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Disneyfication of "Beauty and the Beast", 2008.
A comparative analysis of Madame Leprince de Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast" and the Disney film version.
1,898 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, £ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the Disney adaptation of Madame Leprince de Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast" . The paper contends that an analysis of Belle's character reveals that Disney's treatment of the fairy tale entirely neuters the story, taking away its dramatic, harsh moral lessons, and diminishing its female role model to an idle idiot who should not have survived the first ten minutes. The paper continues to discusses how this is further exacerbated by the introduction of cute, irrelevant animated characters who only serve to trivialize the film further. The paper concludes that, while traditional fairy tales offered chicken soup for the soul, Disney offers canned soup for the soul.
From the Paper
"Beaumont's Beauty has many other good qualities besides, and demonstrates them consistently throughout the story. For example, she is patient when her shrewish sisters berate her. She is considerate when her father offers her gifts, requesting almost nothing for fear it might be beyond his means. She does ask for a rose, not because she wants one, but because she does not want to show her sisters up. Thus, in somewhat Christian fashion, she turns the other cheek, meeting her sisters' insults with kindness and consideration. Disney's Belle gets no such opportunity to show Christian charity - this lucky young woman is an only child, unburdened with mean-spirited sisters! Again, the Disney character is denied the opportunity to model strength of character to viewers, and instead remains comparatively insipid. "
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Symbolism and American Literature, 2008.
An analysis of the place of symbolism in American literature through an analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter", Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher".
2,456 words (approx. 9.8 pages), 6 sources, MLA, £ 43.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at three stalwarts of American literature Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter", Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" and Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". In particular, the paper examines how they all reveal symbolism employed in a heavy handed manner which requires much thought and effort on the part of the reader in order to grasp its full import. The paper attempts to show how on the surface, Hawthorne's letter "A", Melville's white whale, and Poe's house of gloom should all be simple to explicate because their existence as symbolic device is irrefutable. However, the craft that elaborates on them throughout each authors' story is complex and elaborate.
From the Paper
"Melville is yet another American author whose use of symbolism, while not as subtle as Hawthorne; of whom he was a contemporary, was just as consistent in his own manner. In Melville's Moby Dick, the entire premise of the book is based on a symbol which literary theorists have contemplated for many years. Yet, it is useful to bypass the discussion of the white whale and move into to some less symbolically divisive territory. Melville utilizes the biblical Book of Jonah for its symbolism which then employs for his own unique symbolic device."
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Anne Carson's "The Glass Essay" and the Post-modern Self, 2008.
An analysis of Anne Carson's prose poem "The Glass Essay" and how it reflects upon the post-modern self.
2,420 words (approx. 9.7 pages), 0 sources, MLA, £ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper examines Anne Carson's prose poem "The Glass Essay" in terms of the post-modern condition, which reduces human experience to the self and fragmented meanings, to loneliness and senselessness. It focuses on particular events in the poem, such as Carson's descriptions of her mother and a past love affair, and her insights into the mind of Emily Bronte. The paper ends by pointing out that, though the poem is written in the post-modern form and tradition, its conclusion presents a not so post-modern self but rather a very human, heartening, and timeless self.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
A Past Love Affair
An Aging Mother
On Emily Bronte
The Post-modern Self
Concluding Remarks
From the Paper
"Throughout "The Glass Essay" Carson describes the profound loneliness that has always been part of human experience known to some individuals more than others and that is seen as a strong part of the postmodern personality. The world is thought to have changed with a great loss of faith in authorities, institutions or ideas of art or value that leave many people feeling they have no bearings, or that life is only absurd and senseless. People are believed to be more cut off from one another than was true in the past and with the resulting loneliness involving only the self as a reliable reality. It may be said that postmodern ideas of the self stress this extreme individuality and its results, no past grouping or category seeming to have relevance."
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Plato, Aristotle and the Ideal State, 2008.
This paper looks at the views of Plato and Aristotle regarding government and the ideal state.
