“I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But I didn’t care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips,” (Hosseini - The Kite Runner). I love it when words speak to me, like I can feel them as I imagine myself in the situation. How I can understand something about life through them. I love how the words on a page can sometimes take me away, take me inside the novel even while I learn valuable themes from each book. For my big question, I chose to answer “How is Literature like Life?” I can honestly say I have absolutely nothing against any English teacher I have ever learned from but it seems as if each time we read a novel, I only understand what the book has to do with the reader, not the world. It’s always about why did the author do this or what does that word make Jimmy like? I get my occasional two cents on how it applies to everyone but usually, I am wrong. And not that there’s an issue in that, but I feel as though I am at a crossroads. I have always been interested in English and especially in knowledge from literature. But as I get closer and closer to my start of college, I am realizing how important English is as a Business degree hopeful. As foolish as that may seem, personally I would rather have an intelligent conversation with a possible investor than talk to a rich man who’s most recent read was the ticker this morning on ESPN. Don’t get me wrong, because as an avid ESPN watcher, I’m sure that would be a riveting conversation. However my life, as blank as I am currently gives me choices. I can go on with asking questions about life and especially literature along with it or I can buy a book, say I read it and look online for information about the novel. I want option one. I want to challenge myself on a daily basis to understand literature and how it affects me and my world. Because after all, in 2017 when I walk across the stage gazing out at the crowd, that’s my world now, and I better understand some of it by then.
