Welcome to Class

 

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”

~Aristotle

It’s the first day of school, and consequently your first day of Advanced Placement Language and Composition. The terrible rumors from your friends, designed specifically to scare you, are haunting your every thought as you choose a seat farthest from the front. The teacher walks in. All is silent, save for a few pens clicking nervously. Your teacher begins an overview of the syllabus. Everything sounds so confusing, complicated, and daunting.

Throughout the first couple of weeks, you hear strange new words being tossed around like a basketball: chiasmus, rhetorical analysis, pathos, non sequitur, metonymy, rhetorical strategies, rhetorical devices, rhetorical modes, and rhetoric, just to name a few. Rhetoric. “What is rhetoric,” you wonder to yourself silently, hoping someone else would ask this seemingly stupid question.

But guess what? You’ll soon find out that rhetoric is what this class is about.

Fast forward to the start of Second Semester. Now, when you walk into class, it’s not with a grimace but a slight smile. Of course, AP Lang is still filled with obstacles, such as timed writings and vocabulary quizzes. But now that you’ve cleared your first road block, surviving first semester, you wish you could have told your past self a few things.

Thankfully, you stumbled upon this blog. As an AP Lang student currently wrapping up first semester, I have copious amounts of tips and tricks that  can lead you to success in your AP Lang future! These are all tips I wish I knew when I started this class last September.

I hope you gain something from this blog. Preferably, that AP Lang isn’t as scary as it seems. In fact, it sometimes teaches you  worthwhile and valuable lessons you will use later in your life, mainly in college. Think of AP Lang as an exciting journey around the world of rhetoric, writing, and reading. Once you understand the world of AP Lang and all of the possibilities of argumentation, it will be smooth sailing from here on out along the sea of rhetoric

(Above image found on carrilion-beach.com)

Rule #1 Speak Up

“Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare.”
Voltaire

(image found on coloradomesa.edu)

Seminars may seem daunting, with the entire class boring their eyes into your soul while you try and blurt out a rehearsed blurb on the irony of the Scarlett Letter. However, once you get over the initial stage fright, saying something is better than nothing. Being a part of the conversation is a rewarding experience and it does get easier with time and practice. And always remember, when it’s over, it’s over. A seminar is usually a grade you can’t make up, so try and get your point across before time is up. In my own experiences, it is better to speak up earlier rather than later before your point is taken.

The best thing to give you confidence is to come prepared with all of the materials well digested. The worst experience is going into a seminar having read nothing and not being able to say anything. The true beauty of these seminars is they promote healthy debate on intellectually stimulating topics and most people rather enjoy it!

Above, is a photo of a grade I received on a class seminar. Obviously, my level of analysis and active engagement with other students was not the best it could be, but it is a benchmark and now I will push myself to do better.

Rule #2 Come to Class Prepared

“Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.”

-Dale Carnegie

 

(The above image was found on claybennett.com)

 

Below is a brief article stating that the more prepared a student is, the more they participate in class.

http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2010/10/better-prepared-students-more-participation/

 

Alright, this may seem like a pretty obvious rule. But you would be surprised by how many people show up to class without the necessary materials. What? I need to bring stuff to class? Yes, your blossoming brain isn’t enough. Depending on your teacher, a textbook may be assigned to class. But for my respective class, our teacher speaks to us ahead of time if we will be using our textbook the following class.

 

In addition, a rather roomy binder with a stockyard of paper that could reincarnate an entire forest will be necessary. When I say binder, I’m not referring to a measly 1/2 “ piece of flimsy plastic. I’m talking about one of those 3”, heavy duty pieces of steel. Believe me, these binders will take a beating throughout the year. Preferably find a waterproof brand because tears will shed, if you know what I mean. Keep important handouts near and dear to your heart, or in this case, the front of aforementioned binder. Having all of your materials makes you organizd and more prepared to class.

 

In addition to having all materials at hand, it is important to come with a prepared frontal lobe. Complete all assigned reading and don’t forget those collateral articles. You never know when you will have to call on that little bit of knowledge! Being mentally prepared and physically prepared allows you to fully participate in class.

 

(The picture below is of my own creation)

Rule #3 Avoid the Temptation of Sparknotes

 

(image from sparknotes.com)

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
Oscar Wilde

Don’t use Sparknotes. End of story.

