Please review the American Literature Study Guide (also in Doc Sharing) to help you with this assignment.

Important note: In individual work, express your own ideas and do not use outside sources. Using outside sources can lower your scores, and often they can lead to plagiarism.

At this point, you have read works in five genres: speeches, essays, poetry, short stories, and drama. You have also discussed the works of nearly twenty authors and have examined the historical eras and events that influenced their works.

1. Write a reflective essay of 250 words (one page) about your experience studying American literature this term.
2. Important: Your paper must have a well developed introduction, body, and conclusion.  

• Include at least two of the works from the entire term.
• Which works have had the greatest impact upon you?
• Which of the readings did you relate to personally because of your own life experiences?
• If there was a character with whom you identified, which one was it?
• Why do you think you felt a connection with that character?
• Please format the essay correctly by doing the following:
  • Make sure that your essay is double-spaced.
  • Use only a standard 12 pt. font, such as “Times” or “Times New Roman” (no italics, bold, or fancy fonts).
  • Indent paragraphs five spaces and have one-inch margins on all sides.
  • Your essay should conform to the APA style for formatting and citations, but for this assignment, you should only have one citation, which is the main anthology since no outside sources should be used.
  • Use only your own ideas about the readings. Authentic, personal, and insightful responses earn more points, while essays that use material from outside sources may receive a reduction in points.