Abstract
This paper explains that, in the book "Cradle of Violence", Murray Strauss exposes child abuse in the home, which is evident in society today. The author points out that Strauss suggests that children who are abused by family members have a higher probability of becoming violent offenders and abusers themselves. The paper relates statistical research supports his arguments.

From the Paper
"Watching the news on television provides a glimpse into contemporary local and world affairs. It has become apparent that regardless of the time of day reports on violent crimes can be found when flipping from station to station. For some viewers the images are just part of every day life when glued to the tube, playing video games, surfing the net, and/or watching home movies. For others, it is a constant reminder of how dysfunctional and abusive some people really are."

Tags:child, violence, abuse

Abstract
This paper examines the novel, "Cat's Cradle", by Kurt Vonnegut, written at the height of the Cold War when most Americans lived in fear of a fiery nuclear apocalypse. Vonnegut presents a different but equally terrifying end, a world encased in ice. It discusses how one of the novel's themes is how human irresponsibility can contribute to this icy end. It examines how Vonnegut uses the major and minor characters in "Cat's Cradle" to reflect on the consequences of human irresponsibility and how, throughout the novel, Vonnegut presents characters whose irresponsibility helps bring much of life on earth to an end.

From the Paper
"Despite his small stature, Newt is the most mature and well adjusted of the Hoenikker children. Still, Newt remains focused on the major disappointments of his childhood. The fact that he found neither cat nor cradle in the tangle of strings presented by his father causes Newt to believe in the lack of meaning in all human life. He thus becomes an easy target for the Russian spy Zinka, who pretends to love him in order to get to his share of the ice-nine. At the apocalypse, Newt remains unwilling to confront the horrors of the icy apocalypse that he helped to usher. Instead, he focuses on scavenging for paint, and on turning inward and coping through his art."

Tags:felix, hoenikker, ice, john, angela, world

Abstract
To understand the point of the humor in "Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut, it is necessary to examine the point of the story itself. All of Vonnegut's books touch on broad social issues in a rather cartoonish way that serves a much darker and difficult purpose than what they appear to address. Like Breakfast of Champions, and Hocus Pocus, Cat's Cradle, is a humorous take on the organizations and social structures that the world holds as absolutes with the angle that such things do not exist - all is arbitrary. In this work, we find that there is a brilliant combination of lampoon (in the form of the polarized roles taken by the two friends who created the island nation dictatorial politics and religion, Bokononism; which are intended to oversimplify the arbitrariness of politics and religion) and of black humor (which is clearly marked in the violence, deprivation, and oppression that are used only to perpetrate the lie that is the society). Irony, perhaps, is the constant of every event and passage in this book. It is irony that makes us understand that the humor in the story is a rather caustic, disbelieving, and disenchanting look at our own and every other society.

Abstract
This paper discusses "Cat's Cradle," as a comedy about the sacred and profane, portraying science as a kind of religion. The paper discusses the religion, Bokonism, in the novel, which uses lies to provide meaning to human life. The paper also discusses the parallels that Vonnegut draws between the novel and the Book of Jonah. In addition, he paper looks at how the novel deals with the dangers presented by science. Lastly, the paper explores the theme of the necessity to balance science with morality and ethics.

From the Paper
"Cat's Cradle is a comedy about the sacred and the profane. It is also a treatise on the importance of writing to the depiction of the apocalyptic. Within this novel, Vonnegut places an artist and a scientist in a battle of the post-modern age. Using the novel as a tool, Vonnegut depicts both catastrophe and apocalypse in a format that allows him to develop a commentary on the importance of both art and science to society, placing a relative value on each of the types of human beings whose career path leads them to those outcomes. What Vonnegut creates is an image of science, and the scientist, as harmful to society, while the artist is noble in his constant trek towards the truth."

Tags:religion science novel literature, kurt vonnegut, morality bokonism

Abstract
This paper expounds on the main theme in "Cat's Cradle" that life is meaningless. The paper discusses Vonnegut's use of images, irony, and eccentric characters to express his theme about the meaningless of life. It also explains how Vonnegut relates this theme to religion, marriage, and almost everything else humans teach each other.

From the Paper
"Clearly, Vonnegut is depicting a side of human nature that cannot deal with the truth, so it is fed and willingly believes the lies it is told by the "religion." In fact, "Truth was the enemy of the people, because the truth was so terrible, so Bokonon made it his business to provide the people with better and better lies" (172). In addition, to create more "zest" and "tang" within the lives of the people, Bokonon decides to have himself declared an outlaw. He emphasizes his belief that "A really good religion is a form of treason" (173). The legend of a holy man in the jungle and the tyrant in the city was the only thing that made the people happy. (174) Perhaps the most striking example of this theme is the last scene of the book in which Bokonon writes in the final sentence of his book that if he were a younger man, he would "make a statue of himself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who" (287). Again, we are shown Vonnegut's opinion regarding the power of religion. Through the willingness of the people to accept Bokonon, Vonnegut is asking us to search our own lives for such blind faith."

