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Bruce Springsteen and the Rebel Youth Culture, 2008.
This paper looks at Bruce Springsteen and discusses individuality, class hierarchy and the "rebel" youth culture of America.
1,193 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This anthropological study analyzes how Bruce Springsteen has become more than a rock 'n' roll musician in his cultural influence on American youth culture. The writer notes that not only has Springsteen been a major musical influence in the rock 'n' roll genre, he reflects the social dreams and desires of American youth culture through a variety of class distinctions and lifestyles. In essence, the writer notes that Bruce Springsteen sings of different class backgrounds. Further, the writer maintains that Springsteen defines a rebellious and individualistic identity in youth culture through his lyrics and musical understanding of American social norms.
From the Paper
"The type of feeling that calls for redemption of the poor people in the world can also be seen in his music on a domestic note. This forms the main corpus of lyrics and music that respond to the deeper troubles that youth sought within the often depressing and economically down turned post-Nixon era of American culture. Bruce Springsteen, although not above singing songs of the more carefree traditional songs of Little Richard, is more apt to be singing about the quest for freedom from authority for young people. After all, Bruce Springsteen had come from a middle class background, and he had known the suffering of being without money or of having a place to live. For instance, in "Born to Run", Springsteen uses a lyrical example of the desperation of youth culture, as the confines of social norms drives the young people to reach beyond barriers through escaping cultural isolationism."
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The Cultural Evolution of Aboriginal Marriage, 2008.
A comparison of historical and modern day Aboriginal marriages in Australia.
1,089 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 37.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the early historical origins of Aboriginal marriages, in their practices and ceremonies, that are found in what is now modern day Australia. In particular, the paper presents an historical overview of the ancient practices of these Aboriginal marriages and shows how they are used within the modern context of marriages of Aboriginal Australians today.
From the Paper
"In conclusion, the history of the marriage ceremonies and practices of the Australian Aborigines is one that has stayed true with the ancient customs that were initiated through a creationist religious mythology. The binding essence of the firestick provides a sexual and legally binding ceremony that is provided though family members, uniting the man and the woman within the tribe. The evolution of these marriage rites include a multi-cultural integration with other ethnic or racial groups, which provides a foundation for the relevancy and survival of these ceremonies. In this manner, this study has provided a historical evaluation of the marriage ceremonies and practices of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia from the early past to the present tense."
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The Native Girl Syndrome, 2008.
This paper looks at Beatrice Culleton Mosionier's book 'In Search of April Raintree'.
1,735 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer looks chiefly at the native girl syndrome as it makes its appearance in the text and how the use of this slur by whites complicates the lives of the two protagonist, Cheryl and April Raintree. The writer discusses that part of the horror of the native girl syndrome is that it renders aboriginal women and young girls into little more than intemperate, slovenly and incontinent children who possess a "bad seed" that makes them susceptible to wrong-doing and also highly susceptible to being a drain upon the public purse. The writer maintains that the native girl syndrome, inasmuch as it reduces aboriginal women to lesser moral, intellectual and emotional beings than their white counterparts - also de-legitimates their voices and makes it more probable that they will be compelled to suffer injustice in silence. The paper explores these issues and also looks at how the native girl syndrome came about - it may even still be the case today - a rationale for tearing apart native families.
From the Paper
"Cheryl and April are two young girls who suffer a great deal in Beatrice Culleton Mosionier's, In Search of April Raintree. For one thing, Culleton Mosionier's work describes in painful detail the various ways in which aboriginal peoples coming of age in 1950s and 1960s Canada were infantilized by the dominant culture. For one thing, the intrusion of Child Welfare Services into the inner goings-on of the Raintree family reveals the callous manner in which aboriginal peoples were perceived as "wards" who could do nothing - be nothing - without the mainstream culture imposing itself upon them. The book, at least in the view of one perceptive critic, suggests that the violence of the troubled aboriginal home is equaled by the more subtle violence of Child Services, a dark and dubious entity that tears children from their families or at least did in the 1950s and 1960s and undermines the autonomy and, indeed, the adult personages of aboriginal parents. The book is also painful in the sense that it captures how the "culture of violence" ascribed to the native culture is a designation better ascribed to the dominant culture of the age. To wit, April and Cheryl experience racism and ageism and sexism in the dominant culture and face punishment from that culture at every turn; in fact, there is even a frightening instance wherein April is brutally raped by a gang of men who react explosively when she denies their advances. In this sense, part of the native girl syndrome is to be viewed as an inferior being - emotionally, intellectually, morally - and therefore deserving of such brutal mistreatment."
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Crossword Puzzles, 2008.
This paper examines the nearly 100 year old history and popularity of the crossword puzzle.
