Jason Justice

For Understanding the Arts and the Human Experience outcome, I chose the Module 10 Explication Essay to be presented. The assignment was created in November of 2023. This assignment was intended for British Literature and the class was Hyflex, which meant it could be taken in-person or online. In my case, I took it mostly online and attended two in-person sessions. The course lasted 12 weeks and mostly involved essays, with the midterms and final exam also involving essays, but with different prompts and requirements than the rest of the essays. Like the other essays, this one involved analyzing a historical work, linking it to its context, and producing our own original observations. 

 

The work itself contains plenty of detail, with the assignment being geared towards the analysis of the work known as “The Canonization". In my analysis, I explained the motives of the writer and his professing of his love to a woman, with the addition of pleas being inscribed into the text for any outside forces to allow him to act on that love. I also continued to explicate the writer’s motivations for his love and his constant questions for the harm wrought for simply allowing him to love. In the end, I point out the comparison the writer made to the phoenix, which is mystified to die and rise again from the ashes. Finally, he made yet another passionate plea for love before the poem closed. The poem seemed to be a love letter, and the tone it adopts is one of desperation and longing, with the hopes that maybe, just maybe, he will one day fulfill his desires. 

 

The work itself is a page long and I was able to complete it quickly, albeit with some difficulty. I had to carefully read the text and explicate each paragraph, stanza by stanza, accordingly. I also had to note any figurative language and rhetorical devices used in the work's composition. The assignment has a strength and a weakness that will affect its standing in the E-Portfolio. A strength it contains is that it is a demonstration of my ability to explicate the work, link it to its context, and add my own original insights and observations that would allow me to relate in some way to the work. However, it is weak in terms of length and contains some parts some might find repetitive. My analysis was primarily focused on the writer’s feelings and his lamentations for his inability to gain what he wanted, with not much being devoted to the rhetorical devices or language. The assignment did garner decent marks, and it allowed me to expand my knowledge. 

 

When I selected this artifact, I had two goals in mind. My goals were to select an artifact that demonstrated my competency in Arts and the Human Experience, and I also hoped to expand my knowledge in the field. I managed to accomplish the first goal through my selection of the artifact. In the artifact, I was able to describe the human experience during a historical period, thus it was well-suited to be presented on my E-Portfolio as a demonstration oy my competency in the outcome. The next goal was accomplished through my analysis in the essay. I was able to learn more about the historical context behind the essay, expand my knowledge on British Literature, and better appreciate the origins of the English Languages and the influences surrounding it. 

 

I have learned a few lessons pertaining to the program outcome. I have a heightened awareness of Arts and Human Experiences from being able to work in those respective fields, both in and out of classroom. In the personal field, I have been able to relate with others better and be more cognizant of other people’s needs. In the academic and professional field, I have been able to put my learning into action and tailor my learning according to the circumstances. While I have more to learn in this outcome, I have made significant progress through some assignments and experiences.