Abstract This paper examines how in Margaret Lawrence's novel, "The Fire Dwellers", the predominant theme of female gender struggles manifests itself in the personal insecurities, abuse, and family struggles that the main character must confront. It looks at how through the use of points of views and imagery, Margaret Lawrence portrays this epic struggle of a household wife in her traditional role as caretaker of the family.
From the Paper "As a struggling homemaker and caretaker of the family, Stacy is a woman who is a victim of her own self-insecurity. The author, Margaret Lawrence, wrote in Stacy's point of view to allow the reader to captivate and embody the tragic feelings of the self-worthlessness and isolation that Stacy suffers, thereby allowing them to fully apprehend the battle she must confront against her own inner demons. Even Stacy herself readily admits that she has problems accepting herself, which is only the beginning of her own self-demise, "Everything would be all right if only I was better educated. I mean, if I were. Or if I were beautiful. Okay, that's asking too much. Let's say if I took off ten or so pounds." Her lack of confidence in her physical self and pessimistic attitude leads to the beginnings of paranoia and insanity. "
Abstract This paper explains that, in the metaphor of the cave and its dwellers, Plato states that the world as human perceive it is like a dark cave, where all human beings sit around a fire, staring into the light; they cannot see one another, the nature of reality, or the heavens with any great understanding in such a dark and cloistered environment. The author points out that any individual who dwells in "real life" can have some inkling of the use of the metaphor, separating the gesture of goodness in name or in physical action alone from the actual, meaningful gesture of either selfless love that does not demand a reward or enact a real, physical result in the world, rather than simply obey a social code. The paper concludes that Plato's metaphor is a positive and active approach for human philosophy because it suggests that a complete form of understanding is possible, despite the pain it may cause.
From the Paper "The reason that human beings do not have a full sense of a real and a complete life is because the world, as we cave dwellers see it, is not experienced fully and in the flesh of the present moment. Rather, it is only experienced in a shadowy and inconsequential fashion. Because human beings are distanced, because of a poor philosophical education, from the nature of the world's reality, the fire blinds us, or we mistake the shadows we see for truth. The heavenly philosophical apprehension of a greater truth that is more fully conceived and more intellectually substantive than the life on earthly is much better than what we actually pass our day to day existence in, which are simply copies of ?the real.?"
Abstract This paper examines the socio-economic state of the United States prior to the Civil War. It questions whether these factors contributed to the outbreak of the war. It looks at the living standards of people comparing the city dwellers to the country and farm dwellers. It also examines the bout of technology and modernization which existed mostly in the North. The differences between the North and South are stressed and questioned for their significance in being a catalyst for the war.
From the Paper "Geographic sectionalism leading to conflicting attitudes and issues in a growing and diverse new country was the underlying and basic cause of the US Civil War. Up until the time of the Missouri debates, there was a common understanding and agreement of adherence to the principles initially joining 13 diverse colonies into the country that would be the United States. The Civil War was the culmination of four decades of intense conflict and deep-seated economic, social and political differences between the North and the South."
An analysis of how, with careful consideration of the wall drawings and of the culture that created them, and their physical journey, we can justly determine much about the life and society of the stone age.
3,568 words (approx. 14.3 pages), 6 sources, 2000, $ 99.95
From the Paper "It is hard to comprehend a culture without technology. What would we do without these necessities and pleasures of life? To determine the answer, let's take a look at a totally unfamiliar society- the cave dwellers. They lived without technology, existing upon nature alone.The cave dwellers haven"t left us a lot to go on, but what they did leave us is rich in knowledge. What we have found are their cave paintings. What we can learn from these is debated. Some argue that these cave drawings only teach of location and a bit about the society. Others argue that we can learn not only that, but we can learn why they were drawn; and what the message becomes to us. The question is, then, can Paleolithic art be interpreted accurately enough to give a adequate depiction of Cro-Magnon life" I believe that with careful consideration of the wall drawings and of the culture that created them, and their physical journey, we can justly determine much about society and the stone age."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth look at the history of the automobile. The author discusses the early era, and inventors such as Elwood Haynes and Henry Ford. The paper also discusses the Stanley Steamer, the Duryea Motor Company, and Ransom Olds. The paper includes other inventions related to the horseless carriage, and how cars have changed American society.
From the paper:
"The automobile is said to have been a menace and a blessing, it has been worshiped and reviled, celebrated and scorned. The automobile is an invention that has had tremendous impact on society. The automobile has taken diverse segments of the American population; farmers, small town residents and urban dwellers and given them access to the same opportunities and experiences. Automobiles have given us motels, shopping malls, drive-through, vacations, commuting, and of course, suburbia. The concept of the automobile is one of the most profound and important chapters in the development of American society."
Abstract This paper examines the different philosophies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke with regards to the origination of the concept of private property. The author discusses how the philosophers differed in terms of defining human nature. The paper explores Locke's "Second Treatise of Government" and Rousseau's "Discourse on the Origin of Inequality".
