Femmes d'Esprit Spring 2009

2009·15.2 MB·English

by  College of New Rochelle

•BH
ONTENTS ETTER FROM THE ]
L
Congratulations to everyone on a successful
Editor-in-Chief 3 About The Cover
completion of the semester! It always feels like
Erin Daley '09 Kami Mooney '09
someone or other comments on how quick the
Associate Editor time flies, but it is almost inconceivable to me
3 Letter from the Editor
Darianna Parra '11 that three months have passed so soon. I am
Erin Daley W sure each of you feel the same way, and, if you
Layout Editor could, would petition for an extra week or so
Karyn Mooney '09 4 Honors Matters: You Still Aren't Done for those final papers. 1 would be right beside
Dr. Amy Bass you, but for more selfish reasons.
Art/Photograph Editor
Alina Bachmann '09
6 Insight into "Person of the Forest" My impending doom (i.e. Commencement) ha
caused me to reflect upon my time here at
Advisor Alina Backmann '09
CNR and in the Honors Program. Mostly, it is
Dr. Amy Bass
an exercise in mourning the loss of my friends
7 My Experience at Next New Networks
and in envying the subsequent classes for the
Alina Bachmann '09
Contributors
amazing courses that were never offered when
Erin Daley '09
I was here.
8 Never Have 1 Ever . . .
Dr. Amy Bass
Dr. Nick Smart Mary Henderson '11
I think my feelings are a mixture of sadness at
John Coyne
ending what has been an amazing chapter in
Alina Bachmann '09 10 What We Hear When Bob Dylan Sings
my life and excitement at finally being able to
Alexandria Bignall '09 Dr. Nick Smart
forge my own path in the world. There is a lit
Mary Henderson 11
tie bit of fear there, but that mostly arises frorr
Sarah Hnath '09 12 Reflections from Annapolis: NRHC
a simple observation I have made: there are no
Carol Mathew '09
television shows based on college graduates.
Sherly Mathew '09
14 Honors Conference Day 2009
Karyn Mooney '09
Photos by John Coyne and Karyn Mooney '09 Pregnant high school teens: check. Elite prepp
Darianna Parra '11
rich private school teens: check. Group of in
Natasha Reid '09
16 Honor's Spa Day terning/practicing medical professionals:
Megan Showell '09
Photos by Sarah Hnath W and Karyn Mooney '09 check. Vampire-slaying high schoolers: check.
Group of five middle-aged friends who are
there for each other: check. High schoolers in ;
17 West Side Story
Cover Art boat not waiting for their lives to be over:
Darianna Parra '11
Karyn Mooney '09 check. All the good shows are about high
school when nobody knows anything, or
18 Senior Letter to the Freshwomen
Print Advisor after you know everything and arc hav
Class 0/2009
Andrea Fagon ing that mid life crisis.
20 The Class of 2009: Honors Reflections
Where is the sitcom about the Baccalau-
reate student as she stumbles through
college, or the Philosophy grad student
who makes frenemies behind the closed-
doors of academia? We are seriously in
territory that popular television will not
Spring 2009 ~ Temmes (D'<Esprit <Femmes <D'<Esprit ~ Spring 2009
9002 gnirpS ~ tirpsE<'D< semmeF< tirpsE<'D< semmeT ~ 9002 gnirpS
.eceip siht ni no
tsom desucof 1 tahw si taht os ,dnuorgerof ton lliw noisivelet ralupop taht yrotirret
eht ni sehcnarb eert eht dna retaw eht no
ni ylsuoires era eW ?aimedaca fo srood
sthgil s'ytic eht fo noitcelfer eht saw tsom
-desolc eht dniheb seimenerf sekam ohw
derebmemer I tahW .enilyks CYN eht
tneduts darg yhposolihP eht ro ,egelloc
fo weiv tnorfretaw a htiw krap erutplucs a
hguorht selbmuts ehs sa tneduts etaer
