DigitalCommons@C.O.D.

Gordon, John J.

The Prairie Light Review
Volume 40 | Number 1 Article 25
Fall 12-1-2017
Guidance
John J. Gordon
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
Gordon, John J. (2017) "Guidance," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 40 : No. 1 , Article 25.
Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol40/iss1/25
17Prairie Light Review  Fall 2017
Guidance
John J. Gordon
Some parental dictates 
linger through life 
offer a behavioral blueprint
like benevolent instructions
imprinted on my youth
 
     treat others with respect
     consider different opinions
     be tolerant
 
Compassionate parents
past and present  
have tendered 
similar tenets
to their children     
 
                     History 
                     bears witness
                     to a ceaseless stream 
                     of tyrants   
                     fanatics who
  
                              claim they possess truth
                              condemn dissenters
                              smear opponents
                              promote fear
 
                     I wonder
                     what advice
                     their parents
                     gave them
Hangin’ on the Street Corner,
Photography by Bryan VanZanten
PLR F2017 FINAL.indd   17 11/1/2017   4:51:17 PM
1
Gordon: Guidance
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017


English

Guidance

Ziemer, Raymond

The Prairie Light Review
Volume 40 | Number 1 Article 32
Fall 12-1-2017
Mills Park on Marion Street
Raymond Ziemer
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
Ziemer, Raymond (2017) "Mills Park on Marion Street," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 40 : No. 1 , Article 32.
Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol40/iss1/32
30Prairie Light Review  Fall 2017
Mills Park on Marion Street
Raymond Ziemer
Little Tommy took fright 
When a sudden breeze gusted 
And mustered a battalion 
Of hickory leaves, 
Rattling them over the grass in our path. 
Wide-eyed he witnessed the grim transformation 
Of his peaceful park landscape 
To a suddenly hostile, malevolent world 
Where docile leaf litter could rise up with menace 
And assail him in chattering terror. 
“Don’t be afraid,” 
I called out, demonstrating 
How to stamp down the dry leaves, 
Halting the flutter of their steady advance. 
So one at a time 
Tommy stomped them to bits, 
Crunched the leaves into flakes that just winnowed away. 
Now Tommy’s a man 
And he’s bigger than me 
And he’s not very fearful of much, 
But he wears the same aspect of childish delight 
When he tromps down his troubles and smiles. 
Me - I panic a little to hear the leaves skitter, 
See them rise up in my way, 
And I can’t stop the onrushing windstorm of days. 
Though I tramp ever desperate amid the wild flurry 
The leaves just keep tumbling by.
PLR F2017 FINAL.indd   30 11/1/2017   4:51:17 PM
1
Ziemer: Mills Park on Marion Street
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017


Mills Park on Marion Street

Cavanaugh, Colleen

ESSAI
Volume 15 Article 14
Spring 2017
Spirit: Stallion of the Symphony
Colleen Cavanaugh
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
ESSAI by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
Cavanaugh, Colleen (2017) "Spirit: Stallion of the Symphony," ESSAI: Vol. 15 , Article 14.
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol15/iss1/14
30 
Spirit: Stallion of the Symphony 
 
by Colleen Cavanaugh 
 
(English 1102) 
 
 
 
