Last Words

In honor of this being the last AP English blog ever, I have decided to close out with the most preferred blog format: a list. But not just ONE list my friends, oh no, I have composed a total of TWO lists for you to peruse.

List 1: Reasons Why I am Sad L

1. We just had our last day of AP English class ever
2. My locker is completely bare
3. I just saw one of those commercials with sad dogs and a Sarah McLachlan song
4. Blogger would not let me log in
5. I will never again be a high schooler
6. There is no possible way for me to fail at this point so that I cannot graduate and therefore must stay at CFHS
7. There are people I may very well never see again
8. I never skipped a day of school to go to a baseball game and be the main attraction of a parade whilst lip-syncing
9. I will have to sleep in a bed roughly a third the size of my one at home for at least four years
10. I am really really really going to miss everyone. Maybe even Gogol. Maybe.

List 2: Reasons Why I am Happy J

1. We are done!!!
2. I am going to college along with over 90 percent of my class which is something that very few people in America can say.
3. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life and that is actually ok.
4. I do not have to take ANY finals.
5. I can come back to CFHS and reflect on inside jokes with Ms. Serensky while her current students look on wistfully, wishing they could so cool as to have inside jokes with her.
6. I will never again complete a Data Sheet
7. These blogs will forever be in cyberspace so I can always look back and see how clever I was in high school.
8. The final installment of the Harry Potter movies comes out this summer and I can finally prove that I am OFFICIALLY THE BIGGEST NERD IN THE WORLD.
9. I will never eat another high school cafeteria meal.
10. “Anything, anything, anything is possible”

Bye...

           Every class has its own personality. The class of 2010 always seemed very cohesive from my perspective. Their personality is probably best described as the smart, athletic older sibling that you can never fully live up to. The role of younger misbehaving child who gets all the attention is filled by the sophomore class. We are the middle child, just trying to achieve adequacy. At least that is how I saw it throughout most of high school. However, that was before I took AP English. I am going to continue my clichéd metaphors theme and compare our time in AP English to classic 80s flick The Breakfast Club. At first, we were an odd collection of self-conscious teenagers without a clue as to what we were supposed to do. We did not have any screaming matches in the library or break out of the classroom to roam the hallways with Ms. Serensky chasing us. Yet, we did take awhile to break down our barriers and learn how to function in the environment that is so different from any other high school class. This happened slowly, but surely, thanks to some heated discussions over a former slave and a foolish boy. By the end, the nerd, jock, princess, and so on, learned to appreciate each other. This metaphor break down when you realize that we are all actually nerd and there is no role in the movie for a “tough love” teacher who inspires us to do our best work. Nevertheless, my point is such: taking AP English gave me a feeling of class unity that I had never experienced before. It is the one class where I felt I could say what I actually thought without fear of judgment. Ms. Serensky never treated us like children but, rather, young adults capable of intelligent thought. I learned so much more than how to write in this class and it will be one of the things I miss most about high school. So, if I had to give our class a personality now, I would say that we are smart, in a subtle way, witty with a fair amount of sarcasm, crazy for taking this class for two years, just the right amount of quirky and dedicated even if you do not realize it at first.

Thanks for two great years my fellow APers and best of luck in the future!

10 Reasons and Counting

10. Free time. Ever feel you have too much of it? Well then you should take AP English and you will cease to have anything resembling a social life as you write more words in the margins than the author wrote in the whole book.

9. Cult membership. By joining AP English, you are immediately inducted into the most elite group of nerds. While you struggle with 20+ page SOAPSTones/Data Sheets, you have an automatic support group of fellow crazy people to feed your insanity and convince you that you must add at least five more pages.

8. Ego. Did you ever think yours is too big? AP English can take care of that too. For all you sophomores who habitually get A++'s, strap in cause it's going to be a bumpy ride. Prepare for C's... Heaven forbid! But never fear, everyone else will be in exactly the same boat as you.

7. Public speaking. Does it make you want to vomit? Well, get used to talking in front of the class. But wait, did I mention that it counts for points??? Like it or not, you will have to address your peers face-to-face at some point in your life (unless we make some major advancements in robotics), so why not learn before you have to do it in a room full of strangers and you end up actually vomiting on them.

6. Learn the importance of a deadline. You can pour your heart and soul into a paper, but you better turn it in to turnitin.com on time. You will go down a letter grade NO MATTER WHAT if you forget. It hurts, but you only need to learn that lesson once.

5. Hard work. So you've had some finals, big deal. No class can really prepare you for the quantity and quality of work Ms. Serensky expects. It may feel overwhelming at times, but they will expect no less from you in college.

4. Bobbie's Blog Banter. In order to make it to this highlight of English, you will have to survive not one, but TWO years of AP English. However, I assure you, it is well worth it. Something about the anonymity of the internet makes fellow classmates say very funny things that they would never dare utter in class. As an added bonus, you may just get to witness Ms. Serensky dancing to an Adam Lambert song.

3. Analysis. Not just books, my friends; you will learn to analyze everything around you whether that be a magazine, movie, or plums.

