Abstract This paper first outlines Margaret Mead's understanding of the general development, approaches, and use of national characterstudy; then, examines her primary works on America. Finally, the paper points to her more loosely defined American character writings of post-World War II.
From the Paper "As a pioneer of national character study, Margaret Mead's career continually returned to the understanding of American culture. Combining humanitarianism and social activism with her anthropological investigation she strove to positively affect the experiences of those at home. In her autobiography, written six years before her death, she explains: ?I have spent most of my life studying the lives of other peoples, faraway peoples, so that Americans might better understand themselves.? Part of this life project became the development of- and involvement with a social scientific practice capable of a broad knowledge of culture. With specific emphasis on American culture, her efforts are most substantially evident in And Keep Your Powder Dry as well as with in Male and Female. Many of her other over 1300 publications, often in such popular forms as periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers (and even radio and television broadcasts), are oriented toward specific attributes of American character and their social ramifications."
Abstract The paper examines the drama "Six Character in Search of an Author", written by Luigi Pirandello, which is play within a play. The paper shows Pirandello's theme throughout the play that life is a script with people fixed to patterns that are evident in everyday workings of life and through the history of previous lives.
From the Paper "The drama Six Characters in Search of an Author, written by Luigi Pirandello, is a play within a play, full of reality philosophizing, which shows how people are real in the same way that characters are. These two themes are highly reflective on what it means to be a play, by comparing it to life, and what it means to be a person, by comparing what it means to be a character. The drama is an assemblage of a play, put together on the spot, when six characters enter another play's rehearsal in search of an author who will manifest their roles by writing a script to their drama. This is their one bent purpose in life, to live on the stage, in their world in which they are real. Though they seem alive, as they are in their search, they are not fulfilling the purpose of filling their roles. They need to tell their stories, they desire reaffirmation of existence and for this they need their fixed reality, the stage. Their script is this means of existence and acting the script out is a means of living or being real. People in the same way are doomed to be scripted; identical to characters, they live only within their fixed play, that which acts itself out from birth to death."
Abstract This paper reviews Arthur Miller's play, "The Crucible". It presents an in-depth characterstudy of the characters in the play, attempting to ascertain the guilt or innocence of each one. A synopsis of the plot is given, through which the characterstudy is achieved.
From the Paper "Danforth is the Deputy Governor of Massachusetts. Could he be a suspect? Could he possibly be a witch? The play certainly shows that he is evil in continuing the proceedings rather than admit he was ever wrong. He is, after all, the judge, who presides at the witch trials. He believes he is an honest man. He is relentless in his pursuit of the Witches of Salem. He has convinced himself and others that he is doing the right thing to clean out the den of Witches and purify the town of Salem once again. Even when Reverend John Hale backs away from his belief that John Proctor is a witch, Danforth refuses to listen. He and the theocracy of the town have no desire to stop the trials because to do so would be to expose himself as a sham. The theocracy is the ruling body of the town, a combination of politics and religion."
Abstract This paper comprises a characterstudy of the protagonist in de Troyes? work. It examines the paradox evident in Lancelot's character - how Lancelot is merely a mortal man, yet he is on a quest that demands that he be immortal. The paper also explores Lancelot's many flaws which deter his ability to fully embrace his knightly code, and examines how de Troyes exploits the knight's flaws to fully understand his character and choices. The paper also includes an investigation of how De Troyes uses the knight to explain issues of morality and ethics.
From the Paper "There is a commonplace phrase that makes the claim that, ?the road to hell is paved with good intentions.? Lancelot, the main character in the Knight of the Cart, despite an outward display of unyielding courage is often deceived by his own intelligence and places priority in being a knight above being a knowledgeable person. He's frequently absent-minded and so concerned with others? welfare that he often neglects his own. Constantly taking bold action, he fails to realize how often his knightly instincts lead him on a dangerous road. He possesses a great weakness for the love of Guinevere and this propels him to undertake a perilous journey and make many "well-intentioned" choices. In Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart, written by Chrיtien de Troyes, Lancelot is portrayed as a modest and magnanimous man. He repeatedly fights for the sake of others and time and time again risks his own life to rescue the queen. Though, he is seemingly a fearless and fierce fighter, de Troyes exploits the knight's flaws. His imperfect characteristics are the ones which provide for his humanness and ultimately exemplify how even the bravest, strongest and most noble intentioned persons can fall victim to the power of love. Thus, the Knight of the Cart is merely a mortal not a mystical man and is often gullible, foolish and desperate."
