Beckett's American Literature Blog

Prompt:  Write about a conversation that changed you. Prompt Response: One conversation that I guess you could say changed me was when my parents told me and my brother that they were getting a divorce. On that day, I came home to a house devoid of light, a power outage had seemingly knocked out electricity for my entire neighborhood. After finishing my homework, my parents said that they had something to say to me. I could see by the look on their faces it was something serious, the likes of which I only saw when they had something terrible to tell me. I thought someone died, but very quickly I heard for myself it was not. Once they told me, my brother went running to his room while I just sat there in disbelief. I never felt something so empty yet relieved at the same time. Looking back at it now I realize it was probably for the best, as I think they're much happier now. Summary: Today we started a new assignment about creating supporting claims and finding evidence for said cla...

  Prompt: Write about something that you believed as a child. Prompt Response:  One thing that I somewhat believed in as a child was something called the elf on the shelf. This tradition revolved around a plush doll or figure that looked like an elf (if you would believe it) that mysteriously moved around the house every day during December. Me and my brother would get up every day to see where the elf moved, and after we opened up the advent calendar for some candy. The funny thing was that sometimes my parents forgot to move it, and so they would come up with excuses for why the elf didn't move. It was also said that if you touched the elf it would lose its magic, which has caused me and by brother to cry if we accidentally touched it. All in all, the tradition was good fun, and it is a funny thing to look back on near the holidays. Summary: Today we took some time to review our assignment from last Friday and start a new assignment based on our new vocabulary. Reflection: ...

  Prompt: Write about a fear you have overcome. Prompt Response:  One fear that I had to overcome was my fear of the ocean during a trip to South Carolina. One activity my father really wanted to do was go kayaking with my cousins. However, the area in which we would be kayaking was a river that led right into the ocean. When in the water, the current was quite strong and would slowly pulley out towards the open ocean if you didn't use all of your strength to keep yourself stationary. When I was in this situation at first, I was terrified of being pulled out to sea, not being able to get back. But after I spent an ample amount of time out there, I began to enjoy myself and realized that even if I began to get swept out, my family or the rental place's owner would  come and get me. All in all, I learned it's best to make the best of any situation even if you're scared at first. Summary: Today, we finished our assignment about claims as well as began another assignment ab...

Prompt: As you grow older and face new experiences, what issue or topic do you think you'll have to stand up and debate most often, whether with friends, family, or society?  Prompt Response:  A topic or issue I'll probably never escape from has to be the politics in my family, in specific my father's opinions as well as those of my mom's mother and stepfather. I say this as me and my mothers views have always been radically different from theirs, causing quite a lot of heated arguments and distress in the house. Some of my reasons that I just can't agree with them include the harmful and hateful influence their ideals have on my younger brother and the fact that the views they hold are actively hurting me and my friends. I just can't get over the fact that they watch and interact with a group that has continuously attacked such vulnerable people and who then not show a single ounce of sympathy or remorse. I feel that sometimes they don't even hear what they...

Prompt: Write about a truth you were afraid to accept. Prompt Response:  One truth I was afraid to accept came to me once I reflected upon my skill level in the playing of the violin and piano. At the time, I was very concerned with my abilities, as at that point I had been playing for quite some time (multiple years) and was still not happy with where I was at. I saw other people who were much better than me and who also played for much less time and were also much younger in general. These feelings were especially prevalent at a concert I participated in, where I messed up very badly and to be honest embarrassed myself heavily. After this I realized I am not the fastest learner when it comes to music, and that even if you dedicate yourself there's no guarantee you'll get anything in return, which hurt a lot. Summary: Today we took notes on the aspects of argument, as well as the three rhetorical appeals. Reflection:  I found the notes to be pretty interesting today, especial...

