Literature & Lattes

Gulf Coast State College Contemporary Literature Blog.

[literature-fiend]

Post 7; Midterm frenzy!

Honestly I would have to say this is one of the many midterms I'm actually extremely comfortable with. Being in study groups this past week has been a literal college life-saver. I couldn't have imagined refreshing my mind about all of the stories and books we've written without the help of the fellow classmates and the study guide Professor Clark provided for us, especially with all of our questions crafting it! I'd also like to note with this being the half-way mark in the semester, I've enjoyed the class thoroughly so far! I can't wait to read the upcoming books. Anyways, cheers and good luck to everyone on midterms this upcoming week!

[literature-fiend]

Post 6; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book, it was refreshing and unconventional in a way that I've never experienced while reading literature. Everything about this book intrigued me, the plot, the characters, the completely abstract style, and even the author. His ideas were captivating and the way he translated them beautifully on paper is admirable in so many ways. I fell in love with Oskar, he was such a witty and hopeful soul even through one of the hardest transitions in his life; losing his father. Each character in this book in some shape and form somehow experienced one of the hardest elements of life, loss. Even though that might seem a bit daunting, the way each character transitioned and grew provided inspiration and hope for me. That no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we can dig ourselves out of it. The biggest thing about this story was the key, for me. Even though it truthfully didn't belong to anything outrageously special, or didn't answer any questions, it provided a sort of shield for Oskar. It kept him occupied through such a dark time, and kept his mind stimulated in a way where he found a coping mechanism with the help of the key. Even though realistically the key had no substance or big relations to his father, it allowed Oskar to meet people to help him along the way. Because each of these people experienced loss, they could provide a light to him that would help him better recover from the loss of his father. He made friends, and discovered things for the better. And one of the people in this book, the mother, whom weren't very prevalent in the beginning, made such an impact in her appearance at the end that simply tied the whole book together. She answered all of the unanswered questions, and it was just so beautifully coordinated. Over all, this book was magnificent and I'm so happy to have had the chance to fully give it a chance and appreciate it. 

[literature-fiend]

Post 5; Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The heartbreaking truth Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close creates within the pages it consists of is a truth that should be heard. While reading this book and becoming accustomed to the characters, especially the witty nine-year-old, Oskar, I've developed an entirely new insight to death and the lasting effects it can have, especially on a child. For some reason I've felt an attachment to Oskar. I find it amazing how a young boy can be so strong, and persistent through the horror of losing his father especially at such a young age. The whole idea of Oskar searching endlessly with a key in one hand, hoping he'll find whatever his father left behind is truly heart-wrenching. I believe the obvious reason he is so persistent on finding what the key belongs to is because it's the only thing he has left to connect with his father. Oskar has so many unanswered questions, and this key is the window to those questions. People may wonder why he can be so obscure with the way he mentally processes things, or his actions. To me, the way he's acting is completely normal due to the circumstances. It's sort of admirable, because he's carrying a lot on his shoulders in the midst of everything. I only hope he finds his answers.

[literature-fiend]

The Things They Carried; post 2

  “It’s a hard thing to explain to somebody who hasn't felt it, but the presence of death and danger has a way of bringing you fully awake. It makes things vivid. When you’re afraid, really afraid, you see things you never saw before, you pay attention to the world. You make close friends. You become part of a tribe and you share the same blood- you give it together, you take it together.”  ― Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried

This quote really moves me in various ways. It exemplifies the exact, raw feelings that you experience while being in the presence of complete turmoil. Because no matter how much chaos surrounds you, you absolutely have to find sanity in between it all. You have no choice but to try to make the most simple things beautiful, because it's hard to find beauty in such a destructive atmosphere. It's hard to comprehend being in the positions these soldiers were in, and the physical and mental strain they endured while trying to endure their own sanity. 

In the midst of it all, they had to witness the unimaginable and somehow cope with it the best way possible. While witnessing these things they had more insight of what life truly consists, and the issues of the world are brought to more attention. I can only imagine you discover feelings you've never felt before, accompanied with the danger that surrounds you on a daily basis. This is why I believe the things they carried along their travels of war are the exact things that provided security and strength through times of trouble. 

What I enjoy most about this book is that it allows you inside the mind of the many characters and expresses every shade of emotion drawn from the effects of war that they experienced. It gives you insight on the severity of not only physical, but mental strain they went through. Nothing is sugar-coated, and everything is exposed which is beautifully genuine. Every chapter so far has been fulfilling and has left me at an awe, because I'm constantly turning each page with anticipation to reach the last.

[lucas-carters-amazing-lit-blog-]

(Disclaimer: The following is an attempt to describe postmodernism in the most postmodern way possible in 100~ words. If it’s too weird I apologize.)

The modern mind. A series of normal conceptions. Brief, normal images. Like a cat on a stick covered in antibiotics, indescribable? An unflinching narrator presuming it’s life; a conflicting caricature. Thoughts may be medium in length at most, yet sometimes short. These short thinkers can be emotionally invested in the status quo like a first love.

A postmodernist thinks without the bounds set by the indiscriminate founders of society riddled by apprehension. As Neil Degrasse Tyson once said, “what exactly is postmodernism, except modernism without the anxiety?” That is, the anxiety that we must act within society’s rules. Postmodernists create art with no boundaries and extend beyond reality like a five dimensional hypercube composed of legos

(For copyright’s sake, that quote was from American novelist Johnathan Lethem, not Neil Degrasse Tyson. I’m that postmodern.)

[literature-fiend]

This was probably by far one of my favorite posts to read. In a sense while describing postmodernism yourself, you're displaying postmodernism at it's finest. This picture was also a great visual to capture the meaning of postmodernism, as well. I love the quote given by Tyson, because it truly is literature that steps outside of the bounds set by society and the general ideas of what should be written. Instead there's a liberation found in a postmodernist's writings that people can relate to and enjoy. 

[jpeterso9-deactivated20141221]

This past week in class I really enjoyed discussing The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. While reading the story I couldn’t help but feel some feminist undertones, which I LOVED! The pivotal moment when Louise looks out the window and begins to shout she is free to me it really gave insight...

[literature-fiend]

I absolutely love your opinion of the story, because it's exactly true. Louise represents the freedom that all women wish they could obtain in their lives after being repressed for so long. This story may have been very tricky to understand at times... but the expressions and words used to describe the feelings of liberation Louise had were ones you could almost feel. Great post!

[trentmcgill]

[literature-fiend]

This photo is incredibly accurate. 10/10

[literature-fiend]

This image above can only provide a small window to the thoughts and ideas that possess a post-modernist's mind as they translate words into a mesh of absolute madness. It takes a very open-minded person to tolerate such indescribable literature. I believe the secret is you have to enthrall yourself into the scribbled sketch of literature that somehow leaves you in countless questions.

The fun I have with postmodernism is the way you are able to perceive the style freely and comprehend the meaning as well as motives behind each piece of writing. For example, in "The Story of an Hour" I constantly battled with the sole meaning of the whole story. But as I analyzed it in a different light I came to understand the unusual literary structure the author used. It was most definitely different from the norm, which is what I enjoyed overall.

Things that are uniquely written with countless loopholes can either completely intrigue me or drive me up the wall. The postmodernist's mind is built up with creativity that surpasses the black and white wall's of the norm, which is exhilarating and adventurous. I believe writing should be exactly that, where there are no boundaries set and only an open canvas to paint on.