It is a truth universally acknowledged that an aimless college student in possession of great doubt must be in want of some meaning to her life. Where else to better find that meaning than from the most sensational works of art known to man? Here is a selection of themes I extracted that may or may not be applicable to my life.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby”

Fitzgerald’s novel focuses on the devastating results that occur when the past and present collide. In particular, it reflects the futility of discovering a brighter future when past desires exist—represented by the final image of the current drawing the boats back while they ceaselessly row forward.

“When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?” —Shel Silverstein, “A Light in the Attic”

This poem expresses the folly of upholding dichotomies in both our perceptions and reactions to the world. The world is not simply black and white (or for Silverstein, red and green), and thus we cannot act narrow-mindedly.

“You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go.”  — Ferris, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

After the credits, Ferris breaks the fourth wall to say these very words. The question is not what he means but why we, the audience, are even there to hear it. Why do we force a DVD/VHS player or laptop to muster all its energy to roll past that list of names? Are we hanging onto the last vestiges of the movie and all it stands for—to continually embrace that taste of adventure and reckless cheer? Is that not the entire film’s theme?

“My anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns hun.” —Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”

In a literal sense, this line is about Nicki’s pet anaconda that prefers bread to classic snake cuisine. In a socially metaphorical sense, this line represents a new wave in body image—namely the growing appreciation for bodies similar to the female rapper’s. In a lesser-known zoological sense, this line reflects the snake’s continual struggle to derail its reputation as a man-eater (see J. Lo, Owen Wilson, and Ice Cube’s 1997 horror film “Anaconda”): the “buns” symbolize the unconventional perception of the anaconda as a gentle reptile, and the snake’s refusal of anything except buns signifies its desires for this more positive opinion. In all three senses, the line proclaims liberation—liberation of a snake’s nutritional choices, liberation of the female body, liberation of a species’s repute.

“I just talked to Jesus / He said, ‘What up Yeezus?’ / I said, ‘Shit I’m chilling / Trying to stack these millions.’ / I know he the most high / But I am a close high / Mi casa, su casa / That’s that cosa nostra / I am a god”  — Kanye West, “I Am A God”

No analysis needed.