THE HARPER
NTHOLOGY
ST U
D E
N T
WRITE R S
Macedonio Aldana
Lisa Kaufman- Lindahl
Catherine Amargos
Anne Kaider
Gene Beiswinger
Joe Kubica
Peter Carter
Jeanette Larkin
Yalta Creed
Inga Launer
Carol Davidson
George Lozancic
Amy De Figueiredo
Will Lutman
Shelly De Giralamo
Mary Kay M anion
Mary Doherty
Lisa McBride
Judith Domaracki
Jeffery Meek
Marya Flynn
Janell N ooleen
Jean Fritz
Magda Pataky
Gerald Giba
Karen Richardson
Sr. Sharon Ginley
George Rolph
Martha Harnack
Stephen Schneider
Barbara Heinze
Brad Schubring
John Hostler
Judy MacPherson Schumacher
Cynthia Hubble
Meryl Squires
Laurie Hussissian
Kathleen Ulincy
Rebecca Hyland
Adrienne Wells
Anne Kaider
Leslie Whyte
THE
HARPER
ANTHOLOGY
OF
ACADEMIC WR I T I NG
. (I ssue
I I I)
The Eng l i sh Department of W i l l i am Ra i ney Harper Co l l eg e
Acknow l e dgments
The Eng l i sh department w i sh e s to thank M i cha e l Knuds e n
f o r h i s cover d e s ign a n d L i s a Larsen f o r typ i ng t h e manuscr ipt .
The contents of th i s a ntho l ogy copyr i ght ,
W i l l i am Ra iney Harper Co l l eg e
19 9 1
Foreword
Once more the Harper Antho l ogy c e l ebrates the a cademic wr it­
ing o f Harper student s .
Th i s third i s sue o f the a ntho l ogy honors
wr i t ing done in the cour s e s o f s i x departments :
Data Proce s s i ng ,
Eng l i sh , Eng l i sh a s a S econd Languag e , Human i t i e s , Ph i lo s ophy ,
and Speech .
S e l ect i on s inc lude persona l e s says , expos i tory wr it­
ing , l iterary cr i t i c i sm , research pro j ects , take home examina­
t i o n s , a f o rm a l r ep o r t , a n d t e c h n i c a l r e p o r t s .
B e s i d e s th i s
f i n i shed and po l i shed wr i t i ng ,
the anth o l ogy inc ludes two ex­
a mp l e s o f w r i t i n g - t o - l e a r n :
a j ou r n a l e n tr y a n d a f o c u s ed
The anth o l ogy s e l ec t i on com­
freewr i t ing response to rea d i ng.
mittee b e l i eves that wr i t i ng to stimu l ate the proce s s of th i nk ing
is as important and worthy o f i n c lus ion a s wr i t i ng to r ecord in­
f ormat ion , demonstrate learn ing , or commun icate .
We be l i eve you ' l l f i nd much to adm i re i n the writ i ng that
f o l l ows .
I f you ' re a student , you ' l l f ind mode l s for y our own
wr i t ing .
J o i n w ith us in congr atu l a t ing thes e wr iters .
And l ook
f o rward to the f ourth i s sue of the anthol ogy in 1 9 9 2 .
Preced i ng each s e l e ct i o n i s the in structor ' s descr ipt ion o f
the a s s ignment .
F o l l owing i s the instructor ' s eva luat ion .
At
t h e e n d o f t h e a nt h o l o gy , t h e j u dg e s f or t h i s i s s u e d e s c r i b e
the i r s t andards for good wr i t i ng , s e l ected students r e f lect on
the i r wr i t i ng , and an instructor , Pro f e s s or Jerome Stone , con­
s id e r s the r o l e o f wr i t i ng in l earn ing and l iv i ng .
i
Table o f Contents
Ma cedon i a Aldana , " N a ive P r i d e " ·
(--tilll!TL-l\_
( Eng l i s h )
1
Cather ine Amargos ,
" Oedipu s :
The Myth and the Comp l e x "
( Human i t i e s )
4
Gene B e i sw inger , Peter Carter , Carol Davidson ,
and George Lo z anc i c ,
" CNTROLOG - - Study Pha s e Report "
10
( Data Proce s s i ng )
Va lta Creed , " Nat ive Son E s s a y "
( Eng l i s h )
39
Amy De F igue i r edo , " Su l a - -Journa l Entry"
42
( Eng l i s h )
She l l y De G i r a l a mo , " T he Room at the Rea r "
( Eng l i s h )
44
Mary Doherty , " G iv i ng Up a Swi ng "
45
( Eng l i sh )
Jud i th Domarack i , " S arah Orne Jewett :
Chron i c l er o f N i n eteenth Century New Eng land L i f e "
( Eng l i s h )
48
Marya F lynn , " A Woman ' s Sp i r i t "
( Eng l i s h )
52
Jean Fr i t z ,
" The Comp lex S imp l i c ity o f Lena Grove i n L ight i n
August"
55
( Eng l i s h )
Ger a l d G i ba , " Ac i d Ra i n Fact s "
61
( Eng l i s h )
�
S r . Sharon G i n l ey , " M y Grandma ' s Ced ar Che s t "
( Eng l i s h )
72 I U ;
--
ii
Martha Harnack , " A Certa i n Respons i b i l ity "
75
( E ng l i sh )
Barbara He i n z e ,
" The Death o f Stefan G o l ab :
Respon s i b l e "
79
( Ph i l o s ophy )
Were H i s Emp l oyers
John Host l er , " Lost Fr i endsh � P "
( Eng l i s h )
8 6 1v!- ,
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Cynth i a Hubb l e , " The Cra d l e W i l l Fa l l "
88
( Eng l i sh )
Laur i e Hus s i s s i an ,
" Two Aspects o f Are s :
91
( Huma n i t i e s )
Lover and Warr i o r "
Rebecca Hy l and , " S edgw i ck ' s B ig Score "
( Eng l i sh )
96
Ann K a ider ,
" Fr eewr it ing Respons e to Kathe r i ne Mans f i e ld ' s ' Th e
Garden Party ' "
98
( Eng l i sh )
L i s a Kau fman-Lindahl , " Th e i r Eve s Were Watch i ng God: d e B i g
Convent i on o f L i v i n ' "
( Eng l i sh )
100
Lynn Koppe l ,
" The Mean ing o f Human Exi stence :
108
( Ph i l osophy )
Joe Kubica I " The Wood i e "
( Eng l i sh )
112
Jea nette Lark i n ,
( Eng l i s h )
I n ga Launer ,
( Eng l i sh )
Jean Pau l Sart r e "
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" The S; e cret "
114
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4tt
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J
" D etour "
116
W i l l Lutman , " Per sona l Reve lat ions "
118
( Eng l i sh )
May Kay Man ion , " The Turmo i l o f Marr i a g e "
121
( Eng l i sh )
L i s a R. McBr i d e ,
" F l ower i ng Judas :
( Eng l i sh )
A D i f f erent I nterpretation "
124
;,,_
J e f frey Meek , " Workp lace Drug Test i ng "
127
( Ph i l o sophy )
iii
,,
Jane l l Nool een , " P a l a t i ne Food Pantry "
134
( Speech )
Magda Pataky , " The Down fa l l o f the Iron Curta i n i n Hungary "
( Eng l i sh a s a S econd Language )
137
Karen R i chardson , " Pathedy o f Manners "
142
( Eng l i sh )
George Ro lph , " H e Knew I Knew "
( Eng l i sh )
146
Stephen Schne i der ,
( Eng l i sh )
" Parad i s e Lost"
150
Brad S chubr ing , " Feas i b i l ity Study :
U s e o f Vo i c e Recogn i t ion
Techno l ogy for Automat ing Hosp ita l Pati ent Chart i n g "
152
( Engl i s h )
Judy MacPh erson Schumacher , 11 Non-Manua l �ehav iors i n Amer ican
S i gn Language11
( Eng l i sh as a Second Language )
158
Meryl Squ ires ,
( Eng l i sh )
" The W a l k "
161
Kath l een Ul incy , 11 The Darkest Heart s "
166
( Eng l i sh )
Adr i enne We l l s , " Art Work o f Leda and the Swa n "
( Human i t i e s )
17 1
Le s l i e Whyte , 11 L i f e in G a l esvi l l e " .
177
( Eng l i sh )
What Makes Wr it i ng Good?
The Antho l ogy Judges G ive The ir Standards
Harper Student Writers on Wr i t ing
Jerome S tone ,
·
179
181
A Teacher Wr ites about Wr i t i ng :
" What My Student s Don ' t Like About Me "
iv
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186
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c\ · .
Na ive Pride
by Macedonia A ldana
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 - -Mott l a)
The A s s i gnment :
After read ing s e l ected stor i e s
on t h e theme o f innocence and exper ience , t h e
students were t o wr ite a n autobiographi c a l e s s ay
on the s ame subj ect.
The wr i t i ng was t o i n c lude
both the narra t i on o f the inc ident and a
statement o f i t s s igni f i cance t o the narrator.
M y f i r s t c o n t a c t w i th d ru g s w a s b e f or e h i g h s c h o o l .
An
o l d e r f e l l ow s t u d e n t o f l on g h a i r , a f f e c t e d v o i c e , a n d p o o r
I t ' s a mar i j uana
grades had t o l d me , " Ca n you keep t h i s f o r me?
leaf. "
A s he s aw me h e s itating , h e added , " I ' l l c ome to get it
back at lunch t ime. 11
I had had lunch a lr eady , and w i th a f ew
spare m inute s , I dec ided to exam ine the myster i ou s obj ect.
I was
o n e b l o c k f r om s ch o o l on a b e au t i f u l· s p r i ng d ay ,
and the
m a r i j u a n a l e a f l o o k e d h a r m l e s s , h a rm l e s s a n d b e au t i f u l .
My
fr i end f ina l ly showed up and took the l e a f f rom me.
My s e cond
contact was when two other f e l l ow s tudent s , our i n structor be ing
absent , dec ided to r o l l j o ints i n s ide the c l a s sroom.
I watched
i n c omp l e t e a b s o r p t i o n how s k i l l f u l l y t h e y p l a c e d t h e g r o u n d
mater i a l on t h e paper , a n d how they ro l l ed a n d s e a l ed each p i ec e ,
whi l e throwi ng d i rty l ooks , which I i gnored , t o me.
Both ex­
p er i ence s were f a s c i nat ing i n my t een-ager ignorance.
So,
w h e n I l e f t G u a d a l a j a r a , my g l o r i e s i n t h e f i e l d o f
drugs were hav i ng h e ld a mar i j uana l e a f i n my hands and having
seen a j o i nt made before my eye s.
Oh !
And f in a l ly d i scover i ng
that the g lue used to get h igh was the ye l l ow contact g lu e and
not the wh i t e carpenter ' s g lue.
I was moving t o T i j uana , f amous
as a center o f v i ce.
The t a l e s o f drugs i n T i j uana wer e much cruder than i n
The add icts were s a i d to d i e o n the street s , to
Guad a l a j ara.
d r o w n at t h e b e a c h e s , or to be p i ck e d u p a n d t or t u r e d by t h e
f eder a l p o l ice , k i l led some t ime s , and dumped out i n a vacant lot
s omewhere in the low n e i ghborhood s , where no honest man coul d get
in o r out a fter dark.
Nonethe l es s , drugs were t o me a d i f f erent
r e a l i t y i n a d i f f e r en t w o r l d , u n t i l i n my f i r s t y e a r o f h i gh
I
s ch o o l I got the a s s ignment on a lka l o id s for chem i stry c la s s.
was f i fteen.
I f i n i shed my a s s ignment i n two days , but the sub j ect was so
fore ign and f a s c i nat ing t o me that I spent not l e s s than s ixty
'
1
h o u r s i n t h r e e w e e k s p u l l i n g o u t i n f o r ma t i o n f r o m t h e C i ty
L i brary .
The l ibrar i a n , an o l d worr i e d man , ended up l ooking at
m e w i t h concer n , for the covers o f a coup l e af books c lear ly a l ­
luded t o my sub j ect o f attent i on , very o f t en exaggerat i ng the in­
t en s i ty o f the i r content s .
That is how I " re a l ly " l earned a bout
drug s , t h e i r manufacture , the i r e f f ect s , s yndromes and therap i e s ,
the i r p sycho l o g i c a l impacts on peop l e and s o c i ety .
. I had be­
c ome a n expert on the f ie l d , and l ike a vegetar i a n i n a s laughter
hou s e , I t ended t o r e j ect everyth ing that had t o d o w i th them .
I t i s unn e c e s sary t o ment ion that I won a l l i n- c l a s s debates i n
any sub j ect dea l ing w i th drug s .
I had become a sort o f crusade r ,
and I was proud o f i t .
But an expe r i ence made me r ea l i z e that know l edge w a s worthl es s .
T h a t I w a s s t i l l t h e boy t hr i l l e d o f h a v i n g h e l d a
mar i j uana l e a f .
I t h ap p e n e d i n a w i n t e r o f t h e m i d d l e s ev e n t i e s .
I was
�
c l os ing the door i n my h ous e , having d e c ided t o cha l l enge the
c o l d , damp even ing for a w a l k t o the beach r e staurant s , when I
heard th i s n o i s e o f movement i n the bushe s o f a vacant lot t o the
other s ide of my ne ighbor ' s hous e .
I crossed the street t o t ake
a caut i ou s l o ok .
A man i n a red f l annel s h irt came from the dark
t o the street l ight .
He l ooked fat igued and anx i ous , and was a l l
sweaty and d irty .
One o f h i s very skinny l imbs l i fted t o hood
h i s eyes when he s aw me .
" Excu s e me , " he s a i d , " d o you l ive around here ? "
" Ye s . "
I answered , try ing to f igure out what he w a s d o ing
F ir s t th i ng I thought w a s a
in there , and why h e was worr ied .
g i r l s omehow hurt .
" Cou l d you get me a bucket o f water ? "
" A what? "
" I have a f r i end in there . "
" I s h e that th i r sty? "
I n Span i sh , h i s phr a s e imp l i ed the
f r i end ' s s e x .
11
The man i gnored my sarca sm .
He l ooked down the street both
w ay s , m a k i n g s u r e n o b od y wa s a r ou n d .
I t o o k a c a u t i o u s s t ep
back .
I cou l d a lways ye l l f or h e l p .
'-1
" He i s wasted .
Too much coke . "
I s e arched in the dark bushe s .
A very l ow no i s e , a grunt ing
o r snar l i ng , then a crack l ing of leave s , f i na l ly , a strug g l i ng
deep breath came t o my ears .
" Br ing h im t o the h o s e b ib , " I s a id .
"No .
I don ' t want you invo lved .
I f the p o l i c e catch
II
us .
" Okay , okay .
I ' l l br ing s ome rags t oo . "
I spent an hour watch ing a man bend over a bundl e o f c l othes
of indef inab l e c o l or , somet imes pour ing the c o l d water , s omet imes
rubb ing parts o f the bund l e w i th the rags I had brought .
It had
been an hour o f angu i sh , an hour o f damp n e s s forming in my ha i r ,
o f watch ing for shadows from the street , o f a lmost f e e l ing the
chi l l y water on my own f l esh .
" Ca l l a doctor , " I s a i d once ; " your f r i end m i ght d ie . "
"
" No h e l p a doctor can g ive h im .
Bes ide s , the p o l ic e
I d i dn ' t say anything e l se .
The man w a s r e s igned t o s e e h i s
f r i end d i e .
I f e l t p ity .
I f e l t use l es s .
How cou l d I exp l a in
t o th i s k ind o f peop l e that drugs were f ata l w i th out be i n g t o l d ,
" no k idd i ng " ?
How could I c a l l f or h e l p w ithout be ing arrested
2
a s a n a ccomp l i ce?
How cou l d I ca l l my f ather o r s omebody e l s e
The man wa s dyi ng and I
w i thout b e i ng t o l d to g e t out o f there?
was go ing t o be a w itness .
" H e i s breath ing
'' He looks better . "
The man s a i d sudde n ly .
norma l ly . "
I saw
I h e lped him to s it the bu l k aga inst a br i c k wa l l .
his face in the d im l ight , about twenty or twenty f iv e , as s l im
a s h i s fr iend , who c l eaned the vom i t pat iently .
I carr ied two
more buckets of water .
The unconsc i ous man opened h i s eyes and
tr ied to r each me .
The other grabbed his hand and kne l t .
" It ' s me , brother .
How do you f ee l ? "
He d idn ' t a nswer ,
" H e i s better .
Let
o n l y l et h i s j aw f a l l wh i l e star ing at me .
me s e e i f I c a n w a l k h i m . "
The man i n the r e d sh i r t put the
other ' s arm around h i s neck a n d pu l l ed u p t h e body .
They were
l ik e puppet and puppeteer .
The puppet ' s c l othes were b l u e , and
s h o w e d h i s d r am a t i c m e a g e r n e s s a s t h e y s tu c k w e t a g a i n s t h i s
bones .
H e was pa l e , expres s i o n l e s s , and s a l iva was start i ng to
run down h i s ch i n .
H i s l egs susta ined him , but wou l dn ' t move .
" Yeah .
I th i nk we better get g o i ng.
The puppeteer l ooked at me .
Do you know where the bus stop i s ? "
" Two b l ocks down .
Corne on . "
" No . "
He s a id .
" Y ou wa lk beh i nd ; i f the p o l i c e stops us ,
you are c l ea n . "
S o we wa lked down to the bus stop .
N o p o l i c eman showed up .
�
The sober man was t a lk i ng to the puppet , a s i f he coul d under­
stand .
Y ou are g o i ng to
"?f
" You are go ing to be a l l r ight , brother .
be a l r ight . "
When we reached the bus stop , I s a i d good-by e and l e f t the
I d idn ' t even know for sure i f there were
two standing there .
I was worn out , and I was terribly
bus e s at that t ime o f n ight .
depres sed .
I went back horne p i ck ing up the bucke t o n my way .
Before go ing to s l eep ,
I wash ed my h ands .
Next Monday , at schoo l , I t o l d my exp e r i ence t o a group o f
f r iends .
They l o oked at me , then at each other .
One o f them
s a i d , " You watch it .
O n e o f t h e s e d a y s s om e b o d y i s g o i ng t o
p inch you . "
They l aughed and went to c l ass .
I guess I had j ust
added a new story to T i j uana ' s c o l l ect i o n , but I had t o let it
out .
I t i s one th ing to know that drugs can k i l l ; i t i s a nother
to see a man being k i l l ed by drugs , to touch a man b e ing k i l l ed
by drug s .
Suddenly I f e l t strange to my f r i ends .
I had moved
one step out of the i r wor l d .
I knew it in the next debate I won .
I knew i t when I couldn ' t f ind the pride o f before .
There was a n
i ntense s a d n e s s i nstead .
The Eva luat i on :
Mr . A l dana ' s p i ece i s r i ch i n
deta i l , i nteres t i ng in t h e t e l l ing a n d e xt r em e l y
powerful in t h e meaning he wr i ngs from the
exper i ence o f the conc lus i on o f h i s essay .
Ama z i ng l y , Mr . Aldana does a l l th i s wr it i n g
i n h i s s econd l anguage .
3
Oedipu s :
The Myth and the Comp l e x
b y Cather ine Amargos
( Huma n i t i e s 1 2 0 -C l a s s i c a l Myth o lo gy - - S imons e n )
The As s ignment :
Conduct res earch on a top i c i n
c l a s s ica l myth o l ogy .
Exp l a i n a n anc i ent myth
and show how l ater thinkers have i nterpreted that
myth .
Greek myth o l ogy l ends its e l f read i ly t o psycho l og i c a l i nter­
pretat ion .
Hes i od ' s Theogony i s f i l l ed w ith stor i e s i nv o l v i ng
the a l l i ance o f ch i l dren w i th the i r mothers i n overthrowing and
t ak i ng p ower from the i r f ather s , and other themes i nvo l v i ng in­
cest , ch i ld abu s e , adu ltery , j ea l ousy and r iv a l ry .
Thes e themes
It i s
could ea s i ly be case h i stor i e s in a psych i atr i c textbook .
n ot surpr i s i ng that p sych i atry has borrowed many terms f r om the
myths to exp l a in var i ous patho l og i c a l cond i t ions :
narc i s s i st ic
personal ity d i s order , pan i c , hebephren i a , hermaphrod i t i sm , nym­
phoman i a , satyr i a s i s , and the best known o f a l l , the Oedipus c om­
p l ex .
The purpose o f t h i s paper i s to :
1 ) examine the Freud ian
i nt e r pr et a t i o n of the O e d i p u s c o mp l e x ; 2 ) r e v i ew the v a r i ou s
O ed ipa l myths and l egends , part icularly a s they i nvo l ve r e l at i on ­
ships between fam i ly members ; a n d 3 ) determine t h e appropr i ate­
n e s s o f the Freud ian pos it ion in exp l a i n i ng the events portrayed
in the myths and legends .
Although the Freud i a n pos i t i o n is open
t o cr i t i c i sm , the e s s ent i a l e l ements o f the Oedipal c omp l e x have
become widely accepted and it is centr a l t o var i ou s p sychodynami c
Th i s d i s cu s s ion w i l l ther e f or e be l im ited
pers ona l ity theor i e s .
t o the Freud ian pos it i on .
In exam i n i ng the myths we should ex­
p e c t that t h e v e r s i o n s w i l l d i f f e r ; the o r a l f o l k t a l e s a nd
l egends were probably mod i f i ed over the years and each wr i ter
stre s s ed d i f ferent a spects of the l egend to make h i s own p o i nt .
I t i s not r e l evant to th ink o f any one ver s i o n a s b e i ng truer
than the others - -but it i s pos s ib l e to th i nk of them as expr e s s ­
i ng d i f f erent l eve l s o f meaning inherent i n the l egend .
Bas i ca l ly the Fr eud ian p o s i t ion i s that a s chi ldren deve l op
they go through a pha s e at about three-to- f ive years o f age , when
they become erot i ca l ly attached to the parent of the oppos it e sex
and exper i ence aggre s s ive , host i l e impu l s e s toward the parent o f
the s ame s e x .
Th i s i s o ften referred to a s the " fami ly r omance . "
B ecause the ch i ld expects pun i shment , gu i lt fee l ing s are aroused ,
and the se f e e l i ngs and f anta s ies are repr e s s ed .
The chi ld even4
�
tua l ly reso lves t h i s con f l i ct by f orming a stabl e ident i f i c a t i on
Ear l y i n h i s career , Freu d made
with the parent o f the s ame s ex .
the a n a l o g y b e twe e n t h i s d e v e l o p m e nt a l p h a s e a n d t h e e v e n t s
desc r i bed b y S oph o c l e s i n h i s p l ay Oed ipus the K i ng ( Brenner ,
Many years bef ore Freud , D iderot , i n Rameau ' s Nephew ,
117-122 ) .
ant i c ipated ana lyt i c theory and wrote :
" I f the l it t l e brute were
l e f t to h ims e l f and kept in h i s native ignoranc e , c ombi n i ng the
undeve l oped mind of a ch i ld in the cradl e w ith the v i o l ent p a s ­
s ion o f a m a n o f thirty , he wou l d wring h i s f ather ' s n e c k and
s l e ep w i t h h i s m o t h e r . " ( 1 1 3 )
F r e u d s aw in t h i s s t a t em e n t a
recogn i t i on o f the un iver s a l ity o f the Oedipus comp l ex ( Vo l . XXI ,
251) .
In examin ing the var i ous l egends we s e e that when Oedipus
was a ch i ld he never had a c l o s e , intimate r e l at i onship w ith h i s
f ather La ius o r h i s mother Jocasta .
Having been taken f r om h i s
mother a t three days and exposed o n the mounta i n ( S ophocl e s , 4 5 )
he could not have been expected to recogn i z e them i n s tinct ively
a s h i s parents .
But it is p o s s i b l e that he had such a r e l a ti on ­
ship w ith h i s f oster parents , P o lybus and, Merop e .
A l though w e
know l itt l e o f ch i ld rear i ng pract ices i n thos e t imes , P in s ent
s ug g e s t s t h a t the O e d i p a l t h e m e i s so s t r o ng i n G r e e k myth
gener a l ly that it must have a r i sen i n a per i od o f gui lt cu l ture-­
wh i ch p r e s u m e s a sma l l ,
nuc l e a r f am i l y w i t h a s t r ong ,
author itarian f ather ru l ing over h i s w i f e and chi ldren .
Th i s i s
i n c ontrast to a n ear l i er shame cultur e - -wh i ch i s r e f l ected i n
the Homer i c ep i c s a n d i s presumed to h ave a r i s e n when ch i ldren
were brought up i n an extended f am i l y s ituat ion and l earned to
r e ly heav i ly on the i r peers for approva l ( P in s ent , 9 ) .
We can pre sume th i s k ind o f ambiva l ent r e lat ionship with h i s
foster parent because Sophoc l e s te l l s u s that Oed ipus i s hor­
r i f i ed when , a fter v i s it ing the ora c l e o f D e lph i , he says h e was
t o ld " I must marry my mother , 1 and become the parent of a m i s ­
begotten brood , 1 an o f fense t o a l l mank i nd - - and k i l l m y f ather . "
To avo id such a horror he f l ees from Cor i nth , never t o s e e h i s
home aga i n ( S ophoc l e s , 4 7 ) .
A l l o f the l egends agree that Oedipus unknowingly s lays h i s
f a t h e r o n t h e r o a d t o P h oc i s .
I n O e d i p u s t h e K i ng , O e d i p u s
s l owly unrave l s the truth and l earns that the rude , o lder man he
k i l l ed i n anger and in s e l f -defense was La ius .
U l t imate l y h e be­
c om e s awa r e that L a i u s and J o c a s t a were h i s n a t ur a l p a r en t s
( Sophoc le s , 4 7 ) .
I n Eur i p i d e s ' p l a y T h e P h o e n i c i a n W om e n ,
Joca sta suggests that Oedipus ' pride was such that h e cou l d not
back down i n the face o f Laius ' provocat ion and h e k i l l ed Laius
( 4 64 ) .
A fter many years o f brooding over the events that brought
about h i s down f a l l , Oed ipus repeated ly protests h i s i nnocence o f
a l l charges t o the peop l e o f C o l onus .
He r e f er s to h i s parent s '
gu i lt i n having exposed h im ( Sophoc l e s , 7 9 ) , h i s k i l l ing o f h i s
f ather La ius i n s e l f -defense a fter being crue l ly provoked (88),
and i n response to Creon , he vehement ly den i e s that he h a s a ny
gu i lty s ecret .
He argues that what was done wa s done by the w i l l
of
g o d a n d d u e t o a n " a n c i e n t g ru d g e a g a i n s t o u r h ou s e "
( Sophoc l e s , 1 0 1 ) .
A l though none o f the traged ians o f f er any reason f or the
cur s e , Durant , P i nsent , and D evereaux refer to ear l ie r s ources
wh ich te l l the story o f La ius k idnapp ing and rap ing Chrys ippu s ,
5
the son o f P e l op s , and they suggest that Greek audi ences were
fam i l iar with thes e old f o lk tal es .
Accord ing to Durant , Laius
wa s c o n s i d e r e d to hav e i n t r o d u c e d the u n na tur a l v i c e o f
homos exua l ity into Greece ( 3 9 3 ) .
Devereaux rete l l s the story and
adds that an enraged P e l op s p laced a curs e on La ius , wh ich woul d
resu lt i n h i s own son s laying h im and then marry ing h i s mother
( 17 0 ) .
Devereaux then argue s that Oedipu s ' behav i o r was a reac­
t ion to the father ' s behav i or .
He describes La ius a s b e i ng an
i m pu l s i v e , p o o r l y - c on t r o l l e d man who app ear e d b e n t o n s e l f ­
d e s t r u c t i on .
T h e rap e o f C h r y s i p pu s , t h e b e g e t t i n g o f a s on
after repeated warn ings o f the d ir e consequenc e s , the attempt t o
u n d o t h i s by e xp o s i n g t h e c h i l d , t h e r e c k l e s s a n d a g gr e s s i v e
provocat ion o f Oedipus on the r oad to Pho c i s --al l p o int to s evere
f laws i n h i s character that l ed to Laiu s ' destructi o n ( 17 1 ) .
As to the charge o f incest , a l l l egends are i n agre ement
t h a t n e i t h e r J o c a s t a n o r O e d i p u s w e r e awa r e o f t h e i r t r u e
After destroy ing the
r e lationship when the marr iage was made .
Sph i nx , he won the k i ngdom of Thebes .
Marr iage w ith the queen
was one of the " perk s " that went with the j,ob .
In one o f the ear l i est r e f erences to the l egend , Homer has
Ody s s eu s encounter " Ep icaste , " the mother of Oed ipus , in Hade s .
He describes her as having done " a most evi l thi ng i n the ig­
norance o f her heart and wedded her own s o n " and " in her gr i e f
s h e made fast a noose for her s e l f f r om t h e l ofty r o o f beams and
f o r Oed ipus she l e f t
such woes as a mother ' s aveng ing s p i r its
br ing" ( 1 3 4 ) .
I n S ev e n Aga i n s t T h e b e s , A e s ch y l u s d e s c r i be s O e d i p u s a s
" sowing s eed i n the f orb idden f i e l d , h i s mother ' s womb" ( 1 1 0 ) ,
and when " he became aware o f the m i s erab l e marr iage he had made ,
tormented and outraged , in the madne s s o f h i s heart , w i t h the
h a n d that k i l l e d h i s f a t h e r h e d o u b l e d h i s own s u f f er i n g ; he
destroyed those eyes that cou l d not bear to see h i s own
ch i ldren " ( 1 1 1 ) .
In h i s protestat ion o f innocence at Co l onus , Oed ipus s tate s
he accepted h i s w i f e as the g i ft o f the c ity ( Sophoc l e s , 88), and
he later accuses Creon of s landering both Jocasta and h ims e l f by
sugg e s t ing that they were gu i lty of the s in that was done by the
w i l l of god and the grudge against the hou s e ( Sophoc l e s , 1 0 1 ) .
Eur ip ides has both Jocasta and Oed ipus a l ive at the t ime
Thebes is being bes ieged by Po lyne ices and the f or e i gn arm i e s .
He has Jocasta c laim that the marr iage was entered i nto unknow­
ing ly and that Oedipus ' suf f e r i ng caus ed h im to strike out h i s
own eye s ( 4 1 2 ) .
In th i s ver s ion , Jocasta has been abl e to accept
Her su i c id e o c curs
what has happened and go on with her l i f e .
t ow a r d t h e end o f the p l ay when her s on s ,
P o l y n e i ce s and
A s im i lar att itude i s
E t i o c le s , have k i l led each other ( 5 1 4 ) .
suggested b y Soph o c l e s when Jocasta adv i s e s Oedipus n o t t o worry
about the prophecy , say ing , " Chance ru l e s our l ives and the fu­
ture is a l l unknown . 1 Best l ive as best we may , f r om day to day .
1 Nor need th i s mother-marry ing fr ighten you . I Many a man has
dreamt as much .
such things 1 must be f orgotten , i f l i f e i s to
be endured" ( 5 2 ) .
Even as the truth dawns on her , she protec­
t ive ly tries to warn Oedipus t o drop the inqu iry ( 5 5 ) , but he
p er s i s t s , she bids h im farewe l l , and it i s later reported that
she has hung her s e l f ( 6 0 ) .
Oed ipus is gu i lt-r idden and pun i shes
6
h i ms e l f by str i k i ng out h i s v i s i o n s o that he w i l l not have to
see h i s shame - -h i s gui lt ( 6 1) ; as he faces the truth h e acknow­
l ed g e s t h e s i n - - i n h i s b e g e t t i ng , i n h i s m ar r i ag e a n d i n h i s
shedd ing o f h i s f ather ' s b l ood ( 8 8 ) .
A s the curs e i s p l ayed out i n the n ext generation , the en­
tir e f ami l y i s d e s tr o y e d.
H e s i o d r e p o r t s the "ugly w a r s a nd
fearfu l f ighti ng destroyed them , s ome b e l ow s even-gated Thebes ,
the Cadmea n country , a s they battl e d for Oedipus' f locks" ( 41) .
Aeschylus , Eur i p ides , and S ophoc l e s i n Oed ipus at Col o nu s and i n
The most
Ant igone are a l l concerned w i th thes e l ater event s .
s igni f i cant theme , from the p o int of view of thi s paper , i s the
r e l at i o n s h i p O e d i p u s e s t a b l i s hes w i th h i s own c h i l d r e n - - t h e
c lo s e , l ov i ng r e l at ionship w ith h i s daughters , part i cu la r l y An­
t igone , and the host i l ity and resentment he d i sp l ay s toward h i s
sons .
I n th i s r espect he behaves l ike a typ i c a l Oed ipa l f ather- ­
want i ng t o p o s s e s s h i s daughters and dr ive away h i s sons .
In
S op ho c l e s ' O e d i p u s a t C o l o nu s h e e mb r a c e s h i s d a ug h t e r s , ex­
pres s e s h i s l ove and gratitude to them , and angri ly accuses h i s
When
s o n s o f havi ng done noth ing t o prevent h i s,bani shment ( 84) .
P o lyne i c e s begs h im for h i s b l e s s ing and cooperati o n in h i s ven­
ture aga inst Thebes , Oed ipus c a l l s h im a scoundr e l and he pre­
d i ct s that both sons w i l l d i e , say i ng , " May you in dyi ng , k i l l
our bani sher . 1 And k i l l ing , d i e by h im who shares your b lood"
( 1 1 3 ).
The chorus in S even Aga inst Thebes speaks of the b i tter
Eur i pides has
cur s e s Oed ipus hur l s at his s on s ( Aeschy lu s , 1 1 1) .
Jocasta suggest ing that the curs e on the sons is due to Oedipus
havi ng been shut up by h i s sons so that the f am i ly s tory might be
forgotten ( 4 62) .
Later , in the same p l ay , Tiresias , the b lind
"An d O e d i pu s' s o n s who
p r o ph et g i v e s a s im i l a r e xp l a n a t i o n :
tr ied to c loak th i s up 1 w ith p a s sage o f t ime , a s if to e scape
the gods , I erred i n thi s f o l ly , s ince they gave the i r f ather I
ne ither h i s r ight s , nor freedom to depart . I And s o they stung
the wretch to s avage anger . 1 Theref or e , he cursed them terr i b ly
i ndeed , 1 s ince he was a i l ing and bes ides d i shonored" ( 4 9 4 ) .
As t o the appropr iateness o f the Freud i a n p o s i t ion i n ex­
p l a i n ing the events portrayed i n the var i ou s Oed ip a l myths and
l egend s , it is c lear that Oedipus never thought o f La i u s a s h i s
f at h e r ; h e n e v e r h a d a n i n t i m a t e r e l a t i on s h ip w it h h im a s a
ch i ld .
I n r et r o s p e c t , a t C o l o nu s , h e c i t e s L a i u s' g u i l t a n d
The gu i lt he f e e l s when he
cruelty i n expos i ng h im a s a n i nf ant .
l earns the truth is to s ome extent depersona l i z ed and r e l ated to
the genera l proh i b i t ion aga inst
k i l l i ng a father .
Howeve r , su­
p er i mp o s e d on t h e s e f e e l i ng s a r e t h e m o r e n a t ur a l , but a m­
b i v a l e n t , emot i o n s h e h a d f o r P o l y bu s , · f ro m whom h e h a d f l ed
Cor i nth rather than r i sk committ ing such a cr ime .
T h e d e e p e s t f e e l i n g s o f g u i l t a n d a n g u i sh O e d i p u s e x ­
per i ences a r e aroused when h e l earns that not only h a s he k i l l ed
L a i u s , h i s n a t ur a l f a t h e r , h e h a s f at h e r e d c h i l d r e n b y h i s
mother.
Prohibitions against incest between mother and son are
strong and its inc idence is rare .
Oed ipu s ' gui lt repre s ents h i s
Many
horror that such a prophecy o r w i sh h a s been f u l f i l led .
y e a r s l at e r , at C o l o n u s , he s u c c e e d s i n r ep r e s s i n g t h e g u i l t
f e e l ings , rat iona l i z i ng what happened , and str e s s e s the unknow i ng
qua l ity o f the r e l a t i onship .
7
In h i s r e lat i onship wi th h i s chi ldren we get the c l earest
operation of the " oedipa l " theme :
the f ather , unco n s c i ou s ly,
d o e s e v e r yt h i ng i n h i s p o w e r to k e e p h i s d a u gh t e r s c l o s e a nd
dri ve away h i s sons.
Here the results are c l ear ly r e l ated to h i s
own probl ems and behavi or.
The f am i l y curse is p l ayed out from La ius to Oedipus to h i s
chi ldren .
I n Greek tragedy an i nd ividua l may b e pun i shed f or an­
cestr a l gu i lt and f requently a f am i ly cur s e may be " renewed by
the r a shness and imp iety of succeed ing generat i o n s " { Ae schylus ,
14)
Thi s suggests that in add i t i on to be i ng pun i shed by the
gods, s ometh ing with i n the character structure of the i nd ividua l
leads to h i s own down fa l l.
Th i s i s most c lear in Laius ' cas e .
H i s s i n f u l a b du c t i on o f C h r y s i ppu s , h i s i g n o r i ng t h e god s i n
begett i ng a ch i l d then expos i ng i t , h i s aggr e s s ive provoca t i on on
the road to Pho c i s - - a l l suggest arrogance and presumpt i o n that
l ead to h i s destruct ion .
With Oedipus the character traits are
less obv ious .
H i s impu l s ivenes s , pronen e s s t o anger , and pr ide
a r e e v i d en t , .b ut in n o w a y do t h e y a cc ou n t f or h i s d own f a l l .
Polyn e ices and E t i o c l e s a l so d i sp l ay pride and f e ar o f l o s ing
face by back ing down a nd are thus compe l l ed to batt l e e a ch other
and meet the i r doom .
Howev· e r , none o f thes e fa ctors exp l a in our react ions to the
Oedipus l egends .
Freud , in Totem and Taboo , suggests that the
c r i m e s of Oed i p u s r ep r e s e nt t h e two o l d e s t unwr i t t e n l a ws o r
proh i b i t i ons�-k i l l i ng o f the f a ther and marry ing the mother .
He
also suggests that the gu i l t o f Oed ipus wa s not pa l l iated b y the
fact that he incurred it without h i s know l edge or i ntent i o n ( Vo l .
XIII, 6 8 ) .
Freud a l s o suggests that the s e taboos correspond with
the repres sed w i shes o f the Oed i pus comp l ex ( Vo l. XIII , 1 4 3 ) .
In
o n e o f h i s e a r l i e s t w o r k s F r e u d s u g g e s t s t h a t t h e c o mp e l l i ng
forc e of S ophoc l e s ' p lay i s that
•
H i s dest i ny moves us o n l y because i t might have
been ours- -because the ora c l e l a i d the s ame curse
upon us before our bi rth a s upon h i s .
I t i s the
fate of a l l o f us , perhap s , t o d i rect our f i rst
sexua l impu l ses toward our mother s and our
f irst hatred and our f irst murderous impu l se s
aga i nst our fathers .
our dreams convince u s
that t h i s . i s s o.
K i ng Oed ipus , who s l ew h i s
father La ius and marr i ed h i s mother Jocasta ,
mere ly shows us the fu l f i l lment o f our own
ch i ldhood w i shes . . . . L ike Oedipus , we l ive
in ignorance o f the s e w i shes , repugnant to
mora l ity , wh i ch have been f orced upon us by
natur e , and a fter the i r reve l a t i on we may a l l
o f u s we l l seek t o c l o s e our eyes t o the s cenes
of our ch i l dhood .
( Vo l . IV , 2 6 2 - 2 6 2 }
Thus, the Oed ipa l l egends are an apt symbo l i z a t i o n o f the Oedipa l
comp l ex .
What i s done " unknow i ng l y " betrays the uncon s c i ous
8
nature o f the ind iv idua l ' s erot i c and host i l e fee l i ng s .
P erhaps
the Fates or ancestr a l gu i l t that the Greek traged i e s dea l with
can j us t a s eas i ly be thought o f a s repre s ent ing human nature or
b i o l og i c a l inst inct - - and are only d i f ferent name s f o r the same
proces s .
Works C ited
Aeschy lu s .
Prometheus Unbound and Other P l ays .
Pengu i n , 1961.
Middlesex :
Brenner , Char l e s .
An E l ementary Textbook o f P sychoana lys i s .
N ew York :
Doubl eday , 1955.
Devereaux , George .
" Why Oedipus K i l l ed Laius " i n P sychoanalys i s
and L iterature .
Ed . H . M . Ru itenbeek , New York :
Dutton ,
1964.
D iderot , Den i s , Rameau ' s Nephew .
Middle sex :
Pengu i n , 1966.
"
Durant , W i l l .
The Story of C iv i l i z at i on, Vol. I I. The L i f e o f
Greece .
New York :
S imon and Schuster , 1964.
The Phoen i c ian Women . The Complete Greek Traqed i e s .
Eur i p ides .
Tran s . E l i z abeth Wycko f f .
Vol . V .
Ch i cago :
Un iver s i ty o f
Ch i c ago Pres s , 1958.
Freud , S igmund .
The Compl ete Psychologi c a l Works .
Vol. IV
The
I nterpreta t i on o f Dr eams .
Vol . XI I I. Totem and Taboo and
Other Works .
Vo l . XX I
The Future o f an I l lus ion and Other
London :
Hogarth Pre s s , 1953.
Works .
Hes i od .
Theogony, Works and Days .
Trans . M . L . West .
Oxford Univers ity Pres s , 1988.
Home r .
The Odys sey .
Oxf ord :
Oxf ord :
Oxford Univer s i ty Pre s s ,
1980.
P insent , John .
Greek Mytho logy. Library o f the Wor ld ' s Myths
and Legend s .
New York :
Bedr ick , 1983.
Sopho c l e s .
K i nd Oedipus .
The Theban
Oed ipus at C o l onus .
P l ays .
Trans . E . F . Wat l i ng .
Mi dd le sex :
Pengu i n , 1955.
The Eva luat ion :
Cather ine ' s background in
p sycho l ogy sparked her enthu s i a sm for read i ng
further into the myths and p l ays about Oed ipus
the K i ng .
The result :
an inves t igat ive paper
that is both l i ve ly and scho l a r ly .
9
CNTROLOG - Study Pha s e Report
by Peter Carter , Caro l e Davidson , Gene B e i sw inger ,
and George Lo z an c i c
( DPR 2 0 4
-
Advanced Systems , Ana lys i s a n d D e s ign--Bender )
The As s ignment :
The a s s i gnment was to f ind a
company w ith a problem and to solve the pro b l em
u s i ng the L i f e Cyc l e Method o l ogy .
The
Study Pha s e ,
Methodol ogy cont a i n s f our pha s e s :
Des ign Pha s e , Deve l opment Pha s e , and
Imp l ementat i on Pha s e .
At the end of e a ch o f
thes e pha s e s , the group prepares a report
The reports a r e to l o ok
for the i r u s ers .
" pr o f e s s iona l . "
Th i s i s the Study Pha s e
Report f o r t h i s group ' s proj ect .
I.
S Y STEM SCOPE
A.
System T i t l e
CNTROLOG
B . Prob l em Statement and Purpos e
The Concord Comput i ng Corporat i o n ' s present
troub l e j event l ogg i ng system requ i r e s the u s e o f
three d i f f erent f orms , o n wh i ch i n f orma t i on i s manu a l ly
recorded by the operations sta f f .
Each morn i ng , thi s
i n f orma t i o n i s then used by the Operat ions Manager t o
manua l ly create an Opera t i ons S t a t u s Report o f the
Spec i f ic prob l em s that have been
prev i ous 24 hours .
ident i f i ed with the present system are :
1.
I t takes the Operat i on s Manager 1 /2 to 1 hour
every morn ing to produce the a bove report .
2.
Redundant i n f ormat ion i s recorded i n the
thr ee logs.
3.
Generated reports are not a lways neat and are
s omet imes unreada b l e .
10
4.
Reports do not a lways cont a i n a l l o f the
requ ired informat ion .
c . Constra int s
The CNTROLOG constra ints are :
D.
1.
Deve l opment o f a menu dr iven troub l e / event
l ogging system on a m icro-computer
by May 7 , 1 9 9 0 .
2.
The u s e o f dBas e I I I P lu s a s a data base .
3.
CNTROLOG must cont a i n growth potent i a l s o
that add i t iona l i nput s creens c a n be added
later .
4.
The data entry screens shou l d be s im i lar i n
sty l e to the current system u s e d b y the
customers Service D epartment .
Spec i f i c Object ives
The spec i f i c obj ect ives of CNTROLOG are to :
E.
1.
Produce an Operat i ons Status Report i n
6 0 seconds , each morn ing .
2.
E l iminate 9 0 % o f the manu a l l ogging by
enter ing the i n format i on directly i nto the
computer .
3.
Improve the c l ar ity o f report s .
4.
I nsure that a l l neces sary i n f ormat i on i s
inc luded in the report s .
5.
Inc lude the capab i l ity to produce an overvi ew
o f troub le occurrence trends on a n a s -needed
ba s i s .
Method o f Eva luat ion
After CNTROLOG has been i n operation for s i xty t o days :
1.
Manager s , superv i sors , etc . , who u s e the
reports , w i l l be i ntervi ewed to uncover any
problems they may be havi ng w i th the reports
and to be sure the informa t i on they are
receiving i s comp lete and s at i s f actory .
2.
Pers ona l eva luat ions o f the e f f ect iveness o f
the system w i l l be obta i ned f rom i t s
p r i n c i p a l user s .
11
3.
Report genera t i on w i l l be eva luated t o check
the speed and a ccuracy of the system .
4.
The system w i l l b e checked t o i nsure the
c apa b i l ity o f produ c i ng an overvi ew o f
troub l e occurrence trends .
I I . CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION
A.
Conc lus ions
The f e a s i b i l ity a n a l y s i s o f CNTROLOG i nvo l ved the
eva luat ion o f three candidates and led to the conclu­
s i on that the best system wou ld be one that operated i n
a rea l - t ime environment ( w ith the opt i o n t o change the
t ime if nece s s ary ) , u s i ng a menu dr ive troub l e/event
l oggi ng system to record and update ( add) d et a i l ed i n ­
f orma t i on .
Th i s i n f o rmat i o n wou l d b e s t o r ed
chrono log i ca l ly i n a data base .
I nf ormat ion wou ld be
e x t r a c t e d f r om the d a t a b a s e' to p r o d u c e s umma r y
report s .
The f i l e s wou ld be indexed to a l l ow s ort i ng
and print ing by var i ous f i e ld s .
The system wou ld a l so
a l l ow management i nput o f report request s .
A l l outputs
wou l d be ava i l a b l e as CRT d i sp lays wherever f e a s i b l e ,
and pr inted reports provided when n ec e s s ary .
The computer for the s e l ected system h a s a lready
been purchased at a cost o f $ 1 5 0 0 .
The monthl y opera­
t i on a l cost w i l l depend on the deprec i at ion sca l e u s ed
to expen s e the $ 1 5 0 0 , p lu s a month ly equ i pment ma i n ­
tenance cost .
The month ly equ ipment ma intenance cost
o f the current system is approximate ly $ 1 7 .
The operat i ona l t ime on the part o f the operat i o n s
manager to create t h e neces s a ry reports on t h e n e w s y s ­
t e m i s est imated at 2 0 m i nute s /month .
The operat i o n a l
t ime to produce the s ame reports on the current system
i s 1 0 / 2 0 hours/month .
The hours spent by the opera ­
t i ons sta f f t o record the i nforma t i o n w i l l r ema i n the
s ame .
The system payback ( in do l lars) wa s not cons i dered
becau s e " t ime saved " was the most important i s su e .
B.
Recommendat i on
I t i s therefore recommended that the CNTROLOG
proj ect be approved for the des ign pha s e .
I I I . PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS
1.
Data F l ow D iagram--F igure C 1 . 1 - - i s the data f l ow
d i agram f or CNTROLOG .
2.
System output descr ipt i o n s - -The two CNTROLOG
output are :
a.
Operat ions Status Report
12
b.
Operations Troub l e Report
output spec i f ications and data e l ement l i st s for
the two reports are pres ented i n F igures C 1 . 2 a ,
C 1 . 2 b , C 1 . 2 c , and C 1 . 2 d .
3.
System i nput descr i pt i o n - -The CNTROLOG i nputs are :
a.
Log o f event
b.
Update of event
c.
Report requests
An examp l e of the l og and update i nput is shown in
The report request i nput i s yet to
F igure C 1 . 3 .
be dec ided .
B.
4.
System i nterface ident i f i cat ion- -The CNTROLOG sys­
tem w i l l not i nterface with�other systems at th i s
t ime but might a t a l ater date .
5.
System resource ident i f i ca t i on - - current ly the
centr a l s it e computer / pr i nter is the only one
The
that w i l l be used for i nputs and output s .
computer is an I BM compat i b l e Epson Equ i ty+ with
a 2 0 meg d i s c dr ive .
The pr inter i s an Ok i - Data
Micro l ine .
I nterna l Perf ormance Spe c i f ication
1.
Proce s s ori ented system f lowchart - - F igure C 1 . 4
inc ludes the proc e s s or i ented f lowchart f o r
CNTROLOG a n d t h e accompany ing narrat ive .
2.
Data storage descr iption- - Exact master f i l e s i z e
has yet t o b e determ ined , but the s i z e w i l l be
restricted only by the max imum s i z e a l lowed by
dBase I I I P lus f i l e .
Concord customer account
l i st currently inc ludes 1 6 corporat i o n s .
IV . PROJECT PLANS AND SCHEDULES
A.
Study Pha s e
The s tudy pha s e w a s schedu led f o r a 2 week per i od
beg inning 1 - 2 4 - 9 0 and ending 2 - 7 - 9 0 .
The proj e ct i s on
s chedu l e a s shown i n F igure C 1 . 5a and only the s tudy
pha s e rev i ew rema ins to be comp l eted .
The actua l t ime spent on the s tudy pha s e was
4 9 1 / 2 hours , a s compared to the est imate o f 3 6 hours .
Th i s i n f ormation i s graphed in F igure C 1 . 5 b .
B.
Major M i l e stone s - -A l l Phases
F igure C 1 . 6 a i s a schedu l e for the entire pro j ect .
13
The d e s ign pha s e i s s chedu led for 4 1 / 2 weeks and the
d ev e l opment pha s e for 8 weeks .
T h e e s t i m a t e d cumu l at iv e h o u r s f o r t h e e n t i r e
proj ect are shown i n Figure C 1 . 6b .
·
c.
Det a i l ed M i l e stone s - -Des ign Pha s e
S i nce t h e des ign pha s e i s t h e next pha s e t o be
undertaken , deta i led proj ect ions are presented f or that
pha s e .
F igure C1 . 7 a d i sp l ays the s c i ent i f ic m i l e stones
to be ach i eved i n th i s 4 1 / 2 week per i od .
F igure C1 . 7 b presents the proj ected hours i nvo lved
i n t h e d e s i gn p h a s e .
7 9 h o u r s t ot a l h a v e b e e n e s ­
t imated .
V . Append i c e s
F igures
D a t a f l ow d i agram
C1 . 1
Opera t i on s Status Report
Output spec i f ications
C1 . 2 a
Data e l ement l i s t
C1 . 2b
Operat ions Troub l e Report
Output spec i f ications
C1 . 2c
Data e l ement l i s t
C1 . 2d
I nput descr ipt i on
C1 . 3
Proces s ori ented f l owchartjnarrative
C1 . 4 a
Proj ect p l a n and status report- -study pha s e
C1 . 5a
Proj ect cost r eport- s tudy pha se - - es t . hours v s
actua l*
C1 . 5b
Proj ect plan and status report- -ma j or m i l e stones
C1 . 6a
Proj ect cost report - - tota l est imated hours vs .
actu a l *
C 1 . 6b
Proj ect p l a n and status report - -des ign phase
C1 . 7 a
Proj ect cost report-des i gn pha s e - - es t . hours
vs . actu a l *
C1 . 7 b
Proj ect D i rect ive
C2 . 1
Current system descr ipt ion
C2 . 2
14
Candidate I I - - system descr iption
C2 . 3
Customer account proj ections
C2 . 4
Candidate system eva luat ion
C2 . 5
Candidate eva luation matr i x
C2 . 6
Cand idate weighted eva luat i on matr ix
C2 . 7
Deta i led i nformat ion ( data f l ow d iagrams ,
etc . ) for the other
cand i dates i s ava i la b l e upon request .
Cost ca lculations a nd a
payback ana lys i s are not i nc luded because the obj ect ive i s t ime
saved .
*S i nc e th i s i s a scho o l proj ect , cost reports are graphed c ompar­
ing est imated hours to actua l hours .
15
FIGURE C1.1
CONTRLOG LEVEL 1 DATA FLOW DIAGRAM
COMPUTER
OPERATOR
SUMMARY REPORT
Figure C1.2a
OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS
TITLE
Operations Status Report
LAYOUT
OPERATIONS STATUS REPORT
FROM TIME 99: 0 0
TO TIME 99: 0 0
DATE XX/XX/XX
DATE XX/XX/XX
DATE XX/XX/XX TIME 99:99 CUSTOMER AFFECTED ______________�REPORT I
9999
PROBLEM/EVENT
ACTION TAKEN
CURRENT STATUS
DATE XX/XX/XX TIME 99:99 CUSTOMER AFFECTED ______________�REPORT
I 9999
PROBLEM/EVENT
ACTION TAKEN
CURRENT STATUS
__
DATE XX/XX/XX TIME 99:99 CUSTOMER AFFECTED ____.REPORT
I 9999
PROBLEM/EVENT
ACTION TAKEN
CURRENT STATUS
FREQUENCY
SIZE
QUANTITY
Dally
Multiple Pages
DISTRIBUTION
COPIES
1. Executive Vice-President
1. Vice-President CIS
1. Operations Manager
COMMENTS
17
1.
1.
5
Customers Service
Posted
1
Figure
C1,2b
DATA ELEMENT LIST
TITLE:
OPERATIONS STATUS REPORT
DESCRIPTION:
FORMAT
DATE
XX/XX/XX
99:99
TIME
SIZE
8
5
15
CUSTOMER AFFECTED
TROUBLE/EVENT
140
ACTION TAKEN
140
15
CURRENT STATUS
9999
REPORT NUMBER
18
4
Figure C1,2c
OUTPUT SPECIFICATIONS
TITLE
Operations Trouble Report
LAYOUT
OPERATIONS TROUBLE REPORT
TIME XX/XX/XX
DATE 99: 99
REPORT N0.9999
CUSTOMER AFFECTED
OPERATOR
TYPE OF PROBLEM
DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM
ACTION TAKEN
CURRENT STATUS
EXPLANATION
FREQUENCY
SIZE
QUANTITY
As Needed
1 Page
COPIES
1. Operator on Duty
1 . Operations Manager
1 . Dept (s) that have to take corrective action.
COMMENTS
19
1
3/Hore
F1gute C1,2d
DATA ELEMENT LIST
TITLE:
,
OPERATIONS TROUBLE REPORT
DESCRIPTION:
FORMAT
DATE
XX/XX/XX
SIZE
8
TIME
99:99
5
REPORT NO.
9999
4
CUSTOMER AFFECTED
15
OPERATOR
20
TYPE OF PROBLEM
15
DESCRIPTION OF PROBDEH
200
ACTION TAKEN
200
15
CURRENT STATUS
200
EXPLANATION
20
Figure C1.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNTROLOG input des cription:
s ketch of trouble log & update data.
Trouble Log and Update Data
EVENT NO.
DATE:
CUSTOMER AFFECTED _______________
TIME DOWN
OPERATOR _______________
TIME UP
CURRENT STATUS
TYPE OF PROBLEM:
SOFTWARE,
FILE
HARDWARE,
TANDEM OR CONCORD
DATA CON,
SPECIFICALLY
OTHER,
SPECIFICALLY
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
------
ACTION TAKEN
EXPLANATION/SOLUTION
21
FIGURE C1.4A
CONTROLOG PROCESS ORIENTED FLOWCHART
SYSTEM FLOWCHART NARRATIVE
1.
An occurance of a problem , it's final solution, and report
requests are the three major system inputs.
2.
The controlog program inputs the event data, and stores
it chronologically in the data base. The program also reads
and updates the master file on the hard drive.
3.
The two main reports are the trouble log and the operations
status report which were retrieved from the data base.
22
Figure Cl , _5a
PROJECT
PROJECT TITLE
CONTROLOG
STUDY PHASE
ACTIVITY / DOCUMENT
STUDY PHASE
IIJ
w
PLAN AND STATUS REPORT
PROJECT STATUS SYMBOLS
0 SATISFACTORY
0 CAUTION
� CRITICAL
SCHEDULED PROGRESS
•
ACTUAL PROGRESS
PERCENT
COMPLETE STATUS
95
V SCHEDULED COMPLETION
�
ACTUAL COMPLETION
0
100
Proiect Directive
100
Performance Definition
100
Feasibilitv Analvsis
100
Performance Spec.
100
Studv Phase Renort
100
0
Studv Phase Review
0
0
0
George Lozancic
COMMITI'ED
DATE
2
1
3
v
STATUS
COMPLETED
DATE
DATE
2/ 7 /90
2/ 7 /90
PERIOD ENDING
0
rnitial rnvf!sf.liJ'ation
Gene Eeiswinger
Carol Davidson
PROGRAMMERS/ ANALYSTS
PLANNING/ PROGRESS SYMBOLS
0
Peter Carter
( week )
4
5
,
,�
.......
0
,,
0
0
,
__:I
-
I
I
I
-
---I -
! ----- ----------
i
C1.5b
Figure
PROJECT COST REPORT
PROJECT COST SYMBOLS:
PROJECT TITLE
CONTROLOG
STUDY PHASE
50
45
...---.
rn
0::
::::::;
0
23.
E-<
rn
0
u
E-<
u
35
0..
20
0
0::
-
-
George Lozancic
PROGRAMMERS) ANALYSTS
Estimated
REPORTING DATE:
2 /7/90
Actual
I
I
7 /
I //
v // /
I/ /
I/
1///,
i/
/
15
10
5
-
,
30
25
.....,
-
Gene Beiswenger
'
40
t£1
-
Peter Carter
Carol DaviMon
l!/
0
1
2
PERIOD
ENDING ( WEEK )
3
4
Figure C1.6a
PROJEGr PLAN AND STATUS
PROJECT TITLE
CONTROLOG
MAJOR MILESTONES
PAGE 1 OF 2
PROJECT
0
SATISFACTORY
0
CAUTION
Davidson George Lozancic
PROGRAMMERS I ANALYSTS
Carol
Initial Investi,gation
Performance Spec.
Study Phase Report
Study Phase Review
SCHEDULED PROGRESS
•
ACTUAL PROGRESS
0
1
ACTUAL COMPLETION
2
3
5
6
7
STATUS
DATE
�/ 7/89
2/ 7 /89
PERIOD ENDING (
4
D ATE
)
week
8
9
10
11
....
-
0
0
\
0
Test Reauirernents
0
Design Spec.
0
DesiQll Phase Reoort
0
0
Phase Review
0
0
Design
'\"
DATE
0
Cornn. ProQ. Functions
Allction. of Functions
I
I
100
100
100
0
V SCHEDULED COMPLETION
0
0
0
0
DESIGN PHASE
COMMI'ITED OOMPLETED
PLANNING I PROGRESS SYMBOLS
D
95
Gene Beiswinger
Peter Carter
D. CRITICAL
PERCENT
ACTIVITY/ DOCUMENT COMPLETE STATUS
STUDY PHASE
REPORT
STATUS SYMBOLS
�v
0
t--
0
0
\
0
�
I
I
I
I
I
J
F i gure C1.68
PROJECI' PLAN AND STATUS REPORT
PROJECT TITLE
CONTROLOG
MAJOR MILESTONES
PAGE 2 OF 2
PROJECT STATUS SYMBOLS
Peter Carter
Gene Beiswinger
0
Carol Davidson
George Lozancic
0
SATISFACTORY
CAUTION
� CRmCAL
PROGRAMMERS I ANALYSTS
PLANNI NG I PROGRESS SYMBOLS
D
SCHEDULED PROGRESS
•
ACTUAL PROGRESS
ACTIVITY / DOCUMENT PERCENT
COMPLETE STATUS
0
0
Imolementation Plan
0
0
Cornnuler Pro!ITaiil Dev.
0
0
Personnel Trninin12
0
0
Svstem Tests
0
0
Svstem Snecifications
0
0
Dev. Phase Reoort
0
Dev. Phase Review
0
DEVELOPMENT PHASE
V SCHEDULED COMPLETION
'Y
ACTUAL COMPLETION
COMMITI'ED COMPLETED
DATE
DATE
7
8
9
10
11
12
( week )
13
DATE
2 / 7 / 90
5 / 7 / 90
PERIOD ENDING
STATUS
14
15
v
'
0
Ef
0
I
I
l
Figure C1 . 6b
PROJECI' COST REPORT
PROJECT TITLE
CON'I'ROLOG
TOTAL PROJECT
......
en
0::
:::J
0
::c
�
E--<
en
0
u
E--<
u
w
.....,
0
0::
0...
Peter Carter
Gene Beiswenger
Carol Davidson
George Lozancic
PROGRAMERS f ANALYSTS
PROJECT C OST SYMBOLS:
-
-
-
-
-
Estimated
REPORTING DATE:
Actual
STUDY
DESIGN
PHASE
PHASE
2 / 7/ 89
DEVELOPMENT
PHASE
\
350
300
/
250
200
/
150
100
50
0
/-
/
1
CO!\lp
....
....
2
....
...
3
....
....
4
....
....
.... .,.
5
....
6
,
I--
/
"'
,
/
v
/
/
/
L
/
/
"'
,
/
r-­
N
/
....
7
8
PERIOD ENDING ( WEEK )
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Figure C1 . ?a
PROJEcr
PROJECT
TITLE
CONTROLOG
DESIGN PHASE
PAGE 1 OF 2
ACTIVITY / DOCUMENT
PLAN
PROJECT STATUS SYMBOLS
0 SATISFACTORY
0 CAUTION
/:, CRITICAL
Peter Carter
Gene Beiswinger
Carol Davidson
George Lozancic
PLANNING I PROGRESS SYMBOLS
COMMI'ITED COMPLETED
D
SCHEDULED PROGRESS
•
ACTUAL PROGRESS
�
3
Allocation of Functions
0
0
Manual Functions
0
0
c
0
c
0
c:::
Task Definition
0
Ref. Manual Iden.
0
Eouiotment Functions
0
0
Function Definition
0
0
Eouictmenl Scec .
0
0
Comouter Pro!?'. Funct.
0
0
Data Base Desim1
0
0
Data Collection Proe.
0
0
Report Writing Pro12:.
0
0
L__
ACTUAL COMPLE'llON
DATE
I ANALYSTS
DATE
3 / 12 / 90
STATUS
DATE
2 / 7 / 90
PERIOD ENDING ( week )
PERCENT
COMPLETE STATUS
0
(\}
00
PROGRAMMERS
V SCHEDULED COMPLETION
0
DESIGN PHASE
AND STATUS REPORT
4
6
5
7
./
8
9
10
11
12
13
�
::J'
=Y
-3
II
____j
-
I
I
I
I
I
'
i
Figure C1 . 7h
PROJEcr PLAN AND STATUS REPORT
PROJECT TITLE
CONTROLOG
DESIGN PHASE
PAGE 2 OF 2
PROJECT STATUS SYMBOLS
0 SATISFACTORY
0 CAUTION
� CRITICAL
PLANNING I
SCHEDULED PROGRESS
•
AC'IUAL PROGRESS
COMPLETE STATUS
DESIGN PHASE ( cont. )
Test Requirements
System Test ReQ.
Camp. Prog. Test Req.
I
�
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Desi�m Specification
0
Desil!ll Phase Report
0
Desi�m Phase Review
0
ACTUAL COMPLE'IlON
PERIOD ENDING
ACTIVITY / DOCUMENT PERCENT
3
Carol Davidson
George Lozancic
PROGRAMMERS
V SCHEDULED COMPLETION
�
Gene B eiswinger
4
6
5
7
v
I ANALYSTS
COMMI'ITEd CX>MPLE'rnD
DATE
DATE
PROGRESS S YMBOLS
D
Peter Carter
STATUS
DATE
2 / 7 / 90
3 / 12 / 90
( week )
a
9
10
11
12
13
,___I/
...----
t------'
r-
0
\
0
-3
0
!
I
I
I
I
pgure
JOEl
C2 . 1
Th.ll' , ....u-�TION SERVICE REQUEST
NEW
TITI..E :
CONTROLOG
OOJECTIVE:
REV.
[jl
0
I
P112e
Requelled Dale:
1/24/90
1
I
1
o!
Required
5/7/90
Dale:
:
AUTHORIZATION
AUTOMATE THE COMPU'l\ER OPERATIONS LOGGING AND TROUBLE REPORTING SYSTEMS
- ·
ANTICIPATED BENEFITS:
i
BETTER ORGANIZED AND MORE ACCURATE TROUBLE REPORTS
!
LESS TIME IN PRODUCING OPERATIONS STATUS REPORT
OPERATIONS TROUBLE REPORT
DESTI NATION:
VARIES iSEE BELOW}_
COM M ENTS:
SENT
I
INPUT DESCRIPTION
OU11'UT DESCRIPTION
TITLE:
I
TITLE:
NA
SOURCE:
NA
COMMENTS:
TO ANY DEPARTMENT THAT
REQUIRES A DETAILED ACCOUNT
I
!
'
OPERATIONS STAFF CAN ,
'
IF THEY
WISH : USE THE EXISTING TROUBLE
OF A TROUBLE OCCURENCE IN ORDER
REPORT TO RECORD THE INFORMATION
TO TAKE APPROPRIATE CORRECTIVE
BEFORE ENTERING IT INTO THE
ACTION .
COMPUTER .
PRODUCED AS-NEEDE D .
·-
TITLE:
�.
DESTINATION:
COMMENTS:
TITLE:
· <;Tli.'I'!IC: liRPrlll'l'
1 • Cl
::;vc .
Mf':ll 1 UP f'TC: 1 .EXEC _VI'_
POSTED
OE
_NA
SOURCE:
NA
COMMENTS:
PRODUCED EVERY MORNING MONDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY .
OPERATIONS STAFF MEMBERS WILL
CREATES A SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICAN�
ENTER DATA FROM WHATEVER NOTES
THAT THEY TAKE WHILE THE EVENT
EVENTS THAT HAVE OCCURED SINCE
IS IN PROGRESS .
THE LAST STATUS REPORT WAS PRODUCED .
TO BE
�ff'v�A o/.U'
���
���
�
/)
.;7
FILLED
REQU ESTED B Y :
APPROVED
BY:
/"
Of
o
FILE NO:
SIGNATURE..c-....z
�ill
RP.MARKS·
�
BE FILLED
�
�
OUT BY
REQUESTOR
IDEPT: 5-;£.
lo 52EPT:
ouT BY INFORMATIO N
I
ACCEPI'ED
lllE£1';
I]
32
ITITLE: ,6'
p A�
!TITLE: z;iJ$tV?
SERVICE
S
1TITLE:
'
()
!Phone 5 '1'3-2�1'/
!Phone
II
NOT ACCEPI'ED
coMP.OPER
0
1Phonc593-2044
-
Gerger , Ope ations Manager , understands the scope and the constra ints
of the proposed system.
-
-·
-
In h i s discussions with m e h e feels that t h e pro j ec t
team should continue on to the design pha se .
-···
-
-
31
F igure C 2 . 2
CONCORD COMPUTING COMPANY
Current Troub l e/Event Logging System
The Concord Comput ing Corporat ion provides c omputer s upport
for merchan d i s ing units , p r ima r i ly grocery store cha i n s , in the
f o r m o f c r e d i t c a rd v e r i f i c a t i on ,
c h e c k v e r i f i c at i o n ,
a nd
e l ectro n i c funds tra n s f er u s ing ATM cards .
