Manning Award

Looking But Not Seeing. Appreciably, blindness is a dominant theme woven through the garment of the “Cathedral” story by Raymond Carver. One is taken aback by the utter rawness and cold attitude exhibited by the narrator about the blind man. The narrator loudly wonders on who could dare attend a little wedding between Robert, the blind man and his sweetheart Beulah and further states that he does not have any blind person as a friend. As the story develops, one thing becomes certain that the…

The story begins with Matt, a clone of a powerful drug lord called El Patron, living in isolation in Opium with the mother figure of the story, Celia. Since clones are disliked he is found and taken to the “Big House” as a prisoner and where he continues to live even once freed until he realizes El Patron wants Matt to harvest his heart. He flees to Aztlan but is forced into slavery as a plankton factory worker until he can escape with three other boys and makes it back to Opium where he lives…

Since Lady Gaga’s introduction in the mainstream music platform in 2008, she has remained a constant changing force in Pop. Moreover, her first single, Just Dance marked her as an upcoming pop star, and the second single Poker Face asserted her status in the mainstream society. As a result, with time, Gaga could influence the world of politics, fashion, pop art, fashion and pop music (Darmayasa 4). Even though she is blunt about her beliefs, Lady Gaga crafts her perceptions in her music videos…

James was an island in a sea of humanity. His face, shoulders and entire mid-section drooped as far as physically possible. A number of heavy breaths emanated from his lungs. A succession of sighs escaped from his lips. Clearly, “the Kid” as he was known in the Fight One locker room needed some cheering up. He wasn’t going to get it. Edwards had begged, borrowed and dealt for the cross promotional matchup against 4CW invader, Lord Raab. Not many of his colleagues thought he had a fighting…

Chatting with Celebrities: A Rhetorical Analysis Revision “Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media,” by Melissa A. Click, Hyunji Lee and Holly Willson Holladay, is a work pertaining to how Lady Gaga’s social media presence makes her relationship with her fans more intimate and personal. Dr. Click is an assistant professor (“Melissa Click”), and Dr.’s Lee & Holladay are graduate teaching assistants (“Lee”)(“Holladay”), all at the University of Missouri. Their purpose in…

Based on the Stephen King novel, “The Shawshank Redemption” tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a successful banker wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. Once in Shawshank prison, his world is turned upside down as he learns the new dynamics of life on the inside. Set in the 1940’s, the film shows the graphic and harsh world that exists inside prison walls and when viewed through a leadership aspect, provides insight into the ways in which corruption, power, and struggle can…

A major theme in the film was rebirth- where a person is reborn spiritually, physically, and or mentally. The main character Jake Sully was the representation of that theme throughout the movie, where in the end he is physically reborn and now an Avatar. The film follows an ex-marine named Jake Sully who is paraplegic. He gets the opportunity to take his brothers place on a mission to a world called Pandora where he will be working with the scientists to learn, and understand the people who live…

In the film Avatar, Jake Sully is faced with multiple ethical dilemmas. Including taking his brothers spot on the mission, whether to help the soldiers destroy the Home-Tree and the decision to fight the humans and send them back to Earth. I would like to focus on the internal conflicts that Jake suffered when he decided that he wanted to protect the Home-Tree from Colonel Quaritch. When Jake Sully first came to the planet of Pandora he was absolutely focused on his mission of infiltrating the…

Losing something that you have had for a long time can have an enormous impact on a person. In The Shawshank Redemption, Samuel Norton experiences the loss of his dream, his freedom, and ultimately his actual death. The movie tells the story of a man named Andy Dufresne who is sentenced for two consecutive life terms in a severe prison for the murders of his wife and her lover. However, only Andy knows he did not commit the crime. The Warden deals with the loss by desiring a lot of money, his…

One of the all-time great movies Shawshank Redemption based on Stephen King’s book has some of the most thought provoking and poignant quotes, one of which I think is “Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free”. This sentence has nuances that deserve careful inspection. However, before diving into the quote, let’s pause to define what fear and hope are. Fear is one of the basic and strongest emotions known and can redefine who you are. It has the power to make us curl up in a corner,…