On Cloud Nine (degrees)

January & February

             As the snow continued to fall into February, we began to transition from RAs to argument. Before we did, we wrote an essay on Newton Minnow's piece on the FCC and media. I had worked hard on the more formal style essay but was still shocked to find I had scored a nine when it came back. With a nine in my grades I felt more confident in changing gears to the new topic of argument. 

Minnow Essay

        Argument is one of my favorite outlets of writing. As a naturally stubborn person, I am always up to the challenge of stating my point and arguing its reasoning. Through persuasive and argumentative writing I was passionate on the topics I wrote about. We discussed everything from trump, to sports, to definitions of leadership. Argument is an open platform that allows writers to use their own knowledge as evidence. Without needing to refer to a text I was able to let loose and write whatever I could think of. Spending time throughout the summer and school year keeping up with the news had helped immensely in this unit. I found myself becoming more involved in issues I had not thought I could affect previously. As net neutrality was being voted out, I sent emails to my local congressmen and women and urged them to vote against it's repeal. Becoming more invested in pollution and climate change, I have joined the schools green team and signed up for AP environmental science next year. Looking at the world through a wider lens allowed me to act on what I found to be unsatisfactory.

     

   After recognizing my love for argument, I soon received my second nine of the year in February; this time, on an argument prompt on artifice. At the beginning of the year I had received a D on my Boys in the Boat piece on adversity. Now, I looked at my artifice prompt with a nine and a smiley face on top and felt the same joy I had a month before with the Minnow piece. By February I had no trouble writing the piece in one class period, reaching about three full pages when the bell rang. Although my hand ached I could keep going for hours, eagerly making connections between motives and success or failures I had witnessed in the past.

Artifice Essay

   Argument was a much needed confidence booster as snow days had forced a heavy winter workload into an even tighter schedule. Second semester was ending by the end of January and our practice AP midyear exam was approaching. After scoring a five I began to hope for a five on the real exam in May. The annual essay was also assigned in February. I have always loved persuasive writing in the same way I had taken to argumentative. Tackling the topic of Net Neutrality I expressed my concerns for our future without free internet access. The argument and persuasion units truly spiked my appetite for change as I researched our worlds leading issues.  Although we cannot change everything that upsets us, knowing everything I can about a topic that frightens me always makes it seem more manageable. 
    
Annual Essay

  With a blooming source of analysis from RAs and a new interest in movement from argument, I headed to third term with a new determination.