Those Crazy AP English Gods

Ms. Serensky often informs us of how themes from the books we read in AP English somehow pop up in her daily life. Such themes conflict her so much so that she has noted her hesitance in choosing certain books for us to read. I too, have experienced a similar relation between the books we read in English and my own life, but in the more enjoyable form of movies. It began last year after reading Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. A week or so after finishing the book, I remember flipping through the channels on the television, and the movie Into the Wild magically popped up on the screen. I recall being fairly excited to see this movie adaption, which ended up being just as depressing as the book, and thought it ironic that it had appeared right after finishing the book. I, however, have never noticed it on television after that. The next book we read was Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt. Once again, a few weeks after reading the book, I was watching television and the movie Angela’s Ashes came on. This too, I have never noticed on television again. After that chipper novel, we moved on to mindboggling and twisted world of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. In class, we watched the film documenting Capote’s experiences while writing the book, but we did not watch the In Cold Blood movie. Just a few weeks after finishing the book, I noticed In Cold Blood on T.V. At this point, I was still terrified to sleep through the night because of the haunting images that arose from the book, but I decided to watch it anyway. Home alone. Not the best idea I have ever had. But no matter how traumatizing the movie was, I have never noticed on it on television after that. So then this year, we started of the first quarter with Shakespeare’s play Othello. This time, we got to enjoy the visual representation of the book in real life in the form of an actual play. However, the next week I was flipping through the channels, and noticed that the movie version of Othello was on T.V. It was ironic because Iago resembled a big, fluffy teddy bear to me, far from the manipulative, psychopath type he was portrayed as in the novel. This movie, too, I have never noticed on television again. Oh, the madness of AP English never stops! As of now, I have not seen The Namesake on T.V., but that could be because we actually watched the corresponding movie/book in school. Sometimes, I wonder if the AP English gods are having too much fun up there.