Conclusion

I probably could have written more for this blog, but I wrote about what inspired me and what I found interesting without being redundant, so I'm pretty happy with the posts I do have.

I've learned quite a bit from this class - not just about the texts we've gone over, but other things that will stick with me for a long time, I'm sure. I can't read anything anymore without noticing something that I reminds me of something we talked about in class, or a myth we've read, or just one I've heard about in other classes. I think I'm reading the Eternities now, not just the Times.

For example, to distract myself from the stress of upcoming finals week, I've been reading a collection of essays by Sloane Crosley (the book is titled I Was Told There'd Be Cake) and in one essay,Christmas in July, she talks about going to summer camp as a child. Crosley's family were what she calls "lax" Jews, but the summer camp she went to was Christian based (although her parents weren't aware of this). Anyway, while at camp, she falls in love with all the tradition and ceremony and ritual of the things they do.

She says:

"We also folded the American flag military-style every night, tied the rope a certain way, and wore uniforms from the army-navy surplus store...It was a clusterfuck of ritual...On Sunday night we had vespers, where we lit candles and sang folk songs...like "We Didn't Start the Fire," which I had never mastered back in the real world. It even had Grease-like hand motions."

and

"Every Saturday night the entire camp marched into the clearing in the woods, where we lit a gigantic bonfire. Four girls were selected each week to dip tourches into the crackling fireball. Each torch represented a moral category in which we aimed to exel: Friendship, Cleanliness, Sportsmanship, and Love."

She goes on to talk about a small ritual she has for herself in which she repeats four words over and over again in a kind fo chanting prayer "Sky, Blankey, Speech, Kim" She explains the relevance of the words, but I'll let you all read it yourselves to find out.

This all reminded me so much of the Elusinian Mysteries (I loved that presentation by the way! ) with the ritual and the mysterious words. The Elusinian Mysteries are alive and well in girls summercamps, I suppose.

I just thought that was a good example of what I've learned from this class - a completely new way to read.

So, thanks everybody and Dr. Sexson.