In Class Essay #2

This was not my best essay. :/ At all.

In this poem "Thou Blind Man's Mark," the speaker has a distinct dislike for the feeling of desire in his mind. With poetic devices such as diction, tone, repetition (pleonasm/anaphora), and details, the speaker reveals his complex attitude towards desire.

"Thou Blind Man's Mark" has a very formal diction, yet a tone that is quite unsatisfied lies beneath it. Lines 1-4 describe desire in a very detailed way, and hints at what the speaker thinks of when it comes to desire. "Band of all evils, cradle of causeless care": there is no sense of kindness towards this feeling. Later on in the poem the speaker goes on to say how "in vain" desire made him do things that he did not wish to do. "In vain" and "too long" are examples of pleonasm, so as to emphasize how angered the speaker as at his weakness. It also emphasizes how much control desire tries to take of him.

With these clues revealed to us throughout the poem, we can understand how much that overwhelming feeling of desire that overcomes the speaker angers him as well.

Essay #2

In Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth was prophesied to become king. After deciding that this shall only come true if he takes things into his own hands, he has to wrestle with the guilt and anxiety going on inside his head. Can he pull off this evil dead? Or does he let his guilt overcome him, and wait for a prophecy that might not come true otherwise?

The prophecy foretold by the three witches was an enticing one. Macbeth was told he was to be king, but was not told at what time it would happen. His thinking process moved towards killing King Duncan, and receiving the kingship right away. Once he had his wife, Lady Macbeth, involved, she pushed him even further into that direction. The path he was creating for himself was filled with glory as a ruler. But once he becomes king, he would have to eliminate competition like Banquo, who also received a prophecy that his sons would be kings. To keep in that path of being a king, he would have to kill Banquo, a close colleague.

Then there is the other side to this rise to power: the guilt and regret. Even before killing the king, Macbeth questions his decision to do it. He's not sure that he is able to accomplish such a feat. Later on in the story, Macbeth is not as restrained when it comes to killing Banquo, but his guilt manifests itself in another way. He sees the ghost of Banquo at dinner, while no one else can. Even though he is telling himself that what he's doing is justified, seeing things such as Banquo's ghost is telling him otherwise. He is trying to be pulled away from evil by his own guilt.

This conflict within Macbeth between good and evil helps portray Macbeth as a truly unique character. He is a protagonist consumed by evil, even after his guilt tries to dissuade him from that.

Passage Essay #1

In this passage from Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing, the main character goes through a dramatic experience of having to bury a wolf. With the use of his solemn and somber tone, his visuals created by imagery, and the syntax of the passage, we are able to see how much this experience affects the protagonist.

Imagery is the most powerful tool used in this passage. The narrator describes the settings with phrases such as "tall escarpments" and "dark shapes of the rimlands." He also describes his bloodied clothes, and the wolf that he carried. Accompanying the visual imagery is the imagery to create sounds. The howls and "yapping" of the coyotes are mentioned throughout the passage, as the main character can hear them all around him. The main character touches the wolf's body, closes it's eyes that "gave no light." All these images are created for the reader so as to understand how much of an impact this is to the main character. These descriptions and details are so articulate, trying to get the reader to see the whole picture in and out.

The syntax and mood of the passage also helps to convey the feelings going on inside the main character. There narrator uses polysyndeton to show all the things the main character does to take care of the wolf's body, who seems to be have some strong connection to the main character. He then goes on to reflect and ponder on what the wolf's life was like: "running in the mountains, running in the starlight where the grass was wet," with a "rich matrix of creatures." This brings the reader into the mind of the main character, and his sad thoughts, sad that the wolf lost its life when it enjoyed so much. It's letting the readers follow his thoughts just as he is making them.

With these literary techniques one feels the sadness and awe the main character feels. The wolf's death means so much to this character, and McCarthy's intent was to convey this meaning to the audience.

