New Challenge

One of my ENGL 112 students sat in my office yesterday for a conference about her last paper and plans for the next one.  Since we changed the curriculum to a literature focus, I have had fun with sharing poetry, short stories, and drama with students who might not otherwise read the selections. 

This student had discussed one of Whitman's poems "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" for her first literary analysis.  Some of the terms she used in her paper were not included on my 'terms sheet' that I share with non-literature students, and I was curious as to how they were familiar to her.  Her use of vocabulary and her writing style were more sophisticated than I am used to seeing from my ENGL 112 students also. In fact, thoughts of plagiarism had flitted through my mind, and I had "googled' passages of her paper, plus My Daughter the Librarian had searched for something that may have been directly copied and not cited.  We came up dry.

As we chatted, I found that she had a more extensive background in lit in high school than most of my students.  She was well-versed in terminology, and it was impressive to just talk with her. 

But here is the problem.  When we talked about ideas for her literary argument paper, and, as often happens, one idea leads to another, then changes, then builds....and I suggested that she read a short novel as another literary source to use for her paper, she bristled.  Her response?  "But I don't like to read.  I would HATE to read an entire book." 

I was stunned.  For a student to have the extensive vocabulary, the knowledge of terms, the extraordinary writing style.....and then not like to read.  It is always said that the more one reads, the more one's vocabulary grows, the better he/she will write, and the more varied the writing styles will be.  Eveidently not in this case.

What is my challenge?  To encourage, to nudge, to tempt.

When she left my office, I asked if she would like for me to order the book for her through inter-library loan, and she said yes.  But only because I thought it would be a good thing to do for her to write a good paper. Otherwise,  she just didn't like to read.

Sigh....