One of my favorite pieces from my portfolio is my comparison and contrast essay on The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Even though it was an exceedingly long - and perhaps slightly painful - essay to write, I can now look back on it and be proud of all that I have done for it. This was probably one of the assignments I put the most time into, as it was three essays put together into a gigantic project. It was truly the first time I analyzed one scene in such depth. Before I already knew how diction created meaning, but not syntax. Through this essay I learned that. I also continued the process of polishing my formal writing - practice does indeed make perfect - as well as how to incorporate mis en scene analysis into the deeper meaning of the moment. Some strengths of this piece are what is said above - the analysis of syntax and diction and the mis en scene analysis. I am especially proud of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs, where all the sentences flow together and create a rhythm that clicked from the first time. Some weaknesses were that I did not spend as much time as I wanted to on this piece. I believe that there is always room for improvement, and this essay is no exception. The overall argument of the essay could have been more complex and could use some reorganization.
Another one of my favorite pieces from my portfolio is the American Drama Project. This one, like the comparison and contrast essay, took hours upon hours of work and probably overloaded my stress meter. A movie project tends to do that - the scripting, the filming, the retakes, the editing...but even through the storm and stress of all of that, I think it turned out to be one of the best projects I have ever done. The play itself could have been more interesting, perhaps from a different perspective or adaptation rather than the straight text from the script, but I think me and my group members did an excellent job in analyzing the meaning behind the scenes that we chose. I also think that everyone in my group was wonderful in their acting, especially the scenes where we had to memorize the lines. I love how the Criminal Minds-themed introduction turned out; however, it could have also used more work to be just like the actual show, had time permitted. The lighting and camera shakiness could have also been fixed if we had better equipment. Some parts were confusing to viewers unless they had either had seen the play or had a detailed synopsis, so we could have cleared up some things. Truthfully though, I think the biggest thing I learned from this project was how to use Sony Vegas and how to be a better actor. Overall, while it was a lot of work on everyone's part, I think we did a fantastic job!
Participation. This may or may not be the question that shows whether a person is lying or not. Or they could be deceiving themselves. But enough of others, what about me? In terms of group participation I think I put down 100% effort. No, maybe more. For the group presentations at the beginning of the year I did almost all of the analysis work - the theses, the topic sentences, the evidence, etc. While I knew that I needed to let my group members do some of it, those attempts usually ended up in me editing much of their work. I had wonderful group members - that's no lie, but I always had the concern that we weren't doing as well as we could have. Perhaps I am also guilty for logging on at 4 o'clock to chug through the presentation, but I couldn't have waited until 8 o'clock to do it, when most people were online since I have an internet curfew at 10:30 PM (the internet turns off then, which means I have the nagging desire to finish before then in case someone forgot something, or other problems like that). However, for the other projects that required groups/a partner, I believe my workload was considerably lighter. It was nice to have someone else that had a similar work ethic as me, since I worked with people that were also taking three, four AP classes this trimester.
In terms of class participation I will admit that I could have done better. Many times I knew the answer to a question posed but I just didn't want to raise my hand. I blame it on occasional laziness and lack of motivation, but also on the fact that I wanted other people to get a chance, especially when I had already answered the previous question. I didn't want to overwhelm the discussion either. For papers I think I put in a lot of work, effort, and participation. I asked questions when I had them. I asked for feedback on my argument. When I finished my own essay I would gladly skim through a classmate's and give my editing remarks - which may just be the result of my own fondness for writing.
Looking back on all that I have accomplished in these 12 weeks, I know that there is still much I have to improve upon. While I did quite well on the final exam (96), which was as exact AP exam, this was only possible with the test corrections. Unfortunately, those are obviously not available on the actual test. I could definitely use more practice on analyzing texts, so I would say that by the end of second trimester I would like to aim to understand Shakespearean and more archaic forms of the English language better. To do this I would like to read at least three poems and do an in-depth analysis on each either during class or on my own (the guidance in the beginning really does help!). I would also like to continue memorizing figurative devices and their meaning as well as understanding how to identify metric lines in poetry - flashcards, flashcards, flashcards...and practice with the poems I analyze of course.
Although I am quite confident in my writing I would like to improve upon my timed essay skills. I have always been nervous about writing a good essay in a short amount of time, especially since I do have an inkling of perfectionism inside of me that wants to make the essay as good as it can be. I think the best way for me to do this is to gradually shorten the amount of time for each essay that I write. By the end of second trimester I would like to cut it all the way down to the 40 minutes allotted during the actual AP exam. This way I can be fully prepared for the essay writing portion.
The horror stories have been cleared, the rumors about impending doom gone. This first trimester of AP English has turned out to be a lot better than I imagined and is one of the classes I look forward to everyday. It has been a lot more relaxing, especially having it 4th bell, even though analyzing poetry and writing timed essays isn't exactly my activity of choice. I think I gained a lot of insight on analyzing texts and understanding writing themes, things I didn't know how to do before. Now I am excited to hide some of these deeper meanings in my own writing (my book series, to be specific), and what will come next trimester!
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