March 21 http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/dreamjobs/dreamjobs6.html
Scott C. Reynolds, "So You Wanted to be a Professional Snowboarder..."
Scott Reynolds has written a series of "Dream Jobs" that children often wish they could have, but then he manages to show the negative sides of all of them. In this particular essay, he writes about the reader, in second person, as a snowboarder with what seems to be a great future who has an unfortunate accident and ends up working in a ski shop. Eventually, overcome with jealousy for those who can still snowboard, the reader turns into an evil worker who manages to booby trap everything sold.
There is not one specific tone to this essay as it is written like a biography, but it is a slightly sarcastic piece. When he writes that you are setting snowboarders up for disaster and, "on a good day, injury..." this tone is displayed especially well.
The diction is used to help create this tone. It is very upfront and honest, and does not hide anything. It shows everything from the dreams of an eight-year old with a "spirit" to succeed to an older student who is "hooked" upon the sport, all the way to an almost professional athelete with an "epic" face plant and an "abrupt end" to the career.
There is very little punctuation used in this article other than periods - no question marks or exclamation points, the whole essay is very upfront and laid out very simply. This makes the whole piece seem to be very realistic and almost like it has happened.
Reynolds also uses imagery as one of his main techniques. He describes the hills and the injury very harshly. He talks about the feeling of the "ligaments" shredding and the "ungroomed side of the mountain" that the subject (the reader) goes to and cries about the terrible end to his/her career.
Overall, this is a very well written article. I did not find very much that could be improved, but it would definately not make an appropriate AP essay. As the tone is sarcastic and the diction is not very mature or of a very high level, it would probably not get a high grade. The main reason that this essay would not work for an AP essay, though, is because it is written in second person. This makes the article interesting, but it is not appropriate for AP.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Outside Reading: Editorial
March 21 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/opinion/l20abuse.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
"Abuse of the Disabled in Group Homes"
This editorial was written in a very unique style - rather than being written from one author, it included letters from five diffferent people. This made it difficult to find one specific tone or writing style, but I believe that it was much more interesting than it would have been otherwise. As most of the writers had a direct connection to someone who is in a group home, I found myself being angered by the issues they were writing about.
The diction used in these letters are very pursuasive and cause the reader to feel personally upset by the issue of abuse towards the disabled. The writers use words such as "devastating," "terrifying," and "dismay" to portray their feelings towards this problem. These kinds of words bring emotions to the readers, allowing them to temporarily feel the same way that they do.
Imagery is also used to display the authors' feelings. The last letter especially shows with precise imagery what she has experienced with homes for the disabled. Most of the imagery is pleasant, but it also shows the negative side of the abuse that she is hearing about.
Some of the details that make these letters very believable are when the authors state their connection to someone who is disabled, be it a friend or relative. Readers are much more likely to take an article seriously when they are given reason to believe that it is written by a person who really does believe in what they are saying, and who really does feel the way that they say that they feel.
Although this was a very strong article, if there had been one specific author who used quotes from these letters, it might have been stronger. There was no one person to provide connections between the letters, which made it slightly difficult to follow.
This editorial definately would not work as an AP essay. There is more than one author, and all of the letters are written in first person. The diction is very mature, though, and it is a very convincing editorial. Even though it would not be an appropriate AP essay, it is still very well written and it is a very interesting article to read.
"Abuse of the Disabled in Group Homes"
This editorial was written in a very unique style - rather than being written from one author, it included letters from five diffferent people. This made it difficult to find one specific tone or writing style, but I believe that it was much more interesting than it would have been otherwise. As most of the writers had a direct connection to someone who is in a group home, I found myself being angered by the issues they were writing about.
The diction used in these letters are very pursuasive and cause the reader to feel personally upset by the issue of abuse towards the disabled. The writers use words such as "devastating," "terrifying," and "dismay" to portray their feelings towards this problem. These kinds of words bring emotions to the readers, allowing them to temporarily feel the same way that they do.
Imagery is also used to display the authors' feelings. The last letter especially shows with precise imagery what she has experienced with homes for the disabled. Most of the imagery is pleasant, but it also shows the negative side of the abuse that she is hearing about.
Some of the details that make these letters very believable are when the authors state their connection to someone who is disabled, be it a friend or relative. Readers are much more likely to take an article seriously when they are given reason to believe that it is written by a person who really does believe in what they are saying, and who really does feel the way that they say that they feel.
Although this was a very strong article, if there had been one specific author who used quotes from these letters, it might have been stronger. There was no one person to provide connections between the letters, which made it slightly difficult to follow.
This editorial definately would not work as an AP essay. There is more than one author, and all of the letters are written in first person. The diction is very mature, though, and it is a very convincing editorial. Even though it would not be an appropriate AP essay, it is still very well written and it is a very interesting article to read.
Outside Reading: Book Review
March 21, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/books/review/book-review-the-most-human-human-by-brian-christian.html?_r=1&ref=books
David Leavitt, "I Took The Turing Test"
The Most Human Human by Brian Christian
David Leavitt uses many techniques to create a well written book review with one small flaw. It is difficult to understand what the book is about, because Leavitt assumes that the reader knows much about technology. As I do not understand technology well, I had problems knowing what he was saying. The general idea was that in the book, a computer had been created that was more human than actual humans.
The diction used in this review gives a mature and sophisticated feel to the article. He describes an article as a "landmark," and he discusses a "radical premise." Another technique used to add to the high level of the writing is the multiple direct quotes used. Throughout the article, Leavitt takes direct quotes from many different sources, which make the review seem very well researched and prepared.
I believe that this article could have been improved upon by actually taking out some of the quotes, and replacing them with opinions. Taking this review one step further, by adding imagery, would have definately increased the interest of it. There was very little imagery in this essay, so readers find little to take interest in and quickly lose their focus.
