Category: Uncategorized

Nina Avallone-Serra

Within the first few lines of the Bacchae I was immediately brought back to my first reading of the syllabus. Specifically, Percival Everett’s short but sweet quote, “It’s incredible that a sentence is ever understood.”

The experience of my introduction to the inaugural text of this class can be described in no less than four open tabs detailing the various definitions and lore of a handful of Greek mythological terms (dirce, Bactria, Tmolus, etc). I struggled to contextualize the world of the Bacchae with my limited knowledge of Greek plays and mythology and the language eluded me. My in-class experience mirrored this as well: much of it involved defining terms and contextualizing class concepts and new Bedford vocabulary. In my mind I edited Everett’s quote: “It’s incredible that a sentence is ever understood…without a dictionary.”

My difficulty (if not wonder) at these new terms and concepts both in and out of the Bacchae presented a turning point for me in the way I digest literature. Placing such emphasis on terms and context and their varying meanings shattered my view of literary interpretation and analysis. Dr. McCoy’s article “New Critical Formalism”, breaking down the origins and methodology of New Criticism (which was previously my only tool for analyzing texts) made me think critically about my criticism. Have I been interpreting texts fairly and within the contextualization (and intertextuality) the author intended? And should I have been interpreting even outside of the author’s intention and establishing emotional and cultural connections based on my own view of their work?

All of these questions, of course, only complicated the quote in my head: “It’s incredible a sentence is ever understood…without a dictionary or high school curriculum New Criticism.”

As I move forward in this class, I hope no longer to feel baffled by the Bacchae or by new terms and New old Criticism; rather I hope to learn to adopt an appreciation and perhaps even a healthy sense of wonder about Greek mythology, new vocab, intertextuality, analysis, and how I can learn from or contribute to each. I hope also to adopt Percival Everett’s sense of fascination, despite the bafflement, with language and its construction and apply these wonders to my studies both within ENGL 203 Percival Everett & Intertextuality and beyond.

It’s hard to believe an expansion of one’s mind would come from a pair of pants. Maybe it’s altruistic revenge for an expanding waistline. When I first saw the Suspicious Pants tweet on Dr. McCoy’s syllabus, I couldn’t help but to think it was just another veiled attempt to relate and connect to her younger audience. A thought that was nearly confirmed as we spent our class dissecting it to gain a scholarly understanding of it all .But admittedly, as the discussion went on, a sense of depth started to form around the picture that was coupled with only two words. Suspicious pants. However, this deeper meaning didn’t truly take form until I took the thought and expanded it to other areas of the class.

On the surface, Suspicious Pants suggests looking beyond your initial viewpoint and to ask yourself what is on the other side. The conflicting duality of, are the pants suspect of themselves or are they suspicious of something else, can go even deeper. What makes a reader think they are suspect? if I had been raised differently, would I still consider them suspect? Had they been jeans, shorts, or even the coveted pocket lined skirt, would I still lock my doors when they are around? This side of the pant plot demand self-reflection to help find the deeper meaning within myself. Alternatively, what does a pair of pants have to be suspicious of? The cameraman? The naked owner returning to their pants? A mirror? No matter the subject, what has gone on in the pant’s world that demands their need of being suspicious? Is there even a world for the pants to reside in or are they merely the result of years of evolution causing the human brain to hallucinate them into cognitive existence? Which according to Merriam-Webster is pareidolia, the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern. A dinosaur in the clouds. A face in a stain. Life in a pair of pants. All of this and the idea only continues when I read Dr. McCoy’s write up on peritext and epitext. She describes peritext as “non-textual” elements with which authors imbue their texts. What the author controls. So, would I be having such a visceral reaction to this picture if the author, @_youhadonejob1, had not included their caption? In contrast, Dr. McCoy summarized epitext as elements outside of the author’s control. Would any of us be here had it not been for Dr. McCoy choosing to include Suspicious Pants in her syllabus and force the discussion upon her students? All of these questions with seemingly no concrete answers. And any derived answers, only leading to more questions. This concept in of itself is the answer to the question behind the importance of the Suspicious Pants. To fully understand something as abstract as a 2018 tweet, an Ancient Greek play, or a conversation in an English class, is to keep opening more doors of questioning and answers until you find each door. Regardless of if you enter them and choose to stay or not.

