Theses and Dissertations
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Item Embargo Crafting institutional legibility: the creation of VAWA self-petition narratives for undocumented Latina women(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2025) Wise, Whillamina, author; Miller De Rutté, Alyssia, advisor; Jiménez Chacón, Mario, committee member; Kwiatkowski, Lynn, committee memberThe Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 introduced a legal pathway to independent citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have suffered domestic violence at the hands of a U.S resident spouse. The success of VAWA self-petitions relies heavily on the ability of the petitioner to present a convincing narrative testifying to their abuse (Berger, 2009; Parson, N., & Heckert, 2014, Reina, et al., 2014; Salcido, & Adelman, 2004; Villalón, 2010). Versions of these testimonies are often published by legal firms and nonprofit organizations to serve as client testimonials. In this project, these published testimonies were analyzed as literary texts. Much has been written on testimonial literature and the complications in genre, authorship, and conflicting epistemologies of truth and understanding, it implies (Beverly, 1996; Spivak, 2009; Trich, 2010). In the case of VAWA testimonials, the direct involvement of the state adds a unique axis of analysis and begs the question: How are these texts understood within the discourse of testimony and authorship? These texts serve as cultural and literary products that outline not only who is worthy of citizenship but from what type of abuse immigrants deserve protection. They exemplify how the structural violence of undocumented immigrants' systemic vulnerability to domestic abuse is rhetorically and symbolically subverted to that of the everyday, criminal, and individual experience (Bourgois, 2001). Thus, these testimonies function in direct opposition of testimonial literature, which seeks to produce collective action. Reading these texts as literary and defining basic features of the genre can counter the fragmenting and individualizing function of these texts in their original contexts. Through interdisciplinary methods—semi-structured interviews, participant observation, cultural domain analysis, and discourse analysis—this study identified the strategies professionals use to elicit, structure, and refine client narratives while adhering to institutional expectations. Through the analysis of broader sociocultural and legal frameworks surrounding these texts, this research illuminates the dual function of VAWA narratives, which includes tools for navigating legal systems and artifacts of mediated authorship and symbolic violence.Item Embargo A Spanish language needs analysis for the DUI attorney-client interaction(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Ponce Cortez, Elisa Gabriela, author; Miller de Rutté, Alyssia, advisor; Velázquez Castillo, Maura, committee member; Nowacki, Jeffrey, committee memberThe present study addresses the need in the U.S. for attorneys to communicate effectively with their Spanish-dominant clients. The U.S. is home to more than 42 million people who speak Spanish, and all speakers of languages other than English have the right to legal representation in their preferred language. However, there are currently a few obstacles to language access. First, there is a lack of available interpreters outside of the courtroom, which leads clients and attorneys to lean on family members and friends to interpret important and confidential legal information. Second, there are only a few studies that have attempted to develop Legal Spanish curriculum to train professionals on the necessary language and real-world tasks that they use with Spanish-dominant clients. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the language tasks and functions that attorneys need to master to communicate effectively with clients with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) charges. To do so, a Language Needs Analysis was conducted to systematically determine the required language tasks, language functions, and grammatical forms and structures that attorneys need to perform in attorney-client meetings with Spanish-dominant clients. A multitude of language tasks and functions were found as a result of this study. The language functions were compared to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language's (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines (2024), and it was determined that attorneys in the U.S. who work with Spanish-dominant clients must reach an Advanced High proficiency level. Results of this study have pedagogical implications as the language tasks and their respective linguistic features can inform curriculum design for Legal Spanish courses.Item Embargo Decodificando la salud mental: effective Spanish communication and cultural understanding in a therapy session with the Hispanic community(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) García Faúndez, Catalina, author; Miller De Rutté, Alyssia, advisor; Velazquez-Castillo, Maura, committee member; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana, committee memberThis project addresses the need for linguistic and cultural