Poetry Essay #2

To Paint a Water Lily is a beautiful poem that describes a lily pond and it's surroundings in nature. The speaker, who is trying to paint a picture of a water lily by the title, observes the nature around him. With the use of imagery, structure, and even personification, he is able to portray this picture of nature to the reader.

The speaker initially is observing his main attraction, the lily, when a dragonfly comes into his sight. He admires it, how it eats and how it "stands in space to take aim." As the dragonfly flies away, the speaker seems to take notice of something else going on under the trees. He hears "battle-shouts and death cries everywhere." This use of imagery and personification of nature creates the image of an ongoing battle in nature, yet also how unnoticed it goes by the flies and the lily itself. In the speaker's eyes, there seems to be so much more in the surroundings of the lily, and the lily seems to be unaware of what is going on.

The structure of this poem also gives an insight on to how the speaker is thinking. The stanzas, all made up of  verses of two, seem to be the speaker gathering his thoughts slowly. It's as if he is slowly realizing the reality of what is going on in nature. But it must come to an end. As the poem is almost finished, he comes back to what he is doing, the mission he had in the first place: painting the lily. He focus on it, and even though the battle is inaudible, he is still aware of the presence of it surrounding him. 

The author is clearly intrigued and a bit in awe by the nature that he was surrounded by. His role as an artist is not only to take note of the lily, but the surrounding chaos as well. 

Poetry Essay #1

Helen of Troy, a woman whose beauty ultimately caused the Trojan War, is a figure many people know of. These two poems seem to take this single woman and change her into two by the very way they describe her. One poem is full of admiration for her, and the other despises the person she is. Diction, imagery, form, and tone help create a completely different picture of Helen of Troy in the eyes of the spearers.

In the poem To Helen by Edgar Allan Poe, it begins with such a love and admiration of her beauty, comparing her to the "Nicean barks of yore." Poe goes on to use more imagery to describe her beauty, such as "hyacinth hair" and "statue-like." The tone and form of the poem also convey his sense of admiration of Helen. The poem is written in the way a love letter is written to a loved one. His tone shows how in awe Poe is of Helen's beauty, how her beauty has brought him to her. Even the title itself "To Helen" shows how he's writing this poem not only about her, but to her, as he would want her to see how he thinks of her.

The other poem is completely different when it comes to Helen. Strictly titled Helen, this author speaks in a very solemn tone, with a slight hint of disgust and hate for her. The author uses imagery to describe the way she looks, with "still eyes in the white face," "the wan face when she smiles." This changes the description of Helen of Troy as to someone with a pale, sickly unattractive look about them. The author even goes on to explicitly saw how Greece hated this woman, is reviled by her, and would only love her if "she were laid, white ash amid funereal cypresses." The tone and imagery show how strongly Helen is disliked by not only by Greece, but by the author.

These two poems are examples of how literary elements such as tone and imagery can make such a difference. Helen of Troy, one woman, went from being a most beautiful woman who a man adored, to being a woman most hated by an entire country. A single person can be drastically changed by a few words, for words are more powerful than one thinks.

Groupthink

As much as talking with others is supposed to help, it doesn't. I enjoy figuring the poems out on my own, and even though their grids helped explain their poems a bit better, I'm sure I didn't understand it on the same level as they did, since they spent more time reading it. But I did see some interesting types of poems, and some familiar ones as well from my group. We also agreed on how the poetry part will probably be the most difficult for all of us on the AP exam, but using the grids helped organize the poem into parts so we can understand it better.

