DAY 4.5 DAYTONA UPDATE: SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

Saturday I read 300 essays; Sunday I read 350.

Remember that first blog I wrote expecting a reference about Indiana Jones? Got it today. Several times.

Saturday night, David Rakoff, author and essayist, read excerpts from his books, and then answered questions. Someone asked him about his writing routine. He said he mostly eats, checks his email, talks to friends, and then writes for ten minutes and starts all over again.

Things I learned the past two days:

1. pathos clenches the reader; ethos blasts the reader (note from me: no and no)

2. diction flexes its muscle (another note from me: diction doesn’t even have a body). It’s also glittering, honorable, and exclusive; as opposed to tone, which is inclusive and can make someone weep on a dime.

3. majoritively

Things probably NOT a good idea to do in your AP essay:

1. Do NOT place any adjectives in front of these words: tone, diction, syntax. In fact, don’t even use those three words unless you can absolutely connect them to analysis.

2. Do NOT write that the author of the excerpt is boring or s/he could’ve written the piece better. No AP prompt ever requires that response. No one asked about the engagement level of the piece or opinions of its quality. Do not answer questions you weren’t asked…especially when you’re not answering the questions you WERE asked.

3. Do NOT underline what you think is the thesis. If it’s not the thesis, then that’s an uh-oh; if it is the thesis, then the reader will figure that out.

4. NO need to title the response. While the titles are often clever, they’re not necessary, and your brain time is better spent on the essay.

5. Do NOT write about commas, apostrophes, semi-colons, and/or hyphens as if they were sent by the gods of rhetoric. In fact, don’t write about them at all unless you’re asked to do so.

6. Please allow yourself time to proofread. It’s okay to scratch out. We don’t mind. Really. I’d rather read a messy well-written paper than a neat poorly written one.

7. Do not start the prompt with: “Since the beginning of time. . .” It’s a long way to go to make the connection between that statement and the prompt. And the problem is, most often, that connection’s never made.

8. Do not characterize the writer, the excerpt, parts of speech, and/or rhetorical devices as: beautiful, lovely, awesome, incredible, amazing, wonderful, thrilling, or any other empty adjective.

9. When asked to discuss rhetorical devices and how they are used in the excerpt, do NOT discuss other works of literature. The rhetorical prompt on the Language test is NOT an open-ended literary analysis.

That’s all for today. Two more bubbling scoresheet days.