Monday, December 14, 2015
Blog #15: Final Reflection
Looking back on this past semester, I can truly see my growth and progress through my blog posts. Before this class, my analysis of literature level was sufficient for a high score on the ACT, but nothing more. After realizing what I am actually supposed to be looking for and finding the true complexity of the text has further enhanced my comprehension of well-renowned pieces of literature.
My favorite activity in this class so far was creating the physical object that relates to the essence of our summer reading book. I found it very intriguing and stimulating to create an actual object. It was in a way a elevated book report/talent show.
Overall, I am enjoying this class so far and I am excited to venture into full novels next semester. I look forward to reading well-known pieces of literature that are of elevated writing.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Blog #14: Paired Poems Group Presentation
In the poems “Hawk Roosting” (Ted Hughes) and “Golden Retrievals” (Mark Doty), are paired together present contrasting views of the world through the embodiment of animal view poetry. Either through the praising the bird, its determination, power and beauty or the friendliness and loyalty of a golden retriever, the authors utilize a third party Both pomes clearly represent their separate worlds through diction, figurative language, and tone.
Maty Doty’s “Golden Retrievals”, presents the subject to the poem, the dog, as a playful, joyous creature with a quick paced poem involving the game of fetch. “Catch? I don’t think so, bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel who’s--.” The structure of the poem being in three stanzas, contrasting again the latter poem, proves to be a tool to show the dog’s short attentiveness. Also, the diction throughout is not difficult to comprehend and is suitable for the dog’s personality portrayed in the poem. Though this is but one example it does a significant job of highlighting the carefree spirit of the animal at hand, which directly contrasts the “Hawk roosting” poem’s attitude of power and cruelty. “My work: to unsnare time’s warp, retrieving my haze-headed friend, you.” Here the dog tells of how his job in his life is to get his “friend”, presumably his owner, out of the fix of always thinking of tomorrow. The dog even states earlier in the poem, “tomorrow, is that what you call?” Here the poet through his animal- eye view of the world uses the dog to portray that society needs to break free sometimes of our fix on the future and live in the present and enjoy our time on Earth. The dog also presents the argument that we a society are always trying to fix our past mistakes, “And you? Either you’re sunk in the past, thinking of what you never can bring back.” The poet conveys his plea to live now and not in the past or future through the dog-speaker in the poem.
In “Hawk Roosting” by Ted Hughes, the hawk or speaker of the poem takes on a darker sinister tone, often making references to death, power and cruelty. “My manners of tearing of heads. The allotment of death. This can be coinciding with how the hawk is viewed as more majestic and powerful creature than a dog may be. Adding to this is the notion that the hawk owns the world, “I kill where I please because it is all mine.” Portraying the hawk this way adds to the fact that he is a powerful and cruel master of the world beneath him. Another concept involved in adding an air of sophistication to the hawk is the uniformity of the stanzas in the poem. Each stanza contains four lines.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Blog #13: Paired Poems Revision (Chimney Sweeper)
In both poems, The Chimney Sweeper, William Blake talks about chimney sweepers, little children who are forced to clean chimneys endangering their life. A clear social injustice occurring to little children who barely even know what the world has to offer, are forced to clean chimneys. The powerful diction and syntax combine to form a melancholy tone, foretell the social injustice happening to little children in the poems by William Blake.
In the second poem Blake builds on the melancholy tone further by using variable syntax structure. In line 2 he says, “Crying “weep, ’weep,” ” represents the actions that the poor little children are doing: crying and weeping at such a job that is a social injustice against them. A binary opposite is used in line 12 where Blake mentions the words heaven and misery. The ironic use of heaven talks about the regrets of living in a society where a small child is not respected and forced to do an unjust job where death is near certain. The two opposites both paint a picture of sadness and despair for the children. Instead of living a life of peace and harmony, they are living a life of misery. The short sentences and the actual dialog by the children give a first hand account on their troublesome lives.
