Abstract Sir ThomasMalory lived an interesting life as an extortionist, rapist, etc. He wrote "Le Morte d'Arthur" while spending his time in prison from which he escaped. This paper recognizes the correlation between his writing and his lifestyle.
From the Paper "It is no accident that Sir Thomas Malory wrote about the life he lived. As a noble knight and landowner, he was more than fascinated with his own lifestyle. Overwhelmed by the events that occurred in his own era, Malory was not shy of trouble, and/or bravery. The story of King Arthur, Le Morte d"Arthur, was inspired from the very moments that unified his life. He grew up in a time period of castles, knights, feudalism and chivalry, which in turn makes for a brilliant tale of valiance and romance, all of which are included in the story. It is from this vast sea of expeditions and events in which Malory encountered and explored, that he conceived his story Le Morte d"Arthur."
Tags: arthur, king, knights, malory, morte, round, table, thomas
Abstract St. Thomas Aquinas contributed a great deal to the entirety of Christian Theology both during and after his life; particularly in his writings. St. Thomas, as he is referred to in short, was an astute Biblical scholar who was as devoted to the faith in human reason as he was in God. St. Thomas' tome, Summa Theological, is, literally, the summation of his understanding of theology. In this work Aquinas single-handedly justified and 'proved' the whole of the spiritual nature, the soul, God, and a Christian life. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the contributions of St. Thomas Aquinas to Christian theology and his impact upon Christianity itself.
Abstract This is a study on the use of Gospels of Thomas in a time where, if the gospels of Luke, John, Mark and Mathew were newly circulating at the same time, how the choice for Thomas' Gospel will be made. The argument presented will tell how the Gospel of Thomas was a better way than the Old Testament in bringing the message of God the common people. With the advent of Thomas as the 'twin' of Jesus and the creation of this gospel was a good change for the Church and is supported here.
Abstract This paper examines Dylan Thomas and his poetry by analyzing his work through spiritual glasses. It describes the influences of spirituality versus religion. It studies his work "18 Poems" which he wrote in 1934 and how it brought him immediate recognition. It excerpts his poems and analyzes them. It concludes that Dylan Thomas was a very spiritual person influenced mostly by Christian, Jewish and Catholic images.
From the Paper "Every poet is, in a sense, two people: the poet and the persona, or presence, that speaks through the poetry. With Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) both poet and persona tend to scintillate into the sublime and the ridiculous. With the aid of what Thomas called Comrade Bottle, they could unleash themselves into the depths of the subterranean and the grotesquely morbid. Some of Thomas? early verses were unintelligible, so in love with words was he; and critics have often disagreed on valid interpretations of Thomas? work (Ferris, 2000, p.95). As well, the disagreements carry over to valid interpretations of the poet's life. How much of his drunken, often tactless prattle was for the sake of the song, and how much was the poet's gift"and torture"of seeing so much and feeling so deeply that it was all he could do to fend off madness? In a 1933 South Wales Evening Post essay, he wrote: "the borderline of insanity is more difficult to trace than the majority of people, comparatively safe within the barriers of their own common-sensibility, can realise" (Bedford-St. Martin?s, N.D. 2). "
Abstract The paper analyzes Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas and his actions in twelve years as the only African American in the court, concentrating on the topic of affirmative action. The paper highlights Thomas' conservative bent.
From the Paper "Justice Clarence Thomas is the only black member of the United States Supreme Court. Thomas is one of the most conservative Justices in the current court. Based on a recent vote, it appears Justice Thomas is an opponent of affirmative action programs. In a case that was decided in June, Judge Thomas disagreed with the majority of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a University of Michigan Law School program that seeks to boost minority enrollment through an affirmative action type program."
Tags: Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court, affirmative action, discrimination, University of Michigan, voting records, conservative, black, minority, admissions
Abstract This paper offers a personal opinion on the importance of Thomas Paine's revolutionary document in American history. The author discusses the main ideals and themes in Paine's work, "Common Sense". The paper compares the "Declaration of Independence" and "Common Sense" and states reasons why it is Thomas Paine's work that Americans should idealize and remember.
From the Paper "Thomas shed new light to the matter and made it a point to emphasize that America can and will survive on it own without any British intervention. He simply made a point that America does not need Great Britain and went on to say that "America would have flourished as much, probably much more, had no European Power had anything to do with her" (Thomas Paine). In "Common Sense", Thomas Paine portrays the British to be greedy for power and control and he clarifies that Britain's intervention is not for the benefit of the American people but rather because she wants control and would've done the same to Turkey for the same motive "viz., the sake of trade and dominion" (Thomas Paine)."
