22. The Tyranny of The Bookstore

Any college student across the country could tell you how frustrating the textbook system is. Prices are too high, The buybacks and sellbacks are under-advertised almost as if to fool students into missing them, and books are made to be available only through the bookstore. You're forced to play by their rules--rules which are unfair.

If The Bookstore is a profit-making entity, why doesn't competition do its perfect work and drive them to caterer to the customers needs? With a free-market system about "The customer is always right"how do they get away with forcing the customer to bow to their wishes?

The problem lies in the definition of the textbook market: It is far from a free-market system--it actually more closely resembles a government-controlled market with government created monopolies. Much like a government patenting the production of products the University collaborates with the bookstore making it impossible for students to buy books elsewhere--otherwise they fail the course and do not get their degree from the University.

By the way of definition the bookstore is a firm with no private authority over consumers and the University is an entity with real authority over the consumer-students who have willingly surrendered some of their freedoms when affirmatively responding to their acceptance letter. So in essence, because the bookstore collaborates with the University the bookstore can use the Universities authority to impose prices upon consumers. This changes the rules of the economic system meaning that students must live in both a world of free-market rules off of campus as well as socialistic rules imposed on campus.

Looking at the example of the University Bookstore, why do we as rational human beings choose to give up our freedoms to control-based economies rather than playing simply by the rules of the free-market? The answer is rational: Humans choose a system that benefits them now. When people loose or suffer losses playing by the free-market systems rules they seek to recover those losses by changing the rules. Though they lost fair and square they'd rather change the rules to benefit themselves--what they miss is that changing the rules benefits none but themselves. They also miss the fact that placing any type of authority based control over the free-market results in unfettered tyranny. They are like the foolish Israelites who plead with Samuel to be placed under the tyranny of a King.

21. In The End

This semester has been an interesting one. A lot of good things have happened offset by some bad, but overall it has been great. It's neat to look at my progression of thoughts in this blog and even to look at the chain of events that inspired each post. Looking back I can detect growth in my literary knowledge and writing abilities. Also, I've been better able to make sense of the world around me as I have gained the tools necessary to do so in English 251 as well as others classes.

To me, the area in which I have seen the most growth has been in my ability to apply the subject matter of school to the Gospel and vice versa. I'm excited about all of the possibilities that this will open up for me in the remaining years of school. I am developing this idea for my final paper with the example of looking at the Joseph Smith History rhetorically.

On a more specific note, I wanted finish my blog by going over 10 terms that I learned in my English 251 class and what they mean to me.

1. Historical Criticism—How history will help us understand the work? This is a good way to read the scriptures. What was Israel like at the time of Isaiah? What was the apostle Paul’s upbringing? Etc.
2. Formalism—Analysis based on the form. To do this we ignore the historical background or anything that we know about the author and just look at the pieces that make the work enjoyable. What devises are used in Nephi’s Psalm that make it enjoyable?
3. Mythical Criticism—Looking at mythical influence or archetypal patterns in a work. Most common in our time is the archetypal hero that we see reoccurring in scriptures, literature and movies in all periods of time. How does Christ fit in with the Archetypal Journey?
4. Rhetorical Criticism—Looking at what the author is trying to persuade us to do and how are they doing it? What is President Monson trying to persuade me to do?
5. Marxism Criticism—Criticism concerned with how a work effects economics. What was the effect of Christ’s teachings to “sell all you hath”? What is it about Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight that causes so many Americans to buy it?
6. Moral or Philosophical Criticism—ideas and values, truth, forgetfulness, clarity, consistency, complexity, what ideas, values or truths influenced the writer or what ideas has this writer pushed the same values? What Kind of person is the grandmother in Grace O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard To Find?
7. New Historicism—Looking at a text from our current view and asking what does a text do. New Historicism becomes a bit of a hodgepodge of all styles of criticism because we look a work from all angles (philosophical, historical, formal, rhetorical, etc.). What does Homer’s The Odyssey do to kids who read it today? What is the effect of Bob Dylan’s poetry on the world as we know it?
8. Organicism—A style of writing compared to a plant; a text takes it’s own unique form. A poem begins with an idea (seed) which is cultivated in the work. The ideas for my papers came as a little seed that I let grow, though I was constrained by the grading rubric.
9. Sonnet—A form of poetry. The Shakespearean form included 14 lines with three stanza’s of an alternating rhyme scheme (abab) finished with a couplet. He also wrote in iambic pentameter and separated the stanza’s subjectively by introducing the problem and ending with a resolution. This was a lot harder to do than I thought it would be.
10. Narrative paradigm—argues that the world is a series of stories that we can choose from; we tell stories not to entertain, but to pass on values and what we see as reality. The idea is that whatever I will write from here on will become a part of a collective "story" that others will write from and add to.

