A reflection

For me, it’s no secret that I’m incredibly picky about what stories I voluntarily read. I am not a fan of classics, historical fiction, or short stories. Simply put, I’m a reading snob. It’s terrible! I’ve pigeonholed myself, but it’s not something I did on purpose.

That’s not to say there aren’t hundreds of wonderful classics I haven’t read, or hundreds of amazing historical fiction books, but they just aren’t for me. I feel like I’ve revealed this well throughout this semester, especially in my post “Classics: Why 1984 Counts,” when I said “I think it’s a classic for a reason, and though I have a bias against classics, I’m glad this book was assigned because it forced me to get out of my comfort zone,” because it’s true. This class threw me out of my comfort zone and locked the door behind me, and while it was uncomfortable, I found stories I loved.

I really loved “The Cask of Amontillado,” because the atmosphere resonated in my chest, and in my blog post “The Single Effect in The Cask of Amontillado” I mentioned this, saying: “Honestly, the fact that Fortunado is walking into this is adding to my anxiety, its like a car crash, I know I shouldn’t watch but I can’t look away.” That was a title I had read before, but I’d never dug into it like that before. I learned that I didn’t mind several of Poe’s short stories, and this helped me become a better reader.

I also found a good way to tie current events to the stories we’ve read. I learned it’s okay to be cynical in an essay, and to state how I really feel. This really shows in my entry: “How Men Can’t Take A Hint-An Analysis of Leroy Moffit in “Shiloh.”” Among my witty one-liners in that entry, my favorite is “In ‘Shiloh’, Norma Jean drops so many hints that she wants to be left alone you’d think Leroy would have a concussion.” This is my favorite because it really encompassed how I felt, reading that story. It wasn’t my favorite by a long shot, but I still managed to make something good come from it.

This blog has shown me how I’ve changed — as both a reader and a writer. I went from reluctant to read these classics to hesitant, I went from sticking to a formal format to a more relaxed, real format. I may not have fallen in love with these stories initially, but I learned to read them, and that is an invaluable lesson.