the
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FUN FACT: BILL CLINTON PLAYS THE TENOR SAXOPHONE. HE’S ACTUALLY NOT HALF BAD AT IT.
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT JOURNAL CHRISTENDOM COLLEGE Veritas Ensis Noster
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rachel Hoover
in this issue...
PHOTOGRAPHER Madeleine Deighan LAYOUT EDITOR Kayla Newcomb
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WEB EDITOR Ashlyn Thomas NEWS & OPINION EDITOR Abby Wilkinson
Alexandra Skuba (‘17)
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Sean Shanahan
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CONSULTANT Austin Leavitt FACULTY ADVISOR Dr. Patrick Keats
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WORK: SUFFERING OR SUSTENANCE? Cecily Lowe (‘16)
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THE SOUL’S BETHANY Anonymous
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: HOW THE MEDIA IS 22 AFTER MASS Luke Williams (‘17) HELPING ISIS John Hebert (‘16)
POETRY & PROSE EDITOR Luke Williams COPY EDITOR Felicity Fedoryka
ALMIGHTY GOD AND HIS HOBBIT MISSIONARY Sarah Greydanus (‘16)
FAITH & REASON EDITOR Amy Marter ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Alexandra Skuba
SECULAR SANTA: SUPPORTING THE TRUTH WITH MYTH
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FEATURE: GO READ A BOOK... WRITTEN IN YOUR LIFETIME
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LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT Kayla Newcomb (‘16)
Kayla Newcomb (‘16)
CONTRIBUTORS Cameron Delafleur, Sarah Greydanus, John Hebert, Cecily Lowe, Kayla Newcomb, Alexandra Skuba, and Luke Williams
Our Mission Statement
The Rambler and its staff are dedicated to training the next generation of Catholic journalists and intellectuals. We prize the liberal arts education received from Christendom College and write about the news, arts, culture, faith, and reason from this perspective. We believe we will play an essential part in a renaissance of new leaders, journalists, and communicators for the 21st century.
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e ditor’ s c orner **Current Editor’s note** These articles were compiled at the end of last semester, so here is a letter from the former editor who put all of this together before going off to Rome. Apologies for some of the Christmas material being a bit late for this time of year. This issue got heald up due to finals and break, but now you have it! Though I will be taking over as Editor-in-Cheif for the remainder of this semester, I thought it would be good to include all of the same material Rachel and last semester’s team had prepared for this shorter issue. I look forward to sharing new material with you all this semester. Enjoy!
Kayla Newcomb Editor in Chief, Spring 2016
Dear readers, All you wanted for Christmas was another Rambler, right? ;) In my final editor’s letter of the semester, I’d like simply to exhort you all to enjoy Christmas. Or rather, wonder at it. Wonder at the fact that you’re alive. Wonder at the fact that God exists. Wonder at the fact that the He became a baby who, like, spat up and stuff. Wonder at the fact that we can wonder. Look at the stars sometime on a really cold night with snow (or frost, or rain, depending where you live) under your feet and wonder why little glittery, burning balls of gas in a dark void make humans wonder so much. Wonder at being, truth, goodness, existence, life. Because somewhere across the world, or maybe right next door, are people whose lives are threatened, who don’t know the truth, who have never heard of God and don’t know why they exist, and we are so, so blessed to have these things. They are gifts we don’t deserve. But, paradoxically, if we deserved them they wouldn’t be gifts. We don’t deserve life, or stars, or divine spit-up, but somehow we have them. Wonder at that, O Christendom students, and give thanks. Rambler readers, it’s been real. I hereby make show of humble contrition for my slowpoke ways in getting these issues out, and I hope you’ll all read (and write for!) the Rambler next semester. Sincerely, Rachel Hoover Editor in Chief
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DARK ROOM “Hagia Sophia” Istanbul, Turkey (Fall, 2015) C am eron Del af le ur (‘ 1 7 )
Number 5 Want to showcase your photography? Send entries to rambler.editor@gmail.com
ar t s & culture
S ECU L A R SA N TA :
S U P P O RT I N G T H E T R U T H W I T H M Y T H ALEXANDRA SKUBA (‘17)
EVERY YEAR AS SEPTEMBER ROLLS INTO October and the Christmas decorations begin to appear in the stores, I find myself shaking my head and joining the chorus of church ladies and conservatives lamenting the secularization of the Christmas holiday. Without the liturgical rhythm and the teleology of the Advent season, Christmas is just a flashy marketing scheme. I get easily disgruntled and try to tune out the Christmas music blaring over the mall’s loudspeakers so the songs actually retain some novelty by December. And every year I question the sanity of a culture that obsesses over an old, fat man in a tasteless red suit. While I still have countless fond childhood memories of Santa Claus and the surprise of Christmas morning, the cynic in me wonders why we have Santa as a part of Christmas. Of course, any Christian children’s library contains some kind of legend about St. Nicholas’ association with Christmas. But doesn’t the Santa gift-giving cult just feed childhood narcissism, enslaving parents to their children’s materialistic wishes? More importantly, doesn’t Santa feel like a little bit of a lie? Is it true that what seemed so magical to me as a child was really just an elaborate deception adults fabricated to prolong my infantile gullibility? Maybe Mrs. Walker from the 1947 Miracle on 34th Street is right: “By filling [children] full of fairy tales they grow up considering life a fantasy instead of reality.” Doesn’t the myth of Santa just prolong ignorance? But something is profoundly wrong with my inner cynic’s attitude about Santa, and here’s why. Any lingering skepticism is a failure to see that the tradition of Santa symbolizes a larger reality. As the figurehead of the secular Christmas season, Santa indicates, as indirect as it might be, the greater reality and mystery of God becoming man. And in a world that has lost much of the concept of God, Santa may be the best indicator by far that there is more meaning to life than the bland reality we normally see.
