Abstract
This paper explore the role of the tragic hero in drama especially in the case of the heroism of two mothers. The paper describes the stories of Henrik Ibsen's play "Ghosts" and its tragic hero Helene Alving and of Sean O'Casey's drama "Juno and the Paycock and its tragic hero Juno Boyle". Juno and Mrs. Alving, the paper indicates, are important examples of tragic motherhood because they represent the realization of the roles of wives and mothers from opposite ends of the spectrum.

From the Paper
"Instead, as Joan Templeton argues, Ibsen lays responsibility for Oswald's death at Mrs. Alving's feet. Her husband had no outlet for his "excess of vitality", and she admits herself that she "didn't bring any sunshine into his home." (Of course, Mrs. Alving is referring to her husband's sex drive and her refusal to submit to his sexual desire.) This is not necessarily to say that wives have a "duty" to become intimate with their husbands; however, Templeton notes that this claim is "the time-worn principle of the 'marriage debt' masquerading as sexual liberalism."

Tags:meanings orphanage, tragic rhythm, realistic tragedy, epilogue

Abstract
This paper discusses how the line between nationalistic and anti-nationalistic themes is often blurred in J.M. Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Paycock" and how both plays propose a very different approach to the Irish nationalist cause. The paper also looks at how both plays were written at a time when Irish people were evaluating themselves and how they were questioning their faith, loyalty and their ability to win their revolution and, in the case of "Juno", if they actually won. The paper also examines how this struggle and the consistent deliberation of ideas, which are accurately embraced, in the sometimes-skewed nationalistic messages are found in both pieces.

From the Paper
"It is necessary to understand that at the times both plays were set in, there was extreme violence throughout Ireland. Playboy was set during the Land War, a time when troops both British and Irish were everywhere. In Juno, there is still much violence in Dublin, whether from the IRA or from the English, it didn't matter. Ireland was beginning to deal with its questionable independence and wounds from the urban war were just starting to heal however, at the cost of great poverty and lack of employment. Both plays demonstrate a sense of sympathy for this reconstructing Ireland. "

Tags:Nationalism, ireland, england, struggle

Abstract
This paper presents a discussion and explanation about the parts three men played in the evolvement of British theater. The author of this paper takes on a tour of the lives and works of George Bernard Shaw, Sean O'Casey and John Millington. As the reader unveils these lives and works it become self evident in what influence and how each man influenced the British theater.

Abstract
A look at the writings of William Butler Yeats and Sean O?Casey, contemporaries of the Easter Rising leaders in Ireland and literary figures. The author analyzes the two writers perspectives of the event.

From the Paper
?After the rising, nothing in Ireland was ever the same. Easter week became the central point of modern Irish history, and events were dated according to whether they had happened before or after that event,? says Michael Costigan in A History of Modern Ireland (Costigan 333). Two of Ireland's most significant literary figures, William Butler Yeats and Sean O?Casey who were both contemporaries of the Easter Rising's leaders, treat the subject differently in their writings both before and after the event, but there is no doubt they were both powerfully affected by it."

Tags:uprising, war, religion, tradition, culture, history, leaders, society

Abstract
This paper examines four plays from around the globe and analyzes their central themes. The paper shows how David Hare's "Absence of War" introduces audiences to the British political system and the total lack of personality in its leaders. In "Indian Ink", by Tom Stoppard, the paper discusses the play's emphasis on the colonial era in India and power relations in the world. The paper looks at the psychological state of the characters in Harold Pinter's "The Caretaker" and the way their attire contributes to this state. Finally, the paper shows how Sean O'Casey, in his play "Shadow of a Gunman", shapes his material the distinction between illusion and reality.

From the Paper
"The play involves an ongoing series of interactions among these three. Davies and Aston conflict almost from the moment they arrive in this room, for they are very unlike and react differently to everything that happens. Mick, on the other hand, serves the role of goad, seeming to come from nowhere and to place demands. In the First Act, Mick is only seen twice, both times in his leather jacket, signaling a certain fascist mentality in his dress. His behavior confirms this as he enters silently, twists Davies's arm, and searches through Davies clothing, all as if he had the right to do so and should never be questioned."

