The Development of the “Whole Person” Through Inclusive Experiences and Storytelling

Anna O’Kane

The Development of the “Whole Person” Through Inclusive Experiences and Storytelling

It is impossible to denounce the disparity of social classes within Baltimore despite the inclusive community that Loyola provides. Loyola’s motto revolves around the idea of cura personalis, or the development of the whole person. The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education, by Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, discusses the importance of Jesuit education in the development of college students regarding the encouragement of equality within society. “The Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, “Accident, Mass. Ave” by Jill McDonough, and “Learning to Read” by Frances E. W. Harper all parallel the Jesuits teaching of communal equality. Because of Loyola’s Jesuit foundation I had the privilege of expanding my cura personalis last week by seeing Odds Bodkin’s, a professional storyteller,  performance of The Odyssey. Bodkin brings us to the ancient world of Greece and reminds us that in the days where not everyone could read, people often told stories as a form of education. This idea is also similar to “Learning to Read” by Frances E. W. Harper where we see the imbalance of education on social classes. Bodkin instead reminds us that stories can be told as a form of demolishing group differences and instead promoting inclusiveness.  

As I touched on before, Loyola’s motto is to explore one’s cura personalis, a Jesuit idea that Peter-Hans Kolvenbach touches upon in The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education. Here Kolvenbach states that, “tomorrow’s whole person cannot be whole without an educated awareness of society and culture with which to contribute socially, generously, in the real world” (Kolvenbach 34). This translates to stress the importance of experiencing solidarity for ourselves in order to better understand each other. The themes in “The Mending Wall” by Robert Frost and “Accident, Mass. Ave” by Jill McDonough also correspond with this teaching. Frost talks about the separation of two neighbors, one questions the purpose of a wall that divides them but the other is in favor and claims “good fences make good neighbors” (line 27). Kolvenbach would agree with the first neighbor and support it by stating  “personal involvement with innocent suffering, with the injustice others suffer, is the catalyst for solidarity” (Kolvenbach 34). A wall restricts you from cultivating your cura personalis by ignoring the lessons you learn from your neighbors. The poem “Accident, Mass. Ave” by Jill McDonough also relates to the Jesuit teaching that you should not make assumptions before knowing the truth. Here McDonough tells the story of a car accident where the narrator overreacts to the situation without primarily assessing the situation and secondly having sympathy for the other woman involved. By the end of the poem, however, the two agree on their similar situations instead of selfishly thinking of themselves and embrace each other with shared emotions, “I put my arms around her and I held her...we were both scared, weren’t we?” (lines 37-39). The narrator opens their mind and allows themselves to see they were actually sharing the hardship with their neighbor. This concept matches the jesuits teachings of an inclusive education that allows you to better your “whole person” by direct experience.

Touching back on the disparity of social classes, in “Learning to Read” by Frances E. W. Harper we are reminded of the past when reading was not a right to all, but instead used up on the wealthy. Like Frost noted there was a wall put up between people and knowledge was hidden from most, “our masters always tried to hide book learning from our eyes” (line 5). This again opposes the jesuit’s teaching that “we should be together in all aspects” meaning that not only should our education be equal but the education of each other should also be identical (Kolvenbach 37). Odds Bodkin reminds us of a unique strategy to bring people together; storytelling. With  “Learning to Read” by Frances E. W. Harper we take this lesson to be quite literal. In the ancient world, plays and storytelling were a way to bring the poor and rich together in regards to education and entertainment. I experienced this with Odds Bodkin’s story and my fellow classmates at Loyola. I even bumped into a boy from my high school who I never see around campus. Our differences keep us apart but the storytelling session brought us together that night. It was a privilege to experience this unity through Bodkin’s storytelling and be able to relate it to “Learning to Read” by Frances E. W. Harper.

The common phrase “put yourself in someone else's shoes” ties together the messages that all of these texts share. We find that an inclusive way of education adapts us all to live in better unity with each other. Kolvenbach teaches us of the importance of justice and equal education for the whole person, Frost makes us question the true purpose of walls,  McDonough asks us to match our similar hardships, and Harper demands that we are reminded of the dire need for knowledge and the importance to supply it to everyone. Most importantly, Bodkin’s exceptional storytelling tied together the ideas of educating in unity with each other.

Anna O'Kane