...And to think it happened in History class So earlier today I realized that most of my innate writing ability had returned to me when I got back an essay I wrote for American History. See, the premise was that the TA assigned an essay for the class, due in two weeks: How would you describe the notion and basic characteristics of slavery during the late antebellum period? Characterize the extent of agency slaves? What did agency depend on? How did/does slavery affect modern-day African-Americans? I thought this was an exorbitantly long time, even for this question, so naturally I waited until the night before it was due before beginning. Thirty minutes later I had finished my one-page, double-spaced, size 13 font masterpiece. Off to the library for printing, it was, where at $0.15 per page, I was to save at least $0.60 compared to most of my classmates (as I learned later). So at 1:45 PM Monday afternoon, I happily bounded to class to ensure a place in the front row where I might be most attentive and productive. Actually I was a smidge late and sat in the back row, where I wouldn't have to delude my contemporaries with original thought. It quickly came to my attention that those near me were ruffling through several pages, some stapled, some free as a fourth grader going commando. I was intrigued, to say the least. My attention shifted to the lad directly to my left, who had apparently been talking to me for some time and was becoming irate. I kindly asked him to reiterate the mindless jargon spewing from his food intake orifice. He had asked if I had trouble keeping the paper down to just 5 pages? As difficult as it was, I did not laugh heartily in this young man's face, instead, I calmly explained how my paper was just that, one paper, and then asked him why he would exert himself to the degree to which he had. When his jaw regained enough tension to close, he sputtered out how the assignment was to be four to six pages. Oops. It was about that time that a young lady, even more tardy than I straggled in (Note: as usual, the TA did not arrive less than 5 minutes late), looking frazzled, for lack of a better word. The source of her distress, as it turned out, was that her paper had only amassed a paltry three pages in length. Luckily, Prince Valiant Himself was to my left and he quickly comforted her by pointing out that I possessed an essay of only a single page. Dick. Anyhoo, like I said, I got it back today, and suprise suprise, I did better than almost half the class with a 71. Prince Valiant got a 96. Dick. |