Summer Reading Response To Ann Petry's The Street

5. After assessing my entire body of work from this year, the timed writing piece that I am most proud of was the 2009 prompt from Ann Petry’s The Street. I am proud of both my strategy and my ability to analyze the text in this specific timed writing. While writing this response, I made a more conscientious effort to include more analysis rather than summary, which was a major struggle at times in previous timed writings. A strong example of this is when I stated, “This selection of detail explains how others receive a harsh treatment by the outside world, however, when the author details the relationship which Lutie has with the outside world and nature as a whole, it is described as much more gentle, although it still challenges her”. Although

I am proud of this response for a variety of reasons. Initially, coming into an AP English literature course senior year with only taking honors courses in the prior years as opposed to AP , I believed I was not as advanced as my fellow classmates. However, after receiving a 94 for my score, I was pleasantly surprised and proud of my ability to analyze the text to the level which was required. While reading, “The Hours”, I found the interconnected plot between the three characters Laura Brown, Virginia Woolf, and Clarissa Vaughn very interesting. Because of the natural interest I took in the text, it was much easier to analyze it and answer the question despite known issues with reading comprehension. Specifically, I am proud of my thesis, which is a very simple aspect of academic writing however, it remains a struggle at various times. In my essay I stated, “Character, to some extent, is determined by destiny, however, when society places limitations on an individual's free will, it will always create a desire to break away from the mold.” This thesis thoroughly covered my overarching idea which I referenced throughout the entirety of the response and gave it a structured format to follow while writing. In addition to this, I am proud of my specific analysis of both characters Laura Brown and Virginia Woolf. While reading this novel I took a significant amount of time to read it carefully and pay attention to all major plot points which were mentioned as Cunningham switched from the different perspectives of each character. Normally, a novel with a constantly changing plot would have required more time to read, however, with careful reading techniques, reading comprehension was not a major issue. This proved to beneficial because it provided me with a strong analysis of both characters and the aspects of their lives which they