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Steinbeck's "Chrysanthemums", 2008.
A discussion on the completely divergent views of the physical and emotional world that Steinbeck masterfully explodes in "Chrysanthemums."
938 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses John Steinbeck's writings and refers to the fact that he has always infused his work with the issue of gender and tends to blend the men and women into a general view of humanity that is purposefully meant to see the "us" in the relationship between the two sides of the same coin. The paper states that this is the case with the two primary characters in his short story, "Chrysanthemums" and concludes that, in this story, Steinbeck is not only telling us that men and women are different, but he's illustrating that fact in an exceptionally small and effective context.
From the Paper
"Henry represents a "typical" man, one whom Elisa must "set herself for". In their relationship, Henry is woefully ignorant and uncomprehending of his wife's archetypal feminine interaction with the world. Where he sees form and function, she sees beauty and spirituality. Nowhere in the story does this receive more attention than in the entire discourse over the flowers. Henry refers to them in terms of size and shape, emphasizing that his understanding of the natural world is directly connected to his job in which manipulation of nature and the total control over the natural order is the goal. For Elisa, building a relationship with nature, appreciating not only the beauty but all of the various aspects (both pleasant and unpleasant) of the flowers as a whole. We can understand that, for her, the connection of humanity to nature is one of mutual respect, of accepting things as they are, of communicating with nature as a caretaker. If we then, as the author wants us to do, take this relationship with nature and juxtapose it upon the relationship between man and woman within the context of the story, we can see how simply and fundamentally different men and women are. While they live in the same house, live off the same money, and function within the same society, these two people fail utterly to connect with each other because they do not share a common emotional language."
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Herman Melville's "Billy Budd", 2008.
Looks at the transcendental core of Herman Melville's novella "Billy Budd".
1,995 words (approx. 8.0 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the plot of Herman Melville's "Billy Budd" revolves around the central axis of the war between good and evil by using Biblical and mythical allusions. The author relates that, although Billy Budd seems to be the innocent character, from a religious point of view he becomes guilty after committing an involuntary crime. The paper concludes that the central message of the story is that natural innocence is to be preferred instead of moral truth.
From the Paper
"The character of Billy Budd is drafted on an opposition between the natural and the religious truth. He is at once portrayed as a noble savage, with a natural charm and a baffling innocence. Billy attracts everyone through his natural and pure character, but at the same time, he inspires some of the others with sinful feelings of either desire or envy. His shipmates and the captain also are irresistibly drawn towards Billy as to something incredibly pure and innocent. His beauty also emphasizes the idea that he represents natural perfection. He represents nature in its pristine form, untouched by the usual tinges of civilization. In shape, he seems to be descended from the "unadulterated blood of Ham", an ideal representation of nature and savageness, with an intensely black skin:"[He was] so intensely black that he must needs have been a native African of the unadulterated blood of Ham. A symmetric figure much above the average height."(Melville, 2) His shipmates swarm around him, attracted irresistibly by his natural virtue and sweetness: "Not that he preached to them or said or did anything in particular; but a virtue went out of him
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Sociological Concepts in Literature, 2008.
Examines five literary sources to explore the sociological concepts of transculturation and hybridity, orientalism and cultural translation.
1,595 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 52.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that postcolonial literature, such as Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children", deals with transculturation and the incredible and complicated processes, which lead to hybridity of the colonizing and the colonized cultures. The author points out that Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" and Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Books" both represent the deeply rooted differences between the cultures of the West and the East. The paper also looks at Brian Friel's "Translations", Tsitsi Dangarembga's "Nervous Conditions" and Achmat Dangor's "Bitter Fruit" to illustrate that cultural translation is a potent metaphor for the way in which one civilization may try to interpret another through its own terms.
Table of Contents:
Transculturation and Hybridity: Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children"
Orientalism: Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" and Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Books"
Cultural Translation
From the Paper
"Not accidentally, in "Midnight's Children", Saleem revises his own ancestry along with the historical past. The stories of his grandfather Aziz, a young doctor who is educated in Britain and thus already a hybrid himself, are very relevant at this point. Thus, his love story with Naseem is very interesting because it tokens the conflicting cultural attitudes between the Indian and the British cultures. While the Western civilization requires and allows a thorough physical examination of the body before establishing a diagnosis in case of an illness, the Oriental culture denies the propriety of this direct contact between a young man and a young woman outside marriage."