Tags: America, Declaration, Independence, Thomas, Jefferson, history
Examines the life of Sir/Saint Thomas More and analyzes the influences on his life, including an examination of the concept of Utopia, his relationship with King Henry VIII, his eventual death, and his martyrdom.
Abstract Thomas More is a figure greatly revered both by historians and the religious world. This paper examines these things in light of his contributions to Christianity and the development of the Catholic Church during its most volatile period. It affirms More's convictions as "the king's good servant, but God's first".
From the Paper "History will remember Sir Thomas More as many things. He was a major renaissance figure and author and a successful businessman, diplomat and royal secretary. He was a close friend of King Henry VIII and a valued and trusted advisor. He was devoutly religious and fiercely loyal to the Catholic Church, at a time when the church was under great scrutiny. He was also a family man, with four children of his own and several, which he adopted. He was a man in transition, part modern, part medieval. In fact, much of his life was characterized by these conflicts. Most importantly, however, Thomas More was a Christian, martyred in 1535 and canonized Saint Thomas More by Pope Pius in 1935, more than 40 years later. He has been placed in the same boat as the great passive revolutionaries, like Jesus and Gandhi. At the unveiling of a statue dedicated to More, placed on the banks of the Thames in London, in 1969, the Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury said: "He believed that the Christian Church is a divine society wider than states and nations, and that duty to king yields place to duty to God." This belief in the church and God characterized More's life and motivated all his actions. However the time in which he lived and its humanistic tradition also influenced More to some degree and his career and works demonstrate how that influenced changed over time, as he deserts humanism to fully defend his church latter in life."
Tags: christianity, henry, reformation, religon, spirituality, thomas, viii
Abstract This paper describes the influence of photography on the portraits, landscapes, and pastorals created by American Realist artist Thomas Eakins. The paper describes the specific influences of photography on Eakins and photography as a source of his inspiration.
From the Paper "According to art critic and biographer Sylvan Schendler has suggested that with respect to the work of American Realist artist Thomas Eakins photography was an important source of .."
Abstract This paper analyzes Thomas Hobbes's "Leviathan" and examines its meaning, the influences of other writers on Hobbes and its effect on modern thinking. The paper also contends that Hobbes was a radical philosophical revolutionary.
From the Paper "Leviathan: My analysis of Thomas Hobbes' "Leviathan" began with a study of the authorship of the book. The copyright page listed Thomas Hobbes as the author and gave his birth and death dates as and respectively. The page stated that the book contained selected variants from the Latin edition of Thomas Hobbes. It appears to be an authentic edition of the book with Hobbes as the author. Hobbes's audience for Leviathan is a matter of some controversy."
Abstract This paper examines the impact of Saint Thomas Aquinas on modern society and points out how it is important to note that his articulation of his natural law doctrine has been very influential for more than seven centuries. The paper explains that this influence has extended beyond philosophy and religion, because Aquinas conceived of natural law within a much larger context of human actions and their place in the order of creation.
From the Paper "As Braybrooke (2003) notes, Aquinas' conception of natural law has had a major impact on human society, primarily because his natural law doctrine "articulates a 'philosophical' ethics within a 'theological' understanding of God and the universe without compromising the integrity of either the philosophical or the theological enterprises.""
Abstract This paper examines the pitfalls in Thomas More's "Utopia." The paper is written from the perspective of the modern reader, who can critique More's society based on what is considered acceptable in our times. The paper's author argues against several issues in More's work, one being slavery and the other being the lack of free choice. The paper gives various examples of what the author considers to show the impracticality and lack of fairness can easily be gleaned from More's work.
From the Paper "In Thomas More's Utopia it is clear that the main sense of the work revolves around fairness, especially in the organization of the people of the country of Utopia. In More's country all the people are equal, according to the laws, language, location of cities and their responsibilities for the maintenance of the whole. Each individual was expected to be a part of the industry associated with maintaining the city where they lived, to the degree that each individual was responsible for moving to the agricultural area and working the land for a period of time, to be replaced by others from the city in a rotation similar to elected representatives and senators."
This paper discusses the story of Sir Tristram, King of Lyonesse, as depicted in Sir ThomasMalory's "Le Morte Darthur: The Book of King Arthur and of his Noble Knights of the Round Table".
Abstract This paper explains that Sir ThomasMalory's tale of Sir Tristram, King of Lyonesse, is memorable and unique in its depth of detail, which includes descriptions of his life from his noble origins to his truly tragic death. The author points out that the most unique aspect of this story is likely his passionate, consuming, ill-fated love affair with Isoud. The paper compares Tristram's tale with the tales of other "Knights of the Round Table", such as Lancelot and Galahad.
