Embedded Files
Hello, and welcome to my AP Literature Portfolio for the 2019-2020 school year!
Attached below you will find weekly updates of my coursework and my progress, consisting of work from timed writings, class discussions, and peer reviewing. As I explore new ways to write and how to navigate the literature world, I will comment on my growth, week by week.
This year, I want to develop my ability to recognize and smoothly interpret the meaning in complex works of literature. If there is one thing of which Lit constantly reminds me, it is that there is always more than what meets the eye; every work is embedded with some kind of hidden meaning that isn't always easy to find. What makes it even harder is that one work can have multiple interpretations! With this year-long journey, therefore, I hope that I will be able to detect these hidden meanings and the way certain works can be interpreted differently.
TERM 1
TERM 1
Course Introduction
Course Introduction
September 3-6 and 9-13, 2019
September 3-6 and 9-13, 2019
Introductory Timed Writings
Introductory Timed Writings
Within the first couple weeks of the course, the class completed 2 FRQ's online through CollegeBoard. These were timed writings in which we had 25 minutes to develop a claim and write a body paragraph on a passage.
FRQ #1
FRQ #1
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses literary elements and techniques to convey the significance of the setting for the son and the father.
Original Practice
Original Practice
In [excerpt title], [author] employs a contrast between the drought and the lady's farm to convey a setting suggesting that, for the son and his father, the burial place of the minister is a sacred area. It becomes very clear from the start of the excerpt that there is a drought that has left the landscape of Kansas barren, almost desert-like: the narrator states how he and his father couldn't even find food. However, after the narrator and his father locate the grave of the minister (the narrator's grandfather) and they go back to the farmstead to stay the night, the narrator recalls what seems like a bounty of food. He states, "I loved [that lady] to the point of tears...she met us at the door with a breakfast of fried must with blackberry preserves melted over it and a spoonful of top milk on it, and we ate standing there at the stoop in the chill and the dark, and it was perfectly wonderful." The joy and bounty of food that can be observed with the narrator at this moment creates a sharp contrast to the desolation and lack of resources available to him and his father at the start of the excerpt. This may suggest that, for the narrator, the burial place of his grandfather could be a symbolic oasis - a rare, bountiful, beautiful place in the midst of a desert of desolation. By creating this bountiful, and almost unreal oasis, it can be interpreted that the burial place of the deceased minister has a sacred and important value in the hearts of the narrator and his father.
Feedback and Explanation
Feedback and Explanation
In this timed write, I was told that although the connection between the offered food and the graveyard was tenuous, I pushed the connection and established the contrast effectively. I was instructed to consider how I would pull in additional references to the setting--the road, the scrub, etc--to directly relate it to the woman's home, food, welcome, etc.
Therefore, in my improved work, I tried to focus on bringing other elements of the setting into the work to connect to the woman in the excerpt.
Improved Work
Improved Work
In [excerpt title], [author] employs a contrast between the drought and the lady's farm to convey a setting suggesting that, for the son and his father, the burial place of the minister is a sacred area. It becomes very clear from the start of the excerpt that there is a drought that has left the landscape of Kansas barren, almost desert-like: the narrator states how he and his father couldn't even find food. However, after the narrator and his father locate the grave of the minister (the narrator's grandfather) and they go back to the farmstead to stay the night, the narrator recalls what seems like a bounty of food. He states, "I loved [that lady] to the point of tears...she met us at the door with a breakfast of fried must with blackberry preserves melted over it and a spoonful of top milk on it, and we ate standing there at the stoop in the chill and the dark, and it was perfectly wonderful." The joy and bounty of food that can be observed with the narrator at this moment creates a sharp contrast to the desolation and lack of resources available to him and his father at the start of the excerpt. This may suggest that, for the narrator, the burial place of his grandfather could be a symbolic oasis - a rare, bountiful, beautiful place in the midst of a desert of desolation. At another point in the excerpt, the lady is said to have “showed [them] to what remained of a road” to take them to the minister’s burial place, which was “overgrown, but as you walked along you could see the ruts.” Symbolically, roads typically bring characters in a story to an important destination or puts them on an important journey. In this case, for the son and father, it seems that the road brings them to a sacred place: the burial place of the minister. The overgrown aspect of the road creates a sense that the road is less traveled, and thus it leads to a unique - and therefore, more important - destination. The fact that it was the lady who essentially guided the son and father to follow this road to find the burial place, this warmth and willingness to help them reinforces the idea of the burial area of the minister being oasis-like: not only physically, with a bounty of food, but also emotionally, with a bounty of support and welcoming. By creating this bountiful, warm, and almost unreal oasis, it can be interpreted that the burial place of the deceased minister has a sacred and important value in the hearts of the narrator and his father.
FRQ #2
FRQ #2
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses literary elements and techniques to convey setting.
Original Practice
Original Practice
In the passage, [author] juxtaposes the negative imagery in Claire's home with a joyous environment as she runs away to emphasize the oppressive setting in which Claire lives regularly. First of all, the excerpt immediately emulates a tone of desolation and oppression when the reader is brought to the moment at which Claire decides to run away. She feels like, "her home was no longer hers," and that, "she had been kicked out" of her own home. These statements exhibit a negative and hopeless nature to them - like there is no chance things getting better for Claire, therefore bringing her to the conclusion that she must run away to escape these problems. Once she escapes, the tone of the excerpt shifts to more joyous and positive imagery. [Author] states, "The higher she climbed [the mountain], the breezier it got and the brighter the stars became." Furthermore, Claire begins to hear "muffled conversations...punctuated by giggles from people who sounded as though they were tickling one another." The brightness of the stars and breeziness of Claire's environment exhibit a tone that emulates feelings of joyfulness and freedom. One can imagine how full one's heart can get, gazing upon the bright stars alone in the night. By bringing us to this image, [author] exhibits how Claire feels like she has escaped the oppression of her life and has found solace through running away. One can even see, when Claire recalls hearing laughter in the distance, that [author] is emphasizing how the setting around Claire has now changed, emulating a sense of freedom and solace from the hopelessness that Claire felt surrounded by at the beginning of the excerpt.
Explanation
Explanation
Reading through the excerpt and my paragraph again, I think my interpretation of the text was very surface-level, only addressing the mechanics of the writing, rather than looking into the meaning of the story and why the author brought up the descriptive elements in the context of Claire running away. It actually seems like Claire's town is welcoming and caring towards her - I wouldn't say that she lives in an oppressive environment. Rather, I think Claire is concerned that she will no longer be able to live with her father. I would edit my interpretation to show how the author contrasts Claire's feelings of being foreign to her own home with her familiarity with everything else around her to emphasize how much she will miss her father now that she is moving in with a local shopkeeper.
Improved Work
Improved Work
[Author] utilizes warm and familiar imagery of Claire's town to convey how well she knows and loves her home; however, all of these images are given rapidly, conveying Claire's feelings of distress and desperation caused from her being forced to leave her own home and the companionship of her father. First of all, the excerpt immediately emulates a tone of distress when the reader is brought to the moment at which Claire decides to run away. She feels like, "her home was no longer hers," and that, "she had been kicked out" of her own home. Claire, now being forced to leave a home that she knows so well to live with a local shopkeeper, feels betrayed. One can see, therefore, how Claire is deciding that, instead of being kicked out of her home, she is choosing to run away. All of these feelings that Claire has are perfectly illustrated by the warm images of childhood fascination and love she is surrounded by as she runs away. As she escapes, Claire rapidly runs across her town, hearing "muffled conversations...punctuated by giggles from people who sounded as though they were tickling one another." Claire's feelings of distress surrounded by contrasting joyful images emphasize the painful separation from her home that Claire feels. As she runs away, she is reminded of the joyful aspects of her home, and even though she wishes so badly to return, living with her father, Claire "was not thinking of going back."
Hawk Roosting - Ted Hughes.pdfWeek 1
Week 1
September 16-20, 2019
September 16-20, 2019
This week in AP Lit, the class began a new unit: Poetry. Thus far, I really enjoy this unit. The fun thing about poetry is that, even if a poem has very few lines and small phrases, it can still be rich with meaning. You can probably see my point from my mess of annotations of the poem on the left. This poem, "Hawk Roosting" by Ted Hughes, was the very first work that the class annotated to start our poetry unit. (Note that the blue ink indicates my personal thoughts, and purple ink indicates annotations from our class discussion.)
Right now, I think I am reasonably good at understanding the overall theme or idea of a poem. For instance, in "Hawk Roosting," I understood that the theme of the poem had to do with a criticism of power before we discussed the work as a class. Moving forward in this poetry unit, however, I think I need to get better at picking up on the smaller details in a poem, such as the choices in punctuation that a poet makes, that add to the overall theme of the work. In "Hawk Roosting," the class pointed out how, in the 4th stanza, the dashes, colons, and periods at the end of each line created a sort of finality with which the speaker phrased his statements. This punctuation establishes more of an extreme, dictatorial way of thinking, which again ties to the idea of Hughes criticizing the idea of power itself.
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 1 Progress Check
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 1 Progress Check
As well as starting poetry, the class wrapped up our first unit on Short Fiction by completing multiple choice and FRQ's to assess our progress. Attached below are the two the FRQ's that I completed and my improvements.
FRQ #1
FRQ #1
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses first-person point of view to express Celia’s complex perspective.
Original Practice
Original Practice
[Author name] employs first-person point of view to express Celia's internal struggle for what she feels is right, as shown in her recurring conflict between being sure of her decisions while at the same time being uncertain.
First of all, one can immediately see that Celia differs from the world around her. Everything surrounding her seems to be foreign to her, as she recalls how "so many things are puzzling." She shows a recurring love for natural plant life, whereas she sees others in her surroundings mistreating it - for instance, the girl "hitting the poor tree with wood, making it beat itself." Celia counters these differences by continually opposing her environment, indignantly facing things with which she disagrees head-on. For instance, after receiving a notice that her almond tree would be removed, she states, "...I have no intention of cooperating. Last spring the almond tree... was smothered in blossom; the petals carpeted the garden like pink snow." One can see the indignant and rather stubborn tone that exists within this narration. Even in a world that is against her, Celia chooses to defy societal norms. This certainty and stubbornness, however, is contrasted at times with uncertainty - Celia recalls how "There is always nagging doubt" within herself. This contrast in confidence in herself with uncertainty in herself creates an internal conflict within Celia. She so desperately wants to uphold her own values, but the reader is reminded that, in a world in which she feels that no one supports her, it can be difficult at times to stand by these values.
Feedback and Explanation
Feedback and Explanation
In the feedback I was given, I was told to aim to encapsulate all of the observations I made into a singular claim in my thesis. This original writing has a workable thesis and I have a series of apt observations relevant to it, but I should edit my thesis to make it powerful and insightful so it can structure the whole of my essay.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Since my feedback only focused on my thesis, my thesis was the only part of my writing that I changed. My improved thesis is attached below:
By employing an indignant tone, stubbornness, and uniqueness in Celia that can only be conveyed through a first-person point of view, Rogers conveys how Celia continually tries to oppose the outside world around her, but sometimes the certainty in her narration wavers, suggesting that Celia has a constant internal struggle between whether she should conform to society or defy it; furthermore, this internal struggle conveys the universal difficulty to stand by one’s values even when living in a world in which no one supports them.
This thesis is far more sophisticated than my original, and I feel it encapsulates all of what I talked about throughout my paragraph in my original writing.
FRQ #2
FRQ #2
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses literary elements and techniques to establish a setting that helps convey Zita’s complex perspective.
