The Use of Irony to Maintain the Single Effect: The Brilliance of Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”

This was a term paper I wrote in 2005:

Edgar Allan Poe is a clever writer having the ability to use every word to his advantage, thus creating a short story of great substance. He believes there should be one single effect in a short story and that every word should cater to that effect either directly or indirectly (Single Effect 1693). It is for this reason, it should not be surprising that many symbols and ironies can be found in most of his works. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” Edgar Allan Poe uses irony to create a story of Montressor’s revenge though the description and manipulation of Fortunato and the dialogue between the character as well as the reader.

“The Cask of Amontillado” has three distinct types of ironies including verbal, dramatic and situational. Verbal irony is the most common form of irony which means that the actual meaning of the statement is different than what is actually stated. According to Literary Terms and Definitions I, verbal irony is usually recognized as sarcasm where the character in the story does not pick up on it as easily as the reader. In Fortunato’s case, he does not catch Montressor’s sarcasm until it is too late. Dramatic irony involves a situation where the reader knows something the character does not (Literary). In “The Cask of Amontillado” the reader is aware of the fate that awaits Fortunato. Situational irony involves “…accidental events…that seems oddly appropriate…” (Literary). The situational irony in this story is the possible backfire of Montressor’s plan.

Through the description of Fortunato, Poe uses irony to create a story of Montressor’s revenge by playing the role of the jester. Montressor describes Fortunato as being dressed as a jester for “He had on a tight-fitting party-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells” (689). This simple description of Fortunato brings forth several different meanings when the definition of verbal and dramatic irony is applied. As an example of verbal irony, Charles Nevi suggests that while Fortunato is the one dressed as a jester, Montressor is the one that is actually taking on this role. A jester’s role is to make a mockery of human’s imperfections or weaknesses (Nevi 462). Montressor is the one making a mockery of Fortunato’s weaknesses. If taken in the context of dramatic irony, Martha Womack says the reader knows that “Montressor intends to make a fool out of [Fortunato]…” The reader is also aware that Fortunato is quite unfortunate (Womack elec. pag. 5).

Poe uses situational irony to give this simple description even more depth. Montressor’s family motto is also that of the Scottish Order of the Thistle¹. Nathan Cervo points out that The Order of the Thistle has a medallion which has an eight point star with a picture of St. Andrew holding a white x-shaped cross. From this information, Fortunato is not just dressed as a clown but a certain type of clown known as a “Merry Andrew [who] usually attends a mountebank or a quack” (Cervo 155). A Merry Andrew used in the context of this story would replace St. Andrew and the x-shaped cross would denote the deletion of the character (Cervo). In the end, Fortunato is essentially crucified like St. Andrew who had died for the love of God (Cervo). This Merry Andrew literally cries out “for the love of God Montressor.” (Cervo).

By acting friendly and by exploiting Fortunato’s weaknesses, Poe uses irony to create a story of Montressor’s revenge through manipulation. Verbal irony is found when Montressor lures Fortunato to his death by acting friendly towards him. In the beginning, Montressor stresses that “…neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued…to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation. (698). Montressor repeatedly addresses Fortunato as “My friend” (698). It is verbally ironic that he would refer to “…a man he hates enough to kill” as a friend (Nevi 462). He also expresses concern for Fortunato’s health throughout the story. Montressor repeatedly suggests they should turn back so his cough does not get worse (Womack elec. pg. 5). This behavior misleads Fortunato to believe that Montressor is to be trusted.

Dramatic irony is used to show how Montressor lures Fortunato to his death by exploiting his weakness for wine and by challenging his ego. The reader is aware that Fortunato is being lured to his death by the temptation of Amontillado (Womack). Montressor tells us that Fortunato is a genuine connoisseur of wine. “…Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack- but in the matter of old wines, he was sincere.” (689). When Montressor tells Fortunato that he just purchased a pipe of Amontillado but he is uncertain of its authenticity, Fortunato is sure to jump at the opportunity to establish the wine’s legitimacy. Montressor then pushes the envelope even further by telling Fortunato he is in search of Luchesi’s opinion. Fortunato taking pride in his “true virtuoso spirit” knows that Luchesi is an imposter. He says that “’Luchesi could not tell Amontillado from Sherry’” (689). Montressor then challenges the integrity of his status by telling him that others have said Luchesi talent is equivalent to Fortunato’s. From this point on, Montressor makes convincing arguments to spare Fortunato’s health then immediately re-mentions the option of asking Luchesi driving Fortunato to fixedly pursue the Amontillado.

Poe also uses irony to create a story of Montressor’s revenge through the dialogue between the characters. Considering his intent, Montressor’s dialogue with Fortunato is full of irony. Verbal irony is expressed when Fortunato is first greeted. Montressor says, “’My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met’” (689). There is nothing lucky about their encounter. Montressor knows he will find Fortunato and follow through with his plan. Fortunato is defiantly not lucky to run into his killer. Another example of verbal irony includes Montressor saying he will not be held responsible if anything happens to Fortunato. In the beginning, Montressor tells the reader “I must not only punish but punish with impunity” (688). He then tells Fortunato “’You will be missed…I cannot be responsible’” (690). He is saying that he cannot be responsible for Fortunato’s disappearance because it would defeat the point of his plan. Fortunato takes it as an expression of concern for his health so he responds with “’I shall not die of a cough.’” Montressor replies with “’True--true’” (690). Because Montressor knows that it will not be his cough which kills him. This verbally ironic dialogue continues when Fortunato makes a toast “’…to the dead that reposes around us.’” Montressor then says “’And I to your long life’” (691) knowing that he is already leading Fortunato to his death.

Poe uses dramatic irony in Montressor’s dialogue with Fortunato when he tells Fortunato that he is a mason. Montressor looks perplexed when Fortunato makes a strange gesture so Fortunato assumes he is “’…not of the brotherhood….not of the Masons’” (691). Montressor tells him he is a mason and proves it by showing him the trowel he has under his cloak. He is a mason by the fact that he will be walling him inside the crypt, but not a Mason in the sense to which Fortunato is referring.

Poe also uses situational irony within the character’s dialogue to forewarn Fortunato of Montressor’s intent. Montressor describes his family’s coat of arms as being “’A huge human foot d'Or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are embedded in the heel’” (691). It is supposed to symbolize “…the foot stepping to its own destruction” (Cervo 155). Although the snake is being crushed by the foot it gets revenge by inflicting harm on the foot by embedding its fangs into the heel before being crushed. Montressor then states his family’s motto: “’Nemo me impune lacessit’” (691) further reinforcing the subject of revenge. Both of these statements should be a warning to Fortunato that he is dealing with a person from a family whose history revolves around vengeance.

