Digital Commons Network^™

The Pearl Maiden's Psyche: The Middle English Pearl And The Allegorical-Visionary Impulse In Till We Have Faces, T. S. Miller

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Lewis’s firm assertion that Till We Have Faces is not the least bit allegorical is challenged through its parallels in plot and theme with the highly allegorical Middle English Pearl. The deep allegorical structures in both revolve around seeing truly and falsely, and blindness both intentional and ignorant.

Footnotes, Issue 10, Fall 2011, Department Of English

Footnotes: Department of English Newsletter (2008-2012)

No abstract provided.

Relocating Basic Writing., Bruce Horner

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

I frame the continuing value of basic writing as part of a long tradition in composition studies challenging dominant beliefs about literacy and language abilities, and I link basic writing to emerging--e.g."translingual"--approaches to language. I identify basic writing as vital to the field of composition in its rejection of simplistic notions of English, language, and literacy; its insistence on searching out the different in what might appear to be the same and the familiar; and its commitment to work with students consigned by dominant ideologies to the social periphery as in fact central, leading edge. These positions enable basic writing …

Defoe And The Project Of "Neighbors Fare", Joanne Myers

English Faculty Publications

This article argues that Daniel Defoe’s essay, Upon Projects (1695), works to imagine and restore neighborly connections amongst people increasingly distances from one another due to social and economic changes in Restoration life. Although Defoe’s novels are often understood to promote a typically modern individualism, his social-improvement projects present an alternative view of Defoe as committed to a robust sociability.

Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter, Vol. 20, No. 1, The Sinclair Lewis Society

Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter

“Lancelot Todd: A Case for Fictional Independence,” by Samuel J. Rogal, Illinois Valley Community College

“‘Another Perfect Day’: Weather, Mood, and Landscape in Sinclair Lewis’s Minnesota Diary,” by Frederick Betz, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

“American Expatriates in Interwar Europe: Sinclair Lewis’s Dodsworth,” by Bernhard Wenzl, Institute of Science and Technology, Vienna, Austria

“‘What If?’: The Second Life of John Wilkes Booth,” rev. of Barnaby, Conrad, The Second Life of John Wilkes Booth by Ted Fleener, Waterloo Community Schools, Waterloo, Iowa

“An Appreciation of Free Air,” by Levi Stahl, University of Chicago

Australian Aboriginal English And African American Language: The Development Of Marginalized Language Varieties, Sarah E. Hercula

The Hilltop Review

The development of distinct varieties of English is a diverse and interesting process. In places over the entire globe where once existed exclusively non-English speaking peoples, various forms of English are now used as the primary means of communication in many different settings: governmental, business, educational, and home. Frequently, new varieties of English form out of necessity as a way for groups of people with differing linguistic and cultural backgrounds to communicate and effectively coexist. Two such languages, Australian Aboriginal English and African American Language, though they developed within different circumstances, have some interesting similarities in terms of their origins …

Eng 2901-002-003: Structure Of English, Buck

Fall 2011

No abstract provided.

Eng 3009g-003: Myth And Culture: The Truth About Lies, Or, How The Study Of Culture Is A Myth, Wharram

Fall 2011

No abstract provided.

The Poetics Of James Dickey: The Early Motion, Douglas Keesey

English

No abstract provided.

Perception Of Social Presence In Asynchronous And Synchronous Online Discussion From The Perspective Of Native And Non-Native Speaker, Abdullah A. Alruhaimi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The technology innovation of telecommunication gave confidence to educational institutions to substitute some of their courses from traditional courses into virtual ones. This switch in education inspired globalization. The learners use either synchronous or asynchronous communication tools to interact with each other. Most previous studies in this field show that social presence is correlated with learner achievement satisfaction and interaction. So the researcher measured the level of social presence for both groups of learners, native and non-native speakers, across both types of online communication, synchronous and asynchronous communication. The researcher conducted a 2x2 split-plot ANOVA design with repeated measure for …

African Americans Perceptions Of The “N-Word” In The Context Of Racial Identity Attitudes, Keya Wiggins

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The “N-word” has been a pop-culture topic of interest which has fueled many heated discussions within the African American community. Given the history of the word nigger in America, the use of the word nigga among some African Americans may cause confusion among those who do not understand the phenomenon of African Americans‟ perceptions of the “N-word.” The present research was conducted to explore the phenomenon of African Americans‟ perceptions of both the words nigger and nigga in the context of racial identity attitudes. A primarily qualitative embedded mixed method model was utilized to gather information about feelings of group …

Racial Identity And Religiousness: Role Of Religion And Racial Identity On Substance Use In African American College Students, Chaz D. Mailey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study sought to explore the relationships between Black racial identity, religiosity, and substance use in African American college students. Religiosity has commonly been identified as a protective factor against substance use for many ethnic groups, and historically religion has played a significant role in the lives of African Americans. Surprisingly, some research suggests that while important, religiosity may not be as strong of a protective factor against abuse or excessive consumption of substances for African Americans as it is for other ethnicities (Amey, Albrect, & Miller, 1996). It has been suggested that for African Americans, a strong ethnic …

