Abstract
This paper takes a look at Maria, a character in the story "Clay" by James Joyce, who never actually wakes up to face the reality or realizes that her whole life has been based on false assumptions and lies.

From the Paper
"In the Dubliners, James Joyce's short story "Clay" stands out as a piece that has as its main character an ignorant woman who is essentially blind to the world around her. While many of Joyce's characters are struck with life-changing epiphanies, Maria does not recognize the signs - that are predictors of her future - even when they are painfully obvious to the reader. Working at the Dublin by Lamplight laundry, Maria thinks of her position as being of the utmost importance when in reality she is nothing more than a common dishwasher. Although Maria's budget is very limited, she nevertheless thinks that she is an independent woman and can afford the same things as women her age who are actually married. Maria believes that other individuals respect her and admire her, even though those same individuals either mock her unassuming nature or fail to notice her all together. Maria considers Joe's family to be the closest thing she has to having her own family. Meanwhile, Joe, his wife and his children simply put up with Maria once a year as if she was an unpleasant burden. Throughout the story, Joyce presents comparison after comparison of how Maria views herself versus how others view her. While Maria sees her life and the world around her through rose-colored glasses, the reality is rarely accommodating of her expectations."

Tags:clay, james, joyce, maria, Dubliners, character, analysis, english, literature

Abstract
The paper explains that Clay Sizemore is torn between the spiritual world of his aunt Easter and the secular world of his "brother" Cake, and he feels uneasy in both worlds. The paper then discusses how the quilt represents the many facets and layers of Clay's life and highlights how Clay comes full circle, from a youth without goals or purpose, to a father who will love and protect his little daughter. The paper points out that he was searching for something he could not find in the secular or spiritual world, but once all the pieces fell into place, he could grow into a confident and happy husband and father. The paper includes an outline.

From the Paper
"Clay's life is like a crazy quilt, it is missing pieces, and he has to put them together to move onward with his life. He barely remembers his mother, knows she was murdered but little else, and that is one of the things that drives his character. He is missing a past and the love of a mother, and it leaves a hole in him that he cannot seem to fill. Another critic notes, "Clay has to piece together his past and his memories, much like his great-uncle Paul pieces together scraps of fabric to make a crazy quilt" (West). A pivotal moment for him and his growth as a person is when Easter gives him the Bible box that was his mother's, complete with a letter she wrote to him."

Tags:secularity, religion, purpose, meaning

Abstract
This paper focuses on the value of clay in encouraging children's expressive language development. The paper explains that expressive language includes the sounds, gestures, and emotions learned from the point of infancy to express thoughts, feelings, and desires. Expressive languages help children learn to communicate with others. The paper asserts that play in general, and clay in particular, greatly helps children develop their fine and gross motor skills in addition to expressive languages. The paper discusses Reggio Emilia Preschools, which have developed their own curriculum centered on student-guided development and play. The paper notes that clay is also used in art therapy because it has been found to help adults who are unable to express their feelings properly - possibly because of the lack of full expressive language development as a child.

From the Paper
"Using clay as a medium for developing expressive language skills is a fun way for children to learn at their own pace. Children at multiple levels of development can all have fun and benefit developmentally working with clay. Children can focus on their likes and dislikes by creating things that replicate what they enjoy. When the clay is dried, they can chose to paint it their favorite colors, or they can choose to leave it the color it is. Clay allows children to express their likes and dislikes in a variety of ways. As mentioned early, clay is ideal for young children because it is so forgiving. Although other forms or art, such as painting or drawing, are also helpful in the development of expressive language, they are more permanent. Once the paint is on the canvas, the young artist can not take it back or change their mind. If the child makes a mistake in paint, he or she needs to figure out how to cover it up, or start over from scratch. Clay allows children to experiment with different designs, shapes, colors, etc. when working with clay; children are truly free to try whatever they want."

Tags:Reggio, Emilia, preschool, art, therapy

Abstract
This paper explains that Clay Walker is one of the recording stars responsible for the current popular explosion of country music, a multi-billion dollar industry, which has surpassed rock-and-roll and pop music to become the best-selling music genre in the United States. The author points out that Clay is well-known for his high-energy concerts and performance style, even though he has multiple sclerosis. The paper relates that Walker uses techniques of country music, such as themes and stereotypical portrayals to good advantage; however, he also uses some elements from classical music. For example, in his song, "If I Could Make a Living," Walker uses a musical style from Elizabethan songwriters, which is called antimetabole.

Table of Contents
Review and Discussion
Biography of the Artist
Musical Development
Musical Style and Style Changes
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Walker was born on August 19, 1969 and was raised on a farm in Beaumont, Texas, the hometown of George Jones. Walker came to country music at an early age when his father presented him with a guitar when he was only 9 years old. Following his graduation from high school (where he "haunted the practice rooms of the music department teaching himself to play the piano"), Walker pursued a full-time musical career by playing concerts across the United States and Canada. "For over three years, he toured and went to school, taking courses about the music business. During this time, he acted as his own manager." Walker's real break came when he took a job as the house singer at a club in Beaumont, Texas."

