Everyone has role models, and mine is Leslie Knope. Leslie is confident and charming, and these characteristics are some that make a good presenter. This past week in class, all students have been working on presentations about different elements of fiction. While presenting, we were urged to use examples and quotes that would enthrall the audience, leave them wanting more, instead of having them sit like stones and do nothing but listen. Presenting needs to captivating and exciting, and when the presenter is interested in their presentation, it becomes easier for both the audience and the speaker. During my presentation this week, I tried to channel my inner Leslie Knope. I tried to be interesting and and thorough and knowledgable. Though I know that I did not completely blow away my audience with my presentation, I now have experience so that I will be able to add elements to what I'm presenting that will make it extra special. Something that I was going to use in my presentation, but forgot about it when the time came, is a piece from my favorite composer. The song is Summer, written and performed by Joe Hisaishi, the composer himself. The reason for choosing this piece to go with my presentation is because it reminds me of the feeling that I get when I think of fantasy. Full of endless possibility and thriving with emotion, Summer is a piece that never stops moving, much like fantasy. It continues with a lighthearted intensity that leaves the audience yearning for more, as presenting should. If you would like to give this piece a listen, the link can be found below.
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In the sixth week of our AP Lit class, we've focused on creating a presentation in groups. I have a group of two, and I find that working in a group of two is easier than working in a group of three but a little harder than writing in a group of two. I appreciate working by myself, for working alone enables me to share my thoughts freely and without outside restrictions. However, working in a pair has it's perks. My partner is able to help me see that all contributions are necessary and that not all information is applicable. In our groups, we were tasked with analyzing two aspects of literature. The two aspects that my pair focused on were fantasy and point of view. This week, I have mostly focused on the fantasy part of our presentation. I have been writing and thinking about fantasy on a different level than I ever had before. Fantasy is an incredible genre, and I have always loved reading it. While analyzing fantasy, we were given packets that further explained the aspects of literature that we have chose. One of my favorite quotes from this packet is, "truth in fiction is not the same as fidelity in fact.". Not everyone's truth is the same, and that's one of my favorite things about fiction, especially fantasy. When writing fantasy, you are under free reign and you are in charge of the facts.
This week in AP Lit, we focused on a poem written by Emily Dickinson, I felt a Funeral, in my Brain. With this poem, we spent all week diving deeper and exploring the meaning of it.With the dissection of this poem, I was able to go back and utilize my skills that I gained in fourth grade. I was able to connect this text to other texts, and I was able to connect the writing with my own self. With connecting this text to other texts, I was able to recognize the writing and the feel of Dickinson's poems. Many of her works have an overbearing feeling of despair and decay. I was able to connect this particular work with my own experiences, as I have felt a funeral in my own brain. I've felt the emotions and experiences that the speaker discusses in I felt a Funeral, in my Brain. As I was connecting this to myself, I recalled something that I had felt as I experienced a funeral in my brain. I felt a complete loss of devotion to life, similar to the dread written into the poem. The style that Dickinson uses to portray her thoughts in her poems is truly unique. She was a visionary, and her works have inspired many writers and readers, including myself. I hope to one day be able to write as she did, having the reader question the meanings and origins of the text, and having the power of thought. Dickinson is one of my literary heroes, and I admire her works. One of my favorite pieces of hers, along with an analysis, is linked to the left. |
AuthorCailin Rose Russell Archives
April 2017
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