Rachel Yang, Period 7, 3/30/22

Rachel Yang Period 7 3/30/22

Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

Currently, we are reading Interview With A Vampire by Anne Rice. Growing up, I’ve never really had a fascination for vampires, but I also can’t say I necessarily dislike them. While iconic vampire shows/films including The Vampire Diaries, Twilight, and The Originals were all the craze, I never found myself interested in them. In fact the only vampire films I’ve watched (if you would even consider it one), were part of the Transylvania franchise. However, after reading thus far into the book, each chapter has captured my interest time and time again. Rice’s choice to tell the story through a conversation between Louis and the boy, and through Louis’ lens is what originally drew my interest. The decision to tell the story this way rather than a narration, adds more depth and life into the book. In a way, it feels like we are also a part of the conversation between Louis and the boy, and this new structure of writing definitely made reading the book a lot more engaging. In addition to the structure, it’s really interesting to see the way Rice hints at taboo topics throughout the book; from subtly incorporating homosexuality through the relationship of Lestat and Louis to the converstion of power imbalnce as seen through Claudia.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

A common lesson that has been shared among every unit we’ve had is that we should keep an open mind when interpreting any scenario. One particular instance that this especially came about, was the one lesson where we had to debate if Louis or Lestat were evil. While you might quickly say “YES! They are! They’re killing people!”, a deeper dive into both characters challenges the answer. Through human ethics, you would probably consider both to be evil, but through the vampire lens and ethics, their actions are not really seen to be evil. At the same time, we have to consider what does evil really mean? Evil is subjective, just like how good is subjective. The answer is not as black and white as it initially seems. This lesson has influenced the way I continue to read the novel. Rather than staying enclosed in my human bubble, I try to step out of it, which has led to a stronger understanding for Louis’ and Claudia’s character.  It’s important that we bring the mindset of taking a look at scenarios outside our own lens in everyday life. As every culture and lifestyle have different values, morals, and ethics. For instance, if we take a quick flashback to our Norse Mythology unit, Norse culture does not view killing to be wrong… that is as long as you are not betraying your own tribe. In contrast, we might see any form of killing to be wrong, regardless of whomever one has killed. This demonstrates the difference between perspectives, and how it is crucial to constantly take in the consideration of other views outside of what we are used to.