So where did we end up?

Last week in History of Mennonites in America, our readings focused on the creative arts within the Mennonite church, and a couple of the sources brought up interesting points about art in the Mennonite community. One source we looked at, Mennonite Artist: The Insider as Outsider: An Exhibition of Visual Art by Artists of Mennonite Heritage by Priscilla B Reimer, featured a number of Canadian Mennonite's works and also contained quotes from many of them. I felt this one by Dale Boldt sums up well the importance of art, "that's what's nice about it - about making art - you are continually growing and changing. And that's what's wrong with the Mennonite Church, in my experience. Mennonites don't want to grow; they don't want to change". The intro also brought up an important question, "why is it that a group which espouses values of community and social justice finds it difficult, if not impossible to embrace its artists?" Another source I read was Road Signs for the Journey: A Profile of Mennonite Church USA by Conrad L. Kanagy. This book is a quantitative study of Mennonite Church USA where Kanagy combines biblical passages with sociology to comment on the current state of the church. One quote I thought pertained somewhat to our class said "the challenge for modern and postmodern persons is to overcome the tendency to analyze ourselves into oblivion and to get on with God's mission to the world."

In the 18th century, Mennonites were focused on John Brenneman's writings and the importance of humility. Part of this meant creating a wall between Mennonites and the rest of the world. In order to avoid the temptations of sin, Mennonites cut themselves off from the world. Part of building a church, or really any building is building walls. In the 19th century Mennonites were forced out of these walls by the drafts during WWI and WWII. In the 1950's and 60's Mennonites continued venturing outside these walls and as a result of that began writing books, some of which we read throughout this class. Mennonite literature has grown significantly since the 1960's and with the literature a new understanding of Mennonite identity has begun to unfold. This understanding of the Mennonite identity is constantly changing in the way Boldt suggests, and I like that. I like that the Mennonite church has developed less rigid definitions, because human limitations will never allow us to create universal rules that work. That being said rules are still important, because they hold society together. 

This is where the Kanagy quote and a general criticism of Mennonite literature comes in. Most of the works we read this semester are somewhat critical of their Mennonite communities. In Peace Shall Destroy Many Peter Blocks character demonstrates the problems of patriarchal male society, and Joseph questions pacifism. A Complicated Kindness also contains an aggressive patriarchal figure who does not appear to express love in the way I would expect of a Mennonite. Di Brant in her poem with the first line "but what do you think my father says this verse means if it's not" also struggles with the patriarchal role of her father. Julia Kasdorf's poem "The Interesting Thing" also criticizes patriarchy, in perhaps the most serious way, exposing her former neighbor who sexually abused her as a child. In "Menno Pause Revisited" criticizes male authority at Goshen College, in the administrations explosion of the four students who created Gadfly. Katya also contains a male authority, Abram Sudermann, who has been corrupted by wealth and power.

Although most of the targets are male, I think all this criticism centers most of all on power and inherently the systems that support it. All of these works confront social injustice within the Mennonite community, and for that I thank the writers who took the risk to write them. Recognition of a problem is the first step in any healing process. I also think Kanagy brings up an interesting point, particularly about "the tendency to analyze ourselves into oblivion". This comment seems to speak somewhat to the work done in all these books. It's good to be critical, but at some point all of the criticism turns into distrust of the system, and then the system might start to break down. Kanagy also comments in his book that he has no interest in going back to the way Mennonites were before. I think all the literature we read this semester is extremely valuable, but I also think it's important as writers and members of the larger conversation to take care of our roots.

In In Praise to the Lurkers: Who Come Out to Speak Jeff Gundy creates an interesting image of the poets role in society as this character who lives on the edge, and does not quite fit into reason and social order. He describes one lurker in particular, a man named John Nachtigall, who in Keith Ratzlaffs essay "The Poet as John Hachtigall" lived in the middle of Henderson, Nebraska but talked to nobody. This man made Ratzlaff feel different with his presence, instead of through his words. I think this story speaks to the power of silence. This reminded me of something G. C. Waldrep said in his interview with me,

"There is the occasional poem that I decide not to share, much less publish. (And yes, as a person of faith I find the question of where, how, and whether one publishes to be much more fraught.) Some poems turn out to be private poems. When I am writing, I don't think about audience at all. But later, in revision and once a poem is done, I do think about it--and even pray about it, as necessary. But really these are quite few. I generally try to work out any spiritual problems in a poem during revision, to the best of my ability."