“JOHN BARRY”
by Gilbert Stuart (1801)
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Regardless of what suit he wears in your culture, Santa Claus is part of a rich tradition that is rooted in wonder. Santa is a benevolent father figure who “knows if you’ve been bad or good,” and even though this doesn’t always inspire virtue in children year-round, as Christmas draws near, children are more aware of the event that’s coming and the reward that could be theirs. Just as liturgically there are seasons for Christians to prepare for a holy day, Santa’s presence in the secular realm at Christmas indicates that there is something to prepare for. Through his unconditional giving on Christmas morning, Santa inspires trust and belief in children. The gifts under the tree or in the stockings are a tangible effect of the love of a person who thinks about you all year and brings you surprises and longed-for gifts on a special day. Children cultivate hope and love in response to Santa’s clear expression of love for them. Santa inspires the magic of childhood that is rooted in the recognition of being loved by someone outside yourself and even outside mom and dad. The pattern of Santa’s gift giving is almost liturgical, an echo of a greater mystery. Santa Claus is a fatherly figure who profoundly knows you and expresses this tangibly. Even within the secular understanding of Santa which no longer directly includes God or the Christ Child, Santa points to deeper layers of meaning about the season. It’s not that your parents lied to you. It’s that your parents were ultimately showing you a deeper truth. As G.K. Chesterton says in the third chapter of The Everlasting Man, “Father Christmas is not an allegory of snow and holly… He is something that gives a new meaning to the white world and the evergreens; so that snow itself seems to be warm rather than cold.” Santa Claus, as our twenty-first century culture knows him, is not an allegory of the spirit of Christmas. Rather, Santa’s presence at Christmas draws attention to the true meaning of the the season: that all good things ultimately come from Someone beyond ordinary life, who somehow enters our ordinary life and knows about all we do, and yet remains mysterious to us.
Norman Rockwell
“Extra Good Boys & Girls” (1939)
The continued tradition of Santa, even with all the secular additions and tweaks, gives extra meaning to a season that is already laden with meaning. As Advent draws to a close, the mystery of the Incarnation and the birth of the God-man in Bethlehem becomes a little more tangible as the liturgical anticipation reflects the anticipation of the world for its Savior. The world is continually re-awaiting the Savior, as children re-await the arrival of St Nick every year. Imagine what the secular Christmas holiday would be without Santa Claus: there wouldn’t be much left. The secular celebration of this holiday still hangs on to the deeper meaning of the season by a thread with its pseudo-liturgical certainty of the presence of this jolly gift-bearer. As the editor of The Sun newspaper responded to Virginia O’Hanlon in 1897 when Virginia questioned the reality of Santa Claus, “The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.” Children never see Santa; that’s a code that Santa never breaks. In the same way, children and adults alike don’t see God as He truly is and, although God was visible on this earth for thirty-three years, those thirty-three years were far before our lifetime. And yet we know Christ’s humanity to be real and we know that He really did come to save the world. The secular tradition of Santa Claus, with all its flashy toys, milk and cookies, naughty and nice lists, and flying reindeer
with light bulb noses, may seem purely superficial. But underneath all of that, the tradition continues to foster the phenomenon of wonder in children. God slipping into our world and becoming a little baby for us, giving Himself to us as a gift, is the most wonderful thing of all, but a man in red who slips into a house to leave gifts is something more immediate, an exercise in wonder, and a hint at a greater mystery. Ultimately, being cynical about the secular celebration of Santa at Christmas helps no one. Some of it is silly and frivolous, but, fundamentally, the myth of this all-knowing, loving, giving man symbolizes a greater truth. The fantasy of Santa Claus points to what is real: that there is Someone who knows the good and evil in all of our hearts, and gives us our gifts in due season. The adults who perpetuate this tradition don’t participate in an elaborate lie but instead participate in the season by ascribing appropriate mystery and meaning to it that otherwise, because of secular society, their children may never be exposed to. Some things about commercial Christmas, particularly the fact that it begins long before I start thinking of a Halloween costume, still leave me grumbling. But I think the new motto I should adopt about Santa is “I still believe.” Because I do--maybe not in the guy in the wig and red suit sitting in the mall, but in a much more wonderful mystery which he signifies.
