| Papers [331-345] of 16568 :: [Page 23 of 1105] | | Go to page : <— 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 —> | |
|
|
Bias in Gender Roles, 2008.
This paper discusses the portrayal of males and females in children's books.
1,974 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 62.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
Many children's books contain myths and stereotypes which, although they appear to be commonsense understanding, are actually completely inaccurate. Children learn from text and images that represent the culture, and then they organize their perceptions of the world based on that information. This paper makes use of symbolic interactionism and structural functionalism to argue that gender as it is depicted in children's books has a social purpose and that very young children are capable of interpreting the meaning. The four themes of gender bias, gender role socialization, gender-based traits, and pseudo gender equality are discussed.
Outline:
Introduction
Gender Bias
Gender Role Socialization and Stereotypes
Pseudo Gender Equality
Conclusion
From the Paper
"At the same time, Gooden and Gooden provide a persuasive rationale for the over-abundance of males in children's books and picture books they surveyed that were published from 1995 to 1999. The authors were all simply accepting of the traditional view of the work role assigned to the male, and these values were therefore promoted in the books. Diekman and Murnen found that even in nonsexist books for children, gender segregation and the traditional idealization of femininity result in an unequal representation of the sexes. The patterns pointed out by these authors exist for a purpose. That purpose, as is perceived through structural functionalism, is to maintain social equilibrium which depends on male dominance and female subservience. Symbolic interactionism allows us to see that very young children are aware of and are quite capable of interpreting and internalizing these patterns through the books they encounter."
| |
|
Mythic Histories, 2008.
This paper provides a critical analysis of 'Pocahontas' by Paula Gunn Allen and 'The Kongolese Saint Anthony: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita' by John Thornton.
1,285 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 43.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
In this article, the writer explores how, in "Pocahontas", Allen imbues her narrative representation of the life of Pocahontas with the qualities of the sacred. The thesis is argued that Allen, in keeping with the hybrid nature of her subject and the overarching American myth within which her subject is a critical figure, achieves her objectives by combining the narrative conventions of Indian oral traditions and mythic elements together with western narrative models and an anthropological understanding of myth. The paper further explains that this hybrid approach, as is seen with comparative reference to the story of Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita, allows access to the multiple cultural perspectives necessary to understand these otherwise elusive and complex historical figures. From this perspective the paper shows how important an appreciation of the reality of the mythic can be in the comprehension of such women as Pocahontas and Dona Beatriz who would otherwise be alien and opaque to our western secular modes of analysis.
Outline:
Introduction
The Reality of Myth
The Importance of Being Hybrid
From the Paper
"In the realm of the strictly empirical as opposed to the mythic, Allen's hybrid narrative model yields insights into our understanding of her subject and the events of her time that would not otherwise be apparent. Consider, for example, the story of the initial contact between John Smith and the tsenacommacah of which our primary narrative perspective is a text of Smith's written years afterwards. Smith believed - understandably from his English perspective - that the young Pocahontas must have fallen in love with him, as this was the only explanation he could discern for her flinging herself upon his to save him from ritual execution at the hands of her father."
| |
|
Cultural Separation, 2008.
This paper discusses symbols of cultural separation in "The Jade Pendant" by C. Lim and "The Cage" by N. Bissoondath.
1,423 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 47.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
In this article, the writer studies the two works, "The Jade Pendant" and "The Cage". The writer discusses that in both these stories the chief symbols invoked emphasize the uniting of the abstract themes of social and familial segregation. Further, the writer discusses that in the two stories symbolism is used as a vehicle to explain both the societal and individual separation of identity, thereby underlining and progressing the themes within the stories. The writer concludes that the stories "The Jade Pendant" and "The Cage" use central symbols as a means to capture the abstraction and further the themes of the stories.
From the Paper
"The name becomes a very oppressive symbol then, a symbol that separates the narrator that defines her past and personal history and ultimately separates her from the very family the name identifies. The ancestral name as symbol strengthens the themes of foreignness and separation that permeates the story."
"Similarly, "The Jade Pendant" uses its central symbol, the pendant as a means to underline its themes of societal and familial separation. The story's beginning is a perfect example: Lim begins by dictating the history and myth surrounding the Jade Pendant, forgoing any sort of character or family description; immediately the reader knows that the Jade Pendant is more important than anything. However, it is Mrs. Khoo activates the Pendant that is important, as a symbol of social standing."
| |
|
Toni Cade Bambara's "The Lesson", 2007.
A look at how the plot and theme of Toni Cade Bambara's short story, "The Lesson", reflect communist ideology.
