Abstract This paper explains that modernist literature is characterized chiefly by a rejection of 19th-century traditions; thereby, the World War I poets reinvented the conventions of poetic prose, turning ballads of war glory into vivid accounts of horrific tragedy and painful suffering. The author points out that, in Siegfried Sassoon's poem, "On Passing the New Menin Gate" (1928), a short fourteen-line response to the Great War, disenchantment is manifested as cynicism, which establishes the context of the poem as post-war criticism, creating the stylistic technique of poetic social commentary. The paper relates that, while Victorian poetry attempts to criticize the conditions of society, modernism focuses on concrete issues such as Sassoon's contrast of the dehumanizing war and the dehumanizing wall, each a product of man's will to enhance civilization on two different levels.
From the Paper "War exists in Sassoon's poem as a transforming image for poetry and the perception of its reality. In condemning Menin Gate, there manifests an overall disapproval for mankind. Sassoon writes, "Paid are its dim defenders by this pomp; / Paid, with a pile of peace-complacent stone," mocking the excuse which is to replace what has been lost. Following this line he states, "The armies who endured that sullen swamp," a line that is isolated within the poem but comes after this explanation of how the wall is to honor the fallen soldiers. It is possible that Sassoon does this to show the inadequacy of the wall or any memorial in respect to the tribulations the soldiers went through."
This paper discusses the themes of sin and a lack of priestly redemption in Catholic authors James Joyce's "The Sisters" and Bernard MacLaverty's "The Beginnings of a Sin".
Abstract This paper explains that the absence of a clear vision of heaven on earth, the persistence of human fallibility and sin even in the lives of holy men and the general pervasiveness of Roman Catholicism influence in society are evident in the early Irish Catholic tales of the 20th century author James Joyce and the contemporary Canadian Catholic author of Irish extraction Bernard MacLaverty. The author points out that their respective short stories, Joyce's "The Sisters" and MacLaverty's "The Beginnings of a Sin" suggest that contemporary, Catholic common-sensical societal and religious notions of what constitutes 'the moral' are profoundly different from the more complex morality that the main characters deploy in their daily lives. The paper relates that the plot of a priest's fall from grace due to a psychological or physical ailment in the eyes of a young and naive male acolyte is underlined in the theme of sacrifice and disenchantment in these short stories.
From the Paper "In Joyce's tale, although naive in his morality, the narrator immediately strikes the reader are knowledgeable of Catholic doctrine for his young age, since Father Flynn had taught him extensively about numerous aspects of Catholic history, religion and literature. However, although this knowledge is evident in his actions both to the reader and to the other characters in the story and the boy's uncle refers to him as a Rosicrucian, or a member of a private organization of philosophy and learning whose purpose was to investigate the hidden secrets of nature and mysticism, Father Flynn did not really teach the boy about the true mysteries of death. Only real life experience, Joyce suggests, can educate the young man in the true mysteries of the end of life, embodied in the form of the priest at the priest's own wake. Likewise, Colum's financial strivings for the church do not really 'buy' the boy's salvation--he only comes to understand sin when he sees this sin embodied in the afterhour, refrectory actions of the priest he trusted."
Abstract This paper examines the life and times of Sir Thomas More. The author gives a brief biography of the great English writer whose contributions to both literature and history cannot be ignored. The paper looks how his opposition to the King becoming the head of the Church of England instead of the Pope cost him his life, but made him a saint in the eyes of the Catholic Church. It looks at his writings, especially those written during his years of incarceration awaiting execution. The author pays particular attention to "Utopia" which many feel has the same weight as Plato's "Republic" and reflects his disenchantment with the morals and values held by many Europeans at the time.
From the Paper "The late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries were also an important stage in the Renaissance, a period which witness a growth of art and a renewed interest in classical Greece and Rome. Beginning in Italy, the Renaissance soon flowed throughout Europe, introducing an increased emphasis on science and reason and producing an intellectual movement known as humanism. Humanists, including More and Erasmus, remained committed to Christianity but also believed in the concepts of the dignity of man, and man's power of reason. By emphasizing these scientific and intellectual beliefs in their writings, the humanists influenced many scholars to seek a new understanding of religion and of society. One of these was Martin Luther (1483-1546), whose challenge to the Catholic Church by posting his ?95 Theses? to the door of a church in Wittenberg led to the period of history known as the Reformation. This signaled a time of intense political and religious conflict throughout Europe, most graphically demonstrated by the mass imprisonment and execution of non Catholics carried out by Torquemada during the Spanish Inquisition's reign of terror. In England also, there developed a Counter-Reformation which sought the persecution of Protestants, one of the leaders being Sir Thomas More. Then, in 1534, Henry VIII, in order to obtain a divorce, broke with the Catholic Church, making England protestant and declaring himself the head of a new Anglican Church."
From the Paper "Five years after Mr. Gorbachev came to power, the Soviet economy is visibly and catastrophically failing, and Soviets are running out of patience.. Shortages, always widespread, have reached the most basic of all goods--bread. In early September of 1990, a month after Muscovites had got used to standing in line for three hours for cigarettes, bakeries came mysteriously to a halt and bread production fell by a third. Even now in large grocery stores, fewer than a dozen pitiful goods are on sale. According to a state committee that monitors the availability of 1,000 products, 996 of them cannot regularly be bought in ordinary shops..
