Abstract This paper looks at how the outdoor labyrinth at the GraceCathedral mimics the design of the archetypal 13th century labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral in France. The author points out that the terrazzo in the GraceCathedral provides a cold, hard and unyielding counterpart to the otherwise rosaceous, curvilinear, forgiving labyrinthine pattern and the open-air setting suggests nature worship, inviting visitors to contemplate spiritual truths outside of the confines of a religious building. The paper concludes that the Gracelabyrinth exemplifies the interfaces between nature and art, between decoration and art and between structural and artistic forms.
From the Paper "The space in which the Grace Cathedral labyrinth is contained is expansive yet it is also contained within a definite boundary. On the property of the Church, the labyrinth is nevertheless accessible at all hours of the day. Open hours mirror the open setting and open air. Because the labyrinth is on terrazzo, it feels distinctly man-made. It doesn't feel natural at all; it has no connection with the feeling of running through the woods or hiking. Having to remain in the lines and only go forward is one of the labyrinth's paradoxes: it is curvilinear and seemingly loose but it is also tight and restrictive."
Abstract A study of the Chartres Cathedral in France which creates a ideal depiction of the gothic form of architecture and is shown in reference to the same.
Abstract The paper is on the history and design of St. Etienne Cathedral in Bourges, France, which is a good example of gothic church architecture. The constuction of the cathedral is examined and the paper discusses typical French Gothic style.
From the Paper "St. Etienne Cathedral in Bourges, France is a good example of gothic church architecture. This edifice, along with Cathedral Chartres, is the first cathedral of the high-Gothic era and was the starting point for the typical French Gothic style. Construction on the cathedral began in 1195, and the choir was completed in 1214, the nave between 1225-1250, and the west facade sometime in the 1270's. The north tower fell in 1505 and was rebuilt in 1542 ("Cathedral, Bourges No. 1" paras. 1-2). The plan of the cathedral is simple and was derived from the plan for Notre-Dame de Paris. At least, the exterior is so derived, while the interior is quite different from that more famous cathedral. The basic structure involves double-sided aisles, and it is double ambulatory and has no transept. The volume of the nave is the same as the cathedral at Chartres, with a width of 15 meters and a height of 37.."
Abstract This paper examines Raymond Carver's short story "Cathedral" and focuses on the function of the narrator and of the blind man. It analyzes the narrator's realization of his own emotional and intellectual blindness.
From the Paper "Raymond Carver's short story Cathedral is narrated by a man who finds it all but impossible to be in the presence of Robert, a blind friend of his wife's. This unnamed narrator, a man in middle life married to a woman who has ..."
Abstract In this paper, the author compares how the theme of love is represented in two stories, "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, and "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason. One story describes how love builds between two spouses while the other shows how love can fall apart. The author cites additional sources to describe the theme in the two works. The paper concludes by stating that both stories show the incredible epiphanies associated with love, and the destructive force of emotional pain.
From the Paper "In his article in "eThoughts.com," Travis Gibbs asks the question, "Is love some absolute, a fact of the universe that can be discovered and copied onto and into human lives? (Gibbs). The two stories, "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver, and "Shiloh" by Bobbie Ann Mason, illustrate that love is constructed in dissimilar ways. Carver constructs love as a positive manifestation of growth and understanding in an unlikely setting, while Mason shows us love destroys itself, as manifested between two people who fit into a normal "construct," that is, being man and wife."
Tags:Cathedral, Raymond, Carver, Shiloh, Bobbie, Ann, Mason, love, literary, themes
Abstract In reference to the novel, 'Alias Grace' this essay explores examples of historic inequities for women in Victorian society and how one women Grace Marks may have survived by utilizing the penal system as an unlikely refuge. According to the paper, on the surface, the novel 'Alias Grace' is a unique present-day exploration of a Victorian murder mystery. The novel is the story of Grace Marks who was convicted of murdering her employer and his housekeeper.
From the Paper "Alias Grace is Margaret Atwood's fictionalized biography of the infamous murderer Grace Marks, who, in 1843 was convicted of a double murder in Kingston and served her sentence at Kingston penitentiary and the Lunatic Asylum in Toronto. On the surface, the novel, Alias Grace is a unique present-day retelling of a true crime story complete with dramatized news headlines, sex, violence, a bias judicial system and duplicitous Victorian morals. On a deeper level, this novel tells the story of how one woman may have exploited the very society that oppressed her in order to survive systemic bias and gender inequities. "
Abstract In this paper, "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol provides an in depth sociological view of how the people of Mott Haven live within a harshly divided economy in New York City. It explains that by providing interviews in his field work with these people, Kozol is able to get varying opinions that the government or Mayor Giuliani would not like admit or provide to the general public. The author of the paper contends that in this manner, his book helps empirically define poverty in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx, revealing how people are really living in a racially and economically divided city.
From the Paper "This book review will analyze the various aspects of poverty that occur within New York City within Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol. In this manner, the book relates the problems of poverty for minorities within Mott Haven, South Bronx, and the unbelievable living situations that these people must endure. In many cases Kozol seeks to understand why these impoverished conditions exist, and he accurately provides a sociological case studies of why Mayor Giuliani's leadership has worsened conditions. In essence, Kozol provides an empirical sociological outlook on poverty in New York City with a strong ethical and moral look as to how these conditions can be corrected. Amazing Grace is a book filled with data that is helpful to the reader when understanding poverty within the Mott Haven community of New York City. These Bronx neighborhoods are so impoverished that Kozol found ..."