2,500 words (approx. 10.0 pages), 5 sources, MLA, £ 43.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses that two of the greatest philosophers that emerged from Greece in the fourth century B.C.E., Plato and Aristotle, gave civilization some of its greatest philosophical discourses. The writer notes that both tried to envision the ideal state. The writer then points out that neither Plato nor Aristotle believed strongly in individual freedom. The writer concludes that both Plato and Aristotle have had a profound influence on philosophy since their own time. Further, the writer maintains that remarkably, these two men are remembered as figures in Athens, which is considered the source of modern democracy, but neither of them believed strongly in individual freedom.
From the Paper
"Much of what Aristotle wrote in Politics was a response to Plato's Republic. Particularly, he felt that Socrates/Plato had not presented a sound argument when contending that possessions, women, and children should all be held in common. To begin, this practice was intended to unify the state, but it would not do so. That which is owned by all is effectively owned by none and neglected by all. Economically, it would lead to under-work and over-consumption as everyone would feel a right to take from the common produce, but would resent having to contribute to it. This communism would destroy temperance and liberality in the citizens, but would only encourage covetousness and jealousy."
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Margaret Atwood's "Surfacing", 2008.
An analysis of the theme of silence in Margaret Atwood's "Surfacing".
1,214 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 24.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at the symbolic aspects of Margaret Atwood's, "Surfacing" and argues that silence is something that pervades the entire novel and keeps people from saying what needs to be said. The paper also examines how the narrator's strange relationship with Joe reveals her inability to communicate and how she views him with silent disdain, never deigning to sit down with him to see if there is a way for that sentiment to be turned into something more positive.
From the Paper
"The symbolism of the novel's setting is unmistakable. The story begins with the narrator returning to the remote northern Quebec hinterland to seek her father, who is missing and with whom the narrator is estranged. The opening line, "I can't believe I'm on this road again," (Atwood, 3) gains in significance when the full nature of the narrator's relationship with her dad is revealed. Quite simply, she had thought the tie between them had been severed permanently - only now she is returning once more to seek out the man she had, for all intents and purposes, left behind years earlier. "
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John B. Lee's "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition", 2007.
This paper discuses the ways in which the poems in John B. Lee's book "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition" contribute to the mythology of hockey as a quasi-religion.
1,400 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper argues that the poems in John Lee's "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition" are myths not because they attribute hockey to divine intervention or planning but rather because they contribute to establishing a man--made spiritual world, a religion of hockey for Canada. The author points out that the poems contribute to the mythology of Canadian hockey in that they are a system of hereditary stories, which explains the rationale for social customs and observances. The paper relates that the mythology of hockey is clearly a male mythology even though females have been trying to join it for some time. The author concludes that this idealized world of Canadian hockey is very well mirrored by Lee's poems so that they, in themselves, contribute to the hockey mythology of Canada. The paper quotes some of the poems from this book and analyzes them.
From the Paper
"This is a regrettable state of affairs for all those women who would like to be more included in hockey. However, the fact of the matter is that most mythology has been male - male mythology created by males for other males. Consider the very earliest mythology, Homer's "Odyssey" and "Iliad". Both of these are stories of male endeavours - lyrical hymns to the traditionally male pastimes of war and conquest, rape and pillaging. The only role the women play is to stay home and wait, as Penelope does so very well. The fact that this mythology was exclusively male does not mean it is not mythology."
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Plato's "Symposium", 2008.
An analysis of the nature of Eros in Plato's "Symposium".
1,813 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 34.95
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Abstract
Plato's "Symposium" is an account of an Athenian drinking party, attended by some of the leading cultural figures of classical Athens, in which the core of the discussion of those in attendance revolves around the nature of Eros or love. This paper explores this discussion, with particular reference to the speech of Socrates on the nature of Eros. The thesis is argued that Socrates' explication of the nature of Eros is reinforced by Alcibiades' speech, which illustrates how Socrates' philosophical position in this regard translates into his real life practices in regards to love and its pursuit.
From the Paper
"Of course, not all of the participants in the discussion agree about the nature of Love, or even follow the same theme. This being said, the speech of Pausanias is particularly interesting for how he discusses contemporary Athenian legal and moral perspectives on homosexual love and, in particular, on the love of older men for young boys. Pausanias' speech is significant as it reveals that there was not a "blanket" acceptance of all homosexual relationships in Athenian society, and that there is only one way in which such a relationship would not be reprehensible: in which the relationship is oriented towards a pursuit of goodness. "
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Materialism and Superficiality, 2008.
