Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Great Expectations
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, is one of the few stories that depict Charles Dickens' life as he grew up, he struggled with great poverty and the main character of Great Expectations mirrors this lifestyle. The story begins in England where a boy named Philip Pirrip, or Pip, is looking at his parents gravestones when suddenly a man in chains grabs him and forces Pip to bring him food and something to cut through his chains. These events make the reader wonder if it's a kind of metaphor for how Dickens felt growing up. Hungry, alone, and fathered by a criminal who was always in need of the family's help.
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Lit Anal
1) The rebellion has started and the men and women who survived the attack on district 12 have been relocated to the underground district 13 which was thought to have been destroyed in a previous war against the capitol. Everyone including Katniss and Peeta who escaped the arena alive. Although Peeta was taken by the capitol first and brainwashed to believe Katniss was evil. He slowly starts to take the side of the rebellion and Katniss, who is the face of the rebellion. Peta and others go off to fight the Capitol head on. They succeed and Katniss is given the opportunity to kill the president, she instead kills the women who was elected new president because she would not have reformed anything.
2) The theme of this novel is about doing what you know to be right in the face of hardship, and making sacrifices for love.
3) The tone is strong, brave, and fearless.
4) Symbols: The mockingjay is a symbol of rebellion
Metaohor: Katniss is the mockingjay of the rebellion
Peeta's hatred towards Katniss is a metaphor for her indecision.
Irony: Peeta used to love Katniss now he hates her and tries to kill her
2) The theme of this novel is about doing what you know to be right in the face of hardship, and making sacrifices for love.
3) The tone is strong, brave, and fearless.
4) Symbols: The mockingjay is a symbol of rebellion
Metaohor: Katniss is the mockingjay of the rebellion
Peeta's hatred towards Katniss is a metaphor for her indecision.
Irony: Peeta used to love Katniss now he hates her and tries to kill her
The Hunger Games : Catching Fire Lit Anal
1) The seventy fifth hunger games is here which means its time for the quarter quell. A special game that can break rules and traditions. Katniss and Peeta are picked again to fight in the games along with other previous victors. A rebellion against the capital has started and Katniss and Peeta are the face of it because of their suicide attempt that challenged the authority of the capitol. Little do they know that some of the other victors they are supposed to be fighting with are rebels that plot to take down the arena and keep help Katniss and Peeta escape to strengthen the rebellion.
2) The theme is not to bow down to oppressors, and to fight for whats right. Another theme is to trust those around you and those who know more than you.
3) The tone of this novel is much less sad than the previous but still hard and rough and adrenaline pumping at the same time.
4) Dramatic Irony: Some things are obvious or suspected by the reader while the main characters are oblivious
Characterization: The newer characters have contrasting personalities, they come off mean and tough and distant but have good intentions the whole time
Flashbacks: Reminiscing illicits feelings from the reader and helps the reader to understand whats going on and why.
Metaphor: The things the characters are tormented with in the arena are things that represent the hardest times and worst memories of their lives
2) The theme is not to bow down to oppressors, and to fight for whats right. Another theme is to trust those around you and those who know more than you.
3) The tone of this novel is much less sad than the previous but still hard and rough and adrenaline pumping at the same time.
4) Dramatic Irony: Some things are obvious or suspected by the reader while the main characters are oblivious
Characterization: The newer characters have contrasting personalities, they come off mean and tough and distant but have good intentions the whole time
Flashbacks: Reminiscing illicits feelings from the reader and helps the reader to understand whats going on and why.
Metaphor: The things the characters are tormented with in the arena are things that represent the hardest times and worst memories of their lives
The Hunger Games Lit Anal
1) Katniss Everdeen lives in the fictional, futuristic society of Panem on what used to be North America. She has volunteered to take her younger sisters place as tribute to represent their district (district 12) in the annual Hunger Games. Where a girl and boy between the ages of 12 and 18 are selected from each of the 12 districts to fight in an arena to the death for the entertainmet of the Capitol. Katniss and her friend Peeta fake a romance in order to gain support from the viewers and increase their chances of winning the games. Katniss and Peeta are the last two alive and end up both winning the games, which has never been done before, by threatening to commit suicide together, and was seen as an insult and challenge to the capitol.
