VOLUME FIVE

essays from spring & fall 2004

Why I Read
Janna Sallade

I have left behind the world of reality many times by way of another’s writing. Yet, more memorable for me is not that which I have left behind and temporarily lost, but that which I have found and kept amidst the pages of the precious books I have read: Pieces of myself I had forgotten and pieces of myself I would like to change and grow.

Anarchic Love
Brook van der Linde

In 1997, Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider wrote a book titled The Rules.... Rule 3 states, “Don’t Stare or Talk Too Much.” Rule 5—“Don’t Call Him and Rarely Return His Phone Calls.” Rule 33 claims, “Do The Rules and You’ll Live Happily Ever After!” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Cinderella found her happily ever after without The Rules.

Hiking With Meth
Lindsay Matt

As meth continues to wreak havoc on the state and national forests, hikers and nature enthusiasts should be aware of the dangers and keep an eye out for them.

Learning to Read
Samier Mansur

When I see a book now, I see the cover as a door--the pages, long hallways full of new visions--and the back cover, an unlocked backdoor; a place for me to enter over and over again, probing the language, the concepts, and the author’s mind as well as my own.

Bennett's Bogus and Biased Guest Speaker
Christina Dean

Although Bennett’s argument may seem well supported, further analysis suggests that his choice of people to quote weakens the argument and/or does not enhance it.

My Boobs Beg to Differ
Rebecca Hasbrouck

I became scared that, instead of knocking down my opponent by my swift and skilled footwork or aggressive and intimidating moves, I would knock him down by a quick turn of my torso with a flying 34C breast. These heaping mounds began to bounce as I ran and I was positive my peers would notice. It was around this time that my mother forced me, gagged and bound (or just whining), into the car for a trip to a lingerie store.

Personal Appearance and Its Implications of Sexuality
Matt Miles

As arbitrary as it may seem when one thinks about it, society has developed the perception that personal appearance is directly related to sexual preference.

Family Feud Faith: Raising Children in an Interfaith Marriage
Leah Katz

For one year, when I was in fourth or fifth grade, I was attending a Jewish religious school during the school year and a Christian Sunday School during the summer. I don’t remember much about Sunday school, except for one unsettling lesson. The teacher told us, “You must spread the word of Jesus; because of him you aren’t going to hell.” Well, talk about confusing an elementary school kid! I had heard the word “Jesus” only when adults uttered a frustrated, “Oh Jesus!”