Fiction v. Nonfiction

Up until this point, I had read only fiction independent reading books. My last book was Guests of the Ayatollah, by Mark Bowden. This book is a potrayal of the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979, where the US Embassy in Iran was stormed by an Iranian militia and held hostage to further their political agenda. The 53 hostages were held in the embassy for 444 days, a miserable 15-month span. Between Guests of the Ayatollah and The Collector (A similar fiction book I read last time), there were some very noticable differences between the nonfiction and fiction titles. The nonfiction authors have less creative freedom than the fiction authors. Given that the nonfiction books don’t reflect the event 100%, the author still has a timeline that he can’t veer from too much. This has two effects, one of which is that it makes the nonfiction books more realistic. Since the nonfiction books are based on an actual event, the plot events will seem less far-fetched than some of the fiction books (Come on Suzanne Collins, no one wins the Hunger Games twice). However, it makes nonfiction books less suspensful. For the same reason, because the events are totally realistic, the book will have believable and sometimes predictable outcomes.   

Winding up English Class

This is my last straight forward english class of my educational career (hopefully). I am sure that there are many of us in the same boat as me. I’m goin to Nebraska-Lincoln next year in the Raikes School of Computer Science and Business. My english requirements will be filled by a special class of the program with both business and computer science integrated into it. I am semi-anticipating it because english is not my favorite class (litotes for the win!) and not having a strictly english class won’t bother me at all. However, with the class scope narrowing, school will be much different. I won’t be taking courses in the traditional core class structure, with all of my social science credits fulfilled too. It shouldn’t be trouble, but you know how significant change can bring about hesitation.  

One thing is for sure, I will be happy that this is my last english class. Although it has been my hardest english class to date in high school, I have certainly had more fun being with my close friends and learned a lot more too. I admit to taking the easy way out until this year...which made this year harder. Darn. Luckily I am/was in good hands. Overall, english class wasn’t the beast I had expected it to be. I had good teachers  all four years and never got overwhelmed (which is not a testament to superb english skills). I guess I must say: it’s been real english. No, I don’t expect to part ways and never see you again...but my biggest concern in high school turned out okay.

There is No Place Like Nebraska

There is one specific poem that I will never forget. The poem--turned song shortly after--has been played by and for me thousands of times; ‘There is No Place Like Nebraska’. Writing a recent blog post about limericks, I had completely overlooked this because I am only familiar with it in song. The two-versed poem follows a limericks meter and rhyme scheme (almost), but is not meant to be a joke. The words, which will forever be in my heart, go:

“There is no place like Nebraska,

Dear old Nebraska U,

Where the girls are the fairest,

The boys are the squarest,

Of any old place that I knew.

There is no place like Nebraska,

Where we are all true blue,

We will all stick together

In all kinds of whether,

For dear old Nebraska U.”

This poem was later turned into a march by John Phillip Sousa. The two verses both follow the rhyme scheme ABCCB, and each line has between 6-8 syllables. In the song format, the C rhyming line are said faster, to make it sound more like a true limerick. As another similarity, both B rhyming lines use masculine rhymes, while the C rhyming lines both use feminine rhymes. I now present to you ‘There is No Place Like Nebraska’ in song form performed by the Cornhusker Marching Band.