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Table of Contents

Literary Criticism..............................Page 3-15Government Policy Analysis.............Page 16-21Creative.............................................Page 22-25Poetry................................................Page 26-29Sources..............................................Page 30Meet Our Editorial Staff...................Page 31Next Volume......................................Page 32

Hero of a Golden Age

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by Kylie Kopp, senior

There is great beauty in the paradox of the Apollonian-Dionysian dichotomy, in which

order begets chaos and chaos begets order, allowing a new establishment to emerge. Beowulf, the

first Anglo-Saxon epic poem, incorporates this theory into a timeless work of heroism and

courtly gallantry. However, as Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay” mourns the end of

a golden age and an inevitably forlorn future, Beowulf also laments the end of an ideal era of

prosperity. In true Apollonian-Dionysian fashion, the hero Beowulf is the catalyst that instigates

a fleeting order in the disarray of society, while his death is the spark of a new age of war and

suffering. Taking these pagan principles and applying them to an ever-present Christian theme,

the poem serves as both an exaltation of Christianity and a lamentation of the loss of the heroic

tradition in Anglo-Saxon culture.

Although the hero, Beowulf, is a traditional pagan symbol of strength and virtue,he is

also a Christian symbol for Christ. He is essentially the pinnacle of humanity; “his worth and due

as a warrior were the greatest” and he is perfect in his strength and unwavering in his honor—the

traditional Anglo-Saxon man and epic hero (3100). Though initially a secular hero, the Christian

poet also suggests a deeper, more religious meaning to Beowulf as a character, a Christ-like

symbol for the Danish court of Heorot and his own people, the Geats. This comparison is not

inconspicuous, as from a religious standpoint Christ Himself can be seen as a quasi-epic hero.

The poet continually credits Beowulf’s incredible feats of victory in battle to the Divine, as “the

Geat placed complete trust in his strength of limb and the Lord’s favor” and the “Divine Lord”

would “in His wisdom, grant the glory of victory to whichever side he sees fit,” as opposed to a

pagan supernatural ability bestowed on the hero and an alternative bestower of fate (669-670;

685-687). As eventual king of the Geats, Beowulf is a “shepherd to the people” and in his youth,

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a savior to Heorot from the demon Grendel and Grendel’s nefarious mother, as Christ is a savior

to God’s earthly kingdom (2981). Both also suffer death at the hands of sin for the sake of their

respective kingdoms—Jesus on the Holy Cross, and Beowulf slain at the talons of the dragon,

the greed and cowardice of his subjects and brethren in arms finally failing him. This valiant

hero’s death ultimately signals the end of an era of prosperity and honor. Throughout his life,

both Heorot and Geatland, finally rid of demons, thrived in perfect existence; however, upon his

death, great strife is imminent, as “a Geat woman too sang out in grief,” crying of  “nightmare

and lament: her nation invaded, enemies on the rampage, bodies in piles, slavery and

abasement,” a profound and sinister lamentation that foreshadows the end of Beowulf’s rule and

thus, the end of good fortune (3150-3155). Like Christ’s fleeting presence, Beowulf creates a

passing era of perfection. He is truly nature’s gold, “But only so an hour./ Then leaf subsides to

leaf/ So Eden sank to grief,” and this Scandinavian Eden will fall to chaos and disorder in the

wake of his death (4-6 Frost). Beowulf serves as an epic standard, a model for the traditional

pagan hero and an exaltation of Anglo Saxon culture, in his boasting to the court of Heorot and

in his supernatural strength fighting the demons. However, with his passing the people lament

not only the death of a fantastic hero, but also the death of an entire way of life. A distinct pagan

culture of heroic virtue is dead, as is a simultaneous Christian culture of heroism and

“Christianity as a powerful, civilizing force,” all with the loss of a single, superior man (Kantor

6). Beowulf’s life is ultimately bookended by two funerals, ending with his own, as “death is not

easily escaped by anyone” (1001-1002).  Despite this, and despite his tragic end, he is still

remembered by his people and by his culture. Even in death, Beowulf is an inspirational example

of a traditional Anglo-Saxon hero and what it means to be truly great; his legacy continually

lives on.

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If Beowulf is the symbolic Christ, then Heorot is the Christian utopia he is sent to save,

both a symbol of pagan Anglo-Saxon courtly gallantry and a messianic kingdom that is safe,

orderly, and away from the chaos and disorder of the outside world. However, throughout the

poem, evil and sin slowly infiltrate the court. Each demon represents a particular sin and its

permeation into the kingdom. Initially, it is the jealousy of Grendel, the demon envious of the

court of Heorot, “he who had harrowed the hearts of men with pain and affliction,” and in

Christian perspective, “had given offense also to God” (808-810). This jealousy manifests itself

inside the court through Unferth, the stately warrior who is envious of Beowulf’s reputation and

prestige. Evil also takes hold in the form of Grendel’s mother, “this force of evil driven to

avenge her kinsman’s death,” which continues to terrorize Heorot in a ravenous rage of revenge

(11330-1340). The third, final, and ultimately fatal sin is the greed of Beowulf’s own people,

symbolized by the manifestation of the dragon and his treasure hoard in Geatland. Sin by sin, the

disorder of the outside world injects itself into the paradisiacal society, destroying the innate

goodness of this civilization and bringing it down to the baseness of intrinsic human flaw, so that

it falls deeper and deeper into sin. Not even Beowulf, exempt from the temptations of worldly

pleasure and useless treasure, “as useless to men now as it ever was,” can save Heorot and