Throughout both poems “The Chimney Sweeper” William Blake uses intense diction to paint an image of injustice. The words such as coffins, died, cry used in the poem convey a melancholy tone further criticize the job that the children were forced to use. William Blake in line one says, “When my mother died I was very young”, the children were deprived of a motherly figure and instead of consoling them, people made them clean chimneys where death was very likely. The use of black symbolizes the soot on the children’s hair, which entails from the work they are doing and the coffin symbolizes death of the children. Both combine together to tell the true nature of what is going to happen to the little children. In lines 11 and 12, Blake says, “Dick, Joe, Ned & Jack, were all of them lock’d up in coffins of black”, the use of word coffin and black cements the outcry of children. Seeing your own friend’s die of a job so dangerous, are wondering what will be the fate on themselves. The fact that little children do jobs that are not in their reach, is a terrible injustice to them and the people that do it to them, deserve to be punished.
Throughout both poems William Blake uses dark diction and variable syntax to talk about the pains for what the children are facing. Being a sweeper entails certain death. The dark diction builds on the ironic idea that even though they are children they are being treated as adults because they are doing such a dangerous job. The sadness and despair conveyed by Blake on such a horrifying situation paints an image of regret. The melancholy tone future cements the legacy of the little children as long lost, and no hope of returning.
Blog #12: Paired Poems Benchmark Essay & Reflection (Chimney Sweeper)
Poetry is form, when used properly can convey the hidden truths of society such as injustice and displeasure. The two poems named: The Chimney Sweeper were written by William Blake talk about chimney sweepers, little children who are forced to clean chimneys endangering their life. A clear social injustice occurring to little children who barely even know what the world has to offer, are forced to clean chimneys. The powerful diction and syntax combine to form a melancholy tone, foretell the social injustice happening to little children in the poems by William Blake.
Throughout both poems “The Chimney Sweeper” William Blake uses intense diction to paint an image of injustice. The words such as coffins, died, cry used in the poem convey a melancholy tone further criticize the job that the children were forced to use. William Blake in line one says, “When my mother died I was very young”, the children were deprived of a motherly figure and instead of consoling them, people made them clean chimneys where death was very likely. In lines 11 and 12, Blake says, “Dick, Joe, Ned & Jack, were all of them lock’d up in coffins of black”, the use of word coffin and black cements the outcry of children. Seeing your own friend’s die of a job so dangerous, are wondering what will be the fate on themselves. The use of black symbolizes the soot on the children’s hair, which entails from the work they are doing and the coffin symbolizes death of the children. Both combine together to tell the true nature of what is going to happen to the little children. The fact that little children do jobs that are not in their reach, is a terrible injustice to them and the people that do it to them, deserve to be punished.
In the second poem Blake builds on the melancholy tone further by using variable syntax structure. In line 2 he says, “Crying “weep, ’weep,” ” represents the actions that the poor little children are doing: crying and weeping at such a job that is a social injustice against them. A binary opposite is used in line 12 where Blake mentions the words heaven and misery. The two opposites both paint a picture of sadness and despair for the children. Instead of living a life of peace and harmony, they are living a life of misery. The ironic use of heaven talks about the regrets of living in a society where a small child is not respected and forced to do an unjust job where death is near certain. The short sentences and the actual dialog by the children give a first hand account on their troublesome lives.
Throughout both poems William Blake uses dark diction and variable syntax to talk about the pains for what the children are facing. Being a sweeper entails certain death. The dark diction builds on the ironic idea that even though they are children they are being treated as adults because they are doing such a dangerous job. The sadness and despair conveyed by Blake on such a horrifying situation paints an image of regret. The melancholy tone future cements the legacy of the little children as long lost, and no hope of returning.
Reflection:
The task was to write a compare and contrast essay for which we had 40 minutes to write. The prompt was straightforward as it just asked for analysis of the author's use of certain literary devices. The poems, titled the Chimney Sweeper, was not difficult to understand, but it was easy to miss some of the underlying complexities. And this is what I believe to be the hardest part of reading and soon after writing a prose passage essay. After re-reading my essay, I would score this essay a 5. The reasons for this score is that the analysis was present but was superficial and the relationships made to the literary devices were slight. I relied to much on textual evidence and not enough analysis to support all the quotes used from the passage. One measurable goal is to limit, but not omit, the use of quotations as the centerpiece of my essay. I should focus on lengthening my analysis. Along with this, I need to work on finding the hidden meanings within the passage by spending more time on reading the passage. This is the quickest way to get a deeper analysis for my next essay.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Friday, September 25, 2015
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Blog #4: AP English Literature Benchmark Open Question Essay & Reflection/3x3, Revisions & Reflection
Cruelty, no matter how small, is at the basis for any movement, cause, or personal endeavor. The function of cruelty as a motivational force is evident in the literary work, The Odyssey, by Homer. In this piece, Oddysius suffers cruel conditions of the harsh and unforgiving ocean and much more. As his journey, or odyssey, goes on, the intensity and cruelty does not lighten, rather increases, especially when Odyssius arrives at his destination. The hardship he faces throughout his odyssey did not hinder him, but instead further inspired and motivated him to continue on until his goal was accomplished.
