“The Bad Quarto”

This week, we were assigned to read the first two acts of “The Bad Quarto,” an infamously bad version of Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. It can be accessed here:

http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/doc/Ham_Q1M/scene/1/

Upon first skimming it, I only noticed a few major differences. However, as I compared this poor version of Hamlet to my more widely accepted copy, I realized that there were vast differences in the two texts.

First off, “The Bad Quarto” was significantly shorter. Many of the important monologues of the play were just a few lines long. For example, when Claudius delivered his speech that he had married Old King Hamlet’s wife, Gertrude, he delivered a forty-line monologue, while the exact same section in “The Bad Quarto” was only ten lines. This disparity in presented information continues throughout this poor version of Hamlet, which results in an inappropriate presentation of Shakespeare’s work, leading us to misunderstand the importance of certain scenes and ideas within the play. The intended tone and message of the play is distorted and Shakespeare’s work does not carry the weighty intellectual presence that it often revered for.

Another major difference I recognized was the names of the characters. Many of the names were spelled differently in the two versions, with “The Bad Quarto” having names that were spelled more phonetically. However, I noticed at least two names that were completely different. In “The Bad Quarto,” Bernardo was referenced as First Sentinel and Polonius was called Corambis. This does not affect the meaning of “The Bad Quarto” drastically, it just causes some confusion when referring to both of the versions.

One of the most startling differences appeared at the end of the second act. It seems as if an entire section of the scene was an important part of the third act. In Act 2, Scene 2 of “The Bad Quarto,” Hamlet gives his highly recognized “To be, or not to be” speech. He then goes on to interact with Ophelia (Ofelia in “The Bad Quarto), and the idea that he was mad from his love towards her is squandered. This extra scene seems to eliminate a sense if heightening suspense that is created between the second and the third act. This, as the reduced text does, distorts Shakespeare’s creativity and thoughtful construction of a profound play.

Overall, I was actually shocked that something as poorly written as “The Bad Quarto” was released to the general public and was compared to Shakespeare’s amazing plays. I am definitely glad that our play resources are more complete and refined.

Norse Poems: Verse 29

This week for our blog post, we read the Hávamál, a collection of Norse Poems that is over 1000 years old. The piece is composed of proverbs and wisdom sayings that the Vikings abided by.

After reading many of the verses, I found that verse 29 had a significant meaning to me, as it reminded me of a concept that I often forget. The verse is below:

29. He utters too many

futile words

who is never silent;

a garrulous tongue,

if it be not checked,

sings often to its own harm.

In a more modern translation, this verse is trying to portray that if a person who constantly says useless things, does not watch what he is saying, and does not listen to others will encounter trouble.

I feel that this is a verse that I should memorize by heart, as I have permanently damaged many friendships because of my careless speech. I often just talk to fill the seeming void, however, I could benefit from just sitting back and listening, because silence is not actually all that silent. There are many productive thoughts that can be derived from just sitting in peace.

This exact idea can be observed in literary context when examining The Poisonwood Bible. The father and husband of the narrators, Nathan Price, does not actively seek to try to adapt his message to more effectively impact the Congolese people he wants to turn to Christianity. Instead of observing his lack of success or listening to the English speaking schoolteacher from the village who desperately tried to explain the situation, Nathan ignorantly plows forward with the same evangelical sermons he would give to U.S. citizens in Georgia. He halfheartedly attempts to reach the Congolese by using general phrases from the native language, but he is inaccurate with his usage, as he unknowingly refers to Jesus Christ as a poisonwood tree, which is a plant that causes extreme irritation to the skin when it comes into contact. His actions fit this verse well, as his inability to stop and observe his surroundings and his poor choice to continue to constantly poor his heart into the wrong cause led to the failure of his mission project as well as the failure of his family, who left him after the death of his youngest daughter who was bitten by a snake.

It is imperative that we are observant of the feelings of others. And you are probably pretty good at that. But I so often find myself unintentionally speaking in a condescending tone or utilizing sarcasm at inappropriate times. Hopefully, when interacting with others, I will be able to recall this verse and remember to be thoughtful and quiet occasionally.

You can read more of the verses here: (and you totally should! There are some pretty cool ones.)

