paper writing (yes, another one): what's a thesis again?

2 questions:

1) Why do professors, time and again, insist on assigning papers that are due during the last week of classes AND final exams/final papers? When I am finished with a paper, the last thing I want to do is write another one for the same class. Diminishing marginal returns, people. This is why we need Econ-English lit hybrids like yours truly.


2) What's more contrived than the "thesis statement"? Sometimes, especially in English classes, I think it would be better for professors to assign a position and ask students to defend it (or contradict it). Let's be realistic here. My feverish, caffeine-hyped self is not going to come up with anything unique to say about the book in the course of a couple of days. Why don't we just drop the pretense and admit that what you really want is for me to show you I can form a cohesive thought and write about it in a somewhat organized fashion. The thought itself (unless it's ridiculously idiotic) hardly matters. That's my problem with writing papers lately and my self-justification (excuse?) for not getting the grades I got first and sophomore years. My efforts to write something that actually matters rather than to regurgitate class discussions, adding on a layer of BS for good measure, might not yield satisfactory results, but at least they feel more genuine to me. Not that that matters here.

Disclaimer: My mood is probably going to be pretty foul these last few weeks. That's what papers and regrets and stupid family/"personal" issues will do. Well, at least I'll be all the more happy during Commencement to be rid of the frustrating constraints of academia.

... AND I'm going to Believers Never Die, Part Deux on Tuesday! They understand my *troubled state*/*emo moments*. Or pretentiousness ["frustrating constraints of academia"?? Seriously, did I really just write that. What a poser I am. But I still am very bitter inside.]