Abstract This paper covers extensively the creation and reception of John Carpenter's ""The Thing", a largely unknown, but highly influential science-fiction film from 1982. The paper talks about the origins of the story, pre-production, the negative critical and commercial reception of the film, and the re-interpretation of it years later by audiences. Also, it discusses the metaphorical aspects of the film, like its parables to the McCarthy era.
From the Paper " ?Antarctica, Winter 1982,? a title card reads. A pulsing beat can be heard as a helicopter flies over a snowcapped cliff and down into an endless and bleak white valley. We see two men in the chopper, one flying the aircraft, the other scanning the landscape through a pair of binoculars Soon it is apparent what the men are pursuing: a sled dog, running quickly across the ice. The man in the passenger's side of the helicopter puts down the binoculars, and leans out the side, a large rifle in his hands. He begins squeezing off rounds madly at the sprinting husky, like a crazed Ahab after the great white whale. This hectically confusing scene is the opening of John Carpenter's 1982 film, The Thing, a chilling story about a research team at an Antarctic outpost, who suddenly find themselves at the mercy of a malevolent shape-shifting, body-absorbing alien. The Thing was a landmark science-fiction film that has inspired countless other movies and TV shows, and yet was totally unappreciated in its time, and has since yet to be given the proper respect it deserves."
Abstract A look at the life of Karen Carpenter and the manner in which she suffered from anorexia nervosa. There are a number of factors in a person's life that can lead to a psychiatric disorder. This paper discusses how it is interesting to look at Karen Carpenter's life and what could have caused her to experience anorexia nervosa.
From the Paper "Karen Carpenter was born March 2, 1950 in New Haven, CT and moved to Downey, CA in 1963. Karen looked upon herself as a tomboy who enjoyed playing baseball and badminton. By the time Karen was 10, she had a typical and robust appetite. She was popular due to her ?funny and caring personality, but was also hurt by other kids teasing her for her tendency to chubbiness. During puberty, her parents felt that her "weightiness" did not bother her and that she accepted any teasing about it cheerfully (LeadSister.com).? However, a close friend of hers, Frank Bonito, now acknowledges "she always felt she was unattractive. Especially when she became a woman she had large hips. No matter how thin she got on top, her hips were always big" (LeadSister.com).? "
An examination of common ethical question of good versus bad by examining the scene of the Walrus and the Carpenter in "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll.
Abstract Are ethics something that humans create for themselves, and if so, which humans create them and why? Are ethics created by the strongest or by the majority? What makes something right or wrong morally? Though much thinking and writing and research has been done on these questions throughout human history, no real answer has as yet been arrived at. We have moral standards in our society, things that are generally considered as definitely right or wrong. We naturally want to know why we have these morals and where they came from. This paper explores these issues, using the scene between the Walrus and the Carpenter in "Alice in Wonderland" as an example.
From the Paper "Most people are familiar with the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter. The tale of these two is told by Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee to Alice in the form of a poem. The Walrus and the Carpenter are walking along the beach together and decide that there is too much sand, so they determine to sweep it all away, working on this project for half a year. Once they have swept away all of the sand that they realistically can, they call out to the oysters in the water to come up on shore and talk with them, and tell them that they have treats for them, but only enough for four oysters. The eldest oyster chooses to not leave the oyster bed. However, many young oysters are lured up onto the beach by the promise of a treat. As it turns out, far more than four oysters come up on shore. The Walrus and the Carpenter lead the young oysters on a run along the beach, then sit down to rest and to talk. The Carpenter asks for bread so that they can eat, at which point the oysters become nervous that they are on the menu. The Walrus and the Carpenter do not say anything to assuage their concerns, but the Walrus tries to distract them with other talk, while the Carpenter complains about the bread and the butter. The Walrus feels it is a dirty trick to lure the oysters out and then eat them, but the Carpenter seems to not care. Weeping for the fate of the oysters, the Walrus arranges them by size, and he and the Carpenter eat them all."
Abstract The paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the lighting in the film "Titanic," directed by James Cameron. Specifically, it discusses the director of photography, Russell Carpenter and analyzes how his lighting helps represent the story and characters throughout the movie.
