Farewell

Well I can’t believe I have finally made it through this class. I can’t say that this semester flew by for me, I think I felt every single one of these last 16 weeks. I must admit that this semester was very much a challenge for me. I always have a bit of nervousness when starting out in a new class. I guess it is because I am unsure what will be required of me, and how to go about doing things, and how teacher grades and so on. Online classes can also be hard to navigate through in the beginning. I’m not exactly sure why, but for some reason I thought that taking this class online would be easier than having to take it on the actual campus. I guess I was thinking what else could there possibly be to do besides writing an essay or two and reading through the textbook. I now know that I was wrong in assuming this. Since I haven’t been to this class on campus, I can’t say that the online class was harder, but it most definitely requires a great deal of work and determination. As I stated in the beginning of this semester, writing really isn’t my thing, and I don’t often enjoy having to do it. I soon learned that writing played a very big role in this class. But I must say that I think this class helped me to develop my writing skills. I was more used to having to write research papers, and not these sort of essays that we had to write for class. But this class helped to open a whole new facet in my life. I have always considered myself to be a good reader, but I think that this class helped me to be able to pick apart and really think about what it is that the author is trying to tell me. The first thought of having to write a blog online saddened me. I didn’t like the idea of having to write out my thought, feelings, and perceptions, and the possibility that others around the world might read it as well. But now I can say that I am happy to have been introduced to the idea of blogging. It has been a desire of mine to start up with a journal again, and I can look at online blogging as a possible way to go about doing this. It was also interesting to read the different blogs that all of you posted, especially when it was done on the same topic that I had chosen. It was cool to see the different perspectives that people had on the various writing subjects. I wish you all the best in life. Even though I have not been able to meet any of you in person, I still feel that I have come to know many of you through your blogs and in the Literature discussion forums. The pictures that you guys uploaded really helped too. May God bless all of you.

Love Songs

I can’t say that I am familiar with any of Aimee Mann’s songs. Her kind of music is not really the type of music that I am interested in, but I found her lyrics to be rather interesting. It wasn’t one of those traditional love songs. It was different in its own way, but it was still a love song. The title of the song pretty much sums up the entire message of what it is that she is trying to say. The title of her song is “Save Me.” She wishes to be rescued, from the people that she calls “freaks” or in other words, those that believe that they could never fall in love. The theme in this song does deal with love, but it also deals with escaping from the kinds of people that she doesn’t see eye to eye with. So she sees this person as the kind of man that would fit the role of being her Superman. I went online to search for others of her songs, to see if there is some sort of common thread to her song writing style. One song that I looked up was entitled, “Red Vines.” When I think of Red Vines I think of licorice, and I’m guessing that is what she is referring to as well. Not sure where licorice fits into the picture but whatever. In comparing this song with “Save Me,” I see some similarities between the two of them. It is another type of love song, sort of like the first. It isn’t one of those traditional love songs, where it talks about all those happy and bubbly feelings that people in love experience. This song sort of has a sad tone to it. In this song she describes herself standing on the sidelines and watching another couple that is in love. To me it seems as if she is saying that everyone else sees them as a perfect and happy couple, but for whatever reason she knows otherwise. Another one of her songs that I looked at was called “Calling It Quits.” This song also deals with relationships, but this one starts out sort of like a warning against a certain kind of guy that can and will take advantage of a woman. Then throughout the songs she is telling us that she isn’t taking any more of it and she is going to go ahead and call it quits. The last song of hers that I looked up was called, “Deathly.” Just from looking at the title, I could gain a sense of what she would be talking about. This song is talking about the negative side of relationships. Then it goes into how she walked away from the poor relationship she was in, and she was so determined to stay away, she would rather have somebody shoot her with a gun, and stop her, than for her to go back into that relationship. So to sum it all up I’d say the general theme that I saw in Aimee Mann’s songs were love, but more of the negative sides to it. I saw that it went more into the bad that can come out of a poor relationship.