This paper examines American materialism and superficiality in "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil" by Fay Weldon.
943 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 2 sources, MLA, £ 19.95
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Abstract
The paper shows how in the two novels, "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil" by Fay Weldon, the main characters are obsessed with material financial gain, as well as preserving an image of prosperity that is ultimately superficially masking their emotional pain and insecurity. The paper discusses how Americans tend toward superficiality and materialism in their social behaviors.
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 as a love object. All of the accumulated wealth revolves around this particular women, as she represents Gatsby's obsession with her as a symbol of the American Dream--the desire to acquire and sustain material wealth. The 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 material possession. In this manner, she is at once a possession and a love interest, but Fitzgerald does indeed make sure to reveal that he does truly love her on a deeper level."
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"The Faerie Queene", 2008.
An analysis of the philosophical and religious observations of Edmund Spenser in his first four books of "The Faerie Queene."
3,295 words (approx. 13.2 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 55.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the first four books of Edmund Spenser's "The Faerie Queene." It shows how the books offer insight into the author's philosophical and religious observations of the society of his day, in ways that are sometimes comic. It discusses how his work became a substantial contribution to his time's Protestant propaganda and was a saga of human society, politics and even political science.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
A Very Protestant Allegory
Ireland as Faerie Land?
A Magical Queen
Human Nature
An Allegory without End
Concluding Discussion
From the Paper
"Spenser received a fine humanist education according to the standards of his day, en route to what is now Pembroke College, Cambridge, in 1569. He belonged to a generation raised on stories of the excesses during the short reign of 'Bloody Mary' (1553-1558) in the whole scale persecution of Protestants, as part of her effort to reverse Henry VIII's break from the Church of Rome. As Spenser completed his bachelor's degree in 1573 and a master's degree in 1576, Ireland had become a religious battleground, a charged colonial environment in which Spenser would spend most of his career. Throughout the first four books of The Faerie Queene one finds a great deal of Protestant imagery in terms of kinds of individual virtue, the forces of temptation and human weaknesses to which the greatest of persons can succumb, Book I devoted to the virtue of Holiness, Book II to Temperance, Book III to the virtue of chastity, and IV to friendship. The next book gives way to a long discussion of justice and what is not justice, and the merits of when it is seen to be effected. Spenser carried on to more political themes in the unitary contributions of the Tudors and, of course, the attainments of Queen Elizabeth I who is referred to in Book I as Lucifera, then as Gloriana and in Books III and IV as Belphoebe, too."
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Gender and Sexuality Differences, 2008.
This paper studies the book 'Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps' by Barbara Pease and Allan Pease and looks at the gender issues raised.
750 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 15.95
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Abstract
The writer of this article notes that in 'Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps', Barbara Pease and Allan Pease contend that these commonly observed social idiosyncrasies actually stem from profound differences between the sexes going as deep as brain chemistry. The writer points out that despite the obvious humor in their title, Pease and Pease have a serious message: men and women are different, in very regular ways. The writer notes that most men have a much better spatial orientation than women. They can translate the abstract lines and symbols on a map into a clear understanding of where they are going. By contrast, the writer points out that women are oriented to multi-dimensional cues such as landmarks that men often overlook. The writer concludes that while this book is intended for the general reading public rather than being a narrowly scientific treatise, there is a good deal of information, and the humor involved makes it a highly readable, genuinely enjoyable study.
From the Paper
"On the other hand, women's approach to language is indirect and based on suggestion rather than the blunt, yes-and-no style that men favor. Unfortunately, because most individuals assume that their own communication style is consistent with what everyone else does, men and women often fail to communicate.
"Pease and Pease begin by addressing a difficult issues they must confront, the conflict between their research and current social movements. They state bluntly that they are addressing issues of science, not social or political questions."
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"Surfacing", 2008.
An analysis of Margaret Atwood's use of narrative structure to help her perfect her portrayal of the character's state of mind in her novel, "Surfacing."
