English Language and Literature Commons^™

Sleepy Summers, Rachel Carter

Student Scholarship – English

My name is Rachel Carter. At the time of this writing, I am a senior majoring in English and Writing at Olivet Nazarene University.

For me, poetry is a breath of fresh air for me when I have nothing else to do. That’s sort of what these poems are about--having nothing to do in the summer, especially in 2020 during the pandemic. Home is in Ingleside, Illinois and after awhile, things stay the same there and I like static environments but I’m learning that I want to grow and change and I don’t think I had realized that yet when …

Experiencing History: A Roundtable Discussion Of Architecture, Theatre, And Culture Of England, Elyse Lamszus, Andrew Hoag, Riley Basick, Katherine Bosma, Autumn Bruens, Alaina Durr, Cynthia Morales, Madelynn Norton, Laura Rankin, Benjamin Ridler, Remington Ross, Lia Shomaly, Anna Shoup, Kaitlyn Tibbetts, Becca Witvoet, Emily Yerge

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This presentation features a roundtable discussion among students who traveled to England during Spring Break, March 5-11, 2022. This presentation seeks to share primary and secondary research about England’s architecture and theatre, as well as additional insights about England’s culture and history gained through first-hand experiences of traveling within the city of London and to Stonehenge and Bath.

Elaia 2019, Stephen Case

ELAIA

DIRECTOR'S NOTE in Volume 2

Each fall, the Honors Program at Olivet Nazarene University admits a small number of academically gifted students into its freshman class. From the moment they set foot on our campus, these women and men join a community of scholars, and together they read, reflect upon, and discuss the most important ideas of the past and present—all within a Christian fellowship. The first two years of the program involve a series of Honors courses, taught by a team of faculty and modeled on the historic “old-time college,” where small class relationships, interdisciplinary discussion, and debate prevailed. …

It's Not The End Of The World: An Analysis Of The Similarities In Dystopian Literature And Their Shared Reflection Of The Innate Fears Of Humanity, Marlena G. Kalafut

ELAIA

This thesis analyzed common aspects of six major works of dystopian literature to assess their commonalities, as well as their authors’ motivations in writing. Dystopian literature explores the major flaws of humanity, as well as the extent to which society could descend into chaos while simultaneously believing it is creating a better world. This thesis did not argue that within the studied works are all the same dystopian characteristics. Instead, it analyzed select dystopian qualities and made comparisons between the dystopian novels that share them, all of which were impacted by the utopian goals modeled in Plato’s The Republic, Thomas …

Tolkien's Tribute To England And Its Roots In Beowulf, Elisa Lee Klaasen

ELAIA

This thesis endeavors to explore the connections between J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and its predecessor, the famous medieval text Beowulf. Though Tolkien seldom talked about his own use of Beowulf, his fascination with the text is obvious in his many writings and lectures. Thus, this thesis uses Tolkien’s own writings as well as the scholarly writings of others to explore his integration of tropes and themes from Beowulf. A case is simultaneously made for the impact that the integration of Beowulf has on Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Arguably, Tolkien’s utilization of medieval …

It's Not The End Of The World: An Analysis Of The Similarities In Dystopian Literature And Their Shared Refletion Of The Innate Fears Of Humanity, Marlena G. Kalafut

Honors Program Projects

This thesis analyzed common aspects of six major works of dystopian literature to assess their commonalities, as well as their authors’ motivations in writing. Dystopian literature explores the major flaws of humanity, as well as the extent to which society could descend into chaos while simultaneously believing it is creating a better world. This thesis did not argue that within the studied works are all the same dystopian characteristics. Instead, it analyzed select dystopian qualities and made comparisons between the dystopian novels that share them, all of which were impacted by the utopian goals modeled in Plato’s The Republic, …

The Boys And The Bees, Lauren Mohler

Student Scholarship – English

In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, the pear tree is seen as a symbol of Janie Crawford's sexuality and self-discovery. However, the pear tree can also be used to analyze Hurston's use of flipped gender roles and Freud's theories on physical maturation. Janie takes on the role of the bee, rather than the flower she wishes to be, in order to go through her journey to self-discovery and change Eatonville by sharing what she has learned.