A cornerstone for The Odyssey, cruelty is essentially another one of Homer's complex characters driving the protagonist, Odyssius, backwards, only so he can progress forward. as the title so explicitly reflects, the Odyssey is about a journey, and all the troubles and setbacks that are presented with it. A major role in the cruelty Odyssius faces is the harshness and relentlessness of the ocean. This challenges Odyssius from the first moment the travel starts, exemplifying the fact that in life, challenges and opposers will be present long before the real hardship begins. Odyssius and his crew were confronted many times before they even reached the island, where their real opponent lied. The way Homer implemented the existence of cruelty as more than simply an idea, but as a living being served The Odyssey tremendously by presenting the notion that there will not be a moment in one's life where he or she is not confronted, antagonized, or challenged. Homer drives the fact that it is simply the nature of life. However, these hardships are the ones who accomplish their goals and feel achievement. Homer utilizes the protagonist, Odyssius to achieve this purpose.
Odyssius is one of the most complex and deep characters in all of literature. Homer developed this level of intensity by allowing Odyssius become the character he is through himself. As cruelty was mercilessly handed down on him in one form or another, Odyssius builds upon himself to persevere through them, knowing his true goal is still awaiting. By allowing Odyssius to use the cruelty as a motivator and a reason to keep charging, Homer reveals the personality, the mentality, and the pure nature of Odyssius as a man, and something more.
Overall, in a field of many motivational factors, cruelty is by far one of the most effective ones. The evident utilization of this in The Odyssey truly shows how one aspect, such as cruelty, can shape a literary work and provide a new lens for which the reader sees and interprets the characters.
Personal Reflection:
On August 28, I wrote the open passage essay. The entire time of the bell was given for me to write the essay. However, almost a quarter of that time was spent on deciding what book to reflect on and if I remembered the author's name or more importantly the character's name. After about 12 minutes, I decided on the ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer. After reviewing me essay, I would score it a 5. This score is based on the fact that my essay is discussing how cruelty functions in the work as a whole and what cruelty reveals about the victim, but falls short in analysis of those statements and the present analysis is superficial. A measurable goal for my improvement on this essay is to drastically reduce the time I spend on choosing a literary work that relates to the prompt. This should allow me more time to develop a deeper analysis.
Essay Revision:
Prajwal, this is a superbly written essay. After reviewing the essay, I would score it a 6. The reason for this score is that it meets all the criteria for a 5 essay such as, discussing the function of cruelty in the work and how it affects the victim. What made this essay a 6 is the level of sophistication of your writing. There was some plot summary, which is understandable in length, but the length of analysis did not match it. One piece of advice is for example, in the final paragraph the relation of the prompt to your book is sound but is too close to your original thesis. With minor tweaks, I am sure you will be in the upper scoring range.
A cornerstone for The Odyssey, cruelty is essentially another one of Homer's complex characters driving the protagonist, Odyssius, backwards, only so he can progress forward. as the title so explicitly reflects, the Odyssey is about a journey, and all the troubles and setbacks that are presented with it. A major role in the cruelty Odyssius faces is the harshness and relentlessness of the ocean. This challenges Odyssius from the first moment the travel starts, exemplifying the fact that in life, challenges and opposers will be present long before the real hardship begins. Odyssius and his crew were confronted many times before they even reached the island, where their real opponent lied. The way Homer implemented the existence of cruelty as more than simply an idea, but as a living being served The Odyssey tremendously by presenting the notion that there will not be a moment in one's life where he or she is not confronted, antagonized, or challenged. Homer drives the fact that it is simply the nature of life. However, these hardships are the ones who accomplish their goals and feel achievement. Homer utilizes the protagonist, Odyssius to achieve this purpose.
