Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Race Reform In The Early Twentieth Century South: The Life And Work Of Willis Duke Weatherford., Sara Trowbridge Combs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Willis Duke Weatherford, a liberal pioneer in Southern race reform, argued that the ethics of Christianity obligated Southerners to address the social and economic problems faced by blacks in the early twentieth century. His strategy for improving race relations centred on educating Southerners and promoting economic uplift for blacks. Weatherford advocated race reform through the Young Men's Christian Association, the Southern Sociological Congress, and other voluntary organizations. He published books, taught courses, preached sermons, organized conferences, and raised funds from Northern philanthropists. Through an analysis of Weatherford's published writings and of his papers archived at the Southern Historical Collection, the …

Epoch Locale., Jonathan Hounshell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My explorations around the world are intertwined with my excavation of the layers of art history. My discoveries about the traditions of the printmaking medium are fused with the heritage I inherit as an artist. This is what is put into my current body of work. With this supporting manuscript, I hope to inform about the technical aspects of my unique aesthetic and to entertain with the ideas behind my current body of work by making connections between my personal visions and experiences and the significance of the artists and craftsman who inspire me.

Type Image And The Art Of Protest., Wendy R. Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is the culmination of my work as a graphic artist thus far. I chose to investigate the use of type and image in the production of social protest art, as it relates to historical and contemporary art as well as my own. Methods used in gathering the data include references from books, periodicals, websites, and hands-on application of the artistic process. Conclusions found within this paper suggest that using type and image within a multimedia process, serves to communicate important messages and attempts to educate the viewer on important political and social matters. Protest art has and will …

Burnished Souls., Floyd Thomas Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, in support of the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled Burnished Souls at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 25- December 18, 2004, describes in detail three aesthetic themes that have informed my work; The Refined Sense of Beauty, A Newly Defined Function, and The Artistic Element of Smoke and Fire. These aesthetic themes are discovered and explained through both historic and contemporary influences and are described in relation to their influence on my current work.

Resorts In Southern Appalachia: A Microcosm Of American Resorts In The Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries., Mary F. Fanslow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Five resorts in East Tennessee--Montvale Springs and the Wonderland Hotel in the Smokies, Tate Spring in the Holston River Valley, Unaka Springs on the Nolichucky River, and the Cloudland Hotel at the summit of Roan Mountain--stand testament to the proposition that their region engaged fully with areas outside southern Appalachia. Their origins, clientele, and health and leisure offerings followed those of other resorts of the same time period. Moreover, the effects of national socioeconomic trends on the hotels serve as a contradiction to the stereotype of southern Appalachia as an isolated region barricaded from the outside world by mountainous topography. …

Sexuality And Power In Elizabeth Inchbald's A Simple Story., Michelle Martini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Simple Story is controversial because of Inchbald's seemingly conflicting statements about women's "proper" education and because the most powerful character in the novel openly defies social norms. Miss Milner, the heroine of the first half of A Simple Story, overtly displays her sexuality and uses it to gain control of men. Her guardian Dorriforth, a Catholic priest, attempts to repress her sexual power. Miss Milner dies in exile, but Inchbald rewards her by saving her from a marriage in which her husband subdues her sexuality. Contrarily, Miss Milner's daughter Matilda represses her sexuality and conforms to eighteenth-century standards …

The Meaning Of The Moment: A Collection Of Short Stories., Jonathan David Benton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of three short stories in very different genres but tied together by a intensely personal look at the lives of its protagonists culminating in epiphanies. One of these epiphanies is intended solely for the reader, but in two cases, the reader and character gains the insight. “The Tears of Angels” looks at the effect one person in a moment, even a stranger, can have on the protagonist’s life. “Climbing Heaven and Gazing on Earth” focuses on the haunting power of history and the need we as humans can feel to share a story, to make sense of …

Inducing Knowledge By Enduring Experience: The Function Of A Postmodern Pragmatic Aesthetic In Linda Montano's "Living Art"., Alisa Anne Brandenburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Has Modernism Failed? (1984), Suzi Gablik calls for a postmodern art that has preserved the values that modernism lost over the 20th century, stating that only through "direct knowing" may we be shocked out of art-for-art's-sake. In Art As Experience (1934), John Dewey similarly proposes that "thinking is a kind of doing," recommending an instrumental art in one's drive to better him/herself.

