First off, this was the first online class I have ever taken, so it took a little time to get used to how everything worked. I have taken other classes that have analyzed plays, but we never went as in depth as what we did in this class - we compared plays to each other, but not every detail.

That was one thing that I feel was most important about this class, learning how to analyze each piece of art, and understanding more about it. I enjoyed having background stories for pieces when we had them, because it felt like that gave it more meaning to the poem or painting, since we had a backstory. For example, with the painting, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus," I would have never understood what was even remotely happening in this painting without the backstory. I did not even notice that Icarus was in the corner of the painting, let alone drowning. The backstory helped me understand what was happening in the painting, and where to find the main person that this painting was all about.

Another thing that kind of confused me at first, but now I feel like a pro at, is comparing poems and paintings. This was a concept I never really thought about, because I just knew that these were different pieces of art, and there wasn't a good way to compare them and connect them. Now, however, I feel like I have come so far, and I am now able to really connect different types of art, whether it is paintings, sculptures, or poems. Even though not all art makes complete sense to me, I am more able to compare different art pieces with each other, even if I have to sort of guess parts of the pieces, like when I do not know the backstory.

One other thing that I learned, which I was not expecting, was to write poetry. In the past, I have tried to write poetry, but I did not really know what I was doing, and I felt like I needed to rhyme everything, and that made it all sound weird, so I never really tried to write poetry. When I had something to write about, however, and now know that it doesn't have to all be rhymed, and it is almost more interesting when it doesn't, then I was able to write poetry like I had never been able to before. I enjoy writing shorter poems, because it is short and to the point, rather than going on and on about things. I especially liked writing them about paintings, and the different views of writing poems to the paintings. It was interesting to see the differences between writing as something in the painting, as the painter, and then as the person who is just viewing the painting, and to see how it all goes together.

Overall, this was a very interesting class. Being able to learn all of these different things, has made me see art differently, and analyze it when I see it or read it rather than just saying oh, that was nice, and move on. I am also glad that I was able to experience an online class, and the way that works. I have enjoyed getting to know my classmates through their pieces of art that they chose, through the discussions, and through their blogs.

Melanie