Friday, December 13, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Blog Post 19: Lawrence Essay
Part 1:
Prompt: The following passage is from D.H. Lawrence's 1915 novel, The Rainbow, which focuses on the lives of the Brangwens, a farming family who lived in rural England during the late nineteenth century. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Lawrence employs literary devices to characterize the woman and capture her situation.
In D.H. Lawrence's novel, The Rainbow, he uses polysyndeton, repetition, analogies, and rhetorical questions to characterize the woman as an adventurous woman who wants to leave her drab situation for the quest of knowledge.
Lawrence uses polysyndeton to emphasize the woman's current painfully boring and unsatisfying situation. The situation is described as being filled with "warmth and generating and pain and death" (Lawrence 7-8). The repetition of the conjunction lengthens and dramatizes the situation as being extremely boring and unsatisfying for the woman, yet the perfect life for all of the males. The woman's current situation forces her to want something more in life.
To characterize and show that the woman is adventurous, Lawrence uses repetition of words that imply leaving. Lawrence repeatedly describes the house or the woman as "faced out" or "looking out" into the distance and into another world (17,30). The woman is not only looking far off into another world, but into her hopeful future. She is ready and willing to move out of her current situation and into a satisfying life.
Lawrence uses analogy and rhetorical questions to show that the woman wants to reach a place of knowledge. The vicar, full of knowledge, is compared to her family and husband, content with a methodical lifestyle, in the analogy: "what was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?" (Lawrence 54-56). Lawrence shows that the vicar, or outside world, is greater and more powerful than her husband, her current situation. The woman wants to be a part of this greater power and so she is questioning how to achieve that level above her current situation.
Lawrence later answers this question by stating: "It was not money nor power nor position" but the "question of knowledge" (61,66). The polysyndeton once again emphasizes how none of those traits raise the woman to the next level, but knowledge can and will. The use of polysyndeton at the beginning and the end characterize the two different situations of monotony and power.
Lawrence uses polysyndeton, analogy, rhetorical questions, and repetition to show that the woman desires knowledge and is willing to achieve this knowledge in order to leave her unsatisfying situation.
Part 2:
Rickey Terrell graded my response to this prompt and gave the essay a 6. My essay is a 6 because I have a "reasonable analysis" of the passage, but it was "less perceptive" and not as developed as a 7 essay. My essay provided a "sustained, competent reading" of the prompt and of the passage, which showed through my analysis. I completely agree that my essay is a 6 essay because although I did have a fairly competent analysis of the passage, I did not write about or figure out the complexity of the passage, which prevented my essay from scoring higher. Because of my lack of control of my writing style, both Rickey and I agreed that that is why the essay a 6 and not a 7.
I would definitely improve my essay by comparing and contrasting the men and the woman. In the third and fourth body paragraphs, I touched briefly on the idea that the men were comfortable with their methodical lifestyle, while the woman wanted to have something more in life. We discussed in class how the woman is facing outward while her husband faces toward the sun. It is ironic that the husband faces the sun and is complacent with his current situation, while the woman is facing away from the sun and is the one that is yearning to grow. The irony of the relationship between the man in the woman is definitely part of the complexity of the passage and is important part to add to my essay in order to improve it. I would improve my essay even further by writing about the tension that the woman feels at the beginning of the passage, which also applies to the comparison between the man and the woman. Unlike the men, the woman actually questions the situation and recognizes how to get out of her current situation, which Lawrence shows through the use of the rhetorical questions at the end of the passage. I briefly touched on the idea of the rhetorical questions and how they relate to the woman's questioning of the situation, but to better my analysis, I would discuss how the rhetorical questions contrast the woman and the men even more.
The men are overall very complacent with their situation. They are completely content with farming all day, manipulating the earth to produce food, and raising and killing the animals. They follow the cycle of life and death everyday and are very content. They are in a monotonous situation, but the men stick with their profession because it is what they know. The idea of their complacency is shown through the anaphora and parallelism in the first paragraph. This parallelism and anaphora characterize the men because Lawrence lists all of their daily activities to show how monotonous their lives are, but yet how content the men are. I did slightly discuss the complacency of the men, but not in much detail. To improve my essay, I would add this analysis and characterization of the men, which also helps to characterize the woman.
After my research on D.H. Lawrence and our class discussion, I would discuss the irony between what the woman wants and D.H. Lawrence's ideologies. Lawrence believed that people were beginning to focus too much on the mind instead of the body and that people should move their focus back to the body. The lady is trying to move away from the body (blood, life, death) and toward the mind and knowledge. If Lawrence believed that the body is more important than the mind, then the men are actually more important than the woman in the passage. They are the ones who work and are complacent with life, death, and the body, while the woman wants to achieve knowledge. Part of the complexity of the passage is that the men's farming job is just as important as the vicar's knowledge. I did not touch on the idea that the two groups are both important, but instead, in my third body paragraph, I discussed how the two groups contrasted and how the vicar had power over the farmers.
Prompt: The following passage is from D.H. Lawrence's 1915 novel, The Rainbow, which focuses on the lives of the Brangwens, a farming family who lived in rural England during the late nineteenth century. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you analyze how Lawrence employs literary devices to characterize the woman and capture her situation.
In D.H. Lawrence's novel, The Rainbow, he uses polysyndeton, repetition, analogies, and rhetorical questions to characterize the woman as an adventurous woman who wants to leave her drab situation for the quest of knowledge.
Lawrence uses polysyndeton to emphasize the woman's current painfully boring and unsatisfying situation. The situation is described as being filled with "warmth and generating and pain and death" (Lawrence 7-8). The repetition of the conjunction lengthens and dramatizes the situation as being extremely boring and unsatisfying for the woman, yet the perfect life for all of the males. The woman's current situation forces her to want something more in life.
To characterize and show that the woman is adventurous, Lawrence uses repetition of words that imply leaving. Lawrence repeatedly describes the house or the woman as "faced out" or "looking out" into the distance and into another world (17,30). The woman is not only looking far off into another world, but into her hopeful future. She is ready and willing to move out of her current situation and into a satisfying life.
Lawrence uses analogy and rhetorical questions to show that the woman wants to reach a place of knowledge. The vicar, full of knowledge, is compared to her family and husband, content with a methodical lifestyle, in the analogy: "what was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?" (Lawrence 54-56). Lawrence shows that the vicar, or outside world, is greater and more powerful than her husband, her current situation. The woman wants to be a part of this greater power and so she is questioning how to achieve that level above her current situation.
Lawrence later answers this question by stating: "It was not money nor power nor position" but the "question of knowledge" (61,66). The polysyndeton once again emphasizes how none of those traits raise the woman to the next level, but knowledge can and will. The use of polysyndeton at the beginning and the end characterize the two different situations of monotony and power.
