William Olsen, Period 7, 3/23/22

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

We are currently reading Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice, and I have found it to be one of the most interesting topics we have discussed this year. Vampire and other monster media such as zombies are and have been very prevalent in popular culture during the time I was growing up. I remember reading a series called “The Vladimir Tod Chronicles” in middle school and being very intrigued by it, despite knowing that it was just some cheesy middle-schooler/young adult series. I don’t really remember much about the series, other than that the main character, Vladimir Tod, was a vampire who was trying to live a normal life in school and with friends. He didn’t want to eat humans, despite his thirst for blood, since his mom, who died, was a human and he had human friends. He got his blood from his aunt who smuggled home blood bags from her job as a nurse. The premise of a vampire that is plagued by their resistance to feeding off humans is obviously paralleled in Louis, who also tries to resist his natural urges and thirst for innocent human blood. Although this concept is probably present in many other pieces of vampire media, in Interview With The Vampire, it provides many layers for Louis’ character and many opportunities for metaphors and symbolism, also sometimes as a result of his comparison with Lestat. Louis questions his existence and purpose as the monster he has become, also feeling at odds with his own nature at times. This can also relate to some of the conversations we had during Grendel regarding human nature and philosophies on life. That is what I find interesting about the book. On the surface, it’s an interesting story about vampires that you don’t really need to think hard about to understand and enjoy(even though it is very uncomfortable most of the time). However, everything has a symbolic meaning behind it, and you need to absorb everything and think deeply to understand what Anne Rice was trying to portray.  Although oftentimes I get lost trying to think of this symbolism, thinking critically and challenging myself while reading makes me enjoy the experience of reading the book better. In addition, I have found the class discussions for this book very interesting. Despite the topic of the conversations often being awkward because of their serious nature, discussing these topics through the symbolism in the book and talking about issues such as surviving abuse has been very thought-provoking. I often find myself thinking about the readings and the discussions outside of class throughout my day.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

Another novel we have recently read in class was John Gardner’s “Grendel”. I found it very difficult to read and digest at times, but the themes and class discussions about the philosophical ideologies portrayed through the shaper, the dragon, and Grendel were extremely intriguing and thought-provoking. Like most people, and like Grendel, I often find myself questioning my life, my purpose, and my existence. Also, like Grendel as he is influenced by the dragon, I sometimes find myself in nihilistic thought, especially during the heart of the COVID pandemic. That is why our discussions in class and learning about these different philosophies constantly led to me thinking about my own philosophies, and I learned about myself as a result. I learned that it doesn’t really matter to me if we have a purpose or if our lives hold meaning because our lives are what we make of them and it is up to us to find the beauty in the small things in our lives.

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

Philosophical thought has been around since the dawn of time. It is in our human nature to question everything, especially our existence and the meaning of life. Learning about nihilism and existentialism through “Grendel” has lead me to really think deeper about my own philosophies, as I mentioned before. Ever since reading Grendel I have made a conscious effort to go about my day in the ways that will make me happy and create situations that will benefit me in the way I want to live my life.