Did Lesley Gore Write This Chapter? Nah...Probably Not.

Chapter 25: It's My Symbol and I'll Cry if I Want to

   So basically, literature can be super abstract and annoying as it pleases, but we are probably going to be expected to figure out its meaning anyway. This honestly leads me to the question of "what if it really dosnt mean anything?" I understand that authors are usually writing from a place of personal experience or emotion, so their work typically has more weight than just words; however, what if they are just writing to write? Words are such a beautiful thing, aside from their meaning. What if an author or poet decides to write a piece about bunk beds because he or she likes the way the word(s) sounds or looks on paper. Then as the good and insightful readers we are, we decode that the bunk beds represent duality and how one can not be separated from the other and so on....when in reality, the writer just wanted something that began with the letter -b.
   Now don't get me wrong, I also understand that many abstract ideas in works of literature do hold immense meaning and weight. I actually think that these kinds of out-there symbols keep literature alive and evolving. It introduces new ideas and trains of thought that may or may not catch on and become a more widely accepted and known archetype. I however, think that the most beautiful part of a random topic in a work of literature is simply its uniqueness. It gives us an open window into the author's mind in a way that would probably not be possible if they were to have stuck to the status quo and wrote a love story or a hero's journey. Their creativity keeps their work innovative and although it may be difficult for us as readers to decipher the meaning of such work, it keeps us on our toes and expecting the unexpected. It greatly strengthens our imagination and ability to understand others true intentions when we stop and take the time to try and figure out what the bunk beds, or flea, or red wagon truly meant to the writer. It also reminds us that reading literature is a journey unique to every piece you choose to read and writer you discover.
    In the end, although it can be difficult and annoying to be caught off guard by literature, it is ultimately only for good. However, I truly believe we must be careful to not overanalyze literature in an attempt to place specific meaning on everything. Not everything is meant to be understood, but that's just the beauty of it. If everything was meant to be analyzed, there would not be much room for discovery. On the other hand, it is okay to really try your hardest to figure out what that flea really meant to Donne in his work, The Flea. It gives us a little peek into their world, who they truly are as writers.

Here's even more! http://flavorwire.com/477906/50-of-the-greatest-characters-in-literature

 (this touches on some off beat charactures in literature...possibly another way to grasp deeper understanding of our authors is to look into interesting characters they create)

Through Rose Colored Glasses...or 17th Century Glasses...or Communist Glasses

Chapter 24: Don't Read With Your Eyes

   Humans are pretty selfish beings if you really think about it. We want to be right, always, and we believe that what we personally believe and our way of life is always the right way to go about things. Even those who say they are open-minded can still be limited by their own lack of opinion or stance on things. All that said, I think it is really important to recognize that reading literature is an extremely humbling experience. It requires you to put your ego aside and read through someone else's eyes: be that the author or a person from the time period of the work. However, this is only necessary if you yearn to experience literature fully. I guess it really isn't necessary, but if you think about it, reading a work of literature through the wrong lense could result in the reader understanding a completely different message than originally intended by the author. You may be reading the novel or story and using your imagination and own personal experience to enhance your experience with the work, but you could be missing key points because you are not really reading with the right intent. I believe that there is a very fine line between reading a novel to enjoy it personally and reading it selfishly. We as readers have to be careful to not pervert the original beauty and purpose of a piece of literature by taking pieces for ourself or reading through biased eyes.

    As this chapter pointed out, there are plenty of pieces of literature that may be too much for an audience to agree with or understand fully from the author's point of view. I think that these specific novels and stories are particularly important for us selfish readers because they harshly remind us that some people do have very strong beliefs and ideas that intensely contrast with our own. While I guess some believe it is not necessary to read such novels, I think it can teach a reader to understand another's opinion without agreeing or practicing the same actions. This not only strengthens our ability to read through new lenses but it will ultimately help us to be more open minded in life. That's a little ironic that I say that because actually, while we are acknowledging other's opinions through literature we are sticking to our own beliefs in the end....which basically strengthens our own selfish ego. Oh well, you get what I mean. 

   I think this will always be a struggle for readers, but not something that truly hinders our way of life or ability to read literature fairly. We will always have trouble reading novels...like a devout Christian would possibly have trouble reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. However, all we need to focus on as readers is making a conscious effort to read literature through the appropriate lenses. This way, we will constantly be expanding our mind which will only support a more glorious and enjoyable experience when dealing with literature. We will discover things normally unseen to our routine day-to-day eyes. On the other hand, as Foster points out, if you really don't want to read it, don't read it. It is important to remind myself that if I choose that option, I am ultimately harming my own reading experience and ability to acknowledge and understand other's opinions and ways of life...so why would I want to do that? 

Here's even more! https://prezi.com/i0yealpmm_9y/chapter-25-dont-read-with-your-eyes/

Let the Rain Fall Down (and awake my dreams)

Chapter 9: It's More Than Just Rain or Snow

  Severe weather sucks. If it's bad enough, I could honestly say it terrifies me. However, in terms of literature, the worse it is, the more interested I become. I could not tell someone the last time I actually read the line "it was a dark and stormy night", but on the other hand, I know that when I do, I  will immediately begin wondering how cheesy the piece of literature will be. It's a cliché sentence to use in a story, but as pointed out in this chapter, weather in literature plays a huge part in the setting of the story, the depth of a story, and a work's plot as a whole.

     In The Beauty and the Beast, weather is a huge conducting factor in the beginning of the movie. Belle's father, after losing his horse and being chased by wolves, is stuck in a "dark and stormy night" when he decides to venture into the castle. This ended up turning his simple trip to show off his invention into a quest that dictated the entire plot of the movie- if he never went inside the castle, we would have never met the Beast. So, not only did the weather help create a more interesting adventure to begin the movie, it ultimately orchestrated the entire plot. 

     Now, as i've recently learned, rain does more than add detail and interest to a story.  Weather in general is a part of our lives on a day to day basis, and we have been raised to accept the fact that we have absolutely no control over its actions. While seasons and weathermen (though not very good at it) provide some kind of predictor as to what the weather will be like, there is no way to truly control it. This unites humanity through the fact that a 45 year old man has no more control than a 3 year old girl. In the same sense, an American has no more control over it than someone who lives in Thailand. This brings an extreme sense of "we're all in this together" to society because truly if one suffers, all those around suffer. As far as I know, rain, sleet, snow, ect. are as old as our planet. When you think about that, you realize that what you are experiencing today has been felt by people of the past and will be experienced in the future. This is also seen with rainbows. They provide such a powerful promise of hope that began in biblical times and will continue to the year 3000 when we are all floating around in bubbles. There is no beginning or end to this kind of phenomenon, and that is such a cool thought to add into a story by simply writing in a thunderstorm. 

     At the end of the chapter, Forester writes a very brief paragraph about snow. I found this kind of amusing, but very representative of snow. Snow can literally mean so many things, i'm not even sure if a reader is supposed to be able to decipher its exact purpose. Actually, maybe that is the purpose: to overwhelm and confuse the reader so much that they don't exactly know what is going on...they continue reading anyway, so they can try to figure it out, eventually. 

     Weather, though an everyday occurrence,  holds much more symbolic power when played around with in literature. It can provide so much depth to a work, depth that the average reader would not know to explore. There's this phrase I used to say when I was little, "Heather feather knows the weather", but honestly i'm not too sure about that anymore because weather sure does seem to possess a lot more meaning than I think I would have ever known. 

Here's even more! http://thetouchtypist.hubpages.com/hub/rain-and-literature

Twitter Username

https://twitter.com/heather_btw