FINAL ESSAY

     "You do what?" "You get to decide what you want to learn?" "Teenagers are given that much freedom?" These are the questions that I typically get when I tell people that my AP English Literature and Composition class is based off of open source learning principles. People tend to think that it is crazy to give teenagers that much freedom. There are a lot of negative stereotypes for teenagers and one of them is that teenagers cannot handle having control over their education. Some people think that teenagers are lazy and would use an open source learning situation to cheat their way out of doing quality work. Open source learning is about taking advantage of all available resources to make your education tailored to your specific needs and interestd. It allows you to explore more possibilities and make more connections. Open source learning students are not lazy but in fact are very invested in their educations.

     This year, my fellow AP students and I defied stereotypes as we became self learners. It was very strange walking into class on the first day of school and being told that how we wanted things done was up to us. This was so strange to us that is took us quite a while to take advantage of. We were weary of this new system at first. For many of us, it was the first time we had been away from a traditional classroom setting. The agenda was different. The student-teacher relationship was different. The grading was different. Everything we had previously learned about learning was being challenged and tested. Being the critical thinking AP students that we are though, we were able to rise to the challenge. All of that freedom came with a lot of trust and for the most part, we respected that trust. Eventually, we took control of our learning.

     Our journey to open source learning success was not a completely new feeling. Throughout the year, we met many characters from literature that fit the story. Leah Price from "The Poisonwood Bible" gave up everything she knew for a life that she was passionate about. Similar to how us students have up traditional learning. John the Savage from "Brave New World" showed isolation and individuality. As the only open source learners on campus, we showed a lot of individuality. Sometimes though, the pressure got to us and we went a little crazy, like Hamlet. Well not totally like Hamlet but you get the point. 

Open source learning allowed me to focus on my passions. Besides learning the curriculum, I was able to focus on other things as well. My journey is not complete though. It is only beginning. I will continue to be an individual learner.

     

MACBETH ACT 5

• Lady Macbeth's servant brings a Doctor to watch Lady Macbeth sleepwalk. While sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth confesses her guilty conscious. 
• Lennox and other soldiers are marching to Birnam Wood to fight. They want to replace Macbeth, whom they think is insane, with Malcolm. 
• The English troops are coming for Macbeth, Macbeth still believes the prophecy that Malcolm cannot hurt him. Macbeth prepares to fight.
• Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth does his tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow deal
• Macbeth embraces the upcoming battle and is ready to die
• Macbeth kills young Siward
• Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm will become king

MACBETH ACT 4

• The three witches are making a potion that is complimented by Hecate
• Macbeth shows up and demands that the witches tell him what they know
• They show him three apparitions. The first is a head that tells him to beware of Macduff. The second is a bloody child that tells him that no one can harm him. The third is a crowned child that says Macbeth will be safe until Birnan Wood mobilizes.
• Macbeth finds out that Banquo's children will reign. Witches vanish.
• Macduff fled to England. 
• Macbeth plans to go to Fife, seize Macduff's castle and kill his wife and children. He plans to start carrying out his actions as he thinks of them "To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done"
• Lady Macduff accuses her husband of being a traitor. Denounces him to her son and Ross.
• She tells her son that Macduff is dead. 
• A messenger comes to warn Lady Macduff of danger.
• Murderers come kill the son and chase Lady Macduff offstage.
• Malcolm doesn't trust Macduff. 
• Macduff says he is not it to be a king.
• Ross tells Macduff his family has been killed
• Macduff prepares for revenge. 

THE CROSSROADS OF SHOULD AND MUST

We have all come to that crossroads of should and must and know what it's like to like to make the difficult decision between should and must. If you're lucky, you've chosen must at that crossroads most of the time but many of us are stuck in the routine of choosing should. Should is outwardly directed. It is what we think others want to see us do. Should is based upon expectations. Must, on the other hand, is personal. It is our innate, instinctive passions and ideas.

In my life, I am happy with my balance between should and must. I live by my passions and I do the things that I love to do everyday. Being a high school student I still have to do a fair amount of shoulds but more and more as I become more independent, I notice myself focusing more on the musts. I know what work my heart is with and slowly, I am pushing myself to live in that direction.

MACBETH ACT 2

LOOKING FOR A ROLE MODEL?

Lupita Nyong'o is so much more than an amazing actress. Her determination, compassion, and acceptance should make her an inspiration to us all.

APPLAUSE FOR JENNIFER LAWRENCE

Jennifer Lawrence's answer to a question about body image is fantastically honest.
Click here to hear her awesome response.

MODERN BARBIE

It's always been obvious that the popular Barbie doll does not look like a real woman, but things are finally changing. This man created a new kind of doll that matches the proportions of the average woman, not some unrealistic ideal. Read more here.