20. Incentives and The Gospel

Many economists will tell you that the whole study of economics is simply the study of how people respond to incentives. If you take any economic theory or principle you will find at it's core that it is based on incentives and how humans interact with them. Take supply and demand for example. The principle of demand is that at a low price people will respond by buying more than when it is at a high price. Why? Because they have more incentive to buy more because it maximizes their well-being. The same can be said for suppliers wanting to sell more at a high price.

This universal truth can be frustrating for one with morals because it seemingly portrays all humans as selfish. But really, is the Gospel any different? Do people do good to others because they chose to ignore the incentive to get ahead? Looking at it from a more eternal perspective, the benevolent Christian responds to incentives just as much as the money-hungry capitalist. What is different is that they see different incentives. The benevolent see the incentive for eternal life and God's approval weighing more than worldly enterprise. The profit-hungry either don't weigh this as a stronger incentive or they do not believe it to be a real incentive.

Indeed people do respond to incentives as economics teaches. What those incentives are and how much weight they carry can only be interpreted on a personal level.

19. The Statistics of Good Parenting

I just read a really enlightening study. In first reading it I was a little put off, but after really look at it I felt like the conclusion fit in well with my beliefs.

This study was a result of an economist, Steven Levitt, who did some statistical analysis based on data collected from a government survey of the Chicago Public School System in the nineties. The survey involved collecting information from a large demographic of children from their kindergarten year to their 5th grade year. This information included test scores and other academic measurements as well as information about the child's upbringing and family situation. What Dr. Levitt was seeking to analyze is correlation between the information of a child's upbringing and social situation with their test scores as a way of determining exactly what contributes to the success of children.

Surprisingly many factors that I thought would contribute to how successful a child would be showed no correlation--things like if parents were involved in the PTA or if they took their kids to museums or other cultural experiences. Factors that did correlate to children's success were parents salary, and if they're mother was over 30 years old when they had them. At first glass these results went against my beliefs of good parenting. Why wouldn't active parents--like the one's who go to museums with the kids and are in the PTA--not have more successful children then parents who are simply rich and old? There is an important statistical concept to consider in order to understand the conclusion of this study.

Correlation simply means that the two factors go together, not that one causes the other. Correlation tells us that snow and cold go together, but not whether snow causes it to be cold or if the cold causes snow. We do not know that mother's waiting until they are older to have children means that those kids will automatically be smart--only that older mothers typically have smarter kids. What can we draw from this? Well, older mother's are typically involved in education or a career and are also much more prepared to raise children than the average teen-pregnancy case. It would make sense that they would be able to raise more successful children. All that this teaches us is that parents who have succeeded in life are more likely to have successful children. They have worked hard to for their larger-than-average salary.

At first glance, this study looks like it's saying parents who do things for their kids (PTA museums) have no advantage over parents who are in better circumstances (more money, older), which is what had troubled me at first. The truth is almost the complete opposite. As we've seen, there are factors that contribute to the parents success. This study simply shows us that it's the things you've done before you have your kids that make you a successful parent. Doing things like PTA and museums will mean little if you are not a good parent to start off with (which is why they show no correlation). This fits in with my belief that good people make good parents. Guess I'd better get started now being a good person after all.

