Abstract This paper discusses in detail the stress of dealing with the loss of a spouse. The various stages of the grieving process are explained and analyzed, and the latest professional observations regarding the effects of stress on widows and widowers are included as well.
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the topic of presidential spouses. Specifically, it compares and contrasts the character, impact and influence of three American presidential spouses from the 1900's through to the 1970's. Ida Saxton McKinley, Eleanor Roosevelt and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy all lost their husbands while they were president and each woman left her own indelible mark on the White House, proving that presidential spouses live on in the hearts of Americans through time.
From the Paper "Eleanor Roosevelt may be one of the most well known first ladies of all time. Born in 1884 in New York City, she married her cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1905. Her husband served in New York politics before his election to the presidency in 1932. Eleanor, who as a young woman had no interest in politics, became embroiled in the politics of the day. "As Franklin campaigned, Eleanor began to function as his conscience, advising him unofficially on what she considered to be ethical issues, although she always publicly denied taking this role" (Spangenburg and Moser 59). Franklin seemed to recognize his wife's strengths and assets, and appointed many women to high posts in government after his election. "By the end of the first term, more women than ever before held government posts in Washington" (Spangenburg and Moser 64)."
Abstract This paper examines marriage, courtship and the lives and roles of young women in children's literature from various cultures. The texts considered are African, Chinese. Japanese and Russian. In traditional tales women are subordinate to male characters in the role of wife, mother and temptress.
Abstract The author of this paper examines the institution of marriage between the years 1500 to 1800 in the United Kingdom and the various factors that influenced both the decision to marry and at which stage in life to marry. The paper contends that the decision to marry was not decided by one individual factor, but rather a combination of traditions and influences including love, choice and family interest but primarily, economic considerations. The paper attempts to show that, contrary to the commonly held belief, marriage and the marriage partner during this period was a matter of choice between the two individuals marrying and that in the United Kingdom, the conventions regarding marriage where much more liberal than in the rest of Europe.
From the Paper "Despite there being no laws stating a need for parental involvement many more young people valued the advice of parents and kin or were given said advice whether or not they asked due to the thought that 'marriage is far too important a matter to be left to the individuals concerned.' Regardless of this there were frequent cases of young people eloping to Gretna Green or getting married having ignored all the advice of their parents. In general, among the majority of the common people, marriage partners were freely chosen whilst the guidance of friends and parents was taken into account. It was sensible to consult peers and family in order to protect one's own interests and to ensure economic assistance and help with connections, advice and gifts. A sound economic foundation on which to lay a marriage could only be achieved with the approval of parents and friends. The degree of this varied according to the social level of the individual in that both the noble and upper strata would obviously uphold a stricter control over love and courtship behaviour than those in the lower strata."
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the courtship styles of Rochester in Charlotte Bronte's novel, "Jane Eyre," and Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". It shows that, although the style and tactics in courtship were wielded differently by Rochester and Mr. Darcy in their pursuit of the women that they loved, patience did play a large part in both men's characters.
From the Paper "Both Bronte's Jane Eyre and Austen's Pride and Prejudice are in the style of romance and naturally are based around the workings and events expressed within the romance. Bronte's Jane Eyre is a story of a young orphan who manages to find her way in the world because she was abused to the point of having nothing left but to stand up for herself and is a story of opposites such as would be ice and fire which are symbolized throughout the story. Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a story of several daughters of a 'near' upper class family whose estate will not stay with the daughters but revert to a cousin upon the death of their father."
Abstract This paper closely examines gender roles and their effect on relationships in "Taming of the Shrew". The paper discusses the courtship and marriage of two couples, Katherine and Petruccio and Lucentio and Bianca, and shows how Katherine and Petruccio's contentious personalities, and non-traditional courtship leads them to a deeper and more satisfactory union than the more orthodox Bianca and Lucentio share. The paper brings out how conformity to standard gender roles can lead to a relationship based on false ideals.
From the Paper "In Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare explores gender roles and their effect on relationships. The play chronicles the courtship and marriage of two couples, Katherine and Petruccio, then Lucentio and Bianca. Initially it seems that Lucentio and Bianca have the ideal relationship and that Petruccio will be miserable with Katherine the titular shrew. This however is not the case. The play exposes the ways in which conformity to standard gender roles can lead to a relationship based on false ideals. While Katherine and Petruccio may not have had a traditional start to their relationship they are honest with one another. In contrast Bianca and Lucentio find themselves in what ultimately appears to be an unhappy marriage."
