Victoria

Victoria Knyszek:

A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~twod/latam-s2010/read/las_casasb2032120321-8.pdf

Christopher Columbus and Bartolome de Las Casas

http://www.se.edu/nas/files/2013/03/NAS-2011-Proceedings-Mize.pdf

A Letter to King Ferdinand of Spain 

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/hns/garden/columbus.html

A Conversation with Tadeusz Konwicki by Victoria Knyszek

Alien in My Homeland

             Mr. Tadeusz Konwicki lived through World War II and his memories and experiences stuck with him throughout his life. His writing style was dark, conveying the anxiety and helplessness he felt while living in war-torn Poland. After serving on the front lines against the Nazi forces, he began writing pieces for newspapers and became the editor of a literary magazine. Sharing a Communist perspective, his work was received by a split nation. Some were in favor of a Soviet way of life and others were set on reestablishing Poland’s prior government. His novels and autobiography can be described as “a loose stream of memories” and compared to his own self-told novel Konwicki criticizes most people’s for having “no dread, no real-life experiences.” His recollections of life are conflicted; when visiting his hometown of Wilno he referred to himself as an alien. The area he recalled had changed immensely in terms of its cultural because of its location in close proximity to both Lithuanian and the Russian Federation. In The Review of Contemporary Fiction, Konwicki makes the comparison “If we look at America, I, as an unprofessional observer, see that the American South is closest to this ethos. Why? Because of a mixture, a clash of cultures.”

Tadeusz stood out to me initially because I wanted to discover a Polish writer that had a different style. His story behind his body of work and the way he conveyed it truly displayed his unique voice. Even his novels, he explains his characters and plot as a representation of his own life; “Everything started with me” he said. Konwicki’s own experiences is what he felt he knew best. He also described himself as “an exceptional outsider” but still would “show up in the city; make jokes and so on.” These words connected with me on a much deeper level than I had anticipated. I in the same way feel that I am different than everyone while still constantly surrounding myself with other people. I enjoy making other people happy; however, I personally am not.

Had I been given the opportunity to speak with Mr. Konwicki before his death in 2015, I would have asked him about his relationship with his wife. I imagine it to be based on love and support. He must have adored her as he spoke of women as a “mystery” and mentioned that his generation was “intrigued by women” not at all how men write about them today. I, being a Catholic as he was, would have asked him how his faith shaped him as a person and affected his writings. Assuming his response, he would have said his religion humbled him and gave him hope through his time fighting on the front lines.

Tadeusz most famous works included:

  • Przy budowie (At the Construction Site) – 1950
  • Rojsty (The Marshes) – 1956
  • Ostantni dzien lata (The Last day of Summer) – 1958
  • Sennik wspoczesney (A Dreambook for Our Time) – 1963
  • Zwierzocztekoupior (The Anthrops-Spectre-Beast) – 1969
  • Kompleks polski (The Polish Complex) – 1977
  • Mata apokalipsa (A Minor Apocalypse) – 1979
  • Wschody I zachody ksiezyca (Moonrise, Moonset) – 1981
  • Bohin (Bohin Manor) – 1987

 

 

Title: Wikipedia : Tadeusz Konwicki

Website Set Up: Biography followed by a list 0f writings and films

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Konwicki

The website is headed with a bulleted list of the page’s contents including Life, Literary Works, and References. There is also general information provided in a box separate from the test. It gives date of birth and death, occupation, as well as a dated picture of the writer. After providing a brief synopsis of his life and summarizing famous work, the page lists references used for this source. I loved the “Categories” of related topics included at the bottom allowing readers to explore other subjects after learning about Mr. Konwicki.

Coke-Spiracy by Victoria Knyszek

Coke-Spiracy

Group Comments

      “Kassandra… Hailey… Emily… Victoria,” my RA’s nonchalantly called our names at the conclusion of their spiel. The first of many group floor meetings was gathered for everyone to introduce themselves, mull over a long and much to detailed list of all the things we were not allowed to in our residence hall, and pass out the new “My Cups”. From what I had heard these cups were water bottle sized travel cups and were an initiative taken on by the university to contribute to the pollution solution. Giving every freshman student an opportunity to reduce landfill waste with a handy dandy water bottle personalized with their name was sure to be a success. Most of my fellow first years failed to realize that using these magical, earth-saving cups would positively identify themselves to the entire collegiate population as freshman, which is currently regarded as the worst label one can have. Being more aware of my surroundings and coming to college prepared, I failed to use the My Cup and carried on drinking from my favorite water bottle.

