In this project, I get at the finer details of what altruism really is, and when an act really counts as altruistic. I draw upon many articles and books that discuss the topic, but some left many questions unanswered. I conducted several close readings of the manga, One Piece, to answer these questions. Through the thematic relevance of the series, I discovered more reliable forms of emotional motivation, identified and analyzed highly similar altruistic imposters, and presented a more comprehensive image of the topic by analyzing egotism.

"The Silver Age of American Comics, Then and Now" is an exploration of a certain period in the history of American comics. It began with the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, which censored comics to stamp out any content that might incite children to delinquency. Even today, though the era has passed and the Code is defunct, its effects continue to influence how the general public understands comics. Why was censorship deemed necessary? What stories were created in response to the new paradigm? Why did it go away? What does it even matter now? All these questions and more are explored herein.