Kenzie Stewart

Professor Stone

ENGL-2710

10 December 2020

Reflection

Going along with what I said at the beginning of the semester, I came into this class

believing that folklore was just fairytales, myths, and stories, by the end of the semester I came

to realize that it is so much more beyond that. I experienced other cultures, lifestyles, traditions

and so much more! Most of all, I learned to love certain things even more than before now that I

understand more of them, for example, I have always loved mythology, in every English class I

took that had mythology in it (which was usually Greek mythology) was always my absolute

favorite. I'm a complete sucker for fairytales, magical stories, ideas, and anything of the sort that

is from a dream world. I actually really wanted to do this final paper on Greek mythology but I

realized that Norse mythology would be so fun considering I have never studied in depth before.

That exact decision-- choosing to do Norse mythology-- as simple as it sounds, was an

exact example of how this class has affected my ideas and choices. I decided to step outside my

norm, my usual life, my regular style, and learn about something new-- even though it has

always been an interest of mine, I wouldn't have even tried to study Norse mythology in-depth if

I didn't take this class and realize that there is so much beyond the stories and fairytales. I think

my favorite thing about this class was that I came into it think it was something completely

different from what it actually is, it was more of a challenge because I realized it wasn't exactly
what I expected. My new "thing" lately, especially this semester has been that I am completely

fascinated with learning, anything, and everything. Even if it's silly little facts or something big, I

have been enjoying stepping outside my norm and trying new things and learning new lessons. 

I have a nasty habit of sticking to things I'm "comfortable" with, not exploring outside

myself, staying in my personal bubble, and avoiding as much change as possible. When I make

choices in life, whether it's what to get for dinner or what career path I want to take, I overthink it

way more than I should. I took this class because it was something I was interested in but I hoped

it wasn't too in-depth or an overload of work compared to some harder classes I took this

semester (as lame as that sounds) and hoped that I could fly through the class because I hoped I

already had an idea of what it was about and what I would learn. I was definitely wrong, this

class has a special place in my heart because it has shown me that there is so much more beyond

our "norm" and beyond our own bubble, we as humans get so wrapped in our own stress, drama,

trials, and challenges and it's so easy to forget to live without holding back! It's okay to do

something completely on a whim and not care about the consequences whether good or bad, and

it's okay to breathe and not stress over the small things! Thank you again, Professor Stone, I had

a wonderful semester!