Deconstruction Zone

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

                                                                                            -Lt. Col. John McCrea, 1915

I thought this poem was timely for both the time of year and the subject matter of this week. There is no doubt that the imagery and sentiment of this poem are beautiful. I don't think I have ever attended a Remembrance Day ceremony where it was not read. Moreover, the story of the poem is as beautiful as its words. Written by an army doctor after his dear friend was killed, McCrea supposedly discarded the poem in the trenches, only to be recovered by his fellows. It was McCrea died a few years later while serving in France. The poem has since become one of the most recognizable World War I poems in the world, and a national treasure in Canada.

For years I thought of this poem as a solemn ode to peace. However, as I grew older and became a more sophisticated reader, I realized that the last stanza takes a sharp turn. What began as a requiem turns jingoistic and warmongering with the line "Take up our quarrel with the foe." I suspect that most high school students have never thought critically about this poem. I think it is a very accessible first step into the troublesome waters of deconstruction. 

The accessibility of the poem for high school reader is part of its appeal. Its widespread use is another. However, the ease with which the poem can be read does not entail its simplicity. An astute reader might suggest that McCrea has chosen the words "quarrel" and "foe" instead of "battle" and "enemy." This could lead to the interpretation that the "foe" is war itself, and not the armies of the Germans, Austro-Hungarians, and Ottomans -- an now we find ourselves waist-deep. 

I believe that post-modernism is the most important lens that students can be taught. Appleman shows that there are dangers to this approach, as Jessica experienced. But, if students like Jessica struggle with deconstruction, it can only be to their benefit. I believe that one of our goals as educators should be to empower students with the skills to critique the world around them. Many high school students (in grades 11 and 12 especially) are already questioning the power structures and hierarchies that they have lived under. Deconstruction gives them the ability to dismantle meta-narratives, including the ones mentioned in other literary theories -gender, class, race, etc. - and to realize that they are all constructions. 

By giving students the tools to safely disassemble these meta-narratives they can be empowered with the knowledge to rebuild their own narratives. One way or another, this is often what happens when students leave high school. Successful students (whatever "successful" means) realize that the things that were important in high school no longer matter. The narratives and binaries that constrained adolescent life begin to fall away. This is liberating if it can be embraced. To utilize the power of post-modern theory, students require the kind of scaffolding that Critical Literary Theory (and Critical Theory) supports. In fact, once students embrace the concept of deconstruction, re-applying critical theories to constructs such as race, gender, and class becomes much easier. In a way, the high school student who internalizes deconstructionism is starting their education anew.