Creation Myths

The creation myths that I watched came from the Maoris in New Zealand, the Chinese, and also the Yoruba in Africa. This was something new to me. Each of these myths were different in their own ways, and each of them had their own twist to how the world came to be and where people came from. In spite of this though, I saw that all of these myths had a common thread to them. I found it interesting that none of these myths took on an evolutionary theme. Instead all of these stories had some sort of creator or creators in all of them. None of these myths had a theme that all of what we see came about all on its own. Maybe they saw themselves and other living things as too complex to have come about all on its own. Another thing that I noticed was that there wasn’t only a view on how people came to be, but also a view on how the sun, moon, mountains etc. came about. It really makes me curious to want to know how exactly these stories came about, it is rather interesting that although these stories come from such diverse regions, they all have the same type of central theme to them. I also wonder if these stories were actually believed, or if it was just taken to be some sort of fairy tale. One thing that these myths showed me about people, is that they all had questions that wanted to be answered. The biggest question of all probably is how we all got here. We as human beings like to have a sense of belonging and also a sense of purpose. I think that people feel they can have more of a sense of purpose if they have an idea as to where they came from. This can especially be said about myself. I am a Christian, and also a firm believer in the Bible, so naturally I am a creationist. I also don’t believe that this world and all of the wonderful things that are contain therein came about by chance. Instead I believe that God, created everything by simply speaking them into existence, but He took special time out to form man out of the dust of the ground. I know that it takes a great deal of faith to believe this way, because we are not able to see and actually touch God at this point in time. Yet I feel that there is much evidence all over the world that can point to this as not a myth, but instead fact. To me, believing this gives me the greatest sense of purpose. Knowing this really helps me to know who I am, what I’m doing here, and where I am going. I know that many see what I believe in as just another creation myth, but I am so happy to know that there is a God above, who loves and cares for me.

The burden of knowing

I believe that in this novel, there are a few characters that are suffering from the burden of knowing. I guess from these examples, the phrase can be true when it is said, “Ignorance is bliss.” Sometimes knowing a thing can do more harm than it would, had we just remained in the dark. But we are curious creatures, and many times our curiosity gets the better of us. Also at times, the feeling of not knowing plagues us so bad, that we do all in our power to know, even if we know it could potentially hurt us. What is better for us really depends on the situation. I think that character that suffered the most from the burden of knowing is Lily. The burden had started once she found out as a little girl that she accidently shot and killed her mother. I don’t believe such a burden should have been placed on such a young girl, but due to the hatred she had received from her father, he had kept that memory alive and well in her mind. And so with this burden that she had had, although it was purely an accident, and not really her fault the gun was near her in the first place, she had guilt to deal with. I think that another thing that made this even more of a burden was her thoughts that maybe if her mother was still alive, life would be so much easier for all of them. And so then she has the burden of knowing that her mother isn’t there, and can not be there, all because of an accident, in which she was the cause. But she still had a desire to know about her mother while she was alive. She knew that one of the bee keeping sisters, mainly August, might have the answers that she was looking for. Once she found more about her mother, she then had the burden of knowing that what her father had been telling her for so many years actually was true, that her mother really had left her for a time. Another character in the novel that really suffered from the burden of knowing was May. Even if what she had heard about wasn’t related to her in even the slightest sense, just her knowing would send her into a fit of tears. This obviously had happened so much, because the sisters seemed to be used to it, and would routinely ask her or take her outside where she could empty out her emotions at her “wailing wall.” These experiences came about from the knowledge that her sister April had shot herself a long while back. The other sisters got along with life find in spite of it, but May was just never the same after this had happened. Within the story, I think the burden of knowing might have affected May in the very greatest sense. In the end she felt as though she could no longer deal with all of the sadness, and she ended up taking her own life.

No sorrow?

