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"The Monkey and the Monk": An Allegory, 2008.
An examination of a major theme of social criticism in the abridged novel, "The Monkey and the Monk," based off of the Chinese classic, "The Journey to the West," by Anthony Yu.
1,775 words (approx. 7.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 57.95
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Abstract
The author of this paper examines a major theme in the novel, "The Monkey and the Monk": that of the extraordinarily complicated and multi-layered bureaucracy of Chinese imperial society; manifested in the novel in the form of the celestial bureaucracy of Heaven. The essay explores this aspect of the work, with a particular reference to the figure of Sun Wukong or Monkey King.
From the Paper
"Clearly, this interaction of Monkey King with the Heavenly bureaucracy is depicted as a comic satire of the excessive claims of bureaucratic power. For readers of this story, it may be argued that an implied social criticism of the Chinese imperial bureaucracy would be inescapable. While the Jade Emperor would seem to be the Heavenly parallel to the Chinese Emperor, the fact that the power of even this eminent celestial being seems to be bound by records and accounts implies that the power of the earthly emperor is subject to such restrictions as well."
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Angela Carter's "The Company of Wolves", 2008.
Examines Angela Carter's tale "The Company of Wolves", a satire of "Little Red Riding Hood" and other traditional fairy tales.
1,515 words (approx. 6.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 49.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that female characters in fairy tales are sometimes viewed as being helpless and innocent and at other times as being powerful. The author then summarizes and reviews Angela Carter's story, "The Company of Wolves", and relates that it embraces a new form of the commanding protagonist, who thwarts both man and wolf using her burgeoning sexuality. The paper underscores that Carter's protagonist , like some of the female characters in fairy tales, has "more power" than men because of her very presence as the hero of the story.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Company of Wolves
Conclusion
From the Paper
"A young man appears before the girl on the path, a metaphorical sheep in wolf's clothing. Innocently trusting appearances, the girl is attracted to his obvious good looks and his attempts to woo her. Arranging a race to her grandmother's house whereby, if he wins, he will obtain from her a kiss, the man departs. By the time he has reached grandmother's house - earlier than the girl - it is clear to the reader he is a werewolf, or a "wolf-man". As in Little Red Riding Hood, the youth tricks his way into the grandmother's home and eats her up, as it were."
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Integrating Psychology and Christianity, 2008.
Reviews David Entwistle's 2004 book "Integrative Approaches To Psychology And Christianity: An Introduction To Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations and Models Of Integration".
1,080 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, between Christian theology and psychology, there is an on-going and sometimes unfortunate and very painful debate over the question whether a Christian can be a psychologist, and vice versa. The author points out that, in his book "Integrative Approaches To Psychology And Christianity: An Introduction To Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations, and Models Of Integration", David Entwistle, who is both a trained psychologist and an evangelical Christian, attempts an integrative approach, which tries to marry the two disciplines by reviewing the the on-going clashes between science and theology. The paper concludes that this book is a tool to help in a person's duty to go forth to love and serve the Lord.
From the Paper
"And from here? Certainly, my own experience is more common than I had thought. While I went through my night very much isolated from other people, I realize that many young people go through the same struggle, believing that there can be no reconciliation of their faith with their intellectual endeavors. To them I would begin with simple counsel: you are not alone, you are not the first to face this difficulty, and while it is a frightening and traumatic moment, it is one that others have faced, and from which others have given good counsel, drawn from their faith in a loving God."
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Shunryu Suzuki's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", 2008.
Reviews "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki and then applies these teaching to a creative dialogue.
2,255 words (approx. 9.0 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 69.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Shunryu Suzuki's book, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" is divided into three parts: right practice; right attitude; and right understanding.. The author of the paper then relates that a lot of Zen Buddhism is non-intellectual and hard to grasp. Therefore, she set out clinging to these basic concepts like a drowning person clinging to a life jacket. The author also claims that the book is challenging and resulted in the biggest, most significant shift in her thinking. The paper concludes with a creative dialogue, based on the book, which is a debate about the different religions of an American, Republican, born-again Christian (Andy) and an American Zen Buddhist (Mike).
