Words as Gateways

Words as Gateways

My friend Nancy, one of the finest Language Arts teachers I know, mentioned an assignment she plans to use as part of a final exam. The assignment is based on the idea of words as gateways to ideas. To be fair, the idea of words as gateways came from a discussion on NPR concerning the value of words. Many words are more than their literal definitions; they open us up to larger ideas. Consider words such as Diaspora, chaos or incarnation. These are words that contain worlds. We find that like the stable in The Last Battle, ( C.S. Lewis), the inside is bigger than the outside.

What was the assignment Nancy proposed? Take a word that has captured you over the last few months and explain how it is the gateway to new ideas. How did it challenge you? How did it make you see the world in a different way? What new paths did it lead you down?