Lauren's Manifesto

We all have opinions, and different ways of expressing them. My father, for instance, prefers to preface his views with the statement "The thing about it is this..." and then continue on his tirade. My mother on the other hand, prefers to express her outlooks through facial expressions. No one can raise one eyebrow better than Mama Morgan.

Me, I lie somewhere in between. Writing has always been my primary mode of self-expression. As a student journalist, I've won awards for my column collections and editorials, but I feel that taking this class with Valerie Boyd has easily been the most beneficial class I have taken at the University of Georgia.

For the past four months, I've had the privilege of studying under a critically-acclaimed author, a woman who has made a pretty decent living at articulating her opinion of art. She has taught me how to construct reviews of the arts that are not only entertaining but also enlightening. She's also taught me to appreciate the role of the critic in mass media.

Now, looking back at my travels in Critical Writing, I believe the role the critic plays in our society is something similar to a godparent. God, or some other power, has entrusted this entity to guide her reader through the arts, hoping to educate this soul in pursuit of some higher form of existence through food, performance, music or books.

I can only hope to be a good god parent one day.

- Lauren Morgan