Entertainment and Media

Keira's 2021 Rom-Com Round Up

Keira McDonough, EIC

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne: 4/5 stars

This book moved way too quickly. Enemies to lovers should be a very slow burn. But despite the fact that they kissed on page 65, overall, it was painfully charming and lovable. I appreciated the subplots and the ridiculous tropes because they weren't awful—they weren't done amazingly, but well enough to be tolerable—but I just can't get over the fact that the build-up was so freaking short. It nearly ruined the well-developed characters and their relationships: the narrator went on and on about her rivalry with her coworker and none of that rivalry was shown in their actions. The first hundred pages were a burden to get through, but once The Paintball Scene happened, it was thoroughly enjoyable and adorable, and I hate to admit that I am really excited to see the movie. 

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren*: 2/5 stars

A very solid eh. There was a lot of potential in this scenario! Unfortunately, it was not executed well. It was actually executed really poorly. I rooted for the main characters all the way through, but there was so much miscommunication it was unbearable. Everything could've been solved if the characters had just had a conversation! I'm a big advocate for writing however you want, but I have yet to find a book authored by two people that I've actually enjoyed.

*Note: Christina Lauren is the pen name for writing duo Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings

Beach Read by Emily Henry: 5/5 stars

It was somewhat cheesy with some somewhat incredibly overused tropes, but it was so addicting and well-written I forgot all about them; I finished it in one sitting (on the beach, of course). The characters were enamoring and their relationships both realistic and endearing. My sole criticism, besides the decently unnecessary backstory for the male love interest—nothing would've changed about the book or his personality or their relationship if he didn't have a Traumatic Backstory™—is that it wasn't really set on a beach; in fact, there's only one or two scenes on the actual beach. A facile criticism, I know, and the title was clever given the fact that both main characters were writers, trying to draft a new novel at their lake houses, but it kind of bugged me that there was no actual ocean! Nevertheless, I am beyond excited to read Henry's next beachy rom-com, which I'm saving for next summer. 

Party of Two by Jasmine Guilroy: 1/5 stars

Dear God, I could barely get through this book. Nothing was rewarding: the conflict was shallow, the characters were straight archetypes with no nuance, and they weren't necessarily likable, either: they had virtually no depth, and their big fight could have been resolved with such a simple conversation. Frankly, I did not care, at all, about any of the characters or their relationships. 

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborne: 2.5/5 stars

The author attempted to use fonts as a metaphor. Yes, fonts, like Helvetica and Times New Roman. It was bizarre and cringey every single time and I do not understand what she was trying to do with that. Although it was very average and not memorable, the book was overall decently enjoyable, despite some of the dialogue and writing being obscenely horrible. I wouldn't pay more than $3 for it, which is exactly what I paid. 

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston: 5/5 stars

It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but as far as rom-coms go, it was a damn good one. There was nothing structurally I disliked about it; the setting was gorgeous and such a beautiful depiction of early-twenties life in a big city, with too many roommates in a crappy apartment, a part-time job on top of college, and everything else I've heard my cousins and parents and friends describe about that era of their lives. One of the cover reviews called it a love letter to New York City, and I couldn't agree more. McQuiston clearly loves New York and it shows through descriptions that make you nostalgic for a time and place you were never there for. The characters were hilarious, of course; every character Casey McQuiston touches turns into gold. They were charming, witty, and so well-developed you wished that you could read a whole other book just about them. The vague magical-realism aspect was intriguing, to say the least, but at the heart of it all, it was a romantic comedy, so does it really all have to make sense? I think not. 

