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Gatsby and Wealth, 2008.
This paper analyzes the premise of social class status in 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
888 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
In this literary study, the writer examines the premise of social class in relation to F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'. The writer notes that by understanding the lower class aspirations of Jay Gatsby for the upper class Daisy Buchanan, Fitzgerald creates a polarization of class that dooms their love affair. Further, the writer points out that by realizing the lengths that Gatsby will go to as a member of the upper classes, he invariably cannot ever attain Daisy through materialistic means. In essence, the writer concludes that the premise of social class in 'The Great Gatsby' dooms the love affair between Daisy and Jay within this capitalistic novel of greed and excess during the roaring 20s.
From the Paper
"The rise of Jay Gatsby's fortunes relied on illegal bootlegging to acquire his house, and the other materialistic pleasures that he has gained in his activities. The central focus of the novel, however, does not merely focus on his wealth, but focuses on his dream of having Daisy Buchanan. All of the accumulated wealth revolves around this particular woman, as she represents Gatsby's obsession with her as a symbol of the American Dream as a materialist object. One interesting aspect of the novel is that Gatsby feels that he must provide wealth and security to Daisy if he is to be able to 'have' her, as a social class status symbol of newfound wealth. In this manner, he is at once a possession, but Fitzgerald does indeed make sure to reveal that he does truly love her on a deeper level."
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"Code of the Street", 2008.
A critical review of Elijah Anderson's " Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City".
1,252 words (approx. 5.0 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the text, "Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City" by Elijah Anderson. The book is analyzed based on how it reflects four major tenets of strain theory, social learning theory, control theory, and labeling theory.
From the Paper
"The first of these social theories that is demonstrated within Anderson's text is that of Strain Theory. In strain theory, it is argued that social structures that are constructed and adopted by society can cause the society's citizens to commit crime. First of all, Anderson does not demean or belittle the actions that many "criminals" in the inner-city perform during their daily lives. He argues that in this sector of society, there is a "code" and a decency that its citizens live by, not arguing that this is morally right, but showing that it is a code and manner of life, nonetheless. These are not merely subhumans going about criminal lives; this is a living, working society that adheres to its own standards and rules."
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Karl Marx and His Challenge of Liberalism, 2008.
An examination of Karl Marx's challenge to liberalism in "The Communist Manifesto."
1,831 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how Karl Marx challenged liberalism in works such as "The Communist Manifesto", in which he condemned capitalism and predicted that the exploited working classes of capitalistic societies would become alienated and overthrow the system of capitalism. The paper explains that Marx was convinced that once liberalism was discredited and capitalism was overthrown, there would be a brief period of rule by the dictatorship of the proletariat and then the classless society of communism would emerge. The paper also discusses how Marx believed that working class Germans should be the chief focus of his revolutionary efforts because the political consciousness of the proletariat in Germany was more developed than in any other country in Europe. The paper then examines liberalism and its impact on society, in order to fully analyze Marx's challenges to liberalism.
From the Paper
"Marx believed that many political, economic, and social changes would be necessary in the aftermath of a proletarian revolution, for in his view, the only way the proletariat could free itself from exploitation was to abolish capitalism. In achieving this goal, the proletariat would have to destroy every remnant of bourgeois liberal culture because this culture perpetuated their misery. Family, religion, the worship of personalities, morality, and the legal system would all have to be abolished. According to Marx, the result of this abolishment would be "an association in which the free development of each is the condition for the development of all.""
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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
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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."
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"Nun's Priest's Tale", 2008.
This paper uses medieval dream analysis to unravel multiple themes in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Nun's Priest's Tale".
2,158 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 16 sources, APA, $ 67.95
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Abstract
This paper argues that dreams and their medieval interpretation are central to the structure of the "Nun's Priest's Tale". The paper looks at the style and illustrates how this story is clearly a sophisticated treatment of the beast fable. The paper shows how, although Chaucer refuses simple interpretation, the tale is a powerful meditation on human fallibility.
