Abstract
This paper begins by providing a brief summary of the storyline of the movie "Wall Street." It then introduces the topic of discussion, which is the controversial issue of insider trading, defined as the purchase or sale of securities on the basis of information that has not been made available to the public. It shows how the movie deals with the issue at hand and how it presents the principles behind the problem.

From the Paper
"In Oliver Stone's film Wall Street (1987), Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a young Wall Street trader who wants to get ahead and who admires the successful Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a man who wheels and deals on a grand scale and who buys and sells companies, claiming to improve their financial position but often simply destroying them for short-term profits. The destruction of companies in itself may be legal if of questionable ethics, but in truth, Gekko succeeds by intimidation and the use of insider information. Bud Fox has such information from his father, an aircraft mechanic and union leader, and he gives the information to Gekko to become part of the latter's organization. He continues using inside information to advance Gekko's fortunes and his own until he gets caught and his conscience begins to catch up to him."

Tags:information, public, gekko

From the Paper
""The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe is a grotesque short story of a man's conscience. "The Black Cat combines several themes that fascinated Poe such as reincarnation, perversity, and retribution. This story also carried an implied theme in the superstitious implications of this man's downfall. In this story Poe keeps very strongly to the theme of perversity and superstitions to illustrate the strange conditions that led to the crimes of this "happy man" especially fond of animals" (Poe 103). The theme of superstition is found to be a background motivation to the events and actions performed in the story. Towards the beginning of the story it is first mentioned to us that his wife always tells him "all black cats [are] witches in disguise" (Poe 103). The narrator also mentions that the name of the cat was Pluto. Pluto in "Greek and Roman mythology was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld" (Womack 5). The use of this name leads the reader to believe that the cat is somehow responsible for the death that is caused by the narrator himself. This is where the reader is first introduced to the fact that the events of this story could be caused by some superstition and not coincidence alone."

Tags:allen, analysis, critical, edgar, poe, themes, literature, Black Cat

Abstract
This paper is a discussion and critique of the famous Frost poem, "The Road Not Taken". The author includes quotes from the poem when discussing imagery, tone and the use of symbolism. She also evaluates Frost's awareness of nature in his work as a whole and this poem in general.

From the Paper
"Frost's flare for using nature and man's interaction to relate powerful philosophical messages is expressed in his renowned poem, "The Road Not Taken". "The Road Not Taken", by Robert Frost is a very powerful poem with one basic philosophical theme: one should not make a decision because it reflects popular opinion, one should make sound choices because of their benefits to the individual because choosing a unique alternative could make all the difference."

Tags:nature, conformist, poetry, american

Abstract
This is an explication on Langston Hughes' "I, Too" which breaks the poem down and analyzes its main points, structure, word choice, and universal themes. It discusses its view of racism and survival on a personal level but also gives messages for the rest of humanity who are suffering the same.

From the Paper
"Langston Hughes gives us an inspirational reviving poem in "I, too". He shows us the positive view of an African American when he encounters racism in what appears to be his own family. In this concise poem we see a confident man knowing that he will become better to prove to others his power and beauty. Although the poem is obviously a poem on African American discrimination, it can also be used as an encouraging poem. It also leaves the reader wondering who the speaker is."

Tags:shame, hope, African, American, determination, experience, inspiration, personal, experience, judgemental

Abstract
The paper states that the two main male (Edward) and female (Vivian) characters come from different cultures; but, as people are not that different, they simply react to social norms differently. The author feels that the entire movie's concept is built around the dilemma of coupling someone who is used to conforming to the norms of polite society with someone who is totally clueless when it comes to these norms. The paper presents examples from the film that demonstrate the sociological principles.

From the Paper
"Julia Roberts' character in "Pretty Woman," Vivian, the prostitute, strongly exhibits individualization. She is her own person, acting as she pleases, without worrying about what society thinks of her. Societal norms don't affect her. Edward, Richard Gere's character, however, is different. He is a rich man who has been brought up in the aristocracy and has learned societal norms. He adheres to these norms strongly. He is embarrassed by others around him who do not conform to the norms of "polite society.""

Tags:cultures, dilemma, coupling, polite, high, society, individualization, prostitute, dreaming., hollywood

Abstract
This paper discusses how, straying from the earlier romanticizing of 19th century existence, modernist poets, including T.S Eliot, attempted to critique the lifestyle of early 20th century western civilization. In particular, the paper looks at how Eliot's poems, "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" and "The Wasteland's The Burial of the Dead", depict the negative perception that Eliot had of his society. It examines how, through both the verse and poetic techniques such as fragmentation, Eliot conveys his personal belief of the demise of the upper and lower social classes of 'modern' society through criticism, prophecy and the re-examination of individual existence.

