ARTICLES ARCHIVE
An Analysis of Gabriel’s Self-Estrangement in James Joyce’s “The Dead”
Written by Sam Fisher for Prof. Liana Bellon James Joyce’s “The Dead” explores the theme of being alienated from one’s self. Gabriel, the main character in “The Dead,” is a member of the Irish upper class in early twentieth-century Dublin. Despite being surrounded by a rather conservative family and group of friends, Gabriel identifies himself as progressive, does not believe in class distinctions, and promotes the idea of leaving Ireland to explore the modern world. However, through an analysis of…
Finding Oneself in “Options” and “Coming of Age in Karhide”
Written by Sania Malik for Prof. Neil Hartlen In society, adolescents and adults constantly find themselves feeling confused, or as though they do not belong. It is difficult to establish and maintain a space for yourself, especially when you do not know who you are. It is a known fact that the concept of gender is placed upon us by society, so that we can be pushed towards a specific role. Women are pushed towards being mothers and housewives, whereas…
APO LOGIA EPI LOGUE
Written by Matthew Iakov Liberman Some might reproach me for my facetiousness. I reproach “such ‘serious animals’” for their “prejudice against all ‘frohliche Wissenschaft’; let us show that this is prejudice!” To attack the Musician of the Future with such a dour creaking machine of the intellect in ‘ernst,’ would be a heinous blasphemy. (Nietzsche, ernst nehmen) The Madman Shoots Lasers From his Eyes: Heliocentricism and the Marketplace ‘No, because Nietzsche wasn’t a time traveller…’ ―Herr Doktor Doktor Polakoff, pers….
Imperialism: Machinations and Motives In George Orwell’s Shooting an Elephant
Written by Meghan Elcheson for Prof. Robert Rose In George Orwell’s essay “Shooting an Elephant,” a British Imperial officer stationed in Moulmein grapples with his ambivalence towards his empire and the citizens of Burma as he comes to discover the true nature of imperialism. Orwell’s essay presents an English narrator caught in a moral dilemma when he is asked to deal with a local elephant that has gone “must.” At the height of the narrator’s internal conflict, he forgoes his…
Don’t Call Me Shirley: The White Bias in Mainstream Western Media and its Effect on World-Wide Standards of Beauty
Written by Sarah Tue-Fee For Prof. Leland Young There is a pervasive but largely ignored bias toward White standards of beauty in Western mass media, a bias which is denied by many who argue that America is post-racial and point to African American beauty icons in the media, such as Beyonce or Tyra Banks, as evidence that American society is completely healed of its racist history. However, these exceptions to the rule only draw attention to how relatively rare they…
The Consciousness of Petrarch
Written by Julien Gagnon for Prof. Patrick Barnard In Petrarch’s letter “The Ascent of Mount Ventoux,” which serves as an introduction of sorts to his work, he writes “we look around ourselves for what can be found only within us” (Petrarch 18). Throughout his Canzoniere, Petrarch seems like a man who values his inner world more than the outer world, and yet cannot help but draw quite a lot from the world around him. Laura, the subject of the poems,…
The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien: The Fulfillment of Prophecies
Written by Emmanuelle Dastous Sara for Prof. Rebecca Million Behold! A victory may only come upon a land with the guidance and strength of its people. Yet certain prophecies must be fulfilled for the assurance of a victory. This concept was clearly portrayed in J. R. R. Tolkien’s second installment of Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. The beauty of Middle Earth is slowly perishing and the darkness within is emerging throughout the land. Middle Earth is slowly dying…