Friday, January 9, 2004

The Real Edgar Allan Poe
By Gina Verburg

Why is it that when we think of Edgar Allan Poe we can almost feel a shiver run down our spines? It may be because we have read some of his works, such as the disturbing “Fall of the House of Usher” or the downright creepy poem “The Raven.” Perhaps we have read about him in reviews or seen a special on him on TV. However, many of the biographies or articles written about him are downright lies that evolved from gossip, which began the day Poe died. Edgar Allan Poe, though far from being a Christian, was actually a decent man who endured many difficulties in his life.

Even from childhood Poe’s life was hard. He was not even three when his mother died, and he was adopted. His new mother loved him and sought for his education, while his new father simply paid for that education and didn’t love him at all. It was no wonder when, after the death of his new mother, Poe rebelled against the cold man who had become his father. He ran off and joined the military where, though he earned a high rank, he wasn’t happy. He eventually went to live with his Aunt Maria and young cousin, Virginia. The latter had not even reached her 14th birthday when she married her cousin “Eddy.”

Money was tight for the small family. Although Poe tried to support his family, he couldn’t do so very well by his writings. When Virginia became violently ill with pneumonia, Poe couldn’t even afford to buy her medicine. Virginia died and left Edgar penniless and alone in the world with few friends. Although he began to write furiously, he made little money; for instance, “The Raven,” though an overnight success, only gained Poe $14.

One night Poe’s body was found in a ditch and it was assumed he drank too much and then fell into the ditch and died over night.

Rumors quickly spread that Poe had been a drunkard and had been on drugs for at least some of his life. All who knew Poe very well adamantly denied those rumors, but they stuck. To this day people think of Poe as a strange and dark man, when, really, he simply led a life of misery and loneliness.

Human Anatomy in Action!
By Bonnie Boer

I always thought taking human anatomy and physiology (HAP) was a good idea. It would provide valuable information about different body functions and help to prepare me for a career in the medical field in the future. But, I never thought the things I’ve learned so far would apply directly to my life in the present.

On December 18, 2003, I had reconstructive knee surgery. Before I took HAP, I only had a little knowledge of what was going on inside of my knee. Of course the doctor explained my ailment - a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament and a shattered meniscus. I just had a hard time fathoming what the words were, where these body parts were located, and what their use was.

Then, after almost a semester of HAP class, the words no longer seemed foreign. I could find the general location of these body parts in the blink of an eye, and the functions of these features were as easy to recite as the ABC’s.

What we discovered in the depths of our human anatomy and physiology books explained the necessity for my surgery. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) stabilizes the knee. Once I tore it, I had a hard time doing physical activities because my knee wouldn’t support my weight. The meniscus, cartilage separating my femur (upper leg bone) and tibia (one of the lower leg bones) acts as a cushion between these two bones. Because my meniscus was shattered, my bones rubbed together and caused pain. Ligaments and cartilage are avascular, meaning they do not have blood vessels running through them. Because of the lack of blood and oxygen, these important supporting structures could not repair themselves. Therefore, reconstructive surgery was necessary to get my knee to function properly.

My surgery lasted three hours and all turned out well, but the entire process to get my knee back to normal isn’t complete. All of the muscles in the operated leg have atrophied, meaning that the muscle fibers have lost diameter and become weak and small. I can’t do a lot of the things I used to, because my leg has lost so much strength. I need therapy three times a week to build up the muscles.

When all of this is finished, my knee should be back to normal. Now I understand more about the muscles, stabilizing ligaments and cartilage than I ever wanted to, thanks to HAP and my injury.

Preparing for Graduation
By Katie Van Baren

Preparing is a very big part of graduation. There is a lot of planning and organization that is required for the graduation process. In senior class meetings with Mr. Vermeer, we have been voting on various passages that could be used as class texts, and we have finally decided on Psalm 40:11: “Withhold not thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.” We also are picking out our caps and gowns. Deciding if the gowns would look better in blue or white or both, we must choose what color the boys will wear, and what color the girls will wear. The senior class has also chosen our speaker, which will be Prof. Hanko, and we are very excited for him to come here and speak to us on this important day.

We are just starting to prepare for graduation in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense we have been preparing for a long time throughout the 13 years from kindergarten to today. Preparing to enter the world without the guidance of our teachers, we are hoping that our instruction will continually be with us in our life’s journey ahead. We seek to be ready and prepared for the Lord to come at any time.