LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2010 Student Midterm Samples 3. Web highlights: Review at least 3 posts from course website's Model Assignments (4-6 paragraphs)

Jonathan Nguyen

3. This One Time, in Literature Class…

When I looked through some model assignments, I found what I expected to find and what I expected was to see new perspectives that I had never thought about. In a sample midterm from 2004, a student wrote:

[Magua’s] cry and the yells of the oncoming savages (demons) as they “break from the forest” and cross the boundary that had previously restrained them brings gothic life to Magua and he become the beast, the devil incarnate finally coming to claim his victims.

This student captured the religious aspect of the reading that eluded me when I was reading the first time. The undertones of Heaven and Hell in Cooper’s novel was a subject I had to ask my own class about during my own discussion. This emphasizes the need of peer discussion that is so active in our class.

I felt it imperative to look at a model research proposal since I myself have only a vague idea of what I would like to do. This was a model assignment that I did not know what to expect when I investigated. I was very surprised. Mr. Robert Andresakis of the 2003 research proposals had very interesting ideas of what to research. I have to admit I’m actually interested on reading how he planned to research his psychological take on The Fall of the House of Usher.

After reading research proposals, naturally I decided to look at the actual research projects. I was most disappointed in seeing that Mr. Andresakis didn’t do his psychological analysis on The Fall of the House of Usher however I was impressed by his comparison project. From reading and browsing through a few of these submissions, I realized that what is most important about writing about a topic is a passion for the topic. In short, write about what you find interesting because if you find it interesting, you can write it in an interesting way and make it better for the person reading your work.

What I found while reading some of these assignments was that it is best to keep to the topic and to write with enthusiasm. When I pick a research topic, I should choose one that I can be enthusiastic and proud about writing. In this way, writing is more organic and enjoyable and less of a boring chore. The attitude a person has while writing can affect the way a reader digests the writing.

The model assignments showed a little more about how assignments should be written that I didn’t completely understand from class instruction. However, I see these assignments not as guidelines or templates but just as reference pieces to put me on the path. How I travel on that path and where I go on that path will be decided by me and only me and that freedom is something I wouldn’t have any other way in a course like this.