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My Reflection : An Introduction To English Studies Class

Decent Essays
Before taking English 202-02, my expectations for this class were quite negative. I was anxious to learn the literary theories, but had no proper training in them. I had previously assumed that this class would be extremely difficult, and that I would never be able to comprehend the countless theories that would be taught in the class. However, as the class progressed, my expectations were proven false. Throughout this course, I have found that I do not have problems with most theories. In my fall Introduction to English Studies class, I have discovered that although I can apply both inward and outward looking theories, I struggle with feminist and queer theory, and favor psychoanalytical theory. Going forward in the major I need to work…show more content…
Feminism was never something I had previously been exposed to, so it would make sense that I would not do as well on the paper and topic. Although I received an A- on the feminist theory paper, entitled Rate Your Relationship: Instrumentality, Denial of Subjectivity, and Ownership in Pastan’s “Marks”, it was the lowest grade I had received on an essay in this class. I received comments such as “a little repetitive” and “a little rambling”. These were comments that I had not previously received, which portrays my lack of familiarity with feminist theory. Furthermore, I also struggled with queer theory. Even though I aced my queer theory quiz, I find this concept the most difficult to understand. For example, in class, when studying Shakespeare’s Sonnet 135, the entire class saw the poem as Shakespeare attempting to woo another man. However, I could not see this. I did not understand how this poem could be interpreted in such a way, and how everyone could tell so easily that it was written for another man. My past teachers have never had me analyze poems using queer theory, so it was a struggle for me to catch up with the class on this topic. Overall, I have improved in these two theories, as I knew absolutely nothing about them before taking this class, and want to continue to improve in the future. In addition, based on the comments from my essays, I still need to improve upon my use of passive voice. I agree
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