Blog Post #21: Synthesis Essay and Chart

Blog Post #20: Eatonville Spoken Dish Memoir

Blog Post #19: The Rainbow Essay and Reflection

Part 1: My response to the prompt: 

In D. H. Lawrence's novel "The Rainbow", the author utilizes parallelism and contrasting imagery to show the woman's desire for a better life and her realization that a better life can only be attained through the acquisition of knowledge.

The first two paragraphs of the passage describes the labor of the men in the fields as well as the woman's desire to live a life that is different from the lives of the men in the fields. The combination of parallelism and imagery help to convey the hard work of the men in the fields. The repetition of "It was enough" shows the satisfaction at which the men worked as if their sense were "full fed". The imagery reveals how bonded the men were to "the earth" as it "heaved and opened its furrow to them" and the connection that left the men "unable to turn around". The imagery associated with the men is then juxtaposed with the imagery associated with the woman to show the woman's desire to live a life different from that of the men in the fields. The woman describes a better life filled with "the pulsing heat of creation" and a "magic land" where "secrets were made known and desires fulfilled".

As the woman thinks about the vicar who spoke the "magic language" and lived a life that was better than the men in the fields, she realizes that the secret to attaining a lifestyle like the vicar is knowledge. This desire to further emulate the lifestyle of the vicar is seen in the repetition of "She craved" to show her intense desire to live a better life. After much examination and thought, the woman's struggle to understand how the vicar was able to raise himself "above the common man" is resolved as she concludes that it is just a "question of knowledge".

Through the use of parallelism and contrasting imagery, Lawrence is able to depict the woman as she transitions from contemplative to understanding.

Part II: Reflection

My peer grader Chelsea gave me an initial score of a 6-7. She scored my response this way because it only offered a "reasonable analysis" of the prompt and was not as "perceptive" or "convincing" as an 8-9 essay. My grader also commented on the details in my body paragraphs as being "good" but not as "apt" or "specific" as an 8-9 essay. My peer grader also noted that I need to include more explanations and analysis of the evidence that I present and tie it back to the thesis. I completely agree with the score that I was given because I felt like I could have addressed and/or hinted at my thesis more often in my body paragraphs and use that to further develop my response and my analysis of the complexity of the piece. Even though I did not address the two most used words throughout the passage (blood and knowledge), I was still able to present my ideas with "clarity and control" and support my ideas with evidence from the text.

In order to improve my essay and elevate it to a score of an 8 or a 9, I probably should have directed my focus on addressing the complexity of the passage and tying the complexity into my thesis. While I did talk about the woman's transition between desiring to a state of understanding/recognition as well as the juxtaposition of imagery between the men in the fields and the woman, I did not address the complexity of attitude between complacency and desire and use "blood knowledge" to help with the discussion of that complexity. After discussing "blood knowledge" in class and the belief of the "intellectual over the natural instinct" that Lawrence used in this passage, the complexity of the story soon became clear and I could easily spot the complexity that was being addressed by Lawrence. Looking back at the timed writing session in class, I believe that it was my poor time management skills that led me to skip over the complexities of the piece and solely focus on providing evidence to back up the somewhat competent thesis that I had.

In 5 Steps to a 5, the author talks about incorporating transitions between body paragraphs to help better facilitate and organize ideas. This would be extremely helpful in my essay because my transitions between body paragraphs are slightly awkward and could use some "echo words" to help connect my thoughts as I shift from one main point to another. These "echo words" can also help reinforce my emphasis on the complexity of the piece and the main points that I address in my response. In addition, these "echo words" can provide me with a better way to transition into my conclusion and better integrate the conclusion into the response instead of having the conclusion just be a random blurb that summarizes the thesis at the end.

