Tomorrow

Tomorrow. It seems a world away as I rest my head against the pillow, yet it is closer than I think. My resolve is strong, my mind is bent: Yes, tomorrow is a day of reckoning, a day for change. But then it comes. From the land of fantasy it breaks forth into the world of my most wretched reality; the unsearchable, the unknowable is cast into the light of scrutiny, the light of the here and now, the light in which decisions must be made, no longer to be pondered or pleasantly awaited. Finally, tomorrow becomes today, and the things which burned like fire before my eyes as I closed them shut now fizzle like wet embers struggling to survive. The hope and joy of that intangible fire is squelched in the reality of what is.

In the morning, as my eyes awaken to the blaring sun, the harsh reality of tomorrow bursts forth. "Now!" it shouts, "Now!" It is relentless, yet I am slow to act. I begin to question why yesterday frightened me so, why I needed to change at all. Wasn't yesterday adequate? Wasn't I happy enough? Wasn't I comfortable? Didn't I make it through? What satisfaction could a resolution possibly give me? Oh, what hardship it would be to change!

And so as my alarm blares out its command, I struggle to find a way to silence it, to kill the conscience that is left smoldering inside. Finally, after my hand has violently torn the clock from its resting place, I am left alone in the silence I so desired. Conscious of what I have just given up, the most intimate of meetings with my Lord and Savior, I allow sleep to consume me. When I awake hours later, I arise without a word and my prayers remain unspoken. It is late, now, and the day must begin. I no longer have time for such unnecessary proceedings.

And so the day begins, and the horror continues. Every moment blares out the command, "Now! Now!" and every moment, I continue to put it aside, content to remain in the ways of yesterday. The sin and the struggles that once horrified me seem comfortable and inviting. They embrace me like old friends who console me in my time of distress. They assure me that tomorrow is the day, the day I might finally escape myself and truly live.

Tomorrow; if only it would come sooner; that chance to be who I really want to be; that inexplicable hope that things can be different, that all can be made right. If only tomorrow were today! And then I realize the horrible truth -- it is.

What will it take, Lord?

What will happen when all the tomorrows have been spent; when my life lays ruined before my eyes, and I can only lament the all too many moments I said, "Tomorrow."

I know what needs doing, Lord, but I am hesitant to do it. At least when I cast my fears and worries onto tomorrow, they seem manageable. But during the here and now, during this inescapable moment, I am overwhelmed and afraid. I don't want to let go and I am afraid to trust. I know that making such a radical decision, a decision to follow your will, will cause me incredible pain and hardship. The command feels harsh and uninviting, almost brutal, and yet while I fear my commander and his harsh voice, I know that behind such an order is a love which only one soldier can have for another.

Lord, sometimes I forget that when things inconvenience me and weigh me down throughout the day, they remain expressions of your love to me. When temptations arise or when difficulties come forth, your most Divine Will, albeit one of hardship and sacrifice, is always communicated with my own good in mind.

Lord, help me to stop interpretting your commands as suggestions. Help me to rid my heart of fear and confusion. Help me to see you, my Commander in Chief for who you really are, and help me be true to my tomorrow -- today.

A Lesson in Forgiveness

The following is a popular forwarded email that really drives the fundamental message of forgiveness home. I hope that for those of you who have not yet encountered it, it helps to inspire much prayer and reflection.



One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job.

His thoughts turned to those who had stolen his things and cheated him. He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had, that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment, and frustration.

Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there. And with tears in his eyes, he prayed:

“Lord - You have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot, I don't know how. It is not fair Lord, I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive. My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray you teach me to do the one thing I cannot do: Teach me to forgive.”

As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt. He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them.

He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spikes in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.

“Have you ever told a lie?” He asked.

The man answered – “Yes, Lord.”

“Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?”

The man answered – “Yes. Lord.” And the man sobbed more and more.

“Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?” Jesus asked.

And the man answered, “Yes, Lord.”

“Have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?”

The man, crying now, answered – “Yes, Lord.”

As Jesus asked many more times, “Have you ever?” The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer – “Yes, Lord.”

Then Jesus turned His head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.

Jesus said, “I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you.”

