Abstract This paper studies the American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892), one of the first to embrace uniquely American themes, styles and literary concerns. This paper examines Whitman's unique poetic voice and personal philosophy of poetry in order to show how Whitman established the first uniquely American voice within poetry, one separate from the mostly pre-Victorian and Victorian-inspired poetic styles, forms and themes of earlier American poets. The paper also explicates two sets of Whitman's free-verse poems: (1) Three of his earliest poems from "Leaves of Grass" (1855) and (2) four of his later Civil War poems, written from 1861-1865. Together these poems demonstrate how far Whitman had moved beyond British influence, to become the great innovator of modern American poetry.
From the Paper "Within America before the Civil War, American literature most often closely imitated writing styles, tones and even thematic concerns of both past and present British authors. Before the poetry of Whitman in particular, American poets like Bradstreet, Taylor, Bryant, Wheatley, and others adopted British verse forms and other poetic conventions, shaping them to their own artistic voices and concerns within the New World. In several of Puritan poet Anne Bradstreet's poems that were either to or about her husband or children for example, Bradstreet closely imitated the metaphysical style of John Donne. The expansive, flowing, and exuberant free-verse works of Walt Whitman, which did none of that, may therefore be considered the first truly American poetry, reflecting, as it does, influences, moods, concerns, ways of expression, and social and political movements within American itself, and nowhere else, with a new and unique style and forms."
Abstract In this essay, the voice of the narrator in Wilfred Owen's World War I poem "Futility" is explicated. Three of the aspects of the poet/narrator's voice that are examined are his gentleness, his tiredness, and his anger. Each of these qualities is used to show the fuller picture of the poem and of what Owen is trying to say and describe about death, war, and the world in which he lived.
From the Paper "In the chapter of 'Introduction to Literature, Criticism, and Theory' on the topic of voice, Andrew Bennett and Nicholas Royle make the claim that literature is "the space in which, more than anywhere else, the power, beauty and strangeness of the voice is both evoked and bodied forth". The point that is being made is that in literature, the voice being used to give the information, to tell the tale, to speak to the reader is much more important than the voice used on a cereal box or in a car owner's manual. The person or persons who are the voice are just as much a part of the reading experience as the letters on the page are. As Bennett and Royle add, "reading literary texts involves hearing extraordinary voices"."
"This paper discusses the question of what has replaced television as the primary social text that serves as a unifying force in society, suggesting t...
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 1 source, 2005, $ 44.95
Abstract "This paper discusses the question of what has replaced television as the primary social text that serves as a unifying force in society, suggesting that there is no clear unifying force today and that a more fragmented society is one of the results, with broadcast television having had a wider appeal because there were fewer choices, while the number of choices today has fragmented the social order."
From the Paper According to Danesi, the role of television as a primary cultural unifier in American society is changing. He states, "TV no longer has the same kind of 'unifying power' to influence society as a group" (Danesi 194). This shift has been commented on by others as well as they note how at one time television served as a unifying force through the ubiquity of certain shows and images.
Abstract This paper summarizes an article based on male voices and the perception of sexual orientation, specifically male homosexuality and the voice characteristics that people attribute to them. The paper discusses a group of people who listen to a number of recorded voices that range from "gay-sounding" to "straight-sounding" and then cross analyze the results by studying the pitch of each voice recorded how it influenced the listeners' response.
From the Paper "Male Voices and Perceived Sexual Orientation Male Voices and Perceived Sexual Orientation Introduction The background of the research is based on a study that was conducted by three Canadian University Professors who studied the perceptions of male voices in terms of which sound gay and which sound straight. The authors described how they discussed this research topic openly with their students. Their students agreed, "gay men speech mirrors the patterns of stereotypical high-pitched women's voices" (Smyth, Jacobs, & Rogers, 2003, p. 331). The authors developed a gay-sounding and straight-sounding scale based on listener ratings to record and measure the perception of sexual orientation based on a person's voice (Smyth, Jacobs, & Rogers, 2003, p. 329)."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and reviews the book "Personal Voices" by Emily Honig and Gail Hershatter. The paper examines both personal and social changes experienced by women in China over the past 100 years.
From the Paper "Just as the government of mainland China has undergone extensive change in the last years, so have the women of China as they struggled to adapt to a changing political landscape. This paper will review the book, "Personal Voices" by Emily Honig and Gail Hershatter and discuss some of the societal changes as well as personal changes that many women have gone through from pre-Liberation China to the People's Republic of China, the time period covered in the book. Specifically, this discussion will focus on the different roles..."
This paper studies Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "The Poet" which details the life and role of a poet in society and compares it to Walt Whitman's poem, "Song of Myself".
Abstract This paper studies the life and works and accomplishments of Ralph Waldo Emerson. It studies his essay "The Poet" and describes his idealistic vision of the life of a poet. It also describes the 19th-century artistic and philosophical movement called transcendentalism that he founded. Throughout this paper, the author compares Emerson's ideals to Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself". It also examines Ralph Waldo Emerson's strong influence and effect on American society.
