A co-worker saw the copy of Jonathan Kozol's The Shame of the Nation on my desk the other day and commented that reading the book would make me want to go teach in one of the inner city school's Kozol describes in his book.
He was right. That is the reaction I had when I first started reading, a feeling of guilt that, as a teacher, I am not doing enough to help the students who truly need it. Students like the ones Kozol describes who go to school where "silent lunches had been instituted...and silent recess...as well" (65). Students whose teachers, with little training and/or background in teaching, often leave unexpectedly mid-way through the year. Students who are pointed out at assemblies as being "Level Fours" or "Level Threes" or "Level Twos" based on their ability to meet the district's standards, who are defined by their skills or lack there of. Students whose experience of school is so regulated that, as Kozol described one school visit, "No one laughed. No child made a funny face to somebody beside her. Neither [the teacher] nor his assistant laughed..." (70). For these students, school is about order and rules and silence and compliance. It is not about learning and fun and relationships with peers and adults.
And then I switched to reading The New Jim Crow and came upon this passage:
"It is time for an honest look at the problem of order in the United States. Dissent is a necessary
ingredient of change, but in a system of government that provides for peaceful change, there is no
cause that justifies resort to violence. ..So I pledge to you, we shall have order in the United
States." (46-47).
Michelle Alexander includes this quote from one of Nixon's 1968 campaign ads to highlight how politicians' focus on being tough on crime led to the increased number of African Americans in prisons in the next few decades.
Reading this, I saw a distrubing link to Kozol's description of predominately African American schools in urban areas, where teachers follow scripted lessons that allow for no creativity or spontaneity, have a "zero noise salute" (66) to quell the whispers of students, and have "little chance to draw upon their own inventiveness or normal conversational abilities" (Kozol 71).
In both situations, the focus is on order, on compliance. Both texts argue that this emphasis on order negatively and disproportionately affects African Americans, in one case through tougher laws that imprison African Americans at much higher rates, and in the other by leading to schools where students and learning are not the focus but order is, a situation not to be found in most well-funded and predominantly white schools.
And so, yes, I feel guilty as I read Kozol and teach in a school where I have autonomy over my lessons, my grading, my interactions with students, and the environment of my classroom.
But I also feel lucky, as I don't know if I would be strong enough to teach in such a setting. Last year, I bemoaned the lack of window shades in my classroom that made it difficult to project images, whether power points or films. But I had access to technology; I had the means by which to make complaints. I had the flexibility and autonomy to show what I wanted in my room in the first place.
This year, I've complained about the fact that the heat is always on in my room. But I can open a window. I can joke with my students about the sauna that is my classroom. I can take them outside if I want to.
I am all for order, as my students will attest to, but too much of anything, order included, is never good.
And school, with students, with children, is not supposed to be about order. It's supposed to be about learning. About creativity and teachable moments.
And I feel lucky that I am able to teach in a school that values these aspects of education.
Sadly, not all teachers and students are.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Thursday, March 15, 2018
One adventure in blogging done, a new one yet to come
Recently, my AP Lit class finished their independent novel blog assignments. This is the third year I've assigned blogging to my AP Lit students, and, once again, it is an assignment that makes me proud of my students.
One of the reasons I love it is because of the voice that students discover (or perhaps just feel allowed to use) in blogging. They can crack a joke, link to pop culture, include gifs and memes. Their blogs feel like theirs, not something that I've really assigned and dictated.
Another benefit is the amount of writing and critical analysis they do. It's so much more than I ask for when I assign the novel and then require them to write about it. Don't get me wrong, I could ask them to write a response on each of the same topics as we read a novel, but I think they would complain about it. A lot. But I don't hear much complaining during the blog assignment. Perhaps it's because it is their only homework during the unit (in class we're reading Macbeth). Perhaps it's because they feel ownership over the writing and the product.
