Dante's English Blog

Prompt: I'm an indecisive and uncertain person. I can't really make a statement with full clarity in my voice. This has led me to discover probably my most used word currently: probably. It demonstrates likeliness and a high likelihood of something occurring, but it does not convey conviction. During a time where everything feels like it's being revealed, I'm scared to learn new information that changes my perspective. Summary: Today in class, we established the necessity of an increasing vocabulary, and we worked on a vocabulary sheet. Reflection: On the vocabulary sheet, I knew about seven or eight of the words. It was a sign that I need to expand my vocabulary because the vocabulary on the AP exam will be advanced.

Prompt: AP Lang has been a fun course so far. The blog posts have felt digestible, and I have prevented them from piling up so far. On the contrary, a lot of my problems have come from not paying attention. I tend to zone out often, and it's left me a little lost during a few assignments. In the future, whenever I start to zone out, I think I should just start writing down whatever is being said. This way I can stay alert during class without missing information I need. Summary: After our lunch period, we wrote our paragraphs that chose a stance on "good kills." Reflection: Before we started, I found out that a counter argument isn't a part of the rubric for the argument free response question. This makes the AP exam a bit more digestible since it leaves it down to only the key elements of the rubric.

Prompt : I stand by what I say a lot. In front of all my friends, I declared to them that I thought putting movies in two times speed was considered anti-intellectual and anti-art. My stance was met with verbal pushback because almost every single one of my friends either always did that, or had done it before. My ethos was questioned a lot, but I didn't budge. I said that altering a movies original format completely changed the intended experience, therefore combating any artistic impact it could've had. It was my main point, but because everyone disregarded it, my explanation became crucial. Summary: Today in class, we read over a realistic fiction text, and we went in depth into formatting a paragraph: claim, evidence, explanation, evidence, explanation, and conclusion. Reflection : In class, we argued whether there is a such thing as a "good kill" or not. When taking a position, I started to understand the importance of the audience. It became easier to position...

Prompt: Although I complain about not being hands-on enough in the classroom, I love doing worksheets. The routine feel that they bring makes it easier for me to comprehend a lesson. It's almost like I'm facing darkness straight ahead. During worksheets, it's incredibly soothing to work with other people as well. Getting insight from my peers helps me realize that they struggle on work just as much as I do, and I find that very comforting. Summary: Today in class we continued to create claims using past AP exam prompts. Reflection: As we made our individual claims, Mr. Rease helped me clarify a bit of confusion I had. I realized that it's important to be as specific as possible while still keeping my evidence slightly vague, so I can have space to explain it once we get to structuring essays. This will help me structure my essays during the AP exam a lot quicker.

Prompt: I don't remember how old I was when someone first explained to me what death is. It's one of those things that lurks in the back of my mind. It feels like one giant prank everyone's trying to pull on me. If someone dies, I fully expect them to jump out and yell, "Surprise!" That probably won't happen. I just can't comprehend that one die I'll shut my eyes and never open them again. Summary: Today, we created claims for a past AP exam prompt we examined. Reflection: While finding our positions about the importance of polite speech, I realized I had a differing view than most of the class. I found polite speech in modern American schools to be ineffective, and during this activity, it became clear to me that I won't always agree with the majority.

Prompt : I'd like to think there's not a lot of things that make me different from other people. Despite all the strange and insane things I do, I don't necessarily want to be different. I want to homogenize with the majority, so I can feel like there's a community that supports me. Despite that, my favorite thing in the world also ostracizes me. Talking about movies, writing about movies, and arguing about movies are some of my favorite pastimes. In more specifics, it makes my day seeing other people passionate about movies. It consumes every second of my day. I often hope it'll take over other people's hearts too. Summary: We examined different film scenes, and analyzed their rhetorical appeals. Reflection: As we identified the main rhetorical appeals in Whiplash , it was eye-opening to me that the ethos was so strong. This has taught me that even when someone doesn't outwardly speak of their position, the heiracrhy is still in place because of how everyo...

Prompt: Living in and around Atlanta has opened up my eyes a lot. Although I live in Dekalb, there is still a variety of people, restaurants, music, and arts. I've wanted to go into filmmaking my entire life, and living in Atlanta has only reinforced this. When speaking with someone unfamiliar with Atlanta, I would immediately mention how inclusive and supportive everyone is. Without all the fans in the stands, I don't think I would be able to be as invested in my dreams as I am now. Summary: We deconstructed Keisha Lance Bottoms' "Go Home" speech. Reflection: When we looked at Bottoms' speech, we sorted the ethos into the speaker. She described herself as a black mother, and this changed the way I view ethos because not only can it create authority, but here, it creates relatability.

