11:30 a.m. Saturday morning- "I am now driving to the airport"
1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon- "I am now flying to Colorado and the only person who knows is Jamie"
4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon- Summer's thoughts: "Gee, Dad looks really skinny.... and blonde?" KRISTAAAA!!! (Ally began crying)
5:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon- Dad's thoughts: "Gee, there's a pair of feet hiding behind that door. And they are connected to a black dress. Like Krista's." KRISTAAA!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! And thank you, family, for letting me bombard you this weekend. Even though you were all dear and precious to see, these were the only pictures I took ....
I guess my obsession is greater than I thought.In any case, after a thrilling wait in the airport on my way home from my WONDERFUL VISIT, I arrived in Provo to give an oral presentation for my English class about why we study lit at the university. And you know what that means... Poem!
(Just for posterity's sake, this one is neither entertaining or impressive. Don't feel obligated to read. Especially since there are a lot of allusions to lit we read this semester weaved in)
Literature for Life
Though few there be who master it
There's fewer still who do regret
The wisdom gained, the simple bliss
That comes to those who study this--
Literature!
Yes, literature, one can't deny
The goodness that this field supplies
Though good to do solo-ily
We must study literature at the university
And why, some ask, must this be done?
Novices question, looking only for fun
What they don't realize about literary study
Is it brings the greatest depth of these concepts three
Point Number One, you may just never guess
Except that it's perfectly OBVIOUS
Lit studies must make an appearance
For they expose readers to unique experience
For example, you and I, we're university scholars
We're concerned with parking spots, relationships, and dollars
We live in apartments cluttered south of campus
Working on mounts of homework the size of Olympus
We aren't in war, few of us are wed
We don't know the feeling of psychological dread
But-- the books found in the HBLL "hubble"
Give us our ticket out of this little bubble
And suddenly, we own pigs we can wash out back
And there gain "Revelation" which before we lacked
Though we remain all the while in our physical shell
We are, for a moment, the "warthog from hell"
And likewise we find ourselves amidst a great war
Experiencing death and enemies and foxholes and more
While we remain physically in Provo so merry
We gain a sense of the burdens of "The Things They Carried"
We'd never glimpse these strange moments
And all the greater would be our laments
If we refused the experience literature offers
The things the world over many have sought for
We'd never live in castles grand
Or know the dynamics of "The Misfit's" band
If we didn't engage in literary study
While learning here at the univers'ty
So remember, first, thought it's quite clear
We must study lit while we are here
Because it lets us live at BYU
But defy time and space for experiences new
Point Number Two follows after the first
For lit provides this experience outburst
Then holds out its hand and confidently beckons
Promising to teach us great life lessons
For we must become useful and gain much knowledge
And that's why we're here right now at college
And yes, we're learning to pay rent and wash dishes
But literature provides something much more prestigious:
Wisdom comes from the stories we read
The kind that helps no matter what life we lead
Terry Eagleton argues the study literature commands
Gives us knowledge to face life's "petty demands"
Like the accountant, for example, who always calculates
Can avoid the Helmer's terrible fate
By learning from them to put his family first
He dodges a door slam heard around the world
Or the lawyer involved in legal conflict
May be swayed by details insignif'cant
If she but remembers "Those Who Walk from Omelas"
She gains courage for right and avoids moral loss
Or even the simple biologist
Who's initial findings make up a long list
Can benefit from the lesson in Othello's 5 acts-
Verify information before making it fact
It's cases like these which do define
The advantage literature is to the mind
It puts us in places we usually can't reach
And teaches us lessons that we'll always need
So remember, second, in a university setting
Literature is one thing we can't be forgetting
For by studying it now, we'll be ready when
Life asks us apply worthwhile lessons
Which brings us, of course, to Point Number Three
Which makes us slow down, stop, and think
The previous points prove the good of literature
But how does that make its worthwhileness sure?
For really, I think we could all do without
The huge books that we just carry about
I mean, with that huge Lit book (we had a huge lit book) I get so weary
And I feel clumsy all day "Falling Into Theory" (that was the name of our other book)
And people read, often enough
They gain experience, learn lessons, all of that stuff
So with that natural gain is it necessary
To study lit at the university?
Yes, yes, it is, all you doubting Thomases
And I'll prove to you how bomb.com this is
If someone spent their life reading solo
They'd miss out on dimensions they'd just never know
For going to class and discussing the reading
Straightens out stories that were quite misleading
Other scholars point out the things you overlooked
And you can share your thoughts you had on the book
And one these things happen they grow tenfold
We gain vicarious experiences simply untold
The lessons we learn become clear and profound
And our textual evidence is more solid and sound
A university setting makes us more educated
Than if we remained with literature isolated
It's good to study literature, but even better
If we make the effort to do it together
So in review of these reasons so rhymed-
#1- It gives us experiences out of our mind
#2-For these moments we learn great life lessons
#3-And we gain new viewpoints by joining in the discussion
We must study it at the university
And to testify of this truth is not just me
But look at yourselves after a full semester!