18. The World Shrinking

I know a lot of students hate the general classes required for graduation, but I love them. I think most students want to spend their time focusing on subjects they are most interested in, which I understand. What I love about generals is the feeling I get at the end of the semester. It feels like the world shrinks a little each semester. Not that the diameter of the world physically drops a few sizes like the waist of my sister on a diet, but that it appears smaller to me. I can understand it a little more.

American Heritage has helped me understand more of the basics of our history and our government. I don't by any means feel like an expert in politics, but the things I've learned have helped me feel less intimidated by politics. I could say the same about about my Statistics class or any of the others. I think generals are so important in our education because they teach us how to live in the world we are in, while our majors may teach us how to get ahead in it.

17. Uchtodorf and Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Rhetoric is at the center of the Gospel. The Savior died so that all might be able to repent and his disciples go forth to persuade all to believe in him and repent. Rhetoric is the study of how we persuade--what we are persuading our audience to do or believe and how are we doing it. Conference is the perfect way to see rhetoric in action.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's Sunday morning talk on compassion was rich in rhetoric. He utilized emotional appeal, or pathos, by sharing the story of the "canned-food-Mormons." This was the name unaffectionately given to the poor who came into the church after recieving church wellfare. The description of them coming into the church hungering the sweetness of the Gospel causes his audience to feel compassion of these helpless people discouraging us to judge others in need.

His appeal to our ability to trust, or ethos, came most powerfully as he used the example and words of the Savior. He knows his audience are all those of a professed belief in Christ as their ultimate example and so when President Uchtdorf uses Christ's example of accepting all with open arms, he knows this is more powerful than simply asking them to do the same thing.

President Uchtdorf uses logos, or an appeal to logic, brilliantly with a simple story. He tells of an old woman who sees herself as a $20 bill. She says she is old, used and worn, but is just as much worth the same amount as any other $20 bill. What he is teaching us is that everyone has value, though on the outside if may appear differently. Using logical comparison as his tool for such teaching is effective in at least two ways: First, it easy to be understood because all in his audience know what money looks like. Second, as a story it is memorable so that the logical lesson remains long after he has finished his talk.

16. Thoughts On The Formulation Of Thoughts

Have you ever thought about why peoples minds work differently from others? This fact is most obvious in a family situation. If the way your mind works comes from your parents siblings should be pretty similar. In such an environment difference in thought cannot be attributed to a difference in their growing-up environment since they are so intimately similar between siblings. Any differences in opinion whether political, philosophical or moral can be mostly attributed to personal taste and judgment which constitute how an individuals mind works. What influences personal taste is another discussion all together.

One of the reasons I so love to talk to my Dad about my problems is because he is so mathematical in his approach. He's able to quickly see solutions which will bring the most harmony in my life. My Dad's an accountant and so I imagine him thinking through life problems in the same way in which he does someones taxes: always ensuring that liabilities and assets exactly equal each other and always running his solutions through eternal principles as if he's balancing a long equation.

I believe my method of thinking through things comes a lot from my background in art. I have to sketch out possible solutions--erasing here and there and adding here and there until I see a scenario that is balanced and harmonious.

15. Agency and the Role of Government

I just read an amazing article that really made me think about the new Health Care Bill. I don't want to make this blog about politics, but I do want to discuss some principles gospel principles and how I see them relating to the current Health Care Bill. These thoughts come from an article written by Steven D Brignone, a lawyer and member of the Church.

The purpose of government is to "secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience" (D&C 134:2). This means it's job is to protect the environment God has put us into on earth in accordance with His Plan of Salvation: namely, that we are free to make either good choices that bring joy to us and others or to make bad choices that can potentially bring sorrow. God allows this because He respects our agency--even if that means allowing some of his children to feel that sorrow. Government's role is simply to protect that environment which includes the consequences of choice. That means removing any person or institution that would take away someones ability to choose, like those who commit crimes against them. But if government steps in and removes the consequences of others choices because they desire to remove the negative effects, they have encroached on their agency.

