Abstract An oddly intriguing tale of loss and recovery, Tim Winton's "Dirt Music" focuses on an unlikely triangle among a myriad of colorful characters set against the hauntingly beautiful milieu of Western Australia. This paper shows how Winton smoothly weaves a rough assemblage of highly individual characters together, united and by the common factor of keen and painful grief. Many of the relationships formed between the major characters are primarily aimed at dealing with the loss of someone or something close to them. The paper shows that, despite the differing approaches to their problems, each of Winton's characters' lives revolves around their loss and their ways of coping.
From the Paper "The loss of his leg in an accident involving a "dickhead in his Range Rover" has left a permanent stain on Rusty's character; he is bitter with self-pity and mingles his ideas of revenge with frequent morphine injections. A constant "contented" state, as Lu politely puts it, is Rusty's alternative to Bess's jarring poetic outbursts and a far less dignified approach to loss (or impending loss as is Bess's case) than either Beaver or Jim and inspire little empathy from the reader. Winton's intention it appears is to contrast the different reactions to the solitude of death, placing the 'good' characters in a more pleasing light and creating a better understanding of their actions as well as creating a string of memorable characters with which he peppers Lu's journey Coronation Gulf."
Addresses the use of epiphany and irony as literary devices in "Packed Dirt, Churchgoing, a Dying Cat, a Traded Car" and "Pigeon Feathers" by John Updike.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 4 sources, 2002, $ 44.95
Abstract Author John Updike is regarded as proficient in the use of the literary devices of irony and epiphany, where he utilized the situations in which his characters are located against the environment of the story to either demonstrate an ironic situation or a life- changing realization. Two of Updike's stories, "Packed Dirt, Churchgoing, a Dying Cat, a Traded Car" and "Pigeon Feathers," serve as excellent examples of Updike's use of these techniques. This paper explores these stories in order to demonstrate to the reader exactly how the presentation of irony and epiphany help to direct the fate of the protagonist David Kern within these two short stories.
Abstract This is a summary of the article "Expecting dirt but saying dart: The creation of a blend memory." In order to study expectancy strategies in word recognition and reading text, another form of evidence other than predictability would be helpful. This study therefore emphasizes the use of postpriming measures.
Abstract This paper outlines Rosemarie Garland Thomson concept of 'dirt' and applies it to r Jonathan Lethem's novel "Motherless Brooklyn". The author points out that Douglas' concept is that society dreads things that fall outside its normative schema and disabled people are one of these 'things'. The paper relates that, applying Douglas' concept to the novel, it is evident that some of aspects of her work are more applicable than others.
From the Paper "The conjunction of Mary Douglas' theory of 'dirt' visa-vis society's treatment of the abnormal and aberrant with Jonathan Lethem's fine novel, Motherless Brooklyn, offers an uncommon opportunity for insight and understanding into the uneasy place occupied by disabled men, women and children in a society preoccupied with physical comeliness and 'beauty'. This paper, quite simply, explores the existence of Douglas' theory of 'dirt' - specifically the five strategies she believes societies employ in dealing with those who are anomalous - in Lethem's novel and suggest which characters, if any, incorporate the disabled into the larger mainstream world; this paper also explores what the existence of various strategies in the text suggests about the representation of disability in a society uneasy with such difference."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the artists, Kurt Schwitters and Robert Rauschenberg. It specifically focuses on Schwitters's "Merzpicture" and Rauschenberg's "Dirt Painting." The paper discusses their use of unusual materials and discusses how they managed to create forms of art that were radically different from anything that had come before.
From the Paper "Thus, Robert Rauschenberg's work of the 1950s can be seen as a seminal work of process-based art. While that process may be somewhat apparent in Kurt Schwitters's Merz pictures from this era, the artist was not so radical as to defy all means of self-expression - he clearly could not help himself from interfering by shaping his materials into a form that may not have seemed coherent at the time, but from a historical perspective, certainly seems to make sense. Both works seem to evoke a melancholy mood in the viewer once one realizes that such rigorous means of experimentation are largely absent from the activities of artists in today's art world."
Abstract This paper examines the checkered and violent life life of Marilyn Manson, the hard rocking singing star from his childhood, as an outcast and rebel to his development as a singer. It also examines how the events in his life, as discussed in the book, are reflected in his music.
From the paper:
"Marilyn Manson's book, The Long Hard Road out of Hell, tells the dramatic story of one man's metamorphoses from an innocent, sensitive child to a hardened, fame splattered rock star whose name was synonymous for millions of people with evil itself. If it were written differently, it might be a book to make one cry: the pathetic story of an outcast boy who can never quite seem to be good enough, and finally embraces an illusion of evil in order to make himself powerful. However, the pathos is rather directly thwarted by the immense humor and strength of the central character and narrator. Marilyn is not sitting about feeling sorry for himself, any more than the any winged insect which has gone through metamorphosis sits about bemoaning all its time spent writhing about in the dirt. He faces the dirty aspects of his childhood with a gentle mix of contempt and sympathy for the snot-nosed brat he was. One might also find pitiable the struggle of the grown man to overcome the coldness within him, yet at the same time there is a sense of Becomingness within that coldness, of a winter that is already naturally breaking itself into spring."
