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. "

Tags:feminism, stacy, victim, abuse

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 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
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"."

Tags:dwellers, dark, environment, cloistered, goodness

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."

Tags:North, South, Civil War, american economy, slave, society modernization

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."

Tags:nat, ackerman, new, york, humor

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
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."

Tags:vigor, memory, soil, harvest, landscape

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 ..."

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."

Tags:auto, automotive, buick, cadillac, car, cars, engine, ford, henry, motor, people