Tag Archives: Naomi Mireles

My Final Takeaway

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This class was by far the best class I have ever taken. I loved everything about this class, mainly the confusion I experienced. There were so many moments in this class where I thought “What the heck does that even mean,” but in hindsight, I loved the confusion because it pushed me to dive deeper and think about why it confused me. I learned to be confident, in myself and my voice, but more than that I learned to be confident in my ideas and thoughts. So many times in our discussions I felt as if things I thought or wanted to say were irrelevant or pointless, but with the help of our amazing professor, I learned that thoughts and ideas are always worth sharing. Of course, confidence is a neverending thing you must work on but I am glad this class opened my eyes to sharing and having an open discussion and recognizing that each idea and thought you have can add a lot to a discussion

On top of this, this class made me have a huge mindset shift regarding mermaids and our environment. I have always loved and cared for the Ocean, but so many stories regarding mermaids and the Ocean made me grow an even deeper appreciation for the Ocean and how other cultures view and perceive it.

This class made me question things, to not just listen and accept what you are told or reading. It also taught me that we are all interconnected, there is no separation between humans and nature, and the Ocean does not belong to us, we belong to the Ocean. Every single person in this class has taught me something, and for that, I am extremely grateful.

The Deep Chapter 5

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In this week’s reading of The Deep, I would like to focus on a passage in the text that I found rather comforting. While Yetu is leaving the Wajinru, she experiences different memories and rememberings in different parts of the ocean. She realizes she’s unsure of if these memories are hers or not, but in drifting she feels a sense of identity has appeared. Something that she has struggled with since she carries the remembering of her community. Specifically, “Rememberings didn’t haunt her. She was just Yetu. She wasn’t quite sure who that was, but she didn’t mind the unknowing because it came with such calm, such a freedom from the pain.” This part of the chapter brought me some comfort, mainly because in Western and/or certain individual perspectives, the Ocean has been seen as this scary vast force that entails danger. This part of the book challenges that. The feeling that there could be comfort and familiarity in this huge space even though it is unknown. And the factor of it being unknown it doesn’t deem it scary or dangerous was a refreshing point of view.

I appreciate this specific part of The Deep because it pushes me to hold (even more) of a personal and intimate perspective on the Ocean and I also like that it challenges the view of sublimity associated with the Ocean since it suggests that the Ocean can heal and comfort individuals, like Yetu in this case.