Abstract This paper looks at Eugene O?Neil's classic drama, "Desire Under the Elms" and allusions that are made to the Bible. The author pays close attention to the significance of Ephraim Cabot's name and his connection to the land, the similarities between Jacob and Eben in their attempt to secure their birthright, and a perversion of the Adam/Eve account in the relationship between Eben and Abbie.
From the Paper "While most critics will attribute O"Neil"s? styling to that of Greek tragedy, I feel that in many cases we can see that it goes back much further. Although he never professed a need for a "god" within his life, it is quite obvious that he often times chose to draw upon many of the tragedies found within the pages of the Bible for his inspiration. His repeated consideration of godlike figureheads was perhaps a means by which he attempted to come to a better understanding of the plague of the human condition. O?Neil once said, ?Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.? Since his life was for the most part devoid of peace, much of his writing ended up being somewhat cathartic in nature. It is no surprise then that the Bible, which has always addressed the age old questions and concerns of man, figures so highly in much of his work."
Tags: 20th, bedford, century, drama, eugene, o'neil, eben, abbie, ephraim, eden
Abstract Michael Bratman, in his book Faces of Intention" offers a theory of identification with desires that states that "To identify with a certain desire, one needs to decide to treat it as reason-giving in some relevant practical reasoning and to be satisfied with that decision." After explaining Bratman's view in depth and the related views of Harry Frankfurt and J. David Vellemon, this paper presents an entire class of desires that by Bratman's definition should be desires that one identifies with but which in reality are not. This involves presenting examples of desires that one identifies with but that one would not treat as reason-giving in terms of his actions; that is, desires that one identifies with but would never reasonably act on. Some objections to the counterexamples are made by the author (some of which Bratman makes in his book and some of which he actually made to the author personally in the class this paper was writer for) and provides responses to them.
From the Paper "As demonstrated by the writings of Michael Bratman, Harry Frankfurt, and J. David Velleman, explicitly defining what it means to identify with a desire has been no easy task for even the most prominent names in philosophy of action. The difficulties encountered in characterizing how we identify with certain desires and distance ourselves from others are not surprising when one considers how vague our intuitions are about the subject. There does not seem to be any simple, commonsense notion of what it means to identify with a desire nor is there an easy way to formally characterize classes, or even instances, of desires that we do or do not hold as really being "ours." In the end, "our intuitions seem to be able to tell us for sure only that there are desires we have that we do not identify with. And when one considers how little sense it seems to make that we should have such desires to begin with, it easy to see that one trying to offer a definition for identifying with a desire has an uphill battle in front of him. In this paper, I will consider one such definition offered by Bratman and show that it does not quite win this battle. After explaining Bratman's view, I will give a counterexample to his theory that highlights an entire class of desires that are not captured by his definition of identification. I will then respond to possible objections to this class of counterexamples and conclude by considering a shortcoming in Bratman's view that I believe leads to the problematic examples that I present."
Abstract This paper discusses two of the main characters in the Tennessee William's drama "A Streetcar Named Desire". This paper also discusses some of the sources available reviewing this play. The sources used provide excellent insight into the study of "Streetcar Named Desire" and into the playwright himself. The paper also reviews some of William's other works.
From the Paper "'A Streetcar Named Desire' by Tennessee Williams has an interesting title that first attracted me to his play. After reading the first few lines, I found myself interested because the description of the setting had details that captured my attention further. Williams uses words such as "raffish charm" (Williams 1797) and "quaintly ornamented gables" (Williams 1797) that paint a picture of the section of New Orleans where the action starts. The action of the characters led to questions in my mind after I finished reading the play. This play raised many questions about the human spirit and the ways that people deal with situations that they face. The two sisters in the play, Blanche and Stella, were raised in similar circumstances. Why did these two sisters deal with life in ways that are so different? The relationship between Stella and her husband also presents important questions."
Abstract The paper analyzes how both religions teach to relinquish desires, attachments and wishful expectations. These traditions also emphasize the principle of compassion. The paper argues that these dual emphases are compatible, since there must be a harmony between action and inner beliefs.
Abstract Williams's play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," is the story of the final decay of Blanche DuBois, a woman who fell from grace until finally losing her mind. This paper focuses on Blanche's lies and how Williams symbolized them in several different ways, including the use of light. It shows how, throughout the entire play, Tennessee Williams uses light to symbolize Blanche's deceptions as they differentiate from the actual truth that is slowly revealed.