Unconventionally Yours by Annabeth Albert: 3/5 stars

The romance itself was cute, but the amount of pop culture references really threw me off. The novel was based around the fact that the characters were rivals in a group of friends who played a game reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons—at least from my perspective as someone who collected Pokémon cards in elementary school simply because the pokémon were cute. And yet, the attempt to modernize the language and characters was cringey and really made it seem as if the author was trying to write about a generation younger than theirs that they had never interacted with. Aside from this, the fact that there were virtually no explicitly non-white characters was questionable, to say the least. Even the characters who could've been interpreted as POC, based on the lack of physical description, were canonized as white because of the weird drawings that were at the beginning of some chapters. That was another really bizarre thing: there were drawings of pictures and scenes taking place throughout the story. I've never seen that before outside of picture books, and it caught me very much off-guard. I also wasn't into the fact that it was advertised as full-blown enemies to lovers, when it really was more frenemies to lovers. They never truly hated each other. However, the development into their relationship was very well done; it really didn't feel like a slow-burn at all even though it very much was. But the foundation of their relationship was so flimsy that I found myself groaning at the crux of the conflict because it could have so easily been solved with a simple conversation.

Virgil Abloh: A True Inspiration

Sam Shuster, EIC

The late Virgil Abloh was an inspiration to millions worldwide. He  first came to fame in 2013 after the launch of his streetwear brand Off-White, which has since transformed into a luxury designer brand. There are not many items that cannot be found at Off-White, with items ranging from sunglasses, to rugs, to leather jackets. Abloh’s true motivation behind creating Off-White was to define the gray area between black and white as “Off-White.” 

His work was immediately very sought after: he often dropped pieces in limited quantities, making them very hard to acquire. Louis Vuitton was one of Abloh's dream collaborations and he was honored when he accepted the position. He said how thankful and lucky he was to be in this position. 

Virgil Abloh died on November 28th, 2021, after privately battling a rare form of cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma. He was only 41 years old. Abloh often said “Everything I do is for the 17 year old version of myself.” Although Abloh was taken away from us far too soon, his mark on the fashion world will never be forgotten.

Listening To A New Album Every Month: Indie-Folk

Samantha Smith

The Songs

“DVD Menu”: “DVD Menu” pulls me in right when it begins, the song filling my whole body because I can feel every note. The violin adds an entrancing eeriness to the song, and I can easily say it's one of the best instrumental songs I've heard in a while. Most would think it would be better with lyrics, but I believe that would ruin the mood the song puts us in.  

“Garden Song”: I love Bridgers’ voice; it reminds me of a mix of many different singers, but at the same time, has a unique sound. This is a great song for when you want to relax, although there isn’t that much to it that’s special and would make me want to listen to it again and again or put it on my playlist. What I do like about the song is that it reminds me of Bon Iver music. Phoebe is an amazing songwriter and is able to create a story with what she sings. Even though I don’t particularly like the song that much, I do love the lyrics and how subtly meaningful they are.

“Kyoto”: Kyoto is easily my favorite Phoebe song and I find myself singing it in my head constantly. Unlike “Garden Song”, this one immediately captured my attention and I love every second of it. The verse perfectly builds up to the chorus, and right when it comes, it feels like I'm floating. The chorus is so melodic and catchy, plastering itself inside your brain permanently. The song would not be as great as it is if Bridgers didn't sing those emphasized words with notes that compliment them perfectly in the chorus. It gives what she's singing more of an impact on your brain and how it interprets the song. 

“Punisher”: I love the melody of this song and the entirety of the background music. It complements Bridgers’ voice and fits with the lyrics, almost telling a story. It doesn’t overuse the echoing of her voice, and is the perfect song to listen to while driving in the countryside. 

“Halloween”: Right away the song reminds me of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which has a soundtrack I love, so I'm already excited to hear the rest of the song. I love the chorus; it's very calming and Bridgers’ voice sounds beautiful. The song is about how people can be anything they want, like on Halloween, so I understand the song isn’t about a Halloween night. Nevertheless, listening to this song makes me feel like it's Halloween, which is always a serotonin booster. It's a great night time car ride song for when you're just driving on the highway at night, pitch-black emptiness all around you except for the road in front of you.

“Chinese Satellite”: I like the idea of the song—how when you're looking at a star, it might actually be a Chinese satellite. Bridgers’ voice sounds very angelic in this; they did a great job with the reverb and such. I love the violin and drums that come in at the end because the song sounds much better with them. On top of that, the harmonies with other recordings of her voice sound beautiful in this song.