competence between U.S. mental health providers and Spanish-speaking clients. There is an increasing need for mental health providers to conduct therapy sessions in Spanish, but there is a lack of programs that train these professionals to provide successful sessions. This project presents results from a language needs analysis that was conducted to determine the linguistic and cultural needs required to have therapy sessions in Spanish. Data was triangulated using different methods and sources, including on-site therapy session observations, a survey for Spanish-speaking university students, a survey for graduate students studying psychology, and interviews with both mental health providers and Spanish-speaking community members. The results show the language tasks and functions and the cultural components and considerations necessary to interact successfully in Spanish in the context of mental health. This project illuminates the urgent need for a comprehensive Spanish program for mental health professionals. This research aims to start bridging the language and cultural gap for Spanish-speaking clients in the U.S. when they access mental health services.Item Open Access Examining listening skills of diplomatic French as foreign language learners: an angle for languages for specific purposes(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2020) Zecher, Eryth, author; Grim, Frédérique, advisor; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana, advisor; Becker, Anthony, committee member; Brazile, William, committee member; Vogl, Mary, committee memberListening comprehension and vocabulary knowledge are closely intertwined. Vocabulary knowledge (size) has been found to be a strong predictor of successful listening comprehension even when listening is done under adverse conditions. Previous research has focused on advanced proficiency, or native level listeners. This study aims to fill a research gap by studying the improvements to listening comprehension in speech-shaped noise of ten intermediate level French as foreign language learners enrolled at French courses at an American university. This study focuses on whether a 4-hour instruction on diplomatic French vocabulary terms, using a background speech-shaped noise presented at a +5dB signal-to-noise ratio would increase the comprehensibility of unfamiliar accented speech, from nine different speakers in intermediate level learners of French as a foreign language. The results show that intermediate level listeners improved their listening comprehension skills, and that vocabulary training was the most important factor. Findings also show that intermediate-level listeners can adapt to unfamiliar accented speech, and that the listeners can be taught advanced-level vocabulary when it is presented as language for specific purposes and under adverse listening conditions.Item Open Access The history and development of Spanish-language initiatives in public libraries: a case study(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Lonas, Adele, author; Becker, Anthony, advisor; Carlyon, Jonathan, advisor; Soler, Silvia, committee member; Coke, Pamela, committee memberThe purpose of this case study is to examine how overall services, programs, resources and collections offered in Spanish have developed over the course of the past century at a single library district in Colorado. The study uses the Hispanic history and current demographics of the regional context as a foundation, as well research supporting both multilingualism and the role that libraries play in creating community cohesion in multicultural and multilingual communities to evaluate the findings. The findings, based on archival research and interviews, include a narrative of the development of the Spanish-language initiatives developed over the course of the past century, and a summary of the challenges and obstacles encountered by the interviewees. Five recommendations are made in response to ongoing challenges and obstacles, ranging from increased promotion of the library to Hispanic families and communities, to increased representation and inclusion of Hispanic community members at all administrative levels and on the library board.Item Open Access An analysis of the developing se passive construction with a por-phrase(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Rauch, Jacwylyn Laci, author; Delahunty, Gerald, advisor; Grim, Frédérique, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio, committee member; Berry, Nancy, committee memberThis research proposes to characterize a particular type of se construction as a developing se passive construction with a por-phrase and attempts to address what linguistic niche it inhabits. The construction addressed has an argument as its subject that is the patient of the clause and a por-phrase that contains either an instrument or an agent that contributes to the event denoted by the verb phrase. In this paper, I give an overview of the different se constructions, followed by a discussion of voice. Next, I review literature on the passive and adopt a working characterization of the Spanish passive. I then look at development of the passive over time and the constraints typically associated it. For this research, I use a corpus to get a data