Odyssius is one of the most complex and deep characters in all of literature. Homer developed this level of intensity by allowing Odyssius become the character he is through himself. As cruelty was mercilessly handed down on him in one form or another, Odyssius builds upon himself to persevere through them, knowing his true goal is still awaiting. By allowing Odyssius to use the cruelty as a motivator and a reason to keep charging, Homer reveals the personality, the mentality, and the pure nature of Odyssius as a man, and something more.
Overall, in a field of many motivational factors, cruelty is by far one of the most effective ones. The evident utilization of this in The Odyssey truly shows how one aspect, such as cruelty, can shape a literary work and provide a new lens for which the reader sees and interprets the characters.
Personal Reflection:
On August 28, I wrote the open passage essay. The entire time of the bell was given for me to write the essay. However, almost a quarter of that time was spent on deciding what book to reflect on and if I remembered the author's name or more importantly the character's name. After about 12 minutes, I decided on the ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer. After reviewing me essay, I would score it a 5. This score is based on the fact that my essay is discussing how cruelty functions in the work as a whole and what cruelty reveals about the victim, but falls short in analysis of those statements and the present analysis is superficial. A measurable goal for my improvement on this essay is to drastically reduce the time I spend on choosing a literary work that relates to the prompt. This should allow me more time to develop a deeper analysis.
Essay Revision:
Odysseus claims return
Odysseus ventures home
Suitors lack threat
In this collection of poems, there is great hardship. Only when does Odysseus believes he has successfully returned home, does he realize the greater challenge before him.
Cruelty, no matter how small, is at the basis for any movement, cause, or personal endeavor. The function of cruelty as a motivational force is evident in the literary work, The Odyssey, by Homer. In this piece, Oddysius suffers cruel conditions of the harsh and unforgiving ocean and much more. As his journey, or odyssey, goes on, the intensity and cruelty does not lighten, rather increases, especially when Odyssius arrives at his destination. The hardship he faces throughout his odyssey did not hinder him, but instead further inspired and motivated him to continue on until his goal was accomplished.
A cornerstone for The Odyssey, cruelty is essentially another one of Homer's complex characters driving the protagonist, Odyssius, backwards, only so he can progress forward. as the title so explicitly reflects, the Odyssey is about a journey, and all the troubles and setbacks that are presented with it. A major role in the cruelty Odyssius faces is the harshness and relentlessness of the ocean. This challenges Odyssius from the first moment the travel starts, exemplifying the fact that in life, challenges and opposers will be present long before the real hardship begins. Odyssius and his crew were confronted many times before they even reached the island, where their real opponent lied. The suitors consumed his home and were pursuing Penelope. The way Homer implemented the existence of cruelty as more than simply an idea, but as a living being served The Odyssey tremendously by presenting the notion that there will not be a moment in one's life where he or she is not confronted, antagonized, or challenged. Homer drives the fact that it is simply the nature of life. However, these hardships are the ones who accomplish their goals and feel achievement. Homer utilizes the protagonist, Odyssius to achieve this purpose.
Odyssius is one of the most complex and deep characters in all of literature. Homer developed this level of intensity by allowing Odyssius become the character he is through himself. As cruelty was mercilessly handed down on him in one form or another, Odyssius builds upon himself to persevere through them, knowing his true goal is still awaiting. By allowing Odyssius to use the cruelty as a motivator and a reason to keep charging, Homer reveals the personality, the mentality, and the pure nature of Odyssius as a man, and something more.
Overall, in a field of many motivational factors, cruelty is by far one of the most effective ones. The evident utilization of this in The Odyssey truly shows how one aspect, such as cruelty, can shape a literary work and provide a new lens for which the reader sees and interprets the characters.
Reflection on Revisions:
After reviewing my essay revision, there was not a lot of space to enter my revisions in regards to the 3x3 rubric. This is because of my lack of knowledge of The Odyssey. Even though I knew the general plot, I could not remember the complexities and intricacies that Homer implemented throughout the poems. This allowed for less analysis of the text in relation to the prompt topic of Cruelty. Despite this limitation, I did try to implement some of the 3x3 statements into a body paragraph. Hopefully, with more knowledge of the text I pick, the analysis will increase and thus, there will be more room for the implementation of 3x3 statements.
Reflection for Prajwal Hegde:In this collection of poems, there is great hardship. Only when does Odysseus believes he has successfully returned home, does he realize the greater challenge before him.
Cruelty, no matter how small, is at the basis for any movement, cause, or personal endeavor. The function of cruelty as a motivational force is evident in the literary work, The Odyssey, by Homer. In this piece, Oddysius suffers cruel conditions of the harsh and unforgiving ocean and much more. As his journey, or odyssey, goes on, the intensity and cruelty does not lighten, rather increases, especially when Odyssius arrives at his destination. The hardship he faces throughout his odyssey did not hinder him, but instead further inspired and motivated him to continue on until his goal was accomplished.
A cornerstone for The Odyssey, cruelty is essentially another one of Homer's complex characters driving the protagonist, Odyssius, backwards, only so he can progress forward. as the title so explicitly reflects, the Odyssey is about a journey, and all the troubles and setbacks that are presented with it. A major role in the cruelty Odyssius faces is the harshness and relentlessness of the ocean. This challenges Odyssius from the first moment the travel starts, exemplifying the fact that in life, challenges and opposers will be present long before the real hardship begins. Odyssius and his crew were confronted many times before they even reached the island, where their real opponent lied. The suitors consumed his home and were pursuing Penelope. The way Homer implemented the existence of cruelty as more than simply an idea, but as a living being served The Odyssey tremendously by presenting the notion that there will not be a moment in one's life where he or she is not confronted, antagonized, or challenged. Homer drives the fact that it is simply the nature of life. However, these hardships are the ones who accomplish their goals and feel achievement. Homer utilizes the protagonist, Odyssius to achieve this purpose.
Odyssius is one of the most complex and deep characters in all of literature. Homer developed this level of intensity by allowing Odyssius become the character he is through himself. As cruelty was mercilessly handed down on him in one form or another, Odyssius builds upon himself to persevere through them, knowing his true goal is still awaiting. By allowing Odyssius to use the cruelty as a motivator and a reason to keep charging, Homer reveals the personality, the mentality, and the pure nature of Odyssius as a man, and something more.
Overall, in a field of many motivational factors, cruelty is by far one of the most effective ones. The evident utilization of this in The Odyssey truly shows how one aspect, such as cruelty, can shape a literary work and provide a new lens for which the reader sees and interprets the characters.
Reflection on Revisions:
After reviewing my essay revision, there was not a lot of space to enter my revisions in regards to the 3x3 rubric. This is because of my lack of knowledge of The Odyssey. Even though I knew the general plot, I could not remember the complexities and intricacies that Homer implemented throughout the poems. This allowed for less analysis of the text in relation to the prompt topic of Cruelty. Despite this limitation, I did try to implement some of the 3x3 statements into a body paragraph. Hopefully, with more knowledge of the text I pick, the analysis will increase and thus, there will be more room for the implementation of 3x3 statements.
Prajwal, this is a superbly written essay. After reviewing the essay, I would score it a 6. The reason for this score is that it meets all the criteria for a 5 essay such as, discussing the function of cruelty in the work and how it affects the victim. What made this essay a 6 is the level of sophistication of your writing. There was some plot summary, which is understandable in length, but the length of analysis did not match it. One piece of advice is for example, in the final paragraph the relation of the prompt to your book is sound but is too close to your original thesis. With minor tweaks, I am sure you will be in the upper scoring range.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Blog #3: AP English Literature Benchmark Prose Essay & Reflection/Revisions & Reflection
A child's upbringing as well as their surroundings both play a pivotal role in the child's development. The true extent of this truth is well explained in the The Beet Queen, by Louise Erdrich. In this novel, Erdrich depicts the struggles and complexities of Karl and Mary Adare. By depicting their lives vividly through literary devices such as tone, imagery, selection of detail, and a unique point of view, Erdrich uncovers the truth to the reader of how deep the effects of an environment truly goes.
Karl and Mary's story is presented vividly and lively through literary devices such as such as imagery and selection of detail. Erdrich utilizes these two devices to further enrich the experiences of Karl and Mary for the reader. Erdrich depicts the places in the novel as houses with "...a scratch of light against the gray of everything else..." and having the reader feel Karl's reaction as he was "...like a sleepwalker..." when "he buried his face in white petals." Ultimately, this is done to further support Erdrich's purpose that the environmental impact on children is monumental. Along with this, Erdrich tries to present the fact that the negative effects and the positive effects of a child's environment will most likely be equal.