There are a few aspects of the project I'd still like to fine tune, one of which is to open them up to a wider audience than just their classmates and their teacher. I do share the links with the building staff, but that doesn't go too far. What I'd love is to link up with another teacher in another school and have students blog together. I know there are teachers that do this through Twitter. I just have to get this set up ahead of time next year.
This success in AP Lit has led to the adventure in blogging that is just beginning. I'm teaching AP Language and Composition for the first time, and I have decided to mirror the assignment, with some tweaks of course, with my juniors.
They will be reading 1 of 3 non-fiction works that focuses on issues related to race: The New Jim Crow, Race, or The Shame of the Nation. Each book approaches the topic of race from a slightly different angle, the justice system, history/society, and education, respectively.
My hope is that students will use the blogs to process their responses to their independent reading, to link their reading to the readings and discussions we've had in class, and to do what my AP Lit students have done: find their voice and their own critical thinking and reading skills.
There's really not much more I can hope for from an assignment, so I look forward to what will happen.
One of the reasons I love it is because of the voice that students discover (or perhaps just feel allowed to use) in blogging. They can crack a joke, link to pop culture, include gifs and memes. Their blogs feel like theirs, not something that I've really assigned and dictated.
Another benefit is the amount of writing and critical analysis they do. It's so much more than I ask for when I assign the novel and then require them to write about it. Don't get me wrong, I could ask them to write a response on each of the same topics as we read a novel, but I think they would complain about it. A lot. But I don't hear much complaining during the blog assignment. Perhaps it's because it is their only homework during the unit (in class we're reading Macbeth). Perhaps it's because they feel ownership over the writing and the product.
There are a few aspects of the project I'd still like to fine tune, one of which is to open them up to a wider audience than just their classmates and their teacher. I do share the links with the building staff, but that doesn't go too far. What I'd love is to link up with another teacher in another school and have students blog together. I know there are teachers that do this through Twitter. I just have to get this set up ahead of time next year.
This success in AP Lit has led to the adventure in blogging that is just beginning. I'm teaching AP Language and Composition for the first time, and I have decided to mirror the assignment, with some tweaks of course, with my juniors.
They will be reading 1 of 3 non-fiction works that focuses on issues related to race: The New Jim Crow, Race, or The Shame of the Nation. Each book approaches the topic of race from a slightly different angle, the justice system, history/society, and education, respectively.
My hope is that students will use the blogs to process their responses to their independent reading, to link their reading to the readings and discussions we've had in class, and to do what my AP Lit students have done: find their voice and their own critical thinking and reading skills.
There's really not much more I can hope for from an assignment, so I look forward to what will happen.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Blogging in AP English, Take 2
Last year, my AP English students created blogs for independent reading books. This was the first time this had occurred in my classes, and I was a bit concerned about giving up control. However, the blog activity turned out to be a success. The students were thoughtful about the reading that they completed, and many of them were able to write in ways that I had not seen before, demonstrating a sense of audience and style that the essays I had previously assigned had not allowed for.
At the end of the project, I asked the students for some feedback, some of which I am implementing with this year's blog assignments.
Students are reading a book along with at least one other student.
Students can respond to their peers' blogs multiple times.
I am not blogging with the students.
At the end of the project, I asked the students for some feedback, some of which I am implementing with this year's blog assignments.
Students are reading a book along with at least one other student.
When I originally conceived of this assignment, my intention was that it would be like an on-line
literature circle for the students. However, last year's students were insistent on reading a book of their own choosing. At the end of the assignment, though, they admitted that it would have been nice to have someone else to discuss their book with besides me. This year, therefore, students still have choice in what they read, but they do have to read a book in conjunction with at least one other student. This didn't seem to be a concern for too many students.
Students can respond to their peers' blogs multiple times.
Last year, I had students reply to different bloggers every week. Students felt that this made it difficult for them to follow a peer's blog, to follow their ideas about their novels. This year, therefore, the requirements about blogging are a bit different. Students have to respond to two posts per week, and, over the course of the assignment, need to respond to at least two posts about books they are not reading.