set of fifty entries that I analyze qualitatively and compare using simple percentages. Those data entries are then analyzed using three separate analysis tools that were adapted from Hopper and Thompson's transitivity categorization and Dowty's Proto-Agent Properties. Those tools allow me to develop theories on the niche that the developing se passive with a por-phrase inhabits with respect to the periphrastic passive. This research suggests that the developing se passive construction with the por-phrase fills some gaps left by the periphrastic passive. For that reason, it does not seem unlikely that the developing se passive construction with a por-phrase will become more common over time. Whether or not it will become a part of every variety is yet to be seen, but at the very least it is becoming a part of some varieties.Item Open Access Histoire à travers identité et mémoire dans Ce que le jour doit à la nuit de Yasmina Khadra(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Benkamla, Amina, author; Vogl, Mary, advisor; Hirchi, Mohammed, committee member; Duffy, Andrea, committee memberThe purpose of this research is to demonstrate how history can be represented in literary fiction by providing the example of the Francophone Algerian novel What the Day Owes the Night. Published in 2008, Yasmina Khadra's novel inscribes itself in the literary history of the novelists who wrote on the troubled past of France and Algeria. Fictional literature has been a way to lift the veil on France's colonial past in Algeria and has given a voice to those whose lives have been impacted by the war. By combining historical research and literary analysis, I have been able to identify two prominent concepts in Khadra's work: identity and memory. The question of identity is omnipresent and the different characters represent the different populations involved during the conflict. Identity is strongly linked to the characters' memory of the war and French and Algerian collective memories reflect in the characters themselves.Item Open Access Historias del Kronen: análisis de las diferencias argumentales entre la novela y la adaptación cinematográfica, y su impacto en la recepción(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2018) Mena Molina, Sofía Margarita, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, committee member; Van Buren, Mary, committee memberThis research paper has the purpose to analyze the literary work of Stories from the Kronen (1994) from José Ángel Mañas, as well as to create a more in-depth search of the topic using the film adaptation by director Montxo Armendáriz (1995) in which Mañas participates in the creation of the plot. This collaboration generates changes in the final product, some of such changes caused the novel to be far apart from the film, and some others reinforce the novel in a strategic way. In order to succeed in the analysis, it is necessary to establish a historical, sociological, political, and psychological frame. And to this end, it will be discussed the phenomenon of the Transition, the Disenchantment, the "pasotismo", the Spanish "Movida", the Generation X, the racism, the migration, and the misogyny of the Spain represented in Stories from the Kronen.Item Open Access Second/foreign language writing apprehension and writing identities(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Davis, Leslie A., author; Becker, Anthony, advisor; Grim, Frédérique, advisor; Grim, Frédérique, committee member; Nekrasova-Beker, Tatiana, committee member; Becker, Anthony, committee member; Vogl, Mary, committee memberFormal academic writing tasks can produce high levels of anxiety or apprehension in students regardless of whether that writing is carried out in their native language or in a second or foreign language. The Colorado State University Writing Center sees 50% of its consultations coming from non-native English students (The Writing Center, n.d.), meaning that this population is over-represented compared to the university as a whole. This over-representation is largely self-motivated because students visit the Writing Center on their own. Given this over-representation, it is necessary to understand why this population of students might be more concerned than others with their academic writing. While much research has focused on the types of anxiety that language students may experience, the possible sources of that anxiety have not been widely discussed. Possible causes include fear of negative evaluation and fear of making mistakes, but the role of the academic discourse community and its influence on writing identities have not yet been explored. This thesis examines writing in a foreign or second language and the possible sources of second language writing apprehension, including students' writing identity and the academic discourse community. Through surveys and individual interviews with students, this study looks at the possible influences on student affect which can in turn impede student progress, such as anxiety, self-doubt, or perceived competence. The study determined that while there is not a strong relationship between writing apprehension and a student's willingness to claim a writing identity, there is a difference between how second and foreign language