Reflection

            Going into the semester, I didn’t know how I would do, however this class has really helped me develop my own abstract ideas through reading the ideas of famous others. Whether it be Nathaniel Hawthorne or Tennessee Williams, the works of literature that we have read and analyzed, have helped me understand the deeper meanings behind the words on the page. In understanding, the work we have done has really helped direct my writing in the correct direction.

In my opinion this class has helped me maintain quality works of writing, with the correct structure and proper analysis. On top of the quality teaching by Professor Brady, my classmates have shown an extreme level of brilliance, which in a way has set a competitive tone to the class. I often find myself wondering what the person next to me has written, and will my response be of the same caliber.

In the end, this was my favorite class to take this semester. Although there was a constant pressure of the workload, when you really look at it, everything we did this semester was manageable, and if you did the work, it paid off, and became an extremely enjoyable experience. I would always leave the classroom feeling like I had just experienced an extreme workout for my brain. Overall, Professor Brady was an awesome teacher and I never found myself bored.

Favorite Lectures

The first lecture that I really enjoyed was in our unit on Antigone. We discussed the conflict between the moral and civil values. It allowed me to begin thinking outside of the box and tried to put myself in the shoes of both Antigone and Creon. I had never read the story of Antigone prior to this class, and felt that it was a great way to start the course. It seemed to jumpstart the course into more than just reading but understanding.

            The second lecture that I enjoyed was on the feeling of desire. A Streetcar Named Desire was something I had read in high school, however didn’t necessarily grasp the main concept. Through our lecture I had gained much more insight on Blanche’s flaw and found myself finding each and every motif and hint of desire.. I never really viewed desire as a character flaw, but in embracing the idea, I had begun to establish a great deal of understanding in the matter.

            Lastly, the third lecture that I enjoyed was based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark.” At first the concept of the mirror, and Aylmer being the one who is flawed took a second to understand, but once I understood the lecture, I became fascinated with the ideas depicted in the short story. The idea that perfection is something that can never be reached, and that with every advancement, there will always be more curiosity to follow.

My Verse

“Barbie Doll,” a poem by Marge Piercy depicts the pressure that comes from societies idea of beauty. The effects of this social acceptance force a completely natural girl into a self-destructive loss. We as the reader feel a tone of psychological defeat. The girl in the poem fails to hold on to her natural beauty, and allows other’s opinions to manipulate her self-confidence. “Her good nature wore out like a fan belt. So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up. In the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie. Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said” (Piercy, 15). A theme that is prevalent is the conflict with societal pressure. 

Continuing with this theme of standing against the crowd, defying the pressures of culture and society, and remaining true to ones self, “Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane,” by Etheridge Knight, sets a tone of admiration. Hard Rock, as illustrated by Knight, is the tough of the tough. His peers admired him because of his strong pride, and justifying nature. “He had been our Destroyer, the doer of things we dreamed of doing but could not bring ourselves to do” (Knight, 34).

When reading both poems one artist that came to mind was Kanye West. In West’s song Diamonds from Sierra Leone speaks out against the mainstream tendencies, and how as an artist he has a unique ability to speak from the soul. “You gotta love it though somebody still speaks from his soul, And wouldn’t change by the change, or the game, or the fame, When he came, in the game, he made his own lane” (Kanye West, “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”). Defining who you are, makes us human, and therefore cannot be subject to manipulation.

Interestingly, Piercy and Knight both depict stories of defeat, however “Barbie Doll,” in comparison to “Hard Rock,” was defeated where as “Hard Rock,” although was victim to a lobotomy, fought for what he thought was right, and stood up to anyone who threatened to put him down. Kanye defends the importance of being unique, and when influenced by fame and fortune, it is crucial to stick to your roots, and represent yourself as an individual.