Abstract This paper discusses the contrasts between the three central characters in the story, Billy Budd, Claggert, and Captain Vere. It explores the development in the plot and how each character's true traits come out through their ultimate actions. It focuses on Captain Vere's character as one that is seemingly noble and good, but his final decision proves him to be otherwise.
From the paper:
"A closer examination of the novel brings to light certain aspects of each character that are quite opposite to the ones that they symbolize. Billy Budd symbolizes Good. His character is not without fault. The aspects of simplicity and blind faith in the goodness of the world, in his personality lead to his demise. His immaturity breeds curiosity and lacks the far sightedness to listen to the good advice given by the Dansker. Hence, despite the Dansker's warnings he is unable to see Claggert as his nemesis. His stuttering is also portrayed as a fault that caused his death instead of accepting it as a handicap."
Abstract This paper examines Albert Camus's novel "The Rebel". The paper discusses the philosophical concepts that are present in Camus's writing and supports these ideas with other philosophers' writing, such as Thomas Paine and Nietzsche. This paper is well-researched and written at a high level by bringing together philosophy and literature.
Table of Contents
I. A Child Prometheus: The Irrelevancy of Antiquity
II. The Post-Apocalyptic Reflecting God
III. The Monkey, the Man, Then the Gun: A Perusal of Modern Philosophy
IV. The Meridian: The Atom of Eden
From the Paper "The Rebel, by Albert Camus, is a distinctly modern book. There is very little written here that would have been defensive, or even coherent, in the light of the world as it was just 200 years ago. This is a book illuminated by the informed by the libraries of Nuremberg and illuminated by the fires of St. Petersburg and Hiroshima. It takes most of its subject matter from the intelligent and passionate perusal and perusal of the greatest works of romanticism, nihilism, and revolution in philosophy, art, and history. It seeks to comprehend and encompass physical and metaphysical history, yet with the entire goal of transcending it. Hence there is no set of teachings presented, no artwork or philosophy portrayed, which is not taken with a lovingly ironic grain of salt, approached not only with awe but also an expression of trembling hesitation. This transcendent discrimination is applied as surely and gently to Nietzsche and the Bible, and even extends its light to the classical works of which Camus is obviously so fond."
Abstract This paper reviews the work of Edgar Allan Poe, one of America's legendary elite, in particular it examines how his literature is very much diverse and his psychology unique. It examines how his work often centers upon interior crises where the human mind is under assault and its primary nemesis is itself. Through a review of the stories "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The IMP of the Perverse" and the "The Cask of Amontillado", it discusses how, with sufficient evidence of human destruction, Poe challenges the human mind with an efficient philosophy and meaningful psychology.
From the Paper "In "The Tell-Tale Heart" we find a perfect example of Poe's psychological complexity in action. One author writes, "This trademark horror tale shows Poe at the height of his imaginative and artistic powers, with its boldly original story line, exquisitely rendered form, and psychological complexity" (Nesbitt 239). While reading the story we find a nameless narrator reminiscing on how he actually formulated the idea of killing an elderly man. In addition, we know that there is no real objective of the killer other than the old man's annoying eye, which to the narrator is symbolic of a predator."
Abstract The paper analyzes the differences between the two stories that make them unique and important in their own way. According to the writer, Smiley's modern version of the King Lear tale is easier for a reader today to understand. The paper gives examples of Smiley's more feminine point of view. The writer also brings passages from Shakespeare's text to illustrate the style of the classic master.
From the Paper "When reading a tragedy it is necessary to know what constitutes a tragedy in plays. A tragedy usually involves some sort of disaster such as death or plague. The plot of the tragic story focuses around the reaction of the characters to the disaster. Usually a tragedy will be about the main character, or protagonists struggle with moral issues, (as with Hamlet in Hamlet, or King Lear in King Lear). Tragedies raise questions about the morality and psychological stability of human kind. The outcome of a tragedy often seems to be inevitable if the reader is aware that they are reading a tragedy. The main almost always dies along with the main characters nemesis and others along the way. Good does not always win in tragedies either, and that is another aspect of tragedies that makes them more tragic in those cases."
A discussion of the role of adulthood versus childhood as depicted in Enid Blyton's "Five on a Treasure Island" and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone".
Abstract The paper uses as a starting point the comment of children's literature critic Peter Hunt, that 'before 1970, it might be said, adults were, on the whole, reliable: since then they have not been.' It analyses language and plot to compare and contrast "Five on a Treasure Island" and "Harry Potter", as examples of pre- and post-1970 children's literature, respectively and draws conclusions about the extent to which adult characters have changed over time. Then, shifting emphasis to Rowling's work, the paper discusses more complex literary theory including a psychoanalytic analysis of the protagonist's relationships with his father, uncle and nemesis, and asks how we can really know which characters function as adults and which as children.
From the Paper "However, it is not difficult to contest this view with obvious instances where adults are unreliable in Five on a Treasure Island. Throughout the story, adults cause the problems that the children have to work to solve. Moreover, despite Quentin and Fanny's essential reliability, there are also crucial times when they fail to protect the children in the most basic and obvious ways, for example, when they are trapped on the island in chapter fourteen. They also fail to protect the children in more subtle ways. The children are exposed to distinctly adult problems like the family's lack of money. Julian, Dick and Anne's parents mention casually that Quentin and Fanny would appreciate 'a little money' (p. 2), and later in the book Quentin thinks nothing of disappointing George by selling the island to make money."
Abstract This paper discusses how the beginning of the American Civil War is ultimately tied to slavery and the controversy over abolishing it. The paper describes how the war became a conflict of values between the North under Abraham Lincoln and the South under Jefferson Davis. The paper also describes the battle of Bull Run, the eventual surrender of the Confederate army and the freeing of the slaves.
Outline:
The Beginning of the Civil War / The End of Slavery
The Conflict: Values
How the North Fights
The Confederacy Elects a President / Lincoln has a Nemesis The Battle of Bull Run
From the Paper "In 1860 when Abraham Lincoln won the American presidency, he promised to abolish slavery in the whole of the United States. Two years earlier, he addressed the people with a speech entitled House Divided - this was the speech that promised to end slavery in the United States. But people in the South saw Lincoln's promise as a threat to their way of life if they were to remain in the Union; slavery was a part of their heritage, and they felt that it was their right to keep. But not only that, slavery was big business."
Tags: Lincoln, Davis, slavery, Bull, Run, Confederacy, Union
