Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the concept of mercy in "The Merchant of Venice" and how it shown as is entirely dependent upon personal favoritism. The writer notes that the character of Portia, disguised as Balthazar, interprets Venetian law to the wishes of Shylock, but than accuses him of attempted murder. With this dramatic courtroom scene, the writer points out that Shakespeare is uncovering an uncomfortable truth to the hypocrisy found in Portia's and Antonio's cajoling for mercy. The writer discusses that mercy in 'The Merchant of Venice' is given and taken away based upon subjective interest as opposed to good will. Because Shylock is trying to take revenge upon her husband's friend, Portia denies Shylock mercy. The writer relates that cleverness gives Portia the upper hand with Shylock in court, and the audience may see an end to the villain, but there is a lingering sense of wrongness about her ease of manipulation of the Venetian legal system. The writer concludes that Shakespeare, through disguising Portia and having her be the character to bring about the fall of Shylock, is questioning the sincerity of the mercy the Christians in the play are offering.

From the Paper
"Portia's goal in the courtroom scene in The Merchant of Venice is neither justice in the courtroom sense nor fairness that the Christian model provides but rather the redemption of her husband's friendship with Antonio through the defeat of the villainous Shylock. That is to say, she is acting with a biasness stemming from personal vindictiveness and not Christian concern for a universal sense of justice. Shakespeare is showing that vindictiveness and favoritism renders us unable to make any judgment without prejudice. When Portia's plan to defeat Shylock's villainy with monetary value fails, as she suggests paying the Jewish merchant three times the sum of the monetary value he lost, Portia turns to the court. Portia undermines any justice or law available to Shylock and prematurely has already decided his fate in the court. "

Tags:court, justice, scales, corrupt

Abstract
This paper examines the short stories in "Jesus' Son" by Denis Johnson, that upon first reading seems mis-titled. The book features a collection of moments in the life of the narrator who is afflicted with multiple drug addictions and has an apathetic view of life. While the author made an attempt at redeeming the character, the book is disjointed and the stories too open-ended and transitory to allow for the much-needed journey from sin to salvation.

From the Paper
"Indeed, it seems his prophetic insight and poetic visions of truth might have the ability to turn him into a greater type of being, one capable of being saved from himself. However, he manages to twist the beauty of his feelings, and turn them into grotesque shadows of the potentially beautiful sentiments he has. In this vein, he makes the comment: "That was my idea of sacrifice, tossing yourself away, discarding your body." On the one hand, he has struck upon the Christian ideal of losing the corrupt, sinful body and its pleasures, which can only lead to damnation. In the Christian reckoning, this allows the sacrificed to achieve a moral, spiritual wholeness, which is their reward and redemption. The narrator, however, does not append this colloquy to his statement of sacrifice."

Tags:literature, drug, addiction, salvation, review, book, redemption, religion

Abstract
This paper addresses pendurantism - a satisfactory solution to the problem of change. Pendurantism basically regards change in terms of aggregates, and denies the element of endurance. At the same time, pendurantism, if modified and made to include elements of presentism, would constitute a satisfactory solution to the problem of change. This is true both on the theoretical and practical levels.

Tags:SOCIOLOGY / SOCIAL PROBLEMS, pendurantism satisfactory solution

Abstract
The paper points out the numerous strengths of Lipstadt's work, including her lucid writing style, her careful research, her ability to vividly contextualize Holocaust denial and her intellectual courage. The paper looks at the book's failings and maintains that the author lets her political sensibilities get in the way of her better judgment in the labelling of some groups as anti-Semites. The paper concludes that nonetheless, the book stands up well to criticism and should be read by any young student interested in learning about the historiography surrounding the Holocaust.

From the Paper
"Lipstadt's book is compelling because she provides a rich context within which the average student of the Holocaust can understand why - and how - individuals can "get away" with denying an event that a huge collection of video, written, and oral history proves really did take place. For one thing, Lipstadt points out how the historiography of Holocaust denial is remarkably similar to, and really born of, a larger historical tradition that sought to exculpate Germany from allegations that it was wholly responsible for the beginnings of World War One. This historiography, championed most conspicuously by scholars like Harry Elmer Barnes, argued that the American public had been misled about the nature of German foreign policy and by apparently erroneous reports of German atrocities in the early stages of the Great War."

