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My final reflection of English A Language and Literature…

In this adventure I have learned things that have changed my life completely. The 15-year-old Sebastian that enter to this class in 2020 is not the same person that is just a few steps from college. I. have learned that not all texts have to be Literature to convey a message in a creative way or even change the world— just as the war propaganda did—; that memes are a very effective way of communication; that video games could be considered as art; that, like Margaret Atwood, it is important to stand-up for what is right even if everyone thinks that is wrong; that someone cannot write an academic with contractions nor “a lot”; that poetry is not boring, rather interesting, satisfying and very deep; but importantly, I learned how to write an essay. And I do not mean that I only learned the most basic rules of writing an essay, like do not use first person. This class taught me the importance of analyzing a text and understand which resources the author using to call my attention. After that, the importance of creating a thesis statement and stick to it throughout all my work. And finally, how vital is using evidence to support that thesis statement. And essays are not only important in a literature class, but they are part of our daily lives. Every day, human beings are subjected to different texts— such as ads, the radio, or posters— that use all resources possible to call our attention and manipulate us. That is why it is key to develop the skill of critical thinking in order to take the best decision possible or be in accordance with a statement. I really loved my class of Language and Literature and I will choose to take it again without any hesitation.

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Reflection Persepolis

When I started to read Persepolis, I thought it was a graphic that was focused mainly on children and teenagers, however, the text transmits different powerful meanings and change my whole perspective of Iran. While reading this novel, I learned that Mexican culture is not that different from that of Iran, despite that they have different histories and are thousands of miles apart. Both cultures are (or were in that time) governed by religious norms. This led to a formation of an extremist society where women were and are constantly discriminated against. But their biggest similarity is the way both countries govern and started their republic. Iran and Mexico are countries that had independence hoping to offer a better life to their population, nevertheless, both ended worst than before. The reason for this is that after that political crisis, Iran and Mexico started from scratch, making different characters of their history able to take the advantage of their vulnerability, nurturing a corrupted system that keeps affecting both populations. Therefore, in Iran and Mexico, there is a significant economic inequality.

Moreover, I related with Marji like no other character before, because, throughout my life, I have encountered many contradictions in my faith, religion, and society. I believe in God and, as Marji, my faith overcomes all contradictions of Roman Catholicism. There are things that I do not understand from the Catholic Church, for example, why were homosexual relationships not accepted or why only men can be priests. However, I truly believe in my God and try to live by His ten Commandments every day.

Also, I relate my personality with the one of Marji, I always try to understand what other people believe and why they believe it; I question my values and the ones from the society; and finally, I will always fight for what is right.

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Song & Music Reflection

I was never into music before. I took piano lessons once, but I just did not understand music and notes. And, I really liked to sing songs and play them in the car, however, I never stop for a moment to analyze them or understand how they made me feel. Music can be defined as the systematic sound of the voice or different instruments that create a harmonic sound. But for me, music was only something that sounded nice. But in this course, I have learned that music is a very powerful instrument that helps the artist to transmit a message, and much deeper and more interesting than a pretty sound.

Although I knew that the lyrics of a song transmitted a message, this semester I learned that the tempo, the instrument's selection, and the notes of a song have a big impact on the feelings of the listeners. If a song has a faster tempo, it could transmit emotions of excitement and happiness. However, if the song has a slower tempo, it could help the artist reinforce a feeling of sadness. Another example of how the form of a song can influence how it is interpreted is its structure. If a word is constantly repeated or the artist puts more musical emphasis in a sentence, it is more likely that the audience records that specific message in their heads. I also learn the different features that make an artist unique, such as the song structure, genre, topics, themes, instruments, notes, and tempo. That is why, in a song, nothing is there by luck.

I liked this topic because I started to understand better how music works and why it is so important in the life of many people. From now on, I will start to give time to understand the songs that I like and listen to other genres of music.

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Reflection 1 V

This semester was very different from what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting to read many literary texts, so I prepared myself all the summer to improve my reading skills. We did not discuss literary texts in class, but the topics we have reviewed surprised me.

