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Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and "The Epic of Gilgamesh", 2008.
Compares Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and "The Epic of Gilgamesh", translated by N. K. Sandars, as heroic literature.
1,450 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
This paper introduces the heroic elements of the plots of Toni Morrison's "Beloved" and "The Epic of Gilgamesh", translated by N. K. Sandars. The writer explains that "The Epic of Gilgamesh", considered to be the first tale of a mortal hero, contains themes similar to biblical stories just as Morrison uses similarities of the biblical Cain to shape her main protagonist Sethe. The writer also explains that Morrison tries to break stereotypes through Sethe; while, Sanders in the "Epic" attempts to shatter the image of the vulnerability of male heroes. Both stories can be treated as literary landmarks because these characters defy the convention of a typical hero.
Table of Contents:
The Gilgamesh Epic
The Tale of Beloved
The Ideas of a Hero/Heroine
From the Paper
"Morrison also shows indebtedness to African American and African traditions and mythologies. Toni Morrison in her book has given a new style to fiction and the whole work is very imaginative and thought provoking. The typical master slave image of a strong man or a woman with a strong and healthy body but with a very servile attitude was prevalent but came the decade of 1910s that the African Americans started rebelling against the stereotypes and typical gender and racial roles associated with them. Toni used flight of the imagination and mythic elements along with realistic portrayal of racial, gender and class conflict."
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"A Modest Proposal", 2008.
An analysis of the purpose of Jonathan Swift's book, "A Modest Proposal."
1,716 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 55.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the conditions in Ireland during the times of Jonathan Swift. It specifically discusses Jonathan Swift's book, "A Modest Proposal" and discusses how it reflects the environment in Ireland at the time that it was written. The paper describes Swift's personal background and the purpose that he had in writing his book.
From the Paper
"Those who do not understand the work as a satirical look at the plight of Irish children often misunderstand Swift's intentions in writing the piece. Taken literally, Swift could be viewed as an unthinkable English imperialist. However, this is simply the perspective chosen by Swift. His experience as a household servant to the English undoubtedly gave him a chance to experience the English attitudes towards the Irish first hand. A Modest Proposal has an air of truth in the manner in which the English viewed the Irish at the time. It is simply an exaggeration of what Swift saw in everyday life. This exaggeration was meant to make the English step back and look at their own behavior and attitudes."
"If one understands the horrors that Swift saw in his travels to Ireland and understands A Modest Proposal as the piece of satire that it is, a sense of compassion can be seen in the work. Swift understood the hopelessness of Irish children born into poverty. A Modest Proposal is an analogy. The key point that he was trying to make was that if the children were to be treated as animals, perhaps an early death would be better than a long life of suffering. This was the main idea of the proposal and summarized Swift's observations and feelings about the treatment of the Irish poor."
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Christopher Buckley's "Boomsday", 2008.
This paper analyzes Christopher Buckley's satiric novel "Boomsday".
1,418 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
The paper examines Christopher Buckley's novel "Boomsday" and identifies the relevant policy windows and the solution put forward by the heroine Cassandra Devine. The paper analyzes how Cassandra's idea first got attention and how various influential constituencies and events affected the progress of that agenda toward real implementation. The paper notes that Cassandra failed in her ultimate objective to avenge herself against her father.
From the Paper
"A policy window is a moment in political time and history where there is a unique confluence of an idea and an opportunity to enact change. The idea must also be fueled by public demand that something must be done about a pressing concern. The establishment of the Social Security system during the Great Depression, under the guidance of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when America was in a state of crisis and when Americans doubted the ability of capitalism to work might be seen as one example of a policy window. In Christopher Buckley's novel Boomsday, another policy window opens as a result of the failure of the Social Security system. This America of the future is embroiled in a war it cannot afford. It is facing the impending payout of entitlements to older Americans it cannot sustain in the long term, certainly not for the current generation still paying into the system so their elders can benefit."
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Postmodern Literature, 2008.
An examination of Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and Don DeLillo's "White Noise" as examples of of postmodern literature.
1,667 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how two examples of postmodern literature are Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and Don DeLillo's "White Noise' and how both books are similar in that they both feature unique literary devices common in postmodern literature. It looks at how both novels are sharp criticisms of the disillusionment of society's sense of reality but differ in the fact that "Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas" maintains the author's presence while "White Noise" does not. The paper also discusses how the effect of this variation in presence, combined with the use of illicit drugs and deranged thinking, results in a skewed perspective or reality from the two books' protagonist.