I n the computer room the opera t i on s s t a f f monitor on- l ine
proces s e s and data l i nk s w ith merchan d i s ing u n i t s , as w e l l as
O p er a t o r s a l s o r u n j ob s t h a t
l i n k s w i th o t h e r d a t a c e n t e r s .
produce r eport s , sort f i l e s , etc .
I f p r ob l em s c o m e u p w i t h a ny o p e r a t i o n s p r o c ed ur e s , t h e
operat i o n s s t a f f u s e three manua l methods t o r ecord them :
A troub l e report that i s usua l ly d ed i c ated t o
1.
software prob l ems .
2.
A data center downt ime log t o record l o s s o f
commun icat i on w i th any othe� data centers f o r
any reason .
3.
A troub l e l og book .
Th i s book i s b a s i c a l ly f r e e ­
f orm a n d t h e operat ions s ta f f u s e i t t o record
any unusua l event that occurs in the computer
room , whether hardware or s o ftware r e l ated .
A l s o , any on- l ine proc e s s e s that are started
andjor stopped for any reason are recorded
there .
Every mor n i ng the operations manager creates a n Opera t ions
S t a t u s R e p o r t by g o i n g o v e r the t h r e e a bo v e t ro u b l e l og s a nd
manua l ly crea t i ng a summary o f the prob l ems for the previ ou s 2 4
hour s .
F igure C 2 . 3
CANDIDATE
Th i s system works in a rea l - t ime env i ronment but g iv e s the
operator the opt ion t o enter the t ime , if nece s s ary .
When i t i s neces sary to log an event , the operator w i l l ca l l
up a s creen used to log a summary o f the event .
Cert a i n per­
t i nent i n f ormat ion wi l l be l ogged , such a s operator , cust omer af­
f ected , date , etc .
The summary log w i l l inc lude three sect ions :
Troub l e / Event
1.
Act i on Taken
2.
Current Status
3.
When the summary informat ion is comp l ete ly l ogged , the operator
w i l l be prompted f or deta i l ed i n f ormation .
I f deta i l ed i n forma­
t i o n is not neces sary the operator must canc e l that screen .
The troub l ejevent log ( w i th det a i l ed i n f ormat ion ) w i l l i n ­
c lude t h e s ame 3 s ect ions a s t h e summary but w i l l h a v e a 4 th sec­
tion for deta i l ed exp lanations a s wel l .
The s e can be entered by
the operator , but w i l l probably be wr itten by the programmer or
superv i s or .
32
Th i s system w i l l inc lude a m a i n s creen w i th the f o l l ow i ng 4
sect i on s :
1.
Operator ' s log , w i th 2 s ections :
l og a n event and
update a log .
2.
Report s , wh i ch w i l l ca l l up a r eport run n i ng menu .
3.
Ma i ntenance for backup s , r e i ndex i ng , etc .
4.
Other , to be used l at er .
A l l events w i l l have a s imp l e sequence number .
The pr imary
s ort key o n th i s f i l e w i l l be the t ime .
The s equence number w i l l
b e used t o reca l l l og s for updat i ng .
The summary and a s s o c iated
report s w i l l use t h i s s equence number .
T h i s system w i l l produce 2 report s , a lthough more c a n be
added o n an a s - needed bas i s .
The 2 reports are :
1.
An Operat ions Status Report , l i s t i ng a l l summary
·ent r i e s in chrono l og i c a l order .
2.
A troubl ejevent report w ith det a i l ed i n f ormat i o n .
33
***************************************************************** * * * * * * * * * * *
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34
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Page 2 o f 2
MERCHANTS
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35
F i gure CZ-o 5
CANDIDATE
SYSTEM
EVALUATION
CANDIDATE
I
CANDIDATE
II
CANDIDATE
III
2 INPUTS
A l l Event Inf o
Report Inf o
3 INPUTS
Event Occurance
Event Solution
Report Request
1 INPUT
A l l Event In £
DATA COMM
One Way-Stores
to Central -Site
One Way-Stores
to Central-Site
One Way-Stores
to Central - S i t e
STORAGE
1 Master Data
Base File
Multiple Report
Fil e s
1 Master Data
Base f i l e
1 Mas ter Data
Base File
Multiple Linked
Files
PROCESSING
A l l a t Central­
Site
A l l a t Central ­
Site
Al l at Central­
Site
OUTPUT
1 Detail Report
M u l tiple Summary
Reports
VD Display-All
1 Summary Report
1 Detail
1 Detail Report
Multiple S ummary
Repor t s
V D Display-All
INPUT
Report
VD Display
Detail
36
o
Figures
C1 , 6 & C1 , 7
CANDIDATE
EVALUATION MATRIX
CANDIDATE
I
CANDIDATE
II
CANDI DATE
III
Response Time
Fair
Excellent
Exce l l ent
Accuracy/Neatness
Good
Good
Good
Usab 1 1 1 ty
Good
Excellent
Good
Growth Potential
Excellent
Excellent
Exce l l ent
Storage
Requirements
Fair
Good
Good
Excellent
Good
Fair
Fair
Excellent
Good
System Development
* Hours
System Operation
*Hours
* Since th i s is a school project development cost was N/A. Operationa
costs and payback were not evaluated because the client is only
interested in time saved .
CANDIDATE WEIGHTED
EVALUATION MATRIX
Weight
7
Response T i me
4
28
8
56
8
56
Accuracy
Neatness
4
6
24
6
24
6
24
Usability
5
6
30
8
40
6
30
Growth
4
7
28
7
28
7
28
Storage
Requirements
2
4
8
6
12
6
12
System Development
* Hours
2
8
16
6
12
4
8
System Operation
*Hours
7
4
28
8
56
6
42
TOTALS
228
162
37
200
The Eva luat ion :
I f e lt th i s r eport w a s the
best one i n the c l a s s becau s e the team was
Every p art o f the report
very met icu lous .
was comp l eted i n a conc i s e manner , and , o f
cours e , it w a s accurate .
A l l the n e c e s sary
supporting mater i a l s were attached and the
entire r eport l o oked p ro f e s s i ona l .
38
Nat ive S on E s say
by Va lta Creed
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 - -Mott l a )
The As s ignment :
A!ter readi ng and d i s cu ss in g
R i chard Wr ight ' s Nat ive Son , each s tudent was
i nstructed t o choose 1 art i c l e f,rom a s e lected
l i s t o f c r i t i c a l comment a r i e s o n the n ove l a nd
t o wr ite a summary o f the c r i t i c ' s argument a nd
then a response t o i t .
To s ay that James Ba ldw i n , a s evidenced by h i s e s s ay " Many
Th o u s a n d s G o n e " , w a s a f f e c t ed b y R i ch a r d W r i gh t ' s N a t i v e S o n
woul d b e t o sever e l y understate th� p o i nt .
H ims e l f a p roduct o f
the ghetto , Ba l dw i n was , a s a resu l t , shaped i n character b y many
of the s ame l i f e experiences a s Wright ' s B igger Thomas .
Baldw i n
wr ites o f B igger , a n d the l e s sons wh i ch he f e e l s shou l d have been
taught by Wright , w i th bare ly conce a l ed emot ion , the emot i on of
one who has l ived w i th the rats and oppres s i on .
Whi le thi s emo­
t i on g ives st:,r-ength to the prem i s e of B a l dw i n ' s e ss ay , i t a l s o
proves t o b e Ba ldw i n ' s most l imit ing f l aw , r emovi ng the e s s e nt i a l
e l ement o f obj ect ivity f rom Ba l dw i n ' s r o l e a s c r it i c .
The thrus t o f Ba l dw i n ' s e s say i s s imp l e and d irect , a s we l l
a s quite i nd i cat ive o f the author ' s emot i ona l t i e t o Nat ive S on ' s
sub j ect matter .
H i s p r i nc ipa l a s sert i o n i s that Wr ight unfor­
tunately l im ited t o the potent i a l s ign i f i cance o f Nat ive S o n by
f a i l ing t o d i rect ly addres s the root causes and s oc i a l importance
o f B igger Thoma s ' rebe l l i o n .
At sever a l p o ints in h i s e ssay ,
Ba l dw i n speaks o f th i s " s ig n i f icant l imitat i o n , " ty i ng i t t o the
perpetu a t i o n of the m i sunder stand i ng o f the p l ight of the b l ack
man by wh i te s .
I t i s not enough , states Ba ldw i n , t o mer e l y con­
front s o c i ety w i th the b itter fru i t s o f its oppres s i on , and h igh­
l i ght i t s w e l l d e s e r v e d gu i l t .
B a l d w i n c o n t e n d s t h a t Wr i gh t
shou l d have a l s o confronted society with the s ource o f i t s gui lt ,
t h e " h o w s " a nd " why s " o f B i gg e r Thoma s ' r e b e l l i on , s o t h a t
soc i ety cou l d fu l ly rea l i z e what i t had f o s t ered .
Wh i l e Ba l dw i n d i scusses , at l ength , Wr ight ' s shortcomings i n
not d o i ng enough w i th h i s subj ect matter , h e i s a l so l a v i sh i n
h i s p r a i s e o f t h e p o w e r a nd s t a rk r e a l i t y o f W r i gh t ' s s t o r y ­
t e l l ing .
N o t content t o s imp ly c r i t i c i z e , Ba l dw i n add it ional ly
expends much e f f ort to supp l ement the power o f Wr i ght ' s imagery
w i th h i s own i nterpreta t i on o f what shou l d have been l earned from
39
S i nce i t w a s n o t s u f f i c i ent , i n
t h e s t o r y o f B i g g e r Thoma s .
Ba l dw i n ' s mind , t o pub l i c i z e o n l y the rea l it i es o f the p l ight o f
t h e b l a ck m a n a s N a t i v e S o n h a d d o n e , B a l dw i n e x t e n d s h i s
cr i t i c i sm to d i scu s s e l ements h e f e l t cr i t i c a l to the story , but
not i n c l uded by R i chard Wright .
Thes e omi s s i o n s prove c r i t i ca l , contends the e s s ay , s ince
they l im ited Wr i ght to s imp ly g iving the wh ite Amer ican pub l i c
exact ly what the i r stereotyp i ng o f the t ime t o l d them t o e xcept ,
a b ig , mean , sub-human b l ack man , thereby perpetuat i ng a myth .
By orni t t i ng factors such a s the soc ieta l ram i f i ca t i on s o f ig­
norance o f b l ack h i story and cu lture , a s we l l a s b l ack h i story
and culture thems e l ve s , Wr i ght e f f ectively d e n i e d the reader , by
B a l dw i n ' s a s s ert i o n , s ign i f i cant reve l a t i o n concern i ng the p l i ght
o f the b l ack man .
I t i s th i s f a c t o r , c o n t e nd s B a l dw i n , t h a t
cau s e s N a t i v e Son to l o s e impact , a n d Ba l dw i n expends much energy
a nd e mo t i o n a t t empt i n g to c omp e n s a t e f o r h i s p er c e p t i o n s o f
Wr i ght ' s shortcomings by h igh l i ght i ng for the reader what Wr i ght ,
i n h i s e s t imat i o n , shou ld have s a id .
What make s th i s summary s ig n i f icant i s that i t encap s u l at e s
t h e gut - l eve l , emo t i o n a l r e s p o n s e o f a man deeply moved by the
subj ect matter of a story , a story that h i t s very c l o s e t o horne
for the man .
Obj ectivity , an e s sent i a l e l ement for an e f f ect ive
c r it i c , is next t o impos s ib l e in such s ituat i on s .
James B a l dw i n ,
i n h i s e s s ay , " Many Thousands Gone " , i s no except i o n to th i s very
human f r a i lty , and h i s obj ectivity very ear ly in h i s e s s ay i s
overwhe lmed and smothered by the depth o f h i s emot io n .
H im s e l f a
product o f the 1 9 3 0 s Har l em ghett o , Ba l dw i n s imp l y ident i f ie s s o
strong ly w i th t h e l i f e exp e r i ence o f Nat ive S on ' s B igger Thomas
that h i s o n ly cr i t i c i sm o f the nov e l is that R i chard Wr i ght , i n
wr iting Nat ive Son , d i d not d o enough to h igh l i ght e ither the
l e s sons s o c i ety should l earn , or the gu i lt s o c i ety sho u l d f e e l ,
f rom the story o f B igger Thoma s .
I n th i s regard , Ba ldw i n ' s c r i t i ca l e s s ay proves t o b e not
c r i t i c a l at a l l , but i nstead a determ i ned , editor i a l e f f ort to
take Wr i ght ' s work a step further , t o say the things he wanted
W r i gh t to s a y .
The n et e f f e c t i s n o t n e c e s s a r i l y b a d , a s
Ba l dw i n ' s emot i ona l d i s cours e s erves t o underscore the r e a l l i fe
b a s i s o f B i g g e r Thoma s ' d e s p e r a t i o n , m a k i n g i t a l i t t l e m o r e
desperate when one rea l i z e s that Ba l dw i n l ived i t himse l f .
R i c h a rd W r i gh t , h ow e v e r , d i d n o t n e e d B a l dw i n ' s h e lp i n
br i ng i ng B i gger Thoma s t o l i f e , o r i n h ighl i ght i ng the r e l evance
o f B i g g e r ' s r e b e l l i o n w i t h i n the f r am e w o r k of an o p pr e s s i ve
R i chard
s o c i ety , regard l e s s o f how strongly B a l dw i n thought s o .
Wr i ght understood that t e l l ing a s tark , rea l story was e nough .
I t was not important for Wr ight t o make the reader understand the
" hows " and " why s " of b l ack f e e l ing .
I t more than s u f f i ced to
make the r eader f e e l its i ntens i ty , and i t s unden i a b l e r e a l ity .
Wr ight draws a para l l e l t o s oci ety o f the t ime through h i s
characters Max and Jan , wh ites who f ight f o r equa l ity , yet rea l ly
do not have a clue about the rea l it i es o f the ghetto .
Through
Max and Jan , Wr ight h igh l i ghts the impotence of whi t e soc i ety to
t r u l y a c c ep t b l a c k s d u e to a b a s i c l a ck o f a w a r e n e s s o f t h e
ghetto ' s rea l it i es .
Nat ive Son ' s overwhelming thrus t i s towards
that awarene s s .
Wr ight p laces d irectly in f ront of s o c i ety the
stark r ea l it i e s of b lack oppres s i on , and the ug l in e s s of its o f f ­
spr i ng , t h e ghett o .
Awaren e s s i s unavo ida b l e .
40
What Wr ight appears t o grasp , and what Ba ldwin f a i l s to g ive
h im cred i t f o r , i s a s imp l e , but s ign i f i cant , exten s i o n o f logic .
Awareness i s the f irst step towards empathy , empathy the f irst
step towards hea l i ng , and h e a l i ng the f ir s t step towards maki ng
the open wounds o f b l ack oppr e s s i o n bar e l y d i scern i b l e and incon­
sequent i a l b l em i shes on the skin o f t ime .
The Eva luat i o n :
Ms . Creed understands B a l dw i n
and knows we l l h i s subj ect , Nat ive S o n .
She
goes t o t h e heart o f both p i eces a n d w r i t e s
a response t h a t i s d e e p l y person a l and high ly
i n te l l igent .
41
S u l a - -Journa l Entry
by Amy De F igue i r edo
The A s s i gnment :
The students were t o keep a
j ourna l o f persona l r e sponses to each o f the
readings .
The respo n s e s cou l d take a ny f o rm
and were ungraded .
M s . De F igue i redo response
is to Tony Mor i s on ' s nove l , S u l a .
SulaS o it goes .
Been eat i ng a l ot o f mangos late l y .
She { Su l a ) had the r ight t o do what she d i d ( partly becau s e
s h e was a character ) .
But whe n cho i c e s are l imited and over­
u s ed , s ome f i nd the need to create new cho i c e s , and s ince the
cho i c e s are new , they aren ' t as t ight ly spun or r e f i ned as the
other s .
That ' s what chance i s ; what ' s the p o i nt o f taking one i f
i t weren ' t?
Chance evo lves into cho i c e , a fter t ime and e nergy
has worked as
a r e f i n i ng proce s s .
Chr i st - -you know what bothers
me--on app l i cat i on s for work and s choo l , etc . - -they a s k if you ' re
wh ite or b l a ck - why ?
I wanna s e e one that a sk s - -co l or o f ha i r ,
b l o nd- -brunette- -red
Or maybe I ' l l w a i t t i l l it reads
f a i r wjp i nk underton e s - - f a i r wjbrown undertone s - -peaches and
cream--any o f the above wjfreck l es etc . , etc .
As sumpt ions go on i n peop l e ' s minds .
I f you ' re whi t e you ' re
t ight - a s sed ; i f you ' re b l ack , you ' re i n the paper .
E xcus e the
vu l gar ity , but - Lou Reed quote : 11 St i ck a f ork in the i r a s s and
turn ' ern over , they ' re done . 11
Speak i ng o f a s sum ing th ings-­
Anecdote dea l - Bands were p laying .
So , I ' m
July 4 th there w a s a party .
stand i ng about , mak i ng convers at i on .
Th i s g i r l starts t a l king
w i th me and she comp l iments me on my dress and then t e l l s me how
( what? )
S o she goes o n t o say
she w i shed she had my arms .
h ow it m u s t b e N au t i l u s .
How s h e ' s w o r k e d on h e r c a l v e s a nd
thighs and butt and stomach and what not , a nd how she ' s had the
hardest t ime w ith her arms .
She goes on to a sk me how l ong i t
took m e to g e t m y arms the way they are .
I ' m taken aback b y 1 . )
the sheer r i d i cu l ou s n e s s o f her art o f conversat i on and 2 . ) the
f act that I ' m not r ea l ly sure what 11 Naut i lu s 11 i s .
S o , I t e l l her
42
I don ' t do Naut i lus - her mouth gets screwy and says - " Sw immi ng .
Right ? "
" N o , n o , I smoke .
I keep a s far away from exerc i s e a s p o s ­
s ib l e . "
She t i tters and what-not and te l l s me I cou l d n ' t have j ust
been born w i th tho s e arms .
I a s sure her I was in f act born w ith
the very arms that are connected t o my shou lders and beg i n the
art of escap e .
She then s ays that n obody ' s born with mus c l e tone
( or s ometh ing t o that e f f ect ) l ike that .
She beg ins i n a s omewhat accu s i ng
By n ow I ' m at a l os s .
t o ne - no - she outr ight accused me i n a com i c a l tone , o f try i ng
t o keep my s ecret f or h ow I get my arms away f r om her .
Aga i n ,
I ' m at a l o s s and I get out o f t h i s bad dea l by l o ok i ng up to the
porch and s e e ing my f r i end and ba s s i st , Tony , s ig n a l i ng t o me
that i t ' s t ime to s e t up .
I excuse mys e l f f rom t h i s e n l i ghte n ing
1 . ) Why are
conve r s a t i o n with two ideas g o i ng through my h e ad .
g ir l s a l l owed t o be conver s a t i o n a l i d i o t s ? a nd 2 . ) How in h e l l
d i d I g e t t h e s e arms?
I ' ve never not i ced them b e f o r e .
Ker , my f r i end and
I get a beer and go up on the porch .
gu itar i st , i s tak i ng the b l ankets o f f of the dea l s I p l ay .
The dea l s I p l ay .
I t h i t s me - - " Excu s e me ,
I t must b e these here congas . "
M i s s Naut i lu s ? - ­
We don ' t r ea l i z e th ings that are s o f ar deep i n t o u s and w e
a s sume o n l y f rom t h e mater i a l s g iven t o us b y the th i ngs t h a t are
s o far deep into u s .
S o i t goes .
The Eva luat ion :
I n a witty a nd energet i c p iece
Ms . DeF igue i redo draws a l ong , loop ing l in e of
p r o s e that includes i n i t s circle of
mean i ng a key part o f the t ext a nd a n e xp e r i en c e
f r om her own l i fe .
43
The Room At the Rear
by She l ly D e G i r a l amo
( En g l i s h 1 0 1 - - Sherer )
The A s s ignment :
D escr ibe a p lace concret e l y .
Focus .
Pos i t i o n your observer creat ive l y
and intere s t i ng ly .
I n c lude images wh i ch app e a l
t o s ever a l sens e s .
On a n e ight hour f l i ght , mak i ng a t r i p t o the sma l l c loset
As I approached the
i n the rear o f the a ircra ft was i n evitab l e .
narrow , f l imsy door , the sma l l s ign under the doorknob i n d i cated
t h a t the r o om w a s v a c a n t .
I n u d g e d my way i n t o t h e c r amp e d
c o f f i n - s i z e d r o om o n l y t o f i n d m o r e s p a c e s a v i ng d ev i c e s .
A
sta i n l e s s stee l s i nk about the s i z e o f a cere a l bow l was bu i lt
into the compact countertop .
A box o f t i s su e paper and a waste
Each
basket were among the compartments s nugg led under the s ink .
compartment wa s c l early labe l ed i n Eng l i sh , French , and Span i sh .
A l ong w ith these e l ementary l a be l , an i l l u strated p i cture d i s ­
I l ooked d own at
p l ayed o n the wa l l f orbade p a s sengers t o smoke .
the stee l commode boxed i n between three wa l l s and a door .
The
s i ck e n i ng sme l l of the blue water permeated the t e l ephone-booth­
s i z ed room .
The sma l l m irror o n the wa l l attempted t o make the
room appear l arger .
That m irror o n l y doubl ed the n i ghtma r e .
A
p i ec e o f t o i l e t paper was l y i ng o n the s t i cky f loor , wa i ti n g t o
attach i t s e l f t o a qua l i f i ed shoe .
P i nk s oap t h a t had l eaked out
of the d i sp e n s er and pudd l e s o f water worked together to art i s t i ­
c a l l y decorate the countertop .
F i na l ly , a fter r ev i ew i ng these
grote sque deta i l s , I a sked mys e l f , " Wh i ch is more accept a b l e t o
me ,
m a k i ng u s e o f t h i s d i s gu s t i n g f a c i l i t y ,
or a b ladder
i n f ect i on ? "
The an swer was c l ear .
I cou ld w a i t another two
hour s .
The Eva luat ion :
Th i s bri e f , concre t e ly deta i l ed
p i ece f ocus e s on a moment of dec i s i on in the da i ly
l i f e o f the observer .
The wr i t i ng i s honest ,
l ight i n tone , and fun t o read .
44
G iv ing Up a Sw i ng
by Mary Doherty
( Eng l i s h 1 0 1 - - P er e z )
The As s i gnment :
Wr i t e about a n important
ch i ldhood exper i ence .
Wr ite i n the narrat ive
S how how the
mode , a s a part i c ipant .
exper ience changed your r e l at i o n s h ip w i th f am i ly
a nd / or f r i ends , and show its e f f ect upo n you .
Addre s s tho s e invo lved or your compo s it i o n
class .
Cons ider h ow your cho i c e o f audience
w i l l a f f ect the story you wr ite . ".
S i t t i n g a t my d e s k , s t a r i n g o u t t h e b i g w i n d o w a t t h e
p l ayground , a l l I could p o s s i b l y concentrate o n w a s h ow there
were on ly s ix m inutes l e f t unt i l recess ( a l though at the age o f
I was
s i x years o l d , s i x m i nutes s e emed more l ike s i x years . )
hop ing I wou l d be one o f the f ew t o be lucky and get t o one of
the sw i n g s f i r s t .
F r om wh e r e I wa s s e a t e d , I c o u l d s e e t h e
swings gent ly b l ow i ng i n the w i nd .
I cou l d env i s i o n mys e l f o n
o n e o f t h em , a n d t h e p o o r k i d s t h a t c o u l d n ' t b e a t m e t o t h em
wou l d be star i ng at me w i th envy i n the i r eyes .
A p e r s o n was
d e f i n i t e ly con s i dered " coo l " by the rest o f h i s peers when h e had
I was
won the r ight t o the swing for the twenty-m i nute rece s s .
busy p l a n n i ng my strategy when I was i n terrupted by the t eacher
l ectu r ing me ( aga i n ) !
She was a lways g o i ng o n a nd o n about how I
shou l d stop daydreaming , p ay attent i o n , a nd do my work .
Suddenly the door opened , a nd i n wa lked the p r i n c i p a l w ith
two k id s I had never seen b e f or e .
Both of them s e emed unus ua l ly
n e r v o u s , t o t h e p o i nt w h e r e I c o u l d s e e t e a r s i n t h e i r e y e s .
T h e y s e e m e d d e a t h l y f r i gh t e n e d o f t h i s w h o l e s i t u a t i o n .
I
cou ldn ' t f i gure out what was wrong with them .
Maybe i t wa s the
c l a s s , maybe it was the pr inc ipa l ( he s eemed t o have that e f f ect
on many students ) , or maybe i t was the who l e schoo l .
Who k n ows - ­
they weren ' t s ay i ng a word .
My t e a c h e r a n d t h e p r i n c i p a l w e n t o u t i n t h e h a l l w a y t o
t a lk , a nd t h e two ch i ldren stayed i n the c l a s s room w ith us .
We
were t o l d the i r names were David and Fabio l a , but they d i dn ' t
s e em l ike very f r i endly peop l e .
My c l a s smates a sked them ques ­
Everyone l aughed !
t io n s , but the two o f them d i dn ' t s a y a word .
I thought th i s was r ea l ly mean .
I r ea l ly f e l t s orry f o r them .
I
rea l ly f e l t bad j us t to s e e the tremendous f ea r i n the i r eye s .
W h a t w a s t h e i r p r o b l em - - d i d n ' t t h e y u n d e r s t a n d h o w dumb t h e y
l ooked?
My teacher returned and began conver s i ng with the two k id s ,
but i n a tota l ly d i f f erent l a nguage .
I d i dn ' t under stand a word
t h e y w e r e s a y i ng .
What was going on?
D a v i d k ep t r e p e a t i n g ,
45
No qu i ero estar en e s ­
" Qu i er o i r a m i casa .
Qu i ero m i mama .
cue l a . "
Fab i o l a wou ld reply i n a way that she tr i ed to s ound s o oth­
ing but s t i l l her vo i c e was very shaky , " No l l oras , todo va a
star b i en . "
What were they s ay i ng? After everyone had heard how
funny they sounded , the l aughter became l ouder .
David began to
cry harder .
My teacher eventua l ly exp l a i ned that our two n ew students
h a d j u s t m o v e d h e r e f r om M e x i c o .
T h e y d i d n ' t k n ow a w o r d o f
Eng l i sh , and my teacher , b e i ng the only one a b l e t o speak Span i sh
i n the who l e schoo l , o f cour s e , wou ld be the l og i c a l cho i ce to be
the ir teacher .
The days for a s econd grader go by very s l ow l y , but I ' m sure
thos e two k i d s never had a l onger day in the i r l i f e .
They were
v e r y qu i e t a l l a f t e r n o o n , a n d m o s t l y s t a y e d to t h em s e l v e s .
N e i t h e r o n e o f them s a i d a n y t h i ng ; t h e y d i d n ' t e v e n s m i l e
( a lth ough when the be l l rang , and they rea l i z ed that they could
go home , I do th i nk I saw a smirk on one o f the i r f a c e s . )
They con­
At f i rst everyone treated the s e k i d s terr i b ly .
I tr i ed to
stantly made fun of them and a lways hara s sed them .
treat these k ids a s my fr i ends , even g iv i ng up my swing f o r them
( be l i eve me - - a s a s econd grader that was an unspeaka b l e th i ng to
do ) .
I was r i d i culed over and over aga i n by my f r i e nd s f or ta lk­
ing to the " f ore igner s " a l though through a l l th i s , the s e other
c l a s smates s t i l l rema ined my f r i e nd s .
S i x year o l d s s eem to f or­
get the ir enem i e s rather qu i ck l y .
I wanted the other kids to
I wanted to make them rea l ­
r ea l i z e they shou ldn ' t be l ike that .
i z e that .
After a l l , how wou ld they f ee l , how wou-l d anyone f ee l ,
i f they were put i n th i s s i tuati on?
How wou ld they react i f they
were put in th i s pos it i on?
T ime p a s s ed · and eventua l ly the d i s cr im i n a t i o n d i m i n i shed .
At about the f ourth grade peop l e rea l l y began to accept these
k ids .
Mo s t of the c l a s s even m a d e f r i e nd s w i th t h e m .
The ir
stor i e s o f Mex i c o were a lways very i nterest i ng , and a lways made
great conver s a t i on .
To most peop l e the two out s iders became one
of " u s . "
Through the year s , I passed a lot o f t ime w i th the s e two .
I t wou ld upset me t ime a fter t ime to s e e peop l e , even adu l t s ,
make fun o f or harass my f r i ends .
I a lways wondered how anyone
cou ld be s o crue l .
Years p a s s ed and enter ing my teenage year s , I d e c i ded i t was
t ime for me to get a j ob .
A l oca l re staurant s e emed to be the
W i th i n the f i rst coup l e o f days , I met many new
i dea l p l ac e .
peop l e .
They i n c luded s ever a l who d i dn ' t know more than " h e l l o "
i n Eng l i s h .
I wa s very embarra s s ed at f irst not be i ng a b l e to
ta lk to them but that never stopped me from try i ng .
W i th i n a f ew years , between the Spa n i s h c l a s s e s I took at
s ch oo l , and what my f r i ends at work taught me , I cou l d soon h o ld
a h a l f -decent conversat ion .
Noth i ng too deep , but i t gave me a
great p l e a sure to know I could communicate w i th more p e op l e .
By the beg i n n i ng o f l a st summer , I became very c l o s e f r i ends
w ith one o f my co -worker s .
Gab i no is a very spec i a l person .
He
a lways took t ime out o f h i s schedu l e for me and a lways went out
o f h i s w a y t o be n i c e to m e .
He wou l d h e l p me w i t h my w o r k ,
teach me a new word or two , or j u st come over to say " h i " and s e e
how I w a s d o i ng .
Soon w e became a lmost i n s eparab l e .
S o , when he
46
had a sked me to accompany h im t o h i s cous in ' s wedd ing , there was
no way I could have refused and f e l t comf ortab l e with my dec i ­
s io n .
I w a s v e r y n e r vo u s a b o u t g o i ng t o t h i s w e d d i ng , a f t er
a l l - - I wou l d be one o f maybe two peop l e who spoke E ng l i s h .
Arr i v i ng at the wedd i ng , I met many of h i s f r i ends , r e l a ­
t i ve s , a n d even n e i ghbor s .
Everyone s e emed n i c e , and , b e l i eve
me , I was very happy to be there . Then i t happened ! !
S itt i ng at
a t a b l e w i th a group o f Gab ino ' s f r i ends , s ome of them s t arted
t a l k ing to me .
Under norma l c i r cumstances I could have under­
s t o o d t h e m , but w i th t h e n o i s e o f t h e b a n d , p e o p l e t a l k i n g ,
other s l augh i ng , some danc i ng ,
i t was very hard to under stand
what they were s ay i ng .
After a f ew m i nute s , s ome of the guys
r e a l i z ed that they could say anyth i ng a nd I wouldn ' t be a b l e to
u nd e r s t a n d t h e m .
A l l o f t h em b e g a n m a k i n g j ok e s a b o u t h o w I
d i dn ' t k now anyth i ng , about how I was j ust a stup i d " gr inga . " My
face began to turn red and tears began to f i l l my eyes .
Memor i e s
o f t h e two f r i ghtened k ids stand i ng i n front o f t h e c l a s s began
t o f i l l my head .
Th i s is how they f e lt !
How cou l d anyone be so
mean?
A f ew s econds later , Gabino looked over to me and s aw what
was happen i ng .
Lectur i ng h i s f r i end s , he took my hand and l e d me
away from the tabl e .
Tears ro l l ed down my cheeks , and I got a
very empty f e e l i ng i n s ide my stomach .
Gab i no tr i ed a s hard a s he
He prom i sed that noth ing l ike that wou l d
cou l d to comf ort me .
ever happen aga i n .
Fear overcame me , for I r ea l i z ed that once aga i n I wou l d
h a v e to go back to that table .
I wanted to g o home .
I d i dn ' t
Th i s , I thought ,
want to be there .
I wanted to be l e f t a lone .
was the embarras sment , the m i s ery , that a t one t ime D av i d and
Fab i o l a had known .
How terr ib l e !
How awfu l !
Just l ike I was r id i cu l ed f or s t i ck i ng up for my f r i ends , I
was certa i n that Gabino , too , wou ld be r id i culed f or s t i ck i ng up
for h i s stup i d " gr i nga . "
To th i s day , I ' m not s orry I went to
that party- - I ' m j ust g l ad G a b i n o was there to h e l p m e .
I ' m g lad
h e was there to g ive up his swi ng f or me .
And I ' ve never been
happ i er than at that one moment , that back i n the s econd grade , I
had g iven m i n e up for my " f ore igner f r i ends . "
The Eva luat i on :
Mary ' s e s s ay i s f ocused a nd
deta i l ed and her description o f the cha l l eng ing
new s i tuat i on David and Fab i o l a f a c e in the ir
Ame r i can sch o o l i s imbued w i th a r emarkab l e
degree o f compa s s i on and i n s ight .
I also
l ike the connec t i on s h e makes between these
ch i ldren ' s exper i ence and her own exper i ence
it
years l ater at the Mex i can wedd ing :
t a k e s a good measure o f matur i ty on the wr iter ' s
part to recogn i z e th i s connect i on and t o
wr i t e about i t s o conv i n c i ng l y .
47
s arah Orne Jewett :
Chr o n i c l e r o f N in eteenth Century
New Eng l a nd L i f e
by Judy Domaracki
( Li terature 2 2 2 - -Fuh s )
The A s s ignment :
As a n i ndependent s tudy proj ect ,
students were to read a p i ece o f Amer i ca n
f i c t i o n pub l i shed between the C i v i l W a r a n d
Wor l d W a r I a n d t h e n e xp l a i n the i r f i nd ings
i n a paper o f about s ix page s .
On S eptember 3 , 1 8 4 9 , i n S outh Berw i ck , M a i n e , S ar a h Orne
Jewett wa s born i nto a soc i a l ly prom i nent fami ly .
Her f ather was
a country doctor and her grandfather was a sea capt a i n and s h i p
owner .
Sarah ' s c l o s e r e l at io n s h i p w i th her f am i ly memb e r s and
Her
her l ove for N ew Eng l and l i f e is r e f l ected in her wr i t i ng .
d e s c r i p t i o n of New Eng l and , its s oc i a l changes and its p e op l e and
the i r spec i a l qua l it i e s are c o l l ected i n twenty vo lumes of short
s t o r i e s a nd n o v e l s .
H o w e ve r , h e r f i n e s t a n d m o s t w i d e l y a c ­
c l a imed masterp i ec e i s The Country o f the P o i nted F i r s ( Thorp
42 )
The story opens one June even i ng a s a woman from Boston ar­
r iv e s at the o l d coast town of Dunnet Land i ng .
A l th ough t h e name
of the woman i s never ment i oned , the r eader may conc lud e that i t
i s Jewett herse l f .
Need i ng a q u i et p l ac e to wr i t e , she c o m e s to
She i s to board at the B owden p la c e that
spend the summer there .
i s n ow o c cu p i ed b y t h e w i d ow , M r s . A l m i r a T o d d , o n e o f t h e
e l d e r l y mem b e r s o f t h e Bowd e n c l a n .
Mrs . Todd become s the
woma n ' s gu ide through Dunnet a n d eventua l ly her dearest f r i end .
The woman ' s v i s it , wh i ch runs from June through S ep t ember ,
i s partly spent i n the vacant s choolhous e , wh i ch she u s e s a s a
wr i t i ng s anctuary .
The ma j or ity o f the t ime , howeve r , she i s ab­
s or b e d i n the w a rmth a nd c h a rm o f the q u a i nt v i l l a g e a n d i t s
p e op le .
Almira ' s f am i ly and f r i ends become dear t o the v i s itor .
She welcomes the opportun ity to ta lk w i th them a s s h e l ea r n s to
r e sp ect the i r strength , courage , i ndustry and i ndependence .
When
the t ime come s f or her departur e , she rea l i z e s that :
•
The days were f ew then at Dunnet Land ing , and I let
each of them s l ip away unwi l l ingly as a m i s e r s p ends
h i s coins .
. Once I had not even known where to go
for a wa lk ; now there were many d e l ight f u l th ings t o be
done and done aga i n .
. the days f l ew by l ik e a hand­
ful of f l owers f lung to the sea w i nd ( Jewett 1 5 7 ) .
48
T h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e p o pu l a t i o n o f D u n e t i s o v e r 60 a n d
f ema l e .
I n f act , the women i n the story f ar e better than the
men .
T h e y r e p r e s e n t t h r e e g e n e r a t i o n s o f s e l f - su f f i c i e nt
matr i a r ch s o f the Bowden f ami ly .
The narrator o f the story i s the v i s i tor from Boston .
Al­
though the v i s itor act ive ly part i c ipates i n the events that take
p la c e in Dunnet Land i ng , she is i nterested more i n observing the
v i l l agers than l ea d i ng the a ct i on .
Everyone is a f f ect i onate to
the s tr a nger .
At f ir s t she f ee l s l ike a " hermi t crab i n a c o l d
n ew she l l , " but eventu a l ly come s " near t o f e e l ing l ike a true
B ow d e n " b e f o r e s h e r et u r n s to th e c i t y .
F r o m h e r i s o l at ed
s choo l hou s e ,
she examines the surround i ng wor l d and g a i n s n ew
perspective on the country and i t s peop l e .
However , th i s charac­
ter is p l ayed down .
The most important f igure and one o f the best chara cters
Jewett h a s created is Mrs . Almira Todd , who a l s o narrates a por­
t io n of the nove l .
She i s a woman o f deep i nner strength and
s e e m s to k n ow e v e ry t h i n g .
Mr s . T o d d p o s s e s s e s i n e xh au s t i b l e
e n e rg y .
S h e i s th e h e r b - d o c t o r o f t h e � i l l a g e a n d h a s m a d e
e nough money t o support hers e l f .
She h a s obt a i ned a n important
pos it i on in the commun ity .
Almir a , a nat ive of Dunnet , knows i t s
h i story a n d t h e deta i l s o f the l ives o f m o s t o f h e r n e i ghbors i n ­
c lud i ng the i r f a u l t s and v irtue s .
She i s generou s , s o c i ab l e ,
t a lkat ive , good-humored and touch ingly s ent imenta l .
Mrs . Todd i s
i n fu l l command o f her l i f e and i s con f ident i n every word and
The narrator admires her tota l ly .
a ct i o n .
Mrs . Todd ' s e lderly mother , Mrs . B la ckett , i s a h ea rtwarm ing
character .
She l ives w ith her shy son , W i l l i am , on Green I s l and .
She s o l ove s her da i l y l i f e and the beauty o f nature that she
s t imu l at e s every person she meet s .
The narrator d e s c r i b e s her a s
" a d e l ight f u l l i tt l e person with br ight eyes and a n a f f ect i onate
a ir of expect a t i on l ike a ch i ld on a ho l iday .
Y ou f e l t a s i f
Mrs . B l ackett were a n o l d and dear f r i end before you l e t g o her
c or d i a l h a nd " ( J e w e t t 3 9 ) .
I n e s s e nc e , she s t an d s f or the
l inger ing p a s t .
A character that the narrator never meet s i s Joanna T odd .
She cuts hers e l f o f f from a l l human contact on a n un i nhabited i s ­
land c a l l ed She l l -Heap because she h a s been deeply hurt by a man .
I n order t o ma inta i n her d i g n i ty she rema i n s on the i s l and u nt i l
her death .
Another important and enj oyab l e character i s Capt a i n Lit­
t l epage , who h a s l ong ret ired from the s e a .
Mrs . Todd e xp l a i n s
that h i s m i nd h a s been unh inged by t o o much reading .
Dur i ng a
v i s i t wi th the narrator , he r e l a te s a strange exper ience i n a n
Arct i c sh ipwreck that h a s l e f t h im convi nced that h e knows the
locat i on of a strange c ity , the w a i t ing p l ac e for s p i r i t s between
e a r th a n d h e a v e n .
I n c on t r a s t , he i s qu i t e r a t i o n a l a s h e
r ecounts the change s i n Dunnet Land i ng .
He h a s a r everence f or
the p a s t and contempt for the pres ent .
A n o t h e r l o va b l e c h a r a c t e r i s Mr . T i l l e y , w h o w a s o n c e a
f i sherman .
H e l ives f or the memory o f h i s l ov ing and capabl e
w i f e who d i ed e ight years ago .
H e keeps everyth ing i n h i s neat
l itt l e hou s e , as near as pos s ib l e , i n the way that " poor dear "
l iked t o have i t .
Throughout the story the reader i s a lways aware o f the tran­
qu i l and aesthet ica l ly p l eas ing s etting of the New Eng l a nd coast
49
and countrys ide .
Jewett uses both land and s e a t o show h ow it
Dunnet Land i ng , once a
determ i n e s the l ives o f the character s .
prosperous town , i s now dy i ng .
The l a nd i s not e nough t o l iv e
upon ; t h e s e a i s a n eterna l l i f e - g i v i ng e l ement , a s ource o f f ood
but a l s o a n escape f or the sp i r it f rom a munda n e e x i stence and a
r ema i nder o f a cher i shed l i f e .
Th i s s etting provides a p e a c e f u l
a n d endearing mood , a lthough occas iona l ly t h e r eader f e e l s the
s o l emn ity of the " an c i ent mar i n er s " as they long f or a day whi ch
w i l l never r eturn .
They now l ive i n s i l ent a l l i an c e w ith the
s e a , contemp l a t i ng the power of nature ( Cary 1 4 6 -7 ) .
T yp i c a l o f J e w e t t ' s s ty l e i s h e r u s e o f t h e N e w E n g l a nd
d i a l ect .
She u s e s the apostrophe to i n d ic at e a dropped f in a l
" g , " c l oudy " a " and a shortened vowe l sound .
The s l i ght var i a ­
t io n s i n d i a l ect show d i f f erences i n educat i o n , c u l tu r e a n d a
character ' s age and sex ( Thorp 2 1 ) .
What J ewett wanted to a cc omp l i sh i n her wr i t i ng wa s to a c ­
qua int peop l e from other parts o f t h e country w i th thos e o f N ew
Eng l and .
She f e lt that peop l e mi sunderstood the eccentr i c it i e s
o f New Eng l a nders and l aughed at what w:ere actu a l ly a dm i r a b l e
qua l it i e s .
S h e f ound s h e h a d t h e power t o i l luminate her n e i gh ­
b o r s a n d make peop l e l ike them .
S h e understood her wor l d more
deep ly because her respon s e s to it were more d e l i c a t e and s u bt l e .
What she wrote were impre s s i o n s remembered i n tranqu i l ity .
Her
memory for deta i l s of appearance , vo ice and manner w a s strong and
true .
Jewett reported vividly a l l s orts o f s e n s e impres s ions .
Espe c i a l ly sharp was her o l factory s e n s e :
the s cent o f herbs ,
b a l s am a nd f ir corn i ng over s a lt water ( Thorp 7 ) .
Some ideas Jewett wanted her stor i e s to demonstrate were the
importance of the commonp l ace , a s e n s e of duty and the need for
s o l itude .
T h e a u t h o r ' s p r i n c i p l e c o n c e r n w a s n o t a c t i o n but
cha r a cter , spec i f i ca l ly the c onnect i on o f the chara cter t o h i s
e nv i ronment .
She showed nature ' s i n f luence s i l e n t l y a t work .
Th i s nove l ette does not cont a i n a spec i f i c p lot .
J ewett ' s
i ntent i s only to have the v i s itor observe a nd m i x w i th the n a ­
t iv e v i l lagers .
She dwe l l s upon the everyday t r iv i a l a ct i v i t i e s
o f s imp l e country peop l e , a n d that d o e s n o t l end i t s e l f to r i s i ng
a ct i on or emot i on .
Her tone i s warm , sympathet i c , comp a s s i onate
and s omewhat romant i c .
She i s most often crit i c i z ed for ignor i ng the c o a r s e n e s s o f
r e a l l i f e ; i n stead she concentrates more o n perva s ive charm and
Her characters are condemned a s mode l s o f pur i ty and
r e f i n ement .
per f ect i on ( Cary 3 0 ) .
Perhaps she h e l d stead f a s t l y t o th i s s ty l e
b e c a u s e s h e c h e r i s h ed th e p a s t ; s h e r ev e l s i n h e r c h i l dh o od
memor i e s .
Sarah was a l a rmed by the grow i ng comp l icat ions brought
a bo u t by t h e m a c h i n e a g e .
S h e h a t e d t h e r a c e f or p o w e r a nd
money .
Cons equent ly , her stor i e s try to h o l d back the hands o f
t ime ( Cary 1 9 ) .
J ewett ' s chron i c l ing o f the New Eng l and peop l e and the i r
ways i s tru ly exemp l i f ied i n The Country o f the P o i nted F i r s .
She l earned e a r l y t o l ove her country for what i t wa s and s trove
to impress th i s upon her reader s .
Cr i t i c s r ecogn i z e that i t has
the most notab l e dep i c t i on o f the characters , locat i on and idea l s
o f n inet eenth-century rura l New Eng l and ( Cary 1 5 2 ) .
50
B i b l i ography
Cary , R i chard .
Sarah Orne Jewett .
New Y ork :
Twayne ,
1962 .
Jewett , S arah Orne .
The Country o f the Poi nted F ir s t and Other
Stor i e s .
Garden C i ty :
Doubl eday , 1 9 5 6 .
Thorp , Margaret Farrand .
S arah Orne Jewett .
Univers ity o f Minnesota Pres s , 1 9 6 6 .
M inneapo l i s :
The Eva luat i on :
Judy ' s paper shows unusua l
understand i ng o f S arah orne Jewett and her work .
The student h a s deve l oped her po i nt s n i c e l y
i n a c l ear , c omfort a b l e academ i c s ty l e .
She
appears to have a ma stery both o f her subj ect
and her wr it i ng .
y
51
A Woman ' s Sp i r i t
b y Marya F lynn
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 -Honor s - - S imonse n )
The Ass ignment :
Wr ite a n argumentat ive e s say i n
response to any e s s ay b y ph i l o s opher a n d f em i n i st
Mary Daly .
D e f end or refute Da l y ' s thes i s .
Mary D a ly expr e s s e s her be l i e f that the patr i archa l f ounda­
t i on of our soc i ety and Judea-Chr i s t i a n r e l i g ions have been harm­
f u l not on ly to women but t o the hea lth of our e nt i r e s o c i ety .
I
wou l d l ike to exp lore th i s idea and exami n e the potent i a l f or
change .
Many o f u s have a s sumed that patri archy i s the natur a l order
of th ing s .
I t i s so pervas ive and so embedded into our th i nk i ng
patterns that it i s d i f f i cu lt for peop l e t o break f r e e .
Mary
Da l y te l l s u s , "With i n patr iarchy , power is genera l ly understood
as power over peop l e , the env i ronment , th i ng s .
I n the r i s i ng
con s c i ou s n e s s o f women , power i s exper i enced a s power o f pre s ence
t o our s e lves and each other , a s we a f f i rm our own be i ng aga i ns t
a n d beyond t h e a l i enated ident i ty ( non-be i ng ) best owed u p o n u s
w i t h i n patri archy " { 6 1 1 } .
I t i s important t o remember that what
we are ta lk i ng about here is a system , not r e a l ity .
It is a sys­
tem where the power s eems to be h e l d a lmost ent ir e ly by wh ite
ma l e s .
I t is a system that contr o l s ; i t mak e s our l aws , runs our
economy , sets our sa l a r i e s , and decides when and i f we g o t o war .
I
W h a t a r e t h e e t h i c a l c o n s e qu e n c e s o f m a l e d om i n a n c e ?
th i nk they are far reach i ng .
One o f the f i rst prob l ems we run
i nt o i s o b j e c t i f i c a t i o n , b e c a u s e i t d ev a l u e s t h e e s s e n c e o f
I n a p a t r i a r ch a l s o c i e t y t h e m a n i s s e t u p t o h a v e
b e i ng .
Women , m inor it i e s ,
greater worth than anyone o r anyth ing e l s e .
chi l dren , p l a nts , and a n ima l s are thought t o be o f l es s er va lue
i n a patri archa l system .
Becau s e o f th i s , m i streatment o f women
a nd ch i l dr e n i s an e v e r y d a y o c c u r r e n c e , a n d t h e c o nd i t i o n o f
migrant f arm workers and the de struct i on o f nature are read i ly
accepted i n our s o c i ety .
The s e att i tudes are not o n l y d ir ect
r e s u l t s of obj ect i f i c a t i on , but they are a l s o i nherent l y d e struc­
t ive t o the s o c i ety a s a who l e .
In its des ire to ma inta i n the
status quo , the system has b l i nded i t s e l f to the f act that it i s
deny i ng , stagnat ing , and a f f l ict i ng i t s own s e l f , because when a
a part o f s o c i ety i s hurt i ng , the p r i c e i s u l t imate ly p a id i n
f u l l by t h e s o c i ety a s a who l e .
The second ma j or problem found i n the ma l e dom i nant s o c iety
i s that i t adheres to the precept o f anthropocentr i sm , that i s ,
i t r egards man a s the f i na l a im o f the un iver s e .
I t s eems t o i n ­
t e r p r e t r e a l i t y e x c l u s i v e l y i n t e rm s o f h u m a n v a l u e s a n d e x ­
per i ence s .
I ndustr i a l p o l lution , spe c i e s ext inct i o n , and b i o s 52
Women ,
phe r i c degrada t i on are a l l symptoms o f anthropocent r i sm .
on the other hand , tend to h o l d a gent ler v i ew o f t h i ng s .
Women
are more apt to see the connect i on of a l l t h i ngs and to rea l i z e
the ir value for the i r own s ake , · not for how they m ight b e ex­
p l o ited .
Mary Daly te l l s u s that " The women ' s movement is a n ew
mode o f r e l at i ng to each other , to men , t o the environment - - i n a
I t i s s e l f - a f f i rm i ng , r e f u s i ng o b j e ct i f ic a ­
word- -to the co smos .
t i o n o f t h e s e l f a n d the other " ( 6 1 1 ) . There i s a branch o f the
Accord ing t o j our­
f em i n i st movement r e f erred to a s ecofem i n i sm .
n a l i s t Caro l i ne Merchant , " Ec o f em i n i sm is a response t o the per­
cept i o n that both women and nature have been deva lued i n We stern
c u l t u r e a n d t h a t both c a n b e e l e v a t e d a n d l i b e r a t e d t h r o u gh
Not on ly do the s e women
d irect p o l i t i c a l a ct i on " ( W i l ey 6 0 ) .
d e f end the environment and f i ght toxic waste dumps in the i r com­
mun i t i e s , but many have a l s o fund a vegetar i an - f em i n i st connec­
tion .
To the s e women , becom ing a vegetar i a n s igna l s a r e j e c t i o n
o f the v i o l ence that t h e patr i archa l s o c i ety h a s wre aked o n women
f or thousands of year s .
Women are beg i n n i ng to make the connec­
t i on between the oppre s s ion o f women and huma n i ty ' s dom i nat i o n of
the env ir onment .
Eco f em i n i st s s e ek change .
Th i s change w i l l not be e a s y .
Mary D a ly exp l a ins that rad i c a l f emi n i sm
i s both d i scovery and creat i o n o f a wor l d other
than patri archy .
. observa t i on revea l s that patr i ar ­
chy i s ' everywhere '
. N o r does th i s s i tua t i o n ex i s t
s imp ly ' outs ide ' women ' s m i nds , securely f a stened i nto
i n st itut ions wh i ch we can l eave beh i nd .
Rather , i t i s
a l s o interna l i z ed , f e s t e r i ng i n s ide women ' s heads , even
f em i n i st heads .
( 612 )
...,
'l
The f ir s t th ing we must do
S o how can we create th i s new wor ld?
And we
is r ea l i z e that we do not want a mere exchange o f va l u e s .
do not want to become l ike the oppre s s or s .
What we need t o r e a l ­
We are v a l u ­
i z e i s that we are not equ a l t o men , we are un ique .
a b l e a s f ema l e be ings .
According to Ju l i a S co f i e l d Rus s e l l , " I t
i s true that our soc iety has been robbed o f the ba l a nc e o f mas­
cu l i n e and f em i n ine i n f luence necess ary for surviva l .
We women
mus t man i fest our ha l f of the who l e .
But not a t a cked-on ha l f .
Our course i s to permeate the who l e , chan g i ng i t a l l ( D i amond
225) .
S o we mu st be w i l l ing to accept our d i f ferences a s s ome­
th i ng po s i t ive , not someth i ng to be conqu ered . Once we have a c ­
cept ed o u r woman l i ness w i th pride , we have t a k e n the f ir s t s t e p
We shou l d j oyous l y go bound i ng
toward a more comp l ete exi stence .
down uncharted paths o f creat i v i ty and spontane i ty .
We s h ou l d
exp l o r e t h e tough , mu l t i - d imens i o na l , i ndependent th i nk ing that
Mary D a ly re fers to a s " lucid cerebrat i o n " .
Women have too l ong been d en i ed the i r r ight t o be who l e .
Women have a lot to g ive .
They have been a t the f o r e front o f the
e c o l o g i c a l r e v o l u t i o n , s t a r t i n g g r a s s r o o t s o r g a n i z a t i o n s a nd
prote s t ing , even hugg i ng trees i n I n d i a i n d e f i ance o f approach­
ing bul ldoz ers .
I be l i eve that i f we l i sten to our hearts we w i l l hear a
beaut i fu l song , the song o f l i f e .
The s ong w i l l t e l l a s tory ,
the s tory o f our Earth , our mother , the g i ver o f l i f e , the s p i r it
o f a woma n .
53
Works C ited
D a ly , Mary , " The Qua l itat ive Leap Beyond Patr i archa l Re l ig ion . "
� Wor l d o f Ideas .
Ed . Lee A . Jacbu s .
Boston :
B ed f ord
Books o f St . Mart i n ' s Press , 1 9 9 0 .
D iamond , I rene , and G lo r i a Feman Orenste i n .
Wor l d :
The Emergence o f Eco f em i n i sm . "
S i erra C lub Books , 1 9 9 0 .
W i ley , Caro l .
" The F em in i st Connect ion . "
January 1 9 9 1 :
59-8 0 .
" Reweaving the
San Franc i s c o :
Vegetar i a n T imes
The Eva luat ion :
A s tudent ' s wr i t ing can b e more
e ngag ing than that of her mode l .
Mary D a ly ' s
rhetor ic i s o ften antagon i s t i c 9nd l abored .
The student , Marya F lynn , g ives a lucid , c oherent ,
and comp e l l i ng statement o f be l i e f .
54
The Comp lex S imp l i c ity o f Lena Grove i n L ight i n August
by Jean Fr i t z
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 --H i ckey )
The As s ignment :
Write a scho l ar ly , cr i t i c a l
ana ly s i s o f a l iterary work .
Substan t i a t e your
interpretat ion w ith abundant c it a t i on s o f
the pr imary sourc e , a n d supp l ement your
i n s i ght with r e f erences t o at l e a s t e ight
s econdary source s .
" My , my , " she says ; " here I a in ' t been o n the road but f our
My , my .
A body does
weeks , and now I am i n J e f f erson a lready .
get around " ( Fau lkner 2 6 ) .
Thes e are the f irst words of the very
pregnant Lena Grove upon her impend i ng arr iva l i n J e f f erson , a
sma l l Southern town that i s at the s ame t ime both l ike a nd u n l ike
Lena ' s reve a l ing i ntroduct i o n i n
a ny other sma l l Southern town .
W i l l i am Fau lkner ' s comp lex work , Light i n August , i s a very un­
comp l ic ated and somewhat humour ou s one .
W ith a l l her wor l d ly
pos s e s s ions , " a p a lm l e a f fan and a sma l l bund l e t i ed n e a r l y in a
bandanna handkerch i e f " ( Fau lkner 4 ) , carr ied i n her two hands ,
she i s a l one and i n search o f the f ather o f her unborn ch i ld .
She i n s p i r e s a k i ndne s s and compa s s ion i n others that o n ly s erves
t o enhance her a lready strong w i l l to accomp l i sh her g oa l .
Lena
makes demands on no one but her s e l f and wou l d " take it k ind for
you to share " ( Fau lkner 2 5 ) her mea l .
Th i s woman-ch i ld s eems so apparently unsoph i s t i cated and
s imp l e -m i nded that the question of why Fau lkner p l aced Lena in
the dark and b itter story o f Light i n Augu st i s f requently a sked .
What does th i s gent l e and na ive creature , who be l ieves i n every­
t h i ng , h a v e to d o w i th t h e t w i s t e d a n d c o r ru p t w o r l d o f J o e
Chr i stma s , who be l i eves i n noth ing?
A l though i t i s true that
Lena repre s ents a l l that is good and pos i t ive i n the wor l d , she
i s more than j ust a s imp l e token symbo l .
As Lena moves further
and further into the nove l , she a l so moves f urther a nd f urther
i nt o the l ives of tho s e she meets , a f f ect ing a change in s ome
that w i l l a lt er the i r l ives forever .
She even becomes r e l at ed
ind i r ect ly , w ith the strugg l i ng Joe Chr i s tmas .
The s imp l e , qu i e t
L e n a Grove suddenly becomes a comp lex character i n Fau lkner ' s
tale .
S ome c r i t ics are not wi l l ing to g ive credence to the depth
o f Lena Grove ' s importance .
I rv i ng Howe warns that wh i le " Beyond
a doubt Lena i s the most harmon i ous ly conce ived and drawn f igure
i n the book .
. one shou ld res i s t the des ire o f cert a i n comp le x
cr i t i c s to romant i c i z e h e r s imp l i c ity
" ( 12 ) .
55
Y e s , L e n a i s s imp l e .
B u t s h e c e rt a i n l y s h o u l d n ot b e
f a u lted f o r th i s .
Because i t i s thi s very s irnp l i c i t y o f wh i ch
Howe s o urgent ly warns , th i s qu iet easy way o f Lena ' s , that makes
h e r c h a r a c t e r s o e s s e n t i a l to t h e a c c e p t a n c e o f t h i s t r a g i c
drama .
W i thout even try i ng , Lena makes a n impact o f those a round
her that can not be ignored or f orgotten .
The open ing chapter o f Light i n August pres ents Lena as an
ignorant a nd i nnocent country g i r l .
Orphaned a t age twe lve , Lena
beg i n s s ne ak i ng out o f the bedroom w i ndow sever a l years l ater .
" She had not opened i t a do z en t imes hardly before she d i s c overed
that she shou ld not have opened i t at a l l " ( Fa ulkner 3 ) .
Months
l at e r , with the be l ly heavy with ch i l d , Lena c l imbs through tha t
s ame w indow for a f in a l t ime , t h i nk i ng " I f i t had been thi s hard
t o do before , I reckon I wou ld not be d o i ng it now " ( Fau lkner 4 ) .
S o beg i n s Lena ' s j ourney that w i l l take her " further away f r om
h o rn e t h a n s h e c o u l d w a l k b a c k b e f o r e s u n d own i n h e r l i f e "
( Fa u lkner 4 8 0 ) .
A deeper l ook at Lena reve a l s that she i s not the s imp l eton
she f i rst appears to be .
Lena knows that she w i l l receive help
w ithout a sk i ng for it .
When the f armer A�rnst i d gives the expec­
tant mother his wi f e ' s egg money , " she took i t , her face p l ea s ed ,
warm , though not very much surpr i se d " ( Faulkner 2 0 ) .
She i s s o
determined to accomp l i sh her t a sk that a p a s s erby o n t h e road
comments , " I reckon she knows where she i s go i ng .
. She wa lks
l ik e i t " ( Fau lkner 7 ) .
Lena i s s o sure o f her dest iny that she
e a s i l y a c c e p t s B y r o n a s a r ep l a c e m e n t f o r h e r e lu s i ve l ov e r ,
I t then becomes obvious that wh i l e Lena i s i ntent
Luca s Burch .
on f i nd i n g a f a t h e r f o r her b a by , it r e a l l y d o e s n ' t m a t t er
whether i t i s Burch or Bunch or s omeone e l s e ( B l e ika sten 1 1 6 ) .
Lena i s at peace wi th hers e l f and that i s a l l that s e ems t o mat­
ter .
The only t ime Lena i s unsure o f herse l f i s immed i a t e l y f o l ­
l ow i ng the b irth o f her son .
Joe Chr i s tma s ' grandmother ha s con­
fused not on ly the newborn ch i l d with her dead d aughter M i l l ie ' s
son Joey , but a l s o the baby ' s f ather with the grown-up Joe .
All
th i s h a s confused the new mother who " don ' t l ike t o get m ixed up "
( Fa u lkner 3 8 8 ) .
I t i s f r om t h i s momen t a ry c o n f u s i o n t h a t E r i c S un d q u i s t
f inds the e x i stence o f a re l a t i onship between Joe Chr i stma s and
Lena Grove ( 7 5 ) .
Th i s connect i on is an extrem e l y de l i ca t e one .
C l e a nth Brooks suggests the contra st between the two by empha s i z ­
i ng that a lthough they both arr ive i n J e f f er s on a s f o r e i gner s ,
t h e s a me powe r w i t h i n the t ow n t h a t i s s e d u c e d b y L e n a i s
r ep u l s e d by J o e .
H owever , B r o o k s a l s o p o i n t s o u t c u r i ou s
s im i l a r it i es .
They are both orphans who l eave horne b y c r aw l i ng
o u t a b e d r o o m w i n d ow .
They a r e both betrayed by the i r f ir s t
l ove s , Joe by Bobb i e A l len and Lena by Luc a s Burch ( 5 7 ) .
The
s im i l ar it i e s do not end here .
Ear ly i n the nove l a common l ink between the m a j or charac­
ters sur f a c e s .
Whether new or o l d t o J e f f erson , they a r e a l l
out s ider s .
Lena Grove arrives a l l a l one , pregnant and unma r r i ed .
Joe Chr i stma s i s a lone , want ing l i t t l e to do w i th anyone , i n c lud­
ing the workers at the m i l l .
His murdered l over , Joanna Burden ,
i s a l one , having never been accepted by the t own f o lk becaus e o f
B y r o n B u n ch c h o o s e s t o b e
h e r i n v o l v em e n t w i th t h e N e g r o e s .
a l one , un invo lved with the commun i ty around h im a s a way o f s e l f 56
pres ervat ion .
The Reverend Ga i l Hightower i s a lone , not only
r e j ected by s o c i ety , but l ivi ng i n a s e l f - impo s ed p r i son at the
s ame t ime .
A l l o f the s e peop l e are s e c l uded , i s o l ated from the
wor l d around them .
However , there i s one s ign i f i cant d i f f er ence .
C l e a nth Brooks empha s i z es that " Lena .
. i s the o n l y one o f the
stranger s --the outs iders - -who have come into the community - -who
does not s u f fer from frustrat i on and a l i enat i o n " ( 6 4 ) .
I t i s certa i n ly through the absence o f th i s a l i enat ion that
Lena is a b l e t o s erve a stronger purpose in Fau lkner ' s d rama .
Lena i s a lways con f ident , a lways quite sure o f her goa l s and her
a b i l it i es .
Th i s a s suredness i s a constant throughout the turmo i l
and tragedy o f J e f f erson .
Wh i le houses a r e bur n i ng , l overs are
murdered , a nd men a r e lynched , Lena ' s comp l ete trust and f a ith in
l i f e and i n h er s e l f never f a lter .
Michael M i l lgate descr i bes
L e n a a s a " ca t a ly t i c f o r c e ,
e f f e ct i n g c h a ng e b u t i t s e l f
unchanging" ( 7 2 ) .
I t i s th i s s ame inten s e f orce that causes Byron Bunch to
f a l l " in l ove contrary to a l l the trad i t ion of h i s austere a nd
j e a l o u s c o u nt r y r a i s i ng wh i c h d e m a n d s i � t h e o b j e ct p h y s i c a l
H i s s o l i tary reso lve f a i l s h im on
i nv i o l ab i l ity " ( Fau lkner 4 4 ) .
that cert a i n Saturday a fternoon when Lena Grove walks into the
m i l l expect i ng t o f i nd Lucas Burch .
It is Byron who unw itt i ng ly
h e l p s Lena f i nd her l over wh i l e at the s ame t ime try i ng f i erce ly
t o protect her from the truth .
It i s Byron , a gent l e man who h a s
l ived by t h e s ame i s o l ated rout i n e dur i ng h i s s even y e a r s i n J e f ­
f e r s o n " becau s e a f e l l ow i s more a fr a i d o f t h e troub l e he m i ght
have than he ever is of the troub l e he ' s a l ready got " ( Fau lkner
6 9 ) , who a l l ows not Lena , but h imse l f to comp l et e ly d i s rupt h i s
Because
ordered e x i stence with n o prom i s e o r even encouragement .
Lena i s not demand ing , or even a sk ing , a nyth i ng o f Byron , she can
not b e b l amed f or his sudden rever s a l o f his behav i or .
However ,
she i s certa i n ly the reason beh i nd i t .
Lena i s a l s o imp l icated , through Byron Bunch , i n the re­
e ntry o f the Reverend Ga i l H ightower i nto the commu n ity o f Jef­
f er s on ( Brooks 6 5 ) .
Byron ' s demands o n H ightower t o a s s i s t w ith
the de l ivery of Lena ' s ch i ld f orce the m i n i st er to become in­
vo lved i n l i f e aga i n .
Through the b irth o f Lena ' s s o n , H i ghtower
is r e luctantly experi enc i ng h i s own reb irth wh i le " there goes
t h r o u gh h i m a g l ow , a s u r g e o f s om e t h i n g a l m o s t h ot , a l m o s t
triumphant " ( 3 8 2 ) .
Th i s i s a return t o the l iving wor l d that
H ightower soon becomes most thank f u l for .
T h e a r r i v a l o f L e n a ' s b a by t a k e s o n a d d ed i mp o r t a n c e t o
F r a n c o i s P i t a vy .
H e s u gg e s t s t h a t Mr s . H i n e s ' s t or y o f J o e
Chr i s tma s ' traumat ic b irth , f i l l ed wi th a n a bundance o f hatred
and r age , adds to the symbo l i c mea n i ng o f the b i rth of Lena ' s
Her i n f ant s on denotes the return o f v i t a l ity and l ove
ch i ld .
and hope in a n empty , l i fe l e s s wor ld ( 2 7 ) .
Numerous other sug­
gest i on s have been made regardi ng the symbo l i sm of Lena Grove .
She i s pres ented throughout the story a s pure , trust i ng , serene .
Darr e l Abe l exp l a ins that Fau lkner uses these s ooth ing qua l i t i e s
a s a means o f compensat ing f or a l l the many prej ud i c e s a n d ap­
prehens i on s o f a soc i ety so ea s i ly f i l l ed w ith host i l ity towards
one of the i r own ( 7 3 ) .
The ug l i ness of Chr i s tma s ' doomed a f fa ir
with , and subs equent bruta l murder o f , Joanna Burden i s , wh i l e
cert a i n l y not erased by Lena ' s goodnes s , a t l ea s t s of tened a b i t
The l i f e o f anger and
by her gent l e n e s s a n d f a ith i n other s .
57
hatred that f o l l ows the s e l f -v i ct imi z ed Joe Chr i stma s everywhere
is somewha t r e l i eved by the tranqu i l ity and who l e s omenes s that
e nv e l op s L e n a .
Th i s p e a c e and u n f a l t e r i ng f a i t h o f L e n a , a s
s t ated ear l i er , transcends t o Byron and H ightower .
C l e a n th B r o o k s f e e l s t h e r e a s o n L e n a i s s u r r o u n d e d by
t endernes s and a f f ect i on i s that " she is the c arr i e r of l i fe , and
she has t o be protected and nurtured if there is to b e a ny com­
mun ity a t a l l " ( 6 5 ) .
Aga i n and aga in , Lena i s protected and nur­
tured .
Ear l y i n the story Mr s . Armstid , though not approvi ng o f
t h e unmarr i ed a n d pregnant Lena , shares h e r home , h e r food , even
At Byron ' s boarding house Lena i s
her meager s av i ngs with Lena .
t ak e n c a r e o f b y M r s . B e a r d , w h o " l o o k e d a t L e n a , o n c e , c o m ­
p lete ly , a s strange women have b e e n d o i ng for f our weeks
n ow .