From the Paper "A Streetcar Named Desire is a great play, where Tennessee Williams uses many different types of symbols and metaphors for other things in the play, and his usage of light to show Blanche DuBois' artificial realism was incredible. The way that each event in the story where Blanche was involved directly with lighting led up to a later important event in the story keeps the reader interested. Blanche's lies were eventually her undoing, if she had gone to visit her sister and been able to stand in the open light and face the truth about her life, she may have been married to Mitch. However she was scared of what she would see if stayed in the light, and more scared of what other people would see in her, so she hid in the metaphorical shadows created by Tennessee Williams and tried, unsuccessfully, to live in her false reality."
Tags: american, desire, light, literature, named, streetcar, sybolism, tennesse, williams
Abstract This paper is a critical analysis of Tennessee Williams "A Streetcar Named Desire", focusing on the character Blanche and what she symbolizes.
From the Paper "In A Street Car Named Desire, Tennessee Williams displays the character Blanche having many issues. She tells fibs to protect herself from being looked upon disapprovingly. But her secrets are unveiled when Stanley, Blanche's brother-in-law, bumps into a couple of Blanche's acquaintances. Blanche symbolizes all beautiful women who are insecure because they have something they cannot let go or hide from."
Abstract This paper discusses Oscar Wilde's play, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and how the origins of sin are presented in the play. The paper uses examples from the play to show how, for Wilde, sin has its origin in awareness and knowledge of desire, just like the fall from grace in Eden. The paper explains how the main character, Dorian, becomes sinful in his knowledge and his awareness of his own beauty and this leads to his downfall.
From the Paper "Again, there is scarlet, but this is the scarlet of blood letting, not an innocent blush of the young Dorian's lips. Once again, at the words of Lord Henry, even the older and more jaded Dorian is moved to tremble. He blanches at the sight of the picture, but for a different reason, because he can see the monster he has become, rather than fears the passage of age as he did as a young man. His own portrait is described as loathsome, like a serpent, and the diction of the passage is Biblical and elevated, "the scarlet of blood," "desire," and "scarlet dew" as a euphemism for blood."
Abstract This paper discusses the Eden Project, which is one of the largest ecotourism sites in the world. It discusses the purpose of the Eden Project and how it utilizes the natural environment of Cornwall. The paper then looks at how the Eden Project has developed, including target audiences and marketing campaigns. The paper contains graphs and tables.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
How Does Eden Project Benefit the Community?
Leisure Opportunities in Cornwall
Leisure Spending in Cornwall
Cornish Holiday Pattern
Development of Eden Stakeholders
Advertising Efforts of the Past
The Experience at Eden Marketing Plan
Target Marketing
Marketing Mix
Proposed Marketing Mix
Conclusion
From the Paper "The Eden project promotes to two different target markets. Future marketing can still maintain connections with the younger demographic group that are already addressed by the current market mix, while continuing to build the older demographic group. In the beginning, the project took advantage of the press, and traditional method of reaching the older target audience through brochures and leaflets. However, they eventually began to take advantage of the opportunities that the Internet has to offer. The following will discuss each of the elements of the marketing mix that will be used to grow the older demographic segment of the target audience, while still continuing to promote concerts and other events to the younger demographic group."
This paper analyzes Jack London's novel "Martin Eden", which is the semi-autobiographical story of a young man born into poverty who desperately wants to become financially secure and middle-class.
Abstract The paper explains that that, throughout Jack London's "Martin Eden", the sea serves as an allegory for the ebb and flow of Eden's life sea and serves as a powerful symbol of Eden's chaotic life. The author points out that Eden is so driven by his quest to improve himself that he loses sight of who he really is. The paper reviews several chapters so that, by the end of the novel, Eden concludes that all the goals he had set for himself were either false or took him in unexpected directions and that the one true and abiding love he has had is for the sea; therefore, it is no surprise when he ends his life by drowning in the sea he loved so much.
From the Paper "By Chapter 11, Eden has embarked on his journey of self-improvement and has enrolled in classes. He also plans to use the stories he is writing to demonstrate to Ruth that he is serious about writing, so she will take him seriously. Even in his physics class, Eden is drawn to the sea, where he sees order in chaos: "..." Unfortunately for Eden, life does not follow the laws of physics, and the sea is only predictable when calm. This incident also foreshadows how the sea, and his tumultuous life, is going to disappoint him. Eden has idealized his memories of the sea, imagining tropical islands with scant attention to cold and forbidding waters, and now he imagines that the sea can be mastered, just as he thinks he can happily re-invent himself as a middle class young man."
