The 2025 issue of the Dawson English Journal is here!  Enjoy essays on poetry, fiction, film, and more. Many thanks to our diligent student editors, student authors, faculty advisers, and you, our readers!

Issue No. 16: Winter 2025

FEATURED

Space and Time: Infamous Partners in Crime in Two Poems by Terrance Hayes, By Lilian Yates

Space and Time: Infamous Partners in Crime in Two Poems by Terrance Hayes, By Lilian Yates

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am a second-year Psychology student at Dawson. Even though I am pursuing a career in psychology, writing has remained an important passion. I was clearly excited, then, to take a class on poetry since it is something I love and have never studied. From a group of topics, I chose to discuss time and space because they are both abstract and fundamentally a part of our lives. It was quite a challenge to structure an essay…

Read More Read More

Follies, Illusions & Chance: How Paul Auster Deconstructs a Detective Narrative in City of Glass, by Eden Atlas

Follies, Illusions & Chance: How Paul Auster Deconstructs a Detective Narrative in City of Glass, by Eden Atlas

ABOUT THE AUTHOR While my field of study at Dawson is the sciences, I have always been fascinated by how artworks (especially cinema) can have contradictory interpretations. This essay was an attempt to break down the challenging techniques Paul Auster uses to build his “detective story” in City of Glass. I approached the analysis with a playful parody of Auster’s postmodern, metafictional style—never expecting to get away with it! Special thanks to Professor Alexander Flamenco, the English Department, and the…

Read More Read More

The Significance of Flashbacks in Ling Ma’s Severance, By Kamilia Shome

The Significance of Flashbacks in Ling Ma’s Severance, By Kamilia Shome

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I graduated from Dawson College in 2024 and now attend McGill University in Biomedical Sciences. I wrote this essay on Ling Ma’s novel Severance as a summative assessment for Professor Liam Lachance’s course Anti-capitalism in Fiction. Essentially, this essay explores the significance behind the author’s strategic employment of flashbacks throughout her novel, as well as how she utilizes this literary tool to include the reader in the events of the story to further the underlying message of the…

Read More Read More

“Kill the Indian in him, and save the man”: Cultural Erasure and Assimilation in Unearth by Alicia Elliott and A Short History of Indians in Canada by Thomas King, By Meaghan Gagnon

“Kill the Indian in him, and save the man”: Cultural Erasure and Assimilation in Unearth by Alicia Elliott and A Short History of Indians in Canada by Thomas King, By Meaghan Gagnon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hi, I am a first-year Enriched Health and Life Sciences student with plans to pursue a career in the field of dentistry. I’ve always been passionate about social issues, and I’m so grateful to be able to explore them through my writing. I wrote this essay for my Introduction to College English course because I wanted to bring awareness to the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Western society through the perspectives of Alicia Elliott and Thomas King….

Read More Read More

The Theme of Isolation and Fate in “The Wanderer”, By Sydnie Letourneau

The Theme of Isolation and Fate in “The Wanderer”, By Sydnie Letourneau

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hi, I’m Sydnie, a fourth-semester Enriched Pure and Applied student and a Dawson Rugby team athlete. I wrote “The Theme of Isolation and Fate in ‘The Wanderer’” in my second semester for Jessica Cadieux’s Old English Poetry class. Initially, I had no idea the course focused on Old English, and to be frank, I almost dropped it, finding the language daunting and quite intimidating. However, it turned out to be an eye-opening experience, deepening my appreciation for…

Read More Read More

Shit Shows: Haunting and Abjection in Rhymes for Young Ghouls, by Gregory Chae

Shit Shows: Haunting and Abjection in Rhymes for Young Ghouls, by Gregory Chae

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am an Arts and Culture student in my last semester of studies at Dawson. I had only a mild but sustained interest in the horror genre before taking Jay Shea’s Reading the Classic Horror Film. Ever since, horror theory irrevocably ‘haunts’ the lenses through which I read any media, and even the ways I have come to contextualize my queer and social identities. I believe there is an incredible emotional intelligence and philosophy behind understanding the…

Read More Read More

Misogyny, Abuse, and Culture in Biography of X, By Melissa Jabrayan

Misogyny, Abuse, and Culture in Biography of X, By Melissa Jabrayan

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am an 18-year-old Armenian-Canadian English Literature student who’s currently enrolled in my last semester at Dawson. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with her two older sisters, watching the Montreal Canadiens play, and reading character-driven novels. In my essays, I attempt to fuse together my interest in political and social issues and my literary analysis. I plan to continue to study literature in university, and hope to become a professor one day. –Melissa Jabrayan…

Read More Read More

Feigned Madness, The Mousetrap, and Ophelia’s Role in Hamlet: Shakespeare’s Vision of Life as a Stage, By Maya Kaci

Feigned Madness, The Mousetrap, and Ophelia’s Role in Hamlet: Shakespeare’s Vision of Life as a Stage, By Maya Kaci

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am a Dawson Pure and Applied Science student in my second session, and I recently arrived in Canada from Algeria. While my academic pursuits revolve around STEM, I have always nurtured a deep passion for literature and the artful play of language. My Amazigh heritage gives language a deeper meaning not just as a means of communication but as a connection to history and identity. The Amazigh language, with its rich oral tradition and unique script,…

Read More Read More

Who Are You?: Identity and Poststructuralism in Catherine Lacey’s Biography of X, By Maura Tepperman

Who Are You?: Identity and Poststructuralism in Catherine Lacey’s Biography of X, By Maura Tepperman

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I am a graduating literature student, and I plan on studying acting next year. If I’m not tap dancing, playing piano or running, you’ll find me banging my head against a wall trying to find the perfect word to use in my essay or novel. Written in my class called The Novel, this essay is heavily inspired by my Literary Theory and Criticism course, which introduced me to the convoluted wonders of poststructuralism and beyond. –Maura Tepperman…

Read More Read More

Public Safety vs. Individual Rights: The Gun Laws Dilemma, By Zafir Hassan

Public Safety vs. Individual Rights: The Gun Laws Dilemma, By Zafir Hassan

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hi, I’m a proud graduate of the Class of 2024 who is passionate about examining the ties between social justice, public policy, and the law. My academic path has been driven by personal experiences and observations that have prompted me to challenge conventional thinking, particularly regarding civic duty and the need for careful legal reform. This motivation led me to create “Public Safety vs. Individual Rights: The Gun Laws Dilemma,” an essay in which I analyze how…

Read More Read More

Carrie Mae Weems’ Photography: Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Black Narratives, By Ashley Simo

Carrie Mae Weems’ Photography: Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Black Narratives, By Ashley Simo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Although I am a second-year International Business student, I am greatly interested in the arts and its relation to social science. This led me to take an art history humanities class two semesters ago which made me aware of the importance of giving space to silenced voices within the art world. I took a lot of pleasure learning about an artist who creates a bridge between people and time in such a powerful manner. Special thanks to…

Read More Read More

Polarization of the Oppressed: A Marxist Critique of Identity Politics, by Noémie Bélisle-Gervais

Polarization of the Oppressed: A Marxist Critique of Identity Politics, by Noémie Bélisle-Gervais

ABOUT THE AUTHOR As a political science major, the Marxist idea of class struggle resonates strongly with my understanding of  systemic oppression. I was introduced to class struggle theory through the anti-capitalist and feminist nonfiction literature assigned in Felix Fuchs’ class, notably the Combahee River Collective Statement and the manifesto Feminism for the 99%. “Polarization of the Oppressed: A Marxist Critique of Identity Politics” is my first literary review on the relationship between class and identity politics from a Marxist…

Read More Read More