955 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses that crossword puzzles can be found in almost every newspaper in almost every country and in magazines and book dedicated solely to these puzzles. The author points out that crossword puzzles have inspired other gridded word games, like acrostic, cryptic and diagram-less puzzles, and board games, such as Scrabble. The paper relates that the predecessors of today's crossword puzzles is the 19th century British acrostic puzzle designed specifically for children, such as "Lewis Carroll's doublet puzzle". The author relates that the first known word square, called the Sator Square, was carved in stone and dates from the first century A.D. in Pompeii. The paper concludes that, although crossword puzzles provide a form of constructive entertainment during leisure hours, some people claim that puzzle solving is a human instinct.
From the Paper
"Puzzles have been around since the beginning of history. "One of the earliest surviving manuscripts of human civilization is, as a matter of fact, a collection of mathematical puzzles", known as the Rhind Papyrus. In the ancient world, the first puzzles were in physical form, or labyrinths. According to Denasi (2002), "the biblical kings Solomon and Hiram were renewed for organizing riddle contests." The word 'puzzle' probably derives from the Middle English word poselet, meaning bewildered or confused. The crossword is the most common variety of word puzzle in the world, yet it is one of the few types of puzzles that do not have an ancient origin."
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Marine Species Conservation, 2008.
This paper explores the Elkhorn Coral and what can be done to rescue this vulnerable marine species.
1,366 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
The paper discusses the precarious position of the Elkhorn Coral and identifies the features of an effective conservation policy at the national and/or international level. This includes keeping human beings and animals away from the reefs, developing non-intrusive bulwarks as a protection from large-scale hurricanes and distancing industrial works and run-off from the reefs. The paper concludes that an effort should be undertaken to build up an international coalition of environmentalists and sympathetic policy-makers who can remind political elites around the globe of under-reported marine species such as the Elkhorn Coral.
From the Paper
"One of the most obvious problems currently bedeviling the Elkhorn Coral is its susceptibility to disease. According to the United States Office of Protected Resources, the Elkhorn Coral has had problems with rampant disease since the dawn of the 1980s (para.4). Indeed, by the middle-1980s, scientists were becoming increasingly alarmed by the spread of calicoblastic neoplasms or cancerous lesions among Elkhorn Coral colonies in the Florida region - most notably among those colonies housed at the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary in Key Largo, Florida (Peters, 895)."
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On "A Global Village Full of Idiots", 2008.
A review of Joan Claytor's article "A Global Village Full of Idiots", a commentary of the harmful effects of television.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 57.95
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Abstract
This paper examines Joan Claytor's "A Global Village Full of Idiots", an entertaining newspaper article that presents at least seven fallacious arguments regarding television culture. It finds the article light and humorous, full of deliberate exaggerations, which produce the series of fallacious arguments that are easily identified and explained. The paper concludes that upon reading the article, the reader will have been entertained by the author's assertion that television is harmful to human experience, the family and home, its powers extending to filling whole houses with unwanted emotions and converting people to mere addicts and idiots.
From the Paper
"The author opens, for instance, in an argument that the "main problem with TV" is that it is addictive. (p.15) This is a presumptive argument in that one cannot know if it is addictive really, or for most viewers, or for any at all. Also, there is not a way in which to understand quite what the author means by using the medical term of addictive, only knowing that a television is not like heroin or tobacco or alcohol for those who are addicted to them. One meets few compulsive television viewers or people who would happily walk two miles in the snow in order to turn on a television that is located elsewhere. People do not need to be hospitalized for withdrawal because the family television is being repaired. North American cities have places where suffering people are treated for different kinds of addictions, but none for those who suffer the physical and emotional effects of television addiction. One waits to be told how it is that television is addictive and realizes that the author might mean habit-forming or familiar, as are not congruent with the bold statement she has made referring to television as addictive. A similar fallacious argument could be made by substituting the term of destructive, or perhaps combustive, for addictive, as would also be presumptive fallacies, if asking the important question of "why?" after writing one statement out, or the other."
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Perception of Evil and Wickedness in Literature, 2008.
A comparison of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery".
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the similarities, in terms of evil and wickedness, between the book "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad and the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. The paper explains that in both works, the reader is forced to consider whether wickedness and evil are outside sources that influence the people or, conversely, if evil and wickedness are inside every human being. The paper then looks at how both authors force the reader to consider what actions constitute evil and wickedness, particularly where social normalcy and self-preservation are involved. The paper also suggests that the texts vary in terms of community and social ties as an avenue of evil; "The Lottery" depicts social tradition and normalcy as an opportunity for seemingly senseless violence, while "Heart of Darkness" calls on human kinship as a way to avoid evil and corruption. The paper concludes that in addressing these complex issues, both Conrad and Jackson grapple with the same concerns: the perception of evil and its relationship with being human.
From the Paper
"Evil and wickedness are often talked about as an external force since people do not like to admit that they are capable of evil and wickedness. Instead, many like to believe that evil is an outside force that makes people do things or, at worst, an occasional individual who has become evil after being affected by such forces. For example, Neilson describes Kurtz when the "darkest element has taken control" (41). Does this imply that Kurtz is no longer himself and that a greater force is responsible for his acts? A similar quandary exists in "The Lottery." After reaching the end of the story, the reader has gotten to know the characters in Jackson's story. They seem to be normal, average citizens. How, then, can they be part of the brutal lottery ritual if some outside force is not acting upon them?"
