Tuesday, May 22, 2012
So far...
So far, I have created my college blog...
http://calpolybound.blogspot.com/
I haven't posted anything but have a list of things I want to mention as to what to do in senior year, like scholarships, applications, and deciding exactly on a college/major before I get into more detail about Cal Poly. I have also made a folder with pictures I want to use in my digital scrapbook so they are all together and I can upload them all at once and then see what I would like to add.
I will need to work on those posts and have them up soon. I will also need to complete my scrapbook and think of ways that I can spice it up and make it more interesting. I would like for it to have a lot of memories.
My college blog will benefit anyone in high school who is interested in going to college. They will see what it takes, get my advice, and get a sense of the school as well as life at college. My scrapbook will be a place for both myself and others to view my high school and life experiences up to this point. It will be nice to have a record of everything and be able to look back and reminisce. Also having it online will make it easily accessible to family and friends who are interested.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Life after the AP
-My goal is to create a college orientation blog that will help others through the deciding process of senior year. I will also create a 'scrapbook 2.0' to include on it.
-I will need to create the blog and use the internet as well as personal experience to share my story and ideas. I will also include pictures and video to help support my information on life and college.
-First i will create the blog and begin posting about the decision process of where to apply and attend school as well as how to manage your time. Discussing senior year, I will also post my scrapbook before going into direct information on my school, calpoly.
-In order to present, I will display my blog over the projector.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Macbeth Essay Prompts
Unlike the novelist, the writer of a play does not use his own voice and
only rarely uses a narrator's voice to guide the audience's responses to
character and action. Select a play you have read and write an essay in
which you explain the techniques the playwright uses to guide his
audience's respnses to the central characters and the action. You might
consider the effect on the audience of things like setting, the use of
comparable and contrasting characters, and the characters' responses to
each other. Support your argument with specific references to the play.
Do not give a plot summary.
The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of
the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays.
Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society;
or, from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional
character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical
essay analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications
for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or
action of the work you choose.
Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of
recognizedliterary merit who might, on the basis of the character’s actions alone,
beconsidered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and
whythe full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more
sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Plan
The AP test is coming up very quickly, and I need to be prepared. In order to do this I will focus first on memorizing the lit terms. I know a lot of them but there are also many that continue to give me problems. The lit terms will help me with the multiple choice portion of the test as well as the essay portion. Next I will go over my previous essays and the review the critique I have received on them so I am aware of what I need to do differently. I will also go over my previous literature analysis as well as those of other people so I have a sense of many different books. This will help me in the essay portion of the test.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Macbeth Lecture Notes (continued)
Macbeth as King (continued)
-Macbeth cares less about killing others than he does about his own happiness
-killing becomes an addiction: he decides to kill Banquo and Fleance because he needs to kill, not because they are suspicious of what he has done
-Act 3, Scene 3, Lines 37-41
-Macbeth prays that God woudl remove all his human feelings so that he becomes dehumanized and is comfortable with killing
-This prayer comes true
-Macbeth is a killing machine that neither feels or thinks
-Macbeth has no more joy and doesn't care when his wife dies (act 5, scene 3)
-Macbeth uses the prophecy that he will become the Thane of Cawdor, (which comes true) to believe and prove that the witches are truthful
-There is no conclusion as to what happens to the witches
-Macbeth cares less about killing others than he does about his own happiness
-killing becomes an addiction: he decides to kill Banquo and Fleance because he needs to kill, not because they are suspicious of what he has done
-Act 3, Scene 3, Lines 37-41
-Macbeth prays that God woudl remove all his human feelings so that he becomes dehumanized and is comfortable with killing
-This prayer comes true
-Macbeth is a killing machine that neither feels or thinks
-Macbeth has no more joy and doesn't care when his wife dies (act 5, scene 3)
