The Last Word

The dissertation is about place--about Taiwan and Arizona most specifically.

That's the oddest coincidence: I once wrote a five-paragraph essay comparing and contrasting the two.

I would like to see that essay, Chris.

You know, it's remarkable that you should ask. I just so happened to have it right here.

Taiwan and Arizona: A Comparison

By Chris Clarke

Since the dawn of time, Man has wondered how Taiwan and Arizona are similar, and how they differ. Aristotle said "If liberty and equality, as is thought by some are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost," and this is as true of Taiwan and Arizona as of liberty and equality. But exactly how do they differ, and in what ways are they similar?

The differences between Taiwan and Arizona are marked. Taiwan is an archipelago in the East China Sea comprising the main island of Taiwan and a number of much smaller islands, including Quemoy, Matsu, and the Pescadores, while Arizona is not. There is excellent Chinese food to be had throughout Taiwan, whereas it is far more difficult to find in Arizona, though the place on Andy Devine Boulevard between Hualapai Mountain Road and Interstate 40 in Kingman is acceptable if you are very hungry. Conversely, it is near-impossible to obtain an Indian taco in Taiwan. Though Hopi Kachina dolls can be purchased in both places, in Taiwan they are usually available on a wholesale basis only.

Arizona, on the other hand, is a landlocked region in the southwestern US, admitted to the Union as a state on Valentine's Day, 1912, and since the admission of Alaska is the sixth-largest state in the Union. Arizona's population is 1.8 percent Asian, while Asians make up a somewhat larger proportion of Taiwan's residents. The tallest point in Arizona is Humphreys Peak at 3,851 meters above sea level, which is somewhat lower than Yu Shan, Taiwan's highest peak at 3,952 meters. However, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River runs through Taiwan at no point along its length.

Arizona and Taiwan do share some notable similarities. Both have names that can be spoken by human beings with normally functioning vocal chords. Topologically, both Arizona and Taiwan can be represented as closed irregular curves of genus zero, in that neither contains any territory that is part of another government, excepting of course the many sovereign Indian lands within Arizona, but those are rarely displayed if the map only shows an outline of Arizona. Both regions are dominated politically by rabid anti-Communists and real estate developers, though Taiwan's developers tend to build vertically where Arizona's build horizontally. Both are visited by people from other places, and many of the children born in each place dream of growing up and moving away, usually to California or New York.

Aristotle, who was in this writer's opinion the best known of the ancient Greek solons, also said "What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." Perhaps Arizona and Taiwan's most important similarity is that this phrase has very little to do with either of them. Whether that will remain to be only time can tell.

My god, Chris--you REALLY mastered the art of the five-paragraph essay.

Your essay is odd, and I am awed--now that I am done giggling.

Thank you for taking the time to dig that up.

My last word: "study." I wish it were something more profound, but that was the last word I was willing to write at that particular time. The diss was about culture and history.

If I could have ended it where I wanted to, the last word would have been "West."

Happy end-of-semester, Holly!

"world," as in "...transforming our world." A call to action. Feels naive now; what a pity.

I've just finished editing a collection of essays, for which I co-authored the conclusion. Last word: "power." From world to power: it's not surprising what I study.