From the Paper
"In his article entitled The Death of the Author, Roland Bartley discusses the trend in postmodern literature for the author to remove him or herself from the telling of the story in order to present a more clear and vivid picture of reality. What makes a comparison of these two novels interesting is that they both excel at capturing, and sometimes distorting, reality but do it in very different ways. In White Noise, Don DeLillo does remove himself from the telling of the story and thus, in the words of Bartley, "lets the narrative take over". However, just the opposite is true in Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas. "
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Saul Bellow's "Herzog" and the Notion of Identity, 2008.
An analysis of the many aspects of Moses Herzog's personality as portrayed in Saul Bellow's "Herzog."
13,297 words (approx. 53.2 pages), 30 sources, MLA, $ 249.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the content of Saul Bellow's novel, Herzog." It specifically focuses on the many sides of Herzog's personality that emerge throughout the course of the book. It discusses Herzog as an intellectual, as transcendentalist, as an immigrant, as a Jewish American, as emblematic of the city and as a writer. The paper concludes that we are left with a portrait of a complex, confused and difficult individual who none-the-less comes to terms with himself.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Herzog as Intellectual
Herzog as Transcendentalist
Herzog as Immigrant
Herzog as Jewish American
Herzog as Emblematic of the City
Herzog and the Role of Writing
Conclusion
From the Paper
"While this transcendentalist impulse keeps Herzog firmly rooted in the American tradition, he is never fully able to escape his European roots. As an immigrant, he is quintessentially American in a way - never fully "here" nor "there." He persistently holds on to the vestiges of the European tradition, as they are what unites him with history. He is afraid to let go of this history, afraid to fully let himself merge into the whimsicality of the present, and is thus afraid of the future. As Herzog remarks about the interior of a home: "The furniture was richly polished, old, of a vanished Central European epoch - but then this present epoch is vanishing, too, and perhaps faster than all the others" (Bellow 1964, p. 46).
"Like most of Bellow's protagonists, Moses Herzog is an American Jew. This positions him, despite his fairly conventional outlook on life, outside of the American mainstream, whether he likes it or not. Herzog feels most comfortable when he is in the company of other Jews, whether they be familial acquaintances or enemies - at least he knows where he stands with them."
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Theme of Respect in "A Raisin in the Sun", 2008.
An analysis of the metaphorical significance of the title of Lorraine Hansberry's play, "A Raisin in the Sun" and the theme of respect.
1,164 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the plot and themes of Lorraine Hansberry's play, "A Raisin in the Sun." It discusses the metaphorical significance of the title of the play and how it relates to the plot and characters that are portrayed in the work. The paper specifically focuses on the theme of respect, both giving and receiving, as the key to understanding Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun."
From the Paper
"What we must seek out and learn to understand about the Youngers is that every action they take and every stage of their development is predicated upon their level of respect for themselves and each other. In the beginning, respect is hard to come by, and what there is is falsely laid. But after the loss of the money, the family is forced to take real stock of themselves and what they realize is that their perception of being in a hopeless situation, of having their best potentials in life disappear, is actually totally incorrect. Mama knows this, and in the act of buying their way out of the Black neighborhoods, she is liberating them from their lack of self-respect, they are proving their ability to be independent."
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Toni Morrison's "Paradise", 2008.
An analysis of the generational conflict in Toni Morrison's "Paradise".
2,006 words (approx. 8.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 63.95
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Abstract
The paper relates that the main problem in the town Ruby in Morrison's "Paradise" is the way in which the old generation resents change and stubbornly clings to the past. The paper explains that this generational conflict reflects the results of slavery on the present state of mind of the blacks. The paper highlights Morrison's belief that the past should be dealt with by accepting it and adopting a dynamic attitude towards it.
From the Paper
"Like Morrison's other fictional works, Paradise is the portrayal of a community. The particular community described here is an all-black, extremely conservative society that lives isolated in a small town called Ruby in Oklahoma. The town of Ruby is created as an isolated, utopian society which, through its own established laws and government, is meant to thrive in an absolute, paradisiacal state. The reality is however rather dystopian than utopian: the community is obviously a self-enclosed patriarchal and exclusivist society, in which otherness be it racial or gender related is met by intolerance. The intolerance is reflected in the main plot of the novel: the elders of Ruby attack the Convent, the refuge of many women in the town and kill a few of its inhabitants."
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