2. Letter – Write a letter to your future self. Include the following in your letter:
- How do feel about yourself at present? What obstacles are you dealing with at present? (Use your journal to cull ideas from our global citizenship work).
- What positive things are happening? Think about Mr. Rogers and his positive ideas of self.
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? How will school turn out? What job do you expect to have? What will your love life be like? What will you relationship with family and friends be like?
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Do you expect to be married? Children? Traveling? Working?
- Reflect on the course. What books, stories, poems had the greatest impact on you? What concepts will you take with you? Has your reading and/or writing style changed? Are there any other general, memorable moments?
- Tell yourself what book you want to read and why.
3. Mementos – You may include anything that you want your future self to see from your present.
4. Your Ideal Bookshelf – Use the link below to visit the website and get ideas. Create a vivid image, photograph of your ideal bookshelf. What books changed your life? What books shaped you into the person you are today. Can you see yourself in the list? When you finish, out it in your time capsule.
Mr. Pellerin's Ideal Bookshelf from 2016
5. Book – This is essential. Your future self will just pick it out and read it.
6. Final Reflection Blog - In this blog space, reflect on the course. What worked for you? What did you learn? What lessons or units were most effective and why? What books, stories, poems had the greatest impact on you? What concepts will you take with you? Has your reading and/or writing style changed? Are there any other general, memorable moments?
Here's what we read this year:
Major Works
Jhumpa Lahiri, Unaccustomed Earth
Tim O’Brien, In a Lake of the Woods
Michael Cunningham, The Hours
Jane Austen, Persuasion
Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
Albert Camus, The Stranger
Alan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams
Short Stories
Margaret Atwood, Happy Endings
James Baldwin, Sonny’s Blues
Short Stories
Margaret Atwood, Happy Endings
James Baldwin, Sonny’s Blues
James Baldwin, Going to Meet the Man
Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants
Shira Nayman, The House of Kronenstrasse
Nikolai Gogol, The Overcoat
Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol
Amy Tan, A Pair of Tickets
Drama
Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants
Shira Nayman, The House of Kronenstrasse
Nikolai Gogol, The Overcoat
Jhumpa Lahiri, Gogol
Amy Tan, A Pair of Tickets
Drama
Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Film
I am Not Your Negro (2016)
The 13th (2016)
Marjorie Prime (2017)
Mr. Rogers & Me (2012)
Ghosts (1990)
A Doll House (1988)
Hamlet (1990)
Hamlet (1996)
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
Poetry
Marge Piercy, Barbie Doll
Richard Wilbur, A Barred Owl
Billy Collins, The History Teacher
Taylor Mali, Like, Totally Whatever
Jan Heller Levi, Not Bad, Dad, Not Bad
Theodore Roethke, My Papa’s Waltz
Billy Collins, Introduction to Poetry
Sharon Olds, First Hour
Ted Hughes, Hawk Roosting
Mark Doty, Golden Retrievals
Andrew Marvell, A Dialogue Between the Soul and Body
Richard Wilbur, Advice to a Prophet
Taylor Mali, What Teachers Make
Rita Dove, Fifth Grade Autobiography
Seamus Heaney, Mid-Term Break
Robert Penn Warren, Evening Hawk
Laura Gilpin, The Two-Headed Calf
Stephen Dunn, Death of a Colleague
Ted Kooser, Selecting a Reader
Gerad Manley Hopkins, The Habit of Perfection
Taylor Mali, The The Impotence of Proofreading
John Donne, Death Be Not Proud
William Shakespeare, Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds
Poetry
Marge Piercy, Barbie Doll
Richard Wilbur, A Barred Owl
Billy Collins, The History Teacher
Taylor Mali, Like, Totally Whatever
Jan Heller Levi, Not Bad, Dad, Not Bad
Theodore Roethke, My Papa’s Waltz
Billy Collins, Introduction to Poetry
Sharon Olds, First Hour
Ted Hughes, Hawk Roosting
Mark Doty, Golden Retrievals
Andrew Marvell, A Dialogue Between the Soul and Body
Richard Wilbur, Advice to a Prophet
Taylor Mali, What Teachers Make
Rita Dove, Fifth Grade Autobiography
Seamus Heaney, Mid-Term Break
Robert Penn Warren, Evening Hawk
Laura Gilpin, The Two-Headed Calf
Stephen Dunn, Death of a Colleague
Ted Kooser, Selecting a Reader
Gerad Manley Hopkins, The Habit of Perfection
Taylor Mali, The The Impotence of Proofreading
John Donne, Death Be Not Proud
William Shakespeare, Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds
