With the year coming to a close, I would like to say how proud I am of all of you, and everything you accomplished this past year. If you peruse the blog and Turnitin.com you will find a considerable amount of written work, not to mention all the major novels, poems, short stories, and plays you explored. I am not sure if you noticed, but most of the pieces dealt with human relationships. I did my best to ensure that your experience transcended an “English Class” and became more about personal development. Who knew we would be going through this unprecedented world wide experience. This should help you remember that no matter what anyone tells you, it is a round world we live in. We are all in this together. Further, my experiences as a Fulbright scholar, TEA co-operating teacher, English teacher, world traveler, and Global Citizen reinforced to me that people are integrally all alike. We also read so many of the same authors. We just need the right translation. Always remember...
“We read literature to know we are not alone.”
This quotation remains with me to this day. With the focus in education shifting to more testing, factual information, and reading passages instead of complete works, I worry that people are moving away from novels. Personally, I felt misunderstood most of my life (still do) and being immersed in a novel made me feel safe. People often say “fiction is fake,” but nothing can be farther from the truth.
I am reminded of author James Baldwin, seeing him in past interviews from the documentary: I am Not Your Negro. In every interview, he tries to explain his experience and no one on the panel appears to understand. I can see why fiction became such a valuable outlet for him, another way of trying to make others see the world as it exists. Reading between the lines is vital, especially with the landscape we live in now.
I have never been much of a phone person, and I do not use social media. This year, I replaced scrolling through my phone with carrying a physical book with me. As a result, I have explored quite a few collections of poems, novels, plays, and nonfiction since January. I read The Plague by Albert Camus, Arias by Sharon Olds, reread sections of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, explored Tinkers by Paul Harding, as well as currently revisiting The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Hugo. For nonfiction, it was The Instruction and The Old Soul’s Handbook by Ainslie MacLeod, White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard to for White People to Discuss Racism by Robin Diangelo, and Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life by Joshua Fields Millburn. In every case, I found myself questioning the world around me and discovered answers in a book. I also reconnected with drawing and painting. Playing some guitar. This came from literature. Reading helped me focus, see what is important and move away from daily minutiae. I hope you will continue to read literature in your life, disconnect from the anger in the world and find peace.
Whatever you choose to do in the coming year, do your best to recognize the “ghosts” and make the best decisions for you. Life is about finding balance. Making choices, which means NOT choosing everything and enjoying nothing. A career and family. No matter what you do, you will have to choose to give one of these more of your time. Will you become a parent? Get married? Which order? None? The choice will be up to you. Know that you and you alone will choose. Be kind to yourselves. Also, if you see an opportunity to travel – take it! Explore the world. Take a cue from Ashoke Ganguli for Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake: “We all came out of Gogol’s Overcoat. One day you will understand.”
So, what is it that you need? Just remember...Everything you ever needed to learn, you learned in Mr. P.’s Class...
- Life is unfair.
- It is truth universally acknowledged that no one wants to be alone. You are not alone in this.
- Save gossip for the carriage ride home…you never know who may be listening.
- Sometimes the quiet guy at the party is not proud and disagreeable…he is just shy.
- The sister with the least drive, can have the most talent.
- More often than not, the handsome, charming man, at the party really is too good to be true.
- Life is unfair
- Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow may be a positive thing.
- Being third in charge, is all you need.
- People who prefer books to playing cards are good people, too.
- Letter writing is a lost art. The pen has power.
- Sometimes traditions, like being the Thane of Cawdor, should be retired.
- The sister with the most drive, can make it all happen, regardless of talent.
- People whose names were once thought of as honest, may one day blister our tongues. It could happen to anyone. Be humble.
- Success in marriage is a matter of chance...so, just be yourself and open for opportunities.
- The sister who is eclipsed for over one hundred years, can be appreciated in a whole new light one day.
- Life is unfair.
- There is always a subtext to the plot.
- You are a symbolic character in search of the right foil character. A confidant or confidante. Choose wisely.
- Finding the right translation is everything.
- It’s all about timing, pacing, and blocking.
- Always wear the right costume to befit the scene.
- Make sure we can hear your voice…
- …Unless it is not your turn to speak.
- Be kind to the Mr. Bingleys and Anne Brontes of the world. They may not be flashy, but they love you.
- Kill the Mr. Wickhams and Macbeths of the world…with kindness.
- Know your lines. Prepare carefully…
- …but, remember, there is something to be said about improvisation.
- Treat the dress rehearsal like a Broadway performance.
- If you screw up your lines, do not start over, just keep going.
- Sometimes we have to play Witch 3 or Mary for a while, before we are cast as Macbeth or Elizabeth Bennet.
- Some of us will NEVER be Lizzy or Macbeth and that's okay, too. We need people like Jane Bennet and Banquo because they are the ones who make it possible for main characters to exist.
- Do not disguise the best of yourself. Be seen.
- Be kind to your family and loved ones.
- Life is unfair.
- Your future is NOT mapped out for you.
- Choose a partner who respects you, one who is your most trusted friend. Not someone who asks you to kill a king, drinks your family into ruin, or has no respect on your poor nerves.
- Being kind to yourself in all the above…
- …will help you live happily ever after (Hopefully, not in a severed head/Macbeth sort of way but in a Austen/Bronte finding the love of your life kind of way).
I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors,
Mr. Pellerin
P.S. Feel free to leave a farewell comment to me and/or your classmates in this blog space.
Mr. Pellerin
P.S. Feel free to leave a farewell comment to me and/or your classmates in this blog space.
Mr. P. says, "Always remember your five-year-old essence. Be kind to yourselves."