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Chinese New Year, 2008.
A discussion of the origins, traditions and superstitions of the Chinese New Year.
1,386 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 5 sources, APA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the history and current practices of the Chinese New Year. It looks at the origins of the festivities and at the Chinese New Year traditions that have been carried on throughout the ages. It then discusses the superstitions that are associated the lead-up to and celebration of the Chinese New Year. Finally, the paper discusses the significance of each of the fifteen days of the Chinese New Year.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Ancient Chinese New Year
Traditions
Superstitions
The 15 Days of Chinese New Year
Conclusion
From the Paper
"On the actual New Year's Day, hair should not be washed as this will wash away good luck for the New Year. Red is the color chosen for clothing, as it is a bright, happy color which encourages a bright future (as well as serves to fend off Nian). Children and unmarried friends are given "lai see", which are small red envelopes containing money for good fortune (ibid). Other superstitions include the consulting of an Almanac before heading out (in order to find the "best time" for doing so), the prohibiting of scissor and knife use (as this may "cut off" good fortune), avoidance of people in their bedrooms (this is considered bad luck) and external environmental cues. These include the words one first hears on New Year's Day (these are considered to reflect one's fortune) and signals such as songbirds or red-colored birds (these are supposed to be good luck) (ibid)."
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Ethnic Stereotypes in the Movie "Smokin' Aces", 2008.
This paper examines the movie "Smokin' Aces" and discusses the ethnic stereotypical images portrayed.
1,377 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This essay analyzes the use of stereotypes to portray different ethnic groups in the film "Smokin' Aces". The paper relates that the media is able to shape and influence our own perceptions of other people and cultures. The paper further relates that what we can see on the TV and movies produces a very powerful message, as we perceive the media as real even when we see a work of fiction. Additionally, the paper notes that the media is filled with stereotypes and stereotypical images. The essay then concentrates on three ethnic groups present in "Smokin' Aces", Italians, white Americans and African-Americans, and shows that they are portrayed through stereotypical images. The Italians are represented as mafia bosses, white men are good guys, while African American characters are criminals and sidekicks. The writer concludes that the construction of characters sends strong messages of racial ideology despite all the efforts put towards eliminating the racism.
From the Paper
"One of the first characters introduced in the move is an Italian Primo Sparazza. Sparazza is a mafia boss, a stereotypical role for an Italian in media. He is wanted by FBI and is known to be behind many crimes but, as usual, cannot be connected directly to any of them. As such he is untouchable, powerful person behind the mafia steel curtain. We do not know much about him, but some ideas that fit in the overall male Italian- mobster stereotypic character can be inferred from the plot. Thus, it is possible that Sparazza was an Italian immigrant since the FBI agents are tracing his illegal activities to 1950s. He made crime his career climbing up to a level of one of the American mafia bosses. As such, he is a typical non-American who presents a danger to American society and way of life."
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Hong Kong Students in Toronto, 2008.
A discussion of the challenges facing Hong Kong students studying in Toronto.
1,695 words (approx. 6.8 pages), 13 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the challenges facing Hong Kong students studying in Toronto. The paper explains that these students face social and cultural problems because Chinese people have experienced a great deal of discrimination in Canada and this has resulted in a high degree of isolation from mainstream Canadian culture for many of these students.
The paper further points out that in order to examine the experiences of international students from Hong Kong in Toronto it is necessary to look at these experiences from a social and cultural perspective, as well as an educational perspective. The paper shows that differences between Hong Kong and Canada cause challenges for Hong Kong students studying in Toronto because they come from a very mixed system and then have to learn a totally new way of doing things that is very different from either of the systems with which they are familiar.
Outline:
Introduction
Hong Kong: A Special Case In China
Hong Kong Students In Toronto Universities
Social and Cultural Challenges
Educational Difficulties
Conclusions
From the Paper
"The number of students from Hong Kong in Toronto Universities is extremely difficult to determine. This is mainly due to the fact that statistics are largely deal with the national level. There are very few statistics available for individual cities. However, universities obtain data on how many students they obtain for given countries. York University had approximately 115 students from Hong Kong in 2002. The University of Toronto had approximately 280 students from Hong Kong is 2007. There are also approximately 80 students from Hong Kong at Ryerson. These figures indicate that there are approximately 475 students from Hong Kong studying in Toronto.
"Chinese people in Canada seem to experience a wide range of social and cultural challenges. Probably one of the largest challenges faced by most Chinese students in Toronto is the difficulty that many English speaking Canadians have with certain aspects of Chinese culture. Many Chinese students use English names so that English speaking Canadians will not struggle with their Chinese names. "
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