2) The theme of the Hunger Games is that one cannot allow someone to control them. Conforming to a higher powers ideals, when they are clearly wrong, cannot be tolerated.
3) The tone of the Hunger Games is packed with attitude! It's a feirce and fiesty story with non stop action, but there are somber moments filled with fear and great sadness.
4) Characterization: The characters were depecited so well it was hard not to understand them and hurt when they died.
Irony: The winning tributes coach was old, fat, and a drunk
Symbols: Each district had something that defined the distritc, the tributes from the district represented those qualities
2) The theme of the Hunger Games is that one cannot allow someone to control them. Conforming to a higher powers ideals, when they are clearly wrong, cannot be tolerated.
3) The tone of the Hunger Games is packed with attitude! It's a feirce and fiesty story with non stop action, but there are somber moments filled with fear and great sadness.
4) Characterization: The characters were depecited so well it was hard not to understand them and hurt when they died.
Irony: The winning tributes coach was old, fat, and a drunk
Symbols: Each district had something that defined the distritc, the tributes from the district represented those qualities
Lit. Anal. Of Mice and Men
1) Of Mice and Men is a tale of two men, Lennie and George, who travel across a region of California in order to find work during the great depression. When they finally do find work at a ranch things don't go according to plan due to Lennie's mental disabilities which leads he and George to be harrassed. Lennie's actions result in the downfall of he and George's dreams to own their own land.
2) Companionship is a main theme in the novel. Even though it's incredibly obvious that Lennie brings George down George stays with him because he knows that Lennie couldnt survive on his own, and George likes the company. When they arrive at the ranch friendships are formed and brotherhoods grow especially with Crooks and Lennie. Curly's wife even confides in Lennie because she's lonely and wants to find some companionship.
3) The tone of Of Mice and Men is somber, serious, and rough. Capturing the feeling of the era, the Great Depression. At times the novel can even move the reader to tears and make the reader feel great sympathy for the characters
4) Foreshadowing: The title is taken from a poem which states "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go often askew.) this lays down in concrete the idea that things will not go according to plan.
Symbols: The characters are from Soledad which means "Solitude" in Spanish
Setting: The Great Depression in the California valley is self explanetory, its rough, tough, miserable, dry, and there is no work to be found.
Irony: Lennie has obsessions with small, soft, defensless creatures, which completely contradicts his stature and helps to define his character.
Metaphor: Lennie is innocent and defensless like the rabbits and mice he loves.
2) Companionship is a main theme in the novel. Even though it's incredibly obvious that Lennie brings George down George stays with him because he knows that Lennie couldnt survive on his own, and George likes the company. When they arrive at the ranch friendships are formed and brotherhoods grow especially with Crooks and Lennie. Curly's wife even confides in Lennie because she's lonely and wants to find some companionship.
3) The tone of Of Mice and Men is somber, serious, and rough. Capturing the feeling of the era, the Great Depression. At times the novel can even move the reader to tears and make the reader feel great sympathy for the characters
4) Foreshadowing: The title is taken from a poem which states "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go often askew.) this lays down in concrete the idea that things will not go according to plan.
Symbols: The characters are from Soledad which means "Solitude" in Spanish
Setting: The Great Depression in the California valley is self explanetory, its rough, tough, miserable, dry, and there is no work to be found.
Irony: Lennie has obsessions with small, soft, defensless creatures, which completely contradicts his stature and helps to define his character.
Metaphor: Lennie is innocent and defensless like the rabbits and mice he loves.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Great Expectations
Great Expectaations is a title very well suited for the plot of the novel. A young boy is growing up, and as well all know since we are in the process of doing so as well, there are great expectations for his future. Especially since the boy, Pip, has just come in to a large sum of money.
