In elementary and middle school, English was always a class that I was good at, but never one that I actually felt any kind of way for. This also did not change in freshman year, as having English class over a zoom call was boring and tedious. Coming into Mr. Davidson's English class fifth hour sophomore year I had no expectations of liking it (especially after the boring summer reading). I was absolutely blown away by how much I began to enjoy English. This budding love was cemented by reading The Great Gatsby, which was taught perfectly. Reading the novel side by side with the movie truly allowed me to visualize the novel in a way I never had been able to before. This along with the fascinating color symbolization made me desperately want to do two things in my junior year: get an A on a paper and take honors. The problem with this being I never got an A on a high school paper, and I missed the honors test deadline. With hard-work (and constant pestering of Mr. Hill) I passed both of these huge hurdles with style and ease. I never got below and A on a paper in Junior year, and my love for English grew with each novel/play that we read. From Beowulf to Macbeth to Oliver Twist and even cheesy things like AstroPhil and Stella, I loved it all. So of the most satisfying memories of my life have come from perfecting my essays and receiving nearly flawless marks from arguablely the hardest teacher in the school. I can't wait to see what A.P. English has in store for me, as I am absolutely in love with English right now.

    To be honest, I almost never read outside of class. In class I love reading, as the discussion with the class and teacher add to the experience of reading immensely. Outside of class reading isn't as fun, as my ideas aren't really bounced off of others, so it kinda feels more boring. The only reading I do outside of class is if I am researching something personally, reading a manga, or mabye the occasional audio book. With that being said though, in the future I do want to take advantage of audio books more, to be able  read in times when I would usually be doing something else. I plan to probably read the game of thrones and lord of the rings series on audio books to start.

    By taking this class, I am trying to gain more of an enjoyment with reading on my own. As previously mentioned, I don't usually read outside of class, and I definitely don't enjoy it. By taking this class, I am hoping to find enjoyment in reading. I am also hoping to be able to find some new authors that I enjoy reading, to kickstart me starting reading.

Comments

  1. AlexJDAugust 22, 2023 at 8:43 AM

    William, I'm so glad that reading The Great Gatsby had such a positive effect on your English class experiences. It sounds like you've just been growing and growing since then, which is awesome to hear. Reading can be such a social activity. I love that you love it. Maybe you'll be more likely to read for fun if you are part of a book club or by joining an online community like Bookstagram (books + Instagram).

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