-Macbeth uses the prophecy that he will become the Thane of Cawdor, (which comes true) to believe and prove that the witches are truthful
-There is no conclusion as to what happens to the witches
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Macbeth Lecture Notes
Macbeth tells the rise and fall of a great man
-he does not share his inner feelings
-the only humor could be found in the scene with the porter
-he is Shakespeare's most compelling character
-he has a tragic, critical flaw that leads to his demise
-fierce warrior, man of courage, honor, and growth, becomes alone and isolated
-loss of everything signifies his disintegration which was brought upon himself with no agent conspiracing against him
-he accelerates the process by trying to fix his insecurities
-his decision making is relate able
Murder of Duncan
-surface looks like a simple morality problem because of an ambitious drive
-Macbeth desires to be king (Act 1, Scene 7, lines 25-28)
-He does't question the prophecy because it may perhaps be responding to his innermost desires (Act 2, Scene 7, Line 49)
-Desire of being the king versus the actions it takes to become king torment him
-Macbeth is not hypocritical, he knows the cost is high, he doesn't evade issues and he has a sense of right and wrong
-killing Duncan kills every community belief
-Royalty does not seem worth it to Banquo, but obsesses and consumes Macbeth
-Lady Macbeth is an evil impulse and tool of destruction who taunts her husband; she has no conscious and amplifies Macbeth's desires
-animus: male psychology; anima-female psychology
-Macbeth never is entirely sure of killing
-He sees the dagger and has complete horror of what he will do although it pulls him towards killing
-He is reluctant but moving forward anyway
-After killing Duncan Macbeth is consumed with regret
Macbeth as King
-His tragic flaw becomes most evident and a slippery slope is evident
-least heroic of all tragic heroes (mass murderer)
-horrible determination; singularity of purpose
-heroic quality: won't compromise through overwhelming fear
-obsessed with removing inner torment
-Lady Macbeth's conscious eats her alive, all the way to suicide
-She has a lack of inner will to resolve feelings, the inability to separate herself from human nature, and is overcome with guilt (Duncan looks like her father)
-Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship quickly falls apart beginning right before the coronation
-Macbeth procedes alone, both of them dealing with murder in separate ways
-he does not share his inner feelings
-the only humor could be found in the scene with the porter
-he is Shakespeare's most compelling character
-he has a tragic, critical flaw that leads to his demise
-fierce warrior, man of courage, honor, and growth, becomes alone and isolated
-loss of everything signifies his disintegration which was brought upon himself with no agent conspiracing against him
-he accelerates the process by trying to fix his insecurities
-his decision making is relate able
Murder of Duncan
-surface looks like a simple morality problem because of an ambitious drive
-Macbeth desires to be king (Act 1, Scene 7, lines 25-28)
-He does't question the prophecy because it may perhaps be responding to his innermost desires (Act 2, Scene 7, Line 49)
-Desire of being the king versus the actions it takes to become king torment him
-Macbeth is not hypocritical, he knows the cost is high, he doesn't evade issues and he has a sense of right and wrong
-killing Duncan kills every community belief
-Royalty does not seem worth it to Banquo, but obsesses and consumes Macbeth
-Lady Macbeth is an evil impulse and tool of destruction who taunts her husband; she has no conscious and amplifies Macbeth's desires
-animus: male psychology; anima-female psychology
-Macbeth never is entirely sure of killing
-He sees the dagger and has complete horror of what he will do although it pulls him towards killing
-He is reluctant but moving forward anyway
-After killing Duncan Macbeth is consumed with regret
Macbeth as King
-His tragic flaw becomes most evident and a slippery slope is evident
-least heroic of all tragic heroes (mass murderer)
-horrible determination; singularity of purpose
-heroic quality: won't compromise through overwhelming fear
-obsessed with removing inner torment
-Lady Macbeth's conscious eats her alive, all the way to suicide
-She has a lack of inner will to resolve feelings, the inability to separate herself from human nature, and is overcome with guilt (Duncan looks like her father)
-Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship quickly falls apart beginning right before the coronation
-Macbeth procedes alone, both of them dealing with murder in separate ways
Macbeth Test Answers
Part 1
1. Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by
A. slaying the traitor Macdonwald.
2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him
B. the Thane of Cawdor him.
3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these?
"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I)
"Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II)
"A future father of kings." (III)
C. I, II, and III
4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to
A. his titles of Glamis and Cawdor.
5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to
A. the traitorous Thane of Cawdor.
6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of
B. a metaphor.
7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being
B. "too full of the milk of human kindness."
8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say?
