And so the end is here! Have you had fun, seeing the various top 10’s I managed, or the final fight? I know I had fun writing it all leading up to the current moment. Even if I never got to tell you in length if I would win against the final winner with Gordon Ramsay, the spectacle of the last fight I feel was quite alright in the end. Going into this semester of AP Lit was more somber than I could have predicted, being my last semester of High-school English.
As the semesters passed on, same teacher but not all the same faces in my class, I learned how much I really do like Creative Writing. I already knew I did, but being put in a scenario wherein I have to write these fantastical blogs about top 10’s of fights, whether I could win, and more: was really interesting and fun overall. It’s not a very traditional genre of writing, but I discovered how much I enjoy it as it gives me the chance to read and write vignettes on animals, chefs, or fantasy creatures and gas myself up so to speak. This of course eventually lead to my favorite blog ever to write: the classic land animals one. I have done a lot of these blogs with all similar premises, and I do like the original sea animals or my most recent one, but there’s something refined about the land animals one. It was made after I had already done the format once, allowing it to be more refined, and remained grounded in a way as my blogs eventually became crazier. It is the first one I really put my full unique touch on.
In some small way though, this preparation helped me for when I reached my voices project. Putting together with research on my chosen topic was in some part assisted by this, and helped me learn many things as I was working on it. I hadn’t fully considered nor knew about just how bad Hollywood was and could still be in regards to Asian American stereotypes even after the most blatant ones of the 50’s through to 70’s were. And it really did though lead to my reflection and enjoyment of my voices novel even more in hindsight after my research question sprung from it. if I had to put it to words for a senior next year reading it, I’d have to say about going into it with an open mind and especially thinking about the media they’ve consumed. Through following Willis and his struggles in Hollywood and their stereotypes, you can even go back and watch movies with a more cynical eye and see just what’s being talked about. It’s definitely a book for people willing to examine their favorite media, buuuut it is also just a really good book. I can recommend it to just about anyone really, in fact you the reader should read it as well!
In the end though, this blogging process has been a unique and final step in my world as a NNHS Senior. After a stretch of middle school into the first year of high school in online schooling, stepping back through classroom doors made me appreciate in person learning all the more and figure out that’s how I best learn. Being an NNHS student has helped me learn, helped me make connections with my peers, make me realize how much I love knowing people who share my interests, and just make me enjoy learning again. I’d tell anyone in my shoes to stretch yourself! I joined a club I now love too late, Junior year! Get into the clubs you are interested in early, pursue those friends, 4 years can pass. I hope you all have enjoyed my blogs, but unfortunately: I feel this is curtain call.
Hi Jackson, I had a lot of fun reading your blogs, and I noticed that you were one of, if not the only person to do a series throughout the whole year. As someone who’s interested in martial arts I found your me vs … blogs interesting and entertaining. It also sounds like we both read the same book for our Voices project and chose a similar research question relating to Asian stereotypes and Hollywood. I definitely agree with your advice to join clubs and make friends in high school, as I’m someone who tended to be bogged down by academic stress and forget to nurture my social life.
Throughout the course of the year I had the privilege of reading several of your blogs such as your top 10s which inspired me to begin blogs ranking my favorite music artists or fast food. In your blog, you talk about how much you enjoy creative writing and I think that speaks through your work, and your love for writing is what takes it to the next level. This journey of blogging has made all of us become much better writers while learning to appreciate the importance of writing. Finally, I would like to address the importance of blogging in the way that it is a community, being able to read and comment on others’ blogs while they do the same as yours.