Jasmine

The most important observation I made about the second half of Jasmine was that it is up to an individual to define one’s own identity.

When I initially registered to take this class, I was unsure if I would like the subject matter of the texts that were required for the course. However, my upper classmen friends assured me that, “any class with Dr. Ellis was amazing”; luckily they were right! The first novel that we read gave me quite a scare—when reading Things Fall Apart as a ninth grader in high school I was not a fan. Although hesitant at first, I decided to give it a second chance, and read Achebe’s text with an open mind. To my surprise, I really enjoyed reading it the second time around—it was as if I was reading a completely different book. The content of the book remained unchanged, so I immediately knew that there was something special about Homelands that sparked my interest. I attribute my newfound love for the book to not only to having a great instructor (yes, you Dr. Ellis!), but also a great class. In-class discussion among classmates has been the most exciting part about our class! I was so surprised at how easily my classmates and I were able to open up about personal stories relating back to the texts. Everyone in our class adds something very special to each discussion, and it has been my pleasure getting to know each and every one them. While in the classroom, I feel like we have created yet another variation of home. Our Homelands class has been a transformative experience for me, and it is something I will treasure forever.