I’d say:
I had a hard time deciding whether to write an essay about the works of “Eudora Welty, Joan Didion, Gwendolyn Brooks” because the rest of the punctuations doesn’t make sense.
But actually it should be:
I had a hard time deciding whether to write an essay about the works of Eudora Welty, Joan Didion, and Gwendolyn Brooks.
(Without the quotation marks and inclusion the word “and” before “Gwendolyn”)
They are at the metropolitan museum of art in Manhattan NY.
This quote can be found only in the movie.
It can be heard in the third movie, and is told by the headmaster.
I just checked the book, and it doesn't appear there.
Sounds like the character is full of herself yet realizes that people view her choices and behavior differently. My opinion :)