Hemingway

I've been holding my breath the last couple of days as my seniors have been making their way through the first chapters of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. What I think, but do not say, is "Please, please love this book as much as I do. Oh and please also get the humor." Success on both fronts today! Especially when the unsolicited "I am loving this book..." comments came from voices that don't always speak up readily.

We are also studying Emily Dickinson, and her definition of poetry fits so well with what Hemingway does, at least for me:

"If I read a book [and] it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only way I know it. Is there any other way."

And some of the good stuff...

If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.