The End of An Era

Dear Fellow AP English Students,
      I can hardly believe this is our last week of school! It seems like yesterday we were cowering in our first English class with Ms. Serensky, praying we would get out alive. It turns out, we made it through. We've read thousands of pages, complete with extensive literary analysis. We've written over a hundred pages worth of Data Sheets and SOAPStones, most of the time pulling all-nighters to complete them. We've read a ton of poems, which vary in topics from Lady Freedom to plums. We've faced off in eight extra credit multiple choice games. We've written countless journal entries and timed writings where our hands cramped up and we couldn't feel our fingers for the next couple of periods. We've learned so much and made it so far. The juniors who only wrote five-paragraph essays and freaked out over essay headings are gone, replaced be seniors who aren't afraid to look past the obvious. AP English has paved the way for us to learn to be smarter people in general, and looking back now, it's apparent that this class has shaped who we are as students. I want to wish my classmates, and the incoming senior class, best of luck in the future. Farewell, AP English!
Sincerely,
Cat C.

1. You learn how to ACTUALLY write an essay.
2. You learn what words like juxtaposition and lytote mean and how to apply them to almost any sentence.
3. You get to play extra credit multiple choice four times a year!
4. You recieve a list of funny quotes you and your classmates said at the end of every quarter.
5. You get writing partners!
6. You are able to watch Ms. Seresnky pick on and mimick the smart people.
7. You watch movies with Leonardo DiCaprio as the star.
8. You get to hear Ms. Seresnky's life story.
9. You get free food and candy while you play games and learn poetry for a sraight week.
10. You get to spend time with the smartest students in the school and receive stickers when you get A's!

AP Test Analysis

Ashima: "I don't understand it" (Lahiri, 45).
Algernon: "[This test] is a great bore, and, I need hardly say, [Cat is] a terrible disappointment to me" (Wilde, 18).
Ashima: "It's a pity [she] can't [write]" (Lahiri, 149).
Iago: "Patience, I say. Your mind may change" (Shakespeare, 3.3.449).
Algernon: "[This test] is awfully hard work...I don't mind hard work where there is no definite object of any kind (Wilde, 17).
Iago: "Call up her father, / ...make after him, poison his delight" (Shakespeare, 1.1.64-65).
Algernon: "Relations are simply a tedious pack of people, who haven't got the remotest knowledge of how to live" (Wilde, 15).
Ashima: "[Cat's] working too hard...I hope [she's] not getting an ulcer" (Lahiri, 164).
Iago: "It were a tedious difficulty.../...to [write so much].../....Where's the satisfaction?" (Shakespeare, 3.3.394-398).
Algernon: "I happen to be serious about [writing]. What on earth you are serious about I haven't got the remotest idea." (Wilde, 40).

"The Vital Importance of Being Earnest"

       Out of all of the works of literature we read this year for AP English, the play The Importance Of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, remains my favorite! From the comical  superficiality of Lady Bracknell to the comedy surrounding the foolish ladies Cecily and Gwendolen, the consistent humor presented in this play was a change from the darkness of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Everything Matters! "and not a bad one either"(41, Wilde)! The best part of the play was, however, being able to read it out loud during class, with other students acting out the different parts. Sam took his role as the servants Lane and Merriman, with a very serious , "Thank you, sir" (8, Wilde). Alex executed the role of Algernon with a perfect british accent. When John, who was reading Chasuble's lines, attempted to follow in Alex's footsteps, he came across as more of a Forrest Gump then Prince Charles. "I am afraid you have very little experience in how to" perform a british accent, John, but it was nonetheless very entertaining (11, Wilde). Carley read Gwendolen's lines, and Jackie read Cecily's, of who Ms. Serensky said "was the least intelligent and most bizarre character in the play." The drama that happens between the characters and the absurdness Wilde incorporates in the plot made this play very enjoyable and interesting, and I wished we had had the time in class to read more books aloud, because it greatly added to the experience.

Top Ten!

