| Papers [337-348] of 11724 :: [Page 29 of 977] | | Go to page : <— 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 —> | |
|
|
Greek Myths and Monsters, 2008. A discussion of the monsters in Greek mythology. 1,641 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 11 sources, MLA, $ 53.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper discusses three of the monsters of Greek mythology:the Gorgon Medusa, the Minotaur and Scylla and Charybdis. The paper also looks at the role that they play in this culture. The paper explains that among the most grotesque of the Greek monsters was the Gorgon. The paper suggests that the Gorgon is a representation of a human head undergoing decay, more common to the Greeks than to modern peoples, but still distasteful. The paper then points out that just as the Gorgon reflected something the Greeks had seen in real life, the Minotaur may have reflected their revulsion with human sacrifice as carried on by the Minoans of Crete. In conclusion, the paper shows that the Greeks tried to explain their world and to do this they created a series of myths and legends that have vastly enriched the world's lore and literature ever since. While some of their stories seem more than fantastic, on examination, most have a reasonable explanation.
From the Paper "Medusa was eventually killed by Perseus. He was the product of one of Zeus' many dalliances. Perseus and his mother, Danae, came eventually to the land of Seriphos, where the king fell in love with Danae. Wanting to get Perseus out of the way, the king tricked him into going on a quest for the head of Medusa. (Hard, 239)
"Perseus received help from the gods Hermes and Athena, who sent him to the Graiai, the three "old woman," sisters of the Gorgons, who knew their secrets. The Graiai gave Perseus winged sandals with which he could fly, a cap of invisibility which would let him approach Medusa unseen, and a metal satchel in which he could safely store her head."
| |
|
Gender Roles of Women in Greek and Roman Cultures, 2008. A comparison of the feminist construct of gender in ancient Roman and Grecian cultures with a focus on the Greek female festival of Thesmophoria. 1,213 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 41.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the feminist construct of gender in the religious festivals and celebrations in ancient Roman and Grecian cultures. It examines the example of the Greek female festival of Thesmophoria and based on this examination it discusses how Roman culture also adapted such festivals in honor of women. The paper concludes that the Roman culture was far more patriarchal in its belief system, which negated the greater liberties that women had in Greek society and in government.
From the Paper "This provides a similar foundation for the rites of women within the pantheon of Roman gods that had been passed down from ancient Greek culture, yet the practice of women within society as equal contributors to the religious and social experiences did not provide as many liberties from Greek to Roman gender roles. The primary role of women was respected at a level that was officially sanctioned by the government, yet the practicality of women's rights was often marginalized due to the role of men in dominating government and social policy. These are the means and ways in which a patriarchal society was much more prominent in Roman culture than it was within the religious and social institutions that the Greeks. For the most part, both cultures did not provide compete autonomy for women, yet the Greeks did provide a greater sense of ceremonial and religious roles for women that were practical and real for allowing women to bond and create social groups separate from men."
| |
|
"Across the River and into the Trees", 2008. An analysis of Ernest Hemingway's novel "Across the River and into the Trees". 2,579 words (approx. 10.3 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 77.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract The paper looks at Ernest Hemingway's "Across the River and into the Trees" and conveys how the text does an admirable job of capturing the weariness, the cynicism, the lingering shadows and the potentiality of Italy in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The paper looks at this book relative to Hemingway's other books as well as its relationship to the work of other writers from the period.
From the Paper "To begin with, Across the River and into the Trees was released in 1950. At that time, Italy was less than a decade removed from the Second World War and from the disastrous reign of Benito Mussolini. As a result of this, many of the old wounds - wounds caused by the association with Hitler, the disastrous reign of Il Duce, the country's heavy losses in history's most costly war- were still fresh, still sore. Beyond that, the country was going through a period of relative upheaval, with the dramatic ascendancy of the "New Left" and with the deliberate purging of anyone involved with Mussolini's fascist party. Finally, the country wracked with concern (or at least its allies were wracked with concern) over the ability of democracy to flourish in a land that had no real tradition (at least in recent decades) of democratic governance (Salvati, 556-559)."
