You're Just Too Amazing...Let's Give You MORE!

Finals are going pretty okay right now. And in that I mean that they haven't started yet, but so far so good. I only have 2 scheduled finals and the rest are papers, with 1 additional test in the Testing Center whenever I want to take it. I guess that's what happens when you decide to major in English - the Writing Major. I haven't decided whether or not that's a good thing. Oh well!

The most ridiculous thing about this experience is this one paper that's been driving me up the wall. It's a 10-15 pager with an emphasis on the 15th page (meaning my professor wants it that long). CRAZY!! This paper is for the class that's given me the most stress this semester - CHAUCER. I loved taking the class, but it required 5 papers of varying lengths with topics/prompts so different that they don't even apply to the class discussion or anything (it's felt like busywork) and they've all been assigned back to back with no real break in between. We didn't have any regular tests, just papers. Normally, I wouldn't mind because that's what I signed up for when I decided to be an English major. And since we could pick any topic we wanted to as long as it fit in with Chaucer and was a Literary Analysis I figured this was my chance to really apply what I've learned in class discussions and pick a topic that's interested me. I chose Astronomical and Cosmological references in Chaucer's writing House of Fame. This poem has the most references to the stars and mythology and so off I went into the deep dark "Writing Black Hole" where nothing emerges (not even the memory of what I've written about) and out came one of the best research papers I've ever written. I was very thorough and precise with my research and documentation (those who really know me would understand why). The paper made it to 13 1/2 glorious pages full of information, analysis, and discussion and I felt extremely comfortable with my efforts. We had to turn a draft in about a week ago so I did. When we got them back a couple of days later so we could revise them for the final, my professor had written a note saying: "Topic too specific, please rewrite the paper and broaden your research." How ridiculous is that?!?! I've NEVER heard of a topic being too specific AFTER I've written the paper and found enough research and information to support my thesis. In the early stages of writing, yes, but not after it's all said and done.

So, it's back to the drawingboard to revamp a really good essay to make it more "GE friendly". That, added to all of my other big projects and papers...who has time for those, seriously. Bring on the late nights in the Library. Luckily, it's not due till Saturday anytime so I can work on it all day when I'm not doing anything else.