Prey (A/E)
Walking into AP Lang on the first day, I’m not going to lie, I was nervous. I knew that there were going to be high expectations and a ton of work involved, but the class would help me to greatly improve my writing ability and SAT score. However, those weren’t the only things Lang taught me over the year.
First and foremost, the school year began with the dreaded Rhetorical Analysis. In order to start that, we needed to learn how to annotate. The first week of school, I was exposed to the poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney. I wrote down what I thought I knew, but to no surprise, it barely scratched the surface of what annotations should be.
Over time, I eventually learned how to annotate, but that didn't immediately translate to a perfect RA. Writing my first RA was an interesting experience, to say the least. I annotated that piece as much as I could and to my best ability, scribbling down every rhetorical device I could find. By the time I finished annotating, I was already running out of time. With not much time left on the clock, I began writing my heart out. I really believed that I had done a good job, even with the short time constraint, but when I got my essay back, I was unhappy to find that I got a 5. "Well," I thought, "it can't any worse from here." However, I couldn't be more wrong. (A)
First and foremost, the school year began with the dreaded Rhetorical Analysis. In order to start that, we needed to learn how to annotate. The first week of school, I was exposed to the poem "Digging" by Seamus Heaney. I wrote down what I thought I knew, but to no surprise, it barely scratched the surface of what annotations should be.
Over time, I eventually learned how to annotate, but that didn't immediately translate to a perfect RA. Writing my first RA was an interesting experience, to say the least. I annotated that piece as much as I could and to my best ability, scribbling down every rhetorical device I could find. By the time I finished annotating, I was already running out of time. With not much time left on the clock, I began writing my heart out. I really believed that I had done a good job, even with the short time constraint, but when I got my essay back, I was unhappy to find that I got a 5. "Well," I thought, "it can't any worse from here." However, I couldn't be more wrong. (A)
Actual footage of me writing my first RA.
The RA got worse before it got better, with my next essay being a 4. However, after I wrote that, the year started to turn for the better. (A)
I started to understand that knowing rhetorical devices is important, but it's not the main focus. It is the first step to an RA and that was what I was writing my whole RA on, which I now know is definitely not right. Once the rhetorical devices are identified, I have figure out how the author employs them to persuade the audience, how they use them to enhance their argument, etc., but it all depends on the prompt to help determine my response. (A)
I know for a fact that I would not be as a good a writer as I am now if I learn how to write RAs. They laid the groundwork for the rest of the year and without learning this crucial step first, I don't think I'd be able to completely analyze a text like I can now. I improved greatly and now when I write an RA I'll almost always get a 7 or 8. I am proud of my improvement and of everything I learned about RAs this year. (A)
I am much more confident in my writing now because I can successfully write an RA. By realizing what the author is trying to achieve, I am able to understand the pieces I read during the year and the ones that I will read in the future. (E)
I started to understand that knowing rhetorical devices is important, but it's not the main focus. It is the first step to an RA and that was what I was writing my whole RA on, which I now know is definitely not right. Once the rhetorical devices are identified, I have figure out how the author employs them to persuade the audience, how they use them to enhance their argument, etc., but it all depends on the prompt to help determine my response. (A)
I know for a fact that I would not be as a good a writer as I am now if I learn how to write RAs. They laid the groundwork for the rest of the year and without learning this crucial step first, I don't think I'd be able to completely analyze a text like I can now. I improved greatly and now when I write an RA I'll almost always get a 7 or 8. I am proud of my improvement and of everything I learned about RAs this year. (A)
I am much more confident in my writing now because I can successfully write an RA. By realizing what the author is trying to achieve, I am able to understand the pieces I read during the year and the ones that I will read in the future. (E)
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| When I finally learned how to write an RA. |
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