History Research... This Topic Is Perfect For Loewen!

My thesis statement is: "To what extent did the Vietnam War Have an Impact on the Literary Movements in 1960-1975?" I have been researching, and, so far, I have discovered that there were many literary movements in progress during the Vietnam War. Instead of doing ALL of them, I am going to research the impacts on the Civil Rights movement, the Beat generation, and the counterculture.

~ "Straight" and "Secret" History in Vietnam War Literature

This paper discusses the "secret" history as provided by the literature during the Vietnam War. The author explains his view that the actual history ("straight" history, as he puts it) is more skewed than the history as viewed by literature. Literature provides personal insight instead of straight facts which were probably fabricated by the government in the first place. He examines the works of Allen Ginsberg, Ron Kovic, and Tim O'Brien.

This next article is about the poor usage of anti-Vietnam War poetry in anthologies.

~"Where Is Vietnam?": Antiwar Poetry and the Canon

The writer explains his research over anti-Vietnam War poetry in anthologies. He searched many anthologies, and found very few poems that are taught. Since it comprises most of the poetry written by Americans, it is very disturbing that such a small amount of antiwar poetry in the Vietnam War era is published and taught. He also decries the choices of the editors of the anthologies to only use the poetry of Bly and Merwin because their poetry doesn't cover most of the depth of the involvement of the Vietnam War in the poetry movement.

~Howl.com by Thomas Scoville

This is a parody of the poem Howl. I thought it was interesting, so I decided to include it, so others can see. Instead of talking about the "best minds of [his] generation" who are "angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo," he modernizes it to say: "HTML-headed Web-sters coding for the infinite broadband connection to that undiscovered e-commerce mother lode." It seems pretty modern, and I like the author's ability to take a poem from the sixties and change the wording to fit today's people.

~Howl by Allen Ginsberg

This is an example of poetry during the Vietnam War. In it, Ginsberg expresses his anti-war sentiments. His motivation for the poem came from the death of his mother (an insane woman for whom he approved a lobotomy) and from his friend, Carl Solomon. In the poem, he is also very open about drugs and sexuality.

~Interview with Tim O'Brien

This site gives a typed interview between Daniel Bourne and Tim O'Brien. In it, Tim O'Brien discusses how his draft into the Vietnam War inspired him to write, his own demons, and the some of the themes of his stories. He also talks about his personal struggle with questioning reality.

 

My Day with History

I went to the Beering Technology Center to research the history textbooks, and guess what I found: not enough information. The history textbooks barely discussed the literature impacted by the Vietnam War. The textbook that we had in high school (The Americans) mentioned some literature written about the Vietnam War, but nothing about the literature of those who were influenced by war but not involved in it (a.k.a. the counterculture). Another textbook (The American Pageant) reviewed the counterculture and its literature, which was more helpful. It talked about The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, a book written by Tom Wolfe about Ken Kesey's life on the road. Ken Kesey was a poet of the Beat generation. It also discussed the sexual revolution and Alfred Kinsey's findings and estimates on the sexual habits of many Americans. The third textbook (The American Nation) didn't review much at all. It provided a small amount of information about Le Ly Hayslip, a Vietnamese refugee who escaped imprisonment by the South Vietnamese government to the United States. It also mentioned Born on the Fourth of July, a book about life as a soldier in Vietnam and the lack of support for the Americans from their fellow citizens at home. The final textbook I found only mentioned two books: Silent Spring and Unsafe at Any Speed. Silent Spring, as many of you biology majors may know, is a book concerning the spread of the pesticide DDT and its impact on nature. The pesticide spread through the consumption of insects by birds and the dinner that other predators would make of those birds. It led to an investigation of pollution. The other book, Unsafe at Any Speed, was written by a famous presidential candidate, Ralph Nader. He argued in the book that many Americans would die in automobile accidents due to the faulty creations of the automakers. This textbook (A History of the United States) wasn't quite what I was looking for; despite its inclusion of literature during the time, the included literature wasn't the direct impact of the Vietnam War. The rest of the textbooks I looked through made no mention of any literature impacted by the Vietnam War. The search was, overall, unproductive.

