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Mythology, 2008.
Looks at mythology as allegorical creations or fables, which provide a symbolic interpretation of different aspects of life and the universe.
2,020 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that myths are fictional narratives or stories dating back to the remotest historical periods and thus are intimately connected with the roots of modern civilization. The author points out that the most logical explanation for the existence of myths is probably the fact that they function as a way of interpreting the world we live in. The paper presents the myths about Narcissus, Echo, the ants and the Myrmidons, Gilgamesh and Icarus.
From the Paper
"The myth of Narcissus contains two such transformations: that of the nymph Echo and that of Narcissus. The story of the beautiful man who falls in love with his own reflected image has been overly interpreted and rehashed into works of art, but its meanings cannot be exhausted. As it is well known, the myth of Narcissus is the myth of self-love. The allegorical story expounds on Narcissus' tragic fate of being in love with his own image. It is obvious that the myth revolves around this archetypal self-love."
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"In My Brother's Shadow", 2008.
A review of the style and content of Uwe Timm's memoir, entitled "In My Brother's Shadow: A Life and Death in the SS."
1,505 words (approx. 6.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 49.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses Uwe Timm's memoir, entitled "In My Brother's Shadow: A Life and Death in the SS," which presents a single man's attempt to understand himself within all of the contexts of his life. It discusses the content of the memoir and the style in which it was written. The paper also looks at the challenges that Timm had to face during the course of his life.
From the Paper
"Throughout this book, Timm employs a very simple but engaging style. This memoir focuses on a narrow set of events and seeks to explore them throughout the duration of his life - what it ultimately shows is that even in his 60's, Uwe Timm is not absolutely clear as to how he is doing. The style is short on visual, but exceptionally thorough on emotional detail. The result is that the book reads less as a history lesson and more as an in-the-moment exploration of the self as related to the disappointed father and the mythic brother. The result is a work that is highly personal without being self-righteous or self-important. It is an excellently written memoir."
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"The European Dream", 2008.
An review of Jeremy Rifkin's "The European Dream".
2,387 words (approx. 9.5 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 73.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how "The European Dream" is considered to be a reference work in the context of the 21st century and its tendencies. It examines how the book practically presents a new vision of the future of the world, a world in which the main superpower will be considered to be the European Union, despite the recent failure to adopt a Constitution and despite the differences, visible at one moment or another, among the member states.
From the Paper
"Another feature of the American civil society, which has also been adopted by the Europeans, is the cultural diversity. If in the past foreigners were considered to be an impediment to the progress and were treated as such by the European natives, nowadays things seem to have changed and the racist views have been replaced by multicultural ones. Under these circumstances, the attention has been moved in Europe from the possession and distribution of the capital and the maintenance of the private property to the preservation of cultural values and identity."
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"The Great Gatsby", 2008.
This paper analyzes how the novel "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the era it was written in.
1,352 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
The paper shows how "The Great Gatsby" is an intimate look into the lifestyles of the wealthy young people of America during the 1920s. The paper relates how Fitzgerald and his wife lived that lifestyle themselves. The paper then describes these shallow people who although they seem to have everything, are sad and pathetic because they seem to be searching for something they cannot find.
From the Paper
"Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896; he was named after relative Francis Scott Key who wrote the "Star Spangled Banner." He attended Princeton University but did not graduate, and in 1917, he joined the Army to fight in World War I, becoming a second lieutenant in the infantry. He never saw action overseas, as the war ended before he was shipped out. However, at Camp Sheridan, near Montgomery, Alabama, his station, he met Zelda Sayre, an 18-year-old daughter of an Alabama judge. He hoped to sell his first novel, "The Romantic Egotist" so they could afford to marry, but the novel was rejected, and he moved to New York to work in advertising to earn enough money to marry Zelda. Impatient, she broke the engagement. He rewrote the novel and it sold as "This Side of Paradise" to Scribners in 1919. From then on, he wrote short stories and novels as his career, and when the novel was published in 1920, he became an overnight success, and quickly married Zelda."
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"A Father" and Child Development, 2008.
A discussion of Bharati Mukherjee's short story "A Father" and the father's role in a child's development.
1,560 words (approx. 6.2 pages), 0 sources, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes Bharati Mukherjee's short story "A Father". The paper points out firstly that the use of 'a,' which implies a kind of arbitrary selection of a father, is appropriate given that the story is a narrative of unwed pregnancy by artificial insemination. The paper argues that the tale's title stresses the story's theme about the lies of patriarchal authority and male dominance. The paper concludes that the story shows how truly useless 'a father' is to a mother and daughter.
