Reflection

Thank God! High schools finally coming to the end, but now its time for our journey to really begin. Going into high school I thought this would be the longest four years of my life, but now it feels like it went by in the blink of an eye. I've had my share of ups and downs though not as bad as others. I can say I've learned some valuable things while being here, but the most valuable skills and information came when I decided to take AP Language & Composition junior year. I got a good dose of what college was going to be like, and a preview on what to expect, but the craziest part of it all was even after all the essays, that I learned to procrastinate on, I STILL wanted to go another round senior year and take Ms.Day again for AP Literature. People thought I was insane, honestly I did too, but after spending 11th grade with a teacher that taught me more than any of my teachers throughout my high school years, I couldn't imagine not taking her again. I wasn't expecting the harsh mental slap of what everyone calls 'Seniortitis' though. It made my procrastination the year before look like nothing. Honestly I'm surprised I even made it this far, and I'm not going to lie, it was a struggle when the only thing I wanted to do all the time was stay home and sleep. I somehow kind of managed though and now with graduation less than two weeks away, its a little scary to know afterward I'll be experiencing the real world outside of high school. Weather this happens in college, living on my own, and/or just experiencing new things depends on the future, and how I live it.

Figuring Out Metaphors

What is a metaphor and how is it different from other literal and figurative statements? In John R. Searle's "Figuring Out Metaphors", he asks this very question, and explains what a metaphor is before beginning to question what it means and does. A Metaphor enhances and makes the images described by the author more creative and interesting. Searle uses the examples "Sally is a block of ice" and "Sam is a pig" to show the metaphors that are easy to find the literal meaning of while using "Sally is a prime number between 17 and 23" to show a more complex metaphor that would be harder for us to figure out. Metaphors can be simple or complex and it can help give a more vivid idea of what the author intends while using fewer, or better, words then with a simple description.

Billy Collins, "Introduction to Poetry"

In this Poem, Billy Collins is trying to inform the readers that they try too hard to analyze a literary work. He wants them to understand the meaning to the poem itself. Most students probe and dissect poems, but Billy wishes for the students to just enjoy what is on the paper. Reading in line 5 the metaphor, "I say drop a mouse into a poem" then in line 6, "and watch him probe his way out" means that people should be be like a mouse in a maze. Go by what's on the surface.