Abstract
This literature essay compares two stories written by Caribbean women authors, and discusses these in relation to women's oral histories and traditions in Caribbean cultural contexts. Referring to the post-colonial and feminist theory, the author of this paper analyzes women's writing as a reflection of traditions with story-telling, women's "voice," and histories that are particular to women and Caribbean culture.

Tags:LITERATURE / CARIBBEAN, tradition of women

Abstract
This undergraduate level media-criticism paper takes a feminist view of television advertising. It looks at the continuing stereotypes of body image, social role, and career in contrast to emerging images which seem to contradict these more 'traditional' portrayals of women.

Abstract
The paper offers a critical examination of the political structure in William Golding's dystopian classic, "Lord of the Flies". The paper applies Kenneth Waltz's three images of political power to the novel and concludes with a feminist critique of Waltzian explanations, also within the context of the novel.

From the Paper
"A first image analysis of the chaos into which Lord of the Flies' island society degenerates focuses on the individual proclivities and prior social training of the story's main characters (Waltz: Chapter I). The first image renders choir leader Jack as a tyrant who channels fear of "the beast" into a bellicose political force, ultimately splintering away from the weak democratic society Ralph leads.
"In Man, the State and War Kenneth Waltz characterizes the first image as one in which "Wars result from selfishness, from misdirected aggressive impulses, from stupidity" (Waltz: 16). Lord of the Flies, realizes Waltz's description through the boys' response to Ralph's attempts at organizing them around the necessity of long-term physical needs-- especially shelter-- and the urgency of expedient rescue. Ralph speaks his frustration on the matter to Jack: "'I bet if I blew the conch this minute, they'd come running... and someone would say we ought to build a jet, or a submarine, or a TV set. When the meeting was over they'd work for five minutes, then wander off or go hunting'" (Golding: 51)."

Tags:states, law, power, wealth, masculinity, gender

Abstract
In Voltaire's "Candide", the accounts of three women serve to exemplify the questions of gender status in Voltaire's Europe. The stories of Cunegonde, Paquette, and the Old Woman are discussed to highlight the suffering of women during this time period. Collectively, the three women and their tales are used to demonstrate that regardless of financial status, political roots, or physical appearance, women are destined to encounter hardships. A variety of contemporary examples are provided to loosely draw a connection between Voltaire's Europe and the state of affairs in our current society.

From the Paper
"In Voltaire's "Candide", women are used to accentuate the exploitation of the female race in Voltaire's Europe. In the course of the story, we meet several different women, each of whom provides an account of intense suffering and hardship. Cunegonde, for example, was the daughter of a German baron. At the outset, she is described as a beautiful young woman. However, by the end of the story, her physical beauty has diminished as a result of the persecution and abuse she suffered. The old woman, as we know her, was the daughter of a Pope. She provides perhaps the most disturbing story, which includes the death of her spouse, rape, and cannibalism. Again, Voltaire's satire is evident as he demonstrates that not even strong political affiliation could save her from suffering. The third character, Paquette, was originally a chambermaid for Cunegonde's mother. Her story is filled with tales of forlorn prostitution and affliction. Each of these women highlights the oppression and sexual abuse endured by females in Voltaire's satiric critique of Europe. In essence, they act as submissive recipients of action who possess very little complexity or importance."

Tags:cunegonde, exploitation, female, old, paquette, woman

Abstract
This essay is a post-colonial analysis of Caribbean women, and provides an examination of identity issues in Caribbean literature written by women. In this paper, post-colonialism is discussed in-relation to feminism. The literature considered here is examined as a way to produce a strong theoretical argument that critically enables important questions of identity and culture in Caribbean contexts of women's writing.

Abstract
This paper explains how a feminist critique of "The Mill on the Floss" finds the themes of light and dark, God and the Devil, good versus evil, as well as the Gothic overtones represented most strikingly in Maggie's voodoo doll scene, as symbols of the tragic position of a women, in this case, Maggie, the main character of the story, who does not fit the mold acceptable to society.

From the Paper
"George Eliot's The Mill On the Floss is arguably one of the most widely read novels of the Victorian period. Although many differ as to just why this is the case, one thing is clear what was once a rather straightforward tragic tale, tinged with the time's popular romantic/gothic influence, has become a bastion of feminist criticism. Although many readers, especially those contemporary to the work's publication, expressed strong disappointment with the fate of Maggie especially at the end of the novel, the advent of feminist criticism brought many readers to begin to strongly identify with the fate, and the message, George Eliot was trying to convey. (Jacobus 62) Maggie Tulliver's representation of the tragedy of intellectual womanhood mired in the doom of repressive Victorian society is particularly satisfying. For these critics, they find the themes of light and dark, God and the Devil, good verses evil, and the gothic overtones (represented most strikingly in Maggie's voodoo doll scene), as striking symbols of the tragedy of the position of Maggie as a woman "out of the mold". Further, even her eventual death is viewed as an inevitable outcome for a woman destined to have "no place" of belonging."

