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"A Raisin in the Sun", 2007.
A review of Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" .
2,111 words (approx. 8.4 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 66.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" is considered by critics to be one of the strongest portrayals of the African-American nuclear family. It looks at how the implicit theme of "A Raisin in the Sun" is the impact of the family upon the actions of individual units, especially in relation to African-American families. It also examines how the social premise and moral conflicts of the play focuses on the pursuit of the Younger family to better their current situation. It analyzes the family through several different topics, including the impact of family experiences upon individual action, the impact of social influences upon the entire family, the impact of social and political factors upon the family, and finally, the gender roles that come in conflict within the nuclear family model.
From the Paper
"Common family experiences have a dramatic impact on the actions of each individual unit, and it unites the family in their pursuits. The Younger family is considered lower middle class; three generations occupy the nuclear model, with grandmother Lena at its head, Walter, Ruth and Beneatha as the second generation, and Travis as the youngest. The hardships endured by the family unit as a whole in their pursuit of survival binds them together. Lena and her husband worked tirelessly to raise their kids. Walter works extremely hard as a chauffeur in order to support his family, while Ruth has the full responsibility of handling the house and monitoring the family. It is the result of their persistent hardship that drives them to all yearn for change and greater social mobility (NPR, npg). "
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'Richard III', 2006.
A review of 'Richard III' by William Shakespeare.
1,219 words (approx. 4.9 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 41.95
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Abstract
This paper takes a look at William Shakespeare's play 'Richard III' and two movie versions based on this play. According to the paper, 'Richard III' is both a tragedy and a historical account of the short career of the last medieval English king. The paper discusses how Shakespeare's 'Richard III' depicts Richard and his "reign of terror" both unflatteringly and beyond historical accuracy.
From the Paper
" In the movie version, "Looking for Richard," Al Pacino creates, directs and stars as Richard III's obsession for power, lust and betrayal through the streets of New York to the birthplace of Shakespeare to an emotionally charged production of Richard III (Richard III Society 1996) It is a presentation of Shakespeare with an untraditional format more accessible to the modern audience and with which this modern audience can relate better. The cast includes Estelle Parsons as Queen Margaret, Alec Baldwin as Clarence, Kevin Spacey as Buckingham, Winona Ryder as Lady Anne and Aidan Quinn as Richmond. Al Pacino also puts in the enthusiasm and help of Sir John Gielgud, Sir Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, Vanessa Redgrave, James Earl Jones and Kevin Kline in an attempt at making everyone enjoy Shakespeare and his tales truly timeless in exploring human nature. This version is different from the first two interpretations in that Al Pacino and his actors needed to break down the barriers, which render Shakespeare's history complicated and intimidating. Al Pacino allows his viewer to go behind the scenes and witness the actual process of acting. The heavier aspects of the play are made mild by informal shots of actors dealing with their roles in either a comic or heated forum. Al Pacino's methods of analysis are insightful, amusing and engrossing. He transcends the barrier between actors and their audience as he stands in London's legendary Globe Theater and the halls of New York City's Cloisters Museum (Richard III Society)."
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"The Cuban Swimmer", 2007.
An analysis of the abusive trainer-athlete relationship in the play "The Cuban Swimmer" by Milcha Sanchez-Scott.
1,036 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses how the play highlights the potential abuses of the athlete and coach relationship by contrasting the young heroine's poetic and triumphant efforts with the crass desire of her trainer for media exposure. The paper shows how Margarita's trainer, her father, is motivated by his own needs, not by his young charge's athletic glory. The paper stresses that the message of "The Cuban Swimmer" is that Margarita, the young athlete of Hispanic origin, is a success because she manages to break from the confines of her assigned role in the family.
From the Paper
"The fact that the heroine's trainer is also her father further complicates the nature of the abuses Margarita suffers under his hard tutelage. Throughout the short play, her father brusquely tells her how to breath and stroke and reveals his profound ignorance of the true nature of the water and his daughter's increasingly weary body. Despite the contention of Eduardo, the father of the title character, that he has everything under control, the play "The Cuban Swimmer" highlights how little control Eduardo really has over his own emotions as he becomes caught up in the media frenzy that ensues as a result of his teenage daughter's determination and swimming prowess."
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Award-Giving Bodies, 2007.