morf yawa skcolb wef a ,ytiC dnalsI gnoL
ni detacol saw loohcs hgih yM .nekat dah -ualaccaB eht tuoba moctis eht si erehW
snoitcelfeR sronoH :9•
I hpargotohp a fo yromem morf enod saw
taht )stniap rolocrctav\ dna sletsap htob .sisirc efil-dim taht gni
900
gnisu( gniward aidem dexim a si sihT -vah era dna gnihtyreve wonk uoy retfa
nemowhserF eht
ro ,gnihtyna swonk ydobon nehw loohcs
REVOC EHT TUO
hgih tuoba era swohs doog eht llA .kcehc
11' a rraP
:revo eb ot sevil rieht rof gnitiaw ton taob
a ni sreloohcs hgiH .kcehc :rehto hcae rof ereht
rotidE ,yelaD nirE era ohw sdneirf dega-elddim evif fo puorG
.kcehc :sreloohcs hgih gniyals-eripmaV .kcehc 90' ycnooM nyiaK dna 90' htanH haraS
,ylerecniS :slanoisseforp lacidem gnicitcarp/gninret
!kcor ew—9002 fo ssalC roineS eht -ni fo puorG .kcehc :sneet loohcs etavirp hcir
ot sknaht noillim a dna ,yenruoj ruoy no uoy ypperp etilE .kcehc :sneet loohcs hgih tnangerP 90' ycnooM nyraK dna enyoC nhoJ•
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CHRN :silopannA
morf sesira yltsom taht tub ,ereht raef fo tib elt
!ssalc "101 dlroW eht ot emocleW" -til a si erehT .dlrow eht ni htap nwo ym egrof
tram>
ruoy tidua ot kcab emoc yletinifed lliw ot elba gnieb yllanif ta tnemeticxe dna efil ym
sgniS nalyD boB nehW
I ;pleh dna tnemesivda ruoy fo lla rof ,ssaB .rD ni retpahc gnizama na neeb sah tahw gnidne
,uoy knahT .seno cimedaca sa hcum sa snossel ta ssendas fo erutxim a era sgnileef ym kniht I
11' nosred'
efil htiw em dehsinruf taht eno eb ot ti dnuof
. . . r:
I tub ,os ylthgir dna ,ecneirepxe lautcelletni .ereh saw I
na sa sronoH no sucof ynaM .edam ev'ew ynnuf nehw dereffo reven erew taht sesruoc gnizama
90' nnamh
emos ta gnihgual ,trohoc sronoH ym ylno htiw eht rof sessalc tneuqesbus eht gniyvne ni dna
moor eno ni tis ro ,niaga eltsaC eht otni pu sdneirf ym fo ssol eht gninruom ni esicrexe na skrowteN weN txeN t
klaw reven lliw I taht etsirt sirt ,revewoh ,ma si ti ,yltsoM .margorP sronoH eht ni dna RNC
I .diarfa ylgnillihc-enob ro )elttil a ebyam ,KO( ta ereh emit ym nopu tcelfer ot em desuac 90' nnamk
suoivne rehtien ma I ,hguoht ,ssensuoires lla nI sah )tnemecnemmoC .e.i( mood gnidnepmi yM "tseroF eht fo no;
.shtnom .snosaer hsifles erom rof tub ,uoy SSlfI
enin taht ssel ni boj a teg ,yllufepoh ,dna erom ediseb thgir eb dluow I .srepap lanif esoht rof enoD t'nerA llitS uoY
elims em ekam tbuod on lliw ereh deniag evah os ro keew artxe na rof noititep dluow ,dluoc
I egdelwonk dna secneirepxe eht taht wonk uoy fi ,dna ,yaw emas eht leef uoy fo hcae erus
I ,hguoht ,sneppah revetahW .sraey fo elpuoc ma I .noos os dessap evah shtnom eerht taht
rotidE
txen eht morf tcepxe nac 1 stsiwt tahw tuoba em ot elbaviecnocni tsomla si ti tub ,seilf emit
suovren elttil a em sekam denibmoc siht fo llA eht kciuq woh no stnemmoc rehto ro enoemos
90' ycno•
ekil sleef syawla tI !retsemes eht fo noitelpmoc
.hcaerb neve lufsseccus a no enoyreve ot snoitalutargnoC
ROTIDE EHT MORF RE
RS MATTERS: You STILL AREN'T DONE
son's, drug addiction, and the impact of
strokes on memory. All very very scien-
tific, I'm sure you'll agree. But then a se-
Dr. Amy Bass, Associate Professor of History, Honors Program Director
ries of events transpired and Lisa sat
down to write a novel about early onset
So usually I use this space in this issue of Perhaps your double major in biology and
Alzheimer's disease, using her hefty scien
Femmcs every year to get all teary about the chemistry enabled you to enroll in every
tific background in a fictional genre.
