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'The Ethics of Ambiguity', 2008.
This paper discusses the book 'The Ethics of Ambiguity' by Simone De Beauvoir
1,361 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
The writer of this article notes that to keep track of the many different "personality types" introduced by Simone De Beauvoir in her book, 'The Ethics of Ambiguity', is no small task. In chapter two, she introduces many of the personality types, and they do not at first paint a favorable picture of a person who has an opportunity to evolve from childhood to adulthood without a greater probability of becoming asocial as opposed to socially indoctrinated in a positive way. The writer points out that this somewhat dismal perspective is really explained - perhaps unwittingly - by De Beauvoir herself, as she explains in detail the plight of women as a continuation of childlike behavior-play at being an adult, because women are, like slaves, like the Mohammedan woman. These are, however, issues that De Beauvoir claims is in fact the ethics of ambiguity. This paper explores the different personalities and characteristics that De Beauvoir discusses in chapter two of her book.
Outline:
Mankind Begins in a State of Unhappiness
From the Paper
"De Beauvoir further asserts that the dominating features of man's individual personality begin forming in childhood. Again, this is not an idea that would draw disagreement and argument. However, De Beauvoir discusses the reaction of a child, as though that child were a blank slate, to the world around him or her. However, De Beauvoir is asserting that these experiences are not experiences which tend to be deflected by a child's growth as much as the reflected in a child's growth. She paints mankind as beginning his existence in an unfortunate way, rather than a celebratory way, and assuming that the birth of a child is less than celebrated. The suggestion is that mankind is an unfortunate being, subjected to the circumstances of having been born at all. The choices man makes throughout his life - focusing on those that are poor choices - arise out of his childhood. "
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Don DeLillo's "White Noise", 2008.
Looks at postmodernism and postmodernity as presented in Don DeLillo's "White Noise".
1,320 words (approx. 5.3 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 44.95
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Abstract
This paper explores the various meanings of both postmodernism and postmodernity, specifically in reference to Don DeLillo's novel "White Noise", which is in many ways emblematic of both phenomena. Thus, while the paper begins with a delineation between postmodernism and postmodernity, it also shows how the two concepts unite within the course of "White Noise", a postmodernist novel encompassing the postmodern condition.
From the Paper
"What is more, postmodernism also seeks to erase the boundaries that have traditionally separated high culture from popular culture. This came to the forefront most notably in the Pop Art of Andy Warhol. Many other writers and artists incorporate elements of popular culture into their work, whereas Modernists would have merely quoted elements of popular culture. By integrating these seemingly antagonistic qualities into their art work, the postmodern artists and writers effectively make it difficult to tell which "category" their work is meant to fit into."
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Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale", 2008.
A look at how Margaret Atwood serves as a social critic in her novel "The Handmaid's Tale."
1,939 words (approx. 7.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 61.95
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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."
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"Cotton Picking Time", 2008.
This paper analyzes the book "Cotton Picking Time", by Maya Angelou, through it's spiritual and social content.
1,008 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This essay discusses an important aspect of Maya Angelou's work, "Cotton Picking Time", which is its spiritual content and power. The paper states that Angelou is known for her religious and spiritual beliefs and how they reflect through her work. This paper analyzes how, "Cotton Picking Time", Angelou discusses one day in her life when she realizes both the bounties and harshness of Southern life as a black person.
From the Paper
"As mentioned earlier, language is used as a powerful tool by the author. According to Angelou, it was the language that helped her community survive. There may actually be more to the folk language than we realize at first. By communicating about their pain and hard times, the community could verbalize their situation that helped in survival. Angelou admits that: 'It may be enough, however, to have it said that we survive in exact relationship to the dedication of our poets (include preachers, musicians and blues singers)' (p. 180). Black authors have almost unanimously agreed that language has helped them in survival. By talking about the pain, they could at least let it out or in other words, writing and singing provided an outlet to their pain and frustrations."
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Cultural Conflicts in "Tortilla Curtain", 2008.
A discussion of the novel "Tortilla Curtain" by T. Coraghessan Boyle.
1,193 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
The paper describes "Tortilla Curtain" by T. Coraghessan Boyle, as a late 20th century novel that embodies many of the cultural conflicts occurring in 21st century America today between Caucasians and Hispanics. The paper then relates that these conflicts are embodied in the experience of two couples in the novel, Delaney Mossbacher and Kyra Menaker-Mossbacher, and Candido and America Rincon. The paper also relates that Boyle's novel conveys the hypocrisies of a nation that defines 'American' in a narrow way and claims to hate illegal immigration even while it depends upon the labor of Hispanic individuals, especially in the affluent yet economically and culturally divided California local where the novel is set.
From the Paper
"The novel suggests that cultural interaction is impossible to avoid. The novel exposes liberal as well as conservative hypocrisies, particularly in the way that it shows that Delaney's supposed concern and compassion for the environment does not always translate into compassion for humanity, when he accidentally hits Candido with his car in Part I of the novel. By depicting the lives of two very different couples, living in close proximity to one another, Boyle's novel shows the great gulfs of prosperity that exist side-by side in America."