From the Paper "Russell Carpenter won an Academy Award for his work on "Titanic," as well as Best Cinematography awards from the American Society of Cinematographers and the Chicago Film Critics. He has also worked on the films "True Lies," "Terminator 2 3-D," "The Lawnmower Man," "Hard Target," "The Indian in the Cupboard," and "Money Talks," which he worked on with Robert Primes, ASC."
Explores the role of memory in "Once Up a Time When We Were Colored" (Taulbert), "Salvation on Sand Mountain" (Covington), "Blue Wedding" (Smith), ?Carpenter Bee? (Trethewey), and "Ellen Foster" (Gibbons).
Abstract The magic of the human memory can be used as a powerful, informative, and insightful device in fiction and poetry. Characters and ideas develop and grow with time, and memory is a function by which these devices can provide us with valuable information. This paper examines how the role of memory enhances the reading experience by looking at "Once Upon a Time When We were Colored" by Clifton Taulbert, "Salvation on Sand Mountain" by Dennis Covington, "Blue Wedding" by Lee Smith, ?Carpenter Bee? by Natasha Trethewey, and "Ellen Foster" by Kay Gibbons.
From the Paper "Clifton Taulbert, author of Salvation on Sand Mountain, uses memory to personalize history. Clifton's technique utilizes memory to play an important role in the history of society, especially that of St. Marks? church in the town of Glen Allan. In fact, Taulbert tells us, "And whether north or sought, large or small, the colored church was a totally black experience" (Taulbert 281). That statement leads Taulbert on a journey into history as he remembers the people who shaped his personality as a boy. For example, Mother Byrd was influential to the members of the congregation, but her "demands for perfection and self-respect and her high hopes for the colored race will always be with me" (283). In addition, Mother Byrd was a proponent for black pride long before it became fashionable? (284). We also learn about the sister-workers. Clifton's characters provide most of the excitement in this story, which help us visualize the scenes."
A look at the role of the Wife of Bath in the "General Prologue" and the portrayal of the carpenter's young wife in "The Miller's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales".
1,437 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 0 sources, 2009, $ 47.95
Abstract This paper examines the similarities between the Wife of Bath in the "General Prologue" and the the carpenter's young wife in "The Miller's Tale" in Goeffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales". It looks at how they are both named Alisoun and how their identities are arguably defined by their wifehood. Both wives are wealthy by default but not of noble class standing, rather they married their way up. Both can also be considered lascivious and both may be said to defy gender stereotypes and expectations of the time. The paper also discusses how the physical descriptions of women in "The Canterbury Tales" often seem to mirror their characters and how this sets up the two wives on the opposite spectrum of physical appearance.
From the Paper "Alisoun, the Wife of Bath, is best described as an old hag. The first thing the narrator notes about her is a sign of physical decay, her deafness on one ear, saying that "she was somdel deef" (446). Only she herself later reveals that this is not due to senility. Thus, she is immediately situated her as an older, if not elderly woman, though she may, in truth, be no older than forty. In the passage I studied in detail, this assumption is further underlined by the description of her five marriages and the multiple pilgrimages she has made to far-away places: "She had been three times at Jerusalem... at Rome, and at Boulogne, In Galicia at Saint-James (of Compostella), and at Cologne" (462-466). Since traveling in the Middle Ages was a lengthy, exhausting and dangerous process, the conclusion lies near that the Wife of Bath has lived a long, diverse life and is none the more attractive for it. "
Abstract The Jesus Christ of modern faith bears little resemblance to the humble carpenter who wandered Judea in the opening days of the Common Era. This paper looks at how, why, and by whom the change from simple teacher to Eternal Lord began, and where it might be heading.
From the Paper "The Biblical figure of Jesus Christ is one of the most cherished mythological figures in the history of religion. There are few cultures in the modern world that are not, on some level, aware of the story of the demi-god known as the Christ. But the Jesus Christ of myth and the man historically documented as Jesus of Nazareth have very little in common, anymore. Even the man known to the early disciples bears little resemblance to the figure who embodies modern mythology."
A look at the impact of feminism on society and the expansion of the women's roles in "Star Wars" by George Lucas, "Starman" by John Carpenter and "Alien" by Ridley Scott.
