|
In This Issue :
And Now
a Word from Our Majors
by Fannetta Jones
Every issue of the Printing
Press is chocked full of different articles and pieces that I'm sure
you all are MORE than interested to read. But, sometimes it's nice
to have a piece that's a little more relevant to You, right? So,
with that in mind, we have decided to spotlight one of our very own
English majors so that you all can see the type of work that is
being done in the department.
Last semester, we
highlighted two talents from the English department, and this
semester will not break the chain. The majors that we are
spotlighting this semester are Mr. Alex Roling and, myself, Fannetta
Jones.
Alex is an English major and
a junior. He is also an RA. This just goes to show that we English
nerds are quite multi-faceted. When given the opportunity to present
his work, he wanted to show more than one piece, showing the passion
he has for writing. (Hopefully this is something we have all picked
up by now.)
With that in mind, it is now
time to showcase his talent. Here is a poem by Alex Roling titled
"Handful of Sand."
Take a handful of sand,
and let
it seep through your fingers into the blowing wind,
and watch
them all as possibilities, as lives you could have lived.
In the
end just one grain will be in your palm.
And it is
small.
And it is fine.
And it is yours.
And in
the end it is mostly out of your hands.
The second talent
we are featuring, as I mentioned earlier, is none other than me,
Fannetta Jones. I am a junior as well as an English and Secondary
Education major. I too am an RA, as well as a Scot Ambassador and a
variety of other invovlements on campus. I have always enjoyed
reading and writing for as long as I can remember and love the
opportunity to share my work with others.
So, without
further adieu, here is my poem, titled "Soulmates (For Tynan)."
Soulmate.
Met you at a convenient time
In an inconvenient place.
Met you when right was beginning
To go wrong
And you had the perfect song
To ease the pain.
Soulmate.
You bonded to me in a way
That none had done before.
And Love?
Love ran too fast in her stiletto heels.
Tripped and fell all over us
Bringing us together
Despite how much we wanted it.
Soulmate.
You brought out the "me"
That no one else could see
And helped me to find myself
Sitting on the shelf
Between the pages of
Dusted old journals
And poem books that I was too afraid to read
For what they would tell me.
Soulmate.
Your eyes were the most beautiful
Shade of brown
That could become the most true blue
I had ever seen.
Standing at 5'9
You were living proof that
Big things...
Come in small packages.
Because you...
You had the biggest heart I had ever seen.
Tied to your sleeve with a
White string
Because you wanted to make sure you wouldn't lose it.
Again.
Soulmate.
You set my soul free
To float amongst
Ocean blue skies
And the greenest pastures
I could find.
I was searching for my kindred spirit
And on that fateful day
My spirit found yours
And produced
Technicolor rain showers and
Guitars songs played
Offkey but in tune.
Because Baby,
When our souls mate
We produce
Explosions of Gospel proportions
Because we know that those moments
Are sacred.
Too precious to be laid down
In the textbooks of our future generations,
This love should be weaved
Into the pink of our eyelids
So that it is the first thing
We rise to in the morning
And the last thing we see before bed.
And even on the brightest day
The sun has to pass
Through what we've created
To truly understand
What it means to Shine...
Soulmate.
Let's weave our love
Into the lyrics of
Offbeat Indie songs
So that even the loners know
What they have to look forward to.
Soulmate.
Soulmate.
This kind of connection
Affection
Creation
Is more than something for Hallmark
To paste into greeting cards.
This is what happens when
Stars dance.
When the moon smiles.
And when souls mate...
Soulmate.
Attend
the Tale…
By
Alex Nall
When the Monmouth College Theatre Production of
Sweeney Todd: The
Demon Barber of Fleet Street went up two weeks ago, audiences got a
great experience of watching Monmouth students sing, dance and act
their way through a bloody little love story in Monmouth’s very own
Wells Theatre. What some people may have missed out on was the
pre-show discussion “Pearls, Pies and Pics,” which was presented
before the Sunday afternoon show. During this presentation, Monmouth
College students Jonathon Snowdon, Derek Keist and the Head of the
English Department, Rob Hale discussed the differences between the
theatrical and film adaptations of the play, the time period in
which the play occurs and the novel on which the play is based upon.