Original Practice
Original Practice
In the excerpt [Name], [author] uses vivid imagery and contrast between Zita's youthfulness and her father's tiredness to create a setting emphasizing different ways of coping with death. First of all, it is significant that Zita is going outside to explore nature during dawn. Dawn can be associated with youthfulness, as it is the start of a new day, which creates an overall setting that outlines the youthfulness of Zita's perspective. When Zita places her finger on a spider when she goes outside, her "childish faith persists as a finger, tiny in comparison to the tree yet massive relative to the spider, approaches the point of contact. She turns, anticipating her brother to climb up and join her." Zita's explorative nature exhibits a tone of the sweet, nostalgic parts of youth. Zita placing her finger on the spider, in this case, may represent how Zita is trying to find her place in the world, navigating her own way without her brother there with her. She is coping with his death in a hopeful way, trying to live in a world without her brother. This joyful youthfulness in Zita is contrasted with the worn-out description of her father. He is described as, "a man afflicted by the cruel reality of brokenness." The father, unlike Zita, is at a different stage in his life, in which he now feels hopeless. The contrast between these different stages in life shows the different ways of approaching a tragedy - one, with perseverance and hopefulness, and the other, with sadness and hopelessness.
Explanation
Explanation
Overall, I thought that my analysis and interpretation was good; however, a lot of my commentary is in terms of plot rather than literaray elements, such as imagery. In my edits, I will revise my commentary to focus more on how the imagery establishes my interpretation.
As for more minor edits, I think I should also refine my evidence and better embed it into my writing. There were some parts of this writing in which I used evidence that was too long.
Improved Work
Improved Work
In the excerpt [Name], [author] uses vivid imagery and contrast between Zita's youthfulness and her father's tiredness to create a setting emphasizing different ways of coping with death. First of all, it is significant that Zita is going outside to explore nature during dawn. Dawn can be associated with youthfulness, as it is the start of a new day, which creates an overall setting that outlines the youthfulness of Zita's perspective. When Zita plays with a spider outside at Dawn, her "childish faith persists as a finger, tiny in comparison to the tree yet massive relative to the spider..." This vivid imagery exhibits a tone of sweet and childlike innocence. Zita is merely exploring her environment, developing a sense for who she is in relation to the world. However, as she "turns, anticipating her brother to climb up and join her," it becomes clear that [author] presents Zita in this childlike and explorative state to demonstrate that she is trying to navigate a world without her brother there with her. She is coping with his death in a hopeful way, "persisting" in the world with childlike innocence. This hopeful youth in Zita is contrasted with the worn-out description of her father. He is described as, "a man afflicted by the cruel reality of brokenness." Compared to Zita haing "childish faith," her father is "broken," seemingly worn away by the reality of Zita's brother dying. This contrast in imagery show the different ways of approaching a tragedy - one, with persevering faith, and the other, with hopeless despair.
Peter Meinke In-Class Timed Writing
Peter Meinke In-Class Timed Writing
This week, the class also delved deeper into poetry by completing a timed write analyzing the untitled poem by Peter Meinke. In our 25-minute body paragraph, we were to write a thesis and body paragraph discussing the speaker's complex perspective.
Original Practice
Original Practice
My original writing is provided to the left. Note that the pink highlight is the claim, blue highlights are evidence/quotations, green is literary terms, purple is commentary, and gray is summary and context.
Feedback and Explanation
Feedback and Explanation
In the feedback I was given (from the feedback sheet passed back to us for this writing), I was told to provide more developed commentary - in other words, elaborating on my analysis more to better support my thesis.
I think part of the problem lies within my thesis - reading back on it, it seemed so convuluted that it makes it difficult for the reader to anchor on a claim. It makes sense that one can get confused with the commentary when the thesis isn't even clear.
Personally, I also thought that I did not appropriately embed my evidence into my commentary. I seemed to include longer lines of evidence instead of small bits of words or phrases. Going forward, I will keep these improvements in mind in my writing.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Through dismal tone, vivid imagery and repetition of sounds, Peter Meinke illustrates the intensity of the despair and guilt the speaker feels for mistreating his son in order to demonstrate the effects of misunderstanding the impact of one's own actions.
First of all, one can immediately observe in Meinke’s untitled work that the speaker is intensely apologetic towards his son. He states how he has, “scarred through weakness and impatience your frail confidence forever.” Describing himself to leave permanent injury on his son emphasizes this apologetic tone and the truly severe damage he has inflicted on an innocent person with "large, vulnerable eyes." By emphasizing his son's innocence and pairing it with the speaker's "failure to understand," it is clear that in retrospect, the speaker sees no fault in his son's actions. The speaker is only now realizing how severe his punishment has been, reflecting that "anything can be killed for a while, especially beauty." This seems to say that his son has been subject to harsh treatment over time. The speaker's realization that he has acted like a monster is having an effect on the speaker himself, making him feel intense guilt and dismay. This guilt is highlighted with with the repetition of sounds as the speaker states, “...now I see that no one knows that about himself, but must be told/ and retold/ until it takes hold.” This repetition illustrates how the speaker feels must spend a lifetime mending the seemingly endless pain he has inflicted upon his son; he feels so much guilt that he is afraid that he may never be able to fix is wrongs.
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First of all, I revised the second half of my thesis to make it clearer. Then, I focused on elaborating on and refining the commentary in my writing, adding more evidence to some parts to connect back to my thesis. One can see how much clearer and polished my overall paragraph is now that I refined my claim and commentary. Furthermore, it should also be observed that I embedded evidence into my commentary much more, using smaller phrases to emphasize my point.
Week 2
Week 2
September 23-27, 2019
September 23-27, 2019
This week, the class peer reviewed one another's timed writings of the Untitled poem by Peter Meinke (1991). The image to the right right shows an excerpt from my peer's thesis and body paragraph that I reviewed.
When I looked over my peer's thesis, I thought that they had a very good interpretation that was arguable. I think they also made a valid connection between their interpretation and a larger universal truth when they state, "actions have consequences, and in today's society people fail to realize the pain they cause until it cannot be undone." However, I pointed out to my peer that I thought that their transition from their interpretation to the portion of their thesis after the semicolon was abrupt; it was hard for me to see the connection between their interpretation with their statement of a larger truth indicated in the poem.
As for my peer's body paragraph, I thought they did a great job introducing their paragraph with their topic sentence. The sentence makes an overall comment on the perspective of the narrator, setting up what they are going to discuss for the rest of the paragraph. However, I thought that they could do with a little more commentary to pair with their analysis. When I read through this paragraph, I thought it was very heavy with evidence paired with minimal commentary. I recommended to my peer that, instead of trying to front-load their evidence and then providing commentary, they should try to analyze each specific piece of evidence they use, embedding smaller portions of evidence within their commentary. I thought the evidence they used was good, though - they just needed to add a little more analysis to it to connect it to their thesis.
Beasts Bounding Through Time.pdfStructure in Poetry
Structure in Poetry
This week, the class also delved deeper into what the structure of poetry means - for instance, why does a poet choose to separate a phrase in two lines? What does this separation add to the work as a whole? To explore the impact of structure on poetry, the class analyzed the poem "Beasts Bounding Through Time" by Charles Bukowski (see my annotated poem above). Note here how, at the beginning of the poem, Bukowski not only repeats the phrase, "the impossibility of being human" multiple times, but also establishes a pattern when he lists the misfortunes of various authors and artists. The class noted how the rhythm of the poem speeds up as Bukowski increases the number of authors he lists after each time he states, "the impossibility of being human" or "the impossibility." This increased pace creates a great deal of tension. Then, one can see how the tone abruptly shifts towards the end of the poem to a more climactic structure, with two- or three-worded phrases, giving the poem a more calming effect. Without pointing out these notable differences in structure, one can see how it would become more difficult to interpret the author's key emotions and the overall tone of the work.
Individual Analysis of "Hawk" by Stephen Dunn
Individual Analysis of "Hawk" by Stephen Dunn
Further in the week, the class also did a 40-minute timed writing analyzing how Stephen Dunn establishes a complex perspective of the speaker in "Hawk." My thesis analysis are attached to the right.
Original Practice
Original Practice
My original practice is attached in the photos to the right.
Feedback and Explanation
Feedback and Explanation
It was noted in my Feedback Sheet that a priority for improvement was to make sure I had relevant evidence supporting my thesis - specifically, in the second half of my work.
Reading back on what I wrote, I can see how I kind of lose touch with my thesis towards the second body paragraph. Although it can be said that my evidence does not support my thesis, I think the heart of this problem lies within my commentary. I simply wavered away from my thesis because I never connected my evidence back to it. Therefore, in my edits, I will have this paragraph focus more on the hawk's experience on the ground, placing it in stark contrast with when it is in the sky, emphasizing the discomfort that the hawk feels on the ground. This will reinforce my thesis of feeling comfort in having superiority to others.
Although there are undoubtedly things that I should edit in this paper, I do think, that I am improving with my overall interpretations in my writing. It was noted in my feedback that my interpretation in my thesis was "notably strong." I also think that my first body paragraph stayed consistent with my thesis and brought forth important evidence, as I made note of the symbolic significance of the hawk rising again after crashing into the window.
Improved Work
Improved Work
In my revisions, I focused on editing the second body paragraph of my writing as this was the area in which the feedback was aimed towards. My thesis and body paragraph are attached below (and bolded words are parts that I edited).
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(Thesis) Through juxtaposition in imagery and contrasts in the structure of the poem, Stephen Dunn presents the hawk as weak at some points and successful at other points in its life in order to establish the hawks’ perseverance and its need to feel superior; moreover, this need exemplifies the universal nature of finding comfort in feeling superior to others.
Dunn establishes a stark contrast of the hawk's status on the ground from when it was on the sky, further suggesting that the hawk does not find comfort in being on the ground with the subjects over which he normally reigns. During the time the hawk fell, he learned, "what's clear can be hard down where the humans live," emphasizing intense inferiority the hawk feels when it is on the ground. Compared to when it is in the sky, in a place where he feels in control and in a superior position to others, the hawk feels powerless on the ground. When he is on the surface of the Earth, "hunting isn't good" and "the air is such a lie." When faced with problems on the ground, the hawk cannot function. His surroundings are a "lie" to him - they are foreign - making him feel insecure and weak. The only comfort the hawk has, and the only way for it to survive, is if it is in a position of superiority.
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In my new writing, I made sure to explicitly connect my evidence back to my thesis. I think the main problem with this paragraph was that my interpretation was wavering from the point I was trying to make, and it also looked repetitive - I had already talked about the contrast between the sky and the ground in the first body paragraph. However, I changed this paragraph so that it focused more specifically on the hawk's discomfort on the ground and I made sure to provide commentary that explicitly connects the evidence back to my thesis. I think it is also important to note here that my writing in this paragraph is now much more concise - even though it is shorter, it attains a higher level of power than my original draft.
Hawk Poem Peer Reviewing
Hawk Poem Peer Reviewing
The class also reviewed each other's work with the "Hawk" timed writes by using the website, peergrade.io. I attached some of the notable feedback I gave my peers below.
Peer's Work
Peer's Work
My Feedback
My Feedback
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 2
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 2
The class also further explored our Poetry Unit by practicing two 25-minute timed writings through the CollegeBoard. My writings and improved work are provided below.
FRQ #1
FRQ #1
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses poetic elements and techniques to convey a complex understanding of the significance of Sunday morning.
Original Practice
Original Practice
In [title of work], [author] references abstract ideas of fate and paints metaphorical pictures to convey the fateful, uncontrollable, and seemingly imprisoning passing of time. One can see how fate appears to be one of the major focuses in this poem - the Sunday morning is even described as "Fate's great bazaar." The choice of diction here is very unusual; pairing a "great bazaar" with "Fate" seems to personify the concept of fate itself, suggesting that it is Fate that is controlling people's lives in this poem. Even capitalizing "Fate" gives this concept some kind of authority. This effect creates an idea that people do not have control of their fate and that they are a part of a cycle in which they cannot escape. The concept of fate is furthered when the [author] introduces the end of a winding road in the poem. In general symbolism, roads are typically associated with some kind of fulfilling journey or the duration of a person's life. However, it seems, when one comes to the end of the road introduced in [author]'s poem, that all they will find is desolation and imprisonment from free will. [author] writes, "...up the road, something gulps, the church spire/ Opens its eight bells out, skulls' mouths which will not tire / To tell how there is no music or movement which secures / Escape from the weekday time. Which deadens and endures." The death-like imagery creates a sense here of the fateful and inescapable cycle from week to week. Describing there to be an absence of music or movement heightens the sense of imprisonment that fate creates. [author] is emphasizing here how fate inevitably controls one's path in life, and this path is one in which they cannot defy.
