Abstract This paper provides biographical information about Stephen King and discusses the writing technique he uses in his stories. The paper then summarizes and reviews King's novel, "Desperation". The review focuses on the main character of the book, David Carver, and how he fights evil with the help of God's guidance.
From the Paper "Popularly known as The King of Terror, Stephen King is one of the most promoted and best selling writers of this era. The themes of his stories are usually the agglomeration of psychological chillers, science fiction, suspense and the preternatural. He stands out among other writers as a result of his vivid imagination and intricate details, which he incorporates in all his characters and theme settings. Stephen King has a long list of long and short stories accredited to his name. He is the O. Henry Award winning author of more than thirty books, which includes Hearts In Atlantis, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Bag OF Bones, The Shining, The Stand, The Green Mile and the stories on which the Academy Award nominated Films Carrie, Stand by me and The Shawshank Redemption are based (Stephen King, Salem's Lot)."
Tags: the, shining, carrie, shawshank, redemption, travelers, tak, monster, faith, good, evil, pie
Abstract The paper explores the increasing popularity of the television series "Desperate Housewives". The paper discusses the stories of the lives of the women in the series, particularly how they create more of a storyline through the sexual encounters that they have with a variety of men, the clothing that they wear to aid in attracting those men and the deceit that is related to keeping men, dating men and stealing a man from another.
An examination of the phenomenon of teenage suicide through the use of a review of Dr. David Lester's book, ?The Cruelest Death: the Enigma of Adolescent Suicide".
Abstract This paper uses this book as its main source to examine the trend of suicide among adolescents. By using two case studies, this paper explores the helplessness that some teenagers feel and how they resort to this final desperate measure. The paper compares trends between males and females and older and younger teenagers. It also examines psychological disorders which lead to suicide such as depression.
From the Paper "Dr. David Lester's book, ?The Cruelest Death: the Enigma of Adolescent Suicide, ? presents alarming findings of fact about the third leading cause of death in the USA among those below 24 -- suicide. It points to the recent and dramatic rise in the incidence of the last 20 years as suggestive of an epidemic (Lester 1993) that warrants greater attention and sobriety among those who can and should do something about it. It is a frank inquest into the social phenomenon by providing information support to theory, research, management and intervention helpful to professionals ? particularly clinicians, crisis workers and parents -- and the entire family with greater insights that can help them device more effective, responsive and successful strategies in the clinic, school and at home, all with the end-view of reversing the trend."
This paper addresses major themes in psychological training for police work. Law enforcement is desperately in need of a better understanding of the psychological dynamics of crisis intervention.
1,900 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 6 sources, 2002, $ 71.95
Abstract This paper addresses major themes in psychological training for police work. Law enforcement is desperately in need of a better understanding of the psychological dynamics of crisis intervention. The paper enumerates areas in which the study of psychology and behavior can augment or drastically change law enforcement officers' approach.
This paper compares the theme of alienation in William Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily" and T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".
1,645 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 0 sources, 2005, $ 53.95
Abstract This paper explains that the characters in William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" and T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" experience the condition of alienation differently depending upon the nature of the society from which they are alienated. The author points out that the major motif, which runs through Faulkner's story, is the way in which time shapes people, especially in the South, so that they can be at home only in a certain moment of history; after that moment has moved on, they find themselves fundamentally alienated from this changed world. The paper relates that, in his poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", T.S. Eliot presents a profound image of alienation by using technical devices, such as meter, content and imagery, which is far more explicit than in Faulkner's story and which allows the reader to understand the desperation that his title character feels.
From the Paper "While the story takes place in the present, and there is some sense that the future is creeping in even to the South, there is always the sense in this story that the past determines the actions of at least the major characters. Emily's father, Mr. Grierson, is the character most responsible for establishing the stranglehold of the past over the present. Grierson grew up in a South in which a man was responsible for the honor of his family, and one of the ways in which Grierson learned to keep untarnished the family name was to keep up the standards of a past era."
Abstract This paper explains that T.S. Eliot and W.B. Yeats, who are considered to be the quintessential examples of the modernist literary artists, were both extremely critical of their age and social milieu. The author points out that the Victorian poets Thomas Hardy and Gerald Manley Hopkins also were concerned with predicaments of their age, but their poetry does not have the same intensity and desperation to escape the past that is evident in the works of Eliot and Yeats. The paper concludes that the central similarity of all these poets is the search for a reality, which transcends the ordinary life; whereas, the different between the two eras is the modernist poets are convinced that finding new realities and values has become an inescapable and essential quest in light of the decline of modern civilization. Quotations.