students experience second language writing.Item Open Access Implementación de las bellas artes en la enseñanza de segundas lenguas, La(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Dorado-Budia, Manuel, author; Suárez-García, José Luis, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, committee member; Prince, Eric, committee memberThroughout the late decades of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century, the concept of how a language should be taught has changed significantly in response to different aspects of it, and it paying special attention to the various needs of each individual in class. In an era in which learning and teaching theory are urging the educational community the integration of different academic disciplines, it is not surprising that the role of fine and performing arts in language learning appears as a key and innovative reason to engage our students in the classroom. It is, therefore, the result of the combination between language and the arts that matters, applying the knowledge of a language to the culture that radiates each of the artistic disciplines, so that students, not only learn the linguistic and grammatical elements but also are capable to know and understand cultural aspects in a transverse way, develop creativity and open their minds to a new world. For all these reasons, the interest of this thesis lies in being aware of which are the connections between the use of artistic areas and the acquisition of a second language, as well as the benefits of its use in language teaching, obtaining better and more satisfactory results.Item Open Access Mujer como sujeto subalterno en cuatro novelas transatlánticas en tiempos de guerra, La: El tiempo entre costuras, La voz dormida, Arráncame la vida y Como agua para chocolate(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Muñoz-Gómez, Dulcinea, author; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, committee member; Sagás, Ernesto, committee memberThis thesis studies how women are represented in four novels and how they appear as subaltern subjects during the course of their stories. Two novels are set in Spain and the other two take place in Mexico. This paper addresses the different ways in which these women are subjugated, either by society or by their own family. The first chapter, presents the theories developed by Subaltern Studies, which emerged in Asia in the 1970’s. Subaltern studies attempt to explain how dominant groups abuse other groups and how the dominant group oppress minorities because of their condition of race, ethnicity, gender, social class or religion. Chapter two focuses on the novel titled The Time in Between (2009) by María Dueñas. In this book, the protagonist has to create a new identity for herself so she transforms into a different person who will act almost as she desires during the Franco dictatorship. Third chapter analyzes The Sleeping Voice (2002) by Dulce Chacón, who makes a representation of some women who are political prisoners. The voices of these women are heard indirectly through their testimonies. Which were written in a personal diary for future generations. Chapter four focuses on contextualizing the period of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) and the role that women played in this conflict. Continuing the development of this research project, chapter five considers Angeles Mastretta´s novel, Tear This Heart Out (1985). The protagonist, Catalina, has the opportunity to take on an active role in society due to the social status that her husband, an important politician provides her. Catalina tells her story in first v person, which is an ironic perspective, because although she never frees herself, she shows rebellion, independence and freedom in her character. The last chapter, Like Water for Chocolate (1989) represents the existing patriarchal society of the early twentieth century in Mexico. This chapter, discusses two of the characters in depth, Tita and Gertrudis, and how each of them is heard in their own way.Item Open Access Una investigación sobre el aspecto léxico y la comparación de su aplicación en el idioma Español y Chino(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Guo, Jianing, author; Correa, Maite, advisor; Velazquez-Castillo, Maura, committee member; Martey, Rosa, committee memberThis paper discusses lexical aspect and its presence in Spanish and Chinese. We believe that linguistically, aspect exists in two dimensions: at sentence level (grammatical aspect) and at lexical level (lexical aspect). Semantically, lexical aspect is classified into state, activity, accomplishment and achievement. In this paper, we propose a method to distinguish these four types of verbs. In Spanish, lexical aspect associates with infinitive verbs, while in Chinese, lexical aspect does not consider particles as 着 zhe, 了l e, 过 guò but takes into account the complements. This paper studies the characteristics of lexical aspect in Chinese and then discusses in specific the aspectual function of resultative complements and static complements in Chinese. Furthermore, a comparison between those complements and its counterparts in Spanish is implemented.Item Open Access Basura del mundo, La: cambio social, distopía y consumo en las