Paper

A few weeks ago, I wrote a paper for my English 121 class about what it means to be a Romantic and whether or not I am one. I used Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility as a basis for my definition of Romanticism. Now, I wrote this paper the night before/the morning it was due. I also had about a 100 degree fever and used a method of writing that I never use -- I wrote the paper without making an outline first. All that may seem like a disastrous combination, but thanks to my professor's easy grading (pickaprof.com) and maybe something I did (not likely), I got an A. I had never gotten an A on an English paper at Carolina. However, before I went through the shock of an A on the paper, before the professor handed them back, he gave me another shock. He said that he wanted to read part of one of the papers. He started reading and I'm thinking, wow, that person's paper sounds a lot like mine... oh. my. ... that's my paper. I didn't fully recognize my writing, since I wrote it at about 6 in the morning while in bed, until he was well into reading. It was strange; I actually felt like the smart kid for once. These things don't happen to me a lot so I'm going to be impressed with myself for as long as I can. The whole paper would seem long and boring to anyone who doesn't love Jane Austen, so here is the part that he read:

Although idealized in our culture, I do not think that being a romantic is a good thing. In my generation especially, we are growing up slower. Many people my age will delay adulthood by going to school far longer than they need to, by living with their parents for years after graduating college, and by putting off marriage. These characteristics go along with romantic ideals. My generation tends to indulge themselves without taking responsibility for much. Like Marianne, they act as if they are engaged without actually being engaged. They indulge in relationships without any commitment. Especially evident at a liberal arts school, many students go to school for disciplines that have little implication in everyday life. Most of those students do not intend to use their knowledge in a career or even in their lives at all. However, they enjoy their version of the picturesque and frown upon anyone who does not share their supposedly elevated tastes. My generation expects some perfect future and fully believes they will be fat and happy although they have not prepared to provide for themselves. The reckless nature of my generation is reminiscent of Marianne in Sense and Sensibility.

A little harsh, but I'm an English major too.