Clarity of thought is necessary for clarity of expression, but it doesn’t create it. No, expression demands intuition, and different types at that. Expository writing – or thinking, for that matter – remains in the realm of fact and science, never to set foot in the hallowed halls of the literary world.

I seek clarification on a number of points:

1. Why is art studied, not simply enjoyed or at worst/best, leisurely contemplated?

2. Why did the NY literature department choose two highly cryptic and obscure texts for the identity paper? (A local free-verse poet and Joyce’s Portrait of an Artist)

3. Why are NY’s history and economics notes written with such poor grammar?

4. Why am I asking these frivolous questions when I should be asking how I may obtain clarity of mind and expression?

5. Why am I still typing when it’s late and my driving test is tomorrow?

Honestly, James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is an interesting and engaging novel(ty). Any literature student in his right mind wouldn’t choose such a dense work for his exam, but it would be nice for a casual read. The novel is rich and full of interesting motifs. Critics have many interesting things to say about it… but I wouldn’t bet my exams on it, nor will my peers. Unfortunately, that choice isn’t ours to make anymore.