Samantha Lu

19 Nov 2020

Mrs. White

AP English Composition and Literature

Looking Back

In each of the following tabs, I have organized the work I am referencing in this

reflection by year. They are a true testament of my academic growth throughout University High.

The biggest improvement I take pride in is in my argumentative writing. As my critical

thinking improved, my writing improved. In my Fast Food Nation PA, I found that my warrant

was just as much clunky as it was underdeveloped. There were a variety of sentences that needed

more fluency, and my sentence structure was static and boring. In addition, my warrant drew the

bare minimum of implications from the evidence I provided (which were quotes that were far too

long). In comparison to my Individual Written Argument, there is a stark contrast in their quality.

My IWA had an improved flow and a much improved warrant. I pulled much more out of shorter

quotes and included interwoven connections between sources and paragraphs. As a step further, I

found myself having to approach creating a warrant from an unbiased standpoint. In my junior

year research paper, I wrote a Literature Review, which had to be impartial. I found myself

connecting sources and drawing the implications out without making an argument, which proved

to be easy because I could apply the earlier concepts of warrant that I had learned. This also

applied in my poetry responses, as I found that I understood the concept of warrant enough to

transfer it to a more figurative context.

Secondly, my reading and literature skills have improved greatly from my junior year to

senior year. When reading, I would often question the more literal meanings, like what happened
in the plot. I would question some figurative and implied meanings, but never put much

emphasis on them. In ​The Scarlet Letter​, I questioned the actions of the characters more than I

looked at the implications of them. In addition, I often merely pointed out figurative language

rather than going in depth of their meaning. However, as I progressed into senior year, I had

noticed that I pulled much more figurative meanings from my notes. While taking notes on

Macbeth​, I was much more definitive in my implications and analysis. I characterized throughout

the story and pointed out much more of the figurative language, as well as what it could possibly

allude to. However, I could still probably draw out more meanings from figurative language in

old writing.

When exercising my listening skills, I found that they improved greatly over the course

of my Junior year. When we started out in film analysis, I often relied on my group members’

interpretations of events. I had difficulty in critically analyzing the content of movies and the use

of film tools. I often asked my group what they thought of specific scenes and how they would

interpret it. As a result, most of my notes for the movie ​Dead Poets Society​ are attributed to

them. However, that experience had given me ample knowledge to be able to break down the

movie ​Ella Enchanted​ on my own. I felt very accomplished, as I not only utilized film tools, but

I also was able to weave in figurative language into my analysis of the scenes. I ended up being

able to look into the implications of these tools on my own in my first initial watches of the

movie.

Something important I learned throughout highschool is that my speaking skills vary

based on my preparation. I work much better with notes and plans, a primary factor to my

confidence and success in my IWA presentation. Constantly rehearsing that worked wonders for

me, and I remember that it ran smoothly. Without guiding words and notes, I often ramble on
about my points, in which I add unnecessary details that confuse more than contribute. This was

very much seen in my Frankenstein presentation in junior year, where I felt underprepared and

had reflected that in my performance. I lacked a solid guide for myself and instead went based

off of the keywords that were on the slide. In contrast, this year during our poetry presentations, I

had prepared a script for myself that I followed, which helped me to organize my thoughts a lot

better.

However, amidst my growth, I still have quite a long way to go in time management.

Most of the works I have cited, if not all, were done at the last minute at some point in their

process. I feel as if I have always been able to make it through without having to focus on my

time management, so I never took the time to improve it. However, with the different

circumstances I have been forced under, I realize how important it was to build that habit early

on. I now struggle with my assignments and their spacing because I have been getting more

distracted from home and need to self-teach much more than usual. I take longer on assignments,

and therefore become more stressed and burnt out. While I do not equate the circumstances I am

under to be indicative of my worth or the progress of my growth, I do understand that I have

much to work on once there is some form of normalcy returned to me. I look forward to a new

beginning in college to have that feeling of a fresh start, and hopefully more control over my

schedule will help with my time management.