Honestly and Unabashedly Straightforward

*The following is my own personal response to an assignment I give called the Relationship to Literature Paper. I adapted it from Mrs. Ernst, who taught here a few years ago. I give it to my Honors English 10 Class at the end of the year. Students must write about a piece of literature that has impacted them, and so I decided to write one, too. I'd encourage you all to do the same!

-Ms. Rheinheimer, MHS Writing Center Guest Blogger

Honestly and Unabashedly Straightforward

Whenever anyone finds out that I’m an English teacher, oftentimes, one of his or her first questions is, “Who is your favorite author?” And closely following that question is, “What’s your favorite book?” And every time, I sigh, thinking, I hate superlative questions. However, I always reply, Ernest Hemingway and The Sun Also Rises. Reflecting on this instant reply, I think, Why is he my favorite author and why is that my favorite book? Great questions.

If I were to describe myself in five words, they would be: logical, organized, planner, sensitive, and enthusiastic. More than anything, I appreciate unabashed honesty, straight-forward answers, and decisiveness. Based on my personality, Hemingway’s style and work completely captivate me. He writes using simple words and images, yet those images carry so much weight and possess infinite depth. Do not be deceived by simplicity, my friends—it is often in the simple where we identify with and feel most deeply the most complex aspects of our humanity.

The first time I read Hemingway was my junior year of high school in Ms. Woods’ Honors English Class. I still have the booklet with that ß  picture of Hemingway on the front that contained some his short stories, including “Hills Like White Elephants,” “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and  “Big Two-Hearted River.” As an adolescent, Hemingway’s stories drew me in because of the way he could paint a simple picture of a simple place, yet convey such profound human emotion. As a member of the Lost Generation, Hemingway’s unabashed and straightforward style was refreshing and true, revealing truths about humanity through writing. I felt for his characters in a real way and was disturbed as well, because I found myself resonating with the universal, human fears of loneliness, the needs of fellowship and community, and what happens when we have too much or too little of either of those things.

            I read The Sun Also Rises at the end of my junior year and again in preparation for the AP Literature test. The most distinct aspects of the novel are the setting—San Sebastian, Spain—and the characters—Lady Brett Ashley and Jake Barnes— trapped in the world of the Lost Generation. While it has bull-fighting, partying, traveling with a group of friends, and beautiful landscapes, the story continually comes back to the unabashed, honest feelings of disappointed and unrequited love, finding and losing a sense of identity, and questioning how anyone truly comes to understand who or how they really are.

            After finishing the novel, I am always left with a sense of instability

and uncertainty about what I should take away, but I think that’s just it—continuous questioning of self, trying to figure out who we unabashedly and honestly are. And that answer is never straightforward.  I believe that the namesake from Ecclesiastes sums it up:

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever…The sun also riseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to the place where he arose…The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits…All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.

I keep on through the ebb and flow of life, trying to more fully understand my humanity within its everyday and ordinary bounds as a 24-year-old English teacher.

            I love Hemingway so much because through his simplicity of language and imagery, he reveals truth about the human condition in an honest way. I love the stories because within them, I find truth—about myself, about my life, about the world around me, about my purpose in life and the Creator who has set me on this path. It’s not always pleasant—at times, life is full of gut-wrenching pain and loneliness. And if I am truly straightforward and unabashedly honest, regardless of how much I want to do away with the pain or how I want my life to be painted as beautiful landscapes and full of exciting bullfights, it just isn’t like that. There’s nothing sparkly or monumental about my life, really. But nonetheless, it’s so rich and full of opportunities to experience what it is to truly live—pain and all.

            I find so much joy in people—in my students; my colleagues; my parents and sister; my dearest friends from past experiences who know where I’ve been; and my current friends who are sharing in this adventure called life. I love that my weekends here in Cincinnati are filled high school football games and band contests, grilling on porches, going on weekend excursions and watching movies with friends. I love that I’ve gone to twenty weddings in two years and was the first to hold my best friend’s newborn baby. I love seeing the same people and the same families at church every Sunday and watching the little kids start their journeys of self-discovery. I love that I’ve traveled the United States to spend sweet time with friends and family—to Colorado, Minneapolis, Tennesee, California, and to Detroit, Boston, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago—and that I even had the opportunity to travel to Portugal and Australia. Not sparkly, but pretty awesome.

            My time will inevitably end on this Earth, and I, too, will passeth away. Sometimes, life is unsettling. But by loving and caring for others at the forefront, I believe I’m on the right track to living a fulfilling and blessed life. So, here’s to you, Ernest—through the mundane experiences of your characters, I have come to see the joy and wonder in my own.