usic has the ability to universally unite people and cultures.  The emotions that are linked 
in music have the ability to cross all boundaries.  Composer Hans Zimmer crossed the 
boundary between humans and animals by creating a score that evoked the emotion of a 
horse and made it something a human audience could relate to. The instrumental music of the 2002 
animated film directed by Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron not only 
makes up for lack of dialogue, but also reflects larger themes of freedom, love, brotherhood, and 
inner strength in repeated musical motifs throughout the story. 
 “They say the history of the west was written from the saddle of a horse, but it’s never been 
told from the heart of one.  Not ‘til now,” the narrator declares at the opening credits (“Spirit: 
Stallion of the Cimarron”).  The movie is a voyage and return story centered on a wild stallion born 
and raised in the unsettled western plains of what would eventually become known as the Midwest of 
the United States.  While investigating a campsite belonging to a group of cavalry soldiers, Spirit is 
captured trying to protect his herd.  He is brought back to their training camp where he is put through 
a series of disciplinary actions aimed at “breaking” the horse (“Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”).  
While at the headquarters, a young Lakota named Little Creek is captured as well and is also put 
through punishment.  Neither of them breaks but instead they break out of the camp using teamwork 
to rescue themselves and all of the other horses at the camp.  Just as Spirit thinks he is free to run 
home, Little Creek ropes and steers him back to his village.  Although still captured, Spirit 
experiences different treatment in the Lakota village, one of respect and brotherhood.  He also meets 
a female horse named Rain there and falls in love, experiencing the feeling of romance for the first 
time. 
 If home is where the heart is, Spirit feels very conflicted about where his home is because 
“for the first time in [his] life, [he] felt [his] heart torn two ways” (“Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”).  
Just as Spirit is allowed to leave, the cavalry comes and raids the Lakota village.  Because of the love 
Spirit has come to gain for the village, he feels obligated to protect them so he charges into the camp 
to save Rain and Little Creek.  He is washed down a waterfall with Rain after saving her but is then 
captured again by the Cavalry.  He is put on the railroad project to pull trains but then escapes by 
causing a scene that flips a train.  Little Creek comes and saves Spirit from the fire the accident 
causes and they escape to safety with the aid of one another.  The Cavalry then comes after them, but 
again they evade them for the last time.  Little Creek then finally lets Spirit free and he takes Rain 
with him back home. 
 In order to convey genuine emotions, the directors decided not to incorporate dialogue 
directly into the horse’s character for a more realistic approach.  Thus, the thoughts and emotions of 
Spirit are told only through the score and supported by minimal narration.  This unique story-telling 
method challenged composer Hans Zimmer to make music not just to fill the sound but also to 
express the emotion and even the dialogue of the characters.  “For the first time on an animated film, 
I am a voice,” says Zimmer as he describes the challenging yet fulfilling task of taking on this 
unprecedented project (Zimmer).  In this sense, the music has to be like a translator, expressing the 
inner workings of a horse’s mind in a way that would be received and understood by a human 
audience. 
M
1
Cavanaugh: Spirit: Stallion of the Symphony
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017
31 
 Zimmer uses repeated melodies to capitalize on Spirit’s emotions each scene of the plot.  For 
example, whenever anything posed a threat to Spirit, Zimmer would employ the use of a dogfight 
melody.  In other words, a distressed call-and-response between the brass and woodwinds creates 
tension as if the brass and woodwinds were fighting each other, reflecting how Spirit is fighting with 
his threat.  This is used in multiple scenes when Spirit encounters danger, like in the beginning of the 
story when he fights off a cougar to protect his herd (8:42-9:00) or multiple times after when he has 
to maneuver around his captors in order to evade the multiple attacks from the cavalry (16:21-17:17, 
1:06:21-1:09:24). 
 The musical motifs intertwined in the plot of Spirit reflect deeper connections to emotions by 
representing specific themes.  The tone in which a specific motif is played represents the emotion 
behind the correlating theme in a specific situation.  The most prevalent theme in the movie is 
freedom, represented by the melody in the motif found in the main title track, “Homeland.”  This 
song consists primarily of strong brass and a steady bass line of string instruments that creates a 
powerful, forward moving melody that amplifies the feeling of freedom because it is played only in 
scenes when Spirit feels at home.  For example, “Homeland” is the opening song, which plays in the 
background when Spirit is running with his herd in the western plains.  This motif emphasizes that 
freedom is synonymous with home to Spirit because he is most free when he is at home with ones he 
loves.  The song also has a constant bass line that plays long and strong chords that emulate an 
everlasting power, signifying that the horse’s spirit is undying in the pursuit of freedom. 
Another motif played throughout the movie is titled “Nothing I Have Ever Known” and 
represents the love between Spirit and Rain.  The melody played in this song consists of four 
repeated notes, emphasizing the simple relationship of love between animals.  The motif is played 
several times over the development of their love story, but it varies in instrumentation and tone each 
time it is played to differentiate the emotions within the romantic theme.  For example, it is played 
first when the horses are roped together when they first meet and they are both being stubborn about 
which way to travel.  The melody in this scene is played with violins in a tango-like fashion to 
display a back-and-forth dance between the playing-hard-to-get horses, creating an undertone of 
romantic tension.  Later, however, the melody is played with a heavy brass ensemble, when Spirit is 
trying to save Rain from drowning in the river (48:50-50:08).  The powerful brass emphasizes the 
intensity of their love and Spirit’s willingness to sacrifice himself to save her.  This version of 
“Nothing I Have Ever Known” displays how the love story has grown from the horses feeling 
infatuation to recognizing each other as family, one of Spirit’s strongest values. 
Furthermore, the theme of brotherhood is portrayed by the motif in the melody, “Brothers 
Under the Sun.”  The motif is played whenever Spirit and Little Creek are working together to fight 
for their freedom.  The majority of times this melody plays, the main instruments used are the Native 
American flute and the keyboard.  They harmonize together to form a beautiful melody that would be 
incomplete without the other.  In the same way the flute and keyboard play together, Spirit and Little 
Creek need each other on multiple occasions to escape the cavalry.  For example, this melody plays 
when Little Creek takes off Spirit’s reigns after they escape from the training camp (35:56-36:04) 
and again when they escape the train accident (1:03:53-1:04:19).  The camaraderie of the Spirit and 
Little Creek is reflected in the music as the Native American flute represented Little Creek and the 
keyboard represents Spirit.  Through this relationship, Spirit’s love stretches not just beyond his herd 
but beyond his species and “Brothers Under the Sun” emphasizes that respect. 
Hans Zimmer’s original score for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron plays a vital role in the 
story, representing the thoughts and emotions of the horse and indicating important themes through 
repeating motifs.  The music makes up for lack of dialogue that has been left out in order to convey 
more realistic emotions.  It also reflects themes deeper than the surface of the plot by repeating  
 
