And so, it begins…

While it took me some time to declare a major, and even longer to really embrace it, I am now content to say that I am an economics major. I was attracted to economics because of the logical, and arguably cold-hearted, way it explores the actions of others and the world we live in. I have found though, that economics is not only a complex and complicated field of study, but that it is best understood in a liberal arts setting where global studies, English courses, psychology theories and other diverse considerations all work together to paint a picture of the past, the present and today.
My minor in English, with a specialization in creative non-fiction writing, came as the result of a distribution requirement that led me to rediscover my love for the challenge and power of writing. I have found comfort and excitement in writing my stories, experiences and observations for an audience, sometimes, but also for myself. In both fields, I have discovered that not only do I love learning, but that there is always more to know.
I’m from Essex, Vermont, which is a three hour drive, and almost seven hour bike east of St. Lawrence. The climate is similar, and its description really depends on where you come from. It is a land of four seasons: cold and snowy (the longest season), muddy and wet, muggy and lush, and crisp and colorful. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Appropriately, the longest season in Vermont coincides with my many hobbies. I Nordic ski on the team here at SLU, and love to be outside any time of the year whether I am skiing, snowshoeing, biking, running, swimming, hiking…etc. I also love to read, listen to music and do nothing, although I only last a few hours. I lead a very busy life and I like it. More than anything else, I love to laugh.
So far (fingers crossed!) I have had great experiences in all of my English classes. Like all classes each provided a different challenge. From American to later-British literature, expository to creative writing, and journalism to my current internship in communications, each professor and experience has led me down a new path of thinking, that I hope is culminating into a variety of skills.
For the first essay I would like to work with Motherless Child. We sang this song, although didn’t really analyze it, in my FYP to be mentioned later, and I actually have a recording of Hootie and the Blowfish singing/performing the first verse that I really like. Aside from those details, the line I find most interesting is “sometimes I feel like a feather in the air.” This line strikes me for a variety of reasons. Firstly, a feather when floating in the air moves with the current of the wind/air itself, and like the slaves has largely now effect on its own path. The use of the word “floating” and the feather itself, adds lightness to the line despite the otherwise very somber poem of loneliness and loss. This lightness in weight also gives way to a feeling of acceptance of the situation, and seemed to transition predictably into the line depicting the flying that followed. The floating feather can also be akin to idle thought, not in the sense of free time, as much as the time spent doing repetitive tasks during which the mind can wander, moving from one topic to a next like a feather dips to the wind…but, just some thoughts…hopefully the class will help more. Adam, I feel the same sense of insecurity with the assignment and class, but I guess we’re all in this together!
This class serves many purposes for me. I have always been intrigued by the overlap between psychology, sociology and history, especially as found in the written and oral word. I hope to learn about the emotions of the various eras of history, as seen through African American eyes, and the many creative and complex ways they are expressed. This class is also a “full-circle” experience for me: as I started my first semester in an FYP titled “Amazing Grace: The Black Church in White America” which consisted of hymns, poetry, and political movements, and will now finish my senior year with a similar course. Like all classes I take, I am especially interested in the many viewpoints and considerations that we as a class will explore that I never may have thought of alone.
And so, it begins…