Imagination as a Means of Accounting for the Alternation Between Imprisonment and Freedom in James Welch＇s Novel： The Heart Song of Charging Elk

My paper analyzes the issue of the alternation between two complementary concepts which can be analyzed in the novel The Heart Song of Charging Elk： imprisonment and freedom. In order to achieve this goal, I have used several critical theories of authors such as： Michel Foucault, Carl Jung, and Pierre Bourdieu. The analysis is concerned with exploring the alternation between the themes of freedom and imprisonment and the way in which these issues influence the evolution of the main character. I argue that the two themes are in a relation of interdependency and they can be interpreted as opposites from a rational point of view. The rational point of view, although valuable, is, however, incomplete without the exploration of the emotional and subjective factor. This factor can account for the ＂unreasonable＂ events from a broader perspective： that of the imagination. As Michel Foucault argues, power exists only in action. Power is also a rather elusive concept. In the same way, the perception of reality can be represented more accurately from a subjective point of view. More exactly, reality is constructed with every thought, emotion, and action of the individual. To sum up, I argue that, from a sociological point of view, the main character is striving to assimilate his personality in a new and hostile cultural environment. On the other hand, from a psychological point of view, he is confronting his inner shadow, as Carl Jung defines the hidden part of the personality. This has a result of the emergence of a genuine sense of self. As the critic Pierre Bourdieu argues, there are a set of common characteristics of taste which define the social belonging of an individual. In the analyzed novel the character manages to adapt to the new situation and to overcome the obstacles that he finds on his way.

Alternate Reality of the Lady of Shalott

The Lady of Shalott is considered to be one of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s masterpieces.The poem conversely demonstrates art and life,the aesthetic and the political,are fully interwoven:the involvement in the social world which is symbolically the destination of the Lady in the poem.The Lady who is the emblem of such an artwork can be ascribed qualities,for instance,self-containment,objectified otherness,removal from the fluidity of life,and participation in a higher order of existence,for which it is autonomy.Kermode points out that“the Romantic artwork often identifies itself with an emblematic image of autonomy and femininity”,inextricably interlinked.Her mirror shows her only“Shadows of the world”.The Lady’s web flies“Out”and floats“wide”when she“turns round”with“that desire of making an impression upon another mind”,when she seeks to address Lancelot.The mirror reconnects the Lady’s art to the real world beyond her window.Though the artist is unable to see it during the process of production,her artistic web,once out in a wider space than the tower and freed from the loom,is a true representation of outward things,the actions,and events of Camelot.This paper examines that the traditional referentiality of Tennyson’s‘The Lady of Shalott’can be better understood by supplementing the poet’s medieval sources,of little more than tangential relevance to the poem,with Homeric influences.The poem is similar to a fairytale,however,I have given an alternate reality of the Lady of Shallot in my version of a fairytale,where the characters remain the same but the fairytale takes a happy ending rather than a tragic death.My version is different from Tennyson’s since I believe the lady deserves to be jovial.Sir Lancelot was unaware of her fascination and feelings for him,as she could hardly express her feelings due to her imprisonment.She is so taken by him that she stops her work and looks at Camelot,though she risks the mysterious curse.The mirror breaks and her web magically floats out of the window on its own.She realizes that she is cursed.

The Disillusionment of the National Ideal Image of China During the Reign of the Qing Dynasty

The author analyzed the subjective factors of the gradual disillusionment of China’s national image, which can be summed up as the increasingly conservative ruling policy of the Qing Dynasty, the increasingly extravagant and corrupt feudal ruling groups, the increasing diplomatic strategy of seclusion and the increasingly imprisoned ruling ideology. The root cause lay in the decline of agricultural civilization and the rise of industrial civilization. The seclusion of the Qing Dynasty caused China to miss the wave of industrial civilization development, and finally led to the reversal of the image of the West and China.

The Imprisoned Minds:On The Daughters of the Late Colonel

Katherine Mansfield was a representative short-story writer and recognized as a feminist.This paper is a multiangle analysis of her well-known story The Daughters of the Late Colonel.In the episodic story,Katherine depicts two sisters' deplorable life over the course of the week after their father died.This paper starts with the outline of the story,and discusses the narrative order,language features,the title,the opening sentence and the ending of it.It is found that under the seemingly ordinary plots,the two spinsters' incapability,timidity and loss of identity are presented.Thus,the essence of the story is revealed:the female characters are under strong patricentric control and their minds are actually imprisoned.And the portrayals of the sisters' captivity in the sense of spirit imply that Katherine's potential appeal of female spiritual emancipation.

Sun Village,Home for Children of Imprisoned Parents

In the Banqiao Village of the Town of Zhaoquanying in the Shunyi District of Beijing, there is a special village formed by a few tin-plate cabins. It＇s special because it takes in only neglected children whose parents are locked behind bars.

Imprisoned Former General Manager Working for Master's Degree

The following is a narration before the video camera of the Henan TV Station on December 27, 2003 by a prison inmate named Liu Xianwei,former general manager of the Zhengzhou Sanxing Company, who is now working for a master＇s degree in the prison.