I think of Ernest Hemingway as the ultimate "man's man"... from back in the day.* A drinker, a carouser, a man of many wives, he was a self-centered, tortured soul. Then he went to war and found reality. Still tortured and still self-centered, he wrote about his experiences. He was a genius.
I taught The Old Man and the Sea to 8th graders. Not about war but about fishing, and short, many of my reluctant readers, especially boys, loved it (Hence why I chose it.) I'm sure there were many deeper meanings to the book, but I taught one word, that's it, one word. Perseverance.
The old man came home with only a bit of the fish that he'd been fighting, but it was enough. For him, it was enough to finish the job, even with no meat to show for it. For others, or the boy, it was enough for them to see the fish that that the old man fought was not left to die, hurt and alone, but was honored as an equal foe. After sleeping, the old man would head out again, to do what he did: fish.
I have a past student, now a teacher, who remembers, and he teaches the word himself, not through the book but through his teaching in health. I love that. What we do matters. We're not perfect, not me nor Hemingway, but if we do are able to give to the world, that is good.
Lesson Taught
*While this country is in the throes of a Hemingway moment of man, thank god there are many from new generations who are so much more. A partner to their wives, they listen and respect women, and I appreciate and honor them. Hemingway, the writer, was incredible; Hemingway the man, not so much.
