As I started to think about what I wanted Blog Post #15 (the last one!) to be, I tossed a few ideas back and forth- Did I want it to be something more creative (as in creating something)? Did I want it to be reflective? I thought about having you write the stereotypical letter to a rising freshman, or to your future self. I thought about having you compliment one another, but then I didn't know if that would get a bit awkward or forced.
However, the more we look at Whitman and Leaves of Grass, I realize that there isn't really a set anything that I can ask you to do. It's really more of a rally or challenge, a charge, much like Whitman leaves us over and over again. For Blog Post #15, I'm only going to give you one phrase (really two...I'm a girl who likes options): It was OR I was. All I'm asking is that you use these phrases (or just one of the phrases) for a jumping off point for this final blog. You can do whatever you want in the space- a Vlog, a collage, a poem, a letter, a reflection; simply leave your mark, a looking-back or a looking-forward (I am reminded of Whitman's words in "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry": "These and all else were to me the same as they are to you,/ I loved well those cities, loved well the stately and rapid river,/ The men and women I saw were all near to me,/ Others the same- others who look back on me because I look'd forward to them,/ (The time will come, though I stop here to-day and to-night").
A side note to get you started: I write a letter to my seniors every year because I'm nerdy and normally nostalgic at the end of the year. Here's a bit of what I wrote to 2014's group:
1. “We must be cautious about passing moral judgment upon the Gileadean. Surely we have learned by now that such judgements are of necessity culture-specific...our job is not to censure but to understand.” – The Handmaid’s Tale, “Historical Notes on the Handmaid’s Tale”
Y’all know how I feel about Atwood/ The Handmaid’s Tale, but indulge me one more time with this one- is there really any better advice than “our job is not to censure but to understand”? * Nolite te bastardes carborandorum is also good to remember in times of frustration...or if you are losing a game of sexy Scrabble. *
2. “Grendel is no braver, no stronger/ Than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not,/ Easy as it would be. This fiend is a bold/ And famous fighter, but his claws and teeth…/Beating at my sword blade would be helpless. I will meet/ With my hands empty-unless his heart/ Fails him, seeing a soldier waiting/ Weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom/ Extend His hand where He wills, reward/ Whom he chooses!” – Beowulf, lines 491-701
Don’t be afraid to show weakness- I think vulnerability and honesty are some of the most powerful traits we can offer one another. Also know that you are just as valuable as the next person- sure, the other guy might have an angry monster-mama to back him up, but you have an IB Diploma. Get at me, Grendel/college/life.
3. “This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart/ As greet as it had been a thunder-dent.” – The Canterbury Tales, “The Miller’s Tale” (Translation: This Nicholas then let fly a fart/ As great as if it had been a clap of thunder)
Laugh! One of the things that stuck with me this year was when Brian said something to the effect of, “No one in IB laughs.” I don’t think you need to fart or stab anyone with a red-hot poker, but do find someone to laugh with and something to laugh at. It makes you a more likable person #teammiller #justsaynotothereeve
4. “Yet I will try the last. Before my body/ I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff,/ And damn’d be him that first cries, ‘Hold, enough!’” – Macbeth, Act V, scene viii
While I am not advocating that you take advice from three hobo-witches you meet on the wild heath, I do think you should stand for what you believe in. If you truly think you are meant to be the King of Scotland, keep trying. However, also know that it’s okay to accept failure (especially if you notice the forest moving up to kill you…that also might be the time you call it a night).
5. “You start a question, and it’s like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of the hill and away the stone goes, starting others…” – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Chapter 1
We’ve got a semi-Sisyphus situation going on here. Even though Stevenson is talking about starting rumors, let’s look at it as if he’s talking about questioning only. My one hope for you is that you never stop learning- you don’t always have to love it, but at least keep doing it (and maybe with that you also find something you love learning about. Roll that stone up the hill, Sisyphus, but also don’t forget to watch to roll back down and take a moment to appreciate what you’ve accomplished and what you’re about to start. Just don’t Jekyll it up and squash people with your stone. At least not on purpose.
6. “A part of us stayed like that: fearful of the world around us, and-no matter how much we despised ourselves for it- unable quite to let each other go.” -Never Let Me Go
Remember who you are and where you've come from; remember what you’ve accomplished. You have done amazing things and you will continue to do amazing things. Help and support one another. Be cautious, but also don’t be afraid to leap into the unknown. This incredible life you are leading is not yet complete (Get it? Complete? Pun.).
7. “If something is going to happen to me, I want to be there.” – The Stranger
Be present. It is easy to question Meursault’s sanity, but he sort of was on to something. Is it best to go through life anticipating what the next or better thing will be, or is it best to appreciate what is before you in that moment? .........As you write, think about what verse you will contribute!
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