Personal Statement
Program： 20th Century American Literature
“The apparition of these faces in the crowds： /Petals on a wet， black bough.”My first reaction on reading Ezra Pound's 1916 poem In a Station of the Metrowas that of outrage. Is it a poem by any definition? If it is a poem， how is itto be interpreted and understood? And finally， what are the implications thatthis poem has produced for the twentieth- century American literature?
My initial bewilderment subsided as I realized that there must a raisond'etre behind this apparently bizarre literary phenomenon. What I should do isto put this poem into the context of the American literary evolution andliterary history. At least， the poem raises an important challenge. It requiresme to understand some of the crucial changes that must be happening around theturn of the last century.
My subsequent studies indicate that this poem represents part of the largerliterary movement known as Imagism， which included such theorists andpractitioners as T. E. Hume， Hilda Doolittle， Amy Lowell， Ezra Pound， etc. Themovement was a direct reaction to the late Victorian poetry， which had becomeextremely artificial， emptily “rhetorical” and “ornamental”。 To address suchproblems， it was necessary to loosen the metrical pattern and bring it backcloser to the rhythms of ordinary speech. Consequently， the “imagist” movementhad a great deal to do with promoting experiments with free verse， advocatingamong many creeds the need “to allow absolute freedom in the choice of subject”and “to produce poetry that is hard and clear， never blurred nor indefinite.”When Archibald MacLeish said in his Ars Poetica (1926) that “A poem should notmean / But be”， he had similar concerns in his mind. Imagism， minor as it is asa literary movement， triggered important changes in literary criticism，introducing the notion of internal studies as embodied by New Criticism tosubstitute the conventional critical practices.
The foregoing incident is but one instance that happened in my study ofliterature. For a Chinese student like me， it has at least two importantimplications. First， a literary work must not be treated in isolation. Itinteracts with what is written before it and after it and this historicalperspective is one way in which we may add to our interpretation. Second， it isimportant to be acquainted with relevant literary theories when interpreting agiven literary work.
A student majoring in English (& International Trade) at the EnglishDepartment of _ University， I grew increasingly interested in literature duringthe second half of my undergraduate program. Of course， I was trained to be astudent of English language in the first place and as such I received thestandard academic training typical of a student of English major. For the firsttwo years， I primarily had intensive trainings in basic English language skillsby attending courses in advanced listening， writing， reading and oralcommunication. My distinguished academic performance is demonstrated by the fourconsecutive first-class and second-class scholarships I won from 1999 to 20__.In 20__， I was awarded the second prize in the campus-wide English compositioncontest and in 20__ the first prize in the translation contest. Anotherindicator of my scholastic achievements is the honor of Outstanding Graduate of_Province that I received by the time I completed my undergraduate program.
I started reading English novels as soon as I began my undergraduate program.But I primarily used it as a way to increase my vocabulary and to improve myreading comprehension. Since the second year in my undergraduate program， ourcurriculum included five major courses related to Anglo-American literature andculture： Selected Readings in English Literature， Selected Readings in AmericanLiterature， Introduction to European Culture， The History of English andAmerican Literature， Selected Readings in English & American Fictions. Thosecourses provided me with a cultural and historical framework with which tounderstand Anglo-American literature and to know their interrelationships. Igrew familiar with major authors and works in British and American literatureand gained tentative knowledge of western critical approaches. Books likeLiterary Theory—An Introduction by Terry Eagleton and 20th Literary Criticismedited by David Lodge proved somewhat esoteric to me， but they allowed me torealize that there are important critical approaches very different from thosein Chinese literature and different from conventional ones in western literatureitself.
My defining interest in British and American Literature led me to write aboutT. S. Eliot and his poetry in my thesis Dull Roots Stirred by the SpringRain—Meaning Through Imagery in T. S. Eliot's “Waste Land”(available uponrequest)。 In this thesis， I examined different groups of imagery that T. S.Eliot employed to externalize his central ideas and emotions. I also analyzedthe theoretical justifications for his virtually excessive use of imagery bytracing it to his theory of “Objective Correlative” that he proposed in Hamletand His Problems， a critical essay contained in The Sacred Wood (1920)。
In an extracurricular event， students in our department put on Shakespeare'sdrama Romeo and Juliet and I was the performer-director. Based on my ownunderstanding of the play， I changed its tragic ending and made it a happy oneby allowing the hero and the heroine to be resurrected and reunited. I believethat a love of such intensity should be fulfilled， otherwise it would be toopathetic.