"He is my house guest; I should protect him." (I)
"Duncan's virtues will "plead like angels" " (II)
"I am his kinsman and his subject" (III)
C. I, II, and III
9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he
C. has accepted the challenge to slay the king.
10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would
A. get the chamberlains drunk.
11. Macbeth begins full of honor and glory but starts to unravel after the coronation and by the end of the play he is completely dehumanized.
12. Macbeth's desire to be king causes him to disregard what is right and to obsess with being king, no matter what it takes.
13. The witches give "permission" to Macbeth to do whatever it takes to become king. He uses them to excuse his actions.
14. Macbeth quickly believes the witches without questioning them, while Banquo is very weary of them and decides to take what they say with a grain of salt.
15. At the beginning of the play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a good relationship and confide their dreams and ambitions to each other. After the coronation you see this begin to disintegrate. Lady Macbeth first taunts Macbeth to kill and go after what he wants but by the end of the play they have no relationship and Macbeth does not care that his wife is dead.
Part 2
1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the
B. dagger.
2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that
B. he looked like her father
3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to
C. provide comic relief.
4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder
A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles.
5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that
A. Banquo had thwarted their careers.
6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by
A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo
7. The Witches threw into the cauldron
"Eye of bat and tongue of frog"(I)
"Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II)
"Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III)
A. I and II
8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were
An armed head. (I)
A child with a crown. (II)
A bloody child (III)
C. I, II, and III
9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he
B. suspects a trick.
10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when
B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance.
11. By the end of the play, foul and fair are indistinguishable to Macbeth because he no longer has human emotions and doesn't see evil as wrong.
12. On the surface, Macbeth may appear to be a morality play. Macbeth has a strong ambition that leads to his ultimate demise.
1. Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by
A. slaying the traitor Macdonwald.
2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him
B. the Thane of Cawdor him.
3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these?
"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I)
"Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II)
"A future father of kings." (III)
C. I, II, and III
4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to
A. his titles of Glamis and Cawdor.
5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to
A. the traitorous Thane of Cawdor.
6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of
B. a metaphor.
7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being
B. "too full of the milk of human kindness."
8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say?
"He is my house guest; I should protect him." (I)
"Duncan's virtues will "plead like angels" " (II)
"I am his kinsman and his subject" (III)
C. I, II, and III
9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he
C. has accepted the challenge to slay the king.
10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would
A. get the chamberlains drunk.
11. Macbeth begins full of honor and glory but starts to unravel after the coronation and by the end of the play he is completely dehumanized.
12. Macbeth's desire to be king causes him to disregard what is right and to obsess with being king, no matter what it takes.
13. The witches give "permission" to Macbeth to do whatever it takes to become king. He uses them to excuse his actions.
14. Macbeth quickly believes the witches without questioning them, while Banquo is very weary of them and decides to take what they say with a grain of salt.
15. At the beginning of the play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a good relationship and confide their dreams and ambitions to each other. After the coronation you see this begin to disintegrate. Lady Macbeth first taunts Macbeth to kill and go after what he wants but by the end of the play they have no relationship and Macbeth does not care that his wife is dead.
Part 2
1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the
B. dagger.
2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that
B. he looked like her father
3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to
C. provide comic relief.
4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder
A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles.
5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that
A. Banquo had thwarted their careers.
6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by
A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo
7. The Witches threw into the cauldron
"Eye of bat and tongue of frog"(I)
"Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II)
"Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III)
A. I and II
8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were
An armed head. (I)
A child with a crown. (II)
A bloody child (III)
C. I, II, and III
9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he
B. suspects a trick.
10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when
B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance.
11. By the end of the play, foul and fair are indistinguishable to Macbeth because he no longer has human emotions and doesn't see evil as wrong.