These couple of weeks, we have focused on discourse, types of meaning, and speech. I have learned that: understanding the message someone is trying to transmit is basic for communication and is something that will just not help us with analyzing texts, but in real life as well.

Another thing that I learned is that there are many types of meaning and it is important to understand all of them and how they convey a message. These different types of meaning can awake feelings in the audience and help them visualize in a better way the message intended.  The types of meaning are a communication resource and we need to know how to use them.

A topic that I thought was also very interesting was commercials and advertisements. Ads are something that we see every day - on the TV, on YouTube, in magazines, in the driveway and many more. If we start to critically analyze ads, we are going to be able to recognize which products and ideas are false claims or truth. It is also important to use all ads resources to make our audience understand better our idea/production and make a connection with it.

I liked this semester's activities. We had fun but we worked a lot as well. I analyzed the UN speech of Golda Meir and learned that "appealing to the audience" is not only present in ads or literary texts. It was really important of Golda that the delegates understood her message, make them feel empathic, and make them feel a connection with the horrible events Golda presented. She was not trying to sell a product but to save thousands of innocent lives. She really needed every resource possible that could help her.

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Reflection 2 IV Semester

I have to be honest, before English class, I did not have a clue of what is Postmodernism. And when the teacher said it for the first time, I thought that it was another old artistic movement that was not that relevant for me. But it was when he presented what is Postmodernism that I understood that is beyond an artistic movement, is the explanation of why we are what we are nowadays.

Postmodernism is very important because is our way of thinking, our lens to see and interpret things. So, I started to investigate more by myself and I concluded that we are not the same, humanity is not the same since the Great War or the Cold War. Now, we do not believe that someone will save us, that capitalism or communism is our way, we do not believe in great stories anymore. Instead, we are more curious, more tolerant, we seek truth, and we are more critical.

Something I do not like about Postmodernism is that society lost values. So, if we do not hope for a better future, it is easier to rob. Values are lost and if something works, is good no matter if affects positively or negative to someone. But. there are parts of what I am proud of, for example, now we try to give voice to the voiceless, minorities have been revindicated, and we start to understand that nobody has the absolute truth.

Maybe we do not hope for a better future, but we are living the present, we enjoy moments, discover who we truly are, have doubts, but most important we are ourselves. I would like to investigate more about Postmodernism and read texts that reflect them. For example, I just finished a book called "Nothing" by Janne Teller, and characteristics of Postmodernism are everywhere.

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Reflection 1 IV Semester

This is the first time I study poetry in my life and to be honest I was very scared. I did have a rhetorical figure class in the first semester, and I was awful at it, I just did not understand. But when we reviewed the first poem of John Donne in class my emotions exploded. 

And that is the first thing I learned about poetry, which is a whole mixture of bare emotions and perfection, nothing is left by casualty. Poetry can portray certain emotions better than other genres because they are the main focus of the text, writers do not have to develop a story, they start however they want, but mainly because they write for themselves; poetry for them is a catharsis. 

Throughout the semester we reviewed John Donne, a metaphysical poet. Metaphysical poetry is characterized as being highly intellectualized and complex. You can last almost 15 minutes understanding one line of his poems because of his diction, semantic fields, themes, and rhetorical figures. What I learned about Donne is that he chose the exact word, the word that is exactly attached to what he wanted to convey.

What liked the most about poetry is that it is a living text because of its universality. No matter the time or the place, all people have emotions, all people pass through love, loneliness, sadness, happiness, and losses. The poem "Satire III on religion" is a perfect example of this. John Donne wrote this work of art in 1593 and is still an issue humanity lives in nowadays, to find the "true religion".

I do believe that I became a better understander of poetry right now because when I read a poem, I start to think first what is the author trying to tell us, what is the message behind it, why they wrote it? Also, I learned that it is important to understand the context of the poem, get to know which facts led the author to write about that specific theme. 

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NY BABYYYY 😎

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L&L Reflection 3

For the first time in my life, I can say that studying literature and art is worth it. In my first semester of high school we discussed that only cultured people can interpret, analyze, and appreciate fully artworks and literary texts. And while studying visual texts, I fully understand it. Once someone knows the majority of resources directors, writers, and painters can use, they can see that nothing is there by coincidence. 