Gridlock

 Blackberrying by Sylvia Plath

TPCASTT:  Poem Analysis Method:  title, paraphrase, connotation, diction, attitude, tone, shift(s), title revisited and theme
Titleof poem means	Blackberrying: the act of picking blackberries, as the speaker of Sylvia's poem is doing
Paraphraseparts of the Poem	The first stanza the speaker (maybe Sylvia) is walking alone through blackberry fields, and she talks about the berries and how they look. The next stanza the speaker notices choughs that looks like bits of paper in the sky, and realizes she won't see the sea. She goes up to another blackberry bush and describes it. The last stanza she doesn't mention blackberries at all. She walks between two hills, calling them green and sweet. She turns and sees a huge orange rock, and hears metal clanging against metal.
Connotationof some of the words – changing literal meaning to implied or associated values	Blackberry alley - a single path surrounded by blackberry fields on both sides; dumb as eyes - the color of the blackberries are dark?; blood sisterhood - could mean like blood brothers, where you cut your thumb and press it against another person's thumb, squeezing blackberries would show something like that; bits of burnt paper wheeling in the sky - the choughs? are being referred to as bits of paper fluttering in the sky
AttitudeWhat is the attitude of the author, characters or yourself?	The attitude of the author is very solemn and observant. The author has a strong emotional tie to the blackberries at the beginning of the poem. But as it progresses, we don't see that attitude again. The rest of the poem seems to be more somber, and the blackberries aren't even mentioned in the last part.
ShiftAt first we think or feel one way – then there is a shift:  identify the shifts and explain them	The first shift happens between the first and second stanzas. The speaker ends the first stanza with "I had not asked for such a blood sisterhood; they must love me/They accommodate themselves to my milkbottle, flattening their sides." Very simple description of the blackberries. Then it shifts to "Overhead go the choughs in black, cacophonous flocks-/Bits of burnt paper wheeling in a blown sky/Theirs is only the voice protesting, protesting./I do not think the sea will appear at all." It is quite a change from the last two verses of the first stanza.
Title revisitedAny new insights on meaning or significance of title?	There is some deeper meaning of the title. "Blackberrying" isn't really about the literal action that the speaker is doing. Blackberrying means something more. But I'm just not sure what.
Theme	Nature?

Seventh Reading

Blackberrying by Sylvia Plath

At first, this poem confused me. The first stanza I seemed to understand a little, since it seemed to be referencing the title. But then the next two stanzas had nothing to do with it. After reading it for the seventh time, I was able to pick out the difference between the first and the last two stanzas. The first is so happy, and the last two have such a somber tone. Ordinarily I wouldn't have been able to find something like that reading a poem once. But reading it over and over again actually helps the comprehension of the poem!

My Poems!

Here are the three poems I've picked:

Digging by Seamus Heaney

Blackberrying by Sylvia Plath

Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing by Margaret Atwood

I shall start reading!

Analysis of my Test Performance

As I'm thinking about it right now, I actually think I did quite well. Surprisingly, pre-writes actually help me! And I know, people always are saying how helpful they are, especially Preston, but I wasn't really into listening about it. Now that I actually organize my thoughts before writing the essay, it doesn't take time away, but actually increases the rate at which I'm writing. I'm pretty sure that it will help my performance on the AP Exam. A successful essay, I'd say. As for the multiple choice... I'm probably going to have to speed up. I know I can't take forever on each question and all their choices, but 15 seconds is... well.. I don't know. Not enough time. But I will definitely work on my speed!

Responses to Lit Circles: Essays

As I wasn't here this Friday, and have tried to look for as much info as these books as I can, I'm only attempting prewrites and not the essays themselves.

Slaughterhouse Five

Explain how war affects modern life and society as it did in Slaughterhouse Five.

Slaughterhouse Five - how war affected main character Billy Pilgrim
Modern Society - rallies people -> people help by rationing, donating, etc.
                          - disgusts people -> protest, try to disuade govt from being involved, complain
                          - strikes fear in people -> panic



Kafka on the Shore

Throughout the novel the “primary character” Kafka struggles internally, these internal struggles by novel’s end characterizing the character. Write an essay wherein you identify Murakami’s use of shifting (or static) style/rhetoric/prose to characterize Kafka (or any supportable character within the novel). Try to support with examples of indirect/direct characterization.


Life of Pi (I)

Is there a relationship between religion and story telling? Is religion a form of story telling? Is there a theological dimension to story telling?

