Boselli1

JohnBoselli
Prof.BeltzHosek
WutheringHeights(EmilyBront)
IfinditunsettlingthatKateBushs1978debutsingleWutheringHeightsonlyalludes
toCatherineEarnshawsdeath;whilethespeakerdoesusepredominantlypasttenseandnotes
thatitgetsdark/itgetslonely/ontheothersidefrom[Heathcliff],thesongsstringand
pianoheavyproductionandBushssoaring,operaticvocalsmanagetoburythesinisterinthe
lushandromantic.Inthenovel,thestakesforCatherine(ormoreaccurately,Catherinesghost)
aremuchmorethansimplybeingsocold,withherneedforHeathcliffsforgivenessshackling
herstilltothemortalrealm.ButwhysacrificethesupernaturalelementthatsodefinesEmily
Brontsaestheticandleavetheviolentpassionoflineslikeletmehaveit/letmegrabyour
soul(Bush)?
InwantingtoappraisethesongonitsowntermsandnotforwhatIfeelitcouldbeor
shouldhavebeen,IwonderhowtowhatdegreeBushcalculatedthisreinterpretation/omission,
andifshefeltthesourcetextsGothicismwouldbeconsideredtooobviousanartisticchoicefor
afemalesinger/songwritereagertomakeamainstreamimpression.Onecouldcounterargue
thattherewasnotasinglepartofWutheringHeightsaudiovisualpackagethatdidnotreadas
heteronormativelyfeminine,fromtheOrientalist(associatedwithfemininity)recordsleeve,to
thesensualmusicvideowhereBush,maenadlike,dancesaloneonthemoors(Bush).
TheKateBushoftodaywouldnotcaremuchaboutbeingonthenose,aslongasitwere
truetohervision,buttheKateBushofWutheringHeightswasonlytwenty,andmayhave
preferredtoacquireafanbasebeforeshakingupherapproach.

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JohnBoselli
Prof.BeltzHosek
Night(ElieWiesel)
Inhis2006TimeMagazineinterview,WiesellamentspostHolocaustgenocidesin
RwandaandDarfurandCambodiaandBosnia,fortheyconfirmthathumannaturecannotbe
changedinonegeneration.Wieselsunderstandingofgenocidalthoughtaspartofhuman
nature(whichisalsoamalleablequalityaccordingtohiswords?)allowshumanitytoabsolve
itself,acceptinggenocideasaninevitabilityofculturalepochs.
YetIfeelitisthispopularimpulsetodiscussgenocideasaparticularity,alocatable
momentintime,thatdistancesusfromrecognizingthequotidianmeansbywhichgenocidal
violenceisnormalizedattheinstitutional,discursive,andculturallevels.Eventheterm
genocideeludesrelevanceforWesternEuropeans,referringtoaframeoutsideofWestern
cultureandwhiteness,conjuringdarkskinnedmercenarieswieldingmachetesandinfants
slammingagainstIndochinesetrees.WesternculturesofteninvokeAfrican,Asian,andEastern
Europeangenocidestoreinforcewhitesupremacy,citingotherracesuniquetendencyto
destroyoneanotherasindicativeoftheirownnaturalprimitivism.
InAmerica,wearenotencouragedtorecognizedpoliciessuchaszerotolerance
discipline,stopandfrisk,andcriminalizedsurvivaleconomiesofpettytheft,drugtrade,andsex
workastheappendagesoftheschooltoprisonpipeline(itselftheappendageofgreater
racializedoppression);bettersaid,wearesocializedtoacceptmanyofitsunderlyingbeliefs,
e.g.,personalresponsibility,lawabidingcitizen,andprivateproperty,asfundamentalto

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ournationalcharacter,despitethesetermsbeinglessthanfiftyyearsoldinpopular
consciousness.

JohnBoselli
Prof.BeltzHosek
CivilizationanditsDiscontents(SigmundFreud)
Thoughsharedbymanyothers[and]millionsmore,Ibelievetheoceanicfeeling
mustbeinsularinordertocreatethissensationofbelonginginseparablytotheexternalworld
asawhole.Byexternalworld,Idonottakeittomeantappingintothecoreessenceof
humanity,butratherthesolipsisticbeliefthatnoneofthisexistsbutforme.LikeGodatreston
theseventhdayofcreation,theindividualfeelsthatthisunityissuesforthfromwithinhimself,
andsootherlivesmustexistwithlessrealitythanhisown.Ifindtheappropriationofthe
oceanicfeelingbyvariousChurchesandreligioussystemstobuildtheircongregationsironic
then,becausetheseordersbecomeassociationsofpeopledrawntogetherbasedontheir
narcissism,notacommunalsenseofaweandworshipofacentraldeityordoctrine(Freud11).
AndyetIunderstandhowthatkindofordercanfunction.WhenIwrotepoetry,Itruly
didbelievethatthetypewriterkeysweretapsintosomekindofknowingIhadtomidwifeinto
existence,andwhenIcompletedapoemorevenaverse,Inolongerfeltinert.Entirely
inexperienced,Iimagineditfeltpostcoitaleven.ButwhenthatRomanticsensationbecame
moreappealingthantheactualgruntworkofcreation,Ibeganreadingmorebooksaboutpoets
andnotbypoets;Ifoundfriendsinmyschoolsliterarymagazinelikemyself.Wetalked
composition,andrarelybroughtworktodiscusswithoneanother,despiteevisceratingthework

