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"White Over Black", 2008.
A review of "White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812" by Winthrop D. Jordan.
1,075 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at "White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812" by Winthrop D. Jordan where he discusses the history of relations between whites and blacks leading to the slave era. The paper looks at how Jordan identifies the institution of slavery and the development of its own rules and customs. The paper describes how Winthrop shows how attitudes changed over time and how slavery in particular altered relations between black and white. The paper notes that Jordan provides a list of resources for those who want to examine these issues in more detail.
From the Paper
"Europeans were seeking empire when they first arrived in West Africa, originally just to trade goods with the natives. English traders wrote accounts of their journeys and described the people they saw, people very different from themselves, with skin color the most obvious difference. Different terms were used to apply to natives from different parts of Africa, meaning natives of differing blackness. The idea of color itself became part of the vocabulary. English travelers eventually came to see blacks as not only different but as savage and so as uncivilized. This fact alone became a lure for travelers who wanted to see the savages up close. In time, the English started to project attitudes they did not want to admit in themselves onto the savages they saw as so different, and blackness became a metaphor for some of the darker aspects of human nature."
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"The Divine Comedy" - Dante Alighieri's "Inferno", 2007.
A discussion of the epic poem "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, focusing on canto III of Dante's "Inferno".
1,192 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the scholars and the de-contextualization of Dante's "Inferno" - with special emphasis upon canto III. The paper summarizes the scene when a fearful Dante first enters Hell and discusses its significance in terms of understanding Dante and his world. The paper also looks at how intellectuals view Dante's "Inferno". The writer believes that the work stands out as a classic example of the medieval allegory play taken to new rhetorical heights. The writer concludes that it is also an example of how even the simplest works, if powerfully wrought, can spark wide discussion among academics who seek out meanings unimagined by the author.
From the Paper
"Ultimately, the canto, like the rest of the cantica, is a potential mirror into the world in which Dante Alighieri lived as well as a mirror into his own inner turmoil as a devout Christian seeking a purpose to his life as well as answers to questions that presumably many devout Christians were asking in the fourteenth century. To start with, the canto (in the original Italian, anyway) was written in the demanding terza rima rhyme pattern (Scott para.2) and, even in English translations, the text can be difficult to follow as Dante tries to bend the language into shapes and forms to which it does not adhere willingly."
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Literary Symbolism in Novels of Exile, 2008.
A review of the books "A Bend in the River" by V.S. Naipaul and "The Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys.
1,396 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the symbolism behind two distinct novels that deal with issues of exile, political strife and social turmoil - V.S. Naipaul's "A Bend in the River" and "The Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys. The paper explains how both books utilize nature in many ways as an association and correlation to the themes in their respective novels. The paper also looks at how there is a sense of duality in both books, as nature can depict a tide of change in addition to a resistance by a people to maintain tradition and a way of life that is invaded by unnatural intruders. The paper also discusses how the interpretation of literary symbols in classic novels has always been imperative to understanding the full scope of an author's message. Additionally, the paper shows that both Naipual and Rhys utilize nature to formulate strong symbolic meanings and associate them to the domination of European culture and the notion that colonization fragments Africa from its way of life.
From the Paper
"Naipaul's main character Salim in A Bend in the River takes a ritual journey through Africa which is loaded with numerous metaphors and 'coming of age' events. Salim's realization of the neurosis during colonization and the indigenous social conflict is especially realized when he travels outside of Africa. In his education, he encounters a great deal of realities that shape his perception of Westernization and he quickly begins to realize the pending abomination that is to result from Western influence in his homeland. To further indicate this importance, Naipaul utilizes water to paint a picture of stillness and change. This duality extends to the natural resources that surround the river, similar to the journey of Conrad in The Heart of Darkness. The contrast here is not the personal battle against Africa, Salim is more cognizant of his native surroundings and understands the futility and destruction that will be realized with the synthesis of two conflicting ideologies."
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Miguel Leon-Portilla's "Broken Spears", 2007.
This paper reviews Miguel Leon-Portilla's "The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico", which presents a history of Mexico.
980 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Leon-Portilla's book "The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico" is an excellent illustration of how the naivete of one culture and the rapacity of another usually collide to produce wide-spread tragedy. The author points out that the writer's objectives were to give a voice to the forgotten victims of the conquest of Mexico, which history had denied them, and to present the surviving Aztec accounts of this conquest as being great works of literature, which rival anything found in the western tradition. The paper relates that the significance of Cholula was to undermine the civilizational confidence of all Aztecs who heard about it, to constitute massive loss of native life, to re-affirm the efficacy and might of the Spaniards and to reinforce among the Aztecs the desirability of aligning themselves with the Spaniards rather than joining with their Mexican brethren in opposition to the new arrivals.
