My, my. What a semester it has been! This class has come a long way, dear internet, and you've been along for the ride with us. It's been quite the journey, getting here. We started small. Back in the first week of January, we talked about some of the books that most impacted us. Mine was Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I look back at that post and see a version of myself with little experience writing for blogs. It was the first time I had ever written a blog post that was intended to be read by the entire internet. I'm sure it hasn't been read by the entire internet or else I'd have heard about it, but it was the intention that counted.
From there we began to explore various kinds of literature. We began with Poetry. We analyzed some of our favorite works of poetry and even song. We wrote a little bit of poetry ourselves, including my own sonnet written about Warhammer 40k, considered one of the "Four Pillars of Nerdhood." Even that early on, we were exploring the ways that the internet influenced us and our understanding of literature. We were discussing how the internet served to bring new literary works to our attention, and allowed us easy access to works that we had not even heard of only a few days previous. The groundwork for our eBook was already being laid, even back then.
We went on to discuss even more kinds of Literature. We discussed the approaches to criticism and analysis. I recall studying Deconstructionism, and realizing what a strange method of analysis it was. I learned about how it takes a work and almost bends it to its own will. I was able to see the approaches in other works as well as I was studying and preparing for the two chapters I would write in the book. I was able to read a research paper about a literary work and easily recognize the approach they were taking to their analysis and discussion. It changed the way that I looked at what I was reading. It made me consider finding an approach to analyzing literature that suited me. I have yet to find it, but perhaps one day I will.
At one point, while analyzing The Heart of Darkness, we had to expose ourselves somewhat to the internet at large. This means that a photo of my rather large self is now floating about as binary somewhere in the halls of the internet. The thought is scary, in some ways. I remember feeling intimidated as I posted that picture. I have always been very private when it came to personal matters on the internet. I was, and largely still am, very hesitant to share anything about myself. However, I believe that the exposure was good, and necessary.
Now we've arrived and the eBook we've been working on is almost complete. Even as I type this, the final bit of spit and polish is being applied. Amazing how things can change over the course of a single semester. Between January 5th and today, I've changed. I've learned things. I've improved myself as a human being. Before this semester, I was just a reader. I read things, I determined if I liked them or not, and then I was done. Now, I feel as if I can analyze and critique. I can look at a book and tear it apart down to the wood fibers of its pages and truly digest its meaning. I can find insights into the text that I didn't see before. I've gained an appreciation for forms of literature that I previously would have thought boring or uninteresting. I've learned how to read and appreciate poetry. It's amazing how much you can change in only a few short months, and how your relationship with an entire aspect of yourself can evolve. I have a different relationship with reading, now. One that is more passionate. One that is deeper, and more meaningful. And that, I think, is what is most important about the learning experience. Sure, the grades are important. But how we change and grow as a person from what we've learned, that is what is most important. And I know that I have changed.
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