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2016/01/31/the-80-wisdom-sayings-of-the-vikings/

Shakespeare’s Real Othello

This week, we are to investigate and make observations of the First Folio (http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/facsimile/book/Bran_F1/833/?zoom=800) and Quarto 1 (http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/facsimile/book/BL_Q1_Oth/55/?zoom=520) version of Othello. I was utterly shocked at the differences from my modern copy that riddled the two versions. Even the actual words in each of the works varied often. Here is the language from each of the versions when Iago reveals his plan to betray Cassio through a monologue during Act III Scene iii:

Modern Text:

Iago- I will in Cassio’s lodging lose this napkin,

And let him find it. Trifles light as air

Are to the jealous confirmations strong

As proofs of holy writ: this may do something.

The Moor already changes with my poison:

Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons,

Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,

But, with a little act upon the blood,

Burn like the mines of sulphur,– I did say so:–

Look, where he comes!

Not poppy, nor mandragora,

Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,

Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep

Which thou ow’dst yesterday.

First Folio Text:

I will in Cassio’s lodging loofe this napkin,

And let him finde it. Trifles light as ayre,

Are to the iealious, confirmations strong,

As proofes of Holy Writ. This may do something.

The Moor already changes with my poyson:

Dangerous conceites, are in their natures poysons,

Which are the first and scarce found to distaste:

But with little acte vpon the blood,

Burn like the mines of sulphure. I did say so.

Quarto 1 Text:

And let him finde it: trifles light as ayre,

Are to the iealous, confirmations strong

As proofes of holy writ, this may doe something,

Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons,

Which at the first are scarce found to distast.

But with a little act, vpon the blood.

The most notable difference was the “s” in both the First Folio and the Quarto 1, which very closely resembled “f.” This is the result of a reminiscence of Old English in Shakespearean script. The evolution of both the letter “s” and the letter “f” in the English language are depicted in the picture below:

 

The First Folio and the Quarto 1 also used a “v” in the place of a “u” and a “i” in place of a “j.” This is because the letters v and u were once considered the same letter. They merely induced different pronunciations. The same goes for i and j.

The copies also began to assume the more modern look of my copy as the age decreased. The First Folio looks quite old and resembles what I imagine a scroll would look like, as each page is carefully decorated, yet there are manual errors that resulted from a much more labor-intensive creation. The Quarto 1 looks significantly younger, resembling almost what today’s Bibles look like, suggesting that more modern printing tactics had been developed when it was created.

Another notable characteristic of both the First Folio and the Quarto 1 is the little word in the bottom of each page. The little word is actually the same word that appears at the beginning of the next page. This detail is likely present because during the time when these copies were printed, the printer merely put the ink on the paper; they did not take the time to bind the book. It was up to the responsibility and preference of the purchaser to get the book bound. The little word in the corner probably served as a device to keep all of the pages in order when the newly printed copy was being transported to its new destination.

Overall, I enjoyed getting to look at these more original copies of Shakespeare’s work, as it makes him and his brilliant existence more accessible. It is sometimes hard to comprehend that one man could so thoughtfully craft so many pieces of literature, including his many plays and numerous poems.

“Take It Easy”

This week, we were assigned to write about one of the major musicians that have passed since the beginning of the year. To be completely honest, I did not recognize any of the names of these musicians. Upon searching the works of these individuals, I realized that I did not know any of the songs, either. Only “Take It Easy,” by Glenn Frey, sounded vaguely familiar. And so that is the song I have decided to write a review about.

“Take It Easy,” written by Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne and recorded by the Eagles, was first released on May 1, 1972. This song was the band’s first single. It received lots of attention and spent a significant amount of time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lyrics are below:

