James Murdoch

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 idea. James equates the…

Kierkegaard statement that “Man lives forward and understands backward”, used as an epigraph by Robert L Patten in his essay on David Copperfield, goes someway towards demonstrating the dual nature of the text – both as a story of a boy progressing through life, and simultaneously as the story of a writer considering his early life. However, he nature of the bildungsroman in David Copperfield is distorted further by a second level of fictionalization: the nature of David himself as narrator and…

George Mason was the primary author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and maintained his Anti-Federalist viewpoints despite being from a primarily Federalist part of Virginia. It is because of George Mason’s comment on September 12, 1787 that the bill of rights became a discussion point. He simple stated he, “wished the plan had been prefaced by a Bill of Rights,” because he thought it would give “great quiet” to the people. He thought it would only take a few hours. Hence, having…

What would it be like to enter presidency while tensions are rapidly growing between the United States and two other countries? James Madison was practically forced to declare war on Britain in 1812, shortly after his inauguration. Great Britain had hoped to be a great ally to the United States. Instead, American ships were frequently seized by British forces. Both the vessels and their crewmembers were put to use in the service of Great Britain. Despite many efforts to contain the situation,…

Eveline, the title character, is greatly affected by feministic issues typical of its period. By exploring Eveline’s relationships with men, the society’s expectations of her, and her obligations toward her family, James Joyce not only focuses on the theme of escape, but also the moral history of his country. Eveline, a nineteen-year old, is much like the young women of Ireland in the early twentieth century. Having lost her mother and an older brother, Eveline is obligated to take up much of…

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is a groundbreaking masterpiece; It singlehandedly revolutionized the public’s perception of the character, Batman, whilst also addressing a large variety of themes throughout the four books making up the comic. One of the most revolutionary factors of The Dark Knight Returns is the way Miller presents the Batman’s resurgence. Miller successfully creates a fresh take on the character of Batman by telling a story, not through panels upon panels of grandiose…

Culture and Influence In her position of leadership, Mo’at reinforces the clan’s current culture, as well as to exert direct influence on the cultural changes that take place as the clan’s social structure evolves. Our first introduction to the character takes place in Hometree as she meets an Avatar prisoner. During her first interaction with Jake Sully in his Avatar form, she challenges the conventions currently held by the Na’vi by allowing Jake, a member of the “Sky people”, the opportunity…

Matt Slick in an article on Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry indicates that many Catholics point to James 2:24 which says “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” to refute Luther’s understanding of the doctrine. Slick points out that what James is talking about is having dead faith instead of having a saving faith. He states that “mere intellectual acknowledgement of Christ is a dead faith that produces no…

Washington, May 1, 1847. The day the cornerstone of the Smithsonian Institution was laid. A grand ceremony was planned. Banners were strewn across City Hall. Large crowds gathered, in the size of thousands. People drove in from Baltimore and Philadelphia just to witness the event. There was an air of celebration. It felt like a public holiday. Yet, one important man was not officially invited to the event. The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Joseph Henry. This was by no mere accident…

People build their characters such as humanity and personality through their experience. Mary Shelley describes in Frankenstein how the creator and the creature are built through their experience by having a story of conflict between Victor Frankenstein, the creator, and the creature. There are parts where it shows how Victor has no responsibility and no moral while the creature possess responsibility and moral. Through this story, we are able to see theme of revenge and nature vs. nurture.…