This seams to be the problem we are seeing with the current Health Care Bill. Those who are for it mainly argue that it equals everyone's opportunities for Health Insurance regardless of circumstances. The problem I see with this is the fundamental problem of removing responsibility from the individual. Having health care is a choice and with this choice comes consequences. Removing certain consequences deemed "unfavorable" is simply removing the choice which violates the role of government. This principle makes clear to me that the current Health Bill violates our constitution and America's view of government.

14. Views Of General Conference

My view of General Conference has changed at different points in my life. I remember as a kid, that general conference meant going to our stake center, drawing pictures and coloring for four hours with a two hour break for a picnic lunch at the park next to the chapel. At that point in my life, Conference was a nice break from primary. It wasn't until later that I realized what my mom and dad were actually watching while I was busy drawing pictures of superman in the chair next to them.

The first time, I think, conference really meant something to me was the April session just before my mission. Knowing that the church would be my life for the next two years, I really soaked in the messages from the church leaders. It was then and in the time during my mission that I realized that I'd missed out on so much opportunity for good council in the years of my life previous to that time. It was then that I really realized just what my parents were listening to so intently while I scribbled away in my seat next to theirs.

This Conference, I am excited to go in with the questions and guidance that I am seeking at this time. There have been many changes in my life since my mission, but General Conference just grows more valid instead of less as the years go on and as life get's more complicated. Especially now that life has gotten a bit more complicated than that of the little boy drawing pictures of spiderman in the seat beside me.

13. Sufficient To Behold

So, I know I kinda ragged on the Book of Mormon in my last post with the mention of Alma 41:10. To make up for it I'm going to write about poetry in the Book of Mormon for this post.

In last nights study of the Book of Mormon, I was reading about the depressing end of the Nephite civilization and how their morals have degraded to the point of open rebellion against God. In describing their wickedness Mormon claims he has never seen anything this bad "since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man" (Mormon 2:18).

I love the phrase "sufficient to behold." Some synonyms for sufficient are adequate or enough implying that his ability to view and understand human nature had to grow to a point where they were sufficient. When exactly this time came for him I do not know, but isn't it interesting to think about what that change means and when it happens for each of us.

For some reason it reminds me of J.D. Salinger's character Holden Caulfield in Catcher In The Rye. Holden was an adolescent--probably around Mormon's age--who was very aware of impending adulthood. He resisted this change tremendously viewing adults as "phonies."

From this perspective, being "sufficient to behold the ways of man" could mean leaving behind our childish naivete of the world. What exactly Mormon meant by this phrase though is not clear to me.

12. Chasing The Wind

Sometimes the scriptures are just poetic. Makes sense, since the King James version of the Bible was written during Shakespeare's era, but I just never really think of them as poetry. But it turns out that for every "Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran. Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel" there's an, "I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."

I came across a gem in my recent study--and it was in the Old Testament of all places! The book of Ecclesiastes has great insights into the materiality of this life compared to the substantiality of the next. It's in this book we get great lines like: "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver" (vs. 10).

As I was reading here the other day I was really impressed with how poetic vs. 17 is: "what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?" before this line the writer has been speaking of the pointlessness of spending our days in seeking riches. This line is so beautiful in how it conjures that concept succinctly and with such a powerful image. In the end, seeking the illusion of happiness in material things is as pointless as running to catch the wind--as if you could hold it in your hands.

Of course the writers could have just said, "wickedness never was happiness", but the power of the lesson comes from the conjuring the image and applying it to mean something more tangible. Like all good poetry, you have to work for the meaning and in the work is were we learn the most powerful lessons.

11. My Roots and Influences

I have this cool paper in my American Heritage class that I'm starting to write. I'm not excited that it has to be at least nine pages, but I'm way into what I'm learning about myself as I'm writing it.

The paper is the result of an interview of my Mom and Grandma. Questions involved are about their view on a changing America over their years. It's been so neat to hear there perspectives. As I have I've learned two things. First, that I am really a product of my heritage--I see my ideals in my mother and grandmother. Second, that I'm also a product of my environment--the rest of my ideals are filled in by my surroundings.

