Hope for Quaranteens By Clara Kingsley Tripp, 12 As a global response to the rapidly spreading COVID-19, millions upon millions of people have been forced to retreat into their houses. We’ve raided local stores, abandoned empty shelves upon empty shelves, and stockpiled our pantries with milk and toilet paper. We take lengths to avoid the news or we read every last article we can find. Stuck in our homes, citizens are wracked with anxiety, fearful anticipation, and boredom. But could quarantine actually have benefits? Stay-home orders are aiding the climate crisis. Because millions of citizens aren’t venturing out of their homes, they also aren’t littering, emitting high levels of carbon, and disrupting wildlife. Satellite footage shows that Italy, South Korea, and China have all experienced severe drops in air pollution. In Venice, the canals are running far cleaner and clearer than before. And animals are emerging–in Japan, deer are sauntering confidently through empty city streets, in Thailand, swarms of monkeys took over a plaza, and some Italians even reported seeing sheep, horses, and wild boar outside. Being stuck in quarantine will also force people to face their consumerism. Losing the ability to go to the grocery store or the mall whenever they please will lead people to see how little they actually need to shop. Many will realize they can live without certain things, like frequent flying or driving. Perhaps when people see the impact this is–or rather, they aren’t–having on the environment, they’ll take steps towards climate action when “normal” life resumes. The arts and technology are at the forefront of everything. Stuck at home? Looking for something to do? Try streaming the Metropolitan Opera’s latest masterpiece, for free. Or taking a class on Coursera, for free. Or perhaps, tour a museum in Barcelona on Google Arts and Culture. Participate in a live stream yoga class with Girls Leadership or a writing workshop with poet Rupi Kaur. Attempt worldwide meditation with Deepak Chopra. All for free. Everyone is home, everyone is bored, everyone is looking for something to do. Many organizations, especially the arts, are stepping forward to provide usually highly expensive or exclusive activities to the general public, at no cost. Often, these places are overlooked or underestimated. But now is the perfect time for humanity to rediscover their beautiful creations and enjoy them, right in their own homes. Not only are the arts being encouraged, but technology is finally being used for good. Many are using social media to stay up to date with one another or keep up with the news. Zoom and Facetime are an opportunity to see much-missed faces of friends and family. Google Classroom is being used for remote learning. Additionally, all the arts I mentioned above are being provided through technology. Finally, boredom leads to creativity. Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” It’s time to use that imagination! If you’re bored in your house, then you should know that boredom has been found to boost creativity and motivation to try new things. Stuck at home, you finally have time to do all the things you’ve always wanted! Perhaps that’s a new hobby; painting, knitting, writing, sewing. Maybe it’s a new pet–now, you have time to train it. Or maybe, like me, you’ve always wanted to get bangs but you’re worried you won’t like them. No risk now–no one will see you! Even if it’s simple, like cleaning your room, or learning to make an omelette, you finally have all the time it takes to do it. So, don’t worry about boredom, but instead, take advantage of quarantine! Meditate. Reach out to an old friend. Find something new that sparks your imagination. Even if it doesn’t look too appealing from the outside, quarantine can have its benefits–on the environment, on the arts, on technology, even on our minds. Enjoy it while you can. Clara Kingsley Tripp, 12 Garrison, NY
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Daily Creativity #17: Write a fake interview
Do a fake interview. You can interview anyone: your BFF, your cat, or even your houseplant. Think about what they would answer to your questions, and what you would ask them if you could ask anything.
Moon over Manifest, Reviewed by Daniel Zhu, 10
Although we prefer to get to know people face-to-face, it is possible for someone you have only heard stories of to have the same amount of meaning to you. This is demonstrated in the book Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, in the relationship between the main character, Abilene Tucker, and various townspeople. They are Pastor Shady Howard, the gypsy Ms. Sadie, and, while only a memory of the past, the most important person of all: the childhood embodiment of her father, Jinx (whose given name is Gideon Tucker). Each of these relationships is special and meaningful in its own way, and contributes a large part to the overall frame of the story. After Gideon’s sudden departure to a railroad job in Iowa, Abilene is sent to stay with Pastor Shady Howard in Manifest Kansas, where her father once stayed when he was an orphan. Although the pastor’s name strikes Abilene as ominous at first, she quickly finds that Shady is actually very nice. He does his best to provide for Abilene, and introduces her to the local townspeople. However, Abilene doesn’t find out much of an impact Shady really had on this small town’s development until she befriends the diviner Ms. Sadie. Ms. Sadie is a long-time resident of Manifest, and whenever Abilene goes to her divining parlor, Ms. Sadie “divines” a story about Manifest to Abilene. The main character in every one of these stories is Jinx. You might be interested in how Abilene got involved with a diviner: Gideon had entrusted Abilene with a memento of his–the compass of his deceased friend Ned Gillen–but Abilene lost it and later found it on a tree in Ms. Sadie’s backyard. However, it was too high to reach, so she stepped on a porcelain pot and almost got it, but not quite. But things got worse when she was stepping down; the pot suddenly cracked under her feet. Ms. Sadie happened to notice and forced Abilene to do yard work for her, in addition to collecting strange herbs. However, Ms. Sadie would repay Abilene’s hard work by telling her stories, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes because Abilene would coax her to. These stories left Abilene surprised and shocked at the end of every single turn. Who would have thought Ned and Jinx would set off firecrackers during Woodrow Wilson’s trip to Manifest? Who would have thought Mrs. Larkin and Jinx would be able to devise a plan to humiliate the cruel coal mine owners Devlin and Burton? Yet, crazy as they were, through all of Jinx’s mischievous plots, Shady was there for him. Knowing that Shady had looked after her very own father when he was a child quickly made Shady one of Abilene’s most trusted friends. However, Abilene is undoubtedly most connected to her father, Gideon Tucker. And although Abilene is very close to him, I think what is interesting is that knowing about his childhood life as Jinx brought Abilene even closer to him. After hearing about all of Jinx’s crazy but magical plots alongside his friend, Ned, Abilene was opened to a whole new section of her father’s life. And while this may seem obvious, getting the whole picture of someone often allows you to get closer to them. Aren’t there so many stories where someone forgot his past, and desperately tries to find a way to get his memories back? And after the memories are retrieved, isn’t there always a sense of completion? Abilene is in the same situation here. Previously, Abilene felt uncomfortable knowing that Gideon hadn’t told her that much about his childhood and often pondered what it was like. This triggered many disturbing thoughts in Abilene’s head, such as, Did something happen with my father when he was young? Is that why he is leaving me for his railroad job? or What impact did my father have on Manifest? Why is there no trace of him here? During her time in Manifest, Abilene spent most of her time trying to answer these questions. And when they were finally answered, Abilene suddenly felt that she knew her father so much better, and that she had finally found the missing puzzle pieces to her image of her father. And she felt that her life’s yearning was fulfilled. Many of us worry about the future–about tests, homework, classes–a little too much, and don’t really focus on the past. As Abilene showed us, there is valuable information stored in our past, and if we just spend a little time uncovering these secrets, our lives will seem a lot more meaningful and complete. The prominent religious leader Thomas S. Monson once said, “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Delacorte Press, 1995. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