* * *

It may be hard to see how you're going to get through something, but when you look back in life, you realize how true this statement is.

If God brings you to it - He will bring you through it.

Redempeur

A short story inspired by Dr. Faustus; written for my AP English class on November 19, 2007.

* * *

The theater was completely filled as the lights began to fade. Redempeur lifted his eyes to gaze at the high balconies to his left and to his right. As people all about him were struggling to find a last-minute seat, he took notice of the sheer scale and grandeur that made the theater so breathtakingly spectacular. Examining the balconies, he observed the lavish wealth of the upper classes who were seated there. An abundance of gold, silver, and diamonds cast glittering rays of light across the hand-strewn ceiling. As the theater lights dimmed to mere nothingness, Redempeur watched as the vivid white reflections died down into subtle shades of flaming paleness which gradually dispersed as the lights finally went out.

The darkened room suddenly grew completely silent; everyone sat completely motionless, anxiously staring at the enormous velvet curtain in front of them. Then finally, from a hidden corner of the room, a trumpet sounded, and like an enormous gate, the curtain was drawn up. A brilliant white light flooded the darkness and the show began. A myriad of robed singers approached the audience and their voices began to diverge into intricate harmonies. All throughout the audience, people looked on in amazement and wonder. Tears filled with unrestrained emotion soon began to trickle down the cheeks of men and women alike, and yet, as the song’s emotion grew more and more intense, Redempeur remained unmoved and his eyes produced no tears.

As each voice intertwined itself among the others, Redempeur began to follow its every movement. It was not long before every harmony, rhythm, and voice fell captive to his comprehension. He could predict ever note, every word, and every embellishment that would be sung next. His mind raced on, analyzing and calculating the detail which brought the music to life. Such an understanding of music was natural to Redempeur. His entire life had been spent learning the technicalities of music. He could name any pitch without assistance. He could instantly determine any interval and could resolve any chord progression that had ever been sung. The real breadth of his skill was relatively unknown, however, and his analytical approach to music was more often scoffed at than praised. To most of his fellows, Redempeur was not a genius, but rather a fool. They labeled him a fool because they observed how his rational mind could no longer be affected by the emotion of a song or be swept up in its transcendent message, and they saw this as a great loss. He could never again truly enjoy a song for what it was meant to be because he had forever doomed himself to unfolding and understanding its spiritual nature.

Redempeur had made the decision to pursue musical detail long ago because he saw it as a unique opportunity to uncover hidden truths. He had once reasoned that by solving the mystery of music he could come to understand his humanity all the more, but now as he continued to delve deeper and deeper and began to understand more and more of what he had once called mysterious, he started to realize how much less he felt certain of. His study may have provided the answers he had once sought, but it had only produced three times as many unanswered questions left to explore. His frustration had led him to reconsider many of his original assumptions, and he was resolved to seek out another way to attain the answers he hunted.

The song was approaching its final measure. Redempeur looked around him in disgust. Everyone’s eyes were fixated on the dazzling singers. Held in complete suspense by their voices, each and every person in the room appeared as if they were in a trance, their souls so caught up in these last few notes that they could not see what was just beyond their trivial feelings. There was no magic at work here; all that this music was could be derived from mathematics and science, and yet still it somehow managed to foolishly distract people from its reality. Applause erupted throughout the theater and everywhere people eagerly stood to show their appreciation for such a wonderful experience. Adjusting his collar and placing his hat on his head, Redempeur hustled his way to the rear entrance and let the door fall in place behind him, stifling the applause which continued to pour out from every side of the theater.

It was dark outside, and the alleyways were covered in thick murky shadows. A light snow had begun to fall as Redempeur made his way through the streets. He stopped at an empty corner illuminated by a pale flickering overhead streetlight. He saw his home in the distance and sighed. He could not go back there, not now. To go back home would only oblige him to uncover more unanswerable questions. He glanced to his right. Encased in a thick darkness, he took notice of an old alleyway. It was overgrown with weeds and briers of many different shapes and sizes. Yes, this was the one; the same alley whose broken pavement and uncertain destination had plagued children’s tales for as long as the town had existed. Even at Halloween time, children would play games around its entrance, daring each other to go in, and not one being brave enough to place their foot within the shadow. Redempeur looked back at his house for the last time. He knew the choice he was making could change the rest of his life, but he hoped that this time, the choice would be worthwhile. Then, with a daring first step, he walked into the shadowed alley.

