Abstract
This paper reviews Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" with an emphasis on the theme of possession. It examines how the Duke is portrayed as a connoisseur such as other connoisseurs during the Renaissance, who spent their lives in gathering together the finest in art. and artists. It shows how the Duchess can be considered his prize possession and that his intent to marry her was only to add to his collection.

From the Paper
"In reading the opening lines of Robert Browning's poem, "My Last Duchess," (1842) one is immediately struck by the Duchess's similarity to another famous lady with an enigmatic glance "Leonardo's Mona Lisa. And while the origins of that renowned smile may never be known, we are, however, given some clues, or rather choices, as to the reasons behind the Duchess' "Pictured countenance, The depth and passion of its earnest glance." The Duke of Ferrara, proud and self-centered man that he is, knows full well that under normal circumstances only he, the Duchess' husband, could possibly have provoked such a meaningful look."

Tags:renaissance, collection, bride, art, connoisseurs

Abstract
The paper discusses the popularity of coffee and home coffee roasting and focuses on the roasting of coffee using a hot air corn popper. The paper examines the article by Jim Romanoff "For Freshly Roasted Coffee All You Need is a Corn Popper" and lists the supplies and ingredients necessary and the method to be utilized. The paper shows how it is a simple process that can yield great results for coffee connoisseurs.

Outline:
Introduction
Coffee Beans
Roasting Coffee Beans at Home
Hot Air Roasting
Process Involved in Roasting Coffee Using the Hot Air Corn Popper Method
Conclusion

From the Paper
"According to an article found in the Magazine, Whole Earth, Coffee is also referred to as Java, Khavey, Crank and Joe. Coffee is a member of the genus Coffea part of the Rubiaceae, family of flowering plants (Pendell). These flowering plants are most common in tropical climates. Although there are many forms of Coffea the article reports that only two Coffea species are generally cultivated (Pendell). These two species are Coffea Arabica and Coffea canephora. The article reports that Coffea Arabica is the best and most highly priced of the two and the original source for this type of coffee is Ethiopia (Pendell; Roussel & Verdeaux)."

Tags:flavor, connoisseurs, aroma

Abstract
This paper explains that beer-making, which is a complex process involving the conversion of grains into usable sugars and requiring much skill and patience, has not changed fundamentally in centuries. The author points out that some people believe that beer-making originated about 10,000 years ago in Africa and was apparently made then, as it is now, from cereal grains. The paper relates that beer-making is captive to a sequential process, including a variety of essential ingredients, which must be closely adhered to if it is to achieve its full potential, at least in the eyes and palates of beer connoisseurs.

From the Paper
"For their part, hops and yeast also play key roles in the creation of commendable beer. To wit, the former is a "twining vine" that grows in the summer months and is commonly eaten as a vegetable with the leaves "blanched" and used a soup. But most of all, hops serve to add "bitterness and aroma" to a beer - even if they are considered an integral part of every brewing operation. Finally, yeast is another significant ingredient in the "typical" beer and it serves to convert fermentable sugars into alcohol - and into beer flavors."

Tags:hops, malt, yeast, sprouting, conversion

Abstract
The Italian Renaissance artists were a very influential group in the history of mankind, and their work continues to entertain art lovers and connoisseurs all around the world. This report is a summary and comparison of two of Sandro Botticelli's works from the Italian Renaissance period.

From the Paper
"Renaissance is French and was coined as a term in the late 19th century. In regard to art movements like the Italian Renaissance, the word is used to illustrate an intellectually based artistic revival that has been inspired by the study of existing Classical literature or art. The entire Renaissance movement originated in Italy around the beginning of the fourteenth century. The movement ran through the beginning of the sixteenth century after making its way through various other European countries.
The origins of the Renaissance can be tied to social and political movements of the time. Italy from a historical point of view in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries can be traced back to unique occurrences in specific cities. The period was full of turmoil as there were many minor wars for internal or external commercial control as well as many political expansion attempts."

