My Hockey Hoodie

I’ve owned the hoodie since eighth grade. It’s black with two strings to tighten the hood, a large pocket in front, and the words “Property of Richardson Rampage Hockey” written on the front in large white letters. The hoodie itself is nothing special. It’s rather old and torn up, actually. It’s what it symbolizes that means something to me.

I joined the Richardson Rampage hockey team in eighth grade. It was my first ice hockey team, consisting of players from all four high schools in the Richardson school district. When I joined the team, I did so only knowing two other people on the hockey team. After five years, I could recite nearly every player in the organization and tell you about their friends and family.

What the hoodie represents to me is a family. I grew up with the other players on the team, playing a few years in JV and a few years in Varsity. We went through the lowest of the lows and the highest of the highs in our years together, culminating in the ultimate achievement our senior year of high school: becoming the Texas State Champions.

I can say with certainty that if I were to list my ten best friends right now, at least half the list would consist of players from my high school hockey team. Although we’ve each gone our separate ways, we still try to get together every break to say how much worse we’ve gotten since our last day together on the ice. Until then, my hoodie reminds me how much fun I had with them throughout our time together.

Lucky

My family has had Lucky since I was in third grade. I still remember my first time seeing him. My childhood dog Zach had died earlier that year, leaving my family with a severe void. My parents promised a new dog around Christmas, and we spent months going to animal shelters and pet stores looking for the perfect dog.

It was my dad who found Lucky. He came home one day in December promising that he’d found the perfect dog for us, refusing to tell anybody but my mom anything about him. On Christmas Eve, he took us to a shopping mall and told us to wait near the entrance. A few moments later, he returned riding down the escalator with a black schnauzer-terrier mix that I named Lucky (though my brother contends to this day that the name was his idea).

Lucky is a rescue that was around four years old when we got him. Through the years, he has become one of my best friends. I still remember him jumping onto my bed each night to go to sleep when I was a child. He’s learned to fetch, sit, lie down, heel, and shake hands in his time at our house.

Now that I’m in college, I don’t see as much of Lucky anymore. Each time I return home, it seems as if his fur has grown a little bit grayer. He clearly has lost a step, though he still loves playing fetch and will jump onto my bed whenever I invite him up. As much as I’m dreading the day that Lucky leaves us, I understand exactly how much he’s meant to my family over the past ten years. He’s more than just a pet; he’s a family member.

Musings with Mr. Moreno (Part 6)

Today was my final meeting this semester with Edinson. I'd like to start off by saying that it was a truly humbling experience. Edinson has been a pleasure to talk to and has really become a good friend of mine.

I started off the meeting by asking Edinson about his literacy test that he took on Monday. He passed! Although he didn't do as well as he would have liked, he is now officially allowed to enroll in courses as a student here at TCU.

Most of the rest of the meeting was spent talking about classes. Edinson was interested to know everything about the way college classes work, so I happily answered all of his questions.

I first explained exactly how the lectures work. I told him that the classes generally start a few minutes after the hour when the professor calms everybody down, then (especially in intro classes) talks about the subject the rest of the class period. Edinson wondered whether he'd be allowed to ask questions if he didn't understand something, so I explained that professors will answer short questions in class and long questions/concepts can be brought to the professor by email or during office hours, which he found to be helpful. He also wondered aloud whether he could use a recorder so that he could listen to the lectures later. I told him most professors would have no problem with that, but that it would be a good idea to ask all of them during the first class to clarify.

The biggest point that I made was that as long as he goes to class and does the required readings, along with asking questions when he's confused, he'll receive excellent grades in all of his classes.


I'd say that I'll miss Edinson, but I've promised to help him at any point next semester if he needs it. He's truly been a joy, and I know that I'll see him around TCU now that he's a student.

"Ten Indians": My Reaction

After reading "Ten Indians", I couldn't help but compare the young Nick we see in the first few Hemingway short stories to the cold, emotionless Nick we meet later on. Hemingway turns Nick's naivety as a young boy into a series of experiences that slowly turn him into the stubborn man he becomes, with the conclusion of "Ten Indians" playing a key role in Nick's view of women.

Throughout the story, the Garner family displays a prejudice towards the Native Americans that inhabit the town in which they live. Nick takes the unreasonably rude jokes with surprising ease, even though both of his friends and their parents are attacking the girl that he has been seeing a few times a week. Hemingway even goes so far as to say that Nick "felt happy and hollow inside himself to be teased about Prudence Mitchell".

