Articles By: Victoria Van Vlear

Pull Question: Paradise Regained

How does Milton redefine the concept of a Homeric hero? A Homeric hero: courageous, daring, angry, charming, strong, manly, passionate, commanding, skilled in oration, alluring. This is Satan in Milton’s masterful prequel, Paradise Lost. Although we watch the Devil’s extraordinary fall from heaven...
May 1st, 2013 | Pull Questions | Read More

The Problem with “Happily Ever After”

Every good story begins with a problem. A plane crashes on a desert island, leaving its occupants stranded. Two lovers are separated by their families’ hostile feud. A girl falls down a rabbit hole and loses her way in a nonsensical land. By the end of the story, the characters have either surmounted...
April 17th, 2013 | Culture, Film, Media, Television | Read More

Pull Question: The Aeneid

Does Aeneas grow to fill the shoes of an epic hero, or does he succumb to an animalistic rage, unworthy of a Roman? The establishment of Aeneas’ true character boils down to the last two and a half pages of the epic. By this time, he has completed his mission to conquer part of Italy, and by doing...
April 10th, 2013 | Pull Questions | Read More

Newer Isn’t Always Better: Why Writing by Hand is Worth It

The term “modern technology” often calls to mind significant inventions from the last century that have made life more convenient, smoother, and faster—cars, microwaves, the Internet, smart phones, the list goes on. Technology has spurred the world from a leisurely walk into a head-long sprint. Central...
April 5th, 2013 | Culture | Read More

Pull Question: Wuthering Heights

Spoiler alert: This post is full of plot and character details from Wuthering Heights. For Heathcliff and Catherine, is it better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all? Here’s another way to phrase this question: Is it better to live passionately or safely? Better to spend a single...
March 26th, 2013 | Pull Questions | Read More

Iceland, Pornography, and What Liberty Doesn’t Mean

Iceland is trying to ban internet pornography, and people all over the world are outraged. Supporters think it’s a good idea that will protect children and women; opponents don’t like the consequent implications against the freedom of speech and expression. While the US has not started a national...
March 20th, 2013 | Politics | Read More