Abstract This paper discusses interstellar gas and dust, listing the reasons why it is interesting. According to the paper, these reasons are simply that interstellar clouds can simply be enormous and appear at least as mystical and beautiful as the stars themselves., and more practically, the interstellar medium is capable of telling us very significant things about the nature of our universe, how it was formed, and what properties dominate it. Like most branches of astronomy, perhaps the most exciting application of studies conducted upon cosmicdust is to cosmology.
Abstract Traditional explanations of the Dust Bowl emphasize the lack of rain as the fundamental cause of the severe dust storms that struck the southern plains. This paper discusses additional reasons for the Dust Bowl such as poor agricultural practices and years of sustained drought. The paper describes the effect the Dust Bowl had on the inhabitants.
From the Paper "Americans tend to confuse the "Dust Bowl," a region plagued by dust storms in the 1930s, with the mass migration of "Okies and Arkies" to California that occurred in the same decades. Many people were forced to leave the Dust Bowl for California. But the majority of 1930s migrants, even migrants from Oklahoma, came from regions of the country largely unaffected by the dust storms.
The whole concept of a Dust Bowl migration is a wonderful misnomer. Most of the people had nothing to do with the Dust Bowl region. Most really weren't victims of the drought either. A lot of them weren't even farmers."
A paper which shows how John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" and the article "Steinbeck, Guthrie and Popular Culture" by Elaine S. Apthorp, depict California's Dust Bowl era.
Abstract The paper shows how the era of the Dust Bowl was an era of mass migration as thousands moved from the region where drought and other factors had ruined the farmland to California, believed to be the land of milk and honey and opportunity. The paper explores how the Dust Bowl and the mass migration it fostered are well illustrated in the novel "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, and both the novel and the era it depicts are further illuminated by the article "Steinbeck, Guthrie and Popular Culture" by Elaine S. Apthorp. The paper further shows how the novel and the article complement one another and contribute to our understanding of the era and of the way Steinbeck shaped that era into an artistic statement in his novel.
From the Paper "The didactic chapters referred to by Apthorp are the interchapters where Steinbeck performs the analytical task of reporting on the state of America during the Depression, the plight of the people, and other information included with a journalistic eye for what is most telling. In these interchapters, Steinbeck seems to step back from the story to examine the larger picture, but in truth, the author never forgets the reality faced by his characters. For instance, the different members of the family have characteristics which add to their problems and which also reflect larger forces at the same time. Grandpa Joad, for instance, is senile, and this symbolizes the vulnerability of the entire family."
Tags: migrant, workers, Great, Depression, Joad, family
Abstract This paper examines the causes of the original Dust Bowl, tackling issues such as soil composition, climatological factors, and farmer negligence. It also addresses the continuing threat of another Dust Bowl-like crisis and what needs to be done to ensure that it does not happen
From the Paper "The assertion that even without human-induced blunders there would have been at least somewhat of a crisis in the 30's seems like a distinct possibility. There was a definite shift in climate, consisting of severe blizzards, prolonged severe drought, and even a flood to start it all off. Temperature swings between summer and winter were even more severe than usual and dry spells and occasional downpours seemed to strike at the most inopportune moments time and time again (Bonnifield, 1979). Taking these things into account, it seems that even without over-planting, lack of erosion-control and other human mistakes, some sort of agricultural downturn would have taken place."
Abstract This paper addresses the possible causes of the Dust Bowl phenomenon and how and why it led to the mass exodus of people from the Great Plains to California.
From the Paper "The Great Depression marked a time of economic disaster in the United States. Between 1930 and 1941, Great Plains farmers witnessed the worst drought in the country's history (Henretta 709). This and many other factors led to the period that has become known as the Dust Bowl. This period in time is called the Dust Bowl because "Dust seeped into houses and blackened the pillow around one's head, the dinner plates on the table, the bread dough on the back of the stove" (Henretta 709). The term Dust Bowl was created by an Associated Press staff writer, Robert Geiger, in response to the things he saw in Guymon, Oklahoma. Within months, it was the term used throughout the nation to describe the wind-blown land throughout Kansas, southeastern Colorado, the Oklahoma Panhandle, the northern two-thirds of the Texas Panhandle, and northeastern New Mexico (Logsdon 3). The Dust Bowl affected the lives of everyone in the United States, not just those of farmers in the Great Plains area. Knowledge of the Dust Bowl is important because this disaster could be repeated due to both its natural, economic, and social causes. "
Abstract This paper analyzes the poem "Dust of Snow" by Robert Frost. It uses it as an example of how Frost's poems in general capture a fleeting picture of a natural event and how these events are described in very simple words, without flowery or elaborate language, using plain verse structures. It analyzes the style of the poem stanza by stanza and then compares it to it's parody, Bob McKenty's "Snow on Frost" which makes fun of Frost's earthiness, realism and ironic humor by echoing both Frost's words and images and the structure of the poem itself.