THE MARCHING BAND!

When I decided to come to Purdue University, I wanted to join the marching band. However, my mother told me that I shouldn't because Honors Engineering would take up too much of my time, and there wouldn't be enough left for band. Boy, she was right. I barely have enough time to hang out with my friends! I don't really like football too much, so I haven't been going to the games. But on Saturday, the tables turned when I found out my friend had a spare ticket.
I went to the University of Minnesota vs. Purdue game on Saturday, and I fell in love with the marching band! In case you weren't there, the show on Saturday was the standoff of Joe Tiller. The marching band formed many designs and characters, including Joe Tiller (a stick figure with a hat) and his arch-nemesis (also a stick figure with a hat). The band wove in and out of many designs, one of which was composed of four arrows closing in on one point to create a square. I saw it on the big screen, and it blew my mind. Everything was so coordinated and flawless. I greatly enjoyed the marching band. :)

Why Does Internment Fascinate Me So?

When I listened to everyone's presentations, I realized that the internment of Japanese-Americans stood out to me the most. We briefly heard in history class that Japanese-Americans were forced into concentration camps, but I never realized that the conditions were so poor! In my mind, it had always been a comparison between the Japanese-Americans and the victims of the Holocaust, but once I listened to this presentation, I began to think about the internment of Japanese-Americans on a scale all its own. I never realized that they didn't get fed very much each day, had poor quarters, and were treated badly, and it made me sad to think that we would be willing to stoop to that level.
The basic gist of the topic was that the Japanese-Americans were treated poorly. They lived in small barracks, had little money for food, and had poor medical treatment. Hawaii didn't become involved in this display of racist passion, even though it had many Japanese-Americans in its population and was bombed by the Japanese. The German-Americans were also not rounded up and put into internment camps like the Japanese-Americans, even though they were more closely related to the cause of the war. The legal basis for the internment of the Japanese-Americans was brought into question, too. I also found it interesting that someone is going to research how the reparations are measured. Overall, I think it is going to be an interesting presentation. :)

Indiana Jones... Yes, I'm writing about it.

I really love the Indiana Jones movies. Mostly, I love them because of their adventure and their history. They also have very good special effects. Because of those movies, I became really interested in history and paleontology. If you have never seen any of the movies, I am going to give you a quick summary. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark covers Indiana's search for the biblical relic that contains the Ten Commandments. With the help of Marion Ravenwood, the daughter of a lost professor whose research was based on the relic, "Indy" travels across the world to find clues and try to discover the ark's location. He is racing against the Nazis, who are trying to find the relic to control the world. In the next movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones is accidentally dropped in India while one of his enemies is trying to get rid of him. A night club singer by the name of Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott is also dropped off with him, and his sturdy young sidekick Short Round travels with him. They reach a village where a mystical stone is missing, bringing destruction and poor luck with its disappearance. Many young boys are missing from the village, too, and Indy discovers a large underground labor operation involved with a cult. The priest of the cult tries to stop them from taking the stone. The third movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, entails a wild chase between Indiana Jones and the Nazis for the Holy Grail. In this movie, we see Indiana Jones' father, played by Sean Connery, and a small flashback of his youth and how he began searching for lost artifacts. Most recently, the fourth movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the most recent movie. Indy searches for a missing professor after a boy (Shia LeBeouf) tracks him down. They become involved in a search for the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a lost city that was incredibly advanced for its time. Indy is much older now, and we learn a bit more about what has happened to him since the last movie. Indiana Jones is played by Harrison Ford, if you didn't already know, and I think these are some of the best movies I have seen. The first three were created in the 1980's, and the last one was produced this year. I am an Indiana Jones fanatic, so if you ever have any questions about plot line or who a certain person may be, let me know!

Feast at Purdue!