The syntax used in this article includes very long, run on sentences. This does not add much to the essay - it actually detracts from it. Longer sentences are more difficult to pay attention to, and I found myself losing focus and becoming bored as I read. The few short sentences had much more impact than the longer sentences, but they were so widely spaced that it was difficult to stay interested between them. In this way, the review reminded me of some parts of Heart of Darkness.
Leavitt uses very mature diction and many quotes, but I believe that the negatives outweight the positives. Perhaps to somebody who is interested in technology, this essay would be interesting, but I found it to be boring and difficult to get through. If Leavitt made some of his long sentences into shorter sentences and added more details that would allow the reader to use his or her imagination, the review would have been much better.
Based upon the mature and formal tone of this review, I believe that it would make a decent AP essay. The AP graders are not necessarily looking to be interested, but they are looking for many quotes and a sophisticated feel, therefore I believe that this would be an appropriate AP essay.
David Leavitt, "I Took The Turing Test"
The Most Human Human by Brian Christian
David Leavitt uses many techniques to create a well written book review with one small flaw. It is difficult to understand what the book is about, because Leavitt assumes that the reader knows much about technology. As I do not understand technology well, I had problems knowing what he was saying. The general idea was that in the book, a computer had been created that was more human than actual humans.
The diction used in this review gives a mature and sophisticated feel to the article. He describes an article as a "landmark," and he discusses a "radical premise." Another technique used to add to the high level of the writing is the multiple direct quotes used. Throughout the article, Leavitt takes direct quotes from many different sources, which make the review seem very well researched and prepared.
I believe that this article could have been improved upon by actually taking out some of the quotes, and replacing them with opinions. Taking this review one step further, by adding imagery, would have definately increased the interest of it. There was very little imagery in this essay, so readers find little to take interest in and quickly lose their focus.
The syntax used in this article includes very long, run on sentences. This does not add much to the essay - it actually detracts from it. Longer sentences are more difficult to pay attention to, and I found myself losing focus and becoming bored as I read. The few short sentences had much more impact than the longer sentences, but they were so widely spaced that it was difficult to stay interested between them. In this way, the review reminded me of some parts of Heart of Darkness.
Leavitt uses very mature diction and many quotes, but I believe that the negatives outweight the positives. Perhaps to somebody who is interested in technology, this essay would be interesting, but I found it to be boring and difficult to get through. If Leavitt made some of his long sentences into shorter sentences and added more details that would allow the reader to use his or her imagination, the review would have been much better.
Based upon the mature and formal tone of this review, I believe that it would make a decent AP essay. The AP graders are not necessarily looking to be interested, but they are looking for many quotes and a sophisticated feel, therefore I believe that this would be an appropriate AP essay.
Notes: March 7 - March 18
Modernism: (WWI-WWII)
The phrase "lost generation" was coined by Stein. Many new narrative techniques developed in this time.
The battle cry was to "make it new" - in an attempt to break with the past, modernists attempted to completely redo the art.
Some of the narrative forms developed were multiple narrators, minor characters as 1st person, and unreliable narrators. Think Huck Finn - how would this be different with if Tom Sawyer, for example, narrated?
Post-Modernism: (started WWII)
Television brought upon the realization that truth is local.
Post modernism = modernism - universal truth + irony.
^legit mathmatical equation
This time blends high and low culture.
Surrealism:
Juxtaposition subconsciously stimulates the readers, and activates their minds beyond logic.Freud and Jung influenced this.
^Something about this picture makes it slightly creepy...but you can't really put your finger on what. That is commonly seen in surrealist paintings.
Many worksheets were given out - rather than type them all out, read them.
- Especially read over the packet on types of comedy and techniques of comedy.
The phrase "lost generation" was coined by Stein. Many new narrative techniques developed in this time.
The battle cry was to "make it new" - in an attempt to break with the past, modernists attempted to completely redo the art.
Some of the narrative forms developed were multiple narrators, minor characters as 1st person, and unreliable narrators. Think Huck Finn - how would this be different with if Tom Sawyer, for example, narrated?
Post-Modernism: (started WWII)
Television brought upon the realization that truth is local.
Post modernism = modernism - universal truth + irony.
^legit mathmatical equation
This time blends high and low culture.
Surrealism:
Juxtaposition subconsciously stimulates the readers, and activates their minds beyond logic.Freud and Jung influenced this.
^Something about this picture makes it slightly creepy...but you can't really put your finger on what. That is commonly seen in surrealist paintings.
Many worksheets were given out - rather than type them all out, read them.
- Especially read over the packet on types of comedy and techniques of comedy.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Notes: Feb 21 - March 4
From the Theories of Humor and Comedy packet:
Comedies are not always funny!
Six requirements for something to be funny:
1. It needs to appeal to the intellect rather than emotions - an intellectual view of a joke. A ginger joke might be funny to somebody, but not to a redhead. That doesn't really apply, though, because I find ginger jokes funny and I am a ginger...
2. It has to be mechanical - when a chair is pulled out from under someone, it is funny that they mechanically continue to sit.
3. It needs to be human - when my dog sees me sitting on the couch, he comes up and sits on the seat right next to me, because he thinks he is human.
4. It must follow societal norms - some things might be funny to Americans, but not to Europeans.
5. The situation needs to be inconsistant with the forementioned societal norms - if something is normal to an American but it is intentionally not being followed, it has the potential of being funny.
6. It must be perceived by the observer as harmless or painless - watching America's Funniest Home Videos is funny until somebody in the video looks like they actually got hurt.
From the Types of Comedy packet:
Low Comedy: A slapstick comedy is a low comedy because it does not require much intellect to be funny.
