Amanda Lee, Period 2, 2/2/2021, Day A

1. Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class

    I never thought I would learn so many valuable lessons from pieces of fiction/nonfiction in an English class before. Out of the many valuable lessons learned this year, my favorite so far is the story of Job. I have been a Christian for 8 years, so I have heard of Job at my church and in my family as part of my own personal faith. But to be completely honest, and this is probably considered shameful as a Christian, I never even read the book of Job before this class - I didn't even fully know the story of Job before reading it in mythology class. Job was a man who, despite losing everything in his life, still remained faithful to God. Because of his faithfulness even in suffering, Job was blessed with two times more than he originally had. Everyone suffers in life, some more than others. No matter what hardship someone is trialed with throughout their life, losing a loved one, physical sickness, mental sickness, etc... This story teaches us to keep pushing. You do not have to be religious to grasp a lesson out of this biblical story. We ALL suffer. Though we may not receive two times as much cows or land at the end of our suffering, we can gain insight through loss. The best lessons learned in my life was through losing something. Of course, just like Job, we may not see the reason why bad things happen to us, but there is always a reason behind it. God, the universe, whatever you believe in, has a plan for you. Remain faithful to it even through hardship and you just might gain something more valuable than what you lost. 

2. Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

Studying various religions and beliefs of cultures influences my critical perception greatly. Though many students, including myself, have our own beliefs, it's amazing to study other ones as well! Instead of looking at other religions through the lens of our own, we studied the similarities between various religious beliefs. By looking at life after death in both Christianity and Ancient Egyptian religions, we saw that many philosophies of life overlap each other. Just as in Christianity there is a Judgement Day in front of God, in Ancient Egyptain religions, there is a weighing of the heart to a feather after death. Both forms of judgement are used to determine whether the person (who is dead) deserves happiness in two versions of paradise after death. This example of looking at religions through a philosophical lens portrays how this class has influenced the way I analyze topics. Instead of looking through one focal view, I have begun to compare things previously learned to each other, as well as looking at topics in a philosophical way.

3. How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you

    As I mentioned before, I view all forms of literature/non fiction in a much more philosophical way than I did before. But perhaps the biggest application is the lessons learned from the literature and of course, from the students and Ms. Fusaro. I constantly find connections in absolutely every historical thing I see. One of the biggest lessons we learned this year is that nothing is original. So many stories overlap the same lessons, concepts, and ideas, but in different ways. This is especially true with religion, so in my own readings and studies in other classes, I see that this idea holds true in history. Also, hearing from other students and many different viewpoints has shaped me into a more well-rounded human being. I enjoy actively participating in discussion more than I ever have before.