RDB Emmerson's "The Windhover"

“To Christ our Lord

I CAUGHT this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing, 5
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion 10
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion."- Gerard Manley Hopkins


When I first read Hopkins’ poem “The Windhover”, I was positive that the poem was merely about a Falcon’s fall from the sky; however, once I noticed Hopkins’ opening lines “To Christ our Lord”, a whole new hidden meaning seeped onto the page from the intricately planned stanzas. The journey of the hawk seems to personify the life and death of Jesus Christ and provides a glimpse at mankind’s relationship with Him. By contrasting the bird’s absolute power and majesty at the beginning of the poem with the of elimination of dignity and pride towards the end, Hopkins creates a parallel to Christ's sacrifice of His divinity to win man's salvation.

The stanza,

“Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion 10
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!”

is truly the pivotal point in the poem.

Hopkins begins by establishing the grandeur of Christ, or in this case the Falcon, in the list of “ brute, beauty, valour”, and then portrays the sacrifice of these things by saying “and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here Buckle!” (Hopkins 9-10). “Buckle” contains a great connotation in that it represents the diminishing of Christ’s human spirit. The next line, “AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion 10
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!”, portrays Christ as conqueror or “ chevalier” over death and depicts the arising of the incredible promise of eternal life through Him for the believer in “the fire that breaks from thee” (Hopkins 10-11).

The last stanza
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, 13
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.

discusses the promise of the cross and the struggles that are overcome through it. While some may find “no wonder” in the cross, its true message of the omnipotent and loving God “makes down sillion (the immense suffering of Christ) shine”. Even though “The blue-bleak embers (or the nonbelievers betray Christ and) fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion (the Blood of Christ), the glory of God shines through in Jesus’ Resurrection (Hopkins 12-14). Though this poem can be interpreted in many different ways, I find this interpretation to make perfect sense with Hopkins’ choice of prose and diction. Through his personification of the Hawk, I was able to discover new meaning in the persecution, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.

RDB Gender and Diversity

"When the earliest settlers poured into a wild continent (which was to become America), there was no one to ask them where they came from…the land flourished because it was fed from so many sources—because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and people.” (859C). While America is even more so a melting pot of an infinite variety of backgrounds, races, and cultures today, the acceptance of all hardworking and dedicated people has plummeted to an all time low in which people have lost all connection with their individual identities.
Though our generation is the most open-minded and diverse America has seen thus far, we represent a new breed of Americans who find a constant need to prove ourselves to others by altering our identities to fit society’s definition of what is acceptable. Even though we are stuck in the battle of conformity, we still long to be individualistic, and we struggle to find our niche while are constantly striving to make ourselves unique. Many of the author’s of the essays discussing gender and diversity, mentioned this struggle and related it to a journey of self discovery that is “characterized by a patchwork quilt of custom and assimilation, of resistance and complicity, and of understanding and confusion” (Anadrade 214). It is hard for us to imagine another’s hopes, dreams, and feelings because we are so wrapped up in our own lives, and we often times cast the thought of them aside completely. ((It is hard to practice our sympathetic imagination and put ourselves in another's position.)

The views of society have engrained in our minds that we must look and act a certain way in order to be successful, and we often apply these views in our everyday life without a second thought. Norma Anadrade said that “I had been trained to look at people’s color my entire life”, and I think that this is probably the truth for most of us (224). Stereotypes of certain groups of people have become so prevalent that people have forgotten how to acknowledge other’s identities as well as their own. One group of people that I have noticed that I discriminate against in my life is the homeless. While I have often thought of them as just lazy bums who do not want to work for a living and just pester me for money as I walk up and down the drag, I have started to realize that each of them is a person with a story. Recently, I have made an effort to smile and make eye contact with them as I pass by or speak to them when they speak to me. Last week, I even talked to a homeless man named Ben for a while after I gave him my leftovers, and he surprised me with his ramblings of the things he had experienced in his life. I have realized that the homeless, much like myself, simply yearn to be acknowledged and have their identity recognized by another. I believe that it is important for us to remember that although everyone’s lives have encompassed different circumstances and situations, we are all still related through the fact that we are human and for the most part have the same desires and endure similar human sufferings. Vincent Ng said in his essay , “While I see my roots as an important connection to my past, I do not see them defining my future.” (257). Our identities are innate within all of us, but, they do not define us, we define them. It is up to us to discover who we are, and to listen to the stories of others so that they might be able to do the same. There are so many people in the world yearning to be someone, longing to possess some sort of identity, and it is up to us to help them discover the endless possibilities that lay within themselves.

