Going into Tuesday night I was genuinely excited to hear from Mary Gordon. I thought she would discuss her various books, and give us insight to what she was thinking while writing them. I was in for a surprise when I glanced at the program and saw the title of her lecture. The names of her books were nowhere to be found, instead they were replaced by the names of artists and poets.
The beginning of Gordon’s speech enthralled me with her use of eerie paintings and the text that went along with them, but as the speech continued I found myself getting lost. I’m not sure if it was my lack of intense focus on what she was saying, or if her academic language was just going over my head. There were moments where the adults around me would chuckle at Gordon’s intended jokes and I would just sit there confused, not quite catching the humor.
However there were moments that I did understand, like I mentioned before Gordon’s use of Goya’s paintings really resonated with me. I found it helpful that she had clear examples of what she was talking about. It was nice to hear her describe a specific painting and then look at the projector screen and see exactly what she was talking about, while making new observations of my own. I understood the point that she was making that while the artists where living in times of war and societal disgrace they were able to find an escape through their faith.Even though I was confused through the speech, some of Gordon’s points did register with me; I believe the fact that everything that she spoke of did not connect with me was ok, because the most important moments did. Her graceful public speaking ability was made clear and I admired the composure she possessed while behind the podium. Often while she talked I pictured the words she was saying in the form of text in a book and I was saddened when the time came to turn the last page.
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