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Dueling War Sonnets: Brooke and Sassoon, 2008.
An in-depth comparison of two WWI poems, Rupert Brooke's "The Soldier" and Siegfried Sassoon's "Dreamers."
2,172 words (approx. 8.7 pages), 4 sources, APA, $ 67.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes and contrasts two sonnets written respectively by the British WWI poets Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon: "The Soldier" and "Dreamers". The writer discusses how both poets modified the traditional structure of the sonnet to accomplish their poetic ends. Brooke's poem is elegiac in tone, focusing on national identity and acquiescing in death as a doorway to eternity, while Sassoon's is a bitter and ironic protest against the injustice and inhumanities of war.
From the Paper
"Sassoon writes in a voice of protest, not acquiescence, unlike Brooke, despite his use of the sonnet form. "Dreamers" begins with a striking image, the image of soldiers going off to war, presumably by train to the front lines, rather than in the middle of an internalized thought like Brooke's poem. Brooke's poem focuses on an individual soldier who will be remembered, Sassoon's the vast, nameless masses of men who will die and be forgotten. Some of Sassoon's dreamers are good, some are bad, all have different problems and jealous conflicts at home, but they are in the process of being blended into one in the form of a purposeless army whose cause they can little understand."
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The Spanish Inquisition, 2008.
A comparison of two books that discuss the Spanish Inquisition: "The Spanish Inquisition " by Helen Rawling and "Mad for God: Bartolome Sanchez, the Secret Messiah of Cardenete" by Sara Tilghman Nalle.
1,379 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses two books on the subject of the Spanish Inquisition. The paper compares Helen Rawling's book "The Spanish Inquisition", a relatively objective chronological introduction to the events of the inquisition with another book, Sara Tilghman Nalle's "Mad for God: Bartolome Sanchez, the Secret Messiah of Cardenete", which has a more anecdotal and personal account approach.
From the Paper
"The Spanish inquisition The Spanish inquisition "The information in each book is also organized differently, though both are chronological, and topical the Nalle work is clearly much more narrative in nature than the Rawlings, work as has been noted by the summary works above. The organization in the Rawlings work is clearly to demonstrate the scope of the whole of the period in such a way that the reader understands the massive number of events and differing circumstances of the more than 300 year inquisition. The organization of the Nalle work is designed to offer a topical and chronological breakdown of the events that occurred, in conjunction with as much primary documentation, of differing characters and points of view as possible. The work organized to offer a comprehensive rather than broad understanding of one man's experience, with the inclusion of the many characters that were a part of the case as there is evidence to support."
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Kafka's "Metamorphosis", 2008.
This paper analyzes Gregor's transformation in Franz Kafka's book, "Metamorphosis".
700 words (approx. 2.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 24.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at the the transformation of the main character, Gregor, from human to insect in Franz Kafka's book, "Metamorphosis". It discusses how, as the transformation both frees Gregor from his hard and monotonous life and confines him to a life of alienation from his family, his family also undergoes a transformation. Without Gregor to provide for them, each family member must adjust to life without him.
From the Paper
"Gregor's transformation is the only way he can be free from his demanding family. He is released from the responsibility of having to provide for his family but taking the form of an insect impairs him from having a life of any kind. The roles here are reversed: before the metamorphosis, his family depended on him for financial support but now, Gregor finds himself in the position to be completely dependant on his parents and sister. Communication becomes absolutely impossible as humans cannot communicate with insects; this total lack of communication between two species is, in fact, a metaphor of the difficult relationship that Gregor Samsa has with his father: 'No request of Gregor's was of any use; no request would even be understood. No matter how willing he was to turn his head respectfully, his father just stomped all the harder with his feet' (Metamorphosis: 8). The rest of Gregor's family also rejects him. However, despite the fact that his family's initial reaction is hatred and resentment, in time they manage to adjust their lives accordingly in the sense that they are forced to learn how to provide and take care for themselves in the absence of Gregor.
"Gregor's father is a professionally and socially defeated man who stops living altogether when he goes out of business. Although he lacks vitality, he does not lack anger and pushes his son to work hard enough to support the entire family. Nonetheless, his father is not a static character. When Gregor transforms into a bug, his father assumes the role of provider again, so in some sense, Gregor's metamorphosis brings his father back to life by forcing him to work again. Gregor's mother is a weak woman, both physically and emotionally. She has the most difficulties in adjusting to her son's new appearance and role. Her health worsens whenever she lays eyes on her son; this generates feelings of resentment on the part of Gregor's father who feels protective of his wife and blames her bad health and general mental state on Gregor: 'She then went two steps towards Gregor and collapsed right in the middle of her skirts, which were spread out all around her, her face sunk on her breast, completely concealed. His father clenched his fist with a hostile expression, as if he wished to push Gregor back into his room.' (Metamorphosis: 15)."
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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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