Lawrence uses polysyndeton, analogy, rhetorical questions, and repetition to show that the woman desires knowledge and is willing to achieve this knowledge in order to leave her unsatisfying situation.
Part 2:
Rickey Terrell graded my response to this prompt and gave the essay a 6. My essay is a 6 because I have a "reasonable analysis" of the passage, but it was "less perceptive" and not as developed as a 7 essay. My essay provided a "sustained, competent reading" of the prompt and of the passage, which showed through my analysis. I completely agree that my essay is a 6 essay because although I did have a fairly competent analysis of the passage, I did not write about or figure out the complexity of the passage, which prevented my essay from scoring higher. Because of my lack of control of my writing style, both Rickey and I agreed that that is why the essay a 6 and not a 7.
I would definitely improve my essay by comparing and contrasting the men and the woman. In the third and fourth body paragraphs, I touched briefly on the idea that the men were comfortable with their methodical lifestyle, while the woman wanted to have something more in life. We discussed in class how the woman is facing outward while her husband faces toward the sun. It is ironic that the husband faces the sun and is complacent with his current situation, while the woman is facing away from the sun and is the one that is yearning to grow. The irony of the relationship between the man in the woman is definitely part of the complexity of the passage and is important part to add to my essay in order to improve it. I would improve my essay even further by writing about the tension that the woman feels at the beginning of the passage, which also applies to the comparison between the man and the woman. Unlike the men, the woman actually questions the situation and recognizes how to get out of her current situation, which Lawrence shows through the use of the rhetorical questions at the end of the passage. I briefly touched on the idea of the rhetorical questions and how they relate to the woman's questioning of the situation, but to better my analysis, I would discuss how the rhetorical questions contrast the woman and the men even more.
The men are overall very complacent with their situation. They are completely content with farming all day, manipulating the earth to produce food, and raising and killing the animals. They follow the cycle of life and death everyday and are very content. They are in a monotonous situation, but the men stick with their profession because it is what they know. The idea of their complacency is shown through the anaphora and parallelism in the first paragraph. This parallelism and anaphora characterize the men because Lawrence lists all of their daily activities to show how monotonous their lives are, but yet how content the men are. I did slightly discuss the complacency of the men, but not in much detail. To improve my essay, I would add this analysis and characterization of the men, which also helps to characterize the woman.
After my research on D.H. Lawrence and our class discussion, I would discuss the irony between what the woman wants and D.H. Lawrence's ideologies. Lawrence believed that people were beginning to focus too much on the mind instead of the body and that people should move their focus back to the body. The lady is trying to move away from the body (blood, life, death) and toward the mind and knowledge. If Lawrence believed that the body is more important than the mind, then the men are actually more important than the woman in the passage. They are the ones who work and are complacent with life, death, and the body, while the woman wants to achieve knowledge. Part of the complexity of the passage is that the men's farming job is just as important as the vicar's knowledge. I did not touch on the idea that the two groups are both important, but instead, in my third body paragraph, I discussed how the two groups contrasted and how the vicar had power over the farmers.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Blog Post 18: Final Portfolio Reflection
Throughout this entire trimester, my skills as a writer, a thinker, and an AP Literature and Composition student have drastically improved. The two pieces that show my improvement and the two pieces that I am most proud of are my Comparison/Contrast Essay of Angela's Ashes and my group's American Drama Video Project. My Comparison/Contrast Essay is by far the assignment that I am most proud of because of how much I learned about Angela's Ashes and about all of the different themes. When I first read and watched Angela's Ashes, I did a fairly shallow analysis of just the very apparent themes and ideas. But during this assignment, I could dive deeper into each individual theme and use the book and the movie to shine different lights on these themes and ideas. Because I was able to dissect multiple themes of the play, my overall analysis was in-depth and addressed the complexity of Frank McCourt's relationship with himself, his family, and God. The strength of my essay was my analysis of the similarities and differences between the prose and the movie scene. I did struggle with the mise en scene analysis more than the analysis of the book because I find it harder to analyze the directors ideas in how to portray these themes or different characters. Since I do find mise en scene difficult, my analysis of the movie was weaker than that of the book. The Comparison/Contrast Essay is definitely, by far, the piece that I am most proud of and that shows my improvement the most.
The American Drama Video Project is the other assignment I am especially proud of. Even though our group did not get the highest grade or have the best movie in the class, this project gave my group the opportunity to use many aspects of our creativity. We read the play Six Degrees of Separation and compared the play to The Walking Dead. It took a lot of creativity and analysis to relate these two very different, yet similar, productions. We were able to relate this two by making a Paul a zombie and comparing Paul's infection to his homosexuality and his race. The strength of this project lies in our ability to relate the two different productions and to use our creativity to apply the complexity of Six Degrees of Separation to The Walking Dead without losing any of the meaning behind the work. Although our idea was strong, our project definitely had some weaknesses. We struggled in creating the storyboards because we did not know exactly how we wanted to produce the film. Instead of returning to the storyboards after we were done filming, we just left them as they were. But overall, I am very proud of our Video Project.
Overall, I was very attentive and often participated in class. In most of my classes, I do not participate by answering questions, and I did not necessarily answer questions that you asked during class, but I would always pay attention to all of the group presentations, class discussions, and the answers to all of the questions you asked. In class, I actively took notes during class discussions and during student presentations. Towards the end of the trimester, I began to volunteer more frequently in class because I felt more comfortable around you and around my peers. I also learned that volunteering in class helps to keep me attentive and also helps in the learning process.
For individual papers, I will be completely honest and say I was not very productive during class. Whenever I work by myself on an individual assignment, I get distracted very easily and struggle getting everything done. While I can't work very well in class, I would work diligently on that assignment every night until it was do. Such as with the Comparison/Contrast Essay, I struggled to work in class, but I would work consistently at home. But with group projects, since I am not working alone and do not get severely distracted, I stay on task both at home and at school. I do consider myself a good group member because I always do my part, and if necessary, more. During group projects, I generally designate myself as the member that keeps the entire group on track. My normal role is important and very participatory because I need to be involved in all aspects of the project and make sure that the final project has all of the necessary parts.
At the beginning of the year, one of my original goals was to be aware of myself and my feelings toward a text and use this awareness to analyze the text. The true purpose of this goal was to learn how to answer multiple choice questions that pertain to tone and reader response. I am definitely still working on this goal, as I find it difficult to stay completely aware of myself and aware of the text and when to combine these two feelings and when to keep them separate. Whenever I analyze a prose or poetry passage, I will think how this this passage affects myself and how it would affect the average reader.
