English Language and Literature Commons^™

The Pathology Of Rhetoric In Coriolanus, Yvonne Bruce

English Faculty Publications

Coriolanus seems to be a play of action, a dramatized world of mutinous citizens, plotting tribunes, famine, war, and banishment. Yet what really happens in this world? The citizens never realize their mutiny. Brutus and Sicinius never realize their illdefined plot, Coriolanus' consulship is rescinded, the mutual banishment of Coriolanus is undone by his resolve not to make "true wars" against Rome. and the defeat of Aufidius in act one becomes a meaningless victory when Coriolanus is in turn defeated in the final scene of the play. Perhaps it is more accurate to call Coriolanus a play of action, a …

Book Chapter: The Politics Of Language, Tony Crowley

Scripps Faculty Publications and Research

The most familiar account of the connection between language, mind, and identity, however, comes to us in the work of the post-Kantian idealists such as Fichte and Humboldt. And it is with the legacy of their thought that I will be concerned here.

The Selected Language Styles Of African Americans In An Urban Environment, Danielle R. England

McCabe Thesis Collection

The overall scope of this research is to define and explain the different styles of African American English. What are they and how do they affect the American society? The means by which many African Americans communicate is different from what American deems as standard American English (SAE). To this date, the voice of Black America has been categorizes as Black Dialect, African American Vernacular English, and Black English. Only until recently has the Black voice been regarded as Ebonics. Where did these language styles originate and why do we continue to speak it? Of course, there is nothing wrong …

Wittgenstein's Ladder: Poetic Language And The Strangeness Of The Ordinary, Michael Fischer

English Faculty Research

In a frequently quoted remark from Philosophical Investigations. Wittgenstein comments on our overlooking things because they are familiar, or right in front of us every day: "One is unable to notice something-because it is always before one's eyes" (§129). We take these things for granted instead of appreciating their strangeness. For readers of this journal, one of these familiar things might be the very project of drawing on philosophy while discussing works of literature. Not every critic does this; the New Critics, for instance, hardly ever did. From a certain point of view, turning to philosophy feels forced or odd, …

Aboriginality And English : Report To The Australian Research Council, Ian G. Malcolm, Marek M. Koscielecki

Research outputs pre 2011

The relation of aboriginality to English has important implications for communication between Aborigines and other Australians, and especially for the education of Aboriginal and other Australian children within a context of reconciliation.

The investigation of which this is the final report derives from the assumptions that Aboriginal English has been maintained at least in part because of its function' as a bearer of aboriginality and that, by exploring the nature of the distinctiveness of this dialect and the historical circumstances of its formation and ongoing development we may better understand how to provide appropriately for the communicative and educational needs …

Frodo And His Spectre: Blakean Resonances In Tolkien, Charles E. Noad

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

Comparisons between Blake and Tolkien are tempting, not least because of superficial resemblances, but more valid comparisons can be made in their treatment of similar underlying themes. One such is that shown in the opposition of Los and his Spectre (Blake) and of Frodo and Gollum (Tolkien), where a comparison points up the outlooks and limitations of both writers.

A Mythology For England, Carl F. Hostetter, Arden R. Smith

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

As J.R.R. Tolkien developed a mythology for his invented languages to dwell and grow in, he found himself increasingly drawn to satisfy himself his desire for a true English epic. Tolkien this encompassed elements of English geography, language, and mythology within his geography, languages, and mythology, as demonstrated through an examination of five figures of Tolkien's mythology, Eärendil, Ermon, and Elmir, Ælfwine, and Ingwë.

"Nothingness/ In Words Enclose" : Supplementarity And The "Veil" Of Language In Samuel Beckett's Murphy And Watt, Justin P. Jakovac

Master's Theses

Samuel Beckett has asserted that language is a "veil" in which he must "bore one hole after another..., until what lurks behind it - be it something or nothing - begins to seep through." This thesis employs Derrida's assertion that language involves the play of differance and the supplementarity of the sign. Since the supplement, in Derrida's words, "fills and marks a determined lack," language calls attention to the gap of nothingness already present in the play of differance. Murphy and Watt present both the desire for "semantic succour" of the veil and the awareness - more fully …

Development Of An English For Gospel Purposes Vocabulary List: The Latter-Day Saint Lexicon As A Second Language, Jennifer H. Burrill