. H er e y e s w e r e n ot e x a c t l y c o l d .
B u t t h e y w e r e n ot
warm" ( Fau lkner 7 8 - 7 9 ) .
From the very f ir s t moment they meet ,
Lena Grove i s protected by Byron Bunch .
H e sets her up i n the
He
c a b i n that was home t o both Joe Chr i stma s and Luc a s Burch .
even arranged for H ightower t o d e l iver her baby .
And a t the end
o f Light i n Augu s t , a fter a l l that h a s happened , Lena with her
n ew trave l l i ng compan ions i n tow is o f fered a r id e by the furn i ­
t u r e d e a l e r who " s a w t h i s k i n d o f y ou n g , p l e a s a n t - f a c e d g a l
standing on the corner l ike she i s
wa i t i ng for s omebody t o c ome
a long and o f f e r her a r ide " ( Fau lkner 4 6 8 - 6 9 ) .
Others p l ac e the symbo l i c importance i n the name Lena Grove .
M i l lgate sugge sts that the l a s t n ame , a l ong w i th p l a c i ng a very
pregnant Lena in the cabin i n the woods beh i nd Joanna Burden ' s
burned-down hou s e , i s a n a l lu s ion o f Fau lkner ' s t o the a n c ient
godd e s s o f the forest and chi ldbirth , D i an a , a s we l l a s " to the
s a cred groves where she wor sh ipped " ( 7 9 ) .
P it avy agrees w i th
t h i s interpretat ion a nd adds that with Lena ' s f aded c l othes and
the pa lm l e a f fan that she carr ied out of Doane ' s M i l l , Fau lkner
a l s o a l ludes to the V i r g i n Mary ( 8 0 ) .
Fau lkner descr ibes Lena ' s day - a fter-day p i l gr image a c r o s s
the p a s tora l l a nd s a s " .
l ike s ometh i ng mov i ng f orever and
w i thout progress across a n urn " ( 5 ) .
Th i s can be s e e n as a n a l ­
l u s ion t o John Keat s ' " Ode o n a Grec i a n Urn " :
0 Att i c shape !
F a i r att i tude !
With brede
o f marb l e men and ma idens overwrought ,
With forest branche s and the trodden weed ;
Thou , s i l ent f orm , dost t e a s e u s out o f thought
As doth eternity :
Cold P a stora l !
" Beauty i s truth , truth beauty , " - -that i s a l l
Ye know o n earth , and a l l ye need t o know .
( st a n z a 5 )
Perhaps Fau lkner s e e s Lena to be a s endu r i ng a s the ever l a s t ing
b eauty of Keat s ' urn .
Lena certa i n l y s e e s the beauty in truth
and th i s does s eem t o be a l l she needs to know t o survive in the
wor l d .
Darr e l Abe l s upport s the idea that the urn r e ference i s
" a d e s ignated image o r metaphor o f eternity" ( 7 0 ) .
Th i s con­
t inua t i on o f .eterna l l i f e i s seen not only through the death of
J o e Chr i s t m a s and the b i r t h of L e n a ' s s o n , but a l s o w i th t h e
r eb i rth o f Byron and H ightower .
58
Carolyn Porter sees Lena ' s strand a ct i ng a s not o n l y " both
bracket and e l l ip s i s , to enc l o s e a nd r e l i eve the tragedy o f Joe
Chr i stma s , but a l s o to extend a nd amp l i fy i t s i nten s ity" ( 6 9 ) .
The fact that Lena i s cared for natur a l ly by men and women a l ike
on her j ourney t o s eek a husband only s erves t o enforce the f a ct
that Joe Chr i stma s cannot beg i n to r e l at e to tho s e a round him .
He i s constant ly s eek i ng approva l wh i l e Lena i s a ccepted w i thout
quest ion .
J o e r e f u s e s to r e c e i v e t h e u n c o n d i t i on a l l ov e o f
others that Lena w e l comes s o free ly .
Rather than a ccept the un­
deman d i ng l ove o f h i s adopted mother , Joe f ights i t as hard a s he
can .
The turbu lence tha t Joe Chr i stmas mus t be a part o f i s the
s ame turbu lence that Lena Grove can not even see ( Kart iganer 3 4 ) .
Joe i s unab l e to take respons ibi l ity for who or what h e i s .
He
Lena wou l d
is constant ly provok ing others and then run n i ng away .
never dream o f d o ing th i s .
S h e ne ither provokes nor runs away .
I nstead she runs t o , accept i ng a l l respons i b i l ity for herse l f .
A l f red Ka z in emph a s i z e s that it i s the k i nd and gent l e wor l d a s
seen through the s erene Lena Grove ' s eyes that makes u p the unat­
t a i n a b l e w o r l d that Joe Chr i s tm a s w a n t s t o be a p a r t of s o
desper a t e l y ( 1 3 2 } .
However , i t i s a l s o th i s s ame wor l d o f peace
and understanding that Joe f l ee s from j ust a s desperate l y .
The
more he forces h ims e l f to bel ong , the mor e he forces h imse l f out .
Lena never forces and a lways be l ong s .
Wi l l i am Fau lkner begins h i s novel wi th a serene and fert i l e
L e n a G r o ve o n a c ou nt ry r o a d .
H e m o v e s o n t o a d e s pe r a t e
Reverend Ga i l H ightower .
Then h e introduce s a confused and lost
Joe Chr i s tma s .
To comp l ete the book , Fau lkner reve r s e s th i s by
end i ng Joe ' s tang l ed l i f e , revi t a l i z ing H ightower , and p la c ing a
s t i l l s erene Lena Grove back on a country road .
The author h ims e l f says it was not chance , but c o i nc idence
that p l aces Lena Grove in the very beg inn i ng of th i s troub l ed
story ( Gwynn 2 ) .
I t i s a l so not chance , but c o i nc idence that
p la c e s Lena i n the end of th i s story .
Franc o i s P it avy be l i eves
that Light i n Augu st beg ins and ends w ith her , and h a s no mea n i ng
w i thout her " ( 1 0 5 ) .
Wi thout Lena , the story wou l d have been a
c o l d exp lora t i on o f murder and death i n a sma l l , ster i le town .
With Lena , i t become s a story o f goodnes s , l ove , and rebirth .
There w i l l cont i nue to be c r i t i c s who f i nd l itt l e va l u e i n
t h e mean i ng o f Lena Grove .
Some wi l l n o t l ook past t h e s i l l in e s s
o f a young a n d ignorant Lena who e a r ly i n t h e story " wo u l d ask
her father to stop the wagon at the end o f town and .
get
down and wa lk .
. because she be l i eved that · the p eop l e who s aw
her .
. wou ld b e l i eve that she l ived in the town too " ( Faulkner
1-2 ) .
Lena ' s earth ine ss , however , i s qu ite deep .
It reve a l s a
f a ith i n f e l l ow man a l ong wi th a strong be l i e f i n d e s t i ny that
Lena ' s com­
c o n t i nu e s to a s t o u n d a n d a l t e r th o s e s h e m e e t s .
I t does not have to scream out a t everyone
p l ex ity i s subt l e .
I t i s th i s comp l ex ity tha t
l ike the mi s e r a b l e Joe Chr i stma s ' .
makes t h e s imp l e woman so engag ing .
The country g i r l from Doane ' s Mi l l h a s cert a i n ly come a l ong
way .
Lena has g iven a l l outward appearance of s imp l i c ity a nd
n a ivete .
But appearances can be dece iving , a s Lena h a s proven
59
over and over wi th her s erene wi sdom .
Lena Grove d i sp lays i t a l l
p e r f e c t l y w ith her l a s t words .
"My , my .
A body goes get a r ound .
Her we a i n ' t been coming from A l abama but two months , and now it
i s a lr eady Tenn e s s e e " ( Faulkner 4 8 0 ) .
Y e s , Lena , a body cer­
ta i n l y does get around .
Works C ited
Abe l , Darre l .
" Fr o z en Movement i n Light i n Augu s t !'
L i ght i n
Augus t and the Cr i t i c a l Spectrum .
Ed . John B . V i ckery an
O lga W . V i ckery .
Be lmont , CA :
Wordsworth , 1 9 7 1 .
67-79 .
'' Fathers and Fau lkner and L ight i n Augu st . "
B l e ikasten , Andre .
Ed .
The F i ct i ona l Father :
Laca n i on Rea d i ng o f the Text .
Robert Con Davi s .
Amherst :
U o f MA P , 1 9 8 1 .
1 15 -4 6 .
Brooks , C l e a nth .
" The Community and the P a r i ah . "
Twent ie th
Ed .
Century I nt erpretations o f " L ight i n August . "
David L . Mi nter .
Eng l ewood C l i f f s : ,Prent ic e , 1 9 6 9 .
5 5 -7 0 .
Fau l kner , Wi l l i am .
1972 .
Light i n August .
New York :
Random Hous e ,
Gwyn n , Freder i ck L . and Jos eph P . B l otner .
" Fau lkner o n
L ight i n Augu st . "
n�
d�t
::.!h
��
e �
C:.:
r...:!i:..!t:::.l:!:.
...: c
=:
.: �
:.a l---=S::.J:
p
�e
::.c
=:
.: _
:.Light i n Augu st �
a..!..:
truro .
Ed . John B . V i ckery and O lga w . V i ckery .
Be lmont , CA :
Wordsworth , 1 9 7 1 .
1-4 .
Howe ,
I rv i ng .
" Confrontat ions a nd Scenes . "
L i ght i n Augus t
a n d t h e Cr i t i c a l Spectrum .
Ed . J ohn B . V i ckery and
O lga W . V i ckery .
Be lmont , CA :
Wordsworth , 1 9 7 1 .
5-19 .
Kart i ganer , Dona ld M .
" T h e Mean ing o f Form i n L ight i n Auqust . "
W i l l i am Fau lkner ' s Light i n August .
Ed . Haro l d B loom .
N ew York :
Che l s e a House , 1 9 8 8 .
9 -4 1 .
Ka z in , A l fred .
Contemporar i e s .
Boston :
L i tt l e ,
1962 .
M i l lgate , M i chae l .
" Fau lkner ' s Light i n Augus t . "
Twent ieth
Ed . David L .
Century I nterpreta t ions o f Light i n August .
M inter .
Eng l ewood C l i f f s :
Prent ice , 1 9 6 9 .
7 1-79 .
P i t avy , Franco i s . Fau lkner ' s L i ght i n Augus t .
Trans . G i l l i a n
E . Cook .
B l o omi ngton :
I nd i ana UP , 1 9 7 3 .
" The Re i f ied Reader :
L ight i n Augu st . "
Porter , Carolyn .
W i l l i am Fau lkner ' s Light i n August .
Ed . H a r o l d B lo om .
New Y ork :
Che l sea Hous e , 1 9 8 8 .
5 7 -7 3 .
Sundqu i st , E r i c J .
Fau lkner :
J6hn Hopk i n s UP , 1 9 8 3 .
The House D i v ided .
B a l t imor e :
The Eva luat i on :
Jean ' s s oph i st i cated a n l ays i s
and her f lu id pro s e embody a " comp l e x s imp l i c ity"
that i s both admirab l e and appropr i at e .
60
Ac id Rain Facts
by Gera ld G i ba
( Advanced Compos i t i on- -Dodds )
Wr i t e a f orma l report i n wh i ch
The A s s i gnment :
you i nvest igate a controver s i a l i s sue or
prob l em .
I nc lude background i nf orma t i on
nec e s s ary t o understand your subj ect , current
i n f orma t i on necess ary t o act on the i s su e
or pro b l em , a summary o f your opponents
and the i r pos i t ions , a nd the con c lu s i o n s
that your i n f ormat ion l eads you t o draw .
Statement o f the Pro b l em
B e i ng a b a s s f i sherman I have spent a l ot o f t ime o n the
water pursu i ng my quarry .
In the l as t year and a h a l f I h ave
a l s o become aware o f a prob l em of the water i n wh i ch the s e f i sh
swim .
I n f i sh ing maga z i nes , newspaper s , and t e l ev i s i o n r eports
All
the stor i e s a bout a c id rain have increased a t a steady rate .
t e l l o f damage from a c i d ra in , but none reports any concrete ac­
tion taken to so lve th i s prob l em .
Dur i ng my r e se arch I wanted to
As I became awa r e o f i t s e f fects ,
f i nd out more a bout a c id ra i n .
I conf i ned my r e s earch to the e f f ects o f a c i d r a i n on l ak e s and
the i r watersheds .
My goa l s were to d i s cover wha t cau s e s a c i d
r a i n ; what e f f ects years o f a c i d r a i n have had , what l a k e s w i l l
b e a f fe cted by a c i d r a i n , whether the lakes l o st t o a c i d r a i n
w i l l ever support aquat i c l i f e , and who i s r e spon s ib l e f o r a c i d
rain .
I a imed t o d i scover how w e cou ld reve r s e the p r oc e s s and
rec l a im a c id i f ied l akes , and what I cou ld do to h e lp i n the f ight
aga i n s t a c id r a i n .
Background
Pers ona l H i story
It was because of my f i sh i ng hobby that I became awar e o f
I was u s ing a new e l ectron i c pH meter to
the a c i d r a i n prob l em .
l o c a t e water with a pH o f 8 . 5 , because th i s was the proper l eve l
A severe thunderstorm had occurred
for m e t o f ind a ct ive f i sh .
overn ight , and the next day the sur face pH of the water in the
l ake had dropped to 4 . 5 .
Th i s inc ident and art i c l e s in numerous
f i sh i ng maga z i nes led me t o research the answers t o my que s t ions .
61
Res e arch Method
My r e search i nvo lved reading a rt i c l es a bout a c i d r a i n i n
numerous books , genera l encyc l oped i a s , s c i e nt i f ic encyc loped i a s ,
I read
a rt i c l e s from the Ch i c ago Tribune , and var ious maga z i n e s .
s c i e n t i f i c r e p o r t s , r ep o r t s f r o m t h e c o a l i nd u s t r y , a n d t h e
speeches o f l eg i s l ators i nvo lved i n the p a s sage o f l aw s c o ncern­
ing a c id r a i n .
To i nsure accuracy i n my data I u s ed a r t i c l e s
wr i tten b y s c i e nt i st s , a n d books pub l i shed b y p e op l e i nvo l ved i n
t h e s c i e nt i f i c study o f a c id r a i n .
I read speeches i n Congres­
s i ona l D iges t to determine a l l s ides o f t h e i s sue concern ing a c i d
ra i n .
My best s ource o f i nf ormat ion was Ra i n o f Troubl e s by
Laurence P r i ng l e .
He used current data , exce l l ent chart s , a nd a
My
wr i t ing s ty l e wh ich made the i n forma t i on e a sy t o unders t an d .
most d i s appo i n t i ng s ource was the Ac id Ra i n I n f orma t i on B o ok by
D a v i d V . Bube n i ck .
I expected th i s book t o conta i n a l l the
s c i e nt i f ic data I wou l d need .
Al l t h e d a t a were a t l e a s t ten
y e a r s o l d , and the wr i t i ng sty l e made th i s book d i f f i c u l t t o understand .
·
H i s tory
Acid r a i n is not s ometh ing new t o the s c i e nt i f i c commun ity .
I n 1 8 7 2 B r i t i sh chem i st Robert Angue Smith s tud i ed the h e av i l y
p o l luted a ir o f London and co ined the t erm " Ac id r a i n " ( Pr in g l e
8) .
Th i s s tudy caused Smith t o wr i t e one o f the f ir s t books o n
a c i d r a i n , Air a n d Ra i n :
The B eginnings o f a Chem i c a l C l imat o l ­
After
Smith
,
e
ighty
y e a r s p a s s ed b e f o r e another s c i en t i s t ,
Q9Y .
E v i l l e G o r h am , s t u d i e d a c i d r a i n , a nd h e d i d s o b y a c c i d e n t ,
wh i l e s tudy ing peat bogs i n the 1 9 5 0 ' s ( Pr i n g l e 9 ) .
I n Troub l ed Sk i e s , Troub l ed Waters by Jon Luoma , the s tory
of one of h i story ' s wors t inc idents of a c i d m o i sture is t o l d .
On
December 4 , 1 9 5 2 , a " k i l ler fog" s ett led over London , E ng land
(21) .
Th i s fog was caused by London ' s coa l - f i red furn a c e s and a
A h igh concentrat i on o f p o l l utants
subs idence i nver s i on ( 2 2 )
t r a p p ed over the c i t y wa s c a u s e d by the i nv e r s i o n ( 2 3 ) .
The
" k i l ler f o g " caused the deaths o f approxima t e l y four thousand
peop l e and i ncapac itated count l e s s thous ands more . ( 2 3 ) .
I n 1 9 7 9 , Pres ident J immy Carter estab l i shed a pres id e nt i a l
i n i t i at ive o n a c id ra i n , ca l l in g for a 1 0 -year , $ 1 0 m i l l i on-per­
year i nteragency program o f r e s earch o n a c i d prec i p i t a t i on and
i t s environmenta l consequences i n the U . S . ( Me l l o 1 6 5 ) .
By 1 9 8 1 , accord ing t o the N a t i ona l Academy o f S c i ence s , a c id
r a i d had c au s ed the destruct ion o f many spec i e s o f f i sh and the i r
prey .
I t had a l s o caused tox i c trace meta l s t o r ea ch concentra­
t i o n s i n sur face a nd ground waters that were " unde s i r a b l e for
human consump t i o n 11 ( Me l l o 1 6 7 ) .
.
Whe r e Ac id Ra i n comes from
I n t h e E n cvc l ooed i a o f S c i e n c e a nd T e c h n o l ogy S t ev e n R .
Hanna state s ,
" Many s c i en t i s t s be l i eve that when emi s s i on s o f
s u l fur d i oxide a n d n i trogen oxide from a l l power p l ants a n d other
i ndu s tr i a l stacks are carr ied over great d i stance s , a nd c ombi ne
w i t h emi s s ions from other area s , a c i d i c compounds a r e f ormed by
·
62
c omp l ex chemica l react i on s " ( 2 3 1 ) .
Thes e comp ounds co l l ect i n
the atmosphere wa i t i ng e ither t o f a l l to e arth o n the i r own , or
be washed from the atmosphere by prec i p i t a t i o n ( 2 3 2 } .
The nature o f a n a c i d compound depends on the s ource o f p o l ­
lut ion .
Thes e source s may be e i ther natura l or a nthropogen i c - ­
man made ( Hanna 2 2 9 } .
Another d i s t inct i o n i s whether t h e s ource
i s stat i onary ( power p l ants , inc i nerator s , i ndustr i a l operat ions ,
a nd space hea t i ng ) or mov i ng ( motor veh i c l e s , s h ips , a ircr a f t and
r o ck et s } ( 2 2 9 } .
In genera l , the use of f os s i l fue l s r e s u l t s i n
h igher concentrat i o n s o f n it r i c a c i d p o l lutants ( NO , N0 2 } , wh i le
coa l used i n other i ndustr i e s i s the greatest s ource o f s u l fur i c
a c id po l lutants ( S0 2 ) ( 2 2 9 ) .
Ac id r a i n occurs when these a c i d i c compounds a r e pres ent i n
the atmo sphere a n d are e ither washed from t h e a ir or precip i t ated
Nuc l eat i on i s the proce s s by wh i ch the p o l lutant
by nuc l eat i o n .
o r the part i c l e to wh i ch i t is absorbed provides a sur f a c e , or
nuc l eus , onto wh ich water vapor conde n s e s ( Streeter 5 8 } .
The
drop l et s grow by further condens a t i on or by co l l i s i on s w ith other
drop l et s to f orm acid prec ip i t a t i on depends on the concentrat ion
of acid p o l lutants present in the a tmosphere .
Important D e f i n it ions and Gener a l Terms P erta i n i ng to pH .
Hydroxy l :
" The un iva l ent group o f rad i c a l OH cons i s t i ng o f
one atom o f hydrogen and o n e o f oxygen that i s character i s t i c
espec i a l ly o f hydrox ides , oxygen acids , a l coho l s , g lyco l s , a nd
pheno l s " ( Webster 5 6 1 } .
pH :
Stand s for p otent i a l Hydrogen a nd i s a mea sure o f the
number of pos i t ive l y charged ions ( H+ ) concentrated in a sub­
stance .
When a substance such a s water conta i n s equ a l numbers of
As i t s hydrogen
hydrogen and hydroxy l ions , i t s pH is neutra l .
i o n s i ncre a s e , s o does its a c i d i ty ( Pr i ng l e 6 ) .
pH sca l e :
A chart wh ich runs f rom 0 to 1 4 , w ith numbers
c l os e to 0 h i gh ly a c i d i c and those c l o s e to 14 the most a lk a l i n e
( Pr i n g l e 7 ) .
( Se e F i g . 1 . )
63
,------,- ------- -- ·
A l k a l i ne
<-
14. 0
<-
1 .3 . 0
l ye
<-
12. 4
l i me
<-
ll. 0
ammon i a
<-
10. 5
milk
<-
8. 5
<-
8.
.3
of
b a k i ng
ma g n e s i a
soda
A
seewa t e r
pH
above-
i nd i c a t e ::;
7. 0
a l ka l i n i t Y
<- 7. 4
b l ood
<-
7.0
neut r a l
<-
6. 6
milk
-----,.-�-----..,.- ---�···-
A
pH
b e -l- o w
7 . 0
i nd i c a t e s
<-
5. 6
unpo l l \-' t e d
<-
5 . 0
t o m a t oes
<-
4. 2
co f f ee
<-
.3 . 0
app l e s
<-
2.2
v i n e g eo r
<-
2.0
l emon
<-
1 . 0
b a t t er y
< -
0.0
ac i d i t y
r l!l i n
j u i ce
acid
Ac i d i c
T HE
PH
SCALE
'------ ---- - -----····
F ig .
1.
A d a p t e d t r orn : L a u r e n c e Pr i n g l e ,
R.;;.J n. . 9..1'. T_,_-.oLib l <t s , ( N e w
Y o r k : M a cm i l l an P ub l i sh i ng C o . ,
1 988 : 7 ) .
64
T itrat i on :
A process used i n chem i stry to test prec i s e ly
the a lka l in ity o f a s amp l e ( 5 0 ) .
The proces s , a s descr i bed i n
Jon R .
Lu oma ' s T r o u b l e d S k i e s , T r o u b l e d W a t er s ,
u s e s two
e l ectro n i c probes immersed i n the s amp l e wh i ch r ead i t s pH on a
d ig i t a l s c a l e ( 5 0 ) .
D r o p by p r e c i s e 5 0 -m i c r o l i t e r d r o p , a n
e l ectron i c auto-burette adds pure s u l fur i c a c i d to the s amp l e
{ 50 ) .
The purpose o f the t i trat ion i s to measure the amount o f
a c i d that c a n b e absorbed and neutra l i z ed b y the natur a l a lk a l ine
mater i a l s i n the l ake water { 5 0 ) .
Ac i d Ra i n D e f i ned
I n t h e E n cyc l ope d i a o f S c i en c e a n d T e c hn o l ogy , V i ct o r
Streeter state s , " Ac i d prec i p i t at ion , str i ct ly d e f ined , cont a i n s
a greater concentrat i o n o f hydrogen ( H+ ) t h a n o f hydroxy l ( OH ­
ions , resu l t i ng i n a s o lut i o n pH l e s s than 7 " ( 5 8 ) .
Fo l low i ng
thi s def i n i t ion Streeter c l a ims ,
" Nearly a l l prec i p itat i on i s
acidic" { 58 ) .
H e a l s o c l a im s t h a t m a n i s t h e g r e a t e s t c o n ­
tr i butor to a c i d prec ip itat ion ( 5 8 ) .
My s ources a l l def ine norma l r a i n f a l l a s having a pH o f 5 . 6 ,
w h i ch i s o n t h e a c i d i c s i d e o f t h e p H s c a l e ( s e e F i g . 1 ) .
H o w e ve r , t h e p H s c a l e i s l o g a r i th m i c , w h i ch m e a n s t h a t e a ch
change o f one pH unit repre sents a chemica l change o f ten t imes .
I n other words , pH 4 i s ten t imes more a c i d i c than pH 5 , and pH 3
i s o n e h u nd r e d t i m e s ( t e n t im e s t e n ) m o r e a c i d i c t h a n p H 5
Th i s m e a n s that ra i n w i th a pH o f 4 . 0 i s o n e
{ Pr i n g l e 8 ) .
thous and t imes more a c i d i c than p H 7 neutr a l water .
The a c i d i n automob i l e batt e r i e s measures about 1 on the pH
s ca l e .
Concentrated l emon j u i c e h a s a pH o f about 2 , v in egar
about 2 . 2 .
Pure d i st i l led water has a pH of 7 -- it is neutra l ,
n e i th er a c i d n o r a l k a l i n e .
W i th a p H o f 8 . 5 , b a k i ng s od a i s
a l ka l ine but not nearly a s strong a s the chem i c a l c a l l e d lye w ith
its pH of 1 3 { Pr i ng l e 8 ) .
Where Ac id Ra i n Fa l l s
Where a c i d r a i n w i l l fa l l i s determ i ned by the loca t i on o f
the p o l luters , and the d i sper s i o n o f the p o l lutants i n the a tmos ­
phere .
The d i sper s i o n o f a i r born po l lutants i s caused by a tmos ­
pher i c turbu l ence o r random f luctuat ions i n w i nd v e l o c ity ( Hanna
T h e s e f l u c t u a t i o n s a r e c a u s e d by r a n do m e d d i e s o f a i r
231) .
The s i z e o f edd i e s i s l imited by the sca l e d epth o f the
{231) .
atmosphere i n the vert i c a l and by the Earth in the hor i z onta l
{231) .
Turbu l ence and d i spers i o n are enhanced over rough sur­
faces such as forests , h i l l s , or urban area s , because of the i r
larger sur f ace f r i c t i o n ( 2 3 1 ) .
What th i s means i s that the p o l ­
lutants w i l l d i spers e more over c i t i e s and forest s , and w i l l be
more c oncentrated over water and deserts .
65
Body
Current Causes o f M idwest Acid Ra i n
I n the State o f I l l ino i s , over s even a n d a quarter m i l l i o n
regi s t ered veh i c l e s consumed over s i x a n d a quarter b i l l i o n ga l ­
lons o f g a s o l i ne ( PC USA ) .
The s e veh i c l e s are a s ource o f n itric
a c i d p o l lutants becaus e gaso l ine is a f o s s i l fue l .
The Ba l dw i n power p l ant emits 2 3 7 . 2 k i l ograms per year o f
s ul phur d i ox ide p o l lutants ( see F i g . 2 ) .
Top
25
Sources
Emissions
in
the
T he
of
Su l phur
Un i t e d
S t a tes
Dioxide
and
Canada
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:
E m i s s i on s
Ran k
P l an t
S t a te
Name
P ro v i n ce
in
or
per
K i l otons
y e a r·
----------------------------------------------�-----------------
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
I n co
Ontario
Noranda
Quebec
Parad ise
Ken t u c k y
I nco
Man i t o b a
M u s k. i n g u m R i v e r
Ohio
Gav i n
Ohio
C u m be r l an d
I n d i a n <:\
C l i f ty
I n d i an a
Creek
Ba l d w i n
I l l inois
Mon r o e
M i c higan
Labad i e
'
Ky g e r c r e e k
Ohio
M i s s ou r i
H a r r i son
Wes t
J o h n son v i l l e
T e n n e ssee
Wes t
M i t c he l l
Hatf i e l d
807 . 5
537 . 5
418 . 8
�5 33 . 5
306 . 7
297 . 5
296 . 2
2 9 5 . �5
237 . 2
224 . 3
222 . 6
219 . 7
215 . 1
188 . 0
1 87 . 3
173 . 5
1 72 . 8
1 70 . 3
1 60 . 3
Virginia
V i rg i n i a
Pen n s y l v an i a
Ferry
Ohio
E as t l a k e
Georg i a
Bowen
Lambton
On t a r i o
Gen e r a t i n g
S t a t i on
20
21
G i bson
I n d i an a
Nan t i c o k e
On t a r i o
187 . 8
1 55 . 1
22
Hudson
Man i t o b a
1 52 . 0
23
24
25
C o n e sv i l l e
Ohio
S hawnee
K e n t u c l<. y
151 . 8
1 46 . 1
1 43 . 3
Gen e r a t i n g
Fig .
York :
I!<
S t a t i on
M i n i ng
Sme l t i n g
A l goma
2.
Bay
A d a p ted
M a c: m i l l i an
On t a r i o
Steel
f rom :
Lauren ce
Pub l i s h i n g
P r i ng l e ,
Co . ,
1 988 :
66
Rain
24 ) .
of
T rou b l e s
( New
:
Current Acid Ra i n Leve l s i n the U . S .
The pH o f the precipitation that f a l l s i n the United States
var i es f r om a l ow of 4 . 0 8 i n the Pennsy lvania area t o a h igh o f
6 . 0 4 i n l ower Ca l i fornia .
( S ee F ig . 3 ) . The pH a r ound the M i d ­
w e s t a v e r a g e s 4 . 4 2 , o v e r t e n t im e s m o r e a c i d i c t h a n " n or m a l "
r a i n fa l l ( pH 5 . 6 ) and c l o s e t o seven hundred t imes more a c i d i c
than neutr a l water ( pH 7 ) .
A s t h e map in f igure three shows , the
pH of the precip itat i on is d irectly re lated t o the locat i on o f
s ome o f the ma j or sources o f p o l lut ion
( se e F i g . J ) .
M A P OF T H E AVE R AG E p H O F T H E RAI N FA L L I N T H E U S .
F i g . 3. Ad apted f ro m : R a i n of Tro u b les
l
67
The E f f ects o f Ac i d Ra in
I n t h e L a n s i ng (M i ch iga n ) S t a t e J o u r n a l , r e p o r t e r K e v i n
O ' Han l on i nterv i ewed Jeanne Johns , one o f f our M i ch igan vo lun­
t e e r s in t h e N a t i o n a l Aud o b o n S o c i et y ' s C i t i z en A c i d R a i n
Mon itor ing Network .
Accord ing t o O ' Han l on , th i s Network has over
t h r e e h u n d r e d s t a t i o n s n a t i o nw i d e to m o n i t o r a c i d r a i n .
Ms .
Johns states " We are cons i stently under 5 here i n Lans i ng .
A
reading o f 4 i s not unusua l at a l l . "
I n the same art i c l e O ' Han l on warns , " I n the e a stern Un ited
States a bout 9 , 0 0 0 l akes are threatened and 3 , 0 0 0 lakes h ave been
a ltered by acid r a i n . "
He a l s o states , 11 2 1 2 l akes in N ew Y o rk ' s
A d i r o nd a c k M o u nt a i n s n ow a r e d e v o i d o f f i s h b e c a u s e o f a c i d .
Ac i d r a i n i s b l amed for the deaths o f 1 4 , 0 0 0 Canadian l akes and
w ith threaten ing or damag ing 3 0 0 , 0 0 0 more . "
A Ch icago Tr ibune February 2 0 , 1 9 9 0 , a rt i c l e , " Report :
Acid
rain causes less damage than feared , " summa r i z ed the f ind i ngs of
a bout 7 0 0 s c i ent i sts who met i n H i lton Head , S . C .
These s c i en ­
t i sts c l a im that " I n the U . S . f ewer than 1 , 2 0 0 lakes have bec ome
f u l ly a c id i f ied .
L i tt l e can l i ve i n them , and a c i d r a i n i s
most ly respons i b l e " ( no author 2 ) .
I n " The War Aga inst Ac id Ra in , " Robert Montgomery states
that the $ 4 . 5 b i l l ion Canad ian sport - f i sh i ng industry is in j eop­
a rd y b e c a u s e of a c i d r a i n 9 1 0 5 } .
M r . M o n t g om e r y c o nt i nu e s ,
" Environment Canada suggests that c leaning up a c i d r a i n ( reduc i ng
po l lut i on l eve l s to 1 8 pounds per acre per yea r ) i s worth nearly
He a l s o states , " The Con­
$ 1 b i l l i on annua l ly i n canada " ( 1 1 4 ) .
gress i ona l Res earch Serv i ce est imates that contro l l i ng a c id r a i n
i n t h e U . S . i s worth $ 5 . 5 to $ 8 . 2 b i l l i on annua l ly ( 1 1 4 ) .
I n A K i l l i ng Ra in by Thomas Paw l i ck , Mrs . Dona l d Strath , who
was born and r a i sed i n the Muskoka reg i on o f Canada one hundred
m i l e s north of Toronto , ta lks a bout her cottage on D i ck i e Lake .
She r e f lects that t h i rty years ago , when she and her husband
bu i l t the i r cottage , " I t used to b e a beaut i fu l s a ndy beach here .
But for the l a st f ive or s ix years it ' s gotten bad .
We get a l l
th i s d irty , s l imy , green ish muck i n our bay , a t h i ck s l ime that
turns i nto brown s ludge a round the mouth of the creek that f eeds
Mrs . Strath contacted the M i n i stry o f Natura l
the lake" ( 1 5 ) .
Resources a bout the s l ime , and a techn i c i a n was sent t o test the
l ake ( 1 6 } .
S ever a l weeks l ater Mrs . Strath rece ived a l etter ex­
p l a i n i ng that the s ludge cons i sted o f var i ous forms of a lgae i n ­
d icat ive o f increas ing a c i d ity o f lake water ( 1 6 ) .
A f f ected Lakes
Lakes whose watershed cont a ins l ime or other a lk a l i ne-based
mater i a l s have a h igh buf f er ing l eve l and are at a l ow r i sk f rom
a c id i f i ca t i on ( Pr i ng l e 3 2 } .
Lakes whose watershed is made up
l argely o f rocks such as granite , quart z ite , and quart z - s a ndstone
that res i st weather ing and are o ften covered by only a thi n l ayer
Ne ither the rocks , s o i l s , nor
of s o i l are at h igh r i sk ( 3 4 ) .
w a t e r s may c o nt a i n c a r b o n a t e s , b i c a r b o n a t e s , o r h y d r o x i d e s - ­
a lka l ine compounds that neutr a l i z e ac ids ( 3 4 } .
68
Ac i d i f i ca t i on Reversa l
I n R a i n· o f Troub l e s , Laurence Pr ing l e exp l a i n s h ow s c ien­
t i s t s h av e t r i e d l i m i ng as a m e t h o d t o r e ve r s e or s t o p t h e
a c i d i f i c a t i on proce s s in lakes ( 8 0 ) .
The country w ith t h e most
e xper i ence is Sweden .
The swede s have been add i ng l ime t o l akes
s ince 1 9 7 6 and have spent over s eventy- e ight m i l l ion do l lars on
the pro j ect .
H ow e v e r , t h e s e e x p e r i m e n t s h a v e m e t w i t h m i x e d
results .
I n s om e l a k e s i t w a s t o o l a t e t o s av e t h e f i sh
popu l a t i on ; i n others the resu l t s have had a p o s i t ive e f f ect on
the aquat i c l i f e ( 8 1 ) .
The Swedes f ound out that they were un­
a b l e to s av e a � l a k e i f it h a d p r o gr e s s e d t o o f a r in t h e
ac i d i f i c a t i on proce s s ( 8 1 ) .
S o lut ions to the Prob l em
The Ch i c ago Tr i bune on Fr iday , March 2 , 1 9 9 0 , i nc luded an
art i c l e , " C l ea n - a i r comprom i s e reached :
Mea sure wou l d h i t ' the
M i dwest state s hard " ( At l a s 1 ) .
" Pres ident Bush and S enate nego­
Th i s
t i ators have reached an agreement on c l ea r - a i r l eg i s l a t i o n .
l eg i s l a t i on . imp o s e s tough n ew em i s s i o n s t a n d a rd s ,
for
The
automob i l e s , wh ich w i l l beg in i n the 1 9 9 3 mode l year " ( 2 ) .
b i l l a l s o wou ld impose new requ irements on industry to r educe
e m i s s i o n s o f n e a r l y 2 0 0 c h em i c a l s l i n k e d to c a n c e r a n d o t h e r
hea l th r i sks ( 2 ) .
I n the Chi cago Tr ibune S aturday , March 3 , 1 9 9 0 , a f o l l ow-up
a rt i c l e exp l a ined that Midwestern r e s i dents w i l l have t o pay more
for cars and e l ectr i c ity as a result o f the p a s s age of the c l ean­
a ir b i l l .
S ome · o f the other so lut ions o f f er ed are nuc l e a r p ower
i n s t e a d of c o a l - f i r e d g e n e r a t i ng s t a t i o n s a n d 't h e u s e o f c a r
poo l s to cut down o n the number o f cars o n the road .
Accord ing to the Chicago T r i bune for Tuesday , March 6 , 1 9 9 0 ,
Senators Paul S imon and A l an D ixon ( I l l ino i s ) have j o ined w ith a
d o z e n o t h e r M i d w e s t e r n s e n a t o r s t o i nc l u d e t a x b r e a k s f or
ut i l it i e s i n the c l ea n - a i r b i l l ( At l a s 8 ) .
At l a s wr i t e s , " D i xon
said h e had . not decided whether to vote for the c l ea n - a i r b i l l
and s a id i t proba b ly wou l d result i n the l o s s o f ' thousands o f
j ob s ' i n I l l in o i s " ( 8 ) .
·
Conc l u s ions
Ac i d rain i s a very rea l and ser i ous prob l em .
The s o lut i ons
may be mor e expen s ive .
We need to u s e l e s s ga s o l i ne by par­
t ic ipat i ng in car poo l s .
W e n e e d t o u s e l ow s u l p h u r c o a l o r
n u c l e a r e n e r gy t o g e n e r a t e p ow e r .
And , w e n e e d t o w r i t e o u r
S enators a n d Congre s sman to p a s s tough c l ean a ir l aws .
If we
don ' t do s ometh ing to c l ean u p t h e a i r po l lut ion there won ' t b e
any further need--the l akes w i l l a l l b e dead .
Once the lakes die
I am n o t sure what we w i l l do for a water supp ly , perhaps we w i l l
l earn t o dr ink a c i d i f ied water , perhaps not .
I t i s u p t o e ach
indiv idua l to do h i s or her part in th i s f ight a g a inst a c i d r a i n
a n d t h e p o l luters who c a u s e it .
The consequences o f inact i o n a r e
too s evere to l et th i s go through another t e n year study .
69
Works Consulted
"Acid Ra i n . "
Encyc loped i a o f S c i ence a n d Techno l ogy .
At l a s , Terry .
" C l e a n - a i r compromi s e reached . "
March 1 9 9 0 , sec . 1 : 1 - 2 .
1 9 8 7 ed .
Ch icago T r i bune 2
At l a s , Terry .
" C l e a n - a i r b i l l s p l it s S enate by regions . "
Ch icago Tr i bune 6 March 1 9 9 0 , sec 1 : 1 . 8 .
Br igham , Mark E . Letter .
2 2 Ju ly :
7 2 6-7 2 7 .
Env ironmenta l Sc i ence and Technology
Brock , W i l l i am .
" Lake Mort a l ity . "
Bo z eman [Monta
' n a ) D a i ly
Chron i c l e 4 Apr i l 1 9 8 9 , ( No S ect i on ] .
Buben i ck , David v .
Acid Ra i n I n f orma t i on Book .
N ew Jersey :
Noyes Pub l icat ions , 1 9 8 4 �
P a rk R i dge ,
Gun s et , Georg e . " Comprom i s e b i l l shows c l e a n a ir won ' t be cheap . "
Ch icago Tr i bune 3 March 1 9 9 0 , sec . 2 : 1 - 2 .
Hanna , S t even R .
Techn o l ogy .
" A i r p o l lut ion . "
1 9 8 7 ed .
Encyc;::l oped i a o f S c ience and
I l l ino i s Department o f Energy and Natur a l Res ources .
D iv i s i on o f Energy and Env ironment a l A f f a i r s .
Baker , David .
" An a lys i s o f Acid Ra i n Cont r o l A lternatives . "
I LENR/RE-PA-8 7 / 1 7 1 9 8 7 October : 1 - 1 0 7 .
I l l in o i s Energy Resources Comm i s s ion .
E l l i s , Fred H .
" Ac i d
Ra i n :
Contro l Strateg i e s a n d Casts . " DOC Y 3 . En 5 7 .
8 : 9 8 4 . A2 March 1 9 8 4 :
1-4 9 .
Luoma , Jon R .
Troub l ed Sk i e s , Troub led Waters .
V i k i ng , 1 9 8 4 .
New Y o rk :
Me l l o , Robert A .
Last Stand o f the Red Spruce .
D.C. :
I s l and , 1 9 8 7 .
Wash i ngton ,
I
I
Montgomery , Robert .
February 1 9 9 0 :
" The Wa r Aga inst Acid Ra i n . "
104-12 7 .
B a s sma s ter
O ' Ha n lon , K ev i n .
" Lakes D r i f t i nt o Further Dang�r . "
Lans i ng [Mich igan) State Journa l 2 3 Jul ¥ 1 9 8 9 , ( No
s e c t i on ] .
Pawl i ck , Thoma s .
A K i l l ing Ra i n :
The G l oba l Threat of Acid
Precipi t a t i on .
S a n Franc i sco :
S i erra , 1 9 8 4 .
PC USA .
Computer S o f tware , PC G l obe ,
d i sk .
70
I nc . ,
1989 .
I BM ,
1 . 2 MEG ,
P r i ng l e , Laurence .
o f Acid Ra in .
Ra in o f Troub l e s :
The S c i ence and P o l i t i c s
N e w Y ork :
MacMi l la n , 1 9 8 8 .
Quay l e , Dan .
" The C l ean A i r Act Reauthor i z at ion Amendments o f
1 9 8 4 . 11
Congr e s s i ona l D iges t 6 4 February 1 9 8 5 :
4 5-4 6 .
Reiger , George .
9 4 June 8 9 :
" Matters o f Measure . "
13 -14 .
F i e ld and Stre am
" Report :
Acid r a i n causes l e s s damage than f eared . ''
Ch i cago Tr i bune 2 0 February 1 9 9 0 , s e c . 1 : 2 .
Art i c l e .
Ra l o f f , J .
" Ac i d Ra in :
Lowdown on Health o f Lakes . "
S c i ence News 1 3 5 2 0 May 1 9 8 9 :
311 .
Streeter , V i ctor R .
"Acid r a i n . "
Techno l ogy .
1 9 8 7 ed .
Encyc l oped i a o f S c i ence a n d
'
Wa lker , W i l l i am H .
" I l l i no i s Ground Water P o l lut i o n . "
Journa l
Amer ican Water Works Assoc i at ion 6 1 . 1 ( January 1 9 6 9 ) :
3 1-40 .
Webster ' s New Co l l egi ate D i ctionary .
1 9 7 6 ed .
The Eva luat ion :
Gera l d has wr itten a dense ly
deta i l ed report about a sub j ect o f persona l ,
nat i ona l , and g l oba l c oncern .
A s good reports
should be , h i s is obj e ct ive yet as urgent
as the subj ect requ ir e s , p o i nted i n i t s
statement o f quest ions need i ng answers ,
thorough ly researched , l og i ca l ly organ i z ed ,
carefu l ly documented , s ound i n i t s conc lus ions ,
and c l early wr itten .
71
My Grandma ' s Cedar Chest
by S i ster Sharon G in l ey
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 - -H i ckey )
The As s ignment :
Write an e s say d e s c r i b ing
s ometh i ng from your c h i ldhood that r ema i n s
important to you today .
Enhance your
descr ipt i on w i th s im i l e , metaphor
' , and
person i f icat ion .
When I was ten years o ld , I l ived in a two- story wh ite hous e
w ith l ight blue trim .
I t had three rooms on the f ir st f loor and
three bedrooms p lus a bathroom upsta irs .
In a sma l l room , on the
f ir s t f l oor , down a short , un l i t ha l l , across f rom the k itchen at
the front o f the hou s e was the d i n ing room .
A l ong one of the
wa l l s there were three l ong , narrow w i ndows that were as h igh a s
the c e i l ing an a s l ow a s the f l oor board s , tak i ng up a lmost the
ent i r e wa l l .
Light beige cur t a i n s were drawn open and h e l d in
p l a c e on e ither s ide of the outer two w i nd ows by a fat p ie c e o f
tan macrame c ord .
T h e w a rm s un ' s i nv i t i n g emb r a c e o f b r i ght
l ight was softly s h i n i ng l ike a r a i nbow through the g l a s s of the
w indows , mak i ng everyth ing i n the s l eepy room come a l ive beneath
its gent l e touch .
Even sma l l dust part i c l e s danced rhythm i ca l ly
t h r o u g h t h � a i r u n d e r t h e n a r row s p o t l i gh t s p r o j e ct ed b y t h e
sun ' s sens it ive rays .
Beneath the middle w i ndow pane , under the
sun ' s mag i c touch , an obj ect made of wood w ith its breathtaking
beauty was a spectacu lar s ight to beho ld .
I t was a s o l id , hand­
made , e l egant p i ece of f ine carved wood that had been f a s h i oned
i n s u c h a w a y t h a t it n e e d e d no s c r e w s or n a i l s t o h o l d i t
together , yet within i t s wooden wa l l s i t housed a sma l l part o f a
r i ch S l ovak cu ltur e :
trea sured items and memor i e s from the " o ld
country " that be l onged to my grandma and had been l e f t t o m e , her
f ir s t grandch i ld .
My mom c a l l ed the l ight brown ,
s l ight ly d i shwater b l onde
streaked wooden box a cedar che s t .
I l oved the f e e l of its wood ,
s o f t and smooth , s omet ime s quite s l i ck when I wou l d put t o o much
I l iked to run my f i ngers
l emon-s cented furn iture poi i sh on it .
a l ong its f i ne , hand- carved des igns of f l ower s , shapes , and s ome
th i n and fat squiggly l i nes .
A s o ften as I could , I wou l d take
a n o ld , beat-up rag , put a l ittle squirt of furni ture p o l i sh on
i t , a n d r u b it i n t o t h e w o o d u nt i l I c ou l d s e e m y s e l f i n i t s
s h i ny f i n i s h .
On other o c c a s i o n s , I wou l d j u s t r u b i t s wood
w i th out a ny p o l i sh on my beat-up o ld rag .
I wou l d even make sure
72
to
rub its th i n wooden legs , and its f eet rem inded me o f two
p a i r s of l i on ' s paws .
A fam i l i a r s ight wa s a l ong , s lender key ,
peek ing j ust a t iny bit out o f the wide key ho l e on the front
My mom ca l l ed it a ske l eton key , a s it
s id e o f the cedar chest .
wa s not fat l ike the other keys I had seen .
No matter how much
e lbow grea s e I used when I wou ld rub the key to get it c lean ,
never would i t shine br ight ly l ike the stars I wou l d s e e on a
c l ea r n ight .
Whenever my mom wou l d open the cedar chest f o r me , a s I was
t i ny for ten years o l d and not strong enough to l i f t i t s heavy
l i d , a s t r o n g , o v e r p ow e r i n g s c e nt o f c e d a r f i l l ed t h e w h o l e
d in i ng room .
I n s ide the chest there were a l l k i nd s o f interest­
i ng i t em s t h a t s p a r k e d w i t h i n m e a d e s i r e to k n ow a bo u t e a ch
p ie c e that bel onged to my grandma .
I mus t have a sked a m i l l ion
ques t ions as I s l owly and car e f u l ly pu l l ed out p ieces o f f ine
hand- s ewn , European- sty l e l i nens , embro idered ever so d e l i cately
with t i ny deta i l s , des igns , shapes , w ith the edg e s f in i s h ed i n
c o l ored threads o f l ight p i nks , greens , a n d b l u e s that f e l t s o f t
t o t ouch .
B e a ut i f u l t a n ,
be ige ,
a n d ' wh i t e t a b l e c l o t h s ,
crocheted with t i ny , t i ny st itches , were neatly f o lded t o one
s id e o f the chest .
One table c l oth was unf i n i shed a s i t s t i l l
h a d a s m a l l s i l v e r c r o ch et h o o k s t i ck i n g o u t f r o m i t .
F a n cy
homemade d o i l i e s and napk i n s that matched the tab l e c l oths were
trimmed w ith lace ; a f ew mu l t i c o l ored scarves were wrapped i n
t i s sue paper that w a s a l ready turning ye l low .
O n t h e very bot­
tom , wrapped neatly and t i ed with a green bow , was a med ium- s i z ed
cardboard box .
My mom handed me the box to open , and a s qu i ck ly
a s I could , I tore o f f the paper and opened the top o f the box .
Ins ide there was the prett iest dres s I had ever seen .
I t was
dark green , w ith a sma l l b l ack bow at the wa i s t ; the co l la r was
tr immed w ith wh ite lace .
I t was j ust my s i z e but I could not
It
wear it , a s it was o l d and beg inn ing to fray on the edge s .
had come a l l the way from the " o ld country " and w a s a dre s s na­
t ive to the v i l lage where my grandma grew up .
To my surpr i s e ,
t h e d r e s s w a s t h e e x a c t o n e t h a t s h e h a d w o r n a t h om e i n h er
I t was important to
country and had trea sured a l l those years .
I en­
her that I wou l d come to know s ome o f my S l ovak her itage .
j oyed s itting for hours with my mom go ing through the o l d cedar
ches t , never t i r ing o f the beauty w i th i n .
After I had v i ewed
every treasure , I helped my mom f o l d and p lace everyth i n g b a ck i n
the cedar chest a s neat ly a s I cou l d , unt i l t h e next t ime I wou l d
a s k to have it opened .
Everyth i ng
My mom cher i shed the cedar chest , and s o d i d I .
I had heard about my grandma I l oved , even though I never knew
The
her .
A l l that was hers I treasured , j ust a s my mom d i d .
cedar che st i t s e l f came from Orava , a sma l l v i l lage in the moun­
ta i n area of C z echo s l ovak i a where my grandma had been born .
The
c h e s t w a s h e r t r a v e l l i n g c o mp a n i o n w h e n s h e c am e t o A me r i ca
dur i ng the F irst Wor ld War .
She was a chi ld o f ten or e l even ,
when she cros s ed the wide , screaming ocean , a l one i n a t a l l s h i p ,
br ing i ng w ith her memor i e s o f her fami ly and a country she knew
she wou l d never see again , a l l tucked into a wooden trea sure box ,
a s I l iked to ca l l it .
I n a sma l l , dark nook in the c o l d att i c , the o ld cedar chest
s it s we l l on in age reta i n ing its beauty as I had known it in my
c h i l d h o od d e s p i t e t h e m a n y y e a r s o f w e a r a n d t e a r .
A l ight
73
b la nket o f dust l i e s on top o f the chest , wh i le cobwebs grace­
fu l ly hang from the underneath s ide , sway ing i n the bree z e that
e scaped from the outdoor s , and entered through the t i ny crack s
around t h e w i ndow frames .
I d id not take grandma ' s cedar chest
w ith me when I l e f t home many years ago ; it s it s a t my mother ' s
hous e , wa i t i ng to unfold its treasures and memo r i e s to another
ten-yea r - o l d ch i ld who w i l l l i sten to a l l it h a s to shar e .
Per­
haps when my n iece turns ten , the chest w i l l become a part o f her
l i f e a s it d i d mine , r evea l ing the beauty and the r i chness o f the
" o l d country " that was dear to my grandma .
The Eva luat i on :
S i ster Sharon u s e s evocat ive
descr ipt ive deta i l and f igurat ive language to
create a memorab l e rem i n i scence .
74
A Certa i n Respons i b i l ity
by Martha Harnack
( Engl i sh 1 0 1 -Honor s - - S imonsen )
The A s s i gnment :
Draw upon our readings o f P l ato ,
Bacon , Loren E i s e ley , and Stephen Gou ld to
deve l op your own idea s about na�ure .
T h e r e ' s a c h i l d r e n ' s p o e m , by R o b e r t L o u i s S t ev e n s o n , I
th i nk , o f wh ich I remember only two l in e s :
" The wor l d . i s s o fu l l
o f a n u m b e r o f th i n g s , / I t h i n k w e s h o u l d a l l b e a s h a p p y a s
k ings . "
Th i s j o y o u s w o n d e r a t t h e r i c h e s o f t h e w o r l d i s a
d e l i g h t f u l a t t i t u d e t o h a ve .
S om e h ow I ' v e b e e n f o r t u n a t e i n
having i nherited some o f that attitude , and I have a f irm b e l i e f
that we mu st b e aware , in a car ing way , o f the magn i tude o f the
g i f t s we have received .
A wor ld wh ich inc ludes l iv ing b e i ngs too
sma l l , too deep in the ocean , or too h i gh i n the mounta i n s to be
an everyday s ight , is a r i ch g i ft .
A wor l d wh ich conta i n s radio
wave s , l ight spectrums , and scents we can ' t d i s cern i s a n incom­
p rehens i b l e g i ft .
E l ep h a n t s , a n d amo e b a s , a n d f o r e s t s , a nd
mus i c , and f r i ends , are our s - - a l l the s e r i ches are our s , t o ap­
prec iate and protect .
Owner s h ip carr i e s with i t stewardsh ip .
Another say i ng , w i s e and poet i c , g ives an adu lt ' s understand ing
of the Stevenson poem :
Whatever befa l l s the earth be f a l l s the sons o f the earth .
Man d i d not weave the web o f l i f e ; he i s mer e l y a strand
in it .
Whatever he does to the web , he does to h imse l f .
- - N e z Perce Ch i e f Seatt l e ,
I
1854
O f c o u r s e , e v e n w i t h o u t t h e p r e s e n c e o r i nt e r f e r e n c e o f
humans , nature conta ins a great deal o f s e l f -destruct i on .
Every­
th i ng from the ma s s ive outburst of Mount St . He l en s t o the wear­
ing away o f stone by dripp i ng water is evidence of the p ower of
s e l f -de struct i on in nature -- s udden and start l ing , or s l ow and
p er s i stent .
As Loren E i se l ey described :
" I have seen a tree
root bur s t a rock face on a mounta in or s l owly wrench a s ide the
g a t eway o f a f o r g o t t e n c i t y
A k i nd o f d e s p e r a t e w i l l
r e s ides even i n a root . I t w i l l perf orm the eva s ive tact i c o f an
army , s l ow ly i nch ing its way through crev ices and hoard i ng energy
unt i l someday it swe l l s and a l ivi ng tree upheaves the heav i e s t
75
m au s o l e um " ( 4 6 8 - 4 6 9 ) .
A c t u a l l y , i n m a n y i n s t a n c e s , n a tu r e ' s
s e l f -destruct i 9 n should be a l l owed to happe n .
Forest f ir e s are
f r ight e n i ng and destruct ive , but they ' re a l s o construct ive i n a l ­
l ow i ng j ack p i ne cones t o open o r underbrus h t o b e burned o f f , s o
new growth can have room and sun for regenerat i o n .
I t ' s often
d i f f i cu l t t o know when humans shou ld interf ere i n a n e f f ort t o
" he lp " nature and when to le ave it a l one .
There ' s a l so a great capa b i l ity o f s e l f -h e a l ing i n natur e ,
a s new growth i n the burned forest , or the break i ng up o f an o i l
s p i l l b y t h e a c t i o n o f w i n d , i c e , a n d s un l i gh t , h a v e s h ow n .
However , w ith fast , f a r-reach ing trave l ava i l a b l e t o u s , we can
explore p l aces wh ich prev i ou s ly were inacce s s i b l e t o us - - wh i ch
means that we can , and do , damage even more f r ag i l e ecosystem s
wh i ch t a k e l onger to hea l .
We have a respons i b i l i ty t o l eave
t h o s e p l a c e s a s t h e y w e r e f o u n d - - u n s p o i l ed by u s .
Anothe r
s c i ence wr iter , a f avor ite o f m i ne , i s David Ra i ns Wa l l a c e who
wrot e ,
" S c i ent i f i c ev idence and s imp l e l o g i c both sugg e s t that
c iv i l i z a t i on cannot de face the p l anet w i th impun ity .
human
l i f e has changed immea surably in the past ten thous and year s , and
s ome o f these changes have led peop le to d i s s o c iate the i r l ives
from that o f the natura l world
" ( L i f e i n the B a l ance , 2 9 2 293 )
Nature , and that inc ludes us humans , argues G ou ld , " s imp l y
i s as w e f i nd i t " ( 4 8 6 ) ,
i n s p i t e o f o u r h um a n d e s i r e t o
a n t h r o p om o r p h i z e o t h e r k i n d s o f l i f e , o r t r y t o c o u n t e r a c t
n ature ' s ways .
The rea l e state deve loper s who bu i ld h omes o n a
Ca l i f orn i a mounta i n s ide , or condom i n imums o n the shores o f Lake
M i ch i gan , haven ' t yet f i gured out the fact that the f o r c e s o f na­
ture don ' t care how s i ncer e l y a buyer wants a good v i ew f rom the
Ed­
f ront w i ndow - - storms and er os ion w i l l have the i r own way .
win Way Tea l e , another much -admired nature wr iter , says in A W a l k
T h r o ugh t h e Y e a r ,
" Nature i s not f r i en d l y or even we l l ­
. If
i ntenti oned t oward the i ndiv idua l .
Nature i s neutra l .
there i s no comp a s s i o n , there i s a l s o no ma l i c e .
There i s o n l y
the work i ng o f natur a l laws " ( 9 0 )
Rea l estate deve l opers and peop l e who buy home s need to read
Bacon , and Gould , and E i s e l ey , to understand the i r part in the
web .
They need to f ee l , a s E i s e l ey d i d , a s trong s e n s e o f be i ng
Unf ortunate ly , a s E i s e ley ob­
a part o f the l ong parade o f l i f e .
s erved , " Bacon ' s second wor ld [ the wor l d o f techno l ogy ) is n ow so
much with us that i t rocks our concept i on o f what the natura l or­
der was , or i s , or in what sense it can be r e s tored " ( 4 7 0 ) .
A l l the home bu i l d i ng that has taken p l ace i n th i s area o f
northern Cook County over the past twenty o r twenty- f ive years
h a s had an i nterest ing but ea s i ly fore s e e a b l e impact on the na­
ture o f the reg ion .
When we f i rst moved here twenty- s i x years
ago , there was a lot o f open area , part l y f a rmed , partly w i l d .
There were deer , foxe s , woodchucks , raccoons , and opos sums - - t o
name o n ly a f ew o f the more vi s ib l e r e s i dents
l iv i ng where
Harper Col l ege and the hous ing deve lopments now stand .
Most o f
the w i ld creatures rema i n i n the area but have moved i nt o our
yards and , occa s i ona l l y , into our homes .
The opos sum I s aw one
day a s she crept s l owly through our yard , carry i ng her bab i e s o n
her back , was one o f an anc i ent spe c i e s .
Her k i nd are the most
p r i m i t ive o f the furred w i l d inhabit ants of north Ame r i c a , s eem­
i ng l y unbothered by the steady adva nce of humans i nto " the i r "
•
•
76
terr itory .
The raccoon that came down our f irep l a c e ch imney one
n i ght and c reated chao s throughout the house was one of the more
The woodchuck
c lever k i nd , a b l e to make a home a lmost anywhere .
t h a t h a s d u g a h o l e u n d e r t h e n e i gh b o r ' s b a c k p o r ch h a s a c ­
c l i m a t e d h i m s e l f t o l i v i n g among huma n s , a nd g r ow n f at i n
But not a l l wi l d l i f e can b e so adapt­
preparat i o n for w i nter .
a b l e , and has gone away , mak ing us poorer .
A l l o f u s i n ou r n e i gh b o r h o o d , n e a r S a l t C r e e k , h a v e a t
l east an a c r e o f l and , heav i l y wooded , a n d m o s t o f us have l eft a
port i on to grow w i l d so we have a better chance o f s e e i ng s ome o f
the b i rds a n d an ima l s to wh ich th i s l and a l s o be l ong s .
S tephen
Jay Gould would s ay that nature doesn ' t care how many b irds and
a n ima l s have_ a p l ace to l ive and thr ive , but I care because I
f ee l , a s E i s e l ey felt , a part o f the ong o i ng l i f e that i s here .
There were b irds and an ima l s and peop l e l iv i ng . here b e f ore me ,
a nd o t h e r s t h a t w i l l l i ve h e r e a f t e r m e , a n d I mu s t l e a v e a
p l e a s ant p l ace for the next inhabitants .
I t ' s a s important f or a
s ing l e f ami l y to take care o f its own sma l l env i ronment a s i t i s
f or a who l e country t o b e concerned about i t s forest s , lake s , and
As G era ld Burre l l put in A Pract i c a l Guide f o r the Amateur
l and .
Natura l i st , 1 1
it i s es sent i a l to keep the s e a c l ean , but it
is important not to po l lute the loca l pond " ( 3 0 7 ) .
Because we
have more capab i l i t i e s and more re sources , our part in the web is
a more respons i b l e part .
I n th i s persona l c::redo it ' s a bit d i f f icult to work Bacon
and P l ato i nto an argument without do ing what Bacon deprecated :
" The human under stand ing when it has once adopted a n
op i n i on .
. draws a l l thing� e l s e to support a n d a g r e e w ith i t "
( 4 04 ) .
However , h i s l ater statement - - " Ther e f or e , i t i s that we
cannot conce ive o f any end or l imit to the wor ld , but a lways a s
o f n e c e s s i ty i t o c c u r s t o u s t h a t t h e r e i s s om e t h i ng b e y o n d "
( 4 0 5 ) - - seems to me to f i t my f e e l ing o f be ing a part o f a b i gger
As far as
p icture , in wh ich I have a certa in respons i b i l ity .
P lato i s concerned , it seems to m e that I c a n i nterpret h i s ana l ­
ogy o f the p r i s oners who have es caped from the cave t o the rea l
wor l d in th i s way :
Tho se who have come to rea l i z e the neces s ity
f or humans to f u l f i l l the i r stewardship obl igati ons to the wor l d
must return to teach others the importance o f thos e ob l igations .
He says that " .
. the power and capac ity o f l earn i ng ex i st s i n
"
the sou l a l ready .
( 5 2 4 ) , so it seems we shou l d be a b l e to
understand the nece s s ity o f car ing f or our home p l anet , and l earn
new ways of counteracting the damage a l ready done .
The web i s not imperv i ous .
•
•
Works C ited
Bacon , Franc i s .
" The Four I do l s . "
A Wor ld of Ideas :
E s s ent i a l
Ed . Lee A . Jacobus .
Readings for C o l l ege Wr iters . 3 rd ed .
Boston :
Bedf ord Books o f St . Mart in ' s Pres s , 1 9 9 0 .
Ch i e f S eatt l e quotat i on .
Pra i r i e Wood s F lyer , Vo l . XVI , N o .
Pra i r i e Woods Chapter of Nat ional Audubon S o c i ety ,
Ar l ington He ights , I L .
November , 1 9 8 6 .
3.
Durre l l , Gera ld .
A Pract ica l Guide for the Amateur Natura l i st .
New York :
A l fred A . Knop f , 1 9 8 3 .
77
E i s e l ey , Loren .
" The Last Neandertha l . "
A Wor ld o f Ideas :
E s s ent i a l Read ings for Col l ege Writer s . 3 rd ed .
Ed . Lee A . Jacobus .
Boston :
Bedford Books o f St . Mar t i n ' s
Pres s , 1 9 9 0 .
Gou l d , Stephen Jay .
" Nonmora l Nature . "
A Wor ld o f Ideas :
E s s ent i a l Readings for Co l l ege Writer s . 3 rd ed .
Ed . Lee A . Jacobu s .
Boston :
Bedford Book s o f S t . Mart i n ' s
Pres s , 1 9 9 0 .
P lato .
" The A l l egory o f the cave . "
A Wor l d o f Ideas :
E s s ent i a l
ed . Lee A . Jacobu s .
Readings f or Co l l ege Wr iters , 3 rd ed .
Boston :
Bedford Books o f S t . Martin ' s Pres s , 1 9 9 0 .
Tea l e , Edw in Way .
A Walk Through the Year .
Mead & c o . , 1 9 7 8 .
N ew Y ork :
Dodd ,
Wa l l ace , David Ra i n s .
L i f e in the B a l ance .
Brace Jovanov ich , 1 9 8 7 .
New Y ork :
Harcourt
The Eva luat ion :
Martha Harnack ' s per s ona l
exper i ence s , read ing , and i n s ights produce a
strong argumentat ive e s say .
She chooses graph i c
det a i l s and apt quotes to i l lum inate her p o i nt s .
She wr ites w ith conv i ct i on and f e e l ing .
78
The Death o f Stefan G o l a b
b y Barbara H e i n z e
( Bus iness Eth i c s - - Stone )
The As s ignment :
Th i s n i ne-part a s s ignment
invo lved art i cu l a t i on of the student ' s mor a l
j udgment o n an i s sue p lu s a suppor t i ng
ph i l os oph ica l argument .
The paper had good
res earch , c l ear and re levant wr i t i ng , and a
strong argument for the mor a l j udgment .
I.
RELEVANT FACTS
An E lk Grove V i l l age company , F i lm Recovery S y stem s , I nc . ,
S t e f a n G o l ab , a n emp l oyee o f
u s ed cyan ide to recyc l e x-ray f i lm .
F i lm Recovery Systems ,
I nc . c o l l apsed and d i ed a fter i nh a l i ng
cya n i de fumes on February 1 0 , 1 9 8 3 .
Just one week b e f o r e h i s
death , Mr . G o l ab had requested a tran s f er t o another part o f the
p l ant to get away from the l arge vats of cya n i de he worked over
each day because he became naus eous and vom ited a lmost d a i ly .
F ive corporate o f f i c i a l s were i n d i cted on murder charges and the
f irm was charged w ith i nvo luntary man s l aughter .
The indi ctments
c h a r g e d t h a t the c o r p o r a t e o f f i c i a l s w e r e f u l l y a w a r e o f t h e
danger posed b y cond i t i on s i n t h e p l ant a n d that they f a i l ed to
provide workers w i th nece s s ary s a fety equ ipment o r t o i n f orm them
of the dangers of work i ng w i th cyan ide .
Dur i ng the cour s e o f the
inve s t igat i on of Mr . G o l ab ' s death , it was f ound that many F i lm
Recovery Systems , I n c . emp l oyees showed abnorma l it i es i n the i r
metabo l i sm o f s ome v itam i n s and i n thyroid funct i on when examined
A Cook County Hosp i ­
months a fter the p l ant had been shut down .
ta l s tudy , pub l i shed i n the Journa l o f the Amer i can Med i c a l A s ­
s o c i a t ion , noted that among 3 6 worker s exam ined , more than two­
thirds exh i b ited such cyan ide p o i son i ng symptoms as d i z z i n es s ,
naus e a , headaches and a bitter or a lmond taste i n the i r mouth s .
Dr . Pau l B l anc , who conducted the study , s a i d that such heavy
cya n i de exposure i s vi rtua l ly unheard o f i n modern t imes and that
to f i nd other reports of s imi lar exposure , it was necessary to
r e f e r to med ica l l iterature f rom 8 0 years ago .
When the a ir at
the F i lm Recovery systems , I nc . p l ant was te sted the day a fter it
was shut down , it was found to conta i n 50 percent more cyanide
than government standards a l l ow . ( Van , 13 Feb . ' 8 4 ) .
Dur ing the tri a l , a s a l e swoman test i f i ed that she had un79
succ es s fu l l y tr i ed to s e l l add i t i ona l s a f ety gear t o the o f f i ­
c i a l s o f F i lm Recovery Systems , I nc . a f ter enter i ng the p l ant
twi c e t o service a sma l l med i c i n e cabinet and becom i ng nauseated .
She test i f i ed that the odor i n the p l ant was overpower i ng , r e s em­
b l ing the odor o f ammo n i a and that i t burned the eyes , nose and
thro a t ( W i t n e s s .
. 2 0 S ep t . ' 8 4 ) .
A l s o d u r i n g the t r i a l ,
three f ormer p l ant workers tes t i f i ed that the p l ant ' s p o i s onous
fume s f requent ly made them i l l and that they pract i ca l ly had no
s a f ety gear .
One o f the three tes t i f ied that the cya n ide s o lu­
t i on tised t o extract s i lver frequent l y caused b l i sters o n h i s
hands wh ich were only protected by c l oth g l oves ( G i bson 1 5 Apr .
