Vanderbilt Library Open Journals
Not a member yet
819 research outputs found
Sort by
What is the literary function of the motherhood motif in Toni Morrison’s A Mercy?
No full textThis research paper examines the literary function of the motherhood motif in Toni Morrison’s A Mercy. The paper analyzes the presentation of the major characters in the novel and their relation to motherhood. A Mercy is a multi-layered, imagery-laden novel containing hidden themes and social commentary. Analyzation of the motherhood motif reveals the subtle societal comments Morrison makes in the novel. The complex motherhood motif fuels the characterization of two of the main characters in the novel, Jacob and Florens. In addition, its multi-perspective nature comments on the influence of stereotypes and discrimination in society.
The scope of the investigation includes the opinion of Toni Morrison critics and interviews with Morrison. Thus, my critical analysis can be synthesized with Morrison’s own opinion of her own works as well as the opinion of literary critics
Opening a Political Opportunity for Women in China
No full textCurrently, feminist activists in China face significant political and cultural barriers to achieving gender equality. These activists require that a political opportunity develop allowing them fundamentally alter the barriers impeding their progress. In this essay, I examine the works of several prominent feminist theorists to cultivate a solution for this problem and apply these findings to the current political and social contexts of China. I propose that a unification of global feminism, transnational feminism, and local feminism is a necessity to properly develop the political opportunity window in China. Transnational feminism must act as a bridge between the isolated local feminists within the country and the academic-based constituency of global feminism. Transnational activists have to integrate the teachings of global feminists theorists into their efforts to aid the Chinese feminists. This methodological framework unites global feminists theories, intersectional analysis, human rights framing, and mobilizing structures to bolster the influence of women’s activists in China, despite oppressive conditions. Finally, I examine several alternative theoretical perspectives and explain why each was not utilized or is not applicable to this situation
John S. Bohannon, Preaching and the Emerging Church: An Examination of Four Founding Leaders: Mark Driscoll, Dan Kimball, Brian McLaren, and Doug Pagitt
No full textN/
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players: The Origins of Professional Baseball and the American Identity
No full textBaseball has been proudly coined “the national pastime” for nearly its entire existence. The sport evolved from several English bat and ball games and quickly became part of the American identity in the 19th century. Only a few decades after the first baseball club formed in New York City, amateur clubs began to organize into loose confederations as competition and glory entered a game originally associated with fraternal leisure. Soon after, clubs with enough fans and capital began to pay players for their services and by 1871 and league of solely professionals emerged. Known as The National Professional Base Ball Players Association, this league would only last five seasons but would lay the groundwork for the American tradition of professional sports that exists today. In this paper, I analyze the development of the sport of baseball into a professional industry alongside the concurrent industrialization and urbanization of the United States. I used primary documents from the era describing the growing popularity of the sport as well as modern historians’ accounts of early baseball. In addition, I rely on sources focusing on the changing American identity during this period known as The Gilded Age, which many attribute to be the beginnings of the modern understanding of American values. Ultimately, I conclude that baseball’s progression into a professional league from grassroots origins compared to a broader trend of the ideal American being viewed as urban, skilled, and affluent despite the majority not able to fit this characterization. How certain attributes become inherent to a group identity and the types of individuals able to communicate these messages are also explored. My analysis of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players provides insight on the formative experience of the modern collective American identity and baseball’s place in it as our national pastime
The Children’s Crusade: Creating the Student Voting Bloc Through McCarthy’s 1968 Campaign
No full textThe paper seeks to document the role of student campaigners in Eugene McCarthy's 1968 presidential campaign through the use of newspaper coverage and memoirs. In so doing it seeks to develop a moment in which the student voting bloc became a powerful force in American politics
Stephen I. Wright, Alive to the Word: A Practical Theology of Preaching for the Whole Church
No full textN/
The Effect of Infrastructure on Water-Related Diseases in Rural African Communities
No full textWater-related diseases are still a leading cause of death in developing countries. Though the relationship between water-related disease mortality rates and water sanitation and hygiene measures is well documented, the means to provide proper water and sanitation treatment remain elusive. This paper examines the effect of hard infrastructure on water-related disease rates and proposes that building infrastructure is the best way to reduce the prevalence of water-related disease in rural African villages. It examines the history of sanitation infrastructure in developed countries as well as why similar measures are difficult to implement in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper analyzes three rural African countries’ sanitation infrastructure systems (Botswana, Rwanda, Swaziland) to recommend best practices in rural African villages. Recommendations for future infrastructure systems are given as well as how governments can best implement those systems to reduce water-related disease mortality rates
