To Nit-Pick Or Not To Nit-pick?

I am a student of the arts. Mainly of, the creative arts such as Media studies and English. However, recently I've been studying for an upcoming English module retake and I got so frustrated with all the silly information I have to learn.

Literature is defined as: "the writings dealing with a particular subject". Nowhere, in that definition does it suggest that literature is where we analyze a play, a poem, or a story in anyway. What good does that do anyone? Literature, literally, is writing that deals with a particular subject. And the writer is likely to identify this subject in the introduction, or notes. Therefore, why do we insist on nit-picking things apart?

Is it just human instinct? Do we need to nit-pick, to find the flaws and the perfections and meanings so that we ourselves can identify with what the writer is trying to say? Can we not just accept things for what they are? And what they were meant to be? Is it really necessary for us to pull things apart to see the bigger picture? And if so, are we really that blind that we can't see it in the first place?

As I am writing these words, are you trying to find a hidden meaning in what I'm trying to say? Are you thinking "Oh shes writing this because she is upset with her life because she cant revise literature and therefore wrote this post as a result"? Well, let me tell you something.

I'm writing this post because I am a writer. I am interested in the particular subject of literature and therefore am dealing with it in the way that literature defines me to do so. I am not using smilies, or rhetorical questions so that you can sit here and pick apart every word I've just written in order to find a hidden meaning.

There is no hidden meaning. This is what I'm saying. This is not what literature is about. We should be being taught how to put into effect the things which we are told to look for. That way, we can identify on how to do them ourselves and then we won't need to nit-pick things apart, because we'll know what to look for and will understand things as the bigger picture.

So now I'm off to be the good literature student that I am [not..] and nit-pick apart some Seamus Heaney, Brian Friel and William Shakespeare. And I bet, in the time that these writers existed, not one of the audience was thinking of the hidden meaning while watching the play or reading the poem.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.

I've had a private journal for four years now and just the other day I was reading some of my backdated entries.

Much to my horror, I realized that some of things I used to complain about all those years ago, somehow, I still seem to complain about them now. Although the situations usually involve different people or places. Something is different but yet my complaint is the same.

It got me thinking. Are we destined to make the same repetitive mistakes? Are we just living the same old story with brand new people? And can we ever change its course? Can we somehow live the same story but negotiate the outcome?

I once wrote in a poem 'Because that's what the present is, just an updated version of the past'. It wasn't until now that I realized how true my words were.

And they say that you learn from your mistakes. If we are making the same mistakes over and over, are we really ever learning anything?

Turn The Lights On.

I once heard the lyric:

'It's hard to be courageous in a world that doesn't care for you.'

Lately, I've discovered how true this statement is. Life is hard, life is unfair and from my experiences, life will almost always disappoint you. Now I know that sounds terribly depressing and you're probably all groaning and thinking 'then what's the fucking point?'. Trust me, if I knew the answer to that question, I'd be a millionaire by now.

I was lying in my bed last night, plunged into the darkness and I was feeling lonely and lost and completely stupid. And when you're in this state, you do truly begin to wonder about the world and whether it does truly care for you. Really, it doesn't.

There is one time in your life when it will. The world will care for you in your fifteen minutes of fame. But once those fifteen minutes are over you are thrown back to the hungry wolves and left to struggling to fend for yourself and trying to make it through another day. And when you're struggling,that's when you realize you need to find a way out. You could befriend a wolf, become a wolf or hide/run away from them. But what keeps you going, is hope and knowing. You know and/or you hope, that you will make it through.

And although the world may not care, if you take that step and be courageous you will find out that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You just need to find a way to turn it on. I somehow managed to turn mine on by confiding in a friend, who at the same time is a complete stranger. But at 2am, they were there for me and somewhere in the darkness, a light turned on for me and it gave me hope that I was able to go on. And although the light turned on, and the world opened up to me, it still didn't care, but neither did I.

All that matters is just existing and knowing that someone out there does care and will be there to help you turn the light on, if needs be. And even if their advice isn't the greatest, you could always take a trip to IKEA and buy a night light and turn it on yourself.

People won't always be there for you, and that's when you learn that sometimes, you just gotta take care of yourself.