I enjoyed many aspects of this course and had many memorable moments. My favorite read was The Hours. I never read a book where it was split up between three different stories. My favorite was Ms. Brown’s story as I feel like her thoughts and feelings were very understandable to me. For example her desire to escape and feeling trapped within her life. I feel like in high school I have been stuck in the same routine day after day and some days I just want to stop and do my own thing, but I can't because of what's at stake. My favorite theme which I feel was incorporated in many of the works we read was ghosts and how past actions can come back to haunt you. I think this idea is very relevant in anyone's life and I liked how easily it could be connected to. I also loved that for the majority of plays/novels we read we watched a movie. It was a good way to incorporate different types of media and really helped me understand better. My most memorable and happy moment in class was definitely watching everyone perform their Hamlet plays. They were funny but it was still obvious everybody put a lot of thought and work into them. It was a fun twist on spending more time understanding such a tricky play. Overall I am very happy I decided to take this course and had a great time this year. I will miss it and everyone so much next year :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book to read this year was The Stranger because it was one of the most unique books I have ever read. It really challenged the traditional way of thinking and made me reflect on why we act the way we do and why some things are considered socially acceptable while others are not. I enjoyed the open discussion style of the class where I could talk if I wanted to or sit back and listen to what others had to say. I learned that having a discussion is necessary to understanding a book. I find that without a conversation I don’t get anything out of reading. My favorite activity that we did this year was the Hamlet plays where we integrated our own music. I think this activity helped me understand the play and gave me a chance to be as creative as I wanted. The play also allowed me to get to know some of my classmates even better. AP English Literature and Composition felt much less like an AP class and more like a book club where you could share your ideas and opinions in an open environment without being judged. Thanks to all of you for a great English class and an even greater four years at AHS!
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved about this course was how we took time to understand each and everything that we read. Before taking this class, I was nervous that it would be too fast paced and that I would never learn to understand what I was reading. The class turned out to be completely the opposite, we discussed everything we read and watched movies which helped clarify tricky plotlines. I felt like whenever it was time to write an essay after a book, I actually knew what I was talking about. My favorite pieces that we read were The Hours, Unnaccustomed Earth, Ghosts, and Hamlet. I really liked how with these pieces we looked into the background of the author and the history of the book in order to maintain a deeper understanding. That is something I haven't really done in other English classes before, I loved knowing who wrote each piece and why they wrote it. I think that was one of the most important lesson from this course for me- knowing what you are reading will really help you understand the pieces better. I also liked how we were able to make connections between different pieces of literature like Ghosts and A Doll’s House, and Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours. I think my reading style has changed because of how much analysis I now know books can have. By the end of the year I knew how to search for a deeper meaning in everything, which made reading more worthwhile. That also influenced my writing, as I am now more analytical. That skill really helped me lengthen my essays, as before this course they were always really short. I am so happy I took this course and I will miss it a ton!!
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I really enjoyed this class and I think it has made a big impact on myself as a reader and a writer. This year I have learned how to write more efficiently in a shorter amount of a time, and accomplish more in fewer words. Before this year I tended to write a lot of unnecessary things in my essays and this year I feel like I am able to show my voice through my writing as well as analyze the work. I feel like a much stronger writer than I did a year ago. Additionally, writing essays in 45 minutes has helped me manage my time wisely when approaching my work and how I take tests. My favorite books that we read were Hamlet, Persuasion and A Doll House. These felt like major works to understand and so it is nice to have read them and comprehend the themes in them, especially Hamlet. I also loved the summer reading and I found each of the books good to reflect on as we read the other works in class. Something new that I gained from this class this year is that I often look back at what we talk about in class and think about the reading outside of class. It was nice to feel invested in the topics and works we were discussing and I think this experience will open my mind to English classes in college next year. I think I have grown a lot because of this class and I am really happy that I took it. Thank you for making the class very engaging and fun all year!
