Personal Reflection

Sunday, April 19, 2009

To be frank, when I was first told about this project, I thought it was going to be tedious and dull. However, this whole experience has almost been, dare I say, enjoyable. It makes it so much easier to be involved in a project where your focal point is interesting to you.

This assignment has further taught me how to really dig; for information, themes, ideas, character analysis. Critical thinking and a deeper level of understanding is necessary, and I would like to think that I have improved in these areas. I wouldn’t so much say I have improved as a reader, but as a gatherer. Learning to pick out key bits of information has become a great skill to have. My major improvement would be my writing skills. I have further learned how to express my opinion and with a higher degree of thinking.

Having a wider audience influenced in my writing in a sense that I could be more creative with my style, but at the same time making sure that it could be comprehendible. It meant I had to speak with a certain level of receptiveness and clarity.

Unfortunately I had a certain impression of Canadian literature; that it was not what I would normally consider “a good read”. Having read Spanish Fly, that misconception has changed. Authors of this country have just as good of credentials and strength as writers as Americans or anyone.

Through my reading, I have come to understand human struggle and the issue of establishing personal identity. Finding your own voice is not easy. With strong influences like Virgil in the novel, or in our own lives’, one can be lead astray into thinking or acting upon something they do not believe in. It taught me that you really need to trust your own instincts, and not be afraid to listen.

In summary, this ISU has shown me how to appreciate a work of literature, and to really value Canadian works. I have learned how to express myself and how I can effectively show my creativity. Most importantly, Spanish Fly has taught me the meaning of following a dream or an instinct no matter how little or big. You have to follow what draws you, despite the destination.