Digital Commons Network^™

(Re)Constructing American Linguistic Identity: Disrupting The American Linguistic Standard In First Year Composition, Brittany N. Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis is a theoretical and analytical perspective on the construction of American Linguistic Identity through a Nationalist lens. By re-theorizing the concept of the nation as a “text”, and nationalism as the “composition” of that nation, this work challenges the dominant historical American linguistic narrative. This narrative is informed by an American Linguistic memory that is based on an Anglo-Saxon linguistic hegemony throughout American history. American linguistic memory has perpetuated a tacit English-Only policy in higher education, primarily through first year college composition courses. The tacit English-Only policy has influenced educators’ perceptions of students in the composition classroom as …

Women's Rhetoric And The Romance Novel Genre, Kathryn M. O'Neil

Theses and Dissertations

Romance novel readers and authors often face shaming by those who have power/influence over them; namely the popular media and academic community, who claim the genre is sexist and formulaic. Because of this, women are made to feel guilty for enjoying romance. However, by applying Krista Ratcliffe’s rhetorical listening technique to Janet Radway’s ethnography, Reading the Romance, select romance novel texts, and interviews with ten romance authors, we discover that the romance novel genre is more complex than it gets credit for. Romance novels can be empowering and provide solidarity among readers and between readers and authors. Through the …

La Incorporación De Los Elementos Del Latín Y Griego En La Enseñanza Del Español En Las Ciencias Médicas: Un Plan Metodológico Experimental [The Incorporation Of Latin And Greek Elements In The Teaching Of Spanish In Medical Sciences: An Experimental Methodological Plan], Jesus Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

The use of greco-latin etymologies in teaching Spanish medical terminology. An experimental methodological approach bases on grammar, history of medicine, physiological concepts. The exploration of the diverse prefixes and suffixes forming medical scientific terminology in medical specialties, the use of words and its context in medicine and related sciences.

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El uso de etimologías grecolatinas en la enseñanza de la terminología médica española. Un enfoque metodológico experimental basado en la gramática, la historia de la medicina, conceptos fisiológicos. La exploración de los diversos prefijos y sufijos que forman la terminología científica médica en las especialidades médicas, el uso de las …

Mack Thomas: The Total Beat, James B. Welton

Theses and Dissertations

Mack Thomas enjoyed both an audience seat and a role in the Beat Generation. He lives the life that fits one of his mottos, “if at first you don’t succeed, quit”. Thomas was the author of two autobiographical novels Gumbo and The Total Beast, a jazz and literature columnist for Grove Press in the 1950s and 1960s. Thomas was also a jazz musician worthy to share the stage with Miles Davis, inventor, and entrepreneur among numerous other interests. His friendship with William S. Burroughs was forged by their Texas ties while they were neighbors living in Paris, France and offered …

Historias De Psicopatas Desidiosos Y Solitarios En La Frontera, Silvia H. Vera-Huesca

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a collection of short stories and poems. The first part focuses on short-fictional stories based on the problematic violence trending in the border between Mexico and the United States, triggering psychosis, sloppiness and loneliness to the characters. The second part of this project includes poetry in prose, based on my own psychotic, sloppiness and lonely experiences living in the border for the past few years.

A New American Fiction: Personal Essays, Observances, And Interviews, Daniel M. Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

This work consists of essays on the author’s personal development as a writer. It also contains reflections on the state of contemporary American and Mexican-American fiction. The author seeks to illustrate the relevance of certain writers affiliated with working-class fiction, a genre of contemporary American fiction that blends social, political, and aesthetic values into their novels and short stories.

Included in this work are also a number of conversations with writers of working-class fiction. In these conversations the author engages other writers in dialogue that further illuminates the author’s development of his creative identity as a cultural and literary writer.

Re: Publics: Woman Of Color Feminist Rhetorical Process Shaping Safe Spaces For A Rehumanizing Discourse, Eloisa E. Moreno

Theses and Dissertations

The discourse of women of color feminists over the last thirty years follows what I refer to as woman of color feminist rhetorical process in three recursive phases: location, deliberation, and restoration. The process is a significant contribution to rhetorical theory in the form of woman of color consciousness. This way of knowing considers complex identities at the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexual identity. The woman of color feminist rhetorician asks us to view self, community, and our notions of love as political constructs. By doing so, we are able to move beyond identity politics and build new …

