literature

Whether written centuries ago or just last year, literary couples show that love is timeless.

Walt Whitman and Friedrich Nietzsche
WALT WHITMAN AND THE WILL OF EQUANIMITY “Have you heard that it was good to gain the day? I say also it is good to fall... battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won.”
By C. Rommial Butler4 years ago in Humans
Wanted: Creative Writing for A Kinder Superhero for a More Moral Social Media
Do you ever wonder why there is a general fascination with superheroes, especially for young people in their mastery of maturity? This complicated question must be examined in reference to ancient mythology, today’s shared consciousness within social media, and creative writing to create a kinder, gentler superhero for our times.
By Annemarie Berukoff4 years ago in Humans
Dear Ellen Ripley...
Dear Ellen Ripley, I have witnessed the trials in which you have survived, the horrors that you’ve seen, and the natural evil you continue to face. When I was born a child I was introduced to your valor, and then inspired me to be strong like you. I may not be facing aliens, or facing the hardships that come with space travel, but the challenges I do face are easier with your guidance. You taught me that survival is key, and sometimes that means dealing with or cutting out people in your life. Toxicity cannot exist if you’re looking for serenity. You search for the greener side of the valley, and so do I. This mentality has helped me through many trifles, though it isn’t bulletproof because it can also cause distance between those you would otherwise like to create a connection with. Survival is about the self, compassion is about others, and I’m still learning to incorporate both, like you do. If facing a Xenomorph, I would only try to protect my small circle of loved ones, and that simply isn’t enough if I want the world to change by sight alone. A couple of crewmembers that you never got along with were your last resort when fighting the single Xenomorph. You didn’t know those Marines, and in fact some of them insulted you, but you dove straight first into danger to get them out of a hazardous situation. Those prisoners did so much wrong that they needed to be on an isolated planet for their prison term, and you fought alongside them despite them trying to harm you directly. You brought them up higher than they could ever stand so that you could all bind together and defeat the single predatory alien. Then, once resurrected, forever biologically changed, you still hold onto the core of what makes you you. That crew owes you their lives, and the hybrid Xenomorph in which the queen birthed held your heart and his hands because you have that much love to give. And its demise, I saw the torment in your eyes, which told me that despite appearances, a connection is something you feel in your heart, something you cherish to no end. You also taught me that friends can be found in the most unlikely of places, so I might as well keep my eyes open for the signs of a genuinely good person. Your story is an inspiration to me, he gives me hope that I too can be a strong person with a big heart. No matter where I go, no matter what I do in life, this lesson will always be with me. Your story will always be one that I treasure. And down the line I want my children to feel the same way, I want them to learn what I have learned from you and become an even better person than I ever could. I want to have a baby Ripley, I want to raise a strong, independent and compassionate individual. I want my husband to share the same values, so we can all be a family of Ripleys. The negativity in the world sometimes clouds my judgment and I forget that there is so much positivity to be had in it as well. I will find it one day as long as I hold true to the teachings of Ellen Ripley, her story and her values. For there’s no such thing as no hope for this world until it is dead, and before that day is here I will continue to fight for the good, the caring and the mighty.
By Malory4 years ago in Humans
The Night Owl
1. Intro Night owls are a controversial topic as most people tend to think that night owls are lazy, stupid or even just stupid. So let’s look at facts.
By parth rakangor4 years ago in Humans
2021 Reading Wrap-up
For the past five years I've been doing a reading challenge where I read a certain number of books (based on the number at the end of the year), that all fulfill challenges that I come up with or have picked out from other challenges I've seen online. So as the end of 2021 is upon us, I thought I'd share the 21 books I read in 2021.
By The Austen Shelf4 years ago in Humans
What does it matter
"But what does it matter" she whispered staring out at the world. ***
By Aliyah Kazmi4 years ago in Humans
The Bump That Led to Love
A girl named Maria Lopez was doing her daily routine. She went to the grocery store and was looking for peppers so she could try this recipe she saw on the internet and a guy named Andrew Anderson bumped into her by accident. She then was startled and didn’t know what to say at that exact moment. After that Maria got diffident and then they said sorry and went about their days. Andrew watched as she walked away and he hoped that he would see her again someday soon. Maria kept having flashbacks of the whole innocent, but she did not pay it any mind and kept running her errands. Maria went to the mall to spoil herself so she could gloat and flaunt just a little. Andrew went home and called his best friend Tony and told him “Man I was at the store getting groceries and I accidentally bumped into this lady, she was so beautiful and it was almost like love at first sight.” Tony responded “Well did you get her number idiot?” He said “No, you know I’m not straight forward like that, but next time I see her I’ll build up the confidence to do so.” After that they continued to talk on the phone having normal guy talk and then Andre had to hang up to go cook dinner and Tony needed to get ready to go out since he was a ladies man. When they hung up Andrew sat there thinking “I don’t want to be like Tony I want a healthy and loving relationship that will last and for her to be my soulmate so we can grow old together.”
By Tiara Carter4 years ago in Humans
evil|live
I just appeared there, in the quiet darkness of an empty street. The neighbourhood was unfamiliar but I knew where I was, I could feel it all around me, permeating this place... evil resided here.
By Frederic Cohen4 years ago in Humans
Still Waiting For My Hogwarts Acceptance Letter
On the very edge of our seats, we wait to be saved from the parts of our lives that we have deemed void of vitality. Going to a midnight premiere is like wearing a giant badge that says “Warning Fan-girl.” Everyone remembers their first premiere when it’s something they love. At my first, teenage girls huddled and giggled to each other. The smell of buttery popcorn wafted around the theatre, and the tacky all-too-stereotypical dark carpet with strange 80’s patterns was due for an intense cleaning. I tried to put aside many expectations. I had worried for months that they wouldn’t get the movie right, that nothing could be better than the book.
By Kate McCallum4 years ago in Humans
Sick, Kid
Convincing yourself that you are going to die before the age of twenty-one is an unending nightmare. What’s worse is having no idea why. I played this game night after night in my room, breaking out into a cold sweat and wondering what everyone will do without me one day. I looked at my cat and wondered if he’d miss me as I laid in bed for the third day in a row, two days away from receiving a threatening letter from the school board that I may have to repeat ninth grade due to poor attendance. We get these every year, my mother tells me not to worry and tosses them into the trash while rolling her eyes. But telling me not to worry was as useless as the letters themselves.
By Sarah Lundeen4 years ago in Humans
Into the Blue
When I disappeared, California was singing. California was as California always is: bright and smiling. She was dancing; she was clicking her heels mid-air. She was La La Land. I’d seen that film in Venice just a month or two before I left. It was nice; nice in a kind of disconcerting way. By the time you all saw it, everything had changed.
By Rory Meade4 years ago in Humans
The Art of Cutting Oysters
He shared a watermelon with his son under the gazebo. It was the time of year when everything seemed to be in season and his pick of the bunch was always the watermelon.
By Eamonn Miller4 years ago in Humans