TOW#30: Letter to Future APELC Students

Dear Future APELC Student:

            I am sure that have heard a number of horror stories about this class throughout last year, and at first, they all seem to be true, but I promise you it is not as bad as it is made out to be. If you are solely in this class to get an extra .1 on your GPA I recommend that you don’t even bother. This class is not about boosting your GPA but about learning how to really improve your writing and get the most out of reading, not about how it will look on your transcript because it is not an easy course. You have to really work for your grade and keep your focus on the end gain, not the beginning struggle.

            When I entered this class I figured it would be easy, I mean how difficult can an English class really be? I warn you that it is not like honors English, you really have to put a lot of effort into your work otherwise you will not like the results. This misconception can break your morale as you enter this course. As a student who is used to getting straight A’s fairly easily, this was a HUGE wakeup call. Do not expect an A on your writing the second you enter this class, because chances are you will not receive that high of a mark, probably not even a B. But I promise you it will get better. Take all assignments seriously; put effort into your TOWs because these assignments and practice essays are not to keep you busy, but to help you practice what you have learned and grow as a not only a student, but a writer.

            I do not mean to scare you out of this class, but I want to give you a realistic and experienced viewpoint on the course. It is not going to be easy, you will not always received that grades that you would like, but you will grow and improve. The day that I finally received a 6 (adequate) on one of my timed essays was probably the highlight of AP English for me. Finally reaching the grade I had been striving for all year. It may not be easy, but I guarantee you that if you are interested in improving yourself as a writer this course is definitely worth it.

                                                            Sincerely,

                                                An experienced AP English student

                                                                 (Lauren Marolla)

TOW#29: Bully

Bullying is much more then a few mean comments from peers, it is more then being punched a few times by someone else, it is an emotionally draining, daily challenge to simply exist and lead a somewhat normal and happy life. The stereotype of bullying develops into widespread misconceptions that ultimately make it seem less extreme then it truly is. Bully was able to capture the diversity in causes and effects of bullying, from emotional to physical abuse and from causing suicide, illegal actions or depression. It is not an easy topic, it is not straight forward rather it is an intense emotional distress that is different for every victim. This major point to the documentary is evident in the everyday lives of people all around us, even ourselves.

            When I was in seventh grade, my school was faced with a tragedy; an intelligent and kind boy in my grade, Natan Leuhrmann-Cowen was killed after being struck by a car. The day that my Algebra teacher broke down and cried in front of my class, eyes fixed on Natan’s empty seat, as he told us what had happened was a day that I will never forget, a day that changed the face of my grade. The horrific accident was awful in and of itself, but it was not the only reason for the tears that filled my classmates eyes. While Natan was alive, he was not one of the popular kid rather he was the one that everyone picked on. As his locker neighbor I witnessed numerous bullying incidents, from words to physical abuse ranging from shoving into the lockers to being punched; serving as a bystander is a poor decision that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. As everyone surrounded his locker, the boy who had bullied Natan the most stated that he would never treat someone so poorly again for you never know when its too late to change your ways. Remorse was obviously prevalent the day we were informed of his death, but regret was equally as present. Natan did not take his own life, nor do I think he would have, but the bullying he endured during his life changed everyone around him, something that is not always portrayed when bullying is simply discussed.

            Numerous speakers have attended my school, yet none can really grasp the true devastation that is caused by bullying. Without any first hand experience it is difficult to see the true horrors involved in bullying because is it such a difficult concept. Those not exposed to it see bullying as a sort of “kids will be kids” type of activity when in reality it can destroy the life of an adolescent. This is the point that Bully tried to shed light on. Bullying is not to be taken lightly nor is it to be stereotyped because it is different and detrimental for each victim. Out of respect for those currently dealing with bullying and those who took their on life after being bullying we must go out of our way to not only help victims, but stop bullies and prevent the horror that they cause. 

URL: http://www.pinterest.com/explore/bullying-quotes/

TOW#28: Bully

The documentary, Bully, was directed by Lee Hirsch to capture the reality behind bullying, the horrific actions and effects involved in it as a way to educate children, parents and school administrators on how to prevent the life threatening truths of bullying. Most schools educate children on the harmful nature of bullying, yet it continues not only in schools but online as well. With suicide in the top three causes to adolescent deaths, the need to stop bullying once and for all is required. This documentary captures all victims of bullying, not only the individuals but their family and friends as well. It presents stories of a variety of severities; whether leading to suicide, illegal actions or depression, Bully portrayed it all. The victims of these terrible words or violent acts range from age eleven to seventeen, yet no one story outweighs the others. All stories of bullying are equal. This documentary carefully kept from alienating schools and blaming any individual for bullying by presenting the view point of an assistant principle and numerous parents to show efforts of all to stop bullying as well as demonstrate the complexity of the issue at hand.

