Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Gandalf And Guardini: A Fresh Look At The Theology Of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord Of The Rings, Margaret Stadtwald

Celebration of Learning

My Honors Capstone looks at the various critical responses to the theology of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, with a focus on Augustinian theology. It then posits that the modern/postmodern theology of Romano Guardini better encompasses the work’s theological depths and worth as a piece of literature.

Early American Need For Christ, Baylee S. Vasquez 6161151

BYU English Symposium

A war torn land of the early Americas created a want for the relief that Christian sects sought when originally retreating from Europe. These early colonists relied on the belief of savior that would redeem them in an eternal sphere, but the absence of an immediate savior in the midst of terror inspired the idea of characters that could act as flawed, yet effective Christ-like figures in the present moment. Mary Rowlandson, Hannah Dustan, and Olaudah Equiano each follow a path that mimics that of Christ’s: death, resurrection, and providing the redemption of others through their tribulation. Dustan redeemed fellow …

Return To Virtue: Defining Moral Strength, Melissa A. Weigeshoff

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Riot Grrrl’S Legacy: The Medium Is The Message, Rosemary Larkin

BYU English Symposium

Riot Grrrl appropriated traditional, even “feminine,” media platforms to encourage third wave feminism. They ignored a central message on purpose in lieu of loud mediums meant to disrupt the status quo instead of assert a new one.

Eve's Feminist Wave, Heather S. Higgs

BYU English Symposium

Paradise Lost has been around since the seventeenth century, and yet there is still something readers cannot agree on: what is up with Eve? I propose that Eve’s role in Paradise Lost can be understood through the lens of third-wave feminism, the United States’ current feminist wave. Eve matches well with third-wave feminists in her independence and complexity of character, but what distinguishes her from feminists today is more potent in understanding her role in Paradise Lost. When faced with decisions of the self, Eve ultimately looks outward to Adam and her future posterity and chooses selflessly, exercising restraint …

The Scandal Of Sources Of Henriette-Julie De Murat’S Histoires Sublimes Et Allégoriques, Jared Willden

BYU English Symposium

Henriette-Julie de Murat claims in the foreword of Histoires sublimes et allégoriques (1699) that the only source for her tales is Straparola’s Facetious Nights, yet this claim seems to be misleading. Taking “The Savage” as an example, this essay first assesses the reasons we should doubt Murat’s claim. It then explores other possible literary sources for “The Savage,” such as Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Straparola’s “Guerrino and the Savage Man,” and the Breton folktale “Georgic and Merlin,” as well as biographical elements, both from details surrounding her exile by Louis XIV in 1702 and from her fictional …

The Lives And Deaths Of Flora Mac-Ivor And Rose Bradwardine: Romance And Reality In Sir Walter Scott's Waverley, Monica D. Allen

BYU English Symposium

In Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley, Scott presents the problem of romance versus reality. He does this by personifying romance and reality through Flora Mac Ivor and Rose Bradwardine. Flora, with her passion, represents romance. While Rose, a more mellow character, represents reality. Waverley finds that he must choose between them. Rose is a “kindred spirit” to him, while Flora resembles “one of his daydreams.” They embody these ideas through a physical location. Flora’s location is the romantic Scottish Highlands, and Rose’s location is simply her father’s home. Besides location, the figurative deaths of Flora and Rose embody romance and …

The Sewing Room, Madeline L. Tracy

BYU English Symposium

A short horror story delving into the depths of family relationships. After Charlotte's mother dies, she goes to live with her grandparents. She has entered her mother's childhood world and what she witnesses could become emotional baggage- or something that could define her forever.

The Revolution Of Bath: The Writing And Re-Writing Of Social History In Jane Austen's Persuasion, Erica L. Pratt

BYU English Symposium

Hidden beneath the structure of Regency England lies a society near eruption. In Persuasion, Austen brings her characters on a journey through the landscape of social revolution. Bath serves as pinnacle of this journey –the battlefield where characters are invited to perform according to their social training.

The initial skirmish takes place before the book begins and uses social fighting techniques of the pre-Napoleonic war. It is fought within an aristocratic structure, and defeats our heroine. The second battle, however, is conducted under completely different training mechanisms. This second skirmish follows the fall of aristocracy and the rise of meritocracy. …

Who Wears The Pants: The Unraveling Of Gender In "The Things They Carried", Zoe Meyer

BYU English Symposium

In this paper, I analyze gender roles in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried arguing that war causes American society to shift, and as a result, expected gender roles and the understanding of expected behavior change. Correlating the soldiers’ understanding of what it means to be American directly to their understanding of gender, I explain that changing what it means to be men alters their idea of what it means to be citizens of the United States. Because the soldiers can no longer be identified by their gender, nor can they identify themselves as Americans, they lose their understanding of …

