My Reflection

Throughout the semester, this English class has truly inspired me and taught me just how influential and relevant literature is to my daily life. When first being assigned to read the play “Antigone” by Sophocles, I was not excited because I had already read it in high school and did not enjoy it. However, through several fishbowls and class lectures, I was able to establish a deeper understanding for the play and was even able to relate it to the society I live in. With that being said, I believe this class was really special because it taught me how to interpret literature not just in its own context but also in the context of the real world. For example, by reading and comparing “Antigone” and “A Streetcar Named Desire”, I was not only able to understand the extent of gender inequality within Ancient Greek civilizations and New Orleans in the 1930s, but was also able to relate it to the current world and realize that it is still a very present issue in several places like the Middle East.

 Another aspect of this class that was very helpful and unique were the fishbowl discussions and mini-fishbowl assignments and presentations. Instead of coming into class everyday and having to listen to a PowerPoint lecture, we were given the opportunity to sit in a circle and work together to brainstorm ideas and express our opinions and concerns. This style of learning is very special in that it allows us as the students to incorporate our ideas easily and more importantly interact and form bonds with one another which makes learning that much more enjoyable. Furthermore, before this class I strongly disliked presentations or getting up in front of the class to speak. However, after participating in several mini-fishbowl assignments which involved presenting my work to the whole class, I was able to build up more confidence and skills within the realm of speaking.

 Overall, this class ultimately gave me the tools to overcome and excel in any academic challenge I may be faced with. I believe my level of writing was greatly increased and my ability to critically read was challenged and made better. Before this class, I did not know what to look for when reading or what specifically to incorporate in my writing. However, after completing several assignments and receiving insightful and helpful feedback from Professor Brady, I was able to realize and work on my weaknesses. Because of this class, I can see myself as someone who will continue to read and write five years from now because I now view it as something that is more of a necessity rather than a chore. In addition, I am very grateful for this class because I know it has given me very important knowledge that will help me in my journey to becoming a Police Officer. This journey is not an easy task and involves receiving a degree and doing exceptionally well on a police exam. However, I know that the reading and writing skills I was introduced to in this class will greatly assist me in achieving this goal and many others.

My Favorite Lectures

1)      The lecture introducing the play, “Antigone” by Sophocles was very intriguing because it not only gave the background of the play but also allowed us as a class to incorporate our life views as well. In order to truly understand how selfless Antigone’s priorities were, this lecture allowed us as a class to decide how important certain aspects of our lives were to us. For example, we were required to order: loyalty or obligation to family, obedience to civil law, observance to civil law, protection of personal dignity, freedom, and protection of community or nation from most important to least important. This exercise allowed us to understand our own priorities in life as well as each other’s and ultimately compare them to Antigone’s in order to get a deeper understanding of the play.

 

2)      The lecture about perception and desire in terms of the play, “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams was very insightful because it gave me a better understanding of why Blanche had such a false perception of herself. Instead of accepting herself and her life as it was, Blanche would always create imaginary stories and fantasies about her life based on her desires as a coping mechanism. This lecture explained that Blanche created these fantasies in order to escape the realities of the truth which in her case was loneliness, misfortune, imperfection, and despair. Unfortunately, almost everyone in our society has the same mindset as Blanche. We are constantly comparing ourselves to the people around us and striving to impress others rather than focusing on being happy for who we are as individuals.

 

3)      The fishbowl lecture on perfection and obtaining the elixir of life in terms of the short story, “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne was very interesting and relatable. In this short story, Aylmer is fixated on his wife Georgiana’s birthmark which he sees as an imperfection rather than an aspect of natural beauty. Similarly, in the real world many people are obsessed with striving to achieve physical perfection and neglect to realize how important and present their natural beauty is. According to this fishbowl lecture, perfection is a very dangerous title to aim for because it is impossible to reach and will always result in disappointment. This is a very crucial statement that everyone should remember because constantly striving for perfection can result in a very unfulfilling life.