Montressor’s dialogue with the reader uses verbal and dramatic irony to describe the unfolding of Montressor’s plan. Verbal irony is used to unfold Montressor’s plan when he tells the reader that the day he decides to carry out his plan is during carnival which is a happy time, not the setting for murder (Nevi 462). Another example of verbal irony is when Montressor tells his servants not to leave to ensure that they would (690). The final example is found in the last sentence of the story. Montressor says “In pace requiescat!” (693). Translated it means “In peace may he rest,” but “In pace…” refers to an austere prison (Womack elec. pg. 5). Montressor feels that Fortunato should be imprisoned for the wrong that he has done to him.

Poe also uses dramatic irony in Montressor’s dialogue with the reader to unfold Montressor’s plan. While describing the final section of the catacombs, Montressor describes three of the walls as being neatly stacked with bones. The bones of the fourth wall, however, “…had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth forming at one point a mound of some size.” This is obviously no accident. The reader knows Montressor has something hidden under these bones. The displacement of the bones left a “…recess, in depth about four feet, in width three in height six or seven” (692). These sound like dimensions of a coffin. The reader knows that this is the end of Fortunato search for the Amontillado. This becomes painfully apparent when Montressor tells the reader “…I busied myself among the pile of bones….Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of building stone and mortar.” If the reader has not pieced the story together by now it becomes clear that Montressor intends to wall Fortunato up in the recess entombing him alive.

Poe uses situational irony in Montressor’s dialogue with the reader to show Montressor’s plan unraveling. Throughout the story, Montressor seems to be enjoying his play on words with Fortunato and anticipating Fortunato’s reaction when he realizes how brilliantly executed Montressor’s plan has been. It is ironic that when Fortunato starts screaming Montressor becomes startled. “A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting from the throat of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment I hesitated—I trembled” (693). The hairs on Montressor’s head stand on end when Fortunato begins to laugh. He even refers to him as “…the noble Fortunato.” Fortunato seems to have gone mad and Montressor seems to have a moment of sympathy for his victim. When Fortunato calls out, “’For the love of God, Montressor!’” Montressor replies, “’Yes, for the love of God!’” Montressor thinks that Fortunato has come back to his senses and wants to make his punishment be felt. “But to these words, I hearkened in vain for a reply….I called aloud: ‘Fortunato!’ No answer. I called again….No answer still….There came forth in return only the jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick—on account of the dampness of the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of my labor.” Francis Henninger believes his heart grew sick because he realizes that if Fortunato has gone mad, or lost touch with reality then Montressor cannot avenge himself as he had planned, in the name of is family (Henninger 39). “A wrong is unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (688). Roger Platizky notes that at the time this story was written live burial was an issue. The bells on Fortunato’s hat are ironically similar to the dead ringer bells² used to alert people that someone had been buried alive (Platizky elec. pg. 1). In this case, the bells are ironic because Fortunato is in fact, being buried alive. Instead of being used to rescue him they symbolize his burial resonating in Montressor’s memory (Platizky elec. pg. 1).

“The Cask of Amontillado” is the perfect example of Poe’s theory of the single effect. In this story, the single effect is Montressor’s revenge on Fortunato. It is stated in the first paragraph of the story and there is nothing written throughout the story that does not reflect this effect. Poe uses irony to aid in this reflection. Almost every statement in the story has ironic implications. This story includes prime examples of verbal, dramatic and situational ironies and how they are used effectively. He uses these ironies to create different dimensions bringing forth new interpretations with every reading. The quality of his words is measured by the quantity of, their interpretations Poe brings the reader into a world where demented things are being carried out by seemingly normal people causing the reader to consider other avenues of thought to figure out what is really happening. Poe has found a method of writing that has stimulated the minds of literary critics for over a century and a half. Focusing on the basic human fears, Poe’s stories do not become outdated. Stories like “The Cask of Amontillado” will continue to be analyzed and criticized for many years to come.

Notes

1. The Order of the Thistle in Scotland has that same motto as Montressor’s family: “Nemo me impune lacessit:” Which means No one wounds me with impunity, or no one harms me without punishment. The history of the Order of the Thistle shows the significance of Montressor’s family arms and motto. The Danes were sneaking up on the Scots and a Dane stepped on a Thistle which alerted the Scots of their presence. The Scots then attacked the Danes and “…slaughtered them” (Cervo 155).

2. A dead ringer was a term used for a person who was rescued after being buried alive. This term was used mainly because during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries people were improperly declared dead and would be buried alive. To alleviate this problem bodies were equipped with a device, usually, bells, to alert people that they were still alive giving them a chance to be rescued (Platizky elec. pg. 1).

Works Cited

Cervo, Nathan. “Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’.” Explicator 51.3 (Spring 1993): 155-56. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Georgia Perimeter College Lib., Clarkston, GA. 5 Oct. 2005.

Henninger, Francis J. “The Bouquet of Poe’s Amontillado.” South Atlantic Bulletin 35.2 (Mar. 1970): 35-40. JSTOR. JSTOR. Georgia Perimeter College Lib., Clarkston, GA. 25 Nov. 2005.

Literary Terms and Definitions I. 10 Nov. 2005.

Nevi, Charles N. “Irony and ‘The Cask of Amontillado’.” English Journal 56.3 (1967): 461-63. JSTOR. JSTOR. Georgia Perimeter College Lib., Clarkston, GA. 5 Oct. 2005.

Platizky, Roger. “Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’.” Explicator 57.4 (Summer 1999): 206-09. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Georgia Perimeter College Lib., Clarkston, GA. 24 Sept. 2005.

Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Cask of Amontillado.” The Story and It’s Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ann Charters. Compact 6^th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2003. 688-93.

---. “The Importance of the Single Effect in a Prose Tale.” The Story and It’s Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ann Charters. 6^th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2003. 1692-94.

Womack, Martha. “Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Cask of Amontillado’.” 5 Oct. 2005.

The Impact I Expect From Studying in Asia

I wrote this paper for a winning scholarship application ;)

I am currently pursuing an Associates Degree at Georgia Perimeter in Foreign Language with a concentration in Business. I then plan to go to Georgia State for my Bachelors Degree in International Economics. My two major languages include Spanish and Japanese. I expect a month in Kyoto, Japan to be an important step to becoming more fluent in the Japanese language which will make me more attractive to the job market while gaining the social skills required in doing business with a culture different from my own.

The need to communicate and adapt to one’s surroundings is the greatest motivator and best learning tool. I expect that studying abroad for a month in Kyoto is the most economically feasible way of being submerged in the culture and language pertinent to my course of study. Spending a month in Kyoto will provide me an opportunity to practice using the Japanese that I have learned so far as well as hearing it being used in everyday interactions.

Fluency in an Asian language is not common amongst most Americans. Many American companies do business with Japan. They are a hub for technological advancements and have much to offer the business world. I expect that the experience of studying in Japan along with greater fluency in the Japanese language will make me stand out in the job market. Also, there will be many other opportunities available to me in line with my field of study, such as an interpreter if I do not find the job I want right away.

