Beckett's American Literature Blog

  Prompt: If you had to write a poem about your life RIGHT NOW, what would it be about? Explain your answer in at least 4 to 5 sentences.  Prompt Response:  If I had to write a poem about my life right now I would most likely emphasize a variety of things. For example, one part could be about cycles, and how everything seems to repeat in the end. That part would describe many things that don't seem alike up close, but have a pattern once the bigger picture is made clear. Another part could be about the future described through sleep and dreams. That part would have a lot of metaphors and imagery related to clouds and other weather. Summary: Today in class we took notes on rhetorical analysis. Reflection: I found the notes to be short and easy to understand. I'm probably not going to the pep rally today and will instead meet my friends in the cafeteria.

  Prompt: When you are in a mood that you do not like, what are some strategies that you use to change your mood?  Prompt Response:  When I'm in a bad mood, I find it useful to just spend some time by myself. I  often unintentionally take out my negative feelings on others when I'm either angry or sad, so it's best if I take some time to cool off. Talking to friends is also a strategy that I find to be somewhat effective as well. Summary: Today in class we completed an assignment on CommonLit. Reflection:  The articles were quite interesting, outlining a connection between social interaction healthier living. It seems rather intuitive as we are social creatures, but still the studies were quite fascinating indeed.

  Prompt: Describe your personal approach to creativity. What steps do you follow when you’re working on a project. Tell me about a project you created that you were most proud of.  Prompt Response:  My personal approach to creativity is to not force it and use it when it comes naturally. I often get waves of ideas, and only during these times do I try to do anything revolving around art or music. One project that I'm somewhat proud of is my worldbuilding project called "SKYLINE" in which I often work on during said creative waves. Summary: Today in class we completed a vocabulary assignment on Writable. Reflection:  The writing assignment was fairly easy and I completed it quite quickly. I don't think it's too little work for the period but it is a tad monotonous.

  Prompt:  After two weeks of studying rhetorical devices, types of rhetoric, and methods for identifying rhetorical techniques, which rhetorical device do you find most effective or compelling, and why? Prompt Response:  The rhetorical device that I find most compelling has to be antithesis. I find it to be a very powerful form of speech that can be used in many different ways. The examples we saw in class I found to be fairly evocative and I look forward to effectively incorporate it into my writing. Summary: Today in class we took a test on rhetoric and the various devices that come with it. Reflection:  I did fairly well on the test, getting around a ninety with a score of 40/45. I felt some of the questions were difficultly worded but overall it was a fair test.

Prompt: Choose a vocabulary word that resonates with you personally. Write a blog post explaining why this word is significant to you, including any personal memories or experiences that link you to the word. Prompt Response:  The word that resonates with me personally has to be surfeit. I like the way it sounds as well as its meaning, being quite similar to the word abundance.  When I think of these kinds of words, I think of fall or spring, and the good foods  and festive activities that come with them, reminding of a time when I was younger. Summary: Today in class we completed vocabulary lesson seven. Reflection:  I found today's activity to be fairly easy. I was familiar with most of the words, but I still learned some new ones like surfeit and lurid.

  Prompt:  Write about a time you didn’t feel like yourself. Prompt Response:  During the first few years of coming back to school from the pandemic, I definitely did not feel like myself. I lost the few social skills I had in elementary school, where I still didn't feel very accepted by my peers. I often resorted to putting on a "mask" trying to fit in somewhat, even if I was talking to friends. I think I'm a bit better now, but it's still a very real struggle for me. Summary: Today in class we received an assignment where we identify rhetoric in the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech. Reflection:  I feel that the assignment is quite long, so I am glad I have a few extra days to work on it. I was not aware that this speech was considered to be the greatest of all time, but I feel that it does make sense.

