Life, love and literature

Our high school had two English teachers. One taught 9th and 10th grade English. There I read JULIUS CAESAR. The other one taught 11th and 12th grades. At the beginning of my junior year, Mrs. Sam Cannon introduced us to the semester by telling us that literature is life. I am not sure that I even knew the significance of that at the age of 16. I found myself wondering how those Romans or the Scots in MACBETH could teach life lessons. I was very literal then. It was probably after I began teaching and encouraging class discussions about the literary selections that I began to see what she had meant. One of the best examples of this was found in the play “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. I taught it for the first time in 1969. We read it aloud, the students volunteering to read characters’ parts. In my opinion, it is America’s greatest play. I equate it with the bard’s plays because Wilder understands the human experience–as did Shakespeare! When Emily dies in childbirth and is given a day to live over, the dead tell her not to choose an important day because it will be so difficult to relive because of what she will discover as she watches herself living it. She selects her 12th birthday. She sees what we often don’t realize until our lives are finished! Her mom cooks breakfast, talking to her children but never looking at them. I got this terrible lump in my throat and almost melted down in front of my class!! I pictured many times my little girl had wanted my attention while I read the newspaper or took a 30 minute nap after a hectic day of teaching! I have had several students sit in class with tears streaming or tell me that the play changed their lives! They got it! The words of Wilder spoken through the stage manager are brilliant! If you have never read the play, I hope you can someday. It might change your life!