One of the biggest things I learned in this class is to appreciate the Ocean and see it as a multifaceted body rather than a dark abyss. Growing up, a lot of media associated the Ocean to darkness, being lost, scary, dangerous, unknown, unexplored, which framed the way I viewed it. This class was a change in perspective, it allowed for the exploration of the Ocean in various ways through poetry, art, literature, scenography, and more. These new lenses removed the limitations I felt towards the Ocean, and I am amazed at how much the close reading we practiced in class unveiled about literature, mermaids, and the environment. Some of the elements that stood out the most were: the ocean as an archive, mermaids as a metaphor and lens, everything can be read (paintings, videos, etc) as literature, the Ocean is and gives life, and perspective is key,