Miranda 1/23/03

Ms. Gokturk Comp 4

English With Ms. Gokturk

Overall, I enjoyed this semester of English class. I found the books we read to be interesting and fun. I liked how we spent time analyzing themes in the novels which I would not have otherwise noticed. For example, had I read Catcher in the Rye on my own, I would not have understood that Mr. Salinger was trying to show that Holden's whole issue was a need for connection with someone. That was basically the whole plot of the novel, the search for a connection through different characters, and had I not seen that, the novel as a whole would not have made much sense to me.

I found that I learned more than just English through this class and the books we read this semester. In the books, there were lessons on friendships, life, and even politics. In The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, I learned a lot about communism and Marxism through the characters of Jake Blount and Dr. Copeland.

Not only did I enjoy the books we read, but I liked much of Ms. Gokturk's teaching style. She included much variety, unlike other teachers I've had in the past. I thought the Idea of creating a Web site was fun, because it taught us practical skills to use in an advancing technological world.

All in all, I learned a plethora of new things this semester (such as the word plethora) and I had fun doing it.