Abstract
This essay is a thorough analysis of the Charles Dickens novel, "A Tale of Two Cities". It focuses on the numerous instances of class distinction, as well as the developing tensions between classes during the given time frame.

From the Paper
"The historical context of Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities directly alludes to the tense social, economic, and political climates in France and England during the beginnings of the French revolution. The aristocracy's grandiose lifestyle coupled with the lower classes' desperation formulates a conflicting juxtaposition throughout the novel. Dickens depicts a historically familiar atmosphere. He has a remarkable ability, however, to develop the consistent underlying social struggle between the well-to-do and the less fortunate. Whether he relies on blatant actions from certain characters or the outcry of citizens' sentiments, Dickens develops an accurate reflection of conflicting classes throughout the novel."

Tags:caste, charles, cities, class, dickens, distinction, social, socioeconomical, struggles, system, tale, tension, two

Abstract
The paper discusses how Dickens chooses to use Oliver as a primary example of how children were treated within the context of the 19th century. The paper highlights how this is in contrast to how he uses the latter 18th century to define social institutions through the perspective of adult members of the ruling classes that influenced the course of the French Revolution and British foreign policy.

Tags:dickens, cities, tale

Abstract
The paper describes how Margaret Atwood in "The Handmaid's Tale" suggests some of the failures in contemporary society by projecting these shortcomings into a future society. The paper explores Atwood's concerns about the nature of the family, the danger of pollution and the fear of women that the gains they have made will be taken away. The paper concludes that the novel highlights how much more has to be done to create the truly egalitarian society most people want.

From the Paper
"Offred experiences not only the demands placed upon her to be a surrogate mother but also many other indignities as her society imposes its code upon her, forcing her to dress and behave in a certain way or be punished. Atwood develops a vision of the place of women in society today as well as in this future, using an extreme situation to comment on the secondary position women occupy in Western society today. The story is set in a future United States called Gilead. This new version of the U.S. came into being after the President was assassinated and the Constitution suspended, after which an authoritarian regime developed based on a return to traditional values and fundamentalist Christianity. Gilead has what amounts to a state religion and ruthlessly eliminates all who would take a different point of view."

Tags:Gilead, Christianity, religion, class, women

Abstract
This paper relates that epic poem, "The Tale of Kieu," which dates from the 17th century and is a classic in Vietnamese literature, is the story of Thuy Kieu, a Vietnamese middle-class teenager, both gifted and beautiful, whose life is turned upside-down when she is forced to break a vow to marry her betrothed and turns to a life of prostitution to save her impoverished father. The author points out that this work explores the conflicting virtues imposed on women by an authoritative and male-dominated Confucian society and the way these constraints adversely affected Kieu's life over the years. The paper concludes that this poem is a framework for understanding how people from another culture view many of the same issues, despite the vast distances and differences in culture, when women must turn to prostitution in order to earn a living.

Table of Contents
Review and Discussion
Summary
Theme
Strengths
Weaknesses
Conclusion

From the Paper
"During her 15-year employment in this immoral capacity, Kieu manages to meet one "client" with whom she is able to establish something of a rapport and pleasure, despite the fact that she recognizes that this man is most likely married and consequently unavailable to her. Kieu says of the relationship, "But if the lady lords over you, I shall be tossed to her, your lioness" (71). After 15 years of this ordeal, Kieu is finally reunited with her original fiance, when "the waning moon shines more than at its full" (161); however, her former betrothed, Kim, has already married Kieu's younger sister. "But I believe/ that to her man a bride should bring the scent of a close bud, and the shape of a full moon./ Its priceless chastity by nuptial torch, / am I to blush for what I'll offer you?" (lines 3092-3096)."

Tags:classic, prostitution, male-dominated, universal, style

Abstract
This paper explains that beneath Genji's veneer of class exists some less admirable character traits; a man, who cheats on his wife, kidnaps a troubled, insecure girl (who dies in his care) and who is convinced that the lower class is so beneath him as to not be worth his time. The author points out that loneliness is a very common theme in both the men's and women's poems. The paper relates that Genji, "The Shining One", retains an equally impeccable reputation in Japanese literature.

From the Paper
"There are many examples among the poetry of the time that show that there was a definite stress on the importance of having a man. One of the clearest examples of this is the poem about things a prostitute likes
that ends on the sad note of a prostitute praying for a man's love, that as a prostitute she is all the less likely to ever have. As in Yugao, there are examples of distrust in men in matters of love. Two particularly blunt examples of this include a poem wherein a woman rains curses down on her distrustful lover, including, but not limited to, the ardent hope that he will sprout horns and turn into a demon."