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Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography, 2008.
An analysis of Mark Mathabane's book "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography", specifically focusing on apartheid in South Africa and the appalling prejudice and segregation between blacks and whites under the regime.
938 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes the book "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane. Mathabane's book allows the reader to enter the South African world of apartheid and understand more about the system as it worked in South African life. Apartheid, a system of separation and segregation between blacks and whites existed in South Africa until 1994, and it drove a wedge between the people, the country, and its relationship with the world. This paper discusses how the book shows the deep wedge between races, and how much blacks suffered under the system. Furthermore, it looks at how Mathabane's story makes the time of apartheid real to the reader, and shows how prejudice and hatred can tear a people and a country apart. It also discusses that even with apartheid and racism, the author still deeply loves his home country.
From the Paper
"As the book continues, it is difficult to believe some of the atrocities and outrages were allowed to continue as long as they did. The whites oppressed the blacks and other minorities so completely, it was difficult for them to even survive. For example, Mathabane's father is arrested simply for being unemployed, one of the 'worst' offenses a black man could commit in South Africa. Some of the situations would be laughable, if they were not so real, and many of them are remarkable. Blacks are not allowed to own houses, and the government can tear down their ghetto on a whim, leaving entire families homeless and desperate. Yet, the whites, who enjoy an incredibly high standard of living, do nothing to ease the tensions and inequalities in their country. It is as if there are two separate countries, united only by the name, 'South Africa,' and the as the book continues, it draws the reader in, until they feel as if they are a part of the fight for freedom. It also makes them feel outrage that such atrocities were allowed to continue for so very long."
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Literature: Women inside the Patriarchal Society, 2008.
Compares the depiction of the life of women inside the patriarchal society in Rebecca Harding Davis' 'Life in the Iron Mills" and William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily".
895 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the female protagonists in Rebecca Harding Davis' 'Life in the Iron Mills" and Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" are very different. However, the two women are markedly the prisoners of the patriarchal society that has caught them in its net. The author points out that both women focus all their energy on their male companions, being almost obsessively preoccupied with them. The paper describes both stories.
From the Paper
""Life in the Iron Mills" is the somber story of the grey, empty life of a worker in the iron mills, Hugh Wolfe. In the midst of his brutish life, he has an artistic vision: he is able to model figurines out of the waste materials left at the mill. His aspirations are thwarted nevertheless, and he dies in utter misery. His fate obviously symbolizes the terrible destiny of the working-class people, who had no perspectives outside a barren, instinctual life. The secondary character of this story, Deborah, who is Hugh's cousin, is however an even more interesting figure which perfect the realistic picture drawn by Davis."
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"The Death of Ivan Ilych", 2008.
A psychoanalytic review of Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych".
1,247 words (approx. 5.0 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilych", by integrating the theories of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan in order to examine the development and indeed demise of the main character. It looks at how Ivan develops from a young person with very idealistic, if somewhat mundane ambitions, to a disillusioned and emaciated man on his death bed. The paper further discusses how Ilych's condition of ego-idealism and narcissism was to a great extent to blamed upon both his society and his childhood and how tragically, he appears to have left this legacy to his children as well.
From the Paper
"Many of Freud's theories have been popularized by today's cultures in terms such as repression, libido, superego, fetishism, and others. Felluga however warns that such terms should not be taken at the often shallow interpretations presented today, but that they should be investigated in terms of Freud's original meanings. Particularly applicable to Tolstoy's main character in The Death of Ivan Ilych are Freud's concepts of repression and superego. Lacan built upon Freud's work to create his theory of the subconscious, and also to create new terms such as the natural or essential reasons for psychic processes. Of use here are instincts and ideology."
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Identity and Myth in "The Odyssey", 2008.
An exploration of the problem of identity and the role of mythology in Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey."