Religion and storytelling are indeed related, in a way. And I don't mean it in an offensive way, as in religion is just a story, or stories have to have a deep meaning involving religious. But both can utilize each other to help their cause, just not in every religion or ever story. For example, in the Bible, there were a few parables Jesus told to his disciples to teach a lesson. Every AP student should know, of course, that a parable is basically a story teaching a lesson or a moral. Parable is the best example of the relationship between religion and storytelling.

Life of Pi (II)

Write an essay about a novel (Life of Pi) that reveals a sense of self identity through a momentous plot of hardships and obstacles.  Identify the self awareness, and explain its significance to the work as a whole.

Life of Pi - protaganist: Piscine, self-awareness moment- "?", how it could be significant to the whole - major turning point in the story

Responses to Lit Circles: Multiple Choice

Slaughterhouse Five

1. D
2. C
3. D
4. A
5. A
6. B
7. B
8. B
9. C
10. C
11. C
12. D
13. C
14. B
15. B
16. A
17. C
18. B
19. C
20. A
21. C
22. A
23. A
24. D
25. A
26. D
27. A
28. C
29. A
30. B
31. B
32. D
33. D
34. C
35. B
36. D
37. B
38. D
39. A
40. B
41. A
42. C
43. B
44. C
45. A
46. D
47. B
48. D
49. A
50. C

Kafka On the Shore

1. C
2. C
3. A
4. D
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. D
9. D
10. A
11. C
12. B
13. A
14. C
15. D
16. C
17. A
18. C
19. A
20. A
21. D
22. B
23. A
24. C
25. C
26. A
27. A
28. B
29. B
30. A
31. C
32. D
33. A
34. A
35. B
36. B
37. A
38. B
39. C
40. D
41. A
42. B
43. A
44. A
45. B
46. C
47. B
48. B
49. C
50. A

Life of Pi (I)

1. B
2. D
3. C
4. E
5. C
6. A

Life of Pi (II)

1. A
2. C
3. C
4. B
5. B
6. A
7. C
8. A
9. A
10. B

Life of Pi (III)

1. C
2. C
3. B
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. B
8. C
9. C
10. A
11. C
12. D
13. C
14. C
15. C
16. D
17. B
18. B
19. A
20. A
21. B
22. C
23. C
24. B
25. D
26. B
27. B
28. A
29. A
30. A
31. C
32. A
33. B
34. D
35. A

Prose Essay Prompts

1. Analyze the protaganist Carrie, and how Stephen King uses literary techniques to reveal her character's development.

2. Stephen King is famous for his many horror stories. Carrie was his first novel published. How does King create such a terrific story about bullying? What literary elements are used? Does the supernatural aspect increase the horror?

3.  Carrie is on a list of the most banned books in history. Are King's elements/devices/techniques/stories too graphic for schoool?

4. Analyze the techniques that help instill horror when reading about Carrie and her mother's relationship.

Jane Eyre Question Answers

1. B
2. B
3. D
4. D
5. E
6. A
7. B
8. C
9. B
10. E
11. E
12. A
13. E
14. D
15. E
16. B
17. D
18. E
19. C
20. C
21. C
22. A
23. C
24. A
25. B
26. D
27. A
28. D
29. C
30. E
31. D
32. A
33. B
34. E
35. C
36. C

1. D

2. A

3. B

4. D

5. C

6. A

7. D

8. C

9. B

10. D

11. A

12. C

13. B

14. A

15. C

16. D

27. E

28. A

29. C

30. C

Macbeth Active Reading Notes 1

Scene V
Messenger announces Macbeth's arrival to Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth seems to be want to be full of cruelty and evil?
   "And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
The effect and it!"
Macbeth returns
They discuss Banquo's coming
"Your face, my thane, is a book where men may read stranger matters" What does that mean?