Abstract This paper describes the famous stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral in France. The paper describes the cathedral's gothic style, the set of windows in the west facade, the rose windows that can be found in different parts of the cathedral, and the Blue Virgin Window in the ambulatory area. The paper also describes the guilded windows in the cathedral, noting that, more than with most cathedrals, Chartres Cathedral's windows area often marked to show the donor, and this is true of the so-called guild windows, or windows donated by the trade guilds.
From the Paper "The South Rose is seen with five lancet windows and dates from the 1230s. The Rose Window itself shows the Glorification of Christ, with Christ blessing surrounded by Four Evangelists and angels, then the elders of the Apocalypse, then the arms of donors to the cathedral. The left lancet shows Evangelist Luke over Prophet Jeremiah. The second lancet shows Evangelist Matthew over Prophet Isaiah. The central lancet shows the Virgin and Child."
Abstract Like all great novels, James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" may be read on several levels. On the primary, narrative level the novel concerns the growing to maturity of Stephen Dedalus in Ireland at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. However, on a deeper, symbolic level the novel focuses on a theme of escape from the traps of Roman Catholic dogma, family entanglement and Irish nationalism. Central to this theme is the mythological image of the labyrinth which is integral to the symbolic structure of the novel and the representation of Stephen's flight to artistic freedom from his imprisonment by the above forces.
Abstract This paper will discuss the nature of the book "Labyrinth of Solitude" by Octavio Paz, in understanding the historical applications that it creates. By realizing the power of the revolution that was created in Mexico, and is the subject of this poem. By realizing this view of Mexican history the cause and political rivals in the Porfiriato, as well as the student uprising in Talteloco in 1968, which brought great changes to the country.
Abstract In this essay, the writer offers a comparative book review that examines Nazih Richani's "Systems of Violence" and Rabasa & Chalk's "Colombian Labyrinth". The writer discusses how each work assesses Colombia's embattled condition similarly. The writer also examines how each of their respective recommendations for policy--particularly US policy--differ fundamentally.
From the Paper "That Colombia is a nation mired in seemingly endless instability and protracted war is a solemn fact known all too well to contemporary students of Latin American development. As surely as the causes of this enduring dilemma are up for debate, so too the remedies remain elusive. Two astute examinations of the Colombian system will be compared and contrasted in this essay. The first written in by Nazih Richani and entitled 'Systems of Violence'. The Political Economy of War and Peace in Colombia tackles the very nature ..."
Tags: richani, rabasa, chalk, colombia, narcotics, FARC, insurgency, political economy
Abstract This paper compares the symptoms and experiences of Diana McGowin as reported in her book "Living in the Labyrinth", such as stigma and loss, with the symptoms and experiences reported in the literature about Alzheimer's disease.
From the Paper "Alzheimer's disease is "a puzzling form of dementia seen in people as young as 28 years of age, but most often encountered later in life" (McGowin, 1994, p. 141). Finley (1997, p. S177) states that "Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, degenerative dementia. It primarily strikes the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls behavior, reasoning, emotional control, and cognition". Two other lobes and various areas of the brain are also affected, causing multiple loss of function."
Abstract This paper discusses how Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" assesses the violence and tyranny of the period immediately after the Spanish Civil War through the use of several film genres, including fantasy and drama.
From the Paper "Many film critics and perhaps even Del Toro himself consider the story to be a parable, influenced by fairy tales, and that it addresses historical themes in a way which allows one to gain a better sense of the true magnitude to which the emotional and often physical world of the Spanish people has been disrupted by the Franco leaders. The original Spanish title refers to the mythological fauns of Greek mythology, while the English title refers specifically to the faun-like Greek god Pan (intended to help English-speakers differentiate the title from the term fawn). However, the faun in the film is not Pan. Pan's Labyrinth unfolds through the eyes of Ofelia, a girl who is relocated to a rural military outpost commanded by her new stepfather, fascist Captain Vidal. Powerless and lonely in a place of unfathomable cruelty, Ofelia lives out her own dark fable as she confronts monsters both otherworldly and human."
Abstract This paper reviews Guillermo del Toro's award winning, "Pan's Labyrinth", a Spanish language film about the experiences of the Spanish girl, Ofelia in a fantasy world. The author summarizes the film which has dual settings, one setting is in Spain after the Spanish Civil War, and the other is Ofelia's fantasy world. The author also discusses the important scenes in the movie and how these scenes highlight the themes, masculinity, fascism and the treatment of women in Spain during the time of the Spanish Civil War.
Outline:
Summary of the film
Important scenes
Masculinity
Fascism and condition of women in Spain
From the Paper "The film opens with a scene if which Ofelia is found bleeding on the ground. Then the narration describes the story of a Princess called Moanna in the underground world who escapes from her keepers to enjoy the human world. Princess Moanna eventually dies like all other humans but her father retains the hope that one day his daughter's spirit will return to him. Then the film describes the years that followed the Civil War in Spain. In this period Francisco Franco was in power. Ofelia travels with her pregnant mother to join her stepfather Captain Vidal who is posted in the mountains to fight the rebels. Ofelia meets a fairy which takes her to a faun. The faun calls Ofelia as Princess Moanna and gives her three tasks to complete in order to open the remaining portal and join with her father in the underground world. She completes her first task of retrieving a key from the belly of a giant toad but fails to complete the second task of retrieving an ornate dagger."