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ar t s & culture Katie Shannon (‘14), Elise Nodar (‘14), Maribeth Kelly (‘14), and Sarah Greydanus (‘16) with Peruvian children. >
<Meghan Uebel (‘17) and Sarah Greydanus (‘16) on their 2014 mission trip.
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photos/Christendom College (2014)
faith & reas on
ALMIGHTY GOD AND HIS HOBBIT MISSIONARY BY SARAH GREYDANUS (‘16) SINCE SALVATION HISTORY BEGAN, GOD’S WAY with souls - and His sense of humor - have not changed. He has always chosen the most seemingly unfit to accomplish His plan, from Moses, who pleaded that he was too “slow of speech and of tongue” to be God’s messenger (Exodus 4:10), to St. Faustina, who had no money, education or power, but was sent to bring the Divine Mercy message to the world. Most people are never called to do anything so great, but even in less significant cases, God often manifests His power through seemingly unfit instruments. One such case was my spring break mission trip to Cuzco, Peru, during my sophomore year. The Holy Spirit moved in me, despite my many natural aversions to the experience, and used me on the trip to show His love. When my parents first learned that I wanted to go on a mission trip, they were pleased but surprised, and with good reason. Whatever words might be used to describe me, “adventurous” would hardly be high on the list. It might not quite be true that I “never did anything unexpected or had any adventures,” but I might be compared to a hobbit, one of the three-foot-tall country folk who inhabit J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. I like routine, familiar places and people, and a reasonable predictability in life. A year earlier, making the transition from home life to college had been a slow and excruciating process. How could I now elect to trade a visit home for a week in South America? The answer is primarily a small miracle of God’s grace. In the year between my arrival at college and my decision to go to Peru, He had helped me to overcome much of my natural anxiety and be more open to “adventures” for His glory. I chose to go partly because so many others raved about the mission trips being wonderful experiences, but ultimately because it seemed a good way to serve God and I felt that
He wanted it of me. I chose the Cuzco trip partly because I had no desire to go either to a hot climate or to the Bronx, but also because I felt especially drawn to the work: helping nuns care for children in a school and orphanage. Thus I found myself in the company of some of Christendom’s most adventurous extroverts, who may have been as attracted to the unfamiliar, unpredictable experience as to the charitable service. I, however, was far from sharing their undampened enthusiasm. All sorts of doubts continued to plague me: What would this trip be like? How many things could go wrong, all the way in a Third World country? How awkward might it be to try to interact with people who didn’t speak my language, especially children? What if I wasn’t generous enough when the time came? No one could fully set me at ease about these questions. I would like to say that these fears belonged only to anticipation, and melted away as the actual experience began, but I would be lying. My anxieties actually intensified as we arrived in Cuzco and began our week of missionary life. Even before we had begun to do anything, I found my nerves protesting simply because I was in a strange country and culture, where I didn’t know what to expect even from the food or the bathrooms. No one else appeared to feel the same way; after all, nothing about our surroundings so far was especially strange. Everything, however, reminded me of where we were and what we were doing. The Sisters hosting us were entirely sweet and gracious, and had prepared very decent quarters for us, but even this hospitality did not reassure my hobbit psyche. As our work commenced, the stress increased till it reached its peak. After spending the first day in a remote mountain village, some of our group were raving about having had the
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fait h & reason
WHAT MATTERED WAS NOT SO MUCH OUR USEFULNESS AS OUR PROOF OF LOVE. “best day ever” while I had spent most of the day feeling hot and short of breath, due to the altitude, and troubled by the dirt and poverty in which the villagers lived. I felt as if the other girls’ excitement was a judgment on my nervousness. The first visit to the orphanage introduced new difficulties: we had to wear hospital-like plastic gowns, which aroused my fear of germs; I felt foolish not knowing what to do with very little ones; and the sight of severely deformed or retarded children proved to be unnerving. That evening, I kept thinking, “I don’t know if I can do this every day for the next week!” This thought became even more painful when I saw how generously my fellow missionaries were serving, while I, who had come so far to do the same, seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Even then, however, I realized that God was doing with me what He had done with many others: He was working through the least naturally fitted person in order to show the power of His grace. His chosen servants had always been those with the least capacity in the world’s eyes, like St. Joan or the Fatima children. I was, again, like J. R. R. Tolkien’s hobbit heroes, who were small and simple people with no photo/Lisa Foos particular skill or power, but were called to undertake adventures seemingly beyond them and found themselves able to do so. Furthermore, our Lord knew my nervous personality, and did not expect me to embrace this adventure as easily or enthusiastically as some of my companions. He had brought me to the beginnings of this work; He would not refuse me the necessary grace. Indeed, by the week’s end, I was sure that the trip had been more than worthwhile. The days after the first two, while they were not without struggle, anxiety, or frustration, also brought blessing and joy. All the things that had caused my anxiety still remained, but as I, or the Holy Spirit in me, continued with our little tasks anyway, I began to find a special kind of happiness. I had worried about being inadequate, but all those to whom we came - the villagers, the Sisters, the children - were invariably delighted to have us with them, and showed their great appreciation in words and expressions of hospitality. No one seemed to mind that I was not accomplishing much in feeding a disabled child a few bits of rice, or trying with limited success to keep a temperamental toddler happy or out of trouble. As we left, I still felt that I was not very competent and had done next
