Welcome!

Welcome invested readers, curious cats of literature and scholars alike!

I wanted to take the idea of a "Literary Magazine" and create an environment that would be inviting for anyone to read upon and get involved in. A more casual take on what "Literature" really is. This type of arena allows easily for connections and communications between all that visit the site.

These are my opinions (as I am the Editor), but I do welcome any and all perspectives and voices on any and all pieces alike! Just please refrain from vulgarity, as this page is open to the general pubic and may be in the view of young, impressionable eyes...and those type of words aren't in the dictionary so they are not allowed!

Again; welcome, and enjoy!

Extra Credit!!!!

Extra Credit

Assignment:

Create a list of “Literary Symbols” to include in your magazine. For at least 20 of the texts discussed in class, locate one symbol from each text and discuss how it was used to enhance the theme(s) of the story or poem.

List of Texts

1.     Othello – The handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona; it was a symbol of loyalty and love.

2.     Death of a Salesman – The seeds Willy planted; him trying to produce the American dream.

3.     The Origins of Oedipus the King – The gouging out of his eyes; was a symbol that he felt that with eyes he never really did see and therefore did wrong.

4.     A Rose for Emily – The dust in her house; it was a symbol for trying to live in happier times.

5.     Sonny’s Blues – The music he played; was a symbol for his escape from his struggles and troubles.

6.     Cathedral – The drawing; was a symbol for the epiphany of the man realizing that he hadn’t really seen things before.

7.     Greasy Lake – The term greasy – was a symbol for the wild life and everything it stood for.

8.     The Storm – The affair; was a symbol of secrets, desires and infidelity.

9.     Saboteur – The soup; was a symbol for a mans revenge and rage.

10.  Girl – Slut; isn’t really her mom calling her a slut, it’s a symbol for not being respected or in the norm for what is expected.

11.  Harrison Bergeron – The noises; were a symbol of control over expressive freedoms and thought.

12.  A Good Man… – The term good man; was a symbol of what the grandmother thought of society as a whole.

13.  Out, Out – The saw; is a symbol for the consequences of becoming a man.

14.  My Last Duchess – The painting; was a notch on the Dukes belt.

15.  My Papa’s Waltz – The waltz; was a symbol of a relationship between father/son skewed.

16.  For A Lady I Know – Cherubs; are a symbols for what this person thinks is what God intended.

17.  I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud – The cloud; is a symbol for a fond memory or dream.

18.  Rites of Passage – The general; was a symbol for the boys playing together and accepting one another.

19.  The Chimney Sweeper – The sweeping; was a symbol for an escape.

Aftermath – The term aftermath; is a symbol for a tragedy.

References

References:

1. Literature; An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Dram and Write by X.J. Kennedy & Dana Gioia

2.http://www.bookbrowse.com/authors

3. http://classiclit.about.com/od/atozwriters/AtoZ_Writers_in_Classic_Literature.htm

Harrison Bergeron - Reaction Column

Harrison Bergeron - Reaction Column

Plot of Text:

Throughout the course of history in this piece of literature, the characters are shunned and even punished for being beautiful and intelligent. They are handicapped and taught to be like one another.

Literary Devices:

Style, language, tone, characterization (antagonist, antihero and motivation), setting (location, situation, time period), plot (internal and external, rising action, climax, suspense, falling action, foreshadowing and open plot), point of view, theme/message and symbols).

Major Themes/Symbols:

Defiance, uniqueness, individuality, power, intelligence, the power of tv, destroying any chance of progression through the pressure of total equality, the noise is that to the comparison of a dog shock collar.

Did I Like:

I liked this text more than any other piece written. It quite sad, but so powerful.

Why Did I Include This:

Mainly because the moral of the story is; don't let someone tame, control or destroy what makes you shine.

Girl - Reaction Column

Girl - Reaction Column

Plot of Text:

Girl is about a mother giving her daughter advice. While the mother is trying to give her daughter bits of information that'll be important in her life, she insults her and puts her down simultaneously.

Identify the Literary Devices:

Characterization (protagonist and static), plot (open, internal and external), setting (time period, location, etc), tone, style, language and theme/message.

Major Themes/Symbols:

How domestication and the knowledge of being able to prepare food, clothing and overall being able to take care of a household, will prepare you for eternal happiness. How being a "slut" will make you an outcast, and open yourself to sexual dangers. How being submissive is what's best for your future.

My Opinion:

I liked and didn't like it. I liked how the mother was trying to look out for her own daughters welfare. At the same time, she's closing her daughter off to bigger and better possibilities because she is young and impressionable. 

Why Did I Pick It:

I like how the moral of the story is just because your parents or elders say so, doesn't always make it right. However when it comes to your safety, you better do what it told.

Webliography

Webliography


*As the Editor, I would like to make a few suggestions to the readers of my blog of other sites and articles to take the time to read if they are looking to more different perspectives on literature. Enjoy book worms!

1. www.newpages.com/literary-magazines

2. www.pw.org/literary_magazines?&perpage=*

3. www.world-newspapers.com/literature.html

4. www.everywritersresource.com/topliterarymagazines.html

Cathedral - Reaction Column

Cathedral - Reaction Column

Plot of the Text: 

Narrator (husband of the wife) allows the wife to invite her blind friend (Robert) to their house after his wife passed away. The narrator is closed off at first and quick to snub and judge. By the end of the cathedral, the Robert opens the narrator up and teaches him how to "see".

Literary Devices Used: 

Tone, style of writing, language, central conflict (internal and external), characters (round, dynamic, stereotype and flat), flashback, closed plot, setting, theme/message, and figurative symbols.

Major Themes and Symbols:

Roberts apparent blindness, which is irony because he can see more intimately than the narrator can with his full vision. Instead of being able just to see something or someone, he believes it, and listens to it, which gives him more insight on whatever he is doing than the narrator could ever have had until his realization at the end of the story. The cathedral itself and the way of drawing it was giving it a meaning to the narrator, and teaching him to dig deep and to really see what he is doing and be invested in it. I would also say that the videotapes we basically the equivalence of them having sex. Realistically. Nothing can bring someone closer to another than being a genuine and participative listener. 

Personal Views on the Text:

I very much liked the text. I didn't like how the narrator was plain old being rude and applying stereotypes. However, his ignorance was removed from the lesson of one he judged. It was nice to see the turn around and evolvement of that particular character.

Why Did I Chose This Text:

Simply put; I like that the moral of the story if basically that of you can learn a lot from those you act ignorant towards.