Help me save my local library
I spoke to one of the ladies from the library today, and we both expressed how furious we are at the proposal to close the heart of our community. Then, I was listening to Hamilton, and this just sort of happened. I’d be so grateful if you would signal boost this. I want to create a stir, to show the council that people care about their libraries, even if it’s not this library it would at least show it’s not nothing.
Please bear with the unusual comparison – my passion for reading is perhaps only rivalled by my love of music, so it seemed like a fitting choice for what I hope will be an empowering speech.
You may have heard of the Broadway musical Hamilton, which recently won 11 Tony Awards and is incredibly popular with young people. What you may not have heard is that it was based on a book – Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. It’s a very entertaining and informative read – perhaps see if you can borrow it from the library.
The story centres, of course, on the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, a well-read man who created the American financial system.
It could be interpreted that Hamilton’s life is filled with messages about the value of knowledge. However, my focus for this particular argument is on the messages in the musical. One of the most poignant lyrics, in my opinion, is “Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.” All throughout the musical, a key theme is the importance of having someone to tell your story, leaving something to remind people of the good you did. Do we really want our legacy to be the closure of our libraries and the subsequent lack of passion for reading and learning? We should be planting seeds for generations to come, not chopping down the roots of our community.
Hamilton’s rise to power was prompted by revolution and the fact that he, as the musical states, “picked up a pen [and] wrote [his] own deliverance”. That may have been the norm in the late 1700s, but what about today’s youth, striving for recognition? For the young people who find wisdom, inspiration or solace in books, the proposal to close libraries is like a revolution (except we’re on the losing side). Our world has been turned upside down and as much as we try to write our own deliverance, nothing seems to be getting done.
One more thing. In today’s society it is perfectly normal to be able to name every member of a sports team, or know all the lyrics to pop songs. On the other hand, as soon as I break out the fastest rap in Broadway history or can tell you by heart that “Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much,” I’m seen as a geek. The changes we need are constructive, not destructive – give us the opportunity to make reading cool, instead of taking that chance away forever.
To conclude with one more Hamilton quote, “I am not throwing away my shot”. Please, make sure you don’t either.
Meredith, age 17, Lancashire, England