This is probably the element of the assignment that I need to tweak the most, as I want students
responding to each other about their shared books, but I also want them to get a sense of what their
classmates are reading, as well as to see connections between and among the various books the
class as a whole is reading.
I am not blogging with the students.
Since this was a new assignment for me last year, I wanted to work my way through the process of blogging with the students. And, though it was rather unbelievable for my students, I also missed writing about books. Blogging with the students last year helped me to understand how Blogger works and what issues they might have while they blogged. It was a very helpful experience.
However, this year I just don't know how I would find the time. With an independent study during
one of my planning periods, an English Language Arts Curriculum Committee after school a few
times per month, and a NEASC visit in March, not to mention the daily prep and grading that
goes along with my classes, I sadly don't know how I would manage.
I am still reading one of the books that a few students are reading, as I am not familiar with it, but
I think that's the most I will be able to handle this year. I will try to blog a bit about the process, but I make no promises.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
On the eve of summer vacation
The end of a school year is a chaotic time. As I wrap up one year, which means giving and grading final exams, remediating competencies, counting books, cleaning my classroom, I inevitably start thinking about the following year and my goals for the classes I will teach. What will I keep? What will I change?
Once answer I've arrived at for what to change for next year is my approach to writing with my classes. As none of the classes I teach are exclusively focused on writing, I've tried to blend the reading analysis and the writing practice. I say "tried" because I haven't found a way to manage a balance. What usually gets lost is the writing process as it appears in a workshop-style class.
An experience last week, when I was working with 4 students to revise or write essays they needed for competency, reminded me of how much I love teaching writing, but also how impossible a task it is when class sizes hover around 20. For those 4 students, that hour and a half they spent with me after their exams were done for the day was probably more helpful than all of the writing instruction I'd given them in class either that year or that semester.
That last statement is hard for me to admit. I feel like I do a pretty good job teaching students how to write, but I know that I can do better.
But I won't have class sizes of 4 next year, so how do I manage the kind of one-on-one attention that is so essential to developing student writers. Each writer is in a different place, needs different instruction, and I am only one person. In an hour and a half (longer than my class periods during the year), I was able to get to each student, read what he/she had written, ask them questions about what they meant. They were able to ask me questions about quote integration, citations, topic sentences, transitions.
All good stuff. But how do I find the time to do all that good stuff in 75 minute classes, with 16 or 17 students in the room.
Honestly, I can't.
But I can schedule time with them outside of class. I can provide more time in class, give more feedback on the first, second, and third drafts than on the final draft where, as the name suggests (though it's not really true), students feel as though what they've written is final and so the feedback serves little purpose.
All of this eats up time, both the class's time and my own, as much of that feedback I will have to write after school and on weekends. This will probably mean that, in class, we read less and write more. It will mean that my feedback will have to be specific and focused.
What's another solution that would allow student writers to get feedback on their writing, would allow teachers to give that feedback in a small setting, during the school day, so that they don't have to devote hours outside of school to feedback?
A writing center.
So one of my goals for next year is to begin the process of developing a writing center in the school. Perhaps as a duty for teachers, perhaps as an opportunity for students to tutor. The logistics aren't fully clear to me yet, but at least the goal is.
And, at the end of the year, when I'm tired and the year seems to have gone on too long, I am grateful to have a clear reminder of one of the reasons I wanted to be an English teacher in the first place: I love working with students on writing.
I'd love to hear about how other teachers and schools have incorporated writing centers or work with students on writing.
Once answer I've arrived at for what to change for next year is my approach to writing with my classes. As none of the classes I teach are exclusively focused on writing, I've tried to blend the reading analysis and the writing practice. I say "tried" because I haven't found a way to manage a balance. What usually gets lost is the writing process as it appears in a workshop-style class.
An experience last week, when I was working with 4 students to revise or write essays they needed for competency, reminded me of how much I love teaching writing, but also how impossible a task it is when class sizes hover around 20. For those 4 students, that hour and a half they spent with me after their exams were done for the day was probably more helpful than all of the writing instruction I'd given them in class either that year or that semester.
