On asking the question: "How many film versions of Treasure Island have been made?" I fell upon this website which archives (if my count is right) 55 versions between 1908 and 2014.
What underlies such power to spark dreams?
I was reading Terry Elliott's blog post "My Map, Your Territory." where he writes:
"This was the week what wuz. A week of strategy in the classroom that boils down to this: my map, their territory. Humbling."
And then a little further:
"I never did get around to making the connection from the map to a “choose your own adventure game”, an allusion you can see in the pic above where it is cut off next to the arrow that points to the right from “SUMMARY”. I think that turning the map into a game board is worth considering–research project as game board. "
I have been thinking about strategy.
I have been thinking about strategies that I have developed in the past.
They were beautifully mapped.
They were arduously documented.
They gained seeming adherence from others who bought into the dream.
They saw promises of treasure...
They saw hope of easy gold.
The prospective crew, the imaginary crew should I say, all had their hammocks ready on board.
They proved to be a phantom crew...
I used to think about strategy.
I am starting to think in terms of unstrategy.
— Simon Ensor (@sensor63) February 6, 2016
I return to the question of maps.
I saw a Sarah Honeychurch annotation on Terry's post.
"A map is not a tracing? "The rhizome is altogether different, a map and not a tracing"
A map without a story which engages is as useful as an instruction manual for a derelict ship's engine.
It has the potential for moving the shipvessel but without a hearty crew it is a wreck in waiting.
I think again of all my jettisoned plans.
I remember Terry's talk of Candide and looking after our garden.
I find the comment that I left on his blog:
"A map can be inspiration for a quest.
Let us dream of far off lands…
“Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
My map unfolds...
Happy that Terry Elliott use his blog to spark a new round of idea exchange between us. I attended an event this week in Chicago with the topic of "how do we hold systems accountable for violence prevention?" I posted a reflection at http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com/2016/02/holding-systems-accountable-for.html
ReplyDeleteI hope my articles inspire others in the US, France in the world, to create their own maps, inspiring others to be more engaged in finding solutions to some of the complex problems that continue to elude solutions.
All my jettisoned plans
ReplyDeleteremain static
in my heart, if not my mind;
just a light's switch away,
and fading fast,
so I jot down the margins on this map --
my words of remembering --
in hopes I won't forget.
-Kevin
I like how lines echo and fuse in your poetry from one post to another. I love the lines "All my jettisoned plans remain static in my heart."
DeleteAll my jettisoned plans
ReplyDeleteremain static
in my heart, if not my mind;
just a light's switch away,
and fading fast,
so I jot down the margins on this map --
my words of remembering --
in hopes I won't forget.
-Kevin
I think this idea of annotation and margins is really interesting. I like the idea of 'treasure maps' being left by dead pirates or ripped from their hands
Delete"So I jot down the margins on this map...a fragment of broken code."