At the Finish Line

  As a student, I've learned to become more aware in discovering the deeper messages behind written words, not just in English/American Literature. Everything in the world needs certain languages to be understood entirely, English is one of the most important languages. The AP Language and Composition course has definitely increased my intellectual and language skills, the things I've learned will most certainly be applied to the courses next year. And all these skills will just keep piling on-top of one another until they become usable in the next stage of my life.
  I felt that the Rhetorical Analysis essay was the most difficult to write, the entire topic and format for the essay just seemed very limited and hard to construct in a limited time. There was no broad field of information that I could explain and write about in the essay. Plus, it is a difficult task to analyze and pinpoint the rhetorical devices used by authors in different excerpts or passages.
  In the end, the Argumentation Essay was actually the easiest to write, there's barely any restrictions. It's simple because about 70% of the essay is based off of personal knowledge, things that school probably didn't even teach. The essay is definitely the best way to showoff your own "hidden skills" and infinite amount of outside knowledge.
  The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien was the most enjoyable novel that we read this year. The novel captured the diverse viewpoints on the topic of the Vietnam War, the development of uniqueness in each character really captured my attention. Each chapter in the book gave off a different feeling and atmosphere than the ones before it.
  I didn't really like The Crucible by Arthur Miller, nothing really came to a suitable conclusion. It showed how corrupt and unfair people can be just by the influences of something that is not generally real. It really irks me that human beings can constantly wholly depend on something that is constantly being changed and manipulated by the people itself. I guess I'm just really upset about the whole attitude of the characters in the story.
  Overall, I really enjoyed the class, everything we did in class was interesting in at least one aspect. How well a class operates really depends on the interactions between the students and the teacher. Though, I really think it would be better for students to decide who they want to work with, so not one person will end up doing all the work because of other people's work ethics.

What Do You Hold On To?

  In Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, the American soldiers in the Vietnam War all carried specific things that were significant to them. All items acted as a source for recalling certain memories that they held dear to. I personally have certain things that I cannot go without, they are categorized into "A Physical Item", "Dreams/Goals", "Relationship", "Personality", and "Memories".
  A Physical Item: I can't seem to be left without a form of writing utensil for more than a day, though it is not to be used for writing, it is used to draw. It calms me and releases my stress whenever I draw what I like, though I don't exactly have to draw something, just carrying a pencil gives a sense of self-assurance. Other things seems to be something that I would unconsciously carry daily, though it might feel different or uncomfortable without them, they don't seem to stand out as much when I think back on what I've done at the end of the day.
  Dreams/Goals: There are many things that I would like to accomplish or acquire, and they all require getting a job that I would enjoy with a good pay. So, I guess my goal would be to graduate college with a major that I'd like and get a job that would reward me with a peaceful life. I won't ask something extravagant or extraordinary, being normal and away from outbursts of the society is enough to keep me satisfied.
  Relationship: I would say that my older sister is like my supporter and the back bone of my life so far. We're only 2 years apart, so she doesn't really count as a role model or inspiration, we've always helped each other out equally. Though, she really is more outstanding than me academically, it's reassuring to know that I can go to her for assistance on homework and assignments. I also help her out regarding general problems in today's society, we can discuss things pretty well, this is why she's an important supporter to me.

  Personality: Stubborn, doubtful, complex. These are the three adjectives I would use to describe myself. On the outside, I may nod and agree with what others have to say, but I'm quite stubborn on the inside, it'd take a lot to convince me to think otherwise about things "I know I'm right". It always takes me a long time to actually open up to people, though I may seem open on the outside. This habit of being doubtful towards others is probably just me being afraid of finding someone with a similar personality to mine. The first two adjectives kind of explains why I'm complex, though I sometimes jokingly say it's because I'm a Gemini. Though, my indecisiveness and change in attitudes towards certain people definitely explains it.

  Memories: I really don't recall the main memory that impacted me. Though, my personality did change drastically at some point. This type of memory would explain my established personality and point of view on the society, people in general. 

Blending the Two

  The United States is a country of multiple cultures, though it it hard for every single person to accept it as it is. Our generation is a key factor in establishing equality and acceptance, the generations before us were just getting used to this new country. The ability to adapt and construct is difficult to achieve, but most of us were already able to do this since our early ages.
  As a person born in North Carolina and raised in an Eastern Asian country until the age of seven, I sort of HAD to adapt to both cultures at the same time. It had been difficult to adjust to a completely different language, but I had the chance to grow up around many different cultures and ethnicity. Technically, I didn't have much trouble on picking which culture to go along with, no society is as traditional as it had been just a few years back, the world is actually rapidly merging together.

Source:http://hapamama.com/2011/05/17/images-from-the-san-francisco-taiwanese-cultural-festival/

   Like any stereotypical Asian family is perceived, my parents and relatives all have high expectations in education, but I get to have much more free time than my cousins in Taiwan. My parents' strictness really wore off after living in the United States for so long, the expectations of certain societies can greatly affect one's perspective. I try live up to my parents' expectations by turning in school work on time, but really don't study as much as before anymore. 