Once his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, Redempeur soon realized how much wider the street actually was than it had appeared from the outside. He began to walk more confidently forward, pausing only to release his pant legs from the briers which persisted in viciously and relentlessly snagging him. After about two minutes, he arrived at the end of the alley. Along the cold rock wall, he found an old rotting wood door. After knocking twice, he tried the door on his own and found that it was more or less ajar, and so he let himself in.

The first thing Redempeur noticed about the room he entered was that it was set up very much like a doctor’s waiting room. Straight ahead of him on the opposite wall was a grey door. To the far right corner, a woman sat busily filling out some paperwork behind a sliding glass window. To his left, he also observed three vacant chairs with magazines and books on a neighboring table. Redempeur, surprised by the unexpected scene, slowly allowed the thick rotting door to close behind him. As he walked toward the glass window he took notice of two portraits hanging over the two opposing doors and eyed them curiously, almost believing that they were somehow watching him. After he had gently tapped the window, the woman looked up from her work and rolled back the window.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I’d like to see the man in charge,” he replied.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but there are no men who currently manage affairs here.”

“Then whom might I seek for a position of employment?”

“Employment?” she repeated. Her eyes seared through his own.

“Yes,” he replied somewhat anxiously.

“Please have a seat then. Our manager will be out momentarily.” She shut the window and, rising from her chair, disappeared into a back room. Taking the recommendation, Redempeur took a seat and began browsing through the magazines. The first thing he noticed about them was that they were all about music. As he inspected each one more carefully, he discovered that each magazine dealt with a different technical construction of music. As he began thumbing through the one on top of the pile, he quickly noticed that many of the questions which had puzzled him the most about musical construction were not only brilliantly answered but answered in such a way that made him ask how he had ever been unable to conclude the very same thing in the first place.

He had only gotten through two pages of the magazine before the silver door suddenly opened. Redempeur jumped at the sound and looked up. From behind the door emerged a rather tall man dressed in a long sleeved striped button down shirt with slacks, shoes, and a tie. What stood out most about the man was not his height or his bald head, but the color of his skin. His skin was such a dark shade of brown that Redempeur would have best described it as a charcoal black.

The man came over to Redempeur, who stood up to greet the figure, and stuck out his hand, “Hello, Redempeur, my name is Pravaturus.”

Taken aback yet again, Redempeur asked, “How do you know my name?”

“Oh, Redempeur, I know a lot about you,” he said, “Most importantly I know how brilliant you are and how much you seek to learn, not to mention your unique ability to comprehend music.”

“Who are you?” Redempeur asked in disbelief, refusing to take the handshake.

“Who am I?” the figured replied, “Why I am the one who will give you the answers you seek, Redempeur. I have the ability to give you every bit of knowledge you ever hungered for. All I need from you is a small token of commitment.”

“Name your price,” Redempeur answered, his ambition overtaking him with every passing word.

“Your pendant,” came the reply. Redempeur hesitated a moment and then turned over his right hand, exposing a small silver stone embedded below his wrist. In small lettering was carved the word KNOWLEDGE.

“My pendant?” he asked slowly.

“Your pendant,” came the request again.

Redempeur stared at his pendant. He knew what giving it up would mean. For someone to separate themselves from their pendant was to eliminate all possibility of ever making that final journey across the sea back to their homeland. Redempeur recalled his own departure on the day he had officially become an . Taken away from his mother, father, and sisters, he had been sent off to a land beyond the ocean to suffer the trials of independence for the next ten years of his life. He made the trip together with two other friends, Sodalis and Sapens, boys whom he had known all his life and who became his only comfort in the harsh reality of a new world. Before they were sent to shore, each had been given a precious stone with a single word carved into it. The word had been chosen by their parents and was significant of the virtue which they felt their child had best exhibited in his youth. They were then given instruction to guard the pendants with their very lives, for without the pendants, they could never be admitted back onto the ship that had born them hence. In order to ensure himself that he would never lose it, Redempeur had chiseled out a place below his wrist where he might store the pendant and keep it from harm.