A comparative analysis of the Academy Awards (Oscars) and MTV Movie Awards (MTV-MA).
994 words (approx. 4.0 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 35.95
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Abstract
This paper provides a comparative analysis of the Academy Awards and MTV-MA as award-giving bodies. The paper posits that both award-giving bodies have similarities and differences that arise from the culture, audience, commercial value and socio-political relevance of the movies and processes that each award-giving body undergoes. The paper in general attributes specific segments of American culture as the primary driver that distinguishes the Oscars from the MTV-MA.
From the Paper
"These award-giving programs have their own niche and place at the spectrum of American entertainment. The Academy Awards' image differs radically from the MTV Movie Awards, though both programs enjoy popularity and renown not only in the entertainment business, but more specifically because of their influence in American culture. The Academy Awards' (referred to from now on as the Oscars) and MTV-MA's (MTV Movie Awards) importance is based, then, on their relevance to the entertainment business and the general public (as the audience and patrons of the entertainment business)."
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"Marriage of Figaro", 2007.
A comparison of the plays, "Marriage of Figaro," written by Pierre de Beaumarchais to "Travels in France" by Arthur Young.
749 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 26.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the play, "Marriage of Figaro," written by Pierre de Beaumarchais. It compares Beaumarchais' play to the play "Travels in France" by Arthur Young. The paper places Beaumarchais' work within the historical context of noble life in the late 18th century. It then compares Young's account of the French city and country life to Beaumarchais' characterization of the nobility and the countryside.
Table of Contents:
Objective
Introduction
I. Beaumarchais: The Nobility and the Countryside
II. Young: Travels in France and the City and Country Life Described
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper
"The play entitled: "Marriage of Figaro" was written by Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) a French playwright. This play is in the time period setting of the 18th Century, specifically the Count Almaviva's castle in Seville. The work of Arthur Young: "Travels in France" also gives a glimpse into the 18th century politics and social aspects and interactions between the nobility and the poor. In each of the works the self-absorbed nature of the nobility are described as well as the conditions of those unfortunate enough to be poor."
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Macbeth and Materialism, 2007.
This paper examines the concept of materialism in works of art, concentrating on William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.
1,297 words (approx. 5.2 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 43.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer explains that in Shakespeare's world, extreme wealth and comfort were enjoyed at their ultimate peak generally only by royalty. The writer relates that people today, like Macbeth in Shakespeare's play, are realizing that material wealth is, after all, not the ultimate pathway towards true happiness. The writer discusses that Macbeth wants the power of being king so badly that he would do anything to fulfill the prophesy, even if it means sinking to levels that are out of his character. The writer concludes that while spirituality takes a different form in the modern-day world than in Shakespeare's time, there is still the separation of pure materialism from the higher, inherently human values.
From the Paper
"True to the prophesy of the above words, Macbeth destroys both his security and power by succumbing to the illusion of security. The appearance of extreme wealth and power blinds him to the true danger around him and to the false promises of the witches. In this way the play acts as a warning for the audience: wealth and power are likely to bring more grief and danger than they are worth. They also destroy any meaningful connection that might exist between the human being and the divine."
"In modern-day works of art, the same warning is issued, although in a more light-hearted, redeeming fashion. Furthermore, material wealth and the divine come closer to each other than in Shakespeare's play, suggesting a new paradigm of wealth and its relationship to divinity. Aristotle's assertion in terms of modern humankind may therefore hold less truth than may have been the case for the average Shakespearean audience."
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Ted Hughes and Samuel Beckett, 2006.
A review of the work of Samuel Beckett and Ted Hughes.
1,677 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
This paper takes a look at Samuel Beckett's "Endgame" and Ted Hughes' "Crow". According to the paper, after World War II, authors were faced with the difficulty of creating written works of meaning in a world that seemed so cruel that any attempt at making meaning or moral sense of human behavior seemed futile. This paper discusses Beckett's and Hughes' attempts at making, and failing to make, a new mythology in a world vacant of belief.
