Sunday, May 31, 2015
Jumping The Gun
As in the past Dr. Preston has had us write out what we think we deserve in the class and what we've done in the class to earn what we think we deserve, I'm getting ahead and doing that now.
Honestly, I deserve an A in this class because of my vision for my education, and my work ethic to take me there. Throughout school I've been a naturally better than average writer, probably because I do write recreationally, so this year I wasn't focused on that at all. I also wasn't focused on lit terms and vocal words- though it wouldn't have hurt in any way to be focused on them because widening your vocabulary is always a good thing. The other main thing I wasn't focused on was, quite frankly, the grade (or at least I wasn't worried about it- out of arrogance or confidence I'm not sure). All in all, I wasn't focused on the "English inside the classroom" scene, I was more looking outward and beyond high school already.
This year I started writing a book about the ethics i think a high school student should, in some way, shape, or form, come to know throughout their pilgrimage, I made friends with an author who inspired the type of novel I wrote, and I put myself out there by showing more people my personal blog and sharing this novel. These things aren't measurable in the standard grading system, but in a rough computation I would say an A would be fair.
I am only lucky that what I focused on actually related to English (though if you're the right person, everything relates to English) otherwise, what I spent my time doing would have nothing to do with AP Literature & Composition and I would have used that class as an excuse to further my time spent into other hobbies. But like I said, it's a good thing what I focused on actually related to English. It's also a good thing that this class isn't graded on the average grading scale. Hence me giving myself a grade and explaining why I deserve it.
Above all, I learned a new kind of control. The control you have over yourself to stay calm and work with what you have instead of finding an enemy and fighting them. At this point in my life, I couldn't think of anything more valuable since I spent a good amount of my education just arguing with my teachers because I was frustrated that I wasn't being challenged or that (I thought) I was being unfairly challenged (when you get down to the root of it).
Anyway, I earned an 'A' this year and it may not make sense entirely because I made up my own guidelines for me earning an 'A', but sometimes you just gotta be like water and flow with it.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Dear inner 8th grader,
As this journal topic relates to my masterpiece I decided to a blog my journal topic.
High school isn't scary at all. People will tell you that you're going to have to manage your time better, study more, and not get any sleep. Most of this is an exaggeration. Here's really what its about:
1. Your freshman year will be an extension of 8th grade for the most part. You'll have one or two classes that you'll have to study for, and it's usually the same subjects that you struggled with in middle school.
2. Along the lines of academics, people will tell you that your sophomore or junior year is the hardest year of high school or that one of those is the most important years, that isn't exactly the case. You shouldn't have your second or third year of high school be your most challenging and then stop trying, you should take harder classes very year, challenging yourself more and more so that you grow as a person.
3. Sleep is really important and it's not impossible to get. Count the points in the grade book and keep a close track of your grade, sometimes you can afford to get a few extra hours of sleep and only do half of the assignment.
4. Don't drink coffee, it's a giant fad, but it really isn't that great for the mornings because you crash. Find alternatives.
5. It's overwhelming to think about doing school, sports, volunteering, etc but do what you can and its good to push yourself to do a little more every now and then. You'll thank yourself when you college applications and resume time comes around.
6. Not everything you do in high school is for your college application and resume. It actually is very important to do things for yourself, most of the reason being is that one, you'll enjoy your life, and two, you'll do whatever your doing well enough to actually deserve to be put on your college application or resume.
7. Teachers. You will get some good ones, and you'll get some bad ones. Either way it is always important to show respect to your teachers, and to deal with your problems in a mature manner.
8. Be careful who you rant to, everything finds a way to come back to you but it may just not always be how first put it out in the world. So, mind your mouth.
9. It is important to find friends with similar goals as you, and even better to find ones with bigger goals than you. You will need that someone to push you to be a better student, person, and friend.
10. Study groups are great, but there is a difference between working together and copying. Don't cheat yourself out of your own education, because your education is and will always be what you make out of it.
Sincerely,
Outer senior
High school isn't scary at all. People will tell you that you're going to have to manage your time better, study more, and not get any sleep. Most of this is an exaggeration. Here's really what its about:
1. Your freshman year will be an extension of 8th grade for the most part. You'll have one or two classes that you'll have to study for, and it's usually the same subjects that you struggled with in middle school.
2. Along the lines of academics, people will tell you that your sophomore or junior year is the hardest year of high school or that one of those is the most important years, that isn't exactly the case. You shouldn't have your second or third year of high school be your most challenging and then stop trying, you should take harder classes very year, challenging yourself more and more so that you grow as a person.
3. Sleep is really important and it's not impossible to get. Count the points in the grade book and keep a close track of your grade, sometimes you can afford to get a few extra hours of sleep and only do half of the assignment.
4. Don't drink coffee, it's a giant fad, but it really isn't that great for the mornings because you crash. Find alternatives.
5. It's overwhelming to think about doing school, sports, volunteering, etc but do what you can and its good to push yourself to do a little more every now and then. You'll thank yourself when you college applications and resume time comes around.
6. Not everything you do in high school is for your college application and resume. It actually is very important to do things for yourself, most of the reason being is that one, you'll enjoy your life, and two, you'll do whatever your doing well enough to actually deserve to be put on your college application or resume.
7. Teachers. You will get some good ones, and you'll get some bad ones. Either way it is always important to show respect to your teachers, and to deal with your problems in a mature manner.
8. Be careful who you rant to, everything finds a way to come back to you but it may just not always be how first put it out in the world. So, mind your mouth.
