Abstract This paper compares several of James Stephens' poems in which animals or mythological creatures are used as the subjects or main characters. The paper discusses the reasons Stephens used animals and their imagery in his poems, suggesting that Stephens used animals in order to comment upon the state of contemporary human life in an indirect fashion.
From the Paper "James Stephens was an Irish novelist and poet. His poems such as "The Ancient Elf," "The Cage," and "Little Things" make use of common everyday creatures, such as rabbits and mice, and also small, familiar mythical figures of Irish legends to comment upon the state of contemporary human life in an indirect fashion. Like elves and rabbits, when viewed with the perspective of a God's eye (or simply the poet's distanced eye) human beings appear similarly contradictory, trapped, or frustrated in their frantic searches for meaning as these physically smaller or fictional beings. Stephens writes with a tone of wit, even whimsy, but beneath the surface of lightness exists a darker view of the dog-eat-dog nature of the mortal world."
Abstract This paper uses Elizabeth Ammons' "Expanding the Canon of American Realism" to examine why Stephen Crane's "Maggie" and Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" should both be included in the education curricula. The paper suggests that the inclusion of these two works will help teach a multicultural point of view.
From the Paper "In "Expanding the Canon of American Realism", Elizabeth Ammons argues that the canon of American realism needs to reflect its social context of multiculturalism. The canon of realism is defined by teachers who choose what texts they want to teach about, therefore the canon has been composed of works that are considered highly teachable. In that respect, it is subjective and can just as easily be changed according to one teacher's idea of teachability as another's. Elizabeth Ammons takes the..."
Tags: Elizabeth Ammons, Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, Stephen Crane, Maggie, realism, multicultural, Expanding the Canon of American Realism
A comparative analysis of the characters in "The Devil and Daniel Webster and Other Writings" by StephenVincentBenet and "Faust" by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.
Abstract This paper examines how authors of literature have used their work to address societal fears and issues in order to allow their writing talents to shed light on a fear of society. It looks at how this is the case in classic works of literature regarding making pacts with the devil. It analyzes how, in "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the pact with the Devil and the actions of the Stones provide an interesting backdrop for those who have concerns about selling themselves to the Devil for immediate material gain. It also examines how, in addition and also by contrast, the world has been treated to two versions of "Faust", which also focus on the Devil and what the Devil means to current society. It shows how, although each of the stories has a different plot, there are many similarities, as well as differences, regarding the Devil and the characters in the stories.
From the Paper "While the story of The Devil and Daniel Webster illustrates how true personalities come out when the money and the devil get involved the story of Faust shows a different angle when it comes to personality and those in the story. In both versions of Faust there is a foundational understanding of the influence the devil had at that time in history(Synopsis of the plot of Faust (October 2002). While Stone dealt with the devil for money, Dr. Faust is searching for the answers to life. In that quest he too deals with the devil. He is obviously depressed as he has contemplated suicide twice in the past already which provides a backdrop for the devil to entice him into the idea of a deal. This is the first difference between personalities in this story as compared to the previous one. Faust is in despair and old while Stone is angry and young. There are completely different motivators for the two stories and their characters? personalities."
Abstract This paper looks at the life and works of the artist Vincent Van Gogh who was born in 1853 in Holland and died in 1891. It looks at how Vincent Van Gogh was an extraordinary man who led a cursed life and how he constantly struggled with depression. The paper also ponders whether Van Gogh would have made many more masterpieces if he had not been sick or whether it was his mental illness that helped him to create the masterpieces he did.
From the Paper "In 1880 Vincent decided he could still be used by God as an artist rather than a clergyman. He wrote: "To try to understand the real significance of what the great artists, the serious masters, tell us in their masterpieces, that leads to God; one man wrote or told it in a book; another, in a picture." He moved to Brussels and considered enrolling at the art academy, but rather chose to study independently. Sometimes he studied with Dutch artist Anthon van Rappard. While Vincent was not earning any money, his brother, Theo, (who was working at Goupil's Paris branch where Vincent was previously employed) sent him money. His brother continued to send him money until Vincent's death.5 "
Abstract The paper looks at Vincent Padilla's study "The Gang as an American Enterprise". The paper basically takes on overview of the study discussing what type of study is and what certain questions are asked ending with a critique of the study. The writer shows how Padilla was able to enter a gang after many years of attempting, in order to find answers to the following questions: What is the process in entering and leaving the gang? How is the gang an American Enterprise? What is the involvement of drugs in this gang? Why are people joining gangs?
