TheBookJeanie

- September 08, 2013

THEBOOKJEANIE bids farewell to

SEAMUS HEANEY, 1939-2013

Postscript

by Seamus Heaney

And some time make the time to drive out west

Into County Clare, along the Flaggy Shore,

In September or October, when the wind

And the light are working off each other

So that the ocean on one side is wild

With foam and glitter, and inland among stones

The surface of a slate-grey lake is lit

By the earthed lightening of flock of swans,

Their feathers roughed and ruffling, white on white,

Their fully-grown headstrong-looking heads

Tucked or cresting or busy underwater.

Useless to think you'll park or capture it

More thoroughly. You are neither here nor there,

A hurry through which known and strange things pass

As big soft buffetings come at the car sideways

And catch the heart off guard and blow it open

Seamus Heaney, poet and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature,

passed away in Dublin on August 30th.

History says, Don't hope

On this side of the grave.

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

of justice can rise up,

and hope and history rhyme.

Although this is the memoir of a woman who became a legal icon at a relatively young age, My Beloved World reveals the humanity and compassion of Sonia Sotomayor, the youngest woman and first Hispanic to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court. Young Sonia grew up in the housing projects of the Bronx, a daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants. Shortly after she was diagnosed at age seven with juvenile diabetes, her father sank further into alcoholism and died two years later. As children of a dysfunctional family in poverty, Sonia and her younger brother Juan had already learned that they had to be self-sufficient, especially now as their mother struggled with depression and the stress of single-parenthood. Fortunately they were surrounded by a loving extended family headed by Abuelita, an extraordinary grandmother who recited poetry, told stories, and sang songs instilling Sonia and her cousins with love and respect for their Puerto Rican heritage. Her mother worked two jobs to send Sonia and Juan to Catholic schools and encouraged them to excel at their studies. As Sonia reflects on what led her to become so successful while her cousin and closest friend, Nelson, died young as the result of heroin addiction, she notes, "Why did I endure, even thrive, where he failed, consumed by the same dangers that had surrounded me? Nelson mentioned it that day at the hospital: the one thing I had that he lacked. Call it what you like: discipline, determination, perseverance, the force of will. Even apart from his saying so, I knew that it had made all the difference in my life. What Nelson saw driving me arises from. . . the desire to do for others, to help make things right for them. Strange ambition for a child? Some might say so, but I've been aware of it for as long as I can remember." As we see this young girl growing up amidst poverty and discrimination, even from an early age she does not see herself as a victim but as an advocate for herself, her family, and people in need. Certainly she had the encouragement and support of her family as well as many others in her life who recognized her brilliance and potential, from her family physician to her professors at Princeton and Yale. But Sonia maintained a singlemindedness that never waivered, making personal choices that were necessary to achieve her goals. After completing these three hundred pages, I still wanted to hear more, know her better. If I could choose 10 people to sit down and talk to, Sonia Sotomayor would be on that list.

In 2002, while still serving on the United States Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor completed a project with her brother, H. Alan Day: to document their early years growing up on an isolated ranch in Southwestern Arizona. Although life was harsh at times with few luxuries, Sandra viewed her childhood as somewhat idyllic, riding horseback and helping to herd the cattle, being unhappy during the time she had to be away from the ranch to attend school in El Paso. Her father treated her as a competent ranch hand from an early age and she often found herself challenged by tasks that few young girls would ever face. The stories of self-reliance and sheer adventure are fascinating as well as remarkable considering the career path that she would later follow. Brilliant as well as resourceful, Sandra traveled to California as a sixteen-year-old to attend Stanford University, and at age nineteen gained early admission to the Stanford Law School. After graduating and passing the bar exam, Sandra married her college sweetheart, John O'Connor, and they settled in Phoenix where she distinguished herself first as an attorney and then as a judge. In 1991, President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court and the rest is history: the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, proving herself to be a strong and conscientious advocate for equality and justice, surprisingly liberal in her views. The experiences of O'Connor and Sottomayor serve as a memorable tribute to the diversity of background and experience in this country that can give rise to such remarkable careers in public service.