Classic English Literature

For the first Reading Response, you will write three paragraphs (all on one thread). First, briefly introduce yourself to your classmates, share your intentions and expectations of the course, and discuss your prior experiences with written storytelling. Next, read and reflect on the “Introduction” to the textbook. Finally, discuss Le Guin’s short story–“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”–by responding to the prompts below. After everyone has posted, respond meaningfully to at least two of your classmates’ posts. NOTE: The subject line of your post should begin with your first initial and last name and then the assignment title (for example: K. Smith – RR1)

In paragraph one, respond to the following:

Introduce yourself to your classmates in a few sentences. Here is some information you might want to include:
Your name and a little background about yourself (whatever you feel comfortable sharing)
Your major and your future plans
A favorite _______ (fill-in-the-blank, such as a film or place or person or game or podcast or song — provide a link if you’d really like us to listen or know more!)
Favorite quotation and/or your personal philosophy
Then answer ALL of the following questions about your motivation to take LIT2000:
Why are you taking Introduction to Literature?
What are your experiences with literature–or storytelling–in general?
What author(s) do you enjoy reading–and why?
What are your expectations of this course?
Discuss a piece of literature you have read that has made an impact on you.
In paragraph two, respond to ALL of the following:
Share your reflection on the “Introduction” chapter from the textbook (pdf provided in Module 1: Lesson 1):
How does literature expand our individual experience?
What is the difference between “pragmatic” reading and “literary” reading?
What new terminology have you learned, and how will it inform your discussion of literature?
Reflect on Mays’s question – Why study literature?
In paragraph three, respond to ALL of the following:

Before writing this response, look up the meaning of the word sacrifice.
Based on your reading of LeGuin’s short story (“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”), discuss the theme of sacrifice.
What is being sacrificed? And why?
How do community members of Omelas rationalize the pain of another living being? Provide examples from the text (the story).
Is the sacrifice justified?
Think about the title. What is Le Guin suggesting about the quality of character of those who do “walk away from Omelas”?
Your postings will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

Writing three well-developed paragraphs responding to all of the prompts (minimum 300 words total for all three paragraphs–at least 100 words for each paragraph).
Replying to two of your classmates with meaningful responses with a minimum of 75 words each (do not simply write “I agree with what you wrote about LeGuin’s story. Nice Post!” Your reply must show your attention to the points made by your classmate).
Following the rules of Standard English (for example, no lowercase “i” for the pronoun I.) Please proofread your writing before clicking the ‘submit’ button!

Information for paragraph one My name is Wilna I’m 32 years old, I was born and raised in Miami,FL and I have an amazing 15 year old daughter. I consider myself a music buff; my favorite genre is jazz and John Coltrane is my favorite jazz musician. I’m also a huge football fan. (Go Eagles) In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, working on DIY projects, cooking, and binge watching classic films. I have worked in the hospitality industry for the past 13 years and I love what I do. I am a group housing coordinator for Marriott Hotels. My major is Hospitality management. My goal is obtain a career in hotel management and ultimately, open my own bed and breakfast.

ANSWER

Classic English Literature

My name is Wilna. I’m 32 years old. I was born and raised in Miami, FL, and I have an amazing 15-year-old daughter. I consider myself a music buff, my favourite jazz genre, and John Coltrane is my favourite jazz musician. I’m also a huge football fan (Go Eagles).  I enjoy spending time with my family in my spare time, working on DIY projects, cooking, and binge-watching classic films. I have worked in the hospitality industry for the past 13 years, and I love what I do. I am a group housing coordinator for Marriott Hotels. My major is Hospitality management. My goal is to obtain a career in hotel management and, ultimately, open my bed and breakfast. The reason for taking the introduction to literature is my thrill and passion for reading and understanding different perspectives and texts about life. I also am a lover of storytelling and reading other people’s stories since they open up someone’s mind by sharing experiences.  I am a great lover of Chimamanda  Ngozi, a good narrator and a great writer in her many literature books.  I expect to learn a lot from the lecturers and students and get more conversant with deeper issues related to literature.  A literature piece that  I read which inspired me is Tears to Triumph by Marianne Williamson is taking her through her life journey in a unique way, which demonstrates her prowess and gift in sharing the story of her life.

Literature entails expanding our imaginations and also refines our social responsibilities and morals.  It can be of great help to the emotional rejuvenation and growth of an individual.  A pragmatic reading entails the reading where you co-create the story by filling the holes left in the text. On the other hand, literary reading entails getting to understand the reality of society. The newest terminology learnt is Anachronism, which entails having an intentional error in the timeline or chronology of a text.  The need to study is literature because it makes one appreciate words and the power of those words.

In the book LeGuin’s short story, the story entirely expounds on the theme of sacrifice, where the chained child is forced to lie in misery and suffering for the happiness of the people of Omela.  For the people to be happy, they believe that they have to sacrifice one child,  where he has only cornmeal and grease to eat and remains continually in the dark. The people of Omela justify the pain of another living being by stating that if the child were to be set free, their land would be destroyed and they would never live like they currently do.  The sacrifice is not justified because they are victimizing a child and are just lied by their beliefs that setting the child  free would impact their lives.  From the title, those who do not walk away from Omela believe that another person’s sadness or situation makes them live an enjoyable life.