This course has been like a triathlon: sometimes difficult and strenuous but very rewarding at the end. Their are numerous things I have learned that were valuable to my growth as both a reader and a writer. I also gained a new found repsect for literature as well. It was very creative to post blogs because I feel it was interesting to reflect and allow other's to see our own perspectives on poems, short stories and plays.
For instance, my first blog post was on a short story that I had found quite interesting. It is probably my favorite short story, which is called "Desiree's Baby" written by Kate Chopin. Though brief, the story raises important issues such as a women's worth in society. I had to read the story a few times since i never really thought about sexism because I don't feel I encounter it. If anything it made me feel very fortunate for how things are in the new milenia and how much things have changed in a matter of a century. Just over a century ago I couldn't vote, own property, or do anything without my husbands permission. Especially when i had said in the post," Women usually chose a husband by their status and wealth; it wasn't always about love." Women were 'property' in the 19th century where nowadays I can work where i want and go to school where I please. I don't need a husband in my life to be successful or to have a fulfilled life. This short story taught me that although stories can be short it can still have a strong message.
The second week that we posted blogs was the day before my birthday and I was reflecting on my life and how much I had grown as both a student and a person. In class we had started to discuss how the following week we would read poems and I decided to look for a poem my mom had read to me many years ago. It's called 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost. I remember this poem inparticular because when I was young I always worrried about what I was going to be when I grew up since I struggled in school all the time. Teacher's would tell me I had a 'learning disability' since I didn't make story trees, I would instead just start writing immediately. I didn't need to make a story tree.The teachers at my elementary school said that I needed to go into a 'special class' for kids who struggled with learning the 'right way'. I'd come home crying and my mom would tell me that just because I learned a different way didn't mean I was stupid or had a disability. She then told me about the poem which says that I should make my own path, the road less taken. My favorite line in the poem is, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." I still strongly feel that way. Later in middle school my English teacher told me I was one of the most gifted writers that she'd ever seen, and I am really proud of that. I am a good student even though I dont necessarily learn the same way as everyone else. I think the quote that reflects my feeling on this particular subject was when I wrote, " It reminds me to make my own path in life, even if its sometimes hard. I think you come out a stronger person when u take the path less taken. That's what motivates me to continue with school and make my own decisions." Later i remember when Dr. Anthony said that he never wrote down notes because he read so well; I think that's great and that just proves that not everyone learns the same way. In a way I've done some ' soul searching' this quarter because I realized that although I write differently it doesn't mean I am wrong.
Probably the most interesting post, in my perspective, was my reflection of meaning versus emotion. I had wrote an essay on a painting that depicted joy and sadness and Dr. Anthony had asked me to write whether meaning and emotion had seperate idenities. I feel that it is nearly impossible to have meaning without emotion. For instance, the poem “Mourning Picture”, written by Adrienne Rich, the speaker is the deceased daughter who is describing her parents, their mourning in account of her death, and her message to them. The poem was actually to depict the feeling in the painting created by Edwin Romanzo Elmer. After i had read the painting i came to the conclusion that the meaning that is being put across is that although she is dead she is in heaven and that her parents should not be mourning but rejoicing because she is with God. That is a very powerful and positive message. This would make it's meaning uplifting. Especially when i pointed out in the blog post, "Meaning can't be objective because it's a poet or painter's personal interpretation of the way life is and how they wan't the viewer or reader to understand their point of view, or challenge it. Art depicts numerous emotions: happiness, sadness, excitement, fear, lust, etc." This post gave me a better understanding of the term 'meaning' and 'emotion' and how they influence each other.
The following post was when I was starting to read 'Hamlet' by William Shakespear. To be honest I was really discouraged because the dialogue in the text was so thick and very difficult to understand. In class I had told Dr. Anthony that I wasn't in any way eager to read Hamlet because the truth is it looked very intimidating. To my surprise it was starting to get interesting and I somewhat enjoyed it. To be honest I was very proud of myself when I finished and read it slow all the way through when sometimes i just wanted to chuck the book across the room. Overall I feel the play was a good learning exprience and now when I read I try to understand the text instead of just reading through it as quickly as possible. I realized when i read slower I absorbed the text more.
In the final post I discussed the movie Hamlet by Kenneth Branagh. I really enjoyed the movie although it was 4 hours long. The movie took advantage of visual techniques that theatre adaptations of the play could not use. Branagh added passion through the original text while using visual styles that could encourage people’s interpretations of the play and still be exciting for the general viewer. Especially when I pointed out in the the final post, "I think it was a pretty accurate depiction of the play." More than anything it helped me understand the play more, and it made me appreciate the play more as well. I could actually see the scenes that seemed confusing when I had read it prior and the movie had in turn incouraged my interpretations. The only thing that I did not like was Hamlet's platinum blonde hair, it threw me off because I honestly expected someone more handsom and rugged than him. He did an excellent job at protraying Hamlet at least. Other than that I think that Kate Winslet did a great portrayal of Ophelia and the other actors did an excellent job as well. It taught me that not all adaptations of books or plays are horrible, i would just recommend to read the play first like I did because I feel like I might have enjoyed the play more than the movie to my surprise.
Overall this class taught me alot about reading and writing techniques. The blog posts allowed me to discuss my enterpretations of what I've learned. I have a new found respect for literature and partly it's because of Dr. Anthony's enthusiam. I feel he helped me overcome my fear of Shakespear! (Thanks!) These blog post's allowed me to be creative and also see other people's perspectives as well. More than anything when I wrote my posts and got input it gave me insight to other classmates perspectives or in turn they encouraged my own. It was a very positive experience since I learned alot about short stories, poems and plays.
