Volume 3: Spring 2019
Permanent URI for this collection
This issue of Royal Road includes essays composed during the 2017-18 academic year. Students completed revisions during the fall semester of 2018.
EDITORS
Daniel Dooghan
Joseph Letter
David Reamer
Royal Road features the best researched arguments produced in the University of Tampa's AWR 201: Academic Writing and Research course. Student essays are nominated by instructors and reviewed by a faculty panel; those that are selected for potential publication undergo a process of peer review and revision that reflects the standards of academic publishing. Selected essays are published annually and used as models for future sections of AWR 201.Browse
Recent Submissions
Item [Front Matter] Royal Road: A Journal of Undergraduate Research (Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa, 2019) Dooghan, Dr. Daniel, Ed.; Reamer, Dr. David, Ed.; Letter, Dr. Joseph, Ed.Editor's IntroductionItem Beauties in an Ugly World: The Evolution of Feminism in Adaptations of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s Beauty and the Beast(Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa, 2019) Andrade, Daniela GutierrezHistorically, fairytales have promoted passive heroines that exist within well-defined patriarchal societies, but the protofeminist themes present in Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s Beauty and the Beast make it an exceptional tale. It depicts a heroine with the power to rescue the masculine characters of the story, makes consent a central theme, and serves as an instructional device that provides as a model an increasingly independent young woman with the desire to learn. The Disney movie adaptations have contributed to the feminist discussion started by Beaumont and reflect society’s transformation regarding gender equality, however, the unresolved issues within the films show the cultural barriers that are still in place for contemporary women in relation to the rights and liberties they possess in the private sphere. The 1991 Disney film adaptation expanded the protagonist’s character and sphere of interests and explored her relationship with society by symbolically representing it through the village and the characters of the Beast and Gaston; however, the original moralistic purpose of the story was lost, the theme of consent got lost, and the story terminated in a romantic union. In response to Beaumont’s tale and the criticism to their previous adaptation, Disney’s 2017 live action version refined their feminist interpretation of the heroine’s character, interests, and abilities, and recovered the moralistic tone of the tale; unfortunately, consent remained diluted in the film and the ending of the story was still a romantic union.Item From Swampland to Sophistication: How H. B. Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel Set the Foundation for a Thriving City(Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa, 2019) Benner, MarcellaThis essay examines the various ways in which the Tampa Bay Hotel and the entrepreneur who built it, Henry B. Plant, initiated the transformation of Tampa, Florida into a global city. Drawing upon primary sources and scholarly research, the paper tracks how the luxury hotel led to improvement of the city’s infrastructure and technology, economic development, population growth, and greater notoriety throughout the world. The impact that Plant and his hotel have had on the city can still be seen today through Tampa’s diverse cultural identity and ongoing growth and development.Item The New S-Word: How Prison Labor Has Developed into Legalized Slavery(Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa, 2019) Brunson, TaylorThis essay examines the effects of capitalism on prison labor and the key role of racism in its development. This analysis uses Austin Reed’s The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict, along with historical and contemporary studies, to develop this relationship between penal servitude and capitalism. The essay follows a chronological flow of evidence from the formation of prison labor to its potential future based on political and consumer trends. The study concludes that reformation of the penal and justice systems is necessary to dismantle the current exploitation of prison labor.Item Blind to the Impacts of Colorism within the Cosmetic Industry(Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa, 2019) Hagan, RayleaAn unavoidable truth of colorism is often ignored because of the way society has pushed it aside. Through an analysis of historical, economic, and social data and research, this piece is written as a way to shed a bright light on the dark shadow of colorism that is cast over the beauty community. This essay argues that colorism remains prevalent in the cosmetic industry as something that has become normalized regardless of the economic and social detriment its occurrence has on society. The normalization and persisting ignorance of colorism in society is a representation of the historical legacy surrounding racial prejudices American society has yet to relinquish. This essay traces the selling of whiteness as a commodity back to the early years of the makeup industry in America to demonstrate that people of color have long been an afterthought in ad campaigns, diversification of products, and in society as whole. Ironically, diversity increases the economic potential of companies in the cosmetic industry, and, more importantly, inclusion boosts a person’s sense of confidence and helps instill a feeling of equality within the consumer market and society, which is why it is so important that the cosmetic industry diversifies.Item Ann Lowe: America’s Overlooked Fashion Icon Finally Found(Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa, 2019) Henderson, MarissaAnn Lowe was an African American fashion designer who landed jobs with some of the biggest names of the time. This essay calls for greater recognition of Lowe's work while exploring the challenges she faced on her path to becoming one of the finest designers of the era.Item Acoustic Assault: How Anthropogenic Noise Pollution Affects Marine Ecosystems(Department of English and Writing, The University of Tampa, 2019) Stange, EmmaMarine environments are essentially underwater cities; not only are they bursting with shrieks and shrills from animals, but humans have injected their own noises into the environment such as naval sonar, shipping traffic/boat noise, and blasts from oil exploration. Unlike humans, aquatic life relies on their auditory systems to navigate, communicate, forage, and reproduce. Due to the overlap of cetaceans’ hearing capacity and the operating frequencies of the aforementioned sources of anthropogenic noise, marine life is subjected to a multitude of life-altering effects, ranging from hearing loss and changes in behavior to internal bleeding of organs and mass strandings. Cetaceans are biological indicators of the oceans’ health and their longevity allows society to monitor the effects of other human activites and the changing conditions of the sea; without them, the balance within the ecosystem would cease to exist. An increase in awareness, education, and political involvement regarding marine disturbances could persuade legislators to hold these companies accountable and spark a movement towards quieter ocean-going technology, allowing oceans and the life within them to recover.