I know a lot of people who practically live on dA, so I think it'd be smart to post this here as well. XD This is the blog I just posted on my WordPress. If you read this, PLEASE leave some comments?

I’m sitting here in my newfound niche of the LLC (different from LCC, this is much classier) with two hours to spare before my late night shift starts. I had a plethora of great discussions today, and by plethora, I mean two, but that’s more than usual. Maybe it’s the caffeine-induced panic attack that makes me want to write, or the fact that I’m bored out of my mind, but I’m truly motivated to write about those two conversations.

The first occurred in the discussion section of my Francophone African literature class. Our task was to think of “issue questions” – essentially, if the book could talk, what would it be asking you? – for the novel The Dark Child by Camara Laye. I personally had some trouble with this, and could NOT think of anything. I think everyone else may have been a little slow to pick up on the concept, and I understand why. For examples, we thought of some issue questions for The Poor Christ of Bomba by Mongo Beti and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Steve, the GTF gave plenty of examples, but even without examples, it would have been fairly easy to think of some. Both books are controversial. So coming up with questions like, “Is colonialism good,” or “Is a symbiotic relationship between the colonizer and the colonized possible,” was cake. But when posed with the same task for The Dark Child, I ran into wall. Now, the pessimistic, self-doubting side of me said, “You’re just not trying hard enough, Shelby.” But while I was mulling this all over in my head, I thought, “Are there REALLY any issues in this novel?” I tossed around the idea of mentioning this, and after about fifteen minutes, spoke up. “Well, The Dark Child is Laye’s autobiography… Does there have to be an issue, or a point? He’s writing to reminisce on his childhood, not necessarily to prove a point or support an ideology. He just wants to write for the sake of writing.”

I’ve always been a believer of “art for the sake of art.” Look at my deviantART account. Some of my pictures have meaning, but I can honestly say that about 90% of those pictures were taken simply because the idea looked pretty in my head. While I can be a deep, thoughtful person, I really am pretty vain, and just want things to be aesthetically pleasing. Literature is art, so why can’t the same idea be applied here? While I was debating bringing this idea up, I kept thinking to myself, “I can’t believe no one has said this yet. It seems so obvious to me. Are these people really just thinking too hard?”

And I can understand why they would overthink it. I’m sure many of them thought the same thing as me, and like me, thought it was stupid. Because why would you study literature that doesn’t have a point, no moral or support for an ideology? Studying literature is supposed to be about forming your opinion, and supporting it. How do you form an argument on someone’s life?

I think people are losing the simplicity in life. Life isn’t always about arguing. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit down and read about things are aren’t real, or in this case, things that ARE real, but are peaceful. Why else would fantasy novels exist? People write for many reasons – for money, for entertainment, for their own sanity. I write for my sanity, you know that from my first entry. People write to reminisce, so they remember what life was like years ago. So they can feel good. And while this may not seem to fit in with a class that is supposed to analyze literature, I think that’s because my professor is trying to throw us a curveball. This IS a class about forming a thesis based on the reading, and while you CAN form a thesis from The Dark Child, it’s not just meant to be a study piece. It’s meant to be enjoyable. And I can prove this from the novel’s introduction by Philippe Thoby-Marcelin: “The Dark Child, properly speaking, is not a novel. It is an autobiographical story to be read at one sitting, yet Camara Laye with very simple means and without apparent art, manages to keep the reader in suspense until the end as in a work of pure fiction.”
Fiction. While it is obvious that it’s non-fiction, it has the qualities of fiction. So while it should be read with a critical eye, that’s not to say that the author was thinking, “Hey, don’t enjoy this novel for it’s plot. It’s meant to be studied and discussed.” It’s quite the opposite. However, this is only MY belief, being that I’m a strong advocate for ,”If it looks pretty, shoot it/if you feel like writing for yourself, write it, and if someone else enjoys it, then you’ve killed two birds with one stone.”

Second conversation:

I had a lovely discussion with a fellow scholar (aka boyfriend) of mine today about the great thing that is, religion. I’m really not one to talk about religion, probably because every religious talk I’ve had has ended in, “You’re wrong because the Bible says so.” So I don’t like to be “corrected” time and time again. I think that’s probably where my dislike of religion comes from. I hate being told I’m wrong. And who doesn’t? I just don’t react as well as others do. So he and I were discussing the paper he just wrote for his writing class, the topic of which was independence. Brogan comes from a VERY staunch Roman Catholic family. This actually caused A LOT of our problems during our previous relationship, and is about 90% of why we first broke up. That aside, Brogan just moved out a few months ago and is living with friends. I know that was a huge change for him, since I know what the daily practices were when he was living with his mom. The family tried going to church every Sunday, although that usually ended up in a monthly trip, but everyone said a prayer before they ate, and of course the formal grace before big, family meals. “The very mention of Obama made my mom cringe,” he said. Talk of gay marriage and abortion is virtually none in that house, unless the people supporting it are being mocked. Me, coming from a very liberal family, found it hard to be there a lot of the time. Brogan himself now admits to feeling trapped there.