Tags:Germany, Jews, anti-Semitism, anti-Semites, accountability

Abstract
The writer gives a brief summary of the book, which recounts the harrowing tales of America's longest-held prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, and the extreme affect his army career and years spent in captivity had on him and his family. The paper discusses the style in which the book is written, and compares the problems Jim Thompson and his family face after his return from Vietnam. In conclusion, the writer comments that war is not just about politics and abstract ideas, and that people pay a price with their lives, their sanity, and the lives of their family.

From the Paper
"The problems faced by Jim Thompson and his family after his return could be superimposed on many life situations. Jim was suddenly plucked out of society for nine years only to drop back in after everyone and everything had progressed during that time. During his months of confinement, in order to bolster his mental health, he had dreamed of his ideal family at home, what they must be going through and the dream home they would have after his release. He was able to build upon the good times and the love, while ignoring or minimizing the problems that had begun to creep into the family before he left for Vietnam. He was then thrown back into a family that had grown up. His little girls were now teenagers, and his son, born the day after he was shot down, was a boy of nine. They had grown up with someone else filling the father role, and the adjustment was not a positive change for any involved. As Philpott's interview of John McCain so aptly puts it, "he was like Rip van Winkle". Waking up from captivity in Vietnam, nothing and nobody were the same when he returned. Through Philpott's interviews, he does much to shed light on the psychological impact of men separated from their loved ones for extended periods of time. Jim's life after the breakup of his family continued on a downhill slide. A second marriage ended with his wife clearing out the house to the walls. He was immersed in drinking nearly all his waking hours. His army career declined and there was talk of labeling him "non rehabilitatable". He was often drunk and the only other recourse the army would have was to discharge him. He entered therapy at Walter Reed hospital and it was here he had to face the reality of shattered dreams. But for Thompson, it was not just shattered dreams. It was shattered lives and shattered values. The values that he had built his life around prior to the war were in a shambles. He felt Alyce had betrayed him while he was in captivity. Yet couldn't quite grasp that the rosy picture he had held onto while in Vietnam was a collage of the idyllic life and not the reality he had come from. His place in the army afforded him the ability to give speeches about his years as a POW. However, as the seventies drew to a close, fewer and fewer groups were interested in hearing a former POW give a talk. His one area of expertise and knowledge began to slip away, and he continued to drink. His sense of betrayal ran to the very depths of his core, and still caused periods of isolation from his family and intense arguments."

Tags:vietnam, jim, thompson, prisoner, of, war

Abstract
This paper looks at three instances when the American government, despite the various civil rights documents in place, has withheld freedom from its citizens. This examples discussed are the case of women's suffrage, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and Prohibition.

From the Paper
"The year 1920 was not only the year women were granted the right to vote through the 19th Amendment; it was also the year the 18th Amendment took effect. Prohibition, making the sale and consumption of liquor illegal, went into law, and it was clearly a denial of one's freedom: the idea that the government could order a peace-loving, law-abiding, honest, hard-working adult male to eschew his normal cold glass of beer after work, was nothing short of an intrusion into a man's personal life. It clearly was a case of "Big Brother" trying to legislate morality, and in the process it created a huge underground crime system of bootleggers, gangsters and hoodlums. "

Tags:prohibition, suffrage

Abstract
This paper offers two essays, one supporting the need for government regulation, the other denying it and supporting deregulation. The first notes that government regulation is necessary to assure safety, to prevent disease, to protect the rights of the individual, and to assure a level playing field in business. While one might argue that certain specific regulations are over-reaching or unnecessary, one must support the idea of regulation itself.

