Class Reflection

Class Reflection


Before I came into this class, I enjoyed some pieces of literature but was turned off by many stories and poems that I felt were dull or unnecessarily complex. I do enjoy reading but have only really enjoyed reading what I chose to read. After taking this class with Professor Candia, I have learned how to better analyze works of literature and understand the purpose/message behind them. Thanks to this class, I feel I am now better able to appreciate all works of literature, even those written hundreds of years ago.

Ever since I was little, I have enjoyed reading. I began reading fiction books and continued to expand my horizons by reading many biographies and nonfiction books about sports and my favorite athletes. Once I started reading short stories and poems in school, there were only a select few that would draw my interest. For the most part, I did read everything I was assigned, but was not always able to see the meaning behind why the authors wrote such long and meaningless stories with such difficult language. It wasn’t until this year, that my outlook on literature really changed. Through taking this class with Professor Candia, I learned many different skills that have helped me, throughout the semester, decipher the true meaning behind many famous, and complex pieces of literature. During this class, I had my ah-ha moment while reading the poem “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson. This past summer, I lost a close friend and teammate to suicide. I really connected with this poem because it was so similar to the situation that I had been in months prior. You never really know how low someone is feeling, even if their life seems perfect.


Overall, I am very thankful I took this class and had a professor as great as Professor Candia. I can confidently say I now feel I can read any short story or poem and will be able to effectively decipher the meaning behind the work of literature.

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