The Leader of the People

Disclaimer: Forgive photos!
They were taken by iphone into the sun!

"The Leader of the People"

In the kitchen around the table, we honored John Steinbeck’s mind and heart by "listening" to the last chapter of words in
The Red Pony.

And we all agree: what a book!

We all guessed how Steinbeck would start this last section. Most of us mentioned that colt of Jody's, but quickly we realized we weren’t going to hear about the colt.

Logan said he just won't ever read another Steinbeck for the loss of the SECOND pony, but I don't believe him. He will. :)

Of course, Steinbeck never SAYS the colt is dead, but we understand Jody so well that when we see him hunting mice, being destructive, not having anything to do, we know.  

In this section, we listened to Grandpa’s stories of westering across the plains to the ocean.
He was the leader of his people in his time.
Now he tells the same stories over and over again to a mostly impatient audience.  

We watched Jody distance himself from his father.

We watched Jody show compassion for his grandfather.

We talked about running out to meet people we love in our own lives. How coming to the doorstep or the end of the driveway or over the hill honors the person coming home!

We talked about grandparents who talk and talk.

Cody said, “I have a grandpa like that. He talks about Indians, hunting, fishing and taking photos of wild animals. He lives near a ranch with about a million acres.”

Logan said, “My grandpa talks a LOT about science. Boats and science. And my grandma always talks about the way it was in Vegas, with the mafia.”

Ellie said, “Mine snorted a lot and my mom tells me about how she helped my grandma pack walnuts and almonds.”

Eleanore said, “My grandpa talks about the restaurant he used to own with his parents. Ham’s Diner. And he talks a lot about his science magazine.

Jacob said, “My grandpa talks and talks about the house he's building by himself.”

We asked ourselves why our grandparents repeat certain stories.
We decided they have pride in what they are doing or have done.
They feel important.
They feel a sense of dignity.
They have a sense of self worth.
And they SHOULD! What they do or have done builds us.


If we don’t honor their stories,
however many times we hear them,
we don’t honor them.

Carl Tiflin dishonors and disrespects Grandfather's stories.
Carl Tiflin INFURIATES you all!

We wrote "D" in the margin when someone "dishonored" Grandfather.
We wrote "H" in the margin of the book when someone "honored" grandfather.

Mostly, Jody and Billy Buck listen to and honor people.
They are "good men."
Carl dishonors and disrespects.
In this way, he is a child.

We talked about leadership and how a person who leads MUST show compassion. Like Billy Buck. Like we know Jody will – and does by bringing lemonade to Grandfather,
by listening to his stories,
by forgiving Billy Buck,
by talking to Gitano.

Jody keeps reaching out.
He senses the insides of people.
He knows what it's like to feel shame
at the hands (and words) of his father.

Carl is not such a good leader.
He inspires revolt;
he makes the insides of people collapse
(remember how Jody sees Grandpa on the ride in
and recognizes his collapsed self). 

We understand that Grandpa has a “westering” spirit.
He thinks no one in this generation feels that need to wester.

We don’t agree: we discussed ways we want to "wester:"
places we want to go, ideas we want to explore, including Cody's lake at the bottom of the ocean!

Even being a young adult is a form of westering! 

Thank you all for reading
such a beautiful book so beautifully together.

Assignment:

To honor Steinbeck, find one passage from each section you like. 
Copy it into the blog with quotation marks and perfect spelling (it’s the honorable thing to do!)

Below each passage, write why you are moved. 
Remember, take your time. 
You honor the words by thinking about them. Go deep.
Respond to your friends' writing, please 

Next week*, we'll start looking at YOUR writing. 

If you have something ready for us to look at, bring it.

If you want to start writing next Friday, we'll do it!

Parents, we should discuss whether we should take a break next Friday. I'm fine either way.