Prompt: The Dante Awards is my own award show that I started around the Covid-19 pandemic. Since starting it, it's continued for about seven years now. It's my own version of the Academy Awards, and I always rent out a venue. I create videos showcasing each category and film, and as of recent, I've even added musical performances in. It's the achievement I'm most proud of my work with the Dante Awards because I've made it a clear point to donate all the money from the show to people in need. Summary: Today in class, we dissected a speech from President Trump. Reflection: As we broke down SPACECAT, I ended up discovering the definition of exigence. This will become important in order to identify the problems and figure out the urgency of a situation.

Prompt: The last few weeks of my sophomore year were some of the most confusing for me. There wasn't a large event that really changed me specifically, but rather, it changed the people around me. Most of my friends had just graduated, and the halls at school felt devoid of energy. I couldn't ask Ben for help in Environmental Science, I couldn't talk to Caleb during lunch, nor could I see Ella during chorus. For the first time in a long time, I felt lost. There wasn't anyone there to guide me and steer me into the right path. Summary: We identified and sorted claims from an article. Reflection: As we categorized and discovered each claim, this helped me understand how claims were structured. This will be useful on the AP exam in May because it will make it easier to structure my own essays.

Prompt: Santa Claus was always a mystery to me as a child. I believed in him, there's no doubt about that, but I always wondered about him. In my head, I always defined myself as a bad kid. I threw a lot of tantrums, I argued with my parents, and I was territorial about all my toys, so when Christmas came around, I was always surprised that I got presents. Growing up, I've gotten less and less presents, but I feel as if I've grown a lot as a person. Sometimes, I still wonder about Santa though, but I mostly question if he still thinks I'm a bad person. Summary: In today's class, we defined a claim, and we discussed the different types of claims. Reflection:  Going into the different types of claims, the one that stood out were claims of value because I found it fascinating that we were required to have a criteria. I think this strengthens a claim because it allows for easier comparisons where the answer becomes clearer, so it will be useful in situations when I di...

Prompt : One of the largest arguments I've gotten into was over one of my favorite films of the last few years, One Battle After Another . Coming out of the screening, I was ecstatic because it had really moved me, but my friend, Goose, was not a fan. It felt like we'd each seen two completely different movies. When we started discussing it, my goal was to change their mind completely, but as we got angrier and angrier, it was clear that would not happen. Taking a page out of Heinrich's Thank You for Arguing , I decided to concede by explaining that while it wasn't their favorite film, it was still made using a lot of effort. Still, I did not succeed. Summary : In class, we went over pages in Jay Heinrich's Thank You for Arguing , and discussed the efforts that need to be taken to argue efficiently. Reflection : When looking at Thank You for Arguing , we found three crucial areas when it came to seduction: mood, mind and act. Understanding these concepts is becoming...

Prompt: My family doesn't watch many movies together, but when they do, it can get a little messy. Like any other household, it's practically impossible to decide on one movie altogether. Despite that, I still try to make that possible. While my mom and my brother are easier to get on board, my dad is typically the giant hurdle holding me back. When I'm in these situations, I normally attempt to persuade my dad using ethos because it's pretty well known that I watch a ton of movies. It almost always works after a bit of convincing, but what I've never realized is that ethos not only works because I watch so many movies, but because I'm his son too. Summary: Today in class, we presented the stories behind our names, and we reviewed ethos, logos, and pathos. Reflection:  During our presentations today, it opened up my world just a little bit more. Even though I don't normally think too much about my name, there are a lot of people whose names have deep roots...

Prompt: Growing older is something that's been on my mind a lot recently. Many of my senior friends have started to leave these last couple of days, and it's left me anxious. That's mostly part to some painfully awkward goodbyes that have consisted of arguments, conflicts, and a lot of pettiness. As I begin to get older, I think it will always be hard to fight for the idea that people are inherently good. There is plenty of evil in the world (especially right now), but I believe that everyone is always trying to do good, even if it's misguided. Summary:  In class today, we defined what an argument is and the different aspects of it regarding the evidence. Reflection:  When exploring evidence, we discussed ethos, logos, and pathos a lot. Focusing in on that, it's opened my eyes up into how important evidence is, and that pathos can only be considered pathos if it truly leaves an emotional impact on you.

Prompt:  This year, there are many goals I'm striving towards. The first goal I have revolves around my academics. Not only do I want to pass all my classes this year, I want to pass them with straight As. However, my next goal is definitely more personal. I've wanted to write a full-length screenplay that I can start to film. It would help me get more into filmmaking. Finally, it's important to me that I continue to put myself out there. Being able to call someone a friend is one of the most rewarding feelings in the world for me, and I want to welcome many more people into my life.