Sunday, December 11, 2011
Course Material Response #6
So far, our lit class has been having a in depth discussion about Leslie Silko's novel Ceremony. I would like to say that my class has yet again taken the longest time to analyze this novel since we've just started the second section that Holmes assigned us. Which is great. But... in a sense it's not as bad as it seems since we are really able to get way down to the source of what we believe Silko is trying to show to us through his words and that's what really matters. After completing our analysis on the first section (which was roughly the first twenty pages of the novel), my class has proposed several crucial points that helped me have a greater understanding of the novel. First of all, we discussed about the importance of the colors that Silko likes to bring up numerous times throughout her writing. She also has a tendency to focus on the color of yellow, which we determined was the color that symbolizes fertility and a new beginning. Which makes sense since it's what we see is the color of pollen and that is what Tayo sprinkles on the dead deer's nose, showing that the deer has started a new spiritual life through its death. This then relates to the other idea that Holmes brought up during our discussion about the repeating theme of cycles or the symbolic circular motions that tend to occur throughout the novel. Another strange... yet true fact that kept coming up in our conversation had to do with male pregnancy. Not in a literal sense, of course. But it definitely was one of the top things that were frequently brought up. We decided that since Tayo was always throwing up or trying to contain his nausea down, this was a sign of "morning sickness" to make room for the child, or the renewed form of his spirit and self discovery that was later found in the story. All in all, there was a lot of connections to this pregnancy idea and we definitely tended to drift towards that subject. A lot. But that's about it. Those were probably the three most important ideas that we happened to dwell upon for this week.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Open Prompt #6
2002. Morally ambiguous characters -- characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good -- are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous character plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Oftentimes characters are composed of varying features that stray the reader from identifying their role to either be purely good or evil. Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, takes on a role that consists of such contrasting characters which ultimately makes him a morally ambiguous character.
Although Holden's distinctive qualities may not be viewed to the extent of evil, his unstable beliefs and irritable mood makes him a highly unlikable person to many readers. His poor temperament comes into play after he is expelled from school for the fourth time and decides to say a final farewell to Spencer, his history professor. Spencer offers him crucial advice to success and self improvement but Holden becomes annoyed at his caring nature and ignores the advice. He returns to his dorm where he is enraged again at his room mate who he has deemed to have extremely poor hygiene. Due to this fact, Holden makes his dislike for his room mate very clear which reveals his extremely judgmental nature as another one of his poor qualities. Holden abuses his power of judgement to the extent of accusing almost anybody that he encounters as a "phony" just because they contain a certain characteristic that does not live up to his taste. Although he places himself up on his high pedestal, many of Holden's own qualities identify him as a hypocrite. He begins to tell a series of lies to those around him in order to cover up his identity and hide the fact that he has failed yet another school from his parents. Holden is ashamed of himself and his incapability to have success which makes him equally as much of a "phony" as all the rest of the people that he accuses.
On the contrary, the qualities that identify Holden as an unlikable character can be counteracted with the kind and generous person that he can be. Throughout the novel, Holden is overly generous to all of the people that he gets to know. While Holden is sitting in the Lavender Room at his hotel, he spots a table-ful of middle aged women and decides to join them for a drink. After he enjoys a dance with one of the ladies, Holden offers to cover all of their drinks and pays without hesitation. Holden also voluntarily gives a group of nuns that he met at a restaurant ten dollars just because they had a chat with him about Romeo and Juliet. This quality reflects Holden's appreciation to those who were willing to spend their time with him and his idea of the worth behind the money he has.
Holden's soft side was also revealed after he goes to visit his sister Phoebe. Out of all the people that Holden has ever encountered, Phoebe was the one that he treasured the most. After avoiding his return to home for several days, Holden secretly sneaks back into his house to have a long and heartfelt conversation with Phoebe. He then reveals to her that he has been expelled from school and Phoebe is the one that reawakens him to how lost he is within himself. Because of Phoebe, Holden rediscovers himself and it is seen in the end that Holden is put close to tears for the first time in the novel because he sees the happiness of someone other than himself. This shows that Holden is not as bad as he initially comes off as and that he has a deeper side to him.
Holden Caulfield's ambiguous morality shows that the main character of a novel does not necessarily have to be purely good or evil. Because he has such varying sides, readers are enabled to discover and decide for themselves whether or not Holden Caulfield is a character worthy to be loved.
Although Holden's distinctive qualities may not be viewed to the extent of evil, his unstable beliefs and irritable mood makes him a highly unlikable person to many readers. His poor temperament comes into play after he is expelled from school for the fourth time and decides to say a final farewell to Spencer, his history professor. Spencer offers him crucial advice to success and self improvement but Holden becomes annoyed at his caring nature and ignores the advice. He returns to his dorm where he is enraged again at his room mate who he has deemed to have extremely poor hygiene. Due to this fact, Holden makes his dislike for his room mate very clear which reveals his extremely judgmental nature as another one of his poor qualities. Holden abuses his power of judgement to the extent of accusing almost anybody that he encounters as a "phony" just because they contain a certain characteristic that does not live up to his taste. Although he places himself up on his high pedestal, many of Holden's own qualities identify him as a hypocrite. He begins to tell a series of lies to those around him in order to cover up his identity and hide the fact that he has failed yet another school from his parents. Holden is ashamed of himself and his incapability to have success which makes him equally as much of a "phony" as all the rest of the people that he accuses.
On the contrary, the qualities that identify Holden as an unlikable character can be counteracted with the kind and generous person that he can be. Throughout the novel, Holden is overly generous to all of the people that he gets to know. While Holden is sitting in the Lavender Room at his hotel, he spots a table-ful of middle aged women and decides to join them for a drink. After he enjoys a dance with one of the ladies, Holden offers to cover all of their drinks and pays without hesitation. Holden also voluntarily gives a group of nuns that he met at a restaurant ten dollars just because they had a chat with him about Romeo and Juliet. This quality reflects Holden's appreciation to those who were willing to spend their time with him and his idea of the worth behind the money he has.
