e u s s I s t r A l a i c Spe Vol. LXXXVII, No. 0.5
Around the Table with Gina Apostol By STEFANI KUO Book Reviewer ABBY INGRASSIA Book Reviewer
Filled with the complexities of memory and acceptance, English teacher Gina Apostol’s new novel, Gun Dealers’ Daughter, follows Sol, a young woman from Manila in search of an identity. Intertwined with her past and future, Sol’s narration is filled with the history of Manila, her parents’ societal role and position, and her own beliefs and desire to rebel against her loved ones. The Scroll’s two book reviewers sat down with Ms. Apostol to talk with her about her novel, due to be published by W.W. Norton in July. Kuo: Congratulations on your book, Ms. Apostol! Apostol: Thank you, Stefani. Kuo: I really enjoyed reading it. Could you tell us about the writing process of the Gun Dealers’ Daughter?
Ashley So
Apostol: I got a fellowship to write a draft of this novel from Phillips Exeter Academy. They have a writer in residence for a year. I finished the first draft but didn’t do anything with it. When my daughter went off to college, I had nothing to do, so I spent every afternoon revising the novel. It took me years to figure out how to revise Gun Dealer. The first draft of the novel was chronological narration, which was very boring. I didn’t like the structure of the [first draft].
DEERFIELD ACADEMY, DEERFIELD, MA 01342
Ingrassia: So you wrote your first draft, left it and then came back to it. What did you do differently when you returned to it? Apostol: I got rid of the chronological. The early draft was around 300-400 pages, but I took out the backstories of a few characters and put in what would fit in terms of what [Sol] would actually think. Kuo: So was your first draft all in Sol’s perspective? Or was it a third-person narrative? Apostol: That’s a very good question. I started off in third person, but I really wanted to hear her voice. So, I moved out of the third-person voice. That ironically pushed me to be more disciplined about what I would include because if you have this kind of person, she can only have this kind of memory. That issue of limiting, narrowing, and creating constraints is really important in writing novels and in fiction. Ingrassia: The book also revolves a lot around memory and how “memory is deception.” How much of Sol’s memory recreates itself rather than portrays the truth? Apostol: I have an idea, but that is such a reader’s question. What do you guys think? Kuo: At first, I assumed she was a little distorted, but I didn’t think she was making up memories. Then I started doubting if she was remembering things for what they really were. Apostol: There’s something deceptive about recall, about memory, and the writing process is part of it. She’s writing everything out, and the deception is really an issue. Even the issue of being literary and how constraining that is when you have to figure out your words and still portray the truth: there is always a gap between writing to portray the truth and recognizing your construction is made up for fiction writers, for novelists. In a sense, that, too, is an interesting theme and a struggle for me as a writer: the paradoxical truth of language. Ingrassia: I was wondering how much of the story or the plot is based on your own experiences? Continued on the back
Ailey II for Academy Event
Google Images Dancers of Ailey II use every muscle, angle, and facial expression to show their passion for the art.
By TARA MURTY Staff Writer Arms and legs intertwine as each dancer’s movement portrays the vivid emotion of the African-American experience. Passion pulses through each gospel melody, pointed toe, and heart-pounding rhythm. There is a story in each dance and a life in each motion. The world-renowned dance company Ailey II will perform next Monday night, April 9, in the spring Academy Event and lead residency activities for the academic dance classes. The performance will include a range of pieces by Alvin Ailey, the founder of the dance company, and emerging contemporary choreographers. Academy Events Coordinator David Howell said, “There will be a wonderful cross-section between some historical works with great significance and choreography, and some exciting new ideas that will inspire our students.” The juxtaposed harmony between pieces
choreographed by Alvin Ailey and those by contemporary dancers will forge a stage bearing the uniqueness of African-American heritage and the modernity of contemporary dance. Most notably among the historical dances, the company will perform Ailey’s signature piece, Revelations. Ailey described it as “a suite of spirituals in three sections.” The first section, Pilgrim of Sorrow, depicts the faith to transcend the heaviness of life’s burden. Take Me to the Water, the second section, recounts Ailey’s own baptismal. The third section, Move Members Move, is set on a Sunday morning in a country church and emphasizes the great faith and joy of the people. Mr. Howell said that, “Revelations contains messages of hope, inspiration, jubilation [and] happiness in the midst of sorrow [where] most of the choreography is steeped in African American tradition.”
