Each of the three novels we read during our Canadian literature section of the class presents a question dealing with the Mennonite Community or faith. The main conflict of the story stems from the main character’s struggle with the question. Sandra Birdsell’s Katya raises the question of self defense. The question is posed when the people come to hurt her family and the Sudermanns: If someone is trying to kill you and your family, is it okay to fight back to save your life? Miriam Teows’ A Complicated Kindness presents the problem of being enslaved by the tight rules of the Church and the question of when is the Church wrong? When does it turn into manipulation of the truth? What do you do? Do you follow the rules or do you stand up to the Church and demand reform? The central question posed in Rudy Wiebe’s Peace Shall Destroy Many is about nonresistance. Is it okay to sit back while others are fighting and dying for your freedom?
We see the most blunt presentation of this question in Peace Shall Destroy Many on page 105 when Annamarie repeats Cornie’s words to her in his letter: "But the worst is the way some of the men, our people often too, don't understand or care what is really going on outside in the world. They're happy that their own conscience is satisfied- they care for no more...Am I to be concerned only with the final redemption of my own soul? Have we progressed so far as to call that Christ's teaching? Or do I do something for my neighbour also? Sometimes I think that planting trees is not enough of an answer to that question." Unhopeful, Thom points out, "what else can Christians do...? Surely not join in the killing" to which Annamarie replies “Of course not… but sometimes our refusal to have anything to do with the War means only, ‘Well, I’m doing the right thing and am bound for heaven- let the rest of the world go to hell as it wishes’” (105). And so the question is left unanswered as Thom struggles to understand the world around him.
The reader is not presented with a concrete answer at the end of the novel. Rather, he or she is presented with the final scene and made to interpret the answer to the question based on that. But the final scene is a surprise, not only Thom, but also the Deacon’s son, Pete, turn to violence. The crowd of people stand amazed and Deacon Block runs off in tears. The scene ends with Thom’s family riding home in silence. Did Thom let his temper get the best of him in a moment of weakness? He punched Herb when Herb was going to attack Pete. And Pete had punched Herb because he thought Herb was violating Razia. Pete tells his father “Pa, you have to do what you think right” (286). We are left with the conclusion that violence is okay when it is used to protect others.
Both Katya and Peace Shall Destroy Many address exceptions to the rule of nonviolence but give different answers; the actions of Katya’s father suggest that violence should never be used, even for self defense while Thom and Pete suggest that violence is okay if it is used to protect others. A Complicated Kindness asks what should be done in the face of stifling and manipulative church rules. All three novels seem to address through their questions that perhaps the Church is not always right and that Christians should not follow their church leaders mindlessly but think for themselves and decide what they believe personally.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Poetry
The Canadian poets in A Cappella all seemed to write about the same subjects in their poems. Many of the poems were about childhood or family members or faith or farm life. For instance, Di Brandt, Sarah Klassen, and Patrick Friesen all have poems in A Cappella written about their mothers and father.
Di Brandt takes on an unusual structure for her poem. No words are capitalized, there is no punctuation and phrases blend together without line separation. Upon first reading, this structure makes the poem difficult to read. Brandt's poem talks describes her thoughtful, mild-tempered mother when Brandt was a child.
Sarah Klassen's poem, "Russian Fables," reads more like a story. It starts with Klassen's mother singing stories to her in Russian and blurs into the story of her mother's childhood in Russia. It is composed of prose stanzas and while most of the stanzas are five lines, one is only four lines while another is seven lines and another is eight lines. While this poem is easier to read, the structure is still a little unruly.
Patrick Friesen writes about his father in his "pa poem 1: firstborn." Friesen, like Brandt, does not use capitalization or punctuation except for ellipses. He describes his father's silent nature as a fear of words using the image of the first day his father heard him speak. I like this poem and its imagery and insight into the father's mind.
I started to wonder about the strategy the authors used when writing. When I write I guess I do not usually write about specific events. I write about more abstract ideas like faith, love, or grief. I found it hard to connect with some of the poems about specific family members and I wonder what audience they were written for. Did the authors sit down with an idea in mind? Did they say "today I am going to write a poem about my father"? I have only done that once or twice when I wrote a poem in honor of my grandfather. I take after the Romantic Era; I write what and when I am inspired to write. I love writing poetry but when someone tells me to write a particular type of poem or a poem on a certain subject by a certain date I cannot do it. I cannot force a poem into being.
None of the poems rhyme either. I find it harder to understand prose poems. Most of the poems I write rhyme. I like the rhythm that rhymes give a poem and find it hard to find the rhythm of prose poems. But I have also heard others say the opposite- that they do not understand rhyming poems and like prose poems better.
Di Brandt takes on an unusual structure for her poem. No words are capitalized, there is no punctuation and phrases blend together without line separation. Upon first reading, this structure makes the poem difficult to read. Brandt's poem talks describes her thoughtful, mild-tempered mother when Brandt was a child.
