Abstract
This paper will examine three examples of 'chick lit', a slightly derogatory term for a literary genre that targets young women, particularly those that are single and working. The three examples include the television series Sex and the City and the film Devil Wears Prada (both based on best-selling chick-lit books); as well as the book Confessions of a Shopaholic, soon to be a film too. The paper will examine the dominant model of femininity that has emerged from this literature often labeled post feminist. The paper will argue that although the model of femininity that dominates in chick lit is very different from what is understood to be feminine in the typical patriarchal sense, there are some elements that have not changed.

From the Paper
`Chick- lit' and the dominant model of femininity This paper will examine three examples of `chick lit', a slightly derogatory term for a literary genre that targets young women, particularly those that are single and working. The three examples include the television series Sex and the City and the film Devil Wears Prada (both based on best-selling chick-lit books); as well as the book Confessions of a Shopaholic, soon to be a film too. The paper will examine the dominant model of femininity that has emerged from this literature often labeled post feminist. The paper will argue that although the model of femininity that dominates in chick lit is very different from what is

Tags:feminie, women, chick, lit

From the Paper
"People respond to debt in one of three ways. Some are overwhelmed by it. Others are slightly uneasy and worry that they are in too deep. And a few lucky souls have so much money they rarely think about debit or credit at all. Most people, in fact over 40 million Americans, fall into the first two categories.. While credit offers wonderful opportunities to improve a person's material standard of living, it also carries with it a number of risks. Many people do not have a budget, spend more then they make and have no savings. Unless used wisely, it is easy to fall into the nightmare of unpaid bills, overdue notices, collection agency letter, negative credit reports and even bankruptcy. However, it is possible to set up a credit repair system that allows an individual to get out of debt and manage money more wisely."

Abstract
This paper argues that, while Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" raises a number of racial issues, it is not a racist text. In particular, the paper notes the commonality of racial epithets during Twain's day and suggests that this explains the "excessive" use of derogatory terms towards African-Americans. It then briefly outlines the position of those who consider the text to be a racist one, offers the counter-argument of those opposed to such a characterization and then concludes by outlining why this writer supports the widespread distribution of Twain's master work.

From the Paper
"Briefly stated, this writer cleaves to the view that Huckleberry Finn is not a racist text. It is not racist because it is meant to be a sharp denunciation of the slave-holding society which dehumanized African-Americans and it is also a text which shocks people into considering how racism works so insidiously to graft itself onto the fabric of a culture that even ugly racial epithets become distressingly common. Ultimately, this writer agrees with Leider and Wilson that American students - at a suitable age - need to be shocked into seeing the ugly side of American history before revisionists "white-wash" it and marginalize the role of slavery in the development of the nation. In the end, even if Twain was subconsciously racist himself, the grotesque nature of many of the whites in the book clearly reveals that his sympathies lie with destroying any fatuous belief that the "Old South" was chivalrous and somehow humane."

Tags:denunciation, dehumanized, derogatory

Abstract
This paper explains that John Keats is undoubtedly one of the finest poets of the Romantic era, but he was regularly criticized for being a follower of Cockney school of thought. The author states that the Cockney style was a derogatory term used to define a certain poetic or writing style, charged with vulgarity, superficiality, lack of class, and masculinity; thus, Keats's association with Leigh Hunt proved to be extremely disastrous for the young poet who was rudely and ruthlessly accused without actual study of his work. The paper concludes that Keats does exhibit Cockney influences, especially where defiance of cultural and political restrictions is concerned; however, his poems should be completely acquitted from the charges of vulgarity or lack of morality.

From the Paper
"However, the very same poem became an English classic and modern critics have explained the severe criticism of Keats' early poems. G. A. Mathews explains that Keats unfortunately published his work during a time when it "it was hardly possible for a creative writer associated with one side to receive fair treatment from a reviewer employed by the other." But Keats can be termed a Cockney poet if we focus on some of the positive aspects and similarities of his work with that of Leigh Hunt. Despite what critics said about Keats' work, the only real Cockney influence on his work was reflected in his desire to deviate from fixed social, political and poetic rules. If his work did not exhibit clear structure, it was to some extent intentional because Keats shared with Hunt a desire to rebel against societal and political restrictions."

Tags:hunt, style, romantic, derogatory, vulgarity

Abstract
This paper discusses the use of satire, metaphor and simile in Gay's "The Beggar's Opera". It shows how Gay used his opera to satirize the society of his time, but that this satirization was not derogatory or moralistic enough to give much offense. It shows how Gay's entire cast of characters play the role of metaphor depicting social ills of the time.

