Final Blog #10

I have learned alot more than I thought I would have in this class. To be honest, at first I thought it was just another reading and response class that we have done all of our lives. After the first couple of classes however, I have taken far more out of it than I would have ever imagined, especially during group discussions and the questions that Dr. Mortimore asked. There were alot of issues that were brought up in discussion during class that I have never thought about, and the books and literature that we have read helped bring up these particular arguments or ideas. A great example is that before I started reading Culture Jam and Feed, I didn't really understand how our society's technology is virtually taking over our generation and the generations to come. Everything we talked about in class during discussion made me infuriated to understand what the world is coming to in terms of socializing and learning. I'm glad I understand some of the topics I would have turned my shoulder to before I took this class. In terms of responding to literature, Dr. Mortimore and most importantly this class taught me to ask questions when I read. When I used to read books before I would never truly become engaged in what I was reading, I always just read words on a page. This class taught me to look deeper than the words on the page, ask questions, apply concepts, and expand my imagination. I never really understood literature in the same way I view it now, and its nice to have a completely different outlook on reading. If there is one thing that really caught my attention it was Thoreau and his wish to, "live deliberately." That really caught my eye and struck something inside of me, and I feel as though I honestly have a different opinion on living in general. I'm glad I took this class and I learned alot from it.