THE RESPONSES

DAY 1. ANDREW SUMMERS:

Well done, Andrew. Throughout your whole presentation I could tell that you had a real passion for both of your referenced texts. I have hear comparisons between C.S. Lewis book and the Bible before, but you did a really nice job of laying it all out and giving specific examples. I especially love the part when Aslan says, “By knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” That is such a great line. I love that you pointed out that all important, “I am” statement. I’m not sure if you noticed this but when Lucy says, “And oh, do, do, do, make it soon.” there is numerology intertextuality there. As you know, the number three has some very strong biblical ties and Lucy says ‘do’ three times. I loved the lamb and the fish references. In addition to the fishermen parts of the Bible it also reminded me of Christ feeding the 5000. If I could put your thesis in my own words, I think it would be this: C.S. Lewis writes Christian allegory and borrows Biblical themes for his Chronicles of Narnia. You had great perspective and confidence while you presented and I could tell that you had a real passion for both texts. P.S. Well done on the semi-colon question. I didn’t know those things at all…

DAY 2. NICOLE SCHILLEMAT

Nicole! Your essay title “Wickedness Never Was Happiness” is fabulous. Way to appeal to your audience. That was very smart to do and a great attention grabber for most of us. You had a great examples and quotes. I was very impressed, as I know you have not actually read Inferno. You seemed to be very knowledgeable on your subject and both of your texts, whether you were or not. I was very proud of you. I loved your “companion” example with Virgil and the Holy Ghost, I am not sure that I ever would have thought of that, but it totally and completely makes sense. What a great perspective to have. I also loved your ideas on repentance and the sinners. Overall, you made really great points and your ideas were well stated. Very well done.

DAY 3. CAELI TEW

Caeli, you were the only one to present on Tuesday, so I am forced to write about you. But let’s face it, I probably would have written about your presentation anyway. Through the points you read, I could easily identify the subject and main points of your essay. It was obviously about Virgil’s reflection of Odysseus in Aeneas. I liked your example of the heroes’ similar backgrounds and social standings. I hadn’t really considered that before. You made a really good statement when you said, “Virgil transformed it for his own use.” That is exactly what intertextuality is all about, and you obviously had a good handle on that. You did kind of just list off comparisons a lot of the time. They were great comparisons but I think what they want from the essay is why we can make these comparisons.  I love that you said “they played house.” That was a funny was to put it, I chuckled to myself for a bit, but it totally makes sense. I think Dr. Silverman asked some really good questions to put your points into perspective. His questions were really helpful for me, so be sure to consider them.

THE PRODUCT

Hey, you! Yes, you! Have you ever broken a bone or have you ever stepped in a puddle while wearing the wrong pair of shoes? Boy, oh boy, do I have a product just for you. No, it is not a pair of rain boots. This product will change your life. If you have a problem, it will be fixed. Never again will you need a new pair of shoes when the soles of your old ones comes off. Those holes in your brand new sweater? You don't need to return it! Because we have just the thing to fix it. No, it's not a needle and thread. You need to use what professionals of many industries, including construction, kidnapping, fashion and theatre, use everyday. This product will be there for you in every sticky situation, I guarantee it. This product is convenient too! It doesn't take up too much space and anyone with fingers can use it easily. You can get this product in just about any color and it even come in multi-colored patterns too! This product has been around for years. I mean it, traces of it were used in the early 20th century, and the human race has never gone back. What is this miracle product you ask? 

Duct tape. 

Face it, you want to try it. You want to use it to fix every broken thing you have ever seen. And you will. You will successfully fix your life, one roll of Duct Tape at a time. 

THE UPSETTING

Rant about something that has happened this semester (not necessarily on campus or at school) that has really upset you. 

glorification of sports.

I have a problem. A problem with sports. Now don't get me wrong! I do love sports. I spent most of my childhood at my brothers' sporting events. I grew up in huge gymnasiums, humid from the sweat of wrestling boys (and the occasional girl). I learned about life as I sat in the hot sun on the bleachers at baseball diamonds. And I loved it. The only thing I wish had done more as a child was go to more art events. 