Explanation
Explanation
Upon rereading the poem, I think that my initial writing missed the poem's overall meaning - my interpretation was somewhat weak. I failed to notice the stark contrast between the carefree imagery in the first stanza and imprisoning, joyless imagery in second stanza. I think this contrast was meant to criticize the Church and its efforts to force people to conform to their strict rules.
Therefore, in my edits, I devised a new thesis presenting this different interpretation, and I provided a brief example of what I would provide for some revised evidence and commentary.
Improved Work
Improved Work
In [title of work], [author] presents vivid metaphors a stark contrast in tone, first being carefree and explorative and becoming restrictive and dark, in order to convey the differences between the freedoms of life with the imprisoning rules and constraints of the Church; furthermore, this difference may be a criticism of the Church and their strict teachings.
One can immediately see the positive and carefree tone presented in the first stanza. The speaker references life as being "Fate's great bazaar," an image invoking joy and freedom. Describing fate in this way conveys the great bounds of choices that people have in their lives. The concept of fate is furthered when [author] introduces a winding road, with people having the ability to take "corners on two wheels," going "so fast," conveying a degree of spontaneity of the winding road. In general symbolism, roads are typically associated with some kind of fulfilling journey or the duration of a person's life. Making this road, therefore, ever-winding, displays the spontaneity of life. These images of freedom and not knowing what will happen next creates a carefree and joyful tone. This tone abruptly changes in the second stanza, when, "the church spire" is described to "Open its eight bells out, skulls' mouths which will not tire / To tell how there is no music or movement." This death-like imagery creates a sense of an inability to escape, like the "skulls" are now controlling the fate of the people in the poem. There is a complete absence of freedom and joy from this stanza, as the absence of music and movement heightens the sense of imprisonment. Pairing this imprisoning tone with the Church is reflective of how the Church unjustly imposes constraining rules upon their followers.
It should be noted here that this edit will likely need to be refined further in the distant future - however, these edits demonstrate that I am aware of the mistakes I have made in my first attempt, and I am taking steps to improve my writing.
FRQ #2
FRQ #2
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses poetic elements and techniques to convey the speaker’s complex perspective on the approach of spring
Original Practice
Original Practice
In [title], [author] employs a shift in tone to convey the difficult and persevering aspect of spring, suggesting that, universally, beginning something new does not go without great struggle and suffering. One can see how, at the poem's outset, [author] paints a picture of a profoundly desolate and dull landscape. He writes of how it is "Lifeless in appearance, sluggish / dazed spring approaches - " and how the budding plants "enter the new world naked, / cold, uncertain of all / save that they enter." Describing the approaching of spring to appear as "lifeless" and "sluggish" creates a sense similar to that of waking from a long sleep, or coming out of a dazed state. This image emphasizes the difficulty it takes to go from winter to spring, especially seeing that the seasons go from a completely barren landscape to one that is expected to be flourishing and beautiful. The coming of spring here also seems to be compared to birth, as the budding plants are "naked" in an environment that is foreign to them. The overall imagery here creates a tone of barrenness; however, the youth associated with nakedness and birth suggests that there potential for a better future. Evidently, this tone of desolation shifts to one of hopeful and new beginnings, as [author] writes, "One by one objects are defined -- / It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf". The contrast between the "clarity" seen here with the sluggishness and fogginess conveyed in earlier parts of the poem creates a more confident and assured path for the future. Although change was evidently difficult, as the plants struggled to grow in a barren and desolate world, there now seems to be a hopeful future in sight.
Explanation
Explanation
Upon rereading the poem and my analysis, I think that I was making a little bit of a stretch when I claimed that a "shift in tone" existed in the poem. I don't think there was a dramatic contrast in tone, but rather a gradual progression. Therefore, in my edits, I focused on refining my thesis and commentary to convey a progression rather than a dramatic shift.
Improved Work
Improved Work
In [title], [author] employs a progression in imagery and tone to convey the difficult and gradual blossoming of spring; moreover, this difficulty further suggests how, universally, beginning something new does not go without great struggle and suffering. One can see how, at the poem's outset, [author] paints a picture of a profoundly desolate and dull landscape. He writes of how it is "Lifeless in appearance, sluggish / dazed spring approaches - " and how the budding plants "enter the new world naked, / cold, uncertain of all / save that they enter." Describing the approaching of spring to appear as "lifeless" and "sluggish" creates a sense similar to that of waking from a long sleep, or coming out of a dazed state. This image emphasizes the difficulty it takes to go from winter to spring, especially seeing that the seasons go from a completely barren landscape to one that is expected to be flourishing and beautiful. The coming of spring here also seems to be compared to birth, personifying the budding plants as "naked" in an environment that is foreign to them. The overall imagery here creates a tone of barrenness; however, the youth associated with nakedness and birth suggests that there is potential for a better future. This desolation progresses to a more hopeful sense of new beginnings, as [author] writes, "One by one objects are defined -- / It quickens: clarity, outline of leaf". The contrast between the "clarity" seen here with the sluggishness and fogginess conveyed in earlier parts of the poem creates a more confident and assured path for the future. Although change was evidently difficult, as the plants struggled to grow in a barren and desolate world, there now seems to be a hopeful future in sight.
Week 3
Week 3
September 30 - October 4, 2019
September 30 - October 4, 2019
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 2 Progress Check
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 2 Progress Check
To start off the week, the class completed a Unit 2 Progress Check through the College Board, in which each student had 50 minutes to complete two short FRQs (25 minutes each) interpreting two poems. Attached below is my work from both writings.
FRQ #1
FRQ #1
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses contrasts to convey the complex relationships among the members of the speaker’s family.
Original Practice
Original Practice
Through separation of lines, dismal tone, and isolating diction, [author] establishes a contrast between the speaker and their surrounding world in order to exhibit the intense suffering the speaker and their family is going through following their father's death; moreover, this contrast emulates an overarching idea of shielding one's true emotions through an obsession to lessen their pain.
Throughout the poem, [author] accomplishes patterns of three-lined stanzas and abrupt pauses of silence with separating phrases across lines to establish a choppy and contemplative nature to the poem, thus exhibiting the dismal status of the family. One can see how, throughout the poem, the [author] establishes a pattern of three-lined stanzas. However, this pattern changes when the speaker is talking about their own situation, stating, "I'm still young / I keep telling myself." Placing this phrase on its own in the poem gives this statement a great deal of power. The speaker is conveying that they are trying to assure themselves that they still have time to grow, that they are "still young," but the silence established before and after this line suggests that the speaker is doubtful of this statement. They are shielding the truth from themselves, perhaps trying to move beyond the death of their father, by "[locking]" themselves in "books and dreams." [Author] purposefully uses the specific word "locked" here to emphasize the isolated mindset of the speaker. In a figurative sense, the speaker is isolating themselves in a figurative cage, blocking themselves from the world around them as to mitigate their pain.
Explanation
Explanation
I think my writing does not directly answer the prompt. The prompt asked to explore the relationships among the members of the speaker's family, but I only discussed the speaker's individual point of view. I need to change my writing, therefore, to discuss the complexity of the relationships of the family.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Through separation of lines and contrasting images of moments in each one of the family members' lives, [poet] establishes a vivid image of the destructive relationships between these family members, and thus the instability of the family caused from the death of their father.
Throughout the poem, [poet] accomplishes patterns of three-lined stanzas and abrupt pauses of silence with separating phrases across lines to establish a choppy and contemplative nature to the poem, thus exhibiting the dismal and disjointed status of the family. This disjointedness reflects the instability of this family's relationships.
Specifically, this instability can be seen in the differences with which the mother treats the speaker and the other sister in the family. The speaker states how her sister is "cooking her dreams away / the perfect daughter." The speaker shows clear jealousy towards her sister because the mother gives her more affection, creating a negative and destructive relationship between the speaker and her mother. The contrast between the mother's treatment towards the speaker and her sister is furthered when the speaker's mother, "hits [her] on the head with [her] journal / can you eat straight A's?" The stark contrast between the harsh, abusive treatment with which the mother treats the speaker with the mother's favoritism for the other daughter emphasizes an imbalance, and furthermore an instability, may not have been a problem if their father was still alive .
It should be noted here that I could further elaborate on the relationships between the family members in the poem - for instance, I did not discuss the poem's description of the speaker's brother. Nonetheless, these edits demonstrate my awareness of the errors in my original work and my efforts to improve my writing.
FRQ #2
FRQ #2
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses simile and metaphor to convey a complex image of two girls jumping rope.
Original Practice
Original Practice
By establishing an upbeat pace and complex imagery through vivid figurative language, [author] emulates the girls' imaginative and exploratory nature; moreover, this nature establishes how, even in the simplest situations, children have the profound tendency to look at their lives through a creative and hopeful lens.
Even if the girls are just jumping rope, which would normally seem like a laborious task to some adults, the way that [author] conveys this simple action in the poem makes it seem as though it were some wondrous and unreal spectacle. [Author] immediately puts the reader in the situation of the poem when he increases the rhythm of the poem, as the girls "whip quick as an infant's pulse." Not only does this simile make the image more vivid, but it also creates an overall tone of urgency that the girls are feeling when they are playing Double Dutch. The enhanced speed establishes the girls' heightened focus in the game; [author] creates an upbeat rhythm to emphasize the girls' wide eyes to the world around them.
One can also observe the girls' vivid imagination through the figurative language in this poem. For instance, as one of the girls jumps into the rope, they are described in"low gravity,/ training for a lunar mission." Creating an image of the girls in space exploration, when in actuality they are simply jumping rope, emphasizes the creative imaginations of the girls. The girls are making the world around them whatever they want it to be, innocently thinking about how the world works, with a budding curiosity to explore every facet of the world around them. They are so interested in what could be their future - for instance, pursuing space exploration - that they make this dream a part of their everyday lives. With use of this simile, therefore, [author] establishes the ever-curious innocence and exploratory nature of the girls and children as a whole.
Explanation
Explanation
Personally, I think I did really well with this response - I am especially proud of my thesis because I believe I not only encapsulated all of what I was going to write, but I also made an interesting comment on the complexity of the way children see the world around them. I think this was a big improvement from my previous timed writes, in which my theses were not as sophisticated and multifaceted.
As my analysis, I thought it had a very logical line of reasoning: I stay concise with my commentary, and I think I adhered closely to my thesis (a big improvement from my first attempt of the Meinke Poem timed write). I presented a piece of evidence that I thought was interesting, and I dedicated the rest of my paragraph to rich and unique commentary, consistently connecting my evidence and analysis back to my central claim. Overall, I feel I am improving my ability to create a complex interpretation of a work of literature in a short amount of time!
However, I do think I should include more evidence in this response because the poem has so many other similes and metaphors besides just the two I used. Therefore, I edited this writing to add further examples of simile and metaphor to enhance my argument.
Improved Work
Improved Work
By establishing an upbeat pace and complex imagery through vivid figurative language, [author] emulates the girls' imaginative and exploratory nature; moreover, this nature establishes how, even in the simplest situations, children have the profound tendency to look at their lives through a creative and hopeful lens.