' 85 ) .
When S t e f an G o l ab c o l l ap s ed at the p l ant on February 1 0 ,
1 9 8 3 , i nvest igators f ound l eve l s o f cya n i de i n h i s g l oves that
wou l d be fata l to any human b e i ng ( Do l d 2 0 Apr . ' 8 5 ) .
Many o f the p l ant workers were i l l eg a l imm igrants who d i d
n o t comp l a i n about work ing cond it ions becau s e they f eared l o s i ng
the i r j ob s .
Thes e workers were never t o l d that they were work ing
with cya n i de or t o l d about the h a z ards o f work i ng w ith the chem i ­
ca l .
O n e worker test i f ied that h e a n d t�e other workers i n the
p lant were once g iven spec i a l s a f ety masks that wou l d protect
them from the fume s .
He s a i d th i s was done because s a f ety i n ­
spectors were expected at the p l ant .
He a l s o s a id the masks were
used only for that day and were never seen aga i n in the p l ant
( G i b s on 1 6 Apr . ' 8 5 ) .
Another worker te s t i f i e d that he wa s shown
a rubber - and- g l a s s mask and was t o l d t o i nd icate t o i nves t igators
that he wore the ma sk .
He was a l so urged t o t e l l the i n spectors
that he su f f ered from on ly m i l d headaches and not t o report that
he o ften was d i z z y and vom ited a t the p l ant ( G ibson 10 May ' 8 5 ) .
A f ormer bookkeeper for the company t es t i f i e d that two com­
pany o f f i c i a l s t o l d her not to te l l others that the p l an t was
u s i n g cya n i d e .
She was i nstructed not t o u s e the work '' cya n ide , "
b u t t o c a l l i t a " c h e m i c a l " i n s t e a d ( Mu m .
3 May ' 8 5 ) .
Another emp l oyee , a l so te s t i fy i ng at the tr i a l , s a id that h e s aw
other emp l oyees burn o f f the sku l l -and-cros sbones l a be l s that
marked cont a i ners of cyan ide at the p l ant ( Do l d 18 Apr . ' 8 5 ) .
An O SHA i n spector test i f ied that the company was f i ned for
s ever a l v i o l a t i on s dur i ng an inspect ion a fter G o l ab ' s death , i n ­
c lu d i ng not prov i d ing emp l oyees with proper s a f ety masks , g l oves ,
t r a i n i n g and an ant idote f o r cyan ide p o i s on ing ( G ib s o n 8 may
I 8 5 )
•
II .
GOVERNMENT ACTION
Three o f the f our corporate o f f i c i a l s were f ound gui lty o f
murder .
Th i s wa s the f i rst t ime i n the U n i ted States that a cor­
porate o f f i c i a l had been conv i cted o f murder i n a j ob - r e l ated
death .
The execut ives were a l s o conv i cted o n f ourteen counts o f
reck l e s s conduct stemm i ng f rom i n j u r i e s t o other workers d i s ­
covered dur ing the cour se o f the i nvest igat i on .
F i lm Recovery
Systems , I n c . a nd Meta l l i c Market i ng Systems , I nc . , wh i ch owned
ha l f the F i lm Recovery Systems , Inc . stock , were f ound gu i l ty o f
invo l untary man s l aughter a n d f ourteen counts o f reckl e s s c o nduct
( G ib s o n and Mount , 1 5 Jun . ' 8 5 ) .
The s e ver d i c t s w i l l have f a r
reach i ng e f fects on protect i ng peop l e from emp l oyers w h o know­
i n g l y exp o s e the i r workers to dangerous cond i t i on s that could
lead t o i n j ury or death .
Many l aw experts fee l that the impact
80
o f th i s c a s e o n t h e bu s i n e s s w o r l d w i l l b e g r e a t .
Emp l o y e r s
cou ld b e h e ld crimina l ly respons i b l e for the j ob r e l ated deaths
of the i r emp l oye e s .
The execut ives were s entenced t o 2 5 years
each for the murder conv i ct i ons and were f ined
$ 1 0 , 0 0 0 each and
s entenced to an add it i ona l year for each of the f ourteen counts
of reck l e s s conduct .
The two corporat ions were f ined $ 1 0 , 0 0 0
each and a n add i t i o n a l $ 1 , 0 0 0 for each o f the f ourteen counts o f
reck l e s s conduct ( Barnum , 2 Ju l .
' 85 ) .
The ma j or controversy
seems to be i n the i nterpretat i o n o f the l aw .
Under I l l ino i s
l aw , a person doesn ' t have t o i ntend the consequences , but only
the a c t i o n .
However , attorneys for F i lm Recovery systems , I nc .
c l a i m e d t h a t i n o r d e r t o b e c h a r g e d w i t h m u r d e r , i t mu s t b e
proven that Stefan G o l ab ' s d e a t h was know i ng l y a n d i ntent iona l ly
caused , that merely f a i l i ng to do someth i ng i s not enough .
In
January , 1 9 9 0 the I l l i no i s App e l late Court overturned these ver­
d i cts and ordered a new tr i a l , but the c a s e was taken to the I l ­
l in o i s Supreme Court ( Nenni , 2 0 Jan . ' 9 0 ) .
I n Apr i l , 1 9 9 0 , the
I l l i no i s Supreme Court l et stand the Appe l l at e Court ' s ru l i ng
overturn i ng the murder conv i ct i o ns ( Whee ler , 5 Apr . ' 9 0 ) .
III .
MORE
FAC T S
A pub l i c op in ion co lumn i n the Detr o i t Free Pre s s a sked i f
murder was too harsh a charge f or negl i gent emp l oyer s .
An over­
whe lming 8 0 percent of those who ca l l ed in s a id no ( Murder .
1 Ju l . ' 8 5 ) .
There i s a greater pub l i c perc ept i o n o f hea l th and
Th i s c a s e has put Corporate
s a f ety h a z ards in the workp lace .
Ame r i c a on not i c e that they mu st take s ome respons i b i l i ty for
emp l oyee sa f ety .
The o f f i c i a l s o f F i lm Recovery Systems , I nc .
d i d not f e e l a t a l l r e s p on s i b l e f or the we l l - be i n g o f the i r
emp l oyees .
They made n o spec i a l prov i s i on s for the 9 0 percent o f
the ir emp loyees who d i d not speak o r read Eng l i sh .
IV .
TWO
MORAL
JUDGMENTS
One mor a l j udgment i s that what the executives of F i lm
Recovery Systems , Inc . d i d was wrong .
When the o f f i c i a l s o f th i s
company made the cho i ce to u s e a potent i a l ly l e th a l chem i ca l ,
they took on the r e spons i b i l ity o f i n forming the i r emp l oyees o f
the danger and o f i n struct i ng them i n sa f ety procedures { G ibson
and Mount , 15 Jun . ' 8 5 ) .
Accord i ng to the test imony g iven at the
t r i a l , the executives o f F i lm Recovery Systems , I n c . d idn ' t treat
t h e i r w o r k e r s l i k e h um a n b e i n g s , but l i k e a n y o t h e r p i e c e o f
equ ipment neces sary t o get the j ob done .
They d i dn ' t bother t o
exp l a i n to t h e workers what cya n i de w a s or what i t cou ld do t o
them .
They d i dn ' t bother to teach them how to reduce the i r r i sk
of i n j ury .
They d i dn ' t prov ide them w i th the nece s s ary s a fety
equ ipment to protect them from the r i sk s .
The s i lver that came
out of the f i lm was more important to them than the peop l e .
Another mora l j udgment i s that the o f f i c i a l s o f the company
d i d n o th i n g w r o n g .
They f e l t that they d id n o t put the ir
emp l oyees i n any danger , that the emp l oyees were t o l d what they
needed to know and that they wer en ' t respon s i b l e to the emp l oyees
f or anyt h i ng more ( G i bson , 10 Mar . ' 8 4 ) .
They proba b ly f e lt that
the peop l e work i ng at the p l ant shou ld have a l ready known what
cy a n i d e i s a n d t h a t it c a n be d a n g e r o u s or t h a t i f t h e y f e l t
81
s ometh ing m i ght be dangerou s , but weren ' t s ur e ,
the respons ib i l ity for f i nd ing out thems e lves .
V.
FACTUAL
they shou l d take
REASONING
In support of the mor a l j udgment that what the execut ives
of F i lm Recovery Systems , I n c . did was wrong , I be l i eve that the
worker s at the p l ant had a r i ght to be treated l ike human be ings ,
and a s such the i r we l l being shou ld have been more important than
the r ecovery of s i lver .
The se peop l e were most ly imm i grants from
other count r i e s who d i d not understand the Eng l i sh l a nguage very
we l l .
Th i s put an extra burden on the emp l oyer because the se
peop le cou ld not a lways read a s ign or under stand a conversat ion
about cyanide .
Many o f them had no idea what cya n i d e was o r what
it cou ld do to them .
Because of the ser i ou s n e s s of the po s s i b l e
consequence s o f working w i th cyan ide , the emp l oyer h a d a r e spon­
s ib i l ity t o make sure the workers at least knew how t o work with
i t at the l ea s t po s s i b l e r i sk t o themse lves .
I n support o f the other j udgment , accord i ng t o the attorney
f o r F i lm Recovery Systems , I nc . , dur ing the three years the p l ant
wa s i n operat ion , no emp l oyee ever f i l ed a comp l a int w i th state
a u t h o r i t i e s a b o u t c o n d i t i o n s in the f a c t o r y .
A l s o in May o f
1 9 8 2 , i ndependent sa fety consu l tant s gave the p l ant a c l ean b i l l
They contend that the p l ant was
o f health ( G i bson , 1 0 Mar . ' 8 4 ) .
r u n a s s a f e l y as i t n e e d e d to be and t h a t n o o n e c omp l a i n ed
before th i s inc ident and that Stefan G o l a b ' s death w a s j us t an
i s o l ated acc ident that had noth ing to do w i th the way the p l ant
was run .
VI .
S P EC I F I C
MORAL
JUDGMENT
I be l i eve that what the execut ives at F i lm Recovery Sys­
tems , I nc . d id was wrong because the emp l oyees had a r ight t o
w o r k i n a s a f e env i ronment wh i ch t h e emp l oyer shou l d be r e spon­
s ib l e for prov i d ing and wh ich was not provided i n th i s c a s e .
I
f e e l that the se peop le had the r ight to earn a l iv ing f r ee f r om
l etha l ha z ards .
They shou ld have been a b l e to go t o work and not
be s i ck or suf fer burns .
They shou ld have had the f r ee cho ic e a s
t o whether or n o t they wanted t o r i sk the i r hea l th at the s e j obs ,
a nd to make such a cho ice they needed comp l ete and true i n f orma­
t i o n , wh ich they d i d not rece ive .
VII .
DEFENSE
OF
MORAL
JUDGMENT
The o f f i c i a l s of F i lm Recovery Systems ,
Inc .
s a i d that
they d i d provide s a f ety equ ipment and that the emp l oyees knew
what they were work i ng wi th and that it wa s n ' t the emp l oyer s '
r e spons ib i l ity to do any more .
However , more than one emp l oyee
t es t i f i ed that they did not know what they were work ing w i th a nd
that s a f ety equ ipment was not provi ded for them .
A f ew even t e s ­
t i f i ed that they knew o f peop l e who had a sked to b e t r a n s f erred
away from the cyan ide vats because o f the nauseat i ng fume s , in­
c lu d i ng S t e f a n G o l a b h ims e l f .
I f wh a t they w e r e d o i n g w a s
enough , then why d i d a man d i e and others become i l l ?
Human l i fe
i s much more va lua b l e than gett ing s i lver out o f used x-ray f i lm !
Ther e f o r e , what they d i d was wrong bec ause they d id not do enough
82
•
t o e nsure the sa f ety o f the ir worker s and treated them a s a means
t o an end w i thout any regard for the ir hea lth , s a f ety or w e l fare .
VII .
G ENERAL
MORAL
S TRATEGY
Kant ' s categor i c a l imperat ive says , in part , that peop l e
should never b e treated a s a "means to a n end , " but a lways a s
" ends . "
Th i s means that :
" Each human b e i ng shou l d be treated a s a be ing
whose exi stence a s a free rat i o n a l person
should be promoted .
Th i s i nc ludes two th ings :
1 ) respect i ng each person ' s freedom by
treat i ng peop l e only a s they have freely
consented to be i ng treated beforehand and ,
2 ) deve l op i ng each person ' s cap a c i ty to
f r e e ly choose for h im or hers e l f the a ims he
or she w i l l pursue .
To treat a person o n l y
a s a means i s to use the person on ly a s an
i nstrument f or advanc i ng persona l i nterests
and i nvolves ne ither respect f o r , nor
deve l opment. o f , the person ' s cap a c ity to choose
freely . "
( Ve l a squez , 1 9 8 8 )
Th i s vers ion o f Kant ' s categor i c a l imperat ive imp l i e s that peop l e
a l l have an equa l qua l i ty that makes them d i f f erent f rom t o o l s
a n d m a c h i n e s a n d wh i c h m a k e s i t w r o ng t o ma n i p u l a t e t h em t o
s at i s fy the s e l f interest o f others .
T h e w o r k e r s a t F i lm
Recovery Systems ,
I n c . were dec e i ved about the r i sk s o f the ir
j obs .
Kant f e l t that everyone is o f equa l va lue .
I f th i s i s
t ru e , t h a n n o o n e p e r s o n h a s t h e r i g h t t o t a k e a w a y a n o t h er
person ' s human va lue i n order to advance the i nterest o f others .
The workers at F i lm Recovery Systems , I n c . were u s ed to r ecover
s i lver from f i lm with no regard for the i r hea lth , s a f ety o r w e l ­
fare .
The worker s were not free to pursue a hea l thy l i fe i f they
chose to because the i r emp l oyers d i d not g ive them a l l the f a cts
a bout the i r j obs ; therefore they cou l d not make such a cho ice .
The emp loyers subj ected the workers t o very dangerous hea lth
r i sks without mak i ng sure the emp l oyees knew about the r i sk s and
could make an i n f ormed dec i s ion a s to whether or not they wanted
to take tho se r i sks .
A l l of the th ings that happened a t F i lm
Recovery Systems , Inc . are tota l ly aga i nst Kant ' s categor i c a l im­
perat ive .
IX .
WEAKNE S S E S
OF
MORAL
ARGUMENT
I f e e l the weakest area of th i s paper i s that much o f the
i n f ormation I f ound to base my mora l j udgment o n i s very one­
s ided .
I cou ld not f i nd much i n the d e f e n s e o f the emp l oyer i n
th i s case .
Everyone s e emed
Not o n e art i c l e wa s i n the i r f avor .
to f e e l that what happened at the p l ant wa s the emp l oyer ' s fault
and i t wa s j ust a matter o f them b e i ng f ound gu i lty o f murder or
a l e s s er charge .
I th ink th i s makes my argument weak because
there is ba s i ca l ly n o argument from the other s ide of th i s i s sue .
I c o u l d t h i nk o f n o g o o d a r gument a s t o why t h i s w a s n ' t t h e
emp l oyer ' s fault .
83
On the other hand , the fact that i n the end , the c ourt
overturned the murder convict i on , I th i nk weakens the stand that
what they d i d was wrong .
That makes it seem as though the court
s aw th i s as more of an industr i a l -type a c c i dent , and not r e a l ly a
mor a l i s sue .
B i b l i ography
Barnum , Art .
" 2 5 years f or death on the j ob . "
2 July 1 9 8 5 .
Ch icago T r i bune
D o l d , R . Bruce .
" Ex-worker says f irm ma sked cya n ide per i l . "
Ch icago T r i bune 2 0 Apr i l 1 9 8 5 .
G ibson , Ray .
T r i bune
" 3 0 to be tested i n cya n i d e c a s e . "
2 1 October 1 9 8 3 .
Ch icago
" Factory execs to go on tr i a l for murder . "
T r i bune
10 March 1 9 8 4 .
Ch icago
" 3 test i fy cyan ide fumes made them i l l . "
Tribune
15 Apr i l 1 9 8 5 .
Ch icago
" Foreman t o l d me to l i e a f ter man ' s death , worker
test i f i e s . "
1 0 May 1 9 8 5 .
Ch icago Tr ibune
" P l ant reeked o f cyanide , worker says . "
Tr i bune
16 Apr i l 1 9 8 5 .
" P l ant p l ayed down cyan ide ,
T r i bune
8 May 1 9 8 5 .
Ch i cago
inspector says . "
Ch icago
G ib s o n , Ray a nd Cha r l e s Mount . " 3 f ormer execut ives gu i l ty
i n cyan ide death , " Ch icago Tribune
1 5 June 1 9 8 5 .
" Jo b S a f ety Becomes a Murder I s sue . "
1984 : 23 .
" A Murder Verd ict Jolts Bu s i ne s s . "
198 5 .
· " Mum was the word on cyanide :
3 May 1 9 8 5 .
Bus i n e s s Week
Bu s i n e s s Week
Worker . "
6 August
1 July
Ch icago T r i bune
Nenn i , Pete .
" Landmark murder conv i c t i on s overturned . "
Da i ly Her a l d
2 0 January 1 9 9 0 .
The
Van , Jon .
" Cyan i de s t i l l shadows workers at E l k Grove p lant ,
study says . "
Chicago Tr i bune . 1 3 February 1 9 8 4 .
Ve l a sque z , Manua l A .
Bus iness Eth i c s - Concepts and Case .
2 n d ed i t i on , 1 9 8 8 : 9 2 - 9 3 .
" Upset o f exec ' s murder conv i ct i on s i s
Whe e ler , Char l e s N .
5 Apr i l 1 9 9 0 .
uph e l d . "
Ch icago sun T ime s
84
" W i t n e s s says f irm c o o l to s a f ety p itch . "
S eptember 1 9 8 4 .
Chi cago T r i bune
The Eva luat i on :
The paper had good r es earch ,
c l ear and r e l evant wr i t ing , and a strong
argument for the mora l j udgment .
85
20
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·, .7
Lost Fr iendsh i p
b y John H o s t l er
( Eng l i sh 1 0 � - - Sternberg )
The A s s ignment :
Wr i t e a personal narrative
that exp l ores one o f your f a i lure s .
=
)
/
Three years ago I had a f r i end .
She wa s not my best f r i end ,
but a f r i end nev�rthe l e s s .
Her name wa s L i s a .
We met i n a h igh
s c h o o l art c la s s and k i nd of h i t if o f f r ight from the start .
We
d id n ' t h i t it o f f becau sE? we we:re phys ica l ly attracted to each
other , but j ust becau s e we shared common v i ews .
I t s e emed strange to a l l my o�her f r i ends th�t I wou ld even
t a l k to th i s g i r l at a l l .
She was , as my p a l s wou ld s a y , of a
d i f f erent breed .
I wa s a preppy ath l ete and she w a s a hardcore
punker .
Ac:: c ord i ng to my 11 rea l :t;r iends , 11 peop l e from the s e groups
j us t d i dn ' t m i x .
We l l , we d i d m i x .
She and I got a l ong f amou s ly .
A s i de from
t h e w a y we l o o k e d , w e w e � e r e a l l y qu i t e a l i k e .
We c o u l d s it
We
through a rt c l a s s without even thinking a bout our a rtwork .
wou l d j ust ta lk a nd ta lk .
You name i t , we ta lked about i t .
L i s a and I both p lqyed soccer , and we cou ld babb l e o n and o n
u
about pro matches or how crappy the h igh s cho o l team wa s .
We
both had over ly protect ive parentp a n d w e cou l d art i cu l at e ta l e s
Ne ither o f u s had brothers
o f .masterf�l con-arti stry over them .
or s i sters s o we wou ld constant ly t a lk about the wond e r f u l s po i l s
Most important ly though , we shared dark
o f b e i ng a n only ch i ld .
secrets about our past .
I was an ex-a l coho l a buser and s h e wa s a
recover ing drug add ict .
She c ame to our scho o l d irect l y from a
rehab i n Cq l i forn i a .
I � lw a y s k n ew w h e n I w a s f e e l i n g d ow n o r i n s e c u r e a bo u t
mys e l f , r cou ld go to L i s a .
We both had one c ommo n bond that
s eparated us from many o f our peers and she was the o n ly one that
I c o u l d t a l k to a bo ut my a l c o h o l i sm .
I c o u l dn ' t t a l k t o my
gu idance coun s e lor , my par�nts , or even my g i r l fr i end a t the t ime
about th i s b l ack h o l e in my l i fe .
L i s a d i dn ' t c ry , she d i dn ' t
l augh , and �he d i d not get d i s appo i nted i n me .
She j us t t a lked .
She he lped make the wor ld an a l l r ight p l ace t o be .
86
We
Over the course o f a few months we became good f r i ends .
weren ' t " I ' l l - ca l l -you-over-the-weekend- s o - w e - c a n - d o - s om e t h i n g ­
f r i en d s , " b u t w e w e r e " l - e a n - t r u st-you-and-te l l -you- imp o rtant­
th i ng s - f r i ends . "
I t seemed l ike a good r e l at i onsh i p for both o f
u s , b e c a u s e w e b o t h k n ew w e w e r e f r om s e p a r a t e g r o u p s a n d w e
r e a l ly couldn ' t b e s een together outs ide o f schoo l .
One day I was in the locker room chang i ng when s ome pumped­
up s t e r o i d user came charg i ng in and y e l led , " Two dyke b itches
are outs ide i n the ha l l k i s s i ng ! "
We a l l dr e s s ed as qu i c k ly a s
pos s ib l e a nd stormed out i nto the ha l l t o get a g l imp s e o f the
specta c l e .
I was pr imed and ready to be a n a s s l ik e I w a s sup­
posed to be to anyone that wasn ' t i n my group , espec i a l ly i f it
was a l e s b i a n k i s s ing her g i r l f r i end i n the h a l l .
0
,,
I w a s awestruck , though , when I s aw L i s a rather than the
face l e s s , name l e s s dyke I thought it wou l d be .
A l l my " budd i e s "
I left .
I no l onger spoke
started to shout out name s and j eer .
to L i s a in pub l i c or pr ivate .
I to ld mys e l f over and over that I
wasn ' t t a l k i ng to her because I was angry that she never shared
t h i s w i th m e .
I r e a l l y j u s t d i d n ' t w a n t a ny o f my p o p u l a r
fr i e nds t o hear that I was a s s o c i a t i n g w i th a l e s b i a n .
1
We eventu a l ly graduated and I never s aw L i s a aga in .
I often
��·
C"·:
w o n d e r i f i t w a s w o r t h d e s t r o y i n g a f r i e n d s h i p t o p r o t e c t my
� , .\) popu l a r ity w ith a group o f peop le I wou ld never s ee aga i n i n my
l i fe .
I t wasn ' t worth i t .
I ' m sorry , L i s a .
The Eva lua t i on :
Mr . H o s t l er does what many o f u s
w i sh w e cou ld do- -make a pub l i c apo l ogy to a
f ormer f r i end now l o s t becau s e he cho s e
s e l f i sh l y .
S imp l e , s i ncere , and regret fu l .
87
The Crad l e W i l l Fa l l
by cynth i a s . Hub b l e
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 - -H i ckey )
The Ass ignment :
Wr ite an e s say descr i bi ng
s ometh ing from your ch i ldhood that r ema i n s
important to you today .
Enhance your
descr ipt i o n w ith s im i le , metaphor , and
person i f i ca t i on .
There comes a t ime i n l i fe when we must face the inev i t a b l e
fact that there i s no turn i ng back .
L i f e moves on a s econd a t a
t ime , wa i t i ng for no one , leaving us to reap what we have s own ,
o r f o r c i ng u s t o move o n w i t h o u r l i v e s , p r e f e r a b l y w i t h o ut
r egret s .
L i f e has a l s o b l e s sed us with the capab i l ity t o capture
a m o m e n t i n t i me a n d r e p l a y it a s m a ny t im e s a s w e a r e a b l e .
S ome ca l l th i s l iving in the past , but I ca l l i t memory , o r a
menta l V . C . R . , i f you w i l l .
Unfortunate l y , my ment a l V . C . R . d i d
n o t come w ith a l i fet ime guarantee .
S omehow when I was younger ,
I th i nk I was l e a n i ng on the scan button o f my r emote contr o l ,
caus ing my memory to b lur throughout my ch i ldhood .
A lthough i t
s e ems I went from my stro l l er to a b i cy c l e i n t h e b l i nk o f a n
eye , I st i l l reca l l a moment when I paused to make a very spec i a l
f r i end :
my dogwood tree .
I f I were to rew i nd the tape o f my l i f e a s far back a s I can
r emember , I wou ld be about f ive years o ld .
L ike most other f ive­
year-o l d s , I was a carefree , innocent , and forg iving l it t l e g i r l
who treated l i f e as one f andango .
G r ow i n g u p i n K e nt ucky
provided me w ith wh i s p i ng b l ades o f green gra s s t o r omp a r ound
i n , l ively gras shoppers to j ump af ter , and cotton- candy c l ouds to
dream about .
One day a s I was romp i ng around , j ump ing and dream­
ing the way a carefree kid is supposed t o , I not i ced the per fect
I t s drawbr idge wa s an
c a s t l e f o r my k i ngdom :
the dogwood tree .
invit ing , s l ender trunk that grew on a s l ant .
From i t s trunk ,
l engthy branches sprouted out everywhere ,
and they were a rmed
w ith such beaut i f u l wh ite f l owers that they para l y z ed a ny of its
T h e t r e e s t r et c h e d , w h a t s e e m e d t o b e i n ­
v i ew e r s w i t h awe .
f i n it e ly h igh , s o h i gh that I thought i t might be j us t short o f
88
t i ck l i ng the sky .
I wanted to touch that e lu s ive ocean o f b i rds
and ra i nbows so much that I snagged onto the l owest branch and
proceeded t o c l imb d i l igent ly t o the top .
When I was l ooking
down that day , everyth i ng f e l t so serene .
I d i dn ' t know that
l i f e wou ldn ' t stay that way forever .
How c.o u l d I, have know that l i f e was g o i ng to throw a curve
b a l l a nd l � a v e me s t ru c k o u t o n h o m e p l a t e ?
H o w c o u l d I h a ve
known these days o f sunsh ine a n d sm i l e s were re a l ly o n l y the
forecast o f t h e stormy weather t o come?
How cou l d I have known
any of t h i s when I had a fr iend l ike my dogwood?
Every day when
the noon sun poured down l ike a hot shower , I wou l d run to the
she lter of my dogwood .
Not on ly d i d I escape the grasp of the
sun ' s rays , but I a l so m i s sed out on a f ternoon naps :
Mom wasn ' t
coming up and I wasn ' t c l imb i ng down .
I ' d s it up there i n the
treetop and l i sten to i t s stor i e s by read i ng its wr i nk l e s from
t im e .
T h e t r e e t o l d m e o f t e r r i b l e s t o r m s t h a t s h o ok i t s
branches into such a fren zy that they dropped a l l the f l owers .
I t a l s o t o l d me o f a t ime when one o f i t s l imbs wa s weak and Dad
Being up there a l l owed me t o spy o n the Taylor
had to amputate .
boys , who p l ayed f r i sbee in O l d Man K i rkwood ' s yard wh i l e h e sat
d r u nk o n h i s p o r ch s w i n g .
S om e t i m e s w h e n I f e l t d ev i l i s h , I
W ith
wou l d drop nut sh e l l s down on my unexpect i ng l it t l e s i ster .
a tree l ike that , I only had to take one day at a t ime and there
was n ' t any t ime for worr i e s .
When I turned seven I w i shed I had looked a l it t l e further
ahead to n o t i c e that not everyone wa s as f u l l o f j oy as I was .
Had I been more obs ervant ! I wou ld have not iced that my p arents
were grow i ng apart , and , had I l ooked further ahead , I wou l d have
s e e n t h e t r a g e dy t h a t wa s a b o u t to s l a p me i n my n a i ve f a c e :
d ivorce .
F e e l i ng a l o n e a n d c o n f u s e d , I r a n t o t h e t r e e , my
c r a d l e , a nd it c om f o r t e d me l i k e an o l d f r i e n d .
E v e r yt h i ng
s e e m e d s o w r o n g a n d u n s t a b l e e x c e p t f o r my t r e e , wh i c h s t o o d
there a s though noth i ng had happened .
One t ime I got mad because
it j ust stood there mock ing me- - s o mad that I k i cked it hard and
knocked away some bark , leaving one more scar that i t bore for
me .
A n o t h e r y e a r z o omed by .
I h a d m a n a g e d t o w i t h s t a nd t h e
fears and p a i n s o f seven , and graduated into the s evere depres­
s i o n of e i g h t .
Now wh e n I l o o k e d a t my t r e e , i t s e e m e d t o
r e f l ect my very s ou l .
I t s once-proud l imbs hung l ow , s ending
cry ing s i lk wh ite pet a l s tear i ng down into pudd l e s beneath the
. tree , forc i ng it t o rema in dark and c o l d l ike my heart .
I s aw
the tree , not a s my imperme able cast l e , but a s a s anctuary that
echoed my s ecret wants and my de sperate prayers that wou l d n ever
be wh i s p e r e d .
My p a r e n t s d i v o r c e d a n d my m o t h e r , s i s t e r ,
brother , and I moved here to suburb ia , where I am surrounded by
I
concrete patches and a square yard with a c l ean c l o s e shave .
can ' t help wonder i ng about my f r i end the dogwood a nd hope that
some other ch i ld f ound him too .
Yes , I can hear my dogwood now ,
w h i s p e r i n g s t o r i e s a b out me wh e n I t o o c l i m b e d a r o u n d s o
care f ree .
I can see the i nnocent f ire o f cur i o s ity burn ing i n
the youngster ' s eyes , a l l the way up t o the p o i nt when i t can
burn no more and she i s forced to des cend , shed d i ng her ch i l dhood
in o ld dogwood ' s branches the way I d i d so long ago .
..,
89
The Eva lua t i on :
C i ndy ma int a i n s a d e l icate ba l a nce
bet�een her dua l perspectives a s i nnocent ch i ld
and ins ightful &du lt .
Her imaginat ive f igures o f
speech v i v i fy her descript i on .
90
Two Aspects o f Are s :
Lover and Warr ior
by Laur i e Hus s i s s ian
( Huma n i t i e s 1 2 0 - C l a s s i c a l Mytho l ogy - - S imonsen )
The A s s ignment :
Wr ite a r e search paper on a top i c
i n c l a s s ica l mytho l ogy .
Exam ine anc i ent concept ions
o f a Greek god and show how later th i nkers ,
wr iters , or art i s ts have interpreted that god .
O f a l l the Greek gods and godd e s s e s o f O l ympu s , one god ,
Are s , s e ems t o have occup ied a rather begrudged pos it ion i n the
eyes of the Greek peop l e s thems e lves .
As the god o f war , Are s
was treated w ith scant respect by the c l a s s i ca l Greek wr i t er s .
Later i nterpreters o f the myths have a l s o g iven the war god less
than adm i r a b l e representa t i on , p erhap s j us t l y .
Are s was usua l ly
seen a s a god to scorn and r id i cu l e , and was often dep i cted a s a
buf f oon .
Th i s was most probably because the gods i n gener a l were
much r espected f or wi sdom and cun n i ng in war , two t r a i t s Ares d id
S in c e the
not p o s s e s s i n h i s bu l ly ing and savage persona l ity .
god o f war seems to have been imported f rom Thrace , the G reeks
may h ave been mak i ng soc i a l commentary on the barba r i c manners o f
f o r e i gners .
C l a s s i c a l l iterature pres ented Are s i n two d i s t inctly d i f ­
ferent l ight s - - a s a bel l ow i ng , b l oodth ir sty s o ld i er ,
and a s a
w e a k , f o o l i s h l ov e r .
B o t h s c e n e s c l e a r l y m a d e a r i d i cu l ou s
f igure o f the god- - i rra t i ona l in the f irst instance , s i l ly i n the
Quattrocento and l ater Rena i s s ance art i st s a l so dep i cted
s econd .
Ares a s a rather o f fens ive character , wh i ch is i ndeed i nterest­
ing , s i nce Ares a s the Roman warr ior god Mars e l i c it ed honorable
respect and devot i o n from the m i l itary and c i t i z enry o f a nc i ent
Rome .
Both the wr i t i ngs and artworks that concern them s e lves
w ith Are s prove he was a s phys i ca l ly appe a l ing a s the rest of the
O lymp i a n s - -beaut i f u l in form w i th the strength t o match .
But
the s e two character i s t i c s a l one p l aced Are s w i th i n the c ir c l e o f
immort a l s - - i n w i sdom , cunn ing and honor , Are s w a s obv i ou s l y l ack­
ing .
Sandro Bott i ce l l i ' s p a i n t i ng Mars and Venus reca l l s no par­
t i cu lar myth- - a nude Mars ( hereafter Are s ) rests , apparent l y in
d e ep , e xh a u s t ed s l e ep , wh i l e V e n u s ( Ap h r o d i t e ) i s a l e r t a n d
watchfu l .
Obv i ou s l y a tryst between the l over s , the scene ' s in­
t e r e s t , a c tu a l l y l i e s not in the t w o r e c l i n i ng f i g u r e s t h e m 91
s e l ve s , but i n the act i ons o f the baby s atyrs i n the upper por­
t ion o f the background .
One s atyr wears the war god ' s h e lmet ,
wh i l e one o f h i s companions s trugg l e s w i th weaponry . Peeking from
The war god
w i th i n Are s ' abandoned brea stp l ate i s another s atyr .
h im s e l f i s o bv i ou s l y u n a w a r e of t h e m o c k e ry t h e m i s ch i ev o u s
s atyrs make o f h i s occupat ion .
Are s ' s phy s i c a l s ituat i o n i s a l so
i nterest ing i n that a s the god o f war , he shou l d be ever caut i ous
Here , Aphrodite i s the watch f u l
and d e f en s ive , wary and a l ert .
o n e , w h i l e A r e s l i e s e x p o s e d a nd h e l p l e s s .
T h e g od ' s v e r y
r e l a x ed a n d s l ack att i tude suggests no strength .
A war r i o r a n d
s o l d i e r wou l d at a l l t imes be in control o f h i s surround i ng s ;
Are s s e ems contr o l led by the natura l ly weaker woman , Aphrod ite ,
and s o l o s e s power t o phy s i c a l l ove .
The e p i c poem · The Odys s ey o f fers another examp l e o f Are ' s
The bard D emodocus s ings
f oo l i sh behavi or i n the face o f l ove .
the l ove of Are s and Aphrod ite , about how the s cheming Ares wa i t s
for an opportun ity t o v i s it h i s l over i n Hephae stu ' s a b sence .
The l overs enj oy themse lve s , become entrapped by the smith-god ' s
n e t , a n d a r e s u rp r i s e d by H e p h a e s tu s ' s r e t u r n w i t h t h e o t h e r
" I l l' deeds never prosper ;
O l ymp i a n s .
The words a r e spoken :
swi ft a fter a l l i s outrun by s l ow ; here i s Hephaestus the s l ow
and cr ipp led , yet by h i s cunn ing he has d e f eated the swi f t e s t o f
a l l O lymp i an gods .
334) .
The weaker , l ame
" ( Homer VI I I :
god makes a f o o l of the much str onger Are s , and by h i s w i t s a l one
Once aga i n , the stronger i s over­
is a b l e t o shame the war god .
come by the weaker .
Are s ' s p l i ght s eems an envious one t o the
a s s emb l ed ma l e gods ; h i s fear l e s s and b l oodth i r s ty image greatly
tarn i shed , yet the O lymp i ans each w i sh Ar e s ' s pos i t i o n were the i r
own !
Are s a s a r omant i c and s ent imenta l l over i s a l s o r i d iculed
by a Roman poet , Ovid .
I n h i s works on l ove , Ov i d exp l o r e s the
nature and v irtue o f love and beauty .
We l l aware of the bruta l
and war - l ike nature o f Mar s , ovid wr ites :
What
i f Venus shou ld snatch the arms o f f a i r- h a i r ed
M inerva ,
What i f M inerva should fan torches o f l ove into f l ame?
Who wou ld approve it if Ceres ru led on the r idg e s of
woodl and ,
T i l l ing the f i e ld s that l aw gave t o D iana f o r h er s ?
H ow w o u l d Apo l l o l e a r n t o b r a n d i s h a s h a r p - p o i nt e d
spear- sha ft?
Wou ldn ' t Mars l ook a f o o l stumb l ing the Orphean lyre?
(I:
7-12 ) .
Th i s very brash and ruth l e s s nature o f Are s i s most c l ea r ly
descr i bed i n The I l i ad .
Are s , f ight ing i n the Tro j an War on the
s ide o f the Tro j ans , does i n s p i r e the f i ght i ng men to pres s on
and to be l i eve that v i ctory w i l l be the i r s .
H i s very presence on
t h e b a t t l e f i e l d g i v e s t h e T r o j a n s s tr en g t h a n d c on f i d e nc e .
ovid ' s po i nt , then , i s c l ear :
Mars i n any gu i s e other than that
of a s o l i der wou ld be r i d i cu l ous .
Are s w a s seen by the Greeks a s murderou s , b l oodsta ined , and
ruth l e s s :
the " ·
. incarnate curs e o f morta l s " ( Hami lton 3 4 ) .
A r e s f o u g h t f o r t h e s a k e o f d e s t ru c t i o n ; o n l y c a r n a g e a nd
b loodshed gave h im p l easure in batt l e .
He k i l led ruth l e s s ly and
92
w i thout p i ty , so much so that even h i s own f ather Z eus hated the
s ight o f h i s son .
But a s f i end i sh a s Ar e s and h i s batt l e f i e l d
comp a n i on s Phobos ( " pani c " ) a n d De imos ( " fear " ) were , Are s f l ew
t o O l ymp u s w i th wh i n e s wh e n w o u n d e d o r b e s t e d ( H a m i l t on 3 4 ) .
Strange then , that the terr i b l e war god ran a s a coward when op­
p o s e d by t h e g o d d e s s At h e n e .
N o t so s t r a ng e to t h e G r e ek s ,
however , because Ares d i d not match Athene i n w i s dom and strategy
in batt l e .
Athene and Are s f ought on oppos ing s id e s and for d i f ­
f erent r e a s ons i n the Troj a n War :
Athene f or t h e l oya lty and
honor that the Greeks represented , and Are s for the l ove of Aph­
r od i t e a n d d e s t r u c t i o n .
I n The I l i a d , wh e n t h e f o r c e o f t h e
batt l e s e ems t o g o aga i n s t the Greeks , Athene i n s p i r e s D i omedes
t o attack Are s , then wounds the war god hers e l f .
Homer r e l a t e s :
D i omedes then lunged , a nd P a l l a s Athene drove the spear
into the pit o f Are s ' s stomach where h i s b e l t o f ma i l
went round h im .
There D i omedes wounded h im , t e a r i ng
h i s f a i r f l esh and then draw i ng h i s spear out aga in .
Ar e s roared a s l oudly a s n i ne or ten thousand men i n
the t h i ck o f a f i ght .
. so t�rr i b l e was t h e c r y h e
r a i sed . ( V :
8 3 6 -4 2 )
I t i s interest ing that Homer u s e s the word " f a i r " t o descr ibe
Are s ' s body .
Perhaps the poet i ntends more with that word than
t o phys i c a l ly dep i ct Are s .
Homer then r e l at e s how Are s , i n great
p a i n , presents h ims e l f i n a l l haste at the throne o f O lympus .
I n sp e ct c l os e l y the p l e a of the war god :
Father Z eus , are you not angered by such d o i ng s ?
We
gods are cont i nua l ly s u f f e r i ng i n the most cru e l manner
at one another ' s hands wh i l e help ing morta l s ; and we
a l l owe you a grudge for hav ing begotten that mad ter­
magant o f a daughter , who is a lways committ i ng outrage
of some k i nd .
. had I not run f or i t I mus t e i ther
have l a in there for l ong enough i n t orment among the
gha s t l y corps es ,
or have rema i ned a l ive but w i thout
strength through the b l ows of a spear .
(V:
8 7 1-8 8 5 )
The immorta l wh ines and cries over s u f f er i ng s , wh i l e f orgett i ng
h i s greatest p l e a sure i s in the pun i shments and s u f f e r i ng o f mor­
The t a b l e s turned , the war god comp l a i n s that Athen e ' s ac­
tals .
t i ons aga i n s t h im are outrageous and crue l .
I t s e ems that Are s
fee l s i t i s j us t to wh ip mort a l s into murderous f r en z i e s a g a i n s t
one a nother , y e t t h e very wrath he campa igns f or i s too much for
even the f i erce war god to face .
Are s speaks o f the outrage P a l ­
l a s A t h e n e comm i t s , y e t t h i n k s n o t h i ng o f t h e c a r n a g e a nd
b l oodshed i n f l i cted by h i s own hand .
He then comments h i s s itua­
t i o n wou ld have been most grave i ndeed had he not " run away " f rom
the very destruct ion he so l oved .
Z eus the f ather answers :
Do not come wh i n i ng here , S i r Facing-both-way s .
I hate
you wor st o f a l l the gods i n O l ympus , f or you are ever
f ight i ng and mak i ng mi s ch i e f .
Y ou have the i nt o l e r a b l e
(V:
8 8 6-889 )
a n d stubborn s p i r i t of your mothe� .
93
...
What might Zeus be s ay i ng here about h i s own son Are s ?
C l early
he does not l itera l ly mean Are s " f aces both way s " but , that wh i l e
Are s d e l i ghts in the bloodshed and destruct ion
h e caus e s , at
heart h e r e a l l y is but a coward , and Z eus and the O lymp i a n s know
and desp i s e th i s .
Later , demand ing revenge for the l ives o f h i s
s o n s a n d c omp a n i o n s , A r e s s t o r m s f r om t h e h a l l s o f O l ympu s .
Athene f o l l ows , and by force d i sarms h im , s ay i ng , " Madman , you
are undone ; you have ears to hear with and that i s a l l ; you have
. " ( XV :
102-104 ) .
Ares
l o s t a l l j udgment and under stand ing .
was once aga i n undone by a f ema l e , p erhaps weaker phys i c a l l y , but
much stronger menta l ly and much w i ser .
One artwork wh ich depicts Are s 1 s b l i nd rage i s Venus w i th
Mars Pun i sh i ng Cupid by the Ita l ian pa i nter Manfred i , dated 1 6 0 5 10 .
Th i s work shows a b l ind f o l ded Cup i d be ing wh ipped by a very
intense Are s .
It is not c l ear what Cup i d has done to i nfur iate
the war god , but Ares goes about the bus in e s s o f pun i s hment w i th
v i c i ous stroke s .
Aphrodite gent ly p l eads w ith h im t o c e a s e a s
h e r doves , the birds o f peace , f ly away , start l ed b y the r e l ent­
l e s s manner o f Are s .
Aga in , the war god shows no compas s i on or
a b i l i ty t o l i s t e n and r e a s o n p a t i e n t l y w i t h a c l e a r m i nd ; t o
cause harm and p a i n i s a l l h e knows .
Th i s i s Are s 1 s s ame at­
b l i nded by rage , he s e e s no other
t itude on the batt l e f i e ld :
manner in wh i ch to conduct himse l f .
Are s a s the Roman war god Mars occup ied a revered p o s i t i on
i n the Roman Pantheon .
As the f ather o f Romu lus and Remus by the
V e s t a l V i r g i n R h e a S i l v i a , Ma r s w a s c o n s i d e r e d t h e g r e a t e s t
d iv i ne statesman next to Jup iter .
A s patron o f the state , h e was
gre a t l y honored by the army o f Rome , ow ing to the war l ike nature
o f the nation .
T h e i mp o r t a n c e o f M a r s i n R o m a n c u l t u r e a nd
s o c i ety was most c l ea r l y understood i n that h e was cons idered to
be the f ounder o f the Roman race .
O r i g i na l ly a n agr i cu l tura l
d e i ty , Mars gave h i s name t o the month o f March ( Mart i u s Mens i s ) ,
Thus i t i s
and was a sked to protect the peop l e and the i r f i e ld s .
easy to r ecogn i z e the stature and p o s i t i on o f Mars and t o under­
stand h i s importance in Roman s o c i ety .
The o bv i ous d i f f erence between Ares and Mars i s that one was
seen a s savage yet r i d i cu l ous , and the other was seen as war l ike
yet r espectab l e .
To the Greek s , however , the godd e s s Athene was
c l e a r l y Ar e s ' better in bat t l e .
For the G r e e k s h o n o r e d a nd
r e sp ected w i sdom and cunning i n war above sheer s trength , and
A r e s c omma n d e d no r e s p e c t in e i t h e r o f t h e s e two a tt r i bu t e s .
Are s r epres ented a l l th ings foo l i sh in m i nd l e s s d e struct i on , and
the manner in wh ich the war god was dep i cted in c l a s s i c a l l i tera­
ture by Greek wr iters supports this r epresentat i o n .
Works C i ted
Hami lton , Ed ith .
Homer .
The I l i ad .
Squar e , 1 9 6 4 .
Mytho l ogy .
New Y ork :
L i tt l e ,
Trans . Samu e l But l er .
The Odys s ey .
Trans . Walter Shewr ing .
Univers ity Press , 1 9 8 0 .
94
1940 .
New York : Wa s h i ngton
Oxford :
Oxford
Ovi d .
The Art o f Love .
Trans . Ro l f e Humph r i e s .
I nd iana Univer s i ty Pre s s , 1 9 5 7 .
B l oomington :
Laur i e wr ites w i th f l a i r and
The Eva luat i on :
conf idence .
The cur ious and com i c dep ict i ons o f
the Greek god o f war a r e carefu l ly presented and
we l l supported .
95
S edgw i ck ' s B ig S core
by Rebecca Hyl and
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 --Sternberg )
The As s ignment :
mora l .
Create a f a b l e that l ea d s t o a
I n S a n F r a n c i s c o t h e r e i s a s ma l l p a r k c a l l ed M a c A r t hu r
Park .
I t prov ides vegetat ion a n d s h e l ter for a sma l l f am i ly o f
squ i rre l s .
The was a Mama , a Papa , and three bab i e s .
The o ldest
w a s n a m e d P e t e , the m i d d l e o n e wa s n a m e d T h e r e s a , a n d t h e
younge s t o n e w a s named S edgw i ck .
Pete w a s t h e most inte l l i g ent
of the three k i d s - - a r e a l go-getter .
He a lways h e lped Papa go
h un t i n g f o r nu t s , a l w a y s h e l p e d Mama s w e e p up t h e e m p t y n u t ­
she l l s , a n d even he lped Papa construct the i r new n e s t a ft e r the
o l d o n e w a s d e s t r o y ed ( s ome b o r ed h um a n s ch o o l b o y s v i o l e n t l y
h u r l e d p e b b l e s a t i t o n e f a l l a f t e r n o on ) .
T h a t w a s a m o st
traumat i c day in the l i f e o f the Ma cArthur s qu i rre l s ; i t was a l so
the day S edgw i ck wa s born .
S edgw i ck was troub l e r ight f rom the
H e never h e lped around the nest , never l i s t ened t o h i s
start .
parents ; he j us t sat i n h i s room a l l day and l i stened t o s i ck ,
" Why can ' t you d o s ometh i ng a bout
demented Ch ipmunks records .
t h a t b o y ? " Mama p l e a d e d .
But P ap a d i d n ' t h a v e a n y a n s w er s .
Rather , h e pref erred to pretend that S edgwi ck d idn ' t e x i s t and
wou l d change the sub j ect with " Gu e s s what me and Pete d id t oday? "
S edgw i ck a lways acted l ike he d i dn ' t care a bout anyth i ng or
anyone , l ea s t of a l l h i s father .
The truth was that he d idn ' t
care about h ims e l f ; he f e l t worth l e s s i n the shadow o f Pete ' s
r a d iant " good boy " h a l o .
He was insane ly j ea l ous o f Pete and the
S e d g w i ck
way g o o d t h i n g s s e em e d to j u s t f a l l i n t o h i s l a p .
w a s n ' t dumb by a n y m e a n s ; h e w a s j u s t d i f f e r e nt a nd h a d d i f ­
f icu lty f ind ing an out l et or any apprec i a t ion f o r h i s t a l ents .
A s a resu l t , he never got anywhere i n the " norma l " wor l d no mat­
ter h ow hard h e tr i ed .
S o he created an escape - -The D i s c i p l e s of
the Forest .
T h e D i s c i p l e s o f t h e F o r e s t w e r e a g a n g c o n s i s t i ng o f
S edgw i ck , Roger " Ramj et " Robi n , Chuck i e " Ch e e s eh e a d " Ch ipmunk ,
" Cramp s " Crow , and Secret Squ irrel from the squ i rre l c l an o n the
other s ide of the park .
I t was sort o f a nove lty t o ca l l them­
s e lves D i s c ip l e s of the Forest- - i n rea l ity they l ived in a t iny
s l iver of land in an over - i ndust ra l i z ed c i ty .
But the name f it ,
a s the who l e purpose beh ind the D i s c i p l e s , what banded a l l these
96
m i s f it creatures together was the i r creat ion o f a home away f rom
home- -a n ether e a l and ma j e s t i c forest where they r e igned over a l l
other l i f e f orms .
For a l l the i r t ough t a lk and att i tud e , they
were rea l ly a l l r ight k ids who j ust f e l t l one ly and confused .
A l l they rea l ly wanted was somewhere where they f e l t l ik e they
b e longed .
The only bad thing they d i d was the s ource o f these
That ' s r i ght , they
v i s i ons o f ether e a l and ma j e s t i c k i ngdoms .
did drug s , a l l k inds .
Usua l ly they burnt oak or e lm leaves ( as a
r e s u l t o f a l l the smog and p o l lut ion in San Franc i s co , the l eaves
But s ome­
of the trees in the i r park had turned h a l luc i nogen i c ) .
t ime s , if they were lucky , they could s core s ome p o l l en f rom the
o l d l a dy ' s garden a f ew b l ocks away .
There were a l l k inds o f
mag i c powders t o b e f ound there :
tu l ip p o l l en , d a i s y p o l l en ,
chrys anthemum p o l l en , or , the sweete s t o f the sweet , moonbeam
Every day they ' d s l eep t i l l noon , then l eave t h e i r
l i ly po l l en .
n agg i ng , cr i t i c i z ing fam i l i e s beh ind and meet at the i r d e s i gnated
turf underneath the concrete park bench in s earch o f the i r next
h igh .
S edgw ick was the des ignated l eader o f the D i sc ip l es ; h e was
the one who organ i z ed meet ings , got in contact with the p o l len
dea l er s from the other parks across town- -the overa l l '' t ough guy "
a nd b y f a r t h e s m a r t e s t D i s c i p l e .
O n e d a y S e d gw i ck g o t s om e
g r e a t news from T h e D i s c i p l e s ' po l l en dea l er :
He had gotten h o l d
o f a bumper crop o f moonbeam l i l i e s .
Th i s caused the who l e gang
t o s h r i ek w i t h j o y a n d e x c i t e d a n t i c i p a t i o n .
They had a big
p arty that n i ght w i th Luc i f er Larry , the i r dea l er , and h i s gang ,
The Lords o f B l a sphemy .
The D i s c ip l e s a l l got a b i t too s i l ly on
the i r l i l i e s , and were thrashed to a bl oody pulp by The Lords o f
B l a s phemy , who had bu i l t u p a n incred i b l e t o l erance t o t h e stu f f .
The Lords then proceeded to ransack the ir homes and d i smember
the i r fami l i e s .
The next morn ing S edgw ick awoke w ith a j ump .
The who l e l i ly
The
party and result ing massacre turned out to be j us t a dream .
dream made h im rea l i z e . that lead i ng a gang of d e l i nquents was not
the way to be ; that maybe h i s parents nagged h im because they
c a r e d a b o u t h i m a n d w e r e c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e downwa r d s p i r a l
towards o b l ivion that h i s . l i fe had become .
" Oh , man ! " S edgwick
thought t o h ims e l f , " I ' l l never t ouch them k i l l er l eaves aga i n ! "
H e k e p t h i s w o r d a nd b e c am e a f i n e , u p s t a n d i ng m e m b e r o f t h e
H i s Mama beamed with pr ide , . Pete and There s a were s o
forest .
h a p p y t o h a v e h im b a c k in t h e f am i l y , a n d h i s P a p a c o u l d n ' t
A year later ,
b e l i eve what a wonderful son he turned out t o be .
h e even led the forest ' s annual " S ay No to P o l l e n " parade .
The Eva lua t i on :
Ms . Hy l and has moderni z ed a n
o l d story form w ith a n up -to-date sub j ect
and a sharp sense of humor .
97
A Freewr i t i ng Response to Kather i ne Mans f ie ld ' s
" The Garden Party "
by Ann e Ka i der
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 --Dodds )
The A s s i gnment :
Do a focused freewr i t i ng a bout
Kather i n e Man s f i e ld ' s " The Garden Party . "
Choo s e a character from the story o r i t s s ett ing
What d i d you l ik e
and exp l a i n your respons e s .
or d i s l ike? What memo r i e s or as�oc i a t i on s
d i d your read i ng tr igger?
How are y o u l ik e
or unl ike the story ' s character s ? Wha t
Don ' t p l a n what you ' l l
que s t i on s do you have?
s ay .
Don ' t censor your remarks .
Don ' t
correct your m i stake s .
Press your s e l f t o
exp l ore t h e story a n d your r e spons e s .
The Garden Party d i dn ' t s e em r e a l to me .
Laura and her f am i ly
were l ike characters i n a story , wh i ch , I guess , i s wha t they
are !
But what I mean i s that they d i dn ' t s eem t o me t o be o f too
much value i n l e arn i ng about l i f e because they d idn ' t s e em to
portray any part o f l i fe rea l i st i ca l ly .
Laura made me t ir ed the
way she was constant ly run n i ng here and there .
She " f l ew " she
" sk immed , " w e l l , I cant th i nk of any more examp l e s but I ' m sure
there are some .
She s eemed hyperact ive to me !
Anyway , I d i dn ' t
understand the way she reacted to death .
I know its suppo s ed to
m e a n t h a t s h e f i n a l l y r e a l i z e s t h e r e is m o r e to l i f e t h a n
part i es , etc , but I couldn ' t s e e that t o o we l l .
I t s e emed t o me
that she took the exper ience and j ust had t o f ind s ometh i n g good
in i t , l ik e the mans peaceful l ook , so she cou ld f it it into her
own wor l d where noth i ng bad happened .
I mean , she d i d f e e l bad
and try t o stop the party and i t ' s too bad she cou ldnt have f o l ­
l owed u p o n that fee l i ng .
I t was a start anyway .
But I don ' t
t h i nk the death t aught her that much .
I t h i nk f a c ing the w idow
in the k i tchen d i d much more .
I t s e emed a fterward that h e r who l e
v i s i t was a s ort o f adventur e but I dont know that i t changed her
that much .
She says that she h a s no c l a s s consc i ousness but she
is wrong , of cour s e .
When she is w i th the workmen a nd t akes a
b i t e , o f her s andw i ch , t o be more l ike the i r k i nd o f person she
r emi nded me o f . . . . I cant remember h i s n ame , but it was a story
we read in a c l a s s once .
Where the boy a nd h i s mother s i t near a
b l a ck l ady and her ch i ld on the bus and the mother has a hat l ike
the b l a ck woman .
The story where the b l ack l ady punches her be­
cause she o f fers the l itt l e ch i l d a c o i n .
Anyway , the son it
98
that story de l iberat e ly sat next to a b l ack man t o show the wor l d
that h e wasn ' t pre j ud i ced , a s we l l a s to irr itate h i s mother o f
Th i s i s the same th ing Laura does when she t r i e s t o show
cour s e .
that she i s j ust l ike a work ing g i r l and doesnt th i nk h er s e l f
bette r .
I t ' s a sort o f overcompensat i on f or f e e l i ng s that you
have but dent l ik e having , I gues s .
I f you are aware of i t at
I t ' s actua l ly a f orm o f prej udice i n i t s e l f , maybe .
all .
I d i d l ike s ome parts o f the s tory part i cu l ar ly , l ike the part
when Laura gets o f f the phone and not ices the a i r dr i f t i ng here
a n d t h e r e a nd the b e a m s o f l i ght on s e v e r a l o b j e c t s .
That
r em i nded m e o f some t imes when I w a s l itt l e and we l ived i n a
br i ck two f l at i n Ch icago and we used to l eave the k itchen door
o p e n i n t h e s umm e r , and th e w i nd o w s in the l i v i n g r o om f or a
cros s dra f t a s we d idnt have a i r cond i t i on ing .
The bre e z e going
through the house was j us t l ike Laura descr i be s .
And the sun
wou l d at cert a i n t imes land r i ght on the l ampshade next t o the
couch i n a l itt l e beam j ust l ike the l it t l e spots of sun l i ght
Laura not i c e s .
I used to put my hand in i t to see i f it wou ld
burn a ho l e i n my hand l ike it was supposed t o do i n paper if you
r e f e ct ed the beam o f f a m i rror .
T h e r e w e r e a l o t o f m e n t i o n s o f f l ow e r s i n t h e s t o r y a n d t h e
party i t s e l f i s compared t o a f l ower ' s c l o s i ng i t s peta l s when
i t ' s over .
Im . not sure what that i s suppo s e d to mea n , but I
gue s s i t h a s to d o w i th the b e auty and p e r f ect i on o f Laura ' s
fami l y .
I dent th i nk i t s a good compari son i f that ' s i t because
f lowers are beaut i ful , but they are a l s o not a s frag i l e a s they
I worked for s ever a l years a s a f l o r a l des i gner and d i s ­
s eem .
c o v e r ed t h a t f l ow e r s a r e r e a l l y much m o r e s tu r d y t h a n I e v e r
thought .
Laura ' s f am i ly i s t o o sha l l ow and weak t o be compared
to f lowers o f any k i nd .
They are more l ike co l ored con f e t t i than
a f l ower .
The Eva luat ion :
Al though Anne has wr itten " o f f
the top o f her head , " s o t o speak , she has
exp l ored in s i gn i f i c ant d i rect ions .
She
move s from immed iate react i on to soc i a l
ana lys i s , l iterary compar i s on , per sona l
memory , specu l at ion , and j udgment- - a l l with
no forethought or p l ann i ng .
She has produced
a r a n g e of i n s i gh t ,
f e e l i ng , v i v i d l a ng u a g e ,
and
ev idence that she might u s e i n a more f u l ly deve l oped ,
t ight ly organ i z ed , c l o s e ly reasoned , and
carefu l ly po l i shed p i ece of pub l ic wr i t i ng ,
l ike a thes i s - support e s say .
99
The ir Eye s Were Watch i ng God :
de B ig Convent ion o f Liv i n '
by L i s a Kaufman-Lindahl
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 -Mott l a )
The As s ignment :
Eng l i s h 1 0 2 research paper
Love i s a funny t h i ng ;
Love i s a b l o s s om ;
I f you want your f i nger b i t :
poke i t a t a possum .
( o ld A f r i c an-Amer ican
f o lk rhyme , f rom Dus t
Tracks on a Roa d )
Thes i s :
Jan i e Mae Crawford ' s f i rst two husband s , L9gan K i l l i ck s
and Joe Starks , t aught h e r how to f u l ly appre c i a t e what she
wanted a nd needed :
to l ove free ly and fu l ly .
W i thout f ir s t
exper i enc i ng l i f e with these two men , she wou ld never have
recogn i z ed her th ird husband , Tea Cake Woods , as her p e r fect
mate for l i fe .
I . J a n i e Mae Crawford ' s V i s ion o f Marr iage
I I . Husband One :
Logan K i l l i cks
A.
What he represents
1.
To Jan i e ' s grandmother :
s ecur ity
2.
To Jan i e :
the end o f the v i s i on
3.
To th i s reader :
the " shou l d s "
B.
L i f e w i th Logan
C.
Les sons le arned
I I I . Husband Two :
Joe Starks
What he represents
A.
1.
To Jan i e :
change and chance
2.
To th i s reader :
i dent ity th�ough a s s o c i a t i o n
B.
L i f e w ith Joe
C.
Les s ons l earned
100
IV . Husband Three :
Tea Cake Woods
L i f e w ith Tea Cake
A.
B.
Why he i s Jan i e ' s perf ect mate
What the ir l i f e together represents
c.
Tea Cake ' s death
D.
V . Jan i e and Her Husbands
She needed Logan f i rst to l ove Tea Cake l ater .
A.
She needed Joe to l ove Tea Cake later .
B.
Z ora Nea l e Hurston ' s The ir Eyes Were Watch i ng God i s a nove l
We must remember t h i s book for
t o b e remembered and cher i sed .
what i t can teach us about l i f e and cher i sh i t for what i t wou l d
t each us about fre edom and l ove .
The i r Eye s Were Watch ing God i s about Jan i e Mae Crawf ord ' s
s earch for perf ect l ove and the perfect f r eedom that comes w ith
it .
H ow d o e s s h e r e c o g n i z e i t wh e n i t c om e s a l o n g ?
To k n ow
swee t , one must have t a s ted sour .
W i thout Logan K i l l icks and J o e
Stark s , Jan i e ' s f i rst two husbands , s h e never wou l d have been
r e a dy to l o v e T e a C a k e W o o d s , her th i r d , h u s b a n d , h e r p e r f e ct
mate .
J a n i e Mae Crawf ord has a v i s ion o f mar r i ag e .
She wants
" sweet w i d mah marr iage lak wh en you s it under a pear tree and
th i nk . " l
And Logan K i l l i cks , the " o l e sku l l head i n de grave
Janie ' s
y a r d , " d o e s n ' t e x a c t l y f i t J a n i e ' s p e a r t r e e d r e am .
grandmother , Nanny , choo ses Logan K i l l i cks for Jan i e and a t the
f ir s t s ign o f Jan i e ' s s exua l maturat ion , d e c i d e s that Jan i e must
be m a r r i e d r i g h t away .
L o g a n K i l l i ck s i s c h o s e n by
"
Jan i e ' s grandmother for h i s s i xty acres and a s a s oc i a l ly s e cure
h a r b o r f o r J a n i e ' s awak en i n g s e xu a l i t y " ( J o h n s o n 4 6 ) .
N a n ny
want s Jan i e to have the s ecur i ty and s a f ety that Logan K i l l i cks
can provide ,
and a l though trad i t i ona l marr i a g e may b e
" fundamenta l ly oppre s s ive , " it s t i l l repres ented s ome s emb lance
o f f reedom to those b l ack women who were " f orme r ly ens l aved , "
wh ich Jan i e ' s grandmother was ( B ethe l 1 5 ) .
To Jan i e , though , Logan K i l l i cks sur e ly meant the end o f the
She cou l d never exp l a i n that t o her grandmother and
pear tree !
s o , a fter much rum inat ion , Jan i e dec ides that she w i l l l ove Logan
" S h e c o u l d s e e n o w a y f o r i t t o c om e
a f t e r they ' r e ma r r i ed :
about , but Nanny and the o l d f o l k s had s a i d i t , s o i t mus t be s o .
Husbands and w ives a lways l oved each other , and that wa s what
marr iage meant " ( 3 8 ) .
J a n i e t o o k s om e c om f o r t i n t h i s , a n d w a i t e d f or l o v e t o
come .
" Th i s ident i f i c a t i on o f marriage w i th t ot a l f u l f i lment ,
however ,
r e f lects her immature consc i ousne s s " ( Kub i t s chek 2 2 ) .
One cr i t i c has wr i tten that by marry i ng Logan K i l l i ck s , Jani e
" rep l aces her s earch for ident i fy , a s seen by the pear tree , w ith
a s e arch for romant i c l ove i n marr iage " ( Bethe l 1 5 ) .
I t i s my
f e e l i ng , t h o u gh , t h a t L o g a n K i l l i ck s r e p r e s e n t s t h e c l a s s i c
" shou ld s " i n a woman ' s l ive .
They ' re not a lways the s am e for
everyone , but every woman has exper i enced at l ea s t one in one
f or m o r a n o t h e r :
y ou s h o u l d " w a i t " f o r m a r r i a g e ; you s h ou l d
marry ; you shou ld marry someone who can take care o f you ; you
shou ld be happy w i th what you ' ve got .
Jan i e wonders what i s wrong w ith her becau s e she i sn ' t happy
and she doesn ' t l ove Logan K i l l i cks :
" h i s toe-na i l s l ook l ak
101
mul e f oots " { 4 2 ) .
Jan i e wa i t s " a b l oom t ime , and a green t ime
and an orange t ime '' { 4 3 ) but l ove doesn ' t come .
I n her d i scu s s ion o f The i r Eyes Were Watch i ng God , b i og­
rapher L i l l i e P . Howard wr ites :
" Ki l l i ck s is too set in h i s ways
to treat Jan i e l ike a rea l woman ; i nstead , h e treats her l ik e the
l ivestock on h i s f arm " ( 9 7 ) .
Logan was not ent i r e ly u n fe e l ing ,
though .
When Jan i e ment i ons i n a n o f f -hand way that she j us t
m i g h t r u n o f f a n d l e a v e h i m s om e d a y , t h e t h o u g h t g i v e s h im a
" terr i b l e ache , " but h e never shares h i s f e e l i ng s w i t h Jan i e .
Wh i l e she i s marr i ed to Logan , Jan i e ' s s p i r i t r ema i n s i n ­
t act , though s h e " knew now that marr iage d i d not make l ove " ( 4 4 ) ,
and t h i s i s what she l earned from Logan K i l l i ck s .
Wh i l e Logan i s o f f buy ing another mu l e s o Jan i e can d o more
work about the p l ace , Jan i e s i t s cutt i ng s e ed potatoes i n the
sun .
D own the road comes Joe Starks , l o ok i ng stra i ght ahead .
Why does Jan i e run t o the pump and start pump i ng away t o get h i s
attent i o n ?
She i s young , and she i s cur i ou s , and s h e i s n o t en­
t i r e ly innocent .
Jan i e Mae Crawford K i l l i cks wants t o s e e who
th i s stranger i s .
T h e s t r a ng e r t a l k s a g o o d g a m e a n a J a n i e i s i m p r e s s e d .
Wh i l e Logan never s a id a " pretty " word , th i s Joe Starks t a lks
pretty r ight from the start :
" you is made t o s it on d e f ront
porch and rock and fan yo ' s e l f and eat p ' taters dat other f o lks
p lant j ust spec i a l for you " { 4 9 ) .
H e was head i ng for a p l ace where he heard they were s tart i ng
" a t own a l l outta c o l ored f o l k s " and where he a imed t o be a " b ig
v o i c e . 11 2
Joe Starks stays around a wh i l e , though , and he and
Jan i e meet every day .
He wants her to go w i th h im .
Jan i e has l earned a f ew th i ng s , and she takes t ime with her
d e c i s i o n b e c a u s e " h e d i d not r e p r e s e n t s u n - up and p o l l e n a nd
b l oomi ng trees " ( 5 0 ) .
He does stand for " change and chance , "
though , and the next morn ing Jan i e decides to g o w ith h i m .
She
r u n s o f f w i th h i m t o e s c a p e f r om K i l l i ck s a nd t h e " pu ny
str a i t ened spac e " she occup i e s w i th h im and becau s e Joe speaks
for " f ar hor i z o n " { Ca l l ahan 1 0 1 ) .
After the dream o f l ove i n marr iage d i s s o lve s , Joe S tarks
app e a r s to be what Jan i e wants :
a man w i th amb i t i o n , e nergy ,
d r i v e - - a handsome man , a smooth ta lker .
She l ooks a t Joe and she
i s p r oud .
Jan i e i s n ' t bow l ed over w ith r omant i c l ove , but she
knows she w i l l have th i ngs nice and she w i l l have things pre tty .
With regard to the sma l l matter o f Jan i e marry i n g her s econd
husband w i thout d ivorc ing her f irst , one cr i t i c has a s s erted that
her f ir s t marr iage was never consummated ; thus no d ivorc e was
neces sary ( Howard 9 9 ) .
Howard wr ites that she has drawn her con­
c l u s i on s from Jan i e hers e l f :
" She wa s peta l open but h e wa s no
p o l l en bear i ng bee " { 9 9 ) .
But I d i sagree .
