Throwing "Lifelines" through Literature

Scritto da Mauro Spicci e Timothy Alan Shaw | nov 7, 2024

The amount of dramatic change that has been happening in the first quarter of this century - exemplified by events and phenomena such as the 9/11 tragedy, the spread of terrorism, the exponential growth of international migration, the outbreak of global conflicts, the recent experience of a pandemic, and the emergence of the power of Artificial Intelligence - has made us aware of how complex, contradictory, fragile, yet resilient, generous, and strong human nature is, leaving us with one overriding question: “How can we possibly embrace the tremendous amount of change we are witnessing without losing our sense of “humanity”?. This question does not come alone. It is normally accompanied by other fundamental questions, such as: “how can we preserve our “humanity” in a world in which technological progress is developing at an unprecedented rate?” or “how can we get together to find solutions to the most pressing issues of the future?”.

These questions play a central role in everyone’s lives but are even more pressing in the lives of us teachers since we have the unique privilege to walk through the present in the company of those who will play the role of protagonists in the future of the world.

These questions have accompanied us in the last few years and have paved the way for the creation of what has become the concept of a new, innovative textbook due to appear in spring 2025.

The book starts from the most pressing questions of our times to guide us and contemporary young readers through a journey of reflection that, with the help of the most famous passages of English literature, will make us reflect on our common origins, our universal needs, our fragility, and our incredible resilience as human beings.

Lots of things have changed since the times when our ancestors gathered around a campfire to share their foundational stories. Still, one thing has remained the same: as humans we love stories. Stories have always constituted the basis of our common humanity, strengthening communities, building civilisations, reinforcing collective dreams, and helping us develop our sense of shared humanity.

The book we have generated is built around the transformative power of stories, which we believe can be our “lifelines” even in the most turbulent times. Here’s a preview of its opening section: use the following excerpts to ignite a group discussion with your students and make them reflect on what makes us “truly” human.

Below is a preview of two paragraphs from the introductory chapter of “Lifelines”

Can literature make us human?

Have you ever felt so deeply involved in the story you were reading that you almost thought you were part of it? If you have experienced this, that means you know that stories, as well as literature, are powerful vehicles for empathy, making it possible for readers to wear someone else’s shoes and live their lives, take on their perspectives and see the world from a completely different angle. The immersion allowed by stories - the bricks literature is made of - teaches us that we are meant to connect with others through stories and shows that stories can help our shared humanity become visible.

Literature is a depository of stories, most of which are so famous and popular that they have become an integral part of our shared heritage as human beings. The stories literature is made of explore such a variety of topics - such as love stories, hatred, fear, abandonment, frustration, anxiety, and hope - that it can hardly be denied that literature serves as a “mirror” reflecting the multi-layered and complex identity of human beings, highlighting common trends, expressing shared values and ideas, and giving voice to the universal questions that have always accompanied us in the course of our evolution.

The stories in literature depict the history of humanity in all its nuances: they explore the infinitely different experiences that constellate human existence - such as birth, personal loss, love, hatred, youth, decay, friendship and betrayal. They also tell about how humans work hard to build communities, how fragile these communities are, and what factors can contribute to destroying them. Literature and the stories it is made of make us reflect on the terrible life of migrants of all epochs, showing how human mobility has always impacted our perception of who we are and our idea of “otherness”. They describe the value of equity and democracy and with extreme realism represent the power of dystopian worlds dominated by totalitarian leaders. Literature contains stories that highlight the relationship between humans and religions, the conflict between the rich and the poor, and humanity’s struggle to reach equality and freedom. It makes us look at the contrasts that characterise life and the history of the world - reality versus imagination; poverty versus wealth; stability versus change - with the help of stories that make us feel protagonists of that contrast.

With its ability to reproduce life and make us live the lives of others, literature is one of the most powerful keys to understanding what unites us as humans. It makes us feel that we are alive and active members of our shared humanity. As the Filipino writer F. Sionil José once wrote, “We write from life and call it literature, and literature lives because we are in it.”

REFLECT ON YOURSELF

1. Have you ever been “changed” by a story or a character you have read about? If so, how?
2. What are the stories that define “who you are”?
3. Can literature bring people together, even if they come from different backgrounds?

Throwing "Lifelines" through Literature

The book you have in your hands now is not simply an anthology of some of the most famous voices of English literature from the origins to the contemporary age, selected based on their literary and thematic quality. Each of the “stories” you will read and analyse will open a window not just on a particular historical scenario but also on a specific theme that is key to understanding the essence of a certain historical epoch and developing our common, timeless sense of humanity.

Given their particular relevance both in the historical context in which they appear and in the contemporary world, these essential topics are named “key topics”. Together, they highlight the values, ideals, and most significant struggles that have accompanied humanity throughout its long journey towards the future: some of these topics - such as hunger, poverty, or violence - are issues we humans are still trying to solve today. Others - like democracy, freedom and equality - represent the values every community based on mutual respect and complete acceptance of diversity, otherness, and personal identities still fights for in the contemporary world. Some of these “topics” have acted as a powerful glue that has kept human communities together - such as religion, politics, and leadership; others still define the roots of our common humanity - such as mobility or our relationship with the natural environment.

Today, we are facing a time of unprecedented change and challenges: technology, a product of the human brain, is now evolving at an incredible speed, forcing us to face planetary threats that seem to put humanity and its future at risk: climate change, the rise of artificial intelligence, the difficult road towards sustainability, the mirage of “zero pollution”, are only some of the many issues contemporary and future generations have to tackle. In this context, each of the “stories” in this anthology has been chosen to offer a tool to go back to our common origins and build a more “humane” future, acting as lifelines for future generations.

The stories contained in this book speak about our shared sense of humanity. No matter how much time has gone by, how much technology has changed the world around us, or how different our lifestyle has become, what makes us truly human - our emotions, our ability to love, dream, and suffer, and our unique capacity to turn these emotions into “stories” that generate other stories and ultimately build communities - has not changed. The stories contained in this book reveal that despite our differences in time, language, culture, or background, the common language of our “humanity” is based on universal values and experiences: these are the ones that will allow us - present and future generations - to build a future in which all the nuances or our common humanity are nurtured and celebrated.

REFLECT ON YOURSELF

1. Which “key topic” do you feel most connected to? Why?
2. How can the stories of the past help us find solutions to the challenges of today’s world?
3. What are the “universal values” that unite all human beings?

Referenze iconografiche: volte/Shutterstock

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