I PH OEN IX /
U n iv ersity of T en n e ssee / W inter, 1968 / Vol. 9, No. 2
(c) C opyright, 1968, by The U niversity of T ennessee Publishing A ssociation
The English Department at UT: New Location, Same Merchandise ? T he tw en tieth ce n tu ry is now in its la tte r oneth ird a n d o b se rv e rs of th e a r ts c a n review the p ro d u ctio n of m asterp ie ces a n d n ea r-m asterp ie ces ov er th e p a s t 67 y e a rs with satisfaction. In no o th e r e r a of h isto ry h a s such a q u a n tity a n d v a r ie ty of c re a tiv e work a p p e a re d . And no a re a of m odern a r t h a s pro d u ced m ore id eatio n al an d te c h nical brilliance th a n p o etry , especially in B ritain an d A m erica; beginning with H a rd y a n d H ousm an in E n g lan d a n d M asters an d R obinson in th e U nited S ta te s, p o ets a n d m ovem ents h a v e p ro liferated w ith asto n ish in g rap id ity a n d vigor. The E nglish d e p a rtm e n t a t U T h a s d eep ied this v a s t am o u n t of m a te ria l w orthy of only two q u a rte rs of stu d y on th e u n d e rg ra d u a te level. U ntil ab o u t five y e a rs ago one q u a r te r w as offered, b u t the d e p a rtm e n t a p p a re n tly felt t h a t this would b e in sufficient tim e to cover Y eats, F rost, Eliot, Jeffers, A uden, T hom as, Pound, C um m ings, S andburg, Wil liam s, and Lowell in an y depth; now one q u a rte r of A m erican an d one q u a r te r of B ritish p o etry are a v a ila b le for th e in te re ste d stu d e n t. D uring this
ED ITO R C h arles B ebber Staff Prose: B reh Nichols, B arbee T easley A rt Advisor; Lynn Denton, Owen W eston Copy E ditor: Jo h n Winton
C ontributors rh o m as. Hood, Bryn Nichols, George Courtney, F ra n k Steele, R ichard Kelly, C hris Wade, Ginny E vans, J a n Tenenbaum , Tony Ferrl, B arry Spann, Jo h n Winton, Tom Diam ond, N ancy B urris, C harles B ebber, D ave Lewelyn, Lyn Denton.
allo tted '"ime, the stu d e n t can a tte m p t to su rv ey n o t only the forem entioned m ajo r poets, b u t also th e h o st of only slightly-lesser figures an d th e im p o rta n t m ovem ents such as Im agism , Projectivism , th e F ugitives an d th e Oxford group. By c o n tra st, the n in eteen th -cen tu ry fares som ew hat b e tte r; an en tire q u a rte r is given to th e stu d y of K e a ts an d Shelley alone, an d two m ore q u a rte rs a re d ev o ted to four o th er R om antic p o ets of the sam e period. In addition, th e V ictorians and o th er n in eteen th cen tu ry groups a re covered extensively. T he c h a ra c te ristic s of an e ra a re re v e a le d in its use of lan g u ag e , an d m odem p o etry gives m uch in sight into our own com plex age. The U n iv e rsity owes to its stu d e n ts a m ore com plete know ledge of the p o etry of our century. Why n o t one or tw o q u a rte rs to cover the early R om antics a n d th re e q u a rte rs for Pound, Eliot, Williams, F ro st, Y e ats, a n d A uden? And a t le a st one q u a rte r for th e b e s t co n tem p o rary poets, such as J a m e s Dickey, R ich ard Wilbur, an d William Stafford? —C.C.B.
CONTENTS FICTION The Father/ George Courtney ............. 8 ARTICLES An Interview with Father Minor/ Bren Nichols ..................... 2 Intellectual Sophisticati<^ Thomas Hood ................. 15 GRAPHICS Cover / Chris Wade Portrait of Father Minot/ Tom Diamond .................. 2 Harvest and Flight/ Tony Ferrl ....................... 6 Illustration for "The Father”/ Jan Tenetibaum .............. 7 Untitled / Barry spann . .... 10 Forty-Nine Cenu/ Lynn D enton................... 11 Specialist First Class Private F ^ s / Barry Spann ................... 12 Resurrection/ Jan Tenenbaum.............. 13 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ..18
An Interview With Father Minor BY B R E N N I C H O L S
E d ito rs N ote: F a th e r Minor, chap lain a t Tyson House, h a s 'influenced m an y UT stu d e n ts through his belief th a t the ch u rch should not unduly lim it itself, b u t should d eal with all a re a s a t th e cu r re n t scene. The following interview explores s e v eral a sp e c ts of c o n tem p o rary college m ores. PHOENIX: Since you h av e p ro b ab ly h ad m an y e x p e r iences of helping th o se s tu d en ts who w ere " in tro u b le,” w h at do you think of th e u se of c o n tra cep tiv es on cam pus? FA T H ER MINOR: T he use of co n tra cep tiv es on cam pus is a wise th in g for an y one who is to g e t involved in sex u al in terco u rse. 1 think it is b e tte r for a girl, for in stan ce, to be on th e pill if she knows sh e ’s going to be involved in sex u al in terc o u rse with m en th a n it is to g e t p re g n a n t. This is a p ra c tic a l m a tte r. I t’s not a t all th a t 1 p erso n ally would en co u rag e pre-m arital in terco u rse, 1 don’t— b u t t h a t’s not the p o in th e re . 'The p o in t is th a t, in my opinion, it is b e tte r to use co n tracep tiv es th a n to g e t p re g n an t. I’ve see n too m any p reg n an cies come out of th e college situ atio n and feel th is v e ry strongly. PH O EN IX : Do you think the church should try „o p re v e n t sex u al in terc o u rse before m arria g e, or do you th in k the church should leav e this d e cision up to th e individual? FA TH ER MINOR: If th e church trie s to p rev en t sexual in terc o u rse before m arria g e, it’s fighting a losing b attle, and 1 th in k we see th is v ery c le a r ly. A t the sam e tim e, 1 think th e b asic principle of sex u al fidelity of one p a rtn e r in th e sex life and q u est a fte r m a rria g e an d p e rh a p s sex u al in terco u rse with only one p erso n a re th e tim e-honored e x p e r iences which h av e g re a t v alue to them . The church has n ev e r b een able to p re v e n t sexual in terco u rse
before m a rria g e or ou tsid e m arria g e, a n d for it to im agine th a t it could p re v e n t it o r to em b ark upon a p ro g ra m to do so, I think would be u n real. I think th e ch u rch ’s responsibility is to help ed u cate people in such a way ab o u t th e ir sex u a lity th a t they can tr e a t it with responsibility and in teg rity th a t w h a te v er h a p p e n s in term s of th eir sex u ality — an d now 1 h av e to sa y som ethink strictly within th e p re view a n d life of th e church— they can tr e a t this as an act of worship to God b ecau se this is w here m a n ’s life in its h ig h e st joy is ro o ted and grounded. I d o n ’t know much m ore I can say ab o u t th a t ex c ep t th a t I do think th e church ough t to em b ark on p rogram s of sex u a l ed u cation which a re far beyond an y th in g w e’ve ev er envis ioned before. G n d erstan d ing ab o u t sex is a b asic contribution to th e u n d e r stan d in g about o n e’s self an d about th e people he d eals with. This is why we need a lot m ore inform a tion, an d th e society itself does not seem to w a n t to sponsor it, though it is b e ginning in th e public schools. Still, th e free an d open discussions in th e a re n a of th e church a re pos sible beyond alm o st any o th e r in stitu tio n in society, and 1 would be all for an in creasing o p en n ess in this m a tte r reg ard in g th e church. And th e church pastorally m u st deal with people—I believe not in con dem ning them b u t in providing guidelines w here possible b ecau se we a re convinced ab o u t c e rta in things of the h ea lth of hu m an life. But above all to see people w here th e y a re and to help them grow from th e ex periences th a t th e y ’ve h ad —w h a te v er kind of sexual ex periences o r any o th er kinds of experiences. As you see, 1 can probably g e t on a soap box ab o u t this. PH OENIX: Do you th in k a perso n trie s to gain p erso n al identity th ro u g h sex? FA TH ER M INOR: Of co u rse he is. The m o st im-
