Billy Jones

Computer Science, Economics, and Data Science (6-14) & Literature (21L)

What was your favorite book, film, or thesis, paper title, etc. from out of Literature? Middlemarch by George Eliot

What advice would you give a future Literature Major? What did you wish you knew before your journey? I would advise people to get out of their comfort zone and try studying literature that is intimidating and/or sparks curiosity.

What’s your favorite animal? Why and how does it relate to literature or your work? My favorite animal is the sea turtle. I believe the process of reading a great novel can be seen in the life of those creatures. The most treacherous part of their life is after hatching, when they must make a long journey across the beach to the ocean without being eaten by predators. Similarly, the most difficult part of reading a novel is the beginning, when the reader has no contextual grounding to rely on. After that first danger, turtles mature and grow for the majority of their long lives before spending their last years reproducing. A passionate reader can discover intricacies of a text after many readings, and eventually the time comes to spread their knowledge to others in a somewhat reproductive manner that keeps the work alive for a new generation of readers.

View Billy’s Profile: SHASS Meet The MIT Bilinguals: Salute to Seniors | Class of 2022