English 102

I have learned so much in this class. I have also figured out what types of literature i favor. I have always had interests in literature, but they have been changing since i was a little kid. I always loved scary stories and i still do. But some types of literature stand the test of time. I always loved mythology and fairytales. The Grimm brothers tales are my favorite and for good reason, they teach important lessons about values, ideals and human nature. Whether its reading or writing english was never my favorite subject. But over my first year at college i have grown to like the subject. Not just tolerate but actually like it.
I have actually started writing short stories over the last couple of months. My first 2 english classes have inspired me to write not only for entertainment to express my ideas and values to the world. I think that this class has really opened my eyes to the world of literature and stories. I no longer dread writing but look forward to doing it on a daily basis. Whether its short stories or poems my views have changed. Since i am a musician writing lyrics is something i have done a lot in the past. This is what opened the door to other styles of writing. I can honestly say that writing has changed my life and now its all the more better that im learning more about literature everyday.

The Death of Traditional Values

The traditional values in society are changing. Companionship and love are great examples, they are not valued in todays society as much as in the past. With texting and new technology as a big part of society, the value of human contact has dramatically decreased. As technology brings advantages it also causes us to lose something. The human element is crucial to sustain society. That basic human urge to reach out for contact is starting to lose its meaning. Why is it when people are going through troubling times they tend to group together? Where is it that we get this need for human contact? We are human, we don't know everything. We don't know why we seek contact, we dont know why we exist. These are lifelong conundrums that have stumped many great minds. But one thing is for sure, times are changing and with that human values are changing.  

Music is the Greatest Escape

I find music to be the worlds greatest escape. Whatever your feeling, whatever your thinking..... there is music for that. This is why there are different kinds of music, they make you feel different ways and can benefit you in different situations. There is a feeling you get when you hear that song you love, theres an indescribable feeling that overcomes you. Have you ever felt it? Well...... thats the power of music, this is what music was meant to do. It was meant to be a form of expression, an outlet to tell people how your feeling or your problems. It is a way to escape your problems, if only for a while. It still makes all the difference. Music is the thing that makes us human. The human element in music is something that will never die. When music will be fully machine made in the future, that is when it will lose all of its purpose. The imperfections and expressions of the human element is what makes music such an important value to so many of us. So i ask you, have you truly listened to music?

Love and Hate

Love and hate are believed to be opposites, but i think they couldn't be more similar. In society it is just typical thought that love and hate are opposites and love is good and hate is bad. But i believe if you wait around long enough they each turn into each other. Ive seen love turn into gut wrenching hate. Ive seen hate turn into beautiful, pure love. I think they are the same, just at different points in time. Some people may view this as pessimistic but i view this from experience. Its common knowledge that the world is unfair and cruel, so why look at everything as a perfect and pure ideal? Our world is full of flaws and so are love and hate. Hate isn't always bad, and love isn't always good. Sometimes hate is justified and sometimes love is blind and doomed to fail. So what are love and hate? That is for you to decide, but just remember in the end they may be the same entity.

The Ungrateful Son

In the story "The Ungrateful Son" by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm the consequences of being selfish are displayed. In this story a man has a roasted chicken with his wife to eat for dinner. He then saw his father coming and hid the chicken. Because of this when his father left he went to get the hidden chicken and it had turned into a toad. The toad looked at him venomously, he must feed the toad everyday or the toad would feed on his face. This story is a perfect example of the pitfalls of being selfish and ungrateful. If he had shared the chicken with his father he would not have to feed this toad everyday. Being selfish never leads to anything good so there is no benefit to being selfish. Be kind and generous and never selfish because you never know how it will end up for you.

A Dolls Broken House

 In "A Dolls House" by Ibsen is a story meant to show the role of women in society. Women were absolutely not equals to men in this time period. They had completely different roles in society. Men were looked at as the primary bread winners and had the rights and privileges women just didn't have. A good example is Nora, she is treated as a doll or plaything by her husband. She is not treated as an equal partner. She may be more well off than many women but she has a hard life too. She has to settle for being the less dominant partner in her marriage. Many women accepted these roles. Nora was not like every woman. She does the unthinkable and takes out a fraudulent loan in her husbands name. This was despicable in these times, even if it just for Torvalds health. She goes outside the typical gender role in society and does something different. Then in the end she does something very unusual, she leaves her husband and her children. This is something that just didn't happen in those times. This just shows that gender roles are not set in stone and are forever changing.

Selflessness

In "The Silken Tent" by Robert Frost the generosity of people is shown. The silken tent is a metaphor for the selfless and kind people of the world. Love can make people very selfless, some people just do for others to make themselves content. The silken tent is a perfect example of this. The tent is supported by one cedar pole pointing toward heaven. This pole represents that selfless person. The ties are meant to keep the pole upright during the troubling times, but that pole stand straight up, unselfishly. These unselfish and selfless people are important in the world and will always be cherished. The beauty of these kind of people is what Frost is trying to convey.

All is Fair in Death and Despair

In the fictional story "Godfather Death" by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm a very stark flaw in the way the world works is pointed out. The idea that Death is one of the only truly fair entities in our world is shown. When god asks the man to be the child's godfather he responds harshly, pointing out gods mistakes in the world. He does not let god be the child's godfather. When the devil asks the same question he responds just as harshly but in a different manor. He points out that the devil only leads good men astray. He does not let the devil be his child's godfather. Finally when a thin, cold and boney death approaches him asking the same question he has a very different reaction. He then realizes the equality in which death operates. He does not give special treatment to either poor nor rich, he takes his victims no matter who they are. They all depart this world as equals. Death is a force that must not be tampered with, there is a delicate balance between life and death in this world and it is fair and equal. In society death is looked at as a dark and bleak ideal. But in reality it is one of the only fair entities in the world, isn't fairness usually a good thing? Some views can't be changed and im not saying anybody should look at death as a good thing but just remember...... all is fair in death and despair.

The Inspiration of Music

Music is my greatest passion and my greatest talent. Music is the thing that gets me through the day, everyday. Over the last 5 years i have learned to play 7 instruments. It all started with the guitar, and it never stopped. I went through 7 levels of the Musical Festival, or NYSSMA. While at the time it may have been strenuous and time consuming in the end it was all worth it. Music has made me the person I am today, and I'm pretty confident that if i never got into music than I would be very different today. Its not very often somebody finds something they are passionate about and truly love, i have found that and it is music. Music is one thing that can never be taken away from us. 

   

A World of Injustice as Shown by "Oedipus Rex"

"Oedipus Rex" is a perfect example of how there is injustice in this world everywhere you look. Things don't happen because they're fair, they happen because they happen. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and sometimes good things happen to bad people. Its not a predetermined decision, this world is never ending chaos. Sometimes things happen at random and there is no explanation or ethical reason behind it. When you are blind to the truth it can lead to your demise. Oedipus realized his flaw and paid for it and more over. Bad things will always happen to innocent people and this is a major plight of the human race. There is no rhyme or reason for what befalls us, we must accept what the world throws as us and keep moving. We live in an unjust world and "Oedipus Rex" is a perfect example of it.