“Moon Song”: This would be a very Taylor Swift-y song if it wasn't for Bridgers’ and Swift’s very different voices. I personally prefer Phoebe’s voice along with her music; if this was a Taylor Swift song, I don’t think I’d like it as much. It's a very mellow song that keeps a similar tempo throughout. Nothing too special, but definitely a great song if you're looking for something calm with great lyrics. 

“Savior Complex”: I know I sound repetitive, but again she hits it out of the ballpark with the lyrics. The songs wouldn’t be as good as they are without them because the lyrics are what makes her songs. They’re always so original and clever, but also flow smoothly together without any awkward moments to try and fit a certain line in. This song particularly is one of her better songs lyrically, and creates a setting for the song, along with two characters with clear personalities, which is always hard to do.

“ICU”: The song is good—not great, not terrible—but good. I am, however, putting it pretty high on my rankings because of how the background music makes me feel. It reminds me of other songs I like, ones I can't quite remember but whose melodies are always stuck in the back of my head.  

“Graceland Too”: This song has a country music vibe, which I like because it makes it different from the other songs on this playlist. “Graceland Too” is definitely in my top 5 for the album: an engaging melody and pretty lyrics ensure you won’t get bored with the song while listening. My favorite line in the song is also my favorite line in the album: “Said she knows she'll live through it to get to this moment”. 

“I Know The End”: Again, this song seems very repetitive and reminds me of most of the songs on this album. At least, I thought that until I got to the end of the song. It was different from the others on the album and was a bit weird, which is always good. 

My Thoughts On The Album

Punisher is perfect for those occasional walks in nature or even the city. It's not an album I would listen to when looking for songs I want to actually get into, but rather for when I want some nice background music to listen to and let myself relax. Her abundance of songs with violin was what won me over, because it always gave the song the instrument it needed.

The album could have been so much more if Bridgers had broadened her horizon when creating her songs, since many of them are very similar to each other. Despite that critique on the album, quality-wise, the songs were all great, and a few of them I loved so much that I put them on my playlist. I do hope that in her next album, Bridgers switches it up a little bit and doesn’t have a lot of the songs sounding the same. Doing something different with her music will allow her to stand out more in the current music industry.

Aristotle's Elements of Tragedy and Homer's Iliad

Keira McDonough, EIC

NOTES: Shoutout to Mr. Wall for this simplified breakdown of Aristotle's elements of tragedy!

Also, I'm using the Greek spellings of the characters' names, except for Achilles because everyone kinda knows him already as Achilles.

The Iliad fits the key requirements of a tragedy: it depicts an action (the Trojan War), includes artistic embellishment (epic form), evokes pity, fear, and catharsis, features a tragic hero with a tragic flaw, and has a complex plot. The issue of whether or not it's a tragedy in itself is not what's in question here; but rather, who is the tragic hero?

If you were to argue that Homer's Iliad is indeed representative of Aristotle's idea of a tragedy, the obvious choice for the tragic hero is Hektor. He's much more humanized than Achilles: he was generally anti-war, fought to protect his city despite being told he would die, and was a loyal husband and a good son. His tragic flaw can either be his loyalty to Troy, or his refusal to accept his fate: he was told he would die in the war, but he fought to defend his city, widowing his wife and leaving his son fatherless. But if he is our tragic hero, then what is his great tragedy besides his own death? If the tragedy is his death, where is there room for him to reflect and recognize his flaws? The tragedy would not fall upon him, but on his wife, for she's just lost her husband and must be the sole provider for their son. Hektor hits almost all the points of the tragic hero; objectively, he's the most moral character in The Iliad—how could anyone sympathize with the brutal Achilles? But every story has two sides, and for the sake of debate, maybe it's Achilles who's the tragic hero of the Achaeans. 