Well, I’m running down the road

tryin’ to loosen my load

I’ve got seven women on

my mind,

Four that wanna own me,

Two that wanna stone me,

One says she’s a friend of mine

Take It easy, take it easy

Don’t let the sound of your own wheels

drive you crazy

Lighten up while you still can

don’t even try to understand

Just find a place to make your stand

and take it easy

Well, I’m a standing on a corner

in Winslow, Arizona

and such a fine sight to see

It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed

Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me

Come on, baby, don’t say maybe

I gotta know if your sweet love is

gonna save me

We may lose and we may win though

we will never be here again

so open up, I’m climbin’ in,

so take it easy

Well I’m running down the road trying to loosen

my load, got a world of trouble on my mind

lookin’ for a lover who won’t blow my

cover, she’s so hard to find

Take it easy, take it easy

don’t let the sound of your own

wheels make you crazy

come on baby, don’t say maybe

I gotta know if your sweet love is

gonna save me, oh oh oh

Oh we got it easy

We oughta take it easy

Ok, guys. Now it is my time to a write a review on the song. And I am quite inexperienced when it comes to music. So bear with me.

This song has a variety of appealing characteristics, including its interesting genre, country rock, which perfectly describes the laid back aspect of the song that is along the line of a country song yet still captures the great guitar solo parts in it, that often fill rock pieces. The song is not at all overwhelming and could definitely satisfy individuals in a variety of moods.

The vocal performance is quite impressive, as the singer (Glenn Frey) has a clear and precise voice, unlike many singers of his time who often have raspy voices and seem to do quite a bit of screaming. The harmonizing in the song is a nice addition, as it allows for more variety of the song’s appealing yet slightly repetitive catch phrase, “Take It Easy.” Some of the lyrics are a little awkward, and can be received as slightly vulgar at times.

However, the overall message of the song (take it easy, as the song’s title suggests) may have a more sincere message. It ultimately is trying to remind us that life is short and it is up to us to make the most of it. We often do not need to harp on the many aspects of life that we focus so intently on. We do not need to focus on the opportunities that we have lost, because so many lie ahead. Just sit back and live in the moment.

While I was previously not familiar with Glenn Frey or “Take It Easy,” I enjoyed this moment of reminiscence and the acculturation I have encountered. (The alternative culture being my parent’s generation. Lol.)

Othello: Act 1, Scene iii

DUKE OF VENICE

I think this tale would win my daughter too.

Good Brabantio,

Take up this mangled matter at the best:

Men do their broken weapons rather use

Than their bare hands.

 

BRABANTIO

I pray you, hear her speak:

If she confess that she was half the wooer,

Destruction on my head, if my bad blame

Light on the man! Come hither, gentle mistress:

Do you perceive in all this noble company

Where most you owe obedience?

 

DESDEMONA

My noble father,

I do perceive here a divided duty:

To you I am bound for life and education;

My life and education both do learn me

How to respect you; you are the lord of duty;

I am hitherto your daughter: but here’s my husband,

And so much duty as my mother show’d

To you, preferring you before her father,

So much I challenge that I may profess

Due to the Moor my lord.

 

BRABANTIO

God be wi’ you! I have done.

Please it your grace, on to the state-affairs:

I had rather to adopt a child than get it.

Come hither, Moor:

I here do give thee that with all my heart

Which, but thou hast already, with all my heart

I would keep from thee. For your sake, jewel,

I am glad at soul I have no other child:

For thy escape would teach me tyranny,

To hang clogs on them. I have done, my lord.

After initially reading Shakespeare, it is difficult to grasp the events that have occurred in the text because of the unique language. However, if one spends a little more time to reread the passage, they can gain respect for the thoughtful diction and rhythm provided by the works. This week, after reading the first two acts of Othello, we were supposed to pick a passage and become No Fear Shakespeare by deciphering exactly what Shakespeare intended to portray by rewording it in a more plain English. My “translation” is below.

DUKE OF VENICE

A man who told stories like this would attract my daughter as well. Brabantio, my friend, make the best of this disaster, recognize what has occurred.

BRABANTIO

Let us hear what she has to say. If Desdemona claims she pursued Othello, I am the fool. Come here, little girl. Answer me, in front of all of these important men, where do your allegiances lie?

DESDEMONA

My sweet father, my allegiances are split between the two of you. I owe you so much for everything you have giving me, both for my childhood and education. With these, I have learned to respect you diligently and I will forever be your daughter. But this man here is also my husband, and as my mom chose you over her father, I also believe that I should be able to favor this Moor over you.

