Abstract This review of Eugene O'Neil's "Long Day's Journey Into Night", describes how the characters use denial as a temporary escape from their problems. Whether it be denying personal qualities, such as stinginess, a bad decision, or an unhealthy addiction, their denial only makes their problems worse. O'Neill uses the Tyrone family and their denial to show how avoiding issues is not going to solve or make them disappear. Though denial may be a temporary escape from a problem, in the long run it is futile.
From the Paper "It is common knowledge that "The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem." Unfortunately, in Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night", many of the characters find the first step to be the hardest. Instead of facing reality, James Tyrone, Edmund, Jamie, and Mary continue to deny their problems in hopes that they will go away. Each of the characters uses denial as a temporary escape from their problems and the reality of the world rather than facing their problems and solving them."
Abstract This paper briefly examines Eugene O'Neill's use of various types of realism in several of his plays. The paper points out that, in general, O'Neill did not deal with the preoccupations of the external world but rather with his own preoccupations, which were derived not from these personal demons but from his religious treatment of them. The paper then relates that the realism in "Desire under the Elms" involves aspects of Freudian psychology, as seen in the character Eben's Oedipal complex. The author concludes that the realism of the setting and of the speech patterns of the play makes the action seem all the more universal and a mirror of human psychology more than anything separate and unique to the characters in the play.
From the Paper "As O'Neill became more famous in his early years as a playwright, he also became increasingly conscious of his public position and increasingly articulate about his ideals and hopes for American drama. As often happens, after his initial success he achieved notoriety as critics questioned some of his work, such as "All God's Chillun" for its racial theme or "Desire Under the Elms" for its supposed immorality. His reputation then reached new heights with the production of "Strange Interlude" in 1928, a play that took more than five hours to present."
Abstract This paper discusses Eugene O'Neill's plays, "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and "The Iceman Cometh", in terms of their common themes dealing with how the inevitable tragedies of life can trigger self-destructive behavior in people, and whether human happiness depends on denial and consoling lies or confrontation with reality.
Abstract This paper begins by providing an overview of the life of Eugene O'Neill and looks at the literary trends during his time. It then compares and contrasts works from his two distinct career phases, showing how when the author came out of the influence of European thinkers and writers, he managed to write some of his best plays. The plays that are compared are "The Emperor Jones" and "A Long Day's Journey into Night".
From the Paper "In this play, the author illustrates the one man's journey into the heart of darkness where he meets his fears in form of apparition and finally comes to accept his humanity. The Emperor in this case is Jones who has been controlling an island ruthlessly; robbing the natives of their wealth and making them believe he was an invincible god-like being. When he learns of a revolt brewing, he runs into the forest and loses his way. This journey is the most important part of the play as it reveals the inner struggle that every man goes through when choosing between right and wrong, good and evil. Doris Falk explains: "The progress of Jones is progress in self understanding; it is the stripping off of the masks of self, layer by layer, just s bit by his emperor's uniform is ripped from his destiny, himself in nakedness". (67) Jones is stripped of the front that he had put on for so long. It is when that identity is gone, that Jones is forced to question and accept his own limitations. He is a human being with all the same desires, urges and fears that every man experiences and it is when he realizes how helpless he is without his fake identity that he becomes more human and humble. Expressionist plays have a different rather subjective way of dealing with real problems and issues. For example, fears in this case have been projected as apparitions or ghosts that haunt Jones and remind him of his weaknesses. ?They are black, shapeless, only their glittering little eyes can be seen. If they have any describable form at all it is that of a grub worm about the size of a creeping child. They move noiselessly, but with deliberate, painful effort, striving to raise themselves on end, failing and sinking prone again.? (Scene II, 28)
Some other important issues have also been raised in the play especially race and racism. Threading it with the issue of identity, the author explains that Jones? belief that he had the same powers, as a white man was a faulty one since it negated the significance of his own black race. Because he denied his race and shunned it and since he was certainly not white, the man lost his identity completely and was lurking in the dark, looking for an identity and a sense of belonging. While reminiscing about his criminal past, the protagonist thinks about Jeff, the white man he had murdered."
Abstract This paper analyzes, compares and contrasts the theme's seen in Eugene O'Neill's "Iceman Cometh" and Richard Wright's "Native Son". The paper explains that both works contain a theme about radical politics even though the conclusions arrived at in each piece is different.