Another one of my goals was to break down the ambiguity of texts to find the deeper meaning. This goal was designed to help with questions on the multiple choice about author purpose and meaning. I have worked on this skill throughout the trimester by thinking of all of the possible meanings of a passage, and using these meanings to establish the complexity of the passage. I am still working on this goal, as it is difficult to pinpoint the complexity. I plan to continue working on this goal by truly digging deeper into every book, poem, or prose passage I read to find the core meaning. By working on this goal, it will help me on the multiple choice and the essay portions of the AP exam and help in my everyday reading.
And my final goal was to really dive into the text without any expectations or judgments. At the beginning of the trimester, especially while reading poetry, I would begin each passage begrudgingly, expecting horribly boring and difficult text. But if I get rid of this expectation and judgment, I can keep an open mind while reading a text, which will help in finding deeper meanings. Throughout this trimester, I have tried my best to go into every text with no prior notions or judgments, which truly allowed me to learn something new or reach that deeper meaning in most texts that we have read. I plan on working on all of these goals through this next trimester so that I can become a better reader, writer, and AP test taker.
The American Drama Video Project is the other assignment I am especially proud of. Even though our group did not get the highest grade or have the best movie in the class, this project gave my group the opportunity to use many aspects of our creativity. We read the play Six Degrees of Separation and compared the play to The Walking Dead. It took a lot of creativity and analysis to relate these two very different, yet similar, productions. We were able to relate this two by making a Paul a zombie and comparing Paul's infection to his homosexuality and his race. The strength of this project lies in our ability to relate the two different productions and to use our creativity to apply the complexity of Six Degrees of Separation to The Walking Dead without losing any of the meaning behind the work. Although our idea was strong, our project definitely had some weaknesses. We struggled in creating the storyboards because we did not know exactly how we wanted to produce the film. Instead of returning to the storyboards after we were done filming, we just left them as they were. But overall, I am very proud of our Video Project.
Overall, I was very attentive and often participated in class. In most of my classes, I do not participate by answering questions, and I did not necessarily answer questions that you asked during class, but I would always pay attention to all of the group presentations, class discussions, and the answers to all of the questions you asked. In class, I actively took notes during class discussions and during student presentations. Towards the end of the trimester, I began to volunteer more frequently in class because I felt more comfortable around you and around my peers. I also learned that volunteering in class helps to keep me attentive and also helps in the learning process.
For individual papers, I will be completely honest and say I was not very productive during class. Whenever I work by myself on an individual assignment, I get distracted very easily and struggle getting everything done. While I can't work very well in class, I would work diligently on that assignment every night until it was do. Such as with the Comparison/Contrast Essay, I struggled to work in class, but I would work consistently at home. But with group projects, since I am not working alone and do not get severely distracted, I stay on task both at home and at school. I do consider myself a good group member because I always do my part, and if necessary, more. During group projects, I generally designate myself as the member that keeps the entire group on track. My normal role is important and very participatory because I need to be involved in all aspects of the project and make sure that the final project has all of the necessary parts.
At the beginning of the year, one of my original goals was to be aware of myself and my feelings toward a text and use this awareness to analyze the text. The true purpose of this goal was to learn how to answer multiple choice questions that pertain to tone and reader response. I am definitely still working on this goal, as I find it difficult to stay completely aware of myself and aware of the text and when to combine these two feelings and when to keep them separate. Whenever I analyze a prose or poetry passage, I will think how this this passage affects myself and how it would affect the average reader.
Another one of my goals was to break down the ambiguity of texts to find the deeper meaning. This goal was designed to help with questions on the multiple choice about author purpose and meaning. I have worked on this skill throughout the trimester by thinking of all of the possible meanings of a passage, and using these meanings to establish the complexity of the passage. I am still working on this goal, as it is difficult to pinpoint the complexity. I plan to continue working on this goal by truly digging deeper into every book, poem, or prose passage I read to find the core meaning. By working on this goal, it will help me on the multiple choice and the essay portions of the AP exam and help in my everyday reading.
And my final goal was to really dive into the text without any expectations or judgments. At the beginning of the trimester, especially while reading poetry, I would begin each passage begrudgingly, expecting horribly boring and difficult text. But if I get rid of this expectation and judgment, I can keep an open mind while reading a text, which will help in finding deeper meanings. Throughout this trimester, I have tried my best to go into every text with no prior notions or judgments, which truly allowed me to learn something new or reach that deeper meaning in most texts that we have read. I plan on working on all of these goals through this next trimester so that I can become a better reader, writer, and AP test taker.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Blog Post 16B: Hamlet Blog 5
"Don't Let Me Be Lonely"
by The Band Perry
I need a saving grace
A hiding place
I don't have forever or time to waste
So don't let me be lonely
I wanna shake this winter coat off my sleeve
Dust off a record and just be free
Oh don't let me be lonely
No don't let me be lonely
When you're young
You can fly
But we trip on clouds 'cause we get too high
We grow up
And then it's gone
Oh God only knows what we'll become
So don't let me be, let me be, let me be lonely tonight
While we're young and alive
Take the keys to my car and the keys to my heart and just drive
Oh don't let me, let me be lonely
Well the night rolls on like a long lost friend
'Til the sunrise bleeds like the bitter end
Don't let me be lonely
Well there's nothing to hide and nothing to prove
Give me all that you are
You've got nothing to lose
Just don't let me be lonely
No don't let me be lonely
So don't let me be, let me be, let me be lonely tonight
While we're young and alive
Take the keys to my car and the keys to my heart and just drive
Oh don't let me, let me be lonely
No
Don't let me be
When you're young
Life's a dream
It's a beautiful and a burning thing
We grow up
And then it's gone
But the memory goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on
Don't let me be, let me be, let me be lonely tonight
While we're young and alive
Take the keys to my car and the keys to my heart and just drive
Oh don't let me, let me be lonely
Don't let me be lonely
Don't, don't let me be lonely
No
Don't let me be
Ooh, lonely
Whenever I listen to this song, it just speaks to me. After my father was "'dead and gone'" and my dear Hamlet went mad, I felt all alone (IV.v.29). I no longer wanted to feel lonely. Most of my life, I only relied on my father and brother, and then Hamlet, but then all of them left me. In Hamlet's "ecstasy of love," he left me and went mad (II.i.100). And honestly, it destroyed my heart.
Being young and naïve, I thought life would be easy. I had my true love, and he had given me "many tenders of his affection" (I.iii.99-100). My father told me to "think [myself] a baby" due to my naïve ways (I.iii.105). I did not want to believe my father because I knew that Hamlet truly loved me and would never leave me. But unfortunately, I was completely wrong.
When Hamlet came into my room that night, "loosed out of hell," I swore that he loved me (II.i.81). But when he asked me, "are you honest?" I was completely confused on what he felt for me (III.i.103)! First he was professing his unconditional love, and then he thought I was being unfaithful. I just did not want to be lonely. I wanted a true love and for my love to stay with me forever.