BRABANTIO

May God bless you! But I am done with you. If this is what you want, then so be it. Come here, Moor. I bless the marriage that binds the two of you, although it has already been blessed by the state. Because of you, I am glad that I do not have any other children. Your escape and betrayal would prompt me to be much more controlling. I would watch them closely and keep them locked up. I am done, Duke. 

It can also be helpful to turn to the dictionary to better understand some of Shakespeare’s word choices. Below are a few words from the passage that I was unfamiliar with matched with a definition.

Hitherto- until now

Clogs- a heavy block, as of wood, fastened to a person to impede their movement. 

Much of Shakespeare’s word choice and unique language, I believe, was an act to portray certain things through literary devices that cannot be explained through plain English. There are many of these occurrences in this passage.

In the Duke’s first line, when he refers to Desdemona’s relationship as a “mangled matter,” it becomes prominent that the marriage of Othello, a Moor, to the beautiful Desdemona is not really respected by anyone. By referring to it in such a derogatory way, he is displaying his and the rest of nobility’s disapproval of the relationship.

In Brabantio’s first line, when he says that if Desdemona confirms that she pursued the relationship with Othello then “Destruction on his head,” the over dramatic metaphor is Shakespeare’s way of taking a political stand regarding his views on such relationship. Although the line is quite brief, a profound statement is made with it.

In Desdemona’s line, her reference to her relationship with both her father and Othello as “a divided duty,” and her reference to this metaphor throughout again works to further Shakespeare’s motives, as it subtly pokes fun at her father’s unfair demand of complete obedience.

In Brabantio’s last line, when he is expressing his disapproval of the marriage, his declaration that if he were to have any other children, he would “hang clogs on them,” further develops Brabantio’s melodramatic character.

Despite the initial difficulty that can be experienced when reading Shakespeare, upon more carefully reading his work, an interesting and profound piece of literature that holds significant messages and ideas.

The Poisonwood Bible

Over the Christmas break, I read an extremely interesting novel, The Poisonwood Bible, which I may use as one of the three novels for my senior thesis.

Anyways, let me give you a review.

Published in 1998, The Poisonwood Bible was written by Barbara Kingsolver. It recounts the life of Nathan Price, a devout Baptist minister and missionary who takes his family to the Congo in order to bring the knowledge of Christ to the Congolese, who he considers savages. Price’s wife and four daughters narrate the novel and all of them have a different understanding and outlook on the events that occur, many of which haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Each of the members of the family has an interesting personality and backstory, which allows the unique narration to have an astounding impact.

Nathan Price, the father, is never allowed to support his case in the novel. Rather, he is presented as a fanatical and crazy man who was the only soldier from his squad to survive the infamous Bataan Death March. He feels guilty for the deaths of his comrades and is desperately looking to redeem himself in the eyes of his God. This results in strict guide lines for his family of five women, who are not allowed to paint their nails or have pride in any earthly possessions, which is prominently displayed when he shatters a beautiful and delicately painted platter that his wife becomes obsessed with, as it is one of the only remaining western items in the unkempt jungle.

Orleanna Price, Nathan’s wife, narrates the beginning of each of the seven books within the novel. She was a free spirit and married extremely young, as she was impressed by Nathan’s passion and devotion for Christ after having seen the state of many other boys who grew up during the Great Depression. However, upon Nathan’s return from the war, Orleanna began to experience a life that she had never imagined. Her husband did not share her excitement for their children. Instead, he felt guilty for having the children many dead soldiers would never get the chance to experience. He imposed his unrelenting ways on his wife, suppressing her chance to live the life many women long for. She grudgingly accepts many of his antics, but after Nathan announces that they will stay in the Congo longer than the anticipated year despite the dangers they face, Orleanna falls into a state of denial and mental incapability and does not get out of bed for days. Following the tragedy that shakes the entire Congolese village, Orleanna escapes from the jungle and returns to America without Nathan.

Rachel Price, the first daughter of the couple who is extremely pretentious and equally as beautiful, finds herself quite unhappy in the Congo. The lack of the materialistic items makes her life considerably miserable. However, her good looks earn her multiple husbands and a way out of the Congo. She eventually inherits a lavish hotel in the French Congo, however, her haughty nature follows her unwaveringly into adulthood , which leaves her living a shallow and unimportant life.

