Sitting on King Quad

King Quad seems to be the center of most of the action on campus. This is where “The Rock” that all of the sororities paint is located, as well as, King House (the historical and supposedly haunted mansion), the sidewalks made of old red brick, the backside of the hand statue, and the view of three of the most active buildings on campus: Carmichael Library, Palmer auditorium, and Main dormitory. This scene seems to display many of the characteristics of the University of Montevallo, especially the valuing of history and scholarship.

Sitting at the bench on King Quad, looking straight ahead there is a large rock. This rock is spray painted by the different sororities at different times. They usually spray paint their colors, Greek letters and mascot on the rock. Right now, the rock displays Delta Gamma’s letters, colors and mascot. The side of the rock facing me has been spray-painted pink and blue with the Greek letters DG overlapping the colors. The words “Dee Gee” along with an anchor are plastered across the top of the rock. The excessive symbols, colors and letters of the sorority that have been marked on this rock signify the territoriality of the sororities and the need to either be, or at least seem to be, the dominant presence on campus.

Not only has the rock been sprayed with the sorority’s letters, but it has also been painted with all of the other symbols associated with the sorority such as the colors, the anchor, and the way the sorority’s Greek letters are pronounced. All people walking past this rock are presented with all of the information associated with this organization. This also conveys to the passersby that this is seemingly the most dominant presence on campus because this is the only sorority they see on this rock. The excessive symbols also signify the marking of the sorority’s territory. Because this rock is in an active area of campus and surrounded by some of the most used buildings, they are claiming their territory and making their presence known so most of the student body will see this message. In a way, the sorority is trying to trick the general public into believing they are either the most dominant presence on campus, or the only sorority on campus, since no other sororities’ letters or symbols are seen on the rock.

The rock is behind the hand statue – formally called ‘Becoming’. It is a landmark and popular meeting place on campus. This statue shows two hands reaching upward, one hand behind the other. The hand in front holds a set of keys. The hand in back is supposedly guiding the front hand. This sculpture signifies the professor guiding the students and passing along they keys of knowledge. This large statue, placed in a high traffic part of campus, shows the artistic side of the university. Art is incorporated into every aspect of campus life. An example of this is the painting of the rock, the ‘Becoming’ statue and College Night.

Past the ‘Becoming’ statue, one can see the Main dormitory, the oldest woman’s dormitory on campus. This building signifies the importance of the preservation of history to this university. Instead of tearing this building down and replacing it with another newer and nicer facility, the decision has been made to keep this building and use it as well even though it is beginning to show its age inside and out. For example, many people complain about the creakiness of the building and sometimes the occupants have to wrestle with a door, or a window before it opens or closes- some say this shows the university’s unwillingness to alter this historical building, even when it affects its residents. The front steps are beginning to crumble, and the outside of the building is beginning to show it’s age. Nonetheless, the sentimental value of these buildings outweighs practicality. Although many complain about the occasional difficulties of this building, no one would ever ask to make alterations and risk the possibility of changing this historical monument.

This same idea exists with the King House; it has been preserved and maintained to keep up its original appearance although it is not used regularly anymore. It seems it has no real use anymore, other than to attract people by way of it’s history. It was the first house in Alabama to have glass windows installed. Having a house on campus that is this old is a unique quality that not many other campuses can say they have as well. It is safe to say this house will not be demolished. It signifies the campus’ need to maintain the idea that it is proud of its history, and achieve individuality by doing this. It is on display in the center of an active part of campus, in the middle of many walk ways leading to different buildings.

The walkways are made of brick original to this campus. Again, Montevallo is showing the pride of having the uniqueness of the rich history. This pride overshadows the practicality of a smooth road. Many people complain of the difficulty of walking on campus because the bricks are so uneven and crumbled that they often trip, fall or scuff their shoes. Also, this same frustration is shared by drivers. Cars must drive cautiously across campus, not only because of pedestrians, but also because the uneven bricks rock the cars to and fro as they drive. But nonetheless, the bricks remain because not many other universities can say they have walkways of the original bricks used. This pride overshadows practicality and the function of the walkways as well as Main and King House.

Another building viewable at the bench on King Quad is Palmer auditorium. It signifies the oldest and most famous tradition on campus: the tradition of College Night. Montevallo and its students hold extensive amounts of pride for this tradition because it is such an important part of the college experience at this university. A bond is felt among all who attend Montevallo because they share and become a part of the uniqueness that is College Night, a uniqueness showcased when any visitor or newcomer arrives at the university. This building signifies the importance of tradition in Montevallo, and how engrained in the experience it is on campus. It shows the pride in the individuality of the traditions that sets this school apart from other campuses.

The Carmichael Library is also viewable from King Quad. The building is right behind Palmer auditorium and faces King House. This is probably one of the most active buildings on campus. Students come here for tutoring, researching, studying, learning, group meetings, escape, refuge, to finish homework, and the list continues. The location signifies the intention of the university. Placing Carmichael Library in a part of the campus that is frequented by many students daily, in order to draw in more students, shows the importance of studying and acquiring knowledge at the University of Montevallo.

The importance of history and scholarship is seen in the buildings and other symbols on King Quad. The rock signifies the opportunities a sorority has to persuade the students that it is the most dominant organization on campus. The ‘Becoming’ statue and Carmichael Library both seem to signify the importance of knowledge in the university. The red brick sidewalks, Main dormitory and King House all seem to signify the importance of uniqueness and sentimentality in history, even if this means impracticality. 