If only he had taken the reigns to my heart, but he never did. He let my carriage go and never tried to regain hold of the reigns. Once he killed my father, I knew our relationship would never be the way it was. In a way it made me grow up. I realized that "we know what we are, but know not what we may become" (IV.v.42-43). Just as it is in this song, only God will know who we will become, and it truly speaks to me. Unfortunately, I turned mad due to my loneliness. My Hamlet, my father, my brother it seemed "never will come again" (IV.v.184). To me, they all seemed dead and gone, which destroyed my heart and soul.
I just wish that I could return to the time when I was naïve and foolish. To the time when Laertes told me to "Fear it, Ophelia, fear it" (I.iii.33). If only I was not naïve before, I might have ignored my father and brother and listened to my heart. So much pain and suffering would have been avoided if I had followed my heart and disobeyed. I would not be lonely and Hamlet could have taken my heart. I could "have been [...] Hamlet's wife," and I might even still be alive (V.i.191).
A hiding place
I don't have forever or time to waste
So don't let me be lonely
I wanna shake this winter coat off my sleeve
Dust off a record and just be free
Oh don't let me be lonely
No don't let me be lonely
When you're young
You can fly
But we trip on clouds 'cause we get too high
We grow up
And then it's gone
Oh God only knows what we'll become
So don't let me be, let me be, let me be lonely tonight
While we're young and alive
Take the keys to my car and the keys to my heart and just drive
Oh don't let me, let me be lonely
Well the night rolls on like a long lost friend
'Til the sunrise bleeds like the bitter end
Don't let me be lonely
Well there's nothing to hide and nothing to prove
Give me all that you are
You've got nothing to lose
Just don't let me be lonely
No don't let me be lonely
So don't let me be, let me be, let me be lonely tonight
While we're young and alive
Take the keys to my car and the keys to my heart and just drive
Oh don't let me, let me be lonely
No
Don't let me be
When you're young
Life's a dream
It's a beautiful and a burning thing
We grow up
And then it's gone
But the memory goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on
Don't let me be, let me be, let me be lonely tonight
While we're young and alive
Take the keys to my car and the keys to my heart and just drive
Oh don't let me, let me be lonely
Don't let me be lonely
Don't, don't let me be lonely
No
Don't let me be
Ooh, lonely
Whenever I listen to this song, it just speaks to me. After my father was "'dead and gone'" and my dear Hamlet went mad, I felt all alone (IV.v.29). I no longer wanted to feel lonely. Most of my life, I only relied on my father and brother, and then Hamlet, but then all of them left me. In Hamlet's "ecstasy of love," he left me and went mad (II.i.100). And honestly, it destroyed my heart.
Being young and naïve, I thought life would be easy. I had my true love, and he had given me "many tenders of his affection" (I.iii.99-100). My father told me to "think [myself] a baby" due to my naïve ways (I.iii.105). I did not want to believe my father because I knew that Hamlet truly loved me and would never leave me. But unfortunately, I was completely wrong.
When Hamlet came into my room that night, "loosed out of hell," I swore that he loved me (II.i.81). But when he asked me, "are you honest?" I was completely confused on what he felt for me (III.i.103)! First he was professing his unconditional love, and then he thought I was being unfaithful. I just did not want to be lonely. I wanted a true love and for my love to stay with me forever.
If only he had taken the reigns to my heart, but he never did. He let my carriage go and never tried to regain hold of the reigns. Once he killed my father, I knew our relationship would never be the way it was. In a way it made me grow up. I realized that "we know what we are, but know not what we may become" (IV.v.42-43). Just as it is in this song, only God will know who we will become, and it truly speaks to me. Unfortunately, I turned mad due to my loneliness. My Hamlet, my father, my brother it seemed "never will come again" (IV.v.184). To me, they all seemed dead and gone, which destroyed my heart and soul.
I just wish that I could return to the time when I was naïve and foolish. To the time when Laertes told me to "Fear it, Ophelia, fear it" (I.iii.33). If only I was not naïve before, I might have ignored my father and brother and listened to my heart. So much pain and suffering would have been avoided if I had followed my heart and disobeyed. I would not be lonely and Hamlet could have taken my heart. I could "have been [...] Hamlet's wife," and I might even still be alive (V.i.191).
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Blog Post 16: Hamlet Blog 4
Today, I read someone's diary entry about my recent mental state. He believes that I have gone mad because of my father's and my brother's advice to avoid Hamlet. Their mistrust in Hamlet was "something new to" me, and I was not ready or capable of mistrusting as my family can (Seng 220). It hurt me mentally to ignore "many tenders of his affection" because it first caused my dear Hamlet to go mad (I.iii.99-100).
When I realized that my dear Hamlet had gone mad, I started to go insane due to his insanity. It's hard to believe that insanity is a chain reaction, but after reading this diary entry, it made me realize what truly occurred. Once my Hamlet asked if I was "honest" and "fair," I realized his insanity (III.i.103,105). Who in their right mind would think that I was not honest or fair? I have done nothing to make him believe I have not been faithful to him in all ways. But once my Hamlet took is love away, "Denmark [had] become a prison" (Seng 218).
But I do not blame Hamlet for this tragedy of my insanity. It is truly my father's and brother's faults. Even my father admitted that Hamlet had "the very ecstasy of love," which I denied him (II.i.100). I am glad that my father admitted that he had some play in Hamlet's insanity, and my insanity as a consequence, but my brother "fails to comprehend his own measure of responsibility" (Seng 223). He even denies his responsibility after I he sees my madness by stating, "This nothing's more than matter" (IV.v.169).
In the diary, they say Laertes is ignorant of my madness and his responsibility because of the death of our father. My father's death was also part of my madness. Within the same day, Hamlet denied my love and faithfulness and killed my father. My father was "'dead and gone,'" which completely destroyed all of my well being (IV.v.29).
Reading this entry about my madness made me realize how insane I had become and the reasons for my insanity. I could not believe that all of this could happen to me, and my innocent and naive mind just could not stay same through all of these happenings.
When I realized that my dear Hamlet had gone mad, I started to go insane due to his insanity. It's hard to believe that insanity is a chain reaction, but after reading this diary entry, it made me realize what truly occurred. Once my Hamlet asked if I was "honest" and "fair," I realized his insanity (III.i.103,105). Who in their right mind would think that I was not honest or fair? I have done nothing to make him believe I have not been faithful to him in all ways. But once my Hamlet took is love away, "Denmark [had] become a prison" (Seng 218).