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p o rta n t se a rc h in life, I think, is for p erso n al id en t ity. And the sea rch for th is begins in e a rn e s t ab o u t th e ag e of fifteen. F rom t h a t point on, it seem s like our life is one continuing a tte m p t a t identifying o u r selves with o th er people, an d knowing ou rselv es in a n u m b er of different w ays. And one of th o se w ays is sex b e c a u se sex h a s such trem en d o u s en erg y and dem an d from our life. As I say, it is one of the w ays; a n d one of the m istak es, I think, is th a t fre q u en tly a young p erso n considers th is as the p ri m ary or prin cipal w ay. I t ’s only one of th e w ays, an im p o rta n t way. A p e rso n ’s sex id e n tity is the b asis of h is p erso n al id en tity —if I u n d e rsta n d psy chologists correctly. The sex id en tity does n o t nec essarily m ean h av in g com plete sex u al experience. I t do es m ean a significant relationship with th o se of th e o p posite sex, th a t is, significant enough for a p erso n to live a life t h a t is creativ e a n d p ro d u ct ive for him in m an y o th e r w ays. T h e re ’s a v ery stro n g sence in which a p e rso n ’s m anhood, a s well as a g irl’s w om anhood, is estab lish ed th ro u g h study a n d th ro u g h developing th e m ind a n d through d e veloping m an y abilities. Fem inity a n d m asculinity a re also identified and developed outside ac tu a l sex u al em otion or experience. So th e re a re a n u m b er of different w ays a p erso n identifies him self to him self and to o th ers.. One of th o se is in th e tre a tm e n t of th e trem endous d riv es of sex t h a t a re so powerful, especially in th e u su al college a g e person. E ven w hen I sa y th e college " a g e ” , it is no t all inclusive; this m eans p erso n s betw een 16 a n d 30 no m a tte r w h a t s ta tu s . F rom w h a t I g a th e r, th e re is m uch m ore sexual ac tiv ity am ong th o s e th a t a r e outside of college during th is ag e th a n th e re are for th o se w ithin college. So actu ally , to sa y within college or the u n iv ersity scene is erroneous. T here seem s to be less sex u a l ac tiv ity in th e u n iv ersity scene th a n th e re is o u tsid e it for those sam e ag e groups PH O EN IX : You h a v e u sed th e term s sex an d sex u a l ex p erien ces q u ite frequently. W hat do you m ean by them ? FA T H E R MINOR: W hen I use the w ords sex or se x u a l ex p erien ces, I don’t m ean n ec essarily sex u al interco u rse. B ecau se sexual ex periences begin when a p erso n is in his m o th er’s arm s being nursed. S exual ex p erien ces begin for th e perso n a t th e age of 11 or 12 or 13 when n e see s som ebody th a t m ak es him blush b e c a u se he is a ttra c te d to him o r holds h is hand. You re m e m b er the co urage p ro b ab ly th a t you h a d to m u ste r up to kiss the first boy you ev e r did a t th e ag e of 12 or 13 or e a r lier. O r th e e m b a rra ss m e n t with which you p ro b ab ly faced th e fact t h a t you w ere involved in spin-the-bottle g am es o r " p o s t office” w hen the p a re n ts finally found it out. This kind of thing is all sex u al, highly sex u al. I t is th e in v estig atio n th a t b eg in s a t a n ea rly tim e. T he in v estig atio n goes on and d o esn ’t stop. When I say sex u al ex p er iences, I m ean e v e ry level of sex u al experiences th a t th e p erso n goes through. And I don’t believe it’s n e c e ssa ry to h a v e sex u al in terc o u rse in o rd e r to h a v e a m a tu re u n d e rsta n d in g of sex. PH O EN IX ; As to a m a tu re u n d e rsta n d in g of sex, w h at do you th in k of p o rn o g rap h y ? Should it be censored?
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FA TH ER MINOR: Well, in a re c e n t P layboy m ag a zine th e re w as an interview with D istrict A tto rn ey G arriso n of N ew O rleans. O ne of th e re p o rts w as th a t h e m ad e a co u rt w itn ess for a strip te a s e r an d g o t h e r le t off b ec au se h is d ec la ratio n w as: it is im possible—no t difficult b u t im possible—to tell the difference betw een a r t a n d p o rn o g rap h y in th e lite ra ry a n d th e perform ing a rts . W here do yo u draw th e line? It ce rtain ly can n o t b e in te rm s of d esc rip t ion. B ecau se in lite ra tu re you h av e highly lite ra ry an d beautiful d escrip tio n s w ith g re a t and a d m ir able ability to u se th e la n g u ag e in such th in g s as F an n y Hill a n d L ad y C h a tte rly ’s L over which a re books of lite ra ry m e rit of th e first kind. A nd so th o se two books in p a rtic u la r I would h a rd ly con sid er pornographic. T hey a re m uch m ore thorough in th e ir d escrip tio n s ab o u t sex a n d sex u a l in te r course th a n m o st of th e circu lated " p o rn o g ra p h y ” th a t we h av e to d ay . I t should be c le a r th a t p o rn o g ra p h y basically ap p e als to fa n ta sy m ore th a n it does to a n y th in g else. It le a v e s enough u n said to le t a p e rs o n ’s m ind go wild with it. E ven P lay b o y h a s done us a service, I think, in m akin g th e nu d e fem ale body such a com m odity th a t th e re ’s no longer a re a l hig h d eg ree of p erso n al in te re s t in looking a t th e fem ale nude body as po rn o g rap h y . I t is s o rt of com m on now. I ’m ju s t sp e a k in g of publications, etc. I t h a s m ad e th e o th e r so-called " m a le ” m ag azin es pallid b e c a u se of th e c e rta in kind of d ignity a n d a rtis try in its tre a tm e n t of the fem ale body an d w ith a c e rta in kind of accom p lish m en t in p re se n tin g sex in such o p en n ess th a t th e se o th ers a re cru d e in com parison. I would m uch ra th e r re a d P layboy th a n I would S ta g or som e of th e se o th e r " m a le ” m agazines w hose tre a tm e n t of sex to m e a re sim ply disgusting. A t le a s t P la y boy is done w ith som e ta s te . W here is p o rn o g rap h y ? I don’t know. In d esc rip t ive lite ra tu re an d o th er lite ra tu re it’s im possible, as G arriso n said, to identify it. So I c a n ’t s a y th a t I ’m for censoring an y th in g t h a t we c a n ’t identify. I t ’s u su ally in th e m inds of m en. I do th in k th a t we n eed enough inform ation going a b o u t m en tal h e a lth to le t a person know t h a t when h e ’s ob sesse d w ith sex u a l m a tte rs a n d o b sessed w ith sex u a l curiosity p re tty thoroughly th a t h e m ig h t n eed som e re a l serious help. PH O EN IX : W hat a re your opinions of sex as an in stru m e n t in a d v e rtisin g ? F A T H E R M INOR: A a v ertisin g ap p e als to th e fan ta s y a n d it ap p e als to th e sexual. Most ev ery th in g is sold w ith " s e x ” now adays, ex c ep t p e rh a p s civil en gineering books. B ut p e rh a p s th ey will be a d v e r tised th u sly before too long. Autom obiles, clothes, wines, d e o d e ra n ts, to o th p aste, alm ost an y th in g you w an t to n am e is sold by m ean s of the sexual ap p eal. T he sex u al appeal is essen tially to th e fante s y y e t holds o u t a prom ise o r a hope for som e thing—a n experience, a titilatio n of som e kind th a t n e v e r reedly com es off. R eg ard le ss of w h a t kind of to o th p a ste you use, your sex ap p e al com es from a different source en tirely , n o t th e to o th p a ste . R e g a rd le ss of w h a t ca r you drive, you h a v e sex ap p e al w h e th e r you’re w alking o r y o u ’re driving—if you h a v e it. Regsurdle ss of w h at kind of wines you d rin k th e re ’s not one t h a t ca n provide a q u ie t a n d p leasu rab le e y e n i n g b e tte r th a n a n o t h e r . A nd W hat
