One Down, One to Go

1.)Things I liked:
- I liked the fact that this was the first time that I had really been challenged in English. In years before, I was never really asked to use my head when thinking about literature. From the get go, this class has taught me to break down and analyze the finer details of reading.
- I also liked the things I learned about the different types of literature. Before taking this class, I didnt know of the many unique types and sub-types of literature there were to be read.
- My writing has also improved. Through reading fine literature, I think that I have also fine-tuned my writing skills. I know now how to structure a research paper, essays and other types of writing that require a sound knowledge of being able to communicate your ideas clearly.

2.)Things I didn't like:
- The amount. At first, I was overwhelmed at the amount of required reading that was necessary to pass this class. Still a little overwhelmed, I have come to realize that this is what comes with taking an AP level literature class.
- The abstractness of some material. Some of the ideas that we have explored in our readings have been extremely abstract and difficult to grasp. For some reason, this bothers me. I have always had trouble understaing concepts that dont really have a definite answer.

3.)Things I want to improve on:
- Reading "better". I want to learn how to sit down and just read a book for what it is worth.
- Capture the abstractness, as in the "Things I didn't like". I want to learn how to wrap my head around questions and concepts that might not have a concrete and satisfying answer.

- All in all, I have enjoyed this class so far and am looking forward to next semester!

Drama Unit: Relfection

This unit lived up to its name. It was definetly dramatic. Every single story we read had its own version of the word "drama". Never before had I realized that this word could be so multi-faceted. Initially, I had always viewed drama superficially. Images of overly emotional operas plays filled my head whenever someone would tlak about something being dramatic. That being said, I wasnt really looking forward to this unit as a whole. My preconcieved notions were soon contradicted by the interest I had formed in Oedipus Rex and Hamlet. Both works had engaged me more that I thought they would have. The storylines were interesting and the characters, although emotional at some points, still had human qualities. This concept was expressed further throught the satire sectiona and The Importance of Being Earnest. The humor that come through in this story futhered my interest and convinced me that drama might not be a bad thing after all. As a whole, I really turned out o enjoy this unit. The stories were interestingly intellectual and the characters were unique in many different ways. Moving forward, I will take my knowledge of the dramatic arts and its themes and apply them to the many kinds of "drama" that I may experience in the rest of my life.

The Importance of Being Earnest + Satire

I can say without a doubt that I was really excited for this piece of the drama unit. Being a Family Guy fan, I was interested to hear how many satirical devices were used in each episode. With that said, I was interested to view The Importance of Being Earnest. At first, it didnt really strike me as funny. The language was difficult to comprehend, (although not as challenging as Shakespeare) the setting seemed odd, and the characters seemed out of place. This outlook changed, as it usually does with english assignments. After watching the movie for a while, I began to piece together the language of the characters and started to get the feel for the story. The tone of the movie was light-hearted and whimsical, as were the characters. Each one had a different comedic attribute which contibuted to the overall comedy of the story. Initially I couldnt pinpoint what the movie reminded me of. I later realized that it closely resembles a modern-day romantic comedy. Although not quite AP caliber, this aspect came to me as a simple relation to everyday life. Either way, I ended up enjoying the story more than I thought I would and came away with the knowledge about how important it is to be exceedingly Earnest.

Hamlet: Reflection

Phew. Hamlet is over. In a way, I am relieved. The constant battering of old English has left my brain a little sore. The hither and thither of Shakespeare made learning the themes of Hamlet just that much more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story. This was always one of the Shakespeare stories (if any) that I wanted to learn more about. Well, I learned a whole lot about it. I learned more about the concepts of tragedy and irony than I ever had before. I was able to better understand the inner workings of the driving forces behing Shakespeare's intellectual expertise. This, in turn, allowed me to analyze Hamlet in a way that made me think about what is actually being said. The conversations between characters, soliloquys and narration suddenly had new meaning. I was beginning to translate the text as I read. As a result, the themes of the story began to make sense to me as I tried to tie them in to my understanding of each individual situation. This reading has ultimately proved to be one of the most helpful explorations of Shakespeare yet. I will walk away from this unit with a greater knowledge of Shakespeare and any literature of this kind.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: Reflection

