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The Functional Purpose for Racism in Society, 2008.
An argument that there is no functional purpose for racism in a civilized society, contradictory to Jefferey Reiman's views in Frances Henry and Carol Tator's "The Colour of Democracy: Racism in Canadian Society."
955 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the Marxist-functionalist perspective that racism serves to reinforce and organize social structures of societal control. It looks at Jefferey Reiman's views as expressed in Frances Henry and Carol Tator's "The Colour of Democracy: Racism in Canadian Society." The paper argues that Reiman is incorrect and that there is no functional purpose of racism in a civilized society, but rather that racism is destructive in a free and democratic societal framework.
From the Paper
"Functionalism does have some useful insights to offer. While all behaviour is not caused by social structures, much of human behaviour is influenced by social structures. However, this does not mean we should accept racism. Rather, it is all the more reason to reject it. The more we can change to a society that is not built on racism, the more individual people will not become racists. And the fewer racists there are, the less pain and suffering will be caused by racist actions and statements. Therefore, we should be looking for social structures that perpetuate or create racism, and trying to change them. We should not assume that it is all for the best. That is a simplistic assumption. It is also contrary to the human quest of trying to improve things. Anyone can see that we do not have a perfect society. If someone is a functionalist, they will assume that social structures cause this imperfection. From that point, instead of accepting the imperfections, we should look for ways to remove them - not to accept and justify them."
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Charles G.D. Roberts' "Kinship", 2008.
An analysis of how a poem by Charles G.D. Roberts, "Kinship," views native Canadians at the time the poem was written.
1,013 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes a poem by Charles G.D. Roberts, "Kinship," that encapsulates the privations of Native Canadians during the latter stages of the nineteenth century. Specifically, the paper discusses how native Canadians found themselves marginalized in the Canada of that time - and how Charles G.D. Roberts, while progressive in his empathy and feeling for the plight of Canada's aboriginal population, nonetheless sees this segment of the nation's population through a European lens.
From the Paper
"In late nineteenth century Canada, the question of what to do with the nation's natives was one that preoccupied policy-makers. Simply put, here was a large number of men and women (and children) whose traditional habits, attitudes, modes of living, and religious sentiments were well outside the mainstream of Canadian society. The end result, as grimly noted in an online report sponsored by the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Center, was for the Canadian government to pursue a policy that forcibly remade Native Canadians in the image of their European counterparts ("Our Way," para.5-6). This meant, for all intents and purposes, the imposition of policies that undermined traditional native culture, the creation of the Industrial and Boarding School Systems and the abolition of religious ceremonies and dances."
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Susan McCaslin's 'The Call', 2008.
Examines Susan McCaslin's poem 'The Call' from her book "Flying Wounded".
1,085 words (approx. 4.3 pages), 7 sources, APA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, in her poem 'The Call', Canadian poet Susan McCaslin relates the experience of mental illness to the Cathars, a religious group concentrated in France in the eleventh century. The paper points out that the inquisition and oppressive pursuit of the open-minded Cathars is used by McCaslin as a metaphor to describe mental illness. The paper stresses that, although the poem and the book are not entirely an autobiography, McCaslin is the daughter of a mentally ill woman whose tumultuous driving mental voices impact on everyone around her.
From the Paper
"McCaslin's historical references continue in the third stanza, where the schizophrenic voices that pursue the mother "blazon" her face, an old-fashioned word associated with heraldry, of officers of arms. A blazon is a description of a coat of arms or flag used to depict an image, typically involving banners or seals. Such formal, historical imagery is conveyed by McCaslin to represent the mother's mental state, which the woman carries around as a logo - a logo which automatically exempts her from deserving love from Canadian society as a whole."
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Patriarchal Victorian Society, 2008.
This paper analyzes the patriarchal institution of marriage in "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen.
1,098 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
The paper compares the marital relationships of the couples in in "Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The paper shows how although these four characters provide differing levels of abuse and conflict, there is the central premise of female submission in the institution of Victorian marriages.