From the Paper
"In 1915, Eliot published 'Prufrock and other observations', immediately suggesting the critical nature that his poetry was to undertake. Eliot's poetry is a compilation of observations and the manner in which he collaborated his poetry is further indication into the criticism that Eliot had of his society. Throughout 'The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock', this technique of criticism elaborated by the use of fragmentation is evident through the absence of a poetic flow and continual themes that carry through the entire poem. This fragmentation is further portrayed through reference to several unrelated art and literature figures such as Michelangelo, Dante and Lazarus and unrelated passages of thought such as the reference to mermaids at the end of the poem The common perception of Eliot's writing style being a 'collage' of thoughts and opinions is central to both his personal addition to his poetry and to the Modernist perception. "

Tags:upper, class, society

Abstract
This paper discusses the poem "Crowds" by Charles Baudelaire about an idle man who roams through the Parisian crowd and while moving through the crowd, notices and ponders over everyone and everything. It analyzes the three main themes of the prose namely, individuality, egoism and conformity. It examines how the basic notion is that each human being like the character in the prose sees himself as a unique individual of society and how the qualities, which truly make a person an individual in its right meaning, are his sorrows, happiness, obstacles, triumphs and experiences.

From the Paper
"It is this very concept of individualism, which enables the audience to discard Baudelaire's argument as a result of egoism. No matter how one sees himself above others or how distinguished, he eventually is the same as anyone else as far as his origination or orientation is concerned. All men possess some similar attributes and as a result are not completely unique from others. Even though they might think they are but in reality they are not and will eventually be described as humans, having the same human nature, which in some ways possesses the same qualities as others. Since each person recognizes himself as incomparable to others, to accept this notion may prove to be somewhat a matter of self-pride and egoism."

Tags:individuality, egoism, conformity, paris

Abstract
This paper analyzes Theodore Roethke's poem "The Geranium" and John Keats' ode "To Autumn" in order to show how poems come to life for a reader through the significance of their ideas and the success of their poetic technique. The paper asserts that the poems may not address the reader's own personal truth, but may touch on a deeper truth that underpins what it means to be human and all its various manifestations. The paper then explains that, while poems are written to convey a certain feeling, time or place, they can be looked at in many different ways by different readers. In essence, this paper points out that all aspects of a poem, be it structure, ideas or context have equal importance in the understanding of a poem's beauty.

From the Paper
"When taking a closer look at the context of these two poems we are able to understand the bigger picture as well as the intricate details. I believe that like onions, poems reveal themselves layer by layer. Keats was writing during the time of Romanticism, a time mainly led by youthful figures in the arts who were rebelling against the neoclassical values, that of logic, reason and formality. The romantics insisted on the importance of feeling and passion as well as imagination. They focused on nature, emotion and the sublime. The romantics indulged in new forms of language that could more expressively and widely convey feeling and vision. Keats wrote many odes, "To Autumn" was among his last. In this poem we can see how he has perfected the sublimity through his use of imagery and experience."

Tags:poetry, context, form, technique

Abstract
This paper examines the philosophical implications regarding place made in David Malouf's poems "An Ordinary Evening at Hamilton", "Sheer Edge", "Elegy: The Absences", "At the Ferry", "At my Grandmother's" and "Poetry Makes Nothing Happen". The paper also focuses on Malouf's depiction of Australia as a land of genesis. It concludes that Malouf succeeds in stepping back from conventionalities on the philosophy of place to create a world in flux and constant rebirth, where absences are voids to be filled through language and the poem.

Outline:
Philosophy of Place
The Australian Experience of Place

From the Paper
"Malouf does make a distinction between inner and outer place, (Indyk 22) however, in G, where the concept of familiarity ('my grandmother's') and images of comfort ('afternoon late summer') are juxtaposed with nightmarish imagery ('grey wings', 'ghosts of children') to illustrate how a new place or world may be created from an existing one by projecting thoughts on to it. Thus the concepts of "inner" and "outer" places: places that exist inside a person, which may be projected outwards, and what might be called "brick and mortar" places. This sense of separation is emphasized by the 'shuttered room', and the idea of being in an 'underwater world', but is completely broken in OEH where the 'garden shifts indoors' and the world seems to dissolve into a single consciousness."

Tags:Australia, literature, poetry

Abstract
This paper discusses the poem "The Emperor of Ice-Cream" by Wallace Stevens which describes a funeral scene. It shows how although the poem is based on the story of an old woman's wake, Stevens delves into the deeper meanings of life, death and reality in the poem. It examines how the title also symbolizes the primacy of physical, sensual pleasures, which is one of the themes of the poem. Although a funeral is about to take place, the narrator and the funeral attendants are more concerned with mundane details such as ice cream. It looks at how the poet ends each stanza with the line, 'The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream', which emphasizes that sensual pleasures are more important than thoughts of religion or the hereafter.

From the Paper
"However, Stevens isn't just trying to startle his readers. The poet presents a complex attitude toward death with "The Emperor of Ice-Cream." Death is treated by the funeral-goers as an unimportant, inconsequential, even distracting part of life. The funeral-goers, who cannot properly be called mourners because they show no signs of mourning, are not as concerned about the dead woman as they are with mundane things. Ice cream is the main symbol of these mundane considerations. Other minute details that distract the attendants, including the narrator, from the matter at hand are the "three glass knobs" missing from the deal dresser and the embroidery on the woman's cloth."

Tags:funeral, wake, death, religion