Reflection defined as an act of viewing

Even the word reflection has implications of unreliability just based on looking back onto the past. If I've learned anything from this quarter it's that the act of viewing and the position of the viewer can be considered unreliable and asymmetrical. Sometimes I wonder if my view point is in fact symmetrical because I was never taught to think critically of history in high school. I can only consider myself to be a bystander and I question if this is an act of innocence. Are we innocent when we do not talk about the atrocities committed against people of color and other countries by the county we live in? Is it even factual to call America "our country". Learning about colonized and post-colonial spaces has really impacted my way of thinking about the world. Specifically, of course, I find a meaningful connection to the lectures about the bombings and politics of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With half of my family coming from Japan, I find some sort of weird connection to the concept of looking and viewing in regards to the mushroom cloud and the atomic sublime. In a way my grandfather was a viewer, but he was also someone who experienced the bomb and how he defined it was some sort of earthquake. The psychology and history behind the word unreliable has just become an increasing fascination.

This class like the other two I've taken with Christine have taught me how to be objective of the world and that there is so much history that still has repercussions on this present time. Because of these these classes with Christine, I have met amazing individuals who are like a little family since we've followed Christine's courses through the quarters. I have truly learned so much from all of you and of course Christine and Kara. Thank you both for supporting us students and dedicating your time and energy to providing an education for your students. I don't think words can do justice to how The Nuclear Pacific, Race, Labor and Migration, & Unreliable Narration in Colonial and Post Colonial Literature have impacted my life as a student here at UCSC. ANYWAYS enough of my gushing, I wish you good luck on your finals and on your future endeavors!