From the Paper
"Hedda Gabler is yet another play in which Ibsen is blatantly misogynist in his values toward women, but not without ding an element of revolt in their lack of conforming to patriarchal Victorian principles. Gabler is invariably the same type of woman that desires to be respected by the men in her life, but she does not often go against social norms to eradicate the institutional misogyny that she faces with George in her marriage. Ibsen seeks to show the difference between social independence and social acceptance in many of the characters that he presents in this play. George Tesman is the Victorian intellectual that sees his wife as a caretaker for the house, and he often neglects to treat her as an equal."
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Susan McCaslin's "Just an Ordinary Woman", 2008.
This paper discusses Susan McCaslin's poem "Just an Ordinary Woman" as an example of the British Columbian mystical tradition.
1,205 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 7 sources, APA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
This paper explain that Susan McCaslin's "Just an Ordinary Woman" is a lucid, brief poem, which communicates the mystery of a new birth far from a 21st century postmodern hospital. The author describes that British Columbia has long been an ideal location for creative, mystic writers because of its distinctive atmosphere created by the ocean coastline and mountains. The paper concludes that McCaslin's writings reflect the British Columbia's cultural legacy of mysticism, which is not found as often in writers from other areas of Canada.
From the Paper
"To a large extent, people in British Columbia who were given to the arts and letters had to promote their own opportunities, so that through the 19th century, a number of private presses and newsletters were appearing. Since many people lived in remote out-stations, books when of interest to them could be very much valued with some early philanthropy addressing small public library facilities for smaller interior and coastal communities, a point explained in an article of the 1940s that discussed matters of books and libraries in British Columbia in the early colonial period."
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"Maps", 2008.
An analysis of Alice Major's poem "Maps".
870 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at Alice Major's "Maps" and at how this brief poem captures some fascinating items about Canada and about Canadian society as it presently stands. It examines the poem's focus upon the evolution of cartography within the country over time and its use of vivid imagery. It also looks at how the poem focuses upon the evolution of an embryonic child which touches upon two things: the controversial phenomenon of Canada being "discovered" by Caucasian usurpers arriving from abroad, and the fact that Canada is a nation wherein the social compass has shifted dramatically in recent decades.
From the Paper
"Alice Major's poem, "Maps," is really a commentary on Canada and on what Canada has evolved into. For instance, passages like, "What was peninsula on ancient charts/becomes island. Small continents swell/large extrusions dwindle. Until it emerges - the familiar shape of a world" (Major, lines 10-14). In a very real sense, the history of Canada is the history of a land creating its own "map" out of the rough-hewn terrain that, really, belonged to someone else (Miquelon, 2004). In that sense, what the maps of this country have always presented is the evolving vision of a land as that land presents itself to "white" settlers who are merely among the latest guests in a land that is not (was not) their land. Thus, Major's poem, "Maps," is also a poem about epistemology and about the manner in which the things we learn are given to us through lens crafted by someone else. "
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Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman, 2008.
A comparative analysis of how the characters of Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and Willy Loman from Arthur Miller's "Death of A Salesman" face their pasts.
956 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how in "The Great Gatsby", F. Scott Fitzgerald created Jay Gatsby, a man with a mysterious past that is bared over the course of the novel. It also looks at how in "Death of a Salesman", Arthur Miller created Willy Loman, a man haunted by a past that he does not understand. It discusses how Jay Gatsby knew what his past was, and concealed it. Nevertheless, he could treat his father with generosity, if only from a distance. In comparison, the paper looks at how Willy Loman longs to recapture his past, but it is a past he has idealized almost beyond recognition. He does not realize that in the venality of his failing life, he already has it.
From the Paper
"Fitzgerald gives only a glimpse of young Jimmy Gatz, through his father. Henry Gatz comes to New York for the funeral, "a solemn old man, very helpless and dismayed" (Fitzgerald, 111), after reading of Gatsby's death in the Chicago papers, and Fitzgerald does not explain how Mr. Gatz connected Jay Gatsby and his son. The old man confronts Gatsby's edifice with grief "mixed with awed pride" (Fitzgerald, 112), blind to the fact that "foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams" (Fitzgerald, 2). His worn-out photograph of Gatsby's house is "more real to him now than the house itself" (Fitzgerald, 115). "
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John Locke's "Second Treatise on Government", 2008.