Sarah Klassen's poem, "Russian Fables," reads more like a story. It starts with Klassen's mother singing stories to her in Russian and blurs into the story of her mother's childhood in Russia. It is composed of prose stanzas and while most of the stanzas are five lines, one is only four lines while another is seven lines and another is eight lines. While this poem is easier to read, the structure is still a little unruly.
Patrick Friesen writes about his father in his "pa poem 1: firstborn." Friesen, like Brandt, does not use capitalization or punctuation except for ellipses. He describes his father's silent nature as a fear of words using the image of the first day his father heard him speak. I like this poem and its imagery and insight into the father's mind.
I started to wonder about the strategy the authors used when writing. When I write I guess I do not usually write about specific events. I write about more abstract ideas like faith, love, or grief. I found it hard to connect with some of the poems about specific family members and I wonder what audience they were written for. Did the authors sit down with an idea in mind? Did they say "today I am going to write a poem about my father"? I have only done that once or twice when I wrote a poem in honor of my grandfather. I take after the Romantic Era; I write what and when I am inspired to write. I love writing poetry but when someone tells me to write a particular type of poem or a poem on a certain subject by a certain date I cannot do it. I cannot force a poem into being.
None of the poems rhyme either. I find it harder to understand prose poems. Most of the poems I write rhyme. I like the rhythm that rhymes give a poem and find it hard to find the rhythm of prose poems. But I have also heard others say the opposite- that they do not understand rhyming poems and like prose poems better.
Insights on A Complicated Kindness
Complicated is definitely the word to describe Miriam Teows' A Complicated Kindness. When I opened the bright pink cover I was expecting a quiet, mild story, maybe dealing with issues like social relationships or something. I was not expecting the defiant, restless Nomi Nickel. I was surprised by Nomi's language and actions and my eyes bulged when Nomi suggested that "Menno was on a cough-syrup binge when he drew up these lists of dos and don'ts" (p 13) that she called "Menno's shitlist" (p15), although I have to admit I was laughing too.
The entire book is kind of depressing. Nomi even refers to herself as a "sad, cynical pothead" (p 32). She does drugs, smokes, drinks, swears, mouths off, and runs through fields naked. Definitely not the kind of character I was expecting a Mennonite novelist to create.
However, the book does seem to address some of the same questions that Peace Shall Destroy Many addresses. While PSDM more specifically addresses the issue of Mennonite nonviolence in the midst of war, it also addresses Thom's feelings of unease about the over-conservative rules of the church and the Deacon. What do you do when you know that the church is wrong? This is the same question proposed in A Complicated Kindness. Nomi's sister, Tash, realizes that the church is wrong and her frustration causes her to leave. And when Nomi runs to Trudie with nightmares about Tash going to hell we see that Trudie doesn't quite believe everything her brother has to say either. Tash, Trudie, and eventually, Nomi, are excommunicated from the church. Only Ray seems to remain faithful. And while it is Tash and Trudie's departures that seem to tear everything apart for Ray and Nomi, I believe it all stems from their issues with the church. Toward the end of the book, when Nomi is reflecting on why Ray left, she says "that's what people around here are forced to do if they aren't strong enough to live without some kind of faith or strong enough to make a stand and change an entire system or overthrow a church. And who of us are that strong anyway? Not the Nickels, that's for sure" (p. 241). They realize that the church is wrong and its rules are ridiculous but the church has the power in a small, closed off town like East Village so they leave, one by one, as they become aware of this and react to it in their own way. But in the end we are left wondering if Nomi actually leaves. If she does, she may never see her family, but I don't think they will return to East Village anyway. Tash, Trudie, and Ray each found a way out of town, but does Nomi?
The entire book is kind of depressing. Nomi even refers to herself as a "sad, cynical pothead" (p 32). She does drugs, smokes, drinks, swears, mouths off, and runs through fields naked. Definitely not the kind of character I was expecting a Mennonite novelist to create.
However, the book does seem to address some of the same questions that Peace Shall Destroy Many addresses. While PSDM more specifically addresses the issue of Mennonite nonviolence in the midst of war, it also addresses Thom's feelings of unease about the over-conservative rules of the church and the Deacon. What do you do when you know that the church is wrong? This is the same question proposed in A Complicated Kindness. Nomi's sister, Tash, realizes that the church is wrong and her frustration causes her to leave. And when Nomi runs to Trudie with nightmares about Tash going to hell we see that Trudie doesn't quite believe everything her brother has to say either. Tash, Trudie, and eventually, Nomi, are excommunicated from the church. Only Ray seems to remain faithful. And while it is Tash and Trudie's departures that seem to tear everything apart for Ray and Nomi, I believe it all stems from their issues with the church. Toward the end of the book, when Nomi is reflecting on why Ray left, she says "that's what people around here are forced to do if they aren't strong enough to live without some kind of faith or strong enough to make a stand and change an entire system or overthrow a church. And who of us are that strong anyway? Not the Nickels, that's for sure" (p. 241). They realize that the church is wrong and its rules are ridiculous but the church has the power in a small, closed off town like East Village so they leave, one by one, as they become aware of this and react to it in their own way. But in the end we are left wondering if Nomi actually leaves. If she does, she may never see her family, but I don't think they will return to East Village anyway. Tash, Trudie, and Ray each found a way out of town, but does Nomi?