2,475 words (approx. 9.9 pages), 6 sources, 1994, $ 87.95
From the Paper "Introduction
Science fiction is not a matter of creating a future out of whole cloth. Rather, it is a method of projecting current interests and trends into the future to see what they would mean in a changed environment. Most science fiction thus speaks directly to the time in which it is written by using the device of the future or of some technological change as a means of exploring issues of interest in the here and now, which may also be interests that are considered universal and timeless. It is also possible to analyze science fiction, as any other genre, in terms of a specific issue to see how its creators may have addressed these issues and how they may reflect the time in which they live, however inadvertently. It is not clear that most writers of science fiction have an understanding of and ideas..."
Abstract This paper discusses historian Michael Wayne's interpretation of the murder of a plantation overseer, Duncan Skinner, in his book "Death of an Overseer". The paper argues against the probability of the traditional version of events by using his own theory based on letters and newspaper articles of the period. The author believes that Wayne never answers the basic question: Why is this theory better than the old one?
From the Paper "Now, only when Wayne is explicitly (and at the end of his research) given information that McCallin, after being ostracized from the white community, lived as husband and wife with a black woman, does Wayne rethink that bias and conclude that perhaps McCallin did conduct a long-term affair as investigators of the time believed. But, even this reasoning seems a bit fuzzy. On one hand, the fact that McCallin essentially married a black after the murder had dramatically altered his position in the community and any plans he had to accumulate wealth were cut short may reflect the fact that he himself had been ostracized. Consequently, his actions with respect to other people that were similarly excluded from white Southern society (e.g. African Americans at that time) are very little indication of what his actions were prior to those events. On the other hand, it is unclear why Wayne places so much more value on a simple "fact" that McCallin was married to a black woman than on the opinion of the investigators who personally knew him and spoke among themselves. Certainly the fact of this interracial marriage is interesting; however, "marriage" recorded does not speak to devotion or commitment in an everyday, real sense. This is a seemingly small quibble to make about Wayne's text, but this detail is relevant to critiquing Wayne's general approach to factual reconstruction because Wayne relies on the notion that the three slaves who implicated McCallin were unreliable and notes in support of their unreliability, Dorcas? unwillingness to impugn McCallin."
An analysis of three award nominated children's books, "Nobody in Particular", by Molly Bang, Eileen Spinelli's "Sophie's Masterpiece" and Deborah Hopkinson's "Fannie in the Kitchen".
1,400 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 3 sources, 2002, $ 53.95
Abstract This paper will discuss the three books that would be chosen for the annual in 2000 for Caldecott Award Nomination for best young persons book. By understanding how these books are, the three best for the award, we can see why they were chosen for this merit. The three chosen books are: "Nobody in Particular", by Molly Bang, Eileen Spinelli's "Sophie's Masterpiece" and Deborah Hopkinson's "Fannie in the Kitchen", illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. By realizing the merits of these books, a choice can be made to best select the nominees for the award.
Abstract Both Prophet Amos and Jesus Christ represent a radical demarcation from the Jewish traditional prophecy. This paper discusses how both the prophets criticized the prevailing religious practices and the social order. Jesus and Amos did not belong to a high rank, by profession a carpenter and a sheep herdsman, and never prophesied for money. It explains how, in these two figures, we see a radical stand against rigidity in religion and against traditional beliefs and practices.
From the Paper "Prophets Amos was one of the first Israelite prophets whose words were recorded on a scroll. Amos is also one of the unorthodox figures in the Jewish history and the lineup of the prophets. Amos was a blue collar prophet and unlike many other prophets did not belong to the aristocratic; he earned his living as a "herdsman and dresser of sycamore figs." [Amos 7:14]. In his scriptures he explicitly tells us that he was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, that is, in the professional sense of that term. In Israel many prophets use to prophesize for money and being a prophet was also a profession. Amos was born and grew up in small town Tekoa which was about twelve miles southeast of Jerusalem and five miles south of Bethlehem. We can thus imagine that to the cultured elite of his day Amos was an outcast" who probably spoke with an accent. Amos had no intension of becoming a prophet but he was called by God to do so and this was a difficult job for a herdsman of a small town. Being from the southern kingdom of Judah, Amos had the unenviable task of speaking God's prophetic word to the northern kingdom of Israel. Amos was an unwelcome outsider and therefore was forced out of town, "Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.? (Amos 7:13?15)."
