Abstract This paper reports on "Paul Robeson: A Biography" by Martin Bauml Duberman, which tells about the man who made a name as one of the most famous black singers and actors of the twentieth century. He achieved his success at a time when racism and discrimination were prevalent and he fought against these ills and became an activist on these and similar issues. He further ran afoul of the political forces of the time because of his communist leanings and this reduced his ability to work in his later years. The paper explains that, in this book, Duberman provides a detailed account of Robeson's life, an in-depth biography that covers Robeson's life and work, including material from his letters and other writings as well as interviews, newspaper and magazine articles, and so on.
Abstract This paper gives a brief biographical view of the works of Lloyd, Jeff and Beau Bridges. The writer summarizes the life of each of the three famous members of the family. The article mentions dates and places of birth outlines the career of each of the different actors. In the paper, the writer refers to various movies and television programs in which each of the Mr. Bridges became famous or starred. The article looks at milestones and memorable moments in the lives of these famous people.
From the Paper "Although Lloyd and Beau have both had illustrious careers, Jeff seems to have surpassed both his father and older brother. And not only has his career been more successful, it is said that no one who has ever worked with Jeff has a bad word to say about him (Jeff pp). Peter Bogdanovich, who directed him in the 1971 movie, "The Last Picture Show," has said, "I've never, ever heard of him pulling a star turn or showing ego," and John Goodman, who co-starred with Jeff in "The Big Lebowski," said, "It's like watching a diamond cutter...When you look at the diamond, you don't think of the work, you just notice there's no flaws" (Jeff pp)"
Abstract This essay is a detailed biography of the American novelist, Bernard Malamud. It describes some of his most famous works and the themes behind them. The essay speaks about Malamud's hard childhood and upbringing in Brooklyn, New York. It describes his family and how they are portrayed in his novels.
From the Paper "Bernard Malamud was an American novelist and short-story writer. Born to poor parents in Brooklyn, New York he was educated at the City College of New York and the infamous Columbia University. Making something of himself, from 1961 he taught at the Bennington College. A Jew, Malamud has touched upon them in every novel and short story in great detail. Although his first novel, The Natural released in 1952 is a fantasy about a star baseball player, most of Malamud's writing as in his second novel, The Assistant written in 1957 is concerned with Jewish themes and reflects the sad, impoverished Brooklyn scenes of his childhood. The Fixer (1966), for which Malamud received a Pulitzer Prize, is a poignant novel (based on a true story) of the suffering of a Russian Jewish workman sentenced unjustly to prison. "
Tags: Bernard, Malamud, America, novelist, Jew, Brooklyn, NY
Abstract This paper discusses "George Washington: A Biography" by John R. Alden, in which he not only focuses on Washington's success as an outstanding general, but also tries to show his readers Washington's personality, his nationalist character, lifestyle and experiences. The paper shows how, in his book, Alden gives his readers a variety of perspectives of the American Revolutionary War and how the victory related to Washington and his way of managing his troops.
From the Paper "Alden thinks that Washington had grown enormously in stature during the Revolutionary War. He calls Washington "a man of unquestioned integrity" and a man who quickly learned to trust his own judgement. Alden also gives and example of the relationship between the Congress and Washington himself by indicating that Washington sometimes railed at Congress for its failure to supply troops and for the bungling fiscal measures that furstrated his efforts to secure adequate material. At the same time, though, Alden describes that Washington's relations with Congress and with the state governments "exemplary" during the Revolutionary War, which was strongly related to his ability to deal with the civil authority."
Abstract The paper gives a biography of Thoreau starting from his childhood. It gives insights to his thoughts and philosophies and comments on his essays ?Resistance to Civil Government,? ?From Walden,? and ?Life in the Woods.? It describes his influence on writers, philosophers, poets, conservationists, politicians, and statesmen.
From the Paper "Thoreau believed that government was at its best when it governed the least, and that no government was the ideal. However, he also campaigned for the government to foster culture and education, build roads, prevent crime, and protect wildlife. A pioneer ecologist and conservationist, Thoreau was one of the first Americans to understand that natural resources were not inexhaustible. He said, "A town is saved not more by the righteous men in it than by the woods and swamps that surround it" (Walking pg). He distrusted institutions, disliked churches and rejected or ignored many aspects of Christianity. He believed that "man flows at once to God when his channel of purity is open" (Thoreau pg)."
