James Arthur Williams

East and West eggers have different kinds of money which causes them to act in cruel or odd ways and reflect on the people that have “new money” and “old money” which will result from the American Dream. Symbolically people that are from West Egg are people that recently achieved the American Dream and citizens from East Egg are people that are have received money from past generations that were originally (symbolically) a West Egger. Gatsby is great example of a West Egger; he was once poor but has now achieved the American Dream and has lots of “new money”. Due to the fact that Gatsby was once quite poor, he wants to cover up his past so that he can fit in with all the other rich folk. In order to this Gatsby hosts many lavished parties, has many expensive possessions, and even has a full library which turns out to be fake. We find out about this when Nick first meets Owl Eyes: “See! he cried triumphantly. "It's a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella's a regular Belasco. It's a triumph. What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too - didn't cut the pages. (Chap.3, Pg.45) From this quote we learn that Gatsby’s library is indeed real but they have never been read due to the fact that they have never been cut, meaning that Gatsby wants to look like an “Oxford man” even though he is really a fraud. What Fitzgerald is trying to say about the American dream is that if one does indeed achieve the dream, then he/she will probably end up using their…

In times of great sorrow, individuals often find themselves drowning. The despair, desperation, and darkness that accompany the tragedy of losing a loved one is engulfing. A life is torn away all too soon and suddenly, family and friends are left to pick themselves back up again. This despondence causes certain individuals to grasp helplessly onto religion as their lifeline. In A Death in the Family, James Agee showcases several characters with attachments to religion, most notably among those,…

Everyone loves a good laugh every now and again….. There are three main humor theories written by Freud, Hobbes, and Bergson covering everything from we laugh as a release mechanism to we laugh out of superiority. Sigmund Freud’s theory over humor serves the purpose to explain why we laugh at the times we do. In Freud’s theory he explains laughter as a release mechanism to let go of tension you may have. In his theory he describes how when a joke is being told tension builds up behind a…

While it is easy for one to give up on their goals and move on, one can truly show strength by conquering the various challenges on their way to success. Homer’s, The Odyssey, is able to depict how persistence can lead to fulfillment. Homer’s purpose in the epic poem The Odyssey is to show society that though there are setbacks in life, one can overcome them with perseverance by employing katabasis by emphasize the various struggles Odysseus faces. Homer utilizes katabasis initially to…

The Father of American Psychology is a bold title to bestow upon a man, particularly one whose interests sometimes strayed so far from scientific norms. Even so, there is no doubt that William James contributed much to the field of psychology as a whole and shaped many of the ideals held dear in the study of psychology. From his theories on emotion, consciousness, and will to his pragmatic and functionalist contributions it is not difficult to see that James had a heavy hand in shaping the field…

to Believe” by William James, the main problem that he is questioning is determinism. The questions and problems he addresses are related to Religion and Epistemology. The questions and problems are related to religion because he ties religion in with his arguments and related to epistemology because he talks about justifying belief. The questions and problems are also related to Epistemology because the arguments are about belief and knowledge. William James used perspectives of reality in…

Drastically different experiences develop drastically different views. This is epitomized when three highly-educated men from various backgrounds discuss an overarching counterseal theme of technology and religion. Tom Bartlett, Malcolm Gladwell and David Abrams all have stories to tell from their life experiences. Bartlett viewed religion as a way of life and, through religion, observed that hearts could be changed and made moral. Gladwell saw the world as corrupt, especially in 1900’s New…

already been determined to happen or only occur because someone chose to take action… or something in between. Daniel Dennett, a modern philosopher from Boston Massachusetts, is a well known atheist. While Dennett and I don’t agree on many things, specifically the existence of a higher power, he does raise many great observations in his view on the argument of Free Will Vs. Determinism. His argument is one that has been around for over 100 years: compatiblilism. Essentially, compatibilists are…

An individual does not make a community, and a community does not make a society. In order to have a functioning and prosperous society, one must relinquish some free will in return for protection. According to John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, there are certain rights of the individual which the government may never possess. Centuries after the publication of Mill’s Essay, the court case Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegeta l , 546 U.S. 418 (2006) challenged the protective…

However, in summarizing Pierce’s pragmatic principle, James shifts the principle from a theory of meaning and understanding to a theory of truth. James begins his summarization by stating that “what truth means is indeed the conduct it dictates or inspires”. (67) Ironically, this explication of the principle is not what Pierce meant when he developed the pragmatic principle. Pierce equates the principle to be that the meaning of an object or idea is the utility that results from such object or…