High Comedy: Many satires are high comedy because they require intellect to be funny, as you have to be aware of what the satire is insulting.
Burlesque: This requires much exaggeration. Often serious subjects are treated lightly, or vice versa.
Farce: Slapstick elements are used in this, as well as a very improbable plot (this is a low comedy)
Lampoon: Lampoons are satires that ridicule a person or a specific group (high comedy)
Parody: These imitate another, usually well known, piece of work. The Scary Movies are parodies of horror movies.
Satire: These ridicule people of a specific time (lampoons are in this catagory). Often these are high comedy.
Slapstick: The Three Stooges. No other explanation is needed.
Travesty: This displaces a serious subject as a joke, often about religion.
The Comedic Ladder:
Comedy of Ideas: argue about ideas
Comedy of Manners: Discusses the mannerisms of specific groups (generally the upper class)
Farce: The plot has coincidences and mistimings. I think of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with the mistakes in timing and people.
Low Comedy: These contain dirty jokes and gestures, exaggeration and understatement. The Three Stooges.
Review the Techniques of Comedy.
Comedies are not always funny!
Six requirements for something to be funny:
1. It needs to appeal to the intellect rather than emotions - an intellectual view of a joke. A ginger joke might be funny to somebody, but not to a redhead. That doesn't really apply, though, because I find ginger jokes funny and I am a ginger...
2. It has to be mechanical - when a chair is pulled out from under someone, it is funny that they mechanically continue to sit.
3. It needs to be human - when my dog sees me sitting on the couch, he comes up and sits on the seat right next to me, because he thinks he is human.
4. It must follow societal norms - some things might be funny to Americans, but not to Europeans.
5. The situation needs to be inconsistant with the forementioned societal norms - if something is normal to an American but it is intentionally not being followed, it has the potential of being funny.
6. It must be perceived by the observer as harmless or painless - watching America's Funniest Home Videos is funny until somebody in the video looks like they actually got hurt.
From the Types of Comedy packet:
Low Comedy: A slapstick comedy is a low comedy because it does not require much intellect to be funny.
High Comedy: Many satires are high comedy because they require intellect to be funny, as you have to be aware of what the satire is insulting.
Burlesque: This requires much exaggeration. Often serious subjects are treated lightly, or vice versa.
Farce: Slapstick elements are used in this, as well as a very improbable plot (this is a low comedy)
Lampoon: Lampoons are satires that ridicule a person or a specific group (high comedy)
Parody: These imitate another, usually well known, piece of work. The Scary Movies are parodies of horror movies.
Satire: These ridicule people of a specific time (lampoons are in this catagory). Often these are high comedy.
Slapstick: The Three Stooges. No other explanation is needed.
Travesty: This displaces a serious subject as a joke, often about religion.
The Comedic Ladder:
Comedy of Ideas: argue about ideas
Comedy of Manners: Discusses the mannerisms of specific groups (generally the upper class)
Farce: The plot has coincidences and mistimings. I think of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream with the mistakes in timing and people.
Low Comedy: These contain dirty jokes and gestures, exaggeration and understatement. The Three Stooges.
Review the Techniques of Comedy.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sarah Kells Reflective Essay Feb 19
Barbie is a Product of Her Environment by Jan Edwards
I picked this essay to read because the title reminded me of the poem we read at the beginning of the year called "Barbie Doll." The essay was very similar to this poem in a lot of ways, as they both are about the negative conotations of having to be the perfect person, but while "Barbie Doll" ends with death, this essay ends with the pattern established throughout merely continuing.
This essay was about Barbie and her life - a life of doing absolutely nothing with any purpose, hooking up with guys and drinking. The point was to show that the idea of the Barbie doll, which morphs into the idea of the "ideal girl," is not really as great as it seems at first.
The tone in this essay is very sarcastic. At first it seems to be just explaining what is happening in this girl's life, but it clearly is negative. Some of the diction used implies that the author is ridiculing Barbie's way of thinking - "she is a good California girl," and the many swear words used throughout are just a couple of examples of this.
Edwards does not use very much imagery in this essay. She doesn't go into very much detail, but she certainly does not shy away from saying exactly what she means. A lot of the thoughts, however, are implied. From the previously quoted statement, "she is a good California girl," the reader can imply that Barbie thinks that she is better than her little sister who is perhaps not such a "good California girl."
The tone used in this essay would not work for an AP essay. The diction is not very advanced, and it is seperated into small sections which are each about three sentences long. The sarcastic tone and the occasionally crude language would not go over well in an AP essay, either.
I picked this essay to read because the title reminded me of the poem we read at the beginning of the year called "Barbie Doll." The essay was very similar to this poem in a lot of ways, as they both are about the negative conotations of having to be the perfect person, but while "Barbie Doll" ends with death, this essay ends with the pattern established throughout merely continuing.
This essay was about Barbie and her life - a life of doing absolutely nothing with any purpose, hooking up with guys and drinking. The point was to show that the idea of the Barbie doll, which morphs into the idea of the "ideal girl," is not really as great as it seems at first.
The tone in this essay is very sarcastic. At first it seems to be just explaining what is happening in this girl's life, but it clearly is negative. Some of the diction used implies that the author is ridiculing Barbie's way of thinking - "she is a good California girl," and the many swear words used throughout are just a couple of examples of this.
Edwards does not use very much imagery in this essay. She doesn't go into very much detail, but she certainly does not shy away from saying exactly what she means. A lot of the thoughts, however, are implied. From the previously quoted statement, "she is a good California girl," the reader can imply that Barbie thinks that she is better than her little sister who is perhaps not such a "good California girl."
The tone used in this essay would not work for an AP essay. The diction is not very advanced, and it is seperated into small sections which are each about three sentences long. The sarcastic tone and the occasionally crude language would not go over well in an AP essay, either.