I liked this book. A lot. This is more than I can say about most of the reading material that is assigned to me through and english class. Although I selected this book, I still expected it to be a somewhat boring and uninteresting read. Turns out, I was wrong. I started this book and didnt look up until I was 50 pages into it. I was surprised to find that I was actually reading this book with a truly engaged mindset. I wanted to learn more and more about Oscar's life as I continued to read. I think this interest was sparked by a number of different factors. The conversational tone in which the author writes contributes greatly to the novel's readability. It feels as if Oscar's life is being recounted around a campfire, by a story-teller whose knowledge of the story makes it seem as if he had told this "age-old" story countless times. The language that accompanies this tone also contributes to the understanding of the story. The words that are used are the ones that I use and hear everyday. This allows for a further understanding of what is really going on between the number of dynamic characters that Oscar encounters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would defiently recommend it to anyone who wants to experience a story that is simple in nature, but riveting in meaning.

Oedipus Rex: Reflection

I loved Oedipus Rex. I know, crazy right? Well, here is why. At the beginning of this unit I was ultimately discouraged when I realized that we were going to be reading a play. Not that I don't like them, but yeah, I dont really like them. It was not untill after we learned the whole back story to Oedipus that I became suddenly became interested. I love the whole world of Greek and Roman mythology and this play seemed like one that I could get in to. Turns out I was right. I had no problem reading the play as it was engaging and interesting to me. The many occurences of irony held an air of suspense over the entire story and made me want to read on. I think that the view I had of this play will reflect on the many future plays that I am bound to read. I will try to approach our upcoming and seemigly daunting unit of Hamlet with a mindset of enthusiasm for what I am going to read. I hope to learn a lot from my reading in the next few weeks as I try to tackle yet another Shakespeare work. To be or not to be?

Salem: Reflection

When I heard the name, I thought of witches,hanging and The Crucible. I was right, in some regards, as the premise of the play dealt with the themes that were prevelant in The Crucible. Those themes consisting of segregation, hate, lies, etc. The fact that the setting was that of a common day high school put an interesting spin on these concepts. It brought about a sense of relation to the characters as they represented the many different stereotypes that are present in a high schooler's everyday life. With this in mind, the play did a really good job of explaining the many kinds of actions that take place between the people of a high school and how they handle these events. As an overall encompassing aspect of the play, discrimination kept reoccuring throughout the play in subtle ways that kept alluding back to the story of The Crucible and the Salem witch trials. Although it may not have been obvious, this play conveyed a message that lent itself primarily to the fact that the discrimination and segregation of others because of their differences is ultimately unethical, as it could cause a significantly evil outcome to be thrust upon those who practice it and/or are affected by it.

Short Story Unit: Reflection

Well, it is over. Short stories are said and done with. I have learned the basics about these simple, yet intruiging works of literature. At first, similar to the beginning of one of these stories, I looked at this unit as a group of commercial and ultimately reader-friendly set of works. Turns out, my assumptions were caught completely of gaurd. From the get go, my preconcieved notions about these short stories were broken down through the deep analysis and the thinking that went along with them. In fact, I had never thought about english class in this way before. I was actually thinking for once about what I was reading. I have hated and loved this aspect of the unit. Although it made my brain hurt to think about these completely abstract ideas, it also taught me to go about learning about this kind of work in an abstract sort of way. In the future, I hope to apply this skill in order to solve those complex and brain-manipulating problems that previously seemed too complex to comprehend. This, in turn, will allow me to express my ideas through speaking or writing in a way that is truly genuine and comprehensive. With that said, I can say I enjoyed what the short story unit taught me to do. It taught me to think.

The Common App pt.2 - The Essay

COMMON APP - PERSONAL ESSAY      

            I'm a southern boy - Kentucky born and raised. Yes, Kentucky is a part of the South. Does that conjure up a picture in your mind?  For most people it looks like this - a preppy guy who wears Ray Ban sunglasses with a croakie, hanging just below a striped bow tie.  A cookie cutter guy who considers sneaking a beer or two into a home football game a great accomplishment.  A guy whose family is more concerned about a bad call than the upcoming election.  A guy who thinks going to Disney World means he's been places.  A guy whose comfort zone is just getting by and whose college choice may well depend on how many national championship trophies line its hallways.