ReplyDeleteLike the other people who have commented, I absolutely loved this class. For the first time in a long time, we were actually given the opportunity to sit down and appreciate life and books and writing and poetry and just absorb it for what it is instead of analyzing the poor thing and beating it to death. I really enjoyed being able to do that, especially because it helped me remember why I love reading and writing. Thank you for that, Mr. Pellerin! I think this year my voice as a writer has gotten much stronger and more confident, and I am able to approach challenges with the knowledge of how to do them, and the knowledge that no matter what score I get, I really will be just fine. I loved having a poem of the day. I loved the summer reading books, and I definitely think they should be incorporated into the syllabus again next year. Hamlet, Ibsen, Baldwin, the poems, the short stories, and most of the major works (Jhumpa Lahiri and Tim O'Brien were some of my favorites...) were wonderful. I know it's hard to fit everything in, but the things were able to do this year were incredibly impactful. I also liked The Stranger, especially as an end of the year book. Thank you so much for such a wonderful year.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this course and I feel that I learned a lot through the various works we read or from the films we watched; I felt that I took away something significant or meaningful from each work. I also really liked how we took time to understand everything that we read and how we did not rush through anything or over analyze things. This class also taught me the importance of having discussions and really thinking about literature’s connection to our world whether it be in ways of thinking, ideas about how one lives their life or what our experiences teach us. I especially liked the unit we did on racism and James Baldwin because I felt that it really helped to broaden my perspective on this issue. In addition, Jhumpa Lahiri’s works such as Unaccustomed Earth also allowed me to broaden my perspective as I read about the lives of Indian-American immigrants and how the generations that came after them struggled to find their place in the world. I also really liked the writing style of her short-stories and how each one was similar, yet contained different meanings. Also, I liked reading Camus’s The Stranger because it was a very different type of book that I had never been exposed to before. I enjoyed his simple writing style as it contained very deep ideas and thoughts about the nature of one’s existence. Similar to Kate, I definitely feel that my writing has gotten stronger and more confident as I feel that I am able to approach challenges and write knowing that I know the material and that it is not the end of the world if I do badly. Overall, I am so glad that I took this course as I learned so much through our discussions and blog posts and I loved how it didn’t feel like a demanding, stressful AP class, but rather a nice, flexible place where we could discuss literature in a real, open way.
ReplyDeleteAs is true for any of my classes, what worked best for me were the in-class discussions we had about deep, prevalent topics that were created from contributions from everyone in the class. I learned more about race, single stories, happiness, aestheticism, and existentialism. The most effective lesson for me revolved around race and culture, so the lessons about James Baldwin and Jhumpa Lahiri and their respective work. My favorites were Going to Meet the Man, Unaccustomed Earth, The House on Kronenstrasse and The Importance of Being Earnest. Each one gave me something to think about and absorb but I also enjoyed the writing. Plus, they led to some passionate conversations, which I'm always in favor of. I’m going to take my deepened understanding of aestheticism and existentialism with me, since these were concepts I struggled with at the beginning but grew to understand. I think my writing has matured and become more concise and straightforward. The most memorable piece of this course was getting to spend time with newfound friends and create meaningful bonds with them. I enjoyed the topics we covered and the readings we did but, in all honesty, I value the friendships I created in this class most of all. Thank you, Mr.P, for giving me a really valuable, meaningful experience through my last high school English class.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this class, and was able to take something from everything we read. I thought all of our discussion in class were helpful to me in my understand of the books, although I wish the class as a whole participated in the discussions more, myself included. The blog responses were also helpful to me, and I really liked reading what my classmates took from the same piece that I read. The blog also helped me to become more comfortable in class, and I wasn’t as shy sharing in class as I normally am in other classes. I really liked our units that were aimed at making us more global citizens, and made us more aware of what’s happening in our country, like everything we did with racism. My favorite things we read this year were the two Ibsen plays. I thought his insight into human psychology was incredible, especially given the fact that psychology wasn’t something that was really thought about at the time he was writing. I have become a more critical reader this year. I do wish that we had read more novels and fewer plays this year, although I did really like all the plays we read. I’m happy I took this course because it introduced me to a lot of authors, like Ibsen and Camus, who I likely would not have picked up otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI was nervous coming into this class. I didn't think I was capable of the bootcamp I had heard so much about from the seniors last year and I felt pretty inferior overall in regards to my writing. This class turned out to be one of the best and most comfortable places I found myself in this year. I was able to focus on reading and thinking and further developing my relationship with literature rather then doing nothing but stress and prepare for a test that ultimately wouldn't matter. The books mattered, the discussions mattered, and I read things (basically every play) that I would never have wanted to or bothered to read on my own and actually loved them. The same thing happened with the films we watched. They were intentional and dense with amazing information (particular favorites were I am not your Negro and The 13th) that strengthened out understanding of what we were reading and doing in class. I think one of my favorite memories was when Chris and Mr.P were acting out the scene when Hamlet and his mother are arguing before Hamlet killed Polonius. Amazing acting. 10/10. I loved this class and am really going to miss it.
