Abstract This paper analyzes the Duke of Buckingham in Shakespeare's "Richard III".The Duke was a clever, power-hungry and ambitious opportunist who supported the most dominant people in the country. When Richard was trying to be king of England, the Duke of Buckingham supported his evil schemes to punish the innocent in order to seize power. Later, the Duke of Bucking showed intelligence, wisdom and compassion when he refused to support the killing of more innocent soul during Richard's reign.
Abstract Doris Duke was christened the "richest woman in the world" at the age of twelve when her father, James B. Duke, founder of the American Tobacco Company, passed away. On October 28, 1993, Doris Duke was murdered in her Beverly Hills estate. This paper examines the mystery surrounding the strange death of Duke and role that her butler, Bernard Lafferty played (or did not play) in her murder.
From the Paper "In addition to Tammy Payette's affidavit causing a stir throughout world, it also caused a stir at the Los Angeles Police Department. They launched an investigation into Miss Duke's death. Unsettled about the murder investigation, Lafferty "relinquished control of the Duke estate" (CBS 2 News 3). With the battle over the will concluded a large percentage of the money went to charities for such things as abused animals and children."
Abstract This paper focuses on John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, and his influence on the Glorious Revolution. The paper discusses how Churchill was loyal to British king, James II, and details the reasons he would eventually defect and join the ranks of William of Orange, such as the Bloody Assize, Lord Delamere, and policies against James II's Catholicism.
From the Paper "John Churchill, who would later become the Duke of Marlborough, rose to prominence in England during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Glorious Revolution (led by William of Orange against James II) ended Catholic influence in England and assured control of England by Anglican Protestants. Many would argue that although it was actually William of Orange that led the Glorious Revolution, it was Churchill's influence and ultimately his defection that made the revolution a success. History shows us that this was almost certainly the case, but it is somewhat unclear why Churchill (a favorite of James II) broke ranks and joined the cause of William. Although James II and his openly Catholic policies had much to do with Churchill's defection, they may not have been his only reasons for doing so."
Tags: anglican, assize, bloody, catholic, glorious, james, orange, william
Abstract This paper examines how although Shakespeare's Richard III, The Duke of Gloucester, may not bear much resemblance to the real life King, in character and appearance, in the play, he is certainly the most dominant and a fully developed figure that serves as both the protagonist and villain of the play. It discusses whether "Richard III" can actually be called a tragedy since the protagonist appears less a tragic figure and more a vain, cruel and malicious king who was ruthlessly ambitious and killed people not for the love of his country, as most other tragic kings did, but to advance his own objectives.
From the Paper "As in all Shakespeare tragedies, the ghosts of those he conspired against and killed visit Richard III. They admonish him and foreshadow his death. This happens a day before his army is to clash with Lancastrian heir, Henry, Earl of Richmond's forces. while the ghosts of his victims haunt Richard, Richmond is praised as the rightful ruler. The ghosts tell him to 'live and flourish!' [5.3.131] and instruct him to, 'Arm, fight and conquer, for fair England's sake.' [5.3.150]. Though Richmond's army is no match for Richard's in term of size, yet the former has divine support. Bosworth Field serves as the last battleground for Richard as Richmond manages to bring an end to Richard III's terrifying reign by slaying him: 'Now civil wounds are stopp'd, peace lives again.' [5.4.53]"
Abstract In this essay, the writer explains that Robert Browning's poem, "My Last Duchess," is a monologue delivered by the Duke to someone who turns out to be part of a party arranging a new marriage to a new young lady for the Duke. The writer discusses Browning's use of irony throughout the poem. The writer points out that Browning uses irony to chilling effectiveness as he illustrates the Duke's quiet tyranny over his last young wife. The writer concludes that in the greatest irony of all in the poem, it seems that the Duke has caused the careful, measured responses in his Duchess that angered him to the point of murder.
From the Paper "It is a likeness of her. His last Duchess is dead, and he has apparently killed her. He is displaying her picture as part of his shopping expedition for a replacement. In addition, the fact that her likeness hangs on the wall reminds the reader of the practice of hunters who hang the heads of the animals they have killed on the wall for display. The Duke feels very special about this particular prey; most of the time her likeness is concealed behind curtains, which he rarely opens for others. It reminds the reader of modern-day serial killers, who often keep some object as a trophy of their acts."
"The Duke calmly explains why his last Duchess had to die, although he never states the crime itself. His reasons, however, ironically reflect on him and not on his young wife, and suggest a completely egocentric person with a severe case of paranoia."
Abstract The paper examines the poem "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning, specifically looking at the relationship of the narrator, the Duke Ferrara, to his previous wife. The paper describes how the Duke is discussing a painting of his wife and her faults and misdemeanors that led to him putting her to death. The paper discusses that the Duke makes his expectations of his next wife as a beautiful, thankful object clear to the listener.