From the Paper
"In satirizing the conventions of opera and romance, the Beggar's Opera arranges a meeting of opposites. Macheath the criminal thus refers to himself as a "man of honor". Instead of the expected nobleman, this man of honor is a mere criminal, but he is more than that. Gay turns him into a metaphor for the hypocrisy of those who like to believe in their own heroics. Specifically, Macheath represents the aristocrat and the army officer. His affectations and efforts at romance later in the opera reflect this."

Tags:macheath, satire, simile, metaphor, lockit

Abstract
This paper explains that the term "Mexican-American" is used for the original inhabitants of the U.S.-acquired northern territories of Mexico; whereas, "Chicano", historically a derogatory term, is used for Mexicans who immigrated in the U.S. during the period of the 1930s and 1940s. The author points out that, historically, during the early period of conflict, while the ?Mexican Americans? had already been assimilated into American society, establishing their social and economic status in the society, Chicanos were mainly ?outcasts? in this country. The paper concludes that, today, the Chicano-Mexican society is, and will be, a balance between the traditional and modern cultures, creating a hybrid form of culture and society that is distinctly characteristic of their Mexican and American heritage.

From the Paper
"As the Mexican society is gradually assimilated into the contemporary American society, its future can be traced or patterned right after the history of African Americans in the US. The emergence of the Mexican American and Chicano movements fighting for equality and recognition of their rights in the American society is reminiscent of the civil rights movement of the African Americans during the 1960s (in fact, Mexicans are also included in this protest movement, along with black Americans). In essence, Mexican society and culture of the present and for the future is described as "people between cultures," where "culture in the borderlands" "human cultures" (metropolitan typifications) are neither necessarily coherent nor always homogeneous.""

Tags:heritage, blend, fight, hybrid, outcast

Abstract
The writer of this paper addresses the issue of how prejudices and racism are caused by stereotypes. He then examines how this influences children and how youngsters are so exposed to these issues. The paper analyzes certain derogatory words and phrases and how their intentions can be misinterpreted.

From the Paper
"Martin Luther King's infamous words- "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"- still resonate in today's society. While it is clear that numerous advances and improvements have occurred in race relations over the past century, difficulties and tensions continue to persist. In recent years, violent rioting has occurred in Los Angeles, California in 1992 (after the white police officers who brutally beat Rodney King were acquitted) and a black man was dragged to his death behind a truck in Texas. Thus, it appears that the United States has a long road to travel if it ever hopes to truly reflect a "melting pot.""

Tags:race, stereotype, nigger, negro, minority, discriminatory, white

Abstract
This three-page paper examines the way elderly people have been depicted in various media. The writer uses songs, television shows, and movies to illustrate the fact that elderly people are often portrayed in much the same derogatory manner as the African-Americans were on stage at one time.

From the paper:

"The elderly people in this nation deserve the utmost respect. They have worked hard, raised at least one generation of community participants if not several and they have provided the world with their worth and value. When they reach the golden years they have learned a lot about life along the path and have many valuable insights that they can share with those who are still traveling."

Tags:respect, generation, community, value, golden, years, elderly, wisdom, older, people

Abstract
This three-page paper examines the way elderly people have been depicted in various media. The writer uses songs, television shows, and movies to illustrate the fact that elderly people are often portrayed in much the same derogatory manner as the African-Americans were on stage at one time.

From the paper:

"The elderly people in this nation deserve the utmost respect. They have worked hard, raised at least one generation of community participants if not several and they have provided the world with their worth and value. When they reach the golden years they have learned a lot about life along the path and have many valuable insights that they can share with those who are still traveling."

Tags:respect, generation, community, value, golden, years, elderly, wisdom, older, people

Abstract
The writer of this paper argues that the laws and legislation may be in place in order to guarantee the end to racism but it will take many generations before the mind set of people can change and their derogatory words and actions will stop.

From the Paper
"When people talk about discrimination and prejudice, they talk about it as if it is a thing of the past. They talk about slaves, plantations and what our great grandparents went through. When they talk about what it is to be ethnic, many paint a picture that looks something like Kunta Kinte in the movie Roots. Then they follow it with some comment like, Boy its good things are not like that anymore. But the truth is that even though the physical lashings are not as severe, the emotional scares run just as deep as they did 150 years ago. Just two generations ago, our grandparents were still under the Jim Crow laws, which set aside different rules for Blacks than Whites. Our parents still may remember what it was like to be made to sit in the back of the movie theater because of the color of their skin. The Jim Crow laws may have been repealed and we now have many well meaning anti-discrimination laws, but those who think that discrimination is a thing of the past have never checked the box marked African American under race."

Tags:racism, race, racial, african, american, black, negro