From the Paper "Modernist literature has been characterized by the phrase "caught between two worlds." This refers to the view that the modernist poets and writers were attempting to deal with previous traditions and worldviews which they were intensely critical of. At the same time they were endeavoring to finds new ways of artistic vision and expression. Essentially the poets in the early Twentieth Century were faced with a radical shift in ideas and views about reality and society which had been engendered by discoveries in, amongst others, the fields of science and psychology; such as the Freudian discovery of the unconscious. The First World War was also to pay a large part in the questioning of the norms of values of Western society in general."
A discussion on transposing the environment of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" to the atmosphere and setting to the 1930s depression-era of "Bonnie and Clyde."
Abstract The paper compares the era of "Romeo and Juliet" with the times of "Bonnie and Clyde". The paper, by comparing the two works, speaks of the bloody environment in the times of Romeo and Juliet and the desperate economic circumstances during the 'Bonnie and Clyde' era in American history. The paper continues with a discussion on the similarities between these two time periods, noting the similar themes of "romantic outlaws", "passionate lovers", an emphasis on youth, and the anger at society. The paper concludes that the tales of both lovers show how, in a society that seems to have no future, desperate young people seeking validation and autonomy, resort to desperate measures.
From the Paper "Although Shakespearean love may be beautiful, especially love forged out of passion and the laws of a society that denies the freedoms of the young, it is not the society of Renaissance Italy that is beautiful and romantic. The fact that love can exist even in an atmosphere that a modern audience can identify as hopeless, crime-ridden, and decadent like Depression-era America will underline the most important aspect of Shakespeare's play, elements that might remain hidden in a production set in the Renaissance. Adult society and the laws of the land are corrupt in "Romeo and Juliet," likewise America ignores the suffering and despair of Americans living in the dustbowl during the Depression. Bonnie and Clyde rob banks, but during that era before banking reform many Americans lost their money in the stock market, or in bank runs, thus showing a lack of regard for the laws was something that was endemic to society and government, not just the outlaws."
Abstract The paper considers the ethical questions raised by the Marine MySpace.com recruiting campaign. The paper argues that teens may be swayed by the impulsivity encouraged by the virtual media to explore a path they may not be psychologically or even physically capable of undertaking. The paper concedes that desperate times call for desperate measures, but asserts that desperation combined with the Internet could create a potentially ineffective fighting force.
From the Paper "Point and click--you're in the Marines, now! While the current marketing campaign to solicit new recruits to the armed forces of America has not deteriorated to the point where the click of a mouse can result in conscription, even the current uses of online soliciting can elicit troubling questions about the ethical nature of modern advertising in the military. Anecdotally, almost every person can think of a poor decision he or she made as the result of the availability and ease of online shopping, and even perhaps some poorly worded personal emails sent that he or she has lived to regret. An expensive pair of shoes or the ruffled feathers of a boyfriend or girlfriend are easier to remedy, however, than the decision to risk one's life by joining the United States Marines."
This paper uses Owen Dodson's poem, "Black Mother Praying" (1943), and Martin Luther King's "The Importance of Vietnam" (1964), to discuss the issue of war and the African-American community.
Abstract This paper explains that African-American men and women quite often are exposed to war not because of their patriotism and love of military life, but rather because of economic desperation and political disenfranchisement from the American dream. The author points out that Martin Luther King's speech upon the nature of the Vietnam War called for an end to the war and the draft because it was disproportionately waged upon the backs of America's desperate, poor black men, who could not afford a university education to obtain a deferral and did not have the political connections to obtain service in the National Guard. The paper relates that, in Owen Dodson's WWII poem, "Black Mother Praying", the great post-Harlem Renaissance poet's last poem in dialect, Dodson's fictive mother weeps for a son whose death is only for a nation that hates him.
From the Paper "Early on in his speech, King highlights the dangerous divide that America is causing by going to war in Vietnam, stating that the war was doing far more than ?devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and their brothers and their husbands to fight and to die in extraordinarily high proportions relative to the rest of the population. We were taking the black young men who had been crippled by our society and sending them eight thousand miles away to guarantee liberties in Southeast Asia which they had not found in southwest Georgia and East Harlem. So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools."
Abstract This paper analyses the character of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" who, in his obsession for success and being number one, loses sight of who he really is. The author looks at Willy's relationship with his family and the image he desperately tries to display to the world.