about clothes? H IS clothes a re no b e tte r th a n an y other for m aking a p erson sexually a ttra c tiv e . The sexual attra c tio n of a perso n is b a s e d on o th e r things entirely. B ut we all w an t it. This is why everything can be sold by it. I t ’s holding o u t a hope th a t cannot be fulfilled b u t which we all respond to. If the public only th in k s th a t—o r swallows one hook long enough to buy th e " se x -a p p e a l” to o th p a ste or w hatever, th e b u sin ess will m ak e m illions of bucks. I don’t b lam e them . I th in k th a t if I w ere in advertising, I ’d do th e sam e if m y object w as to m ake money. PHOENIX: Do you think stu d e n ts a t UT a re b re a k ing aw ay from old m oralities in re la tio n to sex? FATHER MINOR: S ure I think th e y ’re b re a k in g away from old m oralities. Y oung people b re a k aw ay from them no m a tte r w here th e y a re o r w hen th ey live. T hey alw ays b re a k aw ay from th e old m oral ities and find th in g s for th em selv es. This is a ch a r acteristic of yoim g people and esp ecially of college people above all o th e rs p e rh a p s. Sure. T h a t’s noth ing new. I th in k th e new th in g in th e scen e is th e freedom with w hich sex is d iscu ssed openly an d without re se rv a tio n am ong m an y people of m ixed com pany. This is good I think. I think i t ’s good b e cause first of all it g ets u s m uch m ore into th e id ea th a t sex is a p ro p e r function of m a n ’s life or the proper c h a ra c te risitic of m an a n d is no t som ething we need to be a sh a m e d about b u t is som ething we need to try to u n d e rsta n d . The old P u rita n m orality was the one th a t s a id e sse n tia lly th a t sex is evil and sham eful a n d th a t it is n a u g h ty an d th a t people should not ta lk ab o u t it b ec au se it’s not polite con v ersatio n o r sh ould no t b e ta lk e d ab o u t betw een boys a n d girls anyw ay, re g a rd le s s of w h a t the situation is. T h at d ay h ap p ily is com ing to a n end. One problem in th e P u rita n epic is th a t th e church m ethods of teac h in g got tu rn e d up sid e down. One of the th in g s ab o u t P u ritan ism w as th e stro n g indi vidual life. T h en o v er a perio d of tim e, th e indi v id u al’s in te g rity before God stood as th a t which nobody could touch an d nobody else could ju d g e or m ake an y serio u s com m ent ab o u t. W ithout God in th e pictu re, which is w here th e co n tem p o rary college stu d e n t b asica lly lives (w ithout God as th e point of referen ce), we still h a v e th e g re a t sense of th e in teg rity of th e individual. This s e p a ra te s him from a sen se of com m unity an d fam ily from which he can also receiv e g r e a t v alu es and deep v alu es hav in g to do with h is sex u a lity a n d his responsibility as a m em b er of th e com m unity o r of th e family. This is th e g re a t crisis th a t th e cu ltu re m ight be going th ro u g h to d ay , th e crisis of the individual—th e w orth and p lace of th e " in d iv id u a l.” I th in k th is is the confusion. P erso n a l id e n tity which h a s to do with th e self is s e p a ra te d from w h at we m ight call a sen se of " co m m u n ity .” I d o n ’t th in k m an ca n live individually, in this sen se of it, a n d k eep his sanity. W henever he trie s to live individually, ju s t by him self, m ak in g his own decisions a b o u t him self or m ak in g his own. decisions ab o u t som ebody else, which freq u en tly h a p p e n s in sex u al m a tte rs , th en it h a s a v ery , v e ry short-lived p o te n tia l o r v alu e to it. B u t hap p ily P u rita n things a re fa s t fading out, as could b e shown by sim ply th e perform ance of th e
re sto ra tio n p la y L ove for Love h e re a t th e u n iv er sity a few w eeks ago. I h a d forgotten how th o r oughly baw dy the re s to ra tio n p lay s were. The su b je c t of sex w as h an d led w ith g re a t dignity a n d g re a t honor an d g re a t hum or. Indeed, it w as a v e ry p le a s a n t evening a t th e th e a te r even though it was thoroughly baw dy th e whole tim e, which is v ery m uch different from w h at we could do to d ay in our situ atio n of th e th e a te r. In th o se d ay s th e assu m p tion ab o u t life w as th a t sex u ality itself w as a fit su b ject of discussion, a p ro p e r u n d e rsta n d in g of th e en erg y of m a n which could b e tre a te d lite r ally in th e d ra m a w ith g re a t h e a lth a n d hum or as an ything else could b e. And b e c a u se m o st people w ere in te re ste d in baw dy th in g s anyw ay. T hey did it v e ry frequently. T h e re ’s a c e rta in kind of h e a lth ab o u t th a t kind of situ a tio n which is m uch b e tte r th a n the dism al P u rita n tim es ou t of which we a re now coming. PH O EN IX : As a chaplain a n d sp eak in g for o th er chaplains on cam pus, how do you tr e a t th e topic of sex in relatio n to college stu d e n ts w ithin th e lives of y o u r ce n te rs? FA TH ER MINOR: I don’t know w h at ex actly is going on in th e o th e r c e n te rs or, m o re p ro perly, in th e lives of th e o th e r chaplains in this m a tte r. I am confident t h a t sex is a lively topic of co n v er sation w h e rev er college stu d e n ts a re . And in th e ce n te rs of th e ch u rch es th is is no less the situ atio n . I th in k the c e n te rs a re going about th e problem of sex education in a n u m b er of different w ays. F irst of all, i t ’s m y im pression th a t co n v ersatio n s ab o u t sex in th e c e n te rs a re not frowned upon n o r discouraged. From tim e to tim e, m ost of th e ce n te rs h a v e som e s o rt of p ro g ram m e d open discussion groups on sex. And, of course, th e chaplains are in volved in continual p erso n al counseling w ith people who com e in with perplexing problem s, in which sex play s a g re a t p a rt. I t w as w ith g re a t relief t h a t I discov ered th a t o th e r ch ap lain s, alm o st all of th e o th e r ones on th is cam pus, h a v e g o tte n p a s t the point of b ein g su r p rised or u p se t o v er in sta n c e s of p re -m arital in ter course. This is ju s t som ething th a t is no lo n g er a shock, no longer an y th in g th a t g e ts a se v e re and ju d g em en tal re actio n from an y of us. No m a tte r w hat we p erso n ally feel, 1 think we a re m uch m ore cap ab le now of d ealin g w ith sex u al realities th a n we p e rh a p s w ere te n y e a rs ago; or even five y e a rs ago. We a re m ore re la x e d ab o u t th e situ atio n . Also, alm o st all of us a re involved in som e w ay o r an o th e r in o th e r dim ensions of sex education. In alm ost all of th e c e n te rs th e re a re , in som e design or another,pre-m arited education courses. The chaplains a re now sponsoring p re -m arital education an d are serv in g as staff for the stu d e n t counseling serv ices in this m a tte r. I p erso n ally h a v e b een involved for two y e a rs in sex edu catio n classes in th e g irl’s dorm itories th a t h a v e b een v e ry in te re stin g an d v ery w orthw hile we all felt. In one situ atio n boys w ere on h a n d to p a rtic ip a te in the co n v ersatio n s in a ra th e r profoim d way. This opening of th e con v e rsa tio n a l ability, th e opening of the com m unica tion we all felt w as a v e ry h e a lth y th in g betw een m en an d wom en. I feel th a t this is basically good a n d helpful.
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THE BREAK She h e a rd a song she loved To h ea r. Static, m ovem ents of city life, Fam ily fusses outside h e r Door—all d isap p eared . The song took h e r aw ay. Aw ay to so m ething wonderful S om ething perfect an d untouched By th e life she knew. I t en d ed too soon, so she P lay ed it a g a in an d again. I t’s h e r hope, h e r tom orrow . She left it m o m entarily To do some n ag g in g chore. She re tu rn e d . H e r song lay B roken, in sm all pieces, upon The floor. The song sw im m ed dream ily, H au n tin g ly th ro u g h h er H ead. D ay afte r d a y after Day. I t ’s h e r hope, h e r Tom orrow . A record. How h e r m o th er laughed. —B R E N N ICHO LS
VILLANELLE Q uiet a r e th e loud a n d joyful songs w e’v e su n g B e n e a th the failing sun and falling snow; B ut it w as w in ter then, and we w ere young. D ead a r e the h ap p y choruses we flung T hrough night until th e m orning w atch m an ’s crow— Q uiet a re th e loud an d joyful songs w e’ve sung. We did not ca re our n ak ed bodies stu n g B en ea th a frigid w ind’s resistless blow. B ut it w as w inter then, and we w ere young.
