Breakthrough PETER LANG New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford Breakthrough Essays and Vignettes in Honor of John A. Rassias Edited by Mel B. Yoken PETER LANG New York (cid:121) Washington, D.C./Baltimore (cid:121) Bern Frankfurt am Main (cid:121) Berlin (cid:121) Brussels (cid:121) Vienna (cid:121) Oxford Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Breakthrough: essays and vignettes in honor of John A. Rassias / edited by Mel B. Yoken. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Languages, Modern—Study and teaching. 2. Rassias, John. I. Rassias, John. II. Yoken, Melvin B. PB35.B67 407.1—dc22 2006101470 ISBN 978-0-8204-8190-6 Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek. Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de/. Cover design by Joni Holst The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council of Library Resources. © 2007 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York 29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006 www.peterlang.com All rights reserved. Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm, xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited. Printed in Germany To Cindy, Andrew, David, and Jon, my dearest family, who make life worth living To John and Mary Rassias, dearest friends, who make this book possible and In memory of my beloved mother, Sylvia S. Yoken (1910-2005) and my beloved father, Albert B. Yoken (1900-1976) Contents Preface..........................................................................................................xiii Foreword......................................................................................................xix André Maman Letters..................................................................................xxi Letter to Helene Rassias...............................................................................xxv Chronology...............................................................................................xxvii Interview with John Rassias........................................................................xliii Proust Questionnaire....................................................................................xcv The Legacy of Our Moat Mentality by John A. Rassias......................................................................................xcix The Goal by John A. Rassias.......................................................................................ciii Part One: Essays 1. The Importance of a National Professional Association for French by Jayne Abrate.........................................................................................3 2. Quietude: The Narrative of Sarah Bernhardt and Bill the Bum by Adam Braver......................................................................................11 3. “Émeutes” and “Manifestations,” A Review of French Vocabulary by Michelle Cheyne.................................................................................15 4. Lo Li Yen, “Founder of New Methods” by Raymond Cormier..............................................................................19 5. John Rassias and the Language Learning Community by Nancy Cronan....................................................................................23 6. The Life and Times of Señorita Dell by Laura L. Dell......................................................................................25 7. Back to School, 2006 by S. Pascale Vergereau-Dewey.............................................................37 8. “…To be Human,” A Perspective on Human Dynamics with John Rassias by Alan Farrell........................................................................................41 9. Language, Culture, and the Rassias Method by Patricia C. Foley................................................................................47 10. Impact of Online Reading Activities on Student Performance by Christine Gaudry-Hudson..................................................................51 11. From Study Abroad to the Rassias Method by Joel Goldfield.....................................................................................57 viii Contents 12. Mirar: A Short Essay on the Unfolding Miracle of Words by Ruth Housman....................................................................................63 13. John Rassias: A Legend among Foreign Language Educators by Nancy Milner Kelly............................................................................69 14. Becoming a Teacher of Jewish Studies by Sharon Leder......................................................................................73 15. “Outcomes” by Robert Lindsey...................................................................................79 16. An American Heroine in the French Resistance, The Story of Virginia d’Albert Lake By Judy Litoff..........................................................................................81 17. A Salute to John Rassias and the Rassias Method by John W. Oller, Jr................................................................................89 18. Villon Unsung: The Unfinished Edition of Nicolas Lenglet du Fresnoy by Robert D. Peckham............................................................................97 19. “For Monolingual Americans” by Robert D. Peckham..........................................................................103 20. Kinetic Memory in Learning Shakespeare by Alan Powers.....................................................................................105 21. A Few Things I Learned from John Rassias by Rebecca Randall...............................................................................109 22. Two Wrong Ways to Say Things in English by Peter D. Sandler..............................................................................113 23. The Radical Idealism of John A. Rassias by Keith L. Walker...............................................................................117 24. We Need the Rassias Method for Living in the Mother Country by Richard J.Ward...............................................................................121 25. In Honor of Rassias: What Literature and Language Mean to Me by Robert Waxler.................................................................................125 26. Children of the Sun: A Pathway to Rimbaud by Marc Widershien............................................................................131 27. Teaching Foreign Languages In Honor of My Dear Friend, John Rassias by Cynthia Yoken.................................................................................135 28. The Write Stuff by Mel Yoken........................................................................................139 Contents ix Part Two: Vignettes 29. “Never Iron” by Birkett Becker..................................................................................143 30. The Greek God Zeus and John Rassias by Peter Bien........................................................................................145 31. John Rassias: Passionate Teacher of the French Language by Davida Brautman.............................................................................147 32. My Friendship with John Rassias by Norman Brown.................................................................................149 33. John Rassias—The Maestro by Pam Bujese.......................................................................................153 34. “Think of an Ambulance” by Bill Burgess......................................................................................157 35. The Aura of John Rassias by Susan Carnochan.............................................................................161 36. John Rassias: Breaking Down Barriers by Robert Cavanagh (Copa).................................................................163 37. Playing Horsy by Amy Cammann Cholnoky.................................................................167 38. Through the Years with John Rassias by Warren F. Cooke..............................................................................169 39. How Meeting John Rassias Changed My Life by Jacqueline de La Chappelle Skubly..................................................171 40. Possibility of Possibility by Christopher C. Gates........................................................................175 41. John Rassias, an Innovating Pioneer by Mary Gegerias.................................................................................177 42. John Rassias and the Adult Learner by Sol Gittleman....................................................................................179 43. “John Rassias: Lightening Bolt in My Life” by Deborah J. Hahn..............................................................................181 44. A Tribute to “Sir John” by Anna Cathcart Harvey.....................................................................185 45. Recollections by William K. Hooper...........................................................................187