The Diamond Mine

The theme of coming of age is often apparent in creative outlets, whether it’s literature, movies, music or the art of painting. All throughout history this transition has been associated with great importance seeing that this is the final step into adulthood. In many civilizations and cultures this rite of passage has been marked with some sort of joyous party or ceremony. These traditions exist even today but hold little to no actual value to the transition itself. It is merely a formal event that has left an imprint of sentimental importance on modern Western cultures – this even includes, but is not limited to, some religious rituals such as the Bat Mitzvah in Judaism or more significantly the confirmation in Catholicism and mainline Protestantism, which many Danish teenagers go along with simply because it is what has always been done. No questions asked. However, the actual rite of passage is to be found elsewhere. It is found with its lips pressed tenderly up against another’s, embracing in what will forever be remembered as the first kiss. It can be found within the expeditious heartbeats of the young lovers and especially alongside their first sexual experience. In modern societies the coming of age theme is evidently associated with the first love and as an extent of that, the first sexual act. [Læs mere…]

Stolpestad

Stagnation is a not an uncommon feeling to most people. It is the sense of being stuck in a routine, a place, a family, a life. It is the realization that the majority of our time is spent doing the same thing: Getting up in the morning, going to work and hating it, returning home, going to bed simply to rinse and repeat the whole process until the day you die. The worst part of stagnation is that it is almost impossible to break free from. The familiar way to work, that you’ve trotted so many times before, has become quicksand and it will not let you go. William Lychack’s short story, “Stolpestad”, is about this exact feeling and is named after the main character, a policeman, who is called in to put down an injured dog for a boy and his mother. In the evening, the father to the boy shows up at Stolpestad’s doorstep to tell him that the dog survived his attempt at killing it, and that the family had to call in a vet to finish the job. This might seem like a very specific and odd story but, in fact, its themes and moral can be applied to any urbanite whose life is nothing but a rerun. [Læs mere…]

Sorry For Disturbing You

Being able to regret past mistakes and hopefully learn from them is one of the most powerful and important traits of the human race. The short story “Sorry for disturbing you” by Richard Knight is a perfect example of this. It’s the account of a man who, with the help of a mysterious stranger, realizes the mistakes he might have made and that he is willing to mend them.

This man is called Ian Harder and he is the story’s protagonist. Because it is a short story the gallery of characters isn’t very complex so the only other persons mentioned are Karen, Corinne and Michael. [Læs mere…]

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama: Back to School Event

President Barack Obama held a speech at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia in 2009 in which he stressed the importance of education. It was broadcasted nationally to students of all ages in order to get the message out: Do not give up because “you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country”[1] which is sure to set every patriotic heart on fire in sheer pride. To think that the entire future of the country is depending on me! That is the reaction that President Obama is hoping for in all the students who were listening because that feeling of importance will most likely motivate them to work hard for a brighter tomorrow and ultimately pave the way to greatness. [Læs mere…]