departing seniors, lauding them for their science course CNR offers. Maybe your
achievements and giving them likely use- psychology major and women's studies
The result? A little book called Still Alice,
less advice for their futures. This time? minor filled each semester to the brim,
Perhaps not so useless. never allowing you to take that painting which has now spent weeks on the New
course you always wanted. I hope you fit York Times bestseller list, been published ii
The College of New Rochelle, as has been in as much as you could, because you several languages, won several awards,
drilled into your heads from your earliest never know when you might want to
days of orientation, and further drilled in change your mind.
i... Strt»L*»bet. AMtt h*fitim
your time in the Honors Program, is a lib- Mfhtt i ivnUh T pw n ii-wn W.UvrM • atr
• ' I Mill Ml t . .' ' « J
eral arts college. How we define this, how Case in point: Lisa Genova. I went to col-
you define this, and how the world defines lege, Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, S T i L L
this is, as always, up for debate. A liberal with Lisa. She was one of the few bio-
arts curriculum is an amorphous and won- psychology majors at Bates, a difficult in-
derful creature. As an approach to higher terdisciplinary science focus that kept its A L i C E
learning, we often describe it by what it disciples in the lab until the wee hours of
isn't: it isn't professional or technical or every evening. I knew its rigors well; my
vocational training, per se; it is a curricula roommate was also a bio-psych major, and
that refuses to lay emphasis on any one while I toiled away senior year at my com-
I ISA GENOVA
specialty, but rather seeks to develop and puter, pounding out my senior thesis of a
hone your abilities to engage in rational hundred pages or so, my roommate would
thought, analysis, and expression. In the stumble in from lab, her eyes glassy from
5 century, Martianus Minneus Felix staring at data all evening.
th
Capella, a pagan thinker, wrote a book
entitled Satyricon that defined the liberal But Bates is nothing if not a liberal arts
arts as grammar, rhetoric, geometry, dia- institution; it has a required liberal arts
lectic, astronomy, arithmetic, and music. core curriculum that makes many a stu-
We define them a bit differently here at dent's head spin. It was a three-tiered
CNR, but you get the gist. It's about gen- core, meaning it was part of every single
eral education - about learning from a semester of study for four years. In Lisa's
whole perspective. case, thank goodness for that core. Why?
Because it provided the foundation for
That said, each of you graduates with at what she ended up doing. Lisa graduated and even inspired a handbag line by de-
least one major, an area of specialization from Bates and went on to graduate signer Anna William. She has contracted
that has formed a theme for the crux of school at Harvard, where she received a a second book with her publisher, Simon
your four years here. So my parting words Ph.D. in neuroscience. She worked in the and Schuster, entitled Left Neglected, about
to you? Be wary of your major as you corporate realm, doing research on the a woman afflicted by a rare traumatic
make your way further into the world. molecular etiology of depression, Parkin- brain disorder.