Tags: Entertainment, biography, rock, singer, hard, rock, numerology, anti-Christ, Satanism
Abstract Many examples of claims made by various individuals and groups about subliminal sexual and racist messages scattered throughout many Disney movies are examined in this paper. These include the "Lion King", "Aladdin" and "Snow White".
From the Paper "When the Disney animated movie The Little Mermaid was released on home video, viewers saw inappropriate "sexual messages". (www.snopes2.com). After this incident Disney released two more movies with subliminal messages, The Lion King and Aladdin. Disney has long been known as an icon for wholesome family viewing. Allegations of subliminal messages have tarnished this image. One homemaker said she, "felt as if I had entrusted my kids to pedophiles"(The Wall Street Journal), and threw these videos in the trash. America was founded on morals that parents thought Disney upheld. Parents now feel betrayed by Disney. The case at hand is not whether or not children are affected by these subliminal messages, but that Disney is not so "Snow White"!"
Abstract This paper describes various types of ecosystems. The paper defines an ecosystem as all of the organisms and their physical environment that exist within a certain, specific area, including all plants, animals, water, dirt, rocks, and the surrounding air. The paper includes a discussion of a complex mature forest ecosystem.
From the Paper "The word "ecosystem" is used frequently in the popular media, and yet most people do not have a clear, working definition of an ecosystem. An ecosystem simply refers to all of the organisms and their physical environment that exist within a certain, specific area. This includes all plants, animals, and their environment, which can include water, dirt, rocks, and the air that surrounds them. For example, all of the organisms that live in a New England tide pool, plus their physical environment would make up an ecosystem. In addition, a deciduous forest and a salt pond marsh are also ecosystems."
Abstract Universally accepted as one of the world's foremost epics, John Milton's "Paradise Lost" traces the history of the world from a Christian perspective. This paper deals primarily with how Milton uses the word 'hands' as metaphors or metonymies (parts for the whole) to represent Adam and Eve's physicality and emotions. Hands represent physical work, light heartedness, joy, seduction, deceit, despair, equivocation, supplication and companionship. The paper describes how Milton also uses 'hands' effectively to represent the deep chasm between good and evil. he Son of God who intercedes on behalf of the first couple; and, is destined to die so that the Paradise lost may once again be regained is on the right hand of God. Satan, on the other hand, is on the left. Satan is condemned to 'grovel and eat dirt' like the serpent he purported to be.
From the Paper "After both have eaten of the fruit, innocence is lost. Once again, the hand characterizes the transformation from pure love to carnal lust. One can see in the language where post-Fall Adam grabs Eve's hand and pulls her to their bed, where before it was Eve who gently took Adam's hand. Milton uses explicit metaphors. The hands of Adam and Eve mirror their personalities, souls and their emotions.
Shame and revulsion overcomes Adam and Eve. Here Milton demonstrates a marked difference between the falls of Satan and the fall of Mankind. When Satan is cast into Hell, along with his minions, he plots revenge. Satan along with Death and Sin are forced into Hell where Satan is forced to grovel like the serpent he wanted to be. Faced with eternal damnation, Eve, weak as usual, wants to commit suicide??take her life by her own hands.? Adam who is complicit is perplexed. He is not sure how, ?That from her hand I could suspect no ill (X-141), And what she did, whatever in itself.? "
Tags: Raphael, Jesus, New, Awakening, Garden, of, Eden
Abstract This paper explains that Big Dig, a state-of-the-art eight-to-ten-lane expressway, for the most part underground or underwater, will run through downtown Boston and the Ted Williams Tunnel to Logan Airport. The paper reviews three areas of environmental concern: The digging and dumping of the dirt, mitigation and air quality. The author points out that the mitigation aspect of the project protects the city from devastating noise disruption, dust, traffic gridlock and economic damage.
From the Paper "There are other benefits as well. According to Daniel Wood of Public Roads Magazine, the Big Dig will be "good news for the local shellfish population because of the construction of an artificial reef in Boston Harbor" (Public Roads). The reef, created in collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is designed to compensate for filling in over one acre of blue mussel habitat in the harbor during the closing and capping of the former municipal landfill on Spectacle Island. Wood also says that, "As the northernmost artificial reef system in the United States, the complex is expected to become home to lobsters, crabs, and finfish, as well as the displaced blue mussels" "
Abstract This paper is on "Up From Slavery: An Autobiography." Booker T Washington was born in Hale's Ford, in Franklin County, Virginia in 1858/59. He used to live with his mother who was a slave, as in those times slavery was common. He and her mother used to live in a cabin with no concrete floors, except one made of clay and dirt, no windows.
