"Don't do it."
There stood a student (whom I recognized), arms outreached, halting what had seemed to be a straight-forward and unremarkable task.
"Don't take AP Lit. You will regret it. Seriously."
Although I was not dissuaded from my "rash" decision, I was quite interested in what could have possibly driven such a sane and sensible student to such a bold proclamation. One month into school, I have yet to discover the answer which eludes me. Nothing covered so far was extraordinarily difficult or taxing on my schedule.
The first few weeks were devoted to writing techniques: diction, language, imagery, details, and syntax (shortened as DIDLS, or, as our class preferred, LIDDS). What interested me as we poured over each element and what it is and what is does, is that we focused, as a class, on the bare basics of literature. The subtle things that one usually does not notice, such as the feeling or emotion one feels, while reading. It is these subtle things in art that makes some "art" truly great. Similar to how Spielberg is able to pull on the heartstrings in "War Horse", or how Picasso's art does whatever it does (not a fan of "high art"), or how Yo-yo Ma is proclaimed as the greatest musician of our era (right behind Isabel Kwon and Curtis Kuo), true masters of literature can manipulate their medium in profound, yet subtle, ways in which only a master can appreciate. Twain, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, all use "DIDLS" to construct and send profound messages that seem obvious, yet impossible to emulate. I find that really interesting, and encouraging that we have studied, are studying, why such great writers are great. I find it really encouraging that we are learning why, and how we can write better, convey our ideas and emotions better, and become masters of and art form available to all of us. Starting at the bare basics.
New Edit:
So my fellow peers have been clamoring to hear of my thoughts on the recent discussions of the American Dream. Well, I found them to be both encouraging and discouraging. I enjoy the open discussion: the free flow of thoughts, opinions, and ideas was really refreshing. Some things mentioned forced me to reconsider my thoughts of the subjects, some things modified existing opinions. This is great. It's like how a democracy should work. However, sometimes I feel that the discussions are discouraging. Often I feel that our class is focused on sex to a degree that the overall big picture is lost. Ms Holmes (who might as well be you right now) told our class to not be magpies and focus on a specific subject, but our class does. Worse of all, we don't really tie in to how this discussion on sex builds to the overall meaning of the piece. Sure, talk about sex. Talk about sex the whole bloody day. I'm fine with that. I like sex as much as the next teenage male. But, as long as we are in AP Lit., and not some freshman classroom, make the discussion meaningful. Say why it is a big deal guys, it's not something complicated.
New Edit:
So my fellow peers have been clamoring to hear of my thoughts on the recent discussions of the American Dream. Well, I found them to be both encouraging and discouraging. I enjoy the open discussion: the free flow of thoughts, opinions, and ideas was really refreshing. Some things mentioned forced me to reconsider my thoughts of the subjects, some things modified existing opinions. This is great. It's like how a democracy should work. However, sometimes I feel that the discussions are discouraging. Often I feel that our class is focused on sex to a degree that the overall big picture is lost. Ms Holmes (who might as well be you right now) told our class to not be magpies and focus on a specific subject, but our class does. Worse of all, we don't really tie in to how this discussion on sex builds to the overall meaning of the piece. Sure, talk about sex. Talk about sex the whole bloody day. I'm fine with that. I like sex as much as the next teenage male. But, as long as we are in AP Lit., and not some freshman classroom, make the discussion meaningful. Say why it is a big deal guys, it's not something complicated.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I really enjoy your writing style. It's very relaxed and laid-back, but at the same time put together and well-worded. You know how to incorporate aspects of everyday speech into writing, which is something I think every writer struggles with, and that's commendable. It's interesting to hear that someone tried to turn you away, because I heard similar dissidents as well. So far, AP Lit has not been the hailstorm of work and annotating that it was made out to be, and I am thankful for that, but who knows, it could turn into one mighty quick. Anyway, I'd like to hear more about what you've learned other than DIDLS. Yes, DIDLS is a mighty big topic and a mighty important skill to have, but we've also been discussing "The American Dream" for several weeks, along with comedy, existentialism and the Theatre of the Absurd, all of which are nuanced in their own right. Now, you said in your post on my course response that your class was a quiet one, but that doesn't mean that you don't have an opinion or feelings about these topics. So let me hear 'em; maybe you'll show me something I didn't see before in "The American Dream" that's vital to its interpretation.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your response to course material. I found myself chuckling from time to time, and i applaud you for your writing abilities, particularly your short piece of dialogue at the beginning of your response. I completely agree that I have yet to find AP LIT to be a burden as some before have determined. However, I don't doubt that it will prove challenging later on. I enjoyed your discussion on the usage of "DIDLS/LIDDS," but i would have loved to hear more about your experiences. Perhaps you could have included an example, such as our analyzing of Metamorphosis. Furthermore, I couldn't agree more with you on the importance of the "subtle" elements in Literature. This was one thing I was surprised most about. When first reading "American Dream" I was perplexed as to why we were reading such a silly play. However, after further analysis it became clear all of the "hidden" messages, and elements constructed by Albee. Did you find our discussions helpful? Do you like the set-up of our classroom? This was one thing I found particularly peculiar.
Hi Andrew!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very entertaining blog post to read - as I expected it would be. I can 100% hear your sarcastic, sardonic, vampire-like voice (so different from Matthew's). I also heard AP Lit had a huge workload - but it really doesn't seem to be that way so far. I liked your comparisons of DIDLS with the details of art and how master cellists like Curtis and Isabel use those details to create great music. However, I wish you had given examples of how DIDLS has truly changed your interpretation of literature, possibly tying it into the American Dream. I also wish you would've mentioned your class's discussion of the American Dream as well as your own opinions. It'd be interesting to compare the conclusions drawn by different classes. What did you think Albee's overall message was? What do you think about the role of Grandma in the play? Anyhow, thank you for this enjoyable post!