These ascending dancers, close in age to Deerfield students, provide a lens through which we may see ourselves. The hearty melodies energize the dancers as they evoke the emotions and unparalleled cultural stories rooted in the symbiotic duet of music and dance. Fine Arts Department Chair and dance teacher Jennifer Whitcomb and Mr. Howell both applauded the professionalism, energy, and youthfulness of the company. Ms. Whitcomb added, “They don’t hold anything back because they are really climbing and clawing into major companies.” These ascending dancers, close in age to Deerfield students,
DA Style
April 3, 2012
Ashley So’s Unique Exemption
provide a lens through which we may see ourselves. Mr. Howell said that the “same kind of drive that characterizes the vast majority of Deerfield students is possessed in these dancers.” He said “that energy, that pride, that joy of being a part of a very long tradition of [Ailey dance]” possessed by Ailey II dancers resonates with the feelings of students about Deerfield tradition. Nina Shevzov-Zebrun ’12 said, “Everyone can benefit from opening his or her mind to new forms of expression.” She added, “It will be interesting to observe the Ailey II dancers’ technique and style and to try to absorb as much as possible.” The Alvin Ailey dance style melds African-American culture and stories with modern dance technique in a form that activates each muscle with emotional energy—an energy that flows smoothly at times and strikes staccato at others. Ailey’s fused style is a product of both his dance background and heritage. Ailey began formal dance training after being exposed to dance when he attended performances of a ballet and the first African-American modern dance company. He trained with the founder of America’s first racially integrated dance company, Lester Horton. Ailey II utilizes Horton’s modern dance technique and welcomes dancers of all ethnicities. Ailey explained, “We are really celebrating human beings and we are trying to make an identification with the black past.” He added, “I am a choreographer. I am a black man whose roots are in the sun and the dirt of the South. My roots are in the gospel churches of the South [with their] anthems to the
Movie Review: The Artist
2 The Deerfield Scroll
SPECIAL ARTS ISSUE
April 3, 2012
Letter from the Editor __________
VOL. LXXXVII, NO. 0.5
APRIL 3, 2012
Editor-in-Chief KRISTY HONG Front Page CASEY BUTLER
Sports SARAH SUTPHIN
Opinion/Editorial SAMMY HIRSHLAND
Photography ASHLEY SO
Arts & Entertainment MIRANDA MCEVOY
Graphics TATUM MCINERNEY
Features CAROLINE KJORLIEN
Online JOHN LEE
Advisors SUZANNE HANNAY & JOHN PALMER
The Deerfield Scroll, established in 1925, is the official student newspaper of Deerfield Academy. The Scroll encourages informed discussion of pertinent issues that concern the Academy and the world. Signed letters to the editor that express legitimate opinions are welcomed. We hold the right to edit for brevity. The Scroll is published eight times yearly. Advertising rates provided upon request.
Continued from the front page... Apostol: Well, my parents aren’t gun dealers, so no. One of the problems I had with this novel is with this person who wants to belong. What is it about [Sol] that makes her stray from her upper-class friends? It takes a long time, maybe five years, to write a novel. You have to think a long time about it, go through the characters, and research on the time period. I also had to figure out my connections; what I could put into her psychology that would be interesting. [Sol] is a composite of a lot of people I knew. Ingrassia: So, as you’re leaving at the end of the year, do you have any plans concerning your writing? Are you hoping to write more books? Apostol: Yes, the one I am working on right now is a combination of the modern and the revolutionary. I’m going back to a massacre in 1901, when Filipinos killed 33 Americans, and Americans killed several thousands of Filipinos. I’ve already started writing that, and it is connected to movie-writing and mystery. Kuo: After leaving Deerfield, are you focusing on writing and your next novel? Apostol: It will depend on whether I get a job that’s interesting that I’ll take. I’d love to focus on my novel, which would be fun. I have one question for you guys. Is this a book that is assignable to high school students? Kuo: Yes, in our English class we were reading Beloved, which was a lot about memory, and I think this was similar in that sense. I thought it connected with our class. Apostol: In what way would this plot be relevant to a kid your age? Ingrassia: The coming-ofage theme is what every high school student is going through. No one has really found themselves yet because everyone is trying to find their voice. Apostol: Yes, in fact, I called one of my drafts Catcher in the Rye novel. If you were this teenager trying to find herself in the Philippines, what would you do? You would become a Maoist rebel, instead of walking with drugs on Fifth Avenue. I thought there was something about the coming-ofage that was interesting for me. Kuo: Well, thank you so much for your time! Apostol: Thank you!
