As a result of my valuable learning experience in English 111, I have deepened my understanding and progressed my knowledge of Jemisin’s literature throughout the semester. Within The Broken Earth Trilogy, I encountered opportunities for self-growth as I was actively learning about the plot development and character analysis. I would definitely say that my thinking has both improved and developed within this class, as I encompassed difficulties in the beginning of the semester that I was able to overcome towards the end. In other words, I did not have much prior experience with science fiction that is intertwined with fantasy elements, which created some original difficulties in navigating the plot. After having ample opportunity to explore the plot and recurring themes, I can confidently say that I gained expertise in comprehending this difficult form of literature, as well as enhancing my analytical skills on this type of subject matter.
I noticed great improvement in my writing and analysis since the Lithosphere Essay we completed towards the beginning of the semester. In the Lithosphere Essay, I received multiple forms of feedback which suggested that I slow down, as it can make me vulnerable to plagiarism. Furthermore, my feedback allowed me to consider the ways in which speeding through my thoughts can place me at a disadvantage, as I can miss out on opportunities to successfully connect my thoughts directly to the passage. For example, in the Lithosphere Essay, I wrote how Geraldine Heng is “famous for her literary knowledge on social and cultural encounters between worlds.” Although this statement is accurate, I did not provide a source as to where I received this information from, which very well could be a form of plagiarism— this was a learning experience for me, as I ensured that I correctly accredited and cited my sources. Professor McCoy acknowledged my progress, as I received positive feedback on the Collaborative Exercise that was published to Im(Possibilities). In that feedback, I was told that the ways in which my group embedded the links and practiced in-text attribution made the essay much easier to follow— moreover, it served as a protection against plagiarism.
Another example from the Lithosphere Essay that created an opportunity for me to slow down was in regards to the spelling of certain words. I consider myself to be a very strong speller and spell-checker, but due to the complex terminology and themes present within this trilogy, I was caught making several foolish spelling mistakes that I have strived to overcome in my other writing passages for this class. For example, in the Lithosphere Essay, I always spelled the word “fulcrum” with a capital “F”— although that is oftentimes correct, it is essential to consider that it is only occasionally capitalized. This level of inconsistency could make readers feel that they are unable to trust the writer, which can damage the reputation and overall quality of my work. Since this mistake, I have worked tirelessly as a writer to ensure that I am accurately spelling and accredding information that I pull from resources. Overall, I believe that the Lithosphere Essay acted as a stepping stone towards progress I was able to achieve in later writing assignments— I thoroughly appreciated the feedback I received from that paper so that I was able to use it to my advantage and enhance my writing style in future works to come.
In the Collaborative Exercise, I concluded my research by connecting it back to Jemisin and how her storylines relate to the seismic event my group explored. For example, I wrote how “Jemisin’s trilogy often explores systematic issues of oppression, highlighting ways in which such communities struggle when they are impacted by conflict. For example, the novel notes ‘…what is important is that you know it was not all terrible. There was peace in long stretches, between each crisis. A chance to cool and solidify before the grind resumes.”’ (Fifth Season, online pg 263). Jemisin highlights how these horrible effects cause a rift between society and its environment.” This is an example of how my thinking has developed over time, as when I originally tackled the first book, I did not understand the significance of “cooling” and how it is an essential part of a stone eater’s development. Furthermore, just as Professor McCoy brought to my attention with her feedback, we had no idea at the time that Hoa was providing Essun early context for what was truly happening to her. These examples not only highlight how I was exposed to more information as the books progressed, but it also describes the ways in which my thinking altered, changed, and progressed as I was given snippets of this new information.
In regards to the characters, their motives and personality traits progressed over time, therefore allowing me to deepen my understanding about the interactions between them, as well as the overall plot in general. This not only allowed me to make further connections across all three books, but it also created an opportunity to connect themes and elaborate them during class discussion. For example, we see how in Chapter 2 of The Stone Sky, Nassun kills her father, Jija. This is essential to the plot, as it showed a continuation from where the Obelisk Gate ended off. The readers were able to experience a monumental plot development for Nassun, which created an opportunity to deepen the relationship between Nassun and Jija, as well as the hidden ulterior motives that were not so obvious in the second book of the trilogy. For example, Jemisin perfectly describes how “Nassun [stood] over the body of her father, if one can call a troubled mass of broken jewels a body. She’s swaying a little, light-headed because the wound in her shoulder— where her father has stabbed her— is bleeding profusely (The Stone Sky, pg 30).” This beautifully descriptive moment highlights the painful reality of what Nassun and her father’s relationship turned into; this is the harsh truth that is only uncovered after beginning the second novel, as readers were left in the dark in regards to their relationship in the first Jemisin book. This scene created a vital learning experience, as I was able to witness firsthand how characters in this novel developed over time. This book created many opportunities to witness the growth and development of characters, which is something I do not always see in the types of literature I choose to read.
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to read N.K. Jemisin’s trilogy, as her novels highlight many parallels to real world issues by demonstrating inequality and social hierarchy based on the certain traits that individuals carry. By incorporating multiple themes of power, oppression, and hierarchy into this fictional narrative, readers have the opportunity to gain perspective into the deeper meaning of her writing. Across the trilogy, my knowledge of the characters and the deeper meaning behind their stories have allowed me to expand on my thinking as well as practice basic reading skills such as reading comprehension and cross checking. Readers were exposed to a myriad of overarching themes of discrimination and oppression, and as the narratives continued, they were able to dive deeper into the core of what these forms of discrimination truly entailed. Overall, we gained access into how damaging discrimination and hierarchical status can be to society, which created the ability to connect overarching themes throughout the trilogy to real life concepts.