Today, as in "this day and age," I am a great supporter and doer of the arts. I love to perform. I sing, I dance, I act. All that fun stuff. I love observing art. Looking at paintings, reading good books, going to concerts and shows. Real work has gone into these things and I want to support them to the best of my abilities. 

This football season at SVU has been our best ever. I applaud our team and all the hard work and effort they put into their sport, I am very proud of them. But I do not approve of all the glorification of sports that is happening here at SVU and around the world. At our Friday devotional last week "scholar athletes" were recognized. They stood up and we as an audience clapped for them, for all their great achievements. And another few minutes of forum were dedicated to the naming of all the things our football team has accomplished. 

As a performer and a member of the cast of "Hello, Dolly!" I was upset by this. Musicals also take a lot of time, effort, blood, sweat and tears. No one got up infront of the the whole school to list our accomplishments. No one clapped when they found out that our lead actress seriously sprained her ankle with three performances to go, because no one cared to tell them all the great things that we accomplished. No one bothered to recognize us in forum, but every week they tell everyone to be sure to come to the football game. We don't have a board hung up comemorating the graduates performing artists. 

I understand that this is just how our culture has developed, but I wish it wasn't. That is all. 

THE INTERTEXTUALITY

I had a hard time recalling one good case of intertextuality to review. So, I am using a few and we will see what happens.

My first thought was to relate something from Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible to the actual Bible. But it has been far too long since I have read that novel. Also that is a really broad topic, seeing as how most of that book is in relation to the Bible. But as I write this I am thinking of a few good examples. The town's mass exodus during the fire ant invasion. The trying of a faithful man's patience seen in Job and Nathan Price, though Nathan's end is not the same as Job's. I would even go as far as saying that Nathan was as unsuccessful at teaching the people as Noah was before the floods.

Another thought was of John Gardner’s Grendel. The whole thing is based on the old epic poem Beowulf, it is just told in a different perspective. In Beowulf we see all these terrible things that happen and we hate this monster that is Grendel. In Grendel, we read the same stories but we know of their justifications and we feel sympathy for what we thought was the most terrible monster.

My next idea includes Catherine Marshall’s Christy, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series, and L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. Each one is a teacher-on-a-frontier-of-sorts story. I love that. Each main character has that great spunkiness. Each one is given challenging students and each one solves problems with these students. Each one does their best to better their community and work with what they have, which isn’t a lot.

Is it even a question that there are connections between Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? The beautiful oldest sister. The spunky and independent second sister. The sweet, quiet sister. And the ridiculous sister(s). Lizzie Bennet and Jo March really are two characters that I see hand in hand all the time. Thank goodness their mothers aren’t the same kind of character. Can you imagine?

Next we have the orphan stories. Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Johanna Spyri’s Heidi. I especially like the thought of The Secret Garden and Heidi together. The little orphan girl whose parents tragically died was brought to live with a cranky male relative that does not want to take care of her but in the end she charms her way into the man’s heart and life, never to be separated again.

I am so glad I was able to think of these things. It brought back a lot of good memories and reminded me of my love for literature and the movies of some of these great books. It is so interesting to find those little similarities, I loved it.

THE APPEAL

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THE RHETORIC

The commercial rhetoric in this commercial is outstanding. It didn't take them long to catch our attention and keep it for the rest of the commercial. They are appealing to our knowledge of life and poop. They are making our minds automatically relate these fairly everyday objects to poop. For a moment they are ruining our opinions of these things we love. We love tap water and poop dog poop can ruin it. Also, that catchy tune can easily get stuck in your head and through that your mind keeps returning to the commercial all day.

THE EDUCATION

My generation has been fairly lucky when it comes to higher education. Back in the day, way back in the day, college was a thing fro preppy boys going to Harvard and Yale. Finishing schools were designed for the perfecting of women. You could find a women's college here and there (SVU, for example). College wasn't a "necessity"  for women or men. Even my own mother didn't go to college. I know she loves the life that she has, but I think she regrets not getting a higher education. My dad only has an associates degree and I think he also wishes he had more. Now-a-days college is pretty much an expectation. People will say that you don't have to go, but they mean that it's best if you do and you should and people will judge you if you don't. Some people are successful without it, but not many. I suppose we need to know ourselves and know if it's worth it to invest in ourselves.

