The Decline of the English Department

The Decline of the English Department

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THINKING ABOUT THE RED BALLOON

 

There is a book/film about a very lonely little boy...it's called "The Red Balloon." Current news coverage of 'the balloon boy' bring long thoughts about alienation in our society...and what to do about it...how to make things better?....

A memory from long years ago. I am teaching a course called "Introduction to Literature" to first year college students. It happens that I have a great many students from Iran—they always asked, quickly and intensely, to be called Persian…as many college students came here during the reign of the Shah—so I have to think of some creative strategies in these introductions because, although many of them could quote the poet Rumi to me, they were not overly proficient in English.

My own esteemed college professor has told me that when prize winning authors were surveyed as to their purposes and priorities when writing, the general conclusion went like this, "When I have something really important to say, I put it into a children's story." So I have decided to bring in some children's literature, especially those book which have been made into films.

Of course, "The Red Balloon" is at the top of my list—the film having won honors at the Cannes Film Festival, and the book had been a great favorite with my own children. So before assigning the reading of the book, I showed the film to my class and asked them to write down their thoughts after seeing it.

In the back of the room, one of my Persian/Iranian students lifted his hand and said, in a matter-of-fact tone, "I have seen that film EIGHTEEN times."

I thought…oh my…what to say next…So I said, "Well…what did you see in it this time that you have not seen before?"

To my surprise, and real joy, he replied, "This time I saw love."

--Barbara Smith Stoff

MORNING AGAIN

Raining today softly
the world is washed clean
today
a new light
waits in the mists there
in the distant trees
softly
lighting our gaze
toward All Dreaming.
--Barbara Smith Stoff