“There is a cultural movement in the white working class to blame problems on society or the government, and that movement gains adherents by the day.” This quote from JD Vance, author of The Hillbilly Elegy, describes the two main themes of the Honors English 2089 course: generational differences and poverty in America. Specifically, we read Vance’s novel to better understand the often unnoticed (yet rampant) poverty levels in the Appalachia’s. When learning about generational differences, we focused on the Millennial generation by reading novels such as Generation Me and The Catcher in the Rye.

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This class was undoubtedly the most interesting English class I have ever taken because of the focus on generational topics that were pertinent to current society. I enjoyed reading news articles about topics like Millennials’ and the rising cost of college, and then getting to write short papers about how this related to my own life. In turn, I did not feel like I was writing an English paper, but instead critically sharing my opinion on topics that I enjoyed. This class allowed me to think critically about how people from different generations and socioeconomic statuses think and behave, which I have not been able to do in any other college classes before.

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The sample essay reflects on why so many people “in their 20s are taking so long to grow up”. This reflection demonstrates how I was able to reflect on many of my own life experiences through my essays. Namely, I was able to reflect on how I’ve “grown up” so far in college and how my freshman year was a very important time for me to figure out who I am and what I want to be when I grow up. I really enjoyed this class and everything I learned in it.