Since my last note it was quite a long time. Naturally, I wonder how are my good friends are doing. How are your families,friends, successes, problems? How are your lives so far? I hope they are good, and you all are in good health and mood. I am good so far. As May peeks furtively behind the Rocky Mountains on the April snow, I know that AP examinations are drawing more and more near.

Naturally I feel that I should prepare for them somehow. Including AP Physics B, succeeding on which I doubt. But a half an hour ago I was skimming through Cliffs AP English Language and Composition preparation book, and what attracted me on the first page of a practice test was the introductory sentence to a passage. It stated: The written word is weak .

I did not read further. Partially because I want to practice answering the questions in a conditions approximated to those on the exam, not just skim through a passage, but mainly I turned the page because I disagree. The word can not win physical battle with a sword, but it can win a mental and psychological battle with whoever holds the sword. Equally it may put a sword into someone's hands.

Before I started attending AP English Language and Composition class this year, I made some attempts at understanding literature and writing, but I had not realized the whole power of it until attending the class. I learned that words affect. The diction, syntax, and structure choice affects how your audience will consider your message.

And it is understandable, since some people do not pay any particular attention to writing and literature. There are basically three types of appeal a writer may use: ethos, logos, and pathos. Ethos appeals to authors credibility on an issue, his experience; pathos appeals to the readers emotions; and logos appeals to the logic. Those who think words are empty sound-no more- tend to listen to facts and numbers, but even the most appalling data can not persuade. Life is not just numbers. A writer may move your imagination to see more clearly than with your own eyes, or make your mind draw a conclusion from just giving you a simple idea of what is going on. An essay, written with different tone, or diction, or syntax, or appeals may have whole lot different and amazingly ample effect on how people feel about the issue.

Remember some notable writings from history. Uncle Sam's Cabin sparkled the great American Civil War. And this deplorable example of Mein Kampf! Listen to the great speeches, e.g. Gettysburg Address and FDR's address after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Oh, yes, words in these writings had such a power that they moved masses of people in their time, and some pieces of writing are relevant today and will be for many years to come.

So guys, I hope after this the saying Choose your words carefully you will consider. Consider also what and how others say to you.

Talking about the words, here is your vocabulary list for today:

• Prolific- producing a constant creative output. Example: John is such a prolific author- he has written so many essays!

• Hypocrite- a person who pretends to be what he or she is not; a person that professes the beliefs he or she does not hold. Example: The reporter was a hypocrite- what he wrote in his article contradicted with his real beliefs about the issue.

• Toil- hard and exhausting work.

• corpulent- fat or plum. Example: The corpulent boy was trying to loose weight.
  
• refractory - stubborn or rebelous. Example:The refractory student refused to stop arguing with the teacher.