Holden's soft side was also revealed after he goes to visit his sister Phoebe. Out of all the people that Holden has ever encountered, Phoebe was the one that he treasured the most. After avoiding his return to home for several days, Holden secretly sneaks back into his house to have a long and heartfelt conversation with Phoebe. He then reveals to her that he has been expelled from school and Phoebe is the one that reawakens him to how lost he is within himself. Because of Phoebe, Holden rediscovers himself and it is seen in the end that Holden is put close to tears for the first time in the novel because he sees the happiness of someone other than himself. This shows that Holden is not as bad as he initially comes off as and that he has a deeper side to him.
Holden Caulfield's ambiguous morality shows that the main character of a novel does not necessarily have to be purely good or evil. Because he has such varying sides, readers are enabled to discover and decide for themselves whether or not Holden Caulfield is a character worthy to be loved.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Close Prompt #5
http://www.vogue.com/magazine/article/jesse-eisenberg-high-drama/
After starring in one of the most well known movies of 2010, Jesse Eisenberg has risen to fame through incorporating his uniquely awkward personality into the boundless amounts of roles that he takes on.The intriguing story of Eisenberg's role in the upcoming Woody Allen movie is captured through the elements of diction, imagery, and detail included in Adam Green's article, Jesse Eisenberg: High Drama.
The article opens with a brief description of the actor containing the qualities of a "brainy made–in–New York brand of awkwardness" to remind the reader of what makes Eisenberg's characteristics so special. Green then progresses into Eisenberg's choice in characters to be "preternaturally brilliant but painfully self-conscious". This depiction is mentioned twice through describing two of Eisenberg's movies, which portrays the similar qualities that are shared between the characters that have become his trademark. Green also moves onto discussing Eisenberg's newest upcoming movie with Woody Allen and incorporates the actor's high praise for Allen, by calling him "my favorite creative person of all time". By incorporating this specific passage, Green creates a positive light on both Eisenberg and the author himself. Green's choice in using words that convey a positive message suggests his respect and interest in Eisenberg's work.
The imagery that is incorporated into this article also contributes to the author's dedication towards the subject of his article. Green describes Eisenberg to be "slouched in a seat" during their interview to specifically enhance the reader's visual on the actor's well known awkwardness. Eisenberg also openly admits his specific choice of playing characters who "are really bright and educated but have a great lack of life experience" which can be reflected with his own personality. As the interview continues, Green wonderfully describes the setting of Eisenberg's new movie to be a "ratty, cramped apartment" to help the audience assume where the plot is heading.
Details included throughout the article helped the audience with not only the descriptions of the interview, but also the overall plot of the new movie. Green depicts Eisenberg's character, Edgar, to be a "failed blogger" with an "aggressively confident but equally as clueless" roommate as a start." Not only does this set up the entire movie for the reader, but Green also includes details such as "exposing self-delusion, codependence, cultural imperialism, and general nastiness" to further grab the reader's attention and sparks the curiosity of how these elements relate. Green also includes a little biography of Eisenberg, summarizing his rise to success compared to the life he lives now which contributes to resolving the reader's curiosity of the results to Eisenberg's hard work.
Jesse Eisenberg's success not only can be seen through his impressive resume, but also through his newest movie which includes one of the most famous movie makers of all time. Alan Green captures both Eisenberg's success story and his awkward stature through this article by effectively using diction, imagery, and details.
After starring in one of the most well known movies of 2010, Jesse Eisenberg has risen to fame through incorporating his uniquely awkward personality into the boundless amounts of roles that he takes on.The intriguing story of Eisenberg's role in the upcoming Woody Allen movie is captured through the elements of diction, imagery, and detail included in Adam Green's article, Jesse Eisenberg: High Drama.
The article opens with a brief description of the actor containing the qualities of a "brainy made–in–New York brand of awkwardness" to remind the reader of what makes Eisenberg's characteristics so special. Green then progresses into Eisenberg's choice in characters to be "preternaturally brilliant but painfully self-conscious". This depiction is mentioned twice through describing two of Eisenberg's movies, which portrays the similar qualities that are shared between the characters that have become his trademark. Green also moves onto discussing Eisenberg's newest upcoming movie with Woody Allen and incorporates the actor's high praise for Allen, by calling him "my favorite creative person of all time". By incorporating this specific passage, Green creates a positive light on both Eisenberg and the author himself. Green's choice in using words that convey a positive message suggests his respect and interest in Eisenberg's work.
The imagery that is incorporated into this article also contributes to the author's dedication towards the subject of his article. Green describes Eisenberg to be "slouched in a seat" during their interview to specifically enhance the reader's visual on the actor's well known awkwardness. Eisenberg also openly admits his specific choice of playing characters who "are really bright and educated but have a great lack of life experience" which can be reflected with his own personality. As the interview continues, Green wonderfully describes the setting of Eisenberg's new movie to be a "ratty, cramped apartment" to help the audience assume where the plot is heading.
Details included throughout the article helped the audience with not only the descriptions of the interview, but also the overall plot of the new movie. Green depicts Eisenberg's character, Edgar, to be a "failed blogger" with an "aggressively confident but equally as clueless" roommate as a start." Not only does this set up the entire movie for the reader, but Green also includes details such as "exposing self-delusion, codependence, cultural imperialism, and general nastiness" to further grab the reader's attention and sparks the curiosity of how these elements relate. Green also includes a little biography of Eisenberg, summarizing his rise to success compared to the life he lives now which contributes to resolving the reader's curiosity of the results to Eisenberg's hard work.
Jesse Eisenberg's success not only can be seen through his impressive resume, but also through his newest movie which includes one of the most famous movie makers of all time. Alan Green captures both Eisenberg's success story and his awkward stature through this article by effectively using diction, imagery, and details.
