|
(2018
midterm assignment) Sample Student Midterm Answers 2018 #3: Web Highlights (Index) |
LITR 4328 |
 |
Jasmine Choate
Three Different Paths to Sublime
When reading through the copious amount
of Model Assignments, I was initially overwhelmed. However, my experience turned
into something entirely different from what I had expected. In the end, I was
taken down three different paths to one very important term, Sublime. One
student’s clever title stuck out to me immediately and begun my journey. This
was Ronni Abshier’s clever nod to the band Sublime;
Sublime: Not Just a Scary Good Band Name.
I found it completely hilarious, and it really drew me into clicking on the
short analysis essay. After reading the essay, I found myself fascinated with
what Ronni had to say. This essentially led me to search for other essays that
focused on interpreting the term ‘Sublime’. Before I knew it, I had read several
others, but found myself especially interested in Kimberly Hall’s
The Sublime: A Study in Emotional
Contrast and Victoria Narcisse’s
Sublime: The Beautiful, the Terrifying, and the Ridiculous. I enjoyed these
three the most, and found it quite interesting how they all took a different
approach in analyzing the same term.
In Ronni Abshier’s essay, I found the
first path to Sublime. In which I was led to learn about the beautiful yet
terrifying aspect of the term. I found myself relating to the fact that I had
also never thought of the word sublime as more than a band name before taking
this course. In the essay, Abshier analyzes how Poe and Irving both use the
elements of sublime to display a sense of something beautiful yet terrifying in
their writing. I agree with Ronni when they mention that both these authors were
talented in the fact that they could take a complex idea of something being
sublime, and make it understandable and relatable to the reader even years and
years later. “Edgar Allen Poe and Washington Irving intertwine the concepts so
well with their stories, making the concept easy to grasp and develop
understanding.” (Ronni Abshier, Midterm Short Essay 2017)
In Kimberly Hall’s essay, I was led down
my second path to Sublime. One that focused on the more emotional aspects when
reading something with a sublime element. Their initial connection to the term
was vastly different than mine or Ronni’s in the fact that they thought more of
the fantasy and science fiction aspect of it all. Hall’s essay shines a light on
the true fact that sublime text typically evokes contradictory feelings within
the reader. I agree with Hall on the fact that the element of sublime can
transform something ordinary into something greater through the use of
contrasting emotions. I also felt a sense of personal connection to Hall when
they spoke about the impact that Romanticism left on their life. “…I realized
that the sublime was not just asking me to feel on a grand scale- it was asking
me to move out of any comfort zones and take in the most pleasurable and
terrifying scopes of human emotion at the same time.” (Kimberly Hall, Midterm
Short Essay 2016)
In Victoria Narcisse’s essay, I waltzed
onto my third and final path to Sublime. One that highlighted three different
aspects to the term all within one story. The beautiful, the terrifying, and the
ridiculous sublime elements of the mountains in
Rip Van Winkle. I agree with
Victoria’s description of how the sublime can make you envision and imagine
scenery vividly without having had to experience firsthand in real life. I
really commend Victoria in being able to analyze three completely different
tones within the mountain range in the story, especially the ridiculous. I do
not think I would have thought to include that aspect if I had been analyzing
the term. I think Narcisse does a great job displaying and defending their idea
that there are many different aspects to sublime, not just the ones we are
accustomed to thinking about. “…sublime…it is not limited to only one way for it
to be used, it can be used in many different ways.” (Victoria Narcisse, Midterm
Short Essay 2012)
Although these three essays took me down
different paths, they all meet at the same ending, the sublime. It was
incredibly fascinating to see how three students from different years all took a
look at the term and saw something unique. I learned that sublime is a complex
and at times contradictory term that elevates a text through emotion and
perspective. I feel as though I have been allowed a glimpse into the perspective
of three other people, and have been given their information to learn and be
able to form my own view of the elements of the term sublime.
