I’m glad this is over! Let me say that again: I’m glad that I did not (nearly) break the contract until the very last moment of this course, and I am astonished by the new perspectives that have opened up to me as a result of the fantastic combination of readings and the guidance from both Professor Jon and Daniel. What a ride it has been! Never have I ever imagined in my wildest dreams that I, myself in a position to do so much reading in such a short span of time. To be frank, I’m quite proud of myself for accomplishing this feat, and feel like an educated person, once again.
One of the aspects that I wholeheartedly enjoyed throughout the course was the opportunities given to “play” with the elements encountered within the text together with my personal experiences—creating sparks between elements that would have been parallel to each other otherwise. Reading allowed me to feel, flow, think, unthink, connect, and disconnect in a way that creates a unique, surreal, and personalized experience for me; and I very much like it since I never once experience this from any of my engineering courses.
This personalized experience of reading was unique to each of my classmates as well, and it was fascinating to see how the same piece of text could evoke different responses based on individual backgrounds and pretexts. I learned a lot from my classmates in this regard, and it was interesting to see how our readings varied based on our individual perspectives. One of the biggest takeaways from this course is that I have gained a better understanding of the power of literature and its ability to transcend time, remaining relevant even as the world changes. Although there may be gaps in understanding due to the historical context of the texts, it is remarkable to see how the themes and ideas remain pertinent to our modern lives.
Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to have engaged with these texts and to have learned so much about myself and others in the process. The experience has left me feeling enriched and eager to continue exploring the world through the lens of literature.
To end the last blog post playfully: If you had to choose one of the characters you read about to be stranded on a deserted island with, who would it be and why?
It really has been an intense ride! You have every reason to feel proud of yourself. Like any collective effort, it has required everyone’s work, but what you have learned has to do with the enthusiasm and energy that you have put into your process. Thank you for playing the game and for your contributions to the class!
Hi Shade! It was really nice to read your blog, I also feel like an educated person again. I think that we should all be so proud of ourselves no matter how many books we read, because these were some pretty difficult texts in my opinion. I like how you mentioned individual experiences, as I thought that I gained a lot from the class discussions and hearing everyone interpretations from the book. I love how also every class I was with different people with different opinions, it was so nice to get to hear everyones thoughts. I really don’t know who I would want to be on a dessert island with, but definitely not anyone from the 100 years of solitude family, they are crazy! I hope you have a good summer!