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 | Alise Hernandez |
Sometimes, to be heard, you have to Roar.
Posted on June 11, 2009
As an English major it’s not a surprise that my favorite pastime is reading. Unfortunately during the school year while I often read 500 pages a week, none of it is for “fun.” And that is why I love summer. More than the pools and the warm weather, I love being able to choose the books I read. My first book of the summer was recommended to me by a friend, and I loved it. Filled with humor and a very poignant message, The Mouse that Roared is a cold war satire written by Leonard Wibberley, originally published in 1955. At the time the world was preoccupied with big nations and big weapons. In this novel, a small European country called The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, which measures merely 3 miles wide and 5 miles long, invades America for money and principle. For centuries The Duchy’s main export of wine has allowed them to be self-sustaining and retain their independence. Unfortunately, due to the rise in population they find themselves in desperate need of money. To retain their independence and honor, they go to war. Through a series of coincidences the most unthinkable thing happens-they win. The Duchy of Grand Fenwick defeats the United States and captures the most powerful weapon on Earth, a bomb even more powerful than the atomic bomb. Instead of using it to terrorize other nations, The Duchy of Grand Fenwick creates a league of little nations who join together to enforce the destruction of all nuclear weapons. The mouse roared, and the lions listened.
The Mouse That Roared reminds us that our first duty is not to our country but to our humanity, to the human race. It doesn’t matter which country has the biggest weapon but how that weapon will affect those impacted by it, no matter which country they belong to. The Duchy of Grand Fenwick went from being responsible for only their small country, to being responsible for the fate of the world. They had to be a leader for more than just themselves. There is power that comes with leadership and the ultimate question is "what will you do with it?" Will you use your power to gain control for yourself, or to help humanity. Once the Duchy of Grand Fenwick had aquired the bomb, the question became no longer limited to how to retain their independence. It became "how do we help other oppressed countries?" and expanded to "how to we make the world safe for everyone?"
Even a mouse has responsibilities. To his own principles, and to his race.
My ipod Plays "Soulful Strut"
Posted on May 6, 2009
Hello blog readers! My name is Alise Hernandez and I am the newest addition to the ICAN blog. I want to tell you a little bit about me, I am 22 years old and in less than two weeks I will be graduating from Creighton University with a degree in English Literature. My favorite book is The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers and the biggest diva I have ever met is my cat, Lily.
You may wonder what a naïve graduate would know about work and leadership but I have been employed part-time in the Benefits department at Woodmen for most of my college career and have now spent a semester as an ICAN intern. Both of these experiences led to my senior thesis entitled “Leadership and Language: Making Work Fulfilling for Women.” Maybe not so naïve, hunh?
There are many stereotypes surrounding recent college graduates and I am hoping by getting to know me, I can help dispel some of these myths. Many generations that have shared a time period and momentous events get classed together under a certain name. For example, there was The Lost Generation, The Greatest Generation, The Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and now my generation: the ipod generation. It seems crazy that one simple device can be used to classify an entire age-group, but the logic is there. The ipod epitomizes the technology present in our society today. An intense amount of information is compacted onto a machine the size of a postage stamp, and used for entertainment. My generation grew up with video games, computers, cable TV. For many my age, typing is faster than writing in cursive. We expect to be able to access information at any time or place, and to receive any format of information faster- mainly thanks to the internet, and take for granted that we can use technology to get things done. We view objects, tasks, even virtues differently than generations before. Our generation has these characteristics that bind us together, and yet we are individuals and should be seen as such.
People speak of my generation as “special” “individualized” problems that need to be addressed. And it’s true some of us don’t know our way in a work atmosphere, partially because we’re young. We just got started. We need people who will help us along the way and guide us into how to become leaders. As much as we need guidance however, we also need respect. Our generation not only has grown up with the technology that can enhance a work place, we are the ones who will discover how to harness this technology and use it to transform ourselves into leaders. We may be young, with our personal skills underdeveloped thanks to the distancing effects of email but mainly, we just see the world from a different perspective. The real issue is not how to mold my generation, but how to communicate with them to enhance everyone.
