Abstract This paper summarizes the 2003 book "Moral Courage". The paper discusses the book's assertion that leadership demands true moral courage, which the author defines as the willingness and ability to make ethical decisions in the face of conflicting forces and goals.
From the Paper "This book presents an aspect of ethical behavior and leadership, moral courage, needed to make brave, ethical decisions in the face of conflicting forces and goals...."
Abstract Stephen Crane produces an innovative style of writing in "Red Badge of Courage", one that works to provide the reader with an immediate and realistic experience of the American Civil War. By placing the reader into a smaller scene of reality, through the eyes of one young soldier, Crane is able to heighten the sensory experience, and describe scenes of battle with vivid imagery that conveys both the chaos and savagery of war. As a technique, Crane's writing scripted images into photographic fragments that most closely resemble the individual's own sensory experience, thus making the soldier's experience one of greater reality than other war narratives of this era.
Abstract This paper discusses Tim O' Brien's "The Things They Carried" simultaneously as an exploration of American involvement in the war in Vietnam and as an examination of a single soldier's feelings about himself. It focuses on the theme of coming to terms with different kinds of courage.
From the Paper "One of the most important lessons that we each acquire as we grow up is the fact that there are a number of different ways of being brave and that few of us has as great a measure of courage along any of the vectors of bravery as we would like to believe .."
Abstract This paper discusses six senators as presented in the book "Profiles in Courage" by John F. Kennedy, showing their backgrounds, their political points of view, their acts, and the aftermath in each case. The six senators discussed are John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund G. Ross, and Lucius Lamar, covering the nineteenth century from the early period through and past the Civil War.
From the Paper "John F. Kennedy offers a series of portraits of U.S. Senators and their courageous political acts in the face of adversity in his book 'Profiles in Courage'. He features Senators because he himself was in the Senate at the time, and he could include other political leaders who also displayed courage in their professional lives. The men he does choose to profile represent a number of different political backgrounds and points of view. John Quincy Adams was a young Senator from Massachusetts, the same position as Kennedy when he wrote his book. At the time, the Senate was just developing as an institution. Adams was a Federalist, the leading political party of the time, a party that emerged from the late colonial period through the efforts of men like Madison and Jay, the writers of The Federalist Papers. "
Abstract This paper examines the effect of instant messaging on efficiency in the workplace. It concludes that instant messaging can be an effective communication tool that also has the potential to be disruptive in the workplace.
From the Paper "Once the purview of teenagers staying up late into the night to converse with their friends instant messaging has found its way into the workplace. Like e-mail, the fax and the telephone, instant messaging ..."
Abstract In this article, the writer looks at nonverbal messages of height and weight. The writer discusses the negative impact of Hollywood's and other mass media's images of beauty on adolescents. The sociocultural theory and social comparison theory applied to idealistic body shapes are also discussed in this paper.
From the Paper "In their comprehensive discussion about the impact of Hollywood's images of beauty on adolescents, Schneider and Levitt clearly identify the nonverbal messages of height and weight. More than just statistics to describe the physical body, one's height and weight lies at ... "
Abstract Songs often contain spiritual messages that can help those who are either victims of unpleasant circumstances or lack the courage to overcome misfortunes. The lyrics of many such songs urge people to face life with a cheerful and positive attitude. This paper discusses three such songs, which contain substance because they transcend any particular space or time and thus carry a universal message of wisdom and courage. The paper also focuses on such things as tone of the song, its central theme, rhyming, significance of oft-repeated lines etc.
Abstract An analysis of Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children", this book report delves into the themes of motherly love, sacrifice, survival, courage and heroism. A close analysis of the book, the relations between the characters, and the messages that author Brecht is sending the reader, this report in particular emphasizes the strength and admirable qualities of the main protagonists.
From the Paper "Nothing tests our mettle better than adversity, and there is no adversity greater and more trying than war. This appears to underlie Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children, which is sharply and precisely set against the Thirty Years? War in certain parts of Sweden in 1624 and thereafter. Mother Courage's valor and grit in nurturing her children and sustaining them by keeping her selling business hefty or surviving have been told and re-told, but the undertones never wear out and continue to reverberate how this brave mother- woman- person's instinct to survive leads her to be more than herself in each stroke of tragedy. I view Brecht as proposing that the survival instinct will move a person to go quite far and do quite everything ? and anything in any way -- for those he or she loves and for himself or herself, or perish. I view Brecht's characters Mother Courage and son Eilif as standing firmly for this life as if it is all there is, and with Swiss Cheese and Kattrin doing something else out-of-time and out-of-this-world but more heroic and more memorable."
Tags: Sweden, history, Thirty Years' War, literature
Abstract This paper analyzes William Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways", which is an account of his journey along the back roads of the United States. The papers relates that Heat Moon's writing style is so compelling that the reviewer feels as if he is riding along in the passenger seat. A central theme of the story is that, even in Heat Moon's search for his ancestral roots, the only thing that is constant is change.
Table of Contents:
The Adventure
Change: A Constant Theme Throughout
From Beginning to End and Past to Present
From the Paper "It seems that the looming issues in Heat Moon's life were a major influence on his decision to set out on this journey. After losing his wife to another man and losing his job, he decided to head out on a search for forgotten parts of America and the American experience by traveling the old back roads through old towns. This is an attempt to see passed the superficial nature of modern American culture by connecting with himself and nature by admiring idyllic, and not so idyllic, landscapes."