12. On the surface, Macbeth may appear to be a morality play. Macbeth has a strong ambition that leads to his ultimate demise.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Macbeth over Break
Act 1
-the three witches open and foreshadow that Macbeth will be king
-Macbeth is portrayed as a blood thirsty man
-Macbeth becomes thane of Cawdor, the first part of the witches' foreshadow
-Lady Macbeth hears the news and decides to kill the king so that her husband may take his place
-at first Macbeth does not want to follow through with the plan but eventually he agrees
Act 2
-Macbeth continues to be tormented about killing the king
-He goes through with the plan then freaks out cannot finish
-Lady Macbeth finishes through and frames the guards by smearing blood on them
-Macduff and Lennox find the king's body and are suspicious of his death
-Macbeth kills them both
-The king's sons Malcolm and Donalbain escape the kingdom so they aren't punished for the death of the king
Act 3
-Banquo thinks that Macbeth killed the king and Macbeth thinks that Banquo will share his ideas
-Macbeth hires people to kill Banquo and his son but his son escapes
-During a gathering Banquo's ghost appears to Macbeth
-Macbeth begins to act crazy because of the ghost
-Lady Macbeth tells the guests that Macbeth has these type of fits often
-Macduff goes to England because he thinks that Macbeth killed the king and he needs help to take care of it
Act 4
-The witches show Macbeth more visions and prophecies
-Macbeth sees these and comes to the conclusion that he is basically immortal and he has nothing to worry about
-He sends people to England to kill Macduff and his family
-Macduff finds the kings son, Malcom, and tries to convince him to go back and seize the throne from Macbeth
-Malcolm makes Macduff prove his loyalty and realizes that Macduff is honest and wants the best
-Malcolm decides to go to war with Macbeth with the aid of his uncle
Act 5
-All of the murders and death have caused Lady Macbeth to go mad.
-Doctors cannot help her and she is no longer powerful or angry.
-Some of Macbeth's lords believe that Macbeth is mentally unstable and that they should help Malcolm fight against him.
-Macbeth is not worried about the war because he thinks he cannot be killed due to the witches.
-Macduff kills Macbeth, who was not born naturally by his mother (prophecy)
-Malcolm becomes the king of Scotland.
-the three witches open and foreshadow that Macbeth will be king
-Macbeth is portrayed as a blood thirsty man
-Macbeth becomes thane of Cawdor, the first part of the witches' foreshadow
-Lady Macbeth hears the news and decides to kill the king so that her husband may take his place
-at first Macbeth does not want to follow through with the plan but eventually he agrees
Act 2
-Macbeth continues to be tormented about killing the king
-He goes through with the plan then freaks out cannot finish
-Lady Macbeth finishes through and frames the guards by smearing blood on them
-Macduff and Lennox find the king's body and are suspicious of his death
-Macbeth kills them both
-The king's sons Malcolm and Donalbain escape the kingdom so they aren't punished for the death of the king
Act 3
-Banquo thinks that Macbeth killed the king and Macbeth thinks that Banquo will share his ideas
-Macbeth hires people to kill Banquo and his son but his son escapes
-During a gathering Banquo's ghost appears to Macbeth
-Macbeth begins to act crazy because of the ghost
-Lady Macbeth tells the guests that Macbeth has these type of fits often
-Macduff goes to England because he thinks that Macbeth killed the king and he needs help to take care of it
Act 4
-The witches show Macbeth more visions and prophecies
-Macbeth sees these and comes to the conclusion that he is basically immortal and he has nothing to worry about
-He sends people to England to kill Macduff and his family
-Macduff finds the kings son, Malcom, and tries to convince him to go back and seize the throne from Macbeth
-Malcolm makes Macduff prove his loyalty and realizes that Macduff is honest and wants the best
-Malcolm decides to go to war with Macbeth with the aid of his uncle
Act 5
-All of the murders and death have caused Lady Macbeth to go mad.
-Doctors cannot help her and she is no longer powerful or angry.
-Some of Macbeth's lords believe that Macbeth is mentally unstable and that they should help Malcolm fight against him.
-Macbeth is not worried about the war because he thinks he cannot be killed due to the witches.
-Macduff kills Macbeth, who was not born naturally by his mother (prophecy)
-Malcolm becomes the king of Scotland.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Macbeth Notes
-written in 1606
-violent family
-based on Raphael Holinsheds "Chronicles" but more exciting
-survival of the fittest lifestyle
-Banquo and Fleance never existed
-written to please King James and entertain him
-what is a real man?