When Dr. McCoy repeatedly suggested reading The Bacchae at least twice due to its difficult nature, I believed her because Ancient Greek plays are usually as dry as the paper they are printed on. But, as I began my second reading while simultaneously beginning to think about what I may or may not write for this essay, minus any of the actual writing, I started to theorize an alternative motive for the prompt. While definitely a dense read, The Bacchae also houses a multitude of required layered understanding to fully appreciate it. Within the story, characters can be regular men or women, Kings, or even Gods. It may be easy enough to think like one of the regular folk, but how can you relate to a King let alone a God? By giving understanding to the characters you relate to, the viewpoints you align with, you can shelf those understandings in order to shift your focus on the alternatives. The Bacchae‘s need for understanding goes even further when you consider the time in which it was written compared to present day. Partying all day in the forest with your gal pals sounds like a delightful way to spend your Summer. When contrasted with 405 B.C. in Ancient Greece, what would the typical audience member think? Especially when you consider that, according to World History Encyclopedia, the audience members were most likely men and culturally at the time, a woman’s place was at homes with the children? How would these ideas affect the way Euripedes chose to write the play? Were his decision based in educational reasoning, entertainment purposes, political and social commentary, or was he merely concerned with getting paid? A full on barrage of questions met with only half answers are all the result of a tweet. A tweet that has taken form as the primary catalyst for an English student to gain understanding of a play written in a different time and world. Further pushed by a suggestion to re-read and rethink about the play and a suggestion that would be needed to taken time and time again to get close to fully understanding the play, as well as everything in life, in all of their intricacies.

A drawing of a certain par of suspicious pants exclaiming “Wears for Sale” rests in my notebook and marks the start of a new line of thinkING. A new line of questioning. “What did she say?”, “How do I find the syllabus?”, “Is she serious?” all lead to “What is a King to a God?”, “What would a son do for his mother?”, and lastly, “When do we get to talk about this in class?” I still believe these pants are an attempt to relate and connect to our class. But now I understand it is more than that. It’s to educate, to motivate, and to cultivate an open minded way of thinkING whose growth will feed into itself in a classroom setting. Whether or not the pants were just a device to get internet addicted students hooked on learning doesn’t matter in the end. What does matter, is that it worked.

McCoy, “What is the paratext?”

Euripides. The Bacchae and Other Plays. Penguin Books, 2005. 

Cartwright, Mark. “Women in Ancient Greece.” World History Encyclopedia, World History Publishing, 27 July 2016, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/927/women-in-ancient-greece/.

“Pareidolia Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pareidolia#:~:text=%3A%20the%20tendency%20to%20perceive%20a,make%20pictures%20out%20of%20randomness.

There are a million parts of myself that I have had to leave behind, just like everyone else. Parts that I wish I was able to bring with me to hold dear, but although incredibly unfortunate, that’s not how the world works. I tend to think back to when I felt motivation and passion flowing through my veins. For years, I had so many ideas and interests, so many reasons to put my best foot forward and achieve anything and everything that I put my mind to. But that passion has dwindled and come to a simmer. It’s there, deep inside of me, but I’ve buried it under all of my doubts and insecurities. 

