their social situations, both are alike in the anguish they endure over unobtainable love. Ethan Frome and Newland Archer are tortured by conscience and moral correctness in grave ways. And, the societies described in Wharton's novels have come to embody the common conventions that lead to restraint in moments of perceived gratification."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed look at two female literary characters and their individual consciousness. Isabel Archer in "Portrait of a Lady" and Carrie Meeber in "Sister Carrie" are analyzed and compared to draw conclusions.
Abstract This paper explains that the 100 Years War was most significant because it became the catalyst for the changing roles of peasants in Medieval Europe because, in the middle decades of the 14th century, the English attitude to war underwent a profound change. The author points out that the nobles and knights began to refuse to fight in a war, which held no value to them because of heavy financial losses and loss of life; therefore, the kings were forced to turn to their peasants to go to war instead of these well-paid knights and nobles. The paper reviews the story in Bernard Cornwell's "The Archer's Tale", which tells the tale of one peasant who goes to join the King Edward III of England's fight in 1343, which signaled the end of the age of chivalry and ushered in the age of standing armies comprised primarily of peasants.
From the Paper "The events immediately leading up to the 100 Years War involve a convoluted tale of royal birthright and inter-marriages. Charles IV, who was both the King of France and Navarre, died in 1328, leaving only an infant daughter who had yet to be born. In England, Charles IV's sister, Isabella, was married to King Edward II, and had forced Edward II to abdicate the throne of England in favor of their son, Edward III. As the nephew of Charles IV, Edward III was rightfully the next heir to the throne of France."
Abstract The paper analyzes the idealism of Isabel Archer in Henry James' "Portrait of a Lady." The paper explains Isabel's self-serving behavior and James' view of what constitutes the "good life."
From the Paper "The idealism of Henry James is apparent in his characterization of Isabel Archer in "Portrait of a Lady." Within the novel we see that James expresses an idealistic worldview that embraces respect and humility, emotion, good conscience, freedom and affection for country and family. However, within James' idealism we find that the author ascribes to a belief that there is a narrow path toward what constitutes the good life and the few there are that discover it."
Tags: romanticism, naivety, Americanness, individualism, identity, social conventions, refinement, relationships
Abstract The paper uses textual evidence from Edith Wharton's 'Age of Innocence' in order to contrast the two mindsets that tease character Newland Archer on a daily basis. The paper also incorporates several characters which fuel either one of the two mindsets, living a life with a sincere freedom of thought, or living the uptight and rigid lifestyle of New York's high society.
From the Paper "The protagonist in The Age of Innocence, Newland Archer, is destined to live a life of quiet desperation. For him, desire and reality exist on two separate planes. Newland was born and lives in a world of high society where meaning is assigned to every action and where money, power and cultural knowledge are everything. At the same time he dabbles in a world of free thought where social norms, when appropriate, can be shed. The former is the world from which Newland desperately wants to escape and the latter is the world into which he would like, via Ellen Olenska, to enter. Yet, Newland is unable to crossover. It seems that he is fated to stay within the stifled New York society of his upbringing. Putting aside Newland's sensual attraction to Ellen Olenska, this paper will instead explore his fascination with a world of free thought and propose a reason for why he is unable to crossover into such a world. In so doing, this paper will focus on Newland's relationship with two minor, male characters: Ned Winsett and the tutor M. Riviere."
Tags: age, archer, ellen, innocence, m, ned, newland, olenska, riviere, winsett, york
Abstract This document discusses an article by Wang, Head and Archer that examines the role e-tailing has had on the corporate environment and specifically that of the retail environment related to enterprises such as Home Depot. According to the paper, the observations these authors make are that companies such as Home Depot have effectively made their pre-existing distribution and sales channels more efficient and that the internet has facilitated the introduction of a completely new sales channel supported by extended supply chains.
From the Paper "In a recent article by Wang, Head, and Archer entitled E-Tailing: An Analysis of Web Impacts on the Retail Market, these authors discuss the impact that e-tailing has had on companies such as Office Depot that have utilize the internet and related technologies to open up new channels of distribution and to expand into new markets (2002). These researchers observe that the internet has been extremely effective for retail companies and for Home Depot specifically, in extending their supply chains in order to place products in previously limited markets. Overview Office Depot is the second largest office-services company in the world after Staples with annual sales in excess of $14b and provides, "more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company"(Corporate, 2006). "
Abstract This paper contends that our impressions of May Welland are filtered through Newland's consciousness. The writer suggests that it is difficult to examine her character without taking into account Archer's view of her. However, as Archer himself eventually realizes, his sense of May is incomplete. This essay follows the development of the novel and shows how there is more to May than initially meets the eye.
From the paper:
?From the beginning, May is portrayed as the picture of innocence: she wears white, has a rosy glow, and is constantly carrying the Biblical lilies-of-the-valley. The descriptions Archer uses for her emphasize youth, athleticism, purity. He compares her, ?in her dress of white and silver, with a wreath of silver blossoms in her hair,? to "a Diana just alight from the chase" (58-59). In another instance, in ?weather to call out May's radiance,? he sees her burning like "a young maple in the frost" (71).?
From the Paper "This paper is a review and critique of Three Views on the Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulational. This is a dialogue among Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Paul D. Feinberg, and Douglas J. Moo, all of whom are or have been professors at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, which is the seminary of the Evangelical Free Church of America.
The format of the book is one in which each of the three professors presents his viewpoint on the Rapture, and then is responded to by the other two. These papers were actually given originally to a meeting of the Ministerial Association of the Evangelical Free Church of America in 1981. There is also an introductory essay by Richard R. Reiter (ABD, NYU), who was apparently a graduate student of one or more of these professors when he received his M.Div. from Trinity. His essay traces the .."
Abstract It may seem at first as though John Huston's film The Maltese Falcon (1941) is a detective story about the search for the title object; a story with a fatalistic ending in which the object is found to be a fake. But the search for the falcon is not nearly as important as the search for the killer of Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) and the story is, in fact, a triumphant account of Sam Spade's (Humphrey Bogart) defense of his masculinity, and of American masculinity in general, against those who would destroy, distort, question, or undermine it.
From the Paper "It may seem at first as though John Huston's film The Maltese Falcon (1941) is a detective story about the search for the title object; a story with a fatalistic ending in which the object is found to be a fake. But the search for the falcon is not nearly as important as the search for the killer of Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan) and the story is, in fact, a triumphant account of Sam Spade's (Humphrey Bogart) defense of his masculinity, and of American masculinity in general, against those who would destroy, distort, question, or undermine it. The elaborate structure of the film places Spade at the center of a number of forces over which he must, in one way or another, exert his authority and control. Each of the three members of the four groups that surround him threatens or questions his masculinity in some fashion. By acting shrewdly, intelligently, fearlessly..."
Abstract This paper explores several important and distinctive similarities between ?Portrait of a Lady,? and "The American" both written by Henry James and shows how both stories possess aspects, which are very similar to James" own life. It focuses mainly on the similarities between the two stories in four aspects, how both stories were set in the same time period, the idea of the individual versus society, the collision of the New World and Europe and the idea of the two main characters, Christopher Newman and Isabel Archer as two fish out of water.
From the Paper "Both stories were set in the nineteenth century aristocratic period circa 1860s (sparknotes.com). This was the period of time in, which a feeling of obligation to society was prevalent and a period in which shared beliefs were more important than personal opinion (sparknotes.com). Public life mattered more than one's private life in that people cared very much about their social reputations, in many cases more so than they care about their personal whims or desires. These were times in, which social etiquette, one's station in life and one's social reputation held definitive value."