THE LIBER

Liberty. Liberation. Liberator. Liberal. Liberate. Free man. This is all about the wisdom, knowledge, betterment of self and society. Aristotle said, "All men and women naturally desire knowledge." Here, in a liberal arts environment, we find freedom in learning. We, as humans love learning, whether we like school and class or not. We know that this life is all about obtaining knowledge and we want it. Thankfully, at a school like SVU, we can become free thinkers and and build our characters at the same time!

THE WILDLIFE

The wild life in Buena Vista is great. For some reason it's different that Salt Lake wildlife. The animals are the same, but their personalities (if you will) are completely different. I looked ou my window my first week here and there on the side of the hill, were three deer. In Utah, if I ever saw a deer it would promptly run away. Not these deer. They saw me and just looked. They didn't run, they didn't have the "deer in the headlights" look. It was great. Also, the squirrels are hilarious and the spiders weave the most beautiful webs.

THE PARTICLE

How do I write about something that is just about unfathomable? I'm not sure. I'm not a very science-y kind of person, so I don't really understand what is going on with this "God" particle. I think if it does exist, God made it exist so other things could exist. It isn't the core of creation and development, God is. Just like I haven't seen God, scientists haven't seen this particle. But we see traces of these things everyday. If we got a real confirmation of this particle's existence, would the world be different at all? I'm not sure.

THE SONG

Yikes. What was that? I just witnessed a lovely little taste of the 80s. And by lovely, I mean strange... I'm supposed to write my reaction, but I don't really have any words.

THE ILLNESS

Well, it happened. I knew it would. It's an inevitable occurrence. We musical theatre people know that if you are in a show during cold season the whole cast will, at some point, pass around an illness of some sort. This is the first time I've been away from home, so being sick has been really fun. I quickly realized that I couldn't go to the medicine cabinet that my mother keeps so well stocked and just find something to help me out. I try to sleep a lot, but that can be kind of hard when two other people live in your room and have different schedules and interests than you. So much pressure on my nose and head and ears. I just want to fall asleep for a week or so. "Hello, Dolly!" opens next week, and I am all sick and gross. I got four bloody noses over the weekend. This is great. This morning I got up nice and early to take a shower (my roommates tend to spend long periods of time in the bathroom, so I have to wake up before them if I want to get ready), hoping that the hot water would sooth my muscles and the extreme steam (that rhymes...) would clear up my sinuses. But no. I turned it on full blast and it never got more than lukewarm. The one time I really need it to. And then I had to go to class. Five of them. And then I have rehearsal and it starts earlier than usual. And my whole wardrobe is in my dirty laundry pile. And I've been needing to go to the store for a week. And I have a ton of reading I should be doing. And what will I do? Well, as soon as I get out of this class, I will probably go take a nap. If time, body, and roommates permit.

THE POEM

You will love me now

For I am yours forever.

Eternity and a day.

THE LIFE

We all have our problems and things we don't like about ourselves. Everyday, I find myself suffering from chronic procrastination. I think it's genetic, as I know a few family members that are the same way. But not only am a great procrastinator, I am also a super perfectionist. This is something I have been trying to overcome since the beginning of my life, or maybe just the beginning of junior high school. I find myself wanting to do well in school, but getting so easily distracted that I put things off for days. Then I don't sleep much the night before something is due. If there were an award for procrastination and time wasting, I think I would win it. I am still trying everyday. It's a process. Other than that, I am pretty content with my life, except my nose... Let's not get started on that genetic problem.

