This essay was one of the most meaningful assignments I completed this semester. It gave me the chance to explore rhetorical analysis in a new way—by closely examining a short animated film instead of a traditional written text. Seoro Oh’s Afternoon Class captures something I’ve experienced many times: the struggle to stay awake in class despite exhaustion. That moment where your eyes get heavy, your focus fades, and the classroom feels like it’s moving around you—this film brings that exact feeling to life through exaggerated animation, immersive sound design, and powerful symbolism.

What made this assignment stand out is how personally I connected with the subject matter. As a college student balancing classes, studying, and future career planning, I’ve felt the pressure that this film critiques. There have been times where I’ve been so mentally drained that even staying focused in a basic lecture felt like a battle. When I watched the protagonist fight to stay awake, I saw myself. That connection helped me write with more insight, because I understood the deeper message behind the humor—that students are often expected to push through exhaustion without any real support for balance or well-being.

In this essay, I analyzed how Afternoon Class uses visual storytelling, metaphor, and sound to turn a simple moment into a broader commentary on academic burnout. I also supported my ideas with outside research on sleep deprivation and student mental health, which helped me make my analysis stronger and more credible. Through this process, I learned how to build a clear argument, use evidence effectively, and tie personal experience into academic writing in a meaningful way.

This reflections section highlights the key learning outcomes I gained through the process of writing my literary analysis, “The Struggle for Consciousness: Analyzing Afternoon Class.” Throughout the assignment, I not only explored the artistic choices in Seoro Oh’s short film but also strengthened my academic writing and research skills. Each reflection below corresponds to one of the major course objectives, and together they show how this project helped me grow as a writer, thinker, and student.

While I came into this project confident in my ability to write, I quickly realized that blending visual analysis, scholarly research, and personal insight into a single cohesive essay was more challenging than I expected. It required multiple revisions, deep engagement with peer feedback, and a focus on purpose and audience. As I worked through the writing process, I became more aware of how rhetorical decisions, genre expectations, and research strategies all contribute to an effective argument.

These reflections demonstrate what I’ve learned and how I plan to carry these skills beyond the classroom. Whether I’m writing in future college courses or communicating professionally, the tools I developed during this assignment—especially thinking critically, writing with purpose, and researching effectively—will continue to support my growth.