From the Paper
"Government regulation is necessary to assure safety, to prevent disease, to protect the rights of the individual, and to assure a level playing field in business. While one might argue that certain specific regulations are over-reaching or unnecessary, one must support the idea of regulation itself, which after all was only undertaken once it was clear that the marketplace would not be effective in certain areas, such as enforcing safety rules, protecting consumers from fraud and misrepresentation, and reducing predatory practices on the part of business. Regulation typically refers to governmental efforts to control individual price, output, or product quality decisions of private firms in an effort to prevent purely private decision-making that would take inadequate account of the public interest. The first modern regulatory agency was established by Congress in 1887--the Interstate Commerce Commission--to control railroad rates. By the 1960s, government regulation was commonplace in the transportation..."

Tags:government, regulation, deregulation

Abstract
The paper defines the Higher Education Act, established 30 years ago to offer financial aid to people seeking higher education. It thereafter examines the 1998 provision denying this aid to people with prior drug convictions. The affect of this new provision on colleges and universities throughout the United States is discussed.

From the Paper
"But many students and politicians have voiced out against the bill, saying that it is class-discriminatory and racist. Several student and statewide organizations, including the University of Southern California Student Senate and statewide New York and Wisconsin organizations, have recently passed new resolutions speaking out against the bill, on the grounds that financial aid should be given out to academically qualified students who need the aid to attend college."

Tags:Department, of, Education, congress, FAFSA, NAACP, legislation

Abstract
This paper examines the dance styles of Ruth St. Denis and her student, Charles Weidman, who went on to found his own school of dance. The paper examines how Denis influenced Weidman and how his style differed from hers. The paper also discusses why Denis's style was so appropriate to the 1920s, and Weidman's style suited the 1930s.

From the Paper
"Ruth St. Denis, born Ruthie Dennis, was the greatest dancer of the 1920s, and her former student Charles Weidman was one of the most important dancers of the 1930s. Their respective aims and styles are in many ways divergent, partly as a result of the eras in which each dancer reached his/her artistic peak. Of the dancers' respective troupes, Pattie Jordens writes that while "Denishawn developed modern dance in America, Humphrey-Weidman made modern dance American". Ruth St. Denis created entertaining, artistic dances popular across all portions of society. She explored the exoticism and spirituality of Eastern countries, creating gorgeous spectacles well-suited to the Roaring Twenties. Charles Weidman left St. Denis' troupe shortly before the crash of the stock market, so his technique developed in a society to which extravagance and foreign deities were not suited. Weidman's dancing represents the experience of men and women in twentieth century America."

Tags:Doris, Humphrey, Zaza, denishawn, Radha

Abstract
This paper examines the Quine-Duhem thesis, exploring what it tells us about the nature of knowledge. The author gives the reader background on Quine and Duhem's own thinking in order to lay the foundation for their joint work. The author looks at different theories presented in physics by Newton and then discusses Popper's theory on falsification. The author then looks at issues concerning ontology and the related issues of logic. At each of these stages the author uses examples from the Quine-Duhem thesis to show differences and in some cases to refute the theory being discussed. According to the author, the Quine-Duhem thesis tells us that what we know about the philosophy of science, is dependent on what we are willing to acknowledge that we do not know, and the great question for science thus shifts from one that is entirely ontological to one that is at the heart of our humanity.

From the Paper
"Whether the false prediction resulted from the falsity of the tested hypothesis or the falsity of some other one or more of the auxiliary assumptions is not known. However, according to the Quine-Duhem thesis, it is in fact possible by suitable modification or buttressing of the proper auxiliary hypotheses to save any theory from potential refutation. Furthermore, it is often claimed that historical research shows that scientists do frequently do precisely this. (This need not be, it is probably obvious but may be worth pointing out, the kind of behavior that we consider to be fraud or scientific dishonesty, but rather may lie well within the margin of error of interpretation and observation. Hence it would seem that, to deny to Popper everything that he has ever seemingly believed in, theories cannot be definitively refuted any more than they can be confirmed (Carnap, 1956, p. 71)."

Tags:science, philosophy, popperian, physics, mathematical, methodology, intellectual, logic, experiments, model, holism, principle, falsification, epistemologically, foundationalism, ontology, theory, evidence