Lady Bugs – Halloween Extra Credit

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For Halloween earlier this semester I decided to dress up as a Lady Bug for our class! Literature & the Environment has went over humans and our relationship with the natural world, along with our perceptions of the conceptual wilderness. Lady Bugs, like humans are a part of this natural world. They exist in these spaces with us, and although they are small- they are mighty and are a huge help to farmers as natural pest controllers. In our class, the discussion of beauty has been brought up in relation to mermaids and femininity, mermaids and their alluring looks have been used to craft narratives. People are drawn to beauty. Lady Bugs are part of the beetles family, and yet they often get treated more kindly compared to other bugs all in the name of beauty! Lady Bugs have become aesthetics, with their bright red colors and polka dots. Pretty privilege transcends the human world and is applied to how we treat other living organisms as well. Lady Bugs come in other colors, such as all black, orange, yellow, but it is the red and black polka dotted ones that get the most recognition through media and conversations. Similarly, mermaids are usually depicted as hyper-feminine, pale, white and human-like despite there being rich histories of culturally different mermaids all around the world. My comparison might sound like a stretch, but it’s not!

Extra Credit-Halloween Costume

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For Halloween I dressed up as a werewolf because like mermaids they are considered both a hybrid and a monster. Werewolves have a symbolic nature of the animal or the “uncivilized” part of humans that still lurk in the dark corners of the psyche that can still be summoned by events of the natural world. The topic of distancing from nature and how that is a human concept I believe is reflected in the werewolf. It is fear of the animal or inherit nature taking over and destroying the barriers between the domesticated and the wild. Werewolves are often depicted as male and with torn clothing, almost as though their lunar transformation was unplanned or unexpected. I chose to wear a (red) dress as an almost extra-feminine interpretation, while in “werewolf form” to show that the link we have to the natural world does not need to end when we are going about our daily lives.

Halloween Extra Credit

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For Halloween, I wanted to dress as a sailor since they are a critical part of mermaid stories and folklore. As we’ve discussed in class, stories about mermaids were often circulated by those who were constantly at sea. In order to make sense of what they had seen while at sea, they used mermaids to explain the myriad of sea creatures that they encountered during their time on the water. Plagued with tiredness and isolation, it was easy for them to mistake certain creatures for mermaids – making them believe that animals such as a manatee could be a mermaid. Sailors then become the eyewitnesses who recount their tales to those they come in contact with. These stories and folktales told by sailors are then the basis for some of the mermaid tales that we know and love today. In turn, stories such as “Odysseus and the Sirens” are possible because they are composed of the accounts that sailors had while on their voyages. While mermaid tales were being circulated long before it was simply a “sea tale,” sailors still hold a pivotal role in continuing the tradition of passing down these stories as a warning and explanation of what they have seen on their journey.

Final Takeaways!

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I have thoroughly enjoyed being in this lively discussion class this semester. I remember walking in on the first day (late), and Prof. Pressman looked at me and just said, “mermaids?” Having not read the syllabus, I was definitely confused, but, wow, how I have loved learning about mermaids.

This class has not only expanded my knowledge of ancient mythical creatures and the vast oceans from which we craft stories, but it has also opened my eyes to alternative perspectives. After leaving the discussions weekly, I felt I understood the reading much more clearly and retained more knowledge from my peers than in any other class.

The discussion posts and discoveries also allowed me to fine-tune my writing skills. The blog posts enabled me to reflect on what I took away from a reading and be inspired by my classmates’ writing. The close reading was something I wasn’t necessarily used to, but the discoveries were great practice.

Overall, I’m delighted that I took this literature in the environment class and hope to use the skills and insight I’ve gained in this class in my reading and writing in the future.

Week 16: Takeaways

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This course was my first introduction to the topic of mermaids as far as on an academic level is concerned and while I initially had in mind the idea that they were used as a symbol of lust, desire, and vanity, I now realize that my viewpoint in regards to the mermaid was not entirely accurate due to the wide variety cultures that depict merfolk in many different ways (I thought mermaids were strictly a part of Western culture). After close reading Undine, Melusine, The Little Mermaid, and the tales of Mami Wata, I was quite astonished to find out that all of these stories have such a strong message that is being told through illustration (serpent, fish, and unclothed humans) and symbolism to demonstrate how dynamic the relationship between humans and nature is.

After realizing just how significant the mermaid is not only in terms of mythology but in the Environment, it further made me confused as to why more people do not see the mermaid for what it is – a being that has been depicted to warn, to guide, to protect, to yearn, and to go as far as to self-sacrifice if it will help others. Now as we covered throughout the course, the paintings and images that were shown also depicted the mermaid as being vain (the mirror and comb) this very fact is something that makes the viewer realize how mermaids are no different than the “two-legs” since communities are bound to have a variety of different characters even if they are from the same place and brought up in the same environment. However, this same treatment was not so common in the mermen with their portrayal typically showcasing a more “wise” and “powerful” role in society. Although mermaids are still to this day associated with children and fairy tales, I now know what they truly represent; not strictly used to teach a lesson, but to build a bridge between the known and the unknown.

