Journal #1

             I have experienced many wonderful moments through the Arts, like music and museums, but most of my magical moments have all been through books.  I love to read classics, which are books written a very long time ago.  There is something about the language that was used hundreds of years ago that is truly compelling.  The vocabulary is so different than today and the way that the words are put together make us think deeper and really dig for what the author is trying to say.  These worlds that we, as readers, get to enter are so much different than what exists today.  The customs of life these characters live seem simpler in many ways, but their lives and relationships and ideas can also be much more complex.  Jane Austen remains one of my absolute favorite authors.  Pride and Prejudice, by the lovely Austen is one of my favorite books.  Sense and Sensibility and Emma, also by Austen, are equally as wonderful.  I also think that Ayn Rand is fantastic because she was such a thinker and a very strong-willed woman.  Many other classics, that were more complex, at least to me, were extremely mind boggling.  These include The Awakening, A Separate Peace, The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre and Heart of Darkness.  The Awakening and Heart of Darkness are not some of my favorites, but taught me many morals and I am glad I read them.  As for the rest of the classics I have read so far, I did not really like as much as the aforementioned.  I hope to read many more as I grow in the understanding of literature.  I also believe that Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling will one day be among these phenomenal authors and books.  They have brought me much joy.  If you have not already, I recommend reading the Harry Potter series.  All of these books have made, and still are, making huge impacts on so many lives.  They have given us entertainment, ideas, lessons, hope, happiness, and sorrow.  Thanks to all these wonderful and intelligent people.