Studying in Japan will help me gain the social skills required in doing business with people of an Asian culture. People like to do business with people who understand and respect them. Business and culture run hand in hand. Just like the Japanese have learned to adapt to the cultures of business in western countries by shaking hands, I feel that it is important for me to do the same. I expect that learning to socialize with Japanese people will help with my future business relations with the Japanese.

Words can only scratch the surface of how I expect studying in Asia will impact my life and career. The week I spent in Tokyo on vacation has impacted my life in ways that can not be explained. Just the thought of spending a whole month in beautiful Kyoto makes my eyes well up with tears. I admire and respect the beauty and history of Japan’s culture and I expect that my experience in Kyoto will further galvanize these feelings in my heart.

Atlanta: Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now

This is a paper I wrote after visiting the Atlanta History Center in 2005. I wrote it as an assignment for Dr. Paul Hudson, renowned for his expertise in time capsules. It explains the uniqueness and pride of my city.

The “Metropolitan Frontiers” Exhibit at the Atlanta History Center is a very interesting, and vivid look into the history of the only city I have ever known as my home. The pictures that are presented are of the historic spots I have walked through, and waited for the bus by, throughout my entire life. While it was amazing to see how so many things have changed, yet so many others are still the same.

The exhibit presents Atlanta’s history in time periods. It starts off with Atlanta during the Civil War and describes the importance of the railroad in the influence of our city’s future. It then goes into the racial influences on the city during the early 20^th century. Finally, it goes into the booming suburban metropolis, which is seen in today’s Atlanta. The exhibit puts emphasis on the railroad as the underlying driving force of the rapid expansion of Atlanta economically, geographically, and progressively. Without the railroad, Atlanta would have never been established as the commercial hub of the Southeast.

During the Civil War, Atlanta was the munitions hub for the Confederacy and brought commerce to the city, due to the ability to transport goods through extensive rail lines. Advertisements could be found all over the battlefield; “Made in Atlanta”, or “Shipped from Atlanta”. This made the small railroad city of Atlanta a target for the Union Army. When the Confederacy surrendered on September 2, 1864, eighty-one boxcars of explosives were blown up by Confederate troops for fear the Union Army would use their own weapons against them. This act caused most of the fire damage that had often been blamed on General William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army. General Sherman burned down buildings that could be used by the Confederacy including the Union Depot but spared all religions sanctuaries including The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which is currently located near the Capitol.

When transportation progressed to automobiles and streetcars, viaducts and interstate highways became a necessary part of the progression of Atlanta’s growth. The increased traffic flow was relieved by building viaducts. Viaducts are bridges created by raising the street level above the railroad tracks. These viaducts in effect created large open spaces underground, and some of these have become the mall of Underground Atlanta. Upon examination of the map of Georgia’s rail lines, it is easy to see that the interstate highways follow along with the previously established railroad lines. Interstate highways allowed individuals to travel to Atlanta, thus improving interstate trade, and increasing the accessibility of Atlanta.

Atlanta became an airmail center in 1925 when the Atlanta Airport was built on Candler Field. This attracted even more business to Atlanta, which in turn attracted more people to the city. The Airport was later renamed in 1971 after the death of former Atlanta Mayor, William B. Hartsfield. After the death of Mayor Maynard Jackson, the airport was again renamed as Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2003.

To introduce the world market to Atlanta, it was advertised through a series of Expositions. In 1881, the International Cotton Exposition, held in Oglethorpe Park, aimed to persuade mills from the North to relocate to Atlanta, and to promote textile industries. A few years later, Oglethorpe Park was purchased and developed as Exposition Mill which manufactured cotton.

In 1895, the Cotton States and International Exposition was held in what is now known as Piedmont Park. This exposition is the most historic because it endorsed Henry Grady’s progressive “New South” movement and brought recognition to Atlanta as a transportation and commercial center. The allowance of Booker T. Washington to recite his “Atlanta Compromise” speech at this exposition was intended to show northern Americans that Atlanta was progressive in race relations as well. The worldwide publicity provided by this exposition would later lead to the migration of national and regional headquarters of many companies’ to Atlanta.

The tactics of these expositions worked. Many textile mills moved to Atlanta creating industrial complexes and small mill towns along the rail lines. One such complex was the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills which have now been restructured as loft apartments for the growing population of Yuppies in Atlanta. The surrounding area, known as Cabbagetown, was created to house the Mill workers. Many people attracted to this area for jobs and housing, were from the northern Appalachian foothill region of the North Georgia Mountains. These cheaply constructed two-story shotgun houses have recently been the target of prime Atlanta real estate. The majority of the original Appalachian families in this area have been steadily relocated or, been forced to sell due to the outrageous increase in property taxes. The resulting community is slowly blooming like a beautiful up-and-coming neighborhood.

On the other side of the tracks, Atlanta’s first planned suburb was constructed by Joel Hurt who also built one of Atlanta’s first skyscrapers known as the Equitable building. This first suburb, called Inman Park, includes some of Atlanta’s most beautiful and expensive homes. To connect Inman Park to the downtown business district Edgewood Avenue was built along with the city’s first electric streetcar to facilitate the commute into the city. Many areas developed in a circular pattern around the city from Inman Park to West End and from Grant Park to Ansley; the growth of the city’s population expanded the city limits in all directions and is still creeping its way further and further out.

During reconstruction, African Americans were employed to help in the reconstruction process as well as assist in the various mills throughout the city. This turned unskilled labor into skilled industrial labor and supported, as a foothold, to break low paying wage barriers.

Booker T. Washington recited his “Atlanta Compromise” speech at the Cotton States and International Exposition September 18, 1895. This speech gave blacks encouragement towards segregation. He believed that with the relief of racial tensions, both blacks and whites could progress as separate entities. Washington also believed that vocational education would give blacks economic security, which he argued contained more value than having a political or social advantage. A year later the Supreme Court ruled in favor of segregation.

The area from Decatur Street (which runs parallel to the railroad tracks) to Auburn Avenue exposes a living example of the black business district of Atlanta. The history of the “Sweet Auburn” area shows how Atlanta was divided into two separate cities. With the city being completely segregated, African Americans opened their own businesses including barber shops, life insurance agencies, and banks. These businesses were built for African Americans, by African Americans.

Schools were even established as segregated institutions. These schools still exist today as Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse and Spelman colleges for the African Americans and Agnes Scott College, and the Georgia Institute of Technology initially for whites.

In 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois disagreed with Washington and voiced his opposition in his book, The Souls of Black Folk, “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others”. Du Bois believed that segregation was not the answer. He insisted on civil rights, political power and lobbied for higher education of the black youth. As a professor at (Clark) Atlanta University, Du Bois created the “Talented Tenth”, which included educated youths determined to intellectually fight for civil rights and political power.

