Identify the quote about literature that you have chosen for your essay and explain in a post of 150 words how the quote is embodied in the story you have chosen to focus on. (See Activity 7 Week 4 for essay directions).
Week 5 Discussion
16 posts
Literature is story telling, and story telling is generational knowledge. I believe that the quote “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.” by C.S Lewis, is describing the relationship between real life and literature as codependent. Literature deepens the understanding of events, and details them. When reading, we are imaginative of the story, which is the addition of reality. Often times we either imagine ourselves in the stories or imagine ourselves observation in the story. In “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, he describes the relationship between Jesus and people as superficial almost. Hughes explains that while he was waiting to be saved by this “Jesus” figure, he felt no real connection although he believed in salvation. As a kid, we are taught to believe in god and to devote ourselves to religion, after all, it has been around since “forever.” But, Hughes states “I began to wonder what God thought about Westley, who certainly hadn’t seen Jesus either,”. The relationship society has formed with Jesus and Christ is based on generational literature, no one has seen Jesus Christ in person, however we all choose to follow this belief because everyone else does; people need hope to feel purpose. Our families, our friends, and majority of the world. If literature where to simply describe reality and not form a connection with readers, there would be no faith in Christ.
The quote “Literature adds to reality, not simply describes it” by C.S. Lewis fits to describe the “The story of an Hour” written by Kate Chopin. Within the story we witness a women recently becoming a widow upon learning of her husband’s death. She was at first shock and quite distraught by the news however she came to the realization that she was now free to do as she pleases and was joyful about her new journey, becoming free and breaking away from the shackles of her marriage. The descriptive language fits to describe the tone and what had become her new reality, as she learned she was now able to do what she always wanted to do instead of being limited through the binds of society. The quote explains the reality of how many lives and not simply a description.
The quote “literature is painting, architecture, and music” is reflected in a simple and powerful way in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”. The story describes a small village’s discovery of a remarkably handsome and enormous drowned man. The author’s words paint a vivid picture in our minds of this extraordinary man, how he looks, and how he changes the lives of the villagers. This is like literature as painting because the words create a visual image in our heads. In this way, Marquez’s story embodies the idea that literature combines painting, architecture, and music to tell a compelling and beautiful tale.
Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it”. – C.S. Lewis This quote relates to “The story of hour” as i take this story for my essay. In the story married woman husband death taken suddenly at first she was very sad about that but after some time she realize that now she his free from all the marriage rituals now she can do whatever she want to do now she don’t have to follow somone rules. However now women are free to chose whateveer they want they have to stay at home or not but before they can’t leave home they are not allowed to do work. So it not right they also have there life whatever they want they can do it now. “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it”. – C.S. Lewis it tells the reality of life but it not describe what they going from.
In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, Boris Pasternak’s quote resonates profoundly, “Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.” The narrative unfolds in a Harlem neighborhood, portraying seemingly ordinary children exposed to economic disparity. The protagonist, Sylvia, becomes a lens through which readers witness the jolting realization of social inequality. Ordinary moments, like a trip to a toy store, transform into a exploration of privilege and societal injustice. Bambara utilizes everyday language to articulate the extraordinary challenges faced by marginalized communities. Through the characters, the story unveils layers of societal critique, echoing Pasternak’s idea of extracting the extraordinary from the ordinary. “The Lesson” is a good example of literature’s power to show profound truths about ordinary lives, acting as a mirror reflecting the disparities woven into the fabric of society, thereby fulfilling Pasternak’s vision of literature as a pathway for extraordinary revelations
Reading through all the quotes,I chose-” literature adds to reality,it does not simply describe it.”(C.Slwels) because literature expands into many different understandings around society today. In the the story “The lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, Syliva plays a big role in how society is seen from two different perspectives. she sees the way Miss Moore describes the social classes in front of the kids and expands her thoughts about the rich and poor people. She goes on by saying “What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t in on it?”..In other words, she finds that society is unfair and people who work hard get everything they want while people who struggle still try and can’t get what they want or need. Miss Moore describes these locations herself, as well as the differences in how the children behave while there- to express and have the kids think more about lifting themselves out of poverty and experience life outside of the projects.
According to Salman Rushdie, “Literature is where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society and in the human spirit, where I hope to find not absolute truth but the truth of the tale, of the imagination and of the heart.” This statement was picked since it is something that we all face on a regular basis. I like how Salman Rushdie says, “I hope to find not absolute truth, but the truth of the tale of the imagination and the heart.” To me, it is finding things in life or deciding the reality of things, not just the truth but also the experience itself, in order to learn more from the truth. It inspired me and makes a lot of sense.I really enjoy how he states literature is a part of human civilization and the human soul. That means a lot to me. Saying that there is literature even in our own communities and in our hearts.
“Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere” (Rhys). This quote reveals that literature helps us understand things that are unknown or “immigrants” to us. It opens new doors and perspectives. The story I’ve read a few weeks ago called “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara relates to this quote by Jean Rhys. In the story, Sylvia, our narrator faces something similar as she, her cousin and some of her friends visits an expensive toy store. When she first visits the city she is an immigrant to the world outside of that her neighborhood. “So we. . .And then she gets to the part about we all poor and live in the slums which I don’t feature” (Bambara). Inside the store she finds a toy that cost $39 and a toy with a $1000 tag on it. As a result she questions herself if they lived in the same world as the people who shop there do. “Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats? What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t in on it?” (Bambara). Sylvia learns about the economic inequalities they face and the different worlds they live in. Furthermore, the story highlights how literature can take both Sylvia and her cousin away from their home but more importantly, help them find new perspectives everywhere.
