Reflection

I have gained so much knowledge about writing and what it means to create good writing this year in AP Lang. Timed writings have been a major factor in teaching me about my personal writing style. Although it is still considered a draft, having to write a complete essay in a given period of time has taught me about being concientious of my writing as I do it. The main difference, although I still struggle, that I've seen in my writing is sentence format. I tend to write simple, subject-verb sentences. After reading my timed writings and journals, I've realized how dull that sounds. Pairing these assignments with class discussions and comparison to other writing has provided me with ways to make sure I add variation to keep the reader engaged and interested. I know that I've improved because I am able to recognize the good and bad points in things that I read from other authors. Having to pay such close attention to writing for the AP exam essays has made me subconciously pick it out in books that I read, which I believe allows me to enjoy them even more.

The journal assignment last semester has been helpful in proving I have a consistent voice. This was both good and bad in that I was able to recognize my pattern, yet I realized bad habits that needed to be changed (ultimately good because it makes me a better writer!). Reading and analyzing good writing, especially now at the end of the year with this accumulated knowledge, has helped me to distinguish how I can effectively use techniques in my own writing. I enjoyed being able to read things in class and have discussions without being graded. I felt that that gave me a more open-minded approach and I felt more engaged in the class' "groovy discussions."

I will definitely remember creating the children's story book; that project was challenging, yet very fun! I enjoyed having small-scale discussion circles. I am very shy and am always intimidated by class discussions, especially whole-class socratic seminars. However, being in a group of about 4 other students who actually want to talk about the book is very helpful. I feel like I can share my opinions with them without judgement, whereas I'm too scared to speak up in front of the whole class. The only drawback would be students who don't care about or are too lazy to get anything meaningful from the discussion.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and am so happy that I decided to take it! Thank you, Mrs. Smith for a wonderful year!

Job

I have recently started to apply for my first job. As a teenager, it is the time to start learning responsibility, preparing yourself for the real world. I've been putting off this daunting task for as long as I could manage, but it is difficult to enjoy a night out with friends when your mom stops giving you money. I decided to face the inevitable and start the application process. However, I quickly found that I wasn't able to finish any application without the help of my mom. I needed her assistance to fill out these forms in which I'm supposed to prove myself a worthy candidate of the job. It made me question how I could be able to acquire a job when I can't even fill out the application.

With the junior year college search comes talk about careers. I am expected to already have my life planned out at sixteen years old. There are no conceivable professions that I can think of that I think I would excel at or would really enjoy working as. The future is so undefined for me, I couldn't even tell you how I expect the next year to be, let alone the rest of my life.

Next year I will be taking an advanced placement graphics class. I've always enjoyed graphics and when my mom brought this up as a career possibility, I can't deny I didn't think about it. A graphic designer sounds like an amazing job to have, especially since I enjoy the work. However, my response, as with all other possibilities is no. I reject this choice because I look at my peers and fear that I'm not good enough. I fear that I don't have the skill or ability to become a graphic designer. So basically, I'm trying to take myself out of the game before I have the chance to lose. I don't want to completely close myself off from this pathway yet, as with most other directions. I need to keep myself open to all options so I will be ready to embrace my future when it comes.

Abducted

I just finished reading the book Abducted by T.R. Ragan per recommendation of my best friend. The novel was about a girl who had been abducted and then escaped from a serial killer when she was a teenager. The story continues as she is now an adult, private investigator working with an FBI agent who was her boyfriend at the time of her kidnapping. They are searching to find and capture the serial killer known as Spiderman who has returned, blaming his acts on the main character. I typically enjoy most all books that I read, but this book was different from the start. After a year of AP Lang and learning a great deal about writing, I couldn't help but notice this author's writing style. Every single sentence was in the subject-verb format. Not only was the writing style not up to quality standards, the main character had several annoying qualities. I found myself constantly frustrated with some of her actions, mainly revolving around her ex-boyfriend that she predictably falls straight back in love with. Not finishing a book is something I don't like to do, so I finished the story and overall enjoyed the plot. I love watching TV crime shows, and following the plot of a serial killer was no different. However, when I finished the book, there was a list of the author's other works. She primarily writes romantic comedies, romantic suspense, medieval time travel, and thriller. I accept that an author is able to write more than one genre, however this book seemed out of her typical writing style.