2
ESSAI, Vol. 15 [2017], Art. 14
https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol15/iss1/14
32 
motifs throughout the movie and changing the tone and instrumentation to correlate different 
emotions with those themes.  In this way, Hans Zimmer translates the thoughts and emotions of a 
horse in order to make a connection with human emotion and experience. 
 
 
  
 
Works Cited 
 
“Hans Zimmer- Making of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron Soundtrack.” Dailymotion. N.p., 15 June 
2015. Web. 27 Aug. 2016. <http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2u08yq>. 
Nicolas, John. Music from the Original Motion Picture Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. New York: 
Cherry Lane Music, 2002. Hal Leonard Corporation. Web. 
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Dir. Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook. DreamWorks, 2002. Kiss 
Cartoon. 2014. Web. 3 Sept. 2016. <http://kisscartoon.me/Cartoon/Spirit-Stallion-of-the-
Cimarron/Movie?id=14540>. 
 
 
 
 
3
Cavanaugh: Spirit: Stallion of the Symphony
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017


Spirit: Stallion of the Symphony

Gonzalez, Ashley

ESSAI
Volume 15 Article 19
Spring 2017
What is the Value of Creative Works of Art to a
Society
Ashley Gonzalez
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
ESSAI by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez, Ashley (2017) "What is the Value of Creative Works of Art to a Society," ESSAI: Vol. 15 , Article 19.
Available at: https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol15/iss1/19
46 
What is the Value of Creative Works of Art to a Society? 
 
by Ashley Gonzalez 
 
(Philosophy 1100) 
 