Sarah Kells Editorial Feb 19
Why We Need Women in War Zone by Kim Barker
This editorial was written in first person, which caused it to have a very strong and persuasive tone. If it had been written in third person, it would be less personal and would have seemed to me like it were not nearly as trustworthy. About halfway through the paper, though, it changed into being written about someone else, Lara Logan. This did not make the editorial any less persuasive, though. The first part was to prove that the author knew first hand what she was writing about, and the second part proved that she was not the only one.
Barker's voice in this column is made my not only her use of first and third person, but also by how she phrased questions and statements that the readers might be thinking such as "Why take the risk?" and "because she’s pretty; because she decided to go into the crowd; because she’s a war junkie." Her diction also helps her voice, because it is very confident, but not terribly fancy or confusing. It is everday diction ("predictably," "dismissed," and "important") but this kind of diction makes the column seem to be something for anybody to read, not just people with a large vocabulary or people who are big readers.
Barker also uses syntax to emphasize her point. She says "The men kept grabbing. I kept punching." using short sentences to make her point clear and to make the reader feel like this is a repeated process. These kind of techniques were very helpful in her voice and in making the reader sympathize with the point she is trying to make.
This article would not make an appropriate AP essay because the beginning of it is written in first person. If it were edited to be in third person, however, I believe that it would make a very strong essay.
This editorial was written in first person, which caused it to have a very strong and persuasive tone. If it had been written in third person, it would be less personal and would have seemed to me like it were not nearly as trustworthy. About halfway through the paper, though, it changed into being written about someone else, Lara Logan. This did not make the editorial any less persuasive, though. The first part was to prove that the author knew first hand what she was writing about, and the second part proved that she was not the only one.
Barker's voice in this column is made my not only her use of first and third person, but also by how she phrased questions and statements that the readers might be thinking such as "Why take the risk?" and "because she’s pretty; because she decided to go into the crowd; because she’s a war junkie." Her diction also helps her voice, because it is very confident, but not terribly fancy or confusing. It is everday diction ("predictably," "dismissed," and "important") but this kind of diction makes the column seem to be something for anybody to read, not just people with a large vocabulary or people who are big readers.
Barker also uses syntax to emphasize her point. She says "The men kept grabbing. I kept punching." using short sentences to make her point clear and to make the reader feel like this is a repeated process. These kind of techniques were very helpful in her voice and in making the reader sympathize with the point she is trying to make.
This article would not make an appropriate AP essay because the beginning of it is written in first person. If it were edited to be in third person, however, I believe that it would make a very strong essay.
Sarah Kells Book Review Feb 19
Misery Loves Company by Sylvia Brownrigg
The Old Romantic Louise Dean
Before I even finished the first paragraph of this review, I was already interested in not only the book it was describing, but the review itself. The diction used by Sylvia Brownrigg is intriguing and catches the reader's interest. Phrases such as "spectacularly savage," "squat, tittering woman," and "chilly Astrid" are sprinkled throughout, drawing readers into the review and causing them to want to read on.
Brownrigg also uses many well placed quotes throughout this review, allowing the review to be read smoothly without awkward breaks, while allowing the reader to see a bit into the actual book.
This review hits upon what I imagine is one of the most important techniques in The Old Romantic -gender roles. It is about a man with two sons who has divorced his first wife and is in the process of divorcing his second. Throughout the review, I got a feeling that the main character felt superior to women, based upon Brownrigg's descriptions and the quotes chosen, but I felt as though the book ended with the women acheiving a higher level of respect in his eyes than in the beginning.
This book review did not bring to mind any previous books that I have read or any previous book reviews I have read, but the very descriptive diction did make me think of some of Conrad's writing style in Heart of Darkness. I do not believe that the plots of the books are similar, except perhaps with the male/female ideas seen in both, but both Brownrigg and Conrad use a lot of description and very advanced diction.
The imagery seen in this review was unpleasant and dark at times, but near the end, the tone became much more upbeat and happy. Brownrigg says that this book contains "vivid evocation of love and marriage," which seems to go against what she has said previously, but it makes the book seem more positive than it had before. This was possibly the only problem that I had with this review - Brownrigg sometimes changes the way that she is writing and seems to contradict things that she has said before. This was very minimal, though, and did not really change my opinion of the review.
Overall, this review was terrific and I am most likely going to read The Old Romantic as soon as I can.
The Old Romantic Louise Dean
Before I even finished the first paragraph of this review, I was already interested in not only the book it was describing, but the review itself. The diction used by Sylvia Brownrigg is intriguing and catches the reader's interest. Phrases such as "spectacularly savage," "squat, tittering woman," and "chilly Astrid" are sprinkled throughout, drawing readers into the review and causing them to want to read on.
Brownrigg also uses many well placed quotes throughout this review, allowing the review to be read smoothly without awkward breaks, while allowing the reader to see a bit into the actual book.
This review hits upon what I imagine is one of the most important techniques in The Old Romantic -gender roles. It is about a man with two sons who has divorced his first wife and is in the process of divorcing his second. Throughout the review, I got a feeling that the main character felt superior to women, based upon Brownrigg's descriptions and the quotes chosen, but I felt as though the book ended with the women acheiving a higher level of respect in his eyes than in the beginning.
This book review did not bring to mind any previous books that I have read or any previous book reviews I have read, but the very descriptive diction did make me think of some of Conrad's writing style in Heart of Darkness. I do not believe that the plots of the books are similar, except perhaps with the male/female ideas seen in both, but both Brownrigg and Conrad use a lot of description and very advanced diction.
