Don't Panic! I remember my first college level English course. I had no idea that the last exam is sometimes an in-class essay, thankfully, I still passed it and you can learn to do the same as well.
I am currently taking English 216-That's English Literature II; recently, my first exam gave us several options on what to write our In Class Essay on. I chose the following:
5.) Discuss the ways walking was a Romantic project. How does it tie into the literature? What does it have to do with nature? With freedom? In your answer, make sure to reference both William and Dorothy Wordsworth.
There was the option to write about Jane Austen, my favorite author, but once I saw this one, I felt it was different and I like to be challenged!
To be honest, I spent a good 15 minutes on the Thesis ONLY!
As I've mentioned before. Your thesis is the map, once you have that, you're good! I took rather long, because my intention was to answer all these questions in ONE sentence.
Here is my following paper which I typed up for you all. Hope this helps you see the structure. See if you can identify a hook. How about the Thesis, Topic Sentences, or Concluding Sentences?
Walking was not only an excellent source of exercise for the Romantic writers, but a physical demonstration of possessing the liberty to do so in the extreme such as William Wordsworth. Walking became a Romantic project much like today's Backpacking. The act of exploring nature was a way of reaping ideas among the intellectual writers of this era whose central idea contained many demonstrations of nature. Walking among nature was a simple freedom that the Romantic Writers practiced to gain inspiration which reflects in their literary works.
Walking, which is very similar to backpacking, provided the Romantic writers to explore nature in a personal way. There were no boundaries as those we know today. Today, San Diegiens must stop at immigration points when returning to the U.S.A from the bordering city of Tijuana, Mexico. William Wordsworth and other Romantic writers had the liberty to cross borders freely around the countryside. For them, being out there, nature had no boundaries. Therefore symbolized a certain for the Romantic writers. Walking was not only practiced in the city by the Romantic writers, but mostly, out in the countryside among nature. Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy would go on "vigorous cross-country walks in which they sometimes covered as much as 33 miles in a day" (Greenblatt 403). This passion that the writers of this era developed for nature on their long walks proved to be a great and necessary part of their careers as writers. Walking allowed the Romantic writers to immerse themselves in nature.
As an instrument of inspiration, walking experiences are greatly reffered in literature from the Romatic Era. Authors such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Collerige, Percy Shelly and John Keats relied greatly upon nature as the source for which they wrote many literature pieces. As they explored nature on their walks: they explored themselves as well. Without walking, we may not have had "Lines Written in Early Spring", or "Ode to a Nightingale".
Just the simple freedom to be able to explore nature through walking allowed Romantic writer to be inspired to write many reflections in the literature we read today.
- (the end) =)
BUT, I repeat. It was was an in-class essay. There is something called nerves and a time limit :D
It was fun and I hope this may help in any way EXCEPT plagiarism=)
I received 70/70 for the essay portion of my In-Class Essay Exam in case anyone is wondering.