| |
|
Muhammad, Medina and the Jews, 2008. This paper discusses the treatment of Jews in the establishment of a state in Medina. 3,900 words (approx. 15.6 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 106.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract In this article the writer notes that in the 6th century, Muhammad moved to Medina in order to get away from the Meccans, who were tormenting him. This was a turning point in Muhammad's life, and gave rise to the first Islamic communities. The writer then discusses that in Medina, there were several Jewish communities and there is much disagreement and controversy concerning the relationship between Muhammad and the Jews. The writer looks at the issues of who were the umma referred to in the Constitution of Medina and the definition of the umma. The writer also discusses whether Muhammad's raids on the Medinan Jews were contrary to the spirit of Islam. As is shown in the paper, different scholars have offered differing interpretations, such that it is difficult to be clear on these issues.
From the Paper "On the other hand, al-Waqidi does not describe this relationship of integration and proselytizing. Yet Ibn Ishaq argues that some good experiences had convinced Muhammad that the Jews could in fact be included in an umma with the Muslims. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Even if there was as much integration and cooperation as Ibn Ishaq believes, it was very short-lived. Religious conflicts caused the Jews to turn away from Muhammad, while Faizer notes that Muhammad's symbolic turning of his qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca indicates that the feelings of antipathy were mutual."
| |
|
Catholicism and the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, 2008. An analysis of the religious orientation of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 according to "Spanish Missions, Cultural Conflict, and the Pueblo Revolt of 1680" by Henry Bowden and "Franciscans and the Pueblo Revolt" by Ramon Gutierrez. 1,178 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 40.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper discusses two essays, "Spanish Missions, Cultural Conflict, and the Pueblo Revolt of 1680" by Henry Bowden and "Franciscans and the Pueblo Revolt" by Ramon Gutierrez that are found within "What Caused the Pueblo Revolt of 1680?" by David Weber. The paper compares and contrasts the two sources and then discusses the conflict's religious orientation according to these sources.
From the Paper "A close reading of the descriptions offered by the governor of New Mexico, Don Antonio de Otermin, will, naturally, highlight the religious overtone of the revolt. As Spanish officials cared very little (if at all) for the physical well-being of their subjects, the description, with its endless religious rhetoric, fails to address the very real material reasons for the uprising, choosing instead to relate the absolute horror of the Spaniards when they encountered the religious sabotage of the Pueblo Indians: "What grieved us most were the dreadful flames from the church and the scoffing and ridicule which the wretched and miserable Indian rebels made of the sacred things, intoning the alabado and the other prayers of the church with jeers" (Hackett). This incident gives much credence to Bowden's argument, and it certainly seems that the Pueblo revolt was geared towards the removal of all things Catholic from the land. And, although the governor never mentions it in his long letter, this goal was coupled with the belief that this removal would result in a paradise of abundance and health."
| |
|
The Korean War, 2008. This paper uses the primary paradigms in international relations to enhance our understanding of the Korean War. 3,502 words (approx. 14.0 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 98.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract The paper examines the Korean War through the lens of three of the major paradigms in international relations: realism, world society and theory of dependence. The paper shows how no one paradigm of international relations exactly fits all aspects of the Korean conflict. The paper explains how we must therefore consider a convergence of paradigms to fully understand this war.
Outline:
Introduction
The Primary Paradigms
The Korean War: A Realist Analysis
The Korean War: A Dependency Theory Analysis
The Korean War: World Society Theory
Analysis
From the Paper "There exist a number of different paradigms to explain the events of the Korean War. The theoretical model of Realism has long been one of dominant theories of international relations, although as a formal school of thought it has only existed since the Second World War. The primary assumptions of this theoretical model is that the global political system is fundamentally anarchic in that nation-states are effectively sovereign with no check on their actions other than from other nation-states. The relations between these states is predicated on their differential power levels - state power being understood in military and economic terms - with each state pursuing its own national security and other interests."
| |
|
American Civil Rights, 2008. A discussion of the effect on civil rights in America of the Patriot Act of 2001 and the 2007 Supreme Court's decision to make partial-birth abortions illegal. 1,329 words (approx. 5.3 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 44.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper discusses the challenges to civil rights that exist today in the United States. The paper particularly discusses the the implementation of the Patriot Act of 2001 and, in 2007, the Supreme Court's decision to make partial-birth abortions illegal. It then looks at how these two decisions have affected overall civil rights in America.