The imagery seen in this review was unpleasant and dark at times, but near the end, the tone became much more upbeat and happy. Brownrigg says that this book contains "vivid evocation of love and marriage," which seems to go against what she has said previously, but it makes the book seem more positive than it had before. This was possibly the only problem that I had with this review - Brownrigg sometimes changes the way that she is writing and seems to contradict things that she has said before. This was very minimal, though, and did not really change my opinion of the review.
Overall, this review was terrific and I am most likely going to read The Old Romantic as soon as I can.
Sarah Kells Class Notes Feb 7-Feb 17
We spent the majority of this time studying Heart of Darkness and watching Apocalypse Now.
This novella combines symbols of the Garden of Eden and some of Dante's ideas, which asks how both of these can exist at the same time in the same place. We did not come up with an answer for this.
Metacognition: "knowing without knowing." This is something that could be seen as a kind of survival tool.
We discussed the roles of women in this book - the three main types are the Crone, Mother and Maiden.
The Crones are the three women in the office. Notice the 'magic number 3,' often related to witches. This actually reminded me of Macbeth because for some reason, whenever I think of the number 3 relating to witches, I remember the scene with the witches around the cauldron.
The Mother figure is the aunt.
The Maiden is Kurz's fiance.
These are only three of the women. Possibly the most important woman is the African woman that Kurz possibly is having an affair with. She represents the land, in a way, therefore showing that Kurz's relation with the land has caused him to forget about his life (his fiance) where he came from.
Kurz's last words, "Oh, the horror" could mean many different things. I took them to mean that now that he is dying, he realizes the futility of his life. He realized that no matter how much ivory he took, or how much work he did, or how much fear he instilled into people, none of it really matters. If somebody is a good person or a bad person, black or white, male or female, everybody ends with death.
Frame narrative: The narrator tells the story via another character.
At the end of this last week, we were watching Apocalypse Now, which is relatively disturbing.
This novella combines symbols of the Garden of Eden and some of Dante's ideas, which asks how both of these can exist at the same time in the same place. We did not come up with an answer for this.
Metacognition: "knowing without knowing." This is something that could be seen as a kind of survival tool.
We discussed the roles of women in this book - the three main types are the Crone, Mother and Maiden.
The Crones are the three women in the office. Notice the 'magic number 3,' often related to witches. This actually reminded me of Macbeth because for some reason, whenever I think of the number 3 relating to witches, I remember the scene with the witches around the cauldron.
The Mother figure is the aunt.
The Maiden is Kurz's fiance.
These are only three of the women. Possibly the most important woman is the African woman that Kurz possibly is having an affair with. She represents the land, in a way, therefore showing that Kurz's relation with the land has caused him to forget about his life (his fiance) where he came from.
Kurz's last words, "Oh, the horror" could mean many different things. I took them to mean that now that he is dying, he realizes the futility of his life. He realized that no matter how much ivory he took, or how much work he did, or how much fear he instilled into people, none of it really matters. If somebody is a good person or a bad person, black or white, male or female, everybody ends with death.
Frame narrative: The narrator tells the story via another character.
At the end of this last week, we were watching Apocalypse Now, which is relatively disturbing.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sarah Kells Class Notes Jan 24-Feb 4
Medievalism and Allegory
Common Motifs include:
-Church/faith
-Values
-Allegory
-Salvation/damnation
-Life/death
Important info from the worksheet:
Literature is an embodyment of culture.
Allegory is something external to validate a text - something can be utterly unrealistic, but if there is a commonly told story or myth to "validate" it, this is allegory.
An Everyman is a character that represents culture as a whole - a "common man," often unnamed with very few characteristics. I am not sure, but I thought that the Lawyer and the Accountant at the beginning of Heart of Darkness were everymen - they were characterised by their careers, and they were merely listening rather than participating.
Trends in Western Literature
Classical --> Medieval --:> Renaissance --> Romantic --> Modernist --> Post modern
Protagonist: God/nobility -----------------------------------------> lower class/common man
Themes: God/nobility -----------------------------------------------> individualism, self, family
Motivations: Religion/fate ----------------------------------------> self, family, nothing
Forms: Epic/drama ---------------------------------------------------> essays, papers, novels
Techniques: 3rd person, all knowing ------------------------> 1st person, not all knowing
---------------------------------------power slips---------------------------------------->
Plot-------------------------------------------------------------------character driven--->
loyalty to Gods-----------------------------------------------------------------family---->
all knowing-------------------------------------------------------------------...not------->
nobility-----------------------------------------------------------------------everyman--->
---------------------------------------less formal----------------------------------------->
---------------------------------------less limited----------------------------------------->
------------------------------moves towards human narrators----------------------------->
Why do we need to know this? This enables us to make reasonable assumptions of when a piece was written.
Northrop Frye
First to develop the idea that all literature is based upon one story.
Start at a great place: if it goes down to trials and ends well, it is a quest.
if it goes to trials and does not return, it is a tragedy.
Start at trials: if it goes up to a great place, it is a comedy.
if it goes around and around in little circles, it is an irony.
When writing...
Capitalize a specific time if the person lived in that time.
Keep it lowercase if the person didn't live in that time.
Structure and Support
-Topic sentence
-clear, arguable claim
-sufficient evidence (3 pieces of evidence, 2 quoted)
-evidence relates to claim
-all required information included
Style and Usage
-Plain style (precise, clean)
-avoid first person
-include parallelism, repetition, sentence length
-no informal diction or usage
-correct syntax and diction
Common Motifs include:
-Church/faith
-Values
-Allegory
-Salvation/damnation
-Life/death
Important info from the worksheet:
Literature is an embodyment of culture.
Allegory is something external to validate a text - something can be utterly unrealistic, but if there is a commonly told story or myth to "validate" it, this is allegory.