You’ll have to take it out of course.

Redempeur looked over his left shoulder at the portrait over the silver door. Had it just spoken to him?

What about your family? Will they never be able to see you again?

His eyes darted to the right. Nothing had changed. The faces were still the same, but something was definitely speaking.

They’re not as important as the opportunity at hand. Take it.

With a burst of resolve, Redempeur tore at the skin surrounding his pendant. Desperate and oblivious to the pain, he tore the stone from its resting place. Bl00d came pouring out everywhere. Reacting quickly, the black man took the pendant in one hand and with the other, seized Redempeur’s wound. Howling from the initial pain, Redempeur felt an intense heat envelope his exposed tissues. When Pravaturus let go of his arm, Redempeur saw that his wound had been sealed shut by a third-degree burn. Still in pain, Redempeur watched as Pravaturus took the pendant and placed it on a low shelf near the unlocked wooden door.

“Shall we begin?” Pravaturus beckoned.

Redempeur nodded his head and followed the black man through the silver door without a word, still internally writhing in pain.

For the rest of his life, Redempeur lived with Pravaturus and under his direction began developing music which would not conform to any musical technique of the past. The music’s irregularity was supplemented and injected with dark emotions which had never before been so vividly expressed in song: anger, jealousy, fear, and . Spreading this new music around the world, Redempeur became the most notoriously famed songwriter in the history of mankind, and his music gave birth to a generation plagued by immoral behavior and suicidal tendencies.

It is rumored, however, that Redempeur’s bl00died body was recovered some thirty years later on a ship bound for his homeland. It is also claimed that in his hand he held a stone, but no one was ever able to identify if anything was written on it. Some say it wasn’t his body at all, but that of a disobedient slave stealing a gem. Which story is right? It is not for us to know, only to learn from.

END

Paradise Lost: Adam’s Character

Here is a very brief essay written on December 5, 2007 for my English AP class. I find it important enough to post here because it discusses the relationship between emotion and reason in the Christian life.

Of note: This essay analyzes Adam and Eve in the context of Reason and Passion respectively. It is by no means to be understood in terms of gender alone; it bears no reflection of any kind of gender bias.

In Paradise Lost, Adam’s character displays leadership. It achieves this through many different aspects of his nature. First and foremost, he is a figure of authority for his wife Eve. Throughout the story, Eve constantly pledges herself to Adam’s wisdom and care. In book four, she tells him,

“My author and disposer, what thou bid’st / Unargued I obey; so God ordains, God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more / Is woman’s happiest knowledge and her praise” (Milton 4:635-638).

By subordinating herself in such a manner, Eve acknowledges Adam’s superiority in their relationship. Eve also chooses to recall how she is fundamentally “of Adam;” that she was made from his rib. Therefore, she asserts that as much as God is an authority for Adam, who was directly created by God, so must Adam be an authority for her, who was created from Adam. Adam’s leadership is therefore directly associated with God’s own authority. This idea is further understood by Adam’s unique capacity for reason, a faculty which Adam shares only with God and the angels. At the beginning of book five, he tells Eve,

“But know that in the soul / Are many lesser faculties that serve / reason as chief; among these fancy next / her office holds” (Milton 5:100-103).

By saying this, Adam alludes to Eve’s nature, once more reminding her that the intellect is superior to her passions because the intellect is guided by higher principles, namely reason. Eve’s inferior nature is more directly addressed by Milton in book 8:

“Yet went she not, as not with such discourse / Delighted, or not capable her ear / Of what was high: such pleasure she reserved, / Adam relating, she sole auditress” (Milton 8: 48-51).