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to nothing, but I could not be too distressed after seeing the children’s bubbling delight and being hugged by one after another. Gradually, I understood that what mattered was not so much our usefulness as our proof of love. We were often achieving little on the material level; the tasks we did, such as spoon-feeding disabled children or watching toddlers, were generally things that the Sisters could do better than we. Our presence, however, made a difference not because of any particular work, but simply by itself. The children in the Sisters’ care and the people in the mountains lived in such a remote, isolated world, all but unnoticed by the more prominent, prosperous areas of the world. Tourists were, and are, not uncommon in Cuzco, but these visitors come for the spectacle and fascination of the foreign city and culture, perhaps never seeing the orphans or the poor families who cannot care for their children and so entrust them to the Sisters. Peru is not conspicuous for war or tyranny, so its poor people are easily and often overlooked. Our presence, therefore, gave the Sisters and their charges the happiness of knowing that someone cared. They welcomed us with wonderful joy and gratitude, not because we eased their need for bread or money, but because we brought something of much deeper importance: a demonstration of God’s love for them. While I could not claim, as some could, that the week we spent in Peru was the most enjoyable of my life, it was nevertheless one of the most powerful and valuable experiences that I can remember, for which I am immensely grateful to God and to all who made it possible. It proved to me the power of God’s grace to do more in us than we can do naturally. Each person reading these pages, if he has not already been called to do something that goes against his inclinations, will eventually be so called. However, we need not fear where the Holy Spirit might be leading us, because ultimately all that He asks is generous love, however the circumstances may require it. No matter what fears or natural ineptitudes burden us, we can always love; we can always make a gift of ourselves. If we only show sincere love and obedient, confident trust, the grace of God, Whose power is much greater than our weakness, will prosper everything else.
DARK ROOM “Seurat Rose” Graphic Painting (2012)
DARK ROOM faith e & reas on “ORION” Sicily (2014)
Ma delei ne Dei ghan (‘ 1 6 )
K ay l a N ewc om b (‘ 1 6)
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news & opi nions
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE: HOW THE MEDIA IS HELPING ISIS by John Hebert (‘16)
ISIS, ISIL, THE ISLAMIC STATE--WHATEVER you want to call it, this organization has dominated our headlines for over a year now. Hand in hand with that publicity has come the expected level of outcry against the horrendous atrocities that seem to be featured on the front page of every major news organization in the United States. Although this level of coverage has undoubtedly contributed to a greater understanding of the organization, there are a number of reasons why we should be careful of the amount of attention we give to ISIS and groups like it. The first reason has to do with the nature of ISIS as an organization. ISIS is a non-state actor. It wants really, really badly to be a state, and to establish what it sees as the authentic Islamic Caliphate, but it currently lacks the means and the popular legitimacy to do this. To compensate for these defects, ISIS relies primarily on terrorist tactics. By definition such tactics are only effective insofar as they create a widespread environment of fear. To accomplish this requires the ability to reach out to, or perform in front of, a large audience; and the larger the audience the better. The fear-mongering of both mass media and social media plays directly into the hands of these kinds of tactics, as the latest beheading, burning, or torturing is displayed live for the
whole world to see in all its grisly glory, just one click away. The resulting psychosis of fear can be paralyzing to society and prompt overreaction on the part of both the government and the people. Thus the ability to talk up their game is crucial to ISIS’ strategy; their bark is worse than their bite, and it is so by design. One man’s hell is another man’s heaven. Ironically, the
infamy that ISIS has gained through the media is actually boosting their recruiting and prompting them to commit even more heinous acts of violence. Many of ISIS’ recruits come
from disgruntled and disaffected men, and even women, from across society who are unhappy with their lives and seek an outlet, an arena in which they can become the “hero” they’ve always dreamed of being. Unfortunately in a materialistic culture that is heavily focused on the individual this “hero” starts to look remarkably similar to a Nietzschean übermensch. These people place themselves above the laws of man and the conventions of society, and justify the most hedonistic and despicable kinds of actions in the name of a glorious crusade against the infidel. Anything is permissible as long as it furthers the cause, and diabolical actions are encouraged as a sacred purification of the world. Obviously most people do not enjoy torturing or bru-