4 Spring 2009 ~ Temmes O>(Esprit Femmes<D'<Esprit ~Spring 2009
9002 gnirpS ~ tirpsE<'D< semmeF tirpsE(>D( semmeT ~ 9002 gnirpS
.redrosid niarb -nikraP ,noisserped fo ygoloite ralucel
citamuart erar a yb detcilffa namow a eht no hcraeser gniod ,mlaer etarop
tuoba ,detcelgeN tfeL deltitne ,retsuhcS dna eht ni dekrow ehS .ecneicsoruen ni .D
nomiS ,rehsilbup reh htiw koob dnoces a a deviecer ehs erehw ,dravraH ta loo
detcartnoc sah ehS .mailliW annA rengis etaudarg ot no tnew dna setaB n
-ed yb enil gabdnah a deripsni neve dna detaudarg asiL .gniod pu dedne ehs ta
rof noitadnuof eht dedivorp ti esua
?yhW .eroc taht rof ssendoog knaht ,e
s'asiL nI .sraey ruof rof yduts fo retset
elgnis yreve fo trap saw ti gninaem ,e
dereit-eerht a saw tI .nips daeh s't
.hcuot
-uts a ynam sekam taht mulucirruc s
ni yats od dnA !9002 fo ssalC ,kcuL dooG stra larebil deriuqer a sah ti ;noituti:
stra larebil a ton fi gnihton si setaB
.snossel stra larebil ruoy deeh
dna dnim ruoy egnahc ylpmis ot diarfa .gnineve lla atad ta gni
t'nera uoy gnidivorp ,ekil d'uoy gnihtyna morf yssalg seye reh ,bal morf ni elbm
tuoba tsuj od ot ecneirepxe eht evah ,oot dluow etammoor ym ,os ro segap derdi
a fo siseht roines ym tuo gnidnuop ,re
,uoy ,yademos dloc nommoc eht eruc ot A\ S I
-moc ym ta raey roines yawa deliot I eli
ediced thgim I sa tsuj :raelc smees sroines
dna ,rojam hcysp-oib a osla saw etamm
gnitraped ruo rof nossel eht ,retirw noit
ym ;llew srogir sti wenk I .gnineve yr
-cif gnilles-tseb a eb won nac asiL fi oS .ti EC I L A fo sruoh eew eht litnu bal eht ni selpi:
deriuqer stra larebil eht esuaceb ,seiduts sti tpek taht sucof ecneics yranilpicsid
emitiram ni margorp noisremmi retsemes -ni tluciffid a ,setaB ta srojam ygolohc
L L i T S -oib wef eht fo eno saw ehS .asiL h
-eno lluf a gnidulcni ,egelloc ni ecneics
,eniaM ,notsiweL ni egelloC setaB ,:
fo tol elohw a ekat did I tuB .ton ylekiL
-loc ot tnew I .avoneG asiL :tniop ni e>
; IM *nit ii . . - - • . IM .«.i
".tcejorP
" W *• V imw tud rrttt * » rvU .ffot" m**£ n *»i r nUmr t »thfM
.dnim ruoy egn
emoneG namuH eht evlovni lliw evom
ot tnaw thgim uoy nehw wonk re
txen ruoy ebyam - ssaB ,yeH" ,detnemmoc
,sdrawa lareves now ,segaugnal lareves uoy esuaceb ,dluoc uoy sa hcum s,
neht elbat eht ta dneirf rehtonA .egelloc
ni dehsilbup neeb ,tsil rellestseb semiT kroY tif uoy epoh I .detnaw syawla uoy esri
ni enod dah srojam yrotsih ew sa hcum
gnitniap taht ekat ot uoy gniwolla re
,yad retfa yad retupmoc a fo tnorf ni yawa weN eht no skeew tneps won sah hcihw
,mirb eht ot retsemes hcae dellif rol
deliot won - egelloc ni tar bal etelpmoc a ,eci/A llitS dellac koob elttil A ?tluser ehT
seiduts s'nemow dna rojam ygolohc
- ehs woh tuoba dehgual ew sa ,reh dlot I
ruoy ebyaM .sreffo RNC esruoc ecn:
",elihw a dna ecno yreve bal eht fo tuo uoy .erneg lanoitcif a ni dnuorgkcab cifit
yreve ni llorne ot uoy delbane yrtsim
decrof setaB gniht doog a s'tI" .ytic eht -neics ytfeh reh gnisu ,esaesid s'remiehzlA
dna ygoloib ni rojam elbuod ruoy spah
ni elcriC submuloC ta s'redroB ta did ehs tesno ylrae tuoba levon a etirw ot nwod
taht gningis koob dna gnidaer a gniwollof tas asiL dna deripsnart stneve fo seir
rotceriD margorP sronoH ,yrotsiH fo rossefo
oga skeew lareves asiL htiw rennid dah I -es a neht tuB .eerga ll'uoy erus m'I ,cifit
-neics yrev yrev llA .yromem no sekorts
ENOD T'NERA LLITI
?tsitneics yrotarobal a morf siht llA fo tcapmi eht dna ,noitcidda gurd ,s'nos
SIGHT INTO "PERSON OF THE FOREST"
Alina Bachmann, '09
For her Senior Show, Alina Bachmann created an art installation in the Mooney Center Gallery. Alina
sheds light on her inspiration for her installation and why it is important to both herself and the global
community.
