DIDLS. (Or, as i pronounced it, diddles) is what we learned for the first weeks or so. The first, D, my favorite, diction was very familiar with. As a matter of fact, i adore diction and is the one i'm most comfortable writing about in any paper. Imagery, detail, language, i also feel like i had a good footing on. Syntax is the one i'm still stumbling on, sometimes i think i get it, sometime i don't. It feels vague, almost and very hard to grasp the entire entity of it, Wiki says one thing of it, Google says another, but i think it is one of those things that you can find once you get used to it.
I enjoyed reading the textbook, to a certain extent. The examples can be horrendously long and overbearing at times (see Chapt 3) but the definitions and explanations are easy to understand and very clear. It really helped me reinforce DIDLS and close reading.
Finally, the essay writing. Its new, its sort of bizarre, but the more i realize what the AP peeps are looking for, the more i understood why the essays we initially looked at and graded got the grades they did. I'm still fighting a wild case of perfectionism but i'm getting there. Breaking apart the prompt and writing the thesis really helped me. While i did appreciate literature, i didn't know how to make my writing 'sophisticated' and , what i learned from the History APs was; thesis, examples,
Also, one last thing, kudos to Ms. Holmes for picking out such a variety of reading like the David Sandiers one, its such a breath of fresh air from British Lit.
This was pretty entertaining to read :) I think you really encompassed a lot of what we have learned in class, which was a helpful little review for me because, let's face it, high school students, especially ones with heavier course loads, rarely remember everything they need to. Good job! (P.S. Its David Sedaris, not David Sandiers :) )
ReplyDeleteHahaha, this was entertaining. One thing you could add to it is ways you've already made connections with things outside of school or AP Lit, such as books read for fun. However, I completely agree with your description of the textbook. so. many. examples.
ReplyDeleteI too, enjoyed your response, your voice just shot out from your writing and I can't help but think of how much the people who read your college apps are really going to get to know you, if your voice in your essays is anything like that of this review. That being said, I have one critique, and I'm not usually one to gripe on about this sort of thing, but PLEASE capitalize your I's. I only say this because it undermines your authority as a writer and you have such a strong voice it should be taken very seriously. :) Other than that, I love it. You don't hold anything back and I think that is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely have to agree with you on the idea that Ap literature is more about analyzing and finding a deeper meaning within the test, and I was also annoyed with the usual literature courses and their inability to have deep discussions. I'm glad that you're enjoying Ap lit! I am as well. :) The essays are a bit tough, diction seems to be the easiest technique to analyze in an essay. I think it's time that we tackle other techniques and perfect our writing.
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