From the Paper
"The massacre at Cholula had many negative effects upon the Aztec peoples - leaving aside the obvious loss of life. Most notably, the massacre revealed the penchant of the Aztec peoples of Mexico to conspire against one another by feeding Cortes and his minions half-truths or outright fabrications about a bitter rival; this sort of rumor-mongering on the part of the people of Tlaxcaltecas, suffice it to say, stirred Cortes to march on Cholula, killing all present there. Moreover, the brutal defeat of the Cholultecas was compounded by the fact that their idol Quetzalcoatl had not served them in any way during the battle."
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"Working in a 24/7 Economy", 2008.
A review of the book "Working in a 24/7 Economy: Challenges for the American Family." by H. Presser.
1,054 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the book "Working in a 24/7 Economy: Challenges for the American Family." by H. Presser. It looks at how the book offers a glimpse into a little publicized view of what life is really like for the majority of women and their children in this country who struggle on a daily basis to adapt to a 24/7schedule.
From the Paper
"The American family was once viewed from the standpoint that it was constructed of the husband, wife and two children, one of each gender. The male worked outside of the home and earned all of the monies necessary for the family's survival, while the woman worked in the home. On television programs of the 50's that woman accomplished housework, reared children and met all of her husband's need wearing heels and a dress. This was a society that was picturesque, but that did not reflect the changing philosophies that were impacting real life people in the social order. Presser (2005) makes this fact quite clear when she discusses the evolution of the family and the working woman in modern culture. "
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Diabetes and Culture, 2008.
This paper provides a review of the article: 'Living with Diabetes: Holistic Experiences of Nigerians and African Americans" by M. Popoola.
754 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
In this paper, the writer notes that the article 'Living with Diabetes: Holistic Experiences of Nigerians and African Americans" portrays diabetes as a cultural issue as well as a holistic issue. The writer maintains that confronting and coping with diabetes is a cultural matter. and not just a health issue. The writer presents a personal perspective and notes that the writer's own culture perceives diabetes in much the same way as Popoola's article presents it. The writer maintains that the most important point about diabetes is that it is a holistic experience that changes every aspect of the person's life. The writer concludes that because of the way it is dealt with, diabetes is first a very negative experience but is then changed into a positive force through spirituality.
From the Paper
"My personal perception of the cultural issue of diabetes is that such a disease is seen as occurring for several reasons. It may be God's will for the person, or sometimes it is viewed as a matter of bad luck. Medical approaches may be ignored and almost always are delayed because of fear of Western medicine. In any case, home remedies will be first attempted. Folk practitioners are common and their advice is very often sought. When medical care finally is sought, the home remedies will usually not be mentioned because people are afraid they will be criticized."
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Vietnam War Literature, 2007.
This paper discuses references to American religious culture in Vietnam War literature using examples from Tim O'Brien, Norman Mailer and Robert Bly.
1,375 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Vietnam War literature positions American religion as being a God-fearing culture that seeks to be moral. The author points out works by Tim O'Brien, Norman Mailer and Robert Bly that refer to this everyday American religion and culture and to myths of American power, politicians and industrialists as being insane and immoral and as changing forever how Americans saw their country. The paper relates that these works project the Vietnam conflict as something in which Americans should never have been involved including describing its soldiers as victims or as people responsible for terrible crimes of war. The author stresses that Vietnam was a working-class war rejected by the American bourgeoisie, who did not need to go to combat. The paper concludes that the literature discussed in the paper is the work of Americans with the option not to go to Vietnam and that it needs to be examined along with other literature produced in the next decades, too.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Damning Literature
Tim O'Brien's "In the Field"
Norman Mailer
Robert Bly Poem: "The Teeth Mother Naked at Last"
Last Remarks
From the Paper
"Norman Mailer's "The Army of the Night" was published in 1968 and is an allegorical description of the March on the Pentagon. The reader is shown the extreme contrast between rather decadent hippies of the anti-Vietnam War movement and the thousands who then fought in Vietnam, ordinary Americans who dealt with every terrible aspect of jungle warfare. The last pages of "A Confrontation by the River" tell of a clash of American popular myths and moral beliefs about America and a "true religious war of Christ against the Communist" in relation to Vietnam towards a "whole crisis of Christianity in America... ""
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Mixing in "Burning Vision", 2008.
This paper studies the aspects of identity and mixing in the play "Burning Vision" by Marie Clements.