Abstract In this paper, the character analysis of these sixteen dramatic and literary figures present a fictional account of how they would be seated and how they would interact at a dinner party. It looks at how the dinner is presented and how these fictional characters would most likely behave under the circumstances.
From the Paper "The aim of this literary study will be examine a fictional account of a formal dinner party with sixteen famous literary and dramatic figures. By examining these characters within the dinner party environment, one can realize how they compare and contrast each other in their dialogue and behaviors. In essence, the hero of the party would be Holden from the novel Catcher in the Rye, since he has such an in depth perspective on life and how people interact with one another during the night's festivities. The formal dinner will have a sixteen person seating arrangement that will suit the similar behaviors and mannerisms associated with each character."
Abstract In this paper, three short stories are analyzed for character development. Referring to a short story by Chinua Achebe and Jorge Luis Borges, the author of this essay discusses a thesis statement. This thesis statement asserts that short story development depends on the psychological of the main characters of the three stories selected for this analysis.
Abstract This is a characterstudy of Hector in Homer's "Iliad", describing the 4 turning points in the reader's opinion of his character. His moral and ethical appearance is tarnished by actions that he is led into by fate and the gods; it is only these arbitrary occurrences that bring about his downfall, and his overall upstanding behavior as a warrior is recognized at the end of the story, when he is given a hero's burial.
Abstract An analysis of Shakespeare's famous play, "Hamlet", concentrating on the storyline and characters. The author discusses Hamlet's contemplative nature and shows its importance. The author feels that if Hamlet was able to put aside his thoughts earlier, Claudius would have been killed in the second act, and the play would be about forty-five minutes long. But the author of this paper believes that Shakespeare does not make Hamlet's rational thoughts disappear until Act III, at the death of Polonius, making Hamlet one of Shakespeare's longest plays. He feels that Shakespeare uses the death of Polonius to show what happens to a man when he kills another human being. In this play, the author says, the murder of Polonius starts a chain reaction of the rest of the deaths the tragedy has to offer.
From the Paper "There are people in this world who are thinkers and dreamers, who think things through completely before anything gets done. And there are people who get things done without thinking too much before hand. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, is a complex character who thinks about everything to the point where things don?t get accomplished. Throughout the play, the audience can see that Hamlet is a procrastinator, and he cannot kill Claudius, even when he has numerous chances to do so. The key moment in the play when Hamlet's mindset changes is when he mistakenly kills Polonius. Shakespeare decided to include the murder of Polonius to show that by killing a man, Hamlet's mindset has changed and his rational instincts are gone, allowing him to finally avenge his father's death by killing Claudius."
Tags: death, Hamlet, killing, Shakespeare, tragedy, character, Polonius, Claudius
Abstract This paper examines the characters in the play "Othello," and discusses many of the reasons for betrayal and deceit between the characters. Through the unraveling of the plot, issues such as infidelity, jealously, and loyalty are detailed by the author.
From the Paper "In Act IV-scene 3, Emilia and Desdemona are alone in Desdemona's room engulfed in an intimate talk on infidelity. Desdemona tells Emilia that she doesn?t believe there is such a woman who would betray her husband. Emilia responds, "Yes, a dozen; and as many to th" vantage as would store the world they played for. But I do think it is their husbands? faults if wives do fall.? This is no doubt the opinion of a woman who has been married to a man such as Iago. To Iago, love is only lust. Even hiswife sees this in his character. He treats her no better than any character in the play. She admits to Desdemona that she would betray her husband, undoubtedly due to her husband's lack of loyalty. The true nature of their relationship can be seen in Act V-scene 2, here Emilia finally betrays her husband and tells Othello and the others of Iago's scheme."
This paper addresses Lilia's character in the short story "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" by Jhumpa Lahiri. This story illustrates an environment in which a young and inexperienced girl - the character of Lilia - is suddenly confronted with a host of inf
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 1 source, 2002, $ 44.95
Abstract This paper addresses Lilia's character in the short story "When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine" by Jhumpa Lahiri. This story illustrates an environment in which a young and inexperienced girl - the character of Lilia - is suddenly confronted with a host of information about the conditions of life beyond her sheltered suburban environment. Through examining the events of the story, it can be seen that Lilia's character is not truly changed in some fundamental way through her encounter with Mr. Pirzada.
