1,118 words

Fantasy and science fiction in Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Chadbourn (2008) believes that "the more rational the world gets, the more we demand the irrational in our fiction." Although fantasy has been the mainstay of most of the world's literary traditions -- from the mythologies in sacred texts to the eerie universe of the European folktale -- the 20th…

~6 min read

View paper →

1,205 words

Marx and Weber on materialism, capitalism, and social consciousness

At the core of Marxist principle is the idea that individual experience is formed upon one's response to institutional and social parameters. Marx understands individuals as being largely molded by the environs which surround them.

~7 min read

View paper →

1,130 words

Sartre's paradox of freedom and responsibility in No Exit

Sartre's understanding of freedom can essentially be summed up by a line from the Janis Joplin classic Me and Bobby McGee: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." To Sartre, having nothing to lose was the ultimate freedom because without attachments to other things and other people,…

~6 min read

View paper →

1,798 words

Custodial police interrogation and Fifth Amendment rights in Miranda v. Arizona

Justice Warren summarized the issues in the case in the opening paragraph of his opinon, saying that the opinion would decide questions about

~9 min read

View paper →

1,460 words

Formation and erosion of major world deserts

Deserts represent a third of the landscape on Earth, and are created as a result of the lack of water (Planet Earth 2006, film documentary). Every desert has one thing in common; the intense daytime sun.

~8 min read

View paper →

1,264 words

Data collection and privacy in Stephen Baker's The numerati

Baker, Stephen. (2008). The numerati. Boston: Mariner Books. Big Brother is watching you: in cyberspace as you Google, at the grocery store when you swipe your loyalty card for a discount on toilet paper, and even at the doctor's office, where we are given sensors to 'spy' on ourselves and our…

~7 min read

View paper →

1,256 words

The American dream and disillusionment in Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller's play "Death of a Salesman" raises poignant questions about what it means to be promised a slice of the American dream, only to have those promises turn out to be empty and full of false hope.

~7 min read

View paper →

1,384 words

The formation of unconformities, faults, and joints from plate tectonic stress

Plate Tectonics and Bedrock Responses: The Formation of Unconformities, Stress, Strains, Faults, and Joints Plate tectonics is a relatively recent explanation for many -- arguably most -- of the Earth's geological features.

~7 min read

View paper →

2,179 words

The nature of language acquisition and its uniqueness in humans

The procedure of production, perception and use of words among human beings to understand each other and communicate is what is referred to as Language acquisition. The language could be the vocalized language like in speech or by sign language.

~11 min read

View paper →

1,163 words

Feminist themes and magical realism in Kelly Link's "Faery Handbag"

One of the newer subgenres of science fiction and fantasy is the feminist, posing questions about women's roles in society.

~6 min read

View paper →