English Language and Literature Commons^™

Return To Virtue: Defining Moral Strength, Melissa A. Weigeshoff

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Riot Grrrl’S Legacy: The Medium Is The Message, Rosemary Larkin

BYU English Symposium

Riot Grrrl appropriated traditional, even “feminine,” media platforms to encourage third wave feminism. They ignored a central message on purpose in lieu of loud mediums meant to disrupt the status quo instead of assert a new one.

The Scandal Of Sources Of Henriette-Julie De Murat’S Histoires Sublimes Et Allégoriques, Jared Willden

BYU English Symposium

Henriette-Julie de Murat claims in the foreword of Histoires sublimes et allégoriques (1699) that the only source for her tales is Straparola’s Facetious Nights, yet this claim seems to be misleading. Taking “The Savage” as an example, this essay first assesses the reasons we should doubt Murat’s claim. It then explores other possible literary sources for “The Savage,” such as Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Straparola’s “Guerrino and the Savage Man,” and the Breton folktale “Georgic and Merlin,” as well as biographical elements, both from details surrounding her exile by Louis XIV in 1702 and from her fictional …

The Sewing Room, Madeline L. Tracy

BYU English Symposium

A short horror story delving into the depths of family relationships. After Charlotte's mother dies, she goes to live with her grandparents. She has entered her mother's childhood world and what she witnesses could become emotional baggage- or something that could define her forever.

To Know Grief Intimately, Alexandra Francom

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Revolution Of Bath: The Writing And Re-Writing Of Social History In Jane Austen's Persuasion, Erica L. Pratt

BYU English Symposium

Hidden beneath the structure of Regency England lies a society near eruption. In Persuasion, Austen brings her characters on a journey through the landscape of social revolution. Bath serves as pinnacle of this journey –the battlefield where characters are invited to perform according to their social training.

The initial skirmish takes place before the book begins and uses social fighting techniques of the pre-Napoleonic war. It is fought within an aristocratic structure, and defeats our heroine. The second battle, however, is conducted under completely different training mechanisms. This second skirmish follows the fall of aristocracy and the rise of meritocracy. …

The Lives And Deaths Of Flora Mac-Ivor And Rose Bradwardine: Romance And Reality In Sir Walter Scott's Waverley, Monica D. Allen

BYU English Symposium

In Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley, Scott presents the problem of romance versus reality. He does this by personifying romance and reality through Flora Mac Ivor and Rose Bradwardine. Flora, with her passion, represents romance. While Rose, a more mellow character, represents reality. Waverley finds that he must choose between them. Rose is a “kindred spirit” to him, while Flora resembles “one of his daydreams.” They embody these ideas through a physical location. Flora’s location is the romantic Scottish Highlands, and Rose’s location is simply her father’s home. Besides location, the figurative deaths of Flora and Rose embody romance and …

Who Wears The Pants: The Unraveling Of Gender In "The Things They Carried", Zoe Meyer

BYU English Symposium

In this paper, I analyze gender roles in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried arguing that war causes American society to shift, and as a result, expected gender roles and the understanding of expected behavior change. Correlating the soldiers’ understanding of what it means to be American directly to their understanding of gender, I explain that changing what it means to be men alters their idea of what it means to be citizens of the United States. Because the soldiers can no longer be identified by their gender, nor can they identify themselves as Americans, they lose their understanding of …

Discourse Functions Of Modal Verbs 'Will And Shall' In Christian Prayers, Olalekan T. Adepoju

Publications and Research

Prayer and language can be said to share similar definition in that they are both means of communication, though in prayer, one is communicating solely with a Supreme Being. This communication implies that a prayer is a form of discourse due to the presence of interaction; as such a discourse analysis of prayer will not be out of place. This study therefore investigates the use of modal verbs by pastors in Christian prayers. This is with a view to identifying and examining the discourse functions performed by these modal expressions. The Speech Act Theory and Systemic Functional Grammar, mainly using …

Katniss Everdeen: Feminist Fighter Or Teen Bride?, Baylee S. Vasquez

BYU English Symposium

Katniss Everdeen of The Hunger Games, can be read as a strong female character that represents the Third Wave of Feminism. She has become a measuring stick for strong female characters that have appeared after her. It is even argued that she has taken the place of the stereotypical male hero while her cohort, Peeta Mellark, plays the stereotypical female role. However, in spite of all of the things that she accomplishes during her time within the dueling ring, the main debate amongst teenagers—for whom the book was written—is who will Katniss Everdeen, goddess of the hunt and champion …

Almost Normal, But Not Quite, Benjamin L. Featherstone

BYU English Symposium

This is a non-fictional essay focusing on the author’s personal experience with the process and result of receiving a cochlear implant. This essay neither promotes nor discourages the usage of cochlear implant. Instead, it simply reveals the experience of the author. This written form shows the inner storms that come from trying to find a balance between two worlds, which the author lives in—the Deaf world and the hearing world.

