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- Title
- Believers in Dixie: A Cultural Geography of the Kentucky Shakers.
- Creator
- Rhorer, Marc A., Brown, Susan Love, Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
The Kentucky Shakers were distinct from those of Ohio and the Northeastern United States because they were products of the cultural environment of the Upper South. The variation originated in the country's settlement and migration patterns. People with similar cultural backgrounds tended to concentrate and migrate together. As the western frontier expanded, settlers with more socio-cultural commonalities tended to migrate in similar patterns and maintain a sense of cultural cohesion in the...
Show moreThe Kentucky Shakers were distinct from those of Ohio and the Northeastern United States because they were products of the cultural environment of the Upper South. The variation originated in the country's settlement and migration patterns. People with similar cultural backgrounds tended to concentrate and migrate together. As the western frontier expanded, settlers with more socio-cultural commonalities tended to migrate in similar patterns and maintain a sense of cultural cohesion in the newly opened westward frontier. We can observe the similarities between the Kentucky Shakers of the Pleasant Hill and South Union villages and their Southern neighbors by analyzing cultural commonalities. Examples of cultural indicators examined for evidence of regional variation include: folkways, organizational and leadership patterns, foodways and political environments. Material culture, including architecture, furniture, clothing and textiles are also considered in the regional comparison between Kentucky's Shakers and the remainder of the sect. The Kentucky Shakers were in a very unique environment, as no other Shaker settlements were situated in a slavery territory. Their geographical locale, in a strategically critical border area during the Civil War, caused the Kentucky communities to endure significant hardships not experienced by other villages during the War Between the States. In many ways the Shakers of Kentucky had more in common with their neighbors of the Upper South than they did with the other members of their sect in Ohio and the Northeastern states. These differences with the remainder of the sect caused considerable problems for the Kentucky Shakers. The cultural variations of the Kentuckians were also sources of rich uniqueness that made the Southern Shakers perhaps the most fascinating adherents to the religious movement.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000989
- Subject Headings
- Collective settlements--United States--Kentucky--South Union, Shakers--Kentucky--South Union--History, Christian sects--Kentucky--History--19th century, Human geography--Kentucky--South Union
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Ecoqueer: Moving Beyond Ecocomposition's Heteronormative Binaries.
- Creator
- Hoover, Megan L., Barrios, Barclay, Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
An examination of ecocomposition reveals that despite being careful to embrace all humans, it is still operating from a heterononnative standpoint. This perspective has led to an exclusion of gay male writers from its place-based approach to the study of the production of writing. By including the work of gay nature writer James Schuyler, the boundaries of ecocomposition are expanded to include yet another way of moving beyond restrictive cultural dualisms. Schuyler's work shows that...
Show moreAn examination of ecocomposition reveals that despite being careful to embrace all humans, it is still operating from a heterononnative standpoint. This perspective has led to an exclusion of gay male writers from its place-based approach to the study of the production of writing. By including the work of gay nature writer James Schuyler, the boundaries of ecocomposition are expanded to include yet another way of moving beyond restrictive cultural dualisms. Schuyler's work shows that definitions of masculinity need to be expanded to include gay males, and also highlights how sexual identity and setting interact to produce various interpretations of the self in one's writing. An expansion of ecocomposition results in a truly liberatory theory and pedagogy, one that encourages interactions that promote of all kinds of writing by all kinds of writers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000929
- Subject Headings
- Human ecology in literature, Literature, Modern--Criticism and interpretation, Environmental literature--Authorship--21st century, Homosexuality and literature--United States, English language--Rhetoric--Study and teaching--Social aspects--United States
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Nature's Place in Zora Neale Hurston's "John Redding Goes to Sea," "Magnolia Flower," and "Sweat".
- Creator
- Redman, F. Russell, Stover, Johnnie, Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
Zora Neale Hurston is recognized as an important American literary figure, but the majority of her fiction is overshadowed by the critical attention given to her most popular novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Just as her short stories remain relatively ignored by critics, little is written about her thoughts regarding nature and the human relationship with the natural environment. This thesis draws upon the recent growth of ecocriticism and ecofeminist literary criticism in an attempt to...