Geatland from the encroaching sin (3168). This is because, although the work is populated by

monsters and demons, “the ordinary dangers that fill up the background of the poem—dangers to

men from other men—are quite realistic,” especially evident in the passive-aggressive yet fatal

desertion of Beowulf’s men, as they abandon Ecgtheow’s son in his final fight against the greed

of the dragon for the sake of his beloved kingdom (Kantor 7). The prosperity that Heorot and

Geatland experience under his presence is only fleeting; it can never be permanent, a cyclical

trend of nature in which order leads to chaos, and chaos leads to order, over again until the end

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of time. After Beowulf’s death, the end of harmony in Heorot and Geatland is near, as “the Geats

must look forward to defeat at the hands of the many enemies Beowulf kept at bay during his

lifetime” (Kantor 5), and as “dawn goes down to day/ Nothing gold can stay,” (Frost 7-8); the

fair kingdom of the beloved hero is no exception. The imminent epoch of destruction to come is

a result of the great hero’s mortal sacrifice, much like the Earth’s fate from a Christian

perspective after Christ’s death. By praising this example of courtly tradition and honor, the epic

poem is surreptitiously lamenting a revered past way of life, “her hardest hue to hold”—a life of

prosperity and peace that, once disrupted by the devastation of evil and sin, cannot be truly

replaced (Frost 2).

Although originally a hero of pagan roots, Beowulf is also used to symbolize a Christ-

like figure, shepherding his people and ultimately sacrificing his own life for the sake of their

wellbeing. Despite this sacrifice, the future of his kingdom is unpromising; with the evil of

supernatural and human nature encroaching on Heorot and eventually Geatland, destruction is

imminent. The inevitable carnage that the Geatish people face is not just physical, but also an

irrevocable loss of culture and tradition—a devastation from which they may never fully recover.

The Ultimate Medicineby Kevin Periera, senior

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Nurse Ratched introduces the new admission to the mental hospital as, “McMurry,

Randle Patrick. Committed by the state from the Pendleton Farm for Correction. For diagnosis

and possible treatment. Distinguished service cross in Korea for leading an escape from a

Communist prison camp” during the combine’s “therapeutic community” (Kesey 37).

McMurphy is not only an acclaimed individual in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s

Nest, but he also has the capability of changing the mental hospital forever. As the novel

progresses, Chief Bromden, a chronic patient and McMurphy’s friend, takes account of all events

at the hospital since McMurphy arrived. McMurphy comes to be known as the “savior” of the

rest of the patients at the hospital, though at times it seems he is only looking out for himself.

Even though McMurphy seems to start his time in the ward with self-interested motives, both his

time spent with the patients and his unique outlook on life project the utmost sense of altruism

and sacrifice for his fellow patients.

It may quickly be assumed from the beginning that McMurphy came to the ward to take

over and have everything for himself. For instance, just a matter of minutes after McMurphy

walks in the door to the day-room containing the other patients in the combine, he finds out that

Harding is the “top dog” and tells Billy Bibbit, “You tell Bull Goose Loony Harding that R.P.

McMurphy is waiting to see him and that this hospital ain’t big enough for the two of us” (Kesey

17). By saying this, McMurphy instantly projects to the other patients that he wants to be the

“top dog” in the combine. As soon as he meets Harding, he booms over the group of acutes in

the room, instating himself as their new leader. He instantly takes over the patients in Nurse

Ratched’s ward with a single sentence. This is important because even though he can bend the

patients to do what he wants to his own advantage, they still come to look up to him because he

embodies a certain boldness that the patients need to regain their individual freedom from the

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dictatorial Nurse Ratched. Also, McMurphy makes it clear that he wants the ward run his way,

just as Nurse Ratched wants it run her way. McMurphy expresses his aggression at certain things

he does not approve of when he is playing poker with the acutes and says, “That damned radio.

Boy. It’s been going ever since I come in this morning. The hell with that. I’ll tell that coon over

there to turn it off or get his fat little ass kicked” (Kesey 68). Though this may only be a verbal

statement about the ward’s practices, it is only the beginning of McMurphy’s campaign to

undermine Nurse Ratched’s system of controlling the patients. McMurphy seems so consumed in

imposing his standards on the orderlies, nurses, and patients that he may overlook the possible

consequences of his actions, such as being sent up to the disturbed ward, receiving electroshock

therapy, or even being lobotomized. Though McMurphy seems reckless in his audacity to take

on the Big Nurse head-to-head, the other patients in the institution pay him the utmost respect,

even if he is taking advantage of them in the process. Chief details the idea that McMurphy is

exploiting the other acutes’ financial assets when he says, “The acutes took to joking with

McMurphy about how it looked like he was taking them down the line, and he was never one to

deny it. He bragged that if he stayed on this hospital a year or so he might just be discharged out

of it into financial independence, retire to Florida for the rest of his life” (Kesey 222). Solely

based on this instance, one could quickly assume that McMurphy came to the mental hospital to

take advantage of the easily-duped patients and con them out of their money. McMurphy’s

bragging about his financial advantage reinforces the idea that he “broke the mold” in the mental

hospital, because Nurse Ratched expects him to become defensive on the matter, but instead he

embraces it and throws it back in her face. Through his bold qualities and actions, McMurphy

shows from the beginning that he wants control of Nurse Ratched’s ward and its inhabitants by

challenging ward regulations and the Big Nurse herself.

