ARTICLES ARCHIVE
A Perilous Quest: The Awakening of True Heroes
Written by Sewsen Abubeker for Prof. Rebecca Million In several literary works, it is common for authors to abide by the guidelines of the archetypal hero described by Joseph Campbell. Indeed, this is true about J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. However, a particularity that can be observed in Tolkien’s work is the fact that he presents various elements of the Hero’s Journey by means of several characters. In addition, each personage has a specific way of portraying their heroism. Thus,…
The Ancestral Contract
Written by Sahib Al-shemeri for Prof. Robin Feenstra In Oceana, power and propaganda are the main tools that the party uses to purge its citizens of their humanity and ultimately their self-worth. The goal of this endeavor is so that the party can create a populace where the sum of the whole is greater than its parts, a place where individuals do not have any value. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four offers its readers a warning that power seeks to establish…
Robinson Crusoe: A Commentary on Man and Commonwealth Society
Written by Bernard Barbara for Prof. Rebecca Million In the novel Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe demonstrates various journalistic, political, philosophical, and moral traits that, at the time of writing his work, were part of his perspectives — as a journalist and propagandist — on colonial society. He demonstrates the damaging impact of self-interest on a society and on the individual throughout the events suffered by colonial society and humanity during his time, through political, natural, and personal lessons in…
The Tale of Peter’s Self-Inflicted Pain
Written by Valeria Cori-Manocchio for Prof. Gina Granter “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter is set in the genteel English countryside and follows the mischievous adventures of Peter, an anthropomorphized rabbit. This rabbit protagonist resonates with children due to his innocence and adorability. Nevertheless, Peter Rabbit personifies the non-human, but childish, archetype used to teach children about proper behavior. Beatrix Potter’s “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” expresses through allusion to biblical teachings, characterization of the protagonist, and irony…
Hunger and Gender: Attitudes towards Performativity
Written by Matthew Iakov Liberman for Prof. Kristopher Woofter Hunger and Gender: Attitudes towards Performativity And I eat men like air. —“Lady Lazarus” Poststructuralism has long been concerned with the alluring failure of representation, as succinctly vocalized by Faulkner’s Addie Bundren: “words are no good,” she plainly states; “[they don’t] ever fit even what they are trying to say at” (171). The “performance art” of Franz Kafka’s “A Hunger Artist” (1922) seems unrelated—until considered through that fracturing insight—to David Henry…
Indulging Escapism
Written by Sahib Al-shemeri for Prof. Bassel Atallah When individuals are stuck in a life of monotony and desperation, then their imaginations begin to wander because they are seeking escape from the daily routine that deprives them of adventure. In most instances, people have a healthy understanding of reality and can function normally. The Wingfield family is an example of individuals who can no longer bear the strain of their existence, causing each of the family members to break down…
Home Is Where the Ocean Is
Written by Austin Barbosa for Prof. Rebecca Million In Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, the author tells the unfortunate and compelling tale of a very ordinary man living much of his life under extraordinary circumstances. Through the interpretation of the symbolism presented in the novel, this essay will argue that the character of Robinson Crusoe represents an embodiment of the transcending individualistic way of being that began to emerge in the 18th century, going so far as to conclude that…