Show moreZora Neale Hurston is recognized as an important American literary figure, but the majority of her fiction is overshadowed by the critical attention given to her most popular novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Just as her short stories remain relatively ignored by critics, little is written about her thoughts regarding nature and the human relationship with the natural environment. This thesis draws upon the recent growth of ecocriticism and ecofeminist literary criticism in an attempt to interpret Hurston's environmental thought as manifested in three of her early short stories, "John Redding Goes to Sea," "Magnolia Flower," and "Sweat." In this study, I show that even in her early short stories, Hurston's fiction is ripe with imagery and narrative that blend the natural with the cultural while effectively illustrating and engaging the interconnectedness between social inequality and environmental degradation in the South.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000953
- Subject Headings
- Hurston, Zora Neale--John Redding goes to sea--Criticism and interpretation, Hurston, Zora Neale--Magnolia flower to sea--Criticism and interpretation, Hurston, Zora Neale--Sweat--Criticism and interpretation, Nature in literature, Human ecology in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Recognizing gender-based violence in armed conflict: Incorporating the voices of women in international humanitarian law.
- Creator
- Paaso, Amber Cheri., Florida Atlantic University, Beoku-Betts, Josephine
- Abstract/Description
-
This study seeks to examine the influence of patriarchal forces, at both the local and global level, that have historically resulted in the lack of recognition of gender-specific crimes committed during and after armed conflict. By incorporating the testimonies of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian women, this study attempts to understand sexual violence from the standpoint of women who experienced these crimes during the War in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1991--1995). Theories of Third World...
Show moreThis study seeks to examine the influence of patriarchal forces, at both the local and global level, that have historically resulted in the lack of recognition of gender-specific crimes committed during and after armed conflict. By incorporating the testimonies of Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian women, this study attempts to understand sexual violence from the standpoint of women who experienced these crimes during the War in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (1991--1995). Theories of Third World feminisms, in addition to feminist critiques concerning rape and international law, will inform this analysis of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). I intend to show that despite greater recognition of sexual violence during armed conflict in IHL, patriarchal forces continue to obfuscate the gender-specificity of these crimes.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13171
- Subject Headings
- Crimes against humanity, Rape victims--Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslav War, 1991-1995--Atrocities, Yugoslav War, 1991-1995--Campaigns--Croatia, Women--Crimes against, War crimes, Humanitarian law
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Tejidos arquitectonicos: exploraciones de la dimimica entre el individuo y la ciudad en "Walking Around" de Pablo Neruda y Aura de Carlos Fuentes.
- Creator
- Palacio Paret, Alfredo, Erro-Peralta, Nora, Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
Silas Weir Mitchell in 1872 defined as "phantom limb" the sensation and feelings of anxiety, confusion and even pain the amputee receives from an absent body part. By extending this concept and applying it to the architectural imagery within literature, it is possible to observe the dynamics between the characters and their structural environment. This thesis explores the relation between spatial structure and identity in two Latin American works: "Walking Around" (1933) by Pablo Neruda and...
Show moreSilas Weir Mitchell in 1872 defined as "phantom limb" the sensation and feelings of anxiety, confusion and even pain the amputee receives from an absent body part. By extending this concept and applying it to the architectural imagery within literature, it is possible to observe the dynamics between the characters and their structural environment. This thesis explores the relation between spatial structure and identity in two Latin American works: "Walking Around" (1933) by Pablo Neruda and Aura (1962) by Carlos Fuentes. Both authors introduce architecture as an intrinsic element in the construction of their narrative; Neruda's poetic voice wanders around a seemingly living city, while Fuentes's characters abandon the city to become part of a house. The architectural imagery of both texts leads the reader to explore the construction of its literary subjects and to see the physical space as their "phantom limbs." This reading will elucidate the importance of architecture within Latin American literature as well as reveal the maneuvering of the structural representations in the construction of the Latin America identity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000946
- Subject Headings
- Fuentes, Carlos--Aura--Criticism and interpretation, Neruda, Pablo,--1904-1973--Walking around--Criticism and interpretation, Architecture--Human factors, Symbolism in literature, Postmodernism (Literature), Imagery (Psychology) in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Kona Field System: An interdisciplinary investigation of the human-environmental interactions that caused the death of Captain James Cook.