HUXLEY'S BRAVE NEW WORLD

Watching Mike Wallace interview Aldous Huxley did not drastically change my perspective on the novel. Many of the things that Huxley said are things I would expect him to say. I feel like reading the novel gave me a really good idea of Huxley's beliefs about the world. Though I can understand now how the novel was more of a warning to the world. The problems that Huxley stated in his interview are all played out in "Brave New World" and warn people against them.

10 QUESTIONS

1. Why are you personally interested in this topic?

2. Are there any specific events that triggered this interest? Personal struggles?

3. Do you think the media accurately portrays real people?

4. If not, what things should the media change?

5. How can we make a difference?

6. What successes have you had thus far?

7. What are your insecurities?

8. What advice do you have for young people?

9. How do you think media's portrayal of people will change in the coming years?

10. Any words of wisdom?

MY TEAM

Today in class we all talked mostly about our projects. At our table, we all bounced around ideas and explained our different projects to each other. Rachel and I are still on course with our project and we are excited to start using our classmates as resources as we move forward. Other resources we will use are social media sites and sites like Upworthy.

LAUNCH

Well since I have always had a knack for bringing up subjects that no one else likes to talk about, I am doing my project on body image. More than body image though, I also want to focus on positivity and the role that media plays in our definition of beauty and perfection. Rachel Shedd did a project with similar topics last semester so I will be working with her to expand on the ideas she came up with last semester and Kendall Villa will be working with us as well.

Walking around Righetti can be a fairly negative experience sometimes so the positivity aspect of our project will hopefully make the hallways suck less. A few parts of our project are secret for now so I won't say much about certain parts.

We definitely plan on using people as our main resource. We want to talk to as many people from as many walks of life as possible to make our class presentation complete. I think this is an important issue to address because it is something that an overwhelming number of people struggle with but don't always talk about. It is something is personally connected to my life so I think I will learn a lot getting input from other people.

I am really excited about this project. I am happy with the somewhat secretive work that we have done thus far and I am anxious to continue working on it and taking steps to move the project forward. I think it will be a unique and enlightening project.

I, JURY

I tried to comment on essays that used different prompts so I could read a variety of opinions on different topics about Brave New World. I was overall very impressed with the essays. I found that people's essays were rather well developed considering many people haven't read the entire book. Everyone seemed to have a strong understanding of the themes and importance of Brave New World. Reading other essays showed me that I need to be using stronger textual references. I mention parts of the novel but I am not using them as well as I could be.

BRAVE NEW ESSAY

I will be writing on the wonderful prompt that Allyson found.

     It isn't a new concept that where we lives affects how we live but the extent of that effect isn't as clear. A person's surroundings can have either a positive or negative effect on that character's traits and this is definitely illustrated in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World". In this novel, Lenina is a character whose entire personality is sculpted by a futuristic society. In Brave New World the surroundings create the characters and show the dangers of an all-powerful state. Huxley is able to create a setting that in itself, creates characterization.

     Lenina is a product of this new society that Huxley produced in Brave New World. She is pretty much just like everyone else in the novel. She does her job that she was assigned and she is happy in her social class. She responds well to the social customs of her society and lives the life that she is expected to. Lenina did not gather these characteristics on her own volition. She was programmed to have them due to her environment. She grew up in this strange society being programmed to do her job and live within her caste and be content with that, wanting nothing more or less. Lenina would not feel the way that she feels without her upbringing. Huxley was showing how manipulative an all-powerful government could be. The environment of the novel creates an atmosphere in which characters cannot think for themselves. They rely on the government to tell them when they are happy and what makes them content. There are of course some exceptions to this programmed society, but most of the characters are completely trapped out of individual thinking. Huxley created characters like Lenina this way to show how malleable people can be. How in a few years, a government completely rewire a population to think and act differently.

     The cultural surroundings of the characters in Brave New World determine their mental status's and moral traits. That's because the society's entire purpose is to mold and oppress the citizens. Huxley was precisely trying to show how environment effects human nature. Lenina was just one example of how people are receptive to their environment.

BRAVE NEW ESSAY TOPIC

This is Question 3 from the 2005 AP Exam. It is: In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who conforms outwardly while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. 

This question makes me think of Brave New World and reminds me of Daniel's comment from class today. He talked about how he thought that Bernard was a conformist because he didn't rebel against society in an outright way. From what we've read so far, it is obvious that Bernard doesn't fit in with the social order. He finds many of its aspects disturbing and he is independent and individual. In my essay I would write about how Bernard represents the foil to the system and how he shows all of the things that are wrong with this new society. Bernard questions himself because he knows that he doesn't fit into his world.