Even if the girls are just jumping rope, which would normally seem like a laborious task to some adults, the way that [author] conveys this simple action in the poem makes it seem as though it were some wondrous and unreal spectacle. [Author] immediately puts the reader in the situation of the poem when he increases the rhythm of the poem, as the girls "whip quick as an infant's pulse." Not only does this simile make the image more vivid, but it also creates an overall tone of urgency that the girls are feeling when they are playing Double Dutch. This urgency is further established when one of the girls is described to come into motion "like a figure in a stack of time-lapse photos / thumbed alive," creating a sense of transitioning quickly from stillness to vivid life. Comparing the quickness of the flipping of time-lapse photos to the girls jumping rope emphasizes the fast pace in the poem. This enhanced speed establishes the girls' heightened focus in the game; furthermore, this upbeat rhythm to emphasizes the girls' energetic nature to approaching the outside world.
One can also observe the girls' vivid imagination through the figurative language in this poem. For instance, as one of the girls jumps into the rope, they are described in"low gravity, / training for a lunar mission." Creating an image of the girls in space exploration, when in actuality they are simply jumping rope, emphasizes the creative imaginations of the girls. The girls are making the world around them whatever they want it to be, and taking the role of anything in their imagination - like being an astronaut, a "dust-heavy bee," or a "bandleader counting off." The seemingly boundless ends to the girls' imagination exhibits how they are innocently thinking about how the world works, with a budding curiosity to explore every facet of the world around them. They are so interested in what could be their future - for instance, pursuing space exploration - that they make these dreams a part of their everyday lives. With use of these similes and metaphors, therefore, [author] establishes the ever-curious innocence and exploratory nature of the girls and children as a whole.
Notes from My Group's First Discussion of Cuckoo's Nest, 10/3/19
This week, we also transitioned from Poetry to a unit of Longer Fiction and Drama. The class divided into smaller groups, with each group exploring their own book in "book clubs." My group began reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. This book centers around the life of mental ward patients in the 1960s, making a comment on the brutality of the patients' treatment during this time. Attached to left are the notes from my group's discussion about the first 30 pages of the book. We discussed the significance of the narration of be book being from the point of view of a ward patient who appears to be deaf and mute to all of the other characters in the story, as well as how other characters - such as Nurse Ratched and the "Black Boys" - are portrayed in the book.
I think this book will be a difficult, but worthwhile, stretch for me. From my reading so far, it has become very clear that Cuckoo's Nest has misogynistic and racist undertones - the Head Nurse of the ward (Nurse Ratched) is being presented in a very negative light, as she is running the hospital almost like a dictatorship. This combined with presenting the "Black Boys," Nurse Ratched's aids, as sexually assaulting and harassing the patients makes it seem as though the women and minorities in this book are not supposed to be in these positions of authority. It might be difficult for me to read Cuckoo's Nest through this lens, especially since I don't agree with it, but I think I will get more of an understanding of people's way of thinking from the 1960s if I try to understand the book from this perspective.
Pretty soon, we will also begin reading the three-act play, A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. I am looking forward to getting into dramas, especially since I haven't read a drama since Sophomore year English when I studied Julius Caesar (Et tu, Brute?). Getting back into plays should be a very interesting exploration for me!
Week 4
Week 4
October 7-11, 2019
October 7-11, 2019
For these weeks, the class delved deeper into Longer Dramas as we explored Ibsen's A Doll's House. This play is much different from previous plays I've read in how it is much more modern. Compared to plays like Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar, this play deals with more modern issues, such as the power dynamics between males and females within the home, and the inability of females to take control of their lives during this time period. Attached below are some of my annotations, which include my own thoughts and notes from the class' discussions.
In the first week of Doll's House, I have come back with a few takeaways: this play appears to deal heavily with how money shapes people's lives and how secrets have the potential of tearing a family apart. The secretive nature of Nora, the protagonist of the play, can be immediately seen, even from the first page of the play, when she hides macaroons from her husband. The play seems to be centralized, however, around one major secret: the fact that Nora had taken a huge loan from the bank, which she had claimed to be from her deceased father, to pay for a trip to Italy for her ailing husband, Torvald. It became pretty clear while reading through the play in class the fragility of Nora's and Torvald's relationship because of this secret - it is like a ticking time bomb, and if this secret is unleashed, it could threaten the stability of their family. One can also see how money is a major factor revolving around these issues - money is a constant driving factor in the lives of the characters of this play, and it is also a source of the story's most major conflict.
The class also noted how power dynamics in the home are also a major idea to be considered in the play. As seen in a part of my annotations below, I note how Torvald uses pet names, like "squirrel" and "lark," to call Nora. These names seem demeaning, as if Helmer is not actually treating Nora like a real person. It is possible that Ibsen is making a comment on how during this time period, women weren't really treated with respect. After all, women during this time have no right to ownership or a right to vote - all of this falls on the man in the household. Helmer's demeaning names appear to emphasize the lack of power that Nora has over Helmer, and the complete control that Helmer has over Nora.
Week 5
Week 5
October 15-18, 2019
October 15-18, 2019
This week, the class delved further into Doll's House, exploring further how the major themes in this play develop. An excerpt from my detailed annotations of the play are provided to the right.
One of the most important ideas that I have taken away from this week is the fact that Nora is slowly coming to the realization that Torvald is creating a power dynamic that is forcing her to stay within a metaphorical doll house, only to be played with by her husband. The only power that Nora currently has over her husband is the secret she is keeping from him, which Helmer does not even know about. Nora tried to exercise her ability to choose in such a desperate situation - to help her ailing husband - however, even though this decision had the best intentions, Nora is realizing that this secret is still seen as fundamentally wrong.
Even when Nora tells a trivial lie to Helmer after Krogstad's visit, Torvald reacts dramatically, threatening Nora with his finger, stating, "My little bird must never do that again! A songbird must sing clear and true, no false notes" (17). This dramatic reaction emphasizes not only the threat to Nora's and Helmer's relationship if he finds out the even greater secret that Nora is keeping from him, but also Helmer's onslaught of power that he is holding over Nora. Helmer wishes to have complete control over her. This lack of control that Nora has physically traps her in circumstances knowing what she's done. She can only merely be played with and looked at - like a doll in a doll's house.
All of this goes to show the major theme that is emerging from this work -- that power dynamics allow males to take complete control, and that a seemingly perfect world is actually an oppressive environment for women.
Doll's House Dramatic Reading Peer Review
Doll's House Dramatic Reading Peer Review
This week, the class also split into groups and conducted dramatic readings of certain parts of Doll's House. We recorded our readings and peer reviewed one another's interpretations of our characters' inflection. Attached below is the feedback I gave to one of my peers' recordings.
My Feedback
My Feedback
Explanation
Explanation
One can see here how I gave detailed and useful feedback to my peer. I provided detailed critiques upon which I thought my peers could improve, and I laid out clear steps to help them improve in future readings.
Also reference my peers' reaction to this feedback - they said that it was extremely useful.
Further Exploration into One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Further Exploration into One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
We have also been delving deeper into our smaller Literature Circles for the past couple of weeks, delving deeper into One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Attached to the left are a couple notable entries from my Dialectical Journal that comment on the novel.
One of the most significant points that we have discussed has been the descriptions of Nurse Ratched as a character. I immediately noticed while reading that she was constantly described with machine-like imagery, which seems to take away her humanity all together. This makes her appear more evil. It should also be noted how her "breasts" seem "out of place" with the rest of her body (see entry to the left). My group noted how this may signify how Nurse Ratched feels like she must take away her own femininity in order to take an authoritative role. It could also be suggestive of the idea that a feminine figure is not fit to be in an authority position.
Another important part of the novel is the idea of the "fog." The narrator, Bromden, describes the fog to have a comforting aspect to it, as you can "lose yourself" in it, but at the same time, the fog seems to leave Bromden in a haze outside of reality. However, as the novel progresses, McMurphy pulls Bromden out of the fog, and for the first time in years, Bromden describes how he can see clearly again. I noted this change, and I speculated that the fog could connect to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. Just as Adam and Eve felt blissful when they lived with a lack of knowledge, so too does Bromden and the other patients find comfort in being distant from reality. It is not until McMurphy tempts the patients, like the serpent tempting Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge, do Bromden and the other patients begin to see clearly, and become more willing to oppose Nurse Ratched.
For future discussions, my group wanted to look further into the idea of McMurphy being a Christ figure in the book. When patients from the ward go on a fishing trip, they are described to bring 12 men - the same number from the Biblical story of Jesus gathering his disciples, stating, "Follow me, and I Will Make You Fishers of Men." As our group wraps up the last week reading the book, we will further explore this idea and see if we can make any additional connections to McMurphy having this role in the story and what it means to the work as a whole.
Week 6
Week 6
October 21 - November 1, 2019
October 21 - November 1, 2019
Note: Although these weeks technically fall under Term 2, the class was still finalizing Term 1 material at this time. Therefore, I placed these weeks under Term 1.
This week, the class concluded A Doll's House. Reflecting on the play as a whole, I am quite pleased with how it turned out. It explores themes of female individuality through the eyes of Nora and the destructive nature of a typical home during the time at which the play was written. A Doll's House was beyond its time - Ibsen questioned the idea of women being treated as property, exhibiting this issue through an overarching metaphor of Nora being the equivalent of a doll who is "played with" by Torvald, being passed on from her father to her husband, like a transfer of ownership. We also see the progression of Nora's maturity throughout the play as she realizes the imprisoning, oppressive nature - the milieu - of her society. It is not until Torvald finally loses control when he finds out Nora's secret that Nora finally realizes the truth of the oppressive environment she lives in. This is why I think it is so powerful that Nora decides, even above choosing her children, to leave Torvald and gain her own independence to find her true self. She is choosing her individuality over all else, because, after all, how can she help others if she cannot help and understand herself - and her own values - first?
To the right, I have attached some of my notable annotations from the remaining parts of the play, which I feel encapsulate many of its major themes.
Cuckoo's Nest Conclusion
Cuckoo's Nest Conclusion
We also concluded our works in our Literature Circles - and, of course, my group wrapped up One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
One of the biggest topics of our discussion for the book's ending was the significance of McMurphy's death. After McMurphy lashes out at Nurse Ratched (by ripping her shirt off and breaking the window), he is taken to get a lobotomy, essentially becoming a vegetable. He is essentially sworn to spend the rest of his life confined to the prison of his mind. To put McMurphy out of his suffering, the narrator suffocates him in his sleep. The narrator then breaks a window of the ward, escaping to freedom.
Having already established McMurphy as a Christ figure in this work (after discussing the fishing scene, reminiscent of the "fishers of men" Biblical story), my group concluded that his death is symbolic of McMurphy sacrificing himself for the freedom of the ward patients. Following McMurphy's lobotomy (the death of his mind, so to speak), most of the other patients in the ward have left, now freed from Nurse Ratched's control, regaining the ability to become functioning members of society. McMurphy, in a way, also allows the narrator to escape, as he'd helped Bromden gain enough strength to pick up a heavy object and break the window. It is not until Bromden suffocates McMurphy, putting him out of his misery, is he able to escape. Despite some unfavorable qualities of McMurphy (such as his drinking habits and subjecting the ward patients to prostitutes), he died for the freedom of the patients in the ward, making the ultimate sacrifice.
To conclude the book, my group created a study guide, including important events, themes, quotes, etc. I attached a portion of the study guide I worked on with my peers, encompassing important quotes from each major event of the work as a whole.
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 3 FRQ's
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 3 FRQ's
This week, the class also did some practice with Unit 3 on AP Classroom. Attached below is my original work and revisions with the FRQ we completed.
FRQ #1
FRQ #1
Prompt: Choose a work of fiction in which the sequence of events is manipulated in some significant way that affects the plot, and analyze how that manipulation contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.
Original Practice
Original Practice
By introducing the events of The Bluest Eye in a jumbled, non-sequential manner, Toni Morrison creates an overall feeling of everything being out of place in the novel; moreover, this jumbled presentation of events contributes to Morrison's underlying message of the absurdity of young black girls' internalized racism caused from their society around them equating beauty to whiteness.