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With all personal affairs aside, McMurphy’s support and sacrifice for his fellow patients

proves to truly make him the “savior” figure he had come to be in his time at the mental

institution. Chief is inspired by the way he sees McMurphy organizing basketball teams or

fishing trips for the patients, and learns valuable lessons from the way McMurphy looks at life.

For instance, Chief shows his respect for McMurphy when he says:

This scramble of action holds for a space…the men yammering and struggling and cussing and trying to tend their poles while watching the girl; the bleeding, crashing battle between Scanlon and my fish at everybody’s feet; the lines all tangled and shooting every which way…while McMurphy laughs. Because he knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy (Kesey 210-211).

Chief finds McMurphy to be even more a genuine friend as they spend more time together, just

as the other patients slowly discover their own freedom and power with every day they spend

with McMurphy by their side. This is essential because McMurphy teaches the patients on the

fishing trip to not allow themselves to be discouraged by messing up, or to be afraid of

overbearing figures such as the Big Nurse. Instead, he teaches them that nothing can take away

their individual freedom, and that laughter is the best medicine. Not only does he take enjoyment

in being with the other patients, but McMurphy even physically defends them against their

oppressors. When George refuses the soap after the fishing trip and the orderly abuses him, Chief

recalls that, “McMurphy shoved the black boy away [from George] and went into a crouch.

McMurphy kept walking forward…till he got the black boy against the ring of nude men and

drove a fist square in the center of the white, starched chest” (Kesey 233). Even though what

McMurphy does in fighting the orderly is strictly against ward policy, he does it for George. In

doing so, he makes a point that every patient is a human being, and should always be treated like

one. McMurphy truly stands out here as the “savior” figure that the other men had labeled him

because he showed in his bravery that he would sacrifice his own well-being for his friends’

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security. This idea not only spreads through the men like wildfire, but sticks with them even after

McMurphy is removed from the hospital. Chief describes Nurse Ratched’s attempt to regain

control of the ward when he says, “She tried to get her ward back into shape, but it was difficult

with McMurphy’s presence still tromping up and down the halls and laughing out loud in the

meetings and singing in the latrines. She was losing her patients one after another” (Kesey 273).

Even after McMurphy left, the men in the hospital carried on his legacy as individuals.

Here, it seems Kesey is conveying the point that individualism is prevalent over any form of

oppression, because nothing can keep a person from enjoying every little aspect of life.

McMurphy taught every patient an extremely valuable lesson on valuing life and its hardships;

the lesson that no possible amount of rules, medications, or operations can confine the human

spirit. It is made clear that in his bravery in standing up against the Big Nurse on the patients’

behalf, McMurphy’s ideas on living and camaraderie serve as the ultimate medicine for the

inhabitants in the mental asylum.

Even though Randle Patrick McMurphy gives the impression of self-centeredness and

nepotism when he arrives in the psychiatric ward, his selfless actions and individualistic attitude

quickly make him the most respected man in the entire hospital. His take-charge demeanor is not

defamed, but quickly uplifted as he uses this mindset to take on the top dog—the domineering

Nurse Ratched. McMurphy’s portrayal of companionship with the other patients is easily

recognizable in his actions, such as organizing excursions to the outside world, voicing the

patients’ opinions on ward policies, and even actively defending George from the violent

orderlies. McMurphy’s personality expeditiously proves himself to be the best medicine for

every ward patient’s spirit.

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The Crucifixion of Patrick McMurphyby Catherine Nghiem, senior

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest revolves around the theme of individual freedom

versus social conformity. Ken Kesey uses symbolism and motifs to represent this issue; the

Combine symbolizes a society that aims to produce obedient servants and sends those who don’t

easily fit into society to be “fixed” at the hospital. Patrick McMurphy’s conflict with Nurse

Ratched epitomizes the rebellion against social conformity. McMurphy serves as the anti-hero

who struggles with serving both his self-interest and helping the other patients.

McMurphy initially appears as a hero to the other patients. When he first appears, Chief

notes, “I know he’s no ordinary Admission. I don’t hear him slide scared along the wall, and

when they tell him about the shower he don’t just submit with a weak little yes, he tells them

right back in a loud, brassy voice that he’s already plenty damn clean, thank you” (Kesey 9).

McMurphy is clearly different from the other patients. His anti-authority attitude differs from

the others’ compliance. He further demonstrates this boldness when Nurse Ratched states that

everyone follows the rules. Chief narrates, “He tips his head back and gives that wink that she

ain’t fooling him any more than I did, that he’s on to her. ‘Ya know, ma’am, that is the ex-act

think somebody always tells me about the rules…just when they figure I’m about to do the dead

opposite’ ” (22). McMurphy sees through Nurse Ratched’s act, and he is brave enough to

question her intentions. The patients believe that she wants to help them, but he warns them that

she desires only to make them weak. Still, the others accept this oppression because of their

submissive roles in society. McMurphy tells them, “She can’t have you whipped. She can’t

burn you with hot irons. She can’t tie you to the rack. They got laws about that sort of thing

nowadays; this ain’t the Middle Ages. There’s not a thing in the world that she can—” (58).

