Jonathan Safran Foer's Commencement Address at Middlebury

JSF gave the commencement address last year at Middlebury. If you have some free time in between studying for exams (or simply want a distraction/break), watch it. It's worth your time. You can skip past the first five minutes or so (during which he mainly makes fun of the Middlebury President).

JSF and Chipotle

JSF and Chipotle

Instagramming the Spirit of Whitman at KO

"The wild gander leads his flock through the cool night/Ya-honk he says, and sounds it down to me like an invitation." 

"I celebrate myself, and sing myself." 

"I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,/if you want me again look for me under your boot-soles." 

"The spotted hawk swoops by and accuses me, he complains of my gab and my loitering." 

John Green on Emily Dickinson

Reichenbach

The theme of confession came up several times during our Harkness. We talked about how both Dimmesdale and Proctor confessed to having an affair and how Proctor considered confessing to being a witch to avoid being hanged. Dimmesdale died immediately after admitting he had had an affair and Proctor was hanged for refusing to confess to being a witch. Their choices involving confession both resulted in their deaths, although they confessed (or didn't) to different things. A similarity between their confessions of adultery was the public nature of the confessions. Dimmesdale was in front of the town and Proctor was among people of the court.

(some spoilers for Sherlock season 2 sorry)

Sherlock shares aspects of both Dimmesdale's and Proctor's characters. In the Reichenbach Fall, Sherlock stands on top of a building preparing to jump off. Like Dimmesdale, he is greatly admired by the public; however, prior to jumping, he calls John to tell him that his genius is fake. This mirrors Dimmesdale admitting that he is not as good as people percieve him to be. Another parallel is the separation between Sherlock and everyone else. He is standing on top of a building where everyone can see him in the same way that the town can see Dimmesdale. While Proctor is not separated in this way from everyone else in the court, he is still under public scrutiny. A link between Proctor and Sherlock is the false nature of their confessions (Proctor's confession to witchcraft, not adultery).

Tiger Woods

Dimmesdale vs. Proctor... vs. Tiger

Reputation is something that both Dimmesdale and Proctor cared very much about.  Both men lived in roughly the same era in near Salem, a town of brutal, social humiliation.  It was important in the old witch hunt days to be liked by most of the town for personal safety otherwise people that are not liked would be accused of witch craft or some other un-godly act.  High reputations are something that both of these men worked hard to reach and even harder to keep.

Dimmesdale was an especially important figure in his community being a minister.  A minister in the 17th century not only had complete religious authority in the town, but also social authority because he could influence the religion-dependent town into listening to him.  Dimmesdale knew that his reputation as the holyest man would be desstroyed if anyone ver found out that he had been part of an affair with the town outcast, Hester Prynne.  Not only he had an affair, but he gave her a child which he then outcasted in relation to her mother.  So, Dimmesdale kept his high reputation by never letting anyone know of his deep dark secret until he was ready to die and he announced it to the town and could rest peacefully.  He gave up his reputation in the end to save his personal integrity.

John Proctor also had a reputation of being a morally upright man and defiant in his community of witchy Salem.  Proctor had social influence over his fellow townspeople because he knew that would listen to what he had to say even though he did not involve himself in religion as much as he should have (and he plowed on Sundays).  Proctor also had an affair with someone that was not his wife, Abigail, who use to work for him.  Proctor tried very hard not let anyone find out other than his wife and Abigail of course, but it was difficult in a town where there was not much privacy.  Proctor even outted Abigail, calling her terrible things to save his own reputation.  It was not until the end of the play when Proctor decided against signing the paper that said he was a witch (which allowed him to walk free and not be killed...yet).  He gave up his place in the town so that he would not ruin his family's name, but mostly so that he could die without the burden of this affair hanging over his soul.  He saved his personal intergrity by confessing that he had an affair with Abigail to the town.

Now, who connects well to these two town gentlemen?  Well it is difficult to find a man that died after having an affair with someone that is not his wife, that left the Earth on a good note.  However, Tiger Woods did have an affair with someone that his not his wife... with many different women I might add.  Tiger tried very hard to keep this secret from his wife, but he tried even harder at first to keep this secret from his adoring fans.  Tiger was a model for American pride being one of the most successful golfers winning nearly everything from a young age.  He had been an icon for someone who was just and just cared about golfing and his family, but that all changed when his wife went through his phone, he got chased with a golf club and crashed his car on his street.  He came out to the public and announced that he had some type of sex addiction (yeah right) and explained how embarrassed he was that he had done all of the stuff (women) that he did.  His high reputation was destroyed, but he no longer had to carry this secret with him and his conscience was cleared, kind of.  His personal intergity was rescued, and he was not lying to people anymore which makes him a lot like Dimmesdale and Proctor.

