Jonathan Middleton: A Simple Course Reflection

 Before taking this this course I had never considered the impact of myth and fantasy has had on my life and how I was raised. Before now, I never truly thought of fantasy as anything more than simple entertainment and spectacle to be enjoyed. Particularly eye opening though, I never even really thought about how I could learn from these works that I had enjoyed for so long. 

Sure, I may have taken note of some of the more important messages of some of the more noteworthy fables like The Tortoise and the Hare and others, but never for more complex work of fiction and fantasy. I never looked at complex fantasy epics and thought about the messages that could have been imbued into them. Only after taking this course have I realized just all of the possible ways that I have overlooked the messages of so many different stories which is tragic. 

Thinking about this it is striking to me just how many people likely have this same perception of fantasy and even other entertainment. Most people when they read a book or go watch a movie are ignorant of the messages that could be derived from their reading or viewing because they only really take a skin deep appreciation of what they are enjoying. At least this is something I've noticed in myself, particularly as a child when I could have benefited the most from this almost subconscious form of education. 

While these works of fantasy could not have helped me in say Chemistry, I could have very well picked up on quite a few subtle life lessons which is undoubtedly more applicable throughout life. I for one would much rather learn from viewing or watching someone else make a mistake in some work of fantasy than be forced to learn from my own mistakes in life. 



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