Just The Secretary, Belen Jackson

BYU English Symposium

When a voice is silenced, can it ever be restored?

Violence And Identity In Native Son, Anna M. Gee

BYU English Symposium

Abstract: “Violence and Identity in Native Son” examines the cycle of violence that begins with white objectification of blacks and ultimately results in extralegal black violence and legislated white violence. Richard Wright’s Native Son details this cycle as it is initiated by white objectification of blacks, creating owner-object relationships between members of the two races. Objectification leads to loss of identity and blindness, cultivating indifference and shame among members of black society. For the novel’s main character Bigger, shame produces violence. Violent acts become acts of creation that enable him to formulate identity in meaningful ways. This new understanding …

Beyond Reason: Ophelia's Quest For Truth, Jacob K. Nielsen 9443167

BYU English Symposium

In this paper, I explore Ophelia's supposed descent into 'insanity' in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Using Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, I conclude that instead of descending into insanity, Ophelia moved beyond reason in order to acquire personal truth that wasn't available to her within the realm of traditional reason. In the end, instead of assuming a passive role, Ophelia's character actively rejects the limitations of reason, allowing her to become more than just a passive object of tragic circumstances. Variations within the Quarto and Folio versions of the play support the conclusion that Ophelia actively sought to …

Wherefore Art Thou, Bae Romeo? Or, An Argument For Modernizing Shakespeare’S Texts, Erin M. Ritchie

BYU English Symposium

This research examines the trend towards modernizing Shakespeare’s plays. Though Shakespeare is valued for his intricate wordplay and changes to his text are considered sacrilegious, I will explain how Elizabethan Era views on language value finding expressing Shakespeare’s important universal social commentaries in ways that are accessible to the largest number of people. Because the majority of Shakespeare’s global fame stems from admirers who have not encountered his original works, but translations of it, this research suggests that the value gained from adapting the original texts into more modern forms of English to engage a wider audience outweighs the arguments …

The Hypocrisy Of Henry V, Shelise Rupp

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

“With What’S Unreal Thou Coactive Art”: Gender And The Forces Of Illusion In The Winter’S Tale And The Tempest, Mark S. Rideout

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

"Busking For The Queen Of Faerie: Elizabethan Playwrights In Contemporary Fantasy Fiction", Kristen Mcdermott

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

“Art Thou Not, Fatal Vision, Sensible / To Feeling As To Sight?”: Spiritual Bondage, Carnal Corruption, And Horror In Marlowe’S Doctor Faustus And Shakespeare’S Macbeth, Jared Johnson

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

Immortal Parts: Ghostly Renown In Shakespeare, Jennifer Holl

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

Hath Not Thy Rose A Canker?”: Monstrous Generation And Comic Subversion In King Henry Vi, Part 1, Heather Frazier

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

The Dead Can Speak; Or, The Testament Of Elizabeth Sawyer In Dekker, Ford, And Rowley’S The Witch Of Edmonton, Chuck Conaway

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

The “Local Habitation” Of Marian Intercession In Shakespeare’S Plays Of Justice And Mercy, Elizabeth Burow-Flak

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

Hamlet, The Ghost, And A New Document, David George

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference

No abstract provided.

Public Shaming And Power Shifts In Salem, Roma M. Blackham

BYU English Symposium

Public shaming has long been used in societies to maintain order in communities, and to enforce not only laws, but unspoken rules or societal constraints. However, while public shaming can be a valuable tool for communities, it can also lead to unjust rule – some might even call it mob rule. While many citizens of the United States tend to glorify democracy and the effects of democracy, the democratization of the justice system through public shaming has resulted in disastrous consequences in American history and promises dangerous repercussions if it continues to be used in the future. This claim is …

Five Minutes Of Fame, William Drew Chandler

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Ya Cover Art: Changes And Social Impact In The Last Twenty-Five Years, Jodie Bender

BYU English Symposium

This paper discusses changes to the cover art of young adult literature in the last twenty-five years, and how those changes have affected the success of YA novels and society’s perceptions of YA literature. These changes lead to the genderization of novels as well as misrepresentation of a novel’s content. This is particularly a problem among books by female authors. Genderization has a major impact on the type and gender of audience a book attracts, and it often limits, rather than expands, the type of readers attracted. Furthermore, the books that receive the highest awards, including the Michael L. Printz …

Wordsworth's Lifelong Lie, William Drew Chandler

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Deconstructing O'Connor's Grace Through Marxism, Aubri M. Devashrayee

BYU English Symposium

The works of Flannery O’Connor deal greatly with the concepts of grace and religion and how they save the lost characters in her stories. O’Connor’s works are very violent, as well as religious. Story after story shows that God “terrifies before He can bless,” as Robert Drake asserts in his article “The Bleeding Stinking Mad Shadow of Jesus” (185). There are many instances where it is doubtful that grace has been received, and when it has been, the characters are distinctly worse off than they were before. This is prevalent in all of O’Connor’s short stories, and when looking through …