Abstract
This paper provides an in depth analysis of poverty as it is viewed from the conflict theory of sociological analysis. The nature of poverty in contemporary society is illustrated, conflict theory is fully explicated and applied to the creation and maintenance of poverty, and resolutions on how to resolve poverty as a social problem from the theory's perspective are offered.

Tags:Marx, capitalism, poor, working class, inequality, revolution, resources distribution, government, institutions, wealth, power

Abstract
This paper examines how the Civil War still has a lingering effect on today's American society. The paper explains that this terrible conflict has impacted American politics, culture, economics and social values in many ways, but the political effects of the Union victory over the rebelling Confederacy have been perhaps the most important, for had the South won the Civil War, the existence of two rival countries at the center of the North American continent would have greatly altered future political, economic, cultural, and social developments. The paper looks at how, because of the Civil War, the federal government and federal bureaucracy became much more powerful, and the American president's war powers were significantly expanded. The paper then points out that progress against racial prejudice and discrimination began to be made, but nearly a century passed before racial segregation was ended and racial equality was accepted by most of the American people. The paper also discusses how the Civil War led to loyalty to America instead of loyalty to one's state, great industrial expansion, the creation of a national media, growing world trade, the development of active and powerful labor unions, and the establishment of an economic foundation that made the United States a global economic superpower within a hundred years. In conclusion, the paper shows that in terms of cultural changes, the Civil War led to a growing cultural sophistication across the United States in the form of increased public interest in literature, poetry, the theater, and art.

From the Paper
"Fite (1983) notes that in terms of domestic politics, the expansion of federal authority required to win the Civil War created a huge and powerful central government in Washington D.C. and established a lasting precedent of centralized federal government power. Before the war broke out in 1861, the federal government was relatively weak, and the states retained significant political power. But during the war years, the Lincoln administration and the United States Congress were compelled to expand their powers in order to save the Union, and these powers resulted in an enlarged federal bureaucracy which, once established, was reluctant to give up the broad range of powers it had acquired during the war."

Tags:freedom, cultural, social, union, Lincoln, adminsitration

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the characters in two plays, "Pygmalion" and "Death of a Salesman." Through this comparison, the reader gleans insights into the character development in each play and the resolved and unresolved issues in each play. The paper gives a brief plot summary of each play and describes the traits of the major characters. Also cited are the unresolved conflicts. The author concludes that both Eliza and Higgins in George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion," and Biff and Willy in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" consistently reveal only half-truths about themselves to each other, and to other characters in the play

From the Paper
" If "Drama is the art of significant juxtaposition" (H.D.F.Kitto), that is to say that dramatic conflict springs from a dialectical opposition of ideas; e.g., a half-truth in debate with another half-truth, in analyzing two pairs of dramatic "opponent" characters, then, first Eliza and Higgins in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and second, Biff and Willy in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman one may define the nature of the respective "half-truths" of these characters according to how their confrontations are dramatized and resolved (or not). I will explore the issue of whether the dialectic between either of these two pairs of characters, Higgins and Eliza and Willy and Biff, is ever resolved."

Tags:Death of a Salesman, Pygmalion, George, Bernard, Shaw, Arthur, Miller

Abstract
The paper argues that to a large degree, the extent that a society attempts to exert control over its own members and over external influences, reveals or shapes the character of that society.

From the Paper
"The relationship between society and the individual is a highly complex and controversial one. Yet many believe that the higher degree of control by a country over its individuals and external influences, the higher will be the level of character of its citizens and its societies, cities, towns, etc. Malcolm Gladwell argues that the reason most of us as individuals seem to have a consistent character is that most of us are really good at controlling our environment. In contrast, Alexander Stille..."

Tags:laws, obey, will, crime, New York City, India, Ganges, Bernard Goetz, tipping points, epidemics, order, pollution, modernization

Abstract
In this paper, the writer distinguishes among the three most common theoretical approaches to international order. These approaches are realism, international society (internationalism), and liberalism. It begins by defining international order. The rest of the paper is divided into four sections. First, it compares the way proponents of realism, liberalism, and internationalism perceive the international order and the role of states within it. Secondly, it explains the goals of the realist, liberal, and internationalist approaches. Third, it compares how the international actors behave according to each approach and how they achieve their goals. Fourth, it outlines the limitations of the different approaches. The writer concludes by describing each theory's place in today's world.

From the Paper
"Before approaches to international order can be explored, international order itself must be defined. The international order is an anarchic system of states. It is "a pattern of activity that sustains the elementary or primary goals of the society of states or international society." International order is distinguished from world order in that world order refers to the most primary goals of humanity, not states. Although all approaches agree that international order is weak, classical realism assumes permanent anarchy, liberalism sees a global community, and internationalism sees the potential for a less violent, more lawful order."

Tags:international, internationalism, liberalism, order, realism, society

Abstract
Mark Twain's novel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," is a realistic novel that reveals how a young boy's morals and actions are at odds with those of the society around him. This paper analyzes themes relating to the main character Huckleberry Finn, along with Jim, a black man and a slave of Miss Watson, who encounters Huck in the wilderness and agrees to travel with him down the Mississippi. Leaving the unadventurous clutches of his home, where he was held prisoner by father, Huck chooses to flee society and return to the natural world, where he feels at home and comfortable. Jim, however, is trained by society and, even though he believes he deserves freedom, he also considers himself inferior to whites. The author of this paper demonstrates the themes of morality, such as that of struggling with the notion of slavery, along with themes of friendship and freedom.

