Throughout the coarse of this semester, this course has demanded me to expand the amount of critical thinking I put forth while reading and discussing literature. Prior to my experience in this coarse I had a very narrow mindset as to what I received from the words and events that took place in in the various books I had read. Like many people, I picked up the critical events that took place throughout plot. However I never really fully engaged myself into thinking outside of the box and trying to see the meaning behind such events and why they were truly meaningful in what was happening to the characters. Now that I have been exposed to this the detailed analysis over the coarse of several short stories, I think I am now more aware of what I am actually reading, as well as what the deeper significance is to the surrounding plot. There were a few quotes and events that took place during some of these short stories that really caught my eye and was able to for a connection with in result.
The most notable quote I can think of that stood out to me was in one of the more recent short stories we read, The Colored Museum. The quote is as followed, ““... ,cause I’m not what I was ten years ago or ten minutes ago. I’m all of that and then some. And whereas I can’t live inside yesterday’s pain, I can’t live without it.” I found this quote appealing because I feel like it relates to me and a lot of people in my age group. I feel this way because we’re all at a point in our lives where were trying to find out whom we truly are and also what direction we want to move toward for our future. I for one feel as though at times people can forget who they truly are and what they believe in. This is especially the case with people like me going away to college. We all feel as though, since were in a new place, were able to have a fresh start and almost erase negative things that may have

happened in our past. This is true to a extent, but we still have to realize we are who we are. In all reality we come to realize that where we come from and our past events, good or bad, are what make us who we are. All the events that may have happened in our past have gotten us to where we are today and that’s something we should be proud of. That’s what builds character in a person, while also making each of us truly unique from one another. In result we should embrace that fact and realize we are the sum of our past and future decisions and that’s what makes us who we are.
Another quote that really holds true for me was one that I found in “Ghosts.” The quote is as follows “ …Time is the longest distance between two place.” I find this especially true because my hometown is nearly seven hours from Virginia Tech. I’m glad to say Tech has become my second home, but at times it feels like my first home is practically on another