Finally, after looking at all the sample essays today in class for the norming activity, I noticed that all the essays that received high scores of an 8 or a 9 had more than just a thesis in the opening paragraph. Some had quotes from the text while others had a brief historical fact or relevant information relating to the subject of the piece. After reading the Prose Analysis section of the 5 Steps to a 5 book, the authors emphasized creating a lead into the thesis through the use of quotes from the prompt as a way to introduce the subject being discussed and transition into the thesis. By incorporating these "hooks" and introductions as recommended by the authors in 5 Steps to a 5, I can hopefully create a smoother transition and lead into my thesis with some of the background of the passage to help the reader better understand the direction of my thesis.

Blog Post #18: Final Portfolio Reflection

My first trimester of AP Literature has definitely been a fun, exciting, and sometimes even challenging journey. I was challenged by the multiple choice questions, engaged by the projects, and invested a lot of time into the papers and presentations.

Looking back at what I have accomplished this trimester in AP Literature and all the interesting papers, projects, and presentations that I have posted on my blog, I probably would say that the assignment that I am most proud of is my creative project for my Man-Booker prize winner book, The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. For this project, I created a Twitterature of the novel told from the perspective of Pi Patel, the protagonist of the story. I formatted the background to include the a picture of the ocean since the majority of the book takes place at sea and made the twitter username @lifeofpie314 as a pun on words and to show the animalistic and immoral side that humans can display when they are deprived of food. The main weakness of this project is that it indirectly hints at the complexity of the book but does not explain the complexity in fuller detail. However, the strength of this project lies in the informal nature of the tweets and is what gives the reader a look inside into Pi's thinking and how it is transformed through his experiences.  The tweets start when he is at Pondicherry and chronicles his adventures and survival stories at sea. Through this project, I was able to see that learning literature does not always consist of reading Shakespeare and writing papers but can also be a fun way to try something new. 

Another assignment that I am proud of is my Compare/Contrast, Mis En Scene, and Prose Analysis paper on The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. In this paper, I was able to not only improve on my compare and contrast writing skills but also explore the different aspects of how a movie is filmed and how the different camera angles and action shots contribute to the purpose that the director is trying to convey. While I thought the mis en scene was very interesting, I believe that was my weakest part of the paper because of the novelty of the concepts like non-diegetic vs diegetic sounds. In contrast, I thought the comprehensive compare and contrast paper was my strongest because I had written compare/contrast papers in the past and knew what to expect. Through this paper, I was able to see how the various movie shots made by the director and the literary devices and strategies employed by the author can convey the author/director's attitude toward the subject that is being addressed and how this elements help highlight the overarching theme and/or complexity of the piece. 

At the start of the trimester, I raised my hand more actively because we were reviewing a lot of the literary devices that I had learned in AP Language and Composition. However, as the trimester progressed, I did not raise my hand as often because I needed more time to process the new information in my head and think deeper about the complexities within each work of literature. With all the snow days this trimester, I was able to go home and review the works of literature that we had learned in class and try to analyze it by myself without using class notes and/or Sparknotes. For example, I was able to review the poems that other groups had analyzed for the presentations and try to analyze the poem by myself before looking at their slideshows  and seeing what complexities they were able to pick out from the work of literature. In the classroom, I was also not afraid to ask my classmates for further clarification about certain concepts or needed help with understanding the assignment and tried my best to actively participate in classroom activities and discussions.

Because of the small class size, it was pretty easy getting to know everyone in my class. Since the presentations and group projects did not start until the latter half of the trimester, I was able to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of my classmates which eventually helped me delegate roles and tasks based on each person's strengths during group projects like the American Drama Project and literary presentations. Working in a group has its perks but it can also have some road bumps along the way. Especially for the American Drama Project, technology did not always work when we needed it to which resulted in some delayed filming and "hiccups" at various points in the video. In addition, our schedules did not always line up so it made meeting as a group a little more difficult. Fortunately, we were able to work out brief time slots that the entire group could meet at and film the video. Overall, this class has helped me build on my group work skills, have fun while learning literature, and look for hidden complexities within each work of literature.