            Bully is a well directed and edited film that captures the complexity and horrific truths of bullying through its organization and widespread prevalence.  The organization assisted in the effectiveness of this piece in two ways, the organization of the entire film as well as the organization of each individual story. The whole documentary began with the story of one boy, portrayed originally as the normal but shy child who went on to commit suicide at the age of seventeen after excessive verbal abuse by his classmates. A horrific but honest story that immediately grabbed the viewers’ attention and transitioned into the lives of other victims of bullying. From there multiple other stories were presented featuring a boy suffering from physical and verbal bullying but maintained shut off and viewed his bullies as friends, a girl who brought as gun onto the bus to defend herself against bullies but lead her to a juvenile detention center and an eleven year old boy that took his own life after repetitive bullying instances. The end of the film featured the families of the bullying victims, raising awareness to all on how to educate children on bullying and prevent the life threatening effects.

            As for the organization of each individual story, they each began with the introduction to the adolescent as a typical kid that did chores, went to school, and participated in what interested them. By introducing the children as normal kids, it allowed the audience to be even more sympathetic towards them. It is much easier to connect to a typical kid rather then a bullying victim, once connected to this seemingly normal child, seeing the terrible abuse they face on a daily basis is even more impactful. By slowly adjusting to the effects that bullying had on each child it allows for an increased appeal to pathos, the most prevalent tool in this documentary.

            It is not only through the organization that Hirsch is able to present that severity of bullying but he also harnesses the widespread nature of the issue. This documentary provided not only a variety of “causes” for bullying but also examples throughout the US. All across the country adolescents are being bullied for a variety of reasons whether it be their looks, disabilities, or sexual orientation. By presenting the audience with a variety of locations and “causes” for bullying the large scale of this issue is clear. Bully was an extremely well developed piece on the horrors of bullying that use the intense emotions involved in such terrible actions to educate and emphasize the prevention of bullying for the good of the youth and generations to come.

URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1682181/

TOW#27: TOW Reflection

After reviewing a variety of my past TOW posts my growth as an analyzer and writer has become evident. In my posts from the first two marking periods I did not include a clear, or effective structure, rather answered the questions of the assignment a limited amount of detail in one large paragraph. My more recent posts contain much more analysis and are far more organized as I use various paragraphs to separate my ideas. The blog post from the first marking period did not even contain any clear rhetorical strategies from the piece that I had analyzed that week. The second marking period improved as I actually identified the devices used by the author. In my most recent post I not only identified rhetorical strategies used by the author, but I used a few of my own and structured my post to be comprehendible.

            My ability to adequately analyze pieces has become a skill that I am extremely confident in. I have managed to recognize rhetorical strategies with ease as well as not only see their effect but also use them to improve my own writing. While my organization and thus comprehensiveness of my writing has improved I still struggle with awkward wording from time to time. My confidence in my own thoughts has left me with difficulty communicating my ideas clearly, something that I have grown toward but still need improvement.

            This assignment has been particularly beneficial in making me a more confident and well-rounded writer. Prior to this class my strengths in writing lay mainly in research papers for I never wrote and analytical piece to the extent of these TOWs or the essays we wrote in class. It is through this constant exposure to new genres, topics and ideas that I have become a more well-rounded individual. I would consider a new strength in my writing to be with analysis.

            Asides from the growth in my writing abilities, the TOW assignments have also cause me to have more confidence in as a writer, which is something that is very important in an AP class as well as in general. I feel that by practicing my analyzing skills throughout the year I entered the AP exam in full preparation for the analysis based writing prompt, all that is left is to hope that  my AP score reflects the growth that I see in myself. 

URL:http://www.clker.com/clipart-24923.html

TOW#26: Change

Homeless men and women, located near a busy walkway holding a cardboard sign or a cup, seeking change, but who is too say what form of change they seek? This image demonstrates that idea; that perhaps these men and women are not trying to get a few coins or dollar bills, perhaps they want something even more meaningful, true change. In order to illustrate this point, the image was created with a simplistic approach to effectively relay the message that perhaps change is more important that money.

