Abstract The paper discusses and analyzes the custom of bullfighting in Spain. The paper specifically discusses the sequence of events in bullfighting, along with the cultural purpose of the sport. The paper confirms that bullfighting is the national pastime of Spain, and has evolved over several centuries into the spectacle it is today. The paper states that bullfighting follows a prescribed ritual that is both spectacular and quite traditional, and while many Westerners may not understand it, its tradition is so long held in Spain that it is certain to continue for centuries to come.
From the Paper "Of course, not all people appreciate the bullfight. One psychoanalyst states, "In Spain and in other countries with Spanish roots, bullfighting is the collective manifestation par excellence of culturally sanctioned sadism. This manifestation may be a vehicle for other partial instincts as well" (Paniagua 85). Many animal rights organizations around the world decry bullfighting, seeing it as a cruel and deadly sport that often leaves the bull still alive in the ring after the matador has supposedly killed it. One group writes, "The dagger is supposed to cut the spinal cord, but even this can be blundered, leaving the bull fully conscious when its ears or tail are cut off as trophies. The bull may then be dragged away from the arena whilst it is still alive" ("What is Wrong With Bullfighting?"). In addition, while these practices have been decried, many smaller bullfights often suffer from forms of corruption, such as drugging the bull to make it less aggressive. In the past, the bull's horns might also be shaved, making them sharper, but also more brittle, thus actually posing less of a danger to the matador."
Abstract This paper examines how bullfighting was introduced to the Mexican culture by the Spanish during the 1500s and how it has not only become a national symbol of Mexican society, but has come to reflect the social structure of the country as well, in terms of the seating and program structure.
From the Paper "The bullfight is divided into three stages called tercios, each of which are separated by horn signals. During the first stage, the bullfighter uses a large purple and yellow cape to display the bull to the crowd and to asses its strength, then the picadores enter and lance the back of the bull with steel tipped long pikes that penetrate the bull some four inches to test its strength and to weaken it. During the next stage, called La Suerte de Banderillas, three banderilleros attempt to stick a pair of darts into the attacking bull's back in order to further weaken it. During the final stage, the matador enters the ring and leads the bull around the ring with a small red cape, all the while dodging and taunting the bull to show the spectators his power and courage."
Abstract This paper examines how an important theme in Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" is the ability and need for one to find pleasure in the small things that life has to offer. It looks at how Hemingway believed that, in the big, noisy and chaotic world of the early twentieth century, it is essential for one to find meaning and value in small things, such as a good meal or a cool evening breeze. It discusses how Jake Barnes is able to do so and, thus, emerges as the most likeable and heroic character in the novel. It analyzes the way in which Jake Barnes is able to find pleasure in the simple things that life has to offer, such a good meal or bullfighting, and considers the significant disappointments and frustrations of his life, i.e. his ill-fated love affair with Lady Brett Ashley, and the way in which his ability to find contentment in life's small pleasures allows him to deal with such problems.
From the Paper "Jakes Barnes is an American journalist who spends most of his time vacationing in Europe with friends. Early in the novel, the reader is introduced to the flamboyant Lady Brett Ashley, who is obviously the love of Jake's life. The conversation between the two has a maddening aimless quality to it, but the reader is able to learn that while the two love each other, they have never, nor will they ever, achieve happiness together. The reader also learns that Jake has suffered a war injury which leaves him unable to fulfill his sexual desires. Jakes tries to forget about his injury, as he tells Brett ?? what happened to me is supposed to be funny. I never think about it? (Hemingway 26). However, it is obvious throughout the novel that Jake is frustrated by his injury and by his hopeless love affair with Brett."
Abstract This paper analyzes one of Hemingway's final works called "The Dangerous Summer". The novel describes one of the author's last trips made before his death to see the matadors in Spain. The writer of the paper places this book in context providing a brief look at his life.
