Abstract This paper takes a look at the concept of friendship in the Ancient World by comparing two pieces of literature - "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and "The Iliad". It analyzes the friendships of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and Achilles and Patroclus and shows how these are representative of the times. Through trials such as death, disease and heroic rescues, these friendships survived.
From the Paper "The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Iliad are both ancient literary works that offer us insight into the lives and values of our ancestors. A common theme of each is the effects of friendship on powerful men. Unlike most modern cases, social standing and imbalances in power complexly influenced the nature of these friendships. Men with great power sometimes saw their friends as servants. However, despite the apparent inequalities, it is obvious that the friendships were intensely valued as more than a servant relationship when the heroes Gilgamesh and Achilles experience the loss of their friends. For these two characters, the deprivation of friendship proves to be life altering."
Abstract This paper examines the process through which a typical friendship is developed and maintained, looking particularly at the ways in which interactions with other people help to mold our sense of self and how interpersonal communication is the bedrock of friendship using examples from the movies "Steel Magnolias" and "City Slickers". This paper incorporates a theoretical model developed by Long and Wood as well as drawing upon the writer's personal experience and popular notions of friendship.
From the Paper "Many of us would like to think that someone deep down inside of us is our own true self, a person who never compromises or is compromised, an independent person who makes up her own mind, who is never subject to peer pressure or societal influences, a person who stays the same through thick and thin, who endures over time and through all challenges.
But while such an image of a pure, unchanging and incorruptible self is appealing (and has its roots in the Romanticism of the 19th century, which taught that we should believe in the innate goodness of all people, a reverence for individuality, and in the primacy of the connection between the pure human heart and the state of nature), it is in fact not an accurate one. In fact, while our sense of self is dependent on some internal factors, such as our genetic heritage and our physical state of well-being, most of our sense of who we are is derived from the people with whom we interact, and especially our family and friends. We are not in fact always the same person: We differ from one situation to the next and certainly from one year (or decade) to the next."
Abstract This paper contends that Aristotle and Derrida both devote a great deal of attention to the issue of friendship. This paper analyzes both men's opinions on the question of whether reciprocity is necessary in friendship.
Abstract This paper depicts the emotional and psychological struggle the author goes through in "The Broken Cord" by Michael Dorris which is about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Abstract This paper analyzes D.W. Griffith's 1919 silent film "Broken Blossoms" starring Lillian Gish. It discusses the film's cinematic techniques and narrative, its editing and camera placement. The paper explores the use of intertitles. The author also expands on the storyline and structure of the film.
From the Paper "D W Griffith's silent film "Broken Blossoms" is an allegorical melodramatic tragedy about a teenager who lives with an abusive father and is loved by a gentle young Chinese man. All three characters come to tragic ends. Shot in a Hollywood studio the ..."
Abstract This paper examines four children's stories concerning the theme of friendship and the cultures in which they were written. The cultures are France, Spain, England, and America.
Abstract This paper discusses Aristotle's analysis of friendship. The author discusses three types of friendship: a useful friendship, a pleasurable friendship and true friendship. These belong to two aspects of friendship: character friendship and advantage friendship. Included are examples.
From the paper:
"It is argued that there are three branches of friendship: (1) doing favors for each other, (2) using each other for pleasure, and (3) true friendship. These branches belong to the two characteristics of friendship, which are character friendship and advantage friendship. Character friendship belongs to or is related to civic relations because it requires citizens to have active goodwill toward each other."
Abstract This paper examines how the bonds of friendship are formed, looking particularly at the ways in which interactions with other people help to mold our sense of self and how interpersonal communication is the bedrock of friendship. It uses a model of the development of friendship (and the subsequent development of sense of self that any serious and/or long-term friendship entails) developed by L. Long and J. Wood to demonstrate how deeply interactive a process the relationship of friendship is. Using the friendship between the author's mother and her friend, it describes the six stages of friendship that Young and Wood describe as being typical of an evolving friendship. It then connects these at each step to the stage of friendship that actually occurred between and linking these descriptions to other theoretical models of the interactionist model of relational communication.
From the Paper "The first phase of friendship (these phases are arranged chronologically) is a "role-limited interaction" that "includes early interactions that tend to follow standard roles and rules" (long and Wood, 2000, p. 181). In other words, during this phase of friendship, while we are interested in forming more intimate and particularistic bonds with someone, we tend to act as someone in our role is expected to. In other words, the opening phase of a friendship is marked by an adherence to socially and culturally defined norms that we bring to the relationship, norms that we have already incorporated into our sense of self through previous interactions with other individuals (primarily the family if we are young and other friends and colleagues if we are older) and social institutions (Bell and Coleman, 1999, p. 23)."
Abstract The paper reviews Zick Rubin's book titled "Children's Friendships" on the importance of friendships for children's social and educational development. The paper notes that Rubin forms his thesis based on a narrow sampling of children, disregarding cultures in which friendship is viewed differently. The paper then analyzes the case of children from multiracial backgrounds, for which friendship based on similarity is difficult to form. The paper concludes with advice for educators about discussing the issue of friendship with children.
From the Paper "Rubin states that children's relationships with their peers not only provide important social skills but contexts in which children can develop meaningfully and compare themselves to others. Friendships also provide children with a sense of group belonging. Friendships provide unique benefits and skills to children, Rubin writes, that parents and educators cannot provide. Some social scientists, such as David Riseman, as cited by Rubin, have argued that an overemphasis on children 'making friends' and 'relating to others' in our 'outer-directed society' has proved detrimental. But regardless, says Rubin, 'the fact that children's friendships can be harmful only serves to outline their importance.'"
