The Book ' The Wolves Of The Walls, The Sandm Dream Country, And The Ocean

I enthusiastically embrace the sentiment of Socrates that, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Upon reflection, and asking myself, what exactly does this mean, I feel as if my life has progressed full circle. I finally understand, to a greater extent, the meaning and purpose of my life – the myth I believe and know I should be living. Through the course readings, text, and concepts, the authors have inspired me to seek more knowledge. It has stimulated self-introspection, an analysis of my experiences, and a desire to further examine my life.

My life has always been a series of transitional phases that was as every-changing as the seasons themselves. The words of my literary heroes were my utmost comfort; they inspired my confidence and my character, and moved me to be a more visceral, understanding person. I believe that during my time I have been wizened, and connected to the roots of all humanity; in my imagination I see it as the growth of a sampling into the dampness of the earth and the jaded formation of rough bark. Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose transcendental views have inspired me, was once quoted as saying, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” I believe that is true, and with every choice I’m reminded of that hopeful and assertive message.

A novel that I read that delivered a powerful message and contributing to making me the person that I am today; is the novel MONSTER by Walter Dean Myers, published in 1999. It is important for teenagers attending a new school (high school or college) to read

Since the beginning of time, people have many different ways of going about the idea of death and what the afterlife may hold for them, whether they’ll be reunited with family and friends or if they’ll be reincarnated or, maybe nothing at all. This is true for writers, poets and artists. William Cullen Bryant’s “Thanatopsis”, Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” and Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” they all center their idea death, but approach it differently and conveys their points differently. One glorifies death, one says life is meaningless and the other glorifies life.

Throughout the years, reading and writing have had an impact on my life unlike any other. Specific writings teach me how to live my life. These pieces of literature include, Chinese Cinderella, Life’s for the Living, Forever in our Hearts, an autobiography written by my great-great-grandfather, the phrase ‘Mind over Matter,’ and Project Semicolon. Chinese Cinderella, Life’s for the Living, and Forever in our Hearts have influenced me to be strong. The autobiography inspires me to work hard and never give up. Having hope is encouraged by ‘Mind over Matter’ and Project Semicolon.

For the book report, I read the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen which is the first book that I have read that he has produced. The genre it amplified is fiction and the type of characters that would this are people who like mystery or people that have different views on life. The type of books I’ve read are mostly fantasy, Fiction and occasionally sci-fi this book opened me to multiple ideals. The title of the peaks my interest because people would think it’d be fantasy but its more on how cruel the world is and how someone can be raised by different types of people but end up more generous or the same. It also creates a mysterious vibe because the reader would like to know what or who it’s about, and it fits well because it talks about a kid

The first books I ever read myself was “The Magic Tree House” series, it was a long series of books that told the story of two kids either going forward or back in time to change history. The problem my teacher had with these books is that they were too easy, I would end up finishing one or two in one class period. Eventually I decided to read books more advanced, which is how I got into historical fiction, I found that I enjoyed

My junior year of high school, I got assigned a project in literature where we had to choose a book to read and then summarize it to the class. Alice Walker's book "The Color Purple" helps people see how descriptive words can be, and paints a picture in your head; It's influenced my writing by making me use more details and getting my point across by appealing to emotions.

It is inevitable that death is all around us. By understanding this, one has the ultimate choice to continue on with their lives or remain in a state of bereavement. An inability to escape this grieving state inhibits one to move on and consequently these feelings dictate and govern our whole lives. This philosophy, existentialism, advocates that as humans we have the power to direct our own lives and pave our own paths. Author Banana Yoshimoto recognizes this ideal and illustrates the journey of how several young adults finally realize their place and meaning in the world despite their struggles. They all face a similar tragedy where their loved ones perished from their lives, and are ultimately challenged to overcome their

A book that has a significance to me would be have to be the Alex Rider book series. That is probably the only books and book series that I've ever read in life. I never read any book, beside books that I'm forced to read. This book touched me from the inside in such a way that I couldn't even understand. The book series was so interesting that I had to read all the book to the last series. The book was full of action and drama and suspense, but not too much where it sounds stupid. It made a movie in my head when I was reading the book. It made me feel like I was the main actor. There isn't too many books which that I have read that made me feel that way.

A book that I feel has influenced me is Dante's Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. This book impacted the way I thought about things by changing my perspective on the world. The Inferno itself caused me to begin questioning some of my own and others everyday actions. The deeper I read into the book the more my perspective changed. This book also influenced how I processed reading information. It helped me develop a deeper thought process by allowing me to analyze classic literature and connecting it to more recent literature.

A book that influenced my writing greatly is The Great Gatsby By Scott Fitzgerald. The first time I read the Great Gatsby was my freshman year. I’ve always wanted to read it and I took a journey to the school's library to finally pick it up, open it and explore the world of Jay Gatsby. The second time I read the Great Gatsby was during the summer. I just watched the movie and I wanted to compare the movie and the book together. The book itself, and the history behind it was so fascinating to me that I couldn't put it down ever. I read it three more times after that and again my Junior year. The reason The Great Gatsby was so influential to me was because of the use of symbolism in the novel. When finding out what everything truly meant, it

In the stories that have been discussed during the school year, a majority of them signify the importance of existentialism. To be more specific, the authors of Lord of The Flies, Siddhartha, and The Stranger all created characters in which they question the purpose of life and proceed to find answers through different means. In the novel Lord of the Flies, all of the boys are isolated and free from supervision, and find themselves questioning how to continue their lives. In Siddhartha, Siddhartha finds himself unhappy with his lifestyle and attempts to find a brighter perspective on life to answer why life has a purpose. In The Stranger, Meursault constantly struggles to find a purpose to life. In the end of the novel, when is about to be sentenced to death, he finally shows what he believes is his reasoning for existing.

“It's the wanting to know that makes us matter.” This quote in Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, inspired me beyond my years of wisdom. I have used this quote at least once in my writing every year, because it inspired me to leave my legacy through writing. I write of what I want to know, of what I want to change, of what I believe, and one day a collection of my writing will be all that’s left of me, and it will allow me to still matter, even when I’m gone. Although my writing may not be equivalent to Tom Stoppard’s, I am slowly progressing towards obtaining strong writing skills. Writing in English 1101 this semester has taught me to dive deep into stories, to work on my organization and grammar, and most importantly, to remind myself that I write to leave a legacy.

Instead of going through life without meaning, individuals try to pursue their interests with purpose. Athletes practice everyday, hoping to improve their performance; farmers wake up early in the morning, readying themselves for a long day of planting; students study hard for exams, hoping to get a high grade. Although such daily activities may seem disconnected and unrelated, a sense of purpose and propensity to make a larger contribution to the world pushes these characters to act. Connecting this idea of society to literature, novelists seek to write with a purpose, too. In the words of Salman Rushdie, a British novelist, “It may be that writers in my position, exiles or emigrants or expatriates, are haunted by some sense of loss,