Scene VI
Setting: outside of the castle
Lady Macbeth joins the men outside, greets each other
The men ask of Macbeth, where he is and say they will be their guests tonight
Lady Macbeth denies?/accepts? them
They exit

Scene VII
Macbeth speaks of murdering and assassinating (Duncan?)
He does not bear the knife himself?
Lady Macbeth enters
They talk of someone eating, and Macbeth has asked if he has asked for him (Duncan?)
Lady Macbeth seems to be berating Macbeth, to get the deed done
They ARE talking of killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth is trying to persuade her love that he is not going to fail
They talk of using daggers

Multiple Choice Answers for Practice Test 1

1. E
2. A
3. E
4. C
5. A
6. A
7. D
8. D
9. D
10. B
11. A
12. E
13. E
14. D
15. D
16. C
17. A
18. E
19. D
20. C
21. B
22. C
23. B
24. B
25. C
26. C
27. A
28. C
29. B
30. C
31. D
32. D
33. D
34. D
35. C
36. D
37. E
38. C
39. D
40. D
41. B
42. C
43. A
44. C
45. C
46. E
47. B
48. E
49. A
50. D
51. B
52. C
53. C
54. E

Joy Luck Club Lit Analysis

1. The Joy Luck Club involved multiple Chinese daughters and mothers facing obstacles such as conflict between each other and the American world they live in. It mainly focuses on Jing-mei trying to find her long-lost sisters, born from a different father and left in China. The story is told in a unique way, with the four mothers first telling their stories, talking about their lives and relationships with their daughters. It then transitions to the daughters and their points of view, their lives and their relationships with their mothers.

2. I think ethnic and cultural differences and similarities are the main themes of this story. The mothers did not grow up in America, and still have much stronger ties to their homeland in China. They do try be involved with American culture, they do learn English, but their ties aren't as strong as their daughters. The daughters are much more confused as to who they are. They are Chinese, but at the same time American, and it kind of creates an identity crisis. In the Joy Luck Club, both mothers and daughters feel safe, and feel connected to each other.

3. The tone throughout the book varies quite a book. At times there is a happy, remembering type of tone. But at other times, the tone can be sorrowful and thoughtful.  Examples:


“It was only later that I discovered there was a serious flaw with the American version. There were too many choices, so it was easy to get confused and pick the wrong thing.”

“I raced down the street, dashing between people, not looking back as my mother screamed shrilly ‘Meimei! Meimei!’ I fled down an alley, past dark, curtained shops and merchants washing grime off their windows.

“My breath came out like angry smoke. It was cold…The alley was quiet and I could see the yellow lights shining from our flat like two tiger’s eyes in the night.”

4. Symbols: The coy fish the mother loved, and the goldfish that the daughter loved
    Simile:"...she backed out of the room, stunned, as if she were blowing away like a small brown leaf, thin, brittle, lifeless."
    Metaphor:"I see it right away: the marble end table collapsed on top of its spindly black legs... 'Fallen down,' she says simply...'It doesn't matter,' I say and I started to pick up the broken glass shards. 'I knew it would happen.' 'Then why don't stop it?' asks my mother. And it's such a simple question."
\   Allusion: Mention of the Ed Sullivan Show
    Rhetorical Questions:"I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these things do not mix?"
    Foreshadowing:"'What use for?'" asks my mother, jiggling the table with her hand. 'you put something else on top, everything fall down. Chunwang chihan."
    Parable: The parable of the Queen Mother of the Western Skies
   

1. Indirect Characterization - Since the story is told through the views of the mothers and daughters, everything they say can be used as an indirect characterization of themselves.
    Direct Characterization - the author uses the elements to describe the daughters. An-mei and her daughter Rose were compared to "wood", as they bend easily to other's opinions.

2. The author's syntax and tone changes with each character she focuses on. The mothers speak English in a broken manner, while the girls are more instructed on the English language.

3. Jing-mei is dynamic and round. Throughout the story, she grows from a person who clashed with her mother, a static, flat character, and comes to understand her after her passing.

4. I think I came away knowing people. These women have had to face many obstacles that seem familiar to what Mexican Americans can sometimes go through. It's easy to relate to these women, Chinese or not.