THE BEST

I really can't decipher what is the best piece of literature or the best film made. There are so many great ones in each medium, to the point that there isn't a best one, there are just a lot of really great ones. I cannot be asked to pick just one. Well, I guess I can be asked to, but I cannot answer that question. But I suppose I can give you a bit of a list. I love beautiful books. Elizabeth Orton Jones' Twig, Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed, Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place, and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, Kevin Henkes' Chrysanthemum, Caralyn Buehner's, Fanny's Dream, Elie Wiesel's Night, Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux, and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, to name a few. 

Some of my top films include: Ever After, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Prince of Egypt, Life is Beautiful, Remember the Titans, What about Bob?, The Emperor's New Groove, 42, That Thing You Do, The Field of Dreams, Pillow Talk, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sarah's Key, To Kill a Mockingbird, Calamity Jane, Mary Poppins, The Princess Diaries (1 & 2), Annie Get Your Gun, Stardust, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, Little Women (Winona Ryder version), People Will Talk, Anne of Green Gables trilogy, Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightly, Colin Firth, and Mormon versions).

While I'm at it, I might as well list my favorite t.v. shows too. We have: Pushing Daisies, Christy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Miranda, Life Goes On, Hart of Dixie, Call the Midwife, I Love Lucy, What's My Line, and Downton Abbey.

THE WOMEN

Well, it's a hot topic in the LDS world. Women were denied access into the priesthood session of conference last week. I don't see a problem with that. The priesthood session is for priesthood holders, just as the Relief Society session is for the members of Relief Society. I don't know the exact details of these women being denied access, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't just because they were women. I think it must have been because they would have been a distraction. Priesthood session isn't for protesting, it's for the enlightenment of the men in our church. Had these women been men protesting something, I'm sure they would be denied access as well. Women are great. Men are great. But they are two different things. You wouldn't expect a cardboard box to have the same capabilities as a soccer ball.

THE PLAN

It is a major issue. One that we have all heard about. One that comes up in politics, religion, and everyday life. Abortion is a around us, maybe not the physical act of it, but the subject. I guess, since I am not a man, the world would call me a "family woman." Much of that attitude comes from my culture and the way I was brought up, but a lot of it just comes from me. As your average "family woman," I am against the act of abortion. I really just don't understand how a person could feel comfortable and fine with that decision. I'm all for women being equal to men, but I don't think anyone should be able to get away with such a decision. It's just not right. Normal people don't just go out and hurt or kill people on the street, why would someone do that to a person that lives inside them and depends solely on them? I don't get it. It just seems so selfish. No matter how hard we try, we all have a selfish side to us, it's natural. But selfishness doesn't usually lead to killing. Why would that be okay in this situation? And doctors that support this? Doesn't that defeat the point of being a doctor? Doctors are supposed to heal and help people live. I say that they should stick to that. In my opinion, abortion is against the Lord’s plan for the world. We are supposed to come to earth to gain a body and experience life. Why take away someone’s opportunity to do that, if the Lord has already okay-ed that person for this life? And the people that say that abortion is a “responsible” thing to do? I want to punch them in the face. A person considering abortion already missed their primest opportunity to be responsible. Now the actual responsible thing to do would be to endure the pregnancy and then choose to take care of this individual for the next 18+ years or to give that opportunity to someone that wants it more than you do. And believe me, there are thousands out there that want that opportunity and cannot have it. So, don’t you tell me that abortion is a responsible thing to do. It is the very opposite. We’re told that some situations are worthy of abortion, such as rape or incest. I understand that. I understand that if the mother and child are in danger, abortion can be an option. But not the only option. It comes down to decision. Not too long ago a woman was going through a really tough pregnancy and the doctors knew that the child would have multiple defects if it even lived. The option of abortion was offered by doctors to this woman. She and her husband both knew then and there that it was not an option for them. Thank goodness they did not choose to take that option, because you would not be reading my writing now if they had. I am happy to be here. Abortion is wrong, I have known this for as long as I can remember. Babies and lives are precious, they are not meant to be cut short.