Here, Eve is described as incapable of discoursing with the angels as Adam is, and is therefore more concretely established as at least somewhat inferior to her husband. However, Adam does not merely foster his superiority. Instead, he exemplifies the qualities of a true leader by using his abilities to instruct and care for Eve. Her dependence necessitates a response from Adam and so he corrects her when she errs and guides her behavior in accordance with virtue. Ultimately, he is responsible for Eve’s sin because he does not use his rational ability to correct her fault but instead abandons reason and follows her example. Only after Adam neglects the responsibility he has to his wife is the sin even recognized. The idea of Adam’s accountability for Eve’s sin is all the more reflective of his role as a leader because as a leader, he is not only responsible for his own achievements and failures, but the achievements and failures of all those under his leadership.

END

Unconventional Thought and Delay

For all you literary scholars, here is an essay I wrote on November 19, 2007. It explores the "thought versus action" theme of Hamlet in a unique way, pointing out how the concept of thought is a diverse one in the work. After establishing this foundation, I continue to elaborate on the conclusions which can be drawn from what I describe as "Unconventional Thought."

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is often hailed as his greatest work. It is a masterpiece that has survived the test of time and continues to intrigue the modern reader and the contemporary scholar. For more than two hundred years, a “question of questions” (de Grazia) has immortalized the work: “Why does Hamlet delay?” The answer to this question is not a simple one word answer. Rather, it is an analysis that continues to deepen as continual study and knowledge of the human psyche develops. Ultimately, the cause of Hamlet’s delay is caused by the unconventional way of thinking which he employs throughout the text.

In her analysis of the work, Margareta de Grazia observes that finding the answer to Hamlet’s delay is “finding the answer to Hamlet’s character which is also the key to the entire play (for the play is his character)” (de Grazia). She further expands this idea by observing that “Hamlet is complete unto himself… Take away the character and precious little remains. The inverse however, is not true: take away the play, and the prince remains perfectly intact” (de Grazia). With these words, de Grazia is trying to establish the idea that finding the answer to Hamlet’s delay is not so much a chore of analyzing the plot, but rather a task of investigating Hamlet’s character, because his character is the most necessary component of the entire work. Without such a character at work, the play could never have been considered a masterpiece in the first place.

Since the 1800s, scholars everywhere have assessed Hamlet with an association to thought. Throughout the duration of the play, Hamlet is left alone on the stage talking to his self and pondering things which transcend the immediate plot. He is very much an intellectual in the sense that he is prone to rationalizing everything, yet in doing so he persists in an inactive state. For the last two hundred years, the stereotypical analysis of Hamlet’s thought suggest that thought itself is a negative; “that a man prone to thinking is incapable of acting, and proportionally: the more he thinks, the less he acts” (de Grazia). This notion, however, betrays how unconventional Hamlet’s way of thinking truly is.

In Act IV, Hamlet asks the question, “What is a man?” (4.4.33), and this question resonates in every aspect of the way Hamlet thinks. Eric Levy answers the question by offering the traditional understanding of man: “As a rational animal, a man is one who thinks. But the play problematizes the proper exercise of thought by which man sustains this identity” (Levy). Here, Levy mentions that the “proper exercise of thought” is not present in Hamlet’s own application of thought, and that, as a result, his very identity is brought into question. Levy continues by admitting that “at the core of this analysis is a reinterpretation of the relation between reason and the individual exercising it” (Levy). The fundamental concern in the understanding of Hamlet’s delay, then, is understanding how this new relationship between thought and the thinker is brought about through an unconventional line of thought.

According to the Aristotelian-Thomist tradition, man’s very nature and principal characteristic involves his ability to reason. Man is subsequently defined not in uniqueness but through a common function. In the famous instruction Polonius gives his son, “To thine own self be true” (1.3.82), he demands faithfulness to a general principal, calling particular attention to the core of selfhood which is in fact universal reason. Hamlet, however, does not comply with this universal reason. To him, thought is not universal; instead its defining attributes work differently in every individual, as he expresses in his judgment of Denmark: “for there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison” (2.2.265-266). In this approach to thought, Hamlet introduces an element of subjectivity and relativity from which certain consequential problems arise. His own reference to thought as a prison reveals how, if an individual is confined to his own manner of thinking and therefore not part of a universal exercise of thought, he becomes vulnerable to the products of his own mentality: products such as dreams and hallucinations not unlike what Hamlet himself experiences (Levy).