Prompt: Describe a place where you feel the most at peace and explain why.   Prompt Response:  I often feel at peace in two places, the first being my room and the second being deep in nature. In both of these places I feel quite free and isolated from the rest of society, allowing me to finally relax and do what I want to do. In nature I often get into a reflective mood, allowing me to feel a sort of serenity and lightness I don't feel in other unnatural places. All in all, if I didn't have these places I would probably be a much more bitter and unpleasant person.  Summary: Today we did the rhetorical device lessons seven and eight. Reflection:  I felt that the exercise for  procatalepsis  was quite long, and so I'm glad I got it done in time before the bell rang. The exercise for  distinctio  was much easier, taking me only five to seven minutes in total.

Prompt: Reflect on a time when you had to rely on someone else. How did it feel? Prompt Response:  One time where I had to rely on someone else was for the middle school science fair. Due to the teacher I had at the time, the entire class was forced to participate and my partner and I were less than inspired to say the least. We made an arrangement where I would do most of the writing as long as he did the experiment (which revolved around watering plants with different fluids) as well as recording the data. Every night I would have to trust that he would remember and actually do it, or else my grade would suffer. At the end it eventually came together, and I still sometimes see him in the halls to this day. Summary: Today in class we did an assignment revolving around identifying rhetoric in a presidential address. Reflection:  I found the assignment to be fairly easy due to the notes I took yesterday. It's interesting to see how all of the different devices impact a piece of...

Prompt: What life skills have you learned in high school that will help you live independently after high school? Which skills do you think are essential for your success after high school?  Prompt Response:  There are quite a lot of skills that I find are more refined because of highschool. Some of these include public speaking, studying, and time management, which will definitely allow me live my life successfully and independently after highschool. I believe that time management will be the most useful skill as it has so many applications in a society that expects precise timeliness in almost every aspect of itself. Summary: Today in class we took notes on the types of rhetoric as well as their applications in the real world. Reflection:  I found the types of rhetoric to be rather interesting, as they effectively distinguished how they can be used in the real world and what they can do for your writing. I think that the video we watched allowed us to better understand ...

Prompt: Describe a time when you took a  hiatus  from something important. What led to the break, and how did it impact you? Prompt Response:  There have been a couple times in my life where I've taken a hiatus from something, most of which ended up being music. Over my career of playing the piano and violin, there have been various times where I've gotten extremely burnt out. During these times, I found it helpful to take a step back and figure out how and why I enjoyed it in the first place. After a good break, I've always came back to it and found that it really helped. Summary: Today in class we learned and discussed about more rhetorical devices through note taking. Reflection:  I was somewhat familiar with the ideas presented in today's rhetorical devices, but even so I've never had a name to go with them. I feel that by learning about these rhetorical devices, my writing could subtlety improve over time and I could potentially recognize what techniques an aut...

Prompt: Use a hyperbole, an understatement, and a litotes to describe today's lesson.  Prompt Response:  My handwriting and notes seem to have around the same legibility of hieroglyphics (hyperbole). There was just a bit of tension and squabbling when we talked about hyperbole (understatement). I did in fact, not learn nothing today (litotes). Summary: Today in class we took notes and had a discussion about rhetorical devices. Reflection:  I felt that I learned quite a bit today, especially about litotes which I had no prior knowledge of. I hope to learn more about rhetorical devices in the following class periods.

Prompt: In 2–3 well-developed sentences, reflect on how you spent your Holiday Break. Then, identify four personal you would like to achieve this year and briefly explain why each goal is important to you  (Copy and paste your completed response from Writable into your blog).   Prompt Response:  This break I've done quite a lot of relaxing while also doing a variety of activities new and old. At the start, I took a small family trip to Chattanooga, where we ate at many good restaurants and hiked quite a it. After this, I took a more relaxed approach, playing games and sleeping in for the the second half. All in all I had a very good time and hope that breaks in the future can take after this one. 1.  One goal that I hope to fulfill this year is cooking more nutritious and complex meals for myself.   This goal is important as it is essential for both college and life as an adult.   In order to achieve this, I will start researching viable recipes and compile...