Abstract
This paper considers the history of black slave boxing and what this activity provided to plantation owners and to slaves. The paper notes that for the slaves, there were benefits in terms of special privileges, but there would also be added burdens. Just as many poor blacks today take up boxing as a way out of poverty, so many black slaves took up boxing to gain advantages, even to the point of being manumitted or freed in some cases.

Tags:black, slave, boxing

Abstract
The paper focuses on the fixing of boxing matches, also known as "taking a dive". The paper looks at Harry Sylvester's short story, "I Won't Do No Dive", where a down-on-his-luck boxer, Al, is convinced by his manager, Pete, to purposely lose a boxing match.

From the Paper
"By the end of this unit, submit a short paper that describes the sports phenomenon that you have selected for the cultural phenomenon project. As you select a phenomenon for study keep in mind that everything from football player, to an individual volleyball game, to the rules of golf constitutes a text. This project will give you the opportunity to apply literary analysis skills to that which interests you and hopefully, intrigues you most. In your short paper, explain what makes your chosen person, event or issue significant. Summarize where you believe this phenomenon connects with literature, or state that you believe this phenomenon has no literary..."

Tags:cultural, phenomenon, boxing

Abstract
This paper explains that, as a complementary philosophy to Confucianism, Daoism, which enriches in every way the spiritual and intellectual life of Chinese people, is reflected in the Chinese martial art of taiji shadow boxing. The author points out that taiji boxing, was invented by a Daoist called Zhang Sanfeng in the Ming dynasty on the Wudang Mountain; the name "taiji", which means "the supreme ultimate", itself suggests an essential concept of Daoist cosmology. The paper stresses that, if the forces of the western boxing are like a hard and straight oak tree, the movement of Taiji boxing is more like that of soft reed or bamboo, which knows how to move, how to yield, so it can survive a strong wind; whereas, the oak tree will probably be broken down. Many quotations from the writings of the founders of Daoism, Laozi and Zhuangzi. Symbol included.

Table of Contents
A Brief Introduction to Daoism
The Dao Reflected in the Taiji Boxing
The Name and the Diagram
The Value of Gentleness
The Non-Action
The Dialectics in Taiji Boxing
A Way of Getting Close to the Dao

From the Paper
"Knowing the power of softness, Taiji practitioners learn to yield to the opponent, become even in harmony with the attacker so as to use the strength of the attacker himself. The soft movement of Taiji will control the force not by resist to it but by swinging with it, leading the force to its extreme, transforming it to its natural opposite side again. You can see it clearer in the diagram. When there's a strong positive Yang power coming from one side, the natural way is not to confront it with another Yang force, instead, you guide the force by using the negative Yin force. In this way, there will be no more conflict, the inner harmony is regained. the "non-action" is another important element of Daoism."

Tags:cosmology, soft, non-action, ming, movement

Abstract
This paper contends that boxing should not be banned because it is a natural athletic competition that is no more violent than any other sport. The paper claims that, although many gambling and financial scandals have plagued the boxing industry over the years, boxing remains one of the most profitable sports in the United States. The paper explains that to ban boxing would severely damage the sports broadcasting industry and the sports media. The paper states that the sport fuels the pay-per-view industry as well and banning the sport would injure the livelihoods of many who work within related industries.

From the Paper
"Boxing was banned from the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 because the sport was considered to be too violent. Only until 1920 did the sport gain international recognition, followed by a wave of immense popularity due to the likes of boxing heroes like Cassius Clay (Mohammad Ali) and George Foreman. Undoubtedly boxing is one of the most blatantly violent sports. Only recently has one-on-one fighting superceded boxing's intensity on television with the anything-goes rules of "ultimate fighting" competitions. Boxing usually results in at least a little blood spill, and involves intense blows to the head that can cause brain damage or even death. In extreme cases, the violence of boxing bleeds outside of the ring, as when Mike Tyson brutally bit the ear of opponent Evander Holyfield. Because of the intensity of boxing's violence, many individuals and groups have called for a ban of boxing, at least on television."

Tags:fighting, violent, sport

Abstract
This paper offers an explication of the poem "Count Gismond Aix in Provence" by Robert Browning in which the speaker is revealed to be a young woman whose honor has been besmirched and is then defended by her champion, Count Gismond. The writer describes that she has been dishonored by her own cousin, a man named Count Gauthier. The writer further explains that Gismond steps forward and protects her, defending her honor as in a medieval drama.

From the Paper
"Robert Browning was noted for his dramatic poems, monologues in which the speech of the narrator illustrates a dramatic event and through which meaning was conveyed by the story told, by the attitude and response of the speaker, and by the poetic devices included by the poet. These elements can be seen in the dramatic monologue in the poem "Count Gismond Aix in Provence" in which the speaker is revealed to be a young woman whose honor has been besmirched and is then defended by her champion, Count Gismond. She has been dishonored by her own cousin, a man named Count Gauthier."

Tags:browning, poem, explication

Abstract
This paper examines how one of the first systems of institutionalizing and creating a more humane and formal structure for the pugilistic art of boxing was achieved by the codification of the boxing rules and regulations of the Marquis of Queensbury, who was the father of ?Boise?, or Lord Alfred Douglas, the male lover of Oscar Wilde. It analyzes how this strange paring in history of a famous coupling of homosexuality and an advocate of masculinity in its raw form of Victorian sport embodies the contradiction in the cult of Victorian masculinity.