One of the most surprising things I have found at Purdue is that the food is actually decent. I didn't exactly know what to expect food-wise when I came here, but I really do love the food! I live in Earhart, and I think it definitely has some of the best food here. I love the stir-fry, and they have great food at the Heartland Classics. I have tried food at Wiley, Windsor, Hillenbrand, Earhart, and Ford, and out of all of them, I would have to say I liked Wiley and Ford the best. Earhart is great because it is so conveniently located downstairs, but if I had to walk, I would go to either Wiley or Ford. I think Ford has really great pizza. It seems like there is never enough for everyone, though. Wiley has great desserts. :) I also love their architecture. Wiley and Ford both have many windows and open spaces. In the dorm dining centers, there doesn't seem to be much sunlight because they don't have many windows. It's nice to be able to see outside. Anyway, I also like the choices. I didn't think the meals would be buffet-style, so it was a pleasant surprise to be able to heap many different kinds of food on my plate. I really do enjoy the food here, and I hope you do too.

Exams: Yay or Nay?

This year I have encountered several exams. Most recently, I took the engineering exam, and it was tough, considering I didn't know quite what to expect. Unfortunately, most of my exams are under 100 questions, especially the math and chemistry exams. Both exams had 20 questions. In my high school, each of our exams had 50 or more questions. Coming from such a small high school to a large university has made me realize each point counts. I tend to study more for these exams because I try to understand all of the material in order to score higher. As a result, I begin to wonder: Is this to make us learn more? By having fewer questions, which means a greater chance to miss more points in many cases, are we forced to learn more? Curved grading does occur many times, too, but I would think that it would push you to learn more, also. Because you might not know the extent of your classmates' intelligences, you try to learn more. This also makes me wonder if it's too much stress. By providing competition, faculty push people to retain more, causing stress to dictate people's lives. In the end, is it really worth causing health problems for students to pass classes? I believe college life shouldn't be the reason for poor health. I try to not worry so much about homework and exams, but sometimes, I just stress out, and it reflects poorly on those around me. On the other hand, I don't think I have ever worried about school so much before, and it has certainly taught me to work hard and study. All in all, I think it's a good balance to try not worry too much about homework. Get it done, and you won't have to worry about it. I hope it works for me.

My Somewhat Less Fabulous October Break

For October Break, I decided to go home. I needed a respite from my homework, as I'm sure my fellow Honors Engineers know, and October Break provided the perfect opportunity. I went home on Friday with my mom, and we went to bed as soon as we got home. I set up her new VCR for all the VHS tapes that we have because we are too adamant not to buy them all on DVD. On Saturday, I went to dinner with my grandparents and cousin, who was also conveniently on fall break. It was a nice night out, and I enjoyed spending time with my grandparents. Then I went to the Gilson Haunted House with my friend Heather and some other people. The haunted house is ranked one of the top three in Illinois every year. We had a great time. After going to the haunted house, I stopped by my old workplace, Applebee's, to say hi to some people, but, unfortunately, waiting in line for the haunted house took to long, and I missed them. On Sunday, I stayed home to get some homework done. I worked a little bit on my genetics paper and relaxed mostly. To top off that overly relaxed day, my mother and I baked cookies to bring back with me and enchiladas for supper. It was great! By Monday, I was ready to finish my genetics paper and be good to go when the internet went out, and I lost the ability to access my bookmarked genetics sources. Needless to say, I was a little mad, but I got over it. I went to my grandparents' house to chatter for a little while, and then went home to pack. On Tuesday, I finished packing and came back to Purdue through carpooling. Overall, October Break was a much-needed break, and I really can't wait until Thanksgiving! I hope time runs fast.

My Topic for the History Paper

I am currently still deciding what topic I am writing about. I will have decided later today, Monday, October 6th.

