Final Blog Assignment

Select at least two literary pieces we read and discussed in the course and explore how the author's theme affects and influences you.

The first piece that i am going to choose is a drama piece: "Andre's Mother"

The theme in this piece is about sorrow. It is about the fact that Andre's mother never got to know her son for the last few years of his life, and that he died without telling her he way gay or sick. The theme involves emotions of sorrow, not knowing, being left out, and extreme pain for the loss of Andre's mother.

The author's theme affects and influences me because i have felt the emotions of sorrow, not knowing, and being left out. Though, I never had to go as far as feeling the extreme pain from the loss of a loved one. During my freshman year of college my mother ended up in the hospital and i never found out until a few days later. I was so hurt and confused and at a loss. I wasn't talking, all i did was cry and just be sad. I can relate to Andre's mother in this way because like her, I didn't want to speak to anyone about it. It was as though keeping everything inside made it a little easier for the time being. I was so angry and so hurt and i felt so left out and that is probably how Andre's mother feels while she is standing there saying goodbye to her dead son.

The second piece of literature that i am going to choose is a poetry piece: "We Real Cool"

The theme in this poem is about a group of boys that want to do nothing other than "chill". They want to leave school, stay out late, play pool, curse, drink, and listen to jazz music even though they knows its not a good path to be on in life. The author even states this at the end of the poem by saying "We Die soon."

The author's theme in this poem influences me because it shows me some of the things that i never want to do with my life. It shows me that I were to ever end up going down the wrong path in life, what would happen. Sometimes, as students, we all get caught up in the bad activities that we partake in as a group on occasion; but if it were to become a daily thing where we could not control our urges or behaviors or if it goes to the point where we are missing school on a regular basis that would be tragic.