ReplyDeleteThis course was undoubtedly my favorite of the year. I loved being able to delve deeply into so many works over the course of the year, and I especially liked learning about the various literary and philosophical movements that formed the intellectual zeitgeist that created the specific books and short stories we read. My favorite unit was the unit about James Baldwin that we did at the beginning of the year; I really felt that it allowed us to connect the issues inside the short stories we read in the classroom to the broader systemic problems in the world at large that seem especially salient in the political climate of today. The work we read that had the greatest impact on me was Ibsen’s Ghosts. I felt that Ghosts was really interesting for me in how Ibsen critiqued the traditional notions of morality in his era, but I also felt that the characters were deeply complex and relatable even today. I also especially liked the use of the blog space to respond to the reading we did. It felt like an extension of the classroom, and I really valued the conversations and dialogue that we were able to have through our blog space. I think that my reading and writing styles have changed to focus more on the micro and less on the macro; This class has definitely helped my close-reading and close-writing ability. A memorable moment for me was the lively debate and discussion that we had at the beginning of the year over the implications of Baldwin’s and Coates’s pieces, especially between me and Michael. I’ve loved this class so much, and want to truly and deeply thank everyone who made it into the experience that it was, especially Mr. Pellerin!
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ReplyDeleteI want to start out by thanking everyone for their contributions to this class. Like Aiden said, I was nervous coming into this class as I was unsure of my analytical, writing, and reading skills and wasn’t sure if I could handle the workload. However, I soon learned that everyone was in the same boat, and this sense of community really helped shape the entire class. I loved the blog and its contribution to the course as I felt that it carried the books, topics, and ideas far outside the walls of the classroom. It also helped as a way to share ideas and understand the text far better by communicating with classmates. Like many have already said, I felt as though my analytical skills improved significantly and I liked how with each text we read there was always a little more to uncover with each question and idea. This skill is so important, and I found myself searching for deeper meaning in the books I read outside of class as well. My favorite works included Hamlet, The Importance of Being Earnest, Jhumpa Lahiri’s short stories, and (even though it was hard to understand and we were pressed for time) I really enjoyed Mrs. Dalloway. In terms of poetry, I remember the very first class when we read the poem of the day (I believe it was Not Bad, Dad, Not Bad), and I was so excited to discover that poetry would be a part of the course as well. Before, I hadn’t really realized that poetry was part of AP Lit, but I’m grateful that we studied it as well because I can definitely see it as equal parts literature and art. Memories I will take with me include visiting the portal, freaking out over multiple choice only to realize that it wouldn’t affect my score all that much, spending a whole class talking about the weird things we do as a society, watching the Hamlet musicals, and the time in November when we had three essays to write in a week and we felt totally overwhelmed contrasted with May when we wrote three essays in 120 minutes and felt fine. That last one shows just how far we’ve come in a mere 7 months. Thank you, Mr. Pellerin, for supporting us and making this class so meaningful and memorable. Sosha
My writing style has definitely changed, and this course helped me to love reading more. There's always a deeper meaning behind each book. The discussions in class is one of my favorite parts even though I never talked. I enjoyed listening to what other people had to say about literature. This blog space became a place where I can voice my opinions when I don't have the nerve to speak out in person. The short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri are so powerful because it resonates with me the most. I feel the same way as the characters that I'm not just this one-layered person. I am in the middle of two cultures. Sometimes I feel like I'm Chinese. At other times I feel like I'm American. The Hours and Hamlet talk about death, and that draws my attention. I've always wondered what our purpose in life is, or how should we live meaningful lives? Then there came The Stranger that really challenged me. AP Lit provided me a gateway to dive into other worlds through different types literature. In a way, they all relate to our daily lives. I love it when we start talking about the weird things we do as a society as Sosha said. Looking back we did do a lot of work. I remember the time when I was freaking out about all the books we had to read and the essays we had to write. It was all worth it. Thank you Mr. Pellerin for pulling us through:))
