Dylan's English Blog

 Prompt Response: A word or phrase I find myself using a lot right now is the word "bet." Bet is slang for agreeing with someone or saying yes to something. The word bet has become part of my everyday vocabulary because I use it all the time to agree with someone or say yes to something. It has also become a big part of my vocabulary after a lot of my favorite people use it a lot to agree with something wether they are famous or not. I typically use bet to agree with someone or to say yes to someone. I think this word means I am a very calm and agreeable person. Summary: Today in class we took notes on vocabulary that we need to know for an upcoming test involving 75 words. We also had an assignment on vocabulary uses and types of activites which we turned in class today for a grade. Reflection: This will help me with my vocabulary for the AP exam and future assignments, tests, and quizzes. This will also help me with my speaking skills and making me more knowledgable.

 Prompt Response: So far, my experience in AP Language so far has been going very well for me. I am understanding the assignments and doing well on them; I have made new friends in the class, and I have been bonding with my teacher, Mr. Rease. I am doing very well on the assignment portion and turning in work on time. I always make sure to stay productive in class and put in lots of effort while making sure to finish the assignments before the due date. Writing argumentative paragraphs and claims have been pretty challenging for me since I tend to struggle with assignments like this. One thing I need to improve on to be successful in this class going forward would be to work on my written portion for work, especially making sure to keep my argument or assignment I'm typing up flowing together and not falling off track. Summary: Friday in class, we spent the whole class typing up an argumentative paragraph on whether there is such a thing as a good kill or not. During this assignmen...

 Prompt Response: A time I gave an opinion when dealing with "Why" or How do you know?" is when I made a friendly argument that a McDonald's burger-and-fries meal is way better than a Five Guys burger-and-fries meal. First, I stated what I thought: the Five Guys burger-and-fries meal is way more expensive than a McDonald's one, and you never finish your meal at Five Guys, but at McDonald's you always finish your meal and feel full. I also stated how Five Guys burgers are way too messy and overwhelming, whereas McDonald's burgers are simple and sweet, making it a big reason why I like McDonald's over Five Guys for burger and fries. I also stated that Five Guys fries are very salty and burnt most of the time, but McDonald's fries are small, crispy, and delicious. I knew just explaining what I thought was not going to prove my point, so I gave evidence by showing food critics' reactions to McDonald's and Five Guys. I also found articles and v...

 Prompt Response: The learning method I enjoy most is hands-on activities. I really enjoy hands-on activities because it gives me practice but also makes the lecture or activity fun at the same time, so I am getting both good ends of the deal. I also work better when doing hands-on activities because I really enjoy doing them. Lastly, I am also very involved in hands on activites amd I typically do much better when I am up moving around or being active in an activity, so that is another reason why hands-on activities are the most beneficial method that I can do while also enjoying doing it as well. Summary: Today in class, we practiced supporting our reasons with claims to back up our evidence. We also made a box to identify five ways we experienced, observed, or read something to back up our claim. Reflection: I can apply this on any future assignment, test, or quizz involving readings where I need to back up my evidence. This is benficial so I can improve upon my backing up of ev...

 Prompt Response: Something I will never fully understand is that my favorite team, the Falcons, blew a 25-point lead in the 2017 Super Bowl against the Patriots. It doesn't make sense to me, especially since we were up 25 in the third quarter. We also had a way better team: Matt Ryan at quarterback, Devonta Freeman at running back, Julio Jones at wide receiver, Tony Gonzalez at tight end. Our offense was electric. And our defense: Vic Beasley and Deion Jones at linebackers, and Desmond Trufant at lockdown cornerback. What also does not make sense to me is why we stopped playing aggressively on both sides of the ball; this is what allowed Tom Brady and the Patriots to come back when we clearly had the game won. Our defense got really exhausted too, which was really frustrating, and our coaching really took a step down that awful night for me and many other Falcons fans. Summary: Today in class, we took notes on the format of an argument body paragraph. We also analyzed either the v...

Prompt Response: One thing that makes me different from other people is that I am both introverted and extroverted. While most people are one or the other, I would say I am both. I am not afraid to start conversations with people, especially if I know them or have talked to them before. However, a lot of times I also just like to keep to myself and stay quiet. I think having both qualities of being an introvert and extrovert make me stand out from other people. Summary: Friday, in class we used SPACECAT to fill out our assignment on a couple movie clips we watched, we also had to identify some rhetorical appeals as well. After we had a 11 question quiz on everything we had learned so far. Reflection: On, Friday, I learned how to use SPACECAT and identify rhetorical appeals in watchful settings. I also learned how to pace myself when taking a quiz and practice time management. This will help me in the future for identifying rhetorical appeals in videos and on future assignments. This wi...