 
 
an Gogh. Monet. Beethoven. Shakespeare.  Art has left an imprint throughout the history of 
society. Just as art inhabits many forms, so does the essence of creativity inhabit any number 
of us. Some may resonate more with theatre, film, literature, visual arts, or lyrical voices and 
a steady beat, while others still appreciate art as a canvas on a museum wall. Yet the most defining 
attribute of art is its ability to unite people across the spectrum of humanity. Above anything, art is 
significant to society in that it serves to fulfill our sense of beauty and wonder about the world, and 
provides an outlet for creative expression and documentation of history. 
 Too often art might be hastily generalized as something experienced only with the senses. 
After all, the first ideas that may come to be associated as art are drawings and visual works. In order 
to understand why creative arts are important to society, one must understand in depth what art is. 
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, art can be described in a group of 
overlapping terms such as: 
 
(1) possessing positive aesthetic properties; (2) being expressive of emotion; (3) 
being intellectually challenging; (4) being formally complex and coherent; (5) having 
the capacity to convey complex meanings; (6) exhibiting an individual point of view; 
(7) being original; (8) being an artifact or performance which is the product of a high 
degree of skill; (9) belonging to an established artistic form; (10) being the product of 
an intention to make a work of art. 
 
Still others refuse to define art at all because they believe that any description would set up a barrier 
of what art can and cannot be. For the purpose of clarity, art will be defined in the terms recited 
above, in forms that include, but is not limited to: visual arts; performing arts such as drama and 
dance; music, literature, architecture, sculpting, film, photography, fashion, and graphic design. 
 One of the primary reasons that creative arts are valued in society is for the sake of beauty. 
Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy involved with the nature of art and the judgments of beauty. 
Just as debate lingers over the exact definition of art, the same can be applied to the definition of 
beauty. Some might believe the pursuit of it to be a materialistic, selfish concept – however, the 
opposite is true. In Beauty: A Very Short Introduction by Roger Scruton, the concept of beauty is 
traced back to Plato. He believed that beauty was an ultimate value, “something that we pursue for its 
own sake, and for the pursuit of which no further reason need be given” (2). Beauty, Plato affirmed, 
was held on par with truth and goodness, “ultimate values which justify our rational inclinations” (2). 
In simpler terms, beauty isn’t appreciated as a means to an end – it is an end within itself. One should 
not seek out beauty because it makes them feel good, but because it is beautiful, and that’s that! 
Expanding on this concept is St. Aquinas, a philosopher who held that beauty was a transcendental 
value: a feature of reality “possessed by all things, since they are aspects of being.” (3). If Aquinas is 
correct everything has a beauty value to it, regardless of whether our tastes in beauty may differ. 
Plato believed similarly in this idea of beauty as a permanent, universal attribute of all things. In his 
Symposium, he even went as far as to describe the pursuit of beauty as a ladder, in which our 
materialistic appreciation of looks inhabited the lowest, primitive rung, and through study and 
enlightenment humans could aspire to reach the highest rung. Here beauty became an abstract idea 
V
1
Gonzalez: What is the Value of Creative Works of Art to a Society
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017
47 
and a form of virtue, unimpeded by flimsy judgments. It is at this highest rung that beauty is 
described as “an everlasting loveliness which neither comes nor goes, which neither flowers nor 
fades”. It is this indescribable form of beauty that has likely led many to try to apply it into a form of 
art. 
 The relationship between creative arts and beauty thus becomes one of mutual balance. Just 
as artists may be driven to interpret this eternal form of beauty and contribute to it with their own 
style, society also benefits with the appreciation of the beauty that results. Ideally, this appreciation is 
one of “disinterested interest,” a term coined by the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. We 
observe beauty not because it does something for us, but because it is by its own means beautiful. 
 Of course, as humans, we are affected by our tastes which have been shaped throughout our 
life. As such, we may decide we appreciate a play because it is a comedy, or listen to a song because 
it evokes a nostalgic sense of sadness. Scruton expands on this inner indulgence by describing a more 
meaning-driven appreciation of art. Works of art have a dominant function as objects of aesthetic 
interest. He states that they may fulfill this function in “a rewarding way, offering food for thought 
and spiritual uplift, winning for themselves a loyal public that returns to them to be consoled or 
inspired” (84). At this level, art becomes something that we can consume to nourish our spirits. 
Furthermore, as people assign meaning to art, the art in turn becomes “moving and tragic, 
melancholy or joyous, balanced, melodious, elegant, and exciting” (106) and carries the viewer 
through a wide range of emotions and thoughts. In some cases, this can mean foregoing the 
fittingness of aesthetics and making the work’s effect its focus. Scruton writes, “although beauty and 
