For those of you who know me, you know I am sentimental and have a tender heart. You know that I cry watching animated movies (I can’t even talk about this scene from Inside Out) and that I cry reading books that I’ve already read a thousand times. Well, these past two weeks have involved some tears because I am wrapping up another school year, but not in the way I had planned.
Last week was my final week with my seniors, and this week was my final week with my sophomores. And while I really enjoyed the content that we ended with in both classes, I didn’t like not seeing my students during our last days “together.” For someone who is already sentimental about endings, the ending of this school year hit especially hard.
So while I am not good at closure, I thought I would share a few closing lines from some of the literature that I taught this year, along with a brief lesson I hope my students learned from each text (I actually filmed a whole video for my seniors about lessons that I hope they learned, which you can watch here). These lines come from a mixture of American and British literature, but to me they all offer eloquent endings to their stories — something I find challenging to do at the moment.
The End by Ecopetit.cat
Beowulf
“They said that he was, of the kings in this world, the kindest to his men, the most courteous man, the best to his people, and most eager for fame.”
*I hope my students learned that good leaders are kind and courteous, but also to find a balance of how to be proud of their accomplishments without being prideful.
Frankenstein
"He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance."
*I hope my students learned that this darkness and distance is not only a force of nature, but also of human beings. To me, this book teaches lessons of love and loss and our deep need for human companionship.
The Great Divorce
”I awoke in a cold room, hunched on the floor beside a black and empty grate, the clock striking three, and the siren howling overhead.”
*I hope students learned that unless we let go of some things in life, we will all end up cold and empty. This book allowed us to talk about different types of love, and how sometimes the wrong type of love can be distorted and painful.
King Arthur
“Yet some men say in many parts of England that King Arthur is not dead, but had by the will of our Lord Jesus into another place; and men say that he shall come again, and he shall win the holy cross.”
*I hope my students learned a lesson of hope and loyalty in this legend.
The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass
”Faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts — and solemnly pledging my self anew to the sacred cause, — I subscribe myself, Frederick Douglass.”
*I hope my students learned a sense of justice from this text. I hope they were able to see problems in both our history and our modern day society, and I hope a fire was lit in their hearts to pave a better future.
Our Town
”You get a good rest, too. Good night.”
(But it is this scene where Emily say's goodbye that really gets me.)
*I hope my students were able to reflect on all the deep themes that were brought up in this sweet, simple play. Themes of life and legacy, love and relationships, death and eternity. While our lives may seem simple or mundane at times, we all have so much to be grateful for.
Paradise Lost
”The World was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide:
They hand in hand with wandering steps and slow,
Through Eden took their solitary way.”
*I hope students were able to recognize that the evil we face in this world may often disguise itself as good. This story featured a handsome, eloquent devil rather than one with red horns and a pitchfork. And unfortunately, the world will feature the same. type of evil that looks good and appealing.
The Scarlet Letter
"On a field, sable, the letter 'A' gules."
*I hope my students were able to reflect on the fact that we all make mistakes and we all have flaws, but that it is oftentimes through our mistakes and our suffering that we grow and learn. The ‘A’ in the story started off as a negative symbol, but by the end of the story it came to mean something positive. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes it is actually our weaknesses or mistakes that allow us to grow into something stronger and wiser in the end.
If you’re still here reading, I appreciate your time and I hope you were able to get a little something out of this. I enjoyed writing it, and I enjoyed teaching it.
(And yes, I’m crying again now)