The Land (2001) is a powerful coming-of-age story by African-American writer Mildred D. Taylor. Through vividly depicting the mental and physical pains suffered by black people as well as the undying hope of protago...The Land (2001) is a powerful coming-of-age story by African-American writer Mildred D. Taylor. Through vividly depicting the mental and physical pains suffered by black people as well as the undying hope of protagonist Paul in the struggle of achieving social and economic independence by obtaining a land of his own, Mildred D. Taylor not only pungently exposes the evils of racism but also successfully builds up positive image of black character in The Land. Based on African American criticism theory and close reading of the text, the present paper aims at exploring the central themes of pain, struggle, and hope presented in the novel with the hope of interpreting the historical and realistic significance of the novel.展开更多
The term "ontology" is used to describe the nature of reality and demarcates the parameters of existence. An understanding and description of ontology is crucial for academic pursuit as it unveils applicable realiti...The term "ontology" is used to describe the nature of reality and demarcates the parameters of existence. An understanding and description of ontology is crucial for academic pursuit as it unveils applicable realities, yet it is often disregarded. The general neglect of ontology provided three motivations for this paper: Firstly, the discussion of the ontological underpinnings in research papers is often neglected while the methodology and methods receive extensive review. Secondly, tertiary students in an academic research-writing course face tremendous difficulty to describe the philosophical ideas that support their interpretation of reality and existence. Thirdly, the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary ontological thought are further complicated by the epistemological challenges posed by the tension between modernism and postmodernism. This paper suggests the use of literature (novels) as a relativity accessible platform to initiate the development of ontological thought. Through a close reading of a sample of Dutch novels published during the last decade of the 20th century, three themes were developed to illuminate the nature of postmodem reality and establish a literary-based ontology. The following three themes were developed: reality as fragments of fiction, reality as dream of paradoxes, and reality as plethora of stories. By using literature as source, ontological thought can be developed to illuminate the extent of the realities acknowledged in research projects.展开更多
文摘The Land (2001) is a powerful coming-of-age story by African-American writer Mildred D. Taylor. Through vividly depicting the mental and physical pains suffered by black people as well as the undying hope of protagonist Paul in the struggle of achieving social and economic independence by obtaining a land of his own, Mildred D. Taylor not only pungently exposes the evils of racism but also successfully builds up positive image of black character in The Land. Based on African American criticism theory and close reading of the text, the present paper aims at exploring the central themes of pain, struggle, and hope presented in the novel with the hope of interpreting the historical and realistic significance of the novel.
文摘The term "ontology" is used to describe the nature of reality and demarcates the parameters of existence. An understanding and description of ontology is crucial for academic pursuit as it unveils applicable realities, yet it is often disregarded. The general neglect of ontology provided three motivations for this paper: Firstly, the discussion of the ontological underpinnings in research papers is often neglected while the methodology and methods receive extensive review. Secondly, tertiary students in an academic research-writing course face tremendous difficulty to describe the philosophical ideas that support their interpretation of reality and existence. Thirdly, the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary ontological thought are further complicated by the epistemological challenges posed by the tension between modernism and postmodernism. This paper suggests the use of literature (novels) as a relativity accessible platform to initiate the development of ontological thought. Through a close reading of a sample of Dutch novels published during the last decade of the 20th century, three themes were developed to illuminate the nature of postmodem reality and establish a literary-based ontology. The following three themes were developed: reality as fragments of fiction, reality as dream of paradoxes, and reality as plethora of stories. By using literature as source, ontological thought can be developed to illuminate the extent of the realities acknowledged in research projects.