From the Paper "Hemingway was a man that grew up in a very difficult period of time beginning with the turn of the century then World War 1. Hemingway was an athletic kid during middle school and highschool but was not exceptionally good. Hemingway was an upper middle class that grew up with four sisters and a brother, him being the second oldest. In whatever he wanted to do and he was told he can do it and be successful with it. He was born under a strong religious background, strong midwestern values physical fitness, and self-determination. As a boy he lived in a little suburb outside of Chicago and had a summerhouse to fishing and hunting in Michigan. As he got older and more successful he lived in many major cities and when he had moved out of the phase of living in big cities like Paris, Chicago, Toronto he then chose to live in small quiet places like Idaho, Keywest, Cuba. "
Tags: Antonio, Ordonez, Luis, Miguel, Dominguin, bullfighting, Madrid
The roles and rights in Franco and post-Franco Spain. Discusses the impact of the Catholic Church, politics, family life, law, civil rights, feminism, work and bullfighting.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 10 sources, 1999, $ 79.95
Abstract The field of women's studies has tried to restore the place of women in history by looking at a wide range of women's roles and achievements in different historical periods. For example, Sanchez and Saens' (1996) compilation about Spanish women during the golden age explored the lives not only of queens but of women artisans and female religious figures. What is clear from these explorations is that women's lives were complex and their roles ambiguous, in some instances. Although the dominant culture of that age subordinated women, women's own efforts often allowed them to create some space for achievement and fulfillment.
From the Paper "The Role of Women in Spain
Introduction
The field of women's studies has tried to restore the place of women in history by looking at a wide range of women's roles and achievements in different historical periods. For example, Sanchez and Saens' (1996) compilation about Spanish women during the golden age explored the lives not only of queens but of women artisans and female religious figures. What is clear from these explorations is that women's lives were complex and their roles ambiguous, in some instances. Although the dominant culture of that age subordinated women, women's own efforts often allowed them to create some space for achievement and fulfillment.
There is some evidence, however, that women's position declined after this golden age. Instead of greater ..."
From the Paper "The games a society plays are a modest but significant part of its cultural essense, if we are to accept that phrase as having any meaning at all. The Duke of Wellington is supposed to have said that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, and the Olympic athlete was one of the defining figures of classical Greek civilization. Baseball has long been held out as the quintessentially American game; if so, the successive rises of football and basketball to equal prominence may say something about a newer America, while the historical failure of soccer, the "world game," to catch on in the United States, at least at a professional level, perhaps says something about the distinctiveness of American society.
So it is with other nations and their sports as well. Our concern in the following discussion is with Spain, and with the..."
Abstract The paper discusses Spain and Japan - two countries that have been greatly influenced by the West, both politically and culturally, yet, each has held onto its basic individual tradition and ethnicity. The paper shows that while Spain has historically been ruled by a monarchy, Japan's rulers have been emperors. It examines how, since the middle of the last century, Western politics has helped redefine government, as modern technology reshaped the economy and lifestyle.
From the Paper "Although, Japan and Spain rest on different continents, they do share many similarities. Both welcomed the influence of Western culture, however, Japan, appeared more accepting and eager earlier than Spain. Both countries are rich in tradition and culture and have kept their heritage alive while embracing Western thought and ideologies. Spain seems to have lost years under General Franco's dictatorship regarding technology and modernization while Japan thrived in modernization early on under Emperor Meiji. Both societies are proud people with a rich and nurturing history and tradition."
Tags: Civil, War, Franco, Cortes, Popular, Party, bullfighting, Hirohito, Constitution
Abstract This paper discusses how the critical reaction to this novel has gone through a number of stages, beginning with the initial reception of the work in 1926. It looks at reviews in the "New York Herald Tribune Books", the "New York Times", "The Nation", "The New Republic" and other sources. The writer briefly compares these reviews and sees how appreciation of the novel has changed over time.
From the Paper "Conrad Aiken wrote about the novel in the New York Herald Tribune Books when it was first published. Little was then known about Hemingway, and Aiken says that he has heard a rumor that Hemingway has fought bulls in Spain to earn a living. He is not sure if this is true, but he says that Hemingway clearly has insight into the art of bull-fighting and brings this out in the novel. Aiken was familiar with some of Hemingway's short stories, and he sees The Sun Also Rises as a novel that has a bull-fight at its center. Aiken also says that Hemingway has a highly individual style, and he also calls him "a writer of very unusual gifts" and "the most exciting of contemporary American writers of fiction" (Aiken 4). Aiken says the novel is one of honesty and reality, with characters who "belong to the curious and sad little world of disillusioned and aimless expatriates who make what home they can in the cafes of Paris" (Aiken 4). Aiken singles out the dialogue as "brilliant" and as the best dialogue being written at that time."