1,190 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that the play 'Burning Vision' raises questions about race, nation, identity and belonging, particularly through the metaphor of mixing. The writer notes that "Burning Vision" is a complex play, in which many story-lines mix together simultaneously. This reflects the complexity of the subject matter, as the play deals with profoundly important issues, such as war, death, colonialism, grieving, loss, hope, racism and exploitation, etc. The writer maintains that the play highlights the interconnectedness of all of these geographically, racially and nationally divided people, in a huge cycle of death of destruction. In so doing, it highlights Canada's limited ability to be inclusive, and finally offers a possibility for overcoming those limitations. This essay examines what the play has to suggest about the nation's ability to be inclusive, and what it offers as a possibility for overcoming those limitations. The writer concludes that the play ends on an upbeat note of mixing in a positive sense.
From the Paper
"This is chilling in many ways. First of all, LITTLE BOY is a lost and lonely, pathetic character in the play. Second, LITTLE BOY was also the name of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, so the character is associated with death and murder. Third, LITTLE BOY implied that identities are stolen when colonialists lay claim to a people - which, as we know, is very much the Canadian reality, with horrors such as the residential schools, which were explicitly designed to steal Aboriginal identity. Thus, the play speaks to the key theme of colonialism - the foundation upon which modern Canada was built - in a very negative way. It speaks not of mixing, but of smothering. It thus shows us the potentially catastrophic implications of people mixing in a way that is not inclusive, but rather divisive, exploitative and repressive."
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Diversity or Institutional Strangers, 2008.
A review of two articles that approach the concept of diversity from two unique perspectives.
1,154 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 2 sources, APA, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper examines two articles on diversity. It look at how M. Alexander argues that diversity, as epitomized in migrant labour populations, is nothing but a type of institutionalized social segregation. It also discusses how K. Mitchell, on the other hand, argues that diversity is an institutional policy that has marginalized any traditional concept of national identity. In either event,it attempts to show that both viewpoints tend to overlook the many real issues and concerns that often accompany efforts to establish diversity in a given population.
From the Paper
"The increase of transmigration of peoples and cultures across national borders in the age of globalization has led to an idealization or celebration of diversity almost for diversity's sake without consideration for any of the profound issues that real diversity requires of a host society. That is, when certain host societies in the global environment encourage diversity as a means to become more attractive for further foreign investment or to increase the labour pool, for example, these markets often overlook or disregard some of the follow-on issues that typically accompany diversity. "
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Freud in "Brave New World", 2008.
This paper analyzes Sigmund Freud's structural theory in "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley.
1,399 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses Freud's structural theory of the conscious and the unconscious within "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. The paper looks at the characters Lenina Crowne as the "ego", John the Savage as the "id" and Henry Ford as the "super ego" within Freud's structural theory. The paper shows how one can realize the modernity of Huxley's writing within the context of his futurist utopia. The paper is of the opinion that this novel provides an interesting critical view of Freud's theories, highlighting the importance of both individual and group issues that arise in human relationships.
From the Paper
"The basis of the Freudian Structural Theory is to determine the nature of the human psyche at the conscious and unconscious levels. The historical character "Our Ford" in Huxley's novel has become the central aspect of Freud's Super Ego defining the male dominancy of cultural norms tat must be followed in relation to the purely sexual libido of the Id and the mediator of the Ego (Freud 47). Ford was symbolically named after the American automobile manufacturer Henry Ford (Bloom 88), which symbolized the assembly line autocratic tendency of Huxley's futurist society. Our Ford is called "Our Freud" in the novel, as Huxley suggests that horrors of father/mother relationships that arise within this Super Ego aspect of human cultural interaction and macrocosmic family values in Chapter Three."
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"Women in Nazi Germany", 2008.
A review of the book "Women in Nazi Germany" by Jill Stephenson.
1,097 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
The women of Nazi Germany played an important role in the assimilation of fascist ideology. This paper discusses how, while the world outside of Germany perceives the Third Reich in a negative way, Jill Stephenson provides insight on the female role in Nazi Germany in her book "Women in Nazi Germany". It looks at how the book details the inner workings of family life, the benefits of assimilating to Hitler's laws and the role of leadership that women played during Hitler's reign. It also examines how the book demonstrates the power of propaganda, and also depicts a gender defined society that was not perceived as a disparity, but rather empowered men and women to perform their roles for the preservation of national socialism and the Nazi regime.
