Creative Writing on "Literature of the Family"
Creative Writing 4 pages (1398 words) Sources: 1+
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Self-Criticism.I once heard Cornel West say, "The unexamined life is not worth living." If I recall correctly, I heard him say that to Tavis Smiley on NPR. I searched on the Internet and found that the quote dates back to Socrates, and is a line (38a) from "The Apology." Well, regardless of its origins, it's a line that stuck in my head, a line -- one of those axioms -- I couldn't forget. And when I think of reasons to read literature, why one should crack open the pages of "In My Father's House" by Earnest J. Gaines or "Death of a Salesman," by Arthur Miller, I think of Cornel West saying in his enthusiastic and prophetic voice, "The unexamined life is not worth living." That is to say, literature is a way for one to examine one's life. Literature is a way for one to think critically about one's decisions in life. Literature is a way to grapple with the tough times one faces in life. I read literature because it's an exercise in self-criticism. I read literature because it makes life worth living. And the purpose of this essay is to examine the reasons for reading literature; both institutional reasons (i.e. As part of academia) and personal reasons (why I personally read it, which I've somewhat just described) and how the aforementioned works satisfy those reasons.
Both books are about the relationships between father's and sons. Both books end tragically with the untimely death of their main characters. Both books are sad and depression. To be perfectly honest, when I heard Arthur Miller used to date or was married to Marilyn Monroe I was expecting something like a daytime soap or a Lifetime television movie and not a serious play investigating the hardened ways of aging
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For me, this is as sad as it gets, an unnecessary human sacrifice for monetary gain. But this is at the heart of what Arthur Miller was getting at when he wrote, "Death of a Salesman," this is the question he is asking one to consider, "what are the sacrifices one makes in pursuit of the almighty dollar?" And as the reader is aware by the end of the play, his obsession with money ends up costing Willy Loman his life.
What I take away personally from this play is that, simply, money isn't everything, that there is more to life than dollars and cents. And in my own life, going back to they way I think about things, and in an attempt to be more self-critical, I learned from reading this play that life is about balance and pursuing life across several dynamics, for example, relationships, family, friends, education, and not just one dynamic, i.e. money. For if money was the one dynamic I pursued and cared about, I'd probably end up like Willy Loman and his pathetic garden, "Nothing's planted. I don't have a thing in the ground."
In a classroom setting, reading "Death of a Salesman" has a similar effect. It forces the class to reflect upon their goals and ambitions in life. For example, many students attend college, not because they love academia or college life (although some do, I'm sure), they do so because they want to make as much money as they can possibly make during their short stay here on earth, and one way to do that is by attending college (I don't know the statistics offhand, but people who have a degree make something like 1/3rd more, on average, than people who don't have a degree). So, in a sense, everyone in this classroom is seeking financial prosperity, yet, hopefully, unlike Willy Loman, they have more seeds planted in the ground.
In turning to "In My Father's House" by Earnest J. Gaines, and sticking with the seed motif, one can… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Literature of the Family" Assignment:
This is a subjective paper using creative writing. Paper needs to be 4 to 5 pages double-spaced. Leave enough room for a 4 line heading. This paper should be based on learning objectives in Literature. Can not use any literary criticism. First, discuss why *****"In My Father*****'s House*****"- Earnest J. Gaines and *****"Death of a Saleman*****"- Arthur Miller were most beneficial to me 1) personally and 2) as a class. Discuss this in relation to the goals that Adult Degree Students have for their education. Discuss the rationale the college has for requiring hamanities courses like literature. This paper must include the reasons for inclusion (i.e., what students need from hamanities courses and my understanding of why colleges require them). Explain with the two works mentioned above, how the experience of reading and studying the works meet the criteria for being beneficial.
Some goals within this course are as follows:
1. Ability to read and analyze texts according to accepted approaches to literary criticism and evaluation
2. Ability to articulate interpretations and an*****s orally and in writing.
3. Ability to write clearly and correctly via a process approach.
4. Ability to think precisely and creatively.
Some course descriptions and objectives:
SU is a liberal arts university. They expose students to some of the *****"great ideas*****" that have shaped our culture--ideas about such universal topics as love and marriage, religion and morality, the individual and society, and other topics that have been central to all human history--and to some of the imaginative ways people have devised of expressing and exploring those ideas. They encourage subjective thinking as you respond to what the literature says to you while simeoutaneously exposing you to received methods of interpretation and the most widely held interpretations of literary works. They give practice writing and speaking.
Other literary works read in the class that represent these objectives: The Age of Innocence--Edith Wharton, Mansfield Park--***** Austen, Sense and Sensibility(film)--Ang Lee/Emma Thompson, based on ***** Austen novel.
This paper does not have to have a high vocabulary of words. Will be graded on unity and focus, knowledge of literature and possible interpretations, organization, style, and mechanics. Two interpretations per book is sufficient. *****
How to Reference "Literature of the Family" Creative Writing in a Bibliography
“Literature of the Family.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2011, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/self-criticism-once-heard-cornel/734902. Accessed 6 Oct 2024.
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