Levy also highlights the fundamental crisis of identity which results from Hamlet’s manner of thinking: “the [conventional thinker], through emphasis on the general principle, prevents awareness of distinct individuality, while the [unconventional thinker], through emphasis on private preoccupations, threatens to trap individuality within the limits of its own concerns” (Levy). Hamlet’s overwhelming intellectual emphasis on his own individual concerns keeps him from employing his thought for the sake of reason. Instead, he continues to analyze his situation only in the circumstances provided. This analysis, secluded from the objective universal conception of thought itself, leads him to question the very basis of thought and what it means. He therefore becomes imprisoned in and through his own approach to thought (Levy).

In Hamlet, a theme of thought as the modification of the individual prevails. This modification is a direct result of Hamlet’s subjective way of thinking, “for in so far as individual identity… is determined by the rational faculty, how one thinks will modify who he or she is. Just as circumstances influence thought, so thought conditions individuality” (Levy). This, in its most basic sense, means that if individual conditions make thought what it is, then thought, which determines identity through reason, will actually modify the individual based on the conditions. This, consequently, explains why, in the end, Hamlet chooses “to be” (3.1.66), because he “recognizes the need to retain control over the movement of thought” (Levy). In this sense, thought makes life worth living.

Hamlet’s identity, however, is not only continually modified and controlled, it is contradictory. He uses thought to understand identity, yet he also uses thought, disguised as madness, to exempt him from identity as well (Levy): “Was’t Hamlet wronged Laertes? Never Hamlet. If Hamlet from himself be ta’en away” (5.2.234-235). Hamlet is therefore constantly in conflict with his own identity, and therefore it is more understandable that he would not act; for if his own manner of thinking could so imprison, detain, and confuse him, then it is obvious that his process of thought is flawed. Thought no longer discovers truth and employs action; it redirects thought to further thought in a vicious cycle whose end is merely to rationalize particular circumstances. Thought as a universal concept can be used to achieve answers and establish ground for further questioning, but thought as a subjective and relative concept can only lead to continual contradiction and reexamination of what has been previously examined, because no thought can be entirely dependant of the individual, and as a subject concept, thought necessarily integrates feeling and emotion.

The integration of emotion in a subjectivity of thought is best understood when Hamlet’s character is compared to Horatio’s. Horatio is a man with no emotion in his thought. As a skeptic, he is inclined to doubt until evidence of truth is apparent. Horatio, unlike Hamlet, is a man who employs the “proper exercise of thought” (de Grazia). Vince Escanler observes:

As Hamlet descends into his feigned madness and falls victim to his powerful emotions, Horatio serves primarily to emphasize Hamlet's weaknesses. As Hamlet's antic disposition becomes increasingly real, Horatio is his only anchor to reality, as a "man that is not passion's slave" (III, 2, 74). Being "e'en as just a man / As e'er [Hamlet's] conversation cop'd withal" (III, 2, 56), Hamlet relies increasingly on Horatio, depending on him to confirm Hamlet's observations of the king during the play scene, clouded by thoughts of revenge and conflicting feelings of anger, hatred and uncertainty. Horatio serves as Hamlet's sober second thought when Hamlet can no longer care for himself (Escanler).

Hamlet’s increased dependence upon Horatio, the persona of thought’s “proper exercise” helps explain just how utterly Hamlet’s unconventional way of thinking fails his purposes. The more and more Hamlet tries to think in this way, the more and more emotion, frustration, and helplessness overtake him. He cannot sustain himself by thinking in this way so he relies on Horatio to act as his “sober second” (Escanler); a lifeline to bear him out from the depths of the subjectivity in which he is drowning.

It is clear from this analysis that thought in general is not responsible for Hamlet’s delay. Hamlet’s unconventional manner of thinking is completely different and opposed to the traditional Aristotelian-Thomist understanding of thought. For this reason, an analyst cannot easily condemn the thoughts of Hamlet and label it the condemnation of thought in general. To condemn thought in general would be to condemn Horatio’s character as well, which would surely be an offense to the work as Horatio is one of the only characters to survive the climactic scene. Instead, the reader must be sure to understand that Hamlet, as a modern subjective thinker, delays in his task because of his own subjective approach to thought.

