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To This Great Stage of Fools: Born January 11th

Jan11

Alan Paton is a South African author, famous for his book Cry, the Beloved Country about the system of racial apartheid that kept South Africa in turmoil for so many years. I see that I’ve never written about Paton’s other novels, Too Late the Phalarope and Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful.

If you read and enjoyed Cry, the Beloved Country, then Too Late the Phalarope should be next on your list. It’s the story of an Afrikaans (Dutch descent) policeman who finds himself involved in an affair with a black African girl. He is ashamed of his own inability to control himself sexually, but he also carries the false guilt of having broken the racial barriers that were ingrained in South African society (probably still are to some extent). Like Cry, the Beloved Country, the story is a tragedy, but retains some hope. And it’s beautifully written.

In Paton’s third novel, Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful, he continued to explore the theme of racial injustice and the prison that apartheid had become for both black and white South Africans. Here’s a passage that captures a little of the tone of Paton’s writing, a sort of poetic tragic novel:

“Black man, we are going to shut you off
We are going to set you apart, now and forever.
We mean nothing evil toward you.

You shall have your own place, your own institutions.
Your tribal customs shall flourish unhindered.
You shall lie all day long in the sun if you wish it.
All the things that civilization has stolen
Shall be restored. You shall take wives
Unhindered by our alien prohibitions
Fat-bellied children shall play innocently
Under the wide branching trees of the lush country
Where you yourselves were born.
Boys shall go playing in the reed lagoons
Of far Ingwavuma, the old names
Shall recover old magic, milk and honey
Shall flow in the long-forsaken places.

We mean nothing evil toward you.”

So well-meaning, so patronizing, so ignorant of what can and what cannot be done, and ultimately so very wrong.

Alan Paton is a writer you should read. There are passages in Cry, the Beloved Country that bring tears to my eyes whenever I read them. A writer who can evoke emotion that well and who writes hope in the midst of tragedy is not to be missed.

Information on teaching Cry, the Beloved Country.

Homeschool Plans for January

Jan1

I like to do calendar-based stuff in my blog and in our homeschool. So I thought I’d post a sample of the stuff we plan to do in January in addition to the regular math, science, history, reading , etc. I may post more about these and other anniversaries on the actual date. Of course, you should know by now if you’ve been reading my blog for long or if you know me personally that my plans are always more ambitious than what actually gets done. Aim high, I always say, but you had better put something underneath to break the fall.

January 1–In 1863,President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. We’ll read The Great Proclamation by Henry Steele Commager. This fits in with where we are in history–stuck in the civil war.

January 2–January is National Hot Tea Month. Have a cuppa, and visit the Teablog (Portsmouth Tea).

January 3–Tolkien’s Birthday. I don’t know how we’ll celebrate. Last year we did a marathon movie weekend in which we watched the extended editions of all three LOTR movies. I don’t know if I’m up for that this year or not.

January 4–“It feels cold, but at 10 a.m. Jan. 4, the Earth stands at perihelion – its nearest approach to the sun this year at a “mere” 91,405,953 miles away.” Stargazer’s Calendar for 2006

January 5–Twelfth Night, the night before Epiphany. I wonder if there’s a good film version of Shakespeare’s play by the same name.

January 6 or 8–Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas celebrating the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus. The Catholic church celebrates Epiphany on the Sunday closest to January 6th which is the traditional date. We could at least read about the wise men, maybe some kind of activity to celebrate the date.

January 6–Carl Sandburg’s Birthday. I’d like for us to read more poetry this year. Maybe some Sandburg on this date.

January 8–Elvis Presley’s Birthday No, I’m not one of those odd Elvis worshippers, but as a part of my children’s education in pop culture, it might be fun to purchase an Elvis song from iTunes and give it a listen.

January 9–Clean-Off-Your-Desk Day

January 11–International Thank You Day. We could afford to write some thank you notes. How about you?

January 13–Stephen Foster Memorial Day, observed annually on the anniversary of Foster’s death, January 13, 1864. This event also fits in with our Civil War preoccupation at the moment. Maybe we’ll read about Foster and learn a Foster song.

January 16–Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday (actually the 15th) Read or listen to MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

January 18–Peter Mark Roget’s Birthday. Let’s play with synonyms.