Frozen

SK: Hester and Abigail both lie very well.

                (8) Abigail has “endless capacity for dissembling”

                Hester doesn't reveal who the father is the entire time. 

 

In class today Sarah drew the parallel that Hester and Abigail lie extremely well even If their reasons for doing so are opposites. Hester does not reveal who the father is in order to protect the one she loves, Dimmesdale. In her efforts to protect herself from being accused of witchcraft, Abigail points fingers at other people and ruins the lives of many with her web of lies.

I would like to connect their ability to lie to a character from the new animated Disney movie Frozen. In the movie, there are two princesses and the older one has the ability to turn anything she touches into ice or snow. She does not know where her abilities came from or what she is capable of.

When they are very small, the older sister, Elsa, accidentally hurts her younger sister, Ana, with her powers. Elsa accidentally froze part of her sister’s heart and her parents take her to some trolls in the woods who same Ana and erase her memory so that she does not remember her sister’s powers. After this, Elsa’s parents make her keep her powers a secret from the whole world by hiding in her room.

Elsa keeps them a secret in order to protect her family’s name. Also, she loves her sister so much and cannot imagine accidentally hurting her again.

Elsa is similar to both Hester and Abigail because it her efforts to conceal her true identity from her sister, she protects her, but also crushes her emotionally. Hester is looking out for the ones she loves by lying, just like Elsa. Abigail hurts people emotionally and physically and Elsa makes her sister depressed when she breaks off their friendship and also physically hurts Ana even though they are both unintentional.

I highly suggest this movie!

Gwyneth 

Cady Heron

The Harkness note I chose to focus on was courtesy of Gwyneth, who pointed out that Hester and Abigail are opposites in how they approach their difficult circumstances.  

Whereas Hester fully and selflessly accepts responsibility and punishment for her actions--protecting Dimmsdale, even though he is clearly also at fault, and obediently wearing the scarlet letter, despite the humiliation--Abigail denies her wrongdoings until the last possible minute, at which point, rather than acting nobly as Hester does, she does all she can to mar other people's reputations and exact personal revenge.

Abigail's scheme to ruin her enemies through a web of lies mirrors the actions of Cady Heron in the movie Mean Girls.  Much like Abigail, Cady is a teenage girl who becomes extremely manipulative and has no problem betraying her friends if it means moving up in the world/achieving her own selfish goals.  Also similar to Abigail--who is doing all that she does in an attempt to win the affection of John Proctor--throughout the course of the movie, Cady's main goal becomes dating her enemy's ex, Aaron Samuels.  Just as Abigail wishes to ruin Elizabeth, John's wife, Cady wishes to ruin Regina, because she is a direct threat to Cady's chances at having a relationship with Aaron.  Overall, there are a shocking number of similarities between Abigail and Cady's mean spirited and self-serving behavior.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a great series with many well-developed characters. As it so happens, certain aspects of at least one character parallel the situations of both Reverend Dimmesdale and John Proctor. I would like to focus on Harry Potter, himself, as the object of this connection.

First off, both John Proctor and Harry are clear and definite Christ figures. Harry sacrifices himself to Voldemort in order to weaken Voldemort, giving the anti-Voldemort group a chance to kill him once and for all. Proctor decides, when given the choice to ruin his name and live, or save his name (and his family's reputation) and die, he chooses the latter. He would rather die to protect others than to live with his family in shame for the foreseeable future. Also, Proctor could be hoping that if the townsfolk see him slaughtered, an innocent man, then this witch hunting operation will lose support and come to a close.

Christ was also a teacher and leader. Harry is the leader of Dumbledore's Army, teaching students to defend themselves. He did not want to be the leader but was forced into it by his friends. The prophecy also said that he was The Chosen One, and only he could kill Voldemort. Therefore, he has no choice but to get involved. Proctor did not want to be the voice of the opposition to the witch hunt, but when he found himself and his wife being accused, he had no choice but to be defiant and outspoken. Both Harry and Proctor are literally involved because they are fighting for their lives. On the contrary, all Dimmesdale wants is to be in charge and be respected. He, too, is the leader of a group, although he is happy in that position while Harry and Proctor both reluctantly take it.

