Fall 2021 Humanities 331

 Hello Readers!

    I read quite a few book this year. I read the books required for class like "Popol Vuh" and "Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies" by Seth Holmes. I also read a few books for fun like "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller and the famous Manga series "Attack on Titan" by Hajime Isayama. 

Christenson, Allen. Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2007. 

• This book followed Maya mythology in the creation of the world and how everything came to be. It follows the Hero Twins through their victory and triumphs over the lords of Xibalba or the underworld. These two brothers go on a quest through the underworld tricking the lords who are trying to destroy them. 

This is the book cover for the version of the "Popol Vuh" we read

Holmes, Seth M. Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies Migrant Farmworkers in the United States. Univ. of California Press, 2014.  

• This books follows Seth Holmes as he inserts himself into the hard life of migrant workers. The story follows him on his journey traveling with a group of migrant workers from Mexico to the US for work. He sees the treatment first hand of how badly these people are treated by the systems we have in the US. From law enforcement to medical professionals treating migrant workers horribly. Holmes opens the eyes of the readers to the true injustices that are happening under our nose.

This it the cover of "Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies" we read this semester 

Isayama, Hajime, and Sheldon Drzka. Attack on Titan. Kodansha Comics, 2013. 

•  This series spans over 34 volumes of pure art. The series started in 2009 and ended just this year in April of 2021. The story is set a world were all of humanity lives behind 3 walls protecting them by man eating titans. It follows a boy Even Yeager who promised to defeat every last titan after his town was destroyed by the titans and his mother was eaten. This brilliant story reveal to the audience that the story is not actually what it seems. A heart wrenching story of friends fighting for their lives and protecting others around them. Truly well done. 

This is the cover of the first volume of "Attack on Titan"

MILLER, MADELINE. Song of Achilles. BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING, 2021. 

•  An interesting twist of the Iliad told from Patroclus's point of view. This book follows Patroclus from when he was a child meeting Achilles and follows their friendship and love story until the end. This story will make you laugh and cry. Following Achilles and Patroclus growing up together going through the highs and lows of life make the reader feel reminiscent of their childhood friendships. 

This is the cover of the lated edition of "The Song of Achilles"

    What I liked best about the project was reviewing all that I learned this year. I couldn't believe how much we learned in little time. I spent about six hours completing this project. It was a bit tough for my partner because unlike other groups that had multiple people, we had only two. We both worked really hard and I am so grateful for him working with me and getting it done. I am really proud of our overall result and think we did a great presentation. Click here to view my presentation. 

    My thoughts and expectations for this class was definitely different from what I imagined. This is my first asynchronous class and it was great. I liked working at my own pace especially with other classes and having a job. I really enjoyed the videos of the professor explaining the topics and breaking down the directions. I feel like in an asynchronous class that's important and it was done well. I thought that this class would be a nice break from my more intense classes and I aptly enjoyed what I was learning. My goal was to learn something new and to get an A in the class. I definitely reached my goals and over exceeded them. 

    My sister took a similar class when she was in college and hearing her tell me the things she learned peaked my interest. I loved how we covered a variety of topics from mythology to how today in the US migrant workers from Latin America are being treated. I learned so much in this class especially about the Maya mythology in the "Popol Vuh". I had never heard about Maya mythology before and it we really interesting. I already knew about the treatment of the migrant workers and those who are trying to migrate her for a better life like we saw in the video. I had seen things in the news about them but reading those stories and seeing them recorded is truly heartbreaking because for some of us that stuff doesn't affect us personally so we don't see it in our daily lives.