Matt Tota, Fall 2011 When we think of war or unrest, we often picture stern-looking soldiers holding Kalashnikovs, frenzied dissidentsmarching through streets, and armytanks lumbering into war-torn cities. Such images come to mind because we are concerned only with theseaspects of the equation. In other words, we do not bother with what occurs in the… Read more Matt Tota, “Rhetoric: The Language of Action,” 1st Place ENL 257
Josh Martin, Fall 2011 “Thrice-nobler than myself, thou teachest me, O valiant Eros, what I should, and thou couldst not. My queen and Eros have by their brave instruction got upon me a nobleness in record. But I will be a bridegroom in my death, and run into’t as to a lover’s bed. Come then;… Read more Josh Martin, “Reason Versus Passion: An Analysis of the Representation of Logic and Emotion in Antony and Cleopatra and Charlotte Temple,” 1st Place ENL 258
Matthew Tota, Fall 2011 One aspect of contemporary writer T. Coraghessan Boyle’s short story, “Tooth and Claw,” that becomes painfully obvious while reading through the psychoanalytic lens, is the emotional unrest of its narrator and protagonist, Junior Turner. He has low self-esteem and an insecure sense of self, resulting in a monotonic state of depression;… Read more Matthew Tota, “Junior and the Beast: a Psychoanalytic Reading of ‘Tooth and Claw,’” 1st Place ENL 259
Meghan Matheson, Fall 2011 It’s ten o’clock on a Thursday night. The popcorn’s ready. The anticipation is palpable as MTV’s hit series, “Jersey Shore,” has its second season finale tonight. There has been enough drama, cat-fights, bar-fights, hook-ups, jokes, pranks, and controversy to accumulate a pretty decent ending to this fiery season, which was set… Read more Meghan Matheson, “Here’s the Situation… An Evaluation of MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore,’” 1st Place ENL 260
Sloan Piva, Fall 2011 Throughout history, those critical of rhetoric have dismissed it as a craft of empty talk. Perhaps most famously, Plato condemned rhetorical discourse as “foul” and “ugly” within his 4th-century dialogue entitled Gorgias. Centuries later, John Locke advanced such negative critiques of the practice, claiming that accepting rhetors is the same as… Read more Sloan Piva, “The Many Definitions and Great Functions of Rhetoric: A Poetic and Pragmatic Art Form that Moves the World,”2nd Place ENL 257
Angela Tieng, Fall 2011 History is the study of a human past; but, for Ireland, history is not merely that. History is as much the living, breathing present. Ireland’s people are aware of their dejected “history,” which stares them in the face every day, anew. The violence and innumerable pains Northern Ireland has suffered at… Read more Angela Tieng, “Now and Then,” 2nd Place ENL 258
Abigail Bartalini, Fall 2011 Our society’s definition of marriage has changed over the years. The structure of the ideal, nuclear family has always been held together by marriage. Marriage always served a specific purpose; whether it was intended for legal, social, or economic stability, the formation of a family, procreation, legitimizing sexual relations, fulfilling religious… Read more Abigail Bartalini, “Defining Marriage: Cohabitation for Modern Childrearing,” 2nd Place ENL 260
Meghan Matheson, Fall 2011 The looming controversy surrounding the Islamic Center near Ground Zero has sparked debate throughout the nation. The Center is associated with emotional strain from both the supporters and the opponents. Each group, whether for or against, has very strong opinions and valid reasons as to why this Islamic center should be… Read more Meghan Matheson, “To Build or Not To Build Controversy over the ‘Mosque at Ground Zero,’” 3rd Place ENL 257
Lynnette Nolan, Fall 2011 Unlike the Formalist approach, where “the proper concern of literary criticism is with the work itself,” biographical and historical perspectives invite audiences to read the text “with a sense of time and place” and to consider “the social and cultural contexts in which the writer lived” (2165-2166). While understanding the situations… Read more Lynnette Nolan, “The Contribution of Context: Implications of Associating Outside Information with Frost’s Poetry,” 3rd Place ENL 258
Lynnette Nolan, Fall 2011 Barbara Munson’s article “Common Themes and Questions about the Use of ‘Indian’ Logos” was written with the intent of informing and persuading her audience to see that “’Indian’ logos and nicknames create, support, and maintain stereotypes of a race of people” (624). A member of the Oneida Nation and an advocate… Read more Lynnette Nolan, “Appealing to Logos: Supporting the Claims of an Emotional Issue with Rationality and Logic,” 3rd Place ENL 260