January 19–Edgar Allan Poe’s Birthday. A good day for reading my favorite poem, Annabel Lee

January 20–Did you know that some people celebrate the day between Robert E. Lee’s birthday (January 19, 1807) and Stonewall Jackson’s birthday (January 21, 1824)? Anyone up for a Lee-Jackson birthday party? One of the strange, but true facts that I found in the book I just finished, Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz.

January 22–Blair Lent, author and illustrator of one of my favorite picture books, Tikki Tikki Tembo was born on this date in 1930. We will, of course, read the book.

January 23–National Handwriting Day (John Hancock’s Birthday) I think we’ll write some letters to our favorite people.

January 24–Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill on this date in 1848. Have a treasure hunt to remember.

January 25–National Compliment Day. This day is set aside to compliment at least five people. No flattery, but sincere compliments are always welcome.

January 27–Mozart’s Birthday. Listen to our Magic Flute tape.

January also celebrates the birthdates of Jakob Grimm (b. January 4, 1785) and Charles Perrault (b. January 12, 1628). How about a fairy tale a day in January? I don’t know about yours, but my children don’t get enough fairy tales. I assign them historical fiction, and I read them classic children’s books. But we don’t always find time for the celebration of imaginative fairy tales. They’re just not educational enough. Except that they really are. It’s time to educate the imagination in January.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born December 16th

Dec16

Take 4 pounds of full ripe apples, and peel and core them. Meanwhile put into a pan 2 pints of sweet cider, and boil until it reduces by half. Put the apples, chopped small, to the cider. Cook slowly stirring frequently, until the fruit is tender, as you can crush beneath the back of a spoon. Then work the apple through a sieve, and return to the pan adding 1lb beaten (granulated) sugar and spices as following, 1 teaspoon clove well ground, 2 teaspoons cinnamon well ground, 1 saltspoon allspice well ground. Cook over low fire for about hour, stirring until mixture thickens and turns a rich brown. Pour the butter into into small clean jars, and cover with clarified butter when cold. Seal and keep for three months before using. By this time the butter will have turned almost black, and have a most delicious flavour.

Jane Austen’s Christmas by Maria Hubert, published by Sutton Publishing 1996.

Jane Austen herself was born on December 16, 1775. I’m celebrating with a re-reading of Pride and Prejudice. What’s your favorite Austen novel?

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born December 11th

Dec11

Can you believe Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, b. 1918 and John Kerry, b. 1943 share a birthdate?

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn on the Press: Such as it is, the press has become the greatest power within the Western World, more powerful than the legislature, the executive and judiciary.
One would like to ask: by whom has it been elected, and to whom is it responsible?

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn on Good and Evil: If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

John Kerry on Atrocities in Vietnam: There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire.

Alexandr Solzhenitsy on Humanism: That which is called humanism, but what would be more correctly called irreligious anthropocentrism, cannot yield answers to the most essential questions of our life.

John Kerry on God-given Potential: We believe that what matters most is not narrow appeals masquerading as values, but the shared values that show the true face of America; not narrow values that divide us, but the shared values that unite us: family, faith, hard work, opportunity and responsibility for all, so that every child, every adult, every parent, every worker in America has an equal shot at living up to their God-given potential. That is the American dream and the American value.

No point really. I just thought the juxtaposition might be interesting.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born December 10th

Dec10

How’s this for a different kind of perspective on Christmas?

Twas just this time, last year, I died.
I know I heard the corn,
When I was carried by the farms,–
It had the tassels on.

I thought how yellow it would look
When Richard went to mill;
And then I wanted to get out,
But something held my will.

I thought just how red apples wedged
The stubble’s joints between;
And carts went stooping round the fields
To take the pumpkins in.

I wondered which would miss me least,
And when Thanksgiving came,
If Father’d multiply the plates
To make an even sum.

And if my stocking hung too high,
Would it blur the Christmas glee,
That not a Santa Claus could reach
The altitude of me?

But this sort grieved myself, and so
I thought how it would be
When just this time, some perfect year,
Themselves should come to me. —Emily Dickinson, b. 1830

Also on this date:
George Macdonald, b. 1824.

Rumer Godden, author of In This House of Brede, b. 1907. The Anchoress really loves this book. I read it once long ago, and I probably would enjoy re-reading it. All I can remember now is that it’s about nuns in a convent. (Dare I add it to The List?) She also wrote many children’s books, including The Story of Holly and Ivy which has a wonderful Christmas-y title.

