My Last English 225 Paper

The last paper in my English 225 class has been assigned. It is a position paper and I have to take a stance on a certain issue and provide adequate information and defend my stance.

I am writing about the recent events at Northern Kentucky University. A pro-life group, with permission of the school's administration, set up a monument to the fetuses that had been aborted. They called the monument, "Cemetery of the Innocents". Needless to say, the monument received some attention, but not in the way you might think. It did spark some emotions in those who saw it, but the monument got one teacher of NKU so angry that she and some of her students destroyed the monument.

My paper isn't going to be about abortion or abortion rights, it is going to be about freedom of speech. I want to flirt with the thin line that separates one person's freedom of speech from another's. I am going to side with the pro-life group because it was their freedom of speech that was destroyed. The group had permission from the faculty so it was ok for the group to be there. I am going to argue that the professor took censorship into her own hands by destroying the monument. She claims that destroying the monument was her free speech. So I am going to argue whether, destroying one's free speech is another means of free speech. I am also going to argue that emotion is not a valid reason to destroy someone's freedom of speech.

This should be an interesting paper. I am excited to write it because I have often wondered about free speech and when it goes to far.

They aren't my heroes...

I think today in America, we are way to caught up in the lives of celebrities and the famous. It seems that everywhere you go there is always someone talking about the latest celebrity gossip or a newspaper stand with all the different celebrity magazines.

I was looking through this blog and was amazed at how much people really care to know about their favorite celebrity. I think people envy the lives that these celebrities have and they want to be just like them, so they want to know everything there is to know about them.

I personally don't get too involved in the celebrity gossip. The only things I know are things that are told to me. I don't really care to know which celebrity is dating whoever. It just has never interested me. I don't have a problem with people who do.

I find it interesting that in America the number one headline is "Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have their baby". It amazes me that this covers the front page when we have men and women fighting in various parts of the world to save our freedoms. I worry sometimes about the people we look up to and envy and set as our heroes. My hero was always my parents, but some kids today don't have parents to look up to or choose a different hero and a lot of the time it is somebody famous. I just worry that these people aren't good role models and they set a bad influence for the kids of today.

I just think America needs to start worrying more about the serious issues first and then spend time worrying about who is marrying who.

The Gift

This is a short story I am working on for my English 226 class. If anyone has anytime to read and give suggestions that would be great. I have to revise and make it portfolio worthy. Thanks!

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"Hey mommy! Guess what I did today?" the little boy said attacking his mother as she walked in the huge wooden front door.

"What Johnny?" she said trying to hang on to the heavy bag of groceries and close the front door of the house with her hip.

"Do you really wanna know? Do ya, do ya?"

"Yes Johnny, please tell me," the mother said as she put down the groceries and pulled up a chair, to devote full attention to the story. "Ok, let me hear it."

The little boy took a long, loud, drawn out breath in anticipation for his tale, "Ok, so me and Stevie were down by the park riding bikes and we saw these kids there and they had a ramp and I wanted to try so I rode to the top of this biiiiiiiig hill and then I started pedaling as fast as I could towards the ramp I was going faster than lightning and BOOM," Johnny took off arms outstretched, running through the house, the dirt jumping off of his clothes. "I hit the ramp and I was so high in the air I was flying like superman and then I was like woooooooaah I am so high in the air and then I hit the ground and I stayed on my bike I didn’t fall off mommy and then I was the coolest kid in the park the coolest kid in the park all day."

"Johnny you know that your father and I don’t want you doing things like that. It is dangerous and you could get seriously hurt. Don’t do that again. Do you hear me?"

"Yes mommy, but I was the coolest kid in the park, and Stevie’s mom let’s him do stuff like that. I was flying Mommy. I was like Superman."

"Well I am not Stevie’s mother and I don’t care if you were flying. You could get hurt. Now go upstairs and get cleaned up. We need to get to the hospital."

Johnny tip toed as slowly as he could up the creaking stairs, hoping that if he was quiet his mom would forget about him and he wouldn’t have to go to the hospital. The last time he had been in a hospital was to visit with his older brother. Johnny was familiar with the puppy wall paper, pee smell, and beeping sounds of the machines in his brother’s room at the hospital. His brother’s kidneys had stopped working and he was always in the hospital. Johnny remembered how scary his brother looked at his last visit. He was pale, skinny, and his eyes were dark.

Johnny loved his big brother, Matt. Johnny missed hanging out with Matt. Before Matt got sick he was teaching Johnny how to play baseball. They spent hours tossing and batting the ball around. Matt always took Johnny to the arcade and to the movies instead of spending time with his own friends.

"Are you about ready Johnny?" Johnny’s mom yelled from downstairs.

"Almost!"

Johnny pulled his favorite tee shirt over his curly blond locks, the shirt his brother had bought for him last year. It was blue and in white lettering said, "World’s Greatest Brother". Matt had a matching one. They wore it every time they went out together.

Johnny walked even slower down the stairs. He was worried about how his brother was going to look. In the car, Johnny, tapped his feet against the plastic floor mat, and chewed at his fingernails.

