one rising sophomore looks back at her time on east, page 3
rating the best art spots on east campus, page 6
a look at several must-see art destinations in the Triangle, page 7
Zev van Zanten...................Recess Editor
Jules Kourelakos...........Managing Editor
Anna Rebello.................Managing Editor
Tina Qian.....................................Arts Editor
Kadin Purath..........................Culture Editor
Olivia Prusky..................Social Media Editor
I spent the about four days at my older brother’s college graduation last month, observing and traveling between different ceremonies and celebrations. On the second day, my dad mentioned to my little brother and me that even if you try to, you’re not going to see the vast majority of people you graduated with again, with the possible exception of reunions. This got me thinking about goodbyes, or rather, my fear of them.
I’ve never been particularly good at goodbyes, nor do I like to give them. The idea that this may be the final time (or the last time in a while) that I talk to someone makes me worry unceasingly about using the right words, hitting the right beats
and leaving the person with a good final memory of me.
And no matter how much I try, I can never seem to give a goodbye I feel proud of. This was especially apparent this year as I said goodbye to a large number of graduating friends and acquaintances, including a several Chronicle alumni.
My fear of goodbyes extends to a fear of endings as well. I am always worrying about ending things on a high note, which oft make me nervous and distracted to the point that I often don’t fully enjoy and experience the endings of things.
I know I’m not the only one with this problem either, and college is a time full of goodbyes and endings. In the face of
this, what can do we do to try to give the goodbyes and live the endings that we want to experience without stressing to the point that we can’t enjoy anything?
My advice, while basic, is to think not just of the ending or the goodbye, but also of the process that brought you there. While it is true the experience or friendship may now be over (or at least far reduced in intensity,) you also had countless memories and moments leading up to it. With this knowledge, endings and goodbyes become a matter of reflecting on and acknowledge the past and thinking of how things will grow or approve. It reminds you that your goodbye is just going to be another one of those memories rather than some grand conclusion.
As I’ve moved up in Recess, I’ve found myself befriending and saying goodbye to a ton of wonderful people. I know they’re all off doing wonderful things, but I also know that I’ll likely never again see most of them. Yet the memories remain. As our new Recess Editor, my hope is to use those memories and the work of those who came before me to keep making our department the wonder place it is. And while I and the rest of the department are at it, I’ll know we’ll make even more memories.
- Zev van Zanten, Recess Editor
Duke’s East Campus is polarizing for students. On one hand, the second campus provides a safe haven for anxious first-years learning the quirks of Duke. On the other hand, critics bemoan East’s distance from West Campus, the constant need to use the C1 and Marketplace’s less-than-luxurious cuisine. Personally, I am firmly in the positive camp, an East Campus fan. As the remaining days of my freshmen year dwindled, I often found myself commiserating with my friends about how much we would miss living on East Campus next semester. Inspired by my love for East Campus, and in order to express my gratitude for it, I want to give a tribute to East Campus while also providing a bit of guidance for incoming first-years on how to make the most of your experience on East.
There is no more appropriate way to start praising East Campus than by mentioning the benefits of Ninth Street. West Campus is awesome because it has everything you would ever need as a college student, but it is that way because it is a bubble. It is not easy to get off campus on West, as the campus is larger, extends for longer, and isn’t as close to student-oriented businesses. By contrast, on East, the world outside of Duke is a mere walk away, especially if you live in the Backyard (the cluster of dorms not on the main quad). Whole Foods is
literally across the street for groceries or a quick hot bar meal, while Harris Teeters is not much farther for more dorm necessities. And when it comes to dining, you have Playa Bowls, Jimmy Johns, Cosmic Cantina and more.
Most importantly, there is a Starbucks within walking distance of East Campus, which we do not have on West. Yes, Beyu and Vondy have great coffee, but there is something about a Starbucks drink that’s infinitely better than other fun beverages for studying. Farewell Starbucks and nearby restaurants, I’ll miss you.
