In IL (Intro to Lit) today, we went back to basics asking about motive, impulse, life and death, winners and losers, science and the speculative.

Always tough subjects, especially when we’re talking, hypothetically, of course, about “impressions” one makes about people who walk into class late or otherwise break rules or do something that draws attention from cultural norms. Then, of course, someone walks into class late and the word LOSER is written up on the board and everyone laughs, and then things must be explained and you hope for a strong sense of humor. Lucky, the class is loaded with it.

We talked some about the “blueblack” cold of Robert Hayden, such an important cold. The quality of cold and experience, waking up in it. The shape of human experience as expressed in language.

We’ll continue with this. To ask questions like, “Where does fire come from?” and “Why are we warring again?” Those words from McCarthy are recalled: “. . . and the night will not end.”