novelas futuristas Waslala y Zombie(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Losada-Carballares, María, author; Esch, Sophie, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, advisor; Van Buren, Mary, committee memberThe yearning to find utopia is a feeling shared by humanity for centuries. Science fiction and futuristic novels –such as Waslala, memorial del futuro by Gioconda Belli and Zombie by Mike Wilson- have been some of the most prominent literary genres to portray that longing. However, most of the novels focus their narrative on dystopias. Both Waslala and Zombie use dystopian elements to portray the present –or past- with the goal of making dystopias disappear in the future. In this essay, the intent is to analyze the representation of dystopia in these futuristic novels, as well as to show how some characters have the ability to build micro-utopias in unfavorable surroundings. Firstly, I will explain why I do not consider Waslala and Zombie to be science fiction novels –a genre in which science and technology are the main elements that maintain the narrative- and are futuristic novels instead. I will also explore the motivation of finding a utopia. In Waslala it starts with the construction of a Latin American identity, as well as with the elimination of impositions from the North and from local dictatorships. In Zombie, on the other hand, some characters are able to build their own utopias thanks to the perception of what surrounds them. However, the depiction of dystopias is what characterizes both novels, especially through the imposition of northern capitalism on the Global South. Consumerism stands out among those capitalist impositions; Wilson criticizes it through the figure of the zombie and Belli denounces it through the representation of Engracia's landfill, for consumerism produces large amounts of garbage, which is sent to the Global South to secure the North's comfort. The authors are therefore providing a social critique, and also appeal to the readers to change their current situation and behavior.Item Open Access Comida y los orishas de Santería, La: alimentando el bienestar de los creyentes(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Ellis, Riley, author; López-Cabrales, María del Mar, advisor; Suárez-García, José Luis, committee member; Snodgrass, Jeffrey, committee memberThis thesis addresses the interconnections between food, religious myths of the deities, called orishas, and well-being in Cuba, demonstrated through the ritualistic practices of Santería, specifically in La Habana. A parallel exists between the mythological world of the orishas and our own world, a relationship of give and take. Upon investigating the relation between ceremonial food, the mythological appetites of the orishas, and the practice of Santería in Cuba, I discovered a correlation between the nourishment of the orishas and the strengthening of believer´s well-being. This work focuses on Ochún, Yemayá, Changó and Orula, as they were the deities mentioned most frequently during my visit to the island. The methodology consists of the use of two disciplines: a literary analysis of Natalia Bolívar Arosteguí joined with an anthropologic investigation, incorporating ethnography via participant observation and formal interviews. The theoretic framework finds its base in the study of mythology by Roland Barthes, the culinary triangle of Claude Lévi-Strauss, Pierre Bourdieu's concept of food consumption and relevant literature concerning subjective well-being, such as Ed Diener. What I argue is needed is an ethnographically informed exploration of the culinary identity of Cuban Santería, framing it as a source of well-being.Item Open Access Comparación razonada de 4 ediciones del Diario del Che en Bolivia(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Mortenson, Adriana Arguedas, author; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio F., advisor; Purdy, Andrea, advisor; Purdy, Andrea, committee member; VanBuren, Mary, committee memberThe Bolivian diaries of Che Guevara was first published in Havana, Cuba on July 1st 1968, and up to this day there has been several editions in Spanish as well as other languages. As a result of its distribution, Latin America was captivated by its content and it inspired many authors to write about the historical and political events that surrounded it. Some have written in favor of Che while others wrote against his Bolivian guerrilla. Likewise, one can find many theoretical analyses of the manuscript, as well as different arguments as to why the document represents the fall and/or victory of Che Guevara. Nevertheless, its literal content was never questioned once the authenticity of the text was proven, and everybody assumed that no modifications had been introduced between the first Cuban edition and the subsequent publications. The main objective of the present study is to contrast and compare four different editions of the Diary, published in different years and locations, in order to evaluate the differences between them, and to asses whether the editorials stayed true to the Cuban publication, as they have claimed, or if they made any changes (from spelling to formatting). Based on the findings, three main categories were created to