Original Article: http://dartreview.com/archives/2007/01/12/shorter_notices.php

Shorter Notices

Friday, January 12, 2007

His king was Charles I, his country: Virginia. He was ardently loyal to his king and his country, just as any colonial governor should be, but his heart was in Virginia. Sir William Berkeley served as Governor of Virginia from 1642-1652 and again from 1660-1677. A Discourse and View of Virginia, written in 1663 at the request of a royal commission as a report on the Virginia colony, provides insight into Sir Berkeley’s inflated view of Virginia’s role in the British Empire and of his own role in guiding Virginia to greatness.

Sir Berkeley dreamt of fashioning Virginia into the powerful right arm of England in the New World, likening Virginia to Rome and himself to Romulus, envisioning “his feverity [sic] and discipline” would make Virginia “formidable to their neighbors,” and that his successors would be the “masters of the world.” Citing the fact that Virginia “brings more Money to the Crown, then [sic] Ships of the same burthen do from the Barbadoes,” Sir Berkeley tried to convince the Crown that his colony was the jewel of the New World under his leadership. An arrogant man, he went so far as to complain that because the lands of Maryland and Florida were not under his direct rule, the economy of the Crown would suffer.

In addition to trade with England, Virginia engaged extensively in bartering with the Indians living near the settlement boundaries. Sir Berkeley welcomed trade with the native population so long as his colony saw profit. However, trade relations eventually grew sour, and in 1645 he put down a violent Indian uprising to restore peace in the region and to reconstruct the trade routes that had been established.

Despite pretending to have England’s best interests at heart, Sir Berkeley was far more loyal to Virginia as a land and would rather have lead as the ruler of a successful semi-independent colony than perpetually pander to the British Crown. Sir Berkeley pleaded to allow his planters to trade with other countries besides the British “Mother Nation.” Not only would this freedom of trade, Sir Berkeley believed, would have allowed produce from his own plantation to be sold for higher prices, it would also have solidified the economic stranglehold that the cadre of plantation owners held on Virginia. Sir Berkeley declared the wealth that the plantation owners revel in “is a wealth our fathers never knew, and in humane probability will increase on us every year.” In short, Sir Berkeley wanted wealth and power for himself and the colony he believed to be his kingdom.

Sir Berkeley firmly believed in his right to rule and also in the right of his fellow plantation owners to flourish to the best of their ability. He was famously quoted as saying, “I thank God, there are no free schools, nor printing; and I hope we shall not have, these hundred years; for learning has brought disobedience, and heresy, and sects into the world, and printing has divulged them, and libels against the best government. God keep us from both.” Clearly devoted to the ruling class, Sir Berkeley held fast the belief of using the lower classes and the Indians to further his economic gain so long as they were kept in their subservient places. His firm, self-propagating decisions allowed him to remain in power for decades and his policies set the tone for Virginia’s culture and economy to remain dominant for two hundred years until the War Between the States.
—Alex Vespoli

While the laureled men of Dartmouth claim untold notable alumni over her 200 years of higher education, few approach the notoriety of literary giant Theodor Geisel. A brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon and member of Casque and Gauntlet, Geisel would go on to produce several near-universally read pieces of American literature, including his canonical text, The Cat in the Hat. A tale of mystery, romance, and conflict, The Cat in the Hat grips its readers with both a suspenseful plot and eloquently constructed prose. Written under the pseudonym Dr. Seuss to protect the integrity of the controversial ideas presented within, Cat would change the lives of children forever.

Chronicling the afternoon of two children whose lives have been corrupted by single parenthood, The Cat in the Hat explores issues well ahead of its time. Not only does the lack of a defined father figure aversely feminize the unnamed male protagonist, but after their mother abandons the two children they are left to wrestle with moral issues beyond their years. Alone in the house, the two struggle with the intense romantic connection they share and the resulting sexual tension. By dumping the children into a moral abyss of a failing family structure, Seuss illustrates a shocking scenario all too real.

Dr. Seuss carefully disguises the heavily religious aspect of his ultra-conservative world-view in his implementation of the Fish character. However, the Fish plays a crucial role as the conscience of the two children—a Christ figure throughout the story. Where the Cat proceeds to unleash havoc throughout the household illustrating the destructive effects of an unsupervised household, the Fish tempers the children’s enthusiasm for chaos. He leads the charge among his disciples (the two children) against the heathen malcontents Thing One and Thing Two, whose plural identity portrays the vile nature of pagan worship. Clearly intended to represent the Cat’s worship of multiple Gods, Seuss pits Jesus’s incarnation in the Fish against Satan’s influence within the characters of Thing One, Thing Two, and the Cat.

Reminiscent of Orwell’s “Big Brother” is the domineering figure of Mother, who is capable of controlling her children through intense fear. Seuss portrays the dread inherent in tyrannical regimes through the Fish, who quivers in fear of Mother with lines such as: “I do not like the way that [the Things] play! If Mother could see this, Oh, what would she say!” Indeed, his position on fascism remains clear, yet fails to resolve the conflict between the oppressed and the oppressor in the course of the text.