From the Paper
"Huck's morals and actions are at odds with the society that surrounds him. This is clear when we see how Huck struggles with the notion of slavery. Huck's limited education allows him to understand how cruel slavery actually was. If he had been more educated and simply accepted what others tried to teach him, maybe he would not have been so open to his true feelings. However, Huck is blessed in that he has not allowed himself to be influenced by the morals others try to impose on him or what society deems right and wrong. Huck comes to realize that he cannot tell anyone that Jim has run away and tells him, "People would call me a low down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum--but that don't make no difference. I ain't agoing to tell" (Twain 269). We also see Huck's inner struggle when he cannot bring himself to provide Miss Watson with the letter he that explains everything. Huck knows he cannot send the letter because he "couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him" (381). In an act of defiance, he tears up the letter even if it means going to hell. Huck knows that regardless of what society preached, he had a friend in Jim and that friendship was real and more important than any social code. Huck knew the difference between what was "right" in his heart and what was "right" according to social conduct."

Tags:actions, emotions, surroundings, theme, society, ethnic

Abstract
The paper examines the presence of realism in fiction and uses Russell Banks' novel "Sweet Hereafter" as an example. The paper defines realism in literature and includes the development of characters.

From the Paper
"Realism in fiction presents the reader with the unreality of fiction wrapped in an illusion of reality. Characters, plots and settings are plausible, suggesting that they could actually exist in real life. In most cases, realist authors have derived their stories from actual experiences and issues, so the ring of truth permeates them. Realism enables the reader to engage fully in the story because he perceives it as true."

Tags:Realism, fiction, Russell Banks, Sweet Hereafter, grief, loss

Abstract
This paper looks at two short stories: "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck and "The Death of Ivan Ilych" by Leo Tolstoy and compares the different themes of conflict within the two stories. John Steinbeck explores conflict in terms of gender differences and Tolstoy through a human heart in conflict with itself even after death.

From the Paper
"The key element in Elisa's world is her bed of chrysanthemums, representing her strength, that which she does best and about which she is the most proud. She reacts with pride when her husband refers to her flowers. When she describes her flowers, she describes them as "strong." The strength of the flowers represents her own inner strength. These images of strength and power contrast with the way the reader usually thinks of flowers and gardening, and indeed with the way society usually views women as weaker than men. "

Tags:gender, roles, society, funeral, grief, life

Abstract
This paper discusses and defines the birth of the genre of realism in the 19th century. It continues to present how realism is reflected in the works of Mary Shelley ("Frankenstein"), Charles Dickens ("Great Expectations"), Jane Austen ("Pride and Prejudice") and Emily Bronte ("Wuthering Heights"). Through these works, the paper illustrates the theme of social change by depicting the everyday lives of people who had been part of 19th century society. Expressing a realist perspective rather than one's subjective sentiments about life.

From the Paper
"Dickens depicted the dissolution of class divisions through the characters of Pip and Estella, individuals who represented the underprivileged and the elite classes, respectively. In the novel, readers witnessed how Pip's ascent to a higher social class became possible through a secret benefactor, while Estella's higher stature eventually led to her poverty when Miss Havisham died. The once poor Pip eventually attained a better life, while Estella, once rich, became imprisoned in an abusive relationship with Drummle: "I had heard of her as leading a most unhappy life, and as being separated from her husband, who had used her with great cruelty..." In a similar vein, Bronte proved how 19th century was the period where class divisions were no longer stable and class mobility was not only encouraged, but was also possible. Heathcliff and Cathy Earnshaw's lives in Wuthering Heights illustrated the shifts of fortune that befell their lives, where the once rich Earnshaw family found themselves poorer than Heathcliff, who was once an orphan and maltreated servant in the Earnshaw family."

Tags:realist, life, society, literature

Abstract
This paper looks at how literature mirrors the social and psychological nuances of the culture of which it is a part. Fiction that bases itself in reality can often be unrealistic in its portrayals, local color can be exaggerated to prove a point or simply to entertain. After the Civil War, the assimilation period of Native Americans was one filled with turmoil and tragedy for this people. This paper discusses how writers of this period would often sympathetically take up their plight or ruthlessly portray them as dangerous and evil characters in their works. Some mixed the two and made social commentary without perhaps even realizing it. The paper also assesses the Age of Realism in American literature with its interwoven romanticism. The paper asserts that this conflict between the two styles also mirrors the conflict between the Native American's natural world and the oncoming civilization's world of reason. The three writer's analyzed within this paper are, Helen Hunt Jackson, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman.

From the Paper
"Another version for Twain, and one that has some interesting social relevance, is the character of Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer. Also portrayed as evil and despicable, Injun Joe, however, is a 'half-breed' and in some sense this mixing of the two races together has an even more disastrous effects in the creation of an immoral and deadly spawn. 'Say, Huck, I know another o' them voices; it's Injun Joe.' 'That's so -- that murderin' half - breed! I'd druther they was devils a dern sight. What kin they be up to?' (Twain, 1920, p. 84). Was this Twain's intention? Perhaps not but the message is clear that these two races cannot at any level mix together. Here we have the darker side of both realism and romanticism. Certainly there were many conflagrations between Whites and Native Americans both in the early pioneering history and in the Post-Civil war period. Twain seems fixed on portraying the negative in the Native American and siding on the part of the government's imposed innate right of eminent domain upon the Native American's land. He mirrors the comments from a court decision, the United States v. Luccero in1869 as is seen in this excerpt:
"The idea that a handful of wild, half-naked, thieving, plundering, murdering savages should be dignified with the sovereign attributes of nations, enter into solemn treaties and claim a country...as theirs in fee simple, because they hunted buffalo and antelope over it might do for beautiful reading in Cooper's novels or Longfellow Hiawatha, but is unsuited to the intelligence and justice of this age, or the natural rights of mankind. (McQuade, Atwan, Banta, Kaplan, Minter, Stepto, Tichi, & Vendler, 1999, p1322).'"

Tags:american, native american, characters society realism conflict