The Impossible Dream: Mediocrity in Times of Meritocracy

As we read Don Quixote, remember our focus for this unit: the Middle Ages and Renaissance are the link between the Classical era and the Modern era. This period of more than a thousand years helps us understand how the Western world (and the Western Ideal) developed into what it is today. Here's a short recap of what we've discovered so far about the hero idea:

Greco-Roman Hero: More warrior than leader, the idea of heroism in classical literature revolved around societal values of excellence, pride, and property. The hero is tragic and achieves his status through heroic deeds and adventures; his fate seems out of his hands, and his end is usually dismal. Examples: Oedipus, Achilles, Hector

Medieval Hero: The hero in the Middle Ages is largely transformed by a shift from polytheistic ideas of religion to a monotheistic religion--Christianity--which became the main source of power and authority in society. The hero embodied decorum and loyalty, and then chivalry. His allegiance shifted from his lord to his lady; although his journey was marked by hardships, he usually had a reward (even if it was only in the afterlife). Examples: Roland, Knight (from "Wife of Bath")

Renaissance Hero: The hero now looks quite different; we don't see him in the midst of physical battles, but emotional, mental and spiritual battles. Therefore his journey is also a bit different. It may sound like an inspirational card from Hallmark, but the their goals are really about the journey, not the destination. Success or reward, then, takes on a much less physical form.  Examples: Dante, Federigo

Enter Don Quixote, the Renaissance "hero." I use my quotation marks here, because there is some debate to be had about whether or not Quixote is in fact heroic. Let's look at his track record: He's old, poor, out of his mind... and he gets everything wrong. He dies a lonely and broken man, but only after he's been literally forced to give up his dreams. And what dreams he had; he aimed high, and insisted on upholding an outdated code of chivalry in a world what didn't care to be heroic. This leads to the question: does Don Quixote get an "A" for effort? Is it okay that he tried his best, that he kept on trying, that he went down fighting? Or does all that matter is the fact that he fails?

Let's try to make this more relevant to us: You, as high school students, exist in a culture of meritocracy. In other words, you are constantly being judged and are constantly competing; winning isn't the only thing, it's everything. You've got to have the GPA, got to play the sport, got to do the service hours, got to score high on SAT's, all so you can get into a good college and get a good job and have a good life. There is an incredible amount of pressure on you to achieve. Unfortunately, this pressure to achieve is sometimes at odds with your actual growth; if the highest concern is the grade (or the points) and not the learning, then you might cut corners. If the highest concern is the win and not the development, then you might take steroids. When average doesn't cut it and all that matters is the end result, then the value of the steps in the process start to diminish. If you don't have a 4.something, you aren't worth mentioning. No "A's" for effort; a fail is a fail. Don Quixote's world doesn't seem quite so far away, now does it?

Miguel de Cervantes surrounded Don Quixote with people who ridiculed him because he dreamed big but simply wasn't good enough. And although we laugh at him, in the end we may pity him, as facing the reality of his own mediocrity actually leads Quixote to his death. In our case, life isn't quite as tragic, but when we constantly hold ourselves up to the standard of others, it can feel like jousting against windmills. In a world of 4.something GPA's, all-star athletics... how does the average person feel "heroic"? I tell you in class that the "points" don't matter, that you will wake up in 20 years and have absolutely no memory of that 5-point homework assignment you languished over; but by then, of course, you may be focused on a very different kind of "point"...

QUESTION TO CONSIDER:
(Just one question)

1) Reflect on the questions embedded in the blog: Do you agree or disagree that our society is based, for better or worse, on "winning"? Is competition a good thing or a bad thing? To anchor this to the text, is the character Don Quixote sympathetic, or pathetic? In other words, do we praise him for pursuing his ambitions, or do we criticize him for being unrealistic?