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to explore the non-native English-speaking LDS adult's comprehension of the English LDS lexicon. Stahle (1981) conducted a study of the LDS lexicon which established at least 249 words as "basic" vocabulary. The current study had two foci: it first sought to determine how difficult these words were in both English and Spanish for native Spanish-speaking LDS adults living in the U.S. To assess this, a dual-language vocabulary instrument was administered to 245 subjects from Texas, California, and Utah. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis was used to calculate difficulty levels of words and these values were plotted two-dimensionally …

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness, Shyh-Chyi Wey

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Content Validity Analysis Of The University Of Texas-Pan American English 1320 Grammar And Usage Exam, Cynthia Eilene Elder

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examines the degree of content validity of the grammar and usage exam administered to The University of Texas-Pan American's developmental writing classes (English 1320). Final exam essays from the freshman composition course (English 1301) were divided into groups according to their scores and examined for the occurrence of adjective agreement, apostrophe, pronoun usage, punctuation of clause, sentence structure, subject-verb agreement, and tense usage errors, which are tested on the exam. An Analysis of Variance was then calculated for each error type; none of the error types proved statistically significant at the.05 level. The students within each group did …

Book Chapter: The Return Of The Repressed: Saussure And Swift On Language And History, Tony Crowley

Scripps Faculty Publications and Research

Departures in linguistics are nothing new of course. Ideas come and go, "facts" appear and disappear along with the theories which first brought them to light, trends shift and alter. The language used to describe the history of the field, a field which once constituted a new departure in its own right, is replete with the language of innovation: "breakthrough," "advance," "progress," and even "revolution" are familiar enough epithets. In the face of all this novelty then the question must be, how to do something new? The answer which is proposed here might appear somewhat odd for the intention is …

On The Power Of Language And The Language Of Power, Ian Malcolm

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Book Chapter: That Obscure Object Of Desire: A Science Of Language, Tony Crowley

Scripps Faculty Publications and Research

The task will be to bring to light the repressions necessary to sustain the new science of language and its newly found object and to examine its alleged scientific neutrality.

Review Of Style And Variables In English, Timothy Shopen And Joseph Williams, Elaine Chaika

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Raid On The Inarticulate: The Problem Of Language In The Poetry Of W.S. Merwin, Anthony G. Stocks

Honors Papers

In this paper, I hope to examine Merwin's ultimately successful quest for such a language and such a myth. Beginning with a brief description of his early work, in which the problem of language becomes a seemingly insuperable barrier to an understanding of the world, I wish to demonstrate his gradual evolution of a poetic voice which is both contemporary and universal. Of course, a study of this length will inevitably be marred by a certain amount of over-generalization and simplification. Merwin's struggle with language has been a long and arduous one, and he has explored many byways on the …

Review Of Making Sense Of It, Steven Zemelman, Elaine Chaika

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

"The Power Of Speech/ To Stir Men's Blood": The Language Of Tragedy In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Gayle Greene

Scripps Faculty Publications and Research

In the Rome of julius Caesar, language is power and characters rise or fall on the basis of their ability to wield words. Their awareness of the importance of language is indicated by terms they associate with it.

Pincher Martin': Symbolism Serving Fable., Dianne Lucille Braley Runion

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

All three of Golding’s first novels make dark comment on what they show, but of the treem Pincher Martin, ostensibly the darkest, offers the most hope. Although “the protagonist’s particular history of guilt and greed is intended to stand as a fable for contemporary man,” man (and Pincher) could choose not to turn away from God. That choice, however, demands faith or vision. If, as Baker points out, “the final chapters intentionally contradict the reality shown in the narrative - and thus expose the fallibility of the rational point of view,” they also morally direct the reader’s vision, helping him …

Pound's Use Of Merlin As Persona In The 'Rock Drill Cantos', Caryl J. North

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Ezra Pound wrote Cantos 85 to 95, Section: Rock Drill, while imprisoned in St. Elizabeth’s, a mental hospital in Washington, D.C. This section was first published in 1956, to be followed by the final Cantos (95-109) in 1958. The source for the title Rock Drill was an abstract sculpture cast in gunmetal by Sir Jacob Epstein as part of the Vorticist exhibition of 1915. In Pound’s eyes, this sculpture provided “a central metaphor,... [signifying] his own constant effort to drive home the ideas upon which the right kind of society rests.” In fact, Wyndham Lewis wrote a review of Pound’s …

Grammars And Teaching, Elaine Chaika

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Four Major Image Patterns In The Poetry Of May Swenson, Ruth Ida Penque