F ir s t , I cannot im­
agine that Mr . Logan K i l l i cks d id not ava i l h ims e l f o f h i s hus­
b a n d l y p l e a su r e s w i th h i s y o u ng br i d e !
S e c o n d , I f e e l it i s
s imp ly ind i cat ive o f Jan i e ' s character not to be concerned about
it .
Jan i e was ready for change and u n l ikely t o troub l e herse l f
with th i s matter o f propr i ety .
I j ust don ' t th i nk i t wou l d have
been important to her .
I n g i v i ng us Joe Starks , and i n hav i ng Jan i e spend a lmost
twenty years w i th h im , Hurston shows u s a l i f e that many women
have w itnes sed and as many have l ived , to a greater or l es s er
degree :
a l i f e where one ' s ident i ty i s determ i n ed by one ' s at102
tachment t o a man , and further , where the dec i s ion has been con­
" Maybe he a in ' t noth i n '
s c i ou s l y made that that wi l l be enough :
He ' s got tuh be e l s e Ah
. but h e i s someth ing i n my mouth .
a in ' t got noth i ng tuh l ive f or .
Ah ' l l l i e and say h e i s .
I f Ah
don ' t , l i f e won ' t be noth i n ' but uh store and uh hou s e " ( 1 1 8 - 1 9 ) .
T h e r e w e r e s i m i l a r i t i e s b e t w e e n L o g a n K i l l i c k s a nd J o e
Stark s .
Each was s ecret ly a fr a i d that Jan i e m i ght l eave h im , and
each was too macho to conf ide h i s fears t o her .
" Both K i l l i ck s
a nd J o d y r e f u s e d t o s h a r e t h em s e l ve s ; t h e y d i d n o t k n o w h o w "
In
( Howard 1 0 4 ) .
They were both m e n o f property , hardwork ing .
Hou s t on A . Baker ' s a n a l y s i s o f t h e t e xt , h e w r i t e s t h a t " i n
Jan i e ' s f antasy o f the pear tree , Logan K i l l i cks and Joe S tarks
repres ent the busy , i ndustr i ous bees " ( 3 6 ) .
Robert B . Stepto has
wr itten that each o f her f i rst two husbands imposed d e f i n it i on on
J an i e , " n o t a b l y a r u r a l a n d a g r a r i a n s p a c e o n o n e h a nd a nd a
s omewhat urban and mercant i l e space on the other , " but h e con­
s iders th i s only a s a matter o f prov id ing " so c i a l structure " t o
the t e xt ( 6 ) .
T h e y w e r e a l i k e i n s p i t e o f v e r y d i s t i nc t e x ­
ter i or s , but the exter ior o f Joe Starks was p a l atab l e e nough f o r
Jan i e t o spend many y e a r s o f h e r l i f e w i th him .
Joe Starks was not a bad man .
He gave Jan i e everyth ing ex­
cept f r e edom , but freedom was someth i ng she needed t o f e e l who l e .
Joe w a s a c l a s s i c chauvi n i st , o f cours e ; he took Jan i e a l ong w ith
h im b e c a u s e h e n e e d e d a p r e t ty woman on h i s a r m wh e r e he w a s
headed .
I t wou ldn ' t d o for a man w ith h i s p l ans and amb i t i on s t o
b e w i thout a woman , and Janie comp l eted h i s p i cture o f what a man
of h i s s tature should l ook l ike .
" I n her l i f e w i th Starks i n the new b l ack t own o f Eatonv i l le
Jan i e d i s covers that Jody v i ews her a s an appendage" ( Ca l l ahan
1 02 ) .
Thu s , l i f e l ived w ith Joe Starks cau s e s Jan i e ' s sp i r i t t o
" P l enty o f l i f e beneath the surface but i t
l ie d ormant a wh i l e .
was k ept beaten down b y t h e whee l s '' ( 1 1 8 ) .
I t ' s a s though Mrs .
She
Mayor S t a r k s ex i s t ed at the exp e n s e o f the r e a l Jan i e .
watch e s l i f e but doesn ' t part i c ipate .
I t j us t wou ldn ' t d o for
the Mayor ' s w i f e t o j ump around on the croquet grounds or s it on
the p orch and te l l l i es w ith the common f o l k .
Over the year s , Joe Starks took to t e a r i ng Jan i e down , w ith
the hope of thus draw i ng attent i on away from h i s a g i ng s e l f , and
l i t t l e by l i t t l e J a n i e r e a l i z e d t h a t J o e w a s n ot t h e m a n s h e
thought h e was :
someth i ng f e l l o f f the she l f ins ide her .
The n she went
i n s ide there to see what i t was .
It was her image o f
But l o o k i ng at i t she
Jody tumb l ed down and shattered .
saw that i t never was the f l esh and b l ood f i gure of her
dreams .
Ju st someth ing she had grabbed up t o drape her
dreams over .
She found that she had a h o s t o f
thoughts s h e had never expr e s s ed to h im , a n d numerous
emot i ons she had never l et Jody know about .
Th ings
packed up and put away i n parts o f her heart whe r e he
She had a n i n s i d e and a n
cou ld never f i nd th em .
o u t s i d e a n d s u d d e n l y s h e k n e w h o w n o t t o m i x t h em .
( 112 )
Joe Starks ' concern over apearances gets the better o f h i m .
I n f a ct , i t u l t imat e ly k i l l s h im .
When Jan i e t e l l s Joe that h e
103
i s not only " a man , but i s an impotent man at that , the reve l a ­
t i o n o f t h e truth k i l l s h im" ( Gate s j Johnson 7 4 ) .
Jan i e insults
Joe i n f ront o f a group o f men , and Joe Starks i s n ever the s ame .
He eventua l ly takes to h i s bed and d i e s , be l i ev i ng that Jan i e has
put a spe l l on h im .
Marr i age t o Joe Starks teaches Jan i e that there i s more to
Though b e i ng marr i ed to
l i f e than having th ings pretty and n i ce .
the mayor r a i s ed Janie to " a pede s t a l o f property and propr i ety"
( Johnson 4 6 ) , she l earned that i t ' s a l one ly roost .
After Joe d i es , and Jan i e i s a l one , she f i nds that she " j us '
l ov e s d i s f r e e d om . "
H e r s ou l h a s r e - e m e r g e d ( C a l l ah a n 1 0 0 ) .
The n a l ong comes Tea Cake Wood s .
r i ght from the start , Jan i e
f e e l s a s though she h a s known h i m a l l her l i f e .
The f i rst th i ng
he does i s teach her to p l ay checkers , someth ing Joe had a lways
s a i d was " too heavy fuh ( her ) bra i n s " ( 1 4 7 ) .
Tea Cake th i nks
i t ' s natur a l for her to p l ay , and he doesn ' t l et her w i n , e i ther .
I n the t ime s i nce Joe Starks ' death , the r e a l J an i e has had a
chance t o come out o f h iberna t i o n .
" When Tea Cake a rr ives , Jan i e
a nd her soul are r eady " ( Ca l lahan 1 0 6 ) .
She i s r e l axed and free .
They beg i n a courtsh ip .
Jan i e and Tea Cake go f i sh ing in
the m idd l e o f the n i ght .
Tea Cake t eaches Jan i e t o drive .
They
go h e r e a n d t h e r e a nd p l a y as t h e y p l e a s e a nd J a n i e i s n ' t
troubled by what other peop l e may th ink ; she tru ly f a l l s in l ove .
And T e a C a k e l ove s Ja n i e :
" N o b o d y e l s e o n e a r t h k i n h o l d uh
can d l e tuh you , baby .
Y ou got de keys to de k i ngdom " ( 1 6 5 ) .
Jan i e has l earned so much .
She knows her heart , and she
want to be w i th Tea Cake .
She knows , too , that i f she and Tea
Cake stay i n Eatonvi l l e , the f o lks there w i l l only compare Tea
C a k e w i th J o e S t a rk s .
J a n i e w a n t s a new l i f e a n d d e c i d e s t o
l eave her home t o f i nd one .
Houston Baker wrote that " Starks ' property ga i n ed thr ough
i ndustr i ousnes s , enab l e s Jan i e ' s freedom , " and " sh e s e l l s S tarks '
store to f inanc e " her r e l at i onship w ith Tea Cake ( 3 6 ) .
That i s
o n l y part i a l ly true .
Perhaps i f Jan i e d i d not have the status
she had by be ing Mrs . Mayor Joe Starks , she might not have been
a b l e to l ive so free ly , and w i thout Starks ' store , she sur e ly
wou l d not have been f i nanc i a l ly s ecure , but Starks ' money d id not
f i n a n c e J a n i e ' s r e l a t i o n s h i p w i th T e a C a k e .
S h e d i dn ' t e v e n
br i ng t h e bu lk o f the money from the sa l e o f t h e store w i th her
when she l e f t Eatonv i l l e to marry Tea Cake .
She d i d br i ng some o f the money with her , though i t was not
t o " f inance" her new l i f e w i th Tea Cake .
She brought i t w i th her
because she was caut i ous .
She knew she wa s taking a r i sk and
t h o u g h s h e h a d d e c i d e d t h a t i t wa s w o r t h i t , J a n i e w a s s m a r t
enough t o prepare hers e l f , j ust i n case .
S h e brought i t i n case
she needed to f i nance her s e l f and she never told Tea Cake about
it .
Tea Cake f ound the money , though , and i t created the f irst
l ove l e s s on they l earned together .
He took that money and made
qu i t e a party w ith i t .
Jan ie sat at home and f eared the worst :
h e was w i th another woman ; he ' d l e f t her ; he was dead i n a d i tch .
When Jan i e learns what a good t ime he was having , she ' s only hurt
that he d idn ' t th i nk to share it wi th her .
But Tea Cake had been
a f ra id t o let her w i tness h i s " commonne ss . "
Jan i e lets h im know
i n n o uncert a i n terms that she a ims to share and share a l l o f h i s
l i f e w ith h im " don ' t keer what i t i s " ( 1 8 6 ) .
104
T e a C a k e a n d J a n i e l i ve a n d l e a r n a n d l ov e .
Jani e ex­
p e r i ences a l l w ith Tea Cake , a l l that she h a s never exper i enced
before :
a l l tho s e subt l e degr e s that l ove can span .
Sure l y , she
had never f e l t j ea l ou s before , but she does w i th Tea Cake .
Janie
has n ever t r u l y known v i o l ence before , but s h e l earns i t a t T e a
Cake ' s s ide , a s h e i s a m a n n o t to shr i nk from a cha l l enge .
" Tea
C a k e r e pr e s e n t e d i n t e n s i t y and e x p e r i e n c e " ( H o w a r d 1 0 7 ) , but
w i th out her p r i o r exper i ences w i th Logan K i l l icks and Joe S tarks ,
Jan i e never wou ld have r ecogn i z ed the f r e edom that Tea Cake r ep ­
r e sented , n o r r eached out t o s natch i t w ith both hands a s she
did .
By t e l l ing u s the t a l e o f Tea Cake and Jan i e , Hurston shows
us not o n l y a perfect l ove , but a l so a woman ' s perf ect f r eedom .
" By c h r o n i c l i ng J a n i e ' s d ev e l o p m e n t ,
[ th e a u t h o r ] p r e s e n t s
f em i n i st r eaders w ith a map o f a woman ' s persona l r e s i stance t o
pat r iarchy " ( Me e s e 7 1 ) .
Jan i e i s f i na l ly unencumbered by other s '
expe ct a t i on s , and even her own unrea l i s t i c one s .
" Th ey c h an g e e a c h o t h e r ,
a nd a s t h e i r l ov e d i s s o l v e s
j e a l o u s y a nd p o s s e s s i ve a u t h o r i t y , e a ch b e c om e s a f r e e r i n ­
d iv i dua l by v irtue o f the ir l i f e together " ( Ca l l ahan 1 0 7 ) .
Tea
Cake is Jan i e ' s perf ect comp l ement , the other s ide of her c o i n .
H av i ng g iven Jan i e her perf ect mate , many wou l d we l l wonder
why t h e a u t h o r d o e s a w a y w i t h h i m a f t e r t h e y h av e h a d s u c h a
short t ime together .
To me , though , Tea Cake ' s death and J a n i e ' s
u l t imate content only further s e rve t o i l lustrate the author ' s
i nt e n t i o n t o s h o w u s t h a t T e a C a k e w a s J a n i e ' s g e n u i n e m at e .
With my f ir s t read i ng , I found Tea Cake ' s death s o profound l y sad
Though I s t i l l cry , I know now that h i s death was
that I cr i ed .
c o mp l et e l y a p p r o p r i a t e .
I t re a l ly d i dn ' t matter .
J a n i e h ad
known her perf ect l ove and it was enough .
Had Jan i e met Tea Cake at s ixteen , wou l d she have l oved h im?
She wou l d have been a fr a i d o f h im and the e a s i n e s s o f h i s
Naw .
At that t ime , i f g iven a cho i c e between Tea Cake Woods and
way s .
Logan K i l l icks , Jan i e wou ld have cho sen Logan , i f only as the
l e s s er of two evi l s .
She wa s s t i l l too much under the i n f luence
o f h e r g r a n d m o th e r and s t i l l so very y o u n g a nd n a i v e .
J an i e
needed the yoke o f Loga n K i l l i ck ' s f arm t o recogn i z e the free
rein o f Tea Cake Woods .
I f Tea Cake and not Joe Starks had come down the road by
Loga n ' s farm that day , wou ld J a n i e have l e f t her husband t o go
o f f with h im?
I th ink not , because Tea Cake wou l d have had noth­
i ng but h i s grin and Jan i e wou l d not have seen the l ight it h e l d .
I f g iven the cho ice between Tea Cake and Joe Starks then , she
wou l d h ave chosen Joe for the prom i s e of the future that h i s " b ig
Jan i e needed the t ime spent on Joe Starks ' pedest a l
vo i c e " h e l d .
t o f e e l the feet-on-the-ground s at i s fact i on o f l ov i ng a nd b e i ng
l oved by Tea Cake Woods .
Notes
1
Zora Nea l Hur ston , The i r Eye s Were Watc h i nq God .
I l l in i
Books e d i t ion .
Ch i cago :
Univers ity o f I l l ino i s Pres s , 1 9 7 8 , 4 3 .
A l l quotat i ons t o f o l l ow are from th i s text , un l e s s otherw i s e
noted .
105
2
T h e s t o r y i n T h e i r Eye s W e r e W a t ch i ng G od t a k e s p l a c e
I t i s a r e a l p lace ,
ma i n ly i n the town o f Eatonv i l l e , F l orida .
and Z ora Nea l e Hur ston was born there .
As i n the nove l , i t was
"
a pure Negro town -charter , mayor , counc i l , t own marsha l l
Hur ston ' s f ather was at
and a l l " { Hurston , I Love Mys e l f 2 8 ) .
one t ime the mayor o f Eatonv i l l e and some of the l aws that he
wro t e are s t i l l consu lted today .
The t own store there was owned
by a Mr . Joe C l arke .
And in Hurston ' s " The Eatonv i l le Antho l ­
o gy , " o n e c a n r e a d a bo u t M r s . T o n y R o b e r t s , w h o c o m e s t o t h e
store t o beg f o r f ood .
Mr s . Tony c a n b e f ound i n The i r Eyes Were
Watch ing God w ith l itt l e var iat i on .
And Furthermore . . .
Z o r a N e a l Hur s t o n k n e w wh a t s h e w a s wr i t i n g a bo u t .
She
l ived her l i f e fu l ly and free ly .
What many , i n c lud i ng her peers ,
may h ave cons idered her two biggest detr iments she cons idered to
be h e r two greatest strengths :
her womanhood and her race , and
she never apo log i z ed for e ither .
M i s sy Dean Kub it schek wrot e that " On ly a man i f estat i o n o f
Her soul
natur a l power , the hurr i cane , ever dom inates Jan i e .
The
s
ame
i
s
true
for
Z ora .
r ema i n s tr iumpahnt ly her own " ( 2 1 ) .
She , l ike Jan i e , was a que stor , never a l l ow i ng out s i d e i nter­
ferences t o get in her way .
Hurston pub l i shed more work than any b lack Amer ican woman
b e f o r e her ( Bethe l 1 0 ) , and The i r Eyes Were Watch i ng God i s con­
She wrote i t under " intern a l p r e s sure
s i dered t o be her f inest .
in s even week s " and s a i d in her autob i ography that she w i shed
that she cou ld wr ite it aga i n .
She wrote , " I n fact , I regret a l l
o f my books .
I t i s one o f the traged i e s o f l i f e that one cannot
have a l l the w i sdom one i s ever to p o s s e s s at the beg i n n i ng . "
But t o me The ir Eye s i s a l l i t shou l d be .
Zora trave led extens ively , c o l l e c t i ng f o l k lore and trad i ­
t i on s t o b e cher i shed forever .
She never ga ined the r ecogn i t i o n
that she des erved because s h e never bowed t o · what anyone e l s e
wanted her t o d o and she never behaved a s a nyone e l s e d emanded
that she behave .
Zora Nea l e Hur ston ' s eyes were watch i ng God .
- - LKL
Works C i ted
Baker , Houston A . , Jr . " I de o l ogy and Narrative Form . "
Rpt .
Z ora Nea l e Hur s to n .
Modern C r i t i c a l I nterpr etat i ons :
Ed . Harold B l o om .
New York :
Che l s ea , 1 9 8 7 .
Zora N e a l
Beth e l , Lorra i ne .
" Th i s I n f i n ity o f Con s c i ous P a i n :
Hur ston and the B l ack Fema l e L i terary Trad i t i o n . "
Rpt . i n
Modern Cr i t i c a l I nterpretat i n s :
Zora Nea l e Hurston .
Ed . Har o l d B l oom .
New Y ork :
Che l s e a , 1 9 8 7 .
C a l l ahan , John F .
" Mah Tongue i s in may f r i e nd ' s Mou f f ' :
The
Rhetor i c of Int imacy and Immens ity . "
Rpt . i n
Modern Cr i t i c a l I nterpreta t i on s :
Z ora Nea l e Hurston .
Ed . Harold B l oom .
New York :
Che l sea , 1 9 8 7 .
106
in
Howard , L i l l i e P .
Z ora Nea l e Hurston .
Boston :
Twayne ,
1980 .
Hur s ton , Zora Nea l e .
I l l in o i s
The ir Eve s Were Watch i ng God .
Books Ed it ion .
Ch i cago :
u . o f I l l ino i s P .
1 97 8 .
I Love Myse l f When I am Lauoh ino. and Then Aga i n Whe n I am
New York :
The F em i n i st
Look i ng Mean and Impre s s ive .
Press , 1 9 7 9 .
Johnson , Barbara .
" Metaphor,
Metonymy and Vo i c e i n The i r Eye s
Were Watch i no God . "
Rpt . i n Modern Cr i t i c a l
Interpreta t i on s :
Z ora Nea l e Hurston .
Ed . Haro l d B l o om .
New York :
Che l s e a , 1 9 8 7 .
Johnson , Barbara and Henry Lou i s Gate s , Jr .
" B l ack I d i omat i c
Free D i scours e . "
Rpt . i n Modern Cr i t i c a l I nt erpreat i on s :
Z ora Nea l e Hurston .
Ed .
Har o l d B l oom .
N ew Y ork :
Che l s e a ,
1987 .
Kub i t s ch ek , M i s sy Dehn .
" ' Tuh de Hor i z on and Back ' :
The
Fema l e Que st in The i r Eye s Were Watchi ng God . "
Rpt . i n
Modern Cr i t ica l I nterpr et a t i on s :
Zora Nea l e Hur s ton .
Ed . Harold B l oom .
New York :
Che l sea , 1 9 8 7 .
Mee s e , E l i z abeth .
" Or a l ity and Texture i n The i r Eyes Were
Watch ing God . " Rpt . i n Modern Cr i t ica l I nterpretat i on s :
New Y ork :
Che l s e a , 1 9 8 7 .
Z ora Nea l e Hur ston .
Stepto , Robert B .
" Ascent , Immers ion , Narra t i on . "
Rpt . i n
Modern Cr i t ica l I nterpret at ions :
Zora Nea l e Hur ston .
New York , Che l s e a , 1 9 8 7 .
The Eva luat ion :
Ms . Kaufma n - L indah l wr i t e s a
mod e l research paper .
Her the s i s i s or i g i na l ,
p r e c i s e a n d c omp l e x .
I t i s we l l supported
pr ima r l y by her own obs erva t i on s o n the text ,
and secondar i ly by the cr i t i c a l commentar i e s ,
which she often mod i f i e s with her own v i ews .
107
The Mea n i ng o f Human Exper i enc e :
Jean Pau l S artre
by Lynn Kopp e l
( Ph i l o sophy 1 0 5 - -Hartman )
The Ass ignment :
Wr ite a n expo s itory paper on
an a rt i c l e or book by one o f the authors in­
c luded i n the textbook .
Prov ide an eva luat i o n
o f the author ' s pos it ion and s tp. te your own
v i ews .
Jean-Pau l Sartre imposes h i s answer t o the centr a l e x i st ­
ent i a l que s t i on through va r i ous f orms o f l it erature i n c l u d i ng
nove l s , short stor i e s , and p l ays .
One o f h i s most w e l l -known
works i s a p l ay ent i t l ed No Ex i t , an e x i stent i a l portray a l o f
H i s three m a i n characters prove man i s what h e does , and
Hel l .
S artre expr e s s e s t o
man mu st accept h i s pun i shment accord ing ly .
t h e r eader an important r e l at ionship regard ing freedom , r e spon­
s ib i l ity , and cho i ce a s the characters reve a l thems e lves .
W ith the exc l us ion o f heat , Sartre dep icts He l l unconven­
For instance , Garc i n , I n e z , and Est e l l e are p l aced i n
t i ona l ly .
a r e l a t ively norma l room w i th three s o f a s and a bronz e s tatue .
There i s no s i ng l e torturer a s the decea s ed ones had expected .
I nstead , each w i l l act a s the torturer o f the two other s .
Now ,
one may not understand how th i s form o f torture could be e f f ec­
t ive s i nce the peop l e i nvo lved do not know one a nother ; however ,
a s the p ersona l it i e s o f the characters evo lve s o do the con f l icts
between them .
The s e persona l i ty conf l i cts prove t o be more than
adequate puni shment for the inhabitants o f He l l .
T o e x p a n d u p o n th i s , t h e c h a r a c t e r s w i l l b e d e s c r i b e d
br i e f ly , exemp l i fy i ng the tra i t s most pert i nent t o t h e i s su e at
hand .
F i rst , there is Garc i n who the reader l e arns is a c oward .
As a s o ld i er he f l ed from war , was caught , a nd soon ther e a f ter
was executed by a f i r ing squad .
Next , there i s Inez who is a
lesbian .
She and her cou s i n ' s w i f e , F lorence , had a n a f fa i r .
F l or ence then l eaves her husband for I n e z .
Th i s act i on r e s u lted
i n the su i c ide of her husband .
Because F lorence could not l ive
w ith the gu i l t , she turned on the gas one n ight wh i l e she a nd her
l over s l ept .
Last , there is Este l l e , a very va i n woman .
She
seduced many men i n her l i fet ime and eventua l ly caused her hus­
band , Roger , to comm i t suic ide .
He takes h i s l i f e a fter watch i ng
Este l l e drown the i r baby .
Obv i ous ly , a l l o f the character s ' ac­
t ions resu lts in the pun i shment of res id ing i n He l l w i th each
108
other .
Th i s truly i s torture for the tr i o becau s e a l l three deny
the i r f a u l t s in s ome manner .
The ir den i a l s a l l ow them to prey
upon each other ' s weakn e s s e s and act as each other ' s c o n s c i ences .
Furthermore , they a l l rem ind e a ch other o f what they have done .
" I am c ondemned t o be wh o l l y r e s p on s i b l e f o r my s e l f "
( S t ew a r t / B l o c k e r - s a rt r e 5 1 7 ) .
Th i s q u o t e s i m p l y s um s u p t h e
s it ua t i on each o f the characters has exper i enced .
Now they need
to d e a l w i th the ir consequent i a l torture in He l l .
I n e z accepts her faults qu i ck l y and becomes the perpetrator
o f m o s t o f the c o n f l i c t s ; h ow e v e r , s h e s t i l l s h ow s e m o t i o n
towards the pos s ib l e s igns o f a l ove j sex r e l at i o n s h ip between
Gar c i n and Este l l e .
I n e z count eracts the se attempt s by exc l a im­
ing that Gar c i n is cowardly to run t o a woman for comfort .
I ne z
further r evea l s that Este l l e h a s l i ed to h im about h i s cowardne s s
in order to preserve her ego in hopes of receiving p le asure .
Gar c i n the r e f or e rea l i z es that i t i s to I n e z that he mus t prove
h im se l f .
By ignor ing Este l l e , Garc i n angers her .
W i th out g o ing
into any further deta i l s , the r eader can understand the unend ing
cyc l e of torment .
Sartre va l id ly r e l ates a r e l a t i onship o f f reedom , r espon­
s i b i l i ty , and cho i c e to th i s s i tuat ion i n No Ex i t .
Freedom leads
t o a person ' s t ot a l respons ibi l ity for becom i ng what h e chooses
( Stewart / B l ocker 5 1 4 ) .
Human b e i ngs have the capab i l i ty f or be­
comi ng s ometh i ng d i f f erent from what current ly descr i be s them .
Tho s e a c t i ons that an individua l takes determ i ne who they a r e and
what becomes of them .
For examp l e , i n Garc i n ' s case he had a
c h o i c e w h e t h e r t o f i gh t o r t o f l e e .
H e ch o s e t o f l e e , w h i ch
l abe led h im a coward .
I n an excerpt from B e i ng a nd Noth ingne s s S artre wr i t e s " .
. he [ man ) i s respons i b l e for the wor ld and for h ims e l f a s a way
of b e i ng .
Furthermore th i s abso lute r e spon s i b i l i ty i s not
res i gnat i on ; it i s s imp ly the l o g i c a l requ i r ement of the con­
( S t e w a r t I B l o ck e r - S a r t r e 5 1 4 - 1 5 ) .
s eq u e n c e s of o u r f r e e d om "
Sartre a l s o states that everyth ing that happens t o a n individua l
is his .
Garc i n ' s human emot iona l dec i s ion not t o f ight wa s h i s
prerogat ive , and h e not only h o l d s f u l l respon s i b i l ity f o r i t ,
but a l s o h e l earns that act ion r epres ents h i m and even symbo l i z es
h im .
According t o Sartre , there are no a c c i dent s i n l i f e and
He chos e that consequence b a s ed
Garc i n deserved to be executed .
on h i s mot ive o f fear .
I t was a matter o f cho i ce .
Jus t a s i t was no acc ident that Gar c i n be confronted w ith
h i s d i l emma , it was no acc ident that a l l three of them were put
together i n the same room .
For further exemp l i f i ca t i on E s te l le
s a y s , " I t ' s m e r e c h a n c e t h a t h a s br ought u s t og e t h e r . "
Inez
r ep l i e s , " Mere chance?
Th en i t ' s by chance th i s room i s fur­
And what about the heat i n here?
How
n i shed a s we see it .
about that?
I te l l you they ' ve thought it a l l out .
D own t o the
Noth i ng was l e f t to chance .
Th i s room wa s a l l s et
l a s t deta i l .
for us "
( S artre 1 4 - 1 5 ) .
I tend t o agree w i th S artre ' s ph i l o s ophy o f e x i stent i a l i sm .
I b e l i e ve t h a t a l l hum a n b e i n g s m u s t m a k e d e c i s i o n s i n t h e i r
l ives and take respons i b i l ity f or them .
W e have t o choos e what
the s e va lues are o ften i n f luenced
k i nd of va lues are important :
I f one commits a cr ime he shou ld take f u l l r espon­
by s o c i ety .
s i b i l ity for h i s wrong dec i s ion and be prepared t o be l abe l ed a
c r i m i na l .
109
I n No Exit , Sartre ' s characters make wrong dec i s i on s wh i ch
negat ive ly a f f ect the i r top p r i o r i t i e s o f l i f e .
Cons equent ly ,
e a c h p e r s o n ' s ch o i c e w a s d e t r i m e n t a l t o t h a t p e r s o n ' s f u t u r e
whether he j she knew it consc i ous ly o r not .
G a r c i n d i d not want
t o be a coward .
H i s ma in purpose i n l i f e wa s t o be m a s cu l ine .
When he cou l d not even face death w i th courage , i t became h i s
w o r s t f a t e b e c a u s e h i s ma i n p u r p o s e i n l i f e w a s d e f e a t e d .
E s te l l e ' s top p r i o r i ty i n l i f e , on the other hand , was to be the
most beaut i fu l and attract ive woman pos s i b l e .
However , true in­
ner beauty was m i s s ing to fu l f i l l her concept .
Furthermore , E s ­
t e l l e cou ld not move p a s t her van i ty t o s e e the wrongs s h e com­
m i tted .
She took two l ives :
her baby ' s l i f e d i rect l y and her
husband ' s l i e i nd i rect ly with her own s e l f i shness .
It was her
van i ty that was her u l t imate fate .
And I ne z j ust wanted to be
h appy in l ove ; however , she went about i t in a crooked manner .
She encouraged F l orence to comm i t adu l tery wh i ch resu lted i n the
death of Roger .
Her s exua l pref erence wa s her fate i n the end .
There fore i n He l l , Gar c i n wi l l dea l w ith h i s cowardn es s , Este l l e
w i l l dea l w i th her va n i ty , and I n e z w i l l dea l w ith her sexua l
p r e f erence towards women .
Garc in exc l a ims near the end o f the
p l a y , " An d c a n o n e j ud g e a l i f e by a s i n g l e a c t i o n ? "
Inez
r ep l i e s , " Why not ? " ( S artre 4 4 ) .
Sartre means that i f that one
inc i dent contrad i ct s the person you most want t o be , then that
act ion a l one is enough to j udge your l i f e by .
Garc i n had stated
e a r l i e r , " I a i m e d a t be i n g a r e a l ma n . "
He m a d e h i s ch o i c e
d e l i berate ly .
I n e z adds , " You
- - " A man i s what he w i l l s h ims e l f to be . "
a r e - your l i f e , and noth i ng e l s e "
( S artre 4 5 ) .
Aga i n , I agree w i th Sartre .
You must perf orm th i ng s i n l i f e
t o prove who you are a nd what you want t o be .
Cho i c e s are a lways
confront i ng you and tho s e dec i s ions you make cause a change i n
your cour s e o f be ing .
I f one dec i s ion opp o s e s your h i ghest va lue
o f y o u r s e l f , t h a t o n e c h o i c e can g o v e r n y o u r f u t u r e .
I also
be l i eve , however , that peop l e do have a capa c ity t o change and
become more worthy .
But the ma j o r i ty o f the popu l at i on wou l d
Es­
t a k e the e a sy route o f deny ing the ir f a u l t s t o thems e lve s .
tel le i s
good examp l e .
She thinks that h e r f a t e i s a l l a m i s ­
take .
I t i s e a s ier to deny the truth than to change one s e l f for
the better .
I n conc lus ion , e x i stent i a l i sm tr i e s t o f ind the mea n i ng o f
human e x i stenc e .
Sartre proves that man i s determ i ned by h i s a c ­
t i ons a n d t h a t he i s r e spons i b l e f o r h ims e l f a n d tho s e cho i ce s .
E s te l l e , Garc i n , and I n e z i l lum i nate the s e ideas va l id ly i n the
one- act p l ay No Exit .
Al though I agree w ith S artre ' s ph i l o soph i ­
c a l v i ews , I be l i eve there are a m i nor ity o f indiv i dua l s who have
the capac i ty to make good and to redeem thems e lves .
Sources C i t ed
Sartre , Jean-Pau l .
Ra ndom , 1 9 7 6 .
No Ex it and Three Other P l ays .
3 -4 7 .
New York :
S t ewart , David and H . G ene B l ocker .
" Jean-Pau l S artr e :
Fre edom and Respons i b i l i ty . "
Fundamenta l s o f Ph i l o s ophy .
New York :
Macm i l l an , 1 9 8 7 .
5 12 -5 17 .
110
The Eva l ua t ion :
Th i s paper provides an inter e s t i ng
expos it i on that i s informa t ive and thought­
I t i s r i ch in spec i f i c deta i l s .
provok ing .
The student a l so gave a f ine pres entat ion o f
th i s paper to the c l a s s and answeted que s t ions
wel l .
111
The Wood i e
by J o e Kub i c a
( Engl i sh 1 0 1 - - Sherer )
The As s ignment :
Wr ite a person a l e s s ay i n wh i ch
you f ocus on an i nc ident wh ich he lped you grow .
G ive i t a c l ear descript ive a s we l l a s narrat ive
component .
A i x Spona , crested bomber , wood i e .
They a l l r e f er t o the
s ame b i rd , the wood duck .
For years I have been try i ng t o shoot
a wood duck .
No succe s s .
But a l l that h a s changed .
My que s t for one of tho s e ma j e s t i c a l ly p l umed b i rd s had be­
come an obs e s s ion w ith me .
I wou l d l i e awake at n ight star ing at
a wa l l , dreaming o f a pa i r o f wood ducks that wou l d one day hang
there .
I vor a c i ous ly devoured any i n f ormat ion I cou l d f ind on
the wood i e .
Stacks o f ye l l owing m i ldewed hunt i ng maga z ines l it ­
tered the basement f l oor .
I went to every trade show that came
t o t own so I cou l d t a l k to the expert s .
My co l l ect i o n of wood i e
parapherna l i a r iva l ed that of any rock - st a r - smitten teenager .
I
had t o get a wood i e soon or I wou ld go insane , a lthough my w i f e
wou l d argue that I a lready was .
I t w a s O c t o b e r 2 8 , op e n i n g d a y o f d u c k h u n t i ng .
I rose
Our
e ar l y and arrived a t the farm we l l before the f i r s t l ight .
b l ind was a s imp l e wooden frame covered with ch i cken w i r e and
A bone- numb i ng
catta i l s s o i t wou ld b l end i n w ith the marsh .
The
ch i l l f i l l ed the a i r a s an om inous storm f ront r o l l ed i n .
The
rank , musty odor of decay ing vegetation permeated the marsh .
woods to the south res ounded w i th the cack l e s of pheasants and
t h e h a r s h b a r k s o f s q u i r r e l s , v o i c i ng t h e i r i r r i t a t i o n a t my
i ntru s i on .
The once - lush trees were barren , the i r l ea fy burden
scattered on the f orest f l oor .
The sky was b l ack a s p itch , w ith
f orbod ing shadows racing across the tang l e s that sought t o impede
my movement .
At the b l ind I re l a xed , wa i t i ng for the sun .
The marsh began to awaken a s the sun rose .
Ear l y- r i s ing
or i o l e s f l i ttered among the br own ing catta i l s , weaving int r i cate
patterns in the sky .
The unharmo n i ous s ound of cackl ing geese
T h e r a s p y g a bb l i n g s w e l l ed a s t h e
d r i f t e d a c r o s s the m a r s h .
g e e s e r o s e o f f t h e water .
The bug l i ng echoed through t h e trees ,
incr e a s ing unt i l a l l other sounds were engu l fed by the c l amor .
Ma l l ards and tea l bu z z ed over the b l i nd unh i ndered , a s i f d a r i ng
me t o shoot .
The sun began to burn o f f the fog .
My watch read
7 : 15 .
Lega l shoot i ng t ime .
112
I n the d i stance I heard the echo ing booms o f s earch i ng shot­
guns , the i r ir idescent f l ames l ight i ng up the morning sky .
Out
of the north a f l ock o f wood i e s turned and s l ow l y c i r c l ed t oward
The b irds were s i lhouetted by the burn i shed g o l d o f
the d ecoys .
the morn i ng sun .
The i r wi ngs wh i st l ed a s they s l ipped through
the t r e e s at breakneck speeds .
They f l ew in t ight f ormat i o n ,
the i r w ings beat ing in t ime t o s ome unheard cadence .
The a i r was
r i c h w i th t h e m e l od y of w o o d i e s s i n g i ng o v e r t h e m a r s h .
Two
wood i e s dropped out of the l arge f l ock t o p a s s over the decoys .
As i f i n s l ow mot ion , my gun came up and stead i ed on those two
b lurred shadows .
I held momentar i ly and f i red ; the e xp l os i o n
rocked t h e marsh .
A s i ng l e f eather f l oated down , sp i r a l ing out
A sp l a sh i n the d i r ect i o n o f t h o s e
o f t h e c o l d October sky .
Out i n the m i d d l e
f l e e i ng shadows told m e my a im had been true .
o f t h e p o n d l a y t h e two w o o d i e s t h a t I h a d d r e am e d o f f o r s o
l ong .
But the k i l l ing o f these b irds l e ft me f e e l i ng ho l low .
The troph i e s are there , on my wa l l at home - - a ma l e and
f ema l e wood duck i n fu l l plumage .
Yet , s omehow , s ometh i ng o f
them i s l os t .
So I don ' t hunt wood i e s any more .
I can ' t .
B irds
s o l ove ly and natur a l belong where I sough:t them .
i n the
w i ld .
The Eva luat ion :
Perhaps Joe d i sp e l s some
common myths regarding the hunter menta l i ty .
The wr it ing i s fresh in deta i l and s entenc ing .
The e s s ay engages a s it revea l s an observant ,
s e n s i t ive , and car i ng hunter-vo ice .
113
The S ecret
by Jeanette Lark i n
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 - - Sherer )
The A s s ignment :
Wr ite a pers ona l e s s ay i n wh i ch
you f ocus on a n inc ident wh i ch he lped you grow .
G ive i t a c l ear descr i pt ive a s we l l a s a
narrative component .
The H ig g i n s bus stopped two b l ocks e a s t o f Har l em Avenue .
M y m o t h e r u s h e r e d m e t o t h e d o o r , f o l l ow e d by h e r b oy f r i en d ,
Joey .
W e s t e p p e d o u t a n d w a i t e d f o r t h e bu s t o p a s s b e f o r e
cro s s ing the busy street .
S i lence was our doma i n .
The d e s t i na ­
t i on , K o l bus Funera l Home , grew l ike a s torm a s w e s o l emn l y ap­
proached .
At 1 0 : 3 0 a . m . b l i nd i ng sun expo sed every crevi c e o f Ch i cago .
But a lt ernate ly , n ight re igned i n s ide the funer a l home .
I stood
s i l e nt ly i n the entryway .
Overs i z ed red draper i e s covered the
w i nd ows .
H e a l ing sun wa s not perm itted entranc e .
The c a rpet ,
b u r n t r e d w i th s p a tt e r i n g s o f i n d i g o b l u e , c a s t t h e w a l l s i n
cream .
Sparse i l lum i na t i on from three t a b l e l amps barely l i t the
room .
Sur e l y there were b l ood t h i r sty monsters ready t o spr i ng ,
crouched i n the dark shadows .
I spotted my r e a s on for com i ng and f ro z e .
A sh i ny g o l d c o f ­
The l id was open l ik e a n in­
f i n s a t at t h e far e n d o f t h e room .
v i tat i o n t o death .
I t was then that I retreated into fantasy .
My f ather w a s not dead .
He was pretend ing .
At any moment he
I
wou l d r a i s e h i s head and announce hims e l f among the l iv in g .
took a n oath t o keep h i s s ecret ; my l ip s were s e a l ed .
Sudden ly , I wa s introduced , w ithout mercy , t o each o f the
mourners present .
" Th i s is your great Aunt H e l en . "
" Th i s i s
Bob , a n o l d f r iend . "
I sm i l ed sweet ly and endured the comments .
" Why , you were j ust t h i s b ig the l a st t ime I s aw you , " they would
gesture .
" S o you ' r e how o l d now? "
" N i ne , " I rep l i ed , sh i ft ing
my we i ght apprehens ive ly .
F o l l ow i ng the long forma l i t i es , I scanned the room , avo id ing
the haunted corner s ,
and exam i ned the p a ined peop l e s cattered
acro s s the room l ike dice .
Next to me was Aunt Barb .
She w iped
swo l l en eyes with a wh ite k l eenex and spoke in hushed tones w ith
u n f am i l i a r p e op l e .
Mom , p r e g n a n t a nd d u e a t t h e e n d o f t h e
month , . s a t w i th Joey a s f a r away from the c o f f i n a s p o s s ib l e .
Her eyes ( a l s o avo i d i ng the corners ) were g lued t o the dark car­
pet .
My paterna l grandmother knelt over her son , perhaps p r ay ing
for h im t o be rean imated .
1 14
Wh i l e s t i l l i n the entryway , I caught puz z l e p i eces o f con­
ver s a t ion .
" Too young , " prote s ted an angry bear vo i c e .
"I'm
" He ' s i n a much better
sooo s orry , " conso l ed some do-gooder .
p l a c e now , " announced a cack l ing w itch . The s e utterances dr i fted
into my thoughts and for a f l eet ing moment I forgot the s ecret .
Maybe my f ather had d i ed .
But then I carne to .
The p a i n that
f i l l ed the room was unnece s s ary .
My f ather was a l ive .
N ext , I bounced i nto a c t i o n .
Need l e s s s u f f er i ng had t o be
erased and I took my part as the eraser .
D i z zy w ith exc i t ement ,
I moved from mourner to mourner .
I was cut e .
I was funny .
And
i f that d i dn ' t work , I wa s s imp ly sweet .
I was a n actre s s and
the oppr e s s ive room at Kolbus Funeral Horne was my stage .
After an hour o f s at i s fy i ng per formance , I sat next t o my
qu i e t mother .
Without my cue , my eyes locked i n mort a l c ombat
w i th the c o f f i n .
I had not yet v i s ited the po l i shed g o l d tone
I n a v i s ion I stood above my f ather
cof f in and w ith good reason .
and he w inked at me .
Consequent ly , I g ig g l ed and gave away h i s
secret .
Neverth e l es s , I f ound my se l f fata l ly attracted t o h i s
I t was f i na l ly t ime .
rest ing p l ace .
I made my way acro s s the r oom .
Peop l e star ed and p eop l e
p o inted ; I started to sweat .
I approached my goal o n t iptoes ,
" Loving
absently survey i ng f l owers a s I went .
My heart raced .
Father , " announced the wreath p i cked out for me .
I t had t i ny
p i n k a n d y e l l ow c a r n a t i o n s , b l u e d a i s i e s , a n d b a by ' s b r e a t h .
My heart
Wast i ng t ime , I s topped and savored carna t ion scent .
pounded , but I forced my s e l f on .
I r a n my h a n d s a l o n g t h e s m o o t h s t e e l o f t h e c a s k e t a n d
r eached the kne e l er .
T h e r e m y br e a th i n g c e a s e d .
My f a t h e r
l ooked s ick .
H i s f ace had the s ame hue a s the cream cush i ons
w h i ch h e l d h i m .
W a x y s k i n ap p e a r ed t o m e l t f r o m h i s f a c e t o
unknown depths o f t h e co f f i n .
I
cou l d a lmost s e e m y f ather ' s
h a z e l eye s through h i s transpar ent l id s and h i s y e l l owed t eeth
through h i s equa l ly sheer l ip s .
A s ing l e tear sprouted from my l e f t eye , and one unr e lent ing
shiver d i d a tap dance on my sp i ne .
I s t i l l r e f u s ed to breathe .
I f I r e l ea s ed a breath it wou ld b l ow away h i s rema i n s l ike dust .
W a s h e dead a f ter a l l ?
Was it the s ecret and not the p a i n that
was unneces sary?
I n p a n i c , I b e g a n to p l e a d q u i e t l y w i t h my
father .
" P l e a s e , p l e a s e t e l l me y o u ' r e a l i v e .
Y ou ' re j u st
pretend i ng , r ight? "
I
I n a dream state I watched h i s che s t r i s e and f a l l .
r e l e a s ed my own breath in r e l i e f .
W i p i ng a s i ng l e tear f rom my
Once aga i n I
cheek , I turned away from my father and from death .
vowed to keep h i s s ecret .
My l ip s were sea l ed , but s o were h i s .
The Eva luat ion :
Jeanette , po ignant l y and movi ng ly ,
te l l s o f the s i ghts , s ounds , f e e l i ng s , and
thoughts wh i ch made her f ather ' s funera l
memorab l e .
The speaker conv i n c i ng l y revea l s that
unique t i e between f ather and daughter .
115
Detour
by I nga Launer
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 - - Sternberg )
The As s ignment :
Descr i be a p la c e you know we l l
and convey i t s domi nant impres s i on through
care f u l ly s e l ected imagery .
I don ' t know why it occurred to me to take th i s short d etour
today , of a l l po s s i b l e days .
I dec ided qu ite suddenly a s I s aw
I don ' t o ften
the f am i l i ar green e x i t s ign f l a sh by overhead .
v i s i t Ch i cago anymore , and have even less r e a s o n t o f ind mys e l f
i n the o l d n e i ghborhood where I grew up .
A s I pu l l u p a l ong s ide
the curb , I rea l i z e that it must have been i n the back o f my m i nd
for a l ong t ime , l ike a p i ece o f unf i n i shed bus in es s .
Wa lk i ng across the cracked pavement , I note how b i tter c o l d
a n d b r i ght t h e day i s .
A snow l e s s w i nter d a y that rem i nd s m e o f
many other s , l ong ago , when I hur r i ed a long th i s s ame s p iked i r o n
fence .
I untuck my ch i n l ong enough to g lance s kyward a t the
s i l en t c l ocktower r i s i ng gracefu l ly t o i t s culmi nat i o n -- a ta l l
copper s p i r e , l ong s i nce weathered t o a s o f t s e a foam green .
It
wou l d be wonder f u l to aga i n hear the be l l s chime t h e f am i l i ar
me l ody that wou ld r emind us to stop our games and hurry hom e to
d i nner .
At th i s t ime o f the day though , the most I cou l d hope
for i s to hear them str ike the h our .
I rea l i z e that even though t ime has d i s t orted the memory
s omewhat , I am s t i l l awe - struck by its sheer s i z e and grandeur .
I a s cend the nearest o f the two sweep i ng sta i r c a s e s that l e a d
The s e s t a i r s have a l ­
f rom the s t r e e t to t h e exter ior bal cony .
ways rem i nded m e o f C i ndere l l a a t the ba l l � - e spec i a l ly o n the
day that I mys e l f f l oated up them dre s ed in a gown of wh i t e s a t i n
a n d l ac e .
I p au s e o u t s i d e t o t a k e i n t h e p a l e g r ey , r ou gh l y - cu t
gran i t e f acade .
I t has become sooty and watersta ined with age ,
It is
but i t has l o s t none o f i t s i nherent d ig n i ty or beauty .
a l l o f a p i ece :
a magn i f i cent , turn - o f -the-century goth i c s truc­
ture of f ly i ng buttr e s s e s , p o i nted arches , and s p i r e s dr i pp i ng
with crocket s .
I t cou l d sur e ly hold i t s own aga i nst near l y a ny
o f the great cathedr a l s o f Europe .
The door swings open e f fo rt l es s ly d e s p i t e i t s form i d a b l e
s i z e a nd w e i ght .
The o l d radi ators c l ank and h i s s a s I pu l l o f f
The musty sme l l o f dust and
m y g l oves , s n i f f l i ng from the c o ld .
116
dry heat m i n g l e w i th the d i s t inct odor o f incense that has f ound
i t s way out to the foyer , as if to per fume the streets out s i d e .
I n s ide the d im , shadowy church , the
qu i et d e s cends on me
l ike a great , s o f t b l anket .
As my eyes adj ust t o the l ight , they
are drawn up the l ength o f stat e l y f luted co lumns that reach up
to meet the succes s ive arches of the l ong , tower ing nave .
The curve s o f the va luted c e i l i ng s t i l l wear the c o l or s o f a
Monet sunset touched w i th go l d l ea f , j us t a s I remembered .
And at
f ir s t g l anc e , the sta i ned-g l a s s w i ndows are l ike a ka l e i do s cope
of exqu i s it e j ewe l s .
My f ootsteps echo through the empt i n e s s a s I make my way
down the center a i s l e , past row upon row of the l ong oak p ews ,
worn s l owl y t o a sat i ny pat i na by thousnds o f p a i r s o f hand s .
I
not i c e the f a int scent o f f l oor wax and l emon o i l that h a s per­
meated the wood throughout the years .
Ahead , beyond the ornate bra s s and marb l e ra i l , the ma i n a l ­
tar g l ows w ith t i ers o f s i lently f l i cker ing cand l es .
P r i stine
marb l e statues r i s e out o f a sma l l c i tyscape o f wh i t e spires that
l in e the front wa l l and mimic the outer arch itecture .
Sprays o f
p a s t e l g l a d i o l a s a r e stepped symmetr i ca l l'y through th i s i nner
s anctuary , ref l ect i ng a sense o f order and d i s c i p l i n e .
As I l ower mys e l f into a pew , a hundred fragmented memor i e s
come t o m ind :
g i r l s i n uni forms o f c r i sp wh ite b l o u s e s and b lue
p l eated s k i rt s , boys wi th neat ha ircut s and navy b lu e t i e s ; the
o l d women i n the i r babushka s and f l owery hats , wh i sper ing the i r
r o s ar i e s through dry l ip s ; the s i ng- song chant o f a p r i e s t i n
l ong- f orgotten Lat i n .
I wonder , how many hundreds o f hours o f my youth d i d I spend
in th i s p l ace?
Yet ma ny o f these mag i n i f cent deta i l s s eem to
have e s caped my reco l l ect i on .
Or perhaps I am rea l ly j us t s e e i ng
t h e m f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e n ow , n o l o n g e r d i s t r a c t ed b y a y ou n g
g i r l ' s thought s o f never-end ing tomorrows .
My reve r i e i s broken
by the chang i ng l i ght pour i ng through the sta i ned-g l a s s w i ndow
a bove me .
I t i l l um i n a t e s t h e s w i r l i n g d u s t m o t e s a n d c a s t s
c o l o r f u l patterns on the f l oor .
B e i ng i n th i s vast , empty church aga i n br i ng s me more than a
new appre c i at i on o f i t s t ime l e s s beauty , more than a s e n s e o f
peace and t ranqu i l ity .
I f e e l a s though I am part o f i t s h i s­
tory , j us t a s surely a s it i s part o f m i ne .
Romant i c and r ich deta i l s
The Eva luat ion :
reca l l not only the wr iter ' s ch i l dhood but
the h i story and power o f the church .
117
Persona l Reve l a t ions
by W i l l Lutman
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 - -Mott l a )
The As s ignment :
Focu s i ng on one o f the e l ements
of the short story ( p lot , character , s ett i ng ,
etc . ) , the students were to wr i t e an i nter­
pretive and ana lyt i c a l paper on 9ne of the short
stor i es i n the text .
I n the short story " Reve l at ion , " F l annery O ' Connor ' s omn i s­
c i en t narrator penetrates Mrs . Turp i n , expo s ing her i nner- s e l f
and lay ing bare d i s sonance common to a l l huma n i ty .
When r e a d i ng ,
I began t o f e e l I knew t h i s exc e s s ive woman .
We have a l l known
the type :
she th inks she is better than everyone e l s e .
S h e made
me f e e l that i f I l e f t her i n a room f u l l of f r i ends , she would
stab me in the back by exp l a i n i ng how I am " common , trashy , bossy
or s t up i d . "
S h e o f t e n s h o w e d t h e s e a t t i tu d e s w h e n s p e a k i n g :
" ' I ' l l t e l l you , ' she s a i d and laughed merr i ly , ' I sure am t ired
of butter ing up n i gger s , but you got t o l ove them i f you want
them t o work for you . ' "
Fee l i ng s o perf ect , she can f ind f au l t
i n anyone .
However , each read i ng produces further i n s i ghts about
huma n i t y , a n d I b e g a n t o r e c o g n i z e t h e c h a r a c t e r ' s p u rp o s e s
w i th i n a greater theme :
a s Mrs . Turp i n exper i ences her r eve l a ­
t i on O ' Connor shows how even t h e most narrow m i nded m a y learn and
grow through extraor d i nary event s .
The f ir s t read ing revea l s Mrs . Turp i n a s a sha l l ow soul .
She i s constant l y saying one th ing wh i l e th i nk i ng another w i t h
d i sd a i n .
" ' When y o u g o t someth ing , ' she s a id , ' you l ook a fter
it . '
' And when you a in ' t got a th ing but breath and b r it ch e s , '
she added t o herse l f , ' you can a f ford to come t o t own every morn­
i ng and s it on the Court House cop i ng and s p it . ' "
As I read , I
found Mrs . Turp i n dep lorab l e .
She i s pretent i ou s and n arrow­
m inded .
H e r i n n e r - s e l f e xp o s e d by t h e n a r r a t o r p r o v o k e d my
anger .
She i s so smug and s e l f-r ighteous her character could
comp e l a ny r eader to detest her .
A l s o , by shar i ng Mrs . Turp i n ' s persona l thoughts w i t h us ,
the narrator shows how she s e e s her s e l f .
For examp l e , one pas­
s a g e s h o w s h o w she s e e s h e r s e l f as f a u l t l e s s .
" S o m e t i m e s at
n ight when she cou ldn ' t go to s l eep , Mrs . Tur p i n wou l d occupy
h er s e l f w ith the quest i on of who she wou l d have chosen to be i f
she cou ldn ' t have been herse l f . "
As she l i e s i n bed she imagines
118
Jesus g iv i ng her the cho ice o f being only " trash or a n igger . "
She r e i n forces our f ee l ings toward her w i th her dec i s i on :
" She
wou l d have w iggled and squ i rmed and begged and p l eaded but it
w ou l d h a v e b e e n n o u s e and f i n a l l y she w o u l d have s a i d , ' A l l
r ight , make me a n igger then but don ' t make me a tra shy one . '
And h e wou l d have made her a neat c l ean respect a b l e Negro-woman ,
her s e l f but b l a ck . "
Th i s passage demonstrates how important her
rank i ng s and her grand h i erarchy of peop l e are t o her .
From the narrator ' s ins ight s and becau s e o f the strength o f
h e r c o n v i c t i o n s t h e r e a d e r f o r m s c o n c l u s i o n s a b ou t h e r p e r ­
sona l i ty .
She th i nk s Jesus wou l d u s e thos e name s when speak ing ,
show i n g that she be l ieves Jesus wou l d rank those peop l e the s ame
a s she does .
S h e i s s o p r e s um p t u o u s t h a t s h e b e l i ev e s J e s u s
w o u l d m a k e h e r " h e r s e l f b u t b l a ck . "
T h e p a s s age i n c i t e s the
reader to l abe l h e r a s pre j ud i ced a n d s e l f -absorbed .
I t i s e a s i ly
I n the s e c ond read ing I started t o see deeper .
s een that she ranks a l l peop l e " decent or trashy , " by both c o l or
and p o s s e s s ions .
Yet , i n the passage where she ranks peop l e and
she ponders , " the comp l ex i ty of it , " the author sugge s t s where
her k ind of th i nk i ng can l ead .
The narrator exp l a i n s :
" Usua l ly
by the t ime she had f a l l en a s l eep a l l the c l a s s e s o f peop l e were
mo i l ing and ro i l i ng around in her head , and she wou l d dream they
were a l l crammed together in a box car be ing r i dden o f f t o b e put
in a gas oven . "
W i th th i s ref erence t o the Jew i sh atroc i t i e s ,
Na z i sm ,
and H i t l e r , O ' Connor , through the narrator ' s i n s i ght ,
shows how her s impl e thoughts are ev i l and dangerou s .
I t is of­
t e n th i s s i mpl e p r e j ud i c e t h a t a f o r c e f u l l e a d e r t w i s t s i n t o
h e i nous acts against human ity .
The th ird reading revea l ed l i tt l e new about Mrs . Turp i n , but
wh i l e I was ana lyz ing Mrs . Turp i n ' s character the most imp ortant
theme of the s tory was reve a l ed t o me .
When I f ormed my op i n ion ,
j udged her a s pre j ud i ced , and ranked her i n my m i nd , I sudden ly
rea l i z ed I was th i nk ing l ike her .
I shou l d have f e lt sorrow and
It
p ity that my f e l l ow human had these pro b l ems , but I d i dn ' t .
i s i nherent i n human nature to deve l op our own s e l f - image , and
" our own p l ace " w ithin s o c i ety .
As we f ind th i s " p l ace , " we o f ­
ten s e e our s e lves a s more s i gn i f i cant than other peop l e and the
center of the wor ld .
Peop l e have an i nherent tendency to c l a s s ­
i fy obj ects , actions , an ima l s and other humans .
A s w e meet other
peop l e , we o ften f i l e them into ment a l categor i e s , opened by our
f ir s t impre s s i on of them .
O f t en our impre s s i ons are pre j ud i ced
by what a f r i end or a cqua i ntance has t o ld us , bef ore we even meet
s omeone .
I f we are unaware of th i s human tendency , we may b ecome
a Mrs . Turp i n .
I n the end i ng , Mr s . Turp i n ' s reve l at i on g ives us hope but
l eave s us to wonder .
As she was shown that we are a l l equa l
in
God ' s eyes , she re a l i z e s a new order o f things :
" Yet s h e cou l d
s e e b y the i r shocked and a l tered faces that even the i r v i rtues
were be ing burned away . "
She was shown by God that her v irtues
are no greater than tho s e o f the peop l e she l o oked d own upon .
Th i s concept o f u l t imate equa l i ty i s a s important t o u s a s i t i s
t o Mr s . Turp in .
A f ter Mrs . Turp i n ' s reve l at ion , O ' Connor l eaves u s wonder ing
i f she has been e n l ightened .
" I n a moment the v i s i o n faded but
she rema i ned where she was immobi l e . "
We are unsure where her
The author l eaves her ready t o turn e ither
reve l a t ion w i l l l ead .
119
way t oward goodn e s s or s e l f i shne s s , with only a sugg e s t i o n t o her
dec i s ion .
She hears the cr i ckets a s " the vo i c e s o f the s ou l s
c l imb i ng upward i nto the starry f i e l d and shout i ng h a l l e lu j ah . "
I never r e a l ly dec ided i f th i s event was monumenta l e nough t o
cau s e her t o l ive within h e r t r u e r e l i g i ou s mora l s ; b u t O ' Connor
has t aught me s ometh ing .
I t ' s not my p lace t o j udge !
The Eva luat ion :
Mr . Lutman increased the value o f
the a s s i gnment and the interest o f h i s paper by
tak i ng the reader through h i s r e - eva luati ons o f
t h e ma i n character i n succ e s s ive readings .
In
t h e proce s s he sk i l l fu l ly l inks t h e wor l d o f
the story w ith the wor l d o f the reader , the
f i c t i t i ous character a nd r ea l - l i f e aud i ence .
120
The rurmo i l o f Marr i age
by Mary Kay Man ion
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 - -Kumamoto )
The A s s ignment :
I n about 5 0 0 words exp l icate
a poem o f your cho i ce , w i th part i c u l a r attent i o n
t o i t s techn i c a l d i s c i p l i n e so a s t o butt r e s s
your sense o f the me a n i ng .
The ache o f Marr i age :
th igh and tongue , b e l oved
are heavy with i t ,
i t throbs i n the t eeth
We look for commun ion
and are turned away , b e l oved
each a nd each
I t i s Lev i athan and we
in its be l ly
look i ng for j oy , s ome j oy
not t o be known out s ide o f i t
two by two i n the a r k o f
the a che o f i t .
- - D e n i s e Levertov ( b .
1923 )
M a r r i a g e i s t h e u n i o n o f two p e op l e i n b o d y , m i nd , a nd
spirit .
I t i s a bond o f l ove , honor , trust , and devot i o n .
Such
a bond i s so spec i a l that it takes two very uniqu e i nd i v i dua l s
Marr i age i s
who a r e w i l l ing t o s a cr i f ice anyth i ng for the other .
a j ourney o f two peop l e o n a road that l eads t o for ever .
The
road may be even ly paved ; o ften it is very rocky , f u l l of h i l l s
and va l l eys .
I t i s the l atter o f the s e two wh i ch can make a mar­
r i ag e t ough t o bear .
Den i s e Levertov ' s " Th e Ache of Marr i ag e " i s
about the t r i a l s and t r i bu l at ions that two peop l e endure i n a
mar r i age .
Accord i ng t o the poem , pa i n and j oy a r e i ntertw i ne d i n
marr i age .
The poem imp l i e s that the coup l e mus t f ind a way t o
confront a n d a ccept both t h e pa i n and t h e j oy .
The p a i n i nvo lved
in th i s confronta t ion and acceptance w i l l be exp l icated through
Levertov ' s u s e o f imagery and a l l iterat ion .
12 1
The f ir s t s ta n z a empha s i z es the p a i n a coup l e o ften has t o
I n l i nes three and f ive , a l l i terat ion c omes i nto
go through .
The .t and th
p lay ; th i gh and .tongu e ; it throbs i n the .teeth .
makes the stanz a s ound heavy , empha s i z ing the we i ght of the p a i n
o ften borne b y coup l e s i n marr iage .
The heav i n e s s i s brought out
The
" a r e h e avy w i th i t . 11
m o r e a s i nd i c a t ed i n l i n e f o u r :
" th i gh , " be i ng heavy w i th p a i n , cou l d r epresent try i ng to run i n
order t o e s cape t h e angu i sh .
The " tongue , " a l s o we i ghed down
I t m ight mean one
w ith pa i n , cou l d convey a coup l e of mean i ngs .
or the other or both are unab l e to express the ir thoughts t o one
Not knowi ng what each
another , s ign i fy i ng l ack o f commun i c a t i on .
one is t h i nk i ng can be very awkward .
No one knows what t o say ,
and noth ing i s s o lved .
Accord i ng to the poem , p a i n can o ften
bear down and put a lot of pres sure on peop l e , espec i a l ly those
who a r e s o c l o s e to each other .
Pres sure often f e e l s l ik e a lead
we ight pre s s ing on the m i nd and the heart and can be very d i f ­
f icu l t t o d e a l w ith .
From th i s analys i s , o n e other p o s s i b l e s ig­
n i f i cance o f the word tongue
i s that because o f th i s p r e s sur e ,
there m ight be words s a i d betwe en the two i n anger and frustra­
t io n , words they don ' t mean to say .
Line five , " it throbs in the
teeth " s ign i f i e s aga i n words thrown i nto the a ir that n e ither
When dea l i ng w i th thes e k ind o f
tru l y wanted the other to hear .
heart-wr ench i ng emot ions , peop l e often a c t from t h e heart and not
the m i nd .
B ecause p a i n o f the heart i s so great it can make a person
I t m ak e s p e op l � a c t w i t h o u t
b l i n d to the w o r l d a r o u n d h i m .
Th i s p a i n can be , qu ite p o s s i b ly , wor s e than any type
th i nk i ng .
of phys i c a l p a i n exper i enced .
It takes a lot of t ime to e a s e
The second sta n z a ex­
th i s suf f e r i ng a n d to work th ing s through .
p l a i n s the coup l e ' s s earch for answers on how t o r id them s e lves
o f t h e h u r t i n g , but t h e y e n c ou nt e r d i f f i cu l t i e s i n d o i n g s o .
L i ne s i x states , " We l ook for commun i on . "
Commun i on can mean
share the i r
shar i ng , which is what coup les are supposed to do :
l ives w i t h each other .
What th i s l i ne means t o me i s that the
coup l e is l ook i ng for some sort of comprom i se , but are having
troub l e reach i ng an agr eement .
Line s even , " and are turned away ,
b e l oved , 11 i nd i cates the troubles they are hav i ng i n obt a i n i ng
The p l a cement o f the word b e l oved
mutua l shar i ng o f one another .
in th i s l i ne s e ems to ind i cate that it is uttered in a f orced and
d e l i berate way .
Th i s g ives the reader a f e e l o f the i r s epara­
t io n .
The coup l e is l ook ing for the j oy of together n e s s in the
turmo i l of the i r marr iage .
The s eparat ion o f two peop l e who have spent much o f the i r
Thi s
t ime together c a n def i n i te ly create upheava l i n a marr i age .
I n stan z a three ,
turmo i l i s much l ike a monster churn ing w i th i n .
the upheava l i s compared to the b i b l i c a l s e a monster Lev i athan ,
be l i eved tp have swa l lowed Jonah , one o f the prophets .
The " we "
The image
i s Jonah , be i ng swa l l owed " i n its be l ly " ( l i ne 9 ) .
portrayed here i s o f the coup l e r i ght at the heart of the i r con­
f l i ct and a l s o the abso lute worst and most pa i n f u l part .
They
The
are try i ng to l ook for j oy , but none is known at t h i s p o i nt .
" it " in l ine twe lve ( " not to be known out s i d e of i t " ) r e fe r s to
the be l ly , wh ich is comparab l e t o the deepest part of the i r tur­
mo i l .
A l ong w i th con f l ict mixed in somewhere i s supposed to be
happ in es s .
What the poem says i s that the coup l e w i l l o n l y know
happ i n e s s a s long a s there i s con f l ict ; out s i d e o f that , it i s
122
not o bta i nab l e . I t i s a lmost as i f the poem i s s ay i ng the two go
hand in hand ; i f they have happ ines s , then con f l ict i s lurk i ng
around the corner and vice ver sa .
I t s e ems a s i f the coup l e w i l l
never f ind pure happ in e s s .
F i nd i ng happ i n e s s i s probab ly the hardes t part i n mak i n g a
marr i age work .
I t s e ems a s i f i t i s a never ending batt l e , one
that can make a person th i nk that th i s has got t o be one of the
most horr i b l e exper i ences i n a l i fet ime , one that can t e s t the
strength of a marr iage .
Stan z a four empha s i z e s the fact that i t
i s j us t the two o f them i n the worst part o f heartach e .
I nterna l
a l l i terat ion becomes evident here :
i n the ark o f
the a.g_he o f i t .
The k s ound makes the l i nes sound choppy and s t i cky , l ik e the
It
pro bl em i s c l inging t o the s e peop l e and w i l l not d i s appear .
a l so g ives the l ines a harsh and britt l e and p i erc i ng s ound , l ik e
p a i n wh i ch o ften f e e l s l ike stabb i ng a n d p i erc i ng .
Imagery once
aga i n comes into p l ay .
The ark is symbo l i c of Noah ' s ark .
As
were the an ima l s , the coup l e cons i s t s o f two ( a matched p a i r ) .
A s Noah ' s ark was look i ng for re fuge from the great f l ood , s o the
The i r ark i s
coup l e is look i ng for shelter from the hurt ing .
f loat i ng i n a sea o f p a i n , search ing for a n end t o the turmo i l i n
the i r marr i age .
I n " The Ache o f Ma rri age , " Levertov emp l oys many b i b l i c a l
r e ference s because mar r i age i s a ho ly s acrament n o t t o b e t aken
l ight ly .
At the end the coup le i s more aware o f the acceptance
o f the p a i n they have to face w i t h i n the i r marr iage .
I t may take
a lot o f p a i n and sacr i f i c e and s earch ing , but the r eward in the
end can be a marr iage fu l l o f pure happ ines s , s trengthened f rom
the s trugg l e both peop l e have endured .
Marr iage i s a l ong j our­
ney a nd the road is not a lways even , but if two peop l e are w i l l ­
i ng t o make sacr i f i ces for the other , the bond between them w i l l
become unbr eaka b l e and the coup l e may l ook ahead t o a smoother
voyag e , know i ng what they may face aga i n .
The Eva luat ion :
Mary ' s r i gorous s e l f - s crut i ny
and s cho l a r l y i nte l l igence , crysta l l i z ed i n
thoughtful hypothes i s and c l o s e ly-obs erved
deta i l s , f i ne ly decode the subt l e dynam i sm
o f Levertov ' s poet i c la nguage and theme .
123
" F l ower i ng Judas : "
A D i f f erent I nterpretat i o n
by L i s a R . McBr ide
· ( L iterature 1 1 5 - -Burwe l l )
The As s ignment :
Ana ly z e a short s tory i n terms
of an e l ement o f f i ct i on .
" F l ower i ng Judas , " by Kather ine Anne Porter , i s a p u z z l ing
story .
The s ett i ng is a Mexican town dur ing the revo lut i on , but
i t ' s not actua l ly a t a l e of war .
