Abstract
This paper argues that the demise of William Shakespeare's "Richard II" was not due to Bolingbroke's invasion of England but due to Richard's own failings to act as an appropriate king. It develops the idea that Richard's character failures, his passivity and inability to act decisively, result in his loss of kingship. It examines how his numerous failures as king, such as his disconnection from his people and land, contribute to his removal form the throne. It shows that despite Bolingbroke's presence in the play, Richard's downfall is ultimately his own doing.

From the Paper
"William Shakespeare's Richard II, is the dramatic portrayal of a king's downfall. The action of the play surrounds the deposition of an anointed but unworthy king, Richard II. Although he is stately and poetic, he fails miserably in his public role as a king because he is disconnected from his land and its people. Consequently, he is overthrown by his cousin Bolingbroke and eventually assassinated. However, despite Bolingbroke's connection to Richard's removal from the throne, Richard's fall ultimately is a result of his own inability to perform the duties of kingship. His continuous passivity and readiness to succumb to despair prove to be his definitive weaknesses and result in his final defeat. Richard is not fit to be king."

Tags:kingship, bolingbroke, england

Abstract
The paper analyzes Sophocles' play "Oedipus Rex". The paper first describes how Oedipus' initial decision to leave Corinth, and his fear of the prophecy was the start of his downfall. The paper then highlights how his lack of self-knowledge led to his demise, since had he possessed self awareness, he would have known that acting on free will could have protected him from a preconceived fate.

From the Paper
"E.E. Cummings once said "to be nobody but yourself in world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everyone else is to fight the hardest battle that any human being can fight - and keep on fighting." In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus faced many obstacles, but also opportunities, where his perception of reality was called into question. These prospects for self discovery occurred frequently, commencing with Oedipus' decision to visit the oracle concerning his birth origin. His decisions and thought process after visiting the oracle subsequently led to his inability to know himself at the crossroads and in Jocasta's presence prior to the resolution of the novel. This lack of self-knowledge developed into Oedipus' ignorance, and it was this problematic quality that eventually led to his demise."

Tags:self-knowledge, awareness, free, will, fate

Abstract
This paper aims to show how television has affected the American family. It concentrates particularly on the genre of the situation comedy as these shows reflect the demise of the family in relation to the social upheavals through the latter half of the 20th century.

From the Paper
"The American situation comedy is a key vehicle that propagates the American Dream. The latter describes the myth of unending material progress which the average American labors under. Some commentators suggest that television, and indeed the media as a whole, is appropriated by the dominant class in order to keep the masses spellbound in the pursuit of the American Dream. This is done in order to fuel the materialistic ethos, so as to keep the capitalist order functioning. Here the capitalists are said to be the dominant class, and who propagate the myth in the interests of capitalism. I will argue however that the myth is an integral part of the American psyche, and that it is a mistake to appoint the capitalists as agents. Television both reflects the myth as well as perpetuates it. This can be seen by noticing the demise of the American family mirrored in the sitcom through the latter half of the 20th century. The nuclear family is the institution on which the American Dream is founded, so that the demise of the nuclear family is also the dismantling of the Dream."

Tags:erosion, dumbing down, American dream

Abstract
A discussion of the contributing factors to the demise of one of Shakespeare's most controversial characters. Includes an analysis of Macbeth's character, supernatural forces, and Lady Macbeth.

From the Paper
"Macbeth, arguably one of Shakespeare's bloodiest characters has numerous inherent flaws, the three most apparent being self-doubt, ambition and a tendency to violence. These fatal traits are demonstrated early in the text when the reader first encounters Macbeth on the battlefield, having presumably murdered many of his Norwegian opponents in the name of his country. He is presented as a "brave" General, who is praised and greatly rewarded for his ability at the front. The audience quickly realises that Macbeth is a capable solider with a natural ability in and tendency toward war and violence. His second fatal flaw becomes evident soon after, when Macbeth is confronted by the "weird sisters." His delight and excitement at their prophecies, naming him Cawdor and King is obvious, though the nature of the prophecies themselves at first draw scorn. Once the first has been fulfilled however, and Macbeth is awarded the title Thane of Cawdor for his military efforts, the idea of becoming King is far more tangible and exciting for Macbeth. The audience notes the way it consumes his thoughts when he is distracted from conversation with his fellow Thanes and also that he lies about his thoughts, claiming "nothing" to be the subject of his internal contemplation. This is confirmation for the audience that the suggestion of Kinship is greatly appealing to Macbeth and has an almost instantaneous negative impact upon his character, encouraging him to deceit amongst friends. Macbeth's ambition is a constant theme throughout the play, continuing to develop as he arrives home to plot Duncan's murder with hi wife. His desire for power is soon coupled with an implantation of self-doubt and insecurity, the combined effects of which lead him to continue to kill in order to retain his royal position."

