We are excited to bring you the Spring 2022 issue of EP, a collection of the some of the strongest essays composed during the Spring 2022 semester for Texts & Contexts classes here at Fordham. In this issue, we have essays exploring embodiment and essays examining social critique through literature. Nora Reidy’s essay “Acting the Part: Becoming Sara in Stop Kiss ” explores the transformative power of embodying a character as a means of addressing and overcoming professional and personal insecurities, while Sara Flaherty’s piece “All American Woman” is a creative exploration of the power that the arts have to liberate one from oppressive conformity. Bridget Salter’s essay “Brave New World and its Criticism of Men Like Gods” explores how literature can offer critiques of utopian ideas and ideals spread through prior literature, particularly the idea that scientific innovation is not without consequences. Sarah Daniels’s essay “Gender Norms’ Effects on Plot Development in The Whale Rider and Ponyo” uses literature and film to show how defying socially-imposed gender norms benefits both individuals and societies alike. Each of these excellent essays explores the transformative power of the arts, whether through performance, escape, resistance, or world-building.
Essays
Acting the Part: Becoming Sara in Stop Kiss by Nora Reidy
All American Woman by Sara Flaherty
Brave New World and its Criticism of Men Like Gods by Bridget Salter
Gender Norms’ Effects on Plot Development in The Whale Rider and Ponyo by Sarah Daniels