Abstract The paper examines community property law in relation to the separate property of each spouse and the real estate which either spouse acquires. The paper then explains community property versus joint tenancy, the differences in the community property system versus common law marital property system and the community property systems in times of divorce. The paper also discusses the laws of community property with regard to inequities of income splitting, creditors and death of the spouse. The paper shows how community property law promotes equity as well as efficiency but with certain drawbacks.
Outline:
Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "Everything that a husband and wife possess together falls under Community Property. This normally includes all the debts incurred, money earned and all the property attained during the marriage period. The following are classified as the joint property of a married couple by community property states: (a) any income obtained during the marriage by either spouse; (b) any personal property or real property attained through the income earned during the period of marriage- it includes home, vehicles, appliances, furniture, luxury items, etc; (c) any debts acquired in the course of the marriage. Under the law of community property, everything is owned as well as owed by the spouses immaterial of the fact as to who has spent or earned the income. ("The Ins and Outs of Community Property Law", n. d.)"
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse? with Henrik Ibsen's "The Dollhouse". It focuses on the marital relationships of each work's central protagonists. The paper describes how the women of these couples are subject to male domination. The author states that in both works the marriage relationships are determined by the characters' perceptions of themselves and of their spouses, as well as by the degree to which their needs are fulfilled by their spouses.
From the Paper "In Virginia Woolf's "To The Lighthouse" and Henrik Ibsen's "The Dollhouse" the texts revolve around intrafamilial relationships and focus on the marital relationship of the main characters. Perhaps because of the very different genres to which the two works belong, the marital relationships of the two couples, different types of characterization define the Ramsays and the Helmers. The Ramsays are characterized by their modes of speech, with little characterization through action, whereas the relationship of the Helmers (as characters in a play) is defined largely by their actions towards one another.
Abstract This paper discusses how in his play "The Last Yankee", Arthur Miller presents two marriages under strain because of differing needs and perceptions by the husbands and wives who once thought they shared everything and who now believe they share less and less all the time. The paper discusses how new feelings have emerged to replace the feelings of love that began these marriages, and these new feelings include anger, resentment, anxiety, self-doubt, and disgust. It shows how the couples might survive if each member could learn to forgive his or her spouse, but instead, each person is too taken up with a need for self-justification and self-preservation at the expense of his or her spouse.
From the Paper "The story is set in a state-run mental hospital, and three women are being treated there for clinical depression. Patricia is married to Leroy Hamilton, a carpenter, and she believes he is a failure because he does not have the necessary ambition to achieve anything in this competitive world. Karen is married to Mr. Frick, and he is highly successful, quite the opposite of Leroy Hamilton. Indeed, Mr. Frick is a driven man, a type-A personality who owns businesses that dominate the local economy and make him an important man in the business world of the area. Both Karen and Patricia, however, see themselves as failures, in part because of their husbands--Patricia would be a success if she were married to a success, and Karen would be a success if her husband allowed her to be one instead of centering all ambition and all desire in himself and his career. The third woman is hiding from life and is disappointed at everything she has ever tried. It is the two married couples who are central to the play, however."
Abstract This paper examines the reasons why losing a spouse in an unwanted divorce can have a greater and more severe emotional impact than losing a spouse in death.
Abstract This paper discusses how since its publication in 1813, literary critics have praised Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". It reviews two of these critiques, one being Austin's narrow artistry in David Monaghan's essay, "Pride and Prejudice: Structure and Social Vision" which states that Austin's work is that of a well made structure which is meant to convey nothing more than the courtship ritual of Regency England. The other is the varying interpretation as represented in an introductory essay to the novel written by Tony Tanner for the Greenwich House Classics edition which admits that it is timeless and unlimited in its presentation of astute themes and truths that stand the test of time.
From the Paper "Pride and Prejudice, is certainly a book structured around a limited social vision as Monaghan demonstrates. Yet, as Tanner points out, this book is about something more timeless than the search for a profitable marriage partner in the early nineteenth century. It is about the search for self, a search that is not only timeless, but one that can take place in any setting small or great. Austen, through her ironical tone, can be interpreted as saying that no part of society is too small to reveal the whole. Thus, even though the novel "unmistakably reflects a certain kind of society at a certain historical moment," there is also "an element of timelessness" (Tanner 397). In offering a satiric study of a class-conscious society in 18th-century England, and centering on the romantic love story of Elizabeth and Darcy, this novel does exemplify the narrow range of Jane Austen's work."