More Than Just a Face By ANNA PETTEE Staff Writer We live in a community of over eight hundred people, where it is difficult to know everybody’s name. Over time, it becomes easier to recognize the faces of not just teachers and students, but staff as well. Through her winter exemption, Ashley So ’13 has worked to put names and stories to some faces in the Deerfield crowd. At the beginning of the winter term, So petitioned for a co-curricular exemption to photograph, interview, and write about DA staff members. “I’m compiling a book. I’m interviewing different people on campus—grounds crew, physical plant, dining hall, even the Historic Deerfield tourguides— and getting to know their stories,” So explained. So’s exemption is not simply an outlet to hone her photography
Dear Reader: We are privileged to welcome Ailey II for Monday’s Academy Event and to experience the unbridled expression, emotion, and devotion of the dancers. Rarely do we encounter such intricate, evocative art in our fastpaced and complicated lives. Though some of us are hesitant to attend a required event, I hope that our connection to the performance is as moving as the dancers’ interpretation of the music and cultural themes in each piece. Artistic expression takes courage, and we, the audience, are fortunate to receive the messages of the dancers who so willingly express themselves in daring ways. This broadsheet hopes to recognize the arts on and off campus, as well as to recognize their importance as a unifying force in the community. My thanks to our fearless Arts and Entertainment Editor Miranda McEvoy and Graphics Editor Tatum McInerney. Kristy Hong Editor-in-Chief and reporting skills; it is a way for students and faculty to get to know those who play integral roles in campus life. “I feel that we stress community and how the people here are so important, but I think we are forgetting an important aspect of the community,” she said. “We are so busy. We connect with students, teachers, and people in the dorm, but not as much with those who work ‘for us’,” So said. Though we may say “thank you” to a Dining Hall employee or offer a “good morning” to a grounds crew member, we rarely connect. “I guess I’m just providing that angle that people don’t see everyday. We come from all over the world, and [the staff members] also have their own stories about how they got to Deerfield,” So explained. And every story is different. Hoping to get unique material from each interviewee, So deliberately did not ask preformed questions in her interviews. “Whatever I find out about them, whatever they feel is important, I try to make it into a
AP artwork by Emlyn Van Eps ’12 (top left), Brad Hakes ’12 (top
right), and Lilah Lutes ’14 (bottom). story. This project was definitely more work than I thought it would be,” So said with a smile. So’s hard work has paid off. With the start of the spring term, her project will enter its final stage—printing and distribution.
The Artist: A Silent Success By CHARLOTTE POSEVER Movie Reviewer
Amanda Schroeder Ashley So poses with her camera. Pick up a copy of So’s book in mid-April and renew your appreciation for DA’s unsung heroes.
What if the whole world were black and white? Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you could turn off the clamor of your daily routine? Now you can. The Artist is a silent film released in January 2012, starring French actors Bérénice Bejo and Jean Dujardin. The film won five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Score, Best Director, and Best Costume Design). It was the second silent film to receive such acclaim since the beginning of the awards ceremony in 1929. The film is a refreshing return to the glory and simplicity of old Hollywood. Though a new film, it has all the authenticity of the silent movies popular in the 1920s. The screen is reduced to a square instead of the usual rectangle; the credits are shown at the opening; and, of course, the black-and-white cinematography transports viewers back to the cinema of the Roaring 20s. The story follows an actor’s experience during the transition from silent movies of the early 20th century to the fresh appeal of the “talkies,” which we now refer to just as “movies.” George Valentin (Dujardin) is a silent movie star shunted aside as new talent arises in the form of dancer and actress Peppy Miller (Bejo). Valentin loses his job and attempts to make movies of his own. He fails, however, and wallows in misery while Miller succeeds with the help of her voice, a phenomenon new to cinema goers back then. Romance kindles between the two, and it is a struggle between the old and the new as Valentin comes to terms with the changing of times. A movie about making movies, The Artist has many unexpected surprises and instances of humor that make it enjoyable for all audiences. The film is a wonderful return to the classics of old Hollywood and an amazing contrast to the movies of today.