A look at how John Locke expresses his belief in "Second Treatise on Government" that the English did the right thing in replacing the reigning monarch, James II, with William of Orange.
865 words (approx. 3.5 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that John Locke wrote the Second Treatise on Government at a difficult time in English history - when the English had just driven out the reigning monarch, James II, replacing him with William of Orange in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The paper further relates that while prominent political theorist decried this as a violation of the divine right to kings, Locke believed that the English had done the right thing and set out to prove this view. The paper then looks at how Locke expresses this belief in his "Second Treatise on Government".
From the Paper
"An individual's body is property belonging only to that individual. Anything that the individual removes from the state of nature by the labor of the individual's own he invests with labor by the very act of removing the thing from the state of nature. In doing so, the individual makes it his own property, appropriating it exclusively to himself. The labor which the individual invests in goods in taking them from the state of nature makes that the individual's property. Whatever he takes out of a natural state is improved by taking it out of the natural state."
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Gatsby and Loman's Past and Future, 2008.
This paper compares the past and families of Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman".
941 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 2 sources, APA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses how Jay Gatsby in "The Great Gatsby" and Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman" are both men dreaming of a future, in large part as a reaction to the disappointments of their lives. The paper shows how Jay Gatsby conceals a past he finds inconvenient, although he understands his past and can address it honestly. The paper contrasts this to Willy Loman who tries to recapture a past, but fails because he cannot understand what that past is.
From the Paper
"Gatsby has all but buried his past, at least to those who see him. The details of his family and his relationship with it are sparse. At the beginning of chapter 6, the first mention is made of "James Gatz of North Dakota" (Fitzgerald, 64) who became Jay Gatsby when he saw a yacht resting in seductive and treacherous shallows in Lake Superior."
"His family were "shiftless and unsuccessful farm people" (Fitzgerald, 65) whom he accepted as his parents only in a bare, reluctant biological sense. In his own conception of himself, he was an invention to which he stayed faithful to his tragic end, scrupulously dedicated to what F. Scott Fitzgerald refers to as "the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty" (Fitzgerald, 65)"
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Magic in Three Shakespearean Plays, 2008.
An analysis of the theme of magic in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest", a "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Hamlet".
1,657 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 53.95
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Abstract
In a number of his plays, William Shakespeare uses magic as a driving force moving the action of the play forward. This paper discusses how this is certainly true in two of his famous comedies, "The Tempest" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and how, it is also true, in a somewhat different way in his greatest tragedy, "Hamlet".
From the Paper
"A Midsummer Night's Dream (MSN in following citations) is also a play filled with magic. This play involves essentially three sets of characters: the Athenian workmen, the young lovers (Hermia, Helena, Lysander, and Demetrius), and the fairies. The fairies are, of course, magical beings, and their interaction with one another and with the various humans drives the play. Interestingly, for all their more-than-natural powers, the fairies are prey to a most human emotion, jealousy. Titania has quitted her marriage bed because Oberon has become too fond of a young boy he sought as a page of honor. (MSN, II, i, 118-21) Stung by Titania's jealousy, Oberon plots a mischievous revenge. "
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Ian Greene's "The Courts", 2008.
This paper is a critical review of Ian Greene's "The Courts", which examines the relationship between courts and democracy in Canada.
1,650 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 53.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, in "The Courts", Ian Greene uses the major criteria of participation, inclusiveness and responsiveness to evaluate the Canadian courts and their relations to democracy. The author points out that the objective of Greene's book was to provide a rather objective picture of the state of the courts in Canada without providing a personal option; nonetheless, his personal opinions are very generalized conclusions. The paper relates a number of weaknesses to Greene's arguments and only gives this book a mild recommendation because, suggesting that, beyond presenting a general examination of the court system in Canada, the book is almost useless. The paper recommends that the book would be made more effective by Greene making changes, such as a clear statement on the democratic or undemocratic nature of the Canadian courts.
From the Paper
"There are technically three key aspects of Green's organization scheme. The first is a general strategy of focusing on the systematic nature of the courts as an institution instead of the actions of individual actors. This makes a great deal of sense considering that individual courts will vary incredibly. Therefore, the operations of one court are more then likely to differ from operations of another court. But by examining a wide range of judges, lawyers, court officers, academics, policy makers and litigants it is possible to create a better picture of the over all operations of the courts as an institution in Canadian society."
