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(2018
midterm assignment) Sample Student Midterm Answers 2018 #3: Web Highlights (Index) |
LITR 4328 |
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Kyle W. Abshire
Learning from
Correspondence
Out of all the terms we have learned this semester, so far, correspondence is by
far the most intriguing to me. Correspondence forms nature as a reflection of
man’s soul, which gives us deeper understanding of the inner workings of
highlighted characters. This idea is so intriguing to me because I have often
experienced this myself. A bad attitude on my part, will often make me see the
world with a different perspective, rather than when I am in a good mood.
Through inspection of model assignments, I was able to learn more about and gain
a deeper understanding of what correspondence is, and how it shapes a story.
I struggled to fully grasp the meaning of the word, until I read Rebecca Dyda’s
model review. One specific line in her review, made the term snap into place for
me. “since he viewed the woods as a scary and dark place due to the scary
stories told prior, the woods then became a scary and dark place. This is when
the term correspondence became clear to me” (Dyda). Dyda was reviewing how
correspondence formulates in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which has many
great examples through the entirety of the work. Once I read Dyda’s explanation
of the term, I was able to better understand and apply it to the rest of the
readings.
Jackie Rodriguez’s short essay on correspondence, helped me to gain a much
deeper understanding of the term. The third paragraph in her essay explains
correspondence in a way that shows us the potential complications that can arise
with the term’s usage. “The term itself however, is not so basic; something I
like about correspondence is that it can also be the person doing the describing
that is projecting their inner feeling. This is to say that if you are feeling
negatively no matter how the outside really looks you will see it as bleak like
you feel inside” (Rodriguez). Rodriguez’s explanation raises many issues with
the usage of correspondence, especially for those that examine literature. When
reading a romantic piece that uses correspondence, can we always be sure that
the piece is describing what is actually happening, or are we constantly in
danger of switching between the real world and the world inside a character’s
mind. The use of correspondence can be confusing for the reader, but it also
serves to move the story in specific directions.
I have found Melissa King’s (2010) take on correspondence to be the most
helpful, with understanding the purpose of correspondence. The conclusion of her
short essay on correspondence says:
Correspondence is such a
captivating concept that truly sets up the mood for a piece of literature,
especially those we have read from the American Renaissance Era. It explains so
well why characters feel the way they do or why the setting is set up to portray
a certain emotion. Our surroundings are directly affected by us and we are
directly affected by our surroundings. Correspondence helps to make the
characters and their settings fit together in a cohesive way as well as helps
the reader to understand why a piece of literature can make them feel a certain
way when reading it (King).
King’s explanation is spot on,
about it being a tool to set up a mood. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’s
entire narrative is set through different moods. The town is regarded as a
“sleepy” town, where nothing much happens. Ichabod becomes excited with the
prospect of winning the love of a woman, so everything is bright and lastly
everything turns dark as he is rejected; then chased by an evil spirit. The
story would not be nearly as captivating if we did not understand the moods of
the characters and correspondence helps us have a deeper, richer understanding
of their emotions.
Correspondence, to me, is the most profound term that we have studied this far
in class. It works to give us a deeper understanding of the emotional state of
the characters and strives to give the story direction. The model assignments
that are used for this essay, have helped me come to a better understanding of
the word and its many uses, as well as its potential pit-falls. I look forward
to seeing its use in future readings so that I can come to an even better
understanding of its abilities.