Tags:italy

Abstract
This paper explains that while not itself a pornographic novel, "Running Dog" objectifies women, thereby exemplifying the essence of pornography-- escape into fantasy through the subjugation of women. The author describes how DeLillo both masterfully juxtaposes and intermingles Nazi propaganda with the lures of pornography by subtly exposing the propagandic aspects of woman as object in pornography.
The author believes that, ultimately, DeLillo reduces pornography and its connoisseurs to the comic.

From the Paper
"From Moll Robbins and Grace Delaney to Tran Le Mudger and Nadine Rademacher, female characters lack power against the men with whom they come into contact. Simply, they are objects, not people. Grace presents the relationship between men and women best: "I was married to the same man for eleven years. I did his bidding. Not fully realizing. His silent bidding. Somehow, mysteriously, unspokenly. It's built into the air between us. It's carried on radio waves from galaxy to galaxy". Sadly, hers is not a speech of liberation empowering her coworkers, as Moll fails to comprehend the depth of Grace's words, and the secretary Bess Harris only drinks in silence."

Tags:naza, hitler, escape, fantasy, juxtaposion

Abstract
This paper discusses how Hellenistic Art was primarily influenced by Alexander the Great's conquests, which introduced the culture, arts and philosophies of foreign lands into the Greek milieu and how it mirrored Alexander's pride, his vision and his stature. It looks at how the term "Hellenistic" describes the arts that fuse the Greek with Asian traditions and reflects a shift in Greek consciousness away from the pantheon of gods toward a private, wealthy sector of art collectors. It evaluates how while the Classical arts of Ancient Greece adorned temples, Hellenistic art decorated the palaces of kings and of the private houses of wealthy connoisseurs.

From the Paper
"New dynastic centers like those at Pergamum and Alexandria promoted large-scale palace architecture influenced by Oriental styles and scale. New royal patronage for the arts differed from that of Classical Greece city-state patronage. Instead of the anonymous, religious statues like that on the Athenian Parthenon, statues honored war victories, new syncretic deities, and portraiture of royal families. The faces and figures of gods and goddesses changed, influenced by the religious traditions of Egypt, the Far East and the Middle East. In short, Greece was less important to Greek art. The Classical period climaxed and left a legacy as grand of that of the Athenian Parthenon. Towns were already established, their architecture preserved."

Tags:ancient, greece, alexander, the, great, gods

Abstract
The paper analyzes how Craig Clunas examines the Ming period in China and highlights how he does not consider the art from the Chinese perspective but from that of the European connoisseur, a materialistic viewpoint. On the other hand, the paper looks at the views of John Fairbanks and how he focuses on the culture of China without any comparisons to western culture and with no regard for his own feelings as an American to cloud his judgment. The paper points out, however, that we are comparing two different paradigms that were operating and directed at two different sets of values.

Outline:
Introduction
Two World Views
Craig Clunas: Art View
The Views of John Fairbanks
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Craig Clunas argues that the eight discourses of Gao Lian and the ZenZheng's treatise will appear out of context to historians of the Ming dynasty. However the works reflect the changes that were current in China in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. They point out to the evolution of the material culture of the period. He cites the example of development in agriculture, ceramics and the influence of Christianity that made inroads into the Chinese empire. (Miller, 96) The argument he advances over the influence of materialism goes to the extent of showing the interest of the Chinese in building dams, and the technical curiosity and engineering skills that were promoted during the period. The growth of technology and improvements in agriculture and the methods of budgeting the empires finances and the evolution of the gentry which is emphasized in detail point out the author's obsession in promoting the western notions as having been imbibed into the Chinese empire much earlier in the Ming period. The arguments of the author Craig Clunas therefore attribute the collapse of the empire to the dis-satisfied intellectuals and their influence. While it is true that the Chinese culture does give special importance to the learned, we cannot agree with the author that the collapse of the Ming dynasty was engineered and made possible by the intellectual dissatisfaction alone."