-to usurp the throne is a nefarious crime against all of humanity
-Macbeth is a tragic hero, with motivation, intelligence, ambition, and spirit
-Macbeth receives prophecy from 3 witches that he will be King of Scotland
-he murders the king and continues to kill to prevent suspicion, causing him arrogance, madness, and death
-dark tone
-themes include kingship vs tyranny; arrogance
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Best of the Best
My top 3 favorite blogs of the moment include...
Katie Enstad~ http://kerhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
Cody Kiniry~ http://ckrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
Trenton Class~ http://tacrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
They are full of information and are presented in an interesting and clear way!
Katie Enstad~ http://kerhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
Cody Kiniry~ http://ckrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
Trenton Class~ http://tacrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/
They are full of information and are presented in an interesting and clear way!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Literature Analysis Notes - The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemmingway
-revolves around the Lost Generation, people between WWI & WWII who had seen such tragic events that they didn't know what to do with their lives and were aimless (1924/25)
-takes place in Paris, France, Spain, as moving and traveling was part of the lifestyle
-told in the first person, through Jake Barnes
-the tone is sad and detached, nothing matters and nothing will go right
-plot: Jake cannot be with Brett Ashley, whom he loves, because he was injured in the war, keeping her from committing to him; she has relations with many of his friends and cheats on her husband; after forcing her lover to leave her, she calls Jake to help her.
-theme: aimlessness, dissatisfaction, identity, love; the characters have fun but never find meaning or contentment in anything that they do
-foreshadowing: the bulls fighting and causing destruction
-symbolism: bull fighting & the bulls, bulls are passionate and have a lot of energy
-characters: jake is insecure and not straightforward; brett is independent but that leads to her downfall; cohn is strong and muscular but also insecure because he is not a veteran and doesn't feel like he fits in.
-imagery: Paris is described as very dark, gloomy, and dull, where as the country is described with bright colors and shows the difference that takes place in Jake as he moves from the city to the country
-the characters don't know what love is, and they aren't experiencing ideal circumstances because they are not teenagers anymore and don't know what happiness is either
-characterization through dialogue: Brett describes all of her adventures as she flits around while Jake is more calm and doesn't say things straight out.
Ernest Hemmingway
-revolves around the Lost Generation, people between WWI & WWII who had seen such tragic events that they didn't know what to do with their lives and were aimless (1924/25)
-takes place in Paris, France, Spain, as moving and traveling was part of the lifestyle
-told in the first person, through Jake Barnes
-the tone is sad and detached, nothing matters and nothing will go right
-plot: Jake cannot be with Brett Ashley, whom he loves, because he was injured in the war, keeping her from committing to him; she has relations with many of his friends and cheats on her husband; after forcing her lover to leave her, she calls Jake to help her.
-theme: aimlessness, dissatisfaction, identity, love; the characters have fun but never find meaning or contentment in anything that they do
-foreshadowing: the bulls fighting and causing destruction
-symbolism: bull fighting & the bulls, bulls are passionate and have a lot of energy
-characters: jake is insecure and not straightforward; brett is independent but that leads to her downfall; cohn is strong and muscular but also insecure because he is not a veteran and doesn't feel like he fits in.
-imagery: Paris is described as very dark, gloomy, and dull, where as the country is described with bright colors and shows the difference that takes place in Jake as he moves from the city to the country
-the characters don't know what love is, and they aren't experiencing ideal circumstances because they are not teenagers anymore and don't know what happiness is either
-characterization through dialogue: Brett describes all of her adventures as she flits around while Jake is more calm and doesn't say things straight out.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Socratic Seminar
Discussion notes:
-internet brings unity
-allows creation of extraordinary things, you are not alone
-ask questions and learn through discussion
-the answer is only the beginning of discovery, it opens doors for different perspectives
-openminded and nonjudgemental
-wanted mentor groups then complained, killed freeplay because of habitual actions
-don't feel doubtful, just try
-things that you love become work and require sacrifice
-live in constant moments
-what do you cater enough about yo try, even though you may fail?
-create a positive mindset
As grades begin to no longer matter, what becomes important is real life experience. The more efficiently we can problem solve, work with others, and be creative, the more successful we will be. We should focus on behavioral flexibility, being able to work at things we might not enjoy or being open to new ideas and people. We should enhance our learning because we want to, not because we have to. We should also just make an effort. Put in your best work so you stretch yourself and have something to be proud of.
