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Essays

The Constant Vanity in Araby

James Joyce’s “Araby” follows a nameless narrator as he pursues a girl for the first time, seeking to win her affections by bringing her a gift from the titular bazaar. The short story can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the different facets the narrator is being viewed through. Despite the different commentaries that stem from the multi-dimensional characterization of the narrator, there is nonetheless an overarching, central thesis, surrounding man’s vanity and his desire for an ideal.

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Blog

Superhero Fashion

“The New 52″ is perhaps DC Comics’ most ambitious project event: a complete revamp, reboot and relaunch of all superhero titles. Cultural icons Superman, Batman and other superheroes have all been given a blank slate, making it the perfect time for someone to start reading comics.
Not only have histories been reset, but most heroes have been given new costumes. Here are some of DC’s biggest icons’ new looks, and what they’re doing right and wrong.

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Essays

Stanza Structure in The Fish and The Force

Marianne Moore’s “The Fish” and Dylan Thomas’ “The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower” are complex and ambiguous poems that explore the paradoxical forces in a monistic universe where everything is intertwined. Time, nature and humanity are all connected and shown to have contradictory, twin faces: one of creation and one of destruction.  Focus will be given to Moore and Thomas’ use of stanza structure to emphasize and reflect their ideas. The stanza structure of “The Fish” and “The Force” are largely different with subtle similarities, but effectively convey the same message, themes and ideas.

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Blog

Get Your Hair Cut Like a Man

So your hair’s getting long again.
Oh god, your hair’s getting long again. And that means a visit to the hair salon.
The second you walk in, a wave of perm chemicals and shampoo hits you right in the nose.  Your face freezes in horror as you realize you’ve just repeated the most terrible mistake of your life again. It’s too late to leave now; everyone’s already staring at you.
Let’s face it: you’re a man’s man. Your fashion style is completely masculine and timeless. If it was good enough for JFK, it’s good enough for you. You don’t want anything fancy. You just want a clean cut. You want a quick trim that’s manly and neat, straight out of Mad Men. You want the ladies to know you mean business.