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March 10, 2008
Mastermind
This video of The Singing, Ringing Tree is awesome and amazing. What I find even more interesting though is Pendle Hill which is seen in the background. Before viewing this video I had never heard of The Pendle Witches or Lancashire Witches. It is very fascinating reading if you enjoy historical accounts of witch hunts.
Currently, I am reading Tales of Edgar Allen Poe with an introduction written by Hervey Allen. I had come to believe by the telling of one person or another that Poe was crazy, however Allen set me straight.
According to Hervey Allen,
“Poe had gathered his writings together, story and verse; he had revised and re-edited them, adding many improvements and correcting minor errors – and then he had left them in the care of his most bitter and relentless enemy – and died. Scarcely was Poe’s body cold before Rufus W. Griswold, his literary executer, was out in the New York newspapers with what, under the guise of an obituary, amounted to a major defamation of the poet’s character, to a subtle sneering at and depreciation of his work.”
Allen goes on to say,
“Rufus W. Griswold was the ablest American anthologist of his time. He had a keen nose for talent but a jaundiced eye for genius, since jealousy was a large item in his personality. Poe had from time to time offended him and also given evidence of genius. Griswold’s revenge was to attack Poe posthumously. He delayed the publication of the material that had been left in his hands, and when he did publish it, he published only part of it, and disregarded many of Poe’s corrections and emendations. All this occurred in the early fifties of the last century.”
Allen has much more to say, but you get the gist of it. Poe was not crazy, but a mastermind. How many artistic people have we labeled as mad and put on medication or in mental institutions when what they actually need is an outlet for their creativity?
We all have our ups and downs, but does that mean we automatically are insane or need medication? Some children are more hyper than others, but does this mean we automatically put them on a drug such as Ritalin? I don’t believe in drugging children in order to calm them down unless it is an extremely desperate case. I have heard too many teachers suggest to parents of hyper active children that they take their child to a doctor for some medicine to calm little Johnny down. On the flip side, I have overheard parents watching the behavior of other children, say, at a park, comment on how such-and-such needs to be medicated. I have said this in jest, but then followed up quickly by adding that I do not believe in drugging children who are hyper. The circumstances would have to be dire.
Well, I have gotten off track here and given my opinion on a sticky subject. I’m sure I will hear about it in the comments. So be it. I will be the first person to tell you how thankful I am for medication. Used correctly and in the right situations, it is a wonderful thing. I am not against medicine at all. What I am against is the repression of a child’s talent or spirit because someone thinks they are too hyper to deal with. If you don’t believe these medications are subduing and hindering your child’s artistic, creative, or imaginative (say it as you will) spirit, I believe you are wrong.
Back to Poe ...
So far, I am enjoying Poe’s work. There is one last bit I would like to share from Hervey Allen:
“Nothing is more indicative of the true genius of this writer than that his fame survived and continued to increase, despite the enormous difficulty of collecting his work, and, when once something was retrieved, of deciding what was to be the final and “official” text. For Poe put his writing, particularly his verse, through endless revisions, improving it and re-publishing it constantly. It is only in our own day that the research of scholars and the work of textual critics have come to rest in a more or less final agreement as to what is to be the standard version of Poe texts. Thanks to this agreement, this present collection is possible.”
I, for one, am thankful for the scholars who put his works back together.
Posted by tami at March 10, 2008 12:08 PM
Comments
Wow. The Singing, Ringing Tree. That is amazing.
Posted by: Lori-Lyn at March 10, 2008 9:25 PM
I've always loved Edgar Allen Poe.
And I completely agree with you about ritalin. I personally would NEVER put any of my children on it. I believe it is unnecessary, and it does cause children to act like zombies. I used to babysit a little boy who was on ritalin, and he would just stare at the tv for hours, and not eat very much. There may be some severe cases out there that require a child to have this medication, but I think too many parents and doctors are too quick to put kids on this drug just because they don't know the right way to handle the situation. I also believe that part of the problem with kids that are too hyper is their diet. I heard somewhere that kids that don't get enough dark green vegetables and certain vitamins and minerals act that way. They also consume too many nitrates. I think a simple change in diet would help out a lot of "hyper" kids.
Posted by: Stacey at March 11, 2008 1:41 PM
I haven't gone to the Singing, Ringing Tree link yet, but I will.
I agree with your about drugging children. I know there are legitimate cases where brain chemistry is such that the child truly does need medication. BUT, I think the sedentary lifestyle so many of our nation's children lead is what makes them hyper in classrooms or other times. Kids NEED an outlet for their energy, some kids more than others. They sit in classrooms, sometimes only have PE one day a week for a half hour (!!), sit at home at the computer or in front of the TV, and then...OMG, they're easily distracted and hyper. WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT?
Posted by: gw at March 13, 2008 10:12 PM
Regarding changes in diet, sugar and refined carbohydrates are definitely one reason for hyperactivity. Look at the studies that have shown how the behavior of kids changes when they (1) can't get sodas at school and (2) are fed a healthier choice of foods in their cafeterias.
Posted by: gw at March 13, 2008 10:14 PM