ENGL 203 – American Literature
I’ll admit I wasn’t the most excited to take American Literature when I had signed up for it, however, that definitely changed over the course of the semester — all thanks to my professor, Dr. John Miller. Dr. Miller is undoubtably one of the best professors I’ve had at Longwood and he isn’t even for my major. Unlike other English classes I have previously taken, American Literature was focused solely on reading literature. I know that sounds bad, but this class didn’t have all the unnecessary fluff assignments which I greatly appreciated. Over the course of the semester, we were required to read quite a few short stories, poems, and novels. We had quizzes on each assigned reading every class, which I actually appreciated because it forced me to read what was assigned. I’m not saying I’m a bad student or anything, but I despise reading for long periods of time so this class definitely gave me a kick in the butt. Though I didn’t love every book we read, I did like them all (which is a first for me). Out of all the books we read, I particularly liked In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Terminal Lance: The White Donkey by Maximilian Uriarte. Each of these books were so different with In Cold Blood being more of a true crime story while The White Donkey was a graphic novel. Overall, I’m very glad I chose to take American Literature over British or World lit. I think I was able to connect more with the stories and characters as each of the books we read were very relatable to a small-town-grown young adult. One of my favorite essays I wrote during the semester is the attached one on In Cold Blood. Although this assignment was definitely not my favorite because I was struggling with inspiration, the end product turned out to be ” well-organized, well-researched, thoughtful, and sophisticated analysis of Capote’s use of narration and characterization, and how the book fits within Capote’s bio and oeuvre” (per Dr. Miller). I’m extremely proud of this essay, not only because I got a 100, but also because it was such a struggle to write. It is nice to be rewarded when hard work is put in. If anyone reading this needs to take American lit, I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Miller’s class. Take it, you won’t regret it!