The Diary of Anne Frank. (Found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Diary+of+Anne+Frank )
One of my favorite pieces of literature, changed my life for good.
Robert Frost. (Book of Poems found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Robert+Frost&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ARobert+Frost )
His poems cleansed my heart and mind, convincing me that writing was something I wanted to do.
There are so many more people who have influenced my life with writing and I believe that the one of the many ways we can change the world, is by one letter at a time. Inspiration brought me out of my loneliness and anger. Books about the main characters having to live in the slums, alleys, and insane asylums prevented me from throwing away everything I have. The real heroes hiding in the shadows until they found their own music to survive with- those are the stories, the literature, that made me pick up that pencil for the first time, without fear.
Throughout the summer I spent every other day at the library in town and would check-out books like crazy (which reminds me to return the ones I have). I would spend at least 3 hours in that building, searching for that book (or books) that stopped me in my tracks. Yes, the shiny hard-covers are eye-catching but what is inside can be known as a real jewel.
I used to be pretty close-minded. "I" was right, "my" ideas are better, "my" culture is the example that other people should look up to.
The more and more I read, searched, and thought; the more my mind opened to a world of ideas. At first, reading was all about the escape from reality but that was foolish of me. Instead of an escape to new worlds, that I have come to accept as non-existent, they became a pathway to the world I currently thrive on.
Some advice for you:
- Don't lose hope in the humanity
-Be the change you want to see in the world
-Read, Think, and Pray with what you see, feel, and hope for in this world
-Read
-Write
-Dream
-Appreciate
-Open your mind to the people and ideas around you
-----------------------------------------------------
Additional Reading:
Because I liked what I said in this blog post, I decided to include some of it in my reflective essay. If you would like, I would be honored if you read it...SO....I posted it here. Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------
Reflection
One- What Literature Means to Me. (By Jacey Atilano)
As a young child,
literature was an escape from the world around me. No matter what emotion I was
feeling- anger, sadness, happiness- I wanted to escape it. In a way, it was
childish to hide from reality; it saved me from the troubles of society. I was
not interested in fads, Hannah Montana, drugs, alcohol, skipping school, or a
lot of what my generation has to offer because I found what filled my heart in
literature. From the sophisticated Mr. Darcy to the bravery of Chris, Teddy,
and the rest of the gang from Stephen King’s The Body; my world was there.
With
every piece of literature I have read, there has been an emotional connection
with what the author portrays. So many times reading has been a reflection of
who I was then or in the past. Sometimes, I would be able to see the people
around me as characters of a book based on my own life. This being said also
caused a problem for me. I began to compare myself to those in the books or
stories and felt rather ashamed of not accomplishing anything I found significant.
Thur throwing me into a year where books, poems, and fairy tale were my
enemies.
From the day we were born, words,
letters, stories, literature, song lyrics and poems, have played a major part
in our lives. They soothed and comforted us. They may have even killed us with
boredom (If that is how you feel about it). Yet, they were there. The Diary of
Anne Frank; One of my favorite pieces of literature that started off as a Diary
of a little girl who thought that she was ordinary, changed my life for good.
Robert Frost; His poems and short stories cleansed my heart and mind,
convincing me that writing was something I wanted to do. There are so many more
people who have influenced my life with writing and I believe that the one of
the many ways we can change the world, is by one letter at a time. Inspiration
brought me out of my loneliness and anger. Books about the main characters
having to live in the slums, alleys, and insane asylums prevented me from
throwing away everything I have. The real heroes hiding in the shadows until
they found their own music to survive with- those are the stories, the
literature, that made me pick up that pencil for the first time, without fear.
I used to be
pretty close-minded. "I" was right, "my" ideas are better,
"my" culture is the example that other people should look up to.
The more and more
I read, searched, and thought; the more my mind opened to a world of ideas. At
first, reading was all about the escape from reality but that was foolish of
me. Instead of an escape to new worlds, that I have come to accept as
non-existent, they became a pathway to the world I currently thrive on.
What does all of
this have to say about what literature is to me? I could say that literature is
an escape from reality, where my problems disappear or solutions arise. I could
say that literature is a way to let my emotions spring fourth like, well, a hot
spring. I prefer to say that literature, to me, is a factor that can change the
world in an instant- if we let it. The beliefs, thoughts, and emotions placed
with every letter is more of a way for me to open my thoughts to the world
around me rather than go to one made up of fictional characters. I may have
been brought up by my parents, teacher, siblings, and other people around me. But.
I was raised by literature.
No comments:
Post a Comment