For me, reading books has always been a fascinating hobby; books contain another world, an adventure that doesn’t need me to walk, talk or exert myself but rather it is an exercise of the mind that brings out feelings such as joy, sorrow, respect and admiration for the characters and events that are located within a simple paperback novel. It is due to this that there is no particular reason that I have up this particular course at this particular time; rather, I did so because I wanted to. I cannot say that I have any expectations that American Literature course will benefit me in the long run in terms of its application to my career, I know that it will not give me knowledge in chosen field of study nor do I think that it is an integral part of a college curricula however I do believe in one thing: that it could possibly be very fun!
While learning is a practice that all individuals should aspire the mind needs the nourishment of a different sort every once in a while. My other courses, though having their own interesting aspects, cannot be categorized under what I would call the literary category of “fun.” A more accurate description would be to call them boring, methodical, repetitive, and a source of continued frustration due to the way in which they put pressure on the mind making it feel it is bursting at the very seems of my skull. As such, this particular course is my time to rest, relax, and actually enjoy what is being taught.
Literary works have always been a source of fascination and enjoyment for me, and it is due to this that I have taken this course not out of any particular reason outside of that I thought it would be a good idea at the time and that I could have some fun. I expect that as the course progresses from day to day, week to week, the various assignments and lessons should prove to be a rather relaxing way of actually enjoying what I’m reading rather than trying to forcefully cram as much knowledge into my head as I do with my other courses. On the other hand, I have come to realize over the course of my life that not everything I enter into will actually meet my expectations; this is not me being negative.
Rather, it is me being realistic that not everything in life will go exactly as planned. Some of the possible consequences of taking up this course at this particular time are that it may actually turn out to be just as hard as my other courses, which would make a potentially unreasonable amount of work that much harder to do. Also, the literary works that this course may tackle may, in fact, be potentially boring, so boring in fact that I fear I may have trouble opening my eyes. While I am sure that the works of writers such as Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe may be considered the very zenith of the heights of literary work, I still consider the content rather boring all things considering.
The books I like to read or study consist of fantasy adventure stories such as the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and best of all sci-fi novels and short stories by the three masters of science fiction Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke (Simonetta and Grabarek: 164).
Personally, I actually enjoy reading sci-fi books and stories most of all since for me they are like a window into the future, they help me to see a world which I doubt I will be able to experience within my lifetime. The concept of space travel, aliens, robots, and a futuristic landscape for me is an endless source of constant fascination. In fact, I am rather proud to say that I am somewhat of a science fiction geek, I love watching movies and TV shows based on science fiction, but I love reading about it most of all. One thing I would like to address is the fact that science fiction books have just as much fascinating content as any other genre, even more so due to the futuristic settings involved.
A rather interesting literary issue that comes to mind is the interaction between humans and robots, humans and aliens, and humans and the futuristic setting that they find themselves in. It is always fascinating to see how authors depict the reactions of humans to such settings, whether in the form of violent or positive actions. It is a glimpse into what could possibly happen to humanity in the future and, as such, can be considered a source of endless speculation, entertainment and just plain fun to read!
As such, while I highly doubt science fiction will be an integral part of the lesson plan, I do hope that some aspects of it come up since, for me, that would be a lesson worth sinking my teeth into, so to speak. Another literary genre that I enjoy reading is various detective stories and crime-related books that keep readers wondering who the killer is, what his motives are, and how he will be caught. I am actually quite uncertain as to why I like such books; it may stem from their sense of mystery, the way in which the author keeps readers guessing or it may just be that I enjoy placing myself in the shoes of detective, trying to figure out who the criminal is before the book actually reveals it. From everything that I’ve mentioned so far, it can be seen that my tastes are not that varied from what can be seen in popular culture today.
I like what most other people like, I read what most other people read, and I enjoy what other people enjoy. What I hope I will attain from this course is an appreciation for more literary genres, that in a way it will help open my eyes to what else can be read and appreciate. I realized that limiting myself to what’s popular is not really the best course of action I can take, rather a more logical point of view would be to read as many different kinds of genres as possible and see which ones I can actually enjoy. It is with these expectations in mind that I start this journal and begin my journey into the literary world that this course shall open for me.
Work Cited
Simonetta, Kathleen, and Daryl Grabarek. “Ray Bradbury: Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy/J. R. R. Tolkien: Master of Imaginary Worlds.” School Library Journal 50.12 (n.d.): 164. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web.