Introducing Anaphora

Welcome to Anaphora, a new project branching from Foreshadow. It primarily takes the form of a blog and webpage where educators share resources and reflections about teaching, faith and literature.

As an English teacher and as a Christian, I have sometimes been struck by a line in a poem or story one of my classes has been reading and have wanted to mull it over, tease out its implications, question it and learn what others have thought about it, especially images or ideas that allude to Christ's gospel or that seek to cultivate virtue in readers. Anaphora is a space where I hope teachers like me can generate and share such thoughts. I also hope for it to resource people in the vocation of teaching.

Why is the project called 'Anaphora'? The word has both a literary and a liturgical meaning. Anaphora in literature refers to a specific kind of repetition in which a word or phrase is repeated at the start of a line, such as how Martin Luther King, Jr., repeats 'I have a dream' in his famous speech.

Literally, anaphora is Greek and means 'to carry up'. When (Orthodox) Christians celebrate the Eucharist, the central prayer is called the anaphora in which the priest and people give thanks and praise, recount Christ's words at the Last Supper and offer the bread and wine up to God before God transforms them into Christ's body and blood, which then nourish all who partake. Week after week, Christians repeat this great offering 'on behalf of all and for all', in the words of one of the prayers.

Might not English teachers have a similar priestly calling to 'break bread' with their students again and again, nourishing them with the greatest words, ideas and stories expressed in language? This project aims to help us understand and grow into such a calling.

Although the main people I expect to read and contribute to Anaphora are high-school teachers of English, it is open to anyone from anywhere who wishes to reflect on these themes. We are not looking for literary-quality writing as much as ideas expressed directly, clearly and concisely; still, it may help to learn about our general publishing ethos here. Please focus your reflection on one main idea; multiple ideas can be explored in a connected series of submissions. Contribute reflections by inserting a short reflection (250 to 750 words) in the submission box to the right. Be sure to include your full name and a short bio like the one at the end of this post.

I look forward to the conversation!

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Josh Seligman teaches English at a secondary school in northwest England.