William Deyesso's Blog

by Bill Deyesso

The fourteenth child of a Methodist minister and a clergyman’s daughter, Stephen Crane became one of the most revered authors of his time. Having written from the age of four, Crane overcame the adversities of early childhood illness to maintain a writing career that has lasted more than a century past the date of his birth.Although Crane was offered the opportunity for an intensive education, he never felt the desire for such coursework. Instead, he grabbed the chance to work as a reporter in New York City. There, he enveloped himself in the workings of the social underground, utilizing his immense talents of observation coupled with the empathy he had learned in his religious upbringing. Just two years after leaving school, Stephen Crane wrote his first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. After winning a small amount of critical acclaim for this work, Stephen Crane composed The Red Badge of Courage, a widely praised book about the Civil War, though the author had no battlefield experience at all. Instead, Crane’s inspiration for the work stemmed from magazines devoted to Civil War stories that he read while waiting the long hours to have his portrait painted.

Because of his personal integrity and his loyalty to his sources, Stephen Crane in 1896 served as the witness for a reputed prostitute who had given him information for his writing. Against the advice of such notables as Theodore Roosevelt, who at the time was the Police Commissioner of New York City, Crane defended Dora Clark’s actions on the night he met with her. Later, the officer who accused Clark attacked her physically, and Crane attended the trial to give testimony in her aid. The New York City Police Department launched an investigation into Crane’s life and friends, ruining his reputation through association with certain colleagues and manufactured evidence. In disgrace, Crane then accepted a position as a war correspondent in Cuba. During this time, Crane met the madam Cora Taylor, a dishonored Boston woman whose divorce had committed her to a life in the underworld.Taking his place onboard the SS Commodore, Stephen Crane expected to embark upon a difficult but interesting task documenting the hostilities and privations of war. Instead, the ship sank and left Crane in a lifeboat with three men, one of whom died in the attempt to reach shore. Documented in the story The Open Boat, this ordeal left Crane penniless on the shore of Daytona Beach. Cora Taylor traveled tirelessly to reach him and bring him funds, after which the two launched an affair that lasted for the rest of his life.

by William Deyesso

The life of Helen Keller, full of accomplishments and the defeat of obstacles, remains one of the most inspirational stories in history. Helen Keller, who was born into a well-to-do family, came into life with her hearing and sight intact. A mysterious illness, however, compromised those senses, and Keller was left unable to see the world around her or hear its sounds. At the time, Keller’s parents understood only that their daughter was ill with a debilitating fever; it was only later that they realized there had been any lasting damage.

Left blind and deaf, Helen Keller possessed no real way of communicating with the outside world. Too young at the time of her illness to have mastered her native tongue, Keller’s short-lived memory of words to describe her surroundings deserted her. In desperation, Keller’s parents contacted Alexander Graham Bell, who at the time was one of the nation’s premier experts in the education of deaf children. Bell, who invented the telephone, advised Keller’s parents to employ a teacher from the Perkins School for the Blind. In hiring a teacher from that school, Keller’s parents hoped that she would be more able to respond to someone who had experienced problems similar to her own.

Anne Sullivan accepted the position as Helen Keller’s teacher and almost immediately convinced Keller’s parents to allow her to take Keller from their own large home to a small cottage on their property. At the time, Sullivan was concerned that Keller used terrible table manners and was extremely spoiled. After living with Keller for a short time in isolation, Sullivan taught her the meanings of words such as “water,” “pump,” and “teacher.”

Documented in “The Miracle Worker,” Helen Keller’s story provides inspiration for those who would teach, as well as those who would be taught. Without the strenuous but loving efforts of Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller might never have achieved the heights that have marked her as a muse for those struggling to overcome enormous impediments.

by William Deyesso

Fencing for Beginners, Part 2 here.

More than waving around a sword, fencing requires mental preparation, intense focus, and a strategic mind. Those new to the art should take to heart the following tips and strategies.

1. Take Lessons

Fencing does not lend itself to self-teaching. If you want to become adept at the sport, look around your local area for instructors and schedule interviews to determine which has more to offer. Many facilities have message boards and other online meeting hubs where you can talk to fellow fencing enthusiasts about the sport, and get recommendations on where to learn.

2. Train Your Body

Strength is vital to fencing, but agility, dexterity, and good overall health are just as important. Besides a nutritious diet and cardio and strength exercises, a number of other sports and physical activities make for excellent fencing training methods. Sports that call for endurance, such as tennis and swimming, are recommended, as are other activities that blend hand-eye coordination activities and physical dexterity, such as racquetball.

3. Train Your Mind

In order to become proficient at fencing, your mind must be a razor-sharp instrument. An alert athlete will see through an opponent’s feints and tactics, all the while calculating appropriate counters and devising ways to go on the offensive. To reach such a state of mental preparedness, spend time in a quiet place prior to fencing lessons and bouts. Clear your mind of everything except your objective and the tactics you need to achieve success. Make sure to keep your goals realistic; start small, and work up to loftier, more ambitious aspirations.

by Bill Deyesso

An average of one in every 1,000 children born in the United States receives a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders before they are three years old. Autism is a class of neural development disorders that result in impaired communication skills, poor social interaction, and routine or repetitive behaviors. Diagnosis falls along a spectrum of functionality and symptoms, ranging from classic autism to Asperger syndrome, which is a high-functioning form of autism.

First diagnosed in the 1940s, a very few advances have been made in autism research in nearly 60 years. Scientists don’t know what causes autism, although they have been able to identify as many as 10 different genes associated with the disorder. There is no treatment for autism, although various therapies may help increase individual abilities and life skills. For this reason, the need for ongoing research remains necessary. I contribute to Autism Research at Children’s Hospital Boston, which oversees multiple autism research studies, including the Infant Sibling Project. This hospital aims to identify genetic markers for autism spectrum disorders, as well as phenotyping and genetics, seeking early identification of autism spectrum disorders in order to improve treatment and outcomes, in conjunction with Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Children’s Hospital Boston. To learn more, visit http://www.childrenshospital.org/

by Bill Deyesso

One of my all-time favorite books is James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain. The semi-autobiographical book is set in Baldwin’s home neighborhood of Harlem, New York. At the core of the book is a search for self-identity, under the strict supervision of a religious step-father. The book details a young man’s conflicted views of religion, reacting on one hand against moral duplicity and repression, and on the other finding in the Bible a source of solace and inspiration. The story about the writing of Baldwin’s first novel is interesting, as well. Baldwin turned to writing seriously in 1942, at the age of 18. Living in Greenwich Village, Baldwin worked full time on the original draft of Go Tell It On The Mountain. Richard Wright, well known for his autobiographical novel Native Son, read Baldwin’s manuscript in 1944, enjoying it enough to recommend it for a grant. Although Baldwin actually received that grant, his finished manuscript was denied publication. Baldwin moved to France in 1948, spending the next several years gaining a reputation as an essayist and critic, and intermittently revising his novel. Finally published in 1952, Go Tell It On The Mountain was followed two years later by Baldwin’s classic collection of essays, Notes of a Native Son. Among the aspects that draw me to Go Tell It On The Mountain are its complete sense of honesty and its rich evocation of themes found in the Bible. The novel has gained increased critical prominence in recent years, with Time magazine selecting it as one of the 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005. I recommend this book to anyone who wants an entertaining and thought-provoking read in a style evocative of mid-20th century New York.