Contemporary artist Linda Montano challenges the status quo by exploring the nature of art beyond its material value. In her Living Art performances (1970-1986), Montano creates a postmodern pragmatic aesthetic that is conducive to the unique …

Freedom Now!: Four Hard Bop And Avant-Garde Jazz Musicians' Musical Commentary On The Civil Rights Movement, 1958-1964., Lucas Aaron Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined musical recordings from the jazz idiom that relate to events or ideas involved in the Civil Rights Movement during the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s. The study focused on the four following musicians' recordings: Charles Mingus, Fables of Faubus; Sonny Rollins, The Freedom Suite; Ornette Coleman, Free Jazz; and John Coltrane, A Love Supreme. The study relies primarily on the aforementioned recordings, critics analysis of those recordings, and events that took place during the Civil Right Movement.

The study concludes that these recordings are not only commentary about ideas and events but …

A Blending Of Purpose: The Juxtaposition Of Functional And Aesthetic Qualities In Pots Of Use., Jessica Lindsay Decker-Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled A Blending of Purpose at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 4 – 22, 2004. It discusses the artist’s desire to create exceptionally crafted functional work which focuses on both compelling aesthetics and strong utilitarian considerations. Topics include the artistic validity of functional works, aesthetic and functional qualities, tactile sensation as a consideration, machine-made works versus hand-made works, a characteristic described as the Life Quality, and the piece’s completion in use.

The artist examines her influences including work ceramists Dan Finnegan, Nick Joerling and …

West African Food Traditions In Virginia Foodways: A Historical Analysis Of Origins And Survivals., Lisa R. Shiflett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The degree of African cultural survivals in African-American culture has been debated since the Civil War. Convincing research that West African cultural traits did survive in African-American culture, particularly in African-Amercian foodways, focuses on the lower south, neglecting the upper south. This thesis fills that gap by identifying West African traits in African-as well as Anglo-America foodways in Virginia, focusing on four broad research areas: Native American and Anglo-American foodways during the colonial and early Republic eras; West African foodways; African-American foodways during slavery; and current trends in Virginia foodways. Primary sources consulted for this study included archaeological reports, eighteenth …

An Application Of Contemporary Technical Writing Standards To Benjamin Franklin's Works., Edward Robert Milhorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Force Is With You: Dylan Thomas's Force As It Exists In His Poetry And Drama., Josh Archer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Dylan Thomas's poetry, he refers to an inexorable, amoral force that exists within the universe. This force exists in all things, yet cannot be manipulated. His first collection, 18 Poems, serves as the premier source for defining and understanding the existence of this force. Two poems in particular, "A Process in the Weather of the Heart" and "The Force that Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower," provide the most comprehensive examination of the force. However, his idea of the force is not confined to his poetry. During the last years of his life, he completed a play …

Completing The Circle Around Rabaul: The Seizure Of The Admiralties, February To May 1944., David Osborn Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the operational history of the First Cavalry Divisions conquest of the Admiralty Islands during World War Two as the final phase of Operation Cartwheel. Cartwheel called a two pronged attack; one prong in New Guinea, by-passing large Japanese garrisons and the other in the northern Solomon Islands with the goal the isolation of the strong point at Rabaul.

The material is drawn primarily from U.S. Army records held by the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, records from the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and other reports.

The study concludes that …

3d Animation: Creating An Experiential Environment., Dorai Raj Arjunan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a supporting paper for three of my 3D animations created and presented for a Master of Fine Arts graduate exhibition. It discusses how the two realms of graphic design and 3D animation helped me to develop my heuristic techniques of creating animations. Using the three animations as examples, I make an attempt to explain how linear and figurative images influence each other in the creative process of creature/character development. I also discuss the various influences and cumulative explorations behind the imageries of animation. A brief discussion about Asian Indian aesthetic concepts and the general methodology of creating …

Hugh Borton: His Role In American-Japanese Relations., Hitomi Kinuhata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes to examine Hugh Borton's role in American-Japanese relations. Three aspects will be explored: his work as a Quaker missionary, as an American government official, and as a leader in the development of Japanese and Asian studies.

