Aliyah's AP Blog

In today's class, we discussed out definition of happiness and analyzed the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. This poem inspired me to never be afraid to be proud. A lot of times I feel I cannot celebrate my accomplishments because it will come off as arrogant. Also, we were assigned an task where we have to choose a song by Angelou and analyze it. In addition, we must bring the poem to life through performing. I can't wait!

   Today in class we were asked multiple questions, they were pretty deep. The questions were based on fear. I loved today's conversation because I got to learn more about my peers. I also opened up about things that I fear and am uncomfortable talking about, such as depression. A lot of times, people see depression as a joke or just someone being over dramatic. In actuality, it is real. It effects everyone differently. I do not talk about to anyone much about it because of how they may perceive me or the situation I am going through. I just want everyone that is going through something to know they are not alone, other people are hurting too. It's okay to hurt, the best thing to do is strive for that light at the end of the tunnel, even if it seems to not be there.

Today in class we read more of Maya Angelou's work. I am astounded at her work. I know you may be thinking "She's never read Angelou?". I have not. Her poems made me relate to my childhood. We read a poem The Mothering Blackness . It was short, but fantastic! This poem explained to me that it is okay to run to someone because you have troubles. A lot of times I feel I cannot go to anyone because they may not understand. This poem helped me see that regardless of the matter, the nurturer in your life will always be there. I cannot wait to read more of her work.

   Today in class, we discussed the topic of black culture. My school is predominantly black, so this topic had a lot of passion. We watched a video about an african american senior, who was told he would not be able to come back to school and even graduate unless he cuts his dreadlocks. I was really infuriated when I saw this. If we face the facts, the people on the outside are only afraid of our culture because they do not understand it. Yes, we come in different shapes and shades. We are innovators, we find new way to express ourselves. We do not a confine ourselves to fit in, we have no problem being different or stepping outside of society's box. The people on the outside, only see what makes us "bad"to make themselves feel superior. How come we are never shown in the light? Why are we protrayed as a bad influence. We are no different than any other race. There are times when we do rebel violently. For some its out of anger, others that is all they know. Honestly, ev

Today was a productive day! We went and checked our books from the library for our senior project as well as practice multiple choice. Even though I did make a C on the quiz, I was still happy with the fact that I see improvement. Not so much with the grade, but how smoothly the test went. It seemed easier as I navigated through the test. I was not so tensed and afraid of putting the wrong answer. I am more confident in my testing skills! It can only get better from here!

   Today in class, we were asked to make a list of 10 songs that held a moment of my life. One of the songs I chose the song was Funny by Tori Kelly. A couple of years ago, I went through a very tough time with moving to a new state and feeling isolated. This song helped me get clarity on life, it made me not feel so alone. It was as if, like Mr. Rease said, the song chose me. If you listen to the whole album, it kind of takes you through the stages of young adulthood and realization. I felt like making the list would take much longer and I still fell like my list still needs a little more thought. We also read a poem Cruising with the Beach Boys.  It was about a man on a buisness trip who heard a song, and it brought back lovesick memories from he teenage years. This made me wonder about a song that would remind me of a time where I had a crush or even a relationship. It amazed me at how music or any other sentimental thing could bring back so many vivid memories.

Today we were assigned to write two paragraphs on a question we were give last week. I found that it was easier to answer the question when everything was planned out. This helped me figure out how to apply it to my life. In order to get my answers in life, I have to set out a plan.

Today was a chill day because Mr. Rease was not at school. That doesn't stop the effort we as students have to put forward to achieve our goals. Me and my best friend decided to work together on the assignment. This allowed me to see how effort still contines even when people are absent. The show must go on!

Today in class we took a prose multiple choice quiz taken from a previous AP Literature test. When I first began to read, I figured it be a easy read. The only thing was that the vocabulary made the read difficult. After the quiz was over, I felt pretty confident. Honestly, I wasn't upset because I felt more comfortable while taking the test. I put effort towards improving on multiple choice questions by watching strategy videos as well as being more confident when taking the test. I'm so happy that I'm seeing an improvement.

Today we were assigned open ended questions. The questions were fairly easy, but of course they were still critical thinking questions. While we were the activity, I felt more confident than ever. I'm more comfortable with open ended, maybe that's why. I was so elated when everyone in my class were asking the answers thoroughly because I see great improvement. I hope to keep up the effort for the rest of the year!

Today in class, we evaluated questions that were composed by my peers. The answers that we came up with groups acted as the multiple choice answers. Afterwards, we had to choose the best answer. Throughout this activity, I felt more confident with multiple choice. As I stated in previous blogs, multiple choice questions are my weakness. I'm glad that I'm seeing progress!!

Absent(Honor Band)

Today we read The Pardoner's Tale. I enjoyed it, but it's not my favorite. I like the revelations it pours out as you read about the Pardoner and his tale. We talked about the love of money being the root of all evil. As we spoke on this subject, I thought about if my future job is because of money or because I really love it. I enjoy science, math, innovating, and building new ideas. This is why I'm going into the engineering field, but with that comes a decent amount of money. I have always wanted to be an engineer since elementary school, money did not come into the picture until last year. Engineering is my dream, but I don't want things to steer off into how much money I will make. I also don't want it to block my purpose. I believe my purpose in life is to help others when I can and show other individuals like me that you can do anything you put your mind to. With being a African American female, the work place can be a very difficult setting to dwell in. I w

Today in class, we finished reading The Wife Bath's Tale. I found it intriguing because I knew in the end what would happen, but I found that there was a deeper meaning to what actually happened. I figured that the old woman would become beautiful in some way, but not through domimance. I admired this short story because of how well written it was and how shined a light on women having power of men. How it is not that bad. Afterwards, we took a short quiz on the story. I was very upset with the grade on it, I feel that I work hard to achieve what I want. For some reason, my multiple choice grades are not improving. I believe it I'd because when it comes to test, I have really bad anxiety. I second guess myself a lot. I am going to put more effort into my testing skills and hopefully improve. My goal is to make an A in the class for the whole semester.

Today was like any other day. Yet, there was a huge eye opener for me. We were discussing what a true reflection was and I realized I'd been doing it this wrong the she time. I have noticed a lot of things about this class recently. I realized that this class is not only a core class, but it's a class of life taught through literature. Anytime we read something, somehow it relates to us as individuals. That's what I love about this class. Today we began reading The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath's tale to be exact. It proposed the question of what women really desire. Right there is where we related to our own lives. I felt that what a woman desires stems from things they have experienced. So when was revealed that women desire dominance, it helped me realize what women desire stems from things that they were stripped of for centrues. With all of this being said I was more than happy that there was a man who could illustrate something like this. I cannot wait to con

I loved how class began today. Watch a video of a man giving a speech on success. He broke down the things one doesn't need for success and the one thing one must have for success. Afterwards, we were introduced to a new series of short stories. I can't wait to see what they are about!

Today officially marked the beginning of the 2nd semester. This means in a couple of months my class and I will be walking across a stage and turning our tassels. We began the class by making goals for the year. Next, we watch a TedTalk video about leaving highschool. It really opened my eyes on how much we take the ones around us for credit, how we do not take a moment to appreciate ourselves, and sieze the moment. Today was a great start to the year.