That last statement is hard for me to admit. I feel like I do a pretty good job teaching students how to write, but I know that I can do better.
But I won't have class sizes of 4 next year, so how do I manage the kind of one-on-one attention that is so essential to developing student writers. Each writer is in a different place, needs different instruction, and I am only one person. In an hour and a half (longer than my class periods during the year), I was able to get to each student, read what he/she had written, ask them questions about what they meant. They were able to ask me questions about quote integration, citations, topic sentences, transitions.
All good stuff. But how do I find the time to do all that good stuff in 75 minute classes, with 16 or 17 students in the room.
Honestly, I can't.
But I can schedule time with them outside of class. I can provide more time in class, give more feedback on the first, second, and third drafts than on the final draft where, as the name suggests (though it's not really true), students feel as though what they've written is final and so the feedback serves little purpose.
All of this eats up time, both the class's time and my own, as much of that feedback I will have to write after school and on weekends. This will probably mean that, in class, we read less and write more. It will mean that my feedback will have to be specific and focused.
What's another solution that would allow student writers to get feedback on their writing, would allow teachers to give that feedback in a small setting, during the school day, so that they don't have to devote hours outside of school to feedback?
A writing center.
So one of my goals for next year is to begin the process of developing a writing center in the school. Perhaps as a duty for teachers, perhaps as an opportunity for students to tutor. The logistics aren't fully clear to me yet, but at least the goal is.
And, at the end of the year, when I'm tired and the year seems to have gone on too long, I am grateful to have a clear reminder of one of the reasons I wanted to be an English teacher in the first place: I love working with students on writing.
I'd love to hear about how other teachers and schools have incorporated writing centers or work with students on writing.
Friday, January 30, 2015
But you said "results"
Glad you were paying attention.
The other conclusion I've come to is that I am going to continue this blogging assignment next year with my AP students, and I may re-visit the idea of blogs with this class of AP kids.
I asked my students to provide some feedback on their experience blogging. While there were a few who were not enamored with the blogging activity (great example of a litote if you feel like looking up a rhetorical device), on the whole students enjoyed the experience.
The biggest takeaways for me:
1. Students appreciated having a say in what they read and, when they chose something they enjoyed reading, saw the blogging activity as more enjoyable than typical reading and writing assignments.
2. Students felt that, for the most part, their analysis skills improved because they analyzing on their own.
3. Students liked writing in "blog voice," rather than academic voice, and I really liked reading their academic casual style far more.
4. Students had a voice; even if they are quiet in class, students communicated clearly in their blog posts, and it was wonderful to hear from them.
5. Some students are way better at blogging than I am. I was so impressed by what some of my students put together, both in terms of the style of their blogs and the content.
6. I loved having conversations about books to choose with the students. I love talking about books anyway, and some of them chose books that I've since added to my reading list.
7. I can let go of a bit of control and put the responsibility on the students. (More about this later)
Some suggestions for next time:
1. Interestingly, one of the number one suggestions was to have students read books in small groups, so other students were reading the same book and they would have someone to discuss the book with.
I find this piece of feedback especially interesting because this was my original idea, as a totally independent reading experience is just that, independent. It's nice to have people to talk to about books.
Also, it's really nice to feel like they need me! They recognized, through this experience, the benefit of having an "expert" to guide them far more than they would have had otherwise. Working in small groups would also create lots of little experts.
2. The comments: many of the students felt the requirement to comment on different students' blog was frustrating, as they wanted to follow one particular blog. However, I wanted to avoid, as much as possible, the friends following friends phenomenon that would happen if they could comment on anyone's blog they wanted to. Having small groups reading the same book might eliminate some of this problem.
3. Easing up on my control and responsibility for their work did not work for some students. Many rose to the challenge, but there were a few who took the looseness of some of the parameters as a bit of a break, focused on other classes, etc. and are paying the price now that the end of the project is nigh. Perhaps some checkpoint grades along the way would help, but certainly managing time and meeting deadlines set up a month ahead is an important skill that will help these high school seniors when they become college freshmen.
