Open Prompt October 28

1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work.

Love is a strong emotion most people face and struggle with in their life times. It is so strong, it can often cause one to lose their path, and move away from making moral decisions. In the book Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the main character, Pip, must struggle and decide between attempting to please the one he loves, and making a moral decision. 

Pip lives in a small, poor community with his older sister and her sisters husband Joe, whom he works with and loves dearly. Once he meets a wealthy girl named Estella in a mansion he is asked to work in, all Pip wants to do is become a gentlemen and win her heart. He receives money from a secret benefactor and moves to London to try to learn to be a gentlemen. Even though she is rude and cold towards him, he still feels he loves her and wants to please her. Joe tries to keep in touch with Pip while he is in London, but Pip is disrespectful and feels he is superior to Joe because of his recently increased status. Pip must face the conflict of trying to please a girl who doesn't love him, or doing the moral thing and keeping in touch with his old friend Joe. 

This conflict has a large effect on Pip throughout the novel. He feels how cold and rude Estella is towards him, and this constantly upsets him. But when she has one split second of kindness towards him, he notices it and becomes hopeful again. Pip also notices his new behavior towards Joe. Deep inside, he does feel bad for being so disrespectful to Joe, but it is difficult for him to face the idea of being good friends with someone of that low social status. Pip is constantly worrying and thinking about what to do: please Estella, or move back home and work and have a close relationship with his old friend Joe. 

This moral conflict Pip faces makes up a majority of the novel. It adds to the reoccurring theme of social class. Would he rather be unhappy with Estella and a have a high social status, or be happy with Joe and have a lower status? This conflict greatly adds to the theme of social status. 

In the novel, Dickens makes it very clear that Pip must struggle between attempting to please the one he loves, or making a moral decision to stay close with Joe. 

Close Reading October 21

http://theloalbos.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-reflective-essay-my-papa.html

My Papa


All people are impacted by the presence of others in our lives. Because the elderly are wise from a lifetime of experience, they are often looked up to and loved by friends and family. The Reflective essay, "My Papa", the author successfully uses imagery, diction, and language to tell the story of her Papa's death and how she was impacted by the life-changing event.

The imagery in this essay is very strong, and makes the reader feel as if they are in the room with the author. Many comparisons are used to help the reader understand the authors feelings and emotions. "I observed his chest rise while drawing in a deep purposeful breathe and fall as if breathing out all of his 83 years of life, for the last time."this comparison really impacted me as a reader, helping me to understand that Papa's life was full of not only difficulties, but also joy and happiness. The use of imagery impacted me as a reader, giving me the feelings the author had in the event of Papa's death.

The word choice in this essay gives the reader not only a feeling of heartache, but also joy in celebrating Papa's life and the time the family had left with him. The author uses many words that give the reader strong feelings. One example is when she is describing what her Papa is like, in the very first sentence of the essay. "My Papa was a plump, jovial, whiskey soaked, mischievous man, with an amazing heart and a laugh bordering on evil, which almost always meant he had something up his sleeve, just for you." the diction used in this sentence successfully describes Papa to the reader, and makes the reader understand why the family loves him so much. Another example of incredible diction is when she is describing her feelings when she is "called" over to her Papa's death bed. "It was haunting and cut right to the core of my soul." the word choice explains the depth and emotion at this moment in time. The diction the author presents is very successful throughout the essay. 

Throughout this essay, there is language used that describes the overall piece. The use of the words pain and peace seem to summarize what the author and her family were feeling in this difficult time in their lives because although it is painful to lose a loved family member, his death was also peaceful because he is no longer suffering. There is language used in this essay that does a good job of describing the piece as a whole. 

The author of the reflective essay "My Papa" wrote a very emotional piece that successfully uses imagery, diction, and language. 

Response to Course Material- October 21

Since the last response to course material, we have done a lot of annotating of The American Dream. I personally think that annotating is a little challenging, because I have never done it before. Doing it in groups and during class has helped me pick up on it and learn to think more critically and deeply about the text. I am excited to see how I do and what I pick up on when I finish annotating the rest of the play by myself. Going through “The Gift Outright” and figuring out what Robert Frost intended the theme to be was interesting as well. I am hoping that the more I go through, the better I will get at finding possible meanings and what the authors intentions are. 

Open Prompt October 14

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

In any story, society and the way in which people are raised greatly affects how characters act and live. In Shakespeares tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the characters must deal with the standards of society and how their families raised them. In this famous play, Romeo and Juliet respond to society's standards and their families rules by going completely against the grain and disobeying because of their love for one another. 

Romeo and Juliet takes place in Italy, in a city calle Verona. In Verona, there are two wealthy families; the Montagues and the Capulets. Ever since anyone in the city can remember, the Montagues and Capulets have had a history of bickering and dispute. The two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, are members of opposig families.  In Romeo's household, he was raised more freely, with his parents allowing him to walk the streets and choose whom he should marry. In contrast, Juliet is barely allowed to leave her home, and her parents help her decide whom she will be marrying. Romeo and Juliet must deal with the fact that their society and families greatly oppose the idea of them being together

In the play, Romeo uses his freedom to his advantage. he decides to attend a party at the Capulets home, where he meets and falls in love with Juliet. On the other hand, Juliet is forced to disobey her parents to be with Romeo by becoming less sheltered, and attempting to get away from her parent's forced engagement. Even though both Romeo and Juliet are aware of their bickering families, they are still in love. They disobey their families and hide their love as best they can to stop their parents from keeping them apart. 