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ofyoungerstudents.WecreatedaPonzischemeofpoetryproduction,promisingreturnsonthe
poemswehadbeenwriting.Whentheyneversurfaced,wenevernoticed.

JohnBoselli
Prof.BeltzHosek
TotheLighthouse(VirginiaWoolf)
Despitebeingaqueerwoman,Woolfslimitedfeminismremindsmethatonemay
belongtoanoppressedcommunitywithoutunderstandingthatoppressionscomplexityand
intersectionality.InkeepingwithAliceWalkersdevastatingcritiqueofARoomofOnesOwn,
IbelievethatWoolfsraceandclassexclusivefeminismisinvestedfirstandforemostinthe
emancipationofwhitewomenfromtheperformativedemandsofbeingtheAngelin
gentrifiedhomes.
Assomeoneconstantlylookingtoimprovetheiractivismsscope,Icannothelpbut
strugglewiththeuseofthefeminismlabelonherworkandworklikeit,becauseevenifthe
labelreferstotheclassicdefinitionofbinarygenderequalityacrosssocial,political,and
economiclines,ita)borrowstheWesternframeofgenderbeingamale/femaledivision,
ignoringthevasthistoryofnativeandindigenouscultureswithdifferentandmultiplegenders,
b)excludestransandgenderqueerexistences(evenherOrlando:ABiography,perpetuatesthe
sexgenderlinkage,andc)excludesthosewhoselifechancesaremostcompromisedbythe
systems.
Tobeclear,IdonotonlytakeumbragewithWoolfswork;Ialsofeelthatsuch
privilegedactivism,i.e.,WhiteFeminism,isclassbound,notuncommon,andnotnecessarily

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malicious;racialandclassgroupswereandcontinuetobedeliberatelyspatialized
geographicallyinordertosplintercrossclassexperiencesofthesameoppressivesysteminto
seeminglydisparate,communityspecificissues.Assuch,coalitionworkbecomesnigh
impossible.
JohnBoselli
Prof.BeltzHosek
Amadeus(PeterShaffer)
InherdisputewithShafferabouthischurlish,historicallyaccurateMozart,thenPrime
MinisterMargaretThatcherisalmostcomicallybourgeois,demandingrespectabilityfroma
composerasanecessaryprecursortohissocialimportance.Whenwatchingthefilmadaptation
ofAmadeus,IonlyadmiredMozartmoreforhisauthenticity,forhisrefusaltocow(entirely)to
thesocialbindsofhisday.Itmadehisworkseemmorehonest,becausetherewasless
subterfugeinhispresentation.IcannotabidebythecomplaintslikeThatchersthatencourage
thoseusefulundercapitalismtowhitewashtheirsocialmediaprofilessoasnottodeter
considerationfromfutureemployers,andIamespeciallyhostiletotheideathatonemustbe
properlyprofessionalinordertobecredibleorreliable,becauseofhowsociallyandracially
constructedthosequalitiesare.
Somuchprofessionalism,e.g.,writingandspeakinginStandardEnglish(made
supremebyalonghistoryofBritishandAmericanimperialism),dressinginexpensivebutdrab
suits(toproperlydistancetheworkforcefromthepoorandbluecollar),andmasteryofarcane
bureaucraticpaperwork(privatizingknowledgethatshouldotherwisebepubliclyavailable)is
attainedbyclassprivilege.Amarketableuniversityeducationhasbecomeapaywallto

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employmentthatmanydisenfranchisedcommunitiescannotaccess.Inpartbecausetheir
policiesarewrittenandexecutedinwaysthatcreateinequity,butalsoduetotheirprocesses
beingcompulsorilyprofessional,ourcountryslegal,healthcare,andemploymentsystems
thuscontinuetobesitesofsocioeconomic/racialoppression.

WorksCited
Bront, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.
Bush, Kate. ""Wuthering Heights"" AZLyrics.com. Musixsmatch, 2000. Web. 5 May 2015.
Freud, Sigmund, and James Strachey. Civilization and Its Discontents. New York: Norton,
1989. Print.
Shaffer, Peter, and Richard Adams. Amadeus. Harlow: Longman, 1984. Print.
Wiesel, Elie, and Marion Wiesel. Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a Division of Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, 2006. Print.
Woolf, Virginia. To The Lighthouse. London: Hogarth, 1967. Print.