My academic biography, starting from my coming to the USA and ending with today, or whenever I wrote this.

Academic Biography

One adult who supports me through my academic efforts is my brother, Aleksandr Rodin. He helps me understand the material and explains things to me if I do not understand the teacher’s explanation.

I began my academic career in a now defunct preschool that catered to the immigrants from the ex-USSR. For elementary I went to a private school that was run like a mix of a Soviet and an American school; its name is the Green School of Hollywood. I did quite well and we had an accelerated learning system: I took the 8^th grade CST in the equivalent of 5^th grade and got “Advanced” on every category. After finishing 5^th grade I culminated to John Burroughs Middle School, and went there from 6^th to 8^th grade.

My favourite subject is AP Biology. I am extremely interested in how we came to be and how the amazing machine that is our body works. It is something that has interested me since I was able to speak and control my bowels(little dirty joke, don’t hate me please).

An influential teacher I had was named Mr. Joseph. He was from the Ukrainian SSR, but was Jewish by descent. His family escaped to Israel and he came to America to better his life. He was a very smart, kind teacher who helped me master the English language.

I remember learning how to write proper essays and how to put my thoughts on to paper, which I was not able to do until Mr. Joseph began to teach us English.

I hope to become a dentist or an oral surgeon in the future, that is why I am taking AP Biology, Honours Physiology, and most likely will take AP Psychology in 12^th grade.

A description of myself in the academic sense would not be the prettiest thing ever. I am somewhat lazy but am intelligent and know quite a lot about a lot. I don’t like to do book work but do love to write about things that not many people know about, to counteract the “not knowing” part. I can and will do work, though I may complain and grumble. I am also a great test taker and retain information well because my memory is very good.

I learned English after I came to America. I spoke only Russian and Bulgarian until the age of 5, when my parents authorised my learning of English. They did not want me to forget Russian so I had to master speaking it before I could learn English. My teacher, Mrs. Bella, taught me to read, write, and speak. She was from the Soviet Union, but was schooled in English in the UK, so she taught me to write the British way, as can be seen by my spelling of certain words.

In junior high I did well in English: always got A’s and such. My GPA for the whole year, every year, was above a 3.5. I did not particularly enjoy junior high English class because it was extremely dull and the teachers were usually, pardon my French, asshats. They would not listen to reason, would shout without much provocation(not just from me), and would sometimes just not do anything.

My goals for this class is to pass with an A, pass the AP exam, and get credit for taking the class in college. If I could do that I would be extremely happy because that would make my family proud and would also make my future that much easier by eliminating yet another college class from my future schedule.

First and foremost, I expect you to teach us how to write proper essays that will be enjoyable to read, and not vomit-worthy. I would also deeply appreciate if you were just in punishment and not quick to anger. That would be pretty great.

If this isn't a great essay I will eat my hat... if I wore hats!

John Adams and Abigail Adams Letter Revision

In her letter to John Quincy Adams, Abigail Adams employs multiple examples of rhetorical speech to advise and influence Mr. Adams. Her rhetoric helps the advice look better and stand out to the reader. She makes connections to important people from the past, causing her advice to sound like a “rallying cry” that should spur John Quincy Adams to action.  She also compliments Mr. Adams throughout the letter, which is a good way to influence someone: flatter them and they will follow. Her rhetorical style is almost in the style of propaganda, as she talks about the,” calamities in your own native land” in the latter part of her letter. This style of speech and her prophesising that the people would leave a legacy for generations yet unborn just further encourages the young Adams to push for the cause that his people push for: independence.

            One example of the rhetorical strategies that Mrs. Adams uses to advise her son is comparing their situation to the situation of famous writer, Cicero. Cicero began to write his famous and inflammatory writings to speak out against the tyranny of Roman leaders, and was praised for it. Abigail Adams wants the same for her son John Q. Adams: she wants him to be a Cicero for the American people, so she compares them in her letter to make the connection. This is seen in line 30,” Would Cicero have shone so distinguished an orator if he had not been roused, kindled, and inflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres, and Marc Antony?” She further pushes this point by comparing the struggle that Cicero went through with the “calamities” of his time to the British repression of the Americans. Line 43 demonstrates this,”…it is your lot, my son, to be an eyewitness of these calamities in your own native land.” This comparison of repression and problems that the two men went through in their respective times was an effective rhetorical strategy as it challenged Adams to rise to the greatness that Cicero reached. It also helped “guilt” him, for if he did nothing, he would seem like a coward who did not realise his full potential.

            Another rhetorical strategy utilised in the letter by Mrs. Adams is speaking well about and complimenting John Q. Adams and his upbringing. This style of speech would influence him and “guilt” him into acting a certain way. This is seen in line 22,”… under the eye of a tender parent, your improvement should bear some proportion to your advantages.” This means that since he has more chances in life, he must not waste them but must instead use them to their full potential. Another example is seen on line 61, where Mrs. Adams uses a form of guilt and compliment at the same time,”…and render your parents supremely happy, particularly your ever affectionate mother.” This line makes the reader, John Q. Adams, feel as if he must “pay back” his parents for the love and everything they had given him.

            One last strategy used in the letter is Mrs. Adams talking about her decisions that she made for Mr. Adams earlier, and reaffirming him in how she was right. This strategy to influence Mr. Adams is seen in the first paragraph,” If I had thought your reluctance arose from proper deliberation, or that you was capable of judgeing(sic) what was most for your benefit…” This shows how Mrs. Adams believed that she knew what was best for Mr. Adams, more so than even he knew.