Assignment

One goal of all our sophomore-level literature courses is to increase students' appreciation of literature. In preparation for that, let's take a step back from our semester of analyzing literature and look for moments where literature has touched and enriched our lives...

In the past decades, the definition of what is literature worthy of study has changed dramatically. Scholars now study the narrative structure of video games, Spoken Word poetry, rap or hip-hop songs, graphic novels, religious holy books and many other aspects of our modern culture that might not seem very "literary" at first glance. With this broader definition in mind, describe a situation where literature intersected in a meaningful way with your life. If you can, share a quotation from the "literature" in question. Some examples might be:

• marriage vows
• a eulogy
• a graduation speech
• a greeting card (sent or received)
• a couple's special song
• your personal theme song
• a concept/lesson from a TV show or film (i.e. "May the Force Be with You")

OR

We know words have power. Discuss a more traditional literary work (book, poem, play, maybe even a literary work you read in this class) that had an impact on your beliefs or your plans for the future. Share a quotation from the work in question.