27 20 5655 https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/fb54f048ec0b34207b429b5734167b8a.pdf 46ea272814e33cf4d9f839f983d57bca PDF Text Text �ENERGEIA: The activity in which anything is fully itself. n... voO £v{ p y£~a Cover: GYROSCOPE by Robert Vickrey, tempera on masonite. Photo courtesy of New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana. Gift in memory of Samuel Weis. 'w~ ... (Aristotle's Metaphysics, The contents of this issue have been chosen and produced by the Energeia staff from student work which the Annapolis and Santa Fe Prize Committees selected. Annapolis Prize Committee Printed by the St. John's College Press St. John's College Annapolis, Maryland 1072b ) William Mullen Jon Lenkowski Winfree Smith Edward Sparrow Curtis W ilson Santa Fe Prize Committee - Chairperson - Sharon Garvey Robert Bart Nancy Buchenauer Michael Dink Peter Pesic Staff Editor - Ann Burlein Maura Brady Kathy Buckler Michael Crawford Gabrielle Fink Christine Gowdy-Jaehnig Faculty Advisor - Maria Kowalczyk Mark 'Streeter Jason Walsh Steve Werlin Jonathan Tuck Energeia is a non-profit, student magazine which is distributed among the students, faculty, alumni and staff of St. John's College, Annapolis and Santa je. Published three times a year , the Fall issue contains a sampling of the .student work from the previous school year which the prize committees of both campuses have selected for public recognition. For the Winter and Sp ring issues, the Energeia staff welcomes submissions from all members of the community - essays, poems, stories, original math proofs, lab projects, drawings, and . the like . Note: A brief description of the author accompanies all work not by current St. John's students. Please include some such statement along with your subnission. Thank you. �-- CONTENTS PRECEPTORIAL PAPER, GRADUATE INSTITUTE (SANTA FE) "DO YOU LOVE ME?" Kristi Ragan ANNUAL SENIOR ESSAY (ANNAPOLIS) REMEMBERING JERUSALEM Christian Holland ANNUAL SENIOR ESSAY (SANTA FE) PURPOSIVENESS IN KANT'S CRITIQUE OF JUDGMENT Alistair Morrison ANNUAL SOPHOMORE ESSAY (ANNAPOLIS) MEMORY AND PERSONAL IDENTITY IN SHAKESPEARE'S TEMPEST 1 13 59 Arny McManus 71 Bruce Johnson 81 SOLUTION TO Tiffi JUNIOR SENIOR MATH PROBLEM (ANNAPOLIS) Martin Marklin 88 TRANSLATION OF A FRENCH TEXT (ANNAPOLIS) Nancy Mease 91 *ANNUAL SOPHOMORE ESSAY (SANTA FE) FOR MY SOUL IS FILLED WITH TROUBLES *'I}Us essay has been edited. Complete copies can be found in the library. �"Do You Love Me?" Kristi Ragan Many of us see a contradiction in any attempt to seriously examine the dynamics of love as commitment. While we publicly insist upon love's importance, we privately bemoan the fragility and lassitude which characterize it as unable to withstand the rigors of a serious philosophical critique . We take pains to remind ourselves of love's stature as mere emotion and though we might make concessions for its elevated position in our lives, love nevertheless carries that blemish which distinguishes all emotions: lack of rationality . We see this charge in remarks like "Love is blind" , and "I will never understand a woman" - or if your prefer Mortimer's version: "O I am ignorance itself in this" (H.4,P. l,III,i.210). In the back of their minds, many young and not so young girls believe the t eachings from Hollywood which claim that if it is love, bells will ring and fireworks will fill the sky. Equally misguided is the advice given by family and friends to simply not worry, because "when the time comes, you'll just know . " Such answers make us comfortable with the idea that our feelings are not an area in which we can employ reason to gain understanding. Yet if knowledge and understanding are necessary for living, then by accepting this view of love and the o t h er emotions we place a huge portion of life beyond our control. But since we tire of pulling petals from daisies and twisting stems from apples, we eventually come to undertake a less superficial search in order to understand what is behind love. "How in the world could he possibly love me?" Yet oftentimes our search ends prematurely. We sense that too earnest a searc~must surely bring with it love's demise. To have continued seeking would have led us to the difficult position of having to accept our own worth and its accompanying responsibilities. When we deign to reflect on love at all we often do so with an overdose of sentimentality or with a crudely pragmatic view of economics, appearances and sexual performance. Yet I remain convinced that thoughtful reflection upon what love is and why a person loves is not only possible but.necessary . Throughout Shakespeare's historical plays we rarely see men with their wives. Di d t h e auth or mean t o s uggest by t he i nfrequency with which men discuss t hings with women that marriage and commitment hold little importance for the larger human community? I think not. For when Shakespeare does allow us to view the life of a married couple, he chooses his occas.ion and characters with care. In Henry the Fourth, Part One Shakespeare reserves the illumination of the commitment of love for his most honorable and heroic of characters, Hotspur and his lady, Kate . We have already met and been won over by Hotspur before the third scene of Act II, in which we first see husband and wife together. Though Hotspur has sided against the king in the upcoming battle , we have been moved to concern for him by his total dedication to honor, his disregard for pain and danger, as well as the certainty of his commitment t o things ove r and above life itself. It is with such a man that Shakespeare has chosen to lay bare the dynamics of love as commitment. Kristi Ragan Tanzania . (M.A. at Santa Fe , '84) is currently serving in the Peace Corps in 1 �In Henry the Sixth, Part Two Shakespeare speaks again of commitment, this time through the wise and noble Gloucester and Eleanor, his misdirected wife. That Shakespeare arranged the discussions between husband and wife to take place between two of his most magnificent characters suggests the importance of their words. r hope that what Shakespeare felt significant enough to merit such prominent spokesmen will become clear through a close examination of these scenes. The private life of a man and woman should never be a time for excluding or becoming indifferent to the larger human community of which they form a part. They cannot set the private wholly apart from the public. They must allow the public admission to the private-and not only negatively, as the necessary foil whereby two people unite in a posture of "us against the world." When the private admits the public only in this negative way the private can become little more than a time for scheming and plotting strategies by which the two might hope to get the better of the world. I think it is important to bear in mind this brief reminder of what private life is ~ot as we examine Hotspur in Act II, scene III of Henry the Fourth, Part One, since this scene occurs exclusively between Hotspur and his wife, except for a servant's interruption. The scene opens with Hotspur all alone, reading a letter whose contents forbode his defeat in the upcoming battle with King Henry. The author's refusal to fight incenses Hotspur and he tries to defend their plot as "a good plot as ever was laid" . But Hotspur's defense becomes overly boisterous and repetitious: " . . . our friends true and constant: a good plot, good friends, and full of expectation; an excellent plot, very good friends" (II,iii,16). Such repetition belies Hotspur's trust ib the plot and in his friends. Hotspur's reservations run deep and cause him even greater worry because of the possible betrayal of their plan to the king. He broods incessantly and longs for the chance to be underway, past the point of decision, past weighing and reweighing the variables. Hotspur cries that he will set forward that very night and in the next instant Lady Hotspur enters. Her entrance is perfectly timed to coincide with the end of Hotspur's soliloquy. Is this chance, or was Lady Hotspur watching over him as she has these last two weeks, though banished from his bed? Hotspur's uneasiness continues and he wastes no time in blurting out to K~te that he must leave. No doubt he wants to spare her the details of the campaign as well as the anxiety that accompanies such details. Yet when Lady Hotspur begins to speak she makes no reference to his imminent departure. Instead, she begins to ask a series of questions which are not really questions at all. Their purpose is to show her husband that she already shares with him the burden of his worrying despite his intention to spare her. Not only do her questions spare Hotspur the pain of having to explain his intended actions to her , but they reinforce our impression that Hotspur's anxiety is strange and unusual. Lady Hotspur's pressing concern indicates that his doubts about the campaign spring from something more than the nervousness usual before battle. Lady Hotspur has been banished from her husband's bed for two weeks, yet she shows by her questions that "I by thee have watched" (II,iii,44). She has observed him sitting alone, noticed when he refused to eat, and remained with him throughout the night as he cried out in his dreams. She has always stood close by him-so close she could watch his uneven breathing and the sweat which formed upon his troubled brow. By revealing her watchful caring she reminds him that she stands neither indifferent to nor apart from the suffering of his world. She has not used their time apart to distance herself from her husband or to pity herself for this exclusion from his world. True commitment does not allow you to stand apart from someone you love, nor to judge them across a distance. You must always stand within the relationship of yourself to that other and it is into that intimate sharing that you step when you silently watch over them. Love is a sharing, a desire to be together and to make Such sharing turns Lady Hotspur' s attention outward, .another's welfare your own. 2 away from her own suffering over the very real possibility of her husband's death in the upcoming battle. Her love for Hotspur provides her with the proper external object toward which she may be turned and out of which she may form a constant relationship to the world around her. Lady Hotspur ends her first speech by asking her husband his reason for leaving. She correctly places the question in the context of their relationship: "And I must know it, else he loves me not" (II,iii,61). Hotspur tries to distract her from the question by interrupting with commands to the servant. Kate however, is a very patient woman. She waited two weeks just to speak with her husband; another interruption does not upset her, and she simply resumes with her question upon the servant's exit. Harry continues to distract Kate with playful teasing. This forces her to answer her own question. She knows that part of the reason Harry is going to fight is the responsibility to her brother that their marriage has placed upon him . "I fear my brother Mortimer doth stir about his title and hath sent for you to line his enterprise" (II ,iii, 78). Kate doesn't bring this up in order to try to dissuade her husband from going. She respects Hotspur's decision and her respectful acceptance shows us that we needn't always see commitment as disruptive of purposeful act ion in the larger human community . Kate, by mentioning her brother, shows Hotspur that she recognizes and appreciates the sacrifice he is making for her and her family. The Tempest depicts a similar situation, in which Miranda's response recognizes and appreciates the sacrifice of Ferdinand's dignity through his demeaning labor of hauling logs . "My sweet mistress weeps when she sees me work, and says such baseness had never like executor" (III,i,12). The rec ognition of true sacrifice by another on your behalf causes within you a desire to join it. Just as Miranda is moved to beg Ferdinand to stop and le t her take over his odious task, so Kate has kept sleepless watch through Harry's sleepless nights. I have tried to show that serious and important things are at issue in the dialogue between Kate and Hotspur . However , such lines as "Out you mad-headed ape" and "Come, come you paraquito" seem to throw in question this interpretation of their exchange (II,iii,74 & 82). We should be careful not to judge this playful banter as nothing more than nervous laughter designed either to avoid what's really at stake or as their peculiar means to avoid uncomfortable good-byes. Instead, we must make an attempt to see such lighthearted jesting as the means by which these two provide the necessary, constructive tension through which they are able to call attention to each other without violating the intimate and private. The question "Do you love me?" is being forever asked and answered by such lively ribbing. Their laughter is reaffirming rather than insensitive; it highlights the importance of each to the other. In addition, it allows each to call attention to themselves as an individual which the other does not totally subsume. Such teasing can only be shared between two people for whom life still holds a vital freshness. Such jesting becomes even more important when two people stand in the larger public community. Standing among so many others, people in love must reaffirm publicly that they do not take each other for granted. Unfortunately , they accomplish this all too often by making the boudoir ("a place for pouting") public. Shakespeare illustrates the imprudence of such an attempt when Glendower's daughter, before a large group, speaks of such embarrassing things that Mortimer will not rep ly except to say, " . . and, but for shame, in such a parley should I answer thee" (III,i,200). Hotspur, on the other hand, realizes that it is the fault of women to tend toward pouting and ungoverned emotionalism (III ,i,2-38). His teasing allows Kate the chance to be different . He encourages her to believe that a good mouth-filling oath which places one's honor on the line becomes a lady more than the singing of Welsh ditties (III, i, 251). Hot spur realizes that a quick tongue is a more feeling disputation than a lot of sulking and teary-eyed kissing (III,i,202). 3 �Yet since both are inappropriate for their final good-by, Hotspur makes no mention of his departure in public except to say to Kate, in a very low-keyed voice, "come in when ye will" (III,i,259). He rightly sees that the place for such a parting is private, with neither pomp nor sentimental staging. Shakespeare himself recognizes the inappropriateness of presenting their final good-by before an audience. We trust Hotspur and his wife alone know what needs to be said. To complete the examination of their first scene together we must return to Kate .and Harry and their bantering. Their teasing continues until Harry says "Love? I love thee not" (II,iii,86). Is Harry here just responding to Kate's statement some thirty lines before when she said, "Some heavy business hath my lord in hand, and I must know it, else he loves me not"? (II,iii,60). Or does he intend this teasing good-by to serve as a reaffirmation? Harry wants to make sure their love does not go unsaid, so much so that he playfully steers their conversation to the question of love. Although Harry calls for his horse, the next two questions which he puts in rapid sequence to Kate suggest an unwillingness to leave until she has asked the question "Do you love me?" - the question Hotspur so wants a chance to answer. Kate, with an understanding of what needs to be asked, asks and asks again "Do you not love me?" (II,iii,92). We are immediately reminded both of Miranda's persistence in asking Ferdinand the very same question as he hauls logs, and of her reluctance to let him squirm out of answering her in any way other than with the commitment of marriage (III,i,80-90). What significance does asking this question hold both for the one asked as well as for the one asking? In Lady Hotspur' s watchfulness she has seen her husband under extreme external pressures. Only in dreams of war do his doubts regarding the battle rise to the very surface. He doesn't consciously consider his reservations or his anger. We have all allowed ourselves at some time to be determined by the external demands which others or the situation itself places upon us. At such times, when we seem unable to be reached, it becomes the responsibility of those who love us most to open up and re-establish before us the private sphere in which our commitment is most illuminated. Lady Hotspur and Miranda do just that by their question "Do you love me?" Without commitment, we can only react to external pressure. But by re-establishing commitment, we can overcome that temptation. We are then freed for conscious activity. External pressures need no longer determine us, for we can see them as necessary obstacles to be overcome in the pursuit of goals grounded in commitment. An example of this restructuring also occurs in The Tempest. Ferdinand comes to see his odious task as an opportunity to express both his love for Miranda and his willingness to sacrifice himself for her. In the same way , Kate's question requires an action rather than a reaction from Hotspur. What he had previously sought to spare Kate he now actively strives to share with her through his request that she follow him to battle. Recognizing that the fullest action within a commitment is sharing, Harry says to Kate, "Whither I go, thither shall you go too" (II,iii,109). At that moment he stands before her as free and self-determining. Hotspur is no longer pushed by externals alone; having been reminded of his connnitment, he becomes once again able to choose. Her question has helped both of them recognize the importance of his going and of her going with him. It takes great courage for Lady Hotspur to ask her husband "Do you love me?" because this question calls for th an action from each of them. She must examine closely her love for Hotspur and the place that love may hold in the public world. Such difficult self-examination requires an even more basic courage-the courage we all need to sustain the believe that we can understand the feelings of another and that we do not live a life completely isolated from everyone else in the world. Questions such as these call forth from us the courage necessary for believing the world has meaning. 4 We have yet to answer the question, why a question. The use of such a part of speech is essential to the dynamics of commitment. For only a question can illuminate something which is before both the one asking and the one answering. Illumination differs from direct giving. It does not aim to place an object or idea directly into another's hand or to provide an answer in a statement. Rather, it aims to provide a shared direction in which you alone can decide to move. The question provides the direction and acceptance commits you to a course of action. It clears out a space in which you may stand to answer yes or no, an answering through which you begin to change your world. This role, which only a question can fulfill, makes evident once again the dynamic nature of commitment as something which stands open to reflection and has a necessary structure. · The playful insistence with which Kate follows her question reinforces this notion of a necessary structuring within commitment: "Well do not then; for since you love me not, I will not love myself" (II,iii,93). The admiration of something outside ourselves which provides the structural foundation upon which we build a commitment must of necessity be matched with a corresponding assurance within ourselves. Should Hotspur withdraw his love he knows that he withdraws the source of Kate's confidence. Reading Kate's retort again shows why love is so bound up with admiration. "Since you love me not, I will not l.ove myself" should now be read as "If you are not going to love me, be assured no one, not even I, will be able to step in and fill your place in the same way as you do." When you are loved you realize that something is offered to you which is offered to no other person in the world in the same way. Love, when bestowed, calls attention to our special place as the beloved. Harry mounts his horse and once upon it is able to swear how deeply he loves Kate.. The good-by is a painful one for him. If Kate were to force him into questioning his actions further, he might easily be detained or fail to go altogether-as the songs of Glendower's daughter lull Mortimer to sleep ( III,i,211). Harry asks that she simply accept his decision and she does. Then Hotspur, with no manipulation on Kate's part, suddenly says the one thing most present in both their minds: "Whither I go, thither shall you go too" (II,iii,109). For two people who have lived together and suffered together i t is important that their life and, i f possible, .their death be shared. Ovid writes of Jupiter coming to earth disguised as a beggar. Only a poor elderly couple with little enough for themselves are willing to take him in and feed him. In gratitude Jupiter offers them the fulfillment of one wish. They ask to die together. Having shared life through their love they wish to share death the same way. Separation, not death, saddens them most. And so one day, barely before the old man has time to thank his wife for loving him all these years, they grow bark and Jupiter keeps his promise by changing them into the oak and the linden. They went on loving right up until the very end and that ability to care made them most alive and their life complete. Hotspur and Kate do not differ from the elderly couple because they, too, need to be sustained through their love. Sharing that which sustains one is the true necessity under which commitment places you. Such sharing does not rest upon uniformity of action, bu t rather upon having the same goal guide all activities. They do not need to be in the same place at the same time doing the same thing. Their sharing comes in how they see the world around them and their place within it. The end toward which they move unites them. Sharing is the means by which two people create their world, a building which takes place from the inside out, with a concern for how the world ought to be as its starting point and not how the world is. The sharing of love makes possible a belief in the transformation of the world and the people in it. This belief is hardly different from the "Esperance" of the Percy battle cry. This hope leads one not to deny the world, but to act in such a way that the world is given back to you anew. Without a belief that the world can be 5 �-transformed you must remain apart from it. To interact with the world requires a relationship with it, out of which true acceptance is possible. A shared commitment and desire for what's best can bring about such hope. Commitment brings with it the recognition and pursuit of what is highest and so provides the proper soil in which to nurture proper pride, personal dignity and honor. Such further growing shows that commitment can never make you blind or indifferent to the larger human community. Instead, it will move you to concern for the moral and ethical questions which you must consider whenever you act within the world in an effort to transform it. Through the dialogue of Hotspur and his lady Kate, Shakespeare has shown us some important ingredients for a sound marriage. Through Gloucester and Eleanor in Henry the Sixth, Part Two, he continues the theme, this time revealing what a marriage must avoid. Eleanor begins scene two of Act I in the same questioning manner that Kate employed. A closer look at the questions, however, will reveal their difference. Neither vigilant watching nor true concern for her husband's worried state produce Eleanor's qu~stions. Nor do they demand any action in the form of an answer. They try instead to replace the interests of her husband, which she considers of no value; with her own ambitions. Eleanor views the ambitions of men as naive whenever they fail to give prime importance to the favors and honors of the world. Her questions contain no wondering about the world, but rather express a desire to look away from the sullen earth and the people of it (I, ii, 5). Her wish to "never more abase our sight so low as to vouchsafe one glance unto the ground" reveals her ambition as a weapon she wields to gain superiority rather than dignity. Eleanor is not unlike the vast numbers of people who go through life concerned only with accumulating status, wealth or some other external standard of measurement. Such people are the true usurpers of the common and public world. Eleanor dedicates herself solely to the task of making Gloucester become someone he does not wish to be. To accomplish this she must dominate her husband, make him a slave to her ambition. Such usurpation denies a place to sharing. Eleanor's only commitment is to fully apply her energies to her own genius. As a result, the criterion by which she guides her actions becomes pleasure. Gloucester is not unaware of this: "Hast thou not worldly pleasure at command above the reach or compass of thy thought?" (I,ii,45). Eleanor seeks to attain that public eminence and status reserved only for the King and Queen, confident she can fill both positions by herself. Thus she sees actions only as the means to further her ambition. For whenever the criterion for action lies outside the act, the act itself must be seen as a means. Eleanor's criterion lies outside her actions since it fies only in the public reaction to them. But when you look away from the structure of the act and its underlying principles you easily become prey to ambition, ambition in the low sense of desire for status only . No longer do you possess any limits for your action. Whatever it takes to attain the end you accept. Eleanor herself tells Gloucester that if grovelling on his face will win him the crown he must by all means grovel (I,ii,9). ' Gloucester sees that his wife's reasoning "is not based on principles" and he tries to show her such principles are necessary for guiding right action. "O Nell, sweet Nell, if thou dost love thy Lord, banish the· canker of ambitious thoughts. And may that thought, when I imagine ill against my king and nephew, virtuous Henry, be my last breathing in this mortal world. (I,ii,17) Obedience and duty to the king guide \all Glucester's actions. He has realized that right action according to a principle obligates a man to act in this way, even at the risk of death. For Gloucester, individual man does not stand on the highest r ung of' the l adder; his actions are important, but only because they allow him to participate 6 in something higher and outside himself. Gloucester understands that only this participation constitutes excellence, not the elevation of an individual to a position of social superiority. Although the latter path seems all too frequently chosen as the means to excellence, it can nevertheless lead one to nowhere but greed . Greed is the very place in which Eleanor stands. Here she stands alone, above the reach or compass of her own thought, since she can never know when she has had enough. Greed's inability to harbor satisfaction forces you, as taker and usuper, to stand always in opposition to the world; this position isolates. And if you adhere to it to long enough, it can place you forever outside the reach and help of others, outside hope, outside love, outside commitment. You allow and encourage yourself to be totally defined through nothing but yourself. Simply stated, the sum of you and your world is nothing more than the singular "I". Eleanor has never allow her husband to define or determine her. She has never accepted Gloucester's interests as her own, has never looked at the world through eyes other than her own and has never accepted herself as a part of something outside herself. She refuses to become the "we" that Gloucester holds out to her. For Eleanor there is no common expression or uniting of strengths between her and Gloucester . "Put forth thy hand, reach at the glorious gold. What, is' t too short? I'll lengthen it with mine." (I,ii,11) By ascribing to Gloucester a crown which he expressly rejects, she makes him appear to fall short of his proper goal and therefore need her assistance in order to extend his reach. Such a view does not suggest any journeying forth t ogether or sharing of a common base. In fact, an extension can be added in such a way that it completely undoes the original intention because it sets off in a new direction all its own. Such extension implies no commitment, no sharing, no "we". The ac t ion of their hands extending together is only a means toward the end of glorious gold. It has no true value for Eleanor and will be unable to move her in any way toward either Gloucester or a life of thoughtful right action. Eleanor's hand might just as well be an extension of lead pipe for all the sharing it does. Ferdinand and Miranda in The Tempest provide a helpful contrast to Eleanor's vision of herself as an extension. Miranda prays to Ferdinand: "If you'll sit down, I' 11 bear your logs the while. Pray give me that. I' 11 carry it to the pile" (III,i,28). She prays to make the task of the one she loves her own. She extends quite a different off er from that which endeavors to take up only when ·the loved one falls short so that both will be made better through the completion of the task. . This passage suggests a role for Eleanor which differs greatly from that of Lady Hotspur. Eleanor's reply "Follow I must" to Gloucester's invitation to ride with him (I ,ii, 6 ) exp re ss e s a sentiment worlds apart from Kate's reply "It must of fo r ce" to Hotspur's similar invitation (II,iii,110). For Eleanor there is no necessity to provide the important boundaries for freedom and personal self-determination. Freedom for her consists in the lack of all restraint. She wishes to smooth her way upon headless necks (I,ii,65) . Her reference to necessity is sarcastic and she no more welcomes it than she does her public penance. Necessity and principles for guiding right action share similar places among all she holds most worthless. Rather, the attainment of pleasure and position in an important-that is, vainglorious-cause is more in keeping with Eleanor's opinion of herself. Eleanor echoes this position in her advice to Hume: "Make merry, man, with thy confederates in this weighty cause. " (I,ii,85) Eleanor would like nothing better than to close her eyes, utter the magic words and presto! have before her the crown for her very own. Magic contains the only glimmer of hope in her life . It provides her with a knowledge of the future that becomes her cornerstone for action. The present moment serves only as a means toward an end which magic guarantees. She wishes "this world's eternity" (II, iv, 90) and uses magic to carry her toward it. This banishment of necessity leaves Eleanor 7 �unable to call forth true courage and determination from within he.rself. She can act boldly only when witches and conjurers assure the outcome. Magic enables her to believe in herself and in her own capabilities in a way which has no connection with who she really is, or what she actually is capable of accomplishing. Magic blocks any opportunity in which she might see herself with all her insufficiencies. Such dependence upon magic reinforces the dangerous . tendency within Eleanor to decide and act without the reflection and thoughtful examination which should accompany decisions and actions. Without such an inward looking and self-critical stance, Eleanor need not be confronted by her own insufficiencies and impotencies. Love and the commitment which must accompany it can off er the path to such a necessary seeing within. Miranda comes to such a seeing when Ferdinand's love moves her to thankfully weep before him: "I am a fool to weep at what I am glad of At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer what I desire to give, and much less take what I shall die to want" (III,i,88 & 93). Love. is like nothing else; it lays bare our unworthiness and at the same time moves us to see that not only do we have something important to give, but we are a person worthy of being given to as well. Does not Gloucester try to remind Eleanor of this by his continued devotion and constant declarations of love? Whenever Gloucester entreats Eleanor to change, he is careful to make her understand that he makes such a request for the sake of their love and not outside of it. "O Nell, sweet Nell, i f thou dost love thy lord, Banish the canker of ambitious thoughts." (I, ii, 17) This is not an extravagant request on Gloucester's part. He correctly sees that commitment involves accepting another's guidance in one's growth. This acceptance requires the giving and receiving of knowledge about right conduct. Even today, though both men and women take pains to insure the opposite, a commitment in marriage necessarily involves the molding of one person's character by another. What possible sense does a marriage make in which all the energies of both members go into preserving their own autonomies? Their concerns gradually become turned t oward t~e maintenance of such things a s sepa r a te bedrooms, separate ambitions, separate checkbooks and separate names. In such cases marriage provides little more than the necessary negative fixture against which the partners may define and measure themselves. This puts marriage in a position simila r to the one parents and church served for most of us during our rebellious adolescence. What does Gloucester off er to Nell that is so different from this? What place does he hold before her when he asks, "Art thou not the second woman in the realm, and the Protector's wife, beloved of him?" (I,ii,43). This question is the same as Lady Hot spur's and Miranda's "Do you love me?" because it offers an illumination of commitment . He lays out a proper direction in which commitment may steer their lives. Gloucester does this both by reminding Eleanor of her place in the world as an object worthy of his love, and by reminding her that as the wife of an honest Protector, she already shares "the top of honor" (I,ii,49) and should be satisfied with such a place. In his question Gloucester attempts to provide a proper focus by urging Eleanor to remember his position as Protector. He does so not simply to remind . her of the status such a title carries, but also to make an important statement regarding the crucial place that the role of protection plays within a commitment of love. Gloucester rightly tries to direct Nell's attention to the honor and significance of a person who is able to provide support and nurture for a ruler. Nell is "ill-nurtured" (I, 11, 42) because she cannot provide such nurture for another. She shows her refusal to recognize need in others by her disdain for the position of protector. Though worry deeply marks her husband's demeanor, she remains indifferent to his suffering. Gloucester seeks support and comfort from Nell. He is trying to steer her away from preoccupation with her own ambitions and back to himself and her responsibility to care for him. Thus he states suddenly and with no apparent reason, 8 "My troublous dreams this night.doth make me sad" (I,ii,22). But Nell has interest in Gloucester 's dream only as an occasion for the telling of her own dream of the diadem. Eleanor can provide no comfort for Gloucester. He is forced himself to ask the significance of bis dream, a scene directly at odds with Lady Hotspur's urgent inquiry into the troubled dreams of her husband. Perhaps wise counsel from Eleanor about the future could have helped things go differently for Gloucester. But Eleanor continues in her refusal to share, to give and receive support, until the very end. Time after time she proves herself unable to accept Gloucester's advice or obey his commands. When she declares how she would act if she were a man, she rails not so much against a woman's place as she does against second place (I,ii,63). Gloucester's supporting and obedient role to the king shows that sex does not restrict the role of protector, second place. Eleanor has as much trouble accepting Gloucester playing the good wife to Henry, as she does accepting herself as like support to Gloucester. Only one role stands open for Eleanor, that of the lord and ruler who can act freely because he recognizes obligations to no one. She fails to see the strength or courage which the care and nurture of another human being require. Self- sufficiency is the sole resting place for strength in her opinion. By refusing the position of protector she has refused to provide any outside, supportive force through which her husband might reflect upon his relationship to her and the world. Eleanor has declined to extend to Gloucester an off er of friendship through which he may know that there is another who see the world as he does. Through her own ambitions, Eleanor has excluded herself completely from the world of her husband. She has fortified herself against ever having to unders t and him, believe him, and believe in him. Eleanor stubbornly persists in excluding and isolating herself . She continues to stand alone as the single uncommitted "I" throughout the ordeal of her public penance and banishment. Even in the face of such tenacious self - absorption Gloucester never completely abandons his wife . He refuses to pass judgement upon her in public when she is not present , saying , "And for my wife , I know not how it stands . " (II,i,186) At her tr ial he adds no personal condemnation to that of the law: "Eleanor, the law, thou seest, hath judged thee. I cannot justify whom the law condemns." (II,iii,15) Once again Gloucester turns to his responsibilities as Protector to provide the guiding principle by which to govern his actions. A protector's main concern must always be to obey the law and so he urges Eleanor . He believes that as long as he remains loyal, true and innocent he remains beyond the reach of his enemies. When Eleanor pushes him to interfere on her behalf he urges her to understand the danger she would place him in, and counsels her to display the patience of a Lady Hotspur. Yet Eleanor cannot tolerate Gloucester's stance , which she sees as timid and weak . While her punishment is bad , it would not be so bad if Gloucest e r would only use it as an occasion to reaffirm by violence or dispensation her special status as "Duke Humphrey's wife and he a prince and ruler of the land . " (II,iv,42) In the long speech which begins around line 27 in scene iv of Act II, Eleanor finally recognizes that she and Gloucester live in different worlds. Faced wi t h the fact that she will never know her husband, she counsels him with the defeatist attitude of sarcasm "to stir at nothing until the axe of death hang over thee" and "to fear not thou until thy foot be snared nor never seek prevention of thy fo e s . " III , i v, 49& 56) Such bit ter i r ony r eveals the comple te lack of hop e i n Eleanor's life . Because her dignity depends entirely upon the opinions of others, Eleanor stands alone and is easily crushed . We are not surprised that a woman with a spirit completely dependent on public postur e has no capacity for enduring the humiliation of open penance . Eleanor can welcome her banishment and death, but never can she abide her shame before the giddy multitude t hat only yester day followed h e r chariot wheels as she rode in triumph through the s t reets . (II,iv,21) She has declined the love of her 9 �husband and in doing so has declined the necessary private sphere which could sustain· her through her ordeal. ·She does not understand why Gloucester must increase her punishment by coming to stand in the street alongside her (II, iv, 19). To Eleanor such an action proclaims only ignorance. She cannot understand her husband's willingness to risk public humiliation so that he can be with her. She would be 'perfectly happy if Gloucester agreed to love her from a distance. She asks only that he close himself up within his private room and nurture hatred toward her enemies (II, iv, 24). Eleanor does not see how such hating might well banish all love from Gloucester's heart. She does not properly value her marriage to Gloucester - exile, with its. imminent separation, does not disturb her. Historically, men have often perferred death to banishment, expatriation or disinheritance. This suggests the tremendous importance which personal relationships play in life. "Man liveth not by Self alone but in his brother's face". When you forfeit your relationship to the people who share your world you in effect forfeit your world, a loss greater by far than your life. Gloucester is unwilling to let go or distance himself from Eleanor. Though she walks bare-footed through the streets, to Gloucester she is still "~ punishe·d duchess" (II, iv, 7-emphasis my own) . He tries his hardest to let Nell know that in the commitment of marriage you are never cut-off, alone and exiled. Marriage is a covenant which binds two souls together. In that enjoining lies an affirmation which makes possible the fullest of lives. Gloucester can find no proper words t o end his life with Nell, for none exist. Tears are all he has to offer. They are all anyone has to off er when caught between the eternity of commitment and the finality of separation. Eleanor remains, embracing her shame - the only thing still with her. Since she has lost her ambition and with it her world, she puts her remaining energy into hanging onto her grief. · She creates a 'negative world' , a world that inverts all that has gone before. She clings now to shame as she did once to pride. Thus she does not need to establish a new place for herself, since both emotions center totally upon herself. Thinking of herself as nothing but reproach ( II,iv,96), she continues to live in total self-absorption, since both shame aii.d pride arise from judgements of a person's worth. The dynamics and focus of these two emotions do not differ from one another, except in so far as shame changes pride's approval into disapprova l . When Eleanor claims to be nothing more than reproach she does so without any trace of repentance. She has, in fact, changed little from the Eleanor we knew before. She remains unable to l ove or be comforted as beloved. She cries after Gloucester, "All comfort go with thee! " ( I I ,iv,87). She refuses both to forgive though the sheriff has asked outright for her pardon (II,iv,102), and to be forgiven by herself or others - "My shame will not shifted with my sheet" (II, iv, 107). She carries her shame upon her richest robes without an ounce of humility (II,iv,10 7). She stands in need of nothing outside herself which might serve as the starting point for such humbleness. She can extend no offer of gratitude to the sheriff for the gentle execution of his office, since she lacks an understanding of the duties and responsibilities which accompany any position. She continues to believe mistakenly that the individual is all and can determine himself totally. Since she lacks vision of s omething larger than the individual, she does not see how a person can be anything more than those things at which he succeeds or fails. Men are neither easily undone nor moved to vanity when they realize that their worth does not hang upon external deeds alone. Shakespeare forces us to accept the fact that Eleanor has not been redeemed t hr ough her shame. Gloucester, no doubt, had the possibility of such a change in mind when he placed Eleanor under the law and counselled the tolerant abiding of her public penance. He had hoped that the loss of her privileged status would turn her i n t he proper direction. His good-by to Eleanor is made more painful because he 10 knows that she has not been transformed. She has not accepted the possibility that the loss of her "Eden of gratified desire" could bring with it "covenants of redemption and the off er of a higher, more significant life" (L. Trilling). And so, perhaps, it is ' fitting that Eleanor, unable to but command, commands Sir John Stanley in her final lines, "Go, lead the way; I long to see my prison" (II,iv,110). This prison does not differ very much from the one of her own making in which she has always been and always will be confined. Such hopeless words do not mean that our examination of the dynamics of commitment has nowhere else to go. This examination of the importance of the question "Do you love me?" has left us with yet another important question: What can a person who cares do when he faces another who has through self - will alone placed himself beyond the reach of commitment? Gloucester entreats Sir John Stanley, "I pray you use her well" (II, iv, 82). He does not pray for change, but for acceptance: Gloucester accepts Eleanor as another human being who, no matter what, is entitled to be used well. Prospero displays this same recognition in his treatment of Caliban. Caliban's attempt to rape his daughter forces him to accept the fact that Caliban is beyond his help . Yet Prosperso continues to use Caliban well by providing him with the important life- sustaining tasks of carrying water and fetch~ng firewood. For Gloucester and Prospero such good use allows them to respond to those outside their help with something other than pity . Gloucester's refusal to condemn himself along with Eleanor reveals another important response to our second question. Commitment encompasses suffering, but it does not require one member to take on the guilt of the other. Gloucester refuses to share the guilt for Eleanor's punishment which Eleanor herself charges him with ; no r does he allow the members of King Henry's court to saddle him with the guilt of his wife's crime . Even the Queen implies that he may be to blame: "Gloucester , see here the tincture of thy nest, and look thyself be faultless, thou we rt best" (II, i, 182) . He responds by appealing to his love for king and country, and the commitment both car r y . "Madam , for myself to heaven I do appeal, how I have loved my king and commonweal." (II, i, 184) Gloucester def ends his innocence not by claiming to be perfect, but by claiming to be right intentioned. Just as he uses his love of country t o defend himself from this charge, so his love of Eleanor binds him to shar e her shame. When faced with the fact that Eleanor remains beyond his reach, Gloucester not only refuses to condemn himself but, equally important, he refuses to condemn Eleanor any further than the law requires . She is guilty, to be sure, but the acceptance of necessity in man's life entails the acceptance of ·error in man . Man was not meant to be come dependent on perfection as the only world suitable for him . To wish for such things above everything else leaves you forever isolated and disappointed . You will never be capable of seeing the importance of actions which attempt to make the world , not faultless, but only better . Gloucester's answer to the Queen shows that a man's personal dignity cannot hinge on living a life free f r om error . We all make mistakes ; ver y little of life goes on wi t hout them, but we should r emember that one act does not define a person . Lt is this which Eleanor forgets along with hono r and virtue (II,i , 188) . The accep t ance of man's imperfection is a necessary foundation fo r commitment, ye t such an acceptance does not carry with it a condoning of wrongdoing . Gloucester ' s commitment to Eleanor never rested on the perfection of the beloved . Serious commitments can withstand many errors , disagreements and abuses. Such things do not irr econcilably defile commitment , but rather form part and parcel of it . The wondrous nature of love is that we can love another even in his or h er impe r fections . Because Eleano r stands beyond Gloucester 's reach , his love is impo t ent . He can only hope that the natural cycle of t hings may heal her . Recognizing our limited 11 �It knowledge of the future, Gloucester's final counsel to Eleanor and to us is to stand firm against despair over what is to come. Thus sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud, And after summer evermore succeeds Barren winter with his wrathful nipping cold; So cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet. (II,iv,1) Longing for eternal perfection in this life ignores the necessity of the mixture of cares and joys which life brings. Winter must always follow summer, as clouds must sooner or later mar the perfect sky. Cares and joys form a part of life. Commitment's task lies not in eliminating or predicting them, but in accepting them. But we, as mortal men, have no summer to follow our barren winter. It is only with the possibility of a renewed commitment that for us the world may laugh again (II,iv,82). Remembering Jerusalem Christian Holland Fyodor Mikhailovi tch Dostoevsky, at Omsk in the Siberian wilderness, devoted four long years of his young life to hard labor and meditation upon the gospels and epistles of the early saints. Imprisoned with thieves and murderers, the persecuted and the outcast , Dostoevsky prayerfully read sacred tales telling of God's fatherly concern for the well-being of His forgetful, wayward, and covetous children, His forgiveness of our sins despite our fiendish desire to kill Him, and His splendid gift to us of salvation in the person of Jesus the Jew from Nazareth. Dostoevsky especially took to heart St. John's story about the wedding party in Cana, of Galilee, by the Lake of Genesareth, where Jesus changed water into wine so that every person present might be festive and happy. At first with trouble and at last with gladness Dostoevsky responded to God's messenger's voice cordially inviting him to sit down at the seat always reserved uniquely for him, Fyodor Mikhailovitch's place at the banquet table in the temple of the holy city of Jerusalem. Dostoevsky, like Don Quixote, a very special reader, by way of imaginative trust in God's saving word, came to seize upon opportunities for joy among his comrades even in the mines underground . The writer bore his cross beautifully. Hurrah for Dostoevsky! The Brothers Karamazov bears witness to the truth of the words which Dostoevsky read and lived in his cell, the cheerful tidings of Jesus the son of Mary . The Brothers Karamazov tells how a person's right relation to God, piety (eusebeia), alone determines his right relation to himself and his fellows in human conununity, righteousness (dikaiosune) . The Brothers Karamazov is a vast staging of the great drama of the human will which shows trust in God's promise rising up against denial of His mercy, acceptance of God's invitation holding sway over rejection of His ways, and openness to change standing strong beside hardness of heart . The Brothers Karamazov acknowledges the presence of Satan's destroying temptation and God's saving redemption of human beings in Skotoprignyevsk, Russia . The Karamazov brothers are true - to - life people, and I shall attend to their failings, struggles, and triumphs, which all have to do in one way or another with Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that nothing I shall say will make you take offense at him, "the bread of life, the well-spring of holiness, the giver of good gifts "(Prayer, St. Basil the Great). i. Apostasy Ivan Fyodorovitch Karamazov at the tender age of twenty four has already published numerous newspaper articles on street incidents under the pseudonym "Eye-Witness" and as many book reviews on a wide range of special topics under his own name . Ivan prides himself on his detachment and learning, his sticking to the facts and relating events just as they happen, his seeing things in focus from a Christian Holland, '.84, is currently living in a monastic community at Chevetogne, Belgium, studying the music , art, liturgy and theology of the Catholic Church, Orthodox and Roman . Christian is a pilgrim on his way to Jerusalem . u 13 �cannot run away from or deny his conscience without allying himself with Satan's entourage, without turning into a monster . Ivan's anger, grief, and despair come out into the open when he relates his collection of anecdotes on the suffering of innocents to his younger brother in the Metropolis Tavern. Our piling up of suffering upon suffering, adults murdering infants, parents inflicting abuse on their own children, is reason enough, according to Ivan, to re ject God's creation and tender of final peace and joy . How could God, whose fullness of being is self-giving love, create our world knowing that harmless and vulnerable children would be mercilessly tortured? How can He prepare for a feast of song and dance in eternity when even a single innocent child is to be beaten in time? Ivan accepts that God alone could have brought life into being, but he rejects His mysterious plan of salvation on the basis of its apparent utter absurdity. we have been created as a mockery. We are creatures with an inborn need to untangle the perplexing knots present in the world and in our nature, and we have not been granted the capacity to accomplish what is uniquely our task. Our limited, euclidean intellect yearns above all for justice and order yet at every turn meets only with violence and chaos. What shall we say? Are we going to cling to fairness, the source and center of human right, and still forgive the child- murderer? Ivan : "I don't want the mother to embrace the oppressor who threw her son to the dogs! ... the suffering of her tortured child she has no right to forgive; she dare not forgive the torturer, even if the child were to forgive him! And if that is so, if they dare not forgive, what becomes of harmony? Is there in the whole world a being who would have the right to forgive and who would forgive? I don't want harmony . For the love of humanity I don't want it ... I would rather remain with my unavenged suffering and unsatisfied indignation even if I were wrong." Instead of looking for guidance from his elders and betters, people with more wisdom and toughness, Ivan stubbornly regards with repulsion the glaring ugliness of newspaper clippings. He won't begin to comprehend God's will and way until he moves right up close to and touches the child's and the mother's anguish, until he enters into it but this he refuses to do. Ivan wrongly believes that he must abide alone and rern~in aloof in order to gain some knowledge of the truth; he mistakenly thinks that facts of themselves fall · miraculously together to. reveal the way things are· Yet it is not the falsity of his position that demands our attention so much as his unwillingness to feel what wretches feel. St. Paul: "I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my heart and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members . Wretched man that r am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 7:23-25). Sadly, Ivan does not turn to the psalmists in his sorrow. They are struggling with a concern which goes even deeper than the suffering of innocents: the suffering of the righteous, passio iusti: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all" (Ps. 34: 19) . Ivan speaks as though anyone who does approach and touch an abused child's pain will end up sharing his beliefs. He knows nothing of what it ~eans to be a person who endures persecution and still trusts that she is safely in the hands of the living God. The poor young girl whose parents beat her and bind her feels God with her even in the midst of her di.stress . Ivan does not have the ears to hear her prayers from the outhouse; he is only embittered by them. If Ivan would ·give his heart to a careful reading of certain Psalms alongside the event at Golgotha -- "O my God, I cry by day, but thou dost not answer; and by night, but find no rest" (Ps .22: 2) -- he might learn something about graciously bearing suffering even when faced with God-forsakenness. Jesus is the only person who has led a perfectly innocent and fully righteous life and in his anguish to the point of death, Alyosha finds a ready-to-hand answer ' . to Ivan's outc ry. Jesus the Son of God can "forgive everything, all and for all, because he gave his innocent blood for all and everything." This somewhat groping, distance. Although his own discipline is natural science, Ivan is quite well known and much talked about among literary groups, and to everyone's surprise he has even published a piece in one of the leading journals on the question of the ecclesiastical courts. Ivan would have the church gain total control over the judicial system. With clergymen presiding over secular as well as ecclesiastical cases, the criminal would no longer be able to appease his conscience by looking upon his wrongdoing as a transgression against men but not against Christ. Instead, he would have to face the horror of being accursed by church officials: 'anathema' • Ivan supports the transformation of the state into the church as a way to bring about "the honest adoption ..• of the idea of the regeneration of the criminal, of his reformation and salvation." He is desperately serious about liberating not only criminals but all human beings from affliction and oppression, from the weakness and sinfulness of our past, from the unspeakable miseries, injustices, and calamities which date back to Eve's and Adam's fall from God's grace. The narrator calls Ivan's article "an impudent, satirical burlesque," and there is some truth to that claim, but it does not take account of his grave concern for people's well-being. Although Ivan writes in direct opposition to the views of a le~rned churchman, he cleverly manages to find favor in the eyes of certain monks. Father Paissy and Father Iosif applaud Ivan's salvific plan without challenging him to be less abstract and showy. Only Father Zossima properly remarks that the church never rightly refuses a criminal the blessed sacrament, for his spiritual health depends upon the abiding presence in him of Jesus the healer and forgiver. St. Simeon Metaphrastes, a sinner, prays: "Enter into my members, into every part of me, into my very heart and soul. Burn up the thorns of all my sinning; cleanse my soul, sanctify my imagination; bind firmly togethe r my joints and my bones; illumine the five senses of my body; fix my entire being in the fear of You." (P rayer, St. Simon Metaphrastes) In response to Ivan's wrongheaded belief that the criminal's conscience can be easily manipulated and assuaged Father Zossima tells a story about a man named Mihail who once confessed to the holy listener a terrible crime. Fourteen years prior to his turnabout Mihail murderered the woman whom he loved shortly before her proposed marriage to a nobleman serving as an officer in the army. Mihail carried out the act with cunning and audacity enough to escape notice and direct the blame toward an unlucky servant, Pyotr. Being a man of strong will, Mihail almost succeeds in forgetting his act. He tries to avoid the past by marrying another woman. The opposite happens. The beauty of his wife and the innocence of his children continually remind him of his own vileness and unworthiness . The more others respect him, the more he detests himself . Mihail, haunted by blood, resolves that only confession will bring healing and peace to his soul, but he is afraid of the evil memory he will plant in his children's hearts. Zossima assures him that God will care for the children and that he must accept responsibility for his crime. Mihail finally admits to his guilt at his birthday celebration . Everyone thinks him mad, and no one believes him. Soon after he dies reconciled to God, to himself, and to his family and friends. Zossima was sent to cite St. Paul at the crucial moment : "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). St. John Chrysostom's choir sings: "Blessed are they that suffer persecution for conscience' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Thi rd Antiphon, Mass of the Cat_echumens.; Divine Liturgy). Some day close at hand Ivan will have to endure fierce punishment inflicted by his conscience's recognition of his sin, but for the time being he refuses to allow. that conscience wields such power, that a person who perpetrates a crime against an innocent will perhaps never forgive himself until he becomes aware that God has taken him into His gentle embrace. Ivan does not see that after a criminal act the evildoer needs to be forgiven quite as much as the victim needs to be wept over. The worst punishment a person can undergo com.es from within . The sinful human being 14 11 15 �II inadequate, and unhelpful response to Ivan's down-to-earth pain sounds ·like a parody of Father Zossima's dictum: "all are responsible to all for all and everything." A novice-like, jwnbled theological line is all that Alyosha can come up with. It is the only option left open to him by Ivan's obnoxiously argumentative speech. Ivan's story entitled "The Grand }:_~q'l!isi tor", which is intended partly to cast scorn on the saving efficacy of Jesus' self-sacrifice, instead reminds Alyosha of the Christ he knows and cares for, the Christ who is close to his heart, the Christ who walks through the pages of the gospels doing nothing but good things for whoever puts their trust in him and his Father. Ivan's grandiose and motionless poem in prose (the Grand Inquisitor ) has as its deepest concern a question quite simple and close to the human heart: why and how are we supposed to go about showing care and love for our friends and neighbors? Ivan presents Alyosha with a Cardinal of the Roman church in sixteenth century Seville during the Spanish Inquisition. The Cardinal claims to know what love is all about and to endure great hardships while carrying out heroic acts of virtue for the benefit of mankind. He burns heretics at the stake for the same devilish reason Stalin wiped out the faithful, to obliterate any imposition or opposi ton to hi·s salvific plan. The questions are always the same: Why should human beings have to suffer and go hungry?· Are there not a few powerful and ingenious enough to bring order, peace, and happiness to humankind? Force the masses to forget their empty prayers and foolish songs of praise and won't we be on the r oad to blessedness? Look around! What could be more certain than God's lack of concern fo r us? Why not curse Him, call Him a fantasy, and set to the more urgent work of saving ourselves? Why wait around for God's kingly rule in heaven when we can have our own blissful reign on earth? St. Paul announces that God's glory will be fully made manifest only after the coming of the great Gainsayer , the Anti- Christ, whose favorite disciple is the Grand Inquisitor: "Let no one deceive you in any way; for the day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition who opposes and exhalts himself against every so - called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thess. 2: 3-4 ) . The Roman Cardinal claims to be an almighty knower: one who knows what is best for the rabble who are too weak and ignorant to take care of themselves. Bringing light into the pitch-black dungeon in which he has imprisoned Jesus, "the true light that enlightens every man" (Jn. l: 9 ) , the Inquisitor speaks "openly of what he has thought in silence for ninety years." He is convinced that his power and experience are indubitable signs of wisdom far beyond what ordinary men possess. With assumed authority he argues for his so-called right to control totally their lives and their destiny. Having lived the better part of his life as a monk in the wilderness, after the example set by John the Baptist and the early desert Fathers, the Inquisitor has given prolonged meditation to the sayings and doings of Jesus and his disciples as they are related to us in the writings of the early saints. The Cardinal understands the salvific scheme which is at the core of Jesus' message and the apostles' ministry, and he knows it's all wrong. Evagrius, a fourth century writer on the experiences of pious men in the desert, talks abo ut the temptatio ns and tribulations which a monk must pass thro ugh on his way to spiritual wholeness. Living apart from the noises and dist r actions of public life so that he may better attend to the whisperings of his heart, the hermit's long-suffering and arduous task is to grow to discern which voices are God's angels and which voices are Satan's demons . When the devil comes to test him he respo nds with a passage from Holy Scripture especially chosen to combat that temptation. This practice has as its theological foundation Christ's citation of Deuteronomy in response to Satan's wilderness temptations (Matt. 4:1-11; Lk. 4:1-13). After receiving the gift for discerning voices and after repeatedly citing the appropriate responses in order to resist those that are evil, the hermit is near enough to God to 16 become almost invulnerable to the dark whisperings of his heart . The Father being with him and the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, the monk is set free from sin and made a slave to righteousness (Rom . 8:12). For: "Where the Spirit of the Lo rd is, there is freedom" ( 2 Cor . 3 : 17) • Ivan refers to this desert tradition when he asks the devil of his nightmare: " ..• did you ever tempt the holy men who ate locusts and prayed seventeen years in the wilderness ... ?" The devil : "My dear fellow, I've done nothing else . One forgets the whole world and all the world, and sticks to one such saint, for he is a very precious diamond . " The Grand Inquisitor's term in the desert was a good deal longer than seventeen year s , yet he confuses questions with temptations and he cannot discern good from evil voices . The Cardinal reveals the fruits of his prolonged meditation in the context of Christ's desert temptations : "For in those three questions the whole subsequent history of mankind is, as it were, brought together into one whole, and fo r etold, and in them are unified all the unsolved historical contradictions of human nature . " The Inquisitor does not find in the gospels truthful stories which offer him new possibilities for living and being glad among his fellows; instead, he finds a g r and scheme which sums up in a closed and compact formula the subterranean ways of human beings . The fishermen and tax- collecters who wrote the gospels astoundingly surpass the eldest sages and most renowned philosophers with their ability to embody in a single chapter the great riddle of human being. Sadly , the Inquisitor cannot open his heart to simple story- telling, an activity which seeks to enliven mysteries in all their depth and does not anxiously strive to explain away hidden things with an easy, clear and distinct category . The Cardinal's condemnation of Jesus is based on his conviction that Jesus truly loves only the elect, those fit for the eremitical life, the proud and strong, leav i ng the humble and weak to fend for themselves and endure an eternity of sorr ows . Je s us refuses to give up heavenly bread -- "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Dt . 8 : 3) -- in order to provide all people with sufficient earthly bread by way of s ome spectacular marvel . Jesus allows simple, troubled folk -- you and me -freely to cho o se him as our spiritual nourishment -- "he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (Jn . 6 : 56) -- rather than stomping on our wills by giving us an indubitable sign of his divinity, feeding us like a herd of cattle . The Inquisitor has no patience with Jesus' way of going about doing things . How indeed can downcast and downtrodden human beings who are in no position to feed themselves and their children, the poor who are always with us and the hungry who are dying every minute of every hour of every •.• how can such destitute and despondent people receive the benefits of the words which God has spoken through His prophets and holy men? How can Jesus in all fairness expect a mother on the verge of starvation, looking despairingly upon her children's bloated stomachs, to turn aside from wrongdoing and seek after righteousness? We might answer by saying that God has provided us with earthly bread in abundance, and only due to our inability to get along with one another is the wheat grown in one country held back from the needy in other parts of the world . But a brief story hits closer to the mark. Mother Teresa of Calcutta tells how she was once pa's sing through a remote region of India when she suddenly came upon a village filled with starving families. Immediately she sent trucks out for food and medical supplies. While her helpers were away she sat and talked with a mother of four children in her broken-down shanty . The trucks returned and came directly to Mother Teresa . She set out food for this family before moving on to the others . But something peculiar happened. The mother told her children to wait· and not to eat . She left the hut . She was away for a short while and came back with the other members of the village. Only when they were gathered together in conununity, after offe r ing up prayers of thanksgiving, only then did they begin to eat . The Cardinal accuses Jesus of evildoing by treating ordinary people as if they we r e strong enough to hold fast to thei r faith and obey the law written on thei r 17 �The Inquisitor condemns Jesus also on the grounds that he refuses to establish himself as the supreme authority at whose feet all people can knowingly bow down with reverence: "The craving for community of worship is the chief misery of every man individually and of all humanity from the beginning of time." Religious wars and persecutions come to be on account of our lack of a common figure upon whom we can all agree as being worthy of adoration. Jesus had the opportunity to relieve our chief misery by throwing himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, by being saved by God's angels, in order to prove beyond doubt that he alone is the Son and that he alone sits at the Father's right hand. In response to Satan's test Jesus says simply: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Dt. 6:10). Jesus does not withstand Satan's temptation as a sign for men to worship whatever or whomever they please. Jesus believes that there is no living being worthy of our praise and adoration except He who alone is good (Jn . 17:25-26), the Father. Being without concern for his own identity, for recognition as a person in his own right apart from his Father, Jesus is never anxious about asserting who he is so that others may behold him with wonder and amazement: "I have come in my Father's name" (Jn . 5:42); "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (Jn . 14:11;10:38). The Inquisitor bitterly rebukes Jesus for never performing a miracle on demand in order to legitimate his mission on earth. St. Mark tells how Jesus is asked for a miracle from heaven not for the sake of doing good for someone immediately in need, bu.t in order to place people in awe of his power, so that God might be understood as the One who is undeniably and vividly present supporting Jesus' activity, the One who confirms and endorses his ministry (Mk. 8:11-12 ) . Everyone around to witness some wonder-working sign might think for sure that this person Jesus has been sent by God as His special agent. Without any other criteria by which to judge -- his teachings or his holiness -- all could knowingly fall down at his feet and worship him as the Most High. st. Mark is careful to show that Jesus declines all such offers to prove himself before men. Jesus knows that people without faith in his father's abiding presence might just as easily conclude from a miracle-sign that he is Beelzebub's agent (Mk . 3: 22) • During his lifetime Jesus remains decidedly inconspicuous. He wishes us to accept him for who he is on the basis of trust alone, "the free verdict of the heart." The cardinal is greatly dismayed that Jesus did not come down from the cross at Golgotha when the crowd reviled and mocked him, saying: "He saves others; he cannot save himself" (Mk . 16:31). Jesus has the dignity of the two thieves at heart. Both have the capacity freely to accept and acknowledge Jesus' saving presence, but only one is good: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Lk . 23:42). The good thief is the only person of whom we can assuredly say: 'Truly, that man is in paradise' (Lk . 23:43). The Cardinal does not recognize the dignity of the thieves' wills. He boasts that a person who can endure years in the wilderness need not witness miracles, but the ordinary person longs for them with all his soul. The Inquisitor deceives himself in believing that he can endure Christ on the cross. Just as ordinary looks of ordinary people do not drive home an outright worthiness, or show evidence of love freely given through faith, so Christ looks nothing like God on the crG>ss. The Inquisitor is taken in by looks on both accounts. Al though he would be the last to admit it, he desperately wants Jesus to descend and show himself as God. The Cardinal cannot bear the burden of his own freedom, the free verdict of his own heart. There are signs that Ivan also needs Christ to come down from the cross. When he abruptly takes leave of his brother outside the tavern, Alyosha notices that he walks with a sway and that his left shoulder is raised higher than his right. On the Byzantine Cross the footrest is slanted so that the raised right side symbolizes the thief who affirms Jesus and the lowered left side the thief who denies him. Ivan belongs to the crowd of those who say: "Are you not the Christ? save yourself and us" (Lk . 23 :3 9). But there is hope. When Alyosha takes note of hearts even when faced with death. The saints and martyrs showed themselves able to follow Jesus out of fear and to serve him out of love, despite being persecuted and tortured, but the common man, according to the Inquisitor, is "weak, vicious, worthless, and rebellious ••• ever sinful and ignoble." It may be true that a Russian soldier in Asia "refused to deny his faith, and was tortured, flayed alive, and died, praising and glorifying Christ," but the rest of us won't stand for deprivation and affliction. We shall do everything in our power to avoid a confrontation with pain. If need be, we shall abandon Jesus for sausage and vodka. Suffering must be held at a distance. Full of anger and spite, the Inquisitor accuses Jesus of misunderstanding human beings in a profound way, considering us capable of imitating him when we cannot even keep from destroying curse 1ves and one another. "By showing him so much respect, thou didst, as it were, cease to feel for him, for thou didst ask far too much from him -- thou who hast loved him more than thyself." This is the wickedest and wretchedest fact that history gives us: Jesus did not know how to love ordinary people. He must therefore be of the devil. The Cardinal suggests that Jesus is himself the great Gainsayer who thrives on nefarious practices: "And so unrest, confusion, and unhappiness -- that is the present lot of men after thou didst bear so much for their freedom!" We only grudgingly persuade ourselves of our responsibility for our sins; we allow our wrongdoing to pass by unacknowledged; we go about idly pretending that our actions have no influence on our fellows. In short, we forget Jerusalem. Why in God's name does Jesus command us to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect, and to love others as He loves us (Jn.15 :1 2)? The Inquisitor accuses Jesus of being a criminal: "I shall condemn Thee and burn Thee at the stake as the worst of heretics." The Cardinal's strength and pride led him as a young man to make great demands on himself, living in poverty and solitude, hoping that wilderness prayer would bring him close to God and lead him to do His will. But the Inquisitor strayed from God, opposing His will by attending dutifully to evil voices, saying: 'You are holy and upright; you kneel and fast by seasons and years; you see the light; why isn't everyone else just like you, a model of saintliness?' In the desert the Inquisitor became convinced that only mighty heroes can endure the sight of Christ's saving agony at Golgotha . Father Ferapont's heavy chains, fierce discipline, lengthy fasts, battles with devils, and proud self-righteousness make him one of the Cardinal's chosen. Attending mass, partaking in the eucharistic celebration, the central life-receiving activity of the monk, is too commonplace for Father Ferapont. He must be always on the watch for demons, granting no one forgiveness and accusing everyone of sin. Regarding Ferapont as a foolish, crazy, religious idiot, who cannot do anyone harm, is a shade misguided. His hatred of Father Zossima and his desire to bring about the saintly man's downfall are significant threats to others' proper understanding of righteousness. People are inclined to bow down before Ferapont -"This is the one who is a saint! This is the one who is a holy man!" -- and turn away from Father Zossima. When Ferapont falls to the earth and waters it with his tears, he is not embracing God's creation and he will not rise to bring forth good fruit for the gladness of others. He is instead passing judgement on the Elder's premature corruption: "My God has conquered! Christ has conquered the setting sun!" Father Ferapont yields to the most challenging temptation facing the hermit yearning for wholeness of being and purity of heart. After achieving a full command of worldly voices, this ascetic comes to see himself as a strongman who has truly fulfilled Christ's wish for him to be perfect. Exhal ting himself and casting despising glances at those among us who grasp needily for basic comforts, Ferapont is in danger of being like the Inquisitor, a misanthrope, one who expects from ·others more than they can accomplish and so ends by hating them. The Cardinal's complaints against Jesus all recoil back on himself. 18 II 19 �his disfigured brother, Ivan has his back turned, so that his shoulders and the footrest look identical. If Ivan bears his cross well, he may some day find himself in the hands of the living God. Jesus by upholding freedom has paved the way for rebellion, for the clever people in league with Satan who know what is just and best for all, for the Inquisitor and his mighty co-workers who will finish building the Tower of Babel which the weak have begun but cannot complete. These master builders have yielded to Satan's last temptation of Christ in the desert by falling down and worshipping Beelzebub, the Dragon, the great Gainsayer, who first caused the angels to defect, then Adam, and finally the whole people of God (Schillebeeckx' Jesus: An Experiment in Christology, pg. 277). The Cardinal and his brethren are setting out to rule the kingdoms of the earth "with all power and pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception" (2 Thess. 2:9). Both Satan and the Inquisitor wish above all for mankind's earthly happiness and will pay any price to achieve it, including the annihilation of all that is sacred. The heroic proclamation of the Cardinal and the ecclesiastical rulers is that they are doing God's work, so that the weak can rest assured in their conviction of an afterlife filled with t he beatific vision. The strongmen will suffer greatly knowing that it is all a lie, but the ignorant masses will be blessed with a life which is "a child's game, with children's songs and innocent dance." The rulers will bear the burden of people's sins, taking God's place in the temple and acting proudly as saviors of one and all. Accepting without question this clear division among human beings between the few mighty heroes and the many weak sinners, the Inquisitor believes that he and his cohorts can take full possession of men's freedom and force them to be obedient to "a mystery which they must follow blindly, even against their conscience". Earthly bread, salved consciences, and Caesar·' s sword are the conditions necessary for the fulfillment of Ivan's dream of a church-governed state . The progressive establishment of paradise on earth has been going on, according to our young intellectual, ever since Pope Stephen III accepted the ownership of vast property from King Pepin the Short of the Franks in 756 shortly before the last ecumenical council recognized by the Orthodox church in 787. Father Zossima, who keeps an ivory Roman Catholic cross among his ikons , would say that by perverting the representation of the true God and by pretending to be his faithful servant the Inquisitor is in fact establishing hell on earth. If human beings are deprived of their ability to offer up their love freely, they are right away placed in the burning pit. The Cardinal will set the world afire by laying down laws to which submission is absolute and which provide a concrete foundation for totalitarian order.· In all his wisdom the Cardinal naively dreams of determining how the weak ought to live, what they ought to be and to do and to say, how many children they ought to bear, and what kind of clothes they ought to wear. By returning to the strictness of the law the great Tyrant hopes to contrive a way of correcting Jesus' mistaken work, a way of offering salvation to people not at the end of the ages in the celestial land of Jerusalem, but here and now in this life . The remarkable boldness of the Inquisitor's salvific plan consists in his claim that he can justify his action before God on the day of the Lord. His apparent love for human beings is of such heroic stature he is willing to sacrifice himself, to undergo the torments of hellfire, s o that t he wea k c a n liv e in blissf ul i llusion , t a king no responsibility for their evildoing and being deceptively self-satisfied. The Grand Inquisitor will never succeed in hoarding all human beings into one heap under one law by denying us the dictates of our consciences . God has written His law on our hearts and given each of us a conscience uniquely created to bear witness to that law (Rom . 2:15): "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Dt. 6:4; Lev . 19:18; Mk. 12:29; Lk. 10:27; Rom. 13:18; Gal. 5:14). My 20 conscience may lead me to follow God's law in a way different from yours, and your conscience may lead you to follow His law in a way different from mine. I might sing holy songs and you might work in a soup kitchen, or I might dig ditches and you might lead the union . But as long as we are giving testimony to the law, our ways are good. we shall never condemn or damn one another because we shall trust one another. I shall never feel compelled to pry into your heart if I trust that you are bearing witness to God's law as well as you are able according to the dictates of your conscience, and fo r the same reason you shall never .feel compel~ed to. pry i~to mine . God loves each of us in our particularity and the gift of conscience is a sign of that love . His love for me is different from His love for you because the drama of my will is different from the drama of your will •. My dou?ts, anxie~ies, and fea:s are not yours , and yours are not mine. We both require special attention, but not in the same way. The Inquisitor's hardness of heart will not allow him to b~ op~n to the possibility that God bears a special relation to each and every person in his or her particularity . He denies that with our capacity to accept God's saving help e a ch and every human being possesses an unshakable dignity. Ivan Joins in partnership with the Cardinal when in his other poe~, "The Geological cataclysm", he rejects God and takes up the theme of the exhaltation and autonomy of certain powerful and brilliant people. Ivan i~ obsessed with the. noti~n of standing alone apart from God and his fellows. He thinks that by asserting his independence he is being fully himself, but he ends up showing everyone with ~yes to see that he is desperately lonely and needy. When he sees Alyosha outside the Metropolis Tavern, Ivan yells out that he is upstairs in a room of his own, isolated from the lowlife. It turns out that Ivan is in the same room with the other people in the tavern, with drunkards and billiard-ball players; he is only separated from them by a screen. Ivan tries to persuade himself that he is removed . from and elevated above others in an absolute and definitive way. In truth he is merely setting up a precarious screen between himself and others which can easily be ~n?cked ove r . Ivan must learn the hard way that being a person does not mean attainin~ a divine state through the human intellect . Being a person means first acknowledging his dependence on God for being and for all good things and then acknowledging his necessary relation to others in human community, recognizing them for who they are and being eager to be recognized by them for who he is, Ivan Fyodorovitch Karamazov, not some false . and imaginary superman. Ivan's writings reveal a good deal about him but it would be wrong to judge him on this basis alone . It is almost always the case that what a person feels most pressed to say or to write is what is closest to his heart. "The Gra~d I.n:ru~sitor'!and "The Geol ogical c at ac l ysm"depictivan's v i sion of a n apocalypse , an end t i me ~hen ~11 contradictions will be untangled, all absurdities will make sense, all confusion will be clarified, all sorrow will turn to joy, all suffering will be fruitful. Paradoxically, the apocalypse brought about by Ivan's god-like heroes conceals the truth from people instead of revealing it to _ them. Ivan has spent hour after hour poring over the gospels and Paul's letters, the book of ?aniel and. Revelatio~, but as in his reading of Christ's temptations he seems to miss the point by anxiously searching for categories. Ivan wants keys to ~nlock the riddles of the cosmos so that he can know just how everything fits together, just where everything belongs, just who people are, what human nature is, what our destiny is, what. our s~ffering accomplishes. He cannot hold back and patiently wait to see how things will turn out. we ought not make Ivan's mistake when we try to understand him. We have a nasty tendency to put him into the box of intellectual pride, and leave him there, as if we know who he is and what he is all about. Yet are we not, like Ivan, repulsed by suffering? And do we not share his dream to make suffering go away once and for all? Isn't this repulsion and this dream a major source of Ivan's willfulness and pushiness and impatience? The nagging dilemma facing such a one as Ivan, the 21 �intellectual par exellence, is: Can my grandiose, brilliant , p r osaic thoughts be made consistent with a healthy way of going about living? If what I believe to be true does not make sense in practice, why on earth do I believe what I believe? ii. Satanic Drama Through their eloquent flow of words both speakers wish to be recognized -- the Inquisitor by Jesus and Ivan by Alyosha -- as simple human beings who are in anguish, not as sophisticated intellectuals who offer a convincing argument. That the speakers themselves would refuse to admit this is, sadly, only further evidence of its truth . Wherever the devil is at work, appearances deceive and complexities abound . Ivan desperately wants to befriend his brother and even to be healed by him, yet he goes out of his way to hurt Alyosha by uttering blasphemous words whose effect could be to turn him away from Christ . Ivan plays the r ole of tempter while the Cardinal plays the role of accuser. Providentially , Alyosha and Jesus both know that the speakers need more attention than what is being spoken about. They are pres~nt to help heal the wounds deep in the speakers' hearts, not to argue in a trifling manner about high-sounding topics in order to get the better of their rivals. Even in our most ordinary conversations , those far less passionate than Ivan's and the Inquisitor's, do we not say things that we do not mean to say but feel compelled to say on account of a similar wound deep in our hearts? This testifies to our fallen condition, to the activity of Satan and his entourage in our midst, whose whole purpose is to capture slyly or violently holy Jerusalem . How crucial it is on these all -too-frequent occasions, when the black whisperings of our hearts find an angry voice , to have on hand a listener who recognizes that this is what is happening: someone imaginative enough to put himself in our place: someone insightful enough to ignore the content of our harsh , stupid words in order to attend to the true speech of a gesture of our hand, a tone of our voice, or a glance of our eyes. Do we not treat one another too often as machines which speak false words instead of persons who say what is not meant? And do we not judge one another on the basis of such treatment? Ivan and the Cardinal are favored to have listeners with places in their hearts for others' griefs . Ivan acknowledges the presence of grace in his midst, saying: "If I am really able to care for the sticky little leaves I shall only love them, remembering you, Alyosha." Ivan's yearning for the sticky green leaves, springtime, and the blue sky show that God has blessed him with love of life and joyfulness . Yet on account of his ongoing frantic search for fonnulas , for a neat ittle box in which he might lay to rest the horrors and calamities of the world, Ivan tends to deny his thirst, the source and center of his human being . Alyosha's awareness of the importance of loving "with one's inside, with one's stomach" leads him to command Ivan to relax his struggle with the meaning of life and to "love life, regardless of logic .•. it must be regardless of logic, and it's only then one will understand the meaning of it." Alyosha's simple words hit closer to home than Ivan's grand words. Truly, we enter into the mystery of being alive by going about doing things with freshness and gladness: hiking in the woods, cooking for friends, playing Mozart sonatas, greeting strangers, spreading hope, in short, doing God's will . Ivan's difficulty is that he has to observe coldly the meaning, he has to factualize it, before he can enter into the act of living . He stubbornly refuses to believe that acceptance of grace, bowing to God's creative saving activity, must go hand in hand with belonging to any mystery. We cannot solve life's mystery. It is not a puzzle. we can, however, belong to it, leap into it by singing and dancing, and suffering. God being the source of life, a person can peaceably let things be by trusting in His goodness. Pathetically, Ivan is prevented from recognizing God's heedfulness because of His 22 hiddenness, and so he recklessly goes around imposing his own will on others and his own categories on the world, dead to hope and charity. Dmitri is referring to more than Ivan's closedness when he call him "a tomb." Ivan: "I want to travel in Europe ••. yet I know I am only going to a graveyard ••• precious are the dead that lie buried there .•• ! know I shall fall on the ground and kiss those stones and weep over them ••• I shall steep my soul in emotion." Jesus tells a parable about a sower who goes about sowing his seeds in abundance. He sows his seeds all around regardless of the ground they fall upon, so that some farmer standing nearby might laugh at him for his apparent carelessness. Some seeds fall on rocky ground, others among thorns: some fall on dry, infertile soil, others on rich, moist soil. Ivan will fall as a seed on rocky European ground, watering the stones with his tears. It is scarcely possible for such a seed to bring forth fruit. Ivan is himself the stony ground who does not nurture the growth of the seeds of grace that are implanted in him time and time again. He betrays his native Russian soil by setting himself apart from and against God, the Holy Trinity. Instead of striving to be like the Russian peasant woman who with simple faith lights candles at church in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice and in acknowledgement of His Spirit's divine presence, Ivan wishes to steep himself in the memory of European geniuses, some of whom tried to kill God with their bludgeonous words and to enforce their salvific rule on men with their satanic wills. The Russian peasant woman's emotion is wholesome; her tears bring life to the goodness of her heart. Ivan's emotion is troublesome; his tears inflict injury on the goodness of his heart and seek to bring about its death. Trapped in the pit of self-laceration -- our hideous tendency to destroy ourselves just to feel something vibrant -- Ivan is burdened by a "great grief". He sways between belief and disbelief, hope and despair, love and hate, life and death: he is torn between God and Satan, pious humility and titanic pride. Ivan cannot decide whether he is going to head for Europe to join the ranks of the almighty knowers, Satan's crowd correcting Jesus' work, or whether he is going to remain in his homeland and yield to the simple cheerfulness of his native soil . Father Zossima, the great reader of souls, addresses Ivan's unhappy uncertainty and indecision: "You know that is the peculiarity of your own heart and all its suffering is due to it. But thank the Creator who has given you a lofty heart capable of such suffering; of thinking and seeking higher things, for our dwelling is in the heavens. God grant that your heart will attain the answer on earth, and may God bless your path." Ivan, aware of the presence of grace and holiness in the person of Father Zossima, "rose from his seat, went up to him, received his blessing and kissing his hand went back to his place in silence." The "finn and earnest" look which comes on Ivan's face after this his most open-hearted gesture, is a sign that he may some day gain "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb . 11: 1) . Ivan may never fully accept God's saving help, but he most certainly will never reject it out of hand. Pe,rhaps he will gaze upon the beauty of repentance, will raise up his dead, his peasant simplicity and gladness, in the future, but for the time being all that he sees is ugliness and degradation. The image of his father's vileness and buffoonery is always present to · Ivan as a warning not to thirst too strongly for too long. He will dash his cup to the ground at age thirty for fear that his quest will no longer be urgent and his passion will degenerate into mere sensuality. Loathing his father's reckless debauchery, Ivan condemns him as a man who has no attachment to higher things. The portraits of the bishop and the prince which hang on his father's living-room wall are a farce and a mockery. The old man lacks all nobility. Fyodor Pavlovitch Karamazov's words and deeds attest to the activity of Satan's disciples in our world, those uproariously hideous beings who wreak havoc at every opportunity, who give free play to their insatiable desire for devastation, who seek to destroy all that is good and noble and all that makes people cheerful and happy, 23 �all that is beau tiful, ail that is God 's doing, f o r the v ery reason t h at it is s uch . Fyodor was devilishly drawn t o I v an's mo t her b y her yout h ful b eauty a n d i nnoce nt piety . An orphaned girl of sixteen , t o rme nted b y her benefactre ss, Sophia looked t o Fyodor f o r affection and stability when he rescued her from the general's widow a nd e loped with her. Instead, after Ivan 's birth a year later, Fy odo r, with t otal disregard f o r family life, began to act out the part of a "le c herous fien d" a nd "vicious prof l igate." Under the influence of lustful demons Fyodor h o sted o r g ies and c arnivals, b rin ging whores and clowns into the home o f the timid and g ent le So phia, who at the time still had Ivan at her breast. Having been "kept in terror from her c hildhood" by the steady work o f Satan's demo ns, Sophia, exhausted a nd frighte n ed, breaks under their destroying power. They enter ' into her and show themselve s in her "terrible fits of hysterics." Fyodo r's grotesq ue revelry, his unwillingness t o offer kindness and love to his own wife, finally drives her to her grave at the t e n d er age o f twenty-four. The inhabitan ts of Skotoprigny evsk are at a l o ss as to why I v an h as retu r ned t o his h ometown i nste ad o f going o ff to Europe t o swear an oath of allegiance to Satan's salvific plan. One hidden reason might . be Ivan's remembering that at his a ge h is mother died in this village. Ivan may hav e a subterranean desire t o take ve ngeance o n his father. He is filled with h o rrib le memo r i es dating b ack to his i n fancy, which, unbeknowst to him, smear hatred in his s o ul and find a bitter voice in his insulting name for Fyodor and Dmitri: "reptiles." Ivan lashes out at the suffering o f inno cents from afar. Now he is righ t up clo se t o one of the t o rturers. What will h e do? Allow his brother t o devour his father? Ivan sees an angel in Father Zossima and a devil in Fyodor, and like Ferapont, he chooses to concern himself with the fiend i n stead o f the seraph . Fyodor is called by the narrator a Roma n o f the decadent perio d. At t h at time it was customary to stage the shameful actions of the pagan gods as a form o f dramatic worship. The plays showing the gods raping and pillaging, killing and stealing , were, sur prisingly , not an offence but a propitiation . The devils' own crimes were used as material for celebrating their praises . Satan's followers "used their influence even to sow and cherish profligacy, by appointing that deeds truly or f a lsely ascribe d to them b e published to the people by means o f theatrical exhibitions, and by gratuitous ly fanning the flame of human lust with the breath of seemingly divine approbation" (St. Augustine's City of God, III) . Taking delight in their evildoing, these malignant and deceitful spirits---even today whisper tempting words which tickle our ears and bring pleasure to our imaginations. Fyodo r pays homage to this crowd of demons by going about playing r idiculous parts, telling stor ies of his own humiliation, reveling in his own disgr ace , and parading "his woes with embellishments . " When a comic role is up fo r grabs, Fyodor, desperately t r ying to make · himself agreeable, is always prepared to make himself the object of laugh ter. Miusov nicknames Fyodor 'Aesop' in response to his fables and 'Pierrot' in respo nse to his clownishness. Father Zossima says that Fyodor plays the buffoon because he is deeply ashamed of himself and because he wishes to fulfill other people's expectations o f who he is, as if he were fixed and immovable with no capacity for change, as if making dumb jokes at rich men's tables were all he could do . Miusov anticipates that Fyodor will do o r say something scandalous and repul s ive at the monastery. He blushe s when he is associated with Fyodor and refuses to admit that Fyodor is his relation. M u s ov is i frightfully anxious about looking bad in the eyes of other s. Yet his perverse need to witness Fyodor being the buffoon he has sized him up to be takes precedence, so that he plays the fall guy for Fyodor j ust to confirm his own convictio ns about Fyodor's sottishn~ss, and ends by looking bad, which is what he wanted most t o avo id. Dev ils play cruel tricks aiding people in self-destruction. Father Zossima sternly ~omrnands Fyodor to stop lying t o himself about himself 24 because in so doing he b r ings violence upon himself . Devils s mile upon the fantastic s pectacle of a ma n g iving and r eceiving abuse with the utmost pleasure . Fyodor want s and needs a cceptance, affir ma t i on , and love, but he does not know how to communicate h is wan t s and needs to othe rs. He t r ies to get othe r s to join i n ·h i s sensuality so t hat everyone may e n ter into the dar kness toge t her . He tries to offe r to others the bene fit s o f h i s yea rs o f p r ofligacy because that is all he has to o ff e r. Fyodor h a s done n o t h i ng els e with his time . Now that he wishes to share his age- earned wi s dom with other s , what else can he do? When Father Zossima rep r imands him fo r lying , he is sever e, but all the same he has a soft gleam i n his eyes . He knows somethi ng Ivan does not : a pe rs on cannot r ightly be judged by his deeds alone . Be s ides being a dis r u ptive sot who a r ouse s contempt and loathing in other s , Fyodor i s a human b e ing with a c a pacity to wor k out his difficultie s and change h is ways . His mo st dest r uctive lie con s ists in pers uading himself that he is not f r e e, that h e is a buf f oon and the r e is no getting a r ound i t . Soon a f te r Father zossima rebukes Fyodor h e is conf r onted by anothe r per son engaged in the elabor a t e activity o f self - deceit , Mme . Hohlakov . She s peaks of he r l a ck of faith , oligopistis , a s king fo r tangible p r oof that the soul is by n ature immor ta l; for her anguish and mise r y , she claims , are a consequence o f this uncertainty , the te r rible thought that the grave might be the end , nothingness . Fathe r zossima sees that the woman 's suffer ing is genuine , but not for a moment does he believe that what she says is the cause is the cause . A per son can no more be judged on the bas i s of wo r ds alone than on the basis of works alone . Mme . Hohlakov has to lear n that concer n with what happens to the soul after death can be idle a nd can p r event a human being from living fully in the present . She is not tormented by anything so removed and abstract as the state of the soul apart from the body . If she wer e , s he would worry more about the scalding pit than about eternal sleep . Yet even here the difficult thing t o face is not hellfi r e , but the awful fact that the life we lived was untr ue , that we did not r ightly understand anyone or anything, that we were b a d to othe rs and bad for others because we were just plain wrong about how to go about being good . Father Zossima tells a story about a pe r son created with the power of saying , "I am and I love," and set upon the ear th only to be g r anted an instant of "active living love . " But "that unhappy creature rejected the priceless gift, p r ized it and loved it not , s corned i t and r emained callous . " How unbearable for any human being to appea r befo r e Christ the Judge in His full glor y, the pe r son who loved us so much that he d i ed for us , without ever having made a sacrifice of living love for the sake of His name , without eve r having acknowledged the gi f t of the Holy Spirit and without ev er having t ake n t he opportunity to act kindly . Such a per son , when face to face with the Give r of the gift and with the human beings who loved him despite the f a c t that he despised their love , must suffer horribly . Now that he sees the beauty of repentance, of allowing himself to be made a living sacrifice by God's grace, it is too late to do anything about it . What greater sorrow than to have God say : 'What was uniquely yours to do you did poorly . ' And what g r eate r joy than to have Him say : 'What was uniquely you r s to do you did beautifully . ' Mme. Hohlakov has the powe r to say, "I am and I love , " as we all do, and only by r epeating this to herself over and over again , and doing something about it while she still has the chance, will she become convinced o f life after death . Father Zossima : " I f you a ttain t o perfect self- forgetfulness in the love of your neighbor, then you will believe without doubt, and no doubt can possibly enter your soul . " Sadly, Ivan and Fyodor a r e not p r esent t o hear these words . Mme. Hohlakov , like Ivan , whom she r espects g re a t ly , and the Inquisitor, i s full of love fo r humanity , f ull of dreams of s elf- sac r if i ce and of saving t he afflicte d a nd g r ieved . Fa ther Zo s sima once k ne w a doctor, a cleve r man, who felt the s a me way , but d is cove r ed somet h i ng ami ss: " the mo r e I love humanit y in gene r al , the le ss I love 25 �of Christ in the desert. He cleverly tries to avoid responsibility for Fyodor' s death by asserting that he was only an agent putting Ivan's teachings into practice: "you murdered him; you are the real murderer; I was only your instrument, your faithful servant, and it was following your words, I did it." Ivan, being tempted at his weakest and most vulnerable state, almost believes that he has gained complete mastery over another human being, that he is fully responsible for Smerdyakov' s actions. Srnerdyakov may be sketched as the living embodiment of all that is base and ugly in Ivan, but he too is a person in his own right, and not merely Ivan's double. Thinking that he has imposed his will so fully on the sequence of events leading to his father's death that he alone is properly to blame, Ivan comes perilously close to denying srnerdyakov's personhood, to denying that Srnerdyakov has a will of his own. The Inquisitor for his part claims that he can take total control of his subjects, implying that they can give up their ability to choose freely in the knowledge of good and evil. He is wrong. As persons we must retain our capacity to repent of our evildoing; we must take responsibility for our own actions; conscience demands it. smerdyakov kills himself in part to punish himself for what he knows was his own doing. The Cardinal cannot even rule over Smerdyakov. The best he can hope to do is rule ove r a crowd. Devils support crowds and themselves make up a crowd. Angels and saints support communities and themselves form a community. Kolya Krassotkin is involved in the same satanic drama when he undertakes to shape the character of his younger friend (Ilusha) . Kolya is fully confident that he knows better than Ilusha what is good for the boy. He wants to whip Ilusha into top form and make a man of him. Wishing to avoid all 'sheepish sentimentality', he is cool in responding to Ilusha' s endearments. For the three days following his and smerdyakov's cruel trick on Perezvon Ilusha is downcast, dejected, and remorseful. Hugging Kolya and shaking all over, Ilusha confesses his crime. Kolya knowingly decides to keep silent around Ilusha and treat him contemptuously until he shows signs of a change in his ways. Kolya actually believes that what he is doing is for the boy's own good. He considers himself Ilusha' s master and savior. But Kolya does not know what he is doing, and he ought not to be so confident that he has the special gift of seeing into Ilusha's heart. Kolya is a merciless master when he is training Perezvon, but the dog takes a perverse delight in being abused. Dog s can be mastered by human beings, but human beings can be mastered only by God. Along with Ivan, Kol ya must learn to treat othe rs with dignity and respect and not go about imposing his own will on his friends as if he were their superior. Along with Fyodor, Kolya must control his fiendish tendency to make a big sensation, to do s omething theatrical just to stir up an effect, to be conspicuous. His need to be on stage prevents him from bringing Perezvon to Ilusha's bedside early enough possibly to save him from death. Both Ivan and Kolya are extremely bright and tend unfairly to use their intellects as show-pieces. While desperately grasping for superficial forms of attention, adoration and applause, they grow to mistrust their urge for tenderness and affection. Ivan and Kolya are gravely mistaken in making an unbridgeable division between the life of the intellect and the life of the heart . Pascal for his part would bring l' esprit de finesse under the domain of the heart, and set aside only l' esprit de- geometrie.-When he says, le coeur a ses raisons que raison ~ connait point, Pascal must mean, l'esprit de fin~se ~ ses-r~ons que ..!.' esprit de geometrie ne connait point. Likewise, when the commandment is given, "to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Hirn, to serve the Lord your God with all yo~r heart and all your soul" (Dt . 10:12), the intellect need not be mentioned because it is contained by the heart. So much of Ivan's suffering, his madness in particular, seems to arise from his sense of grandeur and superiority at being a thinker and not a feeler. Even when his heart is wholly present, as when he speaks about the suffering innocents, he does his best to hide it by giving a coldly detached account men in particular ... the more I detest men individually, the more ardent becomes my love for humanity." Ivan desperately wants to see suffering ameliorated and evil obliterated for the love of mankind, but he never will. At his worst moments he believes that he has the strength to accomplish this salvific task, yet he abhors his father's company and despises his brother's reckless abandon. What super-might does Ivan possess for the salvation of humanity when he cannot bring himself to be kind and giving even to the people closest to him in blood and heart? Ivan and the Inquisitor, and maybe Mme. Hohlakov, share a lofty disdain for the masses no matter what they say about their concern for the weak. By considering themselves superior to ordinary men, being independent and without sin, by considering themselves superior even to Jesus Christ, they make it impossible for themselves to enter into active love, sharing in conunonplace, dirty suffering, and touching feeble, infirm human beings. The Cardinal, Ivan, and Mme Hohlakov, for all their knowledge and wealth-perhaps because of it-are dreamers, not doers. Father Zossima has words for such people: " ... love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed in the sight of all. Men will give their lives if only the ordeal doesn't last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on stage. But active love is labor and fortitude, and for some people too, perhaps, a complete science." Dreamers cannot endure the prospect of giving and not receiving a proportionate measure in return. In the Inquisitor's salvific scheme the mighty insist on being glorified as saviors for their suffering; their own salvation consists in being worshipped. Heroes are people who make their great works manifest in public (andreis epiphaneis), which is why there is no such thing as a sanctified hero . The pious person who truly loves and serves God always wishes to be inconspicuous and never wishes to be adored. Certain saintly people make themselves seen and known, but only because their action redounds for the benefit of others . Mother Teresa inwardly possesses the true spirit of active love and outwardly has the business down to a science. The Inquisitor of Seville sits high on his throne ru ling as a cowardly tyrant with absolute authority over his subjects . Mother Teresa of Calcutta gets down on her hands and knees and bravely scrubs the floor as a servant to the sick and the dying. That woman's toughness makes Ivan look like a whimpering boy~ Mother Teresa's spiritual fruits arise from and are consistent with her trust in the teachings of Jesus Christ . Ivan, although he has the cunning and audacity to write "The Grand Inquisitor" and "The Geological Cataclysm", has not the conviction to put his teachings· into practice . The di vision between what he will allow in his words -- "everything is lawful" -- and what he will allow in his works causes a rift in his entire being . It comes as no surprise that Ivan the hypocrite eventually suffers from madness. He insists upon the stubborn nature of his euclidean intellect, which cannot withstand the absurd, yet he himself is a living paradox, saying things he doesn't really believe, things whose practical application would result in anarchy, nihilism, and parricide . It so happens that there is a literal-minded lackey around who will without hesitation carry Ivan's sayings into action, and Ivan must be held responsible for carelessly tossing his prosaic, elevated words in every direction and letting them fall on the receptive ears of smerdyakov . Ivan playfully amuses himself in conversation as if his words had no deep and .abiding influence on others; he makes outrageous claims just for an effect as if his brilliance were an excuse for his arrogance. What infuriates Ivan beyond all telling is that Srnerdyakov, a born slave, should consider himself to be in partnership with Ivan, the ubermensch, that his hyper- grandiose notions shoul~ be so easily put into practice by a low, cowardly dandy . Ivan must come to terms with the banality of · his own heroic ideal. His talk with a devil who is nothing but a tasteless bourgeois serves this purpose all right. smerdyakov tests Ivan with the simplest formulation of Satan's last temptation 26 II 27 �11 of what he has read in the newspaper. If only Ivan could come to see that the life of his heart and the life of his intellect are not all that different, and what difference there is requires the heart to take precedence over the intellect, then perhaps he would be at peace with himself and others. If Katya can show him warmth and kindness, and if Ivan can openly receive her warmth and kindness, maybe some day he will gladly hear Pascal's words: C' est le coeur qui sent Dieu et non la raison. Voila ce que c' est que la foi. DieU-seriSible au coelir;" non a--rai"sOil: ('Pensee #424). Neither can Smerdyako;t"S cleverness be separated entirely from the activity of his heart. Smerdyakov puts his whole trust in Ivan as in "God Almighty," saying: "What frightened me most was losing you and being without defense in all the world." Smerdyakov'sthoughts and actions emerge from his feeling of kinship with Ivan and his desire to raise him up to glorious heights. He wishes by means of the murder to be saved by Ivan for the rest of his life, gaining stable friendship, support, and protection. His killing Fyodor is not a coldly, logically arranged act. It's an act of desperation. After making Ivan waver back and forth between belief and disbelief in now Dmitri and now himself as the murderer, Smerdyakov discovers that Ivan is no hero, but just a confused, frightened, guilt-ridden young man. Ivan will not uphold his position on lawlessness, and Smerdyakov feels, in his hot-stoved, hellish room with bugs crawling on the deep blue peeling wallpaper, utterly betrayed and alone. Smerdyakov was convinced of his special rapport with Ivan, of Ivan's consent in and encouragement of the murder when he left his father defenseless to go off to Tchermashnya. But now, after Smerdyakov did what he thought had to be done, Ivan is giving him blows and accusing him of a crime and calling him the devil, "a dream and a phantom." Remorseful and haunted by his wrongdoing, feeling that it would have been better if he had never been born, Smerdyakov hears the devil's voice speaking to Ivan: " ••. hesitation , suspense, conflict between belief and disbelief is sometimes such torture to a conscientious man like you are that it is better to hang oneself at once." Father Zossima believes that there can be no one more miserable than a person who commits suicide. He prays inwardly for suicides all his life. Smerdyakov rightly enters into our prayers. The devil appears to Ivan just after Smerdyakov' s death, employing tactics similar to Smerdyakov's, forcing Ivan to think him now a phantom and now a living being. Despairing of the necessity of giving his allegiance either to a God who allows children to be tortured or to a devil who is petty and mischievous, Ivan is tempted by evil whisperings in his heart: "I shall sow in you a tiny grain of faith and it will grow into an oak-tree -- and such an oak- tree that, sitting on it, you will long to enter the ranks of the hermits in the wilderness and the saintly women; for that is what you are secretly longing for. You'll dine on locusts, you'll wander into the wilderness to save your soul." The devil hopes to get Ivan alone in the wilderness so that he can work on him day after day the way he worked on the Inquisitor. The desert, despite the devil's presence, can be a holy place for certain special people to offer prayerful reverence and worshipful devotion to God . Life in the wilderness precedes and anticipates life in the promised land (Ex. 34) . But the hermit must be prepared to lose fully his worldly, imaginary, own self, so that he may gain fully his true self through the in- dwelling of the Holy Spirit. The hermit must wish above all for the death of his own will so that God's will may be done in him. A seed must fall t o the earth and die before it can bring forth fruit for the gladness of others . Despite every appearance to the contrary, the monk's life of solitude is a life devoted to others, a life of compassionate dedication to his fellow human beings, for he is ever mindful of our afflictions in prayer and sub crucis sacramento. It is comforting to know that pious people are praying for us every minute of every hour of every •..•• Carthusian monks, who live as hermits but gather together three times a day to sing the holy office, are buried without their earthly names on their tombstones so that they may more gladly receive.the name which 28 God keeps for them in secret until the last day of mercy (Rev . 2 .1 7) • The whole eremitical life of a monk is devoted to being fully open to the reception of that name when the time comes. Clearly Ivan is far from being ready to enter into the wilderness, ho eremos, only to be unknown and forgotten with Him . If he were to attempt to live as a solitary person in search of God, it would be for all the wrong reas ons, as the devil knows. It would be a self-preoccupied attempt to save his own soul and would lead to a more severe madness-beyond- pride than that which Ivan suffers from at present. No human being has power over his own salvation, or anyone else's, difficult though that may be for the likes of Ivan Fyodorovitch and Katerina Ivanovna and Kol ya Ivanovi tch to accept . The devil is behind all such attempts, laughing hideously at their futility and folly. Katerina dedicates herself to the man who makes a practice of humiliating her. "I want to love you forever," she feverishly writes to Dmitri , "I want to save you from yourself." Katerina in truth wants to exalt herself in the midst of Dmitri's infidelity and sensuality. Her prideful nobility reaches extremes worthy of Ivan: "I' 11 be a god to whom he can pray -- and that, at least, he owes me for his treachery." Whence arises this satanic drama, this mad desire for glory by saving othe rs? Whence arises our need to be on stage acting as though we are humbling ourselves for the good of others when in truth we are anxiously seeking to exhalt ourselves at the expense of others? The Inquisitor, Ivan and Katerina all try to hide their limitations from themselves and disguise their faults as blessings.• They view themselves as heroic, self-sacrificing beings attaining perfection in dramatic anguish. They are deeply troubled. "Perfection is not for those who strive to feel and look and act as if they were perfect ••• Perfection is not for those who isolate themselves in ivory towers of imaginary faultlessness ••• Perfection is not for those who live for themselves alone and occupy themselves with the embellishments of their own souls" (Me rton , The Silent Life). Although their hearts are filled, with conflicts, doubts, hatreds, jealousies, fears, anxieties, contradictions and uncertainties, the Inquisitor, Ivan, and Katerina labor under the profoundly illusory conviction that they are gods and that the cosmos is centered around their saving activity . Of course it would be foolish to say that they each consider themselves to be the one and only true God. If this were the case, they would seek to destroy one another like pagan deities. Although we have a lacerative tendency to hurt the very people we love most, Ivan and Katerina, the laceraters par exellence, keep from carrying their drama to this extreme. Yet in their desi re to be 'as gods' -- a lasting deformity impressed upon human nature by the fall of Adam and Eve -- they yearn for omnipotence : " •.• the power to have everything we want, to enjoy everything we desire, to demand that all our wishes be satisfied and that our will should never be frustrated or opposed . It is the need to have everyone else bow to our judgement and accept our declaration as law. It is the insatiable thirst for recognition of excellence which we so desperately need to find in ourselves to avoid despair. The claim to omnipotence, our deepest sorrow and our inmost shame, is in fact the source of all our sorrows, all our unhappiness, all our dissatisfactions, all . our mistakes and deceptions. It is a radical falsity which rots our moral life in its very roots because it makes everything we do more or less a lie" (Merton , The Silent Life). Ivan's borderline insanity is a telling sign that he almost submits heart and soul to the absurd fantasy that he is omnipotent, that he lives, like the schizophrenic, in a world of his own making, a world ove r which he has total control and in which whatever he says goes without question. When Smerdyakov says that Ivan more than his brothers is his father's son, he means that Ivan goes around lying to himself about himself all the time just like Fyodor. The devil himself, who bears a startling resemblance t o Fyodor in body and to Smerdyakov in soul, helps Ivan see that he is living a lie. But what next? Once we discover that we cannot save ourselves, o nce we admit that we are grievously in need of God's saving assistance, what shall we say 29 �then.? iii. The Salvific Figure Jesus questions his disciples, saying: "Who do people say that the son of man is?" (Matt. 16:15). The disciples have heard some say of Jesus that he is John the Baptist, while others say of him that he is one of the other prophets. Why do people think that Jesus is someone he is not? Why in particular do they think that Jesus' message and ministry is akin to that of John the Baptist? Unless we are able to understand and trust Jesus as a quite distinctive figure, we may forever rely upon our own needy selves for saving gladness and truth , only to find damning sadness and falsity. John the Baptist cries out with a loud voice and makes his home in the wilderness. He is an ascetic and a prophet of gloom: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits that befit repentence, and do not begin to say to yourselves 1 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is held to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Lk . 3:7- 9). John's preaching consists in a warning to the unrighteous, to everyone, of the approaching, wrathful, justly vengeful judgement of God. Jews as well as Gentiles even now, and more so on the last day, stand or fall depending upon our commitment during our lives on earth to the one true God. This commitment involves bearing testimony both in word and in deed to the presence and the glory of the living Father. John establishes a bond between a person's being in the world here and now, in this very place at this very moment, and his being either saved or damned at the end of the ages. Our spiritual condition in time determines what will be our spiritual condition for eternity. John's baptism, which is with water, is important for our salvation; it makes a difference on the last day because it is a sign that we have allowed our hearts to be changed by God. All human beings possess free wills, so we all have throughout our lives the capacity to yield to God's saving goodness by repenting of our transgressions and by acknowledging our dependence on Him for help . As long as a person has the power to repent no other person can judge whether or not he will be condemned, and every other person must deem him worthy of love. Thus Smerdyakov, who until the end possessed a free will and the capacity to turn to God when called, who indeed may have left evidence of his repentance in the form of St . Isaat the Syrian's writings, is worthy of our love . John calls for repentance in the context of the judgement already in effect and the judgement soon to come. Jesus, on the other hand, sees the salvation of human beings in the context of God's infinite mercy, graciousness, and love . Reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus speaks of himself as a servant of God : The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach glad tidings to the poor . He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Is . 60: 1-2; Lk. 4:18) Jesus chooses to read from this passage so that he may teach those in the synagogue who he is: one who makes people glad and whole; one who sets them free; and one who invites everyone to a great feast of fellowship at God's table in the temple of the holy city of Jerusalem . The words which follow 'the acceptable year of the Lord,' 30 the words which Jesus sees fit to close the book upon, are: " ••• and the day of vengeance of our God" (Is . 60: 2) . At this early stage of his mission Jesus pronounces upon the time of God's acceptance of us and invitation to us -- the year when Jesus himself is with us and for us in the person of the Holy Spirit so that we may be healed of the wound deep in our hearts -- but he remains silent about the Lord's day of which Amos speaks: Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light; as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into his house and leaned with his hand against the wall and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness , and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5: 18-20) Jesus is no prophet of woe; he is no ascetic; his home is not in the wilderness. He is the bearer of tidings of great joy; he is an eater and a drinker; his home is the festive table at which people from every walk of life gather together so that we may join in fellowship and celebrate all the good things which God has provided in abundance for our well-being. According to Jesus, God freely gives us a just and reasonable expectation of a time of everlasting rest and peace. Jesus shows us, in the drama of his birth, teaching, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection, that the living God , the Lord of history, is engaged in a saving activity which is directed toward a state of final good for human beings, a state in which the Father is fully manifest to his children and the children are fully reconciled to their Father. According to the Baptist, all men are in a condition of apostasy and all men are in need of a change of heart, a return to the righteous and faithful Father . A person cannot, however, bring about this change by himself. Repentance is a free gift from God which we either accept or reject. Jesus acknowledges the truth of this teaching -- not with regard to himself but with regard to the whole of Israel -- by commanding John to baptize even him , a man who knows no sin (2 Cor . 5:21). Jesus demands from Israel a new confrontation with the living God . He goes about doing good things for people in trouble on the sabbath so that everyone may see that God is still, even now at this moment, active in our world: "My Father is working still, and I am working" (Jn . 5:18). The Pharisees seem to wish that God would stay out of the picture so that what has already been established, what is known and secure , the law, which indeed is "holy and just and good" (Rom . 7: 12) , may be followed, and so that they may be confident in the righteousness of their own doings . The Pharisees hear Jesus' tidings , but they are not receptive to his gladness . st. Mark chooses the event of Jesus' healing of the man with the withered hand on the sabbath to announce that the Pharisees are plotting Jesus ' death. Jesus himself, just prior to making the wounded man whole, shows orge, the wrath of God, because he is astonished at the hardness of their hearts. The Pharisees seem to be afraid of the holy power wielded by this simple, obscure , inconspicuous man, a carpenter's son, who is active for only a few years. Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him •.•.• He will not wrangle or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, 31 �and a dimly burning wick he will not quench •.• (Is. 42 : 1- 3; Matt . 12) Jesus questions his diciples, saying: "Who do you say that I am?" (Matt . 16:16). This is the question to which some, having been filled with God's grace, answer with fearful and loving faith and thankfulness, and to which others, having been filled with the vain imaginings of their own hearts, answer with prideful and despairing hatred and ingratitude. This is the question to which everyone must finally respond, in one way or the other, for there is no in between, as Jesus himself says: "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters . Therefore, I tell you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven . And whoever says a word against the s on of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this aqe or in the aqe to come." (Matt . 12 : 30 - 33). Jesus begins to sound less gentle and more severe . But how can it be otherwise? A person who does not answer Jesus with trust and hope -- "You are the Christ, the son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16) -- denies the power of the Holy Spirit, which amounts to rejecting the source of all forgiveness, for the Father has sent the H~ly Spirit to us in Christ's name so that we might share in the forgiveness of sins by being united with Him in remembrance of Jerusalem (Jn . 14:26) . The sin against the Holy Spirit , actively seeking to turn the faithful away from God by mocking them and persecuting them and hating them, must be the one unforgivable sin. How can the person who willfully refuses to accept forgiveness be forgiven? That there are such people, people who claim to have no conscience bearing witness to their evildoing, who claim to be a law unto themselves with no responsibility for others, who claim complete independence for themselves, who claim to be without need of others' forgiveness, who have no desire to let their hearts be changed, who have no wish to be self- forgetful and self- giving in the love of their fellows, who are, in a word, incorrigible, is a sad fact. Father Zossima : "O, there are some who remain proud and fi e rce even in hell, in spite o f their certain knowledge and contemplation of the absolute truth; there are some fearful ones who have given themselves over to Satan and his proud spirit entirely . For such, hell is voluntary and ever consuming; they are tortured by their own choice . For they have cursed themselves cursing God and life . They live upon thei r vindictive pride like a starving man in. the desert sucking blood out of his own body. But they are neve r satisfied and they refuse forgiveness. They curse God who calls them, they cannot behold the living God without hatred, and they cry out that the God of life should be annihilated, that God should destroy himself and his own creation. And they will burn in the fire of their wrath forever and yearn for death and annihilation . " St . August · ne cal s th · s condition the deathless death. Sadly, some seem to live in hell on earth, victimized by a stubborn and anxious need to deny their own freedom to do good . Jesus' sayings and doings make clear for us the already operative kingly rule of God . His acts of healing, casting out devils , forgiving, showing compassion, nourishing, eating dinner with sinners and publicans, b r inging good cheer to prostitutes and tax- collectors, all these acts and more, are signs of God's beneficent intentions for us regardless of our fallbacks and shortcomings and marble- heartedness . Jesus wishes his joy to be in us so that our joy may be full (Jn . 15 : 11). Wherever he goes, gladness abounds . He comes to us so that we may have life, and have it in abundance (Jn . 10:10) . Just having this person around is a good thing . It is that simple . Jesus invites us to stop and consider that our presence also, among our schoolmates and families and friends, even among our enemies, is either a good or a bad thing; there is no in between; we either negatively influence or positively influence whatever community it is to which we happen to belong . He also invites us to stop and consider that it is not enough for us to go around laughing and being carefree, although it is uplifting and lightening and helpful for 32 us to do so; we must healthily share in one another's suffering too, because beneath our laughter there is usually, if not always, some hidden pain. Unlike John, Jesus proclaims the p r esence of God's kingly rule even on earth, and in doing all things well, he demonstrates in the very manner of his living what this r ule involves. Unlike Ivan, the content of Jesus' teaching is revealed in his deeds . There is nothing in the least bit inconsistent about his sayings and his doings. Jesus simply come s to do God's will on earth (Jn . 4 : 34; 5 : 30; 6:40). That is that. The inconspicuous and mild activity of Jesus Christ makes manifest with splendor and might God's free and unconditional willing of good, His boundless, unquenchable love, for us, even you and me. Jesus' simple and humble parables reveal that the deepest, most mysterious things can be found in our ordinary experience if only we care to look and b e attentive . These stories invite us to think for ourselves in an open-ended way. we may find ourselves trying to hold on to conflicting interests. At one time we may think or feel one way and at another time we may think or feel another way about the same issue or event or position. Isn't that how life presents itself to us from one day to the next? There is no definitive structure or system built into the world or the act of living. Spontaneity and openness bring about the large part of our decisions, actions, and conversations. We therefore ought to be ready to make the most of whatever may come our way . We may become accustomed to looking at the world this way or that way, considering ourselves to be restricted by our past, or bound by our few talents, or limited by our surroundings, hut even in the midst of what is most familiar new possibilities for living are always available. The story of Don Quixote is a beautiful telling of this truth. Jesus' parables also tell us that we can always come up with new ways of going about doing things, new ways of caring for friends and pleasing strangers . On the whole, these stories encourage us to act in a way quite different from our usual way, not for the sake of being unconventional, but simply because it is a good thing to discover what a wonderful freedom we have to do good . But this is by no means easy. We must approach the world with a heart which is prepared t o be transfigured. The parable of the dinner party is partly about a feast at which the crippled and the lame, the sick and the hungry, those who ordinarily are not granted sufficient attention, are honorably seated at the table. Jesus hosts and serves people who are considered anathema by the religious community of his day. He joins in companionship with the outcast, with those who are ignorant of the law. Without hesitation he comforts the afflicted and the needy. Jesus does not hold back in order to determine whether people are rich or poor, successful or not, educated or not , members of this faction or that faction , pretty or plain , useful or not , worthy or unworthy. Jesus simply does God's will on earth, µot because he feels obligated to do s o or because he anticipates receiving s ome reward, but because doing God' s will on earth, al though only som~times joyful and also sometimes sorrowful, is yet always good. Jesus cuts· across barriers o f class and politics. He seeks t o bring an end to relationships among human beings which are founded on the domination of one by the other. He is just as much at ease with women as with men, with people in power as with people without it . Power does not corrupt him as it does other people. Jesus encourages us to serve one another in kindness, for this is a way to show service to God, and to l ove one another in hope, f o r this is a way t o show love for God . Jesus invites everyone to the great feast of spiritual fell owship al\d he himself serves everyone at the table . None are refused entry and none are cast away. We may show up dressed any way we wish, but it is better to be pleasing in God's sight . St . John Chrysostom's choir sings: "The Lord is compassionate and merciful; He is long-suffering and abounding in mercy" (Byzantine Liturgy). But are we then to think that Jesus, with whose life and death and resurrection a new era begins, would wish good men to be rewarded for their good works on the last 33 �day, and evil men to be punished for their evil works? Aside from our difficulty in judging who is good and who is evil-since we all are a different mixture of each, what is good and what is evil-since what is good for one is not so for another, we can at least say this much, that if the human will is free to choose between good and evil works, then rewards and punishments are just. But the simple truth is that all good things come from God . Merely because a person's will is free, it does not follow that he has the capacity to choose or to do good without the aid of God's grace. The exercise of the will in its freedom toward goodness is a human being's doing only insofar as he opts not to resist the grace being offered to him at every moment of every hour of every ••••• by God . And this opting not to resist, this yielding to God's saving activity is not a meritorious act, so that God's mercy and love alone are responsible for a person's being good. Only because God freely chooses to look upon us as righteous are we righteous . St. Paul keeps away from the word 'works' when speaking about justification. He makes a distinction between works of the flesh ..:._ "fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness carousing, and the like" (Gal. 5 : 20) -- and fruits of the Holy Spirit -- "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control" (Gal. 5 :·22). St. Paul does speak about faith accomplishing good works through love (Gal. 5:6), but this does not alter his right belief that faith alone justifies (Gal. 2: 16) • The word 'reward' in the context of our final well - being ought to be banned from our vocabulary. God's righteousness and faithfulness are hyper-exceedingly magnificent and glorious precisely because we are undeserving. What a remarkable thing that God knows t he evil imaginings of our hearts, hears our voices cursing Him, railing against Him, misrepresenting Him , and, instead of smiting us with His wrath , He saves us with His mercy. Salvation, found in the small acts of kindness in the piety of daily life as well as at the festive table of the messianic banquet, is the work , astounding beyond measure , of God's bountiful car e for us . He gives us fi r st place in a race we have lost. It is as if He were to walk into a courtroom with all of us guilty sinners present, pronouncing the verdict: 'Innocent, Righteous, Jus tified.' Sadly, punishments are deserved, "because the unfaithful receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved" (2 Thess. 2:10). Jesus' question -- 'Who do you say that I am?' - - demands a response from all of us, from you and from me, now and again, time after time, for the duration of our lives . It is not a question to be summarily answered, set aside, and ignored. When we address the question we either accept more deeply or reject more soundly the mystery of Christ's saving fellowship . We are always either on our way toward him or on our way away from him . This is not to say that the r e are just two ways of standing in relation to Jesus. There are as many responses to his question as there are persons willing to give utterance to what is in their hearts. And if we give one sort of response today, we may find ourselves giving another sor t tomorrow, for we are the kind of being who can receive the strength to accept being accepted by God. Father Zossima: "I predict that just when you see with horror that in spite of all your efforts you are getting further from your goal instead of nearer to it -- at that very moment I predict that you will r each it and behold clear ly the miraculous power of t he Lor d who h as b een a ll t he t ime lov ing a nd my ste r iously guiding you. " 'Who do you say that I am?' I cannot answer for you and you cannot answer for me. Each of us must be left to ourselves so that we may give the question the careful heart-felt thought which it demands and deserves. Responding to Jesus in my limited, human way, I shall say : 'You are the one who summons me to put my deep and abiding trust in the hidden and living God; the one who works for my joyfulness and wholeness, delivering me from distress and wrongdoing, releasing me from the chains of self-estrangement and estrangement from my fellows, restoring me to myself so that 34 I may be free for others as a friend and ready servant, encouraging me to bear others' burdens with them; you are the one who commands me to commit myself and to pray to our Father, to put my faith in God not grudgingly and with hesitation but gladly and with abandon; the one who journeyed to Calvary for my sake, who died on the cross so that I might be washed clean; you are the man of sorrows, the one who carried my griefs, was wounded for my transgressions, was bruised for my iniquities, the one through whose stripes I am healed (Is . 53: 3- 6); yet I hold you at a distance and in low esteem; I turn away from your suffering as one repulsed and I cannot bear to look upon you ; wretch that I am, I forget you holy Jerusalem, though you descended into hell for my sake; you are the one whose entrance into the flesh I celebrate at Christmas and whose glorification of the body I celebrate at Easter; the one who tells me to stake my life on the new p r omise of salvation which is offered to me i n the drama of your passion, death, and resurrection; you are the one who says, "unless a g r ain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies it brings forth fruit" (Jn 12:24) . You are the Christ, the son of the living God . ' Jesus' concern will finally be with justice, but , as long as he is with us on ear th his concern is not with justice so much as with joy, rendering joy to those who hardly seem worthy to feel joy and giving gladness to those who have nothing to b e glad about: "He who abides in me, and I in him,he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn . 15:5) . A line from St. Mark's gospel especially reveals the character of Jesus' saving activity, of Jesus himself, who he is. After Jesus heals a deaf and dumb man, the people who witness the event are, says Mark, "astonished beyond measure" (hyperperissos exeplessonto) , and they say of Jesus : "He does everything beautifully" (Kalos pan ta pepoieken, Mk. 7: 37) • Such a gentle man, and yet he can with good reason be mistaken for John the Baptist : "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt . 12:34). It is a sign of his perfect holiness that Jesus can be both extremely gentle and extremely severe, that Jesus can both keep the silence of a lamb and speak with the voice of a judge. How else could He accept and endure the passion and the cross? How else could Jesus, when that t r oubling . moment at Gethsemane arrived, pray: "Abba, Father, if you are willing, r emove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will , but your will, be done" (Lk. 22 : 43; Matt . 26 : 39; Mk . 14 : 36) . Jesus i s a Jew, searching out God's will in everything; yet he has a unique rel a tion to God, calling Him Father , Abba . Father Schillibeeckx tells how at Jesus' time Abba was a famil i al term denoting a child's earthly father, the teacher and figure of authority . The word did not occur at all in prayers addressed t~ God. J esu s ' genius s t a nds o ut s ole l y on the g r ounds of praying to God as Abba. The uniqueness of his relation to God lies in its 'unaffected simplicityi-:- Jesus identified his heart and his life, his whole being as a person, with his Father. He so t r usted the abiding presence and concern of His Father that He acted upon His will even to the point of suffering an excruciatingly agonizing and humiliating death, a death by crucifixion, "a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" (1 Cor. 1 : 24) . Jesus' death is offensive to the Jews partly because a man hanged on a tree is accursed by God (Dt . 21 : 23), and to the Gentiles partly because crucifixion is the mos t scandalous form of punishment in the Roman kingdom, a punishment reserved fo r the lowest o f the low, rebels and thieves, a punishment no Roman citizen ever has to endur e . Jesus fully manifests God's saving love for human beings with His death on the c r oss, for only by way of His perfect sacrifice do we attain to reconciliation with God and do we know that God so cares for us that He is willing to give His only Son f o r our we ll- be i ng : "God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Chr ist died f o r us " (Rom . 5 : 8) . Our faithful response to Jesus' question -- 'Who do you say that I am? ' -- involves accepting the g r acious gift God gives to us in the bloody and violent s a c r ifice of His Son, involves yielding to the redemptive power o f 35 �11 the cross, whose saving efficacy frees us from the stronghold of sin. Christ crucified is bearing all our evils -- from our fall out of Eden until the last day -so that they may be nailed to the wood and die with him: "For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor. 5:21). The salvific figure on the cross is so defiled and smeared with black that God His Father forsakes him at the moment of His death. Jesus' death is like no one else's. He is utterly alone, forsaken not only by Roman citizens, fellow Jews, and his disciples, but also by the Person who sent him to walk among us and be with us, the Person whose will it was that he should undergo such horrifying suffering precisely because of his perfect righteousness and blessedness. During the preparation rite of the holy eucharist in the Orthodox church, the priest says: "The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world is slain for the life and salvation of the world" (Byzantine Liturgy, St. John Chrysostom). St. Mark puts it simply: Jesus is "a ransom for many" (Mk. 14: 24) • witness to Christ crucified and risen, for He cares more about our salvation than we ourselves do . iv. Redemptive Drama .. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. (Is. 53:7) The original, old- fashioned meaning of the word 'redemption' (Latin, redernptio; Greek, apolutrosis) is 'a buying back' or 'a loosening away from.' By being baptised with the Holy Spirit we are bought back by God, loosened away from Satan, purified and created anew so that we may be united with Christ and share in the death "he died to sin" and the life "he lives to God' (Rom . 6: 10) . Although we are not worthy to receive the redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice, yet there it is, a free gift, and by way of it we become God's adopted children, gaining spiritual health and true piety, "for the righteousness of God is by faith in Jesus Christ upon all them that believe" (Rom. 3: 22). And belief entails hardship: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God ••• When we cry 'Abba! Father!' it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him" (Rom. 8: 14-17) . Faith in Jesus as the Christ,· the son of the living Father, not merely as a means to salvation, but as the Way, the Word who became flesh and tabernacled among us (Jn. 1:14), involves suffering unto death, so that we may walk in "newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). Again: The seed t h at falls to the e arth and dies brings forth fruit . Although God reconciled us to Himself through Christ's "fragrant offering and sacrifice" (Eph. 5:2; 2 Cor. 5:18) the death of Jesus is by no means the end of the matter. For: "Jesus was put to death for our trespass and raised for our justification" (Rom. 4: 25). Jesus' Father is the God of the living, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not of the dead. God benevolently wishes to continue our lives so that we may be with Hirn in Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit . It is not a question of our souls possessing the nature of being immortal. Spiritual resurrection is simply God's way of doing good for us in this life; and bodily resurrection is His way of doing good for us in the life to come. Mut ual r ecognition of unique p ersons by unique persons which can be accomplished only if each one of us retains our distinctive look, is of utmost significance in Christ's kingdom. Just as Jesus arises out of our memory in the Spirit into life during the celebration of the blessed sacrament, so we shall arise out of our ever- mindful-remembrance of him into life in His divine presence at the great eschatological feast. Jesus overcomes sin with his death, and he overcomes the penalty for sin, which is death, by way of his resurrection. God wishes us to laugh whole - heartedly at life's comedy, and to bear 36 I I Drni t r i Fyodorovi tch Karamazov possesses his mother's hot temper, boldness, impatience, impetuosity, impulsiveness, frenzied vigor, and strong build, and his fathe r 's reckless lust - - al though Mi tya' s sensuality is refined by a passionate adoration of beauty and nob_ ty. According to legend, as soon as Adelaida ·married ili Fyodor, .(of cour se they had to elope), she grew to loathe the "abject, vicious, fantastical fellow" and his "persistent and shameless importunity." On occasion she even beat Fyodor, showing him to be a "worthless puny weakling . " Dmitri shares his mother 's repulsion for Fyodor and her tendency to be violent with him. When Adelaida , in one of her enigmatic fits of passion, ran off with a "destitute divinity .student" to her ignominious death, she left the newborn Mitya with his father. But Fyodor carried on in his customary manner, hosting orgies and playing the buffoon, so that he completely forgot about Mitya. Miusov is fond of telling the exaggerated sto r y about Fyodor' s surprise at discovering one morning after waking. up with a terrible hangover that he had a son . Fyodor doesn't just have a few cocktails and fool around a bit; he immerses himself in debauchery and al together neglects his r esponsibility, except, of course, when it comes to his business dealings. After being passed from Adelaida to Fyodor, and from Fyodor to Grigory, Miuzov takes custody of the child . But he too, although he remembers his part in the February Revolution of 1848 all his life, forgets Mitya, so that Miuzov's cousin has to take charge of the poor boy. Finally, after the death of this kind woman, Mitya is raised by Miuzov's cousin's daughter, Mitya's mother's second cousin, once removed. Life does not begin smoothly for Dmitri Karamazov. Adelaida came from a rich, distinguished, noble family, and before her death she bequeathed a small property including a house and some land to her son. Dmitri , however, when he came of age, was serving in the Caucasus as an army officer, so Fyodor took possession of Mitya's inheritance and wired money to support the young man's r iotous exploits , his dr inking, gambling, and womanizing. Surprisingly enough , Father Zossima's youth bears a striking resemblance to Dmitri's. He too was the son of a landowner, served in the Caucasus as an army officer, and outstripped the other members of his regiment in "cruel, absurd, almost savage" practices . Father zossirna always kept the Bible at his side but during his bout with "drunkenness, debauchery, and deviltry" he did not pick up the book and r ead. So it is with Dmitri. He hold's God's glory close to his heart but he has a long way to journey before he will be able to accept his lot in life, what God has planned for him and him alone. Father Zossima passed through a period of ferocious anxiety and misery before his change of heart . He had to give his orderly Afanasey two terrible blows to the face before he could see the black- smeared manner of his living, before he could feel what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb.10: 11) . God's grace was at work even in the young officer's fit of violence. Thanks to Afanasey's stupid yet brave reception of his master's blows, zossirna could be struck by such concerns as: 'What am I worth that another made in the image and likeness of God s hou l d s e rve me? Ought I not to bow down and beg my se rv ant 's f o r giveness ? Am I not the greatest of sinners? More than any other am I not responsible to all for all and eve r ything?' Only by way of this awful event do the tender and life - giving words of his dying b r other Markel return to Zossirna with such force that his ways are altered for good . Shall we not praise Af anasey and seek to imitate him by being ready at all times to receive blows so that others whom we care for might through the recognition of their weakness and wrongdoing turn to the Father for help and forgiveness? Zossima 's turnabout is more sudden and localized than Dmitri's will be 37 �~ - - --- -- Mitya's stomping on his father's face is not enough for him -- but Dmitri's change of heart will be just as dramatic. God works on everyone in a way particularly suited to and designed for them, and them alone. Zossima needed Markel's holy words and Afanasey's peasant toughness. Dmitri will require Grigory's blood, Grushenka's love, his father's death, and more, before he will be able to gain the courage to sing his hymn. With an anvil-ding And with fire in him forge thy will Or rather, rather then, stealing as Spring Through him, melt him but master him still: Whether at once, as once at a crash Paul, Or as Austin, a lingering-out sweet skill, Make mercy in all of us, out of us all Mastery, but be adored, but be adored King. (Hopkins, The Wreck of the Deutschla~#lO) Drama is of utmost importance where Dmitri is concerned. Other people, especially Katerina, seem to be so many characters in the play of his life. Dmitri does not leave encounters open-ended like Alyosha. He seeks to make wholes out of his dealings with others so that he may wrap a ribbon around them and add them to his treasury. Mitya confesses to Alyosha that his life has been a lusting after voluptuousness and vice, saying: "I've a perfect album of reminiscences, brother. God bless them, the darlings." He sets up two extremes which are always in tension, the Madonna and Sodom, and attempts to characterize all his doings in this poetic light. Katerina, that "beautiful, proud, imperious" woman who hopes to save Dmitri from dissipation through her own generosity, is his Madonna figure. Mitya sees the truth about her loving her own virtue most; he knows that her benevolence is not pure self-giving for his sake but pure self-serving for her own sake; but he lets that pass as a mere human frailty so that he may haunt the back alley and make Katerina's apparent goodwill shine fo r th all the more . St . Paul : "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!" (Rom.6:1). Katerina also needs someone as dramatic as she is who will go along with her fantasy so that she may play out her salvific role . She needs a debauchee in order to exercise her powers of hysterical self-sacrifice . She needs someone in the dark depths to make it possible for her heroism to be seen and admired by all the talkers in Skotoprignyevsk and neighboring villages : 'Well isn't that Katerina Ivanovna God's gift to Karamazov, so patient and forgiving. I don't know why she puts up with him. My heavens!' Katerina shows her true colors, her self-righteous indignation, her need for someone as dramatic as she is who will fantasize alone with her so that she may play out her salvific role, when she condemns Dmitri with her evidence in court. Thankfully, Mitya possesses some crucial gifts which Katerina lacks: an awarene s s of his own weakness - - "I pray to God I'm not lying and showing off" -- and an abiding trust i n God despite his own sinfulness --" . .• though I may be following the devil, I am thy son, O Lord, and I love thee . " There is no denying that Katerina does kind and charitable things. She sends flowers to Snegiryov's family and takes care of Ilusha's grave; she will also proudly finance Dmitri's escape. But she has a whole lot to work out concerning the source and center of goodness and salvation. Kater i na and Ivan belong together. Dmitri's frankness about his own wrongdoing -- "I'm nothing but an insect" - betrays a lack of self - respect which runs deep in his soul. He goes around saying: 'I'm just this sort of buglike person, so don't expect much from me. What can I do about it?' At the start Dmitri does not challenge himself to accomplish things which, he would be surprised to discover, he has the wherewithal to accomplish. At the end he will consider himself capable of more than his gifts allow. Father Zossima' s bow is a gesture aimed in part to make Dmitri recognize his own inner 38 worth. He has to see that his nature is good, coming as it does from God-it is just that his will is weak, and his upbringing and education haven't helped matters much. Father Zossima, reflecting on his days of carousing among his comrades, says: "I don't say we were bad by nature, all these young men were good fellows, but they behaved badly, and I worst of all." Father Zossima sees what Mitya is preparing fo r h i mself, sees what great suffering is in store for him, and is horrified. After Alyosha r etur ns from his Katerina- backed, ill- fated mission of generosity toward Snegiryov , he first learns of Porfiry's Zossima- backed, successful mission of charity t oward a poor family in the village, and then receives the conunand to be with Dmitri a s a welcome p r esence in order to p r event him from some sudden, impetuous, terrible c r ime . Father Zossima also bows to the whole company and begs for their forgivene ss because it just seems like there is not a whole lot he can do to help them. The peasant women with faith are open to his fatherly words and gestures, but the wealthy noblemen without faith are reluctant to take them seriously .. Dmitri alone is fu lly receptive to Father Zossima's sage counsel and advice. Father Zossima wishes Mitya to understand that despite the ways of Fyodor, "it's the great mystery of human li fe that old grief passes quietly and tenderly into joy •. • the mild serenity of age takes the place of the riotous blood of youth . " Dmitri, along with Ivan, fears he wili b e like his father, plagued by a base sensuality his entire life and prevented by his own weakness from attaining any kind of nobility of heart . God's angels and Satan's devils are fighting over beauty on the battleground of Dmi t'ri' s heart. His passionate attraction and powerful attachment to beauty, a potentially admirable thing, causes him to be self-preoccupied and distracted from issues and activities of utmost concern. Dmitri has not opened his heart to the sor rows of his fellows, or to his responsibility for their sorrows, or to the role he ought to play in bringing relief to those who are burdened by sorrow . Actively feeling and caring for others by graciously accepting their griefs as his own is a good and wholesome thing which Dmitri has at least to learn about, if he is not meant to devote his whole life to this noble doing. Dmitri is not called to be a Fa ther Zossima, or a monk in the world, but if he is going to give testimony to his right belief in the words of Jesus the teacher and lawgiver(Gal.6:2), if he is going to be a Chr istian in the world, he must allow for the wedding of passion and piety in his soul. Under the influence of demons Mi tya' s lust, at its worst, takes the shape of cruelty and sentimentality, distorted forms of Father Zossima's severity and gentleness. Speaking to Alyosha of a critical and unforgettable event that passed between Katerina and himself, Mitya says: "At that moment she was beautiful because she was noble , and I was a scoundrel, she in all the grandeur of her generosity and sacrifice for her father, and I a bug! And scoundrel as I was, she was altogether at my mercy, body and soul ... It seemed as if there could be no resisting it; as though I should act like a bug, like a ve.nomous spider, without a spark of pity. I could · scarcely breathe." Honesty, honor, and simple decency toward and respect for a fellow human being are at stake for Dmitri when he has Katerina in this compromising position. His breathless sensuality, not something to be taken lightly, bears witness to a forgetfulness of life being · shared by all. Mitya lustfully wants to take full possession of Katerina's beauty, which amounts to using her as a tool for t h e e n r ichme nt and r efinement of his own experience. With the prospect o f another colorful anecdote to add to his collection, Dmitri almost succumbs to the temptation of abusing and destroying Katerina's noble stature, disgracing her for life: "I loved vice, I loved the ignominy of vice. I loved cruelty." The temptation which Dmitri resists at this trying moment is the temptation to which Fyodor yields with Sophia . Defiling the purity and innocence of a beautiful young woman holds the same satanic pleasu r e as working for the downfall of the righteous. Yet although Dmitri sometimes plays on the stage of satanic drama- -when he draws 39 �11 aba_ndon~ _d, his sword almost stabbing himself from delight and when he humiliates Snegiryov in the presence of the vulnerable Ilusha, he wants more than anything to sing a song of praise and thanksgiving to God the Father. His desire for a hymn of uplifting joy attests to his hidden certainty that life is simply good and that our deepest purpose being on earth is happiness and laughter, not grief and despair. The world is not, as Ivan would have it, a vale of tears. Good things emerge even out of his encounter with Katerina in his apartment. The old lieutenant-colonel, Katerina's father, dies with military honors and not in disgrace only because Mitya has the money to free him from trouble. At first Dmitri thinks that his only reason for giving the money is to seduce the gorgeous daughter, but later he discovers that he has higher ambitions, helping out a fellow sinner. Although Katerina's father despises him, Dmitri has the capacity to see goodness in the man. Instead of becoming full of hatred in turn, Mitya acknowledges his fault and offers his assistance. He always kind-heartedly notices when he has done some bad thing to cause someone else to be angry at him. "Let me be accursed," says Dmitri, "let me be vile and base, only let me kiss the hem of the veil in which God is shrouded." Nature, Mother Earth, Dmeter, is that veil, and Dmitri needs the mercy and courage to fall down upon her, "to cleave to her bosom", to embrace and kiss her and water her with his tears. By loving what is lowly and ordinary in a serene and tender way, not by being ecstatically in love with love itself, Dmitri will truly show gratitude to Hirn who created the earth and all that is in it. By giving himself to the Jerusalem above who is our Mother(Gal.4:26), with simplicity and trust, by falling as a seed on fertile ground and bringing forth good fruit for the gladness and hope of others, Dmitri will encounter God's saving presence. The attainment of self-giving means for Dmitri corning to relish the act of loving as much as being in love, kindness as much as pleasure. Dmitri's name suggest that he is himself rich, moist soil which nurtures the growth of seeds of grace, so that he will come to be the person God means him to be. His devotion to the earth will take the form of a commitment to Grushenka. But he must endure a great ordeal before he will be ready for marriage. Mi tya mentions suicide to Alyosha at the crossroads. He cannot stand the thought that he is burdening and dishonoring his Mother with his vile presence. The questions he asks of Fyodor he also asks of himself: 'Why is such a man alive? Can he be allowed to go on defiling the earth?' 