Four students from the Department of English and Foreign Languages will present papers at the annual Mississippi Philological Association Conference on Feb. 21 and 22. In preparation for their travels, they will present their essays at a reception on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. in Woodson Hall Room 121.
The students are Anshare Antoine of St. Lucia, Kameron Berkley of Kansas City, Mo., Dalicia McHenry of Bastrop and La’Tigre Stokes of Baton Rouge. The students will be accompanied by Dr. Mica Gould. The students were invited through Gould’s British Literature course, and their attendance at the conference will be GSU’s first time representing.
“It has been a team effort to help these students prepare, they are great representatives of both the department and the university” said Gould.
“Wearing the Pants Under her Royal Robes: The Embodiment of Male and Female Traits in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I” by GSU graduate English major Antoine argues that the gore and upheaval during Mary I’s reign appeared to prove the prejudice that in the 1500’s women could not be successful leaders and monarchs.
Antoine says Elizabeth I is King Henry VIII’s daughter, and like him, she too possessed the ability to use both masculine and feminine traits to lead her monarchy. She became successful in her rulings and was competent enough to govern the people of England until her death in 1603.
“The Truth of the Boleyn Whores: Arguing the Accuracies and Inaccuracies of The Other Boleyn Girl” by sophomore Berkley transcribes historical information about a film directed by Justin Chadwick featuring Scarlett Johansson.
An excerpt in Berkley’s prelude mentions that “When directors approach a historical event, often they are not interested in the event itself so much as with something behind and within that event, maybe a social dynamic, or some reflection of human nature, or whatever. The events and facts then are not the point, but rather they are simply tools which they use to convey something in the middle of it all.
Berkley reveals Chadwick’s “sex sells” tactic to sell his film. Chadwick used sexual connotations to sell instead of making a tasteful film with meaning. Chadwick contradicted the truth of the Boleyn Girls and the historical event was portrayed with false information. Scholars argued about the misleading interpretation, as well as the inaccuracies of the facts in the film by Chadwick.
“The Men behind the Virgin Queen: The Psychological Damage of an Icon” by graduating senior McHenry moves the mind of the readers to inform them of the psychological abuse that Queen Elizabeth suffered from. McHenry’s notion of betrayal is depicted. If Queen Elizabeth had been of lower status she would have not been mislead and mistreated by her father and her suspected lover, Robert Dudley.
“Queen Elizabeth I: A Catholic or Protestant Queen” by Stokes questions the morality of Queen Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I was the third queen of England and Stokes discusses her religious beliefs. England at the time of Queen Elizabeth’s reign was a Protestant nation. She was raised under her father’s religious beliefs.
Stokes writes, “It is believed, however, by some experts that Queen Elizabeth had a hidden closet in the castle that was full of Catholic symbols used in a Mass ceremony. This was a secret closet that not many people knew about and no one was allowed in except the Queen.”