The Power of Re-visiting Text

Wild Strawberries (1957) is not nearly as "artsy-fartsy" or maudlin as this trailer makes it look... honest!

Each school year, despite the best efforts of our department leadership to clearly inform teachers which novels are assigned to be taught at which of the four grade levels (9 thru 12), invariably teachers will high-jack a text for use a different grade level. Whether out of a passion for a particular title or because they don't feel the obligation to research materials for a novel they have not previously worked with, this is an annual conscious choice on the part of some that results in a completely avoidable bone of contention. While this does create problems (beyond the need to find alternative resources, let's face it, the thematic content of some texts really is more accessible and meaningful to older more experienced students), there is also an opportunity created through this lack of etiquette: the potential for revealing for students the power of a re-visiting a text.

A favorite title from my
youth I look forward to
revisiting this summer.

This idea is even more relatable when considered in the context of movies, a fact I was once again reminded of while re-watching one yesterday. The opportunity to re-visit a text (whether traditional hard copy or film presentation) creates a situation that illustrates the difference between simply reading a book and really READING a book. As teachers and adults, we can appreciate finding new information each time we read a story or novel, or after re-watching a movie. High school students, however, often view the reading expedience as a chore which, once completed, is finished with little necessity to revisit it beyond identifying cited textual evidence for responding to an essay prompt.

VHS box for Federico
Fellini's La Strada (1954).

While an undergraduate English major wa-a-ay back in 1988, I took a film study course entitled "Fellini and Bergman." As a product of an urban Western New York public school system, I had zero familiarity with the idea of watching foreign movies other than those produced by Toho Studios and (badly) re-dubbed in English. A large part of the course requirement consisted of independently watching films outside of class. This task required going to the bowels of the campus library and viewing videotapes at a desk with large headphones on. It was there that I also gained a level of comfort reading subtitles--an underappreciated skill I continue to develop to this day. While at my local public library yesterday, I came across a DVD copy of one of the films I had seen in the library basement, Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1954), a film I had last seen 26 years ago.

After finishing the movie this second time, many years later, the difference in the experience was clear. Eighteen year-old me dutifully viewed Bergman's meditation on aging and acceptance, coming to some basic conclusions based in great part on my professor's book explaining the movie's themes, structure and story. Yesterday, 47 year-old me experienced with greater depth (and a stronger personal connection) the philosophical themes such as the value of introspection and the transient nature of human existence. I am also fairly certain that 65 year-old me (fingers-crossed!) will draw even more from a future viewing experience.

Stories, poetry and novels are no different; all benefit from the occasional re-visit, especially after time and experience have filled in some cognitive and emotional gaps. A part of me looks forward to the realization that this year's new crop of budding scholars have somehow been fed a novel that I had intended to teach. Rather than cursing the previous ill-advised professional, I will take advantage of the opportunity and challenge of demonstrating the power of revisiting text. Beyond the additional structural and thematic low-hanging fruit ready to be dropped, I am confident a great connection between the student (reader) and content can be facilitated... and the real magic of literature validated!

'Nuff Read: Friends with Boys

One of the many refreshing things about this young adult graphic
novel is that the "friends" of the title are protagonist Maggie's brothers.

A good library is one that is full of surprises. Recently, while monitoring my students as they took the distinct mandated Student Reading Inventory online in our school's Library/Center, I discovered my most recent surprise among the stacks. In the past ten years or so, our school library, much like the public libraries in our larger community, have seen an increase the number of graphic novels available for borrowing. Fortunately, the "surprise" wasn't the presence of graphic novels as a genre on the shelf, but rather the fact that a specific creator's work had been made available.

While initially most of the offerings were hackneyed classic adaptations of now familiar novels, such as The Hobbit, in addition to random manga, shelves are now littered with more familiar comic book fare. Spider-man and Walking Dead trades (collections of previously published single-issue story arcs) are easily available to those who have a passing familiarity with the characters based upon popular media iterations such as television show and blockbuster movies.

Understandably it is "familiarity" which in large part dictates just what titles libraries can spend invaluable financial resources on (if there is no demand for a title, it doesn't make much sense to purchase it to collect dust on a shelf), I was once again pleasantly surprised to notice a title on the shelf which, though familiar to me given my status as a "comic fanboy." It was a very pleasant surprise to see Faith Erin Hicks Friends With Boys tucked (out of order) within close proximity to a past surprise, Andy Runton's Owly.

Not surprisingly, Maggie's
absent mother looms large.

