Helon Dobbins' Portfolio

Writing Samples from the English Studies Program

Below are selected works completed throughout the English Studies M.A. program. Topics range from literary critical analyses to a personal narrative essay. All pieces showcase analytical skills, a sharp understanding of the material, and a need for a different approach given the intended audience of the piece. All pieces here were composed in 2025 to highlight my most recent work. They show fine-tuning of the lessons about the writing process I learned while in the English Studies program. These pieces are relatively short.  

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels
Final Paper for ENG 502 - Contemporary Critical Theories •

“Who Run the World?” The Feminist Evolution of the Gothic Heroine

This piece argues "in written works produced in profound times of changing societal views, such as the late Victorian era, the popularity of women-centric tales such as Charlotte Perkins-Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, have the heroine who either frees herself from her predicament or has the most important role in defeating the evil while the men of the story take a backseat, progressing the heroine from the conventional damsel in distress to an empowered woman in her own right capable of saving herself and others."
Final Paper from ENG 534 - Shakespeare •

“Girl, So Confusing”: Debating Female Agency in Shakespeare’s 'Taming of the Shrew'

This piece argues that "By entering the play's conflict around the goal of reshaping ‘unconventional’ women to fit the acceptable ‘feminine’ role of Elizabethan society, Shakespeare presents Taming as one of his least identifiable plays to modern theatergoers. Thus, to continue to present itself as a cultural relevance, Taming relies on modernized adaptations or changes to the story to stage a revisionist idea of Shakespeare’s original commentary on female empowerment while retaining the core story actively warning against such strong women.