A good example of the influence of my heritage is my view of work. My grandma was a child of the depression, so right out of high school she got a job as a grocer and worked right through marriage, army life with grandpa and five kids. My mother too see's the nobility of working for what you have and completely disagrees with the current view of government as the one to go to for a hand-me-out.

A good example of my environment is technology. My grandma could not hate technology more and is very stubborn to not get involved with ipods, computers and the like. I think my mom realizes that technology is necessary to get by, but is reluctant to fully embrace it. I'm a big fan of growing up in a time where information is easily accessible and tasks are more easily and efficiently completed. I tend to embrace technology with little reluctance or uneasiness unlike my heritage.

I'm clearly a product of the two; my heritage and my surroundings. It's been cool seeing some of my roots and influences as I've been writing this paper.

10. The Inevitable Pendulum Effect and The Restoration

So, I've been thinking a lot about this new Health Bill that was passed earlier this week. I'm going to leave my opinions as to the correctness of the bill, but I do want to comment on the interesting thing the Bill represents to me and what it teaches me about both human nature and The Restoration of the Gospel. To do so, let me give you a brief history of economic thought in America:

You can really boil down government interaction with economy into two very simple categories: heavy government involvement or light involvement. This involvement comes in many many ways; some of the most basic being taxation, printing more money, lowering interest rates and creating programs in hopes of creating jobs and economic stimulus, just to name a few. As we went into the 20th century, we had a small deficit and a view of small government as the way to go. Then came the Great Depression. Our reaction? We changed our ideals and went with big government involvement which resulted in a stimulated economy and a greatly enlarged deficit. This of course led to unexplainable recessions, high taxes and a stifled economy in the 70's. Where did we go from here? We opted for Regonomics with it's small government which resulted in a more efficient and booming economy.

Now, here we are at the beginning of the century in an unexplainable recession and where are we going from here? With the new Health Bill we are clearly going toward big government which will inevitably result in a larger deficit (everything has it's cost).

To me this pendulum swing is so true to life and human nature. We rarely pick the middle row, but always go from one extreme to the next. We tend to over-correct as we see injustice or inefficiency. Think of the reformation--too much pomp and work in the catholic church so instead we get the bare-bones Lutheran church with a "no works allowed" policy and a focus on faith.

To me one of the evidences that The LDS Church really is the restored church is that it is a perfect blend of the two--in no way a pendulum reaction to current religion. It is devoid of human nature's desire to over-correct. God knows how to correct and not over-correct.

9. Why Shakespeare Rocks

So, I'm coming to find that life really isn't black and white. I mean, I believe in truth and that God is the author of truth, but I think how we apply truth and view it is subjective--and I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing. I mean I don't loose sleep over the fact that my mom is a democrat and my dad is a republican.

I imagine Shakespeare new this, cause he really used this subjectivity well in his work. Case in point: Desdemona and Emilia from the tragedy Othello. It is clear from their interaction that they see the world in very different ways. Desdemona is the idealist; she believes in being true to your husband and in the virtue of mankind. Emilia is more of the realist; being faithful to your man is good until you get a better offer because in the end the world is yours to manipulate for your gain. Both characters stand at opposite ends of the "what is truth" spectrum.

What I love is how Shakespeare handles these two characters with their separate philosophies. Both characters are very involved in the play and so not one ideal overshadows the other. Both are fleshed out characters with equal time with the audience and both die noble martyrs deaths. Shakespeare presents these two world views without clearly portraying one as superior to the other. He presents them neatly on two silver platters from which I can taste one or both or neither--kinda a "pick your truth" scenario. He leaves his art open for my interpretation.

8. Making Sense of the Real World

I'm starting to slowly discover why I love economics so much. Part of this realization came when I got my American Heritage test back, disappointing to see a "B" written on the top. I studied well, but what it came down to was subjectivity; I didn't provide the answers that my teacher wanted and was punished by getting a lower grade.

Such subjectivity is a frustrating part of academics, yet isn't as much a part of the real world. What I mean is that those who make it in a career do it because they understand their field in relation to how it works in the world, not according to how their freshman American Heritage Teacher understands it.

