An Urban Vision

From January 25 to February 23, 2007, the humanities symposium collaborated with Loyola College’s Julio Fine Arts Gallery to present an event called “Urban Visions”. The event featured an exhibition of artists and writers from the city of Baltimore. Artists and writers included Liz Bowie (journalist, Baltimore Sun), Andre Chung (photography, Baltimore Sun), Ellis Marsallis, III (t.p. Luce) (photography), Tony Shor (painting), and Dee Herget and Tom Lipka (painted screens). All of the works by the artists and writers came together to provide a spectator a true feeling for what the city of Baltimore is like. Baltimore is full of people and culture and these artists made an attempt to represent them.

Two of the artists that I thought really captured some of the traditional culture of Baltimore were Dee Herget and Tom Lipka. Both of these artists are known for their painted (window) screens. Screen painting was an art form on its way to being lost and forgotten until these artist were able to bring it back to Baltimore. Their painted screens depicted views of the city, as well as happy scenes of the countryside. This art form reminded me of the lecture that James Howard Kunstler gave several weeks ago. Kunstler spoke of a “new urbanism” that we must strive to build as we move on to the future. Mainly, he spoke of how people have lost the ideals of art and quality in a city which can actually put the city into being. Instead of building a building for the sake of it, that building should also be aesthetically pleasing because that is where people really able to draw feelings about the city. It is the small details and qualities in city that develop a reputation and allows it to thrive, even if someone had to put a little extra effort into it.

In the same way as the screen painters were able to display some of Baltimore’s culture, the photographers of the exhibit were able to successfully capture some of the life and the people of the city. Ellis Marsallis, III displayed some of the most moving photographs for me. He gave viewers a glimpse in black and white of the lives of some of the lower class families of Baltimore. It was a glimpse of life that was not only raw reality, but it was also community. Most of these photos were taken on sides of streets, where most of their daily life occurs. Daily life ranges from children hanging around having a good time, to older teenagers living alone and in fear with the belief that violence is a solution. Marsallis depicted a sometimes harsh reality of poverty that is often forgotten or just pushed away to the side by some. His photographs helped me to realize how grateful I am to be a student at Loyola College.

Being grateful for the opportunity given is an important lesson to learn, but another thing that I got out “Urban Visions” was the importance of developing a sense of community. I do not originate from the city of Baltimore, but I do currently reside in it. Getting involved with the city, the people, and the culture is what the Year of the City theme is all about. Getting involved and providing service to the city will be a goal of mine as long as I am resident of the great city of Baltimore.

Ignatius Lecture

On Wednesday February 21st I attended the lecture titled Staking Out the City / St. Ignatius and Jesuit Strategy by Father Thomas Lucas. Father Lucas currently works at San Francisco University and is a world-renowned architect. He graduated from Berkeley and some of his most famous restorations have been the Ignatius rooms in Rome and some areas actually in the Vatican. He was a very interesting man and the lecture was quite entertaining as well as informative, especially how Loyola College was introduced to the city.
Father Lucas started the lecture with a brief explanation of where the Jesuit institution came from. In 1492, in northern Spain, Saint Loyola was born. As he grew older he was faced with a choice: what was he going to do for the rest of his life? He had three ultimate choices. He could join the army, join the church, or become part of the court. Although I expected Father Lucas to say, “the church” he first chose the army. During one battle against France he lost his leg and had a near death experience. After which Ignatius realized he needed to reflect and re-adjust his life. He left his rich life and sword at home and he went to spend 11 months in the holy land. This long period of time eventually led to Ignatius’ enlightenment. He also experienced a nine-day rapture.
Ignatius however was far from his eventual goal. Many religious officials blew him off and considered him crazy. At thirty-one years of age Ignatius returned to elementary school to learn Latin. Latin, at the time, can be compared to the necessary computer skills for our day and age. After his schooling he went to Paris, which had approximately 300,000 people living in it. For five years he lived in Paris and formed a group who eventually became the Jesuits that we identify with today.
The group’s first stop was Jerusalem. All seven of the men then continued to Rome to put themselves to the service of the Pope. They were the first group to make Rome their headquarters. At this time Rome was not the glorious idea we have of it today. Most of the city was over run by wolves and prostitutes. In fact their original chapel was only one block away from the Jewish Ghetto’s. The location of this group of men continually changed and eventually went to central parts of the city.
Education was also not the primary focus of the Jesuits. It eventually evolved to it though. They opened schools all over the world, for example Japan and Lithuania. They did this because they first wanted to reach out to the urban population. They wanted to help everyone needy and create a universal goal in many regards. Wheat surprised me, however, was that the Jesuits were also social climbers. Ignatius was not shy about his wanting to make friends with the wealthy.
The location of the Jesuit intuitions was also very important to the founders. The target locations were first and foremost great nations, important cities, and universities that were well known. Ignatius wrote over 6,000 letters in his lifetime and only about 5% of them were religious. This also really surprised me because when one thinks of a Saint they assume they were next to perfection. It occurred to me that perfection is an impossible goal to expect out of anyone – Saint or not. We also learned that Loyola College in fact has had numerous location changes
Walt Whitman's poems have a similar grandeur found in Ignatius’s life as well. In One’s-Self I Sing the speaker of the poem is confused with his place in the world. There appears to be a male and female counterpoint that is struggling to understand how to make everything work. Ignatius had this quality in him as well because her specifically chose a different life than the one seemingly destined for him. He had two lives in one, and it’s interesting that such a tragic accident was the birth of his new self. In One’s-Self I Sing one can almost picture the speaker trying to figure out what to do or where to put this new self in society. In I sing the Body of Electric Whitman appears to be praising his lovers every literal details. Ignatius also had this excitement for life and a love for detail, although I don’t believe he wrote many poems about bodies.
Overall I think the lecture was very informative. I have a better understanding of Saint Ignatius and what it means to go to Loyola. I feel like I better understand what I should be portraying to the world in terms of the Jesuit education. One of the main reasons I chose to come to this institution because I felt the need to achieve something more with my life. Jesuit education is about the wellness of every part of the body mind and soul. As I talk to my friends at other schools they seem to be missing the greater meaning in life. Although I do not feel as though I totally know my purpose in this world, it helps to know where I am coming from. The poems and the lecture seen are not exactly similar, and yet they are all about people expressing what they love.

"Urban Visions"

As I continue to explore the city of Baltimore, I feel like I am becoming more aware of the real city and people that exist outside of the Loyola community. It is hard to take everything in account and fully appreciate the city as a whole, but I guess that is why we are challenged to explore and grow.
For this week’s event analysis, I chose to go to the Julio Art Gallery for the “Urban Visions” exhibit. The exhibit featured the work of Ellis Marsalis III, Andre Chung, Dee Herget, and Tom Lipka. I must admit that I was overwhelmed when I first entered and did not know where to begin looking. I immediately started thinking about the poems that we read in class last week about childhood and flashbacks into mine. I mainly focused on the photography that was presented and I tried to examine them as critical as possible. The photographs depicted life in Baltimore through the eyes of those who live in the more impoverished areas. The artists explored many aspects of life such as school, family, hanging out with friends, standing outside on the corner, and even the violence that these kids are forced to protect themselves against.
I was mainly attracted to the black and white photographs of Ellis Marsalis III. It is very difficult to describe the photographs because I had so many mixed emotions in dealing with them. Many of the people in the works looked content and almost happy with the way life was going. This surprised me because of the areas in which they live. I would think they would be cautious and always alert. But then I realized that their homes are in these areas. These people have adapted and survived in these neighborhoods, therefore they feel comfort and safety. This further made me think of my perception of Baltimore neighborhoods. I took a drive yesterday on my way home from class through a neighborhood off of northern parkway by the park and found myself nervous and wary as to what was going on. I drove down a long windy road and was surprised at what I saw. What I thought was a terrible neighborhood by the rugby field was surprisingly calm and fairly clean. People were outside doing yard work, I saw at least five older brothers walking with younger siblings who just got out of school, and I even saw a little girl riding a bike by herself. No one even really paid any attention to me as I stopped at stop signs.
I felt kind of bad when I got home because I was looking for the negative side that I associate with Baltimore and saw people just trying to make the best out of where they live. I realize that no one wants drugs and violence in their neighborhood, but I feel like sometimes things just go wrong in certain areas. I took mental photographs and many could easily be very similar to the ones in the gallery. Yes, there were some violent ones but the others depicted a normal everyday view of life in Baltimore and life can also be content here.