1 Do not thou, o Lord, withhold thy mercy from me, let thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me without number; my iniquities have overtaken me, till I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me(Ps.40:11) While Dmitri dreams of taking Grushenka away to the ends of the earth so that they may settle down in marriage and begin a reformed and virtuous life together, Grushenka is planning to fly off with her Polish officer, the man about whom her imagination has been spinning false romantic stories for five years. Mitya has some knowledge of the Pole but his preoccupation with Fyodor as rival makes him forget the presence of another competitor in Grushenka's heart. Dmitri and Grushenka, each i~ their own way, are going through a painful struggle, a struggle to ensure their future happiness. They must come to see that all their anxious plans and efforts, all the feverish agitation and activity which they dedicate to working out their own destinies, is just so much fighting against God's gentle guiding hand. For five long years Grushenka has refused to be prevailed upon by any man except the tyrannical old Samsanov. How hard it must be for Dmitri to be madly in love with this woman now; he knows "with a sinking heart" that at times she must hate him for his passion. What he does not know is that her soul can find no peace, that she is in misery reflecting upon the hardships and humiliations of her past. Betrayed, 40 II irnp~veris!i~_d,_ and.. d~sgraced at the tender _ age_ of se\7enteen, Grushenka has been forced to establish a business partnership with Fyodor Karamaz.ov in order to raise herself up out of the quagmire. She is hopelessly confused about her standing with the man who once wooed her with his guitar and then left her for another woman. Will she kill him when she sees him? Or will she run to him with open arms and fall at his feet? Her bitterness and pain give rise to a just wrath against men, those seducers and corrupters, self-seekers and pleasure-mongers, who one moment sweetly profess their love and the next moment are slyly out the door. Why not take every possible opportunity to get in strong blows at the bastards? Grushenka drives Fyodor wild with desire with her pride, insolence, and rosy-plump Russian beauty. She toys coquettishly with Dmitri. And in her darkest moments she dreams of enchanting and seducing the young novice, Alyosha. She fiendishly imagines getting the handsome boy in her clutches and ruining him, mocking his purity and innocence. Grushenka's profound unhappiness is rooted in her uncertainty whether any man can or will ever love her, in a genuine way, whether any man can or will ever love her, not her shapely arms and her buxom figure, not her sharp wit and vigorous intellect, but Grushenka simply, with all her bales and pains. Drni tri and Grushenka are much alike in that the vilest scenes enter their imaginations and they yield to grace at the crucial times, Dmitri with Katerina and Grushenka with Alyosha. When Alyosha is at his most vulnerable state upon the death and premature corruption of Father Zossima's body, Rakitin takes him to the vixen in the black silk dress so that he may cash in on his deal with Grushenka and bring about the downfall of the religious idiot. Rakitin licks his chops and gnashes his teeth as a member of Satan's entourage. When they arrive Alyosha learns that his brother is in ambush at his father's house, yet he does nothing. His grief is such a burden that he forgets to attend to Dmitri, as Father Zossirna commanded, at the very time Fyodor is to be murdered. Without knowing the cause of Alyosha's depression Grushenka coyly sits on his knee hoping to cheer him up. Just yesterday Alyosha would have greatly feared such a gesture; lust and temptation would have arisen in his soul; but now the sorrow in his heart swallows up his every sensation. He wants to witness Alyosha eating sausage and drinking champagne, but most of all he wants to witness Grushenka setting to work on him. Yet she cannot. Grushenka looks upon Alyosha's goodness and feels ashamed at her own badness. Her conscience comes to life in his presence. Upon hearing the news of Father Zossima' s death, Grushenka devoutly crosses herself and immediately gets up from Alyosha's knee. Alyosha recognizes her gesture as an outgrowth of simple-hearted goodness, as a gracious gift of kindness, an onion. Even in the throes of despair Alyosha has the eyes to see Grusha' s action as a sign of pity. He, the young novice, came to Grushenka with "base and evil" motives, and she, the reputed harlot, greeted him with "a loving heart". Alyosha's soul is "raised from the depths", saved by this simple gesture of loving kindness and concern for . the gravity of his suffering. He in turn gives Grushenka an onion by calling her "sister" and showing her that she, Grushenka simply, is a person worthy of forgiveness and love tendered by a heart not full of lust and shame. This is precisely what Grushenka needs to know, to feel confident about, in order to be open to and accept God's saving reconciliation of Dmitri and herself. The meeting between Alyosha and Grusha shows forth the coming together of the Madonna and Sodom, yet it is not the case that one is the Madonna and the other Sodom; they are each a mixture of extremes, and only by recognizing this can they begin to purify their hearts. Alyosha needs to face up to his own badness and Grusha needs to face up to her own goodness. Remarkably, Rakitin is utterly insensitive to the gifts being exchanged between Alyosha and Grusha. He considers them "maudlin and mad." He is blind to the fact that these two have passed through a spiritual crisis together such as does not happen often in a lifetime. The ordinary circumstances surrounding the event do not 41 �11 detract in any way from its significance. Sadly, from the way things have turned out Rakitin is the sort of person who makes it all but impossible for others to show kindness to him. He just plain misses the beauty of Grusha's gesture and later pokes fun at Alyosha for having "saved the sinner." Raki tin's proper name is Mihail, the name of Father zossima' s mysterious visitor. He is capable of the murder Mihail enacted with such villainy and daring, but if he never commits his crime, Raki tin will never become aware that he has fallen into the hands of the living God. He will never feel compelled to confess his sins and find deliverance from his misery in Jesus Christ. Rakitin is a man to be pitied. Rakitin' s anxious concern for his career and his reputation close him off to Grushenka's goodness. Knowing all about her shameful past, he refuses to acknowledge that she is his cousin, that they share blood. This is akin to denying her personhood. Rakitin is not alone. Most people pass by her on the street avoiding her and sizing her up only with a view to her past, as if they knew the who and the why of her because they have heard rumors of her lost innocence. They recognize her as a human being only with a glance of disapproval. Grushenka is tougher than they are. She can take it. Yet how unfair that such a young girl should be so put upon by the world that before she even knows what is going on, something precious and dear, something to. be cherished, has been taken away from her. Thank goodness Grusha can turn to Jesus' happy story and read about this man who did not bother himself with people's past, except to forgive them their sins and encourage them to sin no more(Jn.8:11), whether they were adulterers or prostitutes, soldiers or governors. Mitya has the spirit. The narrator: "Mitya looked upon Grushenka' s past as something completely over. He looked upon that past with infinite pity and resolved with all the fervor of his passion that when once Grushenka told him she loved him and would marry him, it would mean the beginning of a new Grushenka and a new Dmitri, free from every vice. They would forgive one another and begin their lives afresh." Without forgiveness human beings cannot attain reconciliation with their past and begin life anew and afresh. Without forgiveness the weight of sin is an unbearable burden which human beings attempt to unload by way of forgetfulness but only manage to make worse by way of further sinfulness. But how can Mitya possibly take Grushenka away to dreamland? All will be lost unless he can come up with exactly three thousand roubles. Why that amount? So that Katerina can be paid back? Because that is how much Fyodor has set aside for Grushenka, knowing Mitya'a need? Because that is how much he can expect to get out of the property at Tchermashnya? Who knows? Poor Mitya has an awful time with money. He alone of the brothers grew up with an income, having fun and showing others a good time; but while Mitya knows all about spending money, he does not know the first thing about earning it. It's a happy thing that Mitya believes in miracles, for if he could not continue to live as though somehow, by way of providence, money would drop from heaven, he would give over to despair and madness. This is not to say that Mitya will do nothing to aid the designs of providence. He must. For the first time in his life he doesn't have easy access to a fistful of cash, aside from the fifteen-hundred roubles protecting his honor, and as we all know, a person can't go far without at least that much. Mitya is on the brink of ruin. Because of his tendency to "give himself up to every new idea with passionate enthusiasm" he passes through a nightmarish experience in search of money during the day and night before his father's murder. Samsanov gets the whole thing started by playing a cruel trick on Mitya, sending him off to Tchermashnya with the hope of selling his property, a trick which ranks with smerdyakov's treatment of cats and Kolya's game with the goose. "You're my salvation," says Dmitri, "you've saved me." He is in one of his ecstatic states thinking that a trip and a transaction will be the happy solution to all his difficulties. If Ivan is a person who yearns overmuch to save others, Dmitri is a 42 . I person who yearns overmuch to be saved by others. Being the kind, endearing, energetic, explosive man that he is, his lodgers give him their last three roubles in all the world to help him pay for a carriage to Tchermashnya. This . is among the most telling signs of the beauty of Dmitri Fyodorovitch Karamazov, that· his lodgers, who are dirt poor, give up everything they have for his sake. He is the so"rt of person who makes it easy for others to show kindness and charity to him. Mitya's childlike ebullience brings gladness to these lonely people, so that they feel honored to be the captain's loyal friends • Every part of Mitya's salvific plan goes wrong. First he is late on account of what he thought was a shortcut; next the priest is not at home; while Dmitri searches for him it grows dark; it turns out that Lyagavy, the prospective buyer of his property, is not at the priest's but at the forester's cottage; after they set out on foot toward the . cottage, it dawns on the priest that it is much farther away than he thought; the priest cannot tell Mitya anything about Lyagavy except that to call him 'Lyagavy', as Samsonov suggested, and not 'Gorstkin,' would mean disaster; when they finally arrive at the cottage Gorstkin is dead drunk and canno.t carry on any dealings; Mitya has to wait overnight for his buyer, his savior, to sober up; meanwhile he falls asleep; in the middle of the night the hut catches fire; Dmitri is in hell; he sleeps again; while he is asleep Lyagavy wakes up and polishes off another bottle of vodka. "It's a tragedy." After exchanging some unpleasant words with Gorstkin, Dmitri finally comes to be convinced that Samsanov was mocking him the whole time. weak as a child, Mitya, being the honest and upright person that he is, leaves fifty kopecks behind to pay for a night's lodging in the forester's hut, although he is broke and he has just suffered the worst night of his life. Striding aimlessly through the black wood, he emerges on to some harvested fields, saying: "What despair, what death all around." Mitya is an · incurable romantic. But in the end, he places his last hope in the wealthy Mme. Hohlakov. The meeting of the two great dramatists, Dmitri Fyodorovitch and Mme. Hohlakov, brings laughter, but the comedy ceases when it becomes evident that the selfish, rich woman is fool,ishly and cruelly playing the role of Father Zossima, "an experienced doctor of the soul." Knowing who Mitya is, what he needs, what is best for him, what he ought and ought not do, Mme Hohlakov confidently proclaims: "I will save you." But nothing Mme.Hohlakov can say or do will deliver Mitya from the agony God has in store for him. Claiming to be all-knowing about another person's heart, and all-powerful in bringing about his salvation, are grave evils. The ways God finds to go about redeeming us are more wonderfully strange and imaginative than anything we could ever come up with. Although Mme. Hohlakov is doing damage to herself and appears to be doing the same to Dmitri, she is also an instrument in the ongoing process of God's dealings with Mitya, His child. When Mme.Hohlakov puts the ikon of the holy martyr around his neck, Mitya must be reminded in some way that trust in Christ involves suffering, that the whole creation, which groans inwardly(Rom.8:23), is part of God's redemptive drama. The faithful Franciscan nun who calls out to Christ in the storm from the Deutschland -- "O Christ, Christ, come quickly" -- does not call through the storm to a Christ who is behind and outside the storm, she cries out to the storm itself because he himself is in it, because Christ is the storm. When we turn away from suffering, we turn away from Christ. Acceptance of Jesus requires that we enter into "the unshapeable shock night" (The Wreck of the Deutschland #29) , for that is where he is to be found. Dmitri is slowly making this ,Piscovery, but, with a slam of his fist on the table and with a throw of his spit on the floor, he will put up a fight. Mitya exits from Mme. Hohlakov's house with childlike tears which save him from madness. The thought that Grushenka could possibly have thrown him over for Fyodor is enough to stop Mitya's flow of tears. His jealousy goes to such an extreme that he contemplates doing violence to his own father, and to himself, with a brass pestle 43 �and a pistol. What saves Dmitri at that critical moment under Fyodor's window as he stands there hidden by the bushes looking loathingly at his father's battered face, dandified by his red handkerchief and his silk nightgown? Wrath, fury, and vengeance surge up in Dmitri's heart as he gazes with contempt at his rival, yet he still has the childlike wonder to notice how colorful the berries are that dark night. Remembering this moment later, Mitya says: "God was watching over me then." Perhaps some sacred memory, preserved since childhood, say, Herzenstube's gift of nuts, saved Dmitri. Not that he was aware of the fact, or pictured an image to himself, but some good memory hidden deep in his heart which made him cherish life may have influenced his action. Maybe it wasn't a childhood memory. It could have been Father zossima's low bow a few days back. How fearful a thing it is to consider that our every gesture, each act, word, and glance, makes a difference in the lives of the people around us, to think that we are always planting either good or evil seeds in the hearts of others as long as we participate in public life. Everyone knows what it is like to be either welcomed or rejected by someone else's eyes in passing. Dmitri's and Herzenstube' s tears in court, the fact that Mi tya went to visit and thank Herzenstube over twenty years after the event -- Gott der Vater, Gott der Sohn, und Gott der heilige Geist -- attests to the truth of Alyosha's words~the boys after Ilusha' s funeral: "If a man carries many such memories with him into life, he is safe to the end of his days, and if one has only one good memory left in one's heart, even that may sometimes be the means of saving us." Who we are has a whole lot to do with what we remember, and what we remember says a whole lot about who we are. Some gestures and events . of supreme importance to our well-being we remember, others we forget. When Dmitri has Penya by the throat, his hands and face smeared with Grigory's blood, it occurs to him that he forgot about the Polish officer as soon as he heard of him. Mi tya in a flash changes to a state of childlike gentleness from a state of violent frenzy upon hearing that Grushenka loved his noble heart for an hour. Mitya smiles and sighs with glee. That memory will endure. In celebration of his making way for Grushenka' s new life with her Polish officer, Dmitri will host a feast, a gala event at which all are welcome, with champagnes, wines, vodkas, chocolates, cakes, pies, jams, sweet meats, all in abundance. Mitya will renounce his own lavish desires for the queen of his heart, if only she can be happy. He is beginning to care for others in their own right, apart from himself. 'Mokroe' is associated with the Russian word meaning 'moist . ' Dmitri's overflowing, Giovanni-like prodigality brings about the drunkenness and merriment, the splendid party at Mokroe, the feast in honor of rich, moist Mother Earth. Mitya's natural element is the party; with sounds of gypsies' instruments, popping corks , and rustic folk songs: with sights of colorful costumes , laughing faces , and peasant dances. The celebration is as much for the people of Mokroe as it is for Dmitri and Grushenka, for the peasants who live in their black, broken- down shanties, in poverty and desolation, day in and day out, year after year, people after Mitya's own heart. Everyone regardless of rank or religion is invited to Dmitri's feast, provided they make merry and find delight in music and dance, and in the company of their neighbors. Mitya's infectious energy exhilarates young and old, rich and poor alike; his expansiveness and exuberance bring joy and gladness to other people's hearts, and simply make good things happen . Andrey, the driver who takes Dmitri to Mokroe at breakneck speed, says, in all simplicity and truth, that though Mitya is hot- tempered, rough, and impulsive, he is still a child, and God will forgive him for his kind heart. Imagine the peasant folks of Mokroe in their huts, late at night, huddled by the fire trying to keep warm, perhaps weighed down by sadness and boredom, but hopeful, when suddenly a cry goes through the streets announcing the arrival of the captain , Dmitri Fyodorovitch Karamazov , who has come to throw another happy feast . What relief and excitement they must feel: with hearts renewed by the anticipation of 44 drinking, singing, and dancing; with hearts renewed by the presence of this man of the earth who will greet them all, men and women , boys and girls , pretty and plain, with open arms, with a hug and a kiss; with hearts renewed by the opportunity to forget their cares and woes this one night and to be with one another as fellows full of gaiety and laughter. The peasants at Dmitri's feast do not lose themselves in Bacchic revelry, in the worship of Dionysos; they find themselves in their folk tradition, they discover the possibility for fun and play in their lives despite their oppressive surroundings . Drunkenness, party spirit, and carousing may be on St. Paul's list of works of the flesh(Gal . 5:20), but God will forgive the people of Mokroe this much for one night . Dmitri's feast at Mokroe must be pleasing to God . Grushenka has the spirit: "When do they get a chance to enjoy themselves, · why shouldn't folks be happy?" Hurrah for Karamazov! But what about Grigory? Can Mitya be excused for running away from the scene of his crime to go throw a party? For all he knows Grigory might be dead. Dmitri has not forgotten the bloody blow he gave to the man who was a father to him as a child . He is thinking remorsefully about this very deed when on the way to Mokroe he begs Andrey to forgive him for everyone and everything, and when he withdraws into "frantic prayer . " Dmitri is at heart a peasant, although in blood he is a nobleman, an honn~e homme, whose honor is of utmost concern to him. His peasant heart allows Father Zossima' s words to make a great impression on him. During the course of Mitya's 'unshapeable shock night' he comes to see more and more vividly his responsibility to all for all and everything, le plus noble des sentiments. Later in the night Mitya, with characteristic exaggeration, says to Grushenka: "I'd give ten vears r~ my life for Grigory to get well, to know he was all right." The feast at Mokroe bears a resemblance to the wedding party in Cana, of Galilee: " ••• the gladness of some poor, very poor people ••• the people living about the Lake of Genesareth were the poorest that can possibly be imagined .•• they hadn't wine enough even at a wedding ••. and His heart was open even to the simple, artless mer ry-making of some obscure and unlearned people, who had warmly bidden Him to their poor wedding ... indeed was it to make wine abundant at poor weddings He had come down to earth?" Dmitri and Grushenka confess their mutual love and even make vows of fidelity in the midst of the uproar at Mokroe. Yet the vows made between these lovers do not quite stand up to the vows made at the marriage feast at which Jesus is present. Dmitri and Grushenka may be on their way to an embrace of the spiritual life, the sacrament of marriage, but as yet they do not hold such a life dear enough. Grushenka still toys coyly with Mitya. Fondling Kalganov, she asks: "Who is it that I love?" Dmitri knows the answer, but enough is enough. After mentioning that Alyosha earlier said something to her that she will remember her whole life long, she is able to confess to Dmitri, and to herself, that she has been carrying spite in her heart and tormenting her lover with it. Grusha, like Mitya, is on the verge of reformation and needs only a spe,cial saving act of grace to push her over the edge. Saying, "tomorrow the nunnery I today the dance" I she means that she wishes to enjoy this night of feasting to the fullest before making a final commitment to Dmitri. Grusha doesn't see that it is not so easy. Living on the edge yields great pleasure; the temptation is to stay put . St . Augustine: "How long, how long? Tomorrow and tomorrow? Why not now? Why not in this very hour an end to my uncleanness?" (Confessions 8 : 12) . Something te rr ifying must be endur ed this v e ry night if Grus h a and Mitya are to exchange promises with solemn devotion . Dimitri came to Mokroe hoping only to become reconciled with Grushenka . The plan was to kill himself after making way for her new life with the Pole : "I must kill one noxious insect for fear it should crawl and spoil life for others." Mitya has shown a g r eat change in his love for Grusha . At the start he wished to win her from his rival for his glory and satisfaction as well as for his reformation and renewal; he was prone to fierce jealousy and vengeful violence; he was always on the 45 �------------ - - -- - -- - - - -- watch and even employed Smerdyakov to keep track of Grushenka's and Fyodor's de a.lings• Now, however, Mi tya' s only concern is with Grusha' s happiness. He is willing to let Grushenka go off with the Pole if that is what she wishes· he does not imp~s~ his own will on her doings; he respects her enough to let her ~ake her own decisions · Once Dmitri has attained this noble condition, and once the devil's temptation to suicide is overcome on the balcony - - "Let this fearful cup pass from me!" . -- Mi tya can place hope in the future with Grushenka, and he can be fully confident that God is working for his happiness along with hers . Mitya and Grusha are meant to be together; they are made for one another; but it is not until the ~east and the sudden catastrophe at Mokroe that they are fully aware of the gift each is to and for the other, as beings of God. Again, only when Mitya renounces his own will, his own mad desire to possess Grushenka, when he acknowledges her freedom to go abo ut doing ~hat she considers best, and only when he prays that God may order events as He sees fit, only then does everything begin to fall into place, does Dmitri see that he and Grushenka are destined to spend their lives together in holy matrimony. After Grusha's final dance, after Dmitri carries her to rest on the bed, they vow to be honest, honorable, and goo d, to work the land and dig the earth to act ·a s responsible human b eings with a closeness to life and growth, and t o b ow' down befo re God a nd b eg f o rg ive ness. But they do not know what they are willing t o endu re for one anothe.r u nti.l th.e i nvestigato rs appear: felix culpa. . The investig~ting lawyers interpret all the e vidence with a view to Mitya 1 s guilt. The case is closed e v en befo re the condemned man is interrogated. That the Po les cheat at cards is no hindrance t o their tes t imony, but that Mitya lies about t~e three tho usand r o ub l es makes all t he difference in the world. The prosecuter for h~ s p~rt h as a persona l ~take i n t h e matter despite all his c laims t o ' obj e c tiv ity ': h~s wife ~as always particularly f o nd o f Dmitri and his career will skyrocket with a vic t o r y i n court. With dev ilish wi nks and smirks of self-righteousn e s s and se~f-~at isfact ion, the inv estigato rs make the same error as Ivan. They think that by s t i c king t o t h e f acts the tru th will inevitably be t o ld, as if facts of themselves were in the habit o f fa ll ing i nto plac e, as if a selectio n and i n terpretatio n o f fa c ts on t h e part o f fa l l ible human b e ings were not at issue. J ust as Ivan c laims t o know abo ut the in j u~ti c e of suffering on the basis of s o me newspaper clippings, so t h e se attorneys claim t o know about M itya's guilt o n the basis o f hearsay: Grigo ry saw the door open; Trifo n Borisso vitch has no doubt that Mitya spent three t hous and o n each o f his trips to M kroe; and so on. The truth is that the investigato rs h ave o persu a d ed themse lves o f t h eparricidalcharacter of Karamazov. This c ase is just like s o many o thers. The y must have everything in order. They have c hosen to attend to only t h?se fac ts wh ich s uppo rt their fantasy, which fit their pre-arranged p u zzle, and to igno re every o ther relev ant piece of e v idence. They refuse to acknowledge the he art- f elt nat u re of Dmitr i' s horro r a nd sorrow over the where and the how o f h is fath er's de ath. (Not b e ing altogether b eautiful himself, Dmitri has come t o see t h at he h a d no p lac e to fi nd Fyodor repulsive. ) The inv estigato rs refu se to admit that their job consists in s to r y -te l ling . In their eyes ficti on has nothing to d o wi th the t r uth . Yet the y f ab r ic a t e t h e f ab le o f the fif t een-hundred roubles stash e d away some where in the hotel, much to Trifo n Borossovitc h's cha g rin. What t he investiga to rs don't seem t o understand is t h at Dmitri Fyodo r ovitch Karamazov a human bei?g, and an .extraordinary one at that, cannot be boxed and packaged, 'that the moti v es a nd a ctions o f a perso n are far too invo l v ed to be exp l a ined away i n a po l i c e repo rt. Of c ourse, lawyers have to j udge, as do we all, but why do we find such satani c pleasure i n j udging o thers? Why are we s o c o nfident that we know the t ruth o f their heart s a nd a c tio ns, when a goo d deal of the time we haven't t h e fa intest no tio n wha t we are talking about? ~ Dmitri's integrity and frankness make it difficult f o r him t o s h are what is in h is heart with t hese men. Confessing to Alyosha is a relief, but confessing to the 46 attorneys is agony . Honor is not so important to them that they know the distinction between being a thief and being a scoundrel . Even, that is , especially when he is s tanding naked before them , Dmitr i towers above the investigator s . God ' s way s are strange and mysterious. Piety demands that we trust in their goodness . It does· a ll seem fitting and r ight when Mitya says : "I couldn't have lear ned s o much about myself in twenty years as I have on this accursed night . " Dmitri is the sort of person who has to suffer greatly before he is prepared to have his heart changed by God. Out of his grief fo r Grushenka, his anger over the investigators' petty details, his exhaustion a f ter being tossed to and fro all night long, out of Mitya' s great suffering emerges a d r eam about a babe . The d r eam arising f r om Mi tya ' s subterranean depths bears witness to his t r ansfigured self, his careful attentiveness to people who are afflicted and aggrieved, his newfound openness to being of service t o his fellow s , to self- giving fo r the gladness of others . Approaching a bur nt-out town with the houses in shambles -- Mokroe? -- seeing the villagers standing i n tattered rags on the road in t he dead of winter, Mi tya naively a s ks his peasant driver -- Andrey? -- questions concerning the mystery of suffering : Why a r e they c r ying? Why are they crying? ••• It's the babe ••. The babe weeping ••• but why is she weeping ••• why are her little arms bare? Why don't they wrap her up? .•. The babe's cold, her little clothes a r e frozen and don't warm he r •.• But why is it? Why? •.• Why , they're poor people bur nt out ••• No,no ••• Tell me why is it those poor mothers stand there? Why are people poo r ? Why is the babe poor? Why is the steppe bar ren? Why don ' t they hug each othe r a nd kiss? Why don't they sing songs of joy? Why are they so dark f r om black misery? Why don't they feed the babe ? Sadly , Ivan never asks "Why?" . Ivan cannot admit that he does not know, that the answer is hidden f rom him . By way of the mystery of suffering, t h e 'irranortal beauty' - as Hopkins calls it- of Christ's sacrifice, that is how God finally chooses to reveal Himself to human beings in history . Mi tya is entering that storm which wrecked the Deutschland, shar ing in the suffering of people whom he does not know, and does not n e ed to know in o r der to feel what they feel . Mitya himself was once a child in tatter ed r ags, outcas t and forgotten; he understands , almost, what it means to shiver in the cold with litt le hope of finding shelter again , suffe r ing unto death . Mo r e s o than on any othe r night, even last night at the fo r ester's hut--his final preparation fo r tonight , tonight Mitya has endured a heart- wrenching pass ion : first being tempted to act c o ntrary t o God' s will by murder and suic · de; next endur ing abuse , condemnation, and mockery by the citizens and judges; las t wi ll b e the bearing of a c r oss for the rest of his life, unto death . And he felt that a passion of pity, such as he had neve r known befor e, was rising in his hear t, that he wanted to c r y, tha t he wanted to do something fo r them all, so that the babe should weep no more , so that the dark- faced, dried- up mother should not wee p , that no one should s hed tears again f r om that moment , and he wanted to do it at once, at once, regar dless of all obstacles , wi th all the recklessness of the Karamazovs • •• 'And I'm coming with you . I won't leave now for the rest of my life . I'm coming with you,' he heard close by him Grushenka's tender voice , thrilling with emotion . And his heart glowed, and he str uggled forward toward the light , and he longed to live, to live , to go on a nd on , towar ds the new beckoning light, and to 47 �hasten, hasten, now, at once! Dmitri is drawn to the sufferin face . . . The urgent call to attend to th g s of individuals, not to Ivan's 'humanity' M't ' e sorrows and woes of his f 11 • 1 ya s brotherly compassion for the woman . e ows comes from Christ. one simple manifestation of God' . and ch~ldren of the devastated village is Christ Mitya would feel no compul:i~~v~:g,, sufferi~g l~ve for human beings. Without starving people. Bearing one another's ~iv~ up h~s life for these withered, feeble, sees feelingly that he has the ab'l't b ur ens is Christ's law (Gal. 6:2). Mitya · i i Y Y way of God's sav· saving efficacy, to respond to th ing power, Christ's death's st th e cares of the babe By f reel . . and concern, by responding to Christ's . . y giving his love and . reng in the sufferings of its inhabitant b h . prese~ce in the burnt out village and bab e, Mitya acknowledges with a d s, b Y earing Christ's vo ice in t h e cries of the · · · . are responsible to all for all ;ep ow the truth of Father Zossima's words· 'all unkindness are just as much th an everything.' Mitya now knows that his mome~ts of · e b e f ore he could have his dream cause of the babe's suffering as anything else. Yet d I · · , a goo dream not the e · 1 d nquisitor and Mme. Hohlakov, Mit a had ., . vi ream of Ivan and the is like to make way to love G hy . k to strike Grigory, and he had to feel what it , rus en a as a human bein d and he had to be UnJ' ustly tri' d d g an not as someone to be won, e an put upon by the · t' · t h e character of redemptive drama inves igating lawyers. Such is H Now Mitya must face the possibility of spending e courageously proclaims that even in the mines years of hard labor in. Siberia. murderers, the persecuted and th t underground, among thieves and . e ou cast he will try t raise a hymn of praise and th k . . , o muster the strength to redeemed man to be full of h anh sgiving t~ God the Father. It is the mark of a ope w en faced with the worst imaginable conditions. I w~ite~ patiently for the Lord1 he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up out of the desolate pit,out of the miry and set my foot on a rock, making my steps secure bog, He put a new song in my m th · ou , a song of praise to our God. (Ps.40) But Dmitri is wrong about himself when . cross in Siberia. That is . t he cons~ders that God wills him to bear his . JUs not what he is meant to d · married, to be married to a woman 1. k G h o. Mi tya needs to be the dream of the babe Mitya's d i e lrlus enk~, no one else. Her voice was also in . . ream a ows him to enter i t th b rings him closer to · Christ th R d n o o ers' suffering. it . e e eemer, but he cannot with f 1 ' weeping and hunger from the face of th h one e 1 swoop, wipe Dmitri has been delivered from tr ~ eart. . The redemptive power with which Mitya' s vows to Grushenka hi s coamrnns'gtresstions hwill work thr ough him in a family way. ' ' i men to er for l' f t · · The sacrament of marriage will be a bi ~ . i.e ime, will be a handful. seeking out run-down towns and d. t g ~nough responsibil.i ty for Dmitri without his Christ's cross. He has a cross ::. r:u~ t m?thers and children. Mitya cannot bear can still reflect the goodness a die is !uniquely his own. His sayings and doings d. n reso ve of his dream th . or inary than he thought' that's all. Th , ey may JUst be more Fyodorovitch Karamazov heretofore is t b e ~:eatest act of love open to Dmitri and a stern and tender father for theiroch:ld:en~nd and gentle husband for Grushenka v. The Holy Koinonia Alexey Fyodorovi tch Karamazov is Skotoprignyevsk after a long ab the .first among the brothers to return to . sence. Having an allegian t comes in search of his mother, s t mb ce o sacred memory, he lies buried; he abandoned his wif 'o • Fyodor in his dissipation forgot where she e s grave and all his memories long ago on a trip to 48 Odessa. Thanks only to Grigory's steadfast service and special fondness for Sophia, a stone was erected in her name. Alyosha visits the place, remembering how his mother once held him up to the slanting sunlight shining on a holy image so that as a child he might receive the gracious gift of faith. Alyosha cherishes this memory his whole life long. Strangely, when he hears a story about a fit of his mother's -- the one incited by Fyodor's spitting on an ikon hoping to destroy Sophia's mysticism -Alyosha falls back in his chair "shaking all over in a hysterical paroxysm of sudden, violent weeping." The blood of a religious idiot flows through this young man's veins. With the memory of his mother's piety working upon his imagination Alyosha decides to enter the monastery on the outskirts of town as a novice. Father Zossima, the Elder at the monastery renowned for his saintly doings, Alyosha's pater seraphicus, also recollects going to mass with his mother as a child and being struck by sunlight streaming down through the window of the church. God's word is planted as a seed in Zossima' s and Alexey' s heart at an early age, and grows of its own accord without their constant care and attention. Being a Karamazov, a person smeared with black, Alyosha is capable of base lust, pre-occupation with himself and indifference to others, willful rejection of God's saving ways, all the sins which lead to a life in hell on earth, which make a human being unable to love his fellows. Alyosha's becoming a novice to escape the darkness and deviltry of the world and his own soul, to avoid temptation by hiding behind cloistral walls, is, as Father Zossima knows, somewhat troublesome; it is a sign of youthful fear and inexperience, not a sign of weakness and aloneness. Father Zossima also knows that Alyosha sincerely wishes to search after righteousness among holy men, to offer himself up to God as a living sacrifice with a view to showing mercy and being of service to others who are in need. He has been blessed with the gifts of unaffected . simplicity and patient humility. Alyosha's soft, gentle, handsome young face raises in Father Zossima's memory the image of his brother Markel whose pious, dying sayings have always been enshrined in his heart. It is good that Father Zossima at the beginning of his life received Markel's words, witnessing his beautiful death, and at the end of his life passes on his treasured memories to the boy who reminds him o f Markel, spending his last days with Alyosha in childlike happiness. Father Zossima can look back in old age over his many years and see God at work taking care of him, giving him then Markel and now Alyosha. Under the influence of a freethinking and isolated philosophy student, Markel came to rail against God and laugh at the servants and members of his family for their devout practices during Lent. Afterwards, Holy Week brought a fatal illness to Markel, but "a marvelous change passed over him, his spirit seemed transformed." When he began speaking in ways obscure and almost unintelligible, the doctor diagnosed his words as insane, but the nine year old Zossima gladly and attentively heard them as free gifts for the enhancement of faith: "I will be the servant of my servants, the same as they are to me .•• every one of us has sinned against all men, and I more than any ... Birds of heaven, happy birds, forgive me, for f have sinned against you ••• There was such a glory of God all about me: birds, trees, meadows, sky, only I lived in shame and dishonored it all and did not notice the beauty and the glory ... it's for you, not grief I'm crying •.. I like to humble myself before them, for I don't know how to love them enough, yet all forgive me, too, and that's heaven. Am I not in heaven now?" Markel says that he has sinned against every created being more than any other person; Dimitri feels responsible for the weeping and suffering of the babe and her mother; Father Zossima blames himself for another man's sin even more than the actual sinner: all because they are aware that they have not fully attained to the joy of being in the world and that in their joyless states they have sown evil seeds in people's hearts. Markel's betrayal of life's glory encourages the brilliant young 49 �philosopher to preach his own plan of salvation, adding to his bitterness and misanthropy; Mitya's violent treatment of Snegiryov -- that large sweeping gesture which prevents him from performing a small act of kindness -- leads to Ilusha' s death; Zossima' s reckless, youthful vanity brings about a duel which could make a murderer out of a nobleman. Alyosha must accept that even the best human beings suffer from frailty and pass through periods of harmful wrongdoing. He must recognize that escaping from the sinfulness of the world and his own soul is no way to combat evil and attain purity of heart, that a monk's life of prayer in a monastery is a life of compassionate dedication to his fellows in the world, that being in the world is a joyful activity even in the midst of anguish and degradation . The primary foundation for joy is God the Creator. Also every being in the created world -- mountains, rivers, even stones -- is a reason to delight in being alive. And since it is all too easy to side with Ivan ' s claim that suffering makes it impossible to find joy and be glad, ·Holy Scripture too is a necessary foundation, for the sacred tales of the Bible place the suffering of God's world in the proper redemptive light. Alyosha holds a naive conviction that Father Zossima's saintly doings will bring extraordinary glory to the monastery. Believing the Elder' s death to be an event worth God's showing Himself and His favor -- as if justice consisted in worldly fame -- Alyosha turns away from God. He acts as though there were a fit recompense for righteousness, even though no human being is justified in God's sight because of anything he does. A person is justified only because God in all His mercy freely and unconditionally chooses to make him just, to fill him with grace, to look upon him as righteous. St. Paul: " .• a man is not justified by works of the law but by way of faith in Jesus Christ ..• I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me . . . if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose" (Gal. 2:16-21). Alyosha grieves over Father zossima's death with his back turned to the hermitage, sitting on Job's tombstone, a monk whose namesake defied God for justice's sake and whose body did not undergo corruption after death. By expecting something extraordinary, a quite peculiar marvel, to affirm and proclaim Father Zossima' s sanctified life before all the world, Alyosha is defying and denying God's will and way. Before Alyosha met Father Zossima he never loved anyone enough -- besides his mot;her -- to feel deep injury at his loss. Alyosha does not weep beautifully for Father Zossima just because of the premature corruption of the Elder' s body. His tears of sorrow turn into tears of disappointment. Alyosha is at his worst when he joins the throng behind Ferapont outside Father Zossima's cell and when he repeats Ivan's cheap phrases about not accepting God's world. Unbeknownst to him, God's saving activity is present even in this seemingly catastrophic event. The apparent disgrace of Alyosha's saint leads to "a crisis and turning-point in his spiritual development, giving a shock to his intellect, which finally strengthened it for the rest of his life and gave it a definite aim." Rakitin finds Alyosha lying motionless, face down, with arms limply outspread on the ground, deeply pained by God's hiddenness, and lures him over to Grushenka's for a drink and a fling. Alyosha's going to Grushenka's home is akin to throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple, tempting God. On the one hand he has a childish, abstract, dogmatic urge to get back at God for what He has allowed to happen -- not only was Father Zossima not justified, he was ruined - - on the other hand he secretly hopes to find God's saving presence at Grusha's. His expectation of the extraordinary from God defied and denied the divine mystery at work in ordinary things. Grushenka's simple gesture of kindness and compassion helps Alyosha see more deeply the mystery of a Creator who is moved by and overflows with the fullness of love. Only along this path can Alyosha renounce once and for all his tendency to 50 hate God's way of going about doing good. His power to give a small gift in return to Grushenka even in his lowliest condition bears witness to the strength of his love and the depth of his kindness. Alyosha's gift to Grushenka consists in allowing Grushenka to give a gift to him, in allowing her to show forth the ~ood~ess in her oul so that she might take note of it. He is able to offer Grusha this gift because ~f his steadfast, quixotic respect for all human beings, even, that is, especially those who do not respect themselves. The source and center of Alyosha's gladness is his ability to receive with grace the gifts of others and to bear without conde~ation ~he abuse~ o~ others. Receiv~ng is more difficult than giving and keeping silence is more difficult than shouting Alyosha can be a child of the generous Yefim Petrovitch in a way Ivan cannot t OU. 'l simply because Alyosha thankfully acknowledges Yefim's fatherly .gestures whi. e Ivan stubbornly avoids them. Ivan speaks angrily to people who wish to do .him some charity, desiring rather to stand firmly on his own two feet and support himself at all cost. Alyosha, on the other hand, accepts hospitality from anyone; he doesn't bother about who is taking care of him; and even as a child he endures the insults of his school-fellows without a word of complaint, harshness, or cruelty. Ivan tends to turn down invitations to merry-making, but Alyosha, now that he has received Grusha's loving kindness and set aside his troubled spirit, is ready to respond gladly to the biggest invitation imaginable. . . . Father Paissey is reading the story of the wedding party in Cana, of Galilee, from st. John's gospel, over the dead body of Father Zossima, when Alyosha returns to the hermitage f rorn Grushenka' s house. Exhausted by the turmoil and tumult of the day, as is Dmitri when he dreams of the babe and Ivan when he d~eams of ~he devil, Alyosha enters into the sacred tale. He is invited by Father Zossima, who is present at the wedding, to join the party, the marriage feast at which joy abounds. Even Alyosha, for whom receiving is so easy, is hidden and out of sight, so that he requires a special invitation corning from the person whom he most trusts and holds most dear . Alyosha, who has been hiding from the outside, the world beyond the ikon-covered gates of the cloistered monks, is finally ready to grasp fully the words of Father zossirna -- "he who loves men loves their gladness" -- and the words of Dmitri --"there is no living without joy" -- and the words of either Father Zossima or Dmitri Alyosha isn't sure which, probably both --"everything that is true and good is ~!ways full of forgiveness" -- and the beauty and goodness of Jesus. in changing water into wine so that the poor people around the Lake of Genesareth might be festive and happy~ When the walls recede in the midst of Alyosha's dream, the distinction between inside, the cloistral walls of the monastery, and outside, the world is erased. Alyosha finally sees that what happens inside has everything to do with ~hat happens outside and what happens outside has everything to do with what happens inside. The world as well as the church is a place to delight in feasts ~nd celebrations, a place to be with others for the good of all. . Th~ sudden comi~g together of places Alyosha had always considered separate and distinct causes his soul to overflow "with rapture" and to yearn for "freedom, space, openness." For the first time Alyosha sees the splendor and the glory of his familiar surroundings: The vault of heaven, full of soft, shining stars, stretched vast and fathomless above him. The Milky Way ran in two pale streams from the zenith to the horizon. The fresh, motionless, still night enfolded the earth. The white towers and golden domes of the cathedral gleamed out against the sapphire sky. The gorgeous autumn flowers, in the beds round the house, were slumbering till morning. The silence of the earth seemed to melt into the silence of the heavens. The mystery of the earth was one with the mystery of the stars ••• 51 �.For the first tim~ Alyosha sees the oneness of all things. Before attending the marriage feast everything is scattered all over the place. Breathlessly Alyosha runs from Father Zossima in the monastery to Dmitri in the garden, from Dmitri in the garden to Fyodor in the house, from Fyodor to Katerina and Grushenka, back and forth, from Smerdyakov by the cottage to Ivan at the tavern. After attending the marriage feast everything is unified. All of Alyosha's experience points toward a common center: the Holy Trinity. Alyosha's acceptance of Christ's invitation through Father Zossima entails seeing how extraordinary are the ordinary things of God. Just by seeing ordinary things as God's things they suddenly become transformed and shine forth in ways which astound and amaze those who are filled with pious awe and wonder. Alyosha's participation in the eucharistic celebration will be truly life-receiving for him and life-giving for others from here on out. Alyosha ' s dream-vision renders less unintelligible some of the misty, mystical words of Father Zossima' s last conversation: "God took seeds from different worlds and sowed them on this earth, and His garden grew up and everything came up that could come up, but what grows lives and is alive only through the feeling of its contact with other mysterious worlds. If that feeling grows weak or is destroyed in you, the heavenly growth will die away in you. Then you will grow indifferent to life and even grow to hate it." The different worlds which are threaded together for Alyosha at the marriage feast are the various human relationships of utmost importance in his life. Each relationship is a world unto itself but they all have a unitary meaning. Alyosha's dream-vision blends into one holy partnership Father Zossima, Mitya and Grusha, the bride and bridegroom, Jesus and Mary, the wise governor of the feast and the poor villagers. For the one who was hidden and out of 7ig?t ~11 these people and contacts were unrelated, but for the one who accepts the invitation and partakes of the feast, they are mystically joined in spiritual fellowship. Christ's invitation to us all is, as Father Zossima says, unceasing forever and ever: "He is expecting new guests ..• they are bringing new wine." It is not that we a~e invited only once in our lives and if we refuse our hopes are dashed. Every ~inute of ever~ hour of every... Jesus invites all of us to gather together in Joyful fellowship at the sacred table. By keeping hidden and out of sight we offer almost as great a rejection of Him as when we come right out into the open, say: 'No, be lost!' Jesus' suffering did not end at Golgotha, He has to endure our avoidance of his saving gestures again and again, as often as we turn our backs. Yet he still reserves a seat for each of us at the table to help us overcome our horrible abiding aloneness. Imagine how sad it would be to sit at your seat and wait for a friend who refused to take his or her seat. Such sadness, however, can last for a time. Before long a table will be set only for those who accepted the invitation. Who these people are, God only knows, but all will rejoice. What then shall we say? Shall we accept or reject Christ's invitation? Some might respond, saying: 'I am not called and nothing you can say will make me believe that I am called.' Others:'I trust I am invited but I do not want to have anything to do with a party that is no more than a gathering of the elect.' Others: 'I trust I am called, and I am extremely grateful, but the shame I would feel in God's presence would be unbearable for me. ' still others: 'Thanks for inviting me. I shall join but I shall feel no joy there. ' Finally some people might r espond , saying: 'Hurrah! I shall give up anything and everything, even my life, to be able to attend such a joy-creating festive celebration of spiritual fellowship with the Father at the head of the table and the Son serving the new wine of gladness. ' There are as many different responses as there are hearts to respond. The invitation is always being tendered and Jesus always waits patiently for gracious acceptance. For our part, whether we like it or not, we are always responding, each and every second, in one way or another, for better or worse, in sickness and health, unto death. 52 Having attended the marriage feast and witnessed the glory and splendor of the sapphire sky and golden domes, Alyosha is filled with such ecstasy that only one thing is left for him to do: Alyosha stood, gazed, and suddenly threw himself down on the earth. He did not know why he embraced it. He could not have told why he longed so irresistibly to kiss it, to kiss it all. But he kissed it weeping, sobbing and watering it with his tears, and vowed passionately to love it, to love it forever and ever. "Water the earth with the tears of your joy and love those tears," echoed in his soul ••• He longed to forgive everyone and for everything, and to beg forgiveness. Oh, not for himself, but for all men, for all and for everything. "And others are praying for me too", echoed again in his soul ••• something firm and unshakable as that vault of heaven had entered his soul ••• some idea had seized the sovereignty of his mind -- and it was for all his life and forever and ever. He had fallen on the earth a weak boy, but he rose up a resolute champion •.• And never, never, all his life long, could Alyosha forget that minute. Now the gentle and open-hearted novice is ready to be fully what he was always meant to be, a ministering angel full of love for the lowest things of the earth because of their relation to the highest things of heaven. Alyosha's arms embrace all people in all conditions through every season and in every place. Having watered the earth with his joyful tears, he will be able to bring forth fruit in abundance once lie enters upon his ministry in the world, which is to serve Jesus Christ in hope of His coming reign by serving his fellow human beings with the new wine. Once Alyosha hugs and kisses the earth there is nothing left for him to do but give himself up for others. He is finally a true disciple of Jesus Christ and a true spiritual son of Father Zossima, that holy man who "joyfully gave up his soul to God" with his arms ecstatically outstretched "praying and kissing the ground." Only after Father zossima speaks to him directly from the marriage feast is Alyosha prepared to obey the Elder's commandments:" Be with your brothers ••. If evil spirits rise up repeat a prayer .•• You will have to endure all before you come back .•• In sorrow seek happiness ••. Begin your work dear one ..• Sojourn in the world." . Part of the work of a champion is to care for others by graciously and patiently accepting their griefs as his own. Alyosha's patience allows him to listen attentively to the hysterical remarks of Mitya and Ivan, Grusha and Katerina, Lise and Mme. Hohlakov, to take calmly upon himself the burden of their woes without passing judgement on their depth or genuineness, to recognize mildly that "tragic phrases comfort the heart." Patience is not passivity; neither is. it ~toical, unmoved endurance. Patience, derived ultimately from the Greek pascho, is, first, an experiencing, or enduring, or suffering, of turmoil and sorrow, with kindness and gentleness, in hope of a coming time of plenty, rest, and joy; and last, an active, attentive hearing and feeling of this experience so that what is offered as a teaching may be learned. Alyosha's patience makes it possible for him to absorb the harsh, sometimes vile and cruel words and deeds of his fellows in human community without condemning the speakers and doers. His simple pious way of being tells us a truth so simple and so common that it is often overlooked, or, what is worse, despised: imaginatively feeling for others who are in anguish, taking their part, whether in prayer or in being fully present for them, not as an advisor or as a counselor, but just as a fellow presence, is a great act of gracious human goodn~ss. Another part of the work of a champion is to gather together especially 53 �children, but also adults, and plant seeds of goodwill in their hearts. Father Zossima remarks on :he first time he understood something read in church -- the story of Job -- and how important that event was for his future well being. All children should be blessed with the oppo rtunity to hear sacred stories fr om the Bible, stories which they may not fully understand -- who does? -- but which will allow them to feel involvement, excitement, fear, happiness, the full array of emotions which an imaginative listener passes through during the reading of a good story. Father Zossima urges priests who are overburdened with "works and services" to devote at le~st one hour a week to sharing the remembrance of Jerusalem with children. The priest ought to invite the children to his cottage during the week, preparing jam and tea. for th~m, ~avo~ites of Father Zossima and Alyosha: "Let him open the book and begin reading it without grand words or superciliousness, without condescension to t~em, ~ut g~ntly and ~indly, being glad that he is reading to them and that they are listening with attention, loving the words himself •.. Let him too weep, the priest of God, ~nd be sure the hearts of his listeners will throb in response. Only a tiny seed is needed -- drop it into the heart of the peasant and it won't die it will live in his s oul all his life, it will be hidden in the midst of the dar~ness and sin, like a bright spot, like a great reminder." The work of the champion invo lves not only being with and for people in their ~orr?w, but also abiding in people as a good memory so that they may call him forth in times of trouble (Jn . 15). Christ's kiss glows in the Inquisitor's heart. Yet on account of his willful and ongoing rejection of the-rnvitation being extended to him he cannot bring forth fruits that befit repentance. The Cardinal adheres to hi~ ideas instead of risking change. Ivan's wish to receive an abiding gesture of love f:om Alyosha is his primary motive for reciting his prose poem . Ivan needs to be ki~se~, b.u t he makes i: impossible for Alyosha's kiss to glow in his heart by br~~ging it about by design. Alyosha earlier kissed Lise right smack on the lips in a f~t of spontaneous passion and joy, but the kiss he gives his brother lacks that spontaneity which is the mark of true sincerity . It is as if Ivan calculates Alyosha's kiss so that he can convince himself that it isn't genuine and so that he ca~ continue to remain alone on his wavering path of doubt and despair. Ivan is still . a.young man; he may emerge from his madness and find himself in the hands of the living God . Nevertheless Ivan warns us how soon a heart can become hardened. It needn't take ninety years. That is in part why Father Zossima wants priests to read holy t~les in the Bible to children, to show them that redemption comes by way of ~uf~eri~g, so that when as adults they freely choose either to accept or reject God's invitation ~o the great feast at least they will do so knowing the Orthodox belief . Father Zossima sheds sad tears over children and youths like Ivan who bitterly turn away from God because of some wrongheaded belief . K~lya Krasso.tkin is in danger of some day being in Ivan's shoes. Kol ya is an e~ceptional~y br.ight boy who closed- heartedly holds certain good feelings at a distance, like his love for his mother, because of their 'sheepish sentimentality'. Desperately wishing to be admired by older and younger friends alike, Kolya goes to great lengths to win approval and acceptance. Kolya Krassotkin is willfully like one of the factory children of whom Father Zossima speaks, children who are never given a chance to be children, to grow up in a heal thy way, playing in the sunshine. Although Kolya is granted a blissful day of tears in his mother ' s arms after the railway incident, he suffers the misfortune of falling into Rakitin's fiendish hands of being indoctrinated in socialist teachings after the manner of the Gran~ Inquisitor. Alyosha: "I am sad that a charming nature such as yours should be perverted by all this crude nonsense before you have begun life ." Kolya is always in a hurry to quote clever phrases and display his grown - up knowledge for fear the whole world is l.aughi?g at. him , as if he were created as a mockery. so much of Kol ya' s preoccupation with his own self has to do with the desire to be 'complex' and to be 54 recognized as 'deep' • Thanks to Alyosha's saving patience and kind-heartedness, Kolya gets a chance to see that a person can be grown-up and childlike at the same time, a person can be simple and gentle and still be respected and loved. Alyosha urges Kolya to stand apart from the devil's vanity which seeks to make clever people feel ridiculous about confessing to themselves their own tenderness and affection for others. Thanks to Ilusha's illness Kolya can feel what it is like to run his fingers through his friend's hair, to forgive and be forgiven, to weep tears of reconciliation and love. Alyosha hopes and prays that Kolya will always remember those beautiful moments by Ilusha's bedside beneath the holy ikons. Alyosha for his part blushes when Kolya acknowledges their declaration of love, not because he is afraid of his own good heart, but because of the simple fact that without any effort on his part people just love him and trust him -- that is a gift Alyosha has been given -- and because he is meant to suffer for himself only for a few short hours, while others, like Kolya, Dmitri, and Ivan, must suffer at length for him. Alyosha must try to understand and come to terms with those struggles of others -- jealousy, envy, bitterness, anger, hatred, pride -- which he has the great good fortune to be without. · He does not have the worldly experience· of others, but he is living testimony that a person may gain wisdom just as well by peacefully attending to his inner life with God as by going everywhere and doing everything. Pascal: ••• _!! ai dit souvent ~tout le malheur des homrnes vient d'une seule chose, q~ est de ne savoir pas demeurer ~ repos dans ~ chambre (Pensee #136) • Alyosha is sent by God as an apostle to teach Kolya that being a simple-hearted child is more wholesome than being a complicated adult, to warn Dmitri that it is not for him to sing his song of praise from the underground and bear his cross in Siberia, and to tell Ivan that it was not he who killed their father. Alyosha's wisdom, his mildness and patience, is manifest again with the boys after Ilusha' s funeral. Kolya says that he could not care less about the very being of Kartashov, his partner in the knowledge of who founded Troy. Alyosha allows Kolya to utter his harsh and cruel words without admonishment, and only later proclaims that he for one cares a whole . lot about Kartashov' s being. Alyosha knows enough to wait for the opportune time before speaking out in response to Kolya's sinful outburst. Meanwhile he learns about how difficult the death of a friend can be for a person like Kolya. Alyosha is simply good from the very start, but he is ever so much better after attending the wedding feast. His new clothes and unshakable serenity are signs that he has learned from his teacher to be a teacher himself, a true monk in the world, bearing other people's burdens, helping them to clarify their confusions, paying heed to every gesture and glance with a view to what will find a permanent place in especially children's hearts. Aside from patient and attentive listening, the champion monk's main activity consists in gathering people together in "good and kind feeling" so that they might be, for a time anyway, "better perhaps than they ordinarily are." At the beginning Father Zossima is at the center of · two gatherings: a simple, heal thy, fortunate gathering among pious women confessing their sins, begging forgiveness, seeking comfort, and offering charity; and a complicated, unhealthy, unfortunate gathering among the likes of Ivan, Rakitin, and Miusov, who are concerned with grand arguments on matters of the state and the church. Father Zossima succeeds at being a champion outside with the open-hearted peasant women, but not inside with the hard- hearted noblemen. At the end Alyosha succeeds in being a champion at the center of a group of twelve boys who are gathered together to share their grief over the death of their beloved friend. Having learned at the marriage party that all worlds are threaded together into one whole, Alyosha knows his place at the stone, the special place where Ilusha and his father wept for one another and shared their dreams. Alyosha knows that is gathering together what God has already gathered, solidifying what the boys have until now only loosely understood, bringing out into the open what has 55 �been hidden, namely, "th at there is no thing higher and stronger and more wh olesome and go od for life in the future than a go od memory . " Alyosha: "You are all dear to me, boy s, fr om t h is day forth, I have a place in my heart for you all, and I beg you t o keep a place in your heart for me! Well, and who has united us in this kind, good fee l i ng which we shall reme mber and intend to remember all our lives? Who, if not I l usha, the good boy , the dear boy, precious to us forever! Let us never forget him . May h is memo ry live forever in our hearts from this day forth . " Alyosha wishes I lusha's death allows our story to end on a no te of new life. t h e boys t o p o ssess a saving memo ry o f Ilusha on his deathbed just as Father zossima p o ssess e d a saving memo ry of Markel o n his deathbed. Ilusha has the same kind spirit as Marke l , asking his friends to c o mfo rt his father and requesting that bread be put o n his grav e s o t h at he might be visited by the sparrows. Alyosha , along with Father Zossima and M arkel, has a difficu lt time making his deepest, most heart- felt sayings inte l lig ible. Altho ugh the barriers o f speech are being broken, as well they should be a t a time like this, this much can readily be grasped from Alyosha's words, that while f o r Ivan, I l u s ha's death is an o ccasion f o r lonesome despair, an opportunity to re j e c t God's creat ion , f o r Alyo sha, I lusha's death is an occasio n for the l iving to join hands i n fe l l ow-feeling , an opportunity t o be good and do something pleasing to God . Ivan's s tubborn s o u l pales beside Alyo sha's pilgrim s oul . Father Zo ssima teache s that we are all bound togethe r , mutually dependen t and mutu ally influ enc i ng , t hat try i ng to g ain c ontrol over the complex web o f h uman re l a t i o ns is a mis gu ided e nterprise. Smerdyakov do es just this in being the great init iato r o f a ct i ons : l y ing t o Dmitri a bout the time o f the gathering in Father Zos sima' s cell; telling Fyodor . that Gr u shenka wi l l show while knowing f u ll well that s h e won't; preparing Dmitri f o r the murd er by i n f o rming him of the se c ret kno cks a nd the whereabo uts of the three-thousand r ou b les; setting up Fyodor for the kill by encourag ing I v an t o le ave t own; f aki ng an e p i l eptic fit. Yet nothi ng happ ens quite t h e way Smerdyakov plan s. Hi s p u r po s e f u l actio n s h ave c o nsequ enc es s o far-r e a ch i ng he cannot maintain his rule . Smerdyako v d enies the operation of providence by wi l l ful l y do ing eve r ything on hi s own , and h e p ays the price. Happenings impo ssible t o p redi ct come t umb l i ng down o n top o f h i m. Alyo sha, on the o ther h a n d, is always on the receiving end, trusting in God 's guidance. His talk with the boys is the f irs t ac t which he i n itiates and l e ad s, as one s e nt b y God. Alyo sha knows that the wo rl d 's complexit y, hugene ss, a nd g randeu r are f o r him to beho ld, n ot t o comprehen d . Fath er Zo ss ima : " My b r o t h er asked the birds t o f o r g ive him: that s ounds s en seless, b u t it is ri ght; f o r all i s like an ocean , al l is fl owing a nd blend i ng ; a t ou ch in o ne place sets up a movement at the o the r end o f the earth. It may be senseless t o beg f o rgiveness of the birds, but b irds would be happier at your side -- a little happier, anyway -- and ch i l dren and all animals, if you yourself were nob ler than you are now. I t's a ll l i k e a n ocean , I t e ll you . Th en y ou wou ld pra y to the bir ds too , consumed by a n a ll e mb rac i ng love , in a s o rt o f transport, and pray tha t they t oo will f o rgiv e your sin s, Tr e asu re this e c s t asy, however sense l ess it may s eem t o men." Acco rding to Ivan, "the earth is s o aked from its crust t o its center" wi t h "the tea rs o f h uma n i ty . " Ivan is a n oc ean o f ind ignation and a nguish . Father Zoss ima 's is a n o cean of f o r giveness and joy . Fo rgive n ess is crucia l. We h a v e t o act all the t i me witho ut k nowi ng what will be the c on sequ ences o f o ur acti on s, without knowing whether and t o what extent we are involved in evildoing. All are responsible to all f o r al l a nd everything precisely b ecau s e t he wo rld is t h e kind o f place Father Zo ssima says it is, a place b o und t ogether by a web o f c omplex relations. An analogue fr om the natural kingdom might help: "it is quite credible that the presence o f a feline ·animal in large numbers in a district mi ght determine, through the intervention first of mic e then of bees, the frequency of certain fl owers in t h at district!" (Darwin, The Origin of Species ) . We might go back one more step, saying, there is a correlation between the number of old ladies living in a t own - - old 56 ladies tend to own cats -- and the occurrence of those same flowers. Fyodor and Gr ushenka employ Snegiryov in a business deal; Dmitri is infuriated and humiliates snegiryov; Ilusha happens to be standing nearby and witnesses the beating of his father; Ilusha kisses Dmitri's hand and begs for the salvation of his father's dignity; Ilusha is laughed at by the school boys on account of Snegiryov's disgr ace; rlusha's morbid sensitivity yields to illness; the doctor cannot help; Katerina's and Alyosha's earlier mission to provide financial help failed; Kolya a rr ives with Perezvon too late; Ilusha' s illness leads to an early death . Who among those involved in this simplified chain of events is not in part responsible for the boy ' s death? or is it Smerdyakov who is responsible because he put Ilusha up to the c r uel trick with Perezvon? Or is it Raki tin, influencing Kolya? Or Ivan, influencing smerdyakov? Or Father Zossima? All are. Alyosha's speaking to a group of boys about what is good and wholesome in life, and his eating pancakes with a sorrowing family in need of companionship, a r e acts of kindness great in-their simplicity . Alyosha sees that small things can make a big difference in a complex world . For this reason alone , Kolya is right to say that Alyosha is better than other people -- including himself and Ivan , even Dmitri . But it is not necessary to stress that one person is better than another . It is necessary to stress that the presence and life of everyone is equally impor tant . Mutual interdependence and mutual recognition are at the heart of human being . Those who are bothered by the hierarchy of abilities or talents which is indeed in the order of things are those who become bitter and envious . God shows his love fo r each of us by providing each of us with the ability to respond to Him and His creation, but He offers me talents, and opportunities to exercise my talents, which he does not offer you, and He offers you talents, and opportunities to exercise your talents , which he does not offer me . My gifts a r e diffe r ent from your gifts , and your gifts are different from mine . But the important thing is not that our gifts are different, or that I have more than you or you have more than me as if gifts of this sort could be weighed or measured; the important thing is that we acknowledge our gifts as such, that we receive them graciously, by doing whatever is in our power to make the most of them fo r our own sake and fo r the sake of one another . We may not have equally strong intellects, that is just impossible , but it is possible f o r everyone to have equally pure hearts, . provided we each walk along the way God has established uniquely for us . Yet this fact -- that the presence and life of each person is to be cherished equally -- should not hinder our tendency to care for some more than others. Father Zossima loves Alyosha more than Porfiry, and Yefim loves Alyosha more than Ivan . That is just the way things are . In order to attain to that blessed state of being whe r eby we love all equally, whe r eby we are as open- hearted to any one as to any other, a state which only Jesus Christ among human beings attained , all those critical and favorable impulses that run through the imagination on the mere sight of another person would haye to be in balance, or would have to be erased altogether . For some r eason, God knows why, we are the sort of being to be drawn to the look and the spirit of one per son over against anothe r . That may be a good thing . May it not be more in keeping with the human way -- and the most excellent employment of it -- to seek to give as much to others as enter s our soul to give on each encounter with another? To be sure, if this were the most we could give, and i f the same kind and deg r ee we r e of f e r ed to all without e x ception, t h en p erh a p s t he highest state could and would be achieved . But as it stands, let us each give to every other all that we are able to give, in recognition of our f r ailty . And when the imagination reaches out for some mo r e than others, we should not despai r , for that despai r will hinder the love we can offer to these few . The highest exellence achieved will always be incomplete. Let us simply set to work stretching our selves out toward the love of God, reaching for the source and origin of all living beings, for only then will we be able truly to love one another. Shall we gather together 57 �into one holy koinonia remembering Jerusalem? Purposiveness in Kant's Critique of Judgment Alistair Morrison Acknowledgements Igor Stravinsky, for Symphony of Psalms; Father Schillebeeckx, for Jesus: An Experiment in Christology (section 111 of my paper relies heavily on his scholarship) ; Mr. Carey and Brother Robert, for our talks on the way to Russian church and at the dinner table, Mr. O'Grady, for our conversations, and Mr. Smith, for his New Testament class, teachers and friends, thank you! The judgment, by its use of the principle "Of purposiveness, provides a bridge between the realms of understanding and reason, between what we know in natural philosophy, and what we know in practical philosophy. The knowledge of natural philosophy is limited to those things whose concept the understanding can form. Thus natural philosophy can only know the agreement of nature with the categories of the understanding. The knowledge of practical philosophy extends beyond these limits to discover those implications of our capacity for free action which are necessary according to principles of reason. It discovers the moral law, and this in turn dictates certain things that we must think about the nature of the world in which we live. "Judgment in ge~eral is the faculty of thinking the particular as contained under the universal." We bring order to our experience of the world by judgment. we unite a multitude of particular experiences under a few universal principles, laws and rules. In natural science we make use of a kind of judgment that Kant distinguishes as the determinant judgment. In determinant judgment the universal is a law. of the understanding, a universal law of nature, which we have ~ priori from the · categories of our understanding. Determinant judgment subsumes the empirical laws of nature under the universal laws, and in so doing discovers an order among these laws. That it discovers such a unity in our experience of nature cannot easily be explained. We can imagine the empirical laws of nature obeying the universal laws of our understanding, without showing any such organization among themselves. For instan2e, while the ·necessity of a universal law such as "every change must have its cause" provides some unity in our experience, it does not necessitate the degree of orderliness met in laws of nature such as the inverse square law of forces. In thinking about such unity · of experience we use another class of judgment reflective judgment. These do not start from universal ~ priori laws·, but seek s°CJme unifying principl~ - f6r our particular experiences. - Prope~ly spe~king, they . do not directly increase our knowledge of the world. For while reflective judgments have only subjective validity, they allow us to find an order in our experience of the world that goes beyond that which determinant judgment can attain. We value such a systematization of nature, even tho~gh we recognize it as only subjectively valid. We are not interested in knowledge that has the form of raw data, but seek organization and simplicity in what we know of the world. The kind of systematization that we find in both the empirical laws of nature and certain natural products transcends the order of the universal laws that we have ~ priori in the understanding. The principles which bring unity to the empirical laws of nature are not objects of experience. Instead we discover them in r eflection about nature. In order to find a principle such as "nature takes the shortest path" we must expect it - that is, we must think it possible. No objective knowledge of nature will allow us to think this possibility; instead, w.e·use the principle of ·Subjective purposiveness. We can think it possible that nature has been arranged in empirical laws for the benefit of our cognitive faculties. We think of nature as the product of an intelligent cause who had our partic~lar cognitive faculties in mind when creating the order of the empirical laws of nature. In natural sc.~ence we must 58 59 �behave as if these empirical laws have an understandable o rder; God is subtle, but not malicious. We cart then use such principles as "nature takes the shortest path" and "nothing in nature is in vain; everything is good for something" to seek nature's empirical laws. We can use the idea that nature constitutes a systematized whole in order to look for consistency between empirical laws which at first seem dissimi lar. The reconciliation of the laws o f electrodynamic phenomena with the principle of re lativity in Einstein's special theory provides a good example of the use of this p rinciple. This principle guides the investigation s of natural philosophy, but natural philosophy does not therefore assert its truth. While natural philosophy uses this principle, it does not ask why it works. Kant defines a purpose as "the product j>f a cause whose determining ground is merely the representati on of its effect . " In judgments o f purposiveness we recognize an o rganization whose possibility we cannot think, unless we think that the idea of the effect guided its production . In our own purposes, we f orm an idea of the effect we wish to bring about; then, as much as is in our p ower, we determine the mechanisms o f nature in o rder to achieve this end . Our own productions have a high level of order which natural p roducts like rocks and mountains do not possess. In our own productions because we know that for the sake of which the object was created, the cause involves the idea of its effect. We attribute purposiveness to an object or state of affairs whose possibility we cannot understand except as the effect of such an intelligent cause. The C:ritigue of Judgment shows that we judge nature to have both objective and subjective purposes. We come to see subjective purposes when we judge that nature has been arranged the way it is for the benefit of our cognitive faculties. Aesthetic judgments are of this sort, and so are the presuppositions of natural philosophy cited above. We see subjective purposiveness in form (or its negation) and in the harmony of form with our cognitive faculties. We come to see objective purposiveness is seen in what Kant calls organized beings. These are products of nature whose existence we cannot think possible unless we think that the ground of this possibility lies in the representation of the being itself. Products whose possibility we can understand as grounded in the universal laws of nature Kant calls products of the mechanism of nature . Such a ground can enable us to think the possibility of rocks, rivers, mountains, or salt crystals. Yet it fails to explain the production of a blade of grass, for such a being is both the cause and the effect of itself. We cannot understand the possibility of the produc tion, maintenance, and reproduction of such a being, without thinking that the idea of the blade of grass has been used to determine the gathering and arranging of the materials .that constitute it . The processes of production, maintenance, and reproduction all take place by means of the mechanism of nature . Yet the possibility of such a combination of (natural) occu rrences cannot be thought to depend upon this cause. We call a blade of grass a purpose of nature because we can think all its parts and processes as possible only by referring them to the idea o f the whole. We thus think that there is an intelligent substrate to the perceived purposiveness of nature, for such a cause tr.at can determine the mechanisms of nature so that they produce a product according to the representation of that product. If we could show that every intelligent being needs the idea of purposiveness in order to think either the possibility of o rganized beings, o r the possibility of the order present in the empirical laws of nature, then we could attribute objective validity to the principle of purposiveness - just as if it were a rational concept suitable for use by the determinant judgment . But Kant says that we see purposiveness in nature only because of the peculiar construction of our cognitive faculties. For human understanding , the possible and the actual are distinct. we need to combine both for knowledge of an object . We find possibility in the concepts of the 60 understanding, while we meet actuality in the intuitions of the sensibility. Because we cannot think. that every intelligent being must have such a discursive understanding, we cannot assert the principle of purposiveness to have objective validity. If we form an idea of a higher understanding, our thought finds it repugnant to think that possibility differs from actuality for God - or even for the angels. We think instead that their superior understandings possess a superior notion of possibility which makes it concurrent with actuality. We do not see why there could not be unicorns in the world, but we think that such an understanding would not share our confusion. For our understanding, then, an organized being results from the cooperation of its parts. It cannot also ground this cooperative combination, for then the actuality would have created the possibility - which makes no sense for a discursive understanding. Since we cannot find the ground of this cooperative combination in the laws of nature, we place it in the representation of the being. Yet we can think of a higher understanding which does not possess the split between possible and actual. such a being might understand the possibility of organized beings to depend only on the mechanism of nature. The knowledge of this mechanism which this being would have transcends. the ·knowledqe that we can have. For it, organized beings would be no more purposive than the rest of nature. Reason's hope in a greater unity underlying nature than that which we know with our limited understanding, and thus its idea of an understanding capable of knowing this unity, makes us acknowledge that all understandings might not require the principle of purposiveness. While universally, subjectively valid for human beings, it cannot be attributed to an object, because we cannot prove that every intelligent being must think that purpose underlies nature. The principle of purposiveness provides a bridge between understanding and reason. We never come to know purposes through natural philosophy. They belong to us as free beings, and natural philosophy cannot know anything about this kind of causality. Instead, it uses the idea of such a causality to guide its investigation of natural laws . In this way, natural philosophy makes it possible for us to discover that the principle which asserts purpose as a cause in nature is at least subjectively valid for human beings. The critique of our teleological judgment shows the principle of purposiveness as essential to human thought, and as its particular possession. The understanding, by the possibility of its~ priori laws for nature gives proof that nature is only cognized by us as a phenomenon and implies, at the same time, that it has a supersensible substrate, though it leaves this quite undetermined. The judgment, by its ~ priori principle for the judging of nature according to its possible particular laws, makes the supersensible substrate (both in us and without us) determinable by means of the intellectual faculty. But the reason, by its practical ~ priori law, determines it; and thus the judgment makes possible the transition from the realm of t~e natural concept to that of the concept of freedom . Reason determines the supersensible substrate in its own special activity of .practical philosophy. Recognition of our will as an unconditioned cause in the world of sense provides tt:ie basis for practical philosophy. Practical philosophy shows that our ability to form our own purposes makes us a final end, an end in ourselves. And when we know the final end of nature, we can learn something about the substrate. of nature.. Practical philosophy also shows why we do not need more knowledge of this substrate . than practical reason can provide. 61 �One of the a priori principles of practical philosophy is that f r eedom is meant to actualize itself in the world . In moral philosophy one mus t think that the exi stence of an intelligent cause in the world is at least possible . We must attempt to bring about the purposes that the moral law sets before us ~ Although the achievement of our purposes is contingent in the world, we must think that ther e is a chance for us to make that which ought to be into that which is . Thus, r eason comes to find agreement with what it knows p r actically about the world in the reflective principle of judgments about nature which natu r al philosophy uses . Both reason and the understanding require the idea of a n intelligent s ubst rat e. Reason, howeve r, cannot merely represent the existence of this substrate - it mus t determi ne this substrate according to the requirements of practical philosophy . It is right to use the principles of pract ical philosophy to inquire into the substrate of purposiveness in the world o f s ense . On l y we must r ecognize as we beg i n this endeavor that we have over- stepped t he bounds of natu r al science whose knowledge demands expe r ience to complete its concepts . Or ganized beings - objective purposes offer the best evidence for the existence of an intelligent author of natu r e . For subjective purposes are thought pur posive wi th r efe r ence to our cognitive facult i es . We think their form designed to conform to our cogn i tion . However, we cannot think the possibility of an organized being unless it has its ground in the repr esentation of the being . Here existence, and not the form of the object , demands the principle of purposiveness . We can think the organized being to be eithe r a final purpose, an end in itself, or a mere relative purpose . The determination of the final purpose of nature would provide some knowledge of the intelligent being that chose this purpose . When we see purposive behavior in humans, we cannot judge very well about this behavior until we know its final purpose . Once we know this, we can app r ove or disapprove both the methods and intentions . A final purpose of nature must be distinct from t he chain of cause and effect that binds the whole of the mechanism of natur e . Its causality would have to be unconditioned . It could be determined by nothing else for pur poses not its own: In side nature everything serves something else as a relative purpose . We call this by names such as "the balance of nature" and admire it g r eatly . We are aware of only one thing that stands free from this chain of cause and effect , and that is our own will . In practical philosophy the will is free of a ny determination by natural con ditions . The purpose s we set befor e our selves are onl y our own , though inclination often influences us . Thus the faculty from which we gain our idea of a purpose provides us with the only possible experience of a f inal purpose . So far we have only discovered where in nature the intelligent author has placed the final purpose (if indeed nature as a whole has such a purpose) . Thus , we have only de termined what Kant calls the ultimate purpose of nature - the one uncondi tioned being in the n a tur al world. To find the final purpose we must discover what about our free will could make it suitable to have the rest o f nature subordinated to it as a means . Kant distinguishes two different ways in which we use our faculty of making purposes. The first searches out those purpose s which natu r e can satisfy . The second makes purposes and bends the mechanisms of nature in o r der to achieve these, developing its power over natu~e. Ka nt cal l s the f i rst h appi n ess, a nd t he se cond culture. He dismisses the idea that happiness is the final purpose of nature by simply pointing out that man has no determinant idea of happine s s itself, but : It is a mer e ideastate that he wishes to make adequate to the idea under me r ely ernpiric~l con~it ions (which is impossible) . This i dea he p r oJ e cts in such diffe r ent ways on account of the complication of hi s of.a 62 understanding with imagination and sense, and changes so often, that nature, even if it were entirely subjected to his elective will, could receive absolutely no determinate, universal and fixed law, so as to harmonize with this vacillating concept and thus with the purpose which each man arbitrarily sets before himself. And even if we reduce this to the true natural wants as to which our race is thoroughly agreed or, on the other hand, raise ever so high man's skill to ac'complish imagined purposes, yet even thus what man understands by happiness and what is in fact his proper, ultimate, natural purpose (not purpos~ of freedom) would never be attained by him . For it is not his nature to rest and be contented wj-th the possession and enjoyment of anything whatever. Kant next points out that we have good grounds to believe that nature has not been set up to satisfy us as pre - eminent creatures of nature, for when viewed as such a creature, man has no priority over any other such product as far as the treatment that he receives from nature goes. Kant then moves on to culture, which he divides into the culture -of skill and training . The culture of skill is our ability to set arbitrary purposes before ourselves and satisfy them by means of the mechanisms of nature. The development of the arts and sciences gives us greater power over nature and makes our lives easier . Yet learning to satisfy purposes without learning how to choose them, is inadequate to the idea of a final purpose of nature, for such knowledge is not directed to anything superior to nature . The culture of training, whereby we learn to free ourselves from the bonds of inclination, and thus develop a truly free will, is adequate to this idea. Here we interact with nature to produce something that not only will become independant of nature, but is in its elf the h i ghest good that we can conceive - a good will . As Kant says in the Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, a good will is the only unconditionally good thing of which we can have an idea . It contains the worthiness that purposes of inclination lack. As rational beings we must think that there is no purpose greater than the right use of our freedom. Now of man (and so of every rational creature in the world) as a moral being it can no longer be asked why (quern in finem) he exists. His existence involves the highestpurpose to which, as far as is in his power he can subject the whole of nature , contrary to which he cannot 5egard himself as subject to any influence of nature . Thus if nature stands in need of a f .inal purpose its final purpose must be ourselves. Our character as final purpose comes from adherence to the moral law. By ex amining the moral law we can hope to find that, because of our moral worth, we are indeed the final purpose for which nature was created. The moral law puts us in a special relation to the world - one which We do not have without it. It is in the world that we hope to actualize the dictates of the moral law. At the same time mo r ality does not consist in occurrences in this world, but only in the determination of our will. Christ presents much the sa~e message in the gospel of Luke. In this gospel particularly, there is an emphatic asserti.on · that we Qan have no regard for our worldly well- being · l.f we follow cil~ist ." ' 1 He 'tells us that whoever loves his life will lose it. Faith demands that we love nothing- in the world so much that we would not quickly give it up for Christ. when Kant presents his moral law, he tells us that it does not consist in what 63 f 1 �we are able to accomplish in the world. "The fulfilling of duty consis_tts in the form of the. earnest will, not in the intermediate causes of success." With this assertion he makes a claim similar to the one which Christ makes. The moral law will not recognize any obstacles from the world of nature, for it determines what must be done without reference to consequences. In moral determination we can only consider practical principles; our survival or comfort can never be an end, but only a means to our moral life. The potential of human beings for moral action is the highest good that we can think of in the world. The moral law must determine what is good in the world, and not the other way around. Christ emphasizes repeatedly that the good things of this world serve as traps for us. Any love we feel for them can present a stumbling block to us. In the parable of the sower, Christ represents the riches of the world as thorns which choke the growing faith, and bring it to nothing. But we must not only renounce riches and comfort - anything of this world which we might consider a good thing can be such a stumbling block, causing us to hesitate and miss the calling. "If anyone comes to me a~d does not hate his own father and mother and wife and childr7n and brothers a~d sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Christ says this immediately after telling the story of the people who were invited to a great banquet, but were too busy to come when the time arrived, so that the host invited other in their place and locked them out . Christ calls people to leave everything of the world if they would follow him. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God . And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plou§h, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. It is a frightening notion that things which we recognize as good, such as the love we feel for a family, are not good in themselves - are not good unconditionally. The calling from heaven may take us away from those things which we were most sure were good. In this way the dictates of faith demand that we set the value of this life at nothing when compared with the value of the next life. Kant says that we must look upon nature as a means which can further our moral . growth. When we look for any other reason in life, we are desiring happiness something which Kant says cannot provide a final purpose . We must now see the world of sense only as ·a place to learn about the freedom of our will, and demonstrate that .we can live up to the responsibility that accompanies such freedom. We must not look for fulfillment in the things of this world, but must in our actions always appeal to an understanding of what those actions mean which is higher than any understanding that our knowledge o f nature can enable us to achieve. While Kant calls the belief that we do not need morality to fulfill ourselves happiness, Christ calls it love of life. Any love of life or love of happiness will impede both moral growth and our ability for moral action. To follow the commands of Christ we must vest no interest in our own enjoyment of life. "Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, btess t~em that curse you, and pray for them which spitefu~y use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one . cheek offer also the other." In our · de'alings in the WOrld What rna.t terS iS OU-r. behavior tOWardS Other people I and . Whether We have lOSt ourselves in· a love of the world. We must set our lives at nothing and value the lives of others: "Love God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself." Loving God with all one's heart means not loving and not fearing the things of the 64 world. I can best make- sense of Christ Is teaching about loving one Is neighbor as oneself when I view it in light Kant's analysis of the categorical imperative, especially in the last two formulations we find in the Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals. There the essential thing lies in treating people as "ends in themselves." ·T his demands that we recognize in ourselves and so also in others the potential for moral action - or in Christian terms, the potential to do the word of God. While we demonstrate this love of our neighbors in acts of charity, it seems important that when we provide for the worldly needs of those poorer than us we do not therefore imply that the satisfaction of worldly needs as any great salvation. In acting from faith, or the categorical imperative, we value each human being as something greater than anything e·lse in the world. We do not seek to have a place in this world for ourselves, but only attempt to serve what we see as the greatest thing in the world - the potential in human beings for good will. "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give and it ~11 be given to you •.. For the measure you give will be the 1 measure you get back." By not seeking to judge or condemn those who do us wrong, by offering the other cheek, we affirm life to be the most sacred of gifts. The life . of the wrong-doer who has struck us or stolen from us matters more that worldly justice. Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and ·he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Take heed to yourselves; if your b7ot~Ir sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. Christ brings the message that setting accounts straight on earth is unimportant. It is not essential whether our actions cause people to treat us well or ill. What matters is that we do our best to love them as we love ourselves. In order to follow Christ then, we must not judge or condemn our neighbors out of love of the world, but must be guided only by a love of God and a love for humanity. Love for humanity is guided by a vision of humanity. as liberated from th~ bonds of this world, so that we see people achieving goodness only in as much as they show love for one another. This is not a love which attaches to any worldly aspect of the person, !or when Christ calls we must hate even our father and mother. The love within families can pose an obstacle to faith because it depends on the worldly situation of the people involved. Christ says that his mother and brothers are ·tho.s e who hear the word of God and do it. The relation of people in faith, then, transcends faith, then their relations in society. One must love people in a way that does not attach one attributes; to their worldly attributes; that is, one must love them as one loves oneself. Fo~ we do not love ourselves .as sons, or husbands, or bankers, or teachers; we love ourselves because we have discovered within ourselves the potential for moral worth, the gift of life and the promise of eternal life. We should not love our lives, but should love the opportunity to glorify God. From our practical philosophy we discover that we must regard ourselves as the final purpose of nature. We do not think that God has made the world for some purpose indifferent to our moral growth, our culture of training. For we must think God to be completely good, all-powerful, wise, just, and all-knowing, and we cannot then think that he has arranged the world for anything other than our own moral growth. Everything in the world must be thought to provide the perfect opportunity for our culture o~- tra~ning to ta~e place. We think that the world has been arranged solely for the education of our will in order to remove the last obstacle which the world could present to our moral actions. We should not examine the events of the world .for . any worl~ly meaning; meaning must always come from the moral law. Kant thinks it 65 �unimportant whether the world was made only for the development of our good will in some objective sense . Morally we must not consider there to be a purpose to life that might conflict with the fulfillment of moral duty. Thus we regard the world as the b~st place for us to develop a good will. We must somehow harmonize this with . our experience of both the world and our own nature. This reconciliation provides the greatest possible determination of the ground of the purposiveness of nature that human reason can achieve. We must think God to be such that the created world per fectly serves our moral development, and that the bad things that happen to us here have simply been judged by the standard of happiness rather than that of morality. All will be made right in the next life. Without the belief that God watches over us now, and that we can expect another world where moral actions shall count towards our reward, Kant does not think there can be any real hope for morality, and thus any meaning to life. We may then suppose the case of a righteous man (e.g. Spinoza) , who holds himself firmly persuaded that there is no God and also (because in respect of the object of morality a similar consequence results) no future life; how is he to judge of his own inner purposive destination, by means of the moral law,' which he reveres in practice? He desires no advantage to himself from following it, either in this or another world; he wishes, rather, disinterestedly to establish the good to which that holy law directs all his powers. But his effort is bounded; and from nature, al though he may expect here and there a contingent accordance, he can never expect a regular harmony agreeing according to constant rules . • . with the purpose that he yet feels himself obliged and impelled to accomplish . •• So it will be until one wide grave engulfs (everyone) together (honest or not it makes no difference) and throws them back--who were able to believe themselves the final purpose of creation--into the abyss of the purposeless chaos of matter from which they were drawn. The purpose, then, which this well-intentioned person had and ought to have before him in his pursuit of moral laws, he must certainly give up as impossible or else, if he wishes to remain dependent upon the call of his moral internal destination and not to weaken the respect with which the moral law immediately inspires him, by assuming the nothingness of the single, ideal, final purpose adequate to its high demand (which cannot be brought about without a violation of moral sentiment) , he must, as he well can--since there is at least no contradiction from a practical point of view in forming a concept of the possibility of a morally prescribed final purpose --assume the being of a moral author of . the world, that is, a Go d • 12 In finding a moral answer to the question of the final end of the world the nature of the question has changed . One does not ask to . understand how 'this . or t~a_t _ , furthers the purp-ose... of the w~rld; rather, one comes to see the fitness ofthi_s or that par~i~~l~r event by asking how it furt~ers one's own striving for a good wi~l •. In this way even subjective purposiveness, such as that of beauty, ,showsitself. ()bJe_ct1ve.ly savs that we see that the beauty in nature allows us · to love nature, tmrpos i y e • Ka.nt . · 66 us tu love nature, and that we feel ennobled by this. Unpleasant things and aff lictions serve to free us from a possessive love of the world . As we try to find that delicate balance netween loving the world because God made it and placed us in it, and hating it for the potential it holds to distract us from finding our salvation, we find that everything serves us in this pursuit. For it seems that if we are determined to see the world in a moral way we cannot fail in our attempt to see its "designed striving" as furthering our moral development . We can find some moral as pect in any situation, whether in the action it demands from us, or merely in our reflection about the God who made this world . Such an approach to learning the purpose of the world is anti-scientific, for in scientific discovery one limits the influence of the observer on the experiment as much as possible, and then extrapolate e (when possible) to the ideal condition of a perfectly uninvolved observer . But in p r actical philosophy we are the real subject of observation, since we can attach no meaning to the world that stands independent of ourselves . In practical philosophy, moral teleology , we do not inquire into a purpose of the world that does not involve ourselves - and perhaps it is not even permissible to inquire into a purpose which does not include ourselves as individuals . In this way moral philosophy discloses to i t self the final purpose of the world . Neither would Christ have us think that the order of nature is at odds with the d i ctates of faith, or even is indiffe r ent to them . After all , Chr ist tells u s tha t every hair on our head is counted . God is the all-powerful author of the world . We should believe that all things in the world can come only through God so that the best success i n the world can come only through loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves. As with Kant's moral interpretation of the purpose of the world, we gain a different insight into the world. Christ asks us to e x amine the life that we love so that we may find it intangible and uruneaningful without faith. We cannot love the world in the same way once we have heard the word of God . And we could not pursue happiness as we once did before having recognized t h e mor al law. These things, however, are not forbidden to us. The world is God ' s We can imagine having the various comforts of life and c r eatiqn, and it is good. enjoying the earthly love of family and friends without loving life more than God. In fact, we believe we can love God better for having loved them. Thus, we find ourselves in possession of these things in a new way . After calling their attention to the lilies of the field, Jesus tells the disciples: Do not seek what you are to eat and to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need t hem . Ins tead , seek hi s kingdom, and these things 13 shall be yours also." Christ does not here assure us that the righteous shall never be hungry. He means that we must trust that God looks out for us and provides for our needs better than we could ourselves . For while God knows all our needs, we know only our bodily needs, and merely suspect our spiritual need. We must trust that God always gives us everything we need, not to attain earthly comfort but to achieve eternal life. And while we cannot understand why it should be, we must believe. that God has put us on this earth for some reason - the best reason . In this way, our existence in the world does not oppose the call to follow Christ, but somehow makes it possible for us to hear the call. Sometimes the good things of this world make us feel love and awe for their author. Sometimes they tempt us to neglect our love of God. Either way, however, they will serve us in our search. f~tbe kinadom of heaven. Like the moral law faith gives the right meaning to all the things of the world. If we have fa1th, the~ the whole world directs itself to help us follow Christ. There is no doubt. Faith in Christ, or recognition of the moral law, allows us to affirm the order of the world . Our life in this world is the greatest of gifts, for it allows u s to 67 �show our love for God. We must acknowledge Christ before men, so that he can acknowledge us before the angels . We must show our love for him by acts in this world: loving our neighbors, enemies, and those who do us harm; forgiving those who are harm; indebted to us; helping the poor. If we did not feel a part of this world, if we really did believe this life a miserable prison, we could not experience the peculiarly human feeling of turning from love of the world to love of Christ and then . returning to love the world in a deeper way. In order for moral growth to take place, we must confront our love of the world . The notion that happiness might be the purpose of our lives on earth did not stand up very well under Kant's scrutiny. Yet the notion is a powerful one in human affairs. In the Canon of Pure Reason Kant says that "Happiness .•. in exact proportion with the morality of the rational beings who a r e the r eby rendere d wor thy of i t , alone constitutes the supreme good of the world wherein, in accordance with the commands of a pure but practical reason, we under obligation to place ourselves." Happiness combined with worthiness fulfills human nature, which is neither purely rational nor purely animal (belonging to nature) . Our inclinations move us to hope for happiness; practical reason says that if moral satisfaction does not accompany them, our happiness will be hollow - a mere mockery of what we are capable of doing. To enjoy happiness without morality we would have to renounce the responsibility that accompanies our free will. Yet the confused notion of happiness embodies an attempt to find the purpose that underlies the purposiveness of nature by using only our knowledge of nature (internal and external). Happiness is the idea that we have been given an understanding and other intellectual faculties so that we can rise to become the most purposive creatures in nature. Our ability to see purposes allows us to become much more elaborate than any other animal in the things we do to provide for our own existence. We are the only creature capable of striving after a purpose such as "never having to work again." The idea of happiness claims that we should further as a part of our final purpose anything which our existence enables us to find either pleasant o r good - even though we do not investigate that final purpose itself. Such an idea is not as trivial as it at first sounds. For we are certain that we recognize things in the world which, if they are not unconditionally good, come pretty close. Strong family ties, devotion to the welfare of a community, and the loyalty we feel to a good leader all constitute highly-purposive goals. We can never justify calling these things good in themselves, certainly not to Kant's satisfaction. In fact, these highly-purposive goals offer the greatest deterrence to true devotion to moral growth. I remember in T.H. White's Once and Future King that Lancelot was too kind to leave Guinevere t o follow God. we-ao-not u s ually clas s such motivations as d es i re for happiness, but if we follow Kant's definition then they are exactly what the term represents because they hope for those good things which can happen on earth as a part of the process of nature. Christ calls these highly-purposive goals love of life. By means of the purposiveness we perceive in it, the world appeals to us not simply through pleasures, but by a way which we associate with moral worth. In the highly-purposive forms of happiness we almost succeed in finding fulfillment as the fin a l pur pose of nature within our lives. The realm of understanding and that of reason do not, then, stand quite so independent. In understanding the world, we depend upon our moral nature. In pursuing morality, our nature as a creature of the world dictates we explore, challenge, love, overcome, and accept the world in order to bring about moral action and moral growth. If the world did not suit us so well, and suggest to us such a wonderful author, we could not hope to satisfy ourselves in the world. And if we did not have . this hope we could not learn the value of the moral law which tells us that our satisfaction lies beyond these things. Now it came to pass on a certain day , that he went 68 1 into a ship with his disciples: and he said untc them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was calm. And he said unto them Whe:e is your faith? And they being afraid wondered; saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he corgnandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. The events of this story are very complicated. We see Christ acting once again to save p~opl~ f:om the afflictions of life. Christ puts things right in the world. Wh~n John s disciples come so that they can find out whether this man is the Christ, this man tells them to report what they have seen and heard: "How that the blind see, the lame walk, ~he lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to ~he po~l 6 the g~spel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended: in me. God .s manifestation in the world takes away the suffering of the world. It seems only right that Christ, the spiritual healer, the savior, is also a physical leade:· When he he~ls pe~ple, Christ says "Your faith has made you well." _ and he associ~tes the healing with the forgiveness of sins. The world is most free from suffering for those who have found Christ. Yet, we know that Christ demands our willingness to suffer' many things on ea'rth We shoul~ always pr~fer .re~ard to heaven to reward on earth, shunning the latter: When Christ asked his disciples "Where is your faith?" after saving them from the storm, we wonder what that faith might be. Should the disciples have believed that God.would protec~ them from the storm? It seems logical that God would not let Jesus perish at that time and place . But faith cannot depend on our worldly situation. We cannot attempt to ~nderstand how God chooses the time of death. Should the disciples have had en~ug? faith to calm the waters themselves? After all they can heal in the name of .Christ , .and he has told them of miracles they could accomplish if they had ev~n a little faith. But it does not make sense to think that faith will bring power which we can bend .to our convenience. The miracles of faith compliment God• s pu:poses; ~hen the time comes for Christ to die, he asks for the cup to pass _ but this does not happen. Yet we can be sure that the faith which the disciples lacked would have freed them from the fear they felt for their lives. Perhaps they could h~ve calmed .the storm. themselves, but their safety is the essential thing . Fai th gives us a dif~erent kind of power over the forces OL nature. As with Kant's moral person, the f~ithful see all acts working to bring them closer to God. When Christ says that God has ~ounted every hair on our heads, we do not therefor~ expect the world to provide for all our physical needs· and comforts. Instead C~rist ur~ed.us to look for the provision that God has made for us in every situation. . Th~s is more than an exhortation to face adversity without turning from God Even in ;imes 0 ~ ?appiness, we must make the same effort so that we can acknowledg~ ~oth God s provision and our responsibility to make use of it, our responsibility to ear the call. When th~ dis.ciples ask Christ to teach them to pray, part of the prayer ?e ~;ache~ them is "give us this day our daily bread .• ~and lead us not into temptati~n: This prayer asks God to forgive us what we need so that we can always ~now the difference betwe;n h~ppiness and morality, and be able to choose the latter. In praying this way one aspires to seek always the manne_ __ iri which the world of nar ture can serve our moral development, and accept the situation before us as an opportunity, rather than a curse. 69 �FOOTNOTES Memory and Personal Identity in Shakespeare's Tempest 1 Immanuel Kant, trans. J .H. Bernard, Critique of Judgement (New York, Hafner Press, 1951) I P. 15 2 Amy McManus Ibid . p. 19 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ibid. p. 256 rbid. p. 260 rbid. p. 283 rbid. p. 302 Luke 14:23 Luke 9:59 Luke 6:27 10 Lukr 9:37 11 Luke 17:1 12 op. Cit . Critique of Judgment, p. 303 13 Luke 12:29 14Immanuel Kant, trans. Norman Kemp Smith, Critique of Pure Reason (Hong Kong, MacMillan Press, 1929), p. 641 15 16 Luke 8:22 Luke 7:22 BIBLIOGRAPHY Immanuel Kant, _gritique MacMillan Press, 1929) of Pure Reason, Immanuel Kant, Critique of. Judgment, 1951) trans. trans. J.H .. Bernard · · New Testament, Revise d Stand ar d v ersion (N ew York : Holy Bible, King James version (New York: Norman Kemp Smith (New York: (Hong Hafner Press, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1946 ) Meridian Books, 1974) Kong, What cares 1 these r oarers for the name of king? cries the boatswain near the opening of Shakespeare's Tempest. Yet at least for the magical time which follows, they care very much; the elves and demi-puppets have all lent their aid to Prospero for the righting of human social order , which had been overturned when Prospero was supplanted from his dukedom. In restoring outer social order, Prospero must establish or change the internal order within those who must return to social life and rule in Naples. The transformations Propsero will attempt in Miranda, Ferdinand, Antonio and Alonso will take place on many levels and thus may be examined from different viewpoints. One helpful way to understand the character developments in the play is to investigate the differing roles which memory and a sense of personal identity play within each individual. Memory and identity are important facets in their return to society because these individuals all share a past in which a dangerous disruption of roles has occurred - a past in which the wrong man has become Duke and falsely ordered the court of Milan around himself due to Prospero's neglect of duty. The wider political effects of Antonio's activity provide a significant periphery for the action, since the play is a preparation for the return to political life. Within the play, however, the immediate, personal consequences of the crime are the center of the drama. The primary result of Antonio's action is, of course, the exile of Prospero and Miranda. Though they find a providential haven alone on the island, there are, nevertheless, serious challenges to Miranda's personal growth in the situation - challenges that are usually met in the company, and with the aid, of friends. A second result of Antonio's betrayal is the corruption of Alonso, King of Naples, who, in overthrowing Prospero, attacked the divine basis of his own rule and more importantly, overthrew his own good character, the flaws and strengths of which will be revealed in the crises brought about by Prospero. Lastly, Prospero must overcome the diffidence and disillusion of one betrayed by a brother in blood and a brother in rule, if he is to return as a worthy ruler to Milan. Twelve years of life have been determined by one criminal act and the problem of the play is to gather from this disheartening past the wisdom and courage to make new lives. Prospero addresses this problem by helping the children and adults to a truer understanding of the past, by instilling in them a healthy memory. Each character begins with varying states of remembrance, varying notions of who they were and who they are, but by magic and terror, Prospero implicitly and explicitly guides most of them to a truer self-reckoning and in so doing, restores among them the basis for good society. Miranda is the first, dearest and most unique of Prospero's charges because, due to her extreme youth at the time of her exile, she must rely on him to form an entire memory for her to take back to Milan. In the brief interval before Prospero tells the story of their lives, the playgoer realizes that a pastless Miranda is a good and beautiful person already: O, I have suffered With those that I saw suffer! 2 70 71 �Her heart is filled with empathy for those she has never seen, but on that admittedly good basis alone she is not prepared for coming events. Instead, Prospero explains, thou Art ignorant of what thou art, knowing naught Of whence I am; nor that I am more better Than Prospero, master of 3 full poor cell, And thy no better father. As he unfolds his narrative of betrayal and suffering, it is important to r emember that Prospero is not really concerned with her naivete. Her acute and practical questions ("Wherefore did they not I That hour destroy us? 11 ) 4 show that, whatever her inexper~ence.' she ~s . in no danger from the usual sort of human duplicity which one migh t find in an it i nerant patent me dicine peddl er . No , h er preparat ion is aimed towards another sort of danger altogether; she must quickly learn enough about the past and herself to fall honorably in love with Ferdinand . In Prospero's long discourse the most important things that we, in a confused, disordered fashion, must learn and remember are compressed and ordered for Miranda's sake into one sad story. Perhaps the first lesson is that this memory for which .she has longed could be painful; the distant past is not like the undist1¥'bed peace of her father's home - rather it is the "dark backward and abysm of time". Her father, she finds, is not only a father; she is not only a daughter . On one level they are dif :erent people than she thought they were because both were once part of a larger society - were once responsible for the fulfillment of leading roles in Milan . On another, Prospero is now a different man for her because he is revealed as divided against himself - divided by duty and inclination in Milan, and divided by pain, anger and wisdom even now in his storytelling. Further, she needs to learn the dangers of self division - she needs to lea r n how a combination of self division and negligence in Prospero could end in Antonio's betrayal of his brother and his estrangement from himself. Anton i o is the most difficult subject for Prospero to teach Miranda, and Prospero must bring his mind's wisdom and heart's passions togethe r t o do justice to one who is not simply a villain in a cautionary tale, but a man and his own brother. Though the 'social' Antonio will be discussed in greater detail later, it is appropriate to examine how, amidst many outer roles and many inner parts, Antonio was led not just to an estrangement from his state, to error - as was Prospero, but to an estrangement from himself, to true sinfulness. Perhaps surprisingly, it was not a very complex matter. Forgetting his own responsibilities and his brother's character, Prospero had sai d, in effect: 'While I play scholar, Antonio, you play duke, bu t apa r t f r om u s e , ceremony and power, we 'll rememb er who we rea l l y are . ' He being thus lorded Not only with what my revenue yielded But what my power might else exact, like one Who having unto truth by telling of it, Made such a sinner of his memory To credit his own lie, he did believe He was the Duke, out o' th' substitution And executing th' out~ard face of royalty With all prerogative. Despite the fact that he is a roundly vicious person to us and to Miranda, Antonio must also be a person to recognize and pity. Wrongfully tempted, Antonio .allowed his memory - his very self - to slip through his fingers. He damaged himself beyond his own or Prospero' s power to heal. The tale to Miranda is nearly finished when Antonio, thrusting Miranda and Prospero out of Milan, removes the screen between the part he was playing and himself . Mir anda, confronted by so great a fall, then begins to we ep: 72 I not remembering ho' I cried out then Will cry o'er again; She probably cries for many reasons--because she and her father were abandoned; because her father had so great a wound inside him which she had never seen; and because this frightening story somehow intimately affects her and she does not yet know how that will be so. Until now, she has learned to remember failed relationships, inner conflict and self-deception, but to these sad revelations Prospero provides the true balancing. Though having failed his brother and his city, Prospero did not fail Miranda. Instead, he found in her, he says, a smile, Infused with a fortitude from heaven, When I have decked the sea with drops full salt, Under my burden groaned; which raised in me An undergoing stomach, to §ear up Against what should ensue. Prospero gives Miranda a life history which will be her unique memory, for unlike any other memory in the play, it has no part in confusion or forgetfulness; though to be a real memory, it cannot avoid pain. There is a heaviness to be felt from Prospero's strange story - Miranda sleeps at its close. But soon, in Ferdinand's courtship,her courage and new, well- ordered memory will be tried. · . Because she is so wise and generous, so sure-footed in the steps she takes, it is easy to forget that marrying one's love is a difficult business - even for Miranda. Her love begins when she hears the songs of Ariel and sees Ferdinand; he is to her so beautiful that he seems a spirit, hardly real. They change eyes.with one another at first sight - as Prospero knew they would - but also at first sight the world of confusion and inner division begins. As she sees Ferdinand, she finds herself, quite suddenly divided up. Part of her, at her father's precept, would hide from Ferdinand; part of her, not saying what she feels, would play coquette; part of her, utterly at risk, would profess love. When he asks her for her name, then tells her of the other women he has known, her two replies convey how amazing her experience must be: Miranda. 0 my father 9 I have broke your hest to say so! I do not know One of my sex; no woman's face remember Save, from my glass, mine own; nor have I seen More that I may call ~en than you, good friend, 1 And my dear father. 'I am Miranda and I do not know one other woman who has felt as I do now, nor any other man besides my father who might love me as you do. In my glass was always one Miranda - who is Miranda now?' Infinitely more fortunate than Antonio, Miranda has something of the same decision to make: Amid all these longings, who should she be, and how should she be with Ferdinand? For the second time in the play she weeps this time in her own confusion: ' At mine unworthiness, that dare not offer What I desire to give, and much less take What I should die to want. But this is trifling; And all the more it seeks to hide itself' The bigger bulk it shows. Hence bashful cunning And prompt me' plain and holy innocence! I am your wife, if you will marry me' If not I'll die your maid. To .be your fellow 73 �You may deny me' but I'}! be your servant Whether you will or no. H.er father's dark story gave her some notion either consciously or - fairy-tale like - magically, that adults have to choose to be themselves ~nd that they are wretchedly unhappy when they neglect or abandon themselves for some partial or false role. In the ordinary course of advice given to new lovers, the older heart is anxious to point out that there are many possible spouses in the sea - mainly because one has to be prepared for jilting . But to be prepared for loving, Prospero' s older, wiser heart advises Miranda, not that there are many princes, but that there are many Mirandas and she must choose which Miranda's heart and hand she will give away. Ferdinand's growth in the play is like Miranda's in that he is very young and is preparing for his first commitments. But his growth is unlike hers in that he has not been given careful tutelage and needs a second father to help him reevaluate past experience in a more enlightened way. Though Ferdinand is not quite ready to love Miranda, he is as innocent as she; thus the gentlest spriting,two songs, adventure and Miranda herself are all he needs. Even without seeing anything of Ferdinand before he hears Ariel's songs, one can imagine the needs they are addressing. The second song is primarily about Ferdinand' grief and the transformation that will take place in Alonso: Full fathom five your father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes; Nothing of him that doth fade But suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell; 12 Hark! now I hear them--Ding-dong bell. Without meaning to assign a shameful weakness to Ferdinand's character, it is important to note that this song does not just assuage grief for it affirms most broadly the 'all-rightness' of things. Ferdinand needs to hear this song, above and beyond his grief, for the very reason that he is, in this situation, grief-stricken. In just a logical way, if one escapes a shipwreck one should hope that others do too, but Ferdinand here, and his father later, immediately and unnecessarily assume that only the worst event could have occurred. Security or at least the p~actice o~ hoping is the oldest sort of memory well brought-up children have. All-rightness is the deepest sort of spell that parents cast on children, so here, Prospero provides Ferdinand with comfort and with hope. The first of Ferdinand's songs faces an emotional and intellectual confusion which results from earlier love affairs. Full many a lady I have eyed with best regard, and many a time Th' harmony of their tongues 1 ~ath into bondage Brought my too diligent ear; If before, Ferdinand has found himself a slave when in love, Prospero' s adventure allows him to be a slave and be in love and find the two rather different . Though Prospero is playing a joke by making Ferdinand wear chains and pile up logs, there is also a strong element of compassion in this spell. Prospero, with all the hard-earned respect possible for boundaries and duty, has no wish to see free creatures enslaved; he is the type of man who would hear and release Ariel. Ferdinand enslaves himself by persistently mistaking the bonds of love for a gilded variety of shackle. He is fill ed with far too many protestations when he speaks to Miranda, because he is trying t o defend himself. How sad if, like Ariel stuck in a pine tree, he never grew up enough t o realize that Miranda spoke to him truly and plainly, without any intention of playing a game with him-except chess . In the love song, then, 74 Ariel calls the other sprites to sing the refrain, while at the same time calling on lovers, those who take hands and hearts, to bear love's burden. Come unto these yellow sands, And then take hands: Courtsied when you have and kiss's The wild waves whist: Foot it featly here and there, And sweet s~4ites bear The burden. When he means to profess love Ferdinand says, with true affection but poor speech, that he will be Miranda's slave. That is no answer for Miranda, who has, from the firsb known there was no slavery in help~ Ferdinand carry logs. "Do you love me?" she must ask, and "My husband, then?" , until finally, he, succinctly, takes his freedom where it truly lies: Ay, with a heart as willing 17 As bondage e'er of freedom. Here's my hand. To give Ferdinand due credit, these songs were Miranda as much as they were his, for she, in taking a husband, loses a father and in loving and remembering, must bear new burdens. They are a good pair because if she was unsure of who she was, he, in calling her a 'wonder' recognized her from the first. And he was afraid of slavery, she was always ready to serve. Together they can understand the need to maintain their virginity until the wedding ceremony, because they have reached the inner equilibrium which allows good people with right values to fulfill their obligations to society. Part of Prospero's task is completed in the third act with the engagement of Ferdinand and Miranda. Much remains to be done with respect to Antonio and Alonso, who as adults, cannot be led by songs and stories since their problems are not ingorance or unwarranted fear, but willful crime and self-deception. As an adult, Antonio has an adult memory full of self-motivated, purposeful action (but as has already been discussed) his memory carries the awful distinction of sin. During the course of the play Antonio never becomes any better, yet he is essential to watch because he gradually acts out the social implications which result from allowing a man with moral amnesia loose in society. Unlike Miranda, Ferdinand or Alonso, Antonio does not remember being small, young, powerless, hopeless or confused. he does not remember that anyone has ever given him anything he really needed; he does not remember that there are standards above himself - like Nature, truth or justice - which determine action. His is not simply bad, his very unreasonableness, which he displays both on the ship and in his speech, shows him to be forgetful of what even willful criminals usually know. For when Antonio finds himself ·On a sinking ship, he does not pray - he is not afraid. Rather, he currss the sailors for treachery: "We are merely cheated of our lives by drunkards". He cannot imagine that there could exist a group of elements which were supremely unmindful of Antonio's life or death. When he speaks, he shows his conviction that truth and falsity, right or wrong, are a matter of rhetorical emphasis. Therein lies his danger as a social creature. Antonio convinces Sebastian to depose his brother Alonso by jumping all the moral and practical hurdles in speech. First, there is the true heir Ferdinand, who, as has sensibly been pointed out, might possibly be alive. But Antonio just denies the possibility in words: Will you grant with me 19 That Ferdinand is drowned? As for that prickly question about murdering one's sleeping brother, just blur the distinction between life and death: Here lies your brother, No better than the earth he lies upon 20 If he were that which now he's like--that's dead. 75 �Lest it be forgotten that Ant onio can wor k on those less ready to be wicked than Sebastian, Prospero has already explained that, Being once perfected how t o grant s u its, How t o deny them, who t' adv ance, and who To trash f or over-t opping, new created The creatures t hat were mine, I say, or ch anged 'em, Or e l se new--f ormed them; having bo th the key Of officer and office, set all heart i' th' state To what tune pleased his ear, t h at now he was The ivy which had hid my prince~~ trunk And sucked my verdure out on't. Antonio, clever and powerful, forgetting himself and his scruples, can play tunes and change hearts just as Prospero can. In days past he practiced the black magic to Prospero's white. He is not an incredible character - we know that often we have no firm grasp on either who we are or what is right and wrong. Then, too, it is easy to be at ebb tide, like Sebastian, morally indifferent and ready to flow. Standing steadfastly in opposition to Antonio and Sebastian is Gonzalo. Not a wise man, he nevertheless has the finest memory--the best perspective on events and the greatest kindness towards the infirmity of others. Weary and bedraggled on the beach, and trying to make conversation, he wants to tell Alonso something about the joy and sorrow of a whole life - :32_cpiething very true, but very ill-timed: "Beseech you sir, " he begins, "be merry." Antonio and Sebastian mock Gonzalo because he mixes up his history and because he mak~ a very silly political theoretician. They 3 and promise to forget him as soon as he is call him the "lord of weak rememberance" dead. It is they- truest self-revelation that, in their merry fooling, Gonzalo is 4 nothing to them. It is also the truest warning of social danger. Antonio's self - corruption would affect not just the morally weak like Sebastian, and not just the politically powerful like Alonso - those whom we say must 'take their changes'. No, to Antonio all men of good heart and memory are threats - -Gonzalo would hav e t o die too. Alonso is another adult responsible for having committed grave crime - but being Alonso and not Antonio, he is a good man, woefully confused about the past and his responsibilities. He is caught by his shipwreck in a state of being able neither happily to forget nor properly to remember. So ifdicative of his condition, his first words after the wreck are, "Prithee, peace." Ariel will later declare that Alonso is unfit to live with men but it is already evident how desperately lonely he is. Even knowing Prospero' s story one is moved by Alonso's isolated brooding and self-reproach: You cram these words into mine ears against The stomach of my sense. Would I had never Married my daughter there! for, coming thence, My son is lost; and in my rate, she too, Who is so far from Italy removed I never again shall see her . 0 thou mine heir Of Naples and of Milan, whaz strange fish 6 Ha th made his meal on thee? His regret is undeniable, but it is a sickly, misshapen kind of regret that does not correspond to what is truly regrettable about their situation . The tragedy is that Ferdinand, from Alonso's standpoint, is almost certainly dead. While grief for a dead son is completely appropriate, mixed with his grief is an unreasonable guilt. Alonso is no more responsible for his son's supposed death than Ferdinand would have been for his father's . As far as they know, they have been overtaken by a natural disaster; tempests know neither kings nor king's sons . Guilt in some ways, is natural disaster in itself, fo r it chases one unreasonably and destroys without 76 scruple or justice. However, the sort of free-floating guilt with which Alonso is plagued often is the sign of a good, but pleabargaining soul. One would sooner feel guilty for a hundred imagined crimes inside oneself than admit the crime one actually committed. Alonso has not Miranda's well-ordered remembrance, he must hunt and scrape to find the meaning of his past life--and he fails. Alonso's regret will neither cure him nor reform him-it will only wear him down into numbed listlessness, as when he said, I will stand to, and feed, Although my last, 2 ~o matter, since I feel The best is past. With terrifying fanfare Ariel and Prospero disabuse the king of his illusions, force him to realign his memory and feel-not guilt-but heart's sorrow. But remember (For that's my business to you) that you three From Milan did supplant good Prospero; Exposed unto the sea, which hath requit it, Him and his innocent child; for which foul deed The powers, delaying not forgetting, have Incensed the seas a~§ shores, yea, all the creatures, Against your peace. In the valor of madness men hang and drown their proper selves. Alonso's proper · self, having died when he connived against Prospero, is reestablished by a second death the death of his improper self. His heart's sorrow is as terrible as he himself is good; that is, terrible in the Greek sense of deinos: 0 , it is monstrous, monstrous! Methought the billows spoke and told me of it; The winds did sing it to me; and the thunder, That deep and dreadful organ pipe, pronounced The name of Prosper; it did bass my trespass. Therefore my son i' th' ooze is bedded and I'll seek him deeper than e'er ~lummet sounded 2 And with him there lie mudded. This true remorse holds danger, for to feel it as he should, Alonzo must want to kill, not just the part that did wrong, but his whole self. He is not like the playwatcher or Gonzalo .who have known his crime all along and cared for him, Alonso, anyway. The sea change would be unfinished if it gathered all the elusive deceptive selves together for once, and then ended in self-loathing. If Ariel was best to ~tiate Alonso's repentance, only Prospero can comple te it. "I embrace thy body .•• " he says and Alonso replies, Thy pulse Beats as of flesh and blood; and since I saw thee, Th' affliction of my mind amends, with what, I fear, a madness held me. This must crave (An if this be at all) a most strange story. Thy dukedom I resign and ~? entreat . Thou pardon me my wrongs. As Ferdinand and Miranda did earlier, so Prospero and Alonso do now--j oin hands. Forgiven Alonso is himself again, though still perhaps a little amazed. With utmost gentleness Prospero dissolves the charm around Alonso, gives him his son and daughter and-though they must speak of the past at the right time-frees him from its dogged oppression: A: But, 0 , how oddly will it s ound that I Must ask my child forgiveness! P: There sir, stop. 77 �- r1 Let us not burden our re~2mbrance with A heaviness that's gone. Burdens borne, whole selves accepted, and by those harshest critics, one's victim and one's self-- this is the completion of Prospero's restoration of order. The rulers of Naples and Milan are no -longer criminals, · and their future rulers are well- grown and ready to order the state with whole, unfearful selves . There is cause for uncommon joy, and only Prospero himself is left to consider. Through most of the play, Prosper was mysterious conjurer of tempests in human lives, while he himself hovered outside the action. He has ordered Miranda's and Ferdinand's memory of the past, showing them how to understand inner dividedness and the better part of human freedom. He has given them the best and worst in men in a coherent framework and he has left them with the truest source for joy-the ability, (though feeling many emotions) to be true and serviceable to one another. From Alonso Prospero has demanded both an admission of crime and true repentance, but he has allowed remorse to attain its end and thus has set Alonso free from a useless lifetime of self-reproach and confusion. However, when we consider Prospero himself, we can look to no magical intervention and indeed there is some reason to doubt -he believes the happily- ending fairy-tales he tells: M: 0, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! 0, brave new world That has such people ~~'t! P: "Tis new to thee. Prospero arranges and observes human spectacles throughout the play, yet his responses are never so predictable as his results . He is by turns majestically detached, bitterly rueful and achingly sad . These our actors, As I fortold to you, were all spirits, and Are melted into aire, into thin air; And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on , and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vexed 34 Bear wi t h my weakness; my old brain is tr oubled . The emotions he displays show the uneasiness with which differing inescapable visions of men and women cohabit in one person . On the one hand whether a man behaves well or ill mat ters to the individual, to his society , even to Nature ; on the other hand, a man, especially a meek one, is a dreamy unreality, one easily shipwrecked and spellbound. Having grasped so much of the paradoxical in human life , Prospero is in danger of once again receding into omnipotent, scholarly abstraction . What saves him , what allows him to glimpse a fulle r story, but tell an honest tale to Miranda , is his s t eady remembrance of the potent magic of his human heart . A: Your charm so strongly works ' em That if now you beheld them , Your affections Would become tender . P : Dost thou think so , spirit? A: Mine would , sir , were I human . P: And mine shall . Hast thou which art but air, a touch, a feeling Of their afflictions , and shall not myself 78 One of their kind, that relish all as sharply Passion as they, be kindlier moved than thou art? 35 His admission is not a fore gone conclusion-there is no apparent necessity that magicians never forget they are men. Prospero .must choose to take off his magician's cloak and be recognizable to Antonio, Alonso and Gonzalo. Having abjured rough magic Prospero becomes at once vulnerable-but he also becomes so powerful for the good of others that the sight of him, the touch of his warm hands, restores men to themselves. In his benevolence and renunciation of detachment Prospero shows-if not peacefulness at least a knowledge of who he was, and is, and must be in Milan. Prospero can be best remembered in the words he used for Ferdinand: it eats, and sleeps, and hath such senses As we have, such. This gallant which thou seest Was in the wrack; and·, but he's something stained With grief (that's beauty's canker), thou mighst call him 36 A goodly person. 79 �Footnotes For My Soul 1s Filled with Troubles Bruce Johnsen 19 1william Shakespeare , The Tempest (London : Methuen , 1980), Act I. , Scene i . J lines 16-17. 2 0ibid . , II.i.11. 283- 285 . 2 21 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ibid . , I. ii.11. 5- 6. 22 Ibid., I. ii.11. 17- 21. 23 Ibid., I. ii.11. 138- 139 . Ibid. , I. ii.1. 24 so . Ibid ., II.i.11. 246- 247 . Ibid., I.ii . 11. 79-86 Ibid. , II. i.1. 1. Ibid ., II. ii. 1. 235 . Ibid . , II.i.11. 181- 182 25 Ibid . , I. ii.11. 97 - 105 . Ibid . , II. i. 1. 9 . 26 Ibid . , I. ii. 11. 133- 134 . Ibid ., II. i. 11. 109- 116 . 27 Ibid . , I. ii.11. 153- 158 . 28 Ibid . , III. i.11. 36- 37 . Ibid ., III. ii i. 11. 49 - 51. Ibid . , III. iii. 11. 68 - 75 . lOibid ., III. i. 11. 48- 52 . 29 11 3 0ibid . , V. i.11. 109 . Ibid .' III. i. 11. 77 - 86 . 12 13 14 1 31 Ibid ., I. ii.11. 397 - 405. 32 Ib i d ., III. i. 11. 39- 42 . 33 Ibid ., I. ii.11. 377 - 383 . 34 5rbid. ' II I. i. 11. 67 . 16 17 18 35 rbid ., III. i. l. 87 . 36 rbid ., III. i. 11. 88- 98 . For I have eaten ashes as it were bread, and mingled my drink with weeping; because of thine anger and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and dashed me down. Psalm CI, 9-10 rbid . , II I. iii. 11. 95 - 102 . Ibid . , V. i.11. 113- 119 . Ibid ., V.i. 11. 196- 201. Ibid . , V. i.11. 181 - 185 . Ibid . , V. i.11. 148- 159 . Ibid . , V.i. 11. 16- 24 . For on this wise have the gods spun the thread for wretched mortals, that they should live in pain; and themselves are sorrowless. For two urns are set upon the floor of Zeus of gifts that he giveth, the one of ills, the other of blessings. To whomsoever Zeus, that hurleth the thunderbolt, giveth a mingled lot, that man meeteth now with evil, now with good; but to whomsoever he giveth but of baneful, him he maketh to be reviled of man, and direful madness driveth him over the face of the sacred earth, and he wandereth honoured neither of gods nor mortals. Iliad , book XXIV, 527-33 . Ibid ., I.i.11. 413- 417 . rbid ., I. i. l. 56 . "If we hrve received good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure evil things?" The existence of evil has posed a problem for all men who have wrestled with the belief in a perfectly good God. For some, including St. Augustine (in his early life), the only solution was to appeal to the existence of a contending evil principle. This Zoroastrian or Nanichaean heresy exonerates God at the expense of His omnipotence by considering Him as the source of all good and the evil principle as the source of all evil. Is such an appeal necessary? Must one alter the concept of the Christian God in order to account for evil, or can one, as a rational being, affirm one's suffering along with Job, while retaining a belief in the Christian God as sole Lord? Can one 80 81 �-reasonably retain belief in an omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good and infinite creator, althoug2 He seems to visit evil upon men - even upon one who "abstains from all evil deeds"? The question, then, is not how one arrives at a belief in such a God. This is a matter of faith, something for which a proof cannot be given. Rather, the question is whether such a belief is consistent with man's reason. Logical necessity constrains even an omnipotent God. While His omniscience determines all truth, He does not thereby invent a logic and a truth which corresponds to it. He simply thinks in the only perfectly consistent manner. Since God's thoughts have no temporal progression, He has no need for logic such as human logic. He knows all premises and conclusions perfectly. Only one fundamental logical axiom constrains Him- that of non- contradiction . Consequently, God can actualize any contingency which does not entail logical contradiction. It follows from this that while a perfectly good God cannot do evil, this does not imply a constraint on His omnipotence . Instead, He has the power to do evil , in so far a s an evil act would not be logical contradiction (as creating an object too heavy for Him to move would be) . Rather, the contradiction is moral, for one cannot be perf ect ly good while doing evil . Aquinas di s tin guishes this nece ssary non- contradic tion by calling it 'moral necessity . ' Since God both has the powe r within Himself to commit good and evil acts, and is intelligent, his actions are.morally free. However, t o attribute intelligence to God assumes that He knows both good and evil, for He must choose between them. One may object that God does not know evil, for ex hypothesis He neither thinks nor wills evil. And since God knows those things wh~ch are not in Him insofar as He requires that knowledge to know Himself perfectly, He must know all that He causes , and nothing that He does not cause. Howeve r, if He does not will evil, He does not cause it, and does not know it. The previous argument is false and can be used to establish that God knows evil only indirectly. God does not think evil. Nor does He will evil antecedently , for antecedently God wills only perfect goods. However, since some goods require that something else be imperfect in order that they may become actual, God can cause the imperfection of something else by willing a good. In this way God knows evil indirectly by knowing the good which necessitates it . He also knows the evil that man causes. This knowledge is also indirect, for God knows such evil by the truth of human actions and by the men who commit it. Therefore, God does know evil and is morally free. Since God is perfectly good, He is constrained by moral necessity to choose f ree ly only t he good . Hence be lie f in God can be "consistent with reason" only if God can never be shown to act in any manner other than a perfectly good one. Before continuing i t will be necessary to specify both what evil is and what kinds ~f evil exist. St. Augustine says that evil is "nothing but a privation of good." St. Thomas Aquinas clarifies this position: Absence of good, taken negatively, is not evil; otherwise, it would follow that what does not exist is evil, and also that everything would be evil because of not having the good belonging to something else . . • But the ~sence of good, taken in privative sense, is an evil." 6 It follows that "evil always lessens good, yet never wholly consumes it" ; for if absolute privation were to occur in all respects with regard to some thing, that thing would not be itseif. Hence, every substance is good insofar as it exists, for in respect of existence there can be no privation and thus no evil. Every substance is capable of imperfection , which is evil; but since evil is only a privation of good, the substance 82 must first be good in order to have a potential for ev i l . Now t he substantial being of a thing is absolute, and hence absolutely good, but the re l ative being of a thing is only relatively good. For example, since Bob is a man, and therefore exists absolutely, he is absolutely good with respect to his substantial being. Wi th respect to his relative being, Bob is a man who may be blind, and thus is only relatively good, for he lacks an attribute proper to a man, namely sight. This concerns Bob insofar as he is an object, without regard to his moral quality. The foregoing suffices to clarify the expression 'metaphysical evil'. Metaphysical evil is imperfection, such as imperfection of form. In addition, one must consider two other classes of evil: natural evil and moral evil. Natural evil comprises the environmentally caused suffering of sentient creatures and therefore includes the suffering caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. ; the suffering of animals other than humans; and even such pain as arises from stubbing one' 6 toe. Moral evil considered with respect to human acts may be termed sin. However, since one must also consider the acts of God and since the question concerns the very goodness of God that with which God's will accords, and which we therefore transgress whenever we transgress God's will (that is, whenever we sin)-more must be said. Moral evil, then, comprises free enactments of the will directed toward an improper 'nd, for "the primary goodness of a moral action is derived from its suitable object" • Since an object of choice is suitab~e i f i t is "one of the things in our own power which is desired after deliberation", moral evil results from a failure to deliberate sufficiently when choosing the object of an action. The final end is a matter of intention, not choice, but the specific end of a single action is not itself a final end, but merely the means to that end. Since all men necessarily desire happiness as their final end, an action is judged in relation to its specific end, which is a matter of choice. Such an action can follow as the conclusion of a practical syllogism. Yet since the will must be directed by the practical intellect if it is to have a suitable end, the will must also have the method of attainment as its object. This method must accord with circumstance - an accordance which reason determines. A good will is therefore one which conforms to the rule of reason. Further, since a good will cannot produce a morally evil act, an action of the will can cause evil only in so far as evil results from the will's failure to conform to the rule of reason. The previous paragraph asserted that a suitable end follows as the conclusion of a syllogism. If so, there must be some first principles of morality upon which the syllogism is based. Aquinas addresses these precepts in his theory of a natural law which all men intuitively know. Whether this claim to intuitive knowledge is correct is debatable. However, since such a debate would extend far beyond the scope of this paper, let it suffice to say that all men living in society must hold in common certain moral precepts in order that society function harmoniously . Further and most importantly, whether these common pr,e cepts are intuitive l y held, determined in order to effect a pleasant society, or determined insofar as t hey aspire t o some conceptualized perfection of their agent, all men either possess them by intui tion or formulate them .!?.I_ reason in accordance with an intuitive end. Such an as sumpt i on upholds the previous c laim that moral evil results f rom t he f a i l ure of t he wi ll t o conform t o the rule of reason. The precepts of mo ra l reasoning are e i t her intuited or determined by reason. Earl ier, we demonstrated God ' s mora l f reedom and His pe r ~ect goodnes s . I t remains f or us to de t ermine whether t he presence of evil in t he world empirically i nval i dates t he cla im tha t s uch a God exists . Perhaps t he simp l est and mos t obvious attempt t o disprove the existence of God by appeali ng t o instanc es of evil is the following 1) A perfectly good God exist s . 2) A perfect ly good God would eliminat e a ll evil that He can. 3) God is QJP.nipotent. 4) Therefor e God can elimina t e a ll evil . S) Therefore God eliminates all evil. 6) Evil 83 �exists. 7) The existence of a perfectly good God leads to contradiction. Unless this argument can be shown to be unsound, or at least uncertain, God's existence as a perfectly good, omnipotent being is disproven. Statement one is assumed. Statement three is given. Statement five follows logically from statements two and four. Since six is obvious and seven is a logically valid conclusion, only two and four remain unaccounted for. Now, statement four holds if the elimination of any given evil does not entail contradiction, and two holds insofar as a perfectly good God is morally obliged to eliminate any evil if by so doing He would not cause a greater evil or eliminate a greater good. The remainder of this treatise will examine why God is unable to eliminate certain evils because their elimination would occasion greater evil or eliminate some greater good. It will examine first metaphysical, then natural, and finally moral evil with respect to some greater good. That every thing contributes to the greater good of the universe is clear if one considers that evil is only a privation, that every object is good absolutely and always contains some relative good, and that the imper fection or privation of a given . obj ect does not detract from the r elative good of any other object (as long as objects are considered at an instant rather t han with respect to the conditions of their genesis). That is, regardless of how much metaphysical evil an object contains, the universe contains more good if the object exists, then if it does not. At the instant of creation then, in order that the universe contain all possible good, God desired the existence of an infinite number ·of objects, each of which would manifest some good. Thus Aquinas argues for the diversity of the universe: The perfection of the universe consists in the diversity of things. • Because His (God's) goodness could not be adequately represented by one creature alone, He produced many and diverse creatures, so that what was wanting in the one representation of the di9 vine goodness might be supplied by another. Every thing, regardless of the amount of metaphysical evil it contains, is necessary to achieve the greater good of the universe, but this explains only the metaphysical evil of objects when they are considered at an instant. When objects are considered insofar as they relate to one another in motion over time, they might appear to cause evil in other objects, and thus detract from the metaphysical good of the universe. That objects be able to harm one another - that they be able to cause metaphysical evil, is necessary in a universe governed by laws. Thus, metaphysical evil results from the consequent will of God, which is the series of His antecedent wills with respect to their mutual possibility. God antecedently wills each object as perfect; He wills an ordered universe. However, since objects must be potentially imperfect in that universe, and since some objects through their interaction, make others imperfect, evil results. Further, even if the universe could be ordered so that no metaphysical evil resulted, with the addition of free creatures no such order could yet suffice. Therefore there is no way for God to order the universe without incurring metaphysical evil. The greater good which the ordering constitutes is the representation of the divine intelligence. However, metaphysical evil also is a necessary condition for the existence of ano t her manifes tation of God' s goodness - living creatures. Some of these creatures can sense. Both because the universe has laws which govern the interaction of all matter and energy, and because finite sentient creatures must act within this universe, natural evil inevitably results-especially if some creatures are free and rational. For matter reacts to the actions of the creatures according to the determinations of preexistent laws. These laws sometimes conflict with the creatures' desires. This conflict between matter's tendency and the creatures' desires causes suffering in 84 sentient creatures - even if rational sentient creatures can not be physically harmed by it. That this suffering is evil is not evident. In the case of irrational creatures, the suffering occurs only as physical pain which invariably causes the creature to alter its actions in response thereby causing it to act in a manner not proper to it. This altered action is therefore a privation. The same alteration occurs in a rational creature. In it, however, suffering affects its thoughts~ altering the actions determined by those thoughts. Suffering is not, then, in itself a privation. Rather, like the will's failure to conform to reason, suffering is a privation with respect to a moral action. That natural and metaphysical evil are consequences of an ordered universe which, in turn, is necessary in order for living creatures to function-has been established. One might reply that God could miraculously intervene in all cases of natural evil. However, free moral agents enact moral good or evil insofar as they either do or do not consider the rule of reason. In order to determine by reason whether an action is appropriate to an end, one must be able to understand causality well enough to determine the consequences of that action. Such causality may be understood in a universe governed by law, but in one governed or dominated by miraculous intervention such understanding is impossible. Thus, besides the loss of good occasioned by the disruption of the order of the universe, through the inability of their intellect to guide their will, rational animals would suffer an even greater privation than that of natural evil. Therefore metaphysical and natural evil are necessary for the greater good of both the universe and man. Ex hypothesis, as perfectly good, God commits no morally evil act. However, man does commit moral evil. Insofar as God wills the existence of man, God causes moral evil. For although He does not cause it directly, since man, a free moral agent, is directly responsible for his own acts, God nevertheless causes evil indirectly by permitting man to do evil. This permission may be construed as an indirect cause of evil because of divine foreknowledge, by which God knows when a man will commit moral evil. Now, even i f we assume, (but do not admit), that God permits evil because He knows that each particular moral evil results accidentally in some greater good, God is still the indirect cause . Yet because God's will is directed toward the greater good and not the evil He is not culpable. Note that the issue of a moral act does not determine its goodness since the greater good arises from the action accidentally. Further only that which belongs to a thing essentially can determine it in species. Thus while the action is still morally evil for the man who commits it, it is morally good for God to permit it because He knows essentially the accidental issue of all actions. Aquinas is very clear on the point that must be demonstrated: God is not even indirectly responsible for moral evil. The first cause of moral evil is in man, for God does no violence to man's will, which is the free cause of moral evil. Unfortunately, St. Thomas is not clear on how to vindicate God of even indirect causality. He says, The effect of the deficient secondary cause (man 9 s will) is reduced t o the first non-deficient cause as regards what it has of being and perfection, but not as regards what it has of def ect; just as whatever there is of motion in t he act of limping is caused by the motive power, whereas what is unbalanced in it does not come froll\. the motive power, but from 0 the curvature of t he leg. This mechanical example fails, however, because the will has no power over the leg's curvature, yet God has power over the actions of a man, and He creates man and 85 �sustains him. Therefore Aquinas's claim that God is not even indirectly responsible for evil has not yet been justified. In fact, St. Thomas acknowledges that man's turning to God is by free choice; •.. But free choice can be turned to God only when God turns i t ... He (man) does not do this without the help of God moving him. Man can only act in accordance with God's perfectly good will, that is, he can only enact moral good by virtue of the prevenient grace of God. Even though God grants sufficient grace to all who accept it, it is God Himself who moves them to accept it. Moral evil results from the will' s failure to conform to the rule of reason. Since God's grace brings man's will into conformity with the rule of reason, i f God moves man to accept this grace, He permits evil antecedently when he does not move a man to accept His grace. For whenever acceptance is not caused, man does not consider the rule of reason. This non-consideration is not culpable, f or it is a negation. But when man subsequently acts, he is culpable, for non-consideration of the rule is a privat ion with respect to a morally significant action. Hence, God causes not a privation but a ne gat ion, which man freely makes a privation. God is therefore only the cause of mo r al good and not of moral evil. God does not do anything that He does not cause; acceptance is a non-act. Such an argument, derived from Aquinian positions, is unconvincing. In the first place , God's non-act directly causes man's non-consideration of the rule, which subsequently causes the morally evil act. God did not act because of a greater good which, by divine foreknowledge, He knew would be caused accidentally by the evil act. His non-act is a negation rather than a privation, for action would not be proper to God. However , His non-act still willfully and indirectly causes moral evil. To vindicate God of any such causal ity as Aquinas affirms one must, it is necessary to establish and maintain a slightly different interpretation which yields radically different results. Although God can infallibly cause a man to act in a non-evil manner in a given instance, He does not - except, perhaps, in rare instances. Usually, He determines not to move a man in such a way that the man must act in a specified manner. Rather He grants man prevenient grace. Along with this grace, God moves man to accept it by inclining him to do so. Man either follows this inclination or does not He chooses freely. God, then, at the time of man's choosing cannot fail to permit evil, for to do so would contradict His decision to grant man only an inclination and thus allow man moral freedom with respect to that act. This is important .because, in a situation where God infallibly causes man to act well, man's act is not free . It is absurd to claim that one is caused by someone else to choose freely a particular alternative. According to this interpretation God never permits an evil act per se . Rather, He permits man to act with moral freedom, and so permits the possibility of an evil act. Further, by inclining man toward considerat~on of the rule in all instances of human freedom, God causes man's consideration and, so, man's morally good act. Man's morally evil act, then, results from his autonomous disregard of this inclination ... . Thus, God causes moral evil neithe r directly nor indirectly. For, God cannot eliminate moral evil without also eliminating a greater good-namely, man's freedom. Whether or not moral evil exists is therefore entirely up to man . This is not to say that God does not prevent some moral evils, but He is morally obliged to permit some. Herein it has been demonstrated that the existence of both evil and a perfectly good God is consistent with man's reason, for plausible explanations have been offered for all three kinds of evil. If the arguments presented herein are sound, the faith of one who believes may be renewed and strengthened. For one who does not have faith, the possibility of gaining it remains. Further, if anyone is hereby convinced 86 that it is his own freedom which requires the potentiality of the manifold evils which he endures, and that it is primarily his own responsibility as a free man to determine whether these evils are actualized, he may less readily despair should his soul be filled with troubles. Footnotes 1 Job, II. 10. translated form the Greek text of the Septuagint, as are all further biblical references. 2 Job, I. 8. 3 4 5 6 The Summa Theologica, St. Thomas Aquinas, Part I, Q.14. contained in Introduction to St. Thomas Acquinas, ed. Anton C. Pegis. confessions, St. Augustine, Book III, Chapter VII. Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 48, Art. 3. Ibid., Part I, Q. 48, Art. 4. l Ibid., Part II, Q. 18, Art. 2. 8 9 Nicomachean Ethics, trans. W. D. Ross, contained in The Basic Works of Aristotle, Random House, Inc., New York, NY, 1941, ed. Richard McKeon, Book III-,-Chapter 3 section 1113 all. Summa Theologica, Part I, Q. 47, Art. 1. lOibid., Part I, Q. 49, Art. 3. 11 Ibid., Part II, Q. 109, Art. 7. 87 �c Solution to the Junior-Senior Math Problem s Martin Marklin Given the accompanying diagram arc with center at N AEN is a straight line f ormin~ any angle MN; it is to be proven that the area. in which ACBN is a circle, ADB is a circular circular arc with center at M, and CDEN is a less than or equal to a right angle with line mixtilinear triangles ADC and ADE are equal in ~--i"--...::::;;;..------' M FIG .1 FIG.2 N N First, the case when CN is at right angles to MN (figure 1). The area of a sector of a circle is = 8r 2 , where 0 is in radians. 2 Since AM= MN, and AM is perpendicular to MN, Then AN = 2 AM; (I. 4 7) 2 = 2 AM 2 • And AN Since angle ANB is a right angle, 2 Then sector ANBD TI/2 AN 2 IlAN 2 4 Since angle AMN is a right angle, 2 then sector AMNR TI/2 AM 2 TIAM2 4 Substituting 2 AM for AN 2 , 2 sector ANBD : sector AMNR ·· TI2AM 2 •• 2 2 TIAM 2 2 1 But sector AND = ~ sector ANBD. Therefore, sector AND = sector AMNR. And triangle ANM = triangle AON. Therefore, subtracting equal triangles, section AOD = section ANR . Section ADONR = triangle AON - section ARN + section AOD. But, section ADO = section ARN. Therefore, section ADONR = triangle AON. Section CAD, likewise, = sector COA - section DOA. But sector COA = sector AND. And subtracing common section DOA, section ADC = triangle AON. Therefore, section ADONR = section ADC . 88 For the case when CN . is less than a right angle with MN: Draw in ME, OC, and SC. Now, angle MNE = angle OSC (III . 32) And because of equal radii, MN = ME = OC = OS. Since triangles MNE and OCS are isosceles, angle MNE = angle MEN = angle OCS = angle OSC . Therefore, triangle MNE = triangle OSC . And triangle OSC = triangle OCN, because they are on equal bases and under equal heights. Now, sector AQN = sector ANM = sector AOS, from previous proof. And, angle CNO = ~ angle COS (III. 20) Since the area of a sector varies directly with its angle, and given whatever angle for CNS, angles EMN and SOC will each be twice that angle, then, sector QDN = sector SOC sector ENM. Now subtracting the common area of section EN, section QGDENO = triangle ENM = triangle OCS = triangle OCN. Subtracting further the common section OGDEN from both sides, EN + CGD GQO But section EN section SC, Therefore, GQO section CGD + section SC. But triangle OSC section OQG + QGCS section SC = section CGD + section QGCS. section SCDGQ Therefore, section SCDGQ triangle OSC = triangle OCN = section QGDENO. Which was to be proven. Q.E.D. 89 �Brise Marine In the particular case in which CNM is a right angle, show that the volumes of revolution formed by rotating the two mixtilineal triangles ADC and ADN about CN as an axis are . unequa~; and explain why this is the case. The volume, generated by the revolution of a curve, is the product of the area enclosed by the curve and the distance moved through by the center of area or center of gravity. In other words (see figure 3), the volume of the ring generated by the circle A about axis CN is equal to the area of circle A times the circumference of the circle with radius AO (the mean distance). Hence, equal c areas at equal distances from the axis may not always give equal volumes-.~The further o requirement being that their respective centers of gravity be also equidistant from the axis. 1--~-+-~~~-+~~~-+~--t N The volume of rotated. ACD rotated volume of hemisphere ACB - volume ADO Stephane Mallarme' La chair est triste, helas! et j'ai lu tousles livres. Fuir! la-bas fuir! Je sens que des oiseaux sont ivres D'etre parmi l'ecume inconnue et les cieux! Rien, ni les vieux jardins refletes par les yeux Ne retiendra ce coeur qui dans la mer se trempe 0 nuits! ni la clarte deserte de ma lampe Sur le vide papier que la blancheur def end Et ni la jeune femme allaitant son enfant. Je partirai! Steamer blancant ta mature, Leve l'ancre pour une exotique nature! Un Ennui, desole par les cruels espoirs, Croit encore a l'adieu supreme des mouchoirs! Et, peut-etre, les mats, invitant les orages Sont-ils de ceux qu'un vent penche sur les naufrages Perdus, sans mats, sans mats, ni fertiles ilots • Mais, o ~on coeur, entends le chant des matelots! The volume of ADNP rotated = volume of hemisphere ABN + volume ADO rotated - volume APNR rotated. c Let volume volume ADNP. ACD Then, volume APNR ADO. rotated Translation We know, from the previous proof, that the area of APNR = 2 x area ADO. Hence, the centers of gravity of area APNR and area ADO must be equidistant from axis CN. We know the center of area APNR to be at K, which is ~ radius AO (because of its bilateral symmetry). N Nancy Mease 2 x volume But the center of ADO can not be at ~ AO. For, in· that case, there would be the same area to the left of ~AO as there would be to the right of ~AO. But the arc AD has its maximum at the axis and its minimum at point A. I t is impossible for the area of ADO to be bisected along a line which passes through the point ~RO. Hence, the assumption that volume ADC = ADNP must be false. The flesh is bleak; I have read all the booksTo flee, flee alas! The birds must be drunk To exist amid nameless foam and sky! Nothing shall hold this sea-steeped heart, O nights! Neither old gardens shining in the eyes, Nor the desert clarity of my lamp On empty paper defended by white, Nor even the young wife nursing her child. I shall leave! You, steamer, cradling your spars, Up anchor, crowd sail for exotic wilds! A man of ennui, undone by cruel hopes, Still looks to the last good~bye of handkerchiefs. And perhaps these spars, inviting tempests, Are among those that wind bends over wrecks Lost, dismasted, without fertile isles •.• And yet, oh my heart, hear the sailors' songs! Which was to be proven. ~ancy Q.• E. D. 90 Mease, '84, is currently living in Orange City, New 91 Jers~v. �Non -Profit Org. BULK RATE U. S. POST AGE St. John's College Annapolis, Maryland 21404 PAID PERMIT No. ·1 20 ANNAPOLIS , ~-~J � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>Energeia</em> Description An account of the resource <em>Energeia</em> is a non-profit, student magazine, which is published once a year and distributed among students, faculty, alumni, and staff of St. John's College, Annapolis.  Staff welcome submissions from all members of the community -- essays, poems, stories, original math proofs, lab projects, drawings, and the like. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context energeia Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. i, 91 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlein, Ann (Editor) Title A name given to the resource Energeia, Fall 1984 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1984 Description An account of the resource Issue of the Energeia, published in Fall 1984. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Energeia Fall 1984 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Energeia Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/6961c61523531777a5e80a6b5c8e5ccd.pdf 3c7ce134a24af0676983fb6cc62b1f74 PDF Text Text �ENEBGEIA; The activity in which -anything is fully itself. n... voQ tvlpy£~a ~w~ ... (Aristotle's r : .·, ; . '1.-' I ... ~ J ~.' r ·. Metaphysics, 1072b) • • ·. I •'· 'I •" ~ 1 f ~TAFE; ,.! .- _.-.~. .'. " I 'i I .~,' Maura Brady " . Cathy Buckler Michael Crawford Gabrielle Fink Nancy Harriss : /' . A · · · Ted Ingham . ,... ~ ~ Maria Kowalczyk . Mark Streeter . ·. .:.! - ·~.i . '· • : )' i · Liz Waldner Jason Wal sh . Steve Werl 1.n · Editor: Ann Burle1n Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Tuck ~( • I , J ~ ~· ' .h ' ..... .. • !' .( ~ ,' I' ' I ~ .· Energeja is a non- profit, student magazine which is published three times a year and distributed among the students, faculty, alumni and staff of St. John's Co 11 ege, Annapo 1 is and Santa Fe. The Fa 11 issue con ta ihs a samp 11 ng ·of the student work from the previous s~hool year which the prize committees of both. campuses have selected for public recognition. For the Winter and Spring issues, the Energeia staff welcomes submissions from al 1 members of the co mm u n i t y - essays, poems , st o r i es, o r i g i na 1 math p roofs, 1 ab p r o j e ct s, drawings, and the 1 ike. Note: A brief description of the author accompanies al 1 work not by current St. John's students. Please include some such statement along with your submission. Thank you. �Imagination and Knight-Errantry in Don Quixote Anna Davis CONTENTS IMAGINATION AND KNIGHT-ERRANTRY IN DON QUIXaTE Anna Davis DONNE AT PENI'EL Nancy Townsend 13 Coldwell Daniel 17 · ·· · Martin Marklin 18 · James Beall 23 · , · Ann Burlein 26 HOUSE RENT BOOGIE ' · ., 1 .j l ' STUDIES IN NON-EUCLIDEAN REGULAR POLYHEDRA MOON WHEN ONTOLOGY WEARS A JANUS-FACE . THE TRAGICOMIC PHILOSOPHER Ann Sitomer IN DEFENSE OF PROPOSITION 35: COINCIDENCE AND EQUALITY IN EUCLID'S ELEMENTS, BOOK I Fawn Trigg 39 44 CONNOISSEUR OF CHAOS Wallace Stevens 47 CHAOS IN APRIL, ORDER AT KEY WEST AND THE PLANET ON THE TABLE Liz Waldner 48 SELFHOOD, FRIENDSHIP, AND STATEHOOD IN THE NICOMACHEAN ETHICS Michael McShane 53 We become acquainted with Don Quixote through the narrator of this true history who first describes Don Quixote as a voracious reader of books about chivalry. Finally we are told he "became so immersed in his reading that he spent whole nights from sundown to sunup and his days from dawn to dusk in pouring over his books, until, finally, from so 1 ittle sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind. He had fi 11 ed his imagination with everything that he had read ••• and as a result had come to believe that all these fictitious hafpenings were true; they were more real to him than anything else in the world~ We are led to believe that these are the adventures of a madman - and so they seem when we find him, for instance, engaging in a fierce combat with great skins of red wine. As he emerges from each absurd adventure, sometimes victorious, but mostly in defeat, we can not help but laugh along with the people he meets. He is easily made to look ridiculous by everyone he encounters whether by means of a practical joke or a criticism of knight errantry. Don Quixote's apparent madness lends an unfair advantage to his antagonists; for although most derive nothing but amusement from the knight, Don Quixote sees no humor in his profession. The more seriously he takes himself, the more we laugh. Our 1 aughter, however, for the most part is brief and it puzzles us. Why do we not feel comfortable ridiculing him? Is it because we see, even if only for a moment, a nobility and virtue in his actions that awaken us from our dogmatic slumbers? Too often in the course of his adventures the truth of his words and the righteousness in hfs deeds make us blush to think that we once laughed at his folly. Before we pass the final judgement upon his madness, let us examine those words and deeds in the hope of discovering the secret contained in his "imaginary" world of knight-errantry. Don Quixote embodies the g 1 ory of the Go 1 den Age, that happy century "to which the ancients gave the name of golden ••• because those who 1 i ved in that time did not know the meaning of the words 'thine' and 'mine•. 