From the Paper "In the first stanza, Frost captures a moment that might have been observed while taking a walk in the country in winter. The description is so stripped of detail that it is up to us to visualize the black bird in the dark evergreen tree, dislodging a sprinkling of white snow when it alights or takes off from the branch, perhaps disturbed by the human's approach. But because the poet specifies that the bird is a crow and the tree is a hemlock, other layers of meaning can be inferred at a symbolic level. The crow is typically seen as a somewhat negative creature (unlike the robin, for example), perhaps even as a bad omen."
Abstract This paper compares the role of punishment and its significance in the two novels "A Handful of Dust" by Evelyn Waugh and "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess and creates the implication that it was just intervention for the characters that deserved it.
Abstract This paper describes this film about black families that have lived in virtual isolation for generations on a small, coastal island of the coast of Carolina called Edo Island. The paper explains that the film, "Daughters of the Dust", examines how memory keeps the lessons of the past alive and provides a sense of continuity and community for the family.
From the Paper "The time frame is revealed through the clothing worn by both men and women, and there is reference in the dialogue about Theodore Roosevelt. At the movie's opening the date is specified as 1902, but the story is not linear and is told in flashback, and it is necessary to reinforce the time frame visually as well as verbally."
Abstract In this article, the writer studies the popular book by South African author Herman Charles Bosman, called 'Unto Dust'. The writer notes that this is an interesting story of authentic South African characters, told by an experienced and visually stimulating South African author. The writer discusses that the diction, plot, setting and the images of which Bosman creates throughout the story are the factors which lead to the response of the reader. The writer concludes that these factors together with the attitude of Oom Stoffel's racist mind and Oom Schalk Lourens' easily-influenced personality play a major role in the story and they create the impression in the reader's mind.
From the Paper "The narrator of the story is Oom Schalk Lourens. His narration is very interesting because he is telling the story which Oom Stoffel Oosthuizen told him. The diction, plot, setting and the images of which he creates throughout the story are the factors which lead to the response of the reader. These factors together with the attitude of Oom Stoffel's racist mind and Oom Schalk Lourens' easily-influenced personality play a major role in the story, and they create the impression in the reader's mind."
"The story starts by Oom Schalk Lourens comparing the difference of the funerals between the youth and the elderly."
A examination of Sowell's work on economic theory using two of his books: "The Quest for Cosmic Justice" and "The Vision of the Anointed: Self Congratulating as a Basis for Social Policy".
Abstract This paper examines Thomas Sowell's work on economics and social justice by analyzing two of his books::"The Quest for Cosmic Justice" and "The Vision of the Anointed: Self Congratulating as a Basis for Social Policy". It looks at how Sowell's analysis explores the following questions : Is the paradigm of social justice exaggerated? Is society being manipulated to accept the views of an elite group of intellectuals, who have used the platform of justice to remove social privileges? Has the market system and price mechanism failed us? The writer suggests that Sowell's work should be mandated to be analyzed in conjunction with economics. The writer explains that economic theory is being used to subjugate and dictate policies that over-ride the primary components of the market economy. The writer believes that "The Quest for Cosmic Justice" and "The Vision of the Anointed" allow the economic student to realize that at the very fiber of every decision there are costs.
Outline:
Introduction
Quest for Cosmic Justice
The Vision of the Anointed
Sowell's Work and Economic Theory
Has Sowell Gone too Far? A Critique of Sowell's Work
Conclusion
From the Paper "Economics has allowed many individuals (myself included) to be more analytical in their thinking and at times more technical when solving problems. However, the field has been known to produce ground-breaking research in issues that surpass the quantitative esoteric nature that is presented to many individuals. Thomas Sowell's works fall into the former rather than latter category. Sowell's truth-bearing books are sometimes hard to read, because of how unbiased and 'raw' his work is. I sometimes wonder if Sowell was not African American, what would be the reaction to his work, would it still be revolutionary or just racist babbling."
