This paper compares Alfred Tennyson's poem "Ulysses" (1833) with other versions of the Ulysses story such as Homer's "Odyssey" and Dante's Canto XXVI of "The Inferno."
925 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 3 sources, 2002, $ 32.95
Abstract This paper describes Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses", as an old man looking back at his life and longing for the adventure of his youth who decides that he cannot live with the dullness of his settled existence and must go looking for adventure again. The author believes that, with the alternation of dull and vivid, prosaic and heroic language, Tennyson creates a character whose choice may not be the one that his audience would have expected when they saw the title of the poem. The paper states that the poem's ultimate message is contained in the brief, sudden line in which Ulysses, like the poet and the reader, realizes the essential fact that each person is different and those who are not content with their roles may not be fulfilling the roles they were truly meant to take on.
From the Paper "Structurally, his initial complaint is followed by a description of his old pleasure which culminates in a somewhat abstract goal that is, nonetheless, a higher goal than the mere plodding domesticity that he immediately reintroduces in the stanza about Telemachus. The impatient tone and abrupt adjectives of the first stanza ("idle king," "still hearth," "barren crags," and so on) gave way to the more figurative language and heroic tone in the description of his feelings about his adventures, e.g., "when / Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades / Vexed the dim sea" (9-11). In the third stanza the adjectives alone ("slow," "mild," "soft," "useful," "good," "blameless," "common," "decent") demonstrate how radically the tone has altered as they not only portray an entirely different kind of man but tend to slow the reading down. The stanza ends with a sense of resolution as Ulysses firmly draws a distinction in "He works his work, I mine"."
Abstract This paper explains that the roots of the Vietnam War (1961-1975) really began with the fall of the French Colonial Empire at Dien Bien Phu, when the Americans became involved in the greatest war debacle in U.S. history. The author points out that this secret war was being conducted mainly by the Central Intelligence Agency and its founding Director Allen Dulles, the Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and President Dwight David Eisenhower. The paper explains that this war started when Ho Chi Min, the Communist strong man in Hanoi and founder of Viet-Cong, and Ngo Dinh Diem, president of South Vietnam, who had the full backing of the United States' assets, got involved in a gorilla war, which escalated into the Vietnam War from which Ho brought the United States to their knees in disgrace.
From the Paper "With the abrupt fall of the Japanese Empire in August of 1945, Ho Chi Minh seizes his opportunity. Using the established Viet Minh, formally known as Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh or The League for the Independence of Vietnam, Ho established at the 8th Plenum at Pac Bo, in May of 1941, as his tool. In September 1945, Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam's independence in Hanoi. Surprisingly there is little to no opposition to his declaration and he feels confident his organizational structures and skills are sound. So confident, in fact, Ho goes to Paris in 1946 to negotiate the separation from France personally with his staff of advisors."
Abstract In this paper the plot of the movie directed by Stanley Kubrick and the book written by Arthur C. Clarke are summarized with emphasis on the philosophical and ethical issues presented in the story. A more detailed analysis of the ethical issues, including man becoming god and Hal the computer, concludes the paper. The paper is written from a Christian perspective and relates the story to Biblical examples.
From the paper:
"2001: A Space Odyssey" was written by Arthur C. Clarke and published in 1968 at about the same time as the movie of the same title was released. It is interesting to note that the film and the book were being produced at the same time. Rather than to base one on the other, the movie and the book were made almost as one, with modifications being made to suit the needs of the writer and director. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the movie was left more open-ended than the book, and tended to draw either praise for its ingenuity or harsh judgment for its dullness and lack of imagination. Whether the first or the latter opinion is correct, one thing is for certain: 2001 is an epic that changed the face of science fiction and paved the way for a whole new way of thinking."
Abstract This papers examines the power struggle in the Soviet Union between Malenkov and Khrushchev after Stalin's death. It discusses the idea that foreign policy and not domestic policy was the key to Khrushchev's eventual victory.
From the paper:
"It was the debate over Soviet foreign policy that allowed Khrushchev to gain the upper hand and eventually take charge of the Soviet Union. After Stalin's death in 1953, Georgii Malenkov was seemingly heir apparent to Soviet power. As Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Malenkov was head of government, as both Lenin and Stalin had been. Quickly after Stalin's death, however, Khrushchev had moved to acquired the position of First Secretary, putting him in charge of the Party organization. At the same time in the US, the debate over containment versus a "new world order" was playing out between President Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Foster Dulles."
Abstract This paper details the writing style of a paragraph within "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street." It focuses on how the author uses a certain style to bring out character traits, storyline, and tone. It further examines how an author can use a dull character to tell an interesting story.
