LanVu Introduction

 I think the most important thing I have learned in this class is about taking another perspective on an issue. I think many of the stories and poems in the course gave me a new way of looking at events. I got this view from reading "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin. The wife in the story died which appears to be the joy of her husband's return but in fact, it was the loss of her freedom. I did not recognize this the first time I read the story but through some research. I have tried to understand the story from another perspective. I have also learned that literature has a stronger connection to my surrounding life than I thought. Through this course, I have learned to relate my social life and other courses that I learn into literature.

 Women play the roles of mothers, housekeepers, and servants to their husbands and children, and men act as providers, protectors, and heads of the household. Women were forced into roles of domesticity and were not given the chance to discover themselves and to reach their highest aspirations. As Nora in The Doll House, she was forced to live in a place where she was tied up to her role as a typical woman at her time. She has to the mothers to her son and servants to her husband and father. However, unlike many other women at the time, Nora decided to change her situation and leaves her family. Something that not many women did.

 One of my favorite movies is Kong: Skull Island. I was very fond of scientific films and arts. I first saw one similar movie like that one which is King Kong with my parents. Therefore I always Kong movies always have a spot on my list. Another reason I like Kong: Skull Island is that the movie's settings were in Ha Long Bay. Filming locations also include UNESCO World Heritage site Tràng An and the Tú Làn Caves System. Those are places in my home country Vietnam. When I watched Kong, besides from fantastic scenes of monster fighting, I also love the nature scenes of the movie. It gave me a familiar feelings when seeing my home country.

 To be honest, I don't listen to English music much. But I do have some favorite songs and one of them is "Leave the Lights On" by Tom Walker. For me, this is such a powerful song about hopes and hard times. The song has many strong images and it did help me through some tough times. "If you look into the distance, there's a house upon the hill Guiding like a lighthouse it's a place where you'll be safe". These lyrics have helped me a lot especially when the pandemic spread. This is quite similar to "Acquainted with the Night" by Robert Forst when it both talk about the darkness of each person "Lighthouse" is the guide for lost boats to find their way home, it's also the things that keep people sane in the sea. I think the "lighthouse" can be anyone around us, someone that we can trust to help us get through things. Or we can be another "lighthouse", guide them to a safer place.