BETWEEN TWO TREES I could swing and touch The sky If I w an ted to. A n e a re r ob ject was A limb And so I m e t its challenge. I sw ung v e ry high an d v ery low And fear L eft me for som e o th e r quick-prey. The world was far b eyond m e T hen quickly I t w as v ery n ea r. I alm ost W anted to jum p out an d fly. P e rh a p s I woxild’ve B ut t h a t w as before th e sy n th etic brav ad o . Before my legs could touch th e G round an d feel T he d am p n ess th a t w aited upon m y R etu rn . How th e tre e s stood above me. So h igh m y child’s h ea d H ad to s tra in a n d go back w ard To co n tain so much lim b emd leaf. B etw een two tre e s I stood th e v icto r of the two With th e swing as m y sword. O ut of life I sw ung B ut all ju s t b etw een tw o tre e s A nd me. —B R EN N IC H O LS
T hen songs a n d sto ries le a p t from e v e ry tongue B ut in this autum n, now the h e a t grows low: Q uiet a r e th e loud a n d joyful songs w e’v e sung. We s a t a b o u t som e la n te rn which we slung A nd san g , laughed, w atched the fires b u rn in g slow.. . B ut it w as w inter then, and we w ere young. We c a n ’t recall the ta le s we u sed to know. Now, if we sing a t all, our voice is low; Q u iet a re th e loud an d joyful songs w e’v e sung. .. B ut it w as w in ter then, an d we w ere yovmg. - J O H N W INTON
Through a Glass in January T he ra d ia to r h e a t R ising up th e window C urls all th e scene beyond. The b a r e tre e s go El Greco on a sky T h a t sw arm s w ith blue A g a in st itself, circling Like th e p itte d lake, w h ere cold fish a re R ising for a view Of sk y a n d tre e s an d g ra ss. Or is it h u n g e r m ak es th em rise? I, too, h a v e a kind of h u n g e r In th is seaso n w here nothing m oves. And feed to a stra n g e s a tie ty W hen th e ochre g ra s s, cro p p ed by cold. T hrough curling h e a t w aves seem s to be Growing, growing, growing. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;FRA N K STEELE
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©Iff 3fatlffr By George C ourtney
The sun com ing down th ro u g h th e tre e s was soft and w arm . B ut th e tre e s only circled the p a rk and in th e ce n te r w here th e re w as no sh ad e th e sun was v ery hot. A stucco concession s ta n d stood in th e m iddle of the p a r k gleam ing white in th e sun. T here w as a ta b le on th e left side of th e s ta n d w here people w ent to e a t. The fa th e r a n d th e little girl s a t a t this table. He w as divorced a n d to d ay w as th e second tim e in five y e a rs t h a t he h a d seen his d au g h ter. "B u y me so m eth in g to d rin k ,” th e little girl said. She p u t h e r sm all, le a th e r pocketbook up on the bench. " I t is h o t,” h e r fa th e r answ ered. "C o-C ola?” The m a n w alked o v e r to th e concession stan d win dow. A w aitress with strin g y h a ir a n d grim y, w hite xmiform s ta re d a t him . "Two c o k e s , p le a s e .” " L a rg e o rsm a l? ” "U n h ? Oh. L a rg e .” T he m an c a rrie d th e cokes b ack to th e bench and g av e one to his d a u g h te r. " T h e re ,” h e said. "N ow you a re n ’t going to play a n y m ore trick s on m e, a re you?” The girl m ad e a m oue. " I ’ll tell m y m om m y on you if you sp an k m e.” " I ’m n o t going to sp a n k y o u ,” h e said gently. " I th in k te n y e a r old girls a r e too big to be sp an k ed . B ut you shouldn’t h av e to ld those people th a t I w a sn ’t y o u r fa th e r.” The little girl re a c h e d up on the ta b le an d tipped h er fa th e r’s coke over. H e re a c te d quickly, b u t not quickly enough. As he b ru sh e d th e ice off of his lap , his d a u g h te r ra n to th e o th e r side of th e tab le The m a n stood up, w anting to sh o u t som ething a t her, b u t he ju s t s ta re d m utely for a m om ent. " I ’ll ru n aw ay, th e little g in th re a te n e d . "W hy? Why did you spill my coke?” "Y ou a c t funny.” S h e’s a s tra n g e r, th e m a n th ought. My own d a u g h te r is a to ta l stra n g e r. And a spoiled b ra t to boot. H e looked a t his watch. " I t ’s tim e to go b ac k to the c a r,” h e said. The little girl did n o t m ove. " I said i t ’s tim e to go. Do you h e a r m e?” " I ’ll tell my m om m y on you. She loves m e.” " I love you too.” The d a u g h te r s ta re d blankly. H e r e y e s large. She d o esn ’t u n d e rsta n d , he th ought. I t ’s ju s t im possible to m ak e h e r u n d e rs ta n d th a t I love her. " I t ’s tim e to go now. B ack to y o u r m other. You w ant to see your m o th e r don’t you?” The little girl m oved cautiously aro u n d th e tab le. H er fa th e r p icked up the sm all, le a th e r pocketbook a n d h a n d e d it to her. He took h e r h a n d as th ey walKed b ack to th e drive. She b eg an to skip beside him , tu g g in g a t his arm . " I do like one th in g ab o u t you,” sh e said. "You
don’t pull m y p ig tails. m y p ig ta ils.”
T h e boys a t school all pull
When th e y got b ack to th e drive h e r fa th e r looked for the c a r b u t it h a d n ’t a rriv e d yet. H e b e n t down b esid e his d au g h ter. " I like y o u ,” he said. " I w ant you to like m e.” " I don’t like y o u ,” his d a u g h te r said, h e r low er lip pouting. "W hy don’t vou like m e?” "M y m om m y rnid m e you w ere a b a s ta r d .” S uddenly h e r la tn e r oegan laughin g . H e p u t his face in his h an d s a n d laughed. W hen he h a d sto p p ed laughing, he ask e d his d a u g h te r, "W h at’s a b a s ta r d ? ” H is d a u g h te r looked puzzled for a m om ent. She sw ung h e r pocketbook b ack a n d forth. "W h at’s a b a s ta r d ? ” he ask e d again. " I t ’s a b a a m a n .” A c a r h o rn blew a n d th e fa th e r saw a y o ung w om in driving up. H e w aved a t her. When sh e drew along side him , h e sm iled, feeling a w arm th inside. The wom an lean e d h e r h e a d o u t th e car window. " R e a d y to go?” th e woman asked. " I ’v e go t tr go to a lad ies room ,” th e little girl said. The fa th e r looked a t his d a u g h te r for a m om ent, th e n b ack to the woman. "Will you ta k e h e r? ” he asked. "M y God! S he’s ten y e a rs old. She ca n go by h erself.” He tu rn e d b ack to his d au g h ter. "G o on. We’ll w ait for you h ere. I t ’s th a t build ing up th e re ,” h e said, pointing tow ard a public la trin e s e t back in th e tre e s on a hillslope. He w atched his d a u g h te r run up the hill a n d go into th e building. T hen h e b e n t down a n d k issed th e womain in th e car. " I love y o u ,” h e said. " A re you going to ta k e h er b ack to h e r m o th er now?” " Y e s.” *'T d o n ’t know why you’re doing it,” th e women said. " S h e ’s a s tra n g e r to you and you don’t h av e to ta k e c a re of' h er. B esides, s h e ’s a little bitch like h er m o th e r.” " S h e ’s m ine. 1 d o n ’t care if she is spoiled today, i t ’s w h a t I see she can b e .” "1 saw h er throw th e ice cream in y o u r face y e s terd a y . S he’s not spoiled, sh e ’s sad istic. She knew she could g e t aw ay w ith it. I t ’s a g am e with her. J u s t like life’s a gam e w ith h er m o th e r.” "G ood lord! S h e’s only a child.” "Y es . ifour child an d h er m o th e r’s child. But lo t o u rs.” The fa th e r low ered his h e a d for a m om ent, th en ra ise d it slow ly.” If you iruiy love, then you sta y . No m a tte r w h at, 1 m ean you love not b ecau se w h at the p erso n does for you, b u t sim ply for w hat you gain by loving.” T hey w aited in silence for te n m inutes. The little girl h ad still not come out of th e building. " S h e ’s hiding from m e,” th e fa th e r said. "She h a te s m e. A nd she knows I c a n ’t go in th e re .” The young woman g o t out of the car. " I ’ll go g et h e r ,” she said. " B e c a u se no m a tte r wha t , I’m, stay in g with you.
