Abstract This paper provides a description of the casket scenes in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." The paper looks at Portia, one of Shakespeare's more willful and determined women, and explains how the lottery system devised by Portia's father sheds light on her character. The paper also compares Portia's character at the casket scenes with that at the court scene.
Outline:
Introduction
The Casket Scenes
The Court Scene
Conclusion
From the Paper "First of all, it is interesting to note that the lottery system that Portia's father had construed consisted of caskets instead of any other available objects. In a system that was devised to find Portia a husband, it is almost macabre that caskets be used to symbolize her impending marriage. It is almost as if hinting that her father knew how much she would dread a chance marriage as much as death itself. The lottery system hides a Christian bias (Sparknotes.com) where it also resembles Venice of the play. The caskets are gold, silver and lead and each with its own inscriptions. According to Christian teachings, humans should resist the idea of desire as it is unreliable. There is also the matter of appearances being deceiving and that humans should not only trust their senses."
This paper compares the three suitors in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and explores how Shakespeare influences the audience's attitudes towards the three men.
Abstract This paper explains that, in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Portia's three suitors--the Prince of Morocco, the Prince of Arragon and Bassanio-- reveal the contents of the three caskets and, by exposing their attitudes towards the caskets, indicate their true character, which heightens the dramatic tension. The author points out that, at the time the play was written England was at war with Spain so Arragon, a rather unflattering stereotype of a typical Spaniard, would have been funny to an Elizabethan audience and his name "Arragon" and "Arrogant" amusing. The paper relates that Morocco is jeered at for his skin color but Bassanio is portrayed more favorably as a Christian and Venetian, who is not proud or arrogant. Many illustrations.
From the Paper "The second suitor is the Prince of Arragon whose entrance unlike Morocco's is not pre-empted by any comments from Portia. His arrogance and pride are shown through his choice of casket and his reaction to choosing the wrong casket. He comments on the inscription of gold casket, "...I will not jump with common spirits/And rank me with barbarous multitudes" (Act II Scene ix). Thinking gold was too common for him he arrogantly discards it. He does not even stop to contemplate the lead casket saying only that it would have to look more attractive for him to hazard anything for it. The silver casket is the one that appeals to him the most because he feels that no one deserving should go unmerited. His arrogance leads him to assume that he is worthy of Portia."
Abstract This paper is set up as a newspaper from the Civil War era. It spotlights the life of abolitionists, Soujourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, Lucretia Mott, and Harriet Jacobs. It also includes articles on the daily life of slaves and the Underground Railroad.
From the paper:
"Sojourner Truth, famous abolitionist and women's rights advocate, died early in the morning of November 26, 1883 at the age of 86. She had long suffered from painful ulcers that had begun to cover her body in recent years. On November 28, in one of the largest funerals her hometown of Battle Creek, Michigan had ever seen, nearly 1,000 people gathered, forming a procession behind the hearse. Her casket bore the images of a cross, grain, a sickle, and a crown, all of symbolic significance to Truth. The services, at a nearby church, were well attended by fellow activists, many of whom eulogized about their fallen leader's strength and dedication (Krass p.103)."
Abstract This is an argumentative paper about the characterization of Shylock in the "Merchant of Venice" and whether Shakespeare should be viewed as a racist for his portrayal of Shylock. The author argues that Shakespeare is not an anti-Semite and merely reflects popular prejudice in his characterization of Shylock.
From the Paper 'Shakespeare is not an anti-Semite. He does not portray Jews with intentional slander but instead utilizes contemporary bias and prejudice to create controversy and commentary delivering social medicine to the public through the very same conduit of their prejudice. Shylock, in the "Merchant of Venice," is a target and conduit for popular prejudice. By first laughing at the realization of social beliefs the audience is then stunned when Shylock forces the realization of his equality. Regarding "The Merchant of Venice," and Shylock, there are two schools of thought. While many call Shakespeare a racist, anti-Semite, bigot and worse, for his many portrayals of minority groups, the portrayal of Shylock has a unique aspect, which necessarily separates it from any other instance of racism within Shakespeare's work."
An in-depth study into whether the pre-planning and paying of a funeral for a loved one, makes the mourning and bereavement process easier on the survivors.
Abstract This study identifies the differences in the perceptions and experiences of survivors who make final arrangements at the death of a friend or relative and those who oversee the execution of pre-paid and pre-planned final arrangements. Specifically, the study employs a quasi-experimental research design using a sample of 50 survivors identified via newspaper obituaries published 6 to 24 months prior to the study to test two research hypotheses. The first hypothesis states that survivors who oversee pre-paid and pre-planned final arrangements will pay less for funeral services than those who do not use this approach. The second hypothesis states that those who pre-pay or pre-plan will have less negative perceptions of funeral directors'/funeral homes' costs than those who did not pre-pay. A survey instrument is developed by the researcher employing a Likert-type scaled response; data is analyzed via descriptive and inferential (i.e., Pearson's r correlation) statistics.
