Final Thoughts - Week 16

I really enjoyed my English Lit. internet class. It gave me a chance to voice and interpret my thoughts on all the readings whereas in a classroom situation I do not feel I would have. It really gave me a different perspective on things. Reading the different responses from my classmates proved interesting and knowledgable. I will definetly take more internet classes!!

Our Fork In the Road - Week 15

One of this week's discussions was based on whether or not Clarissa had made the right choice in choosing between Richard and Peter. We are faced daily with choices in our lives and I'm sure we all look back on those choices and wonder what if. But we can't live our lives always wondering what if. We must realize that we are where we are because of our choices and continue looking forward and making the best choices from our present situation. We all have the ability to make our past choices into positive outcomes no matter how bumpy and curvy the road is we chose to journey down! There are no roads that are completely straight and without bumps so we must make the best of what we've got in front of us.

The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Casual Readers Beware! - Week 14

This week we read Mrs. Dalloway which is written with a literary technique called stream of consciousness. Mrs. Dalloway is NOT for the casual reader! Virgina Woolf jumps from one character's thoughts to another which can be quite confusing to the reader. But use of this technique also gives the reader a perspective of a character not otherwise found in other novels. So is it worth reading? I guess it all depends on how you look at it. In today's fast paced society, where fast food is quick and easy, can we enjoy a novel that requires our complete attention and perhaps several rereadings of certain parts? My answer is yes! Reading should be for fun and leisure, but also there are times when tackling something more difficult can be quite rewarding. I guess in the end, it's up to each individual and how they felt after undertaking such a difficult read, as to whether or not it was worth the extra effort.

"There’s no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue, there’s no joy in merely doing things which any one can do. But, there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take, when you reach a destination that you thought you’d never make."
- Spirella-

Happy Easter! - Week 13

When I started reading this weeks assignment I expected the story to be about the death of someone at the Aunt's party. Now there are images of death scattered throughout the story, but I think the reason Joyce titled his short story "The Dead," was to show that Gabriel was a man that was living his life without emotion, dead to his and others emotions in his world. It wasn't until the story about the death of a boy whom portrayed great love for his wife and who Mrs. Conroy confessed "I think he died for me," that Gabriel's eyes were opened to how dead he was inside. It's at that moment he decides he wants to live life and would rather "...pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age."

Who do we know that loved us so much that He died for us? JESUS! Perhaps this Easter weekend is a wonderful opportunity for us to become more aware of what we've been hiding within ourselves and to start living life fuller with Jesus as our savior so that we too can "...pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age."

Love Amongst Ruins - Week 12

This week we read two of T.S. Eliot's poems: "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Waste Land." The first poem's title would make you think you were getting ready to read a lovely poem about love, but in reality the poem portrayed failed opportunities and instead became a love song for the reader; a warning to not follow the same path as the speaker. Eliot's "Waste Land" was challenging to read and interpret. I believe it would take me several weeks of deep study and analyzing to really get a hold on what Eliot wanted to portray. I would compare this poem to putting together a very intricate puzzle with many pieces. Until you examine the many different angles and then put them together can you really see the whole picture that Eliot painted. At first I really did not like "The Waste Land," but I feel with further study, which I think is how Eliot wanted his readers to approach this poem, I could appreciate it more.

Lake Isle of Innisfree - Week 10

This week we looked into some of Yeat's poetry. My favorite that we read for class was "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" because it brought up memories of a special place that I like to visit that brings me peace and serenity. I was able to find a picture of the lake that inspired this and several other poems that Yeats created.

Week 9 - My Great Expectations - Part 2

Well, I must say that I really got involved in the 2nd half of Great Expectations. Whereas, before I found it difficult reading, this week I almost couldn't put the book down. Just goes to show you that as long as you don't give up on a story, it may turn out to be a gem! Ok, I know that's not always the case, but it sure was this time.

I was a little disappointed at first to see Biddy and Joe together because the whole time I was reading the story I was hoping that Pip and her would end up together, but I realize that Dickens could not do that and still convey the moral he was establishing. Biddy and Joe really did belong together.

I am glad Dickens chose to rewrite the last chapter too. Even though it seems to leave open only a small possibility of Pip & Estella getting together, it's still better than the original with no hope at all!

My favorite part was when Miss Havisham and Pip both realized how their treament of others was wrong and how each of them corrected it in the end.