End of the Year Reflection

     This year has completely transformed my writing from amateur to somewhat decent. Throughout the year, I have learned how to write a proper, well-constructed thesis and how to support it with well-analyzed and relevant examples.

     I started off the beginning of the year pretty rough in my writing because I lacked the ability to compose a good thesis, analyze text "below the surface", incorporate relevant evidence, and avoid grammatical and spelling errors. My vocabulary was poor and my writing was very "middle school" level. My origin of writing was pretty poor and amateur and needed a lot of work. A very good example of my writing at the beginning of the year is my modified summer reading essay about the book "I Am Malala". My introduction to the analysis was very unoriginal and boring since I started off with "In the book 'I Am Malala', by Malala Yousafzai..." and continued the analysis with more summary and surface level analysis than with a deeper overlook of the author's intentions and true purpose for writing the novel. I also hadn't discovered my voice at that point and therefore lacked the ability to truly and completely express my interpretation of the text. Since I started off at pretty much rock bottom, the only other way was up, and thankfully, 11 AP Language has pulled me up to the point at which I am proud of my writing.

     As I progressed through the school year, I learned how to construct a logical and creative thesis and how to write a well-developed essay with great examples and extensive analysis with few grammatical and spelling errors. One of my best essays, written at the end of the year, was my rhetorical analysis essay about Leonardo DiCaprio's speech on climate change. Earning an eight on the AP grading scale, my essay consisted of great analysis in which major features are addressed and are linked back to the central argument. This essay exhibits my evolution as a writer because it portrays my ability to write a cohesive thesis supported by prolific evidence and analysis. I started off the school year lacking in each of these aspects of writing and have "evolved" to improve in each of them. The results and transformation of my writing are astonishing. My writing now portrays my voice and thoughts. Overall, the transformation of my writing throughout the school year was immense and I am very thrilled that I can now write a good essay.

     Throughout the year, I learned how to write a well-developed essay with a more flowy and connected writing style. My writing now consists of a clear and logical thesis followed by ample evidence and analysis due to the practice and technique that I learned in class. I was challenged, throughout the year, with finding my voice and style of writing and once I found it, my writing improved drastically. I grew as a writer by straying from a structured writing style and moving into one that exhibits a deeper understanding and more flowy style of writing with a clear position and voice. I am most proud of my writing in the aspect that it portrays my voice and a clear argument. Since I have developed this skill, it is a lot easier for me to write a great essay. My plans to further improve my writing in the future is to expand my vocabulary and continue to write frequently. I love to write and now that I have found my voice, I plan on further exploring the world of writing and literature.

Live, Laugh, Speak

     I am bilingual. I speak both English and an Indian language called Telugu. I learned both English and Telugu together ever since I was a child so I am fluent in both. But what is difficult to maintain is a balance between the situation and amount I use each language.

     My first language, I would say, is Telugu because although I am better at speaking English, my parents, who were born in India, probably spoke to me in Telugu because they weren't as good at speaking English. I only speak Telugu when I am either in India or when I am around more Telugu people such as my family or people at Indian parties. When I speak Telugu in India, it is hard the first few days because I just traveled from a place where English is the language that I communicate in with everyone, to a place where not many people understand English. After a couple days, I adjust to my surroundings and fluently speak Telugu. As I adjust to my environment in which I am surrounded by people who speak Telugu, I start to use Telugu slang and speak in a more informal tone. I let myself go free and crazy because I know that my grandparents and relatives won't judge me. They know that I am a fun person to be around so they have gotten used to my craziness. I feel free and joyful when I speak Telugu in India but it is different in America.
     That brings me to my second language; Telugu in America. Especially at a time like now, it is difficult to speak Telugu in a public setting without being judged. Although I am a fun and easygoing person, I am sometimes self-conscious of what people think of me when I am in a public setting. In American, my Telugu is more filtered and limited. I rarely speak it in public because I am afraid of being judged or discriminated against. When I talk to my family in America, I tend to use either a mix of English and Telugu or just English. I feel restrained as to what I can say and how I can express myself.
     English, my third language, is one of my favorites. When I speak English with my friends, teachers, or family, I feel free and alive. I feel like I could say anything and everything I want to say because people understand me and know that I am a fun and easy going person. Although I respect my teachers very much and should filter more of my craziness around them, I feel like I can tell them anything because of their accepting and fun personalities. Obviously I have a more filtered use of language and tone around highly respected people and in front of judges but usually, I complain a lot and say random things. My friends, I think, think that I am crazy. My unfiltered personality around them is very fun for me and my friends. I feel like my crazy and their crazy combine to create the perfect friendship.

A Man Must Not Dance

     I want to be a dancer. More specifically, I want to be a contemporary ballet dancer. I want to show people the emotion and delicacy put behind each move, gesture, and expression. I want to show the world the beautiful art of dance. I want to show the world that dance is an art form that requires extensive talent, practice, hard work, and dedication. All I ever want to do is dance, but there is only one issue: I am a man.
     Ever since I was a child, my increasing interest in dance led me to witness the harsh reality of society and its unfair stereotypes. My parents have taken me to intense counseling for over nine years in order to relieve me of my burning passion towards dance. I would find ways to watch dance shows when I went to my friends' houses. I would even walk 10 miles to watch a dance class every week. My parents were so frustrated with me and my resiliency to dance that they once told me that they were willing to chop off my legs if it would stop me from dancing. I guess I understand them. Although I would "go to hell" to pursue my passion for dance, my parents are right (Twain 225). Dance is for girls. I should be concentrating my efforts towards school instead of wasting my energy towards dancing. I should be working at a job. I should be working hard to attain a stronger role in society. Why; because I am a man.

Free at Last

     Freedom. The word plays such an important role in today's society. Freedom. The word gives us so much power and opportunity. Freedom. The word defines America.