An article written by Laura Skryzypczyk entitled The Art of Scaring jogged my brain a bit. It uncovered some of that motivation I had left behind so long ago and I came to the realization that I am sick of leaving myself behind again and again as the victim to a world where life goes on and people are expected to move on. It’s harsh, it’s scary, but it’s the truth. In the article, Laura writes about colleges’ scare tactics and ways of trying to get a student up and moving. She compares a soft approach with the first, hard approach and the way a student reacts to each. “Those who received the first, almost shameful letter were more likely to drop out of college, and in doing so end their academic partnership.” –The Art of Scaring. Many students, no matter the grades they recieve, are inherently terrified of failure. And although it isn’t the best course of action, many believe in their flight response and decide to drop out instead. It’s easier than failing, and they feel it is their only option when resources don’t appear to be available.

The softer approach works for so many more students. It gives them the strength and motivation to succeed. It makes them feel as if they are someone worth believing in. And it got me thinking that maybe if I light the fire that used to burn so bright underneath me that I could pick up the pieces that I had left behind. I am here to work. I am here because I deserve to be here; I’ve earned my spot. So why should I just give up and fumble my way through college? What is stopping me from reaching my full potential and striving to be amazing? I answered all of my frequent questions regarding my lack of motivation with a quote by Percival Everett from I am not Sidney Poitier. The quote reads “Thank you,” I said. “I came back to this place to find something, to connect with something lost, to reunite, if not with my whole self, then with a piece of it. What I’ve discovered is that this thing is not here. In fact, it is nowhere. I have learned that my name is not my name. It seems you all know me and nothing could be further from the truth and yet you know me better than I know myself, perhaps better than I can know myself. My mother is buried not far from this auditorium, and there are no words on her headstone. As I glance out now, as I feel the weight of this trophy in my hands, as I stand like a specimen before these strangely unstrange faces, I know finally what should be written on that stone. It should say what mine will say:

I AM NOT MYSELF TODAY.”

I have read this quote so many times trying to decipher the meaning, however all text may mean different things to different people. How an author interprets their own writing may be separated from how the reader interprets it. I believe this is exactly what this quote is meant to be about. So instead I figured out what pieces resonated within me, and what speaks volumes for my inspiration is the ending “I AM NOT MYSELF TODAY.” This is because when am I ever myself these days? Without the pieces of me I’ve left behind I am not one whole like I wish to be. I am left as a victim, but that mentality is leaving me further behind than anything. Why should anyone have to be a victim? We have all been victims before, but we don’t need to be. We can take these experiences and this bad energy and throw it somewhere else that matters more. We can light the fire that we all wish we had. 

One other part of the quote that I truly understood is “…I came back to this place to find something, to connect with something lost, to reunite, if not with my whole self, then with a piece of it…” as this is a wonderful representation of what I had previously stated earlier. Using literature to connect with myself and others to fulfill what I never even knew was missing. Helping to inch my way to becoming whole once more. 

I’ve taken this course as an opportunity to continue learning about myself and others through the art of literature. Analyzing and understanding what our pasts and losses do to our interpretation. Connecting ourselves and others to these texts and epigraphs broadens our thinking, and may expand our perspectives. In this course we have touched on what it means to act in “Good Faith” vs “Bad Faith”. This conversation has motivated me to hold myself accountable and work for what I want. To take care of myself, not only by being gentle with myself but also knowing when I need to put myself together and go forward with my life. To do things that will benefit me. To be kind and considerate to everyone, including myself. This is the only way we can truly conquer life.

 No, I am not myself today. I wasn’t yesterday, and I won’t be tomorrow. But I will be again. So it is imperative that I continue trying to piece myself back together, and finding motivation and reason to put my best foot forward. Acting in good faith, holding myself accountable, and using any opportunity (such as this course) to reignite the flame and light the fire underneath me. 

As a young child, there were many things I was unsure of, but one thing that I was certain of was who I was. It’s hard to believe that a seven year old would have a good sense of self, but compared to the other children of my age, I felt as though I had a solid foundation of who I was and what I wanted to be. As I got a bit older and school became more than just playing kickball at recess and coloring a worksheet for homework, I began to lose the part of me I thought I once knew. Once I reached High School, I felt sincerely that I had lost all creativity and confidence I had once held years ago. I felt as if I was put into a box. Everything was so structured, that there was a serious lack of creative freedom. Once the time came when I finally entered college, I was suddenly in a place where I was given an abundance of creative opportunities. I was able to express myself in more ways than I imagined possible. 