Tags:nature, society, culture, mankind, newt, humanit, book, of, bokonon, foma, lies, julian, castle

Abstract
This essay discusses the use of imagery, i.e., the use of words to represent things or ideas by sensory description, and theme in "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking." The main theme of the poem is the concept of unification, division, and re-integration of the physical and the spiritual, as well as of the psyches of human beings.This theme is explored at length in the context of the poem.

From the Paper
"Walt Whitman first published his poem "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking" under the title "A Word Out of the Sea" in the 1860 edition of his collection Leaves of Grass. It was re-published under its current title in 1871.

"Whitman (1819-92) was one of the first distinctly "American" poets, and his work often revolved around themes of equality, democracy and freedom. In his lifetime, slavery saw its heyday and experienced its abolishment. At the same time, Whitman witnessed a new America emerging, an America which included the frontier West and industrialization."

Tags:homoeroticism, sexuality, physical, spiritual, sensory, theme, integration, mockingbird, sorrow, grief

Abstract
John Searle developed the Chinese Room Argument to rebut an argument for the existence of strong artificial intelligence (AI). In turn, other people proposed arguments to rebut Searle's Chinese Room Argument. In this essay the Systems Reply to the Chinese Room Argument will be discussed, as it poses the strongest challenge to Searle's argument. However, as will be shown, the Reply fails. Searle's Chinese Room Argument is very strong, and it cannot be easily rebutted. Certainly, it is not rebutted by even the Systems Reply.

From the Paper
Rebuttals to Searle's Chinese Room Argument John Searle developed the Chinese Room Argument to rebut an argument for the existence of strong artificial intelligence (AI). In turn, other people proposed arguments to rebut Searle's Chinese Room Argument. In this essay the Systems Reply to the Chinese Room Argument will be discussed, as it poses the strongest challenge to Searle's argument. However, as will be shown, the Reply fails. Searle's Chinese Room Argument is very strong, and it cannot be easily rebutted. Certainly, it is not rebutted by even the Systems Reply. Searle proposed the Chinese Room Argument as an argument against the

Tags:searle, chinese, room

Abstract
The paper explores the third chapter of Desmond Morris', "The Naked Ape", as it relates to the development of human children. The paper looks at how Morris basically talks about how human infants differ from primates and how the mother-child bond is very powerful. The paper then explores how L. Salk presents a strong case for imprinting and argues that Salk's argument in defense of imprinting is more impressive because of his original research. The paper also asserts that Morris appears to avoid introducing literature into his work that might contradict his view that imprinting explains why mothers cradle their children as they do. The paper shows how the conclusions of these individuals are very similar, but their methods differ.

From the Paper
"The following paper will explore the third chapter of Desmond Morris', "The Naked Ape", as it relates to the development of human children. In this chapter, Morris basically talks about how human infants differ from primates and how the mother-child bond is very powerful. The chapter also looks at the way in which mothers interact with their children and how the maternal heart beat apparently "imprints" itself on the mind of the child and leads to the mother cradling the child in a particular way."

Tags:morris, desmond, salk

Abstract
This paper explains that pleasure and the good is an important theme to philosophers. Various philosophers have differing ideas as to what the good life constitutes. The author points out that, in living a good life, it is important to maintain a balance regarding pleasurable activities while abstaining from extremes; however, completely abstaining from pleasure does not lead to the good life because we are not merely souls divorced from our bodies, we are whole entities. The paper analyzes the Calliclean, Aristotelian, Epicurean, and Stoicism philosophical approaches to the concept of pleasure and the good. The author concludes that the Aristotelian view on pleasure and the good seems to be the most plausible.

Table of Contents:
Theme: Pleasure and the Good
Callicles on Pleasure
Epicurus on Pleasure
Stoics on the Good
Aristotle on the Good
Analysis
Callicles on Pleasure and the Good
Epicurus on Pleasure and the Good
Aristotle on Pleasure and the Good
The Stoics on Pleasure and the Good
Conclusion

From the Paper
"According to Aristotle, happiness is activity in accordance with virtue over a complete lifetime and pleasure perfects our activities. Since life is an activity, pleasure is an important aspect of life. Although Aristotle thinks that pleasure is a good, he doesn't think it is the good. Since we are rational agents, a life purely devoted to pleasure is incomplete because it allows no essential role to rational activity and mere pleasure without rational activity is not the good for a rational agent."

Tags:balance nature goal externals, cradle argument