Abstract
This paper analyzes the character of Morten Kiil from Arthur Miller's "An Enemy of the People", explaining that he symbolizes the rot of the moral fiber within society. The paper describes Morten Kiil as someone who not only cannot be trusted, but who must be watched closely as well. The paper examines and summarizes passages in the story that support this description.

From the Paper
"Eating don't get you anywhere, boy" (Miller, 295). Morten Kiil's first piece of dialogue is in response to Billing's comment of Kiil's hurried eating style. Kiil is a man that does not take time to enjoy his food. He thinks that food is merely a nuisance in every-day life, which keeps him from getting to more pressing tasks. Because he "gulps his last bite" and then gets ready to leave, he clearly is not dining at the Stockmann household for the pleasure of social company (295). When asked by his daughter, Mrs. Stockmann, to stay, he responds by claiming to have business to tend to. He even goes to add: "The only reason I came over was that the butcher told me you bought roast beef today" (296). Morten did not come over to have a chat with his friends, but simply because something that he desired existed at the Stockmann household. He wants to eat the roast beef, not just because he likes it but, rather, because it is a rare dish and something that is free. Kiil's apparent cheapness can also be seen in his clothing. He is described as having a "ratty fur hat" (295). This detail regarding his attire suggests that he does not even take the time to properly maintain his clothing, or at least to buy a new fur hat. The use of the word "ratty" might foreshadow an aspect of Kiil's life that involves shabbiness."

Tags:selfish, sly, behavior, can, tobacco, coat, pocket, apples, daughter, host, cheap

Abstract
This paper explains that Charlotte Bronte in her novel "Jane Eyre" and Jean Rhys in her novel "Wide Sargasso Sea" tell the same story of humanity and monstrosity, sanity and madness, but the monsters are different. The author points out that Bronte comes from romanticism and Gothicism movements in literature; whereas, Rhys, generations later, reflexes modernism and surrealism. The paper relates that Bronte's madwoman, "beastly Bertha Mason", imprisoned in the attic, is described as unfeminine and inhumane, and example of how a Victorian lady ought not to behave. The author highlights that Jean Rhys tells a more complete story of "Bertha Mason" who in this story is really Antoinette, the first Mrs. Rochester. The paper states that, in this version, this character is not regarded as being a monster but rather is pitied. The author concludes that, in Rhys' novel, Mr. Rochester is the monstrosity because of his lack of humanity and compassion.

From the Paper
"It shouldn't go without saying, however, that some critics believe "Jane Eyre" was before it's time in its view of the humane and inhumane. It is believed that perhaps Charlotte Bronte, despite a Victorian upbringing, was making a statement about her society's expectation and marginalization of women. In "Jane Eyre", Bertha Mason, despite being described as physically frightening, ghastly and intimidating, is not described as being cruel to the protagonist, nor is she described as having inhumane personal qualities. In fact, it is quite the opposite."

Tags:victorian, surrealism, humane, inhumane, rochester

Abstract
This paper examines and compares three translations and interpretations of the passage between lines 2799 and 2820 - Beowulf's last scene and final words to the young warrior, Wiglaf. It analyzes "Beowulf: A New Prose Translation" by E. Talbot Donaldson, "Beowulf: A New Verse Translation" by R.M. Liuzza and "Beowulf: A Verse Translation" by Seamus Heavey.

From the Paper
"Given that the translations of Liuzza and Heaney take the most substantial risks and embrace their stylistic decisions, it is understandable that the tensions between individual agency and historical determinism, between pagan and Christian, and between wyrd and divine predestination are thus considerably muted in Donaldson's interpretation of the passage between lines 2799 and 2820. In contrast, the translations of Liuzza and Heaney offer a significant interpretive contribution to our understanding of Beowulf's final words and death, and by extension to the birth of a new worldview that was emerging at that time. Nevertheless, each of these three translations offers both a reading and to a certain extent a resolution of the complexities between pagan notions of heroism and fate and the otherworldly implications of Christian doctrine. Having grasped the implications of each of these readings, we may follow them through to their logical conclusion to find that they each represent a certain position within this spectrum of tension between the worldviews of paganism and Christianity, and ultimately on the precarious position of personal choice and self-determination that permeate these tensions."

Tags:interpretation, passage, prose, scene

Abstract
In this paper, the writer contends that a common thread throughout the works of writer Jorge Luis Borges is a distrust of order, predictability and linearity as related to memory. To illustrate this contention, the writer examines short stories by Borges: "Funes the Memorious", "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", and "The Circular Ruins". The paper concludes that Borges reads as being averse to totalizing order, which creates a complex literary oeuvre that charms and yet disturbs the reader, which thus offers new paths to understanding this world.

From the Paper
"Borges also challenges the merit of the imagination and the danger of reliance upon memory in "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius". This story is a sustained portrayal of imagination through Borges' traditional short-story format. It tells the tale of an imaginary country created by an underground society of individuals. This country, Uqbar, is a small part of a world called Tlon, created by the Orbis Tertius, or secret creators."

Tags:extremes, reductio ad absurdum, minimalist faculties trickery

Abstract
This paper compares the novels of Calvino's 'Invisible Cities' to Borges' 'The Library of Babel.' It summarizes the stylistic and thematic similarities between the work of the great Argentine, Borges and the postmodern Italian, Calvino. The author illustrates how these writers seeks to emphasize the reader in their stories.

