tvtropes.org

I haven't been thinking about AP English that much over break (or anything dealing with school, for that matter), but I have been doing some "analyzing," so to speak.

A friend recently showed me this interesting website called tvtropes.com, and it has become one of my most favorite sites to browse when boredom consumes me. I love it so much because it's really fun to search a random book/comic/television show and see what types of tropes are in it. Wait, what is a trope, you ask? Well, I'll be glad to give you a definition, young reader. On the homepage of tvtropes.org, they define tropes as "devices that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations."  So in retrospect, they're basically the literary devices we utilize in our essays/we notice in the books we read for class. Not every device we use is defined on the website, but many can be found. I also learned a lot of new tropes/sayings I had never heard of before that are rather interesting.

For example, I suggesting looking up the World of Cardboard Speech, The Hero, Angrish (the real term being asposiopesis), and Evil Counterpart. Those are not the most interesting/cool tropes I have read, but you'll definitely be able to find other tropes by clicking on the links within the text. You can literally spend an hour without even realizing it as you read pages upon pages of these devices. "World of Cardboard Speech...wow, this sounds really cool. Kind of cliche, but it's still cool. Oh, wait, 'I Am What I Am'? *click*" This type of thing could continue until you finally realize how much time you wasted spent on a single website. Yeah, it's just that awesome.'

Anyways, I highly recommend it if you feel the dire need to analyze something, you silly AP English students you.

We Must Know All

During dinner one night this past week, my Mom used the word "memorabilia." I've heard the word before, but never knew the meaning, so I simply asked what it meant. I was given an incredibly odd look, followed by "You don't know what that means? You should know what it means. You want to be a writer and you don't know that word?" More criticisms followed, which really annoyed me. I understand her view, considering it's my job as an ambitious writer to look up the definitions of words I don't know.

The reason why I get annoyed though, is because I know plenty of other words that others wouldn't. A good writer not only knows the definition of words though, (s)he also knows how to actually use them. We use complex words every day in AP English and utilize them in essays. If our essays don't show how much we've studied the English language, I really don't know what would. I'm definitely going to start looking up more words after realizing that I don't do it enough, but I also don't think my parents see the type of work we do in class.

Winter Break Thus Far

So we've been on break for a couple of days, almost a week. Unfortunately, I had completely forgotten to do my second post last weekend/comments due to visiting family, but I'll try to make those up by carrying it over this week.

I've find myself dreading the thought of anything dealing with school, but I'm still forced to come back to it nonetheless. My graduated friends from last year came back into town, so we all had a get-together to try and catch up. After talking about college life, they asked me about AP English and Ms. Serensky. Some of them took the junior and senior year as well, so they had gone through everything we are right now. I mentioned data sheets, obviously, among other things, but they were most surprised about the blogs. They were interested, a little jealous even, and it made me think about these posts we've done. I'm thankful for these, especially because it's a more creative outlet for us AP English students who are more accustomed to the stressful, more structured essays. I'm not exactly loving the responsibility right now, during break, but it's definitely nice during the hectic school week.

They (my graduated friends) also commented about the change of attitude toward the students from junior year to senior year, which I think is hilarious. Ms. Serensky is still tough on us and grades us with the same expectations, but she seems a lot more approachable and...well, talkative. I get a feeling it's partly because we're not scared to death of Ms. Serensky anymore, but maybe it's also because she favors seniors over juniors. Honestly, I have no idea.

Too Bold, Too Brash

It seems as though we, as a class, feel very strongly about our opinions and viewpoints. Sometimes, I think we feel too strongly about them though. It's not wrong to deeply believe in an idea/tradition/ect, but when do we pass the line of strong opinion and cross into the territory of disrespect and ignorance? Yes, we're smart, extremely smart; there's no doubt about that. Does this give us the right to believe we're better than other people? Nope, not at all. I don't see myself as being any better than someone who doesn't take AP English, although I feel as though I may act like it, unfortunately.

