Language Arts Journal of Michigan Volume 10 Article 2 Issue 1 Focus: Tough Questions. Hard Choices.

1994 The itP and the Pendulum Amy Huntley

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Recommended Citation Huntley, Amy (1994) "The itP and the Pendulum," Language Arts Journal of Michigan: Vol. 10: Iss. 1, Article 2. Available at: https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.1575

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Language Arts Journal of Michigan by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Pit and the Pendulum

Amy Huntley

Wouldn't we all be happy to have an intelligent, talented, and enthusiastic writer in our classrooms? Especially one able to incorporate an understand­ ing ofmultiple subject matters including science and history? But what if that student translated everything he knew into violent writings? Would we allow that student to express himselffreely? What would happen ifwe had Edgar Allan Poe in one qfour modem classrooms?

I had a fight with myfoster father John before killed him. And cutapart his bodyand stashed it I went to bed one night. We never get along well. under the floorboards and-then I woke up. and I don't remember what we fought about that The next day when I got to third hour, Ms. night. but I went to bed angry and I had a weird Chester, myEngltsh teacher, gave us this ridicu­ dream-we're talking Stephen King ought to in­ lous free writingperiod. It'sa stupid waste oftime terview me about it. I was working for Old Man usually. I don't know what to write about. But Denton down the street. in this dream. He used that day I had a great idea for a story. I took it to have a cataract growing over his left eye until straight from my dream. The story turned out about two months ago when he had cataract fantastic. I got towrite about cuttingup Denton's surgery. When the cataract was there it looked body and catchingall the blood in this tub. I kept like an extra. milk-colored flap ofskin growing up thinking, while I was writing. about the Naked onto his eye. just like the skin that grows up onto Bashings song called "Dead Hearts Don't Beat." your finger nails ifyou don't push it back. It was so I worked into the story how the murderer gets gross in real life, but it was even worse in my caught because he keeps hearingthis heart beat­ dream. It was white and blue in my dream. and ing, and it makes him crazy. thicker. Instead of just reaching around the outside of the eye, it was crawling all the way across it. Denton kept staring at me with his "'Violence sells,' I told her, which hideous blue eye, and I was freaking out-really is only true, so I'm not sure why freaking out. My heart was racing and I felt sick she looked at me like she thought I to my stomach and had to go to the bathroom all was in one of the gangs that at once. I was so sick. I'm surprised I didn't barf regularly roam our hallways." in bed for real. And the worst part was that Denton wouldn't stop staring at me, so I finally