2. Learning to write. I am sure the underclassmen have heard this reason time and time again. It is absolutely true.

1. In all sincerity, AP English has been the most meaningful class I have taken in all I high school. I learned how to write and speak intelligently, I got to know some of my classmates better than I ever thought possible, and I felt like I had a small, crazy family at school. I would recommend that everyone take this class.
 

Talk to Me

Algernon: "How are you, my dear [friends]? What brings you up to town?" (Wilde 2).

McMurphy: "'I’m in this place because that’s the way I planed it, pure and simple'" (Kesey 74).
Algernon:  "I'm a little anxious about poor [Katie]" (Wilde 18). 
The Voice:  "[she] should be aware of the trials to come" (Currie 3).
McMurphy:  "'Man, you're talking like a fool'" (Kesey 64).

Algernon: "No [...] You are." "You have such an absolutely trivial nature" (Wilde 24, 40).

The Voice: "Pay attention" "[she's] got a decison to make" (Currie 266, 188).
McMurphy: "'Oh, [she's] a thinker all right'" (Kesey 107).
Algernon: "anyone can [test] accuratley— but [she tests] with wonderful expression" (Wilde 1).
The Voice: "there is a correct choice" (Currie 195).
Algernon: "That is a great disappointment" (Wilde 24).
McMurphy: "'Why? [...] Tell me why. [The students] gripe, [they] bitch for weeks on end about how they can't stand this place, can't stand the [work]'" (Kesey 195).

The Voice: "Because [...] it is all infinitely preferable to the one dreadful alternative" (Currie 292).

McMurphy: "'[they] ain't as crazy as all this'" (Kesey 67).

The Voice: "[they] have a better than average chance to succeed at the task for which [they] have been chosen" (Currie 5).

McMurphy: "'Okay— I never thought about that'" (Kesey 106).  Algernon: Well, "I think it has been a great success" (Wilde 30).
The Voice: "we wish you much good luck" (Currie 9).

Everything Matters... Or Does It?

        I have always thought that you could divide the human population into two main groups: those who care too much and those who care too little. I fall into the former, which is unfortunate because I will probably have an ulcer by the time I am thirty. So you could reasonably assume that a book about how literally EVERYTHING matters would only add more stress to my level. Yet, ironically, Ron Currie Jr’s Everything Matters! has helped me see what does not matter. I felt like Currie spoke directly to me when he wrote "This is the key you have learned— to relinquish control.” The source of my stress is that I try to control too much; I try to will everything in my life to be perfect. It never works. Everything may matter, but some things matter more than others. Sometimes I just have to let go and allow the chips to fall where they may. Instead, I obsess over decisions because I do not want to avoid negative consequences at all costs. But, Currie shows time and time again that you can never fully predict the consequence of your actions. Every path will inevitably have some good and some bad at the end, so I just have to decide. However, I realize that trying to let go and accept that you cannot control life is easier said than done. Especially when you consider the high maintenance, over-achiever, control freaks (yet lovable) that make up AP English. A mere fire drill in the middle of an essay can set us over the edge as we knock over freshman to get back to the room with Ms. Serensky shouting, "Run, nerds, run!" Nevertheless, I think everyone (or mostly just me) could benefit from a little perspective and perhaps a redistribution of priorities. If feel like at this point in my life, I can go in any direction I want. I can "pick a self. Any self." When I go off to college I have the opportunity to turn into anyone I want. I could choose to continue to be that self that obsesses over minor details that I have no control over. Or, I could work harder to not work so hard. I used to think that where I chose to go to college was so important. The simple location could determine whether or not I get a good education, enjoy myself, and succeed in life. And the college does matter. But, not as much as what I do when I get there. After reading the book, I truly think that anyone can make themselves happy anywhere, if they try hard enough. Because honestly, “anything, anything, anything is possible.”