It is a habit of mine to read the questions before I do the actual reading part. The questions alone gave me a little shock. How could anybody not be suffering from grief of a loved one that has passed. Especially when that loved one is the person's very own mother. The one who raised and nurtured that child, and took so much time out to care for the child all the way from childhood, and most mothers are there for their children even when they are leading their adult lives. I basically figured tout hat this mother was not the greatest or ideal mother that people would love to have. I thought that maybe this mother might have done something horrible to upset her daughter, so much so, that she would hardly care once her mother has passed. Once I read the story, I still did not feel so good about the type of feelings that the daughter was having about her mother's death. I am sure that there are many things that parents do and say that may make it hard to love, accept, or be around them. But I think a great deal of these feelings that she is having has to do with her inability to let go of hurt and things that had taken place in the past.I am not trying to say that the mother was completely innocent in this situation that had happened. But I think that there is fault on both sides. Not only on the side of the mother, but I think that there is also fault to be found on the side of the daughter. I don't really think that much or any good for that matter, is done when a person is harboring feelings of hurt and, or hate. I think that I am having these feelings about her reactions because I feel that the death of a person, especially somebody who is suppose to so close to us like our mothers, should cause such a great deal of emotion. Not just any emotion of course, I don't really think death should cause somebody to feel relief or a sense of a burden lifted. Not all mothers act like angels, but I think in order to not feel such a great deal of guilt when they are gone, one should do all in their power to make things right before the person is gone. Because once that person is gone, it is too late to tell the person that you love them, or that you are sorry, and it eats at some people for so very long. I once saw this documentary about this lady who adopted all these kids with serious health problems, and some had mental problems as well. This one boy caused her a great deal of grief, but she still managed to treat him kindly and tell him she loved him. Then the boy died. I think a person asked if she felt relieved, because of the great deal of pain he caused the family, but she said no, and expressed how sad she was that he was gone. I think that no matter what, one should never let ill feelings or hate take precedence over one's attitude toward another. To relay bad feelings back only does more harm.

History has lessons for us all

I thought that it would be interesting to elaborate on this particular writing topic. I really like history. I’m not what one would call an expert at history, but I find it to be an interesting topic of study. I feel that it is important that one knows and understands the events that have taken place. Especially those negative things, because if we don’t learn from the things that have taken place, there is a very high possibility that we will find ourselves repeating those things. I think that the statement about history being a narrative of a person who may, intentionally, or unintentionally, leave things out is something to really think about. I guess people really can’t help it when they leave something out unintentionally. But it does bother me to learn that people leave out information on purpose, and I’m especially bothered when those things are left out on purpose. I guess in the end, it is completely up to that person which information they wish to divulge, but I think when it comes to the benefit or safety of others, that person should be responsible enough to tell what needs to be told. A couple of semesters ago, I was taking a history class on American history to be exact. We had to write a term paper, and he had mentioned a subject that we could go into. That subject was dealing with world war II, but more specifically the Pearl Harbor and the events that had led up to the event. He had mentioned, that the codes had been known before the attack had taken place, but still nobody told the necessary people, and nothing really seemed to be done about it. I guess some would call this just a conspiracy theory, but after I had done the research myself, I had come to the conclusion that this had to be truth. And for many years, people had been led to believe that the attacks from the Japanese on Pearl Harbor were a complete surprise, but many years later, when certain documentation was allowed to be released, the truth comes out that it was not a total surprise. To many there that day, it was of course a surprise, but there were influential people involved that had prior knowledge to the plans, and refused to do anything about. Some would argue that this would have something to do with getting the United States involved in the war. Because before this had happened, most Americans were opposed to the idea of entering into the war over in Europe, but once the attack happened, it threw the United States right into the war. Makes sense to me when I think about it. After my research on the topic, I was really amazed at what had happened, but at the same time not really all that surprised. I think that there are so many things out there that aren’t really as they seem. I think the best thing to do, to separate fact from fiction, is not just take somebody’s word for it, but do the research for yourself.

