1st Semester Reflection

English class this year has been much more challenging that any of my previous English classes. I have done a lot more reading and writing this year outside of class than I have in my high school career! I have enjoyed the small group and class discussions that we have had this year, especially the existentialism discussion! My vocabulary has certainly improved as has my reading comprehension. Perhaps my biggest improvement comes with thesis statements - I didn't learn how to write a proper one until this year!

I don't think that I have been frustrated by the concepts we have learned in class this year. However, I was frustrated by Shakespeare and Hamlet. I despise reading Shakespeare and even though I have read three plays by him now (all required for school), I still can't seem to enjoy his works. Besides that, I was frustrated in the beginning of the year by the amount of homework we were getting, but I have adapted!

Next semester, I hope to learn more about different forms of literature such as poetry. I also hope to read novels and nonfiction works written by authors who I have not read before. I hope to gain better writing skills and reading skills before I run off to college where, as an engineering major, I will take very few English classes.

Senior Year Update

One week. According to some people, I am overreacting and over stressing. Unfortunately I just can't help it. I want to know where I am going to spend the next four years of my life now. You could call me an impatient baby.

I guess the reason I am so nervous is because I (along with most people) have a fear of rejection. I get sick to my stomach when I think about the holistic review process - everything I have done these past four years is being judged. 

What makes it worse is that I made the mistake of looking back at my essays (Note: NEVER open your essays after you submit them. You don't want to try it.) In addition, in order to compensate for my lack of a strong application, I have been looking at past statistics so that I can feel better about myself. Yup, I give you permission to call me crazy.

As long as I don't get deferred (possibly the worst decision, in my opinion), I will be content. I poured my heart and soul (and brain) into these applications. I have no regrets. I just want to move on with my life towards bigger and better things - snowboarding, Senior Dinner Dance, graduation, traveling the world over summer break. Ah, but for now, all I can do is wait for one more week. I'll keep you guys apprised. 

Why I Hate Sarcasm

I hate sarcasm. Nothing makes me angrier than when someone responds jokingly to a serious question. People use sarcasm in order to try to appear as the class clown. Well, these jokes are not funny. In fact, sarcastic comments, in certain situations, can result in a fatality. 

Let me give you an example. Let us say that an actor was having a seizure in the middle of a play. You, being a doctor, ask the person next to you whether or not you should go and help. In turn, that person sarcastically says that there is no need to go and help as this is just part of the play. Unless you caught on to the sarcastic comments made by your neighbor, it is likely that the actor who was having a seizure could be seriously injured. This is why sarcasm should not be tolerated in society today - a small misunderstanding can be devastating.

Another reason sarcasm should not be tolerated is because of its effects on someone else's self-esteem. Let me give you another example. Let us say you are talking to your friend about the most recent chemistry test. Your friend thought he did poorly, and you did too. Instead of saying that you thought you did poorly, however, you sarcastically say that you thought the test was the easiest one yet! If your friend doesn't catch on to the sarcasm, this will really put a dent in your friend's self-esteem. Having a poor image of oneself is never a good thing.

Finally, sarcasm should not be used because it can give people invalid information. For example, if you ask a friend who killed JFK and the friend responds sarcastically that it was a conspiracy theory led by Lyndon B. Johnson, then you might not catch on to the sarcasm and believe that for the rest of your life. This incorrect piece of information will eventually spread to your children and close family, and will create a misconception that will make you look stupid until you are corrected. This ties back in to the self-esteem aspect. 

Oh, man. Don't you just love writing satires? ;)

The Plot Against America: A Review

The Plot Against America was an interesting read, possibly even the most interesting school-required readings I have completed to date. 

The story takes place in the 1940s in the United States. It is centered around Philip Roth (who is also the author), a boy who grows up in a Lindbergh-led America. Lindbergh defeated FDR for the presidency claiming that a vote for FDR was a vote for war. This seemed to work as all races voted for Lindbergh except the Jews. The Jews disliked Lindbergh due to his anti-Semitic speech that blamed the Jews for World War II. After his election, the story follows Roth's life and all the obstacles that he has to hurdle. Programs like the "Just Folks" and "Homestead 42" aim to help Jews assimilate to American culture (according to Lindbergh and his advocates), but are protested by Jews. I won't give too much more of the plot away - it's quite interesting.