In order to enhance our ability to master content for the AP exam as well as other hurdles, we need to try new approaches. Looking at a concept in a new light not only brings about a new understanding, but creates an event that will stand out in your memory. Connect things you aren't interested in to things that do interest you and learn to love something.
Sharing ideas is the most valuable part of a learning network. Seeing the thought process of others, their beliefs, and what conclusions they draw is extremely interesting and helpful in my own life. Find others who enjoy the same things as you do, or someone who doesn't and can help you in another area. Everyone has a specialty and if we build on that we can create something great.
-internet brings unity
-allows creation of extraordinary things, you are not alone
-ask questions and learn through discussion
-the answer is only the beginning of discovery, it opens doors for different perspectives
-openminded and nonjudgemental
-wanted mentor groups then complained, killed freeplay because of habitual actions
-don't feel doubtful, just try
-things that you love become work and require sacrifice
-live in constant moments
-what do you cater enough about yo try, even though you may fail?
-create a positive mindset
As grades begin to no longer matter, what becomes important is real life experience. The more efficiently we can problem solve, work with others, and be creative, the more successful we will be. We should focus on behavioral flexibility, being able to work at things we might not enjoy or being open to new ideas and people. We should enhance our learning because we want to, not because we have to. We should also just make an effort. Put in your best work so you stretch yourself and have something to be proud of.
In order to enhance our ability to master content for the AP exam as well as other hurdles, we need to try new approaches. Looking at a concept in a new light not only brings about a new understanding, but creates an event that will stand out in your memory. Connect things you aren't interested in to things that do interest you and learn to love something.
Sharing ideas is the most valuable part of a learning network. Seeing the thought process of others, their beliefs, and what conclusions they draw is extremely interesting and helpful in my own life. Find others who enjoy the same things as you do, or someone who doesn't and can help you in another area. Everyone has a specialty and if we build on that we can create something great.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Poetry Analysis Remix
Sonnet 69
Pablo Neruda
-the dramatic situation is that the speakers life is nothing without his lover
-the structure is a Sonnet
-the theme is that love will connect people
-short phrases & complete sentences
-similes, personification
-figurative language, metaphors
- "we'll be"
-it opens with describing his life with and without love, then ends explaining how his love will always be because it is part of him
She Walks in Beauty
George Gordon, Lord Byron
-the speaker is admiring a woman he doesn't know but finds beautiful
-3 stanzas of 6 lines, rhyme every other line
-appreciation of beauty
-correct grammar
-metaphors and similes
-figurative language
-eloquent, beauty, grace
-it opens with a description of outward appearance and ends with beauty of the heart, conveying inner and outer beauty
When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be
John Keats
-the author is worried about dying early with no one who loves him
-Sonnet
-everything ends
-future and present tense
-personification
-figurative language, metaphors
-nothingness, relish, unreflecting
-discusses his fears and ends with his fears occurring and everything becoming nothing.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Literature Analysis - Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The novel opens as Nick Carraway moves to New York, right next door to Gatsby. Gatsby is rich and extravagant, throwing huge parties that are known by everyone. It turns out that his parties are only to impress Daisy Buchaanan, a woman he was once in love with, who lives across the lake from his house. Daisy happens to be Nick's cousin, and Nick brings Daisy over to Gatsby's house for tea. They quickly rekindle their relationship and begin having an affair, as Daisy is a married woman, although she doesn't know that her husband is also having an affair in the city with a woman named Myrtle. One day Gatsby looks at Daisy with so much passion that Tom realizes what is going on and gets angry, forcing everyone to go to New York to a hotel. At the hotel, all of the secrets come out, and Tom says that Gatsby is a criminal. Daisy comes to the conclusion that she needs to stay with Tom. Tom has Gatsby drive Daisy home, and on the way, Daisy drives and hits Myrtle. Myrtle's husband believes Gatsby killed his wife, and so kills him and then himself. Nick moves away to remove himself from the whole situation.
The theme is the corruption of the American dream. What used to be about happiness, success, invention, and curiosity is now solely controlled by money and greed. The characters want instant pleasure without work, and are willing to give up what is truly important in order to find what they believe will make them happy. Gatsby, for example, believes Daisy is his dream, when in reality she is nothing special, and leads to his ultimate demise.