From the paper:
"'Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,' is perhaps one of the earliest and most potent satires of American corporate culture in the American literary canon. It tells the story of a scrivener. A scrivener is a law-copyist. This particular copyist named Bartleby infuriates his superiors by his refusal to work. Such a refusal is not only anathema to them, it confounds them. They attempt to fire him, but Bartleby refuses to leave his office. It is through his refusal to work, and to give no coherent reason for doing so other than he would prefer not to, that the entire system is shaken. This paper analyzes a paragraph of the short story and illustrates how the paragraph's language, its literary devices, and its tone expose the short story's central themes."
Abstract This paper explains how the U.S. encouraged the Soviet Union to invade Hungary and keep its troops there in order to keep the Soviets out of the Middle East during the Suez Canal crisis.
From the Paper "The Suez Crisis developed from an American plan to win the support of Saudi Arabia and at the same time expose Egypt's leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser as a Soviet pawn. The Saudis were anti-communist, but also historically anti-British, and to counter Soviet inroads in the Middle East, the US had to assure the their support. In October 1954, Secretary of State Dulles offered to sell arms to Egypt only if Nasser agreed to not buy weapons from the USSR and he publicly denounced the Soviets. Nasser spoke out against the communists, but continued to buy Soviet arms as the US had expected he would."
Tags: cold, nagy, nassar, war, dulles, saudi, israel, egypt
Abstract This paper provides a summary of the plot and an examination of the writing style in this novel. As a genre it might be called Christian Science Fiction or Apocalyptic Fantasy. The writer shows that the plot is full of complexities. On the surface it's a fast moving, never a dull moment suspense novel with a profusion of plot twists, characters and themes. Underneath, it's Bible beating propaganda written in mediocre prose.
From the Paper "The setting ranges from Tel Aviv, to Chicago, to New York, and much of the fly space in between in whatever plane either of the two main characters are flying. It also encompasses the United Nations facilities, the corporate offices of a media giant, a humble Midwestern church, and a run down motel, among other varied locales. Central to the fast paced plot is the Rapture, or the Vanishing, of millions of the born-again faithful of Christ who disappear all over the world in a single moment, lifted out of their garments into Heaven. Those left behind must come to terms with the aftermath of the disappearance, including personal trauma and a global conspiracy involving the richest and most powerful men in the world and a takeover of the United Nations by the Antichrist. The reader experiences the plot on a more personal level through how the Rapture effects the lives of the two narrators."
Abstract A detailed account of a psychology experiment that examines the human eye using several objects such as a shiny penny and a tarnished penny. The Hypotheses: If people were presented with either a shiny penny or a tarnished penny on the ground, then more people would pick up the shiny penny rather than the tarnished penny. The human eye is naturally attracted to light as well as light movement and the shiny penny would reflect light more efficiently than the dull penny. A penny, either tarnished or shiny, would be set in a specific spot on a sidewalk and a walking tour would guide the participants of the experiment over the pennies to see which penny gets picked up the most. Conclusions: People will look at the shiny penny and pick it up. A corroded penny will reflect no light therefore people will not see it unless they are looking directly at the ground.
From the Paper "Walking around, place to place in this busy world, you might sometimes come across a stray, shiny penny on the ground, pick it up and say to yourself, ?This is my lucky day!? or something of that nature. However, would you pick that same penny up and pocket the lucky treasure if it were tarnished, corroded, or imperfect? If people were presented with either a shiny penny or a tarnished penny on the ground, then more people would pick up the shiny penny rather than the tarnished penny. I?ve come up with this hypothesis because the human eye is naturally attracted to light as well as light movement and the shiny penny would reflect light more efficiently than the dull penny. In addition to this reasoning, shinier objects are more appealing to humans rather than dirty or tarnished objects."
Abstract This paper examines the masterpiece, "To Kill a Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee, about racial injustices and gender discrimination observed through the eyes of a young six-year old girl, as well as the movie version of the book produced by Robert Mulligan, and presents a comparison of the two. It shows how the movie was made black and white, in such a technologically revolutionary period, in order to capture the gloominess and the dullness of the Depression era and how the book paints a far more effective picture of that time period probably because it gave room to the author to get her personal experience into the play for she was a resident of the Southern town. The book symbolizes the theme of innocence and pureness through the use of mockingbird. However in the film version, the most fundamental theme of the novel has deviated slightly in terms of the plot by emphasizing more on the theme of racial prejudice than the theme of innocence. Both the movie and the book have been recipients of awards.
From the Paper "The representation of the world where racial injustices and gender discrimination prevail are observed through the eyes of a young six-year old girl whose widowed father is not only a man of words but is also a man of deeds. Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, the tomboy's father and a principled attorney (Marja: B06) who fights for the rights of a local black man wrongly charged with the rape of a white woman in their segregated town (Marja: B06). Gregory Peck has managed to do justice to his role and Robert Mulligan deserves equal credit for an aptly portrayal of the novel. However, since Lee wrote the novel keeping in mind her horrifying personal experiences as a child that gave birth to the protagonist of her novel, Stout, the novel turned out to be far more effective in its representation of the Depression-era Alabama than the movie version of it (Marja: B06)."