Response to Course Materials #5
For the past few days, our class has been focusing on creating a presentation of the different eras in literature. My group was assigned Modernism and Postmodernism, which was extremely fun to do since this era focused mostly on contemporary styles and the discovery of the objective truths of society.I also was able to learn of the many important writers of these eras which included many well known names such as Fitzgerald, Cummings, and Frost. Overall, this project tested our class' abilities to work together while also creating something informational through the unique program of Prezi (which I would like to point out was very stressful to work with, but alas, being the technically challenged person I am, it was a good experience).
Other than that, we also finished up Death of a Salesman and the class went on to having an in depth discussion. One of the most stressed points that was argued over was surprisingly about the novel's connection to religion. Some people argued that Arthur Miller was trying to convey a message that involved his Atheist beliefs while others believed that he play did not focus as much on religion at all. One of my classmates proposed the idea that Willy had the potential of being a Jesus figure but failed and tried to pass this role onto Biff who also did not live up to his standards. This may not have been the exact case judging by the fact that I was a little lost in this point, but I stood by the idea that the play did not have the intentions of becoming religious based since I couldn't really draw the connection between the two.
Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. Sorry that I kind of lost track of how much I was typing there but this is a response to the course materials and...I hope that was good enough.
Other than that, we also finished up Death of a Salesman and the class went on to having an in depth discussion. One of the most stressed points that was argued over was surprisingly about the novel's connection to religion. Some people argued that Arthur Miller was trying to convey a message that involved his Atheist beliefs while others believed that he play did not focus as much on religion at all. One of my classmates proposed the idea that Willy had the potential of being a Jesus figure but failed and tried to pass this role onto Biff who also did not live up to his standards. This may not have been the exact case judging by the fact that I was a little lost in this point, but I stood by the idea that the play did not have the intentions of becoming religious based since I couldn't really draw the connection between the two.
Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. Sorry that I kind of lost track of how much I was typing there but this is a response to the course materials and...I hope that was good enough.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Open Prompt #5
1. 1995. Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Choose a novel or a play in which such a character plays a significant role and show how that character's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions or moral values.
Pecola Breedlove from Tony Morisson’s novel, The Bluest Eye, embodies one of the most heartbreaking stories of alienation in society due to one’s race. Due to the fact that Pecola is an African American living in the era of post Great Depression, she is raised under the idea that the most beautiful skin color belongs to the white race and begins to strive to become somebody she can’t be. Pecola’s alienation from the white society is a prime example of reflecting the ideals and skewed morals that existed during the time period. These distorted beliefs were one of the main factors that influenced people such as Pecola to do whatever it takes to achieve her goal of changing herself, even if it meant that she had to give up her own life.
Pecola's alienation stems from the very beginning of the novel after her father commits the most frowned upon case of attempting to kick his own family out of their home and she soon becomes the charity case of town. Pecola is then temporarily moved in to the MacTeer home where she realizes that her upsetting past along with her skin color separates herself from the life and image she longs to have. Unlike the fractured and dysfunctional family that Pecola came from, the MacTeer family is held together by an unconditional love for one another despite the fact that they only have very little to share. Along with her contrasting family background, it is at the MacTeer house where Pecola is first introduced to Shirley Temple and begins to fall in love with the beauty that she believes is contained within the image of the white person. The short time spent with the MacTeer family begins her lifelong desire to become the stereotypical image of the white society that surrounds her.
Pecola's struggle of recognizing her own beauty in the white dominated society continues as she returns to living her life at home. Morrison emphasizes the devastating conditions that Pecola has to endure through the everyday physical abuse and battles between her parents while also exposing the fact that her whole family has the idea that they are ugly engraved into their heads. The dysfunction that she has to live with further gouges at her skewed self identity and she begins to believe that all of the flaws within her life could be taken away once she grasps the one quality that is deemed beautiful by the white society: blue eyes.
Due to Pecola's poor conditions at home, she is alienated from seeing the true beauty in life. Pecola's thirst for having the eyes of the people who she believes are beautiful and perfect causes her to ultimately lose herself in insanity. Although she was raised in a black community, Pecola is influenced by the people around her and convinced that dark color of her skin is considered as ugly and the whiteness of the movie stars like Shirley Temple is perfect. As a result, Pecola loses herself to a world full of prejudice and she never realizes the beauty within herself.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Open Prompt #4
1. 1971. The significance of a title such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so easy to discover. However, in other works (for example, Measure for Measure) the full significance of the title becomes apparent to the reader only gradually. Choose a work and show how the significance of their respective titles is developed through the authors' use of devices such as contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view.
The title of a novel is always one of the most significant factors that attracts the reader to begin reading its story. Unlike pieces with straightforward titles, books with meaningful names such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky allows the reader to continue towards an extra step in their reading process and interpret the connection between the title of the novel to the story itself. After finishing Chbosky's piece, the significance of the indication behind the title gradually becomes clearer to the reader and an ultimate metaphorical reference or connection can be determined through the title. Through completing the story, it can be determined that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not a novel about a flower that grows out of a wall, but is a metaphorical name of the main character, Charlie, and the role he plays as the “listener” for the people around him.
Chbosky's epistolary novel opens with Charlie's first letter to a mysterious person he refers to as "friend." Through these letters, Charlie shares his point of view of the events that occurred during the past while also including updates on his present life as a freshman in high school. His innocent sense towards these occurrences reveals his nature as an extremely lucid young teenager and also uncovers his personality as a quiet and thoughtful person who tends to blend in with the background.Instead of being the center of attention, Charlie portrays himself as the one who prefers to watch from an outside point of view which ultimately associates him to being a wallflower.