Sparknotes. The fantastical website containing the answers to just about anything. It’s more reliable than Wikipedia but using it is equivalent to basically raising your hand and stating point-blank, “Just give me an F. I’m not going to do it anyway!”   In fact, Sparknotes was probably invented by a Lang veteran itself but that’s not the point. No matter how late it is at night, no matter how much you would rather watch Pretty Little Liars or play Call of Duty, it is crucial to read all assigned texts in their entirety. Your teachers are assigning these texts for a reason. Not to deduct from your full-time occupation of updating your Facebook status, but to enrich your knowledge of literature and writing. Sometimes, a teacher will pass out a wild card book, like the one shown below, and instruct you to read and annotate it in its entirety.

Sparknotes detracts from the message of your assigned reading and doesn’t help, but hinder you! Sure, a few blurbs of character analysis may be present in your short term memory for a day or two. But come final exam, written report, or Socratic seminar, your memory will be out the door and you will just be hitting yourself in the head, thinking “why didn’t I read this!” Rule #4, annotation, ties in with rule#3. If you are reading sparknotes instead of reading a book for yourself, it isn’t possible that you’re annotating effectively. In addition, Sparknotes doesn’t give you the chance to develop your own unique analysis. Unless you’re a literary genius, reading the book in it’s entirety is the only way to go.

Instead of reading this…

Read this!   And you will end up with this! Not this!

Rule #4 Annotate Like Your Life Depends On It

(The above image was found on pdfcast.org)

an·no·tate [an-uh-teyt] verb (used with object)

1.

to supply with critical or explanatory notes; comment upon in notes

 

(definition found on dictionary.com)

 

Please read the title of this rule again. And again. Again. One more time, please. Thanks. Now that you have gotten that through your head, let’s begin.

Unfortunately, just like in your previous years of high school, you will be required to annotate, if not more. And lots of it. Sadly, annotation is not something you can avoid in Lang, or any higher-level English class for that matter. Long lost are the days when scrolling through Sparknotes and jotting down a weak ‘metaphor’ in the corner was adequate enough to earn an A.

Lucky for you, me, and every other student out there, annotation is a skill that is easily advanced through practice, practice, and oh yeah, actually doing it.

You can’t half-do your annotations. Even though jotting down a few mindless notes on a pink post it note may seem appealing, it only hurts you in the long run.Try to find the annotation style that suits you, whether it be highlighting, colored pens, post it notes, or just plain graphite, find what helps you the most and go for it.

I personally can’t annotate without color coding and a post it tabs. Not only do the tabs help you find key areas of the novel quickly during timed writings or class seminars, but the colored pens can add just a droplet of excitement  and sense of purpose in your otherwise mundane high school schedule.

However, you won’t be annotating just novels. Political cartoons, paintings, editorials, historical essays, poems and even pieces of nonfiction writing will become badges on your annotation vest. Annotating well, and often, will increase your ability to actually annotate when your grade depends on it. During timed writings, it is an excellent idea to annotate the prompt in order to assist your brainstorming process before you even begin writing the essay. Also, throughout the year, it will become noticeable to you that thoroughly annotating an essay prompt can make a difference between a 5 and a 6.

Above all, annotating is a blessing in disguise. It may seem little more than menial labor, but it actually facilitates new ideas and allows you to better understand what you’re reading, which comes in handy when you’re being tested on that material.

Rule #5 Pretend You Think Vocab Is Cool

Or at least until you actually begin to appreciate the usefulness and value of vocab.

“Losing is not in my vocabulary.”
 -Ruud van Nistelrooy

 

(The image above was found on staff.rockwood.k12.mo.us)

 

Vocab is a crucial aspect of AP Lang. It not only furthers your understanding of rhetoric and argumentation, but it is one of the building blocks of the class itself. However, AP Lang vocab isn’t the same as a vocab word like “procrastination” or “catastrophe”. This vocab is comprised of  diction and tone words, rhetorical structures, modes,  and strategies, appeals, and fallacies.

Below, you will find a valuable document containing an abundance of AP Lang vocabulary terms, courtesy of Mrs. Blankenship.

MONSTER VOCAB HANDOUT 2011 2012- THE VOCABULARY OF RHETORIC AND ARGUMENTATION

Learning vocab is important to AP Lang because it allows you to understand an author’s main idea and how a text is developed. This vocab furthers your understanding of rhetoric which can increase your writing and argumentation ability.

If you don’t know the ins and outs of AP Lang vocabulary, writing research papers, analytical essays and completing mulitiple choice tests will become increasingly difficult. One foolproth vocabulary study method  is making flash cards. Not only do you have to list the term and definition, but one or two exapmles utilizing the rhetorical device can be immensely helpful as well. Running through the cards  a few times and jotting down a few examples yourself will increase your understanding of the vocabulary.

