Abstract
This paper addresses the historical context of the book Disappearing Moon Cat by the author Sky Lee. In this book, the lives of several generations of Chinese women living in Canada are torn apart by a refusal to accept the customs of their new country. While this book is Lee's demonstration of how separate cultures must blend together in order for those living within them to survive, this novel also demonstrates how this concept is not a clear- cut situation. The historical setting of Disappearing Moon Cat is found in the turmoil that was found among the peoples of Canada at the turn of the Twentieth Century.

Tags:LITERATURE / WOMEN IN LITERATURE, roles chinese women

Abstract
This paper analyzes the disappearance of the Mayan civilization while focusing on the various theories surrounding its eventual collapse. The writer of this brief yet concise paper details the history of the Mayan culture which emerged in 2000 BC. The Mayan civilization gave birth to numerous cultural progresses such as the establishment of a writing system, an organized political council as well as the introduction of organized religion. This paper examines the theories surrounding the dispersal of the Mayan civilization, when at around 800 AD it was purported to have suddenly collapsed. There have been numerous arguments based on archaeological and anthropological evidence that attempted to explain the collapse of this particular civilization. This paper focuses on several theories which may explain the disappearance of the Mayan people which include climatic changes as well as socio-cultural collapse through the population's expansion.

From the Paper
"The theory that argued that a climatic collapse led to the disappearance of the Mayan civilization was based from scientific findings that were caused by a severe drought. As reported by History Today, "[d]rilling samples from the Cariaco Basin off the Venezuelan Coast show there were intensely dry periods between AD 810 and AD 910..." From this finding, it was found that because there had been scarce supply of the people's basic needs, such as water and food supply, Mayan society disappeared, supposedly due to deaths caused by these series of drought. A more specific version of this theory was presented in Kerr's journal article on the scientific evidence pointing at climate changes as the catalyst towards the disappearance of the civilization."

Tags:anthropology, archeology, history, climate, socio-economic

Abstract
The writer states that the disappearing minority teacher phenomenon can be traced directly to traditional teaching methods in American classrooms, in which the curriculum of public schools offers a one-sided and distorted view of life in the United States and throughout the world. The writer explains that as a result of this, fewer minorities seek careers in education. The paper highlights some of the issues surrounding the growing mismatch between teachers and students in public schools. The paper explains that because often the decision to teach is a result of positive experiences with former teachers, it offers ideas about effective ways in which to supply the current education system with a number of individuals who can help to improve the quality of education which grade-schoolers receive. In conclusion, the writer suggests that a revolution in thought is necessary among the many school districts and the teacher eduction programs that supply their teachers.

Table of Contents:
The Need for More Latino Teachers
Diversity within Minority Groups
Latino Teachers with Innovative Methods
Growing Numbers of Minority Teachers in Schools
Bibliography

From the Paper
"The current drought of Latino teachers in Southern California can serve as a model for disappearing minority teachers. Demographics indicate that the number of minority students entering the public school system (grades K - 12) largely dwarfs the number of new teachers entering the profession. (An example is El Monte High school, where 92 percent--out of 2800--of the students are Latino while merely five out of 90 faculty members have Spanish surnames.) Moreover, new teacher positions are rarely filled by minority teachers, of whom very few are Mexican. The fact that California's Latino and predominately Mexican (or Mexican-American) population continues to grow at a rate which will soon reach one-third of the State's total population is a great cause for alarm in light of the fact that the quality of education at public schools--especially in districts where minority populations are highest--remains questionable."

Tags:southern, california, demographics, mexican

Abstract
This paper takes a critical look at Sky Lee's novel "Disappearing Moon Cafe", which chronicles the corrupted history of the Wong family and the deconstruction of traditional kinship formations. The paper posits that, in the novel, both young and old generations construct alternative definitions of "family" outside the confines of the conventional family structure comprised of mother, father, and children. These alternative structures deviate from the norm by involving individuals from different racial, social, and genealogical backgrounds, disrupting the homogeneous ideals that certain female family members would like to preserve. The paper also asserts that the story is about women who dominate Chinese family life and the influence they hold over the men. The paper concludes that, although there is a collapse of one family structure, many other diverse kinship unions emerge in its place and ensure the survival of a rich and varied Chinese-Canadian narrative.

From the Paper
"For all intents and purposes, Disappearing Moon Cafe is a story about the women who dominate Chinese family life and the influence they hold over the men's biographies. We get two conflicting messages - one that women are defined by their marriages and are mere "unidentified receptacles" (Lee 42), and one that empowers the women as "powerful...bone-crushing 'Iron Chink' machines" (Lee 227). It is therefore interesting that the beginning and the end of the novel is framed by the narrative of Wong Gwei Chang, the family patriarch."

