Reading the Right Books

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

by Ned Vizzinion The Chronicles of Narnia

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was always my favorite Narnia book, and the wonder of being a kid is that you don’t have to question why things are your favorites. That’s for psychoanalysis later on. If you had come along and asked me why Dawn Treader beat out The Silver Chair, which has some really creepy parts, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (which I always got annoyed by because, in terms of the chronological events of the book, it should have been called The Wardrobe, the Witch and the Lion), I would have said that it was because it had cool monsters and lots of amazing islands and various killer enchantments that were really awesome.

But when you grow up you start to understand why you liked these things, and it can be quite sobering. In some cases the only explanation is that you were retarded (see … read more»

Recent Free Essays (Still Available!)

Available Until
Tue 10/15

The Fringes of Neurotechnology

by Brendan Allisonon Fringe

“I think it’s time for some intracranial penetration.”

—WALTER BISHOP, “THE GHOST NETWORK” (1-3)

“The brain is a computer . . . It’s an organic computer; it can be hijacked like any other.”

—WALTER BISHOP, “OF HUMAN ACTION” (2-7)

Fans of Fringe won’t be surprised to hear that neurotechnology, an increasingly popular research field … read more»

Available Until
Mon 10/14

Spider-Man No More

by Brett Chandler Pattersonon Spiderman

One image I remember most from Spider-Man 2 is a movie poster. Perhaps it made an impression on you, too. For me the poster encapsulates a number of the central themes of the Spi-der-Man mythology. Peter Parker, dressed as Spider-Man, his back turned to us, is standing on top of … read more»

Available Until
Fri 10/11

The Dark Passenger in All of Us

by Edward Burkley, Melissa Burkley, Ph.D.on Dexter

“I just know there’s something dark in me and I hide it. I certainly don’t talk about it, but it’s there always, this Dark Passenger. And when he’s driving, I feel alive, half sick with the thrill of complete wrongness. I don’t fight him, I don’t want to. He’s all … read more»

Available Until
Thu 10/10

It's All in the Family

by Gary W. Lewandowski, Jr., Ph.D., Lisa M. Dinellaon the Twilight Saga

Most people view their family as the most important thing in their life. Common aphorisms such as “know your roots” and “blood is thicker than water” emphasize the foundational nature of family and the continuing role it plays in our lives. Why is family so key in our lives? The … read more»