Looking back at my goals that I set in November after taking my first diagnostic multiple choice exam, I realized that I had only fully met one of the goals that I set and partially met the other goal. Utilizing the Thanksgiving Break and Winter Break this trimester, I went to Collegeboard Central and completed the practice exam located on the course description page. I made sure to time myself according to the time allotted on the exam and applied the SOAPStone strategies that I had set out to implement in one of my goals that I made in November. However, instead of completing three that I had originally set out to do in November, I had only completed two of the exams. While this didn't meet my goal, it definitely helped me improve on the MC test that we took in February. The first time through, I did not score as well as I had liked but I had narrowed down most of the questions that I missed to two answer choices. When test corrections came around, I was able to pick the obvious answer that I had not eliminated and understand why the second answer was correct and my original answer was not.

With the AP exam in less than two and a half months, I hope to dedicate more time to utilizing the "bullet-point summary" goal that I had set in November to help me focus more on the details of the work and not overlook important aspects that contribute to the complexity of the work. While I had not originally set a goal of memorizing vocab words as one of my three time-stamped goals in November, I still found time to make flashcards of the literary terms and devices in the back of the 5 Steps to a 5 book. I hope that I can continue to memorize 5 terms a week so that I can have the entire list in the back of the book memorized a week before the AP exam.

With second trimester coming to an end and third trimester just around the corner, I have set some new goals to help me stay on top of my assignments and better prepare myself for the AP exam in May. In addition to memorizing 5 literary terms a week, I plan on completing a full length practice test over spring break in one sitting and analyzing my strengths and weaknesses. As the AP exam approaches, I plan on completing the two AP Lit practice exams in my Barron's prep book on Saturday, April 12th and Saturday, April 26th. In addition, I plan on reviewing the information from this trimester's powerpoints like the How To Create A Thesis powerpoint as well as important concepts like the Great Chain of Being. By setting these goals for second trimester, I hope that I can be better prepared for the AP exam and hopefully become more actively involved in classroom discussions.

Blog Post #17: Final Hamlet Paper

Blog Post #16: Hamlet Act 3 Soliloquy Analysis

BLOG ASSIGNMENT #3:

TO BE OR NOT TO BE & ANALYSIS OF FORM & MIS EN SCENE

1. SOLILOQUY ANALYSIS: 

Imagery that refers to the uncertainty of death: 

"To sleep, perchance to dream-- ay, there's the rub. 

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come 

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, 

Must give us pause..." (3.1.65-69)

Imagery that refers to the negative experiences of life: 

"The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (3.1.58)

"Or to take arms against a sea of troubles" (3.1.59) 

"For who would bear the whips and scorns of time," (3.1.70)

Appeals: 

Hamlet uses pathos and logos in his soliloquy. 

Pathos: Appeal to the emotions or interest of the audience 

"For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th' oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin?" (3.1.70-76)

Logos: Appeal to logic  

"Who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country from whose bourn

No traveler returns" (3.1.76-80)

Literary Devices:

Paradox: The main paradox in this soliloquy is the debate between life and death. He weighs life and death equally and considers the consequences of each. In living, a person must suffer through the hardships of life. However, by taking one's own life, there are potential negative consequences in the afterlife. 
Parallelism: Hamlet's use of parallelism when describing all of the struggles of life like "The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay/The insolence of office and the spurns" further emphasizes the suffering that occurs when man is alive (3.1.72-73). 

Infinitive:  Hamlet compares life and death by repeating the infinitive "to__" like in "To die, to sleep" to emphasize the consequences that each decision (to live or to die) can carry (3.1.64) 

Synecdoche: Hamlet uses synecdoche in his soliloquy to further describe the burden of living. 

Tone: Throughout the soliloquy, Hamlet talks in a contemplative tone as he tries to figure out and weigh the consequences and benefits of life and death. 

