Abstract This paper examines and analyzes Anne Sexton's poem, "House Wife", and her poem, "In Celebration of My Uterus"; Sharon Olds' poems "The Language of the Brag", and "This"; Lorrie Moore's short story, "How To Become a Writer"; and Cynthia Ozick's essay, "Who Owns Anne Frank?".
Abstract This paper discusses the idea of a racial shadow as is described in the book, "Reading Asian-American Literature" by Sau-ling Cynthia Wong. The paper examines Wong's opinion that many Asian-Americans are pulled in two directions at once and thus have a psychological, bipolar split. This desire to blend into the American culture is common in many Asian-American literary works, and the paper presents examples from a few of them.
From the Paper "Wong uses the term Doppleganger, which is a derivation of the German 'double walker,' a spiritual double or matching part of a living person. It is believed by many people that somewhere on this planet everyone has an identical unrelated double. Sometimes the Dopplegangers have the same interests and behaviors; other times, the two are in direct opposition to one another. If they should meet, says the myth, they will both die. The authors and characters in the above-mentioned Asian-American novels, who have both beings or Dopplegangers living within the same body, are especially affected. They cannot hope to forever stay clear of their double and get on with life. The double or racial shadows will live internally and either be a source of strength and support or of weakness and destruction depending on how the other handles the duality."
Abstract This paper examines the article "Psychology of Spending: Where Does Belt-Tightening Begin" by economist Cynthia Crossen, about the impact of the stock market shifts on perception of wealth and spending patterns. The paper thoroughly reviews the article and explains its economic basis, which is the theory of marginal utility. The author then applies this theory to the hypothetical question of purchasing a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud during an economic downturn. The author concludes that the car would ultimately be a good investment because its value depreciates extremely slowly.
From the Paper "As demand shifts downward because of a lackluster economy, the supply also shifts along with consumer needs. Since the consumer demand for certain goods such as luxury automobiles, state of the art electronics, CDs and other luxury goods decrease, the industry supply of such goods also will decrease. The article explains that in the Great Depression, many Americans went back to their rural roots because when they take on more primitive positions they feel less of the affects of the depression. In our current era, this has changed because of our governmental policies to prevent severe depression such as Social Security, welfare, and unemployment insurance. Therefore although consumer spending on luxury goods decreases, there is still a market for goods. Producers will continue to have a supply of goods as long as consumers are willing to spend money on luxury goods. The combination of our dependence of many luxury goods, and our ability to have money even during recessions makes it so that the overall restrictions on supply are not as stringent as if the recession was occurring during the Great depression or the recessions of the 1980s."
Abstract This paper reviews and discusses the short story, "Envy; Or, Yiddish in America" by Cynthia Ozick. According to the paper, the story reveals the author's nuanced feelings toward the disappearance of the Yiddish language and culture. The paper discusses how, although on the surface "Envy" seems mostly critical of Yiddish writers-- as if they either are talentless or almost betray the Jewish community--its underlying message is that a once vibrant community has been destroyed to such an extent that its survivors are hopeless unless they are able to escape it. The paper reports that the story is about the need to rebuild in order to preserve at least some aspect of the Yiddish community Ozick loves and respects.
From the Paper "Ozick structures her essay around the claim that "in order to believe in the real possibility of translation, the translator must believe in certain impossible theses... [which are] important, useful and false" (Metaphor and Memory 200). The first false premise a translator must accept is that poems are "uncovered" rather than translated "because without this belief a translation can never be seen as a thing achieved, concluded finished" (Metaphor and Memory 200). Thus, the hack fails even Ozick's first premise for translation. Although Ozick's essay focuses on poetry, the hack's translation methods stray so far from those suggested by Ozick that it is reasonable to conclude Ozick disapproves of the hack's technique. The hack continues to search for synonyms until Ostrover chooses one to his liking--she strays from Ozick's ideal in which a work is "uncovered" and the translator determines the final form of the work."
Tags: Yiddish assimilation Jewish Judaism, Holocaust Jacob Glatstein Isaac Bashevis Singer Diaspora
A review of the theoretical basis of the study by Cynthia Lietz, "Uncovering Stories of Family Resilience: A Mixed Methods Study of Resilient Families, Part I."