With economics, learning is much like it is in the real world. You learn tools and concepts which you can apply to real-life problems. You can think it out. You aren't stuck guessing: "Well how does sister so-and-so want me answer this?" I feel like economic principles are empowering because they make sense of the world I live in--not the world of my teachers mind. But, then again, maybe I am just bitter about my grade.

7. From The Shadow Of The Temple

I enjoyed the lecture in my English 251 class this last Wednesday and the insight it gave me on my current situation. The discussion turned to the idea of "point of reference": the idea that our criticism of literature (or really anything) comes from the point of view of our experiences--especially the ones we are experiencing currently. This made me think about what my current "point of reference" would be, and i was humored to find how blatantly it has influenced my work in this class.

As I've been reading Othello, I haven't been able to get past feeling sorry for Othello and how his overhasty marriage truly was his demise in the end. I really think that he and Desdemona ought to have spent more time dating before they tied the knot. This would have allowed them to develop a sufficient amount of trust which would have helped Othello combat Iago's lies within his head. Instead he believed Iago's accusation of Desdemona's infidelity without any real evidence.

I also spent a good amount of class time discussing how Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" speaks powerfully of the difference between lust and committed love. Also, a few days ago I posted a little ditty on this blog about how the economic principles I've learned in ECON 110 have taught me how about successful marriage. It's obvious that my "point of reference" stems from my recent decision to marry my girlfriend Stacy. I'm looking at life from under the shadow of the temple.

6. I'm Scared of California

So I'm finding a big part of growing up is realizing just how much of a hypocrite you really are. I'm thinking it comes from our desire to hear ourselves speak--we love to say "treat everyone with kindness", but when the 15-year-old cashier is texting when she should be ringing you up, all of a sudden our words don't stand up. Maybe this discrepancy comes from laziness, but it seems to be getting worse as I get older.

I really noticed this problem this week as I've been considering the choice I have of either continuing at BYU or transferring to Cal Poly. I have probably told many people "you can't be scared of change", but it seems I've had a hard time living my advice with this choice. I've been mulling over my options for weeks now looking at college ratings, major requirements, job placement statistics and everything else I could think of in making this decision even going out to California to visit the college.

Though this looking at options has been good, I've only been ignoring the real fear: I'm scared of leaving the safe cocoon of Provo for the big world of California. Here at BYU I feel safe from the "real world" and so have built myself a little fortress that I don't wanna give up. This is regardless of the fact that if I were to encounter someone in the same circumstances as me I'd preach a sermon on "not fearing that which is new."

Now, I'm not saying that I am basing my decision on going to Cal Poly just based on the fact that it will offer me something new. I'm just saying that it's been refreshing to realize that I shouldn't let "the fear of the unknown" keep me from seeing exactly where the Lord wants to take me.

5. God's Plan of Salvation and My Freshman Econ Class

So, I've been surprised to discover that I really enjoy Economics. As crazy as it sounds I'm in the heat of the battle with Econ 110, one of BYU's most hated and failed courses, and I'm loving it. There's just something about the principle--like the price elasticity of demand or diminishing marginal return--that are just exciting to me like Edward Cullin excites my sixteen year old niece. Okay, maybe not that much, but I have learned some really interesting things in Econ 110 that hit on some important life principles.

I've found the principle of trade to be really interesting. If you think of the outcome of trade without looking at how it works, the whole idea is crazy; everyone can gain from trade no matter how poor they are in relation to those with whmo they trade. Even though it sounds counter-intuitive it is true. The reason is because of the principle of comparative advantage; the ability to produce something at less cost than another. For example: Bob can write papers for his English twice as fast as he can do a page of his calculus homework. Rick, on the other hand, can produce a page of calculus homework with half the effort (or time) as he can write a paper for his English class. Even if Rick can do both the English paper and the calculus homework faster than Bob (he's just a better student overall) both he and Rick will benefit from trade. The reason being that Rick has comparative advantage in calculus homework and Bob has comparative advantage in writing English papers. If they specialize in what they do best--producing only English papers or only calculus homework--and then trade they both have more calculus homework and english papers or more time to not do homework. Pretty cool!

