1. Who are you? (No, no. Who are you really?) And who are you not?
Develop a response in the comment box below.
Include your first name and last initial at the beginning of your post.
If you have trouble commenting stop by 2207 and I can give you a quick tutorial.
Include your first name and last initial at the beginning of your post.
If you have trouble commenting stop by 2207 and I can give you a quick tutorial.
2. Below you'll also find a copy of the letter I gave you on Tuesday.
Dear 2012-2013 AP English Language and Composition students,
During
the 2012-2013 school year Gloucester
High School will offer AP
English Language and Composition for the second time. Late in the winter of 2012 you chose to
take this course and now you have been accepted.
You may have said to your self, "What have I gotten into?"
Here's a short version of the fun ahead.
During the summer you are
expected to read All Souls by Michael
Patrick MacDonald, The Omnivore’s Dilemma
by Michael Pollan, Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town by Elyssa East, and a book of
your choice. You will also be expected to keep a passage response journal for
each work, participate in three AP English Language summer sessions at Gloucester High School, post comments on the AP
English Language blog (apenglangghs2014.blogspot.com), and create an argument
web. (You will find out more about the web in during the summer.) This list is not intended to scare you off. However, I want to be honest and
upfront about the expectations. If you are seriously committed to reading, analyzing,
writing, researching, talking, debating, and thinking at a college level, I
promise that you will find the summer experience – and the course as a whole – to
be fulfilling and rewarding.
During each term of the school year you will
read several hundred pages, write a couple dozen pages, and participate in
several graded discussions. You are expected to be self-motivated and
genuinely engaged; and, since the goal of the class is for every student to do
well on the AP exam, it is important that you are willing to work with
classmates in small groups to analyze text and evaluate peer work. You will
learn from the texts, your teacher, and each other. To achieve this goal the
class atmosphere must be collegial rather than competitive, and you must do
your share of the work.
Please consider this description
of the course and make a decision about whether or not you are committed to
fulfilling the requirements of AP English Literature and Composition. Please
complete the "commitment form" (on the back of this letter) and
return it to me, Mr. James Cook, in room
2207 by Friday, May 25. If you have questions about any of the
expectations please stop by 2207. I am looking forward to getting to know you.
Sincerely,
Mr. James Cook
English Teacher
Gloucester High School
yippie yi yay
ReplyDeleteDeath Note
ReplyDeleteSeiken your doing it wrong
DeleteO, Did someone ask you? Shoo, my liege, do shoo yourself.
DeleteNicole B.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really tough question. Whenever asked this, I freeze. At sixteen, I find that I am only just beginning to discover who I am. I still change constantly, little ideas and perceptions that I have still constantly alter. My personality is still changing; I look back to the beginning of this year and see how much I have changed in such a small time. It may not seem like a substantial change to others, but to me it is colossal. I add new ideas and thoughts to my mind every day; my mind and soul are still expanding.
There is one thing that I can say about myself: I try to stay away from questions that ask what I like, because there are always new books, or ideas, or activities that I either find along in my life or that I remember later, after answering the question. I hate to exclude anything. It makes me feel like that part excluded is not really part of me, though I know this is not true. Everything that has met me in my life has either had a positive effect on me in some way, or has taught me/influenced me in such a way that I would never for a second consider giving up that moment, whether it seemed good or bad.
I just cannot define myself with a few short words… or even in an essay. However, there is a part of me that feels obligated to say a little right now: I am a wonderer, a quirky questioner, a reader of the classics, an independent explorer, and an actress with a wild imagination. I am driven by determination and my personal pursuit of happiness. I have left out infinite details about myself that you will have to discover along the way. (Right now I am practicing severe self-control to not keep adding more) Some details, I will be discovering for the first time as well. I also cannot easily define who I am not. I can be anything that I want to be, or at least try and reach something that is along the path to my goal. I will never be a follower. I may not be what I first seem to be, so remember that and keep your mind open; in return, I promise to never be narrow-minded or intolerant. I am finding my way. Whoever reads this; you too will or are affecting my steps to growing up.
Kirsten S.
ReplyDeleteWho am I? That is such a vague question. One could have a simple answer of their name, maybe their likes and dislikes, or even a blatant answer of “I don’t know.” Who really does know anyway? You don’t just wake up in the morning and know exactly who you are, what you want to do in life, and your direct path to accomplish whatever it may be. That is unrealistic, and frankly impossible.
