Blog #2: "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." - Mark Twain

Blog Emphasis has shifted to "Pray," momentarily.

So today we took a pretest in class today, to introduce us to what the AP multiple choice test for literature and composition would look like. And I've drawn quite a few conclusions from that rather bearably unpleasant experience.

I find it so ironic that people stress out about English - English is supposed to be more free-spirited, therefore you would think (or at least I would think) it would be less stressful. And it's humorous when I see analytically-minded people over-analyze English classes. Yes, today's task required analyses of different types of literature, so you would think that particular denomination of people would excel. But when you try to dissect a passage, rather than comprehend it and truly feel what the passage is trying to evoke first, you're just mixing oil and water - have fun making that work. Since I am a more creatively-minded person rather than analytically-minded, English comes more naturally to me than others - I won't lie. Things like literary analysis, composition, rhetoric, and writing in general are actually very enjoyable to me, so critical reading passages don't make me nervous. English isn't necessarily difficult, but I'll admit, it definitely takes a certain mindset. Those would be my strengths - not being intimidated by creative freedom. I am actually good at the actual analyses of texts, such as identifying purpose and symbolism, as well as mechanics, such as identifying figurative language.

My weaknesses would definitely be the different types of texts. I'll be able to tell you what is going on in a passage, but I cannot for the life of me tell you what type of passage it is. Shakespearean sonnet vs. 3 other types of sonnets vs. a lyric vs. a ballad...that is one big blur. I couldn't even make an educated guess towards a potential answer, to be quite honest. I've also realized that I am an incredibly slow reader - which is problematic for a timed test, and also problematic since I normally suffer from test anxiety on an actual test-taking basis. I finished with a few minutes to spare today, but I still got quite a few questions wrong. I find myself rereading entire paragraphs of a passage because I read it the first time, and realize halfway-through that I wasn't paying attention at all to the passage - just breezing over words on a page. It becomes highly inefficient for me - if I could comprehend the passage the first time around, my time would be managed much more efficiently, and I would probably get fewer questions wrong, and be more confident than anxious of my answers themselves. 

My goals are to know how to identify between at least 4 different types of sonnets by mid-September. From there, I'd like to identify the difference between a lyric and ballad by the end of September. Throughout the month of October, I want to learn the types of passages that I presently do not know (which I would state some examples here, but as I said, I don't know what they are). I'd like to learn 5 new types of passages by the end of October. 

As for reading, I'd like to be able to do 10 questions every 10 minutes (plus reading the passages) with an 85% accuracy rate, by the end of September. By the end of October, I'd like to be able to do the same thing, but average 90% accuracy. By the time the trimester ends, I'd like to complete the entire test, no matter how many questions, with between 5-10 minutes to spare, to look over questions I may have been unsure of, so I can keep at least a 90% on the actual multiple choice test.