From the Paper "O'Neill mentions The Movement very early to let readers know that this play is not only about individuals, but also political action groups, that have not successfully reached their goals in life. In act 1, Parritt says: "I hung around pool rooms and gambling joints and hooker shops, where they'd never look for a Wobblie, pretending I was a sport." Later in the same act, Harry Hope berates Slade: "Crazy is right! Yah! The old wise guy! Wise, hell! A damned old fool Anarchist I-Won't-Worker!" Later in act 1, Hope says again to Slade: "You bughouse I-Won't-Work harp, who asked you to shove in an oar?" Here again he is identifying and making fun of Slade's IWW past."
Abstract The paper posits that Eugene O'Neill's play, "Beyond the Horizon", is a naturalist expression, while his play, "The Hairy Ape", is much more expressionistic, though each has elements of the other. The paper examines both works in order to demonstrate O'Neill's use of both naturalism and expressionism.
From the Paper "Naturalism is considered an artistic movement that seeks to represent an ordinary, every day reality to convey an artistic or universal thematic message. In theater, this refered to the illusion of reality as represented through detailled sets fuelled by the grandiose imagery of the dialogue itself and the unpoetic effusive literary style which also gives rise to expressionism. In this sense, reality gives way to heightened reality and this represents the transitionary phase and the distinction between naturalism and expressionisim, a distinction best revealed through specific study of the literary works of O'Neill that contain elements of both. Whereas naturalism is a faithful and detailled representation of reality, expressionism becomes the overstated and heightened state of reality that would evoke the most poweful human response."
Abstract This paper discusses the philosophy and practice of eugenics. It describes how eugenics is used today and the historical role that it has played in immigration. The paper looks at the differences between positive and negative eugenics and discusses the ethical considerations that need to be taken into account when discussing the practice of eugenics.
Table of Contents:
Overview of Eugenics Eugenics Today
Eugenics and Immigration
Conclusion
From the Paper "Even in modern culture, eugenics continues to play a role in immigration. For example, the story depicted in Dirty Pretty Things tells of two immigrants living in London who are forced to engage in sexual acts and the harvesting of their own body parts in order to remain in the country illegally. Although this may not seem like eugenics at the forefront, at its most basic level it is still a result of eugenics. For instance, if the national government did not place strict limitations on immigrants from Africa and Muslim countries (the locales of the movie's main characters) they would not have to live in London illegally. If they were not living in London illegally, then they would not have to subject themselves to such inhumane treatment as forced sex and organ harvesting. Thus, the effects of modern-day eugenics extend well beyond just limiting who can and cannot come to a country. (Frears, 2002)."
Abstract This paper is on the historically based opinions on "is pre-natal screening a new eugenics?" It includes the pros and cons, and composes a position piece. It also defines eugenics, describes the reality and the potential of pre-natal screening, and an opinion on whether this does or could constitute eugenics. It also has the references from Ruth Schwartz Cowan on pre-natal screening, and Garland Allen on the new eugenics.
Abstract This paper is a review of "Black Mass, The Irish Mob, The Boston FBI, and a Devil's Deal" written by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill. The paper describes the investigation in the book of two notorious criminals of South Boston's Irish ghetto, Jim 'Whitey' Bulger and his brother, Billy Bulger, where one gets arrested and the other remains on the FBI's 'top ten' list of wanted criminals.
From the Paper "A Review of Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill's Black Mass, The Irish Mob, The Boston FBI, and a Devil's Deal. (New York: PublicAffairs, 2000). In 1988, the authors set out to investigate two notorious criminals of South Boston's Irish ghetto, Jim 'Whitey' Bulger and his brother, Billy Bulger. Whitey Bulger was Boston's most powerful crime boss, and his brother had been made President of the Massachusetts Senate in 1978, both men in collusion those of similar background inside Boston's FBI that permitted Whitey Bulger's career to continue. In 1994, Bill Bulger and several near the top of Whitey Bulger's organization were arrested. Whitey Bulger disappeared and has since been on the FBI's 'top ten' list of wanted criminals. Black Mass will interest readers exploring an environmental approach to criminality in its description of a practically tribal south Boston Irish culture."
Abstract Eugenics is the practice of improving the human race by means of selective breeding. Motivated by the rediscovery of Mendelian genetics in the early 1900s, the eugenics movement peaked in the 1920s. During this time period, many scientific papers were published, aiming to show that social disorders had genetic origins and that selective breeding could improve society as a consequence. This paper shows that while the field of eugenics had its foundations within Mendelian genetics, it suffered from subjective interpretation of data and a lack of consideration of non-genetic factors such as environmental influences. These scientific flaws within eugenics contributed to its refutation. All research is quoted from primary sources.