From the Paper:
"In John Locke's book, "Second Treatise of Government," Locke sketches out a brief history of man in the state of nature and his progression from simple land dweller to land owner. In this description, Locke explains how the concept of property is necessary to human preservation and that property becomes property by having applied work, or effort upon an object. Locke explains that every man has property in his own person, and that nobody has any right to that property but that person."
Tags: locke, rousseau, social, land, nature, human, morality, government, rights
A Research proposal to determine the satisfaction of indigent clients with provision of health care services. Includes methodology, questionnaire and instrumentation.
3,375 words (approx. 13.5 pages), 11 sources, 1999, $ 119.95
Abstract Statement of the Problem
In the United States, health care is often unavailable for the homeless. This heterogeneous group of men and women, includes longterm street dwellers, residents of shelters, the chronically mentally ill, the economically debased, and alienated youth---all of whom are subject to a broad range of acute and chronic diseases, intensified by unsuitable living conditions, stress and sociopathic behavior
From the Paper "SATISFACTION WITH HEALTH CARE IN A SAMPLE OF INDIGENTS:
WOULD THEY RATHER BE TREATED BY PHYSICIANS OR NURSE PRACTIONERS?
Statement of the Problem
In the United States, health care is often unavailable for the homeless. This heterogeneous group of men and women, includes longterm street dwellers, residents of shelters, the chronically mentally ill, the economically debased, and alienated youth---all of whom are subject to a broad range of acute and chronic diseases, intensified by unsuitable living conditions, stress and sociopathic behavior.
Trauma, pulmonary tuberculosis, infestations, and peripheral vascular disease are common problems among the homeless, and often incomplete and/or fragmentary medical care permits exacerbation of chronic disorders (Sebastian, 1994). Outreach ..."
This paper discusses the book, "The City of Joy," by Dominique Lapierre, which projects the underlying message that despite the devastating life of the slum dwellers in Calcutta they have hope and love.
Abstract This paper explains that author Dominique Lapierre researched this book by living with the people of India and the people who try to help them for three years. The author states that critics have called "The City of Joy" one of the most important books on the culture and sociology of India. The paper points out that the author does not look at the topic through rose-colored glasses; he shows the abject poverty in enormous and memorable detail.
From the Paper "This is a story of people who are used to hardships and have learned how to deal with them through courage and good humor. Rather than bemoan the loss of everything he had worked so hard to obtain, Prodip Pal revels in the joy of his sons. "What a blessing those sons were" (Lapierre 7)! This is the central conception to the book, and one from which everyone can learn important lessons. These people do not feel sorry for themselves ? rather they revel in the joys they can find, because they "shared in a communal world and respected its social and religious values, maintaining the ancestral traditions and beliefs" (Lapierre 45). This is why the decrepit slum is called "The City of Joy." It is more than clear they are poor, but they are happy, and it becomes a joy to read about it, even though many of their experiences are quite simply unspeakable."
Tags: india, hardship, courage, poverty, community
Abstract The paper discusses the centrality of the Nebraska prairie to the novel and how the setting is the background that informs the rest of the action in the story. The paper explores the symbolic nature of Antonia as the embodiment of the prairie to the narrator of the book, Jim Burden. The paper also analyzes the agricultural ties to the land felt by the prairie dwellers.
From the Paper "Willa Cather's My Antonia is primarily a novel about place. The setting of the novel in the Nebraska prairie is the same setting in which Cather grew up and was very important to her as well. Cather uses the character of Antonia as a symbol for the prairie and its importance to Jim Burden. Cather equates the vital and dynamic Antonia with the prairie's fertility, and in this comparison, she suggests that Jim Burden's life is comparatively stagnant and infertile. In this novel, Cather paints a stunning and lyrical portrait of the American plains region, treats us to a cast of memorable characters, and offers intriguing insights into the manner in which we construct our own past, even as she reminds us that our own experiences are ultimately inexplicable to anyone else."
Abstract This paper reviews three novels by Canadian women authors as a way to compare and contrast their writing styles, and how these styles work to convey the complex relations of mothers and daughters. All three stories, (Hetty Dorval, The Swamp Angel, The Fire-Dwellers) deal with issues of language, silence, and the value of symbols and metaphors to express what is often inexpressible for women. This essay explores these themes through the writing of the authors, Ethel Wilson and Margaret Laurence, who portray a relation of writer with subject, where the ambiguities of understanding women in society become a shared project of story and writing.
Abstract This paper discusses the New York City of Human Resources Administration (HRA), which seeks to make work the central component in the lives of public assistance recipients. The HRA reflects a philosophical commitment to self-sufficiency, as it seeks to emphasize the essential role of work in the lives of citizens. Thus, the HRA is based on Conservative principles, which promote the values of individual responsibility and self-reliance. The HRA supports the concept of public assistance, but only on the assumption of reciprocal rights and obligations.