112 More than this, however, he longs to share ·with the world the wealth contained in the virtues which the Golden Age exemplifies. Thus his sojourn becomes meaningful each time he encounters in this world men who have long forgotten even the simplest amenities of life. It is not surprising that those men Quixote meets have no interest in remembering the lessons he offers them, for his way of life demands sacrifice and courage to pursue virtue, at a time when vice volunteers an easy gain. Everywhere Quixote is met with resistance. But he faces this resistance and overcomes it within himself, not by physical force, but by believing that his intervention can change the hearts of men. As he explains to Andres after freeing him from his cruel master, "it is sufficient for me to command and he out of respect wi 11 obey ••• He has sworn to me ••• Every man is the son of his works."3 Is it madness to put such faith in one's fellow man? Or does Quixote's faith remind us that this Iron Age of ours would dissolve if such 1 �faith were often in vain? It would be a sad misfortune indeed if it were not the 1 atter, for faith in the goodness found in the heart of man is perhaps the first step toward destroying the barrier that "thine" and "mine" erects between men. Though Quixote fails Andres, our author leads us to believe that the knight's faith has made an indelible impression on the prostitutes at the in~ By mistaking them for Ladies of the Castle, he helps them to see their own self worth. They, in return, promise to adopt the title of Dona. This smal 1, but meaningful, transformation has been wrought through Quixote's imagination. The world he has created does not allow for prosititutes or men who would renege on a promise. Such characteristics are products of an Age which emphasizes material wealth, rather than virtuous action. Though Quixote's imagination demands a great deal, he presents his faith as a gift of love to those who choose to participate in it, so that life can become a little less wretched. Sancho, more than anyone else, shares in Don Quixote's imagination and is transformed by it. Simple in the way that a child is simple, Sancho is innocent and unadorned. His reason requires no proof from the knight. He fol lows his master with the undaunted faith that Don Quixote will deliver the fortunes he has promised. If Quixote were simply a madman, he could never inspire in a man like Sancho the faith to leave home and family in order to wander the countryside in search of adventures. The lure of riches alone, however, fails to explain the depth of Sancho's conviction. As Sancho himself learns as governor, happiness is not synonymous with material wealth. This knowledge comes as a revel at ion to Sancho and with it brings consolation in his 1 ot in life. As he leaves the island he embraces his grey saying, "Come, comrade and friend, partner in all my troubles and hardships. When I was with you, I had no other care than that of mending your harness and feeding that little carcass of yours. Those for me were the happy hours, days, and years: but since leaving you and mounting the towers of ambition and pride, a thousand troubles a thousand torments, and four thousand worries have entered my soul." 4 Sancho has not reached this conclusion by himself. Only through his association with Don Quixote is this contentment possible. In the moment Sancho discovers that which is truly important in his life, he sets off to resume his place at his master's side - his devotion now steadfast. We have seen that the enlightment which Sancho and the prostitutes experience is accomplished through the imagination of Quixote. But it takes more than imagination alone to work miracles of this sort. Without an invincible faith in his own ability to transform the lives of those he encounters, Quixote's imagination is incapable of conveying the virtues of the Golden Age to this Age of Iron. It is his fa1th which gives his imagination vitality. In a world determined to defeat him, it is his spiritual strength that calls upon him to rise from each beating. Let us, then, examine Quixote in an adventure which requires him to draw heavily on these faculties. He enters the Sierra Morena to escape the dreaded Holy Brotherhood. But the mountain provides Quixote with much more than a hiding place. His faith is displayed in al 1 its splendor high on the Sierra Morena cliffs where there are no damsels to rescue, no rogues to prosecute, and no one but Sancho to witness it. Quixote's penance, in "imitation of Beltenebros", lends us a new perspective to Don Quixote. Throughout his previous adventures he has been only 2 a knight. He has told us of the cruelty which men exhibit and has shown us that "prudence, valor, endurance, firmness of will, and loving devotion"5 are the symbols of the Golden Age. Enchantment and dragons only oppose the hearts and minds of men who dare step beyond the bounds of appearance. When a flock of sheep can be transformed into an army, one must summon all one's courage in order to defeat such an enemy in single-handed combat. Would those who scuff at the knight have gathered such courage and firmness of will to fight for anything? Perhaps they are just sheep, but as he charges into battle it is a real army Don Quixote opposes. The isolation of the Sierra Morena, however, transforms him into a love~ He has fought long enough for love and the honors of chivalry: it is now time to set his sword aside and declare to all of nature his love for Dulcinea and the virtues she possesses. Only in this way will he become worthy of his love for her. Dulcinea embodies all the womanly virtues. As the Princess of al 1 princesses, al 1 women should strive to become like her, although the attainment of such perfection always remains impossible. If, Don Quixote is the greatest knight- errant who ever lived, we may find ou rse l ~es, l i ke s.ancho, wondering why he must perform such a di ff i cult penance. Don Quixote explain~ "What thanks does a knight deserve for going mad when he has good c~use? The thing is to go out of my head without any occasion for it, thus letting my lady see, if I do this for her in the dry, what I would do in the wet." 6 Though he sends Sancho to Dulcinea for her appraisal of his master's wor~hiness, t~is r~tual ~oes .not so much express his faithfulness or constancy, as it proclaims his belief in what she is and what she stands for. To the man who sees prostitutes instead of ladies, sheep instead of armies, Dulcinea is only Aldonza Lorenzo. To Don Quixote and those like him who possess the gift of freedom from appearances, by disregarding them as the deceit of a wicked enchanter, the peasant woman Aldonza Lorenzo ceases to exist. His faith elevates her to an almost divine stature; he considers her the embodiment of all he loves and finds meaningful in the world. The fact that some uninspired men se? only a flesh-and - bl?od.peasant becomes almost trivial in light of Don Quixot&s love. ~And soi~ is enough for me to think and believe that the good Aldonza Lorenzo is beautiful and modest ••• I am content to imagine that what I say is so and that she is neither more nor less than I picture her and would have her be, in comeliness and in high estate~ 7 Quixote has captured the very essence of his imagination with this statement. Nothing must remain as it appea r s to be under the influence of his imagination, for no l anger is man enveloped in a world where souls and substances are restricted by their appearance. In the Iron Age, the world has become stagnant; men have fooled themselves into believing that a· barber's basin is forever bound to be merely a barber's.basin. But Quixo~e demonstrates that through imagination we can purge ~ur.vision of the haze which prevents us from beholding the potential locked inside every man and object. His imagination, and ours if we choose to believe, ~rea~es a world from mundane matter where new challenges and never-beforeimagined adventures demand an heroic sense of duty and courage. Quixote's imagination conjures up thirty "lawless giants" where most men would have seen only windmills. There is no escape from the battlefield upon which he finds himself. Though he knows a fatal blow could await him, he bravely commends himself to his lady and attacks. The giants take on a life of their own under his assault, taunting him by flapping their wings. He and Rocinante are hurled to the ground by the initial blow, but this setback signifies nothing more than the fortunes of war for Quixote. He has behaved 3 �admirably in the true spirit of knight-errantry, for facing such an awesome enemy is a noble endeavor, when its purpose is to combat si~ "In confronting giants, it is the sin of pride that we slay, even as we combat envy with generosity and goodness of heart." 8 To subdue a giant is to rob him of all reason to consider himself as above other men. But more importantly, Quixote has shown us that the battle begins within ourselves. Our own fear presents the most formidable enemy; if we can conquer that, a giant seems inconsequential. Even defeat, when delivered by a giant, is honorable. But let us return to Aldonza Lorenzo. She, too, is liberated by Quixote's imagination, for she is no longer limited by her cumbersome station in life or the p 1 a in, earthy f ea tu res of a fie 1 d-hand. Don Quixote a 1 one has found the beauty in her heart and bestows on her the greatness she deserves by displaying it before the world. It is an ironic twist that Sancho, a peasant, is able to see through Quixote's eyes the truth about Aldonza Lorenzo. Like a teacher to his student, Quixote has made Sancho understand the necessity and beauty in his master's penance. Profoundly impressed by the letter to Dulcinea, Sancho revels in the pride he feels toward Quixote and expresses his love for him when he nearly weeps at the prospect of his master enduring such pain. What else but the intensity of Quixote's imagination could elicit such heartfelt emotion from Sancho? It is more than the promise of three ass-colts that persuades Sancho to journey alone to El Toboso. He who is assaulted by fears "with a thousand different kinds of starts and visions"9 every time he leaves his master's side must also believe 1n the nobility of Quixote's deeds. Sancho, however, is rare among men. As Quixote returns to his home after the first expedition to the inn, he attempts to teach the same 1 esson to the silk merchants of Toledo. He challenges these would-be knight-errants to go no further until they confess that Dulcinea is the most beautiful damsel in the world. Without the power of faith, the silk merchants are incapable of believing what Don Quixote has told them is true. They regard the whole affair as they would a stubborn shopkeeper haggling over a bolt of expensive fabric. They would rather 1 ie about Dulcinea's beauty after seeing her picture than humiliate themselves on the chance that she is not as beautiful as the knight has said she is. But it is clear that her beauty is irrelevant. "If I were to show her to you, what merit would there be in your confessing a truth so selfevident? The important thing is for you, without seeing her to believe, confess, affirm, swear, and defend that truth." l OFaith is to believe without knowledge. By not allowing the silk merchants to document the affirmation of Du,.cinea's beauty, Quixote compels them to admit the existence of things in the world more important than money. The silk merchants, of course, do not believe t.his. Their imaginations extend no further than to envision how many real es each handsome piece of silk can br ing. They measure wealth by luxury. When Don Quixote confronts them with a woman endowed with the riches of modesty and nobility that will buy them nothing, the merchants find it impossible to recogn 1ze these virtues. It is the curse of the Iron Age that these men have accustomed themselves to looking no further than this for happiness. When a man is incapable of acknowledging even the possibility of such beauty in a woman he has never seen, how wi 11 he ever be ab 1 e to believe in the goodness of an age which knew not "thine" and "mine"? 4 The silk merchants do not dare to oppose Quixote in an ideological battle, for thi s might place their beliefs in far too precarious a position. They wil 1 not tolerate anyone who might force them to re- evaluate their first principles. Instead, they choose to ridicule and reject with violence Don Quixote's challenge. ~hough our kni~ht_ fights valiantly, the silk merchants are stronger. They leave him beaten, sati s fied that they have rid themselves of this nuisance. But rather than giving up in the face of utter defeat, Don Quixote reinforces his bel_iefs by recalling and reliving the tales of knight- errantry. His is the true victory, for though some people will never change, he will continue to believe in his profession and to pass it on t o those who wil 1 listen. His faith has been tested on this battlefield and has emerged intact. It is true that his b~uises ~revent him from r~sing, but his spirit delivers a devastating blow to his e nemies when he exclaims to his neighbor, Pedro Alonso , "I know who I am. " All of his beliefs have come into question, and yet he remains secure enough- in his convictions to declare that he is proud to be what he is. Quixote's faith i~ knight- errantry and in his own strength to transform the world gives him the right to say "I know who I am." something which the silk merchants could never declare. It is heaven's wi 11 that cal 1 s him to mount Rocinante and it is a voice that only he can hear which nurtures his poetic vision. The rest of the world is deaf to these whisperings; Quixote must try to make it hear them. Perhaps Quixote's true nobi 1 ity arises here; though he knows the essence this heart and can perceive beyond mere appearance, the world still sees in him only the lunacy of a madman. Nor does his faith appear to weaken in the adventures that fol low, for we can detect no decline in the intensity of his faith when he meets the galley slaves. As he questions them about the crimes they have committed, Don Quixote has no doubts as to who he is or in what his duty as a knight consists. He piti~s them _ and judg_ their punishment too harsh. The King's justice means es nothing to him, for "it does not appear to me to be just to make slaves of those whom God created as free men •••Up there, each of us wi 11 have to answer for his o~n sins~" It .is an odd t~rn of events that brings Quixote , whom we usu a lly fin~ trying to impose his wil 1 on whatever affords him an opportunity, acting as a liberator of men who have become slaves to the will of the Law. But because the slaves are taken in chains against their will, Quixote feels compelled to defend them. He reasons that this is the just and noble thing to do since it is his "knightly vow to favor the needy and aid those who are oppressed by the powerfu 1." !n return for saving the galley slaves' lives, Quixote asks but one thing: Dulcinea must know of her knight's courage and valor from the lips of the re:cued unfortunates. Un l i ke the silk merchants, however, who s imp 1y ; gnored Quixote after they had beaten him, the galley slaves give way to selfishness as they turn and attack the man to whom they owe their ·lives. There is an added perve~sion. to the gal_ley slave's action, for they corrupt Quixote's gift of love by u~ing it for their own selfish and unjust ends . Though we may find the rea li st po s i t ion of the silk merc hants offen s ive , they at l eas t dese rv e recognition for holding their beliefs as dear as Quixote holds his. The galley s~aves not only offend us , they offend God with the sin of ingratitude. They disregard the dc1nger in which Quixote has placed himself for their sake. As they seek to escape their captors they think only of themselves. Like so many times before, Quixote's good will and Golden Age virtue have been wasted on selfish, ignorant men with hearts of iron. Perhaps it is madness , to continue to bear such an undying love for his fellow man , after so 5 �many disappointments, but if Quixote is mad, all men should be afflicted by this kind of insanity. We must not, however, al low the admiration we feel for Quixote's steadfast faith blind us to his mistakes. We have seen him ~wice misjudge another man's character, causing pain and suffering to those associated with them. Andres was not freed by his master but was made to ensure worse abuse because Quixote placed too much faith in a man unworthy of such trust. The galley slaves, besides stealing poor Sancho's grey, perhaps corrmitted other crimes once they were free of their jailers. While we can not and should not ignore Quixote's mistakes, he is still only a man, subject to human error and weakness - however strong his faith and courage may be. We would judge him too harshly and commit the same offe~se of which we accuse him if we allow this to become an obstacle in our estimation of his worth. We shal 1 not qauge his nobility by the final result of each adventure, for then we would equate the Golden Age with gold. It is, rathe~, the worthiness of his heart and the goodness in his soul that, in spite of his "failures", will be our measure. After all, Quixote's flaws make him even more dear to us. If he is to be our guide, i f we are to try to emulate his nobility, he must remain within our grasp. We learn from his mistakes that he is as human as we, and this gives us the hope that Quixote's dream to restore the Golden Age is not quite so impossible. But just as his mistakes give us assurance, so does his insightfulness i~to the soul of Marcela. Among the crowd of goatherds that too much resemble silk merchants, Quixote sees Marcela as the vision she is. He recognizes at once the virtue and goodness in her soul. This stands in tremendous contrast to his encounters with other people where it was necessary for him to dig deeply into their hearts to find their merit. Marcela's treasure, is of such brilliant gold that unless one is eclipsed by prejudice as the goatherds are, one cannot but perceive it. Any addition or amendment by Quixote's imagination would be superfluous. Rather than being insulted by her chastity, he is the first to defend her. Here, finally, is a damsel truly worthy to be defended by a gallant knight! Here, too, is evidence that the virtues of the Golden Age are not completely forgotten and that Quixote's quest is not in vain. Perhaps this adventure with Marcela proves Quixote right. Men do not seem to recognize true virtue when it is presented to them, nor are th.ey ab 1 e to discover it in their neighbor. Imagination provides the key, for it not only nourishes a decaying soul, but accustoms it to recognize the good when it does appear. Did not Quixote offer the first poultice to the afflicted souls of t~e prostitutes, just as he afforded the goatherds their first glimpse of Marcela s real beauty? Imagination is the bridge that spans the abyss between each man and the world. It provides a conmen bond between men and only from it does true understanding arise. Throughout these adventures in Book I, we have seen Quixote's imagination thrive with each encounter. With such determination and spiritual strength he seems indomitable· but as he embarks on the Third Sally, he is overcome by many changes. Perhap~ he has been 1 ul led by the security of his home, but w~ are more inclined to believe that these changes result from the humiliation Quixote suffered as he was carried home from the Sierra Morena, caged like some dangerous animal. For whatever reason, he hesitates to venture into this hosti 1 e world a third time and even Rocinante must urge the knight to take up his arms once more. He is finally persuaded to go, but as if Quixote needs assurance of his Lady's love, they set out for El Tobosa to see Dulcinea. Never 6 before has Don Quixote needed proof of her existence. Doubting all that he once staked his 1 ife on, he desperately seeks confirmation from she who symbolizes his 1ove for the Go 1 den Age. Though Quixote doubts, we must not interpret this to mean that the benefits bestowed by his imagination are diminished . On the contrary, his master's imagination is precisely what enables Sancho to enchant Dulcinea. The squire has observed wel 1 and makes his own attempt to transform the world. As he relaxes under a tree, Sancho decides he does not want to go into the village to look for Dulcinea. How much better it would be, he fancies, if she would find him. With cold calculation, Sancho plots to deceive his master into believing that a home 1 y peasant 1 ass is the peerless Du 1 c i nea. But as he careful 1 y considers the execution of his plan, Sancho's reason and his faith struggle with one another. He knows that his ma.ster is mad, yet he be 1 i eves in the fulfillment of Quixote's promises. The wil 1 to believe in Quixote overcomes what appears as madness to him, and with the defeat of the empirical, Sancho is able to impose what he wants to be true even though the world would deny it. In the same manner in which Quixote has convinced Sancho that sheep are armies, Sancho prepares to persuade Quixote of Dulcinea's enchantment. "It wil 1 not be hard to make him believe that the first farm girl I fall in with around here is the Lady Dulcinea. If he doesn't believe it, l'l 1 swear to it; and if he swears that it isn't so, l'l l swear right back at him; and i f he insists, l'l l insist more than he does, so that, come what may , I'll always have my quoit on the peg." Although we might wish for Sancho to employ the gift his master has given him in a more constructive fashion, he has begun to understand Quixote's ministry. Sancho will eventually learn that the motive behind the deed is as important as the deed itself, but this first smal 1 step yields him an insight into the grandeur of Quixote's imagination. Sancho's gain, however, is Quixote's loss. Dulcinea's enchantment marks the beginning of a transition in the knight's faith. Though he has always had to pit himself agai~st the world, the bruising of his body has never before reached his heart. Time has weakened Quixote's faith, and only Dulcinea can renew his hope. As her captive knight, Quixote wishes only to set the visi~n of her loveliness before the world. To be assured of the truth of the existence of her virtue now is to never again doubt his ability to transform the world. Sancho destroys his master's wish by parading a mockery of womanly virtue before him. Her transformation is 1 ike a knife which has been plunged into the very dep t hs of hi s heart. Quixote has no alter-native left but to accep t Sa nc ho's word. He cannot even delve into the peasant's heart to extract the goodness buried in it as he has done before, for the curses she hurls at the knight and squire indicate no goodness is there to be found. The effects of Dulcinea's enchantment are devastating to Quixote. With eyes "fairly starting from their sockets" and a "deeply troubled look" upon his face, Quixote is incapa.ble of speaking to the farm girls. He al lows Sancho to make the introductions. Sancho niust now provide comfort for his mast r, though it does little good. Words alone will do nothing to soothe such pain; only the reaffirmation of Dulcinea's virtue can heal his wound. As they leave El Tobosa, however, they meet a t roupe of players. Seeing them dressed as demons and angels and even Death himself, Quixote is "at once cheered by the thought that this must be some new and perilous adventure." But an uncor11prornising fate will not even al low Quixote the luxury of proving the valor of his good right arm. As he realizes that these are only men in costume, Quixote cries with disappointment, "Upon the word of a knight-errant, when I first saw this wagon, 7 �I thought that some great adventure must be awaiting me, but I perceive now that one must actually touch with his hands what appears to the eye if he is to avoid being deceived." 16 Can this be the same Don Quixote that once sailed forth from his home to change the world armed only with his imagination? The courage and determination that Quixote displayed through Book I returns quickly after leaving El Toboso. He regains his composure, and his imagination is by no means destroyed. He manages to gain victory over the Knight of th: Wood and earns the new title "Knight of the Lions" with "unimaginable courage. But this is a difficult time in Quixote's life. Although he still performs these splendid deeds of knight-errantry, an undefined pall casts itself over his character. He totters between attaining an unshakeable faith and losing his poetic vision altogether. We find this ambivalence nestled in the adventure in the Cave of Montesinos. It is at once Quixote's greatest feat of imagination and his greatest failure. Descending into total darkness where he is deprived of all senses, he creates a new and fantastic world of his very own. He is here transformed from one who uses his imagination to embellish objects and men to a Creator of an Arthurian world. His imagination is so powerful that by abstracting from time itself, he condenses three days into thirty minutes. Yet, in the midst of the perfect world of knight-errantry, Quixote lacks the strength to imagine Dulcinea in her true form. She runs through his dream as the peasant lass, reduced to sending a maid to borrow money from Quixote. Oh, the depths to which our knight's passion has sunk to associate his princess with so base a thing as moneyl Does she not belong to that age "which knew not the words 'thine' and 'mine'"? With sadness, we realize that not only can Quixote not overcome the poisoned image of Dulcinea, but he finds it necessary to convince Sancho of the veracity of his vision. Never before did it matter whether Sancho was convinced of his master's transformations; Quixote's conviction was strong enough to sustain them both. Now, however, Sancho's acceptance is vital. He, too, has learned to impose his imagination on the world, and Quixote's diminishing faith clutches for the strength that now lies within Sancho. Not long after emerging from the Cave of Montesinos, Don Quixote and Sancho meet the Duke and the Duchess. Uncharacteristically, Quixote does not ride bviuly f~r.-drd to greet the Duchess. Instead, he lingers meekly on the hill while his squire begs her permission to approach. The Duchess, let us note, is the first person they encounter who has read the first part of Quixote's adventures. Perhap~ here finally is a person whose sensibility of soul has been awakened by the message of Don Quixote's ministry. She gives us the first clue to her true nature, when we find that rather than being honored to entertain s~ famous a knight-errant, she uses this opportunity to ridicule him and to amuse the household at his expense. She instructs the servants to perform lavish ceremonies and to indulge the knight's every desire. After all, they conclude, he is only a madman; what harm can there be in humoring him? The injury is immediate. As Don Quixote enters the patio a sumptuous scarlet cloak is thrown over his shoulders. While the servants shout, '~elcome, 0 flower and cream of knight-errantry,1117 the greatest knight-errant of all who once desired only to sleep under the stars, enduring every imaginable hardship, for the first time "really and wholly believed himself to be a true knight-errant and not a fanciful one, for here he was being treated in the very same manner as knighterrants in ages past, according to the storybooks he had read." 18 A fa 1 se paradise has been imposed upon ·him. Sti 11 suffering from a weakened faith, he finds security in a refuge which renders imagination superfluous. The voice of a silk merchant within him, or perhaps the voice of Alonso Quijano, is pacified as the Duke and Duchess carry out every ritual down to its minutest detail in accordance with the laws of chivalry. No longer must his imagination strive to transform the appearances, lending them nobility. Like a muscle seldom used, Quixote's imagination begins to atrophy a·s he passive 1 y accepts each degrading scheme the duke and duchess present. What an insult it is when four "damsels" wash his beard in a basin at the table, mocking him with grave ceremony. He who has always responded with righteous indignation at the mere insinuation of a slur against his profession, complacently allows then to humiliate him. Even Sancho is able to discern their hosts' motives. He derives no 1 ittle satisfaction as he tells the anecdote about the farmer and the gentleman who sit down to dinner and cannot decide who will sit at the head of the .table, just as Quixote and the duke each insisted that the other have the honor. Finally, as Sancho relates, the gentleman yells, "Sit down, you stupid ass, for wherever I sit wil 1 be the head of the table to you." Though Quixote is embarrassed by this, it is because of the impertinance of his squir& He is oblivious to the cruel laughter of the duke and the duchess. Is he not deluding himself by his attempt to vindicate his calling to the ecclesiastic when he cries, "If true gentlemen of great lords of high and noble station were to call me a fool I should take it as an irreparable insult, but for the opinion of mere bookworms who have never entered upon or trod the paths of chivalry I would not give a penny. A knight I am and a night I shal 1 die, if it be pleasing to Almighty God"? 20 Sancho, too, is ridiculed by their lordships, although he receives great favor for his ready wit. An island is conferred upon him by the duke which fulfills Quixote's promise of long ago. His belief in his master is finally rewarded and a great change is effected in our humble Sancho. Although r'eluctantly, he becomes convinced by the duchess of Dulcinea's enchantment by sorcery rather than through his own contrivance. He therefore concedes to the lashes which "Merl in" demands as necessary in order to restore Dulcinea to her original beauty. The squemish squire of the first book would never have submitted to such treatment, even for the acquisition of a governorship. But Sancho finds a far greater strength within himself than even Quixote could have foreseen. Not only has he come to believe and trust his 1 ife to his master's poetic visions , Sancho can now ascend to the level of Quixote as he creates an imaginary rea lm of his own. Upon Clavileno he flies high abov e the earth an d our poor, ignorant peasant sees Heaven. What the Cave of Montesinos was for Quixote, the ride on Clavileno is for Sancho. The greatest tribute to Quixote's powerful imagination is that it has inspired Sancho with the ability to envision the earth as "no bigger than a grain of mustard and the people walking about on it •••a little larger than hazelnuts.n21 Though Sancho has not yet attained enough sense of self to join his master in saying, "I know who I am", Quixote's imagination has bestowed a magnificient gift upon the beloved squire. Sancho, an illiterate man who has never even set foot outside his own country, has flown through the Pleiades on a wooden horse and remained to play among the stars. He may not realize that the true beauty in Quixote's ability to transform the world arises from a genuine love for man and a sincere desire to refine his heart, but can any of us say that we have romped through Heaven? No, · even if Sancho had never received his island , this would have been recompense enough for the sufferings he endured. 9 8 �Quixote is not ready to see the marvelous transformation he has brought about in his squire. An aching need for reassurance of his declining vigor from his friend prompts him to whisper, "Sancho, if you want us to believe what you saw in Heaven, then you must believe me when I tel 1 you what I saw in the Cave of Montesinos. I need say no more." 22Could we say more in Quixote's position? The duke and duchess attempt to chisel away at Quixote's self-respect with each absurd game they play on him. He is blind to their cruel designs and the perverse pleasure they derive in doing so. When the judgement is finally made, however, it is Quixote who retains his dignity and the duke and duchess who become offensive to our eyes. Nobility and virtue can never be made into toys and those who try are the only ones who are truly mad. Though Quixote's faith and imagination are waning, he need not feel shame; human weakness al lows for such decline. His love for humanity remains impenetrable. The duke and duchess are incapable of seeing this as anything but the prattle of a madman, but their souls are so blackened by the Iron Age that they believe deceit and trickery to be the mark of a sensible man. · Though the duke and duchess unwittingly weaken Quixote's faith, they have not the strength to overcome him. The coup de grace wi 11 not be delivered by these unworthy rabble; it wil 1 come much later and at the hands of one who claims to be his friend. From Quixote's first sally, the curate and the barber have attempted to dissuade their frie~d from these mad roamings through the countryside. They are joined by Sanson Carrasco before the third sally who, after being defeated as the Knight of the Mirrors, rides to Barcelona to challenge Don Quixote again as the Knight of the White Moon. Carrasco does not intend to ha rm Quixote; he wishes on 1 y to def eat him in a jousting match and then to demand that Quixote confine himself to his home for one year wherein they hope to cure him of his madness. He meets Don Quixote as the valiant knight rides along the beach one morning, "cl ad in full armor-for, as he was fond of saying, that was his on 1 y ornament, his on 1 y rest the fight, and accordingly, he . was never without it for a moment.1123 Carrasco goads Don Quixote into combat by insulting Dulcinea and the challenge is immediately accepted. The joust lasts only a moment, but it is enough for the Knight of the White Moon to bring both Quixote and Ro~Jnante crashing to the ground in utter defe~t. "You are vanquished, 0 Knight!" This is no mere bruising from an insolent Biscayan or an ungrateful galley slave. Don Quixote has been conquered by another Knight in both body and soul. Never before has Quixote lacked the spiritual strength to rise from a fight. He has never before ceased to believe that only through his ministry will the virtues of the Golden Age be brought to the world. The b 1 ow received today, however, 1 ays to waste a 11 that he once held as true. Stunned and battered, Don Quixote did not so much as raise his visor but in a faint, wan voice, as if speaking from the grave, he said, "Dulcinea del Tobosa is the most beautiful woman in the world and I the most unhappy knight upon the face of this earth. It is not right that my weakness should serve to defraud the truth. Drive home your lance, 0 kn~t, and take my life since you already have deprived me of my honor." He can blame no enchanters for his defeat this time. He cannot deny the reality of the victor or of the promise he has made. Quixote's spirit has been crushed; if he is to preserve the di.gnity and nobility of knight-errantry, he 10 must abide by Carrasco's rule. Each adventure Quixote has engaged in has carried the threat of defeat, yet ha bravely accepted the risks each time. To ignore or excuse his opponent's triumph now would render his life and all he Even the promise of a new adventure to has sought to teach us meaningless. rescue Don Gregorio from Barbary cannot restore his strength. "But what am I thinking of, wretch that I am? Am I not the vanquished one? Am I not the one who was overthrown? Am I not he who cannot take up arms for an entire year? What, then, am I promising, of what do I boast, seeing that I am better fitted to handle the distaff than the sword?" Do we even know this familiar stranger anymore? Sancho is as shocked and bewildered as we are by his master's sufferings. Brokenhearted over the turn that events had taken, Sancho did not know what to say or do. It seemed to him that all this was something that was happening in a dream and that everything was the resu 1 t of magic. He saw his master surrender, heard. him con sent not to take up arms again for a year to come as the light of his glorious exploits faded · into darkness. At the same time his own hopes, based upon the fresh promises that had been made for him, were whirled away like smoke before the wind. But though Sancho does not completely understand the importance of what h~s happened and wishes against hope to ju st if y Quixote's def eat, he f o 1 1 ow s the advice his master gave him long ago and draws strength from weakness. While Quixote "for six days remained in bed, sad and dejected, moody and 111tempered," Sancho is optimistic for the future. The transformation in both knight and squire is complete. Sancho returns the comfort and consolation his master provided so many ti mes befor& With the voice of a philosopher he tells his master, "brave hearts should be patient in adversity just as they are joyous in prosperity." To escape from a reality too grim to face, Quixote resolves to give up his arms and lead the pastoral life of a shepherd. But as Sancho leads him home and p1eads to their be 1oved v il 1age, "Open your eyes, and beho 1 d your son, Sancho Panza, returning to you ••• Open your arms and receive your other son Don Quixote," he realizes that a shepherd's existence is but an illusion and.he has not the strength to begin anew. With no enchanters left to des poil that which his imagination has made the world to be, Quixote can do nothing more than to resign himself to the realm of appearance. Armed with only the rationality that the real world has given him, Carrasco, the curate, and the barber are fools. They realize - too late - what i t means to deprive a man of his dreams. They have destroyed thefaith which was the knight's sustenance and forced him to abandon a world not ready to recieve him. Don Quixote dies as Alonso Quijano, denouncing al 1 that he had once believed as madness. A grieving Sancho percieves the true wisdom that Quixote has given him and begs his master to cling to life, once again echoing the truths Don Quixote taught him. "It is a common thing for certain knights to overthrow others, and he who is vanquished today wi 11 be · the victor tomorrow." But by its very nature, once faith has been extinguished, it can never be rekindled. Al 1 that remains to Quixote is the worldly wisdom of Sancho's proverbs. The Knight of la Mancha no longer exists and it is Alonso Quijano who murmurs, "In last year's nests t here are no birds this year." 11 �It has been remarked throughout the book that Quixote appears mad only when he discusses knight-errantry; at all other times he is quite lucid. The world which opposes him wishes him to surrender his poetic vision to their conception of reality. But when Quixote is forced to acknowledge their world view, he dies. He cannot live in a world where he is denied the beauty which shines in everything only after the outer appearances have been stripped from each object. Quixote's imagination has given his l 1fe meaning and a mission to ful fi 11. Is it so much to ask of his family and friends that they al low him this dignity? Though it is no easy l 1fe that Quixote demands we pursue, it is nothing less than what he expects of himself. Al lowing Don Quixote to be what he is means that he has al ready sparked a transformation within us. One cannot recognize his nobility or understand his purpose without being changed by him. What the curate and the barber call sheer madness actually endows Quixote with the higher truth of know.ing that intangible elegance which God has bestowed upon all of His creation. Invisible to both pure rationality and total insanity, Quixote perceives this vision of the Golden Age because his imagination encompasses both realms. Reality and the true nature of things are found not in appearances which lie to fools, but in the virtues visible only to the imagination. Appearances cal 1 upon us to accept with silent passivity the world as it 1s presented to us; Quixote urges us to live through our imaginations and to envision the world as an extension of ourselves. That morsel of the Golden Age which is within us al 1 is found only by the imagination. By investing this portion of ourselves into the world, we endow 1t with the ind1vidual ity and beauty which is its due. A1 1 quotations lb~ Iag~ajgu~ G~atl~m~a are Qga from Quj~gt~ d~ the Modern Library Edition La Mancha translated by Samuel Putman are ref erred to by page number. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. p. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 27 81 43 858 198 199 206 559 183 45 49 174 174 568 575 576 p. 709 P· 709 p. 714 p. 717 p. 776 p. 778 p. 935 p. 937 p. 937 p. 940 p. 937 p. 943 p. 978 p. 986 p. 986 I w1~h . to express my most sincere gratitude~tri Mr. Kalkavage for all his generou~ and thoughtful advice during the writing of' this essa·y. Donne at Peni'el Nancy Townsend At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow Your trumpets, Angells, and arise, arise From death, you numberlesse infinities Of soules, and to your scattred bodies goe, All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow, All whom warre, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies, Despaire, law, chance, hath slaine, and you whose eyes, Shall behold God, and never tast deaths woe. But let them sleepe, Lord, and mee mourne a space, For, if above all these, my sinnes abound, 'Tis late to aske abundance of thy grace, When wee are there; here on this lowly ground, Teach mee how to repent; for that's as good As if thou hadst seal'd my pardon, with thy blood. Holy Sonnet VII by John Dom~e The poetry of the young prideful Donne is ironic, witty, often bitter, sometimes wild, always full of passion. It usually concerns his love for women and his frustration with their inconstancy. As he grew older, Donne became more religious. In the work of the more mature poet, the love and frustration are transferred to God and his relationship with God. Athough his feelings are deeper, and the poet is clearly a wiser man , he retains many of his youthful characteristics--pride, presumption, passion, a slight wildness. Some of these characteristics are troublesome, since a Christian minister should be humble and servile to the Lord. Doubtless he went into the church to find peace; doubtless, judging from some sermons and essays, he might have shown the way toward peace to his public. But privately, in his poetry, he carries on a heart-to-heart combat with God. And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you b 1 ess me." (Genesis 32.24-26) In the seventh of John Donne's Holy Sonnet series, immediately. At ·the round_ ~. arth's imagin'd corners, blow Your trumpets, Ang~lls~ •• · 12 13 battle begins �Donne is in command, ordering the angels to trumpet a ca 11 to arms. Part of this image is borrowed from Revel at ion 7.1: "After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree." But Donne has made significant revisions -- the angels, holQ~ ·ng· trumpets, not winds Care they adding wind?), are standing at "roynd earths i m ag1n'd corners." It wi 11 take some time for us to try to imagine why he made such changes. While figuratively the bugler-angels prepare the way for battle, violence emanates from the meter of the first 1 ine. Since this is a sonnet, were you expecting iambs to be prevalent? Not even one appears in the first 1 ine. In fact, three trochees follow in a row in the middle of the line, emphasizing the encompassed phrase. Caught in the middle of the trochees is "imagin'd" -perhaps if we can capture the significance of that word, we can gain an insight into Donne's strategy. . We find turmoil created, not only pictorially and.rh)'thmkal ly, but even logically. How can the round earth have corners? Of course it . cannot. Is that why Donne had added "imagin'd" corners? No -- how can we imagine something as both round and as having corners without destroying the roundness of the thing? It appears we must for the moment accept this paradox, this jab at our reason, and continue. It will be helpful to return later after having grasped the who 1e octet. ••• and arise, arise From death, you numberless infinities Of soules, and to your scattred bodies goe, Again Donne conmands. In his first imperative, he gave "blow" an accent which he strengthened by pl acing it after a slight caesura. In this imperative, he repeats his conmand for added emphasis. Once more he echoes part of Revelations (7.9): After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in whith robes, with palm branches in their hands. And again he has revised the passage. The souls do not stand in white robes in front of the Lamb, but are sent to their "scattred bodies." Donne does not envision congregated, peaceful souls, but imagines souls in flight, in search of their bodies which are dispersed throughout the world, which have become scattered dust and ashes. More of the expected meter occurs in this passage than in the first - only "numberless infinities" skips outside iambic control in accelerated pyrrics. The poet gives his poem an ironic twist when he sends the poor souls off in ordered meter to search for their scattered, disordered bodies. These souls and bodies, that once belonged together, have been completely severed. In the next passage, Donne reveals death as the assailant. All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow, All whom warre, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies, Despaire, law, chance, hath slaine ••• 14 In the second half of the octet, to examine how souls are overthrown, Donne takes hold of death. In line five, he gives the far past and far future causes of death. In the young days of the world, a great deluge k 111 ed everyone but Noah. In the old dying world, a great sweeping fire will cause destruction. In lines six and seven, Donne lists causes of death found in the ancient world -war, famine, old age, sickness, bad governments, suicides, lawful punishments, and accidents. But the words he uses are heavily accented, like quick-falling b 1ows: "war re, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies, des pa ire, law, chance." The poet orders his 1 i st carefu 11 y to di sp 1ay the power of death. Between the "man-made" s 1 ayers -- war and tyranny -- are caught famine, o 1 d age, and sickness -- the "natural" killer~ Line seven begins with despair, which tears a man apart from the inside, and continues with law, which holds a society together. Last of al 1 comes chance -- the most unpredictable, the most uncontrollable, the most unconquerable cause of death. ••• and you whose eyes shall behold God, and never tast deaths woe. John says in Revel at ion 22.4: "They shal 1 see his face, and his name shal 1 be on their foreheads." In 21.4, a voice tel 1s him, "(God) wil 1 wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, for the former things have passed away." In John's vision, these fortunate souls have a definite place near God. Donne has not signigi$:antl y revised Revel at ion this time, but he gives the blessed few an ambiguous rank in his numberless legions of souls. Whether he is commanding them to search for their bodies Chow could those who "never tast deaths woe" be separate from their bodies?), or whether he never gives them a command at a 11, is unc 1ear. Indeed, except in the relative clauses, no verb orders the second quatrain as the imperatives ordered the first four lines. Ironically, the last passage of the octet concerns the highest and most blessed human souls envisioned in Revelation, yet, because of the absence of verbs, Donne has left us bewildered and confused. Now we should return to the beginning, to try to grasp the octet as a whole. Maybe Donne's octet is a vision similar to, if not the same as, John's. Aft e r a ll , he borrows many of his images from Revel at ion. But this interpretation is weak. Why did he not stay closer to the biblical text? Why the concern with death if, as John describes in Revelation, God eventually destroys mortality? Donne may be attacking the vision of a final resurrection of the world's dead. How wi l l the angels ever ca 11 the dead if they must stand on corners which can never be? A mortal cannot envision impossibilities; he can only imagine them. The octet's rhyme scheme, ABCA I ACBA, reinforces the attack on John. The rhymes of the first four lines are mirrored in the last four; objects in a mirror only appear to exist actually, as visions only appear to exist actually. Donne gives no verb to those "whose eyes shal 1 behold God" because he doubts their very existence. What, then, does Donne actually see? What object does he view as the actual one, the one reflected by John's Revelation? While Donne at first 15 . �appears ethereal -- he talks of trumpeting angels, and life after death, and eyes beholding God -- behind, above, and in front of the appearance looms an earthly preoccupation with death. Donne is no prophetic visionary. Only a person very much a part of this world would feel the causes of death as acutely accented blows. The poet is struggling with the very worldly matter of death. The rhyme s scheme proves his tenaciou . grip, ash~ returns again and again to rhyme A -bl o~, goe, o'erthro~, woe. He wi 11 not 1 et go of his preoccupation with death until he can free himself of death, like those non-existent, blessed souls who "never tast deaths woe." And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then he said, "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Tell me, I pray, your name." But he said·, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. {Genesis 32.27-29) . After the excitement and disruption of the octet, the sextet sounds surprisingly peaceful. The rhyme scheme is more customary for a sonnet CDEDEFF), and the meter is nearly all iambic pentamete~ For some reason, Donne suddenly creates calm. But let them sleepe, Lord, and mee mourne a space, For, if above all these, my sinners abound, "Tis late to aske ·ab.undance of thy grace·, When wee are there; He leaves the world of imagined corners full of rising numberless infinities of searching souls and scattered bodies; for a moment, he lets the round earth full of death go. In the middle of the first line of the sextet, with emphasized trochees, Donne ad d res s es h i ms e l f to h i s Lo rd. I n the octet, God h ad no re 1 at i on to the poet, and was seen only in the dubious afterlife of some unnamed souls. In the last six lines , Donne , by calling Him Lord, claims a ·worldly relationship of subject to ruler. As a subject, he can demand certain privileges. Whether they will be granted or not will be decided, of course, by the ruler. He requests that God mourn him during his life when death most affects him. Finding God's grace after death, when he is no 1 onger tied to the earth, wi l l not help his present struggle with mortality. ••• here on this lowly ground, Teach me how to repent; for that's as good As if Thou hadst sealed my pardon, with Thy blood. Earlier themes echo faintly in the last line of the poem. ''Thou'hadst" is forced to conform to regulated iambic pentameter. The conditional clause makes us question the existence of God's redemptive power by the sacrifice of his Son. The mention of blood reminds us of our own mortality. But in the quiet allusion to Christ, we might find what Donne believes to be his Lord's response. Of course Donne never receives an answer from God; he never truly sees him face to face. Yet he has fought with death, and perhaps, in releasing death for a moment, and directing his mortal thoughts toward Eternal God, he has caught a glimpse. At least, in looking up, he is saved from one of the most devious causes of death -- Despair. So Jacob called the name of the place Peni'el, saying, "for I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passes Peni'el, limping because of his thigh. (Genesis 32.30-31) House Rent Boogie Coldwell Daniel Late at night the cold stars in ebony fright Rasta raps niggard rockin in rythmn plank and base of every timber in the house of Sam and Dave's There in heat dark bodied soul shines glist'ning sweet As Hallelujah I love her so swings the band's beat Through every sister in the house and slaves to save The alley whores the wind through working Sally While Sonny Boy's Why are you crin' blues the heaven's key to every sinning joyous louse damned and made loosened eyes watch at doors wind asks cold inside like death at St. James' Infirmary the sight starts the song that every winter warms the house of Sam and Dave The caesura in line twelve cuts between "there" and "here." In the 1 ast three lines, Donne breaks completely from his references to a world beyond the one he inhabits; he accepts the lowly ground and all its implications. He asks his Lord to teach him to repent while still alive -- just as God sent his own blood down to the earth while never leaving his lofty kingdom, so can He help Donne rise above the earth while he remains "here on this lowly ground." 16 17 �comprehended in t he same sphere, t he paral 1 el faces of t~e cube are t h.e sa~e distance apart as the parallel faces of t he octahedron. This same relat1onsh1p holds for t he dodec a hedron a nd icosahedron as wel 1. Studies 1n Non-Euclidean Regular Polyhedra Martin Marklin Yet, paral 1 el faces in Eucli dean geometry are equidistant at al 1 pl aces. They are determined by equal 1 ines set up perpendicularly to both planes. In non-Euclidean geometry , t hi s is no t the case. Take the cube, rather pseudocube, for example. While we can rest ass ured t hat the edges wil ~ · al 1 equal o~e another, and that the 1 ines which connect the centers of oppos1 ng faces ( 1 et s call them 'centroid perpendicul ars' ) will t hemselve !5 equal one another; no net he 1 ess , the two sets of 1 i nes wi 11 be of different 1 engths . Just as the While Euclidean plane geometry holds true on the surface of the nonEucl idean horosphere, one may stil 1 inquire about the relationship -- either similar or dissimilar-- between Euc.J_i_d.ean and ~obachevskian solid geometry. This short paper wi 11 attempt to study some of .the Regular · · So 1 ids of non - . Euc 1 i dean Geometry. -- ULTRA -PARALLELS E PSEUDO-CUBE c I A It seems Euclid intentionally ended his Elements with the construction of the Five Regular Sol ids. Even more than the logical progression from linear to planar to sol id geometry, Euclid seems to find the paradigm of the geometer's contemplation in the Regular Solids (or Platonic Solids, so called because of the important cosmological significance given to them by Plato). My evidence is threefold and takes the three words, "five", "regular" and "solids", as crucial: f i rs t, t here a re on 1 y .ii~ reg u 1 a r so 1 i d s. I n two d i mens i on a 1 s pace, we ca n inscribe an infinite number of regular polygons in a circle. But in three dimensions, there exists a natural 1 imit of five regular polyhedra which one can comprehend within a sphere. Secondly, the solids are regular. The Platonic Solids are, in a very natural way, the most perfect shaping of three dimensional space. Th i rd 1 y, the po 1 y he d r a a re ~l~. 0 u r wo r 1 d i s a th re e d i mens i on a 1 world filled with three dimensional bodies. Our expertise as geometers comes from our experience of matter bounded by geometrical forms and figures. And so, what can non-E uclidean geometry offer us in three dimensions? recal 1 Euler's formula for polyhedra, namely that We F + V - E = 2, where F, V and E stand for the number of faces, vertices, and edges, respectively. <Incidentally, a·n analogous formula was previously discovered by Descartes). From this formu 1 a we can prove arithmetica 11 y that the number of regular polyhedra is limited to five (for a proof, see "tlh.il .ls Mathematjcs, by Courant & Robbins, Oxford Press, p. 240) . This arithmetic proof seems to gain more generality than Euclid's proof (Book III , Proposition 18). By not appealing to angle sum, this more general proof holds for Euclidean as well as non-E uc 1 i dean geometry. Even a preliminary study of Lobachevskian sol id. geometry forces us to reconsider parallel ism in a more complex sense, namely, how do we define ~11~ ~l~. Parallel ism abounds in the regular solids. The cube, octahedron, dodecahedron , and icosahedron are each composed of sets of parallel faces . The tetrahedron, while having four mutually adjacent faces, nonetheless has opposing edges lying in pairs of parallel planes. Furthermore, for solids 18 F 1---1---------t--Centroid Perpendicular D AB=CD>XY E F = shortest distance common perpendicular between two ultra - parallel lines defines the shortest distance between them, so the centroid perpendicular defines the shortest dista nce between two parallel faces. Only in the limiting case when the edges approach zero, wi 11 the faces be 'Euclidean' para 11 el . At the other extreme, for the 1 imiting case of an infinitely large cube, the length of the edges will approach infinity while the AB= CD= ex> centroid perpendiculars _________;,__,.___ A ap p roach a maximum limit in length . /\x ~c XY= 21T(45°) INFINITELY LARGE PSEUDO-CUBE ~/-/_/--~------·~ D With these differences , one must be careful in constructing non-E uclidean sol ids . The fol lowing contructions demonstrate that once one constructs a pseudo- cube, t he pseudo-tetrahedron and pseudo- octahedron literally fall out. Before we begin , we need to state these few definitions . 19 �Defjnjtjons Proposition 2 A pseudo-square is an equiangular and equilateral quadrilateral. A pseudo-cube is a solid figure contained by six equal pseudo-squares. A pseudo-tetrahedron is a solid figure contained by four equal triangles. A pseudo-octahedron is a solid figure contained by eight equal triangles. To construct a pseudo- cube. Set out two equal and perpen dicularly bisecting lines, and : ca 11 them AD and CB. Connect the endpoints with lines AB, BO, DC, and CA. The resulting figure is a pseudo-square, since the four trinagles ASB, BSD, DSC, and ASC are equal and isosceles. E J[ .c D Q<2 To .construct a pseudo-tetrahedron. Given pseudo-c ube AE, the diagonals AF , FD, DA, AH, FH, and HD together form the pseudo-tetra hedron . For triangle AFD is equilateral, each edge being a diagonal of adjacent (and hence congruent) faces of the pseudocube. Thus, triangle FAD is also equiangular. Like reasoning concludes that the other triangles AHO, FHD , and AFH are equ i l atera 1 and equiangular. Therefore, polyhedron AFHD is a pseudocube. E I I I Which was to be constructed. Q. E. F. Given the length of the edge AB, there will be a corresponding angle measure at each vertex, such as ABO, l~ .:t...h&n a right angle. Proposition .1 To construct a pseudo-octahedron. Given pseudo-cube AE. I say that the centroids of each face-namely K, L, M, N, O, and P form the vertices of a pseudo-octahedron. Construct a line DE inclined to the plane of the pseudo-square such that angle BOE and angle COE equal angle COB. Connect BE and set up OF; such that BE and OF are equal and perpendicularly bisected. For connect KL, LM, MN, NK, OL, OM, ON, OK, PK, PL, PM, and PN. Connect BF and FE. E Then OL =OK= KL, since lines connecting Connect CE and set up DG, such that CE and DG are equal and perpendicularly bisected. centroids of adjacent sides of a pseudocube are equal. (See lemma 1). Connect CG and GE. Hence, triangle OKL is Repeat the process with the sides containing lines AG, AF, and FG. The resulting solid will be a pseudo-cube. Which was to be constructed. Likewise, for the seven other triangular faces-OLM, OMN, OMK, PKL, PLM, PMN, and PNK-are all aquiangular. Hence, the polyhedron OHKLMP is a pseudooctahedron. Which was to be constructed. Q.E.F. Q.E.F. 20 equi-angula~ 21 �Lemma 1. To prove connecting centroids of adjacent sides of a pseudo-cube are equal. Moon James Beall · MK = NL = OP, because centroid perpenculars of a cube are equal. - for Lenore Beall Therefore, OR = RP = RK = RL, since centroid perpendiculars of a cube bisect one another. N I I. I K Then angles ORL, ORK, and KRL are right angles. T~erefore, triangle ORL = triangle LRK / J--- / = / triangle ORK. / / Of the dark of becoming night. Wind furls clothing around chill shapes, threading the warmth out. Limbs p / Therefore, OL KL The moon tethered by love or gravity or a force we do not yet know, rises orange and full, its round face cut out = OK. Barren as that surface our eyes look upon, feel the thin edge of air's knife drawn along them, a surgeon's hand reaching into hollows arms make in their circling, or into an opaque distance before us, bringing into whiter air the old porcelain face, smiling a little like an idiot, its complexion the color of bone. II. There is in this air lodged a blue haze that passes for winter, though the air smells white with spring The earth steams like words from a novel a Russian would write, breathing its 1 anguage of tongue, surfeit into a complete system of belief - 22 23 �belief the air is charged with, though no form persists in the vapor rising, that shifts with every current, tentative as leaves' absence, the white curve of limb and uninterrupted by green. are like nipples, taut, smooth, sky The buds dark skin erect with cold. III. Humid in the presence of bodies, strangers crowd away the raw sky scudding in low and northeast, hiding the moon. and the conversations carry the brook of surcease into a dry bed, sand and rock, that defines a valley, the valley defining a hill. The hill is the foreground wherein we frame the sky. So conversations carry that part of the world As a brook carries sediment, or etches, or defines. And in the vault rema1n1ng, the moon, sometimes visible as an alien face, rides steadily higher, and overhead like geese fleeing toward a memory ot the sun, clouds gaggle or congeal into continents uniquely property of the sky. IV. Which wrestles like an angel of the Lord the stalwart Jacobs of the trees, is again sorrow, a sediment that is carried, seined. v. You never walked here. The world never wheeled for you along this sand stained lavender by the sea's life and light cast down from the heaven like tablets which are broken by the shore. The air here never formed as mist burring the edges of water or the black boughs of pines' shadow. It is as hard as the edge of these needles on a clear day to imagine that you know or do not know, as though the interleaving of pine and air were knowledge and the absence of knowledge, and they were the same, as though shore and the sea beside it or the moon rising within the blue absence of the sky, made this the one question that continually asked itself and was denied. As the slow march encroaches, so what was driven bacK becomes a palpab1e force bearing in its limbs The consequent burden of the wind In the lee of new growth deer thread thicket and grass. What was barren here, what was Only grass has become the pines' lamenting a burden they could not but choose to bear. And in the writhing air, 24 25 �When Ontology Wears a Janus-face Ann Burlein The Greek's study of being arose from the insight that parousja, .Q..U..S...ia., and energeja are one - are being (.:t..Q ejnaj). They viewed ousja, that single peculiarity which is most a thing's own, as the being of a thing in its fullest degree. Consequently, they saw a thing's presence (pa rous i a) or look C.fil. d..Q.SJ, and as the exhibition of its .Qll...Sig its activity (energeja). They regarded this unity as necessary, because only if a thing's presence and activity manifest what it is can the soul uncover truth, can a thing be intel 1 igibl e in itself. Socrates regards the intelligibility of things as an ultimate condition of all investigation. As such, he cannot guarantee its truth. Socrates cannot prove to Meno that once Meno 1 earns a single piece of knowledge al 1 the rest stand within his grasp. Instead, he accompanies the myth of recollection and the slaveboy's demonstration with the warning that investigation requires great courage (80a-8ld). In dialogue after dialogue, Socrates reminds us starkly and relentlessly that we might never reach the end of our inquiry. Nevertheless, because the search for self-knowledge illuminates the here and now by turning one toward the divine, Socrates' conviction that this search is essential to the best life (.M.§n.Q-86b; Apology 38a) remains so strong that even in the last hours before his death, those which Phaedo recounts, he does not cease in his endeavor to convince others that they must look for that which they do not know. · But when Kant looks upon the field of inquiry to which Simmias, Cebes and their predecessors have devoted themselves, he sees a battlefield in which ••• reason is perpetually being brought to a stand, even when the laws into which it is seeking to have, as it were, an .a priori insight are those that are confirmed by our most common experiences. f.y_fil: .filld. _gggj_n we have to retrace our steps, as not leading us in the d i rec t i on we ilil.r~ to g o. S o f a r , too , a re t h e st u d en t s o f metaphysics from exhibiting any kind of unanimity in their contentions, that metaphysics has rather to be regarded as a battleground quite peculiarly suited for those who desire to exercise themselves in mock combats, and in which no participant has ever succeeded in gaining even so much as an inch of territory, not at least in such a manner as to secure him its permanent possession. This shows, beyond All Questjonjng, that the procedure of metaphysics has hitherto been a merely random groping, and, what is worst of all, a groping among mere concepts. <Bxiv-v). In the face of both this discord and the continual sting of the torpedo fish which, through the Antinomies, holds the understanding captive, paralyzed in unending vaci 11 at ion, our need to believe in an intel 1 igibl e world as the i n d i s pen-s ab l e c o n d i t i on o f mo r a 1 1 i f e c a n no 1 o ng e r g r o u n d o u r a s s u mp t i on o f intellectual intuition. 26 I n its p 1 ace, Kant heeds that n ec es s i t y and u n i v er s a 1 it y wh i ch thought claims as its distinguishing marks, while noting Hume's revelation that these marks cannot arise from experience. As a result, he seeks to establish the sort of knowledge possible for man. In doing so, he attempts to complete Socratic inquiry by rendering the Socratic quest for self-knowledge absolute. He convenes a tribunal which "... calls reason to undertake ..a.Dfill the most difficult of al 1 its tasks, namely that of self knowledge" (Axi). "This tribunal is no other than the critique of pure reason" (Axii). Kant views his critical inquiry as a Copernican Revolution, as a complete reversal of our point of view. As one who executes reversals, a critical philosopher cannot help but view these questions which led Aristotle and Plato to wonder. But this time when we gaze upon the heavens, the activity which we come to know, rather than culminating in something divine, springs entirely from within. In the process of inquiring anew, our very questions have turned themselves around, and done so permanently. Although Kant proffers his Copernican turn as a hypothesis in. the Preface, it becomes final and apodictic as soon as Kant denies intellectual intuition. We find nothing other than selfactivity in the manifold upon which we gaze, because theoretical reason lacks access to an i ntel 1 igence which gives. The argument in which Kant denies intellectual intuition grounds and shapes the entire Critique. The Critique, in fact; opens with it. Kant even repeats this argument when he begins the B Deduction, suggesting that this argument alone can correctly and completely break the ground for critical philosophy. The crucial section of the deduction, its discussion of apperception, returns to and resolves an aporja which gave birth to much Greek Philosophy. This aporja is the origin of the unity we find among the many. Plato and Aristotle each developed an ontology in order to resolve this question, which Socrates first uttered as '.:t.i ~'. Socrates came upon this aporja by wondering about analytic unity. He asks why many different things (1 ike the virtue of a child, and a man, and a horse) exhibit a common character which we can name ('virtue'). Nevertheless, both Plato, in the Sophist, and Aristotle, in De Anjma and the Metaphysics, come to ask questions about synthetic unity: "Let us explain, then, how it is that we call something ••• by several names." ( Sop h i st 251 a). Likewise, Kant considers the Critique an ontology (8873). While he begins his discussions of apperception with analytic unity, with the universality of the I think, he, too, soon focusses upon synthetic unity. Despite these similarities, however, Kant's inquiry spawns a revolution because the general problem of pure reason does not hinge upon whatness. Kant does not begin with something that is one with itself and then explain manifoJdness by viewing synthetic unity as the fragmentation of this self-identical on~ Instead, the problem of pure reason passes beyond the Greek investigation in order to seek the possibility of any unity whatsoever. Kant begins by asking how, .f.rQin jjyersjty, a thing can arise ..9..t..all. Kant comes to the problem of the one and the many by way of an insight into the significance which objects hold for the I that thinks. Hence Kant ushers us into the B Deduction by placing before us the problem of the one and the many insofar as he confronts us with our own fundamental acknowledgement of combined wholes and manifolds. When we look about us, we 27 �find both unity and diversity when we find objects. In order to unfold this fact, Kant seeks the source which makes these presentations possible, he claims that if we know the source of their possibility, we can know their value (824). But why does Kant think that knowledge of the conditions which make something possible wil 1 enable us to determine its reality and meaning? Why must the ~xamination of thinking, an activity, and the investigation into being, an inquiry which for Aristotle presupposed inquiry into existence, become a search for conditions, for possibility? Hume claims that we can know nothing with certainty until we know the knower. Is it a belief in the ability of certainty to characterize knowledge and truth that leads Kant to pose the general problem of pure reason by asking .h.o.w. a priori synthetic judgements are possible CB19) rather than by asking:~~ knowledge? Whatever his reason, Kant separates our presentation of combination from that of manyness in terms of the manner in which each can become possible to us and, so, become ours. while we can receive manyness, we can never receive combination. He explains this by claiming that combination is possible only if it is an act and as an act, only if it belongs exclusively to the subject (8130). In order to explain these cl aims about combination and its possibility, this preparatory section, after thus stating Kant's assumption of the unity of experience, returns to that other argument which rests upon this assumption, the argument which prefaces the Aesthetic. This grounding argument (this Grundsatze) both delineates Kant's field of inquiry and shows us, after ushering us into this field, why the Critique is~ place we ought to enter and why we must remain in it. In some sense, this argument performs a peculiar function in the critical structure Kant desires to build. It provides a paradigm for the task of the entire Critique because it renounces intellectual intuition in order to break the ground and pre.pare the way for critical philosophy, a philosophy which has as its main task the " ••• clearing, as it were, and levelling of what has hitherto been wasteground" (Axxi) in order to make room for faith <Bxxx). More strikingly, it provides a paradigm of the activity which a critical phi 1 osopher performs. It enacts before us, in microcosm, the activity of reversal which the entire Critique will execute. Kant needs the particular reversal which this argument carries out to~ him to define his terms. Accordingly, the argument forges before our eyes the meaning of the words which the Critique will use. (Perhaps this explains Kant's frequent use of equivocal words here-their meaning reverses itself often even within the same sentence.) As the argument begins, the words sti 11 retain the general meaning they held .for Aristotle. In Aristotle, too, all knowing depends on an exhibiting, a showing forth. When the soul knows, i t acts. Knowledge is an activity which involves a relation between that which knows and the thing known (even thought the separation between these two ultimately disappears). For Aristotle, too, immediacy characterizes intuition. Al 1 knowledge depends on the fact that objects affect us, and so depends on mediated reception. Yet by the time we finish these opening lines, these words have become critical. They no longer mean what they once did. After having thus turned our words from their former meanings, Kant can state his definitions in terms of the Copernican Revolution. How did this metamorphosis, this about-face, happen? 28 The argument grounds itself in Kaht's observation that the radical or cardinal nature of al 1 human knowledge consists in its presentational character. This observation seems to entail some sort of return to the Greek notion of sensible form except that Kant regards sensibility as presenting undifferentiated otherness, rather than aspects, and therefore does not 1 imit presentation to sensibility. Further, Kant assumes this presentational nature to be the essence of knowledge; he assumes it to be absolute. In this way, Kant begins to commit critical philosophy to an 'empirical' point of view, to a truth which p'rimari 1 y relies upon and concerns itself with that which we happen to find as actual. Thus the understanding can only use its concepts to judge and not to contemplate (8a3). Thus, too, Kant considers science (rather than storytelling's playful evocation of memory and interpretation or dialectic's movement) as the paradigm of human knowing because it provides the one instance in which an appearance presents itself without qualification. Unlike Descartes, then, Kant need not st i pu 1 ate a rb itra ri 1 y that knowledge be certain. Instead, certainty simply results from its presentational nature. As a result of this observation, Kant concludes that our knowledge must involve two aspects. It involves something pl aced before, or given, and something before which that other can stand , something which can know and therefore can act. For when we reflect upon experience, we find certain activities which we can't regard as things we receive from without. Rather than something sensibly given, they must result from faculties , powers, of our own (8132 & 8515) . Thus Kant begins with a consciousness of ourselves as capable of acting - a consciousness of ourselves which we earn by means of logical reflection. For Kant claims that I lack immediate consciousness - intuition either of the I (of theoretical activity unique to myself), or of its possibility. Kant then separates the two aspects of human knowing (that which is placed before and that which acts) into an utter opposition, because human activity, as finite, cannot create its object but must receive it. Such dependancy takes place " ••• in man at least (only) insofar as the mind is affected in a certain way"(Al9). Rather than postulating the mind's connection with divine intelligence, Kant asserts that we receive only through our sense organs. Now, while Aristotle possessed knowledge - 'logical consciousness'-of inner activity, he asserted that our ability to act became fully ' actual only with the aid of something divine - namely, Active Intellect. By assuming the absence of any such connection, Kant considers (B847) the activity of the mind as a spontaneous or unconditioned activity which arises wholly from within. In this way, Kant makes possible not merely a soul, but a self, an I. On the basis of this assumption, the Aesthetic spatial and temporal character whiCh marks our According to Kant, our sensibility by . its very everything as either outside and alongside, before or proceeds to disclose the ability to be affected. nature makes us present after. For in order that certain sensations be referred to something outside me (that is, to another region of space from that in which I find myself), and similarly, in order that I may be able to present them as outside and a 1 on gs i de one another, and according 1 y, as not only different but in different places, the presentation of space must be presupposed. (838 and for time, 846) 29 �Pr imar ily , t he a pr i or i s pat ial and temporal manifolds pre s ent ot herne ss, fo r t he y set e a ch pres e ntat ion a part from a l 1 el se, in i s ol atio n : " ••• for e a ch presentation , i ns ofar as it is . contained in a single momen t, can never be a n Yt h i n g b u t a b s o l u t e u n i t y " ( A9 9 ) • B u t b e c a u s e t h e s e f o r ms s e t mM~ presentations apart within a shared context , e a ch impre ss ion stands in a s sociation~ other s. Yet although they therefore do no t rem a in utterly foreign to one another , because the parts of space and time stand external to ~ne another , no intriris ic connection between 'nows ' or 'heres' can present 1tsel f • . Consequently , I cannot receive any connections between presentations. The very nature of the manifold prohibits this , for moments can only fol low .1J..P.Qil. one another , and spaces can only stand MX.t .iQ one another . Since I must receive everything into these formal intuitions, al 1 that I can receive incurs automatically a differentiation which mere passivity cannot overcom~ From the external relations of 'alongside' or 'after' we cannot derive the internal relation of 'belonging to'. Thus Kant can claim that we receive nothing but utt er diversity, without requiring ~ knowledge of the mechanics whereby the s en s e s r eceive. · If sensibility provides nothing but otherness, and if we nevertheless pronounce a priori synthetic ~udgements which concern internal connect ions or s ame ness, t he na ture of the mind ' s activity must dif f er from energeja. My act could not simply actualize whatever I happen to receive. It must primarily be a n a ct which gives somet hing uniquely its own . Kant thu s views thi s a ct as a function , rather t ha n a s a pleasurable activity in which the s ubject i s fully itself. Aristotle expresses this latter view in his consideration of the intellect as the form of forms (432a2). For him, the mind in knowing becomes the essence whose activity in matter bears the responsibility for all that matter becomes. W i 1 e Kant wo u 1 d a g re e that t he mi n d i s t hat wh i c h ma k es i ts obj ec t a 't h i s • h C412a7) , he does not focus upon identity , upon the 'i s ' in the way that Ar i sto t le does . For Kant , the very 'making' arises from the mind . Ka nt view s the mind, not as a form, but i's formeitive. It possesses an integrity unique to i t s el f . Its action upon its mattf:r resembles the work of an algebraic func t ion. Such forrnc,tive work differs frorr1 that of P.ristotel ian essence. Aristotle considers intellectual form a final cause. Therefore, intellectual form, ~ ll.QJ;Ll_e, directs the sensible towards itself by means of desire . Because Kant opposes (83) the sensible and intel l~ctual stems of our f ac ulty of presentatior , domination and limitation characterize the activity of thought rather than fulfillment of potential. For Ki nt, the efficacy of form der i ves from that of power. Its fruit is legislaticn. No lon9er do understanding and sensibility d i f f e r o n l y i n so f a r a s o n e p res e n t s a s a c t u a l t h e u n ; v f_) r s a 1 s wh i c h t he o th e r contains as ih. potent i a 1. Instead spontaneity , ~ understand.ing, subordinates (unterwirft - U1rows under (,A.108)) the rnanifol d h i itself, thereby transforminQ it . Yet despite this opposition , experience exhibits a unitary character; we experience wholes, or object s , and our experience itself seems to form a whole, which we cal 1 knowledge. As a combination which 1.;11ites the manifold, a whole requires something other than the sensible ma n ifold and its synthesis - the gathering together of its multiplicities. 30 But t he co nce pt o f c ombin atio n in c lud es, b esi d es t he conce pt o f t he ma ni fold a nd its s y nt hesis, a 1 so t he co nce pt o f t he uni t y of t he man i fol d. Combi nati on is prese ntat i o n of t he s ynt het ic unity of the manifol d. T he p rese ntation of t h is uni ty cannot t herefore ar i se o ut of co mbin ati on . On t he co ntra ry , it is what, by a ddi ng i tse l f to t he p rese ntat i o n of t he ma ni fo ld , f i rst ma k es possi bl e t he co nce pt of t hi s comb i nati on . {813 0- 1 ) W c a nn ot rece iv e co mb i natio n fro m o bjects bec a use t he co mbin a tion t hat e di st inguishes a n obj ec t as an obj ect c a n only res ul t from a n activ e uni t y. I f I deny thi s, not only mu st I deny t he s el f, bu t I a l s o come to cont r a dict myse l f. Ka nt il 1 ust r a t es t hi s wh e n, in imi tat ion o f Hume , he at tempt s to c on str uct an object of exp e rience "from t he bott om up" : For e ven t hough we s ho uld ha v e t he pow er o f ass o c i at ing perceptio ns, it wo u l d re ma in e ntire ly und ete rmin e d a nd acc id e nta l whet her t he y woul d t he m l ves be associa bl e; a nd s hould t he y not be se associable, there mig ht exist a mu ltitu de of perceptio ns, an d in deed an entire sensibility, in which much empirical co nsc i ousness wou ld arise in my mind but in a state of separation and without belonging to consciousness of myself. This however is impossible. For it is only because I ascribe all perceptions to one original consciousness {original apperception) that I can say of al 1 perceptions that I am conscious of them. CA121-2) Kant finds that Hume's argument forces h i m into equivocatio n. The word 'my' splits into two in a way that Kant cannot permit, because he clai ms no presentation can stand withi n me and yet not be me. T he 1 1', t hen, is un iversal. All that can be present i n t he wor ld can be p resent in t his un ity. The task of the deduction beco mes the searc h for t h is p rinciple wh ich we must always presuppose - this unity from which alone t he col l ected ma n ifol d of an object and the logical manifold of ana l ysis can arise, a un ity whose altered image we find in the connected manifolds of fi gurative s ynt hesis. W stri v e e ••• to foll ow up t he i nn er gro u nd of t he co n nection of presentations to t h e~ upon which t hey all converge i n order t hat they may therein acquire the unity of knowledge necessary for a possi b le experience. CA 116 ) The endeavor of the critical philosopher, resemb l es - at l east in part that of the platonic dialectician. Both seek, after l on g practice of attention, to separate t he one fro m the many, and to s how as i de ntical t h in g s wh ich at first appear other. Yet Kant describes the task of the critical philosopher as unique ("hitherto rarely attempted" (890)). For while the dialectician dissects given concepts in order to render them more distinct, the critical philosop her dissects the faculty CMogljcbkejt) and so, the possibility of the understanding itself in order to take that which he in order discovers by analysis to trial CB90) . Such a philosopher does not merely separate the one from the many. He acts as judge. Kant considers this transformation of the philosopher necessary, because, for Kant, the dialectician, beginning with concepts and understanding 31 �them merely in terms of their presence, abstracts them from the activity which gives rise to them. As a result , such presence, whi 1 e it has transcendental meaning, fails to render comprehensible the relation which concepts bear to a particular object - the relation which the dialectician claims to unfold. Kant claims that the unity which the critical philosopher seeks stands behind the categories and makes them possible. Like the Good, this unity resides 'beyond being', and so also resides beyond speech - behind our ordinary ways of thinking and knowing. As Kant says: We must therefore look yet higher for this unity, namely in that which itself contains the ground of the unity of diverse concepts in judgement and therefore of the possibility of the understanding, even as regards its logical employment. (8131) Yet while behind speech, Kant speaks and writes about this unity and claims to do so accurately, without needing the aid of myth. Whatever enables Kant to do this renders critical philosophy possible. For only the resolution of this paradox can legitimate Kant's claim to paradox an ontology - to meaningful knowledge which speaks, not about appearances, ~ut about being, the.ultim.ate ground of all presentations. Yet how do we acquire access to something which, as one, remains empty in itself? Kant claims that when being turns outward to work in the manifold, it yields determinate knowledge. But what sort of knowledge does being yield about itself? That relation provides the key to intelligibility Kant has shown - but what about the intel 1 igibi l ity of rel at ion? In other words, does critical philosophy itself constitute definite or determinate knowledge? The character of the knowledge which critical philosophy yields corresponds to its two faces -to the two questions it seeks to answer. Insofar as Kant ascertains what and how much reason can know a priori, he provides determinate knowledge, for he discloses the relation of apperception to sensibility by establishing its objective reality without specifying its particular functions. Even though such a demonstration must investigate the nature of the faculty of thought, Kant claims it need not investigate the ve~y.poss~bil it~ of that faculty. This latter inquiry, the second face of the Critique, investigates the pa rticulars which condition .Q.UI. faculty of thoug~t (the doctri~e of figur~tive synthesis and the Schematism), and which constitute the particular experience which we as men have (The System of All Principles). In order to make this second inquiry, Kant must completely specify the understanding, which he attempts to accomplish by providing an inventory which completely exhausts its powers CB105). Such knowledge can proclaim itself as definite, because its object in presenting itself, presents the order and system peculiar to it. Such an object fixes its own.boundaries. Perhaps, t~~~, there remains one form into which we still have insight-that of reason. CBX111). Tran$cendental philosophy, in seeking for its concepts, has the advantage and the duty of proceeding according to a single principle. For these concepts spring, pure and unmixed, out of the understanding which is an absolute unity; and must therefore be connected with each other according to one concept or idea. Such a 32 connection supplies us with a rule, by which we are enabled to assign its proper pl.ace to each pure concept of the understanding, and by which we can det ermine in an a priori manner their systematic comp 1 eteness. (892) The Table of Catagories provides the rule, but what concept or idea unites its diversity? We cannot deduce this manifold from the I think. Kant cl a ims that we can never know t he reason why we have such and so many categories. (8145 - 6) Because the unity from which the manifold concepts spring must remain forever unknown , Kant's philosophy transforms the Platonic ideas into rules which guide the understanding, so critical ontology itself performs a regulative function because its negative doctrine clarifies reason and keeps it free from error (825) . Y t he way in which Critique regulates our faculties differs from t hat in et which our ot her ideas check sensibility and reason, insofar as critical philosophy regulates them by the knowledge which it yields. Not empty in itself, Cri t ique presents neither probable speculation , nor the mere appearance of our act, but what happens in fact. Indeed, only insofar as Critique speaks truly about spontaneity can Kant.call it an ontology. But how does it do this? That is , how can I speak accurately about a principle which resides beyond speech? How can I speak truly and meanjngfull~ about a unity which stands ~, aloof from the sensibility which alone can provide it with meaning? Kant establishes a necessary connection between the two stems, and thus explains the possibility of all experience, by revealing an I think which shares the nature of Janus, the Roman god of passage. Indeed, this supreme principle, which the critical philosopher undertook to find, embodies in itself the Copernican reversal . Its two faces provide the unity of myself as thinking and the unity of objects , those things which stand against me: "The original and necessary consciousness of the identity of the self is thus at the same time a consciousness of an eQual~ necessary unity of the synthesis of all possible appearances ••• "(Al08). These two faces can occur together only because the I think peculiar to me, the ultimate particular, lacks its own content. It lacks individuality, so that the I which thinks presents something perfectly general: Through this I or he or it (the thing) which thinks nothing further.is presented than the transcendental subject of thoughts= x. (8346) I think myself only as I do An.)'.. object in general from whose mode of intuition I abstract. (B429) In grammar, the 'person' of a verb indicates the rel at ion which a speaker holds t o his act of speaking. If critical philosphy reduces second person to the first by transferance, and renders first and third person indistinguishable, then not only grammar, but our very understanding of 1 anguage - of what it means to speak - must undergo a critical reversal. What relation does the transcendental "I" hold to the experience it yields, and how does it become aware of this right relation? For an object, the analytic connection between identity and objectivity signifies a special kind of unity. What does it mean for the self which Critique reveals? 33 �Kant expresses the significance which the analytic connection holds for the I think when he designates it an empirical proposition, for in doing so he reveals this purely ~llectual presentation to bear the mark of empir;ical givenness: The I think expresses an indeterminate empirical intuition, i.e. perception (and thus shows that sensation, which as such belongs to sensibility, 1 ies at the root of this existential proposition) ••• W1thout some empirical presentation to supply the materi a 1 for thought, the ~ I think wou 1 d not take p1 ace... (84223) Because empirical givenness conditions the intel 1 igible insofar as it provides the occasion which renders the possible actual, my act can obtain meaning only insofar as it bears some relation to sensibility. As an ability which fails to supply its own material, the I think wears the face of both my ident1ty and the object in general then, because it includes within itself something other than itself. As rules of combination, the categories involve consciousness or inner sense. Therefore the empirical I and transcendental I do not oppose one another as fragments, but belong together of themselves; intellectual synthesis ~ludes the transcendental synthesis of imagination CA118). But the dependance which the emptiness of my act necessitates extends even further, for because I require an intuition of the permanent in order to fix 1n time those appearances which fill inner sense, inner sense includes consciousness of a relation to actual things distinct from myself and therefore also includes consciousness of that to which this outer sense refers: Consciousness of my (empirically determined) existence is .:t.iJiw an immediate consciousness of the existence of other things outside me. (8276) .Qt~~ While I do not spatially locate my thoughts, feelings, or moods, only a spatial analogy can enable me to think of them in time - can render comprehensible what I mean by simultaneous or successive: How it is possible that from a given state an opposite state should follow, not only cannot be conceived by reason without an example, but is actually incomprehensible to reason without intuition ••• For in order that we may afterwards make inner intuitions thinkable, we must present time (the form of inner sense) figuratively, as a line, and the inner alteration through the drawing of this 1 ine, and so in this manner by means of outer intuition make comprehensible the successive existence of ourselves in different states. CB291-2) Inner occurrences, mental happenings, make sense for me only if I set them against a spatial or 'physical' background. Thus, sim.ply because the empiric~l provides the only condition for the a priori, i t also provides the terms in which we comprehend the categories. (And so, schematization alters the meaning of the categories: magnitude becomes number, reality becomes sensation in genera 1, substance becomes the permanence of the rea 1 in ti me, and so on ( Bl83)) • 34 This helps explain the Critique's reliance.upon spati~l metaphors - and thereby presses us to inquire into the degree in which critical philosophy relies upon such metaphors in its attempt to disclose our act of determining. What sort of knowledge can the critical philosopher attain about "the being itself" (B429) if he can only describe the work which being performs in the manifold in terms of the sensible stem - in terms of something which being definitely cannot resemble] That is, how can criticism yield philosophy - or anything more than mere descriptions of appearances? If intuition alone can give a concept meaning, how did the transcendenta 1 terms about which ontology speaks and upon which the Critique relies acquire the meaning they hold for me? How do I understand 'unity', or 'subjective' and 'objective'? As experimental, critical philosophy begins by allowing certain observations the status of facts. By assuming experience in this way, it also presupposes our familiarity with words. As a Copernican revolution, Critique endeavors to turn these words around - to give them their proper critical sense. Thus, because we receive the I think empirically, each of us can know what sort of thing critical philosophy investigates. The Critique then transforms this pre-critical awareness of inner and outer into a critical recognition of subjective and objective unity - figurative and intellectual synthesis. But from what do I obtain my pre-critical awareness of unity? Because Kant can identify unity as the element most crucial to both identity and objects he can assert their relation as analytic, and with this assertion the deduction can begin. But how do I know what sort of thing 'unity' means? For while combinations continually present themselves to me, an object in general never does. Indeed, while an atemporal substance likewise never presents itself to me, I can nevertheless think such a substance as 'that which' I never predicate of anything else although I predicate other presentations of it. While this thought, as an abstraction, cannot enable me to know what sort of thing my word 'that' refers to, it nevertheless stands apart as a transcendental meaning, a logical function which I perform. CB186-7 & 8305). Critical philosophy however, seeks no mere category, but a function common to al 1 the categories. Thus the task of the critical philosopher reveals itself as the search for a logical function which can occupy no unique place in the Table of Judgements since it must ground and express itself equal 1 y in each of twelve different categories. If we cannot find a transcendental meaning for this critical philosopher lives in a borrowed world. For in and relying upon observation, he must have presupposed a - the one which renders intelligible the words which he he cannot supply. special unity, then the presupposing experience more primordial inquiry uses but whose meaning Yet apperception has a Janus-face; Kant describes the ultimate principle of consciousness as a principle of knowledge•••"a form of presentation in general; i.e., of presentation insofar as it is to be entitled knowledge, for it is only of k now 1 edge th at I can say that I am t he re by t h i nk i ng some th i ng" ( A3 4 6 ) • W y h must the transcendental I look away from itself and towards the empirical and contingent in order to bear fruit? ·And what is the nature of such unitary looking - the activity from which all knowledge arises? Kant claims that the direction of fruitful thought necessarily becomes outward because finitude marks al 1 discursive understanding insofar as its 'I am' can give nothing manifold (8138). Thus our thought can only obtain meaning from the sensible stem. It 35 �Any such attempt would account of the things that are, but because it presents an account of the ultimate conditions which in fact ground all that presents itself to me. As a result, we lack direct access to our act, to ourselves. Whatever knowledge of the act of determining we can gain (and we do not learn everything, for the art of schematism remains mysterious, as does the reason for our twelve categories or our particular sensible forms), we acquire by logical analysis . of the work which our act effects in the manifold. Although Critique provides an ontology which as such cannot primarily speak about appearances, it nevertheless reveals only an effect whose cause - the root of the transcendental self remains unknown. Because I am conscious of myself only as something which in ~ ..a&1 exists CB423) , my examination of theoretical activity can reveal nothing more than mere relation. For if I know myself only as a correlate - as a rel at ion which X holds to Y, Kant cl aims I can know nothing about X in itself. The activity of a logical I, then, reveals nothing about the actor - the I which is in itself (8320-1). Such an account turns being from actuality to possibility while speaking at the same time about a merely logical I. Thus while the understanding must determine sensibility in order for us to know an object, on a more primordial level, the critical reversal suggests that sensibility must determine the understanding. After all, does not the sensibility empower the understanding by providing the occasion which yields meaning-and therefore also real possibility to a merely intellectual form? (8302) Does not the Refutation of Idealism suggest that the two faces of apperception have, as arbiters, the two faces of my sensibility - inner and outer sense? If so, the Copernican Revolution - the turn to the necessary harbored within the self-masks a turn to the contingent. Whi 1 e sti 11 a turn to the self {to mere appearances which exist only in my sensibility), such a turn will always threaten to reverse itself and return us once more to the Ptolemaic point of view. For in yielding appearances, sensibility also yields the hope which grounds Cat least in part) Greek ontology - the hope that if I only penetrate deeply enough into the manifold, I will come into contact with that which stands behind it. Simply because apperception must turn to the manifold, it turns to something which lures it beyond its activity of lifting presentations to concepts and into penetration - beyond its island of truth and into an ocean where fogbanks and swiftly melting icebergs provide the only ground. But unlike Simmias, and Cebes, we need not "••• select the best and most dependable theory which human intelligence can supply and use it as a raft to ride the sea of 1 ife ... "(Phaedo,85c-d). For Critique transforms this illusion, and uses its strength to provide us with safe passage into the intelligible realm, although it can never help us attain either these further shores or that knowledge about theoretical reason which Critique cannot supply. can never turn back to reflect directly upon itself. presuppose its object. This denial not only completes being's transformation from substance into relation, it also completes its fragmentation into the three rudimentary senses which the Greeks first noted. This fragmentation began in the argument which opens and grounds the Critique, for when Kant separates our faculty of presentation into two opposing stems, he separates presence as sens i b 1 e form Kant's further separation of sensible form from ousja from activity. constitutes the main fruit of the aesthetic, for on the basis of the proofs it offers, Kant concludes that the sensible stem can yield not hing more than mere appearances. The first chapter of the Analytic of Concepts carries this separation yet further, for when K ant dismisses the dialection and his Table of J udgem en ts as a me re tl~ to t he Cr i t i ca 1 p h i 1 o sop he r an d h i s Tab 1 e of Categories, he separates the presence of logical form from the. activity which gives rise to it. And finally, in separating the actor from his activity, Kant separates ousja from activity (a separation with which he concerns himself most fully in the Paralogisms). As a result of the critical transformation and fragmentation of being, the principle of apperception must exhibit the dual nature of Janus, for only in this dual nature can it be fully itself, can it bear fruit by becoming actual rather than abiding in barren possibility, can it obtain meaning. Aristotle thought that I fully understand the meaning of an object only when I know the cause (ajtja) which bears the responsibi 1 ity for 'what' the object is. But when Kant turns the activity of knowing from fixing an object's last or perfect differentia {li]_..e..u.:t_a djaphora) to legislating its ultimate possibi 1 ity, .Kant separates intel 1igibi1 ity from meaning, distributing them among the two opposing stems. Yet because apperception speaks with a doubleedged voice, although Kant designates it a point - something which in itself can comprise nothing of magnitude - as the unity of a manifold , apperception can take upon itself the meaning of that for which it acts. Thus I can understand i nte l 1ectua1 unity in the same way that I understand the categories, s i nee an object in general, as a function .f.Q.r. sensibility in general, provides the condition which enables me to relate manifolds. Intellectual unity, then, presents the logical function which frees me from the manifold in order to reflect upon it and infer its conditions. Thus critical philosophy speaks truly about being - and in so doing provides an ontology - not because it presents an 36 ' For since we cannot prove the absolute impossibility of intellectual intuition, the illusion which sensibility presents remains always before us. When unchecked, it alters our persepective of living within the world to one of living at the surface of a world. Then, questions about things we never experience wil 1 always entice us (A30), and the negative doctrine which Critique provides for the objective face of apperception would continually fail to satisfy it. But when I combine these questions with the map which the Analytic provides, I attain the negative, limiting concept of a noumenon: What our understanding acquires through this concept of a noumenon is a negative e~tension; that is t6 say, understanding is not 1 imited through sensibility; on the contrary, it itself 1 imits sensibility by applying the term noumena to things in themselves. (8312) By means of this .:t.fil:m, I check the pretensions of sensibi 1 ity. For the thought of a noumenal world transforms my inability to imagine this world - my inability to come to 'practical' terms with the doctrine of the Aesthetic - into ~irrefutable proof of my inability to know this world. As a result, while sensibility can 1 imit the application of the categories and thus 1 imit what apperception can know, it fai 1s to 1 imit what apperception can think. Thus the CrjtjQue itself wears the most remarkable Janus face of al 1, for when the understanding limits itself in knowledge, it frees itself in thought for 'faith'. When ontology wears a Janus-face, it secures passage for the self. 37 �Wh at is t he va lu e of the meta phys ics t hat i s a ll eged to be t hu s pu r i fie d by c ri ticism and establi s he d once and f or al l ? On a cursory view of t he p res en t work ; i t ma y se e m t hat i ts res u lts a re negativ e ••• But such t eaching at once acquires a pos i t i ve va lu e when we recogni ze that the principles with which s pecul at iv e reason ventures out beyond its proper 1 imit s •• • properly belong t o s ensibility , and when thus employed they threaten to make the bounds of sensibility coextensive with those of reason , and so supplant reason in its pure (practical) employment."CBxxi v-Bxxv). All revolutionaries claim to destroy in order to free. Yet the Antinomies reveal this critical revolution to do something more, for we require the negative principles of Critique in order to render possible, not only beliefs about freedom, but knowledge about nature as well . In the Dialectic, Kant claims that the unconditioned presents for human reason the 'veritable aby s s' CB641). In the cosmological ideas and the transcendental ideal , I work towards the unconditioned because its presupposition simply prescribes a rule to the underst anding. Bu t I do not presuppose the unknown substratum of the self simply in order to obtain a mere rule of action. I presuppose it as the basis of the action itself. Thus, in assuming our lack of intellectu a l intuition, Critique commits itself and the other endeavors of theoretical reason to continually rest upon an aby ss. Yet by carrying out this Copernican reversal and thereby denying objective reality to the questions which Plato and Arisotle raised , critical philosophy turns those questions around in order to endow them with a new function. Only by viewing the two faces of apperception can we free ourselves from the pretensions of the contingent and - by means of practic a l reason- secure a passage into the intelligible realm. Only by establishing the objective laws of the understanding- by establishing nothing to come from nothing - can Kant make room for the subjective postulates of reason - for something which promises passage across the schisms which have divided men for too long. Thus the final words of the Canon which presents the positive face of Critique, echos the words of Bacon which Kant has taken as his motto for this, his first CritiQue. But, it w11 l be said, is this al 1 that pure reason achieves in opening up prospects beyond the 1 imits of experience? N othing more than two a rt i c 1 es of be 1 i ef? Su re 1 y the common understanding cou 1 d have achieved as much, without appealing to philosophers for counsel ••• But I may at once reply: Do you rea 11 y require that a mode of knowledge which concerns al 1 men should transcend the · common understanding, and should only be revealed to you by Phi 1 osophers? Precisely what you find fault with is the best confirmation of the above assertions. For we have thereby revealed to us~ could .rurt. ~.:the~ .hAY..e b.e..en foreseen , namely , that in matters which concern all men without distinction nature is not guilty of any partial distribution of her gifts and that in regard t o the essential ends of human nature the highest philosophy cannot advance further than is possible under the guidance which nature has bestowed even upon the most ordinary understanding. (8858- 9) 38 The Tragicomic Philosopher Ann Sitomer After love has been praised, the wine consumed, and most of the party either gone or fallen asleep, Aristodemus wakes at dawn to hear an argument between Socrates, Agathon and Aristophanes. Socrates is trying to make the two poets admit that the same man could have the knowledge required to write both tragedy and comedy. And Socrates' claim is a particular one: all tragic poets should be comic poets. Why P l at o c ho o s es th i s end i ng fo r the d i a 1 og ue, or rat he r encomia, is not clear. Aristodemus, our narrator, has fallen conversation moved from the encomia to the discussion of poetry. escapes us. A fruitful approach to this question would be to dialogue to see how love and poetry can be discussed together. co 1 1 ec t i on of asleep as the The connection look into the Let us direct our attention to the two poets who give their encomia to love, Aristophanes and Agathon. For a poet to praise love is more natural to his calling than it is for a lawyer or a doctor to praise love. While love ofte_n forms the subject of poetry, it rarely forms the subject of law or medicine, as it does for Pausanius and Eryximachus. Of the two poets, Agathon expresses a link between love and poetry. Yet unlike Pausanius and Eryx1machus, love is not the subject of Agathon's occupation. Rather, he claims love is the cause of poetry in all men. This seems an agreeable claim - indeed it is more agreeable than both Pausanius and Eryximachus claims. If it is so, then Socrates' assertion at the end of the dialogue may begin to make sense to us. A11 men can fa 11 under the sway of 1 ove and can therefore become poets. Yet Agathon's inspiration fails to solve the puzzle that Socrates' strange claim presents. Agathon fai 1 s to mention two things explicit in Socrates' cl aim. These two things are the knowledge (epistasthaj) required to write poetry, and the di stinction and bringing together of the two skills (technaj) necessary to tragedy and comedy as particular kinds of poetry. Since Agathon's speech does not give us the footing we need to begin to discuss the issue which Socrates raises, let us turn towards Aristophanes' speech to find some clue to unravel Socrates' perplexing cl aim. Whi 1 e Aristophanes, like Agathon, composes a poem about love, he does not discuss poetry in the explicit way Ag at hon does. The c 1 ue seems to 1 i e in the form of the speech, for Aristophanes' speech strikes us as tragic , although Aritophanes is a comic poet. Perhaps Aristophanes himself manifests Socrates' claim that the same man can have the knowledge needed to write both tragedy and comedy. But as I have pointed out , Socrates' claim is a particular one •. He did n~t cl aim that the comic poet should be a tragic poet, but that the sk1 l led tragic poet should be a comic poet. Thus Aristophanes' speech presents us with a riddle. Yet b.efore we look into this riddle, let us first examine why Aristophanes' speech strikes us as tragic. 39 �PROLOGUE IQ ARISTOPHANES' SPEECH 1 acks something; he desires nothing. On the other hand the wise man, if one exists, lacks nothing - but he also can desire nothing. If there must be someone between ignorance and wisdom, someone in the metaxu, that someone is Love. And Love is a friend of wisdom who is neither ignorant nor wise. Yet right opinion occupies the metaxu with Love, since it too resides between ignorance and wisdom. Diotima al lows Love what we al low to the poet, right opinion. This awareness of imperfection and the desire which accompanies right opinion need not become tragic if Love, the phi 1 osopher, has the resources to supply his deficiency. The child of both Pores and Penia, Love is sometimes resourceless. But unlike a tragic character, sometimes he is resourceful. Whatever his resources are, Diotima does not tell them to Socrates. On the other hand, Aristophanes gives his audience the resource they need in order to regain their original nature, and that resource is sex. Arist~phane~ compels Eryximachus to be on the lookout for anything absurd (~eloion) in Aristophanes' speech. But Aristophanes is not concerned that he w1l 1 say something which wil 1 make us laugh. Such words are native to his muse. Rather he fears that he wil 1 say something that wil 1 make the others jeer (catagal~) at him. Derision does not at al 1 seem proper to the muse of comedy because comedy makes us laugh with good humor, at the characters which it presents to us. Neither does derision seem proper to the muse of tragedy, for tragedy causes us to fear something or to pity some character. Derision may lie b~tween these two extremes. The comic poet makes us laugh with him at the situati~n and at the c~aracters he has created because we have an affinity with the ~UbJect which we w1l Jingly acknowledge. On the other hand, we often choose t~ d1s~ngage ourselves from a tragedy (in so far as we can) and feel fear and pity~ lf we have that same affinity with the tragic situation we do not so willingly .ackno.wle~ge i~• . Derision is a way of laughing at something rather than 1 aughing with it; lt is a means of separating ourselves from what we 1 augh at without sep~ratin~ ourselves to the extent of feeling fear and pity. Thus, the speech ~h1ch Aristophanes plans to compose is neither strictly comic nor t r.p g i c • Ari stop ha nes' f ea r of de r i s i on suggests that he i ntends to compose a poem which somehow partakes in both tragedy and comedy. Aristophanes' resource forces us to laugh, but this resource is what strikes us as the most tragic element in Aristophanes' speech. His creatures, once sliced, yearn to be together again. He calls this yearning love. Yet these tal 1 ies of men cannot know why they love each other in this way. A natural but inexplicable inclination possesses them. Thus they spend their time seeking their other half. When they find one of their kind they embrace him, never letting go. This inexplicable desire suggests two things. Like the poets of Plato's .l..Qn, these 1 overs must 1 abor without ever knowing why they must occupy themselves thus. Yet this desire immediately suggests something else to Aristophanes' audience just as the audience viewing a tragedy knows the outcome of the play to be inevitable, Aristophones audience also knows how and why man has fallen. They know beforehand the reason which lies behind such a desire and therefore acknowledge the gravity of the plight of these lovers. Er~ximach~s then makes a strange demand on the poet. He warns Aristophanes to speak nothing he cannot defend. This demand reminds us of the d; st i net ion between right opinion and knowledge which Diotima will make. Any claim which can be supported by reason we ca 11 know 1 edge. Yet we a 11 ow poets to teach us with right opinion; we do not challenge them as we would challenge a geometer. In~erestingly en~u~h, Er~ximachus does not uphold this challenge after Aristophanes has finished h1s speech. Although it seems that Aristophanes would be hard p~t to defend the claims he has made concerning the original state of m~n and h1s fall.' something in his story rings true for Eryximachus and he is s11 enced. Eryximachus tel 1 s Aristophanes that he has listened to the speech wi~h pleasure. We know that he has been made to see the power of 1 ove through Aristophanes eyes. There is nothing more that one can demand of the poet. Aristophanes then tel 1 s of Zeus' concern about 'the state of the 1 overs. Men were dying out, their genitals were on their backsides and these lovers would not forfeit their embraces for the sake of propagating their rac~ Zeus alleviated the punishment he had imposed on men and moved their genitals around to their frontsides, so that when they embraces they would reproduce by and by. Yet Zeus had inadvertently given men a more complete union than they had had before. Thus sex resembles our state before.the fal 1. Ili.E SPEECH ~ristophanes begins his speech with a tale about the original state of man a~d his fall, or perhaps I should say "slice". The beginning of his speech differs from what the preceeding encomia have given us. Phaedrus and Pausanius have mentioned the origins of some gods - feeling comfortable with this enterprise ~ and they have al 1 spoken about man's present state. But it takes a certain amount of courage to describe the original state of man, for in order to compose such a tale one must first acknowledge his imperfection. We are often t~o ~ow a rd 1 y ~o admit that we are not perfect. Yet Aristophanes acknowledges his imperfection and he makes his audience acknowledge theirs by allowing them to laugh at it. Looking upon some state of man which was better than our own and knowing about man's fal 1 is tragic, but Aristophanes veils this tragedy in comedy. This awareness of our imperfection, although it strikes us as tragic, does As D1ot1ma must point out to Socrates, an ignorant man can remain unaware that he n~t ~lways hav~ to strike us this way, at least according to Diotima. 40 l . At first we must laugh at the claim that sex unites us, completes us and hea 1 s .u s of the wound of our imperfection. Upon refl action however, we fear that sex cannot provide the entire cure or be of any duration. Aristophanes leaves us wondering if we have anything else which can express love and which can cure us or our ill~ This very thing perplexes Aristophanes' lovers. The sex tragedy manifests itself whenever two of a kind come together: No one could imagine this to be a mere amorous connection - sex for sex - or that such alone could be the reason why each rejoices in the other's company with so eager a zest: obviously the soul of each is wishing for something else which it cannot expess, only divining and darkly hinting at what it wishes. (192c6-d2) There is a sense that there must be something more although the lovers do not know what it might be. The only resource they have does not suffice. They are resourceless and therefore tragic. When Hephaestus asks them what they 41 �want, the lovers fall into a state of aporja. Yet when he offers towel d the two of them into one the lovers feel s ure that he has offered t hem exactly what they wanted. Their bodies would be one, as would their souls, since they could 1 ive and die toget her. The s ugges tion having been m ade, is never realized. Even the grammatical structure of Hephaestus' offer points to the imposs ibility of such a union; he utters a st ring of protases with no apodasis. The lovers can never achieve any union like the union before the fall. The lovers have discovered , with the help of Hephaestus , what they want. Yet Arist ophanes leaves them without the resources to obtain it. They only have sex as the next best thing. 1 ove. Whereas . Dio t ima could not name for Socrates the resources of love, Socrates understands t hat whatever love's resources might be they provide the only alternative for t~e tra gic plight of the philosopher. Thus Socrates himself i s the tragic poet who must also be a comic poet. As Aristophanes sees a grain of tragedy in love, so Socrates finds a grain of tragedy in philosophy. In order not to remain resourceless in either case, each must find the comic element of resolution. Hymns to love are not enough. Socrates speaks not of hymns but of encomia - praise given in the spirit of comedy, in the spirit of resolution and happy endings. Socrates' comedy gives us an alternative to the tragedy of the imperfection of our knowledge and therefore gives us every reason for revelry • .Il::iE TRAGICOMIC PHILOSPHER Aristophanes leaves these lovers in a state like the state in which Socrates leaves those who speak with him. As Ari stophanes' speech expresses a feeling of inadequacy an d imperfection that we might otherwise have overlooked or avoided, so Socrates forces so meone to ac kn owledge the inadequacy an d imperfection of the wisdom he thoug ht he possessed. It is the task of the poet to shed light on things at which we might otherwise not look . In dramatic poetry, either we see somet hing which stands beyond our ken and power, and acknowledge our insignificance in relatio n to it - tragedy - or we see something ridiculous and laugh at it - comedy. In both cases we struggle between alienating ourselves fro m the action on the stage and allowing ourselves to be drawn into it. In this respect Aristophanes resembles Socrates; he forces us into a state of aporja. Yet un lik e the tragic poet (the comic poet) offers a resolution to the aporja he makes us feel. In Aristophanes' speech this resolution is sex. Socrates, on the other hand, cannot give such a resolution to the aporja into which he forces someone. If such a resolution in philosophy exists, Socrates leaves its discovery to the m wit h whom he converses. an Alcibiades, who has not heard Socrates' encomium to love, comes to praise Socrates. He says Socrates' words resemble those of the poet because they will forever haunt you . Alcibiades always feels t he strange effect of Socrates' words even when he would rather not acknowledge them. In this way, Socrates' words are tragic; the y leave t ho se who hear them in a state of tumult. Yet Alcibiades says that he does not fear this state; instead he fears t hat the seductive quality of Socrates' words might hold him forever at Socrates' side. The seductive quality of Socrates' poetry is its comic element. Alcibiades claims t hat Socrates "spends hi s whole life in chaffing an d making game of hi s fellow men," just as the comic poet depicts hi s fellow men as ridiculous. Thus Socrates resembles the comic poet in a twofold way. On the one hand he mock s the tragedy that all our knowledge is incomplete and in an ironic way claims that the only t hing we can know is what we don 't know . On the other _ ~~~d~ Socrates 1 ures men into this tragedy, which he veils as a comedy full of many wondrous things for them to obtain. These wonders are the knowledge of t he things in themselves. But such a good may never be realized. Socrates' encomium to love differed from the conversations to which Alcibiades referred. Love is the only matter which Socrates professes he understands. Philosophy, which is often so tragic for Alcibiades and others, becomes something quite different in Socrates' encomium. The philosopher no longer lacks resources in his pursuit of knowledge. Like the comic poet, Socrates gives the philosopher a resolution to the aporja in the Symposium 43 42 �In Defense of Proposition 35: Coincidence and Equality in Euclid's Elements, Book I Fawn Trigg which triangles can be equal. We can judge the boundaries equal or unequal only with respect to length , and the angles equal or unequal only with respect to inclination. The triangle, the figure itself, can only be equal ·or unequal in one respect - that of space. Euclid demonstrates this distinction in the bisection proofs. In each. h~ proves the angle, line, or figure bisected by comparing triangles, using different aspects for each. Equal bases prove a line bisected, and equal figures, triangles, prove a parallelogram bisected. He shows again how distinct the aspects are: angles are not compared to lines, lines are not compared to figures. ca~e, In Common Notion four, Euclid states t hat things which coincide are equal . In Proposition 35 in Book I of the Elements he disproves the universality of its converse, for he shows that two figures can be equal even though they do not necessarily coincide. Euclid reveals this converse, which is not self-e vident like the proposition, t hrough a consistent unfolding of the idea of equality. But to accept t his converse and the proof of Proposition 35, it is necessary to contend wit h several seeming difficulties. Two major objections are: (1) Euclid had no basis for asserting t he parallelograms as equal, since he had only proved things equal thro ugh coincidence, and those parallelograms do not coincide, and (2) he had no basis for subtracting the triangle from the parallelograms or for adding the triangle to the trapezia. The first objection results from misunderstanding Euclid ' s idea of eq ual ity an d coincidence, and the second arises from an unawareness of how Euc lid manipulates mathematical objects. To understand t he first problem of equality and coincidence, it is necessary to look at . how Euclid proves equality and what he proves equal. His use of triangles shows both . Her treats a single triangle as an entity which possesses distinct asp ects of line and angle. When we compare two tr iangles, those aspects can coincide; t he triangle can be equal or unequal . We must maintain the distinction between t he figure itself, which is by definition space; 1 ines, which are the boundaries of a figure; a nd angles, which are the inclination of the lines. By maintaining these distinction s, Euc lid obliquely helps us understand the relationship that the aspects of a fig ure have to the figure. One clue is in his treatment of t he enunciation and subsequent use of th& conclusion of I 4. Euclid orders his words carefully: base equals base, triangle equals triangle, and angle equals angle respectively. Moreover he ne ve r deviates from this order anytime he uses I 4. Wh en I 4 proves the remaining sides equal (in I 12, I 24), a he repeats from the enunciation is base equals base. When I 4 proves figures equal (in I 6, I 34, I 35), he repeats base equals base and triangle equals triangle. When I 4 proves angles equal, he repeats all three parts in order . Why does Euclid treat this so consistently and carefully, if not to highlight something specific about the relation of the aspects of a triangle? Perhaps he intends to indicate a certain h i er a re h y f o.r comp a r i son i n t r i a ng l es, b ut f o r whate v er re as o n he u s es th i s order, he shows the aspects of a triangle as distinct. Although one cannot separate aspects of a trian gl e, one can distinguish them. Sir Thomas Heath does not help the situation when he paraphrases Procrus, who "like other commentators gives at this point. (after I 26) a summary of the cases in which the equality of two triangles in al 1 respects can be established." I think Euclid would disagree with two things in the statement: first, that there is more than one proposition up to this point proving the equality of triangles, and second, that there is more than one respect with 44 The first half of Sir Thomas Heath's statement, in which he asserts the ex·istence of several congruence theorems, assumes more than Euclid actually µre· Ve!:-: • t.t ~.~ I E ~-c.ir:t Sir Thomas makes that statement, I 4 is the only proposition which proves the equality of triangles. I 8 proves only one angle equal, and I 26 proves the remaining sides and angle equal. The assumption that I 8 and I 26 prove triangles equal, although logically drawn, obscures what I think Euclid intends. Proclus says, and Sir Thomas agrees, that Euclid does not prove the triangles in I 8 and I 26 equal because such a proof would be redundant. I think that there is an additional rE:ason. With the enunciations as they are, Euclid is able to juxtapose I 4 and I 26 ih Propostion 34 and emphasize the difference between proving entire triangles equal and proving certain aspects equal. In I 26 Euclid uses I 4 to prove angles equal. Because of the way he ~reats I 4, he must state in the proof of I 26 that the triangle equals the triangle, It would have meant no extra steps if he had added "the triangle equals the triangle" to the enunciation c.1f I 26, yet he does not. In fact, by not adding these words, Euclid gives himself more work to do in I 34. I 34 needs I 26 to prove the angles equal, and then I 4 to prove the triangles. This is an especially striking reminder of the difference between a triangle and its aspects, since it falls immediately before I 35, in which he demonstrates that the equality of figures is independent of the equality of angles. Even if we do not anticipate the step to I 35, we should not be disconcerted by it. Asserting figures which do not coincide as equal contradicts nothing which Euclid has done before. This seems not only consistent, but prepared, since Euclid has been moving the idea of coincidence and hence equality - away from the seemingly physical id~a of application. In I 4 we apply two separate triangles and they coincide. The two triangles in I 5 share a common side. In order to apply them, we must either fold them together with the common side as an axis, or separate them and replace the common side. To apply the two triangles in I 16, we must rotate them around a point and then fold. I 34 combines the two, requiring both separating and rotating. By this point in Book I equality is not directly or obviously related to the coincidence of figures. Significantly, this most distant and gymnastic example occurs immediately before I 35, where the equality of figures is shown separately from the equality of lines and angles. Even accepting Euclid's conclusion, it is possible to object to the proof itself. One cor1 -Lr:.r.-'. ·i on is that Euclid had no grounds for subtracting the triangle from the parLllelograms or for adding the triangle to the trapezius. Although it is true t hat he had never added or subtracted figures · before, he has add~a and .s ubtracted angles. A comparison between the tw6 i~ · justifiable 0 Both 45 �--a re bisected by l i nes, bounded by l i nes, · and can only t c: (:;:<11 , -;111 ,IJ ·\I ruugh these boundaries. To add and subtract is not foreign , because he has been adding and subtracting angles ever since I 13. Division of space in a figure has a precedent, though the actual adding and subtracting does not. When Euclid bisects a paral lelcgram in I 34, he shows space as something divisible. Connoisseur of Chaos 1 Even without evidence to counter this and earlier objections, I 35 should not be suprising simply from a pedagogical point of view. Euclid treats converses carefui !~/, c.r:c original misunderstanding results directly from assuming a converse, that of Common Notion four, which should have never been assumed. When Euclid does disprove the universality of the converse, his proof is well prepared and both internally and externally consistent. I 34 culminates a comparison of equal objects which have the same shape; I 35 begins a new section, one which compares equal objects of different shapes. Wallace Stevens I. A. A violent order is disorder; and B. A great disorder is an order. These Two things are one~ (Pages of illustrations.) II. If all the green of spring was blue, and it is; If the flowers of South Africa were bright On the tables of Connecticut, and they are; If Englishmen lived without tea in Ceylon, and they do; And if i t all went on in an orderly way, And it does; a law of inherent opposites, Of essential unity, is as pleasant as port, As pleasant as the brush-strokes of a bough, An upper, particular bough in, say, Marchand. III. After all the pretty contrasts of life and death Proves that these opposite things partake of one, At least that was the theory, when bishops' books Resolve the world. We cannot go back to that. The squirming facts exceed the squamous mind, If one may say so. And yet relation appears, A small relation expanding like the shade Of a cloud on sand, a shape on the side of a hill. IV. V. 46 A. Well, an old order is a violent one. This proves nothing. Just one more truth, one more Element in the immense disorder of truths. B. It is April as I write. The wind Is blowing after days of constant rain. All this , of course , will come to summer soon. But suppose the disorder of truths should ever come To an order, most Plantagenet, most fixed a great disorder is an order. Now, A And B are not like statuary, posed For a vista in the Louvre. They are things chalked On the sidewalk so that the pensive man may see. The pensive man ••• He sees that eagle float For which the intricate Alps are a single nest. 47 �Chaos in April, Order at Key West and the Planet on the Table Liz Waldner It appears to be a sy 11 og ism, does pa rt I of "Connoisseur of Chaos". Even de- or re- composed in mathemat ica 1 1 anguage, one might expect to di st i 11 from propositions A and B some universal c, source of the particularity if not the peculiar circularity of: some A is B, some Bis A. However, we are given to understand by one familiar with the matter--connoisseur being kin to connaitre: to know familiarly , to be acquainted with--that A and Bare one. Voi 1 the hoop s nake, sw a llowing his t ail! Voici, a moody nothing, expanding into squirm! What m akes these goings- round? a, The ac tivi t y of s ee ing is the necessary (but not self- suffic i ent) cause of t hat m i on sw elling disor de r in t o great- disorder- which- is- order i nto violentot order- which-is-di sord er. To s a il t hi s spiral -- for the very spiral t o exist, for relation to curl i nto a pp a rent ca usal ity-- seeing must be present. Thi s seeing i s a proc ess undiffe re nt i at e d f rom its product, the world collected , told over, a rranged in speech or s ong, and is informed by the never sat is if ed mind. Each of us is the single arti f icer of the world in which we sing ; "the wind , encirclin g us, speaks alw a ys with our speech" ("Evening Without Angels") . We and the world make one in the way that A and Bare one. Pages of illustrations follow . We have seen that the motion of the meaning in A and B is not uni directional but circular, and that this spiraling ( a postulate at this point; demonstration to follow) is rounded in waves, sailed on swells. The passing of order into disorder is the passage of crest defining trough into trough and trough into crest, a motion mimicking the restless iteration of our thought. From A and B we get no product C but, inseparable from the components, "some bright scienza outside of ourselves, a gaiety that is being, not merely knowing" (Of Bright and Bluebirds etc.) comes to be. What's seen and the seer are mingled, to put it crudely, in the making that is the experience of the movement begun by form and spun on the "dark, green water-wheel" by content. A look at part II is in order, its form and content being particularly illustrative of such experience. (Whose experience is this? that we sought.) we said, because we knew it was the experience He r e we encounte r negative relations and are disappointed in our grammatical expectations; here, too, form has not the final word, its meaning shaped by content. Perhaps we ought be amazed to remark form's having voice at all; howsoever, the ifs have no thens. Directly we hear If, we listen for its Then; hearing no Then now , we await it at stanza's end, where instead we are given a proper noun, a place name. Like A and B these clauses are fol lowed by Ands affirming the preceding's correspondence to fact and its existence as such in the present. "It is" neutralizes "If", precludes the subjunctive, and is itself tempered by the precedent "If" so that the present is presented in swaths with voilas as an activity compounded ("and") of If and It is. What we see we name What Is: the green of spring is blue. Green is the universal necessity. There is no use saying green is green unless we see it so. In the activity of seeing, each proposition is divested of the robe and hood of the postulant/postulate to stand as statement of fact. (Here is half the wave. We may name it crest or trough, as the spirit moves us.) Unmasked, "lf" is unfe~tered and enters into the creation of fact. Unmasking the green of spring is addressing it personally, idiomatically and hence as peculiarly one's own. Ramon Fernandez's green of spring is not one's own; his can be only "iffy" in a stiff and robe-y, old (Benedictine) order sense for another. The undulation in meaning begun by the Cassandra "If" in the phrases, curled back onto itself (like the lyre and the bow), generates by "and it is" the shape of the larger circuit of the stanza, as if this shape were and ought be understood as, inalienably and inexorably, an interference pattern. The "Ifs" are, perhaps, instances comprising a law which is itself subject to instance- hood were sight and scope adjusted. Resolve is temporary. Things are makings, not made. The form cast as shadow by the initiating "If" is altered and othered by the contemporaneous and concomitant surge (like surf over strand) of "ls" washing over "If". "If" gives form to "ls" while being formed. Resolution is an instance and the stuff memory (and thus identity) is made on; it is not like statuary. This is not to suggest that the world is the figment of an unstable imagination. One must have the green of spring before that green can be blue. <This is the other half of the waving.) "If" implies "Is", Fact, terra firma whose ground is the necessary rock on which every edifice of Otherthan stands. This ground, however, is for us terra incognita; unmixed with the "If" of one's own presence, the vision peculiar to the beholder, the pensive man of part IV, the green of spring is not. It is not being made. To rightly esteem order, to savor its pleasure as a particular, ephemeral, an instance, one must be acquainted with the not-ordered: a connoisseur of chaos. The stanza as a whole gives us as meet for our desiring some "Then" to stanch and answer the flood of "lf s" a g l i mpse, a sight i ng--ahoy being the marine "voi l a"--a further fluidity: a moment: "An upper, particular bough in, say, Marchand". No dyke, no respite, no order as end "of motion or of the noise of motion, the renewal of noise and its manifold continuation" (The Place of the Solitaires), no olive branch is this bough; rather in it rocks the cradle of "The Planet on the Table". The approach of the maker of the planet of which she is part to the shapeless shore Facts will come to comprise has, then, something of "If'' in it naturally, according to our own necessity: it only li. in our presence. That about which we say "and it is"--douce compagna of that thingI--comes to be of our relation to it, is concretized by amalgamation of is and if, of the universal antique accord of spring's green and Mr. Stevens, say. The approach, this process, is that "exactest element for us, in which we pronounce joy like a word of our own". There, our word is "and it is"; being a round of activity, a curling of relatings, a re-iterated meeting of if and is, a greeting to which we will without fail wave adieu, adieu as we sail--and we always sail~-it is the word of a veritable font of ifs, of one whose bent and wont is if, whose stance is informed by sea-legs, whose sailing is steered by fixed stars eclipsed by the sail, the sail, shroud of Turin-like, marked by the star, the star that planet sailed toward: the world, the world, the sol id ground on which we stand: "and it i s". The passage of such a one, sea - s i ck and squamous, ( i n accord wi th that 49 48 �element) from facts to relation must be as pleasant as port. Before long , however , far enough inland to tote a winnowing fan, solidity becomes just one more truth, order "one more element in t he. immense disorder of trut hs ," an d it's "I must go down to the sea again ••• " So, argonaut, aro und , your spiral--go, go to! The pretty contrast of life and death affords no van tage. A finished round, a world bound by a perfect circumference, is a dead planet, a pie equally portioned , fit to grace the tea-table of the bes test bi shop. It appears t hat t he way in which A an d Bare one is not a matter of essence but of myopia. The maker of A and Bi s mixed with and into them. This fact cannot be bound into the o of one. Every fact cannot be ordere d into accord , and yet relation appears: squirming facts pass as in a vortex t hrough a vertex, relation; motion : facts squirm. The mind 's motion of a sudden finds accord: re l ation appears. The circle of opposite things affords no vantage for witnessing relation. When for every question is made an answer and when each answer has its question tailor- m ade, then bishops' books resolve the world, forswearing squirm. The bishopric's spectacles and telescopes resolve the astigmatism we might deem natural to Q & A, assigning each planet its sphere , e ach spher e its harmony . Too many orders have become old for us to look on that sight, to take sight by that scope. The unruly fact, the intractable instance, the s candal of particularity banished beneath the bishop's hearthrug to make straight the way have become fruitful, multiplied, and risen to sit at table with us: behold South Africa's fl owe rs on Connecticut's tab 1 e. Sate l 1 ites, Heisenberg, video, petroleum and Einstein and Oppenheimer have altered our orders, scales and table settings, seati ng the once far an d strange next to the once neighborly and near. Distance fat homed , the b ishop's length, t he me as ur e of Q & A's pas de deux, was the hallmark of an order. Now, here, things don't stay put, are very much with us., may be said (and well) to exceed the mind , however squamous. The di sta nc e or. di sci pl ine neces sary to resol ve-- C hat from which squirm appears stil 1) t or that of the verand a- view of t he formal gardens, or of a vista in, say, the Louvre may si mply be lacking. Perhaps t he world in which one looks at the night s ky to sa y "Satel 1 ites are ou t to night" is smaller t han t he bis hop 's. Perhaps too much is here at once and that impossibly mul tifario usly. And yet relation appears. A sma 11 relation appears, expanding. One sees on the sand a shade shaped by what shows it. Cloud and sand are related by the shade in making the shade. So the single artificer and the world she sang, and singing, made are bronzed by the same sun that casts the clouds shadow onto the nets of sand , and are related in a relative-as-in-familiar way. She sings, and it is. She sings, "And it is". The pensive man , the sail i ng one, the seer, and the thing seen a re related in the activity of seeing. This activity is the making of the sun, the planet of which she and he are part. Seeing the shade, one "ladders" sand, shade, c loud , sun, even though the top rung is unseen: shade makes there be sun. Sun, we al so say, makes shades. The world moves one to sing "of a remembered time or of something seen that he liked"; t he world sung, of which the singer is part, is made in singing. The sin ger does not see the sin ger , but singing, sa ys she is there. When she si ng s, "And it is", then she is. Making t he planet, she makes herself. We also say t he spirit moves us. Whose s pirit is this, we might well ask, its rel atings making between ourselves a nd our origins "ghostlier demarcations, keener sounds." 50 CA thing and its shadow are said to be as 1 ike as desire and that which is desired). The relation of cloud and earth expands as cloud rises or falls, as earth rises or falls. Relation bears some lineament, character or family resemblance of "If" and "Is" which bear it. The appearance of relation which is activity, a carrying out of itself, coincides with the appearance of the pensive man. The pensive man appears in his thought, as we have seen. Once sighted, stel l a maris , relation expands as sand shifts and cloud is shaped. Once sighted, relation orders what is around it by virtue of its presence. What is seen is related to i t. Soon, hecksapoppin with facts asquirm. What is seen is shaped by our seeing (cloud casts shade). Our seeing is shaped by what is seen (shade is strec hed by sand). These are, of course, instances and they may be exactly backwards . Facts aplenty do not relation make. Position, however, does : our position with respect to them and the fact that time goes by (or that we do) , in so far as we and they stand (or squirm, as the case may be) on ground of our own making -- which is only to reiterate, which is what minds do , generating thereby the time in which facts squirm and hence the path of the spiral. To say that our position , seeing, is amidst the world sung and the world made in that singing is another way of saying that we are the place in which relation appears. Again, we make the world of which we are part. As the pitching of a pebble into water makes a pattern of waves and as the scope and design of the pattern .expands as a second stone is thrown, so relation expands as our pensive presence orders the world and we see the world so made. As ripples multiply, demarcations grow ghostly. Faint waves become a swell, the swell a wavelessness. A and Bare not fixed, but ride the waves that swell them. Facts asquirm are not a fixed vista. Relation will evaporate to condense again another day. What the pensive man sees chalked bears the mark of that from which it came: walk and chalk are limestone. Water, or a fading of the sun, or a shift in posture, or preoccupation, or attending to vistas will wash chalk away. Walk, chalk, and pensive man like sand, shade, and cloud are an arrangement, a moment, something seen. The presence of the pensive man and what he has seen amongst spring's blue and the flowers on the tables and Englishmen's living tealessly in Ceylon would make relation visible like that of sand, shade, cloud, if only that man should say the way they met in him. Those are instances of his order, of his reme mbe re d time, of hi s self. To assume them, for h·s order to be a light in our imagination, we must stand where he stood, see what he saw chalked. In doing this no essential unity nor inherent opposites may be found; each fact to be opposed is related to its opposer by the familiar look, lineament borne, of the pensive man who brings them to stand as fact. His relation to them and theirs to one another expands or fails as he straightens up, walks on, thinks. To assume them, we participate in his seeing/thought, bringing to be for our selves that about which he said "And it is." Statuary posed is an old order. The definition of categories describes a formal garden along whose walks royalty waltzed. The skull beneath the crown comes and goes; the diadem remains posed, most Plantagenet. One partaking in the crown's stroll dons the ermine of universality , eyes fixed on dolmen A and cromlech B. This one has remained forever poised above the walk from which the chalk has long since washed, however much he appears to walk or walt z. The emperor wears his new clothes here, and orders his hours according to a book of days bound and marked by another's grasp of a truth, a relation . His baby s hoes 51 �are undoubtedly bronzed. Who raised up A and Bas ordering forms undoubtedly did so in the throes of vision--of the apparition of the shade of a cloud on sand. Held al oft as trophy, elevated, isolated spoil of the mind, worm A and worm B no longer asquirm, but rounded to form sorry imitation of the selfswallowing snake are not pleasant at all. Persons Plantagenet are often advised to buy works such as these to fix their vistas and foreshorten their outlook. When facts do relate--not of their own bu t of their and our own accor d--it is pleasant, perhaps because in the presence of very particular thin gs we have a peculiar feeling of universal ity--of partaking, of seeing through to, for an instant ••• Relation bronzed is itself an A. The never satisfied mind sees to it. The motion generating relation leads one to believe thought is the paradigm of carnal knowledge, or at least near kin. The bent of the pensive man pondering the chalked walk is attentive, loving. Having rounded the bend of April's weathers before, whatever the welter of facts--rain, rain, wind--he is familiar with the course; as a matter of course, the days will come to summer soon. The earth's course, once known as sun's coursers, sees to it. One sees, has seen. Relation appears. One is standing; A and B appear again to be statuary. One looks, now, to the upper, particular bough. Again. Cherub: Behold inane infinity! Pensive man: I see a cherub who sees it. See? Come round, we see ourselves angelic. "Sad men made angels of the sun"; we see singular rel at ion, unsquirming factuality appear. This appearance is rendered monumental by distance, whether of person (not my order, but Ramon's) or time (mine seven years ago). We can see this focus shift and count it fact, too. Our understanding of Ramon's or recognition of our previous resolution becomes another fact asquirm until some aspect of some thing seen and liked or some time remembered arranges, deepens, and enchants them. Sighting along that extended relation poised in the moment, an obelisk composed of moments, we see t hat eagle fl oat for whom all our Al py obelisks are a single nest. Its shadow describes spirals on the sidewalk. A. Ask Prospero, "Whose spirit is this?" B. Ask Ariel, "Whose spirit is this?" CA sip of Sandeman's is in order.) he single artificer is made uch of. Selfhood, Friendship, and Statehood 1n the Nicomachean Ethics Michael McShane In "The Concept of Number in Greek Mathematics and Philosophy" Jacob Klein explores a metaphysical question discussed by Plato and others. Klein formulates the issue thus: " ••• how one thing 'brought together with another one produces two things. Neither of the things is two. Is the 'two' something apart from the single things--is it, so to speak, outside of them? Where is the two?" A further difficulty presents itself: once given that 'two,' what status would it have? It must in itself form a kind of 'one,' a third thing relating the first separate ones. A version of the same problem., expressed in human terms, 1 ies at the heart of Aristotle's Nicomacbean Ethics. For - how is it that one individual brought together with another unit person produces two people together, a coherent relationship? Neither of the individuals is two. Is the 'two' "something apart" from the single people-- "is it, so to speak, outside of them?" If they are originally Other, where does their relationship come from? What provides the ground for human relationships? What origin could they stem from? The Njcomachean Ehtjcs must confront and constantly grapple with the fundamental problem of the possibility, ground 1 and character of human relations. For Aristotle, friendship provides the most obvious and useful context within which to begin his discussion of human relationships. Though he finally discusses e;11 manr1er of human relationships--legal, political, psychological, fami 1 ial--Aristotl e retains his powerful notion of friendship as a common measure throughout the Ethics. Characteristically, the philosopher begins his exposition of friendship by emphasizing its natural roots, saying "a natural affinity and friendship exist b et we : n rn ~ n . ~ n d ma n u.n i v e r s a 1 1 y. " ( VI I I , i. 4 ) F r om t h i s p re l ; mi n a r y o r p,rescient~fic .standpoin~ Aristotle sug£ests that friendship is a kind of n~tu ra 1 inst in7t" ho 1 ding among members of every species. Al ready then Ar~st~t~e ques~ions the notion of a mythical origin of a kind of extrinsic frienoship. This genera: opening account of friendship winds its way through· many changes as the Ethics develops, yet it persists, mediated ar.d enriched, throughout the work • . When ad.dressing the matter from a slightly more developed viewpoint, Aristotle finds that friendship presupposes a kind of sameness between men: "Am.ity .cons.ists of equality and similarity, especially the sim.ilarity of those alike in virtue." (VIII, viii. 5) Later, Aristotle decides that the alternate notion of opposites attracting has only "accidental" meaning <VIII. viii. 7) as an account of friendship. If, however, we agree that friendship requires a fundamental background of Sameness, a version of the original "two-ness" problem presents itself. For 52 53 �th e es s ence of being a n i ndividu a l or having a n identity requires t hat one be · signifi ca nt ly Ot he r t ha n ot her individual s. Aristotle recogni z es that under certain condit i ons, friend s hip cannot exist, or must cease. co~unicating their thoughts to each other; fv.. this is the meaning of living together as applied to human beings. Ii does not merely mean feeding in the same place, as it does when applit:-0 to cattle. CIX, ix. 11) When a wide disp a rity arises between friends in point of virtue or vice or of weal t h o r anything else they no longer remain nor indeed expect to rem a in friend s ••• i t is tru e that we cannot fix a precise limit in s uch cas es, up to which two men can s till be friends; t he gap may go on widening and the friend s hip st ill remain ; but when one becomes very remote from the · other, as god is remote from man, it can continue no longer. (VIII , vii . 4) He also recognizes that most men seem to differ significantly in many How the various kinds of friendships can mediate between Oi.hfdt"5 remains Aristotle's concern throughout the discussion of friendship and ~hrough the Ethics as a whole. ·irnpo r tcnt respects. To discuss the kinds of friendly mediations, Aristotle divides friendship into three main kinds : one i s based upon utility, another on pleasure, and the third on shared v i rtue . The first two constitute friendships in a rather mercenary , transact i ona 1 s t"ri ss , c'>< i sting mere 1 y as a n1 eans to an end . Hence , "Friendship s of thi s kind are ea.sil~. Lir-c;h .-r c.ff ••• for if (the friend s ) are no l anger p 1 e as ant or us e fu 1 t o each other, they cease to 1 ove each other." (VII J, iii. 2) These lower friendships do not involv e virtue and cannot last. Natura lly, the highest form of friendship revolves around virtue : The perfect form of friendship is that between the good and those who res emble eac h othe r in virtu e. For these friend s wi s h each alike the other's good in respect of their goodness and they are good in themselves ; but it is those who wish the good of their friends for their friends' sake who are friends in the fullest sense, s ince they love each other for themselves and not accidentally. Hence the friendship of these lasts as long as they continue to be good; and virtue is a permanent quality. <VIII , iii. 6) This bold notion of true friendship plays an essential role throug h the Ethics. The s pecial nature of t he mediat i on betwee n t he virtu ous friends differentiates this form of friendship from the two other kinds . The two true friends are measured in common by their co - re l ated steady interest in divine or eternal matters. Ideally, the awkward "gap" dissolves, the mediation falls away, and the two become somehow unlted -- radical ly Same. Then the virtuous man feels toward his friend in t he same way as he feels toward himself,"for a friend is a second self." (IX, ix. 10) The "s econd self" metaphor represents an important turn in the argument and recommends itself for serious considera t ion, des p ite ( a n c: because of) its possible paradoxical tenor. It proves essential for reso l vi ng t he "two- ness" problem discussed above. In the pas s age just cited Aristotle continues: Then ju s t as man 's exi stence is desirable to him, so, or nearly so, is his friend's exi s tence al s o desirable . .. Therefore a man ought to also share his friend 's consciousness of his existence and this i s att ain e d by t he i r living together and by conversing and 54 He makes a tremendous claim here. The problem of one here who is remote from another there can be overcome. Through their logos two attain the one-ness of highest friendship. By means or n1~ mo~t hum~" capacitie~, a man can actually "share his friend's consciousness of his existence." Considering its power, it makes sense that "affection men like for its own t:: itke ___ i t ;~ more valuable t han honor; friendship is desirable in itself." CVIII, viii. 2) Indeed, the overal 1 importance of friendship for Aristotle cannot be overestimated. Pragmatically, the friendship as second-self concept arises at many junctures throughout the Etbjcal landscape. For expample, Aristotle suggests that even after death one's friends sti 11 influence one's happiness. Elsewhere, he proposes that friends can bear som part of one's grief, lessening e the load. Aristotle says true friendship has more value than money, a 1 esser medium. Such observations suggest a keen appreciation of the meaning of friendship. However, as yet the second-self argument seems vague and abstract. It seems to indicate some progress on the theoretical issue of the possibility and ground of relations between Others. On the other hand, certain questions persist. What is a self that it can be so seconded? If it remains monolithic, individual, elementary, then how can the idea of a united and conwnon second-self be n1 eaningful? Is this new relationship "something apart from" the original single selves, outside of them? Aristotle's account of the self evolves in tandem with the development of his account of friendship. At important junctures the two notions converge dramatically: The form which friendly feeling for our neighbors takes, and the marks by which the different forms of friendship are defined, seem to be derived from the feelings of regard which we entertain for oursel ves ••• It is therefore because the good man has these various feelings toward himself and because he feels towards hi~ friend in the sa~e way as towards himself (for a friend is another self) that frif:n d ~. 1 1~· < 1!.:·C' i! 1 hcL:srt -1. c <:(it• ~h."\ it: o:E- or other of these : feelings, and the posses ion of them is thought to be the test of a friend. Whether a man can be said actually to feel friendship for himself is a question that may be dismissed for the present; though it may be held that he can do so in so far as hP- i~ ; <., <lu r: l c;r composite b6irig, cin d because very intense friendship resembles self- regard. CIY, iv. 1) Tri:. passag(-? outlines several key sel f-ish aspects: One feels for one's self ,, ~, for· a friend . Aristotle definitely resolves the question "dismissed" here some pages later, saying, "t he goo d man wil 1 bf: a lover of self in the fullest degree ••• " (IX, viii. 6) The passage also presents the possib.ility of t he self's "composite nature" and suggests the importance of such a notion. 55 �The idea of a man's sust~~ning a friendship with himself does imply a dualistic sel~ Friendship m~ans relating; therefore the self must mean a kind of re 1 at i ng of component e 1 e~nents. Nothing can continue to give us pleasure always because our nature is not simple but contains a second element, (which is what makes us perishable beings) and consequently whenever one of these two elements is actf ve it runs counter to the ~~turg or the other, whi 1 e when the two are balanced their action feels neither painful nor pleasant. Sinc e if any man had a simple nature the same activity would afford him the greatest pleasure always. Hence god enjoys a single simple pleasure perpetual ly••• there is essentially a truer pleasure in rest than in motion. But change in all things is sweet, as the poet says, owing to some badness in nature that needs change; for it is not simple nor good. <VII, xiv. 7) Unpacked, the above seminal passage makes many crucial claims about the nature of the self. The self constitutes itself of two mutually contradictory elements. These "moments" of the self engage in a dynamic struggle that must "balance" to insure the health of the self. The proper mediation of this internal conflict becomes the interior friendship which the good maintain with themselves. The struggle of the dual elements causes change and death. The passage also hints strongly at the respective natures of the .polar elements. The theme of the soul's dual nature arises constantly throughout the Ethjcs. In the first book, Aristotle identifies the two parts as being the rational principled part and the irrational. Now, the irrational tends towards desires, appetites, sensuality. It "opposes and runs counter to principle." CI, xiii. 17) In the virtuous and "self- restrained man it obeys the behest of principle." In u·n restrained men, however, this internal "badness" runs amuck and there "is civil war in their souls ••• one part pulls them one way and another the other, as if dragging them asunder." (IX, iv. 9) Such a "bad man" as this one certainly "appears to be devoid even of affection for himself, because he has nothing lovable in his nature." (IX, ix. 10) Lacking internal amity, such a character could build no valuable "external" friendships. "All the fellings that constitute friendship for others are an extension of regard for oneself." (IX, viii. 2) In their most extreme senses the two elements of the human self metaphorica 11 y correspond with a "divine" aspect, on the one hand, and a "bestial" one on the other. People irrational by nature and 1 iving soley by sensation are bestial, as are "those who lose their reason owing to some disease." CVII, v. 6) If bestiality dominates when rationality is subtracted, then it must be the remaining psychological element. The rational aspect, on the other hand, ••• is thought to rule and lead us by nature and to have cognizance of what is noble and divine, either as being itself also actually divine or as being the divinest part of us ••• (X, vii. 1) In fact, just as we call Denmark's ruler "Denmark," Aristotle would "imply that the intellect is the man himself." (IX, viii. 6) Aristotle wonders 56 whether, if the i nte 11ectua1 constitutes the "true se 1 f", then a man 1iv1 ng a 1 ife associated with his more best i a 1 nature wou 1 d be "chaos i ng to l i ve not his own 1 ife but the 1 ife of some other than himself." (X, vii. 9) Hence arises the strange possibility of a man being Other than his own interior self. When properly aligned then, man's self comprises itself of a coherent relation, or relating, of diametrically opposed elements--god and animal. (It remains unclear how actually distinct these two are: "Whether though distinguishable in thought as two they are inseparable in reality, like the convex and concave sides of a curve." (I, x. 10) The very being of the self resonates from within that god/beast dialectic. A human being is the mediated relationship, the internal friendship, between these two Otherly components. Aristotle's conceptual hold on all "external" human relations presupposes a comprehension of this unseen interior dialectic. The use of this mediated understanding of self allows some progress on the initial problem of the theoretical grounds for human relationships. Yet, this progress may prove to be somewhat illusory. For, in some ways, the dialectical selfhood position al lows for a provisional resolution--or at least displacement--of the question of "twoness" in human intercourse. Aristotle's dualistic psychology presents an attack upon the premises of the original scenario, in which one simple and elemental human is confronted with another discrete individual. In that scenario, the "twoness" must certainly arrive from some mysterious "outside, apart from" the single men. But because for Aristotle every self is itself already a relation or friendship of dual elements, the concept of atom-like human individuals must no longer obtain. In the Njcomachean Ethjcs, Aristotle unearths a "twoness", or relation, deeply rooted in his fertile anthropological terrain. His dialectical anthropology accounts for the theoretical possibility of intrinsic human friendship by previously grounding it in his notion of natural human selfhood. The pragmatic meaning of this resolution is that friends in an "external" sense can each relate directly to what is the Same in the other. Appetitive acquiring-type friends can achieve a distant kind of unity through sharing their common internal appetitive faculties. Virtuous men enjoy a much greater sameness and unity through their common intellects. Before mentioning some problems with the aforegoing account of Friendship, Same and Other, etc., I think it useful to sum up what we have establ1shed regarding friendship and selfhood in the Njcomachaen Ethics: The meaning of each term necessari 1 y con ta ins traces of the other. Aristot 1 e grounds "external" friendship in the notion of internal friendship--a self's relation to itself. The general question of friendship cannot be posed without a reference to the dialectics of selfhood. Yet "internal" self-relations depend upon metaphors of "external" friendships. One can be an-Other's "second self" or even alien from one's own self, depending upon one's virtuousness. As with "individuals" the two concepts (selfhood and friendship) defy independent or atomistic formulation; they are essentially interdependent• As mentioned above, certain problems remain in this account of selfhood and friendship. These specifically relate to the possibility of selfhood as mentioned above . In a sense the problems of "twoness" that dominated the external friendship question have been relocated inside the self: Recall that, 57 �for Aristotle, friendship can only exist between beings which are somewhat the Same. Aristotle discusses friendship between people unequal in various ways, but seems to assert that human relations require a fundamental Sameness. Recall the 1 ine about the two men, once friends: " ••• when one becomes remote from the other, as god is from man, (the friendship) can continue no 1 onger." CV III, v 1 i i • 5 ) Re 1 at 1on s cannot end u re such d i stance. I f god i s " remote" f r om man, He must be utterly incommensurable with animal. Yet the soul is said to comprise a relation between god and beast. How can any meaningful friendship subsist between these two contradictory elements of the self? What could be he 1 d in common between them? How cou 1 d that "gap" be mediated 1 How then can this self be? It may be that to solve this question Aristotle must ultimately resort to an implicit Platonic stance. At least, one· is reminded of the Iimeaus. In it, "Force," in an original cosmic effort, jams together Same and Other to make the world possible. Aristotle does not adopt this position and instead suggests something just as remarkable. The "inner" self, which must be considered the most "private" aspect of man's being, can only be rendered meaningful in terms of the most "public." For, to convey the relations inside the human self Aristotle turns to the language of political discouse: In a metaphorical and analogical sense, however, there is such a thing as justice••• between different parts of one's nature ••• For ••• a distinction is set up between the rational and irrational parts of the soul ••• so that there may be a sort of justice between them, such as exists between ruler and subject. CIV, xi. 9) So we learn that the relation between elements of the self sometimes is a special kind of friendship: that of a political regime. The issue of the politicization of the self and the selfhood of the polity will be taken up in the second section this essay. II Aristotle recognizes that human interaction takes place within a political context. Therefore, a comprehension of Ethics requires a thorough theoretical understanding of political relations. Aristotle weaves the political aspect of the work into the already inextricable notions of friendship and selfhood. The state founds itself upon the more "private" human institutions, while they themselves are unthinkable outside it. As suggested at the end of the last section, the political question defines and conditions the most "interior" aspects of the selfhood relationship. In turn, the polis as a self must ultimately confront the same questions that bedevil our understanding of the "individual" selves which constitute it. If we provisionally attempted to examine the more general character of the state before returning to the problem of the self,we might find ourselves in good company. Thus, let us begin by sketching the state as some· kind of "se 1 f- 58 sufficient" self. Like an individual self, it composes itself through friendships both internal and external 11 ••• states can be 'friends' (since expediency is generally recognized as the motive of international alliances)" (VIII, iv. 4). Internal relations here concern those between people--buyer and seller, citizen and citizen, citizen and monarch. Naturally, as in previous accounts, issues arise concerning the possibility, ground and character of these relations. How are they mediated? How can they comprise the whole? As in his friendship discussion, Aristotle carefully states at the outset that man's existence as a "political animal" comes about and maintains itself "by nature;" the city-state is a "natural growth." CPol 1t1cs) (l, i. 9) For Aristotle, being a part of nature - mplies a certain teleological necessity or i inner logic to a subject's development. The natural entity must have its own principles of motion and rest. Accordingly, Aristotle carefully traces the natural or logical principles of development for the polis. It evolves from a family, to a collection of families, to villages, until it finally becomes itself. A city-state, then, comes into existence because it is necessary for the animal life of man. It "exists" or maintains its teleological highest being for the sake of the more divine aspects of human ity--"the good life." (Pol 1t1cs I, i. 8) Like the self" the pol is contains various elements: some citizens have more godlike natures, otners tend more toward desire-ridden bestiality, while most lie somewhere in the mean. Thus the state displays an organic, complex, vital selfhood which naturally relates to the greater part of the human spectrum. Internally, the state subsists upon various "partnerships"'· In fact, "Friendship appears to be the bond of the state." CVIII, 1. 