The Moore You Know

To say public speaking used to be my nightmare is a severe understatement. If there was one person in the room who absolutely hated public speaking, it was always me. I never understood why I despised it so much. Maybe it was the potential embarrassment, or my shaking legs, but something about it just made me terrified.  Luckily, I can say that I don't feel quite as strongly about it as I once did. Last fall, actually, I had to take a whole fashion class dedicated to public speaking (shout-out to Katie Summers). Being able to stand in front of my peers and give a successful 15 minute presentation by the end of the semester was something that I could have never imagined for myself. I began to learn that public speaking is NOT supposed to be scary, but a useful skill that will help me in so many aspects of life.  For all of my natural-born worriers out there, here are three of the best things I have learned thus far: 1. Be as organized as possible- it helps more than one would...

       All Swifties know that Taylor Swift is one of the best songwriters of our generation, which I can say as a fellow fan. Often times, I find myself wondering how she comes up with her lyrics, and how some of them relate so closely to how I feel. As we know, music can make us feel seen in a way that other things cannot. However, literature and poetry can relate to music in this same way. Everything that Taylor Swift writes has a meaning, and is thought out in great detail, which is why I believe her to be something of a poet. I was inspired to write about her for this post in light of the release of her tenth studio album, Midnights.      Though Miss Swift does not have a single bad album, I think that Folklore  contains some of her best and most meaningful lyrics. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite songs on the album, "The Lakes", directly mentions poetry. The chorus begins with "Take me to the lakes where all the poets w...

Reading Jane Austen has changed my life entirely (thanks, Dr. Reed). Up until last semester, the only well-known works of literature that I had been introduced to were  The Great Gatsby , To Kill a Mockingbird , and Catcher in the Rye . Make no mistake, these novels are wonderful, and contain important life lessons and memorable moments, however, literature does not always have to be so serious. Matter of fact, that is why I enjoy Austen so much, because rarely is she serious, if ever. I mean, reading is a way to escape our everyday lives, right? Anyone can read and enjoy Austen, but we all know that she was a humorous feminist who wrote bildungsroman stories for women to relate to on a personal level.  I suppose that the true purpose of my "I love Jane Austen" rant is that literature can often seem intimidating, but it can also be enjoyable and comic. Fictional stories are one of three literature genres, which is the one I often find myself drawn to. Using literature as...