|
| |
Reflective Essay
When I first signed up for my English 131 class, I thought it would be an
easy class. Just reading literature, you know, old plays, poems, and stories
written a long time ago, like Great Expectations. The boring stuff. As I
progressed through the class, I realized literature is not a word with a
specific, certain definition, and it is definitely not boring. Many people have
their own thoughts as to what it really is. I believe literature is any piece of
writing written or read for pleasure and enjoyed. It evokes emotions in a person
and does not leave the person sitting and reading words.
Fools Crow, by James Welch, is an example of a good work of
literature. It is a book about Native American life during the time when
settlers were moving west. Fools Crow tells the life of an Indian man for which
the book is named. It shows his growth from a poor nobody to a wealthy,
important tribesman. Fools Crow is a work of literature in my definition because
it paints pictures in a person's mind with vivid descriptions and pulls the
reader into the action of the story. The reader's heart soars when Fools Crow
triumphs at the Sun Dance ceremony and sinks with his when he learns of his
people's fate. Welch makes the reader laugh, cry, and dream with the characters
he creates.
"The Wedding," by June Jordan, is a poem that I do not particularly
like. It is about a man and a woman who are getting married and are very distant
towards one another. It is not a joyous occasion, but one of quiet unhappiness.
There are very little guests and the bride and groom barely know each other. I
do not like it because it goes against my beliefs of what a wedding day should
be like. I feel anger and unhappiness when I read this poem. It is sad and
depressing. The groom was "not smiling as he took the aisle" (Jordan
278, line 2). He should be happy that he is getting married. He is not. Yet, I
think it is a work of literature because it makes me feel an emotion, even if it
is not a happy one.
A piece of writing is not literature when is crosses the line from being fun
to read, to work. The story line bores the reader and the person reads the words
on the page without "seeing" the happenings of the characters. He or
she does not see pictures, bond with the characters, or understand the true
meaning of the story.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, is a book that I do not
consider literature. It is considered a classic by many, but I do not agree that
it is a great book. The beginning was lively and interesting and the antics of
Toad drew me into the minds of the other characters. The descriptions and action
were appealing, but towards the middle of the book, the plot faded and left me
hanging. I never finished The Wind in the Willows. I lost interest when the
action and description disappeared.
My English 131 class helped me to create my definition of literature because
it opened my mind to new possibilities. The class had to read different works of
writing every week and reflect the connections felt towards the pieces read. I
liked these assignments and learned to discover deeper meanings in the writing I
read that I would not have found at and earlier time. Before the class, when I
read something I did not like, I would have simply said I did not like it. Now,
I look into the writing to classify it and see why I do not like it. If it is
boring and I feel no emotion, it is not literature. If it evokes an emotion, it
is literature. If I still do not like it, then it is because the piece clashes
with my beliefs or reasoning.
If literature is anything someone reads for pleasure, literature can be
anything. It can be the newspaper or stories from a child's first attempts at
writing. When I was in first grade or kindergarten, I wrote a story about a
bear, a bird, and a duck for my mom. It was a simple story, barely a page long.
To her it is a treasured work of literature because she loved it and still has
it to this day. I write poems when I have had an interesting day or have thought
of a new philosophy in my life. I consider my poems literature because I enjoy
writing them and also reading them. They show me new aspects of myself.
My experience as a writer is not great. I write poems, stories, and thoughts.
Most of them are happy and they make me feel open and content when I write them.
I am inspired by little things that paint a big picture, like a pouring
rainstorm with a gorgeous rainbow afterwards. Little things, such as a
rainstorm, can inspire writers and make a profound work out of a little
happening. Most people can relate to such a thing. That is how literature is
created. When a writer writes something that can bring emotions to the surface,
he or she gives birth to something that will be thought about for years to come.
Whether the piece of writing is considered literature or not is completely up to
the reader.
Works Cited
Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. New York: Grosset &
Dunlap, Inc,
1966.
Jordan, June. "The Wedding." Bridges: Literature across Cultures.
Gilbert H.
Muller, John A. Williams. McGraw-Hill, 1994. 278.
Welch, James. Fools Crow. New York: Penguin Books USA, 1986.
Postscript
I had fun writing this paper. I got to express my ideas. It was interesting
finding my own definition for literature and then showing why I felt this way.
Like the journals. I think I did a pretty good job on it. It is a good work of
literature. J
|