Reports

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Over my college career, I have done several reports that have been a major part of my career as a student. In just about every class that I attended, I was required to write a research paper by the end of the semester. I spent a lot of hours researching, writing, revising, and typing. Therefore, I felt that it was important for me to include a few of these projects into my website. Not only do they display my accomplishments, but they also exemplify my hard work.

My primary reason for including these reports is for my future students. The papers are not modified from their final versions that were turned in to the professors who assigned them. I chose to leave them like this so students could see that I am not perfect, and I do make mistakes. I don't claim to be omniscient. All I can do is my best, and usually, my best pays off. In realizing this, students will understand that I know they cannot be perfect. All I ask is that they do their best. Also, I hope that they see that I will do my best to teach them.

As stated in the reasons for this portfolio, these papers also serve to provide examples of my work ethic for future employers. In viewing these papers, and realizing how much time and work went in to them, administrators might get a sense of my work ethic. Knowing that I am capable of hard work, and seeing it in these papers might give them more assurance about hiring me.

The following are links to four of my favorite reports.

On John Ciardi's "The Way to the Poem"- This paper was written for Dr. Elizabeth Davis' Literary Theory class. The purpose of the paper was to analyze a piece of literary criticism and either agree or disagree with it. I learned a lot from this paper. I was able to pick apart individual characteritics of different literary criticisms in this one essay. I was also able to come up with my own interpretation of Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening."

Transcending to Jackson Island- This paper was written for Dr. Linda Selman's American Literature II class. I enjoyed writing this paper. Though Huckleberry Finn may be Mark Twain's most profound book, Tom Sawyer may be the most memorable. This report traces the place, characters, and events of Tom Sawyer and gives a possible explanation of why the novel has such a lasting effect on readers.

Ah, Paris- This is my favorite paper because it is totally original. I was unable to find any information on it, so it may be one of a kind. The paper is an attempt to prove that Paris of Romeo and Juliet was based on Paris of Homer's Iliad. It is a fun paper to read, and very interesting. Though readers may not agree with my hypothesis, I give some good evidence to support it.

Ozark Speech- This paper was written for Dr. Brad Herzog's Advanced Composition class, as well as Dr. Lynne Belcher's English Language Studies. It hits close to home for me because my family is from the Ozarks. It is a study on the origins, speech patterns, and euphemisms of the Ozark Mountain dialect.