A Picture is worth a thousand words

The “Urban Visions” photo display in the art gallery truly shows that the Year of the City is fulfilling its task. The artists, especially Ellis Marsalis III, did an unbelievable job of demonstrating the ideas and principles of what it is like in the inner city of Baltimore to the oblivious community of Loyola. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” truly applies to Marsalis’ photographs. The whole aspect of Baltimore is depicted, not just the things that are aesthetically pleasing.
Marsalis had several pictures in his collection that dealt with the lifestyle of those in Baltimore, more specifically homeless children. Two particularly fascinating pictures include “Fished Boy” and “In the Shadow of the Trees”, both of which depicted a child staring into the camera. In “Fished Boy”, a wide-eyed little boy stares into the camera, almost inviting you to stare back. The emotion showed in his face is what really makes the viewer personally connect to the child, which is Marsalis’ way of getting those who saw this photograph to understand the actual living conditions of a homeless child in Baltimore. It forces the looker to realize the entirety of what Baltimore has to offer, not just the college campuses and the inner harbor. This kind of realization is what is ideal by means of the Year of the City, because it is forcing a connection between the student-body of Loyola and the inhabitants that we share the city with. The picture did not stop there, even after I continued to contemplate it. It had me thinking about how that boy and other little children like him are without a place to sleep in the snow, while I worry about how well I did on my macroeconomics midterm. The Jesuit aspect of the Year of the City I felt is connected to this, because of how it makes me think that there is a greater good that can be accomplished, which I personally need to help work towards. Not only that, but how I should be giving myself to help others, and not concerning myself with things like booking my plane ticket to Florida for spring break.
I received almost the same effect from “In the Shadow of the Trees”. The image of the boy barely visible in the picture with a gun makes the viewer realize the actual situation that people live in. They are forced to look at some negative aspect and realize that this picture is giving the city character. The single most thing that this photograph reminded me of was the poem by Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B”. In the poem the teacher tells the narrator to write a page about his life, which seems an impossible task. The idea of “a picture is worth a thousand words” plays perfectly into this situation because of how this picture is a perfect summary of this child’s life story. The violence and drug-related aspect of Baltimore which Loyola students are not aware of first-hand are given a face in this picture by this child, and serve as another way to connect with those we are trying to unite with.
From the portfolio of Ellis Marsalis and the other photographers, the Loyola student-body received a fantastic insight into life in the aspect of Baltimore to that which they are not accustomed. The artists truly did get their point across and managed to succeed in what I believe they were trying to, and have left a last impression on me and hopefully the other people fortunate enough to see their displays.

The Importance of Change

On February 22nd, Father Tom Lucas, came to Loyola College to discuss his ideas on collaborating the Eastern culture and the Western culture, in the St. Ignatius Cathedral in Shanghai, China. His talk parallels with Julia Alvarez’s “Queens,” in that they both are faced with a new decision, a new setting, and a new culture. Father Tom Lucas is creating the stained glass designs for the church in order to make it feel more like the Chinese culture, while also including the true religious aspects of the Christian past. Father Tom Lucas is the professor of art and design at University of San Francisco and he has a doctorate in theology. He directed and redesigned St. Ignatius Cathedral, and he gracefully wrote Land marking: City Church and Urban Strategizing. He is now working on a project in Shanghai, China; he is coordinating the stained glass design at St. Ignatius Cathedral. The moral of his project is closely related to the moral of “Queens” by Julia Alvarez.
In “Queens” the speaker talks about her immigration to America and the difficulties of adapting to the American culture. Alvarez writes about how moving to America was such a huge change from her homeland of the Dominican Republic. This idea relates to the lecture by Father Tom Lucas, in that, he was also adapting to change and working with change; he knew that he had to change the culture of the cathedral so that the Chinese would feel more comfortable. There a vast history of China; their culture and background is very particular; one symbol in particular was the rose. It first began in Eastern Asia with a thorn bush that spread through attracting people’s attention and cross-breeding into China and eventually spreading into Turkey.
One thing that Alvarez talks about in “Queens” is that she has to deal with the many different cultures around her and somehow intertwine with them to make one. This relates to the hybridization that Father Tom Lucas used to blend the Chinese culture with the symbols of Christianity. Father Tom Lucas took the Chinese symbol of the rose to create his stained glass masterpieces. He went on to say that the hybridization of the rose began in the West. Hybridization is neither all good nor all bad; it is how nature and we as human beings do our business; the moral of such a process is how tings change.
The one thing that Father Tom Lucas wanted to focus on in this cathedral was the pictures and images, since they are known to give us that feeling of beauty within the artwork. Matteo Ricci was the mastermind behind having the west move into China; he worked on adapting Christianity with local cultures and people.
One of the main questions of the time for St. Ignatius Cathedral was to restore or to renovate? This question parallels with “Queens;” it makes Julia Alvarez ask herself, “Do I blend in and maintain my culture past or do I change it to adapt to this cruel new setting? While Alvarez decided to keep her cultural background, Father Tom Lucas decided it would be best to renovate the cathedral. Originally the cathedral was all French Catholicism with no Chinese culture. Jesus had red hair and Mary had blonde hair which showed that there was no Chinese culture. They decided to renovate and add the Chinese culture; a new hybrid of Catholicism and Chinese culture today. They were trying to relate the gospel with Chinese customs and symbols. The St. Ignatius Cathedral is coming along very well and the glass windows are still being put in; Father Tom Lucas occasionally goes over to Shanghai to check up on his masterpiece. The moral of the talk and of the poem is that things change and we must adapt to those changes in culture and in life; and we shall not cease from exploration. In “Queens” Alvarez is able to handle the culture shock that she experiences and make the best of it; while Father Tom Lucas is also able to make the best of the cathedral by combining the Christian faith with the symbols and culture of the Chinese. Both were able to adapt to change and accept the new hybrid that was produced from intertwining of the cultures and images.

Photographs of Reality

When I think of guns and violence, children almost never come to mind. When I think of the problems facing Baltimore, children almost never come to mind. The photographs by Ellis Marsalis (t.p. Luce) changed my perspective. You cannot only look at the sugar coated realities of Baltimore, but you must look deeper, until you can see all of it's truths.

In his collection, Marsalis attempts to portray what it is like in his community in Eastern Baltimore. The first picture that caught my attention was “In the shadow of the trees”. In this photograph, a boy looking to be around 14 years old is standing tall starring directly into the camera. He is on the far right side of the frame, and only half of his body is visible in the shot. The top of his head is also cut off by the frame. The black and white picture is extremely striking and I found myself looking into the child’s eyes. His head is tilted, and his eyes are filled with sadness and exhaustion. My eyes slowly moved down the picture and there seemed to be a park in the background. As I followed the line of a fence at the boy’s side, I finally noticed something in the boy’s hand. There, barely visible on the far right side of the photo, gripped tightly by the boy’s hand, was a gun.

I moved to the next photograph and once again saw a boy, but this time the boy was sitting on steps. The boy sits on the far right of the frame, with one of his elbow’s resting upon his knee. He is looking down to his side, where a gun is sitting. After looking at the photograph I noticed that the boy was sucking his thumb. I was overwhelmed by the irony and contrast of the picture. The boy’s side of the picture is filled with emotion, and texture. You can see the shadows on his body, the detail in his face, the texture of his jeans. On the other side of the photograph, there is merely a white space, and an emptied gun. Seeing the boy staring into this emptiness, while sucking his thumb was an extremely powerful image. They are just children, children being forced into a world that children should never be exposed to. The title of the photograph is “manchild eyes on the prize”.

This collection of photographs added a new perspective to my view of Baltimore. While I was always aware of the troubles facing the adult community of Baltimore, and how poverty affected children, I never really thought of the affects violence had on the youth. So what is to blame? Is it the location, is it the government, is it the parents, is it drugs, are guns to easily accessible, does today’s culture advocate and glorify violence too much? I honestly don’t know the answer, but I do believe that asking the question is almost as important as finding the answer. Yes, I do think it is important to better help the adult population, but it is the children that are the future, and if these pictures are any indication of even a small majority of the youth population, something needs to be done. Had I not seen these photographs, I do not think I would have been aware of the violence problem in Baltimore’s youth. While some of the images were hard to look at, and hard to accept, Loyola’s Year of the City is about raising awareness. Baltimore is an extremely diversified community. With areas of extreme wealth, and extreme poverty, very little crime, and overpowering crime, it is important to be aware of all aspects of the community to better be a part of the community.

The photographs also reminded me of the poems Walt Whitman, “One's-Self I Sing,” and “I Sing the Body Electric”. “One’s Self I Sing” is a poem that discusses segregation, and the realities of democracy. “One's-self I sing, a simple separate person,/Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-Masse.” (Lines 1-2). The words “single separate person” tell the reader that while the speaker is only one man, he is separated from other men. He “utter(s) the word democracy” to show that while we live in a supposed democracy, the ideals do not always apply to everyone. This reminds me that perhaps the pictures of the boys and their circumstances were in fact caused by a lack of governmental help. Perhaps democracy did not help these boys and their neighborhoods. “I Sing the Body Electric” discusses what makes up a person. The speaker goes through every body part and shows that an appreciation for all parts of the body, attractive or unattractive, you can better appreciate the soul. “O I say these are not the parts and poems of the body only, but of the soul,/ O I say now these are the soul.” (lines 35-36) The photographs remind us that you cannot only look at one part of Baltimore, we must look at all parts, the good and the bad to appreciate the heart and soul of Baltimore. The photographs by Ellis Marsalis remind us that problems, and bad things do exist. Although we may not like to think of ourselves as part of the problem, by not working for a solution, we are. Although we may not live in these communities, or know these faces, as residents of Baltimore, and residents in this country, in this world, we are connected. It IS our problem. After all, as Edmund Burke said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Urban Visions

Whether it is through college essays, class assignments, or the roommate selection process, we are constantly being asked to define ourselves. Who are we? Black, white, Spanish, Italian, liberal, conservative? Is it really that simple? Can we really categorize ourselves in the same ways that artists categorize their artwork—by line, shape, color, and texture?