Like a car crash

I thought that It would be interesting to write about something and to use metaphors in it. I may not be the best at writing metaphors, but I really do like them. I think that they can be used as good and effective writing tools. I had to think for a while, in order to figure out what I would write about. I think that a good allegory to having your heart broken by somebody or ending a relationship and then relating it to getting into a car accident. From my observations, I see that is true in many ways. Car accidents come in varying degrees. You can come out of a car accident with not a scratch. As with some who end relationships and hardly think a thing of it. Then there are those sorts of car accidents that leave a great deal of damage, trauma, and a totaled car is another outcome of it. This can be related to those people who have come to an end of a relationship, and are suffering a great deal of hurt, confusion, and loss from it. Car accidents take place rather often, as with hurt in relationships. Car accidents are at most times a great surprise to a person. Many times the person really doesn’t even see it coming, and when they do take note of what is about to take place, few people even have time to brace themselves for the impact. And so it is with ending relationships sometimes. Well there is a slight difference, when it comes to a relationship that is on its way to an end, there usually is some sort of sign or indication as to what is about to happen. But then , of course, there are those instances where it comes as a complete surprise, and the person really doesn’t even have the time to brace themselves for the full impact of what is about to take place. After a car accident has taken place, especially when a person has been rear-ended, there is a great deal of pain that takes place in the weeks or months to follow. Sometimes the pain may not really be all that noticeable at first, but in the days that follow, the pain becomes more noticeable and increases in strength. I think that there are similarities between this and the heartache that may follow after a break up. Yes there is the initial shock after a car accident has taken place, and the same can happen when a relationship has come to an end. And then the pain can last for a great while after the break up has taken place. Some car accidents are unavoidable, and many times the other person is the one that is at fault. But careful driving, and a careful selection of the vehicle driven can make accidents less tragic. As with relationships, a careful selection of a boy or girl friend, and being aware of one’s conduct in the relationship can prevent a good thing from coming to an end, and help lessen the pain when a relationship has ended.

Types

I believe that people do have types in some form or fashion. I think that people can have types by their outward appearances. It may something that the person is wearing that would have them be classified in a “type.” For instance, maybe if a person wears a lot black and large boots, and person may say they are a gothic or an emo type. I think that people can also be put in a type by the sorts of things that they like, or that they may be into. Whether it be music, reading, sports, and so on. I think it is somewhat hard to steer away from classifying or putting people into groups or types. I’m really not sure where types come from, or why people prefer certain types of men or women over other types. But I do find this sort of thing to be rather interesting. I think it is one of the things that makes mankind so unique. We’re given the power of choice, and with that choice we are able to make have our own unique preferences and we are able to make the choices we want from those preferences. Although I have come to see beauty and great things in many races and cultures, ( I only say many because I have not observed closely every single race and culture on this planet.)when it comes to what I look for in a man, I still have my preferences and the type or types that I am more attracted to. Because people are so different from each other, and vary in many different ways, certain “types” wouldn’t work well with others in my opinion. Or many different times, people tend to go for types that are more like their own selves. I don’t mean all the time, strangely enough, opposites do attract to one another at times. I really don’t see anything wrong with having these sorts of preferences. Like I said before, we all have our own preferences and I’m glad that we are able to make our own decisions about things like that. I think that it is ok as long as it does not lead to negative stereotypes. Here is when a problem can arise. I think that there can be a fine line between types and then stereotypes. According to Merriam Webster, stereotyping “a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment.” Parts of this definition does sound a lot like types. And the word itself does have the word “type” in it. The reason why I say that we should be careful of stereotyping people is that this can lead on to prejudice. This can lead to hatred or hostility toward a group. I think that the safe ground is when we can have our own preferences, but still be able to look at others and respect them even if they are different or not our “type.”

Then and Now

Looking back on how things were for women back in Virginia Woolf’s day, down to our time, there are many differences from then and now. This particular essay was written in the year 1928. So that means that this essay was only written eight years after women were granted the right to vote. So she clearly saw what life was like for her and other women before and after that historic date. On the second page where she looks up the passages from the historian, and talks about how wife beating , “was a recognized right of man..” I found that to be very interesting. We have come a long way from this sort of thing in our society today. You will get put in jail for doing such a thing these days. And it is something that is looked down upon in our culture. However; this sort of thing happens all the time even today. It may not be an accepted thing today, but it still happens. Things have changed a great deal, but I don’t think I could say that Woolf’s arguments in her essay are completely irrelevant today’s times. I think that the overall tone in this essay is one that can relate to our time. Women aren’t so down trodden these days, but there still remains a great issue. Last semester I had taken a class on Women in Business Organizations. I had taken it online, and sometimes with online classes there isn’t as much discussion on certain issues as there is when you are there in the classroom setting. But I still learned a great deal from that class. In some ways, women are still the underdog, and they still have many injustices that they are met with, especially when one considers the workplace. Even today, it is harder for a woman, than it is for a man, to climb up the ladder of success on the job. Today you will find that the greater majority of CEO’s and people in top management are men. It does seem to get better as the years go by, but hopefully this sort of thing will be more equal as the time progresses. When it comes to women in the home life, many changes have taken place from then and now. Women really aren’t expected to stay at home and be housewives anymore. Not that I see anything wrong with a housewife. I actually find it to be a high and noble work to stay at home and raise the children. But there are just as many women going to college and having careers as there are men. But with that there are still many jobs that are more gender-oriented. Which may not necessarily be a bad thing all the time. I think that the women’s liberation movement, along with the way our culture perceives women today has brought about many things, some good and some that I don’t particularly agree with. Overall the attitudes on women have improved greatly, and I hope it will continue to do so.

To wed or not to wed

The views on marriage in the story “Marriage Is A Private Affair,’ are very much seen as old fashioned in our society today. And it is a rare thing that parents are consulted when it comes times for a guy or girl to choose their mate. In some homes, a teen can go on a date or two with another without having even met the parents first. My parent’s views and the views presented in this story are different from one another, but to some degree there is a similarity. I don’t believe my parents would ever try and force me to marry a person that they knew I did not like or could not love. I know that my parents have my best interest in mind and they only want what is best for me. I’m sure that they know that an unhappy marriage would bring much sorrow and misery in my life. Although I’m an adult I do consult my parents on such matters. My parents have been married for over 26 years, which to me is a big deal since there are such high divorce rates in America today. So being that my parents have so many other people beat out there, I think it wise that I listen to their advice. To have been happily married for such a long time, they must be doing something right, and it would be foolish of me not to listen and pay attention to what it is that they have to say. I believe that there are several types of men that would be hard for my parents to accept that I marry. I think that one of the top things would be to marry someone outside of my faith (not that I would plan on doing that anyway). Please don’t get me confused. I don’t have a problem with people practicing their other religions, and neither do my parents. But great difficulties would arise if I were to marry someone outside of my faith. If a person takes it seriously, one’s faith or religion is a great part of who they are, and I take the words of the bible to heart. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” Amos 3:3. So I could definitely see that being difficult for my parents to accept. But besides that, there are many other qualities my parents would have an issue with. I could see them having a great issue with any man that would be overbearing. I know that I, and I’m sure my parents as well, would have a hard time seeing a truly happy marriage that were in a situation like that. But even if I were to do something like that, I’m pretty sure my parents wouldn’t disown me like that man in the story. Overall, we have become quite the independent generation when it comes to things like this. But if one has parents, I think it would be wise for the daughter or son to speak with them on such matters. It may be that the parents can see things in a person that we may not see yet.

Cute little Doll's House

I am discussing the first writing topic from the story “A Doll’s House.” The story was pretty long but I wanted to keep on to get what the point of the whole play was, then once I found out the point of it all, I kept reading because I wanted to know what the outcome of her situation would be. The main character in the story, Nora, seemed rather childish or immature to me at times. And as I continued reading the story, I came to realize that she was a little too materialistic and rather selfish. I first noticed she was a little too much into herself and not really one to take the time to listen to others when her friend Christine stopped in. She took the time to be polite and cordial, but she went on bragged about her life, children, and husband’s job, which really wasn’t the time to do it since her friend was in the state that she was in. She should have been more of a support which is why I think that she was acting selfishly. When it comes to her children, I think that she was acting selfishly also. All those questions that arose in her mind after the incident with her husband shows that she really wasn’t ready to be a wife or mother, so running out on them now really doesn’t help the situation. It is as the saying goes, “you made your bed now sleep in it” At the time she was only concerned about herself and fixing her own problems without really taking into consideration the lasting effect those choices would have on her children. Its not like she was in an un-fixable condition. She came to realization of her problems, but then that is the time where you do your best to fix it and not to repeat the same problems. As far as her walking out on her marriage is concerned, I’m not too convinced that it was a heroic thing. Sure Nora wasn’t the only one with the problems, her husband obviously had some problems too, and yes there marriage was hollow and pretty shallow too. But at least Helmer was willing to work things out, he wasn’t too quick on giving up on the whole thing. In dealing with the alternate ending to the story, from what I stated above I think its clear that I would think this ending to be a better one. Sacrifice seems to be such a belittling term these days, and I’m sure it was that way back then also. But I think that that if she were willing to sacrifice her own wants and desires, which from the story doesn’t seem like something she is used to doing, things may end up better in the long run for both her and her family. That is of course if she were willing to make it work. You can’t force a person to do a single thing, people will do what they want to do.

I can't see you

Well, I decided to write about how people some of the people around me are invisible, and how I am guilty of not seeing others. I found this to be a very interesting topic, although it is not always easy to share with others the things you are guilty of, but I thought that it would be beneficial if it could give some type of advice, for me included, or found to be edifying. When I am out and about, people cross my paths all the time. Many people I see only so briefly, I barely have time to even process it, like when I’m riding in a car and so on. I’d have to say that one way I’m guilty of having people invisible to me is because I will not stop and take the time to know the person. Of course it is impossible to remedy this problem for everyone we meet on a day to day basis, events in our lives simply won’t allow for this, but there are times when the opportunity does present itself to us. I am somewhat of a shy person, I’m fine and comfortable around my friends and family, but when it comes to people I’m not too familiar with, I usually don’t have much to say to them, unless they initiate the conversation. So there are many cases where people I come in contact with remain invisible to me. I think that another way in which I could be guilty of not seeing others is looking only on the exterior, in other words, judging a person. I think that it is all too easy to make conclusions about people from what we see on the outside, and conclude in our minds that we already know the person and what they are about from what we see, or think that we see. But in reality, I’d have to say that the person is still invisible in many different ways. How are they invisible? Well one way is that you still really do not know the person you are judging. What I may think I know about the person is shallow to say the least, and may also be a complete falsehood. Not to say that observation always gives us a non-trusting point of view on things, but observation alone simply will not due. If I were a doctor, how could my simply looking at a patient help me know for sure if the patient were healthy or not. If I wanted to be sure about it, I’d have to take a close examination of the patient, maybe do some x-rays etc. So I think it would be best for me and everyone else to not assume that we know everything. Much information is only gained through deep study. And so with people I would have to say that, if I wish for less people to be invisible in my life, I would have to take the time to really get to know the people that I come in contact with.