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n ew s & op inions tally executing innocent people, but enough people are fascinated by the idea that it does matter. After all, this phenomenon is not limited to ISIS or Al-Qaeda. We see instances of such violence on a fairly routine basis from serial killers to school shooters here in the United States. The link is established by motive; the shooter and the serial killer seek the thrill of murder and of torture, and recognition and fame for the actions they perpetrate. ISIS provides both a larger playground and a larger audience. As these atrocities continue to reach larger audiences and grow more horrific in nature people also become understandably angry. Again, while just anger certainly has its place this phenomenon can have a seriously negative effect has well. Especially in a democratic system, mass public opinion can drastically shape foreign policy (take Vietnam for instance). Currently the strategy of the American-led coalition against ISIS relies heavily on regional powers backed by Western Special Forces and air support. These kinds of operations are secret by nature and so are usually not featured in the media. This fact combined with the prevalence of ISIS atrocities can easily create the perception that the West is not taking action, or that what action it is taking is ineffective. The ensuing pressure that is put on democratic governments can lead to hasty or politically motivated policy or strategy decisions that could have potentially devastating consequences such as in Vietnam, Somalia, and Iraq. We see the beginnings of this problem already with the upcoming Presidential elections as many of the Republican candidates have pledged to deploy conventional troops to the Middle East to “crush ISIS once and for all”.
“The smoke screens and mirrors of propaganda have created a specter that is larger than life.”
All this is not to say that one should not keep up with the news or stay informed. It is certainly important to remain informed about what is going on in the world.
^An example of ISIS’ involvement with the media is their online presence on sites such as Twitter, where they post videos and images of their violent attrocities [This image is a combination of the Twitter logo and the ISIS flag]. However, as with all things this can be taken too far, and the constant barrage of images and videos that has been the story of the media’s coverage of ISIS is already playing directly into the hands of our enemies. The smoke screens and mirrors of propaganda have created a specter that is larger than life. The incredible amount of attention that is given to brutal and despicable crimes has served as a homing beacon to the degenerate of societies around the globe, and resulted in a continuing spiral of more and more horrific atrocities. Finally, the impassionate armchair-quarterbacking of the righteously enraged is resulting in policy changes that run the risk of annihilating the strategic gains we have made so far. How do we curb these problems? It’s simple: cut back on the intake; change the channel, turn off the TV, don’t click on the YouTube link. The mass media panders to its audience and if we don’t watch it, they won’t play it. So do the world a favor and don’t get all worked up over the child throwing a temper tantrum in the corner. The more attention he gets, the more he controls you and the louder he’ll scream.
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go read a book...
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written in your lifetime
by Kayl a Newcomb (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16) Number 15
ar t s & culture
“I’M VERY IMPORTANT. I HAVE MANY LEATHER BOUND BOOKS AND MY APARTMENT SMELLS OF RICH MAHOGANY.” RON BURGUNDY THERE IS UNDOUBLTEDLY A GAP THAT EXists between students at Christendom and what is going on in the “outside world”. We sometimes refer to it as “real life”, as if we are living in some sort of suspended dimension or far off place until we graduate. Many of us jokingly refer to this as the “bubble” and are content with our ignorance of things such as politics and the current presidential race (which I don’t necessarily blame you for not wanting to follow. No one needs to see that much of Hilary...or what’s left of Trump’s hair). We tend to observe the state of modern affairs despairingly, and not without our good reasons. However, this distance we place between ourselves and anything outside the “bubble” isn’t a good thing (I think) if you become totally cut off from the present, which includes, to an extent, contemporary American society. As an English major, I am particularly aware of how little many of my peers know of modern literature. Some can probably read Homer in perfect Greek but have never read anything by Maya Angelou or even heard of Sherman Alexis. I know not everyone reads that sort of thing growing up, but I did. Works from the past half-century or so built up the majority of my high school curriculum and personal reading queue prior to attending Christendom. My studies here with all the great books we read (English 202 is my favorite!) helped even out my education and balance the scale between the classical and contemporary literature I consume. In many of our classes we learn of great thinkers and leaders who were familiar with the works of their contemporaries. How many of us could claim that today? While there is a lot that our culture produces that is not worth the paper on which it is printed, there is still a lot of good recent literature on the market if you look for it. Not everything in modernity is as negative as we often assume it to be. Thus, I was inspired to create this list of suggested books taking from what I have read of the literature (mainly