I didn't notice it before, but I realized the behavior after Ms. Serensky talked to us about the substitute and our reaction to him. I looked back on that day and really thought about it. Sure, the guy was a bit annoying because he kept interrupting us and spoke for the majority of the class period. As Ms. Serensky brought to our attention: Don't most teachers do that? Why would he assume our class is any different? He thought he was helping us by researching the book and trying to add to our conversation. What did we do instead of realizing the effort he put into attempting to help our class? We ridicule him and make jokes about a guy who was just trying to do his job, which is teach. Substitutes usually sit back and do nothing, but he actually tried to teach us with what little knowledge he had over the book. He was under-prepared, but still ready to tackle the task. If anything, he should be commended.

Yes, this may sound extremely hypocritical, considering I just wrote a blogpost about how annoying I thought he was, but Ms. Serensky talking to us about it made me realize that I had been judgmental for no reason. This now makes me paranoid, because I want to make sure I don't act this way when I'm not in the AP English setting. Do I accidentally belittle/berate people, without even meaning to? I don't believe so (or sure as heck hope not), and I'm definitely going to be having this irritating fear sit in the back of my mind for the next couple of days at least. Awesome.

Jumping on the Band Wagon

I am going to assume that various other people have written about the substitute teacher as well, but I feel as though I need to include my input as well.

I walked into class with a bit of anxiety. It had to come to our attention (Katie Connolly and I) that we had a snow day Monday, which is the day we were supposed to do the AP Poetry practice. That was the last thing I wanted to do on a Friday, so I prayed that Ms. Serensky was merciful enough to not include that in the lesson plan for the substitute. I was relieved when class began and we were simply going into discussion, but as class went on I found Mr. Sub (aren't I so clever?) to be very...annoying, for lack of a better word. At the beginning of class, he told us that he had been reading some of the book and looking things up online. I immediately took this as a "I tried to learn about the book so I'm not oblivious to what you're all talking about," but instead he meant that as "I will talk in between each point to try and sound knowledgeable about the book, despite the fact I even told you all that I know close to nothing about it."

So we, the students, would do our best to make an intelligent, competent comment. Then, Mr. Sub would take that comment and contort it in horrible, unspeakable ways in a short summary. Either that, or he would just repeat what was said.

"...so I believe that the juxtaposition indirectly characterizes them as perceptive, but insane as well."
"Okay, so he's saying that there is juxtaposition in this sentence, and this shows how they are both insane and perceptive."
"Yeah, that's what I said....right?"

Summaries of this caliber were heavy throughout the discussion, but nothing beats the following conversation between our class and Mr. Sub (not exactly word-for-word, but pretty darn close):

"I've been hearing situational irony used multiple times in some of the other classes, can someone explain to me what it is?"
"Well, it's basically when something unexpected happens."
"Oh? So what would be an example?"
"Like...if you walked into a classroom and the students were teaching the teacher."
"Oh, I see, that's interesting."

At that point, I almost couldn't help myself from laughing. He was oblivious to the humor in what was just said, but I'm sure the rest of us weren't.

In conclusion, thank you for not being like that guy, Ms. Serensky.

So Much Empathy, It Hurts

I remember us talking about Chief Bromden and how he feels too much for other people and can perceive so much in a person that it just hurts. I thought this was an amazing realization, because I think everyone can relate. Unless you are a cold, heartless individual (or simply have no friends, and if this is the case, I'm sorry to hear that, but here is a pat on the back to make you feel better), everyone has experienced pain through someone else's emotions. Really, almost any situation that evokes an emotion of sadness or anger works; when a friend's relative dies, if their parents are going through a divorce, or maybe they just bombed a huge test and are on the verge of tears.I have had all these things happen to close friends of mine, but never to myself. The emotions I feel are nothing in comparison to the friend who has to literally deal with whatever problem at hand, but I still cannot help but share some of their pain as well. When I see a friend (or almost anyone, for that matter) hurt and physically/mentally breaking down due to all the mixed emotions bottled up inside, it is hard to deal with. It's hard because, as much as I like to think I can help my friend, I know there is absolutely nothing I could do to ease their pain. I can sense what they are going through, but I am powerless to help. That is a different level of pain. That is empathy.

Would I like to live as Chief Bromden wants to though? In a fog of nothingness where no one can reach me?