Even though, in a society that places such strong emphasis on outward appearance, there may be the tendency to judge people on the basis of externalities (where they live, what they wear, or who they associate with), it is necessary to recognize that, like any good piece of artwork, a person is made up of many different layers. And although a person’s external qualities may seem to define them entirely, they are simply meant to capture the viewer’s attention and force them to look closer at the more distinct, particular details.

Nonetheless, while Loyola may be located in the heart of Baltimore City, on the outskirts of one of the areas most troubled and dangerous communities, it is inevitable that students here are, if not entirely oblivious, rather ignorant towards the problems of the surrounding areas. In fact, at one of the lectures I attended regarding the Loyola College Truths program, students adamantly joked about the concept of the “Loyola Bubble”, a term clearly used to describe the inability of Loyola’s students to see beyond the boundaries of its campus. And while, at first, I found the term slightly amusing, the more I began to think about it, the more frustrating it became. To put it literally, there is no bubble, just a curb, a street, and a sidewalk—nothing impenetrable. Only a measly street separates us from rows of housing developments and inner-city schools and yet somehow the only knowledge we have of the surrounding area is the information provided in the emails distributed by the Baltimore City and Loyola College Police Departments. And even then, the information we receive is one-sided.

Consequently, this past week the Julio Art Gallery, located in the College Center near McManus Theater, ran an exhibit in conjunction with the Humanities Symposium, Urban Spaces Urban Voices, and the Year of the City initiative. The exhibit, which featured six local artists: Andre F. Chung, a photo journalist with the Baltimore Sun, Liz Bowie, a journalist for the Sun, Ellis Marsalis III (t.p. Luce), poet, photographer, and author of thaBloc, Tony Shore, and Tom Lipka and Dee Herget, two of Baltimore’s original screen painters, was presented with the intention of exposing Loyola College students to the realities of urban life, or more specifically life in inner city Baltimore.

In particular, I found myself drawn towards the work of Ellis Marsalis III, more commonly know by the name of t.p. Luce, the author and creator of thaBloc. ThaBloc, which is a compilation of Luces’s artwork and poetry, reveals some of the most discomforting, yet truthful, aspects of the Baltimore area. As a citizen of East Baltimore himself, Marsalis yields to no boundaries. Instead, he goes beyond pop culture, mythology, stereotypes, pre-conceived notions, and nonsense to present raw images of inner-city society. Like Langston Hughes, Barbara Hamby, and many of the other artists we have discussed over the course of this semester, Marsalis seems to understand that the most important thing that one culture can give to another or to the world, beyond ideas and technology, is their story—the truth of themselves, their journey, their love, their fear, and their pain.

In other words, his photographs, among the many others displayed throughout the exhibit, provide meaning to the question—who are we? We are the future. We are the truth. We are tomorrow.

Blog #6: James J. Kelly Presentation

James J. Kelly’s presentation “To Create a New Society within the Shell of the Old” is based on local housing in Baltimore as well as throughout the country. This housing benefits those in the lower levels of society. Kelly holds degrees from both the University of Virginia as well as Columbia and is currently an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore. Professor Kelly works closely with the Catholic Worker Movement and the Community Land Trust Movement. The main concept of his presentation is in its title, “To Create a New Society within the Shell of the Old.”

The two aspects of his presentation were the Market and the State. The market and the state represent marginalized communities and people. The shells of these two aspects are the areas in which we choose our own individual interests. The shells we live within push us to the edge as well as come from places on the edge.
Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day are both co-founders of the Catholic Worker Movement. Without Dorothy Day, the Catholic Worker Movement would have never existed. Dorothy put Peter’s words into action. The Catholic Worker Movement provides houses of hospitality, communal farms to connect people to the land, as well as meetings for clarification and thought.

Chuck Matthei is the co-founder of the Community Land Trust Movement. Matthei lives by the quote “Find a group of people doing good work and make yourself indispensable.” Local communities must be able to control basic resources if they will be in the market and state shells. The Community Land Trust Movement solely relies on subsidies. It is a democratically controlled, non-profit organization. It holds land perpetually for community determined purposes. This movement consists of a group of people working with one another to hold land for permanently affordable homes, conservation, and community based economic development. Local communities must be rooted in craft and human need.

Professor Kelly’s speech correlates to Julia Alvarez’s poem Queens. The poem Queens is based on a neighborhood block that must become accustomed to change when a black family moves in. The neighbors that have been living there feel that as if the block is “changing hands.” This is proven in lines 8-9, “Then the house across the street sold to a black family.” This relates to the neighbors surrounding the developments formed by the land trust movement. As more of one racial class moves into the area the surrounding neighbors feel as if they are becoming the minority and that their neighborhood is changing hands. Line 6, “we were blended into the block” relates to the people moving into the communities that are developed by the Community Land Trust Movement. The people moving into these communities blend together as a whole considering that they are all coming from the same social class. It was Mrs. Bernstein who said in lines 42-43, “it was time the neighborhood opened up.” She recalled what it was like to be the first Jew on the block. As a part of the Year of the City initiatives and what the Catholic Worker Movement stands for we must take it among ourselves to open up to the community and welcome those less fortunate than us. Lines 47-48, “But real estate worried her, our houses’ plummeting value” represent the low prices caused by subsidies and price ceilings that the land trust movement puts on the houses in their developments. The subsidies and price ceilings work to favor the low income residents that these developments are built for. This line is also relates to the concerns that the surrounding neighbors have regarding the market value of their homes after these low income housing developments are built.

Together the Catholic Worker Movement and the Community Land Trust Movement create economic diversity within communities. The communities that these foundations benefit help to open their arms to those less fortunate. The Year of the City program runs parallel to these foundations because they fulfill the ideals of what the Jesuits expect of us.

Urban Visions

The major theme of last week’s readings was children’s perceptions of the world. In all four poems, the speakers reflected on childhood experiences and relationships. This theme was also present in the exhibit at Loyola’s Julio Art Gallery, “Urban Visions.” The exhibit went along with this year’s Humanities Symposium, “Urban Spaces, Urban Voices,” which involved the talk from producer David Simon. Artists Ellis Marsalis III, Tom Lipka, Dee Herget, and Andre Chung used photography and window screen painting to depict the lives of Baltimore residents.
Ellis Marsalis’ work caught my eye first and was my favorite part of the show. The blurb beside his collection of photographs stated his intent to “discover the story of us all” as a community, neighborhood, and world. In addition to being a photographer he is a poet, which is perhaps why his description of his work was so moving. The series of black-and-white pictures showed various children in impoverished areas of Baltimore. All of the youngsters appeared innocent yet tough. Their curiosity shines through their big, bright eyes, while their hard exterior makes clear the difficulties they have already been through and expect to endure again. The photos of the older kids showed an even more intimidating attitude; they look to be only thirteen but are holding guns. There were other images of families and people of all ages looking quite content despite grim surroundings. This artwork provoked incredible feelings of sadness in me—another reminder of some of the realities people have to deal with, not just in Baltimore but all over the world. Rather than the carefree, true happiness the characters in the poems felt, these children seemed to feel hopeless.
Andre Chung, a photojournalist for the Baltimore Sun, had a series of photographs depicting older children. He wanted to capture the “relationships of people of color to each other and to the world.” There were several images of major events in a teen’s life: prom and graduation. The photographs of prom—the preparation and the actual dance—portrayed the event well: family bombarding kids with cameras, dancing with their best friends until their feet hurt. I thought the best was one of graduation, where one boy was the focus of the picture, eyes filled with tears, and behind him were the rest of his classmates jumping for joy. The image is the most accurate depiction of graduating I have ever seen; it shows the complex and overwhelming mixture of sadness, ecstasy, fear, excitement, and everything else I and many other teens—of every race—felt on that momentous day. Other photographs showed more everyday teenage life at school. There was one of a disapproving black, female guidance counselor shaking her head at a male student and one of a black boy sitting at a computer while a white girl awkwardly hugged him from behind. The other more striking photo of the bunch was of three young males standing on a street seemingly having a good time but in a very bad neighborhood, one that actually resembled some I’ve seen near York Road. Are we supposed to assume they are gang members, drug dealers, or regular kids, based on their race? Chung did an excellent job in depicting stereotypes, not to condone that kind of thinking but to make us figure out how not to.
Two of the artists, Tom Lipka and Dee Herget, are two of Baltimore’s original window screen painters. Their images were not of children, but of suburbs and the countryside. They featured scenic gardens, log cabins by the water, and small town squares in which the townspeople went about their daily activities. The bright, colorful, simplistic paintings were basically the opposite of the other Baltimore photographs. Lipka and Herget were probably portraying places very different from what they had known and perhaps wanted to experience more.
This was my first time viewing a professional art exhibit at Loyola, and I was pretty impressed. These Baltimore artists provided great insight into Baltimore and people in general through their work, tying in many of the themes we have discussed in class such as children’s views and urban life. I would have liked to hear the panel discussion of the artwork, but I feel as if I got to know the artists on a very real level by seeing the world through their eyes.

