Well, Socrates was on my mind this morning because I had to drive over an hour on my way to work to pick up a present for Big A's birthday and the town I was picking up from was named "Hemlock." The only reference for hemlock I've ever had is that it was the poison used to execute Socrates in prison. (Why did they name their town that?!?)
And that was the other reason I was thinking about Socrates--prison. Because today was my turn to be in the classroom with the incarcerated students. I'd picked pieces that had been written in prison as readings for today (by Malcolm X, Dr. King, Mandela, O. Henry...) and planned to talk about what each of the authors was in prison for, and how long they'd been unpopular in the public sphere. (It still freaks me out that nearly 70% of White Americans disapproved of Dr. King the year before his assassination and that Nelson Mandela was on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorists until 2008.) As it turned out, my background check didn't come through in time, so I didn't get to go after all and my visit has been postponed to December (maybe?).
I was so disappointed. I know Socrates isn't considered a stoic, but stoicism is what I should aim for right now? (Also, it might help me fall asleep? It's 4:36 am... when will I sleep tonight?)
Pic: My reward for driving along Michigan rural roads early this morning was this aureate sunrise.
9 comments:
Oooof— so sorry. I hope you are asleep right now instead of reading this.
This made me look up hemlock. I thought it was a tree, but it's a flower. Looks very much like Queen Ann's Lace. Maybe it grows around there.
Get some sleep, Maya.
Hemlock is also a gorgeous tree like a Christmas tree. Quite lovely, and it produces little cones, too. We had one in our back yard, and there are lots of them in my neighbourhood.
I didn't know that stat about Rev. MLK. It's astonishing and quite dismaying. I'd like to think that has vastly changed, thanks to education. He was a giant of a man.
That is disappointing! And I feel bad for those students who missed such an interesting lesson.
Hemlock does seem like an unfortunate name for a town.
I did get some good sleep, Sarah! (I was up around this date stamp though, ha.)
Steph--I think your instinct about it being a tree is right too--see Nance's comment below...
That's what they probably named the town for, Nance! It is a gorgeous tree. And to think that when we first moved here, I did not want to look at houses in that town because of the name...
I really do hope I'll get a redo in December, Jenny.
Take Care
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