This month, we delved further into the world of Edward Albee's The American Dream. Our class came up with the "boss theme". That theme was "An increased emphasis on consumerism and greed creates a diseased American Dream that will turn around and destroy its creators." The conclusion came from Edward Albee saying himself that the Young Man was there to kill Mommy and Daddy. Albee's revelation is the basis of our conclusion. The Young Man is a production of the new American dream. Since he is there to kill the Mommy and Daddy, he is there because of the new dream that people like Mommy and Daddy created.
Later, we read Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. I enjoyed this book. It taught me some ways to improve my writing, which I have been trying to incorporate in my writing, not just in lit, but in my writing for the newspaper and my college essays.
How to Read Literature like a Professor was a disappointment. I thought that I would have learned new ideas and how to apply them to my analysis of literature, movies and games. I knew most of the things in the book, like the communion and weather. Also, the way I interpreted a lot of the chapters was, it is always 100 per cent the case except for when it is not (excluding the sex chapter). I enjoy coming up with my own ideas and connections rather than having them presented to me. However, I do enjoy the discussions provided by the slides Ms. Holmes puts on the board.
I still have not made up my mind about how I feel about Death of a Salesman. For me, it's a lot like The Great Gatsby. I felt as though I did not get a good understanding of anything. I completely missed the green light, considered the largest symbol in the entire book. It did not make sense to me. Death of a Salesman is kind of the same. However, I am not completely lost. I got some things, but missed key points like the $20,000 while watching the movie.
We got introduced to the format of the AP exam, like how the multiple choice and essays work. The multiple choice section sounds tough, but the essays were easier than expected. The format is a lot like the AP World History format, three essays to write in 2 hours. Our class got to write a practice essay. Unlike in AP World, we learned how to write before were graded on an essay. This essay is greatly appreciated. I was partnered with Zeke for the essay corrections. Zeke, along with my own corrections with the help of Nuts and Bolts of College Writing helped turn my horrendous practice essay into something decent. I still have a ton of progress to make, but I feel much better about the AP Exam writing portion.
Later, we read Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. I enjoyed this book. It taught me some ways to improve my writing, which I have been trying to incorporate in my writing, not just in lit, but in my writing for the newspaper and my college essays.
How to Read Literature like a Professor was a disappointment. I thought that I would have learned new ideas and how to apply them to my analysis of literature, movies and games. I knew most of the things in the book, like the communion and weather. Also, the way I interpreted a lot of the chapters was, it is always 100 per cent the case except for when it is not (excluding the sex chapter). I enjoy coming up with my own ideas and connections rather than having them presented to me. However, I do enjoy the discussions provided by the slides Ms. Holmes puts on the board.
I still have not made up my mind about how I feel about Death of a Salesman. For me, it's a lot like The Great Gatsby. I felt as though I did not get a good understanding of anything. I completely missed the green light, considered the largest symbol in the entire book. It did not make sense to me. Death of a Salesman is kind of the same. However, I am not completely lost. I got some things, but missed key points like the $20,000 while watching the movie.
We got introduced to the format of the AP exam, like how the multiple choice and essays work. The multiple choice section sounds tough, but the essays were easier than expected. The format is a lot like the AP World History format, three essays to write in 2 hours. Our class got to write a practice essay. Unlike in AP World, we learned how to write before were graded on an essay. This essay is greatly appreciated. I was partnered with Zeke for the essay corrections. Zeke, along with my own corrections with the help of Nuts and Bolts of College Writing helped turn my horrendous practice essay into something decent. I still have a ton of progress to make, but I feel much better about the AP Exam writing portion.
Hi Nick,
ReplyDeleteGreat post so far. I think you should elaborate some more.
I liked your comparison between the essays in AP World and the essays in this class. I also wrote about whap in my blog. Do you think that the essay styles between the two classes are similar? For some reason,I compare POV and DIDLS a lot. What do you think about the books we've read so far? Were they helpful for you? What did you think about the multiple choice practice that we did? What do you think about the DIDLS exercises that we've been doing? Are they helping you understand more? Finally, what do you think about Death of A Salesman? Did you like the movie? Do you think there are any comparisons between this play and The American Dream? Great work so far!
What you have right now is good- you mentioned the theme your class developed and the AP exam essay practice. This is all well and good, but I feel like it was all a bit vague.... Can you compare AP Lit to any other classes you've taken? What did you think of Nuts and Bolts? What about The American Dream as a whole, not just as a theme, or How to Read Literature Like a Professor? What about Death of a Salesman? Sorry if this is a lot to consider, but I think it would be helpful to have more analyzed so that in the spring (or when this is graded) you can have more to look back on and use to study. Did you think the MC practice was actually tough after doing it, not just hearing about it? What do you think of DIDLS, or even class discussions of the texts? You did a great job of explaining how you came up with the theme, and a great job comparing AP Lit to AP World, but that's all you talked about throughout your whole post. Also, you did a good job incorporating your own ideas and opinions into your post. You didn't just mention your theme and the AP test's format and leave it at that. S... the biggest feedback I have is to include other things your class has talked about or that you've thought about. It's a good foundation and start, but your post shouldn't just end there!
ReplyDeleteYo Nick,
ReplyDeleteI liked how short and sweet your response was. I agree with Sarah and Purva in that it could be a little more detailed. If you add more than a beautiful summary of what we did in class, you're blog would be so good that it would win a Pulitzer Prize. But in all seriousness, you could add more stuff about how each thing we did in class is related. I'm sure Holmes doesn't just give us stuff to do as busy work. I loved your connection to the WHAP essays. I wrote about that too! If you could elaborate more on how they were similar and different, that would be fantastic! I basically have the same things to say as Sarah and Purva, so I'm just gonna leave it at that! You'll do great :)