Works Cited

de Grazia, Margreta. "Hamlet’s Thoughts and Antics." Early Modern Culture. 2001. Early Modern Culture. 18 Nov. 2007 .

Escanlar, Vincent Paul. "Foils in Hamlet." Yahoo! Geocities. 2002. 18 Nov. 2007 .

Levy, Eric P. "The Mind of Man in Hamlet." BNET Research Center. 2002. Marquette University. 18 Nov. 2007 .

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press, 1958.

END

New Pledge of Allegiance

Normally, I wouldn't post things like this because of their shallow whimsical quality, but this somewhat clunky poem struck me. In my experience of public schools, I found it to be scarily accurate and disturbingly familiar to what this student from Arizona described. Here it is:

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state…

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.

We can get our s and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!

Amen.

A Course of Action

A satirical piece written January 18, 2008 concerning Education and Euthanasia which was inspired by Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal.

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FOR PREVENTING NEGLIGENCE AND INCOMPETENCE WITHIN THE NATION’S EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, AND FOR ASSURING THE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

It is a sobering sight for those students who, while walking the halls of their respective high schools, observe the absence of individuals only recently having made the decision to discontinue their educational pursuits. Also troubling to these students are the colleagues who, after completing a course, are required to take it again due to the failure of such individuals to adequately apply themselves and master the subject matter they are presented with. These students, who so eagerly dedicate their time to pursuing the knowledge and wisdom available to them by means of their education, are often victimized by the negligence of their peers. This negligence bears forth further unnecessary work designed to aid the less intelligent and the negligent in an effort to improve the prospects of all involved, but in the effort to improve the fortune of the undeserved, the deserved are compromised. With the prescription for additional work, responsible students are forced to take time out of their other courses and activities in order to accommodate the additional requirements of their education. What little time they had to themselves and to their well-being is devoured by the stress of not only having to excel in their original courses but to prove their proficiency in an unnecessary and unfitting manner. Often it is the case that these same students who were once the brightest and best among their peers find their lives so dangerously unbalanced that they resort to hazardous methods of restructuring their lives. It is not unusual to find these students so overwhelmed that they develop addictions to , alcohol, smoking, and even the excessive exploitation of ography in order to help deal with their sudden increased levels of anxiety, while all the while becoming distracted from the studies to which they had only previously been so faithfully perseverant.

I think it is agreed by all parties that this present state of affairs, especially with regard to the aftermath resulting from the No Child Left Behind Act, is not only a deplorable situation, but an unhealthy approach to solving the problem of low performance in schools because it serves to harm those who work hard to benefit their school, community, and country. Whoever might find a solution to reversing the effects of such a harmful and damaging Congressional Act and eliminate the need for such a program to exist would deserve such an honor as to be nationally recognized as a hero.

Be it known that my intention in writing is far from resolving a secluded issue. Rather, my objective here is to suggest a method of insuring the success of education as a whole and to insure that it performs at its ultimate capacity, enabling it to become what it is truly meant to be: the opportunity for students to learn and comprehend their usefulness to society and how best to develop that usefulness in a world of competing ideas and practices.

As for myself, I have spent an immeasurable number of hours on the subject and I find it to be of the utmost importance, not only to our current situation, but to the future of our great nation. As I have many times maturely considered the thoughts of others in regards to this matter and the solutions which have been previously proposed and executed, I cannot help but find them grossly in error and very much incapable of solving the problem, and I am assured by a number of teachers and school administrators that the problem is almost exclusively limited to the work ethic of a fair number of students who willfully and consistently choose to evade the responsibility of maintaining a passing grade in their courses. This pattern of behavior can be so detrimental that it can even reportedly corrupt the studious nature of their friends.

Hence, I shall now offer my own humble thoughts with regards to the matter, which I anticipate, at the end of this publication, will not be met with even the slightest objection.

