Senior Thesis for Literature
This paper uses trauma
theory to examine Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, arguing that
Harry Potter responds to situations based upon traumatic reactions and
behaviors,
rather than due to self-willed actions of heroism.
Die, Author! Die!
Supporting Roland Barthes' essay, "The Death of the Author," this paper tracks
Barthes' arguments, simplifies them, and considers their validity.
How
Do You Tell Who's Sane and Who's Insane?
Once they had breached the barrier of conventional reason and sanity, the
Beats embraced the unrestrained creativity offered by ‘insanity’ and
incorporated unfettered, uncensored thought directly into writing, creating
not only a new consciousness of subject matter but also of language and composition
as well. This paper examines what constituted 'insanity.'
In and Out: Recognizing Both Sides
of the Poems of Frank O'Hara
This paper presents an understanding of certain overall themes of Frank O’Hara’s
poetry, not excluding nor focusing upon his homosexuality but contextualizing
it within
O’Hara’s life as a whole and offering a more true appreciation
of the man and his works.
Representation and Simulation: Viewing
White Noise through Baudrillardian Concepts
Don DeLillo's contemporary novel, White Noise, provides an excellent
example of many of the ideas and institutions Jean Baudrillard considered in
his essay, "Simulacra and Simulation." This paper follows Baudrillard's
arguments and uses White Noise to support and illustrate his ideas.
Watch Your Language, Walt Whitman!
Although Walt Whitman’s overall approach to poetry and language was not
entirely new in and of itself, it expanded radically upon older ideas and incorporated
a number of experimental variations. This paper examines Whitman's use of common
language and slang words, vulgar or profane terms and phrases, and new words
of his
own
creation,
explaining how Whitman
changed the entire vocabulary of poets forever.