Abstract This paper gives an overview John Antony Moretta's biography of "William Pitt Ballinger" which attempts to put in an historical perspective the career of a legendary Texas lawyer. The paper shows that throughout this text, the author stresses the multifaceted nature of his subject who was a 19th century-type Thomas Jefferson in the breadth of his accomplishments. Ballinger's various interests and occupations included not only his career as a lawyer, public servant, and civic leader, but also earlier service to his state of Texas as a solider. The paper examines the book's description of Ballinger's literary talents which were exhibited in his work as an author, editorialist, naturalist, education reformer and bibliophile.
From the Paper "Moretta's admiration for his subject seems unfeigned. When recounting an incident from Ballinger's life, regarding his service to the Confederacy for example, Moretta cites evidence that although the subject's actual service record might indicate otherwise, Ballinger was in fact ?a staunch Unionist.? Other snapshots of the subject's acerbic quality are quite amusing, such as how even robber barons of the Industrial Age blanched at the lawyer's 2,500 ?consultation fee,? an amount wealthy executives might be surprised at being charged by attorneys even today. However, this does show if nothing else that the lawyer had "ability" and ?nerve,? something that even his enemies admired him for."
Abstract Susan B. Anthony was a famous historical figure who fought hard for human equality. She believed in women's rights, as well as equal rights for African American slaves. This paper shows that, through touring the country to speak publicly, lobbying, petitioning, as well as writing for her newspaper, "The Revolution," Anthony helped to contribute to the passing of the 19th Amendment, as well as give a voice to those who were not being heard. The paper examines her life as a hard-working abolitionist, activist, and reformer whose courage and dedication can be credited for where women and African-Americans stand in today's society.
From the Paper "Susan B. Anthony also fought hard for women's rights to property and equal wages. In New York State she spoke at meetings, collecting signatures for petitions and lobbying the state legislature. Largely due to her efforts, the state of New York passed the Married Women's Property Bill in 1860 which allowed married women to own property, keep their own wages, and have custody of their children. She spoke out against prostitution in Chicago in 1853 stating that women turned to the streets by prostituting for income because they could not receive equal wages in the workplace. She encouraged working women from the printing and sewing trades, who were excluded from men's trade unions, to form Workingwomen's Associations."
Abstract The author of the paper describes Andrew J. Viterbi as a great engineer of the past and present century and states that his success in communication systems helped the United States become a world leader in technological competition. In particular, the writes cites the famous Viterbi algorithm and achievements in CDMA cell phone development. The paper chronicles Viterbi's life from when he left Italy with his parents in the summer of 1939, the family's struggle to settle in the US and Viterbi's development into one of the country's leading engineers. The paper is accompanied by a number of photographs.
Outline:
A Genius of the Past and Present: Andrew J. Viterbi
Linkabit and Qualcomm. His creations.
Works Cited
From the Paper "At a very young age Viterbi was already dreaming of becoming an engineer. When his family moved to Boston, he used to spend his time day dreaming about attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT is one of the highest ranked universities not only in the US, but worldwide. Viterbi would visualize himself as a student at MIT, but he knew his family could not afford it at that time and he would have to work hard in order to have a chance to get there, Viterbi had to get a scholarship (Morton). With hard work and a strong will Viterbi got it. He was ranked fourth among 225 students in his class and was accepted by MIT. He still had to work part time in order to fulfill his needs. He worked at Raytheon in the semiconductor area. At that time it was called the "transistor department." As he studied, he was already working as an engineer on communication equipment, designing electrical circuits and writing some diagnostic programs for radio links and early television. In the evenings he had classes."
Tags: algorithm communication radio satellite education Qualcomm Linkabit space, jet propulsion laboratory, MIT
Abstract This paper details the life and work of Gustav Mahler, one of the most famous composers and conductors of all time. The writer of this paper probes into the tragic events of Mahler's early life which influenced his music despite the undertones of joy and hope in some of his pieces. This paper also details Mahler's style of music which is considered dramatic with enormous contrasts in sounds and moods.
From the Paper "The orchestra's archivist and historian, Dr. Clemens Hellsburg, recalled that Mahler was incredibly demanding and impolite. Many of the musicians resented him. Finally, in 1900, the orchestra went to Paris, where it had huge artistic success, but horrible financial failure. In fact, there was not even enough money to transport the ensemble back to Vienna."