4. Don't have blog posts due on Friday night because not only do I not really want to spend my Friday night blogging, but these are high school students. They don't want to do that either. Though of course, there's nothing that said they (or I) couldn't have posted last night, but procrastination?
The other conclusion I've come to is that I am going to continue this blogging assignment next year with my AP students, and I may re-visit the idea of blogs with this class of AP kids.
I asked my students to provide some feedback on their experience blogging. While there were a few who were not enamored with the blogging activity (great example of a litote if you feel like looking up a rhetorical device), on the whole students enjoyed the experience.
The biggest takeaways for me:
1. Students appreciated having a say in what they read and, when they chose something they enjoyed reading, saw the blogging activity as more enjoyable than typical reading and writing assignments.
2. Students felt that, for the most part, their analysis skills improved because they analyzing on their own.
3. Students liked writing in "blog voice," rather than academic voice, and I really liked reading their academic casual style far more.
4. Students had a voice; even if they are quiet in class, students communicated clearly in their blog posts, and it was wonderful to hear from them.
5. Some students are way better at blogging than I am. I was so impressed by what some of my students put together, both in terms of the style of their blogs and the content.
6. I loved having conversations about books to choose with the students. I love talking about books anyway, and some of them chose books that I've since added to my reading list.
7. I can let go of a bit of control and put the responsibility on the students. (More about this later)
Some suggestions for next time:
1. Interestingly, one of the number one suggestions was to have students read books in small groups, so other students were reading the same book and they would have someone to discuss the book with.
I find this piece of feedback especially interesting because this was my original idea, as a totally independent reading experience is just that, independent. It's nice to have people to talk to about books.
Also, it's really nice to feel like they need me! They recognized, through this experience, the benefit of having an "expert" to guide them far more than they would have had otherwise. Working in small groups would also create lots of little experts.
2. The comments: many of the students felt the requirement to comment on different students' blog was frustrating, as they wanted to follow one particular blog. However, I wanted to avoid, as much as possible, the friends following friends phenomenon that would happen if they could comment on anyone's blog they wanted to. Having small groups reading the same book might eliminate some of this problem.
3. Easing up on my control and responsibility for their work did not work for some students. Many rose to the challenge, but there were a few who took the looseness of some of the parameters as a bit of a break, focused on other classes, etc. and are paying the price now that the end of the project is nigh. Perhaps some checkpoint grades along the way would help, but certainly managing time and meeting deadlines set up a month ahead is an important skill that will help these high school seniors when they become college freshmen.
4. Don't have blog posts due on Friday night because not only do I not really want to spend my Friday night blogging, but these are high school students. They don't want to do that either. Though of course, there's nothing that said they (or I) couldn't have posted last night, but procrastination?
The Results Are In...
I suppose "results" isn't really the right word. It's more like I've reached some conclusions.
One conclusion I've come to is that I would not assign On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee to my AP students. This is not to suggest that it is not AP worthy, though.
Let me explain.
Currently, my AP students read two dystopia novels: Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale. They start BNW over the summer, and we finish it together in the first week of school. Then we read The Handmaid's Tale. They are great novels to start with as there is some built in interest in dystopias on the part of students and, particularly with Atwood's novel, the book is compelling enough that students (generally) put up with the complexities of the narrative and so I am able to introduce them to many of the stylistic devices that I want them to pay attention to for the remainder of the year: allusions, syntax, repetition, motif, foils. I also pair these two novels to give them some perspective and contrast when it comes to dystopia fiction.
On Such a Full Sea is another dystopia, and I, myself, am a little tired of reading dystopia lit, so I can only imagine how my students would feel about reading a third negative view of the future. There would be some interesting points of contrast with Lee's novel, as it is certainly not as bleak as the other novels, and in many ways the people and societies of the novel resemble our own more than Huxley or Atwood's novel. And Lee's writing, though it has far fewer flourishes than Atwood's and it far more spare and less experimental than the other two authors', is certainly powerful in its articulation. There's also that really interesting first-person collective narrator, which would be fun to analyze with students.