Blog Week 6

On Monday Feburary 20, 2007 I attended a lecture given by the keynote speaker, James Kuntsler. James Kuntsler spoke about problems in our economy which included the trouble that we have with oil. He spoke about our society and its plans for the future concerning oil. He discussed that we do have problems and they are not going to be solved anytime soon.
He started out giving us the facts about oil production. He stated that we do have a climate problem and this is affected by oil. The world is starting to decrease its oil production. We use about 7 billion barrels of oil a year and 70-80% of the oil we started out with we no longer have. The oil that is left is heavy and crude and this type of oil gives less gasoline. Oil is not only used for cars, it affects many different aspects of our life and living without it would be devastating to our everyday life.
Our society relies on everyone else to do the thinking and that eventually a solution will be found. People think as long as we have technology we will have energy. This is not true technology doesn’t equal energy, just because we have technology doesn’t mean that there is a solution to the problem. He predicted that our entire way of living is going to change once oil runs out. He said that we are going to have to downscale everything we do and live a more local lifestyle. He predicted that we would digress in the way we live. We would make food closer to home and agriculture would need more human labor. For example cheese would be made in the same place as the cow which is much different from production today.
He made the lecture entertaining but making jokes about our society. He said that when people wish upon a star they think dreams come true. Even though he made it seem like a joke this is a very true statement. This relates back to Jesuit education and how it teaches its student to be in control of their dreams and not to let others control them. In our society most people are followers waiting for someone to lead them. This is shown in the oil crisis; everyone is waiting for someone else to come up with the solution. This is an example of how Jesuit education would help, because it is teaching everyone to become a leader and to find the solution and not become apart of the problem.
In the Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera there is a theme of leadership. The tribe’s main figure is a whale. If the whales die then their society will die with the whales. In a way this can be related back to our society. If the oil dies then our society will die. Obviously our society would not actually die without oil but it would be changed a great deal. In the novel Kahu the granddaughter took control of the situation and saved the whales. She led the tribe and saved them from what would come if the whales no longer existed. We are waiting for our Kahu. We are waiting for someone to take control and end this crisis, to find a solution. If everyone was trying to find a solution and working together it would be found much quicker. The author of the Whale Rider might be trying to tell us that one leader is not always right. There may have to be many people needed to help change a situation for the better.
James Kuntsler made the point that it is already too late to help the oil crisis. I disagree with this statement. I know I haven’t done as much research as him and don’t know as much about the economy and oil, but I do know that when people come together incredible outcomes have been achieved. The more that we learn that there is a leader in each and every one of us, the stronger we will become as person and a society. Jesuit education is helping me understand this and helping me understand more about myself and how I have the ability to make a difference in anything I put my mind to.

"Urban Visions" Panel Discussion

The panelists who took part in the “Urban Visions” panel discussion last Wednesday explained their experiences with the city of Baltimore. Two of the panelists described their time spent with two homeless teenagers while working on a series called “On Their Own.” These two panelists, Andre Chung and Liz Bowie, told the audience how all of their stereotypes about the poor and homeless had been shattered by this first-hand experience. Another panelist, Ellis Maralis, who published Tha Bloc, discussed myths associated with “the ghetto” after having lived in a city his entire life. These stereotypes and myths that the panelists described brought up the importance of looking beyond the assumptions associated with the city and truly seeing it for what it really is.

Liz Bowie and Andre Chung spent nine months following Iven and Gary, two homeless teenagers in East Baltimore. After spending this time with them, Liz Bowie said that she looks at children on the street completely differently. Even though these teenagers had rough childhoods and one lives from house to house while the other stays in a deserted, un-heated townhouse, Iven and Gary amazed Liz and Andre with their spirits. While following the boys, Liz Bowie could not believe that she felt comfortable in a place where there were three shootings over a ten month period. In the boys’ neighborhood, there was still an amazing sense of community, and no one walked down the street that the boys did not know.

Ellis Maralis wanted to portray his Baltimore neighborhood in Tha Bloc because he wanted to address the “mythology” surrounding city neighborhoods. He felt that we are saturated with the “myth of the ghetto,” and most of it is complete “nonsense.” The neighborhood in which he lives is not as bad as it seems on the news; we are convinced this so-called “ghetto” is worse than it actually is. Maralis’s perception of where he lives is very positive because he sees the advantages of living close to people. The city reminds him of when he first had kids and of how much human contact they needed. His neighborhood provides this human contact for him. Maralis also mentioned how surprised he is about how much people who have next to nothing are so quick to lend each other money if one of them is in need. These selfless gestures he observed further reminded him that the stereotypes about the ghetto were, for the most part, unfounded and completely untrue.

These false assumptions and stereotypes that the panelists described reminded me about the theme of assumptions that was brought up in many of the works that we read for class. “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Zora Neale Hurston starts by saying, “It was a Negro yard around a Negro house…” yet it continues by saying, “But there was something happy about the place.” Hurston includes this line about it being a happy place to destroy the readers’ stereotypes, just as Liz and Andre’s preconceived stereotypes were destroyed.

“My Papa’s Waltz” also deals with shattered assumptions because it describes an alcoholic father, yet the reader should not assume that the father does not love his son. The father loves his son in the only way he knows how, and readers should not form assumptions based only on the first line, which starts, “The whiskey on your breath.”

The reader has to look deeper into the work of literature to discover the true message, just as we should look beyond what we see on the news to discover the true city of Baltimore. The panelists spent extensive periods of time in the city to realize how wrong the stereotypes and the myths were, yet if we open our minds and stop making unfounded assumptions, we too can experience a similar revelation.

Year of the City Event 3

“Urban Visions” is the title of the Year of the City display that could have been found in the art gallery of the Andrew White Student center. In this exhibit was the work of a few different artists whose goals were to capture images pertaining to Baltimore and Year of the City. All of the artists’ works were presented well, but I felt that the artist that best captured the theme of “Urban Visions” in their work was Ellis Marsalis, III (tp. Luce).

Marsalis’ photographed various people in the city. The photographs included a piece titled “Fished Boy” which depicted a young boy against a brick wall. After studying the piece and reading the artist’s statement, I began to really see the artist’s point of view. In the statement, the artist wrote about how every person has a story. I particularly noticed this aspect in “Fished Boy.” In this image, the boy’s eyes are wide and full of emotion. I saw fear, shyness, curiosity, confusion, and willingness in his eyes. The boy’s eyes are what really struck me when I first looked at the image. After a second viewing, I noticed all of the emotion in the boy’s eyes. I interpreted this as telling part of the boy’s story. Every person has a unique story. Each person’s life is full of experiences that only they can call their own. This image helped to portray this idea. Seeing the different emotions in the boy’s eyes helps the viewer to realize that this boy and all people have a story to tell.

I correlated this piece with the poem “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas. In this poem, Thomas writes of the blissful innocence of childhood. The image captures the innocence of the boy. The fact that he is without a shirt in the photograph is a reminder of how children run around without caring about how they are dressed or what they look like. The emotions in the boy’s eyes also portray innocence. I saw fear and curiosity in his eyes. Most children have some sort of fear, but they are curious about the world around them and often envelop themselves into a world of imagination, similar to the pretend games and other ideas expressed in “Fern Hill.”

Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B” also exemplifies the idea of identity in individuals. The assignment given to the speaker by the instructor in the poem is to write a page about him. Throughout the poem, the speaker begins to better articulate who he is and how he is different from the instructor and other people. Similarly, Marsalis’ photographs showed how every person is unique.

