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Advice to Parents on their Children’s Media
For several years now I have carried around a little pocketbook called “One Hundred and One Famous Poems with a Prose Supplement.” This book has prompted many a conversation as I read a poem or a short prose selection from the book. The Covid-19 scenario has put a major damper in the number of opportunities for me to bring out this book, as I along with many others have curtailed our social lives. Being that as it may, I decided to share the following from the book: In choosing books for children these rules, recently laid down by an author of books for boys, are worth the consideration of parents: “Read your children’s books yourself. Or better still, get your boy or girl to read them aloud to you. Ask yourself during the reading: Does this book lay stress on villainy, deception, or treachery? Are all the incidents wholesome, probable, and true to life? Does it show young people contemptuous toward their elders and successfully opposing them? Do the young characters in the book show respect for teachers and others in authority? Are these characters the kind of young people you wish your children to associate with? Does the book…
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How to Read Poetry Like a Professor
Title: How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy and Sonorous Guide to Verse Author: Thomas C. Foster Published: New York: Harper Perennial, 2018 I recently read his book How to Read Novels Like a Professor, so this is my next Foster installment. I was not disappointed. He continues to educate in a light-hearted manner. Poetry is just a little different as in many can read a novel and for the most part jump right in with one go and get the gist of it. But poetry is a different animal. Personally, I love poetry. Foster explores the definition of poetry, how it “uses language to take us to a place beyond language… and reading poetry requires more than just your brain.”[1] Now this doesnt really give us a definition of poetry, but it gives you the idea that were dealing with a different type of animal. Poetry is almost a different language, or it can appear that way. I like to see it going beyond language. I do agree with Foster that it is best to read poetry out loud. Especially when first starting out with a new poem. Also, a good piece of advice he gives is…
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Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Today is the feast of my local parish’s patron saint, St. John the Baptist. It being a weekday we had a morning Mass, which I normally attend, and a special evening Mass due to this solemn occasion. I was able to attend both. Today also marks the first novena I have ever completed, the novena of St. John the Baptist. A novena is a prayer over a span of nine consecutive days. It is usually timed so that it ends on a special feast day. It is a traditional Catholic prayer and I may have done one when I was a child in grade school, but I do not remember doing one. Focusing, meditating, praying, and pondering over the life of St. John the Baptist over these last nine days has given me pause to rethink about my own life. When am I called to be a “voice in the wilderness?” Am I proclaiming “Behold the Lamb of God” for all those who need to hear it in my life? I think of John leaping for joy in his mother’s womb when Mary pregnant with Jesus arrives for the Visitation. Do I leap for joy? May we all be filled…
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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Today was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This is a very important day for Catholics as it represents one of our core beliefs, the real presence of Christ in the body and blood at Communion. Today at Mass I happened to be both a greeter and an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist. Since our patron saint is St. John the Baptist and his feast day is tomorrow, we also had fellowship after Mass. This consisted of beverages, donuts, and cookies. A nice time to meet and talk with those you know and any new faces that you might not know. I wish more people took advantage of it, but unfortunately, many left right after Mass. Perhaps they had other pressing things to attend to. I am not trying to judge; it is just that I feel it was a missed opportunity. I was born and raised a Catholic, but I drifted away over the years and it was not till 5-6 years ago that I earnestly “came home.” It really did feel like home. It is one of the tales where you go off and search every where else only to find that what…
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The Adventures of Augie March
Title: The Adventures of Augie March Author: Saul Bellow Published: New York: The Viking Press, 1953 I am an American, Chicago born – Chicago, that somber city – and go at things as I have taught myself, free-style, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent. But a man’s character is his fate, says Heraclitus, and in the end there isn’t any way to disguise the nature of the knocks by acoustical work on the door or gloving the knuckles.[1] And that my friends is how Bellow begins The Adventures of Augie March. It truly is an American story. One that captures the hopes, dreams, and disappointments that many may experience. The characters are alive and believable. There is a little bit of Augie in each of us I believe. We want to do our own thing and make the best of life, but very often we are carried along by the current. It is almost as if the inevitable has a way of grabbing us by the coattails and dragging us along. The experiences and encounters that Augie experience are very wide in what…
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The Everlasting Man