P5 Igniting the Flame: My Leadership Vision

Ever since I was little, I have had a sincere desire to help others. My aspiration to become a doctor was derived from this yearning to be an active participant in other’s lives and to somehow make a difference.

[1] ((When I was younger, I used to play doctor and dream of the day I could help others.))

To me, a doctor had the capability to change all aspects of a patient’s life and represented a cure to all their physical and mental suffering. Recently, however, I have realized that my desire to help others is not just merely found in a need to help their physical being, but also in one to touch and change their hearts. [2]((Healing a Hurting Heart))

It is my belief that the heart is the key to the human persona, and often the part of the body that endures the most confusion and pain. Thus, I have decided that the medical field itself is not capable of fulfilling my ideal vision for my future. Rosabeth Moss Kanter once said, “A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more [1].” While I still wish to somehow empathize with other’s physical distress, my new vision is to do just that, connect with others on a deeper level and work towards change in individuals through example, boundless love, and the offering of hope in my community and the world at large.

Though I know that I will need to take some much larger steps in fulfilling my vision in the future, I have commenced on my journey this year my becoming a volunteer for Young Life. [3]

Young Life is a Christian ministry that focuses on introducing kids to Jesus Christ. I was recently placed as a middle school Wyldlife leader in West Austin, and have felt an abundant sense of compassion and love for these kids ever since. From supporting them at their sporting events to listening to them talk about what is important to them, leaders like myself are committed to being involved with kids' lives. We help kids consider the direction of their lives, and offer hope for their future by building relationships with them and sharing the Gospel in casual, non-threatening environments. [4]
By simply making kids laugh and enjoying life with them, we ourselves are secretly making a huge impact on the way they think, feel, and live. While many of these children struggle daily with things I could never even imagine, I am there to offer them support and guidance in their pursuit of Christ and of others. I plan to continue being a leader throughout my four years in college, and hope to get more and more involved as the year progress. Young Life has provided me with the opportunity to connect with kids on a deeper level than I ever thought possible, and has instilled me with an incredible hope of what my future in the pursuit of changing kid’s lives might behold.
[5]
Although I already sponsor a child in Kenya, I plan to continue trying to make a difference abroad for many years to come. Sponsoring Nyamvula through Compassion International has already taught me the concept of solidarity, which is so important when trying to communicate with anyone from a foreign culture. Though our communication is
from two different continents, my love for Nyamvula transcends geographic borders. [6] ((Children of an African children’s choir praying before a performance))

My donation has provided her with the opportunity to go to school and to come to know and love God. Her letters beam of joy and appreciation of my sponsorship and encourage me to become more active in Compassion’s ministry. I plan to persuade others to sponsor a child, and hope to take a mission trip to Africa to work in an orphanage next summer. Also, I am looking into sponsoring another child from another country so that I might be able to change another child’s life in the same way.
[7]

Similarly, a few friends and I began working with Children’s Hope International, an international adoption agency, our senior year of high school for a social justice project on the One Child Policy in China. [8]

Since then we have become junior ambassadors for the foundation, and have been able to raise enough money to fund several international adoptions for a families across the United States. Since adoption is already quite an emotionally draining process, eliminating the stress of having to supply the appropriate funds allows the child and its new parents to interact and connect more instantly. The adoption permits both parent and child to be part of a type of loving family that they have never experienced before. ((Offering hope and love across the globe))[9]

I hope to continue to work with Children’s Hope International in order to fund more international adoptions and help provide both child and family with happier lives by giving them the opportunity to be in each other’s. I believe that by expanding my love across borders and trying to make a difference that others will be encouraged to do the same.[10]

Sometime in the near future, I would love to start a camp for kids of all ages to encourage mutual respect and support for one another. The camp would be would be a refuge of adventures and activities that would allow children to relate to one another instead of partaking in all of the temptations that are so easy for kids to get involved with these days. [11]
An outlet for creativity and mutual growth in Christ, it would allow students to be themselves among their peers without fear of judgment or mockery. With everything from sports to excursions to food to counseling, it would create a community of people who loved being with each other, and who would in return go out and love others. By concentrating on a few students at first, the camp would be able to spread the love of Christ the same way Jesus did. [12]((Children forming a community and supporting one another.)