From the Paper "If any good can be found in this ongoing crisis in the United States and its Patriot Act, it is that, hopefully, an important lesson has been learned by American civil rights activists. That lesson is that human rights cannot be taken for granted. Activists need to keep working even when civil rights are in good shape. Luckily, one win for the Democrats will probably be enough to get the legal framework moving to repeal the Patriot Act. The history of American civil rights since 1945 is too strong a tradition to be held hostage by hysterical legislation."
| |
|
Literature Review Regarding Contemporary China, 2008. A review of the literature regarding reform and thought in contemporary China. 2,964 words (approx. 11.9 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 87.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper analyzes three articles that relate to issues in contemporary China. It specifically examines "Rebuilding the Party's Normative Authority: China's Socialist Spiritual Civilization Campaign. Problems of Post-Communism" by Feng Chen, "Dilemmas of Thought Work in Fin de Siecle China" by D. C. Lynch and "Economic Reform and Ideological Decay: the Decline of Ideology, in Riding the Tiger - the Politics of Economic Reform in Post-Mao China" by Gordon White.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Reform and Ideology
Lynch on 'Thought Work'
Gordon White and Riding the Tiger
Feng Chen
Conclusion
From the Paper "When studied after Lynch's paper and White's early 1990s summary, Feng Chen's work seem on target. He shows the Party's intellectuals and ideologists inventing work for themselves according to 'human interest' topics such as crime, removing unwholesome influences, bringing on patriotic education for the young - and these do point to some sort of socialist function. Ironically, the CCP is to run the Chinese state whose shifts to capitalism bring social problems and work towards correcting the social problems created. Feng Chen's discussion is effective in the irony of the CCP being unable to make a "normative order" according to socialism when nearly all else it pursues is so geared to capitalism. (41) An alert reader too will see that none of this matters because the Chinese show in different ways that, first and foremost, they want the benefits of capitalism. It seems like the CCP can have its moralizing intellectual and ideological "role" if it wants, because the Chinese want to be employed and have buying power. Also, they see the clear failings of capitalism as pursued by an archaic Party in millions of visibly poor people and the migrant worker population that is mentioned by others as a strong defect of the present system. If a reader follows the Chinese press, he or she can begin to think like an everyday Chinese who does not expect accuracy from the state media, does expect to be given some message of what it means to be a Chinese citizen, how China will be "great" of course, and as Feng Chen added, some instruction to do as the Party suggests. (33)"
| |
|
Diocletian's Palace and the City of Split, 2008. An overview of the history and architecture of Emperor Diocletian's palace and the City of Split. 3,310 words (approx. 13.2 pages), 24 sources, MLA, $ 94.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper relates that the Emperor Diocletian rose through the orders by virtue of military skill, brilliance, and flexible scruples and how in preparation for his retirement, Diocletian had built a huge structure on the Dalmatian coast, a few miles from Salona. It also looks at how what began as a villa eventually became a a permanent settlement as the city of Split developed.
