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The Coleman Prize in English: The Transformative Symbolism of White Flowers: Innocence or Guilt?
By Kelly Yang, Class of 2023
The Transformative Symbolism of White Flowers: Innocence or Guilt?
Editor’s Note: The Coleman Prize in English is awarded to the student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the most outstanding essay during the academic year.
If Dorian Gray were a flower, what kind of flower would he be? In the “Picture of Dorian Gray,” Oscar Wilde uses the Victorian language of flowers to comment implicitly on aestheticism and moral corruption. He reveals the corrupting influence of purely aesthetic lives through the symbol of white flowers. From daisy to narcissus, orchid, and rose, the transformative symbolism of white flowers charts Dorian Gray’s trajectory from a figure of innocence to one of degradation.
Before Dorian Gray is corrupted by a purely aesthetic life, Wilde chooses the symbol of the white daisy to represent Dorian’s innocence and youth. Even before Dorian Gray enters the story, Wilde uses the white daisy to foreshadow Dorian’s loss of innocence. The symbol of the white daisy first appears in a garden, alluding to the Garden of Eden. Just as the Devil corrupts Adam and Eve, Wilde implies that Dorian Gray is doomed to be corrupted by the aesthetic philosophy that Lord Henry inculcates in him. In the grass of the religiously symbolic garden, “white daisies [are] tremulous” (Wilde 6). Daisies are drought-resistant wildflowers that thrive without needing much cultivation (Southern Living Editors). Intentionally placing the wild daisies in the “Garden of Eden,” Wilde suggests the unaffected nature of Dorian Gray, who has not yet been exposed to Lord Henry’s corrupting influence. By using the word “tremulous,” Wilde personifies the daisy, implying that Dorian Gray’s ethical principles are unstable and impressionable, and his understanding of his beauty will be easily subverted by Lord Henry. The symbolism of the white daisy reappears when Lord Henry preaches the significance of vanity and beauty. When Lord Henry mocks Mrs. Hallward as “a peacock in everything but beauty,” he symbolically “pulls the daisies to bits” with his fingers (Wilde 8). By comparing women to peacocks in this simile, Lord Henry dehumanizes women as vain animals that flaunt their tails. His word choice “but” in the phrase “everything but beauty” also disdainfully expresses that he only sees aesthetic values in the external beauty of women and nothing else (Wilde 8; emphasis added). When Lord Henry expresses his philosophy of aestheticism, the daisies, which represent innocence and a lack of worldliness, are torn into pieces, foreshadowing Dorian’s self-destruction due to his indulgent pursuit of beauty (Kirkby 43).
(more…)The Redmond Prize for English Narrative: The Color Of Absurdism
By Ariel Cheng, IV Form
The Color of Absurdism
The Redmond Prize for English Narrative, presented in memory of Henry S. Redmond, Class of 1923, is awarded to the student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the outstanding piece of narrative during this academic year.
There you are. Just stay perched on the platform, like a bird about to take flight, for a little while longer. I’ll wade through the dusty coats and heavy smoke and excessive coffee stains. I’ll push past the glowing vending machines and clicking suitcases. While you wait, let me tell you a story.
In the crowd there is a man cupping an orange. Do you see him? From my perspective it looks like a sun, attracting the rush-hour like a moth to a flame. We are in its orbit. Our stares swallow and gulp at the bright flesh, desperate for light and sweat and cold. Now it is sliding down his throat, peeling away like a rollercoaster over a track. But why am I still looking? The man is gone, the orange is gone, their shadows are gone. The train is gone. There and gone.
What is orange, you ask? Have they not covered this in school yet? Orange is a color, a fruit, a symbol of prosperity. But your experience of orange – the orange you see, feel, taste – is unique. I can never know what an orange tastes like for you, or for that lady with the stroller. We are all forever stuck in the cages of our own imaginations.
(more…)The William Otis Smith Prize for English Verse: “Vignette”
By Ariel Cheng, IV Form
The William Otis Smith Prize for English Verse: “Vignette”
Editor’s Note: The William Otis Smith Prize for English Verse is given in memory of a member of the Class of 1907 and is awarded to one student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the outstanding verse during the past year.