I AM HERE

This first part of the semester has been fairly productive for me. I have a good hold on the academic aspect of the course and I have completed all necessary requirements for that. As for the senior project, I began work on that over winter break. Rachel and I are collaborating on a project aimed at promoting positivity among students. We have a met a few times to plan our project and have started certain aspects of it. Some aspects of the project are kept secret for now but more will be revealed as we continue.

WELCOME TO THE INTERDISCIPLINARITY

My project has to do with spreading positivity and promoting positive body image. I think that psychology will be important to look at for this project. Studying psychology will hopefully show the things that hinder positivity and encourage negative body image. More in depth studies on the media would be helpful as well. Since the media really influences body image and sets a lot of standards it is important to know more about it.

LIT TERMS #6

Simile: a figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of a specific word of comparison.
ex: A heart like a lion

Soliloquy: an extended speech, usually in a drama, delivered by a character alone on stage.
ex: Hamlet's To Be Or Not To Be 

Spiritual: a folk song, usually on a religious theme.
ex: Used in Sula

Speaker: a narrator, the one speaking.
ex: first person speaker, third person speaker
 
Stereotype: cliché; a simplified, standardized conception with a special meaning and appeal for members of a group; a formula story.
ex: all teenagers are trouble makers

Stream of Consciousness: the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character’s
thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images, as the character experiences them.
ex: popular in postmodernism
 
Structure: the planned framework of a literary selection; its apparent organization.
ex: loose structure

Style:  the manner of putting thoughts into words; a characteristic way of writing or speaking.
ex: educational style, leisurely style

Subordination: the couching of less important ideas in less important  structures of language.
ex: Less important characters will not be as vividly described

Surrealism: a style in literature and painting that stresses the subconscious or the nonrational aspects of man’s existence characterized by the juxtaposition of the bizarre and the banal.
ex: Rene Magritte

Suspension of Disbelief: suspend not believing in order to enjoy it.
ex: People know vampires don't exist, but they read Twilight anyways

Symbol: something which stands for something else, yet has a meaning of its own.
ex: a tree symbolizes life

Synesthesia: the use of one sense to convey the experience of another sense.
ex: a "loud color"

Synecdoche: another form of name changing, in which a part stands for the whole.
ex: "sails" can refer to a whole ship

Syntax: the arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence.
ex: "Powerful you have become; the dark side I sense in you."

Theme:  main idea of the story; its message(s).
ex: A theme in Sula is friendship

Thesis: a proposition for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or disproved; the main idea.
ex: Should be in the introductory paragraph of an essay

Tone: the devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work; the author’s perceived point of view.
ex: caustic, enlightening, calm, bombastic

Tongue in Cheek: a type of humor in which the speaker feigns seriousness; a.k.a. “dry” or “dead pan”
ex: Catch-22

Tragedy: in literature: any composition with a somber theme carried to a disastrous conclusion; a fatal event; protagonist usually is heroic but tragically (fatally) flawed
ex: Romeo and Juliet

Understatement: opposite of hyperbole; saying less than you mean for emphasis
ex: I will be ready in 2 seconds

Vernacular: everyday speech
ex: conversations you hear around campus

Voice:  The textual features, such as diction and sentence structures, that convey a writer’s or speaker’s pesona.
ex: individual voice

Zeitgeist: the feeling of a particular era in history
ex: music can capture zeitgeist

HAFTA/WANNA

I think that my attitude towards life will be the same during and after high school. People complain soooooo much about high school and life in high school but really, you make your our choices and decisions so you should be able to find something good about every environment even the less desirable ones like high school. Life will be different after high school in that I will be able to more thoroughly study what I want. I realize that I can study what I want now but not as much as I will be able to when I am majoring in something. As much as I would love to just blow calculus off and spend my time/energy on studying things that interest me, that wouldn't fly with colleges that I'm trying to get accepted into. I balance the things I want to do and have to do pretty well. I grew up with a lot of freedom so I always knew if I didn't do the things that had to get done, then they wouldn't get done. I do make time for the things I want to do in different ways. I try to make things that I want to do into things that I have to do. I choose to join a dance company and make it a priority because it is something that I want to do. For myself,  I expect to not let myself get distracted. I know the goals that I have and I need to stay focused. I expect the world around me to allow me to pursue those goals and support me.

THE NOSE

1. What does Ivan Yakovlevich do for a living?
He is a barber.

2. What does Ivan find in a loaf of bread?
He finds a nose. The nose of Collegiate Assessor Kovalev, a man that he shaves.

3. How does his wife respond to Ivan's discovery?
She gets angry and threatens to report him to the police for cutting off someone's nose.

4. What does Ivan set out to accomplish?

He wants to get rid of the nose. 

5. When Ivan tosses the "package" in the river, for a brief moment he is happy; then he is arrested. What does this scene suggest about the role of happiness in Ivan's life/community/society? 