The contrast between Charlie's personality traits and the other characters within the novel also reinforce the idea that Charlie is the wallflower referred to in the title. Wallflowers are seen to be uniquely beautiful and delicate, which is an exact match to Charlie's characteristics. Charlie's intelligence enables himself to see the good in all the people around him and he also speaks words from the heart. Unlike the other characters that he encounters, Charlie is unique through the fact that he is extremely sensitive and straightforward about his feelings which many of the characters are unable to relate to. Chbosky's way of portraying the contrasting characteristics places extreme emphasis on Charlie's embodiment of the wallflower.
Although the novel never clearly states so, it can be seen that through his personality and unique way of associating with the people that Charlie definitely holds the qualities of what someone calls a wallflower. Chbosky's novel may not have included an obvious title to decipher from the beginning of the read like The Adventures of Hucklberry Finn, but instead it contains elements that require a gradual understanding which eventually leads the reader to make a connection between Charlie and the title itself.
Although the novel never clearly states so, it can be seen that through his personality and unique way of associating with the people that Charlie definitely holds the qualities of what someone calls a wallflower. Chbosky's novel may not have included an obvious title to decipher from the beginning of the read like The Adventures of Hucklberry Finn, but instead it contains elements that require a gradual understanding which eventually leads the reader to make a connection between Charlie and the title itself.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Close Reading #3
Read Article Here!
Alright, yes. My close reading for this week was over an article written about Lady Gaga. As cliche as that may seem, it was a good article and it had many literary elements that made the article good. Judging by the fact that the piece was taken from Vogue magazine, the writer Jonathan Van Meter successfully included the type of details, imagery, and diction that enabled his article to grab the reader's attention. I'll start with the details. First of all, I would just like to remind you that this is a Lady Gaga article, which I'd assume most of the American population is more than familiar with. So it's easy enough for Van Meter to incorporate details such as the way Gaga first entered the room for the interview and exactly what she is wearing from head to toe to already have the reader's full attention and understanding. Although Van Meter did include such details, him including descriptions that went even more in depth made the article more interesting and easier to relate to. By using details such as distinguishing Gaga's "day look: a slinky black-and-white striped dress,four-foot train and shoes that...make her feet look as if they are screwed on backward, [and] ... Bride of Frankenstein updo, with a brooch perched on top" Van Meter adds great emphasis to this piece and helps the reader not only realize how eccentric Gaga is, but also ties them into easy access to the imagery of the scene. Van Meter does a wonderful job in including certain details that accentuate the way the reader interprets the writing and their ability to picture the situation that he has created. Certain words that Van Meter incorporated into his writing also help grab the reader's attention. By using words such as "mincing" to describe Gaga's entrance into the room and her "messianic zeal", Van Meter is able to portray a feeling of praise and respect towards Gaga while also reflecting a sense of sophistication towards his writing abilities. Van Meter really takes advantage of the power of word choice to further the excitement of the topic of the article and by doing this, has enabled his readers to have a better experience of reading his piece. Through reading this piece, it can easily be seen through the usage of detail, imagery, and diction that Van Meter not only genuinely admires the pop star, but also is an experienced writer himself.
Alright, yes. My close reading for this week was over an article written about Lady Gaga. As cliche as that may seem, it was a good article and it had many literary elements that made the article good. Judging by the fact that the piece was taken from Vogue magazine, the writer Jonathan Van Meter successfully included the type of details, imagery, and diction that enabled his article to grab the reader's attention. I'll start with the details. First of all, I would just like to remind you that this is a Lady Gaga article, which I'd assume most of the American population is more than familiar with. So it's easy enough for Van Meter to incorporate details such as the way Gaga first entered the room for the interview and exactly what she is wearing from head to toe to already have the reader's full attention and understanding. Although Van Meter did include such details, him including descriptions that went even more in depth made the article more interesting and easier to relate to. By using details such as distinguishing Gaga's "day look: a slinky black-and-white striped dress,four-foot train and shoes that...make her feet look as if they are screwed on backward, [and] ... Bride of Frankenstein updo, with a brooch perched on top" Van Meter adds great emphasis to this piece and helps the reader not only realize how eccentric Gaga is, but also ties them into easy access to the imagery of the scene. Van Meter does a wonderful job in including certain details that accentuate the way the reader interprets the writing and their ability to picture the situation that he has created. Certain words that Van Meter incorporated into his writing also help grab the reader's attention. By using words such as "mincing" to describe Gaga's entrance into the room and her "messianic zeal", Van Meter is able to portray a feeling of praise and respect towards Gaga while also reflecting a sense of sophistication towards his writing abilities. Van Meter really takes advantage of the power of word choice to further the excitement of the topic of the article and by doing this, has enabled his readers to have a better experience of reading his piece. Through reading this piece, it can easily be seen through the usage of detail, imagery, and diction that Van Meter not only genuinely admires the pop star, but also is an experienced writer himself.
Response to Course Material #3
For the past week, our class has been diving into our second read of The American Dream. I can't say that this process was easy...since my class in particular LOVES to nit pick at the smallest of details. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, since it definitely helps me along with noticing things that I never would've deciphered myself, but I'm just noticing that it takes about three class periods just for my class to get through about seven pages of reading.
Anyway, I guess I could say that so far, I've been pretty intrigued with the different ideas and theories that have been formed of the passages. For example, somebody in my class pointed out the repetitive letters within a section of the reading to be taken as a sexual reference. Speaking of details...kudos to him for noticing this because never in a million years would I have gotten that message just from a few letters. But back to what I was saying...the message behind the play is vague enough so that anybody who reads it can form a different perspective as to what Albee is really trying to get at and...that really is one of the reasons why I love literature. I actually enjoy sitting there during class and writing down the interesting ideas that everybody comes up with in my book. It's not just for the satisfaction of having scribbles all over my book that make me feel all cool, but also just the fact that I can read what I've written down and actually understand the section better. Annotating is a pretty nifty thing I must say.
So other than dedicating an entire week of in depth discussion and annotating, our class really hasn't done anything else. It's alright though, because I got to learn how to become a better annotator AND started noticing the littlest of details that I wouldn't have given a crap about a week ago. So yay.
