Presentations- John Nay

John's presentation also dealt with the five conflicts of Antigone. The work in which these conflicts are described is J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, a book which I regretfully admit I have not yet read. The conflicts center around the life of Holden Caulfield, who uses cynicism in an attempt to avoid the pain of growing up and entering the adult world. His anger against the phoniness and superficiality of the world represents the individual vs society, although Holden often wonders if he himself is guilty of the phoniness he so despises. His close relationship and traumatic loss of his brother signifies the living vs dead, with Allie's death also being seen as the loss of innocence for Holden. The conflict of Man vs Woman is most noticable in Holden's doomed relationship with Sally Hayes, but could also be found with his younger sister Phoebe, whose maturity and role as his personal "catcher" also provide the Old vs Young conflict. The final conflict of Man vs Gods could refer to Holden's loss of faith after Allie's death, but without reading the book I'm not sure of Holden's religious convictions before his brother's death.

Presentations- Jonathan Orsi

Jonathan's presentation dealt with the character of Perseus in the Metamorphoses of Ovid, especially how Perseus changed between the two stories. He begins as a somewhat violent youth, who has no compunctions against giving the titan a face full of Gorgon. Later however, he meets Andromeda and falls in love. This pacifies Perseus, causing him to bury the head of Medusa and adapt to a more peaceful lifestyle.

This is very much like Lysistrata, where the love between men and women is able to calm the warlike tendencies of humanity and turn their endeavors to more constructive ends. I also enjoyed Jonathan's presentation because it mentioned the power of love as calming Perseus. During the discussion of Lysistrata and several of the presentations I was a bit frustrated by the sheer amount of attention that was given to the power of women over men through their sexual prowess. While I'm sure there are countless members of both sexes who are so centered on the needs of their Id, it seems a bit insulting that men are so callously indentified by a desperate need for intercourse. This presentation's focus on love made the story of Perseus seem more complete and balanced, rather than yet another example of a woman "using what she has to get what she wants."

Presentations- Porter

Much to my shame and embarrasment, I was unable to remember the first name of this presenter. Hopefully I can be forgiven for this transgression, but I could not omit this presentation, as it revolves around one of the greatest characters in literary history: Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes. Turning from a headstrong young woman to a headstrong and even younger boy, the five conflicts of Antigone were described in Calvin's world, showing that even a comic strip can provide a deeper insight into humanity.

The five conflicts are seen many times in the series, however the most prevalent is that of Man vs Woman- The conflict between Calvin and Susie is a stereotypical conflict, the dramatized traits of men and women (Men being headstrong, arrogant and forceful, Women being earnest, serious and contemplative) being let loose to ricochet off eachother. But with a closer look, this relationship also brings in the conflict of Old vs Young. Susie, as a hard-working and focused student, possesses a mature personality, giving her an aura of age and authority that Calvin finds threatening. Given his agonistic relationships with other female authority figures (His mother, Rosalyn, Miss Wormwood), Susie represents both the mystery and threat of feminism, the rigid authority of age, and the suffocating mandates of society.

Presentations- Emily Lewis

Emily's presentation focused on her love of dance. But, as we all know, humans are never responsible for any achievement in the arts. Therefore, Emily gave just credit to the muse Terpsichore, the muse ruling over the art of dancing. In a vivid slide show, Emily showed how her life and many others were enriched by Terpsichore.

Presentations- Jann Spizziri

Jann's presentation was probably the most controversial one of the semester, in which she drew a parallel between The Bacchae of Euripides and the Virginia Tech massacre of Seung-Hui Cho.
Although Cho's motives were much more obscured and nonsensical than those of Dionysus, both individuals were responsible for death and misery, and both left their victims with a last cutting monologue.

These speeches are quite alike in content, possibly because Cho had read The Bacchae during his english studies. Both speeches further condemn the victims by stating that there were numerous ways to have averted the disaster, and that they ignored the truth and their opportunities and so brought the calamity upon themselves.

Presentations- Chase Wright

Chase's presentation on the similarities of Dionysus and Jesus was striking. The parentage to a mortal mother and immortal father was the most relevant. As children of humans and gods, the two provide a connection between the living world and the immortal realm. They are like us, yet more than us, and their return from the dead seems to assert that all humans have the potential to transcend their earthly limitations.

The other main point of the essay was the theme of homophagia. While the myth of Dionysus has its fair share of cannibalism, it does not seem alike to the Christian eucharist's self-sacrifice.

Presentations- Alison Zobel

During Alison's "Nether Regions 101", the name I remembered most was Leonard Shlain and his writings in Sex, Time and Power. The book details mankind's discovery and understanding of time due to an evolutionary flux, in which women began to understand the relationship between sex and pregnancy due to lunar cycles. This allowed them to refuse sex to men during ovulation, forcing men to confront women on equal terms.

While these writings offer new viewpoints to traditional views of sexuality, I can't help but feel slightly skeptical about them. Perhaps it's some psychological defense mechanism where my masculine and chauvinistic ego can't stomach the idea of my sex being this tyrannical entity, or maybe my limited understanding of genetics and evolution makes me wonder how this evolutionary flux could cause the earliest humans to equate menstrual patterns with the concept of months. Regardless, I can't quite take a side for or against Shlain, though his writings do share an equal concept with Lysistrata.