Outline:
Introduction
Style and Characterization
Role of Poem in Chaucer's Narrative
Analyzing Medieval Dreams
Exploring the Beast Fable
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The Nun's Priest's Tale is a 625 line segment of the Canterbury Tales, which is preceded directly by the monk's long and depressing narrative on the lives of fallen men and women. After the Knight interrupts this gloomy account, the Host turns and asks the Nun's Priest to "Telle us swich thyng as may oure hertes glade" (2811) and enliven the mood. In asking a clergyman to recount a secular tale of merriment, particularly after his holy brethren the monk had just offered a long and moralizing account of fame and hubris, the Host is making a sidelong jab at the sanctity of men of the cloth."
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Who is the Captive in 'Captivity'?, 2008.
This paper discusses who is the captive in Sherman Alexie's world, focusing on his work "Captivity'.
1,200 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer examines "Captivity," a stream-of-consciousness piece by Sherman Alexie. The writer points out that this work explores Alexie's reaction as a Native-American who grew up on a reservation, amid squalor, alcoholism, poverty, and hopelessness, to one of the classic narratives of a brave white woman enduring the grim experience of being held captive by Native-Americans. The writer discusses that Sherman Alexie, in touch with his tribal past and all of the imagery that it entails, also steps out to do his own dancing, the prolific author of novels, stories, poetry and pieces such as "Captivity," as well as the director of the movie versions of his books.
From the Paper
"In "Captivity," Mary Rowlandson is a recurring image: the white, especially the white girl, alone on the reservation. One version of Mary Rowlandson is the daughter of a white reservation worker. Stepping into her first classroom filled with young tribal members, she carries with her a "memory" distilled from the captivity her namesake endured three centuries earlier, at a time when the Wampanoags might well have thought that they had a chance to clear their traditional lands of the grasping colonists. Terrified, the modern Mary Rowlandson flees the school, envisioning each boy as her would-be captor."
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Kiran Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss", 2008.
This paper analyzes Kiran Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss" and concludes that persistent humiliation defines the lives of the book's main characters.
2,585 words (approx. 10.3 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 78.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the central themes of Kiran Desai's novel "The Inheritance of Loss" include globalization, unbridled capitalism and economic disparity. The author points that Desai's exploration of these themes is unyielding, and her conclusions are dispiriting as she uncovers the gruesome truths about the lives of the people that the comfortable classes learn to ignore. The paper underscores that Desai's novel grapples with the issue of racial self-hatred and relates that story of the judge in the book is studded with humiliations, but the crux of the matter is his reaction to the daily degradations. The paper concludes that this novel, with its unyielding gaze on the intricacies of the relationships between occupier and occupied, educated and illiterate, westerner and colonized, and rich and poor, is a damning indictment of a system that has relentlessly crushed a large portion of the world's population.
From the Paper
"While the judge's response to the humiliations and degradations that are the natural offspring of colonialism is one of racial self-hatred, his granddaughter's tutors, Lola and Noni, are the very embodiment of the laughable attempt to appropriate a foreign culture. The two tutors are far less menacing than the judge, and they contribute to the book's subtle humor. Desai introduces these two characters by making note of their cottage's name--Mon Ami. The very "French-ness" of that ludicrous name is surprising, and one is left to wonder what inspired the two aspiring socialites to use such a name for a cottage in the Himalayas."
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Violence in "The Song of Roland", 2008.
An analysis of the theme of violence in "The Song of Roland" and a contrast with how violence is portrayed in the "Iliad" by Homer.
2,359 words (approx. 9.4 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 72.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses "The Song of Roland" and discusses how the violence expressed in this work is striking in terms of what it says about the religious sensibilities of the age. It also looks at what the song says about the social obligations of the warrior class alive during the eighth and ninth centuries in what is today France. The paper then contrasts this with the way in which violence is treated in Greek mythology, most notably in the "Iliad" by Homer.