From the Paper
"Besides the theme of a culture clash, the story deals with parental conflicts bubbling beneath the surface as well as the shifting cultural values that occur when a family comes in contact with the west. Despite his idealization of a patriarchal way of life, where the man is the head of the family, Mr. Bhowmick does not reign supreme over his own family unit. His wife insisted that the family move to the United States. Mr. Bhowmick did not want to move. Mr. Bhowmick blames this for his daughter's unmarried, unwed, and unattractive plight, but the fact that it was his wife's decision to come to America indicates that the family never had a male reigning supreme over the children and the woman of the household, in contrast to Mr. Bhowmick's idealized vision of Indian family life."
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The Father in "The Glass Managerie", 2008.
An analysis of the significance of the absent father in Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Managerie".
1,395 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 0 sources, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams presents the audience with a family that has been damaged by the departure of the father. The paper points out that each character is in his or her own way irreparably harmed by this event. The remaining parent, Amanda, perpetuates both her own and her children's pain by constantly reminding herself and her children of the missing family member, and creates for the entire family a dichotomy between the father figure as the nostalgic and hero-like character, and on the other hand as a faithless deserter whose example is not to be followed at any cost. The paper concludes that the father, even in his absence, continues to dictate the interactions within his family, and remains central to the events and choices in their lives.
From the Paper
"Despite this rare recognition of true reality, Amanda's grip on the true state of affairs does not last long. Instead, she pours her whole heart and soul into the projected success of ensnaring a husband for Laura, but like Tom's attempt at escape, the projected success of this attempt is also more purely fantasy than Amanda is willing to recognize. Tom attempts to warn his mother that a man might not respond favorably to Laura's physical and emotional defects. She also never bothers to thoroughly investigate the man that Tom brings to meet Laura, and therefore fails to take into account the possibility that Jim might already be connected to another girl. In the end, both her wild hope and Laura's emerging personality are completely crushed by the one revealed truth: Jim is already taken. In addition, the final representation of their hope vanishes with Tom's escape. Laura and Amanda are left to their own devices at the end of the play. Only Laura's image remains to haunt Tom, regardless of how far he travels to escape them."
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Euripides' Bacchae, 2008.
A review of the poem "The Bacchae of Euripides" written by Euripides.
841 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 29.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the conflict in the poem, "The Bacchae of Euripides", by Euripides and explains that the conflict is constructed around the opposition between Pentheus and Dionysus which is, in fact, a tool of characterization. The paper relates that the conflict between the two characters arises because both of them want to seize power and to have authority over each other and Thebes.
From the Paper
"Pentheus thinks he has caught the stranger and orders the prisoner to be bound and tortured only to find out that it is in fact impossible thanks to the god's powers that the king had refused to acknowledge. Consequently, Dionysus turns into a bull when the king's men try to chain him, and then when the king himself plunges a knife into his prisoner, the latter turns into a shadow and remains unharmed. Nevertheless, Dionysus tries to make Pentheus change his ways but the king cannot be convinced. The women who served Dionysus lived on a mountain where they feasted, danced and sang. When they saw the messenger - disguised as a cowherd - that the king had sent to spy on them, they chase and try to kill him. Although he escapes, his cattle do not, and so, Pentheus' mother who was disguised and had joined the herd is captured by the mad women of Dionysus."
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Dylan Thomas and "The Force", 2008.
A formalistic interpretation of Dylan Thomas's poem "The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower."
1,096 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the poem "The Force That Through The Green Fuse Drives The Flower," by Dylan Thomas. According to the rules of American formalist, or new criticism approach to literature, the writer takes the poem at face value, without imposing mystical or other meanings on it, and interprets it purely through the mechanics of the poem. The writer shows how Thomas makes statements through metaphor and imagery, and how "the force" is different in every stanza and at the same time a manifestation of the same underlying and redundant power.
From the Paper
"In the third stanza, the poet appears to be using a metaphor ("hand") to present an image of whirlpools, wind, quicksand and its slippery movements. This power, this force, does all those things, and there is a theme of regeneration in this stanza, as there is indeed in all stanzas. The same force that pushes the flower up through the earth, that pushes the water through the rocks, that makes the water swirl in a circle and sends the sailboat moving through the water, is also the force that moves the quicksand downward taking everything with it that got caught in its spin."
