ISU Comparative Essay

Rohit Soni Mr. A.G Rehm ENG4U1-07 09 June 2007 A Million Little Pieces vs. Tuesdays with Moorie: Comparative ISU Essay Throughout literature, past and present, the theme of the father-son relationship is prevalent amongst novels. This relationship is also evident within the novels Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, and A Millions Little Pieces, written by James Frey. Although within the two novels the fathers are not the biological fathers of the heroes, they are fathers in the sense they help the heroes journey. By means of this relationship, there is a giving of advice and the giving of guidance from the fathers. As with this theme, there is respect for the father figures by the sons resulting in an open relationship between the fathers and the sons. The father-son relationship is a journey that is filled of growth and fulfillment. Respect is seen in A Million Little Pieces when James's parents meet him at the facility where he is being taken care of for his weaknesses. However, when they do arrive, he doesn't want to see them for obvious reasons: he hasn't told them about his life for the past decade or so. He also feels uncontrollably angry whenever he sees them. As much as James is overwhelmed with fury when he sees his parents, they are equally overwhelmed by a completely different set of emotions: guilt, sadness, confusion, etc. With his

  • Word count: 1939
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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Why had the policies of Charles I and his ministers aroused so much opposition in England by 1640?

Why had the policies of Charles I and his ministers aroused so much opposition in England by 1640? Charles I rein up to 1640 has created widespread and heated academic debate as to what caused, if any, opposition from public, church and government. Historians such as Barry Coward see events such as the personal rule, vast religious changes as well as pressures from governing three kingdoms as contributing to opposition towards the Caroline court. Others such as John Morrill take a more precise view that it was the religious changes alone that caused the worst opposition. This essay seeks to evaluate these numerous critiques on a volatile period of British history, in order to form some understanding as to why Charles I policies caused such widespread public dissatisfaction. In particular the personal rule, Laudianism and the kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland will be addressed amongst other areas in order to form a valid opinion on the issue in question. William Laud's promotion to Archbishop of Canterbury was one of the most controversial acts of Charles I rein and set the scene for much religious paranoia and ultimately conflict. The following changes Laud introduced, commonly known as Laudianism, created widespread rage amongst the population that was ignored in its entirety by Charles. Indeed the religious changes concocted by the Caroline court caused much aggravation in

  • Word count: 2243
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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The use of characterization in Camus’ The Plague and Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children to demonstrate man’s ability to survive

The use of characterization in Camus' The Plague and Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children to demonstrate man's ability to survive Kristyn Feldman Mrs. Kaney 8/30/02 In Brecht's Mother Courage and her Children and Camus' The Plague, the authors use characterization to develop their emphasis on the ability of man to survive in desperate situations. Throughout both novels the characters manipulate their situations for their own benefit, disregard the death and atrocities around them, and go so far as to ironically support the causes of their eventual downfalls. These processes allow them to endure their wretched conditions. In Mother Courage and The Plague, all the characters involved are facing grave circumstances. In The Plague, the characters are battling a mysterious disease that is brutally killing off thousands of citizens in the small port town of Oran. In Mother Courage, the characters are involved in literal battles, as this play is set in the 30 years war. In the first few scenes of The Plague the readers meet Cottard, a washed up criminal. Up until the breakout of the plague the authorities were chasing him. He attempted suicide in the opening segments of the chronicle because he couldn't "bear the idea...of being torn from [his] home habits and every one [he] knows" (159). In Brecht's play, Mother Courage has three children and her only source of income

  • Word count: 1445
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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Why is Surrealism regarded as the art of the unconscious? Focus your answer on one artist. (James Gleeson)

