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(10/23/18 4:04am)
By Camille Furst
News Assistant
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Women in Learning Leadership program sponsored a seminar titled “The Gangster: From Ancient Archetype To American Obsession,” on Oct. 8 in the Library Auditorium.
With the help of Fred Gardaphé, a professor of English and Italian-American studies at Queens College, the event taught students how and why the gangster figure has become so prevalent in the U.S., why gangsters are stereotypically portrayed as Italian-American and how it reflects manhood in American culture.
Gardaphé, who has conducted research for more than 30 years and written multiple books on how the gangster became a pivotal and influential American icon, grew up in Melrose Park, a predominantly Italian-American suburb of Chicago.
He began his speech by discussing his personal connection to the topic of gangsters. Recalling his life in Chicago, Gardaphé felt personally affected by the violence of gangsters.
“Living in a neighborhood of Chicago, violence was not only common, but expected,” Gardaphé said. “If it were not for reading, I would’ve become a gangster. This I know for a fact.”
In high school, he began researching about the Italian mafia, specifically the Valachi Papers, a book chronicling the lives of real mafia members.
Gardaphé recalled one moment at a work party for the restaurant where he was employed when his boss asked him what he was reading and he replied, “The Valachi Papers.” As it turned out, Gardaphé’s co-workers were members of his neighborhood’s mafia and he was staring at the same people he was reading about.
“Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at me,” Gardaphé said. “I immediately realized that there were men in that room who had their names in that book.”
Once Gardaphé realized how connected he was to the mafia, he further pursued his interest in researching the historic figure of the gangster.
After his years of research, Gardaphé came to the conclusion that the figure of the gangster is ingrained in the history of American culture.
“The gangster represents the last stand for patriarchy in America, and a chance for Americans to live in an unknown past as we head into an unknown future,” Gardaphé said.
He further argued that the gangster figure was always molded to fit whatever pleased the American public the most. Films such as the Godfather portrayed the gangster as a heroic protagonist –– gangsters in the U.S. then imitated this representation.
“The real gangster started imitating the characters in the Godfather films,” Gardaphé said. “After a generation, you could hardly tell the difference between the real and the artificial gangster.”
The transformation of fact into fiction and vice versa led Gardaphé into a discussion about why the Gangster has always played such a pivotal role American culture.
He said that the gangster figure has been previously portrayed as a hero who overcomes poverty, discrimination and other societal bias. With popular Italian-American gangsters such as Al Capone rising out of poverty, Gardaphé claimed they “captured popular imagination” throughout the U.S. The legacy of these valiant gangsters were cemented in films and television shows during the 1990s and 2000s with movies such as Goodfellas and shows like the Sopranos.
“The figure that first appeared in newspaper reels and newspapers of the 1920s has grown to heroic proportions,” Gardaphé said. “Americans –– especially Italian-Americans –– must understand why contemporary America needs the gangster, and why it needs to be an Italian-American.”
Gardaphé explained how Americans have singled and labeled foreigners as the antagonists. He explained that during the 1980s, Former President Ronald Reagan would call the Soviet Union the “evil empire.”
Gardaphé also explained how the figure of the gangster continually reflected cultural perceptions of manhood. The gangster figure, as portrayed through the media as a hero rising from poverty, transformed the ideal masculinity of male honor to violence and aggressive behavior.
“After all, for centuries, a man’s honor was measured in terms of his ability to deal with violence,” Gardaphé said.
Gardaphé stated that this misrepresentation of manhood has played a role in his personal life as well.
“Many of us young Italian-American boys became so infatuated with the attention given to Italian-American criminals that we found our ways of gaining that notoriety and power,” he said. “I want men to think differently of themselves.”
(10/09/18 11:01pm)
By Camille Furst
News Assistant
A poet ahead of his time, Thomas Traherne was a pioneer in 17th century British lyric poetry. He dared to write about what others would not, to give a voice to what others would only whisper about and change the way people interpreted poetry. As cataclystic as his work may seem, Traherne left only a light footprint in the pathway of progressive poetry.
The faculty of the English department hosted a poetry reading on Oct. 2, from 12:30 – 1:50 p.m. in the Physics Building Room 101 to discuss Traherne (1637-1674). Little is known about the poet, other than what can be salvaged from the written works he left behind, but his poetry was greatly influenced by topics like sexuality and gender fluidity, which were often considered taboo during his lifetime.
Jean Graham, associate chair of the English department, held the lecture after recently publishing her essay, “High Delights That Satisfy All Appetites: Thomas Traherne And Gender.” The paper discusses the recurring theme of homosexuality and gender fluidity not only in Traherne’s poem “Love,” a poem she cited during the lecture, but in other works of his as well.