Friends With Boys is a full length semi-autobiographical full-length graphic novel by the Eisner award-winning Faith Erin Hicks. Though initially available online as a web-comic just prior to publication in 2012, I only became aware of Hicks' graphic novel after thoroughly enjoying her work in both the Dark Horse mini-series, The Last of Us. (2013) and 2014 Free Comic Book Day offering Avatar The Last Airbender.

Home-schooled her whole childhood, Maggie's first day of traditional high school is just a little scary. If that is not stressful enough, until this point in her life, Maggie's friendships have consisted primarily of the strong bond she shares with her brothers. When Maggie does begin a nascent friendship with another Lucy ("the first girl [she] can remember being friends with'"), the dialogue gets real quickly. Though our protagonist is a high school freshman, the interactions ring true universally. Yes, this is clearly a YA (Young Adult) graphic novel, but even as a 40+ year old male, Hicks' writing has a truthfulness to it for any who have been challenged with connecting with others, especially within an otherwise isolating life. As compelling as these plot points are, they do not begin to scratch the surface of the dense characterization put forth in this small volume wherein not a panel or word balloon doesn't contribute.

Ghost in the graveyard.

As the story develops in an increasingly supernatural direction with the addition of ghosts, graveyards and a pirate's prosthetic hand, I could not help but be reminded of the magical realism genre my class has been working with the past week in English class. Hicks' deftly develops another connection that Maggie and Lucy also have in common: a fascination with a local gravestone ("Not just a gravestone but the gravestone") and the ghost that periodically floats in and out of Maggie's childhood. From early on in Friends with Boys, the reader is introduced to Maggie's silent, floating friend. In the context of the real-world setting of our story, Maggie, and as she finds  as well as others, accept the spirit's existence as relatively normal aspect of her life (a fact that, as she comes to learn, is shared by others).

When I return Friends with Boys to the library at the start of the school day on Monday, I hope it continues to find an audience among the students at my high school. While one of my classes will soon begin a study of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis in the coming weeks, too few students (and even more misinformed adult-types) have accepted the societal conditioning that poo-poos the graphic novel. I will continue to promote the graphic novel genre as a worthy one, and fortunately my cause becomes easier to argue thanks to accessible, meaningful young adult lit such as Friends with Boys.

Poetry Snack: In the Trail of the Wind

The Great Spirit is in all things, he is in the air we breathe. The Great Spirit is our Father, but the Earth is our Mother. She nourishes us, that which we put into the ground she returns to us...~Big Thunder (Bedagi) Wabanaki Algonquin

While walking the hallways of school in the moments before students begin arriving, I recently noticed an old friend looking back at me through the library's display window. Among a collection of "Thanksgiving-themed" tomes bathed in faux leaves and seasonal orange/yellow was a slender hard copy I had recalled buying myself almost 25(!) years ago: In The Trail of the Wind: American Indian Poems and Ritual Orations, edited by John Bierhorst, it remains one of those anthologies I keep on my bookshelf for the occasional poetry snack. Recalling my earlier mental note, upon arriving home, I  once again made time time to take a taste.

Even after so many years and selective re-reading, In the Trail of the Wind remains a go-to collection for easing my mind in moments such as these. Originally purchased from the Liftbridge Bookstore in Brockport, New York, during my undergraduate days, it remains a welcome read especially during the transitional autumn days from patchwork leaf piles to the white fluffiness of the first snowfall. The first of its kind, In the Trail of the Wind is a cross-cultural anthology that brings into focus the similarities between tribes as widely separated as the Sioux and the Aztec, the Cherokee and the ancient Maya.

In the Trail of the Wind is one of the books that has followed me from place to place, apartment to apartment, home to home. It was among my first introductions to the written record of the Native American oral tradition, a genre for which my appreciation has only grown. Here are two poetry selections accompanied by brief remarks:

This Newly Created World (Winnebago Traditional)

Pleasant it looked,
this newly created world.
Along the entire length and breadth
of the earth, our grandmother,
extended the green reflection
of her covering
and the escaping odors
were pleasant to inhale.

"...(the) extended green reflection" This line brings me back to the early summer mornings during which time would I regularly walk the dog or go for a run. At these times, usually between 4:30-6:00 a.m., the dew is still heavy on the grass and trees. Occassionally, you can see the reflection of the streetlights or moon on the lawns, "along (thier) entire length and breadth..."