        Even though I did not include the plastic cup in my daily routine, I understood the importance of the issue Ohio State was trying to solve. According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation’s research “On a daily basis… 85 million PET (polyethylene terephthalate) water bottles (thrown away) every day”; this does not include the only 21% of PET water bottles that are recycled (1). Our institution has enforced numerous other endeavors in attempt to help this issue by including the “Zero Waste Initiative” which begins the process of sorting recyclables from waste and also administering “Green Buckeye Certifications” for labs and offices on campus (2). In addition, in order to directly address the number of water bottles thrown away, there have been Elkay water dispensers added above traditional water fountains around campus. There is a running meter displayed on the dispenser tallying the water bottles saved from landfills by counting the number of ounces administered by the machine. I believe this to be a brilliant strategy to reduce plastic waste by placing a visual in front of every student and bringing awareness to the issue.

     While countless freshman began their first semester of college happily sipping away from their My Cups, I took notice to a couple of things. First, upon being blessed with our waste-reducing vessels we had been told we had ten free refills from a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine, a new dispensary holding hundreds of combinations of Coke products including Sprite, Vitamin Water, and Minute Maid (3). I found, however, that this rule was not enforced what so ever; at the dining hall students would finish their drink with their meal and then head over to the Coke Freestyle to fill up on their favorite beverage to go. The university was voluntarily allowing students to drink as much of Coca-Cola’s products as we could. Secondly, I was seeing less and less My Cups filled with water. They were colored bubbly orange, brown, and red. If the purpose was to reduce waste by providing us with a water bottle, shouldn’t they only be used for water? Lastly, taking a step back, the only one seemingly benefiting from in the new endeavor was Coke. Students were consuming, sharing, and seeing it in increasingly more often. I began to imagine the contract the sugary drink company had signed with Ohio State must have been a hefty sum considering how much they seemed to be profiting from the My Cups.

        Then it hit me, first by a deer-in-headlights look of confusion very quickly proceeded with a crinkled face of anger. We had been duped. We had been lied to. This was a Coke-Spiracy.

     This entire operation was masterminded by the executives of a soda company and implemented by their cozy companions here at The Ohio State University. My place of higher learning, my home, my family had set into motion an idea simply to fatten their wallets. This was not to help the environment and this decision was not made with the betterment of our students in mind. They took advantage of the most emotionally vulnerable age group in America, college freshman. When we showed up the day before classes and were given instructions, most of our still high school brains had no choice but to follow them. Coke even used their “Share a Coke” campaign appeal, which “invites fans to find their names — and the names of family members, friends, coworkers and people they’d like to know better — on bottles of Coke…” (4), by inscribing My Cups with the first names of the students. The Coca-Cola Freestyle machines have also associated other Coke products with the name “Coke”. I had never known brands such as Dasani and Powerade were owned by Coca-Cola, but now college students have been going to the big red soda fountain to get these beverages. This just manipulates us to associate these products with their umbrella brand; I now make those connections, but I refuse to connect this company with my school.

     Men’s Fitness Magazine rated The Ohio State University as the fittest college in America (5). I would never question that we have outstanding facilities and programs available to keep us Buckeye’s active, but I know that we are not doing everything possible to ensure that the options provided for our students are clean, healthy, and affordable. Coca-Cola is a company who manufactures liquid sugar and has been known to unethically sponsor scientific research to support claims that diet does not contribute to weight gain and health problems. The New York Times was reporting on such a matter in 2015, “The message is that obesity is not about the foods or beverages you’re consuming, it’s that you’re not balancing those foods with exercise,” Dr. Freedhoff of the University of Ottawa said” (8). This is not a company I want associated with my university and especially not one I want having such a large influence over administrators. I was always suspicious however, especially with the recent Coke-Spiracy, that our university was offering unhealthy options disguised as good ones.

        Upon a little bit of snooping, I happened across The Ohio State University’s STARS report which is “The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System™ (STARS®) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their performance” (6). They rank college on various number scales in categories such as operations, engagement, and academics. In 2016, under Ohio State’s “Food and Beverage Purchasing” category we were stated as currently “Not Pursuing” sustainability and received a 0.00/4.00 ranking. Also per the report, we received a 1.55/5.00 on “Waste Minimization” and 0.91/3.00 for “Waste Diversion” (7). According to these numbers and my personal experiences, I would say our preached values of student health and wellness along with the importance of sustainability have been falsely proclaimed. We are an elite institution, a leader in medicine, engineering, art, business, and many more facets. I believe our administrators well as parents and families need to take closer look at how we manage our food services and waste management. We need to start truly putting our core values as Buckeye’s ahead of big corporate sponsors and their false support of our university.