The Bluest Eye is centered around the life of a young girl named Pecola Breedlove who wishes she had blue eyes because she herself believes that she is ugly. Morrison emphasizes how this idea can ruin the perfectly innocent soul of this young girl by introducing the events of Pecola's life out of sequence and from different perspectives. One can immediately see the lack of sequence in events when Morrison opens the work with Claudia, a girl who knew Pecola and witnessed parts of Pecola's life, looking back upon all that will happen throughout the work. Claudia speaks of how some marigolds she had planted failed to grow in the fall, and that she believed that it was because Pecola's birth of her father's child had failed. Even within the first few pages of the work, Morrison reveals that Pecola's father had raped her - something that, in the framework of Pecola's life, happens later in her life and towards the end of the novel. By introducing the ending of the story within the first few pages of the work, Morrison not only prepares her reader of the tragedy that is soon to come, but by purposefully making this choice, she places the effects of Pecola's unfortunate life on the forefront of the reader's mind. Morrison continues this jumbled sequence of events throughout the work: she introduces the background of Pecola's parents towards the end of the book, and then ending with Pecola essentially going insane - she believes she has blue eyes towards the end of the work, and she is seen living in the streets, ignored by everyone who sees her. Tying the beginning and end of the story together emphasizes this tragedy and makes the reader realize the devastating and tragic outcome of Pecola's impossible dream.
Explanation/Feedback
Explanation/Feedback
The biggest priority in my revisions for this writing is in adding sophistication. In my original practice, my analysis only focused on one aspect - how the jumbled effect that Morrison creates the feeling that everything is out of place. To earn the sophistication point, I had to add some depth to this idea, adding another aspect to it that will make my overall writing more complex. In my revisions, I focused on adding more depth to my thesis and body paragraph to increase the complexity of the writing.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Note: All revisions made to the original writing are in italics.
By purposefully introducing the events of The Bluest Eye in a jumbled, non-sequential manner and leaving out devastating details earlier in the novel for them to be revealed at the end of the work, Toni Morrison creates an overall feeling of everything being out of place in the novel; moreover, these choices makes the tragedy of the story more dramatic and contribute to Morrison's underlying message of the absurdity of young black girls' internalized racism caused from their society around them equating beauty to whiteness.
The Bluest Eye is centered around the life of a young girl named Pecola Breedlove who wishes for blue eyes, as she believes she is ugly. Morrison emphasizes how this idea can ruin the perfectly innocent soul of this young girl by introducing the events of Pecola's life out of sequence and from the perspective of other characters. One can immediately see the lack of sequence in events when Morrison begins her novel referencing events that occur at the end of the story - such as Pecola giving birth to her father's child. To this effect, Morrison immediately creates a shocking and tragic tone. Morrison places the effects of Pecola's unfortunate life on the forefront of the reader's mind. As the novel progresses Morrison gradually reveals that the real cause of Pecola's unfortunate life is her neglectful environment and the resulting lack of confidence in herself. Pecola lives in poverty in an abandoned shop front that can barely support her family and lives with abusive parents. Morrison introduces at another point how Pecola is harshly bullied by her classmates. The layering of these details intentionally give understanding that, from early in her life, Pecola's confidence is broken because she believes that there can be no beauty when she has black skin.
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 3 Progress Check
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 3 Progress Check
This week, the class wrapped up Unit 3. Attached below is my edited FRQ.
FRQ #2
FRQ #2
Prompt: Choose a work of fiction in which there are characters whose values and/or perspectives differ, and analyze how the interaction between the characters contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.
Original Practice
Original Practice
In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey presents the conflicting power dynamic between the characters Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratched to present a sexist opinion that women are not fit to hold authority positions; Kesey's resistance to second-wave feminism becomes apparent through this conflict.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is set in a mental ward in which all of the patients are men. The ward is under the control of the "Big Nurse" (as phrased by the narrator), Nurse Ratched, who is described to be trying to "hide" her femininity from the other ward patients. Kesey presents the Nurse's breasts to be out of place, suggesting that in order for Nurse Ratched to maintain her authority, she must shed any feminine aspects of herself. One can see how Kesey uses this description of her to emphasize that she is unfit for this authoritative position - her feminine figure seems unnatural when she is in control of the ward. Things are not disrupted until a new patient, the red-haired, fiery-eyed Randle McMurphy, arrives at the ward. The conflict between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched and be immediately observed upon his arrival: McMurphy, being under Nurse Ratched, constantly tries to undermine her control by pushing the limit further and further. He questions the way Nurse Ratched runs the ward and makes himself a nuisance to her, consistently trying to push her over the edge. One of the most notable instances of McMurphy's resistance to Nurse Ratched's authority is the point at which, after one of the ward patients commits suicide and Nurse Ratched blames McMurphy for his death, McMurphy breaks the glass on the ward's control room and proceeds to physically rip Nurse Ratched's shirt off her chest, exposing her naked torso. By exposing the most feminine physical side of Nurse Ratched to the ward, Kesey is symbolically showing how the Nurse is just a woman - even when she in a position of authority over McMurphy, she is powerless because she is a woman. The breaking of the glass furthers this idea - McMurphy is literally breaking the invisible barrier of the power that the Nurse has over the ward patients. Therefore, with this barrier broken and the Nurse being fully exposed, she is no match for McMurphy's masculinity. The ward patients are freed from her control.
Explanation/Feedback
Explanation/Feedback
Again, when this assignment was graded on AP classroom, I did not receive the sophistication point. Upon reading my paragraph again, I think my overall interpretation is good - it introduces a broader context of sexism during the time period that the work was written. However, there is one part about halfway through my body paragraph where it seems that I am just re-hashing details of the story and not actually staying on the topic of the prompt. I could add more sophistication to this paragraph by taking out its unnecessary parts and changing some of the language in my writing. This will bring a better flow to my analysis.
In my revisions, I removed unnecessary details and adjusted the language of my writing to enhance its flow.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Note: Revised portions are provided in italics.
In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey presents the conflicting power dynamic between the characters Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratched to present a sexist opinion that women are not fit to hold authority positions; Kesey's resistance to second-wave feminism becomes apparent through this conflict.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is set in a mental ward in which all of the patients are men. The ward is under the control of the "Big Nurse" (as phrased by the narrator), Nurse Ratched, who is described to be trying to "hide" her femininity from the other ward patients. Kesey presents the Nurse's breasts to be out of place, suggesting that in order for Nurse Ratched to maintain her authority, she must shed any feminine aspects of herself. One can see how Kesey uses this description of her to emphasize that she is unfit for this authoritative position - her feminine figure seems unnatural when she is in control of the ward. When Randle McMurphy enters the ward as a new patient under Nurse Ratched, the confict between the two characters becomes apparent as McMurphy constantly tries to undermine her control. One of the most notable instances of McMurphy's resistance to Nurse Ratched is when, in a fit of anger, McMurphy breaks the glass on the ward's control room and rips Nurse Ratched's shirt off her chest, exposing her naked torso. Nurse Ratched's vulnerability is completely exposed to the ward patients. Exposing the most private feminine aspect of Nurse Ratched, Kesey amounts the nurse to nothing more than her physical appearance - underlying the fact that she is just a woman, and now having been completely exposed, all of her power is lost. The breaking of the glass furthers this idea, as it can be seen as McMurphy breaking the invisible barrier that prevents the ward patients from becoming free of the nurse's control. With this barrier broken and the Nurse being fully exposed, she is no match for McMurphy's masculinity. The ward patients are freed from her control.
TERM 2
TERM 2
Week 7
Week 7
November 4-8, 2019
November 4-8, 2019
This week, the class started a new unit: Unit 4, Short Fiction II. As this unit is an expansion of our first short fiction unit from Term 1, we are aiming to delve deeper into our analysis, look for more complex patterns in more complex works, and aim to look for tension - between images and ideas - within works that we can introduce in a timed write.
We began this unit by exploring Anton Chekhov's "The Lady with a Dog" - a beautiful short story dealing with the difference between love and physical attraction, and what it means to have true meaning in one's life. I attached some of my most notable annotations below. (Note that annotations made in pencil are my own, and those made in blue pen are collaborative, which I added during our class discussion).
Reflecting on my improvement this year so far, I am really proud that I am now able to make many more observations and annotations in a work such as this one. Unlike the beginning of the year, reading short stories such as "The Wagner Matinee," struggling to find meaning, I feel like I am improving at making effective annotations - and with this, my analysis has greatly improved. Many of my annotations were reflective, and they allowed me to identify emerging patterns in the work. A very strong start to Term 2!
"The Lady With A Dog": Analysis and Class Discussion
"The Lady With A Dog": Analysis and Class Discussion
We also discussed "The Lady with a Dog" in class through a Socratic Relay - bring forth the Jenga Blocks!
I contributed a great deal to the class discussion on this work. I brought up key elements of the text to keep the conversation moving forward:
- I brought up the color gray as a recurring motif in the text, representing how the narrator is beginning to feel true emotions of love. For instance, towards the end of the work, the narrator looks in the mirror and sees that his hair has turned grey. He has come to a moment of self-realization, in which he realizes that he is truly feeling emotion now that he has met Anna - compared to the time we first see him, when he has stripped the emotional component of sex, only craving the physical component of it.
- I cited specific parts of the work, such as the syntax on page 74, in which the narrator dislikes how the affairs are connected by the women in his past to an emotional connection.
- I brought up the narrator's inability to remember the name of the white dog. This complete detachment between the woman and the dog together suggests he no longer objectifies Anna.
- I also brought up silence as absence of emotion, being representative of the detachment of the narrator.
- I pointed out Chekhov's descriptions of nature being representative of the utter indifference of life and death. It seemed to have represented the depressing meaningless of life and the inability to obtain perfection.
- I cited the irony of how winter might represent death, but the narrator's passion isn’t dying for Anna.
- I pointed out the shallowness of the narrator's public life vs. his true inner, emotional self.
Also, the class continued this discussion later on Google Classroom. Attached below are my contributions to the online discussion.
"The Lady with the Dog" Timed Write
"The Lady with the Dog" Timed Write
After we discussed "Lady with the Dog", the class also did a 40-minute timed writing. My revisions and explanation are attached below.
Prompt: In a well-written essay, analyze how Chekhov uses literary elements and techniques to portray a complex relationship with these two characters and their surroundings.
Original Practice
Original Practice
My original practice is included on the PDF attached in the button below:
Feedback and Explanation
Feedback and Explanation
In my feedback for this paper, I was told that my thesis was a strong, deep opener. I agree with this; however, in my revisions, I changed a few words in my thesis to add clarification to my analysis.
As for my body paragraphs, I was told that I had a clear logical organization in my writing, and the pattern I used was fine, but it might be potentially dangerous. If I was low on time given a harder passage or a story I didn't read beforehand, I probably would not have been able to achieve the same level of depth - and I probably would not have been able to get to the final paragraph about the setting. For my revisions, Mr. Evans advised me to attempt to weave my discussion of relationship and setting into the same paragraphs.
I saw how the length of my paper could be a problem if this were a passage I had never seen before. To attack this in my revisions and to stay true to the length of an actual timed writing, I focused on cutting down and combining my first two body paragraphs about the contrast in Anna and Gurov's perspectives of their relationship (not shown in the "Improved Work" section below because it just contains unedited parts from my original essay). Then, I adjusted my final body paragraph by adding more connections between the setting and the couple's relationship, making the essay flow better as a whole. This way, my essay would remain the length of an actual timed writing while discussing both parts of the prompt - the setting and the relationship.
Also, moving forward I also need to keep an eye on how I integrate quotations moving forward. My last quotation on page 3 is ungrammatical.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Attached below are excerpts of my paper that I revised. Italicized portions are places in which I added sentences and/or made revisions.
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Thesis:
Through contrasting points of view between the two characters, Biblical symbolism, and symbolic imagery, Chekhov establishes a story between Anna and Gurov which, although morally questionable, helps the two characters better develop as people; furthermore, their relationship reveals the underlying importance of finding true happiness, and true meaning in life itself.
