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What is Life?

Life as an academic topic appears across nearly every discipline because it touches the fundamental conditions of human existence — how individuals develop, make choices, navigate systems, and find meaning. In personal issues courses, sociology, nursing, literature, and ethics, students are asked to examine what shapes lived experience and how institutions, relationships, and culture either support or constrain individual ability. The topic resists easy definition, which is precisely what makes it intellectually rich: it forces writers to clarify terms, interrogate assumptions, and connect abstract concepts to concrete human realities.

The papers archived here reflect a genuinely wide range of approaches. Literary analysis appears in essays on works such as Bernice Morgan's fiction and Bessie Head's "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses," where writers examine how characters construct identity, belonging, and personal freedom. Policy and ethical frameworks drive essays on abortion, DNR legislation, and prison overcrowding, while sociological and cultural analysis informs work on parenting styles, family therapy, and soccer hooliganism. Observational and practice-based writing — such as operating room reflections and evidence-based nursing — grounds the topic in professional experience, showing how the concept of life plays out in direct care and institutional settings.

A strong essay on this topic begins with a focused, arguable thesis rather than a broad statement about life in general. Evidence drawn from specific texts, case studies, policy documents, or observed practice carries far more weight than vague generalization. The most common pitfall is treating "life" as self-evident — a compelling essay defines its scope early, specifying which dimension of individual experience or social process it actually intends to examine.

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Paper Undergraduate

Cognitive behavioral therapy and emotion focused therapy for bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder, originally called manic depressive disorder, is a severe mood disorder that vacillates between extreme "ups" (mania, hypomania) and "downs" (depression). The effects of having bipolar disorder can be observed across the patients social and occupational functioning. Often the patient is left isolated from work, friends, and family. Medications have become the first-line treatments for bipolar disorder; however, psychotherapy can offer additional benefits in the ongoing treatment of patients with bipolar disorder. This paper discusses the symptoms and treatment of bipolar disorder focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy and emotion focused therapy.

Paper Doctorate

Racial oppression and forbidden love in Gordimer's "Country Lovers"

An analysis of the impact that race and ethnicity have on characters in Nadine Gordimer's "Country Lovers" and that narrator in Patricia Smith's "What It's Like to be a Black Girl (For Those of You Who Aren't)." Race and ethnicity shape how others see the antagonist in Gordimer's story as well as how the narrator sees herself in Smith's poem.

Paper Doctorate

Personal vision and professional development in alcohol and drug abuse counseling

Alcohol (and other drugs) abuse is not just a problem of an individual but that of the whole society. This implies that the whole society has a role to play in the rehabilitation of the people who resort to drug abuse when they find it hard to put up with the ups and downs of life. Particularly, the counselors working at the rehabilitation center have a major role to play when it comes to restoring the independence and normalcy in an addict's life. 1. Personal Vision and Learning During the course of my degree, I have acquired vast amount of knowledge on how a counselor should go about when he or she is dealing with an alcohol (or any other substance) abuser. It is not only just about counseling the residents of the rehabilitation center to give up on the drugs, but also about various aspects of that person's personality and role in the community. I believe that it is vital for a counselor to understand and respect the individuality of a person and the uniqueness of a community before he goes ahead with his professional tasks of counseling, within the ethical principles of the profession.

Paper High School

Foreshadowing Jig's surrender in Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants"

"Hills Like White Elephants" – Ernest Hemingway Will the couple agree to an abortion? Thesis: Jig, the girlfriend, knows she is going to have to give in to the man and have the abortion, and there are hints and there is foreshadowing (albeit very subtle) that provide the clues. This paper reviews the subtleties and on pages 2 and 3 points to specific passages that suggest she will in fact give in to him and abort the baby. Subtle Hints in the Narrative The reader knows from a careful study of the short story that these two have traveled together and are very familiar with each other's positions on the issue at hand. It is obvious from the start that there is tension between the two, and the fact that a train is on its way adds to the heightened tension. Hemingway is well known for his brilliant use of allegory, metaphor and imagery. Could the fact that the couple is seated between the train tracks suggest that the decision could go either way – and that the author did not want to be definitive about the outcome because keeping critics and scholars guessing over the years will keep the story alive and even create an endless literary mystery?

Paper Undergraduate

The concept of dharma in the Ramayana and Hindu ethics

Out of many concepts of Hinduism, one of the major ones is the notion of Dharma. Dharma, or the Dharmic conduct, can be understood as a code of conduct of a person's life, guided by the morals, principles and discipline of spirituality. Hinduism describes it as the natural laws of the universe, which if observed properly, provide followers happiness and keeps them away from suffering. Its purpose is to present to the people a way of conducting their lives to enjoy the worldly joys and happiness, while also attaining a union with the soul spiritually. In lay man terms, Dharma can be seen as playing a role in a play. If the character performs his/her duties according to the script, then the play goes well, but if he/she doesn't, then the play is a failure. Similarly, if everything in the universe follows its Dharma, then the universe operates smoothly. If not, then everything in the universe starts to fall apart.

Paper Doctorate

Thomas Aquinas's five ways and philosophical arguments for God's existence

This paper is about Religion in which all of the following questions are answered: Religion Is proof for the existence of God necessary? Which argument for the existence of God is strongest? Why? What are the foundations of the universe and from where did the universe emerge? Can one be moral and not believe in God? Can God and real evil be reconciled? Are science and religion in conflict? Can God's omniscience and human free will be reconciled? Is there a rational argument for atheism?

Paper Doctorate

Aboriginal religion's influence on modern environmentalism and indigenous philosophy

This paper answers three separate questions. The first focuses on the influence of aboriginal and native religions upon modern ideological movements in the West. The second question compares the two major divisions of Christianity, Protestantism and Catholicism and traces the beginnings of the Reformation. The third question deals with the pillars of Islam.

Essay Doctorate

Ending the "problem with no name": The feminist movement of the 1970s

The status of Women in the 1950s was separate and unequal. In the aftermath of World War II, when women had to fill manufacturing jobs to help win the war, the first seeds for the subsequent feminist movement of the late 60s and early 70s were planted; however, it would take another generation coming of age to shrug off the shackles of Betty Friedman's feminine mystique. While the political and social changes ushered in by the feminist movement were no less than revolutionary, these successes fostered the growth of a political right determined to reverse these advances.

Essay Doctorate

Starbucks' performance measures and community commitment strategy

The performance measures of Starbucks might look elusive or simply the result of aggressive expansion, when in reality, their expansion and development have truly been the result of neither. Starbucks has committed itself to quality and community giving, and whenever either of those qualities have not been completely present, the company has always re-routed itself. This paper examines those dynamics of excellence.

Paper Doctorate

Runaway wives and husband desertion in medieval England

In Medieval times, women's status varied according to the subculture they were a part of, as well as their social class. Adultery was a common practice among the men, however, it would be punishable by death if women were to engage in the same sorts of acts. Women were also viewed as being less worthy of respect than men in most of these cultures. However, some female scholars have suggested that this interpretation of women's low status may be due to the fact that most archaeological evidence was analyzed and interpreted by men.

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