meaning are connected in art, some of the most meaningful works of recent times have been 
downright ugly and even offensive in their raw-nerve impact.” Picasso’s Guernico, is an example of 
such impact. Scruton argues that in calling it beautiful, we may be diminishing the root of the art’s 
message. However, to do so would be to reduce beauty only to the subjective physical plane of the 
artwork and ignore the meaningful abstract beauty of its meaning. Indeed, ultimately, this is where 
the magic of art lies, in its ability to serve not only an aesthetic beauty that we find satisfying, but to 
offer a meaningful truth to the observer, both to be each appreciated inherently for what they are. At 
its core, we admire the arts as a means within itself, because it is pleasing, and it is inherently 
beautiful. 
 Perhaps the most significant reason for art being valuable is that it allows freedom of creative 
expression. The real world, as varied and full of possibilities as it may be, also contains structures 
which many consider limiting. We cannot make our fancies a reality, all the time! Society structures 
us. Physics restricts us. The way things are already set up holds us back. For instance, no matter how 
much your favorite color might be maroon, or brown, the sky cannot instantaneously become that 
color. Nor can one rein in clouds from the sky to become one’s bed, or breed fantasy creatures, or 
even fly. Within the world of creativity, there are no rules and anything is possible. 
 Art is also used as dedication for something that holds great meaning to a person. Countless 
famous artworks exist celebrating Christianity, and beautifully designed churches hold worship 
services. A common practice has recently sprouted with the growth of digital art where artists draw 
portraits and scenes of favored fictional characters from media and literature. Or, as is often the case, 
the meaning may be more complex or nonexistent to some observers. For example on viewing Van 
Gogh’s painting of The Yellow Chair, one might be inclined to say there is no meaning to it – Van 
Gogh simply painted what he saw, a scene that appealed to him. Scruton suggests, however, that “the 
real meaning of the painting is bound up with, inseparable from, the image – that it resides in the 
very shapes and colors of the chair” (93). To attempt to pick apart meaning from artwork is to 
deconstruct the meaning and the work itself. Meaning is inherently tied to the creative expression, 
seen and understood rather than explained. 
 Outside of the abstract, the concept of creative expression also allows for new, innovative 
ideas to take place. On such case is the architecture behind the famous Cathedral of Florence: the 
2
ESSAI, Vol. 15 [2017], Art. 19
https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol15/iss1/19
48 
Santa Maria Del Fiore, built during the Italian Renaissance. For decades after construction began, the 
roofing to the chapel of the church remained incomplete. After submitting his own architectural 
designs for implementing a domed roof, the architect Filippo Brunelleschi received the commission. 
What was shocking, however, is how he intended to construct the dome without the use of any 
support beams to hold the dome in place. Instead, he came up with a complex method of laying down 
the brickwork for the dome, such that vertically placed bricks would intersect and hold in place the 
horizontally placed bricks to counteract the pull of gravity. According to Ross King, author of 
Brunelleschi’s Dome, his designs faced much opposition and skepticism, since “so astonishing was 
the plan that many of Filippo’s contemporaries considered him a lunatic” (41). Yet, today it remains 
the biggest dome ever built. With the power to bring forth new and revolutionary ideas borne from 
creative minds comes true ingenuity.  Both of these points often undergo heavy opposition by those 
who feel the world needs more structure, and choose to rely on logic and facts and assert, “it is what 
it is” or “it’s the way things are” and dismiss anything art-related as an otherwise fruitless pursuit. 
This is not to say that those who find solace in creativity cannot share these qualities. STEM fields 
and labor typically take high precedence within academic institutions and society itself, with the 
technologic and scientific boom fueling its growth. However, creativity arguably links with 
invention, which has always been a crucial factor in human excellence. Leonardo da Vinci, for 
instance, while widely known for his artistic works like the Mona Lisa, was also involved extensively 
in scientific observation and sketched detailed human anatomical models and physiological 
diagrams. As an engineer, he also proposed designs for mechanical inventions. 
 Moreover, to denounce the creative arts is to denounce human expression itself. In creating 
art, one is creating something that they can identify with, that they can take pleasure in and fill their 
life with objects of both beauty and passion. It is perhaps the root of human nature to make meaning 
of life, with art being one of the many key forms of doing so. Furthermore, dissuading others from 
pursuing or admiring arts has long been juggled as a subject in dystopian ideas when suggesting the 
erasure of creativity from society and opting for a more systematic way of life, in order to 
contemplate its effects. Such systemization then ties in as a form of oppression of society. For 
instance, during the World War II era, many works of art such as paintings, ceramics, and books 
were seized by the Nazis – either to be put in Hitler’s newly proposed museum, hidden, or destroyed. 
Though the above example may be considered extreme, the reality we face in a world commanded 