ReplyDeleteTaking AP Literature along with Dramatic Literature was truly a tremendous experience, as it allowed me to explore a variety of genres and topics through the medium of literature. Initially, I presumed that this class would be like most other English Classes in the way that it was taught: read through a book and continue to the next one without analyzing the topics and ideas expressed in the work to a comprehensive extent. This class differs from others I have taken in the past because of just how in depth we analyze text and the author’s inherent message in their writing. Books like Albert Camus’ The Stranger and Henrik Ibsen’ A Doll House matured my understanding and grasp of social constructs, morality, and even the human condition. While works of literature encompassing philosophy and existentialist ideology have been a part of my history of reading, my ideas have never been challenged as much as they were in reading several of these books. Although some of the books our class read like Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway didn’t really capture my interest initially, I will not hesitate to read these books several years in the future. All literature, regardless of an author’s motive, possesses value. Maybe my mind has not matured to the point that I can truly appreciate what Virginia Woolf has to offer in her novel, hence why I may have not been as interested in it as the other books we have read. Even though this is an AP course, I did not feel that you taught to the test, but rather taught us in a way that allowed us to delve into works and conceptualize the meanings behind them. As a result, I think not only I, but the rest of the class did really well on the AP test. Nevertheless, it is not a good score on the AP exam that will stay with me as I continue my journey through college and beyond, but rather the ideas of the novels and plays we explored. Although some books did not appeal to me as much as others, I will be sure to revisit them in the future. I sincerely enjoyed the class, and there is no one to thank but you Mr. Pellerin. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this course has been very fun. I enjoyed the first half of class especially because we had an engaging discussion on James Baldwin and the article, “The First White President”. I thought these conversations were very interesting and it helped me learn about many different viewpoints. I think my reading style changed the most because I realized when reading books like “Hamlet” having a discussion is important to understand everything. It helps you think about other ideas that may have occurred in the story that one may have missed. The discussion part of the class made me look for ideas within the text so that I would be ready in class which made me critically think while reading My favorite part of the class is when we presented our Hamlet plays. It was my favorite because how funny and creative they were. Overall this class was worth it and I’m glad my 3 on the diagnostic essay didn’t deter me from taking this class. I’ve had so many good memories. Thank you, Mr. Pellerin!!!!
ReplyDeleteOver the course of this year, we have covered a lot of ground in this class. I’d say that the topic that was the most new to me was our unit on existentialism/absurdism. I thought The Stranger was very interesting because of those ideas and concepts we discussed. I also liked reading the Ibsen plays. I liked the story and themes of those plays, especially when we considered the time period and social structure of when they were written. I also liked reading Persuasion. While the language was difficult to get through, I found the story and characters engaging and entertaining. I also found Unaccustomed Earth really interesting. I think every person or every family has an immigrant story of sorts, whether it's literally a story of moving from one place to another or a story of doing something new and trying to be accepted. The themes reminded me a lot of my family’s history. I also really liked Hamlet because it is such a famous work. Overall I really enjoyed learning about lots of different styles of literature over the course of the year! Thank you Mr. Pellerin for guiding us through every piece of work we did this year and putting so much effort into teaching our class!
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I must say that I am stunned at how fast this course has wrapped up. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the pressure of college applications were lifted halfway through, but somehow senior year has felt like only have the length of every other year in high school. Still, looking back, I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoyed the class and grew a lot in the process. First, I really enjoyed the breadth of the reading. I felt that it covered a variety of topics from gender inequality to existentialism to class issues and really broadening my scope of knowledge. Second, I thought that the class discussions were especially helpful in breaking down more difficult books in a generally entertaining and engaging manner. Third, I liked how the class included some AP test preparation but was really more focused around the literature itself as opposed to being structured the other way around. And finally, I liked how the class was complimented with film to help us understand classics such as Hamlet in both their original forms and with the aid of (slightly) more modern visual depictions. Overall, I am really glad that I took this class and would take it again in a heartbeat. Thank you Mr. Pellerin.
