Let's Call It, a Broad Outlook (Monthly Blog)

     I truly believe that literature can mean something different for every person. You may hate a book, but that doesn't mean that another person can't find the impetus for their life in it. I had a friend who thought it was funny how people praised poems he whipped together in seconds as great works of art. The way I see it though, if that person wants to believe it is a great piece of art then let them think so! Everyone is there own person and everyone sees things differently, so why wouldn't we interpret literature differently? This isn't to say that there aren't some times when people can twist things to mean something horrible and violent, but in its most innocent form different interpretations of literature should be praised. These thoughts have been rambling throughout my head during our classes.
     In our first month of class, the Socratic Seminars have been extremely interesting and I found something uniting about all of the pieces of literature we read: there is something that you can apply to how you live your life that will improve it for the better in each novel. Some of these things may be small, and only change you in the slightest of ways, but there is still that change whether you notice it or not. This is what I see in literature. These changes can arise independently from the main theme of the novel too, because all that matters is what the novel meant to you.
     The main idea that I got from a novel was more of a reinforcement of previous beliefs. In Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, Howard Roark follows what he loves, despite all the obstacles he faces. He is shunned by society and receives little work but he strives onward because he loves being an architect. In this manner, the book made me realize again that I don't want a job for money or appearances, I want it for how much I will enjoy it and I think that that is an important lesson for anyone who is questioning their future. Don't be a Peter Keating and base your life of other people's wants, focus of your own.
     This relates directly to me because I have no clue what I want to do for a career. People suggest things, and throw all the possible careers they can at me, but The Fountainhead is a healthy reminder that I should follow what I want to do. This progressive view seems be becoming more common too, because liberal arts colleges now encourage students to go in undecided. They have realized that experiences in college help shape what you will want to do, so why waste time on an uncertain major? In a way, it all relates back to my view on interpretation of books. People can tell you what a book means, but what you see in it is what really matters. So as you read Hugo, or Rand, or Thoreau, or Dr. Suess, think about what it means and how it influences you, and maybe that will be your guide in life.