As we wrap up our semester, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve done. A key eleme

As we wrap up our semester, it’s time to reflect on what we’ve done. A key element of our class has been exploring a couple of significant texts. These include Diane di Prima’s “Rant”, Martell’s Life of Pi, Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, and the poignant story of the start of the AIDS epidemic recounted in the podcast Blindspot.
Each text offers us an example of how as human beings we can put to practice the holding of what may seem to be impossible–hope in the face of radical loss and disorientation.
Now it’s your turn to think and go inward as you write your final essay. Rather than isolating your reflections to discrete sections or points, I encourage you to craft an essay that flows seamlessly, interweaving your personal experiences with the insights gleaned from our texts.
Guiding Questions
How have the dual narratives of stories with animals and stories without animals resonated with or contrasted against your own life?
In moments when your normal has sunk, how have storytelling, belief, and imagination played a role in your adaptation to change and loss?
Reflect on the interplay between belief and non-belief in your life’s journey.
Consider how integrating contradictory narratives has influenced your understanding and perception.
Ensure that you engage deeply with the primary texts we’ve studied, using direct quotations, paraphrasing, and summarizing to illustrate connections. Follow MLA guidelines for signal phrases, in-text citations and provide a works cited page at the end of your essay.
Let your essay be a narrative that flows, connecting the intellectual with the personal, and showing how the themes from our course have interlaced with the fabric of your own life’s story.