Tags:Chinese, family, tradition, fiction

Abstract
This paper examines how the short story, "Disappearing", by Monica Wood, is more than one woman's account of losing weight and how it is a glimpse into the mind of an individual who achieves power from an act of self-destructive behavior. It looks at how the story is a journey from fat to thin, from powerless to powerful, from invisible to invisible and from unhealthy to unhealthy. It is only at the end of the story we realize that what we are reading is the narrator's transition from a healthy ambition to an obsessive behavior, each self-destructive in its own way.

From the Paper
"The third stage of her process comes after the narrator becomes a certified swimmer, when several things are different. She notices that the blondes ignore her because she does not splash the water when she gets into the pool and she can lower herself "silently" (2). Also, when she swims, she can "cut the water cleanly" (2). This is significant to the character's development because she tells us, "For one hour a day I am thin, thin as water, transparent, invisible" (2). Even her friend Lettie does not talk to her anymore because she is now smaller than Lettie. Lettie even accuses her of being "uppity" (2). The narrator's home life changes significantly during this process as well."

Tags:pool, weight, eating, disorder

Abstract
This paper shall compare and contrast the book "Nickled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich and the work "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison" by Michael Foucault. This paper shall compare and contrast the theme of "disappearance" within these two works, where both Foucault and Ehrenreich suggest that modern society conspires to remove the significance of the unwanted individual. For Foucault, this is the prisoner and for Ehrenreich this is the female working class individual.

Abstract
This paper looks at the issue of gender dynamics in modern society as portrayed in "Disappearing Acts". The writer compares this novel to Terry McMillan's first novel, "Mama", noting that they are both energetic and earthy books, taking place wholly within the confines of an intense relationship.

Table of Contents:
Synopsis
Movie Quotes
The Story
The Upshot
Title

From the Paper
"To disappear is defined as a verb meaning to vanish from sight and/or to no longer exist; and act denoted as anything done, being done, or to be done, the process of doing. In this sense the title is referring to Franklin's modus operand. Whenever he gets frustrated by his unstable employment and/or family troubles, he takes to the drink and then makes himself scarce, usually by hiding out at his favorite bar, or sometimes absconding for up to days at a time. This is a conditioned response to his problems, "Despite the fact that attributes that ought to be equally valued and discouraged, we persist in using bipolar terms to characterize men as "independent", "strong," and unemotional" (A&B, 21). And since men learn from role models in their lives that emotional vulnerability is unacceptable behavior, and therefore are regarded negatively when disclosing personal information, they are prone to keep their feelings undisclosed and find another venue for release. In Franklin's case this routine happens to be physically running away from his problems and drinking to numb all feelings."

Tags:gender, relationship, narrative, story, conclusion

Abstract
In the novel "Disappearing Moon Caf?" by author Sky Lee, the nature of the hamartia is found within the inability of the characters in the Wong family to reconcile the conflict that occurs between aspects of their Canadian and their Chinese lives. This is most highly manifested in the character of Suzie Wong, who apparently dies from an illness that is brought on through the accumulated stress provided to her through being asked to conform to both American and Chinese traits and failing to satisfy the demands of either. The hamartia of the Wong family is therefore found in their inability to accept both Canadian and Chinese lifestyle traits and their failure to do so becomes the tragic flaw that results in Suzie Wong's undoing. This paper explores this topic in order to better define how the hamartia impacted the Wong family's personal growth and prevented them from truly embracing a combined Canadian and Chinese heritage.

Abstract
This paper will discuss Disappearing Moon Caf?by Sky Lee and Sisters of Grass, written by Theresa Kishkan. By understanding the key concept that links these two noels of immigrant women, we can see how this is the central part of their connection. Both women must face the new challenges that face their lives, and this is how the books must show the relevance of this type of new life when they learn about their family history. They resemble each other because both women are struggling in a new environment, and are first generation citizens of Canada. 4-pages, bibliography lists 2 sources.

Tags:bp

Abstract
Through the culmination of evidence and case studies, this paper argues that local cultures around the world are not expected to disappear with increasing globalisation. The crux of the paper centres on the theory that culture is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon and it uses this reasoning to explain why local cultures are more likely not to lose all aspects of their traditions. It also discusses several theories on cultural change and how these relate to the force of increasing globalisation. The paper contends that we are more likely to see globalised local culture rather than global culture, therefore demonstrating the implausibility in the notion that local culture is likely to disappear.

From the Paper
"For the Gapun people, we find globalisation forcing the hybrid language Tok Pisin into becoming the spoken vernacular for the next generation. Tok Pisin or Pidgin English is essentially how most Papua New Guinean communities have collectively interpreted and applied the English language to their own culture. In Tajikistan, there are many who hold on to socialist ideology while still embracing a traditional Islamic code of behaviour (Rashid 1995). Tomlinson (1999) argues, however, that hybridisation of culture is not a new phenomenon. So if local cultures have always been hybrid, what is the effect of globalisation on them?"

Tags:americanization, capitalism, customs, diffusion, hegemony, mcdonaldization, traditions