1,645 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 53.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that, in "The Communist Manifesto", Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx deplore the emergence of classes, such as the bourgeois and the proletariat, which they consider to be products of the rise and dominance of capitalism in Europe. The author points out that, in "The Lesson", Toni Cade Bambara relates how the African-American children, who are intimidated by the displays of white wealth they see on Fifth Avenue, are reluctant to enter the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store and express their resentment through scorn. The paper demonstrates how Bambara uses plot, themes, characterizations and the symbolism of the settings to create the conflict between social classes that is also suggested by Engels and Marx. The paper includes quotations from the book.
From the Paper
"Examples from "The Communist Manifesto" and this scene from "The Lesson" confirm this and demonstrate how literature can be an ideological force. For example, Marx himself observed that literature is not a static mirror image of culture; rather it is itself a contributing force to the social dialectic of history. Furthermore, he noted that literature does not just reflect the hegemony of the ruling class; it also reflects the oppositional forces that counter that hegemony. It carries the vestigial traces of past modes of production and the germs of the future modes of production."
| |
|
Comedy in "Twelfth Night", 2008.
An analysis of the use of comedy as a form of instruction in William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night".
1,754 words (approx. 7.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 56.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses how "Twelfth Night" is a powerful vehicle for teaching its audiences several important lessons and how the play draws people in because it is an entertaining romantic comedy, complete with cross-dressing and the titillating misunderstandings that derive from the cross-dressing. It argues that the lessons are made more accessible because they are conveyed by characters and actions in a romantic comedy, frequently in a comic way, than they would have been if the lessons were simply stated in a didactic way.
From the Paper
"In Shakespeare's time, his plays provided entertainment and often comedy to people who had far less access to entertainment than we do in our time, with our highly commercialized and ubiquitous entertainment industry. His plays were therefore much enjoyed, and any lessons he intended were keenly listened to. This is the first reason why the comic antics portrayed in Twelfth Night would have been likely to communicate the lessons Shakespeare intended - simply because the play would have been so greatly enjoyed. It is a classic romantic comedy, dealing as it does with the never-failingly-interesting topic of romance, and providing the audience with a satisfying happy ending. "
| |
|
Fluvoxamine vs. Placebo, 2007.
A comparative analysis of articles on the use of fluvoxamine versus the use of a placebo.
1,969 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 62.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper provides a review of three articles related to the use of fluvoxamine or controlled-release fluvoxamine and the use of a placebo for generalized social anxiety disorder (GASD) and for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A third article is a literature review that details the efficacy of placebos for dopaminergic disorders and emphasizes the strong biochemical basis for the use of placebos. The first two articles are compared in a formal comparison and then both are contrasted against the third.
From the Paper
"In order to gain the most knowledge one can from reading published research one must assess the work beyond the normal article critique in order to glean the greatest benefits and applicable knowledge. Primarily when working in the field, often one has to compare the relative merits of the published work in relation to other published work on the same topic. This paper presents a classic comparison between two articles and then contrasts both with a third. Each deal with the use of a placebo either studying the efficacy of fluvoxamine compared to a placebo or reporting on the physiological/neurological basis for the efficacy seen in studies where placebos are used."
| |
|
Capitalism and Society, 2007.
A review of the affect of capitalism on society through literature and philosophy.
1,493 words (approx. 6.0 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 49.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines the influences of capitalism on society. It does this by comparing and contrasting Henry Miller's "Death of a Salesman" and C. Wright Mills' "The Sociological Imagination" with two outside sources: Max Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' "The Communist Manifesto". Through these sources, the paper aims to identify the various positive and negative influences capitalism has had on individuals, families, relationships, politics and on society itself.
From the Paper
"But Weber disagreed with Marx's claim that social alienation is only a transitional stage on the road to man's true emancipation from the chains of capitalism and did not accept Marx's rigid assertion that capitalism had led to the expropriation of the worker
from the mode of production. Weber believed that what Marx defined as expropriation was simply an inevitable consequence of any societal system of rationally coordinated production.
In contrast to Marx's position on this issue, Weber argued that people could not participate in socially significant action unless they joined large-scale organizations."
"He conceded that upon joining such organizations they would have to place their own personal desires and goals secondary to the impersonal goals and procedures of the organization. This could have personal consequences in the form of social alienation, but the advantages of membership in large organizations would enable them to contribute
to socially significant actions. (Weber 98)"
| |
|
"Disgrace", 2007.
An analysis of the roles of victim and villain in the novel "Disgrace" by J.M. Coetzee.