In addition to Borton's Memoirs, the study is based on his papers at American Friends Service Committee Archives National Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Columbia University Oral History Collection in Butler Library in New York, Haverford College Quaker and Special Collection in Magill Library in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and the United States Department of State Records at the National Archives in College …

Russell Kirk's Column "To The Point": Traditional Aspects Of Conservatism., Thomas Chesnutt Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From 1962 to 1975, General Features Corporation distributed a column by traditional conservative Russell Kirk. The column appeared on the political page of newspapers across the country under the title “To The Point”.¹ The column provided social commentary on a wide variety of topics ranging from foreign policy, to civil rights, to feminism. Papers that carried the column included Los Angeles Times (1962-early 1968), New Orleans Time-Picayune (late 1962-late 1971), Detroit News (early 1970-1975).² The research for this thesis included both primary and secondary sources. The primary sources included articles housed at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural …

Theological Dualism In The Poetry Of George Herbert., Carolyn Elizabeth Woodruff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theological dualism is a primary element in George Herbert's poetry. Poems such as "The Flower," "Affliction I," "Affliction V," "The Banquet" and "Love III" illustrate the necessary tension inherent in the polarity of theological dualism. Abstractions such as joy, grief, pleasure, pain, birth, and death form the framework for Herbert's illustration of the Christian pilgrim in search of divine communion. For the searching Christian to understand one abstract principle, its opposite must be equally explored. In this journey to comprehend the duality of the Christian life, one reaches spiritual enlightenment and communion with God. Although several critics have recognized the …

Coming Home, Staying Put, And Learning To Fiddle: Heroism And Place In Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain., Heather Rhea Gilreath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In his novel Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier weaves an intricate web of human stories, all converging to make a memorable statement about love, war, life, and death. This study examines these stories and the mythological, literary, and folk models Frazier employs, and in some cases revises, to tell them. The first chapter explores how Frazier recreates Odysseus in Inman, his main male character, to depict the psychological trauma inflicted by war. The second chapter focuses on Ada, Inman’s pre-war sweetheart, and Ruby, a girl with whom Ada bonds, as challenges to the male pastoral tradition. Ruby’s father Stobrod as trickster, …

The Fountainhead: The Evolving Roles Of The Heroic Code Into The Antiheroic Mode., Erin Hogshead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines Russian-American author Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead, as a development of a heroic personae in the twentieth century. The Fountainhead examines the traditional hero defined by Joseph Campbell and the antihero's break from the traditional hero's code. The information gathered comes from books, interviews, and journals discussing the studies of the traditional hero, the antihero, and The Fountainhead. Through the actions of the protaganist, Howard Roark, the antihero is explained and vindicated. Howard Roark's role as the antihero is examined through Ayn Rand's philosophy and by the roles of the other characters in the novel. The development …

Aftermath, Emily Frances Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My work is an attempt to express some of the deepest emotions held within myself; truths that seem to flow straight from my unconscious to the surface through forms that are raw, powerful, ambiguous, mysterious, emotional, and pure. In my paintings, I am dealing with the aftermath of rape.

In my paintings, I combine content with complex studio processes by using the figure, limited watercolor palette, expressive mark making, and a distressed surface.

Alternative Creatures For An Alternative Space: A Process Of Evolution., Celia Tucker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the nature of the way body language and movement is perceived in the context of abstracted sculptures. The way these abstracted sculptures become creatures and the evolution thereof. It also explores the ways that concepts are altered in response to different media, evolving yet further.

A Discussion: Rembrandt's Influence On The Evolution Of The Printmaking Process Through His Experimental Attitude Towards The Medium., Bethany Ann Carter-Kneff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rembrandt's influence on the medium of printmaking can only be explained through his methodology in the production of his images. Experimentation is the key word to describe his evolution in style as he mastered the skills necessary to achieve his desired result. This paper will focus on this experimental attitude towards the medium and the subsequent inspiration it gave to me and other artists. Also included is a technical and stylistic comparison of various etchings by Rembrandt and my six prints that serve as a visual illustration and personal interpretation of the artist's method.

