The Anvil’s Striking Symbolism

Beyond Hammer and Steel: The Deeper Significance of The Anvil.

Having been at the heart of Middlesex since its founding in 1901, the anvil symbol and its importance at the school is palpable throughout campus. Whether it be engraved in our academic buildings or imprinted on the school merchandise, the Anvil truly shapes our experience at Middlesex, yet many of us do not give the symbol a second thought beyond its inherent meaning of creation. Why did we choose an anvil? What is it supposed to mean? Has it changed throughout the years? 

In an enlivened search for answers, I, along with school librarian Mr. Smith, delved deep into the hidden wonders of the school archive room, which houses some of the oldest historical documents and artifacts of the school’s founding. Despite the storage room’s musty scent creating a bygone atmosphere, the enthralling origins behind our school Anvil that we discovered certainly shined brightly into the present. 

Our journey first took a fascinating turn when we stumbled across a 1904 issue of The Anvil, uncovering a significant poem, “The Village Blacksmith,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This literary gem became the essence and embodiment of our school’s mission from the very beginning. But who was Longfellow and how does his fascination with anvils connect to us? Digging deeper, we found that Fredrick Windsor, our founding father, was greatly influenced by Longfellow, his professor at Harvard. Enlightened by Longfellow’s teachings as both a professor and poet, Windsor crafted our school symbol, the anvil, embodying the poem’s values and ideologies. 

However, since its founding, the symbol has undergone major changes and sparked heated debate over the years. Most notably, the symbol recently underwent a major shift in design. The original emblem featured a more sophisticated depiction of an anvil encompassed by the words “Fides,” “Veritas,” and “Labour,” denoting our school values of faith, truth, and willingness to work. Fast forward to 2009, the school opted for a more simplistic approach for the sake of marketing, thus discarding the Latin inscriptions. 

A change in the historical symbolism of our school has since given rise to some contentious discussions. In conversation with a number of tenured faculty, many expressed their preference for the “original founding symbol which better embodied our values in diction,” while others remained unfazed by the change. Yet one thing remained the same for faculty members: their views on Middlesex and the Anvil as a whole.

Faculty plays a major role in our experience here at Middlesex and can often be considered the guiding force that forges the anvil. Take Mr. Smith, who joined us in 1999, and humorously comments: “I often consider myself a blacksmith here at Middlesex — working with and shaping students to the best of my ability. As a matter of fact, my role is in the name!” His sentiment captures the Anvil’s role in providing faculty with a sense of purpose in supporting students. 

Likewise, Mr. Hitzrot, our seasoned Head of the History Department, illustrates a striking analogy of the Anvil’s role in our community. “Envision the hammer striking down on its creation as the demanding expectations Middlesex has for its students. The Anvil is unyielding and forces the iron to submit. The end product? Perfection.” Mr. Hitzrot suggests that although Middlesex has its own rigorous “shaping process,” each student is a unique creation molded by their own Middlesex experience. Moreover, Mr. Hitzrot highlights that Middlesex allows every student to “find their promise” regardless of whether they believe they have discovered it, even quoting our original school motto: “Find the promise even in the most unpromising boy.”

Despite the numerous primary sources and interpretations, it is still hard to conclude the true meaning behind the Anvil. Rather, the Anvil is an open-ended concept, inviting each of us to draw our own conclusions. And so the question becomes… How will Middlesex shape you on the anvil? 

Bryan Dong