Kylie McCalmont

Ms.Wilson

AP Language and Composition

30 April, 2016

Personal Reflection

In order to prepare for the AP Exam as well as finish out the year in AP Literature and Composition, each student was individually assigned to do a final project. Each student picked an author of literary merit and read one piece or several pieces of there’s to analyze. I choose Emily Bronte and read her most famous novel, Wuthering Heights. Emily Bronte has a Gothic and Romantic style of writing which I reflected in my research paper analyzing how her style of writing argued that although the Victorian Era was opening up, the authentic desires of a person can’t be coated by the pristine time that the Gothic Era had evolved into. In addition to the research paper, I wrote a poetry essay, prose essay and open essay based upon Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights. I also created multiple choice questions and a powerpoint presentation so I could share my findings with the class.

        For me, the most meaningful part of this project was the research paper. I wrote several rough drafts and outlines to achieve exactly what I wanted to articulate. I also feel as this process helped me further understand the complexity in writing, a task that we have devoted this year to mastering. I received a B+ on my final research paper. I believe what prevented myself from getting an A was my thesis. If I was slightly more specific and tightened up my language, including the complexity I was trying to identify, my evidence to support my argument would have become more powerful and altogether tie my paper together. Although I didn’t receive full points on each essay, I felt my presentation of all my material was very effective and I did well expressing all the content in ten minutes. After I saw students present on Monday and Tuesday, the way they paced themselves provided an example of how fast I needed to go for my presentation.

        Having completed this assignment in a few short weeks, I have realized how prepared I am to tackle another English class in college. I have compared the scores of my essays from this assignment to that of my first few. My prose, poetry and open question essays are all about two points higher than they were first semester. After comparing my thesis for each essay to a few that I wrote first semester, my growth is evident especially dealing with the structure and elevated thinking incorporated into the diction.

        Because I completed this project, I feel as if I am fully ready to tackle the AP exam coming up.