Everything and everyone around you affects your overall being. No matter how often people say that they don’t care what other people think about them, they actually do. I actually do. We feed off of opinions from others; they define who we are at the moment. We change ourselves to fit society, and that is always different. What’s acceptable one day, isn’t the next.
So, pinpointing who I am as a person is something I do not want to do. Labeling yourself is a way we show people how we want to be portrayed and what we want to think of ourselves, because we do not truly know. In actuality, you won’t have an answer to the question until the last day of your life. That’s when you can look back on a life full of experience, adventure, and overcome challenges, and finally know.
Until then, I am undefined.
Who am I? <-- that is a really tough but good question. I could think of multiple labels to describe the person i am but that doesn't really tell you who Carren Jepchumba really is as a human being because 1) I choose the labels and obviously i will want you to have a good picture of who i am but are probably entirely far from who i really am; therefore they are misleading 2)labels don't last they disappear and reappear; changing depending on what area it touches; Emotionally- i could say i am a happy person and you will be under the impression that I'm a nice person and probably say hi to me but who knows maybe the next time you see me I will be angry and my reply to your hi will be a punch in the neck.
ReplyDeleteAs a teenager I have yet to experience life; that being said i have yet to figure out who i really I am. Actually I don't want to figure out who I am, I want to build myself, build Carren as a Human Being. I can only hope that I pick the right materials.
Carren is still under construction, and has experiences waiting for her and has yet to be discovered.
For now, Carren Jepchumba is unidentified.
Arly M.
ReplyDeleteWho Am I? Who am I really? And who am I not? This question is difficult in defining, especially if you’re attempting to set a description of yourself, as if you were reading a recipe, containing a list of spices and ingredients you need in order to cook a special dish. My point is, that it's not that easy. The features of your personality and being are not easily expressed by one sentence or by a number of pages. The fact that each individual analyzes himself or herself sets up a number of exploding deliberations, further supporting the statement, that “you’re your own worst critic”. Yet the true meaning of a person is not a number of words or ideas, it's the actions you take and the risks you decide to make everyday. Each and every day more elements are being added to your individuality and the person you are becoming. It’s not only an image; it's also the individual you are exhibiting to everyone else. A person can define himself or herself differently than others perceive them and sometimes the actual clarification of yourself can be found within the people you are around, whereas I myself cannot absolutely set a depiction of my own outlook because every single time a person attempts to describe himself or herself, people see it as the image they are struggling to reveal. Therefore, the response to your question is found within the lines not in the words
Anna G.
ReplyDeleteThis question seems effortless to answer, Who are you? But it is not. It is complex and could be answered in a thousand different ways. Who am I? I know who I am physically, I am Anna Gray. Excpet, that it is just a name. It is not me. It does not describe the person I am, or who I strive to be. People say that once you are older, you will learn who you are. Maybe. But maybe you've been there all along and you just have been eclipsing yourself the whole time. Perhaps age has nothing to do with who I am and who I'm going to be. Maybe I will nver learn who I am, but does anyone really want to know all of the details? I could list my qualities, what I like, what I absolutely hate, the kind of friends I have, but that is all just black words on a white screen; meaningless.
I suppose that tells a little bit of who I am and what I believe, without actually saying much. I'm not sure exactly who I am, I'll never know, I'm still learning all of the words in my own dictionary.
Name: /noun/ A word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to. That is all a name is; what someone is referred to as. My name is Kelly Foster, and although that is what everyone calls me, there is much more to people than just a name. When asked who they are, most people, including me, will just say their name. Yes, that is your name, but what matters is the person behind it.
ReplyDeleteWho am I? Well I cannot really answer that question. I can’t just write five pages about myself, and how awesome I am, or how boring I am. Some people can probably easily do that though. But, that is who I am. I have trouble answering the question of who I am. If you ask me a specific question, like “What’s your favorite color?”, or “What sports do you play?”, then I could easily answer. But with the question “Who are you?”, there are so many paths I could take. That is where I run into a problem; I would not be able to choose which path to take.
Some could describe me as funny, athletic, indecisive, smart, etc. but that is not who I am. There is too much to a person to fully describe them in a few sentences. I have had over fifteen years of my life to find out who I am, but my life is still going, and I am still discovering myself. I cannot sum up fifteen years into a couple of paragraphs. So, until you want to look at every moment of my almost-sixteen year life to find out who I really am, just know me as Kelly Foster. The girl who has much more to her than a name.
Bethany G.
ReplyDeleteGood question.
