The End

     American Literature I has given me a greater understanding of and appreciation for American Literature.  I can't say that I was all that excited to take it in the beginning, (since I already had taken American Literature II) but it ended up being an enjoyable experience!  The biggest thing I have appreciated throughout this semester has been seeing how we got to where we are, reading the authors and thinkers that influenced how we write and think today.  Literature has a bigger impact on our culture than I ever imagined.  It also reveals underlying ideals and assumptions that I hadn't recognized prior to discussing them in class.  Understanding where we came from is crucial in our journey moving forward--we can learn from our mistakes and figure out how to repeat what we did right.  And along the way we can write about it ourselves, allowing our successors to have the same experience we have been gifted with.