February 21, 2000 LETTERS Page 13 TEPHEN by Mark Clements James Joyce’s novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, is by now a well- Known story amongst most literary types. In general, it is an exceptional story written in an extraordinary way, or what | like to believe, a simple por- trait of Stephen Dedalus’s education told in a serious vein; maybe, too serious. A few years ago, | was in one of Professor David Dowling’s English classes, when someone _ abruptly asked, “What’s the big deal with Stephen’s _ story?” Without hesitation, Dowling replied, “Not much. So his hands were slapped and he was pushed around some, but wasn’t knee-capped or E.A.R.S. Update Continued From Page The incorporation of E.A.R.S. as a not-for-profit society has been achieved. We have at present a dedicat- ed board of Directors includ- ing Geoff Rhodenizer, (Teacher at Kelly Road High School), David Schindler (Associate Director of the Northern Undergraduates Student Society), Andrew Inch (Political Science Student, UNBC), David Russell (Anthropology Student, UNBC), Susan Dolinsky (Political Science Student, UNBC), Pat Lavery (Wildlife Biology Student, UNBC), Alex Reed (Registrar at University of Northern British Columbia), and Lisa Bzrezinski (Secretary) (Social Work Program, UNBC) Meetings Meetings have been regular- ly utilized to formulate such things as schemata to distin- guish the tentative structure of the Board. It is important to begin to look into how to establish membership for E.A.R.S. We are going to need assis- tance from NUGSS in our for- mative period. One example of assistance could come in the form of a co-sponsored anything.” At the time, | thought we were the only ones laughing at Joyce’s composition, but recently, in another UNBC English class, | discovered Brian Friel’s play, Philadelphia, here | Come. Friel’s play was written in the early ‘60s, more than 40 years after Joyce’s novel, and in every conceivable way it is the antithesis to Joyce’s dark picture of an Irish Catholic upbringing. In reading the title, for example, one should take note Philadelphia is the city of brotherly love and the word philadelphus appropri- ately signifies the mock orange flower. The best rhetorical response against Joyce’s masterpiece in the novel, however, is found in ~ venue in the form of a concert or a founding sponsor contri- bution. It is important to remind NUGSS that the radio will be an integral part of the student life on campus. We will be drawing from the student pop- ulation to provide programs and more importantly volun- teers. Conclusion Given the circumstances existing in Prince George it is in the interest of the future radio that we recognize the resources that can be found in the Prince George Community at large (being as important to integrate as stu- dents themselves). The rea- son | state this is because of the transitional nature of the student body. Our resources (in human power) on campus are limit- ed; therefor, we must include the community at large in this endeavor. For this reason alone, we have decided to develop a campus/community radio station. Sincerely, David Schindler. Friel’s protagonist, the young man, Gareth O’Donnell. Where the Irish culture even- tually saps Stephen's epipan- ic ability to transform him from precocious child to a dogmatic boor, Gareth’s per- sona, on the other hand, can be simpiy described as a player without character. Gareth is not only estranged from Ireland, like Joyce was for most of his adulthood, but more importantly he is aloof from himself. At the end of the play, like a self-portrait, he confesses, “Il don’t know,” which is both an anti- epiphany and _ ironically enough the first steps in his discovering new insights. It is a good thing that Friel gives Gareth’s last theatrical line a glimmer of hope, because in a historical per- spective Joyce’s novel and Friel’s play together represent the decline of literature and education. Stephen, tragically developing into a half-baked college poet, and Gareth, prematurely leaving the Arts to try to become some sort of rich oversexed business freak in America, are good exam- ples of the literary bog and weakened intellectual integri- ty in the twentieth century; however, Friel’s simplistic for- mat tells it all. Friel’s lay is not only short on words and pages, but it successfully rejects and challenges the complexities of modernism. It deflates intellectual ideas, such as Joyce’s stream of consciousness, and turns them into easy to follow black-and-white themes. Because of the play’s seem- ingly demonic nature, stu- dents in our English class are prohibited to write on it until we delivered on works that were more demanding. The logic here, | guess, is why rush to write on something we know all too well. Unfamiliarity of Joyce’s writ- ing devalues Friel’s play to o-op Student of the Week Position: Assistant Financial Management Analyst Company: Ministry of the Attorney General Location: Victoria Work Term: 1 Employment period: 4 months, summer 1999 As a Co-op student majoring in Accounting Marsha Miller’s first work term was an excit- ing one. She was able to trav- el to the capital city of BC and be in the centre of it all. She had the opportunity to see how the government is put together and how involved it is in our daily lives, some- times without our even know- ing it! For Marsha the experi- ence enabled her to affirm her major and determine that she does not want to work for government. Marsha has been able to narrow her focus, develop time manage- ment skills, and learn how to negotiate her way through office politics. “You have to work hard, go the extra mile to prove yourself. This is not just a co-op placement, you are actually making industry contacts and giving context to what you learn. Co-op erases the paradox of not béing able to work because you don't have experience and not being able to get experience because you haven't worked.” Marsha’s advice to future co- op students is, “Talk to somebody who has done that job before so that you know what to expect.” Marsha’s top three reasons why students should opt for Co-op: 1. Break up your educa-Se school. 2. contacts. ae Co-op the equivalent of a TV. sitcom, and perhaps this is the play’s biggest statement. To fully understand one_ classic, many other writings have to be read beforehand. And in our fast-paced technological age, with all its material entrapments, who has time to stop and contemplate any- one, never mind tow fictional losers named Stephen and Gareth? gives you confidence in your technical and personal abili- ties and it helps you develop as a person. For further information con- tact the co-op office room 1051 in the Admin Building, phone 960-6598 or check out our web site at www.unbc.ca/co-op.