But I do not blame Hamlet for this tragedy of my insanity. It is truly my father's and brother's faults. Even my father admitted that Hamlet had "the very ecstasy of love," which I denied him (II.i.100). I am glad that my father admitted that he had some play in Hamlet's insanity, and my insanity as a consequence, but my brother "fails to comprehend his own measure of responsibility" (Seng 223). He even denies his responsibility after I he sees my madness by stating, "This nothing's more than matter" (IV.v.169).
In the diary, they say Laertes is ignorant of my madness and his responsibility because of the death of our father. My father's death was also part of my madness. Within the same day, Hamlet denied my love and faithfulness and killed my father. My father was "'dead and gone,'" which completely destroyed all of my well being (IV.v.29).
Reading this entry about my madness made me realize how insane I had become and the reasons for my insanity. I could not believe that all of this could happen to me, and my innocent and naive mind just could not stay same through all of these happenings.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Blog Post 15: Hamlet Blog 3
Soliloquy Analysis:
Imagery:
What eternal philosophical questions does Hamlet ponder?
What conclusions does Hamlet draw?
Acting Analysis:
Kenneth Branagh: In Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy is a very simple yet dramatic rendition. Hamlet is in the grand hall of the castle, wearing a generic black suit and his face is looks natural (minimal make-up). In the start of the soliloquy, the camera is at and over-the-shoulder angle and looking at Hamlet's reflection in the mirror of him looking at himself. The camera angle is over-the-shoulder for the entire soliloquy, but slowly zooms into Hamlet's face in the mirror as Hamlet begins to walk closer to the mirror. The lighting is very natural, indoor lighting that is even throughout the entire frame. As Hamlet begins speaking, he is the only diegetic sound, and there are no non-diegetic sounds present. But as Hamlet begins walking closer to the mirror, eerie background music begins to play. In the middle of the soliloquy, Hamlet draws a dagger out of his pants as if he were going to fight someone. As he gets closer to the mirror, he taps the dagger onto the mirror, a diegetic sound, and rubs the dagger on his face. At the very end of the scene, the camera angle is very close to Hamlet's face. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet talks in a very quiet voice, almost a whisper, which adds drama to the overall basic scene.
Laurence Olivier: Olivier's version of Hamlet's famous soliloquy begins with the camera angle building up suspense by panning a dark stairwell up to the roof of the castle, where the audience sees Hamlet looking down at the wild ocean below. The audience can hear the water crashing into the castle. It looks as if he is about to jump throughout the scene, but he never actually does. It is dark and gloomy outside which is enhanced by the suspense-building music. When Hamlet begins to say "To be or not to be," the frame is very blurry and twisted, which adds to Hamlet's confusion of whether or not to commit suicide. His voice is initially non-diegetic because it is a voice over, but quickly changed to the only diegetic sound. The camera has a long shot and is looking up onto Hamlet sitting upon a rock, looking down into the water. When Hamlet pulls out his dagger, the non-diegetic sound of eerie music returns, slowly increasing with volume, Hamlet's voice is a voice over, and the camera zooms in on Hamlet as it looks like he is about to commit suicide, but he does not. Eventually, Hamlet accidentally drops the dagger into the stormy water below. When Hamlet gets up and walks over to the side of the roof to look upon the water, the camera angle is even a longer shot and the music begins a sad tune, and the camera follows Hamlet as he walks into the fog and down the stairs. These final aspects of the clip allow the scene to conclude will a contemplating, sad mood.
Mel Gibson: In this version of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy, the lighting is very dark and dramatic, camera angles change frequently, and the setting is in the tomb of the castle. Overall, this scene is fairly eerie, with the lack of non-diegetic sounds, the setting of the tomb, and the dark lighting. The camera angles change frequently to show Hamlet's movement around the tomb, visiting all of the different graves. The lack of non-diegetic sounds emphasizes Hamlet's soliloquy and his confusion of life and death. Overall, this scene is much more simple compared to the rest, yet it allows for the audience to solely focus on Hamlet's soliloquy which is the important part of the scene.
Ethan Hawke: This rendition of Hamlet's soliloquy is very contemporary compared to the other three scenes. Hamlet is walking around a movie store in a black suit and a snow hat for the duration of this soliloquy. Initially, Hamlet begins speaking over a voice-over, and he is just slowly walking through the aisles and watches a video of an explosion. Halfway through the soliloquy, Hamlet begins speaking aloud. Eerie music plays in the background for the duration of the soliloquy to build up the mood and the suspense of the scene. The entire scene has various camera angles. When the camera zooms in on Hamlet's face, more important or distinct lines are being spoken than when it is a long shot. The difference in setting really changes the mood of the scene, so the director uses the suspenseful music and the varying camera scene in order to keep the mood eerie, as it was in the other films.
Even though I know I should not have, I listened in on Hamlet. I was really nervous that he would commit suicide right then in there; he has been acting mad lately after all. Out of all of these different scenes, Kenneth Branagh played my Hamlet the best. As Hamlet was looking at himself, I could really tell that he was serious about contemplating suicide. The way he rubbed the dagger against his face, the way he mumbled those words so I could barely hear, it was scary. I was afraid he would commit suicide right then and there. Compared to the other scenes, the basic setting, constant camera angle, and minimal sound affects actually enhanced Hamlet's contemplation. I focused on his every movement and every word; I was leaning forward on my toes out of fear and intrigue. Although I am ecstatic that Hamlet did not commit suicide while watching, I thought he almost would, and that was the entire point of what he was saying. How basic yet dramatic this scene was made me truly believe that Branagh and the director portrayed my Hamlet the best.
In regards to all of these scenes, I would have changed the lighting of the scene. Although I did like the brighter lighting in some of the scenes, a candle-lit room would have made this scene so much more dramatic. But other than a few moments of background music, I would keep the non-diegetic sounds to a minimum and the diegetic sounds to solely Hamlet's voice. Unlike the second scene, I would keep the setting very simple and bland so that the audience focuses on the dramatic lighting and Hamlet's voice.
Imagery:
- Locate imagery that refers to the uncertainty of death.
- "ay there's rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil" (III.i.15-17).
- "The undiscovered country from whose bourn No traveler returns" (III.i.79-80).
- Identify imagery that refers to the negative experiences of life.
- "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes" (III.i.70-74).
- Pathos:
- "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" (III.i.85-88).
- "Must give us pause" (III.i.69).
- Logos:
- "To die, to sleep—No more—and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to" (III.i.61-64).
- Paradox: "there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life" (III.i.78-79)
- Parallelism: "Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes" (III.i.71-74)
- Infinitive: "To die: to sleep; No more" (III.i.60-61)
- Synecdoche: "and by a sleep to say we end" (III.i.61)
- Tone: "When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin?" (III.i.75-76)
- Diction: "and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd" (III.i.61-64).
