Abstract
This paper discusses how "Tender Offer" by Wendy Wasserstein is a prime example of how individuals laboring under the mystification of a capitalistic society are victimized by the American Dream they are struggling so hard to attain. It explains that the main character, Paul, is completely entrenched in his ideology of the illusory American Dream and his ability to procure that lifestyle, but his relationship with his daughter, Lisa, is a clear indication of his inability to accept the harsh realities of life in a capitalistic society.

From the Paper
"The character of Lisa in the play is more concerned with living life than with finances. She cannot understand how her father could place business before important events in her life, like the dance recital. When she casts her second-place trophy in the trash, it is evident that without the support of her father, her pride in winning has disappeared. Unconsciously, Lisa feels second place is nothing. Her father is a winner. If she isn't a winner, she is a loser. Therefore, her father will not want anything to do with her. A survey conducted by Higgens, Duxbury and Lee demonstrated the decreasing number of hours fathers are spending with their children and the devastating effects on the children. On the average, "fathers spend less than two hours a day in the presence of their children." According to their research, more children are requiring some type of intervention, either through counseling or school assistance, to overcome feelings of maladaptation in their social environments" in order to form healthy family relationships (150)."

Tags:capitalism, daughters, family, relationships

Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of the theories of John Berger in "Ways of Seeing", focusing on how the invention of the camera has changed the way we see objects over time. Aspects of mystification, Marxist criticism, and increased subjectivity in seeing are addressed.

From the Paper
"In "Ways of Seeing" John Berger provides a discussion of the changes wrought by the invention of the camera. Literally, as well as figuratively, the mechanical eye forged a new way of seeing compared to painting. The camera showed that the notion of time passing was inseparable from the experience of the visual. What you saw depended upon where you were, when. What you saw was relative to your position in time and space. Primarily, Berger argues that since the..."

Tags:culture, elites, wealthy, poor, ideology, gaze, values, beliefs, personal

Abstract
This essay describes the writer's decision to forgo seeing Michelangelo's "David" while in Florence, Italy and instead go shopping and how this decision impacted her later education. The writer relates that she regrets that decision and reflects upon what helps someone appreciate such a work of art and how she hopes to have another opportunity to see "David" to gain a new appreciation for its genius.

From the Paper
"Personalization is a theme seen in education, and is one of the conclusions in The Achievement of Desire. Rodriguez was so mystified with education itself that it affected his ability to think critically. He was mystified by his teachers, and therefore, wrote down every word they said without really analyzing what had been said. He was mystified by the books he read, and therefore, didn't really gain anything from them. His relationship with education wasn't as strong as he believed."

Tags:florence, language, reading, mystification, personalization

Abstract
This paper explains that, in analyzing Polish-centered Holocaust literature and films, it becomes clear that certain themes are recurrent: Imagination vs. reality, exposure vs. nakedness, the inversion of Biblical meaning and of human order in general, pre-destined catastrophe and the appropriateness of humor. The author states that the Polish-centered themes are more vivid and their representation more graphically intense than the general writing about the Holocaust because of the concentration of death camps and the density of its tragedy; Poland is often perceived as the "ground zero" and the pivotal point by which Holocaust writers come to grips with the slaughter of the Jews and others. The paper analyzes many examples of Polish Holocaust literature: Alfred Andersch' "Efraim's Book", Arnold Wesker's " Sophie's Choice", Pierre Gascar's "Seasons of the Dead", Claude Lanzmann's film/ quasi-documentary "Shoah", Aaron Appelfeld's novella "Badenheim 1939", K. Tsetnik's "Salamandra", Henri Raczymow's "Un Cris sans Voix", Emanuel Ringelbaum's "Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto" and the Academy Award winning movie "Life is Beautiful".

From the Paper
"In Shoah literature, certain questions present themselves again and again: Do these themes - which often reflect a universal character of sort - diminish the particular suffering and injustice of the event? Can any writing truly capture the enormous moral crimes of the Holocaust? Sparking a hotly-discussed debate, Theodor Adorno wrote that poetic treatments of the Shoah were a form of "barbarism." In light of this criticism, it has often been asked by both writers and critics alike, what justification does a writer have for treating the subject matter at all? This charge has seldom been directed at any other subject of fiction, but it might be argued that such outrageous criticism is simply evidence of the subject's moral and tragic dimensions."

Tags:concentration, mystification, documentary, humor, scene

Abstract
The paper defines colonialism and discusses how colonial practices have become the basis for numerous literary writings and how the action of these novels generally take place on an island colonized by the British Empire. The paper discusses in detail the concept of colonialism in the popular children's novels, Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" and Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". The two literary works fit the pattern of colonial writing, as they both deal with characters indoctrinated by the conquering spirit of the British Empire. The paper comments that in both novels the authors try to promote their ways in the newly found territories, with different outcomes.

Outline:
Colonialism
Robinson Crusoe
Heart of Darkness
Conclusions

From the Paper
"His criticism of the Belgian, French and even Roman colonisations emerges from the belief that brute-force and greed must not be the reasons behind it, but the altruistic sense of doing right by the colonized people and bringing civilization into their lives - that is the secret of successful colonization. Colonialist practices are justified "not (by) a sentimental pretence but (by) an idea, and an unselfish belief in the idea- something you can set up and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to". At the end of his journey, Marlow achieves an individual superiority, which allows him to become detached from the rest of the characters. "

Tags:idealist, mystification, sentimental, pretense, ultimate, argument