The man behind the worst shooting rampage in U.S. history was an English major, a creative writer. Though I claim no connection to the 23-year-old loner, I admit that as a creative writing student myself, I shuddered when I learned this about Cho Seung-Hui and read some of his writings.
My body's visceral reaction was unexpected but eerily familiar despite its slightness. It was akin to the same lamenting reaction that I have, as an African American, every time I read the newspaper or watch TV news and discover yet another man who looks like me has either been killed or is heading to jail. When John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo were arrested as the D.C. snipers in 2002, nausea set in something fierce.
Before committing suicide, Cho killed 32 people, injured at least 30 others, and fissured the conscience of thousands, if not millions more - including my own. I reclaim no comfort in knowing that Cho was South Korean. My nausea is just the same. I fear what might happen next.
People want answers to that question and some insight. They want to know why Cho committed that horrific act and how to prevent it from ever happening again. In searching, a psychological profile has developed through interviews of eyewitnesses, former classmates, his neighbors at school and at home, instructors, and scanning every bit of Cho's writing in hopes of revealing further clues. One of the eminent questions: Could there have been some kind of advance warning to Cho's behavior?
There were. At least two people acted on them: noted poet Nikki Giovanni, who had Cho as a student in her fall 2005 poetry class, and Dr. Lucinda Roy, the alumni distinguished professor of English and co-director of the creative writing program. Giovanni knew she had to act when her class of 70 students fell to just seven because they were afraid of Cho's dark poetry. After talking to Cho, she went to Roy, who took it upon herself to teach Cho one-on-one. Even Roy feared for her safety. In a Washington Post interview, Roy said she told university officials about her concerns and that they were responsive, but there was little they could do because no actual threat had been made.
Article comments
1 - Chris Beaumont
Nice column. I had similar thoughts to what you hve put down so eloquently here. While the acts are despicable and the results tragic, I also fear that acts like this could serve to handcuff those who are creative, and well adjusted, who write twisted material. Will they perhaps hold back in their writing for fear of being singles out as a risk?
2 - Lisa McKay
You raise some good points here, Richard. As more facts are emerging, it seems that the details of this young man's personal life -- his mannerisms, his utter lack of human relationships, his stalking behavior -- were far more telling and predictive of tragedy than anything he might have written in a creative writing class.
3 - bliffle
"...an English major, a creative writer."
The very definition of a loser! Can anyone imagine anybody better qualified for the lower depths of society?
Any joker with a provable record of creative writing and, for cryin' out loud, "poetry", oughta be snuffed out at the earliest opportunity. Who needs them? Poets? We have too many already! Nobody would miss that sucker!
Anyone who REALLY wants to end campus murder should get himself armed up with sufficient firepower and be prepared to USE IT when necessary! Follow the lead of our government in Iraq and strike preemptively before they can hit you! Just do it better and more ruthlessly. No Marquis Of Queensbury rules here. No whoosy whoosy worry about collateral damage to civilians. When in doubt, kill them all and let god choose his own.
I suggest you lookup a Great Guy on BC called "Dave Nalle". He can tell you how to setup a freefire zone between the street and your encampment, and how to practice on 'coyotes' (that's what we call them), so you're prepared for serious intruders.
Check it out.
4 - WhatLadder
I'm a professor who teaches freshman composition and literature, too, and I agree with Prof Rude's position. Teaching writing is about pushing boundaries. Is this event going to stop me from asking my students for a personal essay? No. Every teacher I know has at least one scary story. The question is when and how we take action. I wrote more about this on my blog.