Prompt:  Write about a time when you were judged unfairly. Prompt Response: One time I believe I was judged unfairly was when I was in third grade during math class. During this time, my teacher was coming back to school after an extended period of time due to an unknown reason, making this the first time I would see her. During this first day, a small group of kids including myself were pulled aside to learn times tables on the carpet. After a while, I realized I was struggling quite a bit, and I asked for some help from one of my peers. During this moment, the teacher then asked if I was receiving help, and out of instinct I said no, before realizing what a mistake I made and corrected myself with the word yes. After a long pause she told me to put my head down for lying, even though it was an honest mistake. This time was really upsetting for me, and what made it even worse was that the teacher forgot I was there, and while everyone went outside I was left in the room by myself ...

Imagine you are learning about Hispanic/Latino heritage for the very first time. What would you be curious to know about the traditions, foods, music, or celebrations? Prompt Response:  If I was learning about Hispanic and or Latino heritage for the first time, I would be very curious about the food, as I find that is a very good way to understand a culture. I would like to know what ingredients they use, the methods they utilize to prepare it, as well as any other historical context that might be behind a plate. I would also then like to focus on the history connected to the culture and heritage, as I also believe that is crucial. I find other cultural elements to be interesting as well, it's just these first two I find myself to be the most curious about. Summary: Today we took more notes and participated in an activity in regards to the first step in the essay writing process, pre-writing. Reflection:  I found today's activity to be quite fun, as I found it to be very inter...

Prompt: In “The Interlopers” by Saki, Ulrich and Georg view each other as interlopers, outsiders intruding on their land and their lives. Think about a time when you felt like an interloper or when someone else felt out of place in your world. How did that situation affect relationships, emotions, or outcomes? Prompt Response:  I have felt like an interloper, or like someone out of place many times throughout my life, but I'd say the most prominent one would have to be the time I was at music camp. A few years ago, my parents forcefully sent me to this specific music camp, which I had no interest in going to. When I was there, I felt extremely out of place, as my skill level was not at the place it needed to be at for this specific camp. I only really played two instruments, one on which I was very uncomfortable playing while the other one made me feel incompetent as I couldn't learn all the notes in a timely manner. My time there just overall made me feel very anxious and depr...

 adroit, ambiguous, aestheticm adulterature Prompt: Of today’s 15 vocabulary words, which three do you think you will use the most in your speaking and writing this semester? Explain why each word feels useful or powerful to you. Prompt Response:  Out of all fifteen vocabulary words I believe I will use adroit, ambiguous, and affluence the most. I find each of these aforementioned words to be quite useful in conveying various meanings that would be hard to otherwise. For example, ambiguous is quite useful for pointing out a subject's lack of clarity, which is a rather common sentiment one might need to get across. Another example of this is the word adroit, which seems to be another more academic word to convey one's proficiency. The final word, affluence, seems to represent financial success and status, albeit in a more professional manner. Overall, I find the words to be quite useful, and I'm excited to further incorporate them into my diction. Summary: Today, we did a vo...

Prompt: It’s Homecoming Week! 🎉 What do you love most about being part of the Lakeside community? How do you show off your school spirit? What is your favorite Homecoming tradition or event? Prompt Response:  What I love most about being part of the Lakeside community is the fact that I get to interact with many different types of people that all come from different walks of life and or backgrounds. I am appreciative of this fact as I believe it's very important to see how different yet similar we all are as people, allowing us to come together instead of falling apart. I don't really show my school spirit if I'm being honest with myself, but I do appreciate most of the things Lakeside does and stands for. I really enjoy the spirit week that precedes Homecoming, as I get to see very funny and creative costumes.  Summary: Today we took a test over the poem "Constantly Risking Absurdity" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Reflection:  I believe I did rather well on the test...

Prompt: Which learning method do you enjoy the most? Class discussions, worksheet work, or hands-on activities. Select one and tell why.  Prompt Response:  The learning method I believe I enjoy the most out of the three provided answers has to be hands-on activities. I said this as I already receive a lot of worksheet work and  discussions in my other classes, leading me to feel that I haven't experienced many hands-on activities this year. Hands-on activities also seem to be more intriguing than other work, as they have the capacity to be very creative assignments. I also find it hard to participate well in class discussions as I really don't enjoy public speaking, often leading me to mess up. All in all, I don't mind any of the aforementioned categories, but it would be nice to have more hands-on activities. Summary: Today we finished our poems and started on a poster including an animated character. Reflection:  I think that my poem turned out to be quite profound...

