October 24, 2013

Thoughts for Thursday: Rumi and A Wrinkle in Time


 
Welcome to another edition of Thoughts for Thursday!  While I might not be the best at updating my blog, I’m trying to establish a routine of posting, and if I can start with every Thursday, perhaps I’ll get somewhere!

                I spend a decent amount of time browsing Pinterest when I can’t sleep at night (I even have a Leah Reads board!  Just be aware that I pin a lot of Harry Potter related things… NO SHAME), and I’ve had my Thoughts for Thursday board for quite some time where I would put quotes I considered using in my lesson plans.  Rumi is an author whose quotes appear fairly often when I’m browsing the quotes section, and there is a simplistic and timeless element to his words.  As a 13th century Persian poet, Rumi could begin to feel outdated, but as it is shown time and time again, good literature and true emotion transcends eras and cultural boundaries.

                Our quote for today has been tumbling around in my mind for quite some time now; originally I thought I would only do quotes about literature when I posted my Thoughts for Thursday; then I figured quotes from authors would be fair game as well; now, although the second edition of this topic is an author, I’ve decided that if the quote can relate to books overall, I’m going to allow it.  So, uhhhhh, that pretty much eliminates nothing because I can relate almost anything to literature.  NO RULES.

                The thing I love most about this quote is that it comes in two parts and each part is equally significant.  Stop acting so small is simply good advice, and it is advice I’ve been neglecting – actually, it’s advice I’d suspect about half the population has been neglecting.  It always seems like people are either bragging about themselves or putting themselves down.  We get the egomaniacs who constantly try to make every situation about themselves, even when it’s not necessarily something to be proud of (ever notice how people constantly try to one up each other when it comes to how busy or tired they are?  Can’t we all just be busy and tired?); then we have those who are always lamenting that they aren’t enough of anything – not smart enough, or pretty enough, or brave enough, or whatever enough.  Or they keep their mouths shut completely, because even acknowledging that they exist seems like too much.  Those are the ones acting so small.

                There is little wrong with taking pride in oneself.  And size – literally or figuratively – should have no bearing on the ability of a person to make changes or do good things.  Doesn’t the saying go ‘big things come in small packages’?  Think of all the literature that deals with children making the changes, with those who are not in a position of power rejecting the idea of being small. We have characters that climb up through established social classes and established society; characters who overthrow the dark wizard who has powers much stronger; characters who steal from the rich to give to the poor.  Stop acting small, these characters tell us.  Stop acting less than what you are capable of achieving.

                This is solid advice, but it’s hard to take when we are constantly berated with media and advertisements and, hell, other people who are trying to keep us down.  We are told we aren’t good enough, and after a while, we come to believe it.  Or we tell ourselves that while maybe we aren’t so great, we are at least better than that guy over there.  It’s a cyclical process of decline.  Those lucky enough to pull themselves out have changed the world.  And that’s where part two of the quote comes into play.

                You are the universe in ecstatic motion.  What a grand idea; not only are you not small, but you are an important part of the universe.  And not only that, but you are what creates joy in the universe.  Just by existing.  Wrap your head around that for a minute.

 

Good? Okay.

 

                I won’t pretend like I always understand or accept this idea.  I don’t always think highly of myself or others, but Rumi is telling me that I need to accept it.  Not just for myself, but in how I view and judge others.  And when I started to consider where I wanted to go with this post (which, I admit, rambles quite a bit) I immediately thought of A Wrinkle in Time.  If you’ve never read A Wrinkle in Time… GTFO. No, not really, but go grab a copy. It’s a beautifully written book with amazing literary merit and magnificent messages and themes.  There are also three other books in the series, which often people don’t realize.  All are wonderful.  But I digress.

                In Wrinkle the main female character is a young high-schooler named Meg Murry who struggles at school, is awkward and gawky (and brilliant, albeit misunderstood at math), and doesn’t fit in.  Her younger brother, Charles Wallace, is essentially a five year old prodigy, but people in their town see him as a freak.  Their father has gone missing while on secret government business – he’s a scientist, not a spy – and one afternoon, Meg, Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin have to travel through time and space to rescue him and save the planet from the Dark Thing.  That sounds ridiculous, but it’s just that my summary is pretty shitty.  The thing is, Meg, Charles, and Calvin are all young.  They are all seen as slightly strange.  Meg hates herself.  But the three of them have to believing in themselves and overcome fear, and threat of death to save not just Mr. Murry but the entire universe.  From the smallest part of the human body, everything plays a part.  Indeed, there is even a section of the book where the children try to listen to the music of the stars in celebration.  The universe is singing.
                It’s a hard lesson to learn, and I am guilty of thinking poorly of myself more often than I’d like to admit.  I try to encourage the people around me, but I am not always able to pull myself out of my own head.  But the truth is, each of us has an important role to play.  No matter how small, everyone and everything is part of the music and joy and fluidity of the universe.  Love might make the world go round, but believing in yourself makes the universe move.