Adolescent Street Literacy: The Art Of The Hustle, Regina L. Welch

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis is an ethnographic analysis of street youths, runaways and foster children. It focuses on the rhetorical and literacy practices that serve as a foundation for an underground community. Very little research, within the English field or from a literacy perspective, has been done on this demographic. This study includes data from interviews conducted with eight individuals who were “homeless” between the ages of 12 and 18 years old. Homeless is being defined as any duration spent absent of a stable living situation, including, but not limited to, foster homes, sleeping on the streets or in temporary settings, with …

E Pluribus Unum: The Pursuit Of Linguistic Equality Through Adequation And Denaturalization, Natalie A. Tupta

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The oppressive ideology of standard language in the US perpetuates linguistic discrimination in all facets of life, from the classroom to the housing market to politics. Many Americans justify the degradation of non-standard language users by identifying the imagined cognitive deficiencies of those who do not use standard language. In response to previous research providing evidence of linguistic injustices, this research confounds existent ideology and exposes the gravity of the injustices perpetuated by the US government and educational system. By comparing this linguistic social justice movement to the American Civil Rights Movement and by borrowing the philosophy of Martin Luther …

Learning To Speak: Poems, Celina A. Gomez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This project is a collection of poetry that weaves together past, present, and the hopes of a future that causes change. It is set in South Texas and discusses borders spanning from social class, language, and identity. The collection primarily focuses on the Chican@ voice and the shame that comes from the borderlands. I have drawn from the Rio Grande Valley as a source of inspiration while also using family experiences, my own reaction to shame, and the possibilities of an empowered voice.

Future Memory: Ray Bradbury And The Aesthetics Of Nostalgia, Billy J. Cryer

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Upon the publication of The Martian Chronicles in 1950, Ray Bradbury quickly emerged as the nation’s leading science fiction writer. Bradbury’s novel figured among the most prominent tales of Mars—eclipsing even the highly popular Mars novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, who first popularized the Mars adventure novel with the appearance of A Princess of Mars in 1912.

While many critics praised The Martian Chronicles for its inventiveness, its acute treatment of social injustices, and its lyrical prose, other critics were quick with complaints. Prime among these was a plangent criticism of Bradbury’s attitude toward science and technology: critics alleged that …

Creolization Of Identity In Caribbean Texts: Towards The Healing Of The Creole, Victoria A. Marin

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Creolization became an important element to creole identity by explaining the development of cultural mixing in the Caribbean. While many scholars have focused on the marginalization of creole identity at the hands of the colonizer, this paper addresses the way creole subjects use creolization as a form of agency. Two specific post-colonial texts will be explored in the order of Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and Michelle Cliff's No Telephone to Heaven. The essay begins with Wide Sargasso Sea to gain an early historical context of the treatment of creole women, and to establish the need of developing a voice …

La Evolución Del Personaje Femenino Y Su Transformación Político-Social En La Obra De Julia Álvarez "En El Tiempo De Las Mariposas", Lorena M. Villarreal

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

En esta investigación, se analizara la evolución del personaje femenino y su transformación político-social en la obra literaria de Julia Álvarez, En el tiempo de las Mariposas. Se analizará el rol social pasivo del personaje femenino y su transición al rol político social activo. La novela histórica se basa en la historia de la República Dominicana “Las hermanas Mirabal” consideradas iconos nacionales, por lo tanto se tomará en cuenta el aspecto histórico. Me basaré en la teoría crítica de la Estilística y estudios de Avelina Aguilar, Willie Muñoz y Julia Álvarez, así como mi propia aportación. Me apoyaré también en …

Women's Speech As Reflected In The Television Series, Friends, Gema Del Moral

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research focuses on analyzing how contemporary women’s speech is reflected in the popular television show Friends through the characters’ differences in gender and their variances in language forms. The aim of this thesis is to find out if there are certain lexical and syntactical characteristics that distinguish women’s language from men’s language. In this study, a corpus linguistic approach is used to collect the data and make a quantitative analysis based on the verbal communication of the characters involved in Season 4 of Friends. The analysis of the linguistic features of verbal communication of all the characters in Season …

His Words Spoke To Me: An Analysis Of Cult Rhetoric Through Memoir, Devan Leigh Lemke

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Through my analysis of memoirs of former cult members, a pattern of rhetorical coercive techniques grounded in the theories of Kenneth Burke and Chaim Perelman surfaces. Burke’s theory of identification presents an explanation of why group members believe they share the same interests as the group. Perelman’s theory of disassociation explains why the group believes outrageous statements made. Perelman’s theory of presence explains why it is impossible to logically express any concerns within the group. The simultaneous existence of all three theories renders a powerful blow to the human psyche. The identity of the member is so shattered, that they …

