"Well," I thought to myself, "she's using repetition for emphasis obviously. Also, the hyperbole thrown in there indirectly characterizes the movie as meaningful to her, so she is a synecdoche for...oh my gosh. I just analyzed a conversation as if my data sheet depended on it. I'm a freak."
AP English has warped my brain into full time analyzing mode and I realized I can't read, watch a movie, or even talk to a friend without subconsciously analyzing them. I can't read a book without thinking, "what would Serensky do" or "if I had an essay I would write..." Also, I reflexively pick up a pen to annotate almost everything, including my family's Harry Potter novels.They don't necessarily approve of this act, and I can't blame them...who would want to read a book that has a bunch of literary devices written in it? Answer: AP students. I find it very interesting how my perceptions of things have changed because of AP English. I find myself sitting down with my sister (who is also in AP English) and talking for an hour about the meanings of song lyrics or a magazine articles, that I never would have thought twice about before AP. Overall, I would say that this is a good thing. No matter how annoying my friends think I am because I pick apart their brains like a psychologist, AP English teaches you how to think, and in the end, that's what counts.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCat, don't feel like a freak. I can empathize with you. My sister is not in AP English, so therefore I do not have any intellectal conversations with her, but I have blirted out an occasional literary device in public before. Yes, it is a bit of a shock when you find yourself analyzing things outside of English class. And yes, once I did say "verbal irony" in a conversation and faced much scrutiny. Unless people experience AP English at Chagrin Falls High School, they may never quite understand.
ReplyDeleteCat, I can totally relate! Last night when I went to Penn Station with my mom for dinner, the guy who took our order mumbled under his breath and rolled his eyes at the actions of his co-workers. Immediately, in my head I thought, "through the use of his nonverbals, I can indirectly characterize this unfriendly worker as annoyed and frustrated with his employees." I had to stop myself before the analyization continued much further. I find all of this "applying AP English to the real word" rather entertaining and exciting. I think it shows how much we have learned since the beginning of junior year, especially how we have learned to not only think deeply about the situations in books but also about our surrounding environment. These skills, I believe, will set us apart from our peers as I doubt that many AP English students from other schools have these same experiences.
ReplyDeleteCat, I can easily relate to how you feel. I have found myself thinking, "Wow, that was a really effective juxtaposition of two contrasting scenes" when I watch a movie. And I'm pretty sure that the people who know me best are fully aware that juxtaposition is my favorite literary device. Also, Emily, I agree that I have changed so much since the beginning of junior year and have become smarter due to this class. I love applying the skills we have learned to my college essays where I feel like I need to analyze myself.
ReplyDeleteHi Cat! I completely agree with you! I find myself analyzing things I read so much more since the start of this class, but often, this class has taught me how to effectively analyze beyond the terms. I find I can more easily look at the big picture in reading and in actual situations in my life, and, however cliche it may sound, this class has helped me make better decisions in the real world.
ReplyDelete