For all we've gained I thank you...
...and of course....
Literature!
It went well.
And here's a fond glimpse of campus!
Santa in flip flops! (With the Lil White Purse if you look close)
Yes, literature, one can't deny
The goodness that this field supplies
Though good to do solo-ily
We must study literature at the university
And why, some ask, must this be done?
Novices question, looking only for fun
What they don't realize about literary study
Is it brings the greatest depth of these concepts three
Point Number One, you may just never guess
Except that it's perfectly OBVIOUS
Lit studies must make an appearance
For they expose readers to unique experience
For example, you and I, we're university scholars
We're concerned with parking spots, relationships, and dollars
We live in apartments cluttered south of campus
Working on mounts of homework the size of Olympus
We aren't in war, few of us are wed
We don't know the feeling of psychological dread
But-- the books found in the HBLL "hubble"
Give us our ticket out of this little bubble
And suddenly, we own pigs we can wash out back
And there gain "Revelation" which before we lacked
Though we remain all the while in our physical shell
We are, for a moment, the "warthog from hell"
And likewise we find ourselves amidst a great war
Experiencing death and enemies and foxholes and more
While we remain physically in Provo so merry
We gain a sense of the burdens of "The Things They Carried"
We'd never glimpse these strange moments
And all the greater would be our laments
If we refused the experience literature offers
The things the world over many have sought for
We'd never live in castles grand
Or know the dynamics of "The Misfit's" band
If we didn't engage in literary study
While learning here at the univers'ty
So remember, first, thought it's quite clear
We must study lit while we are here
Because it lets us live at BYU
But defy time and space for experiences new
Point Number Two follows after the first
For lit provides this experience outburst
Then holds out its hand and confidently beckons
Promising to teach us great life lessons
For we must become useful and gain much knowledge
And that's why we're here right now at college
And yes, we're learning to pay rent and wash dishes
But literature provides something much more prestigious:
Wisdom comes from the stories we read
The kind that helps no matter what life we lead
Terry Eagleton argues the study literature commands
Gives us knowledge to face life's "petty demands"
Like the accountant, for example, who always calculates
Can avoid the Helmer's terrible fate
By learning from them to put his family first
He dodges a door slam heard around the world
Or the lawyer involved in legal conflict
May be swayed by details insignif'cant
If she but remembers "Those Who Walk from Omelas"
She gains courage for right and avoids moral loss
Or even the simple biologist
Who's initial findings make up a long list
Can benefit from the lesson in Othello's 5 acts-
Verify information before making it fact
It's cases like these which do define
The advantage literature is to the mind
It puts us in places we usually can't reach
And teaches us lessons that we'll always need
So remember, second, in a university setting
Literature is one thing we can't be forgetting
For by studying it now, we'll be ready when
Life asks us apply worthwhile lessons
Which brings us, of course, to Point Number Three
Which makes us slow down, stop, and think
The previous points prove the good of literature
But how does that make its worthwhileness sure?
For really, I think we could all do without
The huge books that we just carry about
I mean, with that huge Lit book (we had a huge lit book) I get so weary
And I feel clumsy all day "Falling Into Theory" (that was the name of our other book)
And people read, often enough
They gain experience, learn lessons, all of that stuff
So with that natural gain is it necessary
To study lit at the university?
Yes, yes, it is, all you doubting Thomases
And I'll prove to you how bomb.com this is
If someone spent their life reading solo
They'd miss out on dimensions they'd just never know
For going to class and discussing the reading
Straightens out stories that were quite misleading
Other scholars point out the things you overlooked
And you can share your thoughts you had on the book
And one these things happen they grow tenfold
We gain vicarious experiences simply untold
The lessons we learn become clear and profound
And our textual evidence is more solid and sound
A university setting makes us more educated
Than if we remained with literature isolated
It's good to study literature, but even better
If we make the effort to do it together
So in review of these reasons so rhymed-
#1- It gives us experiences out of our mind
#2-For these moments we learn great life lessons
#3-And we gain new viewpoints by joining in the discussion
We must study it at the university
And to testify of this truth is not just me
But look at yourselves after a full semester!
For all we've gained I thank you...
...and of course....
Literature!
It went well.
And here's a fond glimpse of campus!
Santa in flip flops! (With the Lil White Purse if you look close)
Thanks for reading, sorry for the long poem!
I like that poem, so glad it went well and SO glad you got home, on time, and safely! It looks like Santa is not surrounded by elves but a Nativity scene? That BYU, it's a "bubbly" place. Thanks for coming Krista! It was GREAT!
ReplyDeleteI wish I could just go to Colorado whenever I want! lucky! Good poem. I confess I made it through a good portion of it, and then I saw there was loads left and so...no I didn't finish it. My brain was running low on steam. :) But, um, I notice you lil white purse is slowly turning into lil brown purse. hahaa. well, atleast next to santa!
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