Below are three examples of sample vocabulary cards (all examples are of my own creation and all definitions are from the Vocabulary Packet noted above):

 

 

A Word on Resources

You don’t have to go through this alone!

1. YOUR TEACHER. Believe it or not, your teacher may actually know a thing or two about the subject they teach. Don’t be afraid of them because their an AP teacher. Teachers want to help you, so why not take advantage of that help? If your teacher is advertizing after school help before a test or essay, don’t stay at home and watch Spongebob, take advantage of this opportunity! Just like math or any other class, AP Lang requires practice, practice, and even more practice!

(Image found on deviantart.com)

2. YOUR PARENTS. I can almost swear that there will be a collective gasp after reading that. No, your parents may have not taken AP Lang themselves, but they have been around for a lot longer than you. Practicing a speech and no one but your dog will give you feedback? Go find mom! Desperately attempting to brainstorm for your editorial on “The American Experience” due tomorrow? Find dad! They will probably have great ideas you never would have thought of, being a teenager and all.

(Image found on theribcomedy.wordpress.com)

3. YOUR FRIENDS AND CLASSMATES. Friends and classmates are great support systems. They’re people you can complain to, whine to, and even ask for help. This may sound quite strange, but AP Lang can strengthen friendships or even cause you to meet and communicate with new people you never even knew! Going through AP Lang together is a unifying experience. Friends and classmates can especially come in handy when you missed something in class or aren’t quite brave enough to approach a teacher with a question.

 (Image found on wfgr.com)

4. THE INTERNET. Cross that. The internet, minus Sparknotes. Like I have already pointed out, Sparknotes only hinders you. However, the majority of the internet is a realm of possibilities. We live in the 21st century and should be able to take advantage of this incredibly valuable resource. Here is a list of links that have proved to be helpful during my experience with AP Lang:

• http://dictionary.reference.com/    Trust me, this website comes in handy! If you’re struggling with a tricky vocabulary word or come across a confusing phrase in a piece of literature, this is the place to go.
• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/        The Purdue Online Writing Lab can answer all of your questions about MLA, grammar, and mechanics.
• http://thesaurus.com/                          When it’s the middle of the night and you’re struggling to find a better word for “going to”, this simple little website holds all of the answers. It’s easy to use and will introduce you to new word or few.

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The American Experience

I am about five months into my junior year and the concept of the American Experience is becoming increasingly complex. Throughout first quarter, I was highly convinced that the American Experience had only one side: a positive, if not, sugarcoated one. The Revolutionary War era and early years of America invoked a spirit of brotherhood, unity, and American ingenuity. I believed America was a unique nation with patrons of a common goal: democracy.  Despite the obvious prejudice in America during that time, I still was under the false impression that the American Experience  was an embodiment of a wholesome, determined colonist in a powdered wig.

                However, as the first semester draws to a close, my opinion of the American Experience and Americans in general has vastly altered. Analyzing Antebellum and Gilded Age texts has made me wonder if the American Experience is more about survival to find justice rather than justice itself. While reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, a reoccurring theme was survival of the fittest. The big businessmen and steel tycoons were ruthless figureheads of cities, leaving immigrants, poor whites, and freedmen struggling to make ends meet. The less fortunate often immigrated from Europe, in search of “The American Dream” only to be thrown into what can only be described as “The American Nightmare.”

 (This image clearly portrays the motivation and inspiration of Americans during the Gilded Age: money. Wealthy stockbrokers, such as the man pictured below, had various political connections, often making politics during this time extremely corrupt and only representing the higher social classes. This commonplace practice reiterates that only those with connections and money could survive and live a happy life in America. ) Image found on shmoop.com  

Parting Words

“Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.”
– Thomas J. Watson

I’ll leave you with this quote. It not only expresses the true sentiment of AP Lang, but it should motivate and inspire you to enroll in the course! Lang is a thrilling adventure around the World of Rhetoric, honing writing skills you may have thought didn’t exist. Yes, there will a few challenging nights when you’re sullenly eating an extra large cup of procrastination and mindlessly typing a research paper, but the end result is a more confident you! Unlike factoring polynomials and memorizing the Spanish word for “mountain range,” writing is a timeless and classic skill that will always hold a presence in your life. No matter what path you take in the future, it is always helpful to be a great writer! And AP Lang just does that! So go ahead, take the risk and reap the results.

-Emily

 

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