From the Paper "In the poem "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning, the author ostensibly depicts a man discussing a painting with another observer. While this may appear to be the case on the surface level, there is much more going on in this poem. In discussing the painting, the narrator, Ferrara, provides the reader with a much more gruesome portrait than just that of his previous wife. From various details in the poem, we will see that the narrator provides evidence that he thinks of women as merely objects and that his previous wife died by the narrator's command. The elements in the text that will be discussed are the "spot of joy" captured in the painting, the last Duchess' smile, the gifts her husband mentions and the statue of Neptune the Duke points out at the end of the poem."
Abstract Lucio is a key role in "Measure for Measure", but is he simply a foil for Duke Vincentio or is he more than that? This paper asks if Duke Vincentio is actually just as much of a slanderer as Lucio is and whether Shakespeare is trying to make a point about the rule of King James.
From the Paper "The more I read about Lucio the more I realized that everyone had different views about him and his role in Measure for Measure. Some simply dismiss him as an unimportant character that was just inserted for comic relief, some believe him to be Duke Vincentio's foil that was there simply to make the Duke look even better, and some believe that Lucio is an extremely important character without which the play would have virtually no meaning. I read a few different journal articles and books to prepare for this presentation, but I was especially influenced by Kaplan's The Culture of Slander in Early Modern England because there was an entire chapter dedicated to slander in Measure for Measure and I found myself agreeing with Kaplan's interpretation of Lucio's role more than anyone else?s. I found all of the articles that extolled the virtues of the Duke and portrayed Lucio as a villainous slanderer who deserved all that he got and more very limited in their analysis. It is just too easy, and since Shakespeare does not create characters that are easy to analyze, Lucio is no exception."
Abstract This paper discusses how to some extent,"Measure for Measure" is built on the same pattern as "A Midsummer Night's Dream", since many of the elements present in the play follow a tripartite pattern. It looks at how there are three different worlds represented in the play, - the court, with the Duke, who rules the city, the lower classes, which include Lucio and the religious world, with Isabella, who represents purity and virtue. It also examines how there exists three other worlds which have their own identity, according to the character who dominates the world - the Duke, Angelo and Lucio.
From the Paper "Some characters also have what we could call a 'double personality'. Indeed, the Duke is one of the most famous personality in Vienna, he is always surrounded by a court and he has to play a role, "I do not like to stage me to their eyes." (I, 1, L68). This is no surprise then if he chooses to disguise as a friar. Besides the fact that he can remain hidden under his hood, the lifestyle of the friars suits him most, "My holy sir, none better knows than you / How I have ever loved the life removed" (I, 3, L 7-8)"
Abstract This paper studies the nature and nurture of the Russian Monarchy under the upbringing of Catherine the Great and her Stoic / Enlightenment based moral values. Focusing on the developmental complexities of the social and family unit which brought around the four most well known of the Russian Royals, Alexander I, Constantine, Nicholas I and Michael, this paper follows up the effects of a family unit oriented upbringing with strong liberal and republican beliefs that gripped the Russian Royal family in it's later years through Catherine as a matriarchal influence to these four, and Paul as a patriarchal leader. The psychological scarring left upon Nicholas on seeing his fathers demise at the hands of his own courtiers demonstrated a manipulative effect on his reign. Also demonstrated in this paper is the fact that regardless of liberal beliefs, the people's agenda quite often defies what intellectually could be classified as the best system of government for them as demonstrated through the coup de etat against Paul and the Decembrist rebellion.
From the Paper "Nicholas and Michael never knew their illustrious grandmother as they were too young to have true or strong memories of her as she died when they were still youths, and they also lost their father at the early age of five and three respectively. That is not to say that her rearing did not still influence them, indirectly, throughout their adolescence. Nicholas had reported to have vague memories of Paul and considered his sudden death at the hands of his own courtiers to be the most traumatic moment or envisagement in his life until his own accession and the Decembrist revolt. Thus, for both Nicholas and Michael, their mother was the primary force behind their upbringing with strong matriarchal influence from their grandmother Catherine the Great and her philosophies."
Abstract This paper addesses the tactics used in the Battle of Hastings by Duke William of Normany and King Harold of Saxony. It discusses the conflict for the crown between William and Harold after King Edward died, due to miscommunication and the fact that Edward did not name his successor. The paper describes the course of the war and emphasizes the effect of William's rule on England after his victory.
From the Paper "William's defensive wall grew weaker as the battle raged on through the afternoon. He decided to change tactics. He ordered his archers to aim high. When the archers shot their arrows they were able to take out the remaining portion of the defensive wall. Harold was left unprotected when the wall fell. A stray arrow, shot by a Norman soldier, struck Harold in his right eye, and Norman knights cut him down. When the word passed that King Harold was killed the English army fled by horse or on foot. The battle had lasted ten hours. William commanded his troops to burn and destroy everything. He left nothing but a great number of bodies littering the earth. William found Harold's body. It was barely recognizable. After the battle William ordered a monastery built on top of the hill where the battle was fought."
