Artistic Immersion

I am quite amazed at how both of my daughters have embraced the aspects of their education which deal with the diverse culture of our modern planet. Different languages, different skin colors, different religions, different economic circumstances........they are learning that they are "all good". They seem to immerse themselves in the subjects they are studying in a manner I am not sure I grasped until my college years. It as almost as though they are learning by "method acting".

Last month, daughter number 1 completed a lengthy report on the history of black colleges in America. This month, she and her classmates are studying the Diaries of Anne Frank. To augment her learning experience, she decided to paint a mural and then overlay a poem over it. The colors of the mural each represent a color of importance to Anne Frank. The tone of greens, for example, was chosen to be representative of the greens of the guards uniforms as described by the author. The Poem by Bill Copeland:

Selection

To be chosen left or right one to the showers one to the barracks one to die one to waste away

Pass angry dogs amid the ruse massed together clutching children walking the trail to selection

One to the left one to the right one to the showers one to the barracks one to die one to waste away

Selection is the mere motion one to the left one to the right one selected to die one selected to live

One to die one to live no hope for either no choice in selection

I can only hope that our daughters continue to embrace the joy of a diverse planet and to respect the path of each person's individual identity and history.

We are off to explore the river a bit today and Monday and, hopefully, get a few decent wildlife shots.