Peer Feedback #1

Comments about my two essays. :)

1987 Exam Essay #2

The Grapes of Wrath was full of social changes and changes in tradition for not only the main characters, the Joad family, but all the people mentioned that were involved in the Dust Bowl. His unique writing style and the way he wrote his novel conveys these changes with exquisite detail.

One of the first things I noticed while reading Steinbeck's work was his amazing attention to detail. There was always plenty to talk about, about each of the characters, what they were doing, and even sometimes talking about details even the characters didn't know. With all the description, I felt like I was actually with the Joads, traveling with them, and going through all the hardships they dealt with.

Another unique thing that Steinbeck uses was the changing of the chapters from the Joads to other situations during the Dust Bowl. It was quite confusing to me at first, with the constant switching, but I soon came to realize that he was showing the changes in the country during the time. It helped give different points of view and different situations for the reader to see and imagine. The banks evicting the farmers and landowners was an example of one of the settings where the Joads weren't involved directly, and it gave a view of the drastic change going on in America.

With Steinbeck's descriptive imagery and many different settings in the story, the audience recieves the message of change, and the hard times in that period. The audience gets to feel that they are in the story, with Joads and the rest of the past America.

1987 Exam Essay #1

George Eliot speaks of a time where slow, more relaxing ways of life are being replaced with more "eager," faster ways of life. She conveys this through literary styles such as descriptive detail and personification.

Eliot personifies leisure, creating the image of an old, content man called "Old Leisure." Old Leisure acts like a regular human. Examples like "fingered the guines in his pocket" and "ate his dinners" are examples of the human-like nature Old Leisure has.

New Leisure isn't exactly made into a life-like persona. Eliot describes the new way as "a vacuum for eager thought to rush in." InEliot's opinion this "new leisure"isn't even considered leisure. It is more eager and exciting than the old leisure originally had been. Although she does miss the slow and steadiness of leisure, she does not seem to be opposed to this new view of leisure. She seems tolerant of it, in fact.

Eliot also seemed to be creating a backstory for Old Leisure as the passage progressed. Her description of Old Leisure became more and more ridiculuous, politely poking fun with Old Leisure's attitude towards Church and sermons. Yet at the same time, she has a reminiscent tone, almost caring, for the olda days and the old ways. The new world with its new fast pace just doesn't seem to have room for old leisure.

Although Eliot dearly misses silly old Leisure, she does not seem to object to the new coming of age ways. Her use of personification and detail gave the reader insight into the beloved old ways and at the same time prepared the reader for what is most certainly to come.

My Thoughts: Today's Socratic Seminar

Oh Socratic Seminars... how delightfully interesting. I myself am never one to jump in, since I am one of those people who can easily change their mind if you support your claim with a good solid fact. This Socratic Seminar was very interesting, even though time was short and only a few people spoke. I'm actually not quite sure if there was a disagreement or debate going on (although now that I think about it, Beka and Ashlie did have a little "back and forth" action back there) but I do think some good points were thrown out into the open. Katherine's especially got me thinking a bit, when she was trying to distinguish the difference between preference opinion and factual opinion. That stuck with me,  for I believe that you are entitled to a preferential opinion, such as "I think these shoes match that top" whereas you are not entitled to saying "Those shoes are the best match for that top." I probably would've added that in had it occured to me at the time.

The Laughing Heart - Charles Bukowski

My recital for the poem The Laughing Heart - Charles Bukowski

You might have to turn it up just a bit... I'm really quiet. :)

My Additional Thoughts.

Being a person with a big tendency to be distracted from priorities, interruptions can become dangerous to my thinking process. When I get in the zone, I can write and write and write until the cows come home. Ideas are bouncing around on the inside of my skull, waiting to be unleashed through the tip of my pen. Yet once that Facebook page is up, or that ringtone starts ringing, or that person calls my attention away from my work, downhill it goes. So of course, after coming back from the library, I found my mind not on the same level as it was when I began the essay. Thinking about not having enough time and lots of other thoughts (not English-related, sorry to say) were clogging up my brain, and I didn't get to exactly finish the essay the way I wanted.

I had barely started my third paragraph, I believe, starting to compare and contrast the writing styles of Montaigne and Austen. Listing off comparisons is always the easier part, hence why I almost always start with comparisons. But with contrasting, it's much more different. If my mind wasn't so cluttered and distracted, I could've been slowly but surely coming up with a few to tie up that paragraph before starting on a decent conclusion. Austen had a more emotional writing style than Montaigne had in her novel, due to the fact that she was creating a more dramatic story. I had more contrasts in my mind, but alas, my mind just cannot recall those thoughts.

It did occur to me after I left that I might have even wrote a bit too hastily, and jumbled up the beginning just a tad. That's what hurrying one's work does, I suppose. This is essay was definitely not my best attempt, but there are plenty more to come where redeeming myself is definitely possible. :)

Assignment #1: Thoughts on AP English

To be honest, I was very afraid to take this course. Freshman and sophomore year, I was a very shy student, not eager to stand up in front of my peers and give my opinion, to show that I understand what we were being taught, and to participate in discussion. This shyness ultimately led to me signing up for classes that did not challenge me at all, even though challenge is what I yearn for in school. But fast forward to now, and I've become a completely new person. Growing up made me realize that to succeed in life, you need to be able to be comfortable with yourself, inside and out, and trust that what you're doing is helping you learn and progress in life. I've finally sucked up in all the shame and fear that I had of my teachers and classmates and have begun participating, speaking in public, and trying hard to overcome obstacles and challenges teachers throw at me.

AP English Lit is perhaps the biggest challenge that I have come to accept. Dr. Preston has introduced to me a teaching style that is totally different from any teacher I've ever come in contact with, and the course is just a preview of what college is going to be like. I expect to be challenged in new ways, using technology more than ever in a learning environment. I also expect to use my classmate's opinions and constructive criticisms to help improve my own work, and I hope to achieve an open and accepting mind when it comes to this. I am still a little scared of what others will think and say of my work, but by the end of the year I hope to overcome it. I'm so eager for the fresh new things to be learned in this class, for I believe they will have great influence on my own style of learning. My goal is to keep focused and stay on track, and the inevitable reward will be my success of a fresh mind, prepared for the future.