https://padlet.com/benjaminryder4/1i7t6v1hlo4e2jdv A glimpse into the paradise of Ben's Mind, full of frolicking goats. en-us 2023-09-26 21:18:38 UTC 2023-09-26 22:08:57 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f410.png benjaminryder4 https://padlet.com/benjaminryder4/1i7t6v1hlo4e2jdv/wish/2722003183 As of the year writing this, 2023, I am twenty years old, cisgender male, and my name if you couldn't figure it out already, Benjamin Ryder. I'm in my third year at the University of Arkansas, currently pre-education with an intention to become a secondary English/literature teacher. I'm an avid enjoyer of english-romantic and post-modern literature, though storytelling of any kind is of great interest to me, and although I once had a great dislike for poetry, after experimenting with writing poetry the past year I have developed a sincere respect for it. I've moved all across the southern, midwestern, and eastern coast of the United States, and during my time in the state of Vermont, I developed an obsession with Goats. I'm often too serious for my own good, so I like to be care-free when I can, and currently I'm kind of just winging it. ]]> 2023-09-26 21:42:13 UTC https://padlet.com/benjaminryder4/1i7t6v1hlo4e2jdv/wish/2722003183 benjaminryder4 https://padlet.com/benjaminryder4/1i7t6v1hlo4e2jdv/wish/2722005614 Some of my favorite books include, and are not by any means ranked in this particular order,
-Catch 22 (Joseph Heller) - A Dark Comedy that satirizes the military industrial complex, bureaucracy, war profiteering, the insensibility of honor/duty, and the value of human life, set within a United States aviation corps stationed in Italy during World War II.
-20k Leagues Under the Sea (Jules Verne) - one of the first examples of published science fiction or even steampunk, and although it has been translated many times from French, it has never failed to captivate me with it's compelling and imaginative writing, descriptions of beauty that have literally brought tears to my eyes, with some of the most memorable characters I've ever known such as the enigmatic Captain Nemo.
-Don Quixote Part 1 and Part 2 (Miguel de Cervantes) - although it might sound silly, I have always felt a kinship with the delusional Sir Don Quixote de la Mancha, so absorbed within his books that he lost himself to his imagination, looking at the mundane world with eyes of wonder. Although its long and certainly a difficult read, Its one of my favorites, and I still find its humor charming. 
(BONUS) -Dune (Frank Herbert) - READ IT. THE SPICE MUST FLOW. ]]> 2023-09-26 21:46:36 UTC https://padlet.com/benjaminryder4/1i7t6v1hlo4e2jdv/wish/2722005614 benjaminryder4 https://padlet.com/benjaminryder4/1i7t6v1hlo4e2jdv/wish/2722006072 I was greatly inspired by many of my high-school English Teachers, such as my Junior year English Teacher Mr. Chamberlain who taught me that great purpose and fulfillment can be found in unlikely places, and that when you are lost, teaching can be a viable place to turn to find a calling. I was also inspired by my Senior year AP Literature teacher Dr. Lundy, who set the standards for how great a teacher can be, introducing me to a hidden depth to literature, enriching it with history and philosophy, and showing how the exploration of it beyond simply reading it can be incredibly satisfying. 
After I dropped out of architecture in the summer after my freshman year, following the inspiration of these two teachers and with nowhere else to turn, I decided to take a chance on a path and calling to give me purpose, and to follow in the likeness of great teachers.]]> 2023-09-26 21:47:26 UTC https://padlet.com/benjaminryder4/1i7t6v1hlo4e2jdv/wish/2722006072