C.S. Lewis’ literary quote, “We read to know that we are not alone.” In “Araby,” the unnamed young protagonist experiences the turmoil of first love and subsequent awakening to reality, representing the human experience of desire and disillusionment. The narrator is infatuated with Mangan’s sister, and her feelings transform the everyday into something magical, representing literature as an escape from reality. The boy’s journey to the bazaar is a lonely journey driven by his dream of obtaining a gift for the girl. This journey represents his attempt to fulfill his romantic desires. The harsh realities he experiences there, the closing stalls, the indifferent conversations, make him feel alone and betrayed by his own expectations. It is this shared experience of weakness, hope, and disappointment that aligns with Lewis’s quote and shows how this literature connects us through shared emotions and experiences. Literature expands our imagination, gives us different ideas, and changes our view of the world.
The literature quote that I have chosen for my literature essay is “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it.” The literature quote was written by C.S Lewis. I chose this quote because I believe that it is a metaphor to what we see in our everyday lives. Whether we use it to see life in a new way, a diferent way, or the same way, it advocates that literature has the ability to change our perception of life and the world. It can also present new outlooks to the world. This quote can tie into the recent reading “The Necklace.” The dissapointed and unhappy look from the hero Mathilde Loisel because she is money hungry and only cares for materialistic things, but that is not what life is all about. Those type of things only heal you temporarily, not forever. It is also pretty unnecessary. Life is much bigger than worrying about materialistic things you crave for.
The quote I selected “reading makes us immigrants of us all, it takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere” by Jean Rhys embodies perfectly the essence of the story I chose “The Handsomest Drowned Man” by Gabriel García Marquez. As I was reading the story, I was able to capture vivid images of the island and the houses of the people where the story is taking place. Because of how well, the narrator explains the details of the island and the houses of the people who live on the island. For me, this quote signifies that as we read, the author’s precise descriptions of the story’s settings can enter our minds. And we start to become familiar with those places even though we haven’t seen them in real life or visited them. But because we can imagine them, we can know the place. An example is Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s story “The Handsomest Drowned Man” When we are reading the story, the narrator starts explaining the small doors and ceiling of the house. We could imagine some parts of the house. And how the villagers made them bigger, so the spirit of the man could pass through them.
The quote I decided to use fro my essay was “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it” by C.S Lewis meaning that literature evolves all around the world. Literature shows a different type of view in any circumstance without judging and in the story by Toni Cade Bambara’s story “The Lesson” Sylvia was taken to see two different aspects in society and seeing the difference between the rich and the poor and race. In this view it gives of look of competency because its if they were to be competing for which society side it better. Rich people don’t have poor people problems, “the poor” struggle to pay and earn certain privileges, “the rich” not so much. Their world are normally seen to get things easier, be able to afford and sometimes not be appreciative and want more.
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it”. – C.S. Lewis I chose this quote for the story “Story of The Hour” because it captures the aspect that a work of fiction transcends from being more than just literature. The story follows a married woman who at first grieves the death of her husband. After processing her husband’s death, she comes to the realization that his death could possibly bring more good than bad. In a society where all women had to look forward to was marriage, we see a woman suddenly become free from marriage and start to envision a life with endless possibilities that benefit no one else but herself. In today’s society, women now have the freedom to choose whether or not to be a stay-at-home wife, a choice that wasn’t possible for women before. However, there are still women who find themselves trapped in marriages they have devoted the majority of their life to. This work of literature isn’t just a short story, in some ways, women can still relate to it. The longing to be more than just a wife, and the harsh reality of how unlikely it can be to spread your horizons.
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it” by C.S Lewis In other words, through the eyes of literature, everyone can view the world in a fresh, new approach. It is an active and imaginative interpretation of the world around us rather than just a passive reflection of it. Literature can change how we view the world and provide new ideas and insights. Children are taught in Toni Cade Bambara’s story “The Lesson” that despite their poverty, they may overcome social obstacles and eventually earn the toys and be treated equally. Sylvia went on the journey with the most attitude and ignorance, expecting to learn nothing at all, yet she was the one who fully understood the most. She lacks the knowledge necessary to understand that there is a struggle in society between the rich and the poor, which may be characterized as social classes. Although there is no obvious ending, Sylvia does understand the lesson Miss Moore has been trying to teach to the children.
“They thought that he would have had so much authority that he could have drawn fish out of the sea simply by calling their names and that he would have put so much work into his land that springs would have burst forth from among the rocks so that he would have been able to plant flowers on the cliffs” (MÁRQUEZ). In “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” the quote captures the profound transformation that occurs within the small coastal village upon discovering the handsome drowned man. Initially, the villagers perceive themselves as ordinary and their village as insignificant. However, the arrival of the stranger stirs their collective imagination. They begin to envision the drowned man as a figure of unparalleled authority, believing he could draw fish from the sea with a mere call and make their land flourish with lush springs and flowers. This perception inspires the villagers to undertake an extraordinary collective effort to honor the stranger in death. They treat him as a beloved, legendary figure, constructing grand plans for his funeral and even changing the layout of their homes to accommodate his imagined stature. The quote embodies the central theme of transformation, illustrating how the stranger’s mere presence leads the villagers to reimagine themselves and their village as something extraordinary, ultimately highlighting the power of storytelling and the impact of the extraordinary on the ordinary.
