AP English First Semester

This school year in English, I have seen an improvement in my essay writing. Last year, I struggled with writing essays in AP English, but so far I have been proud of my scores. It is possible that my writing has improved because I'm writing about literature rather than focusing on the composition aspect of writing. My analysis of literature has substantially improved since our short story unit. Before, I would read a story for fun and I wouldn't focus any energy on breaking apart the story and coming to conclusions about the author's intent in their writing. I wasn't aware that there was a difference between commercial fiction and literary fiction, a major distinction I can now recognize.

One part I didn't like about this semester was the drama unit. I have never really enjoyed reading plays unless they were fully explained to me along the way. Freshman year we read Romeo and Juliet, which wasn't as bad as Oedipus Rex or Hamlet because I always volunteered to be Juliet and I felt useful during our reading. Oedipus Rex, and especially Hamlet weren't pieces of literature that I enjoyed or would recommend that someone read in their spare time. Every time I read Hamlet I wanted to fall asleep because I couldn't understand what was going on, which made reading the play difficult.

Next semester, I hope that we continue on with the vocabulary because it is one of my favorite parts of English and I love memorizing. Also, I want to continue improving my writing.