Isabel Allende, in The House of the Spirits, uses this style of writing to outline Chile's tumultuous past as well as to provide her own social commentary on the current state of society. ... Reading The House of the Spirits one can see that more and more problems seem to accumulate over time, and the quality of life never really improves. ... The House of the Spirits provides new perspectives on the way we view progress, especially in its relationship to technology and modernization. ...

• Word Count: 1164
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

During one of his stays, he noticed that the woman who brought him his breakfast every morning would always place several mounds of rice on the ground outside her house. Upon asking her what they were for she told him that they were offerings for the household spirits. ... However, he later noticed colony of ants taking the rice and came to the revelation that "the spirits" were the ants. ... The shamans give offerings and praise to "the spirits", and in turn the earth takes care of them. ...

• Word Count: 2479
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

She is trying to contend with the loss of her husband to the work force overseas, the loss of her children as they become adults, the rental of her house to another family, and the exile from her youth as she lies on the brink of menopause. Kate's husband had to go overseas to earn more money to support the family, at the same time renting out the house that they had built their lives together in. ... It is normal and acceptable for children to leave the house as soon as they are old enough to support themselves, for at this time it is their turn to raise a family of their own. ...

• Word Count: 2771
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Culture CULTURE What is culture? Culture includes language, ideas, beliefs, customs, codes, institutions, tools, techniques, and works of art, rituals, and ceremonies, among other elements. The existence and use of culture depends upon ability possessed by humans alone. This ability has been called the capacity for rational thought. The term symboling has been proposed as a more suitable name for the mental ability of humans, consisting of assigning things and events certain meanings that cannot be grasped with the senses. ...

• Word Count: 4734
• Approx Pages: 19
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate