AP Literature is Depressing.

So far, AP Literature has been a truly depressing class, perhaps rightfully so. Plays like Othello and Waiting for Godot reveal many unsavory truths about mankind. We are a jealous, savage, purposeless, bored, worthless bunch. That is not a sentiment that incurs much faith for the future of humanity. There have been many lively discussions about each of the works we read and each one gave me something new to think about. Often though, these discussions led me to the conclusion that humanity is terrible, has always been terrible, and there is not much hope for the future. Learning about Transcendentalism was the exception. That taught me to "suck out all the marrow of life" but nihilism taught me that we cannot know anything and that everything is meaningless. Overall my outlook on life is much dimmer now than it was at the beginning of the year, but the jury is still out on whether or not this is a good thing. Through reading and discussions I discovered many new ways to look at life, and many hidden truths about human nature and purpose. If these things are true, whether or not they make me happy, this was a valuable class and my knowledge has been greatly broadened.