EGL 102 Class Reflection

                    This class with Professor Brady was one of the best classes Iv'e ever taken. I enjoy how the class is run by simply the students and not just the Professor lecturing the whole time. The fact that we sit in fishbowls and thoroughly discuss the themes in works of literature truly has made me a view English and all aspects of literature in a different way. Every time I walk out of this class I learn something new and grasp information I can carry with me throughout my college career and the rest of my life. You taught me that there is so much more to talk about in literature than just reading words. 
                    I now feel more confident in my reading and writing because I have grown as a scholar. Before I took this class my reading skills were weak, mainly because the books I've read in high school were boring and the teacher made them uninteresting. Because of how Professor Brady breaks down the main ideas and points in whatever piece we are reading, it helps me paint a bigger picture in my head which makes my ideas flow better on paper. During the fishbowls, everyone had different feedback which also made me think deeper about many different topics. This paved the way for my fellow classmates and I to express our ideas without feeling uncomfortable.
                   Even though I believe this class consisted of a lot of work, it truly paid off in the end because I can now look back at all the great work Iv'e accomplished and compare it to my childish high school work. In this class, Iv'e learned that there is no incorrect answer and I now feel more confident with the person I am. Professor Brady also taught me that we should live our own lives and enjoy the great things God grants us with and to never take anything for granted. I recommend this class because it was extremely enjoyable and Professor Brady was amazing.
                     

Lecture 1 "Transcendentalism"

This was one of my favorite lectures Professor Brady has taught to the class. I really liked how the class was held outside because it gave everyone including me the real meaning of transcendentalism and how we connect with nature. It is the belief of how the human spirit is driven when it's close with nature and all the great things God handed to us. Not only do we see this outside but photographers and painters often focus on how big a part nature has in our lives and how we can easily relate to it. This helped me paint a bigger picture in my head of what life was really about and how we must appreciate it.

Lecture 2 "Short Story Unit Timeline"

I really enjoyed this lecture because it broke down the different time periods between 1800 to the modern day. It was interesting getting a brief overview of the time periods in literature because as we got closer to modern day, you can clearly see the dramatic changes in the world. These time periods included Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Realism, Modernism and Postmodernism. Postmodernism was the most inspiring for me because it was right after the Great Depression, the Civil War and post World War 1 and you can recognize how our economy was coming together and becoming wealthy.

Lecture 3 "Poetry"

Poetry was by far my favorite unit this semester, and i'm glad Professor Brady saved it for the end. Poetry is defined as a literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings or ideas by using a distinctive style. Poetry also expresses evocation in emotions, meaning that if you don’t feel it, you can’t write it. It is also meant to be spoken and heard, not read because if you hear it then you can understand more what the narrator is trying to express in his work. Poetry was interesting to me because Professor Brady made it enjoyable and I was able to develop and understand important life events.