2
THE GRANTONIAN
October 28, 1966
^Jurnoul marL
concern
Teachers contemplate values o/
Chaucer middle English master
. And gladly wolde he lerne, qnd
gladly teche.”
So wrote Geoffrey Chaucer, a four
teenth century writer of English prose,
about a contemporary teacher. &o twen
tieth century teachers “gladly teche”
Chaucer’s works?
Should Chaucer be taught now?
Do students understand him? Do
teachers prefer the original Middle
English version or do they like to
teach a modern translation? Ten
English teachers tried to answer
these and other questions last week.
“The great thing
about Chaucer is that
he deals with people.
What’s more interest
ing than people?”
queried Edward Bas-
araba. He considered
student reactions “gen
erally favorable,” and
added “. . . there are
unfavorable ones, but
these people would react unfavorably tc
anything.”
Students should understand Chau-
Seventy-five people out of a possi
bility of over three thousand stu
dents, teachers and parents, is a dis
graceful showing. When our social
studies department goes to the trou
ble of securing state-wide political
candidates to speak to us oh the is
sues of their campaign, it doesn’t
seem a fair, return to have a mere 75
people appear to hear the candidate.
When politicians’ time is at such a
premium it would seem almost a
waste of his energy to appear before
such a small gathering of mostly non
voters. Where were the students who
are studying American government
and political science to whom these
speakers would be beneficial?
Twenty-one years of age may seem
a long ways off, but as each year slips
by more quickly than the previous
one, the realization will come hard
and fast. The time to prepare for the
responsible privilege of voting is here
and now.
The main reason against the pro
posed lowering of the voting age to
18 is “not enough teenagers know
anything about politics and about
what is going on in the world.” This
recent display of apathy will certain
ly not help to change this opinion.
Being a responsible citizen is all a
part of growing-up, maturing. Part
of this responsibility is listening to
the candidates, and reasoning out the
issues.
cer
. .if I’m teaching it,” stated
Allen Transue simply. He prefers
a modern translation, and finds -stu
dent reaction generally “«. . not too
favorable,” although “some students
are extremely enthusiastic.”
One teaches Chaucer
because “He has a
beautiful, benign, tol
erant, open attitude
toward life,” accord
ing to Mrs. Marjorie
Hubbard. One must
“absolutely” use a
Middle English ver-
James Conover
Sion, she asserted.
Believing “It’s the first major
work in our language’s history,”
James Conover is in favor of teach
ing Chaucer’s works. “. . . most of
them (the students) liked it,” he
continued. A combination of origi-
al and a modern translation should
be taught, he. feels.
“No, I think it has a low interest rate
for the students,” stated Thomas Piennet,
answering whether he thought Chaucer
should be taught here. “.. ..one of the old
Information on causes, effects
checks imminent drug addiction
by Cynthia Barrett
What causes non-medical drug addiction? “Ignorance of the dangers involved,”
answers the founder of Narcotics Anonymous. All teenagers should realize the
causes and effects of addiction.
Pleasing sensations and relief of fear and worries are the chief reasons
that people take drugs, according to William R. Martin, Director of the Na
tional Institute of Mental Health, Addiction Research center.
Since obtaining drugs for non-medical purposes is illegal, the source of supply
for most addicts is a hoodlum “pusher.” Usually this person introduces the addict
to drugs and supplies him until he is hooked. This is how he recruits customers.
Two general types of addiction-prone people exist, according to Mr. Mar
tin. They are those who take the drug to feel “high” and those who take it to
free themselves from worries or inadequacies.
Before the drug-consuming person realizes it, he can be addicted. From two
to thirty doses of any given drug can cause it. The addict then depends either
physically or psychologically on the drug.
There áre two major types of drugs, narcotic and habitual. An addict develops
physical dependence on narcotics, which include opium and the derived drugs
morphine and heroin. Barbiturates and cocaine are habitual drugs, causing
psychological dependence.
When an addict tries to break the habit, he suffers from withdrawal illness.
Nauseau, chills, muscle pains and vomiting are symptoms of the disease. Rarely
does death result, according to Mr. Martin. However barbiturate addicts may die
from*withdrawal illness.
“Mainlining” heróin causes the strongest case of addiction. Injecting the drug
into the vein is the extreme of drug practices. Voluntary breaking of any of the
drug habits is virtually impossible, however.
First step in addiction treatment is to separate the addict from drugs. After
acute withdrawal sickness is over, however, some remnant of the psychological
dependence remains.
'Carefree idiot’ tosses comments
Phyllis Diller reveals image in interview
by Barbara Earnest
Honest and hilarious is one of the best ways to describe
Miss Phyllis Diller, star of ABC’s “The Pruitts of South
ampton.” Representatives of nine of the Portland high
schools came to this conclusion after speaking with her over
the telephone at KATU-TV studios.