"...the escaping odors/were pleasant to inhale." Think about your earliest memories... if you're like me, you don't always "remember" much until your senses are stimulated and the memories triggered. For me, the olfactory sense is strong and a simple odor can release a myriad memories, that might otherwise remain unrevealed. On a number of occasions I've walked through a mall, store or park, only to be sent backwards through picking up a passing scent...

The Lands Around My Dwelling (Eskimo Traditional)

The lands around my dwelling
Are more beautiful
From the day
When it is given me to see
Faces I have never seen before.
All is more beautiful,
All is more beautiful,
and life is thankfulness.
These guests of mine
Make my house grand.

How big is your "house?" Are the faces of those you don't know well, welcome in your house, and if not, how beautiful is your house? How much more beautiful and grand could it be if it were metaphorically larger and  literally, more inclusive?

My current sedentary state of activity is a bummer, but good organic poetry always makes me feel a (little) better and more motivated to get back out there, walking and moving beyond the school hallways. I am heartened that, as evidenced by its appearance in our school library's display case, In the Trail of the Wind continues to be available for purchase and, more appropriately here, borrowing. First published in 1972, at least twenty-five years before most of the students in the school were even born, it has been regularly revised and re-released since then. Here's to hoping that some student elects to choose it for their own reflective poetry snack...

Sources:
Goodreads Entry

'Nuff Read: The Chrysalids

"And God created man in his own image. And God decreed that
man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs:
that each arm should be jointed in two places and end in one hand:
that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb:
that each finger should bear a flat finger-nail... Any creature... that
is not formed thus, is not human."
The Definition of Man in The Chrysalids
When one sets their mind to it, finding a copy of a difficult to locate novel can be a journey in itself. Last summer after reading John Wyndham's Day of the Triffids, I had hoped to follow up this summer by reading another of his novels. One title that came up frequently as a solid successor, and "youth science fiction classic" in its own right, was The Chrysalids. Little did I know that this book (like all of Wyndham's work it appears--including Triffids) was a hard to track down text. After a few days of searching in local book stores (chains and independents), as well as suburban public libraries, I was able to find, with the help of a librarian, a single large print edition in the bowels of our community's largest urban public library.


The cover to the only edition I
could find to borrow or buy
in Rochester, New York!

The post-apocalyptic world of protagonist David Strorm is one in which the slightest physical difference, an extra toe or unusual shape, will result in the plant, animal or human in question being destroyed. This concept is referred to throughout as "The Definition of Man." As the son of a fervent believer in this adopted social norm, David must deal with reconciling this belief-system with his own affection for a young girl, Sophie. David befriends Sophie and her family, whose only "crime" is attempting to hide the fact that she has an extra toe. Inadvertently, Sophie is "outed" by David. From this inciting plot point, Wyndham takes us from the perceived safety of the world with which David is familiar, the Town of Waknuk, on a personal and physical journey to that place he has dreamed of from the beginning: a world of light (Sealand--a newly rechristened New Zealand which has somehow remained isolated enough to survive the alluded to nuclear holocaust). During this journey it is slowly revealed that David himself, may possess difference enough to fear for his own life...

It is difficult for me not to consider this book in the shadow of Triffids. Both are engaging sci-fi, the overall impact of which is only slightly diminished by those who are more well read, because many authors who have followed Wyndham cherry-picked plot point or concepts. Where The Chrysalids is very different from Triffids is in imbuing some characters, including David, with a level of precognition and telepathy that makes for a less grounded, or "realistic" read. Where both are frighteningly realistic in their depictions of base human behavior, Chrysalids is clearly a "young adult" book while Triffids may skew to the older reader.

The Chrysalids has seen a resurgence of popularity in some high schools. After reading the novel, the reason for this resurgent popularity was not difficult to see, and the same reading also revealed some reasons why this book will likely not to be added to the approved reading list at the relatively conservative school distinct in which I teach. With the timely, and appealing, theme of societies ruled by dogmatism this is unfortunate, and I suppose in the minds of some, dangerous. (Check out Edwin Frank's article "Where Even Gifts are Censored" for a compelling take.) Because this book is clearly Science-Fiction, and therefore a genre in school that is only acceptable if derivative of sparkling vampires or lesser watered down updates, I will simply need to suggest it in class for those adventurous readers who wish to seek out the source for many more modern plot points.