From the Paper "These questions seem to lead the reader to believe that the study would be a descriptive study as it asks mostly what and how questions with the social phenomenon being gangs and gangs being used as a substitute for a job market. In this descriptive study it took Padilla a while to gain enough access to a gang to provide enough information. The first time around he was going to study ex-gang members, but the sample was too small and the information too little, although this was not a waste of time as he gained information about gangs and gang members in this small study. For the main research he contacted a friend of his, a probation officer, and from there he was lead to his main informant Coco. Coco not only was his main informant, but he also allowed Padilla to gain access to other gang members and the gang atmosphere."
Abstract This paper examines how photography can provide a refreshingly accurate window onto the life of a culture alien to that of the observer of the photograph. It looks at how Vincent Cianni's "Southside Portraits" offers an insight into the Latino culture of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Rather than selecting women to gaze at, however, Cianni chooses to make men his central subjects and mediums for making a "statement" about the world and the community he observes. It analyzes how Latino masculinity is often frightening to the Anglo world and how, by showing, his individual subjects in their environment, Cianni reveals the roots of this seemingly strange, aggressive, athletic, sexualized behavior.
From the Paper "Not all of Cianni's subjects are quite so touching in their vulnerability. One photograph shows a boxer doing push-ups. But the title, Freddie Floating, suggests that more is going on in the subject's mind than sparring. Freddie wishes to fly in both his dreams as well as across the ring. Athletic prowess, more than in the previous photos discussed, is linked to dreams. The fact that Freddie wears underwear to exercise him makes his masculinity all the more evident, yet also all the more displayed. These portraits suggest that for Latino men to establish their identity, they must ?put themselves out there,? physically in a sexual sense, to both demonstrate their athletic machismo and to be recognized by society."
Abstract Vincent Van Gogh, born March 30, 1853, was a Dutch painter who began after the impressionist era. This paper discusses how Van Gogh's work is full of passion and his style very spontaneous. It explains that Van Gogh was the son of a Dutch Protestant pastor; therefore he was brought up in a very religious setting. It discusses how his life experience gave him the inspiration to paint and soon he was becoming well-known for his abilities. In 1885, Van Gogh painted what would be forever known as his first masterpiece. It shows how this painting, "The Potato Eaters", was his intentional attempt to establish his reputation in the painting world.
From the Paper "Van Gogh began this painting in August of 1883 after studying for over five years in the art community. This was his hope of becoming a respected artist by not only other artists but also by art dealers. Soon he gave up after only completing a sketch of the piece because he was restless and realized that the project entailed more than he was able to produce. After spending more time studying the art of painting and proper technique, Van Gogh determined that he was now ready to return to his sketch and create the scene of peasant farmers at their meal. The Potato Eaters contains five figures that were painted in such a technique that they would appear real along with their feelings displayed for the viewer. "Dark and somber, sometimes crude, these early works evidence van Gogh's intense desire to express the misery and poverty of humanity as he saw it among the miners in Belgium" (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 1). The Potato Eaters was Van Gogh's representation of reality during his time. After finishing several sketches, he set out to transfer his final sketch as an oil painting on canvas."
Tags: art, artist, artwork, canvas, gogh, paintings, van, vincent
Abstract The writer of this paper explores the life and artistic motivations of Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886 where he was exposed to the works of great artists such as Monet, Renoir Degas and Signac, which resulted in a dramatic shift to his usual style of painting. Van Gogh's subject matter had also changed, from dark, rugged peasants to more serene subjects. The artist created a new style of painting called expressionism, which symbolized the artists' inner feelings about the subjects he was painting. This paper discusses Van Gogh's various works of art which clearly show the inner turmoil the artist suffered during his lifetime.
