April 21, 2020 | By Su Karagoz (A20)

Toby Valenzuela is from Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines. His senior essay is entitled “The Traveler’s Mind, From Both Sides of Jonathan Swift’​​​​​​​s Fourth Wall.​”​​​​​​​

What was at the heart of your argument?

In looking at the attitudes of cultural superiority and inferiority that have caused many problems throughout history, fictional (and comedic) depictions of those attitudes give a fresh perspective that, through putting them in a less reverent light, take away their power over us.

How did your essay connect to different aspects of the Program from throughout your four years?

In my essay, I bring up the example of Pericles’ funeral oration (in which he talked about the superiority of Athens over all other Greek cities) from freshman year; the lack of an objective metric for cultural superiority reminds me of the lack of a truly objective metric for morality (even within the realms of Christian theology and morality) that I found from reading the authors in sophomore year. The book I wrote on is itself from junior seminar, and the argument that I make throughout the essay has parallels to some real-life discussion that arose among members of my class over our “readiness” to discuss the issues depicted in Benito Cereno in senior year.

What was the writing process like for you?

It was tough. I personally believe that there is no such thing as a truly perfect essay, and I drove myself nuts about it. Two big sources of help were my essay advisor, Mr. Lasell (an actual source of help and advice), and several rounds of Star Wars: Battlefront II (which serves as great stress relief, even and especially now).

What is the most important lesson you learned during your time at St. John’s?

We’re not all alike, least of all in terms of our thoughts and beliefs, and that’s a good thing. I’ve disagreed with so many people while I’ve been here, some more than others, but they’ve helped shape both my opinions and my outlook on life. I’ve found that it’s possible to get into a disagreement with someone without getting into a fight. I think the world outside the Johnnie bubble could use a bit of that.