Happiness is transient and as soon as you finally find happiness it can be taken away in an instant.

6. Where does the title object belong, and how does it finally get there?

The title is "The Nose" and they nose that Ivan accidentally finds leads to a world a trouble that he wasn't expecting.

LIT TERMS #5

Parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form.
ex: "Like father, like son."

Parody:  an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist.
ex: James Franco and Seth Rogen made a parody of Kayne West's Bound 2 music video.

Pathos:  the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness.
ex: Those really sad commercials where they show the sad abused animals and ask for donations are an appeal to pathos.

Pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake.
ex: If you ask someone a simple question and they go on and on using irrelevant information and extreme vocabulary then you can say they are being pedantic.

Personification: a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or  abstract ideas.
ex: In Alice in Wonderland the rabbit, flowers, and playing cards are all personified.

Plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose.
ex: The plot of Catch-22 doesn't follow the traditional plot diagram style.

Poignant:  eliciting sorrow or sentiment.
ex: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is a poignant novel and you will cry when you read it.

Point of View: the attitude unifying any oral or written argumentation; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing.
ex: 1st person, 3rd person

Postmodernism: literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary.
ex: Catch-22 

Prose:  the ordinary form of spoken and written language; language that does not have a regular rhyme pattern.
ex: Nonfictional prose, fictional prose, heroic prose, poetic prose

Protagonist: the central character in a work of fiction; opposes antagonist.
ex: Harry Potter is the protagonist of the Harry Potter series.

Pun:  play on words; the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications.
ex: An elephant's opinion carries a lot of weight.

Purpose: the intended result wished by an author.
ex: The purpose of the novel Sula was to show how human relationships change over time along with life events.

Realism:  writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightfoward manner to reflect life as it actually is.
ex: Mark Twain

Refrain:  a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus.
ex: Oh Captain! My Captain by Walt Whitman

Requiem:  any chant, dirge, hymn, or musical service for the dead.
ex: Mozart wrote many of these.

Resolution: point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is worked out; denouement.
ex: The resolution of Sula is when Nel visits Sula's grave and apologizes.

Restatement: idea repeated for emphasis.
ex: yes we can, yes we can, yes we can

Rhetoric: use of language, both written and verbal in order to persuade.
ex: Speeches are full of rhetoric

Rhetorical Question: question suggesting its own answer or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion.
ex: Are you stupid?

Rising Action: plot build up, caused by conflict and complications, advancement towards climax.
ex: The rising action in Great Expectations is when Pip travels to London.

Romanticism:  movement in western culture beginning in the eighteenth and peaking in the nineteenth century as a revolt against Classicism; imagination was valued over reason and fact.
ex: Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities

Satire:  ridicules or condemns the weakness and wrong doings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general.
ex: The Simpsons

Scansion: the analysis of verse in terms of meter.
ex: rhythm and meter

Setting: the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur.
ex: The setting of Sula is 1920s-1960s Ohio.

THE TIME OF MY LIFE

Today in class we were all fairly productive. I completed the journal topic and finished a couple other ones. Once we were all finished with the journal we all kind of collectively decided to have a class discussion about Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. Daniel and Jake went up to the front of the room and talked to us about A Tale of Two Cities. They gave a plot summary and also talked about literary techniques that Dickens used. We asked them questions and took notes and then Rachel and Allyson talked a little bit about Great Expectations. By then time in class was running out so we turned in our notes. It was a productive day and I have a better feeling about both novels.

LITERATURE ANALYSIS #4

Sula by Toni Morrison

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

Exposition: At the very beginning of the novel, the reader is introduced to the setting of the story. The author explains The Bottom as a neighborhood in the hills of Ohio where black people live after an ex-slave was tricked into thinking that it was good land. The author also introduces a poor, mentally damaged resident of The Bottom named Shadrack who created National Suicide Day within the community.

Rising Action: At this point in the novel we meet Nel and Sula and learn about their contrasting lives. Nel is from a stricter, upstanding family whereas Sula lives with her mother and grandmother and her mother is known for being promiscuous. The two girls become friends despite their different backgrounds. They spend a lot of time together but begin to grow apart especially after Sula’s mother, Hannah, dies.

Climax: Nel and Sula go their separate ways as they grow into adults. Nel gets married and lives a traditional life in The Bottom. Sula moves and disappears for 10 years having different affairs and what not. Sula comes back and has an affair with Nel’s husband, Jude. This ends their friendship.

Falling Action/Resolution: Sula dies a few years later and the two reach some sort of a reconciliation. One day, Nel visits Eva (Sula’s grandmother) in a nursing home. They talk about the death of a little boy that had drowned because of Nel and Sula when they were young girls. Eva tells Nel that she has unfairly judged Sula all of these years and Nel feels remorse. She goes to Sula’s grave and cries.

