English Language and Literature Commons^™

Wild Tongues In Education: Anzaldúa, Linguistic Oppression, And Power Culture, Alexandra Harker

BYU English Symposium

The issue of educating immigrants who do not speak English as their first language has been an extremely heated topic for decades. The American education system has chosen to deal with this issue in various ways, including the controversial English Only movement that has been implemented for some time in Arizona as well as other states. This research paper explores how linguistic oppression has occurred and continues to occur in the American education system using Gloria Anzaldúa's piece "How to Tame a Wild Tongue" as a primary resource. Anzaldúa's firsthand experiences with the American education system as well as the …

The Power Of Speech: Speech-Recognition Software In The Writing Process, Lauren Fine

BYU English Symposium

The relationship between speaking and writing, specifically how speech can help us improve writing, has been discussed extensively by composition scholars (Leander and Prior 2004; Elbow 2012). However, little empirical research has been done to support these theories of how speech affects writing. In this paper, I report on a preliminary study I performed to discover this connection, specifically looking at how speech-recognition software could be used to help inexperienced writers overcome problems like writer’s block or unnatural phrasing. By having students compose aloud for 15 minutes and then interviewing them about the process, I learned that speech recognition software …

Timshel: The Monomyth In East Of Eden, Nikkita Walker

BYU English Symposium

Steinbeck’s East of Eden utilizes mythical and Biblical stories to create an allegorical bridge to understanding what he considered the fundamental story of mankind - man's conscious mastery of himself. Joseph Campbell, a literary theorist and contemporary with Steinbeck elaborated on this same concept in 1949 in his work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, wherein he posited that, universally, the story at the heart of mythology is an awareness of the human ability to consciously act. Steinbeck’s East of Eden acts as a contemporary myth through which Steinbeck communicates the eternal myth he considered the “one story in …

Redefining Atonement In The Eco-Dystopian World Of Margaret Atwood's Oryx & Crake, Rachel Gilman

BYU English Symposium

What if there was no God? Margaret Atwood’s Oryx & Crake infiltrates a faithful reader’s mind to consider her eco-dystopian world with this question in mind. From a perspective of faith in God and in atonement, considering this dystopian world becomes an exercise in placing human identity in the context of self-creation and self-destruction rather than in divine origin. Without a spiritual genesis of animals and the natural environment, their purpose becomes more dictated by the progress of human need and their end becomes less intertwined with the fate of humanity. Characters that act as creators and destroyers who are …

Alive And Human: Situating Wallace, Lethem, And Russell In Contemporary Fiction, Carissa Kampmeier

Theses and Dissertations

This project will attempt to provide an outline of some of the most salient constructions of present-day literary fiction, where those constructions might overlap or conflict, and how various contemporary authors and their works might usefully fit within those constructions. This project will argue that fiction-writers following postmodernism are presented with a unique problem of how to write fiction in a way that acknowledges the problems of using language as a primary meaning-making structure without falling down a linguistic rabbit hole where a text ceases to be about anything other than itself. Beginning with David Foster Wallace, this project will …

Politics And Theology Of Flannery O’Connor: How They Coincide In “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, Baylee Vasquez

BYU English Symposium

Michael L. Schroeder fastidiously argues that because O’Connor’s “Everything that Rises Must Converge” focuses on the dynamics of a relationship between a self-righteous white liberal and his “racist but not malicious” mother, it is a political parable reflecting O’Connor’s beliefs about the shared racial responsibility of the civil rights movement (Schroeder 45). However, he neglects the story’s important religious underpinnings, therefore failing to grasp O’Connor’s underlying attitude about the issues of desegregation and civil rights, and also the necessary juxtaposition between Christian values with racial tolerance. Through characterization and imagery, O’Connor shows that the ideals of racial equality and individual …

Memory—Midnight’S Children’S Locus Of Truth, Brittany Strobelt

BYU English Symposium

This paper explores truth as it applies to Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, particularly how memory--a fallible human reconstruction of experience--conveys truth. I do so by drawing a parallel between memory and philosophy; whereas the French philosopher Alain Badiou sees philosophy as a locus for truth, I see memory as a locus for truth. Both philosophy and memory as locii of truth create spaces in which truth can expand, can go beyond fact, and can be deeper. I further strengthen the importance of imperfect memory's usage as a locus for truth by relating it to Rushdie's use of magical realism.

