Bertolt Brecht's 'The Good Woman of Setzuan' portrays the struggle to be good while living in a corrupt society and the delicate balance needed to survive within it.
Abstract An analysis of Bertolt Brecht's play 'The Good Woman of Setzuan'. Throughout the play Shen Te juggles her promise to be good with the necessity to be bad. The author finds through the protagonist and the creation of her doppelganger, 'The Good Woman of Setzuan' portrays the struggle to be good while living in a corrupt society, and the delicate balance needed to survive within it as seen in Shen Te's struggle as a good woman leading the life of a prostitute.
From the Paper "Shen Te, a good woman, a prostitute, and the only one willing to take three gods into her home is rewarded with 1000 silver dollars, with which she is to "above all be good"(712). This mission tears her in two. Shen Te and her doppelganger Shui Ta are in a delicate balance of power. Shen Te needs to keep her promise to the gods by being a good woman, helping those around her in need. Because Shen Te is too good, those she helps threaten to ruin her own survival. To remain a good woman Shen Te must create someone to fight for her. Like parents, both Shui Ta and Shen Te make up the whole of one unit. Shen Te is a nurturing, sweet mother-type while Shui Ta becomes a strict, disciplinarian, father-type. Through the protagonist and the creation of her doppelganger, Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan portrays the struggle to be good while living in a corrupt society, and the delicate balance needed to survive within it."
Abstract . College is the spinning plate act of all time. Maintaining an equilibrium between work, classes, partying, and sleeping is a task worthy of the most skilled time managers and is undertaken by college students the world over. When the delicate balance that is college life gets disrupted all manner of maladies can occur.
Abstract This paper relates that there is a delicate and complex balance between the social worker's power and the right to self-determination of the client. The paper then discusses and examines this power imbalance and looks at how such power imbalance between the social work and client implies certain responsibilities on the part of the social worker. The paper also demonstrates that the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Ethical Standard 1.02, i.e. Self Determination, implies that the social worker has some responsibility to empower the client so that the client is able to achieve self-determination. In addition, this essay also discusses a situation in which the social worker may be relatively powerless, as well as situations in which it might be prudent for the social worker to restrict the client's right to self-determination.
From the Paper "For example, the social worker should not try to dissuade a woman from becoming involved with a particular man on the basis that the social worker believes this man is not a good influence and should not be around the woman's children. In particular, if the social worker implies to the client that the social worker will withhold certain benefits from her if she does become involved with this man, this would constitute abuse of the social worker's power over the vulnerable client."
Abstract This paper presents facts about global warming and the effect it has, and will have, on the oceans and the delicate marine life and habitat. The discussion involves the melting of polar caps and the effects resulting from such devastation. The paper examines how warmer temperatures will destroy marine life and concentrates on the delicate coral reef system which is already feeling the effects of the warmer ocean temperatures. The temperature rise and ocean rise are discussed, along with ideas on halting the progression of dangerous toxins contributing to higher climate temperatures.
From the Paper "As the coral reefs die, so do many other species of fish, crab and several other species. Large increases in the volumes of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are already apparent. At current rates of change, carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere will double by the end of the next century (2100 AD). Calculations indicate that this rate of change in carbon dioxide alone will may result in a warming of between 1.5 and 4.5?C. The most likely effect of sustained global warming will be a melting of the polar ice caps, and a rise in sea level, while on land the deserts will expand."
This essay avoids taking a moral stance on the delicate issue of eugenics, but gives a brief detailed assessment of the creation of the eugenic ideal and the history of the American eugenics movement.
1,060 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 4 sources, 1998, $ 37.95
From the Paper "These ideas regarding the selection of the human species are generally referred to as "Social Darwinism." Francis Galton, who first believed that an artificial form of natural selection was needed for the human species, defined eugenics as "the scientific improvement of the human race germ plasm through better breeding." "
Abstract This report explores the design of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the designer and the contributors. It also explores the mysterious healing and understanding that The Wall of Names has brought to the nation, due to its intense, yet delicate symbolism.
From the paper:
"In American history, war has always ended in the glorification of the soldiers who served fighting for their country. The Vietnam War, however, marked a change in this patriotic veneration. Shrouded in uncertainty, the war left the American public questioning their faith in a secretive government, and therefore questioned their faith in those who served for it. President Nixon described this disastrous public view when he said, "No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now.... Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic."