Final Thoughts

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Hands down, this class and the Moby Dick class (also with professor Pressman) has been my favorite classes this semester. Learning the relationship with humans and the environment and being faced with the impact that we, as humans, have had in our own space was honestly not what I was expecting from this class. At least not to this extent. However, I’m so glad we went in the direction that we did as it made this class sooo interesting. I enjoyed the reading and the class discussions.

Learning from other people from their ideas and thoughts added to the experience so much. Thank you all for making this class what it was.

Final Takeaways!

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I had such a wonderful experience in this class. Responding every week was a challenge, but one that pushed me to be a more consistent writer. I absolutely loved the topic of this class and felt it was so refreshing! I remember having had no idea that we would be focusing on mermaids. I was pleasantly surprised, and as much as I love analyzing the classics, or deciphering fragmented post-modern literature, I was overjoyed to look into how we as humans engaged with the environment through literature, most importantly our relationship with water and land. This is something that has helped me look at the texts I’ve studied, even in other classes, through a different angle, and ask what it’s saying about the ways we’ve been conditioned to regard our dominance over nature, and how we might be able to shift the conversation by broadening our scope for what we consider to be important. The texts we’ve covered in this class has helped us further in this direction, wether that be looking at ancient, or cultural myths, or modern stories and poems that incorporate our histories as well as a new interest in the blue humanities.

This final week we are reading Stephanie Burt’s poem, “We are Mermaids,” and I’d like to share a few lines which stuck with me and remind me to stop and take a moment:

“You don’t have to be useful. You are not required to come up with something to say”

You can spend your life benthic or brackish, subsisting and even thriving where a fingertip come back saline and still refreshing, exploring the estuary, and congeries of overlapping shores, on the green-black water, the harbor, the bay

You can live with your doubt, that’s why it’s yours

Some of us are going to be okay.”

In a moment where our culture and society ask us to produce, and keep producing or consume and keep consuming, I think it is important to stop and consider the fact we don’t have to “be useful”, that we can just be, and still be beautiful, and wonderful, and important. Our value, as people, or creatures on this earth does not hinge on the ability to maintain a persona, or consume a product, or toil endlessly in a system that excludes us.

I’ve been very lucky to share this space with all of you! Reading your discussions, and getting to hear your perspective in class has broadened my experience of the texts we’ve read together, and I’d like to thank everyone who gave me feedback and was willing to hear me out, even if I was still in the process of understanding! I hope you all have a very happy holiday season!

Final Takeaways

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Not only do I feel like so much of this class taught me about the way these issues that are supposedly isolated to politics are anything but that, I feel like I’ve learned so much more about myself and how to interact with a society focused on so little.

Literature when it comes to the environment, because it expands to both the social-emotional and literal definition people recognize, is such a zoomed out view of what goes on. We’re such a small part of such an incredibly large world, with so many actions that people can do to improve and upkeep that.

I love learning that humanity needs to focus less on themselves; it’s such a basic thing to consider, to remember to be selfless as people who exist in a world full of creatures we don’t know or understand, but it’s so forgotten. Remembering that there’s entire beings that have their own lives, their own issues and surroundings and a million other things we’d never think of is something so vital to becoming more well-rounded people. On top of it, it reminds us how many things go on socially, how many interpretations of simple things come about because of the way we all recognize the world, and I loved developing a better empathetic understanding.

The environment and its vitality to us is so incredible to learn; it feels like finally putting such a collective look at everything around us and everything I’ve ever known. I am so grateful that I took the class, and grateful to learn so much from Professor Pressman and everyone that shared their own ideas about our readings. It was genuinely an incredible class and experience, that I took away really valuable skills with analysis and understanding of so much more than just literature from. 🙂

Final Takeaways

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I had never been in this discussion based atmosphere throughout my academic career. I found it nerve wracking and indulgent because every session was filled with rich conversation from my fellow classmates and professor Pressman. My three takeaways from this class are: the patriarchy keeps trying to ruin women (even fictional ones), the ocean is a living archive, and real life context clues of when an author wrote a piece of merefolk literature will be subtly imbedded within their story (it helps connect the dots easier).
I’ve learned so many new techniques to analyze text and now images! In hindsight, this was daunting but I’m so happy to have experienced this course with my fellow classmates!

Thank you Professor Pressman for everything and being so supportive, kind and helpful!
Thank you to my fellow classmates for always having such an inviting environment with rich discussions!

Final Takeaways!!!

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Oh my gosh, I cannot believe this semester is already over! I have enjoyed this class so so sooooo much!! I knew coming into this class that it was going to be very interesting, and it exceeded that expectation in every aspect! I have learned so much from class lectures and even other students in the class. I have loved our discussions, and they have honestly helped my understanding of our natures, History with a capital H, and Science!! I didn’t realize how much mermaid history was going to be included in the class, and it did not disappoint!!

I have loved learning about how much of our history is tied to mermaids, and how much of it has been skewed over time. It’s been incredibly fun for me to learn as much as we have all while still staying completely entertained and somehow always wanting more at the end of each week! I have appreciated all that I have learned in this class and hope to be able to use it in my life after! Thanks for all your amazing input over the course (Dr. Pressman and Classmates), it has been such an honor!!!

Last Song of the Week! 🙁

Frozen Drifts by Upright T-Rex Music (I like the vibe this song brought to the poem, it almost felt like a farewell song, which is fitting for the end of the semester!!)