Developing The Modern Heroine Of Fantasy Literature: An Examination Of Lyra From "His Dark Materials" And Clary From "The Mortal Instruments", Diana Aileen Borghols Herrera

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This work looks at the figure of the heroine as present through the characters of Lyra Belacqua in His Dark Materials and Clary Fairchild in The Mortal Instruments. The characters will be analysed within the fantasy genre and the tradition of the heroic figure. By defining the hero and the heroine, two types of characters with different traits, I will show that the heroic archetype for the female is not entirely set. Lyra and Clary share some similarities but their relation to their respective role is perceived and fulfilled through varying degrees of commitment. The analysis will be contained to …

The Best Bullies: A Critical Analysis Of Young Adult Anti-Bullying Novels, Nina Marie Bone

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Recently, bullying has become a critical area of research across disciplines exploring effective tools for dealing with this increasing problem. Emerging from this critical research is a new sub-genre of young adult (YA) anti-bullying literature that is becoming increasingly popular. This thesis offers a critical analysis of the contemporary YA anti-bullying literature and how it corresponds to The Bullying Circle, a highly effective bully prevention program tool. This work will incorporate scholarship about the educational interpretation of YAL and the potential impact it has on adolescents. Looking at The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli with …

Postmodern And Posthuman Literature, John P. Gallagher

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The thesis is an analysis and application of Posthuman theory. Beginning with a debate on societal progress between Slavoj Zizek and Francis Fukuyama, the thesis explores the possibility of a Posthuman ethics. The main theoretical contributors are Carey Wolfe, Corey Anton, and Benedict Anderson. The primary texts analyzed are Eric Blair's (George Orwell) 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and William Gibson's Neuromancer.

"But, Whatever The Reason, His Heart Or His Shoes, He Stood There On Christmas Eve, Hating The Whos": Dr. Seuss' The Grinch As The Racialized Other In American Culture, Marina Malli

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis analyzes Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch as a modern myth in US society that provides an imaginary resolution to the perceived encroachment of racial and cultural heterogeneity in the various time periods in which the text has circulated. Each chapter closely reads three different versions of the story, including Dr. Seuss’ children’s book published in 1957, the 1966 animated TV special directed by Chuck Jones, and the 2000 film directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey. In each chapter, I consider the racial politics prevalent in each time period in order to elucidate my claim that various media …

Language Attitudes, Ideologies, Maintenance, And Spanish Heritage Learners In The South Texas Border, Hyanghee Lee

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Unlike the situations in Europe or Canada, the power of language exercised by the speakers in the U.S.A is centered on English. Considering the general perception of a language as an index of an ethnic identity, this circumstance clearly reflects a linguistic inequality in the multiethnic U.S. society. The primary objective of this study is to examine the language ideologies and attitudes that the Spanish Heritage Learners in South Texas adapt and exercise in their daily activities. This investigation also attempts to analyze the correlations between language attitudes and the intergenerational transmission of Spanish, which would significantly impact the maintenance …

Mirrors Of Mechanized Man: Capitalism And Intertextuality As Represented In The Works Of Herman Melville, Franz Kafka And Don Delillo, Samantha J. Amberson-Dominguez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

It is contended that literature, as a product of the socioeconomic conditions in which it was generated, can be used to explore the relationship between individuals and technological advancement, as existing within specific stages of capitalism’s development. Using Marxist analysis to examine texts generated during the cultural eras of realism, modernism, and postmodernism, it is argued that physical, mental, and emotional state of characters, as represented within works written by Herman Melville, Franz Kafka, and Don DeLillo, respectively, reflect the increasing levels of human alienation as experienced by individuals under the constraining forces of market capitalism, imperialism, and late capitalism.

Transylvania, Texas, Joshua Murray

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis is a collection of poems about my experience realizing that I was transgender, working through my feelings prior to this realization, the moment of realization, and the fallout that comes afterword. It begins by dealing with the feelings of depression and alienation that accompany unrecognized feelings of gender dysphoria, examining feelings of disconnect from the body, the mind, and everyday life. It builds to the slow realization of being a trans woman, a woman taught to be a man by society, and the joy and relief that comes with that epiphany. Finally it looks at what comes afterword, …

I Won't Die, Azael Villarreal

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Sid is 22, and like the rest of the men in his family, he will die when he is 24. Sid will take his brother’s identity, money, and college degree to get ahead in life before death takes it away again. Sid will travel to the other side of the world in pursuit of adventure and meaning. In the final stages of his short life, Sid will try to make sense of his curse, and try to figure out what is left worth pursuing.