ReplyDeleteI truly adored this course. I thought that the discussion based learning was very helpful, because it allowed all students to have the opportunity to speak their minds without fear of judgment or being wrong. I also really enjoy the layout of the classroom as well as the ambiance, because if feels less like a cinder block classroom and more of a welcoming environment. I feel like I learned more about myself than I would have in a regular English course, because the blog responses acted as more of a way to let our thoughts flow and develop as we wrote them rather than an assigned question that I had to find the right answer to. I think that as I wrote my blog responses i wrote them to think and explore rather than to define, if that makes any sense. Throughout the many units and lessons we had, some of my favorites were the Jhumpa Lahiri unit at the beginning of the year and the short but sweet Mr. Rogers unit at the very end. I felt like the class came full circle with those two because they were both about love and acceptance. I specifically liked the story Gogol, and the Namesake, because I liked how they were about self discovery and acceptance, while still dealing with very real world issues. I think that these lessons will serve me well in the near future, as I further discover who I truly am and what I want to become when I go off to college. I feel like throughout the class my writing has greatly improved. I feel like I can write well developed essays now and have a greater use of vocabulary. I also think that I am able to convey my thoughts better when I write. And finally, if I had to pick a most memorable moment, it would have to be Mr. P singing a duet with Chris. That performance could give me joy even in the darkest of time. Thank you for an amazing year!
ReplyDeleteOverall, I thoroughly enjoyed this course. The summer assignment was one thing that worked for me. I really enjoyed the three novels and the work along with them were helpful, but not overbearing or stressful. I also liked writing the journals/blog posts because they are a good way to reflect on new things we learned. By reading and watching the material this year I learned many new things. Not only did I learn the plots and themes of the many works but they all connected to larger meanings and ways of thinking which I now can better understand. I liked most of the short stories that we read, my favorites are The House of Kronenstrasse, The Overcoat , Gogol, and A Pair of Tickets. Each of these stories were very captivating and interesting. My favorite major works are In a Lake of the Woods and A Doll House. These works affected me greatly because I had never read anything like them. I will definitely take with me the new ways of looking at life illustrated in our readings. I feel as though my writing style has changed due to the practice essays, but also because of all the new styles of writing we studied. My reading style has definitely become more analytical and I am more aware of the meanings of things. In general, I really enjoyed how we watched a lot of movies, which helped me to visualize and become more interested in the topics we covered. On a lesser scale, I also enjoyed the poems everyday, and the general open atmosphere in the classroom. Thanks for a great class experience!
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ReplyDeleteThis was definitely one of the better courses I've taken in high school. I think one main reason for this is the way in which it was taught. Usually, English classes I've been in are monotonous and repetitive, and reading literature is often made a chore rather than an enriching practice. In this class, I was made aware of the parallels between literature — which is often viewed as just antequated, old, dense text — and the present day. The social hierarchies presented throughout Ibsen's plays, as well as in Mrs. Dalloway, for instance, exist even today, albeit at a lesser degree. The existentialist and absurdist claims discussed by Camus in "The Stranger" are still significant matters of contention today, and many philosophy classes in college have entire socratic seminars designed around them. The notions of racism and race-based identity that we discussed earlier in the year with James Baldwin are also more relevant than ever. The idea of identity also goes back to Gogol, and what a name entails. This list could go on and on. Although a bit cliché, I'm a firm believer in the idea that the more one knows, the more one realizes how much one does not know, and I think this quote manifests itself perfectly in this class.
ReplyDeleteAnyone can learn long, fancy words and use elevated diction in their writing. Anyone can learn eloquent syntax and implement it in their essays. However, thinking critically about literature — the relationships between characters, the underlying themes, the intricate way the plot unravels — isn't easy. It is, though, one of the only ways one can truly claw at the roots of a particular novel or play, and understand the larger purpose it serves. That's one of the things I loved about this class. We weren't tested on details, or quizzed on our ability to use proper rhetoric. Rather, we were taught to think. Whether it be through blog posts like these (which I truly loved), journal entries, or in-class discussions, we took a more dynamic approach to literature, rather than a conventional, static one.
Overall, I loved this course, and without a doubt, I will take what I learned in this course to college and beyond.