An Everyman is a character that represents culture as a whole - a "common man," often unnamed with very few characteristics. I am not sure, but I thought that the Lawyer and the Accountant at the beginning of Heart of Darkness were everymen - they were characterised by their careers, and they were merely listening rather than participating.
Trends in Western Literature
Classical --> Medieval --:> Renaissance --> Romantic --> Modernist --> Post modern
Protagonist: God/nobility -----------------------------------------> lower class/common man
Themes: God/nobility -----------------------------------------------> individualism, self, family
Motivations: Religion/fate ----------------------------------------> self, family, nothing
Forms: Epic/drama ---------------------------------------------------> essays, papers, novels
Techniques: 3rd person, all knowing ------------------------> 1st person, not all knowing
---------------------------------------power slips---------------------------------------->
Plot-------------------------------------------------------------------character driven--->
loyalty to Gods-----------------------------------------------------------------family---->
all knowing-------------------------------------------------------------------...not------->
nobility-----------------------------------------------------------------------everyman--->
---------------------------------------less formal----------------------------------------->
---------------------------------------less limited----------------------------------------->
------------------------------moves towards human narrators----------------------------->
Why do we need to know this? This enables us to make reasonable assumptions of when a piece was written.
Northrop Frye
First to develop the idea that all literature is based upon one story.
Start at a great place: if it goes down to trials and ends well, it is a quest.
if it goes to trials and does not return, it is a tragedy.
Start at trials: if it goes up to a great place, it is a comedy.
if it goes around and around in little circles, it is an irony.
When writing...
Capitalize a specific time if the person lived in that time.
Keep it lowercase if the person didn't live in that time.
Structure and Support
-Topic sentence
-clear, arguable claim
-sufficient evidence (3 pieces of evidence, 2 quoted)
-evidence relates to claim
-all required information included
Style and Usage
-Plain style (precise, clean)
-avoid first person
-include parallelism, repetition, sentence length
-no informal diction or usage
-correct syntax and diction
Monday, January 10, 2011
Class Notes: December 13-January 7
The majority of this time was used to cover "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" and "Death of a Salesman." We also covered the "Lecture on Stoppard."
"R & G are Dead"
Theatre of the Absurd: confusing, no real sense of reality, loss of time, characters often forget themselves.
This is a humorous take off of "Hamlet," showing that drama can morph into a comedy.
"DOS"
Much about the American Dream and whether or not it should be pursued. Father/Son relationships, discovering who you really are - beyond your name - and finding a life for your own are all topics covered. Some of the main themes I found were:
Children/Childish behavior, dreams, time, death/suicide, ownership/selling, female vs male, forgiveness, confusion, true identity.
Many of these themes such as confusion and time are found in "R & G are Dead," and some of them such as female vs. males and forgiveness were seen throughout "Hamlet."
"Lecture on Stoppard"
This lecture went on for 12 pages to end up saying that there is no true meaning to this play, and that interpretation should be left up to the reader. There was some valuable information, though, such as Theatre of the Absurd, connections between this and "Hamlet," and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," as well as horizons of significance. Due to the length of this lecture, it is very difficult to sum the entire thing up. For more information, see this link:
http://www.apelit-okemos.spruz.com/downloads.htm?a=&act=get&guid=C78281C1-062B-4F17-8E55-405437731073
For info on the semester exam, see:
http://www.apelit-okemos.spruz.com/downloads.htm?a=&act=get&guid=F8F2E269-D85F-4C34-B9D4-412AD503F185
While annotating "DOS," I found many things that I would not have seen otherwise. Lesson learned: annotating might be absurdly aggrivating, but it actually turns out being helpful.
"R & G are Dead"
Theatre of the Absurd: confusing, no real sense of reality, loss of time, characters often forget themselves.
This is a humorous take off of "Hamlet," showing that drama can morph into a comedy.
"DOS"
Much about the American Dream and whether or not it should be pursued. Father/Son relationships, discovering who you really are - beyond your name - and finding a life for your own are all topics covered. Some of the main themes I found were:
Children/Childish behavior, dreams, time, death/suicide, ownership/selling, female vs male, forgiveness, confusion, true identity.
Many of these themes such as confusion and time are found in "R & G are Dead," and some of them such as female vs. males and forgiveness were seen throughout "Hamlet."
"Lecture on Stoppard"
This lecture went on for 12 pages to end up saying that there is no true meaning to this play, and that interpretation should be left up to the reader. There was some valuable information, though, such as Theatre of the Absurd, connections between this and "Hamlet," and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," as well as horizons of significance. Due to the length of this lecture, it is very difficult to sum the entire thing up. For more information, see this link:
http://www.apelit-okemos.spruz.com/downloads.htm?a=&act=get&guid=C78281C1-062B-4F17-8E55-405437731073
For info on the semester exam, see:
http://www.apelit-okemos.spruz.com/downloads.htm?a=&act=get&guid=F8F2E269-D85F-4C34-B9D4-412AD503F185
While annotating "DOS," I found many things that I would not have seen otherwise. Lesson learned: annotating might be absurdly aggrivating, but it actually turns out being helpful.
Outside Reading: Editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/opinion/l10pets.html?ref=opinion
"Good Dog. Good Health. Is There a Link?" by W. Ron DeHaven
Jan 10, 2011
This was a very intriguing editorial to read as it was actually a response to a different editorial. Written by the chief executive of the American Veterinary Medical Association, it clearly comes from a credible source. The editorial responded to a previous article which said that a dog is not a doctor, and therefore does not relate to health in any way. While DeHaven agreed that a dog cannot replace a doctor, he did say there a connection has been shown between a pet and good health.