In the Master Plan for Evangelism, Coleman states that, “though (Jesus) did what he could to help the multitudes, he had to devote himself primarily to a few men, rather than the masses, so that the masses could at last be saved” (29) [2]. The camp would take on the same approach that would eventually help change a community and hopefully the world at large.
[13]
While none of my classes coincide with my leadership vision at the moment, I do believe that they will benefit me in the long run. My natural science classes such as chemistry and biology will be helpful if I decide to continue pursuing the medical profession. Though they appear an obstacle now, their benefits in my future will far outweigh the problems they are causing me. Plan II Math, Illness and Meaning, and World Literature all help me examine the world around me in new and exciting ways, and allow me to develop my own personal opinions on many matters in my life. [14]
World Literature has especially encouraged me to take a look at myself and my convictions and learn to apply them on an everyday basis. Though some assignments have been more beneficial than others, projects four and five have made me discover where my true passions lie and apply them in creating my own leadership vision. This assignment truly brought my focus away from all the worldly distractions I encounter each day and back to the children and how I can benefit them the most. Now, I have something to focus my attention and love on, and I cannot wait to put it into action.
According to Warren Bennis, “leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality [3]." Through all of the steps listed above, I hope to translate my vision of loving children and changing their lives into a reality and at last become a leader.

[15] ((Matthew 19:14: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."))

By throwing my entire being into loving and caring about these kids, I know that I will be able to connect with that which is greater than myself and experience the power of infinite love such as Christ has offered me take hold of my life. I am ready to be a vessel of love that will bring this hateful world out of its darkness. I am ready to confront what lies ahead of me, triumph and failure alike, and meet it with open arms. The flame in my heart has been ignited and it keeps glowing brighter everyday.
[16]

Word Count Including Quotes: 1,460

Word Count Excluding Quotes: 1,404

Text Citations:

[1]- Rosabeth Moss Kanter. http://thinkexist.com/quotation/creativity_is_a_lot_like_looking_at_the_world/149380.html. 29 March 2008.

[2] - Coleman, Robert E. Baker: 2006.

[3]- Beennis, Warren. http://www.quoteworld.org/quotes/1220. 29 March 2008.

Photo Citations:

[1]- Playing Doctor- http://www.thechildrenshospital.org/visit/type/surgery/siblings.aspx

[2]- Healing HEART- http://pro.corbis.com/images/S0536-19.jpg?size=572&uid=%7B3516795E-3638-4F1D-A288-E15816539EB5%7D

[3]- YL LOGO- http://wallawallayounglife.org/YL%20Color.jpg

[4]- Kids laughing- http://www.magicnorm.com/kids%20laughing.jpg

[5]- African child- http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/PCH5936.jpg

[6] Kid’s Praying- http://www.charismamag.com/images/choir-kidsnews.jpg

[7]- Nambia child- http://newmexiken.com/images/2006/02/_620.jpg

[8]- Chi- picasaweb.google.com

[9]- Globe- http://www.crossroadsadoption.com/Portals/0/images/International.jpg

[10]- Hoola Hoop http://www.vcss.k12.ca.us/Portals/VcssoPortals/afterschool/j0428516.jpg

[11]- Diversity- http://pro.corbis.com/images/RF4467343.jpg?size=572&uid=%7B9FA215B9-7763-44A6-9A9F-2B80C0C5E3A7%7D

[12]- Community- http://www.suzylamplugh.org/files/images/Training/community_pic.jpg

[13]- Kid’s Playing- http://thefuntimesguide.com/images/blogs/harry-potter-quidditch-game.jpg

[14]- World connection: http://www.balancedweightmanagement.com/World%20Connection.jpg

[15]- Jesus and Children- http://www.youarelovedchildcare.com/jesus_w_children_600.jpg

[16]- Flame: http://tinypic.com/8wcqqh.jpg

The Bluest Eye II

In Isaiah 53:2-3, Jesus is described as “a tender plant, and as a root (growing) out of dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hide as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Bump 67). Similar to the world’s actions towards Jesus, Pecola in Toni Morrison’s, The Bluest Eye, was completely cast aside as a recluse from society. Pecola’s own ugliness made her “despised…by teachers and classmates a like” (Morrison 45). Though both Pecola and Jesus endured lives of extreme hardship and suffering, both essentially became saviors in their own ways. Christians look to the symbol of Jesus crucified on a cross as a reminder that that Jesus lived the perfect sacrificial life and that through His eternal love, all of our sins are forgiven. Through Jesus’ divine grace, we are given new life and hope towards the future.