The Use Of Diverse Young Adult Literature In High School Classrooms, Lauren Mohler

Student Scholarship – English

This departmental honors project outlined research that has been completed on the benefits of incorporating young adult literature in the secondary English Language Arts classroom and discussed the benefits of using young adult literature as a means of introducing students to various aspects of diversity. While young adult literature continues to grow in popularity among teen readers, there are many negative connotations associated with texts falling under this label and their merit within the classroom. Similarly, classroom dynamics are becoming more diverse each year through the number of students representing different races, ethnicities, ability levels, interests, socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, and …

“Glossing” The Text: Gendered Biblical Interpretation In Chaucer’S Canterbury Tales, Karen Knudson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Not available.

It's Not The End Of The World: An Analysis Of The Similarities In Dystopian Literature And Their Shared Reflection Of The Innate Fears Of Humanity, Marlena G. Kalafut

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This article analyzed common aspects of six major works of dystopian literature to assess their commonalities, as well as their authors’ motivations in writing. Dystopian literature explores the major flaws of humanity, as well as the extent to which society could descend into chaos while simultaneously believing it is creating a better world. This thesis did not argue that within the studied works are all the same dystopian characteristics. Instead, it analyzed select dystopian qualities and made comparisons between the dystopian novels that share them, all of which were impacted by the utopian goals modeled in Plato’s The Republic, …

The Use Of Chinglish (Chinese-English) In The Public Places In China, Kashama Mulamba

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The first linguistic surprise a speaker of English will encounter upon arrival in China is Chinglish. Chinglish is found everywhere in China. Oliver L. Radtke (2007) puts it so well in his book, Chinglish: Found in translation, “I spotted it throughout, often in the most unsuspected places. I found it on hotel room doors and brightly lit highway billboards, construction sites and soccer balls, condoms and pencil boxes” (p. 6). Chinglish is characterized by its humor and sometimes mis-use of grammar. “Chinglish,” says Radtke, “is very funny because of the sometimes scarily direct nature of the new meaning produced …

Hit With The Truth, Cara Triebold

Student Scholarship – English

This paper applies the hegelian dialectic to Flannery O’Conner’s short story, “Revelation,” revealing themes of self-recognition and truth.

Can The Holy Grail Teach Us About Holiness?, Karen Knudson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

In Malory's Tale of the Sankgreal, Galahad is presented as a knight who, as part of a magus tradition, is unique to history, with singular, supernatural traits as he completes the quest for the Holy Grail, but who, as part of another tradition, is also presented as a pilgrim in whose footsteps the earnest, Christian knight can follow and learn. Through the narrative of medieval romance, the pilgrim Galahad illuminates the path from practical wisdom, through disengagement with worldly realities, to ultimate union with Christ.

Reading Stanley Fish On Milton Or Reading Milton: Which Do You Prefer To Do?, Rebecca Belcher-Rankin

Scholar Week 2016 - present

“Perhaps a class in literary theory will not be taught in the future,” I said, to which my colleague replied, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that. . . .” She believed that theory came between the writer’s work and the reader, interfering with a pure reading. Although the movement to let literature “speak for itself” is growing, undergraduates should learn theory because it opens texts in a variety of ways, it makes students aware of their own cultural approach, and, according to theorist Terry Eagleton, it allows for a “democratic impulse” in the study of literature. Writers …

The Still Slamming Door: Relevance Of A Doll’S House In The 21st Century, Hope Morris

Student Scholarship – English

The infamous slamming door at the end of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House has been controversial from its beginning, leaving audiences with uncertainties about the meaning of family, morality, and personal responsibility. Written in 1879 when the “women’s issue” was still a relatively new subject, the play was met with criticism for its radical female protagonist and her decision to abandon her marriage. In a society where a woman’s primary role was one of domesticity and subservience to her husband, the ending of A Doll’s House was disquieting to audiences. However, Ibsen’s masterpiece remains just as controversial and important today. …

A Mixtape For Your Minivan: Writing The Line Between Fiction And Non, Emily Lohr

Honors Program Projects

The following paper is an overview of the creation of the novella, A Mixtape for your Minivan, a coming-of-age story set in Cleveland during the Great Recession. This paper features an overview on novellas as a genre, an in-depth look at the drafting and editing process the author undertook while writing this novella, and a summary of all historical research done in relation to the novella. The paper also features excerpts from the first draft of the work, and author reflections on the various drafts. The following paper was written to partially fulfill the requirements of Olivet Nazarene’s Honors …

Finding Freedom From Blindness, Elisa Klaassen

Student Scholarship – English

This piece explores the motif of vision that is used repeatedly throughout J.M. Coetzee's novel Waiting for the Barbarians. Hegel's master-slave dialectic theory can help readers understand the power struggles that are found throughout the novel, as demonstrated through the motif of vision and blindness.