The con f l i c t i s not a n extern a l
one , e a s i ly d e f i ned , but rather i t occurs w i t h i n t h e heart , m i nd ,
And then , o f cours e ,
and s o u l o f Laura , the centra l character .
there ' s Laura hers e l f , the b i ggest puz z l e o f a l l .
Here she i s ,
the protagon i s t - - the hero ine - - and yet we can ' t s eem t o make
a n emot iona l connect ion w i th her i nner be ing .
The author has
purpo s e l y , i t s e ems to me , prov ided u s w ith s cant i nformat i o n
W e v i ew h e r m u c h a s t h o s e
c o n c e r n i n g L a u r a ' s emot i o n a l i t y .
around her do ; w e haven ' t much more i n s i ght i nt o her mot ivat i ons
than they have .
I t ' s my be l i e f , however , that the author has
g iven u s sma l l c lues wh i ch sugge s t that Laura , despite her con­
s idera b l e e f forts o f w i l l ,
is a woman o f s uppres s ed emot i on s ,
perhaps even h idden pas s i ons .
The f i rst emot i on we see in Laura i s anger .
Bragg ion i t e l l s
her , " I am tempted t o forg ive you for being a g r i nga , Gr i ng it a ! "
And then we read , 1 1
and Laura , burn i ng , imag ines her s e l f
l e a n i ng f o rward sudden ly , and w i th a s o und back-handed s l a p
I f he not i c e s her eyes at
w i p ing the suety sm i l e from h i s face .
thes e moments he g ives no s ign . "
We can we l l imag i n e Laura ' s
anger at Bragg i on i ' s i n s u l t - -we s e e i t i n her eye s , even i f the
r evo lut i onary does not .
But Laura doesn ' t adm i t t o the emot ion ,
even t o her s e l f .
Qu ickly she recovers her s t o i c p o i s e .
Another emotion l i nger s , even a fter the anger i s f orgotten .
Laura i s cont i nua l ly haunted by " uneasy premon i t i ons o f the fu­
ture . "
She fears that she i s be ing sta l ked by a horr i b l e d eath ,
death by mut i l at i on .
She d e n i e s what she s e e s around her because
she be l i eves that her " nega t i on o f a l l externa l events a s they
occur is a s ign that she is gradu a l ly perfect i ng her s e l f in the
s t o i c i s m s h e s t r i v e s to c u l t i v a t e a g a i n s t t h a t d i s a s t e r s h e
f e a r s , t h o u g h s h e c a n n o t n am e i t . "
Al l throughout the story
we ' re a l l owed g l imp s e s o f Laura ' s fear .
Cons idering h e r i nvo lve­
ment in the revo lut ion , it ' s l og i ca l to a s sume that Laura i s in
j eopardy .
But the author makes i t c l ear that Laura ' s f ea r s are
124
more a foreshadow i ng o f danger w i t h i n her than o f actu a l phy s i c a l
danger .
However , d o e s the author mean to imp ly that Laura f e a r s
s h e w i l l d i s cover she i s a she l l o f a person , a woman w ithout
pass ion?
Or does t h e author w a n t to convey t h e impr e s s ion that
Laura is a f r a i d o f b e i ng overwhe lmed by her suppre s s ed emot ions ,
shou l d they every sur f ac e ?
Here the author stops short o f
r evea l ing her purpo s e , prefer r i ng to l ay the burden o f dec i s i o n
at t h e f eet o f her readers .
A t t h i s p o i nt w e k n ow t h a t L a u r a i s c ap a b l e o f n e g a t i v e
emot i on s - -anger and irrat i ona l fear , a t l e a s t .
But i s there more
to her s ou l ?
Is i t pos s i b l e to f e e l anger but never know j oy ?
C a n one f e a r but never l ove?
A we l l -rounded character wou l d be
privy t o the f u l l spectrum o f human emot ions .
But is Laura a
we l l - r ounded character , or i s she f or ever l ack i ng a ba s ic e l ement
n e c e s s ary for comp l eteness?
" Y ou t h i nk you are so c o l d , Gr i ng i ta ! " Bragg i o n i i n f orms
Laura .
" Wa it and s e e .
Y ou w i l l surpr i s e your s e l f s omeday !
May
I
be t h e r e to ad v i s e y o u ! 11
B r a g g i o n i m a y be f at a nd s e l f ­
absorbed , but we have no reason t o doubt h i s j udgment o f Laura ' s
character .
He i s a po l it ic i an- -he has ma<;le i t h i s bus i n e s s to
s e e through other peop le and to u s e them for his own bene f it .
B r a g g i o n i d o e s n ' t r e a l l y u n d e r s t a nd L a u r a , b u t h e s e e m s t o
g l imps e more w ith in her than she wou ld w i l l ingly revea l .
I n the
s ame p aragraph we are told that Laura lets her mind wander , but
not too far .
" She dares not wander too f ar . "
We cou l d take th i s
t o mean that she fears Bragg i o n i and needs t o pay attent i on to
h im , but I interpr eted i t a s mea n i ng that Laura keeps t ight r e i n
o n h e r thought s because s h e i s a fr a i d o f where they m i ght l ead
her .
Myster i ous , too , i s Laura ' s past l i f e .
We know that s h e was
r a i s e d a Roma n C a t h o l i c , but t h a t s h e h a s , f o r s om e u n k n ow n
She i s , however ,
r e a s o n , forsaken the r e l ig ion o f her youth .
Her mora l ity , her
s t i l l very much i n f luenced by her upbr ing i ng .
sense o f duty , her idea l i sm- - a l l o f these traits s t em from her
ch i ldhood .
Aside from her re l ig i ous background , however , w e ' re
not t o ld very much about her past .
We are to ld that she can take
n o p l e a s u r e i n r e c a l l i ng h e r p r e v i ou s l i f e , a n d t h a t s h e i s
p l agued by " remembered a f f l i c t i ons . 1 1
There i s l itt l e concret e
p r o o f t o support my specu l a t ions , but my inst incts t e l l me that
Laura was h id i ng from s ometh ing in her past , not s imp l y searching
for a cause to l end pass ion to her l i f e .
Bragg ion i pu z z l e s over Laura ' s mot ivat i o n i n j o in in g the
revo lu t i o n .
We puz z l e , too .
He asks Laura if she works s o hard
becau s e o f l ove for a man .
" No , " she repl i e s .
And yet , we are
c l ea r l y g iven the impress ion that there i s more t o Laura ' s f e e l ­
i n g t oward Eugen i o than i s actua l ly stated .
I t h i nk the authbr
p l a y s u p o n t h e r e a d e r ' s d e s i r e to b e l i e v e t h a t t h e r e i s a
" natur a l " reason beh i nd Laura ' s devot ion , rather than a n abstract
caus e .
In other words , the auth or knows that the reader w i l l a s ­
sume that Laura h a s mot ives s im i lar to the ones f ound w i t h i n each
of us .
She l eaves it to the reader to dec ide why Laura chooses
t o l i v e as s h e d o e s .
I d o n ' t b e l i e ve t h a t L a u r a j o i n e d t h e
r evo lut i o n out o f l ove f or Euge n i o , but I do b e l i eve that she
C o n s i d e r L a u r a ' s t h o u g h t s a s s he
f e e l s s om e t h i ng f o r h im .
prep a r e s for s l eep , 11 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - - it i s monstrous t o confuse l ove
with r evo lut i o n , n ight w ith day , l i f e w i th death--ah Eugen i o ! "
125
Ah Eugen i o !
Thes e sma l l words hold such power o f emot i on w i th i n
them--they a r e an express ion stra ight from the heart .
Here i s a
s o l id c lue that Laura does f e e l more than we m i ght f irst · ima g i n e .
On a very
The f in a l p i ece i n the pu z z l e i s Laura ' s dream .
bas i c l eve l I be l i eve her dream is important s imp l y becau s e o f
its o c currence .
I th i nk she has the dream because o f power f u l
thoughts a n d emot i ons w i th i n her that s h e den i e s and doesn ' t w i sh
t o f ace .
E v e n th ough s h e c r i e s , " N o ! " a n d a w a k en s , I d o n ' t
be l i eve that Laura can stop the dream or the emot ions i t r epre­
sents ( gu i l t , s orrow , perhaps even l ove . ) Freud ca l l ed the dream
He be l i eved that dreams were
a " roya l road" to the unconsc ious .
a f o r m o f w i s h - f u l f i l l m e n t f o r our r e pr e s s e d e m o t i on s a n d
des ires .
H e a l s o be l i eved that impr e s s i o n s a n d exper i en c e s f rom
c h i l d h o o d p l a y an i mp o r t a n t r o l e i n t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f o n e ' s
character .
I don ' t agree w i th a l l o f Freud ' s teaching s , but I do
be l i eve that dreams are i nexora b l e , a lways rem i n d i ng us of the
b it s and p i eces we thought we had swept beneath the rug of the
subconsc i ou s .
Freud ' s ideas h e l p us understand Laura a l itt l e
bett e r .
T h e y a l s o l e nd c r e d e n c e t o m y b e l i e f t h a t L a u r a h a s
f ought l ong and hard t o suppre s s her emot i o n s , and that she a l ­
I f e e l that Laura does not want to exper i ence
most succeeded .
h er own emot i o n s , wh i c h a r e o f t e n p a i n f u l .
S o , instead , she
f eeds o f f the emot i ona l exper i ences o f other s , borrow i ng h e r p a s ­
s ion f rom them .
I wou ld l ike t o be l i eve that the ending o f the
story prov i d e s an opportun ity for Laura to get i n touch w i th her
f e e l ings .
I f she cont i nues to d eny her emot i ons she w i l l rema i n
a s untouchab l e , un fathomab l e , and unfu l f i l l ed a s s h e i s whe n we
l eave her .
Laura i s tru ly a pu z z l e .
Her i nt r i gu i n g s t or y ,
howeve r , shou ld s erve a s a rem i nder that a l l emot i o n s , even ones
w h i ch c a u s e us p a i n , s h o u l d be c h e r i s h e d a s p a r t of the e x ­
p er i ence o f b e i ng fu l l y a l ive .
The Eva luat ion :
Ms . McBr ide ' s we l l -wr i tten
e s s ay exp lores i n depth the subcons c i ous att itud e s
o f Laura in " F l ower ing Juda s , " show i ng how
the " return of the repr e s s ed " may be seen a s
a f orce i n character deve l opment .
The e s say
is provocat ive , c l ear , and f i n a l l y compe l l ing ,
and demonstrates an unusua l grasp o f p sycho l ogy
as we l l as l iterature .
12 6
Workp lace Drug T e s t i ng
by Jerry J . Meek
( Bus iness Eth i c s - -J .
Stone )
The As s i gnment :
Th i s n i ne -part a s s i gnment i nvo lved
art i cu l a t ion o f the student ' s mor a l j udgment on
an i s su e p lus a support i ng ph i l os oph i c a l argument .
The paper had good res earch , c l ear and r e l evant
wr it ing , and a strong argument for ' the mor a l
j udgment .
A.
Fact s
Th i s nat i on i s f ac i ng a very d i f f i cu l t pred i cament .
S ome
wou l d trace the roots of th i s p l ight to the f r e e - sp i r ited and
rad i c a l changes wh ich tran spir ed dur i ng the 1 9 6 0 ' s .
Others ma in­
tain that the gene s i s o f th i s i s sue began many decades if not
The prob l em i s drug and a l coho l abuse .
c entur i e s b e f ore that .
W ith sympt oms o f l ow product ivity and poor product qua l ity , many
wou l d d i agno s e th i s c ivi l d i l emma a s one o f the causes f o r our
nat i o n ' s dec l i ne in the wor ld ' s marketp l a c e .
Accord i ng to the
Research Tr i an g l e I ns t itute , a No rth Caro l ina-based r e search or­
gan i z at i on , drug abu s e cost the U . S . economy $ 6 0 b i l l i o n i n 1 9 8 3
( Batt l ing 5 3 , Kau fman 5 2 ) .
By 1 9 8 7 that e s t imate had swe l l e d to
What can be done to
over $ 1 0 0 b i l l ion ( Bacon 8 2 , Bens inger 4 4 ) .
d e c e l e r a t e t h i s a l a rm i n g c o s t of d r u g a bu s e i n Ame r i c a ' s
workp l a c e ?
Rona l d Reagan ' s an swer w a s to p r o c l a im a w a r on
drug s .
W ith that in m ind , o n 1 5 S eptember 1 9 8 6 , Reagan s igned a n
execu t i ve order ca l l i ng for t h e drug t e s t i ng o f a broad r a n g e o f
t h e f edera l government ' s 2 . 8 mi l l ion c i v i l i a n emp l oyees .
Th i s
wa s t o open the door t o what i s now a more than $ 2 0 0 m i l l ion-a
-year industry ( Kupfer 1 3 3 ) , the bus in e s s o f u r i na lys i s .
I t has
a l s o o p e n e d the d o o r t o what s o m e h a v e c a l l ed the ebb o f t h e
Fourth Amendment and h a s expo s ed a l l o f us t o t h e pre sumpt i o n o f
gu i lt .
The present use o f drug test i ng in corporate Ame r i c a i s bur­
g e o n i ng .
A l m o s t 6 0 % o f t h e c o mp a n i e s w i t h 5 , 0 0 0 o r m o r e
emp l oyees presently have drug programs that inc lude drug t e s t i ng
( Bacon 8 4 ) .
Amer ican l aborator i e s are s a i d t o be crank i ng out
more than 2 0 m i l l ion drug tests
a year , of wh ich some 8 5 % w i l l
b e u s ed f o r c o r p o r a t e p r e - emp l o ym e n t s c r e e n i n g ( Ku p f e r 1 3 4 ) .
Wh i l e l e s s common , many sma l l and med ium s i z ed compan i e s are a l so
127
f o l l ow i ng s u i t .
Even
" ba s t i ons o f l i bera l i sm" l ik e
The New
Y o r k T im e s a r e t e s t i ng emp l oy e e s , j o b a p p l i c a n t s , o r b o t h .
" It ' s noth i ng short o f phenomena l the extent to wh i ch emp l oyers
h ave gotten r e l i g i on on the drug i s sue i n the l a s t f ive years "
( Bacon 8 2 ) , says Mark A . De Bernardo , spec i a l coun s e l f o r domes ­
t i c p o l i cy o f the U . S . Chamber o f Commerce and execut ive d irector
of the I nst i tute for a Drug-Free Workp l ace .
However , the fact
that the U . S . government ins i s t s on a " drug- free workp l ace " for
a l l f edera l contractors ( or face l o s i ng the ir f eder a l contract )
D e s p i t e a p l ethora
mak e s the phenomenon a b i t more transparent .
of m i s concept ions regard i ng test i ng accuracy , a recent l y r e l ea s ed
state-wide G a l lup P o l l ind i c a t i ng 6 4 % o f I l l ino i s an s surveyed
f av o r w o r k p l a c e d r u g t e s t i n g ( WG N 1 1 / 2 9 ) s u g g e s t s e v e n t h e
genera l pub l i c i s gett ing beh ind the e f f ort .
One o f the greatest anx i et i e s o f a l l compan i e s con s ider ing
drug test i ng a s we l l a s tho s e who are t o sub j ect t o t e s t i n g i s
the p os s i b i l ity o f s ometh ing c a l led a f a l s e pos i t ive .
A f a l se
pos it ive is when t e s t i ng indicates drug use , when , in actua l ity ,
drugs have not been used .
A l a r g e p o r t i o n o f t e s t i ng i n a c ­
M i s ident i f icat ion ,
curac i e s have been att r i buted to human error .
m i s p l acement ,
and poor ly tra i ned personne l have been c ited a s
chron i c prob l ems o f many test ing l abs .
I n fact , the government
recent l y des ignated only four of the hundreds o f l ab s throughout
the c ountry as l abs that meet government t e s t i ng s tandard s .
Many
o f t h e f a l s e po s i t i v e r e s u l t s c a n b e a t t r i bu t e d t o s om e t h i ng
ca l l ed cro s s -react ivity .
The most common ly used drug screen i ng
t e s t i s t h e e n z ym e mu l t i p l i e d i mmu n o a s s a y t e c h n i q u e o r EM I T
( Kup fer 1 3 4 ) .
Wh i l e the test i s s a id t o b e extreme l y sens i t ive ,
i t i s not prec i s e ly spec i f i c .
C o mm o n o ve r - th e - c o u n t e r p a i n
r e l i evers such a s Advi l , Datr i l , and Nupr in ( a l l o f wh i ch conta i n
i bupr o f en ) s omet imes show u p a s a pos it ive for mar i j uana ; e a t ing
p o p p y s e e d bu n s o r t a k i ng c ough s y rup s w i th d e xt r om e t h o r p h a n
cou l d y i e ld a pos i t ive f o r morph ine ; common c o l d remed i e s l ik e
Con t a c t , S ud a f e d , a nd o t h e r d e c o n g e s t a n t s c o nt a i n i ng
p h e ny l p r o p a n o l a m i n e t e s t o u t a s amp h e t am i n e u s e ; c er t a i n a n ­
Wh i l e most stud i e s
t i b i ot i cs y i e l d f a l s e p o s i t ives f or coca ine .
wou l d i n s i st that EMIT h a s an a ccuracy rate o f over 9 5 % ( Lun z er
4 4 2 , Bens inger 4 6 , Kaufman 5 2 ) , many f e e l the mean ing o f a p o s i ­
t ive test resu l t can b e f a r from cer a i n ( Kupfer 1 3 4 , O ' Ke e f e 3 5 ) .
I n f a ct , one i ndependent study reported an inc idence o f nearly
6 7 % f a l s e po s i t ives among a group o f 1 6 0 urine s amp l e s ( O ' Ke e f e
35) .
I t shou ld be noted , though , that the EMIT i s meant to b e
o n l y a prel iminary screen ing .
Pos it ives are t o be conf i rmed by
t h e u s e o f m o r e e x p e n s i v e t e s t i ng p r o c e d u r e s s u c h a s g a s
chromatography /mass spectrometry tests ( GC / MS ) .
When pre l im i nary
scree n i ng i s comb ined with con f i rmat i on test i ng , the r e s u l t s are
v i rtua l ly 1 0 0 % accurate ( Bens inger 4 6 , Kup fer 1 3 4 , On the Job
30) .
However , accord i ng t o Northwestern Un i vers i ty ' s L indqu i st ­
E n d i c o t t R e p o rt , o n e - t h i r d o f t h o s e c omp a n i e s t h a t u s e d r u g
screening tests such a s EMI T d o n o t u s e con f irmat i on test i ng i f
i n it i a l screenings are pos i t ives ( Kupfer 1 3 4 ) .
B.
Further Re lated Top ics
There are many other i s sues that come into p lay i n the grand
s ch em e of workp l ace drug t e s t i ng .
One s e r i ous pro b l em w i th cur128
rent pre-emp loyment drug test ing i s that i t s e ems to be geared to
i so l at ing tho s e who use mar i j uana , even c a sua l ly ,
rather than
I t h a s been
f i lter ing out the most pern i c i ous of drug a bu s er s .
my exper i ence a s a product ion superv i sor that the most i n s i d i ou s
drugs i n t h e workp l ace today , t h e drugs that most contr ibute t o
the e s t imated $ 1 0 0 bi l l i on a year in soc i a l c o s t s due t o drug u s e
( i n t h e f orm o f decreased product ivity ,
increased absente e i sm ,
workp l a ce acc ident s , med i c a l costs , and theft ) a r e coca i n e and
a lcoho l .
But the chron i c coca i n e and a l coho l a buser can evade
t e s t i ng pos i t i ve i n pre-emp loyment a s says by absta i n i ng for but a
f ew d a y s .
C o c a i n e l e a v e s t h e b l o o d s y s t em i n l e s s t h a n f ou r
days , a l coho l i n but hours ( Lun z er 4 4 2 , O ' Kee f e 3 5 , Horgan 2 4 ) .
B y c o n t r a s t , ma r i j u a n a c a n be r e c o g n i z e d i n u r i ne m o r e t h a n
twenty days a fter use , nearly three t imes more than a n y other
commonly used drug , w ith even second-hand or p a s s ive inha l at ion
b e i ng detectabl e .
Th i s leads us to another pro b l em w i th drug
t e s t i ng in that ana lys i s f a i l s t o d i scr iminate between the c a su a l
a n d chron i c user .
Because frequency o f u s e can n o t be d eter­
m i ned , a s one author wrote , test i ng can not d i s cern " between a
s ecretary smok ing mar i j uana on the weekends and a n A I D S - r idden
pro s t i tute smok i ng $ 1 0 0 worth o f crack a day " ( Horgan 2 4 ) .
Another pert i nent que s t i on m i ght be :
I s i t uneth i ca l not to
drug test if worker s a f ety i s at i s sue?
Other i s sues that should
be exam i ned more thorough ly concern the backdrop t o drug abuser s .
What are the soc i a l f a ctors that lead to drug u s e ?
How c a n we ,
a s the pedest r i a n c i t i z enry o f the u . s . or the managers o f our
nat i o n ' s f a ctor i e s , reduce the str e s s e s and pres sures that may
i nd u c e a bu s e .
As S a ndy P a dw e o n c e w r o t e i n an e s s ay o n d r u g
a bu s e i n vo l v i n g p r o f e s s i o n a l a t h l e t e s , d r u g a b u s e i s b u t a
symptom o f a deeper ma l a i s e { 2 8 ) .
C.
Mora l Judgments
There are many mor a l dec i s i ons that mus t be made when con­
s ider ing the imp l ementat ion of a drug test ing p o l i cy .
One o f the
most important i s sue s is that of c iv i l l i berty .
It can be a s ­
serted that i t i s mora l l y i ncorrect for a n emp l oyer t o i nvade the
pr ivacy of a n emp l oyee ' s body or to d i ctate what one can or can­
not do when not on the j ob .
I n the m a j o r ity op i n ion concern i ng
Sk inner v . Ra i lway Labor Execut ives ' Assoc .
( a c a s e concern ing
the drug t e s t i ng o f ra i lway emp l oyees ) , U . S . Supreme Court Jus­
tice Kennedy be l i eved that blood and ur i ne t e s t i ng i nvo lves a
phys i c a l i ntrus i o n , that " the proce s s o f co l lect i ng the s amp l e t o
b e t e s t ed , wh i ch m a y i n s om e c a s e s i n v o l v e v i s u a l o r a u r a l
mon i t or i ng o f the act o f urinat i o n ,
i t s e l f imp l i ca t e s p r i va cy
i nte r e s t s " ( Farber 1 4 ) .
Wh i l e f ew wou ld d i spute the need o r the
m or a l c o r r e c t n e s s of r a n dom drug t e s t i ng i n s a f e t y s e n s i t i ve
s ituat i ons , the argument cannot be r e l i ably extended much beyond .
Th i s i s part i cu l a r ly va l i d when no caus e h a s been shown for test­
i ng .
As s ome c i v i l l i bertar i ans have been heard t o s a y , " as long
a s emp loyees do the i r work we l l , inqu i r i e s into the i r o f f -duty
drug u s e are no more l e g i t imate than i nqu i r i e s into the i r s e x
l ives " ( O ' Kee f e 7 3 ) .
Many c i v i l l i bertar i a n s are further con­
cerned by the fact that urina lys i s can now a l so detect pregna ncy ,
heart d i s e a s e , e p i l epsy , d i abete s , s evere depre s s ion , s ch i z oph­
ren i a and ma n i c -depre s s ion { Hento f f 2 6 , O ' K e e f e 3 5 ) .
P r e s ent
129
t e s t s can a l so detect chemica l " marker s " that may suggest a per­
son is at a h igh r i sk o f deve l op ing d i abete s , arthr i t i s , or can­
cer ( Hento f f 2 6 ) .
Another i s sue that requ i r e s a mora l j udgment concerns the
cons equences of a pos i t ive drug test .
In pre - emp l oyment t e s t ing ,
most wou ld agree that the pena l ty for a ver i f i ed p o s i t ive test
But what about present
wou l d be no j ob o f fer f rom the company .
emp l oyees that test p o s i t ive for drug use?
Here the course o f
action i s not s o c l ear cut .
Many wou ld again f e e l that d i s charg­
i ng the i nd ividua l is mora l l y correct .
Other s , however , f e e l
that rehab i l i ta t i on i s a more mora l ly huma n i s t i c approach .
In
f act , part o f the government ' s " mandatory " drug- free workp l ace
p r o g r am d i c t a t e s t h a t c omp a n i e s p r o v i d e s om e t h i ng c a l l e d a n
emp l oyee a s s i stance program .
Th i s i s a con f ident i a l con s u ltat ion
serv ice that , among other th ing s , a l l ows emp l oyees an avenue t o
s eek treatment for drug abuse problems .
D.
Eth ica l Rea s o n i ng
N o one can d i spute the eth i c a l reason}ng beh ind random drug
t e s t i ng for workers in s a f ety- s e n s i t ive j obs .
The destruct i o n o f
a pr i st i ne bay a l ong the A l a skan shore l i ne caused by the o i l
s p i l l o f the EXXON Va lde z , or the study done by the Federa l Ra i l ­
road Adm i n i strat ion ( FRA ) recogn i z ing 3 4 fata l it i e s , 6 6 i n j ur i e s
a nd m o r e t h a n $ 2 8 m i l l i o n i n p r o p e r t y d a m a g e r e s u l t i ng f r om
" to x i n s u s e " in 4 5 tra in acc ident s from 1 9 7 5 t o 1 9 8 3 ( Farber 1 4 )
can attest t o that .
Further , most wou ld f e e l mor a l j us t i f icat ion
in the t e s t i ng of a i r l i n e p i l o t s o r nu c l e a r p l a n t emp l oy e e s .
Many wou ld cont i nue that pre-empl oyment test i ng i s j us t i f i a b l e
b e c a u s e i t f i l t e r s o u t p o t e n t i a l p r o b l em emp l oy e e s .
P r op e r
s cr e e n i ng m e t h o d s c a n g r e a t l y r e d u c e t h e p r o b l em s a nd s o c i a l
c o s t s a s s o c i ated w i th on-the - j ob drug u s e such a s h igh emp l oyee
turnover , poor product ion and qua l i ty contro l , and t ower ing in­
surance and hea lth care expen s e s .
· S ome wou ld reason that it i s mora l ly correct to t e s t a l l
present emp l oyees because then there wou ld be no pre j ud i ce a s to
who wou ld be tested .
As country s i nger Tom T . Ha l l wrote , " I f
you hang a l l the peop l e , you ' l l get a l l the gu i l ty . "
But many
w o u l d s ay t e s t i n g a l l emp l o y e e s w o,u l d s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e du c e
emp l o y e e m o r a l a n d f r a c tu r e t h e emp l o y e e / em p l oy e r t r u s t w h e n
emp l oyees mu st prove the ir innocence aga inst the presumpt i on o f
gu i l t .
Ther e f ore , test ing pres ent emp l oyees shou l d b e u s e d o n l y
when there i s overwhe lmi ng ind icat ion o f on t h e j ob drug abus e .
E.
My Mor a l Judgments
I be l i eve that pre- emp l oyment drug test ing ( with con f irma ­
t i o n t e s t i ng ) i s mor a l ly correct as it prov ides the company w ith
a r e l i a b l e method to protect i t s e l f and its emp l oyees from the
prob l ems caused by workp lace drug abuse .
I a l s o be l i eve that i t
i s e s s e nt i a l in s a f ety- s e n s i t ive s ituat ions that there b e no drug
use , and I ther e f ore argue that random drug t e s t i ng i s mora l ly
correct i n those s ituat ions .
However , I f e e l that un l e s s there
is s ome s ign i f i cant evidence ind i cat ing workp l ace drug abuse ,
t h e r e i s l i t t l e m o r a l j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r t e s t i ng n o n s a f e t y ­
s en s i t i ve emp l o y e e s .
A l s o , i f y o u a r e g o i ng t o t e s t y o u a r e
130
mora l ly requ ired to u s e only r e l i a b l e t e s t i ng l abs and t o u s e
I a l s o b e l i eve that i f a n
con f i rmat i on test i ng for po s i t ives .
emp l oyee tests pos it ive i t shou l d be t h e mor a l r e spons i b i l i ty o f
t h e company to o f f er rehab i l itat ion for f i rst t ime o f f ender s .
But a pos i t ive test wou ld a l so leave that i nd iv i dua l i n a pos i ­
t i o n t o b e r a n d o m l y t e s t e d o v e r a l i m i t e d p e r i od a f t e r
reha b i l i t a t i o n .
F.
The Mor a l Pr inc i p l e Beh i nd My Po s i t i on
I be l i eve most mora l p r i nc i p l e s wou l d support the mora l ity
i n t e s t i ng s a f ety- s e n s i t ive emp loyees .
The Ut i l itar i an wou l d s ay
that the greatest ut i l ity for a l l wou l d occur i f the s e j ob s were
manned by ind iv idual s who were not abu s ing drugs ; t e s t i ng wou l d
be t h e o n l y way to a s sure th i s .
A Ru l e Ut i l itar i an wou l d s ay
drug t e s t i ng i s eth i ca l ly correct becau s e drug t e s t ing wou l d be
r equ i r ed by the mora l ru l e that s ays i t is wrong t o put others i n
h a r m s w a y b e c a u s e o f a n emp l o y e e ' s d r u g u s e .
Th i s r u l e i s
mora l ly correct because there wou ld be greatest ut i l i ty f o r a l l
by r emoving drug abusers from s a f ety- s en s i t ive j ob s .
A Raw l s i an
m ight say that worker s a f ety mus t be a pr ecur s or t o a l l ba s i c
Also a
l ibert i e s ; w i thout it there wou l d be n o ba s i c l ibert i e s .
Raw l s i a n wou ld s ay that t e s t i ng sa fety - s en s i t ive workers wou ld
a l s o protect the l e a s t advantaged from harm .
F i na l ly , a Raw l s i a n
wou l d say t h a t under t h e ve i l
o f ignorance everyone wou l d want
to be protected from the pos s i b l e harm that s omeone u s i ng drugs
may p r e sent .
A Ut i l i t a r i a n wou ld s ay that by us i ng preemp l oyment drug
s creen i ng you wou ld reduce the potent i a l s o c i a l costs that on the
j ob u s e m ight produce .
Th i s wou ld g i ve the great e s t ut i l ity for
a l l as opp o s ed to a l l owing a person t o be h i red only t o create
costs i n the f orm o f poor qua l i ty or reduced product ion .
A Ru l e
Ut i l i tar i a n m i ght say pre-emp l oyment t e s t i ng i s e th i ca l ly r ight
a s i t w o u l d be m o r a l l y wro ng t o h i r e s om e o n e wh o i s a bu s i n g
drugs .
Obv i ou s l y there i s much greater ut i l i ty i n n o t h i r i ng a
drug abuser than i n h i r i ng one .
A Raw l s i an wou l d rea l i z e that s a f ety i s necess ary t o i nsure
a l l of the ba s i c l i bert i e s .
N ew emp loyees stat i s t i ca l ly have a
greater i n j ury rate than exper i e nced emp loyees and po s s i b l y en­
danger other s around them i n the proce s s .
There mus t be s om e way
to expose tho s e who wou ld further enhance the ir chan c e s of i n j ury
or i n j ur i ng someone e l s e by the use of t e s t i ng .
Further , th i s
p r o t e c t s t h e l e a s t a d va n t a g e d , th o s e w o r k i n g a r ou n d t h e d r u g
abu s e r , from i n j ury .
F i na l ly , i f you w e r e t o be t h e co-worker o f
a new worker you wou ld not want h im to b e u s i ng drugs .
I t wou l d
under no c ir cumstance b e mora l t o t e s t f o r anyth ing other than
drug abus e , un l e s s spec i f i ed bef orehand .
The t e s t i ng o f pres ent emp l oyees i n non- s a fety - s e n s i t ive
s itua t i o n s can be eth i ca l l y inde f i n ite .
However , i f an emp l oyee
has gone through pre-emp l oyment test ing w i thout show i ng s igns o f
drug u s e a n d t h e emp l oyee ' s work h a b i t s have not i nd i cated drug
u s e , I f e e l t h a t a l l o f t h e pr i n c i p l e s we h a v e s tu d i ed w ou l d
th i nk i t uneth ica l to have mandatory t e s t i ng .
I be l i eve that a
Raw l s ian wou ld say freedom from undue search and freedom f rom
131
presump t i o n o f gu i lt can be extended from the ba s i c l ibert i e s .
A
Raw l s i a n wou ld a l s o want , from beh ind the ve i l o f ignoranc e , that
t h e p e d e s t r i a n c i t i z e n wou l d n o t b e f o r c e d t o p r o v e h i s i n ­
nocence .
G.
A D e f ense
The b iggest attack on my mor a l j udgments wou ld come from the
N o z i c k i a n s a nd t h e p r i n c i p l e o f f r e ed om f r om c o er c i on .
But
sur e l y even a No z i ck i an wou ld f e e l that t e s t i ng wou l d be n e c e s ­
s ary for s a f ety s ituat ions , a s t h e Lock e i an prov i so prov i d e s for
e x c ep t i o n s wh e n t h e s i t u a t i o n s of o t h e r s w i l l be w o r s e n e d .
Whether or not a N o z ickian wou l d extend that s ame under s t a nd ing
to a pre-emp l oyment test i s unc l ear , but I f e e l he shou l d .
Poor
workmansh ip and l ow output a f fects everyone in th i s s o c i ety .
If
we , a s manager s , can po s i t ive ly a f fect any o f the causes o f these
I gnor i ng workp l ace
prob l ems , we wou ld be servi ng every customer .
drug a bu s e and tho s e who abuse worsens the s itua t i on f or a l l .
S ome wou ld s ay pre-emp l oyment drug tests do not stop a p er ­
son f rom d o i ng drug s ; they f o r c e only " momentary " abst i nence and
ther e f ore a r e i n e f f ect ive aga i n s t workp l a c e drug u s e .
Th i s wou ld
be p a rt i a l ly true .
But no s i n g l e test wou ld be tota l ly e f f e ct ive
short of da i ly a s s ays .
There fore , pre-emp l oyment te s t i ng mus t be
but one component o f a l arger comprehen s ive drug program that
shou l d inc lude educat i on ,
tra i n ing ,
conf ident i a l consul tat ion ,
and , i f necess ary , rehab i l i t a t i o n .
Th i s approach may a l l ow for
casua l u s e , but if c a sua l , o f f -hour use does not a f f ect work per­
f ormance , i t shou l d not be part of the company agenda , other than
t o t r y to d i s s u a d e t h r o u g h e d u c a t i o n .
I t i s n o t a c omp a ny ' s
s over e ignty to d i ctate mora l i ty on home a c t i v i t i e s .
After a l l ,
i s the purp o s e o f emp l oyee drug test i ng t o " e l iminate i l lega l
d r u g u s e , n o t j u s t f o c u s o n t h o s e w h o a r e a d d i ct e d , " a s J .
M i ch a e l Wa l sh , the des igner o f Reagan ' s z ero-to l erance program ,
wants us t o b e l i eve ( Horgan 2 4 ) , or i s i t t o stop drug u s e i n the
workp lace?
Works C i t ed
Bacon , Dona ld C .
" Bus iness Move s Aga i nst Drugs . "
Bus i n e s s N ovember 1 9 8 9 :
8 2 -8 3 .
Nat i o n ' s
" Batt l ing the Enemy w i th i n , " T ime 1 7 March 1 9 8 6 .
Bens i nger , Peter B .
" Drug Test i ng i n the Workp l ace . "
4 8 9 ( Ju l y 1 9 8 8 ) :
4 3 -5 0 .
Farber , Dan i e l A .
" Supr eme Court Rev i ew :
Tr i a l June 1 9 8 9 :
14-17 .
Anna l s
Drug-test ing C a s e s . "
Hento f f , N a t l .
" Presumpt ion o f Gu i l t :
Pr ivacy r ights i n the
Workp l a c e . " The Progress ive May 1 9 8 6 :
24-6 .
" Y our Ana lys i s i s Fau lty . "
Horg a n , John .
2 Apr i l 1 9 9 0 :
2 2 -2 4 .
132
The New Repu b l i c
Kaufman , I rv i ng R .
" The Batt l e Over Drug T e s t i ng . "
T imes Maga z ine 19 Oct . 1 9 8 6 :
52+ .
Kup f e r , Andrew .
Dec . 1 9 8 8 :
" I s Drug Test ing Good or Bad? "
133-34+ .
Lun z er , Francesca .
1 3 July 1 9 8 7 :
" But I ' ve Never Used Drugs . "
442 .
New Y ork
F ortune 1 9
Forbes
O ' Ke ef e , Anne Mar i e .
" The Case Aga inst Drug Test i ng . "
P sycho l ogy Today June 1 9 8 7 :
3 4 - 3 5+ .
" On the Job Aga i n s t Drug s . "
Nat i on ' s Bu s i n e s s July 1 9 8 9 :
Padwe , S andy .
" Symptoms o f a D e eper Ma l a i se . " The Nat i o n
2 7 S eptember 1 9 8 6 :
2 8 -3 0 .
WGN ,
Ch i cago .
" Noon News . "
2 9 Nov .
199 0 .
The Eva luat ion :
The paper had good r e search ,
c l ear and r e l evant wr i t ing , and a strong argument
for the mor a l j udgment .
133
2 9 -3 1 .
P a l at i ne Food Pantry
by Jane l l Nool een
( Speech 1 0 1 - -Cho i c e )
The As s ignment :
Wr ite a 5 - 7 m i nute speech t o
persuade your aud i ence t o perform s ome d e f i n i t e ,
obs erva b l e act .
Now that Thanksgiv i ng i s a lmost two weeks beh i nd u s , I hope
you ' ve a l l recovered from the huge f e-a s t shared with your fami l y
Let
or f r i ends .
You probably had a d i nner much l ik e our fami l y .
me show you what our menu looked l ike .
The important t h i ng i s
not that you ident i fy each item o n our menu but that you get a n
We had
idea o f how many things we had for Thanksg i v i ng d i nner .
turkey and stu f f i ng , mashed potatoes and gravy , green bean c a s ­
sero l e , creamed o n i on s , sweet potato souf f l e , s tu f f e d mushrooms ,
j e l lo sa lad , cranberry bread , banana bread , pumpk i n bread , r o l l s
a n d r e l i s h tray .
Oh , yes , w e had s ome w ine with our d i nner too ,
a n d c o f f e e w i t h o u r d e s s e r t wh i c h c o n s i s t e d o f p e a nu t bu t t e r
banana cream p i e and pumpk i n yogurt p i e .
Long l i sts a r e pretty
b o r i n g to l i s t e n t o , a r e n ' t t h e y ?
W e l l , my p o i n t i s t h a t my
Tha nk s g i v i ng d i nner - l ike the menu I read t o you - was j us t too
much .
Let ' s t a l k about the fam i l i e s o f John Smith and Jane Doe .
Wha t do you suppose their menus for Thanksgiv ing d i nner l o oked
L e t m e g ive you a c lue - they looked much l ik e the one
l ik e ?
Th i s one I think you can a l l eas i ly read - peanut butter ,
here .
�
baked potato and tap water .
I didn ' t have much to put on th i s
one , s o I could use qu ite l arge l etter s .
I nc identa l ly , th i s menu
i sn ' t much d i f f erent from the i r menus for every other day of the
week , the month or maybe even the year .
The name s I ment ioned are f i ct i ona l but they are symb o l i c o f
d o z e n s and do z ens o f fami l i e s or s e n ior c it i z en s w i t h i n the
Pa l a t ine area .
Peop l e who , f o r one reason o r another , cannot a f ­
f or d t o b u y p r o p e r f o od .
I f tho s e f a m i l i e s h a d been awar e ,
however , o f the Pa lat ine Food Pantry , they , and others l ik e them ,
cou l d have had a much n i cer Thanksg iving mea l because the Food
P a ntry , through donat ions , d i st r i butes f ood and other household
i t em s to f am i l i e s o r i nd i v i d u a l s in n e ed .
They c a n n o t do i t
w ithout vo luntary donat ions , though , and I wou l d l ike to p ersuade
each of you t o donate non-per i shable f ood items or grocer i e s to
the P a l a t i n e Township Food Pantry by December 2 0th o f th i s year .
134
I ta lked t o Kr i s Freeman l a st week .
Kr i s i s a c a seworker
for l ow- income f am i l i e s in the P a l at ine area and she t o l d me of
s ome of the part icular needs the s e fami l i e s may have and where
the s e f am i l i e s come from .
They range from s e n i or c it i z en s w i th
only s oc i a l s ecur ity to r e ly on to young , s ing l e parent f am i l i e s
w h o can ' t make ends meet .
Some of t h e s e f am i l i e s
r e c e i v e food
s t amps t o cover grocery expen s e s so they don ' t need food i terns
from the Food Pantry .
They ' re i n need o f i tems not provided by
food stamp s , such as paper products or persona l hyg i ene i terns .
I ma g i n e l i f e w i t h o u t l a undry o r b a r s o a p , s h a m p o o o r t o i l et
paper .
By
S om e f a m i l i e s a r e u n a b l e t o p ay u t i l i t y b i l l s .
rece i v i ng f ood from t h e Food Pantry , they can s a v e on groc e r i e s
t o cover the i r ut i l ity costs .
There are approx imate ly 8 3 , 0 0 0 peop l e w i th i n the bound a r i e s
o f P a l at i ne Township and the surround ing un incorporated a r e a s .
A c c o r d i ng t o K r i s , t h e F o od P a nt r y a s s i s t s a n a v e r a g e o f 5 0
That ' s
f am i l i e s from th i s area each month , or about 1 5 0 peop l e .
a s many a s f ive to s i x c l a s srooms fu l l o f students here at Har­
per .
That ' s each month so you can imag ine how many donat i o n s are
neces sary t o accommodate everyone seeking he lp .
S ince th i s i s
the c ommun i ty i n wh ich we e i ther l ive , work , or go t o s choo l , the
c h a n c e s a r e t h a t we may k n ow s om e o f t h e s e p e o p l e , p e r h a p s
w i thout rea l i z i ng it .
They cou l d even be a next door n e i ghbor ,
o r , h ow about that n i ce o l der c oup l e down the b l ock who used t o
e nc o u r a g e y ou w h e n y o u w e r e a sma l l ch i l d l e a rn i n g t o r i d e a
bike?
Now that he can no longer work , how we l l do you th i nk they
are d o i ng?
Most of the churches and s choo l s , includ i ng Harper , as w e l l
a s l arge compa n i e s and scout troops i n Pa l a t i n e , h o l d canned f o od
drives to h e l p stock the she lves o f the Food Pantry .
But thes e
Kr i s t o l d me that th i s
she lves a r e s t i l l f a r fr o m over f l owing .
t ime o f the year the shelves are very fu l l because we ' re a t the
" g i v i ng " t ime o f year when peop l e are more incl ined t o th i nk of
the l e s s f ortunate .
However , by summer the cupboard gets pretty
bare .
The needy don ' t stop need ing though , so the more goods
d o n a t ed n o w , the m o r e t h e y ' l l h a v e l e f t wh e n J u n e , Ju l y a n d
Augus t r o l l around .
Th i s t ime o f year especia l ly , there are many cha r i t i es you
can donate to or become invo lved in .
The reason I t h i nk that
th i s one makes the most sense i� becau s e it ' s something we can
a l l a f ford to do , both f i nanc i a l ly and t ime-w i s e .
I f s ome of us
are a b l e t o g ive ten cases of ch icken nood le s oup , hey great !
But , i f we can only g ive a can o f beans i t wi l l s t i l l make a d i f ­
f erence and , i f w e a l l g ive a c a n o f beans , it w i l l make an even
b igger d i f f erence .
S i nce a lot of you are s t i l l l iv i ng at home
th i s cou l d be virtua l ly free for you .
Just grab a can ( or two )
from the pantry on your way out the door - your mother w i l l n ever
know
the d i f f erence .
A l l of us in th i s r oom trave l very c l o s e
t o t h e Food Pantry s evera l t imes a week - i t ' s j us t over on P l um
Grove Road , s o there ' s no big deal about j us t stopp i ng by o n our
w a y t o c l a s s e s or W o o d f i e l d a n d d r o p p i n g o f f our d o n a t i on s .
I t ' l l only take a f ew m i nut es .
Th i s Food Pantry idea i s important to me persona l ly because
I wa s one o f three chi ldren ra i s ed by a s ing l e parent with a n in­
One Chr i s tma s season a loca l men ' s organ i z at ion
adequate s a l ary .
showed up at our door with enough grocer i e s for a great Chr i s tmas
135
d i nn e r .
My mother was rea l ly embarras s ed at f irst { re c e iving
cha r ity was not her th ing) but a fter tho s e men l e f t , I r emember
my mother unpack i ng the grocer i e s w i th tears runn i ng f rom her
eyes and thank ing the powers that be becau s e her ch i ldren wou l d
eat we l l th i s Chr i stma s .
Today I ' m thankful that part o f my l i f e
i s i n t h e p a s t and that my fam i ly i s a b l e t o repay that a ct o f
k i ndne s s .
B e l i eve me , i t ' s much more s a t i s f y i ng t o h e lp s omeone
e l s e out i nstead o f having them help you out .
I t ' s rea l ly n i ce
t o f e e l good about your s e l f and when I read in the D a i l y Herald
about the commun i ty ' s invo lvement i n the Food Pantry , i t s truck a
chord .
Food , l ik e a lot o f th i ngs , i s most important when we don ' t
have i t .
When we have a l l we need , we don ' t th i nk twi c e about
it .
But , l et ' s th ink tw ice about it and h e l p make it a l it t l e
l e s s important to s ome o f our needy n e i ghbor s .
The Food Pantry i s l ocated i n the Pa l at i ne Township o f f ices
a t 3 7 N . P lum Grove Road - j us t one b l ock north o f P a l a t i n e and
P lum Grove Roads .
They ' re there from 8 : 3 0 i n the morn ing t o 4 : 0 0
i n the a ft ernoon on Mondays through Fr i days .
Hey , a fter the 1 4 th or 1 5 th o f th i s _ month , f ina l s w i l l be
over and you ' 1 1 have p l enty o f t ime to drop your donat i o n o f f
before the 2 0 th , or , d o it now wh i l e i t ' s s t i l l fresh i n your
m ind .
Remember , some day your f am i ly or s omeone you care f o r may
need a service l ike th i s - hop e fu l ly very temporar i l y .
Anyway ,
l et ' s make sure that , by gett ing our donat ions to the Food P antry
by December 2 0th , there wi l l be an amp l e supp ly on the shelves
shou ld any o f us need it in the future .
Tha nk you .
The Eva luat i on :
Jane l l cho s e a t ime ly top i c and
re lated it we l l to her c l a s smate s .
Refra i n i ng
from overdramat i z i ng the need , she inc ludes
r e l evant stat i s t i c s , test imony , and personal
exper i ence wh i ch l ends cred i b i l ity to her
thes i s .
Jane l l ' s request is c l ear , s imp l e
and u l t imat e l y persua s ive .
136
The Down f a l l of the I ron Curta i n i n Hungary
by Magda Pataky
( W r i t i ng for C o l l ege ,
Eng l ish as a Second Language- -Ho lper )
The A s s i gnment :
The f i n a l pro j ec t i n th i s
Eng l i sh a s a Se cond Language compo s it i on c l a s s
i s t o wr ite a 7 - 1 0 page r e s ea rch paper accord ing
t o gu ide l i nes used by Ame r i c a n u n i vers i t i e s .
The students were a l l owed to cho o s e the i r own
top i c s in order to focus the ir att ent i o n on
content a s we l l as the mechan i c s of the paper .
The term " I r on Curta i n " was f i rst used by W i n ston S . Chur­
ch i l l on May 1 2 , 1 9 4 5 .
He wrote :
" An iron curta in i s drawn down
11 1
upon the i r f r ont .
He used i t to d e s c r ibe the wa l l o f op­
pre s s i on that f e l l around the countr i e s of Centr a l and Ea stern
Europe that were occup i ed by the Sovi et Arm i e s a fter Wor l d War
II .
The I ron Curt a i n was the symbo l i c mea n i ng o f the Commun i s t
governments ' tot a l sh i e l d aga inst f r e e democrat i c expre s s i on o f
the peop l e .
Western r a d i o and T . V . bro a d c a s t s were d i sturbed
constan t l y a nd there was not true i n f ormat i on exchange between
Commun i s t and Western countr i e s .
The average c i t i z en o f a Com­
m u n i s t c ou n t ry w a s n ' t a l l ow e d to t r a v e l a b r o a d t o W e s t e r n
countr i e s .
V i s itors f r om any Western countr i e s were g iven a hard
t ime to move f r e e l y i n any Commun i s t country .
The so-ca l l ed I ron
Curt a i n s h i e lded the f r e e wor ld from the many atroc i t i e s that
Those who d i dn ' t
were comm i tted by the Commu n i s t gover nment s .
want to g i ve up wh atever they worked for i n the i r who l e l ives
were k i l l ed or transported to S i ber i a wh ich was equ a l t o execu­
t i on .
Sta l i n , the Sov i et l eader , wa s the b l ood i e s t -handed Com­
mun i s t a fter Wo r l d War I I .
He caused the murder of between 1 2
m i l l i o n t o 1 5 m i l l i o n Ru s s i a n s a n d o t h e r s i n t h e o c cu p i e d
I n Hungary , he d id most o f h i s
countr i e s , inc lud i ng Hungary .
k i l l i ng through h i s hand - p i cked he nchma n named Rako s i who was in­
s t a l l e d as the P r i m e M i n i s t e r of t h e C ommu n i s t P a r t y .
A f t er
S t a l i n ' s death , Imre N agy became the Pr ime M i n i ster i n Hungary
f r om July 4 , 1 9 5 3 - 1 9 5 5 .
Nagy was a Commun i s t a nd a veteran B o l ­
shevik .
Born i n 1 8 9 6 , h e fought in the Rus s i a n Revo l ut i on o f
1 9 1 7 wh ich he lped Len i n t o power and formed the bas i s for the
S ov i e t U n i o n .
N a g y s p e nt f i f t e e n y e a r s i n th e S ov i et Un i on
s tudy i ng agr i cu l tur a l prob l ems and making p ropaganda broadcasts
to his nat ive country Hungary . When the Red Army occup i ed Hungary
137
at the end o f the second Wor ld War , Imre Nagy returned f ir s t to
become M i n i ster o f Agr i cu l ture ( 1 9 4 4 - 4 5 ) and then the M i n i ster of
the I nter i or ( 1 9 4 5 - 4 6 ) .
He aga i n s erved a s M i n i ster o f State ;
then he became the Pr ime M i n i ster o f Hungary . 2
H i s career was
not atyp ica l o f the hundreds of Krem l in agents who f looded i nto
Hungary a f ter Wor ld War I I .
But Nagy was no ord i nary Commun i st .
H e be l i eved i n nat i ona l i ndependence and f r eedom even under a
Commu n i s t sy stem .
H i s patr iot i sm and the l ove o f h i s Hungar i a n
h om e l a n d a n d i t s p e op l e m a d e h i m a n e v e n b i g g e r h e r o o f t h e
f re edom- l ov i ng Hungar i a n nat i on .
Imre Nagy s a i d i n h i s p o l i t i c a l
t estament :
I do not deny my Hungar i an n a t i o n a l ity and
ardent ly l ove my Hungar i a n home l and and my
Hunga r i a n peop l e .
True patr i o t i sm , together
w i th l ove and respect for other peop le s and
nat ions are the bas i s and e s sence o f
pro l et a r i a n i nternat i ona l i sm . 3
H e r e j ected the S ta l in i st concept o f an author itar i an , arb itrary
and autocrat i c reg ime .
Dur i ng h i s short - l ived government , he
t r i ed to e s t a b l i s h as many r e f o rm s as he c o u l d to b r i gh t e n a
l itt l e the very dark era o f Sta l i n-Rakos i .
H i s program p o s ed a
b i g danger t o the Soviet imper i a l i sm .
H i s re f orms and be l i e f s drove the sma l l Hungar i a n nat i o n on
October 2 3 , 1 9 5 6 , to the very f i rst break in the s o - ca l l ed I ron
Curta i n .
Hungary revo l ted aga i n st the Sov i et occup i ers .
Unfor­
t u n a t e l y , the U . N . d i d n ' t r e s p o n d to the H u ng a r i a n f r e ed om
f ighter s ' ca l l for he lp .
Fin a l l y , on November 4 , 1 9 5 6 , the Hun­
gar i a n Freedom F i ghter Rad i o Stat ion broadcast these l a s t words :
Peop l e o f the wor l d , l i sten to our ca l l .
H e l p us not w ith words , but w ith a c t i o n , w i th
s o l d i er s and arms .
P l ease do not f orget that
th i s w i ld attack o f B o l shev i sm w i l l not stop .
You may be the next v i ct im .
S ave u s .
Our ship i s s i nk i ng .
The l ight van i she s .
The
shadows grow darker from hour to hour .
L i sten
Extend t o u s
to our cry .
Start mov ing .
your brother ly hands .
. God be w i t h you
and us . 4
The revo lut ion was crushed by Soviet tank s .
Thou s a nd s o f
Hungar i a n s i n c lud ing chi ldren l o st the i r l ives f o r the s ame p r i n ­
c i p l e s t h a t I m r e N a gy b e l i e v e d i n .
N a g y b e c am e a p r i s o n e r
through Soviet treachery .
Hundr eds of young peop l e who took part
in the f r eedom f ight i ng and were under 18 years o f age were put
beh i nd bars .
They waited for the ir '' 1 8 th b i r thday present " from
the ru l ing Commu n i s t reg ime wh i ch meant hang ing for the i r par­
t i c ipat i o n i n the revo lut ion .
Th i s happened becaus e by Hungar ian
l aw no one was a l l owed to be executed under the age o f 1 8 .
Imre Nagy was executed on June 1 6 , 1 9 5 8 .
H i s body together
w i th more than 3 0 0 bod i e s includ ing those youngsters were bur ied
i n s ecret i n a potter ' s f i e ld . 5
Many mother s , fathers and c l o s e r e l at ives s omehow knew what
was happen i ng beh i nd the ta l l wooden f ence .
They came to mourn
138
the i r l oved ones s ecret ly .
Thousands o f Hung a r i a n s f l ed t o the
Western count r i e s a fter the l o s t revo lut i o n in 1 9 5 6 .
Many o f
them l e f t Hungary aga i n s t the ir free w i l l , but th i s dec i s i on was
My f ather­
far better than becom i ng a martyr o f the revo lut i o n .
He l e f t the country a t the l a s t m i nute
i n - l aw was one of them .
when the b l oodth ir sty A . V . H . members ( same as K . G . B . ) were a fter
h im a s one of the ma i n chara cters in the revo l t .
Peop l e l ik e him
kept a l ive the many sad memo r i e s and t r i ed t o pass i t t o the next
generat i o n by commemorat i ng the events of October 2 3 rd each year .
The memory o f tho s e who s e bod i e s l ay i n the unmarked potter ' s
graves a lways brought back b i tter f e e l i ng s i n many o f u s abroad
and a t h ome .
The Hungar i an fre edom f i ghters o f 1 9 5 6 had been the mor a l
a n d po i t i c a l precursors o f the martyr s o f T i anamen , d e f eated by
tank s .
After suppr e s s i ng that revo l t and execut ing the moderate
Commu n i s t l eader Imre N agy , Mos c ow t r i ed a new f orm of br i bery :
i t a l l owed Hungary wider l a t i tude i n econom i c exper imenta t i on
than any other E a s t b l o c country , i n exchange for po l it i c a l or­
thodoxy . 7 .
Th i s econom i c exper iment a t i o n caus ed prosper ity for a
wh i l e , but l e f t the country i n $ 2 0 b i l l ion do l l a r debt at the end
o f the " gou l a sh commun i sm " era .
As years went by , the c o l d war a lways l e s s ened .
The i nfor­
m a t i o n e x c h a n g e b e t w e e n the p e o p l e w h o l i v e d in H u ng a r y a n d
abroad gradua l l y expanded .
At the end o f t h e 1 9 7 0 ' s a n d the
beg i nn i ng o f the 1 9 8 0 ' s , the Hungarians cou ld expr e s s l itt le by
l it t l e the i r cr i t i c i sm of Commun i sm .
Those who were too loud
ended up in p o l it i c a l pri sons .
D u r i n g t h e th i r ty y e a r s o f C ommun i s t d i c t a t o r sh i p , t h e
ethi c s o f peop l e changed drast i ca l ly towa rds work .
Everyone was
guaranteed work that no one rea l ly took pr ide i n .
S l owl y but
stead i ly the s tandard o f l iv i ng f e l l f a r beh ind that o f the West­
ern countr i e s . 8
S i nce Gorbachev ' s e l e c t i o n as p arty ch i e f in
1 9 8 5 , the hopes of the peop l e began to grow i n the captive na­
t io n s o f Ea stern Europe .
H i s p o l i t i c s o f " p e r s t r o i ka " a n d
" g l a snost " have tran s f ormed the Soviet U n i on a n d made po s s i b l e a
trans f orma t i on o f intern a t i ona l r e l a t ions a s we l l .
Party b o s s Janos Kadar , who had rep l a c ed Imre Nagy and or­
dered h i s and hundreds o f freedom f ighter s ' deaths a fter 1 9 5 6 ,
was ousted i n May o f 1 9 8 8 .
K � r o ly
The moderate r e f ormer Karo ly Gro s z rep l a c ed h im .
Gro s z s o o n " had been d i sgraced b e f ore a ny a ngry p opu l a t i on . "
In
January o f 1 9 8 9 , a mu lt iparty system was born .
The next e l ect i on
to b e h e l d was t o be i n spr ing o f 1 9 9 0 .
On March 1 7 , 1 9 8 9 , Hungary s igned the Status o f Re fugee s ,
" p l ed g i ng not to force f l ee ing fore igners t o return to the i r own
count r i e s . " 1 0
I n June o f 1 9 8 9 , 1 5 , 0 0 0 E a s t Germans were a b l e to
immigrate through Hungary a f ter t h i s agreement to West G e rmany ,
where they were g iven automa t i c c it i z ensh ip .
I n May o f 1 9 8 9 , the e l ectr i f i ed barbe d - w i re f en c e s were
r emoved by Hunga r i an s o ld i ers a l ong the Austr i a n border .
" Qu ite
l itera l ly , the I ron Curta in started to come down . 11 1 1
On June 1 6 , 1 9 8 9 , th i rty one years a fter the i r murder , Imre
Nagy and h i s f a l l e n freedom f i ghters were g iven a decent funera l .
F i v e c o f f i n s d r a p e d i n b l a c k c o n t a i n e d t h e r em a i n s o f t h e
betrayed a n d murdered l eaders o f the revo lut i o n ; the empty s ixth
l
139
co f f i n symbo l i z ed the unknown martyrs .
Thous ands o f p e op l e p a i d
the i r r e sp e c t s on th i s occ a s i o n .
M a n y o f t h em v i s i t ed t h e i r
home l and for the very f i rst t ime s i nce they · were f orced t o l eave
everyth i ng beh i nd and weren ' t a l lowed to return even to v i s it un­
der the Commun i s t government . 1 2
Th i s funer a l gave the deepest emo t i ona l cathars i s t o a l l o f
tho s e who never seemed to be l i eve that the once dark a n d heavy
I ron Curta i n was becomi ng only a b itter h i s tory .
I w a s one o f
them .
T h e r e l e a s e o f t h e thous ands o f East Germans through Hun­
gary aga inst the demands o f the East German G overnment , the d i s ­
m a n t l i n g o f t h e f e n c e b e tw e e n H u n g a r y a n d A u s t r i a , a n d t h e
r eparat i on o f the Hungar i an freedom f i ghters s igna led the f a l l o f
t h e I r on Curt a i n i n Hungary .
Notes
1 Andre Fonta ine .
1972 .
H i story of the Co ld War, Part I , p .
2 Las z l o Feketekuty .
eke l e s e , p . 1 2 3 ,
243 ,
A Magya r Forrada lom Tortenelmi K i ert'
1 9 6 6 Bru s s e l s .
3 I mre Nagy .
" On Commun i sm .
I n D e f ence o f the N ew Cour s e "
p . 3 0 6 , Remember Hunga ry , London , Thames & Hudson ,
1 9 57 .
4 La s z l o , Varga .
" The Hungar ian Revo lut i on and Strugg l e for
Freedom As Re f l ected in Dome s t i c Rad i o Broadca s t s "
October 2 3 - November 9 , 1 9 5 6 , New Y ork , Free Eur ope
Pres s , 1 9 5 6 .
5 L.
W i e s e lt i er .
p. 24 .
6 B . W . N e l and .
p. 48 .
7 I b id . , p .
" T ot ems
&
Tabo o s " The New Republ i c 1 9 8 9 ,
" Man o f the Decad e " T ime Jan .
1,
199 0 ,
49 .
8 I . Vo lgye s .
" Hungary : Danc i ng i n the Shack l e s o f the P a s t "
Current H i st ory November , 1 9 8 9 , p . 3 8 4 .
9 B . W . N e l and .
199 0 .
.
1 0 I b 1d
. , p.
" Man o f the Decade , " T ime p .
4 9 , Jan .
1,
50
1 1 Ibid .
1 2 M . R . Meyer .
" The Tumu lt o f th e Tomb , " p .
June , 1 9 8 9 .
140
4 5 , N ewsweek
..
..,
B i b l i ography
Feketekuty , La s z l o .
A Magyar Rorrada l om Tortene lmi K i ertke l ese .
Bur s s e l s :
Magyar Ha z , 1 9 6 6 .
H i story of the C o l d War , Part I ,
Fonta ine , Andre .
Meyer , M . R .
Nagy ,
" The Tumu lt o f the Tomb . "
1972 .
Newsweek Jun e ,
1989 .
Imre .
" O n Commun i sm :
I n D e fence o f the N ew Course . "
Remember Hungary , 1 9 7 5 .
Nelan , B . W .
"Man o f the Decade . "
T ime Jan .
1,
1990 .
Varga , La s z l o .
" The Hungarian Revo lut ion and Strugg l e for
Freedom a s Re f l ected in Dome s t i c and Rad i o Broadcast s . "
October 2 3
November 9 , 1 9 5 6 .
New York :
Free Europe
Press , 1 9 5 6 .
-
Volgy e s , IJnre .
" Hungary :
Danc i ng in the Shack l e s o f the P a st . "
Curr�rit H i st ory November , 1 9 8 9 .
W i e s e lt i r e , L a s z l o .
1989 .
" Totems and Taboos . "
The New Repub l i c
The Eva luat ion :
Mr s . Pataky has comb i ned a
sense o f h i stor i ca l ba ckground w i th pres ent-day
c i r cumstances to exp l a i n very c l ear l y the
rec�� t f reedom acqu i red by her f e l l ow Hungar i ans .
Because she and her fam i ly l ived through these
trag i c t imes , her paper has comb i ned persona l
f e e l i ngs a s wel l a s an exce l l ent descr i pt i on
o f n a t i ona l event s that help us to have a
better understand ing o f the down f a l l o f the
I r6 n Cur�a i n in Hung ary .
141
Pathedy o f Manners
by Karen R i chardson
( Li terature 1 0 5 - - S ternberg )
The A s s ignment :
D i scuss the poem and f ocus on
one or two contribut i ng character i st i c s .
At twenty she wa s br i l l i a nt anq adored ,
Phi Beta Kappa , sought for every dance ;
Captured symbo l i c l o g i c and the g l ance
O f men who s e interest was the i r s o l e reward .
5
10
15
20
She l earned the cu ltured j argon o f those brep
To ant ique cryst a l a nd authent i c pear l s ,
S corned Wagner , pra i s ed the Dega s danc i ng g i r l s ,
And when she m i ght have thought , conversed i nstead .
She hun9 up her d i p l oma , went abroad ,
S aw cata l ogues o f dome s and tapestry ,
Re j ected an impover i shed marqu i s ,
And l earned to te l l rea l Wedgewood from a f raud .
Back home her breed i ng l ed her t o espouse
A br ight young man who s e pear l cu f f l i nk s were rea l .
They had a n idea l marr i age , and i de a l
But lonely ch i ldren i n a n idea l house .
I saw her yes terday at f orty-three ,
Her ch i ldren gone , her husband one year d ead ,
Toy i ng w i th p l ots to k i l l t ime a nd re�wed
I l lus ions o f lost opportun ity .
But a f r a i d to wonder wha t she m ight have known
W ith a l l that wea lth and m i nd nad o f fered her ,
She shuns conv ict ion , choos ing t o i n f e�
Tenets o f every m i nd except her own .
25
A hundred peop le c a l l , though not one f r i end ,
To p arry a hundred doubt s w i th n imb l e t a l k ,
Her meanings lost in manner s , she w i l l walk
A l one in br i l l i a nt c i r c l e s to the end .
- - E l l en Kay ( b ,
142
1�31)
Pathedy :
a co ined word formed from the Greek root path- - ( as i n
pathet i c , path o l ogy ) p lus the su f f i x -edy ( a s i n tragedy ,
c omedy )
The poem that I have chosen t o wr ite about dea l s w i th some
sad rea l ities .
I t s s u b j e ct i s t h e i n t e l l i g e n c e , t a l e nt a nd
resources that a woman has wasted only to become an upper c l as s
c lone .
The speaker po ints to the many parts o f hers e l f that the
woman has put a s ide w i th a genera l tone o f s adnes s and perhaps a
touch o f gr i e f for the th ings that th i s woman has g iven up .
T h e i r o n y h e r e i s i r o ny o f s i t u a t i o n .
G i ve n t h e i nt e l ­
l igence o f th i s woman comb ined wi th her wea l th , I wou l d expect
her to be a career- o r i ented person , or at l east a great pursuer
o f knowl edge .
I w o u l d a l s o e x p e c t h e r t o l i v e a h ap p y l i f e .
However , i n the poem I f i nd that the only career th i s woman had
wa s one o f be i ng l ike everyone e l s e i n her soc i a l c l a s s .
The
know l edge she s ought of her own accord con s i sted of learn i ng h ow
to t e l l rea l ch i na from a phony .
Happ i n e s s i s never men t ioned i n
the poem , l eaving me w i th the d i s t inct impr es s i on o f unhapp i n e s s .
The s e types o f contrad ict i ons throughout the poem s l owly revea l
both the sub j ect and the speaker ' s att itude toward i t .
The poet creates the irony w ith the u s e o f part i c u l a r words
f r om beginning to end .
To beg in wi th , the word " Pathedy " i n the
t i t l e is a word that ( the editor te l l s us ) the poet made up by
comb i n ing parts o f other words .
When I f i rst read that word , I
d i dn ' t th i nk much about it .
After read ing the poem a f ew t imes I
wondered what the poet meant when she concocted the word .
Does
That
i t stand for pathet i c - tragedy?
I th i nk that i t does .
a l one creates a contrad i c t i o n
r i g ht o f f t h e b a t . Wh a t i s
p a t h e t i c an d j or t r a g i c about manner s ?
That i s what the poet
t e l l s us i n t h i s poem .
I n the f i rst sta n z a we are br i e f l y i ntroduced to a br i ght ,
"At twenty she was br i l l i ant and
attract ive and we l l l oved g i r l .
adored , / Phi Beta Kappa , sought for every dance . "
The poet t e l l s
u s i n j u s t t h o s e f i r s t two l i n e s w h a t k i n d o f p o t e n t i a l t h i s
young woman has .
The second stan z a takes an immed i at e tw i st by
te l l i ng us more about her and what she is l ike desp i t e her great
m i nd :
She l earned the cu ltured j argon o f thos e bred
To ant ique cryst a l and authent i c pear l s ,
Scorned Wagner , pra i s ed the Dega s danc i ng g i r l s ,
And when she m i ght have thought , conversed i nstead .
I nstead o f deve l op ing her own mind , th i s young woman was be i n g
tra i ned t o be l ike everyone e l s e ar ound her .
S h e seeming ly a c ­
c e p t e d t h i s r e a d i l y e n o u g h , a s t h e p o em s a y s n o t h i n g o f h e r
doubts unt i l later on .
The next sta n z a i s a cont i nuat ion o f th i s
theme :
She hung up her dip l oma , went abroad
S aw cata l ogues of domes and tapestry ,
Re j ected an impover i shed Marqu i s ,
And l earned to t e l l rea l Wedgewood from a fraud .