DeHaven establishes a very strong point of view and a convincing argument right at the beginning by telling the audience that he is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and therefore proving his credibility. This creates a confident voice and a strong, formal tone throughout the article. A tone like this causes the reader to automatically assume that the author knows what he is talking about and take him more seriously, even if they do not know for sure that he really deserves being taken seriously.
One technique used by DeHaven is the mature, yet not incredibly complicated diction. Too much complexity in the diction makes a piece difficult for a reader to understand and is therefore more likely to be ignored, and very simple diction makes a reader believe that the author is not a very intelligent or trustworthy person. Diction such as "analyze," "contributions," and "research" gets right to the point of the article without confusing the audience, and allowing any reader to understand right off the bat what the point of the article is.
Another technique used is DeHaven's way of expressing every opinion of his in third person: as he chief executive, he makes it clear that he is speaking for the entire association. Many times within this article he mentions that "the association" believe this, and "we" research that.
This essay contains many strengths, as well as weaknesses. A definite weakness is the lack of actual evidence. Most of the information used in this editorial is heresay, and things that DeHaven wants the reader to believe. Very little evidence actually comes from research. The strengths of this essay include the appropriate level of diction and the mature, confidence voice. Overall, this is a very convincing article, mostly based upon the confidence that the reader can see between the lines.
Although this is a very well written article, I do not believe that it would work as an AP essay. The editorial is much too short, and the diction is not quite advanced enough to qualify it. Also, a reader for the AP test would be looking for definite proof.
"Good Dog. Good Health. Is There a Link?" by W. Ron DeHaven
Jan 10, 2011
This was a very intriguing editorial to read as it was actually a response to a different editorial. Written by the chief executive of the American Veterinary Medical Association, it clearly comes from a credible source. The editorial responded to a previous article which said that a dog is not a doctor, and therefore does not relate to health in any way. While DeHaven agreed that a dog cannot replace a doctor, he did say there a connection has been shown between a pet and good health.
DeHaven establishes a very strong point of view and a convincing argument right at the beginning by telling the audience that he is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and therefore proving his credibility. This creates a confident voice and a strong, formal tone throughout the article. A tone like this causes the reader to automatically assume that the author knows what he is talking about and take him more seriously, even if they do not know for sure that he really deserves being taken seriously.
One technique used by DeHaven is the mature, yet not incredibly complicated diction. Too much complexity in the diction makes a piece difficult for a reader to understand and is therefore more likely to be ignored, and very simple diction makes a reader believe that the author is not a very intelligent or trustworthy person. Diction such as "analyze," "contributions," and "research" gets right to the point of the article without confusing the audience, and allowing any reader to understand right off the bat what the point of the article is.
Another technique used is DeHaven's way of expressing every opinion of his in third person: as he chief executive, he makes it clear that he is speaking for the entire association. Many times within this article he mentions that "the association" believe this, and "we" research that.
This essay contains many strengths, as well as weaknesses. A definite weakness is the lack of actual evidence. Most of the information used in this editorial is heresay, and things that DeHaven wants the reader to believe. Very little evidence actually comes from research. The strengths of this essay include the appropriate level of diction and the mature, confidence voice. Overall, this is a very convincing article, mostly based upon the confidence that the reader can see between the lines.
Although this is a very well written article, I do not believe that it would work as an AP essay. The editorial is much too short, and the diction is not quite advanced enough to qualify it. Also, a reader for the AP test would be looking for definite proof.
Outside Reading: Book Review
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/books/review/Thernstrom-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&ref=books
"The Memory Palace" by Mira Bartok
By Melanie Thernstrom
Jan 10, 2011
Melanie Thernstrom uses many unique techniques to describe Bartok's new book, a book about her schizophrenic mother. The description used in this book review makes the reader interested in reading "The Memory Palace," which is very impressive for a book review. It almost takes the reader into the book, especially by the use of diction.
A main technique used in this book review is diction. Thernstrom uses words such as "fable," "obsessions," and "striking" to allow the audience to feel the way that she read as she first read this book.
Another technique that is very helpful in this review is Thernstrom's use of direct quotes from the book. A quote said by the mother, "Value your own mouth, hate privately, and pray for yourself. When distressed, see if you can remember all the bones in the body. Recite them alphabetically by name. Stay calm and always watch you back" gives the reader some insight into the overall tone of this book. This quote is scattered and confusing, which brings about the idea of an instable family, and makes the reader wonder how all of this will play into the daughter's life.
Thernstrom also brings many different outside facts into this review. She points out the history of this story, and says that a negative of this book is that it does not delve into the science of the brain or of the mental disorder.
I saw a relationship between this book review and some of they essays that were found in the beginning of my copy of the "Death of a Salesman" play. This is because of the mature level of diction used in both, as well as the general understanding of background information.
Some of the definate advantages of this review have already been mentioned, such as the diction and quotations, but I also appreciated the formal writing style and the inexplainable way of bringing the reader into the world of the book in a very short essay. Even the best writings must have negatives, though, and this essay certainly did. It did not touch upon very many negatives of this book, the only one that I saw was that it did not include scientific research. I also prefer book reviews to be a little bit more opinionated rather than a simple summary of the book so that the reader can know what kind of reader the book appeals to.
Although there were negatives in this book, I believe that the writing style would work for an AP essay. It is written very formally and maturely, and the positives very much outweight the negatives.
"The Memory Palace" by Mira Bartok
By Melanie Thernstrom
Jan 10, 2011
Melanie Thernstrom uses many unique techniques to describe Bartok's new book, a book about her schizophrenic mother. The description used in this book review makes the reader interested in reading "The Memory Palace," which is very impressive for a book review. It almost takes the reader into the book, especially by the use of diction.
A main technique used in this book review is diction. Thernstrom uses words such as "fable," "obsessions," and "striking" to allow the audience to feel the way that she read as she first read this book.