4) The majority of these friendships relate individuals who are, in some way, unequal or Other. This inequality appears in terms of virtue (the ruler and the ruled), or in the more mundane sense of commercial relations (when, for example, one has only bedsteads, the other houses). In order to mediate such political friendships there must be some way of equalizing the two parties. In the city the justice relation partially performs this function. In general, justice forms a sort of "mean" between "doing and suffering injustice, for the former is to have too much and the latter to have too little." CV, v. 18) Consequently, Justice operates as a medium between people, insuring that everyone receives only that to which he is entitled. Thus those who are equal receive equal goods; those who are unequal gain in proportion to their merits. Thus, in apolitical context, unequal Others can relate through Justic& "In the · interchange of services Justice in the form of Reciprocity is the bond that maintains the association <koinonia> ... The very existence of the state depends upon proportionate reciprocity~CV v 6) Just as the notion of proportional justice mediates abstractly, so does the human person, the Justice or Judge, mediate more concretely. To go to a judge is to go justice, for the ideal judge 1s, so to speak, justice personified. Also, men require a judge to be a middle term or medium--indeed, in some places they are called mediators--for [people] think that i f they get the man they will get what is just. Thus the just is a sort of mean, inasmuch as the judge is a medium between the litigants. (V, iv. 7) 59 �In the same passage Aristotle provides typical linguistic analysis, demonstrating the relationship between dikaion <just> and dich~ <in half>, showing that a dikast <judge> is a dichast <halver>.2 In the state, money relates unequal products in the same way that a judge relates unequal people. Money provides the medium through which demanders can have friendships of utility with suppliers because "money then serves as a measure which makes them [commodities, and thus buyers and sel lersJ commensu rab 1e and so reduces them to equa 1 ity ••• "( V, v. 15) Money constitutes in this manner a middle term, for it is the measure of al 1 things, and so of their superior and inferior value."CV, v.10) Without such a medium the friendships of the marketplace would be impossible: If there were no exchange, there would be no association <kojnonia>, and there can be no exchange without equality and no equality without commensurability. Though therefore it is impossible for things so different to become commensurable in a strict sense, our demand furnishes a sufficiently accurate common measure for practical purposes. As depicted above, commerce presents a special case of the problem of "twoness." That problem questions the possibility of establishing relations, commensurability, between Others. This problem recurs more seriously within the context of justice. Just as there can be no friendship between radically "remote" Others, there are beings, potential citizens, between whom Justice cannot mediate because of their remoteness. "Justice can only exist between those whose mutual relations are regulated by law and law exists [only] among those between whom there is a possibility of injustice." CV, iv. 4) And again, Claims of justice exist between persons who share in things generally speaking good and who can have a share too large or smal 1 of them. There are persons who cannot have too 1 arge a share of these goods. Doubtless, for example, the gods. And there are those who can derive no benefit from any share of them: . namely the incurably vicious, to them al 1 things generally good are harmful. But for others they are beneficial within 1 imits, and this is the case with ordinary mortals.CV, ix. 17) If we note that the "incurably vicious" correspond with the "bestial," it becomes c 1 ear that the "two-ness" prob 1 em for Justice takes on exact 1y the same terms as in the cases of friendship and sel fhood outlined above. Others are incommensurate--god and beast cannot relate. Before dealing with the extraordinary cases of supposedly unmediable beings, let us examine the "case with ordinary mortals." What is it that allows them to partake of justice, to have friendly political relations? Obviously, they must not be too remote in terms of self-components. More importantly, their natural logos allows men to participate in judicial relations just as it mediates between two highest friends: Why man is a political animal more than any bee or any gregarious animal is clear. For nature, as we declare, does nothing without 60 purpose, and man a 1one possesses speech <logos>... logos is designed to indicate the advantageous and the harmful and therefore the right and wrong; for it is the special property of man in distinction from other animals that he alone has perception of good and bad and right and wrong, and the other moral qualities, and it is partnership <koinonia> in these things that makes a household and a city-state.(Pol 1t1cs HI i 10) Again, speech mediates among men. Because men have logos they possess the potential for the sort of reasoning and communicating necessary for making justice among them. It is on the foundation of their shared loquacious nature that "ordinary mortals" can be radically Same. This ground of Sa~eness underlies the superficial differences among people and renders political justice possible. The notion that a fundamental likeness holds between citizens, as elements of a larger self, has far-reaching ramifications. First, it enables Aristotle to speak about justice as holding between many disparate members of society. Though, justice relationships between father and son, master and slave, woman and man, ru 1 er and ru 1 ed, wi 11 differ accord 1ng to the re 1 at i ve merit of each party, Aristotle does have grounds to insist that, because of shared human Sameness, some justice must obtain in every relation between "ordinary mortals." There can be no friendship with a slave as slave, though there can be some room for justice in the relations of every human being with every other that is capable of participating in law and contract; hence friendship is possible with everyone so far as he is a human being. <VIII, vi. 7) As the last line suggests, justice and friendship prove to be necessarily related: "The objects and personal relationships with which friendship 1s concerned appear ••• to be the same as those which are the sphere of just1ce."CVIII, ix. 6) No matter what varied interests divide citizens their citizenship itself unifies them. The state or ... po 1 it ica 1 association <koj non i a> ... was orig i na 11 y formed and continues to be maintained for the advantage of its members. The aim of lawgivers is the good of the community and justice is sometimes defined as that which is the common advantage.CVIII, ix. 4) Consequently, al 1 citizens . become one through their common interest in preserving the good of the state (mutual sel fl; by doing this they ensure the continued good of their home city-selves in much the same way that the highest friends relate to their second-selves and primary selves. Ideally, every self acts for the good of every other one. Ari stot 1e ca 11 s i de·a 1 citizen's agreement about practica 1 po 1itica1 matters "concord." "Concord ••• appears to mean friendship between citizens ••• [this relation can only exist] between good men, since these are of one mind both with themselves and with one another, as they always stand on more or less the same ground; for good men's wishes are steadfast, and 61 �do not ebb and fl ow l ik·e the tide, and they wish for just and expedient ends, which they strive to attain in common. The base, on the other hand are incapable of concord, except in some small degree, as they are capable of friendship ••• "(IX, vi. 3) A community of highest friends constitutes the highest, most perfect state. Any institution unifying men at a fundamental level can be termed a kind of friendship. Aristotle speaks of the various kinds of constitutions in terms of the friendship they imply. The h1ghest is "the tfmocratic form of constitution; since the ideal of Timocracy is that all citizens shall be equal and shall be good, so that they all rule in turn, and all have an equal share of power; and therefore the friendship between them is one of equality."(VI, vi. 4) In every case, "friendship and justice exist between the same persons and are co extensive in range."CVIII, ix. 3) In a state with the ideal constitution a remarkable thing happens with regard to justice. As stated, in such a state the best kinds of friendships hold between citizens: " ••• friends' goods are common prope,rty and this is correct since .co mmunity is the essence of friendship."(VIII, vii. 4) Since all true friends maintain true equality and each acts only for the sake of the other's good, there is no reason for them to worry about injustice. "Friend s hip exacts what is possible, not what is due."CVIII, xiv. 4) "Equity" unites such a perfect state. The equitable man " ••• does not stand on his rights unduly, but is content to receive a smaller share although he has the law on his side ••• [equityJ is a special · kind of justice ••• "(V, x. 8) In an ideally constituted state, then, friendship wields such power that it creates a justice which is more than lawfulness. The many conflicting interests of individual~ are somehow subsumed by their common interest in each other as second-selves and the city as a meta-self. Such an ideal state would be informed by the highest expression of "concord." Before we turn to the anticipated difficulties in Aristotle's political philosophy, let us simply remark that it has been established that each of the terms: statehood, sel fhood and friendship is connected to the other two. One could have no state independent of self and friend. These, in turn, comprise, condition, and define the meaning and the life of the state. Aristotle does not suggest that the ideal state or harmoniously functioning self cannot be attained. He does, however, present an image more complex than thus far depicted here. Though "ordinary morta 1s" are indeed fundamenta 11 y Same, there remains the problem of those Others extra-ordinary nearly im- mortals in society. The godlike men will ultimately prove essential to the maintenan.ce of the city-self. Yet their Otherly existence within a coherent , unified state seem to imply a contradiction. These beings are apparently outside the claims s of justice. Ar istotle's vision of the active state features an immediate conflict between extreme individuals, especially godlike ones, and society. This momentary clash requires Aristotle as djkast to mediate. At certain points in his deliberations, he seems to rule in favor of the individual; at others, the community apparently gains primacy. Finally, the conflict becomes subsumed through the dynamic activity involved in the cyclic maintenance of the polis. Both aspects prove essential for the rest and the resting of the state. 62 Aristotle reserves some of his most striking language for those instants in which the isolated individual receives godlike glory. Those individuals who cannot enter into a state wel 1, or wi 11 not enter into a state, correspond to the extreme elements of the human soul. An apolitical man, says Aristotle, "must be either a lower animal or a god."(Pol itics) CI, i. 12) Aristotle depicts the curious "great-souled" man, who is most godlike in terms of the moral virtues--honor and glory--as being most anti-social. He "deigns" to accept the "great honors conferred upon him by persons of worth," a 1though they reportedly "afford him pleasure only in a moderate degree" because "no honor can be adequate to the merits of perfect virtue. Nearly everything and everyone he wi 1 1 despise, exhibiting a con.tempt for others."( IV, iii. 20-25) In fact, the great-souled man is justified in despising other people--his estimates are correct." (IV, iii. 22) (Note that even the Great-Souled do not exist in individual isolation.) Aristotle seemingly refers to Great-Souled Men and their relationships to the community in the Politics. It is no longer proper to count those exceptional men a part of the state; for they will be treated unjustly if deemed worthy of equal status, being so widely unequal in virtue and in their political ability: since such a man will be as a god among men ••• there can be no 1 aw dea 1 i ng with such men ••• for they are themselves a law. (Politics) Here is our o 1 d prob 1 em: - Great-Sou 1 ed Men a re god l i ke, "remote," Other than "ordinary mortals." How can there be relations? Aristotle suggests two solutions for the problem of the great-souled man confronting a community of "ordinary mortals." Though unappealing, ostracism is one remedy, suitable for democratic states here all must be equal. The second and more productive alternative recommends that the citizens relate to the god 1 i ke e 1 ement of the state in the same way as they just 1 y regard the divine element of the self and the actual god of the universe: ''The natural course is for all to obey such a man gladly, so that men of this sort may be kings in the cities for al 1 time."(Pol jtics) CIII, viii. 1) His very disinterested elevation and the fact that he is himself a law make the Great-Souled Man an ideal candidate for an uncorrupted ki~gshi~ The great-souled one is still somewhat transcended by the contemplative man, in whom Aristotle finds the ' highest expression of the moral virtues. The latter presents the most perfect example of intellectual virtue. The most compel 1 ing language in the Ethics enlivens the passages in which Aristotle treats this godlike character. The activity which produces this great intellectual happiness involves the faculty which is "thought to rule and lead us by nature and to have cognizance of what is noble and divine, either as being itself actually divine, or as being rel.atively the divinest part of us."(X, vii. 1) The gods, in Aristotle's view, ).re not socio-political beings. The categories and imperatives of justice,L;f._courage, 1 iberal ity, and temperance do not app 1 y to the gods as they do to men. "If we go th rough the 1 i st we sha 11 find that a 11 forms of virtuous conduct seem trifling and unworthy of gods."(X, viii. 7) Consequently, the "human activity which is most akin to the divine activity--contemplation--is also not a political or social activity. It is the 63 �most internal of all activities. "self- sufficient. " As the activity of true happiness, it must be Yet, paradoxical as it actually may be, it is our thesis that Aristotle's anthropology and polit- ology are coherent as well as contradictory. This duality in the city- self recalls that of the human self. In the human self the divine aspect must somehow maintain proper relations with the bestial one. Likewise,in order for the city to be a coherent whole, the individuals who are godlike must strive to uphold just political relations with those less so. •• • in every composite thing where a plurality of parts whether continuous or discrete is combined to make a single common whole, there is always found a ruling and subject and this is characteristic of living things and is present in as an outcome of the whole of nature ... (.E..Qljtjcs)(I ii 9) If t he living city's most great- souled and godlike elements were to eschew poli t ical r e lations with it, to refuse to lead, this would be unnatural and destructive. Such a happening would be analogous to the intellect refusing to gov e rn appetites. We mu st then seek to understand how these political relations can come about ; how t he greater men manage to rel ate to the "ordinary mortals." Although Aris t otle seems to present the happy life of contemplation as internal and solitary, he does not strictly do so. For, after a long discussion in book nine, Aristotle concludes " ••• to be happy a man needs virtuous friends ."(!X , ix. 10) Hence, if the contemplative life truly provides the ha ppiest, most pleasurable existence , it cannot be a lonely one. Even contemplatives need a community of friends, Aristotle decides. The difficult notion of the "self- sufficiency" of contemplative life reveal s a surprising meaning. The term "self- sufficiency" would seem to imply a minima l or negligible reliance or interaction with people or things external to the self. Yet one' s friends , as second selves , are not extern a l to th e self. For Aristotle, the limits of happiness pertaining to sel fhood and "selfs ufficiency" become even more broadly fluid : ••• it is felt that the final good must be a thing sufficient in itself. he term •sel f- su ff icient• , howev er, w empl oy w't e efe e ce not to one's self alone, living a life of isolation , but also to one's parents and children and wife and one's friends and fellow citizens in general , since man is by nature a social being.CI, vii. 6) A man's self ext~nds not only to his family and friends, but it also embraces his "fellow citi zens in general ." The political self becomes then, say , not his first or "second self" but perhaps a happy man's sixth self; if t hat prov es so, a contemp 1at i ve m i s se l f-s uff i c i ent .9..llii (or, "and therefore") an political . et, in his sect ions abou t the contemplative man , Arist otle never reminds Y us· abou t t hi s not ion of se l f hood (which fal 1 sat the distant beginning of the work) . In fact , he deliberately portrays the pure intellectual pursuits as "sep a rate" (X , vi i i . 3) s ep a rate from Other people ; separate from "external equipment"(ibid) s ep a r ate even from justice and the other moral virtues. 64 Aristotle seems to ignore, for the moment, even the findings of the iRlnediately previous book, which determined that no one could sustain happiness without friends. Within the iRlnediate parameters of this discussion of contemplation, then, Aristotle depicts the "self-sufficient" aspect of contemplation as entailing Otherness from polis, family, friends: self. The instantaneous portraits of the two most radically individualistic moments appear intrinsically contradictory. The great-souled man's character is at once the most apolitical and simultaneously--because of his very aloof disinterestedness and virtue--the most political. Apparently, the state must either banish him or crown him. Likewise, the contemplative individual - -the man both consummately happy and thus strongly "self-sufficient"--becomes social and political. In both cases, the individual is both Same and Other than his community. Selves seem to expand and contract, including and excluding in unstab 1e ways. Why does Aristotle provide such a seemingly contradictory account of great elements of the city-self? I think I can attempt a partial resolution to this problem. At least it seems less intractible than the theoretical problems of the personal self and its god/beast rel at ion. For one thing, we can see the workings of the state; we can pernaps observe its moral and intellectual leaders come to terms with it in public interaction. Even masters and slaves can relate politically insofar as they are human. The dialectic of inner human selfhood cannot be so observed. That internal government, that internal friendship between those so "remote" beings (god and beast), may be inexplicable, ••• nor should we in a 11 matters demand an explanation of the reasons why things are the way th~y are; in some cases it is enough if the fact that they are so is satisfactorily established. This is the case with first principles; and the fact is the primary thing. It is the first principle. CI, vii. 20) Although the political contradictions shown above may be resolvable, it seems worthwhile to wonder why they are present in the text at all. I think Aristotle wanted to assert that there can be real Otherness between people and that remoteness cannot always be bridged. A genuine and lasting tension will always exist between the great men and society. To present contemplation in its purest for m per ha ps it seemed nec essa ry to deny for a mome nt som l ess div in e e aspects of man's nature. Yet, Aristotle restores elsewhere what he seems to deny in book ten. To comprehend these difficulties regarding the self-Cpolity)Sameness and Otherness of great individuals we must examine them mediated through the motion of the Ethic's whole argument. Aristotle practically begins his work by announcing that since the science of politics is the ••• master-craft [that] employs the rest of the sciences ••• the Good of man must be the end of the science of Politics. [Therefore because] to secure the good of one person only is better than nothing; but to secure the good of the nation or state is a nobler and more di vine achievement ••• [Aristotl e declares] ••• our investigation is in a sense the study of Politics.CI ii 8) 65 �Through the early sections of the work, Aristotle accords primacy of cons ideration and importance to the political, rather than the individual , self. Political science aims to make men happy, i.e., active in accordance with virtue. This first comes about through training. The early sections of the Ethjcs concentrate upon lawgiving, education, habituation , and so on. For, "intellectual virtue is for the most part produced and increased by instruction, whereas moral or ethical virtue is the product of habit ••• and therefore it is clear that none of the moral virtues can be engendered in us by nature •• •"(I! , i. 2) And, "it is therefore not of smal 1 importance whether we are trained in childhood in one set of habits or another, on the contrary, it is of very great, or rather of supreme importance."(II ii 1) Since law can compel obedience the po litici a n mu s t undert ake to tr a in a l 1 c iti zen s , (bu t es pec i ally the young require guidance). The theoretical investigations of human happiness contained in the Ethics attempt to aid the attentive lawgiver to better habituate his charges. At some point in the successful ethical development or growth of a person , however, motivation must become interior instead of entirely exterior. A man must voluntarily choose his own actions and accept personal responsibility for t hem before just ic e. Prep a red by his political and person a l habitu at ion, a man grows as virtuous as he can. Much of the middle of the work concerns itself with the character of the virtues and their attainment. In terms of moral virtues, our former child and now "best man" wil 1 have grown into the Great - Souled Man. "Indeed, greatness in each of the virtues seems to go with greatness of soul."(IV, iii. 15) In terms of intellectual virtue, obviously the most successful man will then develop into the contemplative man. As noted, each of these characters appear integral to, and isolated from, the state. The great-soul should govern, even though the vastness of his virtue renders him remote from his people. The "self- sufficing" contemplative fellow must be at once isolated and communal . Immediately upon concluding his discussion of the inhuman contemplative life, stil 1 in the tenth book, Aristotle launches into a m ediated recapitulation of his earliest chapters. Again, at the very end of the work, he describes the necessary role of the state as that of educator and habitu ator. The difference between the last section of the Ethics an d the f i rst concerns t he ground covered between. While both parts deal with the science of politics, the second treatment assumes knowledge of virtue in general and of the contemplative man in general. Ultimately , Aristotle claims that the lawgiver must possess and utilize knowledge--science--about the "human Good" and other universals in terms of first principles. Must not such universals comprise at least part of the class of eternal divine matters which the contemplators contemplate? Now, during his discussion, Aristotle insists that the act of contemplation must be good simply for its own sake; it must itself suffice, so to speak . While this seems true if the frame of reference is the "individual" contempl ator "himself," the state as self has its own demands to make. For, "the good of the state is manifestly a greater and more perfect good, both to attain and preserve •• •to secure the good of a nation is a nobler and more divine achievement."(!, ii . 8) Being themselves the divinest of men , t he contemplat ives could hardly fail to heed the state's demand~ . Contemplatives acquire knowledge of the highest goods as they travel toward the state of contemplating the highest good. I believe 66 that with this know 1 edge those philosophers must either themse 1 ves govern or create a climate, an atmosphere, within which others can use those principles to legislateo ''The political philosopher is the master craftsman and lays down the end which is the standard by which we pronounce things good or bad in the ab so 1 ute sense."( VII, xi. 1) The end of the Ethics obviously points one forward towards the Politics; Aristotle says so there. Yet, because it picks up the mediated thread of the inquiry into political science which the initial chapters began, the end of the Ethics also doubles back towards its own beginning. The opening paragraph of the work speaks about the "good," the "end" of "every art and investigation," no doubt aiming the reader back through itself towards its own end and beginning hundreds of pages later. Like Plato's philosopher from the cave, Aristotle understands and inscribes the permanent life of his Ethical polis as returning, dynamic: One generation habituates the next to become virtuous and happy. The best men of that generation acquire their own volitions and. achieve moral greatness in quasi-individual terms. But, if there were no return to the cave, if those perfect contemplatives remained happily aloof, the state would cease to be a natural self; the next generation would have no informed lawgivers to habituate it correctly. Therefore, these highest expressions of "individualistic" happiness must contain the seed of communal happiness as wel 1. The highest success of the habituating community lies in producing "selfsufficient" happy men who must both deny and re-affirm the 11fe of the cormiunity and of their individualistic .selves. The actuality of the potentiality of the vital state, ~potentiality, (the potentiality say, in the form of unborn generations) affects the philosopher and somehow moves him into the political 1 i fe. Ethics starts, ends, and starts with the political; ·yet it always keep s ends in mind. Men are born and mediated through the influence of the preexistent state. They grow to be constituted of a proper internal state of self and~ in time, to constitute the external state-self. It is thus mediated through their wisdom and activity as it habituates the next cQihort. Through time extraordinary men are both Same and Other than their polis-selves. This is how the mature polis dynamically maintains itself for the sake of the good life of itself and its citizens. The pol is is natural in the fullest sense when. i~ exists in delicate rest while undergoing contradictory cyclic activity. III The active reader will discover ~nd sim~ltaneously animate a lively sel fhood in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Like _any Aristotelean self, the selfhood of that text is composed of inter-relating "internal" and "external" friendships or relations. These friendships involve the dialectical mediation of Same and Other in a variety of contexts. We will now concern ourselves with the more narrowly conceived internal selfhood of the work; questions of form, content, and structure arise. Later, we will attempt a discussion of the broader sel fhood of the text. There questions of function, context and ground w11 1 emerge. 67 . �We depict the internal selfhood of the Ethjcs as being analogous to the interior s el fhood of person and state as described above. The person constitutes himself as a relation between those radical Others, God and beast. The state arranges itself around the political dialectics ongoing betw een its great men and its "ordinary mortals." The Nicomachean Ethics' self encompasses two seemingly contradictory or competing accounts of the highest Ethical good, end , or goal. As was discussed at length in the last section , one discourse seems to regard the public and political aspect of man's existence. as the primary factor in Ethical considerations. The Other account apparently emphasizes the predominant importance of the nearly isolated apolitical individual, viz, a great- souled and/or contemplative man . The contradictory elements co- exist in the Ethics and, fittingly , they express themselves at polar ends of the work: the political aspect arises most forcefully in the First Book; the lonely contemplative appears in the final Tenth. Since they directly contest the very significance of the work as whole, these internal conflicting patterns 1 ie at the heart of the Ethics' relation to itself. These Others cannot immediately sustain a peaceful coexistence, and their conflicting . presences make the Nicomachean Ethics a "changeable," difficult, and controverted work. soon develops a more articulated set of meanings. These include the particular cases of the more socially oriented distributive justice and the more personally applicable notion of retributive justice. Yet, the course of the book shows friendship to underlie, and sometimes replace considerations of justice. Friendship grows to transcend or encompass justice altogether in an ideal state, where all are equally friends and each wishes only the best for each. CThat is, a state composed only of selves and second selves; a state that is 1tsel f one large self.) Later, friendship seems to become an essential part of contemplation a~d then almost no part, depending on how one reads "selfsuffiency." Yet, it pops up as justice again in the habituating state, which reappears at the end of the book. What is at issue here now is the relation between the form and the content of the Ethics as a work . The thrust of the second section of this paper was an attempt to display and resolve certain questions regarding the content of Aristotle's argument about the city-self. There it was shown that one could generate arguments about how to read the contents of the Ethics by examining its form. For example, because the work seemed to have cyclic structure one inferred that perhaps its content- matter, the polis, might also display such a structure. Section II then, examined briefly the formal arrangement of the book in orde r t o understand its contents more complete ly. While recogni z ing that the meaning of the text is intimately bound up with its form, we wil 1 reapproach the examination of the form of the Nicomachean Ethics in order to understand the overa 11 nature and activity of the text as se 1 f. Other lines of categorical development follow the same internal pattern in the course of the Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle moves these categories through and by means of his most fundamental and ultimate mediational tool: language. Language provides the means and defines the space through which the motion and being of the text takes p1ace. The mobile "to-i ng and fro-1ng" of the Eth1cs 1 overall dialectical form relies heavily upon the presence of the same kinds of motion in the form of his language (~) itself. Otherwise, it would be as if an automobile displayed an overall locomotion, but had no internal moving parts. The language through which the Ethics' categories develop advances indirectly and cautiously. Initially, Aristotle formulates his speech in a deliberately imprecise and carefully undefined fashi.on. All the Ethical categories will slowly grow into a form Other than but ultimately Same as the form in which they are initially presented. <This holds true for all change, according to Aristotle.) To avoid outright l itera 1 contradiction between earlier and . 1ater sections, Aristotle must couch his pre-scientific im-mediate findings in terms stable enough to hold meaning, and yet plastic enough to admit their necessary change and evolution without embarrassment. Generally, Aristotle accomplishes t hi s by use of s uc h f o r mal con s t r uc t ions as: "X i s t hought t o be Y ",: or, "A seems to us to be B." As his categories grow more mature through the book--as they reach their final expressions--Aristotle's language becomes much more definitive: "We declare X to be Y," he will say. "We w11 l find al 1 A's to be B," he asserts. Or, simply, "A is B." Ju s t as his internal duality causes man's mut a bi 1 ity, the fact t hat the Ethics has not a straight forward "simple" nature accounts for its developing, dynamic mode of being. To this point, the essay's 1 ast section suggested that the Ethics has an internal formal pattern of development which parallels the growt h cyc l e of a generat i on of c i t i zens . Th ey are born into a po li t ical context, habituated, trained , and become volitionally virtuous. Some few attain the highest states of intellectual and moral virtue. These men , we argued, are naturally pulled back into the political arena , providing for the next generation. The Ethics, as self, undergoes a similar development. It too moves generally from the political sphere, through moral virtues , intellectual virtues, and contemplation only to return back to an account of the necessity of political life. The logic of this development is dominated by the interplay of those internal polar Others- -the political and individual . The work moves through itself, from one to the Other and back, as endlessly as there are generations of the ideal pol is or active readings of the text. The book's flowing ethical categories provide the media for its cyclic motion . Like "individual" citizens and the state, the virtues grow into themselves throughout a reading of the text. Justice, for example, begins as an abstract and vague concept, containing all social virtues. Dialectical 1 v, it 68 Pain and pleasure follow a similar path of development. At first Aristotle treats them in only a general fashion. Through the general flow of the work, they cease to be mere tools for habituating children and other citizens. Indeed, they come to bear an intrinsic relation to moral virtues as a kind of by-product. Of course, pleasure comes to find its highest expression when 1t accompan 1es contemp 1 ati ve acti v 1t i es. Yet, it swings around to reappear as a legislative device. Examples of such constructions can be found throughout the Ethics. A paradigmatic passage of another kind of Aristotelean dialectical language informs his definition of virtue: Virtue then is the settled disposition of the mind determining the choice of actions and emotions relative to us, this being determined by principle, that is, as a prudent man would determine it. And it is a mean state between the two vices, one of excess and one of defect. Furthermore, it is a mean state in that whereas the vices either fall short or exceed what is right in feelings and in actions, 69 �virtue ascertains and adopts the mean. While fn respect of its substance and the definition that states what it really is in essence virtue is the observation of the mean, in point of excellence and rightness it is an extreme. CII, vi. 15) As one reads the passage closely, one actually senses a dialectical rhythm, a carefully controlled back and forth motion. This definition does define, it does differentiate virtue from some other things. Yet, the very virtue of this definition of virtue as mean is its ability to be itself an inclusive mean. Particularly in the early parts of the definitiori, each clause appears to respond dialectically to the one before it. The phrase, " ••• determined by principle, that 1s, as a prudent man would determine it," provides a splendid example of Aristotle's fence-sitting mean between, say, a Platonic and a more Protagorean position. We have seen the internal moments of the Nicomachean self's dialectic. We have observed that the Nicomachean Ethics has an internal motion and that this "changeableness", as with the human and political selves, somehow arises from the interaction of contradictory interior elements. Yet questions remain concerning the possibility, ground and meaning of that "interaction." The vitality of the text comes about through its intrinsic dialectics. However, when we examine the text passively, or in isolation, the book, the volume, seems dead, fragmented, inert. The words and chapters of the Ethics are the inert sum of its parts. Since its separate accounts of itself apparently contradict ea.ch Other, the Ethics, 1 ike al 1 Aristotelean selves, suffers from an im-mediate internal problem: it is alien to its own self. What force can adjudicate and mediate between the two Others and show them to be somehow Same? What animating "external" force unifies the whole and relates the Ethics to itself? What revolves the book through its rotations, actively pitting the contradictory elements against each other? In order to address this issue of "two-ness" we must momentari 1y turn our attention from formal to functional considerations. The function which the Njcomachean Ethics performs is to provide a framework for relating two Others separated by vast gulfs of time and space--Aristotle and his reader. As sections I and II suggest, the activity of "conversing and communicating thoughts" or, the common activity of lo.gos, enab 1es any two humans to be unified as friends or fel low-cit·zens. Here again in III, logos mediates and relates Others. What is any text, and the Nicomachean Ethics especially, but a package of relating logoi? If we view the Ethics as logos mediating between t~o interactive minds--the active writer's and equally active reader's--then the question of the text's animation becomes less difficult in theory and in practice. In practice, we know where the text acquires its movement and self-sameness--we read the words Aristotle wrote and think about them. The contradictions we find and define are mediated through motion in the mind. We resolve them through our interpretive hypotheses. More theoretically, Aristotle informed the Ethics with potential, and the active reader supplies the actuality of that potentiality. The text revolves, develops, 1 ives and exists in the atmosphere of the dialectical relation between writer and reader. They animate the conversational text with their own souls, with their reason. 70 The Ethical text then takes on an interesting status. As a logos which relates distant Other selves, the more fully it relates those Others, the more fully it can relate to itself. For it is the interaction of minds within the nexus of the Nicomachean Ethics that provides the animation of the text itself. Just as a happy man requires "external" selves--writer and readers--in order to be fully itself. Thus, in terms of the dual concept "sel f-suffic1ency," there can be known two kinds 1f sel f--an impoverished and narrow conception and a more fluid and broad understanding. For the Ethical text as for the human being, the broader conception, involving second and perhaps third selves comprehends and vitalizes the narrower, more internal self. The function of the text, then, is to mediate between Aristotle and his reader. Section I showed that an "individual" can relate to others, can be a friend, only because he is not a s i mp 1 e u n i ta r y be i ng. He can re 1 ate because he i s h i ms e l f a 1 ways a l ready a relation. Similiarly, a now of time can mediate between the past and the future because it is itself a relation, not an atomistic thing. Every smallest now is not simple, says Aristotle in the Physics, but is a relationship between the very end of the preceding past and the very beginning of the future to come. Generally, 1f a mediation is to sustain relations between entities--each of which is a relation in itself--it must 1n itself be dual. The one mediating entity "two" must contain within itself two distinct ones. Thus, because the Nicomachean Ethics functions by relating its writer and readers, it follows that it should have the dualistic structure outlined above. Were it formally unitary and monolithic it would not have earthly selfhood, nor would it be able to rel ate Others. The Ethics' formal dialectics thus play a crucial role in the life of that text. Not only do they allow form to parallel content, but they allow for the very possibility of the text's overall function. Aristotle arranged the Njcomachean Ethics dialectically and informed it with dialectically flowing language and categories because it is itself a dialectic dialogue between him and his readers. Aristotle had incorporated into his form the holistic tensions intrinsic to his content and function. It seems fair to claim that the Nicomachean Ethics enjoys some functional success as a mediational tool, for it seems to manage to mediate between two immediately "remote" Others: Aristotle and this community of readers. We recall that for two Others to have relations they must be the Same in some more fundamental sense. They must have always "stood on more or less the same ground."CIX, vi. 2) But upon what."same ground" can today's reader stand 1th the great and ancient and foreign Aristotle, so that something like the Ethics can relate them? The discussion of this issue requires a re-evaluation of the text itself. For the work does not merely mediate but also results from other mediations and relations. Most narrowly, the Nicomachean Ethics relates closely with other Ari stot 1 ean texts. Most c 1ose1 y akin, of course, is the Po 11 tics. As mentioned, the last paragraph of the Ethics directs the reader's attention forward to that "external" work as much as it points back toward its own more "internal" self. One might not hesitate to call the Politics the second-self of the Ethics. Other Aristotlean texts are similarly internally related, to varying degrees. In the Ethjcs, Aristotle plainly displays the fact that he regards himself as undertaking a dialectic with his "friends" Plato and the Platonists. The . 71 �concepts and concerns of his "closest personal"(!, vi. 1) friends condition, both positively and negatively, ttie whole Ethical undertaking. To a lesser degree, perhaps, the Ethics results from Aristotle's attempts to mediate or converse with various pre-socratic figures and Sophists. In a fascinating fashion, the Ethjcs also mediates between Aristotle and his community. He clearly believes that the answer to the question "What do we mean by X?" and even "What is X?" lies i.n everyday speech. Aristotle never strays far from common usage and seems to regard himself as much a clarifier as an originator of ideas. (for example, consider the .dichast/dikast argument cited above.) Aristotle composes his own words (e.g. "~l~") to express "new" concepts. Yet even they are grounded, etymologically and conceptually, in the prior language of his corrununity. Finally, the Ethics and Aristotle arise from a ground more difficult to speak of. He was a human being, "by nature." A natural 1 y social and loquacious animal. It is on this ground that Aristotle and his reader are most fundamental 1 y Same. In fact, it is likely, that her understandings of herself stem partially from her and her society's reading of Aristotle 's ideas. As mentioned immediately above, those concepts are grounded in Greek culture and language which have to infuse her culture and speech. Insofar as one is familiar with other Aristotelean works, Platonic works, the Pre-socratics and Sophists, one becomes more and more same with the Aristotle of the Njcomachean Ethics. The fact that Aristotle and his reader can thus "stand on more or less the same ground" enables the Ethics to perform its function of mediating between the "two." From the marvelously effective form and content with which Aristotle endowed the work arises the potentiality of its being a dialectically mediating text. Active readers and interpretors cause the rich actuality of that potentiality. Through the mediate interaction of the above self-ish elements, the Ethics text relates itself ("internal" and "external") to itself (narrowly and broadly defined). This relating becomes the soul of the vitally "selfsufficient" self of the Nicomachean Ethics. Footnotes: 1. In the Ethics, Aristotle says: "Friendship is essentially a partnership [kojnonjaJ. A man stands in the same relationship to a friend as to himself." (IX, vii. i) In the Politics, Aristotle consistently employs kojnonja for citystate. This provides importantly linguistic evidence that the three terms are analogically the same. 2. Curiously enough, this passage about halving and judging falls almost precisely halfway through the Njcomachean Ethjcs. It lies at V, iv . 9; the work ends at X, ix. 23. : Acknowledgementi ·Loeb translation by H. Rackham, MA. Ann Burlein, who edited. Cambridge, Mass ., 1975. 72 �Non-Profit Org . BULK RATE U. S. POSTAGE St. John's College Annapolis, Maryland 21404 PAID PERMIT No. 120 ANNAPOLIS, MD. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>Energeia</em> Description An account of the resource <em>Energeia</em> is a non-profit, student magazine, which is published once a year and distributed among students, faculty, alumni, and staff of St. John's College, Annapolis.  Staff welcome submissions from all members of the community -- essays, poems, stories, original math proofs, lab projects, drawings, and the like. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlein, Ann (Editor) Title A name given to the resource Energeia, Winter 1985 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1985 Description An account of the resource Issue of the Energeia, published in Winter 1985. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Energeia Winter 1985 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Energeia Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/84c7a46b2b63f56f08830a75e1820427.pdf 4a199898d7e610e7ae1af5bd58370483 PDF Text Text ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE LIBRARY 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1~ li1if If1 1\~1Ii ~1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1f 31696 01145 5167 THE. The St. John} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 1 I GADFLY Annapolis, Maryland August 30, 2007 WAS A1TACHED TO THIS CITY by the god - though it seems a ridiculous thing to say - as upon a great and noble horse which was somewhat sluggish because of its size and needed to be stirred up by a kind of gadfly. It is to fulfill some such function that I believe the god has placed me in the city. I never cease to rouse each and every one of you, to persuade and reproach you all day long and everywhere I find myself in your company. -Apology of Socrates (30d) �THE ~-GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Assistant Editors John Schuler Ali Schwab Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Contributing to this Issue Elizabeth Burlington Stacey Goguen Mark F. McClay Leo Pickens Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gar!f!J is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadf!y staff. The Gadf!y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gadf!y is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Tax-deductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to The Gadf!y. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 LETTERS Letter from the Editor Beloved Polity, This will be my first and last welcome letter, and I want it to be my best. I have mulled over what to say to all of you that would make you love this publication and renew your interest in it again. But after thinking about it too much I have decided that there is no better road to take than that of personal experience. If I had a nickel for every time someone staggered up to me at a party and told me that they wanted to write for The Gadf!J but didn't think that their writing was "good enough" then ...well, I would have more than a few nickels. The Gadf!J is not about a pre-set standard of "quality"; this publication is about the crazy, confused, lovely mess that is our collective existence. Anyone can piss and moan about how sparse and terrible it is, but it takes real courage for someone to put themselves out there and do something about it. So I encourage everyone, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, transfers, returning students, grad students, tutors, staff members .... EVERYONE ... to take a chance and try to make this paper as magnificent as it can possibly be. I have seen no better indication of our creative intellects than when we all band together and write from our hearts. So whether you're making enemies in an Old Testament seminar, learning Euclid for the first time, or trying to throw together your senior essay, remember that this paper is only as good as you choose to make it. The Gadf/y has been home to a large number of distinguished writers and columns, and we are forever in need of more. Our staff is small but dedicated, and we carefully read and evaluate everything that we receive. One of my greatest fears is that of the urtknown, so if you ever come up to me and tell me you wrote this fantastic article but are too afraid to submit it then the uncertainty will gnaw away at my soul for all of eternity. Plus, I can promise you that no one will make fun of you to your face. There is no good reason for not writing for The Gadf!J. Unite and write, Elizabeth McDowell Burlington '08 Food Committee Meetings ***** Editor-in-Chief ~tlff~i~ifil Third Wednesday of every month First Meeting: September 26, 2007 6:00PM Randall Private Dining Room . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '~- ·~t:_.~_-.:_J:ilf.s-~tay;-: ~!lgu·~!~:~~~~L:~~·~;- . .. ..; .:::. ·~~;.,.:... -, ::::;..~.~~-~~.~ .: - :,_~,-. ..J ~· --- ...:,..,;... ·-.-~·?"··---. -.. -- ~- -····-- -·· . · '•Jti~~Ef1i~fffa~!-_-:: �Please Freshmen, Don't Mention K_afka by Jennifer Wright '08 Staff Writer LAST YEAR, I told the incoming Freshmen that it was important to take baths. That's true, incidentally, it is important to take baths. If you don't bathe you'll smell terrible, and no one will want to sit next to you in seminar. Unfortunately, that Freshman class, while they smelled like roses and heaven, also got hopped up on crazy pills, got into fist fights with their RAs and threw racist parties while deciding to make the campus run on solar power and talking about how they wouldn't attend parties with alcohol. Unless those parties involved mocking black people. Not all of them, of course. If you are an incoming sophomore reading this, I certainly don't mean you. Meanwhile, the Freshman class which I ran this article two years ago for? They turned out brilliantly. They produced really pretty, stylish girls, and good hand rolled cigarettes. You should try to be like them. I would say you should try to be like the senior class but we set dorms on fire and got busted for doing cocaine, and I don't want to set the bar too high too early. In that spirit, I'm re-running the column I ran for the juniors. Here it is: Now that I've completed my freshman year I feel I'm entitled to impart a few words of wisdom to the incoming freshmen in their first weeks. I lay these words forth as follows: Please, for God's sake, don't mention Kafka. My most vivid memory of my first week freshman year was going down to the cafeteria for breakfast. I'd finished my seminar reading, and I had thought that I would read some of The Trial. I'd always meant to read Kafka, and it struck me as kind of a Johnnie thing to do. So I was sitting there, eating breakfast, reading Kafka. I was happy. 'Mmm,' I thought to myself, 'Froot Loops feel good in my belly, and Kafka feels good in my brain!' And then, a girl across from me caught sight of my book, and she sneered as she said, ':\re you reading Kafka?" She said Kafka like it was a dirty word, "I read that when I was thirteen. I remember thinking it was kind of interesting then but now I find it all just really sophomoric." I spent a moment wondering whether I could flee with my bowl of Froot Loops in a desperate attempt to regain that happy feeling, before the boy next to her said, "Really? Now, you see, I read it when I was thirteen as well, but I'm still disinclined to think that it's really sophomoric. But then of course, I read it in Russian. I really don't believe you can absorb it unless it's read in Russian. I don't believe in translations." (Kafka, of course, wrote in German, not Russian). And then, they both just stared at me expectantly. "So," I said, "where are you two from?" They ignored me, and I never went down to breakfast again. And to this day, I sometimes see that boy around campus reading things, and no matter what he's reading I'll feel a compelling urge to run up to him and jostle him about and say, "are you reading that in the original Russian? Looks like you're using a translation!" and then scamper away laughing maniacally. But that may be much more my character failing than his. Of course, you might contend that the current freshman class is quite different, but I don't think it is. A few days ago I was in the bookstore and I saw a freshman pause in front of the junior curriculum, clasp their hands passionately to their heart, and shriek in a voice loud enough for me to hear it at the other end of the store, ''Ah! Baudelaire! Baudelaire! Fleurs du MaA Baudelaire! How I love him!" (You poor freshman! If you do love Baudelaire to that extent, and you have no copies of his work in your dorm - and I can only assume you don't, because if you did sighting one wouldn't be a cause for that much excitement - you can find me, and we'll go down to the bookstore, and I'll buy you a copy of Les Fleurs du Mal. Which is not, incidentally, pronounced "furry duh mall.") The crucial failing of many of your freshman peers - not you, perhaps, surely, not you - will be their fervent desperation in the upcoming weeks to prove that they are really, truly a genius. You may find (you will almost certainly find) in the next few weeks, some of your peers wandering around saying, "Mr. So-and-so called me pretentious. Mr. So-and-so is an asshole," or, "}\fiss Such-and-such says I am too arrogant to continue existing and should go home right now. She is only saying that because she is a troglodyte." Of course, it's entirely possible that Mr. So-and-so is an asshole, and Miss Such-and-such is a troglodyte and they go around calling people arrogant and pretentious because they get sadistic delight from doing so. However, it's also possible that your peer made the crucial mistake of mentioning how his points in seminar can only real!J be understood if everyone has read enough Kafka to understand the Russian nihilist perspective because if they had they would understand that cockroaches are a metaphor for the small souled man. None of which is to say that it's not wonderful that we're at a school peopled by such literate, erudite students. It's not even to say that if you're a big fan of Kafka, and you see someone reading The Trial that you shouldn't engage them in a conversation about it. But do understand that there's a great difference between saying "Pshaw, you're reading that in a translation, you silly cretin," and saying, "You're reading Kafka. What do you think of him?" The latter declaration means that the reader can reply, "I like it. Despite never having read it before, I find it enjoyable. Would you like to share my Froot Loops?" and thereby, you will be on friendly terms with them, and they will not look back on their interaction with you wit?- feelings of unbearable bitterness and hate you forever. Also, you will have gotten some unexpected and delicious Froot Loops to eat. Because if, in the upcoming weeks, you show even a tiny bit of humility and you act as though you haven't read every single book on the program list before arriving here you'll stand out much more and in a much more positive way - than all your peers that will fail to do so. So, especially in your first few weeks here, try to stay humble. Or, if that's impossible, because you really are the genius love child of Marilyn Vos Savant and Steven Hawking, then at least try to keep all the brilliant ideas in your great big brain under wraps - if nothing else so that they'll be even more impressive when you toss them like confetti to your salivating intellectual groupies later. In the meantime, I'll be off eating Froot Loops and reading Kafka. I'll be reading it in Sanskrit (I don't believe in things that haven't been translated into Sanskrit) so, please, don't even try to one-up me . .,..._- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 3 �The English-Speaking Century by Mark McClay '09 To VIRTUALLY ANY INFORMED OBSERVER at the dawn of the 20th century, the world as we know it today would have seemed impossibly remote. In the year 1900, the world's unrivaled military and economic superpower was the British Empire, which then encompassed almost a quarter of the earth's land and governed nearly as great a proportion ofits population. The United States, in contrast, was certainly not a world power, although some .Americans, such as vice president Theodo!e Roosevelt, had ambitious plans to make it one. As things turned out, the 20th century would see the decline ofBritain and the rise of the United States as the predominant political, cultural, and economic presence in the world. But even more importantly, the century would also see a series of massive global conflicts which would lead the United States, Great Britain, and the British Commonwealth nations to take concerted action repeatedly against a series of common enemies. As a consequence, not only has the world been spared the designs of Kaiser Wilhelm, Hitler, and Stalin, but the collective identity of the English-speaking countries of the world has become more well-defined than ever before. Such, at least, is the argument of British historian Andrew Roberts in A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900. As many readers will realize, the title and organizing concept of the book are derived from Sir WIDston Churchill's four-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, written in the 1930s while Churchill was out of office (the actual publication of the book was delayed by the war until 1956). Although Churchill's history begins with Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55 B.C. and ends with the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, he meant the book as a collective history of English-speaking civilization-a narrative in which the United States figures quite prominently. "I use the term 'English-speaking peoples,"' Churchill wrote, ''because there is no other that applies both to the inhabitants of the British Isles and to those independent nations who derive their beginnings, their speech, and many of their institutions from England, and who now preserve, nourish, and develop them in their own ways." Churchill believed that the affinity uniting the United States, Britain, and the commonwealths was more than simply a friendship among distinct peoples. Rather, he contended that these are in fact the same people, sharing a common English political ancestry, a common language, a 4 common belief in individual rights, and the ethos required for democratic political institutions. "This will be the English speaking century," Churchill declared to his War Cabinet in 1943. The fundamental unity of the English-speaking peoples, argued Churchill, would be the decisive fact of the 20th century. Roberts resumes this narrative where Churchill left off and considers the common history of the English-speaking world since the beginning of the 20th century. Roberts defines the English-speaking peoples as those from "the United States, the UnitedKingdomandherdepen- of the polio vaccine in 1952 - not to mention Roberts' highly entertaining description ofJ~hn Logie Baird, the idiosyncratic con-artist who invented the television in 1923. ("[An] invention that has utterly changed the world, probably for the better. Overall.") Roberts' account of the 1944 D -Day invasion of Axis-occupied Europe is perhaps the most impressive example of Anglophone cooperation in the entire book. But even this endeavor was by no means unproblematic, and the book eloquently conveys the tension and even mutual dislike that existed among the .Allied commanders planning the invasion. Nevertheless, Roberts himself singles out the invasion as "the supreme expression of the English-speaking A I LI S s0 R·~· A Hirtory of the EnglishOr' THt: peoples working together for the good of ·. Spea~ng_Pe,oples Since 1900 L'."t~Gi.t::;Jf ~ l~ tAKLNG· ·. Civilisation" - in spite of personal and national · by Andrew: Roberts. PU.JPUS. antagonisms. The great disputes among the ~.I.N'.CJ l !J{l(I HarperCollins (2007) English-speaking peoples are primarily what 752p'gs . . Aristotle would call "deliberation" - arguments $35.00 about means, not ends. The book's account of the post-9/11 conflict with radical Islam, and indeed of the last 25 years dencies, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Brit- or so, is a hitless satisfactory. The same characteristics ish West Indies and Ireland" Roberts argues that that make Roberts' writing and arguments in the in the "shared experience" of these peoples, "cer- earlier three-quarters of the book a delight to read - his heavy reliance on primary sources and tain themes emerge, almost unbidden." The greatest such theme is the English-speak- willingness to correct or overturn conventional wising world's repeated struggles against radical and dom whenever there is new light to be shed on an utopian ideologies: Prussian militarism, Nazism, old story - are necessarily absent from his acSoviet communism, and the current conflict counts ofmore recent events, such as the presidenagainst Islamic terrorism. It seems that the En- cies of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W glish-speaking peoples are far less susceptible to Bush, or of the premierships of Margaret revolutionary ideologies than much of the rest Thatcher, John :Niajor, and Tony Blair. Perhaps of the world. Indeed, if the English-speaking Roberts should have followed Churchill's example peoples can be faulted in this respect, it is because and not attempted to carry the story all the way they often refuse to take such ideologies seri- up to the present (it ends in December 2005, with ously - consider the infamously naive appease- the first fully democratic elections in Iraq). But since the greater part of the historian's ment policies pursued by Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain in the 1930s, or Franklin job is to make sense of the present by examinRoosevelt's ill-advised territorial concessions to ing the past, perhaps this is not necessarily a dethe Soviet Union at the Yalta conference in 1945. fect Just as Churchill's history was addressed most Although the book is organized largely along immediately to the threat ofN azism in the 1930s, the lines of military and political history, it is by and later to the specter of Bolshevism in the no means limited to wars and statesmen. Rob- 1950s, perhaps it is inevitable that Roberts' hiserts expends a great deal of ink on the social, tory should be ultimately concerned with the cultural, and technological developments current conflict with radical Islam. Now as then, brought about by the English-speaking peoples the great struggles of the moment have deep in the 20th century, many of which had a pro- implications for the history and identity of the found effect on world history. These include ac- English-speaking peoples. But as Churchill himcounts of .Alexander Fleming's discovery of peni- self concludes at the end of his own inquiry, cillin in 1928, Ernest Rutherford's splitting of "The future is unknowable, but the past should the atom in 1917, and Jonas Salk's development give us hope."~ . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Fun- ·with Convocation by Elizabeth Burlington '08 Editor I HAVE FOUND IN MY E.'<PERIENCE that any arguably ''boring" event can be enjoyable upon the addition of any number of fascinating minigames. Perhaps it may involve counting someone's "urns" and "okays" or possibly trying to guess the next word in his sentence. But while these may work for lectures (not at St. John's, of course) or long-winded speeches at your family reunion, there are many far more unique games that can be played during Freshman Convocation. I personally have not attended a single convocation since my own back in the fall of'04, and even then I was only half there. Back then I thought that the sheer boredom of it all was only due to the fact that I had only slept for about four hours the night before, but now I realize that that had absolutely nothing to do with it. As much as I care in theory, there is nothing fun about listening to the names of 150 strangers and watching them march across the stage. In response to this, my BFF "D" invented a series of games to try and pass the time in the most amusing way possible. The Home State Game: This game began small but soon grew into grand proportions. ''D" bet me a dollar that his home state would be mentioned before mine was. He failed to take into consideration the fact that Pennsylvania is about 14 times the size of New Hampshire and that he had set himself up for failure. Sure enough, somewhere before the second vowel in the alphabet the first Pennsylvanian strutted across the stage. (I don't know who you are, but if you make yourself known to me then I will happily give you at least half of my dollar.) Not wanting to be outdone and still smarting from this financial blow, "D" proposed that we continue this game until the end of the lineup. ''Whoever has the most from their home state wins," he suggested. This turned out to be an even worse idea for him since by the end of the march the score ended up being: me, 13, ''D'', 1. This game became so popular that the sophomore in front of us started playing it unofficially, and would have even won if he had been playing for real. Also, congratulations to this year's freshmen on being almost exclusively from Maryland, California, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. I don't know any of your names but I do know where you're from. The Middle Name Game: 1\fiddle names are funny. My middle name is funny. In the case of convocation, middle names are a way to win one with a worse middle name than yours ·is money. ''D" and I each chose a middle name and announced. counted how many times it appeared in the freshThe Foreign Country Game: This one reman class. Unfortunately, this was only instituted quires no exchange of currency. All you have to after ''D" had lost two different games and was do is make an excited noise whenever anyone trying desperately to regain his fortune. We missed . from anywhere not in i\merica is announced. about a quarter of the names, which may ac- 1fiss Paris France, I don't know who you are, count for the fact that I lost this one. ''D" chose but it is safe to say that you won hands down. his father's middle name: 1fichael, and I chose So there you have it: next year I will no longer the most generic one possible: Ann. '1\fichael' be with you, but you will always have my reperappeared three times while ~' only showed toire of Convocation Games to get you through. up twice. The real kicker was that ifI would have Use them well. used my own first name then I would have kicked Also, to the young lady who wore the redhis butt halfway to Chinatown. This one is not and-black patent leather pumps: thank you for as interesting as the home state game, but it does coming to St. John's. ~ provide the opportunity to giggle when some- 20 Things I Wish I Was Told As a Freshman by Stacey Goguen '08 1) The dining hall food will only get worse. 2) You are no longer the weird kid who likes books. Everyone here likes books. (Well, Sarai.\fax didn't, but she is her own kind of wonderful.) 3) You might not be able to win seminar, but you can most definitely lose it. Ifyou mention Hitler, you lose seminar. 4) Leave your oversized vocabulary out of the classroom. You might know what "ontology" means, but if your fellow classmates don't, they won't appreciate your monologue on the subject. 5) Upperclassmen are not impressed by whatever obscure/ popular/ dead academic you have read. 6) Upperclassmen are not impressed by your SAT score. 7) It's okay to check your grades. The registrar won't look at you funny, I promise. 8) Paper advisors are agood idea, even for your freshman essay. This is because tutors are smart. 9) Taking a tutor to lunch is fun. This is because tutors are interesting. 10) Tutors are never in their offices. They are frequently in the coffee shop or fishbowl, though. This is because tutors are social animals. 11) Reality dues are not obligatory. That said, pay your reality dues. 12) You now live in a bubble of the timeless and timely. Don't expect Johnnies to know the latest about Britney, Fall Out Boy, Bush or any other celebrity or pop culture refere,nce. Don't be surprised if a Johnnie dismisses current events as "trivial." 13) The security staff does not spend their days thinking up ways to get you in trouble. 14) You are not the first person to realize that BBC is a great place to study at night. 15) The Bookstore used to be a Civil War morgue. The staff don't like it if you continually mention this to them. 16) They're called "1\fiddies", but not to their faces. 17) Do something productive with your summer. There are tons of summer internships available to college students, even freshmen. Also, the school has a competitive grant (the Hodson Trust) to fund unpaid internships in the US. 18) Sign up for the airport shuttles early. Taking the 6 am shuttle and waiting four hours for your flight is not the way you want to start vacation. If you can, find a friend to drive you. 19) Annapolis is not a cultural Mecca, unless your idea of culture is coffee, Navy memorabilia, and old people in bonnets. 20) D.C. has a lot of museums. FREE museums.~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY 5 �- ' ' GONVOCATION ~()0'7 Ehotos by Clarke SaylOr '08 Admissions director John Christensen tells off the paparazzi, while a freshman is more responsive to the camera. Left to right: tutors David Stephenson, Joseph Cohen, and Eva Brann head toward FSK for the ceremony. President Christopher Nelson addresses the Class of 2011. THE~ GADFLY Next Meeting: TuesdqyJ September4 at 7:00 PM BBC 109 6 "I wonder whether it's too late to turn back..." Washington, D. C. /Chinatown Shuttle Schedule Sat. Sept. 8 Sat. Sept. 22 Sat. Ott. 6 Sat. Ott. 20 Sat. Nov. 10 Sat. Det: 8 Chinatown shuttles depart from the gym lot at 10:00 AM and return to campus around 6:00 PM. First come, first seated. We drop you off and pick you up near the Chinatown metro station. · THE GADFLY · · · · · · ·x· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Washington DC/Chinatown �MEET THE GADFLIES some Ancient Greek, but there are Johnnies out there who still can't spell apostrophe, much less correctly use one. That's where my trusty red pen and I come in. Ali Schwab '08 Assistant Editor Elizabeth Burlington '08 Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth McDowell Burlington is a poser. She claims to like metal but her favorite song is actually '0-Girlfriend' by Weezer. She is a nice person and doesn't hate freshmen. Her middle name is not made up. .Ali Schwab, senior, is The Gac!f!y's resident Minister for Prudish Affairs. Her main talents lie in her ability to put her encyclopedic knowledge of the school rules to good use, and in her knack for telling you, the reader, the just and sensible way to pursue the good in your daily life. :rvfiss Schwab's interests include singing, education, more singing, and being beaten at chess by 1fr. McClay. She is a part of his old regime but is unlikely to make waves. We think. Stacey Goguen '08 Staff Writer Mark F. McClay '09 Literary Editor Jennifer Wright '08 Staff Writer/Social Critic Jennifer Wright's name is Eloise. She lives at the Plaza. She is a froth of whipped cream, champagne and daydreams, so it seems unlikely she will be able to sustain herself in the outside world Her eyelashes are not real, but her shortened tendons are. Manolo Blahnik once told her that her outfit was wonderful (this is the most important thing, and the sound of him saying this was lovelier than an aria, and more solemn than a benediction). She is superficial, but deeply, deeply so. Stacey Goguen is a senior. You might also know her from Kunai, SCI, Writer's Bloc, the IHave-No-Free-Time Club, previous Gac!f!y articles discemable in their desperate attempts to be witty, and her gratuitous descriptions of program author crushes. She spends her days playing video games and wishing she had more time to play video games. Mark McClay is a junior from the great state of Tennessee. After being editor-inchief of The Gadf(y for almost two years, he was finally ousted by a paramilitary coup led by Ms. Burlington. He now serves The Gadf(y as editor of book reviews, a post from which he continues to plot and hone his · sinister designs for editorial hegemony. His followers are legion, and the day of his coming will bring unspeakable suffering to many. But until then, if you know of a book that you would like to see reviewed, or if you would like to write a review yourself, Rowenna Thorson '10 Mr. McClay is the man you should talk to. Proofreader Mr. McClay's hobbies include chess, writThey may have read Descartes, they may have ing about himself in the third person, and proved Euclidean propositions, they can prolisting things in groups of three. nounce Epictetus, and maybe they even know Clarke Saylor '08 Photographer Clarke Saylor is the one who you see all over campus taking pictures and/ or walking the dog. He can't hear you speaking to him because his music is on too loud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P. 0. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Freshtnen Bodies, Freshtnen Souls · I<in. William.... ' g .,. ·. , by Bryce Jacobsen '42 ·Players: · .·. . YerJitqby Feclerico.Gard~ · ,-· _: .· .. • .. ,· . . . . · Casting for .the KWP's pre: :.· sentation of Yerina by Federico · · Garcia Lorca will be held in the · Mellon Conv~rsation Ro~m on •. Sunday, SepteITiber2 at 3:00 pm and Tuesday, ~eptember 4 .· at 4:00 pm. The play is being . directed by Jes. ic a Perry, a_ s . member of the junior Class, and · explores the plight of Yerma, a · W01!1fil1 living in rural Sp~ who cannot conceive a child. Ac.. tresses are especiaBy rieeded , as there are s.everal dynamic and challenging female roles which niust be filled. There .will . . be audition material made avail- · ·. able in the coffee shop during · the week~ The more .students · who come to the auditions, the ·:. better we will be ~able to fill the. parts. Remember~ simply show.: ing up is n()t a toil1:fllltment - If you have anyquestions, · please contact assistant direc- ·. tor Brendan Clay at_ (610) 416~ 5628 . or . . at Brendan. Clay@sjca.edu. · 8 THE REASONS, BOTH PHYSICAL and metaphysical, why everyone ought to become in our sports program are many. I list a few: 1. We have the best athletic program of any college in the country. 2. Exercise is good for the body . . . unless you sprain an ankle, or something like that. 3. Most of us feel better, are more alert, and can get more work done if our bodies are healthy and our souls are relaxed. 4. Friendly competition is one of the really fun things in life. It is good for your soul. 5. Your circle of acquaintances will be greatly enlarged. This is good for the soul, provided you can separate the wheat from the chaff. 6. You will learn to accept, and bear with, thousands of splitsecond decisions from the officials, a few of which are wrong. This is very good for the soul. 7. Do you like to strive for, and achieve, specific goals? If so, consider our college blazers. They are much sought after, and the pathway is clearly laid out. Striving for goals is good for your soul. 8. It is probably true that the more pure fun occurs in the athletic program than in any other area of the college. Fun is good for your soul. 9. If you get involved in team sports, and become a "good team player," you have realized that there are things in the universe that are more important than your own ego. This is a great good for your ~oul. 10. The benefits of exercise and friendly competition, learned while one is young, should be maintained for the rest of your life ... i.e., they should become habitual. For virtue, as the Philosopher said, is a habit. 11. You will get to know numerous alumni, tutors, and staff members who participate in the program. This is good for your soul, or ought to be ... provided that they are the proper sort of role models. 12. Our showers are the best at the college; always plenty of hot water. 13. Are you bothered by, or worried by, tobacco fumes in the air? Come to the gym. The whole building is a nicotine-free zone. 14. If you perform some sort of heroic deed on the athletic fiel4 your name will be mentioned in our weekly column. Heroes are always acclaimed. But do not be carried away by this. Remember that "the paths of glory lead but to the grave." 15. A high percentage of our best students are active participants in our program. 16. Those who play, stay. 17. The gym is not particularly well equipped, as gyms go. But it has washers and dryers, and a coke machine .. . and I will explain to you, if you ask me, how you can get yourself in tip-top physical shape, without any equipment at all. 18. You can sit in an old-time barber's chair in my office ... you can pump yourself up or down, and adjust the slope high or low. W'here else can you do that? 19. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 20. It is better to light a candle, then to curse the darkness. So there you have it . . . twenty good reasons why you should participate in our athletic program. If you are not convinced by all of this, come and talk to me ... I can probably think of some more good reasons. Or better yet, talk with the upperclassmen. They will tell you all sorts of strange, interesting, and wondrous things. '!Ir' A.D. NOTES . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [fhis reprinted article.first appeared in The Gadfly on September 9, 1982. It was re-submitted fry our current athletic diredor, Leo Pickens. We re sure Mr. Pickens would be willing to stand infor Mr. Jacobsen as the .first person voice used in this article and would answer a'!)' questions thatyou might have about the athleticprogram.-Ed.J � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 8 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-08-30 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 1 of The Gadfly. Published August 30, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.1 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/49bfa8924b2a09884345d3796ebd0fdc.pdf 3c19378246ff1d781409316ba9dd5387 PDF Text Text THE The St. Johns College Student Weekh Volume XXIX, Issue 2 GADFLY ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE LIBRARY 11111111111 /I Ill l ili~li W~ l i ~ f lilili III IIIll I/111111 31696 011451240 PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE 2006 CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PRODUCTION OF KING LEAR, PHOTOGRAPHY BY KITTY RPHOTOGRAPHY. Lecture Review: The Questions of Lear and Cordelia by Benjamin Ross Hoffman '08 IT IS OF COURSE AN EXAGGERATION to say that Mr. Petrich's thesis was that Shakespeare's King Lear is a play about kindness, truth, and love, but this was not far from my initial impression at the close of his lecture last Friday, the 31st of Augustand I found it convincing! While the textual evidence often relied on very subtle readings of short passages, ]\fr. Petrich strengthened his argument by placing his evidence in a broader interpretive framework. While some of the tools and clues he developed such as the use (and, at times, conspicuous absence) of metrical emphasis and the importance of entrances and exits - had implications outside of the lecture's topic, there was very little true digression; the lecture was very tightly structured, though unobtrusively so. What did stick out stylistically Annapolis, Maryland September 6, 2007 - and stuck out in a good way - was Mr. Petrich's style of quotation: when he quoted from the play, he did so in character, and played his parts excellently. Mr. Petrich focused on three key scenes in the order in which they appear in the play: Lear's testing of his three daughters' professions of love in Act I, Scene 1; The forgiveness scene in IV. 7; and Lear's death in Act V Scene 3. In these three scenes, taken together, the lecture explored Shakespeare's treatment of human resistance to nature through transcendent love, and its relation to realism and truthfulness. After a few prefatory remarks about the broader theme of the play, Mr. Petrich began his treatment of the first scene by examining Lear's challenge to his daughters. Lear intends to award the largest inheritance to the daughter in whom "nature doth with merit challenge." Leaving the simple interpretation unspoken - i.e. that Lear simply meant to award the largest portion to his most beloved Cordelia, his youngest daughter, rather than to one of her naturally preferred elder sisters - Mr. Petrich argued that Lear wants to challenge nature by claiming his daughters' exclusive love and thus to live forever. (It is still unclear to me how the former would enable Lear to do the latter, especially if, as Mr. Petrich said, this play is not a Christian one. Lear certainly wants to hold onto power in his old age-the knights he attempts to maintain were rightly mentioned in the lecture - but that's not the same thing as immortality.) Goneril and Regan both indulge Lear. Their speeches, though, are not merely ancillary parts to a parable about the lying two and the truthful one; according to Mr. Petrich, each of their speeches reveals a truth about the speaker. Goneril's speech is full of "beyonds"; her love for Lear is beyond speech, and beyond life. Later, she demonstrates by her actions that her love for Edmund is in fact beyond life. Regan professes herself an "enemy" to all joys aside from Lear, and in fact is unable to indulge or participate in her sister's joys. Mr. Petrich's treatment of Cordelia began with more general observations about the nature of truth, and of live, especially as expressed in drama. Life, for characters in a play, is expressed in their words. You are alive and active when you are onstage, and dead to the play when you exit or fall silent for the last time. If one accepts TYfr. Petrich's judgment here, what implications does this have for the meaning of life in general? It seems to support the idea of life as actuality, or - forgive the borrowed words - life as power. Later in the lecture, Mr. Petrich argued that any character who controls the entrances and exits in a play is the one who wields power over the other characters. If the above is correct, then Cordelia's character will be strongly reflected in the way Lear continued on Page 3 �THE ~-GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Assistant Editors John Schuler Ali Schwab Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Contributing to this Issue Peter Axer Michael Comenetz Kirstie Dodd Sophia Urusova Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gadf!J is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gar!f!y staff. The Gar!f!J reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gar!f!y is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Tax-deductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to The Gar!f!y. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 LETTERS Respect Croquet Equipment Every Johnnie understands the importance of croquet, that leisurely game of strategy that gives us all a taste of victory every spring. What may or may not be understood about it is that the game requires a certain level of care and gentlemanly, or ladylike, conduct to preserve the implements of the game. This is a general rule that can be divided into several specific cases, but before going into that it would be appropriate to put the present croquet club ill historical perspective for all the newbies. When I was an underclassman the croquet team was not endowed with the funding, or excellent equipment, that the team now enjoys. Some of the balls were like toys bought from walmart, with about half the weight of a regulation-size ball. True, there was a floodlight for playing at night about eight years ago, and that was probably fun; but when it comes to the nuts and bolts of croquet, as a competitive sport in addition to its function as a recreational activity, it's safe to say that croquet at St. John's is a better funded club than ever before, thanks to wise spending by the Imperial Wickets, as well as all the generous people in the Delegate Council over the years. Unfortunately, good equipment, no matter how good, can't preserve itself when it's constantly being abused. This means that anyone who plays croquet must respect the mallets, the wickets, and the balls. These tools are worthy of respect. They help you win. They help your friends win. And they are some of the best stuff on the market, meaning that constantly replacing them every few years is an expensive procedure. Think how great it would be to have the croquet sets we have now still be there at your Homecoming. By all means, have fun with it, but keep in mind that croquet is here to be preserved, so leaving balls out on front campus or chipping the malletheads is not really that cool, and if you see friends doing it, you should stop being friends with them. Shunji Matsuzawa '08 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . An Open Letter to Johnnie Tutors Beloved Tutors, I would like to draw your attention to one small way in which you could make students' lives easier. As you know, being at St. John's is a huge financial burden for many of us; but luckily, we can get most seminar readings and other books at the library or for a few dollars at used book stores. The only things we absolutely have to buy at the bookstore are manuals. And those, as you probably know, are hideously expensive-more than sixty dollars for the first two senior manuals, which is probably more than I spent on all my junior seminar readings. I know that part of this expense is inevitable copyright stuff. But the bookstore won't sell us used manuals, I suppose because they are so often out of date, or for copyright reasons. Is it inevitable to update the manuals so often that we can't use our friends' used ones, and all the old manuals go totally to waste? Being only a student, I don't know very much about the way these things work. But, when you think about whether to update a manual, please take into full consideration the expense to which you put students, and ask yourselves: Does this manual really need to be updated every year, or every two years? Wouldn't an update every five years be enough? And if we need to update it, should we really just ditch all the previous manuals (think of the trees!)? Couldn't we just let students use the old manuals, along with a packet of errata and supplementary readings? I am sure future generations of students would appreciate a bit more restraint when 1t comes to printing new manuals. Thank you for your attention. Cordially yours, Kayla Gamin '08 �Lear continued from Front Page she speaks. Mr. Petrich pointed out that she says things which are very repeatable and often repeated, through the whole play, by herself and others. The repeatable, he argued is the true; if you are right, you don't need to change your mind. A play full of that, however, would be boring; consequently, Mt. Petrich suggested that Cordelia might worded, so that she might say only enduringly true things. Rather than indulge Lear by proclaiming her unlimited love, Cordelia is bound to speak of limits. When she is finally prodded by Lear to express a love greater than what Goneril already professed to be "beyond words," Cordelia points out that her sisters, who profess absolute love for Lear, are married. She says that she owes Lear love, and loves him according to her "bond." (J\fr. Petrich pointed out the many connotations of the word "bond," but did not connect it to the "cord" in Cordelia's name. Were we supposed to draw that inference ourselves?) Lear is enraged at Cordelia's refusal to grant him her "all," and disowns her. Mr. Petrich remarked that this episode is a quintessential example of the birth of tragedy in "missed cues." Perhaps at some later date he will reconcile this with what he pointed out elsewhere in the lecture: that the conflicts between Lear and all three daugh- ters are well-grounded on both sides. Lear .is insisting on something that Cordelia is, · in fact, unwilling to yield to him. Goneril, for her part, is right to fear Lear's knightly retinue, according to Jvir. Petrich. One might well suspect that the conflict in King Lear is much more robust than a mere case of "missed cues." The reconciliation scene in IV.7 between Lear and Cordelia contains the same conflict between total love and conditional pragmatism, but from a radically different perspective. Cordelia's speech as she wakes Lear her longest in the play, as Mr. Petrich pointed out - pictures him unprotected in the storm. She declares that such a figure is worth compassion, irrespective of the context; no argument would overcome her love for Lear. Her response to Lear's assertion that she has cause to hate him, "no cause, no cause," is another example of the transcendent nature of her love for Lear: she denies the implications of what has clearly happened, for love of her father. 1-fr. Petrich then pointed out that this scene is ended by Kent's interruption. Kent, a loyal but presumably less spiritually rarefied man (a "vermin killer," according to Mr. Petrich), is preoccupied with Lear's practical situation, and eager to restore him to power, where he can exact vengeance on those who betrayed him. As Mr. Petrich framed it, this tension between the Lear-Cordelia reconciliation and Kent's pragmatism is the tension between those who want to deal with evil and those who want to transcend it. While Lear can only be truly healed through Cordelia's love, irrespective of the past and unconditional, Kent must mind the very real armies that will decide Lear's physical fate. Evil may be nonbeing in some high philosophical sense, but to resist it we must regard it as something real. Mr. Petrich concluded by in.terpreting Lear's final "Look there, look there" as a challenge to the audience. During the immediately preceding action, the audience knows that Lear and Cordelia are in mortal danger from Edmund. It was not entirely clear to me whether or how this was related to the question of whether God or the gods are watching, but it seems reasonable to relate this (and the play's silence on the matter of the divine) to the question of the possibility and reasonability of transcendental love. On the matter of style: Mr. Petrich said quite a lot, very compactly. Many questions he raised were answered - or the answer was pointed to - by showing the way towards a better interpretation, rather than simply following a question with an answer. This made it difficult at times to keep track of the argument - which should make any careful thinker suspicious - but it may have been worth it to experience the sheer beauty of Mr. Petrich's style. 4l.lr' Dodd on the Quad: Beef Jerky by Kirsti.e Dodd '10 I \:\'ENT INTO CVS 11-IE CTIHER DAY to get the usual foodstuffs that sustain me throughout the year (Le. mixed nuts, everyproductKashimakes, beefjerky) and as I proceeded to checkout I realized something important my love of beef jerky* transcends all sense and befuddles any marketing research. Ifthere is one ''masculine food'' it is beef jerky. I find it hard to believe any woman would be enticed by the phrase "Solid Strips of Premium Beef Steak" or the huge "1/4 LB!!!" emblazoned on the packaging, because clearly only a man cares about the poundage of food he is shoveling into his body (see every fast food menu). Jerky brings man back to his prehistoric roots. While he's outhuntinggam~ thewomen are back attheir fancy French cave (see Lascaux) drawing some pretty lame pictures and mending the loincloths. The usual people ripping Oh Boy! Oberto and Jack Links off the shelf do not look like wan, red- headed waifs like me. At the checkout counter I felt embarrassed handing the jerky to the cashier. He looked at me, obviously thinking 1) I couldn't handle that much toughness, protein, and sodium and 2) I should have picked up Razzapple Fun Dip instead I did not back down. I slapped down my CVS ExtraCare Card, flexing the tiny welt on my arm I sometimes refer to as a "bicep." Since when does certain food necessitate gender? I have a theory. It all started with the Original Misogynists, more commonly known at St John's College as the Greek Tragedians. Chaste maniacs like Hippolytus needed sustenance when hunting in the forest with Artemis. Euripides was so brilliant he accounted for this, having Hippolytus run around the first scene holding his bow in one hand and a Slim Jim in another. Hippolytus swears off women mouth-full of jerky, and I believe Phaedra's true tragedy is she can never delight in the pleasures of pemmican. Despite "genderizing" jerky, Euripides knew what he was doing. It probably is the best snack when hunting it's light and compact, yet it packs in a wallop of mouth-drying protein within stringy beef It mlght have been a bit of an anachronism, but Great Books need Great Food, and the inclusion of jerky is a testament to Euripides' nutritional foresight Unfortunately for us women with a taste for jeiky, those ancient masculine connotations put forth by Hippolytus have been carried through to 2007. I have decided therefore to make a pact with all you jerky-loving men out there: don't make fun of my love of jerky, and I won't laugh when you drink diet soda . .. sissy.~ *This article is completejy serious and innuendofree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 3 �On Mambrino's Helmet by Michael Comenetz Tutor TE-IE FOREST OF A LARGE WORK may conceal its trees. The following remarks on a chapter of Don Quixote (1.21), developed from discussions with senior Susan Holcomb, are meant to encourage readers and writers to seek much in little. 1. "There's no proverb that's not true," opines Quixote, coining a self-referential saying which makes one positive of two negatives. There is no rank as to truth among proverbs, for all are drawn from the same experience, which is one, and mother of the many branches of knowledge, as men are sprung from Eve. (When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then a gentleman?) Yet Quixote at once distinguishes: "When one door closes,' another opens." One saying, two doors; two states of one door. 2. From afar there comes an ambiguous gleam, gold or brass, helmet or basin. As helmet, knight's headpiece or mere mass of gold; as basin, for blood or water. (The equivocal basin is as old as Homer.) 3. His basin shining for half a league, the barber rides from the greater toward the lesser village to meet two men, one for bleeding, the other for shaving. (With a knife he relieves men of excess.) He meets them. For with Quixote's tale of bloody deeds, and the blood that assures their reward, and the love that continues that blood, his brain-pan is filled and poured out like a basin (which as helmet is prized like the or- gans of generation, explains Quixote) . .As for Sancho, he ought to shave every two days at least, or what he is will shine forth at a musket-shot. 4. The barber inverts the basin. Quixote only interprets this. It keeps off showers of rain, and of stone (1.22) . Though smashed to pieces with hammering (Pasamonte la hizo pedazos, 1.22), later it turns out to be only dented (toda abo//ada, 1.25) - so Sancho anticipates its resurrection, and will witness to its war service (1.44). 5. Like a royal Greek at Troy, Quixote could not rescue his ill-defended Sancho, maltreated behind a wall (1.17). Though now he revises the injury to jest, it is not forgotten by the bad Christian. After failure again at the fulling mills, Quixote would hammer the mocking soul to wipe out his shame; but a sacrificial donkey-rider has been granted him, a pagan to beat and drive off in the way of Charles Martel (Hammer, marti//o) at Tours. (Sancho refers to Mambrino as "that Martino.") The pious deed wins him "his halo, the brass helmet, [that] glows through the [next] chapter" (Nabokov), a sign of redemption. 6. Sancho is like stolen Helen, wife lost to Troy, less than Dulcinea, wife of Quixote's soul. Sancho admires the donkey's trappings, could not need them more if they were for his own person; King Quixote will dress him ·, -·~ ,Sciiling,.· cruisfrig, rendez~c;u.Js . · . · ~ni_c;f picni~ on:the Che~apeake. Bay_· . -~ AM - . • • • .•. '·"' ~ "' • 4. ,i .. ~ 4 ':.- . ~ .. - . :: : . ' ,- ·4:00 ·P!M '·~ - 6:-ocf i>M }'.:· Sll~ttles de ·,' att~>. ~ i.~ :B:·L · .-· ... ' • .·... :.. 4-:00 PM Registration Required.-Please contact <;lay Eva'!s lnthe Community , rograms office at P · x2881wi.t~any que~tions._ · . .·. :E~ery Tu~sd~y· and Friday · SafurCfoy, ,S~ptember ·. 15 )0:00 in finery. Lke a wife, Sancho should be silent; like a wife, he is not. 7. Quixote tells Sancho the romance of every knight, self-referential ifhe is such; but the tale applied splits into doubt, for there is a question of blood. What if a knight should be something less than royal? 8. How will Quixote merit the princess? Deeds are not enough. By blood; b y love; by force. Some from low beginnings rise step by step (de grado en grado) to be great lords; don't ask as a favor (de grado) what you can take by force . Quixote ignobly abandoned Sancho, then made much of empty sounds. Sancho may love him, yet would not still his tongue about either affair; only force remained, which Quixote turned upon the barber, seizing his crown. 9. Candidate for nobility Sancho has an unexpected history: an old Christian, summoner of a brotherhood, a month at court. No wonder fine clothes will suit him. Adorning him, Quixote aims to maintain the vision that made the brass basin a helmet of goldto bring Sancho along with him. But having donned the basin, Quixote thinks like a barber: Sancho must be shaved. The barber will follow after, declares Sancho; having elevated him, Quixote trails like a grandee's groom. At last Sancho, in charge of the barber business, assigns him the task of becoming king. 10. Helmet is to basin as star-pointing pyramid to pyramid upside down. ~ . - '· i ,.... ..... · ,··: :T.. : ,frorii th~ ·: gy~i_ lot Questiq_~!?_. Call· ·.. Nina Carri~ri : at.x25-? i ~ . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Hip-Hop Seminars by Peter Axer '09 Hip-hop was hreakin' Sprqy paintin' full train cars DJ's cu/tin' M C's was instant Che/lo stars I was the skinn_y shor(y wop with the bop in my step Sham;;, the baron tailoreds, P!aybry.r and I was set Runnin' through the streets ef the Boogie with a bang Pops was kinda strict so at times I couldn't hang But whaterer the case I stuck close to my Hip-Hop S omethin' in m_y soul just kept that On lock -Arsonists, "Flashback" OVER THIS LAST MONTI-I, I'VE TRIED talking to Johnnies about Hip-Hop, also known as Rap Music. I've encountered people who are surprised that I take Hip-Hop so seriously and I've met those who seem interested in it as Music. This article is an invitation to people of all perspectives to join me for some Hip-Hop seminars I'll be running this year. For those who don't consider Hip-Hop artistic or worthy of attention, that may be because many people are exposed to mainstream Rap, much of which isn't that musically or lyrically compelling to me. The best way to see if the 1-fosic moves or interests you is to listen to really fine, artful Hip-Hop (I don't exclude cats like 2Pac orJay-Z from this category). Since I can't play this Beautiful Music in an article, it makes it impossible for me to explore it through a spiritual lens since I assume many Johnnies haven't heard the kind of Hip-Hop I'm talking about (I sincerely apologize ifI'm being ignorantly condescending). Instead, I'll start with a basic idea, what I think is one of Hip-Hop's defining characteristics, and pro be the questions it inspires in me. Okay, besides rapping, I'd say one essential component of Hip-Hop is sampling. Not all Hip-Hop songs use samples, but many do, and some are composed entirely from samples. The way these samples are used to create, structure, or complement Rap Music (and also how they're tweaked) is very interesting to me. The most obvious question that sampling raises for me is whether a Rap song made using just samples is a new song or just a combination of pieces of other songs. If it is new, as I would argue, how is it new? Do DJs manipulate the samples and place them in the context of their songs, which is different from the samples' previous context in the recordings of their composers? Is this the way DJs make their songs new? This question assumes that we hear the sample as Music from a different song, which might not always be the case. If it is, though, how much do the songs that DJs sample from creep into the way we hear and understand the DJs songs? Another set of questions regarding sampling has its sources for me in Sophomore Music. We know that the primary melody of a composition (the A section of a piano sonata, the "head" of a jazz tune) is often restated in the piece, and every time we return to it we hear it in a new context because of the Music that preceded it. Do we have a similar experience when the chorus to a Rap song repeats? In the Rap Music I'm talking about, much of the Music is looped, so we're hearing the same few seconds of sampled ]\fusic again and again. Granted, much of pop Music repeats the verses and the chorus almost the same way each time we hear them, but I think we hear the difference between this and a sample. Samples are often intentionally referential. Does hearing loops make us feel like we're spinning on a merry-go-round? Is there any emotional progression for the lis..:. tener, or any musical movement, in loopedsamples? To listen to the loops and not feel like we're bored or going crazy, perhaps we have to justify the loops in reference to something natural, like the cyclical motion of planets or seasonal changes. Or do some of us instantaneously hear them as something natural because their sense may actually be rooted in such natural motions? Another possibility is that Hip-Hop, as opposed to other kinds of Music, isn't about musical progression but about capturing the essence of a moment in time, emphasizing it through continuous, exact repetition. Do we learn more about this moment of Music, of time, if we're stuck in it for three minutes? Another consideration is whether HipHop combines disparate elements from songs that are radically different rhythmically, harmonically, or thematically, and therefore make no sense together in a single piece of Music. Yet I can follow a Rap song and some of them have real cohesion even when there are samples that contrast with each other musically. How does this work? One idea I've had is that sometimes DJs and rappers use samples like literary allusions, interpreting the songs they're sampling from in the contexts of their songs. This certainly works for some lyrical samples, but I'm not so sure it holds for purely musical samples. This is one thing I'd like to explore in Hop seminars. Granted, these questions are very analytical. I also want to know how Rap affects our souls (i.e., unites our consciousnesses, which are moved or changed through the music, with the artist and the world) but I thought I should start with these considerations. I certainly want to confront other peoples' ideas and questions as well. Plus, the Poetry of Rap is something else that I want to consider, but I'll address this in another article. Through these seminars I want us to understand how we hear and interpret Hip-Hop musically, as well as learn how to listen to it with greater appreciation and understanding. When we meet we'll be listening to some Hip-Hop, whatever anybody 1n gonna bring shit like Public Enemy, Eric B. and Rakim, N as, Count Bass D, Aesop Rock, 2Pac), and then discuss it. I have not yet scheduled a date or time for these seminars because I don't know who will be interested, but if you are then please contact me either through campus mail, e-mail (captain_nemo52@hotmail.com), or by phone (541-944-5057). Even if you don't want to come to the seminars but have ideas about Hip-Hop, or you want to get some Rap albums, you can still contact me because I have a great desire to learn from you and spread respect for this amazing music. ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 5 �Annapolis, D. C. - Our Legislative Capital? by Edward Zelikow '10 "ST.JOHN'S IS ABOUT BECOMING a good citizen in a democracy. And student government is the practicum for the full program." It's 7:30 in the morning at City Dock, downtown. As joggers and businessmen order their coffee, Jessie Seiler '08, Polity Attorney, tries to explain why she devotes time and energy to the Delegate Council: "In addition to being an academic institution, St. John's should be a community of active participants. My friends and I gripe a lot about the way things are run at the school. I want to do more than complain." She laughs, "I have the faint hope that I'll leave this school better than I found it." The concern this year is whether the Delegate Council meets those hopes. In recent semesters, the DC has been almost exclusively concerned with chartering and budgeting clubs. "We're Polity Purse," as Jessie phrases it. She is the most vocal of a small clique within the Council pushing for more influential student government. The DC's other powers to set Polity Law and mediate between faculty and students have, they say, been neglected. The line is out the door of the Dining Hall when I arrive for the first meeting. Pat Weller '08, potential Treasurer, pushes by: "Delegate Council! Coming through!" Not being on the meal plan, I follow his lead. Despite the lunchtime crowd, I appear to be the only spectator at the meeting. The atmosphere is relaxed and chatty, but discussion quickly turns to business. Adam Meyers '08, an ideal Polity President, welcomes new and returning delegates to another year on the DC. Most of this meeting will concern previous budgeting messes and how to avoid them in the upcoming term. Andy Harrison '08, Delegate, suggests a budget sub-committee to free up the DC's time for more important business. Garret Drexler '08, Delegate, snickers, "Important business?" Though the discussion several procedural improvements, Jessie's more serious worries fall on deaf ears. She takes the floor twice, initially to elaborate on that 'important business'. The first big proposal is tenure, as Andy's open letter, printed elsewhere in this Gadf!y, details. The second time Jessie speaks, it sounds like a plea. "We weren't elected to look at numbers." "Money is kind of important," counters Carolyn Walsh '09, Delegate. "It represents what our constituents do." "But that's not what made me want to run. I'm asking why are you here. What are you doing?" There's a murmur of laughter at the double entendre, insult and earnest question. Jessie stumbles. "I'm graduating this year. I'm going to get teary and stuff. Sorry guys." The meeting winds down. Motion to confirm Pat as treasurer? Motion postponed till next week. Go around and introduce ourselves? The officers and delegates introduce themselves. Thus the inauguration of another semester on the Delegate Council. ~ Peace and Pleasure Await You! by Sophia Urusova '11 Here's something you know, but have been in denial of: a five minute walk from anywhere on campus \.Vill take you to a center of tranquility, air-conditioned coolness, and aesthetic pleasure. Gracing the walls and floor of the :Mitchell Art Gallery until October 21st are fifty-one visitors from the Syracuse University Art Collection. These are works in two and three dimensions, by artists obscure and famous, and of subjects as anonymous as a girl named "Sally" to the likes of Charlie Chaplin. They are the exhibit, The Artist Revealed: Artist Portraits and SelfPortraits. Lucy, one of the Gallery's guards, finds it hard to choose just one favorite from the works of art around her. When asked, she directed me to three pieces: Coulton Wat{gh's SelfPortrait/ Man and Knife, which Lucy called "bright" and "cartoon-looking," stands out at the far end of the second room of the Gallery. Mark 6 Boyle's Random Se!f Portrait, Cytogram, 1972, is a blown-up photograph of the artist's skin. Lastly, Lucy pointedoutBarbaraMorgan's 1942 portrait of Ansel Adams, and explained that though Adams' landscape photography is wellknown, few people have seen a photograph of this photographer. The portrait the Gallery offers features Adams playfully suspended in air, supported by only his hands and a stool. There are many pieces here which in themselves are a reason to visit the I:VIitchell Gallery. Johnnies \.Vill be pleased to see the gouache of C. S. Lewis and the sculpture of James Joyce, portrayed in bulging glasses, cigar in hand. There might be a bit of shock involved in meeting Norman Rockwell's Triple Self Portrait, 1960, as you round a comer. Chronologically speaking, the works range from an engraving by \Vmslow Homer, printed on a page of an 1857 newspaper, to Chuck Close's .Alex, . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1992, a colorful, abstract woodcut of a friend of the artist. In addition to pure art, the Gallery offers tours, lectures, and talks, as well as the St.John's staple, seminars. On September 26th or October 2nd, there \.Vill be a seminar centered on the present exhibit. If you are interested, sign up soon: spaces are limited. To find out about these and other special programs, or to get more information, track down a copy of.Artline, the Gallery's newsletter. But what is the best way to learn about the magic within the l'vfitchell Gallery? Let fate direct your footsteps to that dim doorway in Mellon Hall, across from the Francis Scott Key Auditorium. Enter in awe. Tell them the Gac!f!J sent you. All l'vfitchell Gallery exhibitions are free and open to the public. ~ �]en-SaisQuoi: Silly Cows by Jennifer Wright '08 Staff Writer Once upon a time, in a magical land called ing). This doesn't make me feel sad. It makes New York, over the mini-miso chocolate cake me feel like an Ancient Chinese Princess. I can at Kyotofu, a friend of mine from high school say that the only equation I've truly internalwho just started working at Manolo Blahnik ized, despite the best efforts of all my math told me a story. It seems that a few years ago, tutors, is that Pain + Adrenaline = No Body an assistant at Blahnik broke her toe. Since it Hair Below the Eyebrows. I'll work out six was January nobody was alerted to it until she times a week, sleep on rollers or soda cans, wore peep toes to the office about a week after cheerfully embrace the occasional peel (not it happened. People pointed out that one of chemical, admittedly) and allow my eyelids to her toes had gone black, and that was gross, be glued back to have eyelash extensions inand made the shoe look ugly. Reluctantly, she serted. IfI were to ever get pregnant, I would agreed to go to the hospital where the doctor have a prescheduled cesarean at 8 and half confirmed that her toe was broken and asked months - to eliminate those pesky last two why she hadn't come in sooner. She replied weeks of weight gain - and, after breastfeeding, that, for a few years now, she'd had nearly no which is genius because it can bum up to 500 feeling in her feet. The doctor was understand- calories a day, I'd have my breasts re-done like ably concerned, until she replied that she was , any sensible person. Hell, I'd probably go up a fairly certain it was just nerve damage from con- size while I was at it. l\ify first appointment for sistently wearing shoes two sizes too small. Botox is already arranged for noon the day afHe asked why anyone would ever do that, and ter my 23rd birthday (my dermatologist has she said that while she was a size nine, Manolo informed me that considering the family hisBlahnik had very clearly said that his shoes were tory, 23 is as late as we can go if we want to shown to their best advantage in a seven and a keep my forehead alabaster smooth into my half. What choice did she have, considering? It late fifties.) And I'm fully aware that none of would seem that Manolo himself caught wind these procedures have anything on the things of this, and almost immediately asked her to my high school friends who joined beauty inhelp head up his PR department. The promo- dustries are willing to undergo on a regular tion gave her the courage to wear shoes only basis. However, I am going to draw the line at one size smaller than her foot size, though she bovine collagen, which is apparently being never regained feeling in her feet. Most people hear this story and are prob- linked to dementia in an increasing number of ably really freaked out that a girl voluntarily cut subjects. Not that bovine collagen isn't a fanoff all feeling in her extremities in order to tastic idea in theory. It basically consists of takfulfill a design desire most likely whimsically ing collagen from cows and using it to help thrown out by a man she'd never met (then. plump lips and faces (as facial features have a She's met him now. Now they probably hang tendency to lose that round, full look as they out all the time). I find this story not horribly age). Treatments are being developed using bothersome. She suffered, and, unlike the mil- infant foreskin for the same purpose, as well as lions of women who every day suffer for no rooster fat, but largely, it's bovine collagen. real end, she got rewarded for it. And, besides, However, if the cows that collagen is extracted it's not as though her suffering completely de- from aren't in tip-top physical condition then problems have been known to result, such as stroyed her life. There are plenty of women, not at St. John's women who have the procedure done going admittedly, who hold to an Old Testament view stark raving mad. Drooling. Frothing. Crazy. When I mentioned bovine collagen to some on beauty, and to whom this story makes perfect sense. I give you, I'm not nearly as hardcore friends even the boldest who will cheerfully as the head of Blahniks' PR department, as I undergo chemical peels drew back in a little bit wear my Blahniks in the proper size. However, of horror. "I mean," remarked one old friend years of wearing them constantly has made it of mine who now works for W, and doesn't impossible for me to walk at all on my flat feet do collagen, "how good can you look if you're (I have little marabou mules to get around the in a straight jacket? You wouldn't even be able apartment when I first wake up in the mom- to put on mascara. Or shoes." Not that every- one cares quite that much. Richard G. Glogau, a San Francisco dermatologist states, "Most women would find the prospect of dying wrinkled a lot worse than the prospect of dying of dementia from collagen. As long as they don't drop dead 30 seconds later, they'll do it." Another friend of mine, who may or may not be the girl who works at Blahnik, countered ''look, I know it's bad for you, and yes, okay, you could go crazy, blah, blah, blah, but that's only if you're an idiot. I use really good, safe cows. I use one of the best derms in the city. The people who go crazy are people who don't check to make sure the collagen is coming from a healthy place, and you know what? Those people get what they deserve." Life is tough when you work at Manolo Blahnik. In response to this phenomena, the Washington Times columnist Maureen Dowd remarked thatwomen, "must confront the specter of being quarantined if they start drooling and slobbering," thus seeming to confirm the fear that it will be hard to put on makeup from inside a straight jacket. To which Tina Alster, a Washington dermatologist who gives herself bovine injections, calmly replied, "I would rather be among the quarantined than on the outside of the ring," she says. "Let everyone else look horrible." It's not as though women have never undergone dramatically dangerous beauty rituals in the past. Belladonna used to make women go blind, while the white makeup used in Queen Elizabeth's reign used to destroy people's skin. Bulimia and anorexia were commonly accepted- and even advised- up until the recent age. Still, at the time the women were having these procedures done women didn't realize the risks they were taking. Now we do. It's just that some of us don't much seem to care. It's not normal, or not generally normal, for women to willingly embark on beauty procedures that are quite so clearly terrible for them. Ultimately, in this particular case, despite my comprehension of a lot of other beauty methods that may not be the healthiest things, I'd say it's time to stop the madness. Steer clear of all things bovine, unless it involves leather outfits, or cute cow skin shoes. Breaking your toes on the other hand? Well, I suppose that one's still debatable. '!Ir' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Athletes of the Week Johnnie Quotes of the Week I ·1 I Mr. C: You can't get much farther from King Lear than the word "booger." Mr. M: Booger, booger, booger, booger, booger! [In seminar, after a long pause at about 10:05] Mr.A: Well, I know I probably shouldn't bring this up right now... · Tutor: ... But you just can't help yourself, can you? Miss Nighswander Mr. D: It's not like anyone says "Man, I really want to get into that soul's pants." Mr. H: I can't imagine he wouldn't see the terror on her face when he was ... teaching her geometry. .. Mr. J. Olsen Yot.I MAKE THE CALL: Sendyour memorable Johnnie bloopers to the Gadfly via campus mai~ or to GADFLY@SJCA.EDU 8. . - •· ,, . • In Ultimate Frisbee, on the throw.-off (or 'pull') a . . ·. player from th~ throwing team touches the throw off _ . inthe air before it tou~hed by a memberof the .. ·. recei:Ving team. Is this legal? How is it resolved? _ · · is . . . . . . ·First .· one to1ne with _ right call .go. s to theBookstore the e · on me. You may leave your answer on myvoi_einail, c Mr. Pickens x2558. _.· . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 8 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 2 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-09-06 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 2 of The Gadfly. Published September 6, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.2 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/b306ef52c1b2823fe99dd71cadfe9679.pdf 27d3d9006a863ec2f8e8d3eeeff51163 PDF Text Text THE The St. John} College Student Wee) Volume XXIX, Issue 3 ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE LIBRARY 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1~~~~i~iij/1l1~ 1 1~~ GADFLY Annapolis, Maryland September 13, 2007 1111111111111 1 111 31696 011451554 '° ~ ~ a: ~ ~ UJ Your New Reality by Chris Thom '09 BEHIND EVERY RED CUP, every snack bar, every beer, every legal drunken mistake, and every truly great party, there is but one, super-secret organization. These masked ministers of merrymaking call themselves: Reality. Comprised almost entirely ofJuniors, this group of individuals labors laboriously to lubricate the social gears of this campus, and secretive though they may be, I was momentarily allowed access into this dark and intriguing world one fateful afternoon ... on the quad . . .in full view of the entire campus. The truth of the matter is this: there's a new reality in town, as there is when every Sophomore class advances to their next level of Johnny prominence. This one, however, promises to do things a little differently. Last Wednesday I was privileged enough to sit down with both Reality Archons, The l\finister of Calendars and Loud Noises (Matt Butler), and The Minister of Not-So-Secret Secrets (Carolyn Walsh), in order to get the low-down on Reality's new season in the spotlight. Last year's Reality, while pulling off some rather excellent parties themselves, apparently had several issues hindering what could have been a great year. "They did a good job in a lot of ways," said Ms. Walsh, "they just had a real problem with cohesiveness . .. they always seemed to have a different group of people working on each party at the very last minute." As it turns out, the support of the entire Junior class plays a great deal into the success of that class' respective Reality. Mr. Butler recalled being "surprised when ~ast year's Reality] actually got a party off the ground with so little support from their class." Part of why Reality's Archons are so excited about this year appears to be the level of support they have received from their class thus far. Mr. Butler and Ms. Walsh also have a semester of Reality work under their belts, hav- ing been noticed and involved in the now-Senior class' party implementing last year. This year Reality plans to throw 11 parties, all of which are alreacfy on a schedule for the upcoming year. A big change over last year's somewhat helter-skelter planning methods. Though they were mum as to the theme of the next party they assured me that it has already been decided, and that the party will beheld on Saturday, 9 / 22. Reality has also previously been thought of as a sort of anti-program, something separate and opposed to our rather rigorous course of study here at The John's. Both Ms. Walsh and :Mr. Butler stressed that this was a misconception: ''Being in Reality is about helping to connect the polity, and hooking up with the SCI for the pre-S and C seminar was all about bridging the gap between the social and academic sides of campus," said Mr. Butler. And their connection with the Student Committee on Instruction was a success. The pre-seminar drew polity members from across the board; attendance included undergrads, GI's, tutors, and administration. Mr. Butler credited the SCI for the attendance, and described the whole spectacle as "phenomenal." Seducers and Corrupters itself was hailed by many as a great party, but many people overlooked the primary purpose of S&C, which is to entice the otherwise cloistered Freshman class into socializing with their older peers. Mr. Butler spoke at length about the hope of helping the Freshmen overcome the problems of the last two classes: "The whole purpose of Reality is to bring the campus together outside of class. Our parties aren't just a good way to let off steam; they're also a great way to connect with other students who you wouldn't otherwise talk to. I can't tell you the number of wonderful conversations I've had with people during these events. We want every class to show up and for every group to join in the community. There was a weird vibe last year with the Freshman class. Instead of trying to join in with the Reality continued on Page 3 �LETTERS Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Contributing to this Issue Rachel Bartgis Kirstie Dodd Benjamin Ross Hoffman Ali Schwab Chris Thorn Sophia Urusova Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gat!ffy is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Ga4f!y staff The Ga4f!y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Ga4f!y is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Tax-deductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to The Gadf!y. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they arc legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 . THE GADFLY . . A Requestfrom Buildings & Grounds Please hang notices on Bulletin boards only. Doors and windows are much easier to clean when free of staples, tape and tacks. Taylor Waters Director of Student Services An Open Letter to the Polity Over the past several years there has been a great deal of concern among the student body about the tenure process here at the school. This is for several reasons: the methods by which tutors are given or refused tenure remain mysterious to the vast majority of the polity; tutors who many students believe deserve tenure are refused it, whereas tutors who many students find unworthy of tenure receive it; and the entire tenure discussion remains non-transparent to the student body and inaccessible to their representatives. 'While the need for secrecy in the discussion of granting or refusing tenure to a tutor is apparent, the reason for a lack of student participation (even through representatives) is not. I do not propose having the college refuse tenure to brilliant or otherwise valuable tutors who may, through accident or mismatched personalities, have become unpopular with a very vocal group of students. The school's need to call tutors out of retirement in recent years belies the practicality of such a plan, but the loss of tutors who have proven both effective and likeable in class needs to be stopped. Recognizing these problems, I propose that the Delegate Council take a more active role in the tenure process. Specifically, I believe the creation and maintenance of a committee with the power to force the review of a refusal of tenure would benefit both the students and the faculty. Students would have a more active roll in the retention of effective tutors, and the faculty could more efficiently discuss and share the process with the body most affected by it: the students of the college. Moreover, some of the workload of collecting student opinions and reviewing them could be performed by student representatives, reducing the workload of the instructional committee. It would be inappropriate for me to go into more detail with my limited knowledge of the current tenure process and the possible problems with my proposal, but I feel it vital to raise the issue. I would be more than happy to join in discussions and organizational functions with the end of increasing student participation in the tenure process. Considering this concern, I have decided to run for a seat on the Delegate Council as an off-campus representative. Far be it from me to point out a problem and then refuse to do something about it. Regardless of the outcome of the election, my commitment to a reasonable and fair solution to this problem remains. As, I believe, does the concern of the rest of the student body in this issue. Andrew Harrison '08 [Note: This letter was written as a plaiform for Mr. Harrison campaign for the DC. He requested that it be printed as a response to Ms. Zelikow's article from the Sept. 6 issue o/The Gadfly. - Ed.) s Corrections In Mr. Comenetz's article "On Mambrino's Helmet," printed Sept. 6: For "Quixote" and "Sancho" everywhere read "Q" and "S" respectively; for "every knight" read "everyknight"; and for "star-pointing" read "star-ypointing." In Mr. Hoffman's article, "The Questions of Lear and Cordelia," also printed Sept. 6, pg. 3, column 1: Where the article as printed says "consequently, Mt. Petrich sug- gested that Cordelia might worded, so that she might say only enduringly true things," please read as follows: "consequently, ]\fr. Petrich suggested that Cordelia might be the wordsmith Shakespeare's attempt at a self-criticism. And indeed, Cordelia's response to Lear's challenge is carefully worded, so that she might say only enduringly true things." �Reality continued from Front Page community and improve it, they tried to do their own, separate thing. That sort of thing can be dangerous for the health of the polity in more ways than one. I remember not being a big drinker my Freshman year, but when I finally did drink, it was with specific upper- classmen that you knew, as much as they were trying to get you drunk, they were also trying to look out for you. Last year's Freshmen seemed to approach the parties like it was a business of getting drunk, which just isn't the case. Of course, we stress that you don't need to drink at these parties to enjoy the company of the polity, but if you do drink, remember the Spartans: Work Hard, Play Hard, but Drink in Moderation." Speaking from experience, community can be the most important aspect of safety at these parties. You do, of course, need to actually meet these students in order to benefit from their wisdom, which is, in part, why Reality exists. If you aren't having a good time, seek out either one of the archons or anyone you know to be involved in Reality, they will be more than happy to talk to you and introduce you to other students - they may even be willing to hug you if you ask nicely. And if you have a problem, Resident ~-\ssistants, Reality Members, and even Campus Security are all there to help you; they aren't out to get you, really. Now on to the more distant future of our parties as St. John's: aside from being more program and community oriented, Reality has strongly emphasized changing the dynamic of the great hall and other party locations. As Mr. Butler put it, "you don't want to feel like you're in Freshman Chorus when you're about to grind up on somebody." So look for more things like the cage featured at S&C. This year Reality has great personnel that are, according to Ms. Walsh, "cool and enthusiastic." Mr. Butler excitedly told me to "look forward to Oktoberfest, and Halloween in the fall. And in the spring: expect cool new changes to Lola's, and, if need be, an awesome follow-up party to Senior Prank, and last but certainly not least, our weekend, when we will go crazy." It should be noted that Mr. Butler implied "crazy" in the literal sense, take that as you will. .As always, Reality needs your help, because building the community takes as much money as it does effort, so please pay your dues, and maybe throw in a tiny donation if you can (if my dirt-poor ass can come up with an extra 10 bucks*, you can throw in an extra dollar!). And if you hope to help Reality out next semester as a Sophomore, remember that being a Reality Archon is about hard work and socialization: be involved in the community, help your fellow students, and bring ideas to the Archons, t-shirt or cup designs, fundraisers, anything. 'Jr' *please ignore the fact that I was attempting to bribe them for the next party J- theme. Dodd on the Quad: Freshmen by Kirstie Dodd '10 IT HAS BEEN A \\'HILE since the freshmen have shown up with their eager-to-please, excited smiles and their coordinated Target "College '07: Brave New Dorm" sheet sets. Things have calmed down a little since the initial frenetic summer campy meet-andgreet on the quad each night, but every now and again I get annoyed by certain repeated freshmen antics. I have two simple rules all you freshmen should observe. First, making out right in front of my face is disgusting and should be relegated to a discreet area on campus. I know the hormones are aragin', but keep them subdued until you find a dorm room or something. Second, the impromptu guitar jam sessions on the quad to bad covers of Billy Joel are getting a little out of hand. I know making your noise is very important to you, but please, for the sake of the polity, remember moderation. That said, I think it is going to be another great year. The freshmen seem to have blended in with the community well, which is undoubtedly the impeccable work of the admissions committee. I can't remember if they have check boxes designating "chain smokes" and "has questionable fashion sense," but they did an outstanding job maintaining continuity within the student body. The campus felt re-energized at Convocation as all the freshmen marched out of McDowell. It was nostalgic for all of the upperclassmen standing there, marveling at the tabulae rasae ready to be filled with the treasured virtues of St. John's College. It was a beautiful meeting of old and new, the learned with the abecedarian, the integrated with the initiated. Nostalgia is good and all, but let's be real. Everyone knows that the true purpose of watching Convocation is for voyeurism. Every freshman must walk across the stage to receive his or her lexicon, unaware of the dozens of pairs of beady upperclassmen eyes fixed upon them. Convocation is primetime for girlfriendless sophomore boys to weigh their options before the seducing and corrupting begins. In a way, Convocation is a sad reminder to the upperclassmen of just how cynical we have become. We're jealous of your untainted optimism. There are a few inevitable little delights each of you freshmen will have to learn the hard way. You will try an unusual sport and quit after one practice, actively sidestep at least three people on the quad by the end of the year, read the Epoch but then realize it's trash, learn your booze limits, use the word qua in a sentence, and get a few bruises from the Pinkney Challenge. It is all a part of the learning experience here at St. John's. But seriously, enough with the guitars. ~ THE~ GADFLY Weekfy Meetings Tuesdays at 7:00 PM BBC 109 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY 3 �I<unai Soccer Athletes of the Week by Stacey Goguen '08 The Kunai soccer season has started off strong, with over sixty hell-bitches drafted onto our four teams. On Friday's upper-field game, where Red beat Gold 1-0, both colors were quick to solidify their team spirit by choosing names. They are now the Goldiggers (like a hooker, but smarter) and the Scarlet Harlots. According to my sources, the Blue and Green teams have yet to name themselves. I also have no idea what happened during their game on the lower field, but by going with my gut and assuming that it was no where as exciting as the game I played in, I would guess that something silly happened, like a tie (And by tie, I mean that no one was probably paying attention to the score, which happens a lot at Kunai games. As Hegel would say, the score becomes "unessential" as the two teams, two "self-consciousnesses," "risk" their "lives" to assert in the other's "death" their own "selfidentity" and in "reality," mutually "recognize" "each other" as "other" self-entities capable "of" independence qua self-consciousnesses.) In conclusion, the Blue and Green teams need names as spectacular as those of the Red and Gold teams. The following is a list of my own suggestions, but I hope that other Kunai help in this endeavor to build team spirit, community, and most importantly, a strong sense of self-esteem. Blue: blue bawds, cornflower cocottes, cobalt concubines, cerulean cyprians, denim dames, hyacinthe hookers, prussian prostitutes, sapphire streetwalkers, steel strumpets. Green: celadon courtesans, forest floozies, jade jailbait, lime lasses, moss mistresses, pine paramours, sage strumpets, teal tramps, turquoise trollops, viridian vixens . .,....-- Ms. Rivendale, Ms. Walsh, and Ms. Hall Mr. Rieder, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Moutafov You MAKE THE CALL: Last Week's puzzler was first answered correctly by 1\fr. Pat Halter. In Ultimate Frisbee, the team executing the pull may not touch the disc first. The team throwing off retakes the pull. And now for this week's teaser: in soccer, on a penalty kick, the player taking the kick kicks the ball off the top of the goal post. The ball rebounds directly back to her, and she shoots and scores. What is the call? First one to me with the right call goes to the Bookstore on me. You may leave your answer on my voicemail: Mr. Pickens, x2558. 4 THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �1 ]en-SaisQuoi: Freshman Girls by Jennifer Wright '08 Staff Writer So I WAS \VANDERING ACROSS the quad the long distance may be a little harder to sustain have a friend who looks at a picture of Sienna other day, eavesdropping on Freshmen, as I'm than you'd thought, as well as trying to figure Miller, and proceeds to fling down the slice of wont to do, and I overheard this pretty girl out how to interact in your classes which are pizza she's holding and exclaims, "Sienna Miller remark to a friend of hers that some girls on wholly different from high school classes, and is gorgeous. I'm never going to eat food again her hall had been saying she had an eating dis- also, how to stop the washing machine from as long as I live. Food and I are done. Fororder, and she didn't Apparently, this was overflowing. Believe me, if someone had come ever." You: problematic, as the other girls were discussing up to me mid-September freshman year and whether to go to their RA. or the dean about it told me that they thought some girl- any girl! a) Reply "Oh my God, I know. I want to be Now, I feel like I have no idea what a normal - had an eating disorder, and that a bunch of Sienna I'vfiller more than anything. And, well, body type is - I'm sure extensive Vogue read- them were getting together to discuss her prob- first of all I have no idea what you're talking ing has skewed my perception - but I have lem and whether or not to have an interven- about because you're so chic, but did you read known a fair number of girls with eating dis- tion, I would have jumped on that I would Vogue last month? They had this amazing arorders. I'd say this girl was pretty healthy look- have been thrilled. I probably would have ticle where the man who trains Heidi Klum ing. Not overweight, certainly, but not sickly brought cookies for us to eat as we discussed put this woman on a diet where she didn't eat looking either. No brittle, dry hair. No sallow things. I would have loved it not just because food, except for a tiny bit of egg whites and a little turkey that was like half the skin. Nice white teeth. Good nails. None of those tell-tale signs that size of a deck of cards a day, and he gave her all these energy pills insomeone is starving herself "I just stead, and she lost ten percent body feel like," she whimpered, "these girls want me to be bulimic." fat in two weeks. She might have Oh, sweetie. The girls on your lost more, but like a week and a hall don't want you to be bulimic. half in she fell off the wagon and ate a salad. They showed a picture They wantyou to be a bulimic crack ofher and she looked genius. Like, addict. Preferably one who's also seriously, you'd die. Oh God! We having wild rampant unprotected sex and exposing herself to all should never eat food again together!" manner of SIDs. Basically, watch Cancjy or R.equiemfor a Dream and try b) Wait a good fifteen minute to emulate any given character. You ~ interval to see if your friend rehave no idea how happy it would ~ sumes eating pizza. If weeks pass make those poor girls. ~ and food and her do appear to be ~ "done" then go to her a...11d say ''hey, \V7hy, you might wonder? Are 1 ______________________ Jt_""•:i._r_H_zr_.•_r_. ~ maybe you should be eating more. they malicious, vitriolic, gossipYou seem very skinny, already, and mongering fishwives? Well, yes, if also, you have been fainting a lot they report you to the administration based on their own speculation and with- it would be a chance to meet new people and from lack of nutrients which is irritating." If out talking to you. But I don't think that's have an instant connection with them - though Vogue approaches her to do an article about her really the root of the problem in most cases. I would have loved that, certainly - but be- amazing willpower which women who answer The girls on your hall who claim to be "con- cause talking about someone else's big, life "a" will all be awed by, then it is perhaps the cerned about you" may actually be nice people threatening problems would have made my time to say to her, "If you don't start eating who really are concerned, albeit often without problems seem so manageable in comparison. more regularly, I am going to talk to Ms. That said, it does raise a question of what Kronsberg about this." much reason. But they are also freshman girls, and even the most well adjusted freshman girl to do if you really are concerned about somec) Gaze at her wordlessly with big Bambi tends to be a bit of a mess. My vague memory one. Unfortunately, the same factors that make eyes and when she turns away mutter under of the first few months freshman year (vague girls apt to be horrid little cats their first semes- your breath "oh my God." Run to another feperhaps because I avoid recalling it) seems to ter freshman year are the factors that can make male friend's room and have long discussions indicate that it was a pretty tough time for nearly people engage in legitimately risky behaviors. about how you're just so concerned about your everyone. After all, you know hardly anyone, And the answer is really, really, astonishingly friend and how you think she's just become except the people who you've met in your first simple. You talk to them. To that end, I am unhealtf!)!. Hell, one friend really isn't enough, few weeks and who you may or may not have presenting you with a quiz! Quizzes are fun (I is it? You should get a few friends in on this. anything in common with, and, around this have learned this from reading countless edi- Call some other friends over. Continue to talk point you're probably realizing that the high tions of Cosmopolitan magazine, and consisJen-Sais-Quoi continued on Page 7 school romance which you vowed to continue tently filling out the quiz first). Okay, so you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 5 �Food for the Soul by Benjamin Ross Hoffman '08 Ir THE N1coM,,.I CHEAN ETHICS is a symphony, then The Hungry SouL· Eating and the Perfecting of Our Nature by Leon R. Kass, M.D. seems designed as a kind of chamber piece expanding on the themes from a single movement Kass promises, in his Introduction, to examine human morality - the just, the good, the beautiful through a discussion of human eating. In the first three chapters (out of six total), Kass explores the relationship between food and form, ascending to the human customs surrounding food in Chapter 4, and finally to the ultimate spiritual implications of the way we regard food in Chapters 5 and 6. This culinary Pu-rgatorio is intended to take the common experience of dining, add a tincture of the wisdom of the ancients, and distill it into a set of principles (or, at least, directions) of human morality. In the first three chapters, Kass contends that an understanding of form is essential to an understanding of the meaning of eating. Eating is the annihilation of that which is eaten. Eating also involves objectification; a cow and potential beef may be the same object, but the concept of a cow is self-sufficient, whereas the end of beef is outside itse1£ inside its eater. Kass rightly points out many things which would be unintelligible if form were unimportant But an attentive reader will likely be troubled by his failure to point out (perhaps his failure to notice?) and resolve some tensions and apparent contradictions in his argument. In Chapter 1 we learn that to an animal, food is material and only material, and its form or kind is ignored. We also learn that a rabbit recognizes the form of the carrot (because it seeks any carrot, and therefore seeks a kind). .And in Chapter 2, K ass brings up Rousseau's observation that animals are often incapable of seeing beyond the form of food to the nourishing underlying material - a cat may starve in the presence of fruit, or a pigeon in the presence of meat. Food is recognized by means of form, but its form is inessential to our experience of food. What are we to do with this difficulty? Apparently, we are to ignore it. There are more serious difficulties. Kass promises in his Introduction that his conclusions about morality and the good will be drawn from universal human conventions - conventions like the abhorrence of cannibalism. Cannibalism, Kass argues, is erroneous - how odd to treat cannibalism as an opinion, rather than a practice! - because it denies human uniqueness. Vegetarianism is problematic (though not nee- 6 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . essarily bad in every case) for similar reasons. Yet in Chapter 3, Host and Cannibal, we discover than many major civilizations engage in cannibalism. Kass, of course, informs us that this is degrading and inhuman. But why should his positive examples be given any weight, when counterevidence is supposed to be a sign of degradation or error? Similarly, we learn in Chapter 4 that the natural direction of progress in table manners is toward more decorum, because there was a change in Europe from eating with one's hands to eating with utensils. To become more civilized eaters, we obscure the connection between our food and the life it once was, and between elegant, joyous, human "eating" and hungry, needy, animal "feeding." We learn later that China and Japan (which have certainly been at times more primitive than Europe in some respects - e.g. industrialization, natural science) are "farther along" because they eat with sticks instead of sophisticated metal tools. (So do the Chimpanzees, whom Kass inexplicably fails to praise.) When eating practices move in the wrong direction, this is not evidence against Kass's thesis - instead, it is a sign of cultural decadence. The shameless public consumption ofice cream cones is duly criticized. Since obviously not everyone practices these universal customs, a careful thinker would rightly demand some evidence to support Kass's claims of universal human moral principles. Kass's ideas about what kind of eating is characteristically human are ultimately derived from his personal preferences, not the other way around. Would it be too much to ask that he explicitly state these assumptions in the beginning so that they can be evaluated fairly, without the pretense of empirical evidence? I hope it doesn't offend bourgeois sensibilities too much to add, as an aside, that Kass's and his beloved ancient sources' enthusiasm for dining customs that make eating more cumbersome and less immediate might not only signify man's relation to his the natural world. J\,fightn't it be just a little bit about differentiating us from the peasants, who are busy, tired, and servantless? This suspicion is exacerbated by Kass's description of the "agroikos"_ Chapter 5: "He is all in work and no play. Because he toils for food, he takes it with deadly seriousness. A man of necessity, he is not truly free. [. . . H]e could well the the model yeoman-citizen-soldier [... ],but he would hardly be an enjoyable and lively dinner partner, nor would he himself delight in finding himself seated next to one." It is disappointing that the often-insightful Dr. Kass decided not to address this issue. Despite its structure, The Hungry S oulis not a dialectical te.n It does not genuinely ascend from the appearances to principles which follow from them alone. That is not to say, though, that the book is without merit. Chapters 5 and 6, dropping the pretense of expressing universal laws, are instead paeans, each to one aspect of the virtues of dietary restraint. Chapter 5, despite the aforementioned difficulty of wealth (which Kass does recognize, briefly), convincingly represents the excellence of human life liberated (if only in a temporary or illusory fashion) from necessity, and allowed time to play. Chapter 6 is a compelling account of biblical dietary laws (and an excellent commentary on the beginning of Genesis). While I am not certain that the true meaning of such laws was to sanctify the idea of human form, and separate the ideas of"food" and "person;' it is a likely story. If you were trapped on a desert island with nothing to read but The Hungry S ott/, I would enthusiastically recommend looking at Chapters 5 and 6. For everyone else, it might be worth checking out Kass's The Beginning ofWisdom: Reading Genesis instead. I've added it to my own to-read list. �Jen-Sais-Quoi continued from Page 5 about how you're just so worried and you really care about this person just so much. Go and talk to Ms. Kronsberg about it. Don't bother talking it over with this person who you real/y care about just so much. . And then? Well, I imagine you and your coven get to form a small congratulatory circle about how righteous you are while having exerted the minimum amount of effort and the maximum amount of unexpected annoyance for your poor friend who was foolish enough to voice thoughts about Sienna JV[iller looking pretty. If you answered a, I think you and I should do tea. We would get along..And by "tea" I do mean "freebase some crack" (no, not really, but imagine the glorious fodder that'll give freshman girls). However, unless you've got one or two issues, B is clearly the correct option. You knew that, just as you always know that the right answers on the Cosmo quizzes are the ones that make you sound not insane. Right. So why do women seem to feel that c is ever an appropriate option to pick? Well, in addition to the factors listed before it probably has something to do with a culture that tells women that if they confront someone and are unpleasant with them then they're a horrible person. Men get to do this, frankly, with a great deal more frequency as there's less pressure to be sweet and pleasant most of the time. So, really, freshman girls, and girls in general seriously need to get over the fear ofha'l.ri.ng the uncomfortable conversation that occurs in option B. It's going to be uncomfortable, but it's going to show the person in question that you respect them. In this situation, if you're actually concerned about someone and not just looking to add a little spice to your life at someone else's expense, then you have to be able to risk looking like a bad guy. Because fear of having that uncomfortable conversation is what makes you the bad guy. This shouldn't be difficult. And the next time you want to add a little spice to your life, don't start a witch hunt. Just go to a shoe store. ~ Etude by Sophia Urosova '11 .AAU. f Jean~J a4? et/ lh &:c.t.e- . @), : fJusf dc11·t (j) W11.11t 10 (!I ff/ INK·· . .. .. /just nu.J i-D bt _______1-A l yI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE G.ADFLY . 7 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Laundry and Jerks by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR ALIZABETI-I, What do I do when someone removes my clothes from the dryer twenty minutes early, and leaves them in a still-damp pile in the laundry room? Sincerely, S light(y Mildeuy and Rather More Angry in Gilliam ***** You Poor Thing, AT UST. I have had a hankering for years to write my Laundry Room Manifesto. Now I have an excuse. Unfortunately the only practical advice I have for you is "Turn the other cheek, then write to Dear .A.lizabeth." Hopefully everyone will listen to me in this best of all possible worlds, and everything will be hunky dory. I think prematurely removing the offender's laundry and popping yours back in would just be mean. Yeah, you heard me, Hammurabi. Here we go: 1. Don't remove people's wet laundry from the dryer and place it on the dirty stinky counter with everybody else's underwear and used bits of fabric softener, there to languish for an hour or more, only to be discovered by some poor innocent just when she was hoping to carry her laundry upstairs, put it away, and get some well-deserved rest. 2. CLEAN THE D~i\NG LINT TRAPS. 3. It is okay, in my book, to use two washers at once, even in a two-washer only laundry room. It's more convenient to everyone to do two loads at once. But if you want to make everyone's lives easier, you'll do just a single load when the room is crammed with people who want to stink less. Reducing campus stinkiness is in everyone's interest. 4. That unidentifiable garment that has been lurking under the door for weeks, scraping back and forth every time someone exits and enters, is getting nastier and nastier. Look to see if it is yours and if it is, remove it, please. It is creeping us out. 5. If you must remove someone else's stuff from the washer, treat it with care. If it looks as if it contains delicate items (nice women's 8 clothing especially), you will do their owner a favor not to toss them in the dryer. As for removing people's stuff from the dryer, well, we've been over that. By the way, intermingling peoples laundry with other peoples laundry, particularly in a big heap on the floor, is not nice. 6. Count the pieces of fabric softener you put into the dryer at the start of your Drying Session. Count the pieces you throw away at the end of said session. The numbers should be the same. If they are not, the disparity between them will be accounted for by the number of nasty bits of wet fabric softener making everybody's lives miserable on the floor. 7. Have a nice day. Numbered lists are my favoritest thing. Hope that helps. Yours Truly, A. Schwab Dear Laundry Room Soul Mate, Laundry is a never-ending battle here at St. John's. We do not have enough facilities. We do not have enough time. But what we do have is the untapped hours of 1-5 a.m. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. You have to sleep or whatever. Fine, but the next time someone throws your PowerPuff Girl underpants into a giant pile in a prominent area of the Campbell laundry room you will wish you listened to me. Do. Your. Laundry. At. Night. .And not . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the nighttime when those freshmen are still layin' down the Dylan on the Quad. No, I am talking about the late, late Martin-Greenwaldis-no-longer-on-the-Quad night. No one will bother you. You can use all six dryers at once. It's 4 a.m. No one will be around to care. I won't care. I will be asleep. But if you INSIST on doing your laundry during the daylight hours, there is the practice of monitoring your laundry from a dark corner. This way, if some little ruffian tries to creep in and yank your things out of the dryer, then you are well within your rights to swoop down on him in the most dramatic fashion possible and stare menacingly at him while he fumbles to thrust your underpants back into the dryer. Bonus points ifhe is a freshman (or just a really awkward person in general) that is utterly convinced that this small act of uncivility will damage his reputation for years to come. After all, we've all heard those stories about . that kid who was a senior back when the person telling the story was a freshman and oh my god, they totally screwed the Imperial Wicket's laundry up and now they are like totally washing dishes somewhere because THEY COULDN'T LIVE WITH THE SHAME. Or, you know, observe the Golden Rule. If it was good enough for Jesus it is good enough for you. God, I miss La Jolla. Yours for bad cover songs and Naval Academy brunches, E. McDowell Burlington Please send your Program Predicaments to [lizabeth Qurlington or .~Ii Schwab via Campus Mail. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 8 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 3 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-09-13 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 3 of The Gadfly. Published September 13, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.3 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/3d9f687db5d43d6f5c980c7490e67616.pdf 5a35f0d0b4b314c342600e62c0441826 PDF Text Text \fl\i~ \ ~\l~lf 13169Ff b 1111I1111111\i1 l\1\\!1\\1\1 IIll\II II\II GADFLY The St. John} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 4 Annapolis, Maryland September 20, 2007 Tutors and Tenure by Andrew Harrison '08 IN A PREV10US ISSUE of The Gac!f!y, a letter regarding my position on tenure was referred to in an article regarding the DC. The letter was the same posted on campus notice boards at either end of the coffee shop a few weeks ago. I have resubmitted this letter to the Gadfly in its original format. In case some of you are not familiar with my initial candidacy for the DC (which was successful), I ran on a platform consisting ·of one issue: tenure reform. It is my belief that the student body feels underrepresented in the tenure decision process. I also believe that this feeling is accurate and must be addressed. In pursuit of rectifying this situation, I had several meetings with the faculty last week. I will continue to have further meetings on this issue, but for now, I hope to inform you of the progress which has been made on this issue and clarify some issues regarding the tenure process as it currently stands. A tenured position at St.John's College is an indication that you have met a set of five requirements, which are weighed and considered by the Instruction Committee. These five requirements, as described in the Tutor Handbook for St. John's Annapolis (a publicly available document which I would encourage you to peruse if you have the inclination), are: 1. Excellence ofintellect and imagination. 2. Competence in the St.John's Program as demonstrated by learning in the areas which it encompasses, by continuing inquiry into those areas, and by increasing understanding of fundamental questions raised by the books read in the Program. 3.Excellence as a teacher, particularly as a teacher of small discussion classes and of seminars in which the leadership is shared with another tutor. Such excellence is shown, in part, by an ability to listen patiently and thoughtfully both inside and outside the classroom. 4.Commitment to the St. John's Program, especially as demonstrated by a willingness and ability to teach in different parts of it. 5. Sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of the College community. It is incumbent upon me to point out at this time that the portion of a tutor's tenure considerations which involve students directly is less than half (in parts four and five) at best. It is important to remember that the students at the school may interact with a tutor only once or twice in a period presumably not much longer than four years. Tutors, on the other hand, consent to spending the rest of their careers with an individual given tenure. As a result, it is obvious why tutor considerations are high on the list. Nevertheless, it is also obvious that students are given consideration only as a tertiary concern. Tertiary. Not secondary and certainly not primary. This is, of course, only how the manual reads, not necessarily how any given Instruction Committee will weigh things. Nevertheless, the recommendations of the manual clearly state that vague notions of "excellence of intellect" are more important than the ability to successfully lead a tutorial. Were this standard applied to students, can you imagine how classes would function? Solid, polite contributors to conversation would be disenabled, while people judged by the vague standard of "excellence of intellect" would remain. This effect on tenure decisions by this process has been evident in a similar way. Tutors with popularity among students as classroom leaders who have been refused tenure are numerous and easy to name. Tutors in the opposite situation, more so. I do not, at this time, wish to go on a witch hunt for tutors believed to be unqualified by students. We certainly all have varied opinions about this situation and its spe- cifics. That, though, raises the question of the place of those opinions. The opinions of the tutors on the Instruction Committee are obviously first in the process of tenure decisions. The place of tutors who have shared classroom experience Tenure continued on page 4 �THE .,._.GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington LETTERS A Utter from the Managing Editor Kat Shears Party Like It's Editor Beloved Polity, It can be deduced from past experience that we tend not to take ourselves complete/y serious!J here at The Gadf!J. That said, I hope it can also be deduced that we have been here when the Polity has needed us the most. Our job as a publication is to help the students voice their hopes, fears, and general opinions in a non-threatening environment with the aim of helping them reach constructive ends. Our goal in printing the following letters is not to tear anyone down or question mryone authority, but rather to give a voice to those who are troubled, confused, and genuine!J desirous of an end that will benefit the entire College on a grand scale. As editor I begyou to read these letters with an open heart: even ifyou do not agree with what thry have to sqy, you should defend to your death their right to sqy it. 1984 Assistant Editor Chris Thorn Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Contributing to this Issue Peter Axer Kirstie Dodd Charles Hamm Andrew Harrison Tiffany Kleinhans Ali Schwab Founded in 1980, The Gadffy is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadfly staff The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for gra'mmar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gadfly is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Tax-deductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to The Gadfly. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 In this climate of hatred toward the thinkers of this campus, we invite the men and women of the polity to think, to shout and to be heard. The DayGlo revolution is upon us! Rise up against these vile 'OOs, and return to a bygone era, a simpler time, a time of John Hughes movie soundtracks and Back to the Future, a mystic time in which the freshmen were not even alive: The Eighties. In this modern 1984, it is time for us to celebrate that decade by rebellion-through dance. We will rise at 10 o'clock Saturday night, during the Two :Minute Hate, arrayed in our most MTV ·attire. Live Free, Party Hard! Those Accused as Thoughtcriminals: Dave Fuhrman '09 Drake Talley '09 Yohan Choi '09 s Elizabeth McDowell Burlington '08 Editor-in-Chief · hySophocles , -. .. . Friday, September 21 8d5 PM, McDowell Hall .: Coffee. and .Refreshments . .aftewards :k the (;reat Hall i Readings are available in the ceffee shop:and library. ' . . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ' .· •'. ' �Letters Concerning the Recent Events at the College On Monday, September 17, the Assistant Dean's office recommended expulsion for four students, all sophomores: one student on probation from an incident last year, and three mth no disciplinary record. The reason cited for the disciplinary action has been the serving of alcohol to minors/Freshmen and/ or pressuring Freshmen into d.rfuking. The polity's points of contention mth these disciplinary actions are based on prior punishment (hefty community service and/ or leave of absence, not expulsion), the "first offense" nature of three of the cases, and one unconfirmed rumor of bypassing standard legal recourse for informing and handing down punishment. Though these cases are still under appeal, there is a letter writing campaign to the Administration in protest of the severity of the punishment, and we hope to share some ()f these letters mth you. &percussions ef Zero-Tolerance Policies on the Pofi-g Do we want students to be forced into the recesses of their rooms to participate in private, potentially dangerous alcohol consumption? The decisions of the administration to seek severe disciplinary action for those providing alcohol to minors will force this to occur. While the administration's efforts to curb consumption necessarily have to follow federal, state, and local laws regarding the drinking age, the current course of action-a zero-tolerance policy-will not have the intended effect of limiting and curbing underage drinking. Instead, the current policies will only serve to exacerbate the condition by creating a culture of secrecy regarding alcohol consumption and it will force students to look for other means of obtaining alcohol or places to consume it. According to a recent article published by the Journal for Public Health Policy entitled, "Policy Options for Prevention: The Case. of .Alcohol" "Dn"nkingpatterns in the generalpopulation are often not reflective of addictive or psycbopathological behavior, but rather are the results of social polices, institutional structures, and social norms, concerning alcohol in our sodety. Prevention efforts must address the conditions that give rise to risk:J drinking practices-changing the broader soda! structures and public po/ides that shape drinking attitudes and norms. lf we on/y change knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (e.g. through educational and skill-building efforts among heal!J users), benefidal effects are temporary at best, because people continue to be exposed to a multi-dimensional environment that encourages risky alcohol use." (192-193) The administration's efforts have largely failed to do as the article challenges us; instead, the college has chosen to further demonize the possession and consumption of alcohol. This decision does not just impact those who are underage, but it impacts those over the age of 21 who now have to worry about simply consuming alcohol in the presence of those who are underage for fear that they will be labeled as "providers". The decision to implement a zero-tolerance policy is problematic for several reasons. Firstly, the decision will foster a community of secrecy, where students, both underage and of age -will fear consuming alcohol in public places. This will force the drinking into private areas, places where other students or security will not be on hand to evaluate potentially life-threatening situations. Furthermore, when the students are in a position of risk they will choose to deal with problems individually as opposed to seeking help when necessary. If students choose to seek help, they will fear repercussions from the administration or fear the eventual cross-examination to find out who provided them with alcohol. Students will become even more tight-lipped than they currently are when they know the repercussion of divulging names is expulsion, and the college's intended effects will virtually be a wash: no one will report problems, no one will divulge names. It is because of the nature of seeking out private and smaller places for alcohol consumption that drinking will occur in smaller numbers. This fosters an environment where drinking can be considered a "competition," leading to binging. Much of the current drinking on campus focuses around social interaction and community bonding; such events as Reality parties, New Years, and daily conversations on the quad are often centered around several students sitting, talking, and enjoying a casual beer. By no means are the majority drinking to excess, but by demonizing even minor consumption of alcohol, it will send people-both the light social drinkers and the heaviest of drinkers-into private comers and their dorm rooms as opposed to the quad. This will lessen the potential for the community bonding that the Polity has been so adamant about fostering and will force less checks on students' well being, as already outlined above. If the administration's intended course of action (namely that of creating a next-to-dry campus) were to be seen to fruition, alcohol would become a scarce commodity, so when it becomes available, students will tend to drink· in larger quantities. The pressure to participate in drinking will rise because of its rarity, so students will imbibe more at greater rates as opposed to when it is prevalent every day. This will lead to an increase in binge drinking, and once again, students' medical health will be compromised. The fact of the matter is that students will continue to seek alcohol regardless of the repercussions that the administration threatens. If they don't feel comfortable with drinking on campus, they will seek it at off-campus parties where once again, there are fewer checks on students' well-being and consumption in place. They will also look for alcohol from other sources, even those not necessarily directly connected to the Polity. Then, the administration will not be able to discipline the involved parties, but will be left mth students at risk and mth no one to turn to out of fear. I know firsthand the impact of drinking in private. I am a recovering alcoholic. I sought out private corners to drink, places where people could not find me. I drank to excess Letters continued on page 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 3 �Theft or Innocence by Tiffany Kleinhans '11 WE ALL PROBABLY HAVE A PRETTY GOOD what plagiarism is. Most of us have known or known of plagiarists or acts of plagiarism, and some of us might even have perpetrated this act of intellectual fraud ourselves. But it is quite unlikely that many of us are aware of plagiarism's long and curious history, or of its surprising scope and variety. Incidents and accusations of plagiarism have been much in the news in recent years, but this is nothing new. The list of famous individuals accused of plagiarism ranges from Shakespeare to Jonathan Swift, and from Martin Luther King, Jr. to J.K. Rowling. Today's prominent alleged plagiarists have run the gambit from judges to college students. The charge of plagiarism whether true or unfounded - remains a powerful one, capable of destroying careers, losing elections, and tarnishing reputations. But exactly what is plagiarism? Where is the line between plagiarism and simply putting your own spin on an existing idea? What is the difference between plagiarism and copyright infringement? Is it possible for someone to plagiarize by accident? What ramifications are involved for those who commit plagiarism? Richard .A. Posner, a federal judge and lecturer at the University of Chicago law school, endeavors to answer these questions and many more in The Little Book of Plagiarism. The title is truly appropriate, since this book delves into the issue of plagiarism in a more complete way than many would have thought possible. Posner's springboard is the now nationknown story of Kaavya whose first novel - published while she was IDEA Tenure continued from Front Page with these tutors is also apparent. The place for students is not as obvious. There are several places in the handbook, which, taken together, give an outline of the plan for student involvement in the decision-making process. For example, in the case of three year appointments (the last pre-tenure step in the tenure process), "students who were in the candidate's tutorials and laboratories for the previous year... are asked for their observations of the tutor's teaching." .After this three year period is over, the tenure question is raised and "obser- 4 still a 19-year-old sophomore at Harvard caused a great scandal when it was revealed shortly after publication to have many passages reproduced nearly verbatim from books by well-known chick-lit author Megan McCafferty. Using this notable incident as a starting point, Posner takes the reader on a journey through the various forms, incarna- tions, and the history as well as ever-changing definition of plagiarism. What I found most interesting was Posner's brief account of the history of plagiarism, its origins, and its original definition. The Latin word plagiarus was first used in a modern sense (as far as it has survived) by the Roman poet Martial in the 1st century A.D. Originally, a plagiarus was one who stole someone else's slave or enslaved a free person. In an epigram, Martial uses the term metaphorically against another poet, accusing him of claiming ownership of verses that Martial had written. Martial thereby laid the groundwork for the modern use of the word, which would not become common until around the time of Shakespeare. Posner's catalogue of incidents of plagiarism ranges from the comic - such as the University of Oregon's plagiarism of the section of Stanford's teaching-assistant handbook dealing with plagiarism - to the serious, such as historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's claims that the plagiarisms in one of her books were inadvertent. This is an often used defense to the charge of plagiarism, "cryptomnesia", or unconscious plagiarism, wherein an individual copies what they've read and claims not to remember the words coming from elsewhere. In short, this reviewer discovered Posner's "little book" to be a treasure trove of amusing and entertaining information and anecdotes. And for those of you who don't think you have tiine for non-program reading, the book is only 109 pages long, so you don't have any excuse. So go read it already. You won't regret it. ~ vations of each senior concerning the candidate's teaching" are sought, "but other students are not routinely consulted." In each of these cases, a tenured tutor will interview the relevant students, taking down these "observations" and presenting them as recorded to the Instruction Committee who may read them and add them in to their considerations. It is important to note here that what students are asked for is not a judgment as to the tutor's fitness for tenure. It is not a full canvassing of the people affected by the tutor..Another section of the tutor manual goes out of its way to emphasize that "what is sought [from stu- dents] is relevant information about the students' experience of the person as a tutor, whether in class or out." What is explicitly not sought is "opinion about whether or not to reappoint the tutor." In fact, what is sought is often not information from students who are fully informed of the style or character of the tutor. Consider, for a moment, the beginning of the year in a seminar. For those of us who are upperclassmen, it is obvious that the style of a tutor and his or her merit as a classroom leader and participant are not apparent in the first few weeks. There are very few tutors who are exceptions to this. It would take a superhuman act of JUCHARD A. POSNER The Little Book of Plagiarism by Richard A Posner Pantheon (2007) 109 pgs. Hardcover, $10.95 This title mqy be ordered in the Bookstore . THE G.ADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �judgment to determine a tutor's ntness at that stage. Nevertheless, if a tutor is a senior seminar tutor in their year of tenure consideration, their entire senior seminar will be interviewed in exactly that state of familiarity..Any tutor could get a response along the lines of ''he seems like a nice guy and his questions have been relevant to the discussion", even while having a specific weakness in vital areas of the Program. These weaknesses, which have not had a chance to show themselves in this hypothetical situation, are glossed over by the fact that the students are unfamiliar with the tutor. Now, an unqualified tutor in this situation may have twenty fairly positive reviews from students who actually have him, despite hidden problems with his style of thought or teaching. There is no way for the Instruction Committee to use this information. There is no way for them to double check it. Almost no way, actually. There is the possibility of a letter written to them from specific students, seniors or otherwise, who are more familiar with the tutor. This requires information on who is up for tenure. Do you know who is? One of your best tutors from a previous year? One of your worst? The likely answer to this question is that you do not know. This information, while publicly available, is not made well-known by the current process. This may be in keeping with the current process' placement of importance on letters, which is rather two-sided and strange. ''Letters," the manual says, "are neither encouraged nor discouraged, but they will be read by the Instruction Committee." Nevertheless, only individual letters are considered, and, almost shockingly, "any canvassing for or solicitation of letters ~s] inappropriate". Technically, then, this article is considered inappropriate by the current process. My informing you of this situation could, with a strict enough reading of the manual, invalidate all letters regarding this year's tenure hearings. Student to student direct contact is in the same situation. That's assumingthatyouknowwho's up for tenure and to whom to submit a letter. In all of this, it is vital to keep in mind w1pi whom we are dealing and what the problem is. The idea that our tutors, fellows of ours in the conversation which is St. John's, would maliciously disregard our opinions as students is manifestly absurd. These are people with whom we not only discuss the fundamental issues of human existence and just politics, but also human beings with whom most of us have many enriching and positive social connections. These tutors are worth more of our attention than we are currently giving them. They deserve better treatment at our hands than the current tenure process allows..And we deserve a greater voice in it than we have. Our opinions merit greater consideration than they are getting. Our tutors on · the Instruction Committee need easier access to them. The people involved in this process are just and reasonable. The system is not. The system must be changed. (Any ideas you have concerning reformation of this unbalanced procedure are certainly welcome. You can contact me through campus mail or email at asfharrison@gmail.com. You may contact concerned faculty as well. I will be endeavoring to interview current and former members of the Instruction Committee in pursuit of a proper resolution to this problem. Anyone who wishes to assist me in that process should contact me. Your help is as welcome as your thoughts.) ~ THE~ GADFLY Week!Y Meetings Tuesdays 7:00 PM BBC 109 Dodd on the Quad: S'mation by Kirstie Dodd '10 Evr:.