From February 28 to March 23, 2009,1 had a mixed Now, however, they have become slaves to our con-
-media solo exhibition entitled "Person of the For- sumerism.
est" in the first floor Mooney Center Gallery. Shar-
ing a love for both art and nature, I knew I wanted I began brainstorming on ways I could translate
the focus of my show to encompass an issue con- this issue visually without literally rendering im-
cerning the environment. I began my process by
ages of rainforest destruction and graphic portraits
researching the world's most pressing issues con-
of dead orangutans that I was seeing within the
cerning deforestation and extinction, a subject I
articles. Eventually, and with a lot of work, I came
have cared deeply about since I was a little girl. I
came across several articles concerning "Palm oil," to what is on display in the Mooney Center Gallery.
and having never heard anything about the issue Using product packaging from household items
previously, I was horrified by what I uncovered and containing the ingredient "Palm oil," I constructed
felt the need to raise awareness. an environment reminiscent of the tree tops of the
rainforest to shed light on an issue surrounding one
Palm oil is found in one of every ten household
of our closest cousins, the orangutan. Dispersed
products, from margarine and bread to lipstick and
throughout the tree forms are facts and statistics
soap, and is consumed by over a billion people
across the world. It is also what is driving the that inform the viewer of this crisis, how we con-
orangutan, a species with whom we share roughly tribute to it through the items we use daily, and
97% of our genes, to extinction. Palm oil planta- what can be done to prevent the orangutan's pre-
tions are taking over the rainforests of Indonesia dicted extinction and save the remaining forest.
and Malaysia, the orangutan's only remaining home,
The floor-to-ceiling installation brings this issue
in an effort to meet global demands for the foods
closer to home and allows the viewer to examine
and products containing the ingredient. Palm oil
his/her place in the process.
can easily be replaced with other forms of vegetable
oil but it is not because it is cheap to grow and
companies earn a profit from the rain-
forest timber the plantations replace.
By 2012, palm oil is predicted to be the
world s most produced, consumed and
internationally traded edible oil.
Orangutans, currently listed as
"critically endangered," are foreseen to
be extinct by as early as 2011. Almost
90% of orangutan habitat has now
disappeared, and man and the palm oil
industry remain the biggest threat to
what is left of the orangutan popula-
tion and their home. Orangutans are
one of our closest and most enigmatic
cousins. The name "orangutan" literally
means "Person of the Forest" and was
derived from an aboriginal belief that
they were humans hiding in the forest
to avoid working or becoming a slave.
wmB •-'-_
Spring 2009 ~ <Femmes<D'Esprit
(
7 9002 gnirpS~ tirpsE(>D(semmeT
.enod yllamron evah ton dluow I gnihtemos od dna
enoz trofmoc ym fo tuo kaerb ot em dewolla yllaer
ecneirepxe tahT .golb eht no evil won si edosipe
taht ;demlif nretni rehtona elihw elpoep deweivret
-ni I '.dooF erofeB seohS dellac golb a rof sweivret
-ni tcudnoc dna kraP tnayrB ot nwod og ot saw od
snretni dah skrowteN weN txeN taht ksat rehtonA
.edosipe noitca
-evil a ni desu yltnecer saw taht yot tlef "yttiK
tnutS" a edam I nuf roF .secalp enilno rehto ynam
dna ,senutI ,ebutuoY ,ecapsyM ,etisbew iiawaK
artlU eht no elbaliava era sedosipe ehT .meht
desu srotide eht dna sedosipe rof saedi ym ylla