Abstract This paper examines the poem, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", by T.S. Eliot. It shows how, by beginning the poem with a quote from Dante's "Inferno", Eliot hints that Prufrock's agony will be spiritual in nature, but he does not reveal that right away. It analyzes how J. Alfred Prufrock views his life as a kind of Hell on Earth, full of dirt created by mankind, and an unspoken agreement in society to make no note of it. It looks at how Eliot creates image after image that could have been beautiful, or at least intriguing, and casts them in an ugly, yellow light. It also shows how the poem contains images of modern society, overbuilt and in an ugly state, and how, with the combination of air pollution and fog, it gives a very negative result of the modernization of cities.
From the Paper "He backs down. He goes through the social niceties, dressing well and following the conventions of the day, making polite small talk at tea, but is too cowardly to speak out when in polite company about the damage they are doing to God's beautiful world. He sees this as a great sin, one he will have to atone for in the next life. The use of the word "ices" is intriguing, because lemon ice is a common flavor, and that would bring the color yellow back into his admission that he is not willing to challenge society by bringing up issues they would rather not face. He hears people talk about the beauty of Michelangelo and listen to great music, but he does not hear them say "Why has the fog turned yellow"?"
Abstract The paper explains that the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), one of the oldest financial institutions in America, first traded under a tree on a dirt street in New York in 1790. The author points out that, while the Panic of 1873 did some damage financially, during this time some of the most powerful investment houses began to form, including Charles Schwab and J.P. Morgan, and their influence on "the Street" began to grow. The paper compares the 1929 market crash, which was based mainly on over-valued stocks, to the "dot com" crash in 2000.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The New York Stock Exchange
Early Wall Street
The Big Money Men
The 1929 Crash and Other Significant Crashes
From the Paper "The times were opulent, and Wall Street's history was being made at every turn. Some of the practices that would eventually lead to major crashes on Wall Street also had their roots in this time. Speculation was rampant, and stocks continued to climb in value. Many people invested in stocks for the first time during the opulent Victorian age, and some of these investors were still heavily invested in the market during the Roaring 20s, when stocks rose to unrivaled highs, only to crash when the market could not bear the high valuations and fluctuations. Wall Street grew out of speculation, and its history has reflected these origins repeatedly. Fortunes have been made and lost on Wall Street for centuries, and no matter what, they will continue to fluctuate and rally as the Street's history continues."
Abstract This paper discusses T. Coraghessan Boyle's book, "Greasy Lake". The paper describes the power of the setting of the book, examining how it allows the narrator to reveal his innermost self to the reader, and allows him to have realizations about himself. The paper illustrates one unforgettable night in the narrator's young adulthood, examining how, through his description of setting, he reveals a lot about himself. The paper claims that the dirt lots, mud, weeds, and animals of "Greasy Lake" are more influential than meets the eye and that the locale subtly serves as its own character in the story.
From the Paper "Setting is a major factor in any story. Its significance goes beyond the detailing of a story's time and place. Just as a character, it has the power to make things happen. In T. Coraghessan Boyle's, Greasy Lake, the power of the setting allows its narrator to reveal his innermost self to the reader and allows him to have realizations about himself. As he describes one unforgettable night in his young adulthood, the narrator, through his description of setting, reveals much more about himself. The dirt lots, mud, weeds and animals of Greasy Lake are more influential than meets the eye, and the locale subtly serves as its own character in this story."
Abstract This paper examines the effect that the closing of 'The Hanford Site,' the Hanford Nuclear Reactor Plant, has had on the community in terms of economy and the environment. The paper explains that the removal of many thousands of tons of radioactive dirt took place in Hanford and claims that it appears that environmental and economical successes have been achieved in spite of predictions suggesting otherwise.
From the Paper "In 1969 there were problems at Hanford with the N-reactor causing rupturing and leaking of fuel rods. The situation was expediently handled and the contaminants buried in container beneath 50 feet of concrete, during the process tie gross beta radiation shot up more than sixty-times over what was considered to be safe. The problem with the disposal method was that clean up was difficult in gaining someone to perform it but finally the Department of Energy took on the job in 1980. Congress passed the LLWP Act of 1980 which is the Low-level Waste Policy Act which required removal of low-level radioactive waste from the sites being decommissioned. Approximately 1.1 million cubic feet of the low-level waste was removed during 1990 from the collective sites and sent to be permanently stored at the Nevada Test site of sent to commercial disposal sites."