Friday, January 20, 2012
If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
I want you to know
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.
If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.
But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.
If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.
But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine
I really enjoy this poem, its about moving on after lost love and not dwelling in the past, but also loving those that love you. This poem can be related to all kinds of situations, I have a deep connection to it and can relate to everything Pablo describes.
Monday, January 16, 2012
AP practice exam/ Q.1
Authors have a way with words that can make a reader fall in love with a serial killer, or hate a saint. Writers use an array of literary techniques to make readers admire amoral characters such as Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D Salinger. Insight into the character's mind through silliloquies or personal thoughts, making the character relatable, and a good theme, can all make the reader sympathetic or admire the the depraved character.
Holden Caulfield participated in underage drinking, fornication, he fought, he lied, he flunked out of school, and he called people degrading names, yet he is one of the most beloved characters in American literature. But the author gives us insight into Holden's mind, the way he thinks, and the way he grew up, which offers Holden a chance to explain his actions and help the reader understand why he does the things he does. John Steinbeck said, "In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other." When a reader can understand the character it becomes hard to dislike him, there's nothing but compassion and sympathy. The author produces this level of emotion in the reader through characterization, J.D Salinger has Holden be completely honest with the audience about his thoughts and feelings.
Because he is so blunt about his feelings Holden Caulfield is loved around the world by anyone who has experienced their teenage years, his rebellion and his angst are all relatable which allows readers to sympathize even further with him. Throughout the story Holden seems to be excluded from and victimized everyone surrounding him. As he says he feels trapped on “the other side” of life, and he tries to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong.
But perhaps the fact that the story is only being told from Holden's point of view is the biggest reason he becomes admirable. Holden portrays his actions the way he wants them to be portrayed, and from his perspective his actions are acceptable, making the reader feel the same way. If Holden see's his actions as admirable, that's how they will come off to the reader.
The theme is another major role player in how an audience views a character. If the overall theme of the book is glorified or valued then the unethical character "doesn't seem so bad after all." If the character represents something good, then his actions and personality can also be seen as good. One of the themes of The Catcher in the Rye is the hardships of growing up. It's a theme anyone the world over can understand and relate to by being put into the shoes of someone experiencing it and seeing the world through their eyes it becomes easy for the audience to identify with and approve of the character.
Holden Caulfield participated in underage drinking, fornication, he fought, he lied, he flunked out of school, and he called people degrading names, yet he is one of the most beloved characters in American literature. But the author gives us insight into Holden's mind, the way he thinks, and the way he grew up, which offers Holden a chance to explain his actions and help the reader understand why he does the things he does. John Steinbeck said, "In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other." When a reader can understand the character it becomes hard to dislike him, there's nothing but compassion and sympathy. The author produces this level of emotion in the reader through characterization, J.D Salinger has Holden be completely honest with the audience about his thoughts and feelings.
Because he is so blunt about his feelings Holden Caulfield is loved around the world by anyone who has experienced their teenage years, his rebellion and his angst are all relatable which allows readers to sympathize even further with him. Throughout the story Holden seems to be excluded from and victimized everyone surrounding him. As he says he feels trapped on “the other side” of life, and he tries to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong.
But perhaps the fact that the story is only being told from Holden's point of view is the biggest reason he becomes admirable. Holden portrays his actions the way he wants them to be portrayed, and from his perspective his actions are acceptable, making the reader feel the same way. If Holden see's his actions as admirable, that's how they will come off to the reader.
The theme is another major role player in how an audience views a character. If the overall theme of the book is glorified or valued then the unethical character "doesn't seem so bad after all." If the character represents something good, then his actions and personality can also be seen as good. One of the themes of The Catcher in the Rye is the hardships of growing up. It's a theme anyone the world over can understand and relate to by being put into the shoes of someone experiencing it and seeing the world through their eyes it becomes easy for the audience to identify with and approve of the character.
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