Reading and writing assignements

17 Março 2020, 08:00 • Isabel Maria da Cunha Rosa Fernandes

Dear Students,

 

Under normal circumstances, today you would have had your first written test. But we are living unpredictable times, and I’m not going to pretend it is otherwise.

Nevertheless, I’m sure that by now that you’ve had the opportunity of reading the novel and even, maybe, even watching the film, as I recommended last week and I hope you’ve enjoyed both. As I’ve said, we will return to them at the end of the semester.

As you know, our CU (curricular unit) is mostly about reading and writing, and practicing both. So my idea would be that you take this opportunity for reading as much as possible during this forceful quarantine; but that you do so as a means of making it easier for you to pass the time and safeguard your mental sanity. This implies reading for pleasure: whatever interests / motivates / touches you most, from Harry Potter, science fiction or comics, to “serious” novels, poetry, drama, etc. Read, read, read and be sure that literature will afford you times of release, knowledge and entertainment, allowing you to access another level of experience, liberating you momentarily from the constraints and challenges of the harshness of the present moment.

Another suggestion would be that you start writing a diary. It does not have to be anything formally finished to be read by others, but it may allow you to register from the occasional outburst, to a more coherent daily report, or a poem, or simply a sentence. It might also include your reading impressions… You can be sure that this will also help you keep the balance.

We are facing difficult and uncertain times and we don’t yet know for how long. It is almost like being adrift on a raft in the middle of a stormy sea. Reading and writing can be the paddles, enabling you to steer away from despair and frustration and helping you find meaning in the middle of an ocean where you may feel yourselves sometimes astray.*

I sincerely hope that you and your families will be able to overcome the present difficulties as best as possible. Literature can be a helpful tool. As Joan Baez sang back in the early 60s: “We shall overcome!”

All the very best, take care and we’ll keep in touch.

 

Isabel Fernandes  

 

*The image of the raft and the paddles was suggested by a text published by Tolentino Mendonça in the weekly magazine Expresso of the previous weekend, titled “Book therapy.”