The Power of Sound

After reading through the syllabus and looking at the epigraphs provided. Toni Morrison’s epigraph “We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives” really stood out for me. Right away by reading this I thought about sounds and more specifically our voices. When I think of someone using their voice in a way that measures our lives, I think of people using their voices to make an impact on the world and using it in order to help other people. When I read this epigraph, I see it as there is more to life than just living. You will be known when you die and the way you want to be known is a powerful idea. Morrison is saying that our legacy lives on when we do something greater without lives by use your voice and make an impact. Continue reading “The Power of Sound”

Reflecting on the Beginning

If I am to take something from this class, I hope that it will be because I have given something in return. I believe that the intended format of this course: the supporting faculty, the importance placed on discussion and collaboration, etcetera, will make this class interesting and add potential discussion time. However, currently, I cannot see what I can offer this course other than contribution to group conversation. I felt incredibly out of place when I was asked to add something to the “Urban Garden.” I am no artist myself and I was rather hoping I could get away with never having to draw. An admittance: I didn’t add anything to the community art project due to my discomfort. Continue reading “Reflecting on the Beginning”

Occupation of Space

At the outset of ENGL 337, Beth informed the class that the texts and sources that we would encounter throughout the semester would often seem out of harmony, if not contradictory. She explained that the course material was selected intentionally to avoid the hazards of a single-story. The TED Talk by Chimamanda Adichie explains this issue  in depth, pointing to her own experiences growing up in Nigeria and then attending school in the United States. She found that her American roommate viewed the continent of Africa as a monolith of poverty and violence, for this was the only narrative to which the roommate had been exposed. In order to be informed on the complexities of a subject such as African-American Literature, we as readers must be exposed to diverse narratives on the subject.

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Art Saves College Students’ Lives

During the Fall semester,  Professor McCoy passed out a flier for this class, The Art of Steve Prince. Even though I was interested in taking the course, especially a course that was so heavily driven with the focus on artwork, I didn’t have the time to fit it in my schedule. I was disappointed, however, I figured that there would be another opportunity to take a similar class in the future.

Things didn’t play out how I had wanted them to, so I found the time to take this class. I was thrilled to get into this class because I had not been able to find classes at Geneseo that are centered around art. The lack of art in my life has definitely hurt my soul a little.

When I think about the learning outcomes and the epigraph, I want to learn. They make me thirsty for more knowledge. My favorite type of learning is when I engage in a conversation with someone that studies a completely different set of skills than I do. I learn a lot of useless (but never really useless) information through conversations, which I usually remember and use at a later date.

Continue reading “Art Saves College Students’ Lives”