Arts and Humanities Commons^™

More Than Roses : The Journey Toward Selfhood In Beauty, Rose Daughter, And Beast, Gricel Dominguez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the implications of selfhood in three retellings of the "Beauty and the Beast" story-Robin McKinley's Beauty and Rose Daughter, and Donna Jo Napoli's Beast-analyzing those factors that affected each protagonist's understanding of the self, how these challenged or aided them in their journey towards self-actualization, and how a sense of personal gratification represented the true reward at the end of the ordeal.

My analysis was informed by the Jungian concept of the Self as the goal of individuation, and Joseph Campbell's model of the hero's journey. As such, I found …

I Want Out Of The Labels : How Chuck Palahniuk's Characters Challenge The Dominant Discourse, Jose Antonio Aparicio

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore postmodern identity in the work of Chuck Palahniuk. The characters within Palahniuk's text Invisible Monsters realize the manner in which identity is a construct, and their response is to oppose and redefine it. In my research, I looked at how postmodern identity is defined by some of the leading critical thinkers in the field, and then I applied their thought to Palahniuk's characters. I showed how these characters come to understand the process by which society defines them, and with that realization, they oppose its totalizing definitions. The characters deconstruct the natural …

Hello, Clothing, Phillip Scott Cunningham

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

HELLO, CLOTHING is a collection of lyric poems about the connections between human beings, following an ekphrastic model that seeks truths about the world “second-hand”: through the language and images of other artists. A large section of the poems address the life and work of composer Morton Feldman, while many others explore the world of cinema or photography. The poems are particularly conscious of received forms. The collection takes to heart Harold Bloom’s assertion that “every poem is about another poem” and interprets this dictum as a celebration of formal structure. Whether through a traditional model such as the sonnet, …

The Underpants, Department Of Theatre, Florida International University

Department of Theatre Production Programs

April 3-6, 2008. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center, Black Box Theatre. Written by Carl Sternheim and Adapted by Steve Martin. Directed by Stephen Neal. Scenic Design by Jesse Dreikosen. Lighting Design by Philip Watson. Costume Design by Marilyn Skow.

El Paradigma Ético De La Escritura Martiana : Desbordes De La Modernidad, Carlos E. Cenzano

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the nature of Jose Marti's ethical ideas in relation to the rise of late Nineteenth Century Modernity and in tandem with the deconstruction and subversion of the principal constituencies of colonial and aesthetic discourses. Marti proposes a new paradigm that question the insatiable pursuit of novelty, the hostility towards tradition, the historical perspectivism and a critical stance with regard to social aesthetic Modernity. He also questions the cult of reason, the linear historicism, and the teleological progress framed in philosophical utilitarian pragmatism of bourgeois Modernity. His radical criticism of the structures and institutions of the hegemonic power …

Buddhism And Its Relation To Women And Prostitution In Thai Society, Sandra Avila

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate how Buddhism affects the status of Thai women by (1) not directly addressing concerns regarding the sex trade industry, (2) not allowing for the legitimation of a bhikkuni sangha (community of higher ordained women) and (3) denying mae chis (5-9 precept nuns) access to education and other privileges.

The study is significant from the standpoint of public health since there is a high rate of HIV/AIDS infection in Thailand, and also in regard to human rights because of the growing international interest in women's rights issues. This study is based on a …

The Fullness Of Time, Kevin Allen

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

THE FULLNESS OF TIME is a novel about the quest for identity that transcends the limitations of moral duty, social status, and cultural conventions. Set in Tarpon Springs, Florida, in 1969, it is the story of Victor Lucas, a young Greek immigrant forced to go to war in Vietnam in another man's place in order to save the woman he loves. He must survive the war to return and reclaim his love and his rightful place in society.

Based on the archetypal hero's quest as articulated by Joseph Campbell, the narrative is told from the limited third-person perspective of the …

Rich And Poor, White And Black, Slave And Free : The Social History Of Cuba's Tobacco Farmers, 1763-1817, Charlotte A. Cosner

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tobacco was of primary importance to Spain, and its impact on Cuba’s economy and society was greater than just the numbers of farms, workers, or production, demonstrated by the Spanish crown’s outlay of monies for capital assets, bureaucrats’ salaries, and payments to farmers for their crop. This study is a micro- and macro-level study of rural life in colonial Cuba and the interconnected relationships among society, agricultural production, state control, and the island’s economic development.

By placing Cuba’s tobacco farmers at the forefront of this social history, this work revisits and offers alternatives to two prevailing historiographical views of rural …

The Lone Palm, Joe Clifford

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

THE LONE PALM is a noir novel set in a timeless Bay Area city. At nineteen, Colin Spector is a hot-shot crooner at the Lone Palm, a nightclub owned by the Christos' crime family, headed by Cephalus "the Old Man" Christos and his ne'er-do-well son, Gabriel. When Colin falls for Gabriel's girl, a stripper named Zoe, Gabriel orders the singer's vocal cords cut and has him framed for a crime he didn't commit. After seven years in prison, Colin is manipulated into working for his former tormenter. Gabriel is now estranged from his father, who has branched into the world …

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Department Of Theatre, Florida International University

Department of Theatre Production Programs

February 8-10 and 15-17, 2008. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Book by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Directed by Phillip M. Church. Set Design by Celso Peruyera. Costume Design by Marina Pareja. Lighting Design by Philip Watson.

Electricidad, Department Of Theatre, Florida International University

Department of Theatre Production Programs

February 7-10 and 14-17, 2008. Written by Luis Alfaro. Directed by Wayne E. Robinson, Jr. Scenic Design by Yamarys Salomon. Lighting Design by Greg Contreras. Costume Design by Jacquelin Martinez. Sound Design by Jade Goodridge.

Miracle Tomato, Department Of Theatre, Florida International University

Department of Theatre Production Programs

January 18-19, 2008. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Performing Arts Center, Mainstage. Written and Performed by Jessica Cerullo. Sound Design by Liz Stanton.

2008 Cuba/Us Transition Poll, Guillermo J. Grenier, Hugh Gladwin, Institute For Public Opinion Research

Cuba Poll

Summary of results from the 2008 Cuba Poll.