Tags:antimetabole, best-selling, piano, sclerosis, texas

Abstract
This work researches and examines why many Ohio soils have significantly more clay in the subsoil than in their surface horizons or the soil parent material. The author argues that these changes are due to man's agricultural pursuits in the area. The paper also explores the soil in terms of Ohio's climate and the soil's organic composition.

From the Paper
"Soil organic matter is the source of nitrogen, phosphorus and other micronutrients needed in crop production and which is formed during the oxidization and decay processes that occur in the soil. The levels of these nutrients produced by the soil processes is difficult to change. According to the work entitled: " " published in the Agronomy Bulletin: "Historically, when forages were part of the crop rotation, nutrient release and soil tilth increased due to the season-long production of roots. Currently, well fertilized, high-yielding grain crops return large volumes of residue to the soil and are a source of nutrients. On medium-textured soils low in organic matter, crop residues are usually more beneficial when left on the surface than when incorporated. During the growing season this surface residue reduces the formation of soil crusts and results in increased water infiltration and higher crop yields. Crop residue on the surface of fine-textured soils such as silty clay loam or clay loam may delay planting by delaying soil drying." (Ohio Agronomy Guide, 14th Edition; accessed online 2006-04-08)"

Tags:agriculture, soil, clay, climate, Ohio

Abstract
The paper discusses the 1850 Henry Clay laws that were later known as the Clay Bill or "Compromise of 1850." Henry Clay's proposition prompted much controversy, but was ultimately passed via two separate measures in Congress. The paper explains that Webster promoted passage of the Compromise of 1850 because he viewed unification of the north and south as the most important political issue for consideration. The paper examines how Calhoun approached the Compromise as an opportunity to discuss the evils of the power hungry north. The paper reveals that while at first glance it may seem that the Compromise of 1850 supported more free states and the abolition of slavery, in fact it made life more difficult for fugitive slaves.

Outline:
Introduction
Analysis of Text
Conclusions

From the Paper
"Daniel Webster promoted passage of the Compromise of 1950 through his speech, which highlighted the importance of creating a solidarity among people living in the north and the south. Webster's primary argument included the position that since the time of the Constitution much change had occurred within the states. Webster suggests that the North and South were once in agreement that slavery was at best an "immoral and an evil practice", and that such practice could only be considered "inhuman and cruel.""

Tags:slavery, North, South, freedom

Abstract
This seven-page book report highlights similarities and differences between the two political leaders of America, Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) and Henry Clay (1777-1853). Moreover, the paper will also address the fundamental and crucial issues surrounding American public as well as the leaders in power during the antebellum period stretching to 35 years, from 1820-1855.

From the Paper
"Kim Ronyoung's Clay Walls is a novel which tells the story of Korean immigrants to the United States in the years before the outbreak of World War II. The book shows how these immigrants and their children not only survived, but managed to maintain their dignity and their connection to their own culture in the face of tremendous obstacles. The novel is clearly meant to be a tribute to these Korean-Americans and to their courage and steadfastness in refusing to be defeated by very difficult circumstances in a very strange land.


The book specifically covers the lives of the Chun family from the 1920s to the end of World War II. The family is composed of Haesu, her husband Chun, and their American-born children. The most important child is their daughter Faye. The story is about the arrival of the couple in Los Angeles in the 1920s and their..."

From the Paper
"The United States is a nation of immigrants. Only the Native Americans are indigenous to this continent, and at some point in their history they may also have come to this region from Asia across the Bering Strait or by some other means. In this century, consecutive waves of immigration from different parts of the world created tensions with Americans already living in this country, for they believed that the immigrants were taking their jobs, gorging the welfare roles, and somehow reducing their overall standard of living. Beginning in the 1920s, the object of the law was to favor certain kinds of immigrants and to keep out others. More immigrants were permitted from western Europe and fewer from southern and eastern Europe, and Asians were totally excluded, primarily to prohibit Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos from acquiring U.S. citizenship."

Tags:KOREA

From the Paper
"A large part of the loveliness of Clay Walls resides in Ronyoung's ability to synthesize the ugliness and beauty which assaulted Korean immigrants who slowly arrived in Los Angeles between 1903 and 1924. Ronyoung's narrative achieves compelling depth precisely because she does not shy away from depicting the horrors or the glories of these immigrants new life in the burgeoning Los Angeles area. It is Ronyoung's style which allows Clay Walls to scale these heights. By relying upon a strong sprinkling of poetic imagery within her loosely strung narrative, Ronyoung enables her readers to experience turn-of-the-century Los Angeles with the same immediacy with which her characters did. Further, by separating Clay Walls into three parts, one which concentrates on Haseu's experiences and the second which..."

Tags:KOREA