Unfortunately for Nick, the girl that he is in puppy love with has already learned how easy the art of heartbreak can be. Nick, upon returning home to his father to eat dinner, is told that Prudence Mitchell was seen with another boy threshing around in the bushes. Nick's father shows no sympathy at all for Nick, who is clearly emotionally distraught. His father's apathy, partnered with the horrible heartbreak caused by Prudence Mitchell, both contribute greatly to Nick's future self.

Hemingway's stories about Nick's youth, including "Ten Indians", mark the beginning of the end for Nick's childhood naivety. Nick rapidly learns the difficulty that goes along with growing up.

"The Man Who Was Almost a Man": My Reaction

First off, I'd like to point out that this blog post was influenced in no way by the fantastic presentation given by Tyler, Brandon, and Austin on Wednesday. As much as they discussed the decisions that contribute to one becoming a man, I've been considering writing as much about Dave since my last post about "The Guest". Excuses aside, their presentation touched on what I found to be the main point in "The Man Who Was Almost a Man"; Dave's inability to distinguish the difference between acting like a man and actually being a man.

Dave's issue begins when he confuses owning a gun with manhood. In Dave's mind, the act of buying and possessing a gun indicates adulthood. He thinks that the adults in his town will stop looking down at him as a boy after they realize that he owns something so powerful. Unfortunately for Dave, being a man is much more than having power; being a man is about knowing exactly what to do with the power that you have.

Ironically, Dave's incident with the gun proves how much of a boy he truly is (as opposed to proving himself a man, which he was trying to do). Dave, like any other young boy would do, allows curiosity to get the best of him. He decides that owning the gun is not enough, and that he wants to shoot it. Unfortunately, shooting a gun with closed eyes never seems to work out well for anyone involved. Dave shoots Jenny the mule in the ribs, which soon leads to her death.

It is at this point that Dave must make a decision: admit his mistake and pay the consequences, as any true man would do, or choose to run from the problem and create excuses for his actions. As the Mighty Ducks stated in their presentation, Dave's future down either path is dramatically different. Down one road is consequence, forgiveness, redemption, and respect. Down another, disappointment, abandonment, and regret.

Dave proves beyond a reasonable doubt his adolescence when he chooses to run away. His inability to understand the differences between boyhood and manhood lead him to make a horrible decision. A young boy roaming the country with only a gun stands little to no chance of even surviving, let alone living a fulfilling life. While I understand Dave's longing for respect, his child-like attempt at earning it led him away from his friends, his family, and his entire life.

Musings with Mr. Moreno (Part 5)

Edinson and I met for the fifth time last Wednesday in my apartment. We originally planned on meeting in the hallway next to the BLUU auditorium to go over some of his english study papers, as it is usually empty and quiet. However, we were forced to move to my apartment in the TBPW apartment area because of an event that was taking place.

Upon entering the apartment, I introduced Edinson to my roommates Jake and Robert. I told Edinson that Robert had played violin all through high school and they discussed their respective times playing for a few moments before my third roommate Christian walked in. After more introductions, Edinson pulled out his study material and we got to work.

The material that we worked with was pretty basic. Each question had a sentence with four parts underlined. The student was asked to discover which of the four underlined parts was a grammatical error within the sentence. Edinson worked through the questions with relative ease in the beginning, but the questions got more difficult as the workbook wore on. My roommates and I even found many of the questions difficult, proving that the test truly is a test of english ability that goes beyond the level of simple competency. Edinson laughed when I told him that I might have trouble with the test that he has to take after only a year of speaking english consistently.

I haven't gotten in touch with Edinson since he took the competency test, but hopefully he did well. In my opinion, he's improved each time we've met. He really seemed to understand all of the points that were covered in the workbook, so I think there's a good chance he'll be cleared to enroll in classes next semester.

"The Guest": My Reaction

"The Guest" was my introduction to existentialist author Albert Camus. Before my reading, I was familiar only with the well-known existentialists: Kafka, Nietzsche, and Dostoyevsky. Camus' story is by far my favorite existentialist work (I don't consider myself a fan of existentialism), as the main character is relatable to me.

The reason I enjoyed "The Guest" was the moral dilemma Daru was forced to face. As an empathetic person, I completely understand the position he was in. Why turn in a man who has done something that somebody else says is wrong when you have no opinion one way or the other? Daru has no obligations to either side in the revolution, making it unfair to ask him to condemn a prisoner or choose to defy the orders given. Either way, Daru is forced to make a decision he absolutely does not want to make. One of the author's themes seems to be the idea that the only decision that can't be made is the choice not to make a decision. As much as Daru tries not decide one way or the other, he essentially chooses to give the prisoner his freedom by allowing the prisoner himself to choose.