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Ways of Coping with Pain, 2008.
This paper looks at ways of coping with pain as raised in Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'.
1,722 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 55.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that the book 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' is the New York odyssey of the nine-year old genius Oskar Schell who begins a detective-like quest in his attempt to make sense of the death of his father, which occurred at World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The writer points out that the main theme of the book is thus the effort to cope with the losses that came after the greatest terrorist attack in human history. The writer maintains that it is not accidental that Foer chooses a nine-year old child as the main hero and narrator of this story. Rather, Foer intentionally avoids social realism and direct psychological interpretation, seeking to coat the bitter and unthinkably sad events in the imaginative and playful discourse of a child. The writer also notes that Foer's novel revolves around the issues of coping with pain. The writer concludes that the child character who is the hero of the book makes the novel seem a fairytale more than a realist story, but his imaginative way of looking at things is in fact the main source of emotion in the text.
From the Paper
"Thus, Oskar's obsession with inventing an alternative universe becomes coherent in the book's narrative structure. The child attempts to create an imaginary world where people would be safer, where nothing is impossible, and where everything has a reason. It is his way of compensating for the loss he cannot fully grip. The novel even starts up abruptly with one of Oskar's invention: a teakettle that would be able to sing, to recite Shakespeare or to imitate his father's voice. Even from these first lines thus, the boy's struggle to atone for his loss through imaginative 'tricks', is evident. Throughout the novel, there follow many other similar inventions, all having the same function. A good number of them are symbolically connected with the idea of falling or with the force of gravity. This is an obvious hint to the dreadful images of people falling off the windows of the great towers, as were seen by eye-witnesses of the attack on September 11."
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"The Canterbury Tales": An Imaginary Dinner Party, 2008.
An analysis of medieval society and psychology in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales".
1,600 words (approx. 6.4 pages), 0 sources, $ 52.95
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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.'"
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Folklore as Narrative Genre, 2008.
A discussion of folklore as a viable narrative genre of myths, legends and fables.
1,280 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper takes a look at folklore, a body of tales of the common populace or 'folk'. It challenges the idea that modern society does not have a corpus folklore anymore, and that contemporary listeners have moved on from such superstitious ways of looking at the world. It argues that modern society still contains its own myths, legends, and fables, even though these tales may not always be called 'folklore.' The paper concludes that folklore remains part of our culture, and most cultures, because narrative is such an effective means of teaching lessons, and passing on commonly received wisdom and teachings.
From the Paper
"Fables thus reaffirm common cultural lessons, as legends affirm common cultural vales and myths create a sense of a common national or group purpose. Although animal tales may have declined in popularity as teaching stories, there remain many fables that are told and retold to children and adults alike, over the dinner table. Quite literally, the fable that children are often told, that their parents had it 'so much harder' and that they had to walk 'miles through the snow to get to school' is never literally believed or taken seriously, like the myth of Columbus or even the Kentucky Fried Rat. But the tale is meant half-seriously, in hopes that children will appreciate the moral, that they should honor the sacrifices of their elders in deference to what their elders have suffered on their accord, so the next generation can enjoy a better life."
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Symbolism in "The Metamorphosis", 2008.
A discussion of symbolism in "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.
734 words (approx. 2.9 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes how symbolism is used in Franz Kafka's short story "The Metamorphosis". The paper asserts that metaphors are used throughout the story to illustrate the lack of communication among the members of a middle class family. It points out that one overarching symbol, the protagonist's metamorphosis into a giant insect, symbolizes alienation from his parents and sister, who refuse to consider him a member of the family. The paper also maintains that the door is another important metaphor in the story. It concludes that Kafka uses these symbols as tools for expressing feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression.
From the Paper
"Nonetheless, the metaphor of the bug can also be interpreted from a different perspective. Gregor's transformation could in fact be strictly spiritual in the sense that his physical shape might not change. His deadening job and demanding family could be the factors leading to his inner metamorphosis as one can lead the life of a bug without actually being one. We see Gregor with his family's eyes. He does not need to actually transform as his family already sees him as a bug. Communication is scarce; so is emotional connection between Gregor and his parents and sister who regard him as a mere source of income, and not as a human being. Kafka's central metaphor is thus two-sided in the sense that on one hand, Gregor could actually turn into a bug; on the other hand, he might just be made to feel like one by his family and job. This ambiguity is launched in the very beginning of the story by the narrator's words: "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect"."
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