In the last semester of my undergraduate program， I was recruited by myuniversity to teach the course Appreciation of American Literature to studentsof non-English major. By applying my computer skills， I developed a series ofcourseware， covering different periods of American literature and illustrated bygraphics and diagrams to make an otherwise difficult course interesting and easyto understand.
Nevertheless I am fully aware that my knowledge of American literature is farfrom sufficient. I need to receive more advanced education for the sake of abetter career development. Therefore I plan to apply for a Graduate program inEnglish at the University of _， concentrating on modern and contemporaryAmerican literature. Your program is nationally recognized (listed as among thetop 10 in _ according to _) and it attacks me for its quality， small size andclose mentorship. I am interested in your well-designed curriculum whoseContemporary American Literature， American Literary History， Special Topics inAmerican Literature， American Literature 1865-1914， 1914-1960. Among your 13professors， I would like to receive instructions from _， _， _. _， and _. Ibelieve I am well-prepared and genuinely motivated for your program， which willteach me the knowledge and expertise nowhere to be sought in my own country.
Dear_ teacher:
Hello!
My name is _, __ Middle school___ student. Me and_ It originated from themoonlight in the lotus pond that I read when I was young. The vast moonlightfell quietly and the lotus leaves stood in the fields. I was deeply impressed bythe beautiful scenery like a dream. From then on, I was deeply impressed by thesimple, elegant and rich cultural heritage_ It takes root in my heart andbecomes the holy land of my dreams.
_ What I pay attention to is the all-round development of talents, so in thestudy of all subjects, I am steady and excellent, and I am among the best in allprevious examinations.
Competition: in 20__ Year__ He won the first prize of Shaanxi competitionarea in the national biology middle school biology Olympic League and won thesilver medal in the national finals on behalf of Shaanxi__ He won the firstprize in mathematics and the second prize in chemistry in Shaanxi Province. HereI would like to talk about my experience of participating in the nationalbiology competition in summer vacation. When I came to Wuhan No.2 Middle School,with my smile and affinity, I met friends from all over the country and talkedabout my ideals; I have learned that there are green hills and buildings outsidethe mountain. Compared with the national elites, I still have a lot to improve;I've learned to never give up even in the face of setbacks. It's more importantto adjust my mind to meet the next challenge... All these are preciousexperiences that I'll never forget in my life, and also make me understand moredeeply_“ The school motto of "self-improvement".
I have a wide range of hobbies: Although I am a science student, I am veryinterested in history and humanities knowledge. In my spare time, I like towatch the "hundred forum" and watch the knowledge competition of traditionalChinese culture on TV, intending to improve my comprehensive quality. I used tolearn Chinese painting when I was a child. I like to splash ink on Shengxuan,and I like the distant detachment of "landscape stretching thousands of milesaway"; I have also studied guzheng. I like to pick on the twenty-one stringedzither. I like to hate each other in high mountains and flowing water. I likethe graceful sadness in Spring River moonlight; When I was in junior highschool, I went to learn Taekwondo. I like to listen to the clear sound ofkicking the foot target when my legs break through the air. I also firmlyremember and practice the spirit of Taekwondo - courtesy, honesty,self-restraint, indomitable.
My ideal: I like to see all kinds of buildings since I was a child, Abu? I amfascinated by the first light of every sun day in the temple of Simbo, thetowering spire of Notre Dame, and the sail shape of Sydney Opera House. I hope Ican be_ As a member of the Department of architecture, I have formed my ownunique architectural style, so as to realize my ultimate dream - to participatein the design of China Pavilion in the future World Expo and let the world seeChina's style!
I like Tagore's poem: "the sky does not leave traces of birds, but I haveflown." For my dream, I have accumulated strength for many years, waiting forthe moment of thin hair. No matter what the result is, at least I have workedhard for my dream and my life, so I will never regret it. Perhaps when I thinkof the experience of this period when I'm gray, I will smile for my originalpersistence and determination when I was young.
"There will be times when the wind blows through the waves, and the cloudssail straight to the sea."_ Yuan, wait for me!
