Abstract
This paper examines how in "Death of a Salesman", Willy Loman goes though an internal conflict as he strives to achieve the American dream. It looks at how as he struggles with obtaining an ideological life, his family carries the burden of un-fulfillment and how this burden weighs down Willy and eventually leads to his downfall.

From the Paper
"Willy Loman, the tragic hero of Death of a Salesman, entirely believes in the American dream. He feels as long as he maintains the life of being a well-liked salesman eventually the universe will even out and he will get his "cut of the cake." He tries to follow in the path of famed salesman Dave Singleman. Singleman made a profitable living selling from his hotel phone. The personal relationships that he forged, not the products, brought in the sales. This is the ideal Willy tries to uphold. When Singleman dies many turn out to his funeral; yet, he has no family for his life was based on selling. For this reason, it would be near impossible for Willy to follow in his footsteps. Trying to balance sales and family took its toll on Willy."

Tags:biff, suicide

Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of the way illusion, disillusion and disillusionment pervade the lives of the characters in three dramas: Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", and Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun". How the permeation of these qualities represents the main conflict in each play and the respective authors' critique of society is addressed.

From the Paper
"In each of "A Doll's House", "Death of a Salesman" and "A Raisin in the Sun", the main characters suffer from illusion, become disillusioned and come to a tragic end because of the disillusionment. In Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House", Nora Torvald abandons her family to escape the restrictive confines of patriarchy, marriage and economic control of women typical of her society. In Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman", Willy Loman, after years of maintaining illusions about himself, his family and the American Dream succumbs..."

Tags:patriarchy, capitalism, racism, opportunities, injustice, oppression, upward mobility, American Dream, love, family, suicide, marriage, African Americans

Abstract
This essay suggests that Hamlet was not insane, but emotionally devastated by what he perceived as betrayal by those closest to him. Quotes from the play are used skillfully to support this theory.

From the Paper
"As the curtain opens on Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the audience is introduced to an extremely bleak young man. The grief triggered by the death of his father and the hasty re-marriage of his mother to his uncle, has left Hamlet feeling disorientated. It is in this state of emotional vulnerability that Hamlet begins to distort reality and doubt the intentions of those around him. Hamlet's initial sense of hopelessness deepens as the play progresses and more of the people in his life appear to betray him. He is left alone in a world where he is unable to trust anyone and even begins to doubt the strength of his own character. The perceived betrayal by those closest to Hamlet, causes him to become disillusioned about himself and others."

Tags:betrayal, disillusioned, gertrude, hamlet, insane, ophelia, shakespeare

Abstract
This paper offers a discussion of the narrator's journey of faith that ends in disillusion in James Joyce's short story "Araby." The paper examines Joyce's use of religious symbolism and focuses on the loss of faith by the narrator/protagonist.

From the Paper
"In James Joyce's "Araby" a young man is beginning to mature and with that maturity comes a growing sense of interest in the opposite sex. His interest in Mangan's daughter becomes a mythical and magical experience for him. This experience makes him focus on Araby, the place where he believes his dreams will come true. The young man hopes to find a present worthy of his object of affection at Araby where a bazaar is being held."

Tags:religion, devout, love, magic, symbols, priest, Dublin, maturity, innocence

Abstract
This paper compares the criticism and reactions to the 1962 original production of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and the 1980 revival of Edward Albee's landmark work. The author states that play has thrived over the passage of time, having become an undeniable classic in the playwright's lifetime. Calling it a stark, gritty portrayal of marital disillusion and power-plays, combined with the awkwardness of public betrayals of vulnerability and deeply guarded secrets, the paper says the original production revolutionized American theater and has even been seen as the high point of Broadway in the last 40 years. However, according to this author, the 1980 revival, although critically acclaimed in its own right, did not enjoy the prestige or controversy of the original.

From the Paper
"Albee's production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf opened at the Billy Rose theater in October 1962 and starred Arthur Hill, Uta Hagen, George Grizzard, and Melinda Dillon; it consequently ran for 664 performances. The play essentially depicts the interactions of two married couples in an academic setting; the older married couple, George and Martha, represent a bickering, disillusioned older couple. George is a professor who is overpowered by his alcoholic, bitter wife who had hoped that he would have achieved a more stellar position in the academic community. The long-married couple is united by an unseen child who is later exposed to be nothing more than imaginary. The couple is paralleled with a younger couple, Nick and Honey, who are starting out in life and appear to be following a path similar to that of George and Martha. Nick is beginning his own career as an academician, and Honey, bubbly and empty-headed, has falsely entrapped Nick into marriage with a false pregnancy. The psychological, social, and emotional dynamics are portrayed during the proceedings of an awkward dinner party."

Tags:theater, Edward, Albee, Nick, Honey, George, Martha, marriage, play

Abstract
The harsh reality of the movie "Born on the 4th of July" is just that-it was the reality of the times. The main character of the film is Ron Kovic and Vietnam Veteran who is played by Tom Cruise. The movie follows Kovic's life from high school through middle age when he finally accepts and begins to deal with the differences between how war is downplayed by military recruiters and the harsh reality of people dying or coming home so crippled they wish they had died. Throughout the film we watch Ron Kovic do everything in his power to escape the reality and consequences of war. His disillusion and entrapment as a teenager of the romantic notions of war as depicted in films ended his life as he knew it when he was hit by mortar in the heat of battle thousands of miles away from his home on Long Island (Stone, 1989).