- Creator
- Carney, Melissa Crimi., Florida Atlantic University, Brown, Susan Love
- Abstract/Description
-
By comparing research from several disciplines and subfields such as history, anthropology, and environmental archaeology, an alternative theory for the cause of Captain James Cook's death on February 14, 1779 developed. One of the basic needs of human beings is food. In 1779, food played an integral part in Hawaiian culture. The population in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii was at maximum potential and was supported by a large-scale agricultural system known as the Kona Field System. There were 284...
Show moreBy comparing research from several disciplines and subfields such as history, anthropology, and environmental archaeology, an alternative theory for the cause of Captain James Cook's death on February 14, 1779 developed. One of the basic needs of human beings is food. In 1779, food played an integral part in Hawaiian culture. The population in Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii was at maximum potential and was supported by a large-scale agricultural system known as the Kona Field System. There were 284 men on Captain Cook's third expedition and they relied on the Hawaiians for their food provisions. The economic production of the Kona Field System was affected by several external factors. Environmental conditions, limited farming technology, population density, and sociopolitical organization were causes of food shortages and famines in Hawaiian prehistory. The death of Captain Cook was an indirect result of food scarcity that was caused by a combination of these external factors.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12946
- Subject Headings
- Cook, James,--1728-1779, Agricultural systems--Hawaii--18th century, Food supply--Hawaii--18th century, Human beings--Effect of environment on--Hawaii--18th century
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Normative narratives and disabled ideologies in Nabokov’s Lolita and Laughter in the.
- Creator
- Ruiz, Oscar Javier, Hagood, Taylor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
The works of Vladimir Nabokov have traditionally functioned in a way that challenges its reader to question existing notions of normality. In his works, Nabokov has frequently utilized representations of disability as a means to comment or critique the human condition. Throughout this project I intend to demonstrate how the narratives in both Lolita and Laughter in the Dark function as a normative force which embodies the cultural attitudes regarding disability. This is accomplished through...
Show moreThe works of Vladimir Nabokov have traditionally functioned in a way that challenges its reader to question existing notions of normality. In his works, Nabokov has frequently utilized representations of disability as a means to comment or critique the human condition. Throughout this project I intend to demonstrate how the narratives in both Lolita and Laughter in the Dark function as a normative force which embodies the cultural attitudes regarding disability. This is accomplished through the enforcement of a normative reading by the narrative. It is clear then that Nabakov is attempting to subvert literary conventions by using nontraditional narrators to demonstrate the relativity of normality. Throughout this project, I will be focusing on Nabakov’s use of narrator to distort the cultural line between disability and ability. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to demonstrate that current societal notions of normality and disability are outdated and arbitrary.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA0004054
- Subject Headings
- Abnormalities, Human -- Social aspects, Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich -- 1899-1977 -- Laughter in the dark -- Criticism and interpretation, Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich -- 1899-1977 -- Lolita -- Criticism and interpretation, People with disabilities -- Social conditions, People with disabilities in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The right of property in man; a discourse delivered in the First Congregational Unitarian church Sunday July 3 1859.
- Creator
- Furness, William Henry 1802-1896, First Congregational Society of Unitarian Christians in the City of Philadelphia
- Abstract/Description
-
by W.H. Furness Minister.
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/fauwsb18f29
- Subject Headings
- Antislavery movements -- United States, Bible -- Isaiah, V, 7 -- Sermons, Fourth of July addresses -- 1859, Fourth of July celebrations -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia, Fourth of July orations -- 19th century, Human rights -- Sermons, Right of property -- United States -- Sermons, Sermons, American -- 19th century, Slavery -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Sermons, Slavery -- United States -- Sermons
- Format
- E-book
- Title
- Building a character: a somaesthetics approach to Comedias and women of the stage.
- Creator
- Cruz Peterson, Elizabeth Marie., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Languages, Linguistics and Comparative Literature
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation focuses on the elements of performance that contribute to the actress's development of somatic practices. By mastering the art of articulation and vocalization, by transforming their bodies and their environment, these actors created their own agency. The female actors lived the life of the characters they portrayed, which were full of multicultural models from various social and economic classes. Somaesthetics, as a focus of sensory-aesthetic appreciation and somatic...