This principle applies to life in other ways. Think about the benefits of having a relationship with another. You benefit from the traits that they possess in which you lack and visa verse for them. Maybe your spouse is particularly good at paying the bills while you are great at disciplining the children. As you both focus on what you are good at doing you are both left with payed bills, well-behaved children and some extra time and energy for other things. We benefit from trade more than we realize.

I know that God has a good grasp on the principle of comparative advantage because His plan of salvation includes it. Each of his children come to earth endowed certain capabilities. We each can benefit from our association with one another. And Christ's church is built as a marketplace for trade. Sue benefits from her Bishop's gifts for administration and in turn he benefits from her example of compassion in her calling. God did not build us to be self-sufficient and so every one of us can benefit spiritually through trade. Who would have thought that the principles I learned in a freshman econ class could be eternal.

4. Some Thoughts On Bob Dylan

I love Bob Dylan. Simple enough statement, right, but how what exactly do I saying here? Do I love him like friend? Do I love him like a fan? Do I love him like a brother? Or, do I love him like fat kid loves a Butterfinger?

I've come to find that a love for Bob Dylan has a very bipolar effect. On the one hand not a lot of people really like him--esp. those who have never heard his shockingly grating voice. I remember a friend of mine emphasizing how much more brilliant Tom Petty was than "this guy". I was so appalled that I didn't even know how to formulate a coherent rebuttal.

On the other hand, proclaiming yourself as a fan of Bob has it's cache. Anyone who's read a decent amount of Rolling Stone, knows anything about rock history or has had parents that smoked their fair share of weed have at least heard of him--let alone could hum the tune of "Blowin in The Wind."

But those experts of music--daily readers of pitchfork.com, owners of at least one Beatles poster, those who've synced "The Wizard of Oz" to Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of The Moon", or those who claim "Almost Famous" to be the greatest movie ever mad--feel they understand Dylan's importance to rock and know very well the arithmetic involved in the "cool-points" boost that a proclamation of love for Dylan would incite.

On the one side of the coin you've got alienation from the Tom Petty-lovers and a back-stage pass with the sonic youth-lovers on the other. Who woulda thought that diggin Bob Dylan would be so polarizing?

I don't really identify completely with either of these groups, but I feel a piece of both of them tugging inside of me. I mean, I like to occationally read pitchfork.com, but I also enjoy listening to Tom Petty. I listen to Dylan aware of his importance in rock history, but I also just like him in the same way some 12 year old girl likes Miley Cyrus. My listening to Dylan reveals to me that I'm both incredibly self-aware, but also clueless to the world. He makes me a bit of a shape-shifter, which I believe makes him something of an artist.

3. My Attempt At One-Upping Shakespear

So, apparently Shakespeare was pretty amazing. Kind of a "no duh" statement, but my appreciation for the guy grew fourfold in this last week. The reason being; I wrote a sonnet following Shakespeare's rhyme scheme and meter--and it was pretty hard.

So apparently this Englishman wrote something like 154 sonnets in his working life. All of them were written in his rhyme scheme of three four lined stanzas ending with a couplet (abab cdcd efef gg). He also wrote in iambic pentameter; a meter in which there are five beets (da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM, da DUM). Pretty prolific if you ask me. A good example of this meter are the opening lines from his sonnet Let Me Not To The Marriage Of True Minds:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.

Pretty cool that he was so aware of how his words sounded as they roll off the tongue. I'd never realized this until my english 251 class.

So as for me and my sonnet, it was quite an experience writing in this style for the first time. I found my inspiration when watching the movie Taking Chance, and set to work soon after watching it. The biggest struggle was getting my words to fit comfortably into the iambic pantameter and I often felt like I was as effective as a parent trying to keep their kids quiet during sacrament meeting. Needless to say, I have a lot more respect for this Bill Shakespeare guy now. Anyone who can get his words to sound as pleasant as his and have as much meaning as they do merits my respect.

