“I have middle child syndrome.
The day I was diagnosed was the same day my younger sister was born.”
The two lines that began both my narrative and my college essay. Consequently, the two lines that both gave me confidence in writing and served as the catalysts to my future. The narrative I wrote late in December 2018 was my first grand success in Lang. It wasn’t the grade that made that so, however.
Throughout high school I grew accustomed to the classic MLA format. Every essay was to be five paragraphs; no more, no less. Occasionally, I would get my kicks out of neglecting or adding a paragraph, just to shake it up.
“Woah! Four paragraphs instead of five, how inventive!”
But those limitations, and the fact that I barely just scratched ‘out of the box’ thinking, were holding me back. (E) I needed to find my identity, to showcase the person behind the words I wrote, not get lost in them.
The narrative I wrote around Christmas was the first time I truly broke boundaries.
I only put pictures of my other essays throughout this blog, but for this one, a picture won’t suffice.
(E) It was liberating to explore a format that wasn’t closed in by paragraphs, or ‘fences’ as Ms.McMahon branded them. I needed to express my thoughts and tell my story in my way. I took a hammer to my paragraphs and dispersed the information. I added dialogue and emphasized my points by secluding them. Overall, I wrote the first essay of my life that I was really, truly proud of.
I wrote every syllable with purpose, and along the way, learned that (E) only an author who is passionate about their content writes exemplary works. I wrote every word with curiosity, and as my fingers traced the keyboard, I realized the power and legitimacy of the personal growth I had yet to realize I’d experienced. Every sentence I wrote I read ten times over, ensuring it’s perfection and honesty.
(E) The freedom the narrative provided me taught me why it’s so important to write in my own way.
To write for myself first, and the audience second.
It taught me individuality.
This set the foundation for every essay that succeeded it. It was after this essay that I wrote my (B) annual essay and my college essay- the only two other essays other than my narrative that truly solidify who I am as a writer and human.
One of the biggest benefits AP Lang provided me with was the access to figure out what I am good at. Throughout the year, all of the work we did combined with the incredible leadership of Ms.McMahon allowed all of us students, as individuals, to achieve success in our own areas.
Annotating was the first step into figuring out my individual strengths as it was direct evidence of what my eye automatically caught and manifested upon. (A) While my friends often identified imagery or analogies, my eyes almost always landed on the universal ideas and the diction an author incorporated to create them. These differences split our paths as authors.
(A,B) The student who identified imagery later incorporated it into the forefront of their essays.
(A,B) I, who identified universal ideas and diction, later incorporated those into the forefront of my essays.
I loved finding universal ideas, and I developed a great respect for authors who were able to develop strong central messages without stating them directly. I grew curious of words, and gained a deep admiration for how simple arrangements of letters could drastically change the meaning of an author and create an entire idea in a matter of syllables.
The subtle, stark differences between ‘assigned’ and ‘given’, or ‘scary’ and ‘bone-chilling’.
‘Palliative care’ and ‘hospice’
The narrative I wrote was the first time I had the freedom to develop my own universal themes through words, and it was the first time I got a 9. It wasn't a coincidence, and it wasn't an anomaly.
I write my best when I am given the format and prompt to write my best. I write freely- not in a standard number of paragraphs- and that's okay. It's great, actually.
(E) AP Lang made me a storyteller, and it made me find a lot more value in the person behind the words, rather than the words written by the person.
It taught me respect.
sincerity. creativity. passion.
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