Our stories already exist in language, and we are around that table ready to reflect on the meaning and implications of those stories. That is part of the lesson that the Changing Lives Through Literature program can teach all of us. These criminal offenders have often been pushed aside and marginalized by the mainstream. For them, language becomes a social force in these discussions, an enabling power that binds them together and allows them to recognize that they are capable of humanizing the world that surrounds them. They learn to be comfortable with language and themselves, and they begin to believe that they can create a future for themselves.
Literature works that way.
It helps people break free of the literal mindedness of their own lives, the one dimensional perspective of their trapped existence. It allows them to understand that there are many perspectives on an event, many perspectives and dimensions to a story. It also allows them the freedom to pursue legitimately the meaning and complexity of literature and language. Through this process we all learn that the integration of literature into daily life can enrich our experience and provide insight into the interior dimensions of our lives. The men in this program are smart They have often survived brutal family histories, drug and alcohol addiction, and their own pent up rage.