We talk a lot about heroes these days. Men and women who risk their lives every day by putting out fires, entering combat zones, and enforcing laws-- we look to them most often when we hold up examples of heroism.
There is great heroism to be seen in the daily chores of being a parent. Changing diapers and wiping up drool, getting the children off to school, going to work to pay the bills, keeping a cheerful outlook, finding laughter in the most meager of materials-- these offices seem prosaic but they are essential to the nurturing of children.
I started this blog during the summer of 2011 because I was inspired by reading the blog of Roger Paw, the photographer who follows the progress of the Washington Square red-tailed hawks Bobby and Violet and their chick Pip. Today Violet has died from complications after surgery on her damaged foot. Throughout the summer and fall, Violet fulfilled her duties as a mother through pain and disability, balancing on one leg. Her perseverance was truly heroic.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Swooning with Conrad
Today is Joseph Conrad's birthday. For three weeks, I have been teaching Heart of Darkness for the first time-- and possibly the last-- and thus I have renewed my acquaintance with one of my earliest book crushes. I adored Heart of Darkness. If you had asked me why 35 years ago when I was first smitten, I would probably have said something about the image patterns, the mystery, and Marlow's emotional outbursts. Now my respect for the novel has expanded to include the tribute to the sensibilities of sailors found in the frame narrative.
I'm not much of a sailor-- I like to have my feet on the ground, and I like the smell of turned earth the way sailors like the smell of the tide. I have been fortunate to know both accomplished farmers and skilled sailors. They understand the fundamentals of survival in their different realms. It would not be fair to say that a sailor is more at the mercy of the elements than a farmer. However, perhaps because we are not aquatic, although we may once have been, we are more likely to be in awe of the power of the sea than the power of the land. Sailors know a few tricks for controlling the flow of wind and water around their crafts.
So what has changed since my first infatuation with Heart of Darkness is a greater understanding of what a man must know and the choices he must make to be a successful captain and storyteller, as Marlow is.
I'm not much of a sailor-- I like to have my feet on the ground, and I like the smell of turned earth the way sailors like the smell of the tide. I have been fortunate to know both accomplished farmers and skilled sailors. They understand the fundamentals of survival in their different realms. It would not be fair to say that a sailor is more at the mercy of the elements than a farmer. However, perhaps because we are not aquatic, although we may once have been, we are more likely to be in awe of the power of the sea than the power of the land. Sailors know a few tricks for controlling the flow of wind and water around their crafts.
So what has changed since my first infatuation with Heart of Darkness is a greater understanding of what a man must know and the choices he must make to be a successful captain and storyteller, as Marlow is.
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