Jonathon Snowdon (Who also played the “Judge” in the
play) gave audiences definite examples of the distinctions between
the 1979 Broadway production starring George Hearn and the 2007 film
adaptation helmed by Tim Burton. The best thing about the film, said
Snowdon, was Burton’s “traditional use of black, white and grays on
his characters and settings” which emphasized the dreary nineteenth-
century London scene in which the play takes place.
Derek Keist then talked about nineteenth century
London and the horrible living conditions that people lived in. The
streets of London ran with “rats, garbage and urine” and made the
city a sickly place to live in. Keist implied that Sweeney lyricist
and composer Stephen Sondheim used historical elements such as this
to write notable songs such as “No Place Like London” and “The Worst
Pies in London.” Keist also talked about the class struggle and
forward movement of the Industrial Revolution that lay underneath
the background of the play, giving reason for some of the characters
in the play to be as vengeful and mad as they appear to be.
It was Professor Hale’s lecture that closed the
pre-show discussion. Hale concentrated on a very little known aspect
of the play, the novel on which it is based,
A String of
Pearls. The novel was first published in serial form by various
authors from 1846-47. Published as a romance in the format of a
penny-dreadful, which would tell a certain part of a story and then
end with a cliffhanger, readers would have to go out and buy the
next issue to see what happens in the story.
Although the main story of the novel is the same in
that a demonic barber slits the throats of his victims and makes
them into meat pies, the differences between the novel and the stage
adaptation are the character motivations and roles that have been
altered. Rather than seeking revenge on those who have helped in his
wife’s death, like he does in the play, Todd is simply a murderous
barber who is evil for the purpose of being evil. He kills his
innocent victims and bakes them into juicy meat pies with his
accomplice Mrs. Lovett and his assistant, Tobias Ragg, who rather
than being a sympathetic little boy who is suspicious of Todd, he is
a vile child who goes mad halfway through the novel. The title comes
from a gift received by Johanna Oakley on behalf of her missing
lover Mark Ingestrie. Believing that Todd may be
involved in Mark’s disappearance leads Johanna to disguise herself
as a boy and work under Todd’s watch, leading to the discovery of
Todd’s horrible secret:
"Ladies
and gentlemen - I fear that what I am going to say will spoil your
appetites; but the truth is beautiful at all times, and I have to
state that Mrs. Lovett's pies are made of human flesh!" The
novel ends on a happier note than the play does with Johanna
marrying Mark and Todd and Lovett being killed for their mortal
sins.
It has been shown throughout the centuries how the character of
Sweeney Todd shocks and rivets audiences. His story is one that has
been adapted into various forms and even different types of stage
productions, and captivates audiences through song, romance and
bloody deaths. From the transformation he has undergone since his
arrival on the literature scene in the mid-1800s, audiences know one
thing, Sweeney’s tale- in book or theatre form- is not one to
overlook.
Thanks for the Memories!
by Noelle Templeton
It's time again to bid farewell to our seniors, and I am actually
part of the bunch. We are all headed to different places--grad
school, back to high school, there is even a wedding or two in the
near future--but no matter where we go from here, we will remember
that we all came from the same place.
As part of The Printing Press tradition, I
surveyed some of my fellow seniors for their parting words.
Here are some of their last sentiments.
Danny
Weber
What was your favorite memory from your time at Monmouth?
Either
having the whole class wear vests the last day of my final Willhardt
class, even though he tried not to act surprised, or bribing
Willhardt with Monopoly money in my ENGL 200 Research Paper on
Twain.
(I didn't know that was an option.)
How are you surviving your thesis?
spider
diagrams and Printing Press surveys
Any favorite quotes from the past four years?
"black
flack"
(We don't know what that means
either.)
Last words?
"I am
content"
Laura Dumont
What
was your favorite memory from your time at Monmouth?
I think just freshman year. Everything's so much easier to remember
when it's new.
How are you surviving your thesis?
Copious amounts of peanut butter and caffeine. Well, that and
camping outside of English professor's offices...
What advice can you give to underclassman?
Talk to your professors whenever you get stuck in the writing
process. Every time I didn't, I ended up regretting it.
What are your plans for after graduation?
Do you think Ferris took that job as a fry cook on Mars? Just
kidding!