From the Paper
"The Third Reich championed the traits of the female, noting that the woman was the primary caretaker of children and the holder of developing a strong Nazi population (Stephenson 6). Nazi Germany touted procreation in order to fill up the ranks of the German military and to provide new generations to learn in Hitler-based schooling systems. There was no limitation to birthing, and any form of birth control was illegal. The leaders of Nazi Germany wanted to ensure healthy Aryan children were integrated and educated properly. Unhealthy children were admonished and not considered an integral unit in Nazi society. "
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John Keats And His Poetry, 2008.
An analysis of the life and most famous poems of John Keats.
3,043 words (approx. 12.2 pages), 15 sources, MLA, $ 89.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the life and poetry of John Keats. It describes a background of his family and his short life. The paper analyzes some of his famous works, including "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer," "Ode to a Nightingale" and "Ode on a Grecian Urn." The paper discusses why, in his short life, Keats was placed among the great English poets. It also provides an appendix of the three poems it discusses.
From the Paper
"His poem becomes a vehicle to relate the various scenes around the urn that the artist was trying to relate. He tells of lover and his beloved, the piper, the procession taking the bull to a sacrifice. These scenes are sufficiently ambiguous that Keats must pose his many questions in the first and fourth stanzas. Because the urn cannot answer in specifics, these questions pass to the reader/viewer, who is left to provide his own answers. Keats, knowing that he cannot know these details, poses his own interpretations for the stories the urn reveals. (Percarmona)"
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"Heart of Darkness", 2008.
This paper focuses on the wilderness in Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".
1,092 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
The paper examines Joseph Conrad's classic 1899 serialized short novel "Heart of Darkness", interpreting the book as a look at the effect of the wilderness upon seemingly civilized men. The paper focuses on how an encounter with such wild primal energies can penetrate the veneer of civilized conditioning and even destroy it, leading to what Conrad refers to as madness.
From the Paper
"Joseph Conrad's classic 1899 serialized short novel Heart of Darkness has been examined from various angles, utilizing diverse literary as well as political and economic approaches. The most frequently encountered tactic of analysis for this story of adventure and inner conflict has probably been from the perspective of colonialism and the attitudes of late 19th/early 20th century Europeans (especially British and French) toward their colonial possessions in Africa, including their pragmatically Machiavellian treatment of both natural and human resources therein."
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Swift, Blake and Social Hegemony, 2008.
This paper discusses challenges to social hegemony in the works "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift and "London" by William Blake.
1,381 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer maintains that the argument that the "purpose of good literature" is not - as Sir Philip Sidney argued - "to teach, to delight" and "move to virtuous action" but to challenge social hegemony by destabilizing its core values is a controversial one. This essay argues the thesis, with reference to Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and William Blake's "London", that while literary works are not simply political statement or social criticism, good literary works nonetheless engage with their cultural context in a critical and complex way. As is seen, while both Swift's and Blake's works have clear political and social dimensions, it is their literary qualities that give them their potency as powerful social critiques.
From the Paper
"This being said, it may be argued that this view of literature is simplistic and limited in many respects. Literary works are not created in a vacuum but instead, capture their audiences by their engagement with the social contexts in which they are created. However, unlike political tracts or social critiques which are rarely remembered beyond the immediate circumstances in which they were created, good literature resonates beyond its immediate context - even when it has a clear political or social purpose - due to the power of its writing. This power allows these works to transcend the particulars of the social order they criticize or destabilize, and reflect something of the universal in humanity's social constructions."
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"An Introduction to Buddhism", 2008.
A review of "An Introduction to Buddhism" by Paul Harvey.
1,477 words (approx. 5.9 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at "An Introduction to Buddhism" by Paul Harvey, published in 1990 which was written as a text book with the intention of introducing either high school or college students to some of the concepts of Buddhism. Because Buddhism is such a broad subject, much of which is covered by this book, this paper compares how the concept of "suffering" is addressed in the book and in other different texts. The language that is used to discuss suffering is also examined, in terms of how the term is conceptualized by its inclusion--or its lack of inclusion--in the First Noble Truth and in terms of accessibility.
Outline:
Concepts and Comparisons
Successes
Failures
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Harvey (1990) does spend a great deal of time in discussion on the topic of suffering, since that is a major aspect of Buddhist teachings. However, Harvey describes the concept of suffering as an isolated event, in a somewhat clinical fashion. The basic concept of "suffering" actually tends to get lost in his discussion of "self" and "not-self," (Harvey, 1990, pp. 50-52), until he actually begins to discuss what he calls "the Second Holy Truth" (Harvey, 1990, p. 53). In part, the difficulty in this discussion comes with the use of unfamiliar words in Harvey's text; the reader spends more time translating and organizing concepts than he or she does in processing and un understanding them. "
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