Leah Price, one of the twins, initially diligently respects her father and his work. She aids him in many of his attempts to prove the existence of Christ to the skeptical Congolese while still respecting the culture and its differences from her lifestyle. She ultimately loses her faith because of the tragic events and the unwillingness of her father to return the tattered family to the United States. She marries the schoolteacher of the Congolese village that desperately tried to explain the culture to Nathan. The couple goes on to work for support services for the war torn Congolese.

Adah Price, the other twin who has hemiplegia and is extremely quiet and chooses only to speak in emergencies, has a very removed view on the entire situation. She is extremely cynical and despises her father and his ignorant devotion. However, as the events unfold, she finds that she actually cares about life more than she has initially carried on, and she uses the situation to develop her love for science, which propels her to become a renowned scientist.

The youngest daughter, Ruth May, only five, provides a simple version of the events. She is spirited and curious, embracing the lifestyle and befriending all of the village children. Her views are slightly biased by her southern American origins, as she refers to the villagers poor circumstances as a result of being the “Tribes of Ham.”

Through the narrative tactic, when each of the women narrates many portions of the novel and expresses their unique personality and views on their father’s work and their experiences in the Congo, Kingsolver allows the ideas and happenings to develop in a variety of ways; however, all of the narrators share a bitter outlook when they reflect on their time in the underdeveloped jungle that shaped their life and stole a loved one. It also allows Kingsolver to portray the importance of approaching life with an open mind. The close-mindedness of Nathan Price had a devastating impact on his mission and his family. The girls lose faith in him and his motives, and the Congolese never come to respect his unwavering western ideas. With this, regardless of one’s beliefs, it is essential that one is also accepting of others’ lifestyles and acknowledges their past experiences when interacting with them. Without this, it is difficult to accomplish what one sets out to do.

John Gardner and Grendel

I’m not even going to lie. After initially reading Grendel, I was not really impressed. Some parts of it are a little disturbing and the end is a little boring and confusing. But, after listening to my peers’ interpretations of the meanings of this novel, the power of this book dawned on me. It’s just that I suck at understanding the central meaning of any piece of literature. Even after spending hours tediously going over every sentence and every word, I often come up with something completely off. However, after my classmates pointed out the idea of the novel to me, I have developed a new respect for John Gardner. And, upon reading his letter to Susie West and students, I like him even more.

His letter reveals how thoughtful Gardner is. He doesn’t want to push ideas upon anyone. He just presents the facts in a beautiful way, leaving it up to the audience to determine what they believe. He writes directly, “One of the most exciting things in a great work of art is that it makes the reader realize things he didn’t know before–about himself and the world–and the joy the reader experiences comes from his seeing it himself, not from his being told it by a teacher or the writer or anybody else.” This comment reveals one of the most prominent reasons that I ultimately fell in love with Grendel, as it is so apparent that Gardner is executing this idea in the novel. All my life there have been people trying to sway what I believe, from my parents, to my teachers, and even my friends. In fact, today, my parents vehemently attempted to change the presidential candidate that I favor. Even though I have decided to share many of their political views, apparently, that is not good enough. I must also prefer exactly the same candidate that they support.

Anyways, this freedom of thought that Gardner allowed us to have may have resulted in my primarily ignorant reaction. But I came around. And I have since come to appreciate all of the dense topics that Gardner touches on in this novel and points out in his letter, from the idea presented through the dragon (that all of our lives are essentially pointless and meaningless), to the idea that many of the people we dub as heroes are ironically not at all valiant, to the idea that our monsters may have more feelings than what we believe (lol). It has made me think longer and harder about who I am and what I believe. And, to be frank, I haven’t come to any notable conclusions.

But Gardner has planted a seed of hope in me. “Society can corrupt,” he writes, “but so can isolation. In the long run, I hope, an imperfect society is better than a solitary monster.” Even though he points out many of the flaws that have developed from our self-centered society, he is suggesting that we just need to push forward. Regardless of the corruption of governments and humans in general, there are benefits from society that are not available through solidarity. And, if we allow everyone to develop his or her own beliefs, maybe someone will eventually figure it all out (don’t get too excited though, the chances of that happening are very slim). So while we’re waiting, “seek out gold and sit on it” of course. The question is, what is your gold? (I ❤ philosophy.)