Lastly, the art exhibit reminded me of Barbara Hamby’s “Ode to American English.” Barbara Hamby uses different examples to portray the individual aspects of the United States. The speaker talks about how America is a diverse culture that is unrefined but unique. The personality of America has a variety not found in France or other sophisticated European countries. She describes America as a culmination of many cultures that is written in a form to which many people can relate. This individualist attitude of the poem is seen in Marsalis’ photographs. Like the poem, the pictures show an appreciation for culture and diversity.

blog #6

For the past couple of weeks I have been making the half an hour driving to the Millbrook Elementary School, to help out with the refugee youth program. Each day it is something different. All the children I work with are the elementary school age, so from first grade to fifth grade, and they are all Meshketian Turks. They are all brothers and sisters or neighbors. Some days it can get out of control with the drop kicks and slapping and remembering how to explain fractions let alone remember the fundamentals. Whether it is patience, caring, fractions, and even some Russian, I always leave with more than I came with.
On Monday, I wasn’t ready for the three hours that I would be spending sitting in a tiny chair meant for a first grader at the Millbrook School. I had finals to study for, and cultural events to attend, and papers to write. But when I got there it was worth it. Although the little boys were all ready pumping themselves full of sugar having orange soda chugging contests, and staining the fifty states carpet, their sly grins when they saw me walk in made me realize that today was not a day to not be prepared. They are really smart kids but the language differences makes spelling and math homework that much harder. But once we got through the homework, and the mayhem of twister with all siblings started, I took my usual place drawing with those who could be calmed. On boy, who distinctly stated, “I’m a poet”, went on to draw a picture entitled rabbit boat and I was stirring the ship. But the day became worthwhile when at the end, “to- Ms. Louisa” was stamped on it in perfect spelling.
After reading the poems from last class and the idea of race and the idea that we are the same on the inside and that we can keep our unique cultural differences but still be together as one, it made me realize how important this program is to these kids. Children can be so cruel and they show it in the way they treat some of these children. They speak differently and not as well. They don’t have as many of the opportunities but watching them interact they are no different then my sisters and me. They would rather play and draw than do their work. They fight and they are so compassionate and sweet. They are the same as every other kid that I have ever met. But just as in the poem “Queens, 1963” by Julia Alvarez, her neighbors are all separated by their unique backgrounds instead of it uniting them.
This is an experience that has given me so much and it helps me relate to so many of the works that we have been studying this year. It teaches you the power of the individual. These children are always full of life no matter what situations they have been put through. Everyday is a new experience and a new lesson. Just like the poem “Theme for English B”, I realized that although I am teaching them something about English, fractions, and the American culture, they are able to teach me so much more able life and what is important in it.

Relay

I went through a bit of a crisis trying to figure out what to write for this event. My usual event analysis is tutoring a girl at Mother Seton Academy, but she was absent and I didn’t have much notice to attend something else. So, granted, it isn’t really an event for another month, I have decided to talk about Relay for Life. As a committee member, it is always good for us to get the word out to everyone we know (just in case you guys actually read this blog – sign up!!!!), and the meetings are technically like events and it’s for a good cause. So awareness is always good!

Relay for Life is an American Cancer Society event that raises money to help find a cure for cancer. It started with one man, who walked around a track for 24 hours gathering donations that he put towards cancer research in 1985. Now there are Relays all over the world! The concept is to have teams raise money from their friends and family, which goes towards the American Cancer Society. At the actual event, which lasts from 7 PM to 7 AM, one person from each team has to be circling the track at all times, in honor of the doctor who started Relay.

Being on the Relay for Life committee has given me an inside look at the behind the scenes action that goes into planning something like this. It isn’t quite Year of the City material, but it is doing something positive for the entire world, including Baltimore. We get to meet cancer survivors, caregivers, family members, etc, and learn how the words “you have cancer” have changed their lives forever. It is so moving and so inspiring to hear stories of battling cancer, and overcoming it.

One thing I did learn about this experience is the generosity in the hearts of people. I am on the sponsorship/fundraising committee and we have to send out letters to Baltimore-based businesses and ask them for a monetary donation or a food donation if they are a food-related business. So far, we’ve raised a ton of money, and nearly everyone we’ve asked has been more than willing to help us out. There is one month left till the event, and Sam’s bagels has already started freezing bagels to give us in the morning at the end of Relay. We’ve gotten donations from places on York Road, downtown Baltimore, Towson, White Marsh. It’s incredible.

The one thing that I wonder about that is connected to Year of the City is how there are so many homeless in Baltimore. We have gotten donations for $500, and it makes you wonder if these same people who gave us those would give a few bucks to a homeless man on the corner down the street from his office. Apparently not. If the whole world was as giving as the people who have donated to our cause, we wouldn’t have places like York Road, Baltimore.

Exposure to Something New

From the beginning of my time here at Loyola College, I have had countless conversations about the hypothetical bubble that students are secluded in. Most observations and opinions seem to be the same: we should be in a bubble with York Road a couple of blocks away. While safety is a legitimate reason to believe that Loyola should have a “closed” campus, it would be incorrect to believe that all of Baltimore is dangerous and violent. The goal of the Year of the City is to take us as students out of our comfort zone and introduce us a new culture. While we should awaken to the harsh conditions some people live in, we must also realize the beautiful differences in other cultures. On Monday, February 26, a different and unique culture was brought to the students of Loyola College.
The Sankofa Dance Troupe erupted in the loud beats of the drums and flashy dance. McGuire Hall transformed into a center for cultural learning and indulgence. The sight of their dance was truly amazing and distinctive. I have only been exposed to the Argentine and Jamaican cultures in my life. While I was much more exposed to the daily lives of the Argentines, the resort in Jamaica was secluded from the rest of the country by a large wall. This Ghanaian dance ritual exposed me to an ethnicity that I have had no previous knowledge of. It was truly exciting to see how the Dance Troupe executed their movements and the intensity and emotion that they displayed. However, the excitement they displayed could not top the excitement and nervousness that overcame me when they asked for the crowd to participate in the dance with them. Dancing is something I do not consider myself good at doing, nor do I attempt to dance unless I am forced too. Nevertheless, as I observed the crowd partake in the dance with the Sankofa Troupe, I felt that in order to get the full experience of the event I needed to dance as well.
I may not have always thought that the Sankofa Dance Troupe as astonishing and unique. I went to a Jesuit high school, and it too exposed us to the differences in cultures. However, I can remember as a freshman in high school attending a cultural assembly. Many of the readings and performances done on stage were entertaining, but nothing more than that. I could not see the beauty in the different cultures that demonstrated some of their rituals. My friends and I would look on lackadaisically and maybe crack a joke about something every now and then. I regret not being able to see the splendor that other cultures have to offer. Having much matured since my freshman year, I am glad that I am able to appreciate what other cultures practice and believe. I hope that the Year of the City will only help me grow further in the appreciation of others.

Blog 6: James Kuntsler Lecture

On February 20, 2007 I attended a lecture by James Kuntsler in McManus Theater. Kuntsler was here as the Humanities Symposium keynote speaker and the majority of his lecture was about our nation’s plan for energy sources in the future. He also spent time discussing his latest book “The Long Emergency” which is primarily about the global oil problem. Going along with this year’s theme of urban spaces, urban voices and the year of the city, Kuntsler also discussed the situation that is present in today’s oil economy.

James Kuntsler began his lecture by discussing his book “The Long Emergency.” The primary points in the book were about the global oil problem that the entire planet is up against and the consequences that it may lead to. From there he branched off and started discussing why it is becoming such an important issue in today’s world. Kuntsler talked about how every year we are consistently using more and more oil. He said that Mexico, which is our number two supplier of oil, has now been completely absorbed of oil and that the majority of oil left is crude oil. Since crude oil contains a significantly lower amount of gasoline, the situation is only getting worse.

At this point of the lecture I began thinking about David Simon’s lecture that took place a little more than two weeks ago. Throughout his entire lecture it seemed as though he had a very negative view on the future of our economy. Similarly, Kuntsler maintained a very pessimistic outlook, only this time with regard to our over consumption of oil. Kuntsler went on to talk about the possible outcomes of complete depletion of oil. He said that the institutions that surround our daily lives will reach a very unstable point. Without incoming oil, gasoline will be gone. Thinking about what will happen if the world ran out of gasoline is almost scary. In the United States, if you do not live in the city and you do not have a car, it is almost not possible to lead a normal life.

This was where Kuntsler went next with his lecture. He began discussing how it was important for those in the United States to start considering using trains more frequently. If more people began using public transportation, oil, gasoline, and in the end, energy will be saved. While this is a good point and it would definitely help the situation, I do not agree. The amount of oil that would be saved would not be able to help the country in the extreme long run. Also, I feel as though there is enough technology in today’s world for this crisis to be solved. Electric and solar powered cars are already available. These would require absolutely not gasoline at all. Even the use of hybrid cars across the country would substantially lower our countries painfully high intake of gasoline.

In the end I felt as though Kuntsler’s argument was obviously extremely valid. The threat of the income of oil coming to an end is an extremely important issue and one that should in no way be overlooked. On the other hand, I feel that he has way to much of a pessimistic view on the entire situation. It seems almost as though he is putting no faith in the scientists and others who are working just as hard as he is at their job in order to put an end to this crisis which has suddenly spiraled completely out of control.