"Mom? Is Matt any better? I miss him."

"Well, he is going to be. The doctor is going to make him better."

Johnny and his mom were greeted as they entered the sliding doors of the hospital. Johnny stomach dropped as he recognized the face of Matt’s doctor. Johnny always thought he looked scary. His dark, bushy mustache and dark, bushy eye brows reminded Johnny of Captain Hook. Johnny always had to check to make sure that he didn’t have a hook for a hand.

"Johnny, are you nervous?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah."

"Doctor, we haven’t asked him yet. Matt wanted to be with us when we asked him." Johnny’s mother said.

"Ok, let’s hurry then."

The three took off in almost a run down the hall. Johnny hated the mural on the wall. He always thought the smiles on the people’s faces were making fun of him. As they arrived at room, 226, Johnny stopped.

"Mom, I’m scared."

"Johnny, it’s just your brother."

There was something about his mom’s voice that made him even more scared, but he assured himself, he was just visiting Matt, and walked in.

"Hey buddy," Matt said reaching out a trembling hand. Johnny slapped it and gave his brother a hug. "Hop up here we gotta ask ya something." Johnny climbed up onto the bed and laid his head on Matt’s shoulder.

"Johnny, your brother is really sick. But the doctor knows how he can fix Matt. But we need to ask you for a big favor. The doctor wants to take one of your kidneys and put it in Matt. The doctor thinks this will make Matt better." Johnny’s mom said.

"I’ll do it!"

"Johnny you won’t be able to play like you usually do. Once you give your brother your kidney, you will have to be careful, because if you injure yourself you could hurt your kidney and that wouldn’t be good." Johnny’s mom said.

"I still want to do it!"

"Johnny you don’t have to. Don’t think that you have to. Do you understand that you won’t be able to play around anymore?" Matt said.

Johnny turned, sat up in the bed, and faced his brother. "I want to Matt. I want you to be better again. I miss you Matt. I love you." Johnny said.

"Well let’s get you ready for some tests then Johnny. You are a brave little boy." The doctor said. Johnny hopped off his brother’s bed and followed the doctor out of the room.

"Thanks. I get it from my brother."

Bernadette Mayer - Made Me Mad

Last Wednesday night I attended the Bernadette Mayer reading in Peabody Hall. I was a little upset that I would be missing my favorite television show LOST, but once I saw the large number of students there to attend the reading, I knew that this poet and author was going to be great, and I was no longer upset. I WAS SO WRONG!

Ms. Mayer was given a great introduction that made me hungry for a taste of her writing. As she climbed the stairs onto the stage, cane and books in hand, I stared her up and down wondering where she got her clothes from. She had on this weird hat, gray I think, and what looked like a burlap, purple sweater vest and some tan pants. She reminded me of a character I had read about in elementary school, The Lupin Lady.

When she sat down, she looked a little unorganized. She had papers everywhere it seemed, but she didn’t seem to have any trouble picking a piece to read. The first poem of the night was "Words that Rhymed With Disease". I really felt like I would have liked the piece had I been able to hear her better. The microphone wasn’t up loud enough and Ms. Mayer’s speech seemed a little mumbled. The next two pieces she read were, "Before Sextet" and "After Sextet". I was unaware that the poems were about sex until "After Sextet" when she used words like condom. I really feel like Ms. Mayer should try to make her poems sound more interesting by making her voice less monotone and more energetic. It might help the audience better understand the words she is saying so that we can laugh along with her.

The rest of the reading really is a blur to me. I sat wondering if Hurley really was going to die on LOST and what the map that Locke found last week really means. I watched many people get up and leave the auditorium. I watched them all the way out and then wished I was them. I then proceeded to balance my pen on my nose and try to catch it in my mouth, needless to say, I was bored. I was unable to understand any of the reading. I was unable to follow along and I quickly lost interest.

The only part in the reading where she grabbed my attention was in the middle when she bashed President Bush. I happen to like President Bush and she basically told Bush Supporters F(she used the actual word) U. She didn't care if we got upset. I believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion, but to flat out tell someone F U because you don't believe the way I do, is wrong.

All I remember from the rest of the reading is the F-word (again she did use the actual word) being used too many times to count. I wondered if anyone else in the audience was offended as me. If the amount of people that left, not even half way through the reading is any measure, I think many people were offended. There were people who stayed though so they may have liked it. I just had no interest. I mean for her to be a somewhat famous poet, someone has to like her.

I feel like poetry is supposed to evoke some sort of feeling or emotion. Her poetry really didn't do that for me. I didn’t really get any emotional response from the reading, except the little bit of anger. I was unable to visualize and "experience" her poetry. Her poetry was extremely different from anything I had read of heard before and I hope that I will never have to encounter it again. I didn't dislike it because it was different it just didn't appeal to me. I don't expect it to. Her poetry may be amazing to others, I am just giving my opinion.

By the way, my friend taped LOST for me, so I wouldn’t miss it. Hurley didn't die!

Here is the link to Bernadette Mayer's Website. If you want check it out and clue me in on her poetry. Click Here.

Photo credit: © 1999 Philip Good