It’s been a rough year for eyesight in my household. Last winter I was diagnosed with glaucoma. In the next two weeks, my husband will have two separate surgeries to remove cataracts from both eyes. He’s about 25-30 years younger than a typical cataract patient. The good news is that we have a great eye doctor and our problems were caught early through our regular annual appointments. My glaucoma is responding well to a simple eye drop medication, and my husband’s eyesight should actually be better than it has been for most of his life because the new lenses that are being implanted will provide distance vision correction. Thank the Lord for modern medicine and the skilled professionals to provide excellent care!
As we were reading through the surgery instructions and preparing for the procedures, I reflected on how vision is a frequent theme in literature. The blind “seer” prophetically states that Caesar should, “Beware the ides of March” in Julius Caesar. Oedipus (in Oedipus Rex) puts out his own eyes, providing a symbolic juxtaposition when he “sees” the folly of his abominable behavior which he tried so hard to avoid. Gloucester “sees” that he trusted the wrong son after his eyes are gouged out in King Lear. In Lord of the Flies, the glasses, symbolic of wisdom and ties to civilization, are smashed by the boys who are rebelling and choosing to revert back to a state of sin and savagery. There are many more examples, but that’s probably enough of a walk-through English class for now.
In AP Literature, we sometimes refer to the different “lenses” of literary analysis. A reader analyzes the same piece of literature differently by looking at it through a psychological lens, a historical lens, or a Biblical lens, for example. It is my hope that our students will grow in their abilities to view literature and life through a Biblical lens. It is my hope that they will be equipped to “see” the brokenness and pain in the world as a result of sin and a symptom of the need for a healer, our Savior. It is my hope that their “vision,” Biblically grounded wisdom, will prepare them to navigate life in a broken world, anchored in heavenly hope. Please pray for clear vision and wisdom for our students, teachers, staff, and administrators; and don’t skip your yearly eye exam!
Mindy Walz,
English Teacher