1. Finishing my first Data Sheet for Othello! This huge amount of work made our SOAPStones from junior year look pathetic. 24 pages of literary analysis: "This subject seems distasteful to most," but when I finally finished the work, I couldn't help but feel proud of myself (Wilde, 36).
2. Getting a 5 on my AB Calculus AP exam was another of my proudest moments in high school. It was the only test I have gotten a 5 on, and it was so nice to see all my hard work pay off. I am a very impatient person, so I thought I was not diligent enough "to learn such a skill," and surprised even myself when I finally received the scores in July (Lahiri, 161).
3. Receiving my college acceptance letter to Denison University. "The news [inspired] me with feelings of unmixed delight" (Wilde, 35).
4. The time my multiple choice team won first place! This was the first time I had ever been on a team that won and "They laugh that win" (Shakespeare, 4.1.124)!
5.  When I realized I actually learned things in Spanish class. I went to Spain this past spring break, and stayed with a woman who spoke no English at all. Every time I opened my mouth to talk to her I thought to myself, "You'll be ashamed forever" once she realizes how dumb you are (Shakespeare, 2.3.161). Surprisingly, we ended up conversing with ease, and I figured out I actually new Spanish!
6. Being able to rock out with Mark Wood! For those of you who aren't well versed in famous string players, Mark Wood is the lead violist for the Trans Siberian Orchestra. He's an amazing player, and my freshman year, he came to Chagrin and put on a concert with us! He taught me a lot about playing a musical instrument in general: "Don't play accurately...play with wonderful expression" (Wilde, 1).
7. Surviving AP Psychology. This class, normally taught as a full year course, was one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. The sheer amount of information one has to memorize is nearly impossible! Eventually, I learned to approach the class "without guilt, or misgiving, or expectation of any kind" (Lahiri, 214).
8. Receiving my first English sticker. It was the one thing academically I "had silently, faithfully, absurdly, desired" (Lahiri, 214).
9. Getting on the blog banter for the first time! I sat there, week after week, listening to everyone's name get called as Ms. Seresnky praised them for their witty blogs, and thought "In happy time" my name will be called (Shakespeare, 3.1.29). When my English teacher finally did put my blog on her banter, I was so happy it was ridiculous!
10. Silkscreening my first shirt! This was something I had always dreamed about doing, and finally accomplished in printmaking last year. Even though my design was "not very pleasant. Indeed...not even decent," I couldn't help but feel proud of my piece of art (Wilde, 7).

"Sestina"

       My favorite poem from this year in AP English was "Sestina," by Elizabeth Bishop. At first glance, I did not understand the thought that went into the writing of this poem, mostly because I did not understand what a Sestina poem was. This type of poem has very strict rules regarding the repetition of certain words at the end of each line. I could never write this type of poem because I am "too [impatient] to learn such a skill" (Lahiri, 161). The fact that "Sestina" was written in such a strict writing style is very subtle, however, so I simply found the poem very impressive. The poem also created a sense of curiosity in me: if I were to write a Sestina, which words would I repeat? Believe it or not I spent a lot of time pondering this, before my head began to hurt and I decided, "such concerns make no sense here" (Lahiri, 158). Reading the poem, I was also surprised upon realizing the strictness of this type that the poem was still very fluid and diverse, although the same words were repeated at the end of every line. I thought that Bishop must see these restrictions "as a single afternoon's challenge, an anomaly never to be repeated" (146). The way she could write a poem that actually makes sense with such restrictions really impressed me. Overall, "Sestina" is my favorite because it really demonstrates how difficult poetry can be to write, and demonstrated to me the skill of the poet.

MC Madness

       My favorite day in AP English can be described in two letters: MC. After an embarrassing loss to the Dream Team at the end of first semester, I knew I was going to "arise black vengeance" and redeem myself (Shakespeare, 3.3.444). When the bell rang signaling the start of third period, I was already in my desk surrounded by two of my three teammates (Kaleigh decided to be sick), ready to get started. Ms. Serensky then passed out our MC (multiple choice) packets and our group answer sheet, and gave us five minutes to wrap up our answers. After a couple minutes of bickering and silently wishing Kaleigh was there to tell us the correct answer (whenever Team 3 disagrees, Kaleigh is ALWAYS right), Ms. Seresnky notified us that our time "expired. Expired" (Lahiri, 169). The word echoed in my head as I watched Emily bring up our answer sheet to our teacher's desk. Ms. Serensky then chose a Katie Ciabotti as the scorekeeper, and the game began. One by one, the tallies next to our group's name added up, giving us a sense of unease- no way could we be this good. Our streak couldn't last forever. Then Ms. Seresnky cleared her throat and announced that Kaleigh O'Hara had won the highest individual score! My group clapped for our beloved team member, our faces alit with pride. We continued on the the game, and after the last question had been answered, I looked up at the board to see the results. Team 3, my gorgeous wonderful team, had won! The Dream Team's faces were priceless. "That is there tragedy," I thought as I glanced around the room at my fellow students (Wilde, 17). My team had finally won the multiple choice game, making it my favorite day in AP English class so far!