Diction: The diction used in this soliloquy is very specific and interchangeable. For example, Hamlet often interchanges the words "death" or "to die" with "sleep or "to sleep" which further emphasizes one of the main metaphors described in the soliloquy. 

Metaphor: The two primary metaphors Hamlet articulates in his soliloquy are comparing death to sleep and death to an unknown place. 

Evidence of the following comparisons: life on earth, afterlife, death, humans, thinking. 

Life on Earth
"When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin?" (3.1.76-77)

Afterlife

"To sleep, perchance to dream-- ay, there's the rub. 

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come 

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, 

Must give us pause..." (3.1.65-69)

Death 

"For in that sleep of death what dreams may come (3.1.66) 

Humans

"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all," (3.1.83)

Thinking

"And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought," (3.1.84-85)

Identify at least three oppositions present in the arguments Hamlet makes. 

1. Life and its consequences/benefits vs. death and its consequences/benefits 

2. Knowledge vs the fear of the unknown 

3. Taking action vs. thinking 

What eternal philosophical questions does Hamlet ponder? 

Is it better to live through the sufferings of life or die through suicide? 

What is present in the after life?

Does suicide carry on any consequences in the afterlife?  

What conclusions does Hamlet draw? 

Hamlet concludes that it is the fear of the unknown of the afterlife and the potential consequences that prevents us from ending the sufferings we face in life. 

2. ACTING ANALYSIS 

Lawrence Oliver

In this black and white version of Hamlet’s soliloquy, non-diegetic sounds especially music is the main component that drives the mis en scene. In the beginning of the scene, the music is very intense and suspenseful as the camera angle moves up the staircase. Once the camera reaches the top of the staircase, the audience can see Hamlet standing at the edge of the platform leaning over and looking at the foamy sea. As the camera pans out and the audience is given a more complete view of Hamlet, we can see that he is in Old English type clothing that was common during Shakespeare's time. For the majority of Hamlet's soliloquy, the non-diegetic music is not present and Hamlet is soon leaning on a rock. After throwing the knife that he pulls out in the middle of his soliloquy into the sea, he gets up from the rock in quite resolution and walks toward the end of the cliff. He ends the soliloquy with a contemplative expression as the scene fades away mysteriously. 

Mel Gibson

In this version of Hamlet's soliloquy, Hamlet is dressed in dark informal clothes as he proceeds down a flight of stairs into a dark cave like room. He looks into the room and the camera pans the room to show the darkness and lifeless morgue with bones from deceased humans. Hamlet's hair is slightly frazzled and he begins the soliloquy in a soft whisper. As the soliloquy progresses, Hamlet speeds up and slows down his words to add to further contribute to metaphors of the soliloquy and to emphasize the parallelism found in the repetition of the infinitive. Through the use of close ups, the audience can see the contemplative emotions that Hamlet is experiencing through the rise and fall of his eyebrows and the lowering of his head and eyes. Being located in the morgue, the setting helps to contribute to the understanding of death as a major theme of the soliloquy and further adds to the debate between death and life. 

Ethan Hawke

In this version of the soliloquy, Hamlet is seen walking through the aisles of a movie rental/gaming store with a woven hat on his head. Unlike the rest of the interpretations, this version seems to be very modernized as Hamlet is seen in a modern day venue. Calm and quiet music (non diegetic sound) plays in the background and does not distract from the main focus of the soliloquy but does help contribute to the contemplative tone that Hamlet conveys. His facial expressions are not as diverse as he seems to maintain the same pensive expression throughout the entire soliloquy as he paces about the store. 

Kenneth Branagh

In Branagh's version of Hamlet's soliloquy, Hamlet delivers his soliloquy in a well lit place in the castle. The place contains a mirror in which Hamlet stands in front of. This bright color that the room gives off is in direct contrast with the dark formal outfit that Hamlet is wearing. The camera angle is set on Hamlet and the mirror so the audience can see a reflected version of Hamlet in the mirror. This emphasizes the contemplative and self-reflective tone that Hamlet has while delivering the soliloquy in front of the mirror. Suddenly, Hamlet whips out a knife and soft and suspenseful music (non diegetic sound)  starts playing adding to the building thoughts and ideas on life and death that Hamlet continues to present. Then the camera angle changes to a long shot view of the entire room where we can see Ophelia entering the room and making eye contact with Hamlet. 