Pieces of the philosophy behind Marvel Comics X-Men series' are here, too, and for some this may be the hook that prompts them to read. Like the better X-men comic books, Chrysalids is ripe with social commentary that is just as relevant (and therefore dangerous) as it was during its success in the late 1950s. I highly recommend this to young readers, and especially to the young adult reader who has a grasp on history and current affairs, as they will see the deeper satirical intention that Wyndham had in mind.

Seen It (Again): The Class (2008)

The second of the five documentaries I offered for my students to view and briefly analyze is The Class (Entre les murs) (2008). Based on the 2006 novel of the same name by François Bégaudeau, this film is a semi-autobiographical "sort-of-documentary" account of a year in the author's life as a middle school French teacher in an urban Parisian school. (When I say "French," think your English class.)

I was struck by how similarly the experiences of students, teachers and parents in French public schools mirror those of individuals in American public schools. The majority of the challenges that François encountered were very reminiscent of my own experiences regarding classroom behavior, parent-teacher conferences and exhausted colleagues.

A unique facet of the film is that there are few black and white "characters." I'd go so far as to suggest that François is, himself, (though a seemingly good-natured soul if not always so toward his students) a fairly poor educator who shows little ability to reflect on his weakness as a facilitator of learning... like I mentioned, this film is very realistic. Interestingly, the film, HIS film, does not paint him as a savior to the urban culture... which in the day and age of superhero teacher fantasy films such as the manipulative Freedom Writers, is in itself refreshing.

A compelling film for anyone interested in our (The US of A) educational system, or those who are interested in seeing that despite being in a distant part of the world how similar the human experience among like nations can be despite perceived differences.

Viewing Suggestion: Avoid the dubbed version like the plague... the dubbed voice performances are terrible. It is well worth training yourself to read and watch to get the full experience.

The Class (Entre les murs) (2008) is available locally for rent through both the Monroe County (NY) Public Library System and Netflix.

'Nuff Read: How to Write A Sentence...

This fall I will begin teaching my third year of Advanced Placement Language and Composition for eleventh graders at my public school of employ. Given the sometimes dry nature of the composition's particulars and, by extension, grammar, I am always on the lookout for books that are accessible to curious high schoolers with an interest in the topics of writing and grammar.

I picked up this slight tome (only 162 pages) while at The Coop in Harvard Square, subconsciously probably so I would feel smart. How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish (ISBN-13: 9780061840548, HarperCollins Publishers) is the quintessential "smart person's book." This may be why, despite being an adequate teacher of English, the detail and grammar-ese became a little confusing for this knucklehead, especially the further along I waded into it.

Despite that, there is much useful insight into the process of teaching grammar, though the sharing of this information to younger readers/writers would likely require a more adapt teacher to even further distill the concepts down. Fish's approach to teaching the art of sentences is to use those sentences that can be seen to have either artistic or structural merit as a basis for a series of activities that facilitate the reader's development of their own sentences that mirror the exceptional qualities.  The basis for this seemingly abstract approach, is Fish's assertion that, "The sentence form is King." Fish's underlying premise is that once we grasp what the different forms are, how they work and what they do–then the rest (“the rest” being the ideas we wish to communicate) falls into place. 

Makes sense, right? In fact, as I read I could not help but to consider how this approach is similar to that which coaches at all levels of competition use in training student-athletes. Through the use of models to break up apart exemplary performance into its smaller components (for example, a well run race is the product of many variables including arm carriage, leg drive, torso position, etceteras) for instructional purposes. I like to think of this as the "Miyagi-san (Pat Morita's character in the original Karate Kid films) approach", and along the same lines the deeper into Fish's book one gets the more like a foreign language (such as Miyagi's Japaneses) the diction becomes.

To this end, throughout How to Write a Sentence..., Fish guides the reader though a series of meta-writing activities intended to illustrate the processes he is suggesting. The basis for these exercise are sentence models drawn from numerous recognizable authors such as Edgar Allen Poe and Joseph Conrad. Fish relies on these types models and exercises to reveal for the reader the beauty and complexity of sentences and to invite the reader put into practice what he preaches.

The majority of the brief exercises could be easily adaptable for use in a classroom, though a less sophisticated student might find them frustrating, especially if what has been taught previously runs counter to what Fish suggests is the best way to teach. In addition to suggesting an alternative to existing grammar teaching strategies, How to Write... offer philosophical basis for a new approach to teaching writing beginning with its smallest structural building block.

While I do recommend reading (and utilizing) How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One by Stanley Fish, the purchase of the book is likely unnecessary, especially given its wide availability in local public libraries, including my local own Monroe Public Library branches. Of course, if you are a "local yokel", drop me a line and you're welcome to borrow my copy.

