AP Exam Response

           Overall the AP exam wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Although, I ran out of time for the multiple choice and had to guess a couple of questions, the rest of the questions weren’t that bad. However, I think the practice tests we took in class were much easier compared to the actual exam. The passages were more complex and harder to understand compared to the ones we read in class. Moving on, there was more than enough time for each essay. The synthesis essay took the most time out of all three essays, I actually went over the 40-minute mark. Still, I was left with 20 minutes to spare at the end of the exam.

           Even though we did a lot of prepping in class, I feel as if I could’ve done much more to prepare for the exam. I should’ve worked more on timing, especially for the multiple-choice questions. With more time, I could’ve easily finished all questions whilst feeling confident in my answers. Moreover, I should’ve focused on studying more vocabulary. I found myself struggling during the multiple-choice section trying to understand questions and answer choices with advanced vocabulary. In all, I’m just glad the exam is over, I just hope I did well enough to pass at least. 

Descriptive Writing

As I walk through the glass doors, I hear the loud crowd ahead of me. Sweaty athletes walk by me, calmly catching their breath. I walk up the stairs to the stands, as I watch my coach pull out my number from his blue bag, “Your event is next, go warm up,” he advises me. As I pin my number onto my uniform, I glance at the track beneath me. I could see the boys competing, some in which looked as if they might pass out. My heart started to beat fast, “Jaleen, come warm up with me.” We walked down to the warm up area filled with other athletes preparing for their race, “Let’s do two laps, drills, then stretch after,” she suggested, in which I agreed. As we followed the guiding green lines beneath our feet, I could feel my breakfast reaching my chest. “How do you think you’re going to do today?” I asked. She sighed and shrugged, “To be honest, I feel like my nervousness will get to me.” I looked at her, and I could see she was edgy, “Me too, but I’m going to try my hardest to beat my personal record.” After we finished the two laps, we started the drills. I put one leg up, while the down; no arms, then arms. Right when we were about to finish the drills, the speaker went off, “First call for the Individual 200 Meter Run, I repeat, first call for the Individual 200 Meter Run.” Jaleen and I exchanged the same look, “I swear the PSAL never has good timing,” she grumbled. We grabbed our belongings and went back upstairs, where we could see a crowd walking towards the check in area. I heard the official scream, “Ladies! Take out your spikes so we can verify them before you walk in.” When I reached the opening, I showed the official my spikes in which she approved. Only two more steps to go. I sat down on the floor, next to my team. We all took off our sweats, sweaters, and trainers, changing into our spikes. “Ladies! When I call your name and lane, get in line with your heat,” the official instructed. I applied blistex whilst she yelled names, I knew I had to wait a while before I was called. As girls on my team were called, I wished them the best of luck. Ten minutes passed until heat 7 was called, “Amani Farraj, Midwood; lane 5 heat 7.” I threw my bag to the side, taking one last savoring sip of water. As I walked to my heat, I noticed many of them were muscular, taller, and older than me. Once again, my heart beat faster. I took slow, calm, and deep breaths in and out as the official guided us towards the track. We were lined on the side of the poll, in lane 8, as we waited for the previous heat to finish up. I watched the form of the girls as they ran, admiring their precious talent. “Alright now,” the official peered in my direction, “Heat 7, get in your lanes.” My heart was beating out of my chest now, as I placed myself behind the white line in lane 5. I took two steps back, placing myself in the down starting position. “On your mark…” The official raised the gun held in his hand, “Get set…” I raised my body, leaning my weight to the point where it was held by just my fingertips. I took one last deep breath, keeping my head faced down. Finally, the gun went off with a loud “boom”. 

How Does the Internet Influence Society?

The internet has really taken a toll on society nowadays. Many people are basically controlled by the influence of social media. We have people basing their future off of their zodiac signs and even simple surveys seen on Facebook or twitter. The internet in general has such a huge impact on our daily lives, though it mostly influences us to become more indolent.

As a teenager living in today’s society, I have become a victim of this effect. Although I don’t use many social networking sites, I still get very easily distracted by the internet. As much as I try to keep a distance, I always end up back on my phone. Especially during times when I need to focus specifically on one thing, like my homework. Due to the fact that most of my homework is online, it offers a greater opportunity to procrastinate. Whether it be just a small ad on the sidebar or a suggested link, I always manage to get distracted. Thus, I barely complete my work, or even finish it at all. In fact, not only does it affect my work, but  also my social life in a very peculiar way. Although social media is meant for people to communicate more with others, hence the word “social” in the term, it actually distracts me when I hang out with friends. I find myself just sitting there, scrolling through snapchat, twitter, or Facebook instead of socializing when I’m accompanied by my friends. In some cases, I don’t even go out. I end up cancelling plans just to stay home to watch Netflix, YouTube, or videos on Facebook or twitter. The constant occurrence of this distraction has made it become more of a bad habit for me, making me put less effort into the valuable things in life.