Tags: LITERATURE / AMERICAN LITERATURE, examining the character
Abstract This paper takes a look at the increasing debate regarding character education and diversity. The paper attempts to define the word 'character' by supplying definitions from various related sources. The paper then goes on to discuss how building character in the nation's next generation of leaders, is an obsession of politicians, who have used tax dollars to fund character education in the schools. The paper concludes by saying that character and diversity education in the school or workforce is an evolving art, not an exact science.
From the Paper "In one nursing home, when "complaints arising simply from miscommunication among races or situations that resulted because of cultural misunderstanding," became frequent, the human resources department decided to take proactive steps to integrate diversity training and character building exercises into the workplace environment. They deemed this especially critical, given that the healthcare field is becoming increasingly populated by younger African-American, Hispanic, and Cambodian persons, who are now working side-by-side older, Caucasion employees that have been employed in the field all of their lives. (Hoban, 2005, p.1) "
This paper addresses Petronius' work, "Satyricon", in respect to the values of the Roman people that manifests in the characters and in the setting of this novel.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 1 source, 2002, $ 44.95
Abstract This paper addresses Petronius' work, "Satyricon", in respect to the values of the Roman people that manifests in the characters and in the setting of this novel. Through examining the content of "The Satyricon", it can be concluded that the culture of ancient Rome was filled with individuals who prided themselves more on appearances than substance, where the characters in the "Satyricon" are willing to sacrifice their personal values in order to achieve greater levels of wealth and social prominence. This paper investigates the character of Trimalchio in order to demonstrate this thesis.
Tags: ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY (ANCIENT HISTORY) / ROME AND ROMAN EMPIRE, character of trimalchio
Abstract The paper discusses how in fairy tales, female characters are often associated with a long search for a mate, which ends in a happily-ever-after relationship. Yet, the paper maintains that what is often not considered is the strength of many female fairy tale characters and the struggles that they endure in order to achieve their goals. The paper highlights how the characters of Cinderella, Belle and Rapunzel all demonstrate women that have suffered through prolonged distress prior to realizing happiness.
Abstract This paper compares Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych" and Jhumpa Lahiri's short stories, explaining how in both pieces of fiction one becomes a witness to a character's struggle with herself/himself and what the outcome of that struggle reveals about that character.
Explains that the orphan character has a very powerful meaning in children's literature. Looks at how they are often used to represent development of character and self-esteem in the young orphan throughout any given story.
Abstract This paper examines two examples of child orphans: Anne Shirley in Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel, "Anne of Green Gables", and Mary Lennox in Frances Hodgson Burnett's work, "The Secret Garden". It explains how, in these two children's classics, the orphan child is used to demonstrate an ability to make the best of an unfortunate situation in life. With the help of other characters in their respective stories, these two young girls play vital roles in manifesting to readers that retaining a positive attitude, developing solid friendships, having a will to enjoy life and attaining strong self-confidence are essential to ensuring an enjoyable childhood.
From the Paper "Anne Shirley, a young girl mistakenly adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert of Green Gables, plays an influential role in demonstrating the importance of having a positive outlook on life. Despite being subject to an unfavourable past, Anne considers here new home in Green Gables as a chance to start over. Anne exemplifies her cheerful, positive nature before she even arrives at Green Gables when she is riding with Matthew Cuthbert. Anne, overwhelmed by the beauty of the scenery, exclaims gleefully, "this Island is the bloomiest place. I just love it already, and I"m so glad I"m going to live here"(Montgomery 21). Here, the author is trying to bring forth Anne's ability to put the past behind her. At this point the reader knows full well that Anne is coming from an orphan asylum but she is still portrayed as being polite, and willing to act pleasantly. Another example of Anne's positive outlook comes near the end of the novel after she is finished school and is convincing Marilla that she has full intent on staying at Green Gables and helping her out with her diminishing eyesight. Anne turns down an academic scholarship to take a job as a teacher in Avonlea. Anne views it as a chance to show Marilla her appreciation for her being there as a friend and as a mother figure during her years at Green Gables. Marilla questions her choice and Anne replies, "I don"t know what lies around the bend, but I"m going to believe the best does"(Montgomery 324)."
