During my sophomore year's English class, Place and Perspective, we examined the relationship between one's place and perspective, and also looked at ways that perspective can be shaped. The class went through a combination of classic and modern literature, from Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. By analyzing the influence of the environment, I learned to embrace different perspectives and started to gain a better understanding of myself.
During the first semester of the class, we discussed Swallow of Kabul, Where the Bluebirds Sings to Lemonade Springs, and Lord of the Flies, in which we spent a significant amount of time looking at the degradation of civilization. While reading Lord of the Flies, we discussed the boys' behavior changes and their moral degradation. The formation of their social status was mainly affected by environmental factors, as the group decided that survival was a priority above everything, and therefore, morals can be laid off. This unit reinforces the idea of the importance of place in shaping one's perspective and identity; when there is a dramatic change to the environment, a place can bring a negative impact on one's behavior like generating violence and hatred.
The majority of the time spent in the second semester was focused on Merchant of Venice and a romantic science fiction novel named Frankenstein. In Merchant of Venice, we were able to recreate a scene from the book to deepen our understanding of the text. We also examined racial aggression under the historical context when Jewish people were considered pagans and were not accepted into a Christain dominated society. From Frankenstein, we discussed the influence of technological advancement on the emergence of the genre of romantic literature. Frankenstein was innovative at the time of its publication, but some of the ideology is still discussed as the potential conflict between humans and machines grows. By learning the course, I was able to reflect on current events and evaluate the difference between past and present values.