Recently, my English class examined two similar articles in order to debate their credibility. Both articles were personal rants from differing websites, one of them being Odyssey. We dissected each article in hopes of discovering the rhetorical devices and how the authors used them. The discussion that followed hit a bit too close.

Our goal was to name the rhetorical devices. Did we do that? Of course. Some of my classmates went a bit deeper. They shredded the Odyssey article to pieces. It was extremely biased, and no one liked that. The conservative views of the author were completely trashed by almost the entire class. One of the girls made the comment that Odyssey was just a site for click bait, silly rants, and stupid listicles (my words, but this is the gist of her comment). I sat in my seat, wanting to speak up, but not wanting to steer the conversation in a different direction. I knew I would have to speak up in a way that would hopefully steer her thinking into another direction.

Odyssey is more than click bait, silly rants, and stupid listicles. Have I tried using "click bait" for my articles? Of course. I have to promote my articles one way or another. Have I written silly rants? I think I have certainly ranted, but I don't think I would call them "silly." I've used my frustration to talk about serious topics such as politics and personal topics such as activities that are important to my friends. Have I created listicles? Certainly! Would I call them stupid? I would ask the 2,500 people who read who read one of my articles if they found it stupid. I do not write articles for them to be "stupid." I write them to express humor, share ideas, and give practical advice.

I've wanted to write on Odyssey since I was a junior in high school. I love writing. The opportunity to write and have articles published online was one I was looking forward to once I began my college career. A month after I moved to UTC, I applied and was accepted within a week. I was ecstatic. I've been writing since September 2016. I've had 18 articles posted, and I have plenty more that need editing, inspiration, or simply a push to the finish.

So, why do I write? Writing gives me a voice. When I think I cannot speak up in places like my classrooms or in discussions with my friends, I can still write. When I am frustrated or sad, I can jot down my sorrows in hopes of turning them into an article that turns my sorrows into joy. Sometimes I simply want to share advice or life lessons with others that may help. Most of the time I want to spread the joy that completely fills my heart.

Virginia Woolf once said, “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.” I truly believe this. Odyssey is more than the click bait, silly rants, and stupid listicles that some people see. It lets people like me share their hearts. It lets us fulfill goals and dreams we've had for years. It's not silly; it's not stupid. It can truly be magical.

“Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. … It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.”
—Enid Bagnold