April 26, 1913, a fourteen-year-old white girl named Mary Phagan was murdered at the National Pencil Factory where she was employed. The initial suspect, a black janitor named Jim Conley testified that the supervisor of the factory, a Jewish man named Leo Frank, was the culprit. Leo Frank was convicted and sentenced to be hanged. The governor, John Slaton, altered the sentence to life-in-prison. In August 1915, a mob broke Frank out of prison and took him to Marietta where he was lynched. Shortly afterward, the Ku Klux Klan was reinvented and found a home in Atlanta. The first Grand Wizard lived just outside of town in Stone Mountain. This part of the exhibit was unsettling. The display case included the uniform for the Women of the Ku Klux Klan, and large posters advertising rallies and meetings. To the left of the display is a picture that was covered. Under the cloth, I was informed by my mother, was a man hanging from a tree. I did not care to stay in this part of the exhibit any longer.

Atlanta’s icons include Gone with the Wind, the Atlanta Braves, the Fox Theater, and my personal favorites, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a series of news and television stations launched by Ted Turner.

Gone with the Wind, written by Margaret Mitchell, a former reporter for The Atlanta Journal was published on June 30, 1936. The novel spread worldwide and won Ms. Mitchell the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. This book has circulated all over the world telling the story of Atlanta and the Civil War. Gone with the Wind has been published in several languages including Japanese, Dutch, French, Russian, and several others. It has become the world’s second best-selling book next to the Bible. Margaret Mitchell’s home, a small run-down apartment, still stands as a point of interest in the downtown area off of Crescent Avenue.

Atlanta has established several major league sports teams including the Atlanta Braves baseball team, Atlanta Hawks basketball team, Atlanta Falcons football team, and the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team. These games bring entertainment to Atlantans and visitors from other states. The Atlanta Braves which began in Boston moved to Milwaukee, and then moved to Atlanta, is the oldest continuously running baseball team in major league baseball. The team was purchased by Ted Turner in 1967. Famous players of the team include Dale Murphy, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth.

The Fox Theater is a fabulous landmark off of our infamous Peachtree Street. During Franklyn Delano Roosevelt’s presidential campaign, FDR gave a coronation speech in which he discussed his plan to correct the economy as “persistent experimentation”. Originally built as the Yaarab Temple Shrine Mosque in the late 1920’s the Fox Theater has evolved into a nationally acclaimed theater and one of Atlanta’s intensely protected landmarks.

In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, concocted a tonic from cocaine and caffeine and called it Coca-Cola. Although cocaine is no longer a key ingredient, extensive advertising launched Coca-Cola as one of America’s most popular fountain drinks. Old Coca-Cola advertisements are still easily found throughout Atlanta. Coca-Cola is probably Atlanta’s most popular icon and is not only found throughout the country but throughout the world as well.

Atlanta is also the birthplace, home, and crypt of the world’s most infamous non-violent civil right’s leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was elected leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. Originally located off of Auburn Avenue, the headquarters of the SCLC is now held in a building built by Geyer & Geyer at the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Randolph Street. Dr. King is also the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at age thirty-five.

Ted Turner is the most powerful economic icon of Atlanta. Ted initially started his television broadcasting systems with Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). He started the first twenty-four-hour news station Cable News Network (CNN), and the first twenty-four-hour cartoon station, Cartoon Network. Much of Americans turn to CNN or Headline news for their daily news information. Mr. Turner launched a number of other stations including Turner Classic Movies, and Turner South. Mr. Turner (who was married to Jane Fonda), had bought the Atlanta Braves and used his television networks to air their games so that Atlanta could watch even their out-of-town games, which helped to keep fan support of the team. Ted Turner had great pride in Atlanta and used his businesses to his advantage in order to promote Atlanta as the greatest city in the southeastern United States.

In 1990, Atlanta was elected to house the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. If Atlanta was not known to the world already, it was recognized now. The 1996 Olympics brought people from around the world to experience Atlanta in person. Along with tourism, came a lot of money pouring into the city, and Atlanta drastically emerged as the place to be; to work and make money.

The railroad sparked Atlanta’s success and Atlanta’s spirit kept it progressing. The Phoenix is a perfect symbol for Atlanta. After the civil war, Atlanta emerged from the ashes and was reborn as a rapidly progressive city that, to this day, has yet to lose steam. Atlanta’s history is the soul of the city. I have taken for granted many historic aspects of the city; the “Metropolitan Frontiers” exhibit tied everything together to help me to realize that I am a product of Atlanta. The pictures, images, and artifacts brought life to the events of the past. From the commercials of Turner South, “this is my south”.

Children in America Have No Value

This is a research paper I wrote in 2005 about child molesters. It discusses everything from their grooming methods, clinical treatments available and their effectiveness, the recidivism rates of these offenders, the different types of child molesters that are present, and the laws they are protected by.

With the disappearance and death of Jessica Lunsford along with numerous other heinous crimes being committed by persons previously convicted of sexually abusing children, the question asked by many Americans is why is the government not doing enough to protect our children? The answer to that question is not so simple. The government has implemented many laws concerning convicted child molesters and many have been repealed because they were found to be unconstitutional. Because of our constitution and human rights laws we are unable to extinguish these people from our society.

           The purpose of this paper is to explain the process of the child molester in order to show how current legislation is only effective in theory and find out exactly how effective treatment is in preventing these offenders from molesting again. Convicted child molesters are mentally ill people, who should not have the option of pleading first-offender because they are likely to have had unreported sexual contact with more than one child prior to conviction, they are not able to be effectively rehabilitated, and are not able to realistically abide by the terms of their release. Our country is too worried about infringing on the rights of people who sexually abuse the innocence and vulnerability of our children because children are politically incompetent, and victims rights are excluded from the constitution.

There are two main types of child molesters, the pedophile, and the situational offender. These two types differ in their view of their child victim, but the process in which they use to manipulate the child is the same.

The first type of child molester is the pedophile. The American Psychiatric Association classifies a pedophile as having “Sexuality and Gender Identification Disorders” in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (we will refer to this as the DSM-IV). According to the DSM-IV, the criteria for diagnosis as a pedophile includes having “recurrent, intense, sexual urges and sexually arousing fantasies of at least six months in duration involving sexual activity with pre-pubescent children” (Baker 26). These “fantasies, impulses, or behavior must cause clinically significant suffering or impaired function at work, socially or in other important respects”. The person must also be “at least sixteen years old and be at least five years older than the child or children” (Svedin 11). Basically, a pedophile is a person who is sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children.

These people for some unknown reason have sexual fantasies about young children. The use of child pornography can further stimulate their desires. The internet has made this form of pornography easily accessible, and easily viewed or read in the privacy of their home or place of business. The internet has also granted them access to potential child victims because they are able to make friends with children who may not even know that the perpetrator is an adult. All of these activities throughout time will inevitably increase their sexual curiosity towards children.

