Tygers in the Damndest Places

--> Literature can encounter us in the damndest places. The preset notion is it  is guaranteed to find us within the confines of a class, a library, maybe the Internet (when we close down Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, etc). My predisposition was that literature is there when I am looking for it. I never thought I would encounter it in the midst of watching cartoons. However, Fox Network proved me very wrong, though I would come to realize it until this week.

          While watching Batman: the Animated Series back in 1992, I encountered a strangely hypnotic poem that held fast in my mind. I can still hear Kevin Conroy, voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the series, saying the opening lines to William Blake’s poem “The Tyger.” I was thirteen at the time and had no idea who William Blake was, but the words: “Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright / in the forest of the night” haunted both my waking and sleeping dreams for years after.

            Twenty-two years later, I can’t tell you much about the episode itself. Those words, however, still give me chills. I have quoted the first couplet countless times over the last two decades and I was pleasantly surprised that the remaining line similarly spellbound me. I read it aloud to my partner several times over the last two days, trying to find the proper way to intone each syllable. I suppose, some part of me hoped that if I did it right, I might encounter a “tyger” of my own, forged wholly by the words set down by Blake 220 years ago (I also can’t help notice the similarities in the years since I first encountered the poem, and when the world first encountered it). Alas, no “tyger” has graced my apartment, or my car, or the hallways and byways I travel during the day. I still haven’t relented in my desire to find the proper method to read this poem. 

            I have to admit, despite my love for the English language and the methods by which it can be used to evoke emotions, images, and experiences that seem to transcend barriers like time and space, I have never held much enthusiasm for poetry. At times, I have found individual poems that will jump out at me and grab on to some part of my mind (or rather my heart or soul) and just resonate with me. And this is one such poem. Not only has it remained firmly engrained in my mind longer than many of my fellow classmates have been alive, it has never ceased to move my and excite my mind, heart and soul.  It reminds me to keep my ear out – whether I am watching a cartoon, surfing the ‘net, or talking with folks, Literature is out there and it will find you in the damndest places.

(Batman: the Animated Series, Episode 42, “Tyger, Tyger.” First aired October 30, 1992)

It's 2013?

Where has the time gone?

I haven't posted since September. So many things have happened since then. I finished my first semester of school and I fear that it may have been deceptively easy. I did finish the semester with a 4.0. And I did continue this through Winter Session as well. Though this has only made me want to push harder to keep my grades up.

One of my classes this last semester was Irish 101. Learning Gaeilge, or Irish Gaelic as many people call it stirred something inside me. I knew growing up that my mother was a second-generation Irish American. But beyond knowing that she was a Riley from Butte, I really didn't know anything more about my family or what it meant to be an Irish American.

Now, I don't want it to sound like learning enough Gaeilge to converse with a five year old has suddenly given me great insights to what it means to be an Irish American. I knew going into school that I would be getting a minor in Irish Studies and wanted to study over in Ireland. And learning the language has fueled my passion.

An added benefit of being in the program is that my mother's cousin and her husband are close friends with the director of the program. Because of their relationship, I was able to meet these two members of my family. Suzie, my mother's cousin has been the keeper of the family genealogy. She was nice enough to put together a packet of information with stories and pictures of my Irish family back to when they came to Butte from Co. Cork.

This also got me wondering where I came from and as such I reached out to my bio-dad. His last name, before he was adopted by an aunt and uncle, was Ferry. When I originally tried to study my father's genealogy, I thought that he was of English descent. I was quite wrong. The Ferry's originally came from Co. Cavan in Ireland.

Between these two discoveries, I decided to start doing some digging on Ancestry.com. I found information back to my great-great-grandparents for my mother, father and step-father. It has been amazing and I look forward to find out more along my journey. 

Part of the reason I haven't been posting here has been due to my work with the Irish Studies program. I am currently managing the social media sites for the program and working on launching a blog for the program. I am balancing this with my normal class load and work. The sacrifice has been time spent with my family and friends. But I know that they understand.

Tomorrow begins a new semester. I think I have my work cut out for me and I hope I am up for the challenge. I need to keep my grades up in order to ensure that I have an opportunity to study in Ireland.My hours at work have been scaled back to give me a chance to succeed.

I will post when I can.