I think everything we've read in this class was important and meaningful, but I also think this idea, that some things are personal and should not be published is important.

Miriam Toews: A Complicated Kindness

When I first started reading this book I thought it was funny. It seemed like a typical teenage angst story like Juno, Superbad, or Catcher in the Rye, but this book turned out quite differently, because the conflict didn't resolve itself in a neat little Hollywood ending the way it normally does. It sort of just leaves us with this sense of emptyness; the main character sitting on the floor wondering what is going to happen to her and remembering when her family was still there.

I'm particularly disturbed by the note that Ray leaves for Nomi. Why list her name with only the first initial? This makes it harder to find her, should anyone come looking. And what work do they have to do? It seems so bizarre, and in a strange way totally Mennonite, that Nomi is not angry at her family for leaving her. She does not blame them for leaving, in fact she sees their leaving as an act of selflessness. She says Trudie left to keep Ray from losing his faith. She says Ray left to keep from losing his love of her. I'm not sure what really happened but this explanation doesn't make any sense. If they loved each other why didn't they just move somewhere new, together?

It seems ironic because Ray is such a good man by Mennonite standards. He is so obsessed with order that he organizes trash at the local dump. He takes the time and care to organize everything the world has defined as worthless. This seems to me like some strange interpretation of the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Ray seems to search for worth were ever it is not found.

A couple choice lines from the last chapter;

"How did he leave? Walk? Hitchhike? How do you leave a town with not train, no bus, no car?"

"The Mouth had suggested once that my mother might have killed herself out of guilt and regret. I think it was the ending he most enjoyed. The typically grim outcome that made sense to him.

Let's be realistic, he said, which had made even my dad laugh out loud. But it did make me wonder. If she had planned to travel far away from this pace why had she left her passport behind in the top drawer of her and my dad's dresser? Was her body at the bottom of the Rat River, her hazel eyes wide open, staring in eternal mock horror at the flailing limbs of fifteen-year-olds being forced underwater in baptism by her brother, The Mouth? Or was she alive and well and selling Amway or something in some tourist town on the Eastern Seabord? Or maybe she had finally managed to get to Israel and was working as a courier in Tel Avia?

Had my dad really gone to pick garbage off mountains or was he also at the bottom of the Rat - no, I preferred the first story, the one about sacrifice and pain, because it presented opportunities of being happy again."

This is the question the author leaves us with. Are Nomi's parents dead and if so is she better off living with her lies? In this way her life asks a question about her Mennonite community? Is it better that the community keeps living with its lies?

Katya

Ann asked a question in class this week I found rather important; why does this book matter? What can we take from this book today?

One important connection between this book and our society today is Mennonite wealth. I come from an upper middle class back round, so I somewhat identify with these upper class characters. I like to think that as Mennonites today we're more devoted to class justice then Abram Sudermann, but modern America does seem to be having some class issues, for example in this article http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/29/opinion/sutter-lake-providence-income-inequality/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 the author describes a town in Louisiana, where there is a strong divide between the upper and lower classes. I wonder how the lower class in Goshen views Mennonites and the college. Reading a book like this makes me think about class more in my own life.

The book also examines how these people maintained their values in times of crisis, and what the effects were. Some remained faithful to their pacifistic views like Peter Vogt and Ohm Siemens, while others like Abram Sudermann used force. It seems to me that Abram got what was coming to him. Peter and Ohms deaths on the other hand are unfair. These were honest hardworking men, who remained true to their principles. How could God let them die? 

I think this book gives meaning to their deaths. Without the book their deaths would not be remembered, and the examples they set would not mean much. But because of their deaths Katya survived and was able to recount their story. Through memory their sacrifices live on as an example of people who chose to take pain instead of cause it. This book shows the evil humans can cause, but also provides an example of those who choose not to submit.

Paraguay Primeval And Other Song By Carol Ann Weaver Featuring Rebecca Campbell

I must say I've never been to a performance quite like this.

It was an interesting combination of harmonies, piano, and descriptions of Mennonite life in Paraguay. I learned a lot about the struggles and joys of these immigrants from the songs. I particularly enjoyed the song Lengua Women. The music really brought to life the Lengua women as a sort of presence. Listening to the music sort of creates a feel of how they walked, that makes sense with the description, better then if I was only reading about it. I also thought the song about the women's village was interesting, depicting women doing all the Men's work. It was sad because they lost their husbands, but also inspiring, that these women made it on their own.