David Finkelhor, Ph.D., is a research professor of sociology and co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. Finkelhor developed a four-factor model in which he proposes that all four factors must be present for a pedophile to make their fantasy turn towards reality. These four factors include emotional congruency, sexual arousal, blockage, and disinhibition. Emotional congruence suggests that the pedophile must experience an emotional reward from children. The pedophile must be sexually attracted to children, which by definition they are. Blockage suggests that the pedophile must feel impeded from developing a profound, lasting relationship with an adult partner. Lastly, the pedophile must overcome his inner restraining mechanism about establishing sexual contacts with children (12).

Contrary to popular belief, not all child molesters are pedophiles. The situational molester differs from the pedophile in that they are not sexually attracted to children but may turn towards children as sexual objects because their vulnerability makes them “easy targets”. Situational offenders are often very angry men who use sex with children to alleviate boredom, stress, or anxiety, as a way to release their aggression on others (Baker 33). Alcohol and drug abuse may also be involved.

These people, unlike pedophiles, are motivated by anger rather than sexual desire, and therefore, cause the most physical and emotional damage to their victims. These situational molesters must be “motivated for sexually abusing children, overcome inner restraints to translate motive into action, overcome outward impediments, and must overcome any resistance a child might make when contact is attempted” (Svedin 14). This is where the differences between the pedophile and situational molester end.

The first thing a child molester will do after they have overcome their “inner restraints” is to find a suitable subject for his or her deviant acts. They will initially frequent places where children are and who may not be one hundred percent supervised at all times, including playgrounds, swimming pools, parks, shopping centers, malls, and even daycares. They will watch the children and decide who would be their easiest target. By interacting with the children, they are able to get acquainted with their prey, learn important details about the child, and how he or she can be manipulated. They will look for a child who has low self-esteem, problems at home, or children that are not particularly outspoken; any children they see themselves having the greatest opportunity of getting alone (Baker 40).

The child molester has several strategies for creating situations where the offender can be alone with their targeted child. They will develop an acquaintanceship with the child so that the person is no longer a “stranger”. They will become a good friend of the child’s parents to get closer to the child, and also to relinquish their “stranger” status to the child. They may exploit their professional role as a teacher, coach, camp counselor, doctor, priest, or boy/girl scout leader. They may even cohabitate or marry a single mother (Svedin 16).

After the predator narrows his choices to the one child he knows he can manipulate, the abuse process will commence. The abuse process is implemented in phases. These phases are used in order to replace a child when they get too old, or if the risk of discovery is increased by any variable (Svedin). These phases include the involvement phase, the phase of sexual relations, and the secrecy phase.

The first and most important phase to the child molester is the involvement phase. This phase is a very long process in which the predator creates a trusting relationship with the child who will gradually become emotionally tied to the offender (Svedin). This long process is used to ensure the fortification of the bonds that will “keep the victims trapped” (Baker 52). This phase is also known as the grooming phase. “The predator must render the victim helpless, isolated, and defenseless by forming an exclusive and unique relationship. The predator will separate the child from his or her parents, friends, and teachers” (Baker 47).

The next phase involves sexual relations. During this phase the predator will incorporate sex into their relationship by showing the child pornography, exposing themselves around the child, talking about sex, and eventually conditioning the child to believe that the sexual interaction with adults is normal. Through the previously established emotional ties, “the child wants to oblige” (Svedin 17). “Because children are dependent on adults for their survival, their relationships are often based on the implicit trust that adults will know what is best for them” (Baker 39).

The last phase actually starts during the involvement phase. The predator will “prepare the child for secrecy by setting up several situations that require the child to maintain silence” (Baker 49). “Don’t tell your mom I gave you candy, she’ll be mad”, or “Don’t say anything to your friends or family, it’s our secret and they will be jealous”. “These are the preliminary trappings that set the stage for the secrecy phase” (Baker). The next part of the secrecy phase is called “retention”. By this time the child has a feeling that what is happening is wrong and the predator now has to retain the child’s secrecy by threats and capitalizing on the child’s shame and guilt. Children usually blame themselves for the predator’s behavior. The predator will then make comments such as “If you tell anyone, they will think you are bad, and you will be in big trouble” (Baker 53). The predator may even threaten to tell the parents themselves to get them in trouble. Or they might threaten to hurt a pet or relative if they told. “Because children are so dependent upon adults they assume that adults are capable of carrying through with their threats” (Baker 52). Some even have gained such an emotional tie with the child that they will tell them that they (the predator) will go to jail for a long time if they tell, and the child does not want that to happen to their “special friend”. Also during this phase, any video or photographs can be used the blackmail the child into keeping quiet.

This phase continues until the child is too old or until the risk of discovery is too great. Shortly after the abuse starts, the child will tend to withdraw themselves from their usual activities and may regress to wetting themselves and sucking their thumb. This behavior usually triggers concern from the parents, who try to talk to their child to find out the cause. It is then that the child will either deny anything or divulge everything.

Usually, before the situation escalates to this point, the predator has moved on to another child. “According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the average molester of girls will abuse fifty females before being caught and convicted. The average molester of boys will victimize one hundred and fifty males before being convicted” (Baker 26). “A pedophile will molest an average of one hundred seventeen girls during their lifetime while pedophiles who only abuse boys will abuse an average of two hundred eighty male victims” (27).

The vast majority of child molesters will eventually be released back into the community. If we know all of this information about child molesters who prey on the innocence of children, why are they released back into society to reintegrate? Why should known child molesters be allowed to go on with their lives when they have so many victims who cannot? Unfortunately, our country, as a “civilized” country, relies on the guidelines of the U.S. Constitution and Human Rights to protect the rights of people who commit heinous crimes. We cannot, constitutionally, hold a person in prison for something they might do in the future. “It is an unfortunate irony that constitutional rights created to protect the innocent now shield the guilty” (Unknown). The U.S. Constitution guarantees more than a dozen rights to those accused of committing crimes, but not one word is written in the U.S. Constitution on behalf of crime victims. Apparently, our children have no value because they are politically incompetent; they do not vote, and they have no money. Therefore, it is our job, as adults, to fight for the right of our children to live without fear of child predators.

Over the years, several legislations have been enacted to protect the public from sexually dangerous criminals. On May 17, 1996, President Clinton signed a law requiring all fifty states to have a Sex Offender Registry and a community notification plan (Baker 207). This law is comprised of three acts, including Megan’s Law, The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration, and The Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act. The Jacob Wetterling Act (1994) requires states to register individuals convicted of sex crimes against children. Megan’s Law (1996) requires the states to release the sex offender registration information that is “necessary to protect the public” (Baker 208). The Pam Lychner Act “mandates the creation of a national sex offender database to be available to the FBI” (209).

Federal law requires every state to make their Sex Offender Registry available to everyone. This is great news if every person who was arrested for these sexual offenses was actually convicted of the crime. In many cases, offenders are allowed to plead first-offender, make plea bargains or just good, old-fashioned “not enough evidence” to convict them of the crime.

