Post 2: Q3 Reflection for "House" Essay

 

Here are my answers to the reflection worksheet I completed on 8/30/2021 after writing my first essay about Jay Gatsby's Mansion in response to the 2021 AP literature Question 3 Essay Prompt. DESCRIPTION CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3.d What were you asked to do?  I was asked to write a well-written essay in which I analyzed a specific piece of literature that used a house as a symbolic role in the overall plot.  What is being examined? I was examined based on the AP 6-point rubric. Sections included how well I provided a defensible thesis, expanded on my analysis to further the line of reasoning, and overall sophistication.

SCORES CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4  What score did you give yourself? Why? Use the language of the rubric or scoring guide. I would give myself a 1-3-0.  I believe that I deserve the thesis point. My thesis can be found at the beginning and end of the piece. The beginning responds to the prompt well by identifying the author (F. Scott Fitzgerald), selected book (the Great Gatsby), house (Gatsby’s mansion), and symbolic importance (shows how the house is a facade and ego of the owner, and reveals the true nature of the homeowner.) In the conclusion of my paper, I extend the purpose of a house to be a character in a novel. Gatsby’s mansion was a reflection of the hollow 1920’s society, and I believe I explained this in a defensible way in my thesis.  In terms of my analysis, I was pleasantly impressed with my first attempt. I would give myself 3 out of 4 possible points. I provided specific evidence from the text in organized paragraphs that proved my thesis, but I concede that I may have been too wordy in my summarizing of the plot, which took away from some of my time analyzing. That may have taken me down to a 3, but I think I still did plenty of things well. I think all three main points of evidence contribute to the overall theme of my essay. The line of reasoning is there, but I don’t know if all of the reasoning is linear (the order of my paragraphs may not be totally sequential). I think that my reasoning also contributed to the thesis again by continually referencing it throughout the piece, but I fear that, in the heat of the moment, I may have avoided going to the deepest level of analysis for fear of running out of time or seeming to go down a tangent. Ms. Wilson’s notes on my essay target the exact point that I turned around to go to the next paragraph instead of going down to the deep level 3 analysis because I thought the paragraph was too long when, in reality, it was just too much summarizing of the plot already.  In terms of the sophistication point, I don’t think I earned the pont. Yes, I did use a few literary tools and expand on my ideas in lyrical ways, but I am not confident that these tools actively contributed to the essay as a whole. Additionally, I may have included some sophisticated thoughts, but I can’t guarantee that all of my analysis actively contributed to the overall theme of my piece.

INTERPRETATION CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1.c & CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1.a (Knowledge of scoring guide, sample essays, scoring commentary) How is it similar to and different from other tasks or assessments that we have completed in class?  This essay was similar to some of the open-ended analysis essays I wrote in AP comp. Instead of reaching from current events, historical examples, or personal stories, this essay required me to pick a single work of fiction to analyze. On the AP comp exam, I ended up having to reach way into my memory to find the perfect examples of evidence, but this essay required a more “classic” book, preferably one that I have read and analyzed in school. I thought about analyzing To Kill a Mockingbird, but wondered if the courtroom that Atticus worked in would truly have enough evidence to call it a home for him. I was impressed with how well I did overall with my first soiree in this category!

OUTCOME CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1.c What have I learned from this about my skill levels at this point? ? There is a long way until the AP exam, and I will definitely need to use my time to learn more about the essay! I think that I have a fairly solid base for the year. Since we are barely into week 3 of the school year, I am not concerned with my current comfort level. I think practice, more reading, and more instruction will all help me build on my foundation and improve this year.  What do I need to do to improve my performance on future tasks? One thing I definitely need to do is read more classic literature. I am glad that we will be able to read some of these stories in class this year, and I am excited for the stories I have picked! I need to plan out my essays more in the beginning: the order of my evidence in the line of reasoning, the structure of my paragraphs, the thesis statement and total outline, and more. I think more practice will benefit me if I can have some more feedback and read other examples like we did in this task! Here is the typed, original essay I wrote:

Backup Link:  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tg5mPKUSRt5l1FTIL9Ly0sO4WrbdN7APgnkovv7sjfw/edit?usp=sharing