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Having to walk into the knowledge of death, or pain, or any of our other shortcomings as human beings is also the avenue into
gaining compassion and hope in the world. The classic Cycle of Redemption notes that we may start out as innocent of any of
the world’s ills, but we lose that innocence as we grow, as we go through rites of passage to adulthood, as we metaphorically
take a bite from the apple of knowledge of good and evil. What results from our “Fall” from innocence may well determine the
trajectory of our lives – we can become bitter and angry with the world or we can come to terms with its very real dangers and
hurts and can turn these into opportunities for reaching out to others in compassion and offering hope that there is transcendence
and transformation in the abysses of life. Both Aristotelian Tragedy and the archetypal journey motif share this notion; there is
potential good that comes from our pain, essential redemption in the triumph of the human spirit and our capacity to change and
grow, in our capacity to love. A selection of poems from William Stafford’s first two volumes of poetry outline the power of
the Cycle of Redemption and the corresponding Assurance we have as human beings that the hope the cycle offers is viable for
our daily lives. In his poem Circle of Breath William Stafford recalls the trip home from the CO camp to attend his father’s
funeral – and the moment before he enters the visceral knowledge of this death. He says, “Truant from knowing, I stood where
the great dark fell.” Then he recalls a vivid image of standing by his father in darkness as a storm goes by, reassured in the
knowledge that they could leave the darkness together and “knowing we could go home.” After this recollection, he is steeled
and ready to be “Truant no more,” ready, he “stepped forward and learned his death.” This is a classic example of the loss of
innocence and the realization of knowledge that will change us dramatically. It is a perfect example of that stage of the Cycle of
Redemption and illustrates this stage far better than a technical definition.
Thus, to “define” the Cycle of Redemption/Coming of Age/Archetype of Seasons etc the proposed unit will start with the
following poems – as a microcosm of the entire semester’s approach:
Assurance,
Circle of Breath,
Things We Did That Meant Something,
At the Bomb Testing Site,
Representing Far Places,
As Pippa Lilted
Sample Discussion Questions tying Circle of Breath to Cycle of Redemption:
Weekly poems and exploratory writing to follow the semester (18 weeks), with both sophomores and seniors
following the focus of each course for Fall Semester. The same poems used with different ages/students – the
spiral of the cycle itself reflected in “where” seniors are in comparison to sophomores.
Sayings From the Northern Ice Things We Did that Meant Something
Level Light
In the Museum
Sayings From the Northern Ice
Sayings From the Northern Ice
As Pippa Lilted
Representing Far Places
Things We Did That Meant Something
Things We Did That Meant Something
The View From Here
At the Salt Marsh
In Response to a Question
The Well Rising
Listening
Hail Mary
Earth Dweller
Assurance
Allegiances
At the Bomb Testing Site
Vocation
Fall Wind
Learning
Daily writing for At the Bomb Testing Site
As Pippa Lilted
Circle of Breath