The tone of the novel changes, as it is told in first person point of view. At some points Nick is very bitter about Gatsby and what is going on, where other times he is happy and admiring all that is going on.
- He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.
-Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes
-There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams--not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything.
The story is told in first person, which allows the reader insight into the narrator's mind. You see Nick's personal ideas and what he draws about the characters. You see him realize that the American dream has changed in New York, which is the theme.
-He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was.
There is no clear climax in the plot. This adds to the confusion of the time period, and how everything was falling apart. Things didn't go as expected, and their dreams were fading. They were wealthy, but that didn't matter.
Fitzgerald uses a lot of imagery in his writing, including similes and metaphors. He is very descriptive to give the reader a clear picture of what the characters are going through.
-He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.
-Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols weighing down their own white dresses against the singing breeze of the fans.
The tone is always very personal, showing the tragedy that is unfolding for the characters.
-With every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room.
-He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was.
-All right... I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.
Symbolism is also used in the novel. The green light across the dock symbolizes Daisy and the life she used to have with Gatsby before everything got so complicated.
-a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The novel opens as Nick Carraway moves to New York, right next door to Gatsby. Gatsby is rich and extravagant, throwing huge parties that are known by everyone. It turns out that his parties are only to impress Daisy Buchaanan, a woman he was once in love with, who lives across the lake from his house. Daisy happens to be Nick's cousin, and Nick brings Daisy over to Gatsby's house for tea. They quickly rekindle their relationship and begin having an affair, as Daisy is a married woman, although she doesn't know that her husband is also having an affair in the city with a woman named Myrtle. One day Gatsby looks at Daisy with so much passion that Tom realizes what is going on and gets angry, forcing everyone to go to New York to a hotel. At the hotel, all of the secrets come out, and Tom says that Gatsby is a criminal. Daisy comes to the conclusion that she needs to stay with Tom. Tom has Gatsby drive Daisy home, and on the way, Daisy drives and hits Myrtle. Myrtle's husband believes Gatsby killed his wife, and so kills him and then himself. Nick moves away to remove himself from the whole situation.
The theme is the corruption of the American dream. What used to be about happiness, success, invention, and curiosity is now solely controlled by money and greed. The characters want instant pleasure without work, and are willing to give up what is truly important in order to find what they believe will make them happy. Gatsby, for example, believes Daisy is his dream, when in reality she is nothing special, and leads to his ultimate demise.
The tone of the novel changes, as it is told in first person point of view. At some points Nick is very bitter about Gatsby and what is going on, where other times he is happy and admiring all that is going on.
- He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life.
-Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of water glaring tragically into my eyes
-There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams--not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything.
The story is told in first person, which allows the reader insight into the narrator's mind. You see Nick's personal ideas and what he draws about the characters. You see him realize that the American dream has changed in New York, which is the theme.
-He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was.
There is no clear climax in the plot. This adds to the confusion of the time period, and how everything was falling apart. Things didn't go as expected, and their dreams were fading. They were wealthy, but that didn't matter.
Fitzgerald uses a lot of imagery in his writing, including similes and metaphors. He is very descriptive to give the reader a clear picture of what the characters are going through.
-He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.
-Daisy and Jordan lay upon an enormous couch, like silver idols weighing down their own white dresses against the singing breeze of the fans.
The tone is always very personal, showing the tragedy that is unfolding for the characters.
-With every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room.
-He wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was.
-All right... I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.
Symbolism is also used in the novel. The green light across the dock symbolizes Daisy and the life she used to have with Gatsby before everything got so complicated.
-a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Micro AP Test
I didn't expect only having 15 minutes would be so difficult. Not having time to full connect and discuss my ideas was frustrating. I knew the general format for the prompts buy I felt they were more difficult than last year. Also, I dont feel fully confident in the books so there was some struggle deciding what I could expand on the most. I learned that the AP questions focus mainly on literature techniques and less on actual events in novels/works.