From the Paper "Near the end of his stay at Saint-Remy, Van Gogh's use of colors became more subdued. In "Wheat Field with a Reaper", Van Gogh used the reaper to symbolize death, as a figure toiling in the noontime heat, to hurry and get his tiresome chore finished. Van Gogh did not see death as a sad thing, in this painting he used a pure gold color to flood the work with light. Van Gogh left Saint-Remy in 1890 and spent the last two months of his life in Auvers-sur-Oise, a small picturesque village about twenty miles north of Paris. As his mental health worsened, Van Gogh suffered more severe bouts of depression, sometimes exploding in anger. After these episodes, he would go out into the fields and talk to himself."
Abstract In this paper an estimation of the Vincente Minelli film, "Cabin in the Sky", which represents the first all-black film in American cinema, is provided. The paper argues that the film does represent progress for African Americans, but the images are still affirmations of stereotypes and white values.
From the Paper "Vincente Minelli's musical comedy, "Cabin in the Sky", represents the first film he directed featuring an all-black cast. The film serves as a morality tale or fable with a simple plot that revolves around a loving wife trying to save her husband, Little Joe, from a battle between good and evil forces. Little Joe has strayed from his wife Petunia for a sultry singer named Georgia Brown. A drinker and gambler, Little Joe is shot and his life is at risk."
Abstract This paper analyzes paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. Particularly, the paper analyzes the Japanese influence on his paintings in relation to his painting technique and style. The paper discusses the influence that Hiroshige had on Van Gogh and how Van Gogh learnt to mimic his style from woodblock prints.
From the Paper "Art Studies: The Japanese Influence on the Paintings of Vincent Van Gogh In this art study, the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh will be analyzed in relation to his painting technique and style. In understanding the various influences of Ukiyo-e Japanese prints within his painting Van Gogh had learned to use Hiroshige's style from various woodblock prints that he had come to know through Bing's "Japonisme" shop in Paris, France. By learning to mimic other artist's works, Van Gogh was able to understand how color worked on the canvas, and how he would have it applied in conjunction with his western pointillism approach to painting. In fact, it was Van Gogh attention to copying this Japanese master where the infusion of bold colors is brought to life."
Abstract This paper examines how both Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh selected the subject of sunflowers for two of their most famous still life paintings. It looks at how, although both artist's works may depict the same type of flower, the color, light and shading of the two works are completely different.
From the Paper "The arrangement of the Van Gogh painting also forces the viewer to look more closely at the individual flowers. Most of the faces of the Van Gogh sunflowers, rather than turn away from the viewer, seem to look at the viewer directly, while others are dying, as if expressing their sadness as they look away. Because of their brightness, and the detail given to each individual flower, the centers of the healthy flowers seem to look like eyes, looking into the viewer's soul, rather than away at something else as in the case of Monet's painting. Even the colors of the central vase are brighter in Van Gogh's painting than in Monet's and jump out at the viewer in the center of the composition. The vase is painted with bright colors, while in the Monet painting the viewer hardly notices the off-center vase."
Abstract This paper explains that James Joyce's semi-autobiographical rendering of Joyce's fully autobiographical conception of himself "Stephen Hero" can be found in both "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and "Ulysses". The author relates that the hero of these tales, Stephen Dedalus, serves as the focal point of both novels and should be viewed as the abridged version of "Stephen Hero", an almost allegorical tale of an artist besieged by his surroundings. The paper points out that, at the heart of the idea that Stephen Dedalus can represent the universal modern man is Joyce's struggle with himself to convey his own life into words, concluding that the best possible representation of himself that can be conveyed is one in which he is a character lost in a world he cannot hope to understand.