Tags: sodier, kill, die, memory, respect, remember, honor, death
Abstract The writer discusses the duties and involvement that women had in the way as well as examples of patriotism shown by women. We are also given some examples of female heroines from the war.
From the paper:
?When we think about a Southern Belle, we envision a pale, fragile wisp of a woman who swoons if it gets to hot. She is delicate and beautiful and must be taken care of by a man. Over the last centuries this is the image that we have adopted when it comes to the way we perceive Southern women. The reality however is much different. Even during the Civil War women of the Confederate side were tough, capable and willing to do what ever it took to win the war effort against the North.?
Tags: Civil, War, hospital, care, centers, medical, care, Matrons, education, rebellious, struggle, public
Abstract This essay is an argumentative paper which states both sides of the death penalty controversy and is opposition to capital punishment. The author chooses multiple points for, and against, the use of capital punishment regarding moral, ethical, and biblical standpoints.
From the paper:
"From the beginning of recorded history, there has always been a great deal of controversy over the concept of capital punishment. Is it moral" Is it a deterrent to crime? Is it effective? Is it efficient? Is it cruel and unusual punishment? These are all questions that we ask when discussing such a delicate topic. There are a wide variety of reasons as to why people are for or against the death sentence. Some are reasoned; others are purely emotional. From my point of view, capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime, and I don?t believe it should be in use today.?
Abstract This paper looks at the influences that the writer's upbringing has on the writing of the play. The writer, of American Chinese descent, examines the delicate relationship between a Black maid and her Chinese boss. The writer manages to stress the common traits in people of different cultures.
From the Paper "In this short play, Chinese-American author David Henry Hwang applies multi-cultural beliefs and observations to a simple setting, and in doing so ultimately brings forth a melding of worlds and dimensions. The title, ?As the Crow Flies,? indicates that a direct path is going to be used to arrive at a desired destination. Hwang uses humor as a tool to transcend the contrasting cultures and races, and to reveal universal similarities of people regardless of race or cultural stereotyping. His humor also keeps the audience completely unaware of all that is actually taking place in front of them until the final moment, and keeps them unprepared for the revelation of the inevitable destination symbolized by the crow."
Abstract The author of this paper analyzes how Tennessee Williams, in his play, "The Glass Menagerie", portrays the fragile psyches of its characters. The paper shows how the characters are an arrangement of tiny, delicate glass figurines whose essence of life can be shattered very easily.
From the Paper "All the characters in the play in some way seek an escape: Tom"movies and the marines, Laura"solace in her glass animals, Amanda?from reality; even Jim seeks escape from the responsibilities of his upcoming marriage. The father has already left, abandoning his family to their fate. The play is also replete with symbolism: The apartment in a big city is a symbol for the loneliness that each character carries around."
Tags: Amanda, Wingfield, Tom, Laura, Jim, O'Connor
Abstract The paper introduces "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughs which examines the issue of a black American living in contemporary American society, wherein black slavery had already been abolished, but the issue remains to be a delicate topic for every American, whether his skin color is black or white. The paper analyzes the poem around this theme. It also examines Hughes' use of the poetic elements, such as end rhymes, parallelism, imagery, figurative language and symbolism. The paper discusses how, taken in the societal perspective, "Theme for English B" is a poem that illustrates how history affects people's perspective about black Americans in the contemporary American society. It shows how the history of racial prejudice is instilled in ones mind, blurring the fact that men are all created equal regardless of one's physical color.
From the Paper "The last stanza of the poem is the student's resolve to his dilemma: he now talks of the student (himself) and the instructor's differences as borne out of individual differences in outlook and perspectives, and not because of racial difference, with the student being black and the instructor white. Symbolism is again used to convey the message that history plays an important role in influencing people's judgment about other people and even his own self. When the student said that ?You are white--/ yet a part of me, as I am a part of you,? the poem tells his instructor that despite their physical differences (which is racial in nature), both is part of the other's whole?this means that they are both individuals who must rely, interact with each other because this is human nature, and the issue of racial differences here is set aside."
Abstract This paper examines the Book 'Music of the Swamp' by Lewis Nordan, a fictitious story that depicts the Southern way of life. It examines how Nordan's writing style allows him to strike a delicate balance between portraying the harsh real life situations at the same time satiating the appetite of the witty minded with a hilarious novel that addresses all the typical southern elements like the discriminatory social climate. It shows how by using all bizarre characters and elegant language the author has managed to pass on his point that in life there is always this duality and that happiness and sadness complement each other.