Similarly, Pecola’s life and insanity brings a new appreciation of life to the people in her community. Her ugliness makes everyone feel beautiful, her endless suffering brings gratitude for their comparatively easy lives, and her desire for acceptance humbles them. She remains a symbol of all that hatred and human suffering can be, and encourages them to be compassionate towards one another. She serves as a beacon of hope “among all of the waste and beauty of the world- which is what she herself was. All of our waste which we dumped on her and which she absorbed. And all of our beauty, which was hers first and which she gave to us. All of us—all who knew her—felt so wholesome after we cleansed ourselves on her” (Morrison 205). Though unlikely heroes, both Jesus and Pecola have the ability to enlighten their communities and to bring them out of eternal darkness.

The Bluest Eye I

In Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, all the protagonist Pecola wants is to have blue eyes so that she can become her definition of beautiful. Through all of the horrible things that happen in her life, she places the blame for the occurrences on the fact that she herself is ugly and unworthy and grasps on to the hope that one day she will be loved when she receives her blue eyes. “It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes that held the pictures, and knew the sights—if those eyes of hers were different, that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different.” (Morrison 46). She believes that blue eyes will solve her every problem and in some way replace the pain and fear in her heart with joy. What seems like an instant fix to a little girl, however, serves merely as a Band-Aid to cover the wounds which she has for so long endured. Even as Pecola, in a state of insanity, receives her prized blue eyes, she is still filled with an emptiness leaving her yearning for more.

Today, our generation is characterized by this constant struggle for wanting more and for settling for instant gratification that leaves us miserable and confused in the long run. Constantly conforming to society’s standards of “beauty” and appearance, the youth of today has become increasingly self absorbed and indifferent towards the mind-set and insecurities of others. Though we all have our own personal struggles with self-confidence raging within us that we feel a need to deal with, we are not for a moment concerned that our peers are for the most part facing the same daily struggles. Often times we think that others cannot possibly understand how we feel and are scared to seek counsel from them because they are different from us, but are not all humans capable of understanding human suffering?
Pauline says is well when she says, “I hurt just like them white women. Just ‘cause I wasn’t hoping and hollering before didn’t mean I wasn’t feeling pain” (Morrison 125).Many of us, like myself, have learned to disregard the emotions we are experiencing, and turn to superficial things such as alcohol and money to try to erase this hurt that arises when we actually come face to face with our problems. What we must realize is that we cannot remove our past from our present and that we must confront our problems because they make up and huge part of who we are. Last year, I experienced a lot of bullying from a particularly hateful individual in my grade. Much like Pecola, I was ridiculed and “insult(ed) (about things) above which (I) had not control” (Morrison 65). This tormenting left my self esteem at an all time low and it was not until I actually acknowledged the pain I was feeling that I was able to become confident again and cast away all of my temporary solutions.
The Dove Campaign for real beauty encourages girls to accept themselves for who they are.

The ever raging battle of self acceptance is one that our society needs to embrace in order to ease the inner turmoil in so many lives in the world. We must remember to be compassionate towards others because we would want them to be compassionate towards us in our time of need. “To imagine what it is like to be (another), to feel (their) pain, is to take the first step toward breaking the habits of racism and judging by appearance that “created” (them)” (Bump193). Most of all, we must accept ourselves with all of our imperfections and strive to let our inner beauty shine through and become the beautiful that so many of us our striving for. Only when we think we are beautiful, will the world be able to view us in the same light.

RDB Gandhi and MLK

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred….(we must) continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive” (122). This attitude of Ahimsa, taken on by the some of the greatest leader’s to ever to walk this Earth, seems to be a driving force behind some of the most monumental milestones throughout history.


While Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi, all came close to perfecting the methods of Ahimsa, its ways remain a challenge to the common man such as me. Though I understand its basic concepts, the challenge lies in actually putting these principles into practice. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “If a man beats you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If a man takes away your coat, give him your shirt also” (16). Being a Christian, I try to live my life by these words of Christ, but it is definitely not easy. While I know that hating others and becoming angry about certain circumstances definitely does not qualify as Ahimsa or the way of God, I personally struggle daily with these issues. My goal in life is to help transform others into the people they are meant to become and help provide them with insight into a better life, but I realize that this dream cannot become a reality unless I take a stronger grasp onto the notions that these famous leaders so fearlessly lived their lives by. The only way that I will be able to live my life the way I want to live it is to convert any disdain I feel towards others into selfless love that will hopefully spark interest in the individual that observes it.
Les Miserbales, 1978