Anyway, I guess I could say that so far, I've been pretty intrigued with the different ideas and theories that have been formed of the passages. For example, somebody in my class pointed out the repetitive letters within a section of the reading to be taken as a sexual reference. Speaking of details...kudos to him for noticing this because never in a million years would I have gotten that message just from a few letters. But back to what I was saying...the message behind the play is vague enough so that anybody who reads it can form a different perspective as to what Albee is really trying to get at and...that really is one of the reasons why I love literature. I actually enjoy sitting there during class and writing down the interesting ideas that everybody comes up with in my book. It's not just for the satisfaction of having scribbles all over my book that make me feel all cool, but also just the fact that I can read what I've written down and actually understand the section better. Annotating is a pretty nifty thing I must say.
So other than dedicating an entire week of in depth discussion and annotating, our class really hasn't done anything else. It's alright though, because I got to learn how to become a better annotator AND started noticing the littlest of details that I wouldn't have given a crap about a week ago. So yay.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Open Prompt #3
1. 1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.
The feeling of being torn in the decision between passion and responsibility is a situation familiar to almost everyone. Newland Archer from Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence is no exception. After the arrival of Newland's fiance's cousin, Ellen Olenska, Newland finds himself caught trying to decide between settling with his fiancee May, who is considered as the "perfect" woman, and following his passionate love for Ellen, who is anything but the idealistic woman. Newland’s choice of remaining with May in the end despite his love for Ellen ultimately reflects his commitment to his moral duties and responsibilities.
After announcing his engagement to May, Newland knew that he was more than blessed to have such a flawless and proper woman agree to take his hand in marriage. Although delighted with May's innocence and beauty, Newland's true passion was not evoked until his acquaintance with the mysterious Ellen, who brought along with her stories of adultery and divorce that disgraced the image of her family. Ellen's imperfections however became the sole quality that sparked Newland's strong attraction for her. Through Newland's eyes, Ellen's flaws were seen as elements that made her real and her lack of shame towards all of the judgement that she had to face just made her more admirable. Newland's passion for Ellen grew while his love for May began to simmer as he realized the dullness in May's so-called perfect characteristics.
Soon following Newland's first few interactions with Ellen, the relationship between the two began to grow and bloom in secrecy. Ellen's careless nature urged Newland to long for her more while the rumors that circulated around them of her disfigured past opened Newland's eyes to the flaws of the idealistic society that he lived in. Through Ellen, Newland begins to realize the superficial qualities of not only his community, but also his fiancee. As a result, Newland begins to despise the blandness of both May and the people around him while his desire for Ellen becomes more powerful.
Although Newland struggles with the decision of taking a leap of faith with Ellen or settling with May, Newland ultimately chooses to go against his wishes and remain with May. Ellen may have opened Newland's eyes, but his dedication towards his moral duties of living a proper life outweighed his passion for the woman he loved and the realistic life that he desired. Through this story, Edith Wharton cleverly portrays the significant message that the result of taking responsibility over passion does not always result in happiness by closing the story with Newland never living the life that he longed to live.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Close Reading #2: Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Eighteen
Read This Article!
"Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Eighteen" by Marc and Angel may seem like just another self improvement article, but it is much more than that. Not only does this piece apply to my specific age group, but the author also uses certain advices that the reader can actually understand and apply to their daily lives. It's hard to draw the literary elements from this article because much of it is not just one solid piece, instead the format contains an introduction which then becomes a list. So I'm going to try to evaluate this piece as much as possible and see where I can go from there.
Marc and Angel's usage of a realistic scenario in the beginning of the piece was a great way to set a strong base for the reader and help them connect to the idea of the article. This certain scenario enabled the reader to have a clear imagery of the conversation between the author and the teenager, mostly because this kind of situation occurs quite often in the society we live in. Other than enhancing the imagery, the diction of the article plays another role in setting the mood and tone. Marc and Angel uses words pertaining to positive tones including "accept, embrace, commit, love" that emphasizes the encouraging and optimistic mood that they use to try to inspire the reader. The authors also avoid the usage of large and complicated words in order to reach out to a larger range of an audience, especially teenagers.
I'm not exactly sure if this falls under syntax, but I just wanted to recognize the impact that the formatting had on the article. Marc and Angel's way of portraying their ideas through composing a list-type article not only emphasizes each point in an organized arrangement, but it also makes it easier and more interesting for the reader. The ideas and advices made are further elaborated through a paragraph that follows each bolded topic sentence. This catches the reader's attention and encourages them to read further on and to reflect on their own personal connections with the article.
*Note: This is not one of my best interpretations of an article. I'm not exactly sure why, but I actually found this article really challenging to try to pull apart. I'LL DO BETTER NEXT TIME I SWEAR.
"Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Eighteen" by Marc and Angel may seem like just another self improvement article, but it is much more than that. Not only does this piece apply to my specific age group, but the author also uses certain advices that the reader can actually understand and apply to their daily lives. It's hard to draw the literary elements from this article because much of it is not just one solid piece, instead the format contains an introduction which then becomes a list. So I'm going to try to evaluate this piece as much as possible and see where I can go from there.
Marc and Angel's usage of a realistic scenario in the beginning of the piece was a great way to set a strong base for the reader and help them connect to the idea of the article. This certain scenario enabled the reader to have a clear imagery of the conversation between the author and the teenager, mostly because this kind of situation occurs quite often in the society we live in. Other than enhancing the imagery, the diction of the article plays another role in setting the mood and tone. Marc and Angel uses words pertaining to positive tones including "accept, embrace, commit, love" that emphasizes the encouraging and optimistic mood that they use to try to inspire the reader. The authors also avoid the usage of large and complicated words in order to reach out to a larger range of an audience, especially teenagers.
