Top 3 in AP Lang

Although we have not read too much this year, I would say there is a clear top 3 of the works we have read.

Gulliver's Travels, Othello, and I'm Glad My Mom Died were definitely my top 3 books this year due to the

contrast they provided with each other. Starting with Gulliver's Travels, a satirical novel about English aristocracy,

we were introduced to the rhetorical skills an author might take in portraying a message. Gulliver's Travels was not

only informative on the use of rhetoric but it was entertaining as well. I especially enjoyed the presentation

assignment associated with the end of the novel as it allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the work.

I also enjoyed the class discussions on the reading as it was a chance to better understand the reading and

important aspects of the book. Moving on to I'm Glad My Mom Died, a memoir based on the life of Jennette

McCurdy, we were able to enjoy a book about something familiar to us or in this case someone. I enjoyed

the less formal aspect of the memoir as not only did I understand it better but it allowed me to see a range

of types of writing. Seeing a greater range of writing allowed me to have an understanding of any style of

writing I could have encountered when it came time for the AP exam. As the exam mostly consisted of

reading and writing, reading books is the best way to prepare for any form of reading comprehension we

would encounter. Furthermore, combined with writing about these books we were able to further enhance

our comprehension allowing for more opportunity for success on the exam. I’m Glad My Mom Died was a

refreshing change in the style of reading we had encountered so far in the year. Additionally, it ended up

paying off as the rhetorical essay on the exam was an excerpt from a memoir. Reading McCurdy’s memoir

helped prepare me for the exam and allowed me to feel confident when I read the memoir on the exam.

Even though I’m Glad My Mom Died was eventually taken away due to certain content, I thought the book

had a positive aspect overall and for the people who were surprised by the new content they had a chance to

learn about topics important socially. Lastly, Othello gave a positive conclusion to the year in which we were

able to experience a piece of literature with a language that was pretty unfamiliar. Shakespeare’s language,

although hard to understand, gave us a chance to experience a type of writing that we would most likely see

on the exam. I believe that if you can understand a work like Shakespeare's, then you can understand almost

anything. Furthermore, I personally enjoy Shakespeare’s writing and found Othello to be entertaining. I like

how Shakespeare’s tragic stories are constructed with a buildup to the ultimate tragic ending. Overall, I

enjoyed the range of reading that we read this year and thought it gave me the opportunity to experience

different styles of writing that benefitted me on the exam.