opinion – Page 3 – Modcast — Accessibility, Literature, and Mustachios

Analyzing Prescriptive Grammatical Differences Between the Psalms

Last December I decided to challenge myself to read the entire bible in a year. Several months into my journey, I felt a huge shift within myself and was able to connect to what I was reading on a much deeper level. Fast forward a few months to August; the start of my semester takingContinue reading “Analyzing Prescriptive Grammatical Differences Between the Psalms”

Skin-Crawling Tension: The Writing Styles of Poe and Lovecraft

Black and white scribble art depicting a hand holding a calligraphy pen, scratching on a sheet of paper. Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/735634920356474407/

It is no secret that H.P. Lovecraft greatly admired Edgar Allan Poe. Once, H.P. Lovecraft even identified Poe as a strong influence on his writing, saying, “When I write stories, Edgar Allan Poe is my model” (The H.P. Lovecraft Archive). With a quick read through each author’s works, that influence is clear as both PoeContinue reading “Skin-Crawling Tension: The Writing Styles of Poe and Lovecraft”

Opinion: Fairness cannot exist without justice

A minimalist pastel-colored illustration depicting 4 figures on a see-saw. Two large persons stand on the left side, and two smaller persons stand on the right. To ensure the seesaw is level, the two on the right stand on boxes. Centered above them is a yellow circle with an equal sign inside.

According to John Rawls’ argument for justice as fairness, it is clear that the government of the United States is perpetuating an UNJUST system, as not everyone has an equal opportunity to create the rules.

POC Writers & Award Winners

The two pieces that I chose to do my analysis on were the first paragraphs from two different POC novels. I choose to use these pieces because they set the scene for the two novels Paradise, by Toni Morrison, and The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy. Coincidentally, before I decided to use theseContinue reading “POC Writers & Award Winners”

The Concept Lies in the Subtleties

A clipart drawing of three stacked books. Top is green with a red heart on the spine, middle is yellow with spine facing away from viewer, and bottom is blue with a pink heart on the spine.

A sonnet from Shakespeare’s original Romeo and Juliet and a translated version will be used to analyze the function of affixes and how they are used to create new meanings and alter the context of the play. By looking closely at how affixes are used within the framework of the sonnet, we can then concludeContinue reading “The Concept Lies in the Subtleties”

Manipulating Verbs: Active and Passive Constructs in Fiction

Throughout this past semester, I became interested in the difference between active and passive voice and how they can determine the tone of fictional writing. Due to this interest, I decided to take one paragraph from Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor and one paragraph from White TigerContinue reading “Manipulating Verbs: Active and Passive Constructs in Fiction”

Opinion: Fanfiction Is the Great Pathway into Writing

Drawing of an open book with lines representing text on the facing pages. 5 writing utensils are standing with their points on the pages. From left to right: a red ballpoint pen, a red calligraphy pen, a gray drawing pen, a blue highlighter, and a red pencil. Source: https://howtowritefanfiction.com/

Especially for young readers and writers, fanfiction can be a great way to develop writing skills, find and build a sense of community, and foster a love for both reading and writing.

Opinion: Free Speech Versus Hate Speech

A row of colorful cut-out figures under five floating speech bubbles. From left to right, they are colored: yellow, red, pink, light blue, orange, and dark blue. The bubbles, from left to right, are: pink, light blue, yellow, red, and orange. Source: https://www.bcse.org/lets-talk-talanoa-how-clean-energy-can-power-ambition/

How do we have both social unity and diversity of ideas without protecting hate speech?

The Undeniable Horrors of Reading…

Look, I’m just saying reading is hard. Reading is hard because most of the time it’s not accessible. Meanings are too intense, too hard to grasp, too much to handle! I try. I mean technically I have to try being a student of English Literature. But, most of the time I barely scrape by. IContinue reading “The Undeniable Horrors of Reading…”

Opinion: Accessibility and Accountability

Against a red background, a person with short black and a black shirt and pants scratches their head as they look at a sheet of paper they are holding. A white dialog box shows the viewer what is on the paper. Three emoticons from left to right are frowny, smiley, and neutral. Each face has an empty red checkbox beneath it. Source: http://www.digital-web.com/articles/accountability_of_accessibility_and_usability/

Everyone should be held accountable when it comes to accessibility. We’re all living in the same world, but we’re all experiencing it in vastly different perspectives. It only makes sense to ensure everyone can access those perspectives.