*Beware, if you continue reading, there may be a few spoilers*

If there was downside of this story, it is that it did not live up to all of my expectations. I expected something dramatic to happen; maybe Lindbergh would set up concentration camps or help Hitler in his conquests. Maybe he would use the civilians army to attack Britain and make a dual-headed monster (with Germany) that controls the entire world. Unfortunately, though, all that happened was Lindbergh went missing and FDR regained the presidency. The plot was interesting and his writing style made me want to continue reading, but I think he could have come up with a much more exciting ending. Maybe Philip Roth, the author, was trying to get across a much bigger picture that I am not seeing right now, but I wish this story had a commercial-esque ending instead of a mysterious one that relied on the reader's inferences.

The Ultimate Smackdown: Fiction versus Nonfiction

"Fiction tries to run, but non-fiction is too fast!"
*smack*
"Ohhhhh, non-fiction had one good body slam right there. I think fiction might be out of this fight."
*one, two three*
"And that's the fight, ladies and gentlemen! Non-fiction prevails once again!"


This is what I think should ideally happen if fiction and nonfiction ever fight to see which one should be read more in primary and secondary school.  After reading an article on the Washington Post, I found that there are other people who have similar beliefs. Fiction is a fun read, one that is used to divert one's attention. Non-fiction is more difficult to read and it requires an attention span. Although  reading non-fiction is widely regarded to be more beneficial to one's intellectual development than reading fiction, students in grade-school read fiction more because of one simple fact - students don't have an attention span long enough to sit down for an extended period of time to analyze literature.

Now, I must say that older fiction and realistic fiction, for the most part, do have some value, but modern fiction is primarily useless as it is only written for commercial value. Take, for example, the Harry Potter Series. I love the series, but what did I gain from reading all the books? Nothing. There wasn't really a moral to the story and the text was simple to read: no difficult words, no phrases to ponder, etc. An even better example is Twilight. Absolutely no literary value. These books are very popular with today's youth (and yes, it is still better than watching TV), but they don't help us in any way.

As college approaches, students like us need to be well prepared to think about what we read. If non-fiction is not integrated into our curriculum, then more students will be left behind. Forget, NCLB; NCLB only focuses on the grade-school education, but it should be more farsighted and realize that those who read very little non-fiction will be impaired when they seek higher education.

Existentialism in Oedipus Rex

One day in class, we discussed how self-importance was a characteristic of existentialism. Well, after reading the first par of Oedipus Rex today, I can't help but to notice the selfishness that Oedipus Rex displays.

Take, for example, his talk with Kreon. Kreon claims that he is a sane man, so he would never want to take over he throne because it would result in a lot of stress. He wants to have extra freedoms, but he does not want to be overwhelmed by too much authority. Oedipus thinks that Kreon is trying to sabotage him so that he can win the throne. After all, it is hard to believe a seer who says that you killed your own father. Eventually, though, this conversation exposes how self-centered he is because he wants to banish Kreon from the kingdom without taking his story into account. His greed for power blinds him.

Another example is the discussion the priest had with the Oedipus prior to Kreon's arrival to the kingdom. Oedipus claims that he feels the pain and suffering much worse than every other citizen because he is the people's king. This isn't exactly vanity, but it shows that Oedipus lies in order to connect with his citizens. He is living a comfortable life in the palace, while all the average citizens are struggling to survive through the plague. Stretching the truth can relate to being selfish because it shows how he is trying to maintain a reputation so that he won't be overthrown as king.

My DI group discussed existentialism in Oedipus Rex and we all concluded that there are plenty of examples that show this philosophy. I guess Jean-Paul Sartre wasn't the first to invent existentialism. That honor goes to Sophocles.

The Horror of Thesis Statements

I've been writing thesis statements ever since sixth grade. Why, then, is it so difficult? Well, for starters, thesis statements aren't a plug-and-chug equation anymore. I can't just write "In [story name], the author conveys [theme] utilizing [literary device 1], [literary device 2], and [literary device 3]." Thesis statements incorporate much more now. For example, the short story analysis prompts ask specific questions that make the equation-like thesis statement invalid. Prompt 1 asks the writer to talk about the significance of the spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation to the story and to cite evidence to support the claim. Literary devices won't work in this thesis statement. A general theme of the story also won't work. Instead, one has to use a theme that discusses the significance of the spiritual reassessment and use evidence (instead of literary devices) for support.

Thesis statements are the source of many nightmares. I think it's simply because I am having to step out of my comfort zone and analyze the text. Before, themes used to be a short phrase; now they are long and specific to the story. Every action, every word spoken has to be looked at with a critical eye.

A poor thesis statement will result in a poorly written paper. Perhaps the importance of the thesis is why it's scary. I just can't grasp the concept that one sentence has to summarize the whole paper. If that one sentence is poorly written or does not incorporate enough detail, then the rest of the paper is useless.