The Black Plumb Line: Re-Evaluating Race And Africanist Images In Non-Black Authored American Texts, Lashondra Vanessa Robinson

Dissertations

This study evaluates Africanisms (representations of racialized or ethnicized blackness) within three contemporary non-black authors’ texts: Jewish American Saul Bellow’s novel Henderson the Rain King, white southerner Melinda Haynes’ novel Mother of Pearl, and Nyurican poet Victor Hernández Cruz’s works “Mesa Blanca” and “White Table.” Though not entirely unproblematic, each selection somehow redefines black identity and agency to challenge denigrated representations of Africanist people and culture. In the process, each author subverts faulty components of American myths of racial purity, particularly stratifying black-white dualisms that promote whiteness, racial supremacy, and resulting undue privilege. This study also traces how Bellow, Haynes …

The Dark Continent: Europe's Encroachment Upon English Identity In Jane Eyre And Villette, Derek Williams

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Although there has been a deafening critical silence regarding Charlotte Bront‘'s representation of Continental identity in Jane Eyre (1847), this thesis argues that the Continental identity, as it appears in Jane Eyre, is a collection of negative cultural traits stereotypical of the Latinate countries and Germany. By creating associations between characters that embody English national identity and those that are an emblem of Continental identity, Bront‘ de-legitimizes the notion of national identity. Furthermore, her novels, specifically Jane Eyre and Villette (1853) highlight the fact that both France and Germany, elements of the Continental identity, are a central presence in …

Mythcon 42 - Monsters, Marvels, And Minstrels: The Rise Of Modern Medievalism, The Mythopoeic Society

Mythcon Programs

For the first time in its history, Mythcon will be held in New Mexico, whose state motto, fittingly, is "The Land of Enchantment." New Mexico is a state full of rich cultural traditions and fascinating mythologies. From Native American mythic figures such as Kokopelli and Spider Woman, to Hispanic folktales about La Llorona and El Cucui, as well as to conspiracy stories about Roswell aliens and Chupacabra, our desert landscapes are populated with an astoundingly fertile array of fantastical creatures and supernatural beings. The mythologies, folklore, and oral legends of New Mexico provide living traditions that inspire us to contemplate …

Footnotes, Issue 9, Spring-Summer 2011, Department Of English

Footnotes: Department of English Newsletter (2008-2012)

No abstract provided.

The New Chicana Heroine: Representations Of Anzaldua's Mestiza Consciousness In Chicana Feminist Cultural Productions, Monica E. Montelongo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis analyzes Gloria Anzaldúa‟s mestiza consciousness as a representation seen thematically in Chicana feminist cultural productions. Mestiza consciousness, defined in Anzaldúa‟s Borderlands/La Frontera, is a non-binary feminist ideology, which proposes a third space in female identity, explored in terms of gender, class, race, and sexuality identification. The representation of mestiza consciousness in Chicana feminist cultural productions is proposed as a new trope in Chicana\o cultural studies, which I term the “New Chicana Heroine.” The New Chicana Heroine is both a proposal and representation of a third space in female identity. An examination of several authors, artists, and filmmakers, spanning …

Ibn Arabshah: The Unacknowledged Debt Of Christopher Marlowe’S Tamburlaine, Ahlam M. Alruwaili

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis suggests strong relations between Marlowe’s Tamburlaine I & II and Ibn Arabshah’s 1436 account of Tamerlane’s Life (‘Ajaib al-maqdur fi nawa’ib Timur: The Wonders of Destiny Concerning the Calamities Wrought by Tamerlane), clarifies controversial issues, and explains previously baffling allusions editors have pondered long. In general, the thesis enriches our understanding of Marlowe's wide ranging sources, im­plies a critique of western-biased source scholarship, and opens possibilities to re-evaluate eastern contributions to the Renaissance in general. The first chapter high­lights some well-recognized events in the play and in historical sources (the caging of Bayazid and ill-treatment of his …

Death Becomes Her: Theodicy In Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Jack K. Mallard

Theses and Dissertations

A study of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, particularly "The Sound of Her Wings" and "The Kindly Ones: Part 13," demonstrates its theological richness. The Sandman's ability to participate in theodicy becomes clear by framing that study within a framework provided by Ernest Becker's ideas about the terror of death and Karen Armstrong's observations of the historical utility of negative theology and compassion. The analysis of the formal characteristics of The Sandman shows the range of aesthetic possibility inherent in the comics form. Lastly, the study makes apparent the continued readerly desire for engagement with questions about God, transcendence, …

Serious Extravagance: Romance Writing In Seventeenth-Century England, Amelia Zurcher

English Faculty Research and Publications

Although little recognized as such, the 17th century was a period of great energy and experimentation in British prose fiction, particularly romance. After a brief review of the criticism that has shaped our understanding of romance in the last few decades, this article considers some of the particular problems and tensions defining prose romance in its last great heyday, the Civil War and early Restoration period. French and English romance writers attributed to romance the capacity to be a more flexible and persuasive mode of historical writing than history itself, a storehouse of ‘examples’ both fictional and historical with which …

