Found Poem 10/3/08

Finite terms fail to discourage insane stunts

that often lead to the most beautiful, yet severe fronts.

You find yourself stumbling upon your tidy package of disaster,

Savagely impatient, trying to move faster.

But you can’t rush what has been succinctly outlined for you.

You must wait for the sleeping of the fume,

the  dust must settle beneath God’s brassy, incandescent sky

before in the breathless monotony you may lie. 

And as the mortal chill begins to fade

you look to what could have been a spongy blood soaked blade,

turn to the sky, clucking and muttering,

thanking God that your death was not ended by your rushing. 

Long Day's Journey Into Night.. Woo!

Sigmund Freud observed that, “The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.” This suggests that humans can act or write in a chosen manner; however, in the end, the subconscious mind supplies all of the components that dictate these words and actions, regardless of the users recognition of these components. Biographical elements manifest themselves within Eugene O’Neill’s play, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” in the characters, and settings throughout the work, paralleling the author’s life.

O’Neill utilizes characters in the play to symbolize his own family and relationships and reconcile through them what he could not in his own life. Throughout the play, Edmund serves as a version of Eugene’s younger self, allowing O’Neill to essentially relive his past vicariously through Edmund. The relationship between Edmund and James has much in common with that of O’Neill and his father, as the failures of James as an artist mirror those of O’Neill’s father. After James Tyrone pours out his life story of being a cheap sell out to Edmund, Edmund gains a deeper and more respectful understanding of his father. Through Edmund’s new found perspective on Tyrone’s impact on his life, O’Neill draws a new conclusion on his father’s impact, realizing that “his father’s artistic failure became a lesson for him never to compromise the standards of his art” (Mann). O’Neill also begins to comprehend the impact of his older brother on him as an artist through Jamie Tyrone. Portrayed in accordance with the persona of O’Neill’s older brother, Jamie Tyrone is a wasteful individual who negatively influences Edmund. Towards the end of the play, however, Jamie enlightens Edmund about his true feelings and motivations. In writing of this change of heart, O’Neill has his own change of heart towards his brother as he discovers that his brother’s “outlooks and styles shaped his own art,” just as Jamie influenced Edmund and the way he lived his life (Mann). Each of these epiphanies and revelations take occur as a result of both the concrete and abstract environments in which the characters dwell.

The setting O’Neill creates in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” coincides with his own physical and emotional states of both his past and present. The play transpires in the significant year, in O’Neill’s life, of 1912. This year marked O’Neill’s embarkation on becoming a writer, as well as, the year he left to go to the sanatorium to recover from tuberculosis (Mann). O’Neill’s battle with tuberculosis parallels Edmund’s struggles with consumption, while his beginning as a writer corresponds to Jamie trying to find purpose in his life. Other than the year, however, much of the significance in setting lies in the emotions of the characters. “The ambience of the fourth act seems much less realistic than in the earlier acts, and we may feel that we are as much in a mental landscape..” (Mann). As O’Neill confusedly struggles with his past, one of the main elements of setting is fog. Edmund, the representation of O’Neill, spends much time by the sea and walking amongst the fog thinking. Leading the characters through the fog of their problems to find answers, O’Neill commences on a journey of self discovery.

The presence of O’Neill through narration provides an inlet for the author’s own voice and experience, weaving an element of reality throughout the fictitious play. “Thus, as we are watching the Tyrones during their literal journey from day to night, we are “seeing” the narrator as well on his painful journey from the present deep into the past” (Mann). While O’Neill’s subconscious plays a role in the manifestation of biographical elements in his work, he acknowledges their impact and hones in on them to artfully and deliberately to tell his own story and convey his opinions through the Tyrone family.

Works Cited:Mann, Bruce J. "O'Neill's 'Presence' in Long Day's Journey into Night." Theatre Annual. 43.(1988) 15-30. Rpt. in Drama Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 20. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 15-30. Literature Resource Center. Gale. LEE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM. 19 Sept. 2008

FSU Essay

Question: For almost one hundred years, the Latin words, "Vires, Artes, Mores" have been the guiding philosophy behind Florida State University. Vires signifies strength of all kinds - moral, physical, and intellectual; Artes alludes to the beauty of intellectual pursuits as exemplified in skill, craft, or art; and Mores refers to character, custom, or tradition. Describe how one or more of the values embodied in these concepts are reflected in your life.

For as long as I can remember, I have attended a private Christian institution where religion was a class to be passed by knowing that “God is love.” As the years progressed, however, I came to understand that this was not the answer to passing the class, but the answer to passing life. My Christian faith provides the moral, physical and intellectual strength, or Vires, that life requires, and pushes me to help others find the same within themselves.
Moral strength allows me to differentiate between good and bad, and paired with faith, drives me to right injustices and get involved. Throughout high school, I have been a member of several mission teams. One team went to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina where we gutted houses of hurricane victims who could not afford to do it themselves. Mold, rot, and rats were a few of the things that plagued us daily on the job, but we persevered through the grit and grime, knowing that our services were indispensable to those we served. Another team I am privileged to be a member of is the “Justice League.”. Most recently, we went to Immokalee where hundreds of immigrants live, many of whom are underpaid and unjustly treated. Serving in the soup kitchen one day I realized what it meant to be a part of something greater than meeting the needs of individuals. Yes, each face and outstretched hand pulled at your heart strings, but the entire community had to be fed, and it was with this in mind that we served and loved these people.
Service enables me to not only physically help others, but to lead them mentally and spiritually as well. As a leader of several retreats, I have come to know what it means to have people look to you for guidance in all arenas of life. During the recent Lead Retreat, held annually for local seventh graders, it was interesting to watch while the attendees sought a role model for what they could be when they “grew up.” Whether it be the funny one, or the contemplative one, all eyes were on us, trying to choose their model as one might choose a bike in a store; testing them all out to see which one fit just right for the long ride. Knowing someone is always watching, I strive to be a role model in all my actions and endeavors as both a person and student. I recognize that “peer tutoring” is an extraordinary opportunity for me to encourage others academically and utilize my God given talents of knowledge and the ability to teach
It is in these seasons of service and faith that I consider my own life. I put the needs of the community before my own, knowing that my needs will be met in being a part of that community. This is the mentality and strength that I have to offer Florida State University.

Limit: 500 words

Emily Dickinson Poem 9/18/2008

A cockroach dropped from the ceiling

and hungry beggars leave you to wonder

has the world gone to slumber?

Hurricanes take out their wrath on innocent coasts, 

about the aid they give, the politicians will surely boast. 

But don't take heart or put down that slurpee,

oh no, you don't have to worry.

Someone else will fix it for you;

you may wake as you please to the morning dew,

until the day 

someone walks into your room to say

A cockroach dropped from the ceiling.