REFLECTIVE ESSAY FINAL (ENGL112L)
Posted by santw001 on Aug 3, 2022 in Uncategorized | 0 comments
Stephen Antwi
Professor Coxwell, Rebekah
Introduction to Literature
08/05/2022
Reflective Essay Final
At the start of this course, I felt I knew much about literature since I could analyze some literature works. However, it later dawned on me that what I knew was a drop in the ocean. To claim that the course has been enlightening would be an understatement. I have noted that my reservoir of knowledge increased, considering that we covered new content each week. The various works we have read and discuss have impacted my morals positively. Equally, these works have challenged my thinking regarding various issues and exposed me to new ways of thinking like analytical thinking. The course has exposed me to many literatures works of different genres that have appealed to my morals, challenged my thinking regarding ethics, and exposed me to diverse ideas.
First, the poem Bible Defense of Slavery by Frances Ellen Watkins appealed to my morals by teaching me that slavery is defenseless. This poem stuck to me most since it revealed to me the immorality of hypocrisy in society. I liked this text since it explicitly shows why it is wrong to try and defend servitude using the bible. One of the most powerful lines in this poem that appeals to me is “The sacrifice of truth!” (Harper). This line shows that the reverend entrusted with guiding the people in the right direction chose to sacrifice this by defending slavery. Besides, the poem challenged my thinking concerning hypocrisy since I realized that hypocrisy is a sin and can be punished. God can punish the hypocrites as He did to the people of Sodom, who He destroyed because of engaging in sinful acts intentionally. The poem exposed me to new ideas by teaching me that reverends can sometimes misuse their position to lead God’s people on the wrong path. Therefore, I should interrogate the reverends` messages because they can be deceptive. Another poem that appealed to me is Lynching by Claude McKay since it paints a very distressing image of the killing of a black American. In particular, I was impressed by McKay’s careful selection of words to show how cruel it is to murder an African American. This text challenged my thinking about murder by revealing that some people cannot express sorrow even when they know that injustice has been done. The speaker of this poem claimed that the women who came to view the man’s body did not show sorrow (McKay). Moreover, this poem taught me that passing wrongdoings to future generations is immoral. Lastly, the text taught me I should speak against evil in society without fear, just like McKay.
Second, the story “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin appealed to my morals by making me question whether utilitarianism is good. I was most attracted to the part where Le Guin describes the misery the child locked in the basement must endure to ensure prosperity and happiness in the city of Omelas. Le Guin states that the child might have grown into an imbecile because of neglect, fear, and malnutrition (3). This text challenged my support of utilitarianism. Before reading this text, I supported utilitarianism, but after I read it, I changed my mind. It astounded me that an innocent child has to suffer for the sake of the happiness of many people. Besides, the text taught me that many people, as evidenced in the text, are not ready to do good if they think they would lose happiness. Also, the story taught me that my suffering could be a source of joy to others. The other text that appealed to my morals is Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s short story, Harrison Bergeron. I liked this story because it explores why equality for all people is not a good objective. The government in this story tortures the people to realize equality. For example, George had to wear the mental handicap that sends sharp noises to prevent him from using his intelligence unfairly (Vonnegut 1). This text challenged my thinking about the need to have equality in society. I used to believe equality was good, but the text made me realize that equality can bring suffering to some people. Lastly, the text taught me that equality could be realized in the United States but at the expense of curtailing the achievement and freedom of others. It also taught me that it is vital to obey government laws to avoid being killed, like in Harrison’s case.
Third, the play Fences by August Wilson appealed to my morals by making me rethink the effects of practicing racism. I liked this play because it shows that the impact of racism cannot not only hinder a person’s economic prosperity but can also adversely affect familial relations. Although Troy was a talented baseball player, he did not get a chance to play in the professional league because of segregation. He, therefore, believes his son Cory could not get an opportunity to build a prosperous career in sports dominated by whites. Troy’s pessimism ruins his relationship with Cory. The play Fences challenged my thinking about the hurdles in our lives that limit success. I was surprised to learn that Troy did not fear death and had to wrestle with it to prevent it from tormenting his life. The play taught me that segregation was a bad idea since it shattered the dreams of many blacks and prevented them from growing economically. Eventually, the play taught me that life has many fences (hurdles), but they should not deter me from working towards realizing my dreams since times have changed, as Troy’s wife suggested (Wilson 8).
In conclusion, the course allowed me to read various literature works of different genres that made me rethink the constructs of morality. Also, the course challenged my thinking about issues touching on ethics in addition to exposing me to new ideas. Besides, I must mention that I loved the weekly discussions since they enabled me to read and analyze different works. However, I would not say I liked the lengthy plays because I had to spend several hours reading them. Finally, Introduction to Literature would inform my moral choices in life since I have learned a lot about issues touching on morality.
Works Cited
Harper, Frances. “Bible Defense of Slavery.” 1993.
Le Guin, Ursula. The ones who walk away from Omelas. HarperCollins, 2017.
McKay, Claude. “The Lynching.” 1922.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Harrison Bergeron. 1961.
Wilson, August. “Full Text of “August Wilson “Fences.”Internet Archive, 1983, archive.org/stream/WilsonFences/Wilson%20Fences_djvu.txt.