From the Paper "Ralph Waldo Emerson's idealized and mesmerizing description of the role and life of the poet in his essay "The Poet" describes not only the particular calling and obligation of those who choose to follow the poetic muses but also ? because of Emerson's own influence on the writings of Americans who followed him ? proved to be a strongly proscriptive piece of advice for other poets and writers in the decades after Emerson helped to found the 19th-century artistic and philosophical movement called Transcendentalism. The Transcendentalists defined themselves by their belief in a highly idealistic and fundamentally coherent system of belief in the essential unity of all things on earth ? the connection of each thing to its neighbor ? as well as a belief in the absolute importance of personal experience and insight (as opposed to knowledge and beliefs gained through formal logic and formal education) and the essential goodness of humanity."
Abstract This essay discusses how Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "Mother and Poet" blurs the binarism of the domestic custodian and the public crusader. The very title itself blurs the boundaries between the two roles, because both of them intersect along certain lines. Each role needs the other to be effective. Isolated, each role becomes rooted in failure and tragedy.
Abstract A paper about American poets during the period 1951-1960. It traces the style and mood reflected in the fifties and states the poetic preferences of the audience of the time. Basically it focuses on the poets of the era and their styles compared to others of the Beat generation.
Abstract This paper compares Chaucer and the Pearl poet in terms of religious expression and secular elements, showing that the two reflect some of the same themes and concerns about society. It looks at how Chaucer is more openly critical of the way the clergy of his time behaves, while the Pearl poet is more concerned with teaching moral lessons and showing the value of religious belief.
From the Paper "Critics regard Geoffrey Chaucer as a secular poet, while the Pearl poet is seen primarily as a religious one reflecting the view of Christianity. In fact, though, the two poets are much closer together than this might suggest and address many of the same issues, same types of stories, and same concerns from differing points of view. If critics find Chaucer more secular, that may be because his vision reflects more of the reality of the world around him, so that he shows people with all their passions and faults, while the Pearl poet tends more toward idealized visions of moral attitudes and concepts of honor."
Abstract This is a critical analysis of the film "Dead Poets' Society". It is based on the generative thesis, from Pauline Kael: "Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate the great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them." Combining this sentiment with the analysis of the film in terms of Aristotelian drama, the essay concludes that said film is too conflict-driven to be great art, contains too much pathos to be great trash, and is thus merely trash by dint of its constant unoriginality. Specific examples from the film are cited.
Abstract This assignment discusses television as a social text. The paper analyzes a media usage journal, questionnaire and questionnaire responses in order to discuss television usage. The paper argues and concludes that television is still a social text.
From the Paper "Television has often been defined as a social text. What does this mean? Marcel Danesi defines a social text as, "an overarching text from which an entire culture extracts meaning for its daily life routines" (Danesi 190). For example, the bible is a social text for Christians because it is a text that provides meanings for their activities. The thesis of this essay is that television is a social text for most people. If television is a social text you would expect that it would be the dominant media in terms of media usage. To prove this argument I have logged my own media usage for a week (Appendix 1)."
Abstract In this article, the writer studies the interaction between text and illustrations in children's books. The writer explains the importance of illustrations in children's literature. In this paper, to demonstrate the study, the writer uses specifically the book "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett.
From the Paper "In order for children's books to accomplish their objectives, there must be a marriage between the text of the story and the illustrations which support it. In many cases, the illustrator produces artwork that not only illustrates the story but helps to create a vivid mood that enhances the author's text. Such is the case with "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" a children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. The author's fanciful tale of the town of Chew and Swallow benefits greatly from the illustrator's detailed ... "
This paper addresses five questions from the views of classic philosophers. Human nature and human advantages can be investigated according to the theories of various philosophers, yet in many respects the views of a specific philosopher can best be used
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 44.95
Abstract This paper addresses five questions from the views of classic philosophers. Human nature and human advantages can be investigated according to the theories of various philosophers, yet in many respects the views of a specific philosopher can best be used to define and describe a particular circumstance. This paper first presents the five questions and then addresses these questions according to the two theories that best suit that given circumstance.
Tags: PHILOSOPHY / COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY, five question philosophers
Abstract This paper addresses four specific essay questions. These questions range from moral issues concerning birth control to philosophy. The four questions form the part of an argument that either supports or negates the original argument.
Tags: PHILOSOPHY / MORAL PHILOSPHY, philosophy questions answered
Abstract This paper examines the life and works of Socrates. It gives an historical overview of his doings and analyzes them from a critical philosophical point of view. It describes the questions he raised about God and piety, different forms of truth, and what is rational right and the nature of goodness. It also discusses other famous thinkers of the time such as Plato and Aristotle.
From the Paper "Socrates had long been known for questioning the premises of his society. He was a traveling teacher, who claimed that he knew nothing, and yet managed to preach his unique views through enlightening series of questions that forced whoever he may address to slowly abandon their way of thought and take a fresh look at the world. He was a sweeping, revolutionary force in the world. Unfortunately, the world does not always like revolution. He was brought up on charges on impiety; his accusers claimed that because he questioned certain preconceptions about the gods that he did not believe in them, and that he corrupted the innocent minds of youth. The penalty he faced was death. It was against this truly significant background that he undertook to debate the origin of piety and goodness. On his way to trial, he stopped one Euthyphro, a man proclaimed as a prophet and seer of the gods. "Tell me then, what is the pious, and what the impious, do you say"? (Euthyphro, 5d) This is a vital question not only in terms of Socrates? impending need to defend himself before his judges, but also in the scope of the world. After all, if piety is a supreme virtue, then surely one ought to know what it is. "