Sincerely
Salute
Applicant:___
__ Year__ Month__ day
尊敬的_大學老師：
您好!我是___，現就讀於___。感謝您在百忙之中審閱我的留學申請書。
_大學，以怒蹄奔騰的駿馬為標誌物，希望學子們能“騰天潛淵，吐納川海;遼闊原野，一任賓士”，博大高遠的追求使我渴慕不已，心神往之。我渴望成為_大學的一名學生。
由於在數學上表現出了優秀的能力，我5歲時上了國小。20_年時，我們全家來到北京，並開始了我在___學校長達8年的學習。這8年來，__見證著我點點滴滴的進步。來到北京前我對英語一無所知，可我的母校是一個國際化的學校，於是我的英語讓老師和父母十分著急。後來在父母老師的幫助之下，我一直努力提高自己的英語水平，現在英語已經成為我的優勢之一。小升中的時候，我的成績還不是很好，在我國中三年的不懈努力之下，最終以會考523分(當時的市重點線)的成績進入了我校高中部實驗班。在高一時我的成績在班裡、年級的前列，參加了海淀區數學、物理、化學競賽，並在第20屆全國數學“希望杯”比賽中獲得全國三等獎。進入高二之後，我在所有考試(包括月考、期中期末考、高三的週考、區統考)中都保持著班級第一、年級第一的成績，而且整個高中年級的各科會考成績都是A。我認為只要對學習有著嚴肅認真的態度，始終都在努力超越自我，就一定可以取得成功。而且我可以理性對待考試、不斷提高自己的學習能力，從而保持了一個穩定的、向上的狀態，我會將這種狀態在我以後的學習、生活中繼續保持下去。
我出生在一個民主開放的家庭。父母都是老師，給我一定的自由發展空間，並著重培養我的領悟能力、學習能力和動手能力，讓我學會自立。於是我在遇到生活、學習、與人溝通相處等方面的困難時，都自己想辦法獨立解決，從而在各方面成為班級、年級的佼佼者。由於父母對我潛移默化的影響，我做事十分認真，習慣追求完美，雖然十分完美是不可能的，但是追求完美的態度和意志讓我在學習、工作中有著出色的表現。
正如校訓“_”所展示的，我的母校___學校，既秉承了傳統教育的嚴謹、求實，也發揚了寄宿學校的軍事化管理，更融入了外國教育的開放和高效。正是在這樣的環境中，我擁有了豐富的知識、多樣的能力、堅強的毅力和開朗的性格。在__年的學習生涯中，我更加成熟穩重，做事心思縝密、謀劃周到，成為一個學習優秀、善於處理各方面事務、全面發展的人。
我認為我是一個開朗自信大方的女生。從小我就是班幹部，做事認真自立有主見，並有著很強的組織能力和領導能力。進入高中後，我很榮幸地擔任年級值周長一職，並一直擔任到現在。在我的領導下，值周生們認真檢查各班衛生、監督同學們遵守校規校紀。年級的衛生、紀律在我們的共同努力下，得到了學校的高度讚揚。高二上學期期會考試後我又接任了班長一職，我積極配合老師工作，將本班管理的井井有序，在多次活動中都有著不錯表現，在紀律方面，我們班更是年級中的佼佼者，獲得多次學校“優秀班集體”的榮譽，我也因此獲得學校和海淀區“優秀班幹部”、“三好學生”的稱號。我還多次代表發言，出色的組織並主持了幾場重大活動，積極參加了各種社會實踐活動和義工活動(累計約120小時)。在這些過程中，我鍛鍊了自己，提高了自己多方面的能力，而且學會了如何高效學習和高效工作，使自己更加全面發展。
我喜歡計算機程式設計和創新制作。在國中時我曾程式設計製作密碼鎖、搶答器、倒計時器等作品，並有幸發表過一篇相關文章。由於多次參加機器人、微控制器程式設計和作品比賽並獲得優異成績，我在會考時獲得了科技特長加分。
如果能夠進入_大學，能夠領會“騰天潛淵，吐納川海;遼闊原野，一任賓士”的胸懷，我將非常榮幸。我申報的是___專業，我一定會認真學習各種課程，努力成為從事人力資源管理、企業規劃與設計、廣告和營銷策劃、投資和理財諮詢、心理諮詢與治療以及心理學教學和科研等工作的高素質複合型專門人才。並會爭取成為學生會的一員、嘗試在假期打工，豐富自己的經驗，全面發展自己。
懇請貴校招生處老師能夠接受我的申請，我一定不會辜負您的所望!
此致
敬禮!
申請人：___
__年__月__日
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