From the Paper "Joyce uses the imagery with the fox again towards the end of Ulysses. A hallucination that brings his riddle back to the surface: "A stout fox drawn from a covert, brush pointed, having buried his grandmother, runs swift for the open, brighteyed, seeking badger earth, under the leaves." This is the physical and relatable explanation of the events that could have linearly led to the formulation of the riddle; however, it is presented in this reverse fashion. "The foxhunt represents the absolute disjoining of Stephen's two selves." The trouble is that Joyce, through the progression of Stephen from Portrait into, and eventually, out of Ulysses, has gradually brought about the loss of his hero's sovereignty."
Abstract The paper contrasts different critics' approaches to analyzing the book and its protagonist. The paper works its way through Stephen's life, at each stage offering the opinions of contrasting critics and reviewers of the book, such as Walton A. Litz, John V. Kelleher and Robert Adams. The paper also analyzes the novel's structure, again comparing different critics' opinions, in this case Harry Levin's division of the book into three sections with William T. Noon's separation of the book into five parts, along the lines of Joyce's five chapters. Finally, the paper contrasts Joyce's style and structure with Stephen's aesthetic theory: Stephen's destiny seeks wholeness, his personality desires harmony, and Joyce strives for clarity. In conclusion, the writer speculates that if Thomas Aquinas was alive in 1914, he probably would have enjoyed meeting James Joyce.
From the Paper "Another turning point for Stephen's development occurs during his studying of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. Stephen reads the words that he has read many times, but this time he examines the words for their actual meaning (Zimbaro 31). When Stephen begins to evaluate words for their meaning, he opens up a whole new world of symbolism. The repeated use of words like "dark," "cold," "pale," and "strange" to describe Clongowes Wood College represents Stephen's true feelings. Stephen even recalls words from his past, like the childhood poem "O, the wild rose blossoms/ On the little green place" (Joyce 19), and brings them into his world of imagery: "Perhaps a wild rose might be like those colours and he remembered the song about the wild rose blossoms on the little green place. But you could not have a green rose. But perhaps somewhere in the world you could" (Joyce 24). Stephen's imagination allows him to deal with reality in a way that he can accept. Words and symbolism become the key to all of Stephen's experiences. For example, when Father Dolan hits Stephen with the pandybat, the words "hot," "burning," "stinging," "tingling," "crumpled," "flaming," "livid," "scalding," "maimed," "quivering," "fierce," and "maddening" all occur in less than half a page (Adams 235)."
This paper explores the question of similarities or links between the characters in the same novel, as well as in completely different novels, in the works of novelist Stephen King.
Abstract This paper explains that Stephen King is a most prolific writer in one genre, horror books; therefore, there cannot help but be similarities in some of the characters in his dozens of published works. The author points out that every time Stephen King writes or develops a character that is to represent complete and undeniable evil, he gives that character the initials R. F., such as, in "The Stand", he named the epitome of evil, Randall Flagg. The paper relates that another commonality is that several of the characters in Stephen King's novels and short stories are social misfits, which naturally make them prime candidates to experience the horrors of King's innermost imaginative thoughts, as in "IT" or the writer in "Delores".
From the Paper "In the "Gunslinger", Roland, the main character, is practical and intelligent, which is the path most of King's characters take on. However, that is not an obvious "link" because very few people would read a novel in which the main character was not intelligent. It would make a boring book; therefore, King may not have purposely made this character as intelligent and practical as other "Dark Tower" characters. He may instead have created characters that were intelligent and practical because that is what sells books, and by coincidence, they all appear intelligent and practical."
Abstract This paper examines Realism and Naturalism movement and how Mark Twain, Henry James and Stephen Crane captured the spirit of their times. The author discusses how writers sought to preserve a distinct way of life threatened by industrialization, immigration, the after effects of the Civil War, and the changes in society. The paper focuses on three books, The Adventure's of Huckleberry Finn, Daisy Miller, and The Open Boat.
From the Paper:
"Writing periods have certain characteristics that mark them as unique. Local Color, Realism, and Naturalism are no exception, but they also have one thing in common. Just as a facet of a jewel reflects whatever light it may receive, so too do the works of Mark Twain, Henry James, and Stephen Crane reflect a distinctive aspect of their time period."