Table of Contents:
Book Review
Creative Dialogue
From the Paper
"This all sounds very attractive - and makes more sense to me than suchness, thusness, or emptiness! The condition of being a roshi sounds so attractive that I can understand why people would pursue it. It offers, it seems, the possibility of living happily in the reality of the present. I therefore set out to learn the mysteries of Zen, through the answers of the great teacher Suzuki.
"In the first part of the book, I learned that according to Suzuki (1997), posture and breathing are essential in order to practice Zen. Suzuki believes that these are vital for right practice."
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Shunryu Suzuki's "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", 2008.
A review of Shunryu Suzuki's 1997 book "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" plus a creative dialogue based on insights from this book.
2,060 words (approx. 8.2 pages), 0 sources, APA, $ 64.95
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Abstract
The author of this paper explains that, once he learned that the beginner's mind is so important for Zen, he began to be excited about Shunryu Suzuki's book, "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind". The author describes what he learned about the book by studying its jacket cover and the illustrations on the tittle page and then relates how he was surprised to find out that the first thing the book discusses is how to sit. The paper concludes by presenting a creative dialogue, based on the book, situated at the middle class home of a Zen Buddhist named Zooey and a Jehovah's Witness evangelist named David.
Table of Contents:
Book Review
Creative Dialogue Based on the Book
From the Paper
"I decided not to worry, but to keep reading with an open beginner's mind. Perhaps if I try every day, I will become flexible enough to get into the full lotus position. I was interested to learn that Zen seems to be a religion that is focused on the body. For example, breathing is also very important. Also, Suzuki (1997) recommends that we must own our own bodies (p. 27). I think I understand what this means. I think this means to really pay attention to our own bodies. This is quite easy to do when one is in pain from trying to get into the lotus position."
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Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin", 2008.
Examines racism in Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin".
1,045 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, without question, there are many troubling characterizations of African Americans in Harriet Beecher Stowe's, "Uncle Tom's Cabin". For example, the paper notes, the most articulate and "sympathetic" African Americans in Stowe's book are light-skinned, which clearly suggests that lightness of skin and personal merit were correlated in the mind of the author. The paper then argues that, in spite of these characterizations, Beecher Stowe generally sought to portray African Americans in a way that emphasized their humanity and potentiality. Thus, the negative stereotypes in the novel are outweighed by the book's many strengths.
From the Paper
"Obviously, besides the characters highlighted above, other black individuals in Harriet Beecher Stowe's most enduring work need to be looked at carefully - although there is really only room for one. That "one" is Tom, the apparent "accomodationist" whom critics have perceived for generations as a weak-willed and subservient individual who sought to ingratiate himself with whites as opposed to acting as a forceful leader of the African-American cause in his community."
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"The Inheritance of Loss", 2008.
An analysis of the theme of national identity in Kiran Desai's "The Inheritance of Loss".
816 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 29.95
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Abstract
The paper looks at how Kiran Desai in "The Inheritance of Loss" offers an indictment of a capitalist system that has managed to crush the spirits of a large portion of the world's inhabitants through a relentless attack on their national and racial identity. The paper looks at Desai's portrayals of the characters Biju and the judge and highlights the difficulty in maintaining one's national identity in hostile environments. The paper notes how Desai portrays two very different responses to the degradation that so often befalls the inhabitants of exploited countries.
From the Paper
"The central issue in the judge's life is racial self-hatred, and he spends his bitter years in an awful quest for pale skin and European civilization. Desai does not offer many details about the judge's childhood in India, but it is clear that he arrives in England with a healthy amount of self-respect. It is in England, however, that the judge begins to feel shame at his heritage and darker skin, and it is there that he begins to experience bitterness over the circumstances of his birth. The magnitude of his shame is understandable, and the harrowing scene of his civil service examination encapsulates this well. In it, the judge is forced to recite a poem from memory, but his recitation, riddled as it is by a heavy accent, only manages to amuse his merciless examiners: ""When he looked up, he say they were all chuckling" (Desai 124). "
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Catherine Pigott's "Chicken Hips", 2008.
Looks at messages relating to body image and society from Catherine Pigott's online short story "Chicken Hips".
1,230 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 0 sources, MLA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews and analyzes the short story "Chicken Hips" by Catherine Pigott. The writer relates that she found the story very absorbing because of its gentle humor and the many lessons it teaches about what it is like to be a woman in a world where stereotypes abound. The paper then discusses the following issues from the story: the social construction of beauty, the life lesson of doing the right thing and not simply the popular thing, and the impressionability of human beings.
