literarture IS a Thing You Do as Part of Life

As I'm going through my note book I found this article that Corrigan give us and also wrote. As I was reading it I found some amazing points that he talked about. I truly understand that literature is very important in our lives. When we read a poem or story, I do not think we get the complete understanding and meaning of everything. Engaging through this Corrigan stated the "Literature is a thing you do as part of life." Living life is something we do naturally. We go through struggles pain and and different experiences living on this earth. My life is very complex, If you haven't been in my situations you would never understand my life. When Corrigan says that Literature is "about life," it means every literature story is different from one another. The second part of literature he stated was the word "you." Listening, reading, comprehending all start from us. Without us knowing we go through literature every day of our lives. Before taking this class I misinterpreted what literature really was. I thought it was dry boring made up stories that people wanted to write about. If I am not excited about literature how can I ever be excited about Reading a story. The assignment that Mr. Corrigan told to do out by the lake really made me get excited about reading stories. Another thing that helps me understand literature is when we talk about it and listen to what other people has to say.  For other people painting might be the answer to understanding literature. Painting makes you dig really deep in the writers thoughts, also in yours. We do all these activities because literature is not always straight forward. I find my self wrestling with every sentence so that I can feel what the writer was saying. 

Paining from joel

In class we decided to paint an image from the book of Joel. The sentences that kept replaying in my head was "For the day of the LORD is coming, they leap on the top of mountains, all faces turn pale." The mountains represents the spot that they went to so that they can experience the Lord's Presence. The clouds represents confusion. when they heard that the Lord is coming they looked up in the sky for some answers and was just confused on what was going on. The big sun just represents Lords face just smiling down and lighting up the whole place.

Joel

The one thing I enjoy about going to class is the fun activities that we do. Putting in fun activities into literature makes it ten times better. On Tuesday, We decided to read some parts of the book of Joel. Our assignment was to find a quite place around the campus and simply read out loud.
At first doing this assignment just sounded really weird to me. Reading out loud by yourself, people will begin to think that you're crazy. What I didn't realize was it made me step out of my comfort zone and engage in this passage. As I sat and began to read the passage of Joel, The tone of my voice started to get  more comfortable the more I read. Reading words in a passage to yourself gets really boring. There been a couple time I started reading a book then have to go back a couple pages because I don't understand what is going on. On the second page "The Terrible Visitation" was my favorite to read. It states "For the day of the LORD is coming surely it is near." It began explaining the day when the Lord will come.  A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and think darkness As the Dawn is spread over the mountains, So there is a great and might people; There has never been anything like it, Nor will there be again after it, to the years of my many generations. As read this out loud I just felt the power in his voice.  The generation will be shocked and all eyes will be opened to his presence. then it says all faces turn pale. I cannot wait to see myself standing in front of the Lord shocked and amazed by his presence. If anyone haven't read the book of Joel, I strongly encourage you to read it. 

Define Darkness

If I ought to describe darkness I would define it as evil. Can anybody really define darkness? Do we have darkness in our lives? Are we scared to admit that we have darkness in our lives?
I think that darkness comes naturally within all of us. In Ephesians 5:7-12 it says Don't participate in the things these people do. For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. As I'm reading this, I thought of my friend who struggled with pornography for a while. He's been a Christian for a while but has this dark side that he can't get rid of. He's done for so long even tho he tries to stop it haunts him and is always in the back of his mind. Make long story short, I was his accountability partner for him. There's only so much I can really do for him, But when he's all alone by himself, I told him if he starts to think about it just start praying to God. Evil is a very powerful thing that we cannot control. Defining darkness is not only people that have pornography addictions, it's in all of our lives. For me darkness is watching movies that I'm no supposed to, Listening to music that I'm not supposed to be listening to, not trying to help Hungary and thirsty people on the streets, not giving offering when I have money in my pocket. I want to be looked as an image of God. I want all darkness and evil to far away from me as possible. Just like my friend, the only thing I can do is pray and ask God to help me while I challenge things in my life to change. Now can you define you darkness? 

Discussion about the Grief Observed

As we finished talking about the grief observed, we played a little game in class that I enjoyed a lot. At first I was not sure exactly what the whole point of the game. As a group we tried to build the highest and the strongest house of cards. I never thought it was going to be that much of a struggle. After a couple of minutes we finally got the second floor. No matter how careful we were, the house of cards just crumbled. We tried building it again but it would be time consuming. Towards the end of the grief observed, He relates his life to a deck of cards. I might be wrong on this one but I think the deck of card that he talks about has different levels. What I mean by that is first, you build the foundation of the house level 1. This is keeping the whole house sturdy. This would be the highest and the toughest level. Level 2 would be the second floor of the house. You have to be a little patient with it but as long as you have level 1 you should be fine. That goes for the third or the fourth floor. I am relating this to his wife's death because him and his wife started a foundation together. They started building their relationship the first day they met. In his eye's his wife's death would be a level 1 and the bottom of the house of cards. It took away his foundation and now he has nothing. This might be a weird way of looking at it, but you will never really know his true thoughts behind those words. I really enjoyed reading this book and doing some fun activities in class. It really opened my mind so I can feel exactly how the author felt in the book.  