Tags:writer, artist, realism, representation, traditional, female, roles, tulliver, intelligent

Abstract
This paper reviews and critiques the book "Comparative Literature: A Critical Introduction" by Susan Bassnett. The paper divides the book into two distinct, yet interrelated, parts: A general history of comparative literature and an examination of various topics in comparative literature. The paper parallels the book, recounting the historical roots of comparative literature in Europe (chapter 1) and outside of Europe (chapter 2). Then the paper turns to the special topics and details Bassnett's assertions in each. The paper covers the literature of the British Isles, post-modern literature, travel narratives and translations. The paper then critiques the book. While the author calls the book laudable provocative, she does point out some short-comings, namely poor copy editing and an inappropriate attention to writings in translation as a comparative study.

From the Paper
"Comparative Literature: A Critical Introduction is a provocative book. There are certainly praiseworthy sections of it. The portrayal of the history of comparative literature as it developed in Europe and America is well-done and the differences between the two models are made very clear. Bassnett's depiction of the state of comparative literature in non-Western countries is important, for these countries are often overlooked, just as the various literatures of the British Isles are often overlooked and lumped together as "British." Bassnett is especially convincing when writing on travel narratives. Her discussion of how the non-Western world has been perceived and mythologized is insightful and it is important that she recognizes that exchange between the colonizer and the colonized takes place in both directions. Her analysis of the stereotypes attached to the north and the south is excellent, and her choice of Iceland as the subject for the lure of the north is a propitious one. Furthermore, the recognition of the sexualization of foreign lands is perceptive, and is a good example of how texts not traditionally thought of as worthy of literary study can indeed yield insights which pertain to more traditional literature, as well. The chapter on Guinevere provides a concise overview of a character as it develops in literature over the course of centuries and how the popularity of that character changes with the times. It is clear that Bassnett is passionate about translation studies, and she summarizes the field succinctly and understandably, which is of importance, since many readers will probably not be as familiar with translation studies as with, say, post-colonial literature. Stylistically, the book is constructed well. As I noted earlier, Comparative Literature begins with the history of the field and then proceeds into a series of case studies, one of which is translation. But by subsuming comparative literature under the rubric of translation studies, Bassnett makes translation studies part of the history, or, better, the future, of comparative literature. The final chapter is, then, a continuation of the history of comparative literature begun in the first two chapters."

Tags:british, isles, europe, america, books, poetry, novels, travel, narratives, translations, post-modern

Abstract
This paper closely analyzes the erotic and eco-feminist aspects of two works by Ursula LeGuin and Michelle Cliff. This paper is highly analytical, employs points of post-colonial theory and revels in the idea of women as supreme. The works addressed are Cliff's "Abeng" and LeGuin's, "She Unnames Them and Other Selected Works".

From the Paper
"Eco-feminist theory is an extension of the politically charged feminist movement, which combines gender and race oppression with the subjugation of the natural world. According to this theory, the female gender is interconnected with the surrounding world. Thus, gender appropriate terminology emerges, such as 'mother nature' and 'mother earth,' in order to solidify the female's attachment to her natural surroundings. In Michelle Cliff's novel Abeng, female protagonist Clare Savage is burdened with the inability to experience a sense of 'oneness,' or what Audre Lorde calls "the erotic" with her Jamaican homeland and family members. Lorde describes the erotic as "a resource within each of us that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plane, firmly rooted in the power of our unexpressed or unrecognized feeling" (Lorde 103). It is necessary to understand this novel from an eco-feminist view so that the theory can be used as a scope or lens when approaching works that are classically labeled, 'feminist' or in this case, 'eco-feminist works.'"

Tags:caribbean, ecofeminism, feminism, postcolonialism

Abstract
This paper discusses the way that Rojo illustrates the Caribbean and how he compares it to a machine and gives examples from music, religion, literature, and Carnaval, all elements that are part of the culture. It explains how they have evolved from the mingling of varied cultures that define the Caribbean as it is today.

From the Paper
"The Caribbean, according to Benitez-Rojo, is a machine that was created from the time that Christopher Columbus' discovery of the area to the machine of the sugar plantation. In comparing the Caribbean to a machine he believes that it was the mercantilist Europeans who took the natural resources, infused with the blood of Africa to make the Caribbean the machine that it was and the machine that it continues to be. Though created by the Europeans, it was the blood of Africa (the slaves) that kept the machine working in earlier days. The Caribbean became the place in between commercial monopoly and pirates. Nevertheless, the Caribbean opened the doors for the capitalism of the west. Benitez-Rojo asserts that the history of capitalism and the history of the Caribbean are one and the same."

Tags:carnaval, music, religion, literature

Abstract
The paper asserts that Adler's theory is perhaps the most revealing because it demonstrates a view of the feminine perspective from birth through life and also supplies evidence of the manner that women cope with existence in a male dominated society. The paper discusses how Adler suggests that women will be prevented from reaching their full potential as long as a male dominated society exists, which appears to indicate that women will always be oppressed. However, the paper also notes that Adler further suggests that it is the coping mechanism in people that will determine their fate, whether man or woman. The paper highlights how this evidence indicates that a feminist approach to thought must include both men and women as vehicles of their own destiny and as those who shape the environment.

Tags:feminist, thought, paper