Week Eight

We're almost done! I have to admit that English Lit was not my favorite :( The class has been great but my interest in British Lit is low. I'll write my last essay tomorrow and call it good. I'll start my graduate work in the Fall, FINALLY! It has been great getting to know some of you. I wish everyone well.

Week 7

Mrs. Dalloway was different. I like the stream of consciousness technique of writing though. I felt bad for Clarissa in the story. Coulda, shoulda, and woulda are tough to deal with. The older you get the more things there are in your life to question.

Week Six

James Joyce was rough! I could barely get through it. I did enjoy W.B. Yeats's "When You Are Old". I have a tendancy to like like poems that speak of mature love. Between TV and poorly written romance novels, I have learned to appreciate the wiser side of life! You know love is real and forever when it can identify with your soul and see past the grey hair, wrinkles, and dimly lit eyes.

Week 5

I enjoyed Great Expectations. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Pip. He was starved for kindness and didn't even know it. His sister constantly reminded him that she was stuck with him since their parents died. His brother-in-law was no help at all. He had a dark cloud above his head all the time. I especially enjoyed the twist in the story where Magwitch left him all of his money.
Maybe it's best that children who lived during those times and in those conditions were never exposed to anything better. They probably wouldn't have made it through life at all if they knew real love and compassion. I'm a fan of Oliver Twist and Annie as well.

Week Four

I'm on track now! The poetry was great this week. The more modern it gets the better chance I have at understanding it ;-) I especially enjoyed Tennyson's The Woman's Cause is Man's. I enjoyed how Tennyson wrote about how to get along with and understand a woman. I also liked how he illuminated that the differences between men and women aren't bad and that they serve a purpose for the greater good of the relationship. Women aren't as complicated as men like to believe we are. Good stuff this week!

I wasn't a big fan of Frankenstein. I struggle with English Lit because I'm not familar with the historical context of the times. I would probably appreciate it more if I understood what was going on at the time (socially and economically).
I just realized that I'm running a week behind!

Week Two

I struggled a little with the reading this week. My favorite, however, was Lord Byron's When We Two Parted. It is a beautiful poem. This poem speaks to anyone who has ever experienced being dumped, divorced, or widowed. Lord Byron seems to have been a scoundral of sorts so it surprises me that he wrote such beautiful and caring words. This was my first time reading any of his work. I look forward to reading more as time permits :D

William Blake

I really enjoyed reading William Blake this week. I especially enjoyed his view of child labor. It is terrible to imagine how things must have been for poor, hungry, and helpless children. I would like to read more of his work when things slow down a little.

Bio

I am a non-traditional student living in Crescent, Ok with my husband and my youngest son. I'm finishing up my English Education degree in hopes of teaching high school English in a rural school district. I have always dreamed of being a teacher, so when my kids became old enough I started college. I want to teach at the high school level because I believe teenagers are very smart and sadly misunderstood. The older my sons have gotten, the more I am convinced I'm making the right decision. Teenagers have alot to say and no one to listen to them. I look forward to having a whole room full of them!