Well, I mean, I'm Bethany Gray. I'm the adopted Indian twin. But that is just the outside, of course. What people see is just the surface of who you really are. So, the question "Who are you?" isn't really a question. It's more of a theory that only the person asked it, can elaborate on. So, here goes my theory on who I am: Let me think. Right. I don’t have a strict personality like some people. This why it’s so hard to describe myself.
There are a few different Bethany’s. The sarcastic, funny, Harry Potter-loving one, who enjoys being around her friends and living life. The creative one who constantly makes up storylines in her head. The sad one, who doesn’t really feel like doing anything because it feels like her head might explode. There’s the one who would do anything to protect herself from people who challenge what she says, or disagrees with her. And then there’s the angry one; she could snap at any moment. You never know what Bethany you’re going to get.
And that’s not even half of my theory about who I am. I fluctuate too much. But, I suspect most people do; or maybe that’s just me...Writing about myself, when I’m so unsure, is hard. How do you put so many sides of a person’s mind in words? You can’t, really. I can say who I am not easily enough, though. I’m not a pushover, or someone who is so easily influenced, and basically, anything else like that. I don’t regret anything, because you learn from what you wish you could take back. There is a difference between regretting and wishing you could start over.
Everything I’ve just written is an analysis, a complete guess about who I am. I don’t know who I am. You never really figure it out, do you? Sure, there’s that whole “find yourself” and “be who you truly are” stuff. Don’t believe it. People are always changing. It’s what people are supposed to do. So for now, I’m just me. There are no actual words to describe me; it’s impossible to write exactly what you feel. So who am I? Who?
Just…Bethany, I guess.
Ah! I never really know how to answer this kind of question. But I'll try. I'm Kacie Quinn. Hi, everybody. Um... I like reading, running, and sleeping. I hate cold spaghetti, strawberry milk, and yellow houses (No offense if you have a yellow house. I'm sure it's lovely. They just kinda freak me out). I don't really have any special talent. I'm not especially flexible (I can barely touch my toes), I can't sing/dance (at all), and I can't juggle. I'm a really good sleeper, though (*see "interests" above*) And so... yeah. That's basically me.
ReplyDeleteKatelyn M.
ReplyDeleteWho am I? That is probably one of the most complex questions I have been asked in only three words. At sixteen I have seen a lot in life and have been through situations that define me today. But, are those definitions the real me? Sure, I was known as the new girl last year, and probably is still today. Yeah I am in 5 honors classes, that doesn't mean I exclude everything out of my social life. These labels aren't my definition, they just add to who I am.
When someone is judged or grouped in high school, it is usually for what they do or how the act.Oh you're the girl that does all those sports, you're the one that aced the test today in Math? So what? So what I am quite around you, so what I get all red every time a teacher calls on me. Everyone has their flaws, maybe those are just a few of mine.
I still haven't answered the question, to who I am. To who I am not. Can that really be answered though? A person is so complex. Every little detail squished up together creating a unique human being. Every action, word, look, expression, image, voice is what you are. You can't explain or define who you are, it just has to be shown. I don't even know who I am. I am still figuring that out, and the thing is I probably won't until the day I die. You learn something new about yourself every day.
Diana D.
ReplyDeleteWho am I, really?
Well, that is a very simple question with an even simpler answer. You’re expecting some philosophical drivel about how “complex I am” and how “I can barely comprehend my character, let alone you.” Well you’re not getting any of that because I understand who I am. I am a sentient being, a functioning organism, and an inhabitant of the planet Earth. But of course that isn’t what you’re looking for.
People enjoy believing that they are completely unique, that they are “special” in their own glorious way. The thing is we are more similar than we realize. Don’t believe me? Go online, they will be hundreds of people with the same view of the world as you, the same interests as you, and I am certain there will be at least a dozen people that look like you. The world is so intertwined with each other that people hardly notice the similarities we share. People are so focused on embracing our differences that they are blind to what makes us “us.” As The Beatles said, “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.”
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.
Hi I’m Alan or at least that is what I was told last. I’m not really good at describing myself but I guess I am personally a nerd and a loser. I like Science Fiction, camping, working back stage, reading, dragons, and making and listening to music. I am not cool in any way and I am not very good in a crowd. I am not very good at singing and most athletic things but I do like to have sword fights.
