Literature: Stepping Stones of Knowledge

Overall, this class allowed me to further explore new ideas and develop my writing skills. This class was an engaging, yet challenging experience. Certain aspects that I enjoyed were engaging in literary analysis of various texts, such as Interpreter of Maladies, Antigone, The Storm, and Children of the Sea, These works remain relevant in today’s world, and it was refreshing to have an educator that took student interest/engagement into consideration. Since taking this class, I have learned to look at texts through a more analytical lens. I have also learned how to interpret texts in a more advanced way through increased critical thinking skills. I have also developed my public speaking skills through various presentations, class discussions, and group work. I understand that literature is sometimes up to the interpretation of the audience.  Thinking outside the box was an important aspect of this class. I will continue to expand my thinking and look into different perspectives. My...

Group work is always exciting to me, hearing differing viewpoints from my peers allows me to cultivate new ideas. This workshop taught me that music and poetry are deeply connected. I also learned the music tastes of my group mates. 😁 During this unit, we watched multiple poetry performances, including the performance of a young girl speaking with an emotional appeal to her mother through poetry. We even watched a spoken-word piece by Alicia Keys.  I worked along with Humza, Hannah, and Ayat on this project. Our group focused on the poems Loss by John Wieners and Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone by W.H. Auden. https://drive.google.com/file/d/15JORlKQFsdeqHDr5tHwmvScLwkqUQBTF/view?usp=sharing

Toward the end of the semester, Professor Brady introduced our final unit: Poetry. Poetry keeps me grounded, and the poetry that I choose to read serves to calm me down.  My personal favorite collection of poetry is titled Equatorial Sunshine by Wong Su Ann.  Here is one of my favorite poems: 

I absolutely loved the short story/postmodernism unit because examples of its effects can be seen in just about any form of modern media, so understanding this topic wasn't difficult. We focused on authenticity, human flaw, and perspective.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gQ17srHRd5dENNH4UWcXS6j5IEYPd962/view?usp=sharing

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and Children of the Sea by Edwidge Danticat are similar in more ways than one. One theme that is apparent in both short stories is silence. In certain contexts, the act of silence is a form of dehumanization. It goes against the natural rights that are intrinsic to being a functioning human with a place in society, and this is highlighted in Children of the Sea. Alternatively, voluntary acts of silence can be equally as catastrophic as forced silence. Withholding valuable information is a form of weaponized silence, and this is apparent in Interpreter of Maladies. In both stories, readers observe the differences between voluntary and involuntary silence. Control is the main factor that influences the decisions made by main characters. The level of control that a character has over their circumstance is the determining factor of how they behave when presented with the theme of silence. In Children of the Sea , silence is portrayed as a form of in...

Before the introduction of the short story/postmodernism unit, the class discussed different periods of literature, which include romanticism, transcendentalism, realism, modernism, and our main focus, postmodernism. Postmodernism can be defined as a literary period that highlighted realistic scenarios and evidently flawed characters. We also highlighted the works of some authors who were notable prior to the postmodern period. We read Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and The Storm by Kate Chopin. We did different activities as a class in preparation for the short story unit. Notably, we did an index card activity that allowed the class to share different viewpoints based on a chosen quote.

The material that inspired published writing #2 was particularly interesting to me. A Streetcar Named Desire introduced themes that took my interest, such as delusion, desire, and feminine versus masculine.  The life of the author, Tennessee Williams, also piqued my interest, writing about dark subjects can be a reflection of an author's innermost feelings, and that could be said about Williams, who lived a troubled life.  In short, writing this piece was especially enjoyable for me.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dNWUZwmIFuLCqYP_8ULXo4uYMq9k-ifU/view?usp=sharing

The class spent a considerable amount of time analyzing various scenes of A Streetcar Named Desire before the introduction of published writing #2. We participated in class discussions, activities, and group work. Our task was to present our understanding of our given prompt. We discussed Darwinian ideas and points of view. I was paired up with John, Ayush, Jason, Lizzie, Lucas, Michael, and Humza.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/19yrtcVY-mXb8l_uZqwx0xJ0DaHJtq6q5/view?usp=sharing

“And if it’s an illusion, I don’t want to wake up” - SZA’s mom: 3/2/2023   https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxapveNEUcgZVdhlx10Ztob86XS-cgbRoC (if the video isn't clipped, skip to 2:49 <3) A Streetcar Named Desire focused on darker themes, although Antigone was intense, it is known that it is a legend, its exact scenario has a low chance of taking place in the modern world. However, A Streetcar Named Desire introduced an element of truthfulness that was disturbing, yet compelling to read. Another one of my favorite lectures was the lecture on March 3rd that focused on Blanche, her behavior, and her inability to live in reality. Professor Brady discussed Blanche’s motivations, her inner anguish, and her place in society, as it relates to her character. This is one of my favorite lectures because we were able to fully analyze Blanche’s character and learn more about the human condition. For example, we acknowledged that Blanche is living in a male-dominated society, which influence...

Writing my first paper put me to the test as a thinker, as it required me to think outside of the box. At first glance, you might not think that A Streetcar Named Desire and Antigone share similar themes as their settings are vastly different. But they share more similarities than one might believe.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_0thH1oO90mS0CIKVDBB_n0W3AIjBwQl/view?usp=sharing

Writing the first published writing piece of the semester was pretty nerve-racking. Sharing my work had a huge impact on my confidence as a writer. Becoming comfortable with my writing was especially hard because when you're sharing your work with your peers, there will always be an element of comparison.  These concerns were alleviated by Professor Brady's lectures and fishbowls. Notably, the tragic hero lecture, where we discussed the characteristics of a tragic hero, themes identified in Antigone, as well the Antigone debate.  Collaboration inspires new ideas and that is reflected in this piece. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iclVgprTIHutkeoVpwghFEkt0WpU3TY4/view?usp=sharing

Tragedy, Drama, and Myth: Antigone 2/7/2023 Antigone was one of the first stories that the class really delved into. Professor Brady talked in depth about Antigone, and as a class, we tossed around various ideas that helped me later on. The Antigone lecture given on Feb. 2nd is one of my favorite lectures because the subject matter was fascinating to me. I have always been interested in Greek mythology and similar topics, so Antigone was an ideal unit for me. We discussed various conflicts in Antigone, such as man versus man, man versus society, as well as familial conflict. We also made some points about totalitarianism and authoritative leadership, which I later included in my first published piece.  Following this lecture, we went into a class discussion (fishbowl 😁) where we discussed drive, perspective, and relentless love. We also introduced a Roman philosopher, Epictetus, who asks the question: What matters most? What sort of person are you becoming? What kind of life are y...

In the beginning, Professor Brady stated that “literature is supposed to serve a purpose.” Literature serves as an expression of purpose and emotion. And it is the stepping stone of many forms of media such as art, poetry, music, performances, movies, and many more. The introductory lecture given on Jan. 26th set the tone for the remainder of the semester, and it is one of my favorite lectures because we discussed accountability, control, moral compass, and Professor Brady presented Antigone in preparation for in-class discussions. As a class, we were introduced to several themes in Antigone, including protection of personal dignity, loyalty/obligation to family, freedom, protection of community or nation, observance of law, and obedience to authority/law.  The class did a mini-activity, where we were told to rank the themes from most to least important. The feedback varied, everyone had a different answer. I ranked the protection of personal dignity as the most important because I...