Artwork

"I have looked at this painting time and time again. I think it is my favorite in the whole museum, not only because of its placement above the old fireplace in the back room. It stands out because it reminds me of peace, space, and leisure. What would it be like to have the resources to explore the world on one's own will? Could I ever decide to go to Venice and sit on the water?"

Meg Franz

Dylan Thomas' infamous poem was one of the last he wrote before his death. The poem speaks on death from many perspectives, the last stanza being for the narrator's dying father. "In the end, the speaker realizes that death cannot be avoided, but it can be challenged", speculates Ashley Robinson. The autonomy is that you get to choose how you face death.

After an accident in 1925, Frida was left to recover for a while. She started to paint out of boredom, and now she is one of the most respected artists of all time. She could not choose the outcome of her accident, or that she would not be able to become a doctor, but she channeled her energy into another passion. That passion opened up a whole new life for Frida, which she would be in control of.

This is one of my all-time favorite moments in theatre. King Henry V delivers this moving speech to his fellow soldiers before they march into the bloody battle on St. Crispin's Day, knowing that many of them will die.

"If we are mark'd to die, we are enow

To do our country loss; and if to live,

The fewer men, the greater share of honour.

God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more."

Why I Choose My Family

Carter Ginter

September 2018

They say blood is thicker than water
And though that may be true in physicality
The sentiment is bull
I'm supposed to forgive someone
For not protecting me when they should have
Just because we share the same DNA?
Why should someone have the power
To emotionally abuse and manipulate me
Just because we're related?
Why can't I have the power to walk away
And even when I have that autonomy
Why does society judge me for my decision?
Where is my say?
They say you can't choose your family
You can't choose where you're born into
But I also didn't choose to be born at all
So why does the extreme chance that I
Just happened to be born into this family
Have to secure me for life in an unhealthy situation?
I do have another family
And we do not share blood
We love each other and
Respect one other
We don't abuse and neglect or ignore each other's needs
We're there and
We care.
So why would I sit here and take this crap
From someone who's supposedly family
When I have so many more people
That actually care
And don't need to manipulate me
To satisfy their own needs