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American) of the past couple of decades in order to encourage you to learn something about the culture in which we live. If this is a subject you know or care little about, that’s fine, though I encourage you to expand your knowledge about books that are being read and published in our lifetime (aside from the mainstream young adult fiction works which are constantly being made into high-grossing films). Let us not get our noses stuck so far in our studies and socializing that we forget the forest for the trees...trees that are still alive as you read this (or skim through it for the pictures) and are being pressed and bound into the latest John Green or Stephen King novel. This is not an excuse to rant about books I really liked, nor did I exclude works by your favorite author out of spite or preferential distaste. There simply isn’t space for everything at this juncture. Also, my suggestions are in no way meant as a replacement for the wonderful classic works we study here (as much as I love Rowling, she certainly is no Dostoyevsky). Rather they are offered as a change of pace for anyone interested in contemporary secular literature.1 I also didn’t include works from a series or from fantasy fiction, since that genre is outside my realm of immediate knowledge. So I apologize if you were hoping to see any of that here. I realized toward the end of writing this article that most of the works on this list fall under the genres of historic fiction or are non-fiction novels. Maybe it is due to my tastes, or perhaps it is because the majority of popular fiction usually falls under one of three following categories, and thus is not listed here: raunchy romance, weakly-written dystopias (don’t shoot me Hunger Games fans...I’m team Peeta), or vapid vampire garbage (give me Bram Stoker or nothing). So with all that in mind and out of the way, happy reading! 1As a disclaimer, just know these are secular works and neither I nor The Rambler claim to support the views expressed in these particular novels or condone any immorality presented. We’re all adults here and should be able to self-censor and filter out the good and the bad when reading secular material.
ar ts & c ult ure 1. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (1990)
“They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity.” Though this is a work of fiction, The Things They Carried is collection of short stories based on the real life experiences of the author as a member of the 23rd Infantry Division of the US Army during the Vietnam War. The style is unique by sometimes blurring the distinction of what truly happen during the war and what O’Brien mingles in as fiction. This is a tough and sobering first-hand look at the war and the real people that were involved and I recommend it for those interested in military history and historic fiction.
2. In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (1994)
“Here in that little room was the same Patria Mercedes, who wouldn’t have hurt a butterfly, shouting, ‘Amen to the revolution.’ And so we were born in the spirit of the vengeful Lord, no longer His lambs.” This is a non-fiction novel about the four Mirabal sisters, real people who became political activists in the 1950s during the time of the Trujillo (“El Jefe”) dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. The book switches from first to third person, different chapters being written about and/or from the point of view of a different sister. It is a great insight into not only South American culture but also the lives and sufferings of common people under a harsh totalitarian government. A film adaptation came out in 2001, though I have yet to see it and can’t comment on its accuracy.
man with a hidden dark past who, after graduating college in 1990, hitchhikes from Georgia to Alaska and dies alone in 1992 from starvation in a bus in the wilderness. Though this may at first sound depressing, it is a intriguing read. Krakauer, with his journalistic background, follows the path that McCandless took across the country, includes excerpts from letters McCandless wrote, stories from people he met on his journey north, and sections from McCandless’ favorite books. I may be bias since I wrote my English thesis on this book, but I highly recommend it. Also, a film version directed by Sean Penn was released in 2007 staring Emile Hersch as McCandless, and is very well done. For fans of the book, I definitely recommend it.
4. The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini (2003) “There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.”
This is a story about family struggles (particularly the relationship of fathers and sons), friendship, sacrifice, betrayal, and redemption set in Afghanistan during a time of chaos, destruction, and violence caused by the Taliban. It follows the story of the unlikely friendship between Amir, who is wealthy, and Hassan, who was the son of Amir’s father’s servant when they were children. As an adult living in California, Amir returns to his homeland to find things and the people he knew different than how he left them. There was a film made in 2007, but I have yet to see that as well. This is just such a good book.
5. The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak (2005) “Even death has a heart.”
3. Into the Wild
by John Krakauer (1996)
“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” This non-fiction novel tells the true story of Chris McCandless, a young
Set in Nazi Germany in 1939, this novel tells the story of a young girl, Liesel Meminger, who is a foster child and becomes intrigued by books though they are being banned and burned at this time. While her foster father (who paints and plays the accordian) teaches her to read, the family is also harboring a Jewish man in the basement. It is a very intesnse, fantastically written book
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ar t s & culture that I cannot begin to say enough good things about. As is the trend these days, the film version came out in 2013 (though the book is of course better).
8. The Help
by Kathryn Stockett (2009) “Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else.”
6. Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean (2006)
“What is left that is heartbreaking? Not death: death is ordinary. What is heartbreaking is the sight of a single gull lifting effortlessly from a street lamp. Its wings unfurl like silk scarves against the mauve sky, and Marina hears the rustle of its feathers. What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.” This is a really facinating read about a woman, Marina, who grew up in Russia and was a tour guide during her youth at the Hermitage Museum in 1941 during the 900 day Siege of Leningrad. As she and the employees remove the art in order to preseve it and prevent it from being stolen, Marina creates an elaborate memory palace to keep the Museum’s treasures preserved at least in her mind. In her old age, Marina lives in America with her husband and family but has dementia and has trouble distinguishing her reality from the painted people and vibrant colors living deep in her memory. The first-person writing style is brilliantly creative as the liquid narrative flows from past to present as Marina tries to piece together her reality.
7. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (2009)
“It reminded him that time was short, but that beautiful endings could still be found at the end of cold, dreary days.” This novel is centered around the childhood friendship and affection between a young Chinese American boy, Henry Lee, and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese American girl. It is set during WWII, which leads Henry and Keiko, the only two Asians in their school, to bond while they are bullied and forced to work “on scholarship” unlike the the white students. When Keiko’s family is taken away, Henry tries his best to find them and keep in touch through lots of letter writing. This novel dives into the overlooked issue of Japanese internement camps in America during the war, shown through the eyes of a young Henry. These events and Keiko herself leave a deep impression on Henry, who, as an adult, cannot forget this part of his past.
Number 18
This story is set in 1960 Jackson, Mississippi and deals with the issue of segregation in the south, particularly in regards to black maids working in white households and raising white children, who grow up to become their employers. The main figures are two maids, Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, and the aspiring journalist and writer, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan. While Skeeter first goes to Aibileen to get tips for the “Miss Myrna” column about cleaning, she is inspired by the racial injustices in her town and among her friends and family to interview Jackson maids. Though this is no easy task to execute, Skeeter wants to publish their stories anonymously in order to expose the terrible situation blacks still have in Mississippi. I definitley recommend the 2011 movie as which is a really funny yet touching portrayal of this beautiful novel.
9. Room
by Emma Donoghue (2010) “When I was a little kid I thought like a little kid, but now I’m five I know everything.”
Told from the point of view of five-year-old-Jack, Room is the heartbreaking and inspirational story of a mother and son that are forced to live in an eleven-by-eleven foot room. Ma, or Joy, has been imprisoned in Room for seven years by her kidnapper, Old Nick, whose visits signal Jack’s retreat behind the protective walls of the wardrobe. Ma struggles to make a life for the two of them inside the small space, creating a positive and nurturing enviornment for Jack, who has never been in the outside world. Ma hopes for a better life for her son and knows she cannot keep up this existence and her sanity forever. This is a phenomenal story full of heartbreaking circumstances, innocence and imagination, the intense bond between Jack and Ma, and above all, hope. The film starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay (2015) is nominated for Best Picture at the 2016 Oscars, and is by far my favorite film of this year. Check it out!
n ew s & op inion
DARK ROOM “Wawel” Krakow, Poland (Fall, 2015)
C am eron Del af le ur (‘ 1 7 ) Number 19
fait h & reason
WORK:
SUFFERING OR SUSTENANCE? BY CECILY LOWE (‘16) MOST OF US COLLEGE STUDENTS, UPON the commencement of our summer break, get jobs. What is the reason for this? In the first place, there are obvious motives, like wanting money to pay for said college education, but could there be less overt reasons for it as well? The summer after my senior year of high school, I did not have a job or any other particular engagement, and, though a long stretch of time with no responsibilities may sound appealing to all of us living the busy academic life, I was anything but happy. I wound up bored and listless for essentially the entire summer. Most significantly, I felt unnecessary, as though I had no need to exist at all. This unfortunate experience led me to understand that there was more to work than merely earning money. At its core, work is an occupation. While this phrase may seem redundant, what I mean is that work is meant to be something that takes up one’s time. Time was given by God to man that he might use it wisely. Work was also a gift from God, having existed in Eden before the fall. Thus, time and work were created and intended as complementary from the very beginning. This, I think, may be part of why I was so miserable: I was not fulfilling my basic purpose as a human. Another fact that points to the same connection between work and humanity is that ordinary animals do not work. As Dr. Cuddeback once explained, St. Thomas said that man was made like God in a way to surpass all other created beings, because he and he alone can choose to follow God’s path for him, some-
Number 20