Katniss Everdeen: Feminist Fighter Or Teen Bride?, Baylee S. Vasquez

BYU English Symposium

Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games, can be read as a strong female character that represents the Third Wave of Feminism. She has become a measuring stick for strong female characters that have appeared after her. It is even argued that she has taken the place of the stereotypical male hero while her cohort, Peeta Mellark, plays the stereotypical female role. However, in spite of all of the things that she accomplishes during her time within the dueling ring, the main debate amongst teenagers—for whom the book was written—is who will Katniss Everdeen, goddess of the hunt and champion …

Violence And Identity In Native Son, Anna M. Gee

BYU English Symposium

Abstract: “Violence and Identity in Native Son” examines the cycle of violence that begins with white objectification of blacks and ultimately results in extralegal black violence and legislated white violence. Richard Wright’s Native Son details this cycle as it is initiated by white objectification of blacks, creating owner-object relationships between members of the two races. Objectification leads to loss of identity and blindness, cultivating indifference and shame among members of black society. For the novel’s main character Bigger, shame produces violence. Violent acts become acts of creation that enable him to formulate identity in meaningful ways. This new understanding …

The Hypocrisy Of Henry V, Shelise Rupp

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Beyond Reason: Ophelia's Quest For Truth, Jacob K. Nielsen 9443167

BYU English Symposium

In this paper, I explore Ophelia's supposed descent into 'insanity' in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Using Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, I conclude that instead of descending into insanity, Ophelia moved beyond reason in order to acquire personal truth that wasn't available to her within the realm of traditional reason. In the end, instead of assuming a passive role, Ophelia's character actively rejects the limitations of reason, allowing her to become more than just a passive object of tragic circumstances. Variations within the Quarto and Folio versions of the play support the conclusion that Ophelia actively sought to …

Wherefore Art Thou, Bae Romeo? Or, An Argument For Modernizing Shakespeare’S Texts, Erin M. Ritchie

BYU English Symposium

This research examines the trend towards modernizing Shakespeare’s plays. Though Shakespeare is valued for his intricate wordplay and changes to his text are considered sacrilegious, I will explain how Elizabethan Era views on language value finding expressing Shakespeare’s important universal social commentaries in ways that are accessible to the largest number of people. Because the majority of Shakespeare’s global fame stems from admirers who have not encountered his original works, but translations of it, this research suggests that the value gained from adapting the original texts into more modern forms of English to engage a wider audience outweighs the arguments …

Public Shaming And Power Shifts In Salem, Roma M. Blackham

BYU English Symposium

Public shaming has long been used in societies to maintain order in communities, and to enforce not only laws, but unspoken rules or societal constraints. However, while public shaming can be a valuable tool for communities, it can also lead to unjust rule – some might even call it mob rule. While many citizens of the United States tend to glorify democracy and the effects of democracy, the democratization of the justice system through public shaming has resulted in disastrous consequences in American history and promises dangerous repercussions if it continues to be used in the future. This claim is …

Ya Cover Art: Changes And Social Impact In The Last Twenty-Five Years, Jodie Bender

BYU English Symposium

This paper discusses changes to the cover art of young adult literature in the last twenty-five years, and how those changes have affected the success of YA novels and society’s perceptions of YA literature. These changes lead to the genderization of novels as well as misrepresentation of a novel’s content. This is particularly a problem among books by female authors. Genderization has a major impact on the type and gender of audience a book attracts, and it often limits, rather than expands, the type of readers attracted. Furthermore, the books that receive the highest awards, including the Michael L. Printz …

Hair, Voice, And Agency: Transformation, Growing Up, And Love In Fairy Tales, Denya I. Palmer

BYU English Symposium

Fairy tales are fraught with magical transformations. However, the most important transformation is not a magical one. Characters experience a true transformation of self when they use their agency to make decisions and act, making the shift from childhood to adulthood. The deepest transformations occur when the characters determine their own destiny. Part of this shift to adulthood also includes forming and maintaining relationships with others. The tales of Rapunzel (Grimm’s 1812) and Little Mermaid (Hans Christian Andersen, 1837) include characters who transform both physically but also emotionally. Their agency and transformation of character is manifest through their voices and …

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!: Newspapers As Bakhtinian Chronotope In The Mysteries Of London And Sherlock Holmes, Conor Hilton

BYU English Symposium

Newspapers function as a Bakhtinian chronotope in George W.M. Reynolds’s The Mysteries of London. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle adapted this usage of newspapers in his Sherlock Holms stories. The chronotope has several features and consequences. The features include an inherent emphasis on physicality, creating a concrete object to embody the ideas of information, communication, and technology; forging a link between newspapers and crime or criminality; and linking newspapers to low-brow and popular culture. These features originate in Reynolds’s work, but are carried over into Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories. They also bring with them consequences. The first is the legitimation …

Grace: Something Needed In The Modern Age, Jared N. Esplin

BYU English Symposium

A look at the various differences of opinion of what grace is based in the works of Flannery O'Connor and the possible influences on her own opinions. Influences including the writings and teachings of the Apostle Paul.