THE WEEKEND

I actually had a great weekend. I got some sleep. I did not one, but TWO loads of laundry. I attended an informative emergency preparedness fair. I went to the Food Lion, that's always a good time. I saw a very funny play. I watched one of my favorite movies. I tried Ben and Jerry's Half-baked ice cream for the first time as I watched that movie. "Downton Abbey" series 4 began. ("What is a week end?") The dining hall's chocolate milk came back from its four day hiatus (it was a long four days, I tell you). But best of all, I got a part in the university's musical. As a freshman, I'm pretty sure this is kind of a big deal. Especially after the absolutely, positively terrible original audition I gave. I forgot all of the words, yeah, it was great. But I must have made a good come back in the call back process, because I am now Minnie Fay in Hello, Dolly! I love musicals, I love watching them, I love being in them. They make my life pure bliss. So, this was a great weekend for me to find out that one of my biggest dreams, performing, is slowly coming true. I am so grateful and excited for this opportunity.

THE FROZEN TREAT

When I was little, some of my siblings worked at a frozen yogurt shop, so I loved that. Then one of my sisters worked at a frozen custard shop for a few years. I continued the tradition and worked at the same frozen custard shop. So, you could say that frozen treats are a bit of a staple in my family history. I enjoy a delicious scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with a warm slice of apple pie. I wouldn't leave work without having a scoop of chocolate frozen custard absolutely covered with cookie dough. But my all time favorite cold snack is Dreyer's Berry Rainbow Sherbet. It is so delicious! According to Dreyer's website, it is "a delicious blend of tangy raspberry, sweet blackberry, and creamy orange sherbet yumminess!" Not only does it actually taste delicious, but it looks delicious! There are those things that look nasty and taste delicious, and there are those things that look delicious and taste nasty. Berry Rainbow is a both!!! It looks beautiful and it tastes just as beautiful. Sometimes I like to stir it up really well and have a nice melty, soupy version. My friends, try some Berry Rainbow Sherbet, you will love it. I, along with Dreyer's, I guarantee it.

THE RANT

There are few things in this world that get me really riled up. I tend to be fairly calm and composed about most things. I get excited when I hear a beautiful note sung perfectly, and when I do so. I get excited when I find the perfect modest dress or a gorgeous pair of shoes. I go crazy when there is nothing in my ears but the sound of a ticking clock. Yes, ticking clocks bother me. I can't really stand them at all. I love the look of them, but the sound drives me mad. But readers, I didn't come here today to talk about music or clothing or ticking clocks! I am here today to talk to you about one thing that does get me quite riled up. That drives crazy. More than a ticking clock. Something that, when encountered, can nearly ruin my day. That thing, or rather " those things," ladies and gentlemen, are... Pockets. You heard me. Pockets. You gentlemen, can stop reading now if you'd like, because you will not understand my plight.

There comes a time in a girl's life when she realizes that her pockets aren't deep enough. That they are not even close to the deepness of a boy's pocket. She realizes that she doesn't want to carry around a purse all the time. She wants her wallet to be accessible most of the time, but with her pocket situation, she is forced to carry a purse. Males just stick their wallets in one of their pockets (yes, there are multiple pockets to choose from), females have to carry a purse or bag of some sort if they want their possessions nearby. You men are thinking, "She's just exaggerating. She's being overly dramatic about a stupid subject." No. You ask any girl with an interest in clothing, which is a great number of us, and chances are she will have some feelings about the matter.

I think the first time I encountered or realized this problem was in junior high. I had a pair of jeans from Smith's Marketplace and my hand didn't fit all the way in the pocket. My fingers made it all the way in, but not the body of my hand. What was this?! Pockets are for hands a lot of the time and all of a sudden my hands don't fit in my pockets. And this was not the fault of my hands. But the pockets themselves. I thought, "It must be because they're cheap pants from Smith's Marketplace." Not the case. These pants with insufficient pockets are everywhere. But, my friends, there are worse things than small pockets. These things are much, much worse. It is unbelievable. I want to hurt someone every time I come across them. Those things are... Fake pockets.