143
Here th i s young woman i s trave l i ng over s e a s and s t i l l her f ocus
is so very n arrow .
She broke a heart a l ong the way , but she d i d
f ind out how " to te l l rea l Wedgewood from a f raud . "
T h a t l ine
was p ivot a l for me i n under stand i ng the absurd i ty of this woman ' s
waste o f t ime and mind .
I n the th ird stan z a , she come s back home where she marr i e s
a n e l i g i b l e young man .
The i mp o r t a n c e o f s o c i a l c l a s s i s
stre s s ed here a l ong with mater i a l obj ects .
Th i s i s the f irst
stan z a that starts out sound ing happy and then turns s a d , creat­
ing a n irony w i t h i n i t s e l f :
Back home her breed ing l ed her t o espou s e
A br i ght young m a n who s e pear l cu f f l inks w e r e r ea l .
They had a n ide a l marr iage , and idea l
But l o n e ly ch i ldren i n a n idea l hou s e .
The f ir s t th ing that I not iced wa s that i t was her " breed i n g "
that caused th i s m a n to marry h e r - n o t h e r beauty or w i t o r i n ­
That , to me , i s sad enough .
�ut to p o i nt out that
t e l l i gence .
h i s " pe a r l cuf f l inks were rea l " is truly mater i a l i s t i c .
Th i s
s ays noth ing o f t h e man as ide from the po s s i b i l ity that h e h a s
money .
D i d s h e m a r r y h i m o r h i s c u f f l i nk s ?
Ap p a r e nt l y s h e
marr i ed h i s a b i l i ty t o buy the cu f f l i nks .
The part about the ir
" id e a l but l on e l y ch i ldren " I f e l t wa s about the ch i ldren who are
b o r n i nt o w e a l t h a nd are r a i s e d by n a n n i e s a n d s e nt a w a y t o
board i ng school s .
They rare ly see the i r parents a nd , i n f act ,
a r e most l ik e l y very l o n e ly .
The l a s t three stan z a s dea l w i th th i s woman i n the p r e s ent
t en s e .
Th i s i s wh e n i t b e c a m e m o s t o bv i o u s t o m e t h a t t h e
speaker wa s a ctua l ly express ing someth ing l ike gr i e f f or a l l o f
t h e t h i ng s th a t t h i s w om a n g a v e up o n h e r r o a d t o s am e n e s s .
Espec i a l l y i n th e s i xth sta n z a , I found th i s preva i l ing sadness
and an image o f th i s woman a l l a l one now with not even a hobby to
occupy her m i nd :
But a f r a id to wonder what she m ight have known
W i th a l l that wea l th and m i nd had o f fered her ,
She shuns conv i ct i o n , choos i ng t o i n f e r
Tenet s o f every m i nd except her own .
For a l l that l i f e had to o f fer her , th i s inte l l igent woman chos e
t o f o l l ow others instead o f tak i ng h e r own path .
N ow , l a t e r i n
her l i f e s h e doesn ' t dare wonder " what i f .
?"
Even a t th i s
l a t e stage o f the game , she h a s n o thought s o f h e r own a nd she
cont i nues t o th i nk on ly what everyone e l s e th i nk s , as i f she h a s
n o m ind o f her own !
F i na l ly , i n the l a s t sta n z a , the u s e o f l anguage aga i n s ad­
d e n s me a s I am h e a r i n g t h a t t h i s w o m a n h a s n ' t e v e n g o t a ny
f r i ends t o whom she can turn i n her l o n e l i n e s s :
A hundred peop l e c a l l , though not one f r iend ,
To parry a hundred doubt s w ith n imb l e t a l k .
Her mean ings lost in manner s , she w i l l wa lk
A l one i n br i l l i a nt c i r c l e s t o the end .
144
I t i s d i f f i c u l t for me to sum up th i s stan z a s imp ly because I
r eact t o i t i n a h i gh ly emot iona l manner .
I empath i z e w i th her
t o the best of my a b i l ity ; she is a woman who , through act i on s
t h a t she c h o s e t o t a k e dur i ng t h e course o f h e r l i f e , h a s ended
up a l one .
I t doesn ' t matter that " a hundred peop l e c a l l " i f none
o f t h em a r e f r i e n d s .
A l l they w a n t t o do i s g a b a n d g o s s i p .
Such t a l k may o ccupy t ime , but it does not o ccupy the m i nd nor
the heart that is ach ing .
The second part o f the l a s t s t a n z a I
b e l i e v e s u m s u p t h e s u b j e c t a n d t h e a t t i tu d e v e r y n e a t l y a nd
qu i et ly .
S i nce her c o l lege days , th i s woman has been noth i n g but
the " ma nner s " that she l earned f r om her own k i nd o f peopl e .
She
i s p o l ite and agree a b l e and never thinks o f her own m i nd , but she
is not herse l f anymore .
And very , very sadly i ndeed , she w i l l
r ema i n s o f o r the rest o f her l i f e .
To c l o s e th i s paper I want to state that at f i r s t I d i dn ' t
c ho o s e t o w r i t e a b o u t t h i s p o em .
The one I d i d cho o s e i s
i rr e l evant ; the p o i nt i s that th i s poem came back t o me when i t
w a s t h e furthest th ing from my m i nd .
I t h a s a h au nt i ng qua l ity
to it that i nvo lves the irony and the except iona l u s e of words .
My subconsc ious wou l d not l et me f orget about it unt i l I wrote
about i t .
I f ound my se l f f e e l ing very s orry for th i s r e a l o r im­
aginary woman , and try i ng to dec ide if I , in her p o s i t i o n , wou l d
have made t h e same cho ices as she , or i f I wou ld have chosen t o
f o l l ow m y own l ead .
I t i s impo s s ib l e to know , o f cour s e , but I
wou l d l ik e to th i nk that I ' d go my own way .
But wou l dn ' t we a l l
l ike t o t h i nk that
?
.
The Eva luat ion :
Ms . R i chards on wr i t e s a thought­
f u l ana lys i s o f sever a l qua l it i e s wh i ch power
the poem and she revea l s her spec i a l connect i o n
to it .
145
He Knew I Knew
by George Ro lph
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 - -Dodds )
The As s i gnment :
Wr ite a person a l exper ience
e s s ay i n the part i c ipant ' s r o l e .
In a s er i e s
o f v i gnettes descr i be a s ign i f icant t ime i n your
l i f e and the d i scover i e s you made about that
t ime .
I h a d t o b e s ev e n y e a r s o l d a n d a l l I l i v e d f o r w a s
baseba l l .
Dad took my brother a nd me out i n the backyard and
p i tched to u s hour a fter hour .
One day Dad a sked if I wou l d l ike
to go to the S t . Lo u i s C a r d i n a l s ' b a s e b a l l g a m e .
I cou l dn ' t
I t was l ike a dream come true .
S o the next n i ght we
b e l i eve i t .
p i l e d i nto the car with the next-door n e i ghbor ' s f ather and h i s
two sons and o f f w e went .
When w e got there the crowd w a s l arge
a nd n o i s y , a n d I wa s so s m a l l I c o u l d n ' t s e e a ny t h i n g b u t
peop l e ' s but t s .
I wa s k i nd o f s cared , but Dad took my h a nd and
There were many th i ng s I
we m a d e it t o our s e a t s j u s t £ ! n e .
remember , l ike the b ig scoreboard , or com i ng c l o s e t o catch i ng a
f o u l ba l l , but wha t I remember most was the f ood Dad l et me have ,
hot d og s , popcorn , cotton candy , and pop .
He l et me eat a s much
as I wanted .
I was l ike a kid i n a candy shop w i th a hundred
do l l a r b i l l .
I t was the t ime o f my l i f e .
I f e l l a s l eep i n Dad ' s lap on the way h ome , and the next
I lay
th i ng I knew I was wak ing up in my bed the morn i ng a fter .
H e had
there for a f ew moments th i nk i ng about the n ight b e f ore .
p i c k e d m e o v e r my t w o b r o t h e r s t o go t o t h e b a l l g am e , a nd I
d i dn ' t know why .
I t had been the even i ng o f my short l i f e .
I
wanted to te l l h im how much fun I had and t e l l h im how much I
l oved h im for tak ing me .
I t wa s a l ove that started that n ight
and a l ove I have never once doubted to th i s day .
S o , I ran down
the s t a i r s to te l l h im , but he had gone to work .
When he got
home from work I c l imbed up on the couch next to h im .
We t a lked
about the ba l l game and the great even ing we had had together .
I
was about to te l l h im what he meant to me but when h e put h i s
arms around m e and started t o watch the eve n i ng news , I d i dn ' t
have t o becau s e he knew and I knew .
One day short ly a fter the ba l l game I was i n the car with
Dad .
I wa s a young i nqu i s i t ive boy who a sked h im que s t i o n a fter
quest i o n .
F i na l ly , a fter a f ew mi l es of que s t ions he s a id , " I
Why do you ask so many que s t i on s ? "
I
have a que s t i o n for you .
s a i d , " B e c a u s e y o u k n ow e v e r y t h i n g . 11
_Th a t ' s wh e n h e t o l d me
14 6
someth ing I ' 1 1 never f orget .
" I f you keep your mouth shut and
your eyes and ears open you wi l l l earn a l ot . "
H e l oved shar ing
a l l h i s op i n i on s and thoughts w i th me , and that made me f e e l so
i mp o r t a nt .
T h e n t h a t t h o u g h t o f m i n e c am e t o m e a g a i n a n d I
I d i dn ' t .
wanted to t e l l h im .
I knew there wou l d b e a nother
t ime s o I j ust a sked h im another quest ion .
B e s ides , h e a lr eady
knew and I knew .
I t was not l ong a fter our que stion-and-answer car r ide that
I wa lked
Mom was cook ing d i nner one wet , r a i ny summer a fternoon .
She s a id , " You know
into the k itchen and asked , " I s Dad home ? "
your f ather doesn ' t get home th i s ear ly . "
I rep l i ed , " I thought
you t o l d me it was bad luck to start d i nner before Dad got h ome . "
I don ' t remember her rep ly , but it was a l itt l e wh i l e l ater the
phone r a ng .
It was the hospita l .
Dad had s l id o f f the road and
The met a l r ing from the steer­
dropped twenty f e et i nto a creek .
i ng whe e l had punctured h i s head r ight above his r i gh t eye and
the doctors d i dn ' t know if he wou ld make i t .
The next th i n g I
My
r emember was s i tting i n the back seat o f the n e i ghbor ' s car .
mom a nd brother were cry ing hyster i ca l ly and a l l I cou l d do was
I knew that
s it a nd watch the scenery f l y by at j et - l ike speed .
h e w a s n ' t g o i n g t o d i e b e c a u s e h e h a d mahy m o r e qu e s t i on s to
a nswer .
Bes ides , I had to te l l him s ometh i ng , s ometh ing impor­
tant .
H e l ived , o f course , but when he came home from the h o s p i ­
t a l I never ta lked t o h im about it . That wa s okay , because h e
knew a n d I knew o f our l ove .
When I was f i na l ly as ta l l a s the top o f the car , Dad took
me phea sant hunt i ng .
The f i rst coup l e o f t imes I j ust w a lked
a l ong w i th h im and got in h i s way .
But I cou ld te l l h e e n j oyed
having me with h im , and it was great , a son j ust b e i ng out w ith
Dad .
A coup l e days a fter our s econd hunt , he a sked i f I wanted
to c arry a rea l shotgun the next t ime we went .
I wa s ecstat i c
a n d couldn ' t w a i t .
That evening he brought home a . 4 1 0 shot gun
and I got a crash cour s e on its use and care .
My f i rst r e a l hunt
was o n l y two days away .
I t was a fun even ing and I a sked a m i l ­
l io n que st ion s and h e answered them a l l .
I th i nk he was j ust a s exc ited
I hard ly s l ept for two days .
as I because we were up and on our way ear l i er than u s ua l .
After
the f i rst hunt , hunt ing was to become a f a l l r itua l f rom that day
on .
We j o i ned a c lub , bought a hunt ing dog and hunted we l l i nto
T h e o n l y r e a s o n w e s t op p e d w a s t h a t t h e
my m i d d l e t w e n t i e s .
government took our l and away .
But that f i rst hunt w a s more than
We were now a team , an insepara b l e team . Not once
j ust a hunt .
over the years d i d he go without me or I without h im .
I t was
I t was the start o f a new pha s e i n our re lat ionsh i p .
better f e l t than descr ibed .
I gue s s you cou ld say that i n the
hunt ing f i e ld he tried to make a man out o f me and mold me into
Then one eve n i ng a c oup l e
the k ind o f person he wanted me to be .
o f y e a r s l ater , s itting a t the ki tchen tab l e d r i nk i ng beer , we
got t o t a l k ing about tho s e hunt ing days .
About a l l those great
shot s , a l l the ones that got away , but espec i a l ly about a l l the
t ime the two o f u s j ust spent together .
We ta lked and drank un­
t i l my eyes were c l o s i ng .
F i na l ly I stood up and s a id , " I have
go t o bed . "
That ' s not a l l I wanted to say , but that was okay .
And then he sa id , " I ' l l see you in the mor n i ng . " I knew that ' s
not a l l he wanted to say , but that was okay , too .
147
One spr ing day , l ater i n l i f e than I care t o say , I wa lked
i nt o my parents ' house and a sked whether I cou l d move back a g a i n .
Yes , i t had been another d i s astrous l ove a f f a ir , and i t was t ime
to h i de beh i nd Mom and Dad ' s apron str i ngs aga in .
I t had hap­
pened numerous t imes dur ing the years and I knew wha t the a n swer
was g o ing to be .
So when I a sked Dad whether I could move home
aga i n unt i l I got back on my feet , h i s eyes got b i g and he s a id ,
" Sure , your mother and I m i s s you not be i ng around and we hope
you n ever l eave aga i n . "
No matter what I did h e was a lways be­
h ind me .
H e never gave me long l ectures , o n l y s ound a dv i c e .
He
never harped on me , and gave me p l enty o f room t o f i nd out a bout
l i f e o n my o w n .
We w e r e v e r y c l o s e b u t I a lw a y s h a d r o om t o
breathe .
H e j ust made sure h e was there when I needed h im .
I
l oved h im so .
Even though I knew the answer before I a sked h im
i t st i l l gave me a great f e e l i ng i n s ide , and I wanted t o t e l l h im
h ow I rea l ly f e l t , but a l l I s a id was , " Th a nks D ad . "
As I wa lked
back to my bedroom , I knew that was not a l l he wanted t o t e l l me ,
but once aga i n , that was okay .
I had stayed about three months , and moved out into my own
apartment .
When the day came , I went over to h e l p h im into the
car for h i s f i n a l trip to the hospita l .
Like a war r i or badly
H e had l o s t and
outnumbered he had f ought cancer for two years .
only h e a nd I knew .
As we wa lked arm a nd arm down the d r i veway
I t took
he t o l d me he wou ldn ' t be back .
I knew he was r ight .
I knew wha t I had t o t e l l h im ,
a l l my p ower not t o break down .
but every t ime I tr i ed to t a lk , the tears swe l l ed i n my eyes .
I
I knew i n ­
qu i e t l y h e lped h im i nto the car a nd our eyes met .
stant l y I d idn ' t have to say a word .
My f am i ly and I put h im in the hosp ita l o n sunday , and when
I w a l k e d i nt o t h e r o om on T u e s d a y e v e n i n g I k n ew h e h a d b e e n
H i s only
r ight .
I sat down next t o h im and p i cked up h i s hand .
s i g n o f l i f e w a s t h e c a n c e r o u s b o w l i n g b a l l i n h i s s t om a c h ,
bare l y movi ng up and down .
H i s hand was c o l d .
I t wasn ' t
the
It
h a nd that had l ed me through the a i s l es of the ba l l game .
w a s n ' t t h e h a nd t h a t h a d l e d m e a c r o s s a l l t h o s e d a n g e r o u s
s t r e e t s o f l i f e a n d i t w a s n ' t t h e h a nd t h a t h e h a d p u t o n m y
shou l der when he w a s espec i a l ly proud .
I t w a s c o l d , t h e k i nd o f
c o ld when death i s near .
I sat there and j u st stared a t h im , and
I wanted t o j ump up and te l l h im my i nnermo st thought s , hop ing h e
wou ld s it u p and te l l m e h i s , but I d i dn ' t .
I got u p and l e f t
the room .
As I drove home , t h e more I thought a bout i t t h e more
it c ame to me :
it d i dn ' t matter because he knew and I knew .
He
d i ed two d a y s l a t e r w i thout a wh imper .
The day a f ter Dad ' s death wa s proba bly the toughest day o f
my l i fe .
I put my best suit on and prepared to see h im l y i ng i n
peace .
A s I approached the ca sket I cou l d f e e l t h e tears we l l up
in my eyes .
I had l e f t home ear l y , and when I got there , I s tood
before h im in a n eer i e , ch i l l ing s i l ence .
I started t o cry .
I
cr i ed harder ins ide than out because that ' s the way s o c i ety s ays
men have t o cry .
I cr i ed so hard my stomach was l ike a pret z e l .
I cr i ed because I m i s sed h im , I cr i ed becau s e h e had ded i c ated
h i s l i f e t o me .
I cr i ed becau se he had g iven me so much , and I
14 8
cr i ed because I needed h im to an swer more quest i on s .
I cr i ed be­
caus e I wasn ' t ready to be the man he wanted me to be .
Or was I ?
I cr i ed because I rea l i z ed how much I had meant t o h im and how
much he had meant to me .
But I have never shed a tear becau s e we
never once spoke the words , " I l ove you . "
The Eva luat ion :
George Ro lph wr i t e s with deta i l ,
imag i n a t i on , f ee l i ng , a nd i n s i ght about the
nearly word l e s s bond of l ove he shared w i th h i s
f ather .
H i s i s the k i nd o f writ i ng that
s t i cks i n my mind l ong a fter I ' ve f i n i sh ed
i t - - a ser i e s o f images potent with emot i on
and understand ing .
And that ' s the k i nd o f
de l i c i ou s a fter-taste good wr i t i ng shou ld
l eave .
�
..
149
Parad i s e Lost
by Stephen Schne ider
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 - -Dav i s )
The A s s ignment :
Mr . S chne ider was a sked t o
wr i t e a c r i t ique o f a short f i lm , ana l y z i ng
both i t s content and i t s e f f ect on v i ewers .
Ro l f Forsberg ' s Ark i s a f r i ghte n i ng and futur i s t i c f i lm
that pred icts the de struct ion of the earth ' s frag i l e environment .
Forsberg wr i t e s and d i rects th i s f e a r f u l v i s i o n o f our p o s s i b l e
The f i lm draws a para l l e l between the p l a net a nd the
futur e .
Forsberg i mp l i e s
b i b l i c a l Ark i n wh ich Noah e s caped the F l ood .
that i f we cont i nue to neg l ect t h e env ironment , t h e wor ld ' s " ark"
w i l l be destroyed .
Th i s f i lm env i s i ons the future a s a ster i l e and decay ing
p l a c e - - i nh o s p i t a b l e to mank i nd .
I t i s a p l ac e where p eop l e must
wear p l a s t i c suits and gas masks to surv ive .
The a i r h a s b ecome
s o bad that peop l e use the ir t e l ephones t o ca l l d a i ly recorded
po l lut i on reports .
Fors berg portrays these peop l e a s m i n d l es s ,
empty s he l l s o f human ity who are ho st i l e both to each other and
the env i ronment .
He bel ieves that much l and is b e i ng raped by
p e o p l e ' s i n d i f f e r e n c e a n d d e s i r e f o r qu i c k p r o f i t .
F o r s be rg
v i sua l i z e s t h i s idea by sett ing h i s f i lm enc irc l ed w i t h rusted­
out f actor i e s and power p l ants l e f t to wa l l ow on the banks of a
p o l luted r iver .
Ark s ends a c l ear me s s age that the e nv i r o nment
w i l l b e d e s t r oy e d by o u r g r e e d a n d f o o l i s h n e s s i f s o c i e t y ' s
pr i or i t e s rema i n unchanged .
Probab ly the most shock ing examp l e o f p o l l u t i o n i s i n the
f i lm ' s open i ng scene :
an o l d man l imp s a l ong a r a i lroad track
wea r ing a mask and p l a s t i c body cover i ng a s i f h e were e xp l or i ng
But a s the f i lm cont i nu e s , i t becomes e er i ly
Thr e e M i l e I s land .
apparent that an area much greqter than Three M i l e I s l a nd h a s
been
contam i nated .
Th i s o l d man i s the ma in character , and ac­
tua l ly never speaks in the f i lm ; his act i ons speak l ouder than
words as h e s earches the barren l and for rema i n i ng s igns of l i f e .
He c o l l ect s sma l l an ima l s and p l a nt l i f e that s t i l l e x i s t , then
takes them home so they might be saved .
H om e i s a g r e e n h o u s e .
L i f e i n t h i s g r e e nh o u s e c e n t e r s
a r o u n d a s m a l l p o n d wh i ch c o n t a i n s a f e w p l a n t s a nd s m a l l
As the o l d man nurses the a n ima l s back t o hea lth , the
a n ima l s .
150
pond beg i n s to thr ive .
Then , perhaps the inev i t ab l e happens a s
t h e empty peop l e out s ide t h e greenhou s e want in- - j u s t a s peop l e
wanted i n t o Noah ' s Ark .
Forsberg ' s v i ew o f peop l e i s harsh .
He
s e e s them a s greed i ly tak ing from others wha t they have no r i ght
F irst , they took from Mother Nature unt i l she h a d no
to have .
more t o g ive .
Now , they want into the o l d man ' s greenhous e , even
if it means destroying it .
They shatter the greenhouse whe n the
The
o l d man doesn ' t l et them in , and the pond is ruined f o r ever .
d e struct ion of the pond symbo l i z e s the greater destruct i o n of the
env i ronment .
A r k s e nd s a c l e a r me s s a g e t h a t t h e e n v i r o n m e n t w i l l b e
destroyed b y our greed a n d l ack o f fores ight i f we do n o t change
our ways .
Ro l f For sberg pa ints a b l eak future for th i s wor l d be­
The
cause peop l e , i n his v i ew , do not respect the natura l wor ld .
pond demonstrates the hope that is poss i b l e ; it d i d , a fter a l l ,
come back t o l i f e .
The irony o f For sberg ' s ark i s that unl ike Noah ' s , i t i s im­
p os s i b l e to get o f f .
The Eva lua t i on :
Mr . S chne ider has written w ith
conf idence and grace , expert ly weaving p l ot
summary w i th ana lys i s to capture the f i lm ' s
s ymbo l i c mea n i ng and impact .
151
Fea s i b i l ity Study :
U s e o f Vo i c e Recogn i t i o n
Techno l ogy for Aut omat ing Hospita l P a t i ent Chart i ng
by Brad S chubr i ng
( Techn i c a l and Report Wr it ing- - Burwe l l )
The As s i gnment :
Wr ite a ten-page ana lyt i c a l
report o n a top ic o f immed iate pract ica l
importance .
Vo i c e recogn it ion techno l ogy h a s great l y improved over the
l a s t ten years .
Th i s report w i l l d i scuss h ow this techno l ogy
work s , what current app l i c a t i ons make use o � th i s t e chno l og y , and
t h e f e a s i b i l i t y of a d a p t i n g it to a u t o m a t e t h e c h a r t i ng o f
p a t i ents i n hosp ita l s .
The Amer ican Nur s i ng Cr i s i s
Th i s nat i on i s fac ing a cr i s i s i n hea l th care .
Nurs e s , the
pr imary hea l th care g ivers in h o s p i ta l environm�nt s , are becom ing
f ewer and more d i f f i cu l t to h i r e .
Nur s e s who rema i n o n the j ob
are f inding the i r work l oad? i ncreas i ng dramat i ca l ly a s f ewer
nur s e s g ive care to more pat i ent s .
One o f the biggest and most impo r tant r�spons i b i l it i e s a
nur s e performs i s the chart ing o f a p a t i ent ' � cond i t i o n dur i ng
her j h i s s h i ft .
The pat i ent chart i s a l ega l d ocument a s w e l l a s
a t o o l t o eva luate pat i ent care .
Frequent l y , becau s e o f the in­
crea s ed work load , a nur s e may not be ab l e t o update a chart un­
The nur s e i s then f orced t o r emem­
t i l a ft er the s h i f t i s over .
ber s ever a l important i terns of the examinat i on or take t ime t o
document data , such a s v i ta l s i gns and med icat ions .
T h e prob l em
becomes more acute when the nur s e exper iences i ncrea s ed f a t i gu e
f rom a r igorous sh i ft , a n d does n o t remember exactly wha t was
done and when dur i ng a pati ent examinat ion .
Pat i ent care u l ­
t imate l y s u f f er s a s a result ( S chu�r ing ) .
Vo i ce recogn it i on techno l ogy could h e lp a nur s e r ecord data
But how f e a s i b l e wou l d s uch a
f rom exam i nat ions and med icat ion .
system be?
Vo i c e Recogn ition Techno l ogy D e f init ion
A v o i c e r e c o g n i t i o n s y s t em is a t e c h n o l o g y in u s e w h i ch
automa t i c a l ly d i sp lays a user ' s spoken words on a mon itor screen .
The s e words can be ed ited , formatted , and otherw i s e man ip u l at ed
152
as i f the words were manua l l y keyed , l ike u s i ng a word process ing
program .
The words can be used i n word process i ng , database s , a nd
other type s o f so ftwa re programs for use i n r eports and other
data formats .
S ome systems can even i dent i f y the user ' s v o i c e
pattern , a n d match t h e pattern to t h e user ' s name .
Vo i c e Recogn it ion System Descr i p t i on
Four ba s i c parts compr i s e a modern vo i ce recog n i t i o n system :
- A headset , wh i ch inc ludes a m i crophone for
the system user
- An I BM- standard persona l m i crocomputer
- A vo i c e recog n i t ion system board ( i nsta l l ed i n the
computer )
- Vo i c e recogn it ion system s o f tware ( i nsta l l ed on the
computer hard d i s k )
The system user turns o n the system a n d then beg ins speaking
into the headset m i crophone .
The m i crophone changes sound energy
into a n ana log e l ectr i c a l s igna l and transm i t s the ana l og s igna l
t o the voice recogn it ion system board .
The vo i c e recogn i t ion system board changes the ana log s igna l
i nt o a d i g i t a l s igna l .
Th i s d i g it a l s i gnal i s then changed i nto
phonemes , or sma l l parts o f speech ( Murch i s on ) .
The phonemes are then recogn i z ed and " i nterpreted " as words
by the system so ftware .
A spec i a l " l anguage mode l " is used by
the s o ftware to create words from the phoneme s .
The s i z e o f the
v o i c e recogn i t i on system vocabu l a ry is determ i ned by the system
s o f tw a r e .
S om e v o i c e r e c o g n i t i o n s o f t w a r e p r o g r a m s a r e s o
soph i s t i cated that art i f i c i a l inte l l igence i s u s ed t o determ i n e
wh ich homonym ( words wh i ch sound ident i ca l , but h a v e d i f f erent
spe l l i ngs and mean i ngs ) shou ld be used i n a g iven t ext .
Vo i c e Recog n i t i o n Techno l ogy Use in I ndustry
Severa l types of vo ice recogn i t i on systems are in active
C o mp u t e r
use .
O n e a p p l i c a t i o n a s s i s t s t h e c ou r t r ep o r t e r .
mon itors a r e g iven t o a pres i d i ng j udge and a reporter .
These
o f f i cers o f the court can see a rea l - t ime generated transcr ipt o f
each case .
A l l w o r d s s p o k e n a r e d i r e c t l y a nd a u t om a t i c a l l y
transcr ibed into the court record .
Comp l eted transcr ipts can be
formatted i nto a report , and printed to produce a hard-copy court
record f i l e .
Another app l i c a t i on o f vo i c e recogn i t ion t echno l ogy i s used
t o a s s i st the phys i c a l ly d i s abl ed .
A vo i ce recog n i t i on system i s
u s e d t o r e p l a c e a keyboard , a mouse , o r other entry dev i c e wh i ch
c a n n o t b e u s e d e a s i l y by t h e h a n d i c a p p e d .
Data entry , word
proc e s s ing , and even computer pr ogramm i ng have been performed by
phys i c a l l y -d i s a b l ed peop l e .
Th e techn o l ogy a l l ows these p e op l e
t o f e e l u s e fu l , and have g a i n f u l emp l oyment .
153
Rad i o l o g i s t s ( medica l spec i a l i st s who s tudy X-ray s l ides )
a l so u s e v o i c e recogn i t ion techno l ogy to create r eports .
The
r ad i o l og i st needs to create a report in the most t ime l y m anner
pos s i bl e .
I f a d i c t a t e d t a p e o f h i s r e p o r t m u s t be m a nu a l l y
transcr ibed , the report then f a i l s to be t ime l y .
V o i c e recogn i ­
t ion techno l ogy speeds the pro c e s s by e l im i n a t i ng the n e ed t o
t r an s cr ibe a report man�a l ly .
I t i s espec i a l ly u s e f u l when words
need t o be trans cribed qu ick l y , and manua l trans cript i on i s not
pract i c a l ( Rudd 3 ) .
The purpose o f t h i s report i s to exp lore the f e a s i b i l i t y o f
v o i c e recogn it i on techn o l ogy for hosp i t a l p a t i ent chart i ng .
The
current procedure for pati ent chart ing is that the nur s e r ecords
the f o l l ow i ng on a paper report :
- when the p a t i ent wa s exam ined ( t ime and dat e )
- what the vita l s igns were ( b l ood pres sure , pul s e ,
breath ing rate , etc . )
- wha t med ications were g iven ,
and in what d o s a g e s
A s a l ready d i scu s s ed , nur s e s frequent ly cannot take t ime t o
r ec ord each entry onto t h e chart unt i l much later i n the s h i f t ,
o r even a f ter the s h i f t has ended .
A m i stake i n entry o n the
chart may change how the p a t i ent is treated and c o u l d resu l t in
tragedy .
Hosp ita l s , doctor s , a n even nur s e s have been h e l d l i ­
a b l e for errors i n med icat i on or other treatments , s o anyth ing
wh i ch cou ld a s s i s t the nur s e i n mak i ng more accurate and t ime ly
entr i e s i n the pat i ent chart wou ld be welcome ( Schubr i ng ) .
Ad­
vantages of such a system are that changes i n p a t i ent cond i t ion
can be recorded imme d i a t e l y with no int errupt ion i n p a t i ent care .
Th i s i s espec i a l ly u s e f u l when a pat i ent i s in cr i t i ca l cond i t i on
and deter i orat ing r ap i d l y .
But wou ld the current " state o f the
art " i n vo i c e recogn it ion techn o l ogy be a b l e t o adapt t o the spe­
c i a l needs o f hea lth care?
What a n Automated Pat i ent Chart ing System Wou l d Requ i r e
A v o i c e r e c o g n i t i o n s y s t em a d a p t e d t o a u t o m a t e d p a t i e n t
chart ing wou ld need to have speci f i c med i c a l words a n d commands
i n i t s so ftware to work succe s s fu l ly in the nur s i ng env ir onment .
The vocabu lary o f such a sy stem must , o f neces s ity , b e a b l e t o
recogn i z e many d i f f erent words , a n d y e t be spec i f i c enough t o
recogn i z e med i c a l nomenc l ature .
The headsets used in stand ard voice recogn i t ion systems are
typ i ca l ly " hard-w i red" ( phy s i c a l l y attached by a c ab l e ) t o the
system board .
However , nur s e s need to rema i n mob i l e , so a head­
s e t mus t be used wh i ch imp l ements a rad i o - f r equency ( RF ) a ntenna
t o transm i t the ana log s i gnal t o the system board .
Current Systems Ava i l a b l e
Spe ech Systems , I n c . , a
t om app l i ca t i on-based vo i c e
system for rad i o l og i st s , and
of i ndustr i a l app l icat ions .
Tar z a na , Ca l i f o r n i a supp l i er o f cus ­
re cogn i t i on sy stems , h a s created a
h a s experi ence w i th many other typ e s
A typ i c a l Speech Syst ems a pp l i ca t i on
154
for r ad i o l ogy report generat i o n costs from $ 3 5 , 0 0 0 to $ 4 7 , 0 0 0 .
However , propo s ed pat i ent care app l i cat i on s were too broad and
requ i r ed more vocabu l ary capa c i ty than Speech systems was capable
o f ( Murch i s on ) .
A system wou ld need to be deve l oped w ith a much
greater vocabu l ary .
Dragon Systems , o f Newton , Ma s s achusetts , h a s recent l y in­
troduced a new vo ice recogn i t i o n system wh i ch has a dramat i ca l ly
l a r g e r v o c a bu l a ry t h a n pr e v i o u s s y s t e m s .
The D r a g o n D i ctate
V o i c e -Typewr iter system i s a f l e x i b l e , powerful system wh i ch has
a vocabul ary o f 3 0 , 0 0 0 words .
I t can recogn i z e s ever a l u s e r s '
vo i c e s , and runs o n a 3 3 -megahert z 8 0 3 8 6 I BM- standard m i crocom­
pute r .
Th i s $ 9 , 0 0 0 system can d i sp l ay words at the rate o f 3 5 to
5 0 words per m i nute .
The system inc ludes headphon e s , the v o i c e
r ecogn i t ion system board , a n d sy stem so ftware ( Brennan ) .
The DragonD i ctate Vo i c e -Typewr iter h a s a un ique e d i t i n g and
turn-on j turn - o f f feature .
To d e l ete a m i s spoken word , the user
says " oops . "
To turn on the system , the u s er says " wake up , " and
to end operat ions , the user says "go to s l eep " ( Ch i cago T r i bune ) .
O n e D r a g o n S y s t em cu s t om e r ,
C I AI o f the B o s t o n , Ma s ­
s achu setts area , i s test i ng a mod i f i ed DragonD i ctate system for
u s e in emergency room tr iage ( a s s ig n i ng care prior ity for emer­
gency room pat i ent s ) .
The success o f th i s test cou l d determ i n e
the u l t imate f e a s i b i l ity o f u s ing voice recog n i t i on techno l ogy i n
automat i ng pati ent chart i ng ( Bo l e ska ) .
CIAI i s a l s o test ing d i f fer ent app l i cat ions us ing the Dragon
System for pati ent care .
Some sugge sted var i at i o ns o n s uch a
system are :
Th e nur s e wou ld wear a head s et w ith an antenna
1)
The base
to transmit vo ice s i gna l s to a base stat i on .
stat ion wou ld then send the vo i c e s igna l to the s ystem
board .
Advantages to such a system are that f ewer ,
l e s s -costly mod i f ic at i ons wou ld be needed .
D i s advantages o f th i s system are that the nur s e could
not s e e the word s spoken unt i l retur n i ng to the nurs ing
stat i on .
She wou ld need to ed i t her report later i n
h e r sh i ft .
2)
The nur s e wou ld s t i l l wear a head s et w ith a n an­
tenna , but a computer mon itor wou ld be l ocated in each
pat i ent ' s room .
Adva ntages wou ld be that the nurs e
cou l d s e e the word s she spoke .
D i sadvantages o f th i s
system are that pat ient rooms have cons idera b l e equip­
ment a l ready insta l l ed , and a mon itor wou l d create an
i n t o l e r a b l e c l u t t e r ( S chu br i n g ) .
The a d d i t i o n o f
monitors wou ld add comp l e x i ty and expense t o the sys­
tem .
T h e n u r s e w o u l d w e a r a h e a d s e t a t t a ch e d t o a
3)
hand-he ld computer with an antenna and a vo i c e recogn i ­
t i on system board .
The board wou ld d i g i t i z e ( change
ana log vo ice s i gna l s into d i g i ta l s igna l s ) the u s er ' s
voice ,
then transmit the d ig i t i z ed s igna l to a base
stat i on .
The ba s e stat ion wou l d s end the d ig i t i z ed
s igna l to the hose ( ma i n computer ) , wh ich wou l d then
recogn i z e the d i g i ta l s i g n a l and g e n e r a t e the cor155
re spond ing words .
The s e word s wou ld be transmitted a s
d a t a back to t h e hand-h e l d computer w o r n b y t h e nur s e .
Advantages o f th i s system are that the nur s e cou l d s e e her
w o r d s on th e h a n d - h e l d c o mp u t e r a l m o s t imme d i a t e l y , a n d h e r
mob i l i ty cou l d b e reta i ned .
But the d i sadvantages are s ign i f i cant .
- Hand-he l d computers add a notab l e cost and comp l e x ity
to the system .
Subd ivid ing a cr i t i c a l func t i on o f the v o i c e
recog n i t ion sys tem board cou l d create operat i o n a l
a n d compa t i b i l ity prob l ems .
- Hand-h e l d computers wou l d need recharg ing every
second sh i ft , so product i v ity m i ght be reduc e d .
-
E a ch o f the s e systems wou l d s t i l l have the capab i l ity o f
b e i ng a b l e to print out a hard copy o f th'e pati ent chart i f a
doctor or nur s e requ ired one .
But the p r i nter used should b e o f
the i nk - j e t o r l a s er var i ety , a s a dot -matr i x o r other impact
p r i nter wou l d be too no i s y for the nur s i ng env ironment , espe­
c i a l ly on the n i ght sh i ft ( S chubr ing ) .
I n a recent i n f orma l survey , three nur s e s were a sked the ir
op i n i on s o f such a system be i ng u s ed in a cr i t i c a l care env i ron­
ment .
Two out o f the three enthus i a s t i c a l ly endorsed a v o i c e
recogn i t i o n system to h e lp them i n pati ent chart i ng .
T h e third
nurs e f avored trad it iona l forms of chart i ng .
Nur s e s a l s o f avored the f i rst ver s ion o f the prop o s ed system
They f e lt that a n extra mon itor i n
d i s c u s s ed i n th i s report .
each p a t i ent ' s room wou ld add t o o much c lutter to a n a lr e ady­
crowded r oom , and a hand-he l d computer m ight be too c lumsy to
wear .
The nur s e s a l s o be l i eved that words generated w ith the
v o i c e r ecogn i t i o n system could be edited and f ormatted later i n
the s h i ft .
A comp l ete pati ent chart cou l d b e comp l eted later ,
accord i ng to the i r pref erence and work load .
Conc lus i on
N u r s i ng a n d p a t i e n t c a r e a r e a t c r i t i c a l j u n c t i o n s .
If
t e c h n o l o g y c a n l i g h t e n t h e w o r k l o a d o f a n u r s e a nd e a s e t h e
nur s i ng c r i s i s , then a system shou ld b e created to meet those
needs .
Hospita l s cou l d purchase such a system for l e s s than the
cost o f a nur s e ' s annua l s a l ary , and cou l d exper i ence a r eturn­
on- i nve stment i n e i ghteen month s to three year s .
S a v i ngs to the hosp ita l wou ld inc lude a dramat i c redu c t i o n
i n overtime p a y for nur s e s .
Hosp ita l s wou l d a l s o e n j oy m o r e ac­
curate pat i ent chart i ng , resu l t i ng i n better commun i ca t i o n be­
tween doctor , nurs e , and pati ent .
Another advantage t o hosp i t a l s
and nur s e s wou l d b e that a reduct i on i n r i sk o f l i t i gat i o n wou ld
occur as a r e s u l t o f better , more accurate p a t i ent chart ing .
156
Vo i c e re cogn it ion techno l ogy cou l d be the new tool f o r the
med i c a l care f i e l d .
Rad i o l ogy , forens ics , emergency room t r i age ,
and pat i ent char t i ng w i l l a l l bene f it from u s e o f th i s techno l ­
ogy .
WORKS C I TED
B o l eska , Carolyn , CIAI ,
1 2 Apr i l 1 9 9 0 .
I nc .
Persona l I nterv i ew .
Boston , M a s s .
Brennan , Laura .
" Vo i ce-Recogn it ion System Surp a s s e s I t s
Comp e t i tor s . "
PC Week Maga z ine 2 6 March 1 9 9 0 : 1 5 , 1 8 .
D or i an , E l l en , S a l e s Repre s entat ive , Dragon Systems , I n c .
Person a l I nterv i ew .
Newton , Mass .
1 3 Apr i l 1 9 9 0 .
Murch i s on , Deana , Spe ech Sy stems , I nc .
Tarz ana , Ca l .
1 1 Apr i l 1 9 9 0 .
Persona l I nterv i ew .
Rudd , Dav id c .
" O f f ice can no l onger be ca l l ed a paper p l ac e . "
Ch i c ago Tr i bune 18 March 1 9 9 0 , Sunday ed . , Sect i on 2 0 .
S chubr ing RN , G i nette M . , Card iac Care Reg i s t ered Nur s e ,
Evanston Hosp ita l .
Person a l I nterv i ew .
Mount Prospect ,
1 5 Apr i l 1 9 9 0 .
Ch icago Tr i bune
" Ta lk-to typewr iter spe l l s po s s i b i l i t i e s . "
2 5 March 1 9 9 0 , Sunday ed . , S e c t i on 7 , 1 4 .
The Eva luat ion :
Mr . S chubr i ng ' s f ea s ib i l ity study
i s , above a l l , u s e fu l , demonstrat i ng how
" cutt i ng - edg e " technol ogy may be u s ed t o
improve hea lth care services in hosp it a l s
today .
Moreover , the study i s carefu l ly
r e s earched , we l l organ i z ed , we l l written
and f u l ly deve l oped .
I t i s tru ly o f imme d i a t e
pract ica l importance .
157
IL .
Non-Manua l Behav iors i n Amer ican S ign Language
by Judy MacPherson Schumacher
( L i ngu i s t i c s 1 0 5 - -Dobbs )
The As s i gnment :
The L i ngu i s t i c s 1 0 5 students
are requ ired to wr ite a three to f our page
term paper on one area of L i ngu i st i cs .
They
are encouraged to wr i t e on l i ngu i st i c a spects
o f a l anguage other than Eng l i sh , i f p os s i b l e .
Hear ing peop l e , a fter hav ing had the opportun ity to observe
d e a f peop l e commun i c a t i ng i n Amer i can S i gn Language , f requently
comme nt on the s i gners ' expr e s s ivene s s ,
the amount o f emot i o n
s h own in th e i r f a c i a l and body l a nguage .
To be sure , a l l
speakers i n a l l l a nguages convey not only l i ngu i s t i c content , but
emot i ona l a f f ect as wel l .
( A f f ect has been d e s cr i be d as how the
speaker f e e l s about she j he is s ay i ng . )
Human be ings convey a f ­
f ect through many dev i ce s , such a s fac i a l expre s s i o n , body l a n ­
guage , and- - i n spoken language s - -voca l intonat i o n .
I n Amer i c a n S i gn Language ( AS L ) , however , a great d e a l o f
l i ngu i s t i c content i s commun i c ated through part i cu l ar f ac i a l ex­
pre s s i o n s and body po stures .
I n other words , if you watch peop l e
s ig n i ng i n ASL , wh i l e some o f the fac i a l expres s i ons a n d bod i ly
movements you not i c e may i ndeed re late to speaker a f f ect , others
L i ngu i s t s re f e r to
are actua l ly e l ements o f the la nguage its e l f .
You may a l s o s e e
t h e s e e l em e n t s a s n o n - m a n u a l b eh a v i o r s .
r e f erences t o " non-manua l marke r s " and " non -manua l s igns . "
ASL ' s non -manua l behav i ors can s erve grammat i c a l o r l e x i c a l
funct i o n s .
Cert a i n non-manua l gr ammat i c a l markers ( or grammat i ­
c a l s igna l s ) re used t o i nd i c ate whether an utterance i s a d e c l a ­
r a t i v e statement , a ye s j n o que st i on , a " wh " quest i o n , etc .
For
e xamp l e , to ask a yes j no que s t i o n in ASL , s i gner wou l d emp l oy a
forward t i lt o f the head , a ccompan i ed by r a i sed eyebrows and w i de
open eye s .
A " wh " ( wh o j wh e r e j w h a t , e t c . ) q u e s t i o n d o e s n ot
r equ i r e the s ame pronounced forward t i lt o f the head ( a l though
s ome peop l e w i l l t i l t the i r heads s l ight l y , e i ther f orward , back ,
o r t o one s i de ) .
The " wh " que s t i on i s a sked w ith furrowed brows
except when the quest ion is rhetor i ca l , in wh ich case the brows
are r a i s ed .
( Rhetor i c a l " wh " quest ions are much more commo n i n
ASL than i n Eng l i sh . )
158
I t i s important to remember that spoken languages are in­
tended to be rece ived aud itor i ly , wh i l e s i gned l a nguages are
meant for v i sua l recept i on .
I t therefore makes s e n s e that , wh i le
spoken Eng l i sh " mark s " or " s igna l s " yes j no or " wh " que s t i on s w ith
voca l i ntona t i ons , ASL emp l oys v i s i b l e marker s to accomp l i s h the
s ame task .
Q u e s t i o n m a r k e r s a r e n ' t t h e o n l y n o n - m a n u a l g r amm a t i c a l
markers i n ASL .
There are sever a l others , i n c l ud i ng the markers
for cond it ional ( i f .
. the n ) statements and for negat i on .
In­
c i denta l ly , the negat ive marker - - furrowed brows , pur sed l ip s , and
a s ide-to- s ide head shake- - i s suf f i c i ent to negate a statement :
one need not s ign " no " or " not . "
A s imp l e dec l arat ive statement
is i mp l i ed by the absence or any of the s e gramma t i c a l marker s .
There are a l s o non-manua l behav iors wh ich convey l e x i c a l in­
f ormat i o n .
I n some in stances the non-manua l behav ior i s u s ed i n
conj unct i o n w i th a manua l e l ement , but t h e non-manua l beha v i or i s
s t i l l a necess ary component o f t h e s i gn .
I n other i n s t a n c e s the
non-manua l behav ior a l one serves as the comp l ete s ign .
When a non-manu a l behav ior a l one funct ions a s a s ign , it i s
o f te n a n a l ogous t o wh i sper ing i n a spoken language , i n that i t i s
frequent ly a s s o c i ated with commu n i c a t i o n which i s int imate i n na­
ture or i ntended for a restr icted group .
A good examp l e o f th i s
i s t h e s ign a woman might u s e i n te l l ing a c l o s e f r i end , " I have
my p e r i od " - -qu i ck , s l ight pu f f i ng outward of one cheek .
A n o t h e r w a y i n wh i c h a n o n - m a n u a l b e h a v i o r c a n f u n c t i on
a l one a s a s ign occurs when it i s used a s a synonym for a manua l
Th i s i s espec ia l l y u s e f u l when the s i gner ' s hands are
s ign .
fu l l .
For examp l e , in p l ace of the manua l s i gn " f i n i s h " ( me a ni ng
someth i ng h a s a lready happened ) , one m ight use a non-manu a l be­
havior wh ich re semb l e s the mouth ing o f the word " f i sh . "
I t is
important to note that th i s i s not one deaf person ' s attempt to
produce the Eng l i sh word " f i n i sh " but i s i n fact a convent i ona l
non-manua l s i gn .
There are some s i gns in wh i ch n e i ther the non-manu a l nor the
manu a l component a l one wou ld be cons idered a comp lete s i gn .
A
good examp l e o f t h i s i s the s i gn for " a l l gone . "
As the open
hand i s r a i s ed in front o f the mouth , it is part o f the s ign to
b l ow a short burst o f a i r at the pa lm .
Non-manu a l behaviors are a l so used to d i st i ngu i s h between
s igns having ident i c a l manua l components , such as the s igns for
" succe s s " and " f i na l l y , " wh ich have d i f f erent mean i ngs in ASL
usage .
it is only the non-manua l component o f " f i n a l l y " ( the
l ip s part i ng as if form ing the sound " pah ! " ) wh i ch s i gna l s the
d i f f erence .
Re­
A f in a l note :
The res earch in t h i s area i s very new .
s e a r c h e r s a r e j u s t b e g i n n i n g , f o r i n s t a n c e , to i d e n t i f y n o n ­
manua l behaviors wh ich s erve a s t ime adverbs , mod i fy i ng the con­
cepts o f past or future .
There are d i f ferent manua l s igns , for
examp l e , for the concepts o f " l ong ago " and " recent ly " ; now ASL
r e s e a r c h e r s a r e l o o k i ng i n t o a n o n - m a nu a l m a r k e r wh i ch t h e y
b e l i e v e m o d i f i e s " r e c e n t l y " a l o n g a c o n t i nuum , f r om " f a i r l y
recent l y " t o " very , very recent ly . "
Th i s i s j u s t o n e s m a l l
deta i l i n an area o f res earch wh ich i s wide open .
159
Th i s paper d i scu s s e s only a f ew o f the ASL non-manua l be­
hav i or s ident i f i ed to date .
As r e s earch i nto ASL cont i nues , l in ­
gui s t s may uncover " new " non-manua l behav iors wh ich a r e currently
i ncorrectly attr ibuted to speaker a f f ect .
References
Coke ly , Denn i s and Cha r l otte Baker .
Amer ican S ign Language :
S i lver Spr i ng , MD :
T . J . Pub l i sh er s ,
A Student Text .
198 0 .
Humphr i e s , Torn , Carol Padden , and Terrence J . O ' Rourk e .
A Bas ic
Cours e i n Amer ican S ign La nguage .
S i lver Spr ing , MD :
T . J . Pub l i sher s , 1 9 8 0 .
S o l ow , Sharon Neumann .
" ASL I nterpret i ng . "
i n Ch icago on March 2 4 , 1 9 9 0 .
A workshop pres ented
The Eva luat ion :
Ms . MacPher son Schumacher
has written an intere s t i ng and i n f ormat ive
paper de l ineat ing some non-manu a l a spects o f
Amer ican S ign Language ( wh i ch i s a tota l ly
d i f f erent language from Ameri can Eng l i sh )
and compar ing the se aspects to the i r counter­
parts i n spoken Eng l i sh .
160
The Wa lk
by Mery l Squ i re s
( Eng 1 0 1 - -Thoreson )
The As s i gnment :
Students were a sked to u s e a
persona l exper ience a s a start i ng p o i nt t o
d i scuss an i s sue they be l i eved wou l d be o f
i nterest to any o n e o f three aud i ence s :
1 ) a gener a l aud ie nce of peers , 2 ) a group
of pro f e s s i on a l s ( e . g . , doctor s , educators ) ,
or 3 ) a nota b l e i nd iv idu a l of the past or
pres ent ( e . g . , Pre s i dent Bush , Mart in Luther K i ng ) .
rnery l ' s paper i s des igned a s part o f an
app l i cat ion to the dean o f adm i s s ions at a
maj or un ivers ity .
As a ch i ld , I was an avid reader .
I espec i a l ly e n j oyed ad­
venture s t o r i e s l i ke Rob i n Hood ( a r e a l favo r i t e ) a n d I nd i an
stor i e s such a s Ch i e f B l ack Hawk , Horse o f Two Co lors , and Cra zy
H or s e .
I wou l d l i sten to stor i e s my mother wou ld t e l l me .
Mom
i s a n Am e r i c a n I n d i a n a n d I e n j o y e d h e a r i n g s t o r i e s a b o u t my
r e l a t ives and ancestors .
I a l ways pretended I w a s the hero or
her o i ne in the stor i e s , wonder i ng what it wou ld be l ike to r ea l ly
be o n an adventure , p i t t i ng my s e l f aga i n s t the e l ement s , t e s t i ng
my courage i n the face o f danger .
Morn wou ld a l s o r e a s sure me
whenever I came horne in tears , r id i cu l ed and ch ided by the n e igh­
borhood boys that I cou ldn ' t do things they were do i ng because I
was a g ir l .
I remember her t e l l ing me o ften and w i th r e a l con­
v i c t i o n that g i r l s cou ld do anyth ing boys cou l d do .
I could do
anyth i ng I rea l ly wanted .
Al l it took was m i nd over matter ; that
was the s ecret .
L i f e changed qu i ck l y , f i nanc i a l prob l ems beset my f a ther ' s
bus i n e s s and , becaus e I appeared o l der , I went t o work fu l l t ime
as a w a i t r e s s at the age of th irteen .
One t h i ng a fter a n other
occurred .
Mom had to go to work fu l l t ime , Dad was troub led with
money worr i e s and became w ithdrawn and angry becau s e o f expenses .
My p arents d ivorced and my f am i ly l i tera l l y f e l l apart .
I was
I had
ent i r e l y on my own i n my own apa rtment when I was f i fteen .
t o l e a v e s c h o o l i n o r d e r to s u p p o r t my s e l f a n d I m i s s e d t h e
educa t i o n I h a d a lways enj oyed .
T ime p a s s ed , I marr i ed a nd had
161
thre e beaut i fu l daughters .
I n my mid-twent i e s , I became a mod e l
and , b y the t ime I w a s twenty-e ight , I had m y own mode l ing bus i ­
n e s s and w a s work ing very hard .
Unf ortunat e l y , grow i ng a nd work­
ing in a l arge c ity l ike Ch i cago , I had become d i s i l lu s i oned w i th
I t s e emed that everyone I had contact with had adopted
peop l e .
the credo that other peop l e were to be u s ed for s e l f i sh g a i n .
Shame fu l ly ,
I con f e s s to having once adopted that very
ph i l o sophy .
A succe s s ion o f i l l n e s s e s f i na l ly cu lm i nated i n a stay at
I was th i n , had been work ing too
Northwestern Memor i a l Hospita l .
hard , and was genera l ly unhappy w ith l i f e .
In r e f l ect ion , I f i nd
it interest i ng how qu ickly one beg i n s to v a l u e l i f e when it ' s a l ­
most taken away .
I remember overhear ing one intern sarcast i ca l ly comment to
another that " th i s broad i s in such bad shape she won ' t make it
t o t h i rty . "
I t took me a moment to rea l i z e they were t a lk ing
a bout me when they thought I was unab l e to compr ehend the i r con­
vers at i on .
I f e lt a n anger bu i l d w i th i n me that ign ited a deep
year n i ng to be we l l and get out of that p l ace and show tho s e i n ­
I h e a led
terns t h a t they were not go ing t o d i ctate' m y future .
remarkab l y f a s t .
That was i n l ate 1 9 7 9 .
I n the ensu ing month s , I f e l t th i s
great need t o exper i ence l i f e , hav ing not yet l ived any o f thos e
dreams o f m y chi ldhood .
I had , in e s s ence , d o n e noth i ng w ith my
l ife .
S o I s o l d my bu s i ne s s .
No , actua l ly , I gave i t away to a
g i r l who worked for me .
I quit mode l i ng and spent t ime o n mak ing
mys e l f hea lth i er and stronger .
I wanted to get back to b a s i cs ,
to regr e s s i n t ime both ment a l l y and phys i ca l ly , and get out o f
th i s f a st-paced , co ld , c i ty wor l d i n which I l ived .
I b e g a n p ou r i ng o v e r s c e n i c p i c tu r e s o f t h i s b e a u t i f u l
c ountry , w i sh i ng I cou l d see more o f it s l owly .
One eve n i ng , my
daughters and I tr i ed to th ink o f ways to trave l w i thout u s e o f a
car ; for a car moved too fast f or me and we wou ld m i s s too much
o f what I wanted to see .
We e l imi nated b i k i ng a fter s om e con­
s iderat i on because Dor i , my youngest , was too sma l l and my dog ,
S ad i e , was not accustomed to b e i ng ar ound b ikes .
Jok i ng ly , I
quipped , " We l l then we ' l l wa lk .
Y eah , we can wa lk to Y e l l owstone
Park . "
My husband , who was watch ing t e l ev i s ion , overheard and
snorted " Wa lk?
Ha .
Sure , you ' l l be w a l k i ng , " a nd he s tarted
l augh i ng .
I t ' s d i f f icult to descr ibe j ust what went through me
when h e s a id that .
I j u st s a i d qu i ck ly , " Y e s , I th i nk w e w i l l
wa lk . "
O n Apr i l 3 0 , 1 9 8 1 , my t h r e e l i tt l e g i r l s ( a g e s t w e l v e ,
e l even , and e ight ) and I took our f i rst steps on a j ourney that
was to take us from Ch i cago to Y e l lowstone Nat iona l Park , c arry­
i ng packs as big as we were and , for f ive month s , n ever s l e ep i ng
i ndoor s .
Wr i t i ng th i s now br ings back so many memor i e s .
M emor i e s o f
torturou s ly p a i n fu l , b l oody feet .
My f e et b l ed and hurt the en­
t ir e d i s t a nc e .
At o n e p o i n t , I tr i e d s w a t h i n g my f e e t i n
b a n d a g e s a n d s o c k s a nd h o b b l e d d o w n Rout e 2 0 i n I o w a w i t h o u t
shoe s .
But the bandages tore qu i ck l y a nd I wa s no better o f f .
Another t ime , i n Nebraska , one of my toes became s o i n f ected it
showed s igns of i n f ect ion spread ing up my foot .
The p a i n w a s s o
intense I cou ld not s l eep .
I began t o th i nk that m y t o e m ight
have to be removed and momenta r i ly thought that that may be a
162
b l e s s i ng .
However , we were out i n the open , away from any towns
Re l y i ng on my pr i or re­
or peop l e and I had to do someth ing .
s earch before start i ng the walk , I made up a paste , from a n o ld
I nd i a n recipe for drawing out s nake poi son , o f camphor a nd s ome
herbs that I had brought w ith me i n a f irst a id k i t and wrapped
I w a s a b l e to
my f oot w ith i t .
Remarkab ly , the p a i n d i m i n i shed .
s l e e p a nd the n ex t m o r n i n g a l l s i g n s of i n f e c t i on w e r e g o n e .
Even n ow , I have a def ormed bone i n my foot attr i buted t o the ex­
treme w e i ght o f the pack I carr ied .
I remember , too , the cold n ight s when we f ir s t set out on
our wa l k .
It was s o cold that S a d i e ' s water wou ld be fro z en the
next morn ing .
Then i n Wyom i ng o n the Morr i s s ey Road over l ook i ng
the Cheyenne River , the heat wa s a lmost i nto l er a b l e a t 1 0 7 d e ­
grees .
There was l itt l e shade o n t h a t o l d tra i l .
We wou l d erect
a sheet and l i e under it to try and escape the heat of m i dday ,
w a l k i ng on ly dur i ng the early mor n i ng and late even ing .
M em o r i e s o f g o i ng h u n g r y s t a y w i t h m e t o d a y .
S om e t i m e s
there were such f a r stretches between towns that we cou l d not
carry enough f ood .
On one o f those stretch e s , we t r i e d to make
it t o Ly n c h , W y om i n g , at the f o o t of t h e B i g H o r n M o u n t a i n s ,
twenty - f ive m i l e s away , and a l l we had t o eat wa s ha l f a ham­
burger bun each .
I t was a Fr iday and sma l l town stores are on ly
o p e n a s h o r t t i m e on S a t u r d a y s and c l o s e d o n S u n d a y s .
I f we
wanted to eat , we had to get there or go hungry t i l l Monday when
the stores wou ld reopen .
So we wa lked i n the heat .
We had d i f­
f i cu lty movi ng very f a st because we were weak from l a ck o f f ood .
W e m a d e i t t o t h e B o z em a n T r a i l .
I f o u n d s om e i m m a tu r e
sun f l owers and w e broke them open for the seeds .
I found s ome
good ca ctus so we had a meager l unch o f immature w i l d sun f l ower
seeds and s l i ced ca ctus .
We pushed on .
We made it to Lynch j ust
before the store c l o s ed .
Peanut butter never ta sted s o good !
One t ime we l o st one of our canteens o f water by f orgett ing
i t o n one of our breaks .
I do not th i nk we l ost a nyth ing e l s e
a fter that .
G o i ng thi rsty can be a terr i b l e way t o learn a l e s ­
s on .
Another t ime we went t h i r s ty becau s e o f a tornado .
We had j us t p a s s ed Og l a l a on the P i ne R i dge I nd i a n Res erva ­
t i on when the sky became an ugly dark green .
I knew we were i n
f o r a s torm s o we t i e d down everything and s et u p t h e tent .
We
We heard the roar that
were i n s ide the tent when the w i nds h i t .
s ounded l ik e a tra i n .
I knew i t was a tornado .
We were ter­
We were a l l thrown about together and l i fted o f f the
r i f ied .
ground .
Dor i , my younge st , was next to me wh i sp e r i ng .
We f e lt
our s e lves suddenly a i rborne and j us t a s suddenly bounced on the
ground a l l tw i sted up i n our tent .
Then , sudden ly , i t was over .
W e l ay there s tunned f or a few moment s .
I c h e ck e d t o s e e i f
everyone was a l l r i ght .
M i r acu l ous ly , a l l we had were bru i s e s .
Later that eve n i ng , an I n d i an po l ice o f f icer carne out t h i nk i ng we
were dead because someone reported they s aw us go f ly i ng through
the a i r .
We d i dn ' t know then that our rea l problem f rom the tor­
nado was yet t o come .
The next day we f ound our water supply
The day became
destroyed with no other water s ources ava i l a b l e .
very hot .
We wa lked twe lve m i l e s without water .
F i na l ly , out o f
d e s p e r a t i o n , w e f o u n d a sma l l h o l l o w i n t h e e a r t h w h e r e s om e
cha lky water a nd w e t earth sat from the prev ious even ing ' s storm .
W e d r e d g e d i t up s i e v i n g i t t h r o u g h o u r b a n d a n n a s .
I do not
th ink I have ever t a s ted anyth ing so rank i n my l i f e .
163
I h a v e w o n d e r f u l memor i e s , t o o .
Memo r i e s o f f r e e d o m ,
f r ee dom from the ha s s l e s of modern l i f e .
The freedom o f f e e l i ng
y o u r s p i r i t j o i n t h e e a g l e s f l y i ng o v e r h e a d ; t h e c l o s e n e s s I
shared w i th my wonderful daughters , watch ing them s k i p and j ump
over l it t l e water f a l l s and tur n i ng cartwhee l s i n streams near our
camp s ; and the exh i la rat ion of reach i ng the top of the B ig Horn
Mounta i n s a fter a two -m i l e c l imb and look i ng out on the wor l d
b e l ow .
I remember t h e s ight ings o f w i ld a n ima l s , from ratt l e
snakes and coyotes , j a ckrabb its and m�l e deer , go lden e a g l e s and
turkey vu l ture s .
Then there was the wondrous moment when a moun­
t a i n l i on that had sta lked us up in Bear Trap Meadows in the B ig
Horns cros s ed i n f ront o f us w i th her two cubs .
And there was
the r ega l moose we spotted near Y e l l owstone .
But I th i nk o n e o f
t h e m o s t wonder fu l memor i e s i s that I actua l ly l ived an adven­
ture , and I l augh to mys e l f when I think about i t .
I a l s o remember the wonder f u l peop l e who he lped restore my
f a i t h i n humank i nd aga i n .
Many t imes we were met w ith warm we l ­
come and g iven food and h e l p , a s we l l a s d i rect ions and l o c a l i n ­
f ormat i on that a i ded us en ormou s l y .
I w i sh I cou l d thank thes e
p eop l e once aga i n for the i r wa rmth and gener os i ty .
Turn i ng back was never a thought , a lthough there were many
I remember a t ime
t ime s the j ourney was so hard we cou ld have .
when we were f i fty- four mi l e s from Y e l l owstone and had campe d o f f
the road a d i sta nce a t a p l ace c a l led Jim Creek .
I t was there w e
spotted a bobcat a s w e came down the tra i l and that n ight a s dusk
s e t t l e d , a g r e a t h o r n e d ow l f l ew i n t o t h e t r e e o v e r h e a d .
We
c ampe d there f o r three days .
I was so phys i ca l ly exhausted that
I ne eded rest .
Improper diet and the stress o f carry i ng a pack
we igh ing f i fty t o e ight pound s f or ten to twenty - f ive m i l e s a day
had taken a to l l on me .
I had l o st over twenty pound s .
As we
were coming down the tra i l from J im Creek , ready to r es ume wa lk­
i ng , I s l ipped on s ome loose rock and f e l l hard ( w ith the w e ight
o f my pack ) on my knees .
I w i nced a s pain seared through my l egs
and I cr i ed out .
I became so angry .
I t s e ems f oo l i sh now , but I
r a i s ed a c l enched f i st to the sky and shouted at the empt i n e s s
t h a t noth ing was g o i ng to stop me now .
Not even i f my l eg s were
I wou l d crawl i f n e c e s s ary .
broken , I wou l d not quit .
I felt a
deep determ i nat ion that has never l e ft me and i s w ith me today .
My daughters he lped me up .
My l egs were not broken but I l imped
the rema i n ing d i stance , arr iving in Y e l l owstone on my t h i r t i eth
b irthday .
As I l ook back , I have the fee l i ng o f success for l iv ing an
adventure and ach i ev i ng not only the goal o f reach i ng Y e l l owstone
but a l so ach i ev i ng a dream of my ch i ldhood .
I have another dream
and another goa l .
I have a lways f e l t a lack i n my educ a t i o n and
have wanted , for many years , to return to co l l ege a nd obta i n my
degree .
I f e e l I have much to o f fer and can , in s ome ways , make
a mean i ng f u l contr ibu t i on to soc iety , to g ive back in s ome way to
human i ty someth i ng for I f e e l I have received so much .
But as I
r eturn t o c o l l ege , I return a much wi ser person .
I have shared w i th you an exper i ence that changed not only
my l i f e but my approach to l i f e a s wel l .
I t was a n adventure
that may have begun in spite or because of a 1 1 da r e 11 ; but when
f in i shed , it taught me what it takes to succeed , to succeed i n
l i f e a n d to a l so succeed in character .
164
-.
I wou ld l ike to share w i th you some o f the deep er , p erhaps
more mea n ingfu l , things I l earned on my walk .
These were l e s sons
I l earned that have become a part of me .
I l earned d i s c i p l ine , the d i s c i p l i ne i t takes to set a g o a l
a n d t h e n to take t h e steps , somet imes ted i ou s a n d p a i n fu l , to
ach i eve that goa l .
I l earned the importance o f organ i z at i on ; l o s i ng s ometh i ng
n e c e s s a ry f or surv i va l i n a ver i t a b l e w i l d e r n e s s c a n be d a n ­
gerous , a s we l l a s p a i n fu l .
Keep i ng th i ng s i n the i r proper p l ace
took on a new importance and became a new way o f th i nk i ng .
I l earned per s i stence , wh ich i s j ust another word f or stub­
bornn e s s , for i t was shear stubbornne s s that kept me walk i ng m i l e
a ft e r m i l e , over look ing p a i nfu l , bloody f e et , per s i s t i ng i n s p i te
o f p a i n f u l sores on our backs from our heavy packs .
Our b o d i e s
ached every day and , yet , w e went on .
Prov ing a p o i nt became
l e s s important than s imp l y " not qu itt ing . "
to keep gett ing up every t ime I f e l l ,
I l earned res i li ence :
to endure f r e e z ing weather i n the beg i n n i ng , the tornado i n S outh
Dakota , torrent i a l r a i n s in Nebraska , 1 0 7 degrees in Wyom i ng .
I
l earned that we do not surv ive the e l ements f or surv i v i ng denotes
a strugg l e for e x i stence ; instead , we endure them , we l a s t , we
bear w ith p a t i ence .
We l earned to appr ec iate sma l l b l e s s ings , l ik e c l ean water
for the many t imes we went t h i r sty and s imp l e f ood for whe n we
went hungry ; a shower , shampoo , c l ean dry c l othe s ; a l l of the s e
th ings took on new mea n i ngs f o r us .
As stubborn a s I was , I had to be adapta b l e f or every day
wou l d b r i ng s ometh i ng new for me to dea l w ith , l ike the mount a i n
l i o n that sta lked u s in the B i g Horn Mounta i n s or t h e b e a r i n our
camp in Eag l e Creek .
I had to a d j ust to whatever a new day wou ld
b r i ng and use i t to our best advantage .
I l earned to count my b l e s s i ngs , to approach l i f e humbly ,
yet c on f ident ly .
There were many other th ings I l e arned , but the
most important , I th i nk , i s I le arned s e l f -conf idence .
I l earned
what I cou ld ach i eve if I put my m i nd to i t .