  I typically follow the "mainstream" events from both cultures and am willing to accept more, but I am still able to tell the difference between what right or wrong to go along with. By being not as traditional as people my counterparts of the same ethnicity and being more open in accepting the unknown, I think this is the right way to retain and learn cultures.

Key Features of Haunted Houses

  Edgar Allen Poe has always been a pretty important figure in the American literature, he is extremely famous for mystery and horror short stories. Certain themes in his stories became the foundation of some of the most fascinating works today, including detective fiction and haunted houses. The Fall of the House of Usher was a famous piece of his glorious collection of mystery - based stories, it introduced the concept of haunted houses to all writers of America and inspired them.

Source:http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/grimshaw/paintings/8.html

  If I were to create a short story with the haunted house as the theme, I would like to use Poe's idea of a spooky house illusion in the middle of nowhere. It's interesting that the once castle-like mansions can become such a fearsome place years after, the dead and decayed trees just adds on to it. Since location plays a huge role in any story, it just makes this portrayed place even more important.

   Another idea of Poe's that I would like to use would be the disturbed mind of a human being, Poe's story mentioned some of the symptoms of different psychological disorders. Any character from his short stories could, in some way, be ill in the brain. His stories are all meant for people to question who was telling the truth.

  Depression would be another good feature, since many eerie feelings of a story are caused my the characters' lack of affection towards one another. The lack of focus on the characters will give the authors more time to develop the surroundings.

  The fresh idea of the term "zombie" seems to work quite well for Poe, since the sister in the story came back alive after being buried a few days prior to her reappearance. I think it would be interesting to combine the haunted house image with the use of zombie characters.

  The last idea that I would want to re-establish from Poe would be his usage of telling scary stories with natural, spooky sound effects. It's really quite interesting that the character in his story was reading another author's work at the right moment. Poe seemed to have connected fiction and nature to make a realistic fiction, I think it would be nice to use this.

Bedtime Stories? More Like Nightmare Marathons

  The fascination that Americans seems to have with supernatural forces seems to travel way back to the time where the country was so afraid of it, people unconsciously became highly curious about the unknown forces that lurks around. Some of the most popular shows today are actually about these unknowns that has been part of the American history for years. One example would be, of course, Supernatural.

Source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/supernatural/images/30545991/title/supernatural-wallpaper

  Supernatural is an American supernatural drama television series, created by Eric Kripke. The show revolves around the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam, they fight off supernatural beings while they try to find their father after their mother's death. The plot then evolves more dangerously towards beings like Lucifer and Death, but the main plot still stays.

Source:http://blurppy.com/2011/10/25/amc-renews-the-walking-dead-for-third-season/

  Another example of a famous American TV series would be The Walking Dead,  an American horror drama television series developed by Frank Darabont, based off of the comic book series by Robert Kirkman. The idea of zombie apocalypses has been very popular in the recent years, and this series portrays the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.

  There are many more examples of supernatural shows, such as Teen Wolf and American Horror Stories, both are exceptionally popular today.

Source: http://collider.com/american-horror-story-season-2-episode-1-recap/

http://collider.com/sinqua-walls-teen-wolf-season-3-interview/

Such ideas about the occult originated from stories like as "Young Goodman Brown", by Nathaniel Hawthorne . This story sort of enforces the idea that Americans have regarding being paranoid about the things and people around them since Puritan times. Writers and producers today fancies supernatural things just as much as American teenagers do, because there's always so much to write about when everything could be true.

                                                                                           

Why Do We Like Anti-Heroes?

The idea of an anti-hero is quite popular in today's society, it is what makes the characters unique to us. Unlike the ideal image of a hero, anti-heroes have multiple flaws that make their imperfections stand out. A good example of a popular anti-hero would be Sherlock Holmes from Elementary, an American crime drama series under the production of CBS Television Studios, created by producer Robert Doherty.

Source: http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s205/elementary/recaps/a433701/elementary-recap-sherlock-fights-temptation-in-the-rat-race.html

Although Sherlock Holmes originally worked as a consultant for Scotland Yard in England, he became a drug addict after hearing news of Irene Adler's death. After he became unable to cooperate properly as a consultant and had to spend some time in rehab, his wealthy father sends him to live in Manhattan, where is forced to live with a sober companion - Dr. Joan Watson.

Source: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/series-premiere-review-elementary-pilot-the-mets-game-is-afoot

Over time, Sherlock began to accept and warm up to their companionship, and they started to work together as consultants for Captain Thomas Gregson and Detective Marcus Bell. Though, Sherlock's harsh character and apathy towards other's well-being caused many conflict with other characters. Later on, they came across a case regarding a serial killer known as "M", later on revealed to be Sebastian Moran, a professional assassin. Sherlock then attempts to murder M when he was claims that Irene Adler was murdered by M. 

In The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving also portrayed Ichabod Crane as an anti-hero, in fact, he is the first anti-hero in the history of American Literature. Ichabod Crane's attitude towards other people's feelings is quite similar to Sherlock's, both of them can be quite selfish. Yet, their flaws are what makes them stand out, it is what captures our attention.