Abstract This paper reviews a recent study by Cynthia Lietz, "Uncovering Stories of Family Resilience: A Mixed Methods Study of Resilient Families, Part I." It outlines her main thesis and highlight the work's theoretical basis. It discusses federal child welfare policies that appear to have influenced her thesis (and concluding statements) and details how the ideas presented in her work can be put toward re-shaping approaches to dealing with at-risk families and children. Lastly, the paper explores how the research conducted by Lietz can assist in reversing a troublesome trend within Washington State.
From the Paper "As this paper draws to a close, a few things are evident. Firstly, developing within family systems the competencies they need to be flexible and resilient in the midst of a crisis would go a long way towards reducing the lengths of stay for children of color in out-of-home care; it would also reduce the growing trend towards a large foster care population in Washington State (Children's Alliance, 2006). The reason why Lietz's research would be so beneficial is because her work accentuates the need to develop policies that augment existing family strengths; it also encourages counselors to find reason for optimism in the midst of a desperate situation. In any case, giving families new competencies would clearly reduce the need for taking children out of the home or away from their biological parents."
This paper analyzes the following three articles on the nature of imprisonment and incarceration in the American prison system: "Double Standard on Drug Sentences" by Cynthia Tucker; "Time", by Nathan McCall; and "Mother's Day in Federal Prison" by Amanda
Abstract This paper analyzes three essays concerned with the nature of imprisonment and with those that suffer incarceration in the American prison system; : "Double Standard on Drug Sentences" by Cynthia Tucker; "Time", by Nathan McCall; and "Mother's Day in Federal Prison" by Amanda Coyne. Two of the essays discussed are concerned with drugs and imprisonment and two of the essays also are concerned with the ways in which men and women (and their families) deal with incarceration. This multiple analysis looks at the prison system, and whether it fairly treats those who are imprisoned.
From the Paper "Most of the works here see the drug-user as a victim of the wars against drugs: they are unfairly taken from children, or families (Even, in Tucker, from becoming 'Tax-paying citizens" (Tucker, 1998, page 3)). This is not met with agreement by the McColl piece; his drug-dealer is a partially dangerous, partially benevolent wide-boy. He is, however, the only one to treat the system as a business opportunity, and the only one of all the characters in the articles to undermine the system to the extent of escaping."
From the Paper " A common theme in The Runner by Cynthia Voigt and Rabbit, Run by John Updike is the need for a person to find his or her place in life. Most people find themselves at a particular juncture in life by default. They are so busy running away from people or circumstances that they do not consciously map out their life's journey.
As Rabbit learns from a dusty farmer who pumps gas on his first escape, "The only way to get somewhere, you know, is to figure out where you're going before you go there" (Updike 32). Rabbit fails to heed this advice. He admits this when he is questioned about why he deserted his wife Janice, by Jack Eccles, the minister. Rabbit replies, "I don't really have a plan, I'm sort of playing it by ear" (Updike 99). Because he has no rhyme or reason to his actions, by the end of the story Rabbit is.."
Discusses "Nations are Built of Babies" by Cynthia Comacchio, about the campaign to minimize infant and maternal mortality in early 20th-century Ontario, Canada.
1,775 words (approx. 7.1 pages), 6 sources, 2002, $ 66.95
Abstract The Canadian medical profession utilized science experts to try to implement what became known as "scientific motherhood." The effort to socially construct "scientific motherhood" was all about moulding Canadian families to be compatible with industrial capitalism. By teaching and regulating women's "child-rearing' expertise, male elites believed that they could engineer a society that served their interests. Thus, all of this was really about the enforcement of certain ideological values and the implementation of social control.
Abstract This paper first highlights the difference in purpose between the various authors: How Cicero is trying to besmirch Clodia's reputation, while Catullus and Propertius are working with a love object to some extent characterised for poetic purposes. The groundbreaking use of language in Catullus is discussed, as is the use of myth in both Propertius and Catullus. It also looks at how the speech of Cicero is a useful exponent of contemporary sexual mores and highbrow rhetoric.
From the Paper "The Roman authors Catullus, Propertius, and Cicero (in his pro Caelio oration) all produce literature which deals in an interesting way with women. This can be exhibited in different ways: for example, in his poems Catullus sees his Lesbia very much as a love object, since he often makes wild claims about his incredible love for her and his belief that they are married. Still, Sex is definitely involved in his poems about their relationship, but it seems he concentrated more on analysing their split than purely erotic poetry."
