Abstracting: The Battle Itself

When I think about the idea of good versus evil, the one part of the struggle that comes to mind is the battle that takes place. Sometimes, this struggle is an outward, all on fight toward whatever may be perceived as the good, the right. Other times, this battle is an inward struggle. It is not easily recognized by others, it is the inward battle of the mind. It is the common and cliched idea of having an angel and a devil on ones shoulder, and watching as the two of them have it out. Nike created a commercial that shows the battle of good versus evil as a soccer game. This commercial reminds me of a mini epic assignment I give to my students. I ask them to take an ordinary event and blow it way out of proportion - giving the main character super human qualities, and making the main event far more intense. The commercial shows an epic battle that occurs between various inhabitants of the underworld, and the star players of the European league.


Sometimes the battle is between words. Words are a very powerful thing. What someone says to a person can start an entire inner commentary that can change the actions and outcomes of events throughout a person's life. Just seeing a word can result in positive or negative emotions. This is not to say that some words are good, and others are evil, but the associations that one makes when seeing or hearing a word can give it such connotations. So, in essence, there is a battle that occurs on the pages of books, in the newspaper, and anywhere that words are presented.


Abstracting is a difficult concept to teach. It takes a great amount of thinking, and this is not something my students are very good at. They want to be told what to do, want to be able to do it without thought, and then see the grade as soon as possible. This is what some aspects of the educational system has taught them more or less, I suppose, so it isn't entirely their fault. To get a student that can think of words as a means to convey thoughts and feelings in a visually and very personal manner, as e.e. cummings did, would be a dream. The idea of seeing words as so much more than letters on a page is such a beautiful thing. There is art and beauty in the most simple of objects, in things that we see every day. When Picasso drew the motion of the knitter, and not just the knitter herself, he was thinking in a way that shows how much more there is to life that people (myself included) overlook, and completely miss, every day.