Collateral Damage

I decided to write about issue of collateral damage found after the poem by Hanan ‘Ashrawi. When I looked at the term collateral damage, I had a basic idea of what the word meant, but just to have a deeper understanding of the term, I went and looked up the definition. So in the case of the military, one type of collateral damage would be an accidental injuring or death of a civilian in the process of some type of military operation. Being that collateral damage is an accident, its hard to go around those sorts of things. Even here when we are about our daily lives, all sorts of accidents happen all the time. Like when we are driving around in our cars, people get into accidents every single day. But I find it interesting that when we get into accidents here, we have to pay the consequences, especially when we are the ones at fault. And if the person is killed in an accident, you can be charged with involuntary man slaughter, and worse penalties will come about if you try to flee the scene and not take responsibility for your actions. But this is not always the case when it comes to military conflict. Many times, nobody takes responsibility for these sorts of things. I can see how there could be more collateral damage when the conflict is some type of civil war within a country. Because then their battles can easily take place within towns and such, where more innocent lives are at stake. Then there is the collateral damage that is caused by one country fighting another. I don’t think that instance or the other is more justifiable. Just in my opinion, I don’t really see how the taking of an innocent person’s life, or the injury of an innocent person, accidental or intentional can be morally justified.
There is another type of collateral damage though. I think the worst is when innocent lives are at stake, its impossible to replace a loved one that has been lost. Then there is the type of collateral damage that affects buildings, equipment and so on. It’s a sad situation either way, and unfortunate but I can see where this could be more justifiable when it comes to the damage of non living things, and through time and effort these types of things that have been lost can be replaced.
In the event of World War II, there was so much damage done on both sides, and especially when it came to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thousands upon thousands of lives were lost in those bombings, not to mention the complete destruction of both of those cities. Some may feel that these bombings were justifiable because it helped to end the war. Some say that if the bombings were not done, that the war would have continued and more lives would have been lost. So the bombings did help to end something dreadful, but at what cost?

Tiger Mending

After I was finished with reading the story Tiger Mending, I felt a lot like the narrator did. The narrator said that they were left with an unsettled feeling. That is sort of how I felt at the end of the story. I tend to feel unsettled after readings where there are numerous questions in my mind that were left unanswered. I suppose I could speculate, and try and answer my own questions, but I’m just the sort of person that likes hard facts. So I don’t feel entirely fulfilled by answering my questions through a mere speculation. The two sisters seemed to have very different personalities, and different qualities and strengths, but they seemed to work well with each other, especially in coping with life after their parents’ death. Throughout the story, I also was wondering what had put the tigers in that condition, and what was it that made their work so secretive. Then when I saw they were helping those poor tigers, it made me wonder all the more why their work had to be so secretive, if they were doing a good work. I guess I’m just curious in that way. So I then continued reading in anticipation, wanting to find out the cause of this strange problem. The outcome was interesting, because once one of the sisters did find out the cause of the problem, it made one sister feel better about it, and the other left for home. I think that the narrator felt it be a waste of time, to continue on that way, trying to fix a problem that would never seem to end, but why she left her sister, whom she seemed to care about so much, puzzled me. And I wondered what made the other sister stay, because she was the first to voice that she wanted to know the cause of the condition of the tigers. Maybe she was just content in having her curiosity filled, not really caring whether it was right or wrong.
I didn’t have to think for too long to figure out what tiger stripes meant to me. I’m a big fan of nature and zoology, and I really can’t get enough of National Geographic and The Discovery Channel. My mind was taken to tigers living in their natural habitat. In the wild, tiger’s use their stripes for camaflouge , to keep them hidden from their prey, which helps them be the powerful hunters that they are. The stripes also keep them hidden from hunters and the like. Another interesting thing to note about tiger’s stripes is that it is one of the things which keeps them different from each other. No two tiger’s have the exact same pattern of stripes. So to put in plainly, individuality. When looking at it in an allegorical sense, I can’t help but to parallel this meaning of tiger stripes to life and society. To be completely honest, I’m not exactly sure what the message was that Bender was giving in the tiger stripes themselves. I think that one meaning could be that in many cases people can’t really blame others for the way things are, for there are many instances when we are the causes, or play a big role in the problems that we have in our own lives.
In the beginning I was enjoying the story, but I really wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I wish it had gone more into the personal feelings of both of the girls once the cause was discovered.