From the Paper
"At other points in classical Greek literature, it becomes abundantly clear that, while the ancient Greeks were certainly congenial to gaining possessions and tribute by violence, they were not consumed with the same lust for honor and for good reputation in battle that drove the Frankish nights of many centuries later. For instance, when the time comes to fight the Trojans, Odysseus feigns madness in an effort to get out of battle; this ruse ultimately fails when Palamedes finds him out and it is hardly unexpected when the former engineers the latter's eventual demise. As an addendum, Odysseus' shameful actions are brought to the attention of the attending audience in a later sequence found in the Metamorphoses when Ajax and he are competing for the weapons of the deceased Achilles; in a moment of withering disdain, Ajax asks why the always-scheming Odysseus should be rewarded when he had to be dragged into the battle in the first place (Parada & Forlag, para.9)."
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"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
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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)."
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"Learning to Read and Write", 2008.
A review of Frederick Douglass' book, "Learning to Read and Write" and the reasons why knowledge among slaves was feared by slave-owners.
1,020 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews Frederick Douglass' book, "Learning to Read and Write." It specifically discusses his contention that education and slavery were incompatible with one another and argues that knowledge among slaves was feared by slave-owners. In particular, the paper argues that Douglass' contention was correct and that knowledge among slaves was feared by slave-owners almost as much as if a number of loaded weapons had found their way into the possession of slaves.
From the Paper
"Additionally, a historian of the period might immediately apprehend that one of the common arguments raised against educating African-Americans to read and white was that they were "brutes" who lacked the mental capacity to perform anything other than the most menial tasks. With the proliferation of literate African-Americans, however, this argument would become obsolete - if not outright fatuous - and call into question the rigid social and economic structure that bound African Americans to tedious back-breaking labor while someone else sat at a desk in a comfortable professional office and collected a handsome wage."
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"Lord of the Flies" and "1984", 2008.
A discussion of two books dealing with the bleakness of human nature -"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding and "1984" by George Orwell.
794 words (approx. 3.2 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 28.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how both William Golding in "Lord of the Flies" and George Orwell in "1984" present a grim view of human nature, a view that indicates that humanity has an irresistible tendency to fall into an abyss of depravity and oppression. The paper explains that at first, Golding seems to offer a less pessimistic view of human nature than Orwell does but in the end their views are nearly identical. The paper looks at how Golding's boys begin free from the oppressions of society, but fall into savagery and how Orwell's society has already fallen before the novel opens, and escape is out of the question. The writer concludes that, in the end, it is harder to say whose vision is more negative, and a reader can do little more than hope that neither author is correct in his bleak vision.
From the Paper
"Orwell presents a society already fallen. The Party controls every aspect of life, especially through the control of the constant propaganda that is bombarded on the inhabitants of Oceana, in which London is located. With the telescreens that watch every person (Orwell 2, 5-6, 9, 11, 27, 97, 148), the "two-minutes hate" each day, to the monthly public hangings (Orwell 23-4, 49-50, 57), the constant fear of the thought police (Orwell 4-5, 62, 101), grim depravation in which goods are always in short supply (Orwell 49, 162), and everything from cigarettes (Orwell 5), to gin (Orwell 5, 77, 150) to housing (Orwell 20-21), is of such poor quality that there is no possibility of joy in life (Orwell 41, 49, 60-61), this is a totalitarian society."
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Stories of Abuse in Eden Robinson's "Monkey Beach", 2008.
An examination of the style and plot of Eden Robinson's "Monkey Beach", with a focus on the stories of violence and abuse that occur throughout the text.
1,595 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 0 sources, $ 52.95
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Abstract
This paper explores the stories of abuse that appear in Eden Robinson's novel, "Monkey Beach." The paper describes Robinson's style of writing and the basic plot of the book. It then looks at the stories of suffering, violence and abuse that occur throughout the narrative. The paper concludes that the book represents an important addition to Native literature in Canada.
From the Paper
"Monkey Beach is a vital tale of mourning, grief and redemption by a strong female character, and one might only wish that patriarchy and male dominance were challenged more directly. For example, Trudy's character comes across as substantially weaker than her 'warrior' brother, and it is Mick that teaches Lisamarie to fight the good fight on behalf of her people. Ultimately, however, Robinson's intimate portrayal of these characters alongside the evocation of British Columbia's natural world, the woodland spirits and the Haisla community at the heart of it all is a moving tribute to the fortitude of a people who have suffered generations of abuse from both within and without."
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