The patients believe that they cannot defend themselves because they are powerless. Only

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McMurphy realizes that Nurse Ratched has little power, and he tries to help the others change

their mentality. These admirable qualities portray McMurphy as a protector for the others.

McMurphy’s impatience with the other patients leads him to forsake them and work for

his release. At a group meeting, he proposes a schedule change so that he and the others may

watch the World Series. Only Cheswick is brave enough to support him; the other patients are

too afraid to defy Nurse Ratched. McMurphy loses his temper with them and declares that he is

going to escape the hospital. He attempts to throw a cement control panel at a window, but he

cannot even lift it. He gives up and says, “But I tried, though. Goddammit, I sure as hell did that

much, now, didn’t I?” (107). He is frustrated with the others’ acquiescence; he believes that they

can revolt against Nurse Ratched. However, the patients seem hopeless, and he can only help

them so much. McMurphy’s behavior changes when he learns that a committed patient is

released only at Nurse Ratched’s judgment. Chief comments, “He’d had a six months’ sentence

at the work farm with two months finished, four more to go—and four more months was the

most he wanted to spend locked up any place. He’d been close to a month in this nuthouse and it

might be a lot better than a work farm, what with good beds and orange juice for breakfast, but it

wasn’t better to the point that he’d want to spend a couple of years here” (143). McMurphy sees

that he must cooperate with Nurse Ratched if he wants to leave the ward. He puts his own

interest above those of the patients, and he no longer supports them during group meetings.

However, he tells them that he understands why they submit to Nurse Ratched; she determines

their releases from the hospital. Harding informs him that most of the patients actually

voluntarily checked themselves into the hospital. In response, McMurphy yells, “Are you guys

bullshitting me!...Tell me why. You gripe, you bitch for weeks on end about how you can’t

stand this place, can’t stand the nurse or anything about her, and all the time you ain’t

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committed” (162). He feels as if the others deceived him. They act as if they are imprisoned by

Nurse Ratched when, in reality, they choose to stay in the hospital. After these events,

McMurphy only looks out for himself.

McMurphy overcomes his self-interest to help the other patients. On the way to the

patients’ fishing trip, a man recognizes that they are from the asylum and harasses them.

McMurphy claims that they are crazy murderers, and the others realize that they can use their

illnesses as a source of power. Chief states, “He’d shown us what a little bravado and courage

could accomplish, and we thought he’d taught us how to use it” (201). Nurse Ratched taught the

patients that they did not belong in society, but McMurphy gives them confidence to face the rest

of the world. This epiphany allows the others to relax and enjoy their day out. This experience

inspires Chief to defend a fellow patient and fight the orderlies alongside McMurphy. For this

act of rebellion, Nurse Ratched sends them to receive electroshock therapy. McMurphy senses

Chief’s fear of this treatment and tries to help him. He tells Chief, “And if they can’t hurt me

they can’t hurt you” (240). McMurphy puts on a brave front so that Chief stays strong during the

electroshock therapy. He voluntarily lies onto the crossed-shape table and mockingly asks an

orderly if he will receive a “crown of thorns”. After the electroshock therapy, Chief believes that

he beat the Combine because he did not return to the fog. He wonders, “Maybe the Combine

wasn’t all-powerful. What was to stop us from doing it again, now that we saw we could? Or

keep us from doing other things we wanted?” (260). Before he meets McMurphy, Chief hid

from reality in a hallucinated fog and believed that he is weak. His friendship with McMurphy

allows him to finally conquer his fear of the Combine and “grow” back to his full size.

McMurphy shows the patients, especially Chief, that neither Nurse Ratched nor society can limit

them.

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McMurphy resembles Jesus in many ways. McMurphy is a radical who contrasts with

the rest of society. In the beginning, McMurphy surprises the other patients with his laugh: “But

it’s not the way that Public Relation laughs, it’s free and loud and it comes out of his wide

grinning mouth and spreads in rings bigger and bigger til it’s lapping against the walls all over

the ward” (10). It is the first laugh that Chief has heard in years because the patients learned to

repress their emotions. McMurphy shows them that a man has nothing if he does not laugh. Like

Jesus, McMurphy supports beliefs that goes against those of society. Chief narrates, “You can

never tell when just that certain one might come in who’s free enough to foul things up right and

left, really make a hell of a mess and constitute a threat to the whole smoothness of the outfit”

(34). McMurphy represents everything that clashes with Nurse Ratched’s rules: sexuality,

freedom, and independence. He wreaks havoc in Nurse Ratched’s ward by encouraging

gambling, drinking, and sex. Just as Jesus befriended the poor and the sick, McMurphy views

the others as just people. He tells the others, “You ain’t crazy that way. I mean—hell, I been

surprised how sane you guys all are. As near as I can tell you’re not any crazier than the average

asshole on the street—” (55). The other patients stay in the hospital because they believe that

they cannot survive in the real world. McMurphy teaches them that no one can dictate who they

are and what they can do. McMurphy is most like Jesus when he sacrifices himself to save the

other patients.

In the end, McMurphy is a victim of the system. He lost his freedom and sanity in order

to change the patients’ lives for the better. Chief chooses to remember him as a symbol of

defiance instead of failure.