Abstract This paper examines Enloe's writing in which she presents a feminist view of international politics. She argues that its landscape, typically thought of as a masculine sphere of life, in reality is less exclusively male. To support that view, she defines the international as personal and goes beyond the traditional formulation of masculinized international politics. It shows how Enloe argues that men in foreign relations depend on the artificial construction of femininity and masculinity as well as on the artificial division between domestic and public realms.
From the Paper "Consequently, to "make sense of international politics," one needs to look beyond the male dominated sphere of officials who make foreign policy. Assuming that "the personal is international" only enlarges "the audience," according to Enloe, but it does not change "what is going on the stage." She argues for a new, radical view "of what it takes for governments to ally with each other, compete with each other and wage war against each other." To fully understand this feminist view of international politics, one needs to read backward "the personal is international" as "the international is personal" (196). That in turn reveals that governments depend upon certain kinds of allegedly private relationships in order to conduct their foreign affairs. Governments need more than secrecy and intelligence agencies; they need wives who are willing to provide their diplomatic husbands with unpaid services so those men can develop trusting relationships with other diplomatic husbands. They need not only military hardware, but a steady supply of women's sexual services to convince their soldiers that they are manly. To operate in the international arena, governments seek other governments' recognition of their sovereignty; but they also depend on ideas about masculinized dignity and feminized sacrifice to sustain that sense of autonomous nationhood (196-197)."
Abstract This paper addresses the theme of women and their role in community in Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" in comparison to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper". The paper argues that the true meaning and importance of such novels comes from the characters' gender and role in the community, as well as what the novel can tell us about women in society. The paper discusses the novels' initial reception and reputation, as well as their influence over time. In order to support its claim that the feminist lens is the best way to read these novels, the paper contrasts the psychoanalytic view, considers the authors' intentions, look at "communities of women" and analyzes the main characters.
From the Paper "While the psychoanalytic view can be interesting to consider and certainly has its merit, it is not the most effective way to view The Awakening. To fully grasp all that Chopin offers with this novel, we must understand why Edna is fighting with her inner and outer world in the first place. Edna's situation as a woman in a society that would not let her fulfill her potential as a human being is the real struggle in Chopin's novel; therefore it is best understood when examined though a feminist lens."
Abstract In this article, the writes examines "Monuments to the Lost Cause--Women, Arts and the Landscapes of Southern Memory" which consists of a series of fourteen scholarly essays regarding commemorative Civil War monuments. The writer discusses the authors' interest in historians giving a multifaceted perspective to the monuments, including a history of their creation, why women so often lead the charge for commemoration and the African-American response to the statues. The writer concludes that the book persuasively suggests that through collective associations such as The Daughters of the Confederacy, women found a voice in the public discourse, albeit one that was socially acceptable because it was in the name of a dead cause.
From the Paper "Of course, one of the reasons for the devotion of artistic critiques to Northern sculptures is that many of the most important sculptors were working primarily in the North following the war, because the North was the winning side and had the greater financial resources. However, Simpson and Mills note that the South still has abundant public commemorative sculptures despite this. The authors suggest that perhaps, as a chronicle of the losing side, these sculptures not only pose features of interest, but perhaps even of greater interest, as they help the gazer understand the appeal of the Confederate cause amongst many Southern whites today. Diversity and speculation are thus the themes of the book, rather than drawing a singular conclusion."
Abstract This paper reviews Toni Morrison's essay describing Bill Clinton as "the first black president". The paper then goes on to discuss how black politicians in general run not only against an actual human opponent or opponents, but also must face the reality of being black in a society that still holds plenty of prejudice against African-Americans, stemming from the days of Southern slavery.
From the Paper "Morrison has a powerful and relevant point; black (and/or quasi-black) politicians are seldom if ever scions of the predominantly white power elite, e.g., an Al Gore; George W. Bush; Evan Bayh, Lincoln Chafee; or a Kennedy son, daughter or grandchild -at least not in America. So, as Toni Morrison also implies within her 1998 essay, a black politician in America is seldom if ever "anointed" to office in the way that all too many white ones have been historically (think Adams; Taft; Roosevelt Kennedy), and continue to be nowadays. The two most recent examples of successful white politicians whose fathers (after whom they each, moreover, is named, thereby even increasing, even more, voters' connection of this name to that of (most of the time, anyway) a powerful (white) Washington insider whose son (or sometimes daughter) has simply decided that now is the time to enter the "family business"."