Tags:courtship, love, elizabeth, darcy, england, society
Abstract This paper discusses how "courtly love" is a term that was retroactively developed to describe a medieval French concept known as ?Fin Amour.? It examines how this concept became widespread in the 12th century and referred to a code of behavior that was to formulate our modern conceptualization of chivalrous romance. This concept was reflected in Francesco Petrarch's "Italian sonnets", which introduced the concept of lyrical poetry in the 14th century. It analyzes how by Shakespeare's time, a renewed interest in medieval court behavior coincided with a growing interest in Italian ducal courts as depicted in "Othello", "Romeo and Juliet" and "12th Night". It also evaluates how Shakespeare's sonnets, which differed from Petrarch's format, invoke medieval romantic concepts of unrequited love and long periods of courtship while taking a more humanistic approach to these themes.
From the Paper "In that jealousy ultimately destroys Desdemona and Othello, Shakespeare's portrayal of love is ultimately a tale of how people shouldn?t behave when they are in love. The way that the ill-fated couple conduct themselves before they leave Venice is essentially anti-social: when they secretly marry and elope, they implicitly reject the values of society and the desires of Desdemona's family. Whereas a modern audience might see Desdemona's refusal to respect her family's wishes as a not to what were to become the cosmopolitan values of liberal, sexually and racially emancipated Europe, a Shakespearean audience would have recognized this action as a serious breach of conventional norms that characterized European society. "
Abstract This paper compares "Jane Eyre" and "Pride and Prejudice" as a way to explore the social customs of Victorian England. Specifically, these two novels express the conflicts of love and passion with the social rules for courtship and marriage. Both novels portray how social expectations of behavior contradict the personal emotions of relationships and how these produce great emotional struggles that must be reconciled. In an era where passion and marriage are not enabled in the social sphere of Victorian customs, love becomes a conflict.
Abstract This paper examines Gregory Corso's famous poem "Marriage"; Corso's speaker is disillusioned by the convention of marriage, which seems incompatible--or at least in conflict--with the uniqueness and individuality of his generation. It explains how the speaker explores courtship and three forms of the matrimonial state: from the perspectives of the rich, poor and middle class. Criticizing popular (and unintelligent) culture, he examines the stereotypical forms of marriage; after determining the pros and cons of each, he decides to wait "up to 2,000 years" to find the woman who will transcend popular culture and engage him spiritually, sexually, interpersonally and intellectually. After this funny but serious debate, he refuses to compromise love for the mere comforts and conveniences of conventional marriage.
From the Paper "Gregory Corso uses a confluence of sarcasm and wit to criticize the disillusionment of the individual caused by various social constructs in American society. Corso manages to infuse humor in this long criticism of the sacred institution of marriage without losing either his credibility or the audience's attention-readers from across the intellectual spectrum are attracted to the captivating combination of gravity and levity in Marriage. Corso's humor is indeed structured to add to the poem's seriousness by raising a series of profound and absurd questions regarding the mutual exclusivity of love and marriage."
This paper reviews and analyzes the similarities and differences in T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Andrew Marvell's writings in "To His Coy Mistress."
Abstract This paper focuses on the themes of love, courtship and romance as depicted in both poems. The writer points out the different approaches each poet applies in his work to convey the same message. The writer contends and explains the manner in which Marvell's protagonist is impulsive and eager to explore his love for his mistress while Eliot's main character is much more at ease, relaxed and at peace with his love interest. The writer analyzes the plot and main characters in both works of writing. The writer also clearly explains why Eliot's poem is dark, mysterious and at times even depressing while Marvell's more upbeat work gives the reader a feeling of hope and something to look forward to.
From the Paper "Reading these two poems together is helpful because they show that different poets can handle the same theme in very different ways. Love seems like a universal theme in poetry, music, and literature. No one has the same experiences in love as another person, and so, every person's outlook and thoughts will be special, and these two poems creatively illustrate that. This helps the reader understand the many tones of poetry and literature. It also shows how no two authors could ever write about exactly the same thing in exactly the same way. People are unique, and so is how they present their material to the world. It also shows that love and courtship are universal issues that men face throughout time. No matter what happens, men and women will fall in love and write about their experiences, and these poems show that while the experiences and ideas may be different, the topic will always endure."
