MLA!!

MLA format can be a great organizational tool as well as an annoying one. MLA offers a standard national format that has strict guidelines that should be followed if someone is trying to write a formal paper.
One of the pros for MLA format is the fact that it is very organized if done correctly. Every necessary bit of information is located at the top of an essay and it allows for it to be an easy read. MLA format can help people who have organizational problems by setting a standard for writing. Another pro for this format is that most people learn MLA and it can be used universally without causing confusion.
There are also quite a bit of flaws with MLA in my opinion. I find it kind of annoying to follow some of the specific guidelines. Not only that, but it is also very annoying when the rules change and you have to adjust to the new guidelines.
I still think MLA is still a great tool, however, and it should be continued to be used despite its small flaws.

I think this is what I went through when I was first introduced to MLA format haha:

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

One very debated topic in English Literature is whether fiction or nonfiction books should be the core for high school English classes. Studies have shown that the current curriculum hasn't quite improved the test scores for students. Because of this, many people believe that using more nonfiction pieces of literature will be able to help students be better prepared for college.
In my opinion, I believe that fiction books are only a slight problem. Fiction books can be great for students, but many of these new fiction books that appeal to teens do not meet school standards. That is what I think is the problem. English teachers need to find a ways to discover fiction books that are at a higher level and will be able to help students and entertain them at the same time.
I also think that in situations like these, a common ground needs to be found. I think that both fiction and nonfiction books will be able to help students immensely. Having a mixture of both in a curriculum can benefit students a lot more than strictly teaching one or the other. Hopefully this topic will be revised seriously for the Board because this affects kids in the long run and will be crucial to their futures.
Until next time!

Digital Textbooks?

Digital textbooks are a growing product in the educational system. As technology is continuing to merge with daily lives, digital textbooks are being promoted as a better educational tool than standard textbooks. There are many pros and cons for this. Let me go through some of them and let me give you my opinion.
Digital textbooks are great in many ways. They help the environment by causing less paper to be used to create standard textbooks. They can also be updated a lot more easily than standard textbooks and would be a more cost-efficient way to get upgraded textbooks yearly whenever new knowledge is needed to be told to students. Teachers would also have a lot more freedom in being able to choose which book to teach their students with, possibly making our education system go up dramatically.
Although digital text books have many great aspects to them, they also have negative aspects. Many schools would not be able to afford the technological devices needed to distribute these textbooks to the students. Even having the needed internet connection can be trouble for some schools. Even if common devices, like phones and other devices, are able to receive these textbooks, it cannot be assumed that every student has access to these devices. Should digital textbooks become a regulation for schools, they need to find a way to allow access to these textbooks by every student.
I think digital textbooks are a great idea, but we need to ensure that every student is able to get access to these copies and also make sure that schools will be able to afford this and not cut valuable programs and teachers from their schools.

Depressing stories on Literary Anthology?

It has come to my attention that many of the stories we have been reading for AP English have been quite depressing. Many end on bad endings or characters go through a lot of trouble and pain to learn a lesson. So, what is the reason for this?
I think that literary fiction has a tendency to be more sinister than other works of fiction. One reason that I think this is because literary authors tend to be more realistic and show what may truly happen instead of what the reader wants to happen. This gives a reality-check to some people, and it causes them to realize that not everything will end happily. I think there are way too many fiction novels that end with happy endings, so maybe that is also a reason for this unbalance of tones in the anthology.
I don't think that the true nature of literary fiction is to be dark and depressing, but rather it is meant to be realistic and give valuable knowledge and understanding to the reader. The goal is to teach the reader something new, not to make him/her happy. Just because the story is depressing, that doesn't mean that it isn't good or interesting. Sometimes, in fact, the story is better when it has a depressing tone to it.
Literary fiction always teaches the reader something, no matter if it's happy or depressing. Many authors just want to point out realistic situations, and I believe that they are not wrong in doing so.

Hills Like White Elephants

A few days ago, I read Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway and I must say, it was very confusing the first time that I read this. I was very confused about what the couple was talking about, and the author never states what the true meaning of the conversation was in the story. The author leaves this open story maybe in order to allow the reader to interpret it on their own, even though it has a hidden topic.
The story can be interpreted in many ways, and may have several themes that the author may or may have not even intended. It is all up to the reader, and that is one thing I really like about this book. You can find different meanings by re-reading the story, and each time it is possible to come up with all new themes or maybe even creative topics.
I thought the author did a good job with this story, but to be honest, I was very curious about the topic of discussion. My curiosity made me keep reading it and I didn't really wasn't sure about the topic until my teacher told the class. I wasn't that surprised that the story was about abortion, it's just the fact that the author doesn't explicitly state it. Despite my remaining curiosity, the author did a great job with making readers think about the story and attempt to figure out what it was about. I recommend reading this book and encourage you to try interpreting the themes of this book on your own and see what you can find.
Until next time!

How Far She Went

A story that I read recently was How Far She Went by Mary Hood. This story was a great read with a bittersweet ending. To be honest, the story is kind of unrealistic to me, I just can't imagine two men attacking and chasing an elderly woman and a teenager over a simple dispute. Regardless, the story remained great until the end.
In the beginning of the story, there is a conflict between the granddaughter and grandma. Their names are unknown throughout the story, and I think one reason for this may be that the author wants to incorporate the general feelings between a grandchild and grandmother. There could be many tensions and misunderstandings between these types of family members simply due to experiencing different things in very different time periods.
Throughout the story, the grandmother and grandchild are escaping from the two drunk men who are trying to kill them. They go through a lot and even crash the car that the grandmother had. Toward the end, the grandmother is forced to kill her beloved dog in order to protect both herself and the granddaughter. She does this in order to prevent the two men from hearing the barking noises. Because of these events, the grandchild seems to have changed her views on herself and on her grandma, and strives to follow her when they are returning home. This is a bittersweet ending to me, because although the grandmother and granddaughter were safe, I can't help but feel bad for the dog and the fact that the grandma had to kill it even though they have been together for a long time.
I thought this was a great story and I think it can relate to several people, especially those from a younger generation.

Interpreter of Maladies

Today I read Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was a strange story, and I wasn't sure of how to think of it to be honest. It was a good read, but it wasn't really something that interested me in a big way.
The main focus of the story is Mrs. Das's relationship with her family as well as Mr. Kapasi's interest in her. Mrs. Das is very distant from her family throughout the whole story. She tends to ignore her children and seems to be burdened by her husband. Later in the book, we find out that she had cheated on her husband and that one of the children was not his. The person that she confessed this to was Mr. Kapasi. She told him that it was his duty to give her advice and tell her what to do. It makes me wonder why she choose Mr. Kapasi. Was she interested in him in a romantic way? Or was she just trying to find someone she could confess to? We are not told this, but it really makes me think about the book and I think the author purposely left out details like this to interact with the reader.
Another thing that made me very curious about the book was what happened to the Das family when it left. After she realizes what she had done and missed, she takes care of her hurt child and it seems that she has learned what she needs to do for her family. This makes me want to know whether or not she eventually confesses to the husband about the affair. It also makes me want to know whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Das remain together in their marriage after this experience. It was a nice open-ending and the author pieced it together well.