Things Are In People, People Are In Things: A Phenomenological Approach To H.D.'S Hermione And The Modernist Prosthetic Body, Alison Stone Roberg

Theses and Dissertations

H.D.'s autobiographical novel HERmione is phenomenological in texture. It portrays both sides of a dynamic process: the individual "creates" the world by adjusting a "psychic lens," projecting a mental space in which objects can appear; yet at the same time, the world imposes itself on the sensing subject. The framework within which this dynamic process occurs is the body; as the novel portrays, the body is the site of juxtapositions and transformations as it comes into contact with the world. In this article, I discuss the ways in which H.D. explores the boundaries and intersections between the human body and …

The Like Of Us Will Never Be Again" A Comparative Analysis Of The Contributions Of The Blasket Authors: Peig Sayers, Tomás O Criomhthain, And Muiris O Suilleabhain, Kelly Frances O'Donnell

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper will discuss, compare, and contrast the three main works of the Blasket Island authors: Peig, by Peig Sayers, The Islandman by Tomas O'Crohan, and Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan. It will seek to identify unique elements of style, content, and purpose among the three authors, and in doing so will illuminate each piece's contributions to Blasket lore. Collectively, the paper should serve as a thorough introduction to Blasket literature and its overall place in Irish literature

Navigating The Fourth Dimension: Nonlinear Narratives In Film, Literature, And Television, Jason R. Boulanger

Senior Honors Projects

Time is often considered the fourth dimension due to the fact that nothing can exist outside the confines of time. Since time is so intrinsic to the very nature of being in the world, creators of film, literature, and television, which are reflective of life, must at least implicitly confront concepts of time and temporality within their work. The intangibility of time presents many difficulties but also a great number of opportunities in accurately portraying its true function within the world.

Many literary works, films, and television programs directly confront concepts of time. Each medium with its own benefits and …

Discovering Determinacy In Shandy: A Readerly And Writerly Goose Chase, Michael R. Pauloski

Theses

No abstract provided.

Using Tasks Effectively To Teach Chinese As A Foreign Language To College Students In The U.S.A., Shengjie Lu

Theses

No abstract provided.

Bitter-Sweet Home: The Pastoral Ideal In African-American Literature, From Douglass To Wright, Robyn Merideth Preston-Mcgee

Dissertations

Discussions of the pastoral mode in American literary history frequently omit the complicated relationship between African Americans and the natural world, particularly as it relates to the South. The pastoral, as a sensibility, has long been an important part of the southern identity, for the mythos of the South long depended upon its association with a new “Garden of the World” image, a paradise dependent upon slave labor and a racial hierarchy to sustain it. For African Americans, the rural South has been both a home and a place of violence and oppression, particularly during the period of slavery through …

A Liberating Intent: The American Civics Curriculum In Illinois High Schools And The Development Of A Critically Constructive Citizenry, Gustavo David Albear

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Civics education and constructive criticality are not usually found within the same curriculum. In America the two concepts tend to be considered as antithetical in content and practice. Students and teachers do not approach education about the citizen‘s responsibilities with great necessity or urgency, and when they do approach the subject it is from the perspective of inherent rights that should not be questioned, since they are by birth granted, albeit only to some. The idea of criticality is also not considered to be part of the developmental need of a citizen, since the overall sentiment associated with it is …

Developing Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (Calp) In Diverse Classrooms, Kristen M. Lillywhite

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The process of second language acquisition was studied by examining the distinction between basic interpersonal conversation skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). This distinction, originally proposed by linguist Jim Cummins, relates to current trends in the U.S public education system. A review of the literature was conducted and integrated with information obtained by interviewing local language arts teachers. The primary goal of the study was to learn how public school teachers conceptualize second language acquisition and literacy instruction. The thesis also addresses how the BICS/CALP distinction can be applied in real classroom settings. Teachers reported that low student …

Crossing Borders: Cultural And Linguistic Passages In The Poetry Of Pat Mora And Gary Soto, Amber Christine Bowden

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Poets Pat Mora and Gary Soto have long been a presence in anthologies citing their multicultural content, yet their work has not been placed as part of the classroom canon. By leaving their work out of the classroom, we have lost the benefit of their diverse poetry. As the demographics of Utah shift, including works such as Mora and Soto’s becomes more essential for student success. In a close textual analysis of seventeen poems by Mora and Soto we can see that each poet uses a variety of themes to frame their verse. Not only does an overall analysis show …

"The Way Of The World Is To Bloom And Flower And Die": The Palindrome Of Knowing In Cormac Mccarthy's The Road, Joseph Clark

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Meaning has been the topic of much commentary on Cormac McCarthy’s work. Critics posit an array of conclusions about meaning in his corpus, ranging from its impossibility to its excess. Much work concludes that if meaning exists, it is generated from an interplay between the natural world that McCarthy describes in his work and the characters who interact with it. With The Road, McCarthy offers his clearest presentation of meaning as it pertains to human knowing. In this presentation, McCarthy explores knowing through a beginning-in-ending, or palindromatic scheme; he arrives at the origins of knowing by reaching its terminus mirror. …