Table of Contents:
Outline of Paper
Why "Chicken Hips" Matters
From the Paper
"Whereas North American - and European - women cut and shape and torment their bodies to fit some artificial construct of what constitutes true feminine beauty, women in Gambia, who have seen more desperation and suffering than most of their white colleagues can imagine, are interested in the things that really matter: health, fecundity, and a positive self-image. In the end, their culture is far less so an artificial one because the exigencies of daily living in a part of the world where drought and pestilence can rear up at any moment have made Gambian women appreciate that only those who never have to fear going without can actually afford to make the bizarre choice of going without."
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Date, 2008.
A creative story about dating in the high tech future.
975 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 0 sources, $ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper is a fantasy about a conversation arranging an old fashion date while preparing for the day's work and driving a car, all supported by robotic features. The author underscores that it is so easy to forget things without the aid of high-tech devices.
From the Paper
"Skimming the news on the monitor on the metallic elevator door as she waited for it: SUNNY WITH SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON, SCIENTISTS HAVE CLONED THE GRAY BAT OUT OF EXTINCTION. How marvelous.
"Hello", his voice was strong and husky in her head, like he'd just woken up. She quickly switched to visual and his image shone on the contact lens in her eye."
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Dissimulation in "Decameron" and "Heptameron", 2008.
An analysis of the theme of dissimulation in Boccaccio's "Decameron" and the "Heptameron" of Marguerite of Navarre.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the differences and similarities between Boccaccio's "Decameron" and Marguerite of Navarre's "Heptameron". The paper focuses on the theme of "dissimulation" in both works, that is the deliberate withholding of information in order to deceive for a specific purpose. The paper looks at two stories from both works in order to highlight this theme and concludes that both works contain a mixture of fact and fiction, but both use this mixture with the higher goal of showing human hypocrisy and that deceit and dissimulation often rebound against the errant.
From the Paper
"The are large differences as well as strong similarities between Boccaccio's Decameron and the Heptameron of Marguerite of Navarre. The works are separated by about two hundred years in time, and also by the difference between the French culture of Marguerite and the Italian culture of Boccaccio. Also, Boccaccio wrote in the time before the Protestant Reformation, and his work is clearly of a strong Catholic bent, despite his constant criticism and poking of fun at clerics and church bureaucrats. Marguerite, on the other hand, wrote during the time of the Reformation and put strong Protestant leanings in her work, which caused some controversy at the time and put her into a certain amount of danger, according to the introduction in the anthology. Even so, the cynicism and critiques that both writers express toward the established churches of their day show strong similarities and suggest that clerical corruption and hypocrisy is a ripe topic of satire in nearly any century."
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The Doll-Maker, 2008.
A creative short story about the growing "designer baby" craze.
1,030 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper presents a fictional story about a couple going to a clinic to have their baby designed. The paper describes the drive to the clinic of the couple, Jim and Nancy, noting that they are both quiet on their long drive to see the doctor. The paper relates that Jim realizes he was scared about the doctor and, maybe just a little, about Nancy, as well. The paper then relates that Jim wanted a baby, just not the baby that was now being built piecemeal by his wife.
From the Paper
""I'm fine," Nancy said. She was wearing sunglasses and Jim couldn't be sure if she wasn't looking at him out of the corner of her one eye. "Just keep your eyes on the road, hun'; we don't need an accident." From where he sat, Jim thought he saw the faintest flicker of a smile, but he really couldn't be sure. To be honest, she rarely smiled anymore."
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"Gods Go Begging", 2008.
A review of Alfredo Vea's novel on the world after the war in Vietnam, "Gods Go Begging."
1,134 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 16 sources, MLA, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses Alfredo Vea's novel, "Gods Go Begging" that presents many vignettes and interrelated stories in a strange canvas of the real and the imaginary, that force the reader to provide his own definition of the world in the wake of the war in Vietnam. The paper discusses the plots and characters of the book and what the reader can take away from the novel as a whole.