A Yellow Leaf

Ok. So. We had to pick a poem of the day from one of the days in the past week to analyze. I decided use the one from November 30, called “A Yellow Leaf,” by Ariana Reines.

It’s shivering

Like a little lady rattling her bell

Calling for tea

Quivering in the old style

 

There’s a red light in Boston

At the close of day

Like the red light of idiocy

All along the bricks

Of Harvard Yard & a blue

Sky so hard & irradiated

In the way of old cinema

Whose screens

Reflect the pops & black

Rot spattered

As though it were something

Perhaps nice

As if to say please

No extra charge

Please

Visualize now the idea of your blind spot

I will even do it for you

As the physical reel unspools

& unspools & you blink

In a dark

Room narrow with shadows

Narrow shadows like avant-gardes

 

It was a dream that woke up

The Fall

 

It really is something

A sick feeling

Like stopping lying

A dangerous feeling

Like giving up trying to live as though you were otherwise

 

As though my mouth could water along the split

Waistlines of all the apricot colored squashes

As though the real pumpkins, horns

Of plenty at my hearth

& in my wealth, my death

Were visibly grinning

Thru the rosebud lip of womanhood

Behind which all the women

I really am (they claim)

Hide behind my face & do their flips

Behind my teeth

In the red darkness there

In my potions

In my chemicals

In the mouth I never use

In my poisonous mouth

Even after studying sonnets for the past week and a half, I still struggle to understand the overall message of the poem, so this is going to be a bit rough and I apologize in advance.

While I appreciate what I think the message is, I ultimately chose the poem because it mentioned Boston, which is a really cool place. Lol.

Anyways, the central meaning of the poem seems to be the regret a woman has for not speaking up for herself. She stayed quiet even as other women gossiped behind her back. This central idea is strongly portrayed through metaphors. The first stanza is a metaphor for how this lady held her tongue, succumbing to the stereotypical submissive and silent women of our history. Later on, as she describes her blind spot and ignorance to the bullying she was enduring, she uses the descriptive metaphor, “As the physical reel unspools / & unspools & you blink / In a dark / Room narrow with shadows / Narrow shadows like avant-gardes” to describe the darkness and uncertainty of this period in her life. The intimidating shadows that startled her as she was stuck in a dark time while her life unraveled are representative of all the women that have hurt her, suggesting that at the time it was happening, the lady could not quite distinguish what was going on. The poem also has many metaphors that help convey the central meaning. At the beginning of the second staza (when Boston is mentioned… !!!), imagery (that is a part of a metaphor) is used to describe the “red light” feeling that kept this lady from taking a stand on her own behalf. She also describes the “hard” sky that enclosed her in her situation.

There us definitely a shift in this poem that occurs after the second stanza. The new tone starts with the lines “It was a dream that woke up / The Fall.” The tone shits from a very lost, upset, and scared tone to one of regret and despise for the past decisions made. The scared tone can be detected thorough much of the imagery mentioned above as well as the diction and words like “quivering,” “blind spot,” and “shadows,” all words that can be associated with something that evokes fright. Following the shift, a much more resentful tone begins to dominate the poem. The poem describes the “sick feeling” the narrator had and how it seemed like “giving up trying to live as though you were other wise.” The resentment is most apparent right at the end of the poem, when the narrator recalls how she could have stopped the bullying by opening her “poisonous mouth.”

The message (at least what I thought the message was) is one that should be shared more often. Stand up for yourself. Don’t let something simple that you could have fixed ruin your life.

There was also a segment by the author on the site that read:

“At times I have the peculiar sense these revolving women, like worlds, are seething in my blood: it’s exhilarating, and unbearable. But then you write a poem and you’re fine.”

And if something does happen, don’t dwell on it. Maybe you could write about it like Reines did. 😉

JUST LOVE? MAYBE?