Abstract This paper discusses and analyzes the topic of the Tokugawa period in Japanese history. Specifically, the paper examines life as a member of the craftsman class during this period and answers some questions regarding life and the culture of the time. The paper explains that the craftsmen of the Tokugawa period were certainly not the highest caste in Japanese society, but they enjoyed some respect, especially those who were skilled craftsmen, such as carpenters or blacksmiths.
From the Paper "My life as a craftsman in Japan during the Tokugawa period is difficult, but certainly much better than some of the other citizens of Japan during the time. We are seen as the third and forth levels of Japanese society, with the fourth level being the merchants, but we are often quite similar to the merchants, and some people might find it difficult to tell us apart in our lives and works. One reason for this is because many craftsmen, in order to ply their trades, actually begin working for merchant houses, rather than working for themselves, and so, the merchant and the craftsman often blend. However, I instead ply my trade for myself, I do not work for a merchant directly. I am a blacksmith, and I make fine, sharp swords. Much of my work goes to the castle of my feudal lord the "daimyo," but much also goes to the rich residents of my town, for my swords are popular and well made."
Abstract This paper presents a positive review of Eurdora Welty's novel, "A Worn Path, describing it as inspirational and humbling. The paper explains that the story, about an elderly black woman's long journey taken for the sake of her sick grandson, is much like a parable in that the story's main character and her trials can be read as a comparison to Christ, a carpenter's son who sacrificed himself for human salvation.
From the Paper "Upon reading of Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path", one finds an unlikely heroine through Phoenix Jackson, an elderly black woman who makes a trek, which to us seems like a short trip, but to her is one of epic proportions. The details of her journey consumes most of the length of the story, and one can be left with the impression that this is a senile old woman who has strayed too far from home. This view is shared by the hunter whom Phoenix encounters within the story who tells her, "Why, that's too far! Now you go on home, Granny!""
Abstract This paper explores the various reasons many celebrities and athletes develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The writer of this paper contends that although the causes for anorexia and bulimia are the same for celebrities as everyone else, celebrities are more prone to eating disorders due to intense pressure from the media to aspire to "perfection." The public's attitude towards female celebrities is defined by the media, which puts enormous pressure on celebrities to achieve and maintain an unattainable look. This paper examines the eating disorders of several celebrities including Paula Abdul, Karen Carpenter and Calista Flockhart. This paper also contains a brief yet concise overview of anorexia and bulimia, which includes the symptoms, causes and treatments for these disorders.
From the Paper "Denial is a large part of any neurosis. By emphasizing Ally McBeal's attitude towards an obvious weight problem, the network belittles the problem, and in effect says it is cool to extremely skinny all this talk of Anorexia and Bulimia is silly. One of the problems for Paula Abdul was peer pressure and poor role models. Abdul fit the mold for eating disorders. She was a portly young girl who loved ballet and wished to look like her peers. The exact cause of anorexia varies in different patients. There are many factors to take into consideration. "A number of factors, including cultural and family pressures, chemical imbalances, and emotional and personality disorders collaborate to produce both anorexia and bulimia, although each disorder is determined by different combinations of these influences. "
Tags: media, perception, society, pressure, calista, flockhart, paula, abdul
Abstract The writer of this paper discusses the manner in which Chitwood's poem encourages the reader to look at daily events in our everyday lives in a totally different light. The writer contends and explains how watching a carpenter work on unfinished furniture may appear to have no meaning or purpose, yet the speaker of this poem suddenly learns to make a spiritual connection to this specific event. This paper details the content of the poem while examining the metaphor of carpentry, which the speaker compares to everyday life. This paper analyzes the way Chitwood allows the reader to see the world through the eyes of a young boy, that is just realizing how life truly operates.
From the Paper "In the second stanza of the poem, we move from the carpenter's life and his surroundings to the speaker's world, which is the "same white weeks at school." The speaker describes how he learns about dividing on math class. The image he provides here is one that is much like what a house would look like. For instance, he tells us that to divide, you make a Lean-to/for the big number to go under." Here we see the image of a roof appearing. The speaker then tells us that the little number "waited outside." After working the problem of division, we are told that the "answer appeared on the roof." In the speaker's mind, the problem becomes a metaphor of building something because he can easily relate it to the carpenter's work. This idea becomes even clearer when the speaker observes that the bedroom suite came together over the winter months of December, January, and February. It is something that takes time and work."
