I can understand that boys like toy guns and other weapons. I can even see a situation in which a father might want to buy his son his first compound bow to teach him how to hunt; but "Bring 'em up right?" Besides the frightening grammer, it seems somehow dissolute to imply that children raised without the skill of operating a weapon - particularly a bow - were raised incorrectly. Is the bow really a skill worth developing in the 21st century? Forget piano lessons or hockey and learn to bow hunt? The forthcoming discourse came to mind as I pondered where this bow might end up one day.
(The following transpires between 8:00PM and 9:00PM, in a small log home in Maine) The dark wood floors and exposed beams cast flickering shadows across the room as a fire crackles ambivalently in an exposed chimney. The aging leather furniture gives way with a squeek to the shifting weight of a middle-aged man with rough hands. His face is shadowed with stubble after the long day's passage. He is watching his son intently, who is watching the fire, in turn. The man leans forward in his chair to speak.
"Son."
"Yes, Papa."
"I have something for you here." (Pats chair)
"Yes, Papa." (scampers to his mentor)
"This is a bow." (holds it out for his son) "Today you learn to be a man."
"Wow, really?"
"Yes. However, you must be responsible. A bow is not a toy, it is a device requiring both skill and strong judgment. I believe today you are ready."
"Oh thank you, Papa, I will use it only for good."
"That's great, Son." (sighs) "After all - uh, what?"
(excitedly) "Now I can be like the Green Arrow, and silently propel bolts of justice at my enemies with the righteous fury of a thousand suns!"
"Huh?"
"The Green Arrow, Papa, the most popular of comic book heroes. He wields his bow against all manner of evildoers, and occasionally other heroes when there has been a misunderstanding of some sort. The Green Arrow is a man of legend."
"Now hold on a second."
"Should I call myself the White Arrow?"
"Wait a minute, Son, I just said this bow is no toy. If I am going to give it to you, you have to be careful."
"Oh, I will be careful, father."
(raises voice)"None of this Green Arrow business, right?"
"Oh, I will be sure to always strike my enemies in the heart or eyes, Papa, lest they bear witness to my identity and I dishonor the family."
"I think you'd better hand that bow back to me, son." (holds out hand)
"Not today, Father." (nocks an arrow)
"Hey! I think you'd best put that...urk!"
