Academic musings

A reflection on love and marriage for my "Passionate Expression" class. Enjoy!******Emma McCandlessEN 429Phyllis MannocchiMarch 10, 2004Reflection #1Our discussions in class this semester, as well as the works that we’ve been reading, have focused quite heavily on love that doesn’t necessarily involve marriage; in some cases, the works have even contrasted love with marriage, implying that the two are not and cannot be compatible with one another. Many of the love poems in our anthology deal with unrequited love, often addressing a female beloved who is already married to another man. The two operas we studied, La Boheme and Madama Butterfly, have both dealt with love outside of the traditional Western idea of marriage. And while Love Story does feature married lovers, their marriage is not by any stretch the most important part of their relationship; in fact, it does not even feel necessary to their love.I think that this depiction of love in relation to marriage is largely inaccurate. I believe that love can and does exist within the structure and marriage. The act of marriage in itself is a public statement of love and commitment—a cry to the world that this love is real and lasting. Making such a statement, in my opinion, is one of the most moving and loving things that two people can do for and with each other.Some of the works in our collection of love poetry—though we glossed briefly over most of them—demonstrate this notion that love and marriage can exist together, and that that coexistence can be a very beautiful and real thing. “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” reveals that love can blossom completely within the structure of a marriage. The poems of Anne Bradstreet and Elizabeth Barrett Browning offer extremely emotional, compelling and tender portraits of the love between two married people. And Judith Viorst’s contemporary poem “True Love” celebrates the ordinary, unglamorous—and infinitely more beautiful and real—aspects of married love.It is true that love does not need marriage to validate it. However, it is just as true that marriage and love can be and often are very intricately intertwined. When that intertwining happens, particularly in love literature (which is rare), it is a beautiful, moving and lasting commentary on the nature of love. The blending of love and marriage—in life and in literature—offers the best kind of hope to the human spirit. It offers a hope that love can endure beyond anything—from fantastic trials and adventures to the common, and infinitely more beautiful and real, activities of every day life.

Weird refreshment

Just got back from the oh-so-evil but oh-so-cheap weird, weird haven of Wal-Mart. I can't explain what it is about that place that sooths and relaxes me some how. I just think it's fun. Maybe it's the combination of my love of shopping and my very limited budget that attracts me. Maybe it's just the fact that they have everything. EVER. Yeah, I bet that's it.Anyway, I'd been feeling a bit blah lately, and going to Wal-Mart perked me right up. I just wanted to share. Now I'm off to the Echo to debate editorials and which SGA Pres/VP candidates we should endorse. This could be a loooong meeting...

MOSAIC!

The Mosaic Conference today was pretty fantastic. Karen and I led a workshop on religious pluralism that wasn't particularly well-attended, but still got some good conversation going and a lot of great ideas generated. I felt like I had empowered something. :)And Cornell West tonight was really good, too. I liked his talk a lot; I didn't feel alienated, or accused of racism, or any of those other things that I generally feel when people talk about race on this campus. It was really quite refreshing. I particularly liked that he's a Christian. I feel like religious people on this campus are really the "last minority," and the most over-looked one. It was really nice to hear a speaker, someone who a lot of people are going to listen to and emulate, talk abotu Christianity as a good basis for civil rights movements.So, all in all, it was a good thing. It got real dialogue going, not just anonymous name-calling over the Digest. It got people laughing, clapping, standing. It inspired people. Most of all, it gave me new hope for Colby and Colby students. Just a little. :)

Andrew Sullivan

I'm taking a break from this Shakespeare paper that's currently kicking my butt to vent a bit on Andrew Sullivan's talk on campus tonight. I'm tired, irritated, and a bit grouchy, so please, bear with me.I find it really, really annoying that people on this campus--some of whom are even my friends--cannot sit still for an hour and just take in some information. Not everything has to be a debate, and not everyone has to voice their opinion every single time an issue comes up. Andrew Sullivan was not invited to campus to debate Middle Eastern stereotypes (NONE of which he expressed, I might add), nor was he invited to act as a right-wing spokesman on issues such as the Patriot Act. He was invited to talk about same-sex marriage. And that's what he did. Or tried to, until Colby students decided to jump down his throat.I agreed with every single thing Andrew Sullivan said tonight. Including the use of the term Islamo-Fascits. That's exactly what Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Ladin are. Period. Every religion has some people who give their religion a bad name. I'm annoyed that the priests who abused thousands of children are still labeled as Catholic, but they are Catholic, so there's really not much I can do about it, now, is there?I guess I'm just really frustrated and disappointed that everything on this campus has to be up for debate. Andrew Sullivan made so many fantastic, fantastic points...points that I think almost everyone in the audience liked. And then, just as conservatives and liberals were about to (GASP!) agree on something, someone had go change the subject to something totally irrelevant and bring up all those latent political differences and hostilities.On a more selfish note, now I'm totally not looking forward to having breakfast tomorrow, because I know it will turn into a debate. And I am just plain sick and tired of always having to argue.

