The excitement in the air when it is writing prompt day. This is probably the only time all year where Lang & Lit are both experiencing a prompt day, so it ends up busy and hand cramping for you and on the boring side for me. Don't worry - I have your essays to provide me with some mental stimulation all this week.
No matter what background you have in literary analysis, this diagnostic prompt really does help set the expectations for the class. You have to be able to close read, pick out literary elements, and then write about them in a timely fashion. For some of you, this is a natural step in the literary analysis progression; for some of you, you need a refresher on how to hunt down characterization, literary elements, and not rely on purpose and syntax anymore; for some of you, you need to hunker down and learn the way literature can be analyzed. Whatever the case, novice or veteran, there is room for growth and improvement - if you choose to accept feedback, work and learn from your classmates, and have the initiative to reach for upper-level analysis. It's not really Mission Impossible!
While I was reading this weekend, I came across a quote from actress Ellen Barkin, which she mentions is from Native American ideology: "It's not the climb up the ladder that defines who you are, but the climb down." I see a lot of kids the opening classes decide not to invest the energy in a class because they do not have expert status in it. That is unfortunate because a class (in any subject) is supposed to help you become experts or at least have a strong enough ethos to succeed. There will be times - multiple, sorry, it's life - where you will not be perfect, where you will say the wrong thing, where you will not write the best prompt, where you will have flaws. It is up to you take what you learn from the harrowing nature of imperfection and climb back up the ladder with greater balance, insight, and determination.
And on something no related whatsoever to AP Lit, during my readings I also came across someone who could fulfill a modern day hero for me: Sasha Dorothy Lowuekuduk, who is head keeper of the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya. She comes from a culture that is just starting to understand the role of education for women and using her voice and her heart to save baby elephants that are orphaned whether by natural or man-made (boo) actions.
For our block day - weird already not seeing you for a couple days - we will have some time with literary toolbox terms (bring your index card holder if that applies) and characterization - namely a little character analysis of a certain brusque, rude, and entitled character from The Great Gatsby.
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