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Final Paper Assignment Links – Emely Maldonado
Part 1: Character Study Report Part 2: Biology Concepts Summary Part 3: Case Study Comparison
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Pt 3: Case Study Comparison
In Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, science becomes Gifty’s tool for trying to understand all the pain she’s been carrying. The story follows Gifty who is a neuroscience PhD student trying to make sense of her brother’s opioid addiction and her mother’s severe depression. The novel explores the complex relationship between science and religion, especially when it comes to healing and understanding suffering. A real world scientific case study titled “Depression and Substance Use Disorders: Clinical Comorbidity and Neurobiological Mechanisms” looks at how depression and addiction often appear together and why they’re so hard to treat. This study adds even more depth to what Gifty experiences in the novel. It…
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Pt 2: Biology Concepts Summary
In Transcendent Kingdom, science isn’t just something Gifty studies, it’s how she tries to make sense of everything she’s been through. She’s not just in the lab for school, she’s there to understand pain, addiction, and depression in a way that religion and her life experience didn’t explain. Once you start understanding the science behind what she’s studying her story hits deeper. It’s like watching her put all the pieces together one experiment at a time. Reward-seeking behavior is basically how our brain chases things that make us feel good. Whether that’s food, love, or something more dangerous like drugs. This all happens in a part of the brain called…
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Pt 1: Character Study Report
In Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, Gifty is a character who really carries the weight of so much grief, pressure, and a deep need to make sense of it all. She’s a PhD student studying neuroscience but her story is more than just science it’s about trying to understand pain, addiction, and the silent battles people go through. Her background in biology doesn’t just shape what she does, it shapes how she sees the world. Especially when it comes to faith, mental health, and her own trauma. Gifty grows up in Alabama as the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants in a super religious household. Her mom is deeply devoted to church,…
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Blog Post #6
At the end of Sonny’s Blues, when the narrator sees Sonny play at the jazz club, he finally understands him in a way he never did before. Throughout the story, the narrator finds it difficult to understand Sonny’s decisions, suffering, and addiction. But when he sees Sonny play it’s like he finally gets him. He learns from the music that Sonny is not only coping with his suffering but also using it to do something meaningful. For them both, this is a significant moment. Sonny uses music as a coping mechanism for everything that has happened to him, it’s his way of surviving. It’s also a turning point for the…
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Character Study Report : Gifty
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Blog Post #5
The scholar in the video makes a really good point about how “Recitatif” shows that cruelty, discrimination, and dehumanization are really at the root of racial division. Since Morrison purposely left out any clear racial clues it makes you realize how quick we are to try and figure out the character’s races just based on their behavior or description. That says a lot about how deeply race is wired into the way we think. It’s like the story is less about race itself and more about the way people are treated and how easily we can separate and judge others while not truly knowing them.At the same time, I feel…
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Blog Post #4
Muriel Rukeyser’s The Book of the Dead uses poetry as a form of activism by shedding light on the injustice of the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel disaster. She combines real testimonies with descriptive language to give a voice to the workers who suffered from silicosis. Which makes their experiences feel personal to the readers rather than just historical facts. In poems like “Absolom,” she shares the experiences of grieving families, making readers confront the real impact of corporate greed. By mixing documentary evidence with personal accounts, Rukeyser makes sure the victims aren’t forgotten and pushes readers to face the truth of the situation.
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Blog Post #3
Muriel Rukeyser’s Book of the Dead doesn’t just tell the story of the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel disaster but it makes you feel it. She combines history, personal accounts, observations, and science in a way that makes it more than just a collection of facts but something deeply moving. Instead of separating these different types of writing, she blends them together like poetry, and that’s what makes it so powerful. Jonathan Culler talks about how literature isn’t just about what’s written but how it’s written, and Rukeyser proves that here. She takes real people’s words and hard facts and then shapes them with rhythm and emotion, making it impossible to ignore…
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Character Study Report : Gifty
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Questions for “What is literature and does it matter?”
1. According to Culler, describe one of the different ways that people define “literature” identified by Culler? How does this definition reflect different perspectives on what literature is and does? One way Culler defines literature is as imaginative writing, meaning fiction, stories, and poetry that focus on creativity rather than just the facts. This view suggests literature is about storytelling and creativity rather than just straight forward informative texts. But this isn’t a perfect definition since some works like historical text, autobiographies and memoirs are considered literature even though they are based on real events. This perspective shows that literature serves a different purpose than other forms of writing. It…
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My Intro
Hello everyone my name is Emely Maldonado. I am currently majoring in Business administration with the hope of one day having my own business as an interior designer. I have always been passionate about creating meaningful environments that enhance others daily lives and well being. I love the idea of transforming spaces into something beautiful and functional. Another aspect that drives me to interior design is the flexibility it provides. Having a career that allows me to set my own schedule is important because I value having time to relax and enjoy life outside of work. My hobbies include designing, sewing, photography, and jewelry making. I also love being in…
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Character Study Report : Gifty