I learned that I need to begin more quickly and not second guess myself. Once I get going I do pretty good with timing, I just need to be able to channel my initial thoughts faster. For the exam I will study literature terms more as well as pay more attention to them and be searching for them in literature as I read.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities - Lecture
-Had complete control of Dickens, he suffered it all himself
-play titled 'The Frozen Deep' where a hero sacrifices himself to allow his friend to be with the one they both love. (same concept in Tale of Two Cities)
-Originally named Carton 'Dick'
-Doubleness of character between Darnay and Carton, which both have his initials.
-1858 divorced wife and separated from publisher.
-Dickens moved to London as a child where he saw many unsettling sights that would haunt him.
-Paris most 'extraordinary place in the world' novelty, strange, striking things. wonderfully expressive.
-the worlds of London and Paris are very similar (opening)
-Published 1-2 chapters/week
-wrote as he went along, with peoples' reactions changed plot and characters
-
-play titled 'The Frozen Deep' where a hero sacrifices himself to allow his friend to be with the one they both love. (same concept in Tale of Two Cities)
-Originally named Carton 'Dick'
-Doubleness of character between Darnay and Carton, which both have his initials.
-1858 divorced wife and separated from publisher.
-Dickens moved to London as a child where he saw many unsettling sights that would haunt him.
-Paris most 'extraordinary place in the world' novelty, strange, striking things. wonderfully expressive.
-the worlds of London and Paris are very similar (opening)
-Published 1-2 chapters/week
-wrote as he went along, with peoples' reactions changed plot and characters
-
Thursday, February 2, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities - Questions
1) What do Lorry's reoccurring dreams mean/represent?
2) How does Lorry know Lucie?
3) Why was Manette taken prisoner?
4) What happened in Carton's past to make him care for no one?
5) Does Carton care for Lucie?
6) Why is Carton referred to as "the jackal"?
7) Why did the prisoner leave a message to DIG?
8) How does Dickens use foreshadowing?
9) What do the "hundreds of people" represent?
10) Why does Jerry's father have rust covering his fingers?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities - Opening
The novel opens with, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." The first chapter introduces the setting, explaining what is going on in both England and France. "France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of shield and strident, rolled with exceeding smoothness downhill, making paper money and spending it." "In England, there was scarcely an amount of order and protection to justify such national boasting."
In the next chapters, there is a mail carrier traveling to Dover. They are approached by a man and fear he is a robber, but he brings a message for Lorry to wait to speak to someone in Dover. Lorry says he is, "recalled to life." On the way to the city, Lorry has a reoccurring dream that he must dig someone up from.his grave. In the city, he meets with Lucie, & they decide to go to Paris to visit her dying father.
Dickens was on his own at a young age, allowing his imagination to run free. This is already evident in this book. The.characters are slowly beginning to develop, mostly through plot and indirect characterization. He also uses a lot of imagery and comparing.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
This novel was named such because the story takes place in two cities: London and Paris. This was the first novel that Dickens wrote that was set in more than one area. Symbolically, the cities represent Paris before the revolution and after the revolution. When Dickens opens with,"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times," he is referring to that idea.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
A Poem Worth Loving
Still I Rise
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Maya Angelou
A couple of things really stood out to me about this poem. For starters, it is from 2000 so it is pretty recent compared to most poetry that everyone knows about. I also just love what the poem is talking about. It talks about not letting your past define your future but to let it inspire you and cause you to want better for yourself.
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Maya Angelou
A couple of things really stood out to me about this poem. For starters, it is from 2000 so it is pretty recent compared to most poetry that everyone knows about. I also just love what the poem is talking about. It talks about not letting your past define your future but to let it inspire you and cause you to want better for yourself.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The BIG Question- Abstract
The dictionary defines success as the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, and failure as an act or instance of proving unsuccessful, nonperformance of something due, required, or expected. Success can also be seen as "truly living," where as "struggling to live" is not. The need of this study is to see what we can change in our culture and lifestyles to become more successful and prevent failure from an early age. By understanding what brings us down we can prevent those things from holding us back in the future. In order to be successful we may have to make changes in our life, which is often difficult. We must take risks and not let our pride get in the way of learning, growing, or collaborating. After establishing definitions of failure and success, I will start by sharing a story of a college class where in order to receive credit for the course you had to fail. From there I will discuss the downfalls of being being so driven to succeed that you lose sight of what is important to you and ultimately end up failing.
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