Honors Projects for English

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10125/27007

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 302

The Enunciations of Silence
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2024) Kawabata-Bonin, Brendon; Fujikane, Candace; English
“In Standing Water Between Boy and Man”: Gender Fluidity and The Early Modern Stage
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2023) Cartee, Sarah; Higginbotham, Derrick; English
Medea, Uninterrupted
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2024) Kalabukhova, Anna; Howes, Craig; English
Sick Building
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Davis, Aramis; Howes, Craig; English
Starting A Conversation About Social and Climate Issues through Children's Literature
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) McCarthy, Makenzie; Sammons, Todd; English
Scum: An Auto-Theoretical and Phenomenological Exploration into Feminist Rage
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2022) Brandenburg, Azlynn; Manshel, Hannah; English
911 and Other States of Emergency: A Short Story Cycle
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Murashige, Kelly; Franklin, Cynthia; English
As reported by the National Institute of Mental Health, about one in seventeen adults in America has a diagnosable mental disorder. Mental illness is neither a death sentence nor a fun fact for a tumblr bio, and it cannot be defined as one single thing. A person with a myriad of diagnoses may deal with mental illness in a healthier way than someone who refuses to let go of a traumatic past, or vice versa. Even within a group of people with the same diagnosis, the manifestations and the ways in which people deal with illness can vary wildly from person to person. Regardless, these conditions can severely impact people’s lives but are often hidden away or worn like a pretty badge of honor. There is no single correct way to deal with mental illness, but finding a strong support system and maintaining honest communication can alleviate symptoms and stress. Though psychological distress and maladaptive coping strategies are difficult topics to write about and to discuss, I have chosen to explore mental illness in my short story collection. “911 and Other States of Emergency” is a cycle of five female-led stories, an experiment in form, narrative voice, and gender politics revolving around mental illness and (mis)communication.
Returning to Mauliola & Mo‘olelo: Overcoming Traumas of Sand Island with Narratives from the Past
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Watabu, Kayla; Fujikane, Candace; English
With the continually expanding settler colonial presence and a growing capitalist- centric economy in Hawai‘i, relationships between Kānaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiians) and ‘āina (anyone who feeds emotionally, spiritually, or physically) are becoming increasingly threatened, regardless of whether they are conscious of the fact or not. This paper analyzes the modes through which this settler colonial system has dirtied or traumatized the abundant waters of Hawai‘i by examining the mo‘olelo (story, history) of Mauliola or Sand Island, wading through a history of disease, war, and contamination. To resist these themes centered on isolation, this project also explores methods of healing that aim to restore not only our relationship with ‘āina but also ‘āina’s ea—their breath, life, and sovereignty.
Allyship: Reckoning with Learned Histories
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2021) Talabong, Alessandra; Allen, Sarah; English
Belonging The Literature of Fighting to Find One’s Place
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Bailey, Lauryn; Hsu, Ruth; English
Two novels that have shaped my experience at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa are Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior and Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese. These novels contain many elements of internalized racism, as well as exterior racism, which had not before been described in such ways. The authors each draw on their personal experiences as well as Chinese culture in order to portray life as an Asian American living in America. Through their respective novels, the authors create vivid tales of personal identity struggles and learning how to come into one’s own individuality in a society that often shames such behaviors.
