I Can See! Blindness re-cap

OK, so I mentioned this book earlier in the summer--and it has taken me that long to finish it. I was forced to take long breaks in which I read other things and looked at pictures of baby pandas in an effort to rekindle my spirit and perspective on humanity. But finally, last night, I finished.

Here's the basic premise: An epidemic of blindness has broken out in a major city (what city? you ask, it could be any...)--people are struck with a white blindness for no apparent reason. The government panics and attempts to quarentine the blind into an old mental institution. One woman who is not blind goes along, not wanting to leave her husband, and what she sees is extremely disturbing. The basic need for survival will change people into something they never dreamed they could be.

This book was intense and intensely depressing, but the prose is beautifully written (it is a Portugese translation, none the less), and I did experience redemption upon completing the narrative. There is hope in this story, if only in the fact that people can survive horrible situations with the help and support of others. The movie is coming out sometime in the near future, and based on the read, I'm not sure I can see it. Plus, it looks really scary.

Tell me again George...about the rabbits

Have you met George and Lennie? You may have met them when you were in 9th grade--I didn't have the pleasure my first time as a freshman, but since I now live in a perpetual state of 9th-gradedness we run into each other on a fairly regular basis. Every October, to be precise.

As I get older, the concept of the American Dream hits me harder. The idea that life can be better, richer, more fullfilling just over the horizon often keeps me pedaling on what sometimes seems to me to be a stationary bike. I love my ___________ (fill in the blank with job, husband, son, dog, 2-car garage), but it seems that every new adventure meant to energize only further fuels my need for sleep. Thank God for Tivo; I can now watch my favorite shows from 7-8:30 instead of from 8-11. Is the Dream real or simply a figment of our over-active American imaginations?

It is George and Lennie who make me realize that the American Dream is real, somehow. That regardless of the outcome, hope for a better tomorrow actually makes us better today. Nobody wants to be like Curly or his defeated wife, who have given up and accepted that life is hard and always will be. It's George and Lennie that we look to for reassurance that it is OK to want more in spite of who or where we are.

You should read Of Mice and Men again (or for the first time). It is especially impactful in light of the current dark cloud hovering over our nation. It is only 107 pages long, so it won't cut into your shopping time too much. And it may change your life.

The Crucible of Civilization

Well, so much for writing more often. Happy mid-October! It is no longer back-to-school time, we have settled into a nice routine that consists of "I think I already turned that in..." and "oh, here it is, it was in the bottom of my backpack!" The joys of daily interaction with adolescents. This year, I have the unique pleasure of teaching 9th grade (that means 14 and 15-year-olds to those of you who are confused) all day long! God bless them, they are their own breed, and I can honestly say that I have never been bored at work.

The onset of October brought an introduction to the classical dramatic theories of the one and only Aristotle for my honors students. Though it is a review for me, I am always amazed at the influence the Greeks have had on Western Civilization--the introduction of performance literature among the many mind-blowing concepts they came up with. We just finished reading Oedipus the King (you know--killed his dad, married his mom, all in an effort to avoid fulfilling a prophecy that he would do just this), and are into Antigone right now. What an amazing woman! She was truly a feminist at heart, choosing to do what she knew was right in the face of powerful men who told her to back down. I admire her, and Sophocles for painting a picture (2500 years ago) of a female protagonist who is not crazy or weepy, but instead is strong and independent.

If you have never had the pleasure of meeting these wild and crazy Greeks for yourself, October is the month to do so. See if you can find them at your local library--or better yet, look them up on Sparknotes and read the summaries, then have intelligent conversations about them at dinner parties and never admit that you didn't read the actual Greek translation.

Carry on!