2,967 words (approx. 11.9 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 87.95
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Abstract
This paper explores selected themes in Homer's Odyssey. The writer analyzes the use of disguise in the story to conceal identity, and how Penelope finally identifies Odysseus as her husband in spite of his disguise. The writer examines the role of Athena, who also changes her identity repeatedly, as the mythical power behind Odysseus, and the one who transforms him into an old beggar before his return to Ithaca. The writer discusses the paradoxes that arise from concealing and from changing identities in the story, and concludes that, whether disguised or not, Odysseus is always a powerful presence throughout the story.
Outline
ONE: Among the Most Important Scenes in The Odyssey: Penelope and Odysseus
TWO: Theories of Myth and The Odyssey
THREE: Ways in Which Identity is an Important Theme in The Odyssey
From the Paper
"This story has within it a lot of imagery and straightforward references about the identity of people, and their changing identities affect the theme of the story. Homer is writing about characters and their identity all though the story; some characters change their identity, some even hide their identity, and it seems as if the symbol of those confusing changes of identity comes down to the poet looking at a common human problem."
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The Benefits and Dangers of Solitude, 2008.
This paper analyzes the experience of solitary confinement in May Sarton's "Journal of a Solitude" and "The Rewards of Living a Solitary Life" and in the 2000 film "Castaway," directed by Robert Zemeckis.
1,319 words (approx. 5.3 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 44.95
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Abstract
The paper explores how solitary confinement proves a challenge to the author and poet May Sarton, as well as the protagonist Chuck Noland of "Castaway," the 2000 film based upon the real-life experiences of a FedEx employee tragically stranded on a desert island. The paper examines the profoundly different responses of the two characters to solitude. The paper explains that Noland is a man trapped against his will on an island with only a volleyball, while Sarton has recourse to friends and simply chooses to live alone, in relatively comfortable circumstances.
From the Paper
"Both works suggest that human beings are fundamentally social animals to some degree, and need companionship as a way of remaining mentally stable, emotionally centered, and sane. However, because Sarton's solitude is occasionally broken with some visits from other people, it does not have the soul-destroying character that Noland's solitude has. Because Sarton's solitude is chosen, she can take delight in the spiritual rewards provided by a life apart from the hustle, bustle, and time constraints of the rest of the social world. And perhaps most importantly of all, even though Hanks learns a great deal during his time on the island, because Sarton embarked upon her solitary life with a purpose, to pursue a fruitful writing career and to avoid the distractions of too much society, she enjoys her time alone"
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Conflict in "Antigone", 2008.
An analysis of the main thematic conflict in the drama "Antigone" by Sophocles.
1,379 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the main thematic conflict in the tragic drama "Antigone". Specifically, the paper relates that the main thematic conflict in "Antigone" is Antigone's rebellion against authority and law. The paper then looks at how Creon represents the power of the state, while Antigone represents the individual. The paper explains how the conflict is resolved in a tragic way; Creon loses some of his pride while Antigone loses her life.
From the Paper
"Early in the play, it becomes clear that Antigone is not afraid of the power of Creon or the state. She believes the laws are unfair, and she is not afraid to stand up against them and challenge Creon and his power. She believes the gods are the only ones who can truly make the laws, and this sets up the conflict between Antigone and Creon that lasts through the entire play. She says, "Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way" (Sophocles 1304), and she truly believes this, which is why this tragic conflict continues. She loves her brother enough to sacrifice herself to make sure he is properly buried and she will not let the laws of a powerful king stand in her way."
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The Stranger Beside Me, 2008.
An analysis of a serial killer as described in the book "The Stranger Beside Me'' by Ann Rule.
1,326 words (approx. 5.3 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 44.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the character of a serial killer. Referring to the book "The Stranger Beside Me'' by Ann Rule, the paper discusses how the character Ted Bundy fits the archetypal profile of a serial killer. The paper discusses his psychopathic behavior which is rooted in a combination of reasons as discussed by the paper.
From the Paper
"Indeed, Bundy had a standard modus operandi that he employed that law enforcement caught on to very quickly in the investigation. This involved the usage of crutches or a cast, to give his victims the idea that he was injured and elicit sympathy. He would ask them for help in carrying something, at which point he would lead them to his car, which would typically be parked in an isolated area, and hit them on the head with some sort of object and drive off with them in his possession. This modus operandi did not work every time, as Rule notes in her book (71). But it was likely this trick that led to the disappearance of Georgeann Hawkins, among others. "
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