ReplyDeleteJames King
ReplyDeleteAt this point I realy have given up trying to see if this worked I have been going at this for 45 minutes and have a math test tommorow. Things I am not: Lazy, Easily Deteried
Sweet it finaly worked. So I am James I love reading, running (which is amazing) and Soccer. People often mistake me for Usain Bolt and are constantly commenting on my amazing tennis skills and such. I am not the most focused student but it is something that I am working at. I am constantly changing at my young age and learn something new about myself on the daily. I hope you all will also get to know me. Bye.
DeleteCara O.
ReplyDeleteMuch like everyone else who has commented on this blog, I also find this question rather difficult to answer. Maybe it's because I am only sixteen, or maybe it's because I don't spend a lot of time exploring my identity. I would tell you to ask people who interact with me everyday who I am, but you would receive a broad range of answers. I find that I am judged very quickly by everyone around me. Looking at this in a positive way, I blame it on the fact that I am comfortable with who I am (usually), and the fact that I am never afraid to do what I think is best. I am impulsive. I also am stereotyped a lot because of my race, so I'm sure you would get an answer like, "That Asian girl who only cares about getting A's." As a student, I take pride in my education and the grades I receive. Sometimes I get incredibly overwhelmed and start to wonder if all this effort is worth the stress and exhaustion, and then I convince myself that knowledge is always beneficial, even if you cannot see the positives immediately. I have a way of working my way through my mental struggles in the most logical way possible. Outside of school, I participate in the jazz band, The Docksiders, as well as private piano lessons. Because of this, I see certain things differently, in a more musical way. Music also helps me express myself. It is possible that a song could represent who I am better than a response that I have written. Ironically, I was also a varsity cheerleader my freshman and sophomore year. In the world of high school, someone who sees both sides of the school, "popular" and "unpopular", has to be insane. I am not by any means "popular" in the way that most people want to be, but I am content with myself. I know who I am because of who I fit in with. For instance, I have a much easier time with the jazz band than the cheerleaders. I am just not compatible with certain types of people. As time goes by, I've changed as a person. The Cara O'Connell in middle school or elementary school is nothing like the Cara O'Connell in high school. A lot of things have made me who I am. The way people have treated me has influenced my growth as a person. I also have gained more experience, and that has also changed my personality.
I am not the person that everyone thinks I am. Very few people know who I really am. This is mostly because very few people take the time to peel back the layers and discover the real me. I am definitely not perfect. I am not the type of person who lets others take advantage of me. Even though I fit into many stereotypes, I cannot be classified into one group. I am also not succeeding at defining myself to the best of my abilities. I believe the best time for you to ask me this question would be right before I die. That way, I can look back on who I was and come to a conclusion. Maybe, as you begin to get to know me through my writing, and seeing me in class, you can figure out who I am. That would probably be the best idea, seeing as I am discovering that I don't know everything about myself, yet.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/94754531/Test
ReplyDelete'cuz italics were nullified
フェアリーテイル
DeleteI am Corinne DeLouise. It is a hobby of mine to enjoy the little things in life. My goal is to be constantly happy. It's not that I think other emotions aren't important (they most certainly are) but the tough thing about feelings is that they are going to be there whether you want them or not. So, since the sadness and the anger and all of the other things are inevitable, I figured I might as well put some extra effort into the happy part of life.
ReplyDeleteHi my name's Yazmeen Shahin I am sixteen years old. As you will most likely be able to see by when I wrote this, I am a procrastinator. I am working on getting better about it but things like that take time. I play lacrosse on the Gloucester High School team; I am the goalie. Also I participate in Student Council, Interact Club, and hopefully many more extra curricular activites in the years to come. My goal is to get the most out of life, especially the high school experience because I understand that once I graduate everything will be different. I am an overachiever and always try my best. When asked the questions of "Who are you?" I have a hard time answering because like many teenagers I am still trying to figure that out myself.
ReplyDeleteMichael J.
ReplyDeleteI'm a 15 year old male of the human species.
Oh no I’m not good at these! Okay, hi, everyone! My name is Christina Sargent, but I go by many names. I don’t take a lot of things seriously because I’ve found that humor makes everything better. My talents are procrastinating, laughing and breathing. I’m not talented at almost everything else. I have an overactive imagination, which is both a blessing and a curse. I’m clumsy, forgetful and sarcastic. I’m the queen of random trivia that will never come in handy…ever. There are probably a lot of other words that can be used to describe me but I can’t really think of any, so, yeah…this is the end. Okay, bye.