But, 400+ pages is just too long. I'd have to spend too much of the precious time I have with students on this one novel and, rewarding as such an experience may be, I want to introduce my students to a variety of texts. A long novel gets in the way of that goal.
I will, however, add On Such a Full Sea to the suggested reading list for AP students. It is accessible and interesting, offering unique perspectives and raising important questions about how we go through our lives.
One conclusion I've come to is that I would not assign On Such a Full Sea by Chang-Rae Lee to my AP students. This is not to suggest that it is not AP worthy, though.
Let me explain.
Currently, my AP students read two dystopia novels: Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale. They start BNW over the summer, and we finish it together in the first week of school. Then we read The Handmaid's Tale. They are great novels to start with as there is some built in interest in dystopias on the part of students and, particularly with Atwood's novel, the book is compelling enough that students (generally) put up with the complexities of the narrative and so I am able to introduce them to many of the stylistic devices that I want them to pay attention to for the remainder of the year: allusions, syntax, repetition, motif, foils. I also pair these two novels to give them some perspective and contrast when it comes to dystopia fiction.
On Such a Full Sea is another dystopia, and I, myself, am a little tired of reading dystopia lit, so I can only imagine how my students would feel about reading a third negative view of the future. There would be some interesting points of contrast with Lee's novel, as it is certainly not as bleak as the other novels, and in many ways the people and societies of the novel resemble our own more than Huxley or Atwood's novel. And Lee's writing, though it has far fewer flourishes than Atwood's and it far more spare and less experimental than the other two authors', is certainly powerful in its articulation. There's also that really interesting first-person collective narrator, which would be fun to analyze with students.
But, 400+ pages is just too long. I'd have to spend too much of the precious time I have with students on this one novel and, rewarding as such an experience may be, I want to introduce my students to a variety of texts. A long novel gets in the way of that goal.
I will, however, add On Such a Full Sea to the suggested reading list for AP students. It is accessible and interesting, offering unique perspectives and raising important questions about how we go through our lives.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Another Ambiguous Ending
After reading The Handmaid's Tale and Song of Solomon with my AP students, I should be used to ambiguous endings. And as I neared the end of On Such a Full Sea, I knew that I was most likely in for another one. Unless some deux ex machina (god from the machine) appeared to tie up all the loose threads of the story, there was no way I would get the closure I wanted (though I did get some).
And what did I want closure about?
1. What happens to Reg? Would he and Fan be reunited?
Turns out he has been captured by the drug companies, seeking to discover if he's C-free and has the secret to curing the residents of the charter cities, or perhaps ensuring that they can't be cured, so that they have to keep paying outrageous amounts for their treatments. Cynical, yes, but the book gives a pretty cynical perspective of capitalism, or industry, of human nature.
2. Who is the "we"? and do the residents of B-Mor ever rebel against the power of the charter cities? against the prescribed and contained lives they live?
While I never found out the specifics of the narration, the "we" tells us that "The act and moment are gone" (390). While there was movement toward an overthrow of the normal order, much like John's attempt to throw out all the soma in Brave New World, it all ends with a whimper. There is no bang, no overthrow. Instead people return to the "typical habit of [their] lives..." and the rebellions seems "like a dream, irrepresibly vivid and captivating when it was happening but now nearly impossible to remember..." (390).
[Interestingly, this last quote very nearly describes my experience with the novel as a whole. I finished it a week and a half ago, and while I enjoyed the reading of it and found aspects of it very powerful, it is not a novel that has left a lasting mark.]
And why do they submit so easily to the way things used to be? Because those in power, the directorate, "has reversed some of the more disheartening measures of recent times" (389). The status quo, the comfort zone, has been returned to the people of B-Mor, and so they fall back into their old ways. Familiarity, tradition, routine: all of these are immensely compforting and make change incredibly difficult, in the novel and in our own lives.