As this book's premise was of a serial killer, it had me think about motives, and what can cause someone to be willing to go to these lengths to brutally murder multiple people. In the novel, this Spiderman targeted young girls that he perceived as "bad" girls that detracted from society. He thought of himself as a seeker of justice, that he was helping his community by getting rid of these girls. His methods remained the same, to torture these teens based off of their fears and then to set his collection of spiders on them, forcing them to be bitten multiple times. As the investigators found, Spiderman was set off by his sister's friends who trapped him in the basement, burned him with cigarettes, and left him for days where he was bitten by a black widow. Although this was a work of fiction, it causes me to question the humanity and sanity of people. I don't understand how someone is able to torture other people, for revenge or not, and believe that what they are doing is ok. I was raised to be kind, friendly, and nice, and I know that not everyone has that opportunity, but how can they live with themselves knowing the horrible things they inflicted on another human being? This also makes me realize how sheltered of a life that I live and how lucky I am not to know first-hand the horrors that this world can possess.

As I mentioned before, taking this AP Lang class caused me to notice more about the author's writing than I would have previously. I probably would have thoroughly enjoyed the book. Even though it is nice to enjoy things, I prefer to enjoy something of great quality and realize it, and be able to acknowledge bad writing and what makes it bad. In all, I am glad to have taken this class, and realize how much I have learned and that it not only will help me in taking the end of year test, but has taught me valuable information that I will carry with me forever.

How to Procrastinate!

Procrastination is fun and easy, and with this simple guide, you too can become a master at waiting until the last possible minute to complete things that you don't like to do! The first step to procrastination is to review your assignments and assess how much time you have before the due-date. If it is more than a few days, you are in the best shape possible, so kick back and relax; your project will get finished another time. When procrastinating, you need to find several things to occupy your time. A few examples include social networking sites (you need to always be in the know when it comes to friends and people you barely know!), cleaning (how can you possibly accomplish anything when there is a huge mess distracting you from your work?), and watching TV (those characters on Gossip Girl don't seem to be wasting time on homework, do they?). Now that you've found that you're too busy to complete your homework, you'll be able to appease your mind for a while. As long as you don't keep reminding yourself of the due-date, you'll be fine!

As you regularly hear your classmates talk about their progress on the assignment, you may be feeling a little nervous. From the sound of it, this may be a pretty tough project. However, have you stopped to consider how tired you are at this very moment? Aren't you feeling a little ill? Sleep deprivation is a serious problem that shouldn't be ignored. How can you expect to produce quality work when you are feeling so tired? At this point, you need to catch up on your rest. Within the next couple days, you will hear your teacher reminding you to put the finishing touches on your work. Several students will boast that they have finally finished and spent so much effort perfecting their assignment. You, however, can probably still manage to complete the project, start to finish, and recieve the same grade as the girl that has been working since the assignment was passed out.

It is the night before your assignment is due, all of your papers remain tucked neatly away in your folder. Refer back to the activities you came up with earlier in the process that take precedence and simply cannot be ignored. You have until after dinner to start working, as it's difficult to work on an empty stomach. At nearly 8 o'clock at night, you're just starting to really read the assignment sheet. It may seem like a lot, but you can do it! As you're working, keep a tab up of all of your favorite websites, as well as your phone near at hand. You never know when you will need a break. At around 11 o'clock you realize you are swamped with work and are in over your head. Now is the perfect time to have a complete and total breakdown. Allow yourself about twenty minutes for crying and desperate panicking. You will now realize that the assignment will take the entire night. If the class is later in the day, plan on working through your earlier classes in case you don't finish. As you are working, you will realize the effects that procrastination are taking on your frail mind. Vow now to never, ever procrastinate another day in your life again. You will always use this experience as motivation to complete your work on time... up until next week when you have another big assignment due!

The Non-Water Bottle

When something embarrassing happens to one of my family members, the story somehow makes its way around to every relative, even family friends depending on just how funny the one telling the story thinks it is. There is one particular story that stands out to me, mainly because I am the victim of the punchline and had to sit there and listen as my parents told it to just about anyone or thing that would listen.

I was living in Florida at the time, it was during the summer which is characteristically hot and humid. I had to have been somewhere between seven and ten years old, still a naive child that can't be put to blame for innocent mistakes. It was a particularly hot day and I was looking for a refreshing drink. Normally, I would head straight for the juice or soda. However, I wanted a nice, clean drink of water. Luckily enough, there was a water bottle waiting for me in the freezer, nice and cold. I had trouble with the lid, so I ran upstairs to ask my mom for help. I returned to the kitchen in order to enjoy my ice cold water and took a very large gulp. Much to my surprise, the water did not taste like water at all; it was bitter and revolting and I spit it out right away. Horrified, I ran right back upstairs and cried out to my mom "This isn't water!" She took the bottle and smelled it and instantly burst out laughing.
"That isn't water, it's vodka!" she replied through giggles. I was confused and disappointed. How was I supposed to know that alcohol doesn't freeze and if it were water, it would be a bottle of ice? I was so looking forward to that refreshing, ice cold water but was put off my that little incident and ended up washing it down with a nice, bubbly and sweet soda.