      At first glance, that guy is me. Therein lies my dilemma  - ethical, personal or whatever you want to call it - who should I be?

      Let's think this through again. I have plenty of bow ties in my closet and I love a good SEC football game but I'm fascinated by more than Mickey Mouse.  I get just as excited about a 1,000 year old ruin as I do a ride on Rockin' Roller Coaster. Figuring out how to get around Vienna using the subway or trying a whole new cuisine is just as rewarding as hosting the most enviable tailgate party.  Seeing a Van Gogh up close is life changing.  As far as getting by is concerned - my typical day starts at 5:00 a.m. with swim practice and ends when I figure out the last problem in my AP calculus homework.

     I have been challenged at every juncture in my life to think - to think beyond what my immediate world tells me; to consider all viewpoints equally and to integrate every lesson learned into the package that is me. My parents, grandparents and all of my cousins are college graduates. My grandfather, born and raised in a poor Kentucky county was one of eight siblings who all had, not just college but graduate degrees. I have always been surrounded by wise and genuine people.

     Can I live comfortably in both worlds? I am that southern stereotype but so much more. Perhaps the best way to handle things is to wear my Ray Bans into the game but take them off when I step into St. Peter's. Think you know me? Should you travel my way, stop by - we'll go to Keeneland  for an afternoon at the races, watch the horses run and have a great conversation. Bow tie optional but strongly recommended.

The Common App

Applying to colleges is awesome. Writing all of the application? Not so awesome. I just recently finished up my Common Application essay. This is the essay that will be added to each and every college that I apply to. It wasnt easy but I think I did a pretty good job. The prompt for my essay came in the form of describing a certain dilemma or problem that has faced me sometime in the past and how I was able to resolve that problem. I had many ideas but ultimately narrowed it down. After writing my first draft, I honestly thought I had written a masterpiece. It wasnt until I actually read it thoroughly that I decided to completely scratch it and start over. The reason for this decision was simple. I wanted to write about something that was entirely different from the usual, "How I won the game", or, "The greatest spring break trip ever." I ultimatley figured to write about something that spoke to me. In doing this, I also noticed how the material I had learned in class about writing essays started to come through. The importance of the structure of this kind of essay really shone through in my thought process as I edited my work.

(I will post my essay in my next blog.)

How I Feel About Blogs

I am blogging about blogging. Here is a blog about blogs. I never used to think about blogging before this year. Honestly, I thought it was kind of a time-consuming and ultimately boring task. I never really found it interesting to share my thoughts through online posts. In other words, I would have rather simply talked about them. I have figured out, however, that these are different. Ever since we have started these blogs, I have noticed an improvement in my English expereience. Although I may not want to blog all the time about English, I have found this tool to be quite helpful. Not only does it keep me on my toes about assignment deadlines, but it also extends what I learn during class. I now find myself naturally writing these posts instead of searching for words to write. This has helped me to start thinking more about simply writing about a certain topic instead of trying to make it look like a masterpiece. I think that in the future, these blogs will help me to refelct more on what I have learned. This will allow me to incorporate my knowledge more as I move into the future and higher-level learning.

Reflection: The Drunkard

Although Mullins was not here to explain the details of this story, I still found it very interesting. Upon first reading it, I didnt really see anything but a concise and clearly humorous short story. It wasnt until I took the quiz that I realized how irony and humor actually played a role in this story. When asked to identify the irony from the story, I suddenly noticed that it contained a considerable amount. The most notable of which being when Larry, after the funeral, proceeded to drink his father's pint of beer without his apporval or knowledge of it happening. With the fact that Larry is a child, we did not expect this kind of thing to happen. In addition, his actions actually caused a whole new aspect of irony to be thrown into this story. We know from the beginning of the story that Larry's father is a recent and/or recovering alcoholic. With this in mind, the end of the story becomes ironic in the fact that he ends up not reverting back to his old ways. Instead, his son counteracts his lurking addiction by making a scene of himself after drinking the beer. This is ironic because Larry has saved his father from excessive drinking by drinking excessively. This concept causes the story to take on both a ironic and yet humorous aire.

