#2: Complacency is Suicide.

            After a stressful weekend and testing day, I finally had some time to look back over my AP Literature assessment and reading. I arrived at a few conclusions. Firstly, There is a lot of room for improvement in this class. The first, most noticeable thing was a matter of time. I simply failed to complete the multiple choice section of the test in the allotted time period. I kept stumbling over myself trying to ENSURE the answers were correct rather than trusting instinct (Although I admit this trust should inherently only go so far) and occasionally getting the question wrong in entirety. Part of this problem laid in the fact that I do not have a strong backing in the literary terms used, having learned most of them Sunday night. A better understanding of the language would have granted me four missed questions and possibly more valuable time. Lastly, my grasp of symbolism and literary meanings is weaker than it should be. Although I feel at a slight disadvantage—not having taken AP Composition—All hope isn’t lost.

            I say this primarily because in the part of the test I did complete, I only missed about 9 questions. This, at my best estimate from hearsay, is a fairly good percentage. If I can master improving my efficiency, even IF I didn’t improve anything else, I would likely keep a decent, although undesirably low score. On to the actual concerns at hand. From what I understood, I did very well at questions asking to recall information or bits from the text. In reference to the third reading, I was easily able to establish that this was both an essay and that citations were not allowed. When it came to the finer details of symbolic questions like question 35’s
“The speaker is likely responsive to the beloved’s constancy” I am at a loss for how that even presented itself in the texts.

            All hope isn’t lost, but that doesn’t mean I should become complacent. As previously mentioned, complacency is that virus which ruins potential. I know I can succeed. So, let’s set some goals. Firstly, I think that one good goal to have is to become a better test taker. I can do this by learning to read faster, and perhaps take practice ACT/SAT tests for accuracy to improve my comprehension. Then, it’s easier to move on to more advanced texts and do more active reading and note taking. In this way, I can simultaneously read faster and write notes for better recall. This will, in the long run, save time and stress. This goal is easily measurable, with a long term goal of getting perfect, or near perfect scores. I can simply take more AP Literature practice exams and make it my goal to finish within set parameters.

            Another goal I think pertinent is to get better acquainted with literary devices. I can do this by firstly finishing up my learning of them individually, then identifying them to my best capability in any texts we read in class. If I miss one that is later commented on, I will write it down and explain why it matches that particular device. Lastly, I will do my best to knowingly incorporate them into my writing (at least two new ones per paper) so that I may measure my comprehension of the subject. My last goal is to work on improving my grasp of symbolism and literary meaning. This is a tough one, but I think it is doable if I work on identifying them in texts I have already read, and (similar to above) write down and explain any that I missed. By then incorporating them into writing, I will be able to identify, explain, and create, thereby getting closer to mastering AP Literature.