Ban the Bag in Americaby Lane Proctor, senior

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On September 30, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill banning single-

use plastic carryout bags in California. The California State Legislature passed the bill on August

29, 2014 in the interest of improving California’s economy and the environment. The law, which

will go into effect in July 2015, prohibits grocery stores and pharmacies from providing single-

use plastic carryout bags. The plastic bag ban will benefit California’s environment and

economy, both of which are being negatively impacted by plastic bags today. Though California

has become the first state to ban plastic bags, political and environmental experts throughout the

United States, and even throughout the world, have acknowledged the long-term advantages of

plastic bag bans. California should not be the last state to ban plastic bags because plastic bag

bans nationwide will carry the same benefits. It is up to the federal government to ban single-use

plastic carryout bags nationally.

The most damage done by plastic bags is ecological damage. Littering and even throwing

away plastic bags will potentially harm the environment. Plastic bags that are littered are

dangerous not only to animal ecosystems, but to humans too. For instance, littered plastic bags

can clog drainage systems and cause serious floods. In India, Bangladesh, and China, plastic

bags blocking drainage systems contributed to severe floods, each resulting in extensive loss of

life and property. Plastic bag litter harms animals, especially marine life, that mistake plastic

bags for food. Sue Kinsey from the Litter Policy Office of the Marine Conservation Society says,

"Plastic bags are a particular hazard to marine animals that consume jellyfish or squid, as they

resemble these prey species when floating in the water column. Marine animals and birds can

choke or become entangled in plastic bags, both of which can lead to death" (Senior www.). The

decomposition of plastic bags presents a critical environmental problem as well. Plastic bags do

not biodegrade, but photodegrade. Sunlight decomposes plastic bags, which break down into tiny

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pieces called microplastics. Microplastics have the potential to absorb toxic chemicals and then

contaminate soil, water, and animals. Even decomposed plastic bags cause problems in the

environment. The manufacturing of plastic bags also damages the environment because plastic

bags are made with fossil fuels. Due to the usage of fossil fuels, the manufacturing of plastic

bags emits greenhouse gases into the environment which ultimately contributes to global

warming.

Banning single-use plastic carryout bags will have a long-term positive impact on the

economy. Plastic bags negatively impact the economy currently because it is very costly to clean

up plastic bag litter. “A state plastic bag ban saves taxpayers the huge amount of money spent on

litter cleanup, and protects the environment,” says Leslie Tamminen, director of Clean Seas

Coalition and Seventh Generation Advisors. Plastic bags also take an excessive share of space in

landfills because of the vast amount of plastic bags in the waste stream and the millennial

lifespan of plastic bags. Annually, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used

worldwide, and an estimated 100 billion are used in the United States alone (St. Louis www.).

Plastic bags are estimated to last from 500 to 1000 years, in which they break down into

microplastics (Quandt www.). This is a problem because landfills only have a limited amount of

space, but moving on to new landfills is not a favorable option since new landfills are expensive

to maintain and operate. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, “This is

due to higher costs of complying with environmental regulations, higher expenses in siting a new

location, buying or allocating land, constructing the landfill, operational expenses, and long-term

maintenance costs after the landfill is closed. Additionally, the new landfill may be further away

than the old landfill, increasing transportation costs.” (Missouri www.). Cutting back on the

plastic bags being dumped into the waste stream will expand the lifetime of old landfills, saving

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government spending on expensive new landfills. Sending out plastic bags to these landfills can

also be extremely pricey. Ron Gonen, Deputy Commissioner of Recycling and Sustainability in

New York, estimates that New York spends 10 million dollars annually to ship out 100,000 tons

of plastic bags to dump into landfills located in other states (Rosenthal www.). Plastic bag bans

will save millions of dollars in large American cities like New York City.

The manufacturing of plastic bags, as discussed earlier, is fossil fuel intensive. The

majority of single-use plastic carryout bags are manufactured with polyethylene, which comes

from petroleum and natural gas. Since fossil fuels are finite, avoiding the consumption of fossil

fuels whenever possible is advantageous to the economy. In San Francisco alone plastic bag bans

reduced oil consumption by an estimated 800,000 gallons a year (“Plastics of Evil” www.).

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China saved a stunning 6

million tons of oil in five years after passing a ban on plastic bags (Xinhua www.). Banning

plastic bags in the United States will also save millions of tons of oil. In addition, banning plastic

bags will ultimately decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil reserves. According to Jason

Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, and Gene Sperling, former Director of

the National Economic Council, reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil reserves will

create more jobs, increase growth in the economy, and decrease the enormous trade deficit

(Furman www.). Besides the more obvious benefits of plastic bag bans, Assembly Speaker Toni

Atkins affirms that business and tourism in the United States will appear more inviting to foreign

countries if the United States maintains a healthy and clean environment: “The California coast

is a national treasure and a calling card for the world, helping us attract visitors and business

from around the globe. Removing the harmful blight of single-use plastic bags, especially along

our coastline and waterways, helps ensure the kind of clean and healthy environment we need to

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have a stronger economy and a brighter future” (California www.). The expanded business and

tourism that a healthy environment brings will strengthen the economy of the United States.

Plastic bag ban critics argue that banning plastic bags will increase unemployment.