Spring 1994 1 It didn't go over well with Chester the Jester. Just to prove he couldn't, I went to my friend She didn't evenread the storyfor a week, thenshe David's house that night and we watched Basic called me into her room after school and set my Instinct. That was almost as weird as my dream. story in front ofme and said, ''I'm uncomfortable The detective, played by Michael Douglas in that with what you've written here. Do you know movie, had it bad for Sharon Stone's character. why?" He stayed with her even when he couldn'tbe sure Of course I knew why. Adults think they can she wouldn't kill him. That's a powerful physical write about whatever they want, but kids should attraction. bewritingabout stupidboringstuff, like whyTom Lucky for me, the next day in Chester's class, Sawyer is a funny character. we had another free writing period. I was furious "No," I said. with her for calling John, so I decided to write "It's very violent," she said inthis gentlevoice, something else that would freak her out. This like she expected me to get angry, which really time I wrote about a girl named Marie Roget, who pissed me off...because she was actually being wasin love witha sailor, onlyshedidn't letanyone condescending. know it. One day she disappeared and was gone "Violence sells," I told her, which is only true, for two weeks. But shereturned. A few days later so I'm not sure why she looked at me like she she disappeared again, onlywhen she showed up thought I was in one of the gangs that regularly the next time, it was dead in the river. A clever roam our hallways. detective named Auguste Dupin figured out a "Do you really believe that?" she asked. sailorhadbrutallymurdered her anddragged her "Sure." bodyto the river bythe hair. She obviouslywasn't "Is that why you wrote this? Because you any smarter about falling in love than Michael think people want to read about someone mur­ Douglas was inBastcInstinct. I wanted to be sure dering an old man with a cataract? Cutting his that Chester the Jester knew it was my story. so bodyapart, andstuffingitunder thefloor boards?" I wrote underneath it, in letters that took up the It was obvious she didn't think so and didn't whole bottom third of the page: have the courage to admit it. "Don't you?" Chester the Jester was completely stuck. I WRITTEN BY ED POE could tell. "No, I guess I don't." "Seen Last oj the Mohicans lately?" I went to my next class feeling great about my "As a book. it's not nearly s~" story...both because it was gOOd, and because "Who cares about the book? Seen Silence oj Chester deserved it. My next class was history. the Lambs?" I love that class. Mr. Rockford is a super "Be that as it may, I wish you would refrain history teacher. He's not all interested in your life from writing such violent stories for my class." the way Chester is, always asking you questions I laughed and left. But when I got home a about it, and trying to get you to think about couple hours later. John was waiting for me, not yourself, write about yourself. He just stands at to ask his usual, "Where have you been?" ques­ the front ofthe room, andtalks about history, and tion, buttoinform methat Chesterhadcalledand tells you interesting stuff. He sometimes dresses read him my piece ofwriting over the phone. "All up like a historical person and comes in and gives R rated mOvies are offlimits!" He said in thatvery that person's autobiography. And he's funny. He final voice of his that sounds like a Mack truck cracks jokes all the time. Sometimes they're running over a rabbit. He walked away (his way about history, but mostly they're about things of avoiding another fight), and I almost followed that we can relate to, like the day he got us all him to laugh in his face, but I didn't feel like it. gOing on "Famous Firsts." It started out as a How does John think he's going to stop me from discussion of the technology of the Roman Em­ watching R rated movies? pire. "They were the first people to have a water pipe system," he said. "And they were the first

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"",J-""_.,....___.-______" ""_',"'_Uf_O'l>!*>_..."'_.______people to build it out of lead, thereby poisoning The funny thing was that by the time I fin­ their whole City." We all thought that was pretty ished the storyandbrought it to class the dayour funny. But the idea of "First Times" was better, research papers were due, I was just thinking and the conversation degenerated. Although about how great the story was, and I'd forgotten Rockford never said anything outright that could thatpartofmypurposewas toirritate Chesterthe get him in trouble, he was hinting about sex. So Jester. I didn'tevenmuchcareanymorewhatshe we asked him, "When did youfirst do it?" "Where?" thought ofthe story. I only remembered to think Someone else said. "Yeah, where?" He didn't about her reaction right before she collected the answer our questions, but he laughed with us. papers because she passed back the free write The day I wrote "The Murder ofMarie Roget" then. Rockford started talking about the Spanish In­ I was disappointed in her response on the quisition. The best part about listening to this paper. She didn't seem mad at all. In fact, she'd lecture on the InqUisItion was that it gave me written: another storyidea. I wasn't sureI couldwaituntil the next free write day to write the story, so I Although you are dealing with a crime in this deCided to do it later that night. We had a story, it is much dlIferent than your last. You take research paper due next week in Chester's class, a very logical anddetailed approach to solving the and I thought it'd be fair to call my story a mystery. You might think about including more research paper since it would be set during the dialog in here, however. AndI'd like to know more Inquisition. The Jester would probably fail me, aboutMarieasa person so thatImightunderstand but I didn't really care whether I passed EngUsh better why she ran away with such a dangerous or not this year, and it'd be worth itjust to irritate man. Would you conSider revising this? her. I wanted to throw the paper awayfor a second because it hadn't done what I'd wanted it to. But "I felt a little lonely as soon as the more I thought about it, the more I figured it she'd walked away with my paper, was a pretty good story. One thing's for sure, as ifI'd lost something important." Chester doesn't say you've done something well unless you have, and she seemed to think the story was good. So I tucked it into a folder and I started the story that night, but it took me decided to think about it. I figured I didn't really the whole next week to finish. A man is found need to revise it, though. It was good the way it guilty ofheresy and tossed into a dungeon. He's was. left completely in the dark, and the Inquisitors Chester walked up and down the aisles col­ expect that if he tries to explore the dungeon in lectingpeople's research papers. Whenshegot to the darkness he'll fall into a horrible pit with the my desk, she tapped itwith her hand and said, "I ghastliest of terrors to torture him on the way saw Silence oj the Lambs last weekend." She down. He doesn't fallin, just through a stroke of paused for a second to wait for me to say some­ luck. So next the Inquisitors tie him down on a thing, but I wasn't going to give her the satisfac­ slab and a giant. sharp sword beginS to descend tion. So she took my paper and moved on. on him slowly, swinging back and forth like a pendulum (I got that Idea from a SCience experi­ I felt a little lonely as soon as she'd walked ment we did the same day Rockford started away with my paper, as if I'd lost something talking about the Spanish Inquisition). He man­ Important. ages to save himself from that fate, and then the walls beginto close in onhim astheyheatupwith Itwas 1 a.m. and Ellen was about to cry. She a deadly fire. He's finally saved by the French knew she should stop trying to grade research invasion of Spain. papers. She was too tired to be fair about the process. But even that didn't feel like a good