1,066 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 21.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the narrative structure within Margaret Atwood's novel, "Surfacing." The paper shows how Atwood uses the narrative structure to help her perfect her extremely successful portrayal of the character's state of mind through this process. The paper provides examples from the text, which along with its analysis of the character, show the importance of this narrative style in achieving the author's complex objectives.
From the Paper
"Thus we see that Atwood uses the novel's narrative structure to trace the narrator's descent into madness, as well as her tentative groping towards re-surfacing from madness. The change from first person present tense to first person past tense, and back again, is an important part of this narrative structure, as shown above. Moreover, the three-part division of the novel enables Atwood to fit the intricate and intense emotional changes of the narrator into the tight time-frame of ten days. All in all, the narrative structure contributes in an important way to make possible the successful realization of this very complex novel."
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"The Minister's Black Veil", 2008.
An analysis of the failings of the minister in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short parable, "The Minister's Black Veil."
858 words (approx. 3.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 17.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews Nathaniel Hawthorne's short parable entitled, "The Minister's Black Veil." It argues that the minister in the story is miserably failing his church congregation and that he is making his own monomaniacal obsession with some inner self-affliction take precedence over what should be concerns about the spiritual welfare of his followers. The paper analyzes the plot and text of the story to support its assertions.
From the Paper
"To close, this paper has argued that Father Hooper has not in any way satisfied his obligations or duties to his parishioners. For one thing, he has engendered mistrust, uncertainty and fear, and made his own monomaniacal obsession with whatever ails him supersede any concerns he should have for those who look to him for spiritual guidance and support. He has failed his flock, as it were, and the end result of all this is for the image of the church, the faith of the community, and the intimate bond between minister and church assembly to all be compromised."
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"White Over Black", 2008.
A review of "White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812" by Winthrop D. Jordan.
1,075 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 21.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at "White Over Black: American Attitudes Toward the Negro, 1550-1812" by Winthrop D. Jordan where he discusses the history of relations between whites and blacks leading to the slave era. The paper looks at how Jordan identifies the institution of slavery and the development of its own rules and customs. The paper describes how Winthrop shows how attitudes changed over time and how slavery in particular altered relations between black and white. The paper notes that Jordan provides a list of resources for those who want to examine these issues in more detail.
From the Paper
"Europeans were seeking empire when they first arrived in West Africa, originally just to trade goods with the natives. English traders wrote accounts of their journeys and described the people they saw, people very different from themselves, with skin color the most obvious difference. Different terms were used to apply to natives from different parts of Africa, meaning natives of differing blackness. The idea of color itself became part of the vocabulary. English travelers eventually came to see blacks as not only different but as savage and so as uncivilized. This fact alone became a lure for travelers who wanted to see the savages up close. In time, the English started to project attitudes they did not want to admit in themselves onto the savages they saw as so different, and blackness became a metaphor for some of the darker aspects of human nature."
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"The Divine Comedy" - Dante Alighieri's "Inferno", 2007.
A discussion of the epic poem "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri, focusing on canto III of Dante's "Inferno".
1,192 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, £ 23.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the scholars and the de-contextualization of Dante's "Inferno" - with special emphasis upon canto III. The paper summarizes the scene when a fearful Dante first enters Hell and discusses its significance in terms of understanding Dante and his world. The paper also looks at how intellectuals view Dante's "Inferno". The writer believes that the work stands out as a classic example of the medieval allegory play taken to new rhetorical heights. The writer concludes that it is also an example of how even the simplest works, if powerfully wrought, can spark wide discussion among academics who seek out meanings unimagined by the author.
From the Paper
"Ultimately, the canto, like the rest of the cantica, is a potential mirror into the world in which Dante Alighieri lived as well as a mirror into his own inner turmoil as a devout Christian seeking a purpose to his life as well as answers to questions that presumably many devout Christians were asking in the fourteenth century. To start with, the canto (in the original Italian, anyway) was written in the demanding terza rima rhyme pattern (Scott para.2) and, even in English translations, the text can be difficult to follow as Dante tries to bend the language into shapes and forms to which it does not adhere willingly."
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