The author’s purpose was to show that issues in life are not clear. In reality, things are messy and complicated and there is no right or wrong answer most of the time. The complicated issues and trials that the characters face in this novel show that.

2.   Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

A major theme in Sula is friendship and human relationships. The novel traces the relationship between Sula and Nel and the events that occur throughout the novel define their friendship. Friendship is complicated and difficult, as is life. It also shows how keeping an adult friendship is much harder and more complicated than keeping the friendship as a child.

3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

The tone of the novel is wise. The narrator tells the story in a way really analyzes the characters and their actions. "I done everything I could to make him leave me an go on and live and be a man but he wouldn't and I had to keep him out so I just thought of a way he could die like a man not all scrunched up inside my womb, but like a man." (page 48). The author writes about the characters in a way that shows how they realize their life mistakes. “The children needed her; she needed money, and needed to get on with her life. But the demands of feeding her children were so acute she had to postpone her anger for two years until she had both the time and the energy for it.”  (page 31). The author uses a wise tone to show how the Medallion community reacts to situations. “But they let it run its course, fulfill itself, and invented ways either to alter it, to annihilate it or to prevent its happening again. So also were they with people.” (pages 89/90).

WHAT'S THE STORY?

     I believe that Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations to showcase the social injustices that he found prevalent in Victorian society. He somewhat held the time period in contempt for its unfairness. This is shown in his characterization in Great Expectations. Pip was poor in the beginning of the novel but as he gains nobility he also gains unflattering characteristics such as greed and contempt for the lower class. Joe on the other hand is characterized as good and honest but he represents a very low social class. Irony also shows this theme of class frustration. Pip is so earnest to become a gentleman and become prosperous but when he achieves these things, they don't really bring him happiness; they only bring him more complications. The imagery that Dickens writes with shows his attitude towards London and social classes. He paints a dreary picture of London for the most part. London, where Pip is supposed to fulfill all of his ''great expectations'' isn't made out to be the most ideal place by Dickens's descriptions. Dickens wanted to point out that great expectations didn't turn out great because greatness did not lie in the higher social classes.

"TALE OF TWO CITIES" LECTURE NOTES

LIT TERMS #4

Interior Monologue: a form of writing which represents the inner thoughts of a character; the recording of the internal, emotional experience(s) of an individual; generally the reader is given the impression of overhearing the interior monologue.
ex: Used in The Shining by Stephen King

Inversion: words out of order for emphasis.
ex: "Where in the world were you!"

Juxtaposition: the intentional placement of a word, phrase, sentences of paragraph to contrast with another nearby.
ex: "The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
      "Petals on a wet, black bough.  by Ezra Pound

Lyric: a poem having musical form and quality; a short outburst of the author’s
innermost thoughts and feelings.
ex: Sonnet Number 18 by William Shakespeare

Magic(al) Realism:  a genre developed in Latin America which juxtaposes the everyday with the marvelous or magical.
ex: The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende

Metaphor(extended, controlling, and mixed): an analogy that compare two different  things imaginatively.
ex: America is a melting pot.

Extended: a metaphor that is extended or developed as far as the writer wants to take it.
ex: Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Controlling: a metaphor that runs throughout the piece of work.
ex: The Author to Her Book, Anne Bradstreet

Mixed: a metaphor that ineffectively blends two or more analogies.
ex: "So now what we are dealing with is the rubber meeting the road, and instead of biting the bullet on these issues, we just want to punt." (Chicago Tribune, cited by The New Yorker, August 13, 2007)

Metonymy:  literally “name changing” a device of figurative language in which the
 name of an attribute or associated thing is substituted for the usual name of a thing.
ex:  the "pen" stands in for "the written word."

Mode of Discourse:  argument (persuasion), narration, description, and exposition.
ex: the mode of discourse in an essay and in a fiction novel can be very different

Modernism:  literary movement characterized by stylistic experimentation, rejection of tradition, interest in symbolism and psychology
ex: Ezra Pound, modernist poet

Monologue:  an extended speech by a character in a play, short story, novel, or narrative poem.
ex: Hamlet has monologues in Hamlet

Mood:  the predominating atmosphere evoked by a literary piece.
ex: The mood of the WW2 movie was depressing
 
Motif:  a recurring feature (name, image, or phrase) in a piece of literature.
ex: In Mark Twain’s “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn”, we see several motifs that support the central idea of the narrative. The motif childhood gives the novel a lighter tone and makes it enjoyable to read despite its grave central idea i.e. slavery and racism

Myth: .a story, often about immortals, and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that attempts to give meaning to the mysteries of the world.
ex: Greek mythology