Wordsworth's Lifelong Lie, William Drew Chandler

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Deconstructing O'Connor's Grace Through Marxism, Aubri M. Devashrayee

BYU English Symposium

The works of Flannery O’Connor deal greatly with the concepts of grace and religion and how they save the lost characters in her stories. O’Connor’s works are very violent, as well as religious. Story after story shows that God “terrifies before He can bless,” as Robert Drake asserts in his article “The Bleeding Stinking Mad Shadow of Jesus” (185). There are many instances where it is doubtful that grace has been received, and when it has been, the characters are distinctly worse off than they were before. This is prevalent in all of O’Connor’s short stories, and when looking through …

Truman Capote And The Tarnished Tale Of In Cold Blood, Nicholas N. Montes

BYU English Symposium

This paper in the genre of psycho-biography examines recent reports of fraud in Capote's work on the novel In Cold Blood. While my paper tackles the reasons why Capote's journalism may not have been sound, his traumatic love affairs, an inappropriate relationship to a case detective, and tragic childhood, it is not the purpose to tarnish a beloved author's reputation.

Fat Fairies: Stereotype, Body Type, And Personality Of Tv Godmothers, Ariel Peterson

BYU English Symposium

ABC’s Once Upon a Time introduced Catherine Lough Haggquist as Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Instead of playing Disney’s classically oversized, bumbling, air-headed godmother, Haggquist appeared cool and collected, dressed like a princess. And ABC killed Haggquist off in the very same episode. Was she too fit and smart for the godmother stereotype? Haggquist is not the only fairy to suffer for body type. Jeana Jorgensen and other feminist writers have seen the danger of age and body stereotyping entails. Adding to these arguments, I propose we approach fairy tale bodies as a spectrum where personality is attached to body type. Princesses …

Cinderella: The Significance And Timeless Nature Of A Folkloric Costume Narrative, Hayley C. Campbell

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Subversion And Containment In Adrienne Rich’S “Aunt Jennifer’S Tigers”, Samuel G. Turner

BYU English Symposium

This paper explores Stephen Greenblatt's theory of subversion and containment in the poem "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich. Critics such as Claire Keyes and Cheri Langdell have identified patterns of subversion in Rich's early poetry, but have largely ignored patterns of containment by masculinst powers. I explore subversion and containment in the metrical structure and themes of the poem.

Persuasion And Sexuality, Emily Sullivan

BYU English Symposium

The sexual transformation of the protagonist, Anne Elliot, in Austen's Persuasion shows a self-confidence and independence uncommon during the Regency era. This article studies the sources and factors of this change and why the change is so revolutionary.

Wayward Sons: Modern Mythology In Supernatural, Alison Siggard

BYU English Symposium

Throughout human history, there have been myths that reflect societal ideals. This trend continues in the modern age in a new medium, that of television and movies. Though the way the stories are told may be different, the archetypes and motifs can still be seen in these new myths. In this paper, I analyze the motifs and archetypes used in the television show Supernatural to explore how ancient mythological aspects, including those of the hero's journey, monsters, and death and resurrection, are used and changed for a modern audience. Though classic archetypes are present, this paper also argues that they …

There's A Moral Here: Emerging Ethics In The Things They Carried, Jordan Wright

BYU English Symposium

In this paper, I argue against the mentality that all Vietnam War veterans were irreparably damaged by their time in service. My primary text, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, is very critical of the war and seems to agree with this mentality. However, I am intrigued by the underlying theme of race in the novel. Kiowa, a Native American character, suffers discrimination from his fellow soldiers. However, with further reading it becomes clear that Kiowa is loved and respected by the men, and that their experiences in the field have helped them transcend racial barriers. By researching everything …

Eve Transcending Demeaned: The Construct Of Female Gender In Paradise Lost, Jillie L. Orth

BYU English Symposium

A contradiction exists in John Milton’s Paradise Lost of Eve being simultaneously demeaned and esteemed. My paper focuses on these contradictions and explores the way in which Eve transcends the demeaned by analyzing the role of the female gender throughout the poem, epitomized by both Eve and female-gendered nonhuman entities: the Earth, the Garden of Eden, Reason, and Sin. This paper also delves into scenes of the poem that may at first seem oppressive for Eve, but that are actually complementary to the role of Eve and the female gender. This analysis serves to then uphold Eve as a representation …