Show moreThis dissertation focuses on the elements of performance that contribute to the actress's development of somatic practices. By mastering the art of articulation and vocalization, by transforming their bodies and their environment, these actors created their own agency. The female actors lived the life of the characters they portrayed, which were full of multicultural models from various social and economic classes. Somaesthetics, as a focus of sensory-aesthetic appreciation and somatic awareness, provides a pragmatic approach to understanding the unique way in which the woman of the early modern Spanish stage, while dedicating herself to the art of acting, challenged the negative cultural and social constructs imposed on her. Drawing from early modern plays and treatises on the precepts and practices of the acting process, I use somaesthetics to shed light on how the actor might have prepared for a role in a comedia, selfconsciously cultivating her body in order to meet the challenges of the stage.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3360968
- Subject Headings
- Women in the performing arts, Criticism and interpretation, Comic, The, Criticism and interpretation, European drama, Criticism and interpretation, Feminist drama, Criticism and interpretation, Spanish drama, Criticism and interpretation, Aesthetics, Physiological aspects, Body, Human (Philosophy), Mind and body
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- From the horse's mouth: speech and speciesism in Cordwainer Smith and Sheri S. Tepper.
- Creator
- Cox, Jennifer K., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
This thesis challenges dualistic human and animal ontologies by interpreting science fiction (sf) literature, and argues that whereas words can equivocate and obscure meaning, bodies do not lie. Linguistics and semiology extend the definition of "language" to include human and nonhuman gestures and movement, and posthumanist theory expands definitions of "human" and "animal" to explore species boundaries. Scrutinizing opposing dualisms ultimately questions Western epistemology and authority,...
Show moreThis thesis challenges dualistic human and animal ontologies by interpreting science fiction (sf) literature, and argues that whereas words can equivocate and obscure meaning, bodies do not lie. Linguistics and semiology extend the definition of "language" to include human and nonhuman gestures and movement, and posthumanist theory expands definitions of "human" and "animal" to explore species boundaries. Scrutinizing opposing dualisms ultimately questions Western epistemology and authority, allowing for an exploration of embodied animal communications within the larger discourse on species and speciesism. This perspective results in a more comprehensive understanding of the interdependence of all species: human, animal, and "other." Although the fictional texts I employ use fantastic elements to posit hypothetical realities, current scientific research reveals that communication with nonhuman animals is indeed possible.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3360775
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and enterpretation, Criticism and enterpretation, Human-animal relationships, Interpersonal communication, Animal communication, Language and emotions, Emotive (Linguistics)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Earth, water, and black bodies: elements at work in Toni Morrison's literary landscape.
- Creator
- Anderson, Pauline P., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
This project focuses on the natural elements earth and water as presented in the works of African American author Toni Morrison. The primary texts analyzed are Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. In the first two novels, Morrison alludes to the abuse of black bodies by drawing parallels between the destruction of trees and the negative effects of urbanization. I argue that environmental destruction and urbanization parallels the disenfranchisement and killing of black bodies. Water in Beloved...
Show moreThis project focuses on the natural elements earth and water as presented in the works of African American author Toni Morrison. The primary texts analyzed are Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. In the first two novels, Morrison alludes to the abuse of black bodies by drawing parallels between the destruction of trees and the negative effects of urbanization. I argue that environmental destruction and urbanization parallels the disenfranchisement and killing of black bodies. Water in Beloved connotes bondage because of its historical link to the Triangular Trade. However, considering Morrison's frequent mention of water and the fugitives' constant need to drink, I argue that ingesting water symbolizes a need for psychological freedom. All of the novels that I have analyzed emphasize the complex connections between African Americans and nature.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3356892
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, African Americans in literature, African American philosophy, Human ecology in literature, Nature in literature, Ecocriticism
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- A queer world: feminine subversions of chivalric homosocial normativity.
- Creator
- Pitts, Jessica., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
If queer is an applicable label for that which aims to subvert or counteract normativity, then Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Wife of Bath's tale, and her Prologue are each, in their own ways, queer texts. I examine the ways in which the feminine presences of Morgan le Fay and the Loathly Lady influence and challenge the heteronormative, homosocial space of Arthur and his knights. The two knights in each respective tale journey away from their heteronormative spaces, in which a complex...
