Ode to Classic Literature by Stephanie

Ode to Classic Literature by Stephanie - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

I was asked to choose one book that every student should read before graduation; however one cannot fully grasp the beauty of Literature in only one context. That is why I cannot choose simply one book to recommend. Instead, I have crafted this "love poem" to depict the overwhelming reach Classic Literature has had upon my life. I use metaphors from my favorite literary works, and it is these that I recommend to young people, so they can get a full grasp and fall in love with the subject as much as I have.

How do I love thee, Literature? Let me count the ways.
I love thee from the depth of Hell to Paradiso
Farther than the souls can reach, when incased in ice
More than Holden’s loathing for the status quo
More intensely than Raskolnikov’s murders, committed twice.
More clichéd than Romeo and Juliet’s bad timing
I love thee madly, as the case of Tea Cake
I love thee purely, like Gatsby’s hopeful pining
I love thee like Scout’s capacity for good and evil-one we often forsake.
As if Puck’s flower hath spread onto my sleeping lid
I love thee more than all the subjects you are amid
More than Lenina's need for Soma, and its pleasure
I love thee wholly, unlike Catherine-with torn passion
I only know but one way how to measure:
I love thee with the pen, the mind, the heart; it is all the same;
I cannot choose simply one, for Classic Literature shall never be tired
For that reason, all of these works in classrooms should forever be required.