No, never. The pain is unbearable sometimes, but that's the price we pay for the relationships we form. It doesn't matter who the relationship is with, to be honest. Whether it be a parent, friend, teacher, acquaintance, or virtually anyone we meet, every relationship has pain embedded into it. On the flip-side, however, there is also happiness embedded as well. Think of it as equivalent exchange. There is never happiness without pain, but there is never pain without happiness either. Someone may challenge me on this, but I think it makes perfect sense. The death of a friend or a parent? Where is the happiness in that, you say? Well, there is happiness in their memory, in the bond that you shared with them while they were alive. By no means am I suggesting that people should feel happy when there is a death, or if something terrible happens to them, but I am simply saying that there is always a give-and-take in any relationship. There will be good times, and there will be bad times.

Empathy can hurt, but I think it pays off in the long run. Hopefully, Chief Bromden will stay away from that fog from now on, because socializing might do him some good.

Eavesdropping

I remember other AP English students talking about how they will listen in on the conversations of people who speak in a different language (specifically Indian). At first, I found this a bit odd, especially when some made it sound like stalking, but then I began to realize that I do the same thing. The reason why I hadn't thought of it before though, is because I do it every day without thinking, in my own home. My Mom frequently calls my Grandparents or Aunt so she can catch up with what goes on in their lives, but speaks to them in Spanish, since that is their first language. I will sometimes try to listen in, because I will, on occasion, be able to understand what she says.

I do not know if people listen to these conversations for the same reason I do, however. I highly doubt any of us know much about the languages of India, so we are not listening so we can understand them. In my opinion, I think we listen because of our imagination. Due to the fact that we virtually have no idea what they are saying, we leave it up to our imagination. Could that man be speaking to his beloved girlfriend, who lives hundreds or miles away? Maybe the woman is talking to her brother, who needs a ride because his car broke down. Whatever the real conversation might be about, we allow our imagination to run wild. It's a silly thing to do after you think about it, but it's also extremely entertaining.

I am simply speaking about my own thoughts, so maybe not all of us think like this or eavesdrop on foreign conversations. For those of you who do eavesdrop though, why do you think you do it?

Insanity

We talked about insanity and what it means yesterday, and I think it's kind of funny. The word "insanity," that is. If you think about it, it's kind of hard to define what insanity really is. For example, one definition was repeating the same behavior and expecting different results. Well, in my opinion, I see that as determination. Isn't that the whole point of practicing for a sport? You repeat the same action over and over, or the same drill over and over, hoping to improve yourself by doing so.  If we go by this definition, then a lot of us must be insane.

The most humorous definition, however, is the one that said that a person who acts "out of the norm" is considered insane. If that's the case, throw me in the looney bin, because I don't think of myself as "normal." Then again, I don't think anyone is normal. I literally just looked up a couple of definitions of normal, and all of them are all...well....boring. Various words continuously pop-up: standard, regular, average, common, ect. Who wants to be average or common? Part of the reason we take AP English is so we can all rise above that. I don't want to be an average writer. I want to be an outstanding writer.

Does this make us all insane? Yeah, it probably does.

Procrastination

I had some trouble coming up with what to blog about, but the idea came to me since, well, it's Sunday. I originally wanted to post Friday, but then I got busy. Then, I thought "Oh, it's alright, I'll just post Saturday, for sure! Definitely!" That definitely turned into a possibly, then a maybe, then a tomorrow. Oh, but worry not! I promised myself I would post around noon so that I wouldn't have to worry about it the rest of the day. Noon came around, and I figured that playing some video games wouldn't hurt, I could post at one instead of noon, an hour later isn't that bad, right?

"Man, that was fun. Hey, I bet I could play another quick game. Then I'll watch a little t.v., but only a little!" This kind of thought process continued for the next couple of hours, leading to right about...now.

This doesn't just apply to the blog though, because I procrastinate on a lot of things. Luckily, I always get my work done and on time, but it's really tiring to put off work all the time, as weird as that sounds. I could do the smart thing and finish my work early so I can spend my day without stress or anxiety, but I love to save it for the last minute.