Abstract This paper examines David Cassuto's view on John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," and discusses how the Dust Bowl may not have been only a natural disaster, but rather one exacerbated by economic hardships. This paper talks about the economic hardships and the unfairness of the economic situation as it is described by Steinbeck. The author shows that misuse of land to provide crops for the whole country during World War I led to a misuse of water which, in turn, led to the Dust Bowl.
From the Paper "However, in this novel, water creates economic divisions that are found in free societies generally. Cassuto notes that the primary difference between growers and migrants is in their relative relationships to water. "The growers--owners of the irrigation channels, centrifugal pumps, and watertight mansions, control it--while the Okies, starving and drenched, are at its mercy" (Cassuto, 1993, p. 67+).
The various types of economic conduct Steinbeck sprinkles throughout The Grapes of Wrath are predicated on the issue of having water, or not having it."
Abstract Describes Zeus as master of the universe. Examines the male principle, the female principle, the transfer of cosmic power from the creative female to the active male, Gaia, the Titans and Monsters, and the gods.
From the Paper "However one explains the way in which Zeus becomes master of the universe-and the fact that ultimate rulership is specified as male undoubtedly has parallels in the whole of recorded human experience-it is necessary to see that the transition of ..."
Abstract This paper presents a comparative and parallel study of the dramatic art of the most prominent Greek dramatists Aeschylus and Sophocles. The writer discusses the similarities and differences between the two tragic poets, both in terms of style and content, and explains how each dramatist uses the chorus. The writer also explains that where the dramatic art of Sophocles is characterized by accomplished symmetry and harmonious grace, that of Aeschylus is hard, grand and severe, and Aeschylus (referred to as the 'Master of the Grotesque') is rightly acknowledged as the inventor of scenic pomp and hyperbole. The writer believes that Sophocles' art of characterization is more complex than Aeschylus and explains how Sophocles uses the third actor to place the audience in a position to judge the chief character from at least three points of view. The writer further asserts that unlike Aeschylus, who is simple and direct, Sophocles carries an explicit irony in his plays and he presents not only the problems, but suggests the solutions also to the intricacies of human life in relation to the cosmic and social order. The writer concludes that, as a modern reader, Sophocles is the greater of the two dramatists.
From the Paper "Of the precious and inexhaustible treasure of the Greek endeavours in the realm of tragedy, very little has come down to the readers. We are aware of the names of a few tragedians with Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides being the being the most prominent. And with these three too, a very little of the whole number of works is left. The extant dramas are those that had been selected by the Alexandrian critics for the study of Greek literature. The reason for being their choice by the critics was their affordability as the best illustration of the various styles of tragic art. Regarding Aeschylus and Sophocles, (the two subjects of this term paper) we are left with seven pieces remaining of each."
Abstract This paper examines the nature of modernity in motion within the futurist movement at the turn of the 20th century. By analyzing "State of Mind: The Farewells" (1911) by Umberto Bocking and "Cosmic Flora" (1925) by Paul Klee, the paper shows how the works present both an organic and industrial representation of the fast movement of technological developments, which provide a distinct sense of motion through composition and objective technique. The paper concludes that, through their desire to capture the quickening tempo of advancing technology and rapid development, these painters took an abstract and progressive view towards motion in composition, in which modern motion became the axis of human progress.
From the Paper "Another advocate and inspiration of the futurist movement was Paul Klee, as his compositions also provide a varied set of modern motion that provide a more organic variety of this style. In "Cosmic Flora" Klee shows a set of tiered expressions of the movement of life in 'cosmic' framework, very much like a set of parallel filmstrips in a moving picture. The different aspects of floral and landscape arrangements act as a similar stylistic that was to be used as a vehicle for motion in futurism. Other artists such as Egon Schiele and Franz Marc used this type of motion that provides a framework for motion in relation to space. Klee's attempt to show an abstract point of view of movement in a cosmic setting is also similar to Boccioni's "The City Rises", which provides the idea of modern urban people as a blurred and nearly incomprehensible set of objects that are restless and constantly active. With the 20th century technological advances making rapid progress, Klee is representative of a more organic type of futurism that expressed movement in the fluidity of modern motion (Klee 31), but without the industrial aspects of Boccioni's works. For Klee the major difference between his own organic motion and industrial motion are the only aspects of differentiation that do not bind him to the futurist movement of Boccioni's "State of Mind: The Farewells.""