I'm not exactly sure if this falls under syntax, but I just wanted to recognize the impact that the formatting had on the article. Marc and Angel's way of portraying their ideas through composing a list-type article not only emphasizes each point in an organized arrangement, but it also makes it easier and more interesting for the reader. The ideas and advices made are further elaborated through a paragraph that follows each bolded topic sentence. This catches the reader's attention and encourages them to read further on and to reflect on their own personal connections with the article.
*Note: This is not one of my best interpretations of an article. I'm not exactly sure why, but I actually found this article really challenging to try to pull apart. I'LL DO BETTER NEXT TIME I SWEAR.
Response to Course Material #2
It's been less than a month since my last response to the course material and we have already learned so much more in the class...
I'll just start with our study in syntax.The article by Virginia Tufte that was given to us during class was not only all about syntax, but it also really helped me have a better grasp on the concept of this literary device. I'm going to admit that before coming into this class, I didn't even know what syntax was. This article actually opened my eyes to the importance of sentence structure. After examining the story segments in the back of the packet, I became more and more familiar with the fact that writing is not only about what words were used or if the punctuation was correctly applied, but it also is greatly impacted by how the sentences are formed and the different affects that the location and size of each sentence or word has on the piece as a whole.
Moving on to The American Dream. Despite the fact that it was probably the weirdest play I have ever read in my life, I was still able to gather some useful information from it by applying what we've learned in class to the piece. I thought one of the most important details to know before even reading the play is that the style of the piece is called "Theatre of the Absurd". After reading the "Theatre of the Absurd" article (given to us by Holmes), it really cleared things up for me and became an explanation as to why the play was so strange itself. For example, one of the first things I noticed about the play was the strange usage of language. The dialogue between the characters was exactly like how the article had explained: the words traded between each person did just "become nothing but a vehicle for conventionalized, stereotyped, meaningless exchanges." This along with the other information provided in the article really served as a guiding light for me while reading the actual play.
Beside those two things, we were also handed two other articles that explained the types of comedy and the theories drawn from humor and comedy. These articles were extremely helpful in my interpretation of the American Dream while also refreshing my memory on the techniques and terms used through comedy. I was also surprised to learn about how many different theories that could be interpreted from comedic works and all the elements that were required to for a piece to actually become humorous (I won't re-list these elements because I'm assuming that you've read these articles.)
Anyway, those are the things I've learned thus far in AP Lit. Now I'm going to move on and write about my Close Reading (awkward concluding paragraph ends here).
I'll just start with our study in syntax.The article by Virginia Tufte that was given to us during class was not only all about syntax, but it also really helped me have a better grasp on the concept of this literary device. I'm going to admit that before coming into this class, I didn't even know what syntax was. This article actually opened my eyes to the importance of sentence structure. After examining the story segments in the back of the packet, I became more and more familiar with the fact that writing is not only about what words were used or if the punctuation was correctly applied, but it also is greatly impacted by how the sentences are formed and the different affects that the location and size of each sentence or word has on the piece as a whole.
Moving on to The American Dream. Despite the fact that it was probably the weirdest play I have ever read in my life, I was still able to gather some useful information from it by applying what we've learned in class to the piece. I thought one of the most important details to know before even reading the play is that the style of the piece is called "Theatre of the Absurd". After reading the "Theatre of the Absurd" article (given to us by Holmes), it really cleared things up for me and became an explanation as to why the play was so strange itself. For example, one of the first things I noticed about the play was the strange usage of language. The dialogue between the characters was exactly like how the article had explained: the words traded between each person did just "become nothing but a vehicle for conventionalized, stereotyped, meaningless exchanges." This along with the other information provided in the article really served as a guiding light for me while reading the actual play.
Beside those two things, we were also handed two other articles that explained the types of comedy and the theories drawn from humor and comedy. These articles were extremely helpful in my interpretation of the American Dream while also refreshing my memory on the techniques and terms used through comedy. I was also surprised to learn about how many different theories that could be interpreted from comedic works and all the elements that were required to for a piece to actually become humorous (I won't re-list these elements because I'm assuming that you've read these articles.)
Anyway, those are the things I've learned thus far in AP Lit. Now I'm going to move on and write about my Close Reading (awkward concluding paragraph ends here).
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Open Prompt #2
1. 1997. Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or another novel or play of literary merit.
Social occasions are oftentimes used within a novel to reflect a character's way of portraying him or herself. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, The Great Gatsby, the name Jay Gatsby was far from unfamiliar to those who resided in the wealthy side of Long Island area during the 1920s. Gatsby's name reflected his legendary lavish parties which always consisted of an unlimited supply of alcohol, food, and partying. This, along with his mysteriously large sum of money, was what made The Gatsby so great. The parties of which Jay Gatsby threw not only succeeded in accomplishing a well-known name and status for him, but it also contributed towards creating the false image of his high class value.
Beginning with the first few chapters of the novel, Gatsby's presence is introduced into the story through periodic sightings of him during the night. By not immediately introducing Gatsby, Fitzgerald is able to create the sense of mystery behind this particular character, which further raises the sense of uncertainty behind Gatsby's background story. As the novel progresses, Fitzgerald begins to shed more light on Gatsby by making his formal introduction to both Nick and the reader occur during one of the many extravagant parties he is known to throw. The emphasis applied to how and where Gatsby is formally introduced contributes towards making him appear to be extremely wealthy, therefore allowing him to fit into the high class society.
The effort that Gatsby puts into his parties also hints towards the fact that he is after something more than just making a name for himself. The descriptions within the novel of the amounts of food and time spent just to prepare for a single event contributes to the overall idea that Gatsby is trying to create the image of wealth and hierarchy for himself in order to attract the attention of the person he loves. By becoming the life of the party, Gatsby utilizes his events as a distraction to mask his true identity and value, which is not nearly as impressive as everyone believes he is.