Reflection: Hills Like White Elephants

The recent reading of Hills Like White Elepahnts was very interesting. This short story by Hemingway proved to be a lot more than I initially thought it was. After reading the the short, 2 1/2 page story, I didn't really take anything away from it. To me, it seemed kind of like a pointless and irrational story. It was not until the class after the reading that I began to realize that this story actually contained a very interesting and intellectual combination of symbols and themes. Both the significance of the actual problem that the couple was discussing and the meaning that "white elephants" portrayed really turned the tables and caused a whole new spin to be put on the story. Not only did it now seem more complex, but it also led to a further characterization of the simple actions and dialogue that take place between the two partners. From now on, I will try harder to sift through simple sentences and dialogue in order to uncover the hidden meaning behind stories that are seemingly pointless and/or irrevelant.

Outside Reading: Blood Meridian

For my first outside reading book, I have chosen to read Corma McCarthy's Blood Meridian. After the first couple of chapters, I think that I will enjoy this book more than I thought I would. The western-like cowboys and indians setting really peaked my interest. I have always been a fan of this genre and this story is bound to be a page-turner. Some aspects about this book interest me, however. For example, the description follows a jumping motion, meaning that the setting tends to jump from place to place at various times. Another interesting concept comes through the dialogue. Throughout the whole story, no form of quotation marks or dialogue syntax is used. This adds a thinking element to the stry that really allows the reader to think in depth about what they are reading. All in all, I am looking forward to this story and the many others to come in the future.

English So Far

Well, here we are, three weeks into english. So far, it has been a very insightful and interesting class to participate in. I am looking forward to learning and analyzing some new literature as the year goes on. I think this will allow myself to really expand on my knowledge as far as figuring out how the material I am reading makes sense. I think that this class will hopefully boost my interest in reading. In years past and in other classes, I havent been pushed to read on my own and therefore have never really focused on it for pleasure. Im hoping this will change as I will be able to buy a book and actually spend time reading it. In addition, I think that the new vocabulary I will learn will also stretch my mind in ways that will allow me to present my writing in speech in a much more professional manner. All in all, I am looking forward to the rest of the year and hope to learn many things as class progresses.

The College Search

College. Cant wait for it. From what I have heard from a number of my good buddies, it is the best four years of your life. This awesomeness comes with a price. Before I can even get into one, I have to find a college that fits me like a glove. So far, my parents have pushed me to explore as many options as I can. Although the process of researching and finding out about the different programs in every school gets repetitive, I think it will allow me to keep my opportunities numerous and my options ever-increasing. Starting at the end of junior year, I started to visit some colleges and universitites that I could see myself at in the future. The list has already gotten pretty long but here is the rundown for some of my favorites so far:

1. The University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL
2. The University of South Carolina - Columbia, SC
3. Centre College - Danville, KY
4. Depauw University - Greencastle, IN
5. Auburn University - Auburn, AL

All of these options are also being considered with the possibility of swimming for their programs. Some are more competitive than others but either way, I hope to land myself in a place that I will be happy. 

Senior Year

Well, here we are again. Another year in school. One more before college. This summer, I really didnt give a lot of thought to preparaing myself for the new school year. I have done this for 12 years now and its kinda routine at this point. I wasnt nervous like I was in third grade. I walked in with the confidence that I was in fact older than most of the other students at my school. Thats pretty cool. I feel like I know this school like the back of my hand. In fact, helping people like my brother adjust to this high school experience make me feel like I know what im doing. It really is somethin to have someone look up to you for advice and I am always happy to provide it. It seems like these days are just flashing by. I kinda wish everything would just slow down so I could enjoy my senioritis filled senior year properly. Yup its true. I have the 'itis just like every one of my buddies. It feels cool and wierd all at the same time. I think this year will be fun and relaxing but also challenging and very important. Anywho, I am definetly looking forward to it and cant wait to make it the best year of high-school yet!