Spring 1994 3 enough excuse to stop. These tenth grade re­ On the one hand, he deserved to faU. He had search papers weren't the only papers she had to no note cards. no bibliography... no introdUction, grade. Her two eleventh grade literature classes body. and conclusion. On the other hand he had had a major essay due in two days and her senior such a good grasp of the Inquisition and such a composition class was turning in portfolios to­ sense of how to create suspense...but the vio­ morrow. Besides, she'd already had these re­ lence! search papers for two weeks. They were taking She felt very like the character Ed had her a half an hour apiece to grade. created... powerless, tied to a slab. watching a She moved out of the comfortable lounge pendulum ofviolence descend on her. chair and listened to her slippers sliding across "No." she said to her cat, Jester. sittingat her the floor (she was too tired to pick her feet up). feet staringat her. "I've alreadyfallen into the pit. She found herself in the kitchen, leaning on the I blew itwith thatfirst story, 'The Tell-Tale Heart.'" open refrigerator door, scanning the contents for The cat stared blankly at her. its pupils dilat­ caffeine. "The Pepsi Generation" was right. Most ing for a moment, retracting. of the teachers she worked with were in their When she'd called Ed into her room after forties andused coffee to get needed caffeine. But school, she hadn't said at allwhat she'd intended she usually reached for Pepsiwhen she needed it. to. For God's sakes, he'd finally written some­ Her first yearteaching-threeyearsago already?­ thing with substance. He'd finally written some­ she'd even been driven a few times into pouring thtng. She'd wanted to validate his writing, en­ down her throata vile concoction known as"Jolt." courage him to continue. She'd learned incollege that that was how to engage reluctant writers. She knew phrases like "Writing For Their Own "She'd wanted to validate his World." That was what Ed was doing. He was writing, encourage him to right. Violence was selling. continue.tt It was everywhere ... on the news. in the mov­ ies, in music. She didn't believe violence had to be present to create entertainment the way most She opened the Pepsi, somehow feeling re­ Americans seemed to. And she didn't want to lieved as she heard the air escape its prison. and condone it and encourage its representation as a she thought, as her slippers took her back to the form of entertainment. lounge chair, "I've been teaching for four years. And yet. Ed was writing for his world. Shouldn't I be better at this?" She knew that she'd panicked-that's why She plopped into the chair and sighed. she'd blown it with Ed. That's why she'd gone It was on top again. against her principles in teachingand told him to Staring at her. stop writing such violent papers when she'd met Ed Poe's research paper. with him about "The Tell Tale Heart." For a She'd been so surprised he'd turned one in at second. she'd been so overwhelmed with the all that she'd started reading it as soon as her problem his story had presented her that she'd thirdhourleft. Itwas theveryfirst research paper wanted the solution to be that easy. she'd looked at. She'd tried tomake amends withher response She'd buried it immediately in the pile. No to"The MurderofMarie Roget." Butitwas too late. idea what to do with it. She knew that part ofthe reason Ed was writing Ithad shown upagain her second daygrading such violent stories was to get back at her for the papers. She'd buried it again. rejecting his first piece ofwriting. It found its way to the top ten papers later. It "Still. the kid's not normal." The cat yawned was haunting her the same way violence seemed and gave her a sleek black-bodied stretch. "This to haunt Ed. is too weird. And the scarything is he's obviously She wanted to buryit once more, but she had smart! Bad spelling, but he's worked his history to decide what to do with it eventually.