solely by function and neglectful of the arts is bleak and stunted. Prosperity cannot exist without 
creativity. When problems arise, we look to creative solutions to solve them, and the arts have always 
encouraged creativity to thrive. 
 In conjunction to art providing methods for creative expression is its function as emotional 
expression. Apart from beauty, creative arts best utilize symbolism in order to illustrate abstract 
concepts, like feelings and moods, and can even elicit a certain thought or reaction from the viewer. 
In Scruton’s Beauty, “True artists control their subject matter, in order that our response to it should 
be their doing, not ours” (90). In this case, artists, or true artists as Scruton dubs it, take care to evoke 
a response in their art that doesn’t stem from our own impulses, but rather exists because the artist 
wants us to acknowledge and realize it. Similarly, Scruton observes specifically of the art form of 
fashion that, “it permits people to play with appearances, to send recognizable messages to the 
society of strangers” (78). Such messages often include cues, such as the color yellow eliciting a 
sense of cheer. After all, art is often intended to be performed or seen, and great lengths are taken to 
ensure that others may see and recognize exactly what the artist envisioned, and feel exactly as they 
felt creating it. 
 Art can also be valued as a source of emotional healing. Artists and art observers look upon 
art as a form of catharsis – that by indulging in art that reflects our emotions, such as listening to sad 
music when depressed, some of the emotional tension is released, providing relief. Picasso made 
heavy use of such methods in his paintings, primarily using blue colors in his art while he was 
3
Gonzalez: What is the Value of Creative Works of Art to a Society
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017
49 
depressed; the resulting collection was called the Blue Period. Different fields such as art therapy and 
music therapy exist from this concept of catharsis as well, providing emotional and physical healing 
with self-expression through these facets. Aside from cathartic means, art also provides a source of 
comfort. One who might feel trapped by routine may draw a self-portrait running through the fields, 
or write a script about a traveler exploring new worlds, or design a house abundant with windows. 
One might also, rather than create these art pieces, choose to partake in them, and observe art that 
makes them feel more open and free. This is in, many cases, the primary value behind all creative art 
– they give us something to admire, and they allow us to feel something meaningful. 
 Lastly, another significance of creative works to a society is in how art illustrates history. Just 
as humans have existed for a tremendous period of time, so has art, and as humanity has evolved 
over the centuries, art grew to reflect the current times and changes taking place. Rather than keeping 
history confined to written literature, where it mainly remains impersonal and factual, imbedding 
history within the spectrum of the arts allows for the depiction of historical events to still carry 
emotion over to later generations. Since the early ages of cave paintings, humans have been 
compelled to record evidence of their existence, to celebrate and illustrate the happenstances of their 
own lives. Even Renaissance art was mostly dominated by events in spiritual history, with countless 
paintings dedicated to Christian faith and the divine. One famous historical painting in particular is 
Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix.  In this work a woman meant to symbolize liberty 
and freedom leads forth a group of people while clutching a musket and the French flag – a painting 
commemorating the French Revolution. We may understand by reading how the Revolution came 
about and how it was experienced by those living through it, but through art pieces like these we are 
able to understand the rallying power of the pursuit of liberty in uniting the French people, with 
Liberty itself taking a patriotic stance as she marches forward. 
 Within such historical contexts, art also manages to document the human experience. That is, 
rather than shedding light on a historical event itself, it sheds a deeper, personal light on a person 
existing within that time period. Thus, rather than observing the aftermath, we view history through 
the lens of a person caught in the whirlwind of events. For instance, such as in the poem I, Too, Sing 
America by Langston Hughes, he lamented on the unequal treatment and racism he faced before the 
Civil Rights Movement, but envisioned a future where he will one day join whites ‘at the table’ and 
be regarded as beautiful and part of America. Hughes had no idea at the time of writing the poem that 
the Civil Rights Movement would come about soon afterwards, which amplifies the impact of his 
poetry since we are getting a personal glimpse into a shaky society only reminisced from history 
books and documentaries. It is creative works like these that manage to bridge the gap between 
history and human experience, that allow us to briefly step into the shoes and mind of someone who 
not only learned history, but lived it. 
 Through creating a sense of beauty and wonder, acting as a means of creative expression, and 
documenting the history of humanity, creative works of art hold a high value within our society. 
Humans are, and always have been, creative – forever finding new ways to mark our existence in the 
form of beauty and identity. Art also allows us to create innovation and change. As long as humanity 
continues to grow, we will always have creativity and artwork there to guide us and grow along with 
us. 
 