For some reason, I’m crying as I write this. The reason being is I kind of had a life-changing experience. All this time, I was always perplexed why people always sobbed at funerals, reminiscing over the past, being unable to cope with the loss of someone close to them. At times, it was alienating, not feeling how others felt about their loved ones passing, only able to mildly understand their grief. But, today, as I was losing my mind over some packet, for a class I hated, I had an honest heart to heart with someone. It wasn’t the heart to heart that started this crying but something that happened at the end. The person I was talking to said, “Yo thanks a lot I’m gonna give u a apple juice tomorrow.” This one text message somehow did so much for me, I broke down, sobbing like people at funerals, except, I was laughing, I was enjoying this crying. It was a rare experience but one that I wanted to keep on going, cause it was just natural, all I needed was for someone to say something that was just honest and true to their character. Of course, this wouldn’t mean much, or make any sense for the matter, to anyone reading but, to me, it feels as though I peeked inside my soul for a good second, or minute, or 10. Kind of like Meursault, how he felt nothing for anyone, but eventually has this epiphany of how his mother wanted to lead a new life, and uses his new understanding of the human condition when he gets sent off to be executed. Mr. Pellerin, I’m sorry for not making this about my experience throughout this entire course, this moment was too perfect to truly allow it to happen without being mentioned. I did enjoy the course, I wish we had finished our Ibsen plays because I thought my group’s was going to be great. If I finished it at some point, would you be down to read it in its entirety? Once again, Mr. Pellerin, sorry for everything, and also, again, because of this blog not being much of a reflection but more of an introspection. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sweet John. I personally didn’t have this experience yet but I hope to sometime between now and graduation. There is a sort of mystical charm in looking back and remembering good times with friends.
DeleteAll in all, this was an extremely fun and enjoyable course and I was introduced to a variety of new and old authors and stories. I discovered the sharp and biting wit of Oscar Wilde through The Importance of Being Earnest, the stifling yet unintentional cruelty and oppression of marriage through Henrik Ibsen's A Dolls House, the grossly erotic primal gratification of inflicting racial violence in James Baldwin's Going to Meet the Man, and the crushing weight of grief and legacy through Lahiri's Gogol (specifically the movie) and more so through Shakespeare's Hamlet. This last discovery and lesson is most welcome as I had always thought that Hamlet was only about the bleak nature of existence, so finding a deeper moral about dealing with the death of loved ones and how we try to carry on their legacy was very surprising and gratifying. That unit on Hamlet was the most interesting and effective one, as it brought new life and meaning to a story everyone knows yet few have read. The unit on The Stranger was also very fun and impactful, as the story brought to life ideas I held about everyday existence that I had never given words to before. The concepts of dealing with grief in Hamlet and existentialism in The Stranger are ones that will be rattling around in my brain for a long time. Due to our journal entries, blog responses, and you help with my College essay, I think I have become a better writer, a slightly more concise one at least, hopefully. I will remember my experience in this class for a very long time, especially your vigor and infectious enthusiasm in teaching, Mr Pellerin. And Alex's dumb fur coat he wore after getting into Yale. Thanks for everything Mr. Pellerin.
ReplyDeleteThis year, AP Lit was the only class that I genuinely enjoyed. I felt like an adult in there, with responsibilities that I had to choose and solve. I wasn’t forced to talk every class, and the novels we read had more relevance to my life. I really liked The Stranger, and the themes that it brought. I have understood that the world we live in is surprisingly confined by irrelevant, intangible ideas. I have actually started recognizing the absurdities within our society. For example, it has become a universal truth that pictures override experience and understanding. Regardless of how terrible the trip was, an artsy picture would compensate. The tendency to share everything on social media has become a scary reality. The Stranger and the conversation we had during it helped me recognize a foundational idea that I live with everyday. In the beginning of the year, we read Gogol and Unaccustomed Earth during the summer. Both stories discussed the difficulties of immigration life and the challenges between the first and second generation immigrants experience. These two stories both spoke directly to my life. This was the first class where I applied ideas I learned from the class. We never read a book just because, there was always a reason. Overall the class was not traditionally styled, allowing me to feel comfortable while trying new things. There was never a graded discussion, yet we always had meaningful conversations. With no confinements I felt like the class was limitless. I enjoyed this class and I don’t think I will ever find a perfect English class like this again.