The Final Countdown

1. When I finally decided to go to OSU. I think I had subconsciously chosen OSU in the back of my mind months before I sent in my acceptance letter. It just took me a much longer time to actually commit.  “So yes, there is a correct choice,” and I finally realized that the Ohio State University is the correct choice for me (Currie 264).
2. Winning the Angela’s Ashes paper for my character Grandma Sheehan. I cannot even guess how many hours I spent revising and rereading those few pages. But when Ms. Serensky announced my name, I filled with joy and thought to myself “Oh, pleasure, pleasure!” (Wilde 2).
3. Passing the physics exam. I have never felt particularly strong in science, and physics seemed like an entirely different language to me. If I had “weeks, or months, or even years” to study, I may still have not understood angles of reflection (Kesey 158). But, somehow, I managed to pull off a passing score. I still suspect divine intervention. Or a grading mistake.
4. Painting my face. I love art classes even though I have no discernable artistic talent. Even the simplest tasks in painting class, such as making a color wheel, proved difficult. For the final project, we all had to paint a giant portrait of someone’s face. Since “We live, I regret to say, in an age of surfaces,” I decided to paint my own face (Wilde 47). Maybe the painting did not look exactly like me, but I felt really proud of my work and the portrait at least resembled a human.
5. My Capote paper. Near the end of AP English 11, I felt unnerved by the increasingly open-ended topics for Ms. Serensky’s papers. After we watched Capote, we wrote a short paper comparing the movie to the book and I could not decide which source to pull quotes from, among other concerns. I did not feel very confident at all when I turned in the assignment. However, I got the paper back with a sticker and one of my highest rubric scores to date! Getting a good grade always “makes everything you have suffered worthwhile, in retrospect” (Currie 261).
6. Mark Wood. What’s that you say? Who is Mark Wood? If you do not know, then you must have been living under a rock. “He is not one who’s sole aim is enjoyment,” my friend, he has played as the string master for the Trans-Siberia Orchestra and wears possibly the tightest pants ever created (Wilde 23). Freshman year, Mark Wood came with his electric six-stringed violin, “the Viper,” to play with our high school orchestra. We played classical music with a twist, as well as rock. He played with us during the concert and had many enthusiastic solos. He also descended from the ceiling in flames. Ok, that is a lie, but everything else is true. I hope that each and every one of you has an opportunity to meet this man.
7. Understanding French. In French 4 last year, everyone in the high school French program went on a field trip to the art museum. The younger kids would get a tour and presentation in English, while the higher levels had a tour spoken only in French. I, naturally, wanted to go on the English one, but got stuck with the French-only version. The tour guide started talking and I wanted to say, hold it “I told you I’m not up on this talk” (Kesey 69). But as I listened, I started to realize that I could comprehend what she was saying. And the more I listened, the more sense it made!  
8. To Kill a Mocking Bird assignment. For Honors English 10, we had several assignments revolving around Harper Lee’s famous novel. One project allowed us to make a newspaper for the town of Maycomb; one side of the newspaper detailed the town events when the book took place and the other side dealt with present day events. I got really into the assignment and found vintage advertisements and wrote a FDR-style “Fireside Chat” as one of the articles. I felt “a happiness so strong” when Ms. Beach asked to keep it as an example for future classes. (Currie).
9. The first time I made it onto the blog banter. No matter what, you know you want to get on that banter, you want the recognition. “What other reason would we have for submitting ourselves to” the brutal work that goes along with AP English (Kesey 59)? Ms. Serensky first mentioned my blog after I wrote about a dream in which I had a lobotomy, much like McMurphy. I just had to make it to the point where English completely ruled my life and subconscious in order to earn a spot on the banter.  
10. Surviving freshman biology. For those of you who did not have the experience of being in either of my biology classes freshman year, you should feel grateful.  “Where questions of self-sacrifice are concerned,” no one can top what we poor freshman endured (Wilde 44). One of my classmates was unknowingly tied to his chair and fell over when he tried to stand. One of the people who sat near would hum some song from a Disney channel movie every day. THE SAME SONG. Another student tried to leave class thirty minutes early after he fell asleep and thought class had ended when he awoke. But, I survived and even learned a thing or two.

 

Here are some classic quotes about Mark Wood from his official website:

Celine Dion - "It's amazing what he can do with a violin and a bow"

The Professor - WFBG - Altoona, PA - "Not only are his CDs curious listening, they are astounding listening, as Wood breaks acres of new ground . . . I need not say more - listen and discover Mark Wood for yourself . . . [It] is THAT impressive."

CBS News - "You gotta see this guy to believe it!"

http://www.markwoodmusic.com/html/about.html

 

You Used To Love Me Well

              I will readily admit that poetry is not high on the list of things that I love. AP English 12 has helped me come to understand and appreciate the art of poetry, but I do not quite love it yet. However, there was one poem that I think brought me close to loving poetry: “Sestina” by Ciara Shuttleworth. To refresh everyone’s memory’s, the poem used only the six words “You used to love me well” in various arrangements (1-6). Even though the poem only uses six different words, it has so many different meanings. It used to annoy me that one poem could have so many interpretations. The idea of having an infinite number of meanings behind one set of word stresses me out; it makes me feel like “I’ve got no control” (Currie 12). But, Shuttleworth used the possible ambiguity and multiple analyses to enhance her poem. The speaker’s tone could be at times accusatory, ashamed, playful, or regretful, among other possibilities. It all depends upon how you choose to read the poem, how long the pauses last, how forceful the exclamatory syntax is, among other components. Although the speaker seems to start off angry, he/she slowly concedes that they each hold blame in their failed relationship because “People make mistakes” (Currie 39). They both used each other. The speaker seems to reach an acceptance of the situation by the end of the poem, almost as if he/she thinks to him/herself “you have no one to blame but yourself” (Currie 19). However, the realization does not have to result in bitterness. Once again, that decision rests with your interpretation. The way that you choose to interpret the poem really says a lot about you. I choose to think that the speaker moved from anger to acceptance and would soon progress to love again. I guess that makes me somewhat optimistic. Therefore, I liked “Sestina” because it showed me that I can enjoy poetry while also learning something about myself.