The epigraphs we have explored in class thus far have helped me reflect on my life as well as the way I think. The epigraph that has impacted me the most is Percival Everett’s ‘I AM NOT MYSELF TODAY’. This piece of writing stood out to me, because it perfectly captures the feeling of going back and reflecting on the past. I have been able to explore the depths of what I have gained and lost as I explore this new part of my life. The epigraph perfectly encapsulates this feeling. A line in the epigraph that perfectly captures this is, “I came back to this place to find something, to connect with something lost, to reunite if not with my whole self, then with a piece of it.” Growing up can feel very melancholy, as you are forced to let go of pieces of yourself that help mold who you are as a human being. Being able to revisit those parts of yourself that you have let go of can be very intense, but also can provide a sense of comfort. This writing has encouraged me to rediscover those parts of myself that I felt like I had let go of years ago. When you are a child, nobody really tries to tell you who you can and cannot be, but once you reach a certain age, you are approached with people and situations that make you question your identity. You are no longer asked to write about your favorite foods, or the highlight of your summer. You are suddenly expected to write long structured essays about the exact same topic as all of the other peers in your classes. School suddenly feels like a broken record. You lose a sense of self. By going back and reflecting on those parts you were once taught to embrace, you are able break that pattern, and reopen those creative parts of your mind. 

Another aspect of the epigraph that I find compelling was when the author states, “ I have learned that my name is not my name.” This speaks volumes to the nuances of the several interpersonal relationships you hold with others. Who you are as a person is far more than how you are defined by society. The interactions we hold with others often define us. However, far more often than not, many of the thoughts we hold dear to us are not expressed to the average person. As I previously mentioned, I was not able to express my creative abilities to the fullest extent according to the societal norms surrounding me. As I have gotten older, and reflected more on my past self, I have been able to disregard the standards placed upon me, and I have yet again been able to live my life according to my own standards. 

One of the readings we have discussed in class that relates to my issues with self identity and the pressure both school and society places on us, is Laura Skrzypczyk’s ‘The Art of Scaring.”. This blog post discusses the issues in schools surrounding the lack of information and support students receive, due to the risks that some may face. But what is life, without the risks? How will you be able to gain your full potential without taking risks in life? A wonderful point Laura made was when she stated, “I never stopped to wonder if I truly wanted to know the risks of the job market and shortcomings of a college experience. However, after much consideration,  I confirmed that I do want to know exactly what I’m getting into.” By knowing, to some extent some of the risks you may have to face in life, no matter the circumstances or situations, you are able to reflect and reevaluate how to approach the next step.. I believe it is better to take risks and fail, than not to have taken risks and never succeeded. By not allowing students to express themselves, and prohibiting them from taking risks, what is there for them to gain? Life truly has no rulebook to follow, so why restrict students from reaching their full potential? In the short few weeks I have been in this class, I have learned far more than I have ever learned in my four years of High School. I have been able to relearn many of the things that were stripped away from me. I have gained a new sense of creative freedom. Moving forward, I now know it is okay to take risks, because with every failure there is a lesson, and with every success there is a new opportunity provided. 

An epigraph can have many definitions. The definition used in this writing is from The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. “A passage printed on the title page or first page of a literary work or at the beginning of a section of such a work. Epigraphs, which tend to set the tone or establish the theme of what follows, are generally taken from earlier, influential texts by authors.” (Murfin). An epigraph used from Percival Everett’s novel Erasure goes on to describe the complications between what is being said and what is being interpreted or done. “It’s incredible that a sentence is ever understood. Mere sounds strung together by some agent attempting to mean something, but the meaning need not and does not confine itself to that intention.” (Everett). Words are merely sounds that a person is making. Throughout society, it is not always true what comes out of someone’s mouth. It is whether the person is trustworthy or not that makes words mean something. Within the play, The Bacchae, there were many instances of faulty impressions, whether it is words, actions, or appearances not everything is truthful.