As for the reason the prisoner chooses prison over freedom, there are many potential options. Some have suggested that the prisoner himself believed that he deserved his punishment. Others believe that the prisoner wants to ensure the safety of his family and loved ones by turning himself in. After reading "The Guest", it is my belief that the prisoner chose to turn himself in because he didn't want the responsibility of leading an Arab rebellion against the French. Sanducci tells Daru early on that the prisoner's village is beginning to stir and wants him back, which led me to believe that the prisoner was an important figure in the rebellion. However, throughout the story he seems to be voluntarily submissive to both Sanducci and Daru, rather than a rebel as we have been led to believe. In my opinion, the prisoner chooses prison because he thinks that as a free man, he will become a symbol of rebellion throughout Algeria.

"The Guest" was a truly enjoyable read for me. I found it to be an excellent example of the moral dilemmas that arise in times of war and rebellion, although I hope never to be forced to consider such a dilemma firsthand.

"The Lottery": My Reaction

Wow. I definitely sensed something bad was going to happen throughout my reading of "The Lottery", but I never imagined anything like that. Author Shirley Jackson does a remarkable job in her attack of groupthink and the status quo. Her story has such an effect on people because the gruesome ending causes the reader to question why "Because that's how it's always been done" is a valid excuse for anything.

While reading "The Lottery", I found myself engaged not because of the plot or dialogue, but because of the foreboding atmosphere that Jackson managed to create with her characters. As a reader, the sentences themselves did not interest me; the necessity of knowing what happened in the small town on the twenty-seventh of June each year drove me rapidly towards the conclusion. The foreshadowing was created by Jackson's descriptions of character interactions: tight faces, deliberate head nods, and jokes that yielded only smiles; no laughs. At the conclusion of the first page, I was certain that something bad was happening. However, the story let slip no hints or clues as to the actual event other than the confusing collection of rocks by the young boys in the village.

When the lottery process began to take place, I found myself in the shoes of one of the village members. In a town of three hundred people, there appears to be little chance of my name being chosen. However, the worry of a friend or family member being chosen is much stronger. Living in a village so small, I know almost everybody. Even if somebody I know well isn't chosen, it would still be a jarring experience to stone the girl who I saw in school every day for ten years but was a few grades ahead of me, or the guy who runs the bank that my dad used to work with. Obviously my empathetic experience would be different if I'd been raised in an area where a practice like the lottery took place like the characters in the story, but I can hardly imagine being comfortable killing someone, let alone in such a horrible way.

Funnily enough, I was watching TV with my roommates last weekend when an episode of South Park came on. While South Park is both crude and offensive, I count myself a fan because of the creativity of the writers. This episode was no different, as Britney Spears played the part of Tess Hutchinson. Throughout the episode, all the characters other than Stan, Kyle, and Cartman (the main characters) were attempting to take pictures of Britney Spears, playing the part of paparazzi. When Stan has finally had enough and asks his dad why they won't leave Britney alone, his dad explains that she, like other random celebrities before her, has been chosen to be sacrificed for the harvest (a strange reason in current times, but we'll go along with it). The episode even has an old woman with a camera telling her friend who is running ahead with the others to take pictures of Britney, "You'll have to go ahead and I'll catch up with you." While it may not be the best adaptation, I found it to be interesting and told my friends about the connection. The episode ends with the entire cast endlessly flashing their cameras in a circle around Britney, a perfect comparison to Tessie in "The Lottery."

Musings with Mr. Moreno (Part 4)

We're rapidly coming up on the end of the semester, so expect multiple posts in the next two weeks covering my meetings with Edinson. Thankfully, he is both accomodating and a pleasure to meet with, making life easy for me. Today we met for the fourth time, once again in the BLUU for lunch.

Edinson reminded me moments after sitting down with his lunch that he and the orchestra were performing Thursday night. The TCU orchestra has a concert in Ed Landreth Hall on Thursday night at 7:00, if any of my readers are interested! Free admission for all!