When asked whether any subject was off limits, she
emphatically replied, “absolutely nothing!” From then
on, the students asked anything and everything in be
tween outbursts of laughter. The following are a few of
the rapidly fired comments.
Do you wear a wig? “Of course not!” What’s your image?
“A carefree idiot.” Did you redesign your hair after the
Beatles? “No! I was the first person to make hair important.
I may change it some, just to be interesting.”
Do you enjoy watching “The Pruitts of Southamp
ton?” “I love it!” What is your annual income? “About
a million this year, two million next year, and four the
next.”
What would you like to do most? “Help mankind. Right
now I’m bringing cheer, but I would like to make a contri
bution to world peace. I want to go to Viet Nam with Bob
Hope this year.”
Will you enter into California politics? “Never! The
field’s too small for me.” How are your ratings? “Fantastic!
They’ll only be going up.”
Are you successful? “A successful person is a happy one
and I’m extremely happy.” Do you do your own stunt rid
ing? “No. I have two stand-ins, a girl and a man. In one of
the Bob Hope movies I’m doing I run across the tops of cars
speeding along a freeway. Do you think I’d do that?”
skeletons we’ll never dust off,” is how he
described Chaucer. “I think literature
should be enjoyed,” he asserted.
Charles Randolph,
head of the English
department, considers
Chaucer perfectly un
derstandable “... pro
viding the teacher un
derstands it.” he pre
fers to teach the “Pr6-
logue” section of
Chaucer’s masterwork
Thomas Piennet
Canterbury Tales in
the original Middle English and the Tales
themselves in a “. . . good modern trans
lation.”
Taking a different
stand was Mrs. Con
stance Person. “Abso
lutely!” Chaucer
should be taught, she
declared, maintaining
“There is no one able
to understand human
nature better.”
Chartes Randolph
His reason being
“It’s the best example
of Middle English lit
erature,” Ernst Cow
an favors teaching
Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales. “The kids like
him,” he stated.
Chaucer should be
taught, and in the
Ernest cowan
Middle English, ac
cording to Mrs. Ruth Alcorn. Student re
action is, in her words, “. . . definitely fa
vorable.”
Expressing the same view was Miss
Sarah Smithson, with these reservations.
“Lazy students don’t like it. Most of the
others will... if it is presented in an in
teresting manner,” said Miss Smithson.
oetry
Have you ever gone to a graveyard
At twelve on halloween night
Have you ever felt the cold wet touch
Of a hand that radiates fright
Have you ever been afraid to turn
For fear of what is there
Then you are not alone my friend
I know what gives a scare
It starts with a sense of eeriness
And a touch of souls long dead
It heightens with a casket squeak
And the noise in your head
For on that night the dead arise
To follow unearthly ends
And a graveyard’s not the place for you
If you were I my friend.
by Mark Black
♦ * ♦
I had to get home that Halloween night
For they were out spooking and catch me
they might.
So back to the peace of my grave I sped,
Now another whole year to nurture my
dread.
by Nancy Rouse
^Jlte (jjrcuito nian
REPRESENTATIVES from nine Portland high schools met at
KATU-TV studios to interview Miss Phyllis Diller, star of the
television show “The Pruitts of Southampton.” The interview
was handled over a conference telephone.
What do you think of today’s teenager? “I think they’re
the greatest. I have no use for the beatniks. I really feel
sorry for them.”
Concerning hairdbs, Miss Diller says, “It’s really simple.
Anyone could do< it. Just comb your hair with an electric
toothbrush.” What does she use on her “tweed” hair? A dog
grooming brush. What else?
Published weekly by the advanced jour
nalism class of Ulysses S. Grant high
school, room 203, 2245 N.E. 36th Avenue,
Portland, Oregon 97212. Phone 288-5975.
Printed by Modern Typesetting company
with a circulation of 3000. Second-class
postage paid at Portland, Oregon. Sub
scription cost $2.00 per year.
Vol. 69, No. 8 — October 28, 1966
Editor............................. Barbara Earnest
1st Page Editor .. ..............Gayle Fleming
2nd Page Editor.................. Elaine Wolfe
3rd Page Editor........... .. Cecile O’Rourke
4th Page Editor................ Mike Hoffman
Reporters........................... Cindy Barrett
Bonnie Brown, Mike Cochrane, Casey
Coughlin, Cynthia Eyans, Cynthia
Froom, Mary Jane Hulett, Marilyn
Leonard, Lorna Viken
Business Mgr.......... i
.’. .Marilyn Best
Circulation .........-..j. X .Loma Viken
Photographer............. Ôake fUgcoé
Adviser...................... ».,••• .Willard MOrfii