March 15, 2009

BYBS : Ides of March

(To join Blog Your Blessings Sunday, and get your name on the blogroll, click on the banner above and follow the simple instructions.)

I have always loved to read. I guess one reason is because I have never been very good with people, and, therefore, making friends has never been one of my strong points. So, it is not surprising that I took to books. They accepted me for what I was, asked no questions, and showed me a world that I could never have imagined. But this post is not about books.

This post is about "the ides of March."

There are a lot of things that go into making a thing happen. On the face of it, it might be convenient to attribute a cause to an effect. But if we look deep enough, there are many causes for any one effect.

I think, therefore, that there were reasons, other than my loneliness, that helped cement my relationships with books and reading.

Let us see what these reasons were. I was about fourteen when I read Julius Caesar - as a part of the school curriculum. It goes without saying that though Shakespeare's plots are very entertaining and intriguing, his language is not something that can keep a fourteen year old spellbound. But, in this case, the good thing was that the book, prescribed by the school, had the text in contemporary English on the facing page. Before, I read Julius Caesar in the way Shakespeare intended, I had read it in a way that I could understand.

Then, not being a very interested student, it was my wont to read the book at any other page, except the one that was being taught in class. So, I found many interesting passages in the book, and I was impressed by the way fate played such a major part in Julius Caesar. What also impressed me was the way Shakespeare had intricately woven the plot in the book. It gave birth to an intense desire within me. A desire that I carry around even to this day. The desire to someday write something like that, or, if possible, even better.

A fourteen year old with a book like Julius Caesar can hardly be expected to understand all of it. Unless, of course, you are some kind of a wunderkind. That I was not, as time later proved.

So, having some really great teachers really helped. I think I was very fortunate that I came across some really great English teachers at school. They not only explained the text, but managed to generate enough interest that, soon, the students were asking for more. Even a student like me, who was more interested in the clouds in the sky than in the class, could not help but understand the book, and feel like reading some more.

Lastly, a good library, always at hand, has also been a crucial factor that has helped me keep alive the flame of reading. For, we all know, there are so many temptations out there, and a young person can always find some thing that he needs more than a book!

I guess if any of the above factors had been missing, I just might not have been as much into books as I am now.

But, how is this post about "ides of March," you might ask.

It is because the soothsayer warning Julius Caesar about the "ides of March" is one of the first things that comes to my mind when I think of Julius Caesar. And today, my dear reader, is the "ides of March". May you have a great day today!

6 comments:

PERBS said...

How right you are! Perfect post for today. . . I never liked Shakespeare. In high school, I complained so much about it -- we did not have the translation beside it -- that they made me write a comparison of a different story and Juluis Ceasar. I learned to keep my mouth shut and hate Shakespeare silently. To each his own.

kuanyin333 said...

And so it is: the Ides of March! Mahalo for reminding me! Somehow I always forget this one! :-)

Happy Blog Your Blessings Sunday!

Unknown said...

Dear,
Reasons cited for having a habit of book reading are true.In inner search of good friends you found the BEST.
I wish , I could ??

SandyCarlson said...

I hope you had a great day, too. I was a rebel reader when I was younger. For the same reasons. I see that my daughter is, too. When she has trouble with classmates, I tell her she is better off alone with a book than in the company of trouble makers. Better to learn something or enjoy a story than be bothered by the meanness of others!

DoubleDeckerBusGuy said...

"Beware the Ides of March" still has an ominous ring to me... granted, I'm truly not too afraid that several fellows in togas mean me no good... although...

It's true how a series of connected things, rather than usually one thing, sets us on a lifetime's path... but, as you said, had the teachers, libraries, or interest in fate not been there, would Shakespeare... or Caesar?

Have to run... one more blog comment to make and if I'm don't do it soon, I'll be running late... and, after all, if I'm late, who can I blame? The fault lies not in the stars but in myself! (Yeah, I had to work it in somehow!)

Good blessing, Neo!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the nice post...take care!!

Related Posts with Thumbnails