Abstract
This paper examines William Shakespeare's "As You Like it" and attempts to answer the following question: does the action of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" ultimately confirm or refute Jaques's assertion that "All the world's a stage/And all the men and women merely players" (2.7.140-141)? The paper argues that the play does confirm this assertion, and that all the characters were 'playing' someone else when they pursued romantic love, but also that ultimately, these roles are thrust upon us, and we have little control over them. Thus, this paper argues that the play both confirms and challenges this assertion.

From the Paper
"This paper will examine William Shakespeare's As You Like it and will attempt to answer the following question: does the action of Shakespeare's As You Like It ultimately confirm or refute Jaques's assertion that "All the world's a stage/And all the men and women merely players" (2.7.140-141)? The paper will argue that the play does confirm this assertion, and that all the characters were `playing' someone else as they pursued romantic love, but also that ultimately, these roles are thrust upon us, and we have little control over them. Thus this paper will argue that the play both confirms and challenges this assertion."

Tags:as you like it, roles, comedy

Abstract
This paper is an analysis of the themes of the novel, "As I Lay Dying" by W. Faulkner. It looks at Faulkner's creation of an innovative structure to tell his story that reinforces the novel's major themes. The paper also looks at the use of multiple narratives of different narrators.

From the Paper
"Expanding on the modernist tradition of utilizing stream-of-consciousness narratives to capture human consciousness and perceptions of reality, Faulkner created an innovative structure in his compelling rendition of the transportation of Addie Bundren's ..."

Tags:As I Lay Dying, W. Faulkner

Abstract
This paper discusses the film 'As Good as It Gets' starring Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson. The paper critiques the film from a personal perspective. The paper concludes by letting us know that 'As Good as It Gets' is a film that you just cant help liking despite it's various flaws.

From the Paper
"Even with these brilliant actors giving their best performances, there was something odd about the reluctant romance between Hunt and Nicholson. Either it was the stiffness that Nicholson exhibited being Nicholson of course or there was something wrong with the way they had come together, I cant really say but the romance was something that didn't sit well with me. I liked the movie more for its simply brilliant script, crisp dialogue and an interesting storyline that bring the lives of three characters together in a way that engulfs the viewer completely. The script had incidentally been penned by James J. Brooks and Mark Andrus who have had to their credit seven to grossing romantic comedy scripts since 1978."

Tags:Melvin, Simon, Carol

Abstract
This essay will argue the thesis that the depiction of confinement and hypocrisy in small town life in "As for Me and My Town" reflects as much the character of the narrator as an "objective" view of small town life in general. As will be seen, through this subtle way the author both creates setting and character at the same time.

Abstract
This essay will argue the thesis that the depiction of confinement and hypocrisy in small town life in "As for Me and My Town" reflects as much the character of the narrator as an "objective" view of small town life in general. As will be seen, through this subtle way, the author both creates setting and character at the same time.

Abstract
This paper discusses how obsessive-compulsive disorder was highly publicized in the movie, "As Good As It Gets." It explains that Jack Nicholson received awards from the National OCD Association for providing such an accurate portrayal of someone with the disorder.

From the Paper
"The movie provides an accurate and at times humorous snapshot of what it is like to be afflicted with obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In the movie the viewer witnesses the ways this disorder affects the ability to function in normal society. The protagonist on the surface appears to be a well adjusted well respected writer of best selling novels, however as the viewer sees during the movie he suffers from many compulsions and obsessions that interfere with his ability to function easily. It is the small things that illustrate the pervasive ways the disorder interferes with life. From the fear of germs, which causes him to bring his own silverware to the restaurant to the rigidity causing him to insist on the same table each time he visits the viewer is acutely aware of the turmoil he faces each day. The scene where the protagonist visits the psychologist after missing months of appointments underscores the hallmark issues with the disorder."

Tags:condition, OCD

Abstract
This paper examines at length the American writer William Faulkner's novel, "As I Lay Dying". It provides a detailed synopsis and analysis of the novel and its characters. The paper explores the family situation in religious terms and describes the issue of religious faith for all the main characters. The author states that the importance of the central figure, the family's mother, to her children stands as the central issue of the book, and she provides an anchor for each character to find his or her own identity. The paper illustrates that the family's journey is a rejection of spirituality and faith in favor of a new material objects and a new wife.

