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Reflecting onto who I was coming into the course compared to who I am leaving as is quite a big change in mindset in a few weeks. Coming in, I was pretty closed-minded, I was not excited to do the course and wanted it to be over already. Leaving, I am more interested in reading and looking for archetypes and lenses because it feels rewarding to understand things and where they came from. However, looking into the future, there is room to improve. I need to continue to read books, look into the news, and find examples of these lenses used in everyday life. I see an importance in understanding how society is impacted by post-colonial events, feminism, and how different leaders reflect archetype characters.

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Ultimately all of the above examples have caused me to gain a deeper understanding of literary criticisms. It has changed my perspective coming out of the course because I have become used to recognizing aspects of each lens in real situations which allows me to understand certain decisions and situations more effectively. I know these lenses will be useful for me going into post-secondary school and real-life situations.

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RELATING FEMINIST THEORY TO THE REAL WORLD

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RELATING FEMINIST THEORY TO THE REAL WORLD

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RELATING ARCHETYPAL THEORY TO THE REAL WORLD

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RELATING ARCHETYPAL THEORY TO THE REAL WORLD

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RELATING POST COLONIAL THEORY TO THE REAL WORLD

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RELATING POST COLONIAL THEORY TO THE REAL WORLD

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For me, analyzing through a post-colonial lens was eye-opening in terms of seeing social justice issues throughout my novel. In Sing, Unburied, Sing, Parchman prison relates closely to the slavery model and the exploitation of people of colour. I wrote a blog post providing insight on the novel's deeper meanings by looking through this lens and how characters like Misty abused their white privilege - sometimes accidentally - but people like Leonie had to live in fear of the justice system. In doing this I learned about America’s troubled history in order to see and understand the deeper meanings of the text. From this experience, I gathered more of an interest in actively supporting racial injustice and being an ally in the fight for equality. In my everyday life, I have been exploring videos about social injustice and diving deeper into police brutality through TikTok because as I learn more about how often these cases occur, I feel unsettled.

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In my creative piece, I concluded that society in the times of Hamlet, and occasionally still today, was not made for female identities and caters to males. Looking at a world view I made the connection between feminist criticism theory to that of the current American situation: The Banning of Abortions. The feminist lens highlights the need for improvement in the government and proves the sexism and lack of political power that women face daily. In my opinion, anything relating to abortions is not a man's choice, considering it is impossible for them to carry a child. The imbalanced gender voting chair is proof that sexism and marginalization in society - especially government - is still present.  This forces me to think more critically about what - if anything - has really changed over the years for the benefit of women. It infuriates me to feel like I am going to grow up in a working society where I am less than and won't be given the same opportunities as men.

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The archetypal lens takes a more personal approach to the author's thought process and helped me to understand why characters, settings, or symbols are portrayed in certain ways and can describe a character's behaviour with meaning. As someone who has an interest in studying marketing in the future, I was able to make connections and recognize how brands like Dove play on archetypes to portray themselves as a caring and safe brand in order to gain customers.

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The feminist lens looks at social issues pertaining to society’s expectations and mistreatment of women in relationships, workplaces, and everyday life.

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To look through a post colonial lens is to see how society influences identity, culture, and politics forcing me to recognize the way our past replays in the present.

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How has your understanding of literary criticism influenced your reading and understanding of texts and the world around you?

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How has your understanding of literary criticism influenced your reading and understanding of texts and the world around you?

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My most insightful piece of work was my creative response piece titled “Society’s Shriveling Strain” which was an examination of Hamlet through a feminist lens. I related the aspects of Gertrude’s decisions to that of the femininity of the flower, and the brown petals symbolized toxic masculinity taking over. As a woman looking through this lens I was bound to look deeper into using a feminine mindset at other world issues, and it changed my perspective. I am someone who was never concerned with politics, but after understanding the meaning behind this lens it feels ignorant to ignore that people of my gender are treated so unfairly. I cannot understand what makes males superior in government - or any field - and this motivates me to grow up stronger and find myself a powerful position to advocate for women.

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Although the length of my ENG4U course was short, the knowledge I gained will continue to influence the way I interpret and process all text and events from this point forward. By being forced to think critically and consider media through the different lenses, my understanding of each process became more defined. Prior to the course, I viewed things as more black and white and had less care into diving deeper into situations that didn’t directly involve me.