Abstract This six-page undergraduate paper discusses Spain. It revolves around the history, culture and traditions of Spain with a special insight into the bullfighting culture of Spain. This paper is most simply put an attempt to let anyone discover the wonder of Spain within these six pages.
Abstract This paper explains that, while Mexico City in 1908 may have been a great place to have fun, it was not a country in which a business consultant would recommend investments. The author points out that Porfirio Diaz, who had been in power since 1876, brought wealth to the elite in Mexico through foreign concessions in mining, railroads, and other sectors of the economy. However, that wealth did not trickle down to the middle and lower classes. The paper relates that a political system under a repressive dictator in any country is nearly always corrupt, and Mexico during the early 20th century was no exception.
From the Paper "Meantime, what a business consultant would see, in terms of the social and popular climate in Mexico City, was quite different. As for the general social climate, which of course has an effect on business, the Mexican people were deeply steeped in the Spanish-inspired bullfighting rituals. Mexicans were also in love with the American game of baseball, horseracing was a growing attraction, and boxing exhibitions were becoming popular too was a horse of a different color. Roller skating was popular (on wooden rollers). So many people were roller skating that in 1907, the police put a stop to roller skating on sidewalks."
Abstract This paper studies Ernest Hemingway's "In Our Time," a collection of short stories, some of which share the same main character, loosely arranged into chapters. The paper explains that the continuity of these stories is fragmented by interludes, most of which are violent. This paper analyzes these interludes. The author dissects their symbolism in order to understand and appreciate Hemingway's social commentary, which he says is to emphasize that society has become fragmented, and that individuals are feeling uncertain and doubtful about the meaning of their lives.
From the Paper "One of the most jarring aspects of In Our Time is the Vignettes, short interludes that seem to break up the chapters rather than connect them. The Vignettes are divided into roughly two parts: the first part deals with someone who is fighting in the war, who turns out to be Nick. "Nick sat against the wall of the church . . . He had been hit in the spine" (63). This immediately makes sense of the first half of the Vignettes or so, since it ties them all back to the main character, and explains why he seems to be searching for meaning: he has lost his innocence in the War. However, the second half still needs explication."
Tags: xenophobia, vignettes, bullfight, war, literary, Americana
Abstract The writer of this paper examines the mood and atmosphere of the 1920s as depicted in Hemingway's collection of short stories "Men Without Women." This paper focuses on the central male characters in 6 of the 14 stories from the author's novel. This paper explores Hemingway's obvious obsession with small-time athletes and bullfighters past their prime. This paper also discusses the author's practice of writing about men rather than women, which is appropriate considering the era in which these stories were written. The writer analyzes the following short stories: "The Undefeated", "In Another Country", "The Killers", "Fifty Grand", "A Simple Enquiry" and "Banal Story".
From the Paper "Hemingway was obsessed with the small-time athletes- bullfighters who had their moment in the sun, prize fighters who had their hands raised but, when the really big fight came along, would find themselves on the canvas, stretched out like so much dead meat. Hemingway knows and repeats the callous conversations, the religious and ethnic slurs that come from the mouths of these, usually uneducated, and carefree men who occupy the lower rungs of our society. In "Fifty Grand" Jack, the mediocre fighter, worries about his wife, the property he has in the Bronx and in Florida."
Abstract This paper provides a discussion and comparison of three different versions of "Carmen", including the original story as written by Prosper Merimee, the opera version by Georges Bizet and the film adaptation of Bizet's opera, directed by Francesco Rosi. The main focus is on settings, themes, images and characterization.
From the Paper "The Georges Bizet opera Carmen is part soap opera and part action adventure. The tale of the passionate and beautiful Gypsy Carmen and her obsessive and reckless lover Don Jose is set in Andalusia in the early ..."
Abstract The paper discusses how in comparing, contrasting and discussing the issue of gender and its significance in "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)," "Orlando," and "The Sun Also Rises," it is evident that gender issues were perceived and portrayed very differently by writers such as Virginia Woolf and Ernest Hemingway. The paper explains that this is because of their personal agony over gender and its psychological implications. The paper points out that differences in their fictional portrayals of rigid gender identity and values is not particularly surprising, for Virginia Woolf was not inclined to shoot wild game animals in Africa or attend bullfights and Ernest Hemingway was not a exactly a charter member of the early feminist movement in fiction and literature.