Final Body Paragraph:
As Gurov and Anna visit the sea, however, one can see how Gurov begins to realize the true meaning of life. The sea is described to be "indifferent" and "monotonous" to the world around it, in an "unceasing movement of life upon earth, of unceasing progress towards perfection." The depressing and meaningless nature of the waves contrasts with Anna's and Gurov's joyful, meaningful relationship to illustrate the couple's purpose - Chekhov suggests that one must create their own joy to find meaning in their life. Anna's and Gurov's surroundings are indifferent to them; the waves will continue to move long after they are gone and forgotten. Perhaps in this idea that one's existence is not determined by one's surroundings, Gurov has transformed his thinking. It makes him reflect upon the fact that "everything is beautiful" because "everything except what we think or do ourselves when we forget our human dignity and the higher aims of our existence." Through his relationship with Anna, Gurov begins to realize that there is more to life than physical expression, and becomes more aware of the meaning he needs in his life.
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In my edits, I changed the wording of some sentences for clarification and added in some sentences that relate the setting with Anna's and Gurov's relationship more thoroughly, adding some additional analysis that I did not have before. I think this not only makes my essay stronger as a whole, but it also keeps the paper at a length that would be realistic for a timed writing.
Week 8
Week 8
November 11-15, 2019
November 11-15, 2019
This week, the class continued our Short Story unit by reading "Everything that Rises Must Converge." To the right are some of my most notable annotations from this work.
This short story appears to be set during the post-slavery period in which African Americans were still facing harsh racism. The main character, Julian, feels foreign to the environment in which he lives because, unlike his mother, he is able to accept this new world, open to accepting other people's perspectives. Because his mother, on the other hand, refuses to see the world in any different perspective but her own, Julian despises her. She sees the world with ignorance as she looks down at people of different races and claims that African Americans were "better off when they were slaves." Figuratively and literally, she has a bad heart - at the short story's closing, when Julian's mother is faced with the truth that her opinions may be wrong, she collapses from a heart attack. She literally cannot accept a world in which her beliefs are untrue.
Although I think it was a little bit harder to find parts to annotate in this short story as in "Lady with the Dog," I still think that my annotations did the job with analyzing the text as a whole. Compared to the beginning of the year (when we were reading "The Wagner Matinee") when I was struggling to get more than two annotations per page, I think my ability to annotate - and with it identify emerging patterns in a work - is greatly improving.
"Everything That Rises Must Converge" Timed Write
"Everything That Rises Must Converge" Timed Write
After we discussed "Everything That Rises Must Converge", the class did a 40-minute timed writing. My revisions and explanation are attached below.
Prompt: Analyze how O'Connor uses literary elements and techniques to portray the complex perspective of Julian.
Original Practice
Original Practice
My original practice for this timed write is included on the PDF attached in the button below:
Feedback and Explanation
Feedback and Explanation
As a whole, I think that my interpretation was sound for this timed write, and my ability to write in timed situations is improving. This time around, I made sure to make my introduction paragraph shorter so I could dedicate more of my essay to my body paragraphs and analysis. However, I think my interpretation and thesis could be slightly clarified. I discussed how Julian feels foreign to his outside environment, but I think I also should have said something about Julian's hatred for what his mother represents, because this is also a very major part of the short story/excerpt. In my edits, I plan on slightly changing my thesis and adding in some parts in my analysis discussing the disdainful parts of Julian's mother's personality.
In the feedback I received for this paper, I was told that my opening aligns well to the recommended content and my development was great - I was well-prepared to respond to this prompt. For revisions, I was told to examine the sample and look to identify those places where I may have referenced indirectly places from the short story that did not appear in the provided passage.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Attached below are excerpts of my paper that I revised. Italicized portions are places in which I added sentences and/or made revisions.
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Thesis:
Through contrasting images and a defiant tone, O'Connor establishes a clash between the beliefs of Julian and his mother, exhibiting Julian's independent perspective and his hatred for the ignorant beliefs that his mother represents; furthermore, this perspective emphasizes the importance of inner contemplation and believing in one's own way of thinking, even when surrounded by others who oppose it.
Edited Excerpts from Body Paragraphs:
(Body Paragraph 1) ...[Julian's] loneliness in solitude is coupled with a defiant willingness in Julian to stand by his beliefs - and stand against his mother's ignorance. O'Connor writes how Julian felt "free of the general idiocy" of the surrounding world, and how his mother "had never entered" Julian's inner thoughts. The inability of Julian's mother to penetrate his "mental bubble" is suggestive of her inability to empathize with others - and moreover, her inability to accept other people's points of view, displaying her ignorance and close-minded beliefs. It takes courage, and a profound amount of confidence, to stand in opposition to the beliefs of one's environment, especially against one's own mother. O'Connor displays Julian's awareness of the falseness of his surroundings to establish the importance of developing an independent opinion and an open mind.
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In my revisions above, I changed my thesis to add the part about Julian's hatred for his mother, and I also edited my first body paragraph to better adhere to this slightly changed thesis. My future body paragraphs do talk about Julian's hatred for his mother, so I found that I did not need to make any major edits.
I also located a place in my essay where I referenced the short story as a whole, and not in the provided passage - in my second body paragraph, I wrote, "Even though he is still young, Julian's mind is aged with experience and tiredness as he has gone through so much strife to develop his unique opinion." This excerpt does not quite discuss the background of Julian developing his opinion as the short story does. Therefore, I would remove this part from my paper.
For future writings, I think I should consider including a little more tension in my paragraphs - like bringing up an alternative way to view a situation. For instance, reading this excerpt a second time, I find that I have a new interpretation - there may be irony in the fact that Julian is so strong willed about his opinion; he is acting like his mother. In future readings and writings, I will look for alternative ways to view an image or idea.
Week 9
Week 9
November 18-22, 2019
November 18-22, 2019
This week, we continued our short story unit by delving into four works: "I Stand Here Ironing," "Two Kinds," "Disappearance," and "Newsworld II." Attached below are some of my reflections and annotations from each work.
"I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen
"I Stand Here Ironing" by Tillie Olsen
This was a very emotional short story about a mother reflecting upon the upbringing of Emily, her oldest daughter. Having been poor for the majority of Emily's childhood, her mother often could not support her in the best way possible, causing Emily to become malnourished of love and affection. Olsen emphasizes this by showing Emily to have asthma - in our class discussion, we speculated that this may be symbolic of Emily's environment being against her, as she is figuratively suffocating from the neglect of her surroundings. Not all of this is depressing, however - the short story closes in a bittersweet way, as Emily wins a competition at her school and blossoms into a comedian. She is described to have been transformed from nobody into "Somebody," as she is now receiving all of the love and affection she once desired, allowing her to thrive. Despite her difficult upbringing, Emily has still managed to grow - and, perhaps like a plant that becomes stronger when it thrives in malnourished soil, Emily has become stronger by persevering through her difficult upbringing. My annotations to the right identify many of these themes and symbols.
I believe this short story particularly contains some of my strongest annotations thus far for this term. I made note of several recurring patterns in the text, which allowed me to make significant contributions to our class discussion.
We had a Socratic Relay on this work and continued our discussion later in Google Classroom. I attached my contributions and my replies to people's comments below. I believe my conversation points not only sparked thoughtful discussion, but they also led to the class finding further tension in the text as we all discussed different possible meanings.
When I assessed myself for my discussion, I noted that I repeatedly joined the panel, started the conversation, used prepared materials to speak, and gave my seat to willing participants - I not only provided my own thoughts, but I gave others the opportunity to speak as well. In my lines of reasoning, I very often brought the group to specific lines in the text, articulated my thoughts, and built off of others' contributions. In my contributions to other people's lines of reasoning, I excelled at adding or supporting people's points, connecting their text to other textual detail, and directly referencing their chosen text.
One thing on which I think I can improve for future discussions is connecting the discussion to other texts or secondary sources. I made several important connections within the work, but I connected the ideas in the text to other works less often. I think I can also improve my ability to modify or challenge other people's lines of reasoning - this will help me find more tensions in the text moving forward, and would help me understand the texts I read better as a whole.
"I Stand Here Ironing" Google Classroom Discussion Contributions
"I Stand Here Ironing" Google Classroom Discussion Contributions
"Two Kinds" by Amy Tan
"Two Kinds" by Amy Tan
This short story deals with ideas having to do with the unattainable aspect of the American Dream, as the narrator's mother continually tries to encourage her to become the next "child prodigy" in a series of different pursuits. The narrator describes herself to be "trying each one on for size," seemingly under the impression that she can be whatever she wants to be without putting in hard work. As the narrator becomes more and more disillusioned with this idea, she becomes increasingly defiant with her mother - eventually leading her to quit piano, her final pursuit, all together.
Some of my notable annotations are attached to the left and below. These display that I am continuing to analyze works effectively and find tension.
"The Disappearance" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
"The Disappearance" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
This short story makes one contemplate the sexism and female oppression that can exist in Indian marriages, as a result of Indian culture. The unnamed wife of this story's marriage disappears - due to what becomes evident as being in an oppressive relationship. Her husband prevented her from accumulating any true freedom or independence, stripping her individuality. What is ironic about this, too, is that the husband still seems to be unable to understand why his wife had left him.
One part of this short story I found particularly powerful was the part in which the husband essentially raped his wife. As she begs for him to stop, saying "no, no, not tonight," he chooses to exert his power upon her still, pinning her down and forcing her to comply. The husband's forcefulness displayed in this rape illustrates how the only way that the wife feels like she can overcome this oppression is to escape - even if that means abandoning her son. I noted that this idea was very similar to what happened in A Doll's House - Nora chooses to leave Torvald so that she can truly find who she is and what her own aspirations are. Even if this means leaving her children, she must better herself before she can give to others.
I provided some of my most notable annotations of this short story to the right and below. Note that writing in pencil are my own annotations, and writing in blue pen are additions from class discussion.
"Newsworld II" by James Pierce
"Newsworld II" by James Pierce
Last this week, the class read this short story together and interpreted its meaning. My main takeaways from this text are that it is essentially about people's - specifically, younger boys' - inability to truly absorb the events of 9/11. Especially for boys, who are conditioned by society to suppress their emotions and act "tough," they didn't know how to react. The boys in this story attempt to find answers to what they should feel or how they should react to this event by trespassing a theme park, Newsworld. They hope that by seeing the ruins of the historic San Francisco earthquake, they will be able to truly absorb 9/11 - however, this exhibit is blocked off by a "plywood barrier." This barrier emphasizes how there really is no answer to what these boys should feel about an event so tragic as this one - because there are no answers.
I provided additions from my dialectical journal on this short story below that I feel encapsulate some of the major themes of this short story.
Week 10
Week 10
November 25-26, 2019
November 25-26, 2019
Ideal Timed Write
Ideal Timed Write
This week, we completed an Ideal Timed Write, in which we had unlimited time to complete an FRQ from a past AP Exam. My Ideal Timed Write can be accessed by clicking the button below:
Ideal Timed Write: Explanation
Ideal Timed Write: Explanation
With this being an ideal timed writing, my analysis is already good given the short length of the excerpt. In this writing, I am not seeing the mistakes I usually make in regular timed writings because I had more time to correct these errors. My writing also has tension between different interpretations, which makes it more sophisticated as a whole.
I think the biggest thing I can do to improve this writing is by refining some sentences with awkward wording to make them more understandable. Therefore, I addressed this in my revisions. Also, I did catch one grammatical error in an embedded quote towards the end of the essay, which was an easy fix.
Improved Work
Improved Work
I added all of my revisions in a second document, which can be accessed by clicking the button below. Note that all of my revisions are italicized.
CollegeBoard Timed Writing: Unit 4 Progress Check
CollegeBoard Timed Writing: Unit 4 Progress Check
Question 1 (40 minutes)
Question 1 (40 minutes)
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses literary elements and techniques to convey the complex relationships among the characters (Willa and Sonya).
