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An Examination of Billy Collins’ Poetry Collection Questions About Angel
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature)--John Cabot University, Spring 2021.The thesis examines different aspecs of Billy Collins' poetry in his collection titled "Questions About Angels." Through analyzing specific poems from the collection, the thesis aims to understand what factors off Collins' poetry contribute to his popularity
Country-Level Size Effects in International Asset Pricing
No full textThis paper investigates whether small markets offer higher risk-adjusted expected returns using a large set of developed and emerging markets over a time span of up to four decades. The results show that expected returns are significantly lower in larger markets, an effect more pronounced in emerging rather than developed countries. The relationship between size effects and the level of market segmentation in emerging countries is further explored in the context of financial market integration. The size premium is strong and persistent over time independently of the (fading) segmentation premium documented in the literature. Markets size effects remain statistically and economically significant in the presence of various control factors and account for up to 1% per year in terms of expected returns in emerging countries
The Augustan Manipulation of the Roman Literary World and the Anti- Augustanism Emerging from Propertius and Ovid’s Works
No full textThesis (B.A. in Classical Studies)--John Cabot University, Spring 2021.My research question relates to how Augustus manipulated the literary world of his time and how the poets he employed to secure support among the elites – specifically Propertius and Ovid – reacted to his rule and to being used as a part of the propaganda machine and chose to express their criticism of Augustus. The methods of investigation used mostly consist of Propertius and Ovid’s literary works: the Elegiae for Propertius and the Amores and Metamorphoses for Ovid. In the first part of this work the focus will be on the exploitation of myth, first by Augustus in his propaganda program and second by the Augustan poets as a safe means to express dissent in their works; then the discussion will move onto the nature of Maecenas’ power in Rome and his role in the Roman literary scene and in ensuring literary support for the regime. The second part will consider the writings of Propertius and Ovid, with a focus on the anti-Augustanism emerging from their works. For Propertius, the discussion will revolve around his critique of Augustus and Roman military imperialism, while, for Ovid, around his critique of Augustus’ appropriation and exploitation of state religion for the regime and his attempt to reform and control Roman public morality. It will be concluded that Augustus used myth to elevate his status to a mythical one and create an ever-lasting personal association with Apollo and that not only was Maecenas’ power in Rome was extensive and very significant, but that he controlled literature through his literary circle and secured the support of the poets for Augustus and his rule. It will also be concluded that neither Propertius nor Ovid were sincere in their apparent support of Augustus’ regime
The Fluidity of Literary Genre: Sylvia Plath’s and Ocean Vuong’s Contribution to the Poet’s Novel
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in English Literature)--John Cabot University, Spring 2021.Why does a poet decide to write a novel? What can prose offer compared to poetry? How does the author’s message change in this transition? Which aspects of the poet’s novel can be encountered in a specific work? These are the research questions I will be addressing in this thesis about the phenomenon of the poet’s novel, taking into consideration two authors who come from different backgrounds and generations: Sylvia Plath and Ocean Vuong. It is, however, necessary to specify that, with this paper, I do not mean to find the exact reason why poets across nationalities and generations write novels—since each case is different from another—but rather consider these two poets in particular, whose writing resonates with my artistic sensibility. I will also offer an in-depth analysis of their poems and see the similarities and differences with their fiction. As a writer myself, I feel more comfortable writing poetry than prose, maybe because, in my mind, it allows me more freedom to express what I feel and to experiment. On the other hand, I am not excluding that I will write a short story collection someday, or even a novel, which is why I admire those writers who challenge themselves by experimenting with a different genre from the one they feel most comfortable with. The ultimate question I will be answering is: why do poets write novels? Is it to increase their chances to sell? To draw more attention to their next poetry collection from a public of mostly prose-readers? Or do they want to express something they could not have expressed in their poems, maybe using a different medium? Whatever those reasons might be, Plath and Vuong deliver beautifully written contributions to the ongoing dialogue concerning the worthiness and purpose of poetry and prose, teaching us that boundaries and genres are not fixed, but flexible
Dating Troubles: an Investigation into the Painted Decoration within the Tomb of the Blue Demons
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2021.The Tomb of the Blue Demons is an Etruscan burial chamber from Tarquinia shrouded in a damaged archaeological record, traditionally dated to the mid-fifth century BC. With extraordinary frescoes of a hunt, a procession, a banquet, and the Underworld, the tomb has captivated archaeologists for its unusual blue beasts—creatures who do not arise in Etruscan visual trends until one hundred years after the tomb’s ascribed date. Scholars adhering to the traditional date of the tomb have explained these painted demons as a newfound Etruscan concern for the afterlife. However, similar funerary characters appear on sixth-century terracotta plaques from nearby Cerveteri. In these examples, however, these human characters have yet to transform into the monstrous creatures we see in the Tomb of the Blue Demons. Additionally, identical grotesque figures decorate many other Etruscan materials (ranging from pottery and mirrors to cinerary urns and sarcophagi), all dating from the mid-fourth to late third centuries BC.