Making the Most of What We’ve Got: Understanding the Paradox of Postmodern Fictional Satire in the Works of Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2019) Woo, Danielle; Caron, James; Chandra, Nandini; English
A fundamental paradox exists in the realm of satire in the postmodern because postmodernism challenges all traditional structures of moral values and literary expression, while satire often holds its subjects to the critical scrutiny of overarching moral and social standards. Postmodern satirists Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders both author fictional satire with absurdist elements, though their satire is possible in the postmodern realm because of the way in which it gently instills values of hope and empathy. Vonnegut precedes Saunders by a generation in which a world war and civil rights movements were rampant and active. The fiction of his career ultimately begins the postmodern satirist movement because his work maneuvers surreptitiously under the cloak of radical science fiction and dark humor. Defying the bleak appearance of his writing style, Vonnegut promotes a hope and restored faith in humanity. Saunders represents the twenty-first century postmodern satirist who uses empathetic development in his fiction in order to elevate the healing and ameliorative properties of his fictional satire. By provoking empathy for his dynamic characters, Saunders evokes human understanding and elicits compassion in readers with his moral trajectory. Both authors prove that despite breaking literary boundaries and challenging inherently accepted moral norms, they are still able to reinvigorate the individual moral sentiments of readers without imposing harsh, corrective dogmas.
Failure of History of Great Sadness
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2020) Calfo, Daniel; Sammons, Todd; English
Failure of History of Great Sadness is an original, creative work that presents itself as a blend of fiction, memoir, and literary criticism. The work is framed in such a way as to explain two ideas: that an initial goal was pursued but failed to have been met, and that this failure is actually an opportunity to develop a new work out of the old work’s remnants. The work encourages a seamless interweaving of what is imagined and what is real, and suggests the destruction of the boundaries between author and subject. Additionally, the work is a gallery of aesthetic: there are many types of ways to write, and, to the author’s best ability, a number of these ways are explored. The work of Failure of History of Great Sadness is, essentially, a collection of short stories that each focus on their own particular subject — with the added caveat that the work understands and proclaims itself to be an attempt at writing a thesis. But, more than that, the work centrally addresses that which is elusive: as in, the spark that makes magic into magic.
Challenging Post-Truth Rhetoric Beginning in the Writing Classroom
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2019) Tungpalan, Alexander; Desser, Daphne; Payne, Darin; English
Traditional forms of unethical rhetoric have always existed; however, with the relatively new freedoms and abilities afforded by the rise of digital media, a new, more dangerous form of unethical rhetoric has made its impact in the public sphere: post-truth rhetoric. As the name implies, post-truth rhetoric is not concerned with truth and thereby relies on creating arguments that are often premised by observable falsehoods. As absurd as it may seem, the use of post-truth rhetoric has recently proven to be very rewarding in public discourse. Perhaps the most glaring example of its success is that of the 2016 presidential election, where Donald Trump often presented falsehoods as truths in order to gain favor and mobilize certain groups of people. It is imperative to reassert the value of fact-based arguments by training the next generation of voters, and teachers of argumentative writing and rhetoric stand at the forefront. In this study, I identify current approaches that are being implemented at UHM through asynchronous surveys with current argumentative writing teachers, while also thinking about current suggestions posed by the literature. Based on my findings, I argue that it is necessary to modify current forms of teaching argumentative writing so that it is more conducive to the realistic digital media practices by students.
Release
(University of Hawai'i at Manoa, 2019) Byars, Joelle; Pak, Gary; Higginbotham, Derek; English
Release is a collection of short stories rooted in different socio-political issues present in the United States including: abortion, assisted suicide, immigration, discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals and couples regarding adoption, marital rape, and religious freedom. The goal of this collection is to humanize and destigmatize controversial topics in order to open a pathway to education and discussion. These stories were inspired primarily by The Jungle by Upton Sinclair along with with elements of Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. These novels all show the personal struggle of a character dealing with a larger issue, whether it be rooted in race, class, or specific political structures. Where this collection pulls more from Sinclair’s novel is in the attempt to contribute to the genre of political fiction which is resurging in relevance. Byars researched various academic studies, articles, journal entries, as well as news articles and blogs to simulate the indepth research carried out by Sinclair when he created The Jungle. Byars then used her sources to design first-person narratives, humanizing the socio-political issues discussed similar to the methods executed by Allison and Morrison. Byars intersects personal experiences, academic analysis, and investigation of social politics to express six unique perspectives of contentious subject matter.