Although plastic bag bans will contribute to unemployment in plastic bag industries, there will

be increased employment in industries that produce eco-friendly alternatives to plastic bags.

“Bag bans reduce plastic pollution and waste, lower bag costs at grocery stores, and now we’re

seeing job growth in California at facilities that produce better alternatives, (California www.)”

says Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste. California’s government,

along with the new plastic bag legislation, is providing up to 2 million dollars in competitive

loans to plastic bag industries converting to reusable bag manufacturing. As will be expected by

the national government, California’s government is helping to make an easy transition to a state

without dependence on plastic bags. Senate President pro Tem-elect Kevin de Leόn goes as far to

say that plastic bag bans will even increase overall employment: “SB 270 is a win-win for the

environment and for California workers. We are doing away with the scourge of single-use

plastic bags and closing the loop on the plastic waste stream, all while maintaining – and

growing – California jobs.” (California www.). Other opponents of the plastic bag ban suggest

that recycling plastic bags is much more sensible than banning them altogether, but recycling

conventional plastic bags is not a viable option. According to Earth Policy Institute, 97% of

plastic bags never reach recycling facilities, and even if they do, they tend to jam and damage

recycling equipment (Larsen www.). Although the convenience of plastic bags cannot be denied,

plastic bags are not worth the harm done to the environment. Nathan Weaver of Environment

California says that California’s new plastic bag ban is an "important step forward" that "shows

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that we can achieve lasting victories for ocean and environmental health. Nothing we use for a

few minutes should pollute our ocean for hundreds of years."

A logical alternative to single-use plastic carryout bags is reusable bags. Politicians and

environmentalists alike recognize the merits of reusable bags over plastic bags. Senator Padilla, a

supporter of the recently passed plastic bag ban in California, promotes the use of reusable bags:

“A throw-away society is not sustainable. This new law will greatly reduce the flow of billions

of single-use plastic bags that litter our communities and harm our environment each year.

Moving from single-use plastic bags to reusable bags is common sense” (California www.).

Janet Larsen, Director of Research at Earth Policy Institute says that Earth Policy Institute is

“definitely in favor of reusable bags. Overall, we're advocating for a movement away from the

disposable society and use-and-toss mentality” (Larsen www.). Another alternative to

conventional plastic bags are bioplastic bags. The advantage of bioplastic bags are explained in

an article published in the Center of American Progress: “A key solution to cutting plastic use

can be found in bioplastics, which are not only made from renewable resources but also

biodegrade significantly quicker than conventional plastics” (“It’s Easy Being Green” www.).

Bioplastics bags are much more suitable for protecting the environment. Although it is highly

encouraged to compost bioplastics for greatest environmental advantage, bioplastics that are

littered or thrown away are not nearly as harmful to the environment as conventional plastics.

Bioplastics in the waste stream will not last for hundreds of years, taking such an excessive

portion of space in landfills, because they biodegrade naturally. Littered bioplastic bags do not t

release the toxic microplastics that become a hazard to animals. Additionally, instead of being

manufactured with limited fossil fuels, bioplastics are made from a wide range of organic matter

including cornstarch, potatoes, sugarcane and mycelium from mushrooms. Organic matter is

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sustainable, which makes bioplastic bags a practical alternative to conventional plastic bags.

Even if plastic bag bans do not pass right away, taxes on plastic bags will give people reason to

consider the alternatives. Sue Kinsey says, “We are calling for a total ban on plastic carrier bags,

but a charge or levy would be a good start towards phasing them out, and would get shoppers to

think about whether they actually need a plastic bag" (Senior www.).

The government is responsible for banning the single-use plastic carryout bags that

currently harm America’s environment and economy. There are undeniably negative impacts that

plastic bags have in America as discussed in this paper and supported by expert politicians and

environmentalists. Despite the convenience of plastic bags, they are simply not worth it: they

threaten the beauty of America and of the world by harming humans, animals, and the economy.

The damage done by plastic bags is too significant to be ignored; a change is inevitable. There

are obvious alternatives to plastic bags that are sustainable, much less harmful to the

environment, and that will strengthen the American economy in the long run. Nations worldwide

have already banned plastic bags, and California has become the first of hopefully many in the

United States. With California paving the way, the usage of single-use plastic carryout bags in

the United States must be banned by the government in the interest of America’s future.

Fly Me to the Moon

by Jenna Rowell, freshman

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1954

“Come on, Mary!” the laughing voice of a young man echoed throughout the peaceful backyard.

“I’m coming!” a young woman shouted, pushing the fence gate open with her shoulder, her arms

full of paintbrushes and sponges.

The young couple smiled and laughed as they painted the back of the house. Michael, the young

man, turned to his young bride. He dipped his fingers in paint, reached over, and smudged some

on the tip of her nose. She turned to Michael and dragged her paintbrush across his shoulder.

They soon began a full-on paint war, the wall forgotten.

Present Day

On the back wall of the house, near the foundation, two pink handprints are still visible.

Underneath them, the inscription “Michael & Mary” can barely be made out, beside the date

May 13, 1954.

