T H A N K S 

The editors of Elements would like to thank the following individuals 

for their generous support of and assistance with this issue of 

Elements: 

KEIT H AKE, Assistant Director of Marketing and Design 

DAN I EL BAI ROS, Technology Consultant 

BEN BIRNBAUM , Executive Director of the Office of Marketing Communications 

CUT BERT O GARZA, Provost and Dean of Faculties 

D ON ALD HAFN ER, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies 

JOYCE MANNIX, Business Manager for the College of Arts and Sciences 

DAVID Q UI CLEY, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences 

BARBARA V I ECH N I CKI , Associate Dean for Finance and Administration 

We would also like to give special thanks to the Dean's Office 
of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Marketing 
Communications for providing budgetary support that made 
this publication possible. 

Q U E S T I O N S & C O N T R I B U T I O N S 
I f you have any questions or would like to contribute a letter for 
our next issue, feel free to contact the journal at elements@bc.edu. 

Please consider submitting your own research to the next issue of 
Elements. Our next deadline is Friday November 7, 2008. 

For submissions guidelines, visitwww.bc.edu/elements. 

COVER 
Man on Ladder 
© John Henley/Corbis 

P E R I O D I C I T Y 

Elements is published twice an academic year i n the fall and spring 
semesters. 

Elements, Undergraduate Research journal, Volume 4, Issue 2, Fall 2008 

Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Service Building 103, 

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 

Printing: Kirkwood Printing, 904 Main Street, Wilmington, MA 01887 

Copyright ©  2008 by Trustees of Boston College 

E L E M E N T S STAFF 

ED I T O R- I N - CH I EF 
T I M KELLY 

M A N A G I N G ED I T O R 
ERI N E. EI C H A N 

D EPU T Y ED I T O R 
JEN N Y BRESS 

H U M A N I T I ES 

SV ET LAN A T URO V A, Senior Editor 

ALYSSA D U Q U ET T E, Editor 

KAT IE H ALSEY, Editor 

Z ACH ARY M ARKARI AN , Editor 

M ARY SASSO , Editor 

N I C O LE WO N G , Editor 

N A T U RA L SC I EN C ES 

A N N E KO RN A H REN S, Senior Editor 

ERI N C R O D EN , Editor 

KA T H ERI N E WU, Editor 

SO C I A L SCI EN C ES 

EST EBAN URI BE, Senior Editor 

JOY BATRA, Editor 

JEN N Y BRESS, Editor 

EVAN SPEEC E, Editor 

BRIAN V ARI AN , Editor 

PAUL WEN D EL, Editor 

L A Y O U T 

ALYSSA D U Q U ET T E, Senior Editor 

BRIAN VARI AN , Editor 

WEB M A N A G ER 

JEN N Y BRESS 

F A C U L T Y A D V I SO R 

ELI Z ABET H C H A D WI C K 

The information provided by our contributors is not independently verified by Elements. 

The materials presented represent the personal opinions of the individual authors and do 

not necessarily represent the views of Elements or the Boston College community. 

mailto:elements@bc.edu
http://visitwww.bc.edu/elements


E D I T O R ' S N O T E 

As Boston College itself plans for future development with the 

establishment of the io-year master plan, it at times seems overwhelm-

ing to consider the changes the future might hold. It is important to re-

member that the core mission of the university is nonetheless carried 

out by its students, whether it be i n classrooms on the Heights or in far 

off areas, of the world. The excellent work done by students speaks 

volumes of the university itself. Our nation is closing i n upon an elec-

tion that promises to break ground with either the first black president 

or first female vice president; it is, perhaps, a good time to thoughtfully 

examine what we may assume in a variety of fields. 

The papers we've selected ask us to reconsider our preconceived 

notions about a variety of topics. Reminiscing and Daydreaming takes a 

closer look at the l ink between memories and imagination, emphasiz-

ing the similarity of the two processes, and challenges assumptions 

about their difference. Irish Vernacular Poetry brings to light important 

facts about the Irish and their struggle against British rule. Root Root 

Root for the ??? Team invites us to reflect on the way professional sports 

teams become identified with their city and to what extent owners are 

beholden to their fans. This edition of the journal also highlights the 

variety of fields that Boston College undergraduates are interested in . 

Abusive Tax Shelters analyzes the sometimes shady actions of 

individuals and corporations in their efforts to reduce tax payments. 

Drips, Scratches, and Strokes examines the role of Edvard Munch as the 

father of the abstract expressionist movement. 

Elements, once again, hopes to showcase a variety of the work produced 

by Boston College undergraduates. Submissions continue to become 

more competitive and each semester the staff of Elements makes tough 

decisions in selection to the journal. This issue was no exception and 

the articles were chosen from a larger base of qualified and well-written 

papers. Elements is beginning its 5th year here at Boston College, and 

we begin it with a renewed interest i n bringing to the community intel-

lectually stimulating pieces. There is much we can learn from the work 

of our peers, and we hope that you find this edition both informative 

and thought-provoking. 

Sincerely, 

TIM KELLY 

Editor- in- chief