Reflecting

Reading both Aura and House of Danger was extremely refreshing. Throughout my academic career, with a few exceptions, reading assignments have always been of the traditional format, with the author presenting the text in a linear fashion and reading from left to right. However, both novels draw attention to manipulation in that we, as readers, bring these conditioned expectations of how to experience novels when we read them.

That being said, now the class has been asked to write a 500-word chapter addition to either of the novels. Actually, scratch that, we have been told that we are going to perform this task. In the prompt, phrases are used like "You write this chapter using 500-700 words" and "you choose one of these texts." But the interesting part of the prompt is how it constantly emphasizes the fact that everything is up to us; how we write the additional chapter is our choice, and the number of words is our choice.

Handpicking certain words to influence the way humans think and act is a common occurrence and seen in many facets of life. Advertisements are a good example because they put their best effort into promoting a product or service in order to make money. Through various life experiences but solidified by this class, I've learned the importance of recognizing when and where manipulation occurs. Thinking for myself, asking questions, and challenging my peers is what will ultimately make me a wiser and more successful person, socially, intellectually, and personally.