In the same vein of dining, we have the star of the show:
Marketplace (a.k.a, MP). I will admit, I am a reformed Marketplace hater. First semester, I felt like I could never find anything I liked to eat and that the whole experience was overwhelming and stressful. Frankly, going to MP in your sweats after a late night, knowing that you will face your peers, can be somewhat daunting for those with even a modicum of social anxiety. I would be so excited to eat my Farmstead lunch at WU, but feel dread when I thought about what I was going to scrounge up for dinner at MP.
However, this all changed during my second semester. I realized that I needed a few go-to’s for when I didn’t like any of the food in the new rotations. These turned out to be a hamburger & fries and grilled chicken over salad. Not only did I have some basic meals that I could always rely on, but I
discovered some rotating meals that I loved. I found myself craving the biweekly Mexican food station at Fusion or the occasional chicken parm at Durham Market.
Moreover, being able to grab three plates of entirely unrelated food is such a benefit of MP. At WU, you get one meal or combo and that is all – no custom side salad or side slice of pizza, unless you pay extra. But at the Marketplace, you can get something from each station, and with unlimited refills.
The most important food recomendation is to have cereal for dessert; my friend and I would go to “cereal” after most dinners to keep spending time together over a sweet treat.
While the food is actually pretty great, the best part of MP is the social aspect. Some of my best memories from freshman year came from spending hours discussing the latest drama or class news over three course meals with my friends. Also, the culture of MP is to join everyone you know, so you can come in with two friends and end up sitting and laughing with a table of eight. The Marketplace experience is entirely different from the WU one, and it is an experience I am devastated to leave behind. First-years, don’t ever make my mistake of being an MP hater.
See LOVE LETTER on Page 5
by Brian Quinby
Another piece of East I will miss is the East Campus loop, the trail that runs along the entire perimeter of East. The loop is about two miles, so a walk (or jog) around it is effective exercise and gives you the perfect amount of time to catch up with a friend. One of the best parts of going to school in the South is the warm, sunny weather. So, I loved taking advantage of time outside, often by walking the loop by
myself or with friends. It really helped my mental health to have a nice activity outside where I could reconnect with nature after hours of doing work inside. While West has the famous Duke Gardens, East is home to the underrated loop. Make sure to take a few walks for me.
The walkable Starbucks may appear to be my favorite part of East, but in reality, I could not appreciate enough — and sometimes took for granted — the first-year community that East fosters. It is truly something special to know that everyone else around you is just as unsure, anxious and willing to
make friends as you are when starting out at Duke. College is already hard enough, I cannot imagine also having to try to spot fellow first-years amongst a sea of upperclassmen in dorms and around campus. Common rooms, Lilly Library and even the bus stop have such welcoming and friendly atmospheres because everyone knows they are all in the same position. My biggest piece of advice in this respect is to spend time in your common room and get to know people in your dorm. I know from experience you can meet really awesome people in your common room that you
might not have met otherwise. The community is easily the best part of East, and I am so excited for you future first-years to have the same experience I did. So, while East may be seen as the less shiny, lower-end counterpart to West, it provides countless benefits to first-years. I hope I was able to give some recommendations for East Campus life to help guide you through the minefield that is freshman year. Don’t take it for granted, and enjoy it all. You have so many things to look forward to.
In this story, I’ll be rating the four major major arts and performance venues on East Campus using four criteria: location, function, architecture and accessibility. Location is everything about where and what the space is, including size and proximity to other sites. Function is about what the spot can be used for and if there are multiple ways to use it. Architecture related to a location’s style, appearance and inner structures and Accessibility is about if a site is easy to get to and use regardless of who you are. I’ll be using a letter-based ranking system to avoid the arbitrariness that can come with number rankings.