From the Paper "The author always manages to infuse the gloomy picture of Mississippi throughout the novel. This is evident when Sugar with his father and mother visits the Mississippi beach and even there they are greeted with death. A man lies dead along the coast like one of the fishes. The dark discoveries of Sugar doesn't end here. Soon when he casually digs up all around his house he is shocked to unearth a dead woman in a red dress. Furthermore when Sugar visits the drug store with his father he again faces death square in the face when his father accidentally overdoses his friend to death. So even as a child the young sugar experiences drugs, discrimination, death and a lot of the gloomy side of life."
Tags: society, blacks, Mississippi, dicrimination, death, love
Abstract This paper discusses Watts' introduction of the philosophical foundations of Zen, which lie in the world of Hinduism. The paper author believes that Watts wanted to interest the readers to the point where they would begin to practice Zen. The paper states this book is a classic because of its scholarly sweep, easy readability and the delicate balance it successfully creates between the "emptiness" and "no mind" of Zen and the need for the Westerner to be given a solid explanation of anything.
From the Paper "Watts explores one of the most famous aspects of Zen, the Zen koan, the riddle that cannot be solved. As he explores koans used by the Rinzai School of Zen, he makes clear that a koan is meant to put doubt into the mind of the young student?doubt that he knows anything at all. From that position, where his ego is then broken down, real learning and wisdom can beginning. Watts tells the story of an encounter between Tao-hsin and the sage Fa-yung, who lived in a temple so holy that birds brought him offerings of flowers."
Abstract By analyzing "King Henry IV", "The Tragedy of King Richard III" and "The Tragedy of King Richard II", the paper shows that the underlying message in Shakespeare's history plays seems to be that kings who are extreme in their execution of power provide a representation of a weak and vulnerable monarchy, whereas kings who apply a modicum of moderation to their exercise of power provide a representation of a strong and indestructible monarchy. The paper shows that King Henry IV is the epitome of a successful ruler, in the simple fact that he manages to remain alive at the end of the play and do what is best for the country and its people by continuing to fight the rebel armies until they have lost the ongoing battle with the monarch. This in and of itself suggests that he is able to find a delicate balance between being overly powerful and yielding to others under pressure. The paper shows, on the other hand, that King Richard II is unable to exert any power whatsoever, partly due to his fear of confrontation and partly due to his overwhelmingly pathological view of himself as being a Christ figure. It shows that Richard III is, as well, equally unsuccessful as a ruler because he exerts too much power as a result of a delusional likeness with Richard II's antithesis, Satan.
From the Paper "Likewise, Richard III also holds himself in very delusional esteem, though it is expressed in a different manner than with Richard II. Like Richard II, Richard III believes he is worthy of the throne despite being, by definition, an illegitimate ruler. However, this misleading conviction triggers murderous ?[p]lots [he has] laid? (I.i.32), including the murder of his brother Clarence, the murder of King Edward's sons (including the heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales), and an incestuous scheme to marry the late King's daughter, Elizabeth, in order to seem more fitting to be king. Undoubtedly, he believes wholeheartedly that he has been rejected and/or cheated by God, and that he is deserving of the kingship. His belief system allows his mental health to shatter in such a manner that leads way to an excessive use of force and power in order to obtain the things he so desires. His own delusional belief system leads the reader to deem it likely that Richard III is as much a Satan figure as Richard II is a Christ figure. The extreme self-views held by each of these kings guide them to act in highly radical manners that are not at all conducive to governing a successful monarchy."
Abstract This paper discusses the techniques that Dickens uses to portray the character Sissy Jupe in "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens. The author feels that Dickens describes Sissy delicately and with grand detail; he sees her as the innocent angel of the story. The paper concludes that Sissy Jupe is a major character in farcical novel; she is the good character who somehow manages to touch all the other characters' lives.
From the Paper "In the end, the book only ends satisfactorily for Sissy. She eventually has children, who her dear friend Louisa comes to love. Louisa loses her brother, who is the only person she really loves. Tom is banished for the bank robbery. When he tries to return home, he dies before he gets there. Louisa's husband also dies, and Mr. Gradgrind finally discovers that education, along with facts and figures, is not everything in the world. Life ends happily for Sissy because she is truly good and decent; it is the only thing imaginable that could happen to her. Life ends tragically for the others because they did not have the goodness in their hearts such as Sissy did."