Have We Evolved as Much as We Believe?

When thinking of a campfire, one automatically thinks of ‘story time.’ This dates back to the cavemen. Karen Armstrong says in A Short History of Myth, when the Neanderthal “became conscious of their mortality, they created some sort of counter-narrative that enabled them to come to terms with it” (1). Barthes says in Mythologies that a myth is a form of communication that sends a message (215). The message conveyed in these story time gatherings is that of the common language of the inescapable eventuality of death. All races and ages know this language. I will be exploring the oral horror stories shared by the Neanderthals and how a form of this still exists within society today. There is a need for humans to be aware of their mortality and contemplate it, which is why, even today we surround ourselves with these horror stories in movies, TV shows, literature, websites, and especially when sitting around a fire.

According to Armstrong in her book A Short History of Myth, she states that an assumption can be made that the Neanderthal created myths and a belief in the afterlife based on trinkets and treasures found in the tombs of these people. Because the Neanderthal created these elaborate myths, they were well aware of their own mortality, and by attempting to escape it, they became more aware of their capability to die by creating these stories. But I propose that they told grand, elaborate stories of immortal beings, but they also told horror stories of mortal beings in frightening situations. Both of these helped humans cope with their mortality. This was shared by everyone because if nothing else, we all share the eventuality of death.

Ghost stories are told as a way for people to question what might come after death. People create these stories of beings that have passed and have returned to earth for one reason or another. This helps the people cope with the uncertainty after death, and offers an explanation. “We also want to know where we are going, so we have devised stories that speak of a posthumous existence” (6) says Karen Armstrong.

When we compare ourselves to the Neanderthals, we believe we have evolved, and in some ways we have. But, we have not evolved as much as we believe; we have only simply changed forms by which we convey our meanings and messages. This need to be aware of our own mortality is still very much alive in almost every aspect of our culture. It has merely transformed into other forms rather than just the one form of gathering around and orally sharing stories. An example of this change of form is as follows: based on evidence found in the tombs of the Neanderthal that Armstrong speaks of in her book, it seems likely that in ancient times, men and women would gather around, possibly sometimes in the night hours and share horror stories in order to remind each other of our mortality. But now we have changed the form from oral stories to films, TV shows, literature, even websites (http://www.hypnogoria.com/).  But through these forms, we still accomplish the same goals as our ancestors did around a fire: reminding us of our mortality.

This same idea is still with us today. People have the insatiable need to be scared, to be reminded of their own mortality and the meaning of humanity. There are countless movies in which there are terrible deaths. Some people wonder why we watch films and TV shows about gruesome deaths. I believe one explanation is to show the many different possibilities of death. I watched a movie about a group of mountain climbers recently. The climbers became lost within a cave and while trying to find a way out of the cave, each person was killed by realistic, yet unfortunate causes, such as slipping and falling down into a seemingly endless black hole within the cave. This is a terrifying possibility. And because it is a possibility, it reminds the audience of a scenario of death, one that we all will encounter eventually. When speaking on the creation of stories, Karen Armstrong says “it is nearly always rooted in experience of death and the fear of extinction” (3). The experience of death is explored through these ‘campfire stories’ by way of the creation of different possibilities of death. There is a commonality between these modern films and the Neanderthals; Karen Armstrong says “these stories proved to be so crucial to the way that human beings understood themselves and their predicament” (12).

One possibility as to why the campfire indicates story time which in turn signifies the human’s need to be reminded of mortality is the use of metaphor. Life is something known and sure; therefore it is symbolized by the light from the fire, as all things the light touches are seen. But the darkness is death, something unknown and impenetrable. Based on what was found in the tombs of the Neanderthal, one can imagine men and women sitting around a fire at night as they share horror stories of unknown creatures, evil and death, all the while not knowing what is lurking behind their backs in the shadows. One can imagine the fear they must have felt, the light from the fire only expanded over so much ground before the darkness took back its territory. When discussing something as terrifying and unpredictable as death, it seems fitting that the scene should parallel the ambiguity of mortality within the metaphor. 

Lady Gaga's "Telephone" - Annotated Images

The link to Lady Gaga's music video "Telephone" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U

I have used Prezi as a way to present my annotated pictures:
http://prezi.com/xuurkcjqmmr-/lady-gagas-telephone-restaurant/#

http://prezi.com/w5pyer7f9no9/lady-gagas-telephone-prison/

The pictures used (links to pictures and the websites):



http://abcnews.go.com/images/Entertainment/abc_gaga9_100315_main.jpg
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/SpringConcert/decoding-lady-gagas-telephone-video/story?id=10114081
http://images2.fanpop.com/image/photos/10800000/Lady-Gaga-Beyonce-Telephone-Music-Video-lady-gaga-10862085-1280-720.jpg
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/lady-gaga/images/10862085/title/lady-gaga-beyonce-telephone-music-video-screencap

During my first year at Montevallo I took a Composition 101 class.  In one of the classes the professor had us watch Lady Gaga's "Telephone" and observe it. We had to write down anything and everything we found interesting in the video. By the time the video had ended, I had filled a page entirely. I was so enthralled by all of the symbols and hidden meanings, but had no tools to understand what I was seeing or why I felt a certain way about it. I have revisited this video now that I feel I have acquired more tools to better understand at least some of the layers of meaning in this video.