She was inspired to write her article and hold the poetry reading after analyzing some of Traherne’s work. “Love,” particularly intrigued her — while she saw themes of homosexuality and gender fluidity in his piece, she was surprised to learn that her interpretation was not one that was shared by many others.
“When I started researching it I found that ... very few people — fewer than five — had written about the poem as a homosexual love poem.”
Graham asked audience members if they have heard the name Thomas Traherne before. Out of the audience of approximately 40 people, only the three other faculty members raised their hands.
“There are not currently a lot of records kept about Traherne,” Graham said. “(He) is not your most commonly read poet. I’m actually not expecting many of you to have read a poem by him.”
Despite an almost nonexistent reputation, Traherne wrote about rare subjects of conversation at the time, including gender fluidity.
“Women cannot attend university or become clergy, men cannot care for small children, and, legally, married women are non-persons,” Graham said of the time period in which Traherne lived. “Most people would say that (these poems are) unusual.”
Graham then explained that despite various forms of oppression against women in the pre-modern era, gender fluidity still existed to a certain extent. She presented a treatise from 1860 that prohibited cross-dressing in any form. However, since women were not allowed to act in plays, men cross-dressed and played female roles.
“I am His image and His friend, His son, bride, glory, temple, end,” Traherne’s poem “Love” reads.
By having the speaker characterize himself as both a son and a bride toward God, Traherne began a conversation on gender fluidity.
Poetry at the time was described as metaphysical, where metaphors, imagery and harsh expression were favored writing techniques. Traherne used those techniques to talk about issues that were forbidden at the time.
Poets like Traherne “want people to pay attention, they don’t want to be forgotten,” Graham said. “For Traherne to be forgotten is unusual for a metaphysical poet.”
(10/02/18 3:37pm)
By Camille Furst
Staff Writer
The Muslim Student Association hosted a discussion titled “Islam in the Media” on Sept. 26 in the Social Sciences Building.
The discussion was part of MSA’s general meeting for students to learn more about Islam and the discrimination Muslims face on a daily basis.
Hammad Mohammad, a senior sociology major and a member of MSA, led a discussion on the often negative media attention Muslims face. He said that the American media distorts the portrayal of Muslims, and often fails to mention tenants of the Muslim faith that reflect the true goals of the religion.
The third of the five pillars of Islam is charity, which includes supporting and caring for others.
“They don’t highlight the fact that we give out charity and we share with people less fortunate than us,” Mohammad said.
He then presented different instances in which Islam has been misrepresented in the media and popular culture, and showed the audience photographs of the Kardashians wearing hijabs.
“Appropriating the culture does not have a reflection of the culture itself,” Mohammad said. “It has a reflection on the person appropriating it. Appreciate the culture rather than appropriate it.”
Mohammad has been personally affected by harmful stereotypes that surround his religion and culture. The morning that Osama bin Laden was killed, his classmates said that they were “sorry for (his) loss.”
“At such as young age, the media affects us so much,” Mohammad said.
Mohammad has also been pulled aside for questioning by American security at an international airport in Dubai.
“Even this far out from the United states, I’m still experiencing aggression,” Mohammad said. “(This is) not just Muslims but groups worldwide — they’re constantly under a microscope.”
Nayomi Torres, a senior history major, shared her knowledge and reaction toward the discrimination of Muslims across the globe.
“Two girls in France were banned from schools because of wearing a hijab,” Torres said.
Torres criticized how the hijab became degraded as a category of a regular piece of apparel rather than a religious veil.
“I was so infuriated that they lessened (the hijab) to something so non-meaningful,” Torres said. “They don’t understand it to its own extent and they don’t care to try.”
Michael Rojas, a senior mechanical engineering major and MSA member echoed Torres’ sentiment.
“It just goes to show how institutionalized racism is, when this micro-aggression shows itself,” Rojas said.
Don Trahan Jr., the director of the College’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, attended the event and contributed to the conversation.
Trahan said that there is a difference between trying to understand someone’s point of view and asking questions only to further confirm preconceived notions.
According to Trahan, such ignorance exists because people are too afraid to step out of their intellectual comfort zones.
“We live in our own reality, blinded by that which encompasses our worldview and afraid of anything that challenges our position,” Trahan said.
Despite the sensitive nature of the discussion, students in attendance were able to come together as a supportive community and fight back against the hardships Muslims face as a result of unjust media portrayal.