There is a sort of irony in using this specific epigraph of Everetts for this play. It is Dionysus who wants people to believe him and the memory of his mother, that he is, in fact, Zeus’ son. He is not being truthful while trying to gain the trust of his people. His anger towards the mistrust comes through the vengeful appearance he makes. He begins his journey in Thebes as a false human, purposefully disguising himself, to create a theatrically vengeful proclamation of his anger. He plans to trick the people into thinking that he was only a mere human and then surprise them. During a confrontation with his cousin, Pentheus, he is talking about himself in the third person as though he, himself, is not Dionysus, tricking the man into speaking too honestly in front of the God. Dionysus was speaking in truth yet lacked the whole truth. There were instances when he talked in the third person, telling the truth. Then there were moments when it was blatantly lying. “He saw me and I him, and he gave me his rites.” (Euripides). This sentence could be taken a few different ways. One way is that Dionysus is insinuating that he sees himself for what he is worth. The other way to take it is that he is just lying. Euripides’ way with words here gives both impressions. “You hear my words, Pentheus, but you pay no attention to them.” (Euripides). The conversation that Dionysus had with Pentheus had many insinuations about the fact that the God himself was right in front of him. His enunciations of “I” during statements regarding the God gave hints towards to concept of he, himself, being Dionysus.   

Dionysus took his anger out on many people who did not regard him as his true person, the son of Zeus. His mother’s sisters were no exception to his wrath. “For this reason, I have spurred those same sisters to madness and driven them in distraction from their houses.” (Euripides). Dionysus, upset over his Aunts not believing in his true kinship, decides it best to make the women believe that they are mad, when they are not actually mad, out of anger. “I bring here in my arms, as you see, this prize of my valour, to be hung on your palace roof.” (Euripides). At the end of the play, it is discovered that Agaue, in midst of her man-made madness, falsely killed a lion which was actually her son. Her reality is not an honest one for, Dionysus has created a false reality that led to her praising the death of her son unknowingly. 

According to the Legal Information Institute, the definition of bad faith is: “Depending on the exact setting, bad faith may mean a dishonest belief or purpose, untrustworthy performance of duties, neglect of fair dealing standards, or a fraudulent intent.” (“Bad Faith”). Throughout schooling, it can get easy to make up lies, even a little one. The overbearing weight of procrastinating for so long that it is almost impossible to get the assignment done on time. Even writing this essay mistakes were made on my part, not remembering the due date, so here on a Thursday night, the essay is being written so that it is almost completed before work tomorrow. There are two ways to go about this situation. The first one is to lie about an extenuating circumstance and ask for an extension, though it is completely my fault for not knowing the due date. The other is to own up to the mistake made and work hard to get the assignment done. The first one is considered bad faith, a lie. The way to best go about the situation is to keep better track of assignments and make sure that my intentions and actions are always good and honest. 

It can be hard, to be honest, and own up to mistakes that you made especially if you lied about one. In high school, it was easy to get away with lying about doing something as simple as the readings for class. The punishment for not readying was not much in high school. They are not always going to find out about the lie. Going into college it is essential to do the readings. It is an essential part of being a student. It is best for my education to continue to do the readings for classes to be honest. The honest work being done through the readings and writings will make my education easier down the road.  

Percival Everett’s epigraph can be interpreted in multiple ways. Words are words. It is the meaning behind the words that matter. People have a tendency of lying. The intention that they have is not being portrayed through their words. Sometimes it can be done by anger, sadness, or just being scared. Throughout the story of The Bacchae, there were many instances where they were not truthful both with their words and appearances. This was due to the anger that Dionysus had towards the people who did not believe in him. There are instances of partial truths but, that also means they are partial lies. This can be something that commonly happens in real life for people may find it easier to lie than, to be honest. There are instances where this can happen during daily life. Whether it is in a novel or in real life, words can be hard to understand. The intentions behind them may not always be honest ones. 

