The Compass
Thursday, March 21, 2002
3
C EditoriaO
TOO SIGNIFICANT TO BE USELESS
( Poetry Corner J
Inger Parker
Editor
Parkerjnger® hotmail.com
The power and worth of a
woman is invaluable and priceless.
Women are the most beautiful, out
standing, and complex creatures that
God has ever created. We are tall,
short, thick, thin, light, dark, rich, ’
poor, mothers, daughters, wives,
career women, and so much more.
We are admired for our physical
beauty and complexity as well as our
inner strength and abilities.
For centuries we have carried
the burden of our families and our
own lives with grace. Women are the
backbone of most establishments,
including the family and the church.
Women have the God-blessed ability
to carry several lives inside of her
body at a single time and nurture
each life sufficiently.
Even though our status has
changed over the years from being
restricted and confined to the home
to being independent career women,
we are still emotional supporters,
nurturers, and caregivers by nature.
Those characteristics do not make us
weak, but admirable and able to
endure. Most of all, God wonderfully
created women to complete their
male counterparts.
The first book of the Bible, Gen
esis, clearly explains a woman’s
importance to man. Genesis 2:20-24,
says, “...but for Adam was not found
a help meet for him. And the Lord
God caused a deep sleep to fall upon
Adam, and he slept; and he took one
of his ribs, and closed up the flesh
instead thereof. And the rib, which the
Lord God had taken from man, made
he a woman and bought her unto the
man. And Adam said, this is now
bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh...they shall be one.”This pas
sage implies that Adam was lonely
and in desperate need of a helper
and companion. Adam was not com
plete until Eve, the woman who was
formed from his rib, was brought to
him by God. It was only then that he
was fulfilled.
A woman has so much grace,
intelligence, and purpose that for her
to be sexually abused and harassed
by a man, who she makes whole, is
absurd. Many male chauvinists be
lieve that the Genesis 2:20-24 pas
sage in the Bible justifies the belief
that women are only here for one
purpose: a man’s pleasure. They
justify their sexually perverted behav
iors by this passage. They feel that
this gives them the right to mistreat
women by sexually harassing and
abusing them. When men see an
attractive woman, they make explicit
remarks to her, make sexual ad
vancements, or even become physi
cal with her against her will. I am not
justifying prostitution, loose dressing,
or immorality. However, I believe that
no matter how a woman carries
herself, if she does not want a man’s
affection, she should not be ha
rassed, because that is not why God
placed her on earth. Though women
are treasured creatures, I am not
sure how many really acknowledge
this. Women must remember the next
time they feel that they are inferior to
men or a mere object of desire for
men, there has to be a better pur
pose for us to be here, or God would
not have allowed us to stay.
“WHO CAN FIND A
VIRTUOUS WOMAN?
FOR HER PRICE IS FAR
ABOVE RUBIES.”
-PROVERBS 31:10
The Compass
The Compass is pubUshed by Elizabeth City State University under the
direction of the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication,
Dr. Velma Blackmon, chairpetson.
Editor Inger Parker
Assistant Editor Antonio Barrow
Sports Editor Jonas Pope
Arts & Entertainment Editor Clayton Mercer
Fashion Editor Adia Keeler
Poetry Editor James Hill
Advertising Manager Yvonne Riberio-Yemofio
Photographer Rich Harvey
Layout Designers Inger Parker and AntonioB arrow
News Writers Robin Reese, McKeith Cordell,
Chi’Mur Knight, Enoch Bond, Jessica Barrier, Detra Stith, Kymber Lee
Taylor, Kimberly Blackwell, Michael Webb, LaTonya Raynor, Shannon
Autry, Cylea Seabrook, Rukiya Williams, Nykki Houston, Krystle Lee,
Mario Jackson, Shannon Penn, Elizabeth Martins, Heather Malone,
Lavonda Whitt
Advisors Dr. Emmanuel Ngwainmbi and Mr. Kip Branch
Financial Advisor Mr. Stephen March
Mr. and Mrs. Compass Enoch Bond and Robin Reese
Please send your letters to the editor and poetry to ECSU Box 815,
Ehzabeth City, NC 27909. All letters must include writer’s signature,
address, and telephone number.
Elizabeth City State University is accredited by the Commission on
Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award
baccalaureate degrees.
Question?
Confusion and love are two of
the same
No matter which way 1 go it
all seems like a game
Seems like the more 1 try the
more 1 will cry
Cause 1 have not a friend in
this world
Some say love is not the an>
swer
it never was before
Being so unhappy
This is always my fault
Willing to change, remold,
reshape my being to well
Being humble in life realizing
that nothing comes easy
Crying only makes it worse
Family, where are they now?
Not one to talk to
No one to listen
The only thing to do is to keep
this within
Pray to grow old and to find a
companion
Someone to love through some
one to love
Who will give me the power to
love
To put up with all they have
and have not.
Patricia Parks
February 7, 2002
So, You Wanted to Be
a Star?
You’ve
Gone overboard
Overachiever...
Think
The
Next time
Before
You
Shoot for
The
Sky—
Look
At what
You’ve
Gone
And
Done
Flung
^ Yourself
Into
Orbit
Useless
Revolution
You
Spin
Spin
And
Whine...
Stuck
In the
Rut...
So
You
Might as
Well
Enjoy
The
View!
'Jessica Barrier
July 7, 2001