Sankofa African Dance Theatre

On Monday, ALANA hosted the Sankofa African Dance Theatre in McGuire Hall as a part of Black History Month. As I entered McGuire Hall, I saw many men and women dressed in traditional African clothing rushing about the room, and became worried as I thought that this event would be a long lecture on history.
The event began with an address on the theme of this year’s Black History Month. “To go back and get it” was the theme that ALANA chose to represent the events of this month. They had meant for the theme to inspire people to enrich themselves in the history of Africa.
The presentation by the Sankofa Dance Theatre began shortly after the introduction by a member of ALANA. One of the members of the dance theatre came forward and explained the purpose behind their appearance that night. She told us that through the dancing, they were traveling around Western African, which was formerly the Malawi Empire. We would begin in Ghana and travel through the other countries and the dances and drums would show us their customs and cultures, and at the end of the event we would return to Ghana. She told us that Sankofa means “reaching back to move forward.” I immediately thought about what that meant to me and how the event contributed to the Year of the City. We cannot move forward in life without understanding from our past. Our past teaches us what mistakes to avoid as we progress in life and it allows us to appreciate what we have today. As the speaker told the audience, “learning from the past allows us to appreciate everyone around us” and it also teaches us not create barriers that separate us from people who are different. In African tradition, the past represented a time when soul and spirit were not separate from the body. The year of the city teaches that same belief. We should not create barriers between Loyola and the people in the city of Baltimore and instead we should venture out into the city to understand the history and culture that makes Baltimore what it is. When we create these barriers we are repeating the same mistakes that were made in the past, and in doing so we are taking for granted what Baltimore has to offer.
The second part of the event allowed the audience to see the significance of drums and dancing in the everyday lives of African Americans. The drums being played at this event are called “jimbae” which are traditionally played in West Africa. The drums are made of wood, cow skin, and metal rings. The drums make three sounds, a tone a slap and a base. There were three drums that were being played, the first was “kinkimi” which has the highest pitch, the second was the “songba” which plays a major part of the melody, and lastly the “doondooba” which is the heartbeat of the rhythm. While he was explaining the meaning of each of the sounds, I was preoccupied with being able to spell the traditional African names properly and I missed out on a part of it, however, I did manage to hear how it is that the dancer and the drummer are in such synch with each other. As I watched the dances, it seemed that each dancer was reenacting the beats of the drums, and the drummer explained that “break” or a simple tap of the drum signaled the dancer to be prepared to begin or stop. Today drums are used mainly for musical purposes. But in African history, drums were an essential part of everyday life. Not only were the drums used for music and celebrations but also they were a method of communication between villages.
The event suddenly turned into a dancing lesson. In an attempt to get the entire audience involved in the event, the drummers had us all follow the movements of the traditional African Dancers. The event was not only an interesting history lesson but it became an interactive event that the entire audience took pleasure in participating. This event shows us the past of the majority of the population if Baltimore. Last semester I wrote a paper about appreciating what it means to live in Baltimore after visiting a museum in the city. This event in many ways brought the information and knowledge that a museum has to offer to Loyola. With every event of the Year of the City, you get to see a new part of the city and it teaches you about the rich past of Baltimore that many of us forget to take the time out to learn about.

Panel Discussion

Last week I attended the panel discussion held in McManus Theater. Many of the speakers’ points and topics go along with the ideas and principles we are practicing here at Loyola.
Liz Bowie is a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. She talked about her series "On Their Own" which has gotten a lot of attention from the public. She worked on this series with Andre Chung, who was the photographer for the project. The two followed two homeless teens in Baltimore who are trying to make it through high school on their own. Liz an Andre told listeners what they learned from making this series. First Liz told how she went into the project with her own stereotypes, but when she finished she had a first hand account of life in Baltimore. She described the sense of community she experienced when following the boys through the neighborhoods they lived in. She said there was a better sense of community there than in most suburbs. Andre captured what he felt through pictures, and explained how proud he was of the teens and the courage they had.
Tony Shor is a painter who portrays the people from his neighborhood in his artwork. His type of artwork, black velvet painting, is typically art for lower classes. So he used lower class people and lower class subjects to portray in his artwork. And by doing this he hopes to break some stereotypes. He has started a nonprofit community art organization for kids in Baltimore.
Ellis Marsalis is a photographer and poet and talked about his work "Discovery of Mythology" which is about his neighborhood. His pictures were of children using drugs and young teens holding weapons. He talked about the advantages and disadvantages of small tight communities. Ellis said, "Neighborhoods are saturated with mythology of the ghetto, from hip hop to drug dealers." He has encountered drug dealers who were completely normal people. They were real people with families to support.
He compared the drug trafficking to a legitiment business operation.
By attending this event I saw other peoples’ experiences with city life. The speakers are enriching others with knowledge of life in the city. Through their art and writings they are breaking down stereotypes and showing it’s easy to give to the city and let the city give something back to you. They have all given back to the community and at the same time they learned something. They were encouraging others to go out and help others, which parallels the idea of The Year of the City.

Blog 6

Over the weekend, a friend of mine had an Effective Writing assignment where she had to read an article about a place in Baltimore in the early 1990's, then visit that place today and compare and contrast. Having nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon, I went along for the ride to Federal Hill.

On the roughly fifteen minute taxi ride to Federal Hill, I erad the article my friend had brought with her, to learn about the Federal Hill ten years ago. The article titled, "Annals' of Place" by Tony Hiss described Federal Hill as a "huge mass of red clay, now covered with grass." The article went on to say that Federal Hill was mostly comprised of bars and lower-income housing. However, the Federal Hill I saw seemed to be thriving.

While there still were numerous bars, all which seemed to be pretty active at 2 o'clock on a Saturday, there were other places of business. The taxi let us off at the Cross Street Market, which seemed to be the hub of the town. The Cross Street Market was a chaotic indoor market with vendors selling every kind of food and produce imaginable. According to a personal interview my friend conducted with a woman that worked at a Real Estate shop in Federal Hill, the Cross Street Market is an integral part of the community. While some of the vendors have changed, the character of the market has not.

What I liked the most about Federal Hill were the one of a kind boutiques mixed in with the bars, liquor stores and gourmet restaurants. Many of the boutiques featured homemade jewelry and vintage clothing that I have yet to see around Baltimore. One of the boutique owners we talked to said her store had only been open for three years, and in the next year, there were five more store openings to come. She explained this was all part of the town's plan to revitalize the neighborhood and to steer away from the fact that Federal Hill used to be very run down and poor. It was obvious that the town was also trying to make Federal Hill appeal to all types of people. I noticed that almost every nationality was represented in restaurants, from Thai to Szechwan. There was even a little spa located around the corner from the Cross Street Market, which according to a shop owner, would never have been able to stay open in the early 1990's.

Overall, the people of Federal Hil were very welcoming and proud of their town. While in the real estate shop, the woman that worked there told us to stop into Ken Zo's Yogi Magic Mart next door because he had lived in Federal Hill longer than she had. When my friends and I walked into the shop, we were in awe at the thousands of eclectic gag gifts and magic supplies that filled the store. Then we met Ken, the owner of the store, who was in the middle of renevating the space next door, to turn into a magic lounge. He informed us that patrons could sit at the plush leather couches and sip cocktails, while his son, another magician who had been featured on the Tonight Show and in Time Magazine, would perform stunts right before their eyes. He willingly gave us a tour of the half finished lounge without even learning why we were there. This is the kind of hospitality that is new to Federal Hill, which used to be home to burglary and criminal activity before it was cleaned up.

After Ken Zo's Yogi Magic Mart, my friends got the idea to have their palms read at Tonya's Psychic Den, which is how I found myself sitting in a tinyupstairs apartment that reeked of dogs. I'm not a very open-minded person, so while my two friends had their lives read out to them by Tonya, who honestly didn't look much older than 19, I sat on the couch in her living room next to an old man I assumed was her grandfather. It was strange being in the home of someone I did not know, in a city I was only beginning to fully understand. On the walls of Tonya's living room, there were posters of Tarot cards, showing fortune and good luck. I thought this alluded to the time when the inhabitants of Federal Hill needed a psychic to tell them when things were going to start looking up. This didn't seem the case today.

Our final tour of Federal Hill ended at the actual hill, which gave us a breathtaking view of the inner harbor. The hill had become a park, bringing in families, dog walkers, and every person inbetween. It was a nice place to relax after a long day of walking aimlessly down streets.

My trip to Federal Hill was a nice change from the normal excursions I make to places like the Towson Mall, or Fells Point. It was also interesting to see the positive changes the community members had made, and also to see how it had stayed the same.

James Kunstler:Addresses oil shortage and Urban Planning

The most recent speaker of this years Humanities Symposium, was James Kuntsler, who recently wrote, “The Long Emergency and the Destiny of Cities,” where most of his address came from. He told the audience that America must “re-imagine” the city to be something different than it currently is in today’s changing world and economy. Kunstler also talked about how America’s dependency on oil, will eventually catch up with the country and lead to devastating results.

