Game, Set, Match

I like to think I've matured as not only a student, but as a person as well. I believe stress and fatigue really helps a person grow. This class has helped me not only in my essays, which started at an elementary level, but also in my views on life and people. But onward to the good stuff:

Hardest essay:
 I would have to say for this AP exam the most challenging one to write was the rhetorical essay. I couldn't find enough rhetorical devices, especially some that repeated. I had to resort to some of the more basic ones and made a bit of a stretch to make some work. The problem with this essay is that if you cannot find the strategies in the passage, there is nothing for you to do. While in the other essays there's always some given information to work off of.

Easiest essay:
The easiest essay was probably the argumentative which surprised me because in class I could not manage to write it. I think the prompt was one that I could more easily bring in information to, which helped me in the construction and overall argument.

Favorite book:
I really enjoyed reading In Cold Blood. This book intrigued me in due to the fact that it not only was based on a true story, but also analyzed both sides of the story. It got very Criminal Minds in that it broke down the killers, their background, motives, etc. The psychology factor of it all also made it interesting to read. The story was easy to get into, and the switch between the two points of view helped fill the story.

Least favorite book:
The Things They Carried would have to be my least favorite of the year. That doesn't necessarily mean I didn't like the book, but it wasn't the best of this year. It had a bit of an unstructured flow which made it harder to remember the stories and characters. The switching of what happened and what didn't also confused me and to this day I'm still not very sure what had and hadn't happened.

Closing comments:
 I'm not very good at these extra information things. I would like to thank you, Mr. Thomas, for a great year in English. I have always looked forward to your class, and thank you for giving me not only the information needed to succeed in your class, but that needed to succeed in the future.
Thank you

The Weight of Life

When you look up the word carry, there is a list of definitions. The word carry holds multiple meanings as one can carry many different things. So, to get to the point, what do I carry?

Physical: One thing I can't leave home without are is my baptism cross. While it has religious meaning, when i was little, my mom would tell me it protects me. Since then, I always feel a little safer and comfortable with it. I haven't taken it off in years, and on the rare occasions i do, I find myself constantly reaching up to pull it, only to play with my hair to play it off. 

Dreams/Goals:I want to have a happy family. The American dream. But to do this I need to get into a good college and get a good job. I want to be able to provide for my family and be able to give them everything they need. I also want to help people outside of my family, and so I want to go to med. school and become a doctor. I want to change something, and so something different 

Relationship: 

My brother has a really big impact on me. While we may fight he's still my bestie. 

He has accomplished so much and is good at anything he tries. I want to be able to someday reach his level. At the same time he's taught me some values and things I probably wouldn't have learned without him. He's the person i go to for help on homework, etc. And i look up to him and his accomplishments. We have fun together but also look out for each other. I carry his feelings, and my protectiveness over him. 

Personality: Three adjectives that I would use to describe myself would be optimistic, considerate, and stubborn. The person I want to be is calm, level-headed and diligent. Others see me as happy/cheerful, and have come to expect that of me. This impacts my life in they way I handle various events and problems. I also want to please people, and this sometimes makes life extremely difficult.

Memories: When Mr. Thomas shared a quote for our class:

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”  ~Bill Cosby

This made me think about what I do, and how I should handle problems. Also, last summer I went to Brown University for a summer program.  I was so far from home, and alone, and the program itself allowed tons of freedom. While it sounds great, it was terrifying for me to not have someone telling me what i should be doing at all times. It made me become independent very quickly, and also realize (and appreciate) the closed bubble I live in at home with my family. While by the end of the third week I had gotten used to this sudden change, I still remember the transition period, and the great learning experience I had. 

All these things I carry help shape and define the person I am and am growing to be.

Greek Life

     Throughout society and in life, children constantly try to break away from their parents's expectations. Children try to establish their own identity, and even differ from their siblings. 

     My parents both came to the united States from Greece for grad school of college. They started a new life away from all their family and support. Raising a child alone is hard, especially when trying to keep your own culture and tradition, yet assimilate into a new one. My older brother was born first, and connects more closely to Maggie from Everyday Use.  He fit perfectly into their expectations; a great student (valedictorian), pianist, tennis player, and intelligent beyond his age. Like Maddie he's more loyal and stuck to his family. 

     I on the other hand, differ from him. Where he is quiet and reserved, I'm smiling and amiable. Where he excels in academics, I have to try harder,and still can't reach him. Is it a bad thing? Is it wrong that I didn't fit into the same mold? Not even a little. 

     What good could I do being a replica of my brother? There already is one of him. By breaking out of the expected shell, while I may disappoint some, I prove myself. I shape my own decisions. Like Dee, I see the results of the shell, and chose to not fit. While not all of it is choice, once I saw the shell wasn't for me; I had to make a new one. 

