In class we discussed the readings as well as the painting about Kairos and Metanoia. I had some background in several of these topics but not all. The reading that had the newest information for me was the exploring reading. This was because I am not familiar with the reference to Alice in Wonderland so the information they pulled from the story did not click as well as it maybe could have. It focused on seeking the extraordinary while approaching the research process of writing. This meant do research like you are falling down the rabbit hole. I could not quite understand this example because of my lack of knowledge about Alice in Wonderland but I can assume it means keeping an eye out for all the extraordinary facts that I would not normally look for in research. The reading also discussed using your imagination to gain a sense of how others see the world. One of the habits of mind that can be linked with this reading is curiosity. Using curiosity while attempting research is extremely important because it can encourage going beyond what is required to the point of having a large number of facts that can be accessible while writing.
The second reading we covered was reflecting. This entry informed us about the life of Helen Keller and her struggle to communicate before Annie Sullivan changed her life forever. For this reading I had the background of the story because I read Helen Keller’s biography in the seventh grade. The reading began making it clear that words can be considered as human technology. Therefore, language is the most useful tool among humans for all that we know. This is why the transformation of Helen Keller is so important after Annie Sullivan introduced the word water to her. It opened her up to an entire world and changed her understanding of communication. This reading can also be linked to the habit of mind curiosity because Helen Keller could never attempt to learning the language that she did without curiosity. With curiosity she accepted the word that Annie Sullivan taught her and she could not have been as successful as she was in learning without it. Helen experienced failure in her ability to communicate her whole life until that moment and she experience more and more success beyond that point.
Curiosity is important in writing because without it there is nothing to write about. There is no motivation in writing unless you are curious about a subject. If I was told to write about a battle in the civil war I could not create an interesting paper without at least a hint of curiosity in what that battle is even if I am not totally interested in the subject.
We also talked about a painting in class. This painting depicted Kairos. The only time I have ever heard the word Kairos was in high school because a lot of catholic schools in my area went on retreats called Kairos and it changed everyone into a better and more understanding person. This painting also featured Metanoia, which is the shadow of Kairos. Kairos is an opportunity and Metanoia is the missed moment. This was very interesting to discuss because only one person in class has ever seen the painting before. In relating these two ideas to the reading about Helen Keller. You could say she took the opportunity and learned the language rather than regretting a missed opportunity. While researching, Kairos can be related taking the opportunity to find extraordinary information rather than doing the minimum and not creating an interesting and well written piece of work.
Credits:
Created with images by Shingo_Nono - "sunset sun landscape" • jenni from the block - "Through the Rabbit Hole" • DariuszSankowski - "knowledge book library" • dierk schaefer - "Kairo"