Page 58 - TheGoldBug1972-73

PAGE 2 Guerri 110 Group attacks capital byiIJoe Stevens As we all-know, Richard Nixon was inaugurated for his second term as President on January 20th, in Washington. Another event which occured on Inauguration Day but which was not covered so well by the media was the Anti-Coronation March. Over one-hundred thousand people took part in this demonstration from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, where notables, among them Senator Hart of Michigan and Representative McCloskey of California, addressed the crowd. Groups from Western Maryland College also took part. One group, composed of Dean Ira Zepp, Vivian Shamer, Dave White, and Joe Stevens, marched with the rank-and-file protesters spon- sored by various peach groups, among them PCPJ and the National Peace Action Coalition. Other individuals from Western Maryland were elsewhere in the march, doing their part. The Guerrilla Theater Group, from Bill Tribby's Theater Practicum course, played a rather unique part in the "March against Death". In this group were Gail Atherhclt, Susie Blackman, Jerry "Why not commit suicide?" Bouchard, Janice Cornell, Don Ehman, Jan Harrington, Dave Iverson, Jeff Karr, Derek Neil, and John Williams. by Cindy O'Neal Like all the other groups in Theater Practicum, "Death is what happens to thee and thee but not dying person, "NO! Don't talk like that. You're not the Guerrilla Group is staging "The Queen's to me." Is that the true meaning of death? This going to die." Croquet Game", Which stands as an independent statement, made by Dr. Ross in the film Until I Die The dying person, according to Dr. Ross wants to unit 'on its own, yet-which is taken from and is in the perhaps best illustrates society's current outlook on talk about his death. This is illustrated in Until I Die context of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The the topic of death. Thirty students in Jan. term's in an interview with a dying man. Talking gives the Guerrilla Group's scene deals with the socio- most popular course, The Meaning of Death taught dying person a chance to "clear house" for the final economic .plight of the poor in America and the by the Rev. Ira G. Zepp Jr., have faced the topic of time. There is a need for one to accept this fact - not system (or game) that they are forced to _play death realistically and openly. to deny death - and help the dying person face under past and present Presidential admini- reality through his five stages of coming to terms strations. Most of the satirical comments in The course itself was a dark horse - an alternate with death. A person upon learning he will soon die, the play are directed at Nixon's administration to Dean Zepp's original Contemporary Images of goes through shock or denial, "why me?", This can be seen in the caricatures of the masks Jesus. It succeeded the original, however, as 335 bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance - not worn by the actors; "Trickv Dick" is represented students signed up for the course, 85requesting it as defeat but resignation. by the Queen of Hearts; "Spiro T. Agnew" by the their first choice. There was room for only 30 Knave; Henry Kissinger takes the form of the students .. According to' Rabbi Brackman who visited the White Rabbit; Billy Graham is played out as the class, "Death brings out the best and the worst in Duchess; and the Declaration of Independence is Meeting in the mornings, the' class covered people." He went on to discuss the impact of death represented by the King of Hearts. themes such as the fear of death, existential death, on the survivor and the need for effective "grief life beyond death, death-art-music, death and love, work" and systematic mourning. Funeral directors The Guerrilla Group performed this allegorical death and literature, funeral-grief- bereavement, and a priest also visited the Class which later satire in Baltimore on January 19th, and on the 20th the nature and care of dying persons. Along with visited a local funeral home to learn how the in the Washington demonstrations, where the scene existential death such concepts were discussed as from Alice in Wonderland was presented four Heidegger: Our life is a being pointed toward death director helps the family make funeral separate times, receiving quite a bit of applause. - the end clinically and symbolically; Camus: The arrangements. Fortunately, the entire protest on Inauguration only philosophical question is 'why not commit The class spent one day role playing. They did Day was peaceful. Considering this and other suicide?'; Sartre: Life is a terminal illness. Life three roles - counselor, field director, and a father factors, such as the diversity of the various groups after death is philosophical suicide. explaining the death of mother to his six-year-old that participated, and the excellent organization of daughter. the march, the program was perhaps the most One certainly can not say that anyone view is successful and meaningful one staged since Dr. right or wrong but it seems plausible to consider The first week of class, the students filled out a Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" rally of the Sartre's thought that by bearing your death and questionnaire-on facing death. Out of 27 completed poor in 1963 in the capital. carrying it you maintain your personhood. Dr .. questionnaires, the majority seemed to illustrate Clyde Shallenberger of Johns Hopkins Hospital who that the students forsee dying of natural causes at spoke to the class agrees with Dr. Ross on a similar an age around 70. Perhaps reasons for this were statement, "I don't feel you can be helpful to a brought out in questioning much later, when War opinions polled dying person until you've come to grips with your students filled out their death certificates. "I don't own death ...dealing with death has something to do with the quality of life." To illustrate this point on a want to put 'accident' down - it makes it (death) too easy, too real. I would have put it down if I had by Mark Phenicie personal basis Dr. Shallenberger had·the class fill made the date of my death farther away." And yet One of the most interesting, thought-provoking, out their own quadruplicate certificates of death. as Dr. Shallenberger said, "the accident is a very and controversial courses made available to WMC viable possibility." Of those questioned most would students during Jan Term is the course concerning As Dr. Shallenberger said, "The salient fact of feel free to talk with a husband or wife or a friend in American Involvement in Vietnam. The question. death is the permanent absence from the loved the secondary group about their death more than asked to those polled was: Has taking this course one." Death is a very real fact. Discussing the they would their mother, father, or clergyman. changed your opinion about the war? The responses cultural denial of death, the class spoke about were varied, and were as follows: euphemisms (essentially the refusal to say bluntly Only one preferred to speak to no one about it. "he died", after life, taboos, postponing wills, Eleven said that death to them is an adventure, 10 Bill Gibbons (Junior): I find the course in- artificial prolongation of life. They talked of nur- said it is an end. Concerning the grief reaction teresting, but nothing new. I didn't learn much - sing homes and hospitals and later learned through following the death of their most loved person, just the same old stories, the same things people Until I Die that more than 1/ 2 of the country's many anticipate a great grief period of crying, have been saying. population dies in the cold atmosphere of a hospital depression, and thinking, followed by eventual Craig Panos (Sophomore): Yes, it has changed acceptance. Generally suicide was not con- my opinion. Before, I hadn't followed the war very making death far more dehumanized than when a templated. As one put it, the feeling would be person was allowed to die in his own home with his closely, and tended to take popular opinion as my own family. Cultural denial through funeral "emotional despair and feeling of emptiness - own. The course has provided facts, and now I form struggle to regain memories and live without." opinions of my own. It pointed out to me how trappings and cosmetics was illustrated by Dr. ridiculous the war is. Shallenberger who told of one funeral home who There are various reasons that students signed up prepares the corpse so that members of the family Brian Wickwire (Freshman): It enlightened me, may come and have tea with it prior to burial. The for the course. Some felt it would be good for their but it really didn't change my views. students considered cemeteries which themselves majors, others were curious, some were searching Editor's Note: At the time of the poll, the an- seem antithetical to death with their grass, trees, for what they personally could gain. As one student view of death said, "I have a more lighthearted nouncement about the cease-fire had not yet been flowers, and birds. Perhaps the biggest cultural than I had when I came in. I've accepted it better as made. denial of death is society's habit of saying to the a part of life and I don't worry about it anymore."