Gosh, what didn’t I learn in this class? I genuinely feel like I learned how to actually read in this course, which I didn’t think was possible. There were so many aspects of this novel that stand out to me now, looking back, that wouldn’t have been possible without the in-class discussions and textual analysis. I feel like my favorite moments in the course were when we sat together, discussing the passages we liked most. There was so much that I felt like I missed or was too stupid to understand, but it wasn’t that I was stupid; it was that group discussions are so monumentally important when trying to digest a big, complicated text. Everyone had a different perspective and opinion on various aspects of the novel, so when we came together, it created clarity that wasn’t possible if I had read Moby Dick on my own.

I look forward to rereading the novel in the future, using the basis that this class gave me. As we discussed last week, the reader’s version matters hugely to the interpretation of the text. I’m excited to reread Melville’s work in a year or two and see how different my opinion or analysis is from now. I truly do treasure my time in this class and with my classmates. If given the opportunity, I would definitely take this class again. Thank you!!