Goodbye Analysis, Hello Freedom

When Ms. Serensky first assigned the semester long blog project, I became extremely nervous. In class, I anxiously asked myself, “How hard do you think she will grade this? Can I really write about anything English related? When she says one paragraph, does that refer to a double spaced page in Microsoft Word? How will I ever think of stuff to blog about when we seem to cover the entire reading from the previous night in class?” As you can tell from my first two blogs, this anxiety did not diminish when I initially sat down to write. I felt extremely nervous and tense. I could not fathom the idea of writing a non-analytical paragraph for Ms. Serensky. Surprisingly, an analytical paragraph actually seemed more comforting than this free-style idea. So, sadly, with a lack of self-confidence, my first two blogs followed closely the analysis writing style we have learned in class. As blogs became more frequent, and the due date shortened to every Thursday night, I became less concerned with analyzing quotes and more determined to submit a timely, well-written paragraph. Thus, my blogs became more creative and somewhat humorous. Since the first two nerve-wracking blog entries, I have really enjoyed the blog assignment. Not only is it interesting to read all of the unique entries, but also developing a writing topic often demands contemplation and imagination. After reading many of my classmates’ blogs, a certain idea or concept would float around in my brain for days. It was interesting to see that even outside of Ms. Serensky’s classroom, in-depth analysis and contemplation occurs subconsciously. The blogs have definitely affirmed for me that AP English 12 applies in myriad situations in the real world,  not just through analysis of text and poems in class or through performance on an exam in May. Although these applications in the real world may seen at times somewhat frightening, (dreaming of Ms. Serensky, experiencing situations identical to characters in the book, etc) I am oddly excited to see the future applications and benefits of AP English in my life. Blogging has helped me to realize that I, thanks to AP English 12, now have the ability to write well on any assignment, regardless of whether it requires literary analysis or not. Through my two blogs over Christmas break about AP English in the real world, I have realized that even now, I am beginning to reap the benefits of all the hard work and time we have devoted to AP English over the past two years. At the beginning of junior year it seemed as though these benefits would only become apparent in college writing classes, but thanks to the blogs, I recognize I don’t have to wait for college! I have really enjoyed the “comment” feature. It was neat not only to read what others thought about my blog entry but also to expand upon a classmate’s idea outside of class. If the blogs do not continue in this upcoming semester, I will surely miss this creative writing outlet as well as Bobbie’s Blog Banter (including the songs of course).