Mary Norton, b. 1903. She received the Carnegie Medal for her books about the Borrowers, little people who live in and around an English country house and support themselves mainly by borrowing things the Big People have little or no use for. Another series I’d enjoy re-reading.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born December 9th

Dec9

John Milton, b. 1608.

From Hymn on the Morning of Christ’s Nativity:

Such musick (as ’tis said)
Before was never made,
But when of old the sons of morning sung,
While the Creator Great
His constellations set,
And the well-ballanc’t world on hinges hung,
And cast the dark foundations deep,
And bid the weltring waves their oozy channel keep.

Ring out ye Crystall sphears,
Once bless our human ears,
(If ye have power to touch our senses so)
And let your silver chime
Move in melodious time;
And let the Base of Heav’ns deep Organ blow
And with your ninefold harmony
Make up full consort to th’Angelike symphony.

For if such holy Song
Enwrap our fancy long,
Time will run back, and fetch the age of gold,
And speckl’d vanity
Will sicken soon and die,
And leprous sin will melt from earthly mould,
And Hell it self will pass away,
And leave her dolorous mansions to the peering day.

Read the entire poem here.

Quotes about Milton:

Scarcely any man ever wrote so much and praised so few.–Samuel Johnson

And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God’s ways to man.
Ale, man, ale’s the stuff to drink
For fellows whom it hurts to think: –A.E. Houseman

The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when he wrote of Devils and Hell, is because he was a true Poet, and of the Devil’s party without knowing it. –William Blake

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born December 8th

Dec8

A Visit from Saint Nicholas (In the Ernest Hemingway Manner) by James Thurber

Mr. Thurber was born on this date in 1894, and he still makes me laugh–which is more than I can say for Hemingway. If perusing Thurber’s parody of Hemingway puts you in the mood for more Thurber, I would suggest Many Moons, a fairy tale about a princess who wants the moon, or The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the story of a meek man with a secretly adventurous life.

If the poem puts you in the mood for more Hemingway, I have no suggestions. You’re on your own.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born December 1st

Dec1

A great compilation of information about Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, and creator of both, Rex Stout.

Rex Stout, b. 1886. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin are two of my very favorite fictional detectives.

Anyone in the mood for some Christmas mysteries? The following list of Christmas mystery novels is mostly taken from the book Murder Ink; I’ve not read all of them, but I have tried most of these authors. If you read one this Christmas, let me know how you liked it.

Agatha Christie: Murder for Christmas (Holiday for Murder)
Mary Higgins Clark: Silent Night
Charles Dickens: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Martha Grimes: Jerusalem Inn
Georgette Heyer: Envious Casca
Michael Innes: A Comedy of Terrors
M.M. Kaye: Death in the Andamans
Ngaio Marsh: Tied Up in Tinsel
Elis Peters: A Rare Benedictine
Ellery Queen: The Finishing Stroke
Dell Shannon: No Holiday for Crime
Peter Tremayne: The Haunted Abbot

As for Rex Stout, his only Christmas contribution is a short story called “Christmas Party” featuring Nero Wolfe dressed up as Santa Claus. If the costume seems a bit out of character for Wolfe, he does have a good cause–he’s concerned about Archie Goodwin’s impending wedding! This story is one of four in the book And Four To Go.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born November 30th

Nov30

Another Red Letter Day for literature in the English language:

Jonathan Swift, b. 1667. Read “A Lump of Deformity Smitten With Pride.”

Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens, b. 1835. Death Disk, a short story by Mark Twain, First published in Harper’s Magazine, Christmas 1901.

Lucy Maud Montgomery, b. 1874.

Christmas broke on a beautiful white world. It had been a very mild December and people had looked forward to a green Christmas; but just enough snow fell softly in the night to transfigure Avonlea. Anne peeped out from her frosted gable window with delighted eyes. The firs in the Haunted Wood were all feathery and wonderful; the birches and cherry trees were outlined in pearl; the ploughed fields were stretches of snowy dimples; and there was a crisp tang in the air that was glorious. Anne ran downstairs singing until her voice re-echoed through Green Gables.

Winston Churchill, b. 1874. Christmas with Churchill by Gerald Pawle, Blackwoods Magazine, Vol. 314, No. 1898, December, 1973.