ReplyDeleteKaby Maheswaran
The book that left the biggest impact on me was Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth”. It offered me a number of different perspectives that I had been previously unaware of. Moreover, it taught me a lot about the experiences of immigrants, their children, and people in general. It helped me understand my parents at a deeper level, since I was able to live, through the book, all their struggles and the sacrifices they had to make. I enjoyed the book so much that I gifted it to my mother for her birthday knowing for sure that she would enjoy it. Interesting enough, she even had a great experience with the text herself. When she was at her yearly check up, she started talking to her doctor, who is an immigrant from India, and they were discussing the difficulties of clashing with their children that have different mentalities. My mother recommended her to read “Unaccustomed Earth” and the doctor told my mother that she had already done so and that she loved it. Hearing my mom’s personal great experience with the book made me excited, as it was like spreading the greatness and knowledge of Lahiri. Her lessons and stories will stay with me and teach me to be more compassionate towards others, as everyone of us has his own struggles.
ReplyDeleteI am also very glad that we thoroughly read Ibsen’s texts “Ghosts” and “In a Doll’s House”.
I thought they were really interesting and efficient. Once you realize the “ghosts” and the big role our past plays in our lives, it cannot go unnoticed anymore. There have been numerous occasions when I was with a classmate and we noticed a “ghost”. We got super excited and yelled, “ghosts”.
Finally, I think that my writing style has definitely improved, making me gain a lot of confidence in my writing skills. The blog posts helped me overcome one of my weaknesses in writing, which is my tendency to write too much. They helped me learn how to write concise and straightforward essays in a timely and appropriate manner. Some of my favorite memories in the class were when we got to read the texts out loud. I got to see my classmates in a different light and it was really exciting to see how talented they were at singing and acting.
AP Lit was a really formative class for me. My writing improved as I cultivated my voice and add detail to my essays. Also my reading skills improved as I noticed connections and subtext that would have gone right by me in previous years. Out of all the books we read this year I think I enjoyed The Dollhouse the most, as Ibsen's take on gender and obligation made a very easy but thought provoking read. Also the short stories unit, especially the stories on race in America were shocking and eye opening. The Hamlet project was a highlight for me, not only because I loved my group and our concept, but after performing our skit I realized I now actually understood our section on the level that Shakespeare intended, after performing it like it was meant to be seen. I am pretty sure I didn't do great on the exam, but this was class transcended the test for me and stood on it's own, unlike my other AP classes. The conversations I had analyzing text and society with my classmates were always supportive and deep on a level I haven't found in my other classes, even though I did not always agree with my peers. Overall I am proud of the work I produced in this class, and am thankful that I had the opportunity to read great literature and think critically about concepts and ideas that I will carry with me through the rest of my life. Thank you Mr Pellerin for your understanding and patience with me and this class, and for a great year of AP Lit.
ReplyDeleteI chose to take AP Lit Junior year knowing that it would be hard and that there will be bootcamp. However, I loved English and was excited for what was to come. I was told that you had 2 nights to write a 5 paragraph essay, and you had these assignments for months. Thank god your class was structured differently, structured in a way that we are able to learn and are not just being taught. Of all my classes this year, this one was by far my favorite. In your class I became a better learner, a better thinker. Our discussions made me feel like my opinions were valid and that none of my questions were stupid, something I had been told before. In your class I felt like an adult because you treated us all this way. You did not shy away from “hot topics”and things that, as kids, we’re not supposed to understand. Thank you for this. I was getting tired of being talked to like a child and teachers trying to shelter us from the real world.
ReplyDeleteThe book that stuck with me the most from this class was “The Hours’. I loved this book more than I have loved any other book before. I couldn't put it down. When September came, I was way too excited to finally discuss this novel that I had my little own love affair with over the Summer. Watching the movie a week ago was just the icing on that cake, even tough I must admit it has been sitting in my DVR for a few weeks now after it was showed on HBO.
The part of this class that was most helpful to me was the fact that we took the time to deeply deconstruct and divulge into each book we read. Talking about it really does help me understand a book better. It was like our own little book club. Everyday I looked forward to coming to your class and that is saying a lot considering that I have been checked out of all of my other classes since March. So thank you Mr Pellerin, for everything. Thank you for being a great teacher, for treating us like adults, for helping me to become a better writer, and for teaching me the beauty of books.
Colleen McConnell