Throughout the Spring 2023 semester and spending 15 weeks
taking Literature For the Soul at Farmingdale State College, I was able to
learn many things, thanks to Professor Brady. The purpose of this course and Brady’s
instruction was to read literature that was truly for the soul. Literature that
would become a memory and etched into our brains as it became an important part
of our philosophy and the way we think. In a way, it included a lot of
psychology as we dove into topics such as fantasies, depression, maladies, and
much more. That is the part of this course that was intriguing to me, we went
into topics of people that can us, as readers, can relate to, or feel empathy
for.
The results of taking this course allowed me to become a
stronger writer, as we were pushed to think deeply about the stories we read.
Compared to before this semester, I can notice an improvement in my writing and
the way I can analyze literature. It furthered my ability to make connections
and provide examples, as well as even seeing how the literature we read can
connect to things that happen in the real world. Being able to make comparisons
like that is important, as literature is an expression of oneself, and that
expression may be for the purpose of sending a message, and possibly raising
awareness.
Not only that, but this course also gave me a new appreciation for reading stories. I was never much of a reader, and I always found it difficult to grow fond of it like the way other people do. But Professor Brady was able to introduce us to another side of the spectrum, and in return, that gave me a new view on literature. I noticed that when I read “Streetcar Named Desire”, and I had to keep myself from letting out a tear while reading a certain part of it, just because I was able to relate to it. Ever since I read that story, my eyes opened up to a new form of entertainment, one which I plan to explore.