A Note from the Editor, Abby M.
Hi! My name is Abby, and one of my favorite books is called Redeeming Love written by Francine Rivers. It’s a Christian Fiction book that was recommended to me by my aunt this past summer. I took her word for it and got a copy to read. I loved every minute of it, which is strange for me because I don’t usually read for pleasure. I love reading, but I am very busy and if the plot isn’t interesting I can’t stay focused which makes reading on my own a challenge.
Redeeming Love is a story about a girl named Angel who grew up as an orphan and prostitute. One day, a man of God named Hosea, who had never actually met her, came and fought to take her out of the horrible life she has been living. He saved her from all she had ever known and gave her a new life full of love and freedom. However, she kept running back to her old way of life because she couldn’t understand how anybody as wonderful as Hosea was could love someone as dirty as herself. Every time Angel ran away Hosea relentlessly sought to get her back.
I love this story so much because it demonstrates how God loves us. It’s the most beautiful and perfect love story ever written. It’s the ultimate love story that has been happening since creation. Hosea represents God, and Angel represents humans. I love seeing the truth the plot holds and how it connects to everyday life. I think my favorite thing about fiction is finding the truth it demonstrates about the world. I like uncovering the hidden meaning a story is conveying. I like comparing it to what God says, and I love when it agrees.
Through my love of this story and others like it, I think I am attracted to biographical and eco-criticism. I really enjoy knowing why people do things, and this also applies to why an author writes a story or writes in a certain way. I want to know what it is about that person that has caused them to make the particular
choices in their art that they have. As it applies to Redeeming Love, I’d be very interested to find out more about who Francine Rivers is and maybe why she chose to write such a symbolic, compelling novel. The other type of criticism I’m attracted to is eco-criticism. I love nature and being outside, so I think it’s interesting to find the ways literature connects to the nature around us. Below I've taken some time to tell you a little bit about the works I've chosen for my anthology. Happy reading!
Fiction
"Volar" by Judith Ortiz Cofer
I was intrigued by this story because it tells a powerful story in such a short amount of words. The story is only about three pages long, yet tells of all the dreams of a young immigrant girl. This story was also so simple and childlike in that way. This story was told from a child's perspective which made it especially enthralling to me. I loved being able to glimpse the world from a child's eyes. I noticed that this story as well as the poem I chose both had to do with the way people saw themselves. The little girl in this story is insecure with her body and wishes she could be a superhero. She wants to be something other than herself.
Poetry
"Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy
I began reading this poem not knowing what to expect. It began really normally with a young girl playing with toys one would stereotype as "girl" toys. However, the ending took a quick turn. I was very surprised and intrigued with the ending. I wanted to explore the idea of women letting others influence what they thought of themselves. By the way, I don't want to give away the ending, so you'll just have to read it!
Drama
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
This drama was one of the most interesting dramas I've ever read because of the siblings rivalry mixed with the ancestry. This drama is a story about a brother and sister who have a piano which has been in their family forever. The brother wants to sell the piano for money, but the sister wants to keep the piano in the family. They tell of how the piano came about and why it is special. I thought it was really neat to get to peek into their family history and why something may be important to a family.
--Abby M.
Redeeming Love is a story about a girl named Angel who grew up as an orphan and prostitute. One day, a man of God named Hosea, who had never actually met her, came and fought to take her out of the horrible life she has been living. He saved her from all she had ever known and gave her a new life full of love and freedom. However, she kept running back to her old way of life because she couldn’t understand how anybody as wonderful as Hosea was could love someone as dirty as herself. Every time Angel ran away Hosea relentlessly sought to get her back.
I love this story so much because it demonstrates how God loves us. It’s the most beautiful and perfect love story ever written. It’s the ultimate love story that has been happening since creation. Hosea represents God, and Angel represents humans. I love seeing the truth the plot holds and how it connects to everyday life. I think my favorite thing about fiction is finding the truth it demonstrates about the world. I like uncovering the hidden meaning a story is conveying. I like comparing it to what God says, and I love when it agrees.
Through my love of this story and others like it, I think I am attracted to biographical and eco-criticism. I really enjoy knowing why people do things, and this also applies to why an author writes a story or writes in a certain way. I want to know what it is about that person that has caused them to make the particular
choices in their art that they have. As it applies to Redeeming Love, I’d be very interested to find out more about who Francine Rivers is and maybe why she chose to write such a symbolic, compelling novel. The other type of criticism I’m attracted to is eco-criticism. I love nature and being outside, so I think it’s interesting to find the ways literature connects to the nature around us. Below I've taken some time to tell you a little bit about the works I've chosen for my anthology. Happy reading!
Fiction
"Volar" by Judith Ortiz Cofer
I was intrigued by this story because it tells a powerful story in such a short amount of words. The story is only about three pages long, yet tells of all the dreams of a young immigrant girl. This story was also so simple and childlike in that way. This story was told from a child's perspective which made it especially enthralling to me. I loved being able to glimpse the world from a child's eyes. I noticed that this story as well as the poem I chose both had to do with the way people saw themselves. The little girl in this story is insecure with her body and wishes she could be a superhero. She wants to be something other than herself.
Poetry
"Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy
I began reading this poem not knowing what to expect. It began really normally with a young girl playing with toys one would stereotype as "girl" toys. However, the ending took a quick turn. I was very surprised and intrigued with the ending. I wanted to explore the idea of women letting others influence what they thought of themselves. By the way, I don't want to give away the ending, so you'll just have to read it!
Drama
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
This drama was one of the most interesting dramas I've ever read because of the siblings rivalry mixed with the ancestry. This drama is a story about a brother and sister who have a piano which has been in their family forever. The brother wants to sell the piano for money, but the sister wants to keep the piano in the family. They tell of how the piano came about and why it is special. I thought it was really neat to get to peek into their family history and why something may be important to a family.
--Abby M.