Abstract This paper is a critique of John White's 'Eros Defiled'. White's book, divided into the sections "Sin, Sex, and You", "Sexual Sins", and "The Church and Sexual Sin", offers extraordinary insights and guidance to Christians interested in navigating the hedonistic seas of contemporary society. Skilled as a counsellor and psychiatrist, White's advice speaks to the core oncerns of those disturbed by society's expectations and their relation to Christian responsibilities. While perhaps 'behind the times' in terms of its attitudes and willingness to discriminate between appropriate and inappropriate sexual behaviour, 'Eros Defiled' defines timeless truths about the role of sexuality in our lives.
Abstract This paper argues that women in ancient Rome were raped and defiled for the purpose of men to gain political power. The paper also includes a section on how women in ancient Rome were glorified only after their death, which was usually drastic, painful and self-inflicted. The paper is based on a volume of books written by Livy, called "Ab Urbe Condita."
From the Paper "Livy was writing during the time when Rome was going through major reforms. Augustus began his Pax Augustana, where his social reform included new laws that tried to regulate sexuality among the people . This was in reaction to the desire of Augustus wanting to bring Rome back to her ancestral times, where life seemed better and more moral. It is interesting to think about what was surrounding Livy when he was writing his volumes of Ab Urbe Condita because these political reforms seem to show in his writings. In the legends told about the Sabine Women, Lucretia, and Verginia, Livy gives the reader the idea that the wrongdoing of women causes revolts and revolutions within Rome. Moreover, the chosen vocabulary is peculiar in the idea of rape - women who were forcibly raped by a man who is not her husband was not described as being raped, however other women are considered raped by men about-to-be married to them. How are these distinctions made by Livy, and what was his reasoning behind them?"
Abstract The paper describes how, in "Religious Diagnosis in a Secular Society: A Staff for the Journey", Donald D. Denton has succeeded in integrating two seemingly conflicting worlds of religion and psychology, which seek to tap into the human condition. The paper shows that with his three axes -- guilt, betrayal and defilement, Denton elevates humanity to a higher realm from the human to the spiritual level. In doing so, he captures the complexity of the problems that plague many individuals. Contrary to clinical professionals who restrict their diagnoses to what is scientifically identifiable, Denton admits that there are events and feelings that are not humanly fathomable.
From the Paper "Denton's axes of religious diagnosis have certainly added a new dimension to the field of clinical psychology. While acknowledging the need to create a mutual language with the scientific community, Denton has also incorporated the essence of the human experience that is frequently ignored by his secular counterparts. From my experience and encounters, I know that human beings in crisis confront their relationship with God as they struggle to come to terms with tragedy and past events. While they feel that their faith may be challenged by terrible events, human beings ultimately reclaim and transform their existence by restoring their spiritual faith. Clinicians who can recognize this human need for spirituality will be most helpful to their clients in their journey to a better life."
Abstract This paper examines the theme of the forces of darkness and evil which is predominant throughout the cycle of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series and in particular the second book "The Two Towers". It looks at how Tolkien can be easily shown to be presenting a romantic view of the world in which truth and goodness are associated with close ties to the natural world and with a lifestyle consistent with one's own nature and with preservation of and respect for nature. It analyzes how nature is consistently portrayed as a sentient, powerful force, which needs to be cared for and respected in its own rights. Humans and the other races may take from it, of course, so long as they live in harmony with it, but those that defile it are evil. It looks at how the industrial technology which threatens the harmony of the world is consistently portrayed as the greatest possible evil, which will in time destroy (Middle) Earth.
From the Paper "In every way, nature in its many forms continues to be associated with the good, while the destruction of nature, and technology itself, is associated with the ill. Yet there are certain elements which may give one pause in addressing this theory. For example, Tolkien consistently refers to the way in which evil forces are employing not only Orcs (one may return to the question of the Orcs in a moment) but also wild men and barbarians. Whether it be at the battle of Helm's Deep, or near the border of Mordor, one consistently sees the enemy as barbarous. Traditionally, in Western culture one associates barbarism with a lack of technological advancement. It may seem strange, then, that it is the barbarians in this case, the uncivilized, who hold this technology. However, that may be as much of the point as anything else. Mightn"t Tolkien be suggesting that the true barbarism is not to live in accordance with nature, but to live at odds with it" Is it truly more barbaric to live enslaved to one's industrial mills and technology than to live peacefully upon a pastoral earth (as the hobbits do)?"
Abstract This paper demonstrates that the character of Humbert Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" is a tragic example of moral failure, where he strove to inure himself against his own innermost desires and was successful until Lolita corrupted his will.
This paper discusses cultural and political movements in America in the mid-20th century, including the 'hippie' movement, anti-Soviet policies, and Watergate.
1,325 words (approx. 5.3 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 44.95
Abstract This paper explains that these events illustrate the kind of society cultivated in America, the rise of individualism and modernism, the defilement of traditional values and customs, dirty politics and espionage, nuclear crises, and continued fear for new ideologies challenging America's advocacy for capitalism and democracy. The author uses the work of Tom Wolfe to explore the hippie movement and two political documentary videos to demonstrate that the 1960s served as a transition point from the radical behavior of the hippies to conservatism, which once again became the norm, and the prevalence of public activism in socio-political issues. The paper relates that "Reagan's Shield" illustrates the conservative, yet rash decision, which then-President Ronald Reagan adopted in order to compete against Russia's supposedly advanced state of nuclear technology, and the "Summer of Judgment" summarizes the Watergate hearings, illustrating how the powerful position of President became vulnerable and susceptible to public scrutiny due to the society's active involvement in American politics and governance.
From the Paper "In the "Electric Kool-Aid", Wolfe illustrates in hippie language and description the life of the novelist and hippie culture leader Ken Kesey, who wrote the radical and influential novel, "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest". As part of the group called "Merry Pranksters", Kesey embodies the typical American hippie of his time: an LCD user, happy-go-lucky, non-ambitious individual who lives the present and does not think about the past or the future. Wolfe's narration shows Kesey riding with his group, the "Merry Pranksters," in a bus, adopting the group name, "Intrepid Travelers". The bus, colored with Day-Glo paints, symbolizes the psychedelic movement of the 1960s, where dropping-out of school, LCD and alcohol addiction, and expression of one's self (that is "expression for expression's sake) are the norm."
Abstract The paper reveals that the theme of madness is one of the most important motifs of Shakespeare's play "Hamlet". The paper discusses Ophelia's madness, in particular, and explains that it is caused by multiple reasons. The paper also discusses how, because Ophelia is significantly the purest and most innocent character of the play, Shakespeare represents the state of madness of the court of Denmark through her. The paper therefore shows that Ophelia is an extremely important character, despite her apparent secondary role.
From the Paper "The figure of Ophelia and the relationship that builds between her and Hamlet are extremely significant elements for the overall meaning of Shakespeare's masterpiece. It has to be noted, first of all, that madness is one of the most important motifs of the play. As it is obvious from Shakespeare's other works, madness is correlated paradoxically with wisdom, rather than nonsense. Thus, King Lear for instance, becomes wise only when he becomes mad. The same applies to Shakespeare's fools and clowns, who, while speaking nonsense, actually reveal the truth. In Hamlet, madness is transferred in a curious way from Hamlet, who only feigns it, to Ophelia, who actually goes insane. Moreover, Hamlet's feigned madness is his answer to the general corruptness of the court, and his only way to cope with the moral and philosophical choices he has to make. "