This paper compares and contrasts the courting of Lady Anne by the Duke of Gloucester in William Shakespeare's play "Richard III" with the courting of Katherine by Petruchio in the play "The Taming of the Shrew".
2,150 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 9 sources, 2002, $ 80.95
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the courting of Lady Anne by the Duke of Gloucester in William Shakespeare's play "Richard III" with the courting of Katherine by Petruchio in the play "The Taming of the Shrew".
Tags: SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM / KING RICHARD THE THIRD III, courtship comparisons
Abstract This paper concentrates on exploring why the Duke of Buckingham helped Richard III as extensively as he did to lie, cheat, steal, and murder his way to being king. It also explores why Buckingham left Richard III at a certain point after he was asked to arrange for the murder of Edward. The author argues that Buckingham left Richard not because of his conscience regarding the murder of the boy, but out of a fear that by helping the tyrant to gain his power, he would not get anything in return but his own death.
From the Paper "Shakespeare's "Richard III" was a play in the series of historical texts that also includes ?Henry IV.? With these texts, the author left the convention of setting his plays is exotic places like Athens and Italy, and concentrated on the theme of English history. Richard III was a monarch who is shown in Shakespeare's "Richard III" to have lost touch with reality more than a little bit in his quest for power, which has corrupted him deeply. At the end of the play there is little that can be done to redeem Richard III, such is his rejection of morality and his overriding ambition. These qualities caused Richard III to murder many of his own family members, and throughout the play he treats everyone as either someone to use or a potential threat. One of the people whom Richard III used was the Duke of Buckingham, who became his right-hand man during his quest for the throne."
Abstract This paper examines the "Uhuru Africa" album by Randy Weston. Inspired by jazz legend Duke Ellington, Weston spent most of his career combining the rich music of the African continent with the African-American tradition of jazz. The author dissects Weston's "Africa" album -- which he calls a tribute to Ellington -- from its thematic and metaphoric perspectives, such as nature, animals, liberation, the past and the future. The author concludes by praising "Uhuru Africa" as Weston's jazz paean to Afro-American heritage and to Africa.
From the Paper "This style inspired Randy Weston, whose use of both hands separately on the keyboard parallels a drummer's control of separate rhythms with each hand. Randy Weston spent most of his career combining the rich music of the African continent with the African American tradition of jazz, mixing the rhythms and melodies of both continents. Uhuru Africa is a tribute to Ellington, most particularly in the second movement, African Lady, a metaphor for Africa and the drum, which Ellington identified with a woman."
Abstract This paper describes the musical styles and influences of three of the greatest 20th Century composers: Claude Debussy, Duke Ellington and John Cage. The paper examines the innovations of each composer and cites examples of their work.
From the Paper "The works of Claude Debussy represent a transition from the late Romantic era in music to music of the 20th century. His unique musical language veered away from the style of Wagner with its heavy emotion. Instead Debussy wrote..."
This paper reviews two articles about teaching literacy: Duke et al's 'Authentic Literacy Activities for Developing Comprehension and Writing' and Mary F. Heller's 'Telling Stories and Talking Facts'.
Abstract This paper explains that authentic literacy is broadly thought of as reading and writing in a personal narrative format. The author relates that Duke et al in their article 'Authentic Literacy Activities for Developing Comprehension and Writing' reported on their study involving 26 second and third grade teachers to investigate the development of students' ability to comprehend and compose informational and procedural texts in science. The author points out that this research confirmed that language skills acquisition improves in an authentic context rather than through de-contextualized or abstract learning. The paper also tells about a study by Mary F. Heller reported in her article 'Telling Stories and Talking Facts: First Graders' Engagements in a Nonfiction Book Club', which investigated the nature of responses of a small group of girls to see if these responses were grounded in facts learned from the readings or were narrative in nature.
Table of Contents:
Authentic Literacy Activities
Nonfiction Book Club
From the Paper "Authentic literacy activities as described in this article offer many advantages to a classroom teacher. We all wish to make our classes as interesting and relevant to our students as we possibly can. This definition of authentic writing and reading gives us a way to do this. Most all of us can recall how boring it seemed to mindlessly do worksheets or endless lists of practice exercises. By adding a "real" audience and a "real" purpose can make a writing assignment more meaningful or fun. Whether in graduate school or second grade, most of us would rather understand "why" we have to do an activity." Authentic literacy activities, as defined in this article, help students to understand that "why. Children can see how the skills they are learning are used by adults. In an age where students are subject to a great deal of test-preparation activities, doing something "real" might also be a welcomed break for teachers and students.