Shortages have long been a feature of all communist economies, but they are growing worse in the Soviet Union, and living standards are falling. In the Soviet Union ownership of..."
Abstract This paper examines how Ernest Hemingway's 1940 novel, "For Whom The Bell Tolls", is a long and powerful look at the themes of courage, fear, idealism, and disenchantment in the face of war, in this case the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. Considered by many critics as Hemingway's best work, it is now widely accepted as one of the greatest examples of fiction in the 20th century. It individually analyzes the themes of idealism and courage for each of the characters, Robert Jordan, Pablo, and Anselmo.
From the Paper "Though he considers himself a soldier and has been a part of the Communist/Loyalist uprising against the Fascist government since early on, Anselmo is also a compassionate person who has yet to actually kill a man. Even when he looks at the enemy, who would kill him given the slightest chance, he sees people more like himself than different. To him, the Spanish people are still basically one group divided by an artificial line of separation called politics. It is his hope that he will not be forced to kill, and when there is talk of what to do with captured Fascists, his vote is to allow them to live and therefore have the opportunity to reject the harsh rule of Fascism and rejoin the "natural" course of life."
Tags: communism, loyalism, fascism, anselmo, pablo, robert, jordan
Abstract This paper discusses the biography, "Goodbye to All That" by Robert Graves, dealing with World War I. The paper explores the literary and political attributes of "Goodbye to All That" and the most striking aspects of the book.
From the Paper "Robert Graves' "Goodbye to All That" is an honest and insightful biographical narrative about the First World War. Patricia Rae explains in Twentieth Century Literature that Graves was one of the first war poets of World War I. Much of Graves' poetry centers on the idyllic English countryside. This poetry is a stark contrast to the writing of Graves book ..."
Tags: Goodbye to all that. World war one. trench warfare, duty, honor, country, boarding school, death, disenchantment, horror, stress.
Abstract This paper is a unique analysis of modern capitalism, drawing upon select previous works from Marx and Engels and an explanation in a reader. The paper is written as a contemporary manifesto reflecting modern disenchantment with capitalism. The paper is written in dialogue to Marx's writing and assumes with optimism that the Communist revolution is nearly at hand.
From the Paper "Karl Marx wrote that "Human Beings make their own history ... but not in circumstances of their own making." This is a basis to all the theories behind the thought developed by himself and Friedrich Engels. Society and man are but the sum of the social relations between them and are captured by the social processes they created. Bearing this in mind, the following paper will examine the problems of the modern capitalist world through a Marxist analysis. Frantz Fanon had a profound influence on the civil rights movements in France and the United States in the mid-20th Century."
Abstract This paper describes the writer's personal journey in search of the origins and nature of free verse. In search of a definition of free verse, the writer finds that the only requirement agreed upon is that it lack a formal pattern of meter. Its origins go back at least as far as Homer and other Greek writers, who frequently diverged from regular patterns of meter and rhyme in their writings. The writer examines the social, cultural, technological, and political issues that caused free verse to take off in popularity and give life to the first two major poetic movements of 20th century America: Modernism and its sub-movement, Imagism. The writer draws parallels between free verse and modern life and concludes that this study brought about the realization that free verse is anything but free and the writing of it is far more challenging than the writer had first imagined.
Outline
Introduction
What is Free Verse?
Leaves of Grass, King James, and the French Connection
Free Verse Comes Back to America
Conclusions
What I Thought I Knew and How My Opinions Have Changed
From the Paper "Before starting this investigation I, like many others I suspect, assumed that free verse naturally had its beginnings solely in America. That it was a product of our rebellious national psyche that manifested itself in the form of a new movement in poetry; one that broke loose from the old traditions and tempos of lyrical writing. It appears however, that once again I was mistaken. Well, not so much mistaken, but rather I was shortsighted. For free verse has gone through several reincarnations spanning centuries and continents. The final re-birth being the one that took place in America in the early 20th century which resulted in free verse as we know it today."
Tags: transformation, avante garde, pop culture, expression universal disenchantment confessionalism
Abstract This paper discusses the symbol of the green light in "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The writer explains how the green light in the novel is used to represent the themes of the book. The green light functions in the novel as a symbol that metaphorically represents Gatsby's impossible dream that Daisy will choose him over Tom, the novel's theme of life being an illusion, and another of its themes of disappointment with the American Dream. By the end of the book, the worthlessness of the green light, the girl and the dream is exposed.
From the Paper "For Gatsby, Daisy has always been this light at the end of the dock. Not because of the factor of closeness or the fact that the light is where Daisy is, but because of Daisy's own liquidity. Gatsby loves her hopelessly and passionately, yet she is somehow always out of his reach and always has been. Nick believes, and readers are drawn to believe, that Gatsby has always known deep down inside himself that Daisy would never simply just love him: he would have to win her affection. He met her in Louisville, where he was an officer (the type of man that favored Daisy) and they fell in love. She promised that she would wait for him to return from the service, but she did not. He even tries, and continues to try, to win her back by making himself fabulously rich in the thought that it will make her love him."