Wh i l e l earn i ng the
hum i l ity o f the sou l , I l earned the greatn e s s of my sp i r it and I
ga i n ed f r e edom , freedom of the sp i r i t vanqu i s h i ng the vex a t i o n s
o f the phys i c a l body .
N o t r ump e t s h e r a l d e d our a r r i v a l a t o u r d e s t i n a t i on i ndeed , i t wa s rather a qu i et moment .
Snow w a s f a l l ing s o ft l y .
T h e p i n e f o r e s t o n e i t h e r s i d e o f t h e r o a d w a s s i l e nt a s w e
trudged that f i n a l m i l e .
A s I c r o s s ed over t h e bounda r i e s o f
Y e l l ow s t o n e P a r k , I l o o k e d b a c k o v e r t h e l o ng r o a d w e h a d
trave l e d .
We had rea l ly made i t !
I f e lt a thr i l l o f accomp l i sh­
ment go through me .
S i nce that t ime and becau s e o f that j ourney ,
I have g a i ned a new respect for mys e l f , a l ong w i th con f idence and
a know l edge that I can ach i eve anyth i ng i f I put my m i nd to i t .
The Eva luat ion :
The exper i ence i s a strong
start ing p o i nt ; i t i s dramat i c , extraord inary ,
Meryl p l ays to that strength
and revea l i ng .
by m a s s ing and se l e ct ing s i gni f i cant deta i l s
of the j ourney and arrang ing them w i th sk i l l
and grace .
165
The Darkest Hearts
by Kath l e en U l i ncy
( Eng l i sh 1 0 2 - -B a rbara H i ckey )
The A s s ignment :
Wr ite a scho l a r ly , cr i t i c a l
ana lys i s o f a l i ter ary work .
Substant iate
your i nterpreta t i on w i th abundant c it a t i o n s of
the pr imary source , and suppl ement your i n s i ght
w ith r e f erences to at l ea st e ight secondary
s ource s .
As the unde fended reader j ourneys i nto the l andscape o f
F la n n ery O ' Connor ' s l iterary wor l d , a seem i ngly u n f ounded f e e l ing
of unea s i n e s s and unc l e a n l iness deve l ops towards the character s .
The s e emot i on s are far from unf ounded .
The ent i t i e s that p e op l e
h e r s tor i e s a r e deformed in e i ther mind , body , o r sp i r i t ( Mu l ler
47 ) .
one cannot read F l ann ery o ' Connor and not be a f f ected by
Th i s i s
the p er s i stent pres ence of her grotesque character s .
prec i s e l y the reason for O ' Connor ' s abundant u s e o f the grotesque
( F i t z gera ld 4 0 ) .
O ' Connor f e l t that " modern l i f e h a s made
grote sques o f u s a l l " ( Lawson 4 1 ) a nd therefore such extremes o f
i n c ongru i ty were n e c e s s ary i n order to reach her aud i ence
( Wa lt e r s 3 2 ) .
" To the hard o f hear ing you shou ld , a nd f o r the
a lmo s t b l i nd you draw l arge and star l i ng f igure s " ( qtd . in Wa l ­
ters 3 2 ) .
Ours i s a n apathet i c s o c i ety , we l l -adj usted t o the
h or r i f i c , u n n a t ur a l e xt r e m e s by wh i c h we s h o u l d b e o u t r a g e d .
O ' Connor created the s e " cu l tura l grotesques " i n order to make a
grote sque cu l ture perce i ve its own perver s i on ( Mu l l er 4 6 ) .
The s e
corrup t i on s o f human ity are d i sp l ayed i n the i r f u l l p r o f a ni ty
through the characters i n " Reve l a t i on . "
The phys i c a l d e form i ty in " Reve lat i o n " augments the m e s s age
o f the grote sque .
A l though the phys i c a l deform i t i e s pres ented i n
" Reve l at i on " a r e not extreme , they s t i l l have strong i l lustrat ive
power .
I t i s important that the st ory opens in a doctor ' s w a i t ­
i ng r oom .
There , the degeneracy that i s pres ent at a l l s o c i a l
l eve l s i s dep i cted by the fact that a l l have i l l n e s s , phy s i c a l o r
otherw i s e ( Mu l ler 4 6 ) , a m i crocosm o f soc i ety ' s a i lments at l arge
( Hend i n 1 2 0 ) .
A l arge part o f that phys i c a l grotesque is s imp ly
i l l , apathet i c humans .
Th i s i s very apparent i n O ' Connor ' s ma l e
character s .
The wh ite-trash boy , f o r instanc e , suf f er s from a n
u l cer a s we l l a s from a strange l ethargy .
The boy moved o n ly
once i n the story , and that was to " ·
draw one leg up under
" ( O ' Connor 1 7 3 ) when Mary Grace attacked Mrs . Turp i n .
h im .
.
166
The boy i s l it t l e more than a phys i c a l presence .
H e rema i n s a
name l e s s ,
l i s t l e s s v i c t im o f s o c iety ' s i nd i f ference and evi l .
A l s o , it i s i nteres t i ng that both the boy and C l aud s u f f er f rom
u l c er s , a pa i n fu l , corros ive cond i t i on , and that the o n l y other
m a l e i n t h e r o om a p p e a r s td be d e a d .
I n O ' C o n n o r ' s l i t e r a ry
wor l d , the men · are ei ther ' ' ·
. o l d , � s l e ep , dead , d i s ea s e d , or
mut i l ated , or murdere�s and th i eves '' ( Hend i n 1 2 i ) .
Th i s negat ive
dep ic t i on of the ma l e ro l e is r e f lect ive of the emot i on a l a nd
s p i r i tua l l imitations p l a ced on men by s o c i ety .
I t i s not ac­
cept a b l e f or a man to have d i sp l ays o f emo t i on or devot i o n as it
is f or a woman .
These l i f e �deny i ng restr i ct ions c a n l eave a man
incomp l et e or sp ir itua l ly " dead , " emot iona l ly -" mut i l ated , " or
j ust p l an " a s l e ep . "
Men appear to have n o p o s i t ive purpo s e i n
her s t or i e s , perhaps a re f l ec t i on of her perspective o f the
l im i t ed , proh i b i t ive ma l e r o le i n the rea l wor l d .
O ' Connor ' s u s e o f the mora l ly grote sque i s one o f her
strongest weapons .
The mor a l degeneracy o f the characters i s r e ­
The who l e d i s ­
l ated throughout t h e wa i t i ng room conver s at i on .
cour s e i s extreme ly super f i c i a l , outrageou s � and 6 f f e n s ive , w ith
top i c s rang i ng f rom " f at peop l e " to " n igger s . "
Here , O ' Connor
u s e s h e r g r e a t t a l e n t f o r d a r k h u m o r to e x p o s e the s h e e r
When ·· d i s ­
hypocr i sy o f her characters ' supposed mora l v i rtue .
cus s i ng the d i f f i cu l t i e s o f own ership and " n iggers " ( 1 6 8 ) , Mrs .
Turp i n , the p l ea sant l ady , and the white-trash woman , r egard l e s s
o f the i r conf l i ct i ng opin ions , a r e a l l equa l ly convinced o f the i r
mora l stand ings on t h e matter .
However , q n e perspective i s j ust
a s i m mo r a l as the n e xt .
M r s . T u r p i n ' s s t a t em e n t " I s u r e g e t
t ired o f butter ing up n i gger s , but you got to l ove em i f you want
e m t o w o r k f o r y o u " ( 1 6 8 ) is j u s t as awry a s t h e w h i t e t r a s h
woman ' s r e fu sa l t o " l ove · n o n i ggers " ( i 6 8 ) .
The reader cannot
help f i n d i ng the s i tuat ion a s humorous a s it is b l eak .
Th i s s e l f - r ighteous mora l i ty is pres ent i n a l l the charac­
t er s , b u t n ow h e r e i s i t s t r o n g e r t h a n in Ruby T u r p i n .
It is
harsh , yet appropr iate , that Ruby Turp i n i s named from turpare ,
mean i ng to so i l , d e f i l e , or po l lute ( Hend i n 1 4 5 ) .
There most
Ruby
certa i n l y is noth i ng · pure or genu ine about Ruby ' s i d e o l ogy .
" emerges as a h i gh-toned Chr i st i an l ady who s e s e n s e o f s oc i a l and
mor a l super ior ity , extreme s e l f - abs orpt ion and p r i d e border or
narc i s s i sm'' ( Mu l l e r 4 7 ) .
Her � e n s e o f s e l f i s , need l e s s to say ,
d i storted , a sk ew .
The r e s u l t i s her " a s sured s e n s e o f h e r own
super i or p o s it i o n .
to t h e r e s t o f t h e hum a n r a c e , " h e r
s i ck ly obs e s s ive behav iors with soc i a l h i erarchy , p e op l e ' s f eet ,
and mater i a l p o s s e s s ions ,
and her f a l s e v i rtue ( Wa lters 1 1 0 ) .
Mrs . Turp in ' s comp l ete unawar ene s s o f the absurdity and f a l s ehood
of her e x i stence , a s is evi dent in her inqu i s i t i on of G od ( 1 7 7 ) ,
furthers her mor a l i ncongru ity .
She i s not on ly ob l iv i ou s to her
immora l ity , but has so convinced her s e l f of her p er spect i ve that
she n o longer even que st ions her be l i e f s ;
" The door to her m i nd
has l ong ago swung shut . ''
I t i s the u l t imate immo r a l i ty to a l l ow
ones e l f to become s o s at i s f i ed w i th one ' s perspect i ve a nd dogma
that que s t i o n i ng become s out o{ the quest i on .
M r s . T u r p i n i s t h e e p i t o m e o f t h e " c u l tu r a l g r o t e s; qu e "
( Mu l l e r 4 6 ) .
S h e i s t h e unsubstant i a l , i d o l a trous r e s u l t o f
s o c i e ty ' s a b i l i ty t o tw i s t a n d d e p r a v e l i f e .
T h e s p i r i tu a l
grote sque i s a lmost over-d i sp layed in her .
Mrs .
T u rp i n ' s
r e l i g i o n and s p i r itua l ity are s o d i storted and ido l atrous i t i s
·
167
profane .
She i s " ·
. utter ly out o f harmony w i th the wor ld and
w ith Cre a t i on .
. " ( Mu l ler 5 0 ) .
Th i s i s man i f e s t i n her obs e s ­
s ive imag i nary conversat i ons w i th Jesus regard ing her p l acement
i n th e wo r l d .
T h e s e d i s c u s s i o n s b e t r a y h e r w o r d s o f d ev o u t
b e l i e f b y show i ng h e r constant que s t i on i ng a n d cha l l eng i ng o f the
r e l i g ion , of herse l f .
She has Jesus tempt her w i th phys i c a l at­
tract ivenes s , instead of " be i ng a good woman " { 1 7 0 ) , w ith be ing a
" r e sp e c t a b l e n i g g e r " { 1 6 6 ) i n s t e a d o f wh i t e t r a s h { 1 6 6 ) , a n d
bas i ca l ly b y be ing anyth i ng other than what she i s .
Ruby i s more
obse s sed wand haunted w i th the idea of God than w ith b e l i e f i n
o n e ( Brown i ng 1 5 ) .
Ruby Turp i n does not be l i eve i n Chr i s t i an i ty ;
she be l i eves i n Turp i n i sm .
Ruby ' s wor ld i s a h i gh l y s tructured one where there i s a
p la c e f o r everyone ,. and everyone i s put i n h i s d e s erving p l ace .
She
spends
her
t ime m i m i c k i ng G o d by d e s i g n i ng th i s
Her attempt s to f it God
s oc i a l / s p i r i tua l arch itecture { 1 6 6 ) .
i nto h er out l i n e of the universe create a f a l l ac i ou s yet hyster i ­
ca l hypocr i s y .
There f ore , when Mary Grace d e l ivers the mes s age
that Mrs . Turp i n is a wart hog from he l l , Ruby ' s perspective i s
An angry ro l e r ever­
s imu ltaneous ly thrown a skew and correc�ed .
s a l in wh ich Mrs . Turp i n qu e s t i ons God rather than the Chr i st i an
" What do you
trad i t i o n of God que s t i o n i ng h i s be l i evers occur s :
send me a me s s age l i ke that for?
Exa c t l y how am I l ike them?
( 17 7 ) .
Her demand for an exp lana t i on results in a reve l at i on o f
h e r h e a v e n , a nd e v e n t h a t i s d i s t o r t e d .
" H er heaven i s a
c e l ebrat i on o f v i o l ence , a un ive rsa l chaos i n wh i ch everyth ing i s
destroyed " ( Hend i n 1 3 0 ) .
A l l members o f soc i ety are pres ent ,
f rom wh i t e trash to b l acks to luna t i c s to " th o s e l ike her s e l f and
C l aud " { O ' Connor 1 7 8 ) .
She i s forced to s e e the f a l s i ty o f her
s p i r i tua l ity , her v i rtue , and her s e l f , and her s o c i a l h i erarchy
i s torn a sunder .
At f i r s t g l ance , Mary Grace appears t o be s e l f - i ndu lgent ,
d i srespectfu l , b i z arre young woman .
Her phys i c a l attr i butes are
portrayed a s be i ng l e s s than des irab l e .
She is " ·
. f a t , ugly ,
and d i s l i ked " ( Hend i n 1 2 4 ) .
Sl)e a l ternat e l y makes l oud , ug ly
no i s e s through her teeth , turns her l ip s out , and att a i n s a n a l ­
To d i sm i s s Mary
most purp l e c o l or i n her face { O ' Connor 1 7 0 - 7 1 ) .
Grace th i s l im i ted l y , however , wou ld be gros s ly inadequate . Mary
l ooks and acts l ike a demon , permeated by the evi l s of the wor ld ,
but she a l s o h a s the " rage o f ange l s . "
I t i s true her rage con­
t a i n s the evi l s of the wor l d , but i t is j us t as true that her
anger i s a j ust and r i ghteous one .
The anger i s a dua l -edged
sword .
On the one hand , Mary ' s rage is that of the angry world
On the other , i t i s anger
she l ive s i n , ug ly and destruct ive .
one f e e l s at j u s t i c e den i ed .
Mary ' s attack on Mrs . Tur p i n is a
Mary i s r i ghtfu l ly
r i o t o u s m i x o f th i s j u s t i c e a n d r a g e .
provoked by the astound ing ignorance and b l oated p r i d e i n the
peop l e a r ound her , but her d r i v i ng force is the fury she f e e l s
It i s her prerogat ive t o be o f f ended by
f o r th i s k i nd o f l i fe .
such i n i qu itous be l i e f s , but the rage i s her own and should be
The reader must remember that Mary i s the only i n ­
kept a s such .
d iv idua l that h a s experi enced t h e outs ide wor l d .
She i s edu­
cated , open to the inf luences of new ideas and p e op l e .
She a l one
h a s the f rame o f reference that a l l ows one to s e e the degeneracy
present .
Mary is the only one awa re enough even to perce ive of
the wrong n e s s of the s itua t i on .
Mary i s a bove those around her .
168
Ms . O ' Connor ' s use o f the grote sque i n " Reve l a t i o n " i s ama z ­
ing l y e f f ect ive i n f orc ing the reader t o s e e the perve r s i ty i n
S o me may f i n d t h e g r o t e s qu e n e s s i n h er
wh i ch w e a l l l i v e .
stor i e s so perva s ive a s to be excess ive ( Mart i n 1 7 7 ) .
However ,
s im p l y b e c a u s e a s t o r y i s g r o t e s q u e d o e s n o t m e a n i t i s i n ­
her ent ly worth l e s s .
Soc i ety i s j aded by the d a i l y horro r s of
l i f e and it t a k e s s om e t h i n g as s t a r t l i ng as a Ruby T u r p i n t o
provoke i ntro spect i on .
O ' Connor wr ites her l iterary characters
a s d irect r e f l ection o f real peop l e ( Orve l l 4 5 ) .
The fact that
Mrs . Turp in ' s grote squeness is her own do i ng through the m i s con­
cept i o n of her s e l f , br i ngs the reader to the rea l i z at i on that we
are a l l gu i lty of Ruby ' s cr ime ( Mu l l er 4 9 ) .
Ruby ' s on ly c r i m i n a l
a c t i s her sad interpret a t i o n of t h e i n f i n it e l y numerous mes sages
Ruby s imp l y
that s o c i ety d e l ivers o f a l im i ted v i ew o f hers e l f .
tr i e d t o c r e a t e s ome order , some sense o f t h e cha os around her .
She o n l y t r i e d to make her l i f e l i vab l e .
W e c a n n ot b e r i g h ­
teou s ly angry w i th Ruby for someth ing w e a r e a l l gu i lty o f .
As
O ' Connor s a i d , l i f e has made grotesques o f us a l l , and perf ection
o f a ny k i nd , much less a perfect l i fe , is impos s i b l e for i mper­
f ect be i ngs .
Judgment shou ld take p l ace only i n and t oward our­
s e lv e s .
Anyth ing e l s e is as grote sque as Ruby Turpin hers e l f .
Works C i ted
Brown i ng , Preston M .
F l a nnery O ' Connor .
S outhern I l l i n o i s Pre s s , 1 9 7 4 .
Carbonda l e :
F l annery O ' Connor :
F i t z g er a ld , Robert , and Sa l l y F i t zger a ld .
New Y ork :
Farrar , 1 9 6 9 .
Mys tery and Manners .
Hend i n , Joseph i ne .
B l oomi ngton :
The Wor ld of F l annery O ' Connor .
I nd i ana Un ivers ity Pre s s , 1 9 7 0 .
Laws o n , Lou i s A .
" The Per f ect D e formity :
W i s e B l ood . "
Ed . Haro l d
Modern Cr i t i c a l V i ews :
F l annery O ' Connor .
B l oom .
New Y ork :
Che l s e a , 1 9 8 6 .
41.
Mart i n , Carter W .
""''-!.
n ...:
.- o"""'"
:: f
==--"'T
- -"'r'-'u
�e
==-_,
-C'"o
""-'u
""'n
'-'-"'
t-"'r'--'
y
�
: ---=
T,_,h
-'-'"'e=
m e'-'=s�"'"
i-'-'
n,___t:::.
_, h
'"
.: e�
"'""' F'""'l
"'"
. ""'-!:
c t'-"i...,o
-"'
Tc..!.h...,e
F l a nnery O ' Connor .
K i ngs port :
Vanderb i l t Univer s i ty
Pre s s , 1 9 6 9 .
Mu l l e r , G i lbert H .
F l a nnery O ' Connor
N ightmares and V i s i ons :
and the Catho l i c Grotesque .
Athen s :
Un ivers ity o f Georgia
Pre s s , 1 9 7 2 .
O ' Connor , F l annery .
" Reve lat ion . "
Literature :
An I ntroduct i on
to F i ct i on, Poetry, and Drama .
Ed . X . J . Kennedy .
G l e nv i ew :
S cott- Foresman , 1 9 8 7 .
1 6 4 -7 8 .
Orve l l , M i l e s .
O ' Connor .
I nv i s i b l e Parade :
The F i ct i on o f F l a nnery
Ph i l ad e l ph i a :
T emp l e Un ivers i ty Pre s s , 1 9 7 2 .
Wa l t er s , Dorothy .
F l annery O ' Connor .
Un i vers i ty Pre s s , 1 9 7 3 .
169
New York :
W i ch ita State
The Eva lua t i on :
Kathy ' s ins ight , coup led w ith her
r e f i ned sty l e , e luc idates a comp lex story
r i f e with mean ing .
170
Art Work of Leda and the Swan
by Adr i enne We l l s
( Human i t i es 1 2 0 - C l a s s ica l Mytho logy - - S imonsen )
The A s s ignment :
Conduct res earch on a top i c i n
c l a s s i c a l mytho l ogy .
Exp l a in an a n c i e nt myth
a nd show how l ater th i nk er s , wr iters or a rt i sts
have i nterpreted that myth .
THES I S :
Most a rt i sts have g i ven Leda and the swan a theme o f
sensua l i ty and romant i c i sm i n stead o f confus i on
a nd fear .
OUTLINE
I.
II .
I ntroduct ion
B ackground h i story
III .
Works of art that portrayed sensua l i ty
A.
da V i n c i
B.
Bacchi acca
C.
M i ch e l ange l o
D.
Art i s t Unknown
IV .
Works wh ich portrayed d i f f erent themes
Art i s t Unknown
A.
B.
Dan z i
C.
Corregg i o
D.
Yeats
V.
Conc lus ion
Throughout a lmost every per i od i n h i story a rt i s t s have been
f a s c i n a t e d b y the s t r a ng e and u n u s u a l .
T h i s i s p r o b a b l y why
G r e e k myths w e r e s o p o pu l a r a s u b j e c t t o p a i n t .
H u nd r e d s o f
p a i nt i ngs and scu lptur e s have been made t o repres ent d i f f er ent
Greek myth s .
Perhaps one o f the most i ntr iguing myths i s the
myth of Leda and the swan .
Many p i eces o f a rtwork have been made
by i ns p i ra t i on from th i s story , but most art i sts d i f fer i n the i r
i nterpretat i o n o f i t .
Most art i s ts have g iven Leda a nd the Swan
a theme of s en sua l ity a nd romant i c i sm instead of confus i o n and
fear .
171
Leda was the w i f e o f Tyndareus .
Z eu s not iced Leda one day
and he f e l l in l ove w ith her .
He c ame to her in the f orm of the
swan ,
in order to d i sgu i s e h imse l f from h i s j ea lous w i fe Hera
{ Ki rkwood 6 0 ) .
From th i s int imacy , Leda had f our ch i ldren .
The
exact manner of b irth and patern ity o f thes e f our ch i ldren var i es
i n d i f f er ent ver s i on s o f the story ( K i rkwood 6 0 ) .
S omet imes the
two boys , Ca stor and Po lydeuce s , are hatched out o f one egg and
t h e t w o g i r l s , H e l e n a n d C l y t em n e s t r a , a r e h a t c h e d o u t o f
a nother .
S omet imes there i s o n l y one egg , and s omet imes o n ly
Usua l ly P o lydeuces
H e l e n i s hatched from an egg ( K i rkwood 6 0 ) .
and H e l en are the ch i ldren of Z eus and Castor and C lytemnestra
are the ch i ldren o f Tyndareu s .
I t i s H e l e n for whom the Troj an
Th i s story o f Leda and the swan has become the
War w a s f ought .
i n s p i r a t i o n for the f o l l ow i ng p i eces o f work .
Leda and the Swan by Leonardo da V i n c i is the f ir s t of many
p a int i ng s I f ound that portrayed Leda w ith the swan as a r oman­
t i c , s en s u a l occurrence .
In th i s p a i nt i ng , Leda is nude , and she
is the centr a l part o f th i s pa int ing .
Her face r e s emb l e s that of
Leda ' s
the Mona L i s a , wh ich i s a l so one o f da V i nci ' s pa int i ng s .
h a i r i s bra ided , but a few w i sps on both s id e s o f her face appear
t o b e b l ow i ng in the breez e .
She appears c a lm a nd happy , because
h e r c o u n t e n a n c e s h o w s a h i n t of a s m i l e .
Leda ha s her arms
around the swan ' s neck , wh i ch makes h e r upper body curve s l i ghtly
towar d s the swan .
The swan i s on the r ight s ide o f the p a i n t i ng .
Thi s swan i s very large , in fact , the s i z e o f a man .
It has a
The swan ' s w ing i s
l ong , t h i n neck , l arge w i ngs , and a b i g body .
wrapped around the back o f Leda , a s i f a man wa s putt ing h i s a rms
around her w a i s t .
The swan ' s beak i s po i nted toward Leda ' s face
Leda ' s face ,
and the swan s e ems to be look i ng d i rect ly at Leda .
however , i s turned the other way and she appears t o be l o ok i ng a t
t h e ground .
The swan ' s beak i s s l ight ly open .
To the l e ft o f
the p a int ing there a r e two young ch i l dren .
They m i ght be cup i d s
o r t h e y m i ght be Leda ' s ch i ldren .
They are both cur ly-h a i red and
they are both ma l e .
One o f the ch i ldren i s h o l d i ng f l ower s and
he i s standing up l o ok i ng at Leda .
Leda ' s eyes m ight be l ooki ng
a t h im instead o f the ground .
The other ch i ld i s l y i ng down and
h e h a s h i s a r m a r ou n d t h e c h i l d who i s s t a n d i ng .
He i s a l s o
l o o k i ng u p .
The background o f th i s o i l p a i n t i ng c on s i s t s o f
tree s , a l ak e , f l owers , h i l l s , and a farmer o f f t o the l e ft .
Leonardo da V i n c i d e f i n i te l y concentrated on the s ensua l ity
of th i s event .
There i s no reverence or awe shown in th i s p a i nt ­
ing .
Leda seems qu ite happy a n d content , a n d there are no s igns
o f f ea r , confu s i o n of d i stres s ( Bu l f i nch 1 2 8 ) .
I l B a c ch i a c c a ' s v e r s i o n o f L e d a a n d t h e S w a n i s qu i t e
s im i l a r t o d a V i n c i ' s .
Th i s p a i nt i n g i s a l s o d o n e w i t h o i l .
Leda i s aga i n the centra l f ocus o f th i s pa i nt ing and she i s nude .
Her f a c e i s p o i nted toward the swan and she appears to be very
content .
Her ha i r s e ems to be bra ided or perhaps she i s we a r ing
s ome type o f wreath around her head .
Her arm i s d raped a r ound
the swan ' s neck and with her other arm she is h o l d i ng her breast
in h e r hand .
She is s it t i ng on a rock .
The swan is on the r ight
s ide o f the p a i nt i ng .
Th i s swan i s more the s i z e o f a n orma l
swan , u n l ike da V i nc i ' s man- s i z e swan .
The swan ' s w i ng s are out­
The
stretched and one w i ng appe ars to be touch i ng Leda ' s back .
H i s beak i s open
swan ' s head i s po i nted toward Leda ' s breast .
and i t s e ems as though he is go i ng to k i s s the breast that she i s
172
h o l d i ng .
There are ch i l dren i n th i s p i cture a l s o .
There are
f ive ch i ldren ( even though Leda was s a id to have on ly had f our )
and they are p l ay i ng wi th cracked open eggs and p i eces o f eggs .
The art i s t even made i t look l ike some ch i ldren are hatchi ng out
of eggs , symbo l i z ing Leda ' s un i on wi th the swa n .
S ome o f the
ch i l dren have dark h a i r ; others are f a i r -ha ired .
They a l l appear
to b e ma l e .
The background o f th i s p i cture con s i st s of trees ,
rock s , a path , and a bu i l d ing w ith some peop l e i n f ront o f i t .
Th i s bu i ld ing i s so far into the d i stance that I can ' t te l l who
the peop l e are or what they are doing ( Campb e l l 1 7 2 ) .
I l Bacchi acca ,
l ike da V i nc i , was more i ntere sted i n the
romant i c a spect of th i s story .
H i s Leda i s very c a l m and uncon­
cerned about b e i ng made l ove to by a swan .
Bacch iacca even makes
h i s s cene more p l ayful by creat ing a swan that is about t o k i s s
Leda o n the breast .
M i ch e l ange l o ' s Leda and the Swan i s qu ite d i f f erent from
Bacch i acca ' s or da V i n c i ' s .
Leda i s l y i ng down on what appears
to b e a red couch or c l oth o f s ome type .
Leda is drawn a s a s ide
v i ew s o her head is in the m i dd l e of the pa int i ng and her f eet
a r e at t h e l e f t e n d o f the p a i n t i n g .
She i s wear ing a very
beaut i fu l ,
e l aborate ha irp i ece ;
it a lmost l ooks l ike a c rown .
The h a i rp i ece i s gold wi th l i tt l e pea r l s that cover the top edge
of the band .
Leda i s aga in nude , but her body i s more ma s cu l i ne
l ook ing .
Her arm draped beh ind her lo oks more l ike the hand and
arm of a man than a woman .
Her legs a l so appear more ma s cu l ine
i n shape .
Leda ' s l egs are apart and the swan is i n between them .
The swan i s a l i ttle bi gger than norma l s i z e but not a b i g a s da
V i nc i ' s swan . L ike Ba cch iacca ' s swan , th i s swan ' s w i ngs are out­
spread .
Led a ' s r i ght arm i s cross ing over her body to rest on
h er l e ft l eg .
The t op o f h e r r i ght a r m i s a r o u n d the s w a n ' s
The swan ' s head i s between Leda ' s breasts and she and the
neck .
swan are embra c i ng .
There aren ' t any chi ldren in th i s o i l p a i nt ­
i ng and t h e background cons i s ts of t h e r e d couch
( Strat f ord 3 4 ) .
M i chel ange l o ' s pa int i ng shows Leda mak ing l ove to the swan .
He w a s obv i ous ly concerned only wi th the strange idea o f a woman
and a swan .
Leda shows no s i gns of con fu s i on or of frustrat i on .
M ic h e l a ng e l o was i nterested in portr aying only the s e n sua l a spect
of i t .
There i s an ident i ca l statue o f th i s p a i nt ing ( author
unknown ) wh i ch recreates the sensua l i ty of M i chae l ange lo ' s work .
Although most art i sts conce ntrated on the sensu a l ity o f Leda
w i t h t h e s w a n , t h e r e a r e a f ew who d i d n ' t .
I n t h e f o l l ow i n g
work s , a number o f d i f ferent perspectives w i l l be pres ented .
The
art i st s of the s e works d i dn ' t focus on the romant i c idea l s o f the
prev ious art i sts , but rather on other more important th i ng s .
Leda Protect ing the Swan is a scu lptur e done by an unknown
art i st .
Th i s work i s qu ite o l d and very damaged .
Leda ' s arms
Leda ' s body
and head are m i s s i ng and the swan ' s head is m i s s ing .
i s p art ly nude and she is ha l f crouch ing .
Her garment ha s been
f o lded and gathered i n a way wh i ch i s impos s i b l e for actua l c l oth
( Ca r p e n t e r 1 2 4 ) .
B e c a u s e o f th i s i l l u s i o n t h e a r t i s t h a s
s acr i f i c ed truth for l i ght and shadow .
The deta i l ing and the
f low i ng l i n e s made by the scu lptor s t imu late th i s pose into ac­
t ion ( Carpenter 1 2 4 ) .
The f ee l i ng here i s not one o f sensua l ity ,
but more a f e e l i ng o f rea l l ove .
Leda i s protect i ng the swan
173
here , wh i ch gives a f e e l i ng o f a lmost mother ly inst i ncts t oward
the swa n .
Th i s portrays Leda w ith her swan as more of a s er i ous
event , i n stead o f a s exua l event .
V i n c en z o D an z i ' s scu lpture ca l l ed Leda and the Swan s hows
another i nterpreta t i o n of the story .
Leda i s t a l l , s lender , and
f u l ly c lothed .
Her garment appears to hang l o o s e l y on her be­
c a u s e of the f o l d s D a n z i c r e a t e d .
S h e h a s a b e l t a r ou n d h er
w a i s t a nd t h e s t r a p s o f h e r g a rm e n t f a s t e n i n f r o n t .
Leda ' s
r ight arm i s around the swan ' s neck and her l e f t arm i s extended
upward so she can put her hand in her h a i r .
Her h a i r is very
l ong and th i ck .
Most o f it i s p l a ited and Leda i s ho l d i ng s ome
o f the p la it s in her hand .
Her r ight leg i s on top of what ap­
pears t o be a shel l .
I cannot f igure out the s ig n i f icance o f the
she l l in th i s s tatue because nowhere in the s tory of Leda and the
swan i s a she l l ment i oned .
Leda ' s head i s turned towards the
swan a nd she is l ook i ng down at it .
Her expres s i on is one o f
l ove a n d admirat ion .
The swan i s a l it t l e bit b igger than a nor­
ma l swan .
D an z i d i d an exce l l ent j ob on the swan becau s e you can
s e e e v e r y f e a t h e r in d e t a i l .
The swan h q s a l arge , s l ight ly
opened beak .
He i s p o i nt i ng h i s beak at Leda ' s shou lder and ap­
pears t o be embr a c i ng her there .
As i n many other art works ,
t h i s s w a n ' s w i n g s a r e e x t e n d e d a n d o n e w i ng i s f o l d ed a r o u nd
Leda ' s back { Avery 2 3 4 ) .
D a n z i ' s s tatue d i f f ers from the other works o f art because
h i s Leda is fu l ly c l othed .
From th i s scu lpture you do not get
the f ee l i ng o f s ensua l ity that is portrayed i n the other work s of
art .
Leda appears to be tru ly i n l ove with th i s swa n , not j ust
p la y i ng with it .
The swan a l s o appe ars to be more i ntere sted i n
Leda than he appeared t o b e in the other works .
I n th i s f i n a l pa int i ng ,
a l i tt l e o f b o t h t h em e s i s
p or t r a y e d .
C or r e g g i o , t h e a r t i s t o f th i s L e d a a n d t h e S wa n ,
shows the s ensua l ity and the fear and confus i on .
Th i s p a i nt i ng
t e l l s the ent i r e story o f Leda and the swan because e a ch s e c t i on
o f the c a nva s i s devoted to a d i f ferent part o f the story .
O f f to the
Corregg i o ' s pa i nt ing h a s three p i cture s o f Leda .
f a r r i ght s ide of the pa int i ng is the f i rst part of the s tory .
Leda i s stand i ng up with her arms outstretched .
She appears to
be trying to push the swan away .
She i s nude and her expr es s i on
on her face i s one o f confus ion and maybe even fear .
Her h a i r i s
pu l l ed back from her face , but i t i s not bra ided .
The swan i s o f
norma l s i z e .
H e i s pur su ing h e r even though she i s try i n g t o
push h im away .
The second p i cture o f Leda i s the centr a l f ocus
of the pa int i ng .
She i s s i tt ing down on s ome rocks with her gown
under her .
She is st i l l nude , except that th i s t ime she i s not
a fr a i d o f the swan .
She i s l ook i ng down at the swan with a smi le
L e d a i s d e f i n i t e l y n o t p o r t r a y e d h e r e a s b e i ng
on her face .
f r ightened or confused .
The swan i s i n between Leda ' s l eg s a nd
she i s ho ld ing one of h i s w ings i n her hand .
H i s neck i s
s t r e t ch e d u p t o L e d a ' s c h i n a n d h e a p p e a r s t o b e k i s s i n g h e r
there .
I n the th ird p i cture o f Leda and the swa n , Leda i s get­
t ing dre s sed .
Two women , who mu st be Leda ' s handma i d s , are at­
Leda i s look ing up toward the sky .
The expre s ­
tend i ng to Leda .
s io n o n h e r f a c e i s o n e o f bew i lderment and a t the s ame t ime hap­
p in es s .
Leda is watch ing the swan f ly away .
In the top r ight
hand p o rt i o n of the p a i n t i ng , the swan i s f ly i ng away .
Th i s sym174
bo l i z es the return o f Z eus to Mount O lympus a fter h i s i nt imacy
w ith Leda .
On t h e l e f t h a n d s i d e o f t h i s p a i n t i ng t h e r e a r e
thre e ch i ldren p l ay ing .
One app ears to be a cup i d because o f the
w i n g s on h i s b a c k .
The oth e r two m i g h t be c h i l d r e n f r o m t h e
u n i o n o f Z eu s and Leda , but i s impo s s i b l e t o t e l l f rom t h e p a i nt ­
ing .
T h e background o f th i s pa i nt i ng con s i st s o f tree s , rocks ,
h i l l s , a nd a c l oudy sky
( Stratf ord 1 ) .
Corregg i o ' s pa int i ng was s im i lar to the other p a i nt i ngs i n
t h e background , t h e s cenery and t h e f o c a l p o i nt o f the p a i nt ing .
I n every pa i nt ing , Leda ' s int imacy with the swan was the foca l
p o i nt .
Correg i o , however , was the only art i s t who cons idered the
fact that Leda m ight have been confused and fr ightened when a
swan t r i ed to rape her .
Al though he d i d portray the confu s ion ,
he w a s st i l l more i ntere sted in the sensu a l ity a nd romant i c i sm .
The f i na l work I have chosen for th i s paper i s not a pa i nt­
i ng o r a sculpture .
It i s a 1 i terary work o f art , and I f e e l
that it presents the most inter e s t i ng interpretat i on o f Leda a nd
the swan .
The work o f art i s Wi l l iam But l er Yeats poem " Leda and
the Swan . "
In th i s poem , Yeats uses a lot, of word c o l o r and im­
agery .
He beg i n s the poem with the words , "A sudden b l ow . . " ,
b r i n g i ng f o rth the i de a o f the strength o f the swan a n d the
strength o f the event .
H e descr ibes the swan a s h a v i ng great
w i ng s .
H e creates the p i cture i n your m i nd o f a huge swan r a p i ng
a terr i f i ed g i r l .
The fear o f Leda i s even descr i bed more when
Yeats says ,
" How can those terr i f i ed vague f i ngers push 1 The
When
f eathered g l ory from her loosen i ng thighs? " ( Abrams 1 3 5 9 ) .
Yeats talks about the f eathered g l ory , he is r e f err ing to the
fact that the swa n was Z eus
( Abrams 13 5 9 ) .
Yeats cont i nua l ly
imp l or e s how Leda f e e l s .
Leda , in h i s descr ipt i o n , f e e l s h e l p ­
l e s s and c o n f u s ed ,
e s p e c i a l l y when she f e e l s the s t r ange
heartbeat o f the swan ( Abrams 1 3 5 9 ) .
I n the l a s t stan z a o f th i s
s onnet , Yeats i s fore shadow ing the events wh i ch a r e t o come :
"A
shudder i n the l o i n s engenders there 1 The broken wa l l , the burn­
i ng roof a nd tower 1 And Agamemnon dead ( Abrams 1 3 5 9 ) .
Th i s is
r e f e r r i ng to the f a l l o f Troy .
Yeats s aw z eu s ' s v i s it to Leda a s
a n a n nu n c i a t i o n , ma r k i n g t h e b e g i n n i n g o f G r e ek c i v i l i z a t i o n
( Abrams 1 3 5 9 ) .
The shudder in the lo ins i s the u n i o n o f Leda and
Z eu s .
From th i s int imacy , H e l e n was born , and she was the cause
o f t h e who l e Tro j a n War ( Abrams 1 3 5 9 ) .
The l i n e s a b o u t the
broken c ity r e f e r to the f a l l o f Troy .
Agamemnon ' s death w i l l
When one o f Artemi s ' s
come about becau s e o f He len and the war .
sacred deer was k i l l ed , she requ i r ed Agamemnon ' s daughter ' s l i f e
Because o f
a s a rep l a c ement .
Agamemnon sacr i f i ced h i s daughter .
th i s , h i s w i f e had h im k i l l ed .
But probably the most inter e s t i ng
part o f th i s poem i s the quest ion Yeats asks i n the l a s t f our
l in e s .
Yeats wonders if Leda ga in ed any w i sdom or know l edge f r om
the god h ims e l f .
D i d Leda become a l l -know i ng a s the gods were?
Probably not .
The i nt imacy sha red by Z eus and Leda was not one
of l ove but of lust .
Ye ats best descr ibes Z eu s ' s f e e l i ng s toward
Leda in h i s l a st l i ne :
"
. Be fore the i nd i f f er ent beak cou ld
l et h e r drop ? " ( Abrams 1 3 5 9 ) .
Zeus cared noth i ng f or Leda .
Al l
he wanted to do wa s fu l f i l l the lust he had toward her .
She was f r ightened
Y e at s ' poem best descr ibes Leda ' s story .
and con fused when the swan t r i e d to rape her , a s any woman wou l d
h a v e been .
There i s no s ensua l i ty portrayed i n h i s poem .
Yeats
concentrates m o r e on t h e strugg l e between Leda a n d t h e swan .
175
Most o f the art i sts have g iven Leda and the swan a theme o f
s ensua l ity a nd r omant i c i sm in stead o f confu s ion and fear .
Even
t h e f am o u s p a i nt e r s s u c h a s da V i n c i , M i c h e l a n g e l o , a n d B a c ­
ch i acca saw Leda ' s story a s a s ensua l one .
I can ' t th i nk o f any
rape that is sensua l .
Perhaps the reason for the i nterpretat i on
I nteres t i ng l y
i s because o f the per i od that the art came from .
e nough , I never s aw o n e pa i nter treat t h e s tory w i t h a reverence
for the god ; not even the o lder sculpture s gave the god respect .
Yeat s ' poem i s the on ly work wh i ch re spected Leda and her f e e l ­
ings .
By l eaving out the s ensua l ity and the romant i c i sm , the
a rt i st h a s a chance o f stay i ng much truer to the or i g i na l story .
Works C i ted
Abrams , M . H .
The Norton Anth o l ogy o f Engl i sh L iteratur e .
New York :
Norton , 1 9 6 2 .
London :
Aver y , Char l e s .
F l orent ine Rena i s sance S cu lpture .
Murray , 1 9 8 7 .
Bu l f i n ch , Thoma s .
Myth s o f Greece and Rome .
V i k i ng , 1 9 7 7 .
Campb e l l , Joseph .
1988 .
Carpenter , Rhy s .
197 1 .
The Power O f Myth .
Greek Sculpture .
New York :
New York :
Ch i cago :
U.
Doubl eday ,
o f Ch i cago ,
K irkwood , G . M .
A Short Guide To C l a s s i ca l Mytho l ogy .
Ch i cago :
Ho lt , 1 9 5 9 .
Str a t f ord Fest iva l Guide .
Stra t f ord , Ontar i o ,
199 0 .
The Eva luat i on :
Adr i enne had read the Yeats
p o em on Leda and the swan in another c l a s s .
Through res earch for th i s paper , she d i s covered
many art i sts had dep i cted the s ame story .
Compar i ng the works led her to r e f lect o n
the nature o f a r t a n d myth .
Her paper i s
creat ive and ins ightfu l .
17 6
L i f e in G a l e svi l l e
by Les l i e Whyte
( Eng l i sh 1 0 1 - -Herr iges )
The Ass ignment :
Students were to wr i t e a 7 5 0 Spec i a l atten­
word e s say i n the poet ' s ro l e .
t i on was to be paid t o deve l op i ng a sty l e , a
persona l warmth to the p i ece .
I encouraged
students t o m i x the poet ' s ro l e w i th any other
r o l e we had stud ied - -part i c ipant , reporter ,
cr i t i c , etc .
I once l ived in an obscure l i tt l e town l ocated on the West
G a l e sv i l l e
River , wh ich feeds d i r e c l ty into the Chesape ake Bay .
i s s o sma l l i t does not e x i s t o n Mary l a nd map s - -peop l e l iving
twenty m i nutes away have not heard of i t - -but I m i s s its qua i nt ,
p i cturesque hou s e s comfortably set back from the road , the in­
f am o u s W e s t R i v e r M a rk e t a c c o mp a n i e d by the a r om a o f f r e sh
b l ue f i s h and pork barbecue s andw i ches be i ng cooked i n s ide , and
the sw i ft -moving s a i lboats cutt i ng gracefu l ly a c r o s s the g l a s s ­
l ike sur face o f Sue Creek , l e av i ng r ip p l e s i n the i r wake .
There were days when I was content t o s i t i n s o l a c e upon the
bank of the r iver watch ing the s a i l boats and occa s iona l ly wad i ng
out t o h e l p one get uns tuck or j u st to f e e l my toes s qu i s h i nto
the mucky bottom- - s omet imes spy ing the shadow o f a sma l l crab
lurk i ng nearby or stepp ing on a c l am she l l embedded in the mud .
On o n e part i c u l a r even ing , j u s t as the sun d eparted l e a v i ng rosy­
p ink streaks gradua l ly f a d i ng to periwink l e b lu e , my f ather and I
sp i ed a hor s e shoe crab .
He was b i g - - about the s i z e o f a l arge
s i lver p l atter .
We stood per f e c t l y s t i l l , watch i ng h im creep
s l owl y across the sand , us i ng h i s t a i l to help prop e l h im a long .
I t a lmost s e emed l ike he was suspended about a n i nch above the
s and , s o no i s e l e s s l y d id he move , but I knew th i s was not s o , f or
He f l oated a l ong at the bottom and then
I cou l d s e e h i s tracks .
s udde n ly d i s appeared , a s though he had d i s covered he was b e i ng
watched and d id not apprec i ate the i nvas i o n .
S ome n ights , I wou ld take wa lks down to D i xon ' s Dock a nd s i t
a t the end f a c i ng i nto the wind .
O n s t i l l n i ght s , I wou l d lean
aga i nst a post i n a r e c l in ing pos i t i o n .
On stormy n ight s , water
swi r l ed a nd sw i shed underneath the dock and occa s i on a l ly s l o shed
up between the cracks to spl ash me .
Dur ing the w i nter , the r iver
rare l y fro z e up , and on c o l d , c l ear n ights , I went there w ith my
f ather t o l ook at the stars .
H e wou l d somet imes br ing h i s t e l e 177
s cope , but even when he d i dn ' t , I e n j oyed the s imp l e f reedom that
the water made me f ee l .
During the summer s , we wou ld go s a i l i ng on the bay f or week
at a t ime .
On one such trip , we were anchored out i n a creek-­
far from c i v i l i z at i on--and I remember th i nk i ng that the stars
l ooked l ike spark l i ng d i amonds on a ve lvet tapestry .
The sky wa s
s o br i ght that n i ght , that it was a lmost l ike day .
Just a fter my
brother and I had ret ired for the night , my f ather p eeked through
the hatch and t o l d us to come up on deck quickly .
We s crambl ed
o u t t h r o u gh t h e h a t c h .
My f a t h e r d i d n o t s ay a ny th i n g , o n l y
p o i nted t o the sky .
I looked up and s aw the most unusua l d i sp l ay
o f c o l or - -m i nt green , pastel p i nk , baby blue , w i th hue s o f purp l e
m ixed i n .
" The Northern Lights , " my f ather wh i spered .
I have
n ever s e en anyth ing l ike i t s i nce .
One October morn ing , I woke up at s i x a nd s l ipped out o f the
hou s e in my n ightgown wi th the dog , Sandi .
I took the shortcut
through the f i e l d s and p lunged headf irst into the c o ld water .
S a nd i , be i ng a Labrador , f o l lowed suit , and we swam t ogether out
to the f i rst buoy in the gray dawn .
I c lung breath l e s s to the
buoy and threw st i cks for Sandi to retr i eve .
Sudden l y an Ospr ey
l anded on the marker c l osest to me , and I d i s covered i t had a
nest on top .
Unf ortunate ly , Sand i had seen it too , and she swam
over to the marker , bark ing .
The osprey f l ew away .
I turned
back towards shore d i s appo i nted and s orry I had brought the dog .
I n e v e r t o l d a ny o n e a b o u t t h a t s e c r e t m o r n i n g - - n o t e v e n my
f ather--and I probably never w i l l .
I never knew , unt i l n ow , how
m a n y t h i n g s I m i s s s e e i n g - - a l l t h e t h i n g s I t o ok f o r g r a n t e d
wh i l e I l ived there .
My father sti l l res ides i n G a l e s vi l l e , and
when I v i s it h i m , I f e e l sorry for everyone who does not know it
ex i st s .
I f ound th i s e s s ay part i cu l a r ly
The Eva luat i on :
ba l a nced .
Upon my f i rst reading , i t became
c l e a r that it had more to do with the author ' s
r e l a t i onsh ip with her father than the
apparent f ocus on setting wou ld s e em to i n d i cate .
Les l i e move s the reader in c l o s e for p i npo int
s e n s at i ons a s s oc i ated wi th her state o f m i nd .
The " per iw i nk l e blue" o f the sky i s a
str i k i ng descr ipt i on , and i s c l o s e ly l inked
with the moment she s p i ed a horse shoe crab
A l s o e f f ect ive are her
w i th her father .
"mood" verbs , a s I l i ke to ca l l them .
On
page two , water " s lo shed up between the crack s "
o f the dock .
Un i t i ng her memor i e s o f G a l e sv i l le
with those o f her father at the conclus i on
o f the e s s ay i s a nice touch o f doveta i l i ng .
Here her recol lect i ons trans cend the past a nd
become part o f the present - - f or the pl ace i s
s imp ly a n aura that surrounds the man .
178
What Makes Wr i t i ng Good?
The Antho l ogy Judges G i ve The i r S tandards
Denn i s Brennen
Good wr i t i ng makes me want to read on , to f i nd out wha t . the
wr iter w i l l say next .
Somet imes the ideas draw me o n , s omet imes
the sty l e .
Whe n I ' m rea l l y lucky , the wr iter ropes me i n w ith
both .
Ann i e Davidov i c z
Every word
I n m y op i n i on , · good wr i t i ng i s t ight wr i t ing .
I l ike to
chosen by the author enhances the work in some way .
get the f e e l i ng that the wr iter cares a bout h i s j her wr i t i ng - -that
there i s an int imate r e l a t i onship between the composer and the
comp o s e d .
A wr i t i ng v o i c e humm ing w i th conf idence and genu ine­
ness a lways catches my eye .
.I l ike a vo i c e that tempt s me to
read further .
Depend ing on the type o f the a s s ignment , v iv i d ,
f r e s h d e t a i l a n d j o r a c c u r a t e r e a s o n i n g a r e t w o m o r e o f my
pref erences .
U l t imate ly , good wr i t i ng accomp l i shes the wr iter ' s
goa l s .
Carr i e Dobbs
I l ike wr i t i ng that uses syntax , voca bulary , a nd rhetor i c a l
structure to e f fect any of the f o l lowing :
Teach m e s ometh ing I
d i dn ' t know , l et me s e e a new or old exper i ence through s omeone
e l s e ' s eye s , amu s e me , or show me another way of looking at some­
th i ng .
I a l s o l i ke a we l l -reasoned argument- -whether I agree
with i t or not .
Jack D odds
Whenever I read I lo ok for deta i l s , deta i l s , deta i l s ap­
descr i pt ive
prop r i ate t o the wr iter ' s purp o s e or the occa s i on :
deta i l s , fresh facts or f igure s , support ing instances , i n s i ghtfu l
observat i on or exp lanat i on .
Good wr i t i ng i s dense w ith i n f orma ­
t ion .
G o o d wr i t i ng i s a l s o a l i v e w i th v o i c e s :
t h e wr i t e r ' s
vo i c e ( persona ) , d i a l ogue , quotat ion , and a l lus ion .
Good wr i t i ng
a lways t a lks t o me .
179
Barbara H i ckey
In Mark Twa i n ' s words ,
c.
" Eschew surp lusage . "
D . Kumamoto
I va lue a ny w r i t i ng , poetry or pro s e , that takes r i sk s o f
enac t i ng i t s own un ique v i s ion o f the un ivers e , obj ect i f i e d i n a
s ty l e that i s e n l ivened by susta ined purp o s e and inte l l i gence ,
l u c i d log i c , inventive deta i l s , and individua l i z ed and arrest ing
d ict i o n .
Barbara N j us
I n an authent ic VO I CE , u s i ng e f f ect ive and f igurative lan­
guage , t o a n estab l i shed purpose and aud ience , from a c l ea r l y or­
gan i z ed THE S I S , GOOD WRITERS D EVELOP I DEAS i n a coher ent , con­
cise ,
un i f ied e s s ay u s i ng SPEC I FI C evidence from r e a d i ng s and
f ro m p e r s o n a l � xp e r i e n c e to a n a l y z e o p p o s i n g p o s i t i o n s a bo u t
t op ic s having STRONG S I GN I F I CAN CE for that wr iter , t h a t m a y in­
vo l ve the writer in taking RI SKS and that the writer w i l l r e s o lve
and eva luate from a CON S I STENT p o int of v i ew .
Peter Sherer
Wr i t i ng that focuses and bo l d l y goes where i t prom i s e s to g o
a l er t s a n d engages me .
I l ike writ ing that i s inte l l i gent , con­
s i stent i n its l og ic , and concrete in its deta i l .
I l ik e ex­
amp l e s and I want t o hear an honest voice wh ich speaks to me in
s entence s which are fresh , cra f ted , var i ed , econom i c a l , and mus i ­
cal .
Joe S ternberg
I l ike wr it ing shaped f or a spec i f i c aud i ence and powered by
a w e l l -d e l ineated persona .
I l ike economica l wr it ing .
I l ike
wr it ing i n fused w ith fresh , vivid words and grac e f u l s entence s .
I l ik e deta i l s and c lear purpo s e .
180
Harper Student Writers on Wr i t i ng
Wr i t i ng i s r e l i v i ng the past .
And wh i l e wr i t i ng the c entra l
e x p e r i e n c e i n " N a i v e P r i d e , " I r e l i ve d a l l t h e e m o t i o n s a nd
re f l ect i on s , sensations and att itudes wh i ch made i t s e em unrea l ,
a lmost fantast i c , at the t ime .
I strove to pres erve that am­
b iguous qua l ity and , at the s ame t ime , to keep a f ocus on i t s
centra l theme :
i nnocence a n d exper ience .
- -Macedon i a A l dana
I l ove to read and wish I cou l d wr ite tru ly , or i g i n a l work .
Unfortunat e l y , not a l l o f us can wr ite nove l s or screenp l a y s , but
we c a n a l l l earn to research a subj ect thorough ly and commu n i cate
wha t we have l earned in a wr itten report .
- - cath e r i n e Amargos
I ' m t h e o r i g i n a l f o l l o w e r o f a d i f f e r e n t d rumm e r .
As a
resu l t , my wr i t i ng tends toward the unorthodox , tak ing the r eader
I str ive t o wr ite out s ide the ma i nstream o f
o f f the beaten path .
trad i t i ona l thought , a n d con s i der it t h e h i ghe s t comp l iment when
my wr i t ing provoke s the respon s e , " G ee , I never thought of i t
that way b e f ore . "
- -Va lta Creed
I f o u n d the s k i l l s f r om my t e c h n i c a l wr i t i n g c l a s s v e r y
h e l p f u l wh i l e work i ng o n th i s presentat i on [ CNTRLOG :
S tudy Pha se
Repo rt ] .
Three o f the most important r u l e s I f o l l owed were :
1.
Under l in i ng important f o c a l p o ints .
2.
U s i ng vi sua l s and charts to support f a c t s whenever
po s s ib l e .
3.
Spend i ng more t ime revis ing for a s ty l e that i s
" c l ear , conc i se , f l uent , exact and l ikable . "
- - Car o l e Dav i d s on
181
I c om e f r om a l a r g e f a m i l y , s o t h e a b i l i t y t o e xp r e s s
mys e l f , t o make mys e l f heard , i s important t o me .
Wr i t i ng i s one
f orm o f expre s s ion , and if done we l l , w i th comm i tment t o truth
a nd a t t e n t i o n t o t h e n e e d s o f a n a u d i e n c e ,
i t can change
m i ndset s , or a t l east cause peop l e to cons i der i n a n ew l ight a n
i s su e o r s i tuat i on .
- -Mary Doherty
Th i s r e s earch paper [ on S arah Orne Jewett ] was a requ i r ement
I chose Jewett a s i t s s ub j ect
f o r an Ame r i can l i terature c l a s s .
becau s e I e n j oyed her wr i t i ng sty l e , part i cu l a r l y her character
p o rtraya l .
Ther e f ore I made th i s the foca l po int o f the paper .
I chose to u s e br i e f character d e s c r i pt i ons and the i ntegrat i o n
o f d i r e c t q u o t a t i o n s t o d em o n s t r a t e t h e a u t h o r ' s t a l e n t f o r
creat i ng charm i ng character s .
- -Judy Domeracki
What I e n j oy most about wr it ing i s that i t forces me t o come
t o a f u l l understand i ng o f both my intel lectua l percept i o n and my
emot i ona l r e sponse t o the sub j ect matter .
After I comp l ete a n
I t g ive s
e s say I f e e l how fu l l t h e wor l d i s w i th pos s i b i l i t i e s .
me great sat i s fact i on .
- -Marya F lynn
Why I w r i t e ?
I write for enj oyment when I wr i t e a s tory my
ma i n goa l i s to p l e a s e my s e l f , because i f I don ' t l ike what I
have wr itten , how can I expect anyone e l s e t o .
For that r e a s on ,
I never p i ck a top i c wh ich I don ' t l i k e - - i f I can h e l p i t .
As
for tr icks when I wr i t e , they are few :
1)
I wr ite a l l my ideas down i n whatever order they
come to me .
2)
I try t o use fresh , imag i nat i ve approaches t o an
idea .
3)
I ed it my ideas so they w i l l make s e n s e t o anyone .
4)
I work on a s tory unt i l X l ike i t .
I put the story a s ide for a day or s o a nd then
5)
reread it .
I f the s tory doesn ' t entert a i n
m e and make sense , then I w i l l rewr i te i t
unt i l I am happy w i th t h e resu l t .
- -Jerry G i ba
182
For me , wr i t i ng i s a p l ea sure inher ited from my mother and
her f ather .
Frequently it is an urge so strong that my m i nd hums
w i th the words I want to put down .
O l der than most Harper stu­
dent s , I have reached a stage i n which I can ' t d o a l ot o f the
more a ct ive t h i ngs I prev i ous ly enj oyed , but wr i t i ng is an out let
for s ome o f my thought s and exper ience s , and s omething I can do
indef i n i t e ly .
- -Martha Harnack
When I wr ite , it ' s very important for me to cover a subj ect
f rom a l l a ng l es .
M o s t of the t i m e t h e r e i s m o r e t h a t c a n be
s a i d , that I cou l d keep go ing and g o i ng , a n I have t o cut mys � l f
off .
I t end t o write everything in one s itt i ng , and then g o back
l ater only to make minor rev i s i ons .
I f I try to wr i t e a l it t l e
a n d l e ave it f o r a wh i l e , I can ' t seem to p i ck u p t h e thoughts I
started w i th .
- - B arbara H e i n z e
When I wr ite , I don ' t use work ing notes - - a n out l i n e s e ems t o
r e s tr ict .
I have to be intere sted i n my subj ect , and I wr ite
wha t I ' d l ike to re ad .
A few o f my h e l p s :
Gra ndma ' s Rem i ngton ,
a n ew bott l e o f Wh ite-out , and Be ethoven ' s N i nth .
- - Laur i e Hus s i s s i a n
I n t h e e s say , " The Cra d l e W i l l Fa l l , " I used a dogwoo d tree
I rely o n pre­
t o t e l l about events that weren ' t concrete to me .
vious exper i ences when I write , and that h e l ps me create a more
a u t h e nt i c v o i c e .
My wr i t i n g is comp l e t e wh e n I c a n l e a v e my
typewr iter smi l i ng .
- - Cynth i a S . Hubb l e
Wr i t ing i s a f orm o f s e l f - expre s s i on , a s i s art , mus i c , a nd
dance .
S ome peop l e w i l l l i ke what you have to say , others w i l l
not , and s ome won ' t want t o g ive i t a chance a t a l l .
H owever ,
the paper i s a lways there to l i sten to you , and i f the i d e a s a nd
l anguage f l ow f luent ly , the end product can be very s a t i s fying .
Your thought s and f e e l ings are your own - - be conf ident o f wha t you
know or have l earned .
Cha nces are , s omeone e l s e w i l l be i nter­
ested , too .
- - Lynn Koppe l
183
My paper o r i g i na l ly was go ing to be a compa r i s o n / contrast of
Mrs . Turp i n f rom F l annery O ' Connor ' s '' Reve l at i o n " and G irnp l e f rom
I s sac S i nger ' s " G irnp le the Fool . "
Wh i l e work i ng on the s econd or
thi r d draft of th i s o r i g i n a l paper , I uncovered the concept ern­
bod i ed in my f ina l e s s ay on j ust Mrs . Turp i n .
I have l e a rned
that good wr it ing o ften deve l ops over many drafts .
The changes
in c oncept writers encounter when rewr i t i ng is a n important part
of the wr i t i ng proces s .
- -W i l l i am Lutman
W h a t i n s p i r e d me t o wr i t e a b o u t t h i s p o em [ " T h e A c h e o f
Marr i age " ] i s a r e l a t i onship i n which I was invo lved when I f ound
the p o em .
I app l ied my then-pa i n ful f ee l ings to the poem .
The
wr i t i ng j ust carne from with i n , wh ich is how a l l wr i t i ngs shoul d
be .
- -Mary Kay Man i on
Words are my p a s s i on .
What power they p o s s es s , spr i ng ing to
l i f e under my pen , g iving form and substance to the ideas beh ind
the i r b i rth !
What j oy it i s to f i nd " l e mot j uste " - -the j ust
r i ght word - -and to f e e l that others might read what I have writ­
ten and be touched by the mag ic o f the words .
- - L i s a R . McB r i d e
I h a ve t h r e e r u l e s f o r w r i t i ng a n e f f e c t i v e t e r m p a p e r :
Out l i n e , out l ine , out l ine .
Wh i l e I s ay that j ok i ng l y , I have
found the t ime spent out l i n ing pays huge d iv idends .
In writ i ng ,
a s i n l i f e , p l anning i s the cornerstone to any l a s t i ng success .
A l s o , " Don ' t do note cards . "
They take too much t ime and you
I nstead ,
s om e t i m e s l o s e t h e f l a vor o r c o n t e x t of t h e p i e c e .
photocopy the art i c l e or s ect ion to be used ( a s we l l a s the t i t l e
page } and u s e a h i gh l i ghter t o accent what i s usab l e .
- -Jef frey J . Meek
My e nt r y i s n o t a w o rk of " wr i t i n g " but a s p e e c h , w h i ch
l ends i t s e l f better to an ora l d e l ivery than a wr i tten one .
I mportant t o me wh i l e deve loping the speech , though , was that my
aud ience r ecogn i z e the s ame s i gn i f icance in the subj ect matter a s
I n a ny w r i t i ng o r s p e e ch , t h e va l u e i s f ou n d w h e n a n
I did .
audi en c e " f e e l s " what t h e author t r i e s to expres s .
- -Jane l l N o o l een
184
For me , the best , most e f f i c i ent and p l easurab l e means o f
My thought s f l ow through
c ommun i c a t i ng i s b y the written word .
my f i n g e r s a n d o n t o t h e k e y b o a r d f a r b e t t e r t h a n t h r o u g h my
f au l t i ng speech .
In my pro f e s s ion a s a techn i c a l writer , wr i t ing
provides a most sat i s fy ing and rewarding career .
- -Brad Schub r i ng
I b e l i ev e t h a t g o o d wr i t i n g mu s t p a i nt p i c t u r e s i n t h e
reader ' s m ind a s we l l a s e l i c i t emot i o n a l response a n d create a
cert a i n sound with in the reader ' s m ind , thereby creat ing another
wor l d in wh i ch the reader becomes empathet i c in s ome way w i th the
story .
I f my wr i t i ng has any o f the se f actors I g ive cred i t to
my l ove o f read i ng .
- -Mery l S qu ir e s
I b e l ieve that few th ings i n l i f e a r e as important a s b e i ng
to wr ite we l l .
For me wr it ing i s an extens ion o f my thought s , a
way t o express my fee l i ngs .
It i s my most cha l l enging but a l s o
my most enj oyable creat ive out let .
- -Adr i enne We l l s
When I beg i n wr i t i ng I never know what I ' m go i ng t o wr ite ,
The word s j ust s e em to pour out
unt i l I ' ve a l ready wr itten it .
of some part of mys e l f I never know e x i sts , unt i l I p i ck up a
pen .
I d i s c o v e r s om e th i n g n ew a b o u t my s e l f e v e r y t i me , a nd
that ' s what keeps me insp ired .
- -Les l i e Whyte
185
A Teacher Writes about Wr i t i ng :
What My Student D on ' t Like about Me
by J erome A . Stone ,
Ph i l o s ophy Department
What my students don ' t l ike a bout me is that I make them
wr i t e .
Why do I do i t ?
Becau s e wr i t i ng forces you to f igure out
exactly wha t you need to say and to say it as c l ea r ly as you can .
I n add i t i o n ,
I make them support the ir ,c l a ims w i th r e l a t ively
cogent argument s .
A person who cannot wr ite i s l ike a b a s eba l l
p itcher w ithout a f a stba l l .
Likew i s e , a person who cannot make
a n a rgument is l ik e a p i tcher w i thout a curve .
You may be a b l e
t o get b y w ith a l imited arsena l , but i t i s a s evere hand i cap .
Many peop l e have a number o f spe l l i ng or gramma t i c a l errors
t h a t t h ey h a b i t u a l l y m a k e , but f r eq u e nt l y t h e s e b o i l d ow n to
thre e or f our ma i n m i stakes .
Aga i n , t o go to the great Amer ican
metaphor ( s i nce we have n e i ther Homer or Ho ly B ib l e i n common ) ,
i f an ath l et e h a s three or f our weak po ints and twenty strong
p o i nt s , wha t shou l d she do?
Cont i nue t o make the s ame m i s take s ?
O f course not .
That i s why , i f a student h a s more than a m i n ima l
number o f wr i t i ng m i stake s i n a paper , I requ i r e the stud e nt t o
hand the p a p e r back w i th correct ions , t w i c e i f n e c e s s ary , b e f ore
get t i ng cred it for the a s s ignme nt .
Peop l e need to wr ite to c ommunicate and they n e ed t o wr i t e
i n o f f ic ia l , s tandard Eng l i sh s o that they don ' t l ook un i nte l ­
l igent .
P erhaps we shou ld b e t o l erant , but i n rea l ity t h e Pyg­
ma l ion pr i nc i p l e is operat ive here .
I f you wou l d app ly for a j ob
i n a n o f f i c e w i th your t i e t i ed neat ly , s o a l s o you shou l d wr i t e
w i th your words spe l l ed a n d t i ed together correct ly .
o u r wr i t ­
i ng , a t l ea s t most o f i t , invo lves pub l i c exposur e .
It
F i na l ly , c l ea r and s imp l e wr i t i ng i s usua l ly p r e f erab l e .
g e t s i t s j ob d o n e a n d t h e j ob o f wr i t i ng i s to commun i ca t e .
Y ou shou l d a lways as sume that you w i l l need to r ev i s e your
wr i t ing .
Wr i t i ng is not l ike having a baby .
You don ' t h ave to
keep the f ir s t th ing that comes out .
Wr i t ing i s the s econd med ium o f commu n i c a t i o n that we have
deve l op ed ,
speak i ng be i ng the f irst .
To l ive e f f ect ive l y you
need to be competent in both med i a and to l ive w i s e ly you n eed t o
l earn h o w not to b e dece ived or subj ect to tr i v i a l i ty i n both .
T h e p r a ct i c e o f w r i t i ng w i l l h e l p y o u t o b e e f f e c t i v e a nd
d i a l ogue w i s e ly i n the wr itten medium .
F i n a l l y w r i t i ng i s a typ e o f c ommu n i c a t i o n a n d a l l com­
mun icat i o n r equ i r e s f e edback to be eva luated .
To wr i t e s ometh i ng
and then s end i t f orth a s i f you were f i n i shed w i th i t i s l ike
shoot i ng a n arrow w i thout f i nd i ng out how c lo s e to the bu l l s eye
186
the a rrow reached .
We wr ite in l anguage and a l l l a nguage i s sub­
j ect t o Murphy ' s l aw .
Speak ing and wr i t i ng a r e not f in i shed un­
t i l you have gotten f eedback to d i scover the degree to wh i ch you
have been understood .
Y ou have not f i n i shed wr i t i ng unt i l you
h ave gotten a response and then , most l ik e l y , r ewr itten and per­
haps wr i tten yet aga i n .
Like any s k i l l , wr i t i ng takes work , but to write we l l i s ex­
N ow you un­
t r i n s i ca l ly worthwh i l e and somet imes even e n j oyab l e .
derstand why I requ i r e what my students don ' t l ike .
187
F
A
C
U
L
T
Congratulations to the instructors whose
Virginia Bender
dedicated teaching has contributed to the
Rex Burwell
successful writing of their students.
Y
Tom Choice
Nancy Davis
Carrie Dobbs
Jack Dodds
Patricia Fuhs
Herbert Hartman
Greg Herriges
Barbara Hickey
Kathi Holper
C . D . Kumamoto
Roy Mottla
Linda Perez
Peter Sherer
Martha Simonsen
Joseph Sternberg
Jerry Stone
Trygve Thoreson