For this project, I did choose the most contemporary piece we looked at, however, I was still able to delve deeper into American literature. Every single piece we read this semester helped me to develop a deeper understanding of the mindsets of the authors we looked at. By understanding these author’s mindsets, I was able to try to envision how similar people of those certain times felt.

I think it was really important to focus on many authors who were very marginalized. I especially appreciated reading the works of so many female authors.  I think that history has erased so many female narratives so to be able to read such a variety of female perspectives throughout the beginning of the United States’ history was very eye-opening. Prior to this class, I had no clue who Mary Rowlandson was. Of course, now I understand how complex of a being she was and how despite everything she went through, she remained having unwavering faith. 

The presence of faith or faith-related struggles was undoubtedly in the works we read. I wonder if these authors were still writing today, would they be so focused on religion? It seemed like so many of the female authors needed to reassure their readers that they were pious women so that their voices would be trusted enough to be heard. If that boundary were to be taken away, as it is for most female authors nowadays, I feel like their narratives would be somewhat different. Of course, unwavering faith is still very much present in today’s world, I just think that some of these authors may have focused more on their actual thoughts and feelings instead of making a connection to God’s greatness and the importance of attributing all good things to God.     

Changing topics to this specific project, I really enjoyed being able to get into a more creative mindset. A majority of the assignments we had in this class were focused on understanding the works we read but that meant there was very little room for creativity in our work. In this project I was able to create the book jacket as well as work on the promotional blurbs. I especially enjoyed writing the promotional blurbs. It was a fun way to prove my understanding of the authors we read, specifically Mary Rowlandson. I find her story to be very intriguing and I thoroughly enjoyed putting myself in her shoes for a second and looking at “Earth, Speak” through her eyes. 

I just want to conclude this section by touching upon the use of WordPress. I think this tool is extremely beneficial for some, however, I find it a bit finicky and difficult to use.  I am not looking to pursue any career that involves needing a portfolio of my work so this will be collecting dust (metaphorically of course). I can absolutely see the usefulness of this for those involved in more writing or English classes who wish to have an accessible eportfolio, however. So, while this may be a bit like pulling teeth for me to use I can understand the benefits of having this available for students to use.