From the Paper
"Born on the 4th of July" Movie Summary: The harsh reality of the movie "Born on the 4th of July" is just that--it was the reality of the times. The main character of the film is Ron Kovic and Vietnam Veteran who is played by Tom Cruise. The movie follows Kovic's life from high school through middle age when he finally accepts and begins to deal with the differences between how war is downplayed by military recruiters and the harsh reality of people dying or coming home so crippled they wish they had died. Throughout the film we watch Ron Kovic do everything in his power to escape the reality and consequences of

Tags:change, powerlessness, violence

Abstract
Social movements are collective actions in which the populace is alerted, educated, and mobilized over years and decades to challenge the power holders and the whole society to redress social problems or grievances and restore critical social values. This paper shows that social movements are seeking change in a variety of policy areas, such as the peace movement, nuclear policy, and environmental policy. The paper shows that to fully understand social movements it is important to examine not one their emergence and development of protest, but more importantly, the policy outcomes. There is an interesting dynamic between social dissent and protest and the effects upon policy in the modern American political system. The paper notes that dissatisfaction or disillusion with partisan politics or the American political system altogether creates the atmosphere and the proper social conditions for social movements to occur.

From the Paper
"The civil rights movement utilized the ideas of peaceful public protest combined with the new use of television and a variety of other mass media to influence the public opinion. Burstein (1985) has proposed a theory that stresses the crucial role played by social movements and media coverage as external factors that shape the general public's preferences. His study shows that the Civil rights movement and media coverage affected the people's awareness of the issue and this, in turn, led the Congress to act in favor of African American rights. By this we can see that social movements have and impact on public policy but not a direct one. Rather the impact is therefore mediated by the public opinion."

Tags:ACLU, domestic, policy, protest

Abstract
The paper shows that "The Tempest", by William Shakespeare, provides an arena for much interplay between illusion and reality. This interplay is facilitated by Prospero, Duke of Milan. Prospero uses the study of magic to disillusion the other characters brought to the island by way of the tempest. This essay discusses instances of illusion and their respective impact on the play in how they bring the theme of illusion versus reality to light.

From the Paper
"One of the most well-discussed themes in The Tempest is the theme of illusion versus reality. This theme initially appears as it relates to the opposing worlds of a primitive island and the civilized culture of Milan. All of the characters in this play have been brought to this island in one way or another, and they are forced to coexist in a new and unfamiliar setting. These men are accustomed to reigning over all things, yet they now find themselves in a realm where the reigning power is that of illusion. Throughout the play there can be found examples of the ever-present theme of illusion versus reality in the actions of the characters, as well as in events that take place. Some of the most important elements of the play are presented by way of illusion and, therefore, hold meaning outside of what they first appear to be. Magic plays a considerable part in the workings of the play, as do the sources of the magic. In recognizing the part played by this theme of illusion versus reality, one can more clearly understand why certain events take place in The Tempest."

Tags:caliban, ferdinand, miranda, storm, truth

Abstract
This paper examines how the so-called lost generation suffered from just as many emotional injuries as they did physical ones after witnessing the ravages brought about by war and how two novels that capture and emphasize the raw emotion of battle are Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" and Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front". It looks at how, through the experiences of Frederic and Baumer, each author allows us to understand the feelings of detachment, disillusion, and hopelessness often associated with the lost generation.

From the Paper
"One of the predominant emotions the lost generation experienced is detachment. Being a soldier and facing death daily has negative repercussions. This detachment can be seen in A Farewell to Arms during Frederic's conversation with the priest. He tells the priest that the soldiers "were beaten to start with. They were beaten when they took them from their farms and put them in the army. That is why the peasant has wisdom, because he is defeated from the start" (Hemingway 179). In addition, he tells the priest that there really is nothing for him to believe in anymore."

Tags:frederic, baumer, war, soldier

Abstract
This paper studies John Lennon, the former Beatles, from the perspective of the twelve archetypes outlined in the book "Awakening the Heroes Within" by Carol Pearson. By tracing the musician's life story -- from his humble beginnings as an orphan through his meteoric rise as a Beatles to his disillusion with fame -- the paper illuminates how Lennon embodied each of the archetypes at different points in his life. However, the author concludes that Lennon was most predominantly the "warrior" type. As the author says, Lennon's personal and professional life caused him a pain so deep that he either had to succumb to the pain or overcome it. By choosing to overcome it, he became a warrior.

From the Paper
"Before his life had even begun, John had been deserted twice, both times by his own parents. This factor in itself would create an overwhelming tendency for most of us to develop our "innocent" archetypes. An innocent archetype wants to remain in a safe place or situation and has an overwhelming fear of being abandoned. But in John's case, these early childhood experiences seemed to have toughened him up and prepared him for the future failures and fame he was to experience."

Tags:music, archetypes, warrior, orphan, innocent, British, fab, four, beatlemania, Liverpool