Final Blog Entry

When I first signed up for this class, I really was unsure about taking it. I did not think that Appalachian literature was going to be interesting. I actually had no idea what to expect. However, now at the end of the class, I have discovered a lot about the region and the diversity of the culture, from dancing outlaws to Affrilachian poets.
I thought that one of the most important parts of this class were the books that we read. Some of them were interesting, while others were confusing which made them not the exciting to read. The two books that I did not like reading were Feud and Oral History. I thought that these books were too difficult to follow, especially Feud. I found it too hard to keep track of all the different names and what family they were a part of. I think that this book is not necessary for future semesters. The other book that I did not like was Oral History. This book was not as confusing as Feud, but I did not like it because it was not all that interesting to me, and some of the names were difficult to keep track of. However, unlike Feud, I would suggest keeping this book for future semesters of this class. The two books that I thought were okay were Whistlin’ and Crowin’ and The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake. I liked Whistlin’ and Crowin’ because it presented a lot of interesting information about literacy practices of women and what some of them had to go through just to attend college (abusive husband). I liked Pancake because, unlike the other books we read, there were not a lot of characters to keep track of. I also liked this book because Pancake had some suspense in his stories like “Time and Again”.
The movies that we watched in this class were just as interesting, if not more interesting than the books. I liked how there was a contrast in the different kinds of movies, from a movie about a tap dancer to a movie about striking coal miners to a movie about Affrilachian poets. I really do not think that I liked any of the movies more than the others. I would suggest keeping all these films as a part of the class because it gives the class a different perspective on Appalachia.
The blog assignment was definitely an interesting assignment, but it was not the first time that I had to write blog entries for an English class. I liked them because they provided another way to express my opinion from saying it in class. However, I think that the minimum should be lowered a little, or maybe I should have just spread my fifteen over more than just the last two months of school.
Now that I am at the end of the class, I am glad that I chose to take this class. It helped to disprove some of the stereotypes of Appalachia that I once had. I liked some of the books, but I think that others can be removed from the course. I also liked all the films that we watched for class and I don’t think that any of them should be removed. If any of my friends asked about future sections of this class, I would definitely recommend it to them.