- Metaphor: "To die, to sleep; To sleep" (III.i.64-65) and "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles" (III.i.57-59) and "And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" (III.i.84-85)
- Life on earth: "Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th' unworthy takes" (III.i.71-74)
- Afterlife: "The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns" (III.i.79-80).
- Death: "To die, to sleep; to sleep" (III.i.64-65)
- Humans: "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all" (III.i.83)
- Thinking: "puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of?" (III.i.80-82)
- "who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death" (III.i.76-78)
- "For who would bear the whips and scorns of time" (III.i.70)
- "puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of?" (III.i.80-82)
What eternal philosophical questions does Hamlet ponder?
- He ponders whether or not to commit suicide and the consequences of suicide.
What conclusions does Hamlet draw?
- Hamlet concludes that he is not going to kill himself because he is scared of life after death.
Acting Analysis:
Kenneth Branagh: In Kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy is a very simple yet dramatic rendition. Hamlet is in the grand hall of the castle, wearing a generic black suit and his face is looks natural (minimal make-up). In the start of the soliloquy, the camera is at and over-the-shoulder angle and looking at Hamlet's reflection in the mirror of him looking at himself. The camera angle is over-the-shoulder for the entire soliloquy, but slowly zooms into Hamlet's face in the mirror as Hamlet begins to walk closer to the mirror. The lighting is very natural, indoor lighting that is even throughout the entire frame. As Hamlet begins speaking, he is the only diegetic sound, and there are no non-diegetic sounds present. But as Hamlet begins walking closer to the mirror, eerie background music begins to play. In the middle of the soliloquy, Hamlet draws a dagger out of his pants as if he were going to fight someone. As he gets closer to the mirror, he taps the dagger onto the mirror, a diegetic sound, and rubs the dagger on his face. At the very end of the scene, the camera angle is very close to Hamlet's face. Throughout the entire play, Hamlet talks in a very quiet voice, almost a whisper, which adds drama to the overall basic scene.
Laurence Olivier: Olivier's version of Hamlet's famous soliloquy begins with the camera angle building up suspense by panning a dark stairwell up to the roof of the castle, where the audience sees Hamlet looking down at the wild ocean below. The audience can hear the water crashing into the castle. It looks as if he is about to jump throughout the scene, but he never actually does. It is dark and gloomy outside which is enhanced by the suspense-building music. When Hamlet begins to say "To be or not to be," the frame is very blurry and twisted, which adds to Hamlet's confusion of whether or not to commit suicide. His voice is initially non-diegetic because it is a voice over, but quickly changed to the only diegetic sound. The camera has a long shot and is looking up onto Hamlet sitting upon a rock, looking down into the water. When Hamlet pulls out his dagger, the non-diegetic sound of eerie music returns, slowly increasing with volume, Hamlet's voice is a voice over, and the camera zooms in on Hamlet as it looks like he is about to commit suicide, but he does not. Eventually, Hamlet accidentally drops the dagger into the stormy water below. When Hamlet gets up and walks over to the side of the roof to look upon the water, the camera angle is even a longer shot and the music begins a sad tune, and the camera follows Hamlet as he walks into the fog and down the stairs. These final aspects of the clip allow the scene to conclude will a contemplating, sad mood.
Mel Gibson: In this version of the "To be or not to be" soliloquy, the lighting is very dark and dramatic, camera angles change frequently, and the setting is in the tomb of the castle. Overall, this scene is fairly eerie, with the lack of non-diegetic sounds, the setting of the tomb, and the dark lighting. The camera angles change frequently to show Hamlet's movement around the tomb, visiting all of the different graves. The lack of non-diegetic sounds emphasizes Hamlet's soliloquy and his confusion of life and death. Overall, this scene is much more simple compared to the rest, yet it allows for the audience to solely focus on Hamlet's soliloquy which is the important part of the scene.
Ethan Hawke: This rendition of Hamlet's soliloquy is very contemporary compared to the other three scenes. Hamlet is walking around a movie store in a black suit and a snow hat for the duration of this soliloquy. Initially, Hamlet begins speaking over a voice-over, and he is just slowly walking through the aisles and watches a video of an explosion. Halfway through the soliloquy, Hamlet begins speaking aloud. Eerie music plays in the background for the duration of the soliloquy to build up the mood and the suspense of the scene. The entire scene has various camera angles. When the camera zooms in on Hamlet's face, more important or distinct lines are being spoken than when it is a long shot. The difference in setting really changes the mood of the scene, so the director uses the suspenseful music and the varying camera scene in order to keep the mood eerie, as it was in the other films.
Even though I know I should not have, I listened in on Hamlet. I was really nervous that he would commit suicide right then in there; he has been acting mad lately after all. Out of all of these different scenes, Kenneth Branagh played my Hamlet the best. As Hamlet was looking at himself, I could really tell that he was serious about contemplating suicide. The way he rubbed the dagger against his face, the way he mumbled those words so I could barely hear, it was scary. I was afraid he would commit suicide right then and there. Compared to the other scenes, the basic setting, constant camera angle, and minimal sound affects actually enhanced Hamlet's contemplation. I focused on his every movement and every word; I was leaning forward on my toes out of fear and intrigue. Although I am ecstatic that Hamlet did not commit suicide while watching, I thought he almost would, and that was the entire point of what he was saying. How basic yet dramatic this scene was made me truly believe that Branagh and the director portrayed my Hamlet the best.
In regards to all of these scenes, I would have changed the lighting of the scene. Although I did like the brighter lighting in some of the scenes, a candle-lit room would have made this scene so much more dramatic. But other than a few moments of background music, I would keep the non-diegetic sounds to a minimum and the diegetic sounds to solely Hamlet's voice. Unlike the second scene, I would keep the setting very simple and bland so that the audience focuses on the dramatic lighting and Hamlet's voice.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Blog Post 14: Hamlet Blog 2
"A notorious woman of affairs. A adventurous man of the world." (Notorious).
In Notorious, Alicia, the notorious woman, and Devlin, the adventurous man, work together to get inside information of a group of German Nazis. As many stories begin, the two fall in love. But Alicia's job is to spy on Sebastian, one of the German Nazis, and they eventually get married. Alicia has to spy on her husband and on the one she "loves." Once Sebastian realizes who Alicia really is, he plots her slow death, which is unsuccessful because Devlin, her true love, rescues her.
Oh, what a story. I can truly relate to Alicia, having to spy on one that she loves. It is very difficult to spy on somebody that you love, or think that you love. When my dearest Hamlet came into my room one night, he was "Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking together" (II.i.79). He gave me a fright and I was not sure what to do! I went to go see my father, and he believed that Hamlet was filled with "the very ecstasy of love" (II.i.100). I was surprised when my father told me that Hamlet truly loved me, and he admitted he wrong about Hamlet because my father believed "it is common for the younger sort / To lack discretion" (II.i.114-115).
