Author: Olivia Brown

Throughout this semester, I have had a lot of time to self-reflect. How do I focus on key course concepts and relate them to the real world? What brings and binds people together? How have I developed my habits in thinkING? I think that this is the first course that I have taken that puts strong emphasis on the way that I think. Most classes encourage thought, but not necessarily expand your thinking to a deeper and more meaningful level. In terms of academics, the expansion of my thinking process has led me to question what the author is trying to portray and why it is striking my interes. I have learned that my thinking can expand past the initial thought and be more than just a fleeting moment, not only in academics but also in life. By this I mean that when having a conversation, I should not necessarily blurt out my initial thoughts, but present my side of an argument or topic from a more expanded and meaningful way, while simultaneously understanding someone else’s perspective. My thinking can also expand in regards to absorbing information. Instead of just analyzing the information laid in front of me, I can further my thinking process by deepening my thought process. By this I mean further questioning why the information is important, why it was included and how it can be beneficial to my learning and thought processes. 

This course has taught me quite a bit about the process of bringing and binding people together. Interactions between human beings with similar mindsets usually result in connection, or a binding or thoughts.  When learning about interactions between people and how these interactions bind them together, it has always been presented in a way that it was a primary source, a story from a person about how they connected with people. In Chimamanda Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” podcast is a reflection of her understanding of how people are torn apart by stereotypes. She says “they had become one thing in my mind” (9:18) in respects to creating a media fueled stereotype of a specific ethnicity. This single minded thinking will not allow people to come together, but rather separates us with our differences. I believe that this has broadened my perspective of bringing and binding people together by allowing me to see how thinking with stereotypes in mind will not allow me to truly connect with people beyond my initial thought of them. Another example of a way that this course has taught me more about bringing and binding people together is the discussion post “To The Forums! 2: Good Faith”. This discussion post narrowed down good faith practices to allow for more interactions with people unclouded by judgements or ill intentions. In the discussion, Beth McCoy includes a long list of good faith practices to keep in the back of your mind that allow for healthy interactions as life progresses. “Acknowledge without shame that which you don’t know. Once you do know that you don’t know something, that is when your responsibility to learn kicks in. ” This quote left in the discussion prompt by Beth McCoy has really changed the way that I interact with people, especially in my new college environment. To be able to understand that you do not understand something allows for room to ask questions and learn. This quote helps in regard to bringing and binding people together because if you do not know something about a culture, a sexuality or how someone identifies themselves, it allows room to acknowledge the fact that you are unaware and then learn in order to better your interactions with people. 

The concepts of harm and care have become more clear to me after taking this course. I have obtained a better understanding of how my thoughts and actions can either inflict harm or care based on how I consciously handle a situation. The To the Forums! 7: Disinformation and Harm, Information and Care discussion post in class allowed me to understand the differences between harm and care. The article that was in the discussion post, “5 ways to help stop the ‘infodemic’, the increasing misinformation about the coronavirus” gave great examples of differentiating harm and care. In the many months that this pandemic has taken over, misinformation about health safety and guidelines could be most harmful. This idea of misinformation connects with my real world adaptations of harm and care. If someone is misinformed in the real world, not just relating to the Corona-Virus, it could cause more harm than care. This basic set of rules when it comes to differentiating harm and care has given me the tools to be able to assess myself before an interaction or argument and be able to approach it in an empathetic and productive way in order to avoid creating a harmful situation. It is better to be informed rather than misinformed. In regards to Lilith’s Brood, I believe that harm and care play a large role in the beginning of the novel. With Lilith’s  lack of information regarding the Oankali, it creates a negative image of their people in her mind, because they are entirely strange to her. 

As I continue on into the void that is my college education, I think I have no other choice than to ‘prepare to change and be changed’. The habit of getting prepared to change and be changed is more so how willing I can be when it comes to change, whether or not I will stick my nose up in reluctance or allow for different views, thoughts and opinions to change my mindset. I feel as if in more recent years it is more likely that students across the country attending liberal arts schools are taking classes, much like this one, that address different types of controversial topics that face the world. Taking these types of classes can be incredibly enlightening if you open yourself up to the idea of learning these topics. This class in particular has allowed me to prepare to change and be changed by giving me a better sense of thought, especially when approaching controversial topics. To use empathy rather than react in a negative fashion. I also believe that the key course concepts circulating in this course have also allowed me to prepare to change and be changed. Ultimately, I feel as if it is very much so either sink or swim. Be progressive with thought, or remain close-minded. 