Most/Least Effective Versions
After viewing all four versions of the soliloquy that my son delivers, I believe that the most effective one would be Kenneth Branagh's version. The dark formal clothing that he wears in this version conveys the sense of rank that he holds in Denmark and also the sadness that still lingers within him after his father's death. In addition, the mirror provides a kind of self-reflection and examination that allows Hamlet to contemplate life and death in the midst of his father's death. This portrayal also contains just the right amount of sadness that my son is now experiencing. The other versions seem to understate or over exaggerate this melancholy spirit that prevails within my son.

I personally believe that the Lawrence Oliver portrayal was probably the least effective portrayal of my son's contemplation and sadness. The music at the beginning makes it feel like my son was part of a horror story and not musing over a serious issue like death. In addition, the position that Oliver portrayed my son was so laid back and emotionless that it almost made it appear like my son was fake and superficial even though he was holding a knife! Also, the setting did not contribute to the tone at all. Seriously,who films a serious soliloquy near a beach like backdrop with waves crashing against the shore and scenic views from a cliff? 

Mis En Scene Changes 

For the Oliver version of the Hamlet soliloquy, I probably would have had Hamlet walking down the spiraling staircase because of the various camera angles that could be taken of Hamlet at different stages of the staircase. In sad parts of the soliloquy, he could be leaning against the walls of the staircase and in contemplative parts a close up of his face as he is walking down the staircase could be used to show the various facial expressions and emotions that Hamlet would have felt. In addition, I would have replaced the horror/sci-fi music with a more sad tune that started out soft and gradually got louder to emphasize the revelations that Hamlet has about death. I would replace the commoner Old English costume that Hamlet wears with a more dark and royal costume to show the sadness that Hamlet is feeling and the high rank that he has in Denmark. In this portrayal, Hamlet seemed to be talking in a well-lit environment which did not help in the seriousness of the soliloquy. A more gloomy and depressed setting marked by dark clouds and high winds would have fit this mood better. In addition, I would have the staircase fade out to pitch blackness as Hamlet reaches the end to symbolize the uncertainty that Hamlet has about the afterlife.

Kenneth Branagh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADcMbQgCAhY

Laurence Olivier: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ks-NbCHUns

Mel Gibson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdp6dpiK8Ko
Ethan Hawke: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YHMYkUrV7A

Blog Post #15: Act 2: Revenge/Espionage and Movie Connection

HAMLET BLOG ASSIGNMENT #2: REVENGE & ESPIONAGE
TAG LINES, MOVIES & THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

1. In your post, embed a video of the youtube trailer for the movie, or the introduction to the movie. For directions on how to do this, go here: http://support.google.com/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=80767

2. Lead into your blog post with the tag line, or another memorable line, to the movie, TV show, or video game.

3. Describe briefly how the theme of espionage or revenge unfolds in the movie that you've selected.

4. Have your character (Claudius) draw connections, based on Shakespeare's text, to something that is happening to them in Act 2. As with the prior blog post, use textual evidence at least five times. Include MLA citations.

5. Compare and contrast direct lines from the text with direct lines from the movie.

In the movie "The Good Shepherd" directed by Robert De Niro, the protagonist, Edward Wilson, is invited to a secret society at Yale. Through this secret society, Edward is recruited to work for the CIA during 1939 and the onset of World War II. Throughout the movie, Edward goes out on various espionage missions including investigating his former English professor who is believed to be a Nazi sympathizer (Niro). His job as a spy has interfered with his personal life in many ways and is ultimately forced to pick between upholding the secrecy of his job and protecting his family.