-utca erew tuO gniggiW dna ?ooraB ,sriaP teP ddO
,steP resaL .sedosipe ytraP emutsoC neewollaH
dna tuO gniggiW ,?ooraB ,sriaP teP ddO ,seiggoD
,steP repaiD ,semaG etuC ,steP resaL eht rof sotohp
dna soediv tep etuc eht fo lla dnuof I .stiderc eht
ni eman ym ees nac uoy dna sedosipe rieht fo lare
-ves rof scihparg edam osla I .etisbew iiawaK artlU
moc.topsgolb.tranila//:ptth eht no evil won si hcihw ,egap "yttiK tnutS" rieht
ta ecneirepxe ym fo gol a weiv nac uoY gningiseder sa hcus ,sksat gningised evitaerc nevig
saw I .eeffoc gnihctef dna seipoc gnikam fo epyt
.tsitra na sa werg sa llew sa hsalF -oerets eht raen erehwon erew nretni sa seitud yM
dna rotartsullI ,pohsotohP ni slliks gnitsixe ydaerla
ym denehtgnerts I .etisbew elgnis a rof elbisnopser .iiawaK artlU ,esruoc fo ,ot snootrac ot swohs
era elpoep ynam woh tsuj was dna ynapmoc gni YID lareves ot eritas lacitilop morf egnar skrow
-krowten rojam a fo stuo-dna-sni eht tuoba denrael -ten riehT .lriG amabO nwonk-llew eht gnidulc
I .sretsemes egelloc neewteb dna loohcs hgih -ni ,setisbew dna swohs oediv enilno ynam rof elb
tuohguorht esnes ecnaleerf a ni nwo ym no ylno -isnopser si skrowteN weN txeN .VTM fo rotceriD
enod ylsuoiverp dah I gnihtemos ,etisbew rojam dna noedolekciN fo tnediserP remrof si OEC ehT
a rof gningised fo esnes a teg ot elba saw I ,ecneirep .ynapmoc "aidem wen" a si skrowteN weN txeN
-xe siht htiW .eusrup ot gniredisnoc era uoy dleif
a fo etsat a teg ot yaw citsatnaf a si pihsnretni nA .noitisop eht tog dna weivretni
na rof tnew retal keew a tuoba dna ,pihsnretni elbis
.ytinutroppo taht net -sop a tuoba meht detcatnoc I .nattahnaM fo retnec
-tog reve evah ton dluow ylbaborp I ,ereht neeb ton eht ni thgir detacol si ,skrowteN weN txeN ,etis
I daH "!oot ,eguH er'eW GMO" txet eht htiw gni -bew eht rof elbisnopser si taht ynapmoc ehT .yti
-vaw ynapmoc eht ni enoyreve fo pilc a ot dehctiws -soiruc fo tuo noitces "sU tcatnoC" eht no dekcilc
neht tI ".eguH era sratS ruO" gniyas swohs nwonk I os ,tra dna slamina rof evol ym
tsom rieht dethgilhgih da eht fo gninnigeb ehT denibmoc ti sa ,fo trap a gnieb
.yb gnissap elpoep fo snoillim eht ot gnivaw nees yojne yllaer dluow I gnihtemos
saw I ,opxe 0.2 beW s'CYN fo keew eht roF .eciffo ekil dekool tI .snoitamina elttil
eht ni saw I nehw yad a no draobllib eht rof ega ynnuf dna step etuc fo swohs
-toof eht dedrocer dah skrowteN weN txeN .erauqS oediv serutaef tI .iiawaK artlU
semiT fo elddim eht ni draobllib oediv eguh a dellac etisbew a ssorca emac I
no saw I :gib naem I dna - ecneirepxe gib yllaer eno .aidem latigid ni tseretni na htiw
dah osla I ,secneirepxe gninrael eseht ot noitidda nI rojam trA oidutS AFB a ma I
90' ,nnamhcaB anilA
SKROWTEN WEN TXEN TA ECNEIREPXE Y
VER HAVE I EVER.
Mary Henderson, '11
Sophomore Mary Henderson is currently studying abroad in Dingle, Ireland, taking advantage of all the
country has to offer. She reflects upon her experiences so far, painting a beautiful portrait of the Emerald
Isle's history and culture.
One of the girls I am studying abroad
with, Becca, turned to me after a full
day in Dublin as we ate crepes at a con-
venience store. "There is a problem,"
she said, "with getting to do everything
**m. ___ Ci
you ever imagined." ..
Book ojf Kells
"What's that?" I asked. -
E :
"You start to lose the game 'Never Have P.. <',,IK-Si- Libr.ir> Dublin
I Ever' a lot more often."
I shot her an "are you serious?" look,
and then we both started to laugh and
eat our crepes again, but for some rea-
son this moment seems to have stuck The SHU Study Abroad group poses in front of the Library at
Trinity College in Dublin.
with me. It means more than one might
think at first.
