DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

 

Ankober Yewondwossen

 

Ankober's essay entitled James Baldwin and Negative Capability can be accessed here.

 

Ankober also suggests that Freshman read "Letters to a Young Poet" by Rainer Maria Rilke, and to consider this quote by him included in the small book which has brought her great comfort in times of dreadful confusion:

 
"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."

 

Ankober Yewondwossen, a native of Seattle, Washington, has similar advice for freshmen working on their essays: “I believe this essay should set the tone for the entire college experience; the sooner one learns to do so, the more delightful the research and construction of this essay will be. The crux of any scholarly endeavor is always creativity and innovation, discovering ways in which your work reinforces whatever you are impassioned about.” She summarizes, “Do the research, love what you find, and see how the sources speak to each other--- it is great fun!” Ankober had, independent of the class, been reading the work of novelist James Baldwin and knew she wanted to incorporate his work into her study of poetry in Prof. Karen Steinmetz’ class.  Her inspiration for combining Baldwin’s work and John Keats’ concept of negative capability came after reading an article describing the Greek god Janus, for whom the month of January is named.  Janus, who has two heads which connect at the back, is essentially an embodiment of paradox, says Ankober, and she had remembered the discussion of negative capability in her class that helped her to better understand the contradictions evident in James Baldwin’s work.  In receiving this award, Ankober reflected, “I still remember the Opening Commencement and Convocation from last year and hearing the freshman awardees from last year being honored during that reception. I distinctly recall an internal longing for that award. I felt it was a wonderful testament to hard work and something which could be possibly attainable.” She continued, “I am forever indebted to the Professors for ushering me into this world of light brimming with observation and analysis. The reflections I have derived from this institution will continue to make all the difference in my process of becoming.”  Prof. Karen Steinmetz describes with pride her student: “Ankober does not settle for ’good enough’ explanations of challenging ideas. If a concept is difficult, she won't rest until she has explored every resource she can find in order to understand it fully. For Ankober, each question leads to another.  Her eagerness to pursue ideas both in and out of the classroom is inspiring.”

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.