Since this is my first English course in college, I will have to refer to my experiences with English from high school. I enjoyed English and expressing my thoughts through writing and critiquing others writing. My favorite English course in high school was creative writing because it gave me a license to be out of the ordinary and construct my own story. I also felt a strong connection to African American Literature in high school, which I thoroughly enjoyed and led to my interest in taking it in college. When I took it in high school, I was intrigued by the poetry of Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks. I also enjoyed "Beloved" by Toni Morrison. I think I have some sort of foundation in this type of literature, but in taking this class I would like to expand my knowledge of African American Literature and create a new experience and meaning.
I would have to agree with Hannah, I did not grow up in an ethnically diverse area, which may have led to me not to create a strong identity with my heritage. Although this seems to be the case, I would classify myself as the descendent of a Irish-Italian father and an English-Irish mother. Their backgrounds have led to the observance of mass at the Catholic church, which inherently was passed on to me. Although I am confirmed in the Catholic church, I am not sure I would consider myself a Catholic because I rarely go to church and only attend mass on Christian holidays. From that statement, I would go on to say that I am agnostic, I am not really sure of faith and the role it plays in my life.
I would also describe myself as someone who enjoys athletics. I am not necessarily concerned with being on a team, but I enjoy watching and playing sports. At a very young age I became involved in sports and they have led me to identify with being a fan and player of a particular sport. I enjoy team sports and the sense of community between players, but I have also been drawn to individual sports. Sports like running and alpine skiing have tested not only my physical limits but my mental limits, where as lacrosse has given me a sense of community and camaraderie.
I am not really sure of my status of an insider/outsider. As a student, I find myself an insider because I want to further my education, like others who attend this institution and others. But at the same time, I wonder whether or not I am an insider because of my lack of knowledge in particular courses that I maybe taking. I also consider myself an outsider because I don't think I have become fully acquainted with St. Lawrence and all it has to offer. My condition as an insider has led me to take advantage of the education I am receiving and all it has to offer. As for being an outsider, I try to familiarize myself with the school and have experiences that will lead me on the course of becoming an insider.
Hi my name is Oliver Dennis and I am from Connecticut. As of now, I am not to sure on what I want to major in, but I think it would be on the lines of business and make a good amount of money. I really hope to work on Wall Street and be as successful as my parents.
ReplyDeleteThroughout my years of school, I have taken many English courses and I have done pretty well in all of them. I have taken creative writing, literature and film, and a class that mixed English and history. Out of all the classes, my favorite was creative writing. I really enjoy writing about things I find interesting and I feel that when I do, I tend to write better. My weakness I would have to say is thesis papers. I do not really enjoy writing them and I just find them difficult.
Living at home, I would consider myself as an insider. I live in a small town where a lot of people know each other and I really just feel on the inside of anything. I was a senior and basically ruled the town with the rest of the senior grade. Here at St. Lawrence, I feel more like an outsider. I am at the bottom of the totem pole now as a freshman and am in a new environment. At first it was hard to adjust, but I think now I have settled in nicely. There are still so many things to explore here and I have so much more to learn about this school and myself.
Ethnicity wise, I am a white male who comes from a working class background. Just like Megan and Hannah, I too did not grow up in an ethnically diverse area. My whole family is Christian and I grew up and was confirmed in a Christian church. I still consider myself a part of that religion even though I have not been able to attend church a lot back home do to sporting conflicts.
Throughout my whole life I have been a sports guy in my family probably because my dad was as well. He was very competitive back in the day and so am I. I think I get my drive from him. My freshman year I played soccer, hockey and lacrosse. Soccer didn’t really work out so throughout the rest of my years at school, I played hockey and lacrosse. Hockey I loved a lot and was really close with the team as well as lacrosse. By playing lacrosse, I ended up getting recruited by the St. Lawrence lacrosse coach and now here I am.
Overall, I am very excited to be in this class and hope to become a better writer and reader. I want to learn from my mistakes and improve every single day.