Well, I don't have any set plans yet, but I am looking into a
writing internship with Science News Magazine, and I was recently
accepted into a teaching program based in China. Ideally in the next
five to seven years I would like to have taught English abroad and
then return to the United States to pursue scientific journalism...
Oh yeah, I want to fit graduate school somewhere in there too!
When you come back to visit Monmouth in ten years, what do you
hope to see?
If Ben & Jerry's gone, I may cry. Also, I am still waiting for
Professor Willhardt to hire a personal seamstress to personalize his
vests. (Yeah, I don't think
they're original enough, yet.)
What was the best thing you read at Monmouth?
I really dug
Edward Albee's plays... They were great!
Any favorite quotes from the past four years?
I can't provide any verbatim, but I always loved my professor's
personal anecdotes! (If anyone has the time, I highly suggest asking
Professor Godde (from the Biology Department) how he graduated high
school early!)
Last words?
Stephanie Meyer is an awful writer.
(Low blow, Laura.)
Samantha Klein:
How are you
surviving your thesis?
Don't ask....Actually, I'm not doing too bad. I had a hard time
getting started but now that I am confident in my topic and thesis
things are going better.
What advice can
you give to underclassman?
Don't be afraid to go to professors with questions and problems.
Not only will you get help with the problem but your professors will
see that you care and are trying.
What are your
plans for after graduation?
The only definite plans I have are to take the summer off to spend
time with my daughter and husband. I do not have plans for a career
yet.
What was the best
thing you read at Monmouth?
This is a tough one. I don't want to say best but my favorite things
have been
East of Eden
by John Steinbeck (Literature and Film) and
Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof
by Tennessee Williams (Modern American Drama).
Sara Hawk
(ok, here we go)
What was your
favorite memory from your time at Monmouth?
I don't have a favorite
memory so far. I'm saving myself for commencement.
How are you
surviving your thesis?
By obsessing over it at
every minute, waiting until the last minute to write any of it down.
What advice can
you give to underclassman?
Do hard things.
What are your
plans for after graduation?
Ele-phino.
When you come
back to visit Monmouth in ten years, what do you hope to see?
A plaid banner that
says, "Welcome home, Sara. You're famous!" Standing on
the front lawn of the college: Craig
Watson, frowning generously in vague approval while Mark
Willhardt thrills me with an Ode to Sara on the flute... Stacey
Cordery looking classy in a vintage 3 piece suit. Gold buttons.
What was the best
thing you read at Monmouth?
Correpondences
with Willhardt. Everything by Flannery O'Connor.
Any favorite
quotes from the past four years?
Early is on
time. On time is too late. Late is "you're fired."
Last words?
Look forward. Think
fast.
Noelle Templeton
What was your
favorite memory from your time at Monmouth?
When Mark Willhardt made us all mixed CDs in "Angry Young Men,"
it was almost like we were friends.
How are you surviving your thesis?
Animaniacs videos on
Youtube.
Sporcle
Lots of whining.
What are your plans for after graduation?
Vampire-slaying
Cross-country jalopy trip
Stalking celebs as a paparazzo
What
was the best thing you read at Monmouth?
Pretty much everything
on
foundmagazine.com,
Lucky Jim,
A Clockwork Orange,
Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and "The
Ballad of Reading Gaol"
Survey Says!!!!
What is one book, poem, story, or play you've read this year that
should be on everybody's summer reading list?
Definitely
Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. I read it for Gothic Literature, and it
is the newest edition to my top 5 booklist. Would be a great summer read!
Kayt S. Griffith
The Castle
of Otranto.
It’s what you’ve all been waiting for.
Or
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone.
Noelle Marie
Templeton
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom is a fantastic
read. It is a true story about a Dutch family that helps
hide Jews during WWII, but then the family ends up in a Nazi
concentration camp themselves. It's an inspiring story
about the will to live and what matters most.
Carly Maki
The Kite Runner
Errick
Caruso
I think everyone
should read William R. Forstchen's
One Second After. It is a
frightening apocalyptic novel "in which one man struggles to save his family
and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war that sends our
nation back to the Dark Ages. A War lost because of a terrifying weapon, an
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)... that may already be in the hands of our
enemies" (quoted from the back cover).
Tiffany Veanne Lefler
A
String of Pearls
(Anonymous). This is the story on which the play Sweeney Todd
is based, and it is a great summer read (though not a great
book).
Rob
Hale
|