Mary Duke Biddle Music Building
Location: A-
Function: A
Architecture: A
Accessibility: A-
One major art spot on East is the Mary Duke Biddle Music Building, which also serves as the home to Duke’s Music Department and much of the Music Department’s facilities. It is named after Mary Duke Biddle (T’1907), daughter of Benjamin N. and Sarah P. Duke, who spent her life funding the arts and cultural community projects in Durham and New York. The Biddle Music Building has housed the Department of Music since its opening in 1974. Today, the Biddle Music Building holds multipurpose practice rooms and studios perfectly suited for various instruments and a Music Library with over 100,000 items. It is also home to a Media Center and the Duke University Musical Instrument Collections (DUMIC), which consists of artwork, photographs, intrusments and other music-related items. Lastly, the Biddle Music Building is home to rehearsal space Bone Hall and a fountain that is the site of regular fountain concerts.
Duke Music hosts a vibrant Chamber Music
Program, coordinated by Caroline Stinson, of close to 20 groups from duets to sextets with strings, winds and piano. Groups are coached by faculty including the Ciompi Quartet, Ieva Jokubaviciute, piano, and Susan Fancher, saxophone, and perform on and off campus in masterclasses, workshops and concerts throughout the semester.
The Chinese Music Ensemble, directed by Jennifer Chang, is open to all members of the University community who are interested in performing traditional Chinese music using both Eastern and Western musical instruments. Musicians of all levels, including those with no prior experience in Chinese music, but with some background in performance, are encouraged to participate. String players and percussionists are particularly needed!
The Duke Chorale, directed by Allan Friedman, is a concert and touring choir of 50 undergraduate and graduate singers. The Chorale sings sacred and secular music from a variety of eras and traditions in concerts throughout the year, including a Family Weekend Concert, Holiday Concert in Duke Chapel, a benefit concert for Durham charity, a spring tour, and a Spring Concert with orchestra. We have fun while making beautiful and meaningful music. Come sing with us!
The Duke Djembe Ensemble, directed by Bradley Simmons, offers students the opportunity to develop skill in the art of West African drumming. The Djembe Ensemble memorizes each rhythm, just as the Mandinque people have for hundreds of years.
Nelson Music Room
Location: A Function: A Architecture: A Accessibility: B+
The Nelson Music Room is located on the second floor of East Duke Building. While not my highest in pure ranking, it is still my favorite music venue on East. The Nelson Music Room, with a capacity of 300, has served as an intimate acoustic recital room sincd the 1930s
Built with white pressed brick and Indiana sandstone, the aesthetics of the Nelson Music Room offers an intimacy between its exquisite design and the listeners. More notably, it exists as a limited space — a space that is limited and compressed often has tension in itself. In this room, we sit and see how music catalyzes the tension in the air through our feelings. This room is a perfect space to integrate and feel – not limited to its floor level or balcony.
Baldwin Auditorium
Location: A
Function: A+
Architecture: A Accessibility: A
Baldwin Auditorium is situated at the end of East Campus’ main quad between Pegram and Basset. Previously known as the Woman’s College Audito-
rium it was later renamed to honor Alice Mary Baldwin, former Dean of the Women’s College.
A Georgian building with Baltimore red pressed brick and Vermont marble, Baldwin Auditorium features two main seating levels and wraparound balconies. Baldwin Auditorium is perfect for performances that require little amplification, such as classical soloists and small jazz ensembles. In addition to holding large performances for student organizations such as Duke Symphony Orchestra, Duke Wind Symphony and Duke Chorale, Baldwin also regularly hosts public concerts for Duke Arts.
Duke Coffeehouse
Location: B+
Function: A
Architecture: A
Accessibility: B+
Duke Coffeehouse is a student-run venue and study space that hosts artistic performances such as musicians, film screenings and live poetry readings. Located in the back of Crowell Building (to access), Coffeehouse also offers free coffee, tea and snacks. Past shows invites include Japanese vocal performer Hatis Noit, the Brickside Music Festival, artist Alice Longyu Gao — making it perfect for lovers of underground and/or indie-music scenes.