I could not fathom that Hamlet truly loved me. So I thought it fit best, just as Alicia did, to spy. I saw that everyone around me (my father, his father) were spying on Hamlet, so I thought, "Why not?"
In Notorious, Sebastian walks in on Devlin and Alicia kissing and says, "I'm sorry to intrude on this tender scene" (Notorious). This is similar to when Hamlet comes into my room, and I tell Polonious of my affairs with Hamlet, and he responds, "Mad for thy love?" (II.i.83). In both of these situations, love and unfaithfulness--Alicia is unfaithful to Devlin and I am unfaithful to my father.
When the filmmakers call Devlin the "adventurous man," that contrasts with Hamlet's craziness (Notorious). According to Polonious, Ophelia's aversion to Hamlet "hath made him mad" (II.i.108). While Hamlet could be adventurous in his new personality, he is just plain mad!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Blog Post 13: Hamlet Blog 1
Fellow Bloggers:
Send help! All of you need to send your best love and parent advice as soon as possible!
In my last blog, I told you all how great my relationship with Hamlet was going. He said he loves me and gave me his "many tenders of his affection" (I.iii.99). But sadly for me, my father and my brother do not trust him the way I do.
My father forbade me to see Hamlet and to continue my relationship with Hamlet. My brother completely agreed with him, and I need your advice to figure out how to handle this! I want to love and cherish Hamlet, but I can't disobey my family.
My brother believes that Hamlet's duties lie within "the safety and health of this whole state," so he would not be able to love me as someone else would (I.iii.21). I only told Laertes that I would keep his advice "As a watchman to my heart" and nothing more (I.iii.46). I know he's just being a good brother and watching out for his naive sister, but still. I can take care of myself. Right?
Well, I thought my brother's advice was just plain nonsensical until my father gave me the same speech. Once I told my father that Hamlet did offer his love and that his love is in fact true, he told me that these offers "are not sterling" (I.iii.107). Of course his love is true! Why wouldn't it be? But my father is more insightful than I am.
My father gave me the final command that I could not even "give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet" (I.iii.134). What else could I do besides obey him? I love both my father and brother; they are the only true family I have. But Hamlet is also becoming part of my heart and my life. I cannot lose him this way.
So please, send your help and your advice!
Ophelia
Send help! All of you need to send your best love and parent advice as soon as possible!
In my last blog, I told you all how great my relationship with Hamlet was going. He said he loves me and gave me his "many tenders of his affection" (I.iii.99). But sadly for me, my father and my brother do not trust him the way I do.
My father forbade me to see Hamlet and to continue my relationship with Hamlet. My brother completely agreed with him, and I need your advice to figure out how to handle this! I want to love and cherish Hamlet, but I can't disobey my family.
My brother believes that Hamlet's duties lie within "the safety and health of this whole state," so he would not be able to love me as someone else would (I.iii.21). I only told Laertes that I would keep his advice "As a watchman to my heart" and nothing more (I.iii.46). I know he's just being a good brother and watching out for his naive sister, but still. I can take care of myself. Right?
Well, I thought my brother's advice was just plain nonsensical until my father gave me the same speech. Once I told my father that Hamlet did offer his love and that his love is in fact true, he told me that these offers "are not sterling" (I.iii.107). Of course his love is true! Why wouldn't it be? But my father is more insightful than I am.
My father gave me the final command that I could not even "give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet" (I.iii.134). What else could I do besides obey him? I love both my father and brother; they are the only true family I have. But Hamlet is also becoming part of my heart and my life. I cannot lose him this way.
So please, send your help and your advice!
Ophelia
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Blog Post 12: Hamlet Character Choice Justification
I choose to follow Ophelia because although she is not the most primary character, she represents so much within the play. Her character emphasizes Hamlet's not-so-great opinion of women and their sexuality. And even though, in Hamlet's eyes, Ophelia does not represent goodness and pureness, she actually does. Ophelia is almost a walking contradiction that represents so many different ideas within the play, and I find that interesting and engaging. Eventually, Ophelia goes insane because of so many tragedies within her life. Ophelia is definitely social-media worthy because of her insanity. She almost reminds me of a stressed-out teenage girl who constantly tweets about how hard school and life are. Ophelia would be an interesting person to "follow" on Twitter or "friend" on Facebook because of her "sexuality," her innocence, and her insanity. Overall, Ophelia will be an interesting character to follow throughout the play.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Blog Post 9: Creative Project
2013. A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral development of its protagonist from youth to maturity, when this character recognizes his or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the psychological or moral development of the protagonist of a bildungsroman. Then write a well-organized essay that analyzes how that single moment shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.
Thesis: In Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Pi, a boy stuck at sea, goes to an island that thrives by day and destroys by night. This island symbolizes Pi’s coming of age by his realization that he turned animalistic and needs to return to reality.
Essence: Morality often lingers in the decisions we make and alter one’s life path.
Summary of text: An anonymous figure explained that he had traveled from Canada to America--we soon found out this anonymous character is Pi Patel. He explains how he earned his nickname and tells his story of his childhood in Pondicherry, India. Pi’s parents decision to move to Canada was motivated by political strife in India and they set sail in a cargo ship along with many zoo animals as his father was a zoo owner. During their voyage there is a shipwreck and Pi, a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker are all but left of the shipwreck. They are now all fighting for survival.
Life of Pi Explanation
Our board game represents the different choices of morality through one’s life that can have an affect on our journey and where it takes us. Life of Pi is about how Pi must use his different personalities in order to face different kinds of situations during this coming of age story. If he is not able to use his “tiger” like personality or his courageous side during the perilous parts of his journey then he will not be able to continue onwards in his path. Martel states on page 164, “It’s the plain truth: without Richard Parker, I wouldn’t be alive today to tell you my story.” Without the courageous side of his persona, Pi would not have been able to survive. He also states, “Then Richard Parker, companion of my torment, awful, fierce thing that kept me alive, moved forward and disappeared forever from my life” (285). Richard Parker did not just help Pi survive, he helped him move onward with his journey.
Throughout our game there are two paths, one for Pi and one for Richard Parker. The path you take depends on how you answer certain morality questions. If your answers proves that you are brave, courageous, and self-preserving, then you will continue on the path of Richard Parker. If your answers prove that you are not as self-preserving, then you will continue on the path of Pi. Throughout the game, both of these paths cross which shows the Pi’s inner conflict between himself and Richard Parker. Such as when the blind Frenchman attacks Pi and Richard Parker saves Pi, Pi states,“This was the terrible cost of Richard Parker. He gave me a life, my own, but at the expense of taking one” (255). Richard Parker helped save Pi however, there was always a cost to saving Pi’s life at every situation they encountered.