From the Paper "While there will probably never be definitive evidence of when the inhabitation which became Split took place, it is unlikely that the palace was ever entirely derelict. It was simply to fine a resource to pass up, and while it may have been many decades before there was any substantial permanent settlement here, it seems highly doubtful that the palace was ever truly deserted. (Wilkes, 88) While the precise nature of the inhabitation at Split during the early years remains questionable, the city always seems to have been regarded as autonomous, and by the time Constantine Porphyrogenitus chronicled it, it was essentially independent and remained so until the Venetians gained control in the fifteenth century. (Plommer, 256) "
| |
|
The Civil War: Its Impact on Today's American Society, 2008. A discussion of the impact of the Civil War on American society. 979 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 34.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper examines how the Civil War still has a lingering effect on today's American society. The paper explains that this terrible conflict has impacted American politics, culture, economics and social values in many ways, but the political effects of the Union victory over the rebelling Confederacy have been perhaps the most important, for had the South won the Civil War, the existence of two rival countries at the center of the North American continent would have greatly altered future political, economic, cultural, and social developments. The paper looks at how, because of the Civil War, the federal government and federal bureaucracy became much more powerful, and the American president's war powers were significantly expanded. The paper then points out that progress against racial prejudice and discrimination began to be made, but nearly a century passed before racial segregation was ended and racial equality was accepted by most of the American people. The paper also discusses how the Civil War led to loyalty to America instead of loyalty to one's state, great industrial expansion, the creation of a national media, growing world trade, the development of active and powerful labor unions, and the establishment of an economic foundation that made the United States a global economic superpower within a hundred years. In conclusion, the paper shows that in terms of cultural changes, the Civil War led to a growing cultural sophistication across the United States in the form of increased public interest in literature, poetry, the theater, and art.
From the Paper "Fite (1983) notes that in terms of domestic politics, the expansion of federal authority required to win the Civil War created a huge and powerful central government in Washington D.C. and established a lasting precedent of centralized federal government power. Before the war broke out in 1861, the federal government was relatively weak, and the states retained significant political power. But during the war years, the Lincoln administration and the United States Congress were compelled to expand their powers in order to save the Union, and these powers resulted in an enlarged federal bureaucracy which, once established, was reluctant to give up the broad range of powers it had acquired during the war."
| |
|
Religion and the Media in Nigeria, 2008. An analysis of the reasons for and effects of the intersection between religion and the media in Nigeria. 1,183 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 40.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper analyzes the intersection of religion and the media in Nigeria. It shows how the effect of the fundamentalism and conservatism in religion can be felt in nearly all forms of the media in Nigeria, but primarily in television and newspapers, which account for the majority of the media productions in the nation. The paper discusses the reasons for and effects of this intersection between religion and the media.
From the Paper "In short, the Nigerian media faces significant pressure and limitations on independence from religious and political groups, including fundamentalist Muslims. Islamic influences, particularly in the broadcast media and the print media, have resulted in religiously inspired television programming, sensationalized newspaper articles, and fatwas calling for the death of "offensive" journalists. In any sufficiently modern nation, the freedom of the press from just this kind of influence and control should be sacrosanct. It is a basic freedom that permits religious and political intolerance from erupting into major conflicts and violence. Unfortunately, in Nigeria the independence of the media is severely limited and the influence of religious groups, including fundamentalist Muslims, has affected the kind of media that is produced and the public's reaction to it."
| |
|
The Senatorial Aristocracy in Rome in Late Antiquity, 2008. A discussion of the preservation of Roman identity and the fall of the Roman Empire. 1,919 words (approx. 7.7 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 61.95 »
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract This paper examines the efforts undertaken by the senatorial aristocracy in Rome to preserve its identity between 350 and 395. The paper explains that these efforts were subverted by the political and religious opposition of the East Roman emperors and the Church. The paper looks at how the issue to preserve the Roman Senate's identity was fundamentally a means to restore the Senate to play a political role in the new Empire. The paper then points out that the political reality, however, and the anti-pagan religious fundamentalism made it quite clear that there was no such accommodation for the Roman West.
From the Paper "When Diocletian split the Roman Empire, he sealed the fate of the Roman West as effectively as the barbarians in 476. Yet, as Rome in late antiquity "was for the most part a city without an imperial presence" , there is a particular poignancy to "the sacred Senate" and the Rome of that era. "The city's Senators were, for many authors, an embodiment of all that was venerable about Rome" . Ammanius says that once the interminable civil wars of the third century (235-284) had ended, "the white hair of the senators and their authority are revered and the name of the Roman people is respected and honored" . "The Eternal City" retained its symbolic resonance as the center of civilization even in defeat. "Odovacar...a German, ruled in Italy as "rex" ([and] "maintained the Roman administrative system" ."
|
|
|