Shameless plug for Edinson's performance aside, today's conversation mostly covered Edinson's english. Edinson's english literacy test is next week, and he seems to be a bit nervous. I assured him that his english is much better than he thinks, and that he's become much more fluent in the past month and a half (Which is true. Rarely did we have a miscommunication over the past two meetings, while the first two were ripe with misunderstandings). He also complained multiple times throughout the meeting at how unfair the test format seems. According to Edinson, the passages from which the questions are drawn are conversations between students that are subject-specific; that is, they cover medicine, or greek mythology, or other subjects that are not common in the everyday english language and are not prevalent in learning the language.

Edinson stayed at TCU over the break, but was not alone on Thanksgiving. He explained that his orchestra conductor, who also happened to be from Columbia, invited he and a few other orchestra members to his house for Thanksgiving dinner. I inquired about the types of food that were present, as Edinson and I had discussed Thanksgiving food at our past meeting. Edinson said that he enjoyed the turkey, but it wasn't his favorite food. He claimed that his favorite food was the sweet potato dish that his host offered up, excitedly telling me that I was right when I told him how delicious it was at our past meeting.

After telling him I was running short on time, Edinson requested that I help him study before his english test next week. I divulged that I was more than happy to help, and we now have a meeting set for tomorrow night. More to come on the english test tomorrow!

Musings with Mr. Moreno (Part 3)

Two days after my second meeting with Edinson, I suggested meeting again in the BLUU over lunch. I hoped to continue meeting at least once each week and decided to see if his Saturday afternoon was free. After receiving a confirmation email, I met Edinson for our third discussion.

Edinson and I both agreed to keep the meeting brief, as we both had alot of studying to do. However, we managed to cover a few important topics in our half hour together. Following the usual greetings, I explained to Edinson that I'd researched Nazca's Lines (see Part 2). I informed him that the reason the lines had remained intact for so long was the arid climate in the Nazca desert, where wind and rain play little to no part in the natural cycle. After chatting for a few minutes about that, I asked Edinson what he was doing for Thanksgiving. Surprisingly, he had no clue what Thanksgiving was, leaving me to try to explain it for him. I said that Thanksgiving was a time to gather with family, friends, and other loved ones to spend time together and express gratitude, but that many know it simply as a day to feast. I told him that the sweet potatoes he had on his plate paled in comparison to the ones many families use as a side dish on Thanksgiving and tried to describe other common side dishes (cranberry sauce didn't translate very well...).

As a natural extension of the Thanksgiving discussion, Edinson and I briefly discussed religion. He explained to me that he and nearly everyone he knew in Columbia was Catholic. I exclaimed that I was Presbyterian, which I explained to Edinson as a protestant faith similar to Catholicism, but differing in practice. He seemed confused, so I explained that my faith wasn't as strict in its rituals (for lack of a better word) as Catholocism. Both Edinson and I agreed that while most religions share important differences, their similiarities lie in the fact that each religion stresses harmony and peace over the bickering, anger, and persecution that seem prevalent in today's society.

My third meeting with Edinson was another fantastic experience. His english seems to improve between each meeting, and he seems to actually enjoy the discussions.

Musings with Mr. Moreno (Part 2)

Last Thursday I had my second meeting with Edinson Moreno, with whom I am meeting a total of eight times this semester to discuss life in general. After learning alot about him in the first meeting, I was interested to have an actual discussion about something that interested both of us, rather than simply talking about our personal lives.

I asked Edinson what kind of things interested him other than his violin. Sports? Movies? Food? He explained that he hadn't found much to like in terms of food here at TCU, but admitted that may be the case because of his frequent visits to Market Square. He also said that many of the foods here are prepared differently than they were in his hometown in Colombia, causing the taste and texture to vary greatly. He told me that he had been unpleasantly surprised multiple times after thinking he'd found something that he'd had before. Edinson also explained that, like many others around the world, he was a fan of futbol (american soccer) and basketball. I explained to Edinson that I'd played both in high school and throughout elementary school, which he found to be pretty interesting.

However, the greatest similarity and talking point we found was our mutual love for the mysterious. Edinson told me that whenever he found free time, he would read about the world's greatest mysteries online. The Loch Ness Monster, the Bermuda Triangle, Stonehendge; he loved immersing himself in their mystique. We talked about the Bermuda Triangle for a long time before moving on to the Easter Islands, followed closely by Nazca's lines (which I'd never heard of). Edinson told me to look them up after our meeting, which I did gladly. Apparently these lines are shallow rows dug in the dirt in the Nazca desert in the shapes of different animals. The shapes are sometimes miles wide and are truly remarkable given the methods available at the time that they were made. The lines were created by the natives of the Nazca desert thousands of years ago, yet show amazing symmetry and scale. The fact that they survive to this day, despite only being a few feet deep, is remarkable.