Daniel Desario

(Am I the only one who found this assignment ridiculously challenging? I've been brainstorming for hours... Toy Story, Fargo, the Mighty Boosh, Nick Hornby.... I've been all over the place)

"Both Proctor and Dimmesdale have the option to die and be true to themselves or live a lie."
          -Mark Sheehan

Warning: SPOILER ALERT. Do not read if you are in the midst of watching Freaks and Geeks and have yet to reach the final episode!

    In the turn of the century brilliant and short-lived TV series Freaks and Geeks, James Franco's character, Daniel Desario, is a renowned cool guy: a badass, leather-jacket wearing stoner who enjoys cutting classes and vandalizing with his friends. He has created a reputation for himself over his five years of high school that includes being careless, aloof, and fun-loving. He also spends a good amount of his time making fun of the geeks, a small, tight-knit group of freshmen and sophomores with a generally nerdy air about them, who can't get girls, don't do drugs, and never step out of line. However, in the final episode, "Discos and Dragons", all three of the main characters, Daniel included, face identity crises and are forced to make a choice that will lead them into their lives beyond the halls of high school. Daniel discovers that he has a true passion for AV club, Dungeons and Dragons, and other nerd activities, as well as genuinely enjoying the company of the Geeks. He makes a social sacrifice, leaving behind the name and reputation he has created, to join the geeks and in doing so destroys any future chances he has of coolness. He, as well as Dimmesdale and Proctor, have a choice between dying or living a lie. Daniel can either continue to live behind an aloof and drugged mask, or remove it and become who he really is--a geek-- and in doing so cause the death of the person he thought he was.

Charles Van Doren

In the 1994 drama Quiz Show, based on real events in which it was discovered that a popular game show was rigged, college professor Charles Van Doren is one of the main characters. He is similar to Dimmesdale and Proctor. Van Doren enters the trivia game show Twenty One. The show's producers offer to give him questions he has already seen, but he refuses to accept these questions for ethical reasons. However, they give him a question he has already seen anyway, and Van Doren decides to go with it, winning the first episode he appears in. He then continues to receive questions ahead of time and continues winning in Twenty One for several weeks, becoming a national celebrity. Eventually, people start asking questions and suggesting the game might be rigged. Van Doren initially denies these accusations, but eventually confesses because he cannot morally justify his actions. This confession severely impacts his career. He resigns from his job teaching at Colombia University after hearing that the board planned on firing him. He is also fired from a position he had gotten on a talk show. He became an encyclopedia editor and never taught again. There are some major similarities between Van Doren, Dimmesdale, and Proctor. All three are very respectable members of their communities. Van Doren is a professor and author and his parents are well known intellectuals. Despite their respectable positions, all three commit amoral acts- two different kinds of cheating. All three eventually destroy themselves due to their morality. Dimmesdale confesses and dies, Proctor refuses to confess and dies, and Van Doren confesses and ruins his reputation and career.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, More Commonly Known as "The Pope"

I would like to connect this man, who is also known as Pope Francis, to Reverend Dimmesdale and John Proctor. Obviously to our knowledge, the Pope of the Catholic Church does not have a secret affair but I do believe there are some similarities between the two characters mentioned above and the Pope. First, obviously Pope Francis is a religious figure, in fact he is the leader of the church, similar to how Dimmesdale is the leader of his church. Pope Francis is a very prominent figure in the world and millions around the world listen to what he has to say, just as the people of New England listened to the words of Dimmesdale and Proctor. Now, Pope Francis is a different type of pope because he is challenging the conventions of the Catholic Church. When asked about gay marriage, Pope Francis responded, saying "Who am I to judge?"If people do not already know, gay marriage is generally not approved in the Catholic Church, but yet here is the leader, saying that he cannot judge those people. I think this is the main connection between the pope and these two characters. Both characters obviously are challenging conventions in their own societies. Dimmesdale is having an affair with a woman of the town and is finally brave enough at the end to stand with her in triumph. Meanwhile, Proctor stands up against the town and Abigail, who are accusing people of witchcraft left and right. Not only is Pope Francis a religious man, and a prominent figure in society, but also, most importantly, he is challenging conventions, similar to the ways that Dimmesdale and Proctor did so in Puritan New England.

A Good Sin

One of the connections we made during the harkness between Hester and Abigail was how they both committed adultery. Even though they committed the same sin, they were under very different circumstances. Abigail committed her sin with the evil intention of eliminating Goody Proctor, while Hester committed her sin under the belief that her husband was dead.

