By clicking on the above link, you will be directed to the full-length versions of my writing samples, which are excerpted below. I hope that you enjoy these pieces as well as some of my new writings, which I will display on the home page.
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(Excerpt from "THE DISGUISE OF IDENTITY: Examining Gender Hybridity in Oscar Wilde’s the Picture of Dorian Grey & the Neglected Female")
Although, Oscar Wilde was inclusive and recognized the changing presence of the female role and identity in traditional Victorian society through a select collaboration of female characters, he made people see the change in the idea of what conventional male and female positions were. Through the embedding of homoerotic connotations in relationships between male characters, he deviates from the ideology that “gender matters.” At the same time, he created the idea of sexual orientation being overtly understated even though it was present in his world.
By examining the traditional roles of male to female relationships in The Picture of Dorian Gray, it is quite easy to miss the homoerotic nature of the text. Take for example Lord Henry’s stance on marriage, “one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties. I never know where my wife is, and my wife never knows what I am doing [Wilde, 3].” Here he blatantly disregards the very natural order within the institution of marriage. Throughout the novel, Wilde places more control and emphasis on the comings and goings of the men and their encounters than he does with the presence of his female characters. It is as if the existence of women is neglected in the world Wilde created for Dorian Gray.
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(Excerpt from: "Sula, A novel by Toni Morrison: Literary Analysis")
Although the people of the bottom believed, the devil himself marked her to identify his seed, only Shadrack understood the marking over her eye as what it was. Morrison gives the illusion of Sula never being in any relationship; her birthmark really was a spiritual symbol that linked her to Shadrack, the two most misunderstood characters in the story. Upon researching the meaning of his name, the title of “oracle of the river God” connects him to Sula, the “Water creature”- tadpole (the correct interpretation of the marking above her eye). According to Babylonian myth, the Oracle of the River God and the water creature were spiritual loves. Shadrack known to the African culture to be the protector of the displaced African spirits according to his names' meaning and Sula is the displaced.
Morrison develops the character of Shadrack as retaining “God-like” behaviors. Although the people of the bottom saw him as a manic, yet they feared him. Thought to be crazy, Shadrack maintained a calm and civil nature with Sula. The interactions between these two symbolized the traditional encounters of men and women at the time; Morrison uses the two characters of the story that normally go against the traditional roles of men and women. Shadrack behaves lewdly in the company of women and Sula becomes estranged to the presence of everyone. _________________________________________________________________
(Excerpt from: "To Vaccinate or not to Vaccinate; That is the question?")
It is for this reason why some conservatives and parental-rights groups say such a requirement would encourage premarital sex and interfere with the way they raise their children. Some fear the HPV vaccine's protection would increase young girls' to early sexual experimentation. Parent’s fear that young girls will view this vaccination as a method of super-protection from contracting certain diseases only obtained through sexual contact. On the side of medical professionals this is why it is essential that parents know that the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have come to a consensus that states that there is scientific verification to support a causal association between vaccines and autism or any other so called dangerous side effect.
According to Henry A. Waxman disregarding this evidence or overstating the dangers of childhood immunization creates the danger of needlessly scaring parents from vaccinating their children. Failing to immunize our children exposes them to risks of serious illness, disability and death. Once common and now rare in our country, rubella causes deafness, blindness and mental retardation.
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(Excerpt from: "Rear Window—Directed By Alfred Hitchcock Aesthetic Engagement/ Response")
I really appreciated Hitchcock’s decision to replace the story’s character of Sam with the female role of Lisa. For me it made to plot seem more viable. Alfred Hitchcock used many different aspects to create a strong female character. When we are first introduced to the character of Lisa, Hitchcock uses slow fade-in/outs of Lisa’s face. He keeps the lighting very dark, with close-ups of Lisa’s profile of her face. It almost looked like Jefferies was dreaming of this beautiful angelic figure. Using this technique almost made her appear as if she was too precious, more like untouchable.
When we are finally able to see a full view of Lisa, Hitchcock uses her attire to continue this idea of untouchable or semi-precious. She is decked out in this extremely elegant ball gown, with her hair pinned up. The way the camera follows her in a slow panning, almost makes it seem as if she is floating on a cloud. His lighting choices and musical selection made this scene have more of a romantic feel.
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(Excerpt from: "Exhibition on the Olmec Culture")
The dilemma with trying to distinguish Quetzalcoatl with the Olmec religion is that much of the Olmec religion is pure hearsay. What is known is that there existed a strong ordering to the universe as depicted within their art and architecture. It is currently believed that Quetzalcoatl may have been a combination of a half-jaguar, half-serpent being. The jaguar represents the Earth Mother with the serpent representing the water, combining as a representation of life.
Through the expression of religion within art, it has become apparent to researchers that it is impossible to reflect on it solely, as everything within this culture is intertwined. This is profusely clear that the Olmec people had a highly advanced structure within the civilization as a whole; religion is an integral piece to who they were as a people.
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Again, please feel free to click on the link to read the full length articles of the above excerpts.
