Our World Literature class is having a great time reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Last American Man. It’s the story of Eustace Conway, self proclaimed “Man of Destiny” who creates a life for himself in the woods and makes it his life goal to convert all of society into his minimal, survivalist way of life. It’s a perfect book for us, because running around in the woods during class becomes in exercise in relating to literature. It’s been sunny and warm here on the banks of the overflowing Ottawa river, and we’re enjoying having class outside on the grass. Today, my class was Eli Spiegal, David Gorski and Jackson Conn. (Tracy d’Arbeloff had taken a much deserved day off to paddle Chambolix wave.) The boys and I talked for a while about one remarkable story about Conway involving a girlfriend and squirrel soup. “This is a pop quiz,” I told them. “If you convince a beautiful, smart, bold young woman to be your girlfriend and live with you in your debris-hut, and she keeps the debris-hut clean while you’re out on business all the time, and then one day she makes you a delicious squirrel soup, do you: A) Thank her for the delicious soup and give her a flower or B) Pull her outside in the rain and make her dig up the squirrel bones she burried after making broth, to prove to her the value of eating all of the marrow inside the bone, the way Conway did?”
Thankfully, the boys, although admitting the importance of efficiency and using all parts of an animal, eventually decided on answer A. They all passed.
For the remainder of the class, we will be further discussing The Last American Man, having survival expert Tino Specht as a geust speaker, and watching Into the Wild. Comparing and contrasting Into the Wild protagonist Alexander Supertramp with Eustace Conway and Three Cups of Tea Protagonist Greg Mortenson is sure to yield some great final essays.
Tags: Academics, education, Ottawa, study abroad programs
