REFLECTION: “Hills Like White Elephants” was one of the most abstract stories we read this semester. There was a lot of mystery and vagueness throughout key elements of the story that were open to the reader’s interpretation. Most short stories tend to overexplain their characters and certain plot-points so that everything is crystal clear for the audience. Hemingway kept plenty of elements of the story and the main character’s backstory vague. This allows for a discourse to be opened up across readers. In search for more clues and explanation, I reread the story multiple times. This was an interesting strategy and a unique way of writing that ultimately proved to be greatly effective.

 

 

 

Perspectives on the Short Story provided me with a collaborative and shared experience with my classmates. Each of the discussion boards were an opportunity to see each story from a new perspective. I wrote my ideas on the stories and what they meant to me, but the true value on these discussion boards came from reading my classmates’ responses. They made me think outside of my own box and understand these stories from fresh ideologies. 

 

Despite the volume of reading that this class required, I found each of these stories to be interesting in their own way. Not once throughout the semester did I feel that these stories were becoming stale or that my interest in the class was wavering. I’ve always been passionate about writing and composing longer novels. This class helped me understand the proper techniques in creating a short and to-the-point story that engages audiences. These techniques can be translated easily into longer novels and allowed me to recognize an effective story structure that makes sense to readers. Studying plot and structure is helpful in all areas of writing, and shorter stories tend to focus on that dimension of storytelling. 

 

I really enjoyed the collaborative project that we had to present at the end of class. This semester was far more challenging and difficult to assemble a group project together due to the global pandemic. My group partners and I were forced to think critically and find new means to communicate and collaborate without person-to-person contact. We were able to pull it together and the feeling after we presented our final presentation was incredible. I had a strong sense of accomplishment and satisfaction knowing that I was able to compose a detailed analysis in a collaborative setting.

While many of my classes involved composing stories and writing my own narratives, this class was more on the analytical side. At first, I thought this would not lead to any growth in my storytelling. But I quickly understood that critically analyzing stories was just as effective in becoming a better writer as actually writing. 

 

In all, I enjoyed my experience in this class and it ultimately helped me grow as a reader and a writer. The environment of this class was very open and allowed me to communicate my ideas in a clear manner. I feel like our discussions in class, and online, helped me open my mind to a new means of thinking and analyzing stories. This class allowed me to look at stories far more in-depth than the surface level plot and themes.