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Saturday, March 19, 2011

John Steinbeck- Jack of all trades, master of words.

I was bored yesterday so I asked Joel to borrow a book in his collection. I ended up taking Steinbeck's "Cannery Row", which I disgracefully referred to as "Canary Now" because I only glanced at the book title, the font was weird, and I had never touched a Steinbeck book before much less paid attention to the titles. Save "Grapes of Wrath", his most famous work. I had heard of that one before. Since I have so much down time here I've decided to get through some of those classics that I never paid much attention to before. Not only because people refer to them and having a knowledge about classic literature can be avoid embarrassing moments but also because they aren't classics for naught. They're classic pieces because they had something unique to give the world of words. And I'm finding that uniqueness a refreshing change from the modern literature I'm used to reading.

A word about reading classics....

Every generation appreciates different things, and by reading works from beyond our own generation will be enriched in ways not possible in the modern era in which we are overwhelmingly surrounded by the loud voices of today's generations' cares. Classics from a different time remind us that there was a time when another reality existed, other issues were top on the days agenda, other words were the slang of the day, other values were the moral discussions that lead to heated debates and scandals, other events made people faint hearted and fatalistically decide that it was the beginning of the absolute end of the world. Perhaps if understood correctly it will help us take today's worries and heavy issues a little lighter, because time never stops, and today's pressing issues will be forgotten tomorrow, and perhaps that are not worth all of our fussing. And, people were people back then were very much the same in nature as they are today. We may dress differently, sing different songs, gossip about different people, but in our hearts, our worries and cares and joys are the same. The world may change but the nature of a person does not. If it did, why would anyone ever read a book from another time? We would feel no connection to the author's words and what he was trying to convey. Because human nature is the same, lessons can be learned from the past, because there is the possibility of repeating mistakes. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it's not only music and gossip and clothing that changes with time, but language as well. I think the main drawback of reading classics is the use of words uncommon in this day's vocabulary, and therefore getting lost in a book without getting caught up in difficult words is hard. Don't be a lazy ass, that is an awful excuse. Grab a dictionary. Maybe that's why well read people seem to be the smartest, the least lazy, people who succeed. Because they are people who look up words they don't understand, and are able to push through difficult passages because they can recognize the worth of the reward at the end- the bigger picture of finishing and conquering a classic piece of literature that will enrich their knowledge of a past generation and the wisdom it can share, of human nature, and improve their creative thought.

Back to Steinbeck.

I loved the honest short bio of Steinbeck in the beginning of this book.

"The Many Lives of John Steinbeck

Before the reception given The Grapes of Wrath made Steinbeck a world-famed literary figure, he was many things. Always a non-conformist, he was discharged from a New York newspaper for writing opinions instead of facts. He was an apprentice hod-carrier, an apprentice painter, a working chemist, caretaker of a Lake Tahoe estate, a surveyor in the Big Sur country, and an itinerant fruit picker.

He studied science at Stanford University and was a
qualified marine biologist like the "Doc" in Cannery Row.

In early, poor, and light-hearted days, Steinbeck made his home at Monterrey, where he
fished and sailed, and was boon companion to the beguiling characters
he has now immortalized in Cannery Row."



It pays to unapologetically be who you are as long as you know who you are and be it the best you can. Tap into all your potential and press on till the world can appreciate those things some individuals probably called "impossible to work with" or "difficult" or "too random", a "jack of all trades, master of none". Despite his many apprenticeships that didn't turn into something mastered, he found one thing that he did master- his creative thoughts and his ability to put them into words. And now the world thanks him.

Sometimes it takes time to find that thing that you can master with joy. Especially when you are gifted, or just interested, in many areas. Some people find that master-able area very fast and become famous at a young age. For some people it takes longer to find, or to develop, those things which they can master and then give to the world as a legacy. I say develop, because from his biography it sounds like his creative ability was built upon all he had done in his life. Experience enriches writing, and he wrote about what he knew, his life and that which he encountered in life... He took the ordinary and recognized it's ability to capture minds when written about correctly. He meddled in a lot of diverse areas and I'm sure his writing is richer for it.

Just an encouragement to those who are feeling heavy hearted because you are a jack-of-all-trades and your interests seem too random to form any one significant thing to give the world and be your legacy. Let Steinbeck prove your worries wrong.

1 comment:

Mom said...

This view point is one of the most encouraging things I've read lately. Thank you for enriching my life.