Posmodernismo E Identidad En La Narrativa De Juan Villoro, Jonathan Godinez Perez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Esta tesis representa un acercamiento crítico a la narrativa del escritor mexicano Juan Villoro (Ciudad de México 1956), en base a dos vertientes, el posmodernismo y la idea de identidad nacional. En el primer capítulo se discute el posmodernismo, sus distintas definiciones así como la posibilidad de que se pueda situar dentro de un contexto latinoamericano y mexicano al que pertenece el autor. En el segundo capítulo se desarrolla una crítica sobre el libro de cuentos Los culpables a través de la teoría del simulacro de Jean Baudrillard, y se aborda el tema de la percepción de la cultura mexicana …

Creating Her Own Power: "Morte Darthur's" Morgan Le Fay, Cynthia A. Scott

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Morgan le Fay is one of the most recognizable female characters in Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur as she persistently creates conflict for King Arthur and his knights. While many scholars have focused on the idea of a subjugated female presence in Malory’s text, this paper addresses the power that Morgan displays and how it suggests underlying masculine anxieties existing in a patriarchy. Three specific components of Morgan’s power are discussed: her ability to reject and manipulate prescribed gender codes, her power of enchantment, and her disruption of homosocial bonds. The strategic combination of these three components allows Morgan to exhibit …

A Través De La Neblina, Monica Alvarez Suarez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

La presente tesis es una obra de creación literaria que presenta un viaje a través del tiempo y el espacio donde la protagonista busca “re-encontrar” su identidad, a la vez que va rescatando la memoria colectiva del pueblo donde se encuentra la hacienda de la familia. La novela pertenece al género de la novela femenina presentando elementos de testimonio, y cuenta con una riqueza cultural que aparece en el trasfondo histórico de la novela. De la misma manera, la tradición oral se convierte en parte fundamental de la novela ya que es la que nos presenta las historias, creencias y …

Herman Melville And Richard Wright: Camaraderie And Revolt, Linda Braune

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In 1940, Black leftist writer Richard Wright, in his classic Native Son, sought out a great figure in the American Black canon, W. E. B. Du Bois, to understand and delineate double consciousness of Blacks. But it is surprising, perhaps, that Wright also drew from a major figure in the white canon, Herman Melville, in order to explore the overcoming of double consciousness and its effects. Although another tradition might interpret Melville’s Captain Ahab as “predicting” Wright’s story of Bigger Thomas, I suggest that it is the Pequod crew of Moby-Dick, not the driven and driving Captain, which compels Wright’s …

Los Años Sin Causa, Victor Adolfo Menco Haeckermann

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

La presente tesis es un trabajo de escritura creativa. Esta novela corta narra la historia de un adolescente de quince años que comete el error de poner dinamita por diversión en su colegio, lo cual le acarrea la consecuencia de ser recluido en una correccional de menores. Allí descubre que la amistad es totalmente diferente a la experimentada afuera, llena de traiciones y mandos de los más fuertes, incluyendo las directivas corruptas del centro de reclusión. El género en el que se inscribe es la novela de aprendizaje, con algunas relaciones con la novela negra, y los temas centrales son …

Mímesis, Ficción Y Ética: El Dinero En Los Cuentos De Julio Ramón Ribeyro, Karen Garcia Escorcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

La presente investigación analiza la función del dinero en los cuentos de Julio Ramón Ribeyro utilizando la teoría del realismo de Darío Villanueva, la teoría de la dependencia de acuerdo a Grosfoguel y conceptos económicos de la filosofía de Karl Marx y Michael Sandel. Se argumenta que el dinero mantiene tres funciones principales. A través de éste, la realidad social y económica del siglo XX del Perú es reflejada. Asimismo, se intenta demostrar que funciona también como un recurso meramente narrativo para causar la ficción misma del cuento. Finalmente, se analizan los efectos que el dinero ocasiona en los personajes …

The Construction And Performance Of Masculinity Through The Voice Of Mexican American Male Authors: Arturo Islas' "The Rain God" And Rigoberto González's "Men Without Bliss", Edna Elizabeth Camacho

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The thesis closely analyzes Arturo Islas’ novel The Rain God (1984) and Rigoberto Gonzalez’s collection of short stories Men Without Bliss (2008) as representations of Mexican American literature that attempt to construct and define masculinity through the actions of male characters. The Rain God, explores the performance of masculinity through the image of the body, similarly to the performance of an actor on a stage. Islas introduces four men who hide, and deny a space for expunging their emotions. Men Without Bliss, showcases the emotions that men suppress and exemplifies their vulnerability as their strength rather than a debilitating characteristic …