“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not….Habit is persistence in practice. Forget talent. If you have it, fine. Use it. If you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter. As habit is more dependable than inspiration, continued learning is more dependable than talent.”–Octavia Butler, “Furor Scribendi”

“Learn and Run!”–Octavia Butler, Dawn

“I chose a spot near the river. There I prepared the seed to go into the ground. I gave it a thick, nutritious coating, then brought it out of my body through my right sensory hand. I planted it deep in the rich soil of the riverbank. Seconds after I had expelled it, I felt it begin the tiny positioning movements of independent life.” –Octavia Butler, Imago

In my English 431 class on Octavia Butler, the concept of thinkING is always urged by professor Beth McCoy. With Octavia Butler being one of the main focuses of the class, understanding and thinking about her writings is crucial. I consider thinkING to be more of an action rather than just a simple thought process. When thinkING, you can be more cognizant about your thoughts in terms of expressing them in an easily understandable yet intellectual level. ThinkING is to expand your thoughts rather than just state them. The above epigraphs are encouragement for our thinkING on what we have read and learned so far in the class.

“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not….Habit is persistence in practice. Forget talent. If you have it, fine. Use it. If you don’t have it, it doesn’t matter. As habit is more dependable than inspiration, continued learning is more dependable than talent” (Octavia Butler, “Furor Scribendi”). This epigraph could not be more relevant for a first year student taking an English 400 class, especially when it comes to goal setting. In terms of forgetting inspiration, I agree with Octavia Butler that habit is more dependable. It does not matter if you are lacking in talent or a natural born prodigy, the way to succeed is through hard work and dedication. Inspiration is fleeting, hence why most writers experience “writer’s block”. Habit, the urge to continuously work to become better, is not fleeting, but constant. Octavia says “continued learning is more dependable than talent”, and by that I can only begin thinkING about how she means that through absorbing new information and working to improve is far more reliable in terms of skill than simply being naturally talented. Natural talent comes without hard work and effort. As someone who is fresh out of high school, a goal to set would be to continuously work and strive to have writing that belongs in a 400 level class. I did not come into this class believing that any natural writing talent I concocted in high school would serve me well, but rather to improve and build off of the skills I already have. To make improvement a habit.

“Learn and Run!”(Octavia Butler, Dawn). Another epigraph from Octavia Butler, this time not as lengthy, but still possessing a deeper meaning. Learn and run? To learn and run, meaning, gather all the information that one possibly can from an experience, situation, class ect., and continue on through life with that knowledge stored away in your brain? With the concept of “thinkING” playing such a major role in this course, to “learn and run”, how can the reader take time to truly THINK before acting with this new information? To “learn and run” effectively would be to digest the text/reading and be able to have an in depth conversation with peers, classmates or professors on the topic provided. A student oriented goal that can be created from this epigraph is to be fluid in ones ability to think about information and then create conversation from the topic. Being able to learn and understand and carry it with you throughout your life.

“I chose a spot near the river. There I prepared the seed to go into the ground. I gave it a thick, nutritious coating, then brought it out of my body through my right sensory hand. I planted it deep in the rich soil of the riverbank. Seconds after I had expelled it, I felt it begin the tiny positioning movements of independent life” (Octavia Butler, Imago). Octavia Butler’s words in this epigraph can have a reader think about the concept of care. Octavia plants a seed, picking the optimal setting and care (“nutritious coating”) before planting it. Soon after, life. Nothing can grow without care. One may also think that this epigraph is an allegory to Octavia Butler’s own work. She nurtures her writing, and when it is published it is brought to life in the eyes of the reader. A lot of this English course emphasizes care. Care in one’s reading, work, thinking and most importantly one’s own self. My interpretation of this epigraph is that something can be brought to life with the proper nurturing. From a student’s prospective, especially when it comes to setting one’s own goals, being able to take time to care for yourself can be most important on the path of growth. In the class discussions, care for accountability is often emphasized. To understand, acknowledge and address one’s own growth as a student producing work.

The majority of these epigraphs take into consideration the importance of growth. Hard work is more notable than natural talent. Only through continuous, diligent hard work can one improve beyond just natural talent. To learn and run (not to be confused with learning and wanting to literally run AWAY) is to absorb information and then be able to move onto the next awaiting challenge. Growth is only apparent after care. It should be a goal amongst student’s to desire growth in every aspect of their life, whether it be personal or academic. Octavia Butler’s epigraph require thinkING to understand the many different underlying meanings that a reader can conjure from her writing.