Hooray!!

I passed! Dr. Hileman just called to tell me that my essays were great and they were all really impressed. I am so relieved.

Liliana has the flu, so I haven't really worked on my thesis, but with the exam out of the way I am feeling more motivated. Thanks for all the prayers!

Well, it's over. I'm thankful for that. The exam was really hard--all sorts of craziness. The good news is I got an email from Dr. Hileman this morning telling me I passed the multiple choice section, missing 2 questions. I'll take that! She is going to call me after the committee meets to review the essays sometime in the next week or two. Bluh. I hate the idea of waiting. The essays were really tough and I do think I may not have done as well as I could have. If that is the case, then I guess I'll just have to retake them in the spring.

Over the weekend, Dr. Hileman and I also discussed my thesis. She told me thus far my first draft has been really good considering. However, we both agree (I had secretly thought this as well) that it's not going to be ready this semester. So I am going to work to get as much done as possible, but probably I will finish in the spring. And I'm okay with that. I want it to be really good and the truth is, I can't focus all my time on it as I have a full time job and a family.

That being said, studying for the MA Exam got me really inspired to make some great improvements based on the comments I received. So this week I am diving back into my writing. Maybe that will help pass the time until I find out the results of the essay section.

Dead Girl Walking

In two days I sit for my exams. I am taking off the next two days to study (some more), although also to relax and not feel rushed when we leave on Friday. At this point I'm just reviewing like crazy. I either know it or I don't. I just hope I made smart studying decisions. I just hope I can be smart. Pray for me to be smart.

Sigh.

Discovery

I got an email yesterday from my advisor telling me that my first three chapters have been reviewed by the committee and are on their way home for revision. She went over the three major trouble areas in her email: some confusion with pronouns in the prologue, need for richer setting, and confusion over the epigraphs.

The first two I totally agree with. And I know how to fix the first issue with little trouble. In fact it will add another layer to the character and make it even richer. The second one I agree with, I just need to really luxuriate in scenic details, something I hadn't really allowed for.

The issue with the epigraphs I don't know that I agree with. I think they make sense in connection with the work. Dr. Hileman suggested that I just explain the connections in my introduction. But then I feel they are not successful because they shouldn't need explaining. Staylee thinks they make sense, but he's not on the committee. Perhaps I will just have to see what they say about them before I decide what to do.

The studying continues. I am so terrified of this exam. I wake up at night in fear, I have nightmares about it...it's almost paralyzing. I am so afraid I won't be prepared enough or I'll just freeze and everything I've tried to digest over the past few weeks will just leak out my ears.

In an effort to spread literature and beauty in the world, I thought I'd post some Emily Dickenson for your reading enjoyment.


SOME keep the Sabbath going to church;

I keep it staying at home,

With a bobolink for a chorister,

And an orchard for a dome.


Some keep the Sabbath in surplice;

I just wear my wings,

And instead of tolling the bell for church,

Our little sexton sings.


God preaches,—a noted clergyman,—

And the sermon is never long;

So instead of getting to heaven at last,

I ’m going all along!

Holding Pattern

I have posted recently because I haven't really done that much with my thesis in a few weeks. My Masters exam is coming up October 20 and so I am studying like crazy for that. The exam is broken down into two parts--part one is several hundred questions on the reading list and part two is three essays on my specific coursework. The reading list covers American and British literature of roughly 155 works and is multiple choice. For the essay section, each instructor I have had provides an essay question from their course. I have to answer one in American Lit, one in British Lit, and one in Research and Composition.

I have been pretty diligent in my studying and am about 3/4 the way through the reading list. American is done and I am through Shakespeare in British. As for the essays, I know what my choices are for each section: Big Bend or Thoreau (American), Arthurian lit or British novel (British), and Creativing Writing or History of the English language (Research).

I made the call to go ahead and select which one I will answer without seeing the questions so I can really study three subjects rather than sort of study six. I am going to write on Thoreau, British novel, and Creative Writing. In truth, I think I could probably do pretty well with either Arthurian lit or British novel, but I have a pretty good idea of what the question will be with British novel so that makes it a good bet. We also did a sample essay test in Thoreau, so I have a feel for what the question might be like (and my sample passed--a good omen). The one I'm really stressed about it Creative writing. I emailed my professor and asked for adivce, to which she counseled that I should study the text books. Awesome.

One thing that I have loved about studying the reading list is getting to expand my literary knowledge. There are several poems and short stories that I had heard of and never read, so I have been enjoying them. Anyone looking for some fun seasonal reading I recommend "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving. It's available online for free.

On to Milton.