From the Paper
"No one could describe Beckett's characters as attractive, and this deliberate impulse towards ugliness is also seen in Ted Hughes creation of the mythological, ugly character in the form of "Crow." A crow, the traditional trickster character of mythology, is a harsh-voiced bird, and Hughes himself said he selected this solitary feeder upon the bones of the dead as his protagonist quite deliberately--just as Beckett's characters feed upon the bones of a cultural system of meaning and a personal past that now has no shape or structure--"it's like the funny story we have heard too often, we still find it funny, but we don't laugh any more," says Nell of the "Endgame" dialogue--the animal Crow feeds upon what is left behind, feeding upon the dead in a world that is based upon death. The crow is a "nightmare" creation, a defiant voice in the wilderness against God. (Sagar, 1975) "
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"The Glass Menagerie", 2007.
This paper reviews the play "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams.
1,735 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
The paper portrays how Tennessee Williams' play, "The Glass Menagerie", presents its characters trapped in a world partly real and partly the product of their own minds, a world from which they try to escape. The paper shows how the appearance of Jim radically changes their lives. The paper illustrates how the play was somewhat biographical of Williams' experiences and his own family. The paper highlights how Tom's leaving to fulfill his dreams echoes the author's fulfillment as a writer.
From the Paper
"All of the main characters of this play have some unhappiness and unfulfilled expectations about their lives. Tom has a job he dislikes and dreams of poetry and adventures, while his sister is too shy to have a regular relationship with someone other than her family and so finds comfort in her collection of glass animals. "Tom works in a shoe warehouse and is miserably unhappy with his life because he wants to find adventure and write poetry. His job at the warehouse certainly doesn't satisfy these desires.""
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So Young, So Gifted, So Old, 2007.
This paper compares the young protagonists of "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence, "Suicide Note" by Janice Mirikitani and "The Cuban Swimmer" by Milcha Sanchez-Scott
981 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 34.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer explains that "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence, "Suicide Note" by Janice Mirikitani and "The Cuban Swimmer" by Milcha Sanchez-Scott are three different genres of fiction grappling with a similar problem. The writer further explains that, in each of the stories, a young protagonist is forced to grow old too soon, because of the stresses of the adult world. Additionally, the writer points out that, although Lawrence's short story takes place during the early 20th century, while Mirikitani's poem and Sanchez-Scott's drama are set in contemporary American contexts, all provide examples of how gifted protagonists must suffer and often give up their unique gifts, because of the misunderstandings and imposed pressures of the adults in their lives.
From the Paper
"These protagonists may possess intellectual and physical gifts that the older generation lacks, but these gifts do not give the children the ability to weather the trials and travails of existence any better than an ordinary child or adolescent. In fact, their gifts become burdens rather than sources of comfort as a result of adult needs. For example, "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence first presents the home of a financially pressed working-class family in need of money. Money is such a constant and pervasive need that the short story memorably describes the house as virtually breathing the need for money. The use of the short story genre, in contrast to Mirikitani's poem or Sanchez-Scott's more personally focused play allows for a slightly more sympathetic portrayal of the boy's caretakers who press him to use his gift at fortune telling to make money for the family by betting on horses. The story opens with a portrayal of the home, not the child, to balance the eventually cruel treatment of the child. Regardless, by the end of the story, when the reader witnesses the strain that the pressures of this gift of divination has put upon the boy, even the most fair-minded reader concludes that his prophesy is more of a curse, and his family is wrong to depend upon the child for their entire livelihood."
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Hamlet, 2007.
This paper critically analyzes "Hamlet," the greatest tragedy of Shakespeare.
1,363 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This critical analysis focuses on Act V of the Shakespearean play "Hamlet". The paper describes the scene of the gravediggers in the the church graveyard and the ensuing funeral of Ophelia. The paper shows how, after losing all those he loves so dearly, Hamlet undergoes a personal transformation. The paper concludes that, however heroic Hamlet was, the end result was still one of tragedy.
Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Hamlet: Scene V Act 1
The Funeral Procession
Act V Continues
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Hamlet was written somewhere around the year of 1600 and was one of Shakespeare's most mature and talented works. Hamlet is believed by many to be the greatest tragedy of Shakespeare. This work of Shakespeare is believed to be a popular play that was remade and was based on historical fiction. The historical Hamlet was son of a Danish "King of the Jutes" who lived during the period known as the dark ages. In the historical tale the murder of one brother by another brother took place and was not actually a murder but was a coup. In superstition of that time, the individual who murdered someone who was insane came under a risk of becoming insane themselves."
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