After meeting a second time, I realized that although we grew up thousands of miles apart, Edinson and I share many similar interests. Clearly the world is a smaller place than I'd imagined.

Musings with Mr. Moreno (Part 1)

Clearly, I'm a slacker. I met Edinson Moreno in the TCU library for the first time over a month ago. I have now met him on three separate occasions and have yet to blog about our encounters, and for that I apologize.

On to the main point of the blog: my first meeting with Edinson. We nearly got off to an awful start when I walked out of the library doors after twenty minutes of waiting, thinking that he'd forgotten about the meeting. Luckily, I noticed a young man running up the stairs who seemed to be looking for somebody. I called out his name and he responded, our first interaction. We scanned back into the library and finally began to learn about one another.

Edinson is from Columbia. He is an only child and he won't get to see his family again until next summer, unfortunately. When asked what he misses most about Columbia, Edinson told me that he missed the noise. He explained that on his street back home, every home played music that somehow blended perfectly into a wonderful sound for all to hear.

Edinson is also a musician. The biggest portion of his daily schedule is reserved for violin practice, as he plans to perform in an orchestra after college. He seems to be truly dedicated to his craft, and I've since made plans with him to attend one of his performances early in December (time permitting).

The last thing we discussed is his english. He seems to have a solid grasp on the language, but misunderstands a few phrases every now and again. There were only a few instances where we weren't able to clearly communicate an idea or topic of conversation to one another.

All in all, Edinson was a wonderful partner. He was excited to meet me and seemed genuinely interested in carrying a conversation.

A Christmas Miracle: No Advertisements!!!

While choosing a magazine to review for my essay, I decided to read one with which I’ve had experience in the past decade. My parents subscribe to Newsweek, making it the most familiar for me. I’ve glanced at each issue most months since I began high school six years ago, so I’m much more able to discuss similarities to today’s version than I would be with Time or Life. For my essay, I chose the December 21, 1964 edition of Newsweek with the knowledge that the United States was becoming accustomed to life without JFK, a national rivalry with Soviet Russia, an ever-growing unrest with the spread of Communism, and a controversial war in Vietnam.

            In many respects, the 1964 edition of Newsweek surprised me greatly. I expected that in the days leading up to Christmas, a nation whose consumer-driven culture had exploded over the last decade would surely place an emphasis on the advertising of potential Christmas decorations or presents. I was surprised to find that the majority of advertisements contained endorsements for banks, insurance corporations, and investing companies. The only Christmas advertisement I found wasn’t even for a product; it was a full page taken out to persuade readers that, in accordance with the popular Christmas hymn, joy was meant for the entire world (including Vietnam).

            Newsweek itself also rarely referred to Christmas. Other than an article describing the habits of holiday shoppers of the season (which debunked my theory that advertisements were nowhere to be found due to a potential short-lived recession by stating that sales were up 6% from the previous year), not a single article discussed the holiday. This was a severe contrast to what I expected: a seasonal edition featuring multiple fluff pieces and pages upon pages of advertising for the “hottest toy of the year.”

            The December issue of Newsweek in 1964 seemed to cover international and political issues more than anything. A great emphasis was placed on informing readers of the goings-on in Europe, including an article by Walter Lippmann titled, “What Preoccupies the Europeans.” Lippmann discusses “the four leading countries in Western Europe today”, covering Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and France. Lippmann is of the opinion that Germany is preoccupied by the removal of the Berlin Wall and the reestablishment of a single German state, Britain is preoccupied by the removal of military in empirical colonies and the stabilization of its economy, Italy is preoccupied by the debate between conservatives on the right and Communists on the left, and France is preoccupied by the restoration of self-respect and self-confidence by General de Gaulle following the defeats of 1940. He continues on to state that while Britain, Italy, and Germany are dependent on Washington, France has become fiercely independent.

            One article I found to be interesting was a piece discussing the similarities between the 1888 killings in England by Jack the Ripper and a string of killings along the River Thames in 1964 by a man the media had come to refer to as Jack the Stripper. According to Scotland Yard, five prostitutes were murdered in similar circumstances throughout the year. The article states that after the first two, media attention was negligent. However, following the third murder by a potential serial killer, newspaper attention skyrocketed and Jack the Stripper was born. As of the December 21^st edition of Newsweek, Jack the Stripper remained at large. I found the similarities between Jack the Ripper and his copycat-killer to be intriguing, so I conducted extra research to discover that the killings stopped after 1965 and Jack the Stripper was never found.

