Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Edgar Allan Poe And Alan Parsons: All That We See Or Seem Is Nevermore, Kimball R. Gardner

Student Works

Edgar Allan Poe was one of the greatest poets of the nineteenth century, and several critics and experts agree that he was well ahead of his time. As a result, he has had heavy influence on the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. One group that he impacted greatly was the progressive rock band the Alan Parsons Project. This group recorded an album titled Tales of Mystery and Imagination—an homage to Poe and his works.

This paper investigates two of Poe's poems: "A Dream within a Dream" and "The Raven," and how the song adaptations by the Alan Parsons Project can …

The Need For Shadows: The Death Of The Ego For Virginia Woolf In Night And Day, Jennifer A. Beck Miss

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Following Woolf’s own belief that the human character and condition changed in 1910, Woolf examines in Night and Day the human condition by destroying the identity of Katharine and following her reconstruction of self to evaluate just how far the human character has changed and where this change will lead the modern novelist. Through a Freudian melancholic reading, we identify what Katharine has lost, the ambivalence that shadows cast upon her play in one’s self-discovery, and the death of her ego, which causes her to retreat into her imaginary world. Although Katharine fails to gain a new ego at the …

God And Man, Nicole A. Ratliff

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An analysis of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath in regards to Samuel Johnson's "The Vanity of Human Wishes." The paper's argument is structured as the book progresses. In regards to Samuel Johnson's piece, both pieces of literature progress in the same way- starting off with very vain characters and ending with a change towards a more religious side. This paper tries to expand upon the religious aspects of The Grapes of Wrath, and come up with a theory that defies the socialist aspect.

Harry Potter And The Analysis Of A Hogwarts Education, Kayla M. Nelson

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A Hogwarts education is one that is coveted by many young (and old) people. The idea of a magical school is tantalizing. However, the magic only goes so far. This article exposes the flaws of a Hogwarts education.

Folklore, Stories, And Truth, Rebekah Hartshorn

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An exploration of Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story through the lens of the academic discipline of Folklore. Where is the line between reality and imagination? Stories are true because they influence lives and people interact with them. Many stories believed to be true have origins that are lost to time and their truth is questionable at best. However, when an audience interacts with a story, the story begins to exist within the timeline of the audience members’ lives. The story becomes part of the truths that they live.

Sylvie And Bruno And The Loss Of Innocence, Veronica R. Whelan

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This essay shows the correlation between innocence and guilt in the novel Sylvie and Bruno by Lewis Carroll. It looks into the major differences in perception displayed by both adult and child characters within the story, and explores the need for a balance of both an innate innocence and a gained sense of knowledge of the world. The author uses a number of sources ranging from psychological studies on innocence and knowledge to comparisons of knowledge as displayed in other fictional texts.

Animal Farm Corruption, Justin Rich

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This paper details how Animal Farm is not just a literary work comparing a farm of beast to the Soviet Union, but it has a much deeper meaning. It explains how the author, George Orwell, uses the character and the plot line to show how leadership and power corrupt a person. It also discusses how power is more easily obtained than used correctly.

Always The Feminine Fool, Shelby L. Dana

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Women have often been cast as mentally unstable throughout history. It is assumed that since they are the "weaker sex," they are psychologically inept. However, many times they act irrationally because they are filling a role in which society has already placed them, not because they are insane. Author Charlotte Perkins Gilman illustrates this in her short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, as readers can watch narrator go insane after being told time after time that she already is. Some people are born mad, some achieve madness, but women have madness thrust upon them.

"Man's Greatness": Steinbeck's Evaluation Of Nature And Nurture In His Epic Novel East Of Eden, Courtney Smith

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In his epic novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck explores the ideas of agency and morality. He presents the idea of timshel, or “thou mayest,” to show that every person makes their own choices. He expands on this idea by evaluating the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture throughout the novel as the characters interact with their “nurtures” or environments and respond based on their natural personalities. Steinbeck shows that our choices are our own, but they are influenced more by our natures than our nurtures. This is seen poignantly in his characters Cathy Ames and Caleb (“Cal”) Trask …

The Goose Girl: The Importance Of Understanding Self-Concept, Elizabeth R. Perkins

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This paper delves into the psychology behind a beloved Grimms Brothers story as retold by Shannon Hale. What makes the story so timeless? The development of the main character as she grows into her own skin and overcomes her thinking errors makes this book attractive for YA audiences who are going through similar issues.

The Lives And Deaths Of Flora Mac-Ivor And Rose Bradwardine: Romance And Reality In Sir Walter Scott's Waverley, Monica D. Allen

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In Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley, Scott presents the problem of romance versus reality. He does this by personifying romance and reality through Flora Mac Ivor and Rose Bradwardine. Flora, with her passion, represents romance. While Rose, a more mellow character, represents reality. Waverley finds that he must choose between them. Rose is a “kindred spirit” to him, while Flora resembles “one of his daydreams.” They embody these ideas through a physical location. Flora’s location is the romantic Scottish Highlands, and Rose’s location is simply her father’s home. Besides location, the figurative deaths of Flora and Rose embody romance and …