indicate their nature: 1) grammatical (punctuation, spelling and agreement); 2) differences that affect the content (omissions and additions); and, 3) footnotes (similarities, differences and missing data). This thesis backs up the necessity to produce a new publication of the Bolivian Diaries of Che Guevara that should be a trustworthy edition of the manuscript, and should contain updated footnotes with explanatory information. The methodology used for this study, comes from the following four editions: 1) Instituto del libro cubano (ICL); 2) the Chilean magazine Punto Final (PF); 3) editorial Siglo XXI (XXI) from Mexico City; and 4) the compilation from the Bolivian Carlos Soria Galvarro (SG). The closest source to the original manuscript was used as the base for the comparison, mainly the Cuban edition ICL, however, whenever possible, photocopies of the original manuscript included in ICL and SG were used. The publication by the newspaper El Diario from La Paz, Bolivia, on July 12th, 1968 was used for the 13 missing pages or dates. In order to keep track of the variances, a table was created for each category and for each day during the 11 months of guerrilla, where the changes where marked in bold letters to help the differentiation.Item Open Access Street art und die demokratisierung der Kunst in Berlin(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Dore, Fernanda, author; Bodine, Jay, advisor; Kirby, Rachel, committee member; Moseman, Eleanor, committee memberGraffiti, Post-Graffiti, Urban Art and Street Art are sometimes used as synonyms. Authors in the field of Street Art agree that this art form derives directly from the subway graffiti in New York, and often designate it as an art movement. This work defends the thesis that the more the art on the Berlin Wall increased the tolerance towards and integration of the art in the public spaces, the more it contributed to the popularization of the contemporary Street Art in Berlin. The goal of this paper is trifold: 1. to clarify the relationship between the Street Art in Berlin today and the art on the Berlin Wall; 2. to understand the institutionalization of this art form; and 3. to bring light to the democratization of art through Street Art in Berlin. With this purpose, I will analyze the efforts that differentiate Berlin from other cities and position Street Art not as vandalism, but rather as a part of the art in public spaces. The essence of this art form derives from site-specific art, whereby the place plays an inherent part in the artwork. These qualities can be recognized in the Street Art in Berlin from the 70's until today, and its popularization is deeply connected with the German cultural politics of the 70's and the historical significance of the Wall Art. In addition, Street Art challenges the paradigms between high and low art, as well as the contemporary role of the museum. The consequences of the institutionalization of this art form are its democratization and commodification. Finally, Street Art can be considered responsible for a Musealization from Below, whereby the place (the walls of the metropolis) becomes part of the work and its cultural, historical and identity values are emphasized. This is particularly true in the case of the Berlin Wall. Street Art is site-specific, because the works give the place a new meaning and vice-versa. Instead of simulating Street Art in an institutional space, the projects in Berlin attempt to transform the street into an art gallery, inserting the art into the life of the people and finally contributing to the democratization of art.Item Open Access Hacia una poética emancipadora: la creación del future nuevo en la obra poética de Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo y Miguel Hernández(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Devlin, Colin, author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio, committee member; Velasco, Marcela, committee memberThis work has as its goal the investigation of the intersection where literature and politics crosses. This space is thought provoking because it represents a new function for art, an art that instead of concerning itself with the representation of beauty and what can be considered "good", it arms itself with a political end. This is to say, this literature tries to perturb the reality that defines the lives of the marginalized populations. Using the political philosophy of Jacques Rancière, a politics that can be defined by its activity instead of its passivity, as well as an introduction to the relationships within being, doing and saying, I argue that the political poems about the Spanish Civil War found in the work of Pablo Neruda, César Vallejo and Miguel Hernández succeed in being called political poetry. I advance that these poems, for having portrayed reality through a new language and for being militarized poetry, introduce a new relationship in what is implied by being a political poet.Item Open Access Imaginario y silencios en la literatura sobre tres paramilitares líderes de las "Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia" (la autobiografía de Carlos Castaño, la biografía de Salvatore Mancuso y la novela sobre Rodrigo Tovar Pupo)(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Jiménez