Abstract
Review of Literature - Background of the Problem
Pre-Paying for Funerals
Theoretical Framework
Synthesis of the Literature
Method and Procedure -Purpose and Design of the Study
Sampling
Data Collection and Instrumentation
Procedures
Protection of Human Subjects
Data Analysis
Appendix 1-6
References
From the Paper "The cost of funeral and final expenses has never been greater for the average individual than it is today. The national average cost of final arrangements, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, is $5,543 (Taking the mystery..., 2000). Many people spend significantly more than this amount, often in excess of $8,000 - $10,000. In the past five years, the price of dying has risen about three times faster than the consumer price index (Ernst, 1998). The problem is such that the United States Senate has undertaken an investigation of fraud in the funeral industry under the aegis of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Paying for funeral services places consumers in a vulnerable financial situation, a position made worse by the fact that grieving individuals often do not comparison shop for funeral home services, interment options, or other final arrangement services (Senate investigates fraud..., 2000). Grief-stricken mourners may be susceptible to subtle and not-so-subtle coercion and led to purchase final arrangement options beyond their ability to pay.
Singletary (2000) described her own experience in attempting to make final arrangements on behalf of her deceased brother. Noting that her primary emotion at the time was one of guilt and responsibility, coupled with loss, Singletary (2000) states that she did manage to "comparison shop" among several different funeral homes and cemeterians before making her final choice. Nevertheless, in her experience, the price range for a funeral ranged from $5,000 to $10,000 with caskets alone averaging about $2,000."
Abstract This paper discusses the ethical issues involved in selling funeral services to the families of deceased relatives. The paper discusses the mission of the Funeral Ethics Association and how it strives to educate funeral directors to act in the best interests of the public and the common interests of the profession. The paper ends by discussing the changing nature of the funeral tradition and how this is affecting funeral directors.
From the Paper "The mission of the Funeral Ethics Association is "to provide the public and the profession with a balanced forum for resolving misunderstandings and to elevate the importance of ethical practices in all matters related to funeral service" (Funeral2). This is achieved through the continuing education of funeral directors and clear presentations to the public, such as information regarding "funeral options, funeral prearrangements, prefinanced funerals and the ethical purposes of the funeral profession' (Funeral2). The intent of the Funeral Ethics Association is to cultivate ethical harmony and cooperation while establishing ethical relationships between the pubic and funeral service (Funeral2). To accomplish these purposes, the FEA publishes newsletters on ethical practices, hears matters dealing with ethics, and establishes an office of ombudsman to act in the best interests of the public and the common interests of the profession (Funeral2)."
Abstract This paper discusses the costs of a funeral and who benefits most from one. The writer points out that the funeral industry is growing steadily and that there are limitless possibilities in organizing a funeral. The writer weighs the expense of a funeral against the psychological cost of not having one and concludes that ultimately it is the choice of the bereaved to do what feels right for him or her.
From the Paper "Does death have a price? How much is too much? Where do we draw the line between religiously tasteful, and extravagant displays of pagan gaudiness? Not only in the presentation if one can call it such, but the burden placed on the bereaved with the cost of a funeral. Just as the purchase of a high end Mercedes can be a mark of your social status, so can a person's burial site, and undertaker Mr. Mould asks "why do we spend more on a death than a birth"(qtd. in Anderson and Forrester 93)."
Abstract This paper explains that a title of a play is often an indication of what the play might be about, where a story takes place or must be interpreted, such as Edward Albee's plays, "The Zoo Story", "The Sandbox" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". The paper then goes on to analyze and interpret the titles of each play. It first relates that "The Sandbox", which the writer believes is the weakest of the three plays, sets the play inside a sandbox that represents more than just a child's sandbox or the beach. Next, the paper explains "The Zoo Story" does not take place in a zoo, but rather depicts the main character's life, which is like a zoo. Lastly, the paper discusses the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", suggesting that the title of this play is the hardest to interpret.
From the Paper "One interpretation is that the title is a description of Jerry's life. While Peter lives a very civilized life in an upper-class neighborhood in New York with his wife, children, and pets, Jerry lives in "a four-story brownstone rooming house." From his description, we learn that the other tenants in the boarding house are from all walks of life and include a "colored queen," a drunken landlord, and a Puerto Rican family. The way the house is set up is representative of a zoo. The people live in their own sections of the house much like animals in a zoo and have seemingly nothing in common."
Tags: interpretation house casket sexual, fear of reality
Abstract This paper discusses how, by visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, the author was able to closely examine Ancient Egyptian artifacts first hand and how it is clear that art was a very important aspect of Ancient Egyptian culture. The paper focuses on and describes the elaborate funeral items, colorful paintings, inscriptions, and hieroglyphs that adorned the sarcophagi of various Egyptian mummies on display in the Egyptian showroom.
From the Paper "When viewing an Ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, it is apparent that art served a spiritual purpose. Kings and members of the royal family were entitled to extravagant tombs and coffins with intricate artwork and detail in order to bring beauty to the afterlife. One of the sarcophagi that I examined obviously belonged to a king or a man of royalty. His sarcophagus is believed to be from between 850-750 B.C.E. It was made in Egypt with linen and stucco and was the largest sarcophagus in the museum. One of the first signs of his elevated social status was the head cloth that surrounded his face, which was striped with blue and yellow paint. At the museum, I learned that this type of head cloth is known as Nemes and was worn only by royalty, primarily during the third dynasty (SOURCE 1). "
