From the Paper
"One of the philosophical plays of Calderon de la Barca is Life Is a Dream, a play that mixes several different themes in a complex fashion shaped around the basic plot and interaction of the characters. Calderon expresses these themes in terms of imagery evoked either by the words of the characters or by the staging of the play itself. The essential conflict in the play is political--how can a ruler know that his successor is worthy and what can he do to assure a continuity of rule that will be of benefit to the kingdom? Patterns of imagery in the play contribute to this theme and to the other themes of import in the play--free will versus determinism, issues of deception, and the underlying concept that life is a dream. The basic contrast in the play that serves these different themes is that between..."

Tags:DRAMA

Abstract
This paper explains that the motif of sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of one's offspring, in Pedro Calderon de la Barca's "Life's a Dream", Euripides' "Iphigeneia at Aulis" and Toni Morrison's" Beloved" is contrasted starkly in each story with respect to the moral codes of their times. The author points out that, unlike the moral paradox in the story of Abraham and Isaac, there is no such paradox in these stories because the individuals within these novels are elementally human and not morally infallible. The paper relates that the sacrifice, in all of three stories, is performed with insufficient information and not wholly from a rational point of view; however, all three authors tend to suggest that the judgment of right or wrong is inconsequential because all that matters are the emotions people feel pulling them in one direction or another.

From the Paper
"Iphigeneia at Aulis" holds true to this theme in that, unlike the Iliad, it depicts entirely ordinary humanity collaboratively bringing about its own destruction. Agamemnon is no divine hero; he is a mortal man who finds himself in an impossible situation. Kalchas assures him, Odysseus and Menelaos that the sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigeneia, will permit their safe passage to Troy. The obvious forces in opposition to one another are Agamemnon's responsibilities to his people and the alliance, and his responsibilities as a father. The legitimacy of the prophecy is not truly in question, only Agamemnon's individual obligations. Although he calls for his daughter, he immediately admits, "What I have done is wrong and I want to undo it." (Euripides, 143-4)."

Tags:offspring, moral-inconsistency, emotions, slavery, prophesy

From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to discuss the theme of free will and predestination in two plays: Racine's Phaedra and Calderon's Life Is a Dream. A comparison and contrast will be made of the conflict between free will and predestination in the two plays.
Predestination is usually viewed in a negative way in drama, regarded as an unfortunate destiny that leads to doom because of predestined events. Racine's Phaedra is a classic example of this. Free will is the ability to choose freely, insinuating that an individual's choices can be made freely without external constraints, or fate determining the outcome. Calderon's Life Is a Dream is an example of how free will can alter predestination.

Honor in Life Is a Dream acts the same way passion does in Phaedra. Calderon's concept of honor and Racine's concept of (...)"

Abstract
This paper addresses the book "El Secreto de la Infidelidad", by Mexican author, Ethel Krauze, that is a compilation of fourteen stories that tell us about unfaithfulness between couples in Mexico. The paper focuses on the topic of infidelity and how this society deals with it.

Tags:secreto, de, infidelidad

Abstract
The paper compares De La Fayette's "The Princess of Cleves" and Defoe's "The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" and points out that "The Princess of Cleves" was written from a woman's point of view while "The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" is from a man's point of view. The paper further notes that De La Fayette's environ is based on mainland Europe and the lives of the landed gentries and the aristocrats, while Defoe's work contains few scenes on Europe. The paper adds that Defoe's work is a first-person point of view writing while De La Fayette's - as a result of how women were during the time - can only be surmised as a second-person point of view. The paper also discusses how these works' images are mainly of the personalities in Europe and their intrigues and counter intrigues. The paper concludes by highlighting these works' differences and how they both portray different pictures of Europe at the time.