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DYLAN THOMAS MEETS THE ANCIENT MARINER ON HIS WAY TO PURGATORY The clim bing ship t h a t tu rn s, th e s ta g n a n t sun t h a t m utinies th e sails an d b u rn s th e spine a crow’s n e st fe ath ere d fern black on its m ountain chin—th e d ay s th a t tw ist the s ta r s like an k les on a nude down islan d s d an ce on thum bs of b ro k e n m oons while drum s in the feet h u rl o u t the crepe of th e s e a ’s re d h a ir th a t w akes th e c a p ta in from his crim e of m ilk an d blue-bird lips, his h a n d s still red w ith guilt, his m en pull chains an d bleed the ropes across th eir necks, h u rl b ro th e rs into h an d s of b o ats, aw ay to w atch th e ship collide the rocks, an d p ra y th e rocks to burn.
I 1
—RIC H A R D KELLY
TO MYSELF
BUILDING OUT
Pencil poised A bove th e p ag e Pointed stro k es By a m im ic sage.
'There is no m a tu rity . We suck, we gay ly a d d -ex trac t continually a s children p laying upon o u rselv es
W rite a line So " n ic e ” an d "fin e” L ost am ong its falterin g b ro th ers. P h rase s, o th er flowering. . . B ut wait! No hobbled gait, w ith inhibitions; J u s t scribble th e fruitition of unbridled intuition. "1 am a little god U pon a p a p e r th ro n e I sit; I think and nod And p la it a p a p e r crown. I sit; I th in k and w rite— Why b o th e r to confess? I s ta y up la te each night. I do n ’t n eed b e a u ty rest. P ap er, p a p e r on th e floor Who’s th e g re a te s t 'm o n g th e odd? 'Y ou n eed n o t b a r th em from th e door. 'The place is still yours, little god.’ ” Childhood h as A grow ing gam e— M aking faces in a looking glass. A sto n e m ay sm ash, 'The m irro r slip. I’ll see th e plain, b a re wall, a t la s t. —THOMAS HOOD
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Y outh seizes p re g n a n t bobbles. And finds a n em p ty , fragile m ass. Clumsily popping bubbles we w ork a g a in s t u s Our m inds s ta n d a p a rt. They view in quiet, self-content how cleverly aw are a re we of our own soul d estru c tio n We clutch oiur se n se deception, "rhat builds a hollow, can d y womb. M eltingly th ro u g h te a rs we, em ptied, die. —NANCY BURRIS
“Instant” Empathy? T he lith o g rap h s a n d draw ings rep ro d u ce d h e re a re re la te d b y th e ir u se of p rin te d im ages which co n trib u te to th e e sth e tic m eaning. In th e se ex am ples, N a z d a r tr a n s p a re n t b a se or lig h te r fluid is applied to th e b ack of th e p rin ted a re a , a n d it is b u rn ish e d to p ro d u ce a re v e rse d im age on stone o r p a p e r . The effect of such im ages is controlled by ad d itio n al draw ing by th e a rtis t, which organizes an d unifies th e com position. In c re a tin g subtle, a b s tra c t sh ap e s easily—th ro u g h tr a n s p a re n t effects, for exam ple, or b y re assem b led n a tu ra listic frag m en ts, th e " tra n s fe r” tech n iq u e h as a ttr a c te d m an y U.T. a r t stu d en ts, and, in referrin g d irectly to th e lite ra l asso ciatio n s of th e subject, it h a s su g g e ste d enriched v isu al ex pression of the co n te m p o ra ry world. —LYNN DEN TO N
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ABSOLUTION I t ’s as p lain a s n ig h t an d day. Oh. Yes. I t can b e only one w ay— Or another. Day o r n ight B lack or w hite R ight or w rong T h ere’s only one rig h t way. S q uinted eyes? Twilight. And only one w rong? W hite lies. M urder. R ape. A d e s p e ra te th ief Stesding cookies from th e p a n try . . . . , All w rong is wrong. R ight? Right. A nd ev e ry rig h t is all right. R ight. T hen I c a n ’t be all w rong If m y rig h t to be w rong is right. I m u st b e som e right; A nd if som e, th e n all. We’v e a lre a d y said th e som e is all. (T h is is going to m ak e w rong a wholesom e afterm ath !) I am som e right. I am right. I am all rig h t. All rig h t. I w as w rong. Now I see: T his w ay an d th a t way; e ith e r way, Some w ay o r a n o th e r th e y ’re both th e sam e. I t’s all one —one w ay only. So you see. T h e re a re no ethical absolutes. T h a t’s alw ay s the w ay, isn ’t it? A lw ays. —DAVE LLEW ELLYN
INNOCENCE T he s e rp e n t slides coolly in its p re tty skin w h at’s within shows not w ithout. The rig h t sea so n com es along flutes its own song nothing seem s w rong b u t life k eep s com ing anyhow , anyw ay, anyw here. F irst th e m outh, th e forked tongue and th e te e th th a t left th e stu n g the b itte n , th e ones am ong whom can say th e y ’re ex perienced life h a s ta s te d of them . T hen com es th e body, all sleek all shiny, too m uch to be m eek w h at would it do if it should seek, or in h erit the e a rth ? a m ouse is w h a t it’s after. A m ouse it cau g h t, slowly, easily, while all th e world ju s t as easily catch es its mice, swallows 'em whole the se rp e n t slides coolly edong unw are th a t a world sees it with an apple, talking , being evil it only w an ts to c a tc h a m ouse. —B R E N N ICHO LS
CONJUNCTION P ale arrow s, tu rn ed a g a in s t th e rising of th e b east. S h a tte r an d re s h a tte r in wind of m idnight elm s. L yra, silen t in th e d ry m usic of the limbs. S trikes no th ren o d y for fish leaf-drow ned to th e E a st. A rb itra ry p o ints of night, thus assigned o u r own Visions of blood an d song. And P erseu s, no defense In th a t d a rk m irror, hides awhile within th e den se S ea of leav e s; G orgons y e t re ta in th e ir spell of stone. ■CHARLES B EB BER
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Intellectual Sophistication B y THOMAS HOOD
F am iliarly m en striv e for m a te ria l w ealth. In th eir o b sessio n for th e ach iev em en t of th eir goal, th ey m ay ce ase to co n sid er o th er v alu es. H aving ach iev ed m a te ria l w ealth, th e y m ay find th a t the h e a lth an d m oral c h a ra c te r, needed to enjoy fully such gain, a re gone. This v e ry co n cen tratio n upon a p a rtic u la r goal m ay be th e cau se of c e rta in of the actions of the new ly rich. Could it be th a t th ese new com ers to ra n k s of w ealth h a v e no c h a ra c te r left a p a r t from th e ir p rid e in th e ir m oney? Might th e ir p erso n alities consist only in th e display of th eir sym bols of s ta tu s ? A p arallel to th ese actions m ay be found in th e in tellectu al life of th e u n iv ersity com m unity. T he stu d e n ts seeking know ledge are like th o se who striv e for m a te ria l gain. So o b ses sed m ay they becom e with th e d esire to know arid to u n d e rsta n d , t h a t know ledge a n d its p u rs u it b e com e th e ir v ery lives. T hey too m ay b e blinded to o th e r a r e a s of th e ir c h a ra c te r th a t n eed devel opm ent. Like th e new ly rich, th e y m ay unw ittingly identify o r re v eal th e ir p erso n ality by lay in g open a t each o p p o rtu n ity th e ir stock or accum ulated know ledge. While life m ay include both b an k accoim ts and encylopedias, it is m ore th a n th ese as well. J u s t a s w ealth is m e a su re d in m ore th a n possesions, so know ledge m u st be coupled w ith a ce rta in a ttitu d e before it ca n becom e wisdom . A p re v e la n t a ttitu d e in th e college com m unity to d a y is th a t of criticism a n d q uestioning. This ten d en cy is no t w rong in itself. B ut w hen criticism is d irected indiscrim in ately o r w ithout ta k in g into account th e possible co n seq u en ces, such an a