Abstract The American media's powerful influence can be seen through its portrayal of major events like the Vietnam War. The paper shows that Vietnam was America's first ?television war,? meaning that United States citizens were able to watch video clips of virtually uncensored images of war including exchanges of gunfire, atrocities and wounded and dead soldiers from both sides. It describes how the Vietnam War's images haunted the television, magazines, and newspapers. This paper covers issues including propaganda, television images, the massacre at My Lai, Son Thang 4, Trang Bang, the dulling effects of graphic images, and civilian protests.
From the Paper "On June 8, 1972 during an air raid of NVA fortifications just outside Trang Bang, a picture was taken of a girl running away from the bombings. Kim Phuc, then nine, was wearing no clothes, waving her arms, and had an expression of terror on her face. She and other civilians including photojournalists were mistaken as NVA and targeted by the pilots. Kim received major burns to the majority of her body. Up to this day, a myth exists that it was an American-ordered bombing and was executed by American pilots. This is not true. Both the officer who gave the order and the pilot who dropped the bomb were Vietnamese and operating without the aid of the United States Air Force. Nick Ut, the photographer who took the snapshot, won the Pulitzer Prize that year."
Abstract This paper examines the organization and structure of RE/MAX franchises and their role within the larger organization, with particular emphasis on RE/MAX Premier-Dulles located in Fairfax, Virginia. The organization's community involvement is also considered.
Abstract This paper will discuss how death and violence play a part in the book "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis. By understanding some of the main characters, such as Lucy and her other family members in the story, we can see how death and violence seem to take a fantastical turn. Death and violence seem to play a part in the tale, but the way that Lewis portrays this, in a fantastical spectrum, will unearth his sense of dulling the harshness of reality. By understanding this perspective on death and violence within this story, we can see how the author makes this apparent by writing for children.
Abstract This paper studies closely the different issues discussed in the novel by Mark Twain titled, "Pudd'nhead Wilson". The story takes place in 1893 Mississippi when American society was still plagued by the curse of racial segregation and discrimination. The author has brilliantly discussed the issues of slavery, race relation and identity crisis without turning the novel into a serious dull read.
Abstract This paper examines Thomas Keneally's "The Playmaker", an influential work on the foundations of Australian theater and culture in which Keneally retells the true story of Lieutenant Ralph Clark, who has been appointed to the dubious honor of producing the first dramatic work on the newly discovered world of Australia. The author points out that the intersection between fiction and fact in Keneally's work makes it difficult for a reader to tell precisely where that line is drawn without accessing the source materials. The paper relates that Keneally creates a book that is justified in its occasional comparative dullness by its important commentary on the relationship between the real and the imagined, the life of the body and the life of the mind.
From the Paper "This form of exposition is both original and telling in regards to the nature of this fictional/historical work. For this is a strictly historical character description, describing the raw material Keneally could glean from source documents. From this "player" information, and from the exact stage directions of history, he will develop the fabric of his book in a strange inverse of the way a skilled director would work with the immutable texts of Shakespeare to create unique stories through nuance and development. To the degree that he develops the story individually, he is a fiction writer."
Tags: australian, theater, culture, source, fantasy
This paper discusses cultural factors, etiquette, and political and economic issues important for foreign business people conducting business in China.
Abstract This paper relates that China presents formidable difficulties for a foreign business people due to its vastly different culture, business ethics, and hybrid economic system, which still suffers from a hangover of the command economy of a socialist China. The author points out that, although Chinese people have a natural flair for free-market business, as is reflected in the disproportionate number of successful Chinese businesses in South East Asian countries, the extended period of controlled economy in China under Maoist Communism has dulled this spirit and severely affected the work ethics of the working people. The paper explains that, soon, private property ownership in China is certain to become constitutionally protected, which will be a landmark reform because all property has been owned by the government since the Communist revolution.
Table of Contents
Business Culture
Old habits die hard
"Guanxi" (relationship)
Bribe and Graft
Cultural Etiquette
Some Important Politico-Economic Issues
From the Paper "Giving gifts is not necessary but acceptable. Care should be taken not to make very large or expensive gifts as they may be considered as bribes. Clocks are inappropriate as gifts for symbolic reasons. Another feature of Chinese culture is that everything is not taken at its face value. For instance, the Chinese may decline a gift more than once (up to three times) before accepting it, as easy acceptance is considered to be a sign of greed; hence it is advisable to continue to insist upon giving the gift and express a lot of pleasure once the gift is accepted. Wrap gifts in red colored paper (red is considered a lucky color) or pink and yellow (happy, prosperous colors) and use both hands while offering or receiving a gift. Avoid wrapping in white as it is the color of the funeral."
