Recapping my literary life has been a fair struggle to this point. Remembering that long ago has been taxing to say the least. I know 1 year isn't that big of a difference. But Freshman year to Sophomore year is a huge difference for me. There were still some short stories read my sophomore year(I think). But we also hit some big novels.
My Sophomore English/Literature teacher was Ms. McMinn. Ms. McMinn is amazing. Fun to be around and a great sense of humor. I had her towards the late morning of the day. My partners in crime in her class were Sergio and Logan. Boy did we get into things. Paper football. Joking around. And getting our work done. 3 things that went together in Ms. McMinn's class.
The summer reading she assigned us was a translation of Homer's epic poetry "The Odyssey". More than just epic poetry though, "The Odyssey" is the sequel to "The Iliad". "The Iliad" is about the Trojan War; "The Odyssey" about Ulysses's/Odysseus's long journey home. This story is the basis for much of our current stories/literature. Movies, TV, books, and others more than likely borrow from Homer. Boy was it difficult to read at the beginning at the beginning of the story though. It was a game changer. Homer expanded my boundaries and ran with my imagination. I have always loved Greek/Roman mythology. Remember those TV shows Hercules and Xena? I loved those. I recently tried to watch the entirety of Xena. Not sure what happened though, I just stopped at one point. But The Odyssey. What an adventure that was. And it would setup a very good year for reading(although I only recall a few more that we read).
The biggest novel from a Literary perspective that year was "Lord of the Flies". Another shorter book. Less than 200 pages. But oh my did it have a lot going on. All those literary device things I learned(I only held onto a handful) are present in "Lord of the Flies". Similes, metaphors, allusions, and commentary on society? In abundance. As a note some of the books/novels that I have read over my life were intended just to grant exposure to that story, that author, and how that would prepare me for the English AP tests and life in general. Some were extremely tough to read(this means you "Invisible Man" and "The Scarlett Letter"). But "Lord of the Flies" wasn't quite that extreme. From a story view point, it is excellent. I would(and will) read that story again. It might go on the "read to my kids" list.
I feel like a broken record, but that may very well be the point of this blag series, "Lord of the Flies" was another game changer. Both for my desire for compelling stories, but also for the advancement of my literary exposure. I needed more.
Now there may have been some others sprinkled in English/Literature that year. "The Pearl" by Steinbeck may have been that year. "The Pearl" is good but nowhere near Steinbeck's greatest work. In my opinion that honor belongs to "Of mice and Men" or "The Grapes of Wrath". I will reread some of Steinbeck's works and get back to you on that.
Beyond the previously mentioned books, Sophomore year had a different kind of game changer. The book that became the basis for a major motion picture that turned into a trilogy. Do you know it yet? We read the book in Ms. Lovorn's Sophomore Biology course. Still stumped? Spielberg? Dinosaurs? Crichton? Welp, if you haven't gotten it by now, you should feel bad(just a little). That book was "Jurassic Park". Oh boy did I love the movie "Jurassic Park". It is literally one of my all time favorite movies. I have watched it 4 time in 6.5 hours or so. I can quote most of the lines from the movie. But here is the clincher, Crichton's book is leaps and bounds better than the movie. I love the book. Science in a novel with a compelling story? That, my friends, that was a huge turning point in my reading career. Crichton is one of my favorite authors. He wrote so many good Sci-Fi novels. But we can chat all about that towards the end of this series.
I owe a huge thank you to Ms. Danford(whom I forgot to thank previously) as well as Ms. McMinn and Ms. Lovorn. Your impacts on my reading are profound. Without your assignments and guidance, I would not be reading that which I am today. Thank you all so much for what you did(and still do). Also, I apologize for the terrible writing. There are so many ideas that I mention, tease, and then I never take them anywhere. Have a little patience, hopefully I will refine this process and limit those to a minimum.
The end of another post...this seems shorter than the previous ones, maybe because there is no introduction needed and I am a bit more focused? It seems like I don't have much more to say than mention the books I read and how much of an impact they had on me. Maybe that is all this series is really about. Mentioning the books/novels/stories that have had the greatest impact upon my life. Doesn't seem like such a bad thing though in retrospect.
Things hinted at for the future:: More detail on Michael Crichton and Sci-Fi in general, John Steinbeck, the eventual conclusion of my high school reading career, current readings, and maybe a picture of my bookcase.
Well, I am off to watch some Netflix("Farscape", "Heroes", or any of the multitude of "Instant Queue" items I have marked. Until next time, "Stay frosty my friends".
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