     The limitation of governmental power over the community allows us to gain our freedoms and rights in the country we live in. It is important for the government to allow the population to have freedom instead of liberty because freedom allows for opportunities to do much more with your life than liberty does. In America's history, the Americans had to fight for their rights as Patrick Henry famously says "Give me liberty, or give me death." The Americans had to fight for their rights so it would make sense that they should not be under the control of Great Britain and be awarded freedom instead of liberty right? After doing so much to be separated from the control of Great Britain, it would be terrible to have independence but still be restricted from being completely free. 

     When America entered the spotlight of independence, it had a whole new start. America started from scratch and was allowed to do whatever it wanted to do because there were no rules and regulations in place yet. While ethical rules and regulations will always be there, America was given the opportunity to be free and do anything it wanted to do. This freedom that the Americans were given allowed them to be creative. Similarly, when a dancer parts from the control of her teacher, she is given complete freedom and can do anything she wants when she enters the stage and gets under the spotlight. Although there are some moral rules that she must follow, she is free to express her emotions and creativity when she enters the stage. She is allowed complete freedom to show the world who she really is. She is allowed the freedom to create her own masterpieces and routines on stage. She becomes independent from her dance teacher and she feels free. America deserves this freedom to express its uniqueness and individuality from other countries. Unlike liberty, freedom will allow Americans the rights and opportunity they were promised in America.

Private vs Public Self

     Reputation is everything, especially for people during the 1600s. During the 1600s your reputation was based off of how much land you had and how religious you were. John Proctor, a well known farmer in the town, rarely attended church because he hated Reverend Parris. John Proctor, in an attempt to save many innocent women from being hanged for false accusations of witchcraft, throws away his reputation. In doing this, John Proctor combines his private and public self. In court, John Proctor openly admits that he "lusted" and had an affair with Abigail (Miller 865). Proctor brings out his private self in order to prove that Abigail is a "whore" and that she "thinks to dance with [John] on [his] wife's grave" (Miller 863-865). By combining his private and public self, he helps Judge Danforth understand who Abigail really is and how Abigail is actually lying.
     A dancer can, on the other hand, incorporate her own beliefs and her own private self into her dance in order to exemplify the private and public self of the character she is portraying. John Proctor had to lose his reputation in order to use his private self to explain who Abigail Williams really is, but unlike John, I, as a dancer, have the ability to explain and portray the characteristics of a person without the fear of losing my reputation. It is unfair for one to lose his reputation and have to release his public self in order to save a society from destruction. Like in dance, everyone should have the ability to do what they want without the fear of losing his or her reputation.

The Power of Devotion

     God's grace was the ultimate goal of life for most Puritans. To become a purer form and lead a purposeful life, Puritans believed that they had to devote themselves to God and nothing else. They believed that materialistic views on life eventually leads to disaster and distress and consequently "to [their] God [their] heart[s] will cry" (Bradstreet 8) in helplessness and in sorrow. They believed that in order to earn God's glory, they had to pray to God and beg him for forgiveness from their sins.
     As a dancer, my purpose in life is to portray the serenity and joy of life. My goal is to show my community the happiness and positive aspects of life and to create joy and enjoyment in theirs. Just as the Puritans believed in God and believed that God brought them the peace and control they needed in life, I believe that God gives me the energy and memory that I need to bring happiness and joy for myself and my audience. I believe that the power of devotion to God helps me, as a dancer, achieve my goal of bringing my best work to the audience and proving  to them that dance is more than just a performance, it is an art. My goal in life is to prove that the art of dance always shows the extremes of life such as happiness and sadness, guilt and pride, peace and disruption, and joy and anger.  With God's grace, I believe, like the Puritans, that I can transform into the "purest form" of a dancer in order to bring the happiness I strive to see in my community.

Welcome to the Spotlight

     A dancer's job is to portray the beauty and style of his or her culture. I know this because I myself am a dancer. My job as a dancer is to show the world my culture and values and perform the stories used to acquire and learn those values. If you really think about it, my job is kind of hard; I have to take stories from my cultural backgrounds, understand the deeper meaning and morals, and in a way teach other people the beauty of the stories and morals. If my job itself is hard, how hard do you think it is for hidden cultures to enter the spotlight again? How hard do you think it is to know that America pushed your culture into the shadows in order to celebrate the myth of one man who did terrible things? Well this is the reality for many people of Native American descent. 

     The well-known Christopher Columbus was the man of a myth, a man who many believe discovered America. The actions of Christopher Columbus are taught to children all around America and it is very painful to know that many children have to live their life knowing such a terrible lie. The Native Americans were the ones who originated in America, hence the name "Native Americans." Native Americans discovered America and helped Columbus when he first arrived there. In return, Columbus killed many of the population on the Caribbean Island that he landed on. Over the period of 60 years, Columbus was responsible for killing so many people as to decrease the population from about 250,000 to only a few hundred. Columbus mistreated and forced Native Americans to be pushed into the shadows. If you try to look into this issue, you will realize that many of our knowledge of Native Americans is limited because "We don't study the dozens of Supreme Court cases involving Native Americans spanning hundreds of years" (On Columbus Day, A Look At The Myth That 'All The Real Indians Died Off, Leah Donnella 1), instead we are taught about terrible people like Christopher Columbus, and about other "American" events like the Civil War. America completely ignored the existence of Native Americans but it is now time to bring back their culture and make them equal and important in today's society. It is time to make it easier for people of Native American descent to represent their culture and learn that their ancestors had a role in American history. It is time to help their culture be represented as easily as mine is. It is time to give them a chance to show the world the beauty of their stories and culture. It is time to let them take a place in the spotlight. It is time to give them the chance to dance.