.... the Chinese Imperial System and Chinese bureaucracy, but it was an insult to the two most dominant religions at the time, Buddhism and Taoism. The writer had taken the text 'Hsi Yu Chi' and turned it into what was considered at the time, utter nonsense. No wonder it was released anonymously. Until very recently, an unabridged edition of 'Hsi Yu Chi' has not been available to Western Readers. Professor Yu has done a marvelous job translating the long book (one hundred chapters). The Journey To The West (which is want I will refer to it as from now on) portrays the world as one which is inhabited by demons, monsters, dragons, fai .....

.... performed it during the Christmas vacation in a dozen major cities across the country. Fitzgerald was also elected to “Cottage,” which was one of the big four clubs at Princeton. “Its lavish weekend parties in impressive surroundings, which attracted girls from New York, Philadelphia and beyond, may well have provided the first grain of inspiration for Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Jay Gatsby’s fabulous parties on Long Island” (Meyers, 27). Although Fitzgerald was a “social butterfly” while at Princeton, he never had any girlfriends. However, at a Christmas dance i .....

.... of his most loyal followers. Kent tried to stand up to Lear in Cordelia's honor, but Lear would not listen to what Kent was trying to tell him. To Kent's opposition; "This hideous rashness, answer my life, my judgement,/ Thy youngest daughter does not love thee least;" ( 1,1. 150-151) Lear responded with, "Kent on thy life, no more." ( 1, 1, 154) "Out of my sight!" ( 1, 1. 157) This is a good example of Lear's lack of insight. He was being too stubborn to see that Kent was only trying to do what was best for Lear. After Kent had been banished, he continued to serve Lear, by wearing a disguise. Because of Lear's lack of sight he cou .....

.... and well-learned, Heller offers a different perspective. Major Major Major, Scheisskoph and co. share one common characteristic: they are more fit to be clowns than leaders. Through portraying Major Major Major as an inefficient Major (he is unwilling to meet with those who wish to see him) whose promotion was a direct result of his name, one is inclined to believe those in military leadership actually do not belong in their respective position. Bomb patterns, parades, and success of mess halls may send a person up the military ladder while more efficient persons may be mired in meaningless positions. This motif is displayed i .....

.... personal philosophy and his ideas about the evils of technology. He states, "I am the enemy of all technological progress that threatens mankind" (Nuwer, 39). The influence of Dresden shows up in each of the novels. In Cat's Cradle, one element of his experience at Dresden that Vonnegut portrays is his fear of technology. Initially, the intention of the story is for the narrator to write about what the scientists who invented the atomic bomb were doing the day it was dropped on Hiroshima. To this effect, one of the scientists in the story said, "Science has now known sin," to which another replied, "What is sin?" (Vonnegu .....

.... In America the car is one of the greatest status symbols. Gatsby's gorgeous machine is one of the most majestic cars created. Nick's comments on the vehicle describe its luster, “...and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes...Sitting down behind many layers of glass in a sort of leather conservatory we started towards town” (68). The use of the symbolic automobile can be seen as a demonstration of how an ideal based on materialism alone can be destructive. This was the fatal car which kills Myrtle Wilson and indirectly leads to Gatsby's death. Appearance is another i .....

.... and weapons combined with the fanaticism of a medieval based church create a dictatorship like none other. The novel deals with the treatment of children harshly for a society which views children as their last hope, their most valuable commodity. Children are taken away from their homes to be given to the privileged, and women are forced to give birth to babies they can not keep. The society of Gilead takes the views of a traditional religious monarchy and enforces them with modern day power. In the novel The Handmaid's Tale, there is a place called the "Red Center", which is a training facility. When one thinks of a trainin .....

.... He uses it to contrast the experiences that Candide had throughout his journeys. Candide's observance of the horrors of war, devesting earthquakes, the Inquisition in Portugal, and tyranny are there to represent real world dilemmas, while Eldorado represents an oasis of perfection in the real world. Eldorado is a heaven on Earth and something unattainable by the society of Voltaire's day. It can be argued though that because everyone is so wealthy and so happy, there would be absolutely no diversity. Everyone is the same and would be virtual robots living in a land of plenty. Voltaire's philosophy of the Utopia represents many thi .....

.... in her life, and finally found in her death. As she walked down to the beach for the last time she put on her bathing suit. When she arrived at the shore, “she cast the unpleasant, pricking garments from her.” That symbolized the shedding of her “unpleasant” and “pricking” life. “For the first time in her life she stood naked in the open air.” (p.115) She was on her way to being free. “She felt like a new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.” (p.115) Mrs. Pontellier had never known spiritual freedom. This was her release from a controlling world. As she swam toward .....

.... together physically, but it also has a tendency to bond them emotionally. A community joins together when there is a threat to disrupt the peace and comfort that a group setting provides. The adult men and women put the fire out with garden hoses, shovels, wet towels and blankets… Kids [Lauren’s] age helped out where [they] were needed and put out any new fires…The very old people watched the little kids and kept them out of the way, and out of trouble (p 28). Society offers few chances for this level of participation, which intensifies the feeling of belonging. The strength offered by a group of people .....