Tags:George, Jones, Whitehall, Cenotaph, Flora, Crewes, Nirad, Das

Abstract
This paper discusses how dramatists often criticize society through the characters and situations they depict on stage. In particular it looks at the way these characters are shaped by the society in which they live and how they behave because of the conflict that develops between their psychology and their personality as well as the demands of society. It evaluates how the same is true of novelists and fiction writers and how the process can be seen by reference to several women coincidentally named Nora, in three in plays by J.M. Synge, George Bernard Shaw and Sean O'Casey and a real-life Nora who served as model for the character of Gretta Conroy in James Joyce's "The Dead." It also analyzes how they can all be compared to the prototypical middle-class woman emerging from her cocoon, Nora in "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen.

From the Paper
"Sean O'Casey wanted to be a voice for a new Ireland, but after The Plough and the Stars was rejected by the very audience for which it was written because of its unsympathetic portrayal of those involved in the Easter Rebellion, O'Casey left Ireland for Britain. Interestingly, the play has become one of those most performed in Ireland since that time. The 1916 rebellion is the background for the play, and it was a period of disturbance in Irish history. The play begins in 1915 and prepares for the tragedy to come in 1916. Nora and Clitheroe are introduced by Fluther Good and Mrs. Gogan. This Nora has not been married long, and she and her husband are beginning to quarrel. She is unhappy living in a tenement house and would also like to dress in better clothing than Jack can afford."

Tags:joyce, ibsen, o'casey, synge, shaw

Abstract
This paper describes and analyzes images and portrayals of family in Willa Cather's "O Pioneers." The paper further discusses "O Pioneers" as a story that delves into major themes within family such as autobiographical consciousness, femininity and agrarian life. The paper concludes with a discussion on how this novel encapsulates timeless values and meaning.

From the Paper
" 'I decided not to 'write' at all, - simply to give myself up to the pleasure of recapturing in memory people and places I'd forgotten." Willa Cather, on writing O Pioneers! Willa Cather's O Pioneers! tells the story of the Bergsons, Swedish immigrants who move to Nebraskan farm country at the turn of the century. Written in 1913, Cather was familiar with the time period and the specific struggles of many of the novel's central themes: working within a familial structure, feminism, and the taming of wild land. These themes all fit under the large umbrella of family dynamics, and can be explored within..."

Tags:family, willa cather, o pioneers

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."

Tags:addiction, Eugene, O'Neil, dysfuntional, families

Abstract
This paper compares Flannery O'Connor's short story,"Good Country People" with Alice Walker's story, "Everyday Use" in terms of character, family and relationships.

From the Paper
"In Flannery O'Connor's Good Country People and Alice Walker's Everyday Use there are some striking similarities to be observed with regard to such elements of literature as relationships, specifically with family place ..."

Tags:Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, short stories

Abstract
Examines behavior of female characters, all named Nora, in different plays. Conflict between their psychology & personality and the demands & strictures of their society. Plays discussed are Isben's A DOLL'S HOUSE, Sean O'Casey's THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS, John Synge's IN THE SHADOW OF THE GLEN & George Bernard Shaw's JOHN BULL'S OTHER IRELAND.

From the Paper
"Dramatists often criticize society through the characters and situations they depict on stage. When the playwrights do so, they may approach the subject by looking through the world in which they live to what they believe the world should be. They may be writing at a turning point, an era in which social change is in the offing but which is being resisted by the dominant order. They may merely be commenting on aspects of the human condition, which persist into their age and which they see as detrimental to society. Whatever their particular situation may be, playwrights criticize society by having characters who represent some social class or ideological position and by using symbolism as well as direct statement to make the audience see something they believe to be wrong. The characters are shaped by the society in which they live and then behave in certain..."