Tags:feminism, japanese, mythology, loneliness, prostitute

Abstract
This paper examines class differences as presented in Japanese Literature. The paper looks at "As I Cross A Bridge of Dreams" by Lady Sarashina and "The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu. Several questions are raised in the paper, to examine the not only class differences but also gender differences. Are the upper-class male characters willing to risk their careers for the women they meet? What are the social codes and regulations, and what happens to these men and women who assault the social code and pursue forbidden relationships? Are the consequences enforced so the men suffer in their political careers? Are the women ultimately abandoned and destroyed? These questions are all brought up in the context of class and gender issues to illustrate that the two authors, from the same culture and heritage, use their different destinies and experiences to portray different opinions.

Tags:bridge, cross, dreams, genji, lady, murasaki, sarashina, shikibu, tale, japanese, culture, heritage, gender, destiny

Abstract
This paper examines the similarities between the Wife of Bath in the "General Prologue" and the the carpenter's young wife in "The Miller's Tale" in Goeffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales". It looks at how they are both named Alisoun and how their identities are arguably defined by their wifehood. Both wives are wealthy by default but not of noble class standing, rather they married their way up. Both can also be considered lascivious and both may be said to defy gender stereotypes and expectations of the time. The paper also discusses how the physical descriptions of women in "The Canterbury Tales" often seem to mirror their characters and how this sets up the two wives on the opposite spectrum of physical appearance.

From the Paper
"Alisoun, the Wife of Bath, is best described as an old hag. The first thing the narrator notes about her is a sign of physical decay, her deafness on one ear, saying that "she was somdel deef" (446). Only she herself later reveals that this is not due to senility. Thus, she is immediately situated her as an older, if not elderly woman, though she may, in truth, be no older than forty. In the passage I studied in detail, this assumption is further underlined by the description of her five marriages and the multiple pilgrimages she has made to far-away places: "She had been three times at Jerusalem... at Rome, and at Boulogne, In Galicia at Saint-James (of Compostella), and at Cologne" (462-466). Since traveling in the Middle Ages was a lengthy, exhausting and dangerous process, the conclusion lies near that the Wife of Bath has lived a long, diverse life and is none the more attractive for it. "

Tags:Alisoun, class

Abstract
This paper explores the satirical tone of the Miller's Prologue in "Canterbury Tales" and how it represents class conflict. The paper also explains how the Miller's Tale "quites" the Knight's tale.

From the Paper
"The Miller's story of the foolish carpenter and his wife illustrate the Miller's personal views on jealousy and infidelity. According to the Miller, whether or not a man's wife is cheating is of no business to him. Furthermore, the Miller claims that men should never question God's will in matters of love."

Tags:knight, tale-telling, chaucer, monk, drunk, courtly, love

Abstract
This paper examines how Geoffrey Chaucer, in constructing his parade of tale-telling pilgrims in "The Canterbury Tales", includes a representative from every sphere of medieval society, from the law, the clergy, the working class and tradesmen's classes, to that of the knights. Chaucer also includes a psychologically as well as economically and socially diverse cast of characters, including the wealthy and indulgent Wife of Bath as well as the ascetic student of the law called the Clerk. The paper concludes by imagining where Chaucer himself would sit were he to join the imaginary dinner party that he created.

From the Paper
"Given the corruption and the often mercenary interests of the clergy, the Merchant might be an appropriate dining companion for both Summoner and Friar. The Merchant is evidence of the fact that although Chaucer was highly critical of the clergy, he did not view the clergy as a uniquely corrupt segment of society; rather corruption was endemic to society on many levels, in all of the different social strata represented by the tales. The Reeve, who tells an equally sexually lewd tale, might be a fitting companion for the Merchant personally, and the Reeve began in the tradesman classes, thus although they come from different professions, the two men are both middle-class and would likely speak a similar social 'language.'"

Tags:character, dialogue

Abstract
This paper looks at Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" and how, although there was an underlying tone of the battle of the sexes and certainly the battle of the classes, it was the fascinating stories of the "Knight", the "Wife of Bath", the "Miller" and the other stories that captivated the Englishmen of the time. In particular, it discusses how men, women, love, sex, desire, penance, evil and forgiveness are the themes that diverge and come together to provide today's reader with some insight into how people lived and thought over 500 years ago.

From the Paper
"The Knight's Tale begins the Canterbury Tales with a deceptive sort of calm and courtesy, and even a sort of honor that knights were supposed to reflect, but in the real world of the 15th Century, seldom did. Chaucer, one may infer, began with the Knight's tale and then spiraled downward in terms of sexuality, venality, pomposity, and the class and gender struggles appropriate to his times. The fact that these pilgrims seemed fairly amicable on their procession to Canterbury seems a departure from the "real world" which intrudes in the tales themselves. Chances are these "pilgrims" were so self-centered, and eager to tell their tales, that they did not recognize themselves for what they truly were."

Tags:knight, miller, wife, bath, sex, men, women