Through associating himself with the wealthy society and hosting luxurious events, Jay Gatsby is able to present himself of having equal fortune and prosperity as the society around him. Although the parties of which he hosts successfully portrays him as a high class citizen, Gatsby is unable to achieve his true goal of winning the heart of his love through these events.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Response to Course Material
Thinking back to the beginning of this school year (which surprisingly was only three weeks ago...) I think it's safe to say that through this class, I've gained a decent amount of valuable knowledge that can be applied to my future as an English student. For example, I'm going to start with our summer assignment of reading Foster's novel. I will be honest, I did not enjoy that book at all, however through toughing it out and completing the assignment, I was able to understand the process of how to become a better reader much better than before while also becoming more open to creating parallels between stories and ideas. So overall, the Powerpoint was a great success on not only aiding me on not wasting an endless amount of time on the internet and actually keeping me informed on how to have awesome reading skills.
In addition to that, I'd just like to make a brief statement on our other assignment that included becoming familiar with both Greek mythology and the Bible. Even though I freaked out and thought that I couldn't possibly memorize all the information that was thrown at me, I was able to pull through and actually became infatuated with the stories - especially with the mythology ones. I also was confused as to why we were assigned to have these readings over the summer in the first place, but as I read on, I began to realize that both of these materials are the main sources as to what authors base their writings off of. I started noticing the endless amounts of allusions made just to these two writings and was so surprised to find out that pretty much every thing can be related back to either the Bible, or the Greek gods. It's amazing to see this occurrence through almost everything, especially media, today. So. Kudos to God. And...the Greek ones too.
The fact that we have already written an in class essay along with revised and evaluated them in the prospective of an AP grader proves that AP Lit is not or going to be a "blow off" class. I believe such experiences, along with learning about the most important elements of writing and reading, emphasizes the amount of detail and will to improve this class requires in order to become successful. I found that starting off the year with introducing the five elements of a writing was probably the most helpful thing any English student could have. By memorizing the meaning behind DIDLS (DICTION, IMAGERY, DETAIL, LANGUAGE, SYNTAX. BAM. TOOK ME LESS THAN TWO SECONDS.) it makes the readings that we have to do so much easier to interpret and helps us have a better understanding of the text. Having also to peer edit other students' pieces also offered us a chance to enhance our abilities to comprehend what makes a writer so great, and elements that can be applied in order to help them improve.
Wow. We got a lot done in this three weeks didn't we...Well, I guess I've rambled on for long enough now. But now you know what I've learned through these mere three weeks of being in AP Lit.
In addition to that, I'd just like to make a brief statement on our other assignment that included becoming familiar with both Greek mythology and the Bible. Even though I freaked out and thought that I couldn't possibly memorize all the information that was thrown at me, I was able to pull through and actually became infatuated with the stories - especially with the mythology ones. I also was confused as to why we were assigned to have these readings over the summer in the first place, but as I read on, I began to realize that both of these materials are the main sources as to what authors base their writings off of. I started noticing the endless amounts of allusions made just to these two writings and was so surprised to find out that pretty much every thing can be related back to either the Bible, or the Greek gods. It's amazing to see this occurrence through almost everything, especially media, today. So. Kudos to God. And...the Greek ones too.
The fact that we have already written an in class essay along with revised and evaluated them in the prospective of an AP grader proves that AP Lit is not or going to be a "blow off" class. I believe such experiences, along with learning about the most important elements of writing and reading, emphasizes the amount of detail and will to improve this class requires in order to become successful. I found that starting off the year with introducing the five elements of a writing was probably the most helpful thing any English student could have. By memorizing the meaning behind DIDLS (DICTION, IMAGERY, DETAIL, LANGUAGE, SYNTAX. BAM. TOOK ME LESS THAN TWO SECONDS.) it makes the readings that we have to do so much easier to interpret and helps us have a better understanding of the text. Having also to peer edit other students' pieces also offered us a chance to enhance our abilities to comprehend what makes a writer so great, and elements that can be applied in order to help them improve.
Wow. We got a lot done in this three weeks didn't we...Well, I guess I've rambled on for long enough now. But now you know what I've learned through these mere three weeks of being in AP Lit.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Open Prompt #1
1. Prompt: 2003, Form B. Novels and plays often depict characters caught between colliding cultures -- national, regional, ethnic, religious, institutional. Such collisions can call a character's sense of identity into question. Select a novel or play in which a character responds to such a cultural collision. Then write a well-organized essay in which you describe the character's response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole.
It is almost inevitable for a person who has just moved in from a different state or country to have an initial feeling of being out of place. The sense of struggling to fit into an unfamiliar environment and facing certain barriers that culturally collide with what one is use to certainly applies to Young Ju from An Na’s novel, A Step from Heaven. Young Ju experiences such collisions at the mere age of four after moving from her small village in Korea to America, the mysterious paradise-like land she knows as “Mi Gook”. By immigrating to America, Young Ju is placed into a different world where she is required to adapt to not only their poor economic condition and language barrier, but also transform herself into an Americanized young adult which ultimately causes her to lose her sense of self identity.
After moving to America,Young Ju begins to face many difficulties that hinders her sense of self identity. Because of her family's decision of immigrating while she was at a premature age, Young Ju grows up facing the struggles of trying to combine the Korean cultures at home with the American nationality around her. This factor consumes her young life as she grows up battling her parent's expectations of her being the perfect "Mi Gook" girl and the pressures of still remembering the country of which she came from. Young Ju's conflicting ideas of conforming to the American culture while still holding on to her Korean roots causes her to become bewildered of her self identity.
Young Ju's ethnicity also plays a large role into her family's economic decision. Due to the fact that she belongs to an immigrant family, Young Ju is forced to face hard experiences that ultimately cause her to question her depiction of herself and her culture. Young Ju's family is placed under hard economic situations which not only causes her to become embarrassed of her own heritage but also holds her back from progressing in accepting the new world around her. Young Ju so ashamed of her family's condition that she begins to isolate herself from making any new friends while creating lies in order to cover up the truth. Young Ju's loneliness and lack of confidence in America only causes her to become more lost within herself and skews her depiction of who she truly is.