Every state has different laws and requirements for registration as a sex offender. Since the scope of this matter is too wide we will focus on Georgia’s registration requirements. More information concerning the online registry on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Web site can be found on the “Frequently Asked Questions” link.

According to the G.B.I.'s website, sex offenders who have been released from prison, placed on probation, parole, or supervised release after July 1, 1996, must register with Georgia as a sex offender. Offenders released from prison, placed on probation, or supervised release before July 1, 1996, are not required to register. Also, offenders who were sentenced under the first offender act are not required to register, as well as juveniles who were not tried as an adult.

Offenders required to register with the state must report within ten days of release or placement on probation, parole, or supervised release to the Sheriff of the county they plan to live, work, and/or attend school. They are required to re-register every year on the anniversary of their initial registration date. These sex offenders will then remain on the registry for a period of ten years.

Persons identified as sexual predators are defined as “offenders who suffer from a mental abnormality or a personality disorder that would make a person likely to engage in a predatory sexually violent offense”. These offenders are required to update their information every ninety days and will remain on the registry for life. Also, as of July 1, 1999, offenders who have more than one prior conviction, or have been convicted of an aggravated offense will remain on the registry for life.

If a sex offender fails to register, or provides false information, they will be convicted of a felony and sentenced to one to three years in prison and/or fined up to $100,000. If a sex offender moves to another county in Georgia, they are required to inform the Sheriff of the county or counties they are registered with, as well as the county where they are relocating. This must be done within ten days of relocation. If the offender moves to another state, they are to notify the Sheriff of the county in which they are registered and inform them of the impending move.

Although the registry is well maintained, it is easy to see that problems do not occur due to the lack of laws or registration policies, but the actual enforcement of these laws and registration requirements. First of all, the National Institute of Justice states in their report in 1997 that “Offenders have been known to re-offend as late as twenty years following release” (Prentky 14). Therefore, all offenders released from prison, placed on parole, or supervised release prior to July 1, 1996, are unaccounted for to the public. Also, after only ten years, a sex offender will be removed from the registry and are no longer required to register until their next conviction.

Another problem occurs because these offenders are basically granted by these laws, an “honor system” to inform the Sheriff of relocations and are only required to update their information once a year. In order to resolve this problem, the Sheriff of the current registration address should inform the Sheriff of the county in which the offender is relocating, especially in another state, to ensure that the offender follows through with their duty to register. Then, if a child becomes missing or is victimized by a known sex offender, the Sheriff would be held accountable, and therefore have a vested interest in informing other counties of potential danger. Without this vested interest, the Sheriff may be glad to get the offender out of their county, and would not necessarily care about where they moved.

The Georgia General Assembly adjourned on April 7, 2004, to present two Bills for the floor concerning child molestation and abductions. These bills include the Levi alert (SB 400) which asks the media to broadcast information when a child is abducted as well as a bill that would include as a requirement of probation, convicted child molesters to wear global positioning satellite devices (SB 469) which would allow probation officers to be notified if the child molester enters school property, parks or other areas where children congregate. Out of these two bills, the Levi Alert is the only one that was passed.

Along with the federal mandate for convicted sex offenders to register in their county of residence, community-based maintenance and control are essential to ensure public safety. In order to ensure the effectiveness of community-based maintenance and control, there must be highly trained and supervised parole and probation officers, mandatory treatment programs along with an evaluation for medication, and notification of the community.

It is very important that the parole and probation officers assigned to the supervision of the child molester to be highly trained and carry a small caseload to ensure “intensive surveillance and supervision” (Prentky 9). Unfortunately, many of these officers have so many cases that they probably do not know that the parolee was convicted of a sexual offense, therefore, the officer would be unaware that the person is in violation of their parole or probation by living near a school or in a community of children.

A combination of different treatment programs, along with the evaluation for certain medications are important for the “adjustment and maintenance” of the offender (Prentky). The treatments available include evocative therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, psycho-education groups or classes, and pharmacological treatment.

Evocative therapy focuses on offenders understanding the causes and motivations leading to sexually deviant and coercive behavior, as well as victim empathy. This helps the offender understand what triggers their unwanted behavior and as well as understand the damage done to their victims. Another name for this therapy is psychotherapy. “Psychotherapy is the original treatment used for sex offenders” (Barnes 10). This form of therapy includes several treatment models such as individual and group counseling, family therapy, victim empathy, accountability, sexual education, reality therapy, victim confrontation, value clarification and cognitive therapy (Barnes). The main problem with this type of therapy is that it is not conducive to the prison environment. Baker quotes Groth:

It requires the offender to be fairly intelligent, to have a capacity for abstract thinking and self-observation, a sense of distress and motivation for change and an ability to form a working relationship with a therapist that may extend a long period of time and that may involve considerable emotional discomfort and frustration. (Barnes 10)

Cognitive behavior therapy focuses on the cycle of sexual assault and introduces techniques to interrupt those cycles. Cognitive behavior therapy attempts to replace undesirable behaviors with socially acceptable responses through conditioning. Ironically conditioning the offender the same way he or she conditioned the child to believe that certain behaviors are okay. The cognitive-behavioral treatment models hold the most promise of treatment and are popularly used in the U.S. as well as Canada. “This model of research was developed from research indicating that sex offending results from an interaction of socioeconomic, cognitive, behavioral and emotional variable” (Barnes 11).

Psycho-education groups and classes are an approach to “remedy deficits in social and interpersonal skills by teaching anger management techniques, and the principals of relapse prevention” (Prentky 8). Discussion topics range from human sexuality, dating and communication skills, to the myths about sexuality and relationships. This is especially helpful to persons who feel impeded from having a profound, lasting relationship with other adults, which initially drove them towards children as sexual objects.

Pharmacological treatment focuses on reducing sexual arouse-ability. The medications used in this type of therapy include “Cyproterone Acetate (CPA), which suppresses the physiological sexual response and libido, usually within two to four weeks after beginning treatment”. The other medication is “Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (MPA), better known as Depo-Provera which is used to reduce the sex drive in less than two weeks from the beginning of treatment” (13). Also, various forms of antidepressants are used to lower sex drive as well as the frequency of deviant sexual fantasies. Although medication therapy decreases the individual’s sex drive, it does nothing to cure the underlying situation and therefore should be used with cognitive behavior therapy or other forms of therapies. It is also possible for the offender to “circumvent the effects of the drugs by buying testosterone (steroids) on the street” (Prentky 15).

It is an unrealistic stipulation for a convicted child molester to stay one hundred fifty feet from a child. That is why notification of the community is the most important step to protect our children. The term “good enough for government work” is used for a reason. We cannot rely on the government to do their part in protecting our children. Their only obligation is to make the registry available and provide information when inquired. We have to find out if there is a sex offender in our neighborhoods and inform the rest of the neighborhood. If the offender is really trying to “recover” they would not mind the community knowing as long as the community does not start an angry lynch mob. It is a good thing to talk to the offender to let them know that they will be well watched. There are no child-free neighborhoods and if there are, they will not be for long. People have babies, older people have grandkids that visit them, and families with children move into nice quiet neighborhoods. Without extensive community involvement, our children will be at great risk.

