Book uses poetry and prose to address bullying

By Fred Michah Rynor

"It begins with a flash of light --
A warning.
The darkness floods my mind
And I begin the hunt.”

So begins OISE Professor David Booth’s fearsome poem written from the viewpoint of a bully – a grim insight into the minds of the cruel included in a new anthology of poetry entitled ‘The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander, The Brave’ co-authored by OISE educators David Booth and Larry Swartz.

The two authors hope that this book will show students the full impact of the worldwide epidemic of bullying that haunts many youth while offering a new tool for teachers to address the problem through the art form called ‘poem’.

“Poets have a way of opening our feelings, of touching our hearts,” state the authors in the book’s foreword. “Within moments, that little basket of words that we label a poem can show us a much larger picture of the effect unfair behaviours can have on everyone caught in the heat of those ugly moments and engage us in moving toward a more compassionate concern for others.”

Poems spanning the gamut of such renowned voices as Robert Priest, Langston Hughes, Jay-Z, Emily Dickinson, Tupac Shakur, Stephen Sondheim, Elizabeth Swados, Jean Little and the two authors themselves, show the ugly world of physical and mental harassment from the viewpoints of all involved -- from the bullies themselves to bystanders, victims and heroes.

By including all who are involved or touched by an episode of bullying, which includes racist, gender-based, anti-religious and homophobic instances of violence, the authors believe they can show more clearly how this unnatural and anti-social act hurts more than just the victim.

"Poets have frequently written about deep emotions, about moments of trouble and pain in relationships, about the frustration of not being understood or loved," says Booth. "Their talent shines in those reflective twists they incorporate into their writings, when suddenly, we have a glimpse of self recognition, or of a deeper realization of the complications that lie at the heart of even the simplest of events. We trust that the poem will let us enter that emotional moment from the safety of the art form, while at the same time cause us to spiral into our own lives, connecting self and other. These fragile insights are sometimes strong enough to give us pause, to let us wonder about our own behaviours, our own dispositions."

Sponsored by The Bank of Montreal, which will see hundreds of copies distributed free of charge to districts in every province, it’s being hailed as a unique contribution to this incredibly complicated issue.

“This is an accumulative look at the spectrum of attitudes that go into bullying,” states Swartz, who has been teaching for over thirty years and is the author/co-author of dozens of educational texts and articles.

“It presents perspectives from different viewpoints through a framework that offers a banquet of images, stories and issues for students,” he states. “We look at the various roles of all involved with our target audience being grades six to eight and we’ve structured the book so that they can read it in different ways such as starting from the beginning or concentrating on the different roles such as the victim or the bystander. By looking at all sides of this issue students can examine their own behaviours and the behaviours of others when this takes place.”

Swartz says the book isn’t all doom and gloom however, with some entries “making you smile and some making you wonder – all of which helps students connect to real-life events and to act to make all those around them feel safe.

‘The Bully, The Bullied, The Bystander, The Brave’ is published by Rubicon Publishing Inc. and distributed by Scholastic Press Publishing.

-30-