https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca Reflection en-us 2020-06-18 18:20:11 UTC 2020-06-18 19:44:39 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f468-1f393.png lcusumano218 https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632588121 These two short stories, especially Angela Carter's, were my two favorite stories we read all semester. Carter's ability to adapt a classic, typical fairy tale into a feministic, yet assertive narrative is what has separated her from other literary authors. Carter was able to appeal to a broader, older audience with her sexual and violent twist on the story. She uses several references to the Bible, including the story of Cain and Abel, as well as Adam and Eve. She compares the main character’s sin of curiosity to Eve’s consumption of the forbidden fruit. I would recommend reading Perrault’s “Blue Beard” first though, as it is a prequel to Carter’s story, and also gives a background into the tale. Analyzing these two stories allowed for me to consider information from a different point of view. 

]]> 2020-06-18 18:31:05 UTC https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632588121 lcusumano218 https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632624820 These two stories, “Yellow Woman” and “White Tigers”, consisted of many similar themes and ideas. Reflecting back on these discussion posts as we’re starting to finish up the semester has allowed me to include points and opinions that were not available to me at the time of their submission. I attest to the connections that “Yellow Woman” and “White Tigers” made. There was a mix of reality and fiction in both of the main character’s discontent. Some of these characters lacked a true sense of self and identity, which can be related to lots of different people who read these stories. 

]]> 2020-06-18 18:59:42 UTC https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632624820 lcusumano218 https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632625933 Reflecting back on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, I have noticed common themes between it, and Nguigi Wa Thiong’o “Minute of Glory”. Both characters long to be something or someone that they are not. In his short story, Fitzgerald describes Bernice as having a desire to become well-known and “popular” after overhearing conversations about how she is boring. These can have a deep effect on someone’s self-esteem. In a similar fashion in “Minute of Glory”, the character forms an idea around social environments and social image. Both characters had conflicts with identity and how they are seen by other people.

]]> 2020-06-18 19:00:40 UTC https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632625933 lcusumano218 https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632637567 The short story “Yellow Wallpaper” wasn’t one of my favorite stories, but I was able to understand and analyze the deeper meanings of it. The story revolves around a young woman’s steady progression into madness. Because of the birth of her child, she experiences postpartum depression, which contributes to her madness. Retreating to a secluded piece of property in an attempt to get her mind right doesn’t seem to do the trick. There is also a sense of female empowerment in the stories. The author uses symbolism to relay other messages and create an image for the reader to understand. The consistent comparisons between male and female characters is evident in both works. ]]> 2020-06-18 19:10:23 UTC https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632637567 lcusumano218 https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632651023 In Doris May Lessing “To Room Nineteen" (1963) and Junot Diaz “The Sun, the Moon, the Stars (1998), we see these two authors take two different cultural perspectives on dysfunctional relationships. In both stories, we see the male characters objectify their lovers in some way, destroying the relationships. Reflecting on these stories and the discussions had about them lead me to the belief that in addition to objectification, there is also miscommunication. The arguments lead to arguments and shouting, which is clearly ineffective. The inability for one to communicate thoughts and feelings is what leads relationships to their demises. The results are never that great.]]> 2020-06-18 19:21:04 UTC https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632651023 lcusumano218 https://padlet.com/lcusumano218/hfc3yj58umdx2pca/wish/632678893             As the semester comes to a close, we as a class have an opportunity to reflect on this course as a whole. To be perfectly honest, I only took this class as a requirement. Perspectives of short stories is important, but for someone in my field, it is something that will enter one ear and exit the other. It was interesting to experience a class like this over an electronic gateway via Zoom. Unlike most people, I enjoy online courses. They give me the ability to work at my own pace and from the comfort of my own home. I was able to work closely with my classmates during the Literary Analysis essay along with the presentation. I was able to gage their mindsets on different stories and content. Like me, they were not thrilled with the course content, but trudged on to finish. It was a relatively small class, so I knew every one’s face by the end of the first week. Having this class as a six week course also allowed me to deal with the content since it wasn’t around for that long. The discussion board posts were a very nice way to communicate ideas and opinions with my classmates, and it was also a great way to earn 100s on the assignments. The knowledge required was not very high, and the knowledge acquired was not very intense, so it was not very difficult to learn and explain. I fully expect to earn a high A in this course, which my GPA will thank me for later. In regard to the stories read, I really enjoyed Angela Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber”. I completed my close reading analysis paper on it, which I received a high grade for. The way Carter flipped the narrative and made it more of a rated R version of a children’s story is very creative and impressive. It reminded me of the movie Snow White and the Huntsman, which is based off of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It allows a broader audience to enjoy these stories as well. I believe that the professor’s belief that we were required to have the textbook was completely bogus. Everything was found easily online; we only needed the course code to complete the quizzes, which only totaled 3. I believe that the professor could have done a better job explaining the necessary requirements and considered the time frame in which we were working with. Reading these short stories and then communicating our ideas with our classmates on the discussion board was the easiest and best part of the class. Appearing on Zoom meetings with the rest of the class for attendance grades was also an easy way to still get a sense of a classroom, even remotely. As I conclude this reflection and this course, I want to say thank you to my classmates and the professor for making it as simple considering everything that has been going on in the world. Being able to compare these stories and their messages to current events made it that much more interesting. I am glad it is over, and I wish luck to those who take this course over the next few semesters.

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