VolUME XIX, NUMbER 5
E
ECREE
COMMFNTARV
Tu ^ ^11 X -j /
A Moment in
Time
By Carla Fitzwater
There has been some debate recently
about the planned 9/11 memorial.
A memorial would be a wonderful
reminder of the American Spirit and it
should include the actual firefighters
who raised the flag or, perhaps some
nameless, ageless faces that do not
point to any race. That might be hard
to accomplish and I don’t think this
should be turned into an argument
about race.
There are more than three races in
America. Who should we leave out?
No one, of course, but if the powers
that be put an African-American man,
a Hispanic-American man and an
Anglo-American man on the memorial,
what happens to the Native-American
man and the Asian-American man?
That, naturally, brings me to the
Arab-American man. Would people
find it socially unacceptable, because
persons of the Arabic race were the
attackers? Are these Americans, for
some reason, unworthy of a memorial
celebrating the American spirit? That
does not even begin to cover the
women who might be offended, simply
by exclusion.
Is some anonymous sculptor going
to slim down the slightly overweight
fireman standing in front of the flag?
Why? Is this the message that we
want to send to our enemies? Are our
American heroes, just as they are,
not good enough to memorialize?
Of course, they are good enough!
in conclusion, the best thing to do is
just keep it as accurate as possible,
because we do not order our heroes
from predetermined molds. The men
and women who answered the call to
duty are who they are and the three
men who raised the flag in defiance
on that sad day became the faces
of the many faceless heroes for that
moment in time, and a moment in time
is unchangeable.
Bellemonte
House
By Shanisha Barnes
That right turn into a massive,
brick-surrounded perimeter revealed
a prominent structure that no one
could ignore. A large black-roofed,
white country-style house takes up all
plain view. Three tall and wide stories
stacked to capacity on its foundation.
The sun gets blocked out of the morning
activities in front of the house and no
sunlight peeks into the backyard once
the five o’clock bell rings. The house
has a wide, white porch to sit on and
drink lemonade during hot summer
days and a rocking chair stationed a few
feet away from the front door to listen to
the crickets at night. There are two tall,
red brick chimneys at the left side of the
house, one for the wood burning stove
and the other for the fireplace that heats
the house during winter months.
its foundation is surrounded by
nothing but winter green shrubs that
were freshly cut with not a leaf out of
sync. Appearing alone and isolated, the
house sits in the front of acres of land.
The house is oblivious to civilization,
being miles away from the nearest
community grocery store. Its backyard
is three times as big as the house, with
precisely cut grass like a golf range.
Scattered trees that surround the
landscape are its shade when the sun
likes to dance and lean over to show
the residents when the wind gusts are
taking a chance.
Its outer bounds are protected by an
orange brick wail that is trimmed with
white. It encloses the house and its
property to show the distinction between
the highway and the safe haven that the
house belongs to, while at the same
time allowing the outside passerby to
see the massive structure that stands
out from behind the wall like a sore
thumb. Coming closer to the entrance,
huge white letters that read "North
Carolina Wesleyan College" are placed
on both sides of the opening, presenting
an intimate portrait of security that pulls
in prospective students.
The smell of cut, damp grass hits
sensory organs and lingers. It sits still
in the air and waits for one to come
hither to the objects that provide it.
People wander aimlessly through the
shrubs and the trees and bend over to
get one good whiff of the fresh, damp
green. The scent sends hints that it
has been smelled before, like a fresh
green air freshener that hangs off a
rear view mirror.
The atmosphere around the house
has that sweet taste of old country
honey, just knowing its Carolina
location. The full bloom honey suckle
bushes taste so delicious, keep the
green shrubs company and give them
variety in color. They are all yellow
with a few white petals and the bees
surrounding them trying to take honey
and have it for themselves.
The blue birds chirp up in the trees
and on the house’s porch. Bees buzz
around the honey suckle bushes.
Cars whip past from the nearby
highway that is adjacent to the brick
wall surrounding the house and its
land.
A few visitors can feel the wind
blow fabric close to skin, because of
the cool breeze that isn’t quite cold
enough for a coat, but certainly windy
enough for a jacket. Even the trees
feel the gust of air that blows their
branches and leaves from left to right.
Yet the wind is refreshing to the skin
and adds mystery to the house that
stands still while all around moves to
the grooves of Mother Nature.
Towards the left side around
the house there is an inner chill or
anxiety that the image in view is
not something brand new. A small
white shed, located directly behind
the left side of the house, could be
over looked, but a conscious pull
draws the few visitors to witness
something never seen before. The
image plays out right in front of them
like a scene out of a movie or in this
case their memory. Standing in front
of this shack adds suspense to the
house and questions arise about the
existence of its being where it is. Why
is the shed not visible from the front
view of the house? Could it be that
the house has something to hide?
What is the purpose for the shed?
How could any of these questions be
answered if there is no one around to
answer them?
The answers to these questions
are already known, for they are
something so definite in the visitor’s
minds. This small white shed was a
home for some ten to twenty people
who worked the massive land day
and night. These inhabitants were the
up keepers, or commonly known as
slaves, whose sweat, tears and blood
were now the soil of the land. It is the
soil that nurtures the shrubs with their
honey suckle plants that add variety
in color and trees around the house.
The soil that stands strong for the
prominent house and the orange brick
wall that is trimmed with white. Anyone
could understand why the small white
shack isn’t visible to the front view. It
is now evident that the house wanted
to hide the fact that in 1825, when the
house was built, slaves were bought to
tend to the acres of land that the house
belonged to. Something so important
should be posted in front of the house
for the passerby to see and know the
truth about the house that sits so proud
behind the wall and all its spirits.
Tourism
Authority
Grants NCWC
$50,000
Source ; Public Relations
The Nash County Tourism Authority
has awarded North Carolina Wesleyan
College a $50,000 grant to assist
with the initial costs of implementing
football as an NCAA Division III sport.
Wesleyan plans to field a team in the
fall of 2004.
“The college is grateful for this
generous gift from the Tourism
Authority,” said Wesleyan President
Ian Newbould. “This is an investment
that will ultimately benefit both the
college and the community in a
number of ways. A five-game home
season for football will have a positive
impact on the local economy. In
addition, it will strengthen our campus
spirit and encourage students, alumni,
and the community to become more
involved in the life of the college.”
Work began last summer to establish
a field for football practice at the
end of the campus near Fenner and
Bishop roads. Construction of a field
house for football and other outdoor
sports is now underway, and the
college has named Jack Ginn, an
experienced coach and recruiter, as
head football coach.
■
The
Writing
Lab
rt-
m
The Writing Lab is here for YOU!
Come in and make an appointment
Pearsall 186
iVion. &Wed. 10:10-6:30
Tu. & Th. 9:40 - 6:00
Fri. 10:10-3:30
Don’t forget online help is available at
http://annex.ncwc.edu/writing_lab/
NortIh CaroUna WesIeyan CoILeqe Rocky Mount, NortH Caro Una 27804