Complexity
I always thought that the curriculum of my English classes would repeat in the sense that we read books, produce group projects, do worksheets relating to the text we read, and write essays. But it wasn’t until I joined Mr. Ziebarth’s class that I learned there was more to essays, to books, and to discussions.
My teacher, who emphasized Coffeen’s essay so much to us, actually made some elements a reality.
One of the first concepts that I was introduced to was Daniel Coffeen’s essay on essays. He notes that simply writing down your thoughts makes essay writing an “attempt” at expressing your ideas. The fact that he calls it an attempt reveals that writing is never perfect the first draft. If it doesn’t reach satisfaction, revise it. Revise it until you feel that you have clearly translated your inner thoughts but let them guide you.
Concerns about education and school always struck me because of the potential solutions that could change the system — though it is also because I hate the concept of A-F grades. So I always find myself rambling about the topic. Question Exploration guides (my favorite activity by far), however, allowed me to actually write down these rambles on paper as Coffeen mentioned. Before I knew it, I was looking at 10 articles and letting my frustration take the pen.
Even with our recent Question Exploration guide on Andrew X. Pham’s “Catfish and Mandala,” the connection between community and the individual brings out this prompt: how can a class community effectively inspire an individual?
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Communities range anywhere as small as a neighborhood to as big as a volunteer organization. And from what I’ve learned in my fourth period class is that my observations matter. That my class acknowledges them no matter how impactful it is. A community where learning and discussions are built to explore depth and complexity.
One of these complexities is rhetorical analysis. It’s like overthinking but for the right reason. To see behind the purpose and the choices that the writer makes, I’ve been taught to appreciate the beauty of language.
In the past week, I had a rhetorical analysis practice on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s (MLK) “I have a dream” speech. Me in September would have only underlined the repetition that MLK presents in his speech. But the me now filled out the two-page handout with markings and annotations in almost every line.
Though I have not proficiently mastered the skill, being able to rhetorically analyze everything I read has honed two crucial skills for the future: being able to convey what I want the audience to feel and being able to understand people’s work more.
As an editor and writer of my school’s journalism class, I base my feedback on context and the writer’s style. But with the rhetoric strategies, I could dive deeper down “feedback sandwiches” to point out stylistic choices writers could use since I’m more attentive. In my own writing too, especially with music reviews, the difference between my first (during sophomore year) and most recent review (for my AP Lang class) is mind-boggling because of the contrast. Understanding the artist’s purpose and artistry for the first time was such an addictive and rewarding feeling.
But the better feeling of satisfaction was the artistry of essay revising. In all of my past English classes, the score you received on an essay was that forever. Nothing more. Nothing less. Yet when I heard that I had a chance to improve my essay’s score this year, it defined what Coffeen said about essays being an attempt. So this was attempt number one. My teacher, who emphasized Coffeen’s essay so much to us, actually made some elements a reality.
Through failure comes success. I have yet to know the new score but the growth in description and diction from before to after is already enough for me.
When I graduate high school, I’m going to make it to my dream college, get through my courses, get a job, have fun, and make my way up to optometry school. But of course, it’s easier said than done. Every step of the way, however, will be an attempt. Every rejected interview will be an attempt. My low (hopefully not) test scores will be an attempt.
But for sure, the greatest thing for me this semester has been our class discussions. When someone brings up a rhetorical choice and sparks the “aha” moment for others to join in, it is an amazing feeling. And I’m glad to be a part of it.