Abstract In this article, the writer focuses on the way in which instant messaging has affected and is possibly changing the nature of interpersonal relationships in the contemporary communications environment. The study focuses on the 18-25 age groups as this is the demographic that has grown up with modern technology as an endemic part of their lives and who are most at home with the technology - and most directly affected by it. The paper also points out that there is a close correlation between the topic of interpersonal relationships in instant messaging and aspects of interpersonal communications. The writer notes that the fact that digital communications and interpersonal connections are closely bound in the modern world makes it difficult to discuss these two aspects separately. Therefore, this study also focuses on both interpersonal relationships and modes of communication and their points of intersection.
Outline:
Introduction
IM, Interpersonal Relationships and Communication
Conclusion
From the Paper "In other words, the assertion is that while instant massaging facilitates more extensive modes of communications, at the same time it impacts on important aspects of interpersonal behavior that are seen to be detrimental to healthy and positive relationship formation.
"This is a view that may be seen to be somewhat extreme but it does have an element of truth that is reiterated to a certain extent in a number of modern studies. This view also states that there is a certain risk to interpersonal relationships in IM. This refers to the view that we are losing the importance of face-to-face contact and the intimacy that result from conventional interrelationships."
Abstract This paper contains a review of professional literature on the connection between rap music and youth violence. The paper examines the messages of rap music and attempts to determine if stories about the connection between rap music and violence are substantially linked.
From the Paper "According to an article by Vinette Price published by New York Amsterdam News, two of the biggest names in rap music were murdered six months apart. The blame for their deaths should be placed on the men who..."
Tags: rap music, violence, connections, high risk, gangsta rap
Abstract This paper explains that the reader of Stephen Crane's ?The Red Badge of Courage?, initially notes the theme of courage in the opening scene, when the reader sees Henry regarding the warriors he learned about in school as personifications of courage. The author points out that, throughout the novel, the ability of Crane to describe courage in real, raw terms is particularly striking, especially in the way it evokes the understanding and sympathy of the reader. The paper stresses that, in addition to the strength of Crane's language in evoking the feeling of courage, the author's ability to describe the conditions of war with striking realism only serves to underscore the depth of courage it requires from its combatants.
From the Paper "In addition to Henry's courage in the face of fear (for he most definitely is afraid after his first day of fighting), there are several other characters in the novel that exhibit courage in different ways. For example, Hasbrouck is not only the personification of bravery in his ability to ?lead his men into battle,? but also in his care of his men. In addition, Henry's friend, Jim, is almost stoic in his ability to face the reality (and high probability) of death on the battlefield. Even Henry's mother shows (perhaps the most difficult kind of courage), when she sends Henry to war in spite of her fear, and places her faith in the will of ?the Lord"."
Tags: sympather, reader, fear, personification, language
Abstract The true story of Erin Brockovich shows the triumph of the single mom over huge corporate interests as an astounding example of human moral courage. Similarly, the story of The Bride in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 action film "Kill Bill" is entirely fictitious but demonstrates in exaggerated cinematographic form the value of physical courage. This paper examines the theme of courage and shows how it is portrayed throughout both movies.
From the Paper "Were it not for her rigorous traditional training sessions, The Bride would not have had the courage to take on a whole army of enemies as she did throughout the film. Her physical endurance during the training sessions enabled her to endure the remarkable amounts of pain she encountered through her battles. Kill Bill illustrates how physical and mental courage converge to strengthen character. The Bride's rewards were not fully realized until the sequel to Tarantino's movie, when the protagonist confronts Bill and reunites with her child."
Abstract " Beowulf", "Don Quixote" by Miguel Cervantes, "Paradise Lost" by John Milton, and "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli are discussed as examples of the themes of courage and heroism as seen in literary works. An analysis of the writer's treatment of the story with heroism as its theme is given. A categorical explanation of the themes found in these literary works is provided for better understanding on how courage and heroism can vary between different literary works.
From the Paper "There are many literary works that focuses on heroism as its central theme. Examples of these works are Beowulf, Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes, Paradise Lost by John Milton, and The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. All of these works focuses on heroism, but each writer treats heroism in various ways. Not all of the stories focuses on physical ability to fight bad, opposing forces. Beowulf is an epic that has bravery as its central theme, and the bravery that the writer talks about is based on the protagonist's physical strength. Don Quixote, meanwhile, focuses on chivalry and internal strength as its theme, Don Quixote is portrayed as a middle-aged man who fantasizes about fighting "bad" individuals, and even supernatural elements such as giants. The Prince is a work written by Niccolo Machiavelli that focuses on intelligence or mental strength as the primary tool for achieving success and triumph in a battle, while Paradise Lost by John Milton is a struggle between the Good and the Evil."
Abstract This paper looks at Stephen Crane's "Red Badge of Courage" which the writer considers to be one of the best books written about the Civil War. The writer looks at the realities of war and analyzes the main character Henry Fleming's thoughts and emotions regarding the war in his country, as he thinks only of the glory of being part of such an event. The writer exposes Henry's confused thoughts as his "red badge of courage," is only a wound that he receives by accident from a running soldier. The writer portrays that the book portrays the horror of war - any war - and shows that it is a sad story about the terrible things about war.
From the Paper "Like many young men, even those of today, the main character Henry Fleming learns of the war in his country and thinks only of the glory of being part of such an event. Although his mother clearly objects because she knows the horror of war, he enlists in the Union Army. It does not take long for Henry to realize that he does not know his own strengths and weaknesses. Will he be fearful if approached by the enemy? Will he be brave and a hero? Throughout the book, Henry's thoughts and emotions go back and forth between the wonders of war that he imagines and the reality in front of him where men "drop like sacks of laundry." "
