jvoegele.com > Essays
Essays and Opinions
by Jason Voegele
These are some essays and short opinion pieces I've written over the years,
most of them for college courses. I once held the delusion that I was a
Writer, but I've since reread my work and decided that I tend to OVERSTATE
MY ASSERTIONS. Oh well, I still feel that there's some good material
in these essays, and I learned a lot writing them so all was not wasted.
Those with an interest in semiotics might enjoy these pieces, although
they might be most useful to college students with a looming deadline.
Please note, however, that all materials are copyright © Jason Voegele,
and may not be used for any reason without
permission.
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This is an essay about the video for Pearl Jam's "Jeremy". It analyzes
the role of the "traditional family values" myth from the perspective
of the outcast and discusses the dangers of believing in such myths.
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This essay discusses the popular parody trend in advertising and manipulation
of consumer desires by such advertisements. Do you remember the old Bud Light
ad that had men dressed as women so they could score free beer on ladies night?
It was funny, right? Sure, just be wary.
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I've never thought that The Shawshank Redemption was a perfect movie,
but from a thematic standpoint it has a lot to say about life as one giant
institution. Do you have bars on your windows?
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An essay evauluating William Faulkner's use of stream-of-consciousness
in As I Lay Dying, and how language, as a medium for expressing
thought, is inherently limiting to such works.
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This is a short review of the novel Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally,
which was of course the seed for Stephen Spielberg's miraculous film.
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A short essay on Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" which offers the rather
grim perspective that we're no more than flakes of cosmic dust in an
utterly indifferent universe.
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Another short discussing Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried".
An excellent story about emotional weight and transcendence.
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A brief exploration of the wavering boundary between reality and perception,
as evidenced in the film Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott,
and based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by
Philip K. Dick.
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A work in progress regarding the role of religion in the poetry
of Gerard Manley Hopkins, with a particular focus on his poem
"Carrion Comfort".
Science Fiction fans might also be interested in the
essays and journals I've written on several SF topics for the
Literary Science Fiction homepage.
jason@jvoegele.com
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