The best way to determine the effectiveness of treatment on individual offenders is through phallometry. Phallometry is a laboratory method used to assess sexual arousal by measuring the penile responses to sexual stimuli. This method can be used to categorize types of child molesters by determining the extent of their deviance through various images of children. This testing can help distinguish between non-incest molesters, homosexual molesters, bi-sexual molesters, situational molesters as well as the extent of their sadism. Jake Goldenflame, a recovering child molester quoted on John Kasich's HARTLAND on April 16, 2005, on Fox News that he underwent the phallometric evaluation and it was “shockingly accurate...shockingly”.

The answer to whether or not the available treatments are effective lies in the individual undergoing the treatment. If the subject is in denial about their crime; either they feel like they did not do anything wrong or refuse to admit to their crime, the likelihood of this subject benefiting from treatment is slim. This type of person will probably fall under the category of the situational offender. Because they are not sexually attracted to children they do not believe that they have a problem when in actuality their problems lie in anger management and dealing with control issues. Those who know they have a problem and can admit fully to the extent of their actions are usually the best candidates for treatment. It is in this respect that treating child molesters are much like treating drug and alcohol abusers.

Pedophiles would receive greater benefit from treatment before following through with their fantasies. They know that their feelings are not acceptable and will keep their fantasies to themselves. As time passes their fantasies get stronger and more persistent until all four factors of Finkelhor’s model are met and the opportunity to turn fantasy to reality arises.

When the pedophile finally experiences his fantasies, in reality, the gratification is so intense that there is no turning back. The pedophile wants to experience the sensation over and over again. By this time the pedophile does not want to receive help because they are only focused on the satisfaction, they receive from being with a child. After this point, the treatment process will likely have to continue for the rest of the pedophile's life.

If the pedophile was able to receive the necessary treatment they would likely have learned how to control their behavior, and what actions to take to prevent the situation from escalating to the sexual abuse of a child. The pedophiles who know they need help are deterred from receiving such help for fear of what will happen to them, and the inexistence of client/doctor confidentiality due to the laws requiring to disclose such information to proper authorities. If a person feels they pose a possible danger to a child they should do what is necessary to protect the child from the harm they may inflict. If they did nothing wrong so far they should have nothing to fear. Confidentiality should not be a factor in the safety of our children.

Studies show that “the overall recidivism rate for untreated sex offenders was twenty-seven percent while for treated offenders it was nineteen percent” (Prentky 8). The apparent treatment effect was eight percent. This eight percent is sadly enough “proof” that therapy is effective. These studies are also only conducted for a period of three to five years.

The National Institute of Justice did their own studies in 1997 which were based on exposure time or the opportunity to re-offend, criminal activity during the exposure time and whether they were charged, convicted, or incarcerated for their criminal activity. The chart provided in Exhibit 3 shows that thirty-two percent of child molesters who were charged for another sexual, victim-involved offense had an average exposure time of just over three and a half years. It shows their failure rate at twenty-five years to be fifty-two percent. Child molesters who were convicted of sexual, victim-involved offenses were shown to be twenty-five percent after almost four years of exposure time. It shows their failure rate at twenty-five years to be forty-one percent. Child molesters who were actually imprisoned for sexual, victim-involved offenses were shown to be twenty-three percent after just over four years. It shows their failure rate at twenty-five years to be thirty-seven percent. In all, the report shows that the more exposure time the child molester has, the more likely the child molester will commit another sexual, victim-involved offense.

It is shocking that in the world we live in today, with as many horrible things that we have to watch out for, and all of the unknown sex offenders running amok we also have to be on guard against known sex offenders. Murderers get life in prison while a sexual predator, which by definition is highly apt to commit other sexually devious acts, are on a registry for life. As Thomas Jefferson said:

I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered, and manner and opinions change; with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times.

New discoveries have been made about the mind of the child molester and new truths have been discovered, but the manner and opinions have not changed. When children are recognized as precious seeds of our future instead of being regarded as people with no political rights, we will have all that is necessary to amend the constitution to provide a safer place for our children to play, learn, develop, and evolve into productive members of our society.

Baker, Leigh. Protecting Your Children from Sexual Predators. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2002.

Kincaid, James. Erotic Innocence: The Culture of Child Molesting. Durham: Duke University Press, 1998.

Levesque, Roger. Sexual Abuse of Children: A Human Rights Perspective. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999.

O’Brien, Shirley. Why They Did It: Stories of Eight Convicted Child Molesters. Springfield: Thomas Books, 1986.

La Pietà

This is a Descriptive Essay I wrote in 2005 about my favorite sculpture:

My most favorite work of art is The Pietà, sculpted by Michelangelo. This magnificent work of art stands behind a thick sheet of glass in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. It is a life-sized depiction in marble, of Mary holding the body of Jesus after he had been crucified. I first came across a picture of the Pietà while flipping through an art book in my high school’s library. Because I am Jewish, this picture did not speak to me psychologically due to religious purposes, but rather in sheer disbelief that a human being created this marvelous depiction with first, his mind, and then his hands. This was proof to me in ninth grade that if you set your mind to it, you can do anything. The Pieta is the most magnificent work of art because of the detail Michelangelo put into the robes that Mary is wearing, the definition of Jesus’ body, and especially the precision given to their hands and feet. To truly appreciate this sculpture’s beauty you must keep in mind that it is a sculpture and that it is carved from a large chunk of marble.

Mary is very well covered from head to toe. The fabric covering her head is made of a thin material, which has many folds and bunches to it. These folds and bunches follow over the forehead, and around her cheekbones, hiding her ears from view. The fabric travels over her shoulders to her back. It frames her sullen, yet peaceful face which looks down upon Jesus’ body lying lifeless in her lap. You can see the definition of her eyebrows, nose, cheeks, thin lips, and her strong but unobtrusive chin. You can see the creases in her eyelids, and the indentation of the piece of skin between her collarbones, which covers the entrance to her trachea. From just below this point, starts the collar of her dress.

The collar is bunched up all around her neck like she took some Queen sized bed sheets, took a piece of string, folded the sheet over the string and made the string

large enough to put her head through, but not big enough to fall over her shoulders. The fabric is tapered at the wrists and the rest falls like a potato sack made of linen instead of burlap, to the floor. There is a strap across her chest probably about two inches wide. The inscription on the strap is Michelangelo’s name written in big, Latin letters starting from the bottom of her right breast and reading up to her left shoulder. The fabric of her dress bunches and folds underneath the strap defining the shape of her breasts, which seem quite large for her size. There is a blanket draped over her right shoulder and over her lap, in which she holds Jesus’ body with her right hand. The blanket drapes down her legs to the floor with large creases and folds. The creases and folds of the blanket and her robes make you feel like you can touch them or if the wind blew they would move.

