In this class so far, I have already learned and found things I as a reader and writer need to improve on. This is one of the first AP classes I have taken in high school, So honestly I am a little intimidated by it. I am trying hard to take what we have learned about reading more carefully and pulling apart the text and applying it to homework and in-class work. Using DIDLS helps me a great deal. It really gives me a base line to start looking for meaning throughout the text and pull everything I can out of it.
Learning how to write an AP essay has also been some new, but very useful information. I am hoping that I will become comfortable with coming up with a thesis given the prompt and writing a successful, persuasive essay that will get a great score.
So far this class has been full of great, useful information, and I am hoping I will get more comfortable as the year progresses.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Open Prompt- September 16
1970 Also. Choose a work of recognized literary merit in which a specific inanimate object (e.g., a seashell, a handkerchief, a painting) is important, and write an essay in which you show how two or three of the purposes the object serves are related to one another.
Order and governing are necessities in any society. Without a leader, and the people obeying that leader, a society would turn into a state of chaos, full of violence and insane people fighting for power. In the Novel Lord of the Flies, the author chooses to use a physical object to get this important point across to the reader. Throughout the story, a conch shell is used to symbolize civilization, order, and a powerful way of governing. It is also used to show the reader the way in which the boys were accustomed to being governed before they crashed on a deserted island and were left to fend for themselves. When it gets down to it, the conch shell is an object that has great symbolism for government.
Ralph is a natural leader. Once the boys crashed on the island, Piggy, a smart, chubby boy, finds the Conch Shell. Ralph takes the conch and blows it, getting everyone’s attention. He talks to them and tries to figure out the best way to have control and keep everything sane. The boys agree, to call a meeting, the conch must be blown. They also decide that whoever is holding the conch is the only one who may talk and voice their opinion. These ideas keep a level of civilization and order the boys follow to keep everything controlled and running smoothly. Some of the boys, including Jack and his tribe, rebel and do not follow the conch’s rules. This causes the government and order the conch has to be brought down and questioned by all. The conch shell is a symbol of control and government that is played with throughout the novel.
The boys stuck on the island have an idea of government in their minds they think will be most effective. They have watched how the adults in their society back home interact with each other and how the government works best in general. These presumptions the boys have about the interaction of people and government are brought to the island. The conch is a symbol of government the boys are familiar with and feel will be most successful due to observing adults back home.
The conch shell plays an important role in the story, not only bringing the boys a sense of unity and control, but also a government set up that they are comfortable with due to the adult leadership seen in their lives. Order and government make up the conch’s main function, making the fight for power significant within the story.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Close Reading Sept. 9
http://calitreview.com/2526
Review of The novel, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Reviewed by Elinor Teele
1. Diction: Teele makes evident what she thinks of the novel in general. She uses words like Interesting, problematic, and unsurprising to describe her thoughts on the novel. Teele also describes what she thinks of mankind and our tendencies. She uses the word "hesitate" when describing what people think of the thought of authors incorporating civil rights in novels. The diction Elinor Teele uses in her review give the overall tone of interest, but certain aspects could be questioned due to human nature.
2. Details: Teele describes what she thinks of the characters, describing her thoughts on different facts from the novel. You can tell by her word choice of "silently shielding the fat little girl from her mother's verbal abuse," that she feels sorry for the little girl and believes Mae Mobly, the one silently shielding the girl, is a much better person than the girls mother. Teele continuously shows her hostility towards the white women in the novel associating words and phrases like "queen bee of the white hive," "scatterbrained white trash, and "witches," with the prejudice white women in the novel.
3. Language: Towards the end of Teele's review, she poses some rhetorical questions about the relationship between characters and about the novel. "Is Minny with her outlandish catchphrases just another version of Mammy, updated for more sensitive times? Even if stories haven’t been told, is it fair for an outsider to tell them? What would Hattie McDaniel, who worked as that $7 maid before making it to Hollywood, think of this book?" (Teele). These rhetorical questions are asked to make readers think.
Review of The novel, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Reviewed by Elinor Teele
1. Diction: Teele makes evident what she thinks of the novel in general. She uses words like Interesting, problematic, and unsurprising to describe her thoughts on the novel. Teele also describes what she thinks of mankind and our tendencies. She uses the word "hesitate" when describing what people think of the thought of authors incorporating civil rights in novels. The diction Elinor Teele uses in her review give the overall tone of interest, but certain aspects could be questioned due to human nature.
2. Details: Teele describes what she thinks of the characters, describing her thoughts on different facts from the novel. You can tell by her word choice of "silently shielding the fat little girl from her mother's verbal abuse," that she feels sorry for the little girl and believes Mae Mobly, the one silently shielding the girl, is a much better person than the girls mother. Teele continuously shows her hostility towards the white women in the novel associating words and phrases like "queen bee of the white hive," "scatterbrained white trash, and "witches," with the prejudice white women in the novel.
3. Language: Towards the end of Teele's review, she poses some rhetorical questions about the relationship between characters and about the novel. "Is Minny with her outlandish catchphrases just another version of Mammy, updated for more sensitive times? Even if stories haven’t been told, is it fair for an outsider to tell them? What would Hattie McDaniel, who worked as that $7 maid before making it to Hollywood, think of this book?" (Teele). These rhetorical questions are asked to make readers think.
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