If we are to argue that Achilles is the tragic hero, not necessarily just for his own side of the war but for the entire Iliad, the number one issue that prevents him from immediately being interpreted as such is the fact that there is little room for pity; he's literally a war criminal. However, Achilles's pride, ambition, and devotion is something most can relate to. He's determined to fulfill the prophecy he heard as a child and be the great demigod warrior he was raised to be, to defend his country, defend his people, and be damn good at it. However, the audience only feels true pity for Achilles when he suffers his great tragedy: losing his beloved Patroklos. To take it back to Mr. Wall's class, where I first learned about this structure, in The Crucible, there isn’t a whole lot of sympathy for the tragic hero, John Proctor, either until his life starts going downhill. If we are to identify our own ambition in Achilles—translated for a modern day, of course—then we realize the pitfalls of our own determination: if we are too ambitious in achieving our goals, too cunning and driven, will we destroy ourselves and any sense of morality we once had?

While Achilles may not be a hero to us—especially through a modern lens, in a time when raiding and pillaging innocent villages is pretty severely frowned upon—he was to the Achaeans. He was their way to win the war and go home after nine long years in Troy. There is glory and honor associated with his name: he is a demigod, a prince, and a commander of the Greeks, he's renowned, prosperous, and purposefully morally ambiguous. Hopefully you see him as straight-out evil on account of all the war crimes, but at the end of the day, he's fighting for what he believes is right and for his country. There are many situations where we should NOT apply that sort of logic, particularly those in which the cause that said passionate person is fighting for is inherently wrong, i.e. beliefs that go against who a person is at their core, or things they cannot change about themselves. Achilles's mission isn't inherently wrong: he's just helping his buddy get his wife back after she was kidnapped. The way he went about accomplishing it certainly was, but that's not the point. Not to sound like an elderly lady or anything, but he's from a different time. 

It's not a tragedy without an essential question, and when we look to Achilles, there are two main moral questions: If my honor was threatened, in a time where honor was all someone had, would I defend it and doom others? A more modern translation of this problem (putting the honor portion of it aside) is the trolley problem: Would you save one person you know and kill several that you don't? The second question takes us back a little before the plot of the actual Iliad, but is the essential question that drives Achilles to this level of insanity: Would I choose greatness, fame, and glory, but die young, or settle for stability and a long, quiet life? Achilles was raised as a powerful demigod; from the time he was young, he was told he was destined for greatness. How could he disappoint the gods and not choose glory? Thus is Achilles's hamartia: hubris, or pride, the most common fatal flaw in Greek mythology and literature—besides Zeus's lust, of course. 

To put Achilles's actions into perspective, I'll boil down the situation: In fighting for what he believes is the right thing to do, whether it be objectively wrong or not, he agrees to let Patroklos dress up in his armor and pretend to be him so that Patroklos can lead the Achaeans and put an end to the senseless slaughter of his army. Achilles wants to win the war, truly, but his pride and stubbornness get in the way of his moral capacity to do so. (Read: incredibly morally ambiguous. This guy's moral compass is a Roulette wheel.) In agreeing to what he sees as a solution, having a highly skilled warrior pose as him in a way that would not arouse suspicion, the Greeks will match the Trojans once more. Of course, this leads to the death of Patroklos, and Achilles loses the person dearest to him and, as a result, his own life. The art of the fatal flaw is that it is something that could happen to anyone, a simple error in judgment. Achilles believed he was fixing his errors by taking the easy way out, and it made things much worse for him instead. 

When Achilles's good fortune reverses, when Patroklos is killed despite being such a skilled warrior and surviving nine years of the Trojan War (a surprising but necessary outcome as a consequence of Achilles's pride, as Aristotle puts it), Achilles realizes that his pride was the reason his beloved Patroklos died. Thus, he proclaims vengeance on Hektor, the one who had killed Patroklos, despite the fact that it was prophesied that once Hektor died, Achilles would too. In his distress, Achilles defaces Hektor's corpse in the most demeaning and psychotic way possible, exhibiting his development after his reversal of fortune and great tragedy, thus warning the audience to keep their flaws in check and to do the right thing rather than the easy thing, lest they lose the one they love the most and all sense of themselves. 

Of course, Homer may have intended the Iliad to be an entertaining recount of events, though very embellished for the sake of entertainment, and not a tragedy at all. If you google "the iliad tragic hero", the top choice is always Hektor. But there are two sides to every story, and in my opinion, both sides can have their tragic hero; that is, of course, if both sides aren't fighting for something objectively and morally wrong.