1954

Mary pulled her hand away from the wall, squishing the baby pink paint between her fingers. As

Michael leaned over to put his handprint on the wall as well, she pressed her hand onto the back

of his overalls. He turned, one eyebrow raised, and Mary held back a giggle. Michael removed

his hand from the wall and stood up, planting a playful kiss on her smile while landing his large

pink handprint on the shoulder of her white t-shirt. Realizing she had been tricked, Mary began

to chase her husband around the yard, flinging paint at him for the second time that day. The

young couple eventually landed in a laughing, paint-splattered heap on the warm grass.

Present Day

In the corner of what once was a living room, an antique chair rests on the bare hardwood floor.

The chair’s corners are worn down to the padding, and the white flowery design has faded over

time.

1954

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Mary pushed her grandmother’s chair into the corner of her new living room. She wiped her

forehead and turned to her husband. “I love this chair! It will be just perfect for sewing!” Her

husband nodded, lost in his thoughts about the baseball game starting on the radio in ten minutes,

and trying to concoct a plan to escape to the radio to hear it. He looked up at his wife to find her

sitting in the chair, examining the now finished living room. She gazed at the loveseat her mother

had given them, the bookshelf loaded with his favorite novels, and the new radio they had

received as a wedding gift. Michael smiled, imagining little children running through their home.

He imagined the two of them growing old; his wife reading in that very chair, with him

skimming the morning paper through silver reading glasses. Michael looked at the mantelpiece,

and the picture of their wedding day resting in the middle of it. He imagined the mantel full of

images, of their children’s first steps, their first days of school, and of the family on vacation. He

pictured photos of grandchildren with cake-covered faces, and of their family gathered around a

Christmas tree.

Present Day

Two black and white photos sit on the mantelpiece. The first pictures a young couple on their

wedding day. The second depicts a young woman laughing at something beyond the frame; her

face covered in paint and her white t-shirt decorated with a large pink handprint on the shoulder.

The glass on the second frame has a hairline crack down the middle, as if it was dropped.

1956

A crowd of people dressed in black stood on the wet grass. All of them held umbrellas, except

for one, standing at the front of the group. The young man stood, in a crisp black suit, in the

pouring rain, letting his hot, violent tears mingle with the cool raindrops on his cheeks. He

watched as the shiny coffin was lowered into the ground. Michael placed the bright red roses he

held on the top of the mahogany box. As he pulled his hand away, he noticed a crimson drop of

blood from a thorn. He hadn’t felt a thing.

On the drive home, he relived her final moments, the moments he knew would replay in his sleep

for the rest of his life, like a dream where the monster is always faster than you. The combination

of his tears and the rain on the windshield made it nearly impossible to see the road. Somehow,

he managed to drive home without causing a wreck. He crossed the threshold of his home and

reached the mantle in two strides. He picked up the pictures of them at an amusement park, on

vacation in New Mexico, swimming in Maine. One by one, he threw them, shattering the glass

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frames on the floor. Images of them baking cookies, standing in front of their freshly painted

house, shattered on the hardwood. He barely noticed when the broken glass cut his fingertips, his

blood dripping onto the floor panels. Pictures of them sitting in a canoe on a small lake, posing

next to the Grand Canyon, smashed.

When Michael had broken nearly all the pictures, his eyes rested on the last two: their wedding

photo, and the image taken on their first day in the house. In the second picture, Mary was

laughing at him, covered in as much paint as he was. He held his thumb over her heart and

touched the pink handprint on her shoulder. Suddenly, his grip on the frame tightened. Michael

felt the glass snap under his thumb, and began to throw the picture at the wall, but he stopped. He

placed the picture frame back on the mantelpiece. He pictured his wife lying on her hospital bed,

her face still beautiful despite the pasty look it had because of her medications. He couldn’t

understand how such a tiny virus, a microscopic creature, could have killed his stubborn, strong,

hilarious, and perfect wife.

Hot tears threatened to spill over Michael’s cheeks as he began to sing their song, Frank

Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.” He walked around the house and ran his hands over the

furniture. He touched the back of her favorite chair. His hands pressed into her side of the bed,

grasping her pillow. He looked at her favorite titles on their bookshelf, tracing the spines, worn

from many readings.

By the time Michael had circled around the house, he was crying silently, the words of the song

still falling from his lips. He picked up the picture of Mary as he sang the final lines of the song,

and a melancholy smile spread across his face at the sight of her image.

“…In other words, I love you.”

Michael walked slowly out of the house and turned an idea over in his head. He looked at it from

every angle, the way one examines a curious stone. When he had come to his decision, he found

himself standing in front of the magnolia tree on his lawn. He looked up at its beautiful flowers

and smiled. The tree had been Mary’s favorite.

Later, police lights lit up the front of the house at three in the morning. The shadow of the man

was cast onto the whitewashed walls. His body hung from the magnolia tree; the red and blue

lights glistened on his still face. Marlene, the man’s neighbor, spoke to a police officer across

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the street. The officer’s face was serious as he wrote down what she said, while Marlene’s was

covered in tears. She couldn’t believe that he was really dead.

The funeral procession drove slowly to the cemetery through the warm June sunlight. The young

woman’s grave was widened to include her husband, and a new headstone was placed above

them. The lettering on the stone read:

Neither the angels in Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

Mary and Michael McHenry

1928-1956

The young couple’s family gathered around the grave and wept.

Present Day

A tree’s lifeless bones stand tall in front of the house. In its brittle, bare branches, two

mockingbirds sing a sweet, smooth melody. The warm breeze carries the rays of the sunset onto

the boarded up windows as the day comes to a peaceful end.