732 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 26.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This literary study examines the villain and the victim in the novel "Disgrace" by J.M. Coetzee. It analyzes the characters of David Lurie as the main villain of the novel and David's daughter Lucy who is considered to be the victim of the novel. The paper describes the plot of the story with quotes as it focuses on these two protagonists and their roles in the story.
From the Paper
"When David is fired for seducing Melanie at the College, he eventually goes to live with his daughter, Lucy. Lucy owns a farm and also works at an animal shelter in the region. Although David has been disgraced, his daughter takes him into her home and he begins to work alongside her as a farmer. However, the simplicity of life that David is seeking is not present, as he and his daughter are attacked by three black men. Lucy is raped, which changes David's misogynist view of women. Certainly, Lucy is the victim in this story, as she must now live with the memory of her attackers and the pain that she endured."
| |
|
"The Lamp at Noon", 2007.
An analysis of the insanity of the character of Ellen in Sinclair Ross' novel "The Lamp at Noon".
723 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 25.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses the themes of loneliness, isolation and survival in Sinclair Ross' novel "The Lamp at Noon". It particularly focuses on the insanity of the character of Ellen and the reasons for her becoming insane during the story. The paper shows how this story epitomizes the struggle of the Canadian farmer during the depression in the 1930s.
From the Paper
"This story epitomizes the struggle of the Canadian farmer during the depression. The refusal to listen to advice for changing farming practices in the face of drought; sacrificing long-term prosperity for short term cash grab, is the hallmark of many 1930s failed farms. The relationship between Ellen and Paul plays out another story, that of the poor man who marries a rich wife. The chip on his shoulder and foolish pride prevent him from listening to his wife and acknowledging when it is time to change, to move on, and to put aside his pride to save his marriage and family. Ellen is the traditional wife, needing her husband, but locked in the rules of marriage and staying at the farm even though she knows she should leave to save her baby. Yet she stays and the baby dies. The guilt and shame of that decision and the isolation ultimately cause her insanity."
| |
|
"Enduring Love", 2007.
An analysis of the psychological pathology of madness in "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan.
908 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 32.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines the psychological pathology of madness that arises within the novel "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan. The characters Joe, Jed, Clarissa and Mrs. Logan are critically analyzed through a narrative perspective, which divulges the pathology of madness that is present within the novel.
From the Paper
"The central theme of Ian McEwan's novel Enduring love revolves around the subtext of guilt, shame, and remorse that Joe Rose must face after failing to rescue a boy from a balloon. In the Chilterns, Joe Rose and his wife Clarissa witness a balloon accident where a boy is trapped within balloon that has gotten out of control. In an effort to try and brig the balloon back down the ground, Joe and two other men fail to pull the balloon downwards. Although Joe and Jed had dropped off as the wind took the aircraft in a sudden gust, the third man, John Logan, falls to his death because of a late release. "
| |
|
Chinese Literary Modernism, 2007.
An overview of Chinese literary modernism with a focus on Ja Bin's novel "Cold Night".
2,551 words (approx. 10.2 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 77.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines Shanghai's modernist literary movement popularly associated with the interval of 1917 to 1937. A second topic is introduced of how Ja Bin's novel of 1947, "Cold Night", describes the plight of the individual in relation to his or her connection to the state during the Sino-Japanese War, which inflicted such widespread and extreme suffering and destruction in China.
Outline:
Introduction
Lee, Shih and What Happened in Shanghai
"Cold Nights"
Concluding Discussion
From the Paper
"Literary modernism in Shanghai, as a 'movement' evolving between 1917 and 1937, continues to fascinate scholars of literature as much as those of modern Chinese history. Indeed, pre-World War II Shanghai continues to intrigue a variety of Westerners in particular as shown by a strong tourism industry of the present, visitors wishing to see what survives of "old" Shanghai, meaning the world of China's westernized elite, Chiang Kai Shek, or where the Soong Sisters liked to take cocktails in the evenings on visits, there. What some Chinese have regarded as run down, pre-War hotels and other structures of the past hold a powerful romantic or nostalgia appeal to visitors that may or may not have much to do with what Shanghai's literary scene was like through the 1920s and 1930s."
Mao, Nathan. "Pa Chin's Journey in Sentiment from Hope to Despair." Journal of the Chinese
Language Teachers' Association. 11. (1976): 131-137.
Shih, Shu-meih. The Lure of the Modern - Writing Modernism in Semi-Colonial China, 1917-
1937. Berkeley Interdisciplinary Studies of China Series No. 1. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2001.