Beginning of a busy week!

Ahh! I can't believe it's March! So, so scary...graduation is getting so close! This week is going to be crazy...two papers, a presentation, the Echo continuing to rule my life (thank God I finally got an assistant editor...) and I got next to nothing done this weekend. I'm so screwed.But this weekend was good, despite the unproductivity. Particularly yesterday. Went to church with Karen in the morning, which I really enjoyed. Mostly because Lisa's cool and Mia is the cutest 8-year-old ever. :) Then I painted faces at the Lenten Fair (which was really more of an Easter Fair) in town, which was a lot of fun, in spite of all the complaining I did beforehand. Kids just make me smile--it really is a good thing that I'm going to be teaching them next year, nervous as I am about it all.Watched the most amazing documentary for Phyllis' class last night, "Southern Comfort." I would highly reccommend it--but be warned that it's not a light movie. It'll probably make you cry. But I loved it. It really made me so grateful for all the love and shared blessings in my life, and reminded me that love, no matter what form it takes, is always something incredibly beautiful, inspiring and blessed.*****postcard from our future homei am in bed, just waking.our room smells of lovemaking andthe coffee brewing downstairs.you woke early this morning to surprise me.there is so much to do today.

I was bored, so....

The fruits of an entirely unproductive day... Which deadly sin do you represent? (Angel Sanctuary Pics) brought to you by Quizilla

Thirsty for inspiration

I should really start writing again. Fiction, I mean. I've been rumbling around here all day thinking about it. Now that I'm not taking a workshop anymore--maybe not ever again!--I haven't had anything forcing me to write, so I just haven't done it. I'm a slacker, I freely admit it.Anyway, I really do want to get back into the habit of writing. I miss it a lot. I really just need to get some inspiration to get me going...any ideas out there???*****"I'm not going to get angry. When I retire, I shall simply write a short story for my revenge."~Desert Hearts

Productive procrastination

I know I should be working right now; I have two papers due next week and a presentation. However, I just can't seem to force myself to be productive. So, I am productively procrastinating by writing in my livejournal. I think I like this thing!Last night was interesting. Going to the PeWi basement for the "Dress Your Major" party was quite enjoyable. It was fun to get dressed up (okay, so all I really did was pull my hair up and stick some pens in it, but still...) and it was fun to see and talk to some people I hadn't seen for a while. There's another party in the apartments tonight, which should be fun. It makes me feel like I've made some progress, that this year I finally have grown a social life and started getting invited to parties. Part of it probably has some to do with being a senior and knowing people who live in the apartments and have the whole senior party-hard mentality, but I'd like to think that part of it is also due to me having grown up and gotten better at casually socializing. I definitely feel more like an adult, anyway. It's nice; gives me hope for the future.Random thought: I should reread "Beauty." I happened to think of it when my mind was wandering earlier this morning. That book always makes me happy, and I haven't taken a look at it in a really long time.Okay, I'm going to try and do something academic with my morning. Shakespeare and Donne are waiting with bated breath for me to analyze them to death; better get on that.

Gay marriage - MY take

The chalkings and the dialogue on the digest lately have gotten me pretty worked up over this issue--not that I really wasn't before but you know. Now I really feel the need to express myself.Love is Love. Yeah, the kind with capital L. God is Love, and He doesn't fit into neat little boxes, people. So get over yourselves. Heterosexuals, regardless of what some of them might like to think, don't have a monopoly on grace and sanctity. I've seen a lot more love and devotion in some gay and lesbian relationships than I have in certain straight marriages. God is capable of loving everyone, so why shouldn't we be capable of letting everyone love whoever they want to love?