October 17, 2013

Thoughts for Thursday - C. S. Lewis


“Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” – C. S. Lewis

 
Happy Thursday!  Because I’m not currently in a classroom on the reg, and I’m sure my teacher friends are getting annoyed with me butting into their lesson planning, I’m bringing my standard Thursday warm-up to the blog.  Thoughts for Thursday is exactly that: we start class with a quote and my students are expected to answer three questions

1.       What does this quote mean? Restate it in your own words.

2.       What does this quote suggest about the speaker?  What does he/she appear to value or believe from this quote.

3.       How can we connect this quote to other quotes, works of literature, things from class, or your own lives?

Say what you will about high schoolers, but after the first few times of going through a warm-up like this, they get very good at it.  I always try to find quotes that tie into our current unit, or quotes that deal with wherever we’re headed with class that day, or quotes from our current author, but I am also guilty of using this time as a mini-platform to share life advice with my students.  They might roll their eyes at my attempt at uplifting messages, but when it comes through a third party in a cleverly worded phrase, sometimes it reaches them.

                The quote I picked for the blog today is from the always fascinating C. S. Lewis, possibly best known for The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, as well as his Christian writings.  (Random aside: Lewis died on November 22, 1963.  No one cared much because JFK was assassinated that same day… but this year is the 50th anniversary of his death and he is being honored in Poets’ Corner. Redemption?).  I think it fits well with the theme of this blog, but it also is so very relevant to contemporary life.

                Obviously we could look to films and television as a medium for heroes and knights, but my mind takes me immediately to literature.  I often go off on tangents about how children – and adults – simply don’t read enough.  I won’t go into that here, because there are real studies done on how reading improves EVERYTHING in an educational spectrum.  What I will go into, though, is how reading improves life.

 
                Yeah, I said it.  Being a reader means your life is better.  I’m not trying to be hyperbolic, either.  I firmly believe this.  And here’s why.

 
                I’ve been reading my entire life.  I don’t remember learning to read, and I never remember a time when I wasn’t reading.  I was lucky this way.  Not all kids are that lucky, but even if they don’t grow up to be voracious readers like some obnoxious people, they need to have some exposure to bravery and goodness before the real world gives them a swift kick to the ass.  The world can be a cruel and scary place, and as more of my friends start having children (and I start making more friends who already have children), I hope more and more that they are prepared.

                One of my best friends has sons, and he told me once that his only goal in life, really, was to ensure that they grew up to be real men who were ready to face the world (I know, right??? Father of the year!!). Many of us want to protect the children in our lives, but we have to recognize that we can’t do this forever.  At some point they have to be pushed out into the real world, and like my friend said, we have to make sure they are prepared for the cruelty of life.  This is a huge responsibility, and literature can help through this process.

                There are some arguments that fairy tales and other stories in this genre aren’t good for young children, primarily girls, because they perpetuate gender roles and expectations; while this holds merit – after all, there are studies on what male and female children will read, and while girls will relate to and read stories with a male or a female protagonist, boys will often avoid female protagonists – there is something to be said for early exposure to the battle between good and evil.  Yes, Little Red Riding Hood has to be ‘rescued’ by the strapping woodsman because her genteel nature gets her into some trouble, and it’s often an evil stepmother plotting the death of children, however there are other stories where the good and evil conflict is not rooted in gender issues.  The Chronicles of Narnia includes good and evil characters of both genders, and includes strong female characters.  So does Lord of the Rings, and more contemporary works like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games which span the gender divide in readers.  But I digress…

                Literature provides a safe space for grappling with the issues of good and evil; we are not in any true bodily harm when knights go to battle against dragons and evil sorcerors; we are protected when Lord Voldemort threatens to Avada Kedavra everyone and everything in his path(for you non-Harry Potter people, that’s a spell that kills).  We recognize that evil exists in these literary worlds, and although sometimes it seems like there is no way out, unless we are dealing with a dystopian novel or something more experimental, good almost always triumphs in the end.   For children who are learning to maneuver their way through life, seeing good triumph can be a positive influence.  Knowing that there are good people in the world, projecting themselves into the heroic role allows them to shape a framework for future interactions with evil people and difficult circumstances.

                Literature can also provide an escape from reality.  As a teenager, I struggled with many of the common middle school issues.  Life seemed futile, and other teenagers can be incredibly cruel.  I always was a reader, but during this period of my life it became my salvation.  I saw characters that might not be considered heroes or knights, but their survival gave me hope for my own. 

                In the end, the wolf never wins.  There may be destruction and death and fears and turmoil along the way; the hero may face obstacles and fight terrifying battles, but when good overcomes evil in literature, we give children – and yes, even adults – courage and optimism that we need to travel through the reality of life.