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

May Swenson's poetry contains four major image patterns: (1) sexual/sensual, (2) birth, (3) plant and (4) animal. These patterns work together to support a single unifying theme in Swenson's work: respect for all forms of life and for the natural world. This thesis devotes one chapter to each specific pattern. Chapter two analyzes sexual/sensual imagery which emphasizes the need for mutual respect in sexual relationships as well as for respect for the natural environment. This pattern is divided into three subcategories: (1) sexual/sensual imagery supporting themes dealing specifically with sexual roles and relationships, (2) sexual/sensual imagery celebrating the sexuality of …

The American Indian As Metaphor: William Carlos Williams And Hart Crane, Douglas Manning Tedards

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The American Indian has functioned metaphorically in American literature at least since his characterization as an agent of Satan in the captivity narratives of the 17th century. From then until now, the Indian has tended to represent either the noble savage of the primitive heathen. Moreover, literary criticism dealing with these images has shown a primary interest in the historical accuracy and fairness of portrayal of the Indian and his way of life. That is to say, relatively little critical attention has dealt with the Indian as metaphor, examining how the Indian functions figuratively in the literature. Two excellent studies …

The Genesis And Development Of "Parker's Back", Kara Pratt Brewer

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

”Parker’s Back” is the last short story Flannery O'Connor wrote before the ravaging disease Lupus took her life in August of 1964. When Caroline Gordon visited her “in a hospital a few weeks before her death,” she spoke of her concern about finishing it. “She told me that the doctor had forbidden her to do any work. He said that it was all right to write a little friction, though, she added with a grin and drew a notebook from under her pillow. She kept it there she told me and was trying to finish a story which she hoped …

The Composite Art Of Blake's "Laughing Song", William Robert Warner

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

During the past five years, the literary critics have discovered William Blake, helping readers to understand clearly the various stages of development and the final form of the poet's entire mythology. And recent criticism has also clarified and expressed more systematically than earlier criticism certain features of Blake's total thought. Nevertheless, much recent criticism has hindered rather than helped the serious student of Blake's poetry.] Most critics treat Blake's poems as if they were only literary, completely avoiding discussion of their visual components. Yet, Blake clearly envisioned and intended that his reader view the poetry as a new form consisting …

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience: A Reassessment, Thomas Aquinas Murawski

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Thoreau’s case is easy in one sense and difficult in another. One of the chief attractions of Civil Disobedience, and one of its necessary limitations, lies in its prophetic quality. Recent American history has confirmed Thoreau’s good judgment in abhorring state-supported racism and a questionable war. But in sympathizing with his outrage over these conditions, we are spared the difficult test to our forbearance that arises when others dissent against issues that lack the persuasive moral justification of Thoreau’s case. So in this respect at least, Thoreau presents a comparatively easy case. His case is difficult in that he minimizes …

Who Can Be Taught?, Elaine Chaika

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Jews In The Mirror: From Hatred To Reconciliation In American-Jewish Fiction., Joseph D. Gallo

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Isaac Rosenfeld's short novel The Colony¹ is an orwellian allegory which on a significant level explores the range of attitudes expressed by contemporary Jews toward themselves and other Jews. Set in an exotic fictional country on the Indian subcontinent, the narrative pits the intellectual Satya, successor to a prophet-like leader, against the machinations of a controlling technology given to efficiency and the waging of modern war. During a rally at which he urges his audience to passively "despise and disobey," Satya is seized and imprisoned, whereupon his true ordeal begins. He is accosted by foes even more formidable than …

Transformational Technique In Gabriel Fielding's "In The Time Of Greenbloom", May Grant Robbie

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Gabriel Fielding's In the Time of Greenbloom is a major twentieth century novel that has received literary critical attention. With its dramatic plot and colorful characters, it has an immediate surface appeal for most readers. The novel requires deeper, symbolical reading in order to reach its central theme, man's potential for transformation.

John Blaydon, the protagonist, is a very different young man at the end of the novel from the child he is at the beginning. His activities, the narrative base of the novel, reveal more than the external events of his life. Fielding uses them as objectification of confrontations …

Conrad's "Nostromo" And The Imagery Of Despair, Terry Lane Kimble

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Conrad ' s significance as a major novelist having been well established by the present time , one may justly turn attention to a consideration of whether Nostromo, his masterpiece, deserves the paradoxical ranking critics generally accord it as a flawed and essentially inexplicable work of genius . Nostromo is the focus of the present study, which establishes by extensive analysis that Conrad employs a complex imagistic technique, manifesting thereby not only thematic content but also compositional method. Basic to this technique is the tend ency to view a subject in terms of polarities , around which to cluster images …