The Duke Jazz Ensemble, directed by John Brown with associate director Evan Roberson, has a r ich history of excellence. The ensemble performs at least two concerts each semester with guest artists noted for their high level of artistic achievement. Previous guests have included Chris Pattishall, Jason Marsalis, and Javon Jackson
The Duke New Music Ensemble, [dnme], directed by Andrew Waggoner, fosters an appreciation and understanding of new music through the study and performance of music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will gain a deeper understanding of modern performance practices and techniques as they collaborate with living composers and local professional musicians.
The Duke Opera Theater, directed by David Heid, presents opera scenes and concerts of operatic repertoire. Recent projects include an inventive retelling of The Magic Flute (Mozart), a concert of operetta repertoire with strings, as well as a scenes program featuring operas based on fairy tales.
The Duke Symphony Orchestra is directed by Harry Davidson. Recent seasons have included symphonic works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Mahler, as well as performances by Concerto Competition winners. An annual Labor Day Weekend Pops concert begins the year and a benefit concert in Beaufort, SC takes place each spring.
The Duke Wind Symphony, directed by Verena Mösenbichler-Bryant, performs a wide variety of high level wind ensemble music. Highlights of the 2024-25 season will include concerts in our beautiful Baldwin Auditorium, a collaboration with Opera Theater, and the 50th annual Viennese Ball. Join us and become a part of our vibrant and accomplished musical community.
We all are aware, both personally and colloquially, of the “Duke Bubble.” It is both disappointing and understandable. Duke’s student body is diverse in every way, especially geographically. Only 16% of Duke’s students are from North Carolina — and an even lower percentage are from Durham. It’s difficult to expect 18 to 22-year-olds to take full advantage of a growing metropolitan area when they’re still figuring out themselves and Duke. Yet we should still try. With that in mind, below are some of Durham’s (and the broader Research Triangle’s) best places to experience local and national culture.
Durham Performing Arts Center
Nearing its centennial, the Carolina Theatre is a mainstay of Durham. Hosting everything from movie premieres to live performances and podcasts to comedians to concerts to the obvious showings of classic and current films, the Carolina Theatre offers almost every entertainment opportunity imaginable. Only one mile from East Campus, it’s uniquely accessible, relevant and historic. The Carolina Theatre is one of the last vestiges of a bygone era of independent theaters, alone against a sea of chains like AMC. Go and see a movie at The Carolina Theatre to support a staple of Durham that wouldn’t exist without the city and people like us supporting it.
Cecy’s Gallery and Studio
Many of us will make our way to The Fruit at some point for Greek life-related events, but it has so much more to offer. It’s an intimate venue to experience smaller musicians, art exhibits of former Duke students, or the occasional rave. The Fruit is the perfect, accessible combination of Duke and Durham that we can use as a gateway to everything else at our fingertips in Durham.
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I’m admittedly starting off with a little bit of a basic one, but DPAC is the essential hub of arts in Durham. Located right in downtown, it’s one of the more conspicuous buildings in the city. If a big play or comedian is coming to Durham, they’re going to perform at DPAC. For those who enjoy music that draws an older or sit-down crowd (looking at you, Jason Isbell and Mitski), this is where you’d find them. DPAC also hosts a constantlyrunning program for musicals entitled “Truist Broadway” that hosts musicals like “Hadestown.”
Balancing what is unique to North Carolina culturally and artistically with artifacts and pieces from across the world, the North Carolina Museum of Art offers a wonderful glimpse into what for many Blue Devils’ is their new (and potentially temporary) home state. The museum also features a 164-acre park full of grand sculptures and forests, a bevy of rotating and permanent exhibits and numerous educational opportunities for all ages. Located in Raleigh, it’s a little bit of a hike, but it’s totally worth it when one has a free Saturday.
Cultural anthropologists study human cultures, relationships, technologies, religions, healing practices, art, foodways, and more. Using a social research method called ethnography, anthropologists deepen their study by considering specific political, historical, and economic contexts. Ethnography can reveal local solutions to global challenges: from racism to climate change, and from healthcare access to economic inequality.
Cultural Anthropology students can adopt a broad course of study of many places and communities. Or, they can focus on a particular area of the world or topic.
