Best Enemies: Nature Continues On...
by DiabloVixen
The bell rang just as Dawn reached her seat. She shot a look and gave a little wave to her friend that sat across the room. Dawn looked around and saw everyone grabbing their Literature textbook from their bags, she followed suit. She looked up on the board to see 'Pg. 243' written. Dawn turned to page 243. Without speaking a word of further instruction to the class the teacher began to read.

"The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...

The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls."

After the teacher finished reading the selection he gave the class a few moments to comprehend what he just read. "Who can tell me that Mr. Longfellow is trying to convey in this beautiful poem?" The class looked at each other waiting for someone to give an answer. When after a few moments no one raised their hand, the teacher sighed and decided to ask an easier question. "Who can tell me what is happening in the first stanza of this poem?"

Dawn looked to her right to see a jock raise his hand. "Yes, Steven?"

"Well, it seems that the tide is rising and falling." He said with a big grin on his face. Even Dawn couldn't help herself from giggling.

"Why thank you for that brilliant discovery." The teacher shot back.

After the class giggles died down another person raised their hand. "Jessica?"

The girl put her head down and studied the poem for a second. "The tides are changing... and it's just starting to get dark..." The girl paused for a second and looked back down at the textbook. "And a traveller arrived in town."

"Very good, Jessica, very good." The teacher smiled at the girl. Then he decided to do the rest for himself. "In the second stanza, the night continues and the waves are erasing footprints left on the shore. In the third stanza, the morning comes, and the traveller has passed away but still the tides continue to change.."

The teacher waited for the information to settle into their brains and then asked another question. "What is Henry Longfellow conveying in this poem?"

The same girl raised her hand. "Thank you, Jessica."

"That one life isn't important." The girl said with uncertainty.

'Lets convince the teens that their lives aren't important that won't get you fired.' The teacher said to himself. "Not exactly." The teacher turned and began to spell out a word on the chalkboard. N-A-T-U-R-A-L-I-S-M. The teacher underlined the word and then said, "Naturalism, a late 19th century movement that took place in France. It considers man victim of the unchanging laws of nature. Man are more or less helpless in the face of forces well beyond their control." The teacher scribbled more information on the board which signaled to the students as they took out their notebooks and began to scribble also. "Think of it in terms of Greek mythology." The teacher said as he put down the chalk and stepped away from the board. "Some men were heroes, such as Achilles or Odysseus, others villians but they were made that way by the gods or by circumstances. People may or may not enjoy the lives they live but they have no control over the life they are given..."

The teacher looked around and noticed that the class seemed to understand what he was saying. "In this poem, a traveller visits and dies in a town. But still the tide rises and the tide falls, nature continues on..."

"Wake up, it's stab time." Glory called.

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