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LITR 4328: American Renaissance  |
Final Exam Essays 2015 Sample answers
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Nathan Mesloh
5-12-15
Essay A1: How American Renaissance Influenced Me
To begin this
essay I would like to begin by reiterating from my essay in the midterm that
there is not a lot from this course that I learned that I had not learned before
in another class. That being said there were some points which I was reminded
of, or was able to learn in more depth than before. However even so, there were
a few aspects that I did learn about that I did not know much or anything about
than when I first walked into the classroom several months ago.
First, I think
what I knew least about at the start that I now know more about is the Sublime.
I did not know what the style was when the semester started, as far as I knew it
was just a rock band that I did not care for. But now I understand that it was a
writing style that the band named themselves after. I had no idea that it was a
way of expressing the inexpressible words. This realization has affected my
perception in some different ways, and also has been a game I have made out of
my thoughts where I try and point out to myself any time my thoughts turn into
Sublime. By doing this I am able to recognize when something is perhaps more
important than I am making it out to be, and therefore start appreciating it
more.
The next
aspect I feel I grew in came from our group discussions from the readings of
poetry and short stories. This is primarily because poetry analysis has been one
of my biggest weaknesses, and I have always struggled with it. However this is
my first class at this level where we have analyzed poetry, and I have never had
this level of analysis and discussion from classmates before. I honestly feel
that something that was said in some of the discussions really connected with me
and helped me realize what I needed to look for when trying to analyze the
poems. As vague as it is considering I do not have any specifics for which poem
or what was said, I honestly feel that this was the point that I learned most
about.
I think that one
of the most important aspects we learned about that a majority of people should
have the chance to learn of is the point where romanticism meets reality. This
point in the Renaissance is one of the most important to me, because it allows
readers to see the realities of the world and what the author is really trying
to communicate. While doing this though it also allows the author to imbue the
aspects of romanticism and keep that a part of the writing. One of the best
examples to me from our class was The Wound Dresser by Walt Whitman. The
way he describes the wounds in realistic detail allows the reader to see what
Whitman is trying to say about the realities of the life of a soldier, while
still communicating the values of the army and the imagery of them all going off
to war as something beautiful really spoke to me, as emotionally painful as it
was to read it. In the end though it is the emotional pain that makes it
important, that makes me realize what soldiers go through to meet their goal.
Finally what I
learned even more about was myself. I learned that I have the capabilities to
see the messages authors communicate through their poetry, even though I thought
I lacked it. I learned that I could refocus and see the importance of something
that I took for granted, just by realizing when my thoughts of it are Sublime in
nature. Finally, I learned that realism in writing when combined with
romanticism makes the writing so much more meaningful. This knowledge has
already improved my perspective of life, and made me more appreciative of my
surroundings.
1865 flag of the USA