Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi

The Elements of Islamic Feminism in Non-Islamic Comparative Literature: A Case of Chopin and Meghaâs Short Stories

A prevailing argument among many groups, including feminists, academics and the press, insists on gender inequalities in accordance with the precepts of Islam is a debatable issue. However, in discussing the issue based on a comparative literature whereby analyzing short stories based on non-Muslim authors is something new. Hence, the researchers embark on this study by analyzing two famous short stories written by outstanding authors, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and Winners Never Quit by Megha Mukherjee. The qualitative approach in analyzing the short stories were used thought out the study by also referring to past studies and essential opinions by scholars. It is found that the elements Islamic Feminism can be complied in both short stories even though the short stories do not directly mentioned about Islam. Also, the issue of feminism is a global issue and should be discussed in universal manner regardless whatever religions and logistics. It is the issue of equality of human being.

A Study of Humanity in Smiths the Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

The idea that vampires exist across the globe has been a subject of folk tale, superstition, and myth throughout the history of man. This analysis of the The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening focuses on the effects of human qualities on the protagonist, Stefan Salvatore and the antagonist, Damon Salvatore. It features the usage of moral elements in enabling the characters to gain attractiveness among other characters. It also implicitly brought forth the two typical types of male model that entice their counterparts. L.J. Smith is one of the authors that managed to use vampires? characters in their works to another medium of entertainment successfully. This then showed the importance of young adult fiction to be researched. The study undertaken on the role of emotions and personality to fuel their meter of attractiveness. The results of the study show that human qualities in the aspect of moral elements does play a role in applying a certain type of attractiveness to the creature of the night that are supposed to be a figure of dread. Ultimately, breaking the usual plot of story that focuses on species that human deemed to be harmless.

Investigation into Non-Academic Staff Communication Apprehension in Using English Language

The ability to communicate confidently in the English language is highly demanded of administrative officers in an organisation dealing with international clientele. However, the ability could be impeded due to high apprehension level. The study was conducted to investigate the communication apprehension among the administrative officers in a public university in Malaysia. To measure the level of apprehension in various settings, an instrument - PRCA 24 (McCroskey and JcCroskey, 1988) was distributed to 150 officers holding various positions in different departments. The findings indicate that the officers experience a moderate level of apprehension. Additionally, females were reported to be more apprehensive in all communication settings. Another finding is, with regards to the types of communication, public speaking was found to have caused the highest apprehension while interpersonal communication the least. A conclusion that can be drawn is apprehension level is influenced by the nature of the communication. The more formal the communication is, the higher the apprehension level will be. An important implication is the need to develop (introduce) continuous in house training to lessen the level of anxiety among the staff should be considered.