Vignette
Sand
washing you down (washing
you out) wearing you
like a necklace. I try to lace
rope, a net, a knot
your fingers, twisted. Twisting.
Laughing. A broken fan, cards everywhere,
soap opera murmuring.
In a room with peeling walls
we were honest.
One Viable Option: Examining Composure as a Means of Survival in The Handmaid’s Tale
By Jonathan D. Hernández, V Form
One Viable Option: Examining Composure as a Means of Survival in The Handmaid’s Tale
Student-Submitted Note: For my American Literature class, students were tasked with submitting a creative project of our choosing (such as but not limited to poem, painting, or video) to take an idea, theme, or motif from Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and remake it or interpret through imaginative means. Along with the artistic project, students were required to write a three-page analysis of the idea used and their multimedia project and how the two relate to each other. For my project, I wrote a poem about composure and how in the novel composure is a means of survival for characters such as Offred, the novel’s protagonist. The poem is written from the perspective of a Gileadean scholar and is meant to act as instructions for each member of the dystopian society. It is a reminder of the duty of each member to compose themselves to conform to the society’s standards. In addition to the written poem (after the essay), there is a physical visual representation to better illustrate the theme of composure and duty.
In her novel The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood presents a dystopian future where the Republic of Gilead supersedes the United States of America. The new totalitarian state forces its citizens into strict gender roles. Gilead subjugates fecund women to the role of Handmaid, requiring them to serve as surrogates for the Commanders, the Gileadean patriarchs. The new state concurrently pushes sterile women into the roles of Martha, Wife, Econowife, or Aunt. Throughout the novel, the audience interprets life in Gilead through the eyes of Offred, a Handmaid who remembers life before Gilead and lives through the nation’s reconstruction. Before the Ceremony, a “sacred” insemination ritual, Offred describes that “I compose myself. My self is a thing I must now compose, as one composes speech. What I must present is a made thing, not something born” (Attwood 66). While Offred refers to the need to compose herself for the Ceremony, she speaks to the larger issue at hand. She is informing the reader about how in the Republic of Gilead, women must compose their speech, actions, and bodies. They must watch what they say and be mindful to not stray from what is deemed acceptable by Gileadean social norms. Similarly, the poem Composure is centered around the idea of composure in Gilead and is meant to reflect how in Gilead each person is directed to abide by cultural norms in the name of duty. This need for composure, Offred reveals, results from necessity and cultural expectations in the Republic of Gilead.
(more…)The William Otis Smith Prize for English Verse: “blue break of dawn”
By Sophie Chiang, V Form
The William Otis Smith Prize for English Verse: “blue break of dawn”
The William Otis Smith Prize for English Verse is given in memory of a member of the Class of 1907 and is awarded to one student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the outstanding verse during the past year.
“blue break of dawn”
no one ever crosses the cracked crosswalks
in the blue break of dawn. your mind flickers
into a sea-bloom of blue lights and credit cards,
of white powder and rolled-up dollar bills. you’ve
never been too cautious, these mannequins seem
to hold a gaze so intense it’s like you’re 17 and
speeding past red & blue flashes all over again.
you cry out and pick at your scalp, the one thing
holding together everything you’re made of,
the one thing you’ve ever been terrified to grasp.
there’s not much room to hold your new life next to
your mother’s faltering punch and your father’s
drunken breath. you wonder if this is universal. you
wonder if this is where it starts for people like you. you
wonder if that’s why when it matters, no one ever
crosses the concrete where you come from.
The Coleman Prize in English: Is Atonement Always Attainable?
By Madison Hoang, V Form
The Coleman Prize in English: Is Atonement Always Attainable?
The Coleman Prize in English, endowed by Joseph G. Coleman Jr., Class of 1899, is awarded to that student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the outstanding essay during this academic year.
“She [Briony] was calm as she considered what she had to do. Together, the note to her parents and the formal statement would take no time at all . . . She knew what was required of her. Not simply a letter, but a new draft, an atonement, and she was ready to begin. BT” (McEwan 321).