I have been assured by an esteemed colleague who received a doctorate in Mathematics that the problem is fundamentally a problem of statistics and that if the government were to employ a method of altering those statistics that the foundation of the problem would altogether disappear. I propose, therefore, that the government begin to issue an annual standard of proficiency which, if left unmet, will be cause for an immediate and involuntary act of euthanasia upon the student. If a particular student were to fail a curriculum, to be found unduly lax in his efforts, or even to discontinue his studies altogether would be assigned to a proficiency test which would be the deciding factor as to whether or not the student merited a final termination. An exception to this principal would be made for those select students who, given their outstanding abilities, have been enrolled in an Honors or AP curriculum. These students may still be susceptible to the same proficiency examination but only after the failure to maintain a fifty percent average, equivalent to a passing grade in a normal course. If, after taking the proficiency examination, the student were to prove himself capable and willing of further education, the student may be allowed to resume his studies after receiving a brand which will thenceforth mark him as a questionable student and will require him to be closely monitored by an assigned administrator. Those students who fail the test should be euthanized in the most abrupt and humane way available so as to eliminate as quickly as possible any influence they might have on the other students.

I think that the advantages of such a proposal as the one outlined above are both palpable in quality and numerous in quantity, as well as of the utmost importance to the success of education, especially insofar as they outweigh every of the advantages offered by any other solution thus far. First and foremost, such a policy would serve to reverse and eventually eliminate the need for patches and quick-fixes that have been proven to produce more harm than good. The No Child Left Behind Act and all similar acts which currently serve to restrict the true possibility of education could be quickly and enthusiastically revoked. Without students continuing to fail classes or drop out of school, there would be no need for a program to ensure that every student graduates from high school.

Secondly, the fear and reality of such a program would encourage a renewed work effort and academic growth among those who have the potential to succeed but continue to be negligent in their studies. Those who are euthanized will serve as examples to those who refuse to abandon their indifference and will inspire a greater need to establish good study habits and retain the material which is taught in class.

Thirdly, as a result of an increased effort in schooling, more young men and women will have their eyes opened to the possibilities that await them in college and beyond. Students will gain back the imagination and the dream which so many Americans have long since abandoned out of hopelessness and despair. Each student will be able to start his life with the confidence that an education has afforded him.

Fourthly, this policy of euthanasia will help control the population growth in urban settings where overcrowded schools often give way to resistant students. This reduction will also help to minimize crime and undermine much of the which results from overcrowding and the poor conditions synonymous with urban ghettos. Fifthly, parents would be much more likely to become involved with their children’s education in order to assure that they are passing each course and so as to avoid the tragic alternative and the of losing a child to something so preventable. This will help increase family relationships and strengthen the bonds of love between parents and their children, bonds which are so easily severed during the stormy teenage years.

Of course, many other advantages might be enumerated here, but I choose to omit the others because I am conscious of the need for tact and brevity.

What I most desire the reader to observe is that the solution described herein is for this nation and for no other that ever was, is, or may be believed to come about. Therefore let no man come forward with any other expedients: of limiting government control or of removing the governmental influence entirely: of establishing specialized platforms of study: of personalizing proficiencies based on ability: of promoting encouragement and positive incentives: of using varied and hands-on techniques for those who need it most: lastly, of encouraging personal growth and responsibility by allowing for failure. Therefore, I choose to reiterate, let no man approach this proposal with such alternatives until he has hope enough to honestly believe he can put them into practice.

The proposal, as I have described it here, I find to be both solid and real, of little cost and of minimal trouble as compared to every other solution so far attempted. Yet let it be known that I am not so narrowly focused on my own thoughts and opinions so as to violently oppose the offer of a wise man which would prove to be as easy, cheap, and effectual as my own proposal.

I acknowledge, from the depths of my being and my very soul that this course of action which I have presented herein has naught but the national interest as its motivation. By this proposition, I have no personal interest to gain, and I assure the reader that my endeavors as described in this publication serve only to express a solution to one of the more troubling concerns which our country currently faces.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The purpose of this satirical work is to inspire the reader with a question as to why it is, in fact, wrong for the government to allow for euthanasia if it will most successfully benefit the nation. This question should lead the reader to the obvious answer: because life is not lived solely for a government’s benefit. This is a belief that is at the core of American ideals. Therefore the reader should also develop the conclusion that, education, which is arguably the ability to live life to its potential, should not be limited to or entirely controlled by government regulation.

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