One of the reasons I like Ernest Hemingway so much is because he helped me make the smart kids look stupid. I took an AP English class in the 12th grade. I had no business (or “bidness,” as I like to say) being in that class, but the teacher wanted me there. Of course I wanted to be there because I wanted to be good at writing so I could write comic books. I struggled in that class and the other students (all Beta club members) had no problem comprehending the texts. Then we read The Sun Also Rises. Our teacher asked us what Jake’s wound was, and the smarties didn’t know. The other students didn’t understand that Jake’s…uh man-bits had been blown off during the war. I reckon I understood it because my mind is generally in the gutter, but it was one of the few times I ever felt smart.
I’ve read a ton of Hemingway since then, and I don’t always get the meaning or the symbols, but I enjoy the work because it’s written so simply. I hated reading Billy Budd and I hated Nathanial Hawthorne, but I got the Lost Generation. I told that story to my students about the importance of finding that book that makes it click for you and about feeling smart and confident.
Here's a link to an audio slideshow of Hemingway's house in Cuba. Say it out loud as "Koo-Bah," it's more fun that way.
Great story! Hopefully you can teach some of the lost generation in your classes. In addition to telling the story to students, it might also be helpful to think about starting discussions with... what do you like? dislike? That ways students can tell you what you know and then you can turn to more literary things if students don't do it on their own. That might help students be a part of the conversation if they aren't normally.
ReplyDeleteHemmingway became famous for writing about "real things," like what you were talking about in your previous entry. Maybe your kids who have it hard could appreciate reading some of his works.
ReplyDeleteCuba is like a total dump now. Back in his time, that place was booming, rich culture, huge tourist attraction. *sigh*
I actually heard a discussion on NPR this afternoon related to this very issue. Hemingway was groundbreaking in his time for his lack of emotional discription in his work. He would describe the scene as it was happening, but would not include emotions. He left it up to the readers to interpret the emotions, which probably led to your understanding.
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