Friday 16 October 2009

The Union Newspaper...

is looking like a heaving challenge already. The meeting I arranged early this morning despite a late night of mindless chatter amongst the housemates whilst attempting to work upon the first of many Paradise Lost assignments lead to much debate over the complexities of the situation the institution finds itself in. With heavy debts to the Government over supposed failure to notify them of numbers passing coupled with the sackings of 250 staff members and as Plashing Vole continues to describe the utter chaos: ‘The latest on the redundancy front is that the Uni has threatened to advance the compulsory redundancy phase if we keep saying nasty things about the Vice-Chancellor (such as calling on her to resign)...’ they still sustain hideous arrogance and the stance went further at the meeting. Our observational writers cannot comment on the situation, the debt or the failures of management as liable to prosecution on grounds of ‘slander’ and inevitably kicked out. With that unbridled threat looming I now have to produce much of the paper itself in a commerical brainless sense with only the marketing assistance.

So where is the right to voice an opinion? Especially on such important matters which has seen many classes populated up to 60, shortened time spent in lecture, unavailability to talk with tutors due to their lack of time and many commitments mean I cannot wait around with the half a dozen students after lectures.
Thankfully, I have completed my first feature for WWIT with the various coursework looking near conquerable so eagerly awaiting papers to sign for the new job whilst reading alot more.

My favourite book of all in Paradise Lost, Book IV. It's a wonderful contradiction regarding Satan who abhorred the phallocentric order concentrated on God however within Book IV, shows a softer and more appreciative side which more or less address a tragedy that according to Milton’s nephew Edward Phillips, he was writing with Adam Unparadised in mind rather that an epic hence the connection with Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound and Eurpides’ Phoenissae. The passage itself showed the vulgarity and disdain of Satan’s character but also his vulnerability, ‘O had His pow’rful destiny ordained me some inferior angel!’ (58-59) reflects this, questioning if God had made him a lower ranking angel then would he had rebelled especially so outrageously? But Satan isn't to be trusted, of course... much like the Vice Chancellor!

Another vile human being: The Daily Mail's Jan Moir as this blog perfectly describes http://enemiesofreason.blogspot.com/

Hope you all have an excellent weekend, take care.

2 comments:

Sue's Blog said...

It is terrible if the right of students to comment on University issues is being stifled. We students are all very upset about the threatened redundancies. We value all our lecturers, and there is no substitute for their knowledge and wisdom.
Would you be allowed to print comments from a range of students about our feelings on this matter – or is that forbidden too?
It is a pity that the national press is unaware of the problems you are having.

Benjamin. said...

That would be forbidden too, I'm afraid. Terrible isn't it but that's the world we live in. One of hyper-sensitivity and fear, sometimes I wish I lived in another era!