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Post-Genocide Cultures and Modes of Justice, 2008.
A review of three articles that discuss issues regarding post-genocide cultures and modes of justice and reconciliation.
1,162 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the experiences of post-genocide societies and how they achieve justice and reconciliation. It discusses three articles that develop broad lessons for societies transitioning from authoritarian cultures of impunity, to cultures of accountability and democracy. The paper looks at "The Case of the Lord's Resistance Army Insurgents in Northern Uganda" by Phillip Kasaija, "Conclusion: A Common Objective, a Universe of Alternatives" by Eric Stover and Harvey Weinstein and "After Arusha: Gacaca Justice in Post-Genocide Rwanda" by Alana Tiemessen.
From the Paper
"The relationship between legal responses to the state's past repression and the legal approaches chosen to effectuate political change to transform the society into a democracy are important. A society's perceptions of the role of law in the previous authoritarian regime may well influence the willingness of the new regime to utilize legal institutions to attain accountability and justice in the transition to democracy. If the previous legal order was subservient to the political machinery of the dictatorial regime, then its potential for transforming the society into a democracy might be limited. To prevent this from happening, the new democratic regime should emphasize the rule of law in rebuilding its society. Although the legal machinery might not be immediately available to deal with the egregious behavior of the previous regime, the development of a new legal order should be a priority of the democratic regime in order to create respect for the rule of law which will ultimately lead to a greater respect for human life."
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"Song of Solomon", 2008.
A review of Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon".
1,229 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
This paper examines how in her novel "Song of Solomon", Toni Morrison uses the history of one black family and covers the period from the end of the Civil War to the time of the Civil Rights Movement. It looks at how the women of the family are witnesses to the disintegration of the black male and so of the black family and how, even as the family disintegrates, these women achieve a form of regeneration as they gain wisdom.
From the Paper
"In Chapter 6, the idea of truth is seen to be based not on simple facts but on a broader and more encompassing truth involving history and patterns. Some of the patterns are revealed in the foreshadowing, as when Milkman says Hagar has been trying to kill him for months, and such allusions are numerous in the text to set the idea of violence and murder to come. The mention of the white robe is also one of many, with a repeated and vivid connotation to any object or person described as "white" in this novel--with little or no positive implications at the time. This particular example not only suggests the white robes of an angel with a halo, but also the white robes of the Klu Klux Klan."
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Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried", 2008.
This paper discusses Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" about the reality of combat in Vietnam.
825 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 29.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, in his National Book Award winning novel "The Things They Carried", Vietnam veteran Tim O'Brien conveyed the reality of the war by telling his readers in plainspoken language what it feels like to be afraid, to kill and to see friends die in a useless war ten-thousand miles away from home. The author points outs that O'Brien's literary approach of conveying the realism of violent death in combat through emotion is very effective. The paper relates that this style has far more power and meaning than simply describing battles. The author underscores that O'Brien's use of fear, the trauma killing inflicts and the grief soldiers feel for lost comrades are the three primary reasons why this book has been acclaimed as one of the most realistic novels about the Vietnam War ever written.
From the Paper
"This passage conveys much more about the pervasive weight of fear and the awful finality of death than many war novelists have communicated in entire chapters, or even in entire novels. O'Brien (1999) describes his friend's sudden death on a warm, sunny April morning with compassionate finality and an authoritative essence that is eloquent in its very simplicity. "He was dead weight," O'Brien writes of Ted Lavender, a scared young soldier gone from this world in the twinkling of an eye."
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"The St. Lawrence and the Saguenay", 2008.
An examination of Charles Sangster's poem "The St. Lawrence and the Saguenay".
1,012 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
The paper analyzes how Charles Sangster in "The St. Lawrence and the Saguenay" portrays the relationship of nineteenth century Canadians to the natural world. The paper examines Sangster's vivid rhetoric and shows how it captures the sublime aspects of the St Lawrence region. The paper also points out Sangster's determination to impress upon the reader the might and majesty of the area that reflected the fears and insecurities of a time wherein the natural world often seemed to be winning its battle against humanity.
