This image symbolizes the power of literature and how it links together the world because it is a solid ground. Culture, religion, and beliefs may differ but words will always be the same, regardless of your background. A chain symbolizes the unity and coming together of two or more entities, therefore, this picture is a parallel to literature because much like a chain, literature links together people based on what they take from the works. This semester in class, I have honestly learned so much and broadened my understanding, not only on the material learned in the class, but also on life. Literature is beautiful and can have a major impact on your life if you let it. I didn't know this before, but after being in this class for only a semester, we have studied works like Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth, Swift's Modest Proposal, and Golding's Lord of the Flies. All of these pieces have impacted my life and I have learned so much from them; I've learned the processes of allegory, symbolism, and satire, in addition to making leaps and bounds in my own personal writing. This class is interesting and I cant wait to see what the next semester entails.
"Yes, the adventure of a hero- the adventure of being alive" (Campbell 163
This quote capitalizes on what I took from Joseph Campbell's Power of Myth. I paralleled the hero's journey with the life cycle of a human, starting at birth and proceeding to death. A hero's journey is ultimately life. There are several steps, all of which correspond with a point in the life cycle of a human.
"...think of it a great happiness to have been sold for food, at a year old in the manner I described, and thereby have avoided such a perpetual scene of misfortunes..." (Swift 9)
This quote is an example of satire, and satire is the basis on which Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal is wrote. The work literally says that the Irish people should kill their babies for food and as a source of income, but the deeper meaning of the proposal was to expose the fact of how poorly the British treat the Irish. It is ironic because the British thought it was real and valid, whereas everyone else thought of it as a joke subjected towards the British. This whole piece was a work of satire, just like the Onion newspaper.
"And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy." (Golding 207-208)
This quote fully encompasses what the entire message of the novel was about. The novel exemplified the rise and fall of the boys civilization on the island and demonstrated how ultimately savagery overcame reason, or in other words civilization. This quote shows how the boys lost their innocence during their stay on the island and how Ralph came to the realization that all evil is in all me. Ralph was enlightened by this right as they were getting rescued.