Indeed, The Cat in the Hat raises more questions than it answers. The reader is left with the following dilemma regarding truth and justice: “Should we tell her The things that went on there that day? Should we tell her about it? Now, what should we do? Well... what would you do if your mother asked you?” The Cat in the Hat delves thoroughly into the human psyche and leaves the reader emotionally shocked. A masterpiece of American literature, none should miss this timeless classic.
—Michael Edgar

In this thin volume, Dr. Dalrymple convincingly counters conventional wisdom regarding heroin addiction. Myths he identifies include heroin’s highly addictive nature, the drug’s causal relationship with crime, and the medical seriousness of withdrawal. Indeed, overwhelming pharmacological and psychological evidence proves that men must be long-term narcotic users before they become addicts, and that withdrawal is a medically trivial affair. In making his arguments, Dalrymple draws extensively both on laboratory research and his own anecdotal experience as a doctor in a British prison. But if the aforementioned beliefs about heroin are so manifestly incorrect, how have they come to near-universal acceptance amongst lay-people and medical professionals alike? In answering this, the good doctor draws on literary sources to trace the origin of heroin myths and charts their evolution over time. Today, he contends, these lies are perpetuated by a medical bureaucracy that requires ongoing faith in them to justify its continued existence. Romancing Opiates wittily argues that most beliefs regarding heroin are fictions, and furthermore that these fictions have had pernicious effects on both heroin users and societies in which they live.
—J. Stethers White

One day, while scanning my bookshelf for my copy of He’s Just Not That Into You, my eyes accidentally focused on the spine of my copy of The Elements of Style. Diverting my eyes, now frantically searching for my copy of He’s Just Not That Into You, I eventually conceded that I would be unable to find my copy of this literary gem in a timely manner. Looking sullenly at my bookshelf, loathing the unfortunate turn of events, my eyes again caught the spine of the Strunk and White classic and I began to wonder “What sagely advice could possibly be contained within The Elements of Style?” And at that moment I decided to read The Elements of Style cover-to-cover.

According to the brief history given at the beginning of the book, The Elements of Style was originally written by William Strunk, an English professor at SUNY Cornell who taught in the early 20th century. Nicknamed “the little book,” the original The Elements of Style was privately published by Strunk and was used as a student reference guide for how to employ proper grammar and rhetoric. In 1919, E. B. White took one of Strunk’s English classes and kept The Elements of Style. After Strunk’s death, White revised and added to this “little book,” and had it published in 1957. It has since undergone various alterations with each new edition, but the core of the book remains as Strunk intended—a clear and simple reference on how to write effective prose.

Having only known of the first section, “Elementary Rules of Usage,” before delving in, I was surprised to find that The Elements of Style has four additional sections: “Elementary Principles of Composition,” “A Few Matters of Form,” “Words and Expressions Commonly Misused,” and “An Approach to Style.” The first section, known to me as “The Section with the Rule for How to Properly Use a Semicolon,” also addresses other grammar points that are largely irrelevant, such as the rule where ancient names don’t take “’s”, but rather just an apostrophe, such as Jesus’. Yes, I am probably not going to remember that either.

Having never known there was more to the book than Section I, I pressed on to the following sections. Sections II through V are helpful to an inexperienced writer in composing a piece with good form; the experienced scribe will uncover few new lessons to be learned. Any junior high student with a competent English professor should have learned these rules long ago. Still, the common theme to be clear and concise in writing cannot be stressed enough. If only Joyce had read this book, just think how good his work could have been.

Section IV, “Words and Expressions Commonly Misused,” is an English stickler’s wet dream, containing a slew of words that are oft misused in formal writing. I found a few instances where I was surprised to find a distinction, such as between “shall” and “will,” (in case you were wondering “shall” is used in the first person, whereas “will” is used in the second and third). Other than a few exceptions, the majority of the authors’ objections are to the words used by the same people who think “proactive” is a meaningful word.

The last section, “An Approach to Style,” is the only section entirely written by E. B. White. Now, I loved Charlotte’s Web when I was eight, but I do not consider that book to be the stylistic masterwork of the century, so I was skeptical. Although I cannot find fault in E. B. White’s section devoted to style, I cannot vouch that, if followed strictly, this set of rules would aid in the creation of a great work. To be fair, this book does not seek to guide the author towards creating exceptional work, but rather, to guide the author toward the creation of solid, clear work that will undoubtedly get you a B+ on your next personal narrative.

The Elements of Style is, indeed, elementary, but this ubiquitous book will continue to proudly gather dust on my bookshelf for years to come. As a book written by a long dead SUNY professor and a children’s writer who ripped off his professor’s idea for personal gain, it is a serviceable book for guiding the prose of the inexperienced and the experienced writer alike.
—Weston Sager

Even Shorter Notices

The Odyssey, by Homer: Dude soils his commute.
Beowulf: Hard guy slays grim dude and his mom.
Don Quixote, by Miguel Cervantes: I don’t know what’s real.
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare: Do-nothing scene, followed by kill-everyone scene.
Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flauert: Marriage is a huge shackle.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson: You’ve changed.
Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman: Huge self-call.
Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka: For no reason.
Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett: Hanging out.
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume: Grim.