Works Cited

“Bad Faith.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/bad_faith. 

Euripides. The Bacchae and Other Plays. Penguin Books, 2005. 

Everett, Percival. Erasure. Graywolf Press, 2011.

Murfin, Ross C., and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Fourth ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018. 

“It’s incredible that a sentence is ever understood. Mere sounds strung together by some agent attempting to mean some thing, but the meaning need not and does not confine itself to that intention.” Percival Everett. In life we take what we know for granted until at some point, when you’ve thought you’ve mastered a skill, you become hit by a brick wall of information that you don’t understand. The first time I opened the Bacchae I questioned myself and my chosen concentration. That may sound a little over dramatic but when I opened up to that play it was the first time, I was faced with the fact that I couldn’t understand what I was reading. During the first few days’ class Dr. McCoy had forewarned us that this text was difficult to get through, I remember taking that into account but still expecting to at least understand half of it, so I was truly taken aback when I found myself completely lost. 

 
It’s a wonder that any human language is understandable at all, at least that’s what I think when I look at it now. English truly is just, “Mere sounds strung together by some agent attempting to mean some thing,” and the fact that people made up these words and strung them together and we can understand it is such a great feat. The English language has also changed so much over time and the fact that we can still make sense of the old language is amazing. In class we briefly discussed Shakespeare and that has gotten me thinking about how we assume meaning to his play’s and ask ourselves what he intended to mean when he wrote one of his plays. “The meaning need not and does not confine itself to that intention.” Can’t Sheakspears plays just have been for entertainment? Why does Macbeth have to had meant something? Just because we can understand Sheakspears works why must we look into more and not just appreciate them at a surface level understanding? 

With the Bacchae we do the same thing, but this time is it different? Do we look more into the Bacchae because it’s hard to understand? Through this class I have no doubt I will thoroughly come to know and understand the Bacchae and take in all it has to offer me. The meaning behind words is important, or so I’ve been told, so perhaps understanding works like Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, and the Bacchae is more important than I might admit. “It’s incredible that a sentence is ever understood.” There is always going to be something in read work that we might not understand but as long as we take our language for granted, we’ll surely choose not to acknowledge that fact. 

When I walked into class on Wednesday (09/14/22),  I was so frustrated with myself that I could have cried. I was very confused, I had no idea what to write about and this normally doesn’t happen to me. Thoughts of word count and answering all the questions and somehow using a book, I was just lost. I think it was something that the majority of the class had felt, but at first, I had no idea. Then we clustered into groups for discussion after break. I got into a group, and like Dr. McCoy had stated in class, all of our moods had changed completely. We used each other to build ideas, I walked in with my epigraph picked and a whole lot of thoughts on what I could possibly do, but I left with an idea. The epigraph I chose is “It’s incredible that a sentence is ever understood. Mere sounds strung together by some agent attempting to mean some thing, but the meaning need not and does not confine itself to that intention.”–Percival Everett. I do not know how to even begin to describe how this makes me feel; it makes more sense than anything, ever. It is the most satisfying statement I’ve heard and I want to talk about it forever, yet I do not even know where to begin. First I think about how we speak, there are so many languages since the beginning of time from all over the world, it’s amazing that we can translate (or attempt to) and understand what someone speaking a completely different language is saying to us. Then I wonder, how do we translate languages, especially the dead ones. This I think is a goal that I can set for myself in the future to learn about and research. I also begin to think about things that are written in different languages and translated to English, like the Bacchae, that I’ve now read many times. It is so crazy to think that someone could have translated that story by Euripides, who was from Ancient Greece and spoke a language that no one speaks any longer. How does a sentence of utter nonsense spoken by a man of the BC time period, yes, before the story of Jesus, become the words we speak? Words are so delicate, especially in English. It’s the hardest language to speak and understand. So how do Euripides words become what they are in English? What if they are translated wrong, his play not getting to serve the same purpose that he’d intended? There it is– intentions. How you intend your words to come across. How you intend your words to make people feel. In class on Thursday, in my group, Cam talked about how this epigraph could also be used to talk about good and bad faith. In the epigraph, Percival Everett states “…the meaning need not and does not confine itself to that intention.”. When I think of this and how it is stated, I think of lying. We talked a few classes ago about good faith and bad faith. The idea I got from Cam’s statement was that the meaning behind the sentence can be different than the sentence. You can say “I read the Bacchae” all day long, but if the intention is to deceive the listener, it is acting in bad faith. But it is still a sentence, by the definition of Everetts. But if it is a lie or deception, perhaps it is a sentence without meaning. That does not mean that the sentence doesn’t make sense as it is listened to, but the person does not mean what they are saying. A sentence without meaning does not always mean a sentence without feeling either. People say things to hurt others, and act to deceive or be malicious which all I would define as acts of bad faith.