Jesus’ body lying draped across Mary’s lap is even more amazing and detailed because Michelangelo was best at depicting human features and Jesus is almost naked. The only thing covering him is a thin piece of fabric tied around his hips, covering his bottom and front. His head lays tilted back into Mary’s arms. His hair looks so thick and curly; you want to run your fingers through it. You can also see his eyebrows, his eyes are closed, his nose is so detailed Michelangelo probably but a booger or two in there for amusement (that’s what you get for looking up Jesus’ nose). You can see a little curly goatee on his chin, his Adam's apple, his collarbones, which forms the indentation of the entrance to the trachea. Jesus’ chest is scrawny and bird-like with little nipples protruding from where his pectorals should be if he had them. All you can see are where the ribs connect to the sternum, and the outline of his abdominal muscles, hip bones, and ribs. You can even see his belly button which is almost lost in the crease between the left side of his ribs and his hip bone. Between the fifth and sixth ribs from the bottom, you can see a horizontal cut and another one vertically across the second rib from the bottom. His bottom rests on Mary’s left knee. I can’t even begin to explain how gravity appears to be pulling down on him; it is so amazing and life-like. You can see the muscles in his thighs, and the back of his legs, and where the muscles connect to the knees. You can see the definition of the knees and the muscles of his lower legs. The muscles in his arms are also well defined. You can see the outline of his biceps, and his right tricep, the veins, and muscles of his forearms. The detail given to his elbows and the patch of skin between the upper arm and forearm, opposite the elbow, makes you believe you can move his arm up to rest on his stomach.

The detail of Mary’s face, hands and robes are impeccable and are probably the most convincing evidence that forces you to believe that this is real and not a statue. Mary’s right hand is holding up Jesus’ body under his right armpit. You can see the tension, and feel the grip of her fingers holding up his torso. You can see her fingernails and each individual knuckle. Her left hand at Jesus’ knee is palm up, the thumb close to the palm and her fingers spread slightly apart. Perhaps this is a gesture asking “why” or maybe even,” here God, this is what they did to your son”. The muscles and creases of her hands and fingers are so detailed a fortune teller could read her palm. From Jesus’ elbow to his knuckles you can see his veins, like the veins of a man who works with his hands. You can see the tendons of his fingers and each knuckle defined as perfect human fingers could be. The same goes for his feet and ankles; from the balls of his feet to the toenails on his toes. Finally, in the center of his hands and feet, there is a

rectangular shaped imperfect hole, which reveals that this is a depiction of Jesus after his crucifixion.

As a graduation present from my mother, I went to Rome, Italy for two weeks. During this two-week period, I went to the Vatican to see Pope John Paul, II. I saw many, many more works by Michelangelo as well as DaVinci (now a have a few new favorites from the Sistine Chapel and the halls leading to it). When I walked into Saint Peters Basilica I saw for the first time my beloved Pietà in person to the right of the entrance. It was more beautiful than I had imagined. I only wish I could be close enough to touch it. I still believe that if the wind blows Mary’s robes will blow also or that I can wiggle Jesus’ toes and fingers and bend his arms. That thick glass wall hindered me from getting close enough to prove to my mind's eye that it is a statue made of marble rather than two people who have been frozen in time. I later found out that it used to be in the courtyard but people kept climbing on it and broke a piece of Jesus’ toe off. This made me very mad because someone broke off a piece of my favorite work of art, and now, because of their stupidity, I can’t get any closer to the Pietà. Why would anyone climb on this beautiful statue? Oh well, one day it will be on exhibit and I’ll have one more chance to feel the cold marble that looks like it was molded out of clay instead of worked away with a hammer and chisel.

In the Work Place: Friend or Foe?

A Classification Essay I wrote in 2005 about my experience as a dedicated worker in Atlanta with lazy co-workers:

A job is a place to go to make a living. It is not a social gathering place with a paycheck. One should keep this in mind when starting a job and be aware of three types of co-workers to avoid to prevent your place of business from becoming a miserable and hostile environment. Three types of co-workers who can make your life miserable include the gossipers, the haters, and the tattletales. None of these groups present themselves as such in the beginning and it takes time to know all of your co-workers as who they really are. In order to prevent these people from ruining your life, you should always remember, you are not there to socialize, you are there to work; to do your job to the best of your ability in order to make a living and be recognized for your efforts by your superiors.

Gossipers, benevolent in nature, like to talk about other people's business with anyone who is either willing to listen or willing to offer more gossip. These people are usually very friendly and helpful at first. They like to get to know you; find out personal information and befriend you to keep a steady supply of information. They take their information to other gossipers, pass judgment and create personal theories about your life. From one gossiper to another, the information takes the shape of a rumor; much like that game telephone. Gossipers have an uncanny knack for spreading rumors like wildfire throughout every department. Even people you never met know who you are and somehow know your personal business. This leaves you wide open to enemies you didn’t know you had.

Lurking among the benevolent gossipers are the malevolent haters. Haters are people who feel that they are better than everyone else and are threatened by anyone who is actually better than them, or they refuse to play their games of “Hateration”. Gossipers are a pawn for the haters because they are used to collect personal information. With this information, they are able to distort the truth and shape it into something they can use against you. Through gossipers, they are able to spread their rumors through every department specifically for the purpose of getting others to side against you in order to make your life at work as miserable as possible. These haters are also guilty of the notorious he said/she said scenario used to start or create controversy in the workplace.

The last type of co-worker to avoid is the tattletales. Tattletales are usually whiners who are too busy finding other people's faults to gain brownie points with their superiors instead of correcting their own faults. Unlike gossipers and haters, tattle tales reserve their information purely for the purpose of trying to make themselves look better or to cover up their own faults. They only share this information with confidentiality with their superiors. They think they are doing a good thing and are clandestine in their approach, but with everyone in someone else’s business, everyone knows who the tattletale is. They also do not realize that they drive their superiors crazy. Their bosses are not stupid and are well aware of the faults of the tattletale. They know that they are trying to make themselves look better and feel that the tattle tales time would be better spent correcting their own flaws. Their superiors are also not ignorant to the goings on of their employees; tattle tales irritate their bosses because they insult their superior’s intelligence. It is not their job to be a tattletale.

Bosses frown upon all of these types of people but as they say, good help is hard to find. They may have their faults of spreading gossip and contributing to the creation of a hostile work environment, but they are also good at their particular job. The only one they could probably do without is the tattletales. The gossipers and haters can all be advised that their behavior is inappropriate and asked to stop. The main differences between the gossipers and the haters are that gossipers are benevolent in that they start rumors as a form of recreation while haters start rumors with ill intentions. It is best to keep to yourself for a while until your co-worker's true colors start to appear. Then you can decide who you would like to become friends with and who you can trust. At least that way you are not in a hostile situation from the beginning and you are not one of the people contributing to the rumors.