Incorporating both personal anecdotes and culturally relevant works such as Ban Zhao’s “Lessons for Women,” Grace Huang reflects on the significance of femininity in her life. She skillfully addresses intergenerational differences in perspective regarding what it means to be a woman, inspiring an important discussion about the limitations of the gender binary. Huang also reflects […]
Norma Jean Haynes’ close reading of Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy offers an insightful perspective on the author’s use of plants and gardens in the novel. Haynes highlights the ways in which plants and agriculture are a site of colonialism and slavery, while simultaneously noting their liberatory power. Beyond presenting a precise reading of Kincaid’s writing, Haynes […]
Drawing on her experiences of living in the South and the mysteries within her family’s history, Georgia Coats passionately investigates the origins of the collective white memories of the Civil War. By questioning the ways in which history is passed down and altered over time, she deftly assesses the reasons why certain histories are preserved, […]
In analyzing the written and cinematic works of Joan Morgan, Beyoncé Knowles, and Audre Lorde, Gracia Bareti explores how these three women use artistic self expression to challenge the stereotype of the Strong Black Woman. Her rich analysis examines how the Strong Black Woman stereotype has been enforced externally and internally in the lives and […]
Responding to the horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jane Brinkley turns to the sublime: the sense of awe we feel when witnessing a force of incredible magnitude or power. Brinkley uses two narratives from the AIDS epidemic to exemplify the sublime — David Wojnarowicz’s Close to the Knives and Tony Kushner’s Angels in America — […]
Siobhan Dietz’s essay on a woman who lived through a critical point in history shines as necessarily grounding in our present moment. Though Siobhan met Dorothy through reading her diary entries, her potent analysis and critique of modernism supported by archival research explores what it means to be a “Smithie,” highlighting the themes and tenacity […]
Marina Alfano balances what it means to live and eat ethically in her essay exploring a potential solution to the dilemmas that arise when we consume meat. Over the course of this thoroughly argued piece, we see Marina pre-empt and balance counterarguments, grapple with pressing moral and environmental issues, and ultimately present us with a […]
Noel Li’s thorough and dynamic analysis of women’s sexualization in the marketing of American Apparel stands out not only in its content, but also in the palpable passion for the topic Noel displays in her writing. Her use of formal and casual language, measured and thoughtful critique, and direct appeal to her readers’ sense of […]
Shreya Singh brings Crime and Punishment into its own time in her essay, deftly balancing close reading of Dostoevsky’s language with history of the social and political contest underpinning the novel’s belief system. She makes her claim clearly, backs it up confidently, and carefully considers alternative points of view, ultimately producing an analysis which not […]
Applying the ideas of Audre Lorde to the ballroom scene of Paris is Burning, Kali Adams aligns the struggles and aspirations of marginalized people in a thought-provoking and intersectional process that simultaneously pits them against themselves and explores the concept of what it means to be “other.” By questioning the very basis of the desire […]
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