The contrast Erdrich implements between Karl and Mary highlights the importance of how an environment can affect children in distinct ways. This contrast is well executed due to Erdrich's use of tone shifts when switching between Karl's responses to events and Mary's responses. The most abundant use of this can be seen when Erdrich introduces the two children and lists their characteristics through detail. Karl is depicted in a straightforward manner as "tall" and "very pale". However, as this paragraph transitions into Mary, a negative slant is placed on her as Erdrich sways from simply naming characteristics to minorly antagonizing them. This tone shift along with others later on in the chapter, such as when Mary and Karl react differently to the dog, brings to light how uniquely a child is affected by his or her own environment.
Erdrich's choice of utilizing third person point of view was an exceptional decision. By doing so, not only does she manifest on one specific character, rather broadens the book's spectrum to cover more characters and their specific individual reactions. When the dog charges after Karl, a yell of "Run!" is exclaimed. However, Mary returns home to Aunt Fritsie while Karl treks to his home at heart, the boxcar and the train. This is the perfect depiction by Erdrich that once again, the environment of the child is one of the most influential parts of childhood.
Reflection:
The task was to write a prose passage essay for which we had 40 minutes to write. The prompt was straightforward as it just asked for analysis of the author's use of certain literary devices. The passage, an excerpt from The Beet Queen,was not difficult to understand, but it was easy to miss some of the underlying complexities. And this is what I believe to be the hardest part of reading and soon after writing a prose passage essay. After re-reading my essay, I would score this essay a 5. The reasons for this score is that the analysis was present but was superficial and the relationships made to the literary devices were slight. I relied to much on textual evidence and not enough analysis to support all the quotes used from the passage. One measurable goal is to limit, but not omit, the use of quotations as the centerpiece of my essay. I should focus on lengthening my analysis. Along with this, I need to work on finding the hidden meanings within the passage by spending more time on reading the passage. This is the quickest way to get a deeper analysis for my next essay.
Blake Nissen Peer Review:
Hi Blake, I believe your essay did deserve a score of a 6. The reason for this score is that you had a fairly reasonable analysis of the impact of the environment on the children in regards to the literary devices. Also, your ideas were presented with clarity and you had control of how you used the text in your essay. I feel that if you include a couple of statements that relate everything back to the thesis, a score of 7 or higher will be easily achieved. Overall, well done!
Karl and Mary's story is presented vividly and lively through literary devices such as such as imagery and selection of detail. Erdrich utilizes these two devices to further enrich the experiences of Karl and Mary for the reader. Erdrich depicts the places in the novel as houses with "...a scratch of light against the gray of everything else..." and having the reader feel Karl's reaction as he was "...like a sleepwalker..." when "he buried his face in white petals." Ultimately, this is done to further support Erdrich's purpose that the environmental impact on children is monumental. Along with this, Erdrich tries to present the fact that the negative effects and the positive effects of a child's environment will most likely be equal.
The contrast Erdrich implements between Karl and Mary highlights the importance of how an environment can affect children in distinct ways. This contrast is well executed due to Erdrich's use of tone shifts when switching between Karl's responses to events and Mary's responses. The most abundant use of this can be seen when Erdrich introduces the two children and lists their characteristics through detail. Karl is depicted in a straightforward manner as "tall" and "very pale". However, as this paragraph transitions into Mary, a negative slant is placed on her as Erdrich sways from simply naming characteristics to minorly antagonizing them. This tone shift along with others later on in the chapter, such as when Mary and Karl react differently to the dog, brings to light how uniquely a child is affected by his or her own environment.
Erdrich's choice of utilizing third person point of view was an exceptional decision. By doing so, not only does she manifest on one specific character, rather broadens the book's spectrum to cover more characters and their specific individual reactions. When the dog charges after Karl, a yell of "Run!" is exclaimed. However, Mary returns home to Aunt Fritsie while Karl treks to his home at heart, the boxcar and the train. This is the perfect depiction by Erdrich that once again, the environment of the child is one of the most influential parts of childhood.