The Blind Can See: Revisiting Disability In Jane Eyre, Gina Schneck

BYU English Symposium

Scholars have often criticized Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre for its antiquated approach to disability. However, these scholars tend to focus on physical or biological disability without delving into the possibility of metaphorical disability (such as Jane's naiveté). By looking at disability as both literal and figurative, we can see how both Jane and Edward are blind, and that their story is one of learning to see through breaking down the binaries associated with blindness and disability.

The “Wonderment” Of Oz: Theosophy And Religious Leadership In Oz, Heather M. White

BYU English Symposium

Too often when analyzing L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Baum’s spiritual beliefs are not applied to perceiving the meaning behind the novel. I argue that Baum’s belief in the spiritual movement of Theosophy is imbued throughout the novel to show how one cannot rely on corrupt religious leaders and must have a personal connection with spiritualism. Through these aspects of Theosophy in the novel, Baum exhibits how to attain one’s potential through personal spirituality. I continue on to explain how the novel and Theosophy have a symbiotic relationship: the novel outlines Theosophy in a more easily understood …

“I Could Do With Less Caressing”: Sexual Abuse In The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall, Andrew S. Doub

BYU English Symposium

Anne Brontë’s 1848 novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall has long been called a seminal text in the feminist literary canon. Although a fair amount of recent scholarship has been written on the element of domestic violence found within its pages, most critics concede that Brontë stops short of depicting actual physical abuse between Helen Huntingdon and her husband Arthur. However, this paper suggests that scholars have overlooked Helen’s explicit reports of being sexually assaulted by her husband and their significance. By including the element in her story, Brontë entered her description of marital sexual abuse into the public discourse …

Evil Deity: How White Racist Christians Made God Bad, William Guajardo

BYU English Symposium

Zora Neille Hurston, Stephan Haynes, and Langston Hughes address African-American literature’s relation to traditional, Christian, white-American beliefs. Black literature consistently shows a deep distrust of Christian teachings due to the historic attempts to force blacks into an oppressive ideology of willing servitude. The pressure to conform to an antagonistic religion produced various reactions from African-Americans, including: assimilation, subversion, and even rejection of white Christian beliefs. These black authors struggle to come to terms with a seemingly empty religion thrust upon them by a hostile and oppressive racial force driven by a biased, white-master-favoring god (lower-case). They are unable to find …

A Man Of This Time: Memory And Sheriff Bell’S First-Person Narratives In Cormac Mccarthy’S No Country For Old Men, Marie-Reine Pugh

BYU English Symposium

Critics often focus on the violence in Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men. But the function of memory in Sheriff Bell’s first-person narratives has yet to be examined. Bell may claim to be defeated by the events of the story and the changing times, but the structure of the novel bespeaks a greater importance: his voice marks the beginning and ending of the novel, of each new chapter. His narratives reveal the struggle between his collective and personal memories. In the end, Bell is able to settle in a less conflicted place mediated by his closest relations—his family—where he …

Seeing And Not Believing: A Critique Of Post-Civil War America’S Loss Of Faith Through A Spectral Medium, Alan J. Hickey

BYU English Symposium

This paper examines the use of ghosts in three pieces of post-Civil War American literature, namely, Herman Melville's Clarel, Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, and Robert Frost's "Ghost House." Specifically, I use Srdjan Smajic's critical theories on ghosts to formally analyze how these authors use aspects of ghost-seeing to critique science's dependence on empirical evidence. I find that ghosts in these pieces of literature serve as a tool to question the maxim, "seeing is believing," showing that empirical evidence should not overshadow faith.

Images Of Horror: Tracing Frankenstein’S Fear-Myth Through Comic Books And Graphic Novels, Audra Coleman

BYU English Symposium

When compiling information for my presentation, I found that there were many different visual representations of Frankenstein’s monster. While these differed in a few ways, each depiction of the monster’s physical body still traced its roots back to the original novel. Each new artist still attempted to create a bodily image that invokes a specific fear: mainly that what we fear the most are our own bodies. In my essay, I explore these various ways the visual representation of Frankenstein’s monster both represents this fear-myth and creates new images for the monster. Due to their heavy visuals and tradition of …

What Of "Kubla Khan"?, Pablo I. Tapia

BYU English Symposium

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "Kubla Khan," tends to avoid interpretation. Years of scholarship have approached the poem differently, and many critics have dismissed Coleridge's "Preface" to the poem, stating it is merely an explanation for the poem's incompleteness. This paper looks over several popular interpretations of the poem, but it attempts to establish the the "Preface" has become part of the poem, not only for its description of the conditions the poem was written in, but also for Coleridge's process of creating poetry. Although some of the popular approaches shed light on bits and pieces of the poem, they fail …

