Abstract
A paper on the thematic context of James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man".

Tags:portrait, young, man

Abstract
This paper discusses the events that led to the spiritual evolution of Stephen Dedalus in James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". The paper examines the significant events that mark moments in Stephen's life when he realizes that life is complex and that following one's dreams is not always as easy as it seems. The paper describes how Stephen develops and matures throughout the novel, evolving from a young, quiet boy into the spiritually aware artist that we see at the end of the novel.

From the Paper
"One early event in Stephen's life that leaves a significant impression of Stephen is the confrontation in the schoolyard. When his schoolmates ask him whether he kisses his mother at night or not, Stephen becomes aware of a difference between them. Tracey Schwarze, in her article, "Silencing Stephen: colonial pathologies in Victorian Dublin," states that "Stephen's need for an exalted place in the school yard hierarchy is a direct result of the oppression he experiences there" (Schwarze). Stephen struggles and feels "his whole body hot and confused" (Joyce 14) because he does now the answer to the question. Both replies to this question cause the other to laugh at Stephen. As a result, Stephen tries to figure out "what was the right answer."

Tags:stephen, dedalus, dante, charles

Abstract
This paper examines how James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is a modern novel that can be interpreted in any number of ways. It looks at how the story is centered on Stephen Dedalus' search for himself, in general, or specifically, how to become an artist by his own definition. It explores how the inward analysis that he wallows in does not imply self-consciousness, but rather the belief in the significance of living as an individual. It also discusses whether or not the protagonist is able to become an individual by embracing the 'either/or' nature of himself and the world or if he must rebel against social rules.

From the Paper
"In looking at the passage from chapter five, Henke would view Dedalus as once again fleeing from his own need for balance. It is significant that the woman in his example must die, just as the need for others must die in order for him to feel autonomous. Henke sees this as depending on binary ("either, or") logic that presents one term over the other as more important. She provides examples such as "active/passive, masculine/feminine, father/mother, head/heart, son/daughter, intelligent/sensitive, brother/sister, form/matter, phallus/vagina, reason/emotion" (296) and argues that the feminine perspective has been lost in many writings."

Tags:rebellion, stephen, dedalus

Abstract
This paper examines the thought behind the books that James Joyce wrote, as well as the very man himself and his life. It highlights how Joyce was short-sighted and how he often used the help of others to finish his books. It also looks at how Joyce's own life influences, such as his bad vision, helped him relate to characters and situations in his books with an emphasis on "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". The paper concludes that it is not just his blindness that made Joyce such a strong writer but also his intellectual genius.

From the Paper
"Joyce's expression of the motif of blindness in describing imperfect human vision is perhaps the most obvious, literal uses of the motif. However, the genius of its implementation lies in the fact that the distorted or failed vision represents a flaw in the character who possesses it. At the beginning of the story, Dedalus' father is described as looking "at (Stephen) through a glass" (Joyce, 19), referring to a monocle. Later, Dedalus, Sr., is mocked by his son as having disastrously weak financial vision, dabbling unsuccessfully as "a medical student, an oarsman, a tenor, an amateur actor, a shouting politician, a small landlord, a small investor, a drinker, a good fellow, a story teller, somebody's secretary, something in a distillery, a tax gatherer ,a bankrupt."

Tags:vision, dedalus, stephen

Abstract
This paper takes a look at the character of Stephen Dedalus in James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." In introducing the protagonist, the reviewer first elicits Jung's theories of a metaphysical system, known as "Seven Sermons to the Dead". The reviewer argues that the ideas expressed in Jung's "Seven Sermons to the Dead" closely relate to the intellectual and artistic growth of the character of Stephen Daedalus. The paper continues by tracing Stephen's development, citing salient events from the novel. The paper concludes by suggesting why the main character chose to leave Ireland and how this is connected with acceptance of adulthood.