Reflection:
The task was to write a prose passage essay for which we had 40 minutes to write. The prompt was straightforward as it just asked for analysis of the author's use of certain literary devices. The passage, an excerpt from The Beet Queen,was not difficult to understand, but it was easy to miss some of the underlying complexities. And this is what I believe to be the hardest part of reading and soon after writing a prose passage essay. After re-reading my essay, I would score this essay a 5. The reasons for this score is that the analysis was present but was superficial and the relationships made to the literary devices were slight. I relied to much on textual evidence and not enough analysis to support all the quotes used from the passage. One measurable goal is to limit, but not omit, the use of quotations as the centerpiece of my essay. I should focus on lengthening my analysis. Along with this, I need to work on finding the hidden meanings within the passage by spending more time on reading the passage. This is the quickest way to get a deeper analysis for my next essay.
Blake Nissen Peer Review:
Hi Blake, I believe your essay did deserve a score of a 6. The reason for this score is that you had a fairly reasonable analysis of the impact of the environment on the children in regards to the literary devices. Also, your ideas were presented with clarity and you had control of how you used the text in your essay. I feel that if you include a couple of statements that relate everything back to the thesis, a score of 7 or higher will be easily achieved. Overall, well done!
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Blog #2: AP English Literature Benchmark Poetry Essay & Reflection/Revision & Reflection
In the poem, For that he looked not open her, written by George Gasciogne, Gasciogne uses brevity and well executed rhyme schemes throughout the verse. By depicting such vivid images through his excellent choice of diction, the reader can clearly see and understand the speaker's attitude, or Gasciogne, that regret is the only feeling when your love, your significant other is no longer with you. George Gasciogne effectively forms his poem to highlight his feelings and attitude and depicts those through well chosen diction and clear imagery.
Gasciogne utilizes a key literary device to present his point of view in a clear and concise manner, diction. If used correctly, the right diction can show powerful and raw emotion of the subject, context, or any other part of the text. Gasciogne implements this through words like ticed, feedeth, and grievous to allow the reader to comprehend his feeling of loss, regret, and his point in life at the stepping stone into depression. All due to the loss of his true love. Gasciogne truly accomplishes his transportation of inner feelings to the reader by not just restating his current feeling but instead building off on that to create a more powerful and everlasting thought for the reader to walk away with. For example, "Is seldom ’ticèd with the trustless bait, But lies aloof for fear of more mishap, And feedeth still in doubt of deep deceit." These three do not only insinuate Gasciogne feelings and inner thoughts, but they build and dive deeper into the emotions that were revealed prior to these lines. Along with the effective choices in diction, Gasciogne as well implements vivid imagery to depict his feelings in a physical manner to the reader. Despite its brevity, For that he looked not open her, is immensely filled with elaborate details and oriented visuals of the emotional state of Gasciogne to a physical representation. Gasciogne accomplishes this through his use of the literary devices form and imagery. By continuously depicting his feelings and the events that caused those emotions to rise, Gasciogne further builds his point of view as well as his complexity as an individual. As seen towards the end of the poem, " So that I wink or else hold down my head, Because your blazing eyes my bale have bred." Gasciogne reveals to the author in a most vivid way of his regret and sorrow for the loss of his loved one.
Gasciogne's lack of length is more than compensated for with his complexity. For that he looked not open her his is carefully and wonderfully executed to allow the reader to understand Gasciogne's emotions but is written in such form with such selective diction and clear imagery for the reader to keep thinking and keep interpreting the poem long after it has been read. Gasciogne's use of these literary devices allow the poem to offer his feelings and attitudes in a complex yet meaningful way.
Reflection:
Reflection:
REVISED DRAFT:
In the poem, For That He Looked Not Upon Her George Gasciogne presents the reader a dilemma of love. Gasciogne's depiction of his everlasting confusion of his hate-love relationship of the powerful woman is his life is a complex contradiction used to add depth to the poem. Written as a short and concise manner, the poem uses soulful imagery and precise tone shifts to make a presentation of his complications of love for a woman.