ttitu d e blocks the devel o p m en t of wisdom. This a ttitu d e m ay orig in ate with th e s tu d e n ts ’ in stru c to rs who serv e as an exam ple of false in telle ctu al sophistication, which, u nd ersto o d or m isu n d ersto o d is copied by th e stu d en ts. This in d iscrim in ate q u estio n in g or a ttitu d e s sim iliar to it m ay b e co n sid ered by the stu d e n t to be th e tru e m a rk of in telle ctu al sophistication. The stu d e n t a tte m p tin g to im itate this a ttitu d e m ay picture him self falsely as becom ing a tru ly w ise m an. In dialogue, le t us consider th e problem of ex actly w h at c h a ra c te riz e s th e wise m an. P erhaps, this is criticism w ithout condem nation coupled with th e s e a rc h for co n stru ctiv e solutions to critical pro blem s. (" C o n stru c tiv e in w hose definition, friend?” (" P r e tty v ag u e sta te m e n t! Eh! Allow m e to in tro d u ce m yself. I ’m th e cynic. If you like, call m e th e p a re n th e tic a l cynic.” ) While introductions seem to b e th e ord er. I ’m th e w riter. I ’m w riting a s m e, or r a th e r m e as I define m yself. I ’m a s tu d e n t of so rts an d am w riting th is p a p e r to s a tis fy a need to ex p ress. .(E xcuse me, friend, I th o u g h t you w ro te to com m unicate id eas for th e b en efit of o th ers a n d n o t m ere ly for self-expression.” ) L ack ing th e w ise m a n ’s a ttitu d e , th e stu d e n t acquires a k ind of p o stu re d sophistication. .("Wow! L adies
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a n d g en tlem en of th e a tte n tiv e audience, it should b e a p p a re n t th a t I h av e no re g a rd for know ledge.” . . .which h in d e rs learn in g . T h ree y e a rs ago I e n te re d th e u n iv ersity. (" S trik e up th e ban d , frien d s.” ) A t th a t tim e I w as fully convinced th a t ideals could be realized. The u n iv ersity w as a p lace w here I could develop ad v a n c e d tech n iq u e s for accom plishing m y u n d e fined ideals. ("T ell m e m ore, p lease . The h isto ry of y o u r life is so ...fascin atin g !” ) The significande of m y en try was t h a t I h a d faith. Yes, I said faith in m y professors, th e ad m in istratio n , th e buildings, th e football team , o rg an izatio n w ork an d old D ean Bulls. ( " I sa y old chap. A re n ’t you becom ing a b it drairiatic?” ) Now, a s I a tte n d e d class, I found th a t th e critical a ttitu d e p e rv a d e d . ("Y ou u se th a t w ord m uch too e a sily .” ) Such a ttitu d e s p ro v id ed my c la ss m a te s a n d p rofessors with a " h e a t a n a s e r v e ” ap p ro ach no t only to know ledge an d all th e "w isdom of th e a g e s ,” b u t also to b a sk e tb a ll, for eign policy, Plato, Chopin, D ylan T hom as, p re sid en tial cam p aig n s a n d E d g a r A. G uest. B eing a " d o -it-y o u rse lf’ m a n from th e country , I th o u g h t th a t this w as as good as h av in g a new pow er rip saw in m y w orkshop C 'W atch yourself, boy, y o u ’re stre tc h in g th e hum or!” ) In o th er w ords, I ad o p ted the ap p ro ach . This indiscrim inate qu estio n in g or shadow c a stin g is c h a ra c te ristic of a h a u g h ty or a rro g a n t sophistication. By dra5ving tru e sop h isticatio n into a com parison, w e ak n esses of h a u g h ty o r a rro g a n t so p h isticatio n can b e see n m ore clearly. T ru e sop h isticatio n re cognizes a t le a s t a n elem en t of tru th or w orth in ev e ry position. T hus it ca n n o t unqualifiedly con dem n a t random . Beyond th e recognition of w eak n e ss e s in o th e r positions, th e tru e so p h istic ate see s th e w e ak n esses in an y po sitio n which h e m ay hold. H a u g h ty or a rro g a n t sophistication, in co n tra st, d isp lay s its critical a ttitu d e prom inen tly . Often this indicates- an in ab ility to m ake a co n stru ctiv e com m ent ab o u t a p a rtic u la r problem b eing d is cussed. Also th e h a u g h ty so p h istic ate m ay ra ise rem o tely connected side issu es ab o u t which h e h a s som e know ledge, a n d will lig h t in posing u n an sw e rab le questions. Contrau-y to th is, th e tru e so p h istic ate will recognize th e o p p o rtu n ity to le a rn in a discussion to which h e ca n n o t co n trib u te con stru ctiv ely . Thus h e will b e quiet, allowing th e discussion to c e n te r on th o se who can contribute. F u rth e r, h e wiU recognize th e u n an sw e rab le qu es tions as c e rta in assu m p tio n s m ad e to facilitate any discussion. U n d e rsta n d in g th e ir n ecessity , th e tru e so p h istic ate wiU ra ise th e se assu m p tio n s for exam in atio n only if th e ex am in atio n can co n trib u te con stru c tiv e ly to th e discussion. ("S a y , old buddy, w h a t’s with th is 'c o n stru ctiv e ly co n trib u tiv e’ stuff. W hether his m otives eure self-glory or 'co n stru ctiv e co n trib u tio n ,’ doesn!t th is h a u g h ty friend of .mine
m ake som e people th in k ?” ) Are you try in g to justify your actions on m y grounds for w o rth ? C riticism is of v alu e as it offers an u n d ersta n d in g of a w ay of elim inating th e weakaesses in a g iv en position. ("W ell, in essence, I im say in g t h a t criticism c a n h a v e a contributive value. You o u g h t to b e h ap p y th a t I h a v e con ceded t h a t m uch.” ) H ap p y ? Well, w hen I go t up this m orning, I h a d a cold. T here w ere' six inches of snow outside, an d I h a d two p a p e rs to w rite. A philosophy exam w as scheduled for this a fte r noon. ("M y n e x t violin solo will be 'T h e P essim ist M oans.’ Friend, my h e a rt, ey es an d ea rs weep for your own ac tio n s.” ) The world, as I see it, is a b leak place in which to live. ("M u st you h a v e love to survive, C harlie Brown ?” 1 A nd y e t th e b a rre n outlook of th e p e ssim ist poses a s a n o th e r kind of sophistication. C riticism h ere is not for th e sak e of criticism . N e ith e r is it for th e sak e of o btaining know ledge. The critical a ttitu d e h e re com es from th e conviction t h a t th e world is unhappily a n un chosen resid en ce for m an. F or this p essim ist th e b e s t is nothing m ore th a n a child’s fa n ta sy . At l e a s t for th e m om ent, the p e ssim ist re aso n s th a t to b e critical of all things is the only w ay to be tru th fu l ab o u t them . R ealizing t h a t his m ay n o t be th e " b e s t of ail p o ssib le w orlds,” th e tru e so p h isticate re a c ts dif fe re n tly from th e pessim ist. A ccepting each situ a tion a s a s ta rtin g point in the obtaining of som e th in g b e tte r, th e tru e sophisticate is not d istre sse d to th e p o in t of d efeat by his p re se n t circum stances. F o r th e p e ssim ist the unfavorable p re s e n t is only a sig n of th e g re a te r m isfortunes to com e. His effort is n o t to find a b e tte r p re se n t by re sh ap in g th e 'n o w ’ w ith th e resources available. 