Another technique that is very helpful in this review is Thernstrom's use of direct quotes from the book. A quote said by the mother, "Value your own mouth, hate privately, and pray for yourself. When distressed, see if you can remember all the bones in the body. Recite them alphabetically by name. Stay calm and always watch you back" gives the reader some insight into the overall tone of this book. This quote is scattered and confusing, which brings about the idea of an instable family, and makes the reader wonder how all of this will play into the daughter's life.
Thernstrom also brings many different outside facts into this review. She points out the history of this story, and says that a negative of this book is that it does not delve into the science of the brain or of the mental disorder.
I saw a relationship between this book review and some of they essays that were found in the beginning of my copy of the "Death of a Salesman" play. This is because of the mature level of diction used in both, as well as the general understanding of background information.
Some of the definate advantages of this review have already been mentioned, such as the diction and quotations, but I also appreciated the formal writing style and the inexplainable way of bringing the reader into the world of the book in a very short essay. Even the best writings must have negatives, though, and this essay certainly did. It did not touch upon very many negatives of this book, the only one that I saw was that it did not include scientific research. I also prefer book reviews to be a little bit more opinionated rather than a simple summary of the book so that the reader can know what kind of reader the book appeals to.
Although there were negatives in this book, I believe that the writing style would work for an AP essay. It is written very formally and maturely, and the positives very much outweight the negatives.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Outside Reading: Reflective Essay
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/monologues/9kavner.html
"I Want to Defend Myself and this Shirt I'm Wearning Inside Out" by Lucas Kavner
January 9, 2011
Kavner had taken a very angry tone throughout all of this essay - somebody is making fun of his shirt! Or at least, he thinks that somebody is making fun of his shirt. He uses swear words, italics, and exclamation marks to emphasize his angry, so that everybody knows that he does not appreciate the people who are insulting him. But the reader never actually knows if anybody is insulting Kavner, or if it is all in his imagination. At one point, he says that a girl is checking him out, and he'll "BRB." A couple of lines later, he says "She has a boyfriend, alright? ...It wasn't because of the shirt. ...You are all being so ridiculous right now I can't even believe it." This brings about an overly defensive and insulted tone, and makes the reader wonder if anybody is actually making fun of him, or if it is all his imagination.
The angry and defensive tone gives me a mental picture of Kavner being a paranoid young man who believes that everybody wants to make him miserable, and is therefore making himself miserable. He is constantly making excuses for himself because he seems to think that he has to, while at the same time he is giving others an excuse to laugh at his shirt. Even in the title, the first thing he says is "I Want To Defend Myself" and then he tells the world that yes, he is wearing his shirt inside out. This is a social commentary upon whiners, and those who are insulted by everything.
The tone is this essay would not be appropriate for an AP essay at all because it is written in first person, the tone is quite casual and angry, the vocabulary used is immature and inappropriate in many cases, and the entire essay is written in a poor style of an AP essay. As a reflective essay, however, the tone works very well, and he succeeds at his goal of commenting upon society.
A strength of Kavner's essay is his ability to effectively tell the reader what he is thinking, and what the purpose of this essay is. There is no question in the readers head that the tone is angry, and that Kavner is showing a rather immature and easily offended man. The weakness goes hand in hand with the strength, though. In order to express his anger and his believe that he has been insulted, he had to use inappropriate diction and had to take a casual tone.
Kavner uses quite a bit of rhetoric in this essay. One of the most commonly seen is the punctuation - he poses many questions to the reader, and often uses exclamation points to get his point across. He also uses exaggeration, such as when he said "So sue me, alright? Sue me!"
"I Want to Defend Myself and this Shirt I'm Wearning Inside Out" by Lucas Kavner
January 9, 2011
Kavner had taken a very angry tone throughout all of this essay - somebody is making fun of his shirt! Or at least, he thinks that somebody is making fun of his shirt. He uses swear words, italics, and exclamation marks to emphasize his angry, so that everybody knows that he does not appreciate the people who are insulting him. But the reader never actually knows if anybody is insulting Kavner, or if it is all in his imagination. At one point, he says that a girl is checking him out, and he'll "BRB." A couple of lines later, he says "She has a boyfriend, alright? ...It wasn't because of the shirt. ...You are all being so ridiculous right now I can't even believe it." This brings about an overly defensive and insulted tone, and makes the reader wonder if anybody is actually making fun of him, or if it is all his imagination.
The angry and defensive tone gives me a mental picture of Kavner being a paranoid young man who believes that everybody wants to make him miserable, and is therefore making himself miserable. He is constantly making excuses for himself because he seems to think that he has to, while at the same time he is giving others an excuse to laugh at his shirt. Even in the title, the first thing he says is "I Want To Defend Myself" and then he tells the world that yes, he is wearing his shirt inside out. This is a social commentary upon whiners, and those who are insulted by everything.
The tone is this essay would not be appropriate for an AP essay at all because it is written in first person, the tone is quite casual and angry, the vocabulary used is immature and inappropriate in many cases, and the entire essay is written in a poor style of an AP essay. As a reflective essay, however, the tone works very well, and he succeeds at his goal of commenting upon society.
A strength of Kavner's essay is his ability to effectively tell the reader what he is thinking, and what the purpose of this essay is. There is no question in the readers head that the tone is angry, and that Kavner is showing a rather immature and easily offended man. The weakness goes hand in hand with the strength, though. In order to express his anger and his believe that he has been insulted, he had to use inappropriate diction and had to take a casual tone.
Kavner uses quite a bit of rhetoric in this essay. One of the most commonly seen is the punctuation - he poses many questions to the reader, and often uses exclamation points to get his point across. He also uses exaggeration, such as when he said "So sue me, alright? Sue me!"
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