<.RYONE \VHO EATS IN 11-ffiDINING I-IAILhas an opinion about the new laissez-faire sandwich station. There are some who regard it as a boon, i.e. people who had their mommies make them decrusted PB&J's through senior year of high school These people cannot make a sandwich to save their lives. Those who regard dining hall gastronomy as their raison d'etre despise this inclusion ofsupposed haute cuisine, for it means limited creativity. Then there are all the non-gourmets, everyone else who could care less about what their sandwiches taste like. These people are simply sick of the long lines. Don't get me wrong. There are many things about the dining hall I do enjoy. I am impressed with some of their nouveau improvements this year, especially the hot dog machine and the waffle · batter dispenser. I always laugh at the zealous cereal eaters who forget to pull the new container handles slowly and are inundated with forty cups of Captain Crunch. I appreciate the little placards at each table that tell me I am eating 30% more calories than I did in 1982. I even love those Shasta mini-cans they have when the soda machine is broken. I am not as excited, however, about the sandwich making station- the S'mation if you will- for various reasons. Like I said before, it limits creativity. Sometimes I like alfalfa sprouts on my sandwiches. Sometimes I like to grill the bread before assemblage. Sometimes I make a little B.L.T. with the bacon from the hot foods line during Sunday brunch. The S'mation robs me of that freedom. Second, I no longer get the experience of making a sandwich with others. There used to be esprit de corps around the self-serve S'mation last year. It was always nice to " talk shop" with fellow sandwichers: ''Pastrami and muenster on rye? No kidding? I used to do that combo last year until I switched to turkey and Colby jack on wheat. It's changed my life." We could assemble our sammies together in mutual creation, discussing seminar and salami, math and mayonnaise. Now I have to stand at the back of a long line watching other people agonize over bread choices while I decide I'd rather have chicken pot pie witha-biscuit-on-every-serving than wait. Third, the S'mation is really just a form of the flattery Plato bemoans in Gorgias. The man who makes the sandwiches does an excellent job, but it's time to cut the apron strings and the rhetoric. People who cannot make sandwiches need to learn how to do it on their own. All of that was merely an hors d'oeuvre, though, to the main problem with the S'mation. Instead of funneling money into something · superfluous, we could be spending the limited dining hall resources on something worthwhile, say, a soft serve ice cream machine. I'm sure if we agreed as a polity to live off of old pierogis and vegan soy nuggets for a few months we could scrounge the money necessary to buy the soft serve machine and keep the S'mation at the same time, but forget having a bon appetit for a while. I think it would be easier if we simply gave the S'mation the boot. So to all you dining hall epicures out there, I ask you only one question (mainly because I will scream if I have to think of one more French phrase): would you like to live this year with the S'mation and its long lines, or ala mode? ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 5 �Hip-Hop Seminars II by Peter Axer '09 HIP-HOP AT ITS BEST IS MANY THINGS, but here I'm going to focus on one aspect, which I'll call a person's rise from anonymity to engage in our world, which is very large. To engage with the world and the people in it, you gotta have a clear sense of self, and Hip-Hop helps a person define this. Now you judge ifl can tie everything in this article to that idea. Here goes .... Imagine this: the dream of all Earthly people uniting through partying and having fun. Now try and hear Africa Bambaataa's Planet Rock, a song from 1982 that immortalized this hope in its combination of Kraftwerk's German techno with Hip-Hop. Now picture a small nightclub in New York City called The Roxy, where for the first time ever in the 1980s the Rap and Punk scenes were integrated. See in your mind's eye the Beastie Boys at this club, all Jewish and probably high on cocaine, running into the walls trying to breakdance with kids that have names like Crazy Legs who flip their bodies on the dance floor in ways nobody's ever imagined. Now conjure up the Beasties with instruments in their hands, frowning as they play Hardcore Music. The Beasties put Hardcore on the back burner because of their incredible experiences at the Roxy, making HipHop their way of life. (The Beastie Boys' Hardcore Music is really good, by the way.) So why'd they switch? Many people were; turned on to Hip-Hop (a cultural movement encompassing graffiti, break dancing, DJing, and Rapping) when they first discovered it in New York in the 1970s and 80s. What moved them when they saw what these crazy kids were doing, which many parents and city officials were condemning? One thing they must've seen was how unique and fresh the movement was. Another thing that must've impressed them was how these kids were carving out a place for themselves in an increasingly complex world. This is a world where we have presience about the past and present lives of millions of people all over the world. All forms of media (Music, newspapers, television, anything) force us to be aware of other people. Not only are we aware of the people immediately around us, we also know about people past and present, dead and alive, from places in the world we've never been to. Past generations have also been aware of such things, but they haven't been overwhelmed every day with this awareness the way we are in 6 our technological age. Hip-Hoppers try to find who they are in these circumstances, and I think we can learn a way of doing this from their examples. Let me explain from my own perspective. Everywhere I go I learn about events happening all over the globe and I hear Music of past generations and of my own. I take the world into myself, or rather, the world forces itself into me, and I'm overwhelmed..All the information that I assimilate changes me, rearranges me, and I'm left with pieces of a self that I have to form. As the world changes around us at an alarming rate every day, HipHoppers document these changes and the struggles to Create an identity in the midst of them. By using samples of recordings made 90 or 20 or 10 years ago, or just last week, DJs pay tribute to that 1viusic and give it new Life in their recordings. They engage it by manipulating it, finding meaning in it for themselves. They're interacting with their cultural past to identify themselves as Humans today. By sampling Music of yesterday to make Music of today, DJs are questioning and integrating past ideas and beliefs into the Self-Creation they actively pursue. Hearing the way they do this helps me figure out who I am. I question whether I am a whole self or an ill-formed heap of individual parts when I listen to Hip-Hop songs that combine different songs in a seemingly erratic fashion. I wonder if there is anything that links these different songs, sometimes from different eras, with different messages, into one piece of Music. If I can hear it as a whole, maybe there's a connection between the parts of my self. How else does Hip-Hop help us navigate through our world? This is a planet where individual places are invisible in astronomical photos of the Earth, but Rappers proudly assert where they're from, infusing the world with the meaning of places like the South Bronx, Queens, L.A., Paris, Warsaw, Annapolis. They represent their 'hoods to the rest of the world, giving other cultures their regional stories. Peeps hear this all over the world and respond with their particular stories, and it's like a world-wide block party is happening, with all cultures representing what they are. When Public Enemy first toured Japan in the late 80s, they were amazed when they landed in Tokyo to find graffiti artists, breakdancers, DJs and Rappers overrunning public places, clustered in groups competing for stylistic supremacy. It was like New York except everywhere there were Japanese people. They quickly made a spot for themselves amongst the groups and started representing their Hip-Hop, just like they would back home. So what are these competing people doing? Interacting through the means of dancing, Rapping, graffiti-writing, DJing. These art forms became common all over the planet through television and global Hip-Hop tours, and since then they've changed through the developments of Hip-Hoppers from every culture. Hip-Hop is like a shared global language that allows anybody to express who he or she is. Honestly and bravely, Hip-Hop Musicians, dancers, and graf artists express all their thoughts and feelings, low and high, vulgar and sacred. They attempt to strike a chord in others' hearts, to conquer them with their skills, to put a dent in the world that will forget all of us. They make their Lives and the Lives of their comrades meaningful through art. Check out how CL Smooth reminisces on his Life, paying tribute to the family that made him who he is: . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "I reminisce so you never forget this The days of wayback So many bear witness The fitness Take the first letter otlf of each word in this joint Listen close as I prove my point T-to-the-R-uh-0-Y How didyou and I meet? In front of Big l..iJus, fighting in the street Bttt on/y you sazv what took many time to see I dedicate this to you for believing in me Rain or shine, yes in any weather .i\ij Grandmom Pam holds the jami/y together My Uncle Docs the greatest Better yet the latest If we're talking about a car Uncle Sterlins got the latest I strive to be live 'cause I got no choice And nm my 01vn business like nry Aunt Jqyce So Pete Rock hit me, 'Nufj respect due When thry reminisce over you Listen ... " -Pete Rock and CL Smooth, T.RO. Y. (Thry Reminisce Over You) Is there a more directly poetic and honest expression of an individual integrating his past Hip-Hop continued on next page �Johnnie Quotes of the Week Mr. H: Remember, "rock" has very different uses, like "rock you gently to sleep" versus "we will rock you." Mr. S: But where does this charge come from? Tutor: Philadelphia! I<UNAI: Girls' Soccer by Stacey Goguen '08 After much careful deliberation, the four soccer teams have officially been named. This season's competitors are: the Scarlet Harlots (red), the Gold Diggers (gold), the Forbidden Fruit (green), and the Blue Belles. (They may actually be the "Bluebells", but that's not nearly as parallel in structure nor thematically consistent.) As a reminder, all girls are welcome to come out and play soccer with us Tuesdays and Fridays at 4pm, even if they haven't been drafted to a team yet. As a request, if you have been drafted, please come out for the team you've been assigned too. The captains spent a grueling night huddled over boxes of delicious pizza carefully crafting each team in order to achieve a perfect bal- ance of competition, agreeability, and good looks. (Or well, two of those three, anyway.) If you can't remember which team you're on, or if you're not sure whether you've been drafted at all, just ask any captain or Mr. Pickens. In actual news-worthy news, we will hopefully be creating this season's piece of kunai-wear before the last few weeks of school. It may or may not be another sweatshirt. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please address them to Aubrey Nighswander, who will be heading up our fashion division this year. My vote is for shorts that say " Kunai" across the ass.~ Mr. B: I always thought a healthy fear of the Lord was peeing your pants whenever he talks to you. Mr. G: You could live without a Athletes of the Week hand. Without bones you could fit into a fishtank. into his present while looking ahead towards death? T.R 0. Y. is a serious lesson in forming an identity. I suggest you marinate on it. Listen: this is a short attempt to make you see why .Hip-Hop is so vital all over the world, why it should be respected, and how it can unite us. It's more than Music; as KRS-One says, Hip-Hop is a way of life. It's sacred. It teaches you how to make it this bizarre contemporary world on your own two feet. "Hip means to know It's a form of intelligence To be Hip is to be ttp-date and relevant Hop is a form of movement You can'tjust observe a Hop You got to Hop ttp and do it Hip and Hop is more than Music Hip is the knowledge Hop is the movement Hip and Hop is intelligent movement' - KRS-One, Hip-Hop Lives If you're interested in the Movement, come to the first .Hip-Hop seminar this Friday, Sept. 21st, at 10pm in Mellon 134. See ya ... ~ Miss Pappas Mr. Samarin and Mr. Gentry You MAKE THE CALL: Last week's puzzler was once again answered correctly by Mr. Halter. It is not a legal goal if after taking the penalty kick, the shot bounces off the goal post, and the player taking the penalty kick touches the ball first. It is an indirect free kick for the opposing team. And now for this week's teaser: During a penalty kick shoot out to determine the winner of a match, one of the eligible players on the field switches with his goal keeper before the third penalty kick by the opponent is taken. Is this legal? What is the call? · First one to me with the right call goes to the bookstore on me. You may leave your response on my voice mail, Mr. Pickens x2558. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �when the opportunity presented itself. There was one day in particular where I ahnost died but someone discovered me before it was to~ late. I can't and don't want to imagine what would have happened if no one found me. The prohibition and demonization only served to exacerbate my problems, and while I do take ownership in my own development of alcoholism, I can't help but wonder if those things helped to contribute to my abuse. In a community such as St. John's, I don't want people to be forced into the same dangerous situations I was. Cate Bonacini '10 Rehabilitating St. John~ Unfortunately at times a community is forced to reevaluate the manner in which it deals with its own members. At times that same community must decide how to handle those who have erred. A number of students have been recommended for expulsion from our community and now we must think about how we punish and/ or rehabilitate these students. It is our social responsibility to actively consider their situation rather than simply accept the decisions of those around us without thought. If we refuse involvement we are ostensibly stating that our rules are perfect and that those who apply them can make no mistakes. Ifwe refuse involvement we are responsible for any error that may arise. Thus, although I respect the sanctity of the administration, I feel obligated to consider when disciplinary action should be applied and to what extent and what the goal of that punishment might be. The fundamental question we must answer is, should disciplinary action be a means of excluding students or educating them? Furthermore we must decide whether these students have had such a negative impact on the community that their very presence harms the Polity. Should we exclude those with spotless disciplinary records and a history of strong leadership? Should we exclude those with excellent academic records? While these questions become easier to answer when a student has consistently failed to participate in a positive manner in the St. John's community, it is difficult for me to believe that students who have contributed so much, and helped St. John's grow so much, are being amputated from the student body. It is written in The Letters of 8 . THE G.ADFLY . . . . . . . . Junius, 'cWe lament the mistakes of a good man, and do not begin to detest him until he affects to renounce his principles." These mistakes are sad, and I know that these students regret their actions, but I do not feel that these actions are indicative of their character. These are students who not only add to St. John's but also want to continue to give to the school. If we remove them from the campus we are not only depriving them of a phenomenal educational opportunity, but also depriving ourselves of their energy and passion, which drives community growth and development. They may want St. John's, but St. John's needs them. Of course we would be forced to disregard their positive impact on the community if the crime committed is so heinous and of such risk as to constitute a severe crisis of security for the Polity. While clearly demonstrating a lapse in judgment, is offering alcohol to a minor so heinous, so extraordinarily vile that a student has subverted the very nature of the Polity and risked the stability of the community? If the answer to this question is no, then the character of these students attests to their interest in furthering St. John's. Thus we must return to our previous students interested in participating in a positive way at St. John's, do we wish to simply punish or rehabilitate? It would seem to me that as long as we perceive that these students are capable of rehabilitation then it is our duty to attempt to help these students, to nurture these students, to allow them to learn from their mistakes. If such opportunities are offered repeatedly and the student fails to grow from the experience, obviously the student cannot be helped by St. John's. But if that student has only one infraction, do we give up on them? Are they beyond help? These students have helped St. John's a great deal, whether it's increasing our environmental awareness or our knowledge of the world around us or adding regularly to the classroom. Are we unable to help them when they are in need? Selfishly I consider how a policy devoid of forgiveness and uninterested in education would affect me. As Edmund Spenser once said, 'CWho will not mercy unto others show. how can he mercy ever hope to have?" It would seem that in order to comply with this concept of "decency" I would have to be entirely pure. I would have to be without flaw. Obviously I know that this is not the case, and that I am far to_o capable of making mistakes. Yet a policy without understanding is a policy demanding perfection. Can any student, or person for that matte;, cl~ t~ have never had a lapse in judgment. 'W'hile 1t would seem none have we must all recognize that penalty as a mea~s of education is necessary, but condemnation seems pointless. Can we as a community exclud~ ~ese students for their sins with a policy req~g we have none of our own? To quote the ~ible, "he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone." _Zachary Fryer-Biggs '10 A Treatise on Justice The action of''Black Ops" on the night of and Corrupters were reprehensible, mexcusable and no matter how "safe" they were construed nonetheless a contribution to delinquency and possible excess. Severe punishment is warranted. Any attempt to evade the consequences by dialectical moral argwnents of "safe_ty", "less bad", "careful", "drinking responsibly", etc. are implicitly seeking to delegitimize the severity of punishment by increasing their own legitimacy. To my knowledge, the punishment of expulsion has been leveled against the students involved. It is a punishment well within the authority of the Administration. "Black Ops" was a liability nightmare, a systemic attempt to undermine the College's desire for behavior that is in accordance with Local and State law and unethical for anyone who prescribes to the idea of peace and tranquility through voluntarily accepted rules of community conduct. My only concern with the expulsion of those with no previous academic or disciplinary problems is the possible backlash from the student community. Any negative reaction in response is not to be justified simply by this conc~rn. I would like to submit for your consideration some possible student responses: stu~ents o~erating out of fear rather than integ~ty, closing off of possible conduits of posittve growth for the community as a whole, and an overall distrust and contention with the Administration. Power struggles and the behavior that follows in its retinue are perceivable reactions to the decision to expel. However, none of this matters if the punishment cannot be avoided. I'm not writing to say the punishment can o~ cani:ot be avoided, that is not within my discretton to discern. I would like to ask :iiough, if there is a chance at all to find a pun~ 1shment ·that is not only extremely punitive ~educers �actions taken recently, we thought it would be would be chaos. In fact, the whole purpose of prudent to enlighten the Polity on the guide- a constitution is to have the rules written down lines of this school. in a finalized form, so that the governing body Looking everywhere, we managed to locate can (and must) obey them. It is not just about a few sources of school rules. After reviewing transparency, it is about obligation. the student handbook, we were surprised to Other colleges and universities seem to undiscover that the only mention of the appeals derstand this principle. Widener University, a and expulsion process appears in the form of member of the same accreditation group as St. two paragraphs in the "General Principles" sec- John's, has an extremely well thought out and tion (a letter from Anita Kronsberg). formalized process for handling disciplinary Otherwise, there is nothing. There is noth- hearings. First off, the student must be ading else about expelling students or appealing vised in writing of the charges brought against verdicts in the Student Handbook. There is them. These students are given the right to no mention of the process in any of the other defend themselves. Additionally, a student has sources that were reviewed. Nothing. the right to remain silent (sound familiar?), But what about the School Charter? The with that silence promised not to be used only place where you can access the School Char- against them. They are also given the right for ter is in the library. By school policy, the librar- a public hearing with an impartial board. ian has to sit with you while you look over the Certainly, none of these proceedings are charter. No one is allowed to check the charter followed at our college. One could argue that out, or to make of copy for that matter. the lack of such fundamental rights is necesThe fact that the constitution of the Pol- sary to stamp out illicit behavior on the camity-which has all of the laws that students pus. But at other schools, such as Widener, must follow-is so hidden is a disgrace. How the expulsion rate is not particularly high. And can students be expected to follow the rules of that argument would be comparable to showthe campus if they don't even know the rules? ing crime rates in a country under the rule of a They're not even following rules, but instead ran- dictatorship as opposed to one that is considdomly stepping through policy as if avoiding ered "free". There may be less crime, but there landmines. In the courts of the United States, are no personal liberties. the defendant must at least have some access The Federal Courts seem to also value the to the law. Shouldn't we apply the most basic Rights of the Accused. According to two restandards for citizenry to the standards for cent court decisions (Richard Johnson, et al. v. Polity members? Rodney C. Collins and Carey v. Maine School), But say that you've been able to see this the United States' government handed down elusive charter. Say the librarian has been gra- a strong verdict, which favors students. The cious enough to sit with you and examine the ruling went as follows: laws governing our campus. It's absolutely "1. The student must be advised of the worthless. There is no statement whatsoever, charges against him no set policy, about expulsions or the appeals 2. The student must be informed of the process. Such a vital bit of information is com- nature of the evidence against him pletely absent from the school's governing con3. The student must be given the opportustitution. nity to be heard in his own defense Not only is it difficult for a student to re4. The student must not be punished exview the rules regarding appeals or expulsion- cept on the basis of substantial evidence there are no rules regarding appeals or expul5. The student must be permitted the assion. It is surprising to think that in the 311 sistance of a lawyer in major disciplinary hearIn the 18th century B.C., the king of Babylon years (or 70 years since Barr and Buchanan came 111gs 6. The student must be permitted to conassembled one of the earliest collections of on board) of the school's history, no one has thought to write such a critical set of rules and front and to cross-examine the witnesses written laws: "the Code of Hammurabi." against him Throughout the ages civilizations, from the procedures down. How does this happen? Why is something 7. The student has the right to an impartial .Ancient Greeks to the United States, have conso important left up entirely to the tribunal." tinued the practice of writing down their laws Several of these standards were clearly vioso that the members of the community may administration's discretion? It is not particularly clear. But the fact that there is no set pro- lated. But for you, a student, knowing these know and understand them. Thus doing so, cedure for expulsions or appeals is not just rights is already half the battle. Even if the justice is guaranteed. wrong-it's dangerous. Imagine if our rules don't technically apply to private schools We should follow their noble example. But instead, we currently have strayed from this country's constitution stated no process for in 1vlaryland, it is important to be aware of the path. Considering the series of disciplinary electing a president, or for trying a criminal. It but also extremely proactive and positive, too. One that would push the community in a better direction (deterrence of future transgressions) while at the same time allowing students whose contributions are otherwise positive to remain students. Such a punishment might be any or all of the following: an extreme amount of community service for the College (hundreds, if not 1,000 +hours), an academic contract of remaining satisfactory in classes for the remainder of the year/ time at the College, a ban from all campus parties and College events and duty to clean up such events afterwards, or a complete ban from campus making an exception for time spent on campus for classes. 1bis is by no means a complete list of all alternatives. Furthermore, all of these punishments and even more might be in order to equal the severity of expulsion. In closing, I'd like to reiterate that this letter is written explicitly outside any discussion regarding the morality, legitimacy, fairness, etc. of atry punishment leveled. Those discussions are left for the Administration and others who wish to engage in them. What I am concerned about is the possible damage that can be levied upon the Sophomore Class and the College as a whole by expelling students with no previous record of misbehavior and any possible backlash that may stand in the way of the positive academic, social and moral growth of the College individually and collectively. I want to see justice: punitive, proactive and rehabilitative, if at all possible. The decision, however, is left up to those with Administrative authority. If expulsion cannot be avoided, so be it. But I hope with every nerve in my body, for the sake of those involved and the College, that another method can be considered and taken. Donald Georgette '10 llights of the Accused . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 9 �criteria for when most schools threaten disciplinary actions against their students. If you don't believe any of the information in this article, it's understandable. The fact that any accredited college would so blatantly flout the common Rights of the Accused is shocking. But try seeing the policies firsthand. Go to the library, and ask to see the charter. Request the ability to copy the constitution, or to check it out. You will probably be surprised. It is tempting to become completely immersed in the work that we do here at St. John's. Because of this, one finds it hard to keep abreast of so many of the events of the outside world, even those that directly impact us. But we have to. In fact, it is our duty to be aware of something so vital as our rights. For if we don't, those very rights are easily violated. It would be nice if some strong and brave soul would swoop down and defend us. Most of the time though, that is not going to happen. So it is up to us to protect ourselves. And knowing the laws is a good step. Hammurabi certainly thought so. Daniel Lewkow '10 Robert Cunningham '11 Matters of the Fami!J I understand that some troubling news has been passing like wildfire through the polity and the administration, regarding the feeding of alcohol to freshmen by four upperclassmen over a week ago. Allow me to express my extreme uneasiness with which this situation was handled. To expel four top-notch students, three of whom have not a single speck of trouble on their slates, is an unconscionable move on the part of the administrative faculty. I am hardpressed to allow myself to believe that these four students did something so terribly outrage<?us and innovative that it should warrant such a cruel punishment. I beg you to ·recognize that in no way do I think that they were right to give alcohol to the freshmen, but I am more than wary about the severity of the punishment they are being dealt. The harshness of this penalty is difficult for me to accept in two ways: one, that this completely revolutionizes the way that the polity is going to look upon social gatherings that have anything to do with alcohol, of age or not; and two, that this sends a clear message to the entire school that the students no longer are safe under any infraction, no matter the size. 10 The biggest fear that all members on campus have had has been of the quality of the social activities on campus after the ground inevitably settles. I cannot recall the last time that any of the inhabitants of Power Alley has ever been to New Year's or a Reality party, and yet they suppose to have knowledge of all the goings-on of these gatherings. We do not learn about anything in Lab by just standing back and viewing it from a distance; rather, we do many experiments, delving into anything we discuss with a scientist's mind, to come to more sound conclusions than any we could find in a manual. So too, I believe, the administration should take a more active role in these parties, and I mean more than Rob or Nina, standing at the keg, taking names. They should be there to see what happens, and I believe that they would be shocked to see that their nightmares about these parties do not actually occur. They would find a multitude of groups on the quad, talking about their latest seminar reading, or swing dancing to music in their heads, or singing Bob Dylan hits, NOT falling over from alcohol poisoning. Certainly, there will be drinking, but it will always be with twenty other people around him or her, twenty people who · are not only capable of helping the inebriated outliers back to their rooms, but people who are more than willing to do so. People are also petrified that pushing alcohol out of public areas, as will clearly be a result of the expulsion of these four students, will only push students to drinking in their own rooms, most of which I find to be singles. The administration would never admit to such a push, I know, but it will nevertheless ensue, because people will be too scared that they would be caught with alcohol, and this will force them to drink by themselves and not come outside, where .others can see that they are taken care of. This, I assure you, will cause more problems than it will solve. Every message sent out from the administrative offices to the students calls this place a "polity," and in friendlier terms, a college "family." There is no better way to destroy the "family" we promote than to let this avalanche of dilemmas continue. For a school that promotes very prominently . its originality and its desire to help students and faculty alike find their own paths towards truth, this sudden overreaction in punishment says to me quite lucidly that no longer are we to actually find our own paths or do our own thing, but we are now at the narrow mercy of the administration that supposes itself to cultivate us as citizens of the world. I understand that I am a senior, and have few direct consequences that will result from these expulsions, but it is not for me alone that I write this. I fear for the stability of my polity, my family; and it is for them that I stand. One must sometimes fight for the freedoms that he fears will be removed from him and his family. After all, "tyranny doesn't get established out of any other polity tllan democracy, the supreme and most savage type of slavery from what I imagine is the pinnacle of freedom." CRepublic 564a) Daniel Wheatley '08 [Many thanks to those who contributed their letters for this issue, and for those whose words we were not able to include. -Ed. ] Polity Round Table: The College Community, the Alcohol Culture, and Other Related Issues Thursday, September 20 (Tonight) 10:00 p.m. Mellon Conversation Room Student-Led Discussion No Faculty or Administration For more information, contact any member of the Delegate Council . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Delegate Councii Minutes The Delegate Coundl this year is: Ms. Meyers- President Mr. Hamm- Secretary Ms. S ei!er- Poli(] Attorney Pinkney is represented by Ms. Hauspurg, Campbell is represented by Mr. Barnes and Mr. S harigian, Paca-Carroll is represented by Mr. Le1vkow and Ms. Frazier, Randall is represented by Ms. Walsh, Humphreys is represented by Mr. Drexler, Gilliam is represented by Mr. Papadopoulos and the Off-Campus reps are Mr. Harrison, Mr. Throop, Mr. Donahoe, Ms. Andrews and Ms. Hickling. · D.C. Minutes, Sept. 5 Members present: Mr. Meyers, l\fr. Hamm, Ms. Seiler, Mr. Barnes, J\rfr. Throop, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Donahoe, 11r. Drexler, Ms. Hickling, Ms. Hauspurg, Ms. Andrews, 11r. Harrison, Mr. Lobo Dias, Ms. Frazier, J\rfr. Papadopoulos Agenda: To Review the charters of the Community Service Club, The Information Communication Technology Club and the Women's Circl~ and to vote on Mr. Weller for the Council Treasurer. The Purpose of each club as articulated by the proposed charter is below: St. John's Community Service: The Purpose of St. John's Community Service is to provide opportunities for Community Service to the students at St. John's College by organizing events and keeping students informed of service opportunities in the community. Information Communication Technology Club: The Information Communication Technology Club will exist to promote the aware- ness of ICT as a ubiquitous, essential, and useThe Film society is requesting $2238.28. Last ful component of the contemporary world. · semester the club was able to raise money in Women's Circle: Women's Circle is an inclu- concessions and received some money from sive feminist group whose purpose is to dis- the school. As these sources of revenue are cuss, educate, and act for women's issues. ·not present in this year's budget proposal, Ms. ~-\fter reviewing the charters of SJCS and Hauspurg enters a motion to table the proICTC with the respective archons, 11r. Kennedy posal until next week, in the hopes that this and 1v1r. Darling, the D.C. approved the char- will provide enough time for the archons to ters for a vote at the meeting next week; each revise their proposal. Ms . .Andrews seconds will be entered as a Regular ~\ction Voting Item. the motion and 12 are in favor of the motion As no one from the Women's Circle was present with 6 against. The motion passes. the proposed charter was tabled until next week. Moving to the vote on Student Commu11r. Weller was not elected by the D.C. to be the nity Service, all are in favor of chartering the Treasurer. Eight voted against and six voted in club. favor. For the ICTC vote, all are in favor with the D.C. Minutes, Sept. 12 exception of one. New to the D. C. this week: D.C. Minutes, Sept. 14 Mr. Simmons, representative of Spector Members present: J\rfr. Meyers, J\rfr. Hamm, Ms. Deaton, representative of Chase-Stone Ms. Seiler, 11r. Barnes, Mr. Throop, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Myers, representative of Gilliam Mr. Donahoe, J\rfr. Drexler, Ms. Hickling, Ms. Members present: 11r. Meyers, Mr. Hamm, Hauspurg, Ms. Andrews, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Ms. Seiler, 11r. Barnes, :Nlr. Throop, Ms. Walsh, Lobo Dias, Ms. Frazier, 11r. Papadopoulos, Mr. Donahoe, 11r. Drexler, Ms. Hickling, Ms. 11r. Myers, Ms. Deaton and 11r. Simmons Hauspurg, Ms. Andrews, 11r. Harrison, Mr. Agenda: SCI class representative elections, Lobo Dias, Ms. Frazier, Mr. Papadopoulos, 11r. review of the Women's Circle Charter. Myers, Ms. Deaton and Mr. Simmons The candidates for the SCI this year are: Agenda- Preliminary Budgeting for Writer's from the class of 2010, Alex Walling, Caity Bloc, Reality and the Film Club, votes to char- Swanson, John Welsh, Pavlos Papadopoulos ter the Student Community Service club and and Jacob Greens tine, from the class of 2009, Information Communication Technology Rebecca Harrison, Joao Santa-Rita and Clint Club Richardson, and from the class of 2008, Nate In the Preliminary Budget request for Okhuysen, Ben Hoffman and Jessie Seiler. Writer's Bloc $0.00 was requested. Ms. Andrews After allowing each of the candidates to say makes the motion to approve this request; Ms. a few words Mr. Simmons moves to enter the Walsh seconds and all approve the request in a vote as an Emergency Action Voting Item and vote. Reality is requesting $4,200 from the D.C. 11r. Barnes seconds. The vote will then occur and l\ir. Drexler enters the amount for a vote, at the end of the meeting. Each of the candil\ir. Simmons seconds and all approve. dates then leaves, including 11r. Papadopoulos and Ms. Seiler. The meeting moves to the Women's Circle charter. Mr. Drexler moves to enter the charter as a Regular Action Voting Item in next week's meeting on the condition that a few minor changes are made to the wording of the charter. :Nlr. Simmons seconds and all are in favor. this time? Mr. Papadopoulos asks why stuThe purpose of the Women's circle is as dent-tutor interactions have to be forced and follows: Women's Circle is an inclusive femiare not able to be naturally informal. The nist group whose purpose is to discuss, edudiscussion also addresses questions concerncate, and act for women's issues. ing the responsibility of students at the Returning to the SCI vote, the results are as College and what effect that has had on stufollows: Representing the class of 2010: Mr. dent-tutor relations. Ms. Goguen says that Papadopoulos and Mr.Greenstine Representthis discussion should be continued at a ing the class of 2009: Mr. Richardson and 11r. later date. Next week: Open forum on how Santa-Rita. Representing the class of 2008: Ms. St. John's students view themselves both Seiler and J\rfr. Okhuysen in regard to the world outside of St. John's At the close of the meeting Mr. Drexler and to the rest of the polity. Upcoming proposes a rules committee to formalize meetevents: All-College seminar, 8:15 on Friday . ing procedure. This committee will be open the 21st in McDowell Hall; Tuesday afteronly to members of the D.C. 11r. Myers apnoon lecture next week (look for posters). proves and Mr. Simmons, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Donahoe, Ms. Andrews, Ms. Hickling and 11r. Drexler will all be a part. '1r' SCI Minutes Members present: Mr. Papadopoulos, Mr. Greenstine, Mr. Richardson, Ms. Goguen, 11r. Lindquist. Also present: Ms. Swanson, Nlr. Welsh, Mr. Santa-Rita. IY~s. Goguen and Mr. Lindquist remind everyone that the class delegate elections will be held the following day at the Delegate Council meeting. Mr. Lindquist informs the Committee that a reading for All-College Seminar has not been chosen yet, but adds that there will be posters up and readings available by Monday morning. The Committee then discusses Tuesday afternoons where no students or tutors have classes from 2:10-3:30. Is there anyway to further informal student-tutor interactions with . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 DearAlizp,beth. Of Chess and Falling Down Stairs by Elizabeth Burlington '08 and Ali Schwab '08 Dear Alizabeth, So today I brought my iPod down to the Chasement to study, and all was going perfectly normally until Aretha Franklin thought fit to intrude on my playlist. I cannot control my urge to dance whenever I hear "Chain of Fools." So there I am, wiggling my tush like one of Aretha's proverbial fools, when the en~ tirety of Storytellers' Guild starts to stream in. Let's just say I need some advice on how to handle these things gracefully. Sincerely, The Weakest Link ***** Dearest Link, l'vfr. Grenke gave an intriguing lecture this week. It was about a pistol-shootin', chess-gamevarian t-in ven tin' cowboy named Edward Plunkett, better known as Lord Dunsany. As a bunch of us found out after the lecture, his "variant," so to speak, looks like the following: screeching halt for the first time in my experience, causing Mr. Grenke to reflect that, somewhere in the audience, there had been a Delayed Reaction. I thought it was pretty great improv, and signalled this by turning bright purple and hiding from the world. Although I can't remember ever seeing anyone embarass themselves more massively than I did that night, it was quite an expenence. But the best advice I can give you is to be cool about it, as far as possible, when this sort of thing happens. "When you go around trying to force everyone to think you're normal after you've committed some social blunder, you come off as rather affected and maybe kinda twitchy. So if social blunders follow you around like a black miasma of despair, treat 'em as inevitable and shrug 'em of£ As Saint Francis called his troublesome body 'brother Ass,' so I call my tendency to get into awkward situations, though I try to keep it bridled and in line. But in the end, what others think of us is the Absolute Negation of important. Hugs and consolation, A.Schwab ***** I promise you, I'm not kidding. Your job as white is to capture all the black pawns. Your job as black is to completely and utterly terrify the living daylights out of the person playing white, and then checkmate them into little bitty pieces. So, to make a long story short, I found this and other elements of his lecture quite amusing, and expressed this by means of my famously charming and subtle laughter. Except when, you know, I whooped loudly at a joke several seconds after everyone else had already moved on. I love the ripple of mirth that was created in the Polity,and how this brought the lecture to a 12 Dear Outdated Pop-Culture Reference, I fell down the stairs once during my senior year of high school. It was noisy...And very embarrassing. But you know what? It didn't matter. You see, by that point in the semester I had already run into the main office bleeding from a locker-to-the-head wound, wrongly translated a Spanish word as "prostitute" in front of an entire class ofBible-believing Christians, and walked into homeroom with my school regulation polo shirt on inside out. By that time in my life I had enough experience with humiliation to not let this bother me. So I offer you this simple solution: in order to avoid embarrassment you must do your best to make sure there is no way to tell the difference between the situation in question and whatever you would "normally" do. Let's just face it, if you trip over that uppity little brick in the front ofl\fellon and fall flat on your face, there is no better way to play it off than to point to the fact that you are a universal klutz. THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Oh that?" You will reply as you pick yourself up off the ground and gingerly pick the gravel out of your forehead "That was nothing. Last week I forgot to look where I was going and fell into College Creek on my way to math class in l'vkDowell." The same goes with those lovely community showers and the inevitability of someone catching you belting out any number of show tunes. If you hear the door open and someone snicker, do not once think about cutting short your glorious rendition of "The Elephant Love Medley." No, for the sake of your dignity, keep going. Finish the song. Finish several songs. Chances are, the person listening will be twice as uncomfortable as you are. I have learned that in order to avoid suffering this social taboo known as "embarrassment'' one has to discipline himself in the fashion of an ancient Japanese martial-artist. Here is a list of things that can be done to prepare yourself: pick your nose all the time in class. After awhile no one will even notice. They may even grow concerned when you decide to stop doing it. Keep your phone and its Backstreet Boys ringtone on at all times. Use words in the most uncomfortably incorrect fashion possible. In poetry, make up sexual undertones that are not there. Make animal noises when you are excited. By time this experiment is over you will have no notion of the word "shame." Stay safe, little one, and remember my words and you too may get a chance to tell some important-looking person at an Academy garden party that you are Oegally) wasted and are not really that sad that your boyfriend is leaving, 'cause he's a jerk to you most of the time anyway. Yours, Elizabeth McDowell Burlington Please send yourProgram Predicaments to [lizabeth ~urlinglon or Ali Schwab via Campus Mail � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 4 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-09-20 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 4 of The Gadfly. Published September 20, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.4 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/2a24c236ec198054b2ba5ffcbe20203d.pdf ba35e8912ed9bd457175b36516c7a04b PDF Text Text THE The St. John} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 5 GADFLY 111 1 1 1 1 !~1~~}1~W1i/ij~i/)~ /i1 1 1 1 11 Annapolis, Maryland September 28, 2007 31696 011451810 Concerning the Expulsions by Nora Edge '10 Last week, St. John's was jolted into introspection by the expulsion of four students. They were expelled for organizing a prepping party for Seducers and Corrupters during which alcohol was served to freshmen. These unfortunate expulsions provoked discussion throughout the student body. These consisted of two open forums conducted by the S.C.I gi and the Delegate Council. One of the most disconcerting things illuminated by these dis~ cussions was the obvious lack of unity among ~ members of the polity and between students g and administrators. These expulsions brought into the atmosphere of the school a manifestation of the growing dissent between students and administrators. Such a dissent may have been construed as paranoia prior to these expulsions however at this point it is irrefutably valid The day after the expulsions where announced, post-seminar conversation on the quad was focused around arguments as to where the fault Davison '08 lay, the message the " administration" was trytransfer and he introduced himself as Robin ing to perpetuate, the lack of union in the polDunn- General Manager of the Annapolis ity, and even the question of mobilization by bookstore. We got to talking about the differ- the students. The S.C.I organized the first forum with ences in the two bookstores and he joked that he was jealous of the natural light and square the goal of discussing the polity "as it is curfootage of the one in Santa Fe, but he said he rently and as it is ideally." The meeting began wouldn't really have his bookstore any other with lighthearted conversation and suggestions way. When I told him how much I loved see- like "Invite tutors to lunch!" ''Play sports to ing all the St.John's merchandise, he said, "Not meet people!" and various other observations everyone likes it as much as you do." ''\Vhat do of what has worked previously to promote you mean?" I queried. I was surprised to learn interaction at St. John's. However after twenty that some people, including some tutors, minutes the atmosphere changed as people thought that the bookstore was being run in a began addressing the "persecution" perpetuway that is not in line with the mission of the ated by the supposed message of administracollege. I was intrigued by this tension in my tors. The conversation also moved on to the new community and since I like to figure out unusually obtrusive and "dangerous" behavhow things work I went back to the bookstore ior of the previous sophomore class and the new freshmen (concerning alcohol primarily) often to talk with Robin. E Shop Local: Rethinking the Bookstore by Rachel I'm the kind of person who likes to learn about what happens "below the surface." It's fun and fulfilling to figure out how things work. As a recent transfer from Santa Fe, one of the first things I did on campus was check out the bookstore-like any good Johnnie would. Looking around at the manuals and books, I became aware of the differences between this bookstore and the one in Santa Fe. I noticed the teeny size, the complete lack of windows, the plethora of Moleskines. I also noticed how much more college memorabilia there is at this campus. While I was wandering the aisles I began to wonder about this bookstore and who makes it what it is. A kind-faced friendly gentleman with a gentle Scottish brogue asked ifhe could help me with anything, (he must have noticed the glassy look in my eyes). I told him I was a Bookstore continued on pg. 10 Expulsions continued on pg. 8 �THE ~GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Edi tor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Chris Thorn Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Layout Gabrielle Aines Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Erica Stratton Contributing to this Issue Matt Butler Rachel Davison Kirstie Dodd Nora Edge Charles Hamm Benjamin Ross Hoffman Shunji Matsuzawa Hank Schley Ali Schwab Chris Thorn Alexandra Walling Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gadffy is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadffy staff The Gadffy reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they arc legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 LETTERS Responsibility Necessary far S e!f Governance It seems that every other year or so, a crisis hits the college that forces us to go back and question who it is we are as a community. This forced re-evaluation of our identity - who we are, what we do and do not do, and how we respond to infractions of those expectations - is only natural for a group of people which looks entirely different every four years. As new faces come through our doors, each individual must ask and re-ask the same questions that were asked by the class before, and those questions are just as valid at each juncture. Generally speaking, the current spirit of concern seems to be expressed in the questions, What is going on here? How could this happen at St. John} College? There is a feeling of having been caught off-guard by the nature of the offenses and the severity of the administration's response. Some students feel that the administration is justified in expelling the offenders; others don't. Some students feel betrayed by a system that was rumored to be a place of freedom and liberty, only to find that when they crossed the line the system quickly became judicial and punitive. I think there is some validity to the feeling that these kinds of events are somewhat new to the community. But I do not believe that the change in atmosphere has occurred because the administration has suddenly lowered the boom or unpredictably lashed out against behavior that was, until recently, ignored. Instead, I think the change results from a degeneration of the selfgovernance that we Johnnies have always been proud 0£ There was a time (in not-so-ancient history) when the atmosphere of polity life was one of civic responsibility. Community members recognized that the only way we could continue to enjoy our relaxed atmosphere of communal leisure was if every member recognized the rules that governed us and committed to seeing that they were enforced. This atmosphere ofmutual accountability and responsibility made it possible for us to enjoy ourselves without the administration having to be overly ·involved. Thus, when, in my sophomore year, a group of students surpassed their limits and endangered themselves, the community as a whole was embarrassed, and the overwhehning student response was one of reproof and correction. As a sophomore, I was impressed with the way the upperclassmen took responsibility for this breach of conduct, and worked at future parties to make sure it didn't happen again. I suggest that we have lost that sense of communal responsibility. In our most recent situation, the prevailing voices have protested the administration's response, crying, ''Unfair! Nobody expected this!" This does not strike me as a mature response. It is a sophomoric reaction based on a lack of mature forethought and the polity's having been caught with its pants down. My challenge to the community is this: It's time to put our pants back on in our own self-governance. The administration does not relish having to get into this mess and expel four members of our community. It would welcome the return of days when the student body was able to prevent its own gaffes by establishing a constant culture of responsibility. It is my hope that the polity can begin pursuing this culture again, and that the governing bodies - the Delegate Council and Resident Assistants - would set the example in nurturing that atmosphere of mutual accountability in creative ways. Jonathan D. Coppadge A'06 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fnd~y, ~~pte1Ilber ·d3: i"s l?M: ., 21 FS,K:;Audlfori{llri . �Dodd on the Quad: Classroom Personalities by Kirstie Dodd ·'10 OVER THE SUMMER ST.JOHN'S BECAME an illusory wonderland of phronesis in my mind. As I worked the late window of a central Florida Taco Bell, I often pined after genial, enlightening classroom conversation. My idea of school became so warped from all that humidity that after a while I remembered every class like it was set in 19th century Oxford. Johnnies morphed into dandies sporting matching maroon smoking jackets and monocles, calling classmates things like "Old Bean" in faint British accents while sipping warm brandy. I realized how bad it was getting when one day a customer asked me a simple question and I started a discourse on the thinghood of a taco. After three months of grill burns and 7-layer burritos, I yearned to come back to the bosom of my alma mater for intellectual nursing. For the first week or so, my delusion of perfect classroom discussion was maintained. Everyone cast their pearls early in an effort to impress their new tutors. Once that fa<;:ade was cast aside, conversations devolved into their true form. Class is nothing like a British fireside chat; it's more like a raw, brutal war zone where personalities and mannerisms and ideas clash in epic Lecture Preview This Friday, September 28 at 8:15 p.m. in the FSK auditorium, Professor David McNeill (A92) will deliver a lecture entitled, "On knowledge, ignorance and imitation in Book 10 of Plato's &public. "Professor McNeill gives the tAllA"'11no- account of his lecture. "In my lecture, I will look at the critique of dramatic or imitative poetry Socrates offers in Book 10 of the &public. Despite the fact that this passage provides the most famous attack on poetry in our history, there are good reasons to wonder at its strangeness. The most obvious of these reasons, of course, is the fact that the &public itself is a piece of imitative poetry. What I want to suggest, however, is that the strangeness of the argument goes much deeper than this, and that by paying attention to what is strange in Socrates' argument we will be given reasons for thinking that the "ancient quarrel" or opposition between philosophy and poetry is not nearly so obvious as Socrates seems to make it out to be. battles. Everyone is trying to claw their way up the divided line to reach some sort of understandable meaningwithin an hour and ten minutes, but often times they fail or leave someone feeling massacred along the way. When I came back a month ago, I realized once again that I was nothing but a bronze-souled, know-nothing, shadow-staring cave-dweller. More importantly, I realized all my romanticized notions about classroom etiquette were silly. What I mean by this-and brace yourself because D.O.T.Q. does not mince words-is that there are some certified psychos at this school. But you don't need me to tell you. You realized it the moment you walked into that one class of yours, the one with the girl with that voice, the one with the guy with that face, the one with that broken couple, that core group. Let's face it: sometimes you have to sit through a pretty awkward, torturous quagmire of a conversation because of select... ahem ... "personalities." My favorite is The Indignant One, that person who usually sits through a seminar or tutorial with a squinched-up reddish face and prefaces all his/her comments with an angry, ''But Ultimately, I will suggest that very aspects of imitation that make it politically or ethically questionable on Socrates' account point to an essential connection between imitation and Socrates' own understanding of philosophy." Please join us for the lecture and question period. Michael Dink Dean THE~ GADFLY Weekfy Meetings Tuesdays at 5:00 PM -BBC 109 can we reaf!y say that ... ?" and ends "W:ith a loud, exasperated huff I always marvel how this person can go through class maintaining a blood pressure just slightly below simmering. I know The Indignant One will have an aneurism someday, but not before he/ she can contradict every point made by every other person in class. Then there is The One With The Details, that person who uses the word "extrapolate" to excess and often accompanies his/her points with lengthy textual blocks. This person does a great job at reminding everyone of the ogy of Achilles, from mother to second cousin to pet hamster-once-removed. It's always refreshing to hear the minutia being hashed out for minutes on end. You should be wary of Coattails, that person who often says informative, articulate things. The only problem is those things happen to be the regurgitated idea of someone ten, five, or even one comment ago. The funniest classroom personality is The Gesticulator. The sweeping, almost obscene arm movements he/ she makes detracts from every one of his/her statements. For some reason, this person feels like his/her "signature move" is crucial to hammering home a point, but it cheapens the argument and ends up turning a tutorial into a bizarre tai-chi class. Logorrhea Diarrhea is similar, but instead of distracting hand movements this person supplies vocal inserts such as "uhh," "ya'know;' ''like," "essentially," and ''Plato." The volume of speech spewing forth from L.D.'s mouth is incredible. Take out the padding of useless words, however, and there is a miraculous 95% reduction of classroom talk time. Want My Autobiography is plain annoying. This person loves to talk about his/her own life story with personal examples that never quite relate to the topic at hand. Yes, everyone laughs at the anecdote about the time when Want My Autobiography's dog ate all the cottage cheese. Soon after, though, everyone is scratching their heads and wondering how that story related to the Paradise Lost seminar where it was told. I'm sure we've all been confronted with these characters at some ti.me here at St John's. We might have even displayed some of their charming characteristics ourselves at one time or another. The point is you don't have to own a maroon smoking jacket to talk about books, but you should probably coolit with the flailing arms. ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 3 �]en-5aisQuoi: K_eep the Pretty by Jennifer Wright '08 Staff Writer I READ THE GADFLY LAST WEEK and was fascinated by the number ofletters being written about the recent expulsions and was delighted to see all the fun words and phrases that peppered them. Phrases like "rights of the accused" and "rehabilitating the polity." I like those words. Rehabilitating! Rights! They seemed appropriate. But there was one word I didn't see. And that word is "pretty." People don't seem to be taking into account, or aren't taking into account to nearly the extent they should, the fact that at least two members of the foursome being expelled are attractive. One always brings, at least to my mind, the thought of a natty British prep school. I look at him and I like to imagine him wearing that oatmeal colored sweater he so often wears - or perhaps that other maroon colored sweater he also wears a lot - strolling through the moors somewhere in Rannoch and then returning to his preparatory school to be lectured on dead poets, possibly Robin Williams. Every time he does not leap up on a tabletop and recite "Oh captain, my captain" I am shocked and a little depressed. Still I find it overwhelmingly laudable that he dresses and cuts his hair in a fashion that so easily allows him to p'lay a role in that kind of romantic fantasy. The other is female and has long blonde hair (and in an age where only 2% of the population is naturally blonde, the very fact that you have b londe hair sh o uld give you an edge in the beauty Olympics) . She also has a waist · which, sideways, appears to be no bigger than the size of my hand, which I both admire and covet. Admittedly I only see her from a distance, and her waist may be bigger than the width of my hand up close, but I don't think so. I think she's really pretty. I wish I were blonde. I don't know who the other two are. They may very well be very attractive. I'm just not as into this whole "investigative journalism" thing as I sometimes pretend to be. Let's all just imagine they're good look- mg. In any event, it seems that the administration hasn't taken into account the extent to 4 which kicking out pretty people will diminish go to U of C at least in part because the the glory of the polity. Obviously, at the present students there are the ugliest people in it will just make the polity a dimmer, darker the entire world, and I thought that it haired place. But how will it affect us in the would rule out any possibility of having future? Consider the statistics. 60% of a love life for the next four years. ActuJohnnies marry other Johnnies. 80% of ally, that was my only reason for n ot goJohnny-Johnny marriages are successful. Suc- ing there. If the people at the University cess means that they probably will breed. A of Chicago had all been gorgeous I guarridiculous number ofJohnnies send their chil- antee you I'd be studying there right n ow. dren to their alma mater. If Johnnies cannot I imagine there are probably at least a few breed with attractive Johnnies they will be forced other people who got lured to St. Jo h n 's to breed with ugly Johnnies. They will be forced with thoughts of finding a partner who to do this because they will try to talk about could appreciate Kafka, and who was also Hegel with outsiders on their first dates and really, really good looking. find those dates end very, very quickly. If so.m eIt's not just a matter of my being kind what attractive Johnnies have no option but of superficial. It's human nature to want to marry and procreate with ugly Johnnies it to find the most attractive spouse you can means there is a good chance their children will (albeit one who is also compatible with be ugly. And they'll send them here. What if you) . If we lose the attractive students, they breed like the Flemings?Or the then we lose prospective students. And Russells? But instead of being really, really trained though we are to think about good looking like the Flemings and the beauty thro u gh most of our texts , if we Russells all their children look like the el- don't have beautiful people to remind us ephant man? of what a powerful effect it can have on I'll tell you what will happen. The us, then beauty becomes somehow more president of Yale will make fun of us, remote and surely something we're apt to that's what will happen. A few years ago spend less time studying. Our studies, our there was a mild stir when the P r esident vital studies, will be immeasurably imof Yale was asked by one his peers why pacted by the dearth of good looking students were so strongly encouraged to men and women. Moreover, with a lack send photographs of themselves along of attractive people, if it hinders our abilwith their admissions essays . The official ity to see beauty's significance, it will deline on this was that it allowed people to stroy our spirits . Emerson knew the imrecognize them quickly when they came portance of surrounding oneself with to tour the school, and the subtle impli- beautiful people when he wrote, "Never cation was that it would make them think lose an opportunity of seeing anything of you as a human being, and not just as that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handa number. When questioned about it writing - a wayside sacrament. Welcome though, the President sighed, and said it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in they did it because "God forbid we end every fair flower and thank God for it as a up looking like those goddamn freaks at cup of blessing." the University of Chicago" (for those of So keep the pretty. It's good for our you considering further education at Yale, souls. And for the school's reputation. send a pretty picture). You'll notice he Because, as someone wrote last week, the didn't say "those goddamn freaks at St. school is like a family. And do you really John's." He probably thought about it for want people to think that all the other a moment, but then he thought about members of your family look like some of out more attractive members, goddamn freaks? cir-such as the ones we're about to expel. He has a good point though, insofar as he recognizes the benefits of having an attractive student body. Honestly, I didn't . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Gadfly Book Reviews Shakespearean Philosophy by Benjamin Ross Hoffman '08 .A..D. NuTTALL's Shakespeare the Thinkeris a book that does exactly what it should. It is dedicated to the thesis that Shakespeare used his drama to explore deep intellectual and philo sophical issues. In other words, Shakespeare thought through his plays. Nuttall demonstrates this by bringing out the philosophic content within Shakespeare's body of work, one play at a time. Not only is the I book's thesis adequately estab ~· lished, but moreover it quickly becomes clear just how different each play is from the next, and thus how far-ranging Shakespeare's thoughts were. The carefully structUred introduction inaugurates Nuttall's attempt to get a sense of Shakespeare as a man was like with an account of the death by drowning of Katherine Hamlett near Stratford, eerily similar to that of Ophelia in Hamlet. From discussing Shakespeare's transformation of Hamlett's death into Gertrude's lyric account of Ophelia's death, Nuttall segues naturally into a discussion of his toricism and formalism , contending that while historical circumstances are important clues to what Shakespeare and his audience were thinking about, their value to the reader is to show how Shakespeare the individual responded to his historical context. As Nuttall puts it, "Coriolanus obviously does not mean 'There were corn riots last year."' Nuttall finishes his introduction with a treatment of Shakespeare's relation to Catholic ritual, and argues quite plausibly that its appearance in his plays has a more complex meaning than Shakespeare's being a secret Catholic; rather, the startlingly casual appearance of Catholic ritual and belief are just one symptom of a subtle mind used to thinking in fundamentals, and adopting any tools or symbols necessary to do so. As Nuttall goes on to draw out the ideas from Shakespeare's plays, several sweeping themes emerge as favorite Shakespearean issues. Many of the histories explo re the ~ ·: S hak~pearethe · Thin~er._ ..... ·. . by A.D. .Nuttall : .. Yale Univer~itf Press · (2007) . · fa~dwver, 448 pgs<·· ~ ·. · . ! . . $30._00 '' puzzle of the difference between internal (subjective, willful) and external (objective, causal) causes for things. Other issues explored include the relationship between stoicism and subjectivism, the discord between superficial verbality and real natural meaning, and the relation between charity and justice, generosity and trade. But above all, Shakespeare is shown to be a sophisticated thinker, n o t happy to reduce an issue to a binary choice. Few of his plays are about just one thing, and there are no answers, only increasingly difficult questions. Most of Nuttall's arguments fall well within the bounds or reasonability. In several places he argues in what seems like a fair manner for the other point of view when it comes to a historical or philosophic question. A reader in search of a comparison of aesthetic interpretations, however, will have to turn elsewhere. This book is clearly not intended as a comprehensive commentary. Even better than the argument is the style. Nuttall has achieved a clarity of expression that verges on the self-evident, even when explaining the thorniest of philosophic issues. He only uses a few personal stories, all of which strengthen the force of his argument. Moreover, they are short stories; his apology for bringing up his personal fascination with Ophite Gnosticism is almo st as long as the digression itself. His style is also engaging and approachable, often illustrating the plausibility of his interpretation with staging suggestions. (There is even a casting suggestion.) I should no te, though, that N uttall is in bad need of a better proofreader. Should you read this book? If you care at all about appreciating Shakespeare, I find it hard to think of a reason why you should not. The most important thing in the book is Nuttall's method of ap proaching Shakespeare. Consequently, the introduction and first two chapters are a must-read, to benefit from Nuttall's understanding of Shakespeare as a thinker. The remainder of the book should still be very valuable to anyone who wants any help understanding, one play at a time, Shakespeare's thought. I recommend it highly. ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 5 �Time Management for Johnnie Athletes by Shunji Matsuzawa '08 OVER TI-IE LAST SEVERAL GAMES \HTI-! MY TEA.Il.1, it has gradually come to my attention that there are too few active Spartans who come out with regularity and with the strong desire to win. All too often it seems that students decide against working on their teamwork skills on the athletic field; this behavior leads to a fitness deficiency, as well as an under- developed faculty for cooperation and competition. I empathize with this phenomenon. When I was an underclassman, I stopped going to games after I was head-butted during a soccer game. It was embarrassing to have a swollen forehead for about a week, and getting asked whether I got into a fight every time I walked down the steps of Randall Hall to get to my 9:00 AM. But ultimately this is a poor excuse for not playing sports, unless one is injury prone beyond the usual bounds. It's a baffling problem when you take into consideration that playing sports at St. John's is bar none the best way to maintain well-being; intramurals have all the advantages of pick-up games with your friends back home, without any of the hassle of coordinating schedules. Yet students, especially Spartans, don't come out to play enough; and we are consequently one fifth our manpower at any given game. So far this year, we have always been out-numbered. But we never were fazed by the "athanatoi". It seems to me that ultimately, it boils down to a time- management problem. I can see no other reason ..And retrospectively speaking, it would have been great to have an upperclassman talk to me about time-management skills when I was a younger guy. So what I will write below is a privilege I would have envied you for several years ago. The Singaporean writer on economics and management theory, N orthincote Parkinson is credited with a very succinct idea that sounds so obvious that it almost seems to make no sense under the lens of contemplation. Its applications are far-reaching if not immediately intuitive. I am referring to his maxim, ''Work expands to fill the time available for its completion". It is a maxim derived from reams of data collected by the Economist magazine in the 50s and 60s, so we can assume it to be fairly rigorous. In unpacking the statement, we can say that people in general cease to focus on a task unless there is a directive specifying the time alloted for its completion. When the time frame is specified, the work, "on average", stretches out until the end of the allotted time, due to its conflict with other tasks within the big, multi-tasking bundle that anyone has at any given moment, aka life. Therefore, the more time you allow yourself to complete a specific task, the more work you end up doing. Whether that means you're staring at the wall when you should be working is of no consequence. Staring at a wall is a kind of work that detracts from the work you should be doing, meaning the actual work will have to be done later. Yet one who maintains focus can complete more of that primary work, such that laziness can be practised later in a more complete state. In other words, the laziness of some The Importance of Horses by Hank Schley '09 ST. J OHN's COL.LEGE NEEDS AN ON-CAMPUS HORSE. Such an animal would be perfect to guide us in our adventures. A trusted companion and a hearty meal for those cold winter months. We could feed him, and house him, and hug him, and name him, and bathe him, and all the other things one might want to do with a horse. I don't really understand how we've gotten along for so long without one. I mean without a horse what's to stop us from becoming mindless savages and attacking peoples for food and pleasure. Only the majestic power of a horse can tame us so that we may ride off in search of people to fight for food and pleasure. Everything is better with a horse, everything. Just imagine having a horse that could tie your shoes for you. Everyday would be a day of pure joy..And of course who could forget about the waste disposal that comes with owning a horse. l'vfmmm... I can taste it now. What could be greater than a seminar horse? Horses are the philosophers of four-legged mammals that we ride on adventures. This is clear 6 people is not laziness at all, but a dejitienry in consciousness of the complete idea of la~ness. Lazy people in the classical sense have got it all wrong; the modem lazy man works continually ahead ofhis extrinsic schedule, so that laziness follows him everywhere he goes, which is to say the tru/y lazy are working all the time on whatever thry need to work on to achieve the ultimate leisure. It's easy to see that this kind of person can afford the luxury of enjoying an athletic event with the Spartans, the best, most fun team ever. The cardiovascular workout entailed by running around for over an hour would increase his metabolism in the long run, and therefore allow him to work more efficiently. So not only would it be possible to play games with the Spartans, but doing so would be a great benefit to the primary work, i.e. studying, as well as for clearing out pores, defining the muscles, providing higher levels of energy and countless other miscellaneous benefits. Therefore, the benefits accrued by the lifestyle of a Spartan who plays sports on back campus increases in direct proportion to how hard he plays and how hard he aches for victory. The greater the fitness, the greater the glory, and this creates a win-win situation all-around, all the time. This is Sparta: get your ass on the grass. If you don't know you're a Spartan go check the roster, check the game schedules. Both of these can be found on the bulletin board next to the Coffee Shop ladies room, i.e. by the East entrance. Also, watch out for schedules in your mailbox. Go Blue!~ from the fact the Camels have humps. I mean humps? Come on. Humps are only good for getting caught in doorways, the worst place for discussion. Under the sea is bad too. Dam dugongs with their lack of eating meat. Perhaps one horse will not be enough. Then we shall have an army of horses. We will ride them into battle against the void. This will be pointless so we must do it but moreso. Thus it is evident that we should have an army of miniature horses trained to feast on human flesh. They will only know love. Which is to say that they will only know hate, the best kind oflove. They shall roam back campus with an iron fist. The subject of the iron fist will be highly debated but even a potential iron fist is enough to persuade the grass to grow. Wouldn't you rather talk about cannibals. I'd rather talk about cannibals. They eat the flesh of their own kind you know. I've always found that fascinating. I've never eaten human flesh but just imagine the possibilities. You could get a free meal every 9 months. Sometimes with a bonus! Or we could just eat pieces of someone and then wait for those pieces to regrow. There is nothing nobler than eating the heart of the . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Article continued on pg. 9 �DC Minutes Athletes of the Week by Charles Hamm '08 September 19 Members present Mr. Meyers, l'vfr. Hamm, fs. Seiler, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Throop, Ms. Walsh, fr. Donahoe, Mr. Dre.-.der, Mr. Lewkow, Ms. ·ckling, J\fa Hauspurg, Ms. Andrews, Ivir. bo Dias, Ms. Frazier, Mr. Papadopoulos, Mr. fyers, Ms. Deaton and Mr. Simmons Agenda: -Preliminary Budgeringfor Waltz Committee, SCI, Student Community Service, Shammai 0ew) Club -Discussion ofRecentDisciplinary Action -Women's Circle Charter Waltz Committee- preliminarily budgeted for 996.62 SCI-preliminarily budgetedfor$116.48 Student Community Service- preliminarily udgeted for $106.00 Shammai 0ew) Club- preliminarily budgeted for$592.00 Three of the four students involved in the ecent disciplinary actions described to those resent how they understand the whole situation. Committees, forums, seminars and etters are proposed although nothing is decided Miss Pendergast The Women's Grcle charterwas approved by D.C. :Minutes: Sept 21 Members present Mr. Meyers, Mr. Hamm, fs. Seiler, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Throop, Ms. Walsh, fr. Donahoe, Mr. Drexler, Ms. Hickling, Ms. auspurg, Ms..Andrews, I'vir. Harrison, J\,fr. bo Dias, Ms. Frazier, Mr. Papadopoulos, J\,fr. ' fyers, Ms. Deaton and l'vfr. Simmons Agenda: Preliminary Budgeting for Croquet, Sailing Team, Storytellers Guild, The Epoch, Orthodox Christian Fellowship, Fencing Croquet- preliminarily budgeted for $870.00 Sailing- asked to return once a policy for gas eimbursementis decided on Storytellers Guild-preliminarily budgeted for $147.85 The Epoch- preliminarily budgeted for $1400.00 Orthodox Christian Fellowship- asked to etum once a policy for gas reimbursement is decided on Fenci.ng-preliminarilybudgetedfor$1420.00 J\,fr. Hanover, being nominated by J\,fr. feyers for the position of D.C. Treasurer, is elected to the position in an Emergency Action Toting Item. Mr. Tavani You MAKE THE CALL: No one stepped up to the plate to answer last week's puzzler: yes, it is legal to switch goal keepers with an eligible player anytime during the penalty kick shoot out. And now for this week's teaser. In soccer, during a kick-off, the opponents of the team taking the kick are not ten yards from the ball when the kick-off is taken. What is the call? First one to me with the right call goes to the Bookstore on me. You may leave your answer on my voicemail, Mr. Pickens, x2558. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �Expulsions continued from pg. .1 and even the "ineffectiveness" of interaction with administrators. The conversation quickly descended into animosity and confusion, causing many to realize that students and their convictions are not on the same page. A polity member questioned "\V1hy is it that it took these expulsions for us to realize that there is a problem here? How did we let it get this way?" Following the meeting DC member Jessie Seiler admitted to being taken aback by these unexpected queries concerning administrators, as well as the obvious disconnect among students in terms of communal understanding. So the question stands: what is the origin of this disconnect, and what can we do to properly address it? Many points were brought up during this meeting and the following forum facilitated by the Delegate Council proposing that origins of such a problem could come from the school's unusual increase in numbers or the increase of press and publicity that St. John's has been receiving. The lack of tutorage in proper drinking etiquette and the increase in press coverage of college binge drinking were other proposed contributing factors. \Xlhile all of these are valid points, the attitudes of students concerning their relationship with administrators are still a concern meriting further communication. l'vfiss Seiler comments, "\Vhen I started talking to students about it, they were often angry at the administration. I understand that. But it was interesting - as the conversation progressed, a lot of students decided that they were most frustrated with what they saw as their inability to be heard out by the Assistant Dean, the Dean, and the President". This is a funny problem, considering the accessibility of our tiny administration. During both of the public forums, Ms. Seiler quickly pointed out that those who are easily boxed into the term "administration" are tutors and friends, with the main goal of addressing any issue brought to them. She even brought up the intimacy of these relationships, denoting how Ms. Kronsberg was her freshman tutor, and how l'vfr. Nelson serves cookies and milk to students. So where is this inaccessibility coming from? \Vb.y is there such a widespread sentiment of dissatisfaction? And further, how can we as a polity, students and administrators, come to an understanding? Much of the dissatisfaction resides in the four expulsions. Many have expressed their confusion at the severity of the punishment or the message being propagated by the administrators involved. Ms. Seiler mentioned the student's concern at their inability to be heard This makes sense considering the numerous letters and meetings on behalf of the students being punished. One of the four being asked to leave, comments, "Our community should be based on a standard oflife-related respect and conversation as set by Socrates in all ofhis dialogues described by his follower, Plato. I don't see any evidence anywhere in our polity that suggests that if people lead their life decisions and interactions through truth-based honest discussion, they shouldn't learn through experiences and arrive either at some kind of understanding of each other's views or hopefully a consensus." These expulsions are evidence that while this is an ideal we could hold for the community, it is not the realIt appears many feel as though they have not arrived at a place where their views and grievances are addressed. Many students are dissatisfied and confused over the lack of compromise between students and administrators in the decisions made. Yet, this school does operate on that ideal of discussion and mutually sought consensus. The The Polity's Response by Chris Thom '09 Tr-rn CONVERSATION ROOM \\'AS PACKED LAST THURSDAY, September 20, as students met to discuss the overall drinking culture of St. John's, and what actions should be taken to adjust that culture. Despite the events oflast week, the subject of the meeting was steered clear of the recent administrative actions and focused (if the meeting could be called 'focused') on why this disciplinary action came about, and how we could "be safer as a community." Even with the many varied topics and opinions, the flow of the conversation stuck mostly to the orientation and inclusion of freshmen into the overall school culture. Those upperclassmen present talked of the need to introduce individuals who would seek to drink as 8 notorious Student Handbook is not inscribed in stone, but subject to critique and change at the address and care of a student. As Ms. Seiler urgently reminds "Ms. Kronsberg, l'vfr. Dink, and J\fr. Nelson are all busy people, but their doors are always open to us." So is there an issue of people not communicating with those that they take issue with? Ms. Krons berg says, ".Many students do come in to talk to me, but I am aware that there are others who do not. I appreciate the conversations I do have but I remind myself that not everyone feels comfortable speaking with me. Students who do can often encourage others, and that is a great help." Ms. Kronsberg plans to hold a forum on the subject of alcohol policies, which will be an open discussion in which people can address whatever concerns they have. There are also things students can do to get more involved and be responsible to the community. We can and should do this in the interest of coming to an agreement with our peers and administrators alike. We can vote and pay attention to our student representatives in the S.C.I. and the DC. Says Ms. Seiler " ..it's in situations like the one the Polity has just stUmbled into that your student government becomes so important," J\Is. Seiler continues, " ... we need to earn back [the administrator's] trust a little bit. So let's start by doing as much as we can as students to rebuild our sense of community. You know, little things. Take care of each other at parties, have intelligent conversations about the problems we're having, stuff like that. We're smart people. We can figure out responsible, reasonable solutions to this type of question. And we all have the same goals in mind, right? So ifwe can figure out how to pull ourselves together, I'm convinced that the Dean, Assistant Dean, and President of the College will listen up." ~ freshmen into the drinking culture safely, without pressuring anyone. Students also stressed the need to keep drinking above ground, where it would be safer for all parties involved. Several solutions were offered up to improve the polity overall. Expanding freshmen orientation, clearly defining the roles ofRAs and SRAs as members of the overall community (not as enforcers to be avoided), and the need for every class to take responsibility for their drinking and the drinking of others. If any conclusions can be drawn about the meeting, one could say that every person on campus needs to put forth greater effort to talk, both to newer/ older students respectively, and to the administration. Freshmen, as well as the student community as a whole, need to meet, talk to, and trust their resident assistants to help maintain a safe atmosphere at school parties. Many consider the early parties to be the introduction of freshmen to the school's party culture, but the introductions need to start long before the drinking ever does.~ . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �A Message from Women's Circle by Alexandra Walling '10 LET'S BE HONEST WITH OURSEI..VES: here at St. John's, alcohol is the primary social lubricant because many of us are so hopelessly awkward that we feel it would be impossible to talk to a member of the opposite sex- let alone dance with one- without being so buzzed we can barely string a sentence together. Unfortunately for those among us who fight for the right to party, the administration has decided to crack down on the public intoxication of minors. The inevitable consequence, of course, is that people will now start drinking privately in their dorm rooms more frequently than before. Inevitably, people will find themselves drunk and alone with a member of the opposite sex who's starting to look remarkably attractive- and, odds are, their best bud isn't going to be there to say, ''Whoa there, I've heard of beer goggles, but isn't this going a bit far?" .And in a student body of 500, it only takes one person living the unexamined sex life to start an epidemic. All humor aside, there are certain risks that go along with the private consumption of alcohol, particularly when we can't all hold our liquor well, and not all of us are experienced enough with alcohol to know our limits and stay in control. We need to be aware that alcohol poisoning isn't the only potential health risk that goes along with excessive drinking. Sexual health risks are also pressing. First, don't drink with people you don't know without someone you do know and trust to watch your back. This is especially true if you aren't used to drinking or if your judg- ment changes significantly when you're drunk. Watch out for yourself and try not to put yourself in a situation where someone could take advantage of you. Drinking behind closed doors means that your RA or that helpful upperclassman isn't going to be able to intervene easily if you get yourself into trouble or if trouble finds you. As a precaution, until you know how you handle your liquor, drink with people you trust. If you wind up drunker than you'd like, or if something or someone hurts you when you've been drinking, understand that your RAs and the administration care far more about you staying alive and well than they do about disciplinary infractions. And finally, know that if someone takes advantage of you while you are drunk, it isn't your fault. You aren't responsible for other peoples' bad behavior, and you don't have to let them get away with it because you were drinking. Second, know your limits. Think about sex and alcohol before you have sex or get drunk. We're here at St. John's because we like to think about things; there's no earthly reason we shouldn't think about sex and alcohol, too. Figure out what you're comfortable with, what you're definitely not comfortable with, and what you're still experimenting with. If you know you're planning to drink on a certain night, think through how you want the night to go and what you definitely don't want to do. If you have a set of general principles and a game plan for specific situations, it's a lot easier to say no whether it be to another beer or to the advances of the guy you met at the party who invited you back to his room to "listen to some music." Third, whether you think you're going to need it or not, make sure you have a form of birth control and STD protection on you at all times, and make sure you know how to use it, practically as well as theoretically. Condoms are wonderful. Most of the R.As put them in bathrooms on your floor, and if they haven't, the Health Center gives them out in discreet little paper bags. The Health Center also provides dental dams and STD screening, and can write prescriptions for hormonal birth control and emergency contraception. Fourth, take a moment to think about sexual ethics. Beyond whether or not you want to have sex, and whether or not you have protection, keep in mind that having drunken sex isn't just problematic due to health risks . People can make bad decisions while drunk, perhaps particularly about sex. Be a force for good. Make your standard Enthusiastic, Informed Consent, because why would you want to have sex with someone who doesn't want it as much as you do? Have that awkward conversation while you're in the middle of getting undressed because if you guess, and if you guess wrong, the consequences are far worse than just awkwardness. And please, don't go looking for inebriated freshmen. College is a time for experimentation. I know this, you know this, even Ms. Kronsberg knows this. But please experiment sanely and safely, and for heaven's sake, have fun! Making Good on a Promise by Matt Butler '09 Hr, OVER THE PAST FE\"V WEEKS you've probably seen my face all over campus, and if you came to the after seminar meeting, you probably heard me talk a bit. That's awesome and I hope everyone is really enjoying their year. I made a promise at that meeting, and I hope to keep it with this article. I understand that college is a stressful time for a lot of people, and that it takes a lot of support to be away from your friends and family for such a long period of time. As I said at the meeting, I don't really knoweveryoneyet,butldon'twantanyoneto be in trouble. In the interest of that, I'm going to give you my phone number. Now, just so you know, I probably will never call you from this number, and it will be shut off during class times, but I promise, if you leave your name and number on here, any time you want to talk, I'll try to be there for you. And I do just mean talk. If you are having a minor or major, easy or hard, homework related or not, I'm happy to try to help. If you just want someone to go out to coffee with. Ifyou just need someone to listen, I'll try to be available. If you need anything, call me at (443) 221 -4694. You can also email me at 4432214694@grandcentral.com and be sure that I will get it. Hope to talk to you soon.~ Horses continued from pg. 6 man you have defeated in combat. Fresh heart is the best. Or at least a beating heart. Sometimes you can get it beating again after it has stopped by warming it up. And so we have demonstrated the importance of horticulture in a multi-horse society, the beauty of the motion of the heavenly spheres, and why chimeras are always, always, the best possible idea. Invite a friend, and remember that a cannibal will always laugh at a child-king.~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 9 �Bookstore continued from pg. 1 Robin first described his job to me a.s that of "just a humble tradesman." He tells the best stories! If you ever get a chance you should ask him about his childhood in Ghana, his life in Edinburgh, his adventures in the wild and crazy world of international publishing and book.selling, or his passion for aviation. Better yet, go and talk to him about his current passion: trying to improve the bookstore. He has done very well. I found out that in the nine years since Robin joined the staff they have never made a loss and revenue has increased 4fold. But that doesn't mean much to those who are concerned that the way bookstore is being run is not in line with the mission of the school. In fact, they are concerned that it is being run too much like a for-profit business, that it is too commercial. In order to address this concern, I asked what happens to the profits that are made at the bookstore. It turns out the bookstore is not a for-profit business at all. As part of the college, the bookstore is a non-profit organization. That means that any money the bookstore makes, after covering costs, goes into the general fund of the college, which mostly goes to financial aid. So the more that Robin runs the bookstore like a for-profit, and the more money he makes, the more students will be able to afford to attend St. John's and be involved in what we do. So everything sold in the bookstore, from a Penguin to a platypus, goes to helping the greater college community. It goes towards helping us actualize our mission. How could that be bad? But people are still concerned that the way the bookstore is being run is too commercial. For instance, when the Bookstore started expanding the selection of non-program books there was some resistance. The bookstore saw their primary duty to be making available the program texts, but they were also in the business of offering people what they want. After learning that all profit goes towards enriching the college community, I had trouble seeing why a larger selection would not be embraced by everyone. For one, it brings more people into the bookstore, especially people from outside our college community. That is what conversation and our college is all about: bringing people together to talk and learn from one another through books. In my conversations with Robin I learned that over the past ten years of employment he has seen some controversy as he tries to bring patrons into the store. Robin told me that after 9/11 there were a lot of requests for more 10 books on Islam and the 1-fiddle East. The bookstore set up a section catering to those tastes, but again there was resistance. A few members of the community were concerned that the bookstore was pandering to pop culture and public opinions. But Robin said that "it is not my job to be controversial ... it is my job to give people what they want." He wants the community to shop at St John's, as opposed to the myriad of other options, so he honors their interests. The biggest non-book draws to the Bookstore are, of course, college memorabilia . ..1.\.nd yet this has been one oflong-standing points of contention within the college. There are only two places in the world to get St. John's College memorabilia, the college bookstores in Annapolis and Santa Fe. This exclusivity draws people into the bookstore, where they usually purchase more than just a stick of gum. Parents, alumni, friends, family and students want to show their support for our great institution. It's a way of expressing their relationship to it. In buying the memorabilia, patrons are not only supporting the college directly, through the profit of their purchases, but they are also helping to bring awareness about St. John's to a wider audience. We all know that St. John's can be hard to explain. It couldn't be done with a billboard that says "St. John's College: Great Books, Not Basketball." But by having merchandise circulating, we are able to advertise for the college through personal exchanges. Someone can ask us about the school on the bus, or at the museum and can be introduced to our mission. We all benefit from this conversation. One more person learns more about us and the ripples of effect end only who-knows-where. How great! Once I had addressed other peoples' concerns, I wanted to find out about a few my own. Firstly, why are the manuals for our classes so expensive? And secondly, why does the bookstore run out of the most popular edition of St. John's program books? It is so frustrating! When I asked Robin, he looked embarrassed and earnestly said, "I feel terrible, I am not here to make people miserable or bankrupt them .. .I see it as a personal mission to keep the costs down .. .I am their bookstore, their bookstore, suggest books and I will see if I can try it out, comments or complaints, I will explain everything, they are entitled to ask me." Robin has stiff competition from so many other booksellers that keeping the prices high w ould do nothing for the b~okstore: it wouldn't get the business it wants and it would hurt its relationship with its most important customers: the students. So why are manuals so expensive? Well, I found out that one reason is the smaller the printing, the more it costs per item. St. John's has relatively small printings, so the prices tend to be higher. Also copyrights are very expensive. Some of the more obscure translations we use in our Laboratory manuals can be especially expensive. Each copyright must be received individually, renewed yearly and sometimes costs up to $0.20 a page. With a 250 page manual that begins to add up. I always assumed that competition would keep the prices down for most of the books, but since the bookstore is the only place to buy class manuals, I thought that they might take advantage of this opportunity to charge me at a higher rate than other books because I can't go anywhere else. I was shocked to learn that that isn't the case! The bookstore knows that the price is a problem and they have done everything they can to keep it down. In order to cover the total costs of the bookstore, Robin has to add an average 28% on everything he sells. But he only adds about 22% to the manuals. This means that patrons who choose to buy in the bookstore those things they could buy at Amazon or Barnes and Noble help to subsidize the students who have to buy their class manuals there. And to help keep the price down in the future, Robin and Crystal Ebert, the new Assistant Manager, and Everett Reed, the new Floor Manager, are exploring new options with copyright clearinghouses that might be able to cut back on some of the fees and ultimately reduce the price of manuals even further. Finally, why does the bookstore run out of the most popular editions? Robin said that since he has limited storage space and limited funds he has to choo se which editions he will stock. The problem is that the "popular" translations actually change dramatically from year to year. And he hasn't come across any factors he can discern or patterns that he can use to improve his predictions. It seems that being able to foresee which editions will be most popular in a given year is about as easy as translating a prophesy given by the Oracle at Delphi. Like all entrepreneurs, Robin tries to plan how to meet the needs people will have in the future with uncertainty about what they will want. It's a miracle that he can do it as well as he does! When I am frustrated by things I see in the world I like to try to figure them out, and when I am able to learn the story of why they are the way are, it turns out that I live in a world that is . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �10 People You Meet in Seminar by Elizabeth Burlington '08 THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF ONE'S LIFE, he is given the opportunity to meet many different types of people. College in particular seems to be the first great experience with those who may or may not share your personal beliefs or feelings. But as great as this may be, there is a sub-division of this experience which is particular to the lovely, impractical world of St. John's College. We've all joined that Facebook group that tells us about 4 7 kinds of people we'll meet in college; it is now my turn to present you with the Ten Kinds of People You'll Meet in Seminar. 1. The person who talks too loudly This person will sit next to you every time and there will be nothing you can do about it. It does not matter if they are particularly impassioned or if they are simply asking the person at the other end of the table to repeat what they just said, they will exclaim loudly and with fervor. It will get to the point where even the normal-volumed people in the room will look like quiet little church mice by comparison. I once stood directly next to the speakers at a System of a Down concert. I find the experience comparable to the aforementioned situation. 2. The person who talks too softly The PWTTS is known by many other names: the mumbler, the person who sits in the comer, and the person who could solve all of the world's ills and no one would notice. This is not to say that this person is silent, or unable to participate in the conversation. No, this person is forever characterized by being cut-off and stepped on because their soft nature makes it impossible for them to be rude and pushy. When they do speak, it is normally accompanied by angels singing, plants giving forth vegetation to sustain all life, and people leaning over the table shrieking things like, "Can Bookstore continued from page 10 much less frustrating than I first thought. The fact that the bookstore does so well means that more people learn about St. John's and there is more financial aid available for students who need it. And all this growth of the community comes without begging for donations or increasing the price, or forcing anybody to do anything they don't want to! It is a win, win, win, win situation. The patrons of the book- you repeat that?" or ''What do you mean Hegel doesn't like kittens? Everyone likes kittens!" Nine and a half times out of the ten, the Quiet Person is a seminar-Messiah, so if you are one of them please learn to be at least somewhat pushy. 3. The person who never talks at all Somehow you will manage to make it to junior year on a total of 14 comments in all of your classes combined. I wish I knew how you did it. The real kicker is that outside of class you are the chattiest little bugger I've ever met, and it's funny 'cause you get silent the second you sit down in that Johnnie Chair. 4. The elaborate simile/ metaphor maker This person is a tree planted by streams of water, a newborn, an Olympian deity, a mighty Spartan warrior ... and, well, just about everything else. EJ'vfj\f is characterized by his ability to create metaphors that are not meant to be, and to blow up to grandiose proportions the ones that are. This person has been known to do things like assign major planets to every organ in the body. 5. The person who compares everything to Aristotle Somewhere in this person's life he read something that changed said life. Since then it has been a crazy rollercoaster ride of trying to compare everything he encounters to this one work or author. Think it's impossible to compare Cato the Younger and non-Euclidean geometry? This person will find a way. Plotinus and Flannery O'Connor? Done. At first this gift appears to be a fascinating one, but by your third or fourth seminar you will be ready to punch someone in the throat. 6. The text messager sumwhere under the table suml iz txtng her BFF back home. seminr sux LOL. Bonus points if she forgets to put her phone on sistore win, the college wins, the students win, and the future Johnnies win. This peaceful and voluntary interaction enriches our community and helps us to educate, what could be more in line with the mission of the college? '!Ir" Rachel Davison runs the Human Action Study Group: Rhetoric of Classical Economics, T uesdqys, 8:00pm, Coffeeshop. She is a Senior-transferfrom Santa Fe, can be reached through campus mail or e-mail at rachel.davison@sjca.edu, and invites your thoughts. lent. The text messager is often linked intrinsically with the person whose cell phone goes off at 10:01 on the dot. These people, however, often find their plans foiled when they realize that words like '~chilies" "phenomenology" "Leviathan" and "Methusalah" are not programmed into their T9. 7. The compulsive time checker There are few people in this world who see any real difference between 9:14 and 9:17, but the CTC is rigidly aware. Every passing second is another second no longer between them and freedom. This person does not care about the time in any other situation, so they do not own a wristwatch. Instead they are characterized by the rather noisy process of opening and closing their cell phone, or the awkward act of continually leaning over the table at strange angles to catch sight of the tutor's watch. These people are also acutely aware of the church bells in the distance, and the sound of other classes moving around. Retribution comes when class goes over by four or five minutes and they can be seen sweating and nervously eyeing the door. Don't pretend it's not funny, 'cause it totally is. 8. The grand hand gesture-maker This person seems to have missed their calling as a newsreader in the Roman Republic. Certain phrases in this case are accompanied by a triumphant throwing of the hands into the air, and anger and dissatisfaction generally merits a severe pounding of the table or the clawing of one's notebook. Though undoubtedly intended to draw attention to and emphasize the speaker's wqrds, these elaborate hand gestures generally serve only to distract in the most fascinating way possible. 9. The doodler If handled correctly the gift of Doodling is more precious than gold. Nothing can sum up seminar better than a series of small cartoons involving stick figures in humorous Program-related situations. Years later you will look back on them and not consider your time to be wasted. 10. The personal vendetta maker The PVM reminds me of how much I don't like my mother. Or my childhood. Or the fact that I don't like the president and that I can think of a thousand different ways that I can do his job better than he ever could. Happy Pigeonholing, kids! '!Ir" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE G ADFLY . 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Editing is for Crazy People by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR ALIZABETH, So my boyfriend wants to be editor of The Gadf!J next year when lvfiss Burlington retires. He's pretty sure this is like being the Archon of the School, and that people will start listening to him in seminar and everything. I have tried to tell him that being the President or Dean is much more like being the Archon of the Schoo~ but there's no dissuading him. \\!hat is your opinion on all this? Sincerely, Possible Future Pseudo-Archoness approximately 127% of your free time. But it is time well spent, even when people don't see or appreciate your labor oflove in progress. So go ahead, encourage your boyfriend. Let him be forewarned, however, that there ain't no golden tripods in the deal. Yours truly, A. Schwab ***** Dear. I think you've come to the right place. Seldom is it within the area of expertise of an advice columnist (namely, working at a newspaper) to answer the questions posed to her, but for once I might be able to do my job and do it well. The responsibilities of the Gadf!J editor, or at least the ones they let you know about before you sign the waiver, are simple. Select the articles worthy of publishing. ]\fake sure someone gathers appropriate graphics. Edit the articles for grammar and make cosmetic changes. Make sure someone hasn't made some snide comment that could give the whole college a bad name. Put it all together in the layout, which must be pretty, or everyone will make fun of you. Oversee every detail, including the little Gadfly at the end of every article:.,.....-. Sorry, little buddy, I'm not finished. Then the fun part starts. You get to work with the staff of the paper in a supervisory capacity. You might think this means being the .Archon of the School, since, well, everybody contributes to The Gadfly and you get to be arbiter of their public mouthpiece, but this isn't actually the case. Your work is serious and important: you must make sure that when important thoughts are being thunk, they are caught in the enormous spider-web that is The Gadf/y ("No .Atrocious Metaphors Permitted™"). Someone has to remind people that Gadf!y articles merit their hard work and persistence - and remind the Polity to be prolific. It's hard work, and it takes 12 Dear Potential Usurper, Let it be known that Miss Burlington will never retire. Rather, 1fiss Burlington will be dragged from her post kicking and screaming, just like she will be dragged kicking and screaming across the stage to collect her diploma (hopefully). Retiring is for wimps. As for your actual question, there are simply no two ways about it. I am afraid that your boyfriend had a nice shot of crazy with his morning expresso when he decided to think that he should someday take this post. There is no respect that comes with this job: rather, it seems more caught between an everfluctuating state of rage and love. One day you will be lauded and crowned with laurel wreaths and the next you will be thrown out into the street to be trampled by men. No one will listen to you in seminar. In fact, you will find seminar to be much more strained and uncomfortable as people will forever live in fear of their words ending up in the "Johnnie Quotes" section of this paper. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . People will also make fun of The Gadf!J a but certainly not to your face. The DC will not give you money, and you will lose all your friends. They will be replaced by micromanaging freshmen and people who think you want to listen to all their ridiculous ideas. You will spend the rest of your days chasing down infidels who promised you fantastic feats of literary genius, but as of Tuesday night are missing in action. If you want to be King of the School, I recommend you pursue something that is more respected by the Polity. Perhaps Melee or watercolors or professional zoo-visiting. Once you become an editor you lose your soul and tum into a mere physical representation of the publication you oversee. Elizabeth McDowell Burlington has withered away and is replaced instead by a robot who wears pink flip flops and listens to the Smashing Pumpkins. Every conversation she has begins with "I had this idea for an article .... " or "Is it too late for me to submit something? I know it's Thursday morning and all .... " The worst part is, if you do take this job you will spend the first few weeks walking around with an undeserved sense of self-accomplishment, when in fact you are more wretched and less respected than the fish that you cut open during freshman lab. The come down is a bitch. You get nothin' for nothin' if that's what you do, E. McDowell Burlington Please send your Program Predicaments to [lizabeth Qurlington or Lili Sch\vab via Campus Mail. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 5 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-09-28 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 5 of The Gadfly. Published September 28, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.5 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/140e30144d0ec7ac2536ea6c0b8ffc1c.pdf d9c5f9dffb454d4e5abdc2f15e334de3 PDF Text Text THE GADFLY The St. john} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 6 Annapolis, Maryland Ottober 12, 2007 Outcome-Based Education and Liberal Arts by Kristin Peterson '11 RHETORIC AND THE LIBERAL ARTS. Drunkenness and the Liberal Arts. " - - - - and the Liberal Arts. Scantron Cards and the Liberal Arts. As a group of people nominally dedicated to the liberal arts, we tend to obsess over whether certain aspects of what we might term 'non-Johnnie reality' are compatible with our ambition to study dead white males in the pursuit of Truth, Beauty, Virtue ... and a degree. Reality, (by which I mean reality, rather than Reality,) must at times seep into our golden bubble uninvited. What would it mean if the standardized test became part of the St. John's reality? Over a year ago, the Department of Educaby Erica Stratton tion released the Spellings Report, a document which aimed to address perceived complacency I ONCE TRIED TO PLAY 1\iELEE, and emerged gression often develop an unchecked obses- and mediocrity in the American higher-educawith quarter-size bruises and a newfound re- sion with fantasy. Living the last 15 years in tion system. The report points out that spect for those who obsessed over role-play- West Virginia has made me familiar with this America's rate of college completion has fallen ing games: not all of them were wimps. Those climate, which breeds such unique American to 12th in the world and threatens to continue were the glory days of Melee, when Mr. pastimes as the SCA, Leather Camp, and the falling. In addition, we are not producing Mcllvain could hold off three guys even with J olo Serpent Handlers. By comparison, this enough graduates with the job training deboth his legs cut off, and Mr. Grape took ad- year's Melee group was doing nothing more manded by the markets. Moreover, the Spellvantage of his Lyme-induced night vision in than sorting through a large pile of foam weap- ings Commission questions the quality of a order to hold "blackout" Melee tournaments ons when I arrived. Then Jason Ritzke, his hair degree from an American college or university: in the Temple. Men whose names are now tied back with a bandanna emblazoned with '~s if this weren't bad enough, there are also synonymous with might, such as Nathan skulls, declared the meeting in session. The disturbing signs that many students who do "Landmass" Lande and Colin Brown, shook team split into two opposing "armies", who earn degrees have not actually mastered the readthe soccer field with the wrath of Ajax and faced off on opposite ends of the soccer field. ing, writing, and thinking skills we expect of This is where the adrenaline rush kicks in. college graduates." Achilles. It was with these memories that I went out to see how the newest generation of During the best games, the opposing teams We at St. John's, of course, pride ourselves stare at one another for a few seconds, and, if on our competence in these areas. Ms. Spell1\felee players measured up. Melee, for those Freshmen who stare the chemistry is right, will suddenly rush at each ings' office, however, believes that the inadwith a scream of equacy of many institutions of higher learning askance at the soccer field every Wednesday other evening, is not exclusive to St. John's. It has its '~u'\ARRRRGGGHHH!" Once a limb is hit, roots in rural areas such as Appalachia, where people with a lot of free time and natural agSpellings continuded on Page 6 Melee continued on Page 4 "Ow!" The New Melee Club �SCI Minutes THE !\VGADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Layout Gabrielle Aines Proofreaders A. Sabrina Rourke Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Erica Stratton Contributing to this Issue Gabrielle Aines Rachel Bartgis Kirstie Dodd Stacey Goguen Nate Okhuysen Kristin Peterson Robert Sale Ali Schwab Erica Stratton Jennifer Wright Septelllher27,2007 All members present Topics Discussed: Budgeting for Study-groups* -l\1r. Papadopoulos suggested advertising to the polity that limited funding for study groups is offered Review of last week's Forum - Response and future action - Ms. Seiler noted that further consideration is necessary in order to initiate the proper action *If you are or will be involved in a studygroup and wish to request funding please contact J\fr. Pavlos Papadopoulos Upcoming Events: -Meetings every Thursday at 11:45 in the private dining room...All are welcome! -Shakespeare in the Fall: First Seminar October 23- reading TBA. Questions? Please contact l\1r. Clint Richardson for answers October 4, 2007 .All members present Topics Discussed: Pre-Lecture Seminars: Possible dates 10/ 12, 10/26 Steiner Lecture Shakespeare in the Fall: Ivlr. Richardson reported on the schedule. Tuesdays 8pm 10/23 Measure for Measure (Mr. Grenke) 11I6, 11I13 Henry IV part II (Mr. May) 11/27, 12/4.A.ntony& Cleopatra (Ms. Printz) "Shakespeare on the Quad": Mr. Richardson and ]\.fr. Butler are organizing dramatic readings to be performed on the quad Tuesdays at 2:20 in accordance with the seminars in the evening Sign ups will be encouraged Costumes may be involved More information to be released. . Fr/d2iy/Nfght. k(t~r~ .. ' .. -;~ '. ·:·'· ''· ' .. ..·;: . . '• . ; i. ; '. ," .. '... '. .' . ·"' :. ByJan~t Dougherty. · . . Tiitor, St. ic>i~n' s •College~ ~alita. F¢ . . . ,. ''. .' .'- . ' . Friday~Octobe:r 12, 2001 ... · .. -_ 8:1s p~m..:· · ., . F'rancis.Scott Key Audi~rium. · LJcture Preview Founded in 1980, The Gadfly is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadf!y staff. The Gadf!y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly pref erred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 . THE GADFLY On Friday, October 12, at 8:15 p.m. in the FSK Auditorium, Santa Fe tutor Janet Dougherty will deliver a lecture entitled, "Cartesian Certainty, or Awakening from the Dreams of a Slave." Ms. Dougherty offers the following preview of her lecture. "For the knowledge of the good, which he deems unattainable, Descartes substitutes a rule: One should assent only to the things that can be known very clearly and distinctly, and the good cannot. For virtue, he provides another rule: "One must never .. .lack the will to undertake ... all things that one decides to be best ...." To accept these rules is the beginning of the attainment of true liberty, as contrasted with the dreams of a slave. In this talk I will follow the structure of The Meditations in discussing first Descartes' project of founding the sciences on a solid foundation and the necessity of the distinction between thinking and extended substance. Next, I will argue that his proof of the existence of God, really the proof that there is a reliable distinction between truth and falsehood, is that foundation. Thirdly, I will turn to Descartes' use of rules in establishing the distinction between freedom and slavery. Finally I will consider the successes and the failures of Descartes' method in The Meditations and with reference to his moral theory in The Passions of the S 011/." Please join us for lecture and question period. �Mere Sophistry by Robert Sale '10 FRIENDS, JOHNNIES, COUNTRYMEN; lend me your ears: A specter is haunting our campus: the specter of sophism. All the powers of the College have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this specter: President and SCI chair, Dink and Fryer-Biggs, Straussians and Marxists. Where is the student in seminar that has not been decried as sophistical by those who deny the Forms exist? Where is the Thomist who has not hurled back the branding reproach of sophistry against the more advanced Cartesians, as well as against the Lucretian reactionaries? Two things result from this fact: 1. Sophism is already acknowledged by all College powers to be itself a powerful idea. 2. It is high time that sophists should openly, in the face of the whole campus, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the specter of sophism with an Apology of the idea itself. As you may have guessed already, however, I come to bury sophism, not to praise it. The evil ideas do often live on after they have lost currency; the Good often becomes interred unjustly under mounds of prejudice and inflamed unduly upon pyres of misinterpretation. Thus, I have resolved not to let sophism's body lie upon the battlefield for vultures to make feast of and for claws to peck at. Contrariwise, I will undertake to become the Antigone to sophism's Polyneices and sprinkle what little dust I have upon its body, lest it become the fatherless Hector of philosophy, forever cruelly dragged behind the furious chariot of dialectic. I do not know how sophism's accusers have so far prevailed upon you, ladies and gentlemen of the College, to convince you that it is more or less bunk; therefore, I must faire de la guerre agair1st those who have denigrated sophism commencing with its most ancillary antagonists and proceeding to the Johnnies-come-lately of sophism slander. One idiosyncratic quantum in particular manifests itself as a commonality to all objections to sophistry, id est that its discretionary qua premeditated chicanery and obfuscation apropos of eliciting the not- unlooked--for conviction and truculence of its audience is inimical at best and malfeasance at worst. To this I say: Bullshit. But to answer the specific problems brought up by sophism's oldest opponent, Socrates, I must take greater pains and outline his arguments faithfully, and answer them honestly and truthfully. The wise Socrates has told you the sophist is ignorant; were this true, it would be a grievous fault, and thus would sophism have suffered justly throughout the ages at the hands of Socrates. For Socrates was a just man, and he would never let fine methods be so defamed. Sophists speak well; their mellifluous tones and fine compositions of words are as spoken music and written art; but Socrates says the sophist is ignorant, and Socrates was a wise man. Sophists have convinced the sick to take medicine when doctors with knowledge could not; does this imply ignorance? Sophists are notoriously hard to defeat in argument; ignorance should fold easily to knowledge: but Socrates says the sophist is ignorant, and Socrates was a wise man. You know what happened in the trial of Socrates, the sophists brought charges against him and were successful in their prosecution though Socrates defended himself with all his ardor and knowledge. Was this a result of ignorance? Yet Socrates says the sophist is ignorant, and, sure, Socrates was a wise man. I do not argue to disprove what Socrates said. I merely recount what I know to have been the state of sophistry around his time. I also recount this tale of Socrates as told by Plato (one who, above all, would never slander Socrates' good name): one day, in the agora, Socrates was talking to a youth of Athens about knowledge, of all things, when the subject of Protagoras theories came up. Protagoras, long dead by now, was a famous sophist whose argument was thoroughly dismantled by Socrates in this instance in the presence of the young Athenian. "But," says Socrates, "I don't think this would have happened, my friend, if the father of the other tale [Protagoras] were alive. He would find plenty of means of defending it. As things are, it is an orphan we are trampling in the mud." Sophism, an orphan, is suffering at the hands of Socrates, a wise and just man, with nobody to defend it. But surely, whatever is said and done by such a wise and just man is both wise and just in itself; thus, the next time you, my gentle reader, come across an orphan, be sure to trample it in the mud extra hard, for Socrates. But now you, gentle reader, have seen through the thin veil of the champion of dialectic reasoning and discovered its true brutish methods. You can see the evil lurking behind the endless questioning, the seemingly innocuous divide-and-collect method. You now know what pestilential diseases this gadfly is carrying. It is time to stop being a slave to the capitalistic rigidity of dialectic and pure logic; it is time to unbind the mental shackles and embrace the full spectrum of the sophistical sun outside the cave -you have nothing to lose but your chains and a world to win. Finally, take into account how once you loved the storytellers and the speechmakers, you admired the tapestries of trope the weavers of words painstakingly wrought, the pastiches of spectacularly witty prose and poetry, taking style well past previously traversed paths; sublime, tantalizing, wonderful, peerless. And all this was not without cause; so why now do you turn your back on it? "O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason!" Bear with me as I conclude, gentle reader; my heart is there in the coffin with sophistry, and I must pause until it comes back tome.~ THE~ GADFLY Weekfy Meetings Tuesdqys at 7:00 PM BBC 109 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 3 �Melee continued from front page the player must act as if it no longer works. This leads to the classic 1\1elee pose of hopping after someone on one foot while trying to whack them with your sword, or of a single man kneeling in a field while the other players circle him like vultures and usually dispatch him with a stab in the back. When the players stopped to rest, I asked them what had made them decide to start this particular sport. William ''Ender Wiggin" Kunkel said that he had heard about the Melee Club when he applied, and had come with foam sword in hand...only to discover that most of the Melee weapons were either broken or unsafe. He had teamed up with 1\1r. Ritzke, who, before he came to St. John's, "was LARPing in the middle of nowhere, where they don't have anything else to do." "Besides have sex and take drugs," Mr. Ritzke added. ''\X'hat?" said someone, ''No rock and roll?" Later, they discovered they were in need of a new .Archon. Though it was I\1r. Kunkel's idea to save Melee from extinction, neither he nor Mr. Ritzke (who, at six feet and around 200 pounds, might be the poster boy for Melee) were able to step in. Due to a new regulation that states that freshmen can no longer be Archons of clubs, Miss Kat Shears, a 5'11, much lighter, sophomore stepped up. The members spoke of their dreams for a new, improved Melee. Besides the need for better weapons, they would like more members so that more complex games could be played (think capture the flag, only with swords). They would also like to meet earlier in the day, and are thinking of moving into the 1 p.m.- 3 p.m. slot now used by German Longsword, which has so few members it might soon be disbanded. Finally, I asked them to describe to me the attraction of being hit with a padded stick. Mr. Kunkel announced, 'We're sadists, really." Another player stated that, 'There are no contact sports at St. John's." Even in football there is no tackling allowed. The toughest players must content themselves with snatching little ribbons off their opponents' belts. For those who demand that sports carry the risk of manly bruising in order to be a challenge, Melee is the answer. And, as William Sloan predictably said, "It's just fun." Perhaps, I reflected, 1\fr. Pickens had been too PC in demasculinizing the sports at St. John's. I once attended the Pennsic War, a yearly eventwhere over 10,000 people, not only with foam swords but full armor, hold full-scale battles. I discov- ered that thousands of hairy men descending on you while screaming '~GHH!" is terri.fying, even when their swords are made of foam, and there were often as many concussions, sprains, and broken ribs as in real battles. Later, when reading The Iliads description of swords pounding shields with a sound like chopping wood, I had been vividly taken back to those hot summer days. Yes, back in the Golden Age when men could fight like gods, it really was like that. The Melee Club then has an important niche: it reminds us armchair philosophers what handto-hand combat is actually like. During a battle between I\1r. Ritzke and Mr. Kunkel this was shown in vivid detail. Mr. Ritzke, having been nailed by Mr. Kunkel in a body part that Homer was too .polite to mention in The Iliad, should have fallen, but instead he kept on fighting. Mr. Kunkel, after unwisely taunting Mr. Ritzke, had to run in a Book 22-like chase around the Planetarium. Finally, some 15 minutes later, Mr. Ritzke gave in and collapsed. Such displays of manly resistance to pain are seldom seen even at the Naval .Academy. But then it was 8:00, and time to put up our weapons . .As we walked back through the darkness to our dorms, someone commented on what a good meeting this had been. I\1r. Kunkel added, '~\.t least no one heckled us this time."~ Be Careful What You Write by Erica Stratton '08 l LIFTED THE PILE OF .MANUwhat looked like a folded letter of several pages fell out. I was engrossed in reading it, when I suddenly looked up to see Father Reddy standing right in front of my table. 'What is that?' he demanded .. . "I told him. "He turned pale and said, 'That is exactly what I didn't want you to see ... You are a writer: Be careful with what you write. Don't get us in trouble with the Vatican.'" T h ese few paragraphs are the most intense in the whole of Amir D. Aczel's novel, The Jesuit and the Skull. Beginning like an adventure thriller, the story has all the needed elements: a charming and learned Jesuit priest (Teilhard de Chardin) whose heretical writings are put on the Forbidden Books List by the Vatican, and his discovery of the " . .. AS SCRIPTS, 4 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . skeleton of Peking Man whose whereabouts were lost during WWII as surely as the ark of the covenant disappeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark. But instead of fully fleshing out these elements, I o ften felt that Aczel was writing two books: an adventurous story of the discovery of Peking Man, and a more-readable-thanavexage textbook. The two works have been awkwardly soldered together. Despite the title, within the first three chapters one realizes that this is not simply a history of one man discovering the "missing link" of human ancestry, but the history of evolution itself. He speaks of Linneas, Cuvier, Lamarck, William Smith (whose speculations first hinted that the earth was millions, rather than thousands of years old), and at last the crowing glory, Charles Darwin. Then he Careful continued on P age 10 �Jen-5aisQuoi: Bunny Tales by Jennifer Wright '08 I REALIZE THAT \XlHEN GLORIA STEINEM on The Girls Next Door are adorable. When WROTE that all women are bunnies, she meant people ask me why I watch it I tell them it's it as a feminist call to arms, not as a really nice, because the girls are all cute and funny and seem encouraging sentiment. But given the circum- like they'd be genuinely enjoyable people to stances, and the fact that it's my last year in hang out with. I also believe that at least Holly college, oflate I've been starting to view that (my personal favorite, and the oldest of the statement in a disturbingly hopeful light. girls at 27) is really, really clever if her subtle When I was 11 I made a list of things I wanted little barbs are anything to judge by. Not that to accomplish in ten years. At the very top is she's ever mean, but periodically someone the fact that I wanted to be a size two, and be able to style my frizzy hair really attractively, and not wear glasses. I also wanted to have a terrific wardrobe and shoe collection and to date millionaires, be proposed to at least once and know people in fashion and drink champagne and generally live like a movie star in the 1940's. I think I kind of assumed that if I did all of that then I would never have to work. Apparently, I got gypped. Turns out, after you graduate, even if you have been systematically following that list for ten years, all these people expect you to actually get a job. And even more unfortunately, those things on that list aren't really things that make you an ideal job candidate. They make you a terrible job candidate really, as they mean that you have to leave all obligations at strange moments for sample sales and cocktails (and cocktails are so much more fun at noon than one of Hef's ex-girlfriends, maybe, or a talk they are six in the evening, though that does show host - will say something stupid to her mean you need to factor in an hour for a nap at and Holly will reply in a seemingly innocuous two). I kind of thought I could slip into work fashion, and then twenty minutes later you'll at fashion magazines, until I mentioned this realize how brilliant her retort was. And Bridget to my friend at W who replied "well, then you is so bright and bubbly that it's fantastic. And should have accepted admissions to Parsons Kendra ... well, I don't really like Kendra all and not decided to pull a Princess Stephanie that much, but I don't dislike her or anything. and run away to St. John's to become a hip- I really do think they're completely adorable pie." people and that Mr. Hefner is lucky to have She has a point. It would be a really good them. time to, I don't know, learn how to live withBut I'm lying when I say that's why I watch. out napping and buying $800 pairs of shoes. The real truth of the matter is that The Girls But that would be for quitters. Instead I'm Next Door is my favorite T. V show because it curling up in bed in my dinner dresses with a promotes the dream of perpetual adolescence. glass ofBolly and watching all the episodes of Now many people will probably point out that The Girls Next Door which details the ins and every trophy wife who doesn't work and lives outs of the lives of the three twenty some- entirely on their husband's dime is living a kind thing women who live with Hugh Hefner. I of suspended adolescence. Those people are love The Girls Next Door. And I really don't idiots. Being a really good trophy wife generally love most reality television shows because the requires the same level of organizational ability women are horrible and snippy but the girls and planning as a military general leading an invasion of a small Eastern European country. You have to, after all, generally be the head of the household which you are expected to run better than anybody in the world. You have to at least appear to possess brilliant qualities so that the household staff will respect you, as well as your neighbors who will be judging you with a frightful harshness. As The Girls Next Door live in a magical land where the only other women they ever interact with appear to be family members and other Playmates (who are constantly cheerful and give hugs for absolutely every occasion) not many people are there to judge them. No demands are made on the girls. Instead they get to wander around the mansion, find their way into the kitchen and say things like "what if we made a Christmas tree entirely out of cupcakes! That would be fun! Let's do that! Now! In August! And lets build one every week! Until Christmas!" and the kitchen staff will immediately begin helping them to assemble a Christmas tree made of cupcakes. They also have an enormous slip-n-slide outside which they get to play on and Hugh Hefner has mentioned that he doesn't like to have them exposed to people who might be "unkind to them in any way". No wonder the girls always seem so happy and adorable. Of course, they do sleep with Hugh Hefner, who I think is 80 right now. Honestly, the thought of sleeping with an average 80 year old is pretty disturbing to me, but then, Hugh Hefner isn't the average 80 year old He is (whatever you think of the trends he set) a trendsetting individual, who, in combination with Marilyn Monroe, pretty much forced America to shake off its puritanical pretensions and made sex something people are able to discuss openly. Have sex with Hugh Hefner? Hell, Hugh Hefner invented sex. Honestly, though, the fact that the girls and Hef can get past the fact that he's so much older is always a little puzzling to me. There's one episode in particular when Kendra mentions that growing up she wanted to be like one of the characters on Saved by the Bell and Bunnies continued on Page 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 5 �Dodd on the Quad: The Library by Kirstie Dodd '10 IT IS A 1RU11-I UNIVERSAil.Y ACKNO\VLEDGED that Felicia Enright's booty, but without the stretchy a college student swamped in homework must knee-length yoga pants. be in want of a library ... unless, of course, that Last week I actually tried to do my seminar student attends St. John's College. There are a reading in the library because I figured some few diehard nut-jobs in the polity that haunt the holistic library reconnaissance for this article cubicles 24/7. For most of us, though, there is would be helpful. Here is what happened: At 12 something about Greenfield Library that sucks pm I come bouncing up the steps armed with as a study locale. Virgil'sAeneid and a nalgene-full of black coffee. Don't get me wrong; the library is wonderful I setup camp on the 3ni floor. Two hours later I in many ways. Whenever the bookstore decides wake up to the sound of high-pitched beepto ratchet up book pricing (and don't think you ing- the incessant metronome of people checkfool me, SJ C Bookstore! Under that cheap magic ing out books- and I realize I have fallen asleep mark.er scribble I can still see that the book I'm in a pool of my own drool. I look down at my now buying used to cost $8 less), the library is crumpled copy of The Aeneid in horror. I had the first place I tum to get a well-worn but free only read two pages before being lulled into copy of a seminar reading. I also go there to get · slumberland by the soporific tricks of the 3'd Loebs whenever I want to bloat my paper pre- floor. tentiously with Greek references. Sometimes I Then I try to open a Cliff Bar I had brought even go there to read the newspaper, which- for with me only to find it has melted into an indisall you Johnnies who might not know- is a tinguishable gooey mass. I realize the library in type of publication that tells you about stuff the early afternoon is a veritable greenhouse with going on in the world (weird, huh?). that glass ceiling overhead, and I am actually getDespite its positives, the library is just not ting sunburned from the spot I am sitting in. I conducive to studying. Right now the basement don't mind the melting, though, because I reconstruction is the biggest problem. It looks quickly lose my appetite when I see a cockroach ghetto and if you want to check out anything lying prostrate near the periodicals. down there you have to wait- it's kind of like Feeling nauseated, I go to the bathroom. The bathrooms are the worst part of the library. For some reason there are always prodigious fecal feats lying in wait in toilets, ready to assault the next bathroom-user with their presence. It's either that, or there is a lingering odor from a former feat that has b_een pathetically covered up with cheap aerosol spray. The bathroom did not disappoint now. I come out feeling more ill than before. I decide to look up laissezf in a book about aire economics, but after 45 minutes of reading I have a headache, I still don't know what it means, and I will continue to use it incorrectly in any article I write. At this point, I slam the book shut, cursing Bentham and Smith's mothers with some fairly ribald invectives. I stumble out of the library sick, sleepy, and sans seminar reading completion. I don't know if Lillian Vanous became a Nutt after being in there for so long, but I went nuts after only four hours. If you were thinking about starting to study in the library, I would highly recommend you look at the BBC or the Fishbowl or your room. It's not worth the risk. '!Ir' Spellings continued from front page can be attributed to a lack of accountability mechanisms and inadequate "consumer knowledge" about educational quality, as well as failure of institutions to "change with the markets." She calls for "performance benchmarks" and the reduction of barriers for transfer students, on the premise that American higher education will be improved by making it easier for students to compare schools and move between them. In addition, the DOE called for "regulated testing and standardized assessment for higher education through regional accrediting associations." At last glance, Inside Higher Ed, a college-info website, reported that the country's two major accrediting commissions had agreed to a voluntary system of accreditation reform, which would "compel the colleges and universities that choose to participate ... to begin using one of three standardized measures of student learning (the CLA, CA.AP, or l'vL'\PP) ." . Although it may turn out to be only a worst-case scenario in which such measures would be explicitly forced upon St. John's, the as well as a liberal education? How do we market ourselves without selling out? As a high-school companion (and current engineering major) put it, "That whole 'St. John's doesn't participate in rankings' thing just sounds like a weaselly way of getting around the fact that philosophy majors are just kind of useless."* For this reason, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities has banded together to "create a common template for providing in-depth information ... important to students and their families." Perhaps many of us did not come to St. John's because it has great grad school admissions rates, or even despite the lack of correlation between its degree and any particular field, but it's nice to know beforehand that your school has an excellent academic reputation without having to do extensive personal research. So when you're basking in intellectual superiority over your state U career-major peers, don't forget your number two pencils. *Leah got away with this because she lent me Discworld novels.~ 6 mere idea of standardized testing seems to make many of us cringe. At the heart of this gut reaction seems to be an irony which President Nelson delineated in a speech to the Cato Institute last September: "The nation's liberal arts colleges have long lived with this paradox: we do in fact prepare our students to enter the work.place and become productive citizens; yet we see those purposes as purely incidental to our ends." Those ends being, of course, the education of free men and women ... well, you've read the motto. St. John's eschews written examinations not simply because many of the things we learn would be difficult to reproduce in question-and-answer format, but more because such measures interfere with the atmosphere of 'leaming-as-an-end' that drew most of us here. Yet, were we all to take the 1iAPP, a test which measures, among other things, critical thinking skills, we would most likely outperform a cohort of graduates whose education had been directed towards a mastery of the material on the exam. So, therefore, how can Johnnies, and St. John's as an institution, prove that we are gaining a utilitarian training . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Bunnies continued from page 5 Athletes of the Week Hugh Hefuer replies that when he was growing up his parents wouldn't let him see Mae West movies because they were too provocative. Kendra stares at him blankly, perhaps because she doesn't know who Mae West is, or perhaps because she rightly realizes that his response had absolutely nothing to do with her Saved by the Bell comment. In any event, Saved by the Bel/versus I'm No Angel seems like a pretty big gap to bridge. But then, anyone who was Hef's own age wouldn't be squealing gleefully on their way down the slip-n-slide. They'd be screaming and terribly afraid of breaking a hip. There are drawbacks, of course. The girls can't go out after 9:00 without begging Hef to extend their curfew, which they do with immense hesitation. 9:00. Bear in mind that Waltz parties don't start until 10:00. And if they want to and they had better not want to often - they have to arrange to have a chaperone. They also have to allow Hef to decide how much allowance they get and where they go for say, dinners out. I suppose though, that the great drawback of permanent adolescence, namely, the only thing that means that I'm not trying to pack my bags and set off for the Playboy I\fansion, is that permanent adolescence means never quite being able to make your own decisions. Paralyzed by indecision about the future as most seniors might be right now, it's nice to know that any choices are ours to make. Unlike the Bunnies, I suppose that ability means that eventually we do get to become grown-ups. And even if I can't make a cupcake tree (I've tried and determined it's pretty much impossible without a staff of at least five), I suppose there's a certain satisfaction in knowing that I can watch The Girls Next Door after coming home at two in the morning. ~ Miss Mackey Mr. J. Russell THE OEDIPlJS CYCLE { . You MAKE THE . CAL~: In · occer, an opponent preve11ts th~ goa~ k~epe~?· s from .releasing ~he ball .with his.hands. What is the . · . . . · call? · -..· · ..· · · · ,, ...... .~\J a> 0 en a ". ' .BIC:YCLE SHOP ti: ~ w ~ _J I (..) FAMll.Y OWNED ..._______________________________, AND OPERATED ·...... . . . . . : ' . . . First cine to me with the correct responsego~s to the bookstore .. . ortme~ You may leave your.answer on my voicemail, ~·Pickens; · · . x2558 · · · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . · 7 �An Apology for Algebra by Nate Okhuysen '08 .AH, TI-IE AUTUMN. Leaves beg1n to change color necessary itself, however, in understanding and nical grasp of a mathematical skill? You test them. and the dining hall's food quality begins its slow proving propositions in book VI. There must be assurance that everyone is at spiral into the abyss. As a math assistant, I am Similarly, even if algebra was simply a new acutely aware of several recent events. First, the method of thought in mathematics it does not least on a basic level at certain points in the projuniors have reached the (in) famous Kuder Cal- follow that it is onjy an alternative to geometry gram. Music notation is one place. It is imporculus J\fanual. Second, algebra exams have be- and therefore we can simply choose our prefer- tant to know how to read music when you start gun. \Vb.at do both of these events have in com- ence. It is clear that there are many places in the sophomore year. \Vhy? Because you are using . mon? Students' lack of comfort with a certain program where algebraic thought is essential to that skill for the entirety of the music program. technical skill creates problems in both cases. an appreciation and understanding of the text at Sure, you can talk about emotion and sound. You can discuss the plot of The Magic Flute but We are not accustomed at St. John's to worry hand. if you can't read music, you're basically wasting about how something might be applied We learn your time in music class. for the sake of learning. Our Now imagine that waste undertaking is an endeavor to of time and multiply it reach those mystical platonic There is no way that someone who is capable of by three. That's how imideals. Truth. Justice. God We portant algebra is at miniare concerned with things you discussing Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Leibniz, Kant mum. It never goes away can slap a capital letter on and and Hegel is incapable of being proficient in algebra. either. Unlike music, talk about metaphysically. Sure it's another language, but it's way easier than which is over really after Seminar is the heart of the Ancient Greek. sophomore year, algebra program, rightly so. That does in I\fath and Lab is there not mean however, that we to stay. can neglect other parts of the So, you say, ''Yeah it program. We are not philosophy students; we Beyond this perceptive consideration, how- would be great if we all could do algebra really are liberal arts students. It is good to remind ourselves of that at times. ever, is the fact that algebra forms the language well, but it's so hard to do, I just don't think that Many of the problems students bring to me with which we will speak about physics from way." Well, here's the kicker, I don't think there is as a math assistant wouldn't be problems if they Galileo and Newton onward. The upshot of any good reason for a student at St. John's not were "fluent" in algebra. Not that I am saying this is that a great deal of Junior Lab, Junior to know algebra. There is no way that someone that it's an imperative that all students at St. John's Math, Senior Lab, and portions of Senior Math, who is capable of discussing Plato, Aristotle, know how to solve quadratic equations like they rely upon an ability to manipulate and under- Augustine, Leibniz, Kant, and Hegel is incapable know how to walk. That would just be ideal It stand algebraic expressions. That is half of two of being proficient in algebra. Sure it's another would also be ideal if we could all speak ancient years here. Algebra affects a full quarter of your language, but it's way easier than Ancient Greek. You can call me a Math Fascist all you want Greek and French, and fluently. I would say that education at St. John's. a high level of comfort with algebra is even more This is not to say you cannot participate in but I really don't think it is all that hard. If you vital for fulfilling one's potential as a Johnnie these classes without algebra. There are always are capable oflearning the calculus, you are cathan being able to sight-read koinai. philosophical questions you can bring up about pable ofleaming algebra, and capable of doing Clearly and distinctly, algebra is necessary for continuity, infinity, nature, logos, and extension, algebra well. It is not a matter of potential; it is continuing in the program. We have a test to which rely not a jot on being able to do algebra. just a matter of practice. I know of so many ensure all students are familiar with it. The ex- That would be like going to seminar with the people who came to school here thinking they tent of its import may, however, be lost on the reading only half done. Can you get by on that? were not math people and then realizing that majority of the student body. Allow me to lay Sure. But if you're at school to get by and get a they were completely wrong. \Vhy? Because they out just how important it is. It is complicated degree, what are you doing here? Not that you got up to the board and repeatedly did their gebecause unlike many other facets of the program, can't do what you want, but if you come to class ometry proofs. Now what if they felt the same a technical proficiency is necessary in algebra where unprepared, you are hurting my education here. way about algebra as they did about geomit is not in many other subjects. This article is not to lecture on the impor- etry, imagine how much better class would The nature of mathematics is, to a large de- tance of being a devoted Johnnie. I'm sure I'm be. The worst thing to be in class is comgree, cumulative. The Euclidean model of pro- no more righteous than most of you are, prob- pletely lost. I know, I have been completely gressive proofs is a paradigm from the progress ably less than some. I'm a Senior; we know what lost on occasions. It sucks . So don't let it of mathematics as a whole. It is necessary to it means to be burnt out and unmotivated. The happen to you for a quarter of your time understand, to comprehend, the previous level point is, algebra is gravely important to fulfilling here! Learn your algebra. You might even in order to advance. Obviously, this is not always one's potential as a Johnnie. So this is a prob- learn to like it. Q.E.M.C.D. 'Jr" the case in Euclid. Book V relies on nothing lem: How do you ensure that a school without from the previous books of the Elements; it is lectures provides students with a sufficient tech- 8 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . �Homecoming Photos by Erica Stratton '08 and Babak Zarin '11 Clockwise from top left: The Druids and the Kunai team up against the alumni for a soccer match; Tqylor Reese ('10) plqys horsry; Stephen Monteiro ('11) and James Russell ('11) share a legal drink)· Ian Michaels (J09) entertains the kiddies. . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . : . . . �Ring, Ring: Destiny Calling by Stacey Goguen '08 y OU Do you know what it is? It's to answer your hall phone like a good little Johnnie. Now, before you think 'screw this article' and flip to the back to check out what Ali and Elizabeth are spouting about sleep-study etiquette (or lack thereof), hear me out. I can no longer count the number of times I have called a dorm hall phone only to have it ring for minutes on end and have no one pick up in the middle of the day or early evening. It is mind-blowingly frustrating. On a few occasions, the situation has been even worse. Once I called Paca and heard someone pick up the phone only to hang up on me without a single word. Switchboard called Humphreys lately and when someone finally got to the phone, they picked it up and left it off the hook, again without a single word. Switchboard, far from trying to harass the denizens of Humphreys, was actually calling to let someone know they had a package. So, three reasons why it is your duty to answer hall phones: ALL HAVE A DESTINY. 1) IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT YOU. We do not have room phones, so unfortunately, we are all left responsible for the COMMUNAL floor phone, which is our official land line. Since you live in a dorm, it is your responsibility to answer the communal hall phone. Period. If you are in a hall and standing next to a phone when it rings, answer it anyway, because you are that awesome of a person. So answer the phone, because I know you're not an ass. (And if you are an ass, answer it anyway because it's your responsibility, and by age eighteen, you should understand what that means.) 2) YOU COULD I-LWE A PACKAGE. Everyone loves packages. It's a double win in the mail game. So answer the phone, because someone might have sent you flowers, and flowers are good for the soul. 3) YOU GRANDMOTHER COULD BE DYING. Since the hall phones are our official land line, they are the number that is given to people when they call the school and say "I have an emergency and need to get in touch with so-and-so who's a stu- dent." Granted, your friends and family may call your cell phone instead, but if for some reason (god forbid) your cell phone is off, or the battery's dead, or it's stolen, or you can't find it under a heap of clothes in your room, chances are that people will call the school and be connected to your hall phone. So answer the phone, because someone's grandmother could be dying. Freshman year I lived next to the phone, which was annoying. After a while, I stopped answering it because I thought, 'it's never for me, so why bother?' Then, one day, a floor mate got really upset because a family member was supposed to call her about some other family member's health, but didn't. Well, the phone had been ringing all morning, but no one had answered it. Because I couldn't take half a minute to answer a phone and scribble a sentence in chalk, a fellow student spent half the day tense, anxious, and upset. I answered the phone again after that. Answer the hall phones. Seriously. Please. Thank you. ~ Careful continued from page 4 shows how evolution has affected humankind, from the mysterious Neanderthals to Java Man to "Lucy" and "Lucy's baby". This is a huge amount of ground to cover, and while his labor to firmly place the discovery of Peking Man in a historical context so that we can fully understand its importance is admirable, he stops the flow of the story dead in its tracks. A full six chapters from the teaser opening we finally hear about the life of the Jesuit priest for whom the book is named, "the philosopher, theologian, geologist, paleontologist, and mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin". "Teilhard's embrace of science and religion was deep and complete. The roles played by these two seemingly contradictory elements were symbolized by the two images that he displayed next to his bed throughout his adult life: One of Christ, and the other of Galileo. Where others might have seen a conflict, for his entire long career, Teilhard never had the slightest difficulty reconciling science with faith. Since he grew up with the twin routines of exploring the natural world around him and worshiping God, science 10 and religion were a unified entity in his mind... the Thus, despite its lack of pacing or style, The ideas of evolution became so powerful that they Jesuit and the Skullis useful. It left me with the convinced him that everything in the universe, desire to read more of Teilhard's writings, openinanimate objects and living systems alike, was ing my eyes to the alternatives of always separatin constant flux, ever evolving as decreed by God. ing Science and the Church. It is an idea whose The goal was a point where everything would time has come, and I await a writer whose converge to form the body of Christ." Teilhard's writing skills as well as the scholarly breadth charming demeanor, his calmness with dealing of his knowledge are enough to do justice with harsh conditions, joyous faith in God and to it.~ his equal joy in learning about the natural world, are inspiring. His discovery of Peking :Man (coming long before the discovery of ''Lucy") was one of the first proofs that evolution was real, On behalf of the ·author that it affected mankind, and that the Bible could of this article, The no longer be taken literally. It branded him forever as a heretic, but Teilhard's desire was not to Gadfly would like to topple the order of Jesuits, which he sincerely inform the Polity that the loved. Instead, he wanted to show the Church key to the darkroom .is what he thought was a truerwayofunderstanding God. Even when the Vatican exiles him to missing, and should be China (which, paradoxically, allowed him to disreturned promptly to cover Peking I'vfan) he does not complain or grow angry, becoming an example for those who wish Security. to peacefully merge the two warring factions of Church and Science. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �I Concert Review: Patrick Wolf by Gabrielle Aines '08 IT \X'AS A NIGHT OF BRIGHT COSTUMES and big voices when Patrick Wolf and opener Bishi played DC's Black Cat on October 1. The audience, small but enthusiastic, was clearly charmed by Bishi, whose outfit well matched her music. In a silver gown with tall pointed sleeves and heavy, padded hips beneath a belted waist, Bishi's sound and dress were a combination of Donna Summers and Ravi Shankar. She bantered well with the audience, and her performance was engaging despite multiple delays between songs for tuning and a lack of backing band, and the crowd cheered loudly for her throughout the set. With the release of his third album The Magic Position this past May, Patrick Wolf has become extremely popular in Britain. He is known for his effortless voice and skill in melding electronic beats with gorgeous orchestration, as well as his outrageous clothing and ambiguous sexuality. Backed by a mural of a star-covered forest, Wolf brought all of these elements to the show. He opened his set with the mournful, driving ''Wind in the Wires" from his second album of the same title. Seated on a stool center stage, lit only by a spotlight, hunched over his baritone ukulele, he built a stark mood that contrasted his flamboyant garments. Shirtless, the shoulders of his blue vest swirled with blue and green sparkles, a headband supporting metallic feathers wrapped around his pale orange hair, cut off jeans were brightened by spangly belt charms, and his bare skin shimmered with gold glitter. CJ) From this, the show picked up as he launched into the rousing "Overture," and many of the show's highlights came from his more upbeat material. During "Tristan;' Wolf shook and writhed to the heavy bass, crawling on the ground and tangling himself in the microphone wire, before bouncing across the stage during '~\ccident & Emergency." Wolf was rarely still; constantly switching between the electric keyboard, the violin, and the baritone ukulele, he played each instrument with intensity and fervor, bending himself around them as the songs gained momentum. FRESHMAN YEAR RElA TIONSHIPS••• We've anly'"""""' kmnnm each athermra rew weeks but we're going b:I get married! ff we didn't make J His face flickered with constant emotion, his eyes often closed, small smiles sneaking in where none made sense, and when unoccupied his hands wrapped themselves in his clothing, and pounded at his head and chest. Yet, for all his outward eccentricity, he came off as rather normal. He punctuated several songs with the stories behind them, relaying such intimacies with surpris~ ingly soft, shy voice, playing with ~ his clothing again, but out of <( ~ nerves rather than passion. \"'V'hen ~ Bishi took the stage to assist him ..:: CJ with "Magpie," singing in place of .Marianne Faithful, he gushed about touring with his best friend. When he played the violin, he often wandered over to his sister, who was accompanying on violin, and the siblings would grin at each other as they played. The show felt loose at times as Wolf changed his set list mid-concert, playing whatever suited him just then. The quality of the sound was sometimes poor, as the electronics overpowered the more delicate orchestration. But Wolf's energy and earnestness made up for it, creating a show that was fun and sweet, dark and bright, much like his music. PS: The entire show is up on youtube, if anyone is interested. Just search under Patrick Wolf+ Black Cat. 4l!lr' en.II: in public and embarrass/disgust everyone it wculdn't be true love! • •• JUNIOR YEAR. OF COURSE •• Now 'that we have a well-established small group af I can't waihmbl 1111e get drunk and make all sorts of all'ilkward .......,,,. c:ol'ffessicms ! mends, it's time ti:! have angsty _.# unrequited lave dramas! •••AND ANALLY••• ••• AND SOPHOMORE YEAR ••• Sc, wanna go? \!Uhy is he such a jerk? \ll.ll1y is Sure . but hurry it up. That was 1he 10-miru.rte bell. \.,,,, e~e such a jerk? GADFLY. 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.0. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: On Marriage and Gay Men by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEARALIZABETH, I have heard the oft-quoted statistic that 60% ofJohnnies end up marrying other Johnnies. Is that actually true? If so, I'm in trouble. While I have met many charming and intelligent young men at St. John's, most of the ones who I might be interested in dating are either passionately devoted to their longterm girlfriends, or are only interested in men. Is this something I should be taking up with the Admissions Office and/ or the Alumni Office, or are there other options? Sincerely, A Single in Pinkney Isn't Always the Most Desirable Rooming Situation ***** Dear Pinkneyite, To begin on an upbeat note, it is immediately clear that you have pretty good taste (and the fact that you are a Real Human asking us for romantic advice indicates that you have a superb sense of humor). If you're attracted to loyal, devoted, and loving people, that isn't half bad - and charm and intelligence are good qualities in a mate if you like, say, conversation. The unfortunate coincidence that some of these individuals prefer men is one of those inevitabilities I don't think I can help you with, and I can promise you the Alumni O ffice ain't gonna touch it either. So what are we to do? All the good ones appear to be taken! Do like me, the belligerent optimist, and decide that if your conclusion indicates doom and despair, there must be a faulty premise in there somewhere. After all, most big catastrophies like this one are justmedia hype. Take, for example, global warming. Or Hegel. Neither of these things actually exists; it just so happens that certain industries can make an awful lot of money off of keeping us terrified out of our skins, publishers of the "works" of "Hegel" not least among them. I theorize that in the case of your problem, the faulty premise is this: that all single heterosexual 12 Johnnies are unattractive. If you think about this assertion for a moment, you will see that it starts to fall apart rather quickly. Cast your eyes about the dining hall some evening. If you rule out the gentlemen who are either taken or taken with other gentlemen, you will still be looking at a vast sea of single guys who are intelligent enough to have picked St. John's and who probably would jump at the opportunity to go out with a tasteful, good-humored gal like you. How many of them have you ruled out simply because you don't know who they are? How many have you ruled out because they're three inches too short, or their teeth are crooked? Ask yourself this latter question honestly, and remind yourself that there are more important things in life than a perfect appearance. And here's the toughest question of all: how many of them have you doomed to the class of unintelligent or uncharming people after a single brief conversation with them? Probably the vast majority. Find yourself a guy who shares your values and interests and handles his academic work responsibly. Get to know him. He might turn out to be someone you will grow to love. You can never find someone like that without looking more deeply than that first glance and conversation. So get to it; whether the exercise is successful in finding you a boyfriend or not, it will make you a little more sensitive to people's hidden good qualities. .And if all else fails, please remember: 40% ofJohnnies find love outside St. John's, or do just fine as swingin' singles. This is not an emergency situation, I promise. Best wishes, A.Schwab Dear Me in a Past Life, First and foremost, you seem more concerned with perpetuating the marriage statistic than you do with finding true love and companionship amongst the Johnnie- THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . kind. If this is indeed the case then you are in luck. ~e it is true that St. John's does have more boys than girls you are forgetting that the boys are mostly awkward and unattractive, and the ones who aren't generally end up turning into philanderers who somehow manage to sleep with four different girls in the course of one night. The only attractive, caring, and overall husband-worthy material that you will find here is in the gay population. Sure, there is that whole problem you addressed about them only being interested in men. I can understand that. But this is marriage, remember? There is nothing that would indicate that you could not live the rest of your life happily married to a gay man. Carrie Bradshaw mused over this in Sex and the City, and I am thoroughly confident, given the nature of all the gay men at St. John's, that they will be better husbands than any of their straight counterparts. You both can have all the affairs you want, but at the end of the day you will always have each other with whom to cuddle and do the crossword puzzle. True love transcends those fussy hormones, and I am willing to bet any girl on campus would rather marry Daniel Wheatley than any of those [straight] infidels who live on 3rd Campbell. Sex is easy here, but if you want to be part of that golden 60% then I suggest finding a gay man to marry. Mothers always like them more anyway. With the pain that you drain from love, E. McDowell Burlington Please send vour I Program Predicaments to [lizabeth ~urlington or A li Schwab v ia Campus ~'\ a il. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 6 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-10-12 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 6 of The Gadfly. Published October 12, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.6 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/3b72eefc8e278dbdbb2241bd413dd8e8.pdf 82d191042a50c1c73e02fd0269182517 PDF Text Text THE GADFLY The St. John} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 8 Annapolis, Maryland October 26, 2007 The SF2: Who Are They? by Erica Stratton '08 Students for a Sustainable Future: what could they possibly hope to achieve at a school where the most pertinent issues of the outside world are ignored in favor of dead white males? \Xfhy do they make such :flagrant abuses of construction paper and markers in the construction of their signs? Can any group that lists "Leaming to do a handstand" on their list of things to accomplish possibly hope to be taken seriously? You can easily envision what I would find inside the Fishbowl during their weekly meeting: crowds of dirty hippies, all in a big bandanna-haired mosh pit as they hugged trees and shouted nonsensical slogans about giving their hearts to the earth to the accompaniment of folk music. I was afraid to meet them. In fact I was unable to find them until the French Assistant directed me to a group of students quietly sitting under a tree outside in the courtyard, led by David Bronstein. They were cool, calm, and collected, and the meeting itself was as scheduled as a capitalist board meeting. Saving the world is more a matter of signing a form than talcing the revolution into the streets, I realized. Among the plans for change that they have in the works is the attendance of Power Shift. From November 2°d _5r\ College Park will be the site of "the first national youth summit to solve the climate crisis." A gander at their website (http:/ /powershift07.org/) shows their #1 priority is "Make the U.S. Presidential candidates and Congress take global warming seri- ously". At this meeting, Mr. Bronstein explained, student representatives from local colleges would not only brainstorm and compare ideas about what their colleges should be doing to (according to the website) ''build a dean energy economy, achieve energy independence, create millions of green jobs, increase global equity, and revitalize the American economy", but would ''listen to music" ..Ah, I thought, that's where the mosh pit is. I am not sure if I believe in global warming. In fact, after Descartes I am not sure if I always believe in my own existence, but after this I felt humbled by the SF2 and similar groups' ability to organize themselves into a practical, no-nonsense movement that was able to keep aninterestwhen things like "recycling", "compost", and "student lobbying" were brought up. Such words are things which freeze my imagination, and will probably keep me from getting involved with almost any highly organized grass-roots movement. Hugging trees might be slightly deranged, but I could more easily do that than sit in an auditorium for four hours listening to speeches about climate change-I would probably end up asleep, or deadly bored and longing for, say, a Terry Pratchett book or some such distraction. 'W'hich, in fact, leads me to one of the things which concerned me most about the SF2: how g3 little a place it seemed to have among the Polity. Though their weekly meetings are dutifully i:: announced on the campus calendar and usu~ ally boast around 10 dedicated members, the a: w group (much like Melee) is seldom seen and often an object of jokes. Why hadn't they announced the meeting of Power Shift to the entire campus? If they were contemplating changing the way the college handled environmental issues, the Polity should know about its plans in order to contribute, but I was positive that, except through the medium of an § SF2 continued on pg. 9 �\ THE ~-GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editors Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreaders A. Sabrina Rourke Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Erica Stratton Contributing to this Issue Ellen Barnhart Elizabeth Burlington Tim Creighton Kirstie Dodd Charles Hamm Tim Jones Nate Okhuysen Robert Sale Ali Schwab Erica Stratton Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gadf/y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadj/y staff. The Gadf!Y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thoughtprovoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 LETTERS MRSA: A Letter from the Health Center In response to the local media coverage of the increased emergence of MRSA, a drug resistant skin infection, the following provides information and recommendations to prevent transmission: ·Staphylococcus Aureus is a common organism (bacteria) carried on the skin and/ or the nostrils of healthy people ·It can cause skin or soft tissue infections which manifest as a boil or abscess as well as more serious infections · Some subsets have become resistant to the usual antibiotics which are prescribed to cure the infection (hence the name Methicillin resistant) · The drug resistant bacteria is called CA 1v1RSA (Community Acquired Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) ·Those who are at higher risk for infection have been found to be: young people (age 23 being the median age), athletes, high school/ college campuses ·Typical transmission is through direct skin contact/sharing towels, clothing, personal hygiene items, sports equipment, contact sports ·Skin infections usually manifest with swelling/ redness, pain and drainage Guidelines for Prevention: ·Frequent washing of hands thoroughly with soap/water · Keep cuts/ abrasions clean and covered with a dressing (bandage) until healed · Avoid contact with another person's wounds or material contaminated from wounds ·Never share personal care items, i.e. razors/ towels/ clothing/bed linens ·Report to Health Center if any suspicion of a skin infectiofi A fact sheet from The Center for Disease Control (CDC) with more in-depth information on CA MRSA: www.cdc.gov/ ncidod/ dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html or visit the Health Center if any questions or concerns Nancy Calabrese, CRNP Laura Sutton, RN David Krimins, M.D. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lecture Preview On Friday, October 26, at 8:15 p.m. in the FSK auditorium, Santa Fe tutor Ms. Claudia Honeywell will deliver a lecture entitled ''Logos and Power in Book One of Herodotus' History." Ms. Honeywell gives the following account of her lecture. "This lecture focuses on the emergence of political language in Herodotus' first book. The relationship between language and power is a prevalent theme throughout this book, and emerges in surprising ways. Croesus and his famous misinterpretation of his oracle illustrate the tension between human and divine logos. Cyrus uses both creative and deceptive language to emerge from obscurity and claim his foreordained power. The Greek races (Spartans, Ionians and Athenians) exhibit an emerging awareness of language as the power that shapes history and politics. In all of these examples, there are deep questions about the limits of political logos and the origins of its association with reason and truth. Herodotus marvels at the uniquely human phenomenon of historical and political language and strives to demonstrate the power oflogos in his own writing. The result is a complex and sophisticated commentary on the nature of public speech." Thanksgiving Airport Shuttles Reserve your spot on the Thanksgiving Break BWI Airport Shuttl.e! Sign-up in the Asst. Dean's office. Space is limited. Questions? Call Nina Carrieri (x2537). �A Letter to the Poli~ To the Polity: Community comment on recent alcohol-related behavior seems to have recognized that the judgment of a fit sanction depends on discerning, first of all, the character and gravamen of the offense. The men and women we elect to legislative authority know as well as we do that real moral responsibility is a growth, not an event occurring on a birthday. Minimum-age laws, for drinking, marriage, driving, military service, voting, making a contract, even committing certain crimes (a child can kill but not, legally, "murder") can be understood, then, to aim at fixing a rough but workable, community-accepted standard by which legal accountability may be presumptively attributed. We in the Polity know, too (as do legislators), that some Freshmen, for reasons neither unnatural nor unforeseeable, can be especially vulnerable. Upper-classmen, of any age, who deliberately provide alcohol to under-age Freshmen in circumstances where constraints to moderation are few, or likely to be ineffectual, can thus take on the appearance of the "strong" (older, more "experienced") taking advantage of the "weak"-the younger, or less experienced, hence more vulnerable-as we all are earlier in life. Why would anyone want to do this? It can be said that the aim is to teach responsible drinking, that these things have been done before, etc.-justifications that plead, in effect, sincerity of purpose. The law has sometimes called this kind of imprudence " a pure heart with an empty head." If we wish to be less harsh than the law in adjudging a fit punishment, how much ignorance of the typical and foreseeable consequences of excessive drinking should we allow for? William Braithwaite Tutor D.C. Minutes: October 17 by Charles Hamm '08 Members Present: Mr. Meyers, Mr. Hanover, Ms. Seiler, Mr. Hamm, Ms. Walsh, Ms. Deaton, Mr. Drexler, Mr. Papadopoulos, Mr. Simmons, Ms. Hickling, Mr. Lewkow, Mr. Myers, Mr. Throop, Mr. Donahoe, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Lobo Dias, Ms. Frazier, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Shahrigian Agenda: BVG representative elections. D.C. rules committee report Letters of Interest in the representative position were received from Clint Richardson, Jamaal Barnes, Shant Shahrigian, Kelly Diaz-Albertini, Raphaela Cassandra, Jeanna Hickling. Before the vote all candidates were asked to leave the room, including those members of the D.C. who were running. Our new representatives, taking over for Ms. Seiler ('08) and Mr. Cooke ('08), are Mr. Richardson ('09) and Mr. Barnes ('10). Thank you to all those who ran for the position. Black Widow Spiders Black widow spiders are common in Maryland and are active at this time of year. Several have been noticed recently on campus. They are usually found outdoors in relatively undisturbed places like window wells, under benches, or porches, in rock piles. The University of 1\faryland Medical Center's website gives the following information: A black widow spider is a small, shiny, black, button-shaped spider with a red hourglass mark on its abdomen, and prefers warm climates. Black widow spider bites release a toxin that can cause damage to the nervous system, thus emergency medical treatment is necessary. The following are the most common symptoms of a black widow spider bite. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include: ·immediate pain, burning, swelling, and redness at the site (double fang marks may be seen) cramping pain and muscle rigidity in the stomach, chest, shoulders, and back ·headache ·dizziness ·rash and itching ·restlessness and anxiety ·sweating ·eyelid swelling ·nausea or vomiting ·salivation, tearing of the eyes ·weakness, tremors, or paralysis, especially in the legs These symptoms of a black widow spider bite may resemble other conditions or medical problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis. GADFLY. 3 �Jen-SaisQuoi: Little Girls by Jennifer Wright '08 When I was in High School there was this girl I kind of knew named Emmy. Emmy modeled. Not like "yeah, I do a little bit of catalogue work for shoe money" modeling, more like "yeah, I have to leave school for a month to go and shoot in IVWan and stay at Kaiser Karl's place" modeling. She wasn't ridiculously pretty in a classic way, but she was super skinny. She had the body type that inspires that 1orh grade flirtation with bulimia. You know how it is. All my friends and I were horribly, all consumingly jealous of her in the single-minded sort of way that you only have the energy to muster when you're fifteen years old. So over Columbus Day I went home, and met a friend for coffee and Emmy happened to wander in. She'd gained about fifty pounds. She wasn't overweight, she was just ordinary looking. We waved her over, and she proceeded to detail how she'd been to a nutritionist, and she'd finally cultivated a healthy relationship with food. She didn't starve herself only to binge out wildly at unexpected moments anymore. She ate three square meals a day. Three of them. Every day. She was happy. Or, at least, happy in her relationship with food. The modeling career was kind of shot. But then, she's 22 now, so it would be shot anyway. In any case, she said that she'd never had more energy, and that it was anticipated that she'd live a longer, much better life. We congratulated her, and then, when she left my friend leaned across the table and remarked "So, she'll live to be a hundred. Who cares? If I looked like that I'd shoot myself." I guess we're all going to stop pretending we like people to be skinny because it's 'healthy.' I mean, I suppose it is healthy insofar as Auschwitz victims or other people who have lost all their body fat at one point of their life seem to significantly outlive the rest of the population - though I've always had vague suspicions that that may be because they have much more resilient bodies that can survive starvation to begin with. But as for combating the obesity epidemic and staving off obesity? Most of the slim, 4 slim women I know don't eat copious quantities of fruits and vegetables and get 2000 calories a day which would probably constitute a healthy lifestyle. Most of the slim women I know limit themselves to about 800 calories a day, burn off 500 at the gym and then eat an entire tub of Phish Food ice cream on the weekend alone. Possibly hidden in a closet. I don't have any illusions about their being too healthy, and I don't think many other people do either. They don't even look healthy. Models these days have ribs sticking out to such an extent that they look like African refugees. And they keep dying. So let's just forget the whole "healthy" aspect as being the root of the appeal of thinness. So why, as a nation, do we seem so obsessed with people being slim? You could, of course, contend that the body types in vogue have always been dependent upon socioeconomic factors. When peasants were starving it was a sign of success and luxury to have extra body weight. .Alternatively, when the working classes seem stouter (during the industrial revolution, for instance, when proletarians . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . suddenly had access to bad, factory produced food in considerable quantities) a slimmer silhouette is in fashion (the industrial revolution also signals the first vast wave of anorexia among upper class women). The logic is that anything the vast majority of people are able to possess is too accessible, and therefore undesirable. As poorer people in America are now able to consume vast quantities of fast food, and less in the way of fruits and vegetables, it makes sense that we'd be going through a period where thin would be in. However, I really do believe that the ideal female body in this period is strangely different than it ever has been in the past. For all of history up until the late, late 1960s the ideal female body was hourglass shaped. An hourglass looks like this: 8. The top bits are the breasts, followed by a tiny waist, and then a bottom. Sometimes the waist and the other bits were allowed to be bigger than at other times, but even during the great sweep of anorexia in the 1880s women were still corseting themselves. No more. The hourglass made a brief comeback in the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, and then faded away again. Now the ideal female body, if models and fashion shows are anything to judge by, is line shaped. A line looks like this: 1. HI could find a way to represent it with ribs poking way far out I would. So why aren't we into hourglasses anymore, as we have been for the past 2000 odd years? I have a bit of a theory. Over time the same people started adopting the line shape as the ideal, people also started living an unprecedentedly long time. Cures for many of the diseases that had riddled us in the past were being developed, and healthier eating habits and exercise regimens were being adopted. What are those pretty skinny women in those "real life" movies made in the 70s always doing? They're running, or playing squash, or tennis, and they're talking about becoming vegetarians. Also they are sleeping with people who are not their spouses, but I'm not sure that's relLittle Girls continued on pg. 6 �Gadfly Book Reviews The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything by Tim Creighton '09 "THE WRITING OF LETfERS is one of the things I am not very good at," Aldous Huxley claimed in a 1921 letter. The present volume, a generous collection of Huxley's correspondence, selected by James Sexton, gives the lie to Huxley's claim. Sexton, who has recently helped edit the six volumes of Huxley's collected essays, has made a judicious selection from Huxley's ten thousand letters, giving us an excellent supplement to one of the most interesting and notable figures of 20th century English literature. In this collection, Huxley comes off as a man who wanted to know as much as he could, from his first years onward. The second letter in the collection, written when he was 12, is addressed to his brother Julian, thanking him for an encyclopedia. "I now know everything, from who invented dice to the normal temperature of the sea-cucumber." 'While he might not have claimed to "know everything" when he was older, he seems to have set it as his life's goal. Huxley was an omnivorous reader, taking on diverse subjects such as metaphysics, biological science, painting, music, technology, and anthropology-among other things. Simply put, Huxley could not stop thinking. His mind was restless, never being satisfied to rest with what he knew. His interests and writings were all over the intellectual map. Regardless of what he was writing, it seems that Huxley was primarily an essayist, and his letters are written much like his essays and novels: polished and eloquent, though sometimes perhaps a bit overstylized. Huxley's sardonic and cynical wit shines across a broad spectrum of different subjects. We can read his epigrammatic thoughts on painting and the Italian postal service ("great gulfs of incompetence and dishonesty"). Huxley describes his mother-in-law as having "a genius for getting the maximum of agitation out of the minimum of cause." In one particularly entertaining letter concerning a contemporary obscenity trial, he remarks to a friend, "Imagine giving a man six months for writing down two words that are currently spoken by millions." He then proceeds to give a brief philological account of these two words - an account which, though we'd like to recount it here, is unfortunately unprintable in these pages. [Editor} note: Believe us, we wanted to print it, too. You YIjust have to b19f the book.] One of the most notable features of this collection is his series of love letters to Mary Hutchinson, begun not long after Huxley married Maria Nys, his wife of thirty years and several affairs. The love letters are passionate and eloquent, but often strangely intellectual. It is hard to imagine anyone else quoting The Selected Letters of Aldous Huxlry edited byJam.es Sexton Ivan R. Dee (2_007) Hardcover, 512 pgs $35.00 Available far Purchase in the Bookstore History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in a love letter. Throughout the book, Sexton tries to let the letters speak for themselves as much as possible, while providing sufficient commentary and footnotes to make them more accessible to those who are less familiar with Huxley's life and times. The book is divided into two parts. The first part concerns Huxley's life in Europe, from 1901to1937, when we read of his progression through Oxford, his marriage, and the beg1nning of his literary career. The second part treats of Huxley in the United States, where he lived from 1937 until his death in 1963. Though the two parts of the book are unequal - the second is about half the length of the first- the division at Huxley's move to America is appropriate. Before his move, Huxley was restless, changing residences several times, in England, Italy, and France, and constantly traveling as well (he describes his Asian journey particularly vividly). After his move to America, Huxley settled down, leaving his home in California only for vacations and lecture tours. In this sense, his thoughts paralleled his residences: before 193 7, both mind and address moved rapidly from place to place, and afterward, his thinking and his residence had both anchored to a greater extent. By the time he moved to America and established himself in California, he had attached himself to several characteristic ideas, all of which appear in his letters with some regularity: pacifism, universal non-dogmatic mysticism, and psychological techniques (from the latter two come his infamous experiments with LSD and mescaline). Yet the liking for "conversation and the exchange of ideas," as he wrote when he came to the United States, never ceased or slowed. To those interested in Huxley's published works, Sexton's selection provides a superb companion to his novels and essays. In one way or another, Huxley's letters encompass nearly all of the main concerns and ideas of his life. At the same time, the reader also gets a good sense of how Huxley's thinking developed, from the little kid who thought he knew everything to one of the most far-ranging critics and men of letters in the past century. As for those who have never read Huxley, hopefully a perusal of this book will prompt the reader to go on and read some of his more famous essays or novels. At the very least, one can read the book to find snappy ways to tell off one's in-laws. However, as Huxley himself warns, we should keep in mind that "snappiness, alas, is apt to be in inverse ratio to accuracy."~ . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY 5 �Little Girls continued from pg. 4 evant. What are those hour glass shaped women in the films in the 1930s doing? They're lounging on divans and smoking cigarettes and drinking many, many martinis. The lifestyle changes lead to increased longevity. So, for the first time, in the modern age, people are getting really, really old in really large numbers. And when you get old, you get stout. That's why, if you make clothes for a particular women, you will have a mannequin in her shape, and, as the years pass, pads will inevitably be added to the hips and belly and thighs, all signifying the effect the passage of time has on that body. I find it kind of tragic that even women who seem to care enough about their personal appearance to employ a dressmaker aren't able to overcome the inevitable thickening of the body. It happens to everyone, though. As you age you not only gain weight and flesh out in various body parts, you also lose a few inches in height, and the result is that you naturally take on a more hour glass shape. Being a tiny bit stout might have been all well and good in an era where people weren't expected to live much past their mid-sixties or early seventies, but, as more and more of us expect to live into our eighties and beyond and we're surrounded by the grim specter of senility and the other horrors of old age, youth becomes more and more valued as it becomes rarer and rarer. I remember another friend of mine once enviously noted that one skinny woman had "the metabolism of a 10-year-old." And that's exactly it. That line shape is precisely the shape your body has when you are ten years old. With more and more of the population slipping into decrepit old age, that's precisely the look - the illusion of youth, as youth is becoming as rare a state as, say, having a few extra pounds in the 15rh centurythat successful, modem day women are trying to capture. Meanwhile, that brief 80s, early 90s period where the hourglass-shape was back in style? Those were the prime AIDs years. In a period where countless Americans were being struck down in their 20s and 30s I imagine the prospect of hav- ing a long life might not have seemed so disturbing. Paradoxically, it may be because Emmy is going to have a long and healthy life that women are trying to be skinnier and skinnier. What can we do about it? Well, we can probably implement programs that make it seem as though old age is not the worst thing that can happen to anyone. We can worry more about treating diseases that seem to make old age so horrific (I'm thinking mostly of Alzheimer's, though there are certainly a host of others). We could try to respect our elders rather than passing by them and remarking to our friends that old people look like lizards, and not bothering to lower our voices because old people are also deaf. If people seemed able to have happy and fulfilling lives into their old age perhaps we would no longer try to slim our bodies down to such an extent that we perpetually look like ten year olds. Although, if that doesn't work, I suppose Christopher Buckley also proposed a solution in his fine treatise on aging Boomsdcrywhich anyone interested in the subject may wish to consult for further information. ~ Dodd on the Quad: Nuclear Power by Kirstie Dodd '10 When I think of superb comedic television, I usually think of The Simpsons. Each time Homer cries out "D'Oh!" or Apu chases Bart out of the Kwik-E-Mart, the American socio-political envelope is pushed open a little bit further. It has some of the best cartoon satire on the boobtube. The one thing about that show, however, that is consistently unfunny is all the jokes about radiation fallout from the local nuclear power plant. The makers of The Simpsons must know that radioactive uranium sticks pinballing around gutters in downtown Springfield gives me the heebie-jeebies, not the ha-has. Maybe the thought of-oh, I don't know-growing an extra limb or stage IV leukemia freaks me out more than the average person, but nuclear radiation is easily the most terrifying thing I can imagine. It's not even like I don't have a "morbid" sense of humor; tell me a joke about Helen Keller or dead babies and I'll probably be laughing the loudest. I have to draw the line somewhere, though. When Homer stirs his morning coffee with plutonium, I refuse to laugh. 6 The Simpsons is a two-dimensional fantasy world. When the live-action movie industry tries to depict anything nuclear, the results are usually catastrophic. If you've ever seen K19: The Widowmaker (I'm so, so sorry), you know what I'm talking about. Think of it as a bad version of The Httnt for Red Octoberwith even worse Russian accents. The plot is simple: the nuclear reactor on a Soviet submarine overheats and starts to release radiation and the dumb thing has to be fixed before everyone on the sub dies. When I saw it I was in the 9rh grade and I cried for two hours after it was over. I don't know what I'm going to do if they make a movie entitled Three Mileisland or Chernobyl. But being traumatized by fake nuclear meltdowns on television and the movie screen is just a prelude to what this article is really about. Located 45 miles south of St. John's College on the Chesapeake Bay is Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, one of the leading pressurized water reactor plants in the country. Calvert Cliffs was also the first to earn a 20 year extension of their operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Source: Wikipedia. Here's hoping that information is accurate). SF2 would probably get excited about this alternate energy source. When I read about the wonders of Calvert Cliffs last week, I was far from excited. Apocalyptic images of mushroom clouds, lab rats with ten tails and Marie Curie riding a green radium gas cloud towards campus came to my mind. I suggest we at St. John's prepare immediately for a potential nuclear catastrophe. Hoard all the potassium iodide tablets you can to mitigate radiation absorption. I'm buying a $200 customizable, travel-size Geiger counter off of Ebay so I can detect any spikes of radiation near my person. (There are plenty of vintage $10 Yugoslavian options on Ebay in case you don't have that kind of dough.) Let's all band together to beg the D.C. for funding to build a nuclear fallout shelter deep under Spector. We can line it with food, water, and the Great Books for reading material. Don't tell me a joke about nuclear fallout, though. If you do, I might just have to live down there perma- . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nently.~ �H'J sh SCI Minutes , • • • • • f • •/ i~ M Tl Athletes of the Week by Ellen Barrihart '10 . ' .. . . ,. ' . gt ' ·.- 9<:fober 18~ 2001_. · · . All members present: .·· · , Math Program Discu~sio~ · Also ~res~nt:· Mr. Casey, fyfr:''. . MacFarland,' .· Ms. '._ .,. I<ronsberg, and the_ math ... ..., ·<:: assistants ,.. ' · Ms. Saurniers ~n~: Mr. Qkhuy~e~ . . :,. ·Topics ":discµssed: . .. . Pos.sible ·algebra e~arii .·revision . Juhior~ ~nd SeiiioJ:,·math ~part · fi:om andwith · . respect to." ~e alg~bra eiam: . ' . · · Upcoming events: . ·. ··shake~peare ·in_ .Fall . . _ the Measure for MeasUre (entirety) . . ·-,<with-M.t;:. Grenke · ~ · : ,· TuesdtY, Octobei 30, 8 p.m. General Hartle Room of the ·. BBC -.S.CI_. Meeting~ beld every , . ' Miss Gibson &Miss Michelewicz · T4iirsday at . . . ti.:4~ in the Pri~ate Dini~ .Rooll) .· "Gadfly . Personals"· .· - ... · •, .... · Mr. Mowery . . . '~ mnovative .way to show .the . PolitY just how ?esperate y~u really-are~" · You MAKE THE CALL: Spunky, on-the-go junio~ . gi.rl seeks thoughtful and . affectionate boy for ·. ·_ midnight rambles and star . counting. Some· handholding may be ·required. Interested parties should . reply .via email to . . sgtpepper@hawali.c~m. I • ' • In soccer,·an oppo11enf prevents the goal . keeper from telea.s. ng the_ i ball with his · · hands. ·w hatis·the :cafl? ~. . · First one to me with the right call gbes to tjle Bookstore on me.·You . ·· · · may leave your answer on my voicemail, x2558.. · ·. . . ·. . . . . : . ' [Mr. Pickens would like to point out that n~ one is answering his questions and therefore making him sad. So make Mr. Pickens happy and make the call! -Ed] - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �A Better Sophomore Music Program by Tim Jones '08 and Nate Okhuysen '08 There are problems with the sophomore of course, be more practically helpful for stu- period are more sophisticated than in poetical music program as it stands. Students are dis- dents than recordings, though more sparse. works, so additional rhythmic theory should satisfied, and most tutors feel disinclined to After about three weeks, a transition to be attempted, most likely by drawing analotake part. Rather than attempt to say what is counterpoint should occur. The text used for gies to the way tones work. A few harmonic right and wrong about the current system, this may be Zarlino, the contemporary of works, including Schenker's Free Composition since all of the changes have been well-rea- Palestrina, used in Annapolis, or Johann Fux, and Rameau's Treatise on Harmotry have secsoned, we give here a new proposal for a who had more impact on later composers and tions on rhythm, which might be compiled. sophomore music program, assuming the is used in Santa Fe. More counterpoint should A lab experiment showing the "beats" present same music test and preparation already in place be written by students, even if only of the in proportional tones would also be interestduring freshman year. Rather than use first species or two. Hearing student-com- ing. Examples such as Stravinsky's Petrushka Z uckerkandl all the way through the program, posed counterpoint should help show some and Beethoven's "Eroica" symphony might we suggest that the curriculum follow his phi- unity of theory and practice. During that time, be listened to. However, since students problosophy by using his structure and point to- music by composers such as Palestrina, di ably personally listen to music that is more ward his ideas, alrhythmically significant lowing students to them than tonally, it to try to make as might be an opportunity for students to bring in many connections Rather than attempt to say what is right and wrong about music that includes as they can for the current system, since all of the changes have been themselves, simirhythmically interesting well-reasoned, we give here a new proposal for a lar to what happhrases. sophomore music program, assuming the same music test pens in the orgaDuring the second senization of the and preparation already in place during freshman year. mester of the year, the end of sophofocus should shift. Less more math class theory would be exand Klein's Greek Mathematica/Thought and the Lasso, Praetorius and des Prez should be lis- plored, and more time would be spent listenOrigin ofAlgebra. However, The Sense of Mu- tened to. ing to musical pieces. There would be an opsic would still be useful in the first unit, that After another three weeks, a harmony sec- portunity to look over different sections of of melody. tion should begin. Derivation of harmony the theory again, or look briefly at parts of Free It does seem reasonable to begin the year could come from selections, for example, of Composition to understand Schenker's analysis with melody. Some tutors may begin with a Schenker's theoretical section of On Harmotry, of "Ich bins". unit on rhythm instead, as Hindemith does which quickly derives the musical scale from We have not included all of the aspects of in Elementary Training for Musicians. Impor- the overtone series, as well as the major and each unit. We are sure there are historical sources tant aspects to the program should be com- minor as the most significant modes and even, that might help in illustrating each unit of posing, listening, and looking at music theory. further on, seventh chords. Selections from which we are less aware, such as works by Little music theory is needed for melody. Stu- Rameau's Treatise on Harmo'!Y could be used Mathis Lussy, Messaien, Schoenberg, CPE dents can probably compose 4-8 bar melodies to outline harmonic theory instead, and in- Bach, Hugo Riemann and Alfred Einstein. We with the knowledge needed for the music test. clude less application to melody but longer are also aware that certain works of music will, Tutors who aren't completely comfortable with and perhaps clearer readings. Additional deri- for various reasons, be substituted. However, music notations may start their classes out with vation of harmony could come from doing we think that a music program structured in a small selection or two from Forte's The Struc- three-part counterpoint and then analyzing or this general way would be an improvement ture ofAtonal Music. This could also help to hearing it as triads. During this time music by and avoid some of the obstacles and impediexplain, for example, an understanding of a Rameau, non-contrapuntal I'vfozart, or four- ments of current music classes. This type of spectrum of dissonance and a sort of unifica- part harmonies such as hymns might be played. structure is not revolutionary to our program, tion of musical modes. During this time many These three units would probably take up until as it supports the historical chronology of much of the music studied. This program melodies should be listened to. Those cur- Thanksgiving. rently in the manual could be augmented by a Between Thanksgiving and winter break, a capitalizes on our ability to use proportions combination of Gregorian chants that used rhythm section would occur. Anaxagoras' to begin talking about, and subsequently practo be used in the program, Bach's Cello Suites Elementa Rhythmica might be read. Unfortu- tically understanding, music. Such a music and Partitas for violin and favorites of tutors. nately, historical treatises on musical rhythm program would rely more on the works in the Listening to musical examples should consti- are somewhat sparse. A beginning point program and less on the tutor in the classtute at least half of every class throughout the would have to include looking at a poem, but room, as in other parts of the curriculum. We year. Sung and classmate-composed pieces will, the more complicated ideas after the classical think such a music program would be better than the current one. ~ 8 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �SF2 continued from front page article I decided to do mainly out of cur:iosit"f, these contemplated changes would remain unknown outside the SFs. As an example, they are initiating a meeting with the President of the college to sign "The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment", a tv10-page form that, upon signature, would commit St. John's College to "achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible." Reading it through, I saw that, rather than turning St. John's into, say, an ultra-green, self-sufficient biofarm, the changes, if implemented, would be mainly invisible to the Polity. The purchase of STARR brands of electronics, greater use of public transportation for the college (but how feasible is that when the majority of us live on campus?), and to "begin purchasing or producing at least 15% of our institution's electricity consumption from renewable resources" were some of the changes that were suggested to be put into place over the next two to five years upon signing the agreement. As of the writing of this article, we do not yet know the outcome of the SF2's meeting with the President and what changes, if any, are to be implemented in the way the college will be run in the next ten years. . AJter this, Hannah Stahl stood up, in the manner of a girl making a book report, to give her findings on "tumblers vs. bins" i.e., the two different styles of composters that the SF2 was researching to be installed in the dining hall. If implemented, this is probably the most tangible of changes that were to be made in the life of the campus as a whole. "Speak now, or forever hold your peace," Bronstein rattled officially ending the meeting. But, as we stood up to go, Victor Smith said, "This is the best part". As I watched, the members of the SF2 stood in a ring in the middle of the grassy courtyard, so close together their noses were practically touching. They began to chant, in voices so low I could hardly make out the words, but growing louder. As tutors and students having their paper conferences looked on in consternation, they stomped their feet on the grass and broke out into a defiant chant. Since it wasn't in English, it sounded like nonsense, but I have no doubt that it was something to do with giving their hearts to the earth . .,._-- The St. Johns Film Friday Night Lecture Socie9J Logos and Power in Book One of Herodotus' History Presents... by Ms. Claudia Honeywell Tuto~ Night of the Living Dead St.John's College Santa Fe Friday, Octo}Je1 26, 2007 . .8:15 p.m. Francis Scott KeyAuditorium Projected onto Mellon Hall for the rest of the year. Saturday, October· 27, 8 Pre-Lecture Seminar Sofaris 7 p.m. in the Mellon Conversation Room The Soviet Giant .Andre Tarkovsky's three hour masterpiece involving the psychological, scientific, and artistic effects of life immersed in a Space Age. Paragraphs 26-92 and 107-130 from Book I ofthe History SUNDAY, October 28th, 7 P.M. SE!\tlINAR: DON'T YOU EVER WISH PEOPLE WOULD SAY WHAT GOING TO rrl!TT'.'•u•n.,... AT LEAST TIUT WAY YOU WOULDN'T BE DISAPPOINTED ... I'm going to giveattite . ansVter t 0 the opening question. I'm going t o t01k on ceQI. . ~~ 8:05 and then tune out. (;II I'm going to spout bullshit, so feel free to ignore me. I'm going to get belligerent about an unimportant detail! \ I'm going to be smug and condescending to hide myignorance. ' I'm going to complain pointlessly in lieu ot having areal argument. I'm going to bring up a compl et elyn ewi dea at 10:05 and not shut up! \ I'm going to kill you with an axe. I G.ADFLY. 9 �Mere Sophistry III by Robert Sale '10 In the previous installment, I acquainted you, gentle reader, with the phenomena. Erst it was that rhetoric enjoyed high esteem amongst the peoples of this fine nation; now, it is all too evident in what passes for speeches nowadays, the sorry state of rhetoric. I also, at its end, promised you a sordid story of a sordid philosophy, opposed to sophistry, with a stranglehold on the status quo of American life. 1bis story will come, gentle reader, but first, some preliminary remarks are in order, for the following arguments may seem to fly directly in the face of what a patriotic American might say about the ideas of his fatherland and how they have guided past generations throughout the newly bygone century and into this millenium novum. For no man thinks more highly than I do of patriotism, but different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore I hope that it will not be thought disrespectful to this past era i~ entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to those of our forefathers, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve. The question before me is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part I consider it as nothing less than a question of intellectual freedom and slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself guilty of treason towards my country. That being said, I shall press on with all due alacrity. It is my claim, and allow me to make this claim straightforwardly and with nary an intimation of chicanery or obfuscation, that American resistance to rhetoric in general and sophistry in particular is due to nothing else than the inculcation of dialectic from time immemorial and, more recently, the predatory dominance of the dogma of pragmatism. I have already dealt with dialectic and its insufficiencies in my first exposition; suffice it to say here that it behaves ignobly, unjustly, and on generally uneven terms in relation to other equally valid methods of discourse and discovery of truth. Thus, the topic at hand is the wild, mysterious beast that won the election of 1896 and has by no means relented in its fascistic oppression of incompatible ideologies since: pragmatism. The word "pragmatism," like "sophistry," is donated to us from the Greek language. The 10 Greek word pragma, according to the "1vfiddle Liddell" lexicon so graciously donated to us by the administration at our fine school, means "that which has been done, a deed or act." Thus we can see how it comes into play in English parlance: it is a philosophy concerned with deeds and actions; facts and things. To act "pragmatically" is to act with a view concerning actions: how best to act out actions, i.e. with what or whom to act in order that the action may not involve adverse reactions that would involve redaction of the action, such as a tact, pact, or contract that leaves facts exact and intact. Thus, it is easy to see why Americans today are so enamored of pragmatism. Pragmatism has led to outstanding advances in science. Its concern with facts, results, and efficiency as an expense of everything else has given us an objective standard of life unsurpassed in all of human history. We live longer, move faster, grow taller, and own more than we ever have before. It sounds like we have a pretty sweet deal under pragmatism and that the rest of the world is wholly populated by a bunch of suckers for not embracing pragmatism, not to mention the entirety of the human race pre-1900. At least, it sounds that way. It sounds increasingly hollow when you realize that those standards ~onger, faster, taller, more) have been put up there by the precepts of pragmatism. It sounds increasingly sinister when you realize that there are other standards of life that have been marginalized and are becoming more marginalized at the expense of pragmatism. It sounds increasingly terrifying when you realize that you have accepted those standards as standards of goodness without even realizing that it happened to you. I come now to open your eyes! Gentle reader, there are different standards out there for measuring the quality of your life! Abandon the imperial system of existence-evaluation and embrace the cubit, the troy, and the minim of living standard now since forgotten! Does it not strike you with the force of a thousand skeppspund the irony ofbeing hopelessly in love with a philosophy so cold, mechanistic, 1v1achiavellian, and downright anti-romantic that no reasonable person would ever marry it for a million talents of gold? Has America really become the trophy wife of an uncaring philosophy? Pragmatism, I say, is an abusive lover that America has taken and that we keep coming back to. Look at what it has done for us (and to us). Yes, it has given us incredible scientific power, affordable mass-production, and international mass communication, but it has also given us the hydrogen bomb, child slave labor, and www.goatse.cz. As many horrific atrocities are committed as a direct result of pragmatic doctrines as are advances in technology. But we as Americans let it go, because, like all good abusive spouses, it has warped our minds and our value systems so that while we may feel the pain it has caused us, we can rationalize it away by saying, in effect, "oh, he's a really great guy once you get to know him, he's just got an awful temper. I probably deserved it and it's really my fault." This is wrong. This is so wrong. Any daytime talk show host on the planet will tell you this is wrong. In contrast, look at sophistry. Sophistry is all about harmonizing with us, with our better natures, and with a set of good, wholesome values. It appeals to our senses of pity, of love, of fellowship with our fellow man, of integrity, of justice, of doing things because they are noble or beautiful, not just because they work. Why would we, as .Americans, not embrace this philosophy which is so attuned to what is best in us? How many atrocities has sophistry committed? How many lives destroyed, cities bombed, or races exterminated? What possible defense of pragmatism can there be in the face of this just and noble philosophy? It stands thus, gentle reader: sophistry is the sensible, reasonable, and humane alternative to dialectic and pragmatism. It is a philosophy more in tune than anything with our musical, artistic, and aesthetic human souls. As a closing image, picture three sunsets: a dialectic sunset, a pragmatic sunset, and a sophistical sunset. In the first, the sun sets like a Ptolemaic diagram, epicycles all the way down. In the second, the sun sets efficiently, its light being replaced by the moon's as if a dimmer switch were being pushed down. But in the third! The sun sets gloriously, in a blaze of variegated hues, with reds and oranges and purples and golds all shining forth, rays piercing through cumulostratus cloudbursts and illuminating the cirrus backdrop in a panoply of colors such that it fills every soul who stops and watches it with awe and wonderment at how the very hand of God himself could not have painted it. And in view of that, I ask you, gentle reader, which sunset would you prefer~ . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �srr. JOJ{'J{:S COL£/E(j'E J{QLFD.9L'Y .9L(j02{.9L S5lTU2('1J5lX '1Jff'E/Jvf'B'E2( 1 lO:OOJZLAf 'IO l:O(JPAf :FS'l( LO'B'B'Y '~ora" is Greek for "marketplace." The Agora will be a crafts show and sale for students, staff and faculty to sell their handiwork and baked goods. This is for your own Personal Profit, not to benefit the college! Do you knit? Paint? Weave? Carve? Sew? Build? Sculpt? Dye? Tat? Draw? Crochet? Pot? Calligraph? Bake? Etch? Photograph? Emblazon? Bead? Whittle? Wield a mean glue gun? Whatever your art or craft, take this opportunity to turn your talent into some holiday cash. The Agora will be publicized well, and we expect a good turnout. Below is a sign-up form. We need to know by October 31 who's planning to participate.. If you have questions, call the Agora Hotline (extension 2556, also known as the Mitchell Gallery phone) and ask Hydee or Lucinda. Return the form to Roberta Gable via campus mail, or email her at roberta.gable@sjca.edu. The Agora Committee: Sus3an Borden, Miriam Callahan-Hean, Trish Dempsey, Lucinda Edinberg, Roberta Gable, Gina Lee, Hydee Schaller I'm in! I'd like to sell my stuff at the Holiday Agora on Saturday, December 1. Here's the basic idea of what I will be making:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Approximate price range:._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Preferred con tact method: Campus Mail E-mail:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Phone:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Career Services and Trophy Wives by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR A.LIZABETH, So, now that I'm a senior, I am wondering what the heck I'm going to do once I have all this free time and also need to forage for my own food. I think maybe getting a job would help, because having read Marx, I would like to show my capitalist pride. So how do I get one of these job thingies? Or is there something else I should be considering? Love, them really does relieve the OHMYGOSHWHATAMIGOINGTODO mindset. Be sure to show your appreciation too - what they do for a living is making sure you have something to do for a living, and that's really quite important. Best of luck. Now go, Johnnie, go. A. Schwab ***** A Senior S uffirer ***** Poor Wandering One, Ah, yes, jobs! The next great rite of passage is that pit of frustration and despair known as the job search, that time when you root around in the wacky job ads aimed at liberal arts students to try to find something that (a) isn't absurd and (b) won't render you absolutely penniless. I'm in the middle of the process right now, because I suffer from a terrible academiphobia (fear of gra d school). My irrational fear tells me that all my classmates at any conventional institution of higher learning would probably look at me like I had three eyes if I started talking about Apollonius in a discussion of Rutherford, and m y irrational fear is absolutely right on this count. So, though I'm keeping my options open, I'm looking for a job. I'm ready to return to the kind of satisfaction I get from teaching a whole passel of Little People that Shakespeare is fun, and maybe I'll gradually warm up to the prospect of studying some one subject seriously. For the time being, though, I can't fathom it. So here's how you get a job: You visit the career services office. You read Praxis, that lovely and painstakingly well-assembled newsletter that arrives in your email every once in a while. You pay attention to the posters about special career-related functions around campus. You polish your resume until you can see your reflection in it. You visit the career services office. Those people know what they're doing better than your befuddled college student brain can imagine, and working with 12 . THE G ADFLY . . . . . . . dying for approval" and now I think it's time to take those first two qualities and use them for gain. Old Money is slowly dying out: today's million- and billionaires made their fortunes with at least some help from their brains and as such they are no longer the type to tolerate completely hot-but-vapid women. In a world ofBotox and fake breasts, a little knowledge of Ancient Greek goes a long way in impressing that well-dressed gentleman you met at that pretentious bar. Smile a lot and talk about the deep sympathy you felt when you read Augustine's Confessions. Drop names like there's no tomorrow. No one has quite the knack for enticing future husbands like Homerrophodesrabelaisdantmnl.toneliotto1stoymelville and you must invoke it in order to suceed. You will also be thanking Platoaristotk:augustinepbrinus1uthetkao.fuu Dear Martyr, Ah, yes, jobs. We've all heard about them. Our parents have them. Some us may even have what we call "jobs" but I am sorry to say that doing your seminar reading in the mailroom is not going to fly for a career choice. On a good day I would walk you through the how-to's of building a good resume and all that but as my graduation looms I have come up with a number of other alternatives to joining theworkforce as a soulless drone. One of these alternatives is a life of trophy-wifery. Now I know what you're thinking: "Elizabeth Burlington is not hot enough to be a trophy wife." I may not be pretty enough to get by on looks alone; hell, I may even be too ugly to be allowed into certain rooms on 3rd Randall, but that matters not. What does matter is that I have enough brains to fill in the blanks. My former roommate described Johnnie girls as being "smart, beautiful and after you have that ring on your finger and the rest of you life set. So become a trophy wife. Keep in mind this is not limited to the female population as there are many rich older women and gay men. Use your imagination. The world 1s yours. Shout-outs to the person who threw the entire box of The Gadf!J into the recycling bin. \X'hile part of me wants to be angry with you for spitting on my hard work, the other part is glad that you're so environmentally conscious. And to my soccer team, the Gold Diggers...you make me less ashamed of my future as a trophy. Putting the 'passive' in 'aggressive' since 1986, E. McDowell Burlington Please send your Program Predicaments to [lizabeth Qurlington or A li Schwab via Campus Mail. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 8 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-10-26 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 8 of The Gadfly. Published October 26, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.8 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/af665f19014b6fab8ffd699d165064ba.pdf 2a2a0b5953c1ba597fb9d5c1a6d9dec5 PDF Text Text THE GADFLY The St. John} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 9 Review: The Ass as sination of Jesse James by Brendan Clay '08 Last year I had an argument with a friend over which was funnier, duels in westerns or duels in Shakespeare's time. We were talking about resetting one of Shakespeare's plays as a western, and she had commented that it would add an element of comedy to the duels. When I asked her why she felt this way, she hunched her back, let her eyes dart back and forth with mock suspicion, and pulled a phantom pistol from her equally ethereal holster. This grotesque display, intended to make obvious the humor of a western duel, was accompanied by a tortured rendition of an Ennio Morricone score delivered in whistle. This, as they say, is exactly what I am talking about. The western is a classic American genre that echoes throughout the entirety of cinema, and like any genre, it is often used as a mere vehicle for gunplay and action setpieces. For every cinematic masterpiece by John Ford or Sergio Leone, there are still the slew of Tombstones and Wjiatt Earps which take the genre everywhere from action packed frag fest to hamhanded melodrama. Its symbols and tropes have been rung dry by dim witted hacks, and its place in the American psyche has become little more than a storehouse for misunderstood cliches. Fortunately the current crop of westerns like 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is doing something about this. Andrew Dominik, the director of the latter film, has not forgotten what lies beneath the cliches. His film, adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, should not exist. It is a star-studded studio western released in 2007 with a running time of Jesse James continued on pg. 8 Annapolis, Maryland November 2, 2007 The Internet and the St. John's Way by Elizabeth Burlington '08 According to a recent statistic given by former Director of Student Services Chris Aamot, approximately 86% of the St. John's student population lives on campus. For us this means many things: friends nearby 24/7, grungy showers, the same pasta salad served for ten days straight. We take the good with the bad and most times the violent good will balance out the violent ill. We can wear sandals in the shower and smother our stale macaroni with soy sauce and ranch dressing to make it palatable. Certain things are just part of the college experience and must be home. We as wideeyed adolescents can endure the slings and arrows of mice living in our common rooms but we rise up in fury and protest when our iPod software takes more than three minutes to update. In this golden age of technology we have become a spoiled lot. I grew up in a singlecomputer household and the only the pure benevolence of a loving god convinced my father to splurge on DSL. When I first came to St. John's in the fall of '04 it was enough for me just to have my own computer, but now, three years later, I realize just how unusual I really was. As the freshmen get younger and younger their complaints grow louder and more articulate: the internet at St. John's College is awful. The Internet at St. John's College is unacceptable. Even those of us in the older generation are shifting uncomfortably as we realize that as unruly and naive as these little ones may be, they do have a point. The upperclassmen have learned to bite their Internet continued on pg. 4 �THE DC Minutes: October 24 41r~GADFLY by Charles Hamm '08 Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears M:r· Members present: .Mr. M:eyers, Mr. .f-Ianover, H~- Ms. Seiler, M:r· Barnes, Mr. Shahrigian, Ms. Walsh; Mr._ .Donahoe, Mr.D~exie:; Ms. ftckling;M:s~ · I-Iauspurg; Ms. Andrews, Mr.. Harriso~ Mr.' Lo1?6.I)fa~,.Ms:'Fclzier,.Mr. · Papadopoulos, Mr; My~rs, Ms. De~ton., _ Le~ko~ an9 ~: .·sirrunoO.s,,:. Mr. • Assistant Editors Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreaders A. Sabrina Rourke Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographers Clarke Saylor Erica Stratton Contributing to this Issue Ellen Barnhart Elizabeth Burlington Brendan Clay Kirstie Dodd Charles Hamm Nate Okhuysen Barbara McClay Robert Sale Ali Schwab Jennifer Wright Babak Zarin Founded in 1980, The Gadf!y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Garff!y staff. The Garff!y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thoughtprovoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Yearly subscriptions are available for $30.00. Tax-deductible contributions are greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to The Garff!y. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 . •· · ..'. ···.·._. . ·. . .··.._• < •· >.· •.· .~:. ·.;', ~/ • •, ·3~·.;y~ ·. : ' _!.£ ; ;'.,~Y.p< '<.f ..;~ •.. , Agenda: Emergency _ Budgetiiig for _ . Gadfly; clu~..chartering;<}fthe the·_ . . . Hawaii,Tennis and Free-form clance 'clubs \ ,. ··/' ., ; ·.. The Gadfly requ~~ting $5?9.7f fr~m~the D.C.after.ili~-b~aget ~a~tabl~d uring PreliminaryBl1dgeting.1:ft. .Shahngfan ~pters .tlI~pfC>pos~fas·:~ :Emerg~cy Action Votfug Item and Mr. Harrison_ seconds.the niotion.1'he :m~tion 'passes 13 _ . :· · > . . ·.· -· · .. : ·.. ·.,:• :, t? 4. '.:: i Hawaii.Club Purpose: To expose the.polity to•.flawaii's~qu~C\tlqtte_ throtigh food, music, and artistic.media (fi1ms~ ·ph6tos; etc'.) .c~ntactJustk~ee~~:•> : . Ms. Walsh enters to table this charter until a lat~ date when th~ r:>:c:·h~~ a . better understandillg ·of· its stance on 'givmgqut·n}cmey to :~lub~ f()r f6bd.1:fr~: Drexler_ seconds the m?tion. The'hio"ti~n passe:s: . _... • _. : . , . _: .. '· Tennis Club Purpo~~: The purpose of the Tenilis Club.f~'t~··proiriote ienriis < play at St. John's College. ·The cl~h~v:ill' provide lessO!l.s 'fo~ b~giiliiers. ~nd _:ils~ >· • organize _ competitiVe play apd tournaments.· C'o!i~~t Dhltorii.ob~ Dia:s··: ·e; ·.•. Mr. Simmons moves to enter this Charter a_ anEmerg~neyActi~nVoting)t~!Il s and Mr. Lewkow seconds..Theillo~onp~ss~~'.;·;.,<\ o . J;;\•·::. Free-form Dance pt_u:pose: To provide an opp?5tunity}<?~ riiefu.b~s ~f the·· , polity to dance regajarly. Contact J\1ar~et_Hehn~ssey ·\ ,; >- .:·.,\ < : Mr. Shahrigian enters this charter as a RegUlar A~tion Vot;ffigitem ~d Ms.·.:. Deaton seconds. The motion passes. _ The D.C7'will ~ote bn !fils ch'.ar~ei:in its ne~t· .. ·.· · ' . ·/ meeting~j.;~ '.~.J>;>:;· ·.. ;I: ;· ·<· ... .· . ·. As an EAVI, the Gadfly's budget ·proposal passes; As '··' EAvI, the,.Tennis clul?'s charter 'passes. .'. > ·.. , ·. .. . . . ."- i; ?.:.-'····.·. ?,·,·; _ ,· · · .·.' :\.· ..· ·.:' ... an ~. ~·. Thanksgiving Airport Shuttles Reserve your spot on the Thanksgiving Break BWI Airport Shuttle! Sign-up in the Asst. Dean's office. Space is limited. Questions? Call Nina Carrieri (x2537). Yerma needs a few good men (or women) KWP's presentation of Yerma by Federico Garcia Lorca is looking for tech help and a male vocalist. We need people who can sew, who can swing a hammer, paint, or are just willing to spend some time working with paper mache. We are also looking for a running crew to do scene changes. And, to repeat, we are looking for a MALE VOCALIST. The show will be going up November 17. Please contact assistant director Brendan Clay at (610) 416-5628, Brendan.Clay@sjca.edu. . THE G ADFLY . . ' .. . . . . . ' . . . . ' .. . . .. ' . ' .. ' ' . . �Mere Sophistry IV by Robert Sale '10 It has come to my attention, gentle reader, mor by forcing his audience, by being inten- in the mud, we find an easy parallel in this that my series of articles in defense of the tionally disingenuous, to think about what analogy: satire and irony then become the honorable pursuit of sophistry has been is being written. steel-toed combat boots the dialectic wears This, of course, runs completely contrary when it tramples the poor orphan in the looked upon by some as a simple joke, a harmless spoof which is provided by the to the nature of humor. For instance, a man mud. proprietors of this publication for the plea- walking steps on a rake; the handle flies up In addition, satire also becomes a crutch sure of the polity, rather than a serious ar- and hits him in the face. This is funny. There and an excuse for those who wish to publiticle intended for the edification of its read- is no need to explain why it is funny. You cize shocking views without being massively ers. Worse yet, it is a commonly held opin- see it and laugh. The next man, however, reprimanded as moral reprobates. Take the ion that my article is a piece of satire, an having seen the rake and wishing to avoid famous piece of satire written by Jonathan ironic jest which pokes fun at human folly the pain of being hit in the face with a rake, Swift, ''.A Modest Proposal." In it, he advoand its penchant for being wooed by mellif- sidesteps it; however, by sidestepping it, he cates selling off the children of destitute luous speech and clever turn of phrase. unwittingly falls into a well and dies. Again, . Irish families to wealthier landlords and Nothing, gentle reader, could be further there is no need to explain why this is gro- nobles in order that they may consume them from the truth. In fact, I pursue sophistry tesquely unfunny. Irony has just killed this as a delicacy. Ostensibly, this piece of satire with such fervor and passion that I hate both man, and you, as a spectator, cannot help was intended to shed light -on the pitiful satire and irony with every fiber of my be- but be filled with compassion, pity, and sad- plight of the poor papist Irish and what ing. Satire is a form of could be done to humor and commenhelp them; howtary so perverse, so ever, closer inspecobscene, and so blation reveals pret is a commonly held opinion that my article is a piece of satire, tantly unfunny when cisely the opposite. an ironic jest which pokes fun at human folly and its penchant analyzed, that it could Swift, being a man for being wooed by mellifluous speech and clever turn of only spring forth from of means emphrase. Nothing, gentle reader, could be further from the truth. a philosophy as perployed under a verse and obscene: of nobleman in the course, the culprit in English court, this case being the diafound that he simlectic. ness at the unfitness and absurdity of the ply could not get enough of the taste of Why, you might ask, is satire so vile? man's death. But not only was this irony, it infant's flesh; thus, in the guise of satire, he What makes it so? After all, it does have a also was the average, garden-variety irony expounds a series of cogent, logical argulong, storied history of composition, stretch- you might find in the vicissitudes of hu- ments in favor of devouring unwanted ing back to Juvenal and Swift and continu- man life. The irony in satire is of a far more babes in order that the idea can be talked ing to this day with Carlos Mencia and the savage character; as the late, great H. about publicly and openly, rallying likemanatees who write Family Guy. Storied his- Northrop Frye put it, "in satire, irony is mili- minded individuals to his (nominally false) tory or not, however, there are several seri- tant." Think you, then, gentle reader, what cause and perhaps even establishing an unous objections to satire from a sophistical, this armed and dangerous irony could do; derground network of black market Irish and therefore philosophical, standpoint. for if the everyday irony can kill mindlessly, baby-trade in order to sate his demonic lust The first objection is that satire is heavily then for want of a tinfoil hat, the alien inva- for human veal. reliant upon irony and sarcasm to get its sion might be lost. The odium of satire being thus delinpoint across. Irony, of course, is when someSlipping into a decadent morass of moral eated, it is clear that satire, the militant arm thing is said or done but the opposite is decay and possible extinction of the human of dialectic, needs to be cut off. Satire in its true or actually accomplished, sarcasm when race aside, the real threat of satire and irony entirety needs to be banned from every masomething is said but the opposite is meant. - is that they, being strictly intellectual forms jor publication on the face of this earth. In other words, they are either lies or bullshit of humor, share many ties with the dialectic Irony and sarcasm need to be totally eradiin the strictest senses of those words. Thus, and thus are diametrically opposed to soph- cated from every mode of discourse that by deliberately dealing in duplicitiousness, istry. In fact, many forms of satire closely exists. Vitriol and mockery do nothing to anyone who engages in satire, as the immor- mirror sophistry, but, being satire, they ex- further harmonize mankind, but serve only tal Immanuel Kant decreed, "annihilates his ist in that form solely to mock it viciously to divide and inflame various hatreds existdignity as a man." Not only that, however, with a militant irony. So then what happens ing throughout the world. Think of the but even more grievously, the satirist im- to sophistry? Well, if we look at sophistry Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons conpinges upon the very foundations of hu- as Socrates did, as an orphan to be trampled Sophistry continued on pg. 7 I . . THE GADFLY . 3 �- 11 Internet continued from front page whole method of learning. So what of it? Well, I thoroughly believe (as do many others) that tongues and bear it, but one can only wonder if we are to take on any kind ofleadership role if the others will follow suit. At St. John's it is in academia we cannot spend our lives living in completely acceptable, if not completely encour- shadows. Graduating seniors need the online aged to complain loudly and with fervor when community and search engines to aid the job one cannot watch videos on YouTube, or when hunt, as does anyone else who is searching for the iTunes store decides that it does not feel a summer internship or some other such thing. like letting you purchase music because the con- There is also the question of current events, nection has timed out. These things are small, and as much as we all like to joke that those yes, and it is very possible to live without them. things do not matter to us, it is always nice to The real question presents itself when the have the option to be informed. But for every Internet spends a day and a half on the fritz decent job listing and every reliable news source, and the entire campus population starts freak- there are a thousand different web comics and ing out. Is the internet situation here truly celebrity gossip blurbs that could potentially abominable or are we just a bunch of spoiled lure the Johnnie away from his math paper or kids who can't deal with slow browsers? seminar reading. This all boils down, however, Sunday, October 21 dawned in an ordinary to the individual's ability to manage their time enough fashion. I woke up to the sound of and to balance the work and play. I am of the my BFF pounding on my door telling me it opinion that if someone does not want to do was time for lunch. I grumbled that I would his homework the Internet is not the only be there in a second and I turned on my com- means by which he can draw himself away. puter. The first warning sign was the non-funcThe Internet is useful in general, that much tioning Instant Messenger. About a week or is at least arguable. The real question seems to two before that it had stopped working be- be with whether or not the Internet is useful cause some infidel on upper campus decided for St. John's College. As I near the end of my that he needed my bandwidth more than I time here, I can see more and more how it has did, and as such I could not spend the time set been of benefit to me and to others. The vast aside for homework talking to my sister about majority of this has to do with the number of how terrible her college experience is. IM did dictionaries and translation aids that are availnot work. Firefox did not work. I felt panic able online. We have all heard the jokes about ripple through my heart. And it was Sunday. I Perseus, but in all honesty, those jokes are only would not have the Internet until at least the funny because, when you were a sophomore, next day. What was I supposed to do? Some- you used Perseus, and if you're not a sophohow through the midst of this the campus e- more yet, you will use it. It is helpful and as mail managed to work so I was able to throw much as some people consider it "cheating" it together the last Gac!f!y. But nothing else. How is really not. Cheating is stealing a translation would I do my French homework? How could of ''.Au Lecteur" from fleursdumalorg and preI get away with not reading Benito Cereno ifI tending it is your own. Cheating is stealing your did not have sparknotes.com? I do not remem- roommate's French homework and reading it ber what happened. Also, I do not actually use in class. When I used Perseus I only used it as Spark Notes. But you get the point. The atmo- a Lexicon. I parsed the words on my own. The sphere in the dining hall was dismal. Everyone same goes with the dictionary I use for my missed the Internet. It was back up and run- French assignments this year. I get a bare transning just before seminar on Monday night and lation of the infinitive and the rest is up to me. it actually ended up being Verizon's fault in- The actual French dictionary I got from the stead of the College's. Regardless of blame, library was hard to browse and did not have a however, this incident has raised a number of lot of words that I needed, and one of my questions concerning the nature of the cam- friends maintains that the word "fuzzy" is not pus Internet in general, the most important traditionally used to describe a body of water. being a matter of relevance to the college and Online dictionaries have more to offer. what it supposedly does. In addition to the use of the online dictioSo why do we, St. John's College, need the nary, there is much potential for success in the Internet anyway? And why do we allegedly need careful use of Wikipedia. Oh sure, it's funny. it to be anything above a barely functional level? But it can be extremely helpful when you are We all came to this school for the books and staring at your homework and some obscure the conversation; hiding in one's room playing cultural reference is clouding your creative viWoW or watching My Chemical Romance vid- sion. When discussing the significance of things eos seem in many ways counterintuitive to our 4 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . like Hermes Trismegi5te or Alltisthene it is helpful sometimes to have some background information. The Program may claim to be self-sufficient but there are certain topics that need a bit of information. The average Johnnie, as gifted as we are, is probably unable to identify half the people in Dante's hell when Dante wrote his work with the intention that they would be recognized. Context sometimes makes or breaks understanding. Wtkipedia, as minimal as it may be, provides enough information to lessen the scratching of one's head. Just do not use it to write a paper. But we all knew that already. It is sometimes difficult to write any kind of piece on technology without sounding like one of those old people who have just discovered "The Google." We need the Internet. The Internet is useful for St. John's College. So why does everyone complain? Our bandwidth is enough for Perseus and Wikipedia so why not leave it at that? I suppose for the same reason that my parents switched from dial-up to cable. As much as this College would like to be unchanging and outside of time, in some respects that is simply not the case. The students here may not need anything above the bare minimum, but it appears that conditioning has accustomed us to a much faster, better quality internet experience. We get our music from iTunes, pictures from our friends halfway across the country, and videos of the shows we missed while we were in seminar. This is what we are used to, but IT seems to have a much different take on it. The question is, do we have the resources we need and if given more resources how would the Polity both receive and gain from them? Generally speaking, on many college campuses, about one percent of the student population uses 98% of the bandwidth available. In order to keep the technologically literate from monopolizing the available bandwidth, the network administrators ensure that enough bandwidth is available to all students by limiting the bandwidth available to everyone. This way, everyone can have access to the basic needs supplied by the Internet, instead of a couple of people using the Internet for needs not associated with research and communication. So, as much as the school seems out to ruin our fun and any possibility of having a normal life in cyberspace (do people still use this term?), it does so with the firm hand of a loving parent. After all, at the end of the day, it is far better to finish your French homework than to have just watched an entire Lifetime Original Movie on YouTube.~ �Gadfly Book Reviews Critiquing the Internet by Barbara McClay '11 THE TIME FOR A SUBSTANTIAL CRITIQUE of the Internet has long been overdue. Anyone who has spent enough time on the Web knows the Internet is an ugly place, frequently loud and extremely rude, with an amount of self-absorption and general mediocrity that is staggering to behold. Andrew Keen's The Cult of the Amateur at least attem_pts such a critique. Keen, a onetime Web entrepreneur, directs his polemical ire primarily at what he terms ''Web 2.0," the new juggernaut of popular websites which are primarily driven by user-generated content - Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and others, in addition to the proliferation of blogging and illegal music and video sharing. Google, naturally, figures prominently into Keen's picture of Web 2.0: Google searches rank sites based on their popularitymeasured in terms of links - and so Google searches always turn up what we already know. The book is not without its considerable flaws, however, the chief of which is Keen's rather prejudicial use of the word "amateur." Keen defines an amateur as "a hobbyist, knowledgeable or otherwise, someone who does not make a living from his or her field, a layperson, lacking credentials, a dabbler." But an amateur is not necessarily any of those things-an amateur is a person who applies himself to something without pay for the love of it [L. amatorem "lover"]. There is nothing necessarily wrong or shameful about being an amateur. Keen himself fluctuates on this point rather dramatically (people who post videos on YouTube are derided in one breath and praised the next, depending on which view is more useful to his argument). But another problem is that Keen largely restricts his commentary to Wtlripedia and political blogs: both are certainly important, but the Internet runs much deeper than that. There are, in fact, real "cults of the amateurs" out there, which Keen overlooks in his hurry to criticize ''Web 2.0." Often an online community, or "fandom," can be like a miniature academia, where people who are "fans" of any particular type of work-say, Harry Potter-gather around and talk about queerspace and homophobia and racism in Harry Potter, their own latent anti-Semitism, and even commentary on their own commentary on the works, to the point where they become highly condescending to the professional who is responsible for the original work itself. Keen seems unaware that such communities even exist. It could be argued that Wikipedia and political blogs have a greater influence on the the cult of the O rnate u r .... andrew keen = average person, and to an extent that is true. But the fandom phenomenon is beginning to have an unhealthy influence on the arts, particularly as potential artists become involved more in it and its self-commentary than producing original works, but also simply as it eventually effects and changes the actual creators outside of fandom. Fandom also fosters the narcissistic "anything goes" aspect of the Internet that Keen finds particularly distasteful-it caters to almost every fetish up to and including stories about real, living people. Keen's comments about online intellectual property theft are probably the strongest arguments in the book. Keen brings up, for instance, the fact that it takes roughly a year and a million dollars to put together a good music album, simply in terms of ensuring high quality in the musicians and recording, and he points to real effects this is having outside of the Internet. But even on this subject, he could go deeper. The same problem plagues other industries-Keen touches on Hollywood, but it is also a problem in the Japanese animation industry. When a show airs in Japan, fans of a show will generally put it up online, with their own subtitles, for general consumption. (Some of them actually charge for this service, but it is usually free.) Then when the show comes to America-professionally mastered and subtitled and usually professionally dubbed in addition-its sales often suffer in consequence, because people have already seen illegally it via the internet. (The fact that they often get a better translation, better video, and better sound by buying the video legally does not the seem to matter at all.) The problem has escalated to the point where animation studios, the Japanese government, and one prominent director have directly asked for this to stop. Similarly, many of Keen's other arguments are promising, such as his reservations about the democratization of media. But it is when the book comes to the erosion of private life, the tone unfortunately becomes almost hysterical, and it is here that he suffers most seriously from a lack of documentation. The book redeems itself slightly in the last chapter, where it discusses solutions to various problems on the Internet-such as a professional alternative to Wikipedia and the integration of professional reporting with blogs. But it still remains, in the end, an uneven work. Still, perhaps this can be forgiven. As 1\fr. Keen says himself in the acknowledgments, he i.r an amateur writer. '!Ir-"' . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY 5 �Jen-Sais-Quoi: 1vfarry Well by Jennifer Wright '08 This friend of mine sent me this link to a post of craigslist that t..'i.ey thought I'd fi..."'ld i.nteresti..'lg, and possibly writing fodder. I gritted my teeth that this was going to be one of those suggestions like "why don't you write about preserving dolphin habitats in Ecuador?" which I have no interest in ever writing about, but will now have to pretend I do. However, this link actually struck me as downright fasci.'1.ati..<ig. In this post this girl stated that she was 25, very attractive, livi.."'lg in Ma..-iliattan, and looking to meet and marry a rich man. She went on to ask for some advice on where to meet such a man. So I was about to write her a reply stating t.liat you go to Bar Martignetti for i...·westment bankers, Ulysses for M&A guys, Olives for corporate lawyers, P.J Clarke's for the entire trust funded state of Connecticut a.<J.d, of course, Dorrian's for serial killers, but you know, Patrick Bateman, not the Unabomber. The only thing that surprised me about th.e post was 1hat someone did not know that list by rote. I blame the poor state of education in America. Other people, however, seemed pretty outraged. Apparently, you are not allowed to state that you want to marry someone wealthy, and if you do, people will go on for nearly a hundred posts talking about how horrible and shallow you are. The word 'gold digger' was employed on numerous occasions, as were other words, which the Gadfly will refuse to let me print. Now, at the same time I was readi..."'lg this I was watching Hoiv to l'vf_arry a Millionaire which details the adventures of three women, played by Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, laying a 'bear trap' to land rich husbands. It's proposed as an extremely practical plan. Sixty years ago, no one would have given that woman's post a second thought. Probably in large part because it was a time where Marilyn Monroe was singing t..1-i.e praises of diamonds, Anita Loo's Lorelei Lee was marrying into old Boston money after a ruthless bout of social climbing that she was entirely unaware of, and Holly Golightly was compiling a list of the 50 richest men in New York. But Holly Golightly ended up with the penniless writer you say? Please. Read t..'ie book. Throughout history the great storybook reward for women was getting to end up with a wealthy man. That is why the 6 Prince in fairy tales is a Prince, not just a really nice guy who is saving up for a down payment on a cottage in the woods. But then feminism came along and things changed (and incidentally, lest this article make anyone think I'm not a feminist, I am 100% in favor of equal opportunities for men and women in all aspects of life). As women now have the ability to support the..'11selves they ought to be able to marry based entirely on inner qualities like temperan1ent and compatibility (woe be unto women who fancy 1hemselves more compatible with wealthy mates, it seems). It is rather out of fashion to instruct lit+Je girls to "marry well" in the manner, of, say, Major Bouvier, who supposedly imparted that mantra to gra...'lddaughters Jackie and Lee on numerous occasions (question for future study: if Major Bouvier had not, would oversized sunglasses still be chic? Discuss). I suppose, though, if we do pick our mates based on their in.'ler beauty and not their outward trappings that all lends itself to a more genuine, less superficial soaety. So just for kicks, I checked out the men looking for women posts to see how many of them stated that they wanted a woman who was beautiful. Yep. That'd be almost all of them. There are also a surprising number who will list the specific proportions and eye and hair color they're looking for. Nobody seemed t.~t outraged. 'Apparently men didn't get the memo about inner beauty' I thought to myself And then I realized that if t..1-ie woman who wrote the post lookh"'lg for the wealthy man had said instead that she wanted to find a guy with a "a tight, firm ass who is 6'4 and can crack a walnut with his thighs" I doubt anybody would have been upset People probably would have given her tips on where to find such a ma.<i. Although not me. I can't imagine where you'd find that kind of man outside of gay bars. So it seems that feminism hasn't stopped us from picking a mate based on superficial cha...'"acteristics, its just enabled women to be superficial in exactly the same way that men are. It's not quite that simple, though. I'm not apt to believe that 30 years of going Dutch Treat negate the basic biological imperatives that men and women consider when trying to choose a mate. History seems to tell us that men look for women who w'Jl give them healthy children a..."'ld allow them to continue their genetic legacy, while women look for men who will assist them in providing for those children. In very basic terms men want healthy children, imd women want to make sure that those children don't starve. The reason men gravitate towards women who look a certain way is historically because those physical characteristics which we find attractive are those which indicate health md fertility. Not so with men. I'm not suggesting that anyone marry a man just because he's wealthy but it does seem that qualities in a man that insure a bountiful future for his mate and her offspring are not, in this day and age, a rounded bottom or well developed pectoral muscles - though a more muscular man probably would be better at going out and hunting down food i_11 prehistoric times, and that standard may carry into the present to some extent. In a modem day man though, those qualities are better insured by a man's ability to invest wisely in the stock market. So I'm not quite inclined to think that the girl who'd like to marrya wealthy man is in anyway more reprehensible tha..'"1 a man who wants to marry a pretty girl. And honestly, I don't know that either one of them is all t.li.at reprehensible. Hopefully they won't marry those people just based on those characteristics, but it can't be denied that those characteristics can cause some initial attraction. But then, I don't think anyone really believed that people were frequenting 1'vfartignetti's for the terrible food . ......- . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Sophistry continued from pg. 2 troversy. A couple of "satirical" caricatures of the prophet of Islam with a bomb on his head and over 100 people get killed, some of whom with bombs. Because Muslims can't take a joke? Hardly. Because irony incites violence wherever it rears its retro tshirt and Flock of Seagulls hairstyle? Precisely. Think of a world where there is no irony or satire. Everyone says what he or she means and can be reasonably evaluated based upon what they say without having to try to find threads of truth buried in layers of lies. Humor is rescued from the intellect and restored to the intuition. Someone walking by and saying to another, "Hey, nice shorts" is no longer grounds for snickering on the part of the commentator or bewilderment on the part of the wearer. Politicians need no longer worry about being the target of late-night television ridicule no matter what they do. Comics and cartoons can be restored to a brighter, happier, more entertaining time, because when "Doonesbury" and "The Boondocks" are taken off the funny pages, there is more room for the delightful antics of Cathy or the sage advice of 1-iary Worth. When I think of that world, gentle reader, I can hear the golden breeze blowing through the trees and can feel the lush grass beneath my toes, watching butterflies flutter by in a delightful dance to a hidden, airy rhythm, while I bask in the warm sunshine and feel blissfully happy, knowing that trenchancy has been banished to the far comers of the universe. So when you think about satire, my good friend and companion in all that is just and noble, think about the beauty ofnature and how violently satire opposes it and all that is good in the world. The choice is clear, pure, and sparkling like water from a mountain spring. Ah, sophistry: the sweet nectar for all who thirst. ....- Athletes of the Week Miss Burlington* Mr. Irons *Editor does not choose the Athlete of the Week The Annual Smith-}4fIJAW«l£'(1£ij . . . '< . THE 'Jr GADFLY Weekfy Meetings Tuesdt!JS at 7:00 PM BBC 110 ' . Sunday,·N~vem~~;;· ~-:·...«<.:,:. ).:>/ .< .·'.>>,. .•. ·.· .' >".:_'. . , ; :;: . :<:I ~.~~< .. ... ·::·,>. :::.< >'.'~ ·· Upper Playing Field. <g :):· :· ·" ·><> • All are welcome to ~a.tch <. : .·:: "'> All Kunai are welcome .~o play •·...·.·. > . 1:00 pin. .,·. "o<•,'>,; Kunai Brunch at 10:30 a.m. ln the tst'Gfm~ni Common Room .· . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �Jesse James continued from front page two hours and forty minutes, yet it not only has no heroes and no hope but also no chase scene~, no grand melodrama, and a very low body count. News from the electronic grapevine says the film in its current format is the result of a successful year long battle with studio suits. Hlgh praise goes to Dominik for sticking to his principles and for making a movie about people who do not stick to theirs. The story is right there in the title. On April 3, 1882, Jesse James was shot and killed in his living room by Robert Ford, a friend and a member of the James gang. Dominik drives home the significance of this murder a number of ways. The first is the violence in the film, which is presented with a rare degree of realism. The train robbery at the beginning is a good example of this. It is the only thing that even comes close to a Hollywood action setpiece, and the conventions of the western train robbery are turned completely inside out. The bandits wear hoods that make them look like Klan members to hide their identities, their treatment of the train passengers recalls the actions of a modem terrorist towards the passengers of a hi-jacked plane, and the only display of courage comes from an engineer who, in a voice cracked with fear, refuses to kneel before Jesse James under the threat of death. Violence and terror, as in reality, are intimately linked. The way the filmmaker explores the significance oflife and death further deepens the tragedy ofJames' murder. Little things like the nature of marriage in the old west as a necessary component for stability and survival, the strained but real family relations among Ford and his brothers, and the loneliness and uncertainty of life in the west remind the viewer of how valu- Pitt plays Jesse James as a charismatic thug who seems crushed by the weight of his own overembellished legend. Casey Affleck, who has the talent his brother Ben is missing, gives a performance that is both sad and creepy as the heroworshipping assassin Robert Ford. The Ford presented here is a shifty stalker who idolizes the legend of Jesse James in an '/.':<. ' ''<, •~ '' <. able life really is. When this life is taken away from various characters, the reactions of others are usually neither callous nor grief-stricken and say how to feel when it comes. The film remembers that. The performances give the film its final masterful stroke. They are uniformly excellent Brad >>: i~:;:~:~> ;. . _;{· ..: :(.: < .. • • < ' ' ' Ju~sday, N9vem.her,_gq; e attempt make up for something missing in himself His eyes dart back and forth while he speaks with the pretentious care of feigned manliness. His every action seems an attempt to hide his weakness and emptiness from other people, and his every action fails. There is not one character in the film who does not recognize that there is something wrong with Bob. Still, Bob's emptiness is vague enough not to produce hatred, so the other characters tolerate his presence as either a member of the Ford family or the James gang. Is it Ford's emptiness that causes him to seek fulfillment in the destruction of a living legend or his disappointment that his boyhood hero is flesh and blood like anyone else? Is itJesse's desire to cement his legend with a legendary death that causes him to keep the increasingly suspicious Ford around despite his fugitive's paranoia or is it something more mysterious? The film does try to answer these questions, but with an intentional lack of clarity. The characters' explanations for their actions are at odds with the narration's explanations which are, in tum, at odds with the actors' performances. This is appropriate for a meditation on the connection between two real human beings whose true motives were probably never even known to themselves. The people surrounding them, the place they lived, and their own unplumbed depths combined in such a way that their two fates became locked into the roles of murderer and victim and of traitor and hero. With its stark and brutal clash of myth and reality, the relationship between these two men and the legend that grew around it is exactly what the west was about. The Assassination ef Jesse James ~ the Coward 'Robert Ford reclaims not only the western but the American West itsel£ '!IV' .' '~· • ·? . :. · . Wedriesdiy,;I)etemb~J2>; <.'-?'··.·. :p.c ·Ti,ills~~y,~eC,,".'ber•p .·•·•··•.·· ._·. T~torials•• will b~. ca!lb~Wedori those days.···_serillilars. ~11d precept~rials_• will•,.,....,~-·~· Consult the Registrais.bul1etin b()~d in the ·coffe~ Shop for the date, time, ·. '" · 8 your clo:fl 'rag. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Dodd· on the Quad: www.doddonthequad.com by Kirstie Dodd '10 It is morning at St. John's College. The Ptolemaic sun is beginning its daily motion in the sky, the crew team is eating the dining hall out of breakfast sandwiches and everywhere the sound of booting up computers announces the dawn like a cock-a-doodle-doo. Something is out of place, and I'm not talking about the ecliptic or the fact that the crew team wakes up really freakin' early. I'm talking about internet dependence. I will be the first one to admit I go straight to my computer when I wake up in the morning. For some reason I feel pressed to check my email and write all sorts of witty and enigmatic things on friends' Facebook walls at 8:00 am. I got a wakeup call last Sunday morning, though, when I clicked on the internet icon and "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" popped up. For a second I was stymied. I leaned back in my chair and said "huh." I scratched my head a little bit. I checked my roommate's computer but her internet was doing the same thing. After five minutes of sitting there wondering what was wrong with the internet, I picked up my seminar reading and had a productive morning. Now, I'm not particularly tech savvy; in fact, I secretly enjoy mocking those who are. In my mind it's always me, the casual internet surfer who just recently mastered Microsoft Word, versus those cyber geeks who play online video games 24/7 and make love with their computer's USB ports. So when the polity internet went down for 36 hours last week, what seemed like an inconvenience turned into a boon. Instead of wasting time on the web, I did the "low-tech" thing and cracked open a book. When I went to the quad later that morning, people were bitching about the "internet crisis" and LT. office's incompetence and how they couldn't possibly do homework without the Perseus Online Classical Library spoonfeeding them ever little Greek parsing. That got me thinking: Are we too dependant on the internet? Where does the internet fit in with all this Old Dead White Guy (phis Austen and Du Bois!) stuff we do? When does using the internet for entertainment or easing one's life turn into saying the binary code in one's sleep? But those are serious questions for serious conversations, and they have no place in my column. The way I see it, people use the internet for four basic things: information, communication, commerce, and entertainment. The problem comes with using those in moderation. Because things are well-catalogued and efficient, it's easy to get information with just the click of a mouse. For every article I look at on Wikipedia out of necessity, I peruse at least 50 others to learn about random crap. It's easy to justify the addiction by saying, ''Even though I'm wasting time, I'm still learning." Look at Thomas Myers; He says this to himself and he spends reputably 3-4 hours on Wikipedia per day. Plus, look at him. Do you want to turn into that? I don't think so. There are even perversions of proper internet communication. Email saves time; social networking websites do not. If I see another person wearing a "You looked better on MySpace" t-shirt, I'm going to cry. I've also learned that it's way too easy to enter a credit card number online, 99¢ seems like a great price for an itunes song until you buy 10 or 20 songs and getting emotionally involved in online gambling maybe isn't the best idea when you have three unfinished tutorial papers due in 5 hours. The internet upgrade that happened on Tuesday makes me nervous. The bandwidth used to be just slow enough for me to ogle Joao Santa-Rita and David Audelo on the college website's main page when checking my email. Now you'll find me in my room, gambling online and downloading Soulja Boy dance steps off of YouTube. So much for getting things done. ~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T HE G ADFLY . 9 �Mere Sanity by Nate Okhuysen '08 You spoke once and I paid no mind. You spoke again and I laughed at the irony of your work. You spoke a third time and I felt a tired sort of frustration. So, to forestall a fourth venture (perhaps even as I write this you are already committing such a quaternary monstrosity of words) I must now speak. Under the layers of pompous verbosity and gratuitous (though sadly not unprecedented) obfuscation of your writing Mr. Sale, I detect a common misunderstanding. What you are speaking of is not, in truth, sophistry but rhetoric. Let me restate the implication of that statement in clear terms: sophistry is not rhetonc. If you had, perhaps, paid a modicum more attention to the very Dean's lecture you so cavalierly criticized (alliteration is a rhetorical, not a sophistical device) you might understand that in fact there are differences between the two. Let me again illustrate my implications. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (certainly not an absolute source of knowledge but a good start I think we can agree) rhetoric is: The art of using language so as to persuade or influence others; the body of rules to be observed by a speaker or writer in order that he may express himself with eloquence; while sophistry is: Specious but fallacious reasoning; employment of arguments which are intentionally deceptive. Do you see now what I'm getting at? (That was a rhetorical question :tvfr. Sale; you need not burden yourself with an answer.) Rhetoric is about making an argument. Sophistry is about making the weaker argument the stronger. Rhetoric often is used in sophistical arguments but it is not itself sophistical. Rhetoric is indeed a much needed and highly respectable practice. There is unfortunately a certain dearth of it here in America and especially on this humble campus. How lucky for us that you are here to argue for it Mr. Sale! I'm sure that is what you will do now that you understand that mere sophistry is mere delus10n. A brief word about pragmatism and delusion. While I'm sure sunsets are much prettier when described rhetorically (glorious and variegated in hue), that does not mean it does not occur pragmatically. One thing can be spoken of two different ways. As for why ''longer, faster, taller" [sic], is better I cannot argue against you. There are indeed those who profess anarchy is.a better thing than law, hate mo~~ compelling than love, callousness more suitable than compassion. I would say these are a matter of ends. Pragmatism is a matter of means. Less suffering, more justice, greater understanding of the universe, et cetera (for these are the fruits of pragmatism) are all subservient to happiness, the thing that is done for the sake of nothing except itself. Pragmatism is a certain method for acquiring that happiness. If you wish to idolize Johnnie Cochran, or delude yourself and those around you into Rousseau's state of nature, you most certainly can choose to do that. Just know that I might take some offense if my pragmatic approach to happiness means I want to use medicine to help HIV victims in Africa, while you think the whole practice of medicine will never yield any more good than it will harm. Perhaps I would take offense if you said I am precluded from caring about justice, love, pity, fellowship, or beauty just because I refuse to submit to specious reasoning. I might take some offense if you wanted to stop me from pursuing my pragmatic means of relieving suffering or facilitating happiness because they offend your delicate aesthetic sensibilities. I'm sorry if this has been a somewhat aggressive epistle Mr. Sale, but it has been said that one must sometimes compel another, by violent means if necessary, to look upon truth.'!lr THE ODDS GAME ODDS OF THE DINING HALL S ERVING ALL TH E GOOD FOOD AT ONE SINGLE MEAL: 25to1 D~u de this rocks! Thanks! -' ' '/ ODDS OF DOING 99% OF YOUR HOMEWORK AND B EING CALLED ON TO DO THE 1% YOU DIDNT: 16 to 1 You're welcome ! _ _ W ho11 do this next I hope you enjoy corollary ...Mr. Jones? the next three weeks of unidentifiable brown slop! ~.,, ODDS OF A METEOR HITTING M ELLON HALL SO ODDS O F S EE ING TH E ON E P E RSON YOU YOU DONT HAVE LAB: 5,629,941,738,820to1 ACTUALLY WANT TO IMPR E SS WH E N YOU LOOK YOUR WORST: 2 to 1 Hey, how are '>'ou? l DON'T LOOK AT ME! I'm not wearing anymakeup! ~J 10 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . �Reality Halloween Party Photos by Babak Zarin '11 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 Clockwise from top left Patrick Weller ('08) as The Mummy; Julia McDonald (11) as The Robot; Cate Curtis ('09) and Rose Limanni ('09) as Downward Tendency and the Leviathan; Tammie Kahnhauser ('08) as Zombie Midshipman; Scott Weber ('09) as a Law Enforcement Officer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Tutor Smackdowns and Sketchpads by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR ALIZABETH, How can I avoid killing my fellow seminar participants? The temptation really does get overwhelming sometimes. Yours, A Homicidal Hegelian ***** Dear Vindictive One, There is a simple mental exercise you can employ that, if it doesn't convince you that murder is bad, will at least distract you long enough to let you cool down. The exercise is this. Imagine yourself in freshman year. Ifyou are a freshman, imagine yourself the first week of freshman year. What did you do? Admit it: if you are not one of the very few people that arrive as pre-packaged practitioners of the dialectic, you probably spent your time saying largely irrelevant but intelligent-sounding things in an effort to make the tutor stand up and say, "Now there's a good remark! A+ for you!" I certainly did this, and if you didn't do it, you have a very rare gift and should have compassion on the rest of us. Then what happened? One of three things. You may have remained in this state, in which case you have no right to be complaining about the seminar behavior of others. Or perhaps you realized that the moment would never come when you discovered the answer to the opening question so that everybody could just go home at 8:55. Or, if you are very lucky, you were the recipient of a Tutor Smackdown. A Tutor Smackdown is actually one of the best things that can happen to you if you, like me, are not a natural at seminar. It means that someone thought there was hope for you yet and tried to knock some sense into your head. The first tutor to attempt this in my case was Brother Robert Smith, may he rest in peace. "You think the answers are in the back of the book," he told me many times. "They're not in the back of the book." Which meant, as far as I came to understand it, "Stop trying to win seminar by telling us all what the truth is." Needless to say, it took more than just that to get me in line, but he was the first teacher I ever 12 had who was difficult to please, and the exposure to such a person was a real eye-opener for me. So just remember that when you look down on someone in seminar, all you are doing is jeering at someone less lucky than you. Remember that you were once like that person all the time, and that you will probably still have relapses. That person, in fact (if you two are upperclassmen) is probably just experiencing such a relapse himself. He is not trying to irritate you. By no means is he trying to provoke you to kill him. So be patient, and don't come to seminar armed. Don't run with scissors either, A Schwab ***** Dear2H, When I was a sophomore I had a particularly irritating night in seminar. My tutor had yelled at me for interrupting someone and as such the rest of the class took this as permission for them to trample me and cut me off every time I spoke. This made me very unhappy. I could not protest this injustice with the sword, so I took to my pen. From my broken heart poured a very simple but very poignant drawing: I had sketched a small picture of me pushing everyone that I did not get along with into the Bottomless Pit of Despair. While some of them were identifiable in the picture by their physical characteristics (big nose, frizzy hair, etc.) I felt the need for some reason to label the drawing with their names. This gave me a grim sort of satisfaction whenever I chose to look at it. Unfortunately, this plan was not all it was cracked up to be; because like the genius I was I had used half a page in my Ptolemy/Copernicus/Kepler manual as my canvas. About two days after that my math tutor was talking about circles or some other such thing and asked me if he could look at my manual for "just a minute." I nearly choked on my own tonsils. My life flashed before my eyes. It was one thing to doodle in one's notebook (Barr and Buchanan say it's okay!) but it is quite another to doodle pictures of people . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . falling into the Bottomless Pit ofDespair. And it was one more thing to have one's math tutor look upon it. Luckily, he never got to that page, but I still had quite a time of it. I suppose the moral of this story would be ''Drawing pictures is a nice way to get rid of your anger without maiming anyone." I suppose a further moral would be ''Don't label the drawings with their names." And a step beyond that would be ''If you're going to use their names, don't write it in your math manual." You all have your itty, bitty clandestine frustrations, but once they come out into the open you are as good as dead. So keep it to yourself, and no one will get hurt (too much). Plus you will have lots of funny drawings to show to the freshmen that you are trying to get with (I am just saying, hypothetically) and to submit to the Gadfly in comic-strip form. There is also the concept of what I like to call ''My Happy Place." After weeks and weeks of working at the dullest job known to man I somehow managed to separate my brain from what was happening around me. This meant that I could ignore almost anything but yet still function on a human level. This meant that I could take a six-hour car ride with my parents and not go stark raving mad. This meant I could work for 14 hours straight and not notice that my feet hurt worse than childbirth. It also allowed for me to ignore people on planes. By following this method you can ignore anyone in seminar. So find a good , sketchpad or a Happy Place. Just leave the medieval weapons at home. Yours for vampires, empires, or any combination thereof, E. McDowell Burlington Please send your Program Predicaments to [lizabeth ~urlington or Ali Schwab via Campus Mail. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 9 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-11-02 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 9 of The Gadfly. Published November 02, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.9 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/7defe2a0242f15fdf56ed60f053c4dea.pdf 251df0f6e3ac23a291960ff9d61427e1 PDF Text Text THE GADFLY The St. John's College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 10 Annapolis, Maryland November 9, 2007 Advice for Lecturers by Babak Zarin '11 Dear Lecturer, Hello, and welcome to your new job of talking to us Johnnies. In the past, we have found issues with some of your presentations, and loved some of the others. What makes this difference you ask? Many things have. To assist you in learning them, we have created for you a tiny list to review and learn. Item #1: Keep a sense oftime Johnnies are profoundly aware of the passage of time, ha-ying gained the ability to innately sense how long an hour is from trying to figure out when lab ends with no clock save their cell phones and the Tutor directly across from them, even the Johnnies who still do not have numbers to work with in math. This ability makes it incredibly important for you to be aware of just how long you are taking, because we are. Do not pick a subject that requires its own class to explain fully and expect us to glean out the whole semester in one hour, possibly one hour and fifteen minutes. It just won't happen. This leads to item 2: Item #2: Do not count on the conversation period Ifyou have made the fatal mistake of abusing item one, and talking so long that the people in the projection booth are contemplatingusing high-end radio waves to end you, we will not go to your conversation period. It may be better than the lecture, but you bored us so much we decided not to risk it. It's better this way, trust us. Item #3: Do not over-summarize the materials Now, Johnnies are known for having read many materials. It would be highly unlikely to read something that no Johnny has- there may Advice continued on pg. 5 IZunai Soccer: It's Over! by Elizabeth Burlington '08 For most, Sunday, November 4, was characterized either by the extra hour of sleep they were given, or by the task of dragging parents around Annapolis for Naval Academy walking tours and overpriced boat rides. Daylight Savings had ended and Parents Weekend was winding down, but for about 35 members of the St. John's female population, the festivities were just beginning: This day would mark the final day ofKunai soccer for the Fall '07 season. But while the Smith-McDowell Cup was played with different teams and at a different time than usual, it was a grand way to end the season. After listening to a speech delivered by Ms. Kronsberg, and drinking from the SmithMcDowell Cup itself: the girls girded their loins for a two-game tournament. In the end, the Pink Team defeated Gold to become the Cup Champions, while Gold took second, White third, and Green fourth. Parents looked on while their prides and joys ran into the grass and into each other, but they were sadly unaware of all that had led up until that moment. The theme of this year's team naming seemed to fall roughly under the category of "Women of Questionable Morals." Some Kunai were initially hesitant to adopt this concept, but for girls who routinely refer to themselves as "hell-bitches" this thread seemed to be nothing to be taken seriously. Gold-led by fearless captains Samantha Enns (08), Stacey Goguen ('08), Carolyn Walsh ('09), and Caroline Morin (10)-kicked it off by Kunai continued on pg. 10 �LETTERS Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editors Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark R McClay Proofreaders A. Sabrina Rourke Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Erica Stratton Contributing to this Issue Elizabeth Burlington ~rendan Clay Jake Crabbs Kirstie Dodd Robert Sale Ali Schwab Dylan Sherry Jennifer Wright Babak Zarin Founded in 1980, The Gadf!Y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadf!y staff. The Ga4f!y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. Acknowledgements Lecture Preview Dr. DiBenedetto from Villanova University, the speaker for a recent Friday night lectun; ''To Be or Not to Be: the Role of a Gene in Life and Death", regrettably omitted presenting the "acknowledgement slide". She would like to acknowledge here her indebtedness to the students working in her lab who generated the data about which she spoke: Graduate students Jake Guinto (now at University of Pennsylvania as a postdoctoral fellow), Tim Ebert (now a staff scientist at Merck Pharmaceuticals), and Tami Murphy (now a staff scientist at Centocor), cloned the zebrafish gene described and helped establish its expression pattem and knock-down phenotype in embryos; undergraduate students Katie Bee (now a doctoral candidate at Comell University), Michael Schmidt (now a doctoral candidate at MIT), and Kyla Geary (now a doctoral candidate at New York University), were involved in the sequence analysis of the gene. Dr. DiBenedetto would also like to acknowledge Dr. Randall Pittman at the University of Pennsylvania, in whose laboratory the cell death project first began, and the Sigma Xi Society, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Villanova University for providing funding and other support for the research presented. fric1~y.Nigl;).r··. ,_ t~<:hl:re ::. .... . ..· by,Profes~orM~~n ii~.o< .• ··•·•·· . Seni<>J: astrophysicist at the SpliceTelescbpe • .· . . •: •._:Science Institute -.•· ·• · · Johns H~pkins univbi:sity facclt}r n1en;_ber ·-•. FtidaJ;. ··:NC1Vemb~r9, .·2007•.. ·• · >: .• •·. ..-··.-.• . 8:15 p,m. Frands Scott Key Auditorium' • ·•. Lectures are_ free 2 What do sunflowers, Salvador Dali's painting "Sacrament of the Last Supper", and quasicrystals all have in common? These very disparate elements share a certain number commonly known as the GOLDEN RATIO, expressed by the Greek letter PHI. In a journey through mathematics and astrophysics, botany and zoology, art and architecture, taking in fractals and psychology on the way, this extraordinary number, that has captured the imagination for millennia, will be explored. This will also be a story of obsession-of Phi-fixated individuals who have devoted their lives to discovering the properties of this number. This tale begins with the ancient Egyptian and Greek mathematicians, continues with the scientists and artists of the Renaissance, and takes us right to such scientists and masters of the modern world as Penrose, Debussy, and Le Corbusier. ~rid open to the p~blic •· . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - ,; ___ ._- .. .:.-:;,·.:. ·,-t;:\i'2,:,. ;, ;·· ::~'-~:~~:x~ ,~~t~ \-.;. ~·::: :: ~?~·,··\;~~-l-:O~-t~~·'-~~~:;. ·;_, rL6~~a's>~~t&4;,:,~iJ',;, �1 I 11Iere Sophistry V: In Two Parts by Robert Sale '10 This week, Mere Sophistry will feature two cized, he might have understood that the com- from - who else? - Socrates, t.lie most shamedistinct parts, each equally important and valu- mon misunderstanding, in fact, was on his part. less of all dialecticians. able, yet only ta.c'lgentially reiated. Part 1 ·will I say unto 1'..im that his mistake was believing Mr. Okhuysen's treatment of pragmatism deal -with the criticism leveled at this feature, that there was some sort of exclusivity between I will treat but briefly here, as die specious and while Part 2 will address the nature of the fu- rhetoric and sophisLry, such that a defense of fallacious reasoning -with the intent of deceprhetoric could not possibly entail a defense of tion is employed by he who mere paragraphs ture of this feature. Part The First: An Acknowledgement Of sophistry, since (so I take the argument to go) previous railed against it. He dai.11s t.1.:iat pragThe Previous Week's Critique, Followed By rhetoric is an art, while sophistr/ is a blatant matism is a matter of means, not of ends. A Subsequent Scathing Dismissal misuse of that art. This is fine. I grant that. However, when he This last is where t.lie argument goes astray. claims that it is a means for acquiring happiIf there has been one drawback to my article, gentle reader, it is that you have had to In defining sophistry, he uses the dictionary, ness, the end in itself, he implies that happitake on faith what I have been saying about the which, though he concedes that it is not abso- ness is its only end, or at least its natural end. hostile attitude taken toward sophistry -with- lute, but cannot help but lendi.rig it authority This is dearly absurd: either pragmatism is a out necessarily having any firsthand experience and credence which it thoroughly misplaced, matter of means and has no inherent end or of the vitriol '\vith else it is natuwhich those posrally consessed, as it were, of cerned -with a a burning truth in particular end ho do you think wrote the dictionary? Oxfordians? their breasts castiand thereDialecticians, the iot of them. We already know on principle t gate t..1Us noble phifore is not that they aren't to be trusted; wherefore, Who do you think wrote losophy. But now, solely a matthe dictionary? Oxfordians? Dialecticians, the lot of them. We the plucky Mr. ter of already kno\:V on principle that they aren't to be trusted; wherefore. Okhuysen has means. I, for then, comes the trust placed in them when they define the very word shown you exactly my part, they are sworn to destroy? what happens when would be i.none crosses a dialecclined to betician or a pragmalieve the tist. The irony here, former, of course, is that in given my precisely the issue in which my article bemoans especially in the case of sophistry. \JV'ho do you treat.-nent of it in the tc1Urd article; personally I the lack of seriousness paid to it, lvfr. Okhuysen t.1Unk wrote the dictionary? Oxfordians? Dia- find it hard to believe that a philosophy which responds to my previous publications as seri- lecticians, the lot of them. We already know on has led to the myriad of horrors of the twenously as they deserve to be taken, which only pri..11ciple that they aren't to be trusted; where- tieth century and beyond, as well as a few nogoes to show just how militant irony can get fore, then, comes the trust placed h"l them when table achievements, can be directed at any parwhen it feels it is being called out as the charla- they define the very word they are sworn to ticular end, least of all acquiring happiness. For tan it is. Thus you have an example provided destroy? It is plain t.l:at t.lie dictionary makes a ~lr. Okhuysen to actually say that it is thus you of exactly what happens when you cross difference between rhetoric and sophistry. They directed is proof positive that there is no way the ideas I have crossed and t..lie people who see no inherent harm in the former and thus he visited the website I mentioned in my third believe in them: they tum aggressive, much as can define it relatively unbiasedly. The latter, article. ~mid beasts do when backed into comers or By way of concludh'lg my disposal of the however, is given a resoundingly negative deferal apes when you encroach upon their mat- notation because that has been its connota- current denigration of sophistry, I will make ing ground. tion for so many generations that it has come some remarks about its implications about I intended upon writing this article on a to be accepted as true, a lie which dialecticians, sophists as well as about you, gentle reader. very different topic, gentle reader, but now t.'fiat pragmatists, and ironists have been only too Because of its harsh, didactic tone, we can see you have been presented -with the living words keen to perpetuate throughout the ages. This that those arrayed against sophistry are a vioantagonizing sophistry, I feel compelled by a is not to say I disagree that there is a difference; lent bunch, whose superciliousness and unholy obligation to make a final defense of soph- rather, I see t.lie difference thus: sopl:1istry is gentlemanly behavior both fly directly in the istry at this most opportune of moments, to superlatively employed rhetoric to persuade face oft.lie manner and tendencies of the sophexorcise the specter haunting tb.is ca..tnpus: the people about the superlatives ofhu.'llan exist- ist, who are qui~e cordial and respectful, even irrational fear of sophism. Now if Mr. ence: the best, the most just, the most beauti- of t.liose who disagree; I am firmly convinced Okhuysen had, perhaps, paid a modicum more ful, the most desirable. Its only association that my series of articles has been a shining attention to the ver1 articles he so cavalierly criti- with "specious but fallacious reasoni..'lg" comes Sophistry continued on pg. 6 .. ' . ' THE GADFLY ' 3 �Jen-SaisQuoi: The Stylish Andrew Young by Jennifer Wright '08 You know who I think is absolutely fabulous? Karl Lagerfeld. More than anything because he's designing a champagne carrying case for Dom Perignon that's being sold for $140,000 at Harrods this Christmas. I love that Karl Lagerfeld talks about this case as though it's a really practical purchase. 'Oh Kaiser Karl', this sort of thing makes me think, 'why, if the French Peasants could hear you talk they would start another revolution.' I think that about him, and I am charmed. I also love that he traces his entire identity to an incident when he was four years old, capering in front of his mother and his mother took a drag on her cigarette and remarked "you may be four, but I am not, so you must try harder to amuse me." Also I love the way he makes crazy declarative statements about how he "only drinks black cola" which are immediately superseded by his statements a few months later that he "only drinks champagne." The notion of having a brief, passionate infatuation with beverage~ is fascinating to me, as I kind of drink a lot of different beverages in a given time period. You know who's like a thousand times more fabulous than Karl Lagerfeld? Andrew Young. Now, I know what you're thinking. Andrew Young did not reinvent the House of Chanel and guide it into the 21" century. Andrew Young didn't make cool clothing available to the hoi polloi by designing for H&l:vf. Andrew Young doesn't hang out with Claudia Schiffer and do advertisements for Dom Perignon with her. Hell, for all I know, Andrew Young may not even own a pair ofblack sunglasses, let alone wear them all the time in a distinctive way. Some of you may not even knowwhau\ndrew Young looks like, or, for that matter, who he is (I will assume we all know about Karl). And it is true, Andrew Young is not quite as interesting to look at as Karl Lagerfeld. He's an attractive man, but he seems to carry too much of an aura of gravitas to be captivating in a brief, charming sort of way. That said, he does have a few things going for him. Most memorably he was a great friend of Martin Luther King's, who helped support the civil rights movement through the late 1950's and 60's. He was jailed for his participation in the march at Selma, Alabama and again in St. Augustine, Florida. He was also very much involved in negotiations in Birmingham, Alabama where he acted as a mediator between the black and white communities. He later went on to become the first African American ambassador to the United Nations. Also, in Atlanta, there's a street named after him, which I think is particularly delightful. There is no street named after Lagerfeld. But perhaps you're wondering why I'm writing about Andrew Young now. In fact, you may be wondering why I am not writing about shoes and clothing, though I have cleverly integrated both into this article. I am writing about Andrew Young because we have the great good fortune to be able to see him in person this November 15"' when he comes to St. John's to lecture. His speech will doubtlessly be riveting, especially if he draws from his own life experiences, and should be particularly interesting to anyone interested in civil rights, or international relations, or, really, for anyone who believes that we at St. John's focus much too much on the ideas of dead white men. And because, while trends do come and go, anyone who advances compassion and equal rights for all people is always in style. 4l!Y' Pre-Lecture Film Showing of "Citizen King'' Come view and discuss the PBS documentary '~ American Experience: Citizen King." The film explores the last 5.ve years of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 's life, provides a wonderful overview of the Civil Rights Movement, and features the great pioneer Ambassador Andrew Young, who will be our guest Steiner Lecturer Tuesday, November 13th Time: 2:30 - 5:00 pm Conversation Room, Mellon Hall 4 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Ahem. WE ARE JOHNNIES. Leaming to listen and ask questions is just as finely honed as our inner clocks. Some people need a switchblade to win battles; we use words so sharp even the Spartans are going, "wow, that's harsh." Do not expect us to be sitting there hanging off your every word without any form of question or analysis of what you are saying, as if you are some other university where you rule. We question, we consider, and thus attempting to give us a lecture that implies that this is all there is will not work. Item #6: Do not read from the essay Look, we understand the pressure of podium speaking. We understand that you need notes. We do not understand why it seems you persist in giving us the entire essay word for word- if it's well written we will go and read it, and if it's written badly we don't want to hear it. We will know which it is by how much you are able to do without it, because if you seem to need the whole thing as a crutch then it can't be good. Beyond that, doing this has a habit of resulting in doing what we don't want you to do in item #7: Item #7: Do not speak in a monotone There is only one kind of voice in the world that unanimously puts off a passionate, interested audience. That voice is the monotonethe unreflective, machine made, needs killing voice. This is the voice that airlines use for instructional videos, malls use as welcomes, and Advice continued from front page be only two of them, but they are still there. So if you are choosing to talk about The fupublicwe do know what you mean, and where you mean it. We are familiar with things like Do not recite the entire passage for us- we can find it ourselves. Reference it, use it, but you aren't Homer and you probably couldn't amuse us by reciting Ancient Greek texts, unless you do so badly that we feel the need to mock you with rotten fruit and a tape recorder to serve as a warning for all future freshmen on recitations. This said: Item #4: Do not under-summarize the materials Again, Johnnies read a lot. This does not mean we have read the same materials as long as you have. If you choose to talk about how Sesame Street resembles A E. Houseman, we would like you to tell us what the heck you saw that told you that, not to mention the poem or two that you are referring to for those who do not read poetry. *** Now that you know this, hopefully you can write your lecture out well. We're sure it is a good read. In fact, it often is- so why does it hurt for you to give it? Here are a few more items we respectfully ask you to learn. Item #5: Know your audience amusement parks for rides; this is Huxley's hypnopaedia. This voice is bad- no one can listen to it for long without cringing, going insane, or forgetting everything it said to keep our sanity, and we Johnnies are even more aware of it thanks to our musical education. There is a reason we killed HAL, and you don't want to find out why. All of these together results in one final thing: Item #8: Know your material Believe it or not, we know you are having quite a job getting us to sit and listen to you for one hour. Any tension from that will be noticed. The only way of this not happening is to know your material incredibly well. Knowing the material, however many questions arise from it, will naturally give you the confidence and ease on stage before us that will naturally get our attraction, and we will listen to you. But if you don't think you know what you're talking about and you are taking all these roundabout ways of making yourself seem to know what you are doing by implying it needed more time to discuss, or is better read than talked about, than we will not want to listen to you attempt to do so. Please review all of these carefully- there will be an Oral on it next Friday at 8:15 in the Francis Scott Key Auditorium. We will be there. With sincerity (for everyone's benefit), Your audience..,..- FOUR TIPS FOR SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS FRESHMEN AVOID people who make Stephen Hawking look like Wilt Chambertain. AVOID underdassmen who 1alk loudly about program au1hors 1he y ha 11en t read. !J Let's play White Wolf out I'm anerd princess! on the quad and sing Ninjas are hilarious! They might be bottom traditio~nal dwelf;ongs! S~oare pi~es! . :1-:r.· Guys, whyisthal senior over there - loading a gun? :~:i~~~h~~~~!ast ,.... ., AVOID upperdassmen who seem desperate 1D "lead" freshmen . (Hint: 1here's a reason o1her uppen::Jassmen donthang out wi1h 1hem.) AVOID gimmicky attempls 1D "stand ouf'. · A drug-induced hallucinalion? ,,, Shouldnt you bestud)oing? ' ... oranywhere but here? ' . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. THE GADFLY . 5 �Dodd on the Quad: Say ''Yes" to "No" vember by Kirstie Dodd '10 I had a bad October. Most of my problems in October stemmed from too many papers assigned and various personal crises. Add in the disgusting, uncharacterisricallyhotweatherwehad and it made one awful month. (You know something is wrong when you break a decent upperlip sweat at Oktoberfest) That all changed with the flip of a calendar page. November brought brisk air back into Annapolis, dragging latent oranges and reds out of the leaves and neglected winter coats out of closets. November also brought back my good morale. My papers are tumed in and my life feels like a Charlie Brown comic strip. 'Ibis month is all about time-savers, like Daylight Savings Time andNo-ShaveNovember. The former happened a week later this year to supposedly save more energy. The latter is dedicated to hirsute pursuits. The object ofNo-Shave November is pretty selfexplanatory; ifyou are male, you grow your beard out for the entire month and try to disgust people with your Grizzly Adams look. Either that, or you are mocked ~t. the end of the month for your lack of beard and low testosterone levels. Females can try this too with their leg and armpit hair, but having bushy legs and ''European" armpits is a lot less impressive than looking like Howard Hughes: The Vegas Years. With an extra hour and a razor collecting dust, you can spend your free time following coverage of the 424"' annual 90-day lawmaking session that began at the State House a few weeks ago. Of course, there are plenty of other, more important things than politics to think about, such as orals, don rags and the World Series. November is also N ationalAmerican Indian Heritage Month and National Novel Writing Month, though you don't have to write a novel about Indians if you don't want And then there is the absolutely best part about November: the anticipation of the four days ofwild engorgement on cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie during Thanksgiving Break. Unfortunately, November is just close enough to the end of the semester for one to stop studying and start contemplating one's surroundings, namely Annapolis. Whenever this happens to me, I get excited about cold weather and switch to the solid minority of Annapolis-loving Johnnies here on campus. It probably is due to the fact that I hail from the 10"' circle of Hell, described by Dante in his little-known work Inferno: LA Parle Duex. Nowadays, it's more com- monly known as "Central Florida." There, the seasons are marked by a measly ten degrees of temperature change. So when I am in Annapolis during November, I get excited Cold weather? Bring it on. 1-fidshipmen? Yes, please. Chick and Ruth's food? Not so much, but I'll eat it if I have to make the point that I really like this town. People who come from places that are seasonally superior to Annapolis end up getting depressed this time of year. They start to realize how much they hate all this quaint touristy seaport stuff and colonial brick architecture. The taste of City Dock coffee turns bitter, and they want to punch the next random skateboarding townie or old person shuttling around on his Segway that they see. They would rather die than look at one more pair of ''I'm Crabby" underwear or pirate paraphernalia in a shop window. If you feel like you've lost the November spirit of things, start by eating more turkey. Maybe grow your hair out a little, watch some baseball, make leaf prints with tempera paint, build a bonfire-it doesn't take much to enjoy the delights of this month. T.S. Eliot might think April is the cruelest month, but N ovember definitely is the most ballin'. ~ Sophistry continued from pg. 3 ticians don't know is that their 2004 Red Sox are coming, and they are out for blood. example of this very nature. In this way, those who believe in this irrational hatred of sophistry behave just as their ideas do; in fact, let it not be libelous to declare that if - God forbid - I left my child an orphan, Mr. Okhuysen would be first in line to trample it in the mud. The affront to you, gentle reader, is even graver, for it is to your intellect how can he expect to get away with attacking fallacious reasoning when he uses it mere moments later? I can tell you why- it is because after so long at the top of the philosophical heap, dialecticians have allowed themselves to get sloppy; they feel entitled and thus contemptuous of those they perceive to be below them. Byway of analogy, these anti-sophists are the Yankees of this league of major ideas, having won for so long, their overblown self-conception has bred a complacence and undue expectation of forever being champions; when their expectations are thwarted, they simply throw more money at the problem until they add another trophy to the cobwebbed case in the Bronx. What dialec- Part The Second: What You Can Expect From Mere Sophistry In The Future: Sage Advice For A Better Life this state of confusion one seizes upon a formless slab of granite or, worse yet, a statue of Konstantin Brancusi, and proceeds to tie it down more firmly than Aslan upon the Stone Table, loosing those bonds might require some deeper magic from before the dawn of time. But with persuasion, perhaps it is like a pair of spectacles that make objects visible more clearly, so that one sees which are the statues of Daedalus and which are not true statues; in this way, the "flight'' of these statues is simply the removal of these spectacles, induced by a dialectical argument which has recreated the numbing confusion. Thus, the notion of tying down these statues of true opinion has been torpedoed, as it were, by the sting of confusion inherent in dialectic. Forgive me for what may have seemed like a non sequitur of an argument here, gentle reader, but I felt it incumbent upon me to provide an account for what I believe to be the template for my future articles, with which I intend, upon the edifice of sophistry, to edify gentle readers for legions of Roman numerals to come.'!lr 6 One of the chief boons dialectic has supposedly granted the human race, especially as argued by Socrates, is that it gives us a way to examine how best to conduct one's life and affairs. It is clearthatthe ringleader of this circus of philosophy was quite concerned with these ethical questions. Thus I, too, will undertake to demonstrate how to better one's lot in life in my series of articles, in hopes that you will be persuaded by true persuasive expression, rather than by a string of misleading "logical" questions that produces not conviction, but rather its opposite, an unhelpful, frustrating confusion. For even if it is true, as the orphan-trampler-in-chief says, that opinions are like statues of Daedalus, which take flight and disappear if not tied down, it must be recognized that if one doesn't know what the statue is, the ropes are utterly, absurdly useless; and indeed, if in THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Athletes of the Week Brooks' Mom Mr. Butler Kunai Soccer Fall 2007 Smith-McDowell Cup Roundl Blue Belles W - 7, L - 5, T - 3 Scarlet Harlots W - 5, L - 8, T - 2 Gold Diggers W - 4, L -4, T- 7 Forbidden Fruit W - 6, L - 5, T -4 Pink v. Green 2-0 Gold v. White 1-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE Round2 White v. Green 3-1 Pinkv. Gold 1-0 G~A..DFLY . 7 . : ... �On Winning by Jake Crabbs '09 Nate: Tell me, Jake, is athleticism something that is taught or comes naturally to a man or is acquired some other way? Jake: Why Nate, this surely is a surprise! I've often heard of the sporting prowess of Johnnies, but now it seems that they are philosophers as well! But before we can take up the question of how one becomes athletic, we must inquire into what athleticism is. Nate: But that is simple Jake, the athleticism of a quarterback is that which allows him to throw well, that of the goalkeeper allows him to stop shots, likewise of the handballer to handle balls, and so on. Jake: By the dog! I asked for one athleticism but instead I got a whole swarm! But tell me Nathan, if we could reduce all of those athleticisms down to one overarching thing, what would it be? Nate: I suppose that it would be nothing more than to do good for one's team and do injury to the opposing team (within the bounds of the rules of cour.se). Jake: But nobody would claim that the Druids are very nearly the best team, would they? Cole: Not hardly! Jake: So, since we cannot talk of athleticism as such, not knowing for sure what it is, let us search after the cause of some ability to win at sports and decide whether the winning ability comes naturally or is taught. Jake: You are a captain Cole, how is your team doing this year? Cole: Jake, this is too simple a search! Everybody knows that the best coaches and team captains instill this ability into their teams! Jake: I see. And Cole, you would agree that Drexler is widely accepted as one of the best team captains at the school? Cole: Very nearly the best. Cole: You're a jerk! Jake: Nate, I have no idea what made Cole storm off like that just now. Nate: Nor do I,Jake. Jake: But I think we have clearly shown that the winning ability cannot be taught by captains, so we must be content to say that winning is only something distributed by the gods, bestowing some with more and some with less, beyond our mortal ability to reason. qr- ~ ~i 8 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . �Parent's Weekend Waltz Party by Babak Zarin, '11 Kathyrn Lewis, '11, dances with her father Parents of Virginia Harness (11), Waltzing Sam Fanthorpe (11), and Rich Maxim ( '11) Jen Wright (08) watches the festivities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 9 �Kunai continued from front page adopting the name "Gold Diggers" along with the cheer "Like a hooker: BUT S:tvfARTER!!" Red followed suit with "The Scarlet Harlots" and after more deliberation Blue and Green became "The Blue Belles" and "Forbidden Fruit" respectively. In later hours, the latter amended its name slightly to "Nate and Jake's Forbidden Fruit." In addition to being so kind as to sponsor this team and provide them with sweet matching t-shirts, Mr. Oesch and Mr. Crabbs were indirectly responsible for the Kunai's cheering section: a group of varying size, comprised mostly of sophomore and junior boys, who were there to shout different names and make awkward noises whenever the girls ran into one another or into the ground. No one else was sponsored, though Gold did briefly share a chuckle over the idea of a shirt bearing the words "Career Services' Gold Diggers." Perhaps the t-shirts were responsible for the impressive numbers that came out for Green. Out of all four teams represented this one appeared to boast the largest hoard, generally dwarfing the other teams on those Tuesdays when everyone else was too caught up in midweek stress to come out and play. In addition to their snazzy uniforms, the double-Falso managed to acquire a number of talented newplayers. Freshman Kelsey Gilmore ('11) found her strengths playing offense, while classmate Rachel Ulrich ('11) and her sister Leah Lassell (mother of the cutest baby ever) showed promise in the midfield. Representing the more experienced, Aubrey Nighswander ('09) and Emily . Andrews ('08) proved resourceful in leading their team with the help of sophomores Megan Field and Kayla Deloy. Nate and Jake's Forbidden Fruit ended the season with six wins, five losses, and four ties. :tvfiss Gilmore and :Miss Ulrich were not the only freshmen to stage a remarkable entrance. Fall '07 heralded the arrival of four very special young women, all of who managed to make it onto the Athlete of the Week page before their first Don Rags. Playing for Gold were Victoria Gibson ('11) and Sophie :Niichelewicz ('11) who helped guide the Diggers through the season, using their skills in the offense and midfield respectively to bring about whatever heinous amount of games Gold ended up tying (they ended the season with four wins, four losses, and seven ties). Sophomore Chelsea Frost also proved strong playing sweeper and midfield. Christmas came early for the Blue Belles and the Scarlet Harlots with the timely arrival of Acacia Pappas ('11) and Brooks Pendergast ('11) respectively, Pappas being the only student (male or female) to score against the alumni during the Alumni Weekend game. Red finished with five wins, eight losses, and two ties while Blue had seven wins, five losses, and three ties. I am no sportswriter, and some may argue that I am technically not even a sports player. I do, however, know what the feeling of grass beneath one's cleats, rainwater inside one's socks, and a soccer ball against one's face can do for the soul. To all those who played this season, thank you for making it enjoyable. Several people have noted that this past season has been more competitive and was played more diligently than those in the past. I heartily encourage any St. John's female to embrace her inner hellbitch and play Kunai sports. Soccer is over for the time being but it will live again in the springtime. Until then there is basketball. So show up to the gym around 4 on Tuesdays and Fridays, o r talk to anyone who you know that is involved. It will be fun. c.!lr D. C. Minutes: Oct. 31 by Charles Hamm '08 Members present: Mr. Meyers, Mr. Hanover, 1vfr. Hamm, Ms. Seiler, Nfr. Barnes, Mr. Shahrigian, Ms. Walsh, Mr. Donahoe, Mr. Drexler, Ms. Hickling, Ms. Hauspurg, 1fs. Andrews, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Lobo Dias, Ms. Frazier, Mr. Papadopoulos, Mr. Myers, Ms. Deaton, Mr. Lewkow, Ms. Frazier, Mr. Throop and 1fr. Simmons Agenda: Report from the BVG representatives, Discussion and Vote on the Rules Committee "Rules of Order", vote on the Free-form dance charter Beginning with the BVG repo rt, a brief summary of the discussions in last week's meeting is given. Topics include the anticipated tuition increase, the progress of the Capital Campaign, the President's response to the Spellings Commission and the announcement of the Jeff Bishop Scholarship. 10 A written report is not ready at the time of this week's meeting. In looking at the "Rules of Order" questions concerning the implications of voting with an assumed quorum and suspension of the rules in certain instances prompts a motion to be made by Ms. Walsh to table the Rules until next week. The motion is seconded by Mr. Simmons and passes the vote. The Free-form dance charter is passed. Contact Margaret Hennessey. After the meeting was opened to the delegates, the Oct. 24 vote to give the Gadfly $579.74 is returned to the table. Further discussion on the issue brought the D.C. to an Emergency Action Vote, put forward by Mr. Harrison and second by Mr. Barnes, to suspend delivery of the $579.74. The motion passes. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanksgiving Airport Shuttles Reserve your spot on the Thanksgiving Break BWI Airport Shutde! Sign-up in the Asst. Dean's office. Space is limited. Questions? Call Nina Carrieri (x2537). �Gadfly Book Reviews Thinking Without Thinking by Dylan Sherry '08 It is not very often that we are challenged to knowledge of and therefore could make these make a "snap-judgment" at St.John's. No tu- types of snap judgments. tor tells us that we have only five minutes to The book investigates two different paths tell them what Kant means by "synthetic a to cognition: both rapid cognition and gatherpriori cognition," in fact, we are told that we ing as much information as possible and dehave a lifetime to give an answer to these ques- liberating on it. Gladwell gives many examples tions. Even when we do have a timed assessment like a quiz we are given a healthy amount of time in which to complete it. What would the consequences be though, if we were given only a short period of time in which to answer some of life's big questions? Malcom Gladwell's book Blink offers some interesting answers to this type of question. Gladwell amounts to saying that the brain has a processing power which is beyond our irnmediate consciousness. One example of R<i~· t ;1dU,;!f 411eltotr <tf tile g/q/14/ Jllr6'•""''"'!" this certain "power" at work is a tennis Tus TIPPING POINT coach who is able to "guess" (with 95% accuracy) at the point when the ball hits the racket that a player will fault (miss Th~ Powel' ofThJnkin.g the allowed region for the ball to land). without Th.inld:ng From years of studying the game of tennis, tlie coach is able to look at this moment in time and say something about it without exactly knowing how he knows. He wasn't able to say how he knew that it was a fault, he just knew. This is an example of what Gladwell calls "rapid cognition" which allows the observer to gain the necessary information with as little information as possible. In this case the tenBlink: The Power of Thinking nis coach is able to say that there will be ujthout Thinkihg . . .. a fault without breaking down the exact movements of the serve. Gladwell Malcolni 'Gladwell · argues that this process is often more Back .l,hy Books (2007) helpful than gathering as much infor· 320 Pages ~· · mation as we can and then deliberat~}5.99 ing on it. Somehow with only a small amount of information we are capable of discerning a great deal. This isn't to say that anyone can do the same thing that the tennis coach can. The tennis coach al- of rapid cognition being useful (like the tennis ready had all the necessary components for a coach) and other examples of rapid cognition "rapid cognition", i.e. a substantial knowledge causing problems (such as a car salesman subof the game of tennis. There are other avenues consciously judging his customers by their apthough, such as a facial expressions, where we pearance). He also gives us examples when gathmight say that most human beings have a great ering more information is necessary, and also blink * Malcolm Gladwell by of cases where having too much information can be a hindrance to what we want to accomplish. A prime example of this is given in a U.S. War simulation where the United States (Blue Team) used all of its advanced technology (i.e. satellite imagery, communication jammers etc.) to win the war against a Rogue commander (Red Team). The leader of the Red team used simple World War II techniques against all that advanced technology and ended up winning the simulation. In this case all of that extra "information" which was gather ended up distracting the Blue team from their true goal- which was to win the simulation, The main point of Blink seems to be that rapid cognition should be taken more seriously as a rational activity rather than simply as a gut feeling or an intuition. It does make me wonder a bit about some of the questions we spend hours laboring over at this school. I'm sure we've all had an experience where we knew something was wrong but we couldn't quite figure out wf!JI. In some of these cases we are able to think on it and eventually figure out why we reacted negatively to a certain theory. In other cases, at least for myself, I never really know exactly wf!JI I disagree with acertain philosopher or a certain theory. Is it because I simply dislike them or is it possible that there is a rational reason behind this gut feeling which is based on a rapid cognition. In other words, am I like the tennis coach who cannot exactly see why he could guess when the player would fault? I suggest that you read Blink, not because I necessarily agree with all the claims it makes and that it will change your life, but because it describes a lot of interesting studies which deal with rapid cognition, and with judgment in general. I'm not suggesting that the next someone says "I disagree" without substantiating their claim that we should let it slide, but maybe we should take a moment to consider that maybe they do have an argument-they just haven't yet found out how to put it into words. 'Ir . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . THE GADFLY 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Professo~s and Daydreaming by AH Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR ALIZABETH, What should one do when one's seminar tutor spends most of seminar delivering monologues? Obviously, one cannot approach one's seminar tutor about this. Sincerely, A Sad, Sorry Sophomore ideas at all. If your tutor truly isn't letting you get a word in edgewise, perhaps he will read your letter and give the matter some thought. But in my experience, a tutor's judgment about such things is pretty trustworthy. Yours, A Schwab ***** Dear Sad One, There is an explanation of the title "Tutor" that all of us heard during the application process, and which all of us use. The explanation is this: Tutors are not professors (one says in a mildly disgusted tone), because they do not profess. The explanation breaks down when one tries to use this method to explain what it is they do instead. Tut? That isn't really the word for it, but that's on).y because there isn't really a word for it. Different tutors have different approaches, and this has been so since the beginning of the program. In his lecture on the early days of St. John's, J\fr. Charles Nelson describes Program pioneers Stringfellow Barr and 1fortimer Adler thus: while Stringfellow Barr led the class in a sort of open-ended Socratic manner, Mortimer Adler, when he taught, had somethii:ig to teach you, and wouldn't give up until he had done so. You appear to have landed yourself a tutor with something to say to you. Why not just let him? There is some unwritten law inscribed on a grain of rice in a locked lead box buried three stories below the library basement that says, "Never talk too much in the classroom, ever, or students will spend seminar inventing imaginary devices with which to torture you." But if what your tutor is saying is actually true and useful and good, shouldri't our concern for truth make that law null and void for a few minutes? So I say, listen to your tutor, learn from his years of experience whether you agree with him or not, and sooner or later you'll be in a seminar with a tutor of a different style anyway. Now, there is a case to be made for a tutor not dominating the class such that his students do not have a chance to exchange their 12 ***** DearS-S-S, First I would like to congratulate you on being brave enough to bring up such a sensitive topic. It is too often held that tutors are not human and therefore are incapable of wrong. Well, we know tutors are robots, so the first part is more or less true. As for the second part of that statement, sometimes tutors may do things that irritate us, but upon closer inspection you will see that it was all for a greater end. The seminar monolog is one of the most painful experiences that one will ever encounter here at St. John's College. There are, however, important distinctions to be noted between the Tutor Monologue and the Student Monologue. Student Monologues generally smack of hubris, and tend to be unceremoniously (but thankfully) interrupted by someone with an unrelated point who is desperately trying to end the suffering. Tutor Monologues on the other hand, are generally chock-full of information that will ideally help you understand the text better provided that you are actually listening and not staring into space. But seriously, if you take away the actual content and focus on the form, seminar monologues are the greatest thing to ever happen to mankind. You are still technically in class, but someone else is doing your work for you. 1bis leaves you free to stare into space and daydream about any number of fascinating and nonseminar related topics. Tbis includes (but is not limited to): planning your or someone else's wedding (real or imaginary), reliving romantic encounters (real or imaginary), baking a giant pie, and regurgitating all the lyrics contained in My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade (lyrics from any extra tracks on the European edition will be accepted, but are not required). Granted, this plan may have left me slightly uninformed as to the nature of Leo Tolstoy's personal life, but it sure will come in handy should I ever need to produce the words to "Teenagers", "Heaven Help Us'', "Sleep", "I Don't Love You", "Cancer", ''Welcome to the Black Parade" or "The Sharpest Lives." (I don't have them all memorized...geez, I'm only human.) So embrace the monologue. That's all I can say. We don't have lecture classes and this is as close as some people will ever get. My Weekly Shout-Outs: Liza Minelli - ''J\fama" was the best career move you could have possibly made. Thank you for existing. Michael Feidt - I am well aware of your stance on global warming and I still don't care. Those Freshmen outside of the dining hall- I am sorry for being a bitch. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . But can't tell if I've been breathing or sleeping or screaming or waiting for the man to call, E. McDowell BurlinPion Please send your Program Predicaments to llizabeth ~urlington or .£\Ii Schwab via Campus Mail. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 10 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-11-09 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 10 of The Gadfly. Published November 09, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.10 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/6d3200088da70a2936d83f8b74b8d3a3.pdf 928fab2e8894d0661d81c5d3ff67a3e5 PDF Text Text THE ~GADFLY The St. John's College Student Week[y Volume XXIX, Issue 12 Annapolis, Maryland December 7, 2007 ' ~~ ·~ fj]he (iadfl! wishes !ou an enjo!able series of pofiticaff! correct winter hofida!s! �THE -.rGADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editors Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreaders A. Sabrina Rourke Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Erica Stratton Contributing to this Issue Peter Axer Elizabeth Burlington Brendan Clay Jake Crabbs Kirstie Dodd Justin Lee Robert Sale Ali Schwab Erica Stratton Jennifer Wright LETTERS Oxfam Thanks I want to thank everyone who participated in the Oxfam Fast for a World Harvest this past month. This is the seventeenth consecutive year the fast has been held at the Annapolis campus. Tbis year 155 students and 11 faculty and staff members participated, skipping 343 meals and donating $710 in cash, in addition to the meal plan money. This is a very large proportion of the total student population on the meal plan, compared to the many other colleges and universities at which Oxfam fasts are held. Exact figures are not yet available, but the total sum raised for Oxfam America will be in excess of $1000. Special thanks should go to Bronte Jones, Carole Clark, and the staff at the Treasurer's Office; to Roosevelt Langll!y, Nancy 1fitchell, Rochelle Kennedy and the staff at Parkhurst; to Chris Colby, who donated the printing cost for the forms; and to Annelies de Groot, Charles Hamm, David Pinedo and Jessie Seiler, who volunteered their time. A Response to Mr. Zarin Sincerely, Jonathan Tuck Tutor Founded in 1980, The Gacif(y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gacif(y staff. The Gadf(y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thoughtprovoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 . THE G.IDFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " ... as available as slaves in the pre-Civil War South"? [Letter from the Editor, Nov. 30] Seriously? There are so many things wrong with this statement that I can't even begin to enumerate them. Luckily I don't have to, since anyone with a shred of common sense ought to be able to at least begin that process for themselves. Rebecca Harrison '09 Cover Photo From left (standing): Robert Sale '10, columnist; Mark McClay '09, literary editor; Ali Schwab '08, columnist; Chris Thorn '09, assistant editor; Jennifer Wright '08, columnist; Rowenna Thorson '10, proofreader; Babak Zarin '11, assistant editor. From left (seated): Sabrina Rourke '08, proofreader; Elizabeth Burlington '08, editor-in-chief; Kat Shears '10, managing editor; Kirstie Dodd '10, columnist; and Elyssa Browning '10, distribution manager. �Jen-SaisQuoi: All I Want for Christmas is to Bash that I<id's Two Front Teeth In by Jennifer Wright '08 "OH!" A FRIEND OF MINE EXCLAIMED a few weeks ago upon overhearing Christmas carols for the first-time, "They've started caroling!" ''I know," I replied, "isn't that just lovely? I love Christmas carols." Over Thanksgiving, when driving in the car with my father, he cheerfully exclaimed, "we have six all Christmas Carol stations on the radio now!" "How wonderful!" I replied. ''We should listen to one of them," said my mother. "Yes," I said, "Oh, yes, let's. Christmas carols are my favorite part of the season!" I smile. Sometimes I clap my hands. I say things like "I hope they play Silver Bells." And while I am saying these things all the time I am thinking "if they play that goddamned "two front teeth" song I am going to stab my eardrum out with a chopstick." When I found out that not one, but two of the radio stations I often listen to are playing nothing but carols until Christmas I screamed a word which began with "donkey" and ended with a word that rhymes with "muckers." It is finally time for me to come clean - I hate Christmas carols. Really, really hate them. I remember in 6th grade there was this class assignment where we all devised one punishment that we thought might occur in hell (or alternatively, one socially acceptable reward that we thought might be in heaven). This assignment now strikes me as shockingly politically incorrect for my very politically correct school, but I remember one boy came up with a punishment where hell was just one long concert of your least favorite kind of music. Moreover, everyone else would be enjoying that kind of music, so you couldn't laugh about it. That kid perfectly describes what the Christmas season is like for people who aren't into caroling. I feel horrible about hating carols. Disliking Christmas carols_ is like disliking cupcakes and puppies. And, to be fair, I don't hate absolutely all of them. I'll make an exception for Ertha Kitt singing "Santa Baby" but only because I would gladly listen to Ertha Kitt sing the phone book. I will also happily listen to ''Baby it's Cold O utside" by Tom Jones, because I once saw him in concert and have a weird fascination with anyone in their mid-seventies who can still manage so many inadvertently comical pelvic thrusts. Also, I feel the notion of sleeping with someone simply to avoid going outside in the cold again is, on some level, completely believable, as I am from Chicago, where people do all manner of odd things to avoid going out in twenty below weather. Apparently I am able to listen to holiday songs that involve the word ''baby" but not if it's, you know, that baby. The Jesus baby. And other than that? Yeah, I really hate pretty much all of them. I know there are going to be people who come up to me after this article comes out, and they'll say ''but what about - insert your favorite carol here - ? You can't hate that." And I will reply, "Oh, no, you're right, that's a really good one. Gosh. I didn't even think of that one." Want to know a secret? When I say that, I will be lying to you. I suppose this could just have to do with my own musical preferences. My tastes run to cocktail music from the thirties and forties and punk rock from the eighties (somehow, I feel this gives credence to the notion that the eighties really were just the forties, but with coke and fewer wars). Christmas carols rarely feature the witty wordplay of say, Gershwin or Cole Porter, and also don't touch upon the impact of communicating with European capitols in the manner of say, The Clash. These are things I look for in songs. That said I believe it may go beyond my own preference. I believe that Christmas carols may just objectively be bad. This point is made very effectively in the movie Love A ctualfy, which is a brilliant holiday movie (see? I do like Holiday movies). An aging rocker is made to re-record an absolutely terrible song substituting the word "Christmas" for the word ''love." It's terrible. He knows it's terrible, and an unadulterated attempt to capitalize on the sentimental nature of people around Christmas. He talks about what a piece of crap the song is, and is ridiculously amused that people are buying it. I feel like a lot of singers do this with holiday songs. They just don't admit it. It's not as funny when they don't admit it. It's not like you can get really creative and outre with a holiday song. There are only so many ways you can go with it. It's like having one of those writing prompts where you're supposed to describe how seeing road kill changes a couple's decision about the prospect of divorcing. But not with so much road kill, or divorce. Honestly, we all understand the basic premise of Christmas. Virgin Birth. Reindeer. Snow. Santa. Manger. Tasteful reception for visiting dignitaries with gifts. Gifts. Peace on Earth, not really, but in theory. Got it. It's very unlikely that a Christmas carol is going to express a sentiment that has nothing to do with one of those things. There's no room for surprise. And, because there are only so many variations on those sentiments that are possible, lately I've noticed many people are trying to spice songs up by having chil4.ren sing them. I hate singing children. I hate their high squeaky untrained voices which I'm supposed to find cute. The only children that should be singing are in the Vienna Boys' Choir, and they should suffer through all manner of brutal training in order to be there. They are not some dreadful high pitched child forgetting lines periodically. Oh, God in heaven, at this very moment my next door neighbor is playing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." Sung by children. I can hear it through the walls. I would like to believe that the timing of that is astonishing, if Christmas carols were not being played by everyone, all the time. Now it's segued into "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." I take back my earlier statement that Christmas has nothing to do with the prospect of imminent divorce. I'm sorry. I'm unable to write further. But I'm not going to stab my ear out with a chopstick. I'm just going to him up The Ramones as loud as I possibly can without causing the police to come. It's a shame, as I was settling into what I consider a really good holiday evening which was going to consist of drinking champagne and watching back to back episodes of this fabulous new British T.V show I've found called The Secret Adventures of A London Call Girl. (It's too saucy. And too witty. You have to watch it. You'd love it). Apparently, Christmas carols are trying to ruin my life yet again. It's not going to be a very silent night here, as "Teenage Lobotomy" is already causing my furniture to vibrate. But it's going to be better than the alternative, if only because everything is better than children singing Christmas carols.~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . .. .. THE GADFLY . 3 �Movie Spotlight: No Country for Old Men The following three articles have been written in co'!}unction with one another and should not be considered redundant. It is very rare in our community that such a piece of work (literary, cinematic or at!)lthing else) can evoke this much response in the Polity. I hope you take the time to consider all three of these articles, both separatefy and together. Please be warned: these reviews do contain spoilers. . . The Evening Redness in the West by Justin Lee '08 IN No COUNTRY FOR Ow MEN, Cormac McCarthy lays forth a world where the characters are hardly able to cope with the actions unfolding around them, even though their circumstances are largely products of their own doing. The world is incomprehensible not because it itself is changing, but because man's experience of the world changes. The circumstances of the world remain the same: men grow old and die while others take their place. In that process, all men inevitably lose their ability to recognize the world they once knew within the world they now live in, despite the constancy of theworlditsel£ Ultimately, there's no escaping: The world will slip away from you. Sheriff Bell is the perfect example of this process, with Moss another example of this to a lesser extent. Chigurh's use of the coin toss is an expression of man's arbitrary role in the inevitable ways of the world. This is how I interpreted No Country for Old Me1r. a description of aging in an ageless world. This is also what I expected to see in the Coen Brothers' adaptation. At first, I was dis- appointed. I felt that :Mr. McCarthy's meaning was marginalized in favor of the more thrilling elements that drove the story. It was only after reconciling the thriller form of the work with its western themes that I became satisfied with the movie. For within the form of the thriller lies themes that speak to the very core of the Western genre. The West has long been seen as a place "Where one can go to escape one's present circumstances, and the Western has long told of the realities oflife and the futilities of escape, steeping the genre in the shadow of fatalism as inevitable as the setting of the sun. As such, the thriller form of the story plays an integral role in demonstrating the inevitability of the ways of the world. Yet underlying my doubts concerning the competence of the Coen Brothers' adaptation was the question of why an adaptation had to be made at all, as the film furthered neither the themes nor the meaning of the book. Instead, the film merely assigned sounds and pictures to correspond with :Mr. McCarthy's words. That might be enough for some--especially considering the majesty of 1-fr. McCarthy's prose-but when a movie fails to improve on the book, the movie becomes merely an exercise of craft and ultimately a waste of potential. Remaining faithful to the source material is one thing, but failing to fulfill the potential of the cinematic medium is quite another. While the film is an important addition to the pantheon of the Western genre, I expected more out of the film as a literary adaptation. Admittedly, my expectations for ''No Country for Old Men" could not have been any higher. I am a Cormac McCarthy fan. Second to the Bible, no other corpus of works has influenced my life more. As such, I tend to take matters concerning his books personally. One might even call me obsessive. All in all, my general discomfort regarding ''No Country for Old Men" lies not within the film itself, but within its relationship with the book upon which is was based. In three words: read the book. ~ Seeing Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men by Peter Axer '09 FOR TI-JOSE WHO HAVE SEEN TI-IE COEN BROTI-1- NEW MOVIE No Country For Old Men, you may have been intrigued by the villain, Anton Chigurh, and the coin he sometimes uses to determine whether he will kill someone. Early in the film, Chigurh flips a coin before an elderly gas station clerk who annoys him and tells him to call it, saying that he stands to win "everything" by his call. Towards the film's end, he sits before an innocent woman, Carla Jean Moss, who attempts to persuade him that he doesn't have to kill her, to which he replies that the best out he can offer her is a coin toss. These scenes in the movie present Chigurh as perhaps an unpredictable murderer, or an ERS' 4 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . "amused nihilist," as my esteemed colleague Brendan Clay called him, but there is little revelation about why he flips the coin. The novel that the film is based on, however, is more detailed about the coin toss and so helps us to better understand the peculiar nature of its villain. In his encounter with the gas station attendant, the literary Chigurh is offended at first by the clerk's questioning him whether he's from Dallas. Chigurh, a Latino, mockingly calls the man "friendo," and asks him what business it is of his where he's from. The man says he "didn't mean nothin"' by the question and Chigurh replies, "I guess that passes for man- ners in your cracker view of things" (McCarthy 54, No Cou-ntry ForO/dMen, Cormac McCarthy, V 111tage Books, 2005). That he takes offense to the man is what inspires his consideration of killing him; nevertheless, he doesn't do it. He does begin questioning the clerk about his life, curious to know what events led to them meeting on that day, which may be the clerk's last. Chigurh later tells Carla Jean that it's very useful, even for a nonbeliever, to model himself after God, which sheds light for me about why he wants to know the details of the gas station attendant's life. With no hint of passion, deAxer continued on next page �whom she thought she was meant for. The cause of her death surely isn't any evil or injustice in L.1.ie man sitting h"1 front of her, not as far as he's concerned. Anton Chigurh feels no remorse for killing; he simply acts. He chooses to kill in order to survive in a world where, urJess you do your best to be invulnerable, your life and death may be decided by someone else, and that certainly won't be Chigurh's lot. He uses a gun to carve out .his path in a world of cause and effect and the chaos of conflicting human wills. What's so bloodcurdlingly alarming about him is that he acts in complete accordance with his conception of an indifferent universe, a most unusual characteristic of his. To boot, he can't be stopped - by anyone. No one can destroy him, and there is no God friat will, either. Peoples' only hope against him is that he'll put their lives to a coin toss. His unstoppable power can only be halted and sculpted by himself, like when he chooses to let chance play a role in human fortune, something only God would decide were he real. I wonder if people like ~\nton Chigurh truly exist. How would a person react if ever confronted by someone like 1'..i."Tl? Would their reservoir of faith, hope, and belief in themselves evaporate? I wonder if I could stare him in the face and not be spiritually destroyed. Every human L'l.teraction changes a person; there is no assured way to protect your soul from communing with the world arou.."1d you, your changing it and it changing you. If you looked into his eyes -into the void -you'd see a reality no person can deny because changes .... [a)nd t.lie shape of your path was another human knows it and lives it. With his visible from the beginning" (McCarthy 259). eyes staring securely into you, how could you Accounting is a term Chigurh uses with the gas station attendant as well, informing him not be reduced? Carla Jean's encounter with Chigurh causes that everything, including the instruments of her to renounce any reason she ever believed human events, is accounted for. But this accounting isn't moral. Chigurh tells Carla-] ean there was for the events in her life. Her soul that she isn't a bad person, but the reason she'll crumbles cleanly in bs presence because she die was perhaps born in some past decision cannot deny him. He exists, and she wJl not she made, maybe even at the beginning of her because he exists. SheriffBell, a good man who life. For Cbgurh, all human actions follow an chases Chigurh to no avail, begins the book by amoral chain of cause and effect, and he just wondering whether he can handle being part happened to become a part of the chain of of a world in which men like Chigurh exist. In events in Carla Jean's life. \Yv'hat may have done bjs hard struggle against him, another fire her h'l was her decision to marry Llewellyn Moss, bums out.