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Studying Myths vs. Making One

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Two words. Percy. Jackson. The rabbit hole I have lunged myself into regarding mythology started the second I opened Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief during my sixth-grade silent reading time. My Aunt May was obsessed with that series and the author, so I credit her for most of the things I geek out about today, and I credit her for my love of reading. And because one myth obsession is never enough, she soon handed me The Red Pyramid, which launched me straight into Egyptian mythology. As a Lebanese woman, mythology has always been close to home. In the Levant, our everyday culture is literally built on ancient stories and beliefs, regardless of religion. Every kid in my village grew up fearing Abou Kees (the Bagman who kidnaps misbehaving children, aka a myth built to scare us into behaving). “Don’t misbehave or else Abou Kees will come to your room at night and put you in his sack” works way better than “You’ll be on the naughty list! Santa will be disappointed....
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Between Overflow and Analysis: Writing and Writing About Poetry

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     Writing poetry and writing about poetry are similar in that both require you to confront emotion and language head-on, but they come from very different parts of the psyche.       Writing poetry is personal and immediate. William Wordsworth once said that poetry is the spontaneous overflow of your own feelings, and he was absolutely right. I always considered Wordsworth's approach but it never fully hit me until I started writing my poem for our class. At first, I stared at the page blankly, completely unsure of what to write about or where to start. However, the second I got an inkling of an idea I started writing and it went on from there. It was an overflow of emotions that I did not even know I kept repressed for so long.  Writing about poetry, on the other hand, is analytical. Writing about poetry asks you to step outside of yourself and into the mind of another poet in order to trace how their words carry emotion and meaning. This remin...
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Introduction and Thoughts on Media Technology

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Dearest readers, Firstly I'd like to extend a massive welcome to my blog! As this is my first post on here, I shall start with an introduction. My name is Kukie Antoun and I am a double major, my focuses being in English Literature and Business Law. I have always had a passion for Literature, and a specific interest in Ancient Literature. I am currently on the route to Law School, however I aspire to become a Law Professor after a few years serving as an Immigration Attorney. As someone who grew up in Lebanon during the war, I have vowed to grow up and help individuals in countries overrun with war escape for a chance of a better life. I believe one of the most important jobs in the world is the role of an educator.  Now for the million dollar question, is media technology effective in a teaching environment? I do think it serves a crucial purpose for broadening the knowledge of students, however only when it is correctly used. Instructors who do implement media technology in their...
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