Cameron Kramer 

English 203-03

Beth Mccoy

September 15,2022

       When looking at the epigraphs the suspicious pants really got me thinking about how people perceive things. The word perceived is defined as “become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand” The common theme we found in my group from looking at the suspicious pants as things are likely perceived in different ways. Oftentimes I will perceive things in different ways than another student might. Some might look at the pair of pants and say they are suspicious, others may say that the pants are looking at something else and are thinking that the other thing that the pants are looking at may be suspicious. But either could be right or some other perception could be correct, but we would never really know unless we asked the pants.

          Looking at the epigraph of the suspicious pants got me thinking about things that we have talked about in class. One thing that we talked about in class was good faith and bad faith. Sometimes we do not always know whether people are doing things in good faith or in bad faith. Oftentimes we could perceive that someone might be doing something in good faith, but they might have a suspicious interior motive. For example we talked about in class if you really have a valid reason to miss class you should not come, if you are feeling sick, have a family emergency, or if something comes up that is a big deal those could be all good reasons to miss class. But if you say you are sick we would perceive it to be good faith because you do not want to get anyone else sick, but there may be that suspicious interior motive that a student may have just to skip class because they do not want to go, that would be bad faith but sometimes we will never know because we perceived that the student was doing that in good faith to keep the class healthy. This is similar to the suspicious pants because we can perceive the suspicious pants in different ways just like we can perceive students’ faith to be good when it is not or vice versa.      

         Another thing that I read for class that got me thinking about the way things are perceived just like the suspicious pants did was when I was reading the Bacchae. This story is about a god named Dionysus that looked to be mortal and since he looked mortal all the rest of his royal family did not believe he was a god. But Dionysus was determined to show them that they were wrong. Dionysus was not perceived to be who he actually is based on the way he looked. When Dionysus was not perceived in the way that he wanted to be he raised madness on the palace. Just like Dionysus was perceived in different ways the suspicious pants can also be perceived in different ways.

          I learned that it is important to practice good faith while taking a course because you will only end up hurting yourself in the long run if you do not. If you are constantly lying and missing class then it will show with your grades. And if you practice good faith regularly your professor is going to be more willing to help you when you are struggling. If everyone practices good faith in the classroom it will run a lot more smoothly.  Also learning about perception can help you think about things more and become more aware. Being more aware can help you plan better which can help you get better grades throughout the course. 

       The suspicious pants was a great way for the class to learn about perception and it related to a lot of things we learn about in class but is also helpful in our day to day life. Without knowing we perceive things all the time whether you are just meeting someone, looking at something or just overhearing a conversation. Perception is a way that we become more aware of things, and it is important to be aware of what is around you. But it is important to keep in mind that our perceptions are not always accurate, and that not everything is as it is seen.