From the Paper
"James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, follows the development of Stephan Dedalus, whose identity is torn between that of the particular and that of the universal, the rational and the unconscious. He, like Ovid's Icarus, must find a middle way between the thrill of flight and turbid responsibility. Stephen's daemon, the mythical Dedalus, directs him away from the trappings of self and society and toward the expression of the universal, much in the same way that a room pregnant with demons (who 'found not what they sought' upon their return from Jerusalem) impels Jung to communicate a universal metaphysics. Moreover, it is a dialectical understanding of the fallen world that Septum Sermones communicates that is also central to Stephen's realization as an artist. Thus, it will be argued that the ideas expressed in Jung's Seven Sermons to the Dead closely relate to the intellectual and artistic growth of Stephen Daedalus. "

Tags:Ireland, protagonist, Stephen Dedalus

Abstract
The paper focuses on the motif of birds and their association with flight and explores the use and development of this theme throughout Joyce's novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". The paper points out that the prevalent motif of birds and their association with flight directs the reader toward Stephen Dedalus' own artistic flight, which is essentially a mirror for Joyce's own departure from Ireland.

From the Paper
"The motif of flight is presented to the reader at the novel's outset and is initially communicated through allusion. Joyce, and other writers besides, have used allusion to reference works with which the reader is assumed or expected to be familiar. "By drawing attention to it the author establishes a kind of parallel situation in which both the present work and the work alluded to illuminate each other" (Ramsey 11). The Latin epigraph which follows the book's title, "Et ignotas animum dimittit in Artes" (Joyce 6), is derived from the first century Roman poet, Ovid, and may be translated as "and he sets his mind to work upon unknown arts" (Ramsey 11). The source of the quote, Metamorphoses, is the well-known classical story of Daedalus. Daedalus is a mythological figure, a renowned craftsman who designs the famed Labyrinth of Crete for King Minos."

Tags:birds, imagery, Daedalus

Abstract
This paper examines James Joyce's "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man" and discusses how through his novel literary techniques Joyce is trying to redefine literature so that it becomes relevant to the modern age characterized by fragmentation and alienation. The paper looks at how the protagonist in the novel is trying do discover his artistic self but, in the process, discovers loneliness, because everything that society has to offer is outmoded and redundant. The paper also discusses how, apart from the strained techniques, the novel is also worthy for its rich symbolism, which exists on many planes, and for the significant allusions to literature and culture.

From the Paper
"The novel describes the several stages by which it protagonist Stephen Dedalus discovers himself as an artist. In the process he takes refuge in the conventional identities provided by society in the various stages of his growing up. But Stephen is meant for greatness, and the conventional identities are only refuges for mediocrity, and this is what he discovers time and time again. The transition from one stage to the next is marked by epiphanies - sudden bouts of realization that transform the inner self. Apart from the many minor epiphanies that accompany the growing young man, there are two major such occasions. The first is his discovery of conventional faith. The second occurs when he comes to realize that the Church is a restricting influence, and that he must escape if he is to express himself as an artist. It occurs when he must make a choice between training to be a Catholic priest, or to enter the secular domain of university."

Tags:Modernism, postmodernism, Stephen, Daedalus, existentialism

Abstract
The author of this paper states that the journey to self-discovery may not always be painful but it is always rewarding. James Joyce's novel, "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", describes such a journey, tracing the elements of Stephen's life that eventually lead him to self-realization and acceptance. This paper explains how Joyce utilizes mythology, symbolism, imagery and motifs to emphasize how Stephen matures over the years. It shows how these literary techniques help illustrate and illuminate Stephen's radical transformation.

From the Paper
"To conclude, James Joyce uses many literary motifs to illustrate and emphasize the progress of Stephen's journey in his novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Stephen's path to self-discovery is influenced by references religion and mythology. In addition, Joyce employs symbolism, imagery, and motifs in the novel to bring Stephen's adventures to life. Stephen's change was not a simple or easy one. Rather, it was difficult and complicated but well worth the painful experience of growing wings and learning to fly."

Tags:symbolism, imagery, motif, mythology

Abstract
This paper explores symbolism as a leitmotif in James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man".

Abstract
This paper analyzes Stephen Daedalus' struggle for freedom in "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", by James Joyce. It evaluates whether Stephen strives for and gains freedom, how and why he achieves his freedom, and focuses upon the master/servant relationships in the novel.