From the Paper
"In this cult, erotic, athletic, and sexual encounters between men were virtually institutionalized in the British university and public school system, idealized in the era's imperial worship of Greek and Roman classicism and culture, yet also outlawed according to the strictures of governance according to the nation. Bare-fisted boxing, continued even after the Queensbury rules were passed, as is evident in popular illustrations of the period. The popularity of bare-fisted boxing in art and in print also shows how long the supposedly illegal art of bare-fisted boxing continued in the open. This bare-fisted sport was often practiced by working men at taverns, and became a kind of proving-ground of masculinity, away from the more regulated and elite forms of boxing according to the rules."

Tags:marquis, queensbury, bare, fisted, knuckle

Abstract
The paper examines the central theme of hope in A. Dumas's "The Count of Monte Cristo". Hope is vital to Edmond Dante's survival and is also the foundation for the novel that transforms the plot from one of vengeance and justice to a novel that focuses instead on survival. Hope is central to the characters survival and infuses the main character Dante with the strength and courage he needs to overcome his enemy's transgressions and in the end, win back all that is rightfully his. Other themes mentioned include love and human justice, though, according to the paper, ultimately it is hope that drives the plot and encourages the reader to side with Dante and carries him through to his ultimate success in the end. The paper concludes that without the theme of hope, "The Count of Monte Cristo" would fall apart and become a tragic novel of only vengeance, rather than a work of art that inspires readers to stay firm in their convictions and realize their dreams are attainable.

From the Paper
"For multiple twisted reasons Dante while mostly innocent is sent to prison for treason. The reasons he is sent to suffer include jealousy and other man's fears that Dante will reveal the worst about their actions. It is in prison that Dante first discovers hope while staying in the Chateau d'If. Here Dante encounters a man by the name of Abbe Faria who teaches Dante much of the world including subjects like history, philosophy and languages (Goldstein, 2005). This helps Dante transform into an educated man, capable of competing against his enemies. In prison Faria also bestows on Dante treasures that he has hid on the island of Monte Cristo. Here Dante discovers hope and discovers that with his newfound knowledge and education he can once more conquer and regain all that is rightfully his."

Tags:vengeance, justice, survival, faria, faith, hope, hero, innocent, plot

Abstract
This paper analyzes the the themes of hope and patience as seen in "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas. Ultimately it is the protagonist, Edmond Dantes, who must embody these traits in order to transcend his imprisonment and go on to lead a productive life. The paper further describes Dantes' revenge at the end of the novel as an empty experience. Other characters in the novel are explored, especially Abbe Faria,who was Dantes' mentor. The paper concludes by describing the novel as a philosophical exploration of morality and personal justice.

From the Paper
"As the protegee of Abbe Faria, Dantes undergoes a transition that will essentially render nonexistent the innocent and ignorant young man who enters the Chateau d'If. With no way to pass the hours of his days but to learn, Dantes' time in prison is spent amassing the power of wisdom. The brilliant Faria is not simply essential to initiating an education that would shape the boy into a hardened man but also for endowing him with the wisdom to see the truth of his situation. A former political dissident himself, Faria has an intuition not afforded to his young prison-mate. But as he helps Dantes to understand the plot which had him incarcerated, he provokes a change which will shape the direction of the rest of the novel."

Tags:Alexandre Dumas, Abbe Faria, Edmond Dantes, historical novels

From the Paper
"Boxing is on one level simply an athletic contest between two persons, each of whom uses the fists to try to knock the other unconscious or to inflict enough punishment to cause the opponent either to quit or to be judged beaten. A boxing match is conducted under established rules and procedures and has a referee, judges, and timekeeper - all conventions instituted to make the sport more like a sport and less like a fight and to insure that the participants are not permanently harmed.
The history of boxing has been in more or less equal parts violence, strength, the attempt to redefine violence instead of strength as the essential quality for an athlete and corruption, for boxing has almost always had a fair amount of money floating around it. It is perhaps inevitable that any sport that includes both money and violence must also be corrupted by extralegal forms."

Abstract
This paper explains that, although this four year old male had a difficult birth, his physical, cognitive and emotional development is unremarkable and age appropriate. After relating the child's early physical development, the author reports her assessment of Nicholas' pre-frontal cortex development by utilizing the Dimensional Card Change Sort test (DCCS) and her conducting of a theory of mind test by presenting him with a Count Chocula cereal box and asking him to tell her what he thought was inside. The paper concludes with the author carrying out a naturalistic observation, using close circuit monitoring through a baby monitor, of the four year old boy playing with his six year old brother and three cousins aged five, eight and nine.

From the Paper
"After retiring from his dinosaur attack, Nicholas began to engage in parallel play with his brother, sitting next to him building towers out of Lego blocks. I believe that this started out as parallel play because the children appeared blissfully unaware of each other despite playing side by side. About six minutes into this, Nicholas took notice of his brother's activity and switched from parallel play to cooperative play. As the two continued to build, Nicholas would periodically announce his tower was "better" than his brothers, and that his had "magical powers that scared away dinosaurs". These proclamations were met with some resistance as his brother said "Nuh uh, mine is the bestest (sic) and yours is stupid".
"It had become a competition at this point, followed moments later by Nicholas switching back to socio-dramatic play and pretending to be a dinosaur as he smashed but he and his brother's towers. He continued to roar as his brother then pretended to be a knight, who fought off the dinosaur to "save the people from being squished". As this progressed, Nicholas and Anthony began to wrestle some more, one pretending to be a dinosaur and one pretending to be knight."

Tags:socio-dramatic, oxygen deprivation, bivalent test cards, imaginary friend, play