Abstract This paper to explores the views of different authors and philosophers and discusses their view on the malleability of friendship. It looks at how people seek a faithful friendship, feeling betrayed when it is withdrawn and guilty when they themselves turn away from former friends. It shows how Gilbert Meilaender believes friendship must be subject to change because it is based on preferences and reciprocal caring and how Aristotle indicated that there were three different types of friendship, only one of which is actually likely to last for any considerable period of time. It also looks at the opinions of Lawrence Thomas and the principles of Confucian friendship.
From the Paper "However, a third type of friendship Aristotle thought could be more long-lasting, although still subject to change. This was the type of friendship in which individuals were friends because they "were good, and alike in excellence" (p. 3) and they wished well to each other for the friends' sake, rather than for their own. This kind of friendship is more rare and it requires time and familiarity in order to qualify - it stands the test of time, as we would put it. Aristotle noted that just the desire for friendship was not sufficient, nor was lovability, or pleasure, or other qualities. Instead, the two individuals must be of similar characters, must spend time getting to know each other and testing each other's loyalty, and must be equally interested and willing to involve themselves in the friendship."
Tags: aristotle, confucian, meilaender, lawrence, thomas
Abstract The Roman politician and philosopher Cicero, in his writings on friendship, conceived of it as being a high-order relationship; a relationship that was so intense and personal that it seems, in his view, to be more important than any other human bond. However, Cicero was a philosopher and, as such, was honour bound to give consideration to opposing arguments. One view of friendship in particular - what may be termed the cynical or realistic thesis - caused him great difficulty in his discussion. From this perspective, friendship is nothing more than a mode of exchange or an association between two parties for mutual profit or benefit. In this paper we will examine the reasons behind Cicero's difficulty in dismissing this counter-definition of friendship. As a counterpoint to Cicero's view of friendship, we will analyze the depiction of love in the love poetry of John Donne.
Abstract The paper looks at "Charlotte's Web" and at the friendship of Charlotte and Wilbur. The paper discusses how friendship is important in building a child's social-emotional development. The paper explains that friendships provide trust, and love as well as teach children how to develop a healthy awareness not only of their own feelings but also of others'.
Outline:
The Importance of Trust in Building Social-Emotional Development
Children Need Friendships in Social-Emotional Development
Social-Emotional Development and Love
Building Self-regulation through Friendships The Importance of Social-Emotional Development by Helping Others
From the Paper "One of the most important things that parents can teach their children is trust. However, children learn trust not only through their parents, but also through other relationships such as friendship. This bond between one friend to another can last a lifetime which can be seen in the book, Charlotte's Web. Charlotte is a friend that saves the life of Wilbur. Other relationships are also important in the story such as between father and daughter, Wilbur to Charlotte, and Fern to Wilbur. The relationship of friendship is important in building a child's social-emotional development."
Abstract The paper analyzes the three different tiers of friendship in Aristotle's philosophy: friendships of utility, pleasure and of the good. The paper discusses Aristotle's argument that a friendship "of the good" provides a foundation for eudemonia (the happiest life). The paper explains how this level of friendship strives to discover the greatest good or happiness between friends, rather than seeking immediate gratification through superficial relationships.
From the Paper "For Aristotle, the greatest good of life comes from having a friendship that can be purified from immoral or materialistic causation. The importance of friends is one of the major virtues of life that must be taken into account when living for eudemonia or for the greater good of life in Book VIII:
"After what we have said, a discussion of friendship would naturally follow, since it is a virtue or implies virtue, and is besides most necessary with a view to living. For without friends no one would choose to live (Aristotle para.1)"
Abstract The paper provides the reader with new perspective, and insights on the subjects of love and friendship: the difference between the two, and how they connect and relate to each other. The author utilizes various poems in exploring this matter, such as those of Shakespeare, Thomas Carlyle, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Emily Bronte.
From the Paper:
"Everyday life is dependent upon one's relationships with others around them. This is evident in routine encounters with mail carriers, bank tellers, and neighborhood grocers to more intimate experiences with family and friends. These relationships seem to run along a complex continuum -- from casual business connections to friendships and family relations to passionate, romantic love. It is at this latter extreme where the defining lines get fuzzy ? where strong emotions run rampant and often cloud conventional definitions of friendship and love. Is it always possible to distinguish one from the other, and where does one draw the line? Poets have long been trying to tackle these issues and offer a variety of insights and perspectives on friendship and love."
Abstract This paper examines the 'broken windows' theory of the causes of crime. The paper explains that 'broken windows' criminology theory maintains that a lack of respect for the physical environment and the law leads to even more socially disruptive criminal activity. The paper points out that the 'broken windows' theory was one of the most highly publicized components of the law-and-order New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's attempt to wage war on crime during the 1990s. The paper then looks at how the theory attempts to attribute the causes of neighborhood decay to ignoring the "little problems" like graffiti, litter, shattered glass, which "creates a sense of irreversible decline" that leads law-abiding residents to abandon their residences and non-criminal prospective residents to stay away from apparently decaying communities.
From the Paper "However, the presence of committed activists and the joint efforts between the communities and law enforcement may have been one of the causes of the decline in crime, not the more rigorous policing of minor offenses in and of itself. The drop in crime in New York City has a complex array of causes, economic and demographic, as well as sociological and political, and the 'broken windows' enforcement policies may not be the cause of the drop."