American Masculinity, Corinn Pratt

BYU English Symposium

This paper explores Walt Whitman’s “Children of Adam” and contends that the writer and his work are an embodiment of American masculinity. Within our current culture neither Whitman nor his work would be perceived as masculine, let alone the epitome of it. However, a review of historical information within Whitman’s time period, particularly Dr. Fowler’s book of creative and sexual science, gives a unique view of masculinity and of Whitman. Taking this information into consideration Whitman’s “Children of Adam” takes on new meaning. This paper concludes that a historical reading leads one to realize that Whitman believes himself to be …

Kenneth Burke's Poetic Metaphor And Obama As Poet, Devon S. Cook

BYU English Symposium

This essay connects Kenneth Burke’s briefly used poetic metaphor with his theories on the use of “poetic” language in the essay “Semantic and Poetic Meaning.” What results from this synthesis is a critical tool for rhetorical analysis which allows for the discussion of style as a vehicle for communication about ethics and morals in public discourse. Obama’s The Audacity of Hope is used as the example of a text which uses “poetic” language in order to discuss moral and ethical issues in a national arena. Obama ultimately dramatizes his own synthesis of values, putting himself in the position of a …

A Holler To My Sisters On Welfare: Mothers In The Works Of Shakur And Hughes, Wesley Turner

BYU English Symposium

For the purposes of this paper, I will juxtapose the work of Tupac Shakur with Langston Hughes in order to reveal Shakur’s engagement with African American literary history. Both Hughes and Shakur have recurring maternal relationships in their works. However, both artists incorporate these relationships very differently. Hughes primarily discussed mothers and children in order to show how far African Americans have come in gaining equal rights in their country. His mother-child relationships are ones that hope for continued steps towards equality and a breakdown of the black/white color line. Shakur, however, discusses children and mothers in the context of …

Religion In Young Adult Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Natasha B. Mickelson

BYU English Symposium

Young adult contemporary realistic fiction attempts to portray real life, and readers of these novels should be able to relate to the characters therein. While many YA novels deal with controversial topics in an attempt to be realistic, one aspect of life still largely considered a literary “taboo” is religion.

Through examining studies done and looking at a sample of novels in the YA contemporary realistic fiction genre I found that most of these books either mention nothing about the religious beliefs and backgrounds of their characters or religion is portrayed negatively. Since this genre attempts to portray real-life teenagers, …

The Castle Of Otranto As A Christmas Ghost Story, Conor Hilton

BYU English Symposium

The seasonal Christmas ghost story tradition pre-dates Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but the narrative is filled with holes. Some place The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole within this narrative, striving to fill the gaps that exist. Despite the novel’s publication on Christmas Eve and note in the preface that it is part of the canon of the Church of St. Nicholas, the evidence is too thin to make a definitive claim that Otranto was written as a Christmas ghost story. In fact, examining newspaper archives from the eighteenth century surrounding the publication of Otranto, delving into …

Oz: A Reflection Of America, Monica D. Allen

BYU English Symposium

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum was one of America’s first fairy tales. As such America is embedded, as well as outright discussed, in the book. It is quite clear that around the turn of the century Baum saw the need for a change in America involving the economy and leadership, and noted that this change was beginning to take place. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz reflects this and in his book, Baum brings two conflicting ideas of what America was becoming—the Emerald City—and what he thought America should be like—the rest of Oz, specifically the Munchkin …

Pay No Attention To That Man: Government Crimes In The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Isaac Lyman

BYU English Symposium

L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" demonstrates the deeper motivations behind his editorials on the treatment of Native Americans in the 19th century. Specifically, the principal kingdoms and rulers of the novel mistreat and endanger their constituents in the same way that 19th-century governments marginalized and oppressed the scarcest and weakest of their country's denizens. The Winged Monkeys of Oz exhibit the characteristics of a society of "noble savages," words Baum used to lament and encourage the extermination of the Native Americans, amid heated cultural concerns about the safety of white settlers after the Wounded Knee Massacre. The …

Baum's Dorothy And The Power Of Identity, Camille Pay

BYU English Symposium

L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz portrays a relationship between Dorothy as an individual and Oz as a whole; however, this relationship has been viewed by critics as solely political. Dorothy penetrated Oz deeper than political interference, though: she enabled those around her by helping them in personal ways. When Dorothy first entered Oz, she acted as a political catalyst, but throughout the story, she became a more intimate leader by enabling those around her. She made it possible for her companions to act, later helping them to be leaders themselves. Through Baum’s inclusion of Dorothy in The …

