Adieu, adieu!

"Shutup I'm Reading" by smilelonger

Before this class, I wasn't able to "talk back" to my reading or to think critically about it because I didn't know I was supposed to. I thought that I was supposed to read something, remember key facts, and then take a quiz on it. Before, I didn't know that texts had underlying themes that I could relate to my real life. I thought that the more thy, thee, and thine put into a work meant that I would never be able to understand let alone apply it. But now, I can question the book and think about what the author is really trying to say. I am so happy that I can now read a book, figure out its underlying themes and ideas, and relate it in some way to today's society or how the author envisions society in the future if it doesn't fix itself now.


Of the books that we read, I think that my favorite was Feed because I found it to be grossly interesting in the way that M.T. Anderson envisioned our future society. It makes me wonder if, in the future, people will be so disconnected from real communication, from the environment, from each other...and if all they will care about is staying on top of the latest fads. It seems as though we might already headed in that direction, according to Thoreau, Emerson, and Kalle Lasn...While I've always been an outdoorsy-type person, the value I place on the environment has been heightened thanks to these authors touching on topics to make us realize how much we need to enjoy and preserve it much better than we have been.

(I hope you all watch this because it's hilariously ridiculous!)

Of everything that we encountered this semester, two things really hit me hard: the realization that people care more about themselves than anything else, and the lack of open-mindedness many people seem to enjoy. When watching about the preacher in Florida and the most hated family in America (MHFA), I wondered "HOW can those people justify what they are doing? There is no logical explanation for lumping people together and treating them like shit." I don't understand how the MHFA could protest at military funerals on the basis that they hate homosexuals and that somehow, apparently everyone in the military is homosexual. And the preacher!? "Oh, sure, come to America and practice your religion, but I'm still going to burn your Koran because you're a bunch of fucking sons-a-bitches compared to my perfect Christian ass." Yeah, OK buddy. -___-

Lastly, I want to thank Shannon for making this literature class the most entertaining, engaging, and applicable literature class I have EVER taken!I remember at the beginning of the year her asking us why we should take gen eds. This class is the reason we should take them--even in literature we can find themes that relate to our everyday lives, TV shows, and music. It's wonderful being able to watch or read something, and be able to "talk back" to it instead of sitting there being a non-thinking consumer.

So, goodbye everyone! Thank you all for making this class wonderful. Remember to make the most of your life, question everything, and push every one of your limits. ♥