Midnight Dreams: A Collection of Short Stories
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018) Whang, Krista; Bacchilega, Cristina; English
I have always loved the way reading can transport you, especially during the most difficult periods in life. When I was a little girl, I used to rely on stories to get me through the darkest times and admired the way a good book could make getting through
The Satiric Tragedy of Doctor Faustus
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018) Harrison, Kevin R.; Sammons, Todd; English
Christopher Marlowe is arguably one of the most important pre-Shakespearean dramatists, though he does not receive as much attention as the Bard. I hypothesize, though, that in his four major works, Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta, Edward II, and Tamburl
Humor as Resistance: Understanding Issa Rae’s Insecure as Post-Soul Satire
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2018) Buffenstein, Ilana; Caron, James E.; English
As a self-described “awkward black girl,” Issa Rae’s distinctly witty voice shines through in her early web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl; however, less critical work has been done on her landmark new HBO series, Insecure, which she write
The Representation of Female Identity and Sexuality in Diane Di Prima's Poem Loba as a Significant Contribution to the Beat Literary Movement
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2014) Reyes, Meagan; Morse, Jonathan; English
The Beat Generation was a literary movement which peaked during the 1940’s. Many writers within the movement have enjoyed fame and credibility within the literary world as innovative writers and poets. What is little known is that many women were active in the movement by writing novels, memoirs, and poetry. One writer is Diane di Prima who not only participated in “Beat” methods of writing but was successful in many other literary endeavors as well. Her poem Loba, published in 1978, demonstrates the unique methods of Beat writing while offering a feminist perspective never touched on by the Beat men. The representation of feminine identity and sexuality in Diane di Prima’s poem, Loba, is a significant contribution to the Beat literary movement. Drawing inspiration from indigenous and European literature and mythology, di Prima creates a mystical poem specific to feminist ideology. Analyzing book one, parts one through eight, this project aims to identify the representation of the loba as a method of expressing feminine identity and unleashing repressed female sexuality. A major aspect of this project is also identifying the indigenous and European mythology of women in the poem as crucial to revealing di Prima’s feminist perspective. The end goal of this project is to create recognition of Diane di Prima and other female beat writers as significant literary contributors to the movement.
Color Me in: A Novel
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2015-08) Ciufo, Jessica; Pak, Gary; English
Color Me in, is a fictional love story. It begins in medias res. At the proverbial fork in the road, two protagonist must navigate how to move forward with their lives, as well as come to terms with their pasts. Reoccurring themes include addiction, memory, and redemption. Narrative voice will be in the first person, with perspectives changing every other chapter, between the male and female leads. Settings include Seattle, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. Seattle being the home base for the characters and storyline. Music lyrics will also play a major role in the novel. Each chapter begins with a song title, proceeded by a few lines from that song. These chunks of text foreshadow the unfolding scene, in either tone or plot. In terms of genre, romance and realism are both used to highlight and resolve idealism.
Faith and Awareness in Young Female Celebrity Life Writing: The Memoirs of Lena Dunham, Malala Yousafzai, and Katie Davis
(University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2017-05) Smith, Nicolette; Howes, Craig; English
This project is a critical analysis of the life writing of young, contemporary women focusing on the spiritual aspect of their writing aiming to study the spiritual beliefs and purpose behind including this aspect of their life in an autobiography. of these young women through their published autobiographical works. This paper focuses on studying the autobiographies of three young, contemporary, celebrity women- Lena Dunham (Not That Kind of Girl), Malala Yousafzai (I Am Malala), and Katie Davis (Kisses from Katie). Lena Dunham is a controversial entertainer, while Malala and Katie Davis are conservative, religious women, although Malala is Muslim and Davis is Christian. Based on their writings about their life, analysis is done to compare and contrast the influences and reasons behind their beliefs, and the way they act on them, according to their memoirs. In addition, theoretical framework on autobiography and life writing is studied in order to situate the autobiographies in both history and modern critics in order to determine the intent of each writer and the purpose behind writing the memoir within their respective autobiography.

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