'The p essi m is t’s effort com es in denying the possibility of changing th e p re s e n t to c re a te a b e tte r p re s e n t in th e fu tu re . People, for him, a re involved in a m o v e m e n t from th e u n satisfac to ry p re s e n t to an infinitely w orse situ atio n in th e future. Intellectual so p h istic atio n is linked, for th is ty p e of sophisticate, to th e a ttitu d e th a t m an is being m an ip u lated by a m a le v o le n t fate. In co n trast, th e tru e sop histicate could b e said to recognize th a t m an is not en tirely his own m a ste r. Like a stoic, h e accep ts th ese forces a n d th e ir effects, which a re beyond his con trol, a n d w orks for his goal w ith the re so u rse s h e does h a v e . Life as he see s it is n o t conceived as a co n tin u al com plaint. T ru e sophistication re v eals a faith in th e ability of m an to change the world. F o r th e tru e so p h isticate, life is an opportunity to le a v e som e im print, which though it m ay soon dis a p p e a r, w as a n a tte m p t a t reaching th e b e tte r o r p e rh a p s th e b e st. ("R o t, p u re, sim ple a n d u n a d u lte ra te d rot! How is m an to c re a te th e b e tte r, w hen he c a n ’t co rrec t ly conceive it? T h e blu n d erin g idiot will alw ays fail b e c a u s e his n a tu ra l inability to com prehend the g ro ssn e ss of th e world shows him to be a sim pleton. R ight? Right! T he trouble with you is th a t you’re too confident in y o u r own ability to discipline y o u r self. E ven if I g ra n te d m an th e n a tu ra l abilities to a tta in his end, he wouldn’t h av e th e stre n g th or th e discipline to u se them . You m u st h a v e an u n d e rsta n d in g of w h a t you d esire th e world to be before you c a n u n d e rsta n d the effect of each of to d ay ’s actio n s. To work with this u n d e rsta n d in g
oi th e goal re q u ire s a sacrifice of m ore of m a n ’s p re s e n t p le a su re s th a n h e is willing to give. S ta n d back, boy h ere com es th e knockout punch! When you do find a m an, who is willing to discipline him self to achieve w h a t he conceives as b e tte r, h e "lo ses to u ch ” with th e e v e ry d a y world of o th er m en. He soon 'p ro g re s s e s ’ to a place w here he can no longer com m unicate his id eas, o r he is " s o far o u t” —p lease excuse m e. B e a ts—t h a t his id eas a re not applicable to th e situ atio n h e w ished to im prove. In sh o rt, I s a y th a t m an is in cap ab le of im proving th e p re s e n t. Well?) Your re aso n in g d istu rb s m e. I d o n ’t p re te n d to know w h eth er or n o t m an th eo retically m a y im prove to d a y ’s p re s e n t in th e future. T he fact, th a t any o th e r m an a n d I realize t h a t our actio n s m ay not avail, does n o t m ean t h a t we m u s t re m a in p assiv e. T h e fact, t h a t we do n o t know p recisely w here our actions m a y lead us, does not p reclu d e a striv in g for a n undefined b e tte r. N e ith er m an nor a n y o th er force will ch ange the world u n less th ere is w ithin th em a will to im prove it, to t r a n sla te this will into definite actions. ("W h at ab o u t the possibility of chance im p ro v em en t e l o q u e n t one?” ) A cceptance of a possibility of u n ex p e cted ad eq u an cy beyond m a n ’s ability, again, does not preclude m a n ’s action. (" N a tu ra lly I realize this, b u t th e only way th a t I can justify m y own position is to a ssu m e th a t everyone reaso n s like m e. Life for m e is self-justfication—n o t only in m y own eyes, b u t also in the eyes of o th ers. I w a n t to justify m yself in th e eyes of o th ers, b ecau se this is th e only w ay th a t I c a n justify m y ex isten ce in society. In fact, I am tell ing you th is rig h t now, to d e m o n stra te t h a t I u n d e r sta n d my position. This way I show you my com p leten e ss of p erso n ality by show ing yo u m y un d e rsta n d in g .” ) The cynic’s a ttitu d e d e m o n stra te s the sam e lack of re g a rd for th e rig h ts of o th ers a s th e a ttitu d e of th e h a u g h ty or a rro g a n t soph istic ate. B ut th is lack of re g a rd also differs from h au g h ty or a rro g a n t so p h istic ate’s in t h a t th e cynic m ain tain s his v e ry life, in o th er w ords, identifies him self with his ability to criticize. T he sh ee r criticism and questio n in g of th e h a u g h tv o r a rro g a n t sophisticate, then do not alw ays com plete this ty p e of false in tellectu al sophistication. M ore often th e cynic satisfies his a ttitu d e by finding a victim or victim s. This p a r tic u la r so p h istic ate finds a cruel delight an d a p p a re n t self-satisfaction in collapsing a n o th e r p e rso n ’s arg u m en t. G oing aro u n d to "p rick th e b allo o n s” of p eo p le’s beliefs an d w atching th e believ ers tum ble into th e d e sp a ir of non-belief seem to provide a satisfaction for him. A t th is p o in t th e cynic is h ap p y to offer th e se u n fo rtu n a te s m em ber ship in th e com pany of th o se who find t h a t to live m u st b e to be in te re ste d solely in one’s self. In c o n tra s t to th e cynic’s attitu d e , th e tru e soph is tic a te finds th a t life c e n te re d within th e world of him self is too lim ited. H e recognizes th a t selfin te re st m u st be controlled. T rue so p h isticatio n finds a certeun joy in discovering a m an who h a s found a n ap p ro ach to life or a s e t of beliefs th a t "w ork” for him. In ste a d of d ispensing quickly with a s e t of beliefs by pointing to u nrealized w eak n esse s, th e tru e so p h istic ate would look for th e p o in ts of vedue in a n v belief. A chnow ledging th a t h e m ay oe w rong in h is judgm ent, th e p o ssesso r
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or tru e in tellectu al sop h isticatio n would a tte m p t to build a c le a re r and m ore com plete u n d e rsta n d in g of a p a rtic u la r position’s w eaknesses. This tru e soph is tic a te ’s hope, th en , is th a t th e o th er p erso n is s tre n g th e n e d in his belief or a t le a s t stim u late d to find a new an d stro n g e r belief, by gaining a full er u n d ersta n d in g . ("N ow ju s t a h a ir-s p littin g m inute, w h at about th e p erso n who does a rriv e a t a stro n g e r position by criticizing th e w eak n esses of the positions which h e now holds or se e s o th e rs holding?’’) T his a t titu d e of cau tio us and co n stru ctiv e criticism is close ly re la te d to th e a ttitu d e of th e tru e so p h isticate in c o n tra s t to th a t of th e cynic. R aising q u estio n s in o rd e r to find w eak n esses in a specific position, the cau tio u s critic realizes th a t p a rtia lly form ed q u estio n s or q u estio n s dealing with u n re la te d issues only h in d er a n effort to a rriv e a t a discu ssio n ’s profitable conclusion. U nlike th e tru e sophisticate, th e cau tio u s or co n stru ctiv e critic does no t a b s tra c t th e good p o in ts from a p a rtic u la r position o r ap p ro ach to a given subject. W hen it is possible he te n d s to d iscard whole positions on th e b asis of th e ir w eak n esses. C autious criticism differs from tru e sophistication specifically in this ap p ro ach . While g ra n tin g worth in th e opinions of o th ers, th is form of so p h istic a tion does n o t selec t from them points which h av e w orth in th em selv es, as does th a t of the tru e soph istic ate. C o n stan tly search in g for the position which h a s few est w e ak n esses or for th e position w ith o u t a n y w e ak n esses, this so p h isticate is co n stru c tive like the tru e sop h isticate. B ut b ec au se his selection is m ade on th e b asis of fa u lts ra th e r th a n v alu es, he m ay m iss o r lose good points in his sea rch for th e s tro n g e s t position on a given su b ject. B ecau se th e tru e so p h istic ate se e k s to find th e se p o in ts of w orth, he c a n gain by using th em in th e co n stru ctio n of a new position.