Each element transcends the artwork, makes the audience live it instead of just watching it. And that is what makes art beautiful, it brings out the best version of ourselves, our most human, interesting, colorful, and sentimental part of us. And by the best version, I do not talk about ethics or morals, but about the things that represent us, the things we have in the deepest of ourselves. 

Also, understanding why I am feeling sad, how Pixar makes me cry is very satisfying, enriches myself. The human aspiration for knowing more comes from a survival instinct, the desire to understand their environment, control it. And doing it, the humans feel satisfaction, that is why it is said, knowledge is power. 

Now that we saw the majority of elements in a visual text, I would not be able to see them the same. It is fascinating to see in an intense scene a handheld movement. Obviously, I say, “Wooooow, incredible”, and my family stares at me awkwardly. But that is okay, I can handle it. 

I am really starting to enjoy this class and I did not think that was going to be possible, how Language and Literature be in my favorite subjects sharing place with Physics and Maths? Did not see it coming. And also, I learned that literature texts open the doors to a new reality where I can escape mine, but understanding I am the same person with the same values no matter where am I, helps me to fully comprehend and love myself. 

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L&L Reflection 2

The real fear of Language and Literature has already started, essay writing, and for being honest, it was not that bad. Since I started high school, I knew that my strengths were not writing, reading nor interpretation of literature. They are maths, science, and sports. Is true that I learned how to analyze a literary text in the first semester, but it was like the things someone memorizes for an exam and does not understand them well. In the first essay, I already had a basis in writing which help me a lot, but that was not enough. 

Although my perspective of essay writing did not change in the last few weeks, I liked to learn how to make an essay from the beginning, because that was what we did in class. The teacher taught us by baby steps how to write a solid essay, starting from the thesis statement and outline. I notice that I had obstacles and problems like lack of literary interpretation that made me commit silly mistakes. This led me to make my essay very difficult to develop. 

I learned that it is very important to maintain a format in my writing to develop a solid essay that is understandable, precise, and moving. That is also a thing that I learned from me, I like to write essays and texts that are moving and inspiring, essays that motivate or change the perspective of someone. And that is one of my most important strengths, wanting to transcend and make things better. 

Something I learned about my process of learning is that for me, it was easier to make an outline than starting writing without order. I realize that it is time-spending, but it is worth it. I liked learning tips like this one and I will be delighted to search for more in my free time to improve not only my essay writing in English but also in Spanish. 

I know that I have tons of opportunity areas, like diction, grammar, clear and precise ideas/sentences, and punctuation. But I would like to learn more, practice more, and inform myself more about essay writing because is something that enriches your soul. 

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3 weeks of Language & Literature A

I was very afraid of entering to Language & Literature because English has not been my strength throughout these years. That is why, before the first day of school, I started to read books, watch videos and movies in English, take classes, and improve my pronunciation. Since I started to do that, I am feeling more confident when I express myself, therefore I participate more. Well, obviously I do not have the skills of Mariana for expressing herself, but I try, I really admire her.

In these three weeks of school, I have learned a lot! Firstly, I did not know what literature means, so investigating this topic was very interesting. There are a lot of definitions of the word literature, but I conclude that is the study texts; written texts, images, songs, or advertisements. Texts that transmit something and that make someone feel. And we have a whole class discussion of this issue, it is impacting to see the variety of perspectives there are. I conclude that it is almost impossible to judge something objectively.

Also, we started to read Monster, by Naoki Urasawa. It is a manga graphic novel that is pretty amazing, I liked it so much. A graphic novel is a novel that tells a complete story through images, written text, and pictures, it makes reading a really fun and interesting thing to do, sometimes, when I am remembering about Monster, I thought I watched a movie instead of reading a graphic novel. And that is how Naoki Urasawa conveys the theme of the story, he is a specialist in using visual elements to make his stories magnificent.  I do consider Monster literature because it transmits something, it makes me feel something, but more importantly, this novel represents an amazing way of narrating historical facts, stories, and cultures.