Throughout the story, Pi is struggling with balancing his evil/courageous side with his weak/cowardly side--it is a constant mental struggle. Pi tried to incorporate both sides into his life by “training” Richard Parker. “I trained him to jump through a hoop I made with thin branches” (274). Pi uses this training as a metaphor to show that he is starting to train his animalistic and self-preservation persona and to control this side so that he does not lose the human aspect of himself. When Pi and Richard Parker finally land on shore, Richard Parker runs away without turning back. Pi tries his hardest to incorporate Richard Parker into his persona while they are on the boat, in the end, however, they end up going their own separate ways and will never meet again, showing that Pi has returned to his moral and human self.
At the end of the story, the reader can choose to keep faith in Pi and in the story with the animals or choose to believe in the more realistic story with humans. When Pi tells the Japanese investigators the human side of the story, they exclaim “which means he’s the tiger!” (311). At this point, the reader finally realizes the extended metaphor and can visualize the two sides of Pi: is human side and animalistic side.
Throughout the board game, the different morality and self-preservation issues are what decides how much each character moves forward/backward. The goal of the game is to be the first to reach the island at the end. Based on how you answer the morality questions, that decides which path you will take; Richard Parker’s or Pi’s, self-preservation or morality.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Blog Post 3: Group Skills
My task roles are the coordinator and the procedure developer, and my social
role is the supporter/encourager. As the coordinator, I clarify
relationships and suggest ways to combine the ideas; as the procedure
developer, I handle the routine tasks; and as the supporter/encourager, I
praise and agree with my group members while giving them warmth and
comfort. Because I handle the routine tasks, I am like Mrs. Potts from
Beauty and the Beast. I am also similar to the animals in Cinderella because
they unconditionally love and support Cinderella throughout her journey, just
as I support and take care of my group as the supporter/encourager.
As the housekeeper, Mrs. Potts watches over the house and all of the staff, even the Beast himself, to make sure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently. She has a strong sense of responsibility and doesn't stop at anything to keep the house running. As the procedure developer, I, too, handle the routine tasks and keep up the productivity in the group by having all of the necessary supplies on hand and by staying on task. In Cinderella, the animals are always there for her whether she just ran away from her true love as the clock struck midnight or if she just wants to sing a song. Such as when Cinderella is locked in her bedroom, the mice steal they key and save her because they love Cinderella so much and want her to be happy. They continuously love and take care of her, just as I do as the supporter/encourager. It is important that our group has that supporting/encouraging role so that group members do not become sad or frustrated.
As the housekeeper, Mrs. Potts watches over the house and all of the staff, even the Beast himself, to make sure that everything is running smoothly and efficiently. She has a strong sense of responsibility and doesn't stop at anything to keep the house running. As the procedure developer, I, too, handle the routine tasks and keep up the productivity in the group by having all of the necessary supplies on hand and by staying on task. In Cinderella, the animals are always there for her whether she just ran away from her true love as the clock struck midnight or if she just wants to sing a song. Such as when Cinderella is locked in her bedroom, the mice steal they key and save her because they love Cinderella so much and want her to be happy. They continuously love and take care of her, just as I do as the supporter/encourager. It is important that our group has that supporting/encouraging role so that group members do not become sad or frustrated.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Blog Post 2: Diagnosis/Exam Reflection
Even
though I struggle with literary analysis, I do have multiple strengths. One of my strengths is that I can recognize
and interpret literary devices, such as simile, metaphor, personification. These devices are easy to point out, and
questions asking about literary devices are, for me, the easiest
questions. Another strength of mine is
noticing when a symbol is being used. In
general, writers make the symbols noticeable to the readers, but I can also
interpret an analyze the symbol for the deeper meaning. One of my best strengths is that I can close
read a passage efficiently and take notes on the important devices used, the
tone, the purpose, etc.
I do
have strengths when it comes to literary analysis, but I definitely have many
weaknesses as well. One of my biggest
weaknesses is recognizing the tones of passages. I really struggle with using the author’s
word choices to decide the tone.
Normally, I chose the tone based off how I read the passage in my head,
but that usually isn’t a very accurate way in deciding the tone. Another weakness of mine is figuring out what
a writer is referring to when the writing is ambiguous (usually when pronouns
are present). I also really struggle with
the types of questions that have roman numerals involved and the test taker has
to choose I, II, III, or some combination of the three. Whenever I read the answers, my thinking
always becomes influenced, and I usually end up thinking that all 3 or more
answers are correct.
I would
love to improve my literary analysis skills in order to become a more effective
and a better reader and writer. I plan
on improving my literary analysis abilities by constantly reading and writing,
trying new techniques in my writing, and delving deeper into the texts we
read. Everyone always says that
practice makes perfect, so if I read and write and practice analyzing literature,
then I will improve. When I write, I
cannot be afraid to try new techniques and literary devices that I learn in
class. I know that if I do make
mistakes, I can always work harder to understand how a literary device is
supposed to be used. And personally,
application of an idea makes me understand it to a much better degree. In the Literature & Composition book,
they gave us a few tips on how to become an effective reader. One of the tips, attentiveness, really stuck
out to me. If I am aware of the text and
how it makes you feel, I can become a much more effective reader. My plan is not set in stone in how I would
like to improve my skills, but I know what I have to do to improve that skill
set.
Before
the AP Exam in May, I would like to:
1.
Be aware of myself and my feelings toward a
text, and be able to use these feelings to analyze the text.
2.
Be able to break down the ambiguity and reach
the deeper meaning of a text.
3.
Not be afraid of literature and really dive into
the text without any expectations or set judgments.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Blog Post 1: Design
I chose to make my blog girly and fun to match my personality. At first glance, the pink text and pink, light background give an informal feel to the blog, which I hope welcomes all readers. According to the "Color Psychology" article, colors at the red end of the color spectrum give feelings of "warmth and comfort" to the viewer. I want everyone who views my blog to be welcomed and comforted. The fun title text adds to the informal appearance. Although the appearance is fun and cute, the written blogs will be more formal.
The actual blog posts are definitely more formal and serious compared to the rest of the appearance. The font is for the posts is normal and not too outlandish, which will emphasize the blog posts according to the typography article. The color is no longer a bright pink that pops but rather black, a color that continues the formality. The posts of the blog should be taken seriously, even if at first glance the blog is more girly, which is why I changed the posts to have a more traditional font and color.
The actual blog posts are definitely more formal and serious compared to the rest of the appearance. The font is for the posts is normal and not too outlandish, which will emphasize the blog posts according to the typography article. The color is no longer a bright pink that pops but rather black, a color that continues the formality. The posts of the blog should be taken seriously, even if at first glance the blog is more girly, which is why I changed the posts to have a more traditional font and color.
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