thing animals do by instinct. Similarly, animals have no intellect with which to understand God’s plan. Thus, since they cannot choose good or evil, nor understand life beyond the rudimentary knowledge of sense perception, they are actually unable to perform work, which is a higher action in its imitation of God, and as such is wholly ordered to men. What else could have caused my feeling of unnecessariness? There is a certain amount of pride to be found in work for its own sake because it gives one a purpose, a raison d’être. This pride is the result when one’s human abilities transition from potentia to act; that is, from a mere feeling in the back of one’s mind that “I could do something,” to reality, or, “I did do this, and that is as it should be.” When man’s life, including his capacity toward industry, is properly ordered, he will benefit, whether consciously or unconsciously, from the proper exercise of his abilities, because God intended the appropriate fruits of everything to be a good. If, on the other hand, man never uses the gifts that God gave him, not only could this (at least potentially) turn into a sin of sloth, but the privation of work in all its varied forms denies both God and others the fruits of his labor, be it just one other person or half the world. Furthermore, gifts of self escalate when willingly given rather than withheld. An example of this could be a donation of food given to a homeless man that allows him to pull himself out of darkness and find a job. Perhaps, in a way more relatable for us, a kind word given to a worn-out friend might give him the morale to
faith & reas on overcome the difficulty of the moment. Even in the secular sphere, there’s a movement known as “Pay it forward,” meaning to give an act of kindness, even if a small one, to another. For (as even the nonreligious understand) if one person gives, even in a small way, to another and keeps the chain going, the sheer number of acts caused illustrates how such goodness keeps on giving, at least in small ways, even after its initial ending. The connection to work is that when performed in earnest it is a gift of self. That’s one reason why volunteering, work without earthly gain, generates a greater spirit of joy in those who choose it--because doing it for its own sake distills this gift of self into its purest form, allowing the giver to give of himself most freely, exponentially increasing his happiness in doing it. From this, one may draw that sloth is an intrinsic selfishness: to our fellow men it is a refusal to give and
to God it is a refusal to obey His command to use our gifts. This brings to mind the question: was I really unnecessary as I presumed myself? I doubt it, but anything, even if it’s not intrinsically sinful, can be used in a potentially evil way, and relaxation is no exception. What I learned in brief: while a certain type of inactivity certainly has its place in the Christian life, namely leisure, choosing idleness as a way of life is never a good idea, because it takes one good too far at the expense of another, that being service through work. Surely all of you, my fellow classmates, know how to appreciate a fun time just as I do, but don’t forget to save a little gratitude for your work, too! You might find that it turns out to be more important than it appears.
Winslow Homer
“The Veteran in a New Field” (1865)
Number 21
po etry & prose
THE SOUL’S BETHANY ANONYMOUS
The perfumed oil is costly, sweet, Untasted by the weary heat; A scent so coveted and rare I wonder if at last I’ll dare To make the sacrifice complete. At table He reclines to eat, To break and share unleavened wheat; I tremble - closer now I bear The perfumed oil. Break, break the jar--blissful defeat! O poorest heart, anoint His feet! As fragrance overwhelms the air, I dry His feet with loosened hair, And Love wells up as I deplete The perfumed oil.
AFTER MASS
LUKE WILLIAMS ('17) “Won’t you bring me a rose, Saint Therese” -“Saint Therese”, Stillwater Hobos The ite missa’s echoes and the hymn to silence having faded, here and there folk exit in thick whispers. Dust motes swim and drown in the vast space of empty air. A man with a white beard and ponytail, pale blue eyes bleeding Irish grief and fire limps down to kneel before the altar rail and drink a brew of prayer mixed with desire. I can feel the side of my face turn bright as though within some quiet beauty’s gaze, but looking sideways I see only light: (one shade, beamed through black bars a thousand ways) so I still sit, and under Heaven’s sight keep writing for a rose from St. Thérèse.
Number 22
poetry & p ros e
LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT KAYLA NEWCOMB ('16)
Twisting, turning, falling apart, listening to the beating hart that runs between tame trees, away from fear and foe it fleas with over-Donne talk of love As clichéd rain is pulled from above my head, I cannot reach the jar so deliciously forbidden by the teacher who cannot teach, to whom truth is null and hidden with bleary Eye sewn shut. The worn wheel is fused to the rut and the mud sinks up to the brim of the bottle empty and dim as acid stomach runs upstairs to feed twin brooks which tear the paintings never dry. Wind’s wakeful sleep under speckled sky keeps company the silence of the seas, and all in vibrant color live and die while under the scorched sun we lye And soap up our iniquities.
thumbs
opinions from the less wordy on campus Thank you to the guys you cleared the dip of snow and ice last week, helping out the ladies on campus by saving their shoes, their shins and their spirits.
Welcome back Romers!
“Les Miserables” is being put on this semester, the first musical for Christendom since “Hello Dolly!” in 2010. Good luck to the cast and crew!
Campus has an official art club! Excuse me homework while I go paint, see you never...
This weather needs to make up its mind. These clouds need some chocolate or something to stop all of this elemental PMS.
The March for Life got cancelled (sort of ).
We are not, nor can ever be, as cool as Harrison Ford. (Maybe this should be a thumbs up?)
Number 23