From the Paper "In addition to the inherent bias of many intelligence tests, the interpretations of such tests were subjective as well. In Davenport's Jamaican study, he finds that the Black population scores higher on arithmetic, and Whites score higher in grammar. He claims that Blacks score lower on grammar tests because "Blacks seemed inferior to the Whites in ability to criticize absurd sentences and make practical judgment." What then, accounts for the ability of the Black group to perform in arithmetic?"
This essay avoids taking a moral stance on the delicate issue of eugenics, but gives a brief detailed assessment of the creation of the eugenic ideal and the history of the American eugenics movement.
1,060 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 4 sources, 1998, $ 37.95
From the Paper "These ideas regarding the selection of the human species are generally referred to as "Social Darwinism." Francis Galton, who first believed that an artificial form of natural selection was needed for the human species, defined eugenics as "the scientific improvement of the human race germ plasm through better breeding." "
Abstract Beginning with Darwin's theory and moving forward into the early 20th century, this paper outlines the spawning and fruition of the eugenics movement, not as a tenet of Hitler's racial cleansing program, but as a significant period in American history. The paper shows that, claiming to be based on Darwin's theory, the eugenics movement was little more than an exercise in pseudoscience. In a testimony to the arrogance of man, American society eagerly accepted the opinions of Edmund Spencer in regards to the ?survival of the fittest,? and combined those notions with Mendelian genetics to form eugenics.
This paper is written and cited in the Chicago style
From the Paper "In the late 19th century, Social Darwinism was extrapolated from Darwin's original Theory of Evolution through the union of bad science and conceit. Within a few short years, further distortion of this idea led to the pseudoscience of Eugenics, or genetic cleansing. What followed was the incarceration, maiming, and even death of those deemed physically, intellectually, or morally below the standards of their self-imposed judges. This was not the Third Reich; this was America, home of the free."
Abstract In Alexander Pushkin's novel, "Eugene Onegin", two very different love letters are written by the protagonists, Tatyana and Eugene. The paper examines the differences in the two letters in terms of how they reflect the psychology of Eugene and Tatyana.
From the Paper "The letter that Onegin writes to Tatyana also starts with him saying that she might find the letter offensive and be angered by it. He also says that the letter will give her reasons to mock him and laugh at him. Because Onegin knows this but still continues to write to her, shows that he genuinely cares for her and wants her to know what he really feels, but the rest of the letter does not bring up the way he loves her. Onegin's letter, while written because of his love for Tatyana, does not talk about his love for her. It does not give reasons as to why they should be together. It is more of an apology, a letter of excuses, and admittance of selfish acts brought on by immature thinking and apprehension of intimate closeness."
Abstract This paper provides an explanation of the science of eugenics and discusses its social and scientific origins. The paper addresses the different movements and changes that took place in American society that had a significant influence on the development of eugenics and explores the role that advertising had in fostering its growth.
From the Paper "The study of eugenics as a valid science during the early 20th century American society are based upon two prevalent beliefs, which is the belief in ? the perfectibility of the human species and a growing faith in science as the most dependable and useful form of knowledge (Microsoft Encarta 2002). Eugenics as popular science during the 20th century emerged due to the social "landscape" of American society during that time. In an article by Garland E. Allen in the Image Archive on American Eugenics Movement entitled, ?Social Origins of Eugenics,? the possible social roots of eugenics is discussed in order to analyze and determine the factors that helped popularize this new kind of science, which resounds dominantly of Social Darwinism."
This essay discusses Nancy Leys Stepan's "The Hour of Eugenics: Race, Gender, and Nation in Latin America" and evaluates how theories of "racial improvement" aided modernization in Latin America.
Abstract This paper discusses the conceptualization of 'science' as purely objective and entirely distanced from the influences of politics. Specifically, this paper looks at the science of eugenics as extremely popular in many nations from the turn of the century until the 1940's. Instead of being purely 'science', as many conceptualized, eugenics was used to justify racial segregation and oppression, in Europe, North America and also in Latin America. According to Nancy Leys Stepan, simply because Latin American eugenics was not used as a tool of state policy on the same level of brutality as in Nazi Germany, does not mean that it was not still deployed by scientists and state officials alike to control human behavior.
From the Paper "Latin American eugenics was driven by the desire to purify the physical appearance and morality of the nation. Gender, and the presumed inferior place of women also fueled the structure of the health policy, as monitoring the female body and creating the perfect mother was the justification for the compulsory registration of pregnant women and enforced medical exams for the 'good' of the baby and future citizen. Within the bodies of mothers, the new nation would be born, thus (as in Nazi Germany, but with a different scientific justification and emphasis on propagation rather than annihilation) the state 'owned' the body of the woman."