~ her accounta.."1t for all the decisions she has made in her life. In effect, he chooses to become her God, whose word is irrevocable and who Inakes people account for their lives. After she loses her coin toss, he says to her, "Somewhere you made a choice. All followed to this. The accounting is scrupulous ....No line can be erased. I had no belief in your ability to move a coin to your bidding. A person's path seldom Axer continued from previous page sire, or sometimes even of gain, he takes peoples' lives away. It's almost an objective action. Clearly there is no divine justice in this, only an acquisition of power (hence the usefu1<J.ess) that Chigurh gains by his calm, willful execution of people. But he seems to be Unitating God by absorbin.g peoples' life stories, choosing in a very conscious way to place himself in the paths of their lives. Without a doubt he is an uncommon murderer; he is more akin to a force within the moment in his victims' lives to which all their actions were leadmg. Chigurh has no respect for the old clerk based on the answers the man gives to his questions, and while I believe he has no qualm about killing the man, I think he decides that, based on t11e i:ninimal inconvenience that the clerk has caused him, he w.Jl put his life to a coin toss. The man calls the toss in his favor and ends up winning his life, and Chigurh tells him to keep his "lucky coin." The movie ends the scene here, but in the book Chigurh says to the clerk that people don't pay attention to the "instruments" (like the coin) in their lives, treating these things as if they had no significance in the events to which they are undeniably connected, "[a]s if the parts of some moment in history might be interchangeable with the parts of some other moment" (TvkCarJiy 57). Chigurh is telling him that he doesn't realize how important the coin was in the course ofl1is life because it was integral to the event in which his deatli was forestalled. Our villain would've killed him if he had lost the toss. Later on, during Chigurh's conversation witcli Carla Jean, he tells her mat he will kill her because he promised her husband, Llewelyn Moss, that he would do so if Ivl:oss didn't deliver to Chigurh $2 million dollars that he had stolen after a failed a."1d bloody drug deal, a deal that Chigurh takes it upon himself to complete in its aftermath. However, he doesn't blame lvfoss's refusal to hand over the money for why he will fulfill his promise. He kills Carla Jean because he said he would, and to be 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • THE GADFLY . 5 �Bad Men by Brendan Clay '08 THE COEN BROTHERS' NEWEST FILM, No Country for Old Men, is being touted as a work of unprecedented maturity and cinematic accomplishment for the brothers. Given their history, that is a bold statement. In 1984,Joel and Ethan Coen entered the world of filmmaking with almost alarming assuredness and maturity. Blood Simple, their debut film, was a lurid James M. Cain style tale of infidelity and murder with a pervading sense of dread and loneliness. Its dialogue was terse and heavily stylized, its camera work was detached to an almost voyeuristic degree, and its score was well-crafted and haunting. With their subsequent films, Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Bzg Lebowski, The Man Who Wasn'tThere, and others, they would continue to develop this style while incorporating elements of screw-ball comedy, French existentialism, and social satire along the way. While I am not so bold as to declare No Country for Old Men, adapted from a Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, to be their greatest film, it is certainly an excellently crafted thriller. It concerns a Texan by the name of Llewelyn Moss Gosh Brolin) who finds himself with a case of money from a Mexican drug deal gone bad and on the run from Anton Chigurh Gavier Bardem), a psychotic murderer also after the money. Tommy Lee Jones plays the local sheriff Ed Tom Bell. Leaving the theater, I was bothered by the notion that the character of Chigurh seemed to be a symbol of the purity and strength of evil. If this were true, it would be a departure for the Coen brothers in their portrayal of crime and violence. They tend show greed, vanity, shortsightedness, and fear to be the motives behind the bad things people do. I have always respected this about their work, feeling it gives even their most artificial films a ring of truth. However, after going over the film in my head and discussing it at length with junior Peter Axer, a great fan ofboth the film and the book, I realized how mistaken I was about the Coens' presentation of Chigurh. The moral anchor of the film at first seems to be Sheriff Bell. His opening narration concerns a 19-year-old boy whom Bell sent to the gas chamber. "The newspapers said it was a crime of passion and he told me there wasn't no passion in it. [... ] And he told me he had been planning to kill somebody as long as he 6 could remember. Said that if they turned him out he'd do it again. Said he knew he was goin' to hell." Bell finds this attitude incomprehensible. ''What do you say to a man that by his own admission has no soul?" This section, identical in the film and the book, sets up the moral world of the story by presenting the darkness of man as a tangible force with heavy spiritual overtones. Already having looked evil in the eye once before, Bell is set up as a man destined to contend with demons. His moral opponent is introduced directly after this sequence. Anton Chigurh is shown handcuffed in a squad car on a lonely stretch of Texas road. The audience does not find out how or why he has been captured, but he quickly extricates himself from this situation in brutal and methodical style, leaving behind one dead deputy. Chigurh has the appearance of a murderous psychopath, but, like Hannibal Lecter or the shark from Jaws, he probably evades traditional scientific analysis in his improbable collection of character traits. Ruthless and efficient to near perfection, emotionless but with a sick sense of humor, he is an unstoppable killing machine whose primary motivation seems to be a near supernatural devotion to efficient homicide. To quote his self-description from the novel: "Most people don't believe there can be such a person." The Coen brothers, in the majority of their films, are among "most people." Rather than ruthless psychotics, it is salesmen that form the majority of the Coens' cinematic rogues gallery, something that stands as a testament to the banality of evil rather than its purity and strength. They have had psychopaths in their fi1-ns before but even these disturbed individuals were always motivated by something earthly like jealousy or money. Chigurh, on the other hand, is an inhabitant of the ghost land that McCarthy creates in his book, which has a strong tone of mystery and spiritualism about it. Peter Axer described the Chigurh of the book to me as a destroyer of souls as well as bodies and a "rigid determinist." Fate, in all of its Greco-biblical power, seems to be Chigurh's motive force. In both the novel and the film, SheriffBell is unable to contend with Chigurh's darkness. He finds himself in a position where he can choose to face Chigurh and instead backs away. After this moment in the film, Bell is a changed man. He retires as a lawman to spend the rest of his days listlesslywandering around his wife's farm, useless to everyone. Chigurh's very existence destroys Bell as a potent force of law and order, turning him into a broken man quietly waiting on death. Bell's loss of self in the novel plays as a final acceptance of the ruthlessness of evil and the horrors of the new age that awaits us. The Coen brothers are not quite as cynical nor do they have the same respect for and horror at evil that McCarthy seems to have. They provide a true moral center to the film, but it is found in an unexpected place. The character of Llewellyn Moss' wife Carla Jean is a subtly but significantly different character in the film and the book. It is she who provides the moral strength to overcome Chigurh's evil. One reason she can do this is that Chigurh's evil is very different in the film and in the book. Chirgurh has a habit of occasionally offering his potential victims the option of staking their life on a coin toss. Mr. Axer successfully argues in his article that the Chigurh of the book does this to demonstrate the strict determinism of the universe and the mechanical interconnectedness of all events, persons, and things. When tormenting a gas station clerk early in the book with the coin toss, he has the following speech: "Well, you say. It's just a coin. For instance. Nothing special there. What could that be an instrument of? You see the problem. To separate the act from the thing. As if the parts of some moment in history might be interchangeable with the parts of some other moment. How could that be? Well, it's just a coin. Yes. That's true. Is it?" In the film, the exchange is different. The clerk calls the coin as heads and the coin falls in his favor. Chigurh tells him that the coin is now his lucky coin, and that the clerk should not just put it in his pocket with the rest of his loosechange. Then it will be just like any other coin. ''Which it is," Chigurh adds in an almost mockingly sincere tone. This scene in the film changes Chigurh from a force of evil to a villain more in the Coens' usual style. His evil does not come from his brutality nor from his incomprehensibility, but . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clay continued on next page �Clay continued from previous page from his willingness to dehumanize those around him to create a feeling of superiority in himself. He is something of an amused nihilist and, as anyone who has seen the Big Lebowski knows, the Coens' attitude towards nihilists is anything but respectful. Chigurh meets Carla Jean at both the end of the movie and the end of the book, and this is another moment where a handful of differently emphasized lines of dialogue change the meaning of the encounter. In the book Carla Jean is defeated by Chigurh. She speaks many of the same words· in both versions, but the order in which they are spoken in the novel give them the character of panic and fear. Chigurh gives his usual run-down of strangely inhuman observations about fate and honour and he eventually forces Carla Jean to accept his point of view: ''You're asking that I second say the world. Do you see? Yes, she said, sobbing. I do. I truly do. Good, he said. That's good. Then he shot her." In the film, Carla Jean seems annoyed at Chigurh's remarks. She refuses to call the coin toss, insists that it is Chigurh's choice not the coin's, and seems unimpressed with his pontifications. It is not a haughty sort of telling off. She does not become angry at Chigurh, but instead competently debates him without fear. In not fearing him, she kills some of his supernatural grandeur. It is not revealed in the film whether or not Chigurh kills Carla Jean, and events occur identically to the novel for the rest of the film. Both end on the same note of hopelessness from Sheriff Bell. The viewer of the film has already seen that strength exists, though, in Carl Jean and her refusal to play Chigurh's game. Unlike Sheriff Bell, she could look evil in the eye and defeat it without a gun, or a scheme, or even big talk. This is consistent with powerful and sensible female characters within the Coens' other films such as J\farge Gunderson from Fargo or Holly Hunter in any of her appearances. The film, then, exists firmly in the Coen brothers' moral world because evil is defeated by having its banality shown to it. Chigurh ends the film almost as a parallel of Sheriff Bell. Neither of theirworldviews sustains them as they had hoped they would. From the moment Carla Jean refuses to call the coin toss, Chigurh never has the same onscreen power again. No longer special, now he is just another coin. ~ Athletes of the Week Mr. Gore Miss Trop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �Yerma by Erica Stratton '08 might really be absurd ideals without going over the top and making her portrayal of a "crazy housewife" a caricature. Sam Porter was an excellent foil for her, his attraction for her seeming natural and unforced-and, I might add, he also has an excellent singing voice. The language of Yerma's character is driven by wonder at the most natural of human things, having a child, but it is made impossible either by the emotional coldness of her husband or the barrenness of her own womb. Yerma herself is not quite sure of the cause, and the staging of the play leaves us in some doubt, especially during one of the most forceful scenes in the play, which takes place at a religious shrine for barren women where Yerma has traveled in desperation. A surprisingly un- devilish Devil (Nick Novitski) and his Wife (Susan Holcomb) perform a sensuously charged dance to the tune of the religious hymn sung earlier. The nature oflove is contradictory, and the play portrays each aspect one after another: is it meant to be sensual or pure, fruitful or barren, a place of freedom or a cause for sacrifice? Andrew Davenport, playing Yerma's cold husband Juan, appeared in his first KWP production dressed in a costume that looked little different than when he dances at waltz parties. I AM NOT AT AIL FAM!LlAR with Federico Garcia Lorca's work, and the difficulty is compounded by the fact that the pay was not only originally written in Spanish, but in verse. This gives the play a quite different feel than, say, Shakespeare. It's more like the sung verses in the performance ofAntigone my freshman year, only carried through for a couple hours. But the players succeed in making the long, colorful dialogues sound like natural flights rather than clunky recitations. In some ways, the language fits perfectly to describe the mental state of the play's main character: the childless wife Yerma, played by Kat Rios. There is a kind of inherent unfairness in praising the actor who plays the main character in a play more than others, but :Miss Rios well deserves it for her performance. I can say no more of it than that she hit all the right notes ·at just the right times. She was often transfigured by wonderment, becoming unbelievably sweet and lovely-but also sorrowfully passionate, yet never letting us lose our pity for her. The unspoken emotional affair between the married Yerma and her suitor Victor (Sam Porter) were scenes that palpated with longing and gentleness-her grasping desperation at the sight of her friend Maria's child carried the doubt to the audience's mind that her desires Unfortunately, his acting was a little too stiff-his part is meant to be that of a distant man we see little of, but he lacked the variety of expression shown by Porter and Rios. This is only his first role, however, and since his lines were otherwise smoothy delivered I have hopes that he will continue to take part in KWP productions. Nora Edge, quite naturally, played Dolores the Conjurer. Like her earlier role as a determined Actress in Talking With, she has the gift of playing a charming, colorful, and adorable eccentric as well on the stage as she does in real life. I would also like to complement the musicians in the production, the Spanish Guitarist (Colin Forhan) and the Sheep Hom Player (Kirstie Dodd). I had no idea that that was a real sheep horn until I read the credits and, considering that I have tried and failed to play one in the past, take my hat off to l\fiss Dodd's ability to play biblical instruments. I would also like to shout out to whoever thought of putting small crosses, a birdcage, and other strange trinkets against the wall during the scene where Yerma resorts to sorcery in order to get herself with child. They were probably too small to be seen from the back seats, but they made for some lovely photos. ~ THE FOUR MOST COMMON CAMPUS CRIMES PETTY THEFT CRIMINAL NEGLECT Heisenberg's not going anywhere. Let's get a beer. There's no name on it...besides, it's just detergent... l'Ve be en sterin g at this sentence for an hour. 0 0 0 " JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE SEXUAL HARASSMENT' Hey, baby! Do you know Euclid Ill. 16? 'Cause l'Ve got a «hom angleNI could l put up ' against your curves! TURN OFF YOUR FUCKING ALARM! I'm calling the cops. ' BREE BREE BREE BREE BREE BREE ,. ,. , . ., . ._____ 0 w= this probablycounts as assault 8 / . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �On Oral Discourse by Jake Crabbs '09 EMILY: So J AKE, THIS PART OF THE LIBRARY SURE IS ISOLATED. Jake: Quite so Emily, it is a wonderful place to do work. Emily: It is also shielded from the view of others by virtue of these shelves. Jake: Indeed, one can do work here without anybody seeing whether it is mathematics or French. Emily: Or if it is work that you are doing at all. Jake: Oh, I see what you mean. You are quite the troublemaker, Emily. But you are correct, you could even read short fiction here and nobody would know. Emily: No, no. I mean that two people, a man and a woman, you and I even, could do things together back here. Jake: Emily, I am shocked, I hardly think that this is the place for that sort of shenanigans. Emily: So if I wanted to make out with you right now you would say no? Jake: Oh! I thought you meant playing Scrabble! Yeah, that sounds great. Brad: What's going on back here? Jake: Oh, Brad. I am glad you came over. Emily and I were having a discourse on whether or not it is virtuous to make out in the library. Brad: That didn't look like any discourse I have ever seen. Jake: No? Is discourse anything other than the exchange of ideas between two or more parties? Brad: Well yes but . . . Jake: And are not these exchanges either done in writing or orally? Brad: Yes but that's not the kind of oral discourse to which I am accustomed. Jake: True enough, and now that you are here and Emily has run off for some reason (you must have disrupted her train of thought), I imagine that we should change the form of the conversation to something more appropriate for the two of us. Brad: Actually, I think I'd rather not. Jake: Nonsense. There is plenty of room for us to talk. Brad: Just to talk, right? Jake: Perhaps some gesturing may be appropriate with our speech, but no more than is usual. Brad: Alright. So it looks like you have decided that it is not inappropriate to make out in the library? Jake: Well, 1as I explained to Emily, we must first find out what the true purpose of a library is. Brad: Why is that? Jake: Well, it seems to me that things are appropriate in some places and not in others. It would not be appropriate to throw basketballs around in a church would it? Brad: Certainly not. Jake: But in the gym throwing basketballs is the proper behavior. So what is to be done in a library? Brad: The library is for reading and studymg. Jake: Is it true that there are different ways that one can read? · Brad: That sounds right, but I am not sure what you mean. Jake: I mean that one can read Hebrew or English and that one who reads Hebrew must read from right to left and one who reads English reads from left to right. Brad: That is quite so. Jake: And those who are blind or those who can see but have the proper learning could also read Braille? And that is done in a manner all together different, by feeling with one's hands? Brad: That is correct. Jake: And those who are deaf or are just trained properly, they can rea:d lips? Brad: So I have heard. Jake: And as for studying, one may study any number of subjects could he not? Brad: I believe so. Jake: So one may study, for example French or mathematics or anatomy? Brad: Or any other subject. Jake: Must one study alone in the library? Brad: No, people can study together, provided they stay fairly quiet. Jake: So we have found our answer. Brad: How do you mean? Jake: Well we have agreed that the library is the place where people can read lips and study anatomy together by feeling with their hands. Does that sound any different from making out? Brad: You are such a jerk. ~ THE"' GADFLY Weqnesday, December 12. Thursd~y, pecember 13 ·, . ·~·:~~·\..;;::· - -. ' ' j - . '_<~;: " <~ ,_ .--~- > - ,''.,, .- ' -~ ·, -~-.. "... - _., ' ?- -,-- - . Tutorials will l?e canselled on tho~e·· <lays; Seminars and pr~c~ptorials . Will continue tomeet. . ··•. .··· Weekfy Meetings Tuesdqys at 7:00 PM BBC 110 / Co11~wt the'J}egistrar',s h lilletfu. ·9oa~din the Coffee.Shop _ fol; the . <lat~,· ·· .. · •. time, a11d location of folir don rag. • ·. . · . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 9 �Mere Dodd on the Quad: Poor Christmas by Kirstie Dodd '10 Y'KNOW \VHAT CHRISTMASTIME is? Class struggle. I'm sure the whole "holiday greetings and gay happy meetings" thing happens somewhere, but mostly just in songs blared over the intercom at your local mall It's all about the middle-aged, middle-class mothers that camp outside Best Buy at 2 a.m. on Black Friday, waiting to deck the nearest grandma that comes close to their reduced-price Wli.. The next day the newspaper covers the Black Friday shopping atrocities and we go away tut-tutting "Christmas is too commercialized." \Xlhat we fail to realize is that rich people are causing t..llls mayhem. They set the bar too high price-wise for gift-giving, forcing us lower classes to scramble for any discount we can get. It's no surprise the granny-get-out-of-my-way mall scene pops up every year. \Xlhat really eggs my nog is the idea of the "poor Christmas" that has seeped into ow: collective unconscious. All the best Christmas stories are about people who are either in dire straights financially, orphaned from in.fancy, have some sort of terminal illness, or some combination of the three. Eit..1ier that, or there's a pregnant virgin somewhere in the mix. We love Id a Wondeiful Life and Gift of the Magi. In t..1-iese stories there is almost always a deus ex machina that solves the conflict. Eschew all of that bad Christmas Claymation propaganda. Let me tell you something I've learned a priori: Real poor Christmas is much less glamorous. Real poor Christ.111as is getting a stocking full of drugstore candy and t..1-ien spending the evening with yow: family cruising around rich neighborhoods, commenting on their beautiful outdoor decor. You might nm know what that's like, but you are a college student, which by definition means being poor. We all have the annual problem of watching the money in our wallets disappear between Thanksgi~..ng and New Years as we shell out dollars for terrible gifts. By the time the second semester rolls around, wallets all over campus look forlorn and empty, filled with nothi..rig but the ghosts of Christmas past. I have two solutions for the indigent college student who wishes to stop this seasonal wallet-rape. One way is by givi.<J.g all sorts of t..'1.i.<J.gs you have made with your own two hands, t..he kind of things people open up and say, "Oh ... t.hat's.'.. creative." If you choose to go this route, I warn you that it's all about packaging. It could be a pile of burnt cookies or an unattractive scarf, but as long as it has been wrapped well, people will think the gift is 40% better tha.'1 i.t truly is. (People are superficial like that.) There are all sorts of things you can do that make great presents. \Vhy not write yow: big essay right now and give it as a little stocking-stuffer? I'm sure people would love reading youi: thoughts on Tiberius in Tacitus' Annals. I've always thought a si~ed and framed 8x10 glossy headshot would make a good present. Slightly narcissistic, but inexpensive if the frame is made out of tin foil. You should also consider food presents. Give yourself an hour, a pile of jumbo marshmallows and some pretzel sticks and I'm sure you c~'1 whip up some cute, edible woodland creatures for friends and family to enjoy. One t..1-iing I would avoid, however, is the "coupon book" a la 3'a grade. \Xlhen February rolls arou..'ld, chances are you are not going to want to give t..1-iat promised two how: foot massage. If you really have no creativity, then there is another option for Christmas frugality called the "family present." If you got no dough don't let 'em all know; C'mon you peasant, just buy one present. If you have a large family, try getting a lower-end deep fryer. Per capita, you can end up spending only about $5 or $10 for each family member. On top of that, you and your family can gather around the deep fryer for years to come for some fried chicken and family bonding. Poor college students of the world, unite: whether you choose creativity or com..."'Ilunal gifts, you'll be jingl.L.'1g your wallet or purse all th.eway to the bank. Or you can cage fi.ghtw-ith a rabid soccer mom over a Wii i..-i a Wal-J\fart parki..'lg lot. 'Tis the season. ~ >; , , ' f:',, '1~,;~;,,1 R~~¥jriY:~~•s: ~R~{6§L;/', ',L;i''v)i, 11,L:~~:~{i$I Memb;r~pr.es~fr: ~k1 ~vfeyer~,~f·,Ji~, Mr.Ha110ver, Ms. s~yer, Mr. Myers, ~It. Dr~e~ •« .. Mr· Simmo11s, Mr. l,()b.?Di~s, Ms..~al~~' !\is., -;0~~r-~~~~k~~~~f=~E:0g0~~~~I IT··· ·. . ·.. c · . . • >/.;> / ;. />····· Agenda: Fw:J:fier.di~cussiono11 food policy; Alo~~at AR~o(<;::ounc,tlXV: j·•. < <: 1 ) ~ ; } } ••••..•.•• lx~n~=1~~£E~~~~~rt1~~~;att:;~~1f~i~~~~f ! l~~,~~t'~';~~i~~~~;p~~~:¥~~~~h~~~t:~~~~St~,~~~~~J meet§g~.The 1.. . 1\ct of Souncil0"V sriites that <'.A meeting mustbe held for each electoral unit eachsemester.Delegates. shallhost these . to provide fo?d Delegate Council may foroish the Delegates wiJ:fipP. to• F 5.0Qper ele~tornlunit or $100. 00 for the pff-campl1s elec;toral and non~alcoholic beverages". After a motion fora yotefrom Ms. Walsh, which}s secondedby Ms. Frazier, the D.Cd.ecidesto.en~ctthis . . Act ofCm.mcil, . . . · unit, l an· agenda item nextw:a;:r:~.a~~:~~:;a7s:~unt olmoneyall~tted. to ·the.off-campus.·•el~etoral.unit .• rvfr. Hanover enters an RAV1 .to take the Hawaii club charter from the table next week, ]\fr. Harrison seconds and all approve. 10 . Tµ,..; GJ.Df<TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...L.l.. - ......., ~ .L_.._, I �Mere Sophistry: The Birth of Jesus Edition by Robert Sale '10 THE .4NGEL SAID TO JHEM, ''Do not be efraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news efgreatjqy that will be for all the people. For today in the ci'(y ef David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. " -Luke 2:10-11 In case you haven't noticed, It's Jesus's birthday, So get off your heathen ass, And fuck.in' celebrate! -l\1r. Garrison Yes, gentle reader, it's that time of year again; that noxious, no-good month of November has passed and has led into the droll, delightful, and simply divine month of December. While November's proponents, like the adorably elfin l\:fiss Kirstie Dodd, will tell you that November has wonderful things like American Indian Heritage and Novel Writing and No-Shaving in it, these things all ring hollow; mostly because none of them are truly American: the first is a celebration of pagan heritage and the latter two are obviously stolen from the French. The World Series and the end of Daylight Savings Time, two storied American traditions that were also mentioned to take place in November, have been usurped from their proper positions in other months. And while it may come as a shock to some that Thanksgiving is not truly American, one only needs to look at the facts: it was started by British heretics who were kicked out of Britain by the original British heretics; and even then they were giving thanks not to God, but to the pagan Indians for saving their sorry asses when God obviously wanted them dead. British heretics giving thanks for pagan Indians. Sounds like a holiday we Americans can all really get behind, right? But December comes along and washes away all the iniquities of the previous month by the celebration of Christmas, a holiday so full of kindness and true giving that even someone as vain as K Doddy, who only looks at her article's page of the Gadfly, can probably support it. Christmas is a time of good cheer, merriment, peace, love, and togetherness. Christmas is when you can hear carols sung by the enchanting voices of your neighbors, smell their lovely roast in the oven wafting in the breeze towards your house, see their lawn bedecked in variegated lights and endearing ornaments, feel the pressure of keeping up with their stapdards, and taste sweet victory when your house is more dazzling in its brilliance and more creative in its decoration than theirs. They didn't think of putting wreaths on the trees, now did they? But the real pleasure of Christmas, aside from the marvelous feelings and sensations associated with it, is the way it brings people together. Christmas is infused with the spirit of giving, and, as the happiness associated with giving has been clinically proven to raise endorphin levels to the point of toleration of other human beings, it's no wonder it brings people together in the way no other holiday can. Further, the abject commercialization of Christmas means that from this universal spirit of giving, everyone from the grubbingest of freegans to the rollingest of corporate execs can elllbrace each other and display an affection for their beloveds in a way that can only be satisfied by material goods. Not only that, but due to its standing as a national holiday, it brings every .\merican together from every ethnic and religious background, meaning that Christmas is that special time ofyearwhere people of every religion, be it Islam, Shinto, Baha'i, Scientology, or Darwinism, can get together and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now, I understand that it has become trite and passe to issue holiday screeds about how this or that nativity scene being burned to the ground by the secular atheist Democrat government of West Liberalsville, 1Iassachusetts, is indicative that Christmas is under attack, threatened by ungodly forces ready to destroy it utterly unto the depths of the abyss; however, this opinion does have its roots in the occasionally fertile soil of truth. For it is indeed the case that we as Americans have lost sight of the fact that Christmas is as American as religious tolerance, and because of this, have misplaced the spirit of togetherness that Christmas brings about arid replaced it with the spirit of diversity, in order to show that we are just as nonpartisan as Fox News in our acknowledgment of holidays of all kinds, not just the .American kinds. Verily, the proof is in the use of the phrase "Happy Holidays" that has come to elbow out the typical .American "Merry Christmas" greeting of strangers this time of year. For you see, gentle reader, this phrase "Happy Holidays" is· as insipid and misleading as a phrase can get. First an_d foremost, the implication of "Happy Holidays" is that there are more than one American holiday taking place at this time. It is true that the Jewish "Festival of Lights," Hanukkah, takes place around this time, that Kwanzaa is celebrated in late December, and that the Islamic holy month of Ramadan sometimes occurs nearby. However, the un-Americanism of these holidays is soon seen. America uses the Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory the Great, an avid celebratorof Christmas. Now, Hanukkah takes place in the month ofKislev and Ramadan is its own month. But neither of these months are-anywhere to be found in the Gregorian calendar, but in their own separate calendars, far removed from typical American life. Kwanzaa, is, of course, an African holiday; since America is not in Africa, nor vice versa, it is safe to say that it is not an American holiday either. The insipidity of "Happy Holidays" comes in when one realizes that happiness is simply a simpler form of merriness, which is far more nuanced and droll. One can look at them as a pair of cakes: happiness is a sweet vanilla cake with no icing; merriness is a complex, multi-layered cake with a chocolate and vanilla marbled base with a mousse infusion, a delicious white chocolate icing, garnished with pure cocoa shavings, drizzled with a raspberry sauce and decorated with strawberries dipped in a light cream cheese frosting with a hint of orange. Bellissima. In any case, any acknowledgment given to these other holidays tacitly takes away the luster and significance of Christmas in this fine month ofDecember. As stated before, Christmas is a uniter; "Happy Holidays" is a divider. And while yes, America is a land of freedom, especially of religion, America is also a land of America, a solid, united country whose holidays reflect that solidarity and unity. Christmas is that holiday: a wholesome, merry, holiday that brings all of us together in celebration of the birth of Christ, whether one believes in him or does not yet believe. So go out and wish everyone you meet a Merry Christmas, and they'll know exactly what you mean. And let me be the very first to wish you, gentle reader, a very Merry Christmas, from my heart to yours. .Amen.4!!1..-. . . . . . . . THE GADFLY. 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Doilies and Regifting by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR ALIZABETH, My budget is a little tight this year what with all those ridiculously priced lab manuals that I've had to buy. Can you give me any advice for great gifts on a budget? I have a lot of people to buy for and I am unsure of what to do. Please help! Sincerely, Broke but Still Political!J Comet honor. Somewhere out there a family could be eating Christmas dinner that wouldn't have been able to without you. So there you go. Doesn't involve braving the mall, either. A blessed Christmas season, and happy holidays! A. Schwab ***** Dear B but PC, Well, if manual-related thriftiness is a concern, check out the Free Grace / Good Karma Book Exchange in the Alumni Office. Unfortunately they're a little low on Program books at the moment, so you should bring a big pile of your old stuff and see if what you need happens to be there too. Support this endeavor, guys! You know you have stuff that would be put to better use in the hands of someone who really needs it than molderin' on your shelf. Speaking of things that molder on peoples' shelves, you asked about gifts. Christmas gifts are quite a frustrating phenomenon. Basically they exist so you can remind the people around you that they really are important to you once a year. "Look! I bothered to go out and spend money on you!" say Christmas gifts. Exceptions are when you manage to find something really meaningful and/ or useful, but often you are faced with the dilemma that what a person really wants or needs you cannot afford. What you can afford is a trinket. Trinkets are very nice, but if you acquire enough trinkets over the years, sooner or later you are a grandma with a house full of 'em. Then you will have no choice but to get doilies. (I know what you all are thinking: ''Miss Schwab, you already have doilies. You have them in your college dorm room." I plead the fifth.) There are many less fortunate people around here that our money should really be spent on instead of these house-filling, doilyphilic items. So I recommend that you find a charity each friend would appreciate, and give a nice little donation to each one in their 12 Dear Fashionably Sycophantic, Ah yes. "The Holidays." A time when people from all walks of life come together to max out their credit cards and fight over items in department stores. Luckily for you it appears as if you have no credit card to max out (or maybe it has already been maxed out, who knows) and now you must deal with a different problem. I am no good with money. Heck, I can't even get the DC to hand over a measly check. But what I am good at is thinking of clever ways to shirk one's gift-giving responsibility. To your problem I offer a simple solution: regifting. We've heard all about it. Women's magazines run features where pe9ple can tell other people about their regifting fiascos. This process does have potential for disaster, yes, but with a little bit of common sense you can avoid this and still save your money for those unhappy bookstore-exclusive manuals. When regifting always make sure that you keep track of who gave you the gift originally. If your mother's cousin gave you a heinous Christmas-themed vest that you can't even wear ironically, make sure that the next person who receives it is on your dad's side of the family. Chances are they probably don't talk to one another and so none of this information will ever be communicated between parties. If they do, make sure you're ready with something like ''Well, I liked that vest so much that I thought I would get one just like it for Aunt Margie." This works fairly well with clothing items for the most part. When regifting something received in a box, make sure you open it first to make sure that 1) the box and the gift match up, and 2) the item inside is not monogrammed with your name and/ or initials. As a general rule, people named Paul usually do not like to receive cutlery with the name ''.Andromache" carved into the handles. But if the gift appears to be fairly safe and neutral there is nothing to stop you from wrapping it up and sliding it under a relative's tree. There is always the possibility that once you have regifted, someone (usually the person who gave you the gift in the first place) will ask you whatever happened to it. In this case it generally works if you make up some vague story about donating lots of stuff to a homeless shelter and somehow the gift must have gotten stuck in there somewhere. Oops. Just be sure not to tell them that the homeless shelter is a relative on the other side of the family. Well, sometimes there really is no difference. So stay safe and stay smart when regifting, because it's only a good thing when it doesn't happen to you. Yours for politically correct winter holidays, E. McDowell Burlington . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Please send your Program Predicaments to [lizabeth Qurlington or b.li Schwab via Campus l'v\ail. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 12 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-12-07 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 12 of The Gadfly. Published December 09, 2007. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.12 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/2472958be68d6c35a5304e6f79067c56.pdf 849d6abaebca7e6363e4573765867311 PDF Text Text GADFLY The St. John} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 13 Annapolis, Maryland February 15, 2008 c.5 The DATE DUE Revolution of Hip Hop .I by Peter Axer '09 Most people that I meet don't know that hip-hop started in the mid-1970s. They don't know that hip-hop used to signify a cultural movement in New York City that encompassed graffiti, break-dancing, DJing, and MCi.ng, also known as rapping. They are also puzzled when I say that hip-hop is revolutionary, I think because the revolution that DJ Kool Herc initiated in 1973 has affected so much popular music today, even besides that which people generally call "rap" or ''hip-hop;' that they may take hip-hop's innovations for granted. Let me tell you why I think it's revolutionary. In 1973, Kool Herc, a J amaican-bom kid going to high school and living in the Bronx, held a party and spun the favorite records of the day, from James Brown to Rare Earth. This music in itself was rebellious and furiously danceable, but even it would not be the catalyst for the major change that Kool Herc would bring about As he continued DJing parties, Herc noticed that dancers would get most hype during the drum breaks of the music he was playing. However, these breaks usually lasted only a few seconds, and the dancers would complain that they were too short. Kool Herc had a brilliant notion - instead of letting the song play all the way through, he would isolate the break and repeat it. He did this by getting two copies of the same record and spinning only the break of a song from one turntable to a second one, in this way "looping" the break for as long as he saw fit Personally, I stagger when I think of this innovation. Normally, a DJ plays songs to a crowd's liking, simply putting records on a tumRevolution continued on pg. 3 I Did you miss The Gadfly? It was Hobbes' fault, really. Why Do I I<eep Writing? by Elizabeth Burlington '08 I would be stupid to think even for a second that you didn't notice what's been missing. The last issue of the Gat#b' featured a kitschy holiday-themed monstrosity on the front page. That was mid-December. It's February now. We haven't been around. The first couple weeks people kept asking me what was going on. ''When is the new Gadfly coming out?" At the time I was too submerged in my own selfish ritual to care. I would get up in the morning, go to work for two hours, go to the gym, go to dinner, watch Oz for four hours, and then spend the rest of time between then and 4 a.m. sitting at my computer staring at the same document This document was supposed to be my senior essay. It's done now. So what does this have to do with the lack of Gat!f!y? Plenty. See, I have not yet come to that stage in my life where I can do more than one or two important things at a time. This means that in the presence of something so gosh-dam earth-shatteringly important as my senior paper I let things like the Gat!f!y slide. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but I was well within my rights to do it. I spent all my free time and energy investing my emotions in the life and times of all the prisoners at Oswald State Penitentiary and in the spiritual well being of Hobbes' commonwealth. I suppose it would have been possible to leave my staff in charge, but without my painstaking attention to detail and unparalleled charisma this publication would have failed. We decided as a group to take break and reorganize. We got a lot done. Things are better now. The Gat!f!yis back, kids. a Why continued on pg. 10 �THE .,_GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Butlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark R McClay Proofreaders A. Sabrina Rourke Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clai:ke Saylor Contributing to this Issue Peter Ju.er Brendan Clay Kirstie Dodd Michael Eyquem David Miranda Robert Sale Ali Schwab Erica Stratton Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gadf!y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadf!y staff. The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the m ost thoughtful, informative, and thoughtprovoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 LETTERS Commencement Speaker Selected Following the SENIOR MEETING with the College President and Dean, the COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER COMMITTEE met throughout the fall with President Nelson's Secretary, Ms. Melson, and Ms. Brann, to choose a commencement speaker for the 2008 Commencement Ceremony. The committee chose DR. BRUCE COLE, the Chairman of the N ational Endowment for the Humanities in Washington D.C. As chairman of the NEH, he oversees the largest federal supporter of the humanities in America, annually bestowing over $100 million to programs and organizations around the country that have a focus and interest in the humanities and hberal arts. DR. COLE was a very natural and easy choice for the committee because ofhis extensive connection with the Liberal Arts; his background is in Art and History. DR. COLE's interest and excitement for our kind of Liberal Arts education showed us that he was a good choice. He appreciates the unique quality of the St. John's education. He understands that St. John's strives to do something different, saying that "most undergraduate colleges have surrendered to vocationalism." Though he and President Nelson have fostered a bit of a friendship in recent years, DR. COLE has never been to the campus, nor has he met a Johnnie. So on Wednesday, January 9th, members of the committee with Mrs. Melson and Ms. Brann paid a visit to the offices of the NEH to meet with DR. COLE. The meeting with the Senior Commencement Speaker Committee was the first chance he had to speak with students. His excitement and interest was evident before the meeting began and grew during the course of the conversation. With further contact and greater exposure, DR. COLE will likely appreciate our Liberal Arts college even more, when he comes to our 2008 Commencement Ceremony. We are very excited to have him, and look forward to his speech! Information about Dr. Cole and the NEH can be found at www.neh.gov Sincerely,, Senior Commencement Speaker Committee Lecture Preview On Friday, February 15 at 8:15 p.m. in FSK auditorium, tutor Robert Druecker, in his capacity as holder of the NEH Chair in Ancient Thought, will deliver a lecture entitled, ''You Are That!" Mr. Druecker gives the following account of his lecture. 'The lecture is in two parts. Part One develops an analogy between the way of experiencing that the Upanishads is talking about and a way of experiencing that figures prominently in Homer and Aristotle. Part Two, most of which will be delivered on the afternoon of Tuesday, February 19th, in the Conversation Room, elucidates directly the way of experiencing presented in the Upanishads." In this lecture on the Upanishads, a prominent character named Yjfiavalkya frequently appears in conv ersation with the lecturer. For any who might be curious about where he is ccoming from,' one page of quotations of comments he made in dialogues in the Brhadra!!Jaka Upanishad was sent to your St. John's e-mail account last week. A few hard copies are available in the Dean's Office. T HE GADFLY .... . ........ . . . . .. . . ....... . .............. . .... ... . �Revolution continued from front page table and then letting the turntable mechanically play them. He is a selector, not a creator. The record player forces him into a passive role after he's got the record playing because itplays the song without any further involvement on his part once he's pushed "play." The song has a natural beginning, middle and end which the musicians have crafted, a process of musical creation that the DJ had no part in. However, by breaking down this system of consumption of another person's song through manipulating the turntable so that he plays the part of the song most pleasing to him, he has transcended the boundaries of what it means to be both a listener and a DJ. By tweaking the conventions of using a turntable - that piece of machinery with a monotonous life of its own - so that it fits your design of the music you're playing, you're forcing the machine to abide by your new artistic vision. No longer are you passive as the machine plays and emits the sound that an artist other than yourself has created; now, LLS you begin to treat the machine as your instrument and the artist's song as your composition. Think about it. Before you fucked with the record player, you were passively consuming the artistic idea of another person. By playing the parts of the song that you want to play, you suddenly question the art that has been handed to you. The implications are monumental. Must I accept the song as a whole, a unity, once it's been given to me? Is there no process ofinteraction on my part with the music that makes it alive beyond the artist's conception of it? These assertions inherent in hiphop go beyond the internal emotional or thoughtful interaction that we may have with a book or a piece ofmusic as we experience it., the very process which many say give art its life outside of the artist's conception of his or her work. Kool Herc's creative act broke new artistic ground, opening the door for people to reinterpret and recreate not only the music presented to them as "complete," but al/the ideas, traditions, and politics that we have been raised with. And this is what's revolutionary - not only questioning what has come before you, but overtum.lng it by your recreation of it. By doing this, you bravely incorporate what may be beyond your sphere of influence into your sphere of influence. This is what hip-hop is all about. The artistic movement., which, again, included D Jing, MCing, break-dancing, and graffiti writing, \ questioned and overcame all traditional social notions that came before it. What is private or public property? Does the definition of property exclude my will to write my name on "property" that is not my own? Is the property legitimately isolated from, or even complete, without my aerosol art imprinted on it? Is another musician's record rightfully free and safe from my vocal graffiti infusing it? And all of these questions were raised by the actions of kids! Kool Herc's originality gave impetus to other revolutionary artists to further collapse the boundary between subject and object that he began. Grandwizard Theodore is credited with inventing the "scratch," where you cut a record back and forth against the needle, making it scratch. He and others started destroying records by scratching them, as well as fucking with the knobs on turntables to use the machines as instruments. N owadays, scratching has become so sophisticated that there are groups of DJs that create and perform improvised scratch music together which reminds one of the musical interaction between soloists in jazz combos. They are truly having a dialogue with one another because the techniques of scratching have become varied and complex enough to express a multitude of musical ideas. ''The world is yours" is an anthemic attitude in hip-hop, and I see this mindset inherent in Kool Herc's action of transforming the music handed to him and the machines which played it for him into the tools he used to exercise his own will Kool Herc's challenging the notion of the artist and the audience has even influenced the way some artists conceive of their music. Beck, who is certainly influenced by hiphop, has suggested he will release albums which will include separate rhythmic, melodic, and vocal samples that each listener will arrange however he or she wants, inviting the listener to be part of the artistic process that Beck considers himself only one part of. The definitions of musician, listener, even music itself have changed because of hip-hop. E-mail me at peter.axer@sjca.edu if you're interested in hip-hop seminars this semester.4!!1r' . 3 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Of Experience by Michael Eyqut:m This, reader, is an honest observation. It warns you at the outset that my sole purpose in writing it is to share my observations of this campus and its inhabitants. It is strange to have such a point of view, considering I had no thought of serving you or my own fame; as I have always said, such a plan would be beyond my powers. While I initially intended my words only for the pleasure of my relatives and friends, since they have echoed through time to the present, they have opened a window into your world and I now find myself strangely compelled to paint in nakedness again. My observations come from places considered commonplace: the shelves of wood that support my brothers and sisters, or the very instruments used to manipulate this physical world-the hands you see before you. When you hold me up, allowing me to taste the treasured salty oils from your fingertips as you flip through the pages of my body, my eyes look outward upon your world, my ears listen to the vibrations emanating from those around you-I breathe in, until all my senses are satiated once again. I must admit I sleep during your discussion of my body, for that is the only ethical thing to do. There is no desire more natural than the desire for knowledge. We try every means that may lead us to it. When reason fails us, we make use of experience, which I once thought of as a feebler and less worthy means. My observations of the world, while primarily in circles of reason-even especially in circles of reason-have led me to understand things differently. Truth is so great a thing that we ought not to despise any medium that will conduct us to it. Reason has so many shapes that we do not know which to take hold of; experience has no fewer, even if it is sometimes neglected in places of learning. I long to expose the lack of respect for experience itself. As you endeavor into the depths of our world's inherited intellectual history, I beg of you not to ignore the world of experience circulating about you, or those that keep its dangers at bay from the grassy fields unfound in the city beyond its bounds. I have been distinctly upset by various incidents of disrespect for these guardians of 4: your fragile world of inexperience. You might find it arrogant of me to judge considering who I am and from where I observe but, in the end, I am after all an authority in your world of reason, simply one you ignore when you close my cover. Many authorities exist on this campus, and they are not all bound by covers and degrees. As I have said before: the whole world is swimming with commentaries; of authors there is a great dearth. As you become commentators on the intellectual history you have inherited, do not ignore the vast experiences of those around you-literally the authors of aperience, each unique and wise. Even the bricks themselves have experience they can share with you, and perhaps they would if you did not stamp out your cigarettes upon their ancient surfaces instead of disposing of them properly-an insult to those you expect to clean up after you. And, herein is the root of the issues I have with what I observe. I look around as you carry me from class to class, or discard me upon tabletops or even between the cushions of couches, and observe through all the senses available to me what you might even be ashamed for others to see. Sometimes I observe the disrespect for others exhibited, or the apathy of your classmates accompanying such actions. Whenever you leave your dishes on the quad or the student computer lab instead of returning them to the dining room, whenever you stamp out a cigarette on the brick sidewalks or throw it into the grass instead of disposing of it properly, or whenever you litter, which essentially is what throwing those cigarette butts around is, you are disrespecting this beautiful campus, everyone that shares its safety and space, and especially those you expect to keep it clean and livable in the absence of your respect for others. Unfortunately, the observations mentioned above only skim the surface of inadequacy I find in those studying me. I have seen some of you claim that your tuition pays for the salaries of the staff here, and thus the staff works directly for you-right after garbage was thrown down on the ground in front of those staff members. Trust me when I say that your illegitimate arrogance is disgusting, and ignorant of the simple fact that those you neglect to respect have experiences beyond anything you will ever read in a book and most plausibly anything your short lives have yet to share with you in the very environment that this same staff protects the world from devouringincluding you, as you are currently bound here. It is no secret that the staff of this college has to want to work here. Many of them find it necessary to obtain second jobs, just to afford living within an hour of this area. If you long for some basis for their authority beyond their experience and what they provide to you, only look to the fact that many of them have the same degree you are working toward now, or even degrees beyond. The staff of this college is comprised of literary and poetic scholars, people you might call geniuses on many levels, soldiers that have seen things no one should just so you do not have to, civil rights activists that lived through things you may or may not have read of-the simple fact that they have lived longer than you, regardless of their station in life, means they have something to teach you. Even you yourselves, having lived a very different life from anyone, have something to teach everyone around you, including the staff, your peers, and even your tutors. The difference is that they understand this, even in the moments when some of you blatantly disrespect them. My dear Students, please take what I write to heart. If there is anything you should learn from this education, it is that you can learn a great deal from anyone. Your tutors themselves come everyday to class with the expectation to leam something from each of you. From such a relationship comes respect, and experience is something that should be respected in kind. Everyone you meet, you should approach with the expectation oflearning something you yet do not know. In the experience that you have of yourself there is enough to make you wise, if you are a good scholar. There is always room for someone to improve on us; indeed, for us to improve on ourselves; and there is always a different road to follow. Ignore Frost's oft quoted words, if you fail THE GADFLY .. ·················································· Experience continued on next page �Messages From the Future by David Miranda '09 Friday, 25 December 2607 The following is a transcript of the weekly broadcast given by our este=ed dictator for life, Wurtzel Hemingway. May he live forever. Hello simpletons. This is your leader speaking. I have :returned unscathed from the newly established :Mid-Atlantic sea colonies. I can assure you that the population transfer of the Purists was a complete success. No one was harmed, and all future conflict has been avoided. I will always believe that allowing the independent existence of the Purists was a noble experiment. If nothing else, it was ·a test of the human desire to survive agall:tst all odds. On the day the Purist govem..ment was officially established, on March 2nd, 2125, their legislature outlawed several modem innovations that they believed were unethical o:r "beyond t..'ie realm of human judgment and understanding." This ban was primarily a response to the development of effective anti-aging treatments. We watched their cities gradually transform into living relics of our more primitive past as the differences between our societies became more apparent. They continued to slaughter living animals for food; they slept for seven hours every night; and they each lived until their hearts naturally gave out. Only two years ago, in June, the Purist president visited me at the Capitol and suggested that abolishing all commercial restrictions and allowing free trade between our nations would benefit everyone involved. He was afraid that the people of the world would come to forget about their history. He told me, "If the world doesn't know who the Purists are, how can they know who they are? They don't :recognize us anymore - they don't know where they came from." But the world changes so quickly with them. Every Purist that was alive when I Experience continued from page 4 to read the rest of his misunderstood poem; irregardless of the road you choose, trampled or untrodden, it is the experience of the journey that will matter, which is exactly what Frost is trying to emphasize. That journey can become absolutely fascinating, was born has long since died of old age - or disease - or accident- or violence ... It is unfortunate. Despite their fortitude, they eventually fell prey to our ancient vices of jealousy and bigotry and hatred. As our population grew and expanded, their world receded. And when the entire Purist state eventually came to occupy the province of California, a mere 5 years ago, they :realized how few they had become. Their hatred began as question. Perhaps it was written in an opinion column :in an obscure magazine. It filled t.1ieir hearts with a secret anger. It was discussed and whispered in their schools and their homes. "Are they human?" Are we human?! A question, so ignorant and vile, it's hard to guess at what it means. 'Why would anyone ever ask it? Because our spinal columns have been artificially reinforced? Or because both of our eyes are removed at birth? Or maybe ... mt!Jbe it was because we live tt. a society free of violence and bigotry and hate-filled jealousy. But their hatred did not end with words. On October 23'0, 2606, a mob of uncivilized Purists abducted five of our citizens and held them against their will. These abductees were asked to condemn their former way of life as evil, they were subjected to incessant questioning and accusations, and they sustained physical damage when the terrorists forcefully removed their tactile implants. After several weeks of negotiations and exchanged threats, our people were finally returned and the wrongdoers were punished. Since no irreparable damage was done, all was forgiven. Then four months later, on February sm, 2607, Andrew Drexler was found murdered on his own front porch. He had :received multiple gunshot wounds to the back of his head. Someone wanted to make sure that the nanorobots that live in his bloodstream wouldn't be able to repair the damage fast enough; they wanted to make sure that he died. He was 11 years old. He lived 5 miles from the Purist border. Our investigation was prompt and uncompromising, and at least one prominent Purist was implicated within the first week. Instead of allowing us to continue our investigation, the Purist senate promptly voted to secede from the Allied Nations of the World. Our investigation was deemed "biased and intrusive to t..lie point of violating basic hum.an rights." As you all know, commerce between our two nations was immediately terminated. Barricades were erected. And we posted military personnel along the border and in their main civic centers. Eventually, war was avoided by the only means possible. Twelve hours after we learned that some of t..lie Purists were planp..i_n_g a violerrt insurrection, ten thousand of our airships dropped from the night sky and put everyone to sleep. We collected their belongings and their unconscious bodies and transported them to the :Mid-Atlantic sea colonies. Twelve days ago, thirty million Purists woke up in recently constructed cities that line the deepest parts of ocean floor. They a:re free to live however they want. We have accounted for all of their needs . .A...nd they can no longer do us harm. Please let this serve as a final proof that eyes have always been our source of weakness. Racism, prejudice, lust, jealousy, vanity, recklessness. What power do these vices have without die capacity of sight? And when has our perceivi..ng faculty ever helped us to be more virtuous? Do eyes help me to speak the truth? Or do they help me to feel sympathy for the hundreds of Purists that die every year from curable diseases? leaderofthefree@gmail.coml!llr if you dare enough to share in the experiences of others. Or, your journey can be unfulfilling, by ignoring all you could learn by filling that void with bitter disrespect for others. The choice my friends, is yours. In the end, I toast not to those, who by the dint of glass and vapour, discover stars and sail in the wind's eye, but to those who lifted them upon their shoulders, high enough so that history remembered them instead of the :rest. Remember this toast when you, currently commentators on those you read, become the authors of your own experience and learning. ~ ..................................................... THE GADFLY 5 �Mere Sophistry: The Politics Edition by Robert Sale '10 Just to forewarn you, this has nothing to do with Aristotle's Politics. I will discuss neither the condition of the natural slave, nor will I co=ent upon the various supposed insolvencies of tyranny, oligarchy, or democracy. My apologies in advance to all of my gentle readers expecting otherwise on account of the title; however, it is my explicit policy never to treat the works of those who write treatises entitled Sophistical Refutations with anything less than the utmost contempt musterable. Just because he resorts to negative proofs involving "meaningful speech" (whatever that is) and announces that it solves the problem of noncontradiction and then struts around like he's some big shot doesn't mean that he gets to make all the rules. Ptink. Pardon me, gentle reader, for allowing myself to be overcome by passion momentarily, it's just that contemplating that odious philosophical tradition of anti-sophistical tripe fathered by Socrates really puts sand in my britches. Speaking of britches, the politics I was going to talk to you about was of the contemporary American variety, specifically that of the greatest governor of the Great State of Arkansas, Mr. Michael Dale Huckabee, now currently a candidate for President of the Great Union of States of North America. It is my firm, unshakable and generally incontrovertible belief that there should be a president of these United States. It is also my b elief that a decent, hardworking American-born person should presidie over said states. Finally, it is my belief that Mike Huckabee is a decent, hardworking American-born person. Thus, following the first figure, Mike Huckabee should be president. Not even the Great Syllogizer himself could disagree; further, and let it be known that anyone who does disagree is himself a giant organon, if you know what I mean. "But, 0 Great Sophist And Light Of My Life," one might object ever so humbly, as I imagine all of you gentle readers would object, "it cannot be enough for you to syllogize Huckabee as president. You must have some other, far superior and more wonderfulsounding reasons that would cause mass divestiture ofladies' undergarments if read 6 aloud on the public airwaves, not to mention a landslide victory." Indeed I do, dear hypothetical (yet surely existent) gentle reader, and I am more than willing to share them with you. First, however, I will address his competitors and dismiss them more or less offhandedly, which will be enough to prove negatively why he should be president, which ought to be enough for more or less of you. I will start first with those whom you could vote against in the primaries, followed by the general election. In the primaries, there are only three men and no women still man enough to run against the formidable Herr Huckabee. The so-called "frontrunner" among these is a veteran politician bearing the moniker ''.John McCain." N ow there are a multitude of reasons waiting to be fed to you why he should not be president; however, this one above all should suffice: he lost to George W. Bush alreaefy. That's right, in 2000, he was defeated for the Republican nomination for president to the commander-in-chief we are hailing to right this very instant. Fact is, nobody wants to vote for a loser. Look at other losers like William Jennings Bryan. Bryan ran for president 3 times and lost each time. Because he was a fundamentalist Christian Biblical literalist with grandiose ideas of silver-backed currency? No. The 500-pound gorilla in the election was that he had already lost once and the voters hadn't changed. They wanted a leader, not a loser. Same goes for John McCain. The other ridiculously reprobate alsorans running Republican are Ron Paul and Alan Keyes. Ron Paul is basically the rightwing version of Dennis Kucinich, minus the UFO experience and the hot redhead for a wife and plus a whole lot of Internet libertarians fawning over his every move. It's too bad for him that those same Internet libertarians don't know how to vote for anything unless it's on HotOrN ot.com, so Mr. Paul is not really a threat to the Huckabee Express Train To The White House. Alan Keyes, on the other hand, may or may not actually exist except on ballots. In Barack Obama's senatorial race, when Jack Ryan pulled out with three months to go before the general election, Alan Keyes appeared as the Republican nominee. So really, Alan Keyes is on the Republican ballot simply in the event that, should Mike Huckabee be raptured after winning the nomination and the other candidates have committed ritual suicide after being shamed by such a loss, the Republicans can have someone at least on the ballot for whom the yellow dog Republicans can vote. In the general election, there are three possible Democratic candidates His Huckableness could run against: a white woman, a black man, and an old white man. Going along with the only plausible outcome for the nomination, I will tell you exactly why you should not vote for Mike Gravel on November 4th. First off, his last name. Everyone who has driven on gravel knows it's hard, bumpy, and not a whole lot of fun. Sure, you can turn mad donuts and spray all of the other cars in the parking lot in their windshields with those little gray rocks, but if they catch you or get your license plate number, you're in pretty deep shit, and that's not where we want America to be. Secondly, he is a former senator from Alaska. Now everyone knows that Alaska is two things: the largest state in the union as well as former Russian territory. I'm sure that all of you agree that the last thing we need is another big-state senator coming and telling all of us small-staters, like those from Maryland, what to do. Mike Huckabee is from nice, nonthreatening, small-state Arkansas. Also, we all know what comes from Russia: co=unists and gulags. This means that Alaska must be crawling with them, and we don't need to give them more representation in Washington than they already have. Finally, he is afraid of Hillary Clinton, which he has publicly stated. Mike Huckabee knows better than to be afraid of anyone, because he's got Chuck Norris on his side. Now, if the paucity of redeeming qualities in his opponents and the unqualified endorsement of a man whose legendary qualities are stuff of legend aren't enough to get you to vote for Mix Master Mike THE GADFLY . .. . . ... . ... . . .... ......... . . . ... . . .. . . .. . .. . . . . ... . Sophistry continued on next page �Athletes of the Week Sophistry continued froxn page 6 Huckabee, consider this disputed question: Whether America is a Christian Nation? Oijection 1: It seems that America is not a Christian Nation. For nations are formed by laws, and the U.S. Constitution says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Therefore America is not a Christian Nation. Oijection 2: Further, nations are formed by people, and there are many religions practiced by the people of America that are not Christianity. Therefore America is not a Christian Nation. On the contrary: As the Reverend writes, America is a Christian Nation. (Falwell) I rep!J that. Being a Christian Nation can be thought of in two ways. First, it can be that the laws of the nation are such that it establishes Christianity as a state religion, compelling all to believe in Christianity, or that the belief in Christianity happens naturally in all the citizens of a nation. Or it could be that the lawmaker of the nation is a Christian, from whom all of the ordinances stem, thus making them Christian in nature. And since America is a republic, whose laws are made by men who represent the majority of its citizens, and the majority of Americans are Christian, it stands that America is a Christian nation. You're damn right this suffices for a Reply to the Objections. Now, since it has been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that America is a Christian Nation, we have only to look at which candidates support this idea. The only one is His Grace N~e Huckabee. I trust you all ;vill do the right thing this November and cast your one vote. I don't even have to tell you for whom. You know what to do. God bless.~ Didyou miss The Gadfly week? Didyou not get a copy because gree&. Miss Savas Mr. Fryer-Biggs WOMEN ON THE PROGRAM: WE ASK THOSE WHO MATTER! TUTORS The onlyrea! 'w"S.yto charige the program is forsomebodyto die. ' .AOM!N!STRAT!Ol\I We understand the importance of having a diverse e d ucel:i onaJ exp eri enc e _We 'wiil We"'re too disillusioned certainly have more .......omen on the t:o have an agenda. pr-ograrn. I people ta.ke more than their share? Ifyou would like a copy sent to your email every week just send a message with your name and your e-mail address to gadfly@sjca.edu. Come to the SC!forum onwomen.itwon-'t change a..<>"'J')"thlng .. but you can leave k:no">ffi.ng that aJ: least you have opinlons about things. Thal:"'s smy_ Women belong in the kitchen_. not the program. \. Dude .. I read 700 pages of Middiemarch and nobodysho"w"ed their tits once. What kind of chick !it is //A."Ti':.;,.. - We will send you a PDF and you can read· The GaJ.f!J wit.1-iout killing a tree. LI THE GADFLY. 7 �Dodd on .the Quad: Quarter-Li£e Crisis by Kirstie Dodd '10 It has been a while since The Gadfly has been printed, so I apologize in advance for this article; my social commentary skills have become a tad rusty over the long hiatus. In case you haven't realized, we are now well into the second semester. There are many chagrined freshmen wandering around the quad, their faces ashen with the realization that we're actually not kidding about this St. John's stuff; all we do is just sit around and talk about books. The sophomores are living a strange existence. On one hand, they have to soberly consider the prospect of disenablement. On the other, they are unsoberly considering the prospect of no more tedious Greek translating. This is translating into an imminent, headlong spiral into debauchery. In the meantime, the juniors are too busy at CVS filling their Prozac medications before every Kant seminar starts. And the seniors? They've had a month to "think" and "write" essays that they will probably never look at again. Pretty soon they'll be out of college, each ready for his or her own Quarter Life Crisis, a psychology textbook term for the disillusionment that seizes post-graduation twenty-somethings. Think Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. I think that my QLC has started early. Less acute than what some of the seniors will probably feel, my crisis is characterized by a persistent cynicism that is as annoying as a festering red-hot whitehead on my face that started over winter break when I was walking around the mall on a Friday night. There were middleschoolers and high schoolers darting around me on all sides and screeching at each other. They could not have been more than five years younger than I, but I felt as though I could not understand their language. I do not have a MySpace. I do not shop in Hot Topic or wear imitation pirate t-shirts. I was not born in the nineties. It made me feel obsolete, like my generation has faded into the background of an old Ren & Stimpy cartoon and these whippersnappers are taking over the world one text message at a time. Then there was my experience at home. My parents have transformed into people I no longer recognize, these empty-nesting, jet-setting people who once put me in time-out and cut up my spaghetti for me at the dinner table. Walker, my once frenetic childhood dog who's now thirteen, suffers a minor stroke about every hour and is laden with tumors. My older sister decidedly moved into the realm of adulthood this break when she got engaged to her high school sweetheart. The worst part was the "mature" Christmas tree my parents set up. My mom finally realized her dream of foregoing the usual amalgam of kitschy ''Baby's First Christmas" ornaments on the tree and opted for a mature, monochromatic scheme complete with hand-painted shells and gold ornaments. I spent days walking around the house like a zombie, asking myself, ''Who are these people?" I thought going away to college would change me and home would be a comforting constant, but it felt like the other way around.It only got worse when people started to ask me about the presidential election. When I got home for winter break, I was thrust into a world where people knew everything about the campaign for presidency in 2008 and I was the idiot who hadn't even registered to vote yet. Everyone I met wanted to know what I thought about people with weird names like Rudy and :Mitt and Barack. Here is a sample of the standard conversation that transpired: "So, who are you going to vote for?" ''Uh," I say. "Have you even registered to vote yet?" "Um," I say, sheepishly staring into the distance. I knew that as an uninformed and- to be perfectly honest- uninterested U.S. citizen, I was casting myself willingly into the demographic of disillusioned, young anti-voters. I always told myself that I was going to be a responsible, civic-minded adult, but here I was, less than a year from the election, and I knew nothing about any of the candidates. I'm sure there are plenty of people here at school that could coax me into voting by saying, ''Man is by nature a political animal blah blah blah," but here's what I have to say to that I'm pretty sure Aristotle never watched C-SPAN. For now, I guess all I can do is sit in my room and write meaningless Gadfly articles with witty endings and cry about the death of Heath Ledger and avoid www.rockthevote.com as long as possible and wait for my mini Quarter Life Crisis to be over. Oh, and I suppose I should write my sophomore essay, too. The last thing I need right now is disenablement.'!Ir DC Minutes: Feb. 8 Meeting called to order at 11 :SO a.m. Ms. Kirstie Dodd introduced as Representative for Spector, replacing President Cole Simmons. Discussion of Sailing Team Budget, Archon Pavlos Papadopoulos present. Balance forward $60.55, requesting $509 .45. Mr. Meyers moves to enter $269.45 as preliminary budget, Mr. Barnes seconds. Motion passes. Discussion of Senior Prank Budget, Archon not present, Schuyler Sturm representing. No balance forward, requesting $5,500.00. Mr. Meyers moves to enter $5,150.00 as preliminary budget, Ms. Walsh seconds. Motion passes. Discussion of Students for a Sustainable Future budget, Archon not present. No balance forward, requesting $93.00. Ms. Walsh moves to table preliminary budget until after final budgeting, Mr. Drexler seconds. Motion passes. Discussion of New Business: Mr. Harrison asks the DC to consider sponsoring his investigation of the tenure process; discussion of his discoveries thus far. Discussion of issues pertaining to The Gadf!y not being published. Meeting adjourned at 12:40 p.m. 8 THE GADFLY ... .. . . . ........ . .. . ... . .. . ... . .... .. ..... . ... . .. .. . �Let us not be Hamlets: The Epigenesis Program by Erica Stratton '08 Students on the Annapolis campus of St. John's often have a great love for the program, but they also often refer to their work as a "useless" degree. This past Halloween when Daniel Lewkow appeared dressed in a cardboard box labeled "Home Library," his costume was supposed to represent "an alumnus, of course!" Lately, the helplessness we sometimes feel on campus is further supplemented by the crimes that are committed off campus. Many students will remember the furor caused by a dead body dumped on the shore of College Creek a few years ago. This past Tuesday, the entire Polity received an e-mail detailing the horrific mugging of a young girl. This string of violent acts forms quite a contrast to the sleepy historical district that most students consider ''.Annapolis". As summarized on the Epigenesis Program's website: "The problem of violence in Annapolis is clearly a growing one and it cannot be solved until it is truly identified. We feel that this can only be done through the strengthening of a network that is dedicated to reducing violence." "They" are Rachel Davison (Executive Director),Joshua "Jonas" Becker (Director of operations), Raphaela Cassandra (Director of Community relations), and Jamaal Barnes (Director of Communications), the founders of Epigenesis. During my interview with Mr. Becker and Miss Davison for this article, Miss Davison summed her Johnny experience by saying, "We FEEL as though we're not doing anything - we're spinning our wheels." She was quick to add, "But that's a decision. Virtue is an action!" How does Epigenesis Program define virtue? "The Epigenesis Program will utilize a combination of seminar style education with hands on experience," Mr. Becker explained. The program he describes will be working with children culled from the Annapolis area youth and aim to provide them with the leadership skills and resources they need to make a positive change in their community. After a series of workshops in the beginning of the summer, the Epigenesis teens will be responsible for developing their own programming and projects. Miss Davison expanded on the decision - "A more PC term," Mr. Becker said, to eventually tum the project over to the "would be at risk youth." teens: "True change comes from within, so Though there seems to be a growing you can't have someone else tell them how trend of students groups coming to the to change their community... We don't think forefront of campus life this year, Mr. Becker we know what problems they will identify, quoted the founder of Annapolis based We we certainly don't know how they're going Care and Friends, one ofEpigenesis' comto solve them, so we provide resources." munity partners, as saying, "There's not a The students will be introduced to the ex- lot of stuff like this going on in Annapolis. isting infrastructure in Annapolis (commu- There' a lot of talk, but very little action." nity partners already include the Asbury When asked why the Annapolis campus is United Methodist Church, We Care and so apathetic, Mr. Becker surmised that Friends, Stanton Community Center). "We "There's a culture at St.John's - rumored to want our students they realize they have ev- be even promoted by the faculty - that we're erything it takes to do what they want - that here to talk about things, not do things. To they have resources at their disposal," said some extent it makes sense because we don't Mr.Becker. want our extracuricular activities to interfere The theme of the summer, they noted, with our studies, but if we can spend a few is community. "What is community?" hours a week playing croquet, we spend a asked Miss Davison. In order to expand few hours a week helping others." Miss their horizons, the teens will be given one Davison pointed out that there's a huge specific assignment: fund-raising for a community service culture on the Santa Fe microloan. The nobel prize winning campus (everything from organic farms to microloan process identifies target needs, in prison tutoring), ''but why not here?" Miss Davison added, however, that this case a school in Honduras, and provides them with the funds they need. Ulti- these things seem to go in cycles. "There are mately, however, the funds come back to be plaques in the coffee shop referring to awards reinvested, which will ensure that the Epi- for volunteering in the early 90s." She is genesis teens remain active. hopefull that this growing wave of thoughtNext week in the dining hall, the Epi- ful action will continue. Volunteer work can genesis team will be stationed in the foyer give you another way to grasp the question, "what is virtue?" Miss Davison added, collecting donations every lunch period. "Every bit helps," Mr. Becker said. The "This could also be a wonderful opportumoney will be used, along with a probable nity for Johnnies who will be staying in grant from 100 Projects for Peace, to create Annapolis for the summer. If you would the program that will help help local teenag- like to participate, or know of anyone that could help, you can e-mail any of the memers to become leaders in their community. 100 Projects for Peace is an organization bers of the Epigenesis Project: Rachel Davison (Executive Director): started by Katherine Waisserman Davis (who turned 100 two years ago) to give grants for rdavison@epigenesisprogram.org Joshua Becker (Director of operations): $10,000 each to 100 projects proposed by students at 75 schools to improve their com- jbecker@epigenesisprogram.org Raphaela Cassandra (Director of Communities. Both the Santa Fe and Annapolis munity Relations) : campuses submit proposals, whereupon a rcassandra@epigenesisprogram.org committee chooses one to represent St. Jam a al Barnes (Director of John's. This year the committee chose the Epigenesis project. Commuoications)=Jbames@~cng As Mr. Becker summed up, "We spend Since the majority of murders in 2007 were committed by kids against kids, Epi- years trying with our minds to reach the good genesis applicants are rising high school stu- when it's right in front of us the whole time dents who have come from difficult back- - we just have to take it."'llr grounds and have overcome obstacles in life . 9 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Review: The Age of Bronze by Brendan Clay '08 The first page shows a young cowherd asleep in a field. He is illustrated, like everything else, in a straightforward contour line drawing style that is clean, precise, and unremarkable. One of his cattle begins to lick his face prompting a half awake ''M-m-m ... " from him. The cow responds: ''M-MOOO!" The cowherd shoots up with a look of panic on his face and strings together a series of confused syllables before realizing his situation. "The herd! Scattered!" This beginning is something short of the grandeur of "Rage, Goddess, sing the rage," but it demonstrates Eric Shanower's singular approach to the story of the Trojan War. Shanower takes great joy in showing Bronze Age characters going about their day to day chores and duties. His kings are always discussing grain shortages and trade agreements with advisors, and his peasants are always farming and herding. Nothing is ever as simple as it appears, though, and in Age ofBronze the seeds for great historical and mythical events are planted in the most mundane moments. This poor cowherd is Paris and he is less than an hour away from being put on his fated path to Trojan princehood and legendary infamy. The first issue of Age ofBronze came out in 1998 and three collected volumes of the projected seven book series have so far been published. In seven volumes, Shanower intends to tell to story of the Trojan War from Paris' abduction of Helen to the fall of Troy utilizing every major literary tradition from Homer to Shakespeare. Additionally, he has made it his mission to use genuine historical information about the Bronze Age period wherever possible, setting Troy in the location of the archaeological excavation Troy IV in Turkey and using the architectural style of the then dominant Mycenaean culture for the Greek palaces. He aims for his version to be respectful of literary tradition while at the same time exploring new themes Why continued from front page This break was also implemented as a means to protest the bullshit that the Delegate Council put me through last semester when I asked for funding. Anyone who wants to can come in to the Gadfly office and take a look at the "computer" that we are currently using to put this thing together. It is hanging on by a thread. 10 : and including a modem psychological element It is a daunting task but Shanower is up to it. To give an idea about just how much thought goes into every page of this book, take the opening scene already described. The legends that Shanower draws from for this scene concern Paris, a young shepherd who learns that he is actually a prince of Troy hidden away for the fear of ill fated oracles. Shanower makes him a cowherd though, citing Ovid and Colluthus as verifiable sources for this. His reason for making Paris tend cows instead of sheep is two-fold. "Originally," says Shanower in the book's appendix, ''I planned to have Paris wake from his dream of the Judgment at that moment His dream-vision of the goddess Aphrodite would have faded into the face of the cow- a cow rather than a sheep because a cow's eyes were seen as a symbol of beauty in past ages and Paris would have just judged Aphrodite the most beautiful goddess." The "dream-vision" comes at a later place in the book in the published version, but the detail stayed because depicting Paris as a cowherd makes some of the actions he takes later in the book make more sense. In addition to understanding the mythology, Shanower is a great storyteller and an excellent cartoonist That unremarkable drawing style I mentioned is actually quite versatile. It can be used for comedy, melodrama, revelation, seduction, and any one of the wide range of styles required for a story that covers the gamut of human experience. The Homeric characters are all given their due, too. Agamemnon is calculating and greedy but is also an adept ruler pulled into make the necessary tough decisions for a king leading his people into war. Odysseus is a fittingly contradictory combination of a skilled confidence man and a noble warrior. Hector, Paris, Diomedes, and others also find themselves characterized well Achilles' characterization is perhaps the most striking example of Shanower combining his unique storytelling sensibilities with the classic material he is adapting. Achilles' impetuousness is tempered, as in the classical sources, by the famous choice he is given between a glorious and short life and an anonymous and long one. In Age of Bronze, it is further confused by sexual identity issues. True to the mythical and literary sources, Achilles mother forces him to spend a good deal of his youth dressed as a girl to avoid going to war. Also true to certain literary traditions, he has a homosexual relationship with his fellow warrior Patroklus. Shanower takes these details, which seem like isolated incidents in the original mythology, and creates a strange and compelling family dynamic between Achilles' wife Deidama and his lover Patroklus. Love becomes conflated with lust, questions ofloyalty and responsibility arise, and the bonds of family are tested against the needs of personal identity. All the while Shanower does not drop the ball as a storyteller, weaving the psychological power plays of his hero's family life deftly into the overarching tale of the Trojan War. Some may take issue with certain historical liberties Shanower allows himself, such as the wandering priestess cults he uses to replace the nymphs and minor deities from the original myths. Removing the direct influence of the gods, which he does, is also never a popular move. They are still present, but in a way that owes more to Sophocles than Homer. If these are flaws, they do not detract from the work as a whole. The three books already released, A Thousand Ships, Sacrifice, and Betr~al, have the appearance of a comic book masterpiece in its early stages. The story of the Trojan War which they tell is compassionate, intelligent, and delivered in an energetic and nuanced style. And it begins with a cow going moo. 4!!lr' I requested a comparatively small amount of money to replace it and was met with a slew of protest For some reason or another this was completely inappropriate of me to ask. . "Get your money from the administration," they said. The Gadfly is a student club. We have gotten DC funding in the past. What is so different here? Honestly, I don't know what the point of saying all this is except to inform everyone out there what happens in that Private Pining Room. Maybe they will listen to yoU, since they sure as hell won't listento me. So there you have it. We've been gone. We're back now. We still don't have a decent computer. 4!!lr' T HE GADFLY .. . . . .... . . . .... ·· · · · · ·· · · · · ···· · · · ·· . ........... . . . �Jen-Sais~Quoi: My Super-Secret Love by Jennifer Wright '08 With Valentine's Day-i.e., the best day of the entire year - fast approaching, our di.oughts likely turn to those we love the most Some people may wonder whether or not I'm still hopelessly devoted to Cato the Younger. Of course I am. A true love lasts a lifetime. But I cheat on Cato. I cheat on rum all the time - it's appalling, but then, Cato is very open about the fact that he'd sell me into an arranged marriage for the sake of a good political alliance so he can't possibly begrudge me my dalliances all that much. And I'm currently embroiled in a fabulous new love affair. He's sleek. He caters to my needs. He's all about the gym. He lives there. His name is "elliptical.machine." I've had brief affairs with gym equipment before. I spent a little time on the stationary bike, but it didn't really do anything other than make the top bit of my legs hurt all fue ti.me. That struck me as being pretty useless. I've never had a problem with the way the top bit of my legs looks, and don't need them to be steelier. The stationary bike makes you do a whole lot of incredibly arduous work, and doesn't care a bit about fue pleasure you're supposed to get from seeing results. It's a bit of a jackass in that way. I've spent time running on the treadmill, but no matter how fast I run I can only burn off about 700 calories an hour. More di.an that and my heart feels like it's going to explode. The elliptical? 1000 calories an hour on full speed. And size does matter. Yes, you read that right, 1000. That's five chocolate chip cookies right there. Four cupcakes. 1.5 pieces of cake. 2 muffins. 2 slices of pizza. Do you know how much more satisfying two pieces of pizza are than one and half? No, because you probably don't use the elliptical and as a result make an effort to only eat healthy, non-greasy food. If your love for food is at constant war with your love for being a size 2, then machines like the elliptical are rightly treated as a godsend. Besides, fue treadmill, he bores me. It is boring. If fue treadmill were a man he'd be the kind of nice guy who asks a lot of girls out at parties but never gets a girlfriend because instead of telling them witty cbaoning stories he tells them endless, agonized stories about how he feels about Einstein. It would be the kind of person who you would listen to, but never really love, because while you realized that fuey served a good function, they'd be hideously boring. You can't read on fue treadmill. There's something about that endless up and down bouncing that means di.at you have to focus all your energy on your movement, and how unpleasant it is, physically. All the bouncing also has an unpleasant tendency to send your iPod flying off, unless you're going slowly, at which point you're burning off even fewer calories. Additionally, I'm told that any freshman girls involved in serious relationships with freshman boys are already experiencing this sensation enough to forsake fue treadmill altogether. But fue elliptical? Oh, fue elliptical is channing. It caters to every part of your body, and by every part I mean it tones your legs, your anns and your bottom. The rest, really, you can take care of on your own. And you can read on it It has that perfect holder for trashy magazines, and something about the fluidity of the motion means that you can read all the trashy magazines you want It is only because of the elliptical that I know that Britney is becoming "dangerously sklnny'' and that Nicole Kidman tips badly, and is seemingly a horrible human being. Otherwise, I'd just be left completely in the dark regarding issues like that I am a jealous lover though, and the elliptical is willing to lend itself out to other women. I know I shouldn't complain - after all, I can only give it an hour a day, and the elliptical is insatiable. I've realized that in order to secure my time with it I have to be constantly vigilant, scampering into the gym and marking my territory with gym shoes before heading to the locker room to change into fitness wear. The other day, I saw another girl headed towards the gym and I literally started sprinting across the quad because I was afraid she would steal my elliptical and I only had exact!J one hour to exercise. One hour on the treadmill just isn't as good, as we've already established. She didn't even want the elliptical She seemingly wanted to run around the track (I have no idea how people do that- there are no magazines at all)! But still, that extra sprint probably burnt off an additional ten calories, so I think it was for the best Long story short, I worship the elliptical machine, and I fantasize about stealing it and taking it with me when I graduate. I wish it all the best on this Valentine's Day, and hope that the crack in its side will soon be repaired. That said, if you come to the gym, please, beckoning though it might be, don't take my baby away from me. I have to meet with people at Conde Nast in less than a month, and I've seen enough of the Devil W~s Prada to know that they expect me to be a size two. And frankly, I just can't bear the thought of sacrificing any Valentine's Day chocolates. ..,..- . 11 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Cattleprods and lolcats by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR ALlZABETH, cattle prod will serve me well. Speaking of ter- Now that I'm done with my senior essay, I have all this free time and don'tknowwhatto do with it. It's ridiculous, really. Can you help me? I am aimless. Sincerely, Too Ma1!J Senior Moments rifying. ***** Dear Dum-Dum, Yes, "ridiculous" is certainly the word for the predicament in which you find yourself. You may have noticed that classes are starting again. For starters, you might want to attend some of them. I can't recommend that in good conscience though. Lengthy swaths of Nietzsche and Darwin are enough to make your vision degrade at twice the rate it's been doing so far during your career at St. John's. People tell me to take "eye breaks." These are depressing because if someone is sitting too far away from me I can no longer reliably count their number of mouths. I have glasses, which I wear sometimes, but I am too much in denial to carry them with me everywhere. Besides, I've never gotten over the time Mr. Hoffman called me "four-eyes." Spending time with your friends is a good option. You can pursue this during those newly discovered bookends to the week called Sunday and Saturday. (It really is remarkable how the week has different days in it, and during some of those days, you aren't obligated to write five pages about Tolstoy.) I have discovered that I have friends who do not live on my hall, and acquaintances who have not temporarily set up camp in my common room to play video games and write essays, sometimes simultaneously. There is a whole wide world out there, and even a land that lies beyond Cafe Randall Also, I hate to mention this, but you need a job, or some grad school Now is prime time to be working on that. This is positively terrifying, and it's hard to find time to do it. I am looking for a job teaching math. My math teacher from high school advises me that a 12 Best ofluck, fellow senior. It has been my experience that Nietzsche does not actually hide in my closet like the Boogeyman at night, in case the possibility was worrying you. Well Wishes A-Plenty, A Schwab ***** Dear Senioritis, I believe that the question here is actually ''I have three more months of time to waste before being thrown out in the great unknown. What should I do while I still have the luxury of procrastination?" Sure, you can go to class and read Darwin and all that boring stuff but what you really should be doing is spending as much time as possible doing inconsequential things. Being the master of wasting time I can only offer you my best recommendations for squandering those precious hours away. I am a firm believer in HBO. Their programming is structured in such a way as to make sure that you are truly incapable of tearing yourself away. Llngering plotlines, taboo material, hell, even the 58-minute episodes guarantee that you will get absolutely no work done once you get sucked in. Rome, Oz, Big Love, Entourage. Come on, what's not to love? I managed to spend a grand total of 72 solid hours watching Oz during essay-writing period. I am not quite sure whether I should be proud or ashamed of this accomplishment, but it happened nonetheless. I can only hope that none of the subject matter leaked through into my essay. No one wants to read about drug wars in prison in a paper on Hobbes. Or maybe they do. Who really knows? And while I am plugging TV shows I may as well throw in a website. If you truly and deeply want to waste as much time as humanly possible I recommend you go straight to lolcatbible.com. I cannot even begin to express the magnitude of its beauty. Maybe it's my residual Christianity from childhood, or maybe I just like lolcats but lolcatbible.com is the best thing in the whole world. Translate a chapter of the Bible into lolcat it's harder than Greek or French 'cause there's no universal dictionary. It takes brainpower. But it is the most magnificent thing I have ever seen. The funniest chapters are the ones you wouldn't even suspect. While you're there check out 1 Samuel 8 and Isaiah 53, translated by yours truly. I am rather proud of them. So there you have it. Between Netflix and the Internets you are more or less guaranteed never to have to do any kind of work again. Who needs Nietzsche when you have Ceiling Cat? THE GADFLY . .. . .. . .. ... ... . . ·· · ······· ··· ··· · ·· · ···· .... . .. ... . Still Slightly In Love with Ryan O'Reilly, E. McDowell Burlington Please send your Program Predicamefits to Dizabeth ~urlington . or Ah Schwab .via ~ampus J\;\atl. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 13 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-15 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 13 of The Gadfly. Published February 15, 2008. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.13 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/713fcafec1244d06769824181957d65f.pdf bbcebcc4a2f820a1a57d8bfb6bcaab4c PDF Text Text 1111~~~l~llOO&m111\ r THE GADFLY The St. John} College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 14 Annapolis, Maryland February 22, 2008 The Death of Interesting Critique by Melinda Carrera '09 Senior Orals: The Beginning by Elizabeth Burlington '08 FOR ANYONE FAMILIAR \'\'ITH ZACH THROOP's theater experience, it should come as no surprise that he decided to write his senior essay on William Shakespeare's The Tempest. In addition to co-directing the play with fellow senior Ciaran O'Brien, Mr. Throop also stepped in at the last minute to fill the role of Caliban, the savage who shares the island with Prospero and his daughter l'vfiranda. All the time spent with this play during the first semester ensured that it would be fresh in his mind while he was writing his essay, and an early senior oral ensured that he could finally be done with it all. Throop's oral was the second in a series of twelve that composed the first week's schedule. Preceding him was Nathaniel Okhuysen who also starred in The Tempest and who wrote his paper on Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics.Jessie Seiler and Sterling Schlegel would follow suit the next day, but as for this particular Monday afternoon, Throop's paper entitled "To the Elements: Freedom and Dissolution of Art in The Tempest' proved to be a worthwhile way to spend an hour. Tutors Mr. Pihas, Mr. Dugan, and J\-1r. Page served as the committee, with 7\-fr. Pihas as the chair. After the obligatory introductions Throop introduced his paper with the two-minute summary required for all orals. His paper focused primarily on the character of Prospero and his change in character, as well as the interactions between him and the other characters in the play. l\1r. Pihas' first question addressed the epilogue of the play Throop continued on pg. 5 As ASHLEY MORTON, CLASS OF 2010 so aptly stated in her introductory spiel, the Vagina Monologues is a very difficult show to produce. It is shocking, disconcerting and very often inflammatory, and as self-aware readers the two of us were quite prepared for the inevitable negative response we were to encounter upon its completion. Since each and every member of the cast is a student at St. John's, we were expecting something along the lines of a Socratic argument; a dialogue, of sorts, which would allow us to discuss with our peers why or why not they found the show meaningful and necessary. After all, very few of us had enjoyed the show upon first viewing. I, for one, had required serious explanation before I was able to see V-Day for what it really is, and appreciate what it is trying to accomplish. I understand very well why most people feel personally assaulted by the messages in the show. I've been there. But I must say, I was not expecting the astoundingly facetious and unprofessional letter which has managed to circulate around campus in the last few days. In light of this surprise, I feel obliged to take my argument for the validity of the Vagina Monologues out of private conversation, and address the community at large in the hope of generating an actual discussion. Allow me to begin with a clarification: The Vagina Monologues is not a play. It was Critique continued on pg. 2 �THE .,,-GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manage:r Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Contributing to this Issue Elizabeth Burlington Melinda Carrera Raphaela Cassandra Kirstie Dodd David Ivfuanda Robert Sale Kaitlyn Schuler Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gadffy is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the rhe sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily r:.:present the opinions of The Gadfly staff. The Gadf/y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thoughtprovoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline fo:r submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 . THE GADFLY LETTERS Critique continued from front page not written by a playwright, it is not populated by fictional characters, and it does not have anything resembling a plot. If one insists upon lun1ping it into this category, of course it is going to look unremarkable. The Vagina Monologues is a collage of interviews, poems, ravings and confessions from real women who are not necessarily masters oflanguage. Eve Ensler herself is no writer; she is an activist who chooses to spread awareness of her cause through accessible and easily-distributed mediums - namely, the written word and performance. The fact that it is "loosely strung together" is a side-effect of the theme, which can't be thorougrJy explicated and organized over the span of ninety minutes. \X'hich brings me to a discussion of the subject matter. For those of you who missed it, the POINT of the show is not to titillate Li-ie fourth-grader in you, enrage the Catholics a..."'!long you, make you feel miserable or guilty, or even invite your u."'ladulterated praise. The Vagina Monologues was designed to inform. Did you know some women really do feel violated by being expected to shave their vaginas? Did you know that two-hundred thousand women are raped every year i..<i t.lie states alone? Did you ki.J.ow that some women do not have intimate knowledge of their own anatomy, that sex-workers are people too, that your mother's vagina veritably transformed in order to br:L.-ig you into the world? If you are saying yes, I applaud you for being among the fortunate informed. If you are saying no, then you are among r,11.e stagge:i.-ig majority, anci d1e show is for you. The fact is, women's vagin.as (and therefore women foemselves) have been the victims of negligence, abuse, name-calling and misunderstandhJ.g, not because all men suck and oppress women, but because there is a blank page where there ought to be a discussion. People are uneducated on the subject, often through no fault of their own. So uneducated, in fact, that most of them don't even realize there's something they ought to know. Information is empowering. As ] ohnnies, we all e2'-perience t.h.i.s; why else would it be necessary to read the same text before having a seminar on it? The more people who see the show, the more animated and diverse the ensuing conversation 'IVi.11 be. That said, you don't have to like it. It is, as I have mentioned, shocking, disconcerting, very often inflammatory, poorly-written in parts, a..'ld haphazardly ao.'Tanged. It is totally understandable and expected that the show -will not appeal to everyone's tastes. If t.1-:tere was a show which achieved the same thing, but in language that was more polished, dignified and precise, I would love to see it. But as our anonymous critic so poignantly observed, the VaginaA1.ono!ogues is without contemporaries. It is the only well-k..'lown production with this particular message. But that isn't the point. Despite its trappings, The Vagina Monologues is frill of L'1formation and opinions that make for excellent dialogue. And that, Anonymous, is the poi.<J.t. The show doesn't e:i<...ist for its own sake. It exists for the ideas it engenders, and t.lie discussions it provokes. ~ Senior and Master's Essay Oral Examinations begin on Monday, February 18, in the King William Room in the Barr Buchanan Center and will continue through Thursday, February 28. Examinations will resume after Spring Break on 1Vfonday, }Jarch 17, and continue through Friday, May 2. All members of the community are invited to attend and observe oral examinations. No one is permitted to enter or exit the Ki.ng William Room once the exam has begun or before it b.as ended, except in the case of an emergency. The offi.cial schedule will be posted weekly on the Registrar's bulletin board in the basement of lv.fcDowell, on the bulletin board on the main level of the Barr-Buchanan Center, in the Bookstore, and in the Library. �Mere Sophistry: Reflections on a Great Political Sophist by Robert Sale '10 IT IS \Villi GREAT SADNESS AND REVERENCE that I address you this week, gentle reader; one of the greatest sophists ever to hold public office will be unable to seek presidential reelection this year. He is a charismatic leader of those whose views are aligned with his, but he has numerous vocal critics both inside his country and out. Though his rise to power was marred with controversy and Supreme Court battles, he soon united nearly the entire country with support for him after an ineffectual yet highly symbolic suicide attack on his native soil, garnering much sympathy from countries around the world. However, a series of unilateral actions have lost much of that global sympathy: an unpopular conflict over weapons of mass destruction, allegations of rampant cronyism (especially with military contracts), documented human rights violations taking place at a so-called "military installation" in Cuba, presiding over a series of economic setbacks while maintaining that "all's well at home", winning re-election under somewhat dubious circumstances, and generally provoking the ire of his American neighbors with his bombastic, patronizing statements. Now, it is not of these follies that I will speak, gentle reader, but ofhis sophistic career, from humble beginnings as the son of a wealthy man to his peak as a leader of one of the finest nations in the Western Hemisphere. His early years were marked by less of an interest in academic matters than sports; indeed, he played baseball for his high-school baseball team and still is quite the baseball enthusiast. Despite that, he got into one of the top universities in the country where he was a fairly average student, yet managed to be inducted into one of its secret, politically-oriented societies. After graduation, he served in the military, although he never went to Vietnam. He has acknowledged having what could be called a period of "irresponsible youth," though he never got in any serious trouble except for one conviction, which was more or less a non-issue when he was running for public office. By and large, however, he is regarded as a decent sort of fellow outside of the public sphere, though he has had some friends who were of the less than savory variety. His first brush with political sophistry was a disappointment in the political sphere, but a marvel in the sophistical sphere. Here is a quote from his first bitter defeat, which came after his opponent portrayed him as being "out of touch" with the people he was to represent: "If there is in your hearts a vestige oflove for your country, love for humanity, love for justice, listen carefully. .. My voice will not be stifled - it will rise from my breast even when I feel most alone, and my heart will give it all the fire that callous cowards deny it. .. Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me." Such passion, grace, and fire make all other speeches surrounding that contest seem like mere ash. And this came after he had lost! Imagine, if you will, what might have been his enthralling victory speech, full of raw, youthful emotion and vigor. This came in an era before he could have even dreamt of having a speechwriter, and look at the diction! Sure, it is mostly small words and broad concepts, but what lies within it is a tempest of unbridled love for his country and his constituency. His next political battle came as a great success. As an unlikely upstart with no real political experience to speak of, he won against an incumbent who previously had earned support from the White House, although it began distancing itself as the chances of reelection grew slim. However, this time, he had quite a bit of help that he had not had before: a cadre of trusted advisors and strategists who helped him win key battles in order to take charge of the largest contiguous state. After winning, he was interviewed by the New York Times who portrayed him as a rugged, affable individualist, deeply committed to his beliefs and his do-it-yourself attitude. Scarcely a few years afterward, he deemed himself ready for the presidency, crossing the country in a campaign for support. Armed with the same strategists and an even larger coterie of advisors, he was triumphal in his march to the capital to go head-to-head against his opponent, a senior member of the previous administration. After much hue and cry, several uncertainties about legitimacy (during which he was quoted as saying, ''We are a democracy. We are against all kinds of dictators," while trying to circumvent the democratic process), and even a Supreme Court battle, he was inau- gurated as commander-in-chief in January. An excerpt from shortly after inauguration: "There is no danger .. .if we provide social justice and solve the substantial social problems of all...in a climate of liberty, of respect for individual rights, of freedom of the press and thought, of democracy, of liberty to elect their own Government. We are making offers to the ...people things that no other social regime can offer in the world today.. .! have no fear at all of any other ideology...The ideology of social justice within the limits of the most ample democracy, liberty and human rights, is the most beautiful thing that can be promised to a man. Why should we be frightened? We do not have to be afraid." Moving. Powerful. Incredible. No matter if he wrote it himself or pronounced even any of the words you see on this page correctly, there is no denying the power and fluency of that speech, the brilliance of the sharp political mind behind it. He is clearly a man who knows how to touch the very souls of those he is trying to reach, and he does it in a way that can reach everyone with a yearning for freedom, especially that from fear. Now, to go on and on about his political career as President would certainly bore and take up far too much space, so I will leave you now with some of his sharp analysis and scathing denunciation uttered after the unprovoked desperate suicide attack which cost thousands their lives: "They are the ones who are bringing the world to the brink of war through their warlike spirit, their own contradictions, and their economic problems which cause them to provoke a series of crises ...How could they organize a mercenary force against the united people, against our army and militia? They did not think about that type of war. They thought of a frontal attack with mercenaries ... They have might and no scruples; they do not respect international rules. They should have been ashamed to be engaged in this battle... " He continues, stirring the hearts of millions: "Throughout the whole world there are demonstrations in support of us ...The fact is Sophistry continued on pg. 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY. 3 �Messages from the Future by David Miranda '09 FRJDAY, 01JANU ARY2608 The following is a transcript of the weekly broadcast given by our esteemed dictator for life, Wurtzel Hemingway. May he live forever. Hello cretins. This is your leader speaking. By now we are accustomed to hearing the moral objections of our wisest citizens. As was expected, some of them have taken exception with the incarceration of the Purists. They ask me: "Where is the sense in punishing an entire population for wrongdoings committed by a few of its citizens?" But the Purists are not being punished; their relocation was a sad and simple necessity; and the world has never been more alone. Vice and immorality were always possibilities with them. They're entire government and society is founded on this fact. But hatred is an incurable evil. Vicious and blind, it is the most potent and virulent disease, destroying everything it touches. The memory of Andrew Drexler's death will haunt us forever. Such a wound festers and rots. On a lonely night it will call vile thoughts into your head: "Maybe I am worthless; maybe I am not human." When Andrew was shot in the back of the head he was sitting on the lawn in front of his house, mesmerized by the feeling of blades of grass and water m olecules grazing his fingertips. He had been thinking about his father's deep voice-the way it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up straight whenever his father explained, in slow, simple detail, about how the Somatosensory cortex of the brain interacts with the nervous system. D o you know wh at kind of hatred it takes to kill an innocent 11 year old boy? It is not narcissistic indifference. Nor annoyance. Nor spite. Nor even malice . . . It is disgust. And as a doctor with a scalpel I would not hesitate to kill one hundred thousand men in order to excise it from the world. Who will envy my eyes, though I am king of the entire world? I have seen the death of innocents. I have seen joy in the face of a killer. Time and time again I have seen despair and disgust make men brave enough to conquer innocence and love. So please understand: once the Purists could no longer see us as equal, human brothers, we could no longer allow them to live by our side. For though they have eyes, they would make the whole world blind. On a different note, I would like to wish all of you a joyful New Year. I declare that all prohibited drugs and intoxicants will be made legal for the next week of celebration. Public orgies will be permitted in designated recreational centers and gymnasiums. To ensure your happiness and survival, military personnel and medics will be p osted near social gathering areas. If you plan on killing yourself for a few days during the holidays, please ensure that you have alerted your therapist and made a backup of all your memories. Furthermore, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to those of you who are turning 30 this coming year. T he period of your indentured servitude has come to an end and your life is now your own. You have finally paid your debt to society. As usual, you will be transported to a government-funded sanctuary, far removed from the cares of everyday life, where you will be provided with every possible service and luxury for the remainder of your lives. You will find that most inhabitants choose to stay in their rooms, spending their time in a deep and unconscious slumber. In this self-induced slumber you will have the option of experiencing a sustained level of euphoria, tantamount to a perpetual cocaine high. Also, you will now have the choice of living in one of our state-of-the-art virtual reality systems, where you will be free to act out your most primitive desires, no matter how harmful or taboo. I expect that more than a few of you will choose to stay within the workforce, as it is what you have become accustomed to. Your dedication to making an actual difference in the world is admirable. You will be rewarded with an increased wage and a permanently enhanced sense of contentment and self-worth. Please submit your renewed employment papers to your neurologist at your earliest convenience to receive your upgrade. Those of you who are more old-fashioned will have the privilege of getting m arried. You will be relocated to the seaside townships of the E astern provinces to live with other families. Please remember not to talk about your personal insecurities or any negative feelings with your significant other. Such conversations have consistently led to more murders and suicides than any other act. Keep conversations light and friendly. Long-lasting relationships that are mutually enjoyable have always b een formed in environments that are free of stress and conflict. Remember that your significant other can only offer you physical comfort and help to promote your self-worth. They are not trained to understand your p roblems or to help you solve them. Please save serious conversations for your therapist. If your spouse is making you unhappy in any way, please inform the p roper authorities as soon as possible. leaderofthefree@gmail.com leaderofthefree.blogspot.com'-"' these gentlemen stop and reflect. If they believe that we will run, they are wrong-nobody ran. Our firm decision is that before they subdue us, they will have to erase us from the map." I know that it has been a common misconception that this president has been an ineffectual boor, a butt of countless jokes. But perhaps when you read his words, you will realize that he has been l~:mg derided for a quality that he may not in fact have. Perhaps you will have a greater respect for this man after he has left office, when his presidency becomes a part of the history books. But for now, let it be me who, perhaps alone in this endeavor, shines a beacon of truth upon this man's marred image. Fidel Castro, I will miss you, if no one else. But it may be that the world will, too. Sophistry continued from pg. 3 it is they who are threatening the entire world.... Our duty.. .is to defend our country. All our spirit, all our thoughts, all our energy should be concentrated on this history-making period. We must defend our country. We defend the p eace of the en tire world, because our defense of our country may perhaps make 4 THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . I r �Dodd on the Quad: Essay Writing by Kirstie Dodd '10 THE MOST IMPORTANT PART about paper writing is procrastination. I'm talking about Lliat kind of practical, pants-peeing procrastination that causes you to wake up on a Sunday morning and finally adrnit you have three tutorial papers due that upcoming week. In fact, this very article is an act of procrastination. I have three papers fullcourt pressing me right now like it's the last half of a crazed Kunai basketball game. I've been writi.'1g everything but my papers: Gadf!Y articles, little tbngs that I send through campus mail, tortured Facebook notes. This week I even wrote my own version of Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 that began: "That ti.."Ile of year thou mayest in me behold / When papers many o'er my head do hang ... " I would put the rest of the sonnet, but it is not really fit to print because I, feeling frustrated and helpless, could not help but season it with the salt of our beautiful language (that's a euphemism for "many, many crude expletives"). Trust me, it isn't easy to rhyme Apollonius or Ave Verum Corpus with many swear words, but somehow I made it work. Sonnet writing is nothing compared to what I did when my procrastination hit a level even I ain ashamed to admit: I cracked open the Gadf!J and read Throop continued from front page a discussion about the consequences of Prospero giving :ip his art and whether or not this would leave anything intact. Throop argued that the art or the magic never belonged to Prospero in the first place and that in leaving it behind he was embracing a new life (or rather the old life he had had in Milan). The discussion was a bit slow at first, but Throop managed to successfully argue for his points while somehow managing to keep the thirty or so audience members captivated. The conversation also led to a discussion about the new purpose in Prospero's life and how he could rule without the power of his magic. Throop made the point that even though Prospero was returning to Milan, to his former home, he would most likely hoid the same position that he had before he Bobby Sale's column of sophistical poo poo. To that article I must say: Mike Huckabee? Bobby, are you freaking kidding me? Let me give you some practical advice if you ever get up on a Sunday morning and find yourself in a similar paper predicament. Wake up, hung over or not, and come to the library first thi.."lg in the morning. Find a table and "set up camp," a process that involves flinging your papers, food sustenance, coffee, and good luck tokens all over a table in order to stake out your spot in the library and to let everyone know, ''Yes, I have three papers to write. No, I am not going anywhere." It is critical that you establish your zone. If you want to write like a champion, you've got to eat like a champion. Tfos means a trip to CVS. Get five packs of gum, three sodas of your choice, some junior 1nints, beef jerky, Smartfood white cheddar popcorn and UTZ crab chips. This last L.-igredient is essential. Many a time I have written myself into a comer and the scent of Old Bay seasoni..-ig helps me motor down anofaer page. If you are a smoker, take up chewing tobacco for the day. You don't have time for cigarette breaks. As for dress, wear something comfortable. For the men, wear a track suit or bathrobe. For the ladies, Victoria's Secret Pink pants with the word emblazoned on the rear are a must. It combines high comfort with haute fas:hionl Don't leave the library for anything. Seeing people outside on Sunday playing croquet and eating ice cream w'.Jl depress you. Don't go to the dining hall. The country cured ham steak with pancake syrup on top will be there some other time. You have more important things to focus on. Try to switch papers every two hours to keep things interesting, and do jumping jacks every ti.'D.e yoc: finish a page to keep your blood circulating. Now what to do when you write yourself into a corner? Don't end with a question, because frankly, that is stupid. \X/rap up your words to some sort of pithy condusion, and then say something like, "Then again, these tllings are divine matters," or, "Nietzsche talks about t:his ir. his Birth of Traget(y anyway." Then lengthen the essay by changing all of the periods to one font size larger (yes, this does work), throw in a diagram of an epicycle or two, and change the font to something tacky like comic sans. If that doesn't work, you can always just pin a $20 to the front. Tutors Eke money like that.~ was banished to his island. This of course led to the question of what exactly it was that he would do if he would not rule. From there on out it primarily became a discussion about the differences beri>!een the life that Prospero knew on his enchanted isla!ld and life in the "real world" where he had been before. Throop also brought up the differences between the Prospero that is seen at the beginning of the play- the Prospero who shipwrecks a number of people on his island and then separates them-and the Prospero at the end who appears far more humble. This was attributed mostly to themes of forgiveness that were brought up within the paper and within the oral itself. The presence of such things as the love between Ferdinand and Miranda seemed to have caused him to reconsider his course of life and make him into more human of a character. The rela- tionship between Prospero and the savage Caliban is also briefly discussed. All in all, it seemed as if the committee focused very little on particular sections of Mr. Throop's essay, and instead seemed more interested m more general questions. Two of the biggest questions on the table dealt with the purpose of Prospero's life after he gave up his magic, and with contrasts between the world on the island and the kingdom that we never see in the play. The only gripe I really have is that no one spoke loud enough and I felt like I missed hdf the conversation. However, the rest of the audience seems to have been quite pleased: Mr. Throop left the room in the wake of applause from his friends and those random freshmen and sophomores who showed up to watch. It was my first senior oral experience and I thi.."lk it was a good example.~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 5 �Gac!f!y Book &views Science and Experience by Kaidyn Schuler '11 IN HIS LATEST BOOK, A Maf!J-Co!ored Glass, This also demands that the public acquire more of these research areas are fully supported by physicist Freeman Dyson explores the diver- knowledge about new technologies over time. the scientific community, some are not, but sity and dynamism of life with a series oflec- Dyson does not believe this will be any more regardless of their renown Dyson believes in tures written for the uninitiated. He does not unnatural than the present familiarity with their ability to expand our understanding of the universe. attempt to bring together his many different computers. theories on science and technology into a single From this lecture until the last Dyson foHis very last lecture, "The Varieties of Hucoherent system, but rather wishes his audi- cuses on hard science, but explains it in an in- man Experience," is the most striking and ence to understand how this variety gives sci- viting and unintimidating manner. He surveys unusual of the seven, because Dyson stretches entific merit to each individual's experience. To a variety of interesting problems in different the realm of science even further by wonderthis end Dyson steps outside of his own ex- areas of science - entropy and symbiosis, ex- ing how biology can help us understand relipertise, physics, to draw from a wide variety gion. Dyson derives both his title and his overall idea for the chapter from William James' of resources including the works of William Blake, William James, Madeleine L'Engle, The Varieties of Religious Experience. Dyson C.S. Lewis, etc. and thus removes science's hopes to look at science in the same way as Freeman J. Dyson boundaries. Dyson strives to put science in James looks at religion: that is, to look at it the hands of the many rather than the few. psychologically through many different points The first chapter and lecture of the book of view and types of physical and mental experience. He discusses disorders that impair is called 'The Future ofBiotechnology". This discussion is a very vivid and somewhat the senses and the mind, and how different strange description of the potential technolobeings in the universe learn to survive and in IOU:h gies that might arise in the future, such as f I what way such experiences shape religious and Re1'edlona on 1he .Ptacfi, scientific dogma. Dyson asks the question, genetic engineering toys for children. In excf~lnlhcU~ plaining the politics surrounding such pos"Why should we believe that the processes sibilities, and inevitably their ethical implicaof natural selection, which shaped us to survive the hazards of living in a world of fierce tions, Dyson reveals that such a future does not worry him, because it is necessary for predators and harsh climates, should have mankind to use what biological tools it has given us a brain with a complete grasp of the universe we live in?' Scientific inquiry, accordto help people. In this chapter many possibilities are illustrated that seem unnatural, but ing to Dyson, can only have value if both the Dyson with this very first lecture does not inquirer and the inquiry are humble. fear the arcane, but steps boldly forward into For such a short book - originally delivmany scientific disciplines, however well-reered as a series of lectures - Dyson covers garded, to explain the changeability of our perhaps too much ground. His vacillation between accepted hard science, admittedly uruverse. In the third lecture, "Heretical strange predictions, and an extremely optimistic acceptance of Thoughts about Science and Society;' A MJ'!J-Colored Glass: Reflections : the idea of science as a discipline that new technologies and human inhas been ruined by easy answers is tentions is at times difficult to ac'()nJhe)'lac~ of in• the Vnivers~ central. Dyson promotes a self-except. His message comes across as Freetikri]. Dys9n . .•·. amining science that is carefully carsomewhat disconnected, because he <::>fVirginia P,t~ss {200'7) ried out by sensitive scientists ("heris grasping in many different direc····~ .··.1~i pgs. . • . .· ?;:/ tions to make connections that are etics") who are willing to make predictions and ask questions which $2 L;s·:x ;;, . .. .-••;. very welcome but nevertheless seem forced. In this sense Dyson is cause us to change the way we look ··• · · ··. Av:ikMjor Pirchaie in th~ Bqokstore ( " at science. Science should not only be asking for faith from his readers that they will welcome his message and for the scientist but also the public. Rather than ask for unchangeable facts, which traterrestri.al life, the evolution of the modem run with it. Regardless, Freeman Dyson offers a notion of science that is aware of the differseem opposed to Dyson's vision of life, the cell, plate tectonics, planetary life cycles, etc. non-scientific public should ask themselves ultimately linking them all together into an ent needs of the world and is actively involved how they see the world and wish to see their image of a living and nonliving universe that in improving quality of life for every type of self-knowledge reflected in scientific inquiry. is too complex to be fully understood. Some being.~ AMANYCOLORED GLASS •:. <; . by '.. 6 Pft l]niversity .... .· .... > <·" :.·: · ·•- .;, !!.~¥()v~r~ . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. �Jen-SaisQuoi: There Must Be Something More Than This Provincial Life by Jennifer Wright '08 I'VE FOUND THAT LATELY a lot of people have been saying to me "where are you?" and "I never see you anymore." There is a very good reason for this. It's because I'm not here. I've started running away to New York nearly every weekend. J\.fatilda at the Algonquin is starting to getting a little unnervingly "Odysseus' homecoming" every time she sees me. Honestly, I think I just can't stomach Annapolis anymore. I have been polite for three and a half years now. \Vb.en people who live in other places though honestly I'm of the school that anyone who lives anyplace but New York is, on some intrinsic level, kidding themselves - asks about Annapolis I always reply, "lovely sailing town." This gives the impression that I like to sail, which I don't. I would like it, I think, if the scenery changed in such a way a to give you an impression of how fast you were going, and if there were more obstacles in the form of other boats, and if there were a few more rules you could break, and if you could play music very loudly while you did it, and if periodically you crashed, which I find very exhilarating providing no one gets hurt. If, in short, sailing were a lot more like driving. That said, I am willing to sit on a boat and drink something, so it is not the sailing aspect of Annapolis I object to. It's everything else. That is why I don't weekend here anymore. Periodically, people in Annapolis ask me why I prefer New York, and I stare at them, slack jawed, as if they'd just asked me why I'd prefer to go to Disneyland rather than spend some time in a concentration camp. For their benefit, though, I've begun to break down the differences: New York Prada flagship, where they always, always give you champagne, even though I never buy anything. That said, I actually feel I understand Prada this season - it's an urban fairy tale. It's a sort of 1960's go-go dancing Alice in Wonderland. It's witty. Annapolis: Those stores that sell the "I got Crabs in Annapolis" T-Shirts. The tourist next to them says "look, honey! Crabs! In Annapolis! Get it! Ha! Ha! Crabs!" Conspicuous lack of champagne. Odd, as it is a situation where champagne would help. New York: The cat at the Algonquin, Matilda, is the best cat in the world. She has all the airs of a Sutton Place stewardess, and will sniff very politely at tourists coming to stay for the first time and greet returning regulars like long lost friends. Also she has a super cute birthdaypartyeveryyear. Yes, I want to beinvited to a cat's birthday party. Desperately. Annapolis: That goddamn yippee little dog at the Governor's Mansion. One day that dog will try to bite me and I will bite him back. Ifl knew the day that dog was born it would be my least favorite day in the year. New York: Bars like The Rose Bar, with the Schnabels hanging on the wall. And the Warhols. And the people in vintage Halston (oh, alright, I'm lying. I've never seen anyone actually wear Halston. But I wish they would. The point is it could happen). The entire cast of Entourage getting shot down. That amazing berry bellini. And, oh, God, the glory of it all. Annapolis: Bars like Kyma, where people will say, with irritation, "don't you have to be dressed up to get in there?" Which is true, if by dressed up you mean not wearing pajama pants. New York My favorite New York experience thus far, and hell, probably forever, was that time I met :Manolo Blahnik and he asked ifhe did my shoes. He didn't. They were Prada. He chuckled and said "I now think Prada is stealing from me." I told him that even if they weren't, they probably wanted to, or would if they were sensible. He told me my outfit was wonderful. "It is wonderful," he said, "the whole thing, it is wonderful." For my whole life, forever and ever, until I die, I will be a girl whose outfit Manolo Blahnik thought was wonderful. Annapolis: If one more person on the street says, ''how do you walk in those things?" I swear to God I'll rip the shoe off my foot and stab them with it. New York: Gramercy Tavern. DB Bistro Moderne. Kyotofu. Eleven Madison Park. Tocqueville. Town. Fayard. Serendipity. Masa. Per Se. Annapolis: Annapolis has perfectly nice restaurants for lunch, though there never strikes me as being anything impossibly wonderful for dinner. There used to be one that, for dinner, really was very good. It was called Metropolitan. It served a beautiful tasting menu. Do youknowwhat happened to it? It was bought out. By Jerry's Crab Shack. For serious. I guess ''Metropolitan" was too hard to pronounce. Jerry's Goddamn Crab Shack. New York: The last time I was in New York a homeless man defecated onto a building in the middle ofUnion Square. People generally had enough coping mechanisms to just keep on walking, save for a group of] apanese tourists, who took photos. Annapolis: The other day I took my garbage out barefoot. A woman driving her car up Main Street literally stopped her car to yell out "what's wrong with you? \Vhy don't you have any shoes on? \Vhat's wrong with you? Honey, what's wrong withyou?' I would like to take this woman to Union Square. New York: A shoe repair man on every comer. Annapolis: Cobblestones. It's not so much longer now. Only a few more months. Only a few more. Come spring break, I'm actually looking at apartments. I'm trying to find something in Midtown, in part so I can be near Fendi and the NYPL, but also near Matilda. Yes, I'm serious. :Matilda loves me. True, it'll be a schlep to the Rose Bar, but I can live at The King Cole Bar. And The Campbell Apartment. And yes, I'll admit it, Starwich. I love Starwich. I picked the apartment I'm staying in over spring break in large part because there's one right down the street. I'm salivating just thinking about it. And if I get tired of New York? Oh, if I can endure Annapolis for three and a half years, surely New York can take up ten. After that? Well, I hear Istanbul has some fabulous restaurants, and, come to think ofit, not as many cobblestones as you'd expect ... ~ THE~ GADFLY Weekfy Meetings Tuesdays at 7 PM BBC 110 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 7 �THE G _,A_J)FLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 A Letter to the Athletes of the Week Polity I am writing this letter today, something which I have rarely felt compelled to do in my near two years at this college, because I was angered and ashamed by members of my community today. As I was leaving a dorm I found disturbing notes written on the walls and all overt.lie quad. I, alone wi.th some peers, made a strong effort to erase all of these hateful messages, but I am disturbed and sure that there are still more around campus. I do not feel the need to :repeat what was written, because this letter although being aimed at a cornmunity response is first and foremost aii.-ned at the members of my college cornmunity who wrote d1ese things. You know who you are and you know what was written. Albeit, d1ere has been an upsetting situation on campus as oflate. Students are angry and feel an acute lack of control However, writi...'1.g that threatens another individual, that publically acuses said individual, is a disgrace and cannot be tolerated. }Jong wit.lJ. the freedom to speak is the abilit'"f to tyranize, that does not ma.."ke your action either respectable or tolerable. Wnen a comH1UP.ity begins to attack other members of that community it inevitably destroys itself. To the writers of these messages of hate and destruction I say a few words. I know that you are fn1strated. Do not express your frustration this way. You are shattering what is already begi..nning to fracture, instead of repairing. You are proving yourself to be children, instead of free men and women. Does that impact you at all? Free men and women, liberated by an education of great min.ds, which teach responsibilty of character, and personal integrity. My message to your chalk scribbled ignorance is this: Grow up; change hurts but you will respect yourselves more in the morning for it. To my peers I say orJy fuis, a community divided against itself will fall. We can either be a group of learners who are committed to a 8 Miss A. Fleming Mr. Vitlin great education, or we can destoy ourselves. It is really one or the other. Support one another, challenge one another, and grow in mutual respect. Or violently create a culture that has not focus on responsibilty and character, using language as a t.lie most dangerous weapon. I don't know too much, but I do know this: I love St. John's college. I love growing here, learning here, becoming a better me here. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This might not be a U11i.versal experience, and it doesn't need· to be. But when another individual's anger is an impediment to the positive experience of anot.lier student, I am mutually disgusted and disappointed. This is not the action of an individual who is a part of community. That behavior needs to stop immeidiately. Raphaela Cassandra '1 (l � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 8 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 14 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-03-31 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 14 of The Gadfly. Published February 22, 2008. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.14 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/9c2988993edd4f1314cd18a5b739b1a4.pdf e1ff7ae9b854f59c48dcbc226be494d2 PDF Text Text ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE LIBRARY 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1~ nr1r1 1 1 ~1r1 r1 ~ 1 1111111111 1 11 111 3 1696 01141 5492 'l'HE GADFLY The 5 t. John~ College 5 tudent Week{y Volume XXIX, Issue 15 Annapolis, Maryland March 31, 2008 The Five Rules of the Party Season As you may or may not know, we are now in the midst of what former Assistant Dean Judy Seeger has dubbed "the party season." This season generally takes place between the end of spring break and the end of the school year and it provides the Johnnie with many opportunities to blow off the steam from his annual essay. Party season is fun. Party season is healthy. Party season, however, does have a few rules. Sure there are the typical "no underage drinking" or "no controlled substances" rules that we have all come to know and love, but they are not the only ones. I would like to take the opportunity to lead you through the 5 Rules of Surviving 'Party Season' 1. The lights being off and people grinding up against one another in the sweatiest possible fashion does not automatically make you irresistible. Oh, sure you've gotten past the whole "seeing" bit which is generally responsible for other people turning you down in the daylight, but you are still the same sad individual as before. People are generally led into believing that the music and the sweat and the spilled beer on the floor and the lack of proper lighting makes others forget how annoying they are in seminar or that one time you cut in front of them in the ice cream line anq did not apologize even when they called you on it. Also, if your long-standing-but-hopeless crush knows about your feelings and does not address them in polite society, chances are he or she won't dare do so in improper society. And if he/ she does then they are totally not worth it. You need someone who will stand their ground, even if their ground does not include you. 2. Not everyone with a wristband will do your bidding All drinking scandals aside, there is something inherently ignoble about approaching someone you barely know and asking them to Rules continued on pg. 9 Madness That Is ... March Madness by Rowenna Thorson '10 They're wearing mismatched shirts in different shades of the same color. They are mostly boys, but the occasional girl dribbles her way through the queue of players toward the basket for a layup. On the sidelines, students discuss how Duke's recent loss affects their brackets. The clock resets. The two teams huddle up, roar out a thunderous cheer, and then disperse, some tO the bench, others to the court. Two players move into position opposite each other. The ball is launched into the air. With an audible thwap the ball is slapped across the court, and the onlookers erupt into yells or groans. The game has begun. The players oscillate frantically across the court, first on offense, but with a moment's notice, they revert to defensive maneuvers in an attempt to steal the spotlight back. But the clock was not set to 20 minutes. Instead, the numbers 13:30 glow red. Fans watch the game- other college students, even some family members, but they're not high up in the bleachers. They perch on blue wooden benches at the side of the gymnasium, or on the floor. At the quarter (yes, the quarter - here games are played in four sections in lieu of two halves), the scoreboard reads Home: 12; Guest: 9. But in this game, both teams are at home. Though the Gold team is technically listed as the "away" team, both come from equal distances. J'vfaybe a few live all the way in Gilliam, or have to walk from an off-campus , apartment, but every player on the court is representing the same school. Madness continued on pg. 5 �THE ~~GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McC!ay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Contributing to this Issue Elizabeth Burlington Tim Creighton Kirstie Dodd Rob Sale Ali Schwab Rowenna Thorson Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gatff!J is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa re campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily rcpres(.'flt the opinions of The Gar!f!y staf£ The Gar!f!y reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. 1..cttcrs submitted will be edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Gar!f!y is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions arc available for $30.00. Tax-deductible contributions are greatly appreciated. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions arc greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 DC Minutes: March 26 Meeting called to order at 11:55 a.m. Discussion of Spring Cleaning of old club charters. 11.r. Drexler presents the results of the Committee's meetings. Some clubs are defunct and their charters will be revoked immediately. Other clubs are not currently active, but the Polity will be contacted, and anybody wishing to revive these clubs must contact the DC. 11.r. Throop moves to revoke charters from the Pants Higgins Club, Amnesty International Club, Yore, and SJC Objectivist Club. Mr. Lewkow seconds. Motion passes. 11.r. Drexler moves to revoke charters from Action America Club and Student Coalition for Social Responsibility. Mr. Meyers seconds. Motion passes. 11.r. Throop moves to revoke charters from the Collegian, Environmental Club, Jewish Students Society, "Go" Club, Hoi Strategoi Club, Spanish Club, German Club, Premed Group, and Financial Education Club. Ms. Walsh seconds. Motion passes. Mr. Meyers agrees to send an email to the Polity concerning clubs up for consideration. Anyone interested in maintaining these clubs must appear at a DC meeting in the next two weeks: Information and Communication Technologies Club Contra Collective Rock Climbing Club Homework Help Club Gardening Club Book Arts Club Boxing Club Great Comic Books Program Table Tennis Club Rock Room Community SJC Yearbook Brazilian Arts and Dance Club These tabled charters which are not officially accepted are agreed upon to be removed from the table: Polo Association Assassins Midnight Dodgeball Gay, Lesbian and Straight Spectrum Johnnie Rock Unified America Club Discussion of new charters: Energeia: archon Kirstie Dodd not present, Thomas Meyers speaking as proxy. Ms. Walsh proposes amendment to charter prohibiting the request or receipt of funds from the DC for the printing of Energeia. 11.r. Throop moves to table the charter until amendments are made and presented by archon. Mr. Lewkow seconds. Motion passes. Jodo Club: archon not present. Ms. Walsh moves to table charter until archon is present. Mr. Throop seconds. Motion passes. Meeting adjourned at 12:30 p.m. . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �CALL FOR ENTRIES The St. John's College Community Art Exhibition 2008 2-DIMENSIONAL WORKS St. Joh.11's College Undergraduate and Graduate Students You may submit up to three works of art Sale of the work is optional DEUVERY DATE: Thursdqy) _April 10 Noon -5:00 p.m. Continuing Education Fine Arts Students, Faculty and Staff You may submit one work of art Sale of the work is optional DELIVERY DATE: SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 10:00 A.M. - NOON ALL 3-DIMENSIONAL WORKS All 3-Dimensionai works should be delivered to The lvlitchell Gallery on Saturday, April 19 between 10:00 a.m. and noon. CALL TO ALL SENIORS The Charles \,'ernon rdoran Prize, open to any SJC .A..nnapolis Senior, is awarded to a member of the senior class who submits the best work of visual art to The St. john's College Community Art Exhibition. -'"\!mouncement of this prize will be announced at the end of April. For questions: contact Hydee Schaller in the I\1itchell Gallery 410-626-2556 or ext. 2556 . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY. : . . . �SENIOR ESSAY ORALEXh\1INATION .SCHEDUTJE SPRING2008 MARCH 31sr -APR!L4TH MONDAY, March 31 '' 11:45 Justin Lee Truth and Tra.<J.scendence in Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing IYir. Casey, *Mi. Caswell, Mr. Pi.'ias 3:45 Bryan Smith The Killi..<J.g Ideal: Love and Art i.n Baudelaire's ''Une Charogne" 1:Ir. Beall*, Ms. Kronsberg, Mr. Schulman TIJESDAY,April 1" 11:45 Clarke Saylor Suffer An Hour, Live For An Age: The Strnggle for Internal Peace in Tolstoy's War and Peace Mr. Holland*, 1\fr. Tipton, Mr. Townsend 3:45 Shant Shahrigian The Hawthorne and the Orchid: On Love and .A.rt in Swann l- W'V' 1',fr. Salem*, Ms. Locke, ]\,fr Page 5:00 Tammie Kahnhauser A Sacrifice and a Gold Ring: Crisis a....-1d Reconciliation in the Book rf]ob l\fr. Russell*, Ms. Monnoyeur-Broi:m.an, Mr. Pichanick WEDNESDAY, April 2°d 11 :45 Eric Closs On the Love of Beatrice to the Love of God: /',_n Essay on Da.-ite's Journey i.-i The Divine Comeqy Ms. Langston, Ms. Buche...fJ.auer, Mr. Lasell 3:45 Clare Saunders Looking for Truth: The Role of Observation in Relativity an.d Quantu..111 Theory Mr. Yee*, I\fr. Beall, Mr. Kutler 5:00 Lauren Goodman Six Circles, One Triangle, an.cl a Field: The Conflict of Virtue and Ethics in Shichinin no Samurai 1fr. Mais trellis*, Mr. Braithwaite, l\ir. Kaikavage ThuRSDAY, April 3'd 11 :45 William Hollingsworth .An Elegant Weapon for a More Civ.Jized Age: Science and the Civil Polit""y in Sir Francis Bacon's The New Atlantis Ivir. Kutler*, I\:'.u:. Casey, l\ifr. Macfarland Bryan McNeilly On the Unspeakable Atn10sphere of Joseph Comad's Heart ef Darkne.;s 3:45 Mr. Stephenson*, l\:fs. Flaumenhaft, Mr. Townsend FRIDAY, April 4 "' 11 :45 Vishal Sheth Faith as a Habit in Fear and Trembling. Or, How to Become a Bourgeois Philisti.ne Mr. Petrich*, Mr. Salem, l\:Ir. Tomarchio 3:45 Sara Wagner Image-Reflection and Aut..11.ority in :Milton's Eden Mr. Smith*, Mr. Barbera, Mr. Schuhnan 5:00 Maggie Heim Kierkegaard's Challenge to Pr..ilosophy Through the Possibility of Faith l\Ir. Verdi*, Mr. Holland, l\ir. Tuck 4 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �Madness continued from front page They play on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Thursday and Friday nights are off limits of course, seeing as the majority of the players are busy with seminar and lecture. The games are not televised. No one outside the college really cares who wins or loses. The refs are students. Students keep the scoreboard and work the buzzer. There are no coaches; the only adult around is l\fr. Pickens, who fills in wherever needed, isn't restrained to any position. Students with headphones run on the suspended track above, oblivious to the game below. Others run on elliptical machines reading Cosmo. One man pulls his stationary bicycle from the exercise room into the gym so he can ride and watch simultaneously. Players carry on shouted conversations with their friends across the court during game play, and benched students wander away from their spot to chat with onlookers. On the sidelines, players and fans alike can be seen scribbling notes in the margins of Machiavelli- though during the last quarter of Saturday's early game, most of the books have sunk into laps are been set aside, untended. eyes are glued to the game. There are 16 spectators in the gym at the tipof£ Half are members of Jack Donahoe's family. At halftime, two more black shirts are rustled up, and two of Jack's brothers join him on the bench, much to the enjoyment of those watching. Thomas Donahoe, who played basketball in high school, doesn't play at Dartmouth where he currently attends. That didn't stop him from assisting the A team in their jump from 14 points to 43 in the third quarter. With the score tied up at the start of the final quarter, the B team needs all the help it can get. That help came in the form of thirteen year old seventh grader, Kevin Donahoe. As Kevin, who plays on a select team back home, stepped onto the court, yells of ''.A-IBAM PLAYER'' explode. He lives up to his hype, working together with the other B team players to leadJP's Black team to a 57-50 win against Jon Ragsdale's Gold. The Donahoe boys were not the only non-students on the court. In the very first game of the March Madness tournament (Wed. 3 /19),Joao's brother, Saum, helped out Nate Oesch's red team, and Craig and Covert from the kitchen staff played with them on Sunday. Tutors like }\,fr. Lasell, alumni like Ben Crane and Gillian Brockett, and even people like Don Stone's wife play for St. John's teams. Is this all madness? Yes, it is March Madness, but it's also just St. John's. We do sports differently. This could represent any game here. But there is some madness added to the normal chaos of SJ C Intramurals when :March rolls around. For one thing, the teams are completely different. The five teams who have learned to work together in sports from soccer to volleyball to ultimate frisbee have been divided, split up, shattered. The seasoned captains have become first-round draft picks of their subordinates, allowing the future leaders to gain experience with captaining a team. The players who have grown used to playing with each other must now face their teammates as adversaries. There's a little more madness than team swapping, though. Whereas in the normal season, few girls play, in SJ C March Madness, girls are the secret weapons. Racking up double points for every basket, girls are valuable, encouraging more to come out and play with the boys. When Oesch's Red team was down three points, Cecilia Corrigan's basket with seconds left on the clock scored the gamewinning four points, keeping Red in the running for the Championship. St. John's basketball teams consist of two teams playing each other for one final score. We call them A teams and B teams. The ''.A team" players only play others of their league, and likewise with the B teamers. The B team usually plays the first and third quarters, leaving the second and final fourth for the A team. In March Madness, this is reversed, allowing for an inevitably eventful fourth quarter full of surprising, sometimes tense B-team moments! The first team to lose twice is eliminated, and the process continues until the championship game between the prevailing teams, which will be Sunday, }\,farch 30. March Madness is also the last opportunity for seniors to get out on the court, unless they decide to play as alumni. Come out and cheer them on this weekend!~ ESSA.Y WRITING PERIOD: A COMPARISON FRESHMEN SOPHOMORES I'm 'w<iting on the teleological significance of "theNin .l>listotle's Metaphysics. HOW' profound! Ive composed an amusing little treatise on the meaning of virtue. OH MY GOD IF I DON'T WRITE THE BEST ESSAY . (-~"'~;Ai;;'.~""7 INTr~ir~~~t6c>/HEY"RE -". - ....__ - JUNIORS GOl.NGTODISENABLE ME .II.ND CRUCIFY ME IN FRONT OF ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS .II.ND THEN THEY'LL SEND MY BODY HOME!! SENIORS It's 3 J>.M ! Do you W'anna get _.,,. ~r'l=llrfiL .....asted and W'alch Thundercals? So ... W'hal are you 'w<iting on? Dunno. Who gives a shit? '-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 5 �Prof. Profanation's Handy Guide to Universal Measures by Professor Phineas A. Profanation Rob Sale was too bu.sy writing his sophomore essqy to giveyou a'!)' sophistry this week. He hopes you will enjqy his substitute instead. In today's world full of measurable objects, it is often necessary to indicate how . much of something there is somewhere. But in a world so defined by hustle and bustle, who has time to learn standard measurements for distance, weight, time, currency, magnetic flux, and absorbed doses of radiation, not to mention a host of others, all of which have different standards of measurement among themselves and occasionally even different standards within the measurables themselves (like feet vs. metres vs. rods vs. cubits)? The answer is that nobody does, so we should all stop trying to learn all of them and instead focus on a system that can be used to describe any amount of anything. So instead of having to say, "This transistor has 500 farads of capacitance," or "He just absorbed 1400 grays of radiation," n ow yo u can say, "This mothafuckin' transistor has a shitload o f capacitance," or "Holy shit! That asshole just absorbed a metric fucktonne of radiation!" Now, both vastly differing measurable quantities can be measured using the same system! How easy is that? I bid you welcome, then, my friends, to a simpler, more sensible way of indicating amounts. Standard Large Amounts (SL\s) SL.As come in three varieties: loads, tonnes, and metric tonnes. By adding the key modifiers crap, shit, and fuck to these varieties, we can have a very precise system of nomenclature for large amounts found in everyday life. When designating the measurement itself, it is necessary to capitalize it to show its importance as a universal measure. \'\!hen using the measurement to measure, it is convention to leave it lowercase. A. Loads - In general, Loads can be perceived or grasped with the mind. 1. Crapload (CL) - A Crapload is the smallest SL\ there is. It is used in everyday language to designate amounts that are large in comparison to expectation. Example: "I 6 thought Suzy was on!J going to bring a solid amount of cookies. Instead, she brought a whole crapload!" 2. Shitload (SL) - The Shitload is the next smallest SL\ and the most commonly used Load, often with the modifier "whole." It is used to indicate a superabundance of a quality or quantity in an object with reference to others of a species, making it stand out in comparison to others of its kind. Example: ''Man, this fuckin' H qydn guy wrote a whole shitload of .symphonies!" 3. Fuckload (FL) - Being the largest of the Loads, the Fuckload is used to describe superlative discemable quantities of sensible or intellectual objects. Example: 'There is a serious fuckload of nerds at St. John} College. " B. Tonnes - Tonnes delve into the world of typical!J uncountable quantities. 1. Craptonne (CT) -A Craptonne indicates diverse kinds of objects being combined into a single uncountable yet perceptibly bounded quantity. Example: 'There was a craptonne of useless shit at the fivefami!J yard sale." 2. Shit-tonne (S-T) - The Shit-tonne is hyphenated because some people can't . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . handle the double T combo. It is generally used to designate amorphous, heap-like uncountable quantities of some one kind of thing. Example: 'That is serious!J a shit-tonne of paper strewn about the floor. I can 't even begin to think about cleaning it up. " 3. Fucktonne (FT) - ,-\gain, the Fucktonne is used to describe superlative amounts of uncountable quantities. Alternatively, given its invective-laden prefix, it can be used to describe things one might normally designate as shit-tonnes or craptonnes but have a malicious bent to them. Example: "After I knocked over that bees' nest with a rock, a fucktonne of bees came out and chased me back into my house, where I could whine. about it on the Internet." C. Metric Tonnes - These go bryond into the realm of inconceivable amounts. 1. Metric Craptonne (mCT) - Like the Craptonne, it designates a plethora of diverse kinds so vast that it cannot be comprehended by human perceptive or intellective powers. Example: ''.5'cientists estimate there are between six and ten million species of insects. Now, combine them all into one giant nest and throw a rock at it. That} a metric cTaptonne of pissed off insects coming atyou. " 2. Metric Shit-tonne (mS-T) Similar to the Shit-tonne, it indicates an unapproachably large amount of a single kind of object. Example: 'Think about the numberofM&Ms in a bag. Now think about the number ofbags in a supermarket. Now think about the number of supermarkets in the country. Now think about a single factory producing every single one of those M&Ms. That} a metric shit-tonne of delicious chocolate cancfy. " 3. Metric Fucktonne (mFT) - God help you ifyou run across a metric fucktonne of anything. As close to an infinitude as a finite amount can get. Example: ''I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sk and the grains of sand on the seashore. y Abraham, that} a metricfucktonne of grandkids. S erious!J. Grains of sand on the seashore. Think about it. " This Concludes Part 1. Part 2 To Follow At Some Point. '!Ir �Athletes of Miss Van Hoose Mr. Bunnell the Week Tuesdays and Fridafs . . .· .. ·.· .·. ·.·.·.· ··. ·.· · . · · •· . . . . I .. I the upper playing field around4-pJ~11. team assignments or exper1e11ce,j}1§til show up and play! · .·. >I Rain or shine! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . ; . 7. . �Jen-Sais-Quoi: The Conde Nast Cafeteria by Jennifer Wright '08 There are people out there who stare up into the vastness of the night sky, and feel the magnitude of their own insignificance in the scheme of things. Those people have never been to the Conde Nast cafeteria. If they had been, the night sky just wouldn't seem that impressive anymore. I'm sure that Conde Nast needs no further elaboration, but for those of you who don't know, they're probably the most powerful magazine publishing organization around today. They publish Vogue, the New Yorker, Vaniry Fair, GQ, Se!f, Details, Travel and Leisure, Gourmet, Glamour; basically, if you've heard of a magazine that's not Cosmopolitan it was published by Conde Nast. And as for Cosmopolitan Anna Wmtour once said that if anyone ever wanted to be truly stylish and graceful all they had to do was pick up the latest issue of Cosmopolitan, read it cover to cover, absorb all the advice, and then do the precise opposite. They don't need to publish Cosmopolitan. I interviewed there over break. Before doing so I had to talk to a few disgruntled assistants to understand the pressures of possibly working at Conde Nast, and basically, that a job there did not involve morphing into Anne Hathaway and spending my day being made-over by Stanley Tucci. The assistants I talked to basically told me that it would be the most brutal experience of my entire life and my job would require allowing the editor I was working for to grind her stiletto into my neck every day to relieve stress. And that I would be paid around $20,000 a year. My financial advisor remarked that the thought of me living on $20,000 a year was the only thing that made him laugh during the Bear Stems crises. And that the hours are five to nine, not nine to five. One also recounted a story about how an assistant once ate a bagel at her desk and got berated by Anna W11ltour about how she was getting fat and didn't deserve to be eating so many carbs until she broke down weeping. Anna Wintour said that there was no room for weakness at Vogue and fired her. She went to HR who told her that maybe she'd picked the wrong magazine to work for and that she should consider Gourmet. I was a little less than enthusiastic. Then I set foot in the lobby. 8 It might very well be worth it. I also noticed that every single one of those assistants referred to it as the "Conde Nast Empire" which gave the impression that it was a large, feudal duchy peopled by aristocrats. Meanwhile everyone employed by Conde Nast refers to it as ''The Conde Nast Family." Again, this is sort of bizarre, in a shades of The Go4father sort of way. I wondered a lot about why they didn't refer to themselves as a corporation. Everyone else refers to themselves as a corporation. Harpei: Collins calls itself a corporation. Simon and Schuster call themselves a corporation. Scholastic calls themselves an or- ·ganization, which is a warmer, fuzzier way of saying corporation. Apparently, that's because they are corporations whereas Conde Nast is something more ... uniform. You go in to Harper Collins or Simon and Schuster and you see a unique group of people, some frazzled, some not, some well dressed, some not, some happy, some not. Not at Conde Nast. There, everyone there has the same air. It's not just that they're beautiful and frighteningly stylish, although they are, but they also have an air that is absolutely patrician. There is not a single person there, including the security guards, who you could think of under any circumstances as being sloppy. If Anne Hathaway ran through the lobby precariously balancing coffee cups as she did in The Devil Wears Prada she wouldn't survive one minute. No one at Conde Nast gives the impression of being even remotely frazzled. That would be vulgar and they're above all that. There is a book that was recently published called Blood is the New Black written about the Conde Nast Empire. The premise is that everyone who works there is a vampire, which is explains why they seem to keep their "aristocratic cool" and "glide everywhere." This book hits the nail more squarely on the head than I ever initially thought. And oh, the cafeteria. They can beat me, flog me, mortify my flesh, but if they give me fifteen minutes a day in that cafeteria it could make up for it. You remember when you were little? Or, you know, last Wednesday, when you eat in the cafeteria, if you still eat in the cafeteria? And the cafeteria food was awful and you thought about what an ideal cafeteria would be like (although I actually ate in the cafeteria lately, and I think they have terrific ice cream)? And that ideal cafeteria was probably filled with towering jars of candy and trays of petit fours and truffles and freshly baked cookies. :Maybe also cute little tea sandwiches? Freshly decorated mini-cupcakes and brie and pear canapes? And plushy, curving albeit terribly modern booths? Yeah, you were thinking of the Conde Nast cafeteria. It was the most beautiful place I can imagine being interviewed. Not that I actually ate anything. I drank coffee. Black coffee. They offered me petit fours, but are you kidding? She got fired for eating a bagel I am pretty sure they know that every applicant will respond this way, and at the same time they know that there is at least one food in that cafeteria that any potential applicant would give their right arm for. That means the applicants have to actually work there. When they do, they can, like many of the sylph like girls floating through the cafeteria, hide the petit fours in a napkin and then make a bee line for the ladies room to eat them in total privacy. Though to be fair, it has crossed my mind that I could work at a place that publishes books that doesn't beat their employees, and go to Dean and Deluca on my own time. But you still have to tip your hat -your hopefully couture made hat- to Conde Nast. You don't see many empires these days. Especially not ones 'with a self imposed famine. Perhaps, like the bagel girl, I should consider Gourmet (No. Not really.) 