From the Paper "Ultimately, the romances of both Sir Tristram and Isoud, and Lancelot and Guinevere are destined for tragedy. Lancelot and Guinevere suffer terribly for their love, and Tristram and Isoud also suffer. Sir Tristram, caught in his adulterous affair with Isoud, must leave his uncle's court in dishonor. He travels to King Howell's court in Brittany, where he fights bravely, and is offered the hand of the King's daughter in marriage (also named Isoud). Tristram pines terribly for his lover Isoud for the rest of his life, and eventually dies painfully and tragically in a heated battle. His lover Isoud commits suicide, and the two ill-fated lovers die without being reunited, as the formerly mighty kingdom of Lyonesse sinks into the sea, as a symbol of their lost love."
Abstract Sir Arthur Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur" presents, in one volume, a cumulative and syncretic vision of knighthood. A knight has several roles, and his worth depends on how well he fulfills them. Malory's knights are primarily defined by martial success, although the knights of the Grail Quest have a separate set of standards to live up to because of the spiritual component of their quest. This paper describes the defining characteristics of a Malorian knight and addresses apparent inconsistencies in the text. The knights' characteristics are prowess in feats of arms, lack of caution, courtesy and devotion to the fellowship and, by extension, to the state. Relationships with women are usually conducted along the lines of courtly love. The ascendancy in Book VI of "pure" knights like Galahad does not indicate inconsistency on Malory's part, but rather a change in the Arthurian world, a need for a new kind of knight for a new kind of quest.
From the Paper "Many knights disobey some of the guidelines for knightly conduct, but the sympathetic ones usually have a reasonable excuse. Arthur orders young boys killed to avert the prophesy of his death but this is not strongly condemned. Tristram cannot ride to the aid of Lord Segwerdes' abducted wife until her husband has tried to free her or it will be too obvious that Tristram is having an affair with her. Lancelot shamefully rides in a cart because he is in a terrible rush to reach Guinevere. Tristram technically commits treason by cuckolding his king, but a chapter heading within the tale of Tristram de Lyones is entitled "Here Begynneth the Treson of Kinge Marke That He Ordayned Agayne Sir Trystram." Of all the knights, Sir Gareth is probably the one who lives most in accordance with the chivalric ideal."
Abstract This paper attempts to educate the reader on the importance of Thomas Paine's writings and his passion for independence. It discuses Paine's influence on the common man and also his influence, if any, on men known to be "great men" in history such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. In addition, the paper discusses whether Thomas Paine was the first to advocate the emancipation of the Negro in America, support women's rights or was the first to propose a constitutional government in the United States.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Thomas Paine Background Information
Was Thomas Paine a Patriot?
The Passion Present in his Writings
Paine's Influence on Historic Figures
Thomas Paine- Influence on Common People
Thomas Paine--the Emancipation of Slaves and Women's Rights
Conclusion
From the Paper "As it pertains to the other aims of the research, it is evident from the passages provided, that Thomas Paine had passionate feelings about America. He wrote many essays on various topics throughout his life. In some instances he wrote essays on the same topic over a number of years or months. He understood what the forefathers were trying to accomplish in the new world and he supported their endeavors. It is evident that Thomas Paine played a significant role in formulating the ideas and philosophies associated with the declaration of independence. Without the document and without the spirit behind that document America would not be the country that it is today. It still isn't a perfect union but it does have a pretty solid political structure in place."
Abstract This paper explains that the poetics of Dylan Thomas and T. S. Eliot demonstrate the manner in which Thomas challenges and re-figures the previous aesthetic ideas of Eliot. The author points out that, whereas Eliot views tradition as a cultural accumulation of literary works within which the writer participates, Thomas shatters these historical bonds. The paper relates that, although both authors strive to achieve an emotional complexity and depth in their work, Thomas refuses the sublimation of the poet's personality to the literary medium by embracing the medium itself with the entirety of his personality and composition as an act of celebration rather than repression. The author underscores that, through his playful love of all the elements and structures of language, Thomas is able to achieve an emotional depth rooted in the medium of literature without the sacrifice of the poet's personality.
From the Paper "The value Eliot places upon tradition necessitates the depersonalization of the poet and the perfection of the medium of language to sufficiently express the concentration of the past and its convergence with the experience of the present. The personal experiences and emotions of the poet are too subjective to contain the enormity of what the present represents to literary history, so therefore he must engage in "a continual surrender of himself as he is at the moment to something which is more valuable." The poet is envisioned as a catalyst that collects and transforms his emotions and experiences into a new compound that is greater than the sum of its parts."
