Finding the Humanity in Heroism

It's difficult to settle on one thing to write about, especially after discussing so much in class. After hearing everyone else's thoughts, I almost feel as though I shouldn't have liked the book so much. Perhaps I'm just a simple reader-- I believed Ged was a hero because he was presented as such. LeGuin said he was heroic, so I never questioned his heroism. I didn't have any trouble diving into the book or even liking Ged. To me, everything about him was perfectly understandable-- perfectly human. I believed in Ged and liked him because him because he grew and changed over the course of the book.

It's funny because the other story I thought of when I read A Wizard of Earthsea wasn't any sort of fantasy or science fiction-- Ged reminded me of Johnny Tremain. He followed the same journey of self-discovery: Johnny started off as an incredibly self-centered apprentice with amazing talent but, through a horrible accident that left him disfigured, he learned humility and the importance of knowing who he was outside of his talent. The actual stories are very different, but the personal discoveries of the two boys are incredibly similar. Everything about Ged's character seemed understandable and relatable; it is easy to recognize his flaws, which then makes the reader question his or her own character as it relates to that flaw.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I liked Ged because he was flawed. If I had read this as a child, I probably would have seen this book as a morality tale. I was very conscious of Ged's hubris and, because of that, thought about my own pride. We can learn from Ged more than just what it means to be a hero but what it means to be human. To be human is to be flawed and, I think LeGuin would agree, to be a better human (or even a hero) is to not only recognize those flaws, but accept them and learn from them how to be a better person.

Hello

My name is Shannon Belden and I am an English and theatre double major graduating in May. One of my life goals is to write children's books (upper elementary/junior high age), so I'm very excited about auditing this course!

It's difficult to choose a favorite children's book, simply because that's the main genre that I read. I think the book that probably had the most influence over me when I was growing up was Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. I read it for a project when I was in fifth grade and, after that, I decided I wanted to be a writer. Spinelli has remained one of my all-time favorite authors since then. What makes this book so incredible is it's bittersweet plotline-- the character "Maniac," an orphan on the run, ends up living with a black family (though he is white) in a time and place where the two races never interact. He spends most of the book running-- usually from places and people who evoke heartache-- but by the end, he runs back to the family who gave him a home, even when it meant they were ostracized by their other friends. He's a truly likeable character who has to deal, not only with the normal difficulties of growing up, but with the idea that not everyone is accepting of those who are different. He doesn't see people for their color, but for their souls, and he slowly learns that many do not think that way.

This book gave me the first experience I've ever had crying because I was reading something beautiful-- not because it was sad or upsetting (though some parts are), but because it was wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. It's a truly amazing story.