            The frail people lining the streets that most encounter at some point in their life seem to be struggling to obtain what they need to survive, assuming money will solve all of their problems people will drop spare change into the homeless man or woman’s cup. This spare change realistically does not solve anything. Perhaps they are now able to purchase something off of a dollar menu and can eat that night, but the next day they will be right back to their spot on the busy walkway. Money is not what they seek for it only provides temporary life improvement. They want change. Something that will keep them from reclaiming their position on a busy street everyday, something that will provide for their needs, something that will do more then small change ever could. This is the purpose of this image, to demonstrate just how complex poverty is.

            This image is able to capture this purpose with one small piece of text, written on a ripped piece are cardboard reading, “keep your coins, I want change.” This quote is the only aspect of the message meanwhile everything else is simple, indistinct, and colorless. The setting consists of a brick wall, brick road, and window with nothing inside and a small strip of concrete where the wall and street mix. This simplicity allows the audience, more privileged adults, to see and focus only on the message portrayed on the cardboard sign that the man in the image is holding. This mad is wearing a black hooded sweatshirt so his face is hidden, by making him a faceless figure, the image again emphasis only the message.

            It is through the use of a simple setting and clear message that this piece of visual text is able to effectively demonstrate the complexity of poverty. Perhaps the next homeless man or woman you encounter will prompt you to think about what more you can do, rather than simply reaching into your pocket. 

URL:http://community.boredofstudies.org/475/old-focus-change/72803/texts-changing-self.html

TOW#25: Memoir vs Novel

When life takes an interesting turn, many people use their experiences to write a book, but the debate is should they write a completely true memoir or use the event as the base of a novel. Adair Lara wrote the article “10 Ways to Tell if Your Story Should be a Memoir of a Novel” in order to assist writers with their decision of which genre their life story should fulfill through successful examples and simplified list.

 The genre of a book is based off of the author’s personal preference; however, it is capable of success either way. In order to portray this message Lara provided specific examples of successful novels and memoirs that were written by authors who were unsure of which genre to choose. She used extremely well known examples such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Liars’ Club in order to demonstrate the level of success that can be reached by either genre to encourage the audience to feel less pressure to choose the perfect genre.

Lara also provided a list of reasons why someone may question which genre to use in order allow the audience to personally connect to the article. The list is split into two separate sections, one categorized as fit for memoirs and one for novels (each with five bullet points).  This provides a simple way for the audience to identify with the article and easily categorize their story as either genre. The list effectively and easily assists the audience to accomplish Lara’s goal, help authors choose a genre or their story.

It is through the use of examples of success and simplified lists in order to effectively help authors choose a genre for their life events. By provided such a simple but encouraging form to her article, Lara was able to successfully achieve her purpose.

Article: http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/10-ways-to-tell-if-your-story-should-be-a-memoir-or-a-novel

Memoir vs Novel

URL:http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2013/07/01/ask-the-editor-memoir-or-novel-for-my-true-story/

TOW#24: A Story Lately Told

Anjelica Huston, who is the first half of the book lead a happy life in Ireland, was then moved to London for part two of A Story Lately Told. In Ireland she had mastered the art of hunting and horseback riding, but London was a much different story, it was where she struggled academically and began to feel great defeat. Her parents split up, which provoked this relocation; London was the city where she would live out some time with her mother and brother Tony as well as where her career in acting would begin. After her mother’s sudden death in a car accident she moved to New York where her career and internal development truly flourished. Through the Huston’s life events and resilience she demonstrated that success comes to those who overcome and aspire for better.

Born to a director, Huston seems to have been blessed with a privileged and perfect life. After reading this book one discovers just how far from perfect her life truly was. It is important for her to portray these struggles, including her parents’ separation and mother’s death, to demonstrate that her success was not caused by her father’s fame, rather her hard work, dedication and resilience. The transition to London was not easy due to the great transition in lifestyle, farm life to strict schooling, Huston admits that she was “miserable there” (113). Although she was unhappy she pushed through for the benefit of her family. But once that family fell apart following her mom’s death she moved to New York, without that family that was once so important to her showing the great effect her mother’s death had on her while illustrating her resilience to push forward.

This resilience shows that despite everything she is a force to be reckoned with, one that will rise above all to accomplish her dreams. Her purpose in writing this book is to encourage people to overcome issues, no matter how severe. She provided her story to inspire resilience. 

A Story Lately Told