            Another article that caught my eye was the story of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro’s appointment as representative to the United Nations. The story outlined the dramatic details of Guevara’s visit to New York for a UN general assembly meeting. Guevara was reviled in America by opponents of Castro’s Communist regime in Cuba, who demonstrated outside the building while Guevara gave his speech disparaging America and its South American allies for “preparing for aggression against Cuba.” While giving his speech, mayhem reigned outside the building. Ten minutes into Guevara’s tirade, a woman clad in black leather jumped a low hedge and rushed towards the building with a knife before being subdued by police. While the authorities were still dealing with the commotion, a bomb went off in the East River nearby, shooting a geyser into the air. Police bomb experts later identified the bomb as a U.S. Army launcher, usually fired from the shoulder. The bomb maker had attached a home-made timing device to ensure detonation at the correct time. Che Guevara, a figure I had rarely heard of before the article, was clearly a polarizing man at the time to attract a knife-wielding attacker and a bomb detonation in the span of forty minutes.  

            While I expected Newsweek to provide a serious look at national news, I was truly surprised to see a lack of lighthearted holiday coverage and advertising. I expected a few stories, if not an entire section, about Christmas. Overall, I prefer the coverage provided in the December 1964 Newsweek to the editions sold today. Each issue was covered in depth with detailed writing, making each story understandable to the reader.

Time Magazine July 1925

Upon initially learning about this assignment, I was interested to know what popular magazines were like in the early part of the twentieth century. I began my research thinking that there would be a major difference in substance between past issues and present issues of the same magazine. I have a great sense of disdain for most magazines today because of their knack for filling the better part of each issue with advertisements and today’s hot gossip, rather than substantive news (ironically, I’m majoring in marketing). However, after researching for this response, I’ve come to the conclusion that I may have been a little harsh: although there are indeed more advertisements and fluff pieces in the present form, I found both my July 1925 Time and my October 2011 Time magazines provided an excellent overview of the world around them.

            The biggest differences between the 1925 Time magazine and the 2011 Time magazine are the advertising formats and the advertisements themselves. In the 1925 issue, I found my premonitions to be correct. The first advertisement appeared on page 19, whereas the first advertisement in the current issue was on the left side immediately upon turning the cover page. It seems to me that the 1925 editors were determined to provide the news first and collect ad revenue later, something that seems to be missing from the current issue. The first eighteen pages include four pages on national affairs, seven pages on foreign news, three pages on entertainment, one page on education, one page on medicine, one page on science, and one page on religion. In essence, nearly every important magazine topic was written before a single ad graced the page. To me, this underlines a significant shift that has taken place in American culture: the shift to consumerism. In 1925, Time editors knew that readers were buying their magazine for the substance rather than the entertainment value. Society as a whole placed higher value on the pursuit of knowledge than today, when magazine readers are won by flashy covers and juicy celebrity gossip.

            The advertisements themselves also differ greatly. In the 1925 Time magazine, advertisements were bought according to size. It appears that the normal purchase was about a quarter of the page on the outside, although some products bought full pages or half pages. This stands in contrast with today’s advertisements, which generally take up a full page of the magazine. Another difference is in the advertisements themselves. In the 1925 issue, the ads focused on the product and its capabilities. Today’s magazine ads focus more on drawing the reader’s eye, rather than informing them of the product itself.

            The most interesting thing I found in the July 1925 issue was the inclusion of an article about the Scopes monkey trial. Although it is taught in most history classes, my knowledge of it was just that: a historical perspective. Reading about the trial as if it were current, which the 1925 Time issue allowed me to do, gave me an entirely new perspective. I read reactions from people of the time that the magazine interviewed and learned that while it is taught for its effect on the public school systems, many people consider it an example of the beginning of sensational journalism. The Time article focused on the effect the “Great Trial” was having on people rather than on the law. The article reviewed the facts of the case before closing with an interesting quote from John E. Edgerton: “Such a spectacle as the turning of an American court into an advertising arena for publicity seekers with warped mentalities and a parade ground for freaks, fanatics and fools, ought to be impossible in the country which gave John Marshall to immortal fame… The walking delegates of agnosticism, atheism, communism and bolshevism will be there. Everything will be represented except Science and Religion.”