The End Draws Near

I learned a lot through this blog, putting myself out there and writing in an informal way again, helped me to gain confidence in myself and my writing. I had already had a lot of experience with looking at text and drawing out devices and techniques. I've done a lot with talking about their affect, but actually getting into particular critical approaches was the next step for me. Not only looking at literature in those different ways, but on this blog I have been able to see how different people perceive works of literature. Ideas and angles I would have never been inclined to think of were eye-opening to me and helped me recognize my own biases and preferences. Just as I am able to recognize the biases and limitations of different approaches, I can see them in myself and others. This seems to be not just a literature skill but a life skill as well.
I think one of the most important lessons I learned here was that analyzing literature in thoughtful and valid ways isn't confined to formal analysis. I can express similar ideas in a blog post as I do in a formal paper, and have just as much fun and passion with both. When we analyzed a piece of poetry, my first thought was to do something normal, like a Yeats poem. Not that his poetry isn't brilliant, but I realized I didn't need to be confined to what is generally considered "poetry." I found that scripture can be considered literature, and I've been trying to find new ways of studying the scriptures, and looking at them through the lens of literary analysis may provide new insights. At the very least it would be an interesting activity. This has also made me more invigorated to read on my own time again. Life is crazy and busy, but I've realized how important it is for me to read, think, and share ideas that I have discovered. This is the only class where I haven't dreaded group work, maybe it's the people, but my love of discussion and analysis has been able to shine. This has been a good time, thank you all<3