From the Paper "Willy Loman had a dream: to be on the top, to be "the number-one man" (p.107). While he led his whole life in accordance with this dream, he lost sight of "who he really was" (p.107). He never questioned himself, whether he actually was identical to the person he dreamed to be. Willy simply ignores everything, which might destroy his dream: he ignores his own feelings and thoughts, those of his family and especially the feelings and wishes of his son, Biff."
Abstract This paper is a film review of Holy Smoke, primarily discussing the idea of East and West as distinguished by gender in the characters of Ruth and PJ Waters. The author I discusses how the film, through it's deconstruction of masculine and feminine, seems to be a progressive film but in the end becomes reactionary as Ruth's character is domesticated.
From the Paper:
"Vast improvements in technology, from intercontinental flights to the Internet, and an increase in the education level have caused the dissolution of many religious and cultural norms. For an animal species that believes itself special, much importance is applied to these norms ? they help separate us from our neighbors in the animal kingdom. The destruction of these norms has caused a confusion that we in the West desperately seek to eradicate. Holy Smoke, a film by Jane Campion, explores the contrast between East and West through the idea of masculinity and femininity and, to a lesser extent, religion. The two main characters in this film are Ruth, played by Kate Winslet, and PJ Waters, played by Harvey Keitel."
Abstract This well-though out paper takes an in-depth look at the character of Hamlet; it discusses his life and the factors which led him from innocence. The paper also discusses Hamlet's feelings of being lost and out of his depth and his procrastination when facts are put before him. It, however also puts forward the argument that perhaps Hamlet is wise in not rushing to murder his step father, his intelligence coming as it does from a ghost. Much is also made of the Oedipus complex and Hamlet's morbid mental struggle.
From the paper:
?William Shakespeare's play Hamlet is one of his most celebrated tragedies and the one play that most people are familiar with even today. The play itself is filled with murder, sex, love, suicide, hate, and revenge - much like a modern day soap opera. But the truly enduring part of the play is Hamlet himself, the little boy lost, who is grieving his father's death, feels isolated from his family, is in love with a confusing woman and is trying desperately to make things right and avenge his father's death. While a portion of us can identify with one or two of his plights, none of us quite know what he is facing. However, Shakespeare's use of imagery and emotion endears Hamlet to the audience and gives us insight into his tumultuous soul.?
Abstract This paper examines one of the most profound and best-known of all the psychological phenomena in the stock market: The January effect. It discusses this trend, asking if it is a real phenomena or simply a mass marketing campaign. It provides an extensive look at the psyche of the stock market junkie. Many graphs are displayed.
From the paper:
"Nothing is a sure bet in the world of investing in stocks ? maybe even not death and certainly not taxes, as revelations about Enron have recently reminded us. And it is precisely this high level of insecurity that prompts people ? even against all possible rational reasons ? to look for patterns in the stock market that will help them invest, just as a person desperate to have a winning day at the track will bet on every fifth horse, or every horse wearing green and white, or every jockey whose name begins with K. One essential difference between horse-racing and the stock market, however, is that the actions of those "betting" ? i.e. buying and selling shares ? can have a real effect on the end result."
Abstract This paper describes how Lyndon Johnson sent the U.S.S. Pueblo to be captured in order to open communications with the Chinese. This was necessary to prevent Chinese intervention against the American counter-attack after the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.
From the paper:
"In late 1967, US forces were surging in Vietnam. As part of a series of victories the Americans captured large caches of weapons at villages like Con Thien, Loc Ninh, and Dak To. Combined with other intelligence measures, the US determined the North Vietnamese were preparing for a major offensive, which would eventually materialize as the Tet Offensive in the beginning of 1968. Lyndon Johnson, politically desperate for a major victory in Vietnam, began plans to counter-attack after Tet, including an invasion into North Vietnam."
Abstract This paper contrasts and compares the effects of three different wars, on three different countries in the Middle East. The reasons for Egypt, Israel and Syria's decisions to go to war at different times in the last century are discussed, and then analysed to show how this decision affected the political and economic futures of the individual countries, and the region as a whole.
From the paper:
"The Yom Kippur War thus fundamentally changed Syrian society, militarizing its government, just as the Six-Day War divided and energized Israel and World War II wove the foundations of socialism into Egypt. That these changes depended upon the presence of war is not a definitive fact, but their essential contribution to the development of these nations cannot be ignored. This conclusion raises a troubling question, a sad and desperate query tinged with hope: must all change in the Middle East spring from the dark bosom of horrific war?"