In a shocking conclusion to Part III of Atonement, author Ian McEwan inserts the initials “BT,” revealing the crucial fact that thus far, the whole novel had been a written retelling by none other than the novel’s protagonist herself, Briony Tallis. It is only after her confrontation with her victims, her sister Cecilia and childhood housekeeper Robbie, that Briony finally “begin[s]” her process of atonement. Readers soon realize that the narrative portrayed in Part III is entirely a product of Briony’s imagination; in reality, she never gets the chance to confront Robbie and Cecilia, and she never did write a “letter” or “formal statement” to begin her atonement. Instead, “a new draft” – alluding to the entire novel in of itself – shows how Briony’s role as a writer throughout earlier stages of her life is linked to her inability to face her wrongdoings. She thinks that an opportunity to retell her story is the only way for her to seek true atonement. As a writer, Briony grows by exploring new perspectives, experimenting with new stylistic devices, and developing her stories’ plots. As an adult, Briony also matures by becoming a more empathetic, accountable, and courageous figure, which ultimately allows her to attain atonement for her past wrongdoings.
(more…)The Redmond Prize for English Narrative: Do We Ever Grow Up?
By Linda Li, IV Form
The Redmond Prize for English Narrative: Do We Ever Grow Up?
The Redmond Prize for English Narrative, presented in memory of Henry S. Redmond, Class of 1923, is awarded to the student, who, in the judgment of the English Department, has submitted the outstanding piece of narrative during this academic year.
My mom could answer everything I asked her. She could cook anything I wanted. With one hand she lifted up boxes I couldn’t budge with all my weight. Facing ghastly creatures – spiders or worms – she never showed a sliver of fear. She always held truth, knowing what was right, and what was wrong. So I trusted her with my everything.
At night, she sat by the window alone. Drops of water trailed her face like beads in the dark, from her red and swollen eyes. I asked her what she was doing.
“I’m counting the stars.”
When my dad was nowhere to be found, I asked my mom where he was.
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Spiritual and Intellectual Challenges
By Daniella Pozo, V Form
Spiritual and Intellectual Challenges
In “Teddy,” J.D. Salinger provides the reader with an onslaught of observations and religious teachings in order to challenge even the most highly educated. Through Nicholson’s eyes, the audience feels hostility towards Teddy stemming from deeply ingrained American close-mindedness. How the reader experiences the ensuing conversations depends on one’s ability to welcome doubt. The core story is not meant to sway one’s spiritual beliefs in any direction but rather to make one aware of how susceptible or hostile they are. Themes of American elitism and consumerism seep into Nicholson’s everyday life and nearly keep him from considering any outside perspectives. Through the character of Nicholson, Salinger challenges the reader to focus on nuance and open consideration of ideas instead of focusing on the objective correctness or conclusion to spirituality.
Nicholson is introduced as a young man with “a kind of poise about him” and wearing a jacket “properly aged in some of the more popular postgraduate seminars at Yale, or Harvard, or Princeton” (Salinger 76). The audience identifies with Nicholson because he seems to be respectable and highly educated. Among his circle, there exist two views: those who are premature to devalue radically different ideas and those that hail those ideas as pure genius. Teddy is a novelty to the Leidekker examining group who choose to play his tape at a party, a setting that trivializes Teddy’s insights and the research process. Nicholson does not approach Teddy out of good faith or love of research but rather because he wants to disprove Teddy for his own ego. He interrupts Teddy and disrespects his beliefs by calling them “mystical” (78). His voice and demeanor falsely suggest that he is above most Americans who do not want to engage with differing ideas. When Teddy decides to teach and ask him how he knows his arm is truly an arm, Nicholson is defensive. This reaction aligns with the resistant attitude American audiences may feel towards Teddy’s personality, insights, and spiritual beliefs. Unfortunately, Nicholson can not understand the merits or downfalls of Teddy’s arguments until he can genuinely engage with them first. Salinger is demanding the audience set aside any preconceived notions so they may understand “what [their] arm really is, if [they’re] interested” (79). In order to read Nicholson’s journey and draw conclusions, readers must balance their American socialization and academic nature.
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