Narrative:  a story or description of events.
ex: Animal Farm is a narrative

Narrator:  one who narrates, or tells, a story.
ex: If I tell a story, I am a narrator

Naturalism: extreme form of realism.
ex: Stephen Crane
 
Novelette/Novella: short story; short prose narrative, often satirical.
The Birds

Omniscient Point of View:  knowing all things, usually the third person.
ex: Charlotte's Web, E.B. White

Onomatopoeia: use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning.
ex: Mumble

Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which two contradicting words or phrases are combined to produce a
rhetorical effect by means of a concise paradox.
ex: "it's the same difference"

Pacing:  rate of movement; tempo.
ex: speed and rhythm

Parable:  a story designed to convey some religious principle, moral lesson, or general truth.
ex: Bible parables
 
Paradox:  a statement apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really containing a possible truth; an opinion contrary to generally accepted ideas.
ex: Deep down, you're really shallow

AWESOME GUY... AWESOME VIDEO

Brendan Byrne (yes, Mrs. Byrne's son)  made this video as part of the application process to win a trip with the inspiring New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof. I LOVE this video because it sincerely captures the essence of our Uganda trip. I also love it because Brendan just did a fantastic job with it! 

LIT TERMS #3

Exposition: beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and/or characters, in a detailed explanation.
ex: “A long time ago in a galaxy far away, far away…” This is at the beginning of the Star Wars movies where everything is explained in text on the screen

Expressionism: movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feeling(s).
ex: Samuel Beckett was an expressionist playwright

Fable: a short, simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth.
ex: Aesop's fables include The Ant and the Grasshopper and The Hare and the Tortoise 
 
Fallacy: from Latin word “to deceive”, a false or misleading notion, belief, or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound.
ex: the appeal to popular opinion fallacy "A lot of people buy this, so it must be awesome"

Falling Action: part of the narrative or drama after the climax.
ex: In Titanic when the survivors get rescued and put on the other boat
 
Farce: a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue.
ex: The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde

Figurative Language: apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech (such as metaphor and simile).
ex: "A host of golden daffodils;  Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze." from Wordsworth "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Flashback: a narrative device that flashes back to prior events.
ex: In Into the Wild Chris has several flashbacks while in the wild about his life in society

Foil: a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent.
ex: In Harry Potter, Voldemort is a foil to Dumbledore
 
Folk Tale: story passed on by word of mouth.
ex: Paul Bunyan.

Foreshadowing: in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; “planning” to make the outcome convincing, though not to give it away.
ex: In John Steinbeck novel “Of Mice and Men”, the George killing Candy’s dog foreshadows Candy killing Lennie because Candy is identical to George and Lennie to the dog.

Free Verse: verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme.
ex: Fog by Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Genre: a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content.
ex: Mystery, romance, fiction, non-fiction

Gothic Tale: a style in literature characterized by gloomy settings, violent or grotesque action, and a mood of decay, degeneration, and decadence.
ex: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement often used as a figure of speech or to prove a point.
ex: I am dying of shame
 
Imagery: figures of speech or vivid description, conveying images through any of the senses.
ex: He whiffed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee

Implication: a meaning or understanding that is to be arrive at by the reader but that is not fully and explicitly stated by the author.
ex: When the professor said, “All the other professors in this college are pushovers,” he implied (not inferred) that he was a tough professor.

Incongruity: the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other.
ex:  in fables, the clever ones are usually the small/oppressed, while the foolish ones are usually the big/gigantic/ ones. in the end, the small ones always win against the big ones.

Inference: a judgement or conclusion based on evidence presented; the forming of an opinion which possesses some degree of probability according to facts already available.
ex: Based on the fact that Allyson got into Princeton, you can infer that she is very intelligent.

Irony: a contrast or incongruity between what is said and what is meant, or what is expected to happen and what actually happens, or what is thought to be happening and what is actually happening.
ex: The fire station burns down.

LIT TERMS REMIX 1-5

Circumlocution

Classicism

Cliche 

Climax

Colloquialism

LIT TERMS #2

Circumlocution: a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served
ex: saying "a certain long-eared animal with a penchant for carrots" instead of saying "rabbit"

Classicism: art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of ancient Greece and Rome: tradition, reason, clarity, order, and balance
ex: writers like Homer, Ovid, Virgil, Sophocles, etc.                                                                                            
Cliché: a phrase or situation overused within society
ex: "There are more fish in the sea"

Climax: the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved
ex: The climax of the movie Titanic is when the ship hits the iceberg.

Colloquialism: folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation
ex: "Hey, let's get some grub."