Tags:macbeth, shakespeare, lady, tragic

Abstract
The paper discusses how the inclusion of slaves in the Union ranks gave the Northern forces the additional manpower they needed to bring a speedier close to the Civil War. The paper explains that for one thing, the existence of these men in the ranks of the Northern forces meant that some of the terrific demand for more bodies at the front was alleviated for the north - whilst the same could surely not be said for the Confederate forces.

From the Paper
"Put simply, the inclusion of slaves in the Union ranks gave the Northern forces the additional manpower they needed to bring a speedier close to the Civil War. For one thing, the existence of these men in the ranks of the Northern forces meant that some of the terrific demand for more bodies at the front was alleviated for the north - whilst the same could surely not be said for the Confederate forces. Perhaps more significantly, however, the African-American regiments - like the First North Carolina Colored Volunteers - fought with surpassing courage and tenacity and..."

Tags:confederacy, civil, war

Abstract
This paper discusses how Shakespeare's "Othello" is primarily orientated with a psychoanalytical viewpoint and one of evil in humanity and the notion of humanistic elements of society from which all responders can relate. It examines how, through these interpretations, the tragedy of Othello is defined through his inexperience in love and his emotional instability whilst the presence of evil in society culminates his downfall.

From the Paper
"The key to Othello's emotional instability is sourced from his extreme love of Desdemona and his inability to understand and comprehend it. Derived from contrast between expectations of Othello and his personality, Shakespeare delves into the notion of sociology and the vast variations between the appearance and reality of his characters and humans in generals. From the outset of the play, Othello is established as an outsider as shown through Brabantio's reaction to the information that a moor has seduced his daughter and the mentality of Iago and Roderigo that this fact would be such a disposition to the honour of Brabantio's family. From this however, Othello's prestige is revealed whilst in the council of the Duke and his confidence revealed whilst addressing his unknowing father-in-law. Jonathan Bates argues that as the play develops and Othello's integrity collapses, the role of Iago's evil wit prevails and Othello becomes impregnated with Iago's obsessions."

Tags:Desdemona, tragedy, iago

Abstract
This paper examines in detail the failure of the Internet start-up, Boo.com. Several aspects of Boo.com's demise are analyzed, including the overall downfall in the dot.com community at the time of Boo.com's demise, and the company's business plan and approach. The author argues that the management of Boo.com failed to see their business from the customer's point of view. In the end, Boo.com teaches us many lessons about how not to start up a small business.

Outline:
Background
What Went Wrong
The Importance of Branding
Recommendations for the New Start Up
Achieving Balance

From the Paper
"From 1999 to 2001 the Internet developed into a pile of wreckage consisting of dot-com failures. Most of the carnage failed for the same reasons conventional businesses fail. They failed because of poorly conceived business models (Pandya and Dholakia, 2002). The largest number of these failures were and the Business to Customer (B2C) portions of the market. Many of the failed business models did not fail to attract visitors to their site, but rather failed because of the inability to convert visitors to paying customers (Agarwal, Arjona and Lemmer, 2001). Most failures occurred because businesses did not adhere to basic marketing principles, just like any other business that is bound for failure. "

Tags:business, failure, internet, dot, com, website, B2C, business-to-customer, start-ups

Abstract
This paper examines how, as a result of the stringent rules Puritan society put of every aspect of its followers' lives, the religion began to lose many of its members, eventually leading to its demise. It also looks at how its worshippers began to reject the beliefs of the Congregational Church due to their inhospitable nature.

From the Paper
"Another contributing factor to Puritanism's collapse and perhaps the most determining aspect of the downfall was the foundation on which the religion was built on. The basis of Puritanism was a theory known as pre-destination, which was the belief that a select few, "the elect", had been destined for ascent into Heaven and all others were fated to burn in Hell, regardless of their behavior on Earth. Many colonists later shied away from this unshakeable damnation, not accepting the Puritan belief that no matter what their actions, they were destined for Hell."

Tags:congregational, church, colonists, witch

Abstract
This paper presents a detailed discussion about Napster and its demise. The author takes us through the purpose of the enterprise as well as what prompted its eventual dismantle and reassembling. We are treated to a discussion in which we try and define the difference between copyright laws and amendment issues.

Abstract
This paper will discuss the demise of the Californian Indians that populated much of the territory before the white men came in to the country. The issues that will be explored in this paper will deal with certain tribes and how they were exterminated from the Californian coast because of land problems (dealing with gold), technology, cultural weaknesses and other sources of man-made manifest destiny (such as warfare) that Americans took out on these tribes. By understanding the scope of history that surrounds the fall of the Indian tribes of California, we can see how they were cajoled into accepting an inferior rank to the white settlers that slowly, but surely, removed them from the land that was once theirs.