Abstract This paper examines how, printed in 1971 as part of a collection of Woody Allen's comic stories, sketches, and plays, "Death Knocks" describes the visit of Death to Nat Ackerman, a bald, paunchy, fifty-seven-year-old dress manufacturer. It looks at how Allen presents the two characters of the play, Nat and Death, with a first-person omniscient point of view, which sets the tone as being typical of the sarcastic, yet humorous, attitude of Euro-ethnic, New York city dwellers. It explores the idea that city life has callused the characters to shock over events that should be shocking and that the emotion of this shock is replaced by sarcastic humor throughout the play. It also discusses how Allen's use of such idiosyncrasy lends to the overall humor of the play.
From the Paper "The entire play takes place in the spacious, well appointed bedroom of Nat Ackerman. Nat is relaxing in bed with his newspaper when he hears a noise outside his window. As he watches, a figure climbs awkwardly through the window. The figure's appearance and manner of dress bespeak the personification of Death but the description of his entrance, ?He huffs audibly and then trips over the windowsill and falls into the room.?, leads the reader to the assumption that, although Death is visiting, he himself seems quite human and is not an object of pure evil, eliciting fear."
Abstract This paper explains that, in Ireland, the cultural landscape shows the works of humans over long periods from the Stone Age on, continually changing as technological advances occur. The author points out that, today, the countryside is much different than many years past, especially with the movement of the city dwellers further and further into the surrounding rural areas. The paper relates that the city landscape offers a window into the modern human's culture, for good or bad, providing a huge database of information relating to the people the Irish were, are, and will be.
From the Paper "Archaeologists, who are interested in the evolution of cultural landscapes, have uncovered circular and rectangular houses from the end of the 4th millennium BC. The farming peoples set posts into the ground with cross beams fitted on top and then mounted the rafters of a low-pitched roof. The walls were probably interwoven with wattles that formed a framework for a plaster of mud and straw. The roofing material is likely to have been thatch. Lengthy occupation is indicated in some places by erection of dwelling houses, permanent field enclosures and continued use of large communal tombs in favored locations. Today, these burial sites are referred to as megalithic tombs and are one of the principal surviving remains indicative of these early settlers."
An analysis of the imagery, language and verse form T. S. Eliot uses in "Preludes" with occasional comparisons to "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."
2,676 words (approx. 10.7 pages), 0 sources, 2004, $ 80.95
Abstract This essay analyses the way T. S. Eliot expresses his view on modern urban life and his feelings of social classes and society using what seems to be simple imagery with a more complex underlying meaning to them. It examines how the series of poems in "Preludes" (I, II, III, IV) offer a more detailed exploration of the poem, showing how modern city life and its dwellers are void of spirituality and meaning.
From the Paper "The adjective of "smoky" suggests a lack of vision and emphasises the feeling of loss of vitality together with the presence of urban squalor. Eliot joins images of decadence and disintegration with images that we usually associate with the modern urban surroundings, such as "steaks" and ?cigarettes.? He places these ordinary images onto a context that suggests a criticism of the modern world and lifestyle, which he emphasises with images of dirt and decay, such as ?The grimy scraps.? The image of "withered leaves" again point to the winter motif, creating a clear picture of death and decline. Eliot is not only referring to leaves here, but uses this image, through association, to connect to the general idea of loss of meaning in the modern urban world, exposing a world that is falling apart."
Abstract This paper explains that the mobile lifestyle of the Gypsies, who migrated from southern Asia over one thousand years ago and settled in many areas of Europe, especially Germany, frightened many sedentary town dwellers. Even today, the most common aspect of Gypsy life is to be persecuted. The author points out that the objective of the Nazis was to remove the Gypsies from society by using a three-track program similar to the treatment of Jews: Harassment and anti-Gypsy legislation, incarceration in concentration camps that included experimentation, and finally, extermination. The paper relates that even though thousands of Gypsies died, their case is not as well-known as that of the Jews because the Gypsies were less educated and did not record their experiences in writing as frequently. Also, their beliefs and culture regarding ritual purity and sexual conduct had been violated in the concentration camps, making them reluctant to talk about what had happened.
Table of Contents
Background
What it is like to be a Gypsy?
Before the War
Track Number One
Track Number Two
Track Number Three
During the War
The Nazi Experiments
From the Paper "Even before the advent of war, the Gypsies were persecuted and shunned by society. As early as 1929, the city of Frankfurt Germany set up a "concentration camp for Gypsies" outside the city limits because of complaints by citizens. Therefore, the persecution of Gypsies began long before the Nazi regime took power, and in fact, historian Lewy notes, "When the Nazis intensified the harassment and persecution practiced by earlier regimes, most of their neighbors remained superbly indifferent". Adolph Hitler took power in Germany in 1933, and his regime initially had many other people to consider than the Gypsies. There were the Jews, whom Hitler despised and hoped to eradicate from Germany. However, the Gypsies soon became a priority in Hitler's administration for a variety of reasons. The Nazis began to refer to it as the "Gypsy Problem," and gave increasing attention to removing the Gypsies, thereby continuing the "pure" "Aryan" race of white Germany."
