然而,今天我看了《The History Boys》(B站有看,中英文字幕,中文译名《历史系男生》)。背景是1986年,约克郡一个小镇上的男校,雄心勃勃的校长想让那届成绩最好的高三学生去考牛津的奖学金,请来了个代课老师做专门针对名校笔试、面试的特训。剧情的冲突有好几条线,腐国男校里常见的同性恋,老师对学生的性骚扰,实用主义的教育和博雅教育之间的矛盾,以及历史和文学本身引发的思考。几条线交织在一起,复杂而不芜杂,深刻而不刻意,伤感而不煽情。让我觉得,学文科还是好的。
“The best moments in reading are when you come across something--a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things--that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe someone long dead. And, ... it's as if a hand...has come out... and taken yours."
当说到... it's as if a hand... has come out...,老师伸出手去,像是要递给学生,而学生也正要伸手去接,老师却抽了回来,... and taken yours,他把双手虚握放在了胸口。他是一个性骚扰学生的老师,也是一个了不起的导师,从猥琐到崇高,人性的复杂,表现得淋漓尽致。
"Pass the parcel. That's sometimes all you can do. Take it, feel it, and pass it on. Not for me, not for you. But for someone, somewhere, one day. Pass it on, boys. That's the game I want you to learn. Pass it on."
正好前天吃饭时闲聊,说起我儿子长大干什么。他爸爸希望他做科学家,我说他理科不够好,恐怕够呛。外婆说他可以做诗人,我说不行做诗人会饿死的。外婆说,没关系,妹妹长大了赚钱养哥哥。我们都笑了,我儿子却一言不发。后来他爸爸再三问他,他很严肃地回答:“我要做老师,我要把知识传给后代。” 还特地强调了一句:“我要做小学老师。” 我笑了,因为他幼儿园的时候就说过想做幼儿园老师, 以此类推,说不定上了大学以后就想做大学老师了,似乎也没有离我们对他的期望太远。后来我看到Hector说的这段话,我意识到我才是狭隘的那一个。超越了个人的成败得失,他看到了更深远的东西。That's the game he wants to learn, to pass it on。