Once my dad heard, he had the same reaction as my mom, if not enjoying my humiliation more. He found it necessary to tell every single relative that we visited that summer, every neighbor we had, and all of his friends at work. It started out embarrassing, but by the end of the summer, the story had long lost its appeal to me and I was more annoyed than anything when he told it. I have well learned my lesson and am now very wary of any drink that I find in my fridge!

Sister

Having a sister fifteen months older than me is like having a built in best friend living with me 24/7. Through every house that I've moved to, having to leave all of my friends behind to start over, Nicole has always been there. Since birth, we've played together, preferring each other over other friends. Several times in public places, people would stop my mom to ask if we were twins. Nicole and I often feel that we share the close connection associated with twins.

Growing apart is inevitable, yet I wish it could be stopped. Nicole and I still spend time together after school and are even involved on the same sport team. However, we each have made our own friends and have our own school work and other activities to distract us. The relationship we share is the closest that I am to anyone. We do have our differences that set us apart, yet still share the inseparable "twin connection." Although we aren't actually twins, we often end up wearing the exact same outfit!

This year, Nicole will be graduating high school and moving away to college. I haven't allowed myself much time to think about how my life will change without her in the house, always there to tell about my day, ask for advice, or just run around being crazy. Her presence has an immeasurable affect on me and I don't look forward to knowing its absence. I'm so proud of her and her accomplishments and I wish her the best of luck in starting the next chapter of her life in college. I know that we will remain best friends and always keep in contact, no matter how far apart we may be.

Classes

For most of my school career, I have been placed in "advanced" or "gifted" classes. As a child, I always believed my teachers and parents when they told me that I was intelligent beyond my peers. Being a part of the small handful of students placed in a higher lever of class made me feel special, above average. I wish I could say that this feeling has followed me to the present, however, it has slowly been replaced with the knowledge that I am one of many raised to believe that they are different.

Middle school brought with it a sense of growing up. Having more than one teacher a day and more responsibilities made me nervous at first, but I eventually fell into step. Once I was settled to middle school life, I realized the large number of students considered "smart" and "above-average." Being around and learning with this group of intelligent peers does have its advantages; class discussions are much more effective. However, it dawned on me that I actually was no different from the rest. My abilities were actually equal to, if not lower, than my classmates and peers.

Now, nearing the end of my high school career, academics are highly competitive. Colleges are looking for not only high grades, but course rigor. Within these large classes of honors students, it is tough to stand out and prove your abilities are above the rest. As next year quickly approaches, I worry over my classes. Are they hard enough? Are they too hard? Will I make good grades? Will I even pass? Will I have time for a social life? What is going to set me apart? I worry over these and more. I will be taking five advanced placement courses and can only hope that I am able to make my senior year of high school memorable with friends and activities, rather than spending all of my time stressing over classes.

Huckleberry Finn Reflection.

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a satirical novel giving Twain's point of view on slavery, religion, and Southern society told through the eyes of a young boy. By having his main character and narrator be a child, Twain puts the common views of society in an innocent perspective. Having first hand experience, Twain is able to accurately depict behaviors and beliefs of people in the south. Even though the novel is anti-racist, it was and still is viewed as racist because of the way that Jim, the runaway slave, is treated in the novel. This novel is a great example of the necessity for equality of all races - although not viewed that way by everyone - and the need to end hypocrisy.

TED Talk: Marian Bantjes: Intricate beauty by design

In her TED talk, Marian Bantjes conveys to her audience the importance of wonder and imagination within graphic design and the importance that design holds in daily life. Bantjes begins by telling about her change from being a typical graphic designer to incorporating her personality into her work. Bantjes tells the audience that using personal influences in the graphic design business is heresy yet that is how she became a popular artist. While talking about her design style, Bantjes shows several images to give the audience a sense of her work without giving them time to study each piece. Bantjes talks about the need for wonder and creativity in the design world. At one point, she is talking about how she works an image to find the best possible view of the same piece. While she talks, Bantjes flashes images of a piece of fluffy fabric in different shapes and positions. The speed and amount of images gives the audience a sense that there are infinite possibilities to design an image and that she is able to get the most out of her subject. Bantjes shows the audience various mediums that she works with, several of them unusual to the design world such as sugar, showing her innovation and creativity. Bantjes ends her presentation stating the importance of good design. She uses pathos by saying that her designs inspire people who inspire the leaders and innovators of our world.