Reflection

            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.