English was never my favorite subject in school and I was never really a fan of literature. So I was never really looking forward to taking this course. Whenever I'm assigned to do a reading I find it extremely difficult to stay on task as I'm not really a fan of reading. I always find myself doing anything else but read. Eventually through a long more difficult then it needs to be process it gets done. Before the semester started I just thought to myself "It's one semester just do what you have to do so you don't have to do it again".
Through the course of the semester I found it a little easier to get through a reading. The beginning of the semester it was a bit of a struggle with the short story section. The first story we read was "A&P" and it was hard for me to get through it as I was just bored trying to go through it. Eventually I did finish it and I thought to myself "This story really wasn't that bad" and after a little more explanation in class I really did enjoy the story. The main problem for me was that I just read the story and really didn't do much during it other than read. I didn't stop to think about what happened or think about the text. I just took the story for base value as a kid quitting his job because he didn't like how his boss treated some girls. It was after that really I decided there is much more to literature than just the words on the page. There is meaning behind those words and to get the most out of it you have to more than just read, you also have to think. Overall the area I feel I have grown the most is as a thinker. I don't speak a lot, but I do think a lot. If I spent a little less time thinking about soccer (which I think about a lot) and used that time thinking about the literature I was reading, I would find it much more enjoyable and easier to get through. If I can find out how an author wanted me to interpret his work I would enjoy it much more. I compare it to when I'm watching soccer and I'm trying to figure out the managers tactics. If I can figure it out what his tactics I feel really smart and I enjoy the game more because I feel I have a better understanding. It's sort of the same with literature. If I understand what the author is trying to get across the story is much more enjoyable because I'm not just taking it for the base value. It has been such a huge help to get through some of these stories, that normally I know I wouldn't enjoy. I hope in the future to continue thinking more about an authors words in literature, because who knows it could be the difference for me between a boring piece of literature and a interesting one.
Overall, I did enjoy this course more than I originally thought I would. I thought it would be dreading to go to. But with me realizing the importance of doing a little more than reading it has been a class I no longer mind attending. I would say my favorite stories were "Godfather's Death", "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place", and "The Cask of Amontillado" were among my favorites in no particular order.
Through the course of the semester I found it a little easier to get through a reading. The beginning of the semester it was a bit of a struggle with the short story section. The first story we read was "A&P" and it was hard for me to get through it as I was just bored trying to go through it. Eventually I did finish it and I thought to myself "This story really wasn't that bad" and after a little more explanation in class I really did enjoy the story. The main problem for me was that I just read the story and really didn't do much during it other than read. I didn't stop to think about what happened or think about the text. I just took the story for base value as a kid quitting his job because he didn't like how his boss treated some girls. It was after that really I decided there is much more to literature than just the words on the page. There is meaning behind those words and to get the most out of it you have to more than just read, you also have to think. Overall the area I feel I have grown the most is as a thinker. I don't speak a lot, but I do think a lot. If I spent a little less time thinking about soccer (which I think about a lot) and used that time thinking about the literature I was reading, I would find it much more enjoyable and easier to get through. If I can find out how an author wanted me to interpret his work I would enjoy it much more. I compare it to when I'm watching soccer and I'm trying to figure out the managers tactics. If I can figure it out what his tactics I feel really smart and I enjoy the game more because I feel I have a better understanding. It's sort of the same with literature. If I understand what the author is trying to get across the story is much more enjoyable because I'm not just taking it for the base value. It has been such a huge help to get through some of these stories, that normally I know I wouldn't enjoy. I hope in the future to continue thinking more about an authors words in literature, because who knows it could be the difference for me between a boring piece of literature and a interesting one.
Overall, I did enjoy this course more than I originally thought I would. I thought it would be dreading to go to. But with me realizing the importance of doing a little more than reading it has been a class I no longer mind attending. I would say my favorite stories were "Godfather's Death", "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place", and "The Cask of Amontillado" were among my favorites in no particular order.