3. And, of course, I want to know what happens to Fan.
Fan, who has somehow influenced every person she's met without, for the most part, being impacted in return. Fan, months pregnant now, with no one really the wiser. Fan, who wanders around in search of Reg, then in search of a long-lost brother she's never met, whom she ends up meeting in the charter city she winds up in, who takes her in and is inspired to re-create his B-Mor life, who promises to help her find Reg.
Of course, things do not turn out as she, or her brother, or the reader, intends. Once again, Lee throws at us both the horrors and the heroism of human nature. From the beginning of the book to the end, Lee has created complex, flawed characters, characters who repel us with their cruelty and those who draw us in due to their kindness. And so it is in life too. One only has to watch the news to see what horrific things people are capable of, but we know too that is only part of the story.
These thematic ideas speak to me, as they have in other novels, because I am fascinated by this aspect of people, by what makes them do the things they do. I am no different from most, just trying to come to terms with the big questions, the biggest of all being "why."
While literature gives me answers to these questions, I can't come to terms with all of the answers, can't fathom some of them.
I have, however, come to terms with that group narrator-a Greek chorus of sorts that speaks to us about our strengths, our follies, that forces us to not only follow the characters of the novel but to also look inward, at our own tendencies.
And what did I want closure about?
1. What happens to Reg? Would he and Fan be reunited?
Turns out he has been captured by the drug companies, seeking to discover if he's C-free and has the secret to curing the residents of the charter cities, or perhaps ensuring that they can't be cured, so that they have to keep paying outrageous amounts for their treatments. Cynical, yes, but the book gives a pretty cynical perspective of capitalism, or industry, of human nature.
2. Who is the "we"? and do the residents of B-Mor ever rebel against the power of the charter cities? against the prescribed and contained lives they live?
While I never found out the specifics of the narration, the "we" tells us that "The act and moment are gone" (390). While there was movement toward an overthrow of the normal order, much like John's attempt to throw out all the soma in Brave New World, it all ends with a whimper. There is no bang, no overthrow. Instead people return to the "typical habit of [their] lives..." and the rebellions seems "like a dream, irrepresibly vivid and captivating when it was happening but now nearly impossible to remember..." (390).
[Interestingly, this last quote very nearly describes my experience with the novel as a whole. I finished it a week and a half ago, and while I enjoyed the reading of it and found aspects of it very powerful, it is not a novel that has left a lasting mark.]
And why do they submit so easily to the way things used to be? Because those in power, the directorate, "has reversed some of the more disheartening measures of recent times" (389). The status quo, the comfort zone, has been returned to the people of B-Mor, and so they fall back into their old ways. Familiarity, tradition, routine: all of these are immensely compforting and make change incredibly difficult, in the novel and in our own lives.
3. And, of course, I want to know what happens to Fan.
Fan, who has somehow influenced every person she's met without, for the most part, being impacted in return. Fan, months pregnant now, with no one really the wiser. Fan, who wanders around in search of Reg, then in search of a long-lost brother she's never met, whom she ends up meeting in the charter city she winds up in, who takes her in and is inspired to re-create his B-Mor life, who promises to help her find Reg.
Of course, things do not turn out as she, or her brother, or the reader, intends. Once again, Lee throws at us both the horrors and the heroism of human nature. From the beginning of the book to the end, Lee has created complex, flawed characters, characters who repel us with their cruelty and those who draw us in due to their kindness. And so it is in life too. One only has to watch the news to see what horrific things people are capable of, but we know too that is only part of the story.
These thematic ideas speak to me, as they have in other novels, because I am fascinated by this aspect of people, by what makes them do the things they do. I am no different from most, just trying to come to terms with the big questions, the biggest of all being "why."
While literature gives me answers to these questions, I can't come to terms with all of the answers, can't fathom some of them.
I have, however, come to terms with that group narrator-a Greek chorus of sorts that speaks to us about our strengths, our follies, that forces us to not only follow the characters of the novel but to also look inward, at our own tendencies.
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