Show moreIf queer is an applicable label for that which aims to subvert or counteract normativity, then Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Wife of Bath's tale, and her Prologue are each, in their own ways, queer texts. I examine the ways in which the feminine presences of Morgan le Fay and the Loathly Lady influence and challenge the heteronormative, homosocial space of Arthur and his knights. The two knights in each respective tale journey away from their heteronormative spaces, in which a complex system of homosociality and chivalric patriarchy dominate, to a queer space where each must go against his societal norms and rely on feminine agency and talismans in order for their quests to succeed - and to ensure their survival. It is this very convergence of heteronormative and queer spaces that enables Morgan's defiance of heteronormativity and dominance over those who enter her feminine, non-normative domain.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3318679
- Subject Headings
- Characters, Wife of Bath, Feminism and literature, Gawain (Legendary character), Man-woman relationships in literature, Human body in literature, Symbolism in literature, Sex in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Public Perception of Health Risks Related to Climate Change in Broward County, Florida.
- Creator
- Buck, Jeanmarie A. Steckler, Cameron, Mary, Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
- Abstract/Description
-
Scholars agree that global climate change is a major threat to the physical environment, affecting all aspects of life on the planet. However, the general public do not feel that climate change is a major risk or threat, especially to humans. It is important to understand the public’s perception and opinions of climate change as it affects and influences the creation and passing of climate change adaptation and mitigation policies. Specifically, little is known about public perceptions in...
Show moreScholars agree that global climate change is a major threat to the physical environment, affecting all aspects of life on the planet. However, the general public do not feel that climate change is a major risk or threat, especially to humans. It is important to understand the public’s perception and opinions of climate change as it affects and influences the creation and passing of climate change adaptation and mitigation policies. Specifically, little is known about public perceptions in regards to the greater health risk imposed by global climate change. This study examines the public's perception of health risks related to climate change in Broward County, Florida by using mixed methods. An online survey was conducted along with in-person interviews with the general public and a physician. The study found majority of respondents to believe climate change affects health, but lacked an understanding of how it is harmful to their health. It also found that gender affects their perceptions and political ideology appears to have an effect, but the effect of socioeconomic status on their perceptions were unable to be determined at this time. Broward is just developing policies to adapt and mitigate the health effects of climate change.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004813, http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004813
- Subject Headings
- Environmental health--Florida--Broward County., Health risk assessment--Florida--Broward County., Human beings--Effect of climate on., Climatic changes--Health aspects., Social change--Health aspects., Global warming--Health aspects., Public health surveillance--Florida--Broward County.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Liberating menageries: animal speaking and "survivance" in Elizabeth Bishop and Gerald Vizenor.
- Creator
- Frost, Tiffany J., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
This thesis demonstrates the ways that nonhuman characters in the literature of Elizabeth Bishop and Gerald Vizenor subvert anthropocentrism, thereby contributing to an ongoing reconsideration of political and ethical approaches to species discourse. Jacques Derrida's work on the philosophical questions regarding nonhuman animals is combined with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's postcolonial perspective on "subaltern speaking" and representation, while Gerald Vizenor's theory of "survivance"...
Show moreThis thesis demonstrates the ways that nonhuman characters in the literature of Elizabeth Bishop and Gerald Vizenor subvert anthropocentrism, thereby contributing to an ongoing reconsideration of political and ethical approaches to species discourse. Jacques Derrida's work on the philosophical questions regarding nonhuman animals is combined with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's postcolonial perspective on "subaltern speaking" and representation, while Gerald Vizenor's theory of "survivance" provides the theoretical grounding for approaching literary representations of animals within this project. The authors in this study challenge false hierarchical species divisions by constructing fictional spaces that imagine the perspectives of nonhuman beings, consider the importance interspecies relationships, and recontextualize the voices and communication of nonhumans. In providing these counter-narratives, these authors establish a relationship with readers that invites them to reconsider the ramifications of their own ideology of species, reminding them that theory and practice must coexist.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362340
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Speciesism, Animals (Philosophy), Animals in literature, Human-animal relationships in literature, Resemblance (Philosophy)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Strange time: block universes and strange loop phenomena in two novels by Kurt Vonnegut.
- Creator
- Altomare, Francis C., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
Einsteinian relativity forever altered our understanding of the metaphysics of time. This study considers how this scientific theory affects the formulation of time in postmodern narratives as a necessary step toward understanding the relationship between empirical science and literary art. Two novels by Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse-Five, exemplify this synthesis. Close readings of these texts reveal an underlying temporal scheme deeply informed by relativity....
