tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post987940100112062379..comments2023-12-18T07:59:16.525-05:00Comments on Hats and Rabbits: Teaching Literature: The Light and the WindChris Matarazzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-68878620301369312192016-02-03T14:32:01.189-05:002016-02-03T14:32:01.189-05:00I think you are right, Jeff. Most of the time, we ...I think you are right, Jeff. Most of the time, we never find out that we were that "right teacher at the right time." Sometimes we do... One has to just try one's best, I suppose. <br />Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-25436271882224642412016-02-03T00:48:18.729-05:002016-02-03T00:48:18.729-05:00You're a much more experienced teacher than I ...You're a much more experienced teacher than I am, but perhaps you've had the experience I had: I found that the people who "got it" and the people who didn't occupied the edges of the curve, but that there was always someone—sometimes several someones—in the middle, who don't know they're inspired by literature or art until you turn out to be the right teacher at the right time.<br /><br />If that possibility doesn't cheer you a bit, then maybe this will: I spent nearly every day of 11th-grade English with my face down on my desk, snoozing, taking no notes—and then I failed my huge end-of-the-year term paper. A quarter-century later, I sent that teacher a copy of one of my books accompanied by a truly sincere apology...Jeffhttp://www.quidplura.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-43433489283322652222016-01-30T12:28:13.271-05:002016-01-30T12:28:13.271-05:00Happens to the beast of us. Happens to the beast of us. Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-78554697460823790572016-01-30T12:27:09.283-05:002016-01-30T12:27:09.283-05:00In the end, really, the idea of sowing seeds is th...In the end, really, the idea of sowing seeds is the only real hope. I do need to go back and read the whole novel again. The meat (blubber?) of the story is wonderful, but I do remember long stretches of wondering when the story was going to come back into play... The movies focus on the plot, so it works better for the kids. I do believe you are right that it takes a certain level of sophistication to really appreciate what Melville was up to. That's what makes it endure, I suppose... Chris Matarazzohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17885109959459471509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-46182678224839266712016-01-30T04:47:15.158-05:002016-01-30T04:47:15.158-05:00"I love Moby Dock..." Thank you, Samsung..."I love Moby Dock..." Thank you, Samsung autocorrect software.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693471143220681808.post-33200915918287786522016-01-30T04:40:49.988-05:002016-01-30T04:40:49.988-05:00I love Moby Dock and became so obsessed with it, I...I love Moby Dock and became so obsessed with it, I ended up making a pilgrimage to the Seamen's Bethel in New Bedford - it was good to see that it was still full of rough-looking sailors. But I've struggled to explain my passion for the book to others, so I really admire anyone who can elicit a positive reaction from a bunch of young teenagers. Perhaps they have to have lived and read more before they can fully appreciate passages like the one you're referring to, but hopefully you've sowed the seeds.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.com