Blog Post: "Everybody has secrets to tell" (Niro). Including Hamlet. I am convinced that Hamlet has recently been affected by something "more than his father's death" (2.2.8). When I have tried to confront him about it, he goes off like a mad man and has behaving in such an abnormal manner. I have given two of my well respected servants, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, with the job of spying on Hamlet and seeing what truly "afflicts him" (2.2.17). Since these two men have been "brought up with him", they should be able to convince Hamlet to reveal more about the problems that are afflicting him (2.2.11).

I am hoping that these two will be honest and truthful but "no matter what anybody tells you, there will be nobody you can really trust" (Niro). I cannot rely entirely on these servants so I will need to do some of the spying myself and finding the root of his "transformation" (2.2.5). I feel as though he knows more than he is supposed to as he recently found out that I had sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on him saying, "I know the good king and queen have sent for you" (2.2.261).

Like the movie, I do feel like all this secretive business is ruining my private life. But I don't know what else to do! In the interests of my safety and sanity, I must find out what is going through Hamlet's mind and make sure that he does not know my deepest and darkest secret.

Blog Post #14: Claudius' Reaction to Hamlet's Grief

HAMLET BLOG ASSIGNMENT #1

Write from the perspective of the character (Claudius, King of Denmark), but BE SURE TO USE 5 PIECES OF TEXT EVIDENCE from Act 1 to support your point.

Lately, Hamlet has been moping around the castle grieving about his father's death. I have been trying to tell him that bad things happen and life moves on but he keeps on acting like a little girl and expressing his "unmanly grief" and "impious stubbornness"  on a day to day basis (1.2.94). I am trying to spread positive vibes throughout the castle with my marriage to Gertrude but that boy won't stop blabbering about his father's death. Doesn't he have more important things to do? 

I will concede that it is "sweet and commendable" to mourn about his father but he must understand that his "father lost a father; That father lost, lost his" (1.2.87-90). In fact, we have all lost someone we loved but that does not give us a reason to trap ourselves in a world of sadness for an extended period of time. Besides, behaving like a little girl and grieving is a sin and is "most incorrect to heaven" (1.2.95) and I cannot have the person I have to now call my son committing sins.

I have tried to comfort him by assuring him that he is the "most immediate to our throne" and that he will become king once I pass but this still does not placate him (1.2.109). I have even persuaded him to stay at home and not go back to Wittenberg for college so that he can stay in the "cheer and comfort of our eye" (1.2.116).  Despite my efforts to show him my love and kindness, he does not seem to appreciate this and is still trapped in his world of sadness and grief. It's something that I as a father will never understand. 

Blog Post #13: Hamlet Character Paragraph Justification

I have decided to follow Claudius throughout the play. After reading Act 1 of the play, Claudius is clearly portrayed as the bad guy or villain who not only kills Hamlet Senior but also seduces Gertrude to marry him. At that time in Denmark, marrying a spouse's brother was considered incest and Claudius was able to use his crafty language and lustful mind to induce Gertrude to commit a sin. Claudius is also a very interesting character to follow because he seems to be only person focused on causing havoc in other people's lives in order to maintain his own high status while most of the other people in the play like Hamlet and Laertes are intent on seeking revenge for a killing of their loved one. Finally, I want to track Claudius throughout this play because I want to juxtapose Claudius, who seems to be the antagonist, with Hamlet and see how the conflict between the two unfolds from the antagonist perspective.

Blog Post #11, #12: Six Degrees of Separation - American Drama Project (Write-Up, Video, and Storyboards)

Blog Post #10: Poem with Fairy Tale Allusion

Fairy Tale Presentation



Fairy Tale Preparation Packet

Blog Post #9: Poem with Mythological Allusions

Blog Post #8: Poem with Bible Story Allusions

Blog Post #7: Reader Response Critical Approach

Blog Post #6: Renaissance and Neoclassical Presentation