From the Paper
"In their own way, these various characters are like characters in Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson: grotesques. But Anderson was not quite right in his belief that these various characters had become grotesques because they had seized upon some single and incomplete truth (Anderson, 23-24), but because of their inability to express themselves. (Cowley, Introduction," 14) In much the same way, Vea's characters in Gods Go Begging suffer from a similar inability to express themselves. Trying, failing, trying again, they often lash out against whatever is in their path, sometimes attacking the very things they love. (Vea, 312)"
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"Sonnet 126" by Petrarch, 2008.
An investigation into premise and images of "Sonnet 126" by Francesco Petrarch.
1,404 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at one of Francesco Petrarch's most challenging poems, his "Sonnet 126" or "Canonziere". The paper discusses the form and structure of Petrarch's poem and suggest that the work is, at least in part, inaptly named: It is not really a "sonnet" at all as such an item is characteristically defined. The paper also describes the premise of the song and discusses the major images and metaphors in the poem.
From the Paper
"Drawing from our class notes, we know that Petrarch, if sonnet 89 is any indication, would much rather be a prisoner of love than a man free of the entanglements of love. Seen in that light, he is a man who happily confines himself to a prison of his own making for a woman who either does not wish to love him or cannot love him. When observing how Petrarch idealizes Laura, and when one considers how he relentlessly employs the first person, it is hard not to arrive at the conclusion that the writer is really writing about himself as a love-struck bard. Ultimately, Petrarch has made a virtue out of being a love-struck suitor condemned to fall short of receiving the love of his "Laura" in his lifetime."
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"The English Reform Act of 1867", 2008.
A review of the contents and arguments of "The Politics of Democracy: The English Reform Act of 1867" by Gertrude Himmelfarb.
1,707 words (approx. 6.8 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 55.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews and summarizes "The Politics of Democracy: The English Reform Act of 1867" by Gertrude Himmelfarb. More specifically, the paper discusses the Himmelfarb's position that the Reform Act of 1867 was the most significant event in British history, specifically with regard to establishing household suffrage and democratic principles.
From the Paper
"Himmelfarb's real intentions and arguments are crystal clear. She wants to convince her readers that the Conservatives are responsible for the Reform Act, and history misrepresents their role in the affairs of the 19th century. The Liberals are not a progressive and altruistic party. She insinuates that the Conservative party is superior and works for the national interests, while Liberalism is an unstable and unimaginative ideology. Liberals see politics as a "rolling stone, uncontrollable and predictable" (Himmelfarb, 1967, p.123.). Civilisation is like the flickering flame of candle waiting to be snuffed out by the political mismanagement of the Liberal party. How, Himmelfarb asks, can such a party be responsible for the Reform Act of 1867? Only a strong and respectable party like the Tories could accomplish such a task. Although the Liberals advocated the Reform Act, Himmelfarb asserts that the "Reform Act was a Conservative measure, initiated and carried by a Conservative government"
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"Diamond Grill", 2008.
An analysis of how Fred Wah reflects on his multicultural heritage in his biofiction work, "Diamond Grill".
1,165 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This paper examines Fred Wah's bio-fiction work, "Diamond Grill." It describes how Wah's words and ideas challenge binaries and how he reflects on his multicultural heritage throughout the book. The paper also questions why deconstructing oppositional thinking is important and discusses this in the context of Wah's work, "Diamond Grill."
From the Paper
"One must deconstruct oppositional thinking and analyze whether one can be both taken at face value based only on their individual person (regardless of race), and at the same time still champion a love for one's racial origin. Wah asks, "Why deny the immigrant his or her real world?" (125) and, at the same time, rejects society's ideal of what his family's "residue" must be: "Sorry, but I'm just not interested in this collective enterprise erected from the sacrosanct great railway imagination dedicated to harvesting a dominant white cultural landscape" (ibid). Again, even Wah admits it is difficult to loosen oneself from the bias that directs us to categorize people based on their race. The author himself notices glimpses of Chinese in his children's body posture, and searches for the hint of the "Nordic gloom" in their countenances (133). His brother Donnie is "the blondest Asian in our family" (140), "too blond to be the best Chinese cook in the family" (ibid). This is a bit of comic rhetoric on behalf of the writer: it is difficult to rid ourselves of these illusions, as society imputes them on a continual basis."
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Toni Morrison's "Beloved", 2008.