In Les Miserables, the Bishop of Digne allows Jean Valjean to stay with him after he has been released from jail and condemned by the rest of society. One night when the bishop is sleeping, Valjean decides to repay the Bishop’s favor by stealing all of his silver and running away. When the police catch Valjean and bring him back to the home of the Bishop, the Bishop lies to the police saying that he gave the silver to Valjean and ultimately saves him from a life of imprisonment. After the Bishop saves and forgives Valjean for stealing, 
he gives Valjean the silver candlesticks on the mantel along with everything else he had previously stolen. The Bishop’s last words to Valjean are, 
"But remember this, my brother. 
See in this some higher plan. 
You must use this precious silver 
to become an honest man. 
By the witness of the martyrs, 
by the Passion and the Blood, 
God has raised you out of darkness, 
I have bought your soul for God!" (Les Miserables). The Bishop’s words of forgiveness and hope challenge Valjean to start anew, and he does, changing his life forever. The affect that the Bishop instantly has on Valjean’s life is the kind of effect that I wish to have on the lives of others. To do so, I must practice solidarity and alter my entire being into existing in pursuit of others. Gandhi once said that “my life is a message,” and by existing as a living beacon of Ahimsa and the love of Jesus Christ, I just might be able to spread this enduring message of compassion, and transform the world for the better.(Gandhi 119).

A Peacemaker's Enlightenment

RBD Gawain and the Green Knight

In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Sir Gawain embarks on a journey “the dunte that schulde hym deve, and nedez hit most be done (to stand a crushing blow in helpless sufferance),” because of the deal he made with the Green Knight (1285-86). This scenario brought upon by various choices made by Sir Gawain, fits perfectly with Campbell’s description of a hero as a “man of self-achieved submission” (16). Gawain accepts his unfavorable fate without question, knowing that he brought it upon himself, and continues to live his life chivalrously. When he stops at the castle on his quest to find the Green Knight a year later, Gawain is presented with an offer that he finds hard to refuse. The lord of the castles tells him that he can have anything he kills on his hunt if Gawain in return will give the lord whatever he receives from relaxing with his wife all day. Even though he is quite frequently tempted by the lord’s wife, Gawain chooses truth instead of the enticement, and always puts his word into action by giving the lord exactly what he receives. On the eve of his encounter with the Green Knight, however, Gawain’s gallant spirits falter and he chooses to keep the scarf that the lord’s wife gives him for protection in secrecy. The next day when he meets with the Green Knight, it is revealed that the lord and the Green Knight are actually the same person and that he is aware of Gawain’s betrayal. In this revelation, the Green Knight says, “and the wowing of my wyf: I woght it myselven. I sende hir to asay the, and sothly me thynkkez on the fautlest freke that ever on fote yede…bot here yow lakked a lyttel…and lewte yow wonted” (I arranged it myself. I sent her to test you, and to me truly you seem to be one of the most perfect men who ever walked the earth,” but “only here you fell short… and lacked fidelity) (2361-66).

This story of Gawain and the Green Knight is similar to Adam and eve's temptation in the Garden of Eden.

Gawain’s moment of weakness in his loyalty to the Green Knight and his cause of chivalry should have been one of utter embarrassment and shame, but the Green Knight’s reply was, “ thou art confessed so clene, beknown of thy mysses, and hatz penaunce apert of the point of myn egge, I halde thepolysed of that plight, and pured as clene as thou hadez never forfeted sythen thou watz first borne” (you have so cleanly confessed yourself, admitted your fault, and done honest penance on the edge of my blade. I declare you absolved of that offence, and washed as clean as if you had never transgressed since the day you were born) (2391-94). In my opinion, the characters in this epic poem are representative of something greater than just their names. We have all been challenged in this lifetime and this story portrays how we as humans should deal with temptation and unfaithfulness. Gawain, symbolic of the human race, is good and pure and falters for a brief moment in his journey due to the overwhelming powers of the lord’s wife of temptation (Satan). Instead of holding his fault against him, the Green Knight (God/humanity) forgives Gawain through his penance and sets him free, selflessly giving him his sash as well. While we might not all see these characters as the same images, we can follow their example of upholding the values of chivalry and truth in our lives. We all make mistakes and by learning to sincerely accept them, we become all the more courageous. Thus, just as Gawain was honored for learning this lesson, we can say, “Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense” (shame upon him who thinks evil of it) and transform our failures into daring successes.