     The only difference is, while making this new shell, and new character, you don't have to shun your values and teachings. Coming from a Greek family I embrace my culture, dancing, speaking, writing, eating. By mixing both my past and choices I can escape the mold yet not stray from my beliefs. 

     While I'm not exactly Greek, I'm not NOT Greek. I go home to Greek culture, and visit Greece and my family every summer. Its not only the legal term, its how you express and feel. I am Greek. I am American.

~Georgia

 

Haunted

What makes up a good scary story?

Is it the suspense, the creepy setting, the questionable ending, the creepy house, the creepy coincidences?

Edgar Allen Poe uses all of these to create his story, The Fall of the House of Usher. He creates the original haunted house where the house is the thing doing the haunting. The house, and its residents all are a little off. He describes the cracks and the darkness throughout. 

He describes the setting as a hidden and mysterious place. Through his descriptions, one can't be sure where this story takes place increasing the suspense. It could have happened anywhere. The fog make the location and existence of the house questionable leading to the next important factor; the questionable ending

Those scary movies that leave you wondering what happened if it really did isn't anything new. Poe used the questionable ending in his story. Did the house really exist? Did these events really occur? Its this mystery that makes the story all the more creepy. It leaves it up to your interpretation, and leaves you with the uncertainty and fear. 

Poe also uses the creepy coincidences. When the narrator decides to read a book to soothe Roderick Usher, the events in the book start to happen in real life rising that creepiness level. Not only that, but the sister which they buried alive comes back all bloodied.. right on cue. This takes things to a new level of scary. Imagine reading a story where all the events happen as you read.. creepy!

Lastly, Poe uses the darkness. You know how you always scream at the movie characters to turn on the lights? Well its the same thing here too. Naturally, bright lights hurt Usher's eyes and so he keeps the house dark. Perfect for all the creepy things to happen. Just turn on some lights!

In conclusion, Poe was masterful at creating the first haunted house story. He incorporated all the basics to make this a scary and suspenseful book. Although there aren't any pop-ups, You can easily imagine everything happening in a place like that

~Georgia

The Unknown

Mystery is attractive. The unknown has been attracting writers for years. Ghost stories, vampires and werewolves are resurfacing topics that never seem to lose interest. This fascination in the unknown can be seen in early short stories like Nathaniel Hawthorn's Young Goodman Brown, or in modern day series like in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.

First up is the classic Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this short story, we follow Young Goodman Brown as he takes a walk into a dark forest that represents evil. He meets up with the devil and sees that everyone in his town is evil. Here he struggles with himself and his decision to leave his wife Faith. He then sees her being converted to satanism by the deacon of his village, and he can't trust anyone. At the end we don't know if this was a dream or not, leaving it up to our own interpretation. 

More recent is the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Here we follow Bella Swan and her feelings for a vampire, Edward Cullen, and a werewolf, Jacob Black. While this story is more of a romance, it still deals with the classic mysterious themes with the supernatural. Bella falls in love with Edward and in the end turns into a vampire herself. 

This interest in the supernatural and mysterious has been continuing for centuries. Just as Brown was drawn to the forest, and Bella was drawn to the vampire, we are drawn to these types of stories due to the interest in the unknown. The intrest in a new discovery.

The Anti-Hero

Hero or not?

     When you think of a hero, you think of someone strong, a role model. Someone who is perfect in all ways.But lately, on TV you may notice a different type of hero; a more.. un-hero or an anti-hero. These characters lack the traditional heroic qualities.  

     This isn't a new idea, and has been seen throughout literature for years. A clear example can be found in Irving Washington's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The protagonist, Ichabod Crane has many of these anti-heroic traits that can be compared to modern anti-heroes. 

     Take Dr. House for example. At first glance hes the brilliant doctor saving lives, but on further inspection (not too much needed) you can easily tell he hates people. He believes everyone lies and trusts no one.

Similarly, Ichabod Crane hates the people of the town, and can't wait to get enough money through marriage, to leave. He just wants to marry Katrina to get his hands on her father's fortune.

     Another clear connection can be seen in their manipulation. Dr. House often manipulates his team to get them to do what he wants. He's not afraid to lie or break the rules to get there. Likewise, Ichabod Crane is willing to manipulate his students to make them like him so he can be invited for food at their homes. He wants money? No problem! He'll just marry Katrina. Problem solved.

     Lastly both Dr. House and Ichabod Crane are proud. Dr. House believes he's the best and that he's always right. There's no point even trying to argue, you can never win against House. Ichabod Crane believes he's the best dancer and singer even if the people disagree. Oh well, we can't all be perfect.

     Sometimes it's the heroes who make the difference; sometimes it's the anti-heroes. Either way, whether you decide to like them or not, they're the ones you're gonna follow and in the end,although you'll try and deny it, there will always be a little bit of liking for the anti heroes as well. Hope you found this

~Georgia