Comedy: originally a nondramatic literary piece of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter
ex: Twelfth Night by Shakespeare, Friends the TV show

Conflict: struggle or problem in a story causing tension
ex: The conflict in The Hunger Games is that Katniss must fight for her life while also protecting Peeta.

Connotation: implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition
ex: "Mother" has a more negative connotation than "mom"

Contrast: a rhetorical device by which one element (idea or object) is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity
ex: "What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult." (Sigmund Freud)

Denotation: plain dictionary definition
ex: the definition of definition is: a statement of the exact meaning of a word, esp. in a dictionary.

Denouement (pronounced day-new-mahn): loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion
ex: In Into the Wild the denouement is when Chris dies

Dialect: the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others.
ex: In Uganda, the main dialect is English but there are also Bantu dialects

Dialectics: formal debates usually over the nature of truth.
ex: "Sophists employed the method of dialectic (Greek: dialektike) in their teaching, or inventing arguments for and against a proposition. This approach taught students to argue either side of a case." James A. Herrick

Dichotomy: split or break between two opposing things.
ex: The dichotomy between right and wrong

Diction: the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words.
ex: Classroom diction is different than the diction we use when with friends.

Didactic: having to do with the transmission of information; education.
ex: Some boring classes are said to be too didactic

Dogmatic: rigid in beliefs and principles.
ex: "Anyone who wants universal health care is a socialist." is a dogmatic statement

Elegy: a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting.
ex: "Here Captain! dear father!/This arm beneath your head;/It is some dream that on deck,/You've fallen cold and dead."-"O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

Epic: a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, mores, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time (definition bordering on circumlocution).
ex: The Epic of Gilgamesh 

Epigram: witty aphorism.
ex: "It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Epitaph: any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone.
ex: "Here lies Frank Pixley, as usual." (Composed by Ambrose Bierce for Frank M. Pixley, an American journalist and politician)

Epithet: a short, descriptive name or phrase that  may insult someone’s character,
characteristics
ex: Lord of the dead and mighty for Aidoneus

Euphemism: the use of an indirect, mild or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offensive, or blunt.
ex: to say "passed away" instead of "died"

Evocative (evocation): a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality.
ex: "The river runs steadily through this vivid evocation of a childhood in India at the time of the First World War."

LIT TERMS #1

allegory: A figurative work in which a surface narrative carries a secondary, symbolic or metaphorical meaning.
ex: The Allegory of the Cave 

alliteration: The repetition of initial sounds in neighboring words.
ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

allusion: A brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or ficticious, or to a work of art. Casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event. An allusion may be drawn from history, geography, literature, or religion.
ex: He's such a Romeo with the ladies. (alluding to Romeo and Juliet)

ambiguity: A statement which has two or more possible meanings; a statement whose meaning is unclear. Depending on the circumstances, ambiguity can be negative, leading to confusion or even disaster.
ex: He walked a new path.

anachronism: Anachronism is derived from a Greek word anachronous which means “against time”. Therefore, anachronism is an error of chronology or timeline in a literary piece.
ex: My mom used a vhs tape to record her TV show.

analogy: the comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship. The key is to ascertain the relationship between the first so you can choose the correct second pair. Part to whole, opposites, results of are types of relationships you should find.
ex: Just as a sword I the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.

analysis: the separating of any material or abstract entity into its constituent elements (opposed to synthesis ).
This process as a method of studying the nature of something or of determining its essential features and their relations.
ex: Pip was bitter towards Joe because deep down he was ashamed.

anaphora: The deliberate repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of several successive verses, clauses, or paragraphs.
ex: My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.

anecdote: A short narrative account of an amusing, unusual, revealing, or interesting event.
ex: When my mom tells me how she almost got a tattoo before she begins to lecture me about not getting one.

antagonist: The major character in a narrative or drama who works against the hero or protagonist.
ex: The Queen of Hearts in Alice and Wonderland

antithesis: The antithesis of something is its direct opposite. In literature, the use of antithesis as a figure of speech results in two statements that show a contrast through the balancing of two opposite ideas.
ex: We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools

aphorism: A brief saying embodying a moral, a concise statement of a principle or precept given in pointed words.
ex: We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

apologia: A speech that defends, justifies, and/or apologizes for an action or statement.
ex: Bill Clinton's apologia for his affair.

apostrophe: When an absent person, an abstract concept, or an important object is directly addressed.
ex: "Oh! Stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock me; if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as nought; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness." Excerpt from Frankenstein

argument: The main statement of a poem, an essay, a short story, or a novel that usually appears as an introduction or a point on which the writer will develop his work in order to convince his readers.
ex: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

assumption: Something taken for granted; a supposition.
He drives a Porsche. He must be rich. (Maybe he's not rich. Maybe he stole it.)

audience: The spectators or listeners assembled at a performance, for example, or attracted by a radio or television program. The readership for printed matter, as for a book.
ex: The audience of Harry Potter and the audience of Lord of the Rings are usually similar.

characterization: The act or an instance of characterizing. A description of qualities or peculiarities: a list of places of interest, with brief characterizations of each. Representation of a character or characters on the stage or in writing, especially by imitating or describing actions, gestures, or speeches.
ex: Hermione is characterized as a know at all by the things she says and all of the questions she answers.

chiasmus: A rhetorical or literary figure in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order, in the same or a modified form.
ex: "In the end, the true test is not the speeches a president delivers; it’s whether the president delivers on the speeches."