  Which aspect of creating a poem do you enjoy the most? Tell what it is and explain why.  Prompt Response:  The aspect of poem creation that I enjoy the most has to be weaving symbolism into my diction and rhymes. By utilizing certain subjects, you can invoke certain universal images that portray something meaningful and symbolic. For example, using a bird would symbolize freedom and escapism, which you can use to display a variety of scenarios among other depictions that add a lot to your poem. I also enjoyed simply choosing a theme, as there was so much to consider and so much possibility around many of the examples. Overall, I think poem creation is a rather fun process, albeit a slow one at that (at least for me). Summary: Today, we read over a slideshow centered around figurative language and then began to work on our poems. Reflection: I believe I made fairly good progress on my poem today, having completed twenty out of the thirty lines required. I may have to rew...

Prompt: After reading Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem "Constantly Risking Absurdity," which explores the poet's daring craft, write about your most absurd personal experience. Describe a single, specific incident that felt ridiculously bold or foolish. Ensure your response is vivid, concise, and captures the essence of absurdity. Prompt Response:  One obscenely foolish moment I've experienced lies in the eighth grade, during a period of Georgia history. During this class, my teacher, Ms. Knox, was explaining the effects and distribution of drugs and other illicit substances. During this conversation she brought up  "weed in a bag" and repeatedly said this in a monotonous manner. For some reason, I found this to be really funny and began to laugh uncontrollably while everyone else stared. This caused me to feel quite foolish and embarrassed, but to be honest I'd rather be able to laugh easily than to not be able to laugh at all. Summary: Today we annotat...

Prompt: You are currently working on a soundtrack for selected Emily Dickinson poems. With that in mind, if asked to choose a song to describe your life right now, which song would you select and why? Prompt Response:  One song that would accurately describe the way my life is going right now is Way of Life by Shoji Meguro. This song describes several sentiments I feel are quite relevant to my mind currently, including how people walk through life without really living or seeing anything as well as believing in your own ideals. I also really like it musically as well as where it's from, a game's original sound track (or ost) that I really enjoyed playing, that being Persona 3. Overall, I find the song to be quite enjoyable and applicable to myself personally, and I find it really effective when you can find yourself in a song. Summary:  Today, we worked on a soundtrack for Emily Dickinson's poetry, and took a quiz on several aspects of her works and life. Reflection:  I f...

  Prompt: If you were to compose a poem about one aspect of your life, which topic would it fall into and what would your overall life's message be? Prompt Response:  If I were to compose a poem about one aspect of my life, it would be about my inability to communicate effectively. When I was a child, I was quite extroverted, but due to a variety of factors I closed off a lot in middle school. My poem would probably emphasize the unneeded stresses modern life brings us and how foolish it is to be confined by what really isn't there. It would also emphasize the separation of nature from human life, and how we are constantly destroying everything around us. My life's overall message would be to connect with not only others, but with the world itself, and to truly live. Summary: Today we read several poems by Emily Dickinson and discovered the elaborate themes and symbolism that was woven in to such few words. Reflection:  I quite enjoyed the poems, however, the themes of de...

Prompt: You’ve been in American Literature for 4.5 weeks now. How has the class been going for you so far?   Prompt Response:  I believe the class has been going relatively well so far for this semester. I think this as I have been understanding the content and getting good grades. If I could choose an area to improve upon, it would be my class participation in discussions and other random questions. But still, overall, I am quite happy with where I am currently in this class and am glad that it is not as bad as I thought it was. Summary: Today in class we read a poem by Emily Dickinson, and then identified the symbolism and definitions of various words we found within it. Reflection:  I found the poem to be mildly entertaining, especially the various symbolism that we found. I believe that if I was given a poem, I could probably identify the symbolism and themes pretty easily.