I used to ask myself why I procrastinate, but it's not too difficult to see the reasoning behind it; just look at any toddler. "Can I stay up a little longer? Can I watch one more show? Can I *insert almost any activity toddlers like* just a bit more?" Since childhood, people have always tried to fit more into their day, because twenty-four hours just isn't enough. So am I calling myself immature? In that aspect, that's exactly what I'm saying. I consider myself relatively mature for a teenager, but do I have to act like an adult now that I'm eighteen years old? I probably should, but it can wait till next year.

Marc Golsmith's Precious Little Life

On Saturday, my parents gave me the complete Scott Pilgrim series as a present for my birthday. Many only know of this as the title of a movie, but it was adapted from the comic book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The first volume, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, immediately had me hooked. Not only is the main character extremely relate-able, the minor characters are what push the storyline along and help Scott Pilgrim through all of his challenges and endeavors. All of the seemingly "minor" characters become their own developed, lovable individual by the end of the series.

What makes this such an awesome series is the writing. Yes, an important part of a comic book is its artwork, but no amount of artistic skill will help a story if the writing is boring, dull, mundane, tedious...I think you get the point. What amazes me about O'Malley is his ability to introduce new characters in each volume and make me want need to learn more about them. Why does he/she act like that? What connection could they have with the other characters? What's their part later in the plot? These questions are usually answered, which is very satisfying as the reader.

Oh, and there's a lot of comedy, action, romance, and...well...everything! The simple art style had me a bit skeptical at first, but this comic proves that fantastic writing triumphs pretty pictures. Plus, the simple art style works for this series. If you have any questions about what I mean, I highly suggest you check it out. I'm really obsessed with this series, so I'll be using it as a topic in one of my future blogs.

To tie this in with AP English more specifically, I find some of the same satisfaction with the minor characters in The Namesake. I wish that the narrator could have focused on Sonia a bit more, but other than that I have no complaints in the character-development aspect of the novel. We got to watch as the Ganguli family grew out of a confused, sometimes lost group of relatives and into a strong family who cares for one another. They had always cared about each other, but in a more forced "I love you people because I have to love you." Gogol finally started showing signs of a more mature adult, which is the one thing I wanted throughout the entire book. I believe that character-development is one of the most important aspects of any piece of literature, and it's refreshing to see such great use of it in both the Scott Pilgrim series and The Namesake.

Succession and Reflection

"Success doesn't cause us to reflect upon ourselves."

I believe that was the conclusion we came to at the end of today's discussion.

Well, I have an interesting anecdote to combat that statement.

I took Creative Writing my sophomore year (if anyone was in my class, please correct me if I'm wrong), mainly because I had a story idea and believed this class to be the perfect outlet. I soon learned, however, that Miss Beach wouldn't be the only person reviewing my writing. Apparently the entire class would critique it and give feedback. I felt genuinely afraid, not sure how the class would take to my story. I could write a short post describing some of the plot if people seem interested enough, but I'd rather not, not right now at least. Basically, it's a fictional fantasy story that takes place in the future. The "fantasy" part had me worried, since I didn't know how the rest of the class would like it. After much anxiety, however, I decided to throw my worries to the curb.

It finally came, the day of my critique, and I was prepared for the worst. I sat down, ready for whatever the class had in store for me. The first comment from a fellow sophomore had me rather dumbfounded: "So...when is this getting published?" I know it was partially a joke, but I still felt pretty shocked by the question. The reactions continued though, as the class commented on the likable characters and their interactions with one another. Oh, sure, there were a couple of criticisms about how to improve my actual writing style, but no one belittled the story or had done anything that I originally feared. This encouraged me to continue with the story, writing on the next section for each of my future critiques. The class gave me the same positive feedback each time, while their edits allowed the writing itself to improve immensely.

Well, after my experience with Creative Writing, I made a choice; I will become a novelist. The story that had formed from a simple idea soon grew into an entire storyline. If it wasn't for the my "success" in Creative Writing, then I probably wouldn't have come to the same conclusion. I'm grateful for the supportive classmates I had, because I now know what I want to do with my life. I don't consider myself anywhere close to writing a full-length novel yet, but I will. I have the passion and drive to make my tiny idea blossom into an expansive book series that will captivate its readers with intense action, heartfelt character development, and a plot with plenty of twists and turns.

So, do I believe that we cannot reflect upon our life through success? Absolutely not. I now have a dream to work toward, and I think it's important for everyone to have their own ambition.

