Literature – Page 2 – Savannah Schaffer

What I Learned Last Week

February 4, 2014 February 4, 2014Christianity, Culture, Education, History, Life, Literature

It’s a bit awkward when you sit down to write a blog post about everything you learned last week and your mind goes completely blank. I know that I didn’t do much besides studying, but I don’t remember a thing, haha. At that point I pull out my trusty binder and refer to the prodigious notes created last week. And now I remember one thing: I got a 100% on my chemistry exam! That literally stunned me. I am not strong in science or math, so I’ve thought it impossible for me to do well in a subject like chemistry….

Frost and Woolf: Tradition and Modernity

January 30, 2014 January 30, 2014Culture, Essays, History, Literature

This is an essay I wrote last semester for my Ideas of the 20th Century course. The assignment was to explore two modern artists who had contrasting views about progress and modernity. Robert Frost, a 20th century American poet, opposed the disintegration of tradition. He called for a return to convention both in the content and structure of his poetry. Some poems directly confront the erosion of civilization; others indirectly support his conservative tendencies in the overall structure. Mending Walls is an early poem by Frost, published in 1914. The poem tells of two rural New England neighbors who meet…

What I Learned

January 27, 2014 January 27, 2014Education, Life, Literature

I won’t guarantee this will happen every week, but on a somewhat regular basis I intend to share some of the things that I’ve recently learned in my studies. I watched the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet and read the original play. It really helped to watch and read concurrently. I’d watch an hour of the play, then read up to that scene in the play, and so forth. David Tennant’s performance as Hamlet really helped me understand his character, I think he did a fantastic job. Some of the mad and just quirky things he does in the…

Thoughts on Dracula

January 15, 2014 January 15, 2014Christianity, Essays, Literature

Preface: This is a short essay I wrote for my Science Fiction/Fantasy MOOC class last semester. It was challenging because of the word limit (320 words) and I would have liked to expand on the ideas much more. But at least it gave me practice in trying to condense my thoughts : ) So this essay is on Dracula, by Bram Stoker. The overarching tension of Dracula is the conflict between the traditional Christian worldview and the forces of evil. It is only through recourse to religion that the protagonists are able to overcome Dracula; science and technological advances were…

Announcing: New Fandom Member

August 18, 2013 August 18, 2013Book Reviews, Christianity, Literature

So anyone who knows me in person, or on Facebook for that matter, will know that I’m a huge fan of Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Downton Abbey. In that order. I can drive you crazy with my Doctor Who references. If you ask me about the show, be prepared for a 5 hour monologue on the subject. Well…over the past few weeks I had the opportunity to finally read The Lord of the Rings. I’ve had this on my to-do list for the last few summers. After my little sister read The Hobbit in a ridiculously short time I decided…

Book Review: Living for God’s Glory by Joel Beeke

October 2, 2012 October 2, 2012Book Reviews, Christianity, Culture, History, Literature

I heard Joel Beeke for the first time at the Ligonier National Conference in March of 2012 and of course since all the books there were at such an incredible discount, I couldn’t resist purchasing this one. I eventually got around to reading it a few months later. Overall, I really liked the idea of the book. I find that people sometimes think Calvinism can be reduced down to the 5 points or TULIP, and as long as your church affirms salvation by faith alone through Christ alone then you are Calvinistic. Well, maybe that’s true, but TULIP fits into…

Category: Literature