From the Paper
"Striking parallels exist between the work of Italo Calvino and the great Argentine, Jorge Luis Borges. To begin with, both writers, as John Barth deftly summarizes, "wrote in a clear, straightforward, unmannered, but rigorously scrupulous style," (Barth, 2) or, as Mclaughlin put it: "the brevity that encompasses infinity" (Mclaughlin, 108). They preferred the laconic short take, and even Calvino's longer works are "modular and combinatory, built up from smaller, quicker units" (Barth, 2). They were prevailingly disinclined to social/psychological realism, favoring "myth and fable and science in Calvino's case, literary/philosophical history and "the contamination of reality by dream" in Borges' case" (Barth, 2). In keeping with typically postmodern tendencies, "both writers inclined toward the ironic elevation of popular narrative genres," as well as the "ironic recycling of stock images" (Barth, 2-3). Finally, Barth explains how both of these brilliant authors managed to combine in their fiction the values he calls "Algebra" and "Fire," referring to formal ingenuity and passion. Two works that exemplify all of these characteristics are Calvino's Invisible Cities and Borges' The Library of Babel. These two works provide a suitable platform for discussion of some of the most salient themes and formal characteristics associated with these renowned authors."

Tags:Argentine, postmodern, Italian, novels

Abstract
This paper discusses the psychological stress placed upon the main characters in both Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and George Ryga's "The Ecstacy of Rita Joe". The author examines the root of their stress: having no true place to call home, and no true sense of belonging.

From the paper:

"Humans need a place where they are comfortable and where they know they belong. The absence of this sanctuary causes severe psychological stress. For Rita and
Oedipus, the tragedy of their lives is this absence. Unable to find their sanctuary, they lead lives beset with confusion. In an attempt to find their home, they searched endlessly for the truth. The real tragedy is that there was no home to find. They were isolated wanderers. Wherever they went, their feet hurt."

Tags:george, joe, oedipus, rita, ryga, sophocles, sanctuary, jocasta, creon

From the Paper
"Thiong'o goes into great detail in describing his oversimplified view of the correlation between language and culture. He claims that language is a carrier of culture, and uses the example that in Sweden and Denmark, English is only used to communicate with those who cannot speak their language. However, in Britain, the English language is not only a means of communication, but also a carrier of its culture and history. For Africans, there is no relationship between their acquired language "English, and their African culture. Thiong'o defines culture as a product and a reflection of human beings communicating with one another in the very struggle to create wealth and control it" a product of the history which it in turn reflects. "

Tags:african, literature, politics, nguii

Abstract
This paper examines culture, society, and gender roles in Chinua Achebe's novel about survival of native clans in pre-colonial societies along the Niger River in "Things Fall Apart". The author discusses how Igbo tribal members dealt with gender restrictions.

From the Paper
"Achebe's use of the motif "agbala" in Things Fall Apart showed the importance of clear and distinct gender roles to the survival of the Igbo. In spite of Okonkwo's profound fear of being seen as weak or womanly, most men in the male dominated society still accorded respect toward women. The roles were re-enforced among the Igbo through conscious identification with one's own gender, by the religious structure and the social mores. The language, specifically the terms and phrases they used which were reflected in the narration, effectively integrated gender, religion and social mores to help the Igbo survive as a people."

Tags:achebe, chinua, igbo, okonkwo, women, gender, violence, respect, tribe, niger, obierka, wife, agbala

Abstract
This paper analyzes Yevgeny Zamyatin's use of imagery and symbolism in his masterpiece, the anti-Utopian novel, "We," in an attempt to uncover this relatively unknown Russian writer's contribution to Russian and world literature. After a brief examination of Zamyatin's theory of imagery in terms of his connection to Neo-Realism and Impressionism, the paper proceeds to detail his use of three categories of images: (1) color symbolism; (2) nature images; (2) mathematical symbolism. For each image or symbol, the paper provides an interpretation of its meaning and its significance for the ideas that Zamyatin is presenting in the novel. The paper concludes that Zamyatin's innovative use of this sort of imagery is evidence of his skill as a writer, his mastery of the use of imagery and his insight into human nature.

From the Paper
"Zamyatin associates yellow and its variation, gold, with the Sun, and uses both colors to symbolize "ardent passion, the life-giving force in man" (Shane 1968 157) and to depict "elemental passionate love" (Shane 1968 170). In the scene where I-330 seduces D-503, she is described as having golden eyes, and wearing a saffron dress, and the room is saturated with a golden-rosy sap (life-force) as "a smiling, golden Buddha looks on" (Shane 1968 157). However, in We yellow is "paradoxically, both the color of sunlight and life and also the color of death and decay" (Collins 58). The city's dictator turns out to be an "aging bald-headed man with the enormous yellow parabola on a forehead furrowed by yellow, illegible lines, and clutching a book with his yellow hands, [...] a humorless rationalist" (Collins 58). And just as Zamyatin contrasts red and blue, so he contrasts yellow and blue. The warm golden sun outside the Green Wall is quite a different sun from the light blue one that shines on the rational One State (Shane 1968 157)."

Tags:1984, dystopian, One, State

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts beliefs about life and death and the possibility of existence beyond death. The author examines these beliefs as exemplified in several philosophical frameworks: Plato's Republic, The Phaedo, The Apology, and as illustrated in Taoism as indicated in Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu.

From the paper:

"The Chunag Tzu's idea of life after death is very different than Plato's in the absolute sense, but they share similar details. One shared detail is that death may not be a bad thing. In The Phaedo, one has Plato arguing that all true philosophers must join him in death. If they truly love wisdom, then they should shed off this illness that is mortal life and venture into the immortal where true wisdom can be actualized, where true knowledge exists. Chunag Tzu holds a bit differently...one just cannot know. Knowledge about death cannot be actualized. It is an unknown. In fact all things are unknown. The only knowledge one can really have is that the Tao exists. In Platonism, truth exists through logic and reason. In Taoism, it is through contradiction. In Taoism, A is not A, because this world is flux, one thing is never the same thing."

Tags:absolute, chuang, forms, plato, socrates, taosim, tzu