Week 2

"Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn."

-C.S Lewis

I came across this quote earlier this week, and it really got me to thinking of all the things we talk about when in AP Lit. Through our reading of literature, this semester, and last the works have focused around a huge events in a characters' lives. Last semester we watched as Siddhartha, found his way into the world looking for knowledge and wisdom. We took note as we watched Hamlet lead up to his own demise. We sympathized when Oedipus struggled with his destiny, and when Antigone was left to stand up for what was sghe felt was right. But most recently we have being watching as "the horror" plays out in Heart of Darkness.

I think the 'experience', more or less, that we should be taking from these works, is what is happening that leads these characters to do what they do. To not have to go through the pain and suffering that they do, but gather the experience and lessons from it.

I suppose that some would argue that the only way to learn a lesson, is to be face to face with it. But I would argue the fact that if a work is written well and from the heart, that it can teach you just as much, if not more, then a face to face experience. Heart of Darkness is a beautiful example of this fact.

Obviously, all 5'6 of me is not going to go trooping around the Congo, shooting "brutes", but I can learn from this book how devastating my greed, and treatment of others can lead to some bigger issues. All of these problems start from a single person dehumanizing others, and it leads into something almost unstoppable. For hate is easy to create, but hard to stop.

Lessons I have learned and experiences I have taken from these novels, have taught me valuable lessons. Lessons that I'm sure will carry on in the rest of my life. As C.S Lewis put is "My God, have I learned."