I think I’ll start off by saying
that the terms test was one
of most challenging tests I’ve taken in a very long time…that test score rivals the ones I got when I attempted to take PreCalc! (And I tried to take that class twice (twice!) before abandoning ship & switching into FS^3!)
However, since I started preparing
for AP Lit I’ve come to realize that being able to understand something is more
complex than just memorizing definitions. I need to be able to apply the terms
to whatever I’m reading/learning/discussing. I’m currently halfway through the
Chapter 2 and 3 reading and being able to see the terms put into use in the
examples passages is helping me understand how to use & recognize them.
Working
on the Foster Presentation has helped me look more carefully at repeated symbols
or themes in pop culture. By looking at the Prezi presentations I’ve also
considered different types of rhetorical situations and arguments when applied
to modern day literature.
For example, my fashion magazines
obviously have a different purpose and audience than, say, my dad’s political
magazines.
The purpose of The
Nation, a political editorial, is to inform or persuade. I’m much more
familiar with Seventeen and I’d say
it definitely has mixed purposes – one hand it entertains, but it also informs.
The audience also offers different
viewpoints: different age groups, social/political differences, expectations,
etc. Writing Seventeen with the
vocabulary and opinions of an analysis of the Republican Party would not go
over very well.
I’d
also like to bring up something Ms. Holmes mentioned in class a few days ago. I
occasionally suffer from, as she put it, “Pompous Thirty-Five Year Old Man
Syndrome”. I tend to try to use big words and embellish whenever possible. (Let’s
just say that thesaurus.com is one of my “Most Visited” bookmarks & leave
it at that.) I’m trying to work on it, but if I ever get top-heavy or lose
focus, a constructive reminder is always appreciated.
"Pompous Thirty-Five Year Old Man Syndrome"...actually, I think you've been doing pretty well with avoiding it. Your posts sound intelligent but candid, and not annoying or pompous whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, too, understanding is something that we aren't really trained to do from a young age, instead, we're told to memorize as a way of "learning".
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ReplyDelete(So I apparently deleted my last post...so take two!)
ReplyDeleteThe terms test was one of the most hardest tests i've taken in awhile too! When I was taking it, I was thinking "Oh, psh yeah I got this!" and then when I submitted it...
I agree that what we're learning can't just be memorized, but understood. I think it's a bit hard to even just memorize things (...I have the memory of a goldfish).
I also agree with what Preeti said about the “Pompous Thirty-Five Year Old Man Syndrome”, you don't sound pompous. But I actually feel like I have the "syndrome". I try to make my essays sound "smarticle" all the time.
I agree with everyone else on the "Pompous Thirty-Five Year Old Man Syndrome" thing--you definitely do not come across as stuck up or full of yourself, but as someone with a strong vocabulary. I definitely know how you feel, though, since I have a hard time deciding when I've crossed the line from interesting to absurd diction. Also, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one suddenly seeing symbols in pop culture since doing the Foster presentation. It freaks me out a little bit that I can no longer see a meal on TV without thinking of communion.
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