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------~--~------~-.------into this paper pretty well. Still, I think he's I've been three times, butI neversayanything reaching out for help." to the psychiatrist. We sit in his neutral colored She wanted to forget about the paper, to just office, surrounded by brown silence for fifty min­ help Ed. Somehow, the grading of his paper utes. And I'm thinking ofstories the whole time. seemed irrelevant. Yesterday, I thought about bricking Chester the But it was required of her. She had to put a Jester up in a wall while she was still alive. I'd grade on it. chain her in so she couldn't get away, and she'd She buried the paper again. have to watch me add each brick to the wall. I'd be able to see her face the whole time, so I'd know She's a witch and I hate her. I've thought she was aware of exactly what I was dOing ... and about shooting her, but she deserves Denton's why. mutilated fate more. But I won't do it. As educators entrusted with developingread­ I'm not crazy. She just thinks I am. So does ers and writers, we English teachers find our­ John. And Mr. Jones, the school counselor. And selves and our students in highly contradictory Mr. Rockford. and hypocritical environments that sometimes That's the worst part. defy our efforts to control. Our Isolation in the Mr. Rockford thinks I'm crazy. face of complex situations makes it even more "You can redo it," she said. Did she really difficult for us to help students whose needs think I would? "I'll give you a month to redo this reach beyond what we have to offer. paper in the same format everyone else has done But we can come together to confront issues it, so it meets the requirements of a research and work toward resolution as a team. Toward paper." that end you are invited to examine these issues: That's a bunch of crap. There's no way I'm Did Ellen ChesterdealwithEdPoe adequately? redoing it. I did itonce. And itwas good. Sheeven Should she have allowed him to continue writing admitted it. such violent pieces for credit? Should she have ''I'm impressed with your story. It's very well given Ed a passing grade and not asked him to written. The way you put the Inquisition in here redo the paper? Should she have involved the is sophisticated. And your suspense iswell done. school counselor and another teacher that the But this just isn't a research paper." She looked student trusted in the problem? like she was going to cry, and her voice was all Should we, in a society that Is already inun­ shaky as she said it. The funny thing was I felt dated with violent entertainment, require stu­ sorry for her, just a little, but I wanted to hit her dents to read the works ofEdgar Allan Poe? Ifso, more. howdo we choosewhich pieces we w1ll expose our "I know you're angry, Ed, and I don't blame students to? Why is it that the most commonly you, but I have to share this with the counselor." anthologized Poe stories are the most violent? I didn't say anything, but I wished she'd just What responslbllitydowe have to our students to fall me and leave me alone. examine theviolent heritage ofour currententer­ The worst part was that when I wouldn't redo tainmentwhileaskingstudents to read Poe? How the paper, she sicced Rockford on me, and he can we do so? And how w1ll we deal with the tried to convince me to rewrite the paper in consequences of sensitizing our students to the research fonn. violence that surrounds them? How w1ll we (or And thenJohn andMr. Jonessaid I had to see should we?) alleviate for students the fear we a psychiatrist. create? So I just sit there.

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