"That Lady, Sir, Is Her Own Mistress": Evelina's Condemnation Of Rape Culture, Rose Hadden

BYU English Symposium

Fanny Burney’s 18th Century novel Evelina is a canny critique of rape culture and the pervasive assumption of female consent. Evelina navigates a social world in which she nominally has the right to say no to anyone in any matter regarding her own body, but where that right is consistently undermined by social punishment, victim blaming, and deliberate ignorance. Earlier scholars have characterized Evelina’s compliance as a flaw in her character, a result of her lack of confidence and experience, but I contest that Burney’s text clearly absolves Evelina herself of all guilt. Burney instead condemns the society that would …

You Grow This Way: An Analysis Of Mother And Daughter Selves In Anne Sexton’S Poem “Little Girl, My Stringbean, My Lovely Woman", Kennerley Roper

BYU English Symposium

The maternal speaker in Anne Sexton's poem “Little Girl, My Stringbean, My Lovely Woman” speaks to her maturing daughter about the wonders of the female body by revising the literary tradition that already exists about the female body. What the speaker ultimately conveys to her daughter is the power the body has through the use of parallel body and earth imagery. However, the daughter is distanced from this notion through a contrasting image: the string bean. The speaker uses that distance to show the mixed images of entanglement and separation of mother and daughter in order to expound wisdom to …

Rhetorical Leadership: Intentionality And Communication, Katherine L. Neish

BYU English Symposium

This presentation aims to explore how intentionality factors into effective communication and the importance of this communication in the role of rhetorical leaders. Rhetorical leaders have an ethical responsibility to their followers to create a space in their conversations for constructive feedback, and rhetorical followers have an ethical responsibility to provide that feedback in a constructive manner. When both rhetorical leaders and rhetorical followers intentionally fulfill these responsibilities, they stand the best chance of being understood and furthering the pursuit of truth.

“The Black Cat:” A Reflection Of Pre-Civil War Slavery, Hannah Walker

BYU English Symposium

In 1843, Edgar Allan Poe published “The Black Cat” amid one of the most foreboding ages in American history: the pre-Civil War era. Critics often attempt to make sense of the violent plot of Poe’s classic by pointing to flaws in the human psyche or supernatural undertones which pervade many of Poe’s other pieces. However, by recognizing distinct parallels between the Southern practice of slavery and symbolic plot points in “The Black Cat,” readers can unveil richer implications behind Poe’s dark tale. Specifically, “The Black Cat” functions as a racial allegory that depicts the injustices of slavery and, ultimately, shows …

What Of "Kubla Khan"?, Pablo I. Tapia

BYU English Symposium

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, "Kubla Khan," tends to avoid interpretation. Years of scholarship have approached the poem differently, and many critics have dismissed Coleridge's "Preface" to the poem, stating it is merely an explanation for the poem's incompleteness. This paper looks over several popular interpretations of the poem, but it attempts to establish that the "Preface has become part of the poem, not only for its description of the conditions the poem was written in, but also for Coleridge's process of creating poetry. Although some of the popular approaches shed light on bits and pieces of the poem, they fail …

American Masculinity As Presented By Walt Whitman, Corinn Pratt

BYU English Symposium

As a homosexual Romantic poet neither Walt Whitman nor his work would immediately come to mind as particularly masculine. However, through a brief historical look at what Whitman was learning about as well as a close reading at some of the text it is clear that Whitman paints a very masculine picture. Whitman uses the sexual act as a way to understand what it means to be a man with himself at the helm. Within “Children of Adam” is Whitman uses this ultimate fulfillment of gender relations to explore masculinity and ultimately paints himself as the embodiment of masculinity.

Empathic Encounters: Negotiating Identity In 9/11 Fiction And Translation, Kirsty A. Hemsworth

The Quiet Corner Interdisciplinary Journal

Dominated by the polarized strategies of domestication and foreignization, conventional literary translation approaches tend to operate on the assumption that source and target cultures, and, by extension, their literary works, are fundamentally irreconcilable on the basis of linguistic, stylistic and ideological differences. Dislocated by the traumatic force of the event, only to be further uprooted by the translation process itself, the identities at stake in American works of 9/11 fiction cannot be so clearly differentiated and securely defined. Moreover, any attempt to fictionalize and translate this real-world trauma inevitably encounters the event as a visual singularity, whereby the image supersedes …