Show moreEinsteinian relativity forever altered our understanding of the metaphysics of time. This study considers how this scientific theory affects the formulation of time in postmodern narratives as a necessary step toward understanding the relationship between empirical science and literary art. Two novels by Kurt Vonnegut, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse-Five, exemplify this synthesis. Close readings of these texts reveal an underlying temporal scheme deeply informed by relativity. Furthermore, this study explores how relativity manifests in these texts in light of the block universe concept, Gèodelian universes, and strange loop phenomena. Vonnegut's treatment of free will is also discussed. All of these considerations emphasize Vonnegut's role as a member of the Third Culture, an author who consciously bridges C.P. Snow's two cultures.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2684306
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Postmodernism (Literature), Literature and science, Science and the humanities in literature, Space and time in literature
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- "...At the ear of Eve": hearing, gender, and the physiology of the fall in John Milton's Paradise lost.
- Creator
- Pollari, Niina., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
- Abstract/Description
-
The organ of hearing, in John Milton's Paradise Lost, is inextricably connected with both the physical and the spiritual; it is the point of entry through which Satan's words enter Eve's brain, subsequently process, and lead eventually to the fall of mankind. Its symbolic importance is also indisputable, as it is a metaphor for the feminine passivity and penetrability that make Milton's Eve a particularly vulnerable target. There is, however, already a pre-existing connection between the ear...
Show moreThe organ of hearing, in John Milton's Paradise Lost, is inextricably connected with both the physical and the spiritual; it is the point of entry through which Satan's words enter Eve's brain, subsequently process, and lead eventually to the fall of mankind. Its symbolic importance is also indisputable, as it is a metaphor for the feminine passivity and penetrability that make Milton's Eve a particularly vulnerable target. There is, however, already a pre-existing connection between the ear and its role in Paradise Lost. The seventeenth-century medical texts of Milton's contemporaries gender the physiology of the ear and the process of hearing and therefore contribute to its importance in the pivotal temptation scene; that is, the rhetoric surrounding the physiology of the ear is the down fall of humankind in the epic poem. As a result of the dangerous connection between science and language, Milton's characters are already predestined to sin.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/11583
- Subject Headings
- Symbolism in communication, Fall of man, Body, Human, in literature, Literature and science, History
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- "Our fellows in mortality": kindness to animals in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure.
- Creator
- Brockway, Jessica L., Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
- Abstract/Description
-
In Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy depicts characters who are especially sensitive to the suffering of all living creatures and thus engages his novel in the topic of animal rights. In this project I examine the human-animal relationships in Hardy's novel in terms of the ideas of two different philosophers: Peter Singer and Cora Diamond. I argue that, while Singer at first seems to provide a useful model for understanding these relationships in Jude, Diamond's account of these relationships is...
Show moreIn Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy depicts characters who are especially sensitive to the suffering of all living creatures and thus engages his novel in the topic of animal rights. In this project I examine the human-animal relationships in Hardy's novel in terms of the ideas of two different philosophers: Peter Singer and Cora Diamond. I argue that, while Singer at first seems to provide a useful model for understanding these relationships in Jude, Diamond's account of these relationships is ultimately a more helpful tool for understanding Hardy's ideas about animals. Diamond helps us see that Hardy believes people should help all living creatures in pain, no matter the cost to themselves, not because they recognize their suffering, but because they recognize a shared commonality with all sentient creatures.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3334248
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Animal rights (Philosophy), Human-animal relationships in literature, Symbolism in literature, Animals and civilization
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Constituting community: expanding perceptions of community in Rawlings's Cross Creek and Thoreau's Walden.
- Creator
- Curran, Julianne., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
-
Both Thoreau and Rawlings call attention to humanity's need to expand its perceptions and interpretations of what it means to be a part of a community in Walden and Cross Creek, respectively. Building on the established idea of what it means to be incorporated into a human community, each author also implores his or her readers to extend the perceived boundaries of what comprises a "community" to include the natural world. Ultimately, both texts point to the need for the establishment of what...
