Raptazure

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a philosophical novel written by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. It tells us that hedonism and amorality will lead the tempted to decay and death without the intention of telling it. Oscar Wilde wrote it without any moralistic intention due to his belief in aestheticism, that art itself is useless and without any social implication. So, it is a book of uncertainty, a book elevated or deprived by interpretations of different people, a world full of possibilities and diverse lenses, just like every other great novel ever written.

The Book of Thel is one of the prophetic illuminated books written by William Blake, a great British poet, painter and visionary born in the 18th Century. Crafted after The Song of Innocence, this allegorical poem is closely related to the loss of innocence, maybe indicating the creation of The Song of Experience in his later years.

This year, 2022, marks the bicentenary of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s death. Over all these two hundred years, there are countless fine lines of poetry written by Shelley that have continously inspired people to rekindle the fire of hope in their hearts. But of them all, a particular line from Ode to the West Wind may be the most significant one, which is “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”. This single line of verse is, of course, far more than a rhetorical question concerning the change of seasons, for it is indeed, as the poet states, a divine prophecy given to those people trapped in states of despair and desolation.

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, which is regarded as the first true science-fiction and one of the most influential English novels ever produced, was in fact initially written for a ghost story competition upheld by Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and Mary Godwin herself on the shores of Lake Geneva.

At first, he thought he was in love with Haskell, for he could program in it every day without feeling bored. But later, some dark currents flowing under the seemingly blissful moments began to invade his senses, unfothomable fear of losing his authentic Self floating on the lake of the Heart, mocking at his conformity and self-deception. At the same time, a strong force was pulling him unto a different state of being, and this force was not coming from the outer world but always running in his own veins, waiting their voices finally to be heard. This is a yearning towards Beauty thus Eternity, and ultimately Freedom.

Because of insomnia, I woke up late, without out any energy. Noticed that it was already 7:49, I hurried to school and was grasping for breath desperately after my arrival, only to find my blurred vision of everything around me - I forget to bring my glasses! Wondering why people’s mind is so delicate that it needs to be recharged everyday to keep one’s sanity, if so called “sanity” really exists, I began to prepare for the lessons.