 
4
ESSAI, Vol. 15 [2017], Art. 19
https://dc.cod.edu/essai/vol15/iss1/19
50 
  
 
Works Cited 
 
“The Definition of Art.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 24 March 
2017,https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/art-definition/. 
“I, too.” Poetry Foundation, 24 March 2017, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-
poets/poems/detail/47558. 
King, Ross. Brunelleschi’s Dome. Bloomsbury, 2013. 
Scruton, Roger. Beauty: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, 2011. 
 
 
 
 
 
5
Gonzalez: What is the Value of Creative Works of Art to a Society
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017


What is the Value of Creative Works of Art to a Society

Malchow, Emily

The Fight for Black Gold: How Foreign Interference Sparked the Iranian Revolution

Ventura, Alice

The Prairie Light Review
Volume 40 | Number 1 Article 9
Fall 12-1-2017
Maude Fealy Portrait
Alice Ventura
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
Ventura, Alice (2017) "Maude Fealy Portrait," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 40 : No. 1 , Article 9.
Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol40/iss1/9
3Prairie Light Review  Fall 2017
PLR F2017 FINAL.indd   3 11/1/2017   4:51:15 PM
1
Ventura: Maude Fealy Portrait
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017


Maude Fealy Portrait

Weis, Robin

The Prairie Light Review
Volume 40 | Number 1 Article 58
Fall 12-1-2017
Crouch
Robin Weis
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
Weis, Robin (2017) "Crouch," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 40 : No. 1 , Article 58.
Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol40/iss1/58
67Prairie Light Review  Fall 2017
Crouch, Robin Weis. 
Oil paint, glass beads, sand, spray paint. 
PLR F2017 FINAL.indd   67 11/1/2017   4:51:19 PM
1
Weis: Crouch
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017