'Ir' . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . �\I Dodd on the Quad: Ars Gratia Artis by Kirstie Dodd '10 Far be it from me to sound simpering and pedantic (for that role is jealously guarded by another columnist in the Gadfly who's novel-length articles on sophistry are about as scintillating as a pile of manure) but if you do not see the new "Robert Motherwell and Jasper Johns: Art as Poetic Metaphor" exhibit at the Mitchell Art Gallery, then you deserve to be hit upside the head with a dull, neo-Dada found object. I had no idea how little people knew about these artists until I started to tell people about the exhibit and approximately 86% of the time the response was, "Jasper Johns? Isn't he, like, famous or something?" Yes, yes he is. So is Robert Motherwell. In fact, Motherwell once said, ''.Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it." Upon closer examination, and with some, ahem, liberal extrapolation, Motherwell is really saying something that amounts to this: "When it comes to art, students at St. John's College are paupers." Why doesn't anyone (gross overgeneralization, work with me here) care about art at St. John's? I am convinced the root of this problem starts in freshman year with that one book we read, I think it's called The Republic or something. When all of those fresh- Rules continued from front page procure alcohol for you. People ages 21-andover have worked very, very hard to earn their right to drink to drink freely on the Quad, and insisting that we use our rights to help you is simply insulting. Alcohol is our reward for having survived 21 or more years of dealing with our parents, not wetting the bed, and managing not to die in a tragic but hilarious accident. It's not just illegal: it's insulting! Cigarettes are a much different story, however, since most of the time people still feel residual obligations to give cigarettes to strangers, remembering a day when they themselves were forced to rely upon the mercy of those more prudent and resourceful than they. 3. Do not ask seniors about anything We will not tell you. In fact, I have no idea what you're talking about. Also, stop remind- face cherubim are first introduced into the world of philosophy at the beginning of freshman year, what happens for Plato is nothing short of apotheosis. I'm serious: compared with the typical boring, suburban, coal mine of a high school education, Plato is like a sparkling diamond of Truth. There are times, however, when I would like to shoot Socrates and watch him wallow in his own maieutic blood, letting him be the slack-jawed interlocutor for a change. I feel this every time I read Book X of The Republic (which, I'll be the first to admit, is not often) because of the way Socrates denounces painting: "The art of imitation is a far cry from truth. The reason it can make everything, apparently, is that it grasps just a little of each thing- and only an image at that." So what, Socrates. I like art. You are just corrupting our youth. Ever since freshmen year you have shoved into our collective unconscious this notion that visual art is inconsequential. It might be true, and I should probably just say, "Bah! Imitation!" and go contemplate the heavens somewhere, but sometimes it's nice to look at prints and paintings on a white wall, imitation or not. It's not like the Program does anything to educate Johnnies about visual art. Other than looking at pictures in a book, if you really wanted to learn about the difference between Manet and Monet, you have three options: 1) Wait until preceptorials roll around and sign up feverishly for one about art or 2) Buy the Santa Fe art manual from the bookstore and read it, which costs money or 3) Join a continuing education class and make your own art. There is a fourth option, however, and I think you know where this is going. Why not try ambling over to the 1fitchell Art Gallery and spending an afternoon learning about the process of bookmaking, how memory and per-ception affect us when we read, the complexity of artist-poet collaborations ... and more? I promise when you come out, if you have even the tiniest splinter of the spirit of inquiry within you, you'll come out knowing a little bit more about Abstract Expressionism and the Generation of 1927. Who doesn't love useless terms they can splash around? If that doesn't paint your number, you could wait until the exhibit has food outside after seminar and just mooch off of the Utz chips, but for your own sake, at least take a breeze around the exhibit and then go on your merry way. So go and see the exhibit; tell 'em Dodd on the Quad sent you. q,.-- ing them that they're graduating. Trust me, thry know. Being reminded of one's imminent doom generally puts a damper on party-related fun. 4. Messes do not magically disappear If you throw up in someone's closet or spill their beer over the dance floor or decide to trash the bathrooms in any given dorm, please be aware that the results will be there even after you run away giggling. Parties generally take place on Saturdays and there is no one to unclog the toilets until Monday. Even if you cannot take care of it yourself, this in no way entitles you to run away and leave the broken glass all over the sidewalk. Take responsibility, even if it means admitting to your RA that you did something stupid. Also, even though the C.E.T.s and the B& G staff are technically paid to clean up our messes, they should not be made to take care of things that have come about as a result of your own carelessness. I suppose the ideal solution would be not to make any messes in the first place, but no one said this was a perfect world. 5. Don't be afraid of the people that are supposed to help you We've all bickered about this during the student meetings and I believe it bears repeating: the RAs and the Security staff are not out for your blood. They are more concerned for your safety than they are with getting you in trouble. So don't be afraid to go to them with any problems or concerns that you have. After all, they don't want to get paid for doing nothing. This season gives us all one last chance to really bond with our fellow Johnnies before the end of the school year. I suppose there's ,nothing else to say except to sit back, relax, and watch it all unwind. Except for you Juniors and Freshmen: you're still writing your essays. Ha.'Jr' . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 9 �Gadfly Book Reviews Everything You Wanted To I<now About Feet, But Were Afraid To Ask by Tim Creighton '09 THOSE WHO KNOW STEPHEN FRY from his delightful sketch comedy performances may remember one sketch in which Fry plays the priggish headmaster of an old-fashioned boys' school. In the sketch, Fry's character meets with a student who has just won the school Poetry Prize. The schoolmaster wishes to discuss the student's poem, which as the sketch unfolds turns out to be very modern and - how shall we say? - excessively Rabelaisian, all to the schoolmaster's great chagrin. Fry's character opens the dialogue with a bit of false modesty: "I cannot pretend to be much of a judge of poetry," he says, "I'm an English teacher, not a homosexual." In truth, though, the real-life Stephen Fry turns out to be a very fine judge of poetry, as his new book The Ode LeSJ Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within attests. Fry's book is an excellent introduction to the real appreciation of poetic craftsmanship. The Ode Less Travelled is a work by an amateur for the amateur. It is a s traigh tfo rward, plain-English guidebook that breaks down some of the technical concepts of prosody for the non-specialized reader. The intent behind the exposition is practical, to get the reader familiarized with the poet's tools so that he may not only read poetry more knowledgeably, but also begin writing poems on his own, and to see the composition of poetry as a pleasure and not a chore. This does not mean that Fry makes any promises about how great a poet the reader will P be after finishing his book. As he says in the foreword, "I cannot teach you how to be a great poet or even a good one. Dammit, I can't teach myself that. But I can show you how to have fun with the modes and forms of poetry as they have developed over the years." The great majority of the book is devoted to an understanding of conventional poetic forms. As such, Fry's approach to poetry is very substantial even, some might say, old-fashioned. He has no use for gassy-minded poetical platitudes. Instead, we find thorough and substantial treatments of the sonnet, the villanelle, and everything in between. But Fry is more than equal to the task, and indeed he proves himself to be a perceptive reader and skillful writer he is fully aware of his limitations as a versifier, and though he is very serious about his subject, he does not take himself especially seriously. For nearly every poetic form or device mentioned in the book - and there are quite a few - Fry provides a poem of his own composition, just to prove it can be done by a comedian in his off-hours. Here, for example, is an excerpt from his Sapphic ode: Lesbian Sappho made this form With neat Adonic final line Her sex life wasn't quite the norm And nor is mine. You get the idea. In addition, he gives a corresponding exercise for the reader to complete after each explication. Fry sometimes selects topics for the reader to write on, such as "what you would like, and wouldn't like, to eat right this minute." He is not afraid of using comically ordinary topics as points of departure for verse - after all, these are exercises, on the technique, form, and language of not The Oxford Book of English Verse. poetry. The book's scope would be in- Here, for instance, is his advice for comtimidating to a novice, if it were not for posing unrhymed iambic pentameter: "I the constant presence of Fry's wry wit have sought inspiration, if that is the and his delightfully playful approach to word, from the headlines on today's BBC his subject matter. Fry's winsome per- news website and would recommend sonality and obvious affection for En- this as preferable to staring out of the glish verse is evident on every page of window chewing the end of a pencil the book. This is a book about poetry awaiting the Muse's kiss." The book's like no other. 'humor ranges from the dry to the bawdy. Stephen Fry may be a great comedian, (The latter is especially on display in Fry's but he is not a master poet. Fortunately discussions of the ballad and the limer- oetic form is necessary, argues Stephen Fry, because without it poetry is apt to become so subjective and pretentious that it becomes unreadable. Form allows for better communication, because it is using structures and patterns drawn from the common stock of English literature, patterns familiar to experienced readers. 10 . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I ·I I ·I �ick; expect some very earthy examples, care so deeply about your soul," he asin good "there was an old man. from sures us. It is clear from the book that Fry is not Nantucket" style.) Fry is remarkably good at presenting only an avid reader, but a very careful reader seemingly arcane and uninteresting lit- as well, who has given much thought to erary terms in ways that are not merely comprehensible, but .., ..., . "/"'downright amusing. Take, for <:·-~.) ·.~;;.:~~~:-f,2;:.~-:Y·- '<.~ , .. ;,· -·> ' ·~ ... :;..·~::;.-~ . -- -:,~-,>-·, ··· :.::.-,,.. ·~·~;{:~\;..~~:~ · :>:.. "' ,.:<:{-U!t;?J~ instance, his explication of the .,A;0 >' '0' - • HE :>" li ••.;.,,'l:?A ~,'• ""' '•·- a·,._i~. . ._s•. _:·"' ''''I' ·I . . ._. '·..::: molossus, a poetic foot contain:.:.;:,:'<"_t,{~~~\·'.; ::. >£" ..-." - -~l' !'· .~·'."~ . ·--,: ing three stressed syllables. Af---~~,~~:;.~_-_'.}} -- ;·.::_.. ter giving a definition and ori' ~-:-~-- ~·!'.'""·"'·,\'_ (' .• gin of the term (evidently it is named after a city in Greece renowned for huge mastiffs), he gives an example from Gilbert - ~ ,. ;~; :-~ o' ·-.::: • • ~:~o s~~~v:~1:~~se~:a i~h~:~~ .:>'·k::t ;• ,:.· <>' ...~:::::::,:~:«:~:::,) tT.I .¥..:.. ,,,,,.~,•,,,:; < ._ <' :;J.·y/\ ·.··' .. ))\ •. ; ·/\ communication, because it is using structures and patterns drawn from the common stock of English literature, patterns familiar to experienced readers. In doing so, a poet "is in the company of [his] forbears, [he] is not alone." Another of his arguments is that form is [-;', an extension of content: what you r· -~,:g•~ t ·,:;:~~ ::; ~:. i~:i~~r~~ea::.:~:e:7::~ Fancy" as an example, Fry shows how the simple trick of rhymed weak endings illustrates the inconclusive ends of many fancies and daydreams. As for the notion that all of this grounding in meter, rhyme, and •. structure is insignificant to the practice of modern free-verse poetry, Fry replies with an analogy from music. "Suppose you had never played the piano in your life [and were told:] Don't worry, just lift the lid and expressyourself. Pour <) out your feelings. We have all heard ~;: '._),; children do just that and we have all wanted to treat them with great violence as a result." Fry is well aware of the pleasures that wellformed poetry brings. Poetic form sharpens poetic thought; by following rules of structure and meter, the poet must think of the right way of saying, which in turn means that he is thinking more carefully about what he is trying to say. Form is a means to an end, the end being elegant clarity of thought. This book belongs especially on every sophomore's shelf, at the very least because it will give the student a more precise language for discussing English verse in the second semester, as well as brief but helpful discussions of the scansion of Greek epic verse and the Shakespearean sonnet. At the same time, the problems of poetry that Fry raises are unavoidable in the language tutorial, especially the relation between form and content. Most importantly, though, his book should better enable the eager student to try his hand at writing verses of his ·own, so that his knowledge and relationship with the art of poetry may become deeper and more real. 'Ir ~-:::-;;.;;; ~;.\; ,~l~~~~ll~Ht~~~ ~:: ~:~1~;;~ ~~~~. ,;~(;;~~)IT{,~ti>ri~t~i~ii~i ~ci~~'\vii~1i~:·\·:.'." with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation .• ,, ..•. of a short, sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!" ;,;:·;···: •. ,. ;'\i.~ ' ''{r.:.~'. s. • · ... , .•,... ,{!;·.:'.{ · .•• ',,.: ,:"', t "'. ··u.:r ,; "'... '' ;·'"'''' "The molossus," Fry continues, "is clearly impossible for whole lines of poetry, but in combination ... it seems to suit not just Gilbert's lyrics as above, but also response chants and playful interludes, like this exchange between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader: 'Wry ckJyou bother me? Go to heH! I amyour destif!Y. Can't you tell? You re not nryfather. Eat my shorts. Come to the dark side. Feel. the force. " In the course of half a page, Fry has managed to define an obscure poetic term, give two amusing examples of it, and write better dialogue than George Lucas managed for The Phantom Menace. Not bad. Immediately after discussing the molossus, he gives a brief explanation of the tribrach, a foot of three unstressed syllables, observing that this is probably a foot that an amateur poet will never have to use. So why does he include it, you ask? "I only mention it for completeness and because I poetry and language. Fry anticipates the typical objection to his formal approach: Why is traditional form so important when it seems that so many modern poets have dispensed with it? Fry insists that form is necessary, since it protects poetry from becoming so subjective and pretentious that it becomes unreadable. Form allows for better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE GADFLY . 11 �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Andy Rooney and Umbrella Drinks by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEAR A.LIZABETH, Wagner makes me want to vomit. What should I do about this? - Senior#82306 ***** Dear Senior, I don't find anything morally objectionable in vomiting, so if you must, you must. There is considerable etiquette involved with this question, but I don't think that is what you were asking about. But you're not the only one in the world, or even at the college, who has a problem with vomiting, I mean Wagner. Intriguing music, epic love, and all that. But who wouldn't be advised to contact their parish priest if they professed to wanting very badly to die because they loved somebody else's wife - or a medical professional if this was because of something they drank? Of course, great art probably wouldn't be called great art ifit were deeply sensible on every level. But sensible things like Pride and Prejudice or Middlemarch make the reading list, and though "great art" isn't the first expression we generally apply to them, that is what they are. They explore familiar ideas, passions, and real human needs with accuracy and elegance. They don't invent new ones, or fool around with my existing ones in unauthorized ways. Sorry, but I like my feelings to be fooled around with by authorized personnel only. I readily admit that I am grouchier than Andy Rooney when it comes to newfangled ideas. The above paragraph has proven this. But though I haven't gotten to be best buddies with the likes of Wagner and Nietzsche (unauthorized persons!) I admit that they make me think. They challenge me in ways that I would never seek out myself. So if your issues are similar to mine, I would advise you to just remember that you aren't obliged to believe anything they say or imply. Forgive me for saying so, but in some cases you aren't even obliged to give them a "fair hearing." All you're asked to do is to try to understand what they're 12 saying - which is hard to do with a strong bias against them, but not impossible if you figure out which of your precepts you have to temporarily imagine life without. For me, in the case of Nietzsche, it is faith in God and His saving grace. In the case of Wagner, it is hope for eternal life and... multiple perfect cadences. Enormous things to imagine life without, but no number of Nietzsches or Wagners can actually sneak into your head or heart or soul and steal them from you. There will always be faith, and Mozart's Requiem comes round again every Wednesday.* There are also strange authors posing their strange questions, which can have some bearing on the way you express and defend your own beliefs. Whether you try to answer them is a matter for your own judgment, but I think there might be something to be gained from it. Yours, A.Schwab ***** Dear 2-4-6-0-1, The important thing to remember in this situation is that you are not powerless against Wagner. While it may be the case that he wrote a 4-hour (or was it 6? after awhile I kind oflost track) opera about two (apparently) unattractive people who still managed to defy social norms to do something and there was death and blah, blah, blah. The only way that one can truly appreciate Wagner for the genius he truly was is to make sure they watch the opera itself in its full, awkwardly translated glory. I am not just talking about the awkward German-toEnglish subtitles, either. I am talking about those poor fools who try to be revolutionary by setting Tristan and Isolde in some kind of parallel universe/ fairyland where for some reason there are couches in the middle of the woods, and bright red moths try to snack on Isolde's "gown." By picking out the most ridiculous theatrical version of Wagner's "masterpiece" in existence, you are more or less guaranteeing yourself at least a handful of laughs as you slog your way through 200+ or so minutes of people shrieking at each other in German. Another method of surviving Wagner is to turn off the subtitles when you watch the opera and instead try to guess what they are saying based on their facial expressions and/ or body language. Obviously, good actors will be able to portray emotion well, but I think we have established that there will be no good actors anywhere near this production, at least not the production with the day-glo couch in the woods and the umbrella-drinks on the ship in the first act. This leaves ample opportunity for you to interject: pretend that Tristan and Isolde are arguing about whose turn it is to pick the kids up from soccer practice. There are too many operas and novels and god knows what else written about forbidden love and heartbreak. What someone really needs to do is write an entire opera about two people arguing over the phone bill. I would much rather watch something like that. Unfortunately, however, the closest thing to which we can come at this point is turning off the subtitles and making up our own dialogue. So dust off . those old imaginations, kids, we're listening to Wagner tonight! 54-46, That's my number, E. McDowell Burlington . THE GADFLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 15 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-04-18 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 15 of The Gadfly. Published March 31, 2008. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.15 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/4f2c55277a99469aa52ff8db95760a4d.pdf 11207ada7019b3e3026dd8079aa03976 PDF Text Text THE GADFLY The St. John's College Student Week!JI Volume XXIX, foue 17 Annapolis, Maryland April 18, 2008 Our Playlists' "' _l\n ti-Social Sounds by Sha.nt Shahrigian '08 cial consciousness in the public eye by praising myself for being able to wear fur without any moral discomfort. Let us note, first, that Ms. Wright has not done her research. The means used to kill the "rodents" on fur farms are inhumane and abhorrent. The same goes for slaughterhouses. Hunting an animal, chasing it do"'Wn and killing it oneself for use of its meat and hide, is one thing, slaughtering animal after animal after animal within the co~-ies of an unhygienic fur or meat factory is another. Ifwe do not feel sympathy for the animals, we should at least consider the effect of such work on those who have to kill so many of th=. 'When researching for her book Slaughterhou.re, Gfill Eisnitz interviewed dozens of slaughterhouse workers from all over the country. She found that "La rue as.rourdissante autour de moi hurlait. " , -Baudelaire Earlier this s=ester, a typically groggy Saturday lunch at Randall Dining Hall was interrupted for my dining companions and me when an occasional chum along with his tray replete w'ith the morning's offerings plunked do"'Wll a palm-sized, bronze-colored but otherwise nondescript electronic device ostentatiously blaring a rap tune onto the table. That the incident was somewhat exceptional, sparking a variety of responses from those within hearing distance, remi..tJ.ded me of how commonplace the use of speakers a.."'l.d headphones has become in most other settings. And while the ever louder noise pollution from outside sources can be obnoxious, I contend that the real problem begim inside-that is, when our music devices are physically inside of us-and that our mined hearing is only the most direct way that our addiction to om personal playlists isolates, alienates us from one another. 'Why do ever more people from an ever wider range of ages and classes enjoy jamming their ears wit..~ disposable music drui.-ig every moment of do"'Wntime? Is this merely the correlate of the ever-shorter American attention span? the latest manifestation of our hyperconsumerism? I think t.11.at these oft-la.-nented social currents (like all national trends, less entrenched on our anachronistic campus than anywhere else) explain the problem in pa...-i:. But it has also occurred to me that the little vice of headphone use has its root in yet another fault, albeit only an apparent one: We keep ourselves distracted in order to combat the sin ofloneli- Natural Pity continued on pg. 5 Anti-Social continued on pg. 5 Natural Pity: On Good Taste and True Philosophy by Susan Holcomb '08 In her recent article ''Kill the Minks,"] en Wright, imagining herself a fabulously chic, upscale social butterfly, advocates wearing fur and remarks offhand that we should "screw" the "little animals" whose pelts go toward producing fur coats. My first thought upon reading the ac--ricle was, "What ever happened to natural pity?" but then I acknowledged that Ms. Wright probably would not last a nanosecond in the state of nature (to be fair, neither would I-I'd give myself three nanoseconds, tops, actually). But all program references aside, writing an article promoting the mass production of fur and the killing of animals is, if not morally wrong, at least in extremely poor taste. Even I, a g1..rl who grew up in the cattle-branding, steak-eating culture of the great state of Texas, have to say that my mama raised me better than to blatantly expose my lack of so- �THE .,_GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clarke Saylor Erica Stratton Lecture Preview This Friday, April 18 at 8:15 p.m. in the FSK auditorium, tutor Mr. Matthew Caswell will deliver a lecture entitled, "Kant on Evil and Human Nature." Mr. Caswell offers the following account of his lecture. ''What is Man? The lecture examines Kant's answer to this question by locating our particularly human nature within a taxonomy of possible rational beings. Our own distinguishing feature, Kant argues, is that we are evil by nature. The lee- ture will explore and attempt to evaluate Kant's deduction of our fallen condition, in other words, we will figure out if we are indeed evil." At 7 p.m. in the Conversation Room, the Student Committee on Instruction is sponsoring a pre-lecture seminar. The reading will be from Kant's Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone, pages 69-79 in the Cambridge University Press edition (pp 6:19-32 in the marginal pagination). Athletes of the Week Contributing to this Issue Thomas Browning Elizabeth Bw:lington Kirstie Dodd Lucinda Dukes Edinberg Susan Holcomb Paul Morrill Robert Sale Ali Schwab Shant Shahrigian Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Ga4f!y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Ga4f!y staff. The Gadfly reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thoughtprnvoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 : Mr. Myers, Mr. Shaver, Miss Saunders, & Mr. Papadopoulos THE GADFLY ............. ······································· �SPECIAL BONUS CO IC DOUBLE-FEATURE: A SERIOUS LOOK AT GENDER RELi\TIONS Would you sleep 'wiih a gin vho dldnt beiieve in evolution? What if evolution is like 811 STD, and the only>,;ayto really spread the idea is to have a lot of sex? Whal:? Of course not. Why? ) ~:Y..d~ What did you say?! ""' \ Oh right, 'cause Darwin vas just tl)ing to get laid. ) ut Wr Dude, think about it. It's scre\oling for the greater good of humanity. Ne thanks. !'d like to think my "w"an g has a c ertaln ..H.l,..."""'4~standard of enlightenment. / Hmm ... at 1 en 1gh enment is sexual!ytransmitted? You'd have a moral responsibility if you kn ev. I'm onlymorallyresponsible for the ho\ ones . J keyou kicding? i dontthinkyou guys need to vorryabout sex, period. ) ... and then Mr. Silver said "l think Racine is saying true beauty is unexpected"and then Mr. Marl<s looked up and smiled at me! \.. ~...:;i._ ) That's great, Jane. l Then! wou!d be very happyf oryou, because you would'Ve !ound someone as complelelycrazyas you are. I ........ """".-..:;;;~ HOORAY!!-.., ..................................................... THE GADFLY . 3 �Jen-Sais-Quoi: Mad Max and Me by Jennifer Wright '08 W'hen I was little I used to play a game with myself called ''how would I fare in an apocalyptic wasteland?" As a child I was really worried about the impending nuclear holocaust after one too many viewings of Mad Max movies, and took to hiding margarine jars filled with water around the house, so that we'd always have a supply of freshwater which would be uncontaminated by radiation poisoning. My mother and nanny used to ask me why I always seemed to have margarine jars full of water under my bed and I told them "sometimes I get thirsty." I didn't want to scare them. Some people arcm't prepared to know about the nuclear holocaust, emotionally. To this day, this strikes me as one of the most oddly practical preparatory actions I've ever undertaken. Unfortunately, it's not the kind of thing you can bring up at job interviews, which are another kind of apocalyptic wasteland. At one interview in particular they asked me what I considered my most practical skill. And for a moment, I drew a blank. The only thing I could think of was that I have the ability to contract all the muscles in my neck and make my head vibrate. It's super creepy, and scares children on Halloween. I ended up muttering something about how an ability to read quickly had allowed me to delve into a plethora of literary material, which they seemed to think was alright. But it made me think about my most practical skills. Here are some that don't involve margarine jars: I Can Pop A Champagne Cork Perfectly: Perfectly means the champagne doesn't spurt out everywhere, but still has a satisfying little "pop!" You wouldn't necessarily think this was a really practical skill, but you would if you had been at the party sophomore year where Peter Axer tried to open a bottle of champagne and ended up shooting the cork directly into his eye. The trick is to grab the bottle by the neck with one hand, rotate the cork counterclockwise with the other hand slowly drawing it outward. And chill the bottle beforehand. Otherwise it'll overflow anyway. I Can Always WinAt20 Questions: Because the thing I have in mind is "God" to which every answer is "maybe." Or else, whatever you feel like. For instance when people 4 ask you "is it purple?" you can authoritatively respond, ''Yes!" and then, when you've won and they say ''WTF? God isn't purple" you can stare at them blankly and say, ''I don't know what infidel religion you were raised in." People say this is not the right way to play 20 Questions. I say 20 questions is a good game to play for money. I Can Make Hats From Scratch: It's not actually that hard, provided you have the forms. The forms are big wooden blocks in the shape of a hat. You steam out a piece of felt until it's pliable, stretch it over the forms, tie in with string in strategic places (over the brim for instance) spray it with starch and then trim it. To be honest, the only all day long job that I ever felt really competent at was working a millinery shop. I Can Do Horse Calls: W'hen I was little, I spent a lot of time riding. I was terrible at it. I got distracted and fell off all the time. Usually when you fall off a horse will just take off and head back to the stables, which is irritating if you're not near the stables. As a result I learned how to whinny to make the horses return. Gather all the phlegm in the back of your throat and blow it up directly through your nose. It should feel gross and sound like "whahah-he-hehe." It works. If Allowed to Flip a Coin, I Can Always Win A Coin Toss: Just run your thumb over it quickly once it lands. The side with the tail always feels ridgy around the edge; the heads side always feels smooth. It is bizarre to me that not everyone has figured this out. People don't always let me flip the coin, especially once they know this though, so it's no guarantee. I Can Walle in High Heels: The problem is when people try to walk in them like human beings. You people - you differently walking abled people - walk all pigeon toed and funny, I think. The trick is to walk with one foot directly in front of the other at all times. Not galumph out side to side like an enormous galumphing monster, which I gather is what most of you do. I Can Recognize Frank Gehry When I See It: Oh, wait, no, I can't. Ms. Locke, why must you so cruelly illustrate my inadequacies? If Called Upon I Could Perform a Lobotomy Using Only A Ballpoint Pen In Lieu of a Leucotome I am interested/ frightened of lobotomies to such an extent that I read every book available on them. Someone was asking me what one was and I realized that I was describing the medical procedure for performing a transorbital lobotomy under extreme duress to them in easy to follow language. This made me feel 1) like I could be on Grey's Anatomy if I started talking about how I felt about my mother midway through the conversation and 2) like a terrifying mad scientist. I'm not going to tell you how to perform that kind of lobotomy; I'll just say that if you can locate a tear duct it would be pretty dii.mn easy to do. Just know that it would be unwise to become violently insane were you trapped in a room with me and a ballpoint pen. Seemingly, taking all these talents together the answer to ''how would I fare in an apocalyptic wasteland?" is "oddly." I read somewhere that you are supposed to consider all the practical talents you have when picking a job. Apparently, the proper job for me is to ride from house to house on horseback, waving a fetchingly trimmed hat in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other, and then surprising people by distributing lobotomies like candy canes. A horrible, monstrous horse-riding Santa, that's the job for me. Frankly, I bet it will make 20 questions easier to win, though. I can only hope that this information never falls into the hands of anyone I ever interview with.~ TIIB GADFLY ................................................... . �Natural Pity continued from front page every employee she spoke to had either engaged in or witnessed animal abuse first-hand. Sadly, that statistic does not surprise me. Even for those who do not find the killing of animals reprehenSlble, working in a slaughterhouse must sound like a terrible job. It is an occupation reserved for those with few other employment options, who must go to work every day to slit cows' throats, boil off chickens' feathers, and electrocute minks in any available orifice. Such work is neither fulfilling nor fun, no matter how much one hates cows or chickens or pigs or minks. Is it any surprise that after such daily employment, a human being's soul could decay so much that he or she would find pleasure sticking knives through animals' eyes or engagingin bestiality? I'm sure Ms. Wright would not advocate such behavior. I'm sure she would not think that the "old Hollywood glamour [fur] conjures up" or its ability to "[bespeak] of something subtly sensuous and bold about the wearer" justifies the simple fact that Anti-Social continued from front page ness. Just as the medieval maiden was proverbially exhorted to keep her hands busy lest they do the devil's work, the contemporary consumer keeps himself entertained lest he violate the tacit prohibition against seeming bored, unpopular, lonely. The look of preoccupation and social self- sufficiency smooshed between any given set of headphones says it all. Upon turning on the mp3 player, one is immediately cut off from his anonymous companions on the bus, elevator or street; and the move being a more or less conscious one, the music-listener conveys the distinct impression that he does not want to engage those commuters, co-workers, or pedestrians. The insular appearance of the listener, made fully visible by a blank or even disdainful look, compliments his withdrawal from the social milieu around him to signal that he does not in the least want or need the small talk or even the possibility of a life-changing relationship that it offers: Why killing numerous animals per day tends to have an awful effect on the mind of the human being doing the killing. I challenge anyone who disagrees to spend a month working in a slaughterhouse and see if he can remain a morally conscientious lover of wisdom. Still, I myself know how potent is the disjunction between what we eat and wear and our knowledge of where it comes from. It's easy to forget, when you're hungry and the dining hall is serving pizza, or you're drunk and someone offers you a hamburger, or you're cold and star-struck and salivating over that fur-lined coat in the window of Burberry, where cheese and meat and fur come from. But we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking we've bridged that gap by acknowledging, with a laugh and a toss of our hair, that "the most horrible little animals in the world" died to create the products we're buying. C'mon, now. Think aboutwhatyou're saying. The "horrible little animals" in quesare shoved into cages so small that the rodents begin mutilating themselves from lack of mobility, before they are either electrocuted via their genitalia or poisoned by exhaust fumes (which method, by the. way, is not always effective- thus a few unfortunate animals may regain consciousness while they're being skinned). Glamorous, isn't it? Fitting punishment for the rodents who wouldn't rescue little Timmy from the well, would you say? We're talking about more than simply the death of animals here. We're talking about the torture of sentient beings, both those animals destined for death and, in my opinion, those humans destined to kill them. The problem is more complicated than Ms. Wright would lead us to believe, and a real society girl should certainly know that things are rarely so simple as they appear. The subject of animal rights, like good gossip, has layers- lots of them. And conscientious thinkers, like truly fabulous, chic, upscale social butterflies, should probe those layers. Anything else would be hypocritical and distastefulnot to mention unfashionable. Fur trends ~ay come and go, but compassion and honest thinking are wearable in any season . .,..-- should I talk to you when I'm so content with myself? This illusion of social invulnerability is completed by the content of the mp3 player itself. human intercourse awakens just enough sentiment to satisfy the headphone user's need for the real thing. As a cell phone call seems to elevate a shopper above the crowd at the supermarket, so can one's favorite eclectic mix provide enough artificial companionship to compensate for interaction with the outside world. The political effects of the spread of entertainment media have been forecast by many a science fiction writer to sometimes ridiculous, sometimes horrifying effect. But on a humbler level, it seems safe to say that portable music devices and the like will increasingly separate us individuals from one another. (Lastweek,Apple announced its 100 millionth iPod sale.) If we have in fact become dependent on our entertainment machines, perhaps we can temper our use by asking why it is we are so beholden to them. I think it is because we are afraid oflooking like we are lonely, so maybe the would-be Luddite's work lies not in destruction but creationbeing receptive to strangers, daring to risk the passerby's frown, reaching out. .,..-- The diverse range of singers and choruses being channeled directly into the ears perhaps conveys the feeling that other people actually are keeping one company; and this feeble echo of . 5 THE GADFLY .. : .... . �How to Understand Sophistry, Part I by Thomas Browaing '10 The completion of 10 Mere Sophistries compels me to do the service of providing commentary. If sophistry is misunderstood, it can become a weapon in the hands of the philosophers, leading the citizens of the polity to disastrous consequences. Mr. Sale's last column was titled "Mere Sophistry X: Not Disproving Algebra Yet". The reader is immediately awakened to two components: "X" and ''.Algebra." "Mere Sophistry" has appeared in every one of the columns hitherto, and ''.Algebra" foreshadows an equation, a making-equal. The title has been provided by our sophist and is therefore the key to understanding his wisdom, since it names the wisdom provided. Let us begin with "X," for the essay ends with the word "box," the final use ofX, in the article from beginning to end. Since our attention is linked to X both in the title as 10, the perfect number, a symmetrical whole, the basis of our counting system, and in the final word of the essay, that is, throughout the whole article, we see its other half: "Not Disproving Algebra Yet". Algebra's most distinctive and most common symbol for the unknown quantity is X-and algebra is dependent on making things equal in order to solve for X. Here the unknown: quantity is wisdom, and Mr. Sale has cunningly shown us his brazen equivalency if we turn from the analysis of form to the analysis of content. The article appears in two halves. The first is a reprint of an email received from Mr. Sale's grandfather-from an aged and venerable man, from the past-concerning the future of America. This concern is premised on the argument that Muslims cannot make good American citizens. Mr. Sale condemns this argument four times, each time using a word beginning with the letter V-two letters before X in the series of the alphabet and thereby reestablishing the twoness, the symmetrical division of his essay. He asserts "It aims at nothing less than baseless suspicion of others for no reason other than their otherness." Here he is very careful in repeating "other" 6 in three different contexts, the first as the xenos, the foreigner, next as an opposition, and finally as a quality of the xenos. There is not one "other," but two-the foreigner and the opposite-and both constitute a duality between citizen/ foreigner and same/ different. Now to return to the assertion that a Muslim cannot be a good American: we remember that America is, in itself, a polis, that is, a city. A city is constituted by citizens who share in that city's sameness and are different from xenoi. But xenoi are unknown to the citizens. They are the term in the equation of political discourse that is unknown and must be solved for. To "refute" this argument, Mr. Sale creates his own argument, shifting the acquired knowledge to his own, making "a conclusion ... devoid of sense," a reduction ad absurdum. He paraphrases from the "other" discourse to make one substituting Christians for Muslims. Here we must be careful, because he omits the final paragraph of the original discourse: "If you find yourself... in agreementwith the above statements, perhaps you will share this with your friends .... the better it will be for our country and our future." This is clearly political, in the sense that it is discourse attempting to affect those surrounding the author in the polis. But Mr. Sale has written an article in a newspaper, which is political. Here the wisdom in his writing shines forth. As a possessor of wisdom, Mr. Sale is doubtless aware of the history of Islam, from the time of Mahomet to the present, and of Christianity, from the time of Christ to the present. What he knows and what he says to know are the true two halves of the article, since we have found that the article itself is not a direct reflection, due to the missing paragraph in the substituted "email." As a "knower" and "proclaimer of wisdom", Mr. Sale is aware of the current situation in Kosovo, where Christian graveyards, monasteries, and churches have been defaced and destroyed by Muslims, and of "The Two Faces of Islam" (www.fatherzakaria.net), which shows that Mahomet both historically and theologically was disposed to fight "people of the book" and did, and that Islam has its own set of laws at odds with civil law, the sharia. The question for the student of sophistry must be, then, to resolve the equation proposed by Mr. Sale to access his wisdom. The equivalency proposed, we see, is between Islam and Christianity, which, in looking at history are binarily opposed-in Kosovo, in history, in legal philosophy. Because Mr. Sale's paraphrase is also incommensurable, i.e. does not form an equation, it becomes clear that his wisdom-since he writes to keep [us] on [our] toes" in the search for wisdom-is found in the inequality of his presented argumentation. He has not disproved algebra yet; the laws of equality still apply, and unequal quantities not equal. Let us return then to view this act of sophistry as a rhetorical whole. Mr. Sale's article begins with an introduction to a letter from his grandfather, sent to him, concerning the future. Here we see three times presented, past, present, and future, and we can compare this part of the article to the past, present, and future elements oflslam, noted above. The letter itself is altered by Mr. Sale, in a one-to-one substitution, until the final paragraph, alerting the reader that the fin.al paragraph is the whole of the article, since they both represent a political function, which for Mr. Sale is the article as a whole. But his article is somehow algebraic, dependent on equivalency, which, history shows us, does not exist between the halves of the supposed equation. The wisdom, then, is that the two quantities are not equivalent. What his sophistry prepares us for politically is to not be "taken in by the dialectical argumentation of whoever it may be who tries to convince [us] of something," that is to say, to not be taken in by those in the polis who, like Sinon, use dialectic to change convention and rewrite history to spread false wisdom. ~ TIIB GADFLY ................................................... . �Mere Sophistry: You Damn Right It's Not Butter by Robert Salt: '10 Today's edition of Mere Sophistry, gentle reader, is unfortunately not going to have the bright, breezy tone that it typically does, exhorting every (even casual) eyeballer of this article to epic action or lilting with lovely consonance and alliteration. Instead, it will focus on something more somber, heavy, and perhaps even downright depressing For it is not always in a political or philosophical sphere where sophistry is seditiously slandered by its dialectical opponents; verily, I say to you that it is even in the realm of the heart where these cold, calculating castrators of contemplation would dare delve. For they would soon have it thought that something.like altruism is nothing more than an evolutionary advantage, selected for by centuries compounded by centuries of human development, leaving those who would take care of those around them in a position to escape becoming lunch for the next pas sing predator or to help provide food during an unfortunate fam- me. They would also pour their sickly honeyed potion in the ears of our youth, persuading them that, as creatures of chance and Nature, they are no more than the other animals with which they are classified in modern taxonomy. Thus the fiendish dialecticians would incline them to believe that we, as human animals, are driven by naught else but a stimulus-response network which reacts in a predictable pattern, allowing our behavior to be plotted out and used as a model for "norming" psychiatric phenomena to diagnose maladies of the mind with criteria arrived at without any alternative interpretation, as well as enabling that bastard dUld of rational dialectic thought, Economics, to claim a position as a reliable predictor of future events because it ostensibly models rational behavior on a grand scale. These malignant mountebanks of malefaction would even go so far as to invidiously insinuate, against all evidence available to eye, ear, or hand, that that most oft-bespoke of, universally revered boon to mankind, that is, love, is no more than a mere biochemical alteration of the proportions of neurotransmitters in a way that causes our consciousness (whatever they might call that, as they have not yet vivisected it into its abiotic component parts) to perceive reality in a certain way so that our rationality no longer governs our actions in a completely predictable manner. Indeed, these modem dialecticians have so wholly detached themselves from the self-evidentphenomena of everyday experience that they have mistaken the proverbial collection of Querm.r, Pinus, and Sequoia for the pristine yet sadly ephemeral landscape which they annihilate in order to print out their results. Visual beauty has become a study in symmetry, music a marupulation of mathematics, and poetry a musing upon meter, all so much so that the current practitioners of these arts have forsaken any form already analyzed ad absurdum, which only serves to further underscore the detachment of modern thought from anything that exists independently, as a whole, sans analysis. It therefore lies with sophistry and sophistry only to carry out any sort oflucid, sensible appreciation of the world around us. How else besides sophistry is one then to declare why he has decided to endow a dUldren's museum with a million of his own dollars? "What manner of honest expression is there left to him? In what meaningful way can he describe his thoughts, his desires, and his wishes for the future, asides from sophistry? Similarly, how are we to ascribe meaning to our actions if they are readily predictable? Who then but a madman can imbue his behaviors with significance beyond simple data crunched by a machine? If we can say truly that all of a man's acts are within the puissance of natural, non-self-origlnated causes, and if it is valuable to speak truly, whence arises value of anything else? Why value a certain combination of cranial choline derivatives over another? Why value painstaking representations ofnatural beauty over the cplor blue? Or consonance over cacophony? What is the use of talking about usefulness when there is no such thing as use? The sophists are the sane who remain. They know what it is to know and will let you know when it is necessary to know. They mean not to be mean when discussing the mean between being and meaning. They are for you and against who you will become because they know it's not that you mean to become who you will be, not because they're mean and they know it Because, by George, they live and they love and they fight and they bleed and they eat and they drink and they laugh and they cry and they hate and they die. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and they don't care who knows it because at the end of the day, it's the sophists who know how to live with authority, and nobody else can live without it~ HE'G~, l F0R.C.0T <4MICH G<J.bBBC.-VMUliTION COMJES~ by Paul Morrill '10 . 7 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Arts Gratia Artis by Lucinda Dukes Edinberg Bravo to Ms. Dodd, ''Dodd on the Quad: gram, Barr was very active in seeking copies of truth, beauty and goodness. What is original Ars Gratia Artis" from the previous issue of artworks, as well as exhibition loans from ma- and imitation? (Besides, if you really want to The Ga4f!y. While it is true that "the Program jor museums. These included letters of inquiry get picky, Socrates didn't write this stuff down does (not:hlng) to educate Johnnies about vi- written in 1940 to the Museum of Modem himself-you have Plato and Xenophon to sual art," the college fills the gap with many Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the thank. But what if they didn't get it right?) So opportunities and The :Mitchell Gallery is part National Gallery of Art, The Library of Con- while Socrates was off corrupting the youth, of that option. The :Mitchell Gallery is a gift to gress, and many other lending institutions. Barr the artists and craftsmen were busy building the community, initially from the late Mrs. also applied for membership to the College the "School of Athens" (bad pun here, with Elizabeth Myers :Mitchell, but also from the Art Association. Additionally, in 1966, the col- apologies to Raphael) and all of those lovely commitment of St. John's College, with addi- lege received a $5000 grant to purchase art books temples, government buildings, mosaics, and tional support from the Annapolis commu- for the hbrary and advice was sought from the oratory and senate galleries. It's not as if Socrates ·Library of Congress. At one time the SJC li- was always preaching off of some hot rocky nity. The :Mitchell Gallery does feature world class brary maintained a set of art prints, "about hillside in Greece. I think the point that struck me most with artists. In case you do not know this or didn't four-fifths of the 300 prints are in students' get it on your orientation tour, The :Mitchell room on their walls at almost all times," as Ms. Dodd's article was this: When did Johnnies Gallery is the only climate-controlled museum taken from a letter written by SJ C librarian decide that Socrates was the one and onjy definiti;ve authority of the value of the visual arts? space in Anne Arundel County. We borrow Charlotte Fletcher. our exhlbitions from other institutions-both That said, it is interesting to me to see so When did the Johnnies decide there was only major museums and college/university mu- many students deny themselves of the visual one point of view on anyt:hlng? Did I miss seum galleries. Some of our exhibitions relate arts. I teach Aesthetics in a Philosophy Depart- somet:hlng here? What happened to Kant's directly to the program, as in 'The Sweet Uses ment elsewhere and know well the referenced From Critique of Judgment, David Hume's OJ of Adversity: Images of the Book of Job," Book X ofThe Republic, as I also use that read- the Standard of Taste? What about Hegel's sys''The Book of Kings: Art, War and the Mor- ing as one of the points of view with regard to temization that sought to describe all that could be thought; literally everyt:hlng gan Library's Medieval Picture would be placed in relation to evBible," and "Exotica: Plant Porerytliing else-11 form called philotraits from Around the World." sophical idealism? Hegel says Some exhibitions include artists THE (don't groan too loudly here) that inspired by a philosopher such as the totality of worlds include both Spinoza's influence on 20th cenMITCHELL things and ideas, minds and obtury sculptor Ben-Zion, while GALLERY others are entirely unrelated to the jects. So, cast the sirens aside and program but have their value in march yourself over to the :Mitchell altemative ways. Gallery as soon as you are able. Say The visual arts are not included ''Dodd on the Quad sent me," in the program for many reasons, ''Mother May I?" or you "need to but in the beginning of the New The St. John's College speak to Lucinda," ifyou need perProgram, a querywas directed to Community Art Exhibition mission. Support your fellow then St.John's College President, Johnnies in their four-year odysOpening Reception Stringfellow Barr: "St. John's is sey here. Who knows? You might not concemed with creative work get suitors you don't want to fight or with the fine arts." Mr. Barr's 25, 2008 off You can start with the Robert reply was, "St. John's is deeply Motherwell-Jasper Johns exhibition concemed about the fine arts, but 6:00-8:00 (but hurry 'cuz it closes Friday it is quite true that it has made night, April 18th) and follow up really effective educational use of with the St. John} College Commuonly one of them: music. It would Light refreshments nity Art Exhibition. Quoting welcome a good solution by Music provided by Plotinus from Ennead One, Sixth which other fine arts might supTractate: On Beauty, "Beauty is, for ply the liberal arts. It has not to THE SOUL MINERS the most part, in what is seen, but date found such a solution ... " is also in what is heard ....." Bring Interestingly, since the visual on thecleba:eklr arts were not included in the pro- •• •• With Pride and Pleasure Announcing Friday, April p.m. 8 : T:tIE GADFLY ................................................... . �Dodd on the Quad: The ''Real Olympics'' by Kirstie Dodd '10 With the Beijing Summer Olympics quickly approaching in August, I have a hard time figuring out the point of international sporting events. It se=.s like on one hand, the Olympics are about corralling the countries of the world (or at least the ones that are not boycotting the games or too busy with genocide campaigns) under one global banner of five interlocked., colored rings. I wonder if this desire for "World Peace" is simply a delusional beauty queen sentiment that can never be achieved except in some sports arena removed from all ties in reality. But we love our delusions, and for a few weeks we will be glued to the television, singing "It's a Small World" while making sure our rose-colored glasses don't fall off our noses duri..1.g the games. Tnere is a different side to the Olympics, however, the side where everyone gets a frightening dose of jingoism. T'nis is where real politics and culture breed artificial athletic rivalries. The desire to stand the highest on a tiny platform, to get a golden hunk of metal hung around one's neck and to hear the tune of one's own national anthem surge forth within the competi1ive breast of every athlete. "World peace" tums into a competitive spirit to honor one's country. We ""Will get to see these opposing Olympian viewpoints play out this August in Beijing. It has been a long silk road for China in preparation for these Olympics. The joumey began in 2001, when theIOCnamedBeijingas the Olympics sight for the summer games of 2008. I remember watching t..h.ousands of smiling Chinese citizens on television, waving deep red flags with yellow st.ars and yelling "Olympics!" at the top of their lu..1.gs. Seven years and a staggering $40 billion later, China is finally realizing her dream of hosting the prestigious, international sporting event. It has not been easy, though. China has caught flack for a panoply ofissues: environmental problems caused by heavy smog from burgeoning industries that could be detrimental to athletes' breathing, the awful (but l>..ilarious) English translations of Chinese transit signs and products, and the serious concern of human rights activists about the political unrest brewing in Tibet from a persistent, unjust Chi..'lese occupation. For months, the press has been making dangerous intonations about Chinese Olympic ambition, comparing their desire to show the world their recent gush of semi-Capitalistic prosperity with another country's political use of the Olym- pies: Germany and Hitler's infamous Berlin games of 1936. He used the worldwide sporting event to broadcast Nazi propaganda and hegemony, directing the world away from athletics and towards authoritarianism. This connection between China and Germany is not unwarranted, though, especially when one considers the Chinese government's invisible iron fist clutching rightly to the press and the internet Though the economy is booming, the government is still technically Communist. There is something ironic, almost sickening about those five interlocked, colored circles-supposed symbols of intemationalharmony-hungup in Tiananmen Square below the image of Mao Zedong, a place and a man that have come to symbolize brutal bloodshed all in the name of the People's Republic of China As I was thinklng about Beijing and the Olympics, I started to wonder about our own campus. Why don't we have the chance for laurelled victory at St. John's? We often preface a defense of our unconventional education with, "If it was good enough for the Greeks, then it's good enough for us." Why don't we apply that to the Grecian "sound-mind-sound-body principle" and have our own Olympic games? I have not been the only person to ask these questions. In truth, there was a rime when we here at our hallowed bebricked campus would croVJn victory to those who won athletic honor. These were the St John's version of the Olympics, called the "Real Olympics," an event that used to take place during Reality, though it has been at least a decade since our back campus has seen anyrJil.<ig like this. One of the vestiges left . over is Spartan Madball, a highly anticipated event of Reality. For you fresh..m.an, it is a game where if you leave with both clavicles intact, then you can consider yourself successful.. I know I'm not the only one who thinks lolling outside in the hot sun for days on end, motoring through hangovers from the night before with more alcohol, feeling the grime of many parties' buildup on one's body, and desiring above all to tiike a long, uninterrupted nap is counterproductive,. and frankly, kind of boring. If we hosted a new Real Olympics, it would give all of those restless drunk people something to channel their energy into. The stories of the Real Olympics from days of yore are astonishing. :Mr. Winfrey Smith, a former tutor here at St John's who died in 1991, used to kick off the weekend with an invocation he wrote in Greek. Based on the events they chose on any given year, some of them included: Epicycle Races: This was based on Ptolemy's Almagest There were many variations, but one version had one person was designated "earth" and stood still in the center, "While a rope was tied to him/her and the person on the other end was designated the "sun." Multiple teams would compete by racing around the earth; the first one to finish the required rot.ations won the gold. Thucydides Toss: The objective was exactly what the name suggests: throw the Great Book as far as possible. This sounds like a greatway for anyone to let out any pent-up aggression against the arduous hours spent reading about the Peloponnesian War freshman year. You'Unever get those hours of your life back, but at least you can throw. Sisyphus Race: A clever variation on the famous mythological figure, this was a race to see who could roll a light ball up the hill between the upper and lower fields on back campus with his/ her nose. First to get to the top, without the ball rolling back do'W!l again, won. Battle of Salamis: This game was impressive. According to Leo Pickens, the Juniors would, "Drop a greased watermelon" into College Creek. People would then float out in water contraptions of their own design and go after the watermelon. There were epic battles on the docks over the slippery fruit prize, but I'm sure it was hilarious to see people falling out of their boats in the inexorable quest for glory on t.he water. Then there were ot.lie_-r less athletic events :associated with the Real Olympics, such as the Sophistry Contest ala Lincoln-Douglas debating method. There are stories about human chess games being played on the Quad, the Reality Parade down the middle ofMafil Street, and the drag ball costumes. Reality used to be about activity, not just alcohol, though there was plenty of that there as well (I've heard a rumor about a beer truck parked on campus for the-whole week). I hope the ju..'liors this year use their total Reality totalitarianism and turn the Quad into Ti.ananmen Square so I can rise above my peers as the best watermelon grabber, or sun-circler, or whatever other weird game can be derived creatively from the Program. If not this year, then next year I intend on bringing the Real Olympics back to campus. Just start calling me ''l\1ao."~ : 9 THE GADFLY ....... . �Senior Prank '08 10 . · · · · · : · · Trm GADFLY · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · �Photos by Erica Stratton '08 : 11 ..................................................... THE GADFLY ....... . �\ THE GADFLY 'I St. John's College P. 0. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 I Dear Alizabeth: Airborne and the "Brown Stuff" by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEARAuZABETH, I've caught the Campus Plague and I need to get better beforeCroquet. 'What do you suggest I do? Sincerely, Sick and Possibfy Tired as Well ***** Dear Si~ You poor thing! Tbis is actually kind of a poser. Campus Plague is a strange and unique bacterium (or is it a virus?) that thrives on the uniquely fertile wood-and-grime medium of McDowell Hall stairway railings. As far as we can tell it has no obedience to Mendelian or Darwinian laws. It invents new things to do to your sinuses out of pure spite, and it doesn't like your interpretation of Aristophanes. Some people regard the cure to be a fizzy substance called.Airbome. I can't say scientifically whether this stuff is good for you or not, let alone good for a cold. The main ingredient, lots and lots of Vitamin C, is most certainly not universally trusted by doctors as a cold remedy, though some studies support it. Zinc's in there too, and it is trusted a little more, though its effects on a cold are little understood. But something in there (maybe it's the third ingredient, Placebo) makes you feel pretty good. I ritualistically march down to CVS and buy it when I get sick. If you don't go for that kind of thing, there's traditional medicine approved by the FDA, which is targeted at symptoms rather than your immune system. Ho hum. Then there's stuff that can't but help you get better, like eating a wide variety of nutritious foods and downing big bottles of water. Don't forget your lotiony tissues. Mmmmm, fluffy. Speaking as a singer who goes into panic mode before major performances and somehow (maybe as a result of the panic) often manages to contract colds, there are things you 12 : TH:E can do that temporarily relieve cold symptoms. Lots and lots of steam. A shower works. Drinking tea helps a little. Mint tea is especially agreeable at times like this. Bring a big ol' thermos of it with you to croquet, iced if it's too hot out. I got my colleague addicted to this awhile back. So there you go. Feel better, pumpkin. A Schwab ***** Dear Tired as Well, Back where I come from (which is Central Pennsylvania, if anyone actually cares) we have a certain way of getting over our little aches and pains. Though hundreds of people have used it for hundreds of years it has only recently acquired a proper name. In the Burlington Family we like to call it ''Beat Th.at Plague atits Own Game." There is nothing more irritating than reverse psychology and this is especially true when it comes to things like illness and annoying ex-boyfriends. But exes aside, I wholeheartedly believe that the best thing to do when you're sick is to act like you're not sick. I just recently got over the plague, and it was no small plague either. Tbis was one of those ear-stopping, stomach-churning, lay-inbed-all-day-and-cry-for-death kind of things. Incapacitating headaches, neck pain from lying in bed for hours praying for it to stop. But I got over it. How? By playing sports and throwing caution to the wind. There is nothing that the plague wants more than for you to be locked up in a dark room all afternoon, missing the sunshine that finally decided that it wanted to show up. In addition to making you physically miserable, illness is designed to alienate you from your peers. I say nay! As long as you don't sneeze on anyone or spit into their N algenes I cannot think of a single reason why you cannot go out and socialize with the masses. This includes running up and down the soccer field for an hour and a half straight shouting into the air and falling headfirst into the freshly mowed grass while the ref is too busy bantering with his nongirlfriend to notice you are offsides. It's a wonderful experience and being sick will only make you miss it. But aside from that, there is one thing that I do agree with Miss Schwab on and that is tea. Tea. She's got me hooked on the "brown stuff" as I call it It is good. The kind she gave me is the best thing I have ever tasted in my life. Plus I think it is the only thing I have ever ingested that is not bad for me in one way or another. So drink tea and play soccer. Or at least go outside. Hooked on the "Brown Stu.ff" since '07, E. McDowell Burlington GADFLY ................................................... . Pl~se sendy(_)ur, , ~ro~tafn Predic~1ll'ent5. to.Elizabeth f{udinRl~n \o~ Ali.Sch~at}:;.i\·; . vi~··cd!11~t1s'·J\\~il:,. ·. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 17 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-05-02 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 17 of The Gadfly. Published April 18, 2008. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.17 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/87e33ee71e16943febd85fc1f8a36ac5.pdf b032e385b99f6bb3708568d7aa7d2191 PDF Text Text THE GADFLY Annapolis, Maryland The St. John's College Student Weekfy Volume XXIX, Issue 18 MCfY 2, 2008 Should There Be a Draft? by Shant Shahrigian '08 Georgia's tradition of liberal education to strengthen its young democracy. Our Johnnies will share the experience of our classical liberal arts program and demonstrate our style of learning to aid this new college's development. The student group that started this effort to help calls themselves OLEG: the Organization for Liberal Education in Georgia. This summer six students and two tutors fly to Georgia to have seminars with students and tutors there to show them how we do it: Nini Aduashvili ('11) and Noel Brockett ('09) (cofounders of OLEG), Mr. Lacey, Ms. Printz, Sam Fanthorpe ('11), Sam Gespass ('09), Acacia Pappas ('11), and Vincent Tavani ('11). A FEW \¥EEKS BACK, about three, and at the football stadium as many blocks away from our campus, presumptive Republican presidential nominee J oho McCain gave an eloquent, self-deprecating and rather stirring speech exhorting citizens to perform public service. While explicit reference to the military variety was confined to a single sentence- "! hope more Americans would consider enlisting in our Armed Forces"- the setting and its connection to McCain, a former midshipman, suggested the importance he has attributed to expanding the beleaguered military on other occasions. His calls to increase the armed forces by tens of thousands of members complement a recent, long-term order by the current president for the very same; but with recruitment in the Army and its cousins perpetually beneath even their current goals, it seems well to ask: Should there be a draft? The question is posed in regard to both civic responsibility in general and to the predicaments in Iraq and Afghanistan in particular; and with an eye to the additional question of how militant or pacifistic US. foreign policy should be in the years to come. All of which is to say, beyond the scope of a college newspaper article. But toward resolving such issues, I propose that a military draft has the advantage of boosting the likelihood of success, however nebulous a concept that may still be, in our current conflicts. On the other hand, a draft has the disadvantage of pushing the United State and the rest of the world further toward the retrogressive, contentious, and unhumanitarian state of foreign affairs initiated by the Bush administration. If these two factors could be reconciled, I think we might be able to advance beyond our current defeatist OLEG continued on Page 6 Draft continued on Page 4 Organization for Liberal Education in Georgia Bringing Liberal Education to Georgia by Vincent Tavani '11 INTRODUCING HERSELF IN HER EXOTIC AC- as a freshman at the beginning of the year, Nini Aduashvili always got funny looks when she said she was from Georgia. No, not the state, she told people, but the country, one a lot older than most civilizations. Bordering Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Black Sea, the once-Soviet country is now a democracy but is still facing many obstacles from the cultural and ideological remnants of co=unism. Now, what can a group of Johnnies do to help? Why, help the founding of a sister school! Named after a 12th c. Georgian school of the liberal arts, New Gelati Academy is not technically affiliated with us yet. However, its curriculum is modeled after our own Great Books program in hopes of reviving CENT �LETTERS THE .-GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Assistant Editors Chris Thrun Babak Zarin Managing Editor Kat Shears Literary Editor Ma:ck F. McClay Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Contributing to this Issue Elizabeth Burlington Kirstie Dodd Robert Sale Ali Schwab Shant Shahrigian Vincent Tavani Jennifer Wright Founded in 1980, The Gadf!y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Boa:cd of Visitors and Governors, and the offices at the St. John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within a:ce the the sole responSlbility of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of The Gadf!y staff. The Ga4f!y :reserves the right to accept, reject, and edit submissions in any way necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St. John's permit. Letters of 200 words or fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited for gramma:c, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Ga4f!y is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. Yearly subscriptions a:ce available for $30.00. Tax-deductible contributions a:ce greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to The Ga4f!y. The deadline for submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission for a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long as they a:ce legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions a:ce greatly preferred. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 A Letter From the Editor As you may or may not have no- noon so you will have plenty of time ticed, the end of the year is fast upon to sober up before you put pen to paus. This means a lot of things, but per or fingers to keyboard. This next most importantly it means the last issue of the Gacif!y will also be my last, issue of the Gacif!y is fast approach- and do you really want my last issue to ing. Next week's issue will be the be pitiful? So send it in, kids, last, and for those of you graduat- gadfly@sjca.edu or ing, transferring, or giving up on this emburlington@sjca.edu. It would be school this is your VERY LAST op- a crying shame for your collective geportunity to submit anything to us. nius to go unnoticed in such a prestiSo send me your musings, your opin- gious public forum. So write something ions, your comics, and your well- and send it to me. You will be glad you meaning attempts to better society did. through your writing. And just beE. McDowell Burlington cause I am a nice person, I will Editor-in-Chief move the deadline to Monday at ~( )r ;~: dk,. ., .{>, •. >i. lu,' . ,J{~'~ ,,)ti;;;;,l'f•x :ii ·:J:'ij}11~Y> ·:~ !~;~;::;; . fr. ::~ .. t:t '}i. nf:i ·~;~ Ca!J.-111 is's<:lieduledforthew'eek·'.1fl~4rpr lost book fee5: youmaydIBcko~/renewup • .T:! y: . . .· .A$ril~~lh_..~51h. Moriday,May5~i~~·~''.· to threebooks. tlle'~t·~ay.o~Call-In.. This, mearis thilt ·\ ••. . For students who are grad~tlQg. trans.; 1 all. bo?kS iri.~::~tller Library materials ·.· m~tbeb~~'byclosingiim:e (7:30pm) onM~iitiaY,May.5~;~yonewithli...,. . ' •.... . .. ·. .. ·ferring. or witlldrawing from the College, . these items will be due at9:30 AM Fri- . dayMay~.\'' §{·~~t .. . ..•.. ·. .(.• ' on :':. . . ~· ·. . ?••f .. . brarymaterialsstilloutaftertbis 4feadFora retu.mingstudent (retumirig in Fall J .lin~ will be c~gea ·~fee of $10;0(lper . 2008), re!lewedit~~~notbe.d~e "Wltilthe . item. You may 'retum your items .at:l11Y. ... end oftll~ Fill 2008 C~-In, :;•• jf\i·~ .•;; · ,• ;tirrebajnniJYJAJlil28\anllitisid~ed::" ,, Non-retuming students, tiansf;iii~ stu-: .·to begin ~kberitJ.-0rder.t9 irv~hll~g ~es. . •.· Refii,;,l must be ;n.~a~ directly to tlle cit:t:cliJioJidesk Do 1l~~attem±>t to retum yo~;bpok~tl11;m1gh c~usmail. ·Do not get shiii:e911e'els~ to re~yo~ books for you' tJ;.~ resp511sibilitf will her yours 1f yo'~ fiikd'.doek't follow through] ··Ren·.· ·~~fCh~clrout1P"\\>i ,,.. · •· · · · ·~' .:,.~v;, , ·· .,, a1l'b~y~rititemskv~:b~re2-;: · d~t~, and graduaring students cM! .chhl out , thre.e ]J~oks during Call-In we~'faft& mm.: . ple1lng~~ Gall-In, but tllese itefo~ must he , retum~ F1.i~yMay 91h by 9:30 A.M. Ifyoµ,; fail !cti#nyouritems, youi.rlipl~ iii:ayhi ; to ~tbheldi~' "';'; '· . ' /'. ' ~~::i~: ~t ·~~~I~ ~, . . ·.. .Once ;y If y{)uha~~ 'question~please drop b~ . th.elibrn1V.· an ':"C eak. withm.~.···.: ... 'a~. · ·· +·:·:t~:t~.__.~ - . . . .'.·;· ~--:;; ·· ·· ".·~:~;.~,,· . Sincerely,··151,:.:. ·0r. :;.· ·:·; ·. j;~:, THE GADFLY···················································· v �DC Minutes: April 23 ·Meeting called to order at 11 :50 Discussion of SCI officer elections; Clint Richardson and Pavlos Papadopoulos running for co-Chairs, Megan Field running for Secretary. -Delegates pose questions to Ms. Field. -Mr. Papadopoulos and Mr. Richardson not present, discussion held until they arrive. Discussion of emergency budgeting, Delegate Council's current balance near $1,800.00, but figure uncertain due to outstanding checks. -Sailing Team, Archon Pavlos Papadopoulos present. Balance forward $16.79, requesting $547.16 for new equipment and intramural regatta party. Mr. Lewkow moves to allocate $547.16 to the Sailing Team, contingent upon availability of funds. Mr. Donahoe seconds, motion passes. - St John's Chorus, Archon Daniel Wheatley present. Balance forward $0.00, requesting $200.00 for postconcert party. Ms. Andrews moves to allocate $200.00 to the St. John's Chorus, contingent upon availability of funds. Ms. Frazier seconds, motion passes. -Students for a Sustainable Future, Archon David Bronstein present. Balance forward $0.00, requesting $888.54 for composting equipment and end-of-year party. Ms. Hauspurg mov es to allocate $888.54 to SF2 , contingent upon availability of funds. Mr. Lewkow seconds, motion passes. Return to Discussion of SCI elections, both candidates for co-Chair now present. -Delegates pose questions to Mr. Papadopoulos. -Delegates and Mr. Richardson. -Round-table vote on candidates; Mr. Richardson and Mr. Papadopoulos elected co-Chairs, Ms. Field elected Secretary. Discussion of charter revision for SCI. - Ms. Andrews moves to approve the SCI's revised charter, Ms. Deaton seconds. ·Meeting adjourned at 12:30 p.m. ·r milk,You'll Have . ome Free Time Next Year? . S iiJ/ikingf(O 'dq. ~JfuetJiiflgprqductive with yo~ afternoons? .z ''.•' . '·/:.<;> .? ,.,,,,...··.;·-·. ' ' A bruicn.bfus seniors have ~speht the past three years' helping .fu'.inapolis students with their homework at .a community .c;enter a bloek away fr?1Il campus. If you have any free time during the week in the afternoons, you .. ' · .shcmld stop by or call the center: The Stanton Center . · Trad~r .(Recre~ti~n & Parks Dii:ector) 410-263-7966 . rPr11"Pr is beyond nice. Thisis .a great chance to give som~thing back.to .th .· · Arinapolis community. . Gogden via campus email i£ you have any questions about the center, how to get there, .o r how the homew~rk dub wol:ks. . 3 THE GADFLY .. : ... .. �Draft continued from Front Page attitude toward military matters and make progress in other areas of international politics. To reiterate why conscription- so odious to the American mind ever since the Vietnam War era- is not an impossibility today: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has openly said that the 30,000 members of the armed forces in Afghanistan have been too few to adequately perform their duties there; and the roughly 160,000 enlistees in Iraq are so overtaxed that the Anny has been allowing ex-cons to join and fight (a fact recently noted in The New Yorke!). Further, a January 2007 order by President Bush to expand the size of the Anny by almost 7 5,000 soldiers remains on the table even while last summer's "surge" of ground forces in Iraq abates at Congress' behest. An increase in forces would greatly strengthen the U.S. position in the conflicts overseas. The summer surge in Iraq brought about concrete success in the military, if not political, sphere (Iraq's insurgency weakened, its internal intrigues still broiling); and this suggests that the maintenance of a strong U.S. military presence in the foreign land can ensure the minimum level of safety needed for a clear idea of ultimate success to come into focus . The occupation has been rightly criticized (even if often in the service of demagoguery) for lacking an ultimate goal, but I think that the invasion and its murderous aftermath obligate us to see Iraq to a lasting peace. General George Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq as well as the war's most glamorous spokesman, has characterized the recent progress there as "fragile and reversible." The kind of scheduled troop withdrawal petulantly called for by former supporters of the war in Congress threatens to shatter the balance; but additional deployments could force the last military opposition in Iraq into permanent abeyance and mend long-neglected problems with the Iraqi infrastructure. The prospect of forcing ordinary citizens to participate in the effort as opposed to simply demanding longer and more frequent tours of duty from voluntary forces tests our commitment to the war. As suggested by the rather limited increase in military enlistment after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, outside of its immediate impact that tragedy did not represent a direct threat to America. Absent the most compelling reason for conscription- immediate danger to kith and kin- why should young, out-of-school Americans be compelled to risk their lives in a desert almost a dozen time zones away? I feel that the astonishing death toll of at least 82,000 that we have inflicted on the innocent people there (see www.iraqbodycount.net) obligates us to restore safety to those who w.ill survive. Our selfinterest demands it as well. Continuing decades of a capricious foreign policy that abandons foreign wars at the first signs of failure would undermine America's standing as a bastion of liberal democracy, lowering standards of conduct in war and peace the world over. McCain and others like him may be propagandizing when they cast military service in a noble light, but I still think that such sacrifice would improve the situation in Iraq (Afghanistan will have to wait for another article) and possibly preserve America's status as a leader of democratic values. On the other hand, a draft also poses the risk of creating excessive militancy in generalnot just affirming America's commitment to its overseas enterprises, but also lending a warlike tint to all foreign affairs. Once grown, the armed forces could eventually metastasize and enter regions where they do not belong. The Department of Defense says it already has almost 1.5 million enlistees (a figure that excludes the countless contractors the Bush administration is seemingly beholden to) and expanding this little nation of warriors could, among other things, give it more of a role in policy decisions. A draft could also have the same kind of effect on international relations that President Bush's sinister pursuit of a missile defense shield has had: Allies would become more disturbed and neutral countries more distrustful, and an adversarial aspect would further infiltrate all international relations. The military growth envisioned by Bush and McCain seems capable of sending the entire world back to a Cold War mentality. Is there a way to reconcile the strategic advantages of a draft- a painful prospect in any situation- with the setbacks conscription poses to the overall state of foreign affairs? Hard as it is to generalize about either side of this equation, an increase in armed forces would present a very tangible reality with far-reaching consequences. Perhaps a renewed military effort in Iraq and elsewhere could be tempered by using more progressive methods of dealing with foreign threats. Maintain a high level of troops, but don't order them to torture prisoners. Persecute militant Islamist factions, but earnestly seek to reintegrate mainstream Islam into the international community. I hope that peace will become a major priority for the United States once again. But in the mean time, I w.ill keep an eye out for notices from my hometown draft board. 4!lr Our Man in Iraq: An Interview With Jordan Gusky by Shant Shahrigian '08 WnH JORDAN GusKY'.l' DEPARTUREfor military service and Iraq more than two years ago, the St. John} campus lost one of its most distinctive figures. Instead of the quad, his gauntframe with trademark cigarette tilting out of the corner of his mouth went on to cast its shadow on the sands of Wasit province just over 100 miles southeast ofBaghdad. Specia/ist Gusky served there from August 2006 to November 200 7, and is scheduledfor a second tour in Iraq starting in earfy 2009. On April 23, the former member of the class of 2008 updated The Gadfly on his latest thoughts and activities ry phonefrom Fort Hood, Texas. 4 : The Gadfly: Why did you decide to enlist in the Army? Mr. Gusky: ''I reallywasn'tfeelingthewhole academia thing at all. I don't think I ever will again. I didn't want to be working odd jobs and that kind of thing. There's a very proud tradition of military service in my family, and it seemed like something kind of cool to do for a few years." The Gadfly: Did a sense of patriotism or duty motivate you? Mr. Gusky: "Not so much. I would say [I did not have] any silly illusion of patriotism or duty. I would say more I was looking for adventure, a life experience. Plus I wanted to see what was going on in Iraq myself. [... ] I was interested in politics slightly, interested in all things military since I was a boy. I wanted to see what the real scoop is." The Gadfly: Did you find the real scoop? Mr. Gusky: ''Kind of. Not anything that happens at the really high level. The day-today, what happen there----definitely." THE GADFLY ..... · ·· ·· ·· · · · ····· · ···· · ··················· ...... . Gusky continued on Page 5 �Gusky continued from page 4 The Gadfly. What are the first things that come to mind when you recall your time in Iraq? Mr. Gusky: ''It was surprisingly boring. It wasn't really like a war at all. Definitely not like the movies." The Gadfly: What was your day-to-day situation like? Mr. Gusky: "I lived in a kind of bungalow. It was a pretty high standard of living compared to most military staff in Iraq. I lived on a Polish-run base on an American Special Forces compound in that space, which was a block of ten small, two- or three-bedroom houses. It was originally Iraqi Air Force housing." The Gadfly: What kind of interaction did you have with people there? Mr. Gusky: "Our compound had a . Kurdish guard. We had about twenty of those guys who worked at night. I hung out with them a lot. I'd go over to their compound and eat a big meal with them, drink a lot of tea, smoke a lot of hookah. . .. Use the thirty or so words of English and Arabic between us. But those weren't really local guys." The Gadfly: Whatkind of work did you do? Mr. Gusky: ''We'd go out into the town. [...] We'd go out and basically talk to [Iraqi locals] . They were, at least to our faces, pretty nice to us and pretty receptive. [.. .] It's like stateside detective work, basically. You have a network of snitches you can talk to, and you go out to town and basically develop more snitches. [...] I was providing security for the intelligence guys." The Gadfly: How dangerous was the area you were in, and how dangerous was your work? Mr. Gusky: ''I saw a few weeks ago in the BBC there was a pretty big engagement in AlKut [the main city in Wasit province]; there were at least tens of enemies killed. It's a predominantly Shia area. The big influences there are the Madhi Army and the Badr Corps, with a lot of Iranian influence there, too. [. . .]We wouldn't go into the really nasty areas of town. There were a few parts of town where people would definitely shoot at you. [.. .]There's a lot of extrajudicial shootings, killings and that kind of thing. We were engaged a couple of times. One IED [lmprovised explosive de- vice] attack, followed by small arms; and one with just small arms." The Gadfly: Could you describe one of those incidents? Mr. Gusky: ''We'll call this one, quote-unquote, The Battle of Al-Hayy.' Weweregoing down to this medium-sized city, you could call it. [...] On the way to the city, people seemed pretty normal and waved to us. Just before the entrance to the city, an IED was detonated. It was on the right side of the road, about fifteen feet behind the front truck and about 60, 70 feet in front of my truck. I'm the main gunner on this Humvee [.. .] I'm just riding along and this fairly large explosion goes off in my face, so I immediately of course start looking for someone to shoot. [...]In my immediate area there were no threats. [Ibe rear gunner on Gusky's Humvee] starts taking fire on the right side, and several individuals come out of a house. He just shot 'em all up. "We went past the city, assessed [and] turned around and hauled ass on the road. When we passed the location where we first took fire we took a few pot-shots and returned fire; it was basically a drive-by. "The whole battle lasted about thirty seconds. The only main damage was a shattered rear-view window and some shook-up soldiers in the front truck, who were pretty close." The Gadfly: What was your reaction to the fight? Mr. Gusky: 'That was one of the few times in Iraq thatI actually feared for my life. [...] Have you ever narrowly avoided being in a car wreck? Take that and multiply it by maybe five or six. It was totally unexpected. [. ..] It's just another day on the job and you don't expect anything to happen. Then just, boom, right in your face. It's kind of terrifying. The first maybe 10 or 15 seconds a lot of the guys are terrified. A lot of times there's a second device, so we were thinking, 'Is there gonna be another one? is there gonna be another one?' ''I smoked about a pack of cigarettes on the road home, and then slept for six hours." The Gadfly: Have you thought about the experience very often since? Mr. Gusky: ''Now and again, not like PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] or anything. It was definitely extremely light as far as contact with the enemy can go. The Gadfly: How did the language situation go for you? Mr. Gusky: "Well enough. We could converse about the subjects that all soldiers talk about, namely, home, women and guns. They [the Kurdish troops stationed in Wasit province] were really friendly guys and very interested about America." The Gadfly: Did you learn anything from the Kurdish troops or from the Iraqis themselves? Mr. Gusky: 'They're just like regular people anywhere else. They have different languages and customs, but they're just like regular people. "People there when they get together are a lot less reserved than I'd say Americans are. They're the best hosts I've ever had. You couldn't leave the house without drinking a f***ing gallon of tea. These guys make maybe 500 bucks a month, but you'd always leave with some little gift." The Gadfly: Would you say St. John's helped shape your attitude while overseas at all? Mr. Gusky: "Maybe just the being a little more educated and a little more open. [...] Not everybody in the Army's really dumb, as you might think if you're an educated person." The Gadfly: If you are stationed in a more intense area when you return to Iraq, do you expect to change or become hardened? Mr. Gusky: ''Maybe a little hardened, maybe a little meaner all around, but not all the time. In my experience, small inconveniences and aggravations don't bother me as much."'!lr' . 5 T HE GADFLY .. : .. .. . �OLEG continued fro:m Front Page The principal goal of OLEG is to assist in the establishment of New Gelati Academy, the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, at Grigol Robakidze University in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. New Gelati Academy is designed to be a classic liberal arts baccalaureate program whose aim, according to the curriculum, is "to equip students for a life as free, active, and prosperous citizens." The liberal arts were historically the cornerstone of education in Georgia, like in many other countries, but what the liberal arts are and what it means to participate and engage liberally in the arts and sciences has been lost. Now, as an ancient country in her democratic infancy, there has emerged not only the desire to inquire into the nature and goals of education but also a desire to live in a country that cultivates intellectually autonomous citizens so that the country might itself prosper. Although the desire to transform the educational system and return to its tradition of liberal arts education is prevalent in Georgia, the uncertainties about both the nature of the transformation and the now unfamiliar style of education has made the establishment of a liberal arts academy such as New Gelati difficult. And so, OLEG was formed to give what we can to this academy. Our participation in the seminars and tutorials will exhibit our way of inquiry and give the New Gelati a foot up in its climb towards becoming a functioning liberal arts college. Although the official language of Georgia is Georgian, the classes and books will be in English, so while it will still be helpful to say "More wine, please" in Georgian, their discussions will be without language barrier. In fact, that phrase too may be unnecessary. Georgians have a reputation for being very generous hosts and honor guests and friends with everything they have, and wine is something everyone has. Some of the typically proud Georgians will even tell you they were the first to make wine, but whether or not that is true, every family has a two hundred liter earthenware vat filled with wine for celebrations, the many toasts, and daily lives. OLEG folks will be staying with local families instead of in hotels during all parts of their three week trip. The first week will be spent at New Gelati in the capital Tbilisi discussing texts as demonstration of our classes and also examining together our manner of inquiry in each class with prospective students and tutors. The second week OLEG members will familiarize themselves with the liberal arts traditions Georgia practiced in the past. They will take a series of day trips to ancient sites such as Gelati academy, cave cities, different churches and monasteries etc.. The third week they will study the folk history of Georgia, getting to know their culture, customs, and people through cooking, dancing and singing lessons. OLEG is aiming to understand what a classical liberal arts college in Georgia must accomplish, how it will do this, and how St. John's can help. The curriculum of New Gelati is very much like ours, with a few tweaks to give it more impact as a school that can reform the country. Instead of French, the students study English and Georgian in depth to be well-equipped to use and examine language in their world. The largest changes are a result of the intense focus on economy as the school tries to prepare its students to function freely and successfully in a free market economy in a country that once had no private property. There are classes on accounting, computer science, global business eth- ics, and management, and for two months juniors and seniors leam through starting their own business. They are doomed to a more practical education; we have the luxury of a more detached contemplation. But OLEG does not want to bring liberal arts to Georgia simply so that it can develop; Georgia also can offer a lot to the world. ''I see Georgia and the whole region of Caucasus as the treasure that world has not yet discovered." says Nini Aduashvili "If Georgia and Caucasus 'worked', then they could offer important cultural and intellectual wealth to the world." Standing with this idea OLEG sees this trip as the first step to fulfill its larger commitment to revive liberal education in Georgia and to bring Georgia's culture and traditions to liberal arts in the United states and the world as a whole. OLEG is trying to raise awareness, support, and funds for the cause. Right now, their priority is to pay for the trip, which has already been planned and organized by people on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Georgia is a little isolated, and flying is expensive. People can help by donating money, sharing the project with anyone and every one and simply get involved with the group to participate in future projects. If you have any ideas, support, inspiration, or know of anyone who could help or want to help yourself, visit www.liberaleducationgeorgia.org, or strike up a healthy conversation with any of the members. The site has the curriculum, this summer's trip itinerary, and other information on the project. The group leaves mid-June for the trip and will update the polity next year on the adventures. Expect to hear plenty more from them and hope they bring one of those vats home. I wonder what Reality will be like there.~ E:.mail subajs'~ions t~ gadflf@sjca.edu by ... 6 TfIE . . .. onda.y.•·.. . atnoo n.:.'.·~.·.·.~ .·•:. • ···:,.::t.; .... .'. : .:t~l{ik ' ;.······.. · ' :..'.·.···· · .....•.. M . ({: GADFLY ................................................... . .· �Reality Weekend Schedule of Events REMEMBER: YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A WRISTBAND ON REALITY WEEKEND UNLESS YOU HAVE PAID YOUR DUES. DUES ARE $10 FOR SENIORS AND GUESTS, $20 FOR EVERYONE ELSE. FRIDAY: 4:00pm (back campus): marathon 7:00pm (seal): kegs tapped 8:15pm (FSK): skit begins 10:00pm - 3:00am (great hall): dance party. SATURDAY: 9:00am (seal): breakfast. 11:00 am: kegs tapped. 12:30pm (back campus): lunch. 2:00pm (back campus): Saturday Siesta (napping encouraged, soothing live music). 4:00pm (back campus): pudding wrestling. that's right, we went there. 6:00pm (back campus): dinner. 7:30pm (back campus): sophistry contest and other games. 8:00pm (Mitchell Gallery Wall/ FSK if rain): Film Society shows Super Secret Mystery Movie. 10:00pm - 2:00am (back campus): bonfire. (great hall): live music, featuring Bedunkafunk, the sweetest funk band ever to play SJC. SUNDAY: 9:00am (quad): breakfast. 11:00am (seal): kegs tapped. 12:00pm (back campus): lunch. 2:00pm (lower field): Spartan Madball. 5:00pm: reality ends. ~~ ¥ilivt~~: AJ?lift~Q~h.' ..·.· . . . < . . ~~:, '. ~~ting;~~"'&~ t},~~n!J . <it. · .• .nistiis~iPri o,f f)LEG,~hJt~ (()rganiZation for. Lih~al Education in.·G~rgia); . Brockett present. ·~~owm~yes t~ exj:~d disrnssion ~f charter, Mr.. Shahrigian seconds, Motio.n faiI§: .· ~elly 1;noves ·~ a~pro;e chru:ter, with re'1sio~s t<J certain dau~es concerning finansf!{ . )lf'~ort~~~;;~oria: ~:.o~gW~ .~: by Mi Bttnei . ·• P.is~~1c()I1.of the issue.of p~sm ~pus. Ms. Hau.spurg suggests holding a. forum:.to~cuss the. ~~Ue. -1)11~,gatf!~ aft!. unclear ~-to the. Administration's st:ill,c~'~onc~°?ipg the pllbliciJ:yo~ tWs -~~lie. on tMtfu~~?~~Ddegaa~51r~~l,~:~;~,~if . -:~':=o, ,:.:.;.: Ms : YP<·'<, ;,~·, . 7 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Athletes of the Week Senior Hell-Bitches Guardian Team Handball Squad 8 : ..... : . . THE GADFLY ................................................... . �Dodd on the Quad: Energy Crisis by Kirstie Dodd '10 tal consciousness. When people launch into their crazed tirades about oil, all I can do is smile and nod and tell them I will vote for a democrat But oil is not the only black liquid causing an energy crisis. This black liquid affects a human more directly than oil does, on a social and physical level. I'm talking about the second-most sought after product in the world behind oil, the liquid wonder drug that boots us up in the morning with a jolt of caffeine comfort, that ambrosia of alertness named ''.Joe" who oozes his way down the throats of sleepy, lethargic college students everywhere: coffee. I did not realize the energy crisis of dependency coffee causes until essay writing period. I was awake at all hours tickety-tappeting away on my keyboard, fueled only by old bagels, ideas, and the precious 16-oz City Dock coffee always at my right hand. Staying awake for over 24 hours is not enjoyable. Through the latter half of the writing week, I spent my time in a semi-somnambulistic state, wandering around the quad with a case of the jitters and a constant dull pulsing in my temples. It had to be all of those macchiatos, I'm sure of it. WHY ARE WE SO OBSESSED WTIH BLACK LIQUIDS? The favorite of newspapers has been this stuff called oil and how our supply of it is going to run out approximately tomorrow. I can't go anywhere without someone yelling some idiotic, hell-in-a-handbasket prediction about the Oil Crisis and how my lifestyle is a direct cause of oil wells drying up. According to these nutjobs, I should be driving a stupid, shrimpy Smart Car and building an ark before the ocean rises above my house and everything melts off of the face of the earth and Al Gore's facial hair gets any more out of control As a college student, naturally I resent this berating. I don't care too much about all of the things I could be doing for Mother Earth. My carbon footprint is small; I do not drive a car, I eat food in a dining hall devoted to cost-efficient serving methods (believe you me, the day Parkhurst specialty-imports anything is the day my stomach starts singing Handel's Hallelujah chorus in seminar), I hate doing laundry, and I take a shower only when my stench gets so bad that not even Puddin' wants to come near me. In that sense, I am doing my part to mitigate the Energy Crisis, even though it sounds more like convenience and apathy than environmen- I am just a victim of the addiction system that runs American culture. As usual, we have taken something social and enjoyable in moderation like coffee and have turned it into an expensive and obsessive ritual Ifwe can make something bigger and better and with more calories, we will. Hence the ascendancy of Starbucks and the decline of "just a cup of coffee." Now it's all about ordering something with a pseudo-Italian name and getting it made with soy, because even though it tastes bad, you'll look, like, so chic to your barista. To me, though, getting all of these useless coffee additions or supersizing your cup to Venti anything at a coffee house is about as necessary as driving an SUV I want to kick my dependency on caffeine, but the withdrawals are killer. IfI hit the average, I will drink about 26.7 gallons of coffee this year, and every day when I wake up I will feel dead until I have that stimulating zing running through my veins. I better watch my back during these trying days, though. With the administration coming down on uppers and getting uppity on downers, I might as well drink as much coffee I can before the iron fist of power alley bans all of my habits I love to hate but cannot live without. ~ SECOND SEMESTER SENIORS So this kid W"h o I sW"ear l'Ve never talked to before com es up to me and is like "1 heard you broke up w;th Mary! I thought you W"ere a great couple!p Dude, I don't actually like hanging out with you. Can W"e i ust. ..not do that? '- a~ V eah, that's cool. ~) ~ So, class, is the w;1demess r eally Eden? I don'tkno'W'. It's about time! .; ' If everybody gives me acouple bucks, can I go buy beer? 0_) T HE GADFLY 9 �Mere Sophistry: New York City Sucks by Robert Sale '10 THAT'S RIGIIT, GENTI.E READER, I'm coming right out and saying what I mean this time. W'hat I have to say is that important. No tricks, no manipulation, no verbal chicanery to get you discouraged in reading my article. You won't need the highly estimable Thomas Browning to interpret this for you: New York City sucks, it has always sucked, and will forever suck. Now it may seem like I'm just jumping on the "bash Jen Wright'' bandwagon, but that's definitely not the case. Because if I'm on this bandwagon, then I'm the conductor, the driver, and the lead guitarist. Because I'm not just poking realistic holes in her breezy, cavalier attitude towards things she purports to take seriously but is really only half-serious about (mink coats? Mad Max?); oh, no, I'm about to lay absolute waste to her shrines, her temples, and her Frank Gehry masturbatory fantasy. The carnage will be epic and no quarter will be given. That said, this is not a personal vendetta; it's just that I realize there will be high-profile collateral damage. To return to my point New York City is a filthy cesspool of the dregs of humanity. Starting off, the very site upon which nearly half of the population of New York City currently sits was bought from the Indians for sixty guilders. That's right, Manhattan Island was sold to a scrappy Walloon named Peter M:in.uit for less than the price of an iPod Shuffle. So right off the bat, New York City started being built on land so bad that the Indians didn't want it and only the Dutch could have mistaken it for something worthwhile. If that history lesson didn't sink in, think about this fact: the Tammany Hall political machine ran the government of the city for eighty years, from before the Civil War to the Great Depression. You know who ran Tammany Hall? Well, I'm going to tell you, because that right there was a rhetorical question. Right there. Barn. Anyways, the Irish ran that political machine. You heard me. The Irish. I can only leave to your infinite imagination, gentle reader, to conceive of what manner of governance that must have been. Eighty years of potato-eating Papistry. And even now, 1 in SO New York males have a distinctive genetic marker on their Y chromosome inherited from their ancestor, an Irish warlord named Niall of the Nine Hostages. So let's see here: Irish plus 10 : T:HE Hostages equals ...well, you do the math. Darth Vader's dominion. They are a team so vicious that they cursed the once-mighty BosAlgebra's not dead yet. Speaking of dead things, there is quite the ton Red Sox for 86 years because Boston sold art scene in New York. However, I use the term them Babe Ruth. You would think it would "art'' loosely, because ever since New York City work the other way around, but no, they Yanusurped the "art city" throne from Paris in the kees are just that evil. Just ask any non-Yan1950s "With its brand-paint-spanking-new kees fan about them, or ask any Yankees fan movement called "abstract expressionism," the about the Red Sox. Then you will know just visual arts have suffered such a decline in rel- how evil that team really is. There's also Wall Street, a seemingly innocuevance that neither beauty nor technique nor even meaning enter into them anymore. I per- ous pile of pavement which has contributed sonally think the Mitchell Art Gallery here is a to more suicides than Jack Kevorkian. For sitfantastic asset to our community and I loved ting atop this street is the largest collection of the da Vinci exhibit, but seriously, Kirstie dreams and fantasies on the globe, also known Dodd, if you think those Jasper Johns doodles as the New York Stock Exchange. People called were really art, then I've got a bridge to sell you. "stockbrokers" stand around all day yelling at In New York City. W'here all that bad art started each other in a massive attempt to gamble "With and may never stop until people over the age other people's money and amass a fortune by buying and selling deeds for things which don't of five stop painting things altogether. After all that, you might be thinking, well, really exist except in the minds of the people New York City's got some bad history, but who trade them. It's basically like Pokemon that doesn't make it that much worse than any cards, except this time, it's not just your weekly other catastrophically huge city, right? Wrong. allowance, it's your life savings. Finally, there's the most multicultural meetBecause New York City has the highest concentration of evil in the entire world. It's true. ing of malefaction this world has to offer right They've pretty much got the evil per capita of in Manhattan: the United Nations headquaryour average Legion of Doom bimonthly ters. Even though its stated goal is to "prevent meeting, except there ain't no Justice League wars" and "promote dialogue" between nations, what really happens is that every country around. For starters, there's a preponderance of shows up to further its own selfish agenda gangs in New York (otherwise Martin Scorsese and hide its true intentions behind a slew of wouldn't have made a movie about it), and mellifluous words, half-truths, and intentiongangs are bad, because that's probably the first ally ambiguous interpreters. Iran, a member thing you learn in the D.A.RE. class in elemen- of this international coalition of chicanery, has tary school. New York City is full of gangs, most recently restarted its uranium enrichment too: white gangs, black gangs, Latin gangs, program rather brazenly while maintaining in Asian gangs, not to mention Mafiosi of every the UN. that it is either not doing so or is major Eastern Bloc country and a vast majority doing so for atomic energy and not weapons. of the Mediterranean; you've got your Crips, All this, of course, is done in a building deyour Bloods, your Kings, the MS-13, and the signed by aman who was a vigorous supporter Triads, but that's just the port side of the gang- of the Vichy regime in France during World plank, because lurlcingaround every comer there War IL Quite honestly, if that's not enough to concould be Dead Rabbits, Natives, Jets, Sharks, one or more of the Gang of Four, the Scooby vince you thatNewYork City is a terrible, terDoo gang (potentially split up), nble place which should never be lived in, visDoppelgiingers, gang-bangers, gang-busters, or ited, or even spoken of, then you must not gangrene. And if you do run into any of those have heard anyone "With a Brooklyn accent talk. I mean, "tuawlk". Yeesh. There are veritable gangs, you will be in fact made dead. If that's not enough, there's the New craptonnes of culture everywhere else you can York Yankees, who have done enough solely go, so why not go someplace where, even if in the world of sports to earn them the moni- you hate the accent, at least it's not your lanker 'The Evil Empire", once reserved only for guage they're butchering?~ GADFLY ................................................... . �What The Hell Was Jen-Sais-Quoi About, Anyway? by Jennifer Wright '08 But then, it is a reminder that, after three Whimsy, too. And distraction I take more I DIDN'T SEE IT COMING. The second time? Yeah, of course. The rr..illionth time? Abso- years, some people simply never got the joke. seriously than anyd1ing. You see, I often find Earnest responses to Jen-Sais-Quoi have L.1iat at the moment when any humor at a lutely. But the first time? No. Honestly, I didn't, though that seems vaguely ludicrous always been a little out of place because the gathering has reached a pitch, when people now. I'd been writing]en-Sais-Quoi for about column has almost never been done in ear- are howling with laughter, that I'm retwo weeks when I got my first piece of hate nest. Earnestness is not a trait I am particu- minded that in eighty years or so (and the mail. As I recall it was brief and anonymous larly fond of, if only because it seems so years go by very quickly) none of us will exand called me a raw bitch. I read it immedi- terribly obvious to be earnest about issues ist any more. And as we expire so will that ately before taking Mr. Burke out to lunch everyone cares about. Insouciance and irrev- whole world of exquisite and nuanced and was amazingly upset. I felt like I still erence, on the other hand, require a bit of memories that must be contained witl:1in had to take Mr. Burke out to lunch though daring that must be cultivated. As a result, everyone. Before doing so we will most and didn't want to mention that whole ''hate if people went out and did any of the things likely suffer t..'irough unspeakable emotional mail" thing. I made it through about half written in it, whether it be slaying the world's and physical agonies. I believe that in a the mushroom tart at Reynold's before vom- population of minks, or bringing :historical world where everyone is faced with such teriting whereupon I gave Mr. Burke a long characters back from fi1e dead, I would be, rifying certainty the fact that we ca..."l work speech about how I'm not a raw bitch, re- well, to say the least, I would be very sur- ourselves into a lather over L.11.e next episode ally, I'm not. To t..11.is day, I think Mr. Burke prised. Hate mail about the columns under- of Gossip Girl, or a pair of shoes, or generjust thinks I'm a very sensitive person. And lying messages have always been out of place, ally be silly at all, when the easiest thing to I never did try that mushroom tart again. because there are no underlyillg messages. do would be to foam at the mouth in abject Over the years, I got to expect it. I have This is absolutely inpossibla for gyeat num- despair - well, frankly I think it's goddamn been called, in no particular order, or as a bers of Johnnies to comprehend. I think it courageous of us. result of any relation to the articles as far as has something to do with being taught to So, in a response to a question posed a I've been able to tell: a crazy feminist, a crazy look for underlyillg messages in seminar long time ago, namely, "What the Hell is regressionist who sets back the feminist texts. I would highly encourage tutors to Jen-Sais-Quoi About?" that's what it was movement a hundred years, a rabid republi- stop this loathsome and detestable practice. about. I hope it made you giggle now and can, a rabid democrat, willfully naive, cynical So, if the colun111 was supposed to do again, and lightened your day on occasion. I in a way that is destroying America, a slut, a anything, it was supposed to allow people hope it also made you k,.-iow who Manolo prude, racist, anti-Semitic, and, most egre- to consider the trivialities and superficiali- Blahnik is, because cultural ignorance is algious of all, moralfy opposed to balleri.na flats. ties of life wit.li. the same vim and vigor with most as irritating as undue earnestness. But For the record, I love ballerina flats. I have which they consider the more probing philo- if it couldn't do that, then I hope it made fallen pray to the temptation to buy them sophical questions broached daily in our you laugh. even though I can't walk in them at all. tutorials. The humor - if you were able to And I'll leave you with my all time favorThey're terribly Audrey Hepburn. If I were find them funny - was supposed to come ite poem by Leonard Cohen who said all a man I should always be falling in love in large part by their juxtaposition with your this better than I ever could: with a girl who wears ballerina flats. The rest readll;.g Kant. The column started more or of the comments are, of course, entirely less in a response to the fact that all anybody The Music Came Softly By Us true, though how I manage it all at once is a ever seemed to write in The Gatiffy was eiI would like to remind the management That the drinks are watered ther a long winded political debate, or else, mystery. The moment Ashley Cardiff - the chicest reactions to something they read in semiThe coat and hat check girl has syphilis And the band is composed of former SS woman I know - suggested that a pro-fur nar. Oh, God, those were dull colu..mns. All article would be cheeky, my immediate re- I really wanted was to write something that monsters But as it is New Year's Eve sponse was a) that's so cheeky and b) you wasn't dull. And I have lip cancer know some poor earnest Freshman is going That's not to say that I never took the I will put a party hat on my concussion to take that entirely seriously and write a long column seriously. I did. I always believed rambling piece of hate mail about it wherein and now, you see, I will slip briefly into earAnd dance they will mention slaughter houses and call nestness - that it mattered. Nobody takes me a terrible person. To read t..lie entirety of -t.liat much personal abuse for something (:No, it's not the last column. There will said earnest article, you can reference the last that they don't think matters. I just didn't be another one next week. And it will be necessarily take the topics I was discussing light like rainbows and creme brulee.) ~ Gadf!J. seriously. Levity I take very seriously. . 11 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �THE GAD1'LY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Homemade Drapes and Davey Havok by Elizabeth Burlington '08 and Ali Schwab '08 DEAR ALlZABETH, I somehow managed to score a sweet single in Spector for next year. Can you give me any tips on decorating and staying social while living alone? I would much appreciate it! No More Pinknry ***** Pinkney-B-Gone: Goodness gracious. Thank you so much for this question. I made this rant several times to deaf ears during the housing lottery: Spector is awesome! And no, it is not far away. You can usually get to class in six minutes or less, depending on traffic. As soon as you can convince people that the equivalent of a couple of city blocks is not actually a long distance they will come visit you, and you will not be lonely. Good luck with that. In all seriousness, Spector does not cast you into isolation such that all the people you don't regularly hang out with forget about you. As long as you're going to class, eating in the dining hall, and visiting the coffee shop, you'll have no problem. As for decoration, I've lived in Gilliam for three years now and have had time to figure out what works. The furniture is nice enough and the room cozy enough that you can go the minimalist route very effectively. I obtained four matching picture frames (8.5'' X 11 ") and put some computer print-out images in them. You can hang these with string and small, clear plastic adhesive hooks and they don't look so bad. Get yourself a small bedside table - Goodwill often has some nice ones available, and you can always tote it back over there once you don't need it anymore. Go to the fabric store and sew yourself some drapes. Anyone who lives in a double can make a matching curtain for sectioning off the two rooms, and hang it from a tension rod. This was my roommate's frankly awesome idea, although people make fun of us for havingwhat appears to be a shower curtain between our rooms. I say, whatever works, and it keeps my 12 : silly handmade drapes company. Perhaps one day they will be joined by a small handmade cushion. Awhile ago I found my grandmother's doily collection. This was one of the best things to ever happen to my dorm room. One of them has become my printer doily. It is amazing. Doilies do NOT automatically make you a grandma, A Schwab Dear Pinkney-Free, Congratulations! Now you will be able to live in a building that does not squeak when you walk down its hallways. Your decision to live in Spector was a smart one, since now you will be able to go to sleep without having to listen to the freshmen boys that decided that there's no better time than 4 am to complete the Pinkney Challenge. Spector is clean, Spector is healthy. And the rooms in Spector are sweet. As for decorating, I was once paid an unusual compliment. After seeing my room and its fabulous decor for the first time, a friend of mine told me that if there was a contest for Best Decorated Room on campus, "you wouldn't win but you could definitely be a contestant." Ever since freshman year, after I moved out of my parents' house, I decided that I wanted nothing more than a combination black metal/ fairy princess theme for my room. Now that I am a senior I was able to partially realize that dream. There is nothing lovelier than a set of pink sheets and an iridescent canopy over your bed surrounded by posters of your favorite bands from the eighties and nineties. Davey Havok watches over me while I sleep, leering at me while biting down angrily on his sterling silver lip ring. It's not creepy as long as he's not the first thing you see when you wake up. Now that you have a single you can put up whatever you want to and no one will tell you that it is too scary (well, I guess they can but there's not much they can do, right?). Just be yourself. And get a carpet. Those floors are hard. And the comers of the furniture have a tendency to stab you when you least expect it. Just be careful. If you are concerned with turning anti-social after you move into your single, don't worry. I firmly believe in "once a Room Johnnie, always a Room Johnnie." Some people can have a million roommates and still be anti-social, while others can find a way to hang out with people even if they live by themselves 35 miles off campus.Just make sure that you keep things in perspective. If you can, try to move all of your friends onto the same floor. That way you can be social without having to leave the building. Seems to have worked out fairly well for some of us on Third Gilliam. Also, while Facebook can be considered "social" in some way, the pixelated images of people you knew in high school are a poor substitute for real, breathing human beings. Especially your fellow Johnnies. So enjoy next year in peace and quiet, just remember that no man is an island. Watch out for those corners, E. McDowell Burlington THE GADFLY.······· · ··········· ·· · · ·········· ··· ·· · · ·· ··· ·· · . . . .i .1 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 18 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-05-02 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 18 of The Gadfly. Published May 2, 2008. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.18 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/91431d45898913b461775661f12913e1.pdf ad780c2f484dd3a0c42e98b347e00aa1 PDF Text Text THE GADFLY Annapolis, Maryland Mqy9, 2008 The St. John} College Student Week!J' Volume XXIX, Issue 19 Immortality by Erica Stratton '08 DURING EVERY PRANK SKIT I have watched for the past four years I've found myself thinking, Is this it? Will I finally get a critique on my burlesque queen/ desperate bellydancer dancing style? Will the entire Polity find out I'm one of those people who will listen to the same song over and over again at full volume? That I pick my nose? Will I finally be exposed for that time I opened my door at 2 am wearing only a red sheet toga? And every year, I am disappointed. This entire lack of any regard from the Polity has at last led me to doubt my own existence. While the giants of Reality organization are faithfully made fun of every year, even my most far-reachingly ill considered adventures in love and mindless ambition remain unnoticed. Why am I not ever made fun of, I lament, I have a sordid past too! And I make way bigger mistakes than complaining about The Epoch getting all the funding. What about the time I had a yearlong crush on a conservative who didn't believe in sex before diarriage? That ridiculous pink shawl dress I wore Febbie year, complete with a belt of jingly gold coins? My brief stint as part of aharem? You didn't even get after me for writing about Melee for The Gat:if!y, though one of my tutors and most of my classmates have gleefully criticized the publication itself in my presence. Hey, it was :ME that ousted Oark Saylor as chief photographer, triggering the topple from power that got him mentioned in this year's skit. Pink Triangle also got a mention, but I can assure you we don't do that sort of thing at our meetings. The stories I tell are way dirtier. And though so-and-so might have a super secret text message glrl.friend, the script writing committee somehow managed to miss all four of my Im.mortality continued on pg. 4 Farewell From the Editor by E. McDowell Burlington '08 IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO WRITE ANY'IHING about something lost without getting terribly sentimental Lucky for me it is not easy to lose what one never had. I know by now you're sick of all the drama, all the leading-up-to-graduation sob stories about that time back in freshman year when the people did that stuff at that place and how this year's freshmen have no idea what being a Johnnie is really like. I have been here four years arid I have no idea what being a Johnnie is like. In fact, I am convinced now more than ever that there is no "essence of the Johnnie" and that anyone who employs that term is simply hiding under a straining umbrella which is threatening to break at any moment. When I was a junior I met a young Midshipman named Brian. Brian was a nice enough guy but for some reason he was completely and utterly convinced that everyone at St John's was completely and utterly crazy. In order to disprove thatmyth I invited him to come over to campus and see for himselfhownormal we really are. Unfortunately; before I had a chance to show him around he wandered onto campus unsupervised with a bunch of his teammates from crew. This event also happened to coincide with another event on campus, namely the decision of some male polity members to dress up in fairy wings and dance around the quad. Poor Brian was traumatized andit took me hours of explaining to convince him that not everyone on this campus did that. While I am completely in favor of freedom and selfexpression, I would like to point out that any given person's any given action reflects back onto the school, sometimes in a very harsh, light Though Brian's opinion arguably does not Farewell continued on pg. 3 �THE .,-GADFLY Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Burlington Managing Editor Kat Shears Assistant Editor Chris Thom Babak Zarin Literary Editor Mark F. McClay A Request from OLEG Organization for Liberal Education in Georgia is looking for 18,000 people to donate ONE dollar by June 1st, so that we can send 6 students and 1 tutor to help found a liberal arts college in Tbilisi, Georgia. That is equivalent to ONE facebook gift 1/3rd of a latte at city dock 5 pieces of candy at the book store 68/85ths of a slice of pizza at the coffee shop 1/49,000th of your tuition We know you and that you know other people. Please got to www.liberaleducationgeorgia.org to donate and find out more or hand a buck to one of our members before you leave for the sutn.mer. Proofreader Rowenna Thorson Distribution Manager Elyssa Browning Photographer Clai:ke Saylor Erica Stratton Contributing to this Issue William Braithwaite Elizabeth Burlington Kirstie Dodd Robert Sale Ali Schwab Erica Stratton Ashlee Turnbull Founded in 1980, The Ga4f!y is the student weekly distributed free to over 500 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus as well as tutors emeriti, members of the Board of Vtsitors and Gov=o:rs, and the offices at the St John's Santa Fe campus. Opinions expressed within are the the sole :responsibility of the autho:r(s) and do not necessarily :represent the opinions of The Gat!f!y staff. The Gat!f!y :reserves the right to accept, :reject, and edit submissions in anyway necessary to publish the most thoughtful, informative, and thought-provoking newspaper which circumstances at St John's permit Letters of 200 wo:rds o:r fewer have a better chance of being published than those longer than this limit. Letters submitted will be edited fo:r grammar, punctuation, and spelling in most cases. The Ga4f!y is not obligated to publish all submissions and will not print anonymous submissions except under special circumstances. The deadline fo:r submissions is Saturday before midnight, unless permission fo:r a delay is granted in advance. Submissions can be accepted as long~ they are legibly written, but typed copies, diskettes, and e-mail submissions are greatly p:refer:red. Please e-mail submissions to gadfly@sjca.edu. 2 Preparing for Spontaneity by William Braithwaite, tutor .Au, OF us, PROBABLY, have seen such happerungs, I hope. Let me describe one that I saw right here, in this place, where now, very nearly at Equinox, we have gathered for the College's brief, annual celebration of the beginning of our Spring sports season. It was basketball. Like football, it is a game of territory: each team defends its goal, or basket, while the other tries to invade the defended territory and to score there. Scoring means that offense has overcome defense, and the points awarded are the prize for temporary capture of the latter's territory. Just over there, in the East-Southeast corner of the gym, Mary Davenport, '06, very near the side-line, caught a cross-court pass from a teammate. In the instant of making the catch, she was simultaneously gauging whether she herself had a clear shot (she didn't), and looking for a team-mate who might have (there was none in her range of vision). And because her mind and body were each making several motions at once, she was also falling to her knees, but was keeping possession. Behind her, a voice--clear, firm, not loud, self-confident-a voice said, "Mar, behind!" On her knees, not turning around to look, she made a two-handed toss over her head to a teammate who caught and jumped and shot in one single graceful flowing motion that continued with the ball's upward parabolic arc and its downward whisper through the net. The throw, the catch, the shot, the arc up and the fall, seemed like one. It was lovely. It was exhilarating. To see it was to be glad to be alive. This whole moment, and the motion that happened within and throughout its duration, I have come now to see, retrospecti:vely, as a living refutation of Zeno's paradoxes-a here, a now, not of rest and stasis, but of an instantaneous cascading overflow of vitality andJoie de vivre, bom out of two players each being ready for a moment when that moment came that they should dance as one. Can such moments be prepared for? Can we prepare for the serendipitous? Can we cultivate spontaneity, or at least a readiness for it, a receptivity? If so, how? My experience as a long-distance runner, and my observation of other sports, suggest to me that the discipline of play can be a preparation for being spontaneous. When the old philosopher Parmenides is described as a race-horse that has lost the desire to run, it seems sad. We wonder, what happened? Did his body decay, and with it, his eros for knowing? Or is such a loss better understood as a decay of spirit? On the last day of his life, the spectacularly erotic Socrates, a man whom neither battle nor conversation nor wine could fatigue, seems still full of desire to run. What preserves and nurtures Spirit? By what food is it nourished and vitalized? When it is unwell, what is its medicine? What does Spirit yearn for, look up to? TIIB GADFLY ................................................... . Spontaneity continued on pg. 6 �Farewell continued from front page matter Gust ask Ms. Diaz-Albertini) we must keep in mind that the things we do as individuals are our own choices and should not be excused with a wave of the hand and something akin to "but I'm a Johnnie, we're like that." Some Johnnies like dressing up in fairy wings and scaring Midshipmen off campus, other Johnnies wear tucked-in polo shirts and smoke pipes. In order for people like Brian to stop grossly generalizing us, we need to stop grossly generalizing ourselves. Stop using the term ''Johnnieness." It is dumb and inaccurate. While it is true that we all must have some things in co=on in order to love and benefit from this school it is not true that we are all the same, partaking in some kind of form of the Something that causes people like Drake Talley to tattoo Proposition 1.4 to his buttocks. We are Johnnies because we all go to the same school. Not because we are intrinsically linked by some wacky, ineffable substance. After four years here I am not in possession of some kind of magical eidos that will make me into someone that the whole world will adore. I am just a normal person with a good education. I have noticed over the years that the only people who believe in the magical eidos are A) Freshmen (which is okay, because they are young and ignorant) B) People who don't actually care about the Program. The latter group talks loudly and at great length about how gosh darn wonderful it is to be a Johnnie HOW TO but never seem to be particularly interested in what they are doing in class. They want to lead younger students and teach them about being a Johnnie but they have missed the entire point of this college: getting a degree. Your time is better spent doing your lab homework instead of flailing your arms wildly, shouting to the stars about how so much more special you are because you go here. It's people like you who make people like me look bad to people like Brian. But nobody actually cares about what Elizabeth Burlington thinks. I just figured that this publication was ego-centric enough that I could get away with ranting just this once. After all, I am the one that decides what goes in the Gad- fly. the reunion in ten years and hear you gushing about your ''Johnnieness" I will walk up to you and make sure my young over-achieving child and investment-banker husband kick you in the shins. The same goes for the rest of you: you are Johnnies, yes, you are St. John's students. You are not shining beacons of intellectual light intended for the sole purpose of bringing salvation into a world of majors and lecture classes.No doubt you are all smart, capable people but that comes from a number of different sources, not just the school. So next time someone shakes their head at you for wandering barefoot through the Academy gardens, or climbing city roofs while howling "Don't Stop Believin"' remember to take some personal credit. I know I do. Please don't think that any of this means that I did not enjoy my time here at St. John's. I did, and I will always remember it fondly. I hope all the other graduating seniors can learn to do the same. However, when you look back please make sure you remember all those times where your heart was stomped on, or a good friend stopped talking to you for some stupid reason, or that time you got an Aubrey-propelled soccer ball to the head. You need to remember the drama, the hatred, the Critique of Pure Reason, the annoying people in class, and that one tutor who seemed to have had it in for you. I already know you will remember the good stuff, but all the evils of fortune keep life in perspective and allow you to move on to bigger and better things. If I see you at And speaking of credit.... Special Thanks to: Dylan, Stacey, Brie, and Ben for being my longest and closest friends Mr. Tuck for getting me through enablement, my senior ess~, and all my panic attacks Ali Schwab for proving that first impressions are sometimes horrib!JI wrong My family for thinking I am better than I real!JI am Rosemary, Trish, Ruth, Victoria, and Jen for being the most wondeiful boss-people ever Raphi and Mimi for alw~s being impartial third parties It has been an honor to be your editor. S ingin' well, fare thee well, fare thee well, fare thee well, I am leaving, yes I leave it all toyou....f!Jr JVI;.~KE EVER"'k'"'"ONE HATE YOU STEP "I : Ask a question that makes it obvious y<>u didn "t do the reading. I d on'I: kn O'w" 'w"hat .A.list otl e means by ~meta.physics~ . Can 'w"e talk a.bout 'w"ha.t ~meta.physics~ means? ........ S TE P 3: Go t o sleep at 8:20. STEP 2: Do ever-y'l:hing but participate in the conversation_ Gosh. ls that a.fly on the "W"8..11? I should s tare at it . STE P 4: 'W'ake up at 9 :40 and rejoin the conversation_ Vo u t"eaJi z e if .._.e I d on'I: understand . Can you explain that? kill ed y ou ti g h t n O'w" no i ury 'w"O ul d c on"v'ict u s _. tight? '- . 3 THE GADFLY .. : . . . . . �Immortality continued from front page internet boyfriends, not to mention the scandal I was associated with junior year- but that news is so old even I am bored with it. Instead Jennifer Wright ends up in all the skits. Now, she is extremely pretty and writes funnier articles than I do, but has she gotten herself barred from a New York City apartment because her beer-drinking Ritalin slugging male acquaintance threw up on the sofa? I think not. Drake Talley once mistook me for 11iss Wright across the quad and for a long ti.me I thought that will be the closest brush I ever had with fame-I wasn't even wearing high heels. But now, at last, I have a title. I am the reigning champion of pudding wrestling. Like many great men, my road to championship was forced upon me and fostered by many mistakes and misunderstandings. It all came about because by the ti.me I got to the Reality breakfast on Saturday, there was no coffee. By the ti.me I had returned from City Dock, there were two new names on the "Pudding Wrestling Sign Up" board under "Co-Ed": Erica Stratton vs. Edward. "Oh, wow," I said. ''Do it," said my friends. Mr. Harrison reminded me that according to Nietzche this might be my one shot at immortality. I went back to Spector to change into something that could be sacrificed to the wear and tear of combat and on the way met Edward and her boyfriend. Their faces and throats were striped with blue and green warpaint. ''What's all this?" I exclaimed. "I dunno, 11iss Stratton, you might want to start training to get ready," said Edward. "Ready for what?" I said, not entirely sure if war paint and pudding wrestling went together. ''To die." My mom always told me I had a vivid imagination. So when I finally made my way to the quad to scope out the field of battle, I was shocked at the accommodations. All my friends' questions as to what kind of flavors there were going to be, whether they would have separate tubs for each, and whether I would be eating any of it, were disappointed in an instant. 4 Instead of the calf-deep expanse of fudge me. "She's not in my weight class!" he exI had been expecting, there was something claimed, and ran off. That took care of more like a thin film of brown sludge. I round two. ''.Any takers?" the ref challenged the was hesitant to call it "pudding". Though they had industrial-sized cans of both crowd. There were none. "chocolate" and "vanilla", there still wasn't I knew they were afraid. enough to cover the floor of the kiddie pool Another tip for future pudding wresmore than a couple inches. So they started adding water. Then flour, until it was big tlers: if you have long hair, it soaks up the glorky puddle with little lumps of white pudding like a mop, so that even the spectafloating in it. They further mixed the result- tors who think they're safely out of range ing mess with their feet, winepress style, will get splattered every ti.me you toss your until it resembled something like chocolate head. I was standing tall: I had been transsoup. The smell of imitation coca hung in formed from a chubby girl wearing a bikini the air. Then two lovely ladies jumped in to a chubby girl covered in brown sludge and began writhing and clawing at each other from head to toe. I was a cut scene from with such vigor that one of my homosexual Charlie and The Chocolate Factory: the fat kid acquaintances was forced to leave, claiming that they tried to drown in chocolate and was still so badass they survived. he didn't feel too well. Then, way back in the crowd, I spotted But even with dozens of spectators in attendance and the tension mounting in Edward. Final!J! preparation for what was sure to be the fight ''Where have you been?" I demanded, of the century, my opponent had yet to show herself. By the ti.me three other bouts facing her in all my pudding-slathered glory. had been fought, I was seeing my one I don't remember what explanation there chance at college immortality slipping away. was, if any. A second later she had stepped "Where} Edward?!" roared-my loudest roar inside the circle, still fully dressed and with a not being enough to make a dent in the gen- croquet mallet resting casually on her shouleral yelling. Where's Mr. Talley when you need der. Oh dear, I thought to myself, suddenly him? At last, with the clock ti.eking, the refs remembering that Edward wasn't like other were forced to call for volunteers. I think people. This was the girl whose boyfriend they picked the biggest male they could find had described their dates with the phrase, out of the crowd and said to him, ''You "It makes me feel mortal." She said something like, ''You ready?" wanna wrestle her?" ''Not if you're brining that thing!" I ex"Rawr," I said, flexing my muscles. I'm not sure if it was the sight of me in claimed. She disappeared. my bikini or that I looked genuinely fierce, In the end they paired me with a freshbut he seemed a little unsure. Nevertheless, we faced one another across the slippery ex- man who, I learned later, had been a boxer. panse of the kiddie pool and the whistle She flailed at me in a series of swimming kicks that made me feel for a moment as if I blew. Just in case any of you seniors are con- had been caught beneath a paddle wheel. sidering this as a future career, wrestling Whistles blew. "Oh," she said, not flippantly but in genusomeone covered in pudding in a smooth plastic kiddie pool is like walking in but- ine confusion, "I'm not supposed to do tered boots over the frozen lake of hell. You that?" ''Who won?" I asked, dazed. can barely stand up yourself, much less hang ''You did," they told me. The ref gave onto your opponent. An opponent who had far more hard muscle mass than I did and me his hand and I thought he was trying to was rapidly immobilizing me no matter what help me out until he raised it above my head. move I made. A second after squashing me ''Erica Stratton-" "The reigning pudding champion!" into the floor of the pool he squealed, ''This is SO weird!" and jumped out. I guess I someone yelled. How the heck did that happen? I thought. won by default. The second fellow that agreed to wrestle There might have even been a few cheers. seemed eager until he got a good look at ~ THE GADFLY ..... ··············································· �Being Jennifer Wright JENNIFER WRIGHT did not submit an article in time for the final issue of the Gadfly. Please accept our best attempts at a substitute. Hello, my dearest, darlingest audience! For years now you've laughed at my triumphs and wept at my sorrows, living in thrall of my every word. I know it must be terribly traumatic to realize you will soon have to face existence without me. Many of you have approached me in the past weeks, clinging pitifully to my Nifte West Manolo Blahnik pumps and begging me to stay. I empathize deeply. For your sake, dear readers, I have bound and printed the full run of my articles at my own expense, available for you at the bookstore. (Editor's Note: Seriously. We're not even kidding.) 'What a tumultuous time I've had here at the college! Why, it seems I can't go anywhere without creating a scandal. I would like to offer my thanks to all the little people who unwittingly became heroes and villains in my daily dramas. Without you, I would have had to do the sorts of things ordinary, vulgar people do, like homework. The only sort of reading I enjoy is a good pulp novel in math class. You should try it, too! And if anyone gives you trouble tell them about your imaginary meeting with a fashion designer. Everyone knows you can't argue with that. I would like to thank everyone with an exceptional sense of humor who enjoyed my articles these past years. Obviously I never meant to be taken seriously, except when I did, so please accept my apologies for your own misinterpretations. Here's a handy tip: take me at my word for everything that sounds fabulous, charming and whimsical; anything that makes me sound shallow or superficial is obviously a joke. I seem to have attracted a lot of negative attention for my articles, but it's almost always anonymous. Why is that? Maybe it's from people who think all girls shouldn't have to strive to be a size 2. Maybe it's from people who think writing jokes about killing animals is in bad taste. Or maybe it's just from people who know the difference between Conde Nast and Advance Publications. Tbis mail is often hurtful, and it's always counterintuitive. If you're so worked up about my opinions, have the decency and eloquence to respond in an article of your own! Miss Holcomb's article was a wonderful, thought-provoking piece that in- cited a lot of polity discussion. I would encourage more of you to reply to me on that level. I don't intend to espouse any kind of hatred. If anything, I try to make the Gadfly a bit prettier and lighthearted. How is that so bad? I would hope all of you agree that we at the college often take our academic pursuits much too seriously. Yes, we're here to study, butwe're also here to enjoy ourselves, and I suspect some of you are jealous that I excel in doing just that. I bring a silly, delicate joy to the Gacif!y. Why, I make an effort of bringing joy everywhere I go. The veracity of my stories ultimately doesn't matter. I'm an entertainer, not a reporter, and I'm sorry if I failed to entertain you. But I know many of you have been entertained by me and my columns for some time now. Isn't that enough? Over the years I have tolerated everything from well-natured jabs to vicious attacks on my character. Discouraging as it may be, I've never once stopped being myself. I'll have you know that takes quite a bit of strength. So when you leave, remember me as someone who was always constant and true to herself--even in five-inch stiletto heels.~ THE GUY WHO SUCKS AND YOUR RELATION SHIP WI'TH HIM FRESHMAN VEAR blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah l ...JjJl.~!llla.. SOPHOMORE VEAR blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Why don't you ever SHUT UP?! I HATE YOU! I . 5 THE GADFLY .. : ..... �Mere Sophistry: Not Even Close to Stopping by Robert Sale '10 TODAY, GENTLE READER, as you may know, soul of every member of this polity, and thus is the end. It's the end of the schoolyear, the it is my sworn duty to rid the campus of all of end of a blissful time of undergraduatehood the demons of dialectic which threaten at every for our seniors, the end of a long reign of tum to sway each undergraduate like such a something somewhat short of terror by my palm tree hither and yon from the Forms of estimable editor, Elizabeth Burlington, and the Plato to the God of Aquinas to the Categorical end of an era of nearly uncontested intramural Imperative of Kant to the Superman of dominance by the Guardians. The Green Nietzsche. Of course, sophistry isn't all serious stuff; Waves are coming for you next year, and not it is also lighthearted entertainment, ready to even Alex Shaeffer can help you now. But I digress. It is not the end of every- please the eyes and ears of anyone attentive to thing. The universe is not ending, the fabric of soothing soliloquies on surly Sicilians or jovial the cosmos has not been tom asunder, and, jabs at crazy columnists, weaving tropes and of course, my article will continue running in toting words as weapons, careening from chithe Gadfly for light-years to come. So you can asmata to consonances at every alliterative tum. add that to the list, gentle reader, of things And while it can use verbal irony as a valiant assured in this life: death, taxes, the dining hall instrument, it is never sarcastic about true innot having Lucky Charms when you most want tention and always in earnest when discussing them, and sophistry. irony. To tum my attention briefly back to the wellNow, last week the very posh :Miss Wright wrote what could be best described as an article heeled article of Miss Wright, I feel that we are about her article. Of course, I can never dream in accord as regards the importance of humor. of having the worldliness, grace, tact, demure- She says that she takes levity seriously, and I for ness, panache, or liquid assets of :Miss Wright, one can no more disagree with that sentiment and thus I cannot therefore even begin to en- than I can remove my own head from my neck tertain the notion of doing something similar and expect to be the same. The only problem, with my own humble, down-to-earth, hoipolloi, gentle reader, is that there is one very imporand altogether culturally impoverished article. tant point upon which the unimitatable and However, I think it incumbent upon me to inconceivably more noble Miss Wright and I provide you, the gentle reader, with something diverge: namely, I actually have a sense of hutangible and substantive as regards the nature mor and she doesn't. That is indeed a bold claim to make and it of my intents and purposes for bringing you takes a bold man to make it, but make it I have sophistry. It is said that the early sophists were keen and I stand by it. Miss Wright may indeed have on improving the souls _ and virtues of the painted a lovely, impeccably-clad portrait of young Greeks they taught the arts of rhetoric herself as privy to her foibles, her idiosyncrato. Now I have the same principle, that is to sies, and her common perception, but the realsay, of improving the souls of and exhorting ity is that is so far from reality that I don't really to virtue all of my gentle readers. It is clear, even know where to begin. To begin (as I must, at any rate), it is quite however, that my efforts have not been esteemed so by various members of the com- demonstrably the case that nobody has the munity, who have dared even to say that my same perception of him or herself that the rest particular brand of sophistry, if not sophistry of the world has of them. Our tutors certainly in general, is detrimental to the very things try their damnedest in our Don Rags, but there really is always that self-perception that gets in which I try to uphold and endorse. This could not be further from the truth, the way of truly seeing other people's percephowever, because it is verily the case that, as all tions, which of course in themselves vary from orators must know, if you cannot inscribe vir- person to person. I for one certainly do not tue into the hearts and souls of your audience, think, for all of my self-deprecation and willthen it is impossible to keep them from sway- ingness to sacrifice my very person for the sake ing this way and that in their opinions, as do of a (sometimes bad) joke, that I know what palm trees in a hurricane. My intent, of course, other people think of me. has been to produce virtue in the heart and 6 And truly, I am fine with that. As you read this other people are skipping straight over it, thinking it a load of useless drivel or simply indifferent to anything I have to say. Some people may hate it or hate me or my face or my home state. They may write indignant articles about my cavalier attitude or, if they're as lowborn as Kirstie Dodd, make ridiculous, poorlythought-out ad hominem attacks on my person or my style of writing. For all that, though, I retain a sense of humor about it as well as a sense of perspective. :Miss Wright does not and cannot. For someone as seemingly dry, detached, and ironic as she is, she still takes things seriously which she should not. She may think I'm an asshole because I name-dropped her in an article about New York City for what may have been no good reason at all, for all she knows. But I've got some news for her and for the rest of the world: there are assholes out there, and there are a whole hell of a lot of them in New York City. Just go to a Yankees game. Living in a fantasy dreamworld full of money and minks and moVies doesn't make the assholes go away; in fact, only two things make it go away- alcohol and death. Having a sense of humor helps quite a bit, though, when confronted with the ugliness of truth and reality, because in the end, the difference will not exist, because you and all of the assholes you see around you just won't exist anymore. Except for me. Because there ain't no stoppin' the sophistry train. 'Ir Spontaneity continued from page 2 To prepare to be spontaneous seems like a paradox. Preparation requires discipline and training, while spontaneity is uncaused cause. But is there no account we can give that might point a way to get ready, so that someday, if our chance comes, we will be able to act fitly and well without deliberation? Might preparation for spontaneity be like getting ready to have a serious conversation about a difficult and important book? May you have in play tonight, and always, as much strength and skill, beauty and excellence, as your soul can carry with grace-enough to be ready when the moment calls.lllr T HE GADFLY . .. . . . . .. ...... . .... ·· ··· ··· ·· ··· · · · · ........... . .. . �Dodd off the Quadfor the Summer: D-I-Y: How You Can Make this Newspaper Good: An Eschatological and Pleromatic Imperative by Kirstie Dodd '10 BECAUSE IT 'WlLL BE MANY MONTHS until you read another Gadf!y again--0r rather, peel a tom, two month-old Gadf!y up from the bathroom floor of the coffee shop, purse your lips as you flip through it to find the comic and athletes of the week, pass a dull eye over anything written by Bobbykins "I-wrote-an-incendiary-article-but-now-I'm-pouting-because-Igot-no-hate-mail-because-no-one-read-mylast-article" Sale, and make it (hopefully) through 1 / 3 of Yours Truly's column- I have decided to write about the very publication you are holding in your hands. It's likely that at some point this year you have said this to impress your wit-deprived clique of friends: "The Ga4f!y blows." You might have gotten a titter from them, but frankly I'm ill and drowsy of people thinking that bashing the school newspaper is funny. Where's your pride in the EssJay-Cee? Yeah, we know it's bad, but it's the only paper we've got. If you really want to insult something, save your comments for The Epoch and all of those people with absurd, hyphenated last names that write for it in order to pad their grad school applications with seemingly intelligent extracurricular activities. Instead of mocking this pathetic stapled excuse for a newspaper, why not try writing a column yourself? There are a few I think this paper needs in order to win the gadfly gold. Since Ara is graduating, someone needs to grab the baton and start off the blocks with a sports column. Not everyone knows about or is interested in the latest Guardians handball victory, but The Ga4f!y could be the perfect end zone to discuss the "sports" of St. John's with the added enticement of the corny sports metaphor. When I say "someone" should write a sports column, I mean a "boy," because we don't need an article every week about how attractive J.P. Snyder is with his shirt off 1\hybe I'm being too hard on my sex, which is a phrase that poorly masks my rampant misogyny; I suppose a girl could write a sports column, but only if she keeps her eye on the ball I'm sure the polity will be appreciative of whoever chooses to slam dunk this column. I know I want to be updated on every time Dalton gets injured in soccer, or what out-of-shape person vomited at the annual marathon, or how SJC fencing is doing. (Actually, forget about that last one. But the rest would be helpful to know). If sports doesn't make you want to bust out the quill and ink, what about a gossip column? I would write this column myself, but I'm too busy wallowing in solipsism and trivialities like beef jerky to undertake such a venture. There are so many juicy things about this painfully tiny school to be splashed about in a public forum. I want to know the good stuff: Drake Talley's many walks-of-shame, coke scandals, what new drug dealers are going to assault me outside my dorm room, the newest fanny pack to be sported by Joao, the tutor rumors that have grapevined over from the local restaurants, updates on when the civil unions of the bromantic senior class will take place (What about a quadruple wedding? It would be cute: Jack & Adam, Charlie & Ian, Oarke & Schuyler, Langer & J ace), the offensive meat-love oflv.fike ''The Hamburglar" LeBlanc, the terrible pseudo senior skit fake-out, freshman girls' wardrobe malfunctions, Donald Georgette's latest adventures in body piercing, and if anyone will ever be able to figure out whether AM is going with SP or N 0. The only problem with this type of column is the hate mail, but I'm firmly convinced after this weekend that you'll be able to settle any confrontation with a good old-fashioned pudding wrestle. Unless, of course, Puddin' is the one with the problem, because wrestling him would be animal cruelty. The Ga4f!y can also be an excellent place to let out all sorts of hatred. How many times have you sat in seminar and thought, ''This author has no idea what (s)he's talking about. I need to write an article about this to proclaim my superior opinion to the entire campus." Or how many times at New Year's have you thought, ''Boy, I would love to insult Pat Jones' latest version of the bowl-cut in the next Gadfly issue." If you actually write, these thoughts and dreams can become reality! It's too bad that the incredibly effervescent ellipticizing socialite Jen Wright will be gone next year, because this newspaper will be missing a lot of class. She would probably not give a diamond for intramural sports or intramural scandal, but at least she cares about society. I realize this godforsaken sailing town hardly counts for anything, but if a foodie reviewed local restaurants and bars I would try some of his / her recommendations. I don't understand how people can go to Harry Brown's every single night of the week and not get tired of it. A column about various tepid spots might help people to branch out. It doesn't even have to becsyt.Wecs Whats Up Annapolis, I promise. If food does not provide enough writing material, which I seriously doubt, there are always shows playing in D.C. and Baltimore you can notify people about or review. People like hearing about alternate activities to Reality parties (where Paul Thompson is screaming his running shorts off) or, say, seminar (where Paul Thompson is as quiet as a 9:00am Sunday rooming dining hall). Or you could write a column about current affairs, I guess. Regardless of whether you write for The Ga4f!y next year or not, I make no apology for this newspaper. I believe, however, a different gadfly once did make an Apology about something or other, and I will leave you with a quotation taken from the self-titled, eponymous Platonic dialogue of the same name, which I have cleverly taken from one of those cute quote-corralling websites with the animated clipart: ''In this way the god seems to have fastened me on the city, some such one who arousing and persuading and reproaching each one of you." We might not arouse, persuade, or reproach as well as the Socrates, but at least we try. So here's to writing, summer vacation, and franchised fast food restaurants. See you in August. . 7 THE GADFLY . . : ..... �Our First and Only Crossword Puzzle by Ashlee Turnbull '08 Across 1) Taste this, and you'll never leave the island 2) Animated hound, friend to Tom 3) Mustard seed, fire, peppers, sunlight 4) Wiped his ass with a goose 5) Solved the locus problem 6) The last one to the party 7) Unforgiving uncle 8) One foot after another, continuously falling 9) World's slowest weaver 10) Most famous for his role in a David Bowie movie 11) Cursed prophetess 12) Socrates blames his trial partly on this comedian 8 Down 1) Forced to spend eternity in piles of feces 2) Odysseus' partner in crime 3) Athenian general, famous historian 4) The Spartans sacrificed to him before battle 5) The good host, see 6 Across 6) His tale warns against kissing women with beards 7) Pa-pa-pa- (female) 8) Said to his brother, ''Let us go out to the field" 9) His original title was, "Following the Death of the Divine Augustus" 10) Odysseus chose to lose 6 men to her than his whole ship 11) If snow is white, her breasts are riding westward 12) Author of 11 Down 13) Caused Achilles to withdraw from the war 14) Calls Socrates a torpedo fish, remember? 15) Swollen foot, left behind THE GADFLY ... . . . ...... . . . . . . . . .. . .. .... . . .......... ·· · ·· ..... . �Thanks For a Great Year! As it is finalfy the end of the year and the end efThe Gadfly it is my greatest pleasure to thank all of those who have made thisyear possible. Gabrielle Aines Peter Axer Thomas Browning Matt Butler Melinda Carrera Brendan Clay Michael Comenetz Jake Crabbs Tim Creighton Rachel Davison Nora Edge Lucinda Edinberg Stacey Goguen Andrew Harrison Benjamin Ross Hoffman Susa...11 Holcomb Tiffany Kleinhans Tim.Jones Justin Lee Daniel Lewkow Patricia Locke Shunji Matsuzawa Barbara McClay Mark McClay David W..iranda Nate Okhuysen Hank Schley John Schuler Shant Shahrigian Dylan Sherry Rook Singer Erica Stratton Vincent Tavani Chris Thorn Rowenna Thorson As:bJee Tu,._rnbull Sophia Urusova }Jexandta Wa.llic"1.g Babak Zarin Edward Zelikow Thank you far putting yourselves out there. You bring life and variety to this little publication. To my regular columnists: Miss Wright, Miss Dodd, and Mr. Sale. As much as the world complains about what vou write. you are all bri.lliant to me. j , To the photographers: W.u. Saylor, lvliss Stratton, :Mr. Zarin. Thank you for capturing life here :in action. To the cartoonists: Miss Bartgis, M.r. Morrill, Miss Urusova, 1vfr. Clay, and the lovely, :incognito Miss Deaton. Thank you for sharing your artistic genius. To my editorial staff: M.r. Zari.."".t, Miss Shears, M.r. Thom, :W.11:. McClay and Miss Browni..ng. I would have gone crazy without you all. To the administration: Ms. Waters, Ms. Kronsberg, Mr. Dink. Thank you for dealing with ail my little day-to-day dramas. To my proofreaders: :Miss Thorson and Miss Rourke. Without you the world would be ridden with typos a...11d unchecked facts. And to Howard and Chris: 1bis would not have been possible without you. And to the rest of you: Thank you for your kind words and encourag=ent. Except for select members of the Delegate Council. : 9 THE GADFLY ....... . �Reality 2008 10 : ..... : .. THE GADFLY ................................................... . �Photos by Erica Stratton '08 . 11 ..................................................... THE GADFLY .. : ..... �THE GADFLY St. John's College P.O. Box 2800 Annapolis, MD 21404 Dear Alizabeth: Being and Gone by Ali Schwab '08 and Elizabeth Burlington '08 DEARAliZABETH, Some senior read to me fromher Heidegger the other day, and it sounded like total nonsense. I'm really worried I won't be able to understand it next year. Can you give me some hints? Your Friend, The Jammin 'Junior ***** DearJammin', Certainly! Well, Heidegger is simply about this: the apprehension of being, which is defined as not just understanding it, but ''bringing it to a stand." Once being is at a stand, we can ask ourself how it "stands with being," when we have ''brought it to a stand," and ''brought our brains to a pudding." We can sniff around for Being, Being-Here, Being-There, and BeingNowhere-In-Particular, as long as we understand that Being has no smell. Apparently you can feel it though, by smacking it with your Dasein. I reco=end warming up by smacking that punching-bag in the gym, as long as you remember that it is not Being, but just a being. If you S!-D.acked Being with your Dasein, your Dasein would shatter like a crystal vase, which is why I reco=end warming up on beings. Smacking things with your Dasein qualifies as an enrichment activity, and relieves some of the stress of a 90page seminar reading that falls, on a difficulty scale, halfway between Wittgenstein and Hegel. If at some point you manage to apprehend the whatness of being, check it to make sure you haven't accidentally got the whateverness instead. Also, you're gonnaneed to get your hands on Heidegger's personal Greek lexicon to fully understand the way he translates Sophocles. Conventional translation from the Pol/a ta deina chorus: ''If he follows the laws of the earth and the gods' swom justice he is high in the city, but he is cast out from the 12 : city if he dwells with dishonor for the sake of daring." Heidegger's: "Rising high over the site, losing the site is he for whom what is not, is, always, for the sake of daring." Admittedly this is a translation of the German translation of the Greek, which makes it something like putting English into the ''Babel Fish" through Japanese and then Italian then back to English - only worse because this, folks, is the Heidegger Fish. But seriously, this is our last Dear Alizabeth, so I have to say something nice. I'm gonna miss you, St. John's College, and though I don't have the space, time, or spacetime to list all the people I love that I'm not going to see as often after graduation, rest assured that I really do love you guys, and will want to visit as often as possible. With that I declareitHug-ASeoior Day, because they really need it, and it looks like I'll have to sign off now. Give my regards to Dante. A Schwab ***** DearJ-J, Heidegger. Heidegger. Are you serioui? First of all, I don't understand why they took poor Ms. O'Connor off the Program and replaced it with this. ..thing. The closest I got to O'Connor this year was living vicariously through Ms. Aines, who wrote her senior essay on Ms. Flannery's short stories. Unfortunately her senior oral was a poor substitute for a real seminar, since I spent the whole time looking at the back ofMs. Kraus' head and avoiding eye contact with my ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend who was sitting across the room. I would have rather had a seminar, really. Somehow you managed to ask me about the one author that I am not an expert on. Okay, the general consensus is that I can pretty much understand everything any other Program author is saying. I owned Plato, breezed my way through Descartes, and just sat there with a self-satisfied smirk on my face while the other poor fools in my seminar tried helplessly to understand what Kant was saying. If you would have asked me about any of those people then I could have helped you. But Heidegger. You have found my Achilles Heel. So instead of talking about Heidegger I will make a list of things that I enjoy doing in my spare time. Watching historical dramas THE GADFLY···················································· Reading Esquire Not reading Heidegger Panicking Driving people away Writing self-centered articles Complaining Sleeping Listening to music from the SO's So there you have it. I hope you have all enjoyed reading the column as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I say well, fare thee well. The world may or may not be a better place without us. Just touch my cheek before you leave me, bay-bee, E. McDowell Burlington � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>The Gadfly</em> Description An account of the resource Founded in 1980, <em>The </em><em>Gadfly</em> is a weekly student publication distributed to over 600 students, faculty, and staff of the Annapolis campus.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="The Gadfly" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=16&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the <em>The Gadfly</em> Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context thegadfly Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 12 pages Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burlington, Elizabeth (Editor in Chief) Title A name given to the resource The Gadfly, Vol. XXIX, Issue 19 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-05-09 Description An account of the resource Volume XXIX, Issue 19 of The Gadfly. Published May 9, 2008. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gadfly 29.19 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Gadfly Student publication https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/29cb761b7d960b5fe686df8de3fcc003.mp3 a01add32e4594eb0dba62e9392c38546 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>.  <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5&amp;sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&amp;sort_dir=d">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Title A name given to the resource St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context formallectureseriesannapolis Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data wav Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:50:59 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Augustine on the Foundations of Christian Political Thought Description An account of the resource Audio recording of a lecture delivered by Daniel Burns on January 25, 2019 as part of the Formal Lecture Series. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Burns, Daniel E. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available St. John's College Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2019-01-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource A signed permission form has been received stating, "I hereby grant St. John's College permission make an audio recording of my lecture, and retain copies for circulation and archival preservation at the St. John's College Greenfield Library. Make an audio recording of my lecture available online. Make typescript copies of my lecture available for circulation and archival preservation at the St. John's College Greenfield Library." Type The nature or genre of the resource sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource mp3 Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Burns_Daniel_2019-01-25 Friday night lecture https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/d8698058c7ba3bc28c9959c16a910a98.pdf d23b46dbc02e1229a005ff2834a144c0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Yearbooks Description An account of the resource This collection contains yearbooks from St. John's College in Annapolis, MD. Yearbooks are sometimes referred to as the "Rat Tat", "Cicerone", or "Canvas". This collection includes all published yearbooks since 1896.  Please note that yearbooks were not published every year.<br /><br />Holdings: <br />1896 v. 1<br />1898 v. 2 - 1899 v. 3<br />1901 v. 4 – 1912 v. 15<br />1914 v. 17 – 1918 v. 21<br />1920 v. 22 – 1945/1946<br />1947 – 1951/1953<br />1957<br />1982<br />1986 – 1990/1991<br />1992 – 2001/2002<br />2015/2016 – 2017/2018<br />2021/2022 - 2024/2025<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Yearbooks" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=21">Items in the Yearbooks Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Annapolis, MD Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource St. John's College Greenfield Library Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context yearbooks Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data paper (bound book) Page numeration Number of pages in the original item. 221, 24 pages Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rat Tat 1918 Description An account of the resource Rat-Tat 1918 Service Edition, Volume XXI. Published by the Junior Class. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Warfield, Jr., J. Ogle (Editor-in-Chief) Burton, Jr., Charles W. (Asst. Editor-in-Chief) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available The Horn-Shafer Company Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Baltimore, MD Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1918 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. John's College owns the rights to this publication. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource pdf Language A language of the resource English Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 1918