Kunstler appeared to be very negative, constantly reminding the audience that our problems are not just going to go away, and they are only going to get worse. This point reminded me of “The Yellow Wallpaper”, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The woman in the story had a problem, and the husband thought by keeping her away from the world, her mental problems would go away, which as the story proved, was very far from the truth. Kunstler says the county’s increasing state of emergency in terms of energy will not just go away. People assume there will be a solution in the future and some new technologies will be developed and everything will be saved. Kunstler pointed out not many resources have been given to develop these and most of our resources have been put into oil, which will eventually be gone.

Kunstler also spoke of downscaling American cities. He feels by having large American cities and large suburbs, a lot more energy is used than if everything were to be more condensed. He also felt that everything should be more localized, meaning food production would be localized as many other things like energy sources. This continues his idea that the city should be downscaled. If things are more localized, then more rural areas will depend less on the city and thus, the cities will be downsized as the rest of the country will not need them as much as they once had.

Another point Kunstler made was to improve transportation methods in this country to save energy. Kunstler wishes to have the trains start working again as they used to. This would save a lot of oil for the country as people would not drive as much. I know for me personally, I would like to visit people at other schools but its hard to move around in this country without either flying or driving. To fly somewhere only 3 or 4 hours away is a waste of money on the plane ticket. To drive that far cost a lot of money in gas and also uses a lot of our countries resources if people keep going on 4 hour drives. If the train system were revived, then people would be able to move around more freely, while using less natural resources. Something that Kunstler did not directly touch on relating to this is the need for better public transportation. In Baltimore, compared to other cities, the public transportation is not very adequate. The bus system is not up to par. Busses often run late or early causing people frustration. There is no good subway system at all in Baltimore and the only way to really get around is by being over charged by a taxi.

The majority of Kunstler’s talk was very negative. He did not leave a lot of room for hope for the energy crisis and the problems of current urban planning. He did not have the answers himself, but did tell us, the audience, that we could solve these problems. As college students, when we get out into the world, we will have the power to try to address these issues. Time will only tell if our generation will handle them well or not.

Speedy

On Monday, February 19th, the silent movie, Speedy, was shown at the Senator Theatre, making this movie one of the last films shown at the Senator before it would be put on auction two days later. This movie was a Year of the City event; and it really portrayed what YOTC is all about—bringing Loyola into Baltimore, and Baltimore into Loyola, creating community. Within the first 15 minutes of seating, the Senator was packed with people, young and old, students and Baltimore locals, to come together to experience a Senator Theatre film for the last night. Or so we thought. The community was able, through donations, to come up with enough money so that the Senator did not have to close.

This is a true sense of community, where in two short days, the residents of Baltimore were able to come up with enough money to save a landmark. People say to experience a film in the Senator is like no other. And they were right. I never enjoyed a movie as I had when watching this movie.

The plot revolves around Speedy’s mission to save his girlfriend’s grandfather’s horse-drawn trolley, the last one in New York City. The film contrasts the speed of life in contemporary New York City with the pace of yesteryear, represented by this non-motorized mode of transportation. The horse-drawn trolley symbolizes customs and traditions from the past, while the new railroad, the new technology, etc., symbolize today—the fast pace, always-trying-to-be-new-and-improved society. It just goes to prove the point that, no matter how much of society will improve and upgrade, there are people still willing to hold onto the past. No matter what society dictates to us, our traditions are our traditions, and that will never change because they are part of who we are. This movie invites you to celebrate the new, but also remember the old.

Speedy, along with the help of some older friends of the grandfather were able to save the trolley from the railroad magnates, who were trying to destroy it. Again, we get this sense of old and new coexisting simultaneously. In another part of the movie, Speedy takes his girlfriend to Coney Island. This also supports the idea of community—the fact that in a fast pace city of millions, people are still able to congregate together in a fun and carefree atmosphere.

The movie encompassed my whole experience at the Senator. I sat with my friend, next to two elderly women who were friends as well—old and new coexisting together. As a whole, we were able to save the Senator, and save our past traditions, as a community.

From “The Long Emergency and the Destiny of Cities”

On Tuesday, February 20, James Howard Kunstler presented his lecture titled “The Long Emergency and the Destiny of Cities,” which was also the keynote address for the 2007 Humanities Symposium of Loyola College in Maryland. Most of what Kunstler addressed in his talk came from his most recent book, The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century. The book and his lecture focused on the oil crisis and the importance of the new urbanism in cities.

The first topic that Kunstler addressed was the national or global oil predicament. Not only are we in trouble with decreasing national production of oil, but more importantly the world is being affected by increasing production. One of the most obvious effects of increased production is the change in climate. James Kunstler only sees these problems getting worse. Mainly, instead of the United States looking for alternative fuels, they look for alternative ways to import different sources of oil, even though it may be of low quality. Lower quality fuels produce more hazardous chemicals in the world’s atmosphere. A new approach needs to be taken.

Unfortunately, taking new approaches to situations does not come easy for Americans. One interesting quote that Kunstler gave was one of the Vice President Dick Cheney, saying that “the American way of life is non-negotiable.” This just shows where the American mindset is at. Instead of putting a real effort into finding a better solution, we are stubborn and want to live the comfortable lives that we currently preside in.

Kunstler later went on to discuss the reasons why we as Americans have impediments to thinking outside the box. One impediment is the belief that dreams come true when you wish upon a star. Problems do not just go away when you ask them to. Therefore, it is our responsibility to deal with the problems at hand as a mature adult would. Another impediment is the worship of unearned riches, or in other words, the belief that one can get something for nothing. One important life lesson that I have learned is that there is only one sure-way path to success, and that is though hard work. Sure you can get lucky once in a while, but nothing can replace or have an equivalent value to hard work.

If we work hard and seriously as Americans, we can overcome the obstacles at large. Even if this may mean the downscaling of America, or making daily life more local, changes need to be made. We can not just sit around and hope that “technology” will fix everything for us. For example, one real-world improvement that can be worked on is the railroad systems. Making this system faster and more efficient is a problem that we are capable of completing.

James Kunstler did not leave the audience with much hope until he put the crowd into action. He said that the hope has to be generated by us, particularly since we are college students. We the students have the ability to make a difference and can make things happen since we are the future of the world. To sum it all up, I will end as Kunstler did by saying, “Go forth and do good things!”

Longing for the Past

Many of us long for a particular event or childhood experience that has been engraved into our memories. All four of the poets for today share that common ground. Although their individual memories differ, they all wish to relive the recalling of their pasts.

The poem “Bored” by Margaret Atwood uses a slow paced tone and choppy structuring to help bring relevance to the title. The reader can easily be put too sleep with the dreary details that she recalls. Furthermore, throughout the poem Atwood seems to remember the dull times she and her father shared on their boat. Although at the time of her childhood “[She] could hardly wait to get the hell out of there…,” the end of the poem clearly shows that the “bored” times were actually times of joy. With her knowledge as an adult, she realizes “[She] wouldn’t be bored” because “[she] would know too much”.

A reader’s first impression of “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke may be one of outrage and alarm. Roethke’s use of strong vocabulary such as beat and battered may give a reader the wrong impression of the relationship between he and his father. However, after closer inspection one will come to the conclusion that Roethke is aptly wistful of the times he and his father would waltz around the house. When reading the poem aloud, one can tell that the rhythm in which Roethke implements is one of joy. The rhythm is actually fluid and harmonious which contradicts a poem of violence and abuse.

“Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas also implements the longing of childhood as the theme. The outdoors is clearly where Thomas was able to be free and happy. He speaks fondly of his “…high house-hay…” and his cheerfulness in “…sky-blue trades”. The form of the poem helps to convey the carefree message of the speaker because of its senseless structuring. Furthermore, the voice of the speaker and his word choice bring about a happy remembrance of his childhood.

Finally, “The Video” by Fleur Adcock uses a witty humor and voice to bring about a happy and childish mood. She uses the likely jealousy of a child with a new sibling to help add a funny tone to the poem. When she “…made her [sister] go back in,” the reader can laugh and likely relate to the juvenile behavior.

All four of the poems share the fond memories of childhood as their contexts. Although the speakers’ feelings may have differed at the time of their childhood, their memories as adults create nostalgia for the individuals’ past. Also the tones rhythms of the poems help to convey the mood and feeling the speaker is trying to evoke.

Blog 5, Childhood Memories

As one reflects on their childhood, many new emotions or realizations are learned. As an eighteen year old, one feels as thought their childhood is still lingering somewhere internally. And yet at the same time they know it is truly over. In all four poems, “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas, “The Video” by Fleur Adcock, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Bored” by Margaret Atwood all express children in particular situations. All four shed light on the possible darker side of childhood that is often not looked at.