Why is Surrealism regarded as the art of the unconscious? Focus your answer on one artist. Exploring the realms of dreams, nightmares and the unconscious mind is the role of Surrealism. A literary and artistic movement founded in Paris in 1924. Using various techniques, the artist allows the images from their unconscious mind to evolve without conscious control. Surrealism is still a significant and important art movement in the 21st century, and it's longest serving proponent is Australia's James Gleeson. For more than eight decades James Gleeson has devoted his life to Surrealism and its ideologies. From his confronting War imagery of the 40's, the heroic and classical nudes of the 50's, his 60's and 70's 'psychoscapes' and his grand yet disturbing visceral visions of the 80's and beyond; James Gleeson's paintings reflect his Surrealist imaginings, the visions of his unconscious mind. Surrealism is a literary and artistic movement that explores the realms of dreams and the unconscious mind through poetry, visual art and motion pictures. Founded by a group of Parisian intellectuals led by writer Andre Breton in Paris in 1924, Surrealism is a revolutionary movement, an offshoot of Dada but with a positive artistic expression. Influenced by the psychological theories of Freud and Jung, Surrealism taps into the unconscious mind as a source for its creativity. Surrealist

  • Word count: 3215
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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Do the Catholic monarchs deserve their reputation for providing good administration or is it a myth?

Do the Catholic monarchs deserve their reputation for providing good administration or is it a myth? Much credit was given to Ferdinand and Isabella for exerting successful administration and control over Spain. However, this was in particular only true in the case of Castille, one of two kingdoms, which at that stage in the 15th and 16th centuries were not united under the title of Spain. Policies to exert crown control in Aragon, the smaller and weaker of the two countries have failed. Kilsby noted that "it was clear from the start that the two kingdoms were still to be considered as separate from each other." The considerable success of good administration of the crown can be seen in various policies implemented by Ferdinand and Isabella in Castille. The first was the co-operation with the powerful nobles, the Grandees, in Castille. These nobles had gained large estates, known as latifundios, for their contributions in the Reconquista, the re-conquering of Spanish lands from the Moors, Muslim warriors from the era of rule preceding that of Ferdinand and Isabella. Isabella then, in an effort to reduce noble-power and hence strengthen the crown's position, decreed that the nobles return the lands gained during the Reconquista, but were allowed to keep any land they previously owned before the Reconquista. Important coastal towns under nobility were also returned to the

  • Word count: 1638
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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Why was there a financial crisis in France in 1788/9

Jannine Layhe "Why was there a financial crisis in France in 1788/9?" In the run up to the French revolution in 1789 France faced much financial problems. This was not helped in the years before by Louis 15th and his love for wars, like the Austrian succession and seven years war and his lavish lifestyle including the building of the palace in Versailles and his many mistresses. This set France up for many future problems, such involved the Ancien Regime, the tax and estate system, there being no central bank, poor investment into transport and agriculture and the reforms not passed for tax. One of the main problems in France at that time was the Ancien Regime which involved the three estates, of which the upper estates, 1st and 2nd, of whom were nobility and clergy, were exempt from taxes as a privilege although they were the wealthiest. Instead the direct taxes were paid by the 3rd estate through a system called tax-farming, which was a very corrupt system and meant that of the taxes being paid little reached back to the monarch and went into the tax-farmers pocket. This was so much of a problem because the country was not getting enough money in order to maintain the monarchs lavish spending and the rest of country, not to forget putting money back into the country through investment. As his father, Louis 16th had a very expensive lifestyle and taste, as did his young

  • Word count: 1136
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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English Civil War Documents - The Radicals.

Margaret Meloan Wommack British History James I -Great War Prof. L. Murdoch 2 September 2003 English Civil War Documents - The Radicals After Elizabeth I's death, her predecessors inherited a kingdom stewing with the discontent of political, religious, and socio-economic factions all wanting a voice in the government. The following monarchs, however, were tyrannical and repressed their people instead of listening to their complaints. Englishmen continued to be taxed without the consent of Parliament, forced to quarter soldiers, and the king completely ignored the Great Charter of the Liberties of England. (5) While James I had tried to secure the favor of the landed nobility, his son alienated even the elite by extracting forced loans and imprisoning five knights who refused to pay. (5) Charles found that both the Royalists and Parliamentarians were preparing for civil war; the anti-monarch sentiment boiled over and the people, overlooking the divine right of kings, executed Charles I. The era of the English Civil War was one of radical change and political movement that would reshape British history and plant the seeds for future political and economic revolutions through the world. Yet the country's unity against Charles ended with the severing of the monarch's head. After his execution, the country was still in turmoil over the rights of the different classes. The