The Guy I Had Yet to Meet by Victoria Knyszek

The Guy I Had Yet to Meet

            He stepped out of the car while I opened the door. Standing on my front porch now displaying the best smile I had ever worn, I finally got to see him. For months, he had been that guy I knew but had yet to meet. I could tell from his pictures he was strikingly handsome. Now, here he was standing six feet tall in my driveway. The dirty blonde hair he had let grow a couple weeks to ensure for this day it would be the perfect length to flow slightly up in the front. Guys with this haircut gave me the feeling that they had more to their attractive exterior. He had gone with glasses today, but they never took away from his striking blue eyes that made my heart bubble into magma inside of me. The spectacles added a sense of nerdy confidence I found addicting. His two eyes stared at me now through his eyelashes and squinted at the corners from his teeth-showing smile. The butterflies he bloomed in my stomach were multiplying as if he was calling them all at once to break free of their self-made shells.

My gaze drifted down from his chiseled cheekbones to the square shaped jaw which framed his face to his flawlessly cut goat-tee. I paused in the middle to admire his lips; big and full, I only dreamed of a storybook kiss. I could see where he had nibbled on them, as I had a bad habit of the same and began to bite my lower lip subconsciously. He started to chuckle as his gape ran up and down my spine shooting tingles through my blood. His laugh came from his chest, and it was soothing enough that it picked me up to wrap me in his voice. What was he laughing at? His face answered the question as it painted a picture of relief and showing the slightly scary anticipation of what we knew would be many fun adventures.

Somehow as I got to look at him in front of me, finally not ogling at my computer screen, every inch of his configuration seemed to radiate the passion and personality I had grown to love. I half-tripped over my feet into his hug. Wanting to feel the moment forever I closed my eyes, brushing my eyelashes against his dark blue Patagonia sweater. His muscled arms engulfed me, cradled me as if they were going to scoop me up and place me on a blanket of clouds. I could feel his heartbeat through his body in tune with his smile. He felt my grin widen against his chest as he finally pulled me back to look at me. The best way I can relive him in this moment is describing how he made me feel.

The Lost Boy by Victoria Knyszek

The Lost Boy

            When watching “The Lost Thing”, immediately my attention was drawn to the mysterious creature. Most people’s focus during the duration of the movie was on the thing whether it was trying to figure out what it was, where it came from, or how it was going to get back there. However, now reflecting on its journey throughout the film, I cannot help but dedicate my thoughts, not to it, but its only companion.

The little boy was having a seemingly average day on the beach when he happened upon the creature; the two spent the entirety of the day playing games together and their friendship blossomed. I found myself asking, why would a little boy befriend such a strange, lost thing? Did he have nothing else to do? Did he not have other friends to play with? I doubt his parents even questioned his absence. Sadly, I imagine this boy bonded with the lost thing so naturally because the boy himself was alone. The film depicted the world he lived in as extremely humdrum and grey; there was no color or emotion. When shown the beach, I didn’t see any other children playing or laughing. There was no happiness from anyone at a place where I commonly associate with positive experiences and memories. I believe the lost thing triggered the boys normally unstimulated curiosity and provided a short-term distraction from the melancholy life he lived.

The ending to the short film was what left me thinking of the boy. The viewer sees the boy on a train looking out a window and spots yet another mysterious lost thing. Now, however, it does not spark his interest. The narrator states how the boy has seen fewer and fewer lost things; this is not because there are less of them but because his sensitivity to them has gone away. He loses his inquisitiveness and innocence as he grows up and enters the cyclical day of an adult in this society. Most likely he will learn to walk in sync with the others on their way to and from work, bearing the same emotionless expression permanently painted on his face. When the Lost Thing was eventually helped home, I was hopeful the boy would begin to guide other lost creatures to their rightful place, acting as a Davy Jones sort of character who assisted lost souls to the other side. I was disappointed to find out that at the conclusion of the film that the boy was too consumed with acting normal to care about lost things. Looking back on the movie, I believe the director was trying to present his audience with a distraction, the Lost Thing, in hope that they realize how mundane their own lives are. The message was to get the viewers to discover the joy and uniqueness in their own lives.