Appraisal

I think one thing that I always forget to look at is the difficulty that must go with writing a book such as “Winesburg Ohio” or “Invisible Man”. I look at authors such as J.D Salinger and Ralph Ellison and I wonder how minds are capable of thinking and creating such complex works of art. I also wonder if it is an esoteric gift only given by God to the most unusual of individuals, or is someone who is rather insignificant (Such as I) able to conjure such interesting thoughts and ideas that challenge the traditional thinking of the Hoi Polloi? This also brings up the matter of whether or not writing literature in such a manner is a gift or is it a skill that is honed by countless hours of practice and thinking. Sometimes I would like to believe that it is a special skill because that makes it so much more wonderful, and I wish to have such a skill… I often believe I haven’t discovered it yet and I am on my way as I grow older and learn more about the world. But often I also wish it to be something that I can practice and master at my own accord, and that the creation of this wordily art is able to anyone that wants to change something or just write for the purpose of writing. I also wonder if these words will last forever, there are times when I get very sad and that is because there is a possibility that these famous works will not last, if we look at enormous revolutions such as the French Revolution or the Nazi occupation of Europe during the second world war… or Mao’s communist rule over China books are often engulfed in flame and destroyed just for the sake of destroying knowledge this is a very depressing thought as even though we may have the internet it is still destroy-able and some censorship or crazy natural anomaly can negate those beautiful and clairvoyant complex works of art. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradburry shows me the effects of a society without knowledge, not only is it extremely cold and lifeless but it is extremely harmful to those that live in the system. The small community that searched for the light was consistently hunted and killed because the books and words hidden from the population contained such valuable depth that it could spark a revolution. Words and books have always been a source of this, writings by Voltaire, Locke, or Rousseau were vital in editing and becoming the edited that helped formulate what modern philosophy today is. All I know is that reading is something that must remain key in the educational system, and if ever that reading is not required or taught to be loved then I must act as a spokesperson for a future filled with cantankerous ideology and hate.