AP PREP POST 1: SIDDHARTHA

1. What does enlightenment look like in Siddhartha? Is it a feeling? An attitude?

From the passage that we read, enlightenment is both an attitude and a feeling. Siddhartha consciously makes the choice to walk a new path in life but it is also a feeling that he has. Re-reading the book would enable me to give a more detailed answer. 

I found this question on shmoop.

2. Which of the following is not a belief espoused by the Buddha?
-the world is an eternal chain linked together by cause and effect
-life is pain
-it is possible to eradicate pain
-when we die, we experience either eternal bliss or damnation

3. Which of the following best describes the Buddha's response to Siddhartha's objections?
-Siddhartha is clever but misses the point of the Buddha's teaching
-Siddhartha is correct and has shown the Buddha his error
-Siddhartha is foolish and incorrect
-Siddhartha is partially correct, but is too young to fully understand

4.What did Siddhartha speculate separated him from ordinary people?

 -his having met the Buddha

 -his relationship with a courtesan

 -his former life as a Samana

 -his being born into a priestly caste

Questions 2-4 were from grade saver

5.A bildungsroman, or coming-of-age novel, recounts the psychological or moral development of its protagonist from youth to maturity, when this character recognizes his or her place in the world. Select a single pivotal moment in the psychological or moral development of the protagonist of a bildungsroman. Then write a well-organized essay that analyzes how that single moment shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

This question can be answered using the novel "Siddhartha" easily. As a character, Siddhartha experiences tremendous growth and self-realization throughout the novel and there are plenty of examples that could be found in the story to support that. I found this question on college board.

I need to be reading at a more critical level. For the ap exam you need to know much more than the who what when and where. I need to be more analytic when reading and study literature techniques especially.

HACKING MY EDUCATION

What do I want to know?

There are two things that I currently want to know more about. One of them is outdoor education and the other is non-profit management. These are two paths that I am considering for my future and ideally I will be able to do both of them at some point. I've always been drawn to the outdoors and channeling my energy and frustrations into the outdoors has really changed my life and I want to help other students have that same experience. Non-profit management is something I'm interested in but know very little about. I love traveling and making positive changes so this might be a career that I would enjoy (because according to my ever so practical brother I cannot backpack around the world for the rest of my life and expect to make a living).

Skills...Skills...Skills..

I can use my blog as a resource to keep track of research I do with regards to these two topics. I can keep a running tab of all of the information I encounter in one place to stay concise and organized. I can also use collaboration in class to gain leadership skills which would be helpful in outdoor education and management.

What experiences do I want to have?

I was recently lucky enough to do a 6 month internship concerning outdoor education. I want more experiences like that. Ones where I can talk to professionals to get a better idea of the field. I want to really understand the options that I have and what I could possibly be getting into.

I can use my peers and professionals extensively in the next six months to get new perspectives. I can hopefully find more people that are already in these fields and collaborate with them. 

GOOD BACK TO SCHOOL VIBES

I thought today was a pretty good first day coming back from break, but unfortunately not everyone seemed to be feeling that way. Maybe it was the fact that many of us had a test on the first day back or maybe it is just because it is a stressful time in our lives but I see a lot of people having bad days around campus. I like to watch this video when I'm having a bad day..maybe you will too.

WHAT'S IN THIS FOR ME

My goal for this semester is to get my focus back. I noticed that senior year has brought a lot of good things my way but it has also taken away the determined focus that I've had towards schoolwork throughout high school.
This focus has gone partly because I am more than ready to move on with my life. I am so excited to move out and move on and experience something new that I am more focused on that than on the present. I want to finish high school strongly and really get the most out of my education while it is still free because soon I will be having to pay thousands of dollars for it. Last semester I got my first B and as much as I would like to blame outer circumstances it was really the fault of my lacking focus. I don't want to let that happen again so I am determined to get back my indomitable focus!
I will be more disciplined with myself about putting 110% into the class and taking advantage of everything offered. I can only do second semester of senior year once so I am determined to make it turn out how I want it to and come out of it not only with a good score on the AP exam but also feeling as though I genuinely learned a lot.