So he wrote his paper on moving out, and how after moving out, he has become much more lax on his Catholic practices. I don’t think he’s attended church in at least three months. The first time I saw him after our break up, he didn’t say a prayer before he ate, which he always did, even if he was eating a single Starburst or a handful of popcorn. He doesn’t treat gay people with intolerance like he used to. It was only very recently that I openly admitted to him that I’m bisexual – he already knew this, but I never brought it up with him, because I was afraid he would leave. Essentially, he’s not the same person he used to be. And he has accepted that, and is okay with it. He’s alright with not going to church and saying rosaries, among other things. So he wrote about gaining his religious independence.
Now, one of the things that became very apparent to me shortly after we started dating was just HOW Catholic his family is. When I say Catholic, I mean CATHOLIC. Cousins and aunts/uncles are persistent about him becoming “confirmed.” For any non-Catholics out there, this is where you take some intense Catechism classes, and formally say that you are a Catholic. This is a HUGE step for any Catholic person, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. However, even though he’s moved out and is legally an adult, his family is still pushing it on him. A lot of his cousins are being forced to become confirmed, and this is where I spoke up.

Now I’m not a religious person by any means whatsoever. But I try my very best to respect religion. Just because it’s not for me, doesn’t mean I have to bash on it. This idea of being “forced confirmed” really hit a nerve with me. I would NEVER be forced to do something I didn’t want to do. And ethically speaking, I would not allowed myself to become confirmed. In my mind, that’s a disgrace to the religion, and a disgrace to the people who practice it. If you are not 100% devoted, you shouldn’t do it. But is aunts/uncles want their children to be confirmed, probably because it’s a tradition, and it’s respectable. And it IS respectable. I have respect for someone who can devote themselves like that. But I don’t have respect for people who just do it because they’re made to, or figure, “What the hell, it’ll make my parents happy.”

I love to make people happy, don’t get me wrong. But I’m not a “eople pleaser.” I don’t do things I don’t agree with to make people happy, or to keep the peace. I didn’t hide my orientation from my parents. My mom knew when I lost my virginity, and my I tell her everything I think she should know about my life, whether I think she’ll like it or not. Thankfully, her acceptance is not much of an issue. Like I said, my parents are very liberal, so the day I said, “Mom, I like girls,” she just said, “Oh. Whatever makes you happy.” Not out of apathy, but out of complete understanding.
Brogan’s family, is very different. If anyone were to admit to being gay, or having an abortion, or having premarital sex, I don’t think that disownment would be a farfetched solution to that problem. So a few days ago, when Brogan mentioned on Facebook that he slept in the same bed as me, he lied to his cousin who asked what was up. While that’s a very trivial issue to me, that’s big to his family. Couples are not to live together, let alone sleep in the same house or bed, until they’re married. My parents let Brogan sleep in the same bed with me, nearly every other night he stays over. They have no issue with it. Brogan’s mom has accepted the fact that he’s his own person now, but the rest of his family is still really insistent on those old beliefs. So I brought this up with Brogan. While I understand his motives for lying, because no one likes to start a fight, I think it’s a bad idea. They’re going to find out that he practically lives with me eventually, and I told him I would NOT marry him without actually renting an apartment with him first. We’re both adults, and we should be able to act as such. It’s not his family’s business, and if they can’t accept the fact that we sleep in the same bed, and do more than hold hands, that’s too bad. I suppose this is easier said than done, since I don’t have this issue. But it only seems right to me to be honest and risk a little metaphorical slap on the wrist, than to lie and have it all come out later.

So I guess my main questions to you readers are:
Is it possible to make art for the sake of art?
Is it okay to study a novel which is meant to be read out of pure enjoyment, or does looking at literature in a classroom setting have to require much speculation?
Is it better to keep the peace, or be honest?
Is it right to force your child into something they make not be ready for, physically and/or mentally?
Do you think it’s wrong to do something like become confirmed if you’re not 100% devoted, or is it okay because it’s really just a title?

I’d love to hear everyones opinions on these. I apologize for any typos, and my very non-fluid way of writing.