For this connection, I have decided to talk about a show that isn't The Walking Dead for once... just kidding, I could never. I think I have talked about it enough so that I don't have to re-explain everything, so I'll just cut to the chase. In the first episode, the main character, Rick, is shot while chasing a criminal. This shot puts him into a coma for roughly a month (the exact amount of time is never said, but there are hints). Obviously, the apocalypse starts within this time, and his wife Lori, son, and best friend Shane are able to get to a safe campsite along with some other survivors. Shane, having always liked Lori, sees his opportunity and takes it. He tells Lori that Rick died from the shot, even though he knows Rick is alive. Lori, honestly believing her husband is dead, looks at the world around her and has an affair with Shane.

For obvious reasons, I am comparing and contrasting Lori and Hester. Both are women who are morally good and only committed their sins because they honestly believed their spouses were dead. There are a few important differences however, the first being the men. Lori had her affair with Shane, whose intentions were entirely evil. He saw a sick opportunity to be with the woman of her dreams, took advantage of her husband's absence and the world going to hell, and took it. If Shane had never come on to Lori, the affair probably would not have happened. Whereas Hester had the affair with Dimmesdale, a man who did not necessarily seek her out, but instead they both took confidence in each other.

Secondly, both Hester and Lori ended up having children in terrible, messed up worlds. With Hester, her child, Pearl, was practically a punishment for Hester. Not only did she have to care for a child all by herself, but she also had to raise the child in a world that looked down on them. Pearl had to witness her mother be ridiculed and frowned upon by the town. For Lori, her child was even more of a punishment, literally. Lori was forced to have a c-section, but since it was in the apocalypse and hospitals aren't really a thing anymore, and the fact that everyone was scattered at the time of the birth, Lori's stomach had to be cut open in order to save the baby, and she died. Not only did she die in childbirth, but she also made everyone else's lives harder, for now they have to take care of an infant while zombies are walking around. And let me tell you, that baby cries so loud it is ridiculous, and zombies sure love their loud noises.

There is a few more things I could say, like how Hester had her affair after about two years after her husband's alleged death, while Lori had hers only a month after. But this was supposed to be a "short" blog post... oops.

Sorry everyone!

Mutantphobia

So as i was going through the notes, i discovered that we missed a good connection. Hester is pursued by hypocrites, Abigail is both the hypocrite and the pursuer, in both cases fear drives everyone insane, etc. The causes for social alienation are nearly identical. And one of my favorite examples of mass hysteria turning to procecution is the mutant war, human supremacy groups in particular. 

Through out the x-men comics, we see multiple anti- mutant terrorist groups: Friends of Humanity, Purifiers, The Right, Humanity's Last Stand, Sapien League, Sentinels, etc. Fear and blind hatred turns many citizens to violence, much like in both of the novels we read. In the Crucible, mass hysteria leads citizens to accuse each other of witchcraft and sin. In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynn is used to scare children into following the church, and becomes the definition of sin; this gives the people something to unite against. In the Marvel Universe, these groups use fear to turn Mutants into evil symbols and use this fear to justify the killing of mutant children. So basically, id like to look at the connections between the persecuting group, finding motives for each. 

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, recentely portrayed in a 2008 movie called Valkyrie.  Col Stauffenberg, born in 1907, was a german army officer in Hitlers campaign on Poland. As Hitler became more facist, the slaughter in the invasion of the Soviet Union, Col Stauffenberg, wanted to right his wrongs as one of Hitlers leading officers and joined the underground resistance. Stauffenberg at first tried to pass lawas that would have the ethical treatement of war criminals. However, when he all of his laws were rejected and the executions of Russian soldiers became more severe, he put everything on the line to right his line. His goal was to save not only surrounding countries but Germany's name, reputation and country. His goal was to assasinate Hitler, blame the assasination on th SS officers, and use the reserve army to arrest and prosecute all SS officers and loyal Hitler suppporters. Then he would order a full surrender of the German Army, to save Germany from a long, brutal war, that would not only result in the deaths of milliions more on all sides but also forever tarnish Germany's name. He put everything on the line, trying to protect his countrys reputation and civillians from a situation that was partially his fault, much like John Proctor and Dimmesdale. Unfortunately his plot was unsuccesful, and he was not able to put a stop to the war, similar to how John Proctor could not stop the Salem witch trials, but he was able to save his name, even when he, and most all of the resistance were executed without a real trial.