S1- Unit 3 Moodle: Diary Entry

Starting off I thought Humes was going to be way too much for me. The way other people were talking about topics and concepts I had never even heard of before was terrifying to me and I thought there was no way I would be able to keep up. However, with the exception of my writing, I have started to believe that maybe Humes is the right choice for me. I think I realized this upon reading Kafka’s The Trial and working on my Something News for the portfolio.  

For The Trial, I did not know what to expect going into it as I mostly read fiction for pleasure, and I have not always enjoyed reading books that are more “academic” in English classes. But I think the difference between reading Kafka and reading books assigned in high school is that everyone in Humes has a genuine interest in and desire to engage with the readings. I have friends back home who are excited at the fact that they are never going to read a book again as they are not forced to for school, and that mindset is strange to me. The people here I have met have such vastly different views on the concepts discussed and I am often just taken aback and just try to listen in order to understand what they are saying. Also, even more than the discussions we have in plenary and section, the discussions I have had with friends into the wee hours of the morning sitting around 1st Rich lounge have helped me dive into the class even more. After reading Antigone, we discussed our obligations and what standards we held ourselves to and we started talking about religion and how it influences our lives. We all had different experiences, but the things I learned from each of them ranging from views on spirituality to atheism was an enlightening experience. 

I also realized that even though I was not the best at academic writing compared to some of my peers, when it comes to creative writing and other assignments of the same kind I can dive fully into them and produce a product that I am proud of. My something new textual blackout poetry is one of the pieces of writing that I am proudest of making in my entire life I think in part because the topics I chose to write about interested me rather than being forced into writing about topics I am less interested in. 

I have enjoyed how Humes has made me think thus far and I think it will help me throughout college if I continue putting consistent effort into the course.