“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” Dr. Seuss
If I have but one regret at the end of this year for this class, it would be that I didn’t read enough. I entered the course young, curious and hungry for knowledge with a reading list a mile long. I was as hungry for good literature as the “Beat Generation” was for the human condition (ooh look a simile with metaphorical hints). And although I did not get the literature experience I was necessarily hoping for, I did not walk away from this course empty handed. As high school seniors, right off the bat especially, we are not entitled to trust. We have to earn. Although by virtue of signing up for an Advanced Placement Course should already set the stage for trust and equal levels of understanding and collaboration. In your AP English Literature Course there was a level of trust. Which because of the style of the course comparing the level of trust say to a math class is a bit difficult but regardless I will share my thoughts. At points and times, especially when it came to our projects and individual Literature Analysis there was a high level of trust, collaboration, and equality in the class room. But then other times, moments such as last week where such restrictions and requirements on note taking for the Master Pieces could have curbed involvement. But I do understand and respect where you were coming from. They were meant to be a tool to keep us accountable rather than just present. It just seems that times and instructions on the notes could have been taken the wrong way, if other students did as I did at first and didn’t take the time to see where you were coming from.
Reading is a connection. It is the cheapest form of travel, one of the purest forms of entertainment, and a way to relieve the events of the past. And although I personally was not able to read as many books this year, both inside and outside of a classroom setting, as I hoped I was able to still connect with literature. One such piece of literature, was the first book I read for class this year, “The Poisonwood Bible” by Kingsolver. Leah, one of the protagonists was easy to empathize with. Many of her emotions, doubts, and frustrations are problems that I have had personally or connected with. And for me, watching her evolve and develop as a person and adult was in a way perhaps watching myself evolve. Another novel that I connected with was “1984” by George Orwell. Because of the August NSA leaks and Edward Snowden I remember seeing signs from protests and one of them said, “I was born in 1984, I don’t want to die in 1984!”. This resounded in me. I struggled with the idea because I understood that the sign was an allusion to the novel, but I had not read it myself. So I swiped the book from my sister’s bookshelf and began reading. I have read many books over the course of 18 years. Many have changed my opinions on events, and others have made me rethink my world and surroundings, but “1984” did that and more. I was so enamored by the book, I used it in my SAT essay and really took a hard look at the world around me and was so shocked by how much was similar to the totalitarian regime that existed within the pages. I still think of it often and will soon reread the novel because I feel that there is so much to learn from it. And together, although not three books, they have shaped my thinking and approach to this year in a way I did not think possible; which have made me more alert about my surroundings and experiences.
If I have but one regret at the end of this year for this class, it would be that I didn’t read enough. I entered the course young, curious and hungry for knowledge with a reading list a mile long. I was as hungry for good literature as the “Beat Generation” was for the human condition (ooh look a simile with metaphorical hints). And although I did not get the literature experience I was necessarily hoping for, I did not walk away from this course empty handed. As high school seniors, right off the bat especially, we are not entitled to trust. We have to earn. Although by virtue of signing up for an Advanced Placement Course should already set the stage for trust and equal levels of understanding and collaboration. In your AP English Literature Course there was a level of trust. Which because of the style of the course comparing the level of trust say to a math class is a bit difficult but regardless I will share my thoughts. At points and times, especially when it came to our projects and individual Literature Analysis there was a high level of trust, collaboration, and equality in the class room. But then other times, moments such as last week where such restrictions and requirements on note taking for the Master Pieces could have curbed involvement. But I do understand and respect where you were coming from. They were meant to be a tool to keep us accountable rather than just present. It just seems that times and instructions on the notes could have been taken the wrong way, if other students did as I did at first and didn’t take the time to see where you were coming from.
Reading is a connection. It is the cheapest form of travel, one of the purest forms of entertainment, and a way to relieve the events of the past. And although I personally was not able to read as many books this year, both inside and outside of a classroom setting, as I hoped I was able to still connect with literature. One such piece of literature, was the first book I read for class this year, “The Poisonwood Bible” by Kingsolver. Leah, one of the protagonists was easy to empathize with. Many of her emotions, doubts, and frustrations are problems that I have had personally or connected with. And for me, watching her evolve and develop as a person and adult was in a way perhaps watching myself evolve. Another novel that I connected with was “1984” by George Orwell. Because of the August NSA leaks and Edward Snowden I remember seeing signs from protests and one of them said, “I was born in 1984, I don’t want to die in 1984!”. This resounded in me. I struggled with the idea because I understood that the sign was an allusion to the novel, but I had not read it myself. So I swiped the book from my sister’s bookshelf and began reading. I have read many books over the course of 18 years. Many have changed my opinions on events, and others have made me rethink my world and surroundings, but “1984” did that and more. I was so enamored by the book, I used it in my SAT essay and really took a hard look at the world around me and was so shocked by how much was similar to the totalitarian regime that existed within the pages. I still think of it often and will soon reread the novel because I feel that there is so much to learn from it. And together, although not three books, they have shaped my thinking and approach to this year in a way I did not think possible; which have made me more alert about my surroundings and experiences.
