love, war, death, and life.

i'm taking a literature class that has been inspiring me and leaving me thinking about topics we discuss in class well after i've left the classroom setting. last night was no exception. it was a pretty emotional session as we discussed love, war, death, and life. it was also another shining example of how school is helping me discover who i am.

before i get into last night's discussion, i have to first say that my teacher is truly an amazing person. his passion for literature and teaching resonates onto us, his students. though some may argue that his teaching technique is unorthodox, there is no doubt that he loves what he does and for me, as a student, that is all i can ask for in a teacher.

with that said, he really brought out the honesty in all of us last night. one of my classmates, a lesbian, confided in us - releasing her anger and resentment towards a goverment that does not acknowledge gay rights. another student shared his experience with loss - a friend who died while serving in the army. there were actually a lot of stories about losing someone special to death. i was one of the few who raised their hands when asked, "how many of you have not experienced death of a loved one?" i couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty for raising my hand. in fact, i only raised it half-way because i didn't have the heart to raise my hand high in front of so many who have been through such a life altering ordeal. needless to say, it was an unforgettable discussion.

something else happened last night, too. two weeks ago we were encouraged to submit an extra credit assignment with the options of either writing an original sonnet or writing a parody to a poem that was read in class. it seemed easy enough and so i put 10 minutes aside at work and typed up a quick sonnet about my mom. i didn't realize how deep it was at the time but my teacher approached me at the break and asked if i'd be interested in submitting my sonnet in the poetry contest on campus! initially i laughed and thought to myself "is he serious?" but when i read my sonnet again, something touched me. my relationship with my mom is a very sensitive topic for me and it may be the very reason i subconsciously decided to write the sonnet about her. my teacher and i spoke more about my interest in poetry and he also asserted that my analytic responses to the poems we've been assigned to read have caught his attention. i didn't even know how to react! his praises humbled me deeply and resurrected my love for poetry.

it's experiences like these that make school worth it and i'm realizing more and more that it's helping me in more ways than i could have imagined.