The Power of Outside Influences

   

      Outside influences usually hinder your identify. Outside influences can cause you to be someone you really aren’t. By having different versions of ourselves, we are able to see whether identity is merely just a product of the people we hang around or a product of certain circumstances we have to attend to. I think identity should not be a product of outside influences because you are now forced to conform to a standard that may make you lose pieces of your identity. However, if the outside influence is extremely positive and strong it can become a part of one’s identity. This concept is presented in many novels with literary merit.
      “Respectfully, I am your humble servant, A. Hebert Bledsoe”. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison follows an anonymous narrator who is on the search to find his true identity. One of the major events that occurred during the narrator’s journey was when he got kicked out of college. The key player in this event was the president of the college, Mr. Bledsoe. Throughout the novel, Mr. Bledsoe has conflicting personas. On one end, he represents a strong individual who cannot be undermined by race and on the other end; he represents an individual who is controlled by race. This is the perfect example of essential question #4 which is how do we respond to outside influences while remaining true to ourselves? We respond to outside influences while remaining true to ourselves by having different versions of ourselves. The first version of Mr. Bledsoe occurs when he is around his own race. As evidence, “No sir, they don’t control this school, nor white folk either. True they support it but I control it…I’m still the king down here”. As Mr. Bledsoe is having this conversation with the narrator, the reader can sense some sort of confidence within the character. Mr. Bledsoe is confident in his role and despite the downfalls of his race he knows that he is on top. However in the contrary, Mr. Bledsoe has a version of himself where he lets go of this confidence to cater to the white society. This can be seen when Mr. Bledsoe signs what was supposed to be the narrator’s recommendation letter with “I am your humble servant”. Mr. Bledsoe lost all control once he began addressing a member of the white society. There is this sense of vulnerability that was present at this moment. 
      The outside influence for Mr. Bledsoe was white society. He responded to this influence by acting as a servant towards them. This hindered his identity because in order to please this outside influence he had to create a version of himself that he initially did not agree with. This just goes to show that one should only let outside influences change who they are when they are changing for a positive reason instead of changing as a way to please people. This is the ultimate way one can respond to outside influences while remaining true to his or her self.

The Great Gatsby: A Work of Literary Merit

What is literary merit? It’s okay if you don’t know the answer because before my

AP Literature and Composition teacher mentioned it, I had no idea what it was either. If I were to define literary merit, I would define it as a book that is considered quality work by professionals. Professionals include people like English professors. These types of books have a certain level of skill in them that proves their worth. They allow for further analysis that teaches some sort of insight.

One example of a work of literary merit would be my current independent reading book which is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Why would this book be considered of literary merit? The Great Gatsby is a book that follows Jay Gatsby, an extremely wealthy man who has all the luxuries in life but the one thing he wants he can’t have which is a lady named Daisy. This book presented the idea of the American dream which is having the opportunity to have a wealthy lifestyle where you can have whatever you want. Gatsby had this but what he really longed for was to have something money could not buy. Through this, Fitzgerald wanted to show that just because Jay Gatsby had every component that would satisfy the true American dream, he was still unhappy because he couldn’t have Daisy. This analysis lends itself to teach that money isn't everything. Just because one may be wealthy does not mean that you should forget about the simpler things in life like love, family, and friends because those are the things that will make you truly happy.

Therefore, The Great Gatsby could be considered a work of literary merit because it is quality work. This book has a strong underlying message that can be understood once the reader takes time to fully analyze the reading. Now, I want you to see whether the book you are reading would be considered a work of literary merit. If not, identify why and try to pick a book to read that would be considered quality work.

Welcome To The Start Of Rekindling Our Love For Reading!

Welcome Everyone! I know what you are thinking, why would anyone want to create a blog about reading?! Well here’s my answer and no it’s not because it was required by my English teacher even though that may actually be a little bit of the reason. However, I think this blog can help me really get back to appreciating books they way I did when I was younger and if you are having this issue as well maybe my blog can help you too. This blog will focus mainly on different works of literature and the many observations I have for each reading. Therefore, I think it’s appropriate to tell you guys about how my journey with books all started and how it has progressed over time. The first book I ever fell in love with was the Junie B. Jones series. I love these books because I was able to connect with them on a personal level. I read every single book in the series and I still remember the famous sentence that opened every book which was “My name is Junie B. Jones. The "B" stands for Beatrice. Except, I don't like Beatrice. I just like "B" and that's all.” The series starts when Junie is a little girl and in each book she talks about different events that occur in her life as she grows up. My best friend at the time and I would always challenged each other on who could finish the books first. As I started to grow up, I lost that sense of excitement to read. I began only reading books that were assigned in class and even then I didn’t enjoy the books I was reading. The hardest thing for me to do know is to connect with a book and its deeper meaning. So, my goal for this blog is to be able to get back to that enjoyment I had while reading and being able to share my experiences along the way with you guys.