What's your dream/ambition?

Three Men Versus The World...of AP English 12

I find it odd, quite honestly, that I look around sixth period to only see one other male in the room. Yes, I do mean one, since I never see Kyle behind the row of girls. If I hear him speaking and I want to see him, I have to lean over my desk. Seriously, it takes a lot of effort.

No, but really, I do wonder about the odd proportion of males/females. I have never asked about the other class and how many guys fill their roster, but something tells me that the number of girls would still trump the number of guys, even if the two classes came together. Why? I have no idea. I do remember AP English generally having more females than males in it, but three guys? I don't know, it just seems way out of proportioned.

Now, hold on right there, young reader. I can predict what questions I will receive. "But Marc, why do you have a problem with a class having more girls in it than guys?" I have no problem with it whatsoever, actually. I guess I just find it weird when a question pertaining to males comes up in class, and everyone turns to either myself or the two other guys in the room.

Sometimes I just feel as though the room needs more testosterone. Maybe one day I'll come in wearing a baseball cap backwards, a ripped t-shirt, and a soda can. I know you're not supposed to have any drinks other than water in class, but I'm just that rebellious. It doesn't stop there, though. I would then smash the can on my forehead and toss it into the trash like a basketball player. Then, I would turn to whoever sits next to me and start trying to talk about monster trucks, football, and...well...you know, other manly stuff.

That's how normal guys usually act...right? Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's it.

(Um...I posted this Sunday, and now it says I posted it Monday because I edited a spelling error in it. So, if anyone gets confused on that, that's why it says Monday. No one will care, more likely than not, but I had to clarify for my own reassurance.)

What's In A Name? A Lot, Apparently.

Well, I had originally meant to post yesterday, but Debate makes you unbelievably tired. Please, I encourage everyone to try and sit in a room with someone for forty minutes, while he/she tries to tell you why you're so dumb, and then go through that four more times. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love debate. The stress can just become a bit...overwhelming sometimes.

Oh, right, AP English.

Anyways, I remember writing in my journal about the name Marc and what it means literally and what it means to me personally. Well, I've thought about it more, and I have to admit that I love my name. Not just my first name either, all of it. Marc Paden Golsmith. Not your average name, huh? I'll break it down by each name (first, middle, last), since each one means something different to me.

My first name, Marc, kind of confuses me now, or at least what it means exactly. Apparently, it means a lot of different things. I have found three different meanings, which I will list; Roman Warrior, Rebellious, and Warlike. Um...yeah, most people who know me would not describe me as any of those. I do, however, fight for what I believe in and "rebel" against the norm. I mean seriously, who wants to be normal? It's just too boring.

Paden sounds like an odd middle name, right? Yeah, I kind of think so too, although I've always loved it. Some people freak out about their middle name and never want to tell people about it, but I don't mind. I adopted my middle name (and my entire name, for that matter) from my Grandfather, Marc Paden Golsmith. My parents wanted to honor my Grandfather (on my Dad's side) by naming their son (me obviously) after him. I never got to meet him, but my Dad always tells me about how great of a guy he was. I might elaborate about his great war stories in a later post, but I want to move on for now.

Lastly, Golsmith. Read closely. Golsmith. If you think I mistyped my own name, I didn't. Golsmith has no D, although it used it a while ago before I was born. My Grandfather (whom I get my name from) changed it since Goldsmith is a name of Jewish origin. The Jewish people were being discriminated against, and he had no idea how long it would last, so he decided it would benefit the family if he simply took out the D. That way, if someone asked about the name, my Dad could say that it's different from Goldsmith and not have to admit his Jewish descent. I hate the name Golsmith when I was a kid, since I would always have to repeat the name at least twice before someone spelled it right. I even received an award from the school last year, which had my last name spelled "Marc Goldsmith." Yeah, I wasn't too happy about that. I now love the name though, because the changing of our last name displays the love my Grandfather had for the well-being of his current family, and future generations of Golsmiths.

Basically, the way I see it, my name shows a lot about me. I fight for my beliefs, I honor my family, and I carry on the love that my Grandfather had for his family. If he were to see me now, would he be proud? I like to think he would.