Final Project Evaluation

To start off, I would first like to say that I am very thankful that we were able to have a hand in selecting the material for the next English 110 course. I have truly enjoyed this class and would like to essentially 'put my mark' on the next course. My group selected the novel My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger. While I'm sure a lot of students will pick their novel as the winner because they are after the extra credit, I simply would choose this novel because of its content. I think the strong characters, literary elements, and creative use of various forms of communication would help this novel fit into the course very well.

I also think that as a group, we did an excellent job presenting the novel without giving away too much of the plot line. For me, this is key because I was instantly uninterested in novels in which a group's presentation ruined the ending because I personally do not like having the ending spoiled for me. I think that a few groups spent far too much time discussing the plot and not enough time discussing how it was a critique of society or comparable to other pieces of literature we had read (something that would have helped associate the book with something else we enjoyed, therefore making it more appealing). I think that our group worked very efficiently and, while we touched on things each other said, we did not keep repeating the same points over and over again. We were very cohesive and knew precisely what each other member was going to say, making it a clear and concise presentation. Also, our incorporation of a playbill, in which we cast the play, was something that made our presentation stand out from the others. Since casting novels seemed to be one of our class's favorite activities, I think that it was very wise for us to do so, helping everyone to visualize the story even without reading it on their own. I definitely think that My Most Excellent Year should be included in the next curriculum.

To be fair and make it clear that I wasn't just selecting my group's novel, I would like to say that I think My Sister's Keeper would be an excellent novel to include in the course. The storyline is very interesting, and the use of multiple points-of-view is a very important literary element that would be sure to keep the reader engaged. I also think that readers would be able to relate to the characters and, in turn, be very involved in discussions.

I think that of all of the novels, either this or My Most Excellent Year would be nice additions to the course.