Anushree Navaneethakrishnan -- My Last One, I Promise -- 05/14
I remember first entering AP English Language and Composition, regarding it as just another typical English class with the usual timed writes, grammar, and a growing list of books that I would half-read and overanalyze in fear of out of box questions on the test. But looking back now, it is insane how much more this year has been and the profound character growth this class has triggered within me. It is not just that my writing got significantly better, but I learned the importance of knowing the why behind what we read, wrote, and talked about.
In the beginning, writing was extremely intimidating with the rocky beginning of passage analysis. Especially, the introduction of blogs on identity made me worried that I would need to understand who I really am as a person, but I am just a mere high school student trying to navigate through the myriad experiences I encounter. Through the race unit, reading powerful voices and real experiences, I realized how much I still had to learn about capturing and analyzing perspectives other than my own. Now, when I read I think about the world around me and question assumptions that I have made since I was a child.
Then came my favorite, The Great Gatsby, which during freshman year I thought was a useless book on spoiled brats throwing lavish parties. Oh, was I proven wrong? It became something profound and mentored me on the illusions of the American Dream. Analyzing Fitzgerald’s style of writing really made me understand what they mean by “reading between the lines,” but this does not apply just for books but also for the community around us. I saw how power, privilege, and longing are still crucial themes in modern society, not just in the rich 1920s. And from that moment, all the rhetorical analysis I have done trained me to analyze political speeches and even the simple posts on Instagram.
Through all the essays, blogs, socratic seminar, and Harker debates, I have learned how to become an engaging student and active citizen that listens, questions, and cares about the environment around her. It is not about creative writing, but rather writing more truthfully and making sense of the complexities around us. While I have always complained about Wednesday blogs, the end makes me grateful for every moment I was forced to put my web of thoughts into words as it has taught me the power of my own voice. This is something I will always remember and carry with me!
ReplyDeleteWhen you reflected on the growth that the class triggered in you, I really realized how much I also grew too. I think that this long journey was very transformative, like I said before. I’m glad that I was able to experience it together with my lovely friends and Mrs. Smith! I like how you pointed out that you learned the importance of knowing why we read what we read. I think that really shifted in me, too! The stories that were assigned to us grew so much more interesting after I had that shift in mindset. I hope that I continue to enjoy the books that school makes us read in the future. I like your summative reflection on what happened in the past school year! I was great to reflect on all of the interesting units that we covered. I also really loved The Great Gatsby! I think it actually might have been my favorite book; I can’t lie. I think it was just the vibe that I really liked, and the way that the characters interacted. Also, I found it really funny that you rhetorically analyze everything now, like literally, me too. Thank you for everything you’ve done this year, Anshuree! Your reflection was very poetic!
Hi, Anushree! I really enjoyed reading your blog about the different things we have done over the school year. I agree with a lot of the points you have made about how the class has changed my perspective on many novels. I learned a lot from Everything I Never Told You. The book at first felt off putting, I didn’t want anything to do with a book that seemed to discuss the death of a family member, from the very first line. But as I read through the book I found a new found appreciation for the book, I could not put it down at all. The storytelling was simply sublime with the time changing from chapter to chapter, giving the entire view of the story before and after at the sametime. I thought that was the most enjoyable book of the year. I also felt similarly about The Great Gatsby, as I first thought it was a book which was too difficult to read for no reason, but as I read through the chapters I realized that it was a wonderful book that provided a look into the elite society of the 1920s. Fitzgerald was truly amazing in his work. All I would like to say is that this class truly broadened my perspective just like it did for you.
ReplyDeleteHey, Ansuhree! I really appreciated how everyone this week is doing some sort of reflective post because it makes it feel so much more real that the end of the year is coming so quickly. These are our very last blog comments, can you believe it? I still remember our very first cohort and comments when I had no clue what was in store for me. Everything did seem “extremely intimidating” and I just never was able to comprehend the fact that I could ever look at it from the other side. I completely related to your point about “question[ing] assumptions” ever since this class; I feel like this class has created in me a love for the complicated. As a child, I hated when things were not black and white; I wanted to know the right or wrong answer. But with novels like The Great Gatsby and Everything I Never Told You, I’ve learned to appreciate the morally gray. After all, that is the reality of life! The things we have analyzed in class have definitely found their way into my life as well, from “analyz[ing] political speeches” and “posts on Instagram” for their rhetorical strategies. I feel like I have learned how I am being manipulated, and it is so much easier to see through that with our continuous practice of rhetorical analysis. Blogs have also had a great impact on me as well, as I talked about in my own post this week. They have definitely aided in forcing me to “question” and “[care] about the environment around” me. Throughout this semester, I have seen how your blogs have done the same for you; I always enjoy reading your insights and unique thoughts about various topics. Thank you for your last post and for everything you have done this semester!
ReplyDeleteHello Anushree, I really enjoyed your blog about what we've all gained from this class. As I was reading the blog, I began to realize that I have also gained a lot from taking this class. Like you mentioned, my writing ability has improved drastically thanks to the numerous writing assignments we were given throughout the year. However, I think the skill I improved the most would certainly be my analysis skills. Never before was I able to analyze a text to the extent that I have done in this class and once again, that is a result of all the annotations and discussions we had in this class. The phrase “reading between the lines” perfectly describes what we have learned to do since we were forced to read between the lines and look at what is being written or said from a broader scope. I like how your blog included a combination of what we learned as well as what you enjoyed doing this year. Personally, I really enjoyed reading and analyzing The Great Gatsby, however, my favorite book from this year would have to be Everything I Never Told You. While reading the book, I was slightly confused as to what was going on, but after discussing the novel and analyzing it, I was able to get a clear understanding of what the book was about and why certain elements were included. Lastly, I like how you connected the analysis we have worked on this year, to our atmosphere and community. I have never considered “rhetorically analyzing” my community but now that you mentioned it, there are ways we can explicate the events that go on around us and think about why they have happened. Overall, I really liked this blog and I was able to resonate with it very much. Thank you for sharing and being such a nice member of our cohort!
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