Either way, the discoveries you make in your Cultural Anthropology training are widely applicable. Our alumni work in human rights, tech, law, medicine, media, nonprofit sectors, and more.
Learn more at culturalanthropology.duke.edu, and sign up for a course from our award-winning professors:
89S.01 Media, Technology and Politics
89S.03 Watching “Lovecraft
Cecy’s is located on Foster Street and offers a small (yet expanding) space for local artists to exhibit and sell their work. Beyond being a market for local artists, Cecy’s also offers itself as a space for events, classes and other communitybuilding functions. The gallery at Cecy’s rotates every three months, ensuring a continually new selection of art and artists. It also is home to permanent fixtures selling jewelry, clothing, skincare supplies and more. Combining both aspects of local business and art, Cecy’s is a wonderful place to stop in and see a little slice of what Durham has to offer.
My last suggestion, although a little broad, is probably the quickest (and cheapest) way to become familiar with Durham and its arts. Durham is home to countless murals all across its downtown. From five murals of Pauli Murray located across Durham to UHILL Walls, Durham expresses itself in countless ways and spaces. On one of Durham’s few clear-skied days, walking the streets of the historic brick wall-laden downtown and checking out some of these murals is the easiest place to make Durham home, rather than just the city where Duke resides and where you live during the school year.
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Meet the Dance Program faculty & students.
Undergraduate Open House & Info Session
August 26, 5:00PM in Rubenstein Arts Center 224
All are welcome! African Dance Technique Class
August 26, 6:15PM in Rubenstein Arts Center 224
I will be the first to admit that I didn’t expect much from “Fallout” (2024). The television series, which premiered on Prime Video on April 10, 2024, faced a daunting task: distilling the titular video game franchise — eleven titles released over the course of twenty-two years — into a brief eight-episode adaptation.
The “Fallout” franchise, which follows the grim aftermath of nuclear war over the course of centuries in a world aesthetically stuck in the 1950s, has a black-comedy, cheesy-retro-futuristic, just-plain-weird tone that’s difficult to replicate. Not to mention the difficulty of balancing the preservation of this tone with the series’ doorstopper-length and the franchise’s often contradictory lore — mess it up, and you risk alienating both casual viewers and the intense fandom the franchise has amassed over the years.
And yet the show left me, and everyone else, surprised. It’s currently sitting at a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten and Walton Goggins’ performances have received a glowing reception from a wide range of critics. Prime Video reports that “Fallout” is one of
its top three titles to date, and Amazon renewed the series for a second season just a week after its release.
The past few years have ushered in an era of successful video game-to-television adaptations. “Fallout” is the latest in a series of hits that have not only proven themselves to be good, but have also broken out of the traditional video game demographic and attracted a wide, casual audience: “The Last of Us,” “Arcane” and “Halo,” to name a few recent examples. Adaptations of “Tomb Raider” and “Devil May Cry” are coming out in the next few months; it seems that every week, some new video game adaptation is announced to be in the works, from “Bioshock” to “Disco Elysium.”
I hadn’t really thought about the trend much until I started making my way through “Fallout,” except with vague concern. Video game TV adaptations are the latest hallmark of our current age of live-action remakes: characterized by the entertainment industry (and streaming in particular) falling back on reliable moneymakers in lieu of creative innovation. “Fallout,” though, gives me hope that these two things are not necessarily mutually exclusive
A video game adaptation, by definition, must be transformative. While
adapting literature or animation to live-action might require a few tweaks here and there due to the inherent differences between the original and new mediums, it’s usually possible to recreate the original work whole-cloth in live-action. In contrast, any video game that offers its player choices (as almost all do) creates story elements that are mutually exclusive: any hopeful live-action adapter must pick one and leave out the other. Which story route do you choose to depict? Which ending, and why? A player can take any number of paths through even the most linear of games (backtracking, choosing where to take their time) — what path should be adapted to the screen?
