During the summers before 11th and 12th grades, I had to read numerous books and keep a reflective journal focused on my readings. Some of these journal entries are provided below.
Fear [entry dated August 10, 1996]
As a study of a mind under fear, Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones is impres-sive. Obviously, Jones has not heard Franklin D. Roosevelt's fa-mous quote, "The only thing to fear is fear itself."
Jones let his imagination get the best of him, and as a result, instead of methodi-cally going through every single act that it took for him to escape, he ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. Jones' plan was in place, all that he had to do was to go through it step by step. But his fear overtook him, and as a result he went from anxious to alarmed to fearful to scared to panicky to terrified.
One cannot allow that to happen if he wishes to be successful in any-thing. The progression from being anxious to being terrified is steady and irreversible. Once started, it will inevitably run its course. In order to suc-ceed, then, it is a must that this progres-sion never start.
For example, often my days are packed. A typical Monday this year might start off with me getting up at six to get ready for Accounting 201, which may start at 7:00. After a couple hours of class, I return to class in the middle of Spanish III. My next class is Calculus (a senior course), and the next Honors English. Then I have lunch, only to next go to my next senior course, Criminal Law. The next period is Gym first semester, Consumer Law second semester. Mrs. McCandless and Chemistry await me in eighth period, as does notes to be taken in World Cultures last period. As if this wasn't exhaust-ing enough, football practice starts right after school and goes until 6:30. Then its home for supper and homework, and then to bed, to await another day much like today.
To some, this would appear daunting. It did to my mother, as she had to ask me several times if I wanted to subject myself to this much work. She feared for my sanity. But I have no fear. I know that, if I take things one at a time, methodically, deliberately, I won't have anything to worry about. The key will be to not let the progression of fear to begin.
This is much the same approach that Jones needed to use. He had many things to accomplish, but if he would have taken them one at a time he certainly would have been closer to success.
Tyranny [entry dated August 11, 1996]
The following are some quotes on tyranny:
Any excuse will serve a tyrant.
— AESOP, Fables
Under conditions of tyranny it is far easier to act than to think.
— HANNAH ARENDT, quoted in W.H. Auden's A Certain World
Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dis-mount. And the tigers are
getting hungry.
— WINSTON CHURCHILL, While England Slept
He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount.
— Chinese proverb
Nature has left this tincture in the blood, That all men would be tyrants if they
could.
— DANIEL DEFOE, The Kentish Petition
Wherever Law ends, Tyranny begins.
— JOHN LOCKE, Second Treatise of Government
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever.
— GEORGE ORWELL, 1984
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.
— GEORGE ORWELL, 1984
Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.
— CHARLES PÉGUY, Basic Verities
The preceding are some different points of view taken on the subject of tyranny. John Locke's statement, to me, is the most logical one. However, Charles Péguy's state-ment is 100% truthful as well. It seems to me, then, that the combination of the two would be the best solution.
Why? [entry dated August 12, 1996]
My first question after reading The Emperor Jones is, "Why in the world did I have to read that?"
True, Eugene O'Neill has a reputation for being a great playwright. I would like to know how he got such a reputation. I wonder if their was something I missed in the play or what, but I thought it royally stunk. The plot was straightforward, with no twists or turns, and I could tell from about page 3 how the play was going to end. The lack of sus-pense in the play made it, in my opinion, less than adequate. The theme was obviously to not let emotions, namely fear, to get the best of you. The characters were shallow and did not change in the least throughout the play. The setting was uniden-tifiable and phony. Other than the plot, theme, characters, and setting, I thought that it was a good play.
The title of the collection of the poems is Six Modern American Plays. I assumed that they would be good, deserving plays. I must be wrong; The Emperor Jones is an American play, albeit not very modern, and is one of six. Hopefully the other selections are better suited to be worthy representa-tions of American literature.