The Vernacularist

Raphael Lemkin

I recently went to a lecture at the New York Public Library.  It was actually more like a conversation between Samatha Power and Kati Marton, two authors of books about genocide. Samantha is the author of A Problem from Hell:  American in the Age of Genocide, which I have been meaning to read since it came out but people keep giving me books to read.  I just haven't had the discipline to read it yet.  I think it's partly because the Darfur crisis weighs on my mind in a very present way.  Reading that book will make the Darfur genocide that much more preventable and tragic. Kati, a former journalist covering the UN, recently published a book  called The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World.   I don't think I'll get to that, but it certainly sounds passionate.

The authors wandered between stories within their books and contemplations about the current state of international diplomacy, the UN and America's diminshed reputation in diplomatic circles.  Samantha argued that America has lost two fundamental characteristics under Pres. Bush: competence and legitimacy. Regardless of what you think about Pres. Clinton's lack of action about Rwanda, Samantha thought we still had a moral authority within international diplomatic circles. I think it's clear that returning to our post-Clinton standing would be a gift.

I never heard of Raphael Lemkin before the event, but we have him to thank for coining the term "genocide." He tried to persuade his family to flee Poland, however he lost 49 relatives in Holocaust.  During the Holocaust, he called this crime "barbarity" and "vandalism." Unfortunately, he found the most eloquent and exacting word in 1943, too late to turn up the spotlight any brighter. Years after WWII, he wondered whether having a better name for the crimes described by the Holocaust would have amplified his families' fears and encouraged them to flee like he did.

I am struck by the power of a single, well constructed, proportionately evocative word. It's a reminder of the complexity and nuance we give to a single word. This blog is inspired by the word "vernacular," my favorite word, for just this reason. Samantha and Kati provided me a reminder on the power of persuation. After all the number crunching I've done the last couple months, I needed some etymological inspiration.

A Poem from the Library

In a haze of coffee, sleep deprivation and essay deadlines, my sister Juliette wrote this poem:

There is so much writing to be done
to be written
so much writing to be written
but
I can't write.
This sucks.
Computers.
Indoor lights at night.
Sucky.
Mucky.
Fucky.
Lucky?

My brain is empty, but full of mud.
Can something be full of nothing?
That's my head.
Like, when people used to say, "you got cotton in your ears, kid?"
I have cotton in my brain.
Vapor.
I want softer sheets
And maybe a bed to put them on.
My neck hurts from sleeping on the couch.

I think the kid sitting next to me just farted.

So much for romance. . .

Ah... the distant, gentle buzz of over-caffeination is washing over me as I read this. I'm with you in spirit, Bule.

A Night with Basil Rathbone

If you aren't part of the 221b Baker Street and The Baker Street Boys, then let me introduce you to one of the one and only Sherlock Holmes. I'm a devoted Sherlock Holmes fan. There have been many players to adopt the cool stare and determined walk of Holmes, but the best was Basil Rathbone.

First, who is named "Basil"? And is there a freakin' cooler last name than "Rathbone"? The guy was a british version of Humphrey Bogart. Another great name...

Tonight, the Turner Classic Movie channel is playing a full day of Basil Rathbone movies including 3 of his 10 Shelock Holmes movies. Nigel Bruce played the ever-disbelieving but always loyal Dr. Watson.

I was first introduced to Sherlock Holmes in the 9th grade. I went to Eaglebrook Boarding School and the graduating year for that school is 9th grade. Therefore, I was a "senior" by their standards. We had electives in English and I chose Sherlock Holmes because I really liked the teacher, Paul Cyr-Mutty.

The entire class was given The Complete Sherlock Holmes. We read about half the stories in a semester. Our final project was to write our own short mystery story. My story was terrible. I pushed the mystery too hard and forgot that you have to build to tension. You can't just make it appear when you want.

These works by Sir Authur Conan Doyle (another great name) created such a vivid, eccentric character that I couldn't help but race through all the stories for the class. Dr. Watson, one of the best sidekicks in literature, spoke for all of the readers. Or, at least, the realist in all of us. No one could be that smart and perceptive and deductive. Doyle wrote a convincing hero that delicately tetered between super hero and believeable.

What made Sherlock remain of flesh and bone was his cocaine addiction. What's funny is that cocaine was not considered a harmful drug when Doyle wrote the stories nor for the setting of the Holmes stories. Read now, this addiction seems like an achiles heel for the mastermind, not to mention a good reason to keep the good doctor around.

I haven't seen many othe Basil Rathbone films, but he is famous for his Robin Hood. I think I might have to catch up on my Basil Rathbone filmography.

Do you have a favorite Sherlock Holmes story or actor who played Mr. Holmes?