Other Summer Reading Books:
Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God From Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
At the Mountains of Madness: The Definitive Edition by H.P. Lovecraft
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kankwamba

'Nuff Read: The Day of the Triffids

"When a day you know is Wednesday starts off sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere." (Opening line, The Day of the Triffids, 1951)

Once I realized that multiple copies of The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham were available for borrowing, it was a no-brainer that I'd make the quick trip to the local public library. Both of the Monroe County Public Library's Rundell Branch employees who checked my book (counter and security) commented on how they had enjoyed the film version, I assumed they were both referring to a widely seen the classic 1962 version, not the much less widely seen 2006 version starring Dougray Scott.

Though a childhood fan of the 1962 film, I came to a desire to read the novel once I was made aware that it had been a source (of sorts) for two more recent pieces I have enjoyed. Just as Wyndham acknowledged the influence of H.G. Wells writing on his own work, both the film 28 Days Later (2002), directed by Academy Award winning director of Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle, and The Walking Dead comic book and television show both share DNA with Wyndham's novel, originally published in 1951. The most obvious shared plot point is the opening of each: the protagonist awakens in a hospital bed, and, unbeknownst to him,  the world has been somehow irrevocably changed...

The Day of the Triffidsis told from the protagonist's perspective as he (Bill Masen), recounts coming to terms with these changes and begins to go about establishing a new world for himself. Along the way he falls in love, makes enemies and utilizes his pre-catastrophe professional knowledge of a strange plant creature that has been exploited for human use: the triffids of the title.

Aware of its status as a "Classic Science Fiction Novel," as further reinforced by the sticker on the edition's cover tells me so, in terms of reading experiences, this novel should have been a slam dunk summer read for me. But something happened as I read. Elegantly written, using a splendid British sensibility (as well as employing an upper level vocabulary), the story just never fully came together for me. Regrettably, for novel entitled The Day of the TRIFFIDS there just wasn't enough triffid in the novel for me.

There is so much to recommend this book as a pleasurable read and as a potential high school level reading novel that many would want to read based on its influence on more popular modern selections. The story of survivors following twin tragedies (the blinding of the majority of most of Earth's population and the rise of killer plants) is readily engaging, and, (this is a significant point, so I'll say it again) given the success of post-apocalyptic media narratives, provides an obvious hook for readers There is an abundance of SAT level (or Tier 2 if you will) vocabulary, it just reads a "smart" book, an experience that is great for students of all levels: to feel like you're reading something that in addition to being "cool" also has a high level of vocabulary.

While I invite you to read The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, I regret to tell you that I can't promise it will be the most pleasurable reading experience of your summer--but in all likelihood I missed something or didn't read it carefully enough, I suppose. Maybe for you it will click, but for me, beyond reading it as a dream school approved selection, I think that I'll stick with more recent iterations of similar ideas.

Other reecent Summer Reading:
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
At the Mountains of Madness: The Definitive Edition by H.P. Lovecraft
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kankwamba

Checked In At the Library

In many ways this blog is about going forward by looking backwards, not just at the examples set by other groups or cultures, but also those examples set by others. (Earth House Hold is also about increasing awareness of community and reducing waste on Turtle Island--both of which relate.)

Many of my happiest childhood memories revolve around visits to the public library. An avid reader herself, my mother would take my brother and I to the library once (sometimes twice) weekly. While there, we would borrow books with topics including Robin Hood, UFOs, movie monsters, Davey Crockett and Peanuts. Occasionally, Mom would allow us to borrow framed knock-offs of famous paintings which would be hung in our dining room. It was always a great feeling to "pick the painting."

We didn't have money for records and magazines and the library offered them as well: National Geographic, Mad, Cracked, Journey, Survivor, Mac Davis, Abba(?)... I even remember spending hot summer days in the small conference room at the library watching old movies on worn out screens as part of the library's "Summer Camp" program.

My mother impressed upon my brother and I the value in utilizing available community resources, and not wasting our limited funds on necessary "things." The intellectual value of the information and literary experience gained was not lessened simply because we did not own the vehicle which carried it. Through accessing products and services purchased for use by the community, good public works are supported. I am glad to see that each time I go to the library there are many folks there reading, cruising the net and renting videos and DVDs--all without cost.

A good recommendation for today: participate in the community of sharing that takes place at the public library!