Reflection on My Portfolio Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing

Reflection on My PortfolioLiterature has fascinated me from an early age. I was always an extremely active child, merely all I needed to settle down was a good book. The worlds created from the page within my mind were wondrous and amazing. However, I never imagined that I would kick the bucket an English Literature major(ip) in college. Like many others before me, I wasnt sure what you could do with an English major but instill or write, neither of which I planned on doing. A business or management major seemed much more practical. Despite these misgivings, I knew that I wanted a major that I enjoyed rather than one that was a safe bet. Therefore, when a professor of mine opened my eyes to all of the possibilities, it didnt take long for me to decide. Now I can confidently say that my English major has given me invaluable experiences and taught me innumerable lessons that will aid me non only in my career life but also in my personal life as well. I have been able to de velop my piece of writing and creative ability so that no matter where I go or what I do I can make the most of it. I also have the wonderful ability to reflect on my life through examining literature and making connections and reflections in my own life. As I wee to leave Loras I am confident that my English Literature Major has prepared and fully qualified me for whatever is to come. When it came time to decide which papers to embroil in my portfolio I was in quite a dilemma. Most of the papers I wrote in my college career were saved electronically. Unfortunately, some technical problems came up and I lost all of these. This setback significantly reduced my options. However, while this hindrance may be considered a tragedy, in reality it turned out to be a... ...ate with an English Literature Major, I know that the Literature has always been a strong theme in my life. Thinking back on me as a child, I see myself stuffing a towel in the crack of my bedroom door so my pa rents wouldnt see that the light was on (because I was covertly reading instead of sleeping as I was supposed to). Or looking back to high school, I was voted most athletic, but I wasnt a typical jock. Rather, I was the student-athlete who carried a book on the bus and read instead of playing cards with the other girls. All of these experiences position a pattern in my life. Now that I am graduating from college, I see my Literature Portfolio as the culmination of my love of literature but I do not see it as the end. I know that as I move on in my life, my experiences as a literature major will never leave me and will aid me in everything I do.

The Exploration of Hernando de Soto Essay example -- American America

The Exploration of Hernando de SotoIn 1539 Hernando de Soto and five hundred adventurers began on a journey of exploration that would take 4 years and would travel through 10 states in the southeast United States. His goal was to discover a source of wealth, preferably gold, and somewhat his mines establish a settlement. During his travels through La Florida he encountered numerous groups of native peoples, making friends of some and enemies of others. His expedition was not the first in La Florida however, it was the most(prenominal) extensive. In its aftermath, thousands of Indians would die by disease that the Spaniards brought from the Old World. De Soto would initially be remembered as a great explorer but, would be later viewed as a destroyer of native culture. However, in truth de Soto was neither a hero or a villain but rather an adventurer. De Soto was born somewhere some the year 1500 in Jerez de los Caballeros in Extremadura in what is now Spain (Milanich & Hudson 26). Contemporaries of de Soto would include Cortez, Balboa, and Francisco Pizzaro with whom he would share a great adventure. De Sotos ancestors had been position of the reconquista and as aristocrats many had been knighted for their leave in driving the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula (Milanich & Hudson 26). Hernando would have played no part in the expulsion of the Moors however, family legacy would have played no small part in developing his frame of reference. It is thought that by the time do Soto was fourteen he was on his way to the new world. In 1514 de Soto sailed with the new regulator of modern day Panama. Six years later he was a captain who because of his part in military action against the Indians of Panama had earned the right(a) to own Indian Sl... ...e seen as an adventurer or an entrepreneur trying to make good on his investment. Works CitedMilanich, Jerald T. and Charles Hudson. Hernando de Soto and the Indians of Florida. Gainesville U. of Florida P, 1993.Milan ich, Jerald T. and Susan Milbrath., ed. First Encounters Spanish Exploration in the Caribbean and the United States1492-1570. Gainesville U of Florida P, 1989.Shipp, Bernard. The History of Hernando de Soto and Florida. Philadelphia Lindsay, 1881.Varner, John G. and Jeanette Varner., trans., ed. The Florida of the Inca. Austin U of Texas P, 1951.Verano, John W. and Douglas H. Ubelaker., ed. Disease and Demography in the Americas. Washington Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992.Viola, Herman J. and Carolyn Martolis., ed. Seeds of Change Five speed of light Years Since Columbus. Washington Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991.