The “Fallout” video game series is a franchise of mostly open-world titles: massive, diverse worlds packed full of so many sidequests and potential choices that it’d be impossible for any adaptation to portray their stories in full. “Fallout” the television series recognizes this and chooses to chart its own path instead. It follows the basic story beats that punctuate each of the first few “Fallout” games: a “vault-dweller,” someone raised in a nuclear bunker built by Vault-Tec to repopulate the Earth in the aftermath of a nuclear winter, leaving their isolated home and discovering that Earth repopulated itself centuries ago with all sorts of curiosities and horrors. But the story it chooses to tell within this framework is an entirely new one about an entirely new character. And it is only one of several stories following a quirky ensemble cast — who pay homage to factions and creatures from the original “Fallout” franchise while simultaneously being their own distinct thing, unrelated to the plot of any of the games. Even if you’re not one for video games, you’ll probably get a kick out of “Fallout.” I hope it’s a signifier for video game TV adaptations to come.
By Arnav Jindal Staff Writer
Dreamville 2024 returned to Dorothea Dix Park for its 5th edition, delivering a jam-packed and fun music festival over two bright and sunny (albeit chilly) days. Even with the sudden replacement of Chris Brown with 50 Cent less than a week before the festival (on April Fools’ Day no less), the lineup was exciting.
The first day of Dreamville 2024 kicked off with a bang.
My first act was a thrilling performance by Sexyy Red. Embracing her signature persona, Sexyy Red took the stage with a giant “Make America Sexy Again” hat, delivering an incredibly entertaining set. Her smash hits, such as “Looking for the Hoes” and “Rich Baby Daddy,” had the crowd in a frenzy, with the singer’s unapologetic stage presence and dancing delivering a great start.
The energy level was amplified by Lil Yachty, whose set inspired the crowd to
form a mosh-pit at. Performing a ton of his best hits, including “iSpy”, “Poland” and “One Night, Lil Yachty’s amazing stage presence left the audience thoroughly hyped.
The day continued with a mindbending set by JID, whose performance felt like a fever dream, with captivating visuals and psychedelic effects that complemented his raging bangers.
The stage was then set for 50 Cent, who used an amazing backdrop that replicated Queens, New York to transport the audience back to the 2000s club scene. The artist’s impeccable outfit changes and acrobatic backup dancers, accompanied by his iconic tracks like “PIMP,” “In Da Club” and “Candy Shop,” were real crowd pleasers. Despite audio issues that sometimes made it challenging to hear him over the background music, 50 Cent’s comedic flair and the energy of his performance made it a truly memorable experience.
The day’s highlight, however, was the electrifying set by SZA. The singer poured her heart out, performing a diverse selection of her hit songs, including “Control,” “Broken Clocks,” “Blind,” “Shirt,” “I Hate U” and “Good Days.” As a Huge SZA fan, I was blown away by the way she danced and sang all night, never once seeming tired. The stage was visually stunning, with a platform and moving backgrounds that left the audi-
ence in awe. From wrecking balls that descended from the ceiling that SZA swang on to dancing with swords for Kill Bill, it was truly life-changing and my personal Dreamville highlight.
The second day of Dreamville 2024 kicked off with a captivating performance by Bas, whose sweet, Jamaicaninspired Reggae music left the audience feeling like they were at a picnic, enjoying the good weather and vibing to the artist’s impeccable vocals and instrumentals. Standout moments included “My N***a Just Made Bail” and “I’m on My Way to You (Shake for Me),” which had the crowd energized and dancing along to the infectious beats.
The energy level was then cranked up to new heights with Rae Sremmurd, a duo composed of brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi. The duo’s performance of their popular bangers like “Come get her” and “Swang” was accompanied by great visuals, synchronized dance moves and a high-octane stage presence. The artists even crowd-surfed and threw non-dangerous items into the audience. They never stopped, keeping their intense performance going for more than their allocated 30 minutes.
However, the day was not without its challenges, as Rema’s set was ruined by audio issues. Rema walked off-stage af-
ter just a brief performance, citing technical difficulties, and never came back, clearly agitated.