Alfonso, Camilo Alberto, author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; López, Maria del Mar, committee member; Van Buren, Mary, committee memberIn this paper I analyze three books an autobiography, Mi confesión: Carlos Castaño revela sus secretos; a biography, Salvatore Mancuso su vida; and a novel, Líbranos del bien. Each one of them tells the life of one of the bosses of the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia, an organization that coordinated many paramilitary groups in Colombia. The questions of this investigation are: What images do these books create about the figure of the paramilitary whose life is narrated? And what image do those books create about the paramilitary group as a phenomenon? The main claim of this work is that the three books present an indulgent image of both the character and the phenomenon. On one hand, the three books justify in one way or another the existence of the paramilitary groups; on the other hand, all of them emphasize the human aspect of the characters and reduce their crimes. Two of these books are directly related with a political discussion that was born around the demobilization process of the paramilitary groups related with the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia between 2002 and 2006. One of the main points of this discussion was to establish if the Self-Defenses Forces of Colombia was an armed criminal organization or a political organization, and for this reason this thesis should be framed in a wider context, with the use of literature as an ideological vehicle.Item Open Access Re-extracción de la piedra de locura: análisis de los dibujos de Alejandra Pizarnik(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Ruiz García, María A., author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Pedrós-Gascón, Antonio Francisco, advisor; Canetto, Silvia Sara, committee memberThe literary critiques on the work of Argentinean writer Alejandra Pizarnik have focused exclusively on her literature without restricting themselves to the texts published in her life --poetry in verse and prose--, but rather all of her writing: letters, diaries, literary critics, and posthumous texts. In general, the image that is commonly adjudicated to her is that of the poet who writes brief and obscure verses, whose fragility ends in suicide, which is seen as the ultimate act of her accursedness, since her work is mostly read within the literary tradition of the poètes maudits. The literary critiques of her work have recognized a certain influence of the fine arts in her writing --specifically when designing the spatial arrangement where the poem is created, due to the ekphrastic features of certain poems, and the manner of working with the poem as if it were a painting. However, her visual production has not received attention as an art object in itself. It has been unattended to due to the ossification of the tautological figure of the poet identical to her poetry (Pizarnik = poems). Different from this perspective, in this current work I present a first reading of Pizarnik's drawings, arguing that it is necessary to understand them within the continuum of Pizarnik's poetic work given that the drawings amplify and open the fixed image held of the poet.Item Open Access Poder de la influencia, El: relaciones artísticas desde España a México(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Lombardi, Melissa J., author; Leal, Francisco, advisor; Suárez-García, José Luis, advisor; Velasco, Marcela, committee memberMy research discusses the concept of "artistic partnership" through the pairing of various artists, ranging from Spain to Mexico. I propose that the power of influence present in each relationship is directly reflected in their work and that without such influence, they would have produced very different outcomes. Beginning with the Spanish poet, Federico García Lorca and his controversial "friendship" with the famous surrealist painter, Salvador Dalí, I expose the presence of one another in both poetry and painting. I continue on to research two lesser-known artists, Remedios Varo of Spain and Leonora Carrington of England who created a world of fantasy, magic and alchemy through a shared sense of whimsicality and lust for life. Their artwork is nearly identical both in theme and in style due to a profound understanding and appreciation for one another's uniqueness. My work ends with a radical proposal of a very different kind of relationship. Although Frida Kahlo is best known through her marriage to the Mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, her talent and passion for painting was never determined by him. I do not attempt to negate the presence of one another in their artwork but rather propose that this is not the type of influence that is fed by love and encouragement but rather that of a muse and her obsession. In conclusion, my research proposes that through these artistic partnerships, we are able to understand the difference between "interactions" and "bonds." I believe that the presence of each artist significantly modified the work of their partner and most importantly, allowed them to reach a level, both personally and artistically, that they would not have otherwise been able to reach on their own.