My response to literature

For this blog, I will be telling you the various ways we respond to literature and how it might change our lives from critically analyzing it. There are so many varieties in literature, and each piece of work delivers a message in some form or fashion. I believe that the writers wrote these things because they wanted a response from the reader. The response may differ from person to person, but a response they will receive. It is very difficult if not impossible to give a proper response on a literary work without first understanding it. A complete understanding of the work may not come from reading it the first time. I often have to read something a few times in order to get a better understanding of what the author is trying to tell me. Yes this does take more time than I like to spend on these sorts of things, but I think it is better to take the extra time so that I can have complete understanding.
So, one of the first responses that I have towards literature is trying to answer the questions that arose in my mind from reading the text. When I read something thoroughly, I really cannot help but to have questions from it. If it were my own work I wouldn’t have to question my meaning. But being that it is someone else's thoughts, I wonder what they mean. Some meanings do not simply lie at the surface. Once I gain a better understanding, then I can formulate my own ideas and opinions on it. As I stated before, I cannot just breeze through the reading and expect to gain much by doing so. When it comes to longer pieces of work, I find that a summary is helpful for me to get the main ideas. It is impossible for me to remember all the little details, and some may be irrelevant to the main idea anyway. Some are put there just for elaboration and to keep the attention of the reader. So I don’t really mind all of the little details. I think that one of the nice things about literature is that we can formulate our own ideas and opinions on what the author was saying. You can go around a classroom full of students to see what their responses are from what they have just read. There can, of course, be a common thread in what each of the students are saying, but each student can glean something different.
Our lives can be changed in a number of different ways from critically analyzing literature. Learning how to critically analyze literature can help us learn how to take closer looks at other things in our own lives. It can help us to go further and dig deeper into many areas of our lives. Also, just the information that we can glean from reading different authors can help give us a broader spectrum on things in general. We may or may not agree with the message, but we can look at that positively in two ways. If we agree, we can add that information to the tools that we will find handy in life. If we disagree, then hopefully, that can strengthen our own opinions and/or beliefs.

Literature and why it matters

I am writing this blog to answer some questions in regards to literature. The first question was asking how does literature matter to me. To be perfectly honest, for years I had found it difficult to understand the importance or need of literature. But when I began to look more closely, and think hard and deep about it, I can see why it matters in our world today. People write for a variety of reasons, some for pleasure, and others to convey a very important message. I believe that literature matters because it helps to give us different outlooks on life as a whole. I also think that certain works of literature can help us give up a very narrow-minded way of thinking. So in conclusion to answering this first question, I would have to say that literature matters to me because a great deal of it helps to broaden my perspective on life itself. Many times, in the work or school setting we are given projects to do. Some may be done solo, or in a group effort. Both methods can get the job done efficiently. There are many cons to group projects, but I’d like to focus on one of the pros. I find that one of the pros to group projects, is that you get to hear the ideas of suggestions of others, some of which you may not have thought about on your own. This is how I view literature. Solo, we formulate our own views and ideas on things, but the ideas and concepts that some authors present in their literary works, may present to us a different way on how to view things. I may or may not agree or find useful many different pieces of literature, but being that there is such a large variety out there, old and new, I am bound to find something enlightening, useful, pleasurable, or preferably a mixture of all three.

The second question that I was to answer was in what ways does literature speak, inform, or change me. Although this is one question, I will break it up into sections. First I will go into how literature speaks to me. Literature speaks to me in a number of different ways. My favorite type of literature is non-fiction. Literature has a way of evoking many different kinds of emotions on me. At times I find myself sympathizing with the plight of the character in the story. If it’s sad enough, it may even bring a sad expression on my face. That is just one of many ways that literature speaks to me. And so how does literature change me? I believe that I answered this question in the first part of this blog. It changes me because it helps to give me a different outlook on things in life.

I think that this class will help me to better understand what the authors are trying to say. I know we will have to do many discussions on what we read, and I know I won’t enjoy or want to do most of them, but at the same time I feel that it will help me to dig deeper. I really hope this class helps me with life in general, and mainly my study habits. I also hope that this class will help me to search harder and pay more close attention to what I read in and out of this class.