Waiting for the Days of Break

I am so very excited about October Break. All of this homework for engineering isn't going well with me, and I need a break. Next semester is going to be even longer. I'm starting to get a little down-hearted. I knew there would be a lot of homework, but I never would have dreamed that there would be this much! I also miss home. My mom sounded really excited about my coming home. I haven't really talked to her much lately, and I think she is worried. This week is so crowded already, that I won't even have enough time to study for my engineering exam without losing sleep. I feel like I'm sacrificing too much sometimes. I don't know about others but I have seen quite a few people break down on my floor, and it's not pretty. My roommate broke down the other day, and I felt really bad for her, but at the same time, I have realized that this major isn't enough to sacrifice your health or sanity over.
On lighter news, I'm excited to see my family and pets. I really miss my dog, no matter how unbelievably hyper she is. She can be so sweet sometimes and so obnoxious at other times. I wonder if she's training me... She tries so hard to be devious that it can be annoying, but I still miss her. My cat is wonderful, too. She is Siamese, but looks Balinese, and she is such a good cat. And I know this may sound weird, but I have a hamster. He is very laid-back but loves to pull kamikaze moves such as jumping out of his cage onto the floor 2 feet below. He's very entertaining. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great break!

A Day in Taylor's Life

An imagined day in my life... I wake up to my own theme song, based on whatever mood I'm in. We'll just say I'm in a good mood this morning. The song will be "It's a Beautiful Morning." Anyway, I get out of bed and discover that the height of the bed from floor is two inches. My feet fall softly on the floor, and I head toward the shower. The water is at the perfect temperature, and there is no sporadic hot flashes in the temperature of the water. I gracefully walk back to my room and get dressed for class. Upon arriving at class after walking to the building on a sunny, carefree day, the teacher tells us that we aren't going to do any homework. Instead, we will get to watch a comedic movie and eat pizza and a lot of desserts. Our teacher's assistant hands back our homework, and everyone discovers they have an A. It is a long, but happily eventful day, and I become tired. As I exit the building, I hear a limo pull up. Someone calls my name from inside the limo, and I turn to find James McAvoy sitting in the back. He invites me into the limo, and we have an interesting chat about movies and his acting career. After the two-minute drive back to Earhart, I walk into my room, say,"Goodnight" to my roommate, and fall asleep peacefully in my comfy bed, looking forward to my happy dreams.

An actual day in my life... I am abruptly and rudely woken from sleep by a noisy car passing by. I check my alarm clock only to find that my alarm didn't go off, and I am running late for class. I crawl down from my bed and slip, hitting the floor, and my head, very hard. As I'm mumbling curses, I head to the shower. The shower rapidly changes from excruciatingly hot to icy cold in mere nanoseconds, and I think to myself, "HOT... cold... HOT... cold..." My day then gets worse. I arrive late at my class and realize I don't have the homework done because it was lost last night in the large pile of books and paper that I call homework. The TA gives me a stern, you-will-be-an-example look, and I fear for my GPA. Class runs longer than usual, and it sets off a string of tardies for the rest of my classes, each of which I only have 10 minutes to reach, no matter how far they are away. Then my academic day ends, and night comes rushing in to meet me. I return to my large heap of homework and continue to work on it until 3 A.M. in the morning. I fall into bed, tired and disparaged, and slip into fitful dreams.

As you can probably tell, I exaggerated the second part a little bit. However, it's mostly true. Hope you enjoyed a peek into "A Day in Taylor's Life." It will be on video soon. :)

My Role Model

I don't exactly agree with Loewen. If you only provide the provocative details about a person, people tend to remember that they were "good" or "bad" based on their presidency. I believe that only the important details of a person's beliefs or administration should be provided. In high school textbooks, only the basics should be given, unbiased. However, interesting facts do help people remember names and facts. My high school teacher, Ms. Bodenhamer (Ms. Bo, for short), proved that. She told us about Nero, a Roman emperor whose reign included a controversy about the burning of Rome. His history included molestation by his uncle on a secluded island when he was younger. She narrated Nero's story to us two years ago in World History class. I still remember certain parts of his reign, but his victimization is what I associate with him the most.
I don't really have a hero in history. I do admire several people, but I don't want to BE them. One of the people I admire is Amelia Earhart. She became one of the greatest women in history despite the domesticated role of women in society in that era. I do know that she had her problems, but that is what makes her human. I read her biography several years ago, and I enjoyed reading about her accomplishments. Some of her low points included a noticeable closeness to her boss, George C. Putnam, even though he was married, and the alcoholism of her father.