Romeo and Juliet live in a society that automatically forces them apart. The two of them decide to go against society's and their families expectations and be together because of the strong love between them. 

Close Reading October 7

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-apple-20111007,0,4512877.story

iSad- the amazing reaction to the death of Steve Jobs

People impact and change your life everyday. Whether it is a close friend, or someone you haven't even met, the impact they have on your life is significant. Apple founder and innovator Steve Jobs, was one of those people that has made a difference in countless people's lives across the globe. In the article iSad, the author uses diction, detail, and syntax to create a desolate, but inspiring mood to the article.

The author uses diction throughout this editorial to add to the mood of the writing overall. Steve Jobs had some trouble with keeping his job throughout his life. the author chooses to use the phrase "Jobs wormed his way back into apple..."to describe when Steve was able to work for the apple computer company again. This word choice and diction really sticks out, and implies how difficult it was for Jobs to stay positive through a rough time, and come back strong. The word choice used to describe Jobs and the impact of his accomplishments on the world is a denotative example, saying that "History will remember Steve Jobs as an innovator, fortune builder, and technology genius. His legacy holds an important lesson for dealing with economic adversity today."The words used are strong, intense sounding words that would cause any reader to respect Jobs for everything he has done in his lifetime. This quote shows exactly what the author thinks of Jobs: He achieved many great things throughout his career, and even though he is gone, he will be remembered for all that he has done. 

The use of detail in this editorial is very significant and adds to the idea of the work. One specific example is the author stating that Steve Jobs is the Thomas Edison of our time period. This example adds to the idea that the author feels a great deal of respect for Jobs and his accomplishments, because he is comparing him to one of the greatest inventors in history. The author also says that there was an immediate lurch of sadness that filled many people's hearts when they heard the news of Jobs death. The mentioning of this idea emphasizes the sorrow of the loss of this creative mind. Use of detail in this editorial adds to the idea of sadness but celebration of Jobs wonderful life.

Syntax use throughout this editorial give the reader a strong sense that this current event is extraordinarily significant throughout the world. The author repetitively uses short sentences to send the reader an emphasized, and to the point idea. The author says that Jobs "made the hard years of the recent past easier, more productive, more beautiful to behold." He then says, in a quick, short thought, "Thanks Steve, We needed that."compared to the long paragraph prior to this statement that explains how Jobs made the recent past easier, this short statement is very powerful and gives the reader a large sense of respect for Steve. the continuous use of short, quick sentences makes the editorial very powerful for the reader. 

The use of diction, detail, and syntax are essential elements in the editorial that assisted in portraying the message that although it is sad he is gone, Steve Jobs was an important figure that has made a difference in millions of people's lives, and will never be forgotten.

Response to Course Material- October 7

Since the last response to course material, I feel we have learned a lot of information that is a lot more interesting than what we were learning at the beginning of the year. We got into the details of syntax and how sentence lengths and structures are what vary and these impact the overall tone, pace, and emphasis in the piece. Syntax is definitely the hardest of the DIDLS for me to understand and figure out on my own. I understand it and can find sentences that are significant and mean something to the piece because of the syntax, but I think I will really have to work on this one on my own to get it down-pat.

I was happy when we started talking about plays, theater of the absurd, and comedies. I personally find this part of the course to be a lot more interesting than DIDLS. The American Dream was so strange and absurd to read the first time through, I think doing a second closer read will be interesting because we will have the chance to sort through all of the strange lines and relationships between the characters. Reading about comedies and plays and figuring out the relationships between the characters is something I am looking forward to in this class.

One thing that I really would like to work on and improve on is coming up with strong thesis statements for open prompt essays. You have to analyze the prompt in such a detailled fashion, and sometimes it is hard for me to keep things straight. I am worried on my AP exam I will not fully answer the prompt, and this would cause me to lose many points. I know I need to keep working on this and hopefully I will improve dramatically throughout the school year.

Open Prompt September 30

1983. From a novel or play of literary merit, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-organized essay, analyze the nature of the character's villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Reading a good story about a hero attempting to defeat a horrifying villain is something no reader could pass up. Villains in stories add to the meaning of the novel, and make the writing far more interesting for the reader. Voldemort, in the Harry Potter Series, is a classic villain popularly known in the literary world. The evil, powerful nature of the Lord Voldemort enhances the reoccurring theme of the struggle between good and evil. 

As a young teenager attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Voldemort knew deep inside that he would later become the darkest, most powerful wizard of all time. He opened the Chamber of Secrets, and talks with a trusted professor about horcruxes (a dark magic which splits a soul in pieces so it is difficult to kill). His sinister and persistent personality is displayed later in his life in his attempts to come back to defeat and kill Harry Potter, the hero of the story. Voldemort and his followers continuously attempt to strengthen Voldemort's power and take out Harry by whatever means possible. 

Throughout the series, Voldemort tried to kill Harry countless times, but Harry is strong and courageous, and fights back with vigor every time. Harry Potter symbolizes the good in the story; He is resilient, strong-willed, and a caring loving person who puts up a fight whenever Voldemort comes back around.

 Voldemort's evil nature is shown through his actions against Harry Potter, and the theme of good versus evil is clearly displayed through the long-lasting fight between the hard-working Harry Potter and the detrimental Dark Lord.