Anyways, here's my attempt at one-upping Shakespeare. It's no Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day, but what is, right?

Two Soldiers
A sonnet inspired by the movie Taking Chance

T’was two soldiers on diff’ring battlefields
The one in perils of death in Iraq
The other who from a cubicle yields
A guilt that tortures him like the rack
He daily studies names of casualties
He recognizes the name of lieutenant Phelps.
Now being the escort to the deceased
Penance for not being there so as to help
A wooden cross, a black watch and dog tags
Grandmother’s medallion still shining clear
The living soldier carriers with a flag
To bear mem’ries to those who once were dear
Two soldiers brought onto one battlefield
With no witness each one would disappear

2. Jewels Of A Tyger And A Lamb

There's a definite distinction from poetry and prose. I picture that differance being like the cost of a word. When you lay down each word in prose, the shear amount of words makes each less and less valuable; they are like little stones in the larger mosaic.

A poet composes more precisely. The breadth of a poem gives added weight and value to each word. Instead of counting nouns and verbs like rocks a poet pieces each word as a jewel, each one making an important contribution to the make-up of a necklace. They are carefully chosen and placed amongst others so that they can shine the brightest.

In two differing works of the poet William Blake you can see what I'm talking about. Firstly, in his poem, The Lamb, Blake carefully chooses his words and orders them to give his thoughts a tone and a specific meaning. Blake speaks to this lamb very gently. He uses words like "bright", "tender", "woolly" which give the poem a soft and easy effect; almost as if you were there running your hands across the soft lambs wool. The sweet innocence is clear from Blakes word choice.

In contrast his poem The Tyger sets a different mood all together due to Blake's word choice. The different spelling of Tiger in the title gives you a disoriented feeling just as your entering into the poem. In describing the beast Blake chooses disconcerting verbs like "burnt", "twist" and "seize". The overall effect is an unsettled awe and wonder which points to the question:
"What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"

As Blake has shown, words are certainly one of the sharpest arrows in a poets quiver.

1. Conflicting Views On Enjoying Literature

My response to the first readings in my Literary Interpretation class was similar to what I felt my first day in the mission field: I felt like I'd entered a new world; one in which I was both excited and intimidated by my new surroundings. The concept of dissecting literature is not new to me but, much like missionary work, the skills and principles involved feel like a new language.

Helen Vendler in her inaugural address titled, "What We Have Loved, Others Will Love" she speaks very passionately about the virtue of literature. She speaks often about a certain place within our psyche in which literature alone can take us. She than makes the point that teaching the mechanics of English and the principles of interpreting literature is a separate entity all together and one in which harms the first. She speaks of a need to expose students to good literature at a very primary stage of their development so that they may be acquainted with the spiritual experience literature can bring thus giving context to the importance of the mechanics of language. I understand her point and agree mostly. The idea of exposing youth to "great literature" involves an interpretation of what designates "great literature" which interpretation is arbitrary and defeats Vendler's purpose in the first place.

I felt I could better relate to Gerald Graff's essay, "Disliking Books at an Early Age". Graff relates how in his early exposure to any type of literature he found reading teduous and unenjoyable. It wasn't until college when he was exposed to critical arguements about Mark Twain's Hucklberry Finn that Graff "[caught] the literary bug" (44). From his own personal experience, Graff asserts the point that without knowledge of the skills of interpritation he was unable to enjoy literature as he ought: "...being alone with the texts only left me feeling bored and helpless, since I had no language with to make them mine" (45). I believe the author hits on the very important principle that understanding literature is not second nature to us as humans and unless we learn some basics we cannot expect ourselves to understand the meaning or purpose of the work.

While both the views held by Graff and Vendler are conflicting, I believe there is merit in both arguments. Surely children need to be exposed to literature at an early age so that when they reach the age when they will be reading much they will not have already harbored a resentment toward literature because of their forced learning of English mechanics. Also, we cannot expect children to fall in love with Huckleberry Finn when they have not learned the mechanics of interpretation. I believe the balance comes in exposing readers to both aspects and allowing them to respond to what it is that they respond to.