Abstract This paper explains that, in Jack London's "Martin Eden", the sea, which is the central thread that binds this novel together, represents that Eden is a humble man who rises to great heights on the crest of a wave but cannot maintain or support those heights. The author points out that, throughout the book, the sea is a constant reminder of Eden's past as a seafarer who has found much success as a writer but finds that fame and fortune are not all he thought they would be; thus, he returns to the sea to commit suicide because it is the place he knows best and respects the most. The paper states that some readers might think that Eden's suicide did not fit with the rest of the book, which showed him as an extremely determined and strong individual who knew how to create the future he wanted; however, having to do "hack" writing to pay the bills, he was disillusioned with his own career and with his dreams.
From the Paper "That is another important thread throughout the novel that ties into the element of the sea. Eden was innocent when the novel began. He was clumsy in society, his vocabulary was weak, and his social graces were nil. Yet, there was a charm about him that disappears by the end of the novel. He is no longer charming, he is passionate about his beliefs, but he has also grown beyond them intellectually. He understands more than the people he was trying so hard to impress, especially Ruth, and this realization shatters him. He discovers the woman he has put on a pedestal is really just a mere mortal, and not a very nice one at that."
Abstract This paper discusses how "Jane Eyre" could be considered a loose retelling of the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. It looks at how many of her characters take turns filling the roles of Adam and Eve, while the other key components of the story--the apple, the serpent, and the tree of knowledge--represent ambiguous abstract concepts. .By discussing and analyzing Garden of Eden imagery and symbolism and Bronte's upbringing, the paper suggests and supports the thesis that the novel is Bronte's feminist reinterpretation of the Bible.
From the Paper "Before delving into the actual development of the Garden of Eden theme in Jane Eyre, it is instructive to look at Bronte's later explanations of her purpose. In the author's preface provided to the novel's second edition, Bronte confronts critics who accused her of impiety; "Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last," she wrote, justifying her nontraditional approaches and interpretations. She took up this issue more directly in a fabulous passage in her next novel, Shirley. After deciding to skip a church service, Caroline and Shirley discuss Milton's interpretation of Eve; Shirley doubts Milton's interpretation of the biblical figure and proceeds to create her own biblical history, one in which Eve gives birth to the Titans of Greek mythology and in which the historical role of women is glorified. "
Abstract This paper is a detailed examination of the different themes that John Steinbeck raises in his book, "East of Eden." The author discusses the significance of the story's setting and the different family themes that are dealt with throughout the story as the many different family members history are detailed. The author breaks down the individual characters, their symbolism and relevance to the continuity of the family saga.
From the Paper "As life progresses for the three men, all three separate themselves, which brings a peace treaty of sorts. My sympathies are still toward Adam, who deals with the emotional problems he has gotten from his childhood. Charles has turned into a more likeable person, and the evil that was once so dominant in him has almost disappeared by the time the brothers are reunited in chapter seven. The evil has died with Cyrus, and the interaction between the two brothers reflects that. I almost breathed a sigh of relief when Cyrus is finally dead, but it is amazing how quickly fate takes over the story again, and how Steinbeck weaves a new loop into the story."
Abstract A critical analysis of the complexities of good and evil in John Steinbeck's novel, "East of Eden", and a discussion on the way Steinbeck kept the depth of the biblical Cain and Able story with first the characters of Charles and Adam, and later with Cal and Aaron. The paper makes the reader question who is really evil, and who really is good.
From the Paper "In John Steinbeck's East of Eden, Adam is much like Abel, and has the love of their father. Charles is like Cain, and desires their father's love. The father loves Adam while Adam does not love his father. Charles loves his father, and desires love from his father back. Charles is jealous of the love Adam receives from their father. Charles shows he is jealous when he worked for a present for their father, which gets rejected, like the fruit from Cain. Adam gives a puppy which his father loves. Charles tries to kill Adam at one point out of jealousy. Charles is a hard working, and seasoned man. Adam is a drifter that is nice to everyone, and chosen as the favorite child by their father."
Abstract This paper examines the problems as well as the strengths of one particular company, the Touch of Eden salon, as an exercise in demonstrating how a company should and should not be managed.
Abstract This paper provides a review of the book, "River Out of Eden", by Richard Dawkins. The review provides summaries of the main arguments from each chapter and a discussion, in particular, of the different thresholds mentioned by Dawkins.
From the Paper "In the first chapter, The Digital River, Dawkins introduces the idea of evolution by comparing it to a river, metaphorical, and changing over time. The river, he tells us, contains all of the DNA that has survived up until that point, and through the course of time, the river has deviated from its original path, producing different routes for the river, different branches, as he calls them. On each of these different branches of the river, he says, different combinations of DNA have been put together, and different genes have been constructed, giving different forms of life on each of the different pathways."