Show moreBoth Thoreau and Rawlings call attention to humanity's need to expand its perceptions and interpretations of what it means to be a part of a community in Walden and Cross Creek, respectively. Building on the established idea of what it means to be incorporated into a human community, each author also implores his or her readers to extend the perceived boundaries of what comprises a "community" to include the natural world. Ultimately, both texts point to the need for the establishment of what Aldo Leopold calls a land ethic, which requires the re-drawing of communal boundaries to include the land with man as a citizen rather than a conqueror of Nature. Thoreau and Rawlings demonstrate how an individual can start to expand his or her conception of community to move closer to Leopold's ideal by recounting the different experiences they have with human society and nature while living at Walden Pond and in Cross Creek, Florida. However, each author uses different approaches. Thoreau concentrates primarily on reflecting upon improving his individual self in order to eventually improve his Concord community. Rawlings, on the other hand, makes a greater effort to reflect upon her interactions with the people of Cross Creek in addition to her interactions with Nature in order to strengthen her bonds with these things. Such a difference causes Rawlings to be read as presenting a re-vision of Thoreau's ideas about the relationship between humankind, one's community, and Nature. While the kinds of experiences Thoreau and Rawlings encounter might be different, in the end it is their emphasis on the importance of an individual's relationship to the community-one that includes both humans and Nature-that resonates with readers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2683121
- Subject Headings
- Criticism and interpretation, Criticism and interpretation, Symbolism in literature, National characteristics, American, in literature, Nature, Effect of human beings on
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The power of memory: how Western collective memory of the Holocaust functioned in discourse on Kosovo.
- Creator
- Bjellos, Tajana., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
- Abstract/Description
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This thesis provides a rhetorical analysis of the Western representation of the Kosovo conflict and its resolution in the year 1999. By reviewing political, scholarly and media rhetoric, the thesis examines how the dominant narrative of "genocide in Kosovo" was created in Western discourse, arguing that it gained its persuasive force from the legacy of the collective memory of the Holocaust. Using the framework of Kenneth Burke's theory of Dramatism and Walter Fisher's theory of the narrative...
Show moreThis thesis provides a rhetorical analysis of the Western representation of the Kosovo conflict and its resolution in the year 1999. By reviewing political, scholarly and media rhetoric, the thesis examines how the dominant narrative of "genocide in Kosovo" was created in Western discourse, arguing that it gained its persuasive force from the legacy of the collective memory of the Holocaust. Using the framework of Kenneth Burke's theory of Dramatism and Walter Fisher's theory of the narrative paradigm, this thesis aims to understand how language, analogy and collective memory function in rhetoric to shape audience perceptions and guide political and military action. The study illustrates the mechanics of the operating rhetoric by analyzing two primary sources, the rhetoric of U.S. President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2683535
- Subject Headings
- Discourse analysis, Narrative, Narrative (Rhetoric), History, Rhetoric, Political aspects, History, Memory, Political aspects, Kosovo War, 1998-1999, Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), Crimes against humanity, History
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Man in the age of mechanical reproduction: variations on transhumanism in the works of Smith, Delany, Dick, Wells and Gibson.
- Creator
- Herzek, Charles Barry., Florida Atlantic University, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English
- Abstract/Description
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Science fiction identifies three characteristics as definitive of and essential to humanity: 1) sentience or self-awareness, 2) emotions, and 3) most importantly, the capacity for sociability. Through the vital possession of these three traits any entity can come to be called human. In the first chapter, I examine Cordwainer Smith's "Scanners Live in Vain" and Samuel R. Delany's "Aye and Gomorrah...," two stories in which human subjects become Other than human. In the second chapter, I...
Show moreScience fiction identifies three characteristics as definitive of and essential to humanity: 1) sentience or self-awareness, 2) emotions, and 3) most importantly, the capacity for sociability. Through the vital possession of these three traits any entity can come to be called human. In the first chapter, I examine Cordwainer Smith's "Scanners Live in Vain" and Samuel R. Delany's "Aye and Gomorrah...," two stories in which human subjects become Other than human. In the second chapter, I explore the prospect of creatures, not biologically human who gain human status through an analysis of Smith's "The Dead Lady of Clown Town" and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? In the third chapter, I investigate the uniquely science fictional notion that "humanity" does not require biology through a comparison of H.G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau and William Gibson's Idoru.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/77644
- Subject Headings
- Characters and characteristics in literature, Humanity, Ethics, Modern
- Format
- Document (PDF)