9. It is important to find friends with similar goals as you, and even better to find ones with bigger goals than you. You will need that someone to push you to be a better student, person, and friend.
10. Study groups are great, but there is a difference between working together and copying. Don't cheat yourself out of your own education, because your education is and will always be what you make out of it.
Sincerely,
Outer senior
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Masterpiece Update
As I heard through the grapevine that Dr.Preston said that anyone who didn't do a masterpiece project would fail his class, I thought now to be a good time as ever to give an update on my intentions of a masterpiece project.
Interestingly enough, the project I have finally comes to terms with declaring relates back to one of the first posts Dr. Preston required of us- our "big question". And as usual with something coming to an end, it does involve an awful lot of reflecting and comparing to what was, and what now is.
So, what is my project? On Dr.Preston's giant list of what everyone's big project is about it can be seen that under my name there is a description of a "chronicler", however my project strays from this in that I do not intend to relay the accounts of any one persons' life and how that life may intertwine with one or many other, on the contrary I do intend on creating a sort of 'guide' or at least a helpful account of the common lessons that arise in High School, and continue throughout life. High school isn't hard, but dealing with it can be sometimes. I know I've struggled with the changes at times, or was sometimes lost in my own innocence, my only hope is to give the words to someone who may need them.
With all this being said, (if anyone actually reads anyone else's blog), I would love the chance to talk and reflect with classmates that would like to volunteer a story/lesson/advice to put in this guide. Please feel free to talk to me about it if you're interested in helping or just want to know something more about it.
Interestingly enough, the project I have finally comes to terms with declaring relates back to one of the first posts Dr. Preston required of us- our "big question". And as usual with something coming to an end, it does involve an awful lot of reflecting and comparing to what was, and what now is.
So, what is my project? On Dr.Preston's giant list of what everyone's big project is about it can be seen that under my name there is a description of a "chronicler", however my project strays from this in that I do not intend to relay the accounts of any one persons' life and how that life may intertwine with one or many other, on the contrary I do intend on creating a sort of 'guide' or at least a helpful account of the common lessons that arise in High School, and continue throughout life. High school isn't hard, but dealing with it can be sometimes. I know I've struggled with the changes at times, or was sometimes lost in my own innocence, my only hope is to give the words to someone who may need them.
With all this being said, (if anyone actually reads anyone else's blog), I would love the chance to talk and reflect with classmates that would like to volunteer a story/lesson/advice to put in this guide. Please feel free to talk to me about it if you're interested in helping or just want to know something more about it.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
We are living in a Brave New World?
Having just finished reading the book and taken a night to think upon the ending of the novel, I can't help but take the side of refutation in the debate that we are living in a brave new world.
First, while a large focus of today's society is perfection, it is not the perfection of society we are seeking like, or even close to, the one seen in Brave New World. Instead, we focus on perfection of the individual- a thought conditioned out of the mind in the society within the novel.
Second, raw emotions are the ladder to the top pyramid of power in today's society. Individuals use emotion, emotion taken away and/or dulled in Brave New world, to profit from one another in any way possible to rise above. Whether the emotion be in the form of dramatic movies, selling tshirts to support a tragedy, or some other emotional cause to lend power to one individual or group of individuals, emotion feeds the individual.
Lastly, today, science is held above all else. The advancement in technology, the creative innovation, and the sci-fi dreams of the future are what is supported and pushed for. In Brave New World, the scientific research has stopped, or severely slowed down.
It, like everything else, is possible that we could be living in a type of Brave New World, however currently, we are not.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Lit terms #3
exposition
expressionism
fable
fallacy
falling action
farce
figurative language
flashback
foil
folk tale
foreshadowing
free verse
genre
gothic tale
hyperbole
imagery
implication
incongruity
inference
irony
Thursday, January 15, 2015
AP PREP POST1: SIDDHARTHA
1. Siddhartha has appeared in collections of Hesse’s writing under the title The Way Within. Why is this
appropriate? How is the novel a psychological journey? (Think beyond religion or spirituality.)
2. What does the novel ultimately suggest about the quest for knowledge?
3. Is this a novel about activity/experience/striving or about passivity/acceptance?
4. There are many Western elements in Siddhartha. Which ones do you see?
5. How can the presence of both Western and Eastern elements be a strength of the novel? How could
the presence of both be absolutely appropriate?
Courtesy of this website
I found the excerpt we read in class of Siddhartha to be quite intruguing. In fact, I have chosen to read the book for my literature analysis assignment. However, I am currerntly in no position to answer any of the above questions having only read a short excerpt of the novel. That would be like coming back from summer and writing an essay on a book I pretended to read but only googled the summary of. No one wants to read that word vomit.
appropriate? How is the novel a psychological journey? (Think beyond religion or spirituality.)
2. What does the novel ultimately suggest about the quest for knowledge?
3. Is this a novel about activity/experience/striving or about passivity/acceptance?
4. There are many Western elements in Siddhartha. Which ones do you see?
5. How can the presence of both Western and Eastern elements be a strength of the novel? How could
the presence of both be absolutely appropriate?
Courtesy of this website
I found the excerpt we read in class of Siddhartha to be quite intruguing. In fact, I have chosen to read the book for my literature analysis assignment. However, I am currerntly in no position to answer any of the above questions having only read a short excerpt of the novel. That would be like coming back from summer and writing an essay on a book I pretended to read but only googled the summary of. No one wants to read that word vomit.
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