Dylan Thomas’s “Fern Hill” depicts a man looking back on his carefree childhood. Thomas writes, “And I was green and carefree, famous among the barns/About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home, In the sun that is young once only, Time let me play and be/Golden in the mercy of his means,” (lines 10-14). Showing how blissfully, almost ignorantly, the boy enjoyed his time. He felt as though he and sun were young together and lived in a “golden” time. The form of the poem also fits nicely with the content. The stanzas are not typical in that they have numerous indents and odd spacing. Just by simply looking at the page, the reader’s eyes jump around the page. This is important because it almost forces a certain liveliness and childlike excitement when reading the poem. The wording and tones also read so arbitrary it appears as though the writer is in the mindset of his childhood self. At the end of the poem Thomas writes, “And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land. Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means, Time held me green and dying/ Though I sang in my chains like the sea,” (lines 51-54). The tone of the final stanza is almost bittersweet. When one thinks of “green” the typical connotations is life; trees, grass, spring etc. Dying however seems to be the last word one would pair with green. This creates a moving and heartbreaking reality for the reader. It reminds one of Peter Pan, never wanting to truly grow up because youth is something that is not eternal, but the memories are.

Fluer Adock’s “ The Video” is a comical and almost disturbing poem about the birth of a little girl. When one thinks of a birth there are thoughts of joy, mothers holding their newborn, a proud father watching over, and many people smiling. As a child of four, being the third, I recall clearly when my little brother was born. I was not pleased and felt a jealously that never really went away. The poem is by an omniscient narrator who tells the story through the sister, Ceri’s, account. Ceri watched the birth happen and her father filmed it, “…trying to focus the camcorder/on Mum’s legs and the baby’s head” (lines 5&6). That focus can be seen as a figurative focus from Ceri to the new baby Laura. At the end of them poem is it revealed that Ceri, “…played/the video again and again. She watched Laura come out, and then, / in reverse, she made her go back in” (lines 8-12). Although a humorous ending it is also a little sad that Ceri did not want her little sister. However this is a very typical reaction. When I was born I am told my older sister Liz would bite my toes and use my head as a footrest when she watched TV. The rhyme scheme of the poem almost reads like a children’s poem, further enhancing the main themes.

Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” illustrates the writers reflections of his relationship with his father. From the start it is introduced that the relationship is not exactly healthy when it is revealed that the dad had whiskey on his breath. However the speaker explains that he “hung on like death” (line 3) when his father would “waltz” with him. Already a theme of uneven love is shown. The speaker clearly wanted and strived for love from his dad and never fully received what he expected. A waltz is thought as a beautiful dance, however, this kind of waltz is more gloomy than glorious. It shows the speaker reflecting on a sad moment in his childhood. Many recall these feelings of hope and expectation being lost as a result of growing up. And often people grow up and realize their parents are not the perfect beings they once thought they were. Roethke seems to be dealing with this realization with this disappointment.

Margaret Atwood’s “Bored” is a poem describing her seemingly boring childhood with her father. Atwood explains how her childhood was filled with “Holding the log/while he sawed it” (lines 2&3) and other benign activities that meant nothing at the time. I can see this in my own life, as I often remember having to do boring things with my family that I hated to do. But as I reflect on those times, they are my favorite times. They were the times in which there was a certain silent happiness in our boredom. Atwood when writing this poem, expressed it was about the loss of her father and this is clearly seen. The poem is actually quite boring up until about half way through the poem. The part that struck me was when she writes, “Why do I remember it as sunnier/all the time then, although it more often rained, and more birdsong? I could hardly wait to get/the hell out of there to/anywhere else. Perhaps though/boredom is happier” (lines 30-35). There is a strong transition and almost a point of realization that occurs. The speaker realizes that perhaps the most simple of times are the best of times. The structure and form of the poem are also a little confusing in their nature, which adds to the confusion that the writer is perhaps feeling as well.

I recall when I was younger how I hated being forced to go to Sunday school. I didn’t understand why it was important and never thought about it. However it is one of the clearer of things I recall of my younger years. I remember the lessons I learned and everything that was apart of those seemingly long Sundays. And when I think of the Year of the City I often think about those biblical stories and the importance of Christian beliefs. More importantly however, I realize how important my family has impacted my life. I do not pretend to act as though my siblings and I have always gotten along, and I don’t pretend that I have never been ashamed or embarrassed of my parents. However I do realize as my childhood chapter is closing more rapidly as the day progress that at some point in my life, perhaps far from now, I will have to confront it.

Reflection on Childhood

In the poems, “Bored”, “Fern Hill”, “The Video”, and “My Papa’s Waltz,” all the writers present the same theme of childhood. Each poem is a reflection on one’s childhood and a memory of some sort that they have from their younger years. In every poem except for “Fern Hill,” this is a strong reliance on family and the importance of family when a child is born. “Fern Hill” is more of a reflection on a man’s past times with nature.
In “Bored,” the speaker is saying how everything he did with his father in his childhood was boring; he was always sitting, helping, or just looking. The speaker says, “Pounded stakes into the ground for rows and rows of lettuces and beets, which I then (bored) weeded. This clearly shows that the speaker being a young boy was no very amused with helping his father. Although, at the end of the poem he is reflecting back on those days and he realizes that everything he knows now was from his father.
In “Fern Hill” the speaker is reflecting on his childhood and the aspects of nature which he misses so dearly. He says, “In the sun that is young once only, time let me play and be golden in the mercy of his means,” this shows how he never realized how fast time went by until it’s eventually caught up to him. Throughout his childhood time never seemed to fly by but now that he is an adult looking back on his younger day he realizes something he took for granted.
“The Video” is about a family who video taped the birth of their second child. The mom, dad, and younger sister, Ceri, are so excited about Laura’s birth and when it is over they put the video tape away. The poem goes on to say that once the “Mum” had gone back to being thin, Ceri pulled out the video tape and began to watch Laura’s birth over and over again. The ending of this poem is very strange though because it symbolizes Ceri’s jealousy. It says in line 11, “She watched Laura come out, and then, in reverse, she made her go back in,” this shows that she is jealous that there is a new baby in the family. Ceri uses the video to revisit this early childhood memory which she has mixed feelings about.
“My Papa’s Waltz” is about a little girl in her early childhood who is doing the waltz with her father; she is dancing on his feet and it symbolizes a memorable childhood moment, but also the importance of family. Her father is being that special man in her life who can whisk her off her feet and then after all the laughter he calmly puts her off to bed, “Then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt.” Family plays an important role in this poem; most importantly though it is the role of her family in her early childhood which is giving her these great memories.
Altogether, all four poems present the same theme of childhood and the reflection on important childhood memories. “Bored”, “My Papa’s Waltz”, and “The Video” are all very family related with the stories that they offer, while “ Fern Hill” presents the certain memories you recall with your senses; the speaker presents many memories that involve nature which was his favorite past time.

The Power of Memory

Memories enable people to escape reality and venture back to a place where they felt most comfortable. The poems “Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas, "The Video" by Fleur Adcock, “My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke and "Bored" by Margaret Atwood are about memories the speakers hold on to, to escape reality. It is through memories that the speakers find comfort because they have the power to decide when and where to escape. The four poems happen to return to the happiest or more innocent times of their lives: their childhoods.

In “Fern Hill,” the speaker tells of his innocents and happiness by discussing the “carefree” attitude he possessed as a child. Like any other child, he had the ability to be a “prince…huntsman and herdsman” all in the same day. Also, as children do, they observe their surroundings utilizing all of their senses. The senses stimulated in the poem provide a chance for the reader to escape reality alongside the speaker and share the memories together on the sunny hill with the daisies, rivers, clouds and animals. The memory in the poem is so full of warm things like the sun, hay fields and horse stable that it clearly helped the speaker escape the “chains” of reality.

“The Video” really expresses the innocents of children. It is through Ceri that the speaker portrays a typical scenario of an only child being “de-throned.” This poem reminds me of the stories my mother used to tell me about my brother, when my sister was born. As a four-year old he would torment her so badly that my mother couldn’t leave the two of them alone for any amount of time. It eventually grew so bad that my sister had to be locked in the bathroom with my mother when my mom took a shower. As young adults now, we look back and laugh but at that point in my brother’s life, he enjoyed making my sister’s life miserable. Just like the poem, my brother and mother talk about those memories to escape the realities that coexist with getting older. They enjoy talking about those childhood days because that seemed to be the worst of their problems. Looking back now, they realized those were some of the happiest times they spent together, no matter how jealous or torturous my brother, like Ceri, had become.

Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” definitely exposes the innocents of children through his memory. From the very first line, the speaker begins to tell the tale of horror his father forced on him as a child. Although the speaker grew up with an abusive alcoholic father, he innocently clung to his shirt when he brought him to bed.

Lastly, in the poem “Bored,” the speaker admits to one of her happier memories being when she was doing things she didn’t really care about, like holding the string to be measured. This poem really allows the speaker to escape reality, which unfortunately is her father’s death, to return to her happy memories with him, even though she was “bored” when she was with him. After escaping to her memory she realized that she would rather be bored than in reality.

A memory is only one of the many escape routes of reality, however the poems “Fern Hill,” “The Video,” “My Papa’s Waltz,” and “Bored” all reflect on their childhood memories that they hold dear to their hearts for some reason or another. In the end, they all have the capability to find comfort whenever or where ever they desire, simply by returning to their memory.