Thursday, April 28, 2005
Stumbling upon a Crime Scene
My roommate is taking English 101 this semester also, and I liked the idea of one of her assignments, so I decided that I would write one for myself. The title of the assignment was “stumbling upon a murder scene.” Here goes!
On the Origins of “Autopsy”
The etymology of the word autopsy is fascinating. It comes from the Greek “auto” meaning self and “opsy” meaning eye. In making an inference, one can assume that the word means “to see oneself.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the autopsy first meant “seeing with one’s own eyes, eye-witnessing; personal observation or insprection.” The first uses of the word autopsy were with regards to self-reflection and observation. In 1651, Robert Wittie wrote, “or by autopsie, when by our observation, wee get a certaine knowledge of things.” Thomas De Quincey says in “Miracles” that “the defect of autopsy may be compensated by sufficient testimony of a multitude.” In both of these examples, the word autopsy is being referred to as a means of self-examination and critique.
Welcome Spring, My Old Friend
Like a thief in the night, spring comes to Michigan bringing with it warm rain and well-received sunlight. The trees are turning their typical green, a green so pleasing to see after months of grey and white. The sun shows through the clouds and lights up the afternoon like a large lamp that grandpa turns on to read the newspaper. Welcome to Michigan, Spring.
Descriptive Writing: Evan
In the back and forth battle between winter and summer, winter looks to be the victor today. After the warm, muddy spring thaw of yesterday, the snow has a lot of ground to reclaim. In a matter of minutes, the light but constant snow transforms the land from an ungly brown to a pure white. Everything is lightly powdered and frigidly cold.