Title: The Everlasting Man Author: G. K. Chesterton Published: Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1974 (Originally 1925) There are two parts of this book, “On the Creature Called Man,” which points out how special mankind is in relation to all other creatures, and the second part, “On the Man Called Christ,” which points out how special Christianity is to all other religions and myths. Now I believe Chesterton did not write this with the aim of instructing those that are already enlightened and members of the Christian way. But rather, he had in mind those lost souls who were bored, confused, or perhaps even intolerant of Christianity. He understood that they may be too close to the issue and their senses had become deadened and that they no longer were able to feel wonderment at what is truly wonderful. It is also written to the crowd that may have been caught up in Darwinism or those that just couldn’t see mankind as special anymore. So, he provided a path by starting outside and looking in. If one is having trouble understanding something it is usually best to try a different angle or paradigm. On reading this I thought I would have…
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Grendel
Title: Grendel Author: John Gardner Published: New York: Vintage Books, 1989 I’m back. For the last three hours I have been Grendel. Caught up in the story by John Gardner. From its opening page it held me spellbound. My heart is racing. I am caught up in the story. I close the book, lean back in my recliner and take a deep breath. Slowly my breathing returns to normal. I hear the clock ticking on the wall. The sounds of birds outside. The faraway sound of highway traffic. Reality returns to me. Gardner weaves a spellbinding story of the creature Grendel from the story of Beowulf. From the first page I was hooked. The many anachronisms just seemed to naturally fit and become part of a mystical weave that Gardner created. It is a philosophical work, one that is sure to bring questions. I wrestled with Grendel as he struggled to understand and give a meaning to his life. He covers a wide scope of Western philosophy over the ages. I feel it would be a good conversation starter for a class of students. Let them all read it and discuss what they identified with, what they struggled with, and…
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Maps of Meaning
Title: Maps of Meaning Author: Jordan B. Peterson Published: New York: Routledge, 1999 This book has deepened my perception of myths, archetypes, dreams, and ultimately how I understand myself and those around me. It presented a new perspective on how I look at fear and the unknown. Peterson presents his book as a process of discovery. Through personal revelations, thoughts, dreams, and even a letter to his Dad, he takes us on a journey of discovery. “Our most fundamental maps of meaning – maps which have a narrative structure – portray the motivational value of our current state, conceived of in contrast to a hypothetical ideal, accompanied by plans of action, which are our pragmatic notions about how to get what we want.”[1] We have where we are, where we want to go, and how we plan to get there. Whether we realize it or not we have maps that we use every day. The comfortable map of what we know versus that which is not on our map, the unknown. This unknown is the chaos that surrounds us. Fear is not conditioned; security is unlearned, in the presence of particular things or contexts, as a consequence of violation of…
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Clump of Cells?
My brother James called me this morning to vent some frustration he felt on a conversation he had on social media with a lady who is pro-choice. He complained of her calling the fetus just a “clump of cells.” The woman claimed she had an abortion in the past and was proud of this fact. My brother argued back that aren’t we all a “clump of cells?” One would think that arguing that the fetus is just a clump of cells is really a very poor argument. I do admire my brother for standing up and voicing his opinion and attempting to engage with others. Unfortunately, the argument degenerated into name calling and my brother was frustrated as he would really like a real debate or dialogue as to why this woman thought it was okay to have an abortion. Perhaps she did answer his question in a way. The answer is a devaluing of human life. In an age where we claim that we are sensitive to the sacredness of every individual and their unique value, we seem to practice just the opposite. A civilized society honors the individual, especially its weakest members. Let’s face it, none of us…
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Who took the treasure? Exploring the mystery of missing literature in our libraries
Libraries. A place of learning and a repository of knowledge. The other day I visited one of our local branches with my son and grandchildren. While he was returning books and looking for new ones I strolled around the place. I had not been in this particular branch in over a decade. I was surprised at how open it was. Lots of free space. The shelves were half covered with books. The children’s section was huge. Several people were on computers playing games or web browsing. There was the large section of movies and audiobooks. I made my way to the actual book collection. The fiction section was the dominant part with just a small part for non-fiction. As I browsed the fiction books, I noticed many contemporary authors and multiple copies of their books. I walked through the aisles looking for classics or time-honored works. I am a firm believer in classics. They give us a good litmus test to judge contemporary works. After going up and down all the rows of books I walked up to the desk to ask for some help. The young lady behind the counter was very pleasant and seemed eager to help me. …