Gasciogne utilizes a key literary device to present his point of view in a clear and concise manner, diction. If used correctly, the right diction can show powerful and raw emotion of the subject, context, or any other part of the text. Gasciogne implements this through words like ticed, feedeth, and grievous to allow the reader to comprehend his feeling of loss, regret, and his point in life at the stepping stone into depression. All due to the loss of his true love. Gasciogne truly accomplishes his transportation of inner feelings to the reader by not just restating his current feeling but instead building off on that to create a more powerful and everlasting thought for the reader to walk away with. For example, "Is seldom ’ticèd with the trustless bait, But lies aloof for fear of more mishap, And feedeth still in doubt of deep deceit." These three do not only insinuate Gasciogne feelings and inner thoughts, but they build and dive deeper into the emotions that were revealed prior to these lines. Along with the effective choices in diction, Gasciogne as well implements vivid imagery to depict his feelings in a physical manner to the reader. Despite its brevity, For that he looked not open her, is immensely filled with elaborate details and oriented visuals of the emotional state of Gasciogne to a physical representation. Gasciogne accomplishes this through his use of the literary devices form and imagery. By continuously depicting his feelings and the events that caused those emotions to rise, Gasciogne further builds his point of view as well as his complexity as an individual. As seen towards the end of the poem, " So that I wink or else hold down my head, Because your blazing eyes my bale have bred." Gasciogne reveals to the author in a most vivid way of his regret and sorrow for the loss of his loved one.
Gasciogne's lack of length is more than compensated for with his complexity. For that he looked not open her his is carefully and wonderfully executed to allow the reader to understand Gasciogne's emotions but is written in such form with such selective diction and clear imagery for the reader to keep thinking and keep interpreting the poem long after it has been read. Gasciogne's use of these literary devices allow the poem to offer his feelings and attitudes in a complex yet meaningful way.
Reflection:
After reviewing my revised essay, I have seen how impactful the use of the three-sentence thesis template truly is. I now see how much time I save by not trying to come up with a catchy introduction statement knowing now that there was no need for it in the first place. Also, I see how my thesis statement can become more complex and insightful by using the template. Before my thesis was described as adequate, but now I believe that will change for the better. The tone shift chart was tremendously helpful as well as I was able to actually have insight for my analysis instead of just keeping it superficial due to lack of understanding. I realized how I can incorporate evidence for my tone shifts as well. Overall, I hope to continue the use of these items in the future.
Reflection:
After reviewing my revised essay, I have seen how impactful the use of the three-sentence thesis template truly is. I now see how much time I save by not trying to come up with a catchy introduction statement knowing now that there was no need for it in the first place. Also, I see how my thesis statement can become more complex and insightful by using the template. Before my thesis was described as adequate, but now I believe that will change for the better. The tone shift chart was tremendously helpful as well as I was able to actually have insight for my analysis instead of just keeping it superficial due to lack of understanding. I realized how I can incorporate evidence for my tone shifts as well. Overall, I hope to continue the use of these items in the future.
Comment for James Zhu:
Congratulations on completing your first poetry essay! As I read through the essay, I noticed your clear and concise points in regards to the explanation of the speaker's attitude. However, the lack of connection between the analysis of the form, diction, and imagery to the speaker's attitude did draw back on the potential of this essay. Such things as specific breakdowns of the structure of the poem and solid understanding of the poem helped to elevate your score. The fastest improvement I can advise is to make sure the connection between devices and speaker's attitude is the same length or longer then the description of such things as rhyme schemes or diction. I do believe that this essay had enough command of the elements of effective composition to be scored a 6. This is a great starting point and it will most likely improve with repetition.
Comment for Noah Tong:
Congratulations on writing your first poetry essay! After reading your essay, I noticed that some of the analysis, despite its accuracy, is somewhat vague. However, this essay did provide control of language and some connections between form, diction, imagery and the speaker's attitude. The quickest improvement I can advise is to omit clichés like "...right off the bat..." because they are not really your words and your analysis will be more effective than these phrases. For these reasons I would score this essay a 5 because it met all the characteristics of a 4 but had enough conciseness and development for a 5.
Blog #1: AP Literature Multiple Choice Test Reflection
Instructions were given to open the prep book to a particular page for an unannounced practice test. As I groaned internally others had no reaction as earlier classes dealt them the news prior to this. The only task that consumed my mind was to manage my time and work efficiently because I thought, there is no point knowing the vocabulary if you don’t have time to answer it. This task was not new to me as I implemented it previous years and have had success. However, success from this exam will rely on not only time, but the understanding and implementation of more heavily used concepts such as symbolism and poetry. Ultimately, it is paramount that I devote time and attention to learn these concepts and know how to interpret their meaning and their impact on the text. Hopefully, with this battle plan I can conquer the AP Literature and Composition Exam this coming May.
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