From the Paper
"In general, Sangster's poem discusses a journey from Lake Ontario down the St. Lawrence and up the Saguenay River to a location called Trinity Rock. The poem is 110 Spenserian stanzas in length and seems to emphasize the spiritual aspects of traveling through the stunning and unforgettable wilderness of nineteenth century Canada. For instance, when Sangster is called upon by the muses to describe the lightning that sometimes lights up the Canadian skies, he writes, "The finite man falls down to pray/For mercy at his Maker's feet/How vast art thou!/how minute he!/A human tissue which a breath/Can hurl from quickest life to death/An atom to immensity" (Sangster, lines 211-216)."
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Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken", 2008.
This paper discusses one of Robert Frost's earliest poems "The Road Not Taken"
1,055 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 0 sources, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the theme of making choices in Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken" and looks at how this theme applied to the choices and decisions Frost had to make in his own life.
From the Paper
"Would the world have been fundamentally different if Frost had decided that "The Road Not Taken" should be published in regular type instead of italics? Probably not. Would the world have been fundamentally different if Frost had opened "Mountain Interval" with another one of his poems? But what if Frost had decided that he did not want to finish this poem, although he had written the first stanza? What is Frost had not gone to England where he met the walking companion who agonized over ever fork in the path? What if he did decided that writing poetry and teaching about writing was simply not lucrative enough for him to support himself, his wife, and their children?
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"When Affirmative Action was White", 2008.
A critical review of Ira Katznelson's, "When Affirmative Action was White".
1,447 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 48.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of Ira Katznelson's book, "When Affirmative Action was White". The paper looks at the main idea of the book, some key supporting ideas or themes and the perspective the author assumes with regards to the historical record. The paper shows how although Katznelson presents a credible argument, his ideas are clearly biased.
From the Paper
"The primary focus of Katznelson's book is to argue that affirmative action is not something that emerged substantively in the 1960s but, rather, has its roots in the policy decisions of the 1930s and 1940s. Specifically, policies crafted in that seemingly long-ago time dealt with issues like welfare and work in ways that marginalized the overwhelming majority of African-Americans - and this marginalization is still be felt even today. Furthermore, the inequalities that ostensibly found their expression in the legislation of the period were largely the product of trying to please Southern Democrats; to put it another way, Democratic representatives of the American south bristled at any attempt to elevate the condition of the "negro" and many of their Northern colleagues (on both sides of the aisle, apparently) ably assisted them in efforts to thwart meaningful reform (Katznelson, X). In a real sense, Katznelson wants to emphasize how the struggles of the past remain very much the struggles of the present - and how affirmative action today is only incompletely dealing with the issue of racial inequality."
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The Living-Wage Debate, 2008.
An analysis and evaluation of two opposing viewpoints on the living-wage laws debate.
1,891 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
The paper examines M. Hurd's support for living-wage legislation and R. Berman's arguments against living-wage laws in "Do Living-wage Laws Help Poor Workers?". The paper analyzes both viewpoints and concludes that Berman is more convincing in his arguments against living-wage laws. The paper explains that Berman uses facts to reinforce his claims while Hurd relies mainly on anecdotal accounts. The paper therefore takes the position that the well-intentioned efforts to increase the income of a few poor workers has an overall negative effect upon this class of low-skilled employees.
Outline:
Analysis
Evaluation
Rebuttal
Polemic
From the Paper
"The adoption of living-wage laws by nearly one hundred cities and counties is a benefit to the local economies, thus is the conclusion of Maude Hurd, President of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), when she states, "When workers earn enough to support themselves, taxpayers spend less on food stamps, housing assistance, Earned Income Tax Credits, on other handouts" (Hurd, "Do Living-wage Laws Help Poor Workers?".). Beyond the economic benefits, there is a general community wide enhancement when, as Hurd claims, "Communities benefit from less crime, more homeownership and increased time to parents to spend with their kids" (Hurd, n.p.). The direct and indirect benefits of living wage regulation are realized by the local economy, local and federal governments, employers and families, these are the conclusions made by Hurd in urging additional jurisdictions to embrace this concept and enact legislation mandating the payment of a living wage to all low income workers."
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