C.S. Lewis A Grief Observed

Before I start off talking about this book, I would just like to say that this book is absolutely amazing. I only read the first two chapters bit I cannot wait to read the other chapters. The pain that C.S. Lewis went through after his wife died was indescribable. After three years of marriage his wife past away of cancer. I do not know how it feels to have someone die of cancer that was close, but I do know how it feels to have someone die that you love so much. Two years ago I go a phone call saying that my cousin was in the hospital and did not have a long time to live. He been shot by some gang members at three o'clock in the morning.  Right then and there I got on my knees and prayed that God would save his life and do Miracles. A couple hours later my cousin past away. It was rough for my family and especially me. As a Christian you will always get that thought in you mind to ask God why he had to take his life away. Situations like these dreces people away from God. Immediately Lewis aslo turned his anger and confusion to God. He was confused on why God would take the woman he loved and cared for away from him. He wrote journals so that he can cent his entire problems at God. I can honestly compare my life with Lewis merely because we both lost a loved one. I know God has a reason for everything, and if he does something it's because he knows what he's doing. We tend to worry about things, but we often forget that God orchestrates our life day by day. Later on in chapter two, Lewis starts to realize that he is wasting time on venting his anger on the journals, when he can be looking on the better side of things. He starts remembering her joy in life, and her remarkable rewards she has accomplished. A death within a family or friend is very hard to go though, some will let God help them understand and some will just turn the other cheek right away. The only thing I know is without God; I would be an absolute mess right now 

Sure Thing

I really enjoy reading this novel. This novel was funny and serious at the same time.  The Characters of this novel was Bill and Betty. Both of them are just two single people looking for a good time. The bell was my favorite. The bell basically is like a time machine for the two people. It rewinds back to a couple seconds so that you are able to answer the question a little better then before. I personally think every guy would love having one of those bells right at your side the first time you meet someone. As the story proceeded they began to ask each other questions about one another. Bills answer was always better the third or forth time around. They started talking about books, college and where they are from. At some point during there conversation Betty got the impression that Bill was just like any guy. Pretend like they are interested then get invited into the home, then do the (Cough cough), then after confessing that they had a girlfriend for over seven years. Betty was not all for that at all, and she told him that. Bill didn't seem like a guy who would do that. To me Bill seemed like he wanted to have a good conversation with Betty and wanted someone to go to the movies with him. Finally, Bill decided to man up and ask Betty to the movies.  A couple bells later Betty said yes to going to the movies with him. The story ended there but I can only assume that they had a great ending after the movies. I believe this novel is kind of like a "what not to say" during a conversation. This novel makes me think next time before I go and talk to a random girl in the bar. 

Frankie and Johnny

The old folk song reminds me of a soap opera. The whole point of soap opera's is that we take a group of normal people and put them together so that they can have drama with each other. The drama is what keeps us wanting more of the show. Relating this back to Frankie and Johnny, they are normal people that were crazy in love with each other. In the beginning the assumed they had a truthful relationship till Johnny was caught with a girl by the name of Nellie Bly. The part where it said "Frankie took out the six shooters, She took out her old forty four her guns went a rooty-toot-a-toot-toot-a-toot-toot" meant that was hurt really bad. Perhaps it was just an expression how she felt, because on the next paragraph she says "Cause my wounds they hurt me so." Roughly after that episode it seems like Johnnie came back apologizing to her. After all that she has been through she took him back in the mist of him doing her wrong. Johnny eventually got old and died. She is definitely going to miss johnny, but in the other hand Johnny was the guy that did her wrong. Towards the end of the song it says "This story has not moral, this story has no end, Thisstory only goes to show that there ain't no good in men." I believe that she wrote this line out of anger and disappointment. In my words she is saying that her heart will continue to be broken because all me aren't good at all. she is emotionally hurt and have to live that way. This is the type of literature I like to read because it's humorous at times but also interesting. It grabs your attention from the beginning and then you don't want to stop reading till the end.

Post 1

My earliest memories of literature stem from when I was a little boy living in St. Maarten.  My mom used to lie in bed with me every night and read/tell me nursery rhymes.  One story I remember in particular is Humpty Dumpty.  I love that story because it is so simple yet so entertaining to a child. My most recent memories of Literature are basically non-existent; I have never really considered myself a reader. The most I have read is for college, especially in my religion classes.  The most significant literary text I have ever read would probably be the Bible.  The Bible is definitely a literary movement that will forever be a vital book in my life.  Literature is the key to knowledge; it can be interpreted in many different ways to many different people.  Similarly, Literature is a way for writers to express their feelings in a way that they may never be able to do in words. Although I have not been much of a reader, I will be sure to pass on the importance of reading to my children.  I plan to read with my kids every night before bed and maybe even require them to read as they get older.  Being from the Caribbean, my family speaks Creole and French, along with English.  I think it would be beneficial for my kids to also read literature in my cultural languages.  Most people say that after college, they become a reader, although they hated to read as a kid.  I hope that this is true so that I can continue to expand my knowledge of culture, society, and mankind.

Adam Felix