The demons in the Tomb of The Blue Demons, then, not only demonstrate a visual expansion of pre-existing afterlife thoughts in Etruria, but also realign the frescos’ date with the mid-fourth century BC. A closer look at these demons alongside the tomb’s other paintings reveals additional discrepancies in their drafting techniques and pigments. Here, painters unmistakably used a red sketch before painting and lightly outlining the demons—a technical feature noticeably absent from the other three walls. These iconographic and painterly differences throughout the Underworld more closely align the fresco with later artistic trends in Etruria. Considering all of this evidence together, it thus appears as if the Underworld scene in the Tomb of the Blue Demons was likely painted at a second historical moment, much after the tomb was originally adorned with the more traditional painted scenes. This allows a dating of the Underworld scene to the mid-fourth century BC, underscoring an intricate level of artistic adaptation and innovation previously unseen in funerary decoration
Controversial Monuments: A creative approach to the inherent function of storytelling the Confederate and Colonial Monuments in the U.S.
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2021.This work proposes an approach to a very current discussion regarding publicmonuments. It focuses on the problem of the memorialization of controversial figures in achanging society, through the American case study. I will debate notions of narrative thatsurround these kinds of public memorials analyzing how the formal and contextual side of themonument affects their perception and reception. The goal of this thesis will be to propose,through apparently successful case studies, the innovative recontextualization of these publicobjects and their meanings for didactic and empathic purposes
Sensing the Night: Nocturnal Filmmaking in Guantánamo, Cuba
No full textGuardians of the Night (2018) is a short-length film set in Guantánamo, Cuba, that aims to engage with a temporal scape too long disregarded by visual anthropologists: the night. This article, written by the filmmakers, reflects on some of the challenges and opportunities offered by the night for ethnographic fieldwork, filmmaking, and more specifically, sound recording. We locate our work as part of a movement to recognize the night as a spatiotemporal dimension that should be explored further from a sensorial perspective and outside the diecentric focus that social sciences have established in their approaches to social and cultural phenomena
The Representation of the Underworld in Funerary Frescoes: A Comparative Analysis of Etruscan and Lucanian Concepts of the Afterlife
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Entrepreneurship and Classical Studies)--John Cabot University, Fall 2021.This thesis explores Lucanian and Etruscan funerary paintings depicting the deceased’s voyage to the underworld in order to investigate the two cultures’ contrasting beliefs about death and the afterlife. In particular, the thesis will focus on the Tomb of the Blue Demons in Tarquinia and the Tomb 47 from Andriuolo, as they are both characterized by a rare scene of the voyage of the deceased. The deep sadness and grief caused by the separation from the loved ones that transpires from the Lucanian paintings, and the strong sense of hope and family reunion perceivable from the Etruscan frescoes will be investigated throughout the thesis. The first and second chapters introduce the reader to the most common themes in funerary paintings from the repertoire of both the Italic cultures, and the contrast between them in terms of representations and funerary traditions will be highlighted and discussed. The third chapter is dedicated to the visual analysis of the case studies, to an overview about the individual tombs and the interaction between all the frescoes within, and finally to the comparison between the mourning women scenes and the banqueting scene. The fourth chapter allows a better understanding of the theme of voyage as depicted in the Tomb of the Blue Demons and Tomb 47, and it will be analyzed as an exemplification of the differences of the Lucanian and Etruscan cultures
The Popular History of the Norman Warrior-Caste
No full textThesis (B.A. in History)--John Cabot University, Fall 2021.The Normans are renowned for their feats of conquest during the Middle Ages, yet these feats are often only ascribed to that of the titular Dukes of Normandy, such as Rollo, William the Conqueror, and Robert Guiscard. They did not undertake these campaigns of conquest alone. Behind them stood a caste of Norman warriors that contributed massively to the history of Normandy from the early 10th century until the end of the 12th. The objective of this thesis is to trace the popular history of the Norman warrior-caste from their genesis as the ‘Northmen’ in the early 10th century, to their rapid assimilation within the Duchy of Normandy in the years that followed, through their conquest of southern Italy, and ultimately to what became of them after the period of Norman conquest
Snippets of Life: The Curated Assemblage in Roman Wall Painting
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2021.Despite being a relatively understudied category of Roman wall painting, images of food, animals, and inanimate objects – known for the past century as ancient still life – functioned as holistic representations of Roman life and culture. The term “still life” does not fully acknowledge, however, the fluidity and complexity of the ancient genre. Essentially, these paintings were much more than decorative ‘fillers’ within painted ensembles. By depicting personalized, carefully curated groupings of everyday objects that were emblematic of different vital associations, they managed to serve as communicative vehicles for delivering meaning through display. This thesis, hence, proposes ‘Curated Assemblage’ as a more effective term for these paintings, and aims to delimit their compositional form within the context of Roman wall-painting. It also explores the ways in which the paintings within this genre acted as vibrant visual statements with inherent agency for both spaces and viewers. With a new definition therefore, that recognizes these representations as carefully chosen objects that were both important to the patron and emblematic of Roman life, this corpus also expands to include compositions that have otherwise been overlooked in modern scholarship. Thus, new curated “object groupings” may be recognized as belonging to this class, for the first time. They include fruits and birds that were visually “plucked” from their natural garden surroundings, chosen for their particular species and assembled on a shelf unframed, to be called herein, “Floating Shelves.” They also include fruits and birds that have been purposefully chosen to be carefully constructed in garden scenes and woven into garlands. This paper will show that it is the purposeful gathering of these items that allow them all to be included in the genre of the Curated Assemblage