Problems marred the start of Nicki Minaj’s show, with her showing up an hour later than expected, frustrating much of the audience. Despite this setback, Nicki quickly captivated the audience with her high-energy opening and impeccable dance moves, performing signature tracks like “Super Bass” and “Moment 4 Life” while also incorporating a visually stunning, futuristic-themed stage design. Her stage presence was unmatched. Yet, I was left dissapointed that, because of delays, the hour-plus set was only 30 minutes.
The finale was handled by the legendary J. Cole, who delivered a captivating performance featuring a stunning stage design that included a car and performances of hits like “Crocodile Tears” and “Wet Dreamz.” The artist further elevated the experience by welcoming a series of special guests, including Jeremih, 6LACK, Lil Yachty, Central Cee and Lil Durk, who joined him on stage. I loved the “All My Life” duet performed live by Lil Durk and Cole. Cole continued to steal the show though, with an amazing performance of “No Role Modelz” and a fireworks show to cap off another amazing festival.
Dreamville 2024 also went above and beyond outside of the performances, offering a host of freebies and surprises to attendees. From the mental health stress balls provided by Eustress Inc. to the unlimited free water and Patron ironon patches, the festival organizers ensured that the audience was well taken care of.
Among the standout moments of the festival was a charming mini-deli stocked with convenience store snacks and little knick-knacks.
Another fun little set was the Charmin Experience, which had free wipes and a clean toilet. The Charmin mascot bear had some serious dance moves, and I got a photo of me on a giant toilet.
Casa Bacardi also had a fun little set that was very enjoyable with a live DJ and some amazing Miami vibes.
In conclusion, Dreamville 2024 was a resounding success, delivering a captivating and unforgettable musical experience that left me eager for the next installment of this iconic festival. Though I do hope they work on lineup, audience communication and crowd management for the next edition.
3, 2024
The Shire’s sprawling green hills and quaint village scenery slowly fade into the serene sunset. The setting is almost utopian — the world seems at ease, with no sign that trouble is brewing far away in the shadows of Mordor. In this small enclave, largely sheltered from the rest of Middle Earth, we meet our unsuspecting protagonist, Frodo Baggins.
Frodo is what’s known as a Hobbit, part of a group of small beings who live quiet and peaceful lives. Hobbits are mostly isolationists — they are wary of outsiders and prefer to keep to themselves. The Shire, the hometown of the hobbits, lies in a faraway corner of he world largely untouched by others.
The innocence of the Shire does not last for long, however. Early in the storyline, Gandalf tasks Frodo with bringing a mysterious and dangerous ring to the city of Rivendell. Once Frodo and his companions set foot outside the Shire, they’re almost immediately hunted by the Ringwraiths — sinister servants of Sauron who won’t rest until they take the ring — opening their eyes to the menacing world that lurks outside their isolated home. Their world, as we soon see, will never be the same.
The mission to Rivendell is short but dramatic. Although he is stabbed and poisoned along the way, Frodo makes it to Rivendell safely with his friends and successfully passes the ring offx to the Council of Elrond, a group converned by the elf Elfrond to determine the fate of the ring. Frodo’s task is finished — or at least so he thinks.
A few scenes later, Frodo stumbles upon his loyal companion, Sam, pack-
ing his bags, which spurs an important exchange between them. When Frodo asks Sam why he is already packing to go home, Sam responds:
Sam: “... we did what Gandalf wanted, didn’t we? We got the Ring this far, to Rivendell ... and I thought ... seeing as how you’re on the mend, we’d be off soon. Off home.”
Frodo: “You’re right, Sam. We did what we set out to do. The ring will be safe in Rivendell. I am ready to go home.”
Those who are well acquainted with the story know that Frodo and Sam do not return home, instead volunteering them-
See LORD OF THE RINGS on Page14
selves to take the ring to Mordor, to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom.
The ensuing journey is riddled with danger, death, setbacks and eucatastrophes (miraculous victories).