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The Midnight Attackby Sarah Alexander, sophomore

T’was I a soldier, at my post, and in my watch, I was engrossed,

Jumping at the shadows: ghosts; who followed as I was scouting.

Suddenly, I heard a shouting, but saw nothing, I was doubting,

Trouble would be on this outing, where nothing could have strayed.

Waiting patiently, I stayed, and to my only God I prayed,

If enemy came: we were outweighed, on such a harrow night!

...The torch lit up and brought forth light, danger: to my own fright,

A signal now, hanging in at height, to warn that they had came.

I straighten stature, my own frame, and heard in air my lone name,

To face battle, they exclaim, as the enemy came riding.

By our light they were guiding, out from the dark, where they were hiding,

The one in power they were deciding, to shoot him to the ground.

Our general falls and makes no sound, and stays put from where he’s bound,

The enemy’s on our compound: And they shot my general from behind!

So with so little thought of mind, I do my service as assigned,

And after my gun is aligned, I aim, hoping I will destroy,

On the run, one soldier boy, who has in hand, a drum: a toy,

Leading his troops, a decoy, and hope his death will make them retreat.

He falls so quick, in sudden heat, my only job, now is complete,

Once again, I’ve escaped defeat! And suddenly they call his name,

A young lad, who looks all the same; young lad, young lad, with fallow frame,

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But it is he who I hath slain, and suddenly a thought from post,

My brother who I used to boast, a traitor for the other host,

Who now I remember, is just a ghost. Was that he? Who I just killed?

And if it was, now dead, fulfilled! My own brother, his death, instilled!

The family tree now can’t rebuild, from on my post, my brother: dead,

So very dead, who I hath slain, to reclaim my general’s game,

Young lad, young lad, of fallow frame, who bares my only brother’s name,

And from my post, you are now dead.

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Trinity Riverby Sarah Alexander, sophomore

Trinity river swallowed your car,

It pulled you over, and it broke the iron bar,

And the river, rushing, was down below,

Telling you how now, to let go,

And the ambulance hurried, not quite prepared,

Because to be honest, as humans, were scared.

For you were dead and your body drifting,

And it was dark, so the tide was shifting.

And tell me God, who have you saved?

For a young girl has died today,

Her life is gone, she was a wife,

Did you grant her, eternal life?

For Trinity River, grim and dark,

Will forever be your final embark,

And it's waves, though hushing, were helping you,

To finally see the God you look to,

And the people watching were mad with fear,

Was the person who died, one they held dear?

For it was early, and the water moving,

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With sounds of the car they were removing,

And tell me God, did you hear her prayer?

And if you did, do you think it's fair?

Her life is lost, she's all alone,

For the world he knew she no longer can own,

For Trinity River, as big as you can see,

Is your new home and place you'll be,

And it's coast, so sleepy, is all a blur,

You to the next life it did transfer,

And the people, crying, will pray for rain,

For their lives now on can't be the same,

For God and his mysterious ways,

Took my wife, on today, of all days.

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Works Cited

Beowulf. Trans. Seamus Heaney. Ed. Daniel Donoghue. New York: Norton, 2002. Print. Frost, Robert. “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” Print.

Kantor, Elizabeth. A Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature. Washington DC: Regnery Publishing, 2006. Print.

Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The Viking Press, 1962. Print.Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York: The Penguin Group, 1990. Print.California, U.S. Office of Governor. “Governor Brown Signs Legislation to Ban Single-Use

Plastic Bags.” Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. - Newsroom. N.p., 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Furman, Jason, and Gene Sperling. "Reducing America's Dependence on Foreign Oil As a Strategy to Increase Economic Growth and Reduce Economic Vulnerability." The White House. The White House, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

"It's Easy Being Green: Bioplastic-tastic." Center for American Progress. N.p., 23 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Larsen, Janet, and Sevina Venkova. "Plastic Bag Bans Spreading in the United States." Plan B Updates. Earth Policy Institute, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Missouri, U.S. "Recycling Economics: Higher Costs Are An Illusion." Solid Waste Management Program. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

"Plastics of Evil." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 31 Mar. 2007. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.Quandt, Katie Rose. "California Just Banned Free Plastic Bags. Here's What You Need to

Know." Mother Jones. Mother Jones, 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.Rosenthal, Elisabeth. "Is It Time to Bag the Plastic?" The New York Times. The New York

Times, 18 May 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.Senior, Kathryn. “End in Sight for Plastic Bags?” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment,

Vol. 6, No. 3 (2008): p. 119. JSTOR. Ecological Society of America, Apr. 2008. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

St. Louis, MO. “Plastic Bags Reduce Reuse and Recycle.” The City of St. Louis Missouri. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Xinhua. "China's Plastic Bag Ban Saves 6m Tons of Oil." China Daily - USA. N.p., 1 June 2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

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Meet Our Editorial Staff(write bios-add photos?)

Student Editorial Staff:

Abby Pfaff, Editor-in-Chief

Igor Stepczynski, Editor

Vianey Contreras, Editor

Christian Chen, Editor

Faculty Editorial Staff:

Michael Edghill, Head of () Department

Donna Brown, Head of () Department

Patrick Simeroth, Head of () Department

Mark Rist, Head of Theology Department

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Next Volume....(date)

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