The Changing Nature Of Catastrophe: A History Of Semantic Shift, Justine Von Arb

Honors Program Projects

Catastrophe, and the reporting of catastrophe, is prevalent in the present age, and catastrophic events are a part of the cultural memory. For America, events such as 9/11, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Hurricane Katrina, and the Challenger explosion, along with many other events, have filled newspapers and books, inspired documentaries and memorials, and, in many ways, reshaped the country. This paper investigated the changing nature of the word "catastrophe" and discovered the context of and the reasons for the shift in its meaning in 1748, as recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary. The Greek roots of the word, …

A New Definition Of Magic Realism: An Analysis Of Three Novels As Examples Of Magic Realism In A Postcolonial Diaspora, Sarah Anderson

Honors Program Projects

In the world of literature, magic realism has yet to find its place as an established genre or style. The following paper posits that magic realism stems from marginalized writers in a postcolonial diaspora, attempting to make sense of their world without the influence of Western gaze. Gabriel García Márquez in his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude, Salman Rushdie in his novel Midnight’s Children, and Toni Morrison in her novel Paradise use similar elements of magic realism in order to establish a grounding mythology for their cultures. These three novels can demonstrate the direction of fiction that uses magic …

Three Removes From Truth: The Motif Of Representation In Literature, Justine Von Arb

Student Scholarship – English

This paper explores the motif of representation in a variety of texts to better understand the power that these representations have as a social force. The use of representation in literature has changed throughout history, and the paper analyzes the role of representation in six different fictional texts and in several different critical theories. It gives further consideration to the changing nature of photography in a postmodern world where a true original is never created due to the proliferation of cell phone cameras, digital photograph sharing, and photography-specific social networking websites. In an increasingly visually literate world, photography is a …

Children's/Young Adult (Ya) Author Event: Tim Green Author Visit, Roxanne M. Forgrave

Grant Reports

The Children’s/Young Adult Author Committee at Olivet Nazarene University received a $2500 Community Engagement Grant from the university. Because of this grant, the university hosted Tim Green, a former NFL football player who is now authoring books of primary interest to fourth through eighth graders. The success of this grant is difficult to measure, but in numbers, more than 3200 4^th - 8^th grade students and their teachers attended his speaking events during his two day visit. Green autographed more than 400 books for the attendees. Regarding reading motivation, area teachers have and still are reporting students, boys …

F.F. Bruce: A Life, By Tim Grass, Craighton T. Hippenhammer

Faculty Scholarship – Library Science

Frederick Fyvie Bruce (1910-1990) was one of the most influential evangelical biblical scholars of the last half of the Twentieth Century within the UK and the United States at a time when highly respected evangelical academics were rare and almost non-existent. Over his lifetime he wrote over two thousand articles and reviews plus four dozen books, mostly about the Bible, biblical commentary and interpretation, and classical language translation. His approach was nonsectarian and inclusive, from the standpoint of insightful biblical translation rather than systematized theology. This biography is a fully realized, in-depth treatment, covering both Bruce’s academic career and personal …

Teaching The Northern Ireland Troubles Through History And Literature, Sarah Anne Jensen

Honors Program Projects

History and literature complement each other. The study of history can be beneficial to understanding literature, as literature can be beneficial to understanding history. Seamus Heaney’s poetry concerning the Troubles can be better understood with a background in the history of the conflict as well as some knowledge about Heaney’s own views. Through examining Heaney’s poetry with history and biography in mind, a greater understanding of the poetry can be achieved. Through the reading of Heaney’s poetry, a better insight into the personal side of the conflict can help the reader understand the conflict as well. The same applies to …

Unguessed Kinships: The Undercurrents Of Poetic Language In Heart Of Darkness And Blood Meridian, Emily D. Spunaugle

Honors Program Projects

This paper explores the similarities in plot, themes, and characterization between Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. The two texts differ, however,· in terms of genre and language style: whereas Heart of Darkness avoids giving explicit details of its depraved character Mr. Kurtz in the Congo, Blood Meridian is frank in its enumeration of violence in southwestern America. Also, whereas the landscape of Heart of Darkness is described in terms similar to Julia Kristeva's female-oriented semiotic language, the landscape of Blood Meridian is similar to Kristeva's male-structured, symbolic language. McCarthy's text thus serves as the explication …

Everyman, A Modern Adaptation (Or, Number's Down), Merrick Robison

Honors Program Projects