  • Word count: 1111
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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Marie Antoinette: The Journey

Marie Antoinette: The Journey By Antonia Fraser 'A fascinating account of a fascinating individual.' To what extent do you agree with this statement according to your reading of your chosen autobiography? In many ways Marie Antoinette was a remarkable and fascinating woman, as shown by the dignity and strength she had in facing the incredible events that took place throughout her life. These are described in great detail in Antonia Fraser's book, as are all of Marie Antoinette's personal attributes. In some circumstances, parts of this could be considered minutia, for example spending four pages describing how the King should be addressed by different people and who had the right to hand certain garments to the Dauphine. When considering the dictionary definition of fascinating, 'to capture the interest of; attract', Marie Antoinette fulfils this description in many ways. She captured the interest of many - her mother, brother, the King of France and the populace. She said on her first visit to Paris in 1773, 'How fortunate we are, given our rank, to have gained the love of a whole people with such ease'. Fraser recounts how, initially, the people of Paris loved their Dauphine, who was to become the Queen. As her life went on, she captured the interest of many more when she started gambling heavily. She was frivolous in the extreme, often earning a reproach from her

  • Word count: 1036
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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Assess the view that Charles I rather than Archbishop Laud directed ecclesiastical affairs during the 1630s

Assess the view that Charles I rather than Archbishop Laud directed ecclesiastical affairs during the 1630's William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633, has traditionally been seen as 'one of the twin pillars of Stuart despotism'1, playing a key role in the formation and enforcement of ecclesiastical policy during the 1630's. However recent work on this area, mainly by Davies and Sharpe, has challenged this assumption, suggesting instead that it was Charles I who was the architect of change and innovation, and that Laud merely acted as a figurehead for his religious ideals. Whilst it is certainly conceivable that Charles I as King and Supreme Governor of the Church was actively involved in the clerical matters of England, to so diminish Laud's role seems incongruent, thus it is far more plausible, as Fincham has suggested, that the two had a close working relationship, forming what can be seen as a partnership in religious endeavours. There is a lack of sources available to historians on the direction of religious policy during the 1630's as Charles conducted much of his affairs in person, leaving barely any written verification, and Laud publicly provided little reasoning for the changes that were implemented , leaving it to others, such as Heylyn to provide intellectual justification. Whilst some have accredited that this to Laud's belief that the laity were too

  • Word count: 3032
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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Compare and contrast the aims and achievements of Mazzini and Garibaldi

Compare and contrast the aims and achievements of Mazzini and Garibaldi The unification of Italy came about almost by accident. However, the process was reliant upon the actions of several key figures. Mazzini and Garibaldi were two of these key figures. Although the two men played essentially very different roles in the unification of Italy, they had much in common. During the course of this essay, the similarities and differences in the aims and achievements of Mazzini and Garibaldi will be examined. Mazzini was the first man to give a coherent and politically sound basis for Italian unification. After spending time as a member of the Carbonari, a secret society with little consistency in its aims and objectives, Mazzini founded 'Young Italy' (Giovanni Italia). The essential goal of Young Italy was to achieve Italian unification through violent means. However, Mazzini was also a republican and believed that a united Italy must be "a free and equal community of brothers"; essentially it appears that Mazzini envisaged a socialist democratic republic. Mazzini's aims were inexorably linked in his own mind; he believed that Italy should not be unified under a constitutional Monarchy and that a constitutional Monarchy must only be a transitional phase. He believed that, through a process of revolution and education, Italy could be turned into a democratic socialist republic:

  • Word count: 1266
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Historical and Philosophical studies
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