FAKE POCKETS?!!!!!! WHAT?! Whose idea was this?! WHO? Why? Where? For what use? I'd like to give that person a piece of my mind. Maybe, wherever he is (I'm assuming it is a male...), he is reading this, thinking, "Why did I do that? Why did I do this terrible thing to women?" And women all over the world (because THAT many people are reading this...) are thinking, "Why, man? Why did you do this to us?" And that man, whoever he is, is feeling guilty. Very guilty. And he will call all the major designers of the world and apologize for his awful mistake, and ask them all to fix it. "Give the women pockets!" He will yell into the receiver. "Do it now!" My imagination is running away with me. There's no way that man will read this... I think...

But really, it's not a matter of brand quality or anything like that. As I originally thought, "It's just because they're cheap pants." No. I, true to form, was thrifting one day and found this great pair of J. Crew trousers. I'm into "prep" fashion, so I was naturally excited. They fit great, they looked great. I bought them. I wore them a few days later and stuck my hand in the pockets. NOPE. Not pockets. Fake pockets! Again, I ask, "WHY?!" But this was worse than the cheap pants, these were J. Crew. A quality company that I assumed would be reasonable and put pockets in their expensive pants (not that I paid full price for them...) Really, J. Crew? Fake pockets? I thought you were better than that. And that's not even the worst part. Most pants with fake pockets will have real back pockets, it's not the most desirable, we don't like sitting on our belonging, but it's better than nothing. But no, J. Crew got really lazy and made the back pockets fake too! And they had the nice little button and everything. Why put a button on a fake pocket? What's the point of making the effort to make it look like there are pockets and then being like, "Psych! You don't get real pockets. Oh, no, no you don't!" They easily could have just made it a real pocket. All that effort and it's not even real. I just don't understand. I was disappointed, J. Crew. And I never want to be disappointed with J. Crew. I want to love them forever and ever.

You know what else is terrible? The other day I tried on two pairs of jeans at Target. One of my favorite places to buy clothes. Both pairs fit about the same, but I was forced to pick based on the pockets. And you know what is sad? My choices were: fake pockets or two inch deep pockets. Sad. So sad. I got the ones with two inch pockets obviously, but I'd rather have seven inch pockets. Another sad fact about this experience, I was buying new jeans to replace my old ones that DID have deep pockets! Sad. So sad. Disappointed, Target. But! Now I have to thank Target! You women know that moment when you put on your new pair of pants and put your hands in the pockets and they appear to be fake, but you examine the falseness and discover that the pockets are just stitched. Then you happily unstitch them and it's like you and the designer have worked together to give you pockets for your birthday. It really does feel like your birthday once you've unstitched that loose stitch. And then every time you wear those pants, you get excited, because what once appeared to be a disaster, became the best moment of that day.

Another thanks goes out to all those skirt and dress makers out there that put pockets in their dresses. Women are forever in your debt! We love you! If you put fake pockets in our dresses, we hate you. But if you make those real, we'll love you for always! And guess what, we'll keep buying your products! Because we love you. When we don't have pockets in our dresses, we get sick of handing our phones and keys to our dads to put in their suit pant pockets. So, by all means, continue to put pockets in our dresses. And if you're one of those guys that doesn't put pockets in our dresses, start. Please. I know this great company that has some customizing options for their dresses and one of them is "remove pockets." Why the heck would I WANT to remove pockets from something that comes with pockets?! Are you stupid? That's a stupid option. And FYI, I totally and completely plan on having pockets added to my wedding dress someday. So take that! Side note to men: if you want to get on a woman's good side, buy her a dress or skirt with pockets in it. She will probably love you forever. She’s probably love you just as much if you get her some sweats with pockets too.

I've always said that if I ever have a clothing store or design clothes, I will put nice big pockets in every piece of women's clothing and no pockets in all the men's stuff, and see what happens. Just for fun. I'll give the men fake pockets! See how they feel about that. They'll go from their cargo shorts (not the best choice, men) with twelve pockets and then they will get none! I'm sorry men, I don't hate you, I promise, I'm just going on a rant right now.

To sum it all up, women like having pockets. I love having pockets! Pockets are great. Take our pockets away and we will be angry and go on 1440 word rants for our College Composition course.