It's so strange to look back on my 10 previous blog posts and see how much I have learned in such a small amount of time. At the beginning of the year I knew that I liked fairy tales but I didn't know exactly why or how to break them down analytically. If I had been asked to break down the meaning of a classic fairy tale in August I would have had no idea where to start, but now I feel very confident in my ability to read and write about classic literature.I really enjoyed starting the year off with learning about the history of the time period and the Brothers Grimm because it gave me context for the environment that the stories were created in. As the semester went on I really enjoyed focusing on one fairy tale each week because it allowed us to really focus on the deep metaphors and symbolism within each story. The format of the class created an environment where students had to learn to become accountable for their progress and preparation.I liked that we had to do class presentations because it allowed me to focus more deeply on a subject I was interested in and practice my public speaking skills. I liked the weekly blog posts very much because they helped me keep to a strict weekly schedule and allowed me to reflect on all the work I had done that week. This class gave lots of opportunities to correct mistakes in assignments and improve on areas where I was having difficulties which really helped me to progress and grow.
Overall, I think I learned a lot from this class and grew as a student. I learned that stories should not be taken at face value and should be read carefully, no matter how simplistic they may seem. I learned that the meanings behind tales often comes from the environment they were created in, so it is important to study the historical context. I think I progressed in terms of public speaking and preparedness. I think this class was a good FYS because it taught me how to read, study, and work on my own without relying on teachers or classmates. All in all, I found this class very fun and I'm very glad that I took it.
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