From the Paper
"In his novel As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner explores a family situation in religious terms, with the central figure of Addie Bundren serving as the touchstone for the rest of the family and as one who serves a religious purpose for several of her children, notably Darl. The issue of religious belief and faith is raised for virtually all the central characters, but Darl is the Bundren most given to introspection and so to consideration of religious meaning.

Point of view in this novel changes. There are fifteen narrators in Faulkner's novel, shifting points of view around the central figure of Addie, the mother. Her importance to her children stands as the central issue of the book, and she provides an anchor of sorts for each character to find his or her own identity. While family is central to As I Lay Dying, family is more a burden than a blessing. Addie believes her father has never loved her, and her new family, her children, becomes an escape from the old. Addie sees her own life as a failure, including her role as mother, yet it is her death which becomes a means of bringing the family together. Her "consciousness" realizes this, yet she succeeds only partially, for while the family does what she wants, they mostly do not become closer or more aware of their debt to her in the process. Darl is the only character with an awareness of this and other facts about life, and he ends up in an asylum, showing Faulkner's pessimistic view of the family and perhaps of religion as a salvation from this world."

Tags:family, faith, religion, material, identity, spirituality

Abstract
This paper takes a look at the different family members, their individual relationships, and how a death in the family forever changes them in the novel "As I Lay Dying."

From the paper:

"Self-interest is what drives the characters in this novel, and self-interest is what destroys them as moral human beings. This aspect is what turned this story into a tragedy. There is a decent level of intellect within the minds of certain characters, but they are still nothing more and nothing less than a poor, southern, white trash family. That is all they will ever be, for their own selfishness and arrogance is what keeps them from evolving as human beings."

Tags:dying, layfamily, death, town

Abstract
This paper analyzes John Colapinto's "As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl" which shows that sexuality is as much about cultural mores and habits as it is about genetics. The paper discusses the book which is an analysis of how individuals come to see themselves as possessed of sexual identities and the process through which each individual learns to negotiate his or her identity as an amalgam of personal and social desires.

From the Paper
"The book tells the story of what is in the beginning a medical tragedy. Following a botched circumcision, a family is convinced by doctors, psychiatrists and other health-care professionals to raise their infant son, Bruce, as a girl. They rename the child Brenda and spend the next 14 years trying to transform him into a her. Brenda's childhood reads as one filled with anxiety and loneliness, and her fear and confusion are present on nearly every page concerning her early childhood. The early part of this book demonstrates very clearly that human sexuality is not something that simply springs upon us in adolescence, for from preschool years Brenda is aware of a contradiction in the way her body feels and the way that other girls relate to their bodies."

Tags:gay, lesbians, hormone, treatment

Abstract
This paper discusses how the character played by Jack Nicholson in the film "As Good as it Gets" is such an obvious and visible one, with characteristics and attitudes that are blatantly obsessive-compulsive. It evaluates how there are a number of behaviors that the character engages in which are indicative of a psychiatric problem. It provides an insight into obsessive-compulsive behavior together with treatment such as medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy and looks at what treatment would be the best method to treat Jack Nicholson's dysfunctional character.

From the Paper
"This requires a great deal of support from others. While a therapist may be a primary support system, it helps for individuals to help other assistants in their attempts to break free of the ritualistic activity. In As Good as It Gets, Jack Nicholson's character gradually developed a few relationships with people who could serve as those assistants/confronters, helping him to break down, or let go of, certain ritualistic behaviors. For example, in one of the last scenes, he is on the sidewalk with Helen Hunt and must decide whether to engage in the ritual activity of avoiding cracks, which also distances him from her, or to move toward intimacy and away from the ritualistic behavior. Her presence and obvious affection for him are supportive, but so is her impatience, or implicit demand that he change some of his behaviors to be more responsive and more in relationship with her, rather than his own obsessions."

Tags:cognitive-behavioral, therapy, medication, treatment