Original Practice
Original Practice
Through playful tone, detailed imagery, and a contrast between adulthood and youth, [author] establishes an innocent, childlike, and deep bond between Willa and Sonya; furthermore, this friendship places emphasis on the importance of keeping youthfulness in one's life.
From the start of the excerpt, it becomes clear that Willa and Sonya are close friends. They both "wore almost-matching wool jackets with fake-fur-trimmed hoods." This imagery suggests the idea that Willa and Sonya are one in the same, who, despite their differences, have an inseparable bond. Their dialogue further emphasizes how both characters know each other well. While walking to the first house to sell the candy, Sonya remarks to Willa that she should be the first person to ask the adult because, she says, "...you're much better with grownups." The back-and-forth dialogue between these two characters is not only innocent, as it conveys a sense of shyness when being faced with talking to adults, but it also conveys a sense that Sonya and Willa are familiar with one another and know each other very well.
When Sonya and Willa come to the first doorstep and face an adult, the childlike nature of their friendship becomes apparent. When the door opens, Willa and Sonya gradually break into laughter, eventually turning into "gales of laughter, whole waterfalls of laughter," so overcome with giggling that they are unable to ask the "grownup" if they would like to buy some candy. Laughter, in its joyful and innocent nature, is often associated with playfulness and youth. [Author], therefore, is placing emphasis on the intensity of the childlike nature of Willa and Sonya. The "waterfalls" are suggestive of an outburst of youth when the girls are faced with a need to act like adults. They cannot manage to ask the woman their question because they have not yet reached adulthood.
[Author] further emphasizes the youthfulness of Willa and Sonya through a contrast between the adult woman and the two girls. [Author] writes how, "Willa could tell that [the woman had] probably gotten the giggles herself when she was their age, although surely -- oh, lord -- surly not such hysterical...helpless...overpowering...uncontrollable giggles." It is clear that, although the woman knows that the two girls are just children, like herself at one point in time, she does not understand them and why they are laughing. Instead of laughing with them, [Author} portrays the woman to stand before Willa and Sonya in confusion. This establishes a contrast between the girls and the adult woman, emphasizing the clash between youth and adulthood. The adult in this image is unable to understand, unable to empathize with, the perspective of the two youthful figures. Therefore, through this contrast, [Author] continues to emphasize the youthfulness and innocence of these two girls. One can see, however, how the two girls show a degree of embarrassment from their inability to talk to the woman -- they were "mortified" -- but at the same time, "it was the most wonderful, loose, relaxing feeling." [Author] is conveying here that, although youthfulness can sometimes be associated with immaturity and an inability to conform to adult ways, it is still important to retain the joyfulness of youth, as it is in this childlike innocence that one can truly feel "wonderful," "loose," and "relaxed."
Sometimes adulthood is imprisoning in its pressures to conform to society; childhood, alternatively, gives one a sense of freedom and wonder. Through the contrasting perspectives of the woman and the girls in this work, [Author] establishes the importance of youthfulness.
(580 words)
Explanation/Feedback
Explanation/Feedback
As a whole, I think I did an excellent job with this essay. I examined multiple aspects of how youthfulness plays a part in Willa and Sonya's friendship, and in doing so, introduced tension in my writing. When this essay was scored, I earned a 5/5 for this writing, with a point included for sophistication. This is definitely an improvement from Term 1.
If I were to make revisions to this essay, however, I think I could have elaborated more on the closeness of the friendship between Willa and Sonya. It is significant that they are standing next to someone and have the ability to communicate with themselves by simply looking at each other. It is like they are in their own "world" of youthfulness that no one else can permeate but the two of them, emphasizing this special bond.
Therefore, in my revisions, I added some parts to my analysis that elaborates on Willa and Sonya's familiarity with one another. I think this adds another level of sophistication to my writing, as it proposes another idea to layer upon the youthfulness of their friendship.
Improved Work
Improved Work
Note: The additions I made to the essay are in italics.
Body Paragraph 2:
When Sonya and Willa come to the first doorstep and face an adult, the childlike nature of their friendship and the closeness of their bond becomes apparent. When the door opens, Willa and Sonya appear to know each other so well that they gradually break into laughter, eventually turning into "gales of laughter, whole waterfalls of laughter," so overcome with giggling that they are unable to ask the "grownup" if they would like to buy some candy. Even when standing before another person, Willa and Sonya are only communicating to themselves, as if they are inside of their own "world" that no one else can enter. As they share a joyful and innocent moment of laughter, an action often associated with playfulness and youth [Author] places emphasis on the intensity of the innocent, youthful closeness between Willa and Sonya. The addition of "waterfalls" suggest an outburst of youth when the girls are faced with a need to act like adults. They cannot manage to ask the woman their question because they have not yet reached adulthood and are unable to leave their inner world of youthfulness.
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In my revisions, I focused on adding specifically to my second body paragraph because this is where I feel the discussion of Willa and Sonya's bond would fit best. In my additional analysis, I added a relevant analogy about Willa and Sonya being in their own "world" to help the audience better understand my interpretation, therefore adding more sophistication to my writing.
Week 11
Week 11
December 2-6, 2019
December 2-6, 2019
This week, the class is shifting to Unit 5: Poetry II!
In this unit, we are trying to explore a greater complexity in associations with images and figurative language. Again, the goal is to introduce tension in our writing by analyzing an image or a metaphor in alternative ways. Another addition to this unit from our poetry unit in Term 1 is figuring out how to analyze and deconstruct sonnets. Throughout the term, I aim to improve the complexity of my interpretations in poetry and to effectively understand and analyze sonnets.
Attached below are a series of poems we've been analyzing and discussing as we try developing these new skills. With each poem, we focused on looking at specific things - like how images, figurative language, and structure convey different meanings, and how to tackle a sonnet.
Snowstorm - Emerson.pdf"The Snowstorm" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The Snowstorm" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Imagery was a primary focus in this poem. The divine and god-like imagery exhibited within the first few lines of this poem give the coming of the snowstorm a sense of authority and power with a majestic nature. Then, with the coming of the snow, everything seems to stop as the snow "hides" everything in the landscape. My group interpreted this idea of the snow blanketing everything in sight as a form of purification of the world. There is something gentle and peaceful about the snow wipes across the town - all things stop, again connecting to the idea of the snow's authority over people's lives. The cleanliness and whiteness of the snow combined with the image of insulation of the world creates a mood of warm peacefulness.
Slowly - Donna Massini.pdf"Slowly" by Donna Masini
"Slowly" by Donna Masini
The biggest focus of this poem was how its structure contributed to its overall meaning. As far as what is happening in this poem, the narrator is recalling a time when they visited an exhibit at the zoo to find a snake swallowing a rabbit whole. The structure of the poem mirrors this event: each stanza is only three lines long, with separation within the breaks of phrases, as if the narrator, like the snake, is slowly swallowing this event, letting it gradually permeate into their memory. Symbolically, this idea can be interpreted as the difficulty of one taking in terrible events. As the narrator watches the snake in horror, they are swallowing the impurity of life - gradually becoming aware that life is not perfect. This can also be connected Biblically, as when the narrator watches this snake, they are "never coming back" to their bliss of their childhood innocence. They have seen too much.
Sonnet 13 - Shakespeare.pdf"Sonnet 13" by William Shakespeare
"Sonnet 13" by William Shakespeare
Analyzing this poem was a particular challenge for me and my peers. This was one of the first times I have sat down and interpreted a sonnet, so I found it difficult to understand. However, with a little help, we discerned meaning from this poem by breaking it down line by line.
Although I had much difficulty in interpreting this sonnet, I think it helps to go through this process. I am becoming more familiar with sonnets as I break them down gradually and look at how poets develop their ideas.
Week 12
Week 12
December 9-13, 2019
December 9-13, 2019
This week, the class continued our poetry unit by analyzing more poems, writing, and reviewing the rubric used for Poetry Analysis on the AP Exam.
One ongoing goal for me throughout the year is getting more consistent with explaining multiple literary elements of a work and creating a complex line of reasoning. This is what will differentiate my writing from earning a "3" and a "4" for my Evidence and Commentary. Furthermore, going into future writings I need to keep in mind ways I can earn the last Sophistication point. I need to steer away from making sweeping generalizations, oversimplifying complexities, and hinting at or suggesting other possible interpretations in the poem, and focus more on exploring complexities or tensions within the poem, illuminating a broader context, accounting for alternative interpretations, or employing a persuasive/vivid style of writing. My notes from the AP Rubric attached to the right aids what I am discussing here.
"Travelling Through the Dark" by William Stafford: Side-by-Side Comparison with Snodgrass Poem
"Travelling Through the Dark" by William Stafford: Side-by-Side Comparison with Snodgrass Poem
As an exercise, the class analyzed the poem "Travelling Through the Dark" next to a de-composition of the same poem (the Snodgrass poem) to develop a greater insight into the poem's meaning. By comparing the actual poem to a worse version and finding the differences between the two, it helped me focus on important parts of the poem to discern their associations and their meaning. It helped me develop more detailed annotations as I could see much clearer what Stafford was trying to accomplish.
Comparing these two poems allowed me to look more closely at how specific images contribute to the actual poem's overall meaning. For instance, it is significant that the kind of animal in this poem (the deer) is specified - something the Snodgrass poem does not do - because a deer can be associated with innocence. The specific choice of words in Stafford's 4th stanza creates an image of the narrator's car being like a predator anxiously waiting to attack its prey. These images work together to suggest the indifference of humanity towards the destruction of nature. Human creations - cars - are what are causing the death of innocence, which can be seen as humans directly murdering the innocence of the world.
Actual Poem
Actual Poem
Deconstructed Snodgrass Poem
Deconstructed Snodgrass Poem
"All That Time" Timed Write
"All That Time" Timed Write
The class put our learning into practice by completing a timed writing analyzing the poem "All That Time" by May Swenson.
Prompt: Write an analysis on the speaker's perspective on the complex relationship of the subjects of her poem.
Original Practice
Original Practice
My original practice for this timed write is included on the PDF attached in the button below:
Feedback and Explanation
Feedback and Explanation
As a whole, I think I did a good job with my overall interpretation - therefore I gave myself a "1" for my thesis. However, I thought that sometimes my writing was repetitive about one aspect of the metaphor in the poem instead of dedicating more of my writing to analyzing different perspectives (and developing tension in my writing). This is why I gave myself an original score of 1-3-0 the first time around. My reasoning behind this was that I don't think I developed the multiple interpretations of this poem as much as I had hoped; looking at the writing, again, it appears that I focused on one interpretation and then ran out of time to better develop other possible interpretations of this poem. I did not give myself the sophistication point for this reason. I gave myself a 3 for Evidence and Commentary because I thought I could have improved at refining my analysis to consistently supporting my line of reasoning.
I think the real issue with my writing right now is the precision in my writing. Sometimes, I am finding that my writing appears to be redundant - it looks like I am expressing the same thought twice even though I was trying to express two different thoughts. My interpretations are good and the complexity is there - it is just that sometimes my sentences do not convey this complexity in a way that differentiates two different ideas. In the revisions I made (in blue pen on the original document), I looked for ways to refine my writing so that my essay could convey more tension and complexity.
After doing 10 minutes of revisions (shown in the blue pen on my original practice), I gave myself a 1-3-1 because I think the analysis I added to the end of my essay introduced more tension, which would have allowed me to get a point for sophistication. However, not all of my evidence completely supports a line of reasoning, and I think I could have added more to my final paragraph to convey another possible interpretation of the trees' relationship. Therefore, I addressed this in my continued revisions below (note: one of my peers on PeerGrade gave me the same advice to add more analysis to my final paragraph, so I am addressing their feedback as well).
Moving forward, I think I need to focus on writing with more precision so I can convey my ideas with more clarity. This will also help save some time, as I will not be wasting time re-explaining the same idea.
(Further) Improved Work
(Further) Improved Work
Attached below are excerpts of my paper that I revised. Italicized portions are places in which I added sentences and/or made revisions.
