On
Monday in class it was noticeable that our discussion on “the spirited nobody”
was a pretty stark contrast to the very enthusiastic discussion from last week
on the femme fatal. Professor Douthwaite mentioned that a possible reason could
be lack of preparedness but I would also argue that there was less enthusiasm
behind the discussion because we weren’t personally affected by the subject
matter. I felt as though I could identify with some of the arguments made about
the femme fatal and the general objectification of women because I am so
exposed to that concept due to my major. It seem as though the class had a lot
to say about our last subject because we could identify with claims made in the
readings and in the film we watched.
Comparatively,
while the Emilie Carles reading was shocking and very entertaining, it was
harder to identify with her struggle because it seemed hard to imagine a world
in which a child was barely mourned when they were lost. I suppose that is a
testament to the family morals of the modern day. Nonetheless as much as I
truly enjoyed reading the excerpt, I felt very disconnected from the text.
This
was surprising to me due to the fact that I have been personally disconnected
from almost all of the other themes and readings that we have had in class and
yet I haven’t felt as distant during the discussion. I suppose that the power
and emotions behind the theme of last week set the bar too high for the rest of
the themes to follow.
As a long-time teacher, I beg to differ. Being prepared means getting excited about the topic, in whatever way you have to do. You will notice that the best faculty members are always prepared, and we present material that has nothing to do with us personally. Learning is not always about relating to one's own situation,but rather about stretching our minds to realize how apparently foreign or difficult issues affect us as members of humankind.
ReplyDeleteWell, there is always today--another chance to make that leap in your imagination, get involved, and make a good discussion. Part of the way we become educated people is by channeling our minds into whatever material we encounter, and discovering a way to connect with it, despite our own personal situation.
Anyway, we can't always talk about sex!