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Katya by Sandra Birdsell
Birdsell's Katya is a novel that takes place in Russia in the early 1900's. It follows the story of young Katya and her family and the people around her living as Mennonites in Russia.
However, the book's the plot is very slow. It takes a couple of chapters for anything interesting to happen. The pages are filled with tireless descriptions and details of surroundings that, while beautiful, seem inconsequential in the long run. I found it took a lot of patience and time to read this novel.
The novel is also sprinkled with German words that made it hard to connect with the story. I have read books with Spanish words in them and at found the foreign words helpful for the context. But with those books I knew what the foreign words meant. I do not know any German so instead of the German words in Katya helping me, they hindered my understanding of the novel. The words were very distracting because I had no idea what they meant and at times I felt that they were important for understanding the sentence. You definitely have to consider your audience when using devices like this.
However, the book's the plot is very slow. It takes a couple of chapters for anything interesting to happen. The pages are filled with tireless descriptions and details of surroundings that, while beautiful, seem inconsequential in the long run. I found it took a lot of patience and time to read this novel.
The novel is also sprinkled with German words that made it hard to connect with the story. I have read books with Spanish words in them and at found the foreign words helpful for the context. But with those books I knew what the foreign words meant. I do not know any German so instead of the German words in Katya helping me, they hindered my understanding of the novel. The words were very distracting because I had no idea what they meant and at times I felt that they were important for understanding the sentence. You definitely have to consider your audience when using devices like this.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Thoughts on Peace Shall Destroy Many
I really enjoyed reading Rudy Wiebe's Peace Shall Destroy Many.
This statement doesn't seem quite right when you look at how mad the book made me sometimes but it is true. The books characters send you through a whirlwind of feelings as you trudge through some deep questions with Thom, the main character. And because I believe in peace and support our troops the questions Thom seeks to answer seem to hit home for me as well. After struggling to find the answer with Thom I find that, once again, I am taking the Methodist stance of "I don't know what the right answer is."
I think one of the most important issues brought up is summed up in this quote: "But the worst is the way some of the men, our people often too, don't understand or care what is really going on outside in the world. They're happy that their own conscience is satisfied- they care for no more...Am I to be concerned only with the final redemption of my own soul? Have we progressed so far as to call that Christ's teaching? Or do I do something for my neighbour also? Sometimes I think that planting trees is not enough of an answer to that question."
But the question is left unresolved because, as Thom points out, "what else can Christians do...? Surely not join in the killing."
In Joseph's letter to Thom he talks about the peace of reconciliation and the peace of conscience and how Christ brought about inner peace and that is not necessarily the same as outer, physical peace. I think this matter definitely comes up again in the last scenes of the book when Thom punches Herb to defend his friend Pete. Pete's statement to his father at the end goes a long way in giving an answer to the final scene and the questions brought forth in the book: "Pa, you have to do what you think right."
This statement doesn't seem quite right when you look at how mad the book made me sometimes but it is true. The books characters send you through a whirlwind of feelings as you trudge through some deep questions with Thom, the main character. And because I believe in peace and support our troops the questions Thom seeks to answer seem to hit home for me as well. After struggling to find the answer with Thom I find that, once again, I am taking the Methodist stance of "I don't know what the right answer is."
I think one of the most important issues brought up is summed up in this quote: "But the worst is the way some of the men, our people often too, don't understand or care what is really going on outside in the world. They're happy that their own conscience is satisfied- they care for no more...Am I to be concerned only with the final redemption of my own soul? Have we progressed so far as to call that Christ's teaching? Or do I do something for my neighbour also? Sometimes I think that planting trees is not enough of an answer to that question."
But the question is left unresolved because, as Thom points out, "what else can Christians do...? Surely not join in the killing."
In Joseph's letter to Thom he talks about the peace of reconciliation and the peace of conscience and how Christ brought about inner peace and that is not necessarily the same as outer, physical peace. I think this matter definitely comes up again in the last scenes of the book when Thom punches Herb to defend his friend Pete. Pete's statement to his father at the end goes a long way in giving an answer to the final scene and the questions brought forth in the book: "Pa, you have to do what you think right."
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