From the Paper
"The point view therein the two books as coming from a man and a woman is quite important because during that time women are considered property and are subservient to men. Wives and daughters are considered under the supreme authority of the husband/father. As a result of these, it could be possible that the image of early modern Europe portrayed by De La Fayette may be not from a first person account but gathered from stories and tales of people she has had dealings with. Unlike Defoe's Crusoe, since he is a man it is highly likely that what he has written came from actual observations from someone who has been there and done that - so to speak. Take for instance some lines in Defoe's Crusoe: "I went down to my farm, settled my family, bought ploughs, harrows, a cart, wagon-horses, cows, and sheep, and, setting seriously to work, became in one half-year a mere country gentleman. My thoughts were entirely taken up in managing my servants, cultivating the ground, enclosing, planting, etc." This was a scene in a country farm estate and chances are Defoe has indeed had experience owning a farmland in the country and doing the matters that needed to be done to properly manage the place."

Tags:gentries, aristocrats, nobility

Abstract
This paper analyzes the painting 'Saint Anne with the Christ Child', by the French artist Georges de la Tour that can be found at the Art gallery of Ontario. The analysis addresses its formal and contextual characteristics. It is also examined as an example of Baroque art, compared to other artists of the baroque style, and the analysis includes how it relates to religious, political cultural and social changes that took place at that time. Finally the paper examines how this work speaks about the religious propaganda happening at the time.

Tags:baroque, art

Abstract
This paper discusses the history, life and works of the poet Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. It discusses her defiance of Catholic Order and her learning, including her large library of books and musical and scientific instruments. The paper then discusses her expression of her feminism and her argument, in her best known work, that women need to be educated. The paper discusses the symbolism of some of her poetry.

Table of Contents:
Juana's Defiance of Catholic Order and Her Learning
Her Feminism

From the Paper
"Much of Sor Juana Ines' poetry centers on the old chestnut of the Golden Age, which is the role of art in breaching the boundaries between illusion and reality and between dream and waking (Kantaris 1992). In her famous Poem 152, "Verde Embeleso de la Vida Humana," she describes life as a waking dream of twists and turns, and in Poem 102, "Decimas que Acompanaron un Retrato Enviado a Una Persona," she brings out the feelings of the "original" woman who sent her. In it, Sor Juana Ines questions the primary of the original over the copy, of reality over art, of the empty presence of the body over the entire world of art, imagination and the intellect. Her clever use of pronouns clouds the gender of the sender and of the recipient (Kantaris)."

Tags:rose, feminism, injustice

Abstract
This paper offers a brief biographical account of the life of Mexican nun, feminist, teacher, writer, and philosopher, Sor Juana Indes de la Cruz. Her early education, her time spent in the convent, her writings, and feminist philosophy are all touched upon in this paper. The paper also briefly highlights the causes she defended and the reason for her downfall in Mexican society.

From the Paper
"Sor Juana Indes de la Cruz was variously known as a Mexican nun, feminist, teacher, prodigy, writer, philosopher, and an intellectual (Oregon no date). She lived in the Baroque era. Multiple accounts state that she was baptized December 2, 1648 and registered on the church rolls as a "daughter of the Church" due to her illegitimate birth (Dartmouth 2003)(Oregon no date). At 3, she learned how to read by persuading her sister's teacher to let her to attend the local primary school (Alonzo 1997). (She said her mother sent her.) (Alonzo 1997). Even at such an early age, she had a insatiable desire for knowledge and education."

Tags:intellectual, prodigy, daught, of, the, church, illegitimate, university, of, mexico, city, female, intellectual, hispanic, society, seventeenth, century

Abstract
This paper looks at the book El Arbol de la Ciencia: The Tree of Knowledge and discusses key themes within it. Themes such as the idea of science being knowledge and against the idea of God. Furthermore looking at the tree in the garden of Eden and how Eve brought upon the sins of man through seeking knowledge and as such have lost sight of God.

Abstract
This paper interprets and explains the poem "The Listeners" by Walter de la Mare.

Tags:listeners, walter, mare