The Theme Behind This Webpage:

Over the course my freshman year, I had made a lot of progress in every aspect of language arts. My skills in every area of English grew during each and every assignment. As a reader, I consumed about 2000 pages of text, whether independent or curricular, and with every page, I made progress in my vocabulary, my reading skill, and my analysis of the text. Along with the reading itself, I am now able to put my analysis onto paper better than I ever could last year. This is most visible in my analysis of the characters in Mark Twain's short story, A Private History of a Campaign That Failed. I grew as a creative writer as well. In both eighth grade and ninth, I had to assemble a book of poetry. Through exposure and practice, my poems this year are far superior to those in eighth grade. Growth is even evident in the essential skills of participating in class discussion and presenting in front of the class. By the end of this year, I often found myself discussing very in-depth topics in front of the whole class, without being forced to do so. When it came time to assemble an I-Search project, my partner (Brandon Kirch) and I managed to gather research on a very challenging topic, and form it into a presentation for the class.

Only a few weeks ago, my partner and I were trying to divvy-up the tasks of researching for our presentation on the status of patriotism in America. We spent several study halls in the library, with me manning the computer, searching the Internet for articles and quotes relevant to our topic, and Brandon sifting through sheets of microfiche, scanning articles about everything from the Gulf War to Woodstock II. Eventually, we found ourselves with a stack of photocopies, notes, printouts, and several streaks of highlighter that we had to turn into a presentation. Had I attempted this project at the beginning of the year, I would have gotten no farther than writing the bibliography. Now however, at the end of the year, I have the experience and confidence to take on such an enormous project. After about ten hours on the phone, Brandon and I assembled a presentation that was designed to both keep the class's attention, and bring to some of them the realization that none of us are the model citizens that we should be. Before I knew it, I was in front of the class, teaching to others what I knew – a feat that I never would have had the gall to do earlier in my life.

Along with my growth in teaching others came progress in listening to others. In the beginning of the year, I brought up very few interesting points in class discussions; I usually just observed. Now, later in the year, I often get a sense of satisfaction when I add to a controversial or interesting aspect of Lord of the Flies or Romeo and Juliet. More than ever before, I am raising my hand in class and adding to the discussion. On the scale of 1-4, I would have to give myself a high three. Some aspects of the rank of three do not apply to me, but others describe me quite well. For starters, I am almost never confused with or biased against another's comments. My own comments are often thought provoking, but I do have a tendency to sum up my point, making further discussion intimidating. Like most of my classmates, I often seem to address the teacher or another person if I am responding to their comment, but if I am just raising a point of my own, I try hard to address the entire class. Earlier in the year, if I did raise a point on my own, it was always directed more to my desk than anyone in the room. Now I always have something to say, and it is often very deep in thought. Unlike the description of a 'three', I do react to the more subtle aspects of the reading, and I try hard to bring up such hidden meanings when I am speaking. I have never had a problem branching off of the comments of others, but others always have trouble following me. The topics I bring up are often introduced and concluded in the same monologue, leaving little room for others to respond. The only area of growth that is slightly detrimental to my skills as a class-participant is my social skills. Unfortunately, English is the only class that I have friends in, so I often find myself engaged in side conversations with them. After a temporary relegation, however, much of my talking subsided. I now try to leave the majority of the conversation to the other people around me. Despite the occasional distraction, participating in class discussions has added not only to my skills as a speaker, but as an analyst of literature as well.

Analytic writing has always been one of my strongpoints. Whether it is the skills I gained from Discovery (before I quit) or the last five years of practice, analytic writing comes easily to me. About halfway through this year, I completed my most in-depth analysis to date – an analysis of the main characters in my self-chosen short story. Weighing in at about five pages, my character analysis of The Private History of A Campaign That Failed" was a piece to be proud of. Yet, this analysis was no easy task. It took a lot of time and thought to put out the essay, but it is far superior to anything I had ever done before it.

Creative writing is not only something I'm quite good at, it is something I enjoy as well. There's probably a connection there, but I don't know for sure J . The creative writing I'm used to is writing short stories, like the ending for the Most Dangerous Game that we did at the beginning of the year. Yet, the MDG ending was not a major step for me because it wasn't new to me. The poetry portfolio, however, was a real wake-up call. Sure, I had written poems before – little four-lined things that were not much more than two rhymes and some humor. When we started the poetry unit, I knew that I was going to start to appreciate poetry. Unlike any of my previous classes, this year, we spent a week or so just reading poetry. Through exposure, I gained a sense for the styles and qualities of modern poetry. By the end of that unit, I made a portfolio of my own poems that I could be proud of. That is one improvement that I'll not soon forget.

Reading is probably the most important aspect of language arts. Reading between the lines is certainly the most important aspect of reading. Before this year, I could do nothing with literature but enjoy it. Upon looking at a theme analysis of "The Lottery" from eighth grade, I realized how much I had improved. Again, through exposure, I gained the skills necessary to interpret text as I read it, form questions, and make inferences on theme, style, and characters. Of all of the reading that I did this year, I would have to say that the most beneficial was reading and discussing "A Separate Peace". In reading that book, I learned to analyze as I read, write down my questions, and turn them into either an insightful journal entry or a provocative class discussion. It is a very hard skill to teach, to learn, and especially, to describe, but I have no doubt that I am by far a more developed reader than I ever was before.

The changes that I have made from the beginning of the year until now are innumerable. I never could have guessed that I would have the skills, the knowledge, or the devotion to put out the level of writing that I can now. A year ago, if someone had told me to stand up in front of a class and teach for 12 minutes, I would have just about broken down in tears. Even the thought of reading a few thousand pages of text by choice would have been a joke to me. Yet, here I am, pumping out paper after paper of quality, insightful work, without revisions. I have made a lot of progress this year, and I am very proud of my achievements.