Tags:China, art, Ming, dynasty, culture

Abstract
This paper explains that, in Jewett's "The Country of the Pointed Firs", the speaker's romantic narration is studded with realistic descriptions and the characters give a realist portrayal of their town punctuated with romanticism, which introduces a tension between the different perspectives. The author points out that the use of a third person establishes a certain distance between the narrator and the village; she appreciates it like a connoisseur might an ancient painting. The paper relates that the naive narrator of the beginning, who renders a romanticized depiction of what for her is a place of the past, was in conflict with the more knowledgeable locals, who see it realistically; yet, as the young writer observes more, her narrative becomes more realist and thus closer to that of the Dunnet Landingers, who see a once great town reduced.

From the Paper
"The narrator sees Dunnet Landing in romantic ways but there is a definite realism in her depiction of society there. She describes a funeral procession, an ancient and universal rite, as "futile and helpless on the edge of the rocky shore."(8) Her relationships, while sometimes shown positively (40), are just as often shown in a negative light, as on page 8 when she says, "I did not really belong to Dunnet Landing." Admittedly, the speaker makes this remark nearer to the beginning of her stay, yet even much later she says of the Bowden family reunion, "One sees exactly the same types in a country gathering as in the most brilliant city company. You are safe to be understood if the spirit of your speech is the same for one neighbor as for the other."(72) Besides the conversational insult, by linking the Bowdens with the city, she puts a fair distance between them and the nature which she romanticizes."

Tags:romantic, narration, realistic, naive, past

Abstract
This paper analyzes the book and integrates it with information from "The Second World War" by John Keegan, and "The Second World War" by Thomas Griess. It discusses how Patton was a complex man, more than just a brilliant military leader, as his memoir shows. He was part historian, part barbarian and part connoisseur, all blended into a tough fighting man who knew how to lead troops and plan brilliant campaigns, but did not have the diplomatic skills to get along with his commanders. His memoir is surprising, illuminating and disturbing, all at the same time and perfectly describes the man that was Patton.

From the Paper
"Patton's book opens with some background on the African Campaign in North Africa in 1942. Patton writes in journal form, taking the reader along on all the action of his campaigns as they happen. Some of the entires are short and choppy, dealing only with the fighting action, and others, obviously when Patton had more time to write and collect his thoughts, are long and rambling, and discuss not only the fighting tactics, but day to day life on the fighting front.

Patton is a true paradox, a fighting man who lived to fight, but also loved to learn, and could write detailed and vivid descriptions of everything he saw, from beautiful Persian rugs to the worst carnage of battle. He read the Koran, "a good book and interesting," and then rapidly turns around and reports, "To me it seems certain that the fatalistic teachings of Mohammed and the utter degradation of women is the outstanding cause for the arrested development of the Arab. He is exactly as he was around the year 700, while we have kept on developing." Patton can see the good in something, and turn right around and see the worst of something almost in the same breath."

Tags:second, world, military, leader

Abstract
This paper is an exploration into the world of the Chinese restaurant. It looks at the ethnic compromises and paradoxes inherent in creating a Chinese restaurant in America, for Americans. It shows how in every English-speaking country from England to Canada, Chinese food is a huge business and how for many immigrants it is one of the only businesses ready and willing to take them in. It examines how most Chinese restaurants strive to present themselves as cultural representations where the American connoisseur can have a legitimate cross-cultural experience.

From the Paper
"The cultural concessions of the Chinese food industry, and the strange love-hate relationship between mainstream America and Asian minorities are relatively well documented, if often only in passing. In a lengthy essay regarding "Racist love" (that is, the way in which exoticism and positive stereotypes can hurt a minority), Tiffany Loui suggests that America has a long history of romanticizing Asian cultures to their detriment. She records the way in which all Asians are lumped together in the modern American parlance, despite the fact that the differences between regions is in many cases more pronounced than those among European cultures. (For example, the gastronomical, social, linguistic, religious, and economic differences between mainland China and Japan are far greater than those between France and England, and that says nothing of the many provinces within China alone) This is something that can be noticed also in Chinese foods: almost all relatively affordable Chinese restaurants, especially those which do take-out, have extremely similar menus."

Tags:immigrants, cross-cultural, experience, take-out