Prompt Response: Living around Atlanta has influenced the way I see my community, culture, and identity by expressing all the important cultures that I have grown a part of, living around and visiting downtown Atlanta frequently. I view Atlanta as my home because I have lived around Atlanta my whole life and have made many memories in the city of Atlanta. Since all the times I have been in Atlanta for many social events being music festivals, concerts, sporting events and more, I have really been influenced to see my community and all the culture throughout Atlanta. These events really brought me and people of any community together to understand the diversity and culture through out Atlanta and why it is so special. If I was speaking to someone unfamiliar with Atlanta I would want them to know that Atlanta is a very special, diverse, and welcoming community for all. Summary: Wednesday, in class we watched a video of Keisha Lance Bottoms making a response to end all the violent destruc...

Prompt Response: In my opinion, the most creative thing that I have ever made was my very own LEGO medieval fantasy world. I have a huge diorama on a large table where I have it set up. The world consists of many LEGO sets that I bought in the past, like many Lord of the Rings and Hobbit sets, and Castle sets; however, I also have many parts in my world that I built completely on my own. I also have many diverse minifigures that I customized myself. I have many factions and kingdoms, some that I made up completely on my own, and a whole backstory for the world and its history. Whenever I have time, I'll mess around with the world to make it as cool and accurate to how I want it as possible. Being able to bring all my Legos to life into one big world is very special to me, and I am very proud of the LEGO world I have created. Summary: Tuesday, in class, we used SPACECAT and types of rhetorical appeals to analyze a video of President Donald Trump's Border Security Speech. We also...

Prompt Response: A time that I felt completely lost was the last few weeks of the first semester of my sophomore year, going into Winter break. I had had numerous assignments, projects, tests, and quizzes lined up one after the other for each class. I was so stressed and did not know where to start or what to do at the moment. I really had to crack down and do all my assignments and projects on time and not procrastinate, with proficient time management to study for my upcoming tests and quizzes. I kept a positive mindset and pushed through and got all my work and tests complete to then enjoy a great Winter break. Summary: Monday, in class we read an article about the benefits of three-year bachelor's degrees and how these degrees could save people lots of money and the negative aspects of it. We had an assignment where we pulled some quotes from the text and identified whether it was a claim of fact, policy, or value and had to identify the theme. Reflection: On Monday, I learned ...

 Something that I believed as a child was Santa Claus. Christmas was very special to me back then because my parents would take my siblings and I to see Santa and we would write down our wish lists. Then when it was Christmas Eve my brothers and I would make cookies and leave milk for Santa. We would also leave out celery and carrots for the reindeer and we would leave him a nice card. My grandparents always came over and spent the night on Christmas Eve with us so we would watch Christmas classics and watch the Santa tracker until we got too tired and eventually went to our rooms to sleep. In the middle of the night it was impossible for me to fall asleep because of how excited I was for Santa to come. Most Christmas's one of my brothers and I would always wake up way early than everyone else to see what Santa brought and we would read his card and look at the Christmas tree illuminating in the dark. In the morning my parents always made a very good breakfast and we would open gif...

 An argument that I wish I could have handled differently was when I was arguing with one of my friends about whether the Atlanta Falcons would be good that year or not about a couple years ago. I got really heated and it was a foolish reason to get angry. I could have handled the situation better by walking away, taking a few deep breaths, walking back, apologizing and talking about our disagreement in a calmer manner. My goal was to win the argument by arguing how the Atlanta Falcons were going to be good that year. We both ended up getting very mad at each other and it took about a week for the two of us to cool off. We eventually apologized and moved on past the argument, and we are still friends to this day.

A time I tried to persuade someone to do something I wanted was when I used ethos and pathos to convince my mom to let us get cats. I used pathos to convince my mom to let us get cats by how I saw there were cats up for adoption that needed a home on her phone. I immediately asked her if we could get them and how cute and sweet they looked. I also used pathos by telling my mom that they might not get a home if we don't adopt them. I used ethos to convince my mom to adopt the cats by how we used to have cats a very long time ago, how we haven't owned a cat or cats in a very long time, and the experience I have had with cats in the past. It took a lot of persuading to convince my mom to let us get the cats. Ultimately I think both rhetorical appeals played a very important role in us getting the cats but if I had to choose I would say ethos was the deal breaker.

 As I grow older and face new experiences an issue or topic I think I will have to stand up and debate most often, whether with friends, family, or society would be broadly speaking politics. As people get older their viewpoints on polices such as healthcare and economics may change based on life experiences. Another example is how peoples beliefs and viewpoints on public health had changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shows how as I grow older and face new experiences an issue or topic I think I will have to stand up and debate most often, whether with friends, family, or society would be politics.

The three goals I want to achieve this year is make straight A's, make new friends, and get better at ultimate frisbee. I want to make straight A's this year because it helps improve my GPA and interests colleges. I also want to get straight A's this year because I didn't quite achieve that goal last year; I think I will achieve that goal this year. I want to make new friends so I can branch out and meet new people. I hang out with my best friends a lot so it would be nice to make some new friendships and meet new people. Lastly I want to get better at ultimate frisbee so I can make varsity this year. I also want to get better at ultimate frisbee so I can get more field time. Achieving these three goals would make a very successful junior year for me.