I thought Weaver did a good job of displaying troubles of Paraguayan Mennonites through stories like the one of Uncle Hans falling down the well, but also describing the joys of their lives, like the tango song and Chaco Spring. It seemed like a well rounded collection of stories.

The music itself I enjoyed immensely, because of the complexity. Weaver employed many different styles of chord structure and rhythm to create a unique and engaging sound which kept me guessing throughout the performance. I felt like I didn't know what was coming next.

Peace Shall Destroy Many

Most of this book seemed rather negative and critical to me,  and although the ending falls along the same lines I think it's actually kind of a happy resolution. Not in a happily ever after way, but in a real way.

I love the Deacons reaction when he enters the barn.

"The Deacon bowed his scarred grey head to his hands, and the men of Wapiti community, Metis and Mennonite, standing in an old barn, heard the sobs of a great strong man, suddenly bereft, and broken. They heard, terrified."

This seems like a sad moment but I think it's really beautiful. Block has finally admitted his defeat, and given up control. He publicly acknowledges his brokenness, which must be very humbling for him. According to 18th century Mennonite writer John Brenneman humility is the way we build a relationship with Christ. Part of accepting forgiveness is acknowledging our weakness as human beings. Block tried to create a perfect little world by hiding his imperfections and the evil of the world from the community, but eventually the bubble popped. The lies ended and now the healing can begin. 


It's also a humbling moment for Thom when he loses control and hits Herb. After being so critical of everything throughout the whole book, he finally fails himself, bringing the cycle of hypocrisy full circle. This is just part of being human. Thom's recognition of failure in himself allows him to forgive others for their misgivings.

Menno Pause, Peace Shall Destroy Many, and the act of shunning.

I sympathize with both sides of the Gadfly conflict. What happened to the 4 students was certainly unfair and unwarranted. It would have been easy for Paul Mininger to tell the students, stop printing this paper or I'm going to kick you out. But Mininger didn't do that, he just got rid of them.

In Peace Shall Destroy Many Deacon Block acts in a similar way when he forces Louis Moosomin to leave Wapiti. He says "he did not care, in his numbness, that he had, by every standard he ever believed, damned his own soul eternally. Wapiti was clean for his son."

I'm guessing this was how Mininger thought of these students, like in order to protect the minds of the rest of the student body, he needed to make an example. Other students might have thought, it looks like those 4 are having fun and they got away with it, so why can't I. Mininger pruned the metaphorical plant of Goshen, but the leaves are not leaves, they're human beings.

You could even compare this model to men who perpetrate violent military action. They're just trying to protect their families.

So Mininger did what he had to do to protect the college.

I wish Mininger would have acted less harshly. After reading the Hess article I'm guessing Mininger felt the same way. I'm glad reconciliation was made between him and Jim Wenger, but I would like to see more reconciliation between Mennonites and the LGBTQ community.

Responses to Todd Davis Writing About Bears

I like nature poetry a lot, probably because I like nature a lot. It's almost like another world to me. Todd Davis has a couple of poems about bears that I really enjoy. In Seeing Things he writes about a bear who hangs out behind his house eating fish out of his neighbors pond. Him and his neighbor agree not to tell anyone about the bear. It's almost like they want to be friends with the bear, like they have a connection. Now through this poem I also have an imaginary connection with this bear.

Todd wrote another poem about bears called sleep. In this poem the bears feast on back berries and then succumb to what he calls the drug of sleep.

"How better to drift 

toward another world but with leaves   

falling, their warmth draping us,   

our stomachs full and fat with summer?"

Reading this one I find myself wishing I could hibernate all winder, like a bear. It would be nice to fill up on blackberries and then hole up in a warm cave, just waiting for spring, enjoying the drug of sleep. This is a great fall poem.

There is one more poem about bears called The Poet Stumbles upon a Buddha in Gamelands 158 Above Tipton, Pennsylvania. This poem creates the image of a bear using his butt to push a thorny plant called the devil's walking stick out of the way so the bear and feast on the berries. I feel as though Todd is passing this bears satisfaction and care free attitude on for the rest of us to enjoy.