Crouch

The Prairie Light Review
Volume 40 | Number 1 Article 59
Fall 12-1-2017
Gratitude
Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr
This Back Matter is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion
in The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact orenick@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
(2017) "Gratitude," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 40 : No. 1 , Article 59.
Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol40/iss1/59
68Prairie Light Review  Fall 2017
Gratitude
We are grateful for programming support from Dr. Ann Rondeau, Dr. 
Donna Stewart, Barb Groves, Dean Chuck Boone, Dean Sandra Martins, 
and Cathie Walker. We applaud the constant nudging from faculty, who 
en courage their students to submit work, and we offer gratitude to the 
teach ing staff, who help students revise and perfect their creative submis-
sions. Thanks to Chuck Steele, Shannon Hernandez, Jelymar Mejia, and 
the Office of Student Life for their constant publicity and support. Also, 
thanks to Tim Wayman and Bailey Kovac for their knowledge, patience, 
and printing service at Alpha Graphics in Lisle.
Colophon
Twice a year for publication in the December and May issues, all students, 
faculty, staff, and the College of DuPage District 502 community are 
invited to submit up to four creative works per entrant of original fic-
tion; nonfiction; essays; poetry; graphic essays; black and white and color 
photography; and 2D and 3D artwork of any medium.  A class of student 
editors who are enrolled in English 2210 reads blind entries before making 
final selections through a numerical voting system. The class is guided by 
a faculty advisor, who additionally leads the hiring process for the officer 
positions of Editor-In-Chief, Production Editor, and Marketing Editor. 
Over the course of the semester the Editor-In-Chief leads the team and 
supervises all operations, including assisting Marketing Editors as they 
work to avertise upcoming deadlines and events and oversee PLR corre-
spondence, and assisting the Production Editor as they put together the 
magazine. Final edits are approved by the editorial staff before the fin-
ished product is sent to the p rinters near the end of the semester. 
Cover: 80 Pound matte paperstock
Design: Adobe Photoshop CC 2015.5, Adobe Indesign cs6, Adobe Illustra-
tor cs6. Composed on a custom Windows workstation. 
Finance and operation: This publication is funded through College of DuP-
age’s Student Life.
Publishing: AlphaGraphics Lisle.
Paperstock: 70 Pound matte paperstock. 
Photography: All photography in this magazine is provided by the resi-
dents of district 502.
Typography:  OldStyle 1, Barcode Font, Espresso Dulce,  Lemon/Milk 
Light, Hero Light, Lunabar, Rewind. All fonts are open source and free to 
use, or paid for by Student Life. 
PLR F2017 FINAL.indd   68 11/1/2017   4:51:19 PM
1
et al.: Gratitude
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2017


Gratitude

McNichols, Matt

The Prairie Light Review
Volume 39 | Number 2 Article 44
Spring 5-1-2017
The Warrior Healer
Matt McNichols
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr
This Selection is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact koteles@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
McNichols, Matt (2017) "The Warrior Healer," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 39 : No. 2 , Article 44.
Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol39/iss2/44
The Warrior Healer 
Some are destined to be one thing 
Some are destined to be two 
The latter describes myself 
For I have been a butcher of men 
And a savior to others of my ilk 
My hands have been suited for a dual purpose 
To wield the sword and axe against foe 
And through graces not fully understood 
Send magical healing into the wounds of my tribesman 
I kill out of duty, not desire 
Gifted with the sword, yet I take no pleasure from it 
Warriors are numerous in tribe, healers are rare 
Yet my astuteness in fighting chains me to the battlefield 
While my God-given talent lies precariously dormant 
Until the heinous injuries of my kinsmen are too great to bear 
Perhaps I will miraculously grow old and unfit for confrontation 
Then my true calling will finally be utilized to its fullest 
For I fear not death, only destined potential squandered 
Taking lives versus saving them is my life’s conundrum 
May I solve it before it’s too late
The Journey
Ink and Fumage by Tania Blanco
Matt McNichols
44    Prairie Light Review 1
McNichols: The Warrior Healer
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2016


The Warrior Healer

The Prairie Light Review
Volume 39 | Number 2 Article 48
Spring 5-1-2017
Crow of Hellrot
Alice Ventura
College of DuPage
Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr
This Artwork is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at DigitalCommons@COD. It has been accepted for inclusion in
The Prairie Light Review by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@COD. For more information, please contact koteles@cod.edu.
Recommended Citation
Ventura, Alice (2017) "Crow of Hellrot," The Prairie Light Review: Vol. 39 : No. 2 , Article 48.
Available at: http://dc.cod.edu/plr/vol39/iss2/48
Crow of Hellrot
Alice Ventura
46    Prairie Light Review 1
Ventura: Crow of Hellrot
Published by DigitalCommons@COD, 2016


College of DuPage

Not a member yet