After the first few weeks of class, I have been able to see what this class is really about and dig deep into my brain to find my more creative side that holds new ideas and interesting thoughts of my own. We have read many epigraphs, and all of them have made me more interested in this class. Before starting this class, I thought epigraphs were just inscriptions carved into buildings, statues or coins. After reading a few in the literary sense, I have learned that they are much more than an engravement. Epigraphs are usually a sentence or a paragraph and are used to introduce a larger text. They are usually at the beginning of books, chapters, or other texts. The thing that I think is cool about epigraphs is that they might not make sense at first, but they will make more sense at the end of the text. Which is one of the reasons why the epigraphs that we read within the first week of class made me very excited for the class this semester. Although the epigraphs we read didn’t make much sense to me, I hope they will make more sense by the end of the semester, and help me reflect on how much I grew during this class.

The epigraph that stood out most to me was “I AM NOT MYSELF TODAY”, from the book I Am Not Sidney Poitier, written by Percival Everett. This epigraph stood out to me mostly because it was the most relatable for me, and one of the easier ones to understand. Last year I went to school in Arizona and really struggled. It was my first year living alone, and on top of that I was living across the country. After finishing my school year, I decided to transfer somewhere closer to home. This relates to the line in the epigraph, “I came back to this place to find something, to connect with something that I’ve lost, to reunite if not with my whole self, then with a piece of it.” After transferring to Geneseo, this is how I felt. Although I am still two hours from home, it is much different than a seven hour flight. I felt like I had lost myself at school last year, but after being home for summer and transferring to a new school, I feel like I have connected with something I had lost. After the sentence I mentioned before, Percival Everett says, “What I’ve discovered is that this thing is not here. In fact, it is nowhere.” Although I was happy to be back home, I still feel as though I moved onto a new chapter in my life. Going home helped remind myself who I was as a person, but I didn’t come back to find anything, I came back for a fresh start. 

Another sentence from this epigraph that I resonated with was, “It seems you all know me and nothing could be further from the truth.” This is how I felt at the school I was at last year. People form opinions on people too fast, based on how they look or the few things that they hear about them. After being at college for a year now, one thing that I have learned is to not judge people until you know them, or never to judge a book by its cover. All throughout high school I felt like people judged me based on the people I was friends with, or what they heard about me from other people. I always hated that because I put a lot of effort into being a good person and doing nice things for people. I have been focusing a lot this year on giving good first impressions, and trying to be as friendly as possible. Another reason why I relate to this part of the epigraph is because people from my past think they know who I am, but over the past year I think I have changed the most that I have in my life so far. So realistically, they have no idea who I am anymore unless I have seen or talked to them since I saw them last. 

One thing that we have talked about in class that has stood out to me and reminds me of  this epigraph is good faith and bad faith. Personally, I really believe in karma. That being said, a lot of my life I put a lot of focus into doing things that will bring me good faith. That is a big part of who I am, and I think that ties into the part of the epigraph that I mentioned earlier in this text, “It seems you all know me and nothing could be further from the truth.” From the outside I seem like I am very relaxed and don’t care about much, so I feel like a lot of people think that I don’t care much about my faith or karma. I really enjoyed this topic in class, and I could easily relate it to the epigraphs we were shown in the first week of classes. 

By the end of this class, I really hope I can grow as a reader and a writer. Not only that, but I hope that my ability to be creative really develops, and it gets easier for me to make connections with different texts. I am very excited for this class because it seems much different than any English class that I have taken previously. I hope that I can become more comfortable with sharing my opinion, or ideas, along with getting more comfortable reading things even if I don’t understand them right away.  In the past, I have struggled with reading things, not understanding them, and being too scared to share my opinion because I thought it would be wrong. But I have already learned from this class that there are no right or wrong answers, and in order to really understand something it helps to talk to my peers about it.