At the end of the trilogy, after Frodo and his friends have overcome great adversity and pain to get the Ring to Mordor, he and Sam have another exchange, similar to their one at Rivendell. Frodo is about to leave his friends for Valinor, a paradisiacal land of bliss and immortality. Few ever come back from Valinor, and thus, Frodo and his friends understand this departure as permanent. Gandalf turns to Frodo as he is boarding the ship for Valinor:
Gandalf: “It is time, Frodo.”
Sam: (alarmed) “What does he mean?”
Frodo: “We set out to save the Shire, Sam, and it has been saved, but not for me.”
In the first exchange, before he embarks on his perilous journey, Frodo says he has completed what he set out to do and is ready to return home. In the second exchange, Frodo claims he has done what he set out to do but is unable to return to the Shire.
Similar vocabulary purposefully links these two passages together and invites the audience to make meaningful connections between them.
Importantly, these two scenes bookend the entire trilogy (what literary critics call an envelope structure, inclusio, or ring composition), thus strengthening the relationship between the passages and alerting the audience that the story has come full circle. In her book, Thinking in Circles: An Essay on Ring Composition (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), Mary Douglas argues that ring composition shows the audience whether the plot’s main mission has been successful and provides the audience with a sense of closure: “By joining up with the beginning, the ending unequivocally signals completion. It is recognizably a fulfillment of the initial promise. Just arriving at the be-
that makes it imossible for Frodo to return home. Frodo can no longer return to the Shire; he must leave his life behind and forge a new beginning in Valinor. Although the plot’s main mission has been successful, something is awry.
The viewer receives hints throughout the trilogy that Frodo’s burden weighs heavily on him and that he will never be the same. At one point, Galadriel, a royal elf who aids Frodo in his journey, says to Elrond: “The strength of the Ringbearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand. The quest will claim his life. You know this. You have foreseen it. It is the risk we all took.”
”In a culture that is obsessed with seeking attention and social media exposure, the Lord of the Rings reminds us that true heroes are those who bear a burden of great consequence for the greater good.”
ginning by the process of inverted ordering is not enough to produce a firm closure. The final section signals its arrival at the end by using some conspicuous key words from the exposition. Verbal repetitions indicate that the first and the last section match in other ways. Most importantly, there also has to be thematic correspondence: the original mission turns out to have been successful, or it has failed” (38).
The viewer is encouraged to ask what has changed between the beginning of the first movie and the end of the third
At the end of The Return of the King, Frodo’s reflection on his journey betrays these same feelings: “How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand. There is no going back. There are some things that time cannot mend, some hurts that go too deep, that have taken hold.”
The trilogy may seem to end like it begins, but nothing could be further from the truth. The journey has changed Frodo, and although the Shire has been saved from the corruption of Sauron, it came at the cost of
Frodo’s innocence. This is the price of being a hero.
Those who save the day are often lauded and memorialized, but the cost is high. As is often the case, the hero sacrifices himself or herself on behalf of those they love. Even if they do not die, their experiences change them forever. There is no going back to the Shire as it once was.
I would like to think that there is something didactic, even theological, about this observation. In a culture that is obsessed with seeking attention and social media exposure, the Lord of the Rings reminds us that true heroes are those who bear a burden of great consequence for the greater good. True heroes do not shrink back from danger and adversity when the world hangs in the balance, even if doing so means the world will never be the same for them.
We live in a society that lauds socalled “influencers” who amass “likes” and “shares” on social media, but Frodo’s story reminds us that heroes often bear deep wounds and suffer privately in their pursuit to create a better world. While modern-day “influencers” desperately chase attention and eschew sacrifice, you will find those who truly make a difference working behind the scenes. True heroes are servants, not celebrities. That seems to be a message we need to recover and hear anew.
Matthew Arakaky is a doctoral candidate in the Graduate Program of Religion at Duke University, where he studies the religion and literature of the Hebrew Bible. He previously studied at the University of Virginia, Princeton Seminary, the University of Chicago and the Johns Hopkins University.
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