I cannot begin to count the times dur-
ing this trip that I have said the words,
"Take a picture, no one back home will
believe this!" I have been able to see
things up close and personal that were
just pretty pictures in text books. I
have been able to stand next to stand-
ing stones that were carved and placed
4000 years ago that are at least twice
my height on a muddy afternoon. Driv-
ing to and from locations, you can look
out at farmland and start to pick out
the standing stones, wedge tombs and
round forts. One day on the way to
Tralee, I found a half dozen of them and
I was
Mary Henderson poses in front of a castle built by
the Fitzgerald family in Ireland.
8 Spring 2009 ~ Temmes (D'Esprit
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eht ot gnillaf eerf dna
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I evaH reveN" fo sdnuor erom wef wonk ydaerla uoy neht ,golb ym daer
a esol ot dnats dluoc I ,sediseB .llams uoy fI .emoh ta retsemes eht tneps dah
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hcum os ,daorba gniog morf deviecer
evah I seitinutroppo eht yb dewa ma
I .ees reven dluow I thguoht I sgniht
gniees dna ,od ot teg dluow I deni
-gami smaerd tsedliw ym ni reven I
sgniht gniod dnalerI lufituaeb ni ereh I
eb ot lufknaht os ma I .gniknaht fo tol
a seod ehS ?ria eht ni teef 04 mroftalp
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dna sgnivrac tneicna ot txen gnidnats
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?emit txen
WHAT WE HEAR WHEN BOB DYLAN SINGS
Dr. Nick Smart, Associate Professor of English
We've been doing pretty well in our semi- the Sad Eyed Lady seem like a witness to
nar "American Singer-Songwriter," which the Holocaust. She's putting courses to-
is devoted to the works of Bob Dylan and gether, history and contemporary culture
some other related sounds and subjects. turning each other up. I've never heard this
Like when Christina Antico discovered interpretation of the song before, but as
the My Chemical Romance cover of Dy- Helen weaves her thoughts together with
lan's "Desolation Row' on the Watchmen Dylan's words it seems absolutely possible.
soundtrack, and brought it into class so we Great art stimulates and elevates your
could crank it. Or when Stephanie Mel' thinking, and asks you to return your
nick, who has a very sensitive relationship thoughts to its form, to amplify and reveal
to folks in the military, understood that it. That's the connection of art to life, and
"Masters of War" is not a knee-jerk protest we are experiencing it with Dylan.
song, but a beautiful and angry poem about Rachelle LeBlanc likes the end of Sad Eyed
the service of soldiers and the conse- Lady, where with "gentleness now that you
quences of \iolence. just can't help but show" the heroine of the
song seems to have endured despite the
In the class session last week we listened sorrow to which she has borne witness.
to Blonde on Blonde, a record from 1966 on It's an uplifting take on a potentially tragic
which Dylan is at the height of his poetic song, and everyone seems to appreciate the
powers. We were beginning our investiga- tone of Rachelle's comment.
tion of whether Dylan's music rises to the
level of art. Here's how it came out: Which makes a perfect segue for Kristen
Diaz, who is also in my British Literature
"Can you turn it up?" asks Sakina Laksimi, survey, to tell us that she is beginning to
as the almost torturously slow guitar, really feel the connection between Dylan
drum and harmonica intro to "Sad Eyed and Keats. One of the critics we are read-
Lady of the Lowlands" starts to play. Sure, ing, Christopher Ricks, author of Dylan's
I think. I love turning it up. Also, I think, Visions o/Sin, has described the Dylan-Keats
what is that Bob Dylan song about turning axis of genius, but listening to the music
it up? Oh, yeah, "Highlands," where Bob and reading the poems makes it really
says, I'm listening to Neil Young, I gotta stand out on the "wreath'd trellis" of Kris-
turn up the sound/ Someone's always yell- ten's "working brain."
ing turn it down." Whether to turn things
up or down is not just about the actual ear- Now we're cooking.
drum, it's about the intellectual eardrum
too. It's about intensity. So, when Sakina Darianna Parra is on to something. For
asks, I turn it up. this session we have also read Friedrich
Nietzsche argue, in The Birth of Tragedy, that
When the song ends we trade observa- the folksong is "the musical mirror of the
tions. Helen Gilles finds verses that make world...the original melody, now seeking
10 Spring 2009- Temmes (D'<Esprit