Home,
the place I want to be,
the place that’s meant for me,
the place I cannot see.

Time,
is never on my side,
no matter how I’ve tried,
there’s freedom I’m denied.

And I’ll be back again
it’s all part of the plan
and I promise to come home,
I’ll never be alone,
and I’ll be back where I belong.

hope,
is sometimes overrated
when you’re angered and frustrated,
when you’re feeling low and hated.

faith,
the focal point of all things,
that raises you on its wings,
that dangles you on its strings.

And I’ll be back again
it’s all part of the plan
and I promise to come home,
I’ll never be alone,
and I’ll be back where I belong. Continue reading →

“We are but skin about a wind, with muscles clenched against mortality.”

I found this quote particularly difficult to understand at first, but, when I grasped the meaning of it, I found it especially powerful. This line is said by Dr. O’Connor on page 90, and has a very deep meaning that connects to his own struggle and beliefs, as well as those of many others. The quote, on the surface, describes the fact that humans, are a coating of skin around muscles which hold it together; it is a very literal and physical description. The interesting aspect of the line is when he adds “clenched around mortality.” It shows that we are all going to die, and even though our skin, bones, and muscles hold us together and make us the people we are, nothing is forever, and all people must die eventually. His own struggles internally are connected to the lines that follow this quote. He says we “sleep in a long reproachful dust against ourselves,” and also says “we are full to the gorge with our own names for misery.” These are very powerful lines connecting to the inevitability of death and the uncertainty of the idea of oneself. O’Connor is a cross dresser who struggles with his own identity at times. He is saying we are trapped in our own identities we were given, and also struggle to find ourselves. In the end, however, he is saying everyone dies anyway, so don’t hold back and just let yourself go.

“There is an uptown, express 4 train approaching the station, please stand away from the platform edge” says the invisible, echoing voice at Bowling Green, as the din of train tracks grows louder and louder.

The student sprints towards the train, as droves of people provide a barrier towards the now idle train. He pushes and shoves towards the turnstile. The train stays there waiting for him. The student swipes his almost empty MetroCard in the reader and moves forward into a locked turnstile.

“Swipe card again at this turnstile,” the machine reads, as the train pulls away, almost as to taunt him. The boy, realizes he will ultimately be late to class. “I am a fool, as usual! Had I not stopped to give money to a homeless man, help an old lady cross the street, and said hello to an old friend, I would be in class on time!”

I took stylistically from The Dog and the Scent-Bottle. I like the use of the conversation and action in the story, and like the twist at the end, where the speaker makes it about the public in general rather than just a dog. I tried to emulate that with this prose, while conveying (semi-accurately) a morning I experience (besides all the nice stuff the boy does). It almost conveys the fact that in New York, one needs to have tunnel vision to get to places on time, and unfortunately, good deeds can hinder one from getting where he or she is heading.

German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s main beliefs about enlightenment are summed up on Page 102 of the reading. He believed that debate, along with the access to information, was the way to enlightenment. I wholeheartedly agree with that belief. As a journalist and radio host, as well as an aspiring lawyer, I know how valuable debate can be. It opens up the minds of all parties debating, allowing for everyone’s ideas and beliefs to manifest themselves in the minds of their counterparts. The access to information is crucial to the success of a debate. In Kant’s time, they had the encyclopedia, as well as newspapers and magazines. Those who had access were able to debate with others about their beliefs about the issues they were debating. With the dawn and importance of the internet today, we not only have access to a plethora of information, but also forums to spread that information to others and debate with others. The spread of ideas between people, whether or not they agree with the ideas, will still expose the parties to a different view on an issue or topic, allowing the people to form their own thoughts and opinions. That, in a nutshell, is enlightenment. The ability to take the ideas of others, and combine them with our own to form our own opinions and ideas ourselves, is the basis of enlightenment for humans.

(Sorry for the late submission, I did not know I was in Group 2 until I checked a few minutes ago).