The experience that Young Ju undergoes after immigrating to America was not only a cultural collision, but also one of the main causes of Young Ju's obscure sense in self identity. The changes in which Young Ju encounters causes her to grow and mature much quicker than normal and ultimately places so much responsibility on her shoulders that she is left to make a decision that will change the rest of her life. Although Young Ju's life after immigration caused her sense of self identity to become skewed and became increasingly difficult for her and her family, she was able to face the hardships which ultimately caused her to become a stronger and more ambitious young woman.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Close Reading #1: "The Egg" by Andy Weir
Click here to read this awesome story!
Alright. I have to admit that I did find this story whilst stumbling on StumbleUpon BUT I do not regret choosing to write about it for my close reading. Although this piece comes across as short and could be considered as an easy read, the message that Andy Weir tried to portray through this read had quite an impact on how I viewed life. Needless to say, it blew my mind. Okay, I'm going to stop rambling now and actually start with the analysis.
Diction/Imagery:
One of the factors that makes this piece so interesting is the style of writing that Weir has. The sentences that he composes tend to be quite short and extremely straightforward yet it still holds the capability to catch the reader's attention. Unlike most writers, who enjoy using over two pages just to elaborate the description of a pineapple, Weir gets straight to the point by including a sentence like "Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me" which paints a perfectly clear picture for the reader in a single twelve worded sentence. In other words, this is not the type of story that plays mind games with the reader and makes it unnecessarily difficult for them to picture the scenario. Weir also puts an emphasize on dialect, which composes roughly 95% of the story. This plays a significant role in the story because Weir is not trying to focus on specific descriptions of the characters, but he wants the reader to analyze them through their words and provide a different point of view between two people.
By beginning his story with the sentence,"You were on your way home when you died", Weir successfully initiates the curiosity within the reader's mind to wonder about who exactly is dead, or how they died, and why did this person even die in the first place. The story then continues in the perspective of "God" and progresses through mostly dialect between two mysterious beings. I quote God because the one in the story does not specifically mean the god that's in the Christian faith. The God Weir's trying to portray is of the generalization, or combination of all the religions within the world, an ultimate power that wields supernatural qualities that people hold faith in. This can be seen through the section when God explains to the dead man that “All religions are right in their own way,”. The man that has just died represents humanity as a whole, and his confusion in the beginning symbolizes (like it is said in the story) the fact that mankind is not yet "mature" and in need of guidance of a god to help enlighten him of his bewilderment. Weir's usage of simple sentence structures and word choice shows that his motive in writing this short story is not to specifically target any kind of age group, or class, but to allow the readers to reflect upon the relationship between humanity and religion.
Details:
Of course, one of the most significant elements of a story is detail. Weir, in this case, did not fail to describe things ranging from a "congratulatory slap on the back" to specific people of history such as Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and Hitler. These details are not included within the story just for a brief history lesson, but to prove a point. The God of the story tells the dead man that he represents everything in the universe, that he is the universe and the only one that has ever existed. The dead man, who is obviously astonished, questions this fact by using historical figures such as Hitler and the thousands he killed, Abraham and John Wilkes Boothe, and Jesus and those who followed him, to show the contrast between good and evil which can ultimately be concluded that humanity is composed of both these elements.
Alright. I have to admit that I did find this story whilst stumbling on StumbleUpon BUT I do not regret choosing to write about it for my close reading. Although this piece comes across as short and could be considered as an easy read, the message that Andy Weir tried to portray through this read had quite an impact on how I viewed life. Needless to say, it blew my mind. Okay, I'm going to stop rambling now and actually start with the analysis.
Diction/Imagery:
One of the factors that makes this piece so interesting is the style of writing that Weir has. The sentences that he composes tend to be quite short and extremely straightforward yet it still holds the capability to catch the reader's attention. Unlike most writers, who enjoy using over two pages just to elaborate the description of a pineapple, Weir gets straight to the point by including a sentence like "Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me" which paints a perfectly clear picture for the reader in a single twelve worded sentence. In other words, this is not the type of story that plays mind games with the reader and makes it unnecessarily difficult for them to picture the scenario. Weir also puts an emphasize on dialect, which composes roughly 95% of the story. This plays a significant role in the story because Weir is not trying to focus on specific descriptions of the characters, but he wants the reader to analyze them through their words and provide a different point of view between two people.
By beginning his story with the sentence,"You were on your way home when you died", Weir successfully initiates the curiosity within the reader's mind to wonder about who exactly is dead, or how they died, and why did this person even die in the first place. The story then continues in the perspective of "God" and progresses through mostly dialect between two mysterious beings. I quote God because the one in the story does not specifically mean the god that's in the Christian faith. The God Weir's trying to portray is of the generalization, or combination of all the religions within the world, an ultimate power that wields supernatural qualities that people hold faith in. This can be seen through the section when God explains to the dead man that “All religions are right in their own way,”. The man that has just died represents humanity as a whole, and his confusion in the beginning symbolizes (like it is said in the story) the fact that mankind is not yet "mature" and in need of guidance of a god to help enlighten him of his bewilderment. Weir's usage of simple sentence structures and word choice shows that his motive in writing this short story is not to specifically target any kind of age group, or class, but to allow the readers to reflect upon the relationship between humanity and religion.
Details:
Of course, one of the most significant elements of a story is detail. Weir, in this case, did not fail to describe things ranging from a "congratulatory slap on the back" to specific people of history such as Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and Hitler. These details are not included within the story just for a brief history lesson, but to prove a point. The God of the story tells the dead man that he represents everything in the universe, that he is the universe and the only one that has ever existed. The dead man, who is obviously astonished, questions this fact by using historical figures such as Hitler and the thousands he killed, Abraham and John Wilkes Boothe, and Jesus and those who followed him, to show the contrast between good and evil which can ultimately be concluded that humanity is composed of both these elements.
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