("S o my friend, now t h a t you h a v e dim inished all of th e critics to 's tra w m en,’ w h a t is tru e in tellectu al sophistication? 1 think t h a t you h av e suf ficiently d e m o n stra te d your ability to vaporize or knock down self-m ade m en of straw . A re you ca p able of defining th is ideal to top all ideals, this 't r u e ’ in telle ctu al so p h isticatio n ?’’) You b e t. I ’m, if you’ll ex cu se th e colloquialism , "cho m p in ’ a t th e b it.” ("O h, d o n ’t g e t sa rc a stic w ith m e, B u ster. 'This'tim e I w ant a sem i-straig h t, a t le a st, u n se n ti m en tal a n sw e r.” ) T rue in telle ctu al sophistication is, th en , an u n defined quality in a g en e ral sen se . ("1 w anted... a s tra ig h t an sw e r.” ) T h a t is, th is sophistication is a n a ttitu d e which, like o th er a ttitu d e s , is d e fined specificaJly only as it com es into p lay in p a r ticu lar situ atio n s. I t is a n a ttitu d e th a t can be called variously: co n stru ctiv ely contrib u tiv e, posi tive, critical w ithout m alice, questio n in g sellw orth. All of th e se d esc rib e this attitu d e , b u t none of th em can e n tire ly sum m arize it. To be trite, I could say t h a t in tellectu al sophisticatio n is found ed on love ("Y ou b e t—m outh love an d you would be trite !” ) of y o u r fellow m en. Or eloquently, in tellectu al so p h isticatio n is b e s t ap p ro ach ed as an a ttitu d e of a p a rtic u la r individual. ("W ho? Me!” ) The tru e so p h isticate, recognizing th e w e ak n esses in him self, striv e s to find t h a t perfectio n which s e p a ra te s w orth from w o rth lessn e ss in all things. B eyond th is h e recognizes, a s h e accu m u lates new know ledge, t h a t w h a t w as once w o rth less m ay find a new w orth. Thus h e does n o t dism iss easily w h at he b eliev es to b e false or of no value. T h ere is a grow ing u n c e rta in ty which com es w ith th e accum u latio n of know ledge and th e realizatio n of the n eed for fu rth e r know ledge. This la s t a ttitu d e , coup pled with th e ab ility to a c t while know ing th e in a d e q u acy of action, is tru e in telle ctu al sophistic ation. ("B o sh !” )
Untitled When he tu rn e d aro u n d I saw he held in his h an d s 'The Smile, from h e r face a n d he saw th a t I saw an d cruelly b e n t t h a t te n d e r m outh with fingers of steel-w rought life. The la u g h te r cam e in w aves for e te rn a l seconds t h a t fled tim e. When he w alked w ithout m oving I saw t h a t he h eld in his m ind W hat m en hold who d a re n o t g ra sp Beyond th e sm ile. —GINNY EVANS
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Graffiti and Literati
T h e re a re a n u m b er of w ays in which to a ss e ss th e in te lle c tu a l an d cre a tiv e clim ate of a u n iv er sity . One, of course, is to look a t th e publication re c o rd of th e faculty; a n o th e r is to see o v er tim e w h a t b ec o m e s of th e stu d e n ts who g ra d u a te . P er h a p s th e b e s t indication a t a given m om ent in tim e is to look a t th e lite ra ry work produced by th e c u r re n t g roup of stu d en ts. Now th e c re a tiv e w ritten worn a p p e a rs on this cam p u s p rim a rily in tw o places: one is in th e Phoenix, a n d th e o th e r is in th e m en’s bathroom in S outh C ollege. (Since I h a v e h ad no first h an d re p o rt, I do n o t know w h eth er a sim ilar cultural ex p lo sio n e x is ts in th e w om en’s bathroom ). For p u rp o se s of co m parison it m ight b e in stru ctiv e to c o m p are th e p ro d u c ts of th e se two lite ra ry out le ts ( t h a t is, th e Phoenix an d th e M en’s B athroom ). C o n sid er th e following efforts quoted v erb atim from th e w alls of S outh College: T he T itan ic is su n k in F ort Loudon L ake. Billy G ra h am is a n am e dropper. God is d e a d —N eitszche. . . (R ejoinder)-N eitszche is d ead —God (h a -h a) G eorge W allace a te h ere. . . (R ejom der)-So did Rap Brown! Give Tim e som e m eaning by being Sophia L oren is
Is it possible to co n tra ct VD in a public b a th room ? (R ejoinder)-Y es—^but dam n uncom fortable! While th e s e com m ents a re in som e in sta n c e s crude, antisocial o r even obscene, it seem s to m e th e y do ca tc h th e essen ce of w h a t’s re le v a n t for to d a y ’s stu d en ts. .Though th ey b e crude, they a r e funny, they a re novel, an d m o st im p o rtan tly th e y are alive. L et us now com pare th e se bon m ots w ith th e la s t issue of th e Phoenix. It seem s to m e th a t y o u r contributors re ally a re no t dealing w ith w h a t’s re l e v a n t to th em . I don’t th in k th ey a re even try in g to ex p ress th e m ood of th e ir ag e as th e y alone would be ab le to do. T here a re no new insights, no new problem s, no new p ersp ectiv es. T hey a re all try in g to w rite safe.clean, polished, pro se r a th e r th a n try in g to tell us som ething new. With the exception of the B eard sly —like a r t work, I th in k the issu e w as too ta m e . All of th e m a te ria l could well and easily h a v e p a ss e d th e scru tin y of a p u b lications b o a rd w ithout cau sin g an y indigestion, and all could v e ry well h a v e g o tte n a p assin g or even a good g ra d e in a c re a tiv e w riting course. P e rh a p s th is is th e crux of th e m a tte r—nobody is ta k in g a n y chances—ev erybody is safe, artic u la te , a n d m an n ered . F or m e, t h a t ’s no w ay to ru n a stu d e n t lite ra ry m agazine. M aybe you a n d your co n trib u to rs could le a rn som ething from graffiti: As it IS w ritten —m em bers of th e Phoenix—^up off y o u r a sh e s tm d fly.
J e a n G enet blows. . J e a n Paul S a rtre . . absurd! Jo h n W ayne h a s lace u n d e rp a n ts T em ple and Welch in '68 The p re s id e n t is exten d in g the d raft. . .Lee H a rv ey w here a r e you w hen we n eed you!
Sincerely, H ow ard K. Pollio D ept, of Psychology P.S. I ho p e this le tte r d o esn ’t tu rn th e South Col lege M en’s Room into a local lite ra ry shrine.
C ontributors FATHER ALBERT MINOR, Episcopal Chaplain at Tyson House, came to UT by way of ETSU. He received his B.A. from Sewanee and S.T.B. from the General Theological Seminary of New York. Father Minor began a sex education program in the dorms last January and has spoken frequently on this subject. THOMAS HOOD of the sociology department makes a double debut in this issue of the Phoenix, with both a poem and an essay. BRYN NICHOLS, a journalism major from Knoxville, foregoes the who, what, where and when of reporting for the nuances of poetry in this issue. She also conducted the interview with Father Minor. J o u r n a l i s m ’s loss was E n g l i s h education’s gain when GEORGE COURTNEY decided to write Fiction instead of Fact. George is a junior from Concord, Tenn. FRANK STEELE, editor of the Tennessee Poetry Journal, continues to delight readers of the Phoenix with his trenchant verbal por traits and landscapes of this area. CHRIS WADE, a liberal arts major from Knoxville, has returned to the Phoenix after a hiatus of several issues. His last appearance was as a poet, and he shows himself equally talented as a graphic artist GINNY EVANS has published several poems in the past issues of the Phoenix. She is an anthropology major from Joelton. Examples of two media are demonstrated by JAN TENENBAUM in this issue: the transfer in the feature section and the ink illus tration for George Courtney’s story. TONY FERRI, a graduate student in Fine Arts, contributes a prize winning print to illustrate Frank Steele’s poem. Tony is from Ro chester, New York. The poems by RICHARD KELLY over the past several issues pro vide a glimpse into a lively and varied poetic imagination. Dr. Kelly is a member of the English department. BARRY SPANN, a sophomore liberal arts major from Nashville, is appearing for the first time in this issue. JOHN WINTON’S poem is his second Phoenix contribution, follow ing his story in our last issue. John is an English major from Knox ville. CHARLES BERBER is a psychology
major
from
Morristown.
The portrait of Father Minor was provided by TOM DIAMOND a graduate student in art. In a previous issue, NANCY BURRIS indicated a talent for writing poetic prose; in this issue, she contributes a full-fledged poem. Nancy is a philosophy major from Knoxville. LYNN DENTON is a Fine Arts graduate student from Knoxville.