This paper was submitted for “Honors Collegium 30: The Vietnam War and American Culture” with Professor James Goodwin in Spring 2008.

I have set the parameters for my analysis from the Vietnam War in 1965 to 1968, also the time of Labor Party Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson’s term, and the Iraq War from 2003 to 2007, also the time of Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair and George W. Bush’ term. In both the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, a United States president pressed a Labor Party Prime Minister to commit forces to a war that was highly unpopular in the United Kingdom. Why then, did Wilson refuse President Johnson’s repeated pleas while Blair sent troops unquestionably? Undoubtedly, there are a bevy of circumstantial reasons to the divergent outcomes, but those reasons are heavily hinged on alliance dynamics, domestic politics, and the personality of the respective leaders.

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This paper was submitted for “English Composition 5W: Literature, Culture, and Critical Inquiry – Concepts of Reality” with Dr. Lisa Gerrard in Winter 2008.

Almost anything we create can be considered a work of art; anyone can translate his or her perspective through art, making art one of the most influential mediums. Puccini’s Madame Butterfly is one work of art that defined symbols of a culture for its viewers. “Here…here was a Butterfly with little or no voice—but she had the grace, the delicacy…I believed this girl. I believed her suffering…so delicate, even I could protect her” Gallimard says as he’s watching Song. On one hand, Gallimard is enthralled and intrigued while watching Song play the role of Butterfly—enthralled to have his fantasy modeled by her and curious if he can exert power over the meek Butterfly. On the other hand, Song plays the role as a “job” to fulfill his own duties (III, I, 61). In David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly, Gallimard and Song consciously use the influence of art to gain power and manipulate one another.

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This paper was submitted for “English Composition 5W: Literature, Culture, and Critical Inquiry – Concepts of Reality” with Dr. Lisa Gerrard in Winter 2008.

Amy’s innocence and her willingness to help Sethe, the Garner’s empathy and care, and the Bodwin’s abolitionist attitude may seem kind—but they are only a diluted version of the schoolteacher’s blatant and violent racism. “It don’t matter, Sethe. What they say is the same. Loud or soft,” Paul D warns her (231). The lasting effects of slavery induce the white characters to acts of violence and feelings of superiority that degrade and dehumanize the blacks. In the end, the whites are essentially degrading themselves in this continuum, revealing the true humanity of the slaves despite the white’s persistent efforts to strip them of their humaneness.

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This paper was submitted for “English Composition 5W: Literature, Culture, and Critical Inquiry – Concepts of Reality” with Dr. Lisa Gerrard in Winter 2008.

In The Republic, Plato contends that our reality is only a reflection of a higher truth. If a mirror reflects what is in front of it, a shattered mirror will return a shattered, distorted image. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet spends the entire play seeking the truth, yet fails because he depends on unreliable realities. He is forced to work with a shattered mirror: an untrustworthy ghost; easily swayed Ophelia; and “that incestuous, [and] adulterate beast” (I.v.42) Claudius. All of these forces work against him, leading to skewed and contradictory ideas about human nature and ultimately, a reality that is only a reflection of a fragmented truth.

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This paper was submitted for “Information Studies 19: Just Google It” with Dr. John V. Richardson Jr. in Fall 2007.

With the emergence of Google less than a decade ago, no one could foresee its present success. It has even been punned—“Googleplex”. This is more than an appropriate play on words with googolplex meaning 10^10^100, which is essentially just a colossal number meaning “a lot”. Back in the tech arena, Google may be googolplex’s parallel. Due to the specifications of each branch of Google, Google has extended itself beyond just a search engine. With an extensive and impressive list of desktop add-ons and web products, we must question how and if Google is able to efficiently maintain them while still rivaling its competitors. While Google may be the top Internet search engine, other companies that specialize in specific queries sometimes outperform Google’s streamlined, but general search.

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