The first seven texts that are discussed in relation to English Literature successfully explored an array of aspects of the human experience. Each text is deeply rooted in the period where it was written and published but still can resonate until today. From heroism to corruption, love and death, every theme in each text established a connection to me which made me feel that I am living in the realms of these texts.
I saw the terror happened in Heorot. I met the brave knights. I had fun in the tiring pilgrimage. My view about love started to be as strong as a lighthouse. I am rhapsodic upon hearing how to realistically describe someone. I mourn to the unrequited love. Lastly, I confide to someone who started to be blind. Through these texts, it is true that as a reader we have the tendency to relate in situations occurred in a literary work, to better understand a complex emotion and to assume a character in the story.
Amongst the seven texts, I have three favorites: Sonnet 130 of William Shakespeare, The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer and On His Blindness by John Milton. Overall, these texts had a strong impact for me as an individual who seeks to better understand various human conditions. It is pivotal to understand human conditions depicted in these texts since the themes may be useful to uplift the quality of our life.
For instance, Sonnet 130 is about describing a muse utilizing realistic language for it refrains flowery descriptions and cliches. It clearly states how the speaker sees the mistress from morning to the end of their day. The descriptions provided for the mistress might be awful, at first; however, when deeply understanding the sonnet, it subtly implies that no matter how the mistress looks like, the speaker loves her unconditionally and embraced her flaws. Personally, I find this sonnet more romantic than other love poems which uses idealistic language just to make the readers feel better. Sonnet 130 is more romantic because it teaches us the realistic side of loving someone.
The Canterbury Tales takes a different role. Even though it is a collection of various tales told by various people (sondry folks), it does not compromise the quality of this work. This collection shares various insights and experiences from people belonging to different social class. The Wife of Bath, a commoner, shares the plight of being a woman in the lowest social class and how she thrives to gain superiority like the men of society. With this collection, I experienced how to live in different social classes which makes me appreciate more what social class I belong. Sense of belonginess is offered in this text because I believe people of different classes might gain not only humor but also morals which might aid them to better themselves.
Lastly, On His Blindness makes me reflect more of my life, especially my purpose. On this sonnet, I learned that God does not require anything from us because we are enough for him. It is with kindness, obedience and humility that will assist us to see what purpose do we ought to fulfill. This sonnet reassured me that if I feel as if my purpose is deteriorating, there is always a way to do it. Just like what happened in Milton, despite starting to be blind, he continued his purpose as a poet and until now, his words transcend.
These favorites as well as the remaining texts significantly contribute to my appreciation and understanding of English-American Literature since these depicted the artistry, which flourished in the early periods until now, and the conflicts occurred in the story, which are reality- based. The texts opened an avenue to see how the world, especially the numerous human experiences, and the culture of each country thrives. These texts will teach the readers to better live their lives despite the conflicts happening within themselves and to their environment. Hence, my understanding now of English-American Literature revolves in using creativity and artistry in language to better connect with the readers and introduce their country, culture and identity.
Tags: Arabian literature, Middle Eastern literature, Arabian tales, Arabian Nights, literary tradition, cultural influences, diversity in literature, folk tales, literary analysis, literary themes, lifethinkler
Author: Christian Loid Valenzuela