Tang, Xiaobing. "The Last Tubercular in Modern Chinese Literature - on Ba Jin's Cold
Nights," in Chinese Modernism - the Heroic and the Quotidian. Durham: Duke University Press, 2000, 131-160.
& course materials, University of Toronto, 2006-2007.
| |
|
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", 2007.
An analysis of dissociative identity disorder within "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 31.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper analyzes the psychological aspects of the split personality and the role of good and evil in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson. It analyzes the modern psychological theories on dissociative identity disorder (DID) or "split personality" symptoms and discusses them within the interior narrative of the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
From the Paper
"In conclusion, this study has analyzed the psychological elements of the split personality or what is otherwise known as Dissociative Identity Disorder in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The symptoms of DID are ever present in the polarized personalities that Dr. Jekyll's potion releases in the evil personality of Mr. Hyde. In this manner, Dr. Jekyll and Mr., Hyde effectively represent the good and evil sides of human nature, but is depicted in Stevenson's novel through the scope of mental illnesses found with Dissociative Identity Disorder."
| |
|
"A Tribe Apart", 2007.
An analysis of Patricia Hersch's text "A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence".
1,111 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 38.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explores Patricia Hersch's 1998 text, "A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence" and outlines the central beliefs and assumptions which inform her work. It also considers the corrective action Hersch believes must be taken if certain arresting (and deeply troubling) trends in society are to be halted. Finally, the paper also considers how successfully Hersch's text serves as a example of how adults and adolescents can learn to communicate with one another by the former allowing the latter to speak for themselves.
From the Paper
"At its core, Hersch's book is about the idea that children are paying the price for the social un-mooring of the 1960s and 1970s. That is to say, many of "today's" children - Hersch's book was released in 1998 - are growing up without the support and supervision of adults and are therefore not instructed in how to grapple successfully with the challenges and responsibilities of school, social life, even participation in a democratic society. Hersch proceeds onward to note - and here she draws upon a comment by Peter L. Benson of the Search Institute - that America has somehow forgotten what is necessary for the raising of healthy, productive children (12). In a real sense, young people today are becoming a "tribe apart" because the harried adults of the 1990s and 2000's are finding it difficult to incorporate the supervision and counseling of young people into their lives. "
| |
|
The Works of Langston Hughes, 2007.
An analysis of the life and works of Langston Hughes and their contribution to the Harlem Renaissance.
1,968 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 10 sources, MLA, $ 62.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses the life and works of African-American writer, Langston Hughes. It particularly considers how Hughes was linked to the period of time known as the Harlem Renaissance and how he affected this time period. The paper also looks at the early life of Hughes and discusses how the life and writings of Langston Hughes continues to inspire African-Americans to this day.
Table of Contents:
The Early Life of Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes and Harlem
Life and Career of Langston Hughes
The Works of Langston Hughes
From the Paper
"While the early life of Langston Hughes, and the Harlem Renaissance have been discussed, it is important to study what his life was like as he strived to eventually make Harlem his home. Early in life Hughes had decided to make writing as his career. At only eighteen years old, Hughes decided that he would make his living as a writer, but only had Hughes decided to be a writer, he had also decided to focus most of his writings to be about African Americans. "From his decision around 1920, at the age of 18, to try to live by his writings, he devoted himself to a career that would take as its center the world of African Americans" (Rampersad 22). Hughes believed African Americans were equal to whites and he believed in valuing humanity regardless of the person's skin color or race. "He moved easily between this profound sense of racial pride and love - unrivaled in its intensity by that of any other major writer - a cosmopolitanism that made him at home all around the world" (Rampersad 22). Even at a young age, people began to value his works."
| |
|
"My Antonia", 2007.
An analysis of the theme of friendship and memory in "My Antonia" by Willa Cather.
1,318 words (approx. 5.3 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 44.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper contends that it is the undertones of Willa Cather's lesbian sexuality, her use of the second person narrative technique
and her portrayal of Jim that form the basis of friendship and memory in her novel "My Antonia".
From the Paper
"Antonia has become the central figure she always was meant to
be, enduring the constant toil and the oppressive sod cave and then
as the vivacious town teenager. "It's no wonder that her sons stood
tall and straight. She was a rich mine of life, like the founders of
early races" (167). Antonia lived her whole life in action as opposed
to Jim's pensive reflection. She milked, broke sod, shocked wheat,
harvested, sacrificed schooling to help on the farm, learned a new
language, fell in love, got jilted and a baby to raise on her own,
and then started all over again to build a life and a new family. "
|
|
|
