Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003
Of Mice and Ferrick, posted at 1:45 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com I�ve began my study of Of Mice and Men with my students. It�s sort of too bad that we start out in the 9th grade with such a relentless downer. In many ways, yes, it�s the perfect 9th grade book � the richly drawn characters, the riveting ending, the clearly present themes � but it�s such a downer that even the words-to-own that I�ve culled from the work are gloomy (morose, monotonous, pugnacious, vehement). I hate to start out the year at a school in which the American Dream is supposed to come true (we even trumpet it on our posters) with a book that portrays the American Dream as a crock of shit.I�ve taken the focus away from that aspect in this year�s study of it. I�ll still probably bring up the issue � along with the Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. raps about the American Dream that worked so well last year in my �What do John Steinbeck and Tupac Shakur have in common?� lesson � but will try my best not to harp on it. Luckily, there is still a lot to get out of the text. The characters are so vivid. I pick a new favorite character for myself every time I read it, and this year, it�s Crooks. Chapter four is pretty much totally devoted to him, and the things he says (�Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land�) are just wrenching, and Steinbeck mixes in some of Crooks� private thoughts throughout the chapter that really etch lines of depth to him.
The theme of 9th grade English is Coming of Age and Justice, with the centralized question around the issue of �How do I come of age in an unjust society?� This fits well with Romeo & Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Lesson Before Dying, In the Time of Butterflies, and other texts we�re reading, but not so much with Of Mice and Men. I wonder what sort of readily accessible text we could choose for next year for summer reading that isn�t depressing, fits the coming of age and justice theme, and is a fine piece of literature?
Rob and I went to see Melissa Ferrick last night at Recher. Wow. Every time I see this woman, it�s like a religious experience. She is so intense; she dies a thousand deaths with each song and then comes back to life, stronger than ever. You get the feeling she�d die if she weren�t performing. She also plays guitar like Tori Amos plays piano, like she�s having sex with it on stage. She has Elvis� hip sway down, but extends it to her hand movements. It was my first time I�d seen her live solo in years � great show.
It was difficult not to think about Kelly during the show. Ferrick has certain lines in certain songs that bring me right back to her. I still don�t understand why she stopped calling, of what actually happened. At the show last night, I was at first transfixed by her memory, then I locked her away into a cabinet in my head and just enjoyed the show. Ferrick sang her lesbian version of �Jessie�s Girl,� something I�d heard about but never seen. She somehow was still able to make �Drive� fresh and interesting, even though it�s the big sex song she �has� to do at the end of every show. At one point, she did five songs in a row without stopping, plus mixed in bits of �Meet Virginia,� �The Space Between,� and �No Woman, No Cry.� It was an amazing show. Rob even liked it.