ReplyDelete~
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm Jordan... Like the basketball player. To be honest, when I say my name that little fact is the first thing that comes to mind. If you said Jordan to anyone, I'm sure the first person they'd think of is Michael Jordan, myself included. It's a bit odd actually, but I like that about myself. As a person, there's not much too me. I'm fairly simple; if I like you then I talk to you and if I don't, then I won't. I like music and books and my dog, Sampson (he's excruciatingly handsome, in case you were unaware). I dislike spiders, socks, and something else that I can't think of at the moment. I hope that answered your question, and my point didn't get lost in the mess of words above.
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Emily, I'm sixteen, and am still trying to figure out the "real me" A lot of people know me to be shy or quiet, but that it not the real me. What I think is the "real me" is a very opinionated, and outgoing person, when I'm around the people I'm comfortable with. Although some people don't like what I have to say it I say it anyway. I can be very stubborn at times, but I can also understand, and I try to help anybody who needs it. I love dancing; it's sort of my thing. I am very committed to it and I always try my best, even if it doesn't meet the standards it should. I work hard at what I do whether it’s at school or dance or anywhere. As long as I know I did my best I am happy with myself. I am not perfect, but I am happy with who I am as of right now.
ReplyDeleteOlivia P.
ReplyDeleteWho am I? Well I would be Olivia Parsons. i drag my 16 year old body through the halls of G.H.S. Monday through Friday, and on the weekends I am out and about seeing what there is to offer. I've learned you only get to live the whole "highschool scene" once and to not let it go to waste. I am family-oriented and don't know where I'd be without them. I'm extremely outgoing, but at the same time, know when to settle down and takes things serious. As you can tell I procrastinate more then a normal teenager, but somehow my work is always done. Other then that, I just go about my days being me.. Whoever that is..
I am Zachary Schultz...
ReplyDeleteDrama kid,
nerd,
Boy Scout,
nothing special, though I wish I were. Essentially I am nobody of importance, unique in my way yet jut a part of the wallpaper as an old saying (that I actually could have just made up) goes. And that is my, to quote Diana, "philosophical drivel" about myself.
Kevin R.
ReplyDeleteI'm Kevin and I am just a dude trying to find my spot in a world full of dudes. I don't really know where I'm going in the future and thats why I'm pretty much open to anything. That also why I think I took this class, is because through studying the views and beliefs of others from their writing I think I can discover my own views and beliefs. Which will soon help me fully anwser your question of who am I? But until then "the dude abides." - Jeff Bridges
♪Oh I'm just a dude, trying to find a place in this world♪
DeleteMy name is Hannah Ellis or HannahEllis all one word. I love John Green, StarKids, Sherlock, and reading. I play basketball and softball and I'm in the school's film club. I have two groups of friends; the people I have known since elementary school and my "nerdy friends". I'm really not good at writing about myself, so this is getting really awkward. I forgot to check the blog so I didn't realize there was a question and that's why it is so late. Sorry!
ReplyDeleteLogan H. Hi, my name is Logan Hughes, and, in my opinion,there is nothing in particular about me that is at all intriguing. My favorite music is loud music, I love sleeping in and if I could eat fried chicken and star bursts for every meal of every day, believe me, I would. I'm just like the average teenager in most ways. However, there are things about me that are very peculiar. I love Shakespeare and my main goal in life is to read every work that he has ever crafted, football bores me to the point where I would rather do chores than watch the players throw an oddly shaped ball across a field, and I would rather sit at home and write then go out and party any day of the week. I guess I don't know who I am. One thing you can tell about me is that I'm late at sending this, but that only means that I will be the freshest one in your memory when we meet over the summer. By then, maybe I'll know who I am and how to better answer this question. Until then, I'll think about it and keep you posted.
ReplyDeleteSydney I.
ReplyDeleteHi there. I'm Sydney, and I am very bad at many things and very good at few. I am an artist and a seamstress. I have a kind of weird hobby where I dress up like anime characters, it's called cosplay, and since I want to work on costuming in movies and theater when I grow up, it's a pretty fitting hobby for myself. I'm terrible at math and science, and anything athletic; running any distance leaves me gasping for air and wanting to just crawl back inside into some air conditioning.
I moved here from Florida last September, but I'm originally from California, having moved to Florida when I was nine. I've never lived anywhere that snows, and since last winter was a "mild" one, I'm in for a treat when "real" winter comes around.
I get bored easily and overly excited easily. I warn all my teachers that I typically like to doodle in class. It's not that I'm being disrespectful or am not paying attention, it's just that usually my hands need something to do.
I look forward to getting to know you and others in the class next year!