The internet isn’t only distracting, it is also very time consuming. Because the internet contains so many openings for a variety of entertainments, it is very easy to get caught up. On average, a teenager spends about 7 hours daily on the internet, mostly scrolling through social media of course. Not only does this waste valuable time, but it also makes us even more languid. We spend hours sitting on our phones, computers, and even tablets, literally moving just our fingers to complete the easy pattern; poke, type, scroll, and repeat. This precious time could be used to go for a run, walk, or just anything more productive than just sitting in front of a screen.

Although the internet does provide us with many useful resources like diet plans, workout instructions, and health guidelines, it lacks the necessary motivation that our society needs. Even though these benefits are given to us, many of us will not physically work for it. Many people struggle to have the proper motivation and self-conscience to work out or eat healthier. All they need is that constant shove to encourage them to actually achieve their goals. Unfortunately, the internet does not deliver enough of that to the them.

The internet was sought to be useful and beneficial to society, however, it ended up being quite the opposite. In the end, society is responsible for the impact the internet has on itself. We constantly abuse the advancements that were initially there to help us.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Amani Farraj

Mr. Felder P.7

AP English Language 

November 20, 2016

In the text, “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” by David Sedaris, mainly demonstrates the author’s experience with French language lessons in Paris. In fact, Sedaris utilizes various rhetorical devices to support his writing overall. One rhetorical device included is pathos, which creates a stronger personal connection with the reader. For instance, he mentions, “at my age, a reasonable person should have completed his sentence in the prison of nervous and the insecure… My fears have not vanished. Rather, they have seasoned and multiplied with age,” (Sedaris 291). This expression of nervousness and fear creates a feeling of sympathy from the readers, making the connection between them and Sedaris stronger. Furthermore, Sedaris depicts fear again, “My fear and discomfort crept beyond the borders of my class room and accompanied me out onto the wide boulevards, where, no matter how hard I tried, there was no escaping the feeling of terror I felt whenever anyone asked me a question,” (Sedaris 294). Similarly, this description put the readers in his shoes, making them understand him better.

Interestingly, Sedaris not only uses pathos in his writing, but also diction. In fact, the diction in his writing adds on to his use of pathos. For example, he writes, “The first day of class was nerve-racking because I knew I’d be expected to perform,” (Sedaris 291). His use of the word “nerve-racking” adds to his use of pathos because it enhances the anxious emotions spread through his writing. Moreover, Sedaris states, “If you have not meismslsxp by this time, you should not be in this room. Has everybody apzkiubjxow?” (Sedaris 291). In the same way, the use of incorrect, rubbish words not only expand the anxious emotions in his writing, but also, once again, puts the reader in his shoes. Thus, making a stronger connection as well as understanding overall.

The main issue brought up in the essay was the fact that there was a huge language barrier in which Sedaris had to deal with. Sedaris demonstrates his experience with French language lessons in Paris, in which he expressed as very difficult for him. Actually, he reveals the challenges people face daily. Everyone has experienced some type of language barrier at least once in their life. No matter what language a person speaks, we all have a unique accent or minor difference. Thus, a language barrier is bound to happen. 

Teens and Extracurricular Activities

        As a high school student and track athlete, I believe that allowing our children to participate in extracurricular activities is very important. They can benefit a teen in so many ways. For instance, if it is a sport, a teenager will not only benefit physically, but also mentally. They will learn how to push themselves mentally, to build more self-motivation and confidence. They would also become more active, which is rare for teens nowadays due to the overuse of technology, therefore making them healthier as well. However, if it is a club, teens could generally benefit mentally because most clubs are educational. Thus, they will be learning new techniques, ideas, or even new topics that they don’t have the opportunity to learn in their classes. In fact, extracurricular activities could even aid a teen’s social life. They would meet new people, making new friends. This could affect a teen in many different, but positive ways, in which would make them happier. Overall, teens should be included in after school events because it could affect their whole high school experience in general.

        I used Zinsser’s advice on mood changers, the proper use of “which”, and his advice on sexism. For the mood changers, I made sure to use “however” at the beginning of my sentence to inform the reader of a mood change right away. Though towards the end of my paragraph, I used the proper form of “which” to further express the affect after school activities on a teen’s overall attitude. Furthermore, instead of using “he” or “she” in place for the sex of a teen, I used “them” to avoid the sexism issue that Zinsser had discussed. In all, I followed Zinsser’s advice on mood changers, the use of “which”, and the issue of sexism to persuade my audience further.