final blog post! score!

This semester has been surprisingly pleasant. I sincerely enjoyed the short story unit with its wide assortment of stories that presented varying perspectives on varying subjects of life. The drama unit, though perhaps quite a bit more challenging, was too filled with a multitude of personal benefits. Shakespeare and I have never quite got along-- with all of his odd ways of speaking and communicating. But something that I truly learned this semester was an appreciation of Shakespeare that I never quite understood. The masterful things that Shakespeare can do with language is a wonder, and I am glad that I have finally achieved some understanding of his works, even if it was through tedious nights of reading Hamlet.

There hasn't been much that I have been frustrated with, besides the struggles with Shakespearian language, because I have thoroughly enjoyed the literature we have covered in this class. The discussions sparked by these literary works are among the most interesting that I have participated in and really give me a taste of what a real, intellectual discussion is like. Further, this class has introduced me to a number of amazing books that have become some of my favorites-- especially The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao! (You should read it.)

lets talk satire

Satire makes for the most interesting of literature. Aimed at ridiculing the vices of humans or of society as a whole, satire provides commentary and criticism often in order to "shame" things into improving. 

When we think about satire, we automatically think of The Onion or Saturday Night Live, both of which are sources of satirical hilarity and entertainment. The articles of The Onion and the sketches of SNL entertain people. Even so, both deal with real-world topics, recent events that are in some way representative of the shortcomings of society. The beauty of things like Saturday Night Live is that they are able to appeal to the masses, to publicize the problems and issues through ridiculing them-- through entertainment! 

But even the serious type of satire can be fascinating. Think Brave New World or Animal Farm. These two literary works are among the most interesting to study. In particular, Brave New World was a novel that really forced me to think about the rapidly advancing technological world and the strange mentality that comes with it. Issues present in these types of satire are incredibly relevant and worth further exploration. 

Satire. It serves all purposes. Entertainment and social criticism-- all in one.