My research consisted of the consultation …

Confronting Manhood: The Struggle Of Male Characters In The Fiction Of Ernest J. Gaines., Katie Fay

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the African-American author Ernest Gaines's three works The Sky is Gray, In My Father's House, and A Lesson before Dying as examples of oppressed manhood, and the gradual acceptance of the characteristics of manhood in Black males. Chapter One focuses on The Sky Is Gray and follows the young hero as he makes his transition from child to a young man understanding manhood. The second chapter looks at In My Father's House, exploring the relationship between father and son. Due to his father's abandonment, the son never learns what it means to be a …

Thematic Manifestations: An Aesthetic Journey., Jeff Kise

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, in support of the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled Thematic Manifestations at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, March 2-12, 2004, describes in detail three aesthetic themes that are manifested in the work exhibited. The artist discusses his journey in establishing a “criterion of aesthetic values” whereby his work is conceptually developed. The three themes – The Paradox of Simplicity, The Decorative Power of Nature and The Beauty of the Irregular – are founded on historical and contemporary influences and are further described in practical application of form and process.

Wrestling With Father Shakespeare: Contemporary Revisions Of King Lear And The Tempest., Erin Melinda Denise Presley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Shakespeare’s The Tempest and King Lear, the relationship between the father and his children affects the progression and outcome of events. Goneril and Regan oppose Lear after Cordelia’s untimely rebellion and disownment. In The Tempest, Caliban desires to overthrow Prospero for freedom. Similarly, the appropriative offspring also exhibit rebellious “children” challenging authority. In Jane Smiley’s revision of King Lear and Aimé Césaire’s rewriting of The Tempest, defiance renders the children fatherless. In Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Ariel initially disregards her father but ultimately accepts his rule. In Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day, the text itself becomes an orphan as the …

Social Influences On The Female In The Novels Of Thomas Hardy., Jessica D. Notgrass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many female characters in Thomas Hardy’s novels clearly illustrate one of the Victorian stereotypes of women: the proper, submissive housewife or the rebellious, independent dreamer. Hardy does not demonstrate how women should be, but rather how society pressures women to conform to the accepted image. Hardy progresses from subtly criticizing society, as seen in The Return of the Native and The Woodlanders, to overtly condemning gender roles and marriage in Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. The characters of Thomasin, Mrs. Yeobright, and Grace Melbury illustrate those who submit to society’s expectations; and Eustacia Vye, Felice Charmond, Tess …

Power And Perfection In Karen Finley's The Constant State Of Desire: Creating A New Discourse., Melissa D. Greenwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Karen Finley's The Constant State of Desire merits attention because it acknowledges modern language's inability to represent the suffering of victims and creates awareness of our personal involvement in constructing gendered identities. Finley expresses her abhorrence of the desire for power and perfection by asserting that power is secured in American culture through physical and economic domination. In addition, the pursuit of perfection is engrained in one's psyche through media images and habituated behaviors. Finley does not offer a new language through which to communicate suffering, but she draws the reader's attention to the inadequacies of psychological and cultural rhetoric, …

A Software-Based Knowledge Management System Using Narrative Texts, Thomas Rudy Mcdaniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technical and professional communicators have in recent research been challenged to make significant contributions to the field of knowledge management, and to learn or create the new technologies allowing them to do so. The purpose of this dissertation is to make such a combined theoretical and applied contribution from the context of the emerging discipline of Texts and Technology. This dissertation explores the field of knowledge management (KM), particularly its relationship to the related study of artificial intelligence (AI), and then recommends a KM software application based on the principles of narratology and narrative information exchange. The focus of knowledge …

The New Girl, Angela Marie Meredith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The New Girl is a collection of poems in which the poet assumes a direct, unfeigned voice. These rhythmic poems cover the deeply personal to the universal and social. The body is presented as a record of experiences both good and bad. Feminist issues pertainingto marriage, work, and sexuality are explored. Whether the poem is about a personal relationship or some aspect of society, it is likely to be multi-dimensional and suggest a duality. Overall, the poems are rooted in the spiritual and attempt to relate, with holistic honesty, a sense of reverence for the impure parts of life.