Guys. So. I don’t really know how to start this. I can only express how horrified I am by what a few individuals have decided to do. They have seemingly transformed the human race from something amazingly civilized to an awful image of death and distrust to even those who are of their own descent, regardless of how long ago their bloodlines crossed. The attacks on Paris, which resulted in at least 129 deaths and hundreds more wounded, highlighted the arising issue of the growing power of ISIS; however, the terrible acts of the group are growing ever more frequent and, sadly, are almost becoming expected. These radical men have killed so many innocent people, from James Foley, an American Journalist, to the travelers in the Russian plane that was bombed, to Christians.

The entire world is struggling with what actions should be taken in order to prevent more catastrophic terrorist attacks. Should we wage war? Or does calling war on the state of ISIS unnecessarily give the group too much power? There are numerous ideas of action that superpowers of the world can implement and there are even more outcomes that could result because of these actions.

Regardless of the tactic decided upon, there are a few things that I think we, as mere citizens, need to consider. Being removed from the physical detriments of the war, it is easy for us to say what we should do or should of done. But we need to remember the innocent bystanders who stand on the side line of humanity’s war. And even this is even being debated. Do we take them in as refugees? Do we just leave them to fend for themselves? Honestly, at the time being, I believe that we need to set up emergency camps in places away from the battleground for these individuals to seek shelter at. But we need to support even these efforts. We need to send resources and funds, troops and prayers. While this may not be the most effective strategy, overtime, more opportunities for better care will arise. We also need to remember the difficult decisions that our country’s leaders are facing. Regardless of what they decide, it is our duty to support their decision, because the current circumstances will not change if a country is not able to rally civilian support. The men and women in office are working in the best interest of our country’s safety and prosperity (they wouldn’t be in office if this wasn’t true) and we need to trust their decisions and support them as they lead us to safety.

My last point is extremely cliché, but just go along with me, as it is still an important point.

We need to love. While it may be hard to find love to send to the men committing horrific crimes, I am not saying that we need to love them. I am saying that we need to love each other. In a time like this where so many are unsure of what tomorrow will look like, we need to love the beauties in life. We need to support and protect each other as if everyone is your little sister. And we need to trust that it will be ok. Justice will be served. The resolutions to all of this this is extremely unclear right now, but don’t forget, the good guys always win. Always.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jan Wnęk: A Flight to Freedom

This week’s assignment was to research and write about an individual who made a great contribution to society but is unknown to much of the public.

Jan Wnęk, a Polish carpenter, was the son of a servant and was never formally educated. However, this did not stop him from pursuing his interests. He has created many beautiful sculptures, many of which are displayed in churches and cathedrals. He was also fascinated with flying and the technicalities associated with it. He thoroughly studied duck wings to understand their unique structure that allowed the birds to stay suspended in air. Upon making some observations, Wnęk created his own model of the wings and worked to strengthen the structure so he could fly as well. He tested them on small trips at first, and upon gaining trust in the structure, he convinced the priest of his church to allow him to build a ramp to the top of the church’s tower, so that he could observe the effectiveness of his self-made wings when flying a further distance. He was attempting a flight from this position one afternoon during a Pentecost celebration but fell, leading to injuries that resulted in death. While the man is quite unknown, his work in aerodynamics was influential, as it helped establish a path for the Wright Brothers, the pair of men who ultimately created the airplane that we are familiar with today.

(A picture of a model of the pair of wings Wnęk is believed to have created)

While there are many amazing aspects of Wnęk’s story, the one that I found most profound was his ability to accomplish so much without a formal education. This aspect is a boastful advocate for the power of a good work ethic and the benefits it can result in. Without dedication, it is easy to fall into a lazy cycle, but dedication can pull you out of a cycle that you are better than but that may seem never ending. There are opportunities available for everyone; however, they may not appear exactly how you had planned. For Wnęk, this was overcoming his inability to formally study and instead relying on his curiosity and intuition to make himself productive and influential. Wnęk is an individual that we can learn something from. We need to strive to have his ambition, which is more important than any education or title. We need to be astute, like he was, and look for something that we can make the most out of. After all, FLIGHT= FREEDOM.

(A sculpture that Wnęk created)

Sources:

http://listverse.com/2011/04/12/10-great-people-you-should-know-but-dont/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Wnęk

http://www.flyingmachines.org/wnek.html