An analysis of the themes of ghosts, time, memory and trauma in Toni Morrison's "Beloved".
1,814 words (approx. 7.3 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 58.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how Toni Morrison's "Beloved" offers sometimes confusing allegories stressing the power of the past over what may be bizarre events of the present and future. The paper also examines the ghost in the story, called "Beloved", and how the power of Beloved can be seen in how it forces attention to the past in those who need to exhume it and that whatever or whomever Beloved was, she had worked a kind of magic in evoking the deepest feelings of those with whom she insisted on living. The paper concludes that the surviving adults in the novel must make an effort to overcome their pasts, realizing they are past what harmed them, and transform themselves.
Outline:
124 Bluestone Road, Cincinnati
Beloved
From the Paper
" At the beginning of Beloved, Morrison commented that Paul D had read of an incident in Cincinnati involving a slave woman who killed one of her children when her owner caught up with her, an example of the way in which Morrison added details in a matter of fact way that leaves the reader to knit together the story as he or she will. The manner in which characters arrive and leave is part of Morrison's able way of suggesting fluid time and how characters are often distracted by matters not of the immediate present. For instance, Sethe's son's, Howard and Buglar, ran away in 1873 after years of life with phenomena that made the household a misery. (Beloved 272) As for Paul D, upon his arrival he comes to terms with an obviously haunted house. "
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Book Review - "Planet of Slums.", 2008.
A book review of "Planet of Slums" by Mike Davis.
1,979 words (approx. 7.9 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 62.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews the book by Mike Davis entitled "Planet of Slums" which critics describe as "groundbreaking, mind-stretching stuff." The writer describes Davis as a "social geographer", provides an in-depth account of the book and, while admitting that it could be depressing for some to read, recommends it highly.
From the Paper
"The hard cover copy of Planet of Slums that I reviewed is a compact, well-written 228 pages of academic argument. Unlike all too many treatises in this genre, the reader is not left to drown in jargon - Davis writes in a style that is accessible to most people, not just to subject specialists. This is appropriate, as he clearly means to speak to the everyman (or everywoman). This book appears intended to warn anyone who will listen of the unpleasant fate we are heading towards at unprecedented speed - a future in which most of the planet is swallowed by ever-spreading slums, and the majority of human beings are fated to live in festering squalor, rather than in the brave new world previously envisaged by more optimistic prophets. In Davis's words:"
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Washington's Inaugural Address and Final Address, 2008.
A comparison of President George Washington's inaugural address and his final address.
873 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses President George Washington's first inaugural address, given in 1789 and his final, departing address as President, given in 1796. The paper compares and contrasts the two addresses and highlights two major continuities in both of Washington's speeches: his genuine reluctance to be President and his disdain for party politics.
From the Paper
"To close, there are many similarities between the First Inaugural Address of Washington and his final address as President. Most of all, Washington remains steadfast in his contempt of party politics and is consistent in his absence of a driving ambition that made the Presidency anything other than a duty that had to be fulfilled. Yet, God is noticeably less prominent in his second address, and one is left to wonder if the increased prominence of the Constitution suggests that it has almost taken on a sort of religious significance to America's First President. In the end, while Washington may have been unswerving in his revulsion of some things, his affection for other things grew with time."
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In-State Tuition and Illegal Immigrants, 2008.
An argument against providing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
903 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 32.95
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Abstract
The paper focuses on the ongoing debate about tuition breaks for illegal immigrants and argues that illegal immigrants should not profit from their wrongdoing. The paper is of the opinion that American immigration law needs to be respected or America will find itself increasingly a haven for people who may pose security risks to the country. The paper points out that this issue is important since illegal immigration will be one of the defining issues of the next generation.
From the Paper
"Illegal immigration is a highly contentious matter in American society at the present time and it has been for a number of years. Simply put, the number of illegal immigrants in America has climbed steadily for some time and previous amnesty bills and threats to tighten border security have obviously done nothing to stop the flood of people from Mexico into America. Not least of all, the absorption of so many millions of illegal immigrants threatens to make a mockery of the United States immigration system, could lead to real troubles for the country's social welfare programs and, not least of all, constitutes a legitimate security threat; after all, it is exceedingly dangerous to have millions of people in any country who are undocumented and who could be potential saboteurs, terrorists, or violent felons."
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