Abstract This paper reviews "Struggle and Survival in the Modern Middle East," a collection of biographies of twenty-four Middle Eastern men and women, edited by Edmund Burket. The author of this paper asserts that the sheer number and variety of these biographies undermines current stereotypes about the Arab mindset and challenges elite-centered accounts of how the Middle East has changed in modern times. The paper explains that the book is organized chronologically, tracing the history of the Middle East through the biographies. The paper provides a synopsis of several of these biographies and looks for commonalities, even among the diversity of stories.
From the Paper "Hibgo, an American truck driver, lived his life in Middle East and ended in United States. He started his challenging job of truck driving in iran by developing his own grop of drivers. The challenging nature of the truck driving profession in Iran during this formative period necessitated a truck driver's involvement in a guild. The guild served a variety of crucial needs through a network of shared information and credit based on mutual trust. In the 1930s Hagob became part of a guild consisting of Armenian and Assyrian members, who maintained their ties for decades. He and the others proudly wore their guild's insignia, a jeweler's handcrafted replica of the front portion of a transport vehicle."
Tags: Arab, Islam, anthology, essays, social, biography, Iran, muslim, christian
Abstract Jazz is the dynamic tension between the expected and the improvised. Miles Davis was brought up torn between his well-to-do white-emulating upbringing and his black heritage. Davis not only bridged this gap but helped create entire new musical vocabularies throughout his long and varied career as a jazz trumpeter. This report shows his evolution and his continuing influence on other musicians, as described in his biography, "Miles Davis: A Biography," written by Ian Carr.
Paper Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Childhood
Further Development
Evolution, Addiction, & Resurrection
His Influence on Music Today
Concluding Remarks
References
From the Paper "He worked with and was a catalyst for Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and countless others(p234). Many times in his career it had been declared that he already "peaked" and was a remnant of the 50's, of bebop, of cool jazz, of fusion jazz. But he never let himself grow complacent and become an icon of the past. By not producing unless he had something new to say, he was able to continually stay relevant, and re-invent himself every few years (p183). "
Abstract This paper is a brief biography of Herbert Hoover's life, and offers highlights of his beliefs on what it means to be an American.
From the Paper "Herbert Hoover is one of the least appreciated or understood of our presidents. A few months after he became president, the worst economic downturn in United States history disrupted the lives of nearly every American. Droves of people were unemployed, and masses of displaced families roamed the countryside looking for work and wishing for simpler times. Being the most prominent elected official, Hoover was blamed for the calamity and he took responsibility for it enacting different programs and initiatives to help Americans through the trying time (Smith 112). Although his heart was in the right place, and his motives and purpose pure, Hoover's philosophy of rugged individualism was an ill-suited theory to fit the turmoil of his time. While he came from humble beginnings and was forced to adapt to the world around him at an early age, his stubborn refusal to allow government to intervene in an economic crisis became his political suicide."
Abstract This paper is a biography of Edgar Allan Poe along with a literary analysis of his poem "Ulalume: A Ballad". This essay includes an extensive biographical sketch of Poe to perhaps aid the reader to better understand his works. In addition, the author examines Poe's use of rhyme scheme, meter, and repetition, and overall interpretation of Poe's intended meaning.
From the Paper "The poet and critic, Edgar Allan Poe is considered one of the greatest American authors to have ever written throughout literary history. He composed many short stories and poems from the late 1820's to his death in 1849. Because of the believed complex nature of his psyche, it is vital that the reader know Poe's background and influences in order to analyze his poetry properly."
Abstract This paper analyzes the book "Absolut : Biography of a Bottle" by Carl Hamilton and discusses the story of how Absolut Vodka emerged as an unknown product and with a unique marketing strategy managed to conquer the United States market.
From the Paper "The first step in the story is the proposal Gunnar Broman, head of Sweden's top advertising agency, made to New York executives in 1978. At this time the belief was that all good vodka came from Russia. In reality, vodka had been being produced in Sweden for centuries, but the cultural belief in America was that vodka came from Russia."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed personal biography of Salinger, his youth, growth as a writer and religion. It also shows a critical evaluation and analysis of most works (Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey, Bananafish, more...) Elements of style are thoroughly examined and a review of other critical analyses are presented.
From the Paper ""Jesus, he has a helluva talent." The esteemed Ernest Hemingway has found one of the few ways accurately to describe J.D. Salinger. Truly one of America's most amazing authors, J.D. Salinger has rocked the modern world in a field where words of praise are scarce and criticisms are abundant. Inciting the adolescent populace with passion, Salinger calls attention to particulars in our society and questions the ethicality of people. ...
