Gender Stereotypes

This assignment required watching two videos, and determining which one was more
important to society. Yet again, my appeal to logic prevails, but my synthesis could have used
more evidence to back it up. I think I used my outside source very well, and made sure to cast
out biased sources, of which I found too many. I learned that finding reliable information is
nowadays hard to do, but can be achieved with some effort to find an answer I can believe in. I
would try and find a source to back up my synthesis, but overall, I think this assignment exposed
to me even more how much bias towards one side there is in the media.

Prideful (Shakespearean Sonnet)

This assignment required a Shakespearean sonnet, written about one of the themes that
we had learned in class. I think this was a better example of my use of figurative language,
although there were still problems. Again, where I used the figurative language was choppy. I
learned how I can use figurative language and humor to my advantage to better convey a point.
Again, to better the sonnet, I would plan the execution of figurative language in order not to put
it in places where it seemed unnecessary or wrongly positioned.

A Raisin in the Sun Journal Entries (Clearing the Crust)

This assignment required the completion of journal entries surrounding topics in the play
A Raisin in the Sun. I think I gave rather unique approaches to the topics, and gave a good
amount of evidence to back up my views. I believe I got somewhat redundant with the
overarching themes of the play. I learned to think critically about what is presented, and to think
if there is an underlying theme to what is presented without overanalyzing it. I would have used
this mindset to analyze the play and get more thorough responses therefore.

SPEPES Fahrenheit 451

This assignment required a SPEPES about the purpose of Captain Beattys speech to Guy
Montag, regarding Montags new habit of reading books, something that is outlawed in his
society. I believe I leaned on my evidence too much to prove a point, and my synthesis was the
part in which I finally established my stance. I regurgitated all that the evidence said, and missed
a golden opportunity for a different argument. I do believe that my synthesis was at its peak in
this SPES. I learned how themes can persist in our society today from this assignment. If I were
to do it again, I would restructure my beginning statement towards a different argument to avoid
being at a loss for words considering I had used the evidence as my argument, instead of
explaining it.

Debate Preparation
This group assignment required students to make an argument depending on a topic they
were assigned. The topics were based off the play A Raisin in the Sun. This is the work I am most
proud of. My partner and I made breakthroughs in our argument, used rhetorical devices well,
and convinced a good amount of the class that our argument was superior. During the actual
debate, I did stumble a lot on my words, and could have delivered my points had I not stuttered
often. On the other hand, I feel that we made our points clear and concise, and refuted any
counters successfully. I believe our closing statement was incredibly powerful, making our point
universal. I learned to make sure to deliver my points clearly, and to have good body language to
convince others that I am confident in what I say.

Analysis of Writing
This semester, I believe my writing was not creative enough. Its like I went through
writers block throughout the semester. I need to improve my skills incorporating figurative
language in a poem, and plan how I write. I might want to draft different ideas that could be used
throughout the writing piece. One strength that I believe I improved was my use of logic in an
argument. Looking back at my work, I see strong uses of logic to justify a statement, and
powerful closing statements to propel the point. I always feel that grammar and formal writing is
a strength of mine. Something to also improve is my timing on using a formal and informal tone.
I couldnt differentiate between the two, and oftentimes, I used a formal tone in areas which
werent exactly appropriate. It may be because I feel constricted to a box of formality that is
making my writing less free. Overall, I think my writing improved from last year, and Ill be
looking to make my writing freer.

Reflection of Course
I think this course matched very well with my AP World History, for this course helped
me with my skills when it comes to writing an argument. The course with AP World History
helped me analyze topics better, and made me realize how many sources are needed to form a
legitimate argument. The courses themes didnt really open any new revelations, rather
reinforced ideas I already believed in. However, the course showed me that I must look at each
argument from both sides. This happened to me on an assignment in which I was given a side of
an argument that I didnt believe in at first. As I kept finding evidence to support the argument, I
started to truly believe that the side was correct. This showed me that I need to keep an open
mind to all sides of an argument, no matter how ridiculous it may sound. This is a mindset
unfortunately lost in society today. Overall, this course helped me to analyze pieces of writing
more in depth, and to keep an unbiased opinion going into a topic.