Reflection - Last Blog of the Semester!!

This class has taught me a lot about my writing skills. I have learned how to write articulately and I think this will help me write essays in college as well. Through blogging, I think deeply about the content we cover in class and the books we read. I go more in-depth with ideas that I never would've thought to explore in the past. Similar to blogging, I think that the discussions we had in class over the short stories and Oedipus have made me become a stronger person. That might sound kind of cheesy, but by that I mean that I am more confident in discussing openly with others and I stand firmly by what I say. Previously, I used to just go with what everyone else says. The discussions in this class have taught me that it's okay to stand out from the group because a different idea may inspire a new topic of discussion.

The only thing that has frustrated me so far is the inquiry project. Every time I think I have books that relate to a topic, I realize that they really relate to a different topic. I've changed topics about three times now, and the proposal is due next Tuesday.  I can't imagine how challenging the project will be if the proposal is this hard for me, but maybe once I choose books and a topic it will all become more clear. 

Something that I hope to change for next semester is my comprehension skills. I feel like when we read something for homework and come to class to discuss it, I don't always come to the same conclusions that everyone else came to. This makes me feel a bit clueless. For example, with Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants everyone was like "Oh my gosh I think it's abortion!" I knew it was some medical procedure, but I didn't catch on to that. I think that if I can improve my comprehension skills that this won't happen as often.

Overall, this class has provided me with insight into a literature class. In the past, English has been mostly about writing: how to write a personal narrative, short story, reflection, etc. In this class, the emphasis is on reading and writing about literature, which is a significant change.

Another Irritating Yet Inevitable Phenomenon Known as SENIORITIS!

When my sister was a senior in high school, she would always say, "Ugh, I have senioritis!"  And my response would be, "That's never going to happen to me! I'm going to be so responsible!"

Okay, so that's not quite what happened.  I think I got senioritis during the second semester of my junior year. 

I don't know exactly how it happens. I sit down if front of my books, absolutely determined to be productive. Thirty minutes later, I'm doing one of three things: staring at my phone, playing games on my phone, or going on Facebook/Twitter (again, on my phone). Maybe I should lock my phone away and I would get more things done... I guess that's a different blog post.

Another thing I end up doing is going on YouTube looking for funny and entertaining videos. Don't judge me, you do it too! And then I thought, I might as well find something cool for a blog post for AP English (because that's just how my mind works and AP English is the first thing I think of when I'm on YouTube)! Anyway, I found a video on senioritis that I think was made by high school students somewhere else. Click the link below to watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeq7nxfEBfQ

Believe it or not, this video and blog post does have to do with our satire unit. The students are making fun of senioritis, which isn't even a real word and doesn't have a medical diagnosis. They use hyperbole and exaggeration to show the extreme effects of senioritis. In real life, people  make a huge deal out of senioritis.

Well, even though I have diagnosed myself with senioritis, I have managed to get something educational done. I'm going to end this post now because the spell check is freaking every time I type the word "senioritis."  Hope you enjoyed the video!