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Final Body Paragraph:
Despite the problems that these two trees have between each other, their relationship continues, as the speaker states how "it was plain they'd always be together...Too late now to part." The honesty and depressive tone of this image suggests that the two members of this relationship have passed their chance to separate. Even though they have problems with each other, they are forced to stay together. There is some degree of regret conveyed in these lines, suggesting that if the trees separated long ago, they could have changed their lives for the better - but they never parted ways and are still "rubbing on each other." Even now, the two members of this metaphorical relationship are disagreeing with each other, causing harm to one another each time their abrasive surfaces touch. It is clear that their partnership is full of many faults and is perhaps one that is abusive. The two trees have sacrificed their individuality to sustain their union.
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With these revisions, I think my essay could now be considered a "1-4-1." I introduced another alternate interpretation, which not only adds additional tension, but also makes it so that I am consistently explaining how multiple elements of the poem are contributing to its meaning.
"All That Time" Peer Review
"All That Time" Peer Review
The class also reviewed each other's work with the "All That Time" timed writes by using the website, peergrade.io. I attached some of the notable feedback I gave my peers below. As seen below, my feedback was constructive and detailed, pointing to specific parts of the peer's essay on which they should focus.
Peer's Work
Peer's Work
My Feedback
My Feedback
Week 13
Week 13
December 16-20, 2019
December 16-20, 2019
This week, the class delved further into poetry - specifically, by looking at sonnets and how to interpret them.
Every sonnet has a specific structure. They are 14 lines long, with English Sonnets specifically having 3 quatrains (4 lines each), with a specific rhyme scheme elaborating on an idea. English sonnets then have what is called a "heroic couplet" at the very end, which makes a final or concluding statement of the idea; usually, it declares the speaker's purpose of the poem.
As shown in my earlier experience with interpreting sonnets (Shakespeare's "Sonnet 13"), I have had difficulty understanding their meaning due to the older style of language. This week, however, the class explored a method that breaks down the poems, dividing the elements into concrete and abstract ideas, with the techniques that the poet uses to accomplish their abstract ideas.
We put this method into practice with two sonnets: "Holy Sonnet 14" by John Donne and "That time of year thou mayst in me behold" by Shakespeare. I am finding now that I am starting to become more comfortable with interpreting sonnets as I practice breaking them down into components.
This poem was particularly difficult for me to understand. The older style of language made it difficult to discern meaning from the sonnet. Upon breaking it down, however, the poem appears to be about the speaker accepting their death and asking God for forgiveness and purification. They are essentially admitting their wrongs and that they are imperfect - and by admitting this, they free themselves of sin. Looking at the poem as a whole, the meaning of it is really quite peaceful and beautiful. The paradoxical words towards the end of the sonnet suggesting that the speaker must be "imprisoned" by God in order to be free emphasizes their willingness to give themselves up to become purified.
Also, an interesting side note: While working on this part of my portfolio, my dad noticed this poem and immediately recognized it - he had read it at my grandmother's funeral. This made the poem even more meaningful to me.
"Holy Sonnet 14" by John Donne
"Holy Sonnet 14" by John Donne
"That time of year thou mayst in me behold" by William Shakespeare
"That time of year thou mayst in me behold" by William Shakespeare
For this poem, we tried this method individually - I analyzed the sonnet first in pencil and then compared my notes to those of the class (additions in pink pen). This sonnet appeared to rely heavily on metaphor to signify the coming of death. The first quatrain is establishing the season of fall to signify their illness and decay, and the second quatrain furthers this idea by discussing the peacefulness of sleep, which seems to convey how the speaker has no fear of death - they merely see it as an eternal sleep, seeing it as something that occurs naturally and painlessly. The third quatrain utilizes a metaphor of a fire dying and beginning to gutter out to once again further the speaker's gradual arrival of death. The final couplet reveals who the speaker is talking to and what they are writing about: they are asking their lover, in their final moments, to embrace them before they leave the earth.
Overall, I feel like I am getting the hang of analyzing sonnets. As I become more familiar with their structure and how to break them down, it is becoming easier for me to interpret their meaning.
Week 14
Week 14
January 2 and January 6-10, 2020
January 2 and January 6-10, 2020
Coming back from Christmas break, the class wrapped up Poetry with a Unit 5 Progress Check on AP Classroom, and we began began Unit 6: Longer Fiction. For this unit, the class will be looking at The Overstory by Richard Powers, which is a novel about nine Americans whose unique life experiences with trees bring them together to address the destruction of forests.
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 5 Progress Check
CollegeBoard Timed Writings: Unit 5 Progress Check
Question 1 (40 minutes)
Question 1 (40 minutes)
Prompt: Analyze how the author uses poetic elements and structural techniques to construct a statement about the complex interaction between self-esteem and love.
Original Practice
Original Practice
Through metaphor and development of a tonal contrast, [author] conveys a speaker who has a low opinion of himself showing affection for someone who makes him feel better about himself; furthermore, this affection suggests an overarching meaning that in order to love someone, they must be emotionally dependent on that person.
In this English Sonnet, [author] dedicates the first quatrain to the speaker lamenting in his negative self image. As the speaker describes himself to be "all alone," self-pitying his "outcast state," [troubling] deaf heaven with [his] bootless cries," [Author] conveys a desolate and isolated tone. The speaker is seemingly begging for companionship, ignored even by God and the heavens above. This desolation is furthered in the second quatrain as the speaker yearns for "one more rich in hope," finding dependency on people who are more hopeful and confident than himself.
By framing the speaker in this self-deprecating state at the start of the sonnet, one can see how [Author] shifts to a more more joyful and hopeful tone as the speaker mentions their love interest. [Author] uses figurative language with visual imagery to emphasize this contrast. Thinking about their love, all of the speaker's negative thoughts seem to disappear, as his state "sings hymns at heaven's gate." As opposed to lamenting and being ignored by the heavens above at the start of the sonnet, the speaker's state has completely changed, as he is describing himself to now be in the heavens when he speaks of his love. [Author] uses a simile to describe the speaker's change in state as being "like... the lark at break of day arising from sullen earth," exhibiting an exuberant image of a songbird taking flight. This image can be associated with feelings of freedom, suggesting that [Author] is conveying that the speaker's love interest frees him from the prison of his self-deprecation. The speaker needs this person to feel like a "king," as he is now "wealth[y]" with hope, unlike his disgraceful state at the start of the poem, thus displaying the speaker's emotional dependence for this person.
Explanation/Feedback
Explanation/Feedback
With this essay, I finally got to put my practice with sonnets into action, as this timed writing involved the analysis of an English sonnet. However, with this being said, I found it a little more difficult to structure a longer essay within the 40-minute time limit because I spent more time trying to analyze the poem. Therefore, this essay was a little bit shorter, which may have taken away from my earning the Sophistication point for this essay.
In my feedback for this essay, it was noted that I had a valid interpretation, but I could dig deeper into the first two quatrains. On the whole, my essay was strong, but not my strongest work to date. In my revisions, therefore, I focused on adding more analysis to my writing on the first two quatrains to add more depth in the essay - and in turn, add more sophistication to it as well.
Although this essay was not my strongest, I my ability to interpret a sonnet is improving. I know at the beginning of this term I was struggling to find even what a sonnet meant; now, I am able to craft a valid interpretation. Moving into Term 3, my goal is to improve my ability to analyze sonnets so I can craft more sophisticated essays.
Improved Work
Improved Work
First Body Paragraph:
In the first two quatrains of this English Sonnet, [author] presents the speaker in a desolate state. The speaker "all alone [beweeps] his outcast state," exhibiting a tone of isolation and loneliness. The speaker "beweeping" their state adds a degree of self-pitying lament, suggesting that all hope is lost for the speaker. Not even God, an all-powerful being who is expected to help people in their time of need, answers his laments as he "[troubles] deaf heaven with [his] bootless cries." It is clear that, in this desolate state, the speaker needs someone to help them. Their isolation causes them to aspire to be someone more fortunate than themselves as they "[desire] this man’s art and that man’s scope," which suggests that the speaker is penniless in skill and knowledge and therefore are unable to escape this desolate situation. One can see how [Author] is suggesting that the speaker is desperate for companionship of some kind - they need someone who can help them out of their grief and isolation.
Once the speaker thinks of someone on which he can depend, however, the speaker's state dramatically changes. [Author] makes this apparent with a shift to a more more joyful and hopeful tone in the final quatrain and heroic couplet. [Author] uses figurative language with visual imagery to emphasize this contrast. Thinking about their love, all of the speaker's negative thoughts seem to disappear, as his state "sings hymns at heaven's gate." As opposed to lamenting and being ignored by the heavens above at the start of the sonnet, the speaker's state has completely changed, as he is describing himself to now be in the heavens when he speaks of his love. [Author] uses a simile to describe the speaker's change in state as being "like... the lark at break of day arising from sullen earth," exhibiting an exuberant image of a songbird taking flight. This image can be associated with feelings of freedom, suggesting that [Author] is conveying that the speaker's love interest frees him from the prison of his self-deprecation. The speaker needs this person to feel like a "king," as he is now "wealth[y]" with hope, unlike his disgraceful state at the start of the poem, thus displaying the speaker's emotional dependence for this person.
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In my revisions, I focused on editing the first body paragraph because this is the paragraph that discusses the first two quatrains. I added some analysis that adds to the meaning of my interpretation.
Delving into The Overstory
Delving into The Overstory
To dive into The Overstory, the class began discussing each of the short stories in the "Roots" part of the work.
What makes this work so unique is that it is structured exactly like a tree: each person's individual story is presented separately in the "Roots" section, much like the roots of a tree each spread to different parts in the ground - each of the stories are disconnected. These stories begin to intertwine, however, in the "Trunk" section of the work - which metaphorically makes sense, as the trunk of the tree is where all of the roots meet. The story will be further developed in the "Crown" section, and then the book ends with "Roots" - perhaps suggesting that the ending of the story will "plant" new beginnings.
The opening part of "Roots" is quite interesting because it is told from a tree's perspective. The tree talks as if it is an omnipresent being, almost god-like, saying that humans "never see them whole" and that what we see of the trees above the ground are just "amputations," suggesting that all trees - and perhaps all of existence - is connected in some way. In starting this work from the perspective of trees, Powers appears to be giving more humanity to the trees - making the reader develop more sympathy for these silent giants. This opening appears to be setting up the idea that all stories are connected, and that every tree has their own story. Perhaps it is in this connectedness that existence can become more powerful.
Thus far, the class has done three different socratic relays discussing some of the individual short stories in "Roots." During these discussions, I've provided feedback to my peers on how they can improve for future discussions, and my peers gave me some of their own feedback on how I can improve. I attached some of the feedback I gave my peers below.
As for my own contributions to these discussions, I feel that I am greatly improving in many aspects. For instance, at the beginning of the term, I mentioned that I needed to work on modifying other people's lines of reasoning, introducing alternative interpretations that could bring thee class to identifying more tension in the work we are discussing. I accomplished this in my contributions to the last discussion on the "Nicholas Hoel" section - I politely disagreed with one of my peers' interpretations about the function of the chestnut tree in this section, and provided a way that I saw that particular part. I will continue to do this for future discussions. In feedback given to me by one of my peers, they agreed with this - they said that my "contradicting [of] opinions was done in a respectful manner and also made a more complex discussion." My peer's feedback to me is attached to the right.
One thing on which I can improve for future discussions is starting conversations and opening the discussion with more questions. In my feedback, my peer wrote that I